Toaster Hinge Card

I just learned a new trick from this week's SCS Technique Challenge called 'the hinged card'. I was so excited after watching this video by Wendy Weixler because I knew JUST the thing to try it out on! I just got these CUTE chipboard shapes from Cosmo Cricket's Early Bird collection and thought it would be fun to have the toast 'popping' out of the toaster!

I adhered my toaster panel at the bottom instead of the top (as shown in the video) so that the toast popped out of the right end. :) The swirl from the bottom of the toaster was just doodled on.

I hid my brad in the front by covering it with a ribbon knot & added a standard card base to the back.

The sentiment is from Rubber Soul. :)

Isn't that just so much fun?!? I love it when my plans actually WORK! LOL! :)

And... here is the inside of my card using a little more Early Bird paper. See. I told you I'd be using this stuff like crazy. Get use to it. There will be more. ;)

Thanks for 'popping' by!!! :)

A Memorable Monday

Today's CHF Challenge was to create an "altered project". The girls have gone out of their way and have BLOWN me away this week! So make sure to click on their links on the left of my blog to be directed to their sites.

I've been working on Eli's teacher's gifts this week and finally am able to share them with you!

Today is the first day that I'm allowed to reveal something BIG that's coming to the stamping world. (Make sure you read Mona's post for all of the details!) I'll be talking about this new release over the next several days... but basically -- Cornish Heritage Farms has designed a new tool called Scrapblocks™. (release date: Tuesday, June 3rd) Scrapblocks™ are HUGE 6" x 6" rubber stamps that are going to change the way you craft.

Did you guys ever play with Shrinky Dinks when you were kids? Some of the girls have been making fun little projects out of shrink plastic and I thought I would give it a try using one of my new Scrapblocks™ - Writing Paper. I was SO excited when I saw this image for the first time! I asked Mona about creating something that looked like a primary writing tablet several months ago and here it is! I just think it's so nostalgic and can be used for so many fun projects! (If you look closely at the background of my blog... you can see how much I {heart} this print!)

I was thrilled when I found out that Kim's Quirky Alphabet letters fit PERFECTLY inside the lines on this stamp! To make this necklace, I just stamped the Writing Paper onto shrink film using StazOn ink - stamped the letters with Colorbox Craft ink - and then cut out the shape with an oval Nestabilities die. I'm sort of impatient, so I used my embossing heat gun to quickly shrink my plastic. *Make sure to punch a hole in your charm BEFORE heat setting so that you can add a jump ring to the top.

This is a fun stationary set that I made that fits perfectly inside of a nugget tin. This is part of my most recent article written for Craft Critique (and I'd love for you to take a peek!) This school set by CHF is SO MUCH FUN! It works perfectly with the little paper pad from the Four Square set and the Lined Paper Backgrounder! (I found these teeny tiny journal notepads at Walmart)

Here is the complete set of stationary made from Rubber Soul notecards, patterned paper, and images from the Kim Hughes line at CHF.

School is almost out and I hope that means I can get back to posting more regularly! I hope you all have a fantastic Memorial Day!

Little Snow Bunny

This was a card I made for a recent pub call that... alas... didn't get picked. LOL! :) I thought it was kind of cute anyway, so I thought I would share. :)

This is a teeny card (3" x 3.5"), but it packs a lot of punch! I cut a window in my purple CS using a Nestabilities die. The main image and acetate sheet are adhered behind the window. I applied tiny dots of Liquid Applique and heat set to create a snowy scene on the transparency.

The snow slope was covered in white Fun Flock. I love this stuff! ... And it makes perfect snow!

*Thanks for stopping by!*



Supplies:

Stamps: Clearly Wordsworth - Vacation clear acrylic set; Cornish Heritage Farms - Polka Dots BG

Ink: Stampin' Up! - Basic Black, Basic Gray; Versamark

Accessories: Acetate Sheet; Liquid Applique; Spellbinders rectangle Nestabilities die; white Fun Flock; Stampin' Up! Word Window Punch; EK Success small corner rounder; Almost Amethyst & Blush Blossom Stampin' Write Markers; Atou Spica glitter pen (siver & gold)

Card stock: Stampin' Up! Basic Gray & Almost Amethyst, white CS

A New Direction

This is a tough post for me to write. For a while now, I've felt this 'stirring' inside. It's hard to explain, but I knew 2008 would be a year of change for me. This past year has been amazing. Last June, I set a couple of goals for myself. I wanted to design for a company and I wanted to get published. These goals seemed unattainable at the time and I didn't know if something like that could actually happen for me. But, amazingly enough... before the summer was over, I had been asked to design for two paper crafting companies! And to my amazement... I even had a few things picked up for publication. I still can't hardly believe it!

So, once I had met my goals, I decided I would set some new goals for myself. It has always been a dream of mine to be able to use my creativity for more than a hobby. So... that is my next goal. I don't know what my future holds... but I would love to be able to meet this goal one day! Wouldn't that be amazing!?!

I've had to make some very difficult decisions this week. You might have noticed that I haven't posted as much as I normally do -- and that's because I really wanted to take some time and sort through some things. I've decided to step down from my design positions with Rubber Soul and Paper Pretties. This decision was so hard because I've made some great friendships through these companies this past year. I wish both companies continued success and can't wait to see what this new year holds for them!

Stamps: We Must Be Willing - Rubber Soul

Paper: My Mind's Eye Bohemia Collection (Blue/Red Paisley); K & Co. Wild Saffron Collection

Accessories: Marvy punches; Prima Flower; gold organdy ribbon; Ranger Distress Ink - Fired Brick; paper piercing tools; Spica Glitter pen (black)

Free Set, Anyone?

Now that the Christmas holiday is over... everyone is already preparing for Valentine's Day! So... I thought I would send one of my loyal blog fans an early Valentine --- courtesy of Dani @ Rubber Soul/Wordsworth Stamps!!!

Want to know how you can win? Just leave me a comment on this post --- and tell me which of my posts was your favorite this past year. (You can just leave the date in your comment.) Make sure to leave your name and contact info in case you're the lucky winner! Check back on Saturday to see if you win!

I Can't Wait to get my Arms Around You!

Today's Color Challenge on Splitcoaststampers was a bright and cheery one!

Real Red
Taken With Teal
& Certainly Celery

I love this clear set by Rubber Soul! It's full of the CUTEST images that are perfect for Valentine's Day or any occasion! I stamped the main image using Taken With Teal ink, but then went over the entire image with Spica Glitter pens... just to give it a little sparkle.

If you ever feel like you're in a stamping rut - check out Splitcoast's daily challenges! They're a great way to get some ideas flowing!

Stamps: Animal Love - Rubber Soul
Paper: Daisy D's; Certainly Celery & Taken with Teal (SU)
Accessories: Martha Stewart border punch/embosser; Marvy Mega scalloped circle punch; Nestabilities circle die; Cuttlebug embossing folder, Copic Spica glitter pens

"Cool" Inspiration

Today's Bloggers Challenge was an "Inspiration Challenge". -- (Find something that inspires you and create a card based off of it.) I love this jacket! This shade of blue is probably my favorite right now... and I found it very inspiring!

Below is the card that I created based off of my inspiration piece. I LOVE this image from Rubber Romance! This stamp is from Paper Pretties' December RR Subscription box. I think she's so chic and I *love* her coat!

I made this card to fit a standard long envelope (9" x 3/5" I believe). I've never made a card this size, but I really liked how it turned out! (***Click on Picture to See Details!***)

I colored my main image using Copics and Copic Spica Glitter Pens. If you look closely, the blue card stock is stamped with Cornish Heritage Farm's Spanish Script BG. I am SO excited to see a BG stamp in a language other than French! I have a lot of ideas for it and can't wait to put them onto "paper". If you look closely, you can see a glittered swirl on the bottom left corner of my card. The image comes from Autumn Leaves' (A Rhonna Christmas Collection by Rhonna Farrer -- Rhonna's Christmas Swirls). It has tiny snowflakes mixed in with the swirly design.

The sentiment is by Rubber Soul's Rose Border clear stamp set.

I used Martha Stewart's Snowflake border punch/embosser for the grey edging. I had a few Making Memories diamond brads that I added to the edge (just to glam it up a bit)... and used my sewing machine to add stitching.

*** If you have a regular sewing machine, adding stitching to card stock is super simple! Just run your card stock through just as you would fabric! No special thread or needle is required! Give it a try! It adds a lot of detail and takes no time at all!

You Move Me

This week's Bloggers Challenge was to make a card that moves. I thought I would try something different, so I stamped my little lamb and added a "stick" by punching out some thin chipboard with my Word Window Punch. I added some sparkle with my black Spica Glitter pen.


Here is my finished card. The little sheep can be lifted and move along the "meadow" (attached with dimensionals on just the right and left sides).

Stamps: Rubber Soul (A Day at the Zoo);
Papertrey Ink (Spiral Bouquet) - sentiment

Paper: K & Co. Amy Butler - Belle Collection; Pixie Pink CS (SU)

One Sheet-of-Printed-Paper Wonder

I don't know about you, but I have a really hard time mass producing cards. It makes me nauseous! So... I decided I would make each one a little bit different. I had one sheet of this yummy Cosmo Cricket *Be Good* printed paper, so I thought I would see how many cards I could make out of it. I pulled out a few of my favorite Rubber Soul & Wordsworth stamps and tried to make some simple cards. Which one is your favorite?

Stamps: Snowman Collection, Christmas Blessings, Winter Wonderland - Rubber Soul

Paper: Cosmo Cricket - Be Good Collection

CS: Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red (SU)

Accessories: Nestabilites dies, paper piercer tool, Martha Steward Snowflake punch/embosser, Making Memories Snowflake embellishments, Martha Stewart twill, SU organdy ribbon, red grosgrain, small corner rounder, Creamy Caramel Classic Pad (SU) to distress, SU large eyelets; We R Memory Makers Copper eyelets

Thoughts of You Warm My Heart

This is another card I made for the sketch challenge during Paper Pretties SIYJ (Stampin' in Your Jammies) night. Sketches are just the best! I love having a 'blue print' to go by when you need to stamp something quickly! (You only get 1 hour to stamp and upload your challenge card during SIYJ.)

(Christie's Sketch - above)

I thought this card turned out pretty cute for having such a short time to create (if I do say so myself!). Ever since Paper Pretties introduced the Copic Club and the Nestabilities Club, we can now use ANY stamp found at the Paper Pretties Corner Store. I love having more options.... and I LOVE being able to use some of my Rubber Soul stamps (now available for sale at PP for a limited time!)

This clear set is the Snowman Collection and is packed full of whimsical, adorable wintery images! Can I also say that I *heart* my new Nestabilites Dies???? I have the oval and rectangle ones and can't wait to get my hands on the others! I joined the PP Nestablities Club... so every month my collection will grow. It's nice being able to break down the price month by month (my wallet thanks me).

One More Down.....

You know, I've been thinking. How sad would it be if *a person who's favorite past-time is creating cards* doesn't get Christmas cards sent out in time? I really need to get on the ball and figure out what card design I'm going to use as our family Christmas card this year. I have a really hard time mass-producing... so I have a feeling it's going to be a modge-podge of lots of different cards. And, if so... I have one more down (don't even ask me how many more I have to go!)

Yesterday at Cornish Heritage Farms, I got to help Lisa Strahl celebrate her 30th birthday! It was so much fun seeing their new releases, joining in challenges, and playing games all day. Yeah. I didn't get a whole lot done yesterday. I just needed a day to create. It felt nice. Now, everything that I didn't get done yesterday is staring at me. I've got a lot to do. :(

This card was for a couple of challenges yesterday. My fellow Prettie Girl, Kristine, issued a challenge to use background stamps and a sentiment ONLY. I also followed a sketch challenge that was issued to make this card.

I LOVE this sentiment by Rubber Soul! I think this might have to be the inside sentiment for all of my holiday cards. You can find it here: CLICK HERE

This background is the Paisley BG from SU, stamped with Wild Wasabi ink onto the same colored CS.

I hope everyone's weekend is going great! :) Gotta go do some actual work now. :)

Joy to the World.....

Last night was our monthly SIYJ (Stampin' In Your Jammies) night with all of the Paper Pretties subscribers. I always love these nights because it forces you to get creative... QUICK! You only have 1 hour to complete a challenge and get it posted. I don't know why, but I love having a little 'pressure' to work under.

Our color challenge last night was to use Red, Moss, & Ivory. I thought this paper by Rubber Soul would be perfect! It seems like I always start a project by choosing my paper these days. It's good inspiration, I guess.

This is the Mojo Monday sketch for this week from Julee Tilman. I used my oval Nestabilities, which made this card SO easy to create!

Don't you just love these little stick people? he he he! I just can't keep from smiling when I see them! You can now purchase these at Rubber Soul & Paper Pretties! I stamped them using my Pearlescent Chocolate Dew Drop ink and colored with Copic markers. I used just a bit of liquid applique to give a little dimension to the carolers' hats & muffs.

Today is also the day the Prettie Girls share what they created during our weekly challenge. Jillian challenged us to make an ornament... and I sent mine off without taking a picture first. Duh! So maybe she's received it and can take a picture for me to share later. :) Make sure you check out the other girls' blogs to get some inspiration! (see my links on the sidebar to the right)

Paper: Winter Solstice by Rubber Soul; Real Red, Choc. Chip, Mellow Moss, & Confetti Cream CS by SU

I'm Dreaming of a Pink Christmas.....

I LOVE the color pink! Maybe it's because I only have boys and need some resemblance of estrogen in my world. I don't know? So when I found this paper pack from K&Co (Peppermint Twist) at Archivers.... I started salivating! It is FULL of awesome prints! You'll be seeing a lot more of this paperpack this holiday, I'm sure!

I just love the simplicity of these Christmas trees from Rubber Soul's 'Joy to the World' set. (For those of you who don't know, just click on the colored text to get the link.) The sketch is from Julee Tilman's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge from last week. Some people are just extremely gifted when it comes to sketch layouts and Julee is one of them!

I added some faux stitching, glitter, and BEAUTIFUL American Crafts ribbon to add some 'jewelry' to my card. Paper Pretties carries a wide assortment of AC ribbon (for a mere $1.25 a spool!) I am addicted to ribbon, so this is a cost-effective way to get a lot of different patterns.

The sentiment is actually a rub-on from Making Memories. (Merry Christmas 2) I found this at Hobby Lobby.

My laptop's diagnosis was not good. I'm getting a new hard drive for it... but all of my files are lost. I'm just SO thankful that I have a blog! At least some of my projects and pictures are saved! I have a lot of projects to show you. I just have to re-take some pictures and edit them again. Have a great Monday!

Sending a Little Comfort

This is a card I made for a family member who just lost their mother. I think this set from Clearly Wordsworth (www.rubbersoul.com) is just so beautiful and I hope it brings them a little comfort.

The paper is from Cosmo Cricket's Gretel line and the sketch is from Julee Tilman's Mojo Monday challenge.

I added hints of color to the bird with the fine tip of my Ruby Red and Creamy Caramel Stampin' Write marker.

The Swarovski crystals on the centers of the flowers are from the Paper Pretties Corner Store. These are real crystals and are SO sparkly IRL! They come in every color imaginable, and a 2-way glue pen is all it takes to adhere them to your project!

Stamps: Heart Sing (Clearly Wordsworth)

Paper: River Rock ; Cosmo Cricket; Bo Bunny (Shabby Princess Collection)-- lined paper print

Ink: Tim Holtz (Tea Die) Distress Ink; Tsukineko Coffee Bean; Ruby Red

Greetings from Paradise!

*** Make sure you remember to sign up for my blog candy on the post below!!!!

It's Wednesday! And that means I get to share another card I made for one of the Prettie Girls! (see my side-bar for links!) Julie Masse issued a challenge to use chipboard on our projects. I love chipboard, but seem to forget to use it very often --- so I was anxious to get started!

I pulled out my Vacation Collection set from Clearly Wordsworth and my diVine Collection paper pack from Rubber Soul and started brainstorming. I am SO excited because Paper Pretties is now carrying some of the most popular stamps and paper from Rubber Soul in their Corner Store!!! (That means subscribers will automatically receive 10% off!) If you love those little stick people images, check out THIS LINK!

All of the design team from Paper Pretties signed up to go on the stamping cruise next October!!! Yeah!!! So, I decided to give Julie a little glimpse of what life's going to be like on our vacation and make a warm summery card!

I stamped the main image on Shimmery White CS and drew on a tankini and gave her a cute little belly button. LOL! (click on the picture to enlarge) I adhered a piece of pink cardstock to a chipboard coaster and ran it through my Cuttlebug using my new Nestabilities dies. It took about 10 passes, but it finally cut!

Then I covered a piece of chipboard that I had with another scrap from the diVine paper, sanded the edges, and then stamped the sentiment onto it. I was so excited to find that shape! It was perfect for what I was going for!

The shells on the bottom of the card are from MFT's By the Seashore set. I just added some dimensionals to make them pop! The ribbon is two-toned pink satin that I found at Wal-Mart!!! Gotta love a bargain!

Make sure you click on the links on my sidebar to see what the rest of the Prettie Girls came up with for this chipboard challenge! I hope you play along!

I Thank You Now

I think this saying is so true! I think I need to make a lot of these cards, because I can think of several people that I should send one to! I really wanted some pretty paper to pair this stamp with. This paper is from K&Co (Wild Saffron Collection). If you scroll through my blog, if you look closely, you'll see that I've used this paper a lot... but it is just SO beautiful! There isn't one page that I don't like!

The butterfly is an embellishment that is part of the same collection. It has so much dimension and is super sparkly! (By the way, I found this collection at Michaels!)

I used my new Nestabilities (from Paper Pretties) to create a scalloped "cut out" in my printed paper. Then I stamped the sentiment onto Shimmery White CS and cut and embossed a rectangle with another die. To create the curved edge, I took a bowl, traced it on one edge and trimmed. All of the edges are distressed with my Heidi Swap distressing tool and inked with Sahara Sand ink.

I "embossed" tiny circles onto the curved edge by pressing my paper in between my Crop-a-dile. I found out this little trick on a blog I recently discovered (KWernerDesigns). It's AWESOME! You should go take a peek!

I love this stamp by Rubber Soul! It's only one stamp, but it is created so that you can stamp your sentiment outside AND inside of your card. Just ink up the words you want to stamp and leave the other ones bare.

I added copper eyelets to the outside and inside of the card and added some saffron colored ribbon. I just am so happy with how this card turned out! Hope you like it too!

Stamp: Sometimes Stamp (Rubber Soul)

Happy EARLY Thanksgiving!

Today has been one of THOSE kind of days! Emery (the littlest one) was up all night fighting yet another respiratory infection. "Lucky" for me... he always wants Mom when he's sick --- so I didn't get much sleep either. I finally go him peeled off of me for a few minutes this afternoon and I ran to my craft room for a little stress therapy. Seriously, this craft is my saving grace. I spent about 25 minutes making this little card and I feel SO much better! Ahhh....

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For those of you who visit my blog regularly, I know you've probably seen a lot of these Wordsworth stick people... but I never get tired of them. There is just something about them. How can so much personality show up in something so simple?

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I stamped the image and colored her in with Copics, paper-piercing her apron. I LOVE antique aprons! I have several hanging in my kitchen that belonged to my husband and my great-grandmothers. They just reminds me of simpler times. I wanted to mimic this in my card base. I added stitching to the sides and a scalloped eyelet edging to the bottom. I searched for some pumpkin colored ribbon to add to the top of my "apron"... but of course I didn't have anything that really matched. So, I took some wide white grosgrain ribbon and colored it with my Copic marker! Voila! A perfect match! Can I just tell you how much I love Copics?

*** if you look closely, you can see the tiny piercings I made to create "steam" coming from the top of the pie!

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Ok. I just discovered something FABULOUS! Well, I know other people have already discovered it, but I finally found some Georgia Pacific cardstock at my local Wal-Mart and tried it out with my Copics. I had to try it myself before I was a believer. Now, it's not as "heavy" as Papertrey's White CS (which is my first love)... but it takes the color just as beautifully --- only CHEAPER! I've been going through about a pack of Papertrey CS a month, so this is going to really help me out. I still vow to use the Papertrey CS for my card base. It's just sturdier. But when I stamp & color with Copics and then layer it onto other CS, I think the Georgia Pacific brand will work just fine!

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I don't know if you've heard, but Paper Pretties is starting a Copic Club and I've been given the daunting task of heading it up! LOL! No, actually I'm really excited about it. I've really worked hard to try to pick essential colors for people who want to see what this Copic craze is all about. Basically, every month (for 6 months) you will receive 6 Copic Sketch markers. I will be demonstrating techniques and projects for the Club Members on the Member's Only site. Also, by signing up to be a club member, you automatically receive all of the other Paper Pretties member's benefits. I also hand select a group of items that coordinate and work well with the Copic markers each month. All of these items are available to club members for 20% off! Each month, the colors that you receive "build upon" previous markers. It's really going to be easier for those who sign up in October so that they will have all of the essentials -- and they won't have to backtrack and pick up colors on their own. Please drop me a line if you have any questions and I would be happy to give you more information.

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Stamps: Stick People by Wordsworth/Rubber Soul; Sentiment by SU

Paper: Chocolate Chip & Pumpkin Pie CS; Basic Grey Mellow printed paper

Accessories: Copics, White Grosgrain, Large Oval punch (SU), Fiskars small scalloped scissors, Martha Stewart eyelet punch, sewing machine, Marvy Mega Scalloped Square punch (stamp 2 and adhere together to create a rectangle!)

Ready for the Holidays

This week's Blogger's Challenge was to make an ornament. I found this little wooden ornament (already painted!) for $1 at Hobby Lobby this week. The main image is by Rubber Soul. I just love these little stick carolers! The boys look just like little Pez dispensers! I just paper pieced the carolers' outfits and added color with Copic markers.

I added some fuzzy texture to the girl's accessories with white Fun Flock that I found at Paper Pretties Corner Store. The sentiment is a rub on! I've never used these before, but they're really fun and easy! The mittens charm is by Karen Foster.

This ornament was really fun to make. I'm thinking it might also make a nice gift tag on a holiday package this year. If you want more 'ornament' ideas, check out my Blogger's Challenge list on my sidebar for all the links!

Comfort & Joy

It seems kind of crazy making a wintery-themed card when it's almost 90 degrees outside! This is the craziest 'fall' I've ever seen!

I combined last week's Splitcoast color challenge and sketch challenge for this card. I love the combo! Blue Bayou, Chocolate Chip & River Rock! Actually, I loved it so much I've been thinking about doing the boy's bathroom in these colors. And... you'll be seeing several more cards in this color scheme this week (I just couldn't help myself!) :)

The Christmas tree stamp is by Rubber Soul called 'Tree Extravaganza' and the sentiment is from their 'Winter Wonderland' set. I love it's little crooked top! I just stamped the tree in brown and added a smidget of color to the needles with chalk.

I used my new Cuttlebug embossing folder to add a little texture. I think I'm going to make several of these! I love the simplicity of it and the way the colors come together!

***Don't forget! Today is your last chance to receive 25% off of any regularly priced item at Paper Pretties! There are also TONS of items on sale (ending today!!!), so go check it out!***

Cutie BATutie!

This week's Bloggers Challenge was to use "Black & Orange" in our projects. I've always wanted to try one of these nugget boxes and found the tutorial through Julie Tilman's blog this week. This was her Mojo Monday challenge for us. I love it when I can combine challenges and create just one project. Between working, raising 2 little boys, laundry, dishes, etc. --- I have to be creative with my 'free' time! Ok... don't tell... but I had to sample a few of the nuggets in the bag. I need to get rid of the wrappers and hide the evidence! :) You wouldn't want any. They're really not that good... ;) he he he

I was so excited when I covered the nuggets and found that my little 'Boris the Spider' (Rubber Soul) fit perfectly on top! Yea! I used the Booglie Eyes set from SU for the 'Boo' sentiment (just inking the word I wanted with a marker). The bat on the sleeve is also by Rubber Soul (Happy Bat). I added Black Stickles to him to give him a little sparkle. I added a little spritzing of black with my SU marker and Spritzing Tool. I ordered the Copic Airgun system from Paper Pretties and I CAN'T WAIT to get it!!! Yeah!!! It's going to be so cool! Keep your eyes peeled next week for some samples! Oh! And PP's is having a sale this weekend! Check out the post below for the det's!
I used the large Oval Punch from SU for the tag, backing it on black CS. I used some small scalloped scissors to get the edges to look like bat's wings (just hold them backwards to change the shape!) The sentiment is made with KF Snap Stamps. I added some wide black organdy ribbon and some spooky fiber for the final touches.

This was a really fun project and the tutorial was easy to follow! :)