Easter Greetings February 9, 2010

It’s probably a little early to make an Easter card but the way time seems to be flying, it will be here before one knows it. Besides maybe this way I can pretend there isn’t all of the white stuff on the ground – yuck!!!

I know I said it before but I have been having a fun time with all of the challenges and contests going on over at Capture the Moment and today is no exception. Today we get to choose from twelve different color palettes. Originally I was going to make a card using Maile’s favorites but I thought I’d push myself and try something a little different for me and decided to use Niki Estes’ palette

How fun are these colors???

I started off with Kraft cardstock as my base and used Raspberry Fizz for the scallops and a coordinating Bitty Dot paper for the basket. I don’t own any Hibiscus Burst or New Leaf cardstock – Yet! so I choose comparable colored cardstock from my supplies.

I stamped a basket from the Vintage Picnic set and cut it out. I stamped the same basket again on a piece of white cardstock and using two different colors of green ink stamped the grass using With Sympathy. I don’t own an egg stamp but thought I’d try using a small “wing” from the Everyday Button Bits set as the Easter eggs. I stamped the eggs with various Palette inks on different PTI cardstock scraps I’ve saved – I’m terrible about throwing those little bits of paper (you never know when they’ll come in handy). I cut out all of the eggs and glued them in and around the basket.

I printed off the sentiment using Printmaster and used the oval nesties to cut and mat. I really like how the ovals fit so nicely tucked into one of the scallops – it’s like it was made to do this.

Paper: PTI and Bazzill
Stamps: Everyday Button Bits, With Sympathy and Vintage Picnic
Ink: Various Palette inks
Sentiment: Computer Generated
Inside Sentiment: What other day would people get all excited about finding hard-boiled eggs?!!
Spellbinders: Circle, Oval and Labels Three
Cuttlebug: Fleur de Leis embossing folder
Embellishments: Ribbon – Hobby Lobby, Pearls – Kaiser

Hey there, chickadee February 8, 2010

It’s challenge time again today at Capture the Moment, it kind of a two-part challenge; there is a layout with specific dimensions to use and a color palette that is determined based on the first letter of our online user name.  Here’s the color palette I get to work with:

I made my card using the template Nicole gave, the only problem “for me” is that I prefer 5″X7″ cards rather than the A2 cards that many cardmakers make. I thought why not do both!!! I took the template and attached it to a 5X7 card using a Joy-Fold card template.

I used the emboss resist technique I learned just the other day by stamping flowers from the Text Boxed set randomly on a piece of lemon tart cardstockm embossing them with clear embossing powder and then sponging them with spring moss ink.

I also stamped a piece of spring moss card stock using a leaf from the Turning a New Leaf collection, embossed them again with clear embossing powder but this time I didn’t do anything else to the strip of cardstock.
I stamped the sentiment using Vintage White ink.
Next it was time to assemble the card and add those little extras!

To hold the card closed, the side birdie embellishment is only adhered on the left side allowing the card to open and close.

Paper: Vintage Cream, Spring Moss, Lemon Tart, Ocean Tides, Kraft and Friends Til the End Collection – PTI
Stamps: Text Box, Turning a New Leaf and Everyday Button Bits – PTI
Ink: Spring Moss and Vintage White – PTI, Brushed Coruroy Distress Ink – Ranger
Spellbinders: Circle and Label Three
Inside Sentiment: Freebie Friend sentiment – Elegant WordArt
Button: American Crafts Elements

Purrfect February 7, 2010

We can never tell our loved ones enough how much we care about them.  I grew up in a home where we never said out loud that we loved one another, that has changed over the years but it has taken time.  Maybe that’s why we have Valentine’s Day so even if we can’t say it we can express out feelings through a card!!! 

The red on this card really pops against the black.  Normally I’m not a cat lover but these two are so sweet!

I embossed the red cardstock using the Cuttlebug.  I used clear embossing powder and embosed grey and black cardstock with black detail embossing powder and cut out the hearts. 

Paper: Black cardstock – PTI, red cardstock – unknown, White cardstock – GP
Digital Image: Purrbutton – Heather Ellis
Stamps: Turning a New Leaf – PTI
Copic Markers
Provo: Cuttlebug Valentine set
Spellbinders: Oval and Heart Nesties
Inside Sentiment: Be My Valentine
Ribbon – Hobby Lobby

Check out CPS Card Sketches for other cards using a similar layout – it is always so much fun to see how different artists interpret a sketch.

Bee Mine February 7, 2010

I have files and files of cards from other gifted cardmakers that I want try someday but I saw this card the other day and I just had to make it right away – I just love it.  The talented crafter is Lynda Benden, when you have a minute check out her blog – Stamp Act, grab a cup of coffee first as you will be spending a lot of time there.  Here’s my finished card – thanks for the inspiration!!!

I made a few additions to the card I made, I embossed the background with a Cuttlebug folder and added a sentiment to the face of the card.

Paper: Bitty Box Basics –  PTI, Shimmery White  cardstock - PTI for sentiment Black cardstock – PTI, White GP cardstock
Stamp: Baby Button Bits
Computer Generated Sentiment
Provo: Cuttlebug Victoria embossing folder
Embellishments: Ribbon – Hobby Lobby, Buttons – American Traditions Elements, Spica clear glitter pen

Cute as a Button February 6, 2010

I’m a day late in participating in Nicole’s challenge over Capture the Moment at but I’ve always wanted to try the emboss resist technique.  Head on over to Capture the Moment as Nicole has a great video demonstrating how to do this technique.  I’ve been wanting to use my new stamp set from PTI – Baby Button Bits and thought this would be a great chance to do two things at once.  I was really wishing I had purchased the Pretty Pastel paper from PTI but I did find some papers in my stash that worked pretty well.

It’s pretty had to see but I drew a smiley face on the buttons, I think they are so cute!!!  I know some have trouble with the Fleur de Lis die cut but I find that if I use a heavier cardstock it works better if I run it through the Cuttlebug 4 times, turning 90 degrees each time. Works like a charm for me – hope this hint helps you!

If I were to make this card again, I think I would have made the background green instead of pink – it would have helped the buttons to stand out a bit more – I guess I’ll know for next time! I will definitely be using this technique again, it was so easy and I can see how it would work great when layering different elements on a card.

Here’s the Deets if you are interested.

Paper: White Shimmer Cardstock – PTI; Pink, Green, Brown and Striped Paper – Unknown
Stamp: Baby Button Bits – PTI
Sentiment: Baby Button Bits – PTI
Spellbinders: Fleur de Lis, Square and Labels
Embellishments: Ribbon – Hobby Lobby, Buttons – American Crafts Elements, Ink – PTI Raspberry Fizz, clear embossing powder – Ranger

Red, Black and Silver February 5, 2010

Having mastered my self-imposed challenge (see earlier post – Swing Card) I thought I’d take a stab and see shat I could come up with for the challenge at Sew Many Cards http://sewmanychallenges.com/ The challenge is to make a card with Red, Black and Silver. I used a stair step card as I like the different levels of this card.

I used my Cricut Wedding cartridge to cut out the LOVE square, flourish and double heart. I downloaded a skeleton key from one of my graphic progams, cut it out and tried to make it look a little weathered.

Paper: PTI black cardstock, Silver (unknown) and Red (unknown)
Digital Image: Heart Lock and Key – Sew Many Cards
Copic Markers
Cricut: Wedding
Spellbinders: Small Ovals
Ribbon: Hobby Lobby

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek – can’t wait to see what everyone else came up with!
Dee

I Love U February 5, 2010

Another Valentine card, simple but still cute!

Paper: Bazzill cardstock
Digital Stamp: Coco and Roses – DigiSTampBoutique
Inside Sentiment: Happy Valentine’s Day
Copic Markers
Spellbinders: Circle, Scalloped Circle and Large Rectangles
Ribbon: Hobby Lobby

Valentine Swing Card February 5, 2010

Feeling the need to do something new this morning, I thought I’d try to make a swing card. I’ve never made one before so it took me a little bit to get the measurements correct but once that was all worked out the card went together really pretty quickly – hardest part was trying to photograph it so it get the jist of what it does!

This is how the card looks semi-closed:

This is what the card looks like when you open it:

The center panel actually flips when it is opened. Here’s the front and back of the card when totally flat.

Paper:Imaginisce and Bazzill
Digital Image: Coco and Little Hearts – DigiStampBoutique
Copic Markers
Cuttlebug: Conversation Hearts Embossing Folder
Embellishments: Ribbon – Hobby Lobby, Paper Flowers and Pink Pearl – Kaiser

Make a Wish February 2, 2010

The first thing I do pretty much every morning is check out a couple of my favorite blogs, one of the is Capture the Moment and the other is Splitcoast Stampers – from there depending on how much time I have I’ll browse through others but those are my two go-to sites. I was just about done with this card but I was looking for a different sentiment for the outside of the card as I had already used the verse that came with this digital image on the inside of my card when low and behold I found the perfect image here: http://freckledandfun.blogspot.com. Capture the Moment is celebrating their third year in business and they are sponsoring a challenge, go here for more details http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment.

I used the image created by Beth Silaika and used Adobe Elements to color the image to coordinate with my digital stamp. I’m still learning the basics with this program so pretty much everything I do in it is simple, simple simple. For the copic colors I use the most; I colored swatches, scanned them and then using the pick tool determined the RGB color code – it’s not perfect, but it works for me! I popped the sentiments with a couple of foam squares just to give the card a little dimension. Here’s the DEETs for this card.

Paper: Man About Town – Upsy Daisy Designs and Bazzill cardstock
Digital Image: SBonemorecandle – Bugaboo (JoDee generously gave this out as a freebie)
Copic Markers
Cuttlebug Birthday Candle Folder
Spellbinders: Square, Scalloped Square and Long Rectangles
Ribbon: Hobby Lobby

Bugabee Valentine with a Twist Challenge February 1, 2010

There is a challenge going on over at http://catchthebugblog.blogspot.com/ to design a Valentine card using non-traditional colors, no pink or no red!!! Talk about a challenge! It’s kind of fun to have to think outside of the box and come up with something totally unexpected.

One of these days I’m going to figure out how to insert a working hyperlink, not sure why I can’t figure this out so if anyone out there would like to share your secrets I’d love to hear from you! I think I may have gotten this to work, Yeah!!! Now the trick will be to do this again, crossing fingers!

Paper: Spring Fever – Imagination Project, Lasting Impression and Bazzill Cardstock
Digital Image: Consciousness – Bugaboo Stamps
Computer Generated Sentiment
Copic Markers
Spellbinders: Hearts and Long Rectangles
Inside Sentiment: Hugs & Kisses

Paper: Full Bloom – Scrap Within Reach and Bazzill cardstock
Digital Image: Cathy’s Soup – Bugaboo Stamps
Computer Generated Sentiment
Copic Markers
Spellbinders: Square and Scallop Square
Embellishments: EK Success Scallop punch and Ribbon from Hobby Lobby
Inside Verse: Now that you are under my spell – Won’t you be my Valentine?

Thanks for looking and hopefully these cards brought a smile to your face!
Dee