Wintry Day

Today was pretty cold, and Max and I had off of school.  Despite a trip to Springfield with Scott, I pretty much hibernated, which is my happiest thing to do.  I love sleep.

Max worked on finishing up a latch hook project that he started a few years back and for which he had just renewed his crafting fervor.

I worked on a card for his brother's birthday, using my SU! Starburst Sayings set (retired).

I CASEd this card, using materials I had on hand.  I tell you what, inking that big old stamp was no easy task.  My Not Quite Navy from Stampin' Up! just was not "inky" enough.  I finally used some Ali Edwards ink to get a nice, thick coat.  I was worries that the sentiment would not be as sharp, but it actually stamped nicely.  I went back over some light spots with a paintbrush.  I used the same ink on the smaller sentiment, and silver ink on the lower left image.  I had the foiled bar ready to go from a previous foiling session.

Let's talk about my love-hate Thickers relationship.  The adhesive tho.  The longer you have them in your stash, the longer the adhesive either rips your chipboard letters or completely stops working on your vinyl letters.  It's an easy, but annoying, thing to fix.

My kid is turning 22.  I can't even believe it. 

Happy Birthday to Me!

What could be better than a handmade card for my birthday?  Thanks, Kim Hall!  You make such great cards!

Simple Happy Birthday

Some Prismas, some Kraft paper, some Tim Holtz, an edge distresser.  Dude birthday card complete and enjoyed.

Fun Birthday

This card is for a friend's 40th.  It suited her beautifully.

This uses an exclusive STAMPtember set from Simon Says Stamp called SuperDuo and the F-Bomb Kelly Purkey set.  I believe both sets may be unavailable on SSS.  Paper is from Stampin' Up! I also used Copics and SU! inks, as well as VersaFine black.  I masked the little superhero rather than layering.

Happy World Cardmaking Day!

Hello to my dusty ol' blog.  Yes, school started again for this Teacher Mama.  Slowly and infrequently to the craft room I go.  So, here are a couple of cards I have made in the past few weeks.

First, a birthday card for a Lego-lovin' nine year old.

Inspired by these Pinterest cards

Papertrey Ink Stamp

Fiskars hole punch

Next a card for a buddy who had beautiful baby girl #3.  (Overcast day = not great photo)

Inspired by this Splitcoast stamper's shower idea

Silhouette file for the bow (love!)

Fancy Pants patterned paper

Spellbinders oval scallop

Love using the SU! chalk marker to decorate the envelope.

Envelope by Hero Arts

Happy World Cardmaking Day, my crafting friends!

A "Monstrous" Birthday

Here is my seventh birthday card for Maddie, who is crazy for Monster High.  I used the Print and Cut option for my Silhouette Cameo as well as some SU! Craft ink and stampage and some Project Life Rain patterned paper.  Score!  And Maddie liked it a lot, too. :)

More crafty goodness will commence throughout this evening.

Ah June

The first few weeks of June are super stuffed with birthdays and anniversaries in my family. Sometimes I am good about cards, other times not so much. Today is Scott's birthday, and whipping him up a card is something I truly enjoy. Alas, in the photo, you cannot tell that I colored in the 4 and the 6.  Here goes:

Recipe:
Size: 4.25 x 5.5"
Stamps: Stampin' Up! Bring on the Cake and Whimsical Words
Cardstock: Stampin' Up: Crmb Cake, Papertrey Ink Plum Pudding, Stampin' Up! So Saffron (or its equivalent); Papertrey Ink White
Ink: Adirondack Earthtone Pitch Black, Stampin' Up! Crushed Curry marker
Embossing: Sizzix Texturz Plate - Weave

More July crafting, and some "new" furniture

Last week, I participated in some summer inservicing for math. As much as I wanted to craft, there just wasn't the time. I did, however, get to attend my dealer's Open House for the new Stampin' Up! catalog. I thought I would showcase her awesome make-n-takes from this event. I do not have the specs for the cards, so, Karen, if you are reading this, feel free to comment on that.

I took my photos of the cards on one of my new end tables. So I have also included some pics of our living room. I am in the middle of deciding what to do with the walls (vinyl decals dance in my head), but I thought I would share my furniture story.

We sold our almost-20-year-old furniture at our garage sale this spring. We have had an empty room, which has driven my husband close to crazy, but didn't bother me much. As he was driving around the neighborhood on Thursday, he noticed a neighbor setting up for a garage sale. He spied our new furniture and rushed home to show me photos.

This entire set was bought for $300. It's a couple years old, and there are some wearing and tearing, but in all, I think it looks pretty great. The sofa retails for $1000, and the love seat retails for $800, so right there, I think we got a nice deal. The coffee tables are really sturdy, so I know they were not cheap either. Anyway, I thought it rocked, and I will try to show, as the days go on, the metamorphosis that occurs with the room. We had the hardest time figuring the arrangement. You may notice my husband's other garage sale find, the wood divider, has been brought in. There are pockets of the room that, to me, just look empty (by the windows). I think, after 8 years, we are finally going to put window treatments in the windows. I LOVE how the windows look, but I think it causes our summer electric bills to be outrageous.

Enjoy!



This next one is Max's favorite card. He kept walking around the house with it. I kinda like it a whole lot, as well. Simple, yet very cute. Showcases some new colors.

Birthday card for my birthday boy

Here is a card I created for Scott's 45th birthday. It's amazing how hard it is to take pics of these cards when I have not done so for a while. Very WHITE.

The colors of the card match the Bed, Bath, and Beyond box in which was his new Braun Series 5 electric razor. Poor guy has been using a razor for years that is slowly dying. He thought the box was Michelle's wedding present, so he was totally duped. Then he wanted to do the, "Oh, this cost too much," thing. Yeah. One razor every 10 years really breaks the bank. :) He's that way, though. I told him to just say, "Thank you," and let it be. He did.

Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches
Paper: GP white, SU Perfect Plum
Stamps: SU! Whimsical Words and All About Occasions
Ink: SU! Perfect Plum and Craft white
Punch: Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper
Embellishments: Stampingbella Grape Juice Baubles

A Challenge

I was in need of one more birthday card. I saw that Ann was hosting the latest challenge at the Everything But the Kitchen Sink Challenge. Perfecto!

The challenge included the use of wrapping paper. I pulled out some of my Martha Stewart Confetti wrapping paper from EK Success for a birthday card for my grandmother's 97th birthday. I wanted to stay simple and let the pattern speak for the card. So, I decided to use my SU! scallop circle punch and the idea of repetition. I stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment from the SU! So Many Scallops set using the method of coloring the stamp with markers (SU! Yo-Yo Yellow, Old Olive, and Going Gray). I punched that and then punched several shapes from the wrapping paper.

To give dimension, the sentiment and one of the other shapes is popped up on a Dimensional. I had to back the wrapping paper scalloped circle with cardstock because it was too flimsy alone to be popped up on a Dimensional. I inked the main panel (SU! Going Gray) and the scalloped wrapping paper shapes with my Going Gray marker. For three of the scallops, I added some corduroy brads. I mounted the Going Gray panel on to some Georgia Pacific white cardstock.

Simple. Doable. I like it.

Two-card Tuesday

Hey, I might have to make this a habit. It's a catchy title.

Today, I had some of my crafty ladies over, Ann and Karen. We had one of those, "We should get together and craft over Christmas break," discussions, and it actually happened. Yeah us! Later, our friend Jessie brought over milkshakes. Yeah squared!

But, I digress. I had an idea that we should bring a scrap of paper for others to make cards. You know you always have a scrap laying around somewhere. Ann brought over this cute SU! patterned paper from the Pink Flamingo collection. The red floral part is actually the flipside of the yellow floral. I went with the idea, originally, of staying monochromatic. Then I felt some green (Color Box Olive Pastel) ease into the act to edge the circles. It was all flat circles until I saw Ann mass-producing these cute circle flowers, and I knew I had to try one. I have no idea where the button came from, but it seemed to fit just fine. I also inked the edge of the outside of the card with the Olive Pastel and stamped the sentiment (SU! You Make Me Happy) in the same ink. This card makes me happy, especially since I used SU! Summer Sun cardstock on a wintry day.

Yes, I made TWO cards. That's what happens when I hang with these people. I decided to use the other half sheet of SU! Summer Sun cardstock. I had gotten the paisley (Traditions Floral Paisley from The Paper Studio) out for my other crafters and ended up using it myself! I liked that it had a hint of the yellow in it already, and I accented with some SU! Basic Gray. I also used my Fiskars scallop blade to add some fun along the edge. I do not know where I got the ribbon, but I think it matches quite nicely, though I was tempted to use a little Basic Gray taffeta. The sentiment, stamped in SU! Craft White, was from the SU! On Your Birthday set. Making this reminds me to get some cards out to my January 2 birthday relatives! I am always late with those!

Groooooovy

Well, well, well. It's Tuesday, and I, JoLynn, have completed the color challenge on SCS. It's been a long time.

Today's combination was Bravo Burgundy, Regal Rose, and Kiwi Kiss. At first, finding a place for Regal Rose was challenging. You know me and pink. But, as true to my style, I just used it as an accent, and it wasn't too bad.

I dug through my patterned paper first to gain some inspiration. That's when I found the patterned paper, which I think is from the American Crafts Amplified collection. Since the pattern was so "mod," I decided to use what I call the "Partridge Family matting." Rectangular, with two opposite corners rounded. The ribbon and flower accents were a last minute decision. I think they look pretty stinking cute.

So, there you have it crafters. JoLynn's attempt at cardmaking on a school night. Now, on to grading...

Size: 5.5 x 4.25 inches

Paper: SU! Bravo Burgundy, SU! Regal Rose, white cardstock, American Crafts Amplified

Stamp: SU! Cheery Chat

Embellishments: SU! Old Olive Twill Ribbon, SU! Felt Fusion flowers, Spare Parts brads

Ink: SU! Bravo Burgundy

Warm birthday wishes

This is a second birthday card I needed this weekend. It is also my submission for IC163 on Splitcoast Stampers. We were to find inspiration from PB Teen. I used the room to the left as my color inspiration. I loved the lighter gray with the navy and orange.

I had a lot of different arguments with myself about the design elements of this card. I knew I wanted to use the mitten DSP from the SU! Frosty Day line. I thought maybe I would add some snowflakes, but they just didn't look right. I finally decided on the SU! Sincere Salutations greeting and pulling in the DSP with some clear button embellishments. I added the Spare Parts brads for a metallic feel, much like the inspiration room. I also included a photo of the inside. That message is from the Full of Life set from SU!.

The technique with the buttons is fairly simple. At first, I thought that I could punch out the circles, but I didn't have a punch that fit the diameter of my button sizes exactly... and that bugged me, of course. I decided to cut after adhering, which ended up being a very good idea. I took a small brush and applied a light coating of Mod Podge to the back of each button. Then, I placed the buttons on the DSP. I used my paper piercing tool to pierce the button holes, and opted not to thread them, as that would make the card a little bulky when mailing. I sanded the sides and back a bit, also. I used some Tacky Glue to adhere them to the card.

My other paper choices included SU! Going Gray and some textured navy that might be Bazill, but I am not sure. The ink i chose was SU! Night of Navy. In all, I am fairly pleased with this card.

A Real Color Challenge for Me

I needed a birthday card for a friend. In looking at Ann's blog, I was reminded of Kristina Werner's color challenge. I was completely out of that loop!

When I looked at the challenge, I thought, "What a week to decide to hop back in the loop!" Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, and Whisper White?! Could that be any further from any color choices I would make?! At that point I knew... the challenge was on.

For my own sanity, I had to downplay the Pumpkin Pie (orange, from here on). It had to accent the red. So from there, I went to my patterned papers to see if anyone already combined these colors for me (slacker!). No such luck.

I did find a piece of Fruits: Strawberry paper from The Paper Element that I very much liked. I used both the patterned and the solid side of that paper. Looking through all of my oranges, I found one in the latest SU! mini catalog that worked well from the Frosty Day Designer Series Paper. I accented with it as a mat for the main panel and the sentiment panel.

I had yet to use my scallop blade for my Fiskars desktop rotary cutter. I was very pleased with how easy it was to change the blades. And it cut like "buttah." The Build-A-Brads were an opportunity to showcase all papers used. I was going to leave it at that, but I felt ribbon was needed. I was surprised to find that I had some sheer orange ribbon. That was just what I wanted, because I didn't want the orange to dominate. Rather than a bow, I went with a linear design with the ribbon. I colored the SU! On Your Birthday stamp with Ruby Red and Only Orange markers.

I think it looks cute, and I know the person for whom I made it will love it.

Inspiration on a Gray November Day

All the leaves are brown... and the sky is gray... not winter yet... but might as well be today...

The first of today's cards is inspired by the photo of this adorable little lass from the Boden USA website. Today's challenge sent us to this site for some direction. Since I have two boys, it is rare that I get to look for cute girl stuff. If I had a girl, she would have this sweatshirt. Love the colors and the great big dots.

My card is for my nephew whose birthday, surprise, surprise, I missed. Beginning of the month curse! I don't think he'll mind, but it sure does bug me!

I started with just the chocolate circles on Mellow Moss cardstock, but it looked too plain. So, I ended up using three circle punches (1 3/8", 1 1/2", and 1 3/4"), chocolate cardstock, kraft cardstock, and Holiday Thyme DSP. The felt ribbon is from The Paper Company... and it was on clearance! The jumbo eyelets and Hodgepodge Hardware are both Stampin' Up!

In all, I like it. A good, masculine card... with ribbon!

Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches

Ink: SU! Chocolate Chip and Color Box Chestnut Roan (to ink edges)

Paper: Kraft and chocolate from The Paper Studio, SU! Holiday Thyme, GP white

Stamp: SU! On Your Birthday

Accessories: SU! Hodgepodge Hardware and jumbo brads; The Paper Studio felt ribbon

Now this is more appropriate

I mentioned that I had to do some cardmaking, particularly for my sister, since last night's card didn't really fit. My son says, "Why don't you use stars?", which I thought was brilliant, as she is an engineer who works with satellites.

So, I decided that I would take a peek at the featured stamper's gallery. This week's featured stamper is Kay, codename Speedystamper on SCS. She has a great gallery. I had completed a different card, but it didn't do her original justice, so I decided to work on this one. I am much happier with its result. I honestly thought my mojo was slipping there for a bit. I CASEd her submission for SC182.

I decided that the yellow was important, but I had to downplay it, or it would take over the card. So, I grouped it with black, gray, and white. I LOVE the way these colors work together. I chose a very symmetrical take on the card, while using a couple different shapes. I was excited that I had a circle punch for every layer on the sentiment layer. Woo hoo! I used 1", 1-1/4", 1-3/8", 1-1/2", and 1-3/4". For the image panel, I used a 4-1/4" square base of SU! Basic Gray. I then used a 4-1/16" square layer of black. On it, I placed 8 star squares cut with a 1-1/4" punch. Probably the part of the card I like the most is the sponge daubing of the star color. It gives them a "star-like" glow. Adding a little bling, I used Stickles on the center star. On top of the black ink, the Stickles came out a little green. Interesting.

Size: 4-1/4 x 4-1/4 inches

Stamps: SU! Riveting and Bold Basics

Paper: SU! Basic Gray, SU! Yo Yo Yellow, PTI white, black

Ink: SU! Basic Black and Yo Yo Yellow

Also used: Circle and square punches, dimensionals, Stickles

Thinking Pink

Yes, me...pink...odd...agreed.

The inspiration challenge for today comes from JC Penney, and, quite frankly, I am not liking this card. However, it is done, and it is being posted. Perhaps I will try another later.

I used the colors in the photo for some inspiration. I also kept thinking of SEI's ally's wonderland as I looked at the beddings. Hence, my patterned paper choice. I loved my green Offray wide grosgrain, though I am not sold that it completely matches the cardstock/patterned paper. I went with some eyelets for an extra oomph, but I did not feel the oomph. Maybe I am just sleepy. I was hoping to use this for my sister's birthday, but I may have to try again. It doesn't scream her name or mine.

Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches

Paper: SU! Gable Green and Barely Banana, SEI ally's wonderland

Punch: SU! tab punch

Ink: SU! Gable Green

Eyelets: SU! Barely Banana

Ribbon: Offray

Too much buck, not enough bang

Well, I decided to try Beate's weekend sketch, as I needed a card for our great-nephew Luke's birthday. Her sketch was a very fun one. Unfortunately, I had to use a Peanuts stamp I had just bought which was way too big to be true to the sketch. But I tried, and that says something, right?

Measurement was my issue throughout. I started it last night, Stamp-a-majig in hand, with the intention of having Snoopy and his "bird posse" going in an arc and through the smaller circle. Well, let's just say the stamp did not want to do this as badly as I wanted to make it work. Finally, I just stamped it on white and colored it with Copics and Spicas. I used the clear Spicas for glitter on the hats, balloons, and letters, and I used a blue Spica for the dots on the yellow circle.

The bottom partial circle drove my color choices. I bought it this weekend for half off and Scrapbook Friend'z. I was pretty excited to use it, but I have to say, there's very little left because of how many times I had to cut circles. I used my Cricut, finally, at the 5 inch "real dial size" setting to get a circle with a large enough radius to lay correctly in the layout. For the other circles, I used my Coluzzle template. Now, I must say... what is the allure to the Coluzzle? I have used it again and again, and the little tabs that you have to snip just anger me. What's the point of a template if I am still going to crew it up when I snip it? Anyone else feel that way, or am I missing some "Coluzzle magic?"

In all, I think the card looks very cute. As it's for a little boy, not much on the frills side was necessary. However, it took way too much time for the simple outcome. Live and learn. :)

Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches

Paper: Bazzill brown, SU! Barely Banana, PTI white, Junkitz Laguna Guy Checkers

Stamp: Stampabilities Snoopy/Happy Birthday

Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Copics Y11, C3, BG72, SU! Summer Sun marker, Spicas

Also... dimensionals

IC149 - Mizue Hirano

Yes, I went completely out of my comfort zone today. We were to gather inspiration from the watercolor works of Mizue Hirano. I know I really should dig more into watercolors, but, the truth is, the abstractness of them is a little intimidating to me. I love to see watercolor done well, but I am usually not the one doing it.

My inspiration piece is shown. Of course it was a chocolate container. I mean, it's me, right? I saw this and basically several stamps and inks came into my mind immediately. That's always good. I tried to stay true to most pf the colors and the basic design. I really like how the sentiment panel turned out. You can't see it too well in the photo, but the white card base is attached to a panel of black cardstock and then that is mounted on a panel of SU! Pretty in Pink. I tried just the black, but it washed almost all the color out of the stamped images.

Size: 4.5 x 5.25 inches

Paper: PTI white, SU! Pretty in Pink, black

Stamps: SU! On Your Birthday, Mixed Bouquet, Enjoy Every Moment, Pick a Petal, Simply Circles

Ribbon: Offray black grosgrain

Ink: SU! Craft White, Lovely Lilac, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, and Pumpkin Pie

Too much is never enough

I was about to mail my brother's card when I realized that my niece (his daughter) had a birthday at the end of September. Nope, didn't send her a card yet.

This stamp looks so... "her." I really think she will enjoy it. On the inside, I used the SU! On Your Birthday "Happy Birthday" and "(a little late)" sentiments. I am becoming quite proficient at belated cards. Could be a market for me, eh?

This fulfills yet another SCS World Cardmaking Day challenge! This one is the limited supplies challenge. We were to avoid pastels and patterned paper. I love limiting supplies. It forces me to really think about colors, textures, and balance. I wished I had a cute yoga-ish, birthday-ish saying for this stamp. I settled for the sentiment from SU! Full of Life.

Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches

Paper: (I think) SU! Garden Green, Only Orange, and PTI white

Stamps: SU! Full of Life and On Your Birthday, Stamping Bella yogabella

Embellishments: SU! Felt Fusion flowers, silver brads, Dimensionals

Coloring Media: Adirondack Pitch Black, Copics (Willow, Brick Beige, Skin White, Flesh, Cool Gray), SU! Brilliant Blue