A Cut Above (Day 3) - Shaped Cards

Day 3 of the on-line class A Cut Above was all about shaped cards.  Decided to use Cricut cart Christmas/Noel to die cut this window frame shape:

The frame was embossed with Hero Arts (HA) S5208 Designer Woodgrain in white then distressed with Ranger antique linen distress ink.  Poppies from HA CL449 Delicate Blossoms were embossed on watercolor paper then watercolored (using Zing water brush) with Ranger spiced marmalade and barn door distress inks and background was lightly brushed with tumbled glass distress ink.  Sentiment from HA CL266 Mix & Match Elements was embossed on a piece of vellum and adhered behind the window frame.  Butterfly from HA CL383 Antique Engravings was also embossed on a piece of AMuse gingham pp.  After assembling the card base(this Cricut cart has a blackout feature that I used to die cut the card base pieces) the window frame was adhered to the front with foam tape.

I'm going to link this up to several challenges including:

 one sponsored by Hero Arts 

this one sponsored by A Blog Named Hero

and finally this one sponsored by Lily Pad Cards

Hope you're having a fabulous weekend!



A Cut Above (Day 2) and Tuesday Trigger: Watercolor Butterflies

Day 2 of A Cut Above was all about using die cut windows in card design.  Decided to combine my "homework" assignment with this week's Tuesday Trigger: Watercolor Butterflies:

Isn't this dress fabulous???!!!  I was really inspired by the colors and the watercolor effect of the butterflies.  And crazy as it may sound I was also inspired by the armhole cutouts :)  I tried to echo their shape in the offset die cut circular window:

Materials Used:  Hero Arts (HA) CG172 Garden Bouquet, HA CL383 Antique Engravings (butterflies), HA CL498 Celebrate Everyday (sentiment), Lifestyle Crafts embossing folder, Nestabilities, Stampin' Up cs, Ranger distress inks (worn lipstick, spiced marmalade, dusty concord, barn door, antique linen (to soften edges), Michael's pearls, W R Memory Keepers corner rounder

Still waiting patiently (kind of....) for my distress markers *sigh*  Thanks for all your sweet comments!  I've had so many starts and stops with my blog - all the encouragement (as well as these fun challenges I'm finding!) inspire me to keep it going :)

And since this card features a window I'm also entering it in this challenge:

A Cut Above (Day 1) and CFC48

I'm a few days behind on my "homework" for the on-line class A Cut Above.  The first day touched on ways to make your own card embellishments using die cuts:

I know - pretty simple!  At first I thought about adding a bunch of  really small die cut hearts to all of the trees but decided it looked too busy.  Then I got the idea to use the embossed heart border as "grass" and somehow one heart on the largest tree looked just right:)

Materials Used:  Hero Arts My Happy (sentiment), Magenta Abstract Orchard, Stampin' Up cs, Sizzix/SU Fashionable Hearts Embosslit, Sizzix/SU Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Clearsnamp Seaglass pigment ink, Versafine Smokey Grey pigment ink, W R Memory Keepers Corner Rounder

I'm entering this in the CAS-ual Fridays Opposites Attract challenge:

Thanks for all your lovely comments!

A Lil' Piecing

Julie Ebersole's video on the Hero Arts blog today inspired me to do some paper piecing:

I was immediately drawn to this Hero Arts(HA) set CL583 Right At Home when I saw it among the 2012 catalog releases as it contains so many great elements for creating scenes :)  The only thing it's lacking is a sun so I used one from an older HA set called CL439 Kiss From the Sun.  Been trying to find different ways to use HA CG422 Zig Zag - why not grass? 

Other Materials Used:  HA snow and grass layering paper, Stampin' Up cs, My Mind's Eye pp, Nestie, W R Memory Keepers corner rounder 

I have a tendency to emboss when I paper piece as I find it alot easier to cut out and handle all the little pieces.  In the video I noticed Julie used a tweezer thingy - I think I "need" a pair :)

I'm going to enter this in the ABC DT Challenge Anything Goes as well as this month's Hero Arts Challenge:

Thanks for all your encouraging comments :)

Two For One

Combined two challenges with this card:  this month's sketch challenge on the Hero Arts blog and the colors (Avocado, Blue Mist and Grey) from the current Play Date Cafe Challenge:

Flower and leaves are from Hero Arts (HA) CL495 Blossom Art and sentiment is from HA CL498 Celebrate Everyday.  I pleated the Martha Stewart seam binding ribbon using a trick I saw in a mag - adhere a piece of double-sided sticky tape to the card front and then starting from the left hand side (leaving a little "tail" at the end) pleat and stick the ribbon as you go.  Easy peasy!
Other Materials Used:  Lifestyle Crafts embossing folder, Stampin' Up cs, Bo Bunny pp, My Mind's Eye pp, Inkadinkado silver embossing powder, Papertrey ink scalloped border die, Hero Arts clear gems, Michael's pearls

I'm ridiculously proud of the fact I have a Mother's Day card done a whole month before I need it :)  Thanks for all your lovely comments!

A "New" Challenge For Me......

I recently decided it's time for me to explore other challenges out there besides those sponsored by Hero Arts.  And what better way to take a baby step than to participate in one sponsored by a new challenge blog that celebrates all things Hero:) 

It was difficult for me to choose just one fave Hero Arts stamp (especially since my stamping studio is filled to the brim with HA stuff!) but I decided to create a card highlighting S5316 Silhouette Grass:

Did a little shadow stamping by first stamping the silhouette in white pigment ink and then stamping the image again (slightly offset) in HA midtone pool shadow ink.  The sentiment is from a 2012 clear set CL588 Sending You Love and I die cut it using one of the matching HA frame cuts.  The dragonflies are from one of my fave clear sets CL383 Antique Engravings - I reach for both the dragonflies and the butterflies from this set time and time again.
Other Materials Used:  Stampin' Up cs and pp, HA soft brown shadow ink and brown gems, Making Memories paper piercer and eyelets, Ranger distressing tool and distress inks, Creative Impressions twine

Thanks for all your lovely comments and enjoy your day!  I'm off to figure out other ways to avoid doing housework.....

Happy Easter!

I just finished up the Tim Holtz Creative Chemistry 101 on-line class earlier this week and love the watercoloring techniques I learned :)  The card I'm sharing today uses both a brushless technique and a watercoloring with re-inkers technique:

For the background I inked up various Hero Arts stamps with Ranger distress inks and spritzed them with water before stamping on watercolor paper.  I have found the kind of watercolor paper you use really does make a difference - I've been getting good results with Strathmore 140 lb cold press paper from the 400 series.  After I was pleased with the colors and images in the background I added a sky by picking up some tumbled glass distress ink with a Zig BrusH2O (detailer tip) and adding it to the bg.  You have to be so careful not to touch the stamped images as the water will "wake up" those distress inks and cause a muddy mess :(   On another piece of watercolor paper I embossed Hero Arts F5377 Thoughtful Bunny in black.  After creating a palette with distress reinkers and using my Zig brush I colored him in.  The edges of all pieces were inked with antique linen and walnut stain distress inks before assembly.

I've never been a big fan of coloring.  Copics and prismas -eh.  But give me some distress inks and water and I'm in love :)  And you betcha I've got some of those new distress markers on order - LOL!

Materials Used:  Hero Arts: H5312 Silhouette Burst, S5316 Silhouette Grass, CL428 Earth Flowers, CL498 Celebrate Everyday (sentiment); Ranger distress inks:  spun sugar, worn lipstick, tumbled glass, peeled paint, tea dye, walnut stain, antique linen; Hero Arts eggshell layering paper (base card); A Muse gingham pp; May Arts ribbon; American Crafts button; Nestie

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!  My dh husband is 100% Polish so our Easter morning will include a simple brunch of polish sausages, eggs and placzak (a type of coffee cake).  My mother-in-law has to travel to a market in Buffalo, NY called the Broadway Market to get the food and all of us look forward to this yearly treat :)

CAS Card Making Class Week 1

CAS is a card making style I struggle with so I jumped at the chance to take an on-line Clean & Simple Card Making class!  I've  already learned so much in the first week- I really love how the instructors share their "tricks of the trade"!  One of the topics discussed on Day 3 was sources of inspiration (i.e. magazines, pinterest, store window displays, etc.).  While I was eating my breakfast I really noticed how pretty the pattern of our tablerunner is:

And though I hardly did the inspiration justice here is my card:

I layered some diecuts (a technique learned in class) from the Cricut cart Storybook as I thought their shape was kind of similar to the flowers in the runner.  I embossed the Hero Arts sentiment in black to give more texture to the card.  Still thought it needed SOMEthing so I added some Doodlecharms baker's twine and Michael's black pearls to die cut circles for the flower centers. 

NOT my favorite card.  If I were the teacher I'd give it a "C".  No where to go but up I suppose!  LOL!

Congrats Grad!

We're going to a high school graduation party on Sunday for a friend's son who has been accepted to Syracuse University in Upstate NY.  I knew I wanted to use my fave VW Beetle image from Hero Arts clear set CL478 Going and somehow represent the journey from high school to college:

I die cut the "high school (h.s.)" from Cricut Winter Woodland cart and stamped it with Hero Arts S5216 Grid Pattern.  The "road signs" were made by attaching the stamped "To" and "From" arrows from the Hero Arts CL478 Going set to signs die cut from Cricut Walk in My Garden cart.  The die cut SU letters were stamped with Papertrey ink's Background Basics Gingham to give them a little texture.  The cute sun was a free printable from Hero Arts.   I embossed the grad cap from Vap! Scrap twice and popped up the top with foam tape for some dimension. 
Other Materials Used:  Papertrey ink cs and cloud dies, MFT grass border die, Cuttlebug embossing border folder (for the "road"), Big Lots alphabet stickers, Making Memories silver and black brads, Stampin' Up cs and ink, Bo Bunny pp

Temps were in the high 90's again - another perfect day to stay inside and stamp :)

Bring on the Girly Stuff!

I really needed a break from making "manly" cards :)  My dear enabler - er, I mean friend - had an extra Michael's coupon and offered to pick me up this Flower Fields stamp (P116) by Stampendous I've been eyeballing for awhile.  And one of my sweet Flickr friends Joy provided the perfect inspiration to create a card with it.  I really love the sunshine colors Joy used in her card and the way the sentiment was placed over the flower stems.  Here is my take:

I colored the flowers with copics and popped up the largest bloom.  The butterfly is from my favorite Hero Arts clear set CL383 Antique Engravings.  The sentiment is from an old Plaid set.

Other Materials Used:  Hero Arts Sunshine layering paper, Papertrey ink cs, Queen & Co pearls

My mom asked if I could make her a thank you card and since my Flower Fields stamp was still sitting on my craft table I decided to use it again:

This time I stamped the image twice and colored the flowers with a prisma and the leaves with copics.  I recently attended a Stampin' Up workshop and the sentiment is part of a set I won as a door prize!  I really like the whimsical font.

Other Materials Used:  Stampin' Up cs, pp and butterfly die, Nestie ribbon slide label, K & Co gem, Michael's ribbon

We've been having outrageously hot and humid temps with no relief in sight.  I must confess I like having the excuse to sit inside with the cool air conditioning and to surf everyone's blogs,  to comment on flickr and to create!  It's so difficult to strike a balance sometimes, isn't it???  When I can't create and be as active on-line I don't like it but I also don't want to sit on life's sidelines either :)

Inspired by a Car Show

Over the weekend I braved the 90 degree weather to attend a car show with my dh.  After spending 6 hours looking at literally thousands of cars I decided this must be how my dh feels when he gets stuck coming with me to a stamping store -LOL!

I have to admit I was quite impressed with the workmanship that goes into restoring these old vehicles.  So much so that I was inspired to create a card based on this one:

Don't you just love this color combination?  And doesn't the front end look like a face?  Wonder what it would it say if it could talk :)

And here is my card:

I used the classic car image from Hero Arts clear set CL478 Going and colored it with markers.  I used a silver gel pen on the chrome parts (hard to see in the pic) and I tried to make the matting look like an old polaroid photograph.  Wasn't sure about the "road" but thought I needed to somehow ground the car image.
Other Materials Used:  Papertrey ink cs, Stampin' Up sentiment, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Source of pp unknown, Provocraft punch, photo corners

Took lots of pics and thought I would share some of my faves.   Can you imagine cruisin' in this beauty to the drive-in? :


Somehow I don't think this is the car's original paint job! :

This electric blue was dazzling!  But I keep wondering how anyone can see out those tiny windows well enough to drive! :

And lastly I found something very endearing about this old school "Rat Rod"!  :

Mandatory Manly Stampin' Stuff

Summer in my family means mandatory manly stampin' as my brother and his two sons Scott Jr. and Stuart celebrate their birthdays in July and August.  Thank goodness I picked up a copy of the Stamp It! Cards vol. 8 issue as one of the cards featured on page 67 inspired me to introduce myself to some of the other images in Hero Arts CL478 Going set.  I wanted this set just for the VW Beetle image and I've completely ignored the other stamps until now :)

I followed Becky Lillibridge's design pretty closely except I used the truck instead of the motorcycle image, used a sentiment from Hero Arts CG275 Birthday (4) and added a birthday "balloon".  My brother Scott owns a very "manly" blue truck so I think he'll appreciate this.
Other Materials Used:  Stampin' Up cs, Ranger faded jeans distress ink, VersaFine toffee ink, Hero Arts S5507 Envelope Pattern, Making Memories brads, Hemp, Cricut George and Basic Shapes cart (balloon die cut)

My nephew Scott Jr. is an ex-Marine currently working as a civilian in Kuwait. He's got some vacation time coming so I'll be able to give him his card in person next month:

This time I embossed the sentiment and used a Cuttlebug embossing folder to make the background.  I really like this color combination for a masculine card - the embossed piece is Papertrey ink's ocean tides cs.

Two manly cards down, one to go!  Thought I'd share my favorite pic of the two boys:

They are close in age and have been sooooo competitive all their lives.  Here they look genuinely happy to be in one another's company!  As they've gotten older their presence at family gatherings is no longer a given and I miss them....

Thanks for stopping by!  Your comments truly make my day!

When Was the Last Time You Used Pinking Shears?

I've had this idea for a congrats card for a new baby girl all month and finally put it together today:

The die cut onesie is from Cricut New Beginnings cart.  I stamped it with this cute sentiment from studio g I found in the $1 bin at AC Moore.  The background was stamped with Hero Arts S5215 Clouds in Color Box french blue ink.  The sun and tiny clothespins are images from Hero Arts CL439 Kiss From the Sun clear set.  I happened to notice my pinking shears collecting dust while hanging from my craft room wall and thought I should put them to good use making some grassy hills:)
Other Materials Used:  Papertrey ink cloud die, Cuttlebug swiss dot embossing folder, Martha Stewart baker's twine, Oriental Yrader button, Stampin' Up cs and pp.

Now if only one of our nieces or nephews would cooperate and give me a reason to need this card...........:)  :)   :)

His & Hers

This fun patterned paper from American Crafts immediately made me think of the chairs in Hero Arts clear set CL480 Wish You Were Here so of course I had to buy a sheet :)

I embossed one of the chairs from this set on the solid red reverse side of the pp, cut it out and mounted it on a swiss dot embossed circle.  The sentiment from the same set was stamped on a thought bubble I die cut from Cricut George and Basic Shapes cart and adhered to the card front as shown.

Other Materials Used:  Martha Stewart baker's twine, Stampin' Up cs and ink, Nestie, Cuttlebug swiss dot embossing folder

I didn't stop there!  A cute anniversary card featuring His & Her towels in Card Creations Volume 9 page 17 inspired me to create this card that could be used as either an Engagement or Wedding card:

The sentiment from Hero Arts set CL342 Everyday Sayings was embossed on a piece of vellum and attached to the card front with brads.  I found the His & Hers letter stickers at Dollar General.  The "rug" was made by die cutting an oval from Cricut George and Basic Shapes cart and snipping the edges with scissors to create "fringe".

Other Materials Used:  Stampin' Up cs, pp, vellum and ink, Making Memories brads, Nestie, Cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder

Thanks for all your sweet comments!  Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend :)

Watercolored Flowers

I put together another card with a panel I stamped the other day using a watercolor technique:

The grass from Hero Arts CL428 Earth Flowers was inked with Ranger peeled paint distress ink and then spritzed with a mix of perfect pearls and water before stamping on a piece of watercolor paper.  The weed from Hero Arts CL185 Elegant Weeds was inked with a Stampin' Up rich razzleberry marker and spritzed as above before stamping.  It's difficult to see in the photo but I also stamped Hero Arts S5507 Envelope Pattern with Ranger antique linen distress ink on the sentiment circle and distressed the whole thing with the same ink.  Sentiment is from Hero Arts CL342 Everyday Sayings. 
Other Materials Used:  Stampin' Up cs, pp and butterfly die, Nesties, Queen & Co. pearls, Cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder, Basic Grey pp (butterfly)

I took my mom and her cat to the vet yesterday as she had made the painful decision to put Cali (short for Calico) to sleep.  I'm going to be honest - there was no love lost between me and Cali.  I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times Cali tried to bite me!  But for 12 years Cali was good company for my mom and for that reason alone my heart aches for my mom.

I'm Blaming it on the Weather!

I've been nonexistent in blogland for a few weeks and I'm blaming it on the weather!  Summer in upstate NY is sooooo fleeting that when it does finally arrive you grab on with both hands!  And to make matters worse I don't own a laptop.  After spending months and months this winter cooped up in the house I have a hard time sitting inside when the sun is finally shining outside. 

Yesterday I was inspired by the flowers blooming around my patio.  I took some watercolor paper, stamps, distress inks and a water mister outside and tried to re-create some of the beauty surrounding me:



 Hero Arts S5316 Silhouette Grass was inked with Ranger peeled paint distress ink then misted with a mix of perfect pearls and water before stamping on a piece of watercolor paper.  Using the same technique I stamped one of the flowers from Hero Arts CL428 Earth Flowers in dusty concord distress ink and the single flower from Hero Arts CG170 Wildflower Garden in spiced marmalade distress ink.  I love how unpredictable the results are when using this watercolor technique and was really pleased with how this turned out.  My dh, on the other hand, asked why the flowers looked like blotches........*sigh*
Other Materials Used:  Hero Arts PS621 Sunshine Layering Papers, Hero Arts CL342 Everyday Sayings (sentiment), Stampin' Up pp, butterfly dies and vellum, Queen & Co. rhinestones

Thanks for stopping by!

Celebrate!

It's our niece Katie's birthday on June 6th and since she lives in South Carolina I needed to get her card done so we can mail out her package this week.  Katie is definitely a "fashionista" so when I saw this patterned paper collection by sei called "Couture" I knew it would be perfect!

After stamping the dress form and hat from a clear set by Toga with Clearsnap seaglass pigment ink, I overstamped both images with Hero Arts S5507 Envelope Pattern with Ranger antique linen distress ink to give them a little texture.  After cutting both images out I also inked their edges with the same distress ink.  The sentiment that I embossed on the banner is from an old Rubber Stampede set - I love this funky font!  I used a Martha Stewart punch and a Stampin' Up die to create the layered butterfly.  The individual and flourish rhinestones are from Michael's.  The paper flower was a gift from a friend :)
Other Materials Used:  Stampin' Up cs 

I hope everyone is having a fabulous start to their week!  I want to thank you for sending positive thoughts my mother-in-law's way.  Her surgery to remove the gallstones was successful and she is feeling soooooo much better :)  I'm off to spend some time with my mom today - we're going to do a little shopping and have lunch at Olive Garden (Yum!).

Making ATC's is Addicting!

After seeing Jennifer McGuire's post today on the Hero Arts blog I just had to try this technique!  One of the themes of this month's Hero Arts contest is ATC's so I decided to use Jennifer's technique to create a couple:

For the first one I stamped Hero Arts CG140 Poppy Background with ColorBox frost white ink on a piece of kraft cs.  After coloring the flowers and stems with colored pencils I overstamped Hero Arts CG125 Friend Definition with cocoa ink.  I mounted the panel on a 2.5" x 3.5" piece of chocolate brown cs and then embellished it with some die cut butterflies and baker's twine.
Other Materials Used:  Stampin' Up butterfly die, cs and ink, Martha Stewart baker's twine, Papertrey ink cs

For the second one I followed the same process above using Hero Arts CG105 Silhouette Flower and Hero Arts K5193 Flower Word.  The hummingbird from CL383 Antique Engravings was stamped on kraft cs and colored with colored pencils.  I embellished this one with a die cut fence border and butterflies.
Other Materials Used:  Stampin' Up butterfly die, ink and cs, Martha Stewart fence border punch, Papertrey ink cs

They were so much fun to make that I decided to make two more!:

I inked up one of the leaf clusters from Hero Arts CL477 Delicate Leaf Clusters with Ranger distress inks (peeled paint for the first and tumbled glass for the second one) and spritzed with a mixture of perfect pearls and water before stamping on pieces of watercolor paper.  They have a pretty shimmer IRL that was hard to capture in the photo.  Both sentiments are from Hero Arts CL129 Anytime Messages.  I inked the edges of the panels with Ranger antique linen distress ink before mounting them on 2.5" x 3.5" pieces of cs.  The dragonfly is from Hero Arts CL383 Antique Engravings and the die cut butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch.
Other Materials Used:  Stampin' Up ink, cs and pp, Queen & Co. rhinestone, Martha Stewart baker's twine, Ranger icicle stickles

Thanks for all your sweet comments!

Vintage Thinking of You

I wanted to make a special "Thinking of You" card for my mother-in-law as we are all praying the procedure she's scheduled to have on Friday will finally remove those pesky gallstones!  I also wanted to use some new stampin' goodies I recently acquired :)

I stamped E2409 Blossoms I from Hero Arts set LL754 Blossom Etchings (my very first Hero Arts stamps!) on a die cut oval and colored it with some of my new copic markers from the Pale Pastels set.  After masking the blossom I overstamped Hero Arts K5344 La Letter in cocoa ink then sponged the whole oval with Ranger antique linen distress ink.  I then mounted the floral oval to an amethyst die cut oval that was embossed with a Cuttlebug swiss dot embossing folder.  I framed the completed piece with my new Spellbinders Decorative Oval Window die cut that was distressed with both Ranger antique linen and walnut stain distress inks - love how this looks like an antique frame!  Sentiment is from Hero Arts CL342 Everyday Sayings.  I was going to add a ribbon treatment until I came across this netting and vintage-looking button - different, but I like how it looks :)
Other Materials Used:  Martha Stewart cs, Stampin' Up cs, ink, pp and flourish stamp

Thanks for stopping by and for all your comments!

Not Breathing a Sigh of Relief

Awhile back a poem was making its rounds on the e-mail circuit.  I don't remember all the words exactly but the gist of it was about the kinds of people who cross your path in life.  Some of those people end up being kindred spirits while others you breathe a sigh of relief that they have left your path!  The card I'm sharing today is for one of my co-workers Wendy who is moving to Tennessee next week as her husband got a job transfer.  I haven't worked with Wendy long but I felt as though we were on the cusp of becoming friends.  She is artistic and can appreciate my love of cardmaking.  We are close in age and have the same build and hair color - folks would often mistake us for sisters!  I'm happy for her but at the same time I know I will miss her.

I first stamped Hero Arts H5312 Silhouette Burst with cocoa ink on white cs.  Using the negative from a die cut circle I sponged Tsukineko pretty petunia chalk ink to give the burst more of a flower-like appearance.  The butterfly from Hero Arts CL383 Antique Engravings was also stamped with cocoa ink on a white cs scrap and sponged with the pretty petunia ink and some Ranger peeled paint distress ink.  The pp "grass" was die cut using a Papertrey ink scalloped border die.  Sentiment is from MSE (My Sentiments Exactly).
Other Materials Used:  Martha Stewart cs, Stampin' Up cs and pp, Michael's pearls, American Crafts buttons

     I would also like to share that my mother-in-law was in the hospital from Mother's Day through yesterday.  She has gallstones and they have already done two procedures to try to remove them (even going as far as transferring her to a nearby urban hospital for the second procedure).  She will have to have another procedure (hopefully the last one!) next Friday.  She is understandably discouraged so any prayers for her quick recovery would be greatly appreciated!   

Thank you so much for stopping by and for all your sweet comments!