Sending a Big Thank You

Good morning!  I’ve long been a fan (and customer!) of Simon Says Stamp ever since finding them on EBay years ago.  I bought many Spellbinders dies from them at great prices PLUS shipping.  They were much cheaper than buying them here in Canada (without shipping!).  So I was thrilled to see them expand their online store and am happy to say I buy most of my paper and embellishments from them now thanks to their great customer service AND shipping costs to Canada :)  I’ve now discovered challenges and awesome prizes of a $50 gift certificate to their store.  This challenge on the Simon Says Stamp and Share blog asks us to make something we are known for.  Well, I couldn’t put all THAT onto one card, so I thought I’d share this card I made for my sister, the Quilter/Nurse.  She made the dh and I a lovely quilted runner for Christmas and I wanted to make her a card with some quilting elements.  I love to add stitching, buttons and bling to my cards and if wood can be worked in there too, I’m a happy girl :)  WOOD IS GOOD! I’m even going to turn this card into a gift by writing on a separate piece of paper inside and attach it with some removable adhesive so she can keep it or give it away to a card-worthy friend :) Thanks for visiting!  What do YOU love to add to cards?

 

what’s in it?

stamps: pti a big thank you

ink: versafine onyx

paper: pti white, soft stone, ocean tides, su old olive, basicgrey aspen frost

accessories: pti buttons, twine, damask snowflake dies, studio calico wood frames, mft fishtail die, stitching, gem

More Love in 2013 ~ Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

Good morning!  Welcome to my January Papertrey Ink Bog Hop post.  When I first saw the challenge (use a black background) I got a little frustrated.  I could make another chalkboard card like THIS one I loved making, but I thought there might be a lot of them on the Hop and I wanted to do something “different.”  My EUREKA moment came when I was looking through a pile of my 2013 Mantra prints I made with WORDLE (an online program that takes the words you type the most and makes them bigger and arranges them in various layouts).  I made several versions of what I’m focusing on this year, More Love.  Here’s the original idea for my 2013 Mantra (I’m not a resolution gal)…

And here’s the WORDLE version I had printed last week…eek!  A black background!  I scanned a few other versions below to show you what the program does.  If you keep clicking the Random button, it produces a different look for your words.  I typed in More Love about 5 times and the other words once so More Love would stand out.

 

I’ve got one of these posters in my studio and one at work to help remind me to add More Love somehow in my day.  So I die cut the main words and then found some of the various smaller words in my stamp collection (a little fun and frustrating at the same time)  Yes, a few stamps had surgery during the making of this card!  I stamped the words in white craft and then embossed with white powder so they would stand out.  Thanks for stopping by and sharing my thought process!  I always feel MORE LOVE when you visit :)

 

 

what’s in it?

stamps: various stamps by Verve, PTI, Cloud 9, My Favourite Things

ink: su craft white

paper: pti black, hawaiian shores, su tempting turquoise, basic grey, kiwi kiss

accessories: pti block alphabet dies, button, white embossing powder, Twinery bakers twine, washi tape, stitching,

i just love you ~ CASE Study #125

Hey friends!  Are you ready for another card to be inspired by?  I always am!  Here’s the newest eye candy over on the CASE Study blog.  Our fabulous Muse, Amber, is treating us to a more masculine look so that was the starting point to my Valentine’s card for my son :) {insert AWWWWW here ;)}

I love the kraft card base, the corrugated cardboard (of course!) and the pop of red on the heart.  So I threw these elements on the desk and played around.  I framed the embossed panel with a black mat so it would stand out and added a bit of bling to the hearts more for ME than for my son ;)  The sentiment is from an old set I will never part with…Loving Words by Ali Edward’s Technique Tuesday.  Do you have sets that you’ll NEVER part with?  Inside the card, I’ve stamped “I love you to the Moon and Back” from Verve’s To The Moon set and one of their Plain Jane’s “Happy Valentine’s Day.”  For more inspiration, head over to the CASE Study blog or visit each of the Design Team Members directly on their blogs below and then join in the fun!

 

Tasnim Ahmed (Guest Designer)

Amy Wanford

Andrea Ewen

Christina MacLaren

Clare Buswell

Debby Hughes

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)

Jean Martin

Jeanne Jachna

Maureen Plut (you’re here!)

Teneale Williams

 

what’s in it?

stamps: Ali Edwards Loving Words, Verve To the Moon, Happy Valentine’s Day plain jane

ink: versafine onyx

paper: pti kraft, rustic white, black, su poppy

accessories: Verve I Heart U die, pti twine, gems, cuttlebug seeing spots embossing folder

Sweet Birthday Wishes

Good morning!  When I saw Claire’s challenge over on the Waltzingmouse Makes Blog, I had to join in.  Not only was I itching to play with my Waltzingmouse stamps but I was also wanting to make another chalkboard card!  WMS are perfect for these kinds of cards with all the flourishes and bold sentiments in so many of their sets.  So I opened my binder and box of stamps and started picking out some flourishes I thought kind of looked like a chalk line.  I loved the colouring with a white pencil crayon and smudging white ink at the end! So fun!  Must be the teacher in me loving the chalkboard!  LOL  Have a great day! 

 

what’s in it?

stamps: waltzingmouse stamps compact sentiments, french country, vintage labels 1,dainty doilies 2, seasons of love tags

ink: su craft white

paper: pti white, black, su plum, wisteria

accessories: pti buttons, twine, recollections washi tape, white pencil crayon

Hello Sunshine

Good morning!  We’re taking a break from Valentine cards for a little peek at Spring!  Woohoo!  Only 2 more months, right? ;)  I’ve been loving the Retro Sketches layouts lately and had to play again this week.  I’ve been seeing PTI’s Sweet Life flowers a lot this week and couldn’t wait to use mine again.  I’m also using a new embossing folder I’ve had since the summer, Cuttlebug’s Papaya Halves.  It’s a really cool graphic background I thought would be perfect for CAS cards.  Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful start to your week!

 

what’s in it?

stamps: verve doodled occasions, pti sweet life

ink: versafine onyx, pti autumn rose, spring moss, su pretty in pink, real red, old olive

paper: pti rustic white, mme kraft fun day

accessories: pti edger, sweet life dies, gems, cuttlebug papaya halves embossing folder

Thanks a Bunch

Good morning!  I’ve got a two-fer today!  I was making this card for the colourQ challenge this week then viewed Dawn’s Make It Monday video and decided I could make an oversized envelope/bag for the card to fulfill her challenge as well!  The colour combo is a bit different for the layered flower, but I’m kind of loving the non traditional palette!  When I saw the colour Q colours, this flower came to mind right away so I was determined to use it despite there being no green for the leaves.  The Make it Monday portion of this post shows the coordinating bag that I can use to package this card that goes off the 4.25” sides. 

Here’s the card inside the bag.  Fits perfectly with room to spare!  I got the decorating idea from Michelle Wooderson’s blog HERE.  I just love what she does with packaging!

So what do I do for overly large and/or layered cards?  I usually use clear envelopes for cards that will fit.  They have the perfect “give” that paper envelopes don’t have.  I sometimes use bubble envelopes if needed but recently started using photo mailers (heavy cardboard ones) as they are sturdier and a bit thinner so postage can be less than a bubble envelope.  If I’m just giving someone a card, I might not use an envelope at all, but prop it up on their desk or just in the tissue in a gift bag.  Thanks for stopping by.  How do you get around odd shapes or super layered cards?




what’s in them?

{thanks a bunch card}

stamps: verve bloom and grow, pti lovely layers,

ink: versafine onyx, su real red, going gray, pti raspberry fizz, sei moss

paper: pti white, soft stone, pti bitty dots dp,

accessories; verve elegant leaves die, pti lovely layers dies, limeice button, edgers die, bakers twine

{envelope}

stamps: pti mat stack 4

ink: versafine onyx

paper: pti bitty dots dp, raspberry fizz, studio calico abroad

accessories: pti edger, heart border, eyelet and simple circles dies, button, bakers twine, stitching, maya road journal tag, plastic mini clothes peg, paper doily

Be My Valentine

TGIF everyone!  The sweetest day of my week!  And you know I love to celebrate with the newest Viva La Verve sketch from Diva Janelle.  I was playing with some more of my new Valentine paper AND another sweet sentiment from the newly released No Matter What set that is still ON SALE in the Verve Store AND some of the new seam binding!  After I had made the main panel with all the layers and glory, I thought the card base was a little too “neat” for the shabby look of the card so I took my SU basic grey ink pad and inked up the sides.  It felt a little “weird” to “smudge” but fun at the same time!  I’m always trying to keep my inky paws OFF the cards! LOL  Have you been playing all months with the sketches?  Head over to the Viva La Verve forum and see how you could win $100 in Verve GCs!  Have a wonderful start to your weekend!

   

what’s in it?

stamps: No Matter What, Blue Skies, Twitterpated (Verve)

paper: soft stone, white, rustic white, scarlet jewel (PTI), Love Notes (Fancy Pants)

ink: onyx (Versafine), autumn rose (PTI), basic gray, going gray (SU)

accessories: hearts and swirls frame (A Cut Above by Verve), Truly Madly Deeply seam binding (Verve), button (PTI), bakers twine (Twinery), gems (Kaisercraft), stitching