Use What You Have

I am a fairly impulsive buyer of crafting supplies.  When I saw the star die from Stampin' Up!, I said to myself, SERIOUSLY...you have a Silhouette Cameo.  How about you use it? There MUST be a stars file.  Sure enough...there was!  I created this card while inspired by this pin.  I have been putting some good use to the Under the Tree DSP.  I adore this paper!  Well, anything that has Kraft as its basis is A-OK with me lately.  I used SEI velvet paper and stamped with white craft ink.  The sentiment is an oldie but a goodie from Stampin' Up.  I also used a Stampin' Up embossing folder for the background.  In all, I was using what I have...such a rarity!

Joy to the World

One more card to share for tonight.  This card is more Lawn Fawn than anything else.  The "Joy" die comes from Lawn Fawn, and I used parts of the Wish You Were Here set to gather the "to the world" part of the sentiment.  The background patterned paper is from Lawn Fawn's Sweater Weather collection (thanks, Santa Kim!).  The ribbon is from Stampin' Up!  I seem to be addicted to kraft cardstock this season, so much so that I am running low. It's the new white. I write over the sentiment with a silver Gelly Roll pen to make it sparkle.  I just might start grading with Gelly Roll pens.  They are so smooth and dry quickly!

Holiday Cards

Many a reveler knows the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas."  Few realize that, in the church, the Christmas season lasts about that long.  So, Happy Christmas Season to all.  I have been making cards one by one this year, thinking I would start in October, yet here I am after Christmas Day making and sending holiday spirit.  Before Christmas, for a teacher, is not the time to squeeze in crafting.

I have cranked out 4 cards tonight, this one being unlike some others I have posted.  It's a combination of Lawn Fawn and Stampin' Up.  I colored the quatre foil with Copics and stamped them with some American Crafts pigment ink.  I used my Stampin' Up punch to punch them out and my Stampin' Up embossing folder for the background.

Happy Christmas!

This one is for the 17 year old.  Just a quick, simple card to stash the cash that's been sent from various relatives.  I love the Lawn Fawn cardstock, and I have a craft envelope to fit.  I just love the Wplus9 set.  It's a keeper!  Now if the house would settle, Santa could do his magic and we can all settle down for a nice winter's nap!

Christmastime is Here

Yep, It's here!  And I have been making a few cards and gift tags and such.

For my dachshund-loving pal, it had to be done.  Lawn Fawn stamp sets galore, with some Stampin' Up! patterned paper and textured cardstock.

Used a recent My Favorite Things set (that is on backorder now) to create a Thank You to have ready for my Secret Santa tomorrow.

Took a cue from Kristina Werner with this WPlus9 set.  Went pretty simple, and I love the Glossy Accents on the bulbs.

And what would Christmas be without some Stampin' Up!  This set made me laugh every time I saw it.  I bought it a while back and am just now letting it see ink.  Too funny.  Indeed, they are visions.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Congratulations to the giveaway winners:

Congratulations to all!  Please e-mail me snail-mail information at jolynnplato@gmail.com.

A Christmas Thank You

I am in love with this card.  It was amazingly simple.  I needed a thank-you card for a parent who came in with a bag of goodness today.  I am so blessed.

Stamp set for front: Ellen Hutson Tis the Season solored with Stampin' Up! Blendabilities and Copics.

Stamp set for inside: My Favorite Things Jingle All The Way

Mojo: On

Yeah!  I had some craft mojo tonight, and -BAM-!  Two cards.

This one's for a buddy who loves penguins.  It uses Finley's ABCs, Critters in the Arctic, and Winter Penguin from Lawn Fawn.  I also used some Glossy Accents ad Wink of Stella clear glitter brush pen.  This pin inspired this card.

This card was inspired by a card I had seen at some point...in a video... maybe Jennifer McGuire or an online card class?  Anyway, I used masking to create it (yes, all except the hat is one layer!).  It uses Critters in the Arctic and a star stamp from a Stampin' Up set.  Tim Holts and Stampin' Up inks were used on the background.  Some Glossy accents assisted with the ice.  This is for a friend whose birthday is today, and we are gathering for a "going away/birthday" party tomorrow.

Organization, Purging, and Giveaways!

I have not posted creations in a while for a few reasons.  One reason is that my stupid depression has reared its ugly head and has sucked my motivation away.  Another is that my craft room is in a state of organization renovation...since June...and going in there reminds me of that.  I do have things that are semi-done, and I want to crank out some Christmas cards, so this business of procrastination needs to end.

But you, my lucky blog reader, are the beneficiary.  

A variety of sizes of cards from multiple manufacturers are pictured.  Many Project Life kits, including the HSN exclusive with the 4 x 4 and 1 x 1 cards, and going as far back as the inaugural Cherry edition are included.  Three lucky winners will get a variety pack of these cards.

What's included?  Cards of which I had multiples, cards that don't necessary mesh with my "signature color palette," but I know will mesh with others, cards I got in sets in which I bought the set for other cards.  It is time that these reside with persons who might use them.

To enter: Please leave a comment on this post telling me about your crafting motivation as of late.  Are you "getting it done" or simply "dreaming of a crafty Christmas?"  I will use Random.org to choose three lucky winners.  Drawing will take place on December 13!

Sorry, I am pinching pennies.  This giveaway is only available to shipping addresses in the US.

I love babies

This card is for a coworker who just had a baby boy.  We are having a shower for her.  After scouring Pinterest, I decided to piece together what I liked from many cards.  I made a peculiar size, so the envelope is also handmade.  The stamp is from Stampin' Up!

Joyful Wishes

This card was inspired by this pin, using Lawn Fawn's Joy to the Woods:

Since the rectangular opening I had was quite a bit smaller than the original, I used less ornaments and only the cardinal.  I used some Copics and the Wink of Stella glitter pen, as well as the Stitched Hillside Borders for the hills.  Christmas card 1: done!

Lawn Fawn On the Mend

Alas, a recovery card was needed for a friend in the last part of her pregnancy.  Not really a "get well" moment, so I thought "speedy recovery" would work best.  Those who have been pregnant know that blood pressure does what it wants to do, and there's no "getting well" about it.  You just have to wait it out and hope your body behaves itself to incubate that little one properly.

I used Lawn Fawn's On the Mend, which is becoming quite a go to stamp set for me.  As simple as this card looks, there was much ripping and cutting.  Sometimes one can try too hard for a card to look clean and simple, yes?  That turtle, for example, was cut out not once, but twice.  I would love to say I did it to add dimension, but that would be a lie.  :)  Needed a bit more "pop" so I added the yellow and green dot things (I never know what to call them).

In all, good fun and the creative part of my brain is happy.  Here's to a safe two months for my friend.

Forgot to post!

Here is a pet-owner sympathy CASE that I forgot to post from this summer.  Made for my pal who was missing her best buddy.

And here is my "Pinspiration:"  

A Crafty Labor Day

My first holiday of the school year.  Yes, I have school-related things to do.  But first, I must craft!

Project Life, Week 2.  Keeping things simple is my theme.  I am very happy for products from We R Memory Keepers, Heidi Swapp, Project Life, Versa Mark, and Lawn Fawn that helped with the creation of this spread.  I can't recall the maker of the apple and "School Rocks" images, as I just recently went on an organization spree and cut off the identifying info.  I do know it was a 12 x 12 piece of paper with lots of options.  The grid paper was the back of the clocks paper that I used in last week's spread.  Great, heavy patterned paper.  Not sure about the cloud patterned paper, either.  Part of my scraps.

And now, a card!

I have Lawn Fawn, Stampin' Up, VersaMark, and Copic to thank for this little cutie.  Sadly, it's for a friend who is battling breast cancer (have I mentioned lately how much I hate cancer?).  I tried to get a bit of the inside, where the sentiment reads "wishing you a speedy recovery."  The vase was cut out, paper pieced, and colored with Copics and Blendabilites.  I then popped it up on Dimensionals.

A New Project Life Album: Week 1

I decided it was time to get a Project Life album rockin' again.  This last school year with both boys at home is one that I felt needed to be documented.  It's the last breath of this stage of my parenting, and, quite frankly, it's going WAY too fast!  I needed some way to remind myself the happenings of this year.

The first page is actually a half page in the album.  I decided to crop photos as they are best cropped, and find page protectors after that, rather than taking/cropping pics to suit the pocket pages.  It worked pretty well, as I have a wide variety of the page protector designs.

The Title Page (12 x 6)
Photos by Studio Barbie and SarahKate Photography
Printed with permission

Week 1 DPS (well, 1.5PS)

Page 2

Page 3
Using two stamps that I love: My new Heidi Swapp roller date stamp (look carefully at the clocks) and Ali Edwards' Dear Time set

I am putting the pages in my new Heidi Swapp Project Life three-ring album.  (It's the second one from the left.)

In which I have clearly lost my mind

I have this...thing...when I have an idea that I am in love with.  I just keep on going and going and going.  Exhibit A:

It all started with me sorting my patterned paper.  I realized that, despite wiping out a ton of paper through the garage sale and donations, I still had quite a bit of paper, especially repeat patterns that I bought for past projects.  My students earn these little "Mustang Bucks" when they do something that aligns with our school rules, and they always need a receptacle to keep them in (ah, now you see where I am going).  Twenty-eight envelopes later, I will be able to provide them with adorable envelopes for their Mustang Money.

I used the We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board for these fun 5 x 5" creations.  I adhered them with some Aleen's, but, realizing I am dealing with 9 year olds, I also gave them a tint Tim Holtz staple for good measure.

It really did not take as long as it would seem.  It was easy to get a cadence.  My regret is that ideas like this dawn on me at about 10:30 at night.

Sometimes this is all you got...

What do you tell a person who gets devastating news about her little boy?  These two words.    Just this.  If I could add the f word, I would.  Now let's talk technique.

This stamp set is from Simon Says Stamp.  I bought it for its versatility, as it has several other sentiments.  I used a technique I had used long ago...can't recall its name.  Basically, the image has three layers.  I stamped and colored on the base.  I first tried Copics....WAY too dark.  I would have lost his eyeballs.  Then I used watercolor pencils from SU! and a brush.  I stamped the image again on another sheet and colored it the same way.  I cut out the tail and adhered it to the base image.  Then I cut out the body and popped it up on Dimensionals.  I put Glossy Accents on the heart and let it dry.

Inside?  It says, "'Nuf said."

Free Lemons

This card is my very simple contribution to this year's Shoebox Swap, honoring our friend, Kate, who turns 80 in 2 weeks (she is my birthday twin!).  Kate is notorious for finding witty stamps, so we decided that we would prep a funny card in her honor.  I just bought this Simon Says Stamp set, and I was pretty excited to use the sentiment.  The yellow-hued ink is SU! So Saffron.  I also used my Wink of Stella Glitter Brush Pen on the words "Free Lemons" and the popped up tiny banner.  The larger banner is an SU! die cut, and the smaller ones are punched with an SU! punch.  The patterned paper is from Basic Grey.

Life is Good

I totally fell in love with Lawn Fawn's Life is Good set when it came out.  It took me while to get some ink to paper, but I finally had the chance:

Discovery: Bazzill Orange Peel paper works great with water colors.  Since I could not find my stash of watercolor paper, I decided to give it a try for the background.  I also purchased the dies that accompany this set, and die cut the hammock, the trees, and the flip flops.  The hammock and trees are adhered with SU! Dimensionals.  The flip flops are simply adhered and layered.  I colored the pieces with Copics, and inked the images with Adirondack ink.  This was made for a friend who was hosting a pool party at her home.

Wedding #2 of the Summer!

You know what that means!

Outside: Everyday Button Bits (Papertrey Ink), Stampin' Up!/Sizzix embossing folder, Stampin' Up! flowers, Simon Says Stamp bling, sheer ribbon

Inside: Stampin' Up! Congrats

Happy Father's Day!

This year's card had a springboard from my good pal, Karen.  Since I screwed up her awesome card, I did some craftiness and created this version:

The striped cardstock is a sampling of Stampin' Up!'s new InColor colors.  I honestly did not pay attention to the companies who created the sentiments I used.  She had a lot out for me to choose from.  I think the inside is a PTI set.

Happy Father's Day to all dads!