CASEd Pennant Card

This is based on one of my favorite Kristina Werner designs.  I knew I had to CASE her pennant card from this week's Finally Friday post with video -->  http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/?p=3044 

The only major difference is that I stamped my clouds right on the background using cloud stamps from the Whooo Loves You  - Valentine's - set.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Whoo Loves You by Hampton Arts; On Your Birthday by SU! for greeting.
Cardstock:  Aqua Mist by PTI
Ink:  Versamark; Chocolate Chip by SU!
DSP:  Farm Fresh by October Afternoon, Nook and Pantry by Basic Grey

Project 365 Wk 8 - In and Out

I got my weeks mixed up but I think I'm back on track now with last week being week 8 of the year.  We were Out and About more last week having breakfast with friends, getting in a hike on the one pretty day, seeing customers, and shopping.  Also I got ready for stamp class.  It was a nice change.  I was beginning to feel like a hermit cooped up here watching it snow every few days. 

My favorite photo of the week was the one we took of ourselves looking in the new mirror.  Several good pictures called for a two page layout - the first since Week 1.  My challenge this week was to embrace the "white" space.  That is really, really hard for me to do.  I tend to fill up the pages so leaving that entire bottom half of the first page and top of the second page blank was super difficult.  Still, after adhering the last embellishment to the right hand page, I forced myself to put down the stamps and scissors, back away from the table and leave well enough alone! 

Project Notes:

• To determine the size of the photos, I cropped and then arranged them in my photo editing software.  I added "In" and "Out" for the title, then printed and trimmed to arrange on a traditional page. 
• Mini journaling cards from an 8x8 Fancy Pants paper pad helped fill in some of the space between the photos.
• The black and white pointed square design was cut with the Cricut and Scal software using a design I downloaded from the Craft Edge (developers of SCAL) forum.
•  The printing looks distressed and fits in with the paper but it actually either a dirty or faulty printer.  Cleaning the printer goes to the top of my to-do list.

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Fabulous Flowers by Hampton Arts
Ink:  Basic Black, Basic Gray by Stampin' Up!
Cardstock:  River Rock, Soft Sky by SU!
DSP:  Daily Grind by Fancy Pants, little strip of blue from Marrakesh by Basic Grey
Stickers:  Marrakesh by Basic Grey

Tri-fold class card

This is the last card from our class last Saturday.  One of our attendees, Betsy, loaned me this pretty set from Close to My Heart.  It was the first time I had used any of their products and I loved the images and the packaging.  Unfortuntely, I forgot to write down the name of this set.  It has many lovely nature images - we weren't sure if they were flowers or weeds but they make up nicely with the greetings. 

• This tri-fold card is scored with sufficient paper to overlap and tear the edges. 
• I suggested they distress their greeting block with Soft Suede and that gave a pretty effect to the card.
• The image is stamped off with Soft Suede ink on the Kraft cardstock - a combo I really liked.
• I had to go to a darker cardstock for the deep red color to match the ink.  When you tear cardstock, the color often lightens.  A good reason to have a bulging stash of paper!  :-)

This month we do Birthday cards on March 20.  This Saturday is our regular SU club by our demonstrator Jean and I'm the hostess.  Lots of fun events coming up.

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Close to My Heart
Ink:  Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede by SU!
Cardstock:  Very vanilla, Kraft, Not Quite Navy by SU!; Scarlett Jewel by Papertrey Ink
Fibers:  Sam's Club kit

Two Challenges from Splitcoast

"How on earth am I going to make Always Artichoke go with Basic Gray and Crushed Curry?"  was the thought going through my head as I worked on two challenges from Splitcoaststampers.  I almost gave it up and did only the card sketch portion.  But then, that is why they call them challenges, right?  So after fussing awhile longer and wishing I had some designer paper to lead the way, I realized there was some in the stash.  The one on the left is not Stampin' Up! but it meets the color requirements.  Of course, I really loved the colors once I got finished.

Project Notes:

• Although it didn't photograph well, the dark green button in the center is the perfect color and really pretty.  It was from my stash which I replenshed today on a trip to my favorite fabric store with my Mother.  Check your local fabric store for a "button" box or see if they sell damaged or partial pack buttons in bags for a reduced price.
• Stampin' Up! designer paper in single colors and the pattern packs available for Hostess sets have a solid color sheet great for punching borders using intricate punches.  Often this is easier than punching regular cardstock.  The solid gray here is the reverse of the white and gray pattern.
• Cut DSP so their is a not-so-busy area for stamping the greeting.

To see the other challenge entries, follow these links:

CC260 Always Crushing Basics --> http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=482343

Sketch Challenge 270 --> http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=482473

Thanks for stopping by!

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Petal Pizzazz and Upsy Daisy (for greeting) from Stampin' Up!

Cardstock:  Basic Black, Always Artichoke, Whisper White

Ink:  Crushed Curry, Basic Grey and Always Artichoke

DSP:  Raspberry Lemonade and Basic Gray from SU!; polka dot is from October Afternoon

TIPsy Tuesday - Inspiration TV?

Where do you get inspiration for your cards and scrapbook pages?  I love to browse blogs, on-line galleries such as Two Peas and Splitcoast, and scrapbooking magazines.  There are oodles of challenges to get us going on our cards and pages, too.  There are also many non-papercraft related ways to get inspiration.  Most any magazine with its staff of professional graphic designers can be inspiring.  I still mourn the loss of House and Garden which had the best photographers. 

Another place to get inspired is television.  Yes, when you are unwinding with the Housewives or watching a favorite comedy, look at the set or the clothes.  There are some cool ideas just waiting for you to turn them into cards.  Since the first time I watched Modern Family (ABC, Wed. 9:00 p.m. ET), I've wanted to lift the color scheme from Claire and Phil's living room for a card.  Their walls are a perfect match to Bordering Blue.  The draperies and pillows are a deep orange with a hint of saffron.  Finally, on Sunday I made the card above using those colors and I love it!  It is a departure from my typical colors and look.

So I actively looked on Sunday when we watched the Housewives for inspiration and found it at Bob and Lee's home - the two most wasted talents on that show (but that is another matter).  They have some framed pictures in their living room that inspired this simple card.  I was going more for style but ended up with a great color combo.  Rarely do I use Creamy Caramel, yet I really like it as the background for this simple, more masculine card.

Project Notes for both cards:

• I'm low on orange buttons so I sponged Only Orange craft ink on a small round piece of chipboard and then stamped an image with Whisper White for the embellishment of the top card.
• For the "Life" card, I wanted to emphsize the tone-on-tone flowers so they are stamped in a red color on the orange background. 
• I wanted the words to show but not take over so I stamped them in Basic Gray rather than black.  Colors will definitely change when stamped on a colored cardstock.

So tune in - in more ways than one - to your favorite shows looking for style, form and colors you can employ in your crafting.

Ingredients:  For birthday card:  Stamps:  On Your Birthday (greeting) from SU!; Polka Dot Basics from PTI; Plenty of Paisley from Paper Studio; Circles and dots from Inkadinkado
Ink:  Bordering Blue, Whisper White, Only Orange, So Saffron; white gel pen
Cardstock:  Bordering Blue, Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, So Saffron
Ribbon:  So Saffron from SU! (SAB '09)

Life card:  Stamps:  Fabulous Flowers from Hampton Art; Make it Count from SU!
Ink:  Riding Hood Red, Basic Gray
Cardstock:  Dusty Durango, Creamy Caramel

Cheery start to March

Here's a cheery card to kick off the month of March.  This year, I think we'll take March winds over the snow.  Last year, we had our only snow on March 1 and delighted in finally having snow.  Boy, how things change.  We are ready for spring.  Lennny has already been asking me when we will start planting our glad bulbs for the year. 

Project Notes: 

• Once again the designer paper led the way on colors.  This is an oldie but goodie stripe from American Crafts.  I'm already looking for some new DSP that has a large variety of colors.  It is hard to work in extra colors that aren't in the DSP.
• I stamped lots of flowers in various colors and then just played with the arrangement.  This was one of 4 cards - all similar yet a little different.
• For the stamp set, I chose one that had very defined edges on each stamp making the flowers easier to cut.
• The smallest flowers are stamped with a SU! set and the matching Boho Blossoms punch.

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Deco Flowers from Paper Studio; One of a Kind by SU!; Inkadinkado for greeting.

Ink:  Not Quite Navy, Ruby Red, Kiwi Kiss from SU!, the pink and blue are from Colorbox fluid chalk

DSP:  American Crafts

Cardstock: Old Olive, Kiwi Kiss and Whisper White from SU!

Lulu, What are you UP to?

A couple of years ago, my parents had this little - and I emphasize little - gray tabby stray that claimed a shrub on their property.  After we lost our beloved Casey just a few weeks later, we tried to adopt the kitty.  Lenny carried it to our house a half mile through the woods.  He fed it, named her Lulu; she hung around the back yard for the evening.  The next morning she was gone.  I called my Dad and asked if he had seen the little cat.  "It's not here; Lenny took it home."  I told him to check the kitty's favorite hiding place - her shrub.  He calls back 5 minutes later, "It's over here.  What am I supposed to do with it?"  "I guess you are going to keep her.  Clearly Lulu wants to live with you."

Fast forward a year and Lulu has grown very happy in her adopted home - grown being a key word.  She no longer lives under a shrub; she has an abundance of cat beds in every conceivable sheltered spot my Mother could think of to provide for her. She's very sweet and obviously, Mother dotes on her.  When my parents went on a trip, we were in charge of feeding.  Apparently we were in charge of getting her out of trees, too.

Here's the journaling:

Project Notes: 

• The tree is hand cut which isn't my best thing, but was the easiest way to get a tree the right size and position for the photos.  I cut the photos first and then laid them on the brown cardstock lightly marking the branches and trunk of the tree.  Distressing the edges with Soft Suede ink created a more natural looking tree and hid some of my less than terrific cutting.

• LULU is cut with the Cricut and adhered with dimensionals.  The leaves create some unity between the circles and variety of letters.
• A scallop border emulates grass in this highly stylized version of the backyard.  I did a second layer of scallops from an Old Olive designer paper.
• Using a designer paper with a simple overall pattern for the background adds interest without being too busy.

So will Lulu climb any more trees?  Let's hope not.  That extension laddder got pretty wobbly!

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Season of Frienship by SU!
Ink:  Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Kiwi Kiss, and Soft Suede for distressing
Cardstock:  Certainly Celery by SU!; Dark Coffee Brown by WorldWin
DSP: Delicate Dots by SU!
Stickers:  Doodlebug Designs and Paper Studio

Moon in the Trees

Another of the cards we made in card class this week.  I wish I could take credit for this pretty design but I CASEd it from a card on Splitcoaststampers.  I just searched to find the original creator and give credit but couldn't find it.  (There are over 7000 cards in the Lovely as a Tree gallery!)  I'm sorry I'm not giving proper credit.  Next time I'll be sure to mark cards I want to case in my favs.   My version just  has the colors changed a little and the greeting moved around.

Project Notes:

• The trees are stamped and stamped off in black pigment ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.
• The moon is masked with a circle cut from CM circle cutting system or you could use a punch.
• I used a blue pastel near the "ground."  Tempting Turquiose and Taken with Teal pastels make up the rest of the background.  It takes very little of them to create a pretty effect and allow the moon to show.
• I like this card because it is very flat and easy to mail; a good thing for Sympathy cards.

Our next class is Birthday cards on March 20.  If you are in my area and would like to attend, e-mail me for details.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great weekend; hopefully warm and safe wherever you are.

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Lovely as a Tree, Kindred Spirits for greeting
Ink:  Black pigment ink from Colorbox
Cardstock:  Aqua Mist from Papertrey Ink; Going Grey, Basic Black from SU!
DSP:  Urban Garden from SU!