Happy World Cardmaking Day!

Oh, poor little blog.  I know you are still here!  I have been creating, just not sharing.  For shame!

What's a sick, broke crafter to do?

PROLOGUE: I have been battling pneumonia since the start of April. I never had it before, and I must say it has kicked my ass.  One of the main things I have learned about myself is that I do not know what "rest" means.  I know what "sleep" means, but when you are done with "sleep," this illness is one where you do not pop up and do whatever.  I have not been to work.  Sometimes, my cough and headache are so egregious that I do not do much at all.  So, what I am about to show below is "What JoLynn Does When She Can Only Lie Down."  It's also, "What JoLynn Does When She Does Not Have a Boatload of Money." 

Enter Silhouette Studio and my laptop. Over the course of a few weeks, I have watched lots of videos, some showcasing these dies:

Simon Says Stamp Dahlia Frame

Simon Says Stamp Lotus Frame

Simon Says Stamp Corner Dahlia Frame

Those of you that know me know that I do not have an abundance or flowers on hand. I do like a flower from time to time. But if I bought these dies at $17 a pop, I would be giving someone a $17 card.  It is then that I say, "JoLynn, can you make something similar?"  Since I was tied down to a couch or a bed, the answer became, "Yup." As you click on the Simon Says Stamp links, there are samples of what people have made with these dies.  I love the simplicity!

Let's start with my version of the lotus die cut frame.

I wanted to try to replicate the frame SSS used, as I like the idea of doing more than stitching in a frame.  The flowers and stems are a bit skinny, delicate if you will, so I may edit them to be thicker.  

It took me a while to find a free dahlia .png that was what I was looking for.  There are so many versions!  I loved the look of the SSS corner dahlia and how the leaves "creeped" up the sides. I am pretty pleased with this one.

The tulip was actually the first one I tried.  I created a stitched frame, and the tulip .png was pretty easy to find.  It's simple and lovely.

These frames are a great design concept.  Mine are not, nor will they ever be, as intricate as SSS. However, there's times in every crafter's life when she must say, "Can I make it? Does it make sense to buy it?"

Happy Valentine's Day!

Simon Says Stamp

Stampin' Up

Lawn Fawn

Gina K

For the husband ;)

More Mandala Cards

Kim and I got together so she could finally break in her Gina K Wreath Builder templates.  She did great!  Here's my slightly remixed version of a Pinterest-inspired card.

Truth be told, I took it one stamp too far and the center was wonky, so I ended up cutting it out and putting a heat-embossed sentiment beneath it.  The inspiration card used a dark pink, which I neither had nor wanted to use, so Kim chose SU! Wisteria Wonder, which was delightful.  I started with a little Lawn Fawn Hippo ink, but moved to Wisteria Wonder as well.  We also used Gina K's Amalgam Black.  The sentiment it by the talented Dawn McVey for Papertrey Ink.  The mandala was made with Mandala Maker stamps from Gina K.  I believe the base is Wisteria Wonder...or it's close enough that it looks good.

The inside sentiment uses Lawn Fawn Hippo ink and a Papertrey sentiment.  Kim and I both decided that sympathy cards are some that are always low in our stash, so that is what we decided upon.

Not a huge fan of this card, but I'll show it anyway.  I was going for this color combo.  I feel like it was a near miss. I am not sure I am loving Gina K's black embossing powder, but it could have been user-end error.  The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp.

My MISTI and my SU! inks and my wreath builder were not getting along, so this card took forever.  I needed to start the images a little closer to the center, which you live and learn with the wreath builder.  I used SU! Pear Pizzaz at first, then changed to an Ali Edwards ink because I think my ink pad needed a refresher.  I just could not get a solid image, and with the repetition required, that adds a lot more time to the project, not to mention that if your paper moves in the slightest and you have to reink, you're done.  

When Cardmaking is NOT Therapeutic

I wanted to scream in the process of making this card.  Full on, chest hurting, scream for the neighbors.  Here's my story.

This is the instigator.  Oh my, did I love this card.  I was going to try something a little different with the flowers since I did not feel like "experimenting" with my Silhouette and/or fussy cutting.  Things I learned:

• I have a crappy reserve of black cardstock.  Seriously.  It's the worst. And black cardstock is completely unforgiving when you are embossing (and yes, I brushed it down with the magical powder).
• I have two Versa Mark pads.  One is great and recently-purchased.  The other is currently in my trash can as I bought it ten years ago.  Guess which one I used first.
• Foiling on stamps is a hit or miss operation.  Tonight: miss.  Multiple times.
• If you stick an already-embossed stamped image through a laminator, you will ruin the image. 
• My Nuvo drops that I have not yet used have completely disappeared.  Poof! I bought them this summer.  I have a spot in the craft room where I put stuff like that.  Not there.  Not anywhere.  And that kind of crap makes me NUTS!

 I do love the card I finally made.  But for the love...what a ridiculous process when I just wanted to get my creative juices flowing.  The stamp set was one I fell in love with when I bought it.  I also used some glittery, tiny flipping stickers that covered for the absence of the Nuvo drops (Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony...).  Here's a closer view.  Yeah, it's sideways.  Because that is the perfect ending to this 2-hour ordeal of a card.

Cards for the Stash

I have officially been a full-on paper crafter for about 11 years.  "Full-on" meaning buying the goods and occasionally using them, making scrapbook pages and cards, and stamping with all the tools. When my mom visited last year, I encouraged her to go through a bunch of my card stash and take what she liked/needed. She has recently mentioned the need for sympathy, thinking of you, and kids cards, so I assured her I could hook her up.  As I went through my stash, I decided it was time for a purge.  I was never going to use some of these cards.  The design was meh, the ink was fading, or I just did not like it.  It was a bit freeing, but almost like throwing money in the trash.

Segue to this card.  I just got the Gina K Wreath Builder Bundle, and I decided to take it for a spin.  The result:

As a kid, I loved me some Spirograph, and I even have one in my classroom.  So this little stencil makes me quite happy.  The sentiment is from SSS inked with Hero Arts ink.  Pretty sure the red cardstock (it's either Real Red or Ruby Red) is SU! as well as the blue base (I have a LOT of Bordering Blue).  The white?  Part of a card I cut off so I could reuse it.  The other inks: The blue and orange/yellow are Distress Oxides, and the red is from Ali Edwards.  

Oh and...my Tim Holtz glass mat.  Holy guacamole.  I love this thing so much.  It actually helps my pens write better (I learned that accidentally). I strongly recommend it.

All for now.  Snow makes my crafting genes go nuts, so there may be more.

CZ Inspiration

Look at that!  A card!  Actually, I have made some, but I have not necessarily posted them.  Today, I will play catch up.

This card was inspired by the recent card explosion happening with Cathy Zielske.  Here is her original.

I learned with this card that I don't emboss enough.  White embossing makes everything pop.  I used a new stamp set that I got from Simon Says Stamp called Look for the Miracles. I also used my Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens, as Cathy did with hers.  Lots of color!  I did not shade, as I had a limited area to work with.  The sentiment, in the Handwritten Greetings set, was from SSS as well. I used Stampin' Up's white embossing powder and gray cardstock for the image layer and some Neenah 110 for the base.

And now it is July!

I did not realize how long it had been since I posted things on this blog.  I have been making things, and I am more in process mode than ready to share mode.  Let's start with some cards:

I made this card for a friend who had to say goodbye to her beloved dog. I used some of my crafty friend's stash, so I am not sure of all manufacturers. I do know the sentiment is from Taylored Expressions and the embossing folder is from Darice.

This card is for a wedding shower.  It was hard to get the color in a photo.  It is a dark purple.  The embossing folder used is from The Paper Studio.  The sentiment is from Stampin' Up!, as is the ribbon, attached with Tim Holtz's tiny attacher. I used a Spellbinders die to mount the sentiment.

I mounted the card on craft cardstock and stamped a Simon Says Stamp sentiment on the inside.

Next up in crafty-land, a new class!  I enrolled in Cathy Zielske's Design Your Life 2.0.  I made some of my absolute favorite all-time pages during the first iteration of this class back in 2008.  This one is 4 weeks instead of 12, is still based on the principles of design, and contains Cathy's fabulousness.

The first layout focuses on symmetrical balance. We were charged with scrapbooking the passage of time. Here is my shot at it.

I used some of Ali's Tough and Old/New Story Kits as well as some SEI and Lawn Fawn papers. I know those acrylic hearts are from Ali, but I will be darned if I can find the kit they were in! 

Cathy provided us with the cut file and the general sketch. She actually had her journaling in the bottom left square and had patterned paper where I have my journaling. She was not using the large circles, but rather thinner banners, so the journaling would fit.

She has another sketch that is asymmetrical that I will be trying out this weekend also. I think it will document Max starting Tae Kwon Do.

Holy cow! A card!

I needed to make a card for the person I am sponsoring to receive Baptism and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil.  This card will be opened during retreat next week, and it needed to contain some inspiration.

I used Bazzill Kraft as my base.  The first panel is SEI linen paper.  Then I used my Stampin' Up! banner dies and embossing folder with some Bazzill red and Neenah Solar White.  The sentiment is from PTI's A Cheerful Heart set.  I stamped with Simon Says Stamp Intense Black ink, which is quickly becoming my favorite.  I felt something was needed up top, so I stapled a bit of sheet ribbon and placed an Ali Edwards glittery white star, followed by a Studio Calico Kraft star to pull in the base.

It felt good to make a card again!

A Joyous Card

A friend of mine is fostering two children in hopes of adoption.  We are celebrating.  It's so fantastic.  Here's the card for her shower.

Stamp set: Simon Says Stamp You Matter

Die: You Wafer Die from Simon Says Stamp (coordinates with stamp in set)

Die: Stitched rectangles (I think they are from MFT, but I cannot recall)

Cardstock: Neenah Solar White and Bazzill Kraft

Patterned Paper: Simple Stories #whatever #hahahano

Ink: Ali Edwards Black Butte

Stickers: Starfoam Hearts

Popped up with dimension stickers

Stamps: Papertrey Ink A Cheerful Heart and MFT Essential Sentiments (I think it might be retired)

A close up of the sentiment on front.

Thanks, Dude Teacher

My pre-student teacher was wrapping up his semester with me this week.  The students wrote thank-you notes to him.  I decided on a card.  

Stamp: Simon Says Stamp Solid Sentiments 

Paper: Echo Park Backpack

Cardstock: Bazzill Kraft

Ink: Stampin' Up!

Summer Fun!

I feel like I am truly enjoying the month of June this year.  I lovingly call it the "Friday of Summer," but sometimes the Friday of Summer flies by.  It's usually due to preparing for a crazy July or filling June with lots of stuff.  We are prepping our firstborn for college, but, honestly, that has been slow and steady as well.

This week was full of some fun cardmaking, dabbled with some scrapbooking that is not-quite-ready for photo ops just yet.

First, some cards among friends.  Our friend, Mama Kate, is moving to Florida.  So we threw her a shoebox swap to celebrate her presence in our lives.  We tried to make a card that captured the moment or captured Kate.  I think we did a great job.  Some of these cards are not "finished," as we wanted to save them for moments when we needed them.  For example, on the US card, one could color in two states from which people are separated.  For the flower card, we left the stitched oval blank to be able to choose the appropriate sentiment.

Tonight, I had some fun stamping with Lawn Fawn.  A friend of mine is going on a trip to Australia with her family as part of her son's band trip.  I felt the need for a card, of course.  I borrowed Kim's Critters from Down Under set as well as some Pinspiration from this crafter.  I also used a bit of the Bon Voyage set.

I used two Spellbinders' dies (rectangles and squares) to create the Polaroid frame.  The black frame is hand-drawn.  I loved using the woodgrain background rather than patterned paper for this one.  I think it really let the image stand out.

Loved mixing Stampin' Up! linen thread with Lawn Fawn's baker's twine.

I cut out the individual pieces with die cuts and colored them with Copics.  For the background, I sponged some Distress Inks on white cardstock.  The kookaburra is popped up.

I tried several different ways to incorporate the boomerang because I thought it was adorable.  Finally snuck it in after my sentiment inside the card.

All in all, it's been a very creative week so far!

A couple of cards

Today, I got to crank out a couple of cards with my buddy, Kim.

Card number one, an anniversary card for my hubs.

I have seen several cards like this on Pinterest, and thought I would try my hand at it.  I used my Silhouette with Impact font.  I searched on the web for a site to count the days (no, I did not sit and count the days...).  I used some newly purchased Starform heart stickers.  The cutout letters are done with Lawn Fawn patterned paper.  I used Bazzill kraft paper and black cardstock for the card, as well as a white gel pen for the border.

Card #2 is for a friend who lost a beloved pet.  

We used a couple of Simon Says Stamp sets for this one.  The cat was from You Are Pawsome. The "Always Remembered" sentiment, as well as a few sentiments on the inside, were from the Pawprints on Our Hearts set.  We used some SU! linen thread, some Basic Grey grunge paper, and some Bazzill kraft cardstock.

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.

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.

Happy week!

My old man is turning 49 tomorrow...a card was needed!

A little Papertrey (Wonderful Words Additions), a little Stampin' Up! patterned paper from forever ago and some SU! striped satin ribbon.  I used the reverse side of the patterned paper for the "happy" die, and popped it up with two other layers of the die cut.  I also used Glossy Accents to give it an epoxy feel.  Stampin' Up! ink was used for "birthday."  Sounds easy enough, but I was tormented a bit with the die cut.  Not sure about color or positioning, but it turned out well, in my opinion.

For our anniversary card, I used some PTI and some Simon Says Stamp.  A shout out to Jennifer McGuire, whose video definitely inspired this card (in fact, it inspired the purchase of the die!).  I also used a scrap of patterned paper!  I KNOW, RIGHT?  This was an old scrap of SEI paper that I just love.  I went over the hearts with Glossy Accents and popped them up with SU! Dimensionals.  I used SU! white craft ink for the sentiment.  Ca-yute.