Monday, January 31, 2011

Happy Birthday, Kris!

Hopefully, my niece has received this birthday card by now.  Her birthday is tomorrow (Feb 1), but I also wanted to post it for the Skipping Stones Design Challenge #61.


I followed the design exactly, using new Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 papers along with cardstock, ribbon and lace from my stash.  Sentiment by Verve.  Used my plain and scallop circle nesties for the sentiment and added a little Antique Linen distress ink on the sentiment circle to make it blend better with the Circa 1934 colors.   Such yummy paper!

Kris, I hope you have a wonderful birthday!
Thanks for peeking!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

FTL 124

Another day, another challenge!  This time it is the Clean & Simple blog's fall to layout #124.  I have had a lot of birthday cards to make lately, and I am finding the challenges helpful to me in getting them all made.

This is a pretty simple card (that is the whole idea, right?!?) using some pretty lime and white designer paper by Collage Press, white silk ribbon, a sentiment from SU, and a couple of nestibilities and sizzix leaf die.



Thanks for peeking!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

January 2011 Papertrey Blog Hop!

I was just browsing the blogs a short while ago and stumbled upon the PTI monthly blog hop.  The theme this month was to use an un-inked or 'dusty' PTI stamp set of your choice.  Since I am in the valentine making mood, I chose Heartprints.


Pretty simple!  Picked my favorite hearts from the set, stamped them in Memento pink and red, punched them out and added the set sentiment.

Thanks for peeking!

Monday, January 24, 2011

OLW 37 Sentiments

Yeah!  I've made Simplicity's latest challenge with a day to spare!  The challenge is to create a one layer card using at least 2 and only sentiments.  No stamped images allowed this week!  Embellishments are to be kept to a minimum.

I thought I came up with an original idea, but just now scanning through the thumbnails on Susan's blog I find that several had this same original idea!  Oh well.  Great minds think alike.   I make it a point to not look at the thumbnails on any challenge I participate in so that I am not influenced in any way while coming up with my idea.   After my card(s) is finished, I then like to go back and look at everyone else's "point of view".  I love seeing everyone's interpretation of the challenge. 

I actually came up with two cards, both very similar in design and both for Valentine's Day.  The first uses a Stampin' Up (be mine) paired with a portion of an old Studio G sentiment.


The second card uses a PTI sentiment paired with the same Studio G partial sentiment.  I made a mask out of a sheet of computer paper and a nestibility heart die, and then repeatedly stamped the PTI sentiment over the cut-out heart.


A BIG thank you to Susan and Jennifer for coming up with these wonderful weekly challenges!

Thanks for peeking!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Birthday Buck

Here's a really quick card I made for my nephew's birthday last month.  He is a hunter extraordinaire, always has been, most likely always will.  Found this buck in a pack of dimensional stickers from K & Company and knew it would help  me make the perfect card for him. 

Used a nestie for the 'mount' and sentiment, and some really OLD wood patterned paper for the background.  Added a little twine to make the sentiment more interesting.  And that's it!  Easy, peasy!

Thanks for peeking!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Christmas

Hi everyone!  Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedules to stop by my blog!  I really do appreciate it.

The last month has been pretty hectic, as you can tell from the lack of blog posts.  But, as things are calming down, I hope to post a bit more.  I have many cards from the last few months photographed and waiting, which is good, because the ol' mojo has been on hiatus lately.   Maybe posting will give the boost the mojo needs.

The first card today is the one and only Christmas card I sent this year.  Shame on me.   My mom was the recipient.  See how sparkly the focal image is?  Please take my word for it....it is VERY sparkly!  Well, Colleen and I learned this technique from Polly of Polly's Pals at Stampaway last August and did it together shortly after so we wouldn't forget.   I just checked Polly's website to see if she has the technique posted, but I couldn't find it.  Darn!  We'll just have to rely on my lack of memory.  I used adhesive sheets by Therm-o-web (can get them at Mike's) and the Christmas Tree stencil by Dreamweaver.  Here are the steps if you are interested.

1.  Cut a piece of cardstock and adhesive sheet the same size as the stencil.  Remove one side of the adhesive sheet and apply it to the cardstock.
2.  Remove the second side of the adhesive sheet and apply glitter.   Sorry, I don't remember the type or brand at the moment.
3.  Cover the glittered sheet with a second sheet of cardstock, and, using a brayer,  firmly roll over the second sheet of cardstock to make sure the glitter sticks well to the original adhesive/cardstock.  Remove 2nd sheet of cardstock.
4.  Place the tree stencil on top of the glittered cardstock and hold it in place with removable scotch tape.
5.  Using pigment ink and a stencil brush, apply the ink to the stencil as desired.
6.  Remove stencil and cut image to desired size.

The really neat thing about this, is the glitter totally sticks to the adhesive and doesn't come off!  Not on your hands, or your stencil brushes.  Totally clean!  My kind of glitter.

The second card is a thank you I mass produced for Christmas gifts John and I received this year.  Pretty simple...used up some of my most favorite holly paper from Basic Grey, the stamp is from Stampendous and used my Nesties circle and dahlia dies.   Colored with copics, including the spicas for a little shine that you can't see very well in the picture.


That's all for today!  Thanks for peeking!