Flower Petal Christmas Tree

Today, I have a Christmas tree card to show you, with a unique twist.  These leaves look like eucalyptus leaves, don't they?

This tree is made from paper flower petals, painted with Emerald shimmer paint.  (You may recall I made some shamrocks with these, too.)

I cut them apart and assembled into a tree, directly onto the patterned paper, using craft glue.  Use the glue sparingly, though, so it does not warp the paper beneath (you live, you learn ;).

The punched-star was gilded with Gold shimmer paint, and the tree trunk (a Word Window punch) sports a coat of Chocolate shimmer paint.

Sadly, this is my last post as a DT member of Creative Inspirations Paints.  :-(  I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed being part of the team, and am such a fan of these amazing paints.  With some new work commitments in my life, however, I need to pare down a bit.  Thank you to Kendra for being a terrific DT coordinator, who makes everything wonderful with her great organizational skills and sunny attitude.  :-)

And thank YOU ever so much for joining me here today!



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Holiday Sayings - Hero Arts
Paper: patterned paper - Our Holiday Traditions - Me & My Big Ideas; Chocolate Chip, Handsome Hunter, Cranberry Crisp - SU; white - PTI
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko
Fibers: twine - Creative Impressions
Other: star die cut; Gold, Chocolate, Emerald shimmer paints - Creative Inspirations Paints; flower petals - Prima; Word Window Punch - SU

Simple Shamrocks

This is my second post today.  Please scroll up one post 

for the Inspired By Stamping Sneak Peeks!

Hello!  It's my turn to feature a project over at Creative Inspirations Paints this week, and I am particularly fond of the result, being of Irish descent and born on St. Patrick's Day:

My shamrocks began life as a couple of paper flower petals from Prima, which I had bought in my early stamping days.

I thoroughly dislike the ones with words on them, so they got a coat of Emerald shimmer paint.

A pearl center and hand-drawn stem for each shamrock....

....tied with a little twine bow, and a fabulous Verve sentiment:

This is a birthday card for my sister.  She adores anything Irish and the color green.  :o)

On a personal note, I am entering this in the Moxie Fab World Card Design Handbook Asymmetry Challenge.  I hope Cath (from MFW) doesn't tire of seeing my creations in her Handbook challenges.  I am truly relishing them!

Thanks so much for joining me today!  Don't forget -- Creative Inspirations has a weekly challenge, with chances to win some of these AMAZING paints.



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Blessings - Verve
Paper: white - PTI
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko
Fibers: twine - Creative Impressions
Other: Emerald shimmer paint - Creative Inspirations; pearls; paper piercer; black marker - SU

Shimmering Snowflake

I say it's never too early to get those Christmas cards going, 'cause the holiday season is just too busy to be making dozens of handmade cards!  Here's one to go in my ever-growing pile, using some Creative Inspirations Paints:

This is one of those cards that took a different direction from where I started.  I didn't take pictures along the way to show how I made it, but I can list the steps for you.

1. Make card base; emboss.
2. Cut red panel 3 7/8" x 5 1/8" and patterned paper panel 3 5/8" x 4 7/8".  Adhere together and set aside.
3. Using a black piece of cardstock, set a circle die within a larger scalloped circle die; send through Big Shot to die cut a frame.  Save resulting circle for another project.
4. Place same circle die over red/patterned paper panels and send through Big Shot to die cut opening.
5. Holding die cut panel over card base, find approximate area that will show through the opening.
6. Paint Winter Frost shimmer paint over this area, being sure to extend it a little so you don't see the demarcation lines through opening.  Set aside until dry (it doesn't take long at all).
7. Adhere black scalloped circle frame to patterned paper panel.  Place foam dimensional stickers on underside of panel and adhere to base over painted area.
8. Use Evergreen paint to cover two white felt snowflakes.  Use craft glue to join them together once paint is dry.  Glue on rhinestones, then adhere to center of die-cut area with more glue.
9. Add strip of black ribbon, cinched in one place with thread.  Make a bow from ribbon and glue over cinched area.

This felt snowflake was white before painting.

Just a reminder:  these paints are 10% off during the whole month of August!

Thanks for joining me today!

Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Paper: Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black - SU; pattern - Christmas Home - Teresa Collins
Fibers: black satin ribbon
Other: Little Felt Flurries - SU; rhinestones - Queen & Co.; Big Shot; Sugar embossing folder - Sizzix; Scalloped Circle, Circle dies - Spellbinders; Evergreen, Winter Frost shimmer paints - Creative Inspirations Paints

Bunny Love

 

Hello!  It's my turn to feature a project at Creative Inspirations Paints this week.  I love these paints, and there are soooooo many ways to use them - and on various surfaces, too - but as card-making is my first love, I went with that.  SALE ALERT!  10% off these paints during the whole month of August!

These little bunnies from DeNami were stamped on ledger patterned paper and colored with Copic markers and a white gel pen for their little behinds.  :-)  The frame and long flourish under the bunnies are stamps from Inspired By Stamping.  I cut apart two Fancy Tags Three die cuts to decorate behind the label.

Can you see the Ivory shimmer paint along one of the frame's borders?

This frame is from Sweet Stamps, and it's one of my go-to stamps.  I love it.  This time, I colored in portions of it with Chocolate shimmer paint.

The sentiment comes as one long string of words.  I inked up each word separately with a black marker and used my Stamp-a-majig to place them on three lines.

Thanks so much for joining me today!



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Sending You Love, Bunny Border - DeNami; Fancy Label 18 - Inspired By Stamping; Swirly Parchment Frame - Sweet Stamps
Paper: River Rock, Basic Black, Whisper White - SU; ledger paper - K & Co. Flora & Fauna Ledger
Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake - SU; Antique Linen - Ranger
Fibers: white seam binding - Zipper Stop
Other: Big Shot; Fancy Tags Three, Scalloped Circle, Labels 18 dies - Spellbinders; pearl; white gel pen; Chocolate, Ivory shimmer paints - Creative Inspirations Paints; Copic markers; black marker - SU

Barrettes Tutorial

Hello everyone!  My blog has been quiet, I know.  I had trouble breathing last week during a hot spell, and thought it was just the weather.  Turns out it's bronchitis, and I've been lying down most of the time.  I hate feeling like I can't breathe!  I'm anxious to get back to crafting and feeling better and visiting all of you.  (at least I'm getting in time with a good book, John Steinbeck's East of Eden - it's hard to put down)

Today, it's my turn to feature a project at Creative Inspirations Paints.  I made a set of barrettes for my 10 YO for practically no cost.  I used barrette bases, some Creative Inspirations Paints and silk flower bits, found on the floor of our local craft store (I looooove freebies!).  My daughter chose the paint colors she wanted and this girl loves her neon colors! (her mother, not so much ;)

The flower parts before painting and assembling:

A happy girl, modeling them for me --

These are the paints I used today:

What a gorgeous, shimmery rainbow line-up!  I do love these paints.  They're so easy to work with (and clean up), provide incredible color and shimmer, and come in SO many colors.  Already at affordable prices, there is going to be a SALE at their web store -- 10% off the whole month of August!  Time to stock up.  :-)

Thanks so much for joining me today!

Creative Inspirations Note Card Set

Hello!  It's my turn to feature a project over at Creative Inspirations Paints challenge blog.  I made myself a set of note cards that happen to be the same size as a standard A2 greeting card, but this is one layer only.  It's something simple to slip into a package when you want to jot a quick note and be mail-friendly.

I used the Swirly Parchment Frame stamp from Sweet Stamps (link in section below) in cocoa to create the border.  In kraft ink, I stamped a flower from Natural Beauty (SU) and then painted the images with the pretty CIP paints.

Here's a better look at that shimmer:

In person, these paints are just full of gorgeousness.  It's hard to experience it with a flat photo.

August marks the 3rd anniversary of Creative Inspirations Paints, and Molly, owner of CIP, will be having a SALE!  As soon as I have more details, I will share them with you.  :D

Thanks for coming by today!



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Swirly Parchment Frame - Sweet Stamps; Natural Beauty - SU
Paper: Vintage Cream - PTI
Ink:  Close to Cocoa, Crumb Cake - SU
Other: Green Olive, Tickled Pink, Blush and Mellow Yellow Shimmer Paints - Creative Inspirations Paints

Simple Birthday Wishes

How are you doing today?  Is it hot where you are?  It's 97 degrees here in New Jersey today.  Plenty hot!  I cleaned our pool this morning, and had to do some sweeping in the VERY hot attic.  We had roofers here yesterday, and they left a bit of a mess up there.

I did find time to make two cards today, so I could play in some challenges.  Here's card number one (with card number two to follow in another post):

It's a simple birthday card, using some neglected things:  the Stampin' Up! set Watercolor Trio, and this embossed punched piece.  It came from one of those awesome $1.00 Scrap Bags from my SU demo.  All I did was add "water" in the form of shimmer paint, and some pearls.

On that embossed punch, I painted a coat of  Creative Inspirations' Tanzanite shimmer paint, and then a coat of Winter Frost, to lighten it up.

Challenges entered:

• Moxie Fab World - Birthday Card challenge
• Papercraft Star - "Cool Drink" (mine is for the flowers - thank you, Sylvia, for the idea!)
• The Paper Dolls - Celebrate Generosity - use something given to you by another crafter (mine is the already punched, already embossed 'vase')

This is Papercraft Star's anniversary week, and each day there is a new challenge (all are open until July 9th).    I thought I would be unable to join this 'Cool Drink' challenge, because I don't have any drink stamps, but Sylvia helped me think outside the box, er, drinking glass.  

Thanks for coming by!  

Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Watercolor Trio - SU
Paper: white - PTI
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko
Other: corner rounder punch - EK Success; Tanzanite, Winter Frost shimmer paints - Creative Inspirations Paints; pearls - Recollections, Queen & Co.; Rose Red, Garden Green, Basic Black markers, Ornament punch, Square Lattice embossing folder - SU

Wedding Hearts

Hello!  Creative Inspirations Paints has a new challenge this week:  weddings.  There's something exciting about making a wedding card, knowing that many brides (myself included) keep the cards they receive as treasured memories.

I used the Lace Border stamp from Sweet Stamps, which was a gift from SS to the Creative Inspirations Paints design team (we got to pick out designs we wanted) when I first joined.  I LOVE this stamp!  It creates a pretty pattern, reminding me of a bridal lace.

(This twill looks different shades of red in each photo!
I could not get them all to match in the photo editing program)

I used two heart punches -- Full Heart and Heart-to-Heart -- and a cereal box to create my shapes.  They were glittered with Regal Red Resplendence and Burgundy Resplendence (links in the details section below).  I added a little resin flower from Recollections, which was white to start.  I painted it with Gold Shimmer Paint.  Now it looks very 'black tie'.  :D

I don't know where I got this twill from.  It's in my scrap bag of red ribbons.  I do know the lace is from Hero Arts, though.  I had to add pearls....you know me!

If you'd like to enter your wedding card in the challenge, details can be found HERE.  You do not need to use CI Paints to enter.  :-)

On a personal note, I am entering this at Sweet Stamps -- the challenge is summer, and what could be more summery than a wedding? -- and at Lawnscaping's Challenge - Splash of Color (mine is burgundy/red).  

Thanks for joining me today!  I appreciate your time.  



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Love Story - Verve; Lace Border - Sweet Stamps
Paper: Very Vanilla - SU
Ink: Bravo Burgundy - SU; Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko
Fibers: burgundy twill; ivory crochet lace - Hero Arts
Other: Gold shimmer paint, Regal Red, Burgundy Resplendence glitters - Creative Inspirations Paints; Heart to Heart, Full Heart punches - SU; pearls - Queen & Co.; cereal box chipboard; resin flower - Michael's