Monday, March 31, 2014

A Belated Birthday

I'm still playing with those pieces of background I found and here's one I used to make a belated birthday card for a friend.


I used an old TAC flower stamp from many years ago along with a K-Pad for the assorted colors.  Same paper used before and same product used for the squiggles.


I was trying to show the glitter in the flower center with this photo.  I used my new favorite tool, Wink of Stella glitter brush.  The stamp is from a set called Belated Birthday by Red Rubber Designs.  The card inside is stamped:
     Just to prove how sorry I am for forgetting your birthday...
     ...next year I'll forget mine.

I did post the technique and items used to make this on THIS POST if you want to know how I did it.  A friend on FB finally figured it out with a couple clues and the Apple card is in the mail to her.




Saturday, March 29, 2014

The Apple of My Eye

Yesterday I decided to "rediscover" what was in some shoe boxes on the top shelf above my craft desk.  Oh my!  Some were still taped shut from our move in 2007!!  Needless to say, many dried up paints were tossed and I have quite a few boxes of crayons set aside for our great grandson.  But in one of the boxes were some pieces of backgrounds that I made about 2002 or 03...    Well, one has already been made into a card.


I also got my Cricut going with the Serenade cartridge and voila!  Stamped image by The Angel Company because the inside text is perfect, "for the apple of my eye."  The red scallop trim on the right is from a Bazzill package of card stock strips.


There were 3 little dots so I decided to use some Stampendous red bling stickers to cover them and make them more color coordinated.

I dribbled rubber cement on water color paper, let dry, then stamped my images with dye ink.  I then took a wet paint brush and swiped the images to pull the color around.  After dry I rubbed off the cement and have this cool looking rubber cement resist paper!  This was popular in the stamp club I was in when in northwest Wyoming way back in about 2000 - 2001.

And now for something different...  I seen on Pinterest how one can grow a new stalk of celery by putting the base (about 1" or so) in a bit of water....


 My new stalk is about 3" tall so far.  Looking forward to some fresh celery!  (Bummer, it died a week after this post.)

Friday, March 28, 2014

A Multi-layered Card

I have been inspired by Angie with her very drastic reduction of stamping stuff and I came across a box that a friend gave me MANY years ago.  It brought back a flood of memories as she passed away not long after giving me this box.  She and I attended a few of the large March shows of a rubber stamp convention in Mesa, AZ and more.  Anyway, I opened the box and found some cool printed images of which this card was made...


These beautiful flowers were 1 of 7 sets of 3 each images. On 1 sheet is printed "Creation of Avec B. V. Waalwijk Holland" and on another "copyright Pigo productions the netherlands".  I decided to use a purple layer on the card base to match the purple in the flowers and a green die cut layer to coordinate with the leaves.


There was another sheet that showed how to cut out each of the 3 images.  This was the easiest image to play with and you can just make out the 2 cut layers over the uncut base.


The butterfly is only 2 layers, 1 base and the left set of wings and body.  I added some bling with the Stardust Clear Gel pan on the flower centers and butterfly wings.  The stamped image is from an old TAC stamp set.  I have just finished a Christmas card and have cut out 3 other sets of images.  I have 2 more to complete.  Needless to say, no cleaning is getting accomplished.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Workdesk Week 251 and a LARGE Card!

It's just been that kind of week.  Other than finishing out a card for a memorial for a friend and finishing another that I used to teach a class.... no creative work going on.  But I can show you my boring desk that is waiting for me and the class card that I finally finished.  If you're interested in WHY I'm showing you my desk you need to check out Julia's Stamping Ground blog.  She started this 251 weeks ago! 


Yep, very little happening.   But there are some new stamps waiting for me!  You can see my Cricut, paper trimmer stamps, work station, ink, scissors, acrylic blocks, and some cards I need to put away.  Definitely boring. 


This is the exterior of the card.  It's about  9" x 4 1/2".  It's called a Concertina Card on my "Move It" CD from the Technique Junkies.  (I've been a "junkie" for about 9 years and I have learned much and enjoyed it greatly.)  I used a lot of my dies to decorate this baby....


I just had to try out this new-to-me butterfly die from Spellbinders.  I may have to shim it a bit to get all the pieces cut.  Definitely intricate but I love the delicate look.  And since I had so much green already on this card I decided to use pink for the branch. Oh, do you see the green sequin?  I just won a drawing and got a package in from a friend who is with A|Muse Studios.


Kinda looks like a squash book.  Same basic principle.  I used left over paper from other classes for this. Dies are from Spellbinders and Heartfelt Creations Stamped images are from old The Angel Company sets.


This is the front and back inside covers.  The butterfly is from the same package as the one on the cover. 


I cut the white pieces for the stamped texts using the same large scallop die as the green layers.


So, what do you think of my card?  I made another last fall for my class sample but I made it more of a photo album with pics of our 2 youngest granddaughters. So, now that you've reached the end of my post please leave a comment, if you're so inclined, then hop on over to the Stamping Ground and check out desks from all around the world. There's usually about 100 deskers so if you don't see that many hop back later. They link all day long.  And have your favorite cuppa something, relax and enjoy!  You may be inspired!  I usually am!

Monday, March 24, 2014

Sitting Quietly

I think this is the last card I have to show you that I made at the retreat.  I had to wait until I got home to finish it as I didn't have my Clear & Pearl Gem collection with me and the card needed this gem.


I used an embossing folder on the brown (actually a bit lighter than showing here) background then I sanded it to bring out the design more.  I also used a couple pieces of scallop trim from a package of Bazzill "Just the Edge" cardstock strips.  The stamped images are from an old TAC set called Sit Quietly.  But did you notice the gem?  It came from the Clear & Pearl Gem collection but....


I colored it with a Copic marker to match the burgundy layers.  Those markers are great for coloring the gems to coordinate with your papers!  I added a nice sympathy verse inside and gave it to our friend Saturday as we attended the memorial for her husband.

Yesterday we went to see the movie "Son of God".  It was very good.  It didn't follow the Bible precisely and some of the Scriptures were not complete.  But it got the point across of Christ's death on the cross for all.  But, according to the Word, one needs to accept His death, resurrection, and His free gift of salvation to go to Heaven.  He wants to be your Savior and Lord today.  His love for you took Him to the cross.  Will you think about it if you haven't already?  I came across a great video on YouTube that you may find interesting.  Would you be willing to take 13 minutes out of your life and watch it?  May it bless you as much as it did me.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Just Because and I'm Thinking of You

I think that I'm almost caught up showing you the cards I made at retreat on the 7th - 9th.  When looking back I can still find 2 more cards that I haven't uploaded to show you.  But here's..... the cards!  (Doing a Johnny Carson flashback.  Don't think it worked.)


The 4 "inchies" are stamped with a set by Inkadinkado.  I seen this recently on Pinterest but have I changed up the inchies using a Spellbinder die.  Not bad.  The dark green layers are hand cut since the next largest die was bigger than I wanted.


The actual stamps are fairly large so I was only using little pieces of them.  The text is from a set by Fiskars called "All Year Greetings".  It's a set I use at the store where I teach to encourage it's purchase.  Funny, the store doesn't have any in inventory so it must work...  I also used twine from The Twinery.


I looked back to see if I showed you this.  It's actually for my April class called May Flowers. You've seen a couple cards recently with this layout as I think its classic!  The text is from the Fiskars set named above.


I ran the white background through my Dotted Swiss Cuttlebug embossing folder and used the Stardust Clear Gel pen on the flower centers.  I took all 4 card samples in to the store Monday and they're already getting raves!  I have already posted one but still need to show you the other two.  Just realized I don't have them uploaded to my Google photo album!  I'll get that done soon.  Should have them on Monday......

Today we're attending a memorial for a dear friend.  He past away from Alzheimer's  with complications.  I enjoyed visiting with him in church.  His wife is such a sweetheart.  Would appreciate your prayers for Donna.

Friday, March 21, 2014

OWH Sketch Challenge #216

I was actually trying to get a personal challenge done that was sent to me from a friend on a FaceBook group I'm on when I seen this cool sketch. My thought.... ah ha!  This sketch was posted by Operation Write Home on the 16th.


Our FB group also had a color challenge so I ended up combining all challenges into this one card.  Paper is from the Jillibean Soup pad called Southern Chicken Dumpling Soup.  I've used most of the paper from this pad as I LOVE to colors!


I used a couple Spellbinder dies for this part and the stamp is from a TAC set called Easter.  I did add some yellow flocking for texture.


I used a Darice embossing border folder for the top and added some color to the birds with a Brush Stick.  I find it's great to add ink color in small spaces.

There are a lot of cool cards on OWH for this challenge so there is LOTS of wonderful inspiration!  Head on over and see all the great cards!



Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Tuesday Morning Sketches #241

I was doing some blurfing (blog surfing) yesterday of the blogs I follow and loved the sketch for this week by Tuesday Morning Sketches.  Yep, I was off and running!!


I used some really OLD dies on this card.  The zigzag large frame is one of those old red thick Sizzix dies from over 10 years ago as is the little "buckle" in the lower right corner.  I had some zigzag scissors so I matched the layer under the jellybeans to match.  The stamps are from an old The Angel Company set called Easter.


How do you like the shimmer?  The silver (looks gold from this angle) and clear glittery stuff  is a new fun project I just purchased.  Doesn't the stuff make the jar just pop??


Here's a close up of the buckle. I had to dig out my ancient purple Wizard die cut machine and a special plate to cut these 2 dies.  And I have a bunch of these dies from forever ago!!  The gems are from the Clear & Pearl Gem Collection.


And the stuff I used was purchased with some Spellbinder Butterfly dies and some Darice embossing strips.  Gotta look in the center...


Here's a bit of a close-up of this stuff.  It's made by Zig (I like their products) and this stuff is so glittery!! Click on the name to get a look at the products available.  I have the Clear/Gold/Silver package.  The trio cost me $18 and I think I now like these better than the Stardust Clear Gel pen....  Oh, these are called "Wink of Stella".  I tried to add the link to the company where I purchased these but Firefox was setting up a warning and Chrome was too. So, I won't tell you just in case there is a problem with the site at this time.

So now pop on over to Tuesday Morning Sketches and check out the cool inspiration cards and the challengers!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

WOYWW 250 and More Stuff

I've had such a busy week!  At least it seemed busy.  Actually Monday was pretty slow but yesterday.... oh my!  Worked for 2 hours cleaning at church, Bible study, then I taught a class, then home to work on pictures from retreat a week and a half ago.  Yep, busy.  But now is Tuesday night, (though I usually post this early Wednesday morning ), ah....  Time to show you my desk!  This post  is week 250 and Julia at the Stamping Blog,  has much info on this special international blog hop and links to all those that take part.  Keep checking in with her as crafters sign up all day!  Usually over 100 crafters take part.


My computer is working as I was transferring photos to the flash drive to transfer to my P.C for editing.  The table is rather dark but you can see a few things there.  On the left, ribbon, border punch, paper trimmer, new Spellbinder dies, flash drive attached to computer.  On right,  ink pads, roll of burlap, OTT light with base loaded with stuff. Hopefully later today I can work on some kits from yesterday's class that have been ordered.

You can't see my new craft mat under the computer but here's a closer look.


And it is rolled under my Scor-Pal on the left.  This thing is amazing, at least I think so!!  It feels like soft rubber.  It's made by Imagine Crafts and here's what their catalog says about it.  I did not find any info about it on their site or blog but had to download their catalog to get this.  It's not cheap, cost me about $18.00.  There were a couple last Wednesday who were asking for more info about this.


You will have to click on the picture to enlarge it but I just love it!  I had it all sorta folded when I took it to retreat and there's not a crease on it.  There is some ink smudges but I have barely wiped it off with a rag so will try a better cloth and see if it cleans better (should).  Supposedly if you use a heat gun it will bubble but when cool the bubbles go away.  I haven't tried that yet.  Just can't use a craft knife on it because that will cut it and damage it.

So, I hope you enjoyed my little personal infomerical. Please head over to the Stamping Ground blog and check out all those desks from all around the world!  There's some great organization tips and wonderful projects to check out!

Monday, March 17, 2014

Easter Bunnies

While I was at retreat last weekend I spent some time on Pinterest.  I often get ideas from there and this card is one that was inspired from a card.  Funny, it bears very little resemblance except for the general layout.


I used some scraps from my scrap bucket as it's getting huge!!  And I didn't even make a dent in that bucket.  Oh well.  The bunny is from an old T.A.C. set called Easter.  The text is from a set from Red Rubber Designs called Contemporary Greetings.


I colored the little bow ties with a Copic marker to coordinate with the paper.  Kinda looks like little chocolate bunnies....  Hmmmm..... chocolate.....

Saturday I went to a Stamp & Scrap convention in Tucson and purchased 3 things.  But this die is on my wish list and...


It's by Cuttlebug and is called the Cut & Emboss A2 Flower Vine.  Definitely on my wish list.  Isn't it just lovely??

Friday, March 14, 2014

Inspirational #111 - One Last Snowfall

Spring is definitely going on in southern Arizona but Red Rubber Inspirationals is having a challenge called One Last Snowfall.  I love snow (but not the blowing variety) and wanted to take part in this challenge.  I used a stamp set called Ornamental Snowflakes by RRD.  This card will be used as a Christmas card later.


I used 3 different blue inks by Memento to stamp the flakes.


I added a beautiful sequin I won from a friend with A|Muse Studios and added a pearl gem over it for that touch of bling.


And I used an old Fiskars corner punch (that I've had for about 15+ years) but I see that it didn't punch cleanly on this particular corner. In fact only 1 corner punched cleanly.  Hmmm.... time to get out some foil and clean this ancient punch.  Anyway, head over to Red Rubber Inspirationals and check out the fun inspiration cards. 

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Tuesday Morning Sketch #240

I'm really feeling the pressure of getting my 4 card samples done with pictures, supply list, and directions for a store meeting on Monday.  These cards are for a proposed May class.  Well, I now have 2 cards completed and, thanks to Tuesday Morning Sketches for 1 idea!


This sketch was perfect for the papers I'm using for the class!  These cool pattern papers are by Pebbles.  The stamped image is from a set called All Year Greeting by Fiskars and the punched border is from a border punch by Fiskars called Treading Water.  I used some solid twine from The Twinery.


The single flower and the 2 flowers in the focal piece all have the center squiggles outlined by a Stardust Clear Gel pen.  Perfect bling!!  Hop on over to Tuesday Morning Sketches and check out the cool inspiration pieces and the challenge cards!