Blackboardesque Card

I love blackboards and they seem to be all the rage right now (not that I really follow the trends!), so I decided to try my hand at a blackboard card.  I used white pigment ink on black cardstock for the blackboard part.  The stamps are from Stampin' Up.  The dotted paper is patterned cardstock from the Recollections line (Michaels).  The card is an ivory card base that I stamped with kind of a zigzaggy background stamp (also from Michaels, one of those $1.50 ones).

It didn't come out as well as I thought it would, but it was fun to try.  Thanks for visiting today!

Let It Snow Cards

I've been working on some more Christmas cards.  These aren't really typical of my crafting style - there are no layers and there is glitter!  I have a love/hate relationship with glitter because it can be so messy.  I've recently discovered a cheaper version of Stickles and I really like it.  It's much easier to use than any other glitter glue I've bought before and it gives a touch of class to a project.  At $1.50 a bottle, it's much more affordable than the brand names.

So here are my cards.  The supplies used are listed at the end of this post if you're interested.

I also made a red version, but it didn't turn out very well.  I really love how simple and elegant these are.  They were quick and easy to make as well.  I made 6 of them in an hour but it took a while for the glitter glue to dry, so that stretched out the process.  I don't think I've ever made a card using just card stock, ink, and stamps before this.  I'm looking forward to making more cards like this and trying out some more designs.

Thanks for visiting today!

Card Details

Cardstock - Recollections brand in light blue and white

Stamps - all by Inkadinkadoo

Ink - Silver pigment ink (dollar store), Dark red pigment ink (All Night Media), Blue pigment ink (Studio g )

Glitter glue -  Studio g

A Quick Post

Here are a few cards I made for Thanksgiving, which was a couple of weeks ago for us Canadians.  I love Thanksgiving and fall colours!

Everything I used was from my stash and some items were quite old (like the patterned paper).  The newest item I used was the Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint on the chipboard pieces.  I have wanted to try some of the Tim Holtz products for a long time, but they are pricey!  I got these two pots of paint on clearance at Michaels for $2.99 each (regular price $7.99).  There is a brush attached inside the lid of the jar which make these really easy to use.  The paint adds a really cool, antique looking texture to your project.

Thanks for visiting today!

Supply List
Cardstock - Recollections

Patterned Paper - ? (toile), ? (plaid)

Tags - dollar store

Mini Telegram Forms - wish I remembered!

Stickers - dollar store

Twill ribbon - dollar store
Embossed paper leaves - Michaels $1.50 bin
Chipboard shapes - Paper Salon
Paint - Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint in Vintage Photo and Picket Fence

Getting A Start On Christmas Cards

Like I've said before, we're not big on "celebrating" Christmas (see this post), but we do send out cards every year.  It is a great time to touch base with people and let them know we are thinking of them.

The last few years, I have made our cards ... or bought cards and  personalised them ;)  When I saw the October challenge over at Christmas Cards All Year 'Round, my creative juices started to flow.  The challenge is to:

"Create a card using a non traditional image with traditional Christmas colours 

OR

Create a card with a traditional Christmas image using non traditional colours."

It just so happened that I picked up a couple of sheets of GORGEOUS paper on clearance at Michaels last week.  I love aqua and red together.  They aren't "traditional" Christmas colours, but they seem to be trendy the last few years.

I made a 6 x 6 inch card out of Medium Awesome Aqua cardstock, and then layered the patterened papers in gradually smaller squares (5x5, 4x4, 3x3, & 2x3).  I then stamped the 2x3 inch piece with a snowflake clear stamp and the "Warm Wishes" sentiment.  I gave the snowflake image a few dots of iridescent glitter glue for a little glitz.  Very quick and easy card but I really like how it turned out.  I think I'll make a few more and I may have to go searching for some more of that paper...

Thanks for dropping by today!  My supply list can be found below this post.

Card Details

Cardstock - WorldWin Papers Colormates cardstock (12x12) in Medium Awesome Aqua

Patterned paper - My Mind's Eye "Brocade" (double-sided, 12x12) 

My Mind's Eye Bohemia Bliss "Love of My Life" Tiny Dots/Blue (double-sided, 12x12)

Clear stamps - Snowflake medallion and "Warm Wishes" (Michaels $1.50 bin)

Ink - red Color Arts pigment ink pad (Great Canadian Dollar Store)

Glitter glue - studio g (Michaels $1.50 bin)

Buried in Cards

I have made a lot of cards recently (over 60!), so I thought I would show you one of the designs I have created.

These were made using a French postcard image from The Graphics Fairy (the one on the bottom is the one I used on this project).  These were very simple cards to make - ivory card base, a piece of diagonal plaid paper, postcard, postage stamp, stamped sentiment (details will be below this post).

And yes, those are real postage stamps.  My husband collects stamps as a hobby and he gives me all the damaged or extra stamps to use in crafting.  In the first individual photo, the stamp is of our dear King George VI (from the 1940's I believe).  The second card uses an old French stamp and the third uses a stamp of our present Queen, Elizabeth II.

Thanks for visiting today!

Card Details:

Card bases - ivory, Recollections (Michaels)

Postcard image - The Graphics Fairy

Patterned paper - diagonal red, black, and cream plaid  (?)

Vintage postage stamps - kindness of Robbie

Merry Christmas sentiment - clear acrylic stamp set from Michaels $1.50 bin

Ink - black pigment ink from Michaels $1.50 bin

Project as Promised

I promised I would share one of my latest projects over a week ago.  Well, here it is!  I made this set as a gift for a dear friend.

For these first three cards I used a line of digital paper from Shabby Princess called Shabby Mommy (this link will take you to the download page).  These kits are full of different papers, embellishments, and alphabets that can be used either digitally or by downloading and printing out whatever you want.  I used heavy weight copy paper to print the papers and embellishments on.   I started with small note card blanks in white to complement the paper colours I chose.  I used the StripedPaper, PinkDotsPaper, and OrangeDotsPaper papers and the PlaidMat embellishment.  The sentiment "THANKS" was stamped on white cardstock using the "rugged alphabet" stamps from Paper Salon and bright pink and bright orange pigment ink ("Color Arts" brand).  

This card was also made using a Shabby Princess kit (Plentiful).  I used  the Paper Dots paper and the JournalingPaper layered on an ivory card.  The sentiment was stamped using "Sentiments" clear stamps by Kelly Panacci/Sandylion and chocolate brown pigment ink by Studio g.

This last card was made using kits by Sara Sherlock called Everything Nice (paisley and worn gingham  papers) and A French Romance (tag), layered on an ivory card base.  The sentiment is another of my dollar store stamps and the same chocolate brown ink as above.

This is the actual greeting card I made to go with the gift.  I just used the Shabby Mommy papers again on yellow cardstock.  "Best Wishes" and "Congratulations" are both from the "Sentiments" clear stamps and the calendar is from the "Calendar" clear stamps by Kelly Panacci/ Sandylion.  The little flower is made from diecuts I got at the dollar store and a tiny Making Memories square brad in metallic gold.

This is how I packaged the gift - I covered a card box with some of the patterned paper I used in the project and then tied it shut with some off white cotton yarn.

I hope I don't bore anyone with my exhaustive details, but I like to be precise and make sure I give credit to the proper people!

Just a note to any crafters visiting, if you download a designer's freebies, please thank them!  They put a lot of work into these files they give away so you can at least say thanks - it only takes a minute of your time.  That's my rant for today!

Thanks for visiting!  

Kraft Obsession

This is a card I made a while back using the vintage couple collage from Create with TLC.  Paulette is SUPER generous with her beautiful work and she also has an online shop where she sells her digital stamps, backgrounds, papers, etc.  I love all her vintage style stuff.  If you're a crafter, go take a look at her blog and shop!

I printed the digital stamp directly on kraft cardstock using Microsoft Word - which, alas, no longer works on my computer for whatever reason :(    I used rose and silver metallic gel pens (dollar store!) to accent the image a little.  The sentiment ticket is from Sentiments 4 You, printed out on kraft as well and outlined with the silver metallic pen.  The flower/rosette in the top left hand corner is my own creation - kind of an experiment.  I cut out various sized circles of cardstock, scrunched them, folded them and messed them up before inking the edges and putting them together with one of my tiny round gunmetal brads from Making Memories.  

My next card uses a silhouette image from  The Graphics Fairy.  I also used MS Word to print this image right onto the half-fold (8 1/2 " by 5 1/2 ") card.

I made another "shabby kraft rosette" for this card.  The sentiment ticket is also from Sentiments 4 You.  The sticker along the bottom is a dimensional sticker from one of my dollar store packs.

These two cards were quite an experiment for me.  I'm not entirely satisfied with how they turned out, but I enjoy trying new things.

Thanks for visiting today!

Another Floral Card

I took a photo of this card weeks ago and kept forgetting to post it.  I really liked how this card turned out.  The cutting was kind of fussy but it actually went together quite quickly.

I made a half-fold card with pale blue cardstock and then added the patterned paper.  The flowers and leaves are a download from Fred, She Said.  I simply cut out the individual flowers and branches and layered the flowers together with a small square gunmetal finish brad from Making Memories.  Then I decided how the two flowers and two branches should be placed and glued them to my backing paper (not sure what brand of paper this is - it may be K&Company or Autumn Leaves, I'm not sure.)  For the sentiment, I used one of my handy dollar store stamps and sage green ink (Anna Griffin Rose Collection by All Night Media) to stamp on white cardstock.  I then cut out the sentiment using my "Bubbles" decorative edge scissors and inked the edges with the sage green ink.  Not too frilly, but still feminine.

I'm just starting to get the hang of inking the edges of pieces.  I tend to do too much or not enough.  Not enough is easier to fix than too much!  It took me 3 or 4 tries to do this little sentiment to my satisfaction.

One of the best tools I have found for cutting out intricate items is kind of unusual.  When we were living in Quebec for a year and a half, I needed to buy a pair of scissors. I ending up buying a set of 4 different sizes.  The smallest was called "coupon clippers" and I have found them to be good for cutting out small items.

They are fairly small - as you can see from the photo.  The ends of the blades are blunted, which I like (keeps me from stabbing myself ;)  And the best part is... the whole set cost $3!

Thanks for visiting today!

Floral Cards

Just a couple of cards I made recently.  They are are pretty simple, but they came out quite well.  The base is an ivory card blank (5" x 6.5" folded).  The layers are cream cardstock ($ store!) and shabby floral patterned paper (not positive where this is from, but I know it is a download - I will keep trying to find out where I got it).  The tags were cut on my Cricut using the George and Basic Shapes cartridge.  The geranium stickers are some more from my stash of old Rebecca Sower stickers.  The ribbon is just narrow Spool O' Ribbon from Michael's (I think that's where I got mine - it's seems to be available at quite a few different stores and it's inexpensive) in burgundy and sage.  I inked the edges of the tags with burgundy and pink ink (Anna Griffin Rose Collection by All Night Media).  I also used the burgundy ink with the "Happy Birthday" stamp ($ store again).  The ecru lace trim is from the sewing section of the dollar store.

By the way, I stuck these cards into my lupins to take the photos.  They are almost ready to come out in bloom (another 1-2 weeks maybe).

And, just for fun, here is Bentley relaxing in the kids' sand box.  I think he looks pretty comfortable.

Thanks for visiting!

An Interesting Day

I say an interesting day because:
1.  I'm still feeling icky (sinus problems)
2.  A stray cat showed up on our doorstep and decided to adopt us
3.  My husband and I made about 2 gallons of fruit juice
4.  The kids are at their grandparents' house for a couple of nights

The schedule feels really messed up around here.

Anyway, I thought I would post a photo of a card I made a while ago.

This is a 6 by 6  inch card - a different size for me mostly because it's hard to find envelopes for this size card!  The base is peach cardstock.  That floral paper is Life's Journey Old Rose Embossed Paper by K&Company (I really like this paper because it looks like old fabric AND because I got it for 25 cents a sheet!).  The doily is from a pack I picked up at a discount store in the party supplies section.  I dyed the doily in a cup of tea (because it was too white to go with the patterned paper) and dried it on paper towels before gluing it to the card.  The image is one I downloaded from somewhere online.  The ecru lace trim is from the sewing section at the dollar store.  You know how sometimes you get a jacket or dress with those annoying loops of ribbon sewn into the seams right under the arms?  The pale pink-peach bow is made out of ribbon I took off a dress.  I just can't throw out ribbon.  Can that count as recycling?  I don't have a photo of the inside of the card, but I just simply stamped Happy Birthday inside using sage green ink.

Thanks again for visiting!

Spring has sprung!

Such a beautiful day!  Spring has certainly arrived.  I have a couple of cards to show you - both using images and sentiments from Create With TLC.

This is a lavender half fold card.  The light purple polka dot paper is from a pack I picked up at Michaels.  The image of the little girl and the sentiment are both from TLC Creations.  I coloured the little girl with Berol Canadiana and Laurentian Metallic pencil crayons.  The pink flower is from the dollar store, of course!

This one is a white half fold card, the light blue polka dot paper is from the same package as the light purple, and the image of the little girl is the same one as above.  The verse is from TLC Creations as well - I cut it out around all those little curlicues and gave it some colour with a blue pencil crayon.  The blue and cream flowers are heavy textured paper die cuts from the dollar store and the tiny little brads in the centres are All My Memories round brads in gun metal.

I really enjoyed making these cards.  I love the picture of the little girl on the swing - it makes me think of summer!  Thanks for visiting!

A gloomy sort of day

It is grey and cloudy here, but after taking a little walk around the yard, I know spring is on the way!  My Stargazer lilies are up already, just enough to say they are there.  I'm not really a pink kind of girl but I love those lilies!  They are so pretty and vivid.  I'm glad they survived the winter.

It has been a couple of days since I posted anything, so here we go:

This card uses pretty much the same materials as the last masculine card I posted - lots of dollar store stuff plus the Rebecca Sower stickers.  I left the centre blank for right now - I'll add a stamped sentiment when I decide what occasion this will be for!  Thanks for visiting.

Another day, another card

Today's card....

A successfully constructed masculine card (I think).  Believe it or not, most of my supplies came from the dollar store for this one.  The black cardstock is from an art and hobby supply shop (I got it REALLY cheap), and the checkered paper and striped tag are from one of those kits you can get at the dollar store sometimes.  The long sticker on the left is from a package of dimensional vintage-style stickers from... you guessed it... the dollar store.  The postage stamp and postmark stickers are really old Rebecca Sower stickers I got for 75 cents at a store that was getting rid of all its crafting supplies - that was at least 5-8 years ago, I think!  I love these stickers - I will be sad when they are all gone from my stash.  The circle in the middle with the sentiment was cut out of cream cardstock with my 2 inch circle punch and inked around the edges with black ink.  I hand wrote the sentiment (because I was too lazy to pull out my stamping stuff!) with a black gel pen.  Did I mention I love the dollar store?  It's a good thing the nearest one is 40 minutes away or I'd be going every day to check out the craft stuff  ;)  

Thanks for visiting!

A few photos...

http://beccysplace.blogspot.com

These are a group of cards I made with images from Beccy's Place.  The digi stamp is called Ballerina Bear.  I think they would be really cute as a little girl's birthday cards.  Why is it so easy to make girly things and so hard to make masculine stuff?  My cards for guys never come out looking quite right.  These images are all coloured with Laurentian Metallic and Berol Canadiana pencil crayons.

The next two photos use elements from Fred, She Said http://fred-she-said.blogspot.com.  The card is lavender and the flowery things have purple accents.  This is from a decoupage sheet, cut out and layered with foam tape.  I can't for the life of me remember what it's called!    

I'm still learning as I go and I like to try new things.  I am very frugal and like to figure out ways to "get the look for less".  Please feel free to leave constructive comments or suggestions!