The Card Concept #16 - Hydrangea Wedding

Welcome!  It's time for a new Card Concept challenge, and oh, boy, was I excited when I saw the inspiration photo (below my card), as it involves weddings and hydrangeas.  Yippee!

Here's my Classy & Elegant card, as that is my category at the CC --

How 'bout this gorgeous photo below, huh?  Those blue hydrangeas set my heart a-pounding!

Obviously, I chose to center my card around those beautiful blossoms, and the colors in the picture.  I used my Martha Stewart Hydrangea Punch a BUNCH of times in soft blue, pale green, and ivory.

Here's a little tutorial on how I did it (and you can tell by these colors that there's another card to post soon!).  I used Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky Glue for this.

1) The hydrangea punch cuts were layered in a random fashion on a circle die cut, using only the larger hydrangeas first:

2) Start adding the tinier ones to help fill in gaps, and also to layer on top of some of the larger blossoms.

3) After you feel you've sufficiently covered gaps with the tiny flowers, add centers on some of the hydrangeas with yellow Liquid Pearls.

You can see what fabulous dimension this technique gives to a "bridal bouquet".  I added some ribbon streamers and a bow to finish it off, with a sentiment from Wplus9's Fresh Cut Wreaths.

There are LOTS of new faces and new changes over at The Card Concept.  We've got something now called a Wild Card Team!  This team will be designing in each of the 6 styles over the course of their term with us.  I'm so excited to see what everyone does!

Thank you SO much for your visit today, and I hope you can join us at The Card Concept with YOUR wedding card!

Stamps: Fresh Cut Wreaths - Wplus9 Paper: Vintage Cream - PTI; Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery, Very Vanilla - SU Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko Fibers: moss green, white sheer ribbons - Offray; moss satin ribbon - Anna Griffin Accessories & Tools: Lemon Yellow Liquid Pearls - Ranger; circle die - Spellbinders; Hydrangea Punch - Martha Stewart

Seize The Sketch #26 - Puffy Heart Anniversary

Welcome to sketch #26 at Seize The Sketch! I love, love, love this week's sketch (but then, I think that about every one I've done so far with STS!).

Our sketch hostess this week is Katie Melhus.  Don't you just "dig" this?  (my kids would roll their eyes at me using that sentence - "Oh, Mom, you think you're so cool! ha ha!") It's super simple, but it doesn't have to be if you dress it up, like I did.

My patterned papers are from Authentique's Lovely, and though geared toward Valentine's Day, I thought they would work for an anniversary card.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Think Big Favorites #16. Have I mentioned lately how much I love PTI stamps?

The puffy heart is from....can you guess?...Build-A-Bear!  Yes, it was found on the floor there by one of my kids many years ago.  I saved it, knowing I could use it somehow.  And the little double-heart gold charm is from a thrift store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  It looked bare by itself, so I added the tiny pink paper flower to the bottom of it, but now you can hardly tell it's a pair of golden hearts!  Ha!

Well, thanks so much for coming today.  I hope you get a chance to play with us.  Challenges last two weeks, and all details can be found on the STS blog HERE.

Stamps: Think Big Favorites #16 - PTI Paper: Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla - SU; heart, dot patterns -  Lovely pack - Authentique Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko Fibers: Pretty In Pink twill ribbon - SU; vintage thread Accessories & Tools: puffy heart - Build-A-Bear; small paper pink flower - Inspired By Stamping; pearls; gold tone pair of hearts charm (thrift store)

Paper Sweeties 2nd Birthday Designers' Blog Hop

It's Paper Sweeties' 2nd Birthday, and the party horns are sounding!  I was tickled pink when my friend, Debbie Marcinkiewicz, asked if I'd help her celebrate this special occasion.   Happy birthday, Debbie!

We're doing a fun blog hop today, and if you're following along the trail, you should have come from Lori Hairston's blog.  (If you'd like to start at the beginning, just go HERE.)

I used the Paper Sweeties August inspiration photo and colors for my card.

I used the adorable little set, Pennant Party.  Love the flexibility of the sentiments and banner.  I stamped the banner on pale blue striped paper, and added some embellishments to it:  Liquid Pearls, vintage thread bows, tiny punched flowers with more Liquid Pearls.

I assembled the sentiment alongside the neat-o cake stand, which is part of the design on the patterned paper.

Thanks so much for taking a peek today!  Your next stop on the blog hop is Lysa Rohrer's blog.  Have fun hoppin'!

Stamps: Pennant Party - Paper Sweeties Paper: River Rock, Going Gray - SU; cake stand, blue stripe patterned papers - Webster's Pages; vintage newsprint patterned paper - Fifth Avenue - Melissa Frances Ink: Frayed Burlap - Ranger; Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko Fibers: gold-flecked crochet lace; vintage thread Accessories & Tools: small flower punch; white gardenia flower - IBS; White Opal, Bisque Liquid Pearls - Ranger; doily die cut - Martha Stewart

A card for Dad

Hello everyone!  I could swear that I posted this card before, but cannot find it on my blog or Pinterest board.  Geez, that's what happens when:  a) you are getting older and memory becomes fuzzy, and b) you've written waaaay too many posts on your blog (um, 895.  Ahem.).

The story with this card:  I happened to use up some scraps that were lying together, and a Father's Day card was born in early January 2014.  I used a sentiment stamp from Lizzie Anne Designs 'Dream Big' Monthly Mix May 2010.  I received the set back when I designed for the Play Date Cafe.

I glued a strip of burlap onto a scrap of caramel cardstock first, and was then able to prop it up with foam dimensional stickers.  Before adhering, though, I tied on some garden jute twine.

I'm back tomorrow with a feminine card, as part of a special blog hop.  Hope you'll join me then!

Thanks for dropping in.  =D

Card #1:

Stamps: Lizzie Anne Designs 'Dream Big' Monthly Mix May 2010 Paper: Creamy Caramel, patterns - SU; white - PTI Ink: Night of Navy - SU Fibers: burlap; twine Accessories & Tools: circle punch - SU

Magnolia Peace Christmas

Hello all!  I'm super-late in sharing this card, which was published on page 61 in Paper Crafts Magazine's Holiday Cards & More, Volume 8 - Summer 2013.  Just never got around to it 'til now!

Still lovin' my Market Street Stamps background stamps.  This one is Gingham.  I wanted to give a homespun feel to this card, you know, all cozy.  The 'handmade ornament' (some die cuts, satin ribbon, and a magnolia sticker topped with pearls) is just what I'd expect from a rural Christmas.  Vermont, perhaps?  Ahhh, I am instantly transported to snowy fields and forests, with wood smoke coming from chimneys of log cabin homes.  Sounds good to me.

I'd really better get a leg up with my Christmas cards.  Once September rolls around, it's a quick slide to that holiday.

Thanks so much for coming by today!

Stamps: Gingham Background - Market Street Stamps; sentiment - Merry Christmas Trees - Hero Arts Paper: Naturals White, Basic Black, newsprint patterned paper - SU Ink: Crumb Cake - SU; Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko Fibers: red satin ribbon Accessories & Tools: pearls; magnolia 3D sticker - K & Co.; circle dies

"A bit about me"...blog hop!

Hi.  :) Apparently there's a blog hop out there in the blogosphere, and it's kind of like a chain letter.  You know, you're tagged, and you have to tag someone else in return.  This hop is meant for each participant to share more about themselves or their work.

My friend Sindhu from Trapped In Craft tagged me recently, so 'Thanks, Sindhu!' =D  She is such a sweet blogging friend, halfway across the world from me.  Turns out we're both Pisces, born in March, and we are introverts.  Yay for introverts!  We've got to stick together.  ;)

Sindhu and I have been following each other's blogs for quite a while.  I have loved seeing her card-making style change over time and become more focused on the clean-and-simple side of things.  She is now a master, in my opinion, and her blog is filled with happy cards.  Go take a look; you'll be delighted!

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Click here for the original 2/6/14 post.

I'm a little nervous doing this.  It's hard!  What on earth would folks want to know about me?  (sits here a while, pondering.) Okay, here we go:

1. How long have you been making cards?  I barely count it as 'making cards', but I used to sell cards at the office where I worked in the late 80's and early 90's.  I'd bought a box of pre-folded card bases, and stamped something simple on the front, colored in with pencils.  I felt so proud of them at the time, but...well, you know, after all these years, they seem very crude compared to what I do today. After that, I didn't stamp again until attending a Stampin' Up! workshop in 2007.  I started my blog in 2010, and am so glad I took that leap.

My very first stamp sets (yep, I still have 'em!):

Assortment by All Night Media

Bear Mail by All Night Media

Click here for the original 5/22/12 post.

2. Rubber or clear stamps?  Both!  For a long time, when I thought that Stampin' Up! was the only stamp company out there, rubber was just fine.  After I discovered a Stampamajig, that really made things easier.  Funny that I don't remember my first experience with clear stamps, but oh boy, I fell fast in love!  My rubber stamps were left in the dust as clear stamps and I began dating.  =D  Lately, though, I am giving a lot of love to rubber.  Feels good to rediscover them.  And they're happy too!

Click here for the original 2/21/13 post.

3. Do you follow stamping trends?  Most definitely not.  Heck, I've never even followed clothing trends, ever.  I'm just not that kind of person.  (Well, I did own a Members Only jacket in the '80s, and bought Izod polo shirts.  But I was a teen then, so let's chalk it up to age.)  I love what I love, and don't care if it's not the latest and hippest thing.  Life's too short.  I'm doing it my way!

Click here to see the original 12/15/11 post.

4. What is your creative process? Most of the time, I let the process take me for a ride.  I start with a nugget of inspiration (a button, a piece of patterned paper, particular ribbon or embellishment, or a stamp) and build around it.  I feel my way along, and it's hard to describe but I can tell you that there's a formula of sorts.  The formula includes:  fibers, embellishments (chipboard, buttons, stickers), a mix of shapes (circles, rectangles, flourishes, for example), die cuts/punches, and usually a bit of bling.  Some cards are all about having things off-center, and some are symmetrical, where everything is perfectly balanced, like the snowflake card above.  

Organization is key for me.  It helps to know what crafting supplies I have.  When I used to craft in my dining room, I packed my supplies in cabinets and baskets so tightly due to space constraints, I forgot what I had.  After moving up to the attic studio, things are more spread out, which helps a lot.  

Click here for the original 4/3/13 post.

5. What is your card-making style?  I have a few:  vintage/shabby chic, clean and simple, and clean & classy/elegant...and (cue the drumroll) masculine.  Yes, I've taken a liking to a certain style of masculine cards.  They are not filled with power tools, or motorcycles and trucks, but have a more genteel nature about them.  As for clean-and-simple cards, I don't do them as well as I'd like, but that part of me still needs to express itself once in a while.  Hope you'll bear with me on that!  

Click here for the original post on 1/27/14.

This card was never featured in a post.  It's quite similar to the one above, and that's why.  ;)

If you've made it this far and read all the way through, God bless you!  It's a long post, I know.  One more thing before I go:  I am tagging my dear, dear friend Emily of My Little Slice of Bliss.  Her creations may look clean and simple at first, but when taking a closer look, you can see she adds so many loving details. And talk about creative:  Emily has used sandpaper, dryer sheets and toilet paper on cards in the most innovative ways!  I've got too many favorites of hers to list them all, but take a peek here, here, here and here.  Thank you, Emily, for sharing your creativity with all of us!

See you soon!

Wishing You A Swell Birthday

Hi there!  Sharing a birthday card with you today, and it features a bird.  I have come to know SO many stampers who love birds, that I could make a dozen of these and still not have enough to go 'round!

I'm trying to use up my stash of American Crafts metal badges, and this one is really cute.  (You can see another card using an AC badge here.)  The K & Co. birdie is perched on its edge, which I layered onto some patterned paper and then a doily die cut.  I used matte gold sequins bought at MJ Trimming in New York City back at Christmastime.

Thanks for coming by.  =D
I hope you all have a 'swell' day!

Stamps: 'Wishing You A' - Chalkboard Birthday, 'Birthday' - Fancy Sentiments - Inspired By Stamping Paper: kraft - PTI; Groovy Guava paisley, Pear Pizzazz pattern, Blush Blossom - SU Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko Fibers: Certainly Celery twill - SU Accessories & Tools: bird sticker - K & Co.; doily die cut - Martha Stewart; 'Swell' badge - American Crafts; circle punch - SU; matte gold sequins - M & J Trimming 

Seize The Sketch #25 - a dainty 'Hello'

Hello everyone!  It's time for a new sketch at Seize The Sketch challenge blog, and our hostess is Mona Pendleton.

My card feels very dainty, if I had to describe it in a word.  The delicate font of the sentiment, the light and airy lace, and finely-detailed patterned papers make it seem very feminine, indeed.

Upon writing this blog post, I see that I did not place my sentiment properly, according to the sketch.  Oh well!  Better send the card police after me!

Thanks to the Clearance Rack at Stampin' Up!, I had bought the Everyday Enchantment designer series papers for a song.  The colors in the papers prompted my color scheme.  There were no red pearls in my stash, so I used a red Copic marker to customize a white one.  Super easy to do; just allow enough time to dry before adhering to your project.

 The focal point was created with a few layers of paper flowers (Prima), topped with a Webster's Pages Whimsy heart.

Sure hope you are inspired to join us!  The challenge lasts two weeks, and you can find all the details HERE.
Mind if I share?  I was tickled to find my pirate card from March 2013 featured over at Paper Crafter's Library recently!  You can see the Nautical-themed post HERE.  Thanks to Aliya White, who wrote the article and kindly asked my permission to use the card.

Thanks for your visit today.  =D

Stamps: Heartfelt Greetings - Inspired By Stamping Paper: Everyday Enchantment patterned paper - SU; True Black, kraft - PTI Ink: Frayed Burlap - Ranger; Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko Fibers: lace Accessories & Tools: pearls; button; floss; paper flowers - Prima; heart Whimsy - Webster's Pages; blue leaf die cut border - K & Co.; red Copic marker

Monochromatic Sympathy for the Paper Players

This is my second post for today.  Please click here for a Pair of Retirement Cards.

I'm back already today, this time with a sympathy card that fits into the Paper Players challenge:  Monochromatic Clean & Simple.  Made this card a week or so ago, but just photo-edited yesterday:

The point of this card was to play with a new-to-me background stamp by Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz - Distressed Floral.  Isn't it gorgeous?  The Boutique Borders: Sympathy die and stamp from Papertrey Ink made a good pairing with the background, I think.

Yesterday I photographed 24 cards!!  Yikes, that's a lot of photo-editing facing me!  It'll take me some time.  I tend to do mine in batches, sitting for hours in front of the computer, banging out a bunch at once.  How do you do yours?  One at a time, or a group of them?

Stamps: Boutique Borders: Sympathy - PTI; Distressed Floral background - Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz Paper: Sahara Sand, Old Olive, Very Vanilla - SU; white - PTI Ink: pale taupe - Anna Griffin; Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko; Sahara Sand - SU Fibers: ivory satin ribbon - Anna Griffin Accessories & Tools: Boutique Borders: Sympathy die - PTI; Elegant Scrollwork die - Memory Box; Branch punch - Martha Stewart; paper flower

A Pair of Retirement Cards

Hello everyone!  I realized a short while back that I had zero retirement cards in my stash. Thought it would be good to have at least a couple on hand -- and one of them already went to my father-in-law.  His is the second one.  But I'm sure you could guess that =D.

The girly one above makes great use of skinny scraps of patterned papers.  Couldn't we all make loads of 'em by doing this??  What crafter doesn't have skinny scraps!

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes - SU Paper: white - PTI; Sahara Sand, patterns - SU Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko Fibers: Ash Pink seam binding - Hug Snug Accessories & Tools: pearls

And now, the more neutral / masculine card.

My inspiration jumping-off point was this badge from American Crafts. Reeeeallly wish they had printed the word 'relax' in a bolder color.  It's so pale!  But I took my color scheme from it, and grounded it with gray cardstock to tie in the color of the metal.  The green is an accent to help liven things up.  It seemed too sleepy with just the blue/yellow/gray combo.

Hope I've inspired you to make some retirement cards for your stash.  Thanks so much for your visit today!

Stamps: Essential Messages - Hero Arts Paper: Barely Banana, Basic Gray, teal dotted pattern - SU Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko Fibers: green twine - American Crafts Accessories & Tools: green button, green border sticker - SU; metal 'Relax' flair - American Crafts

The Card Concept #14 - Hugs

Bold card, coming at ya!  It's a reminder card so you'll come play with us at The Card Concept.  =)

Oooo, I'm rather liking a bold card once in a while!  The color combo for the current challenge pushed me out of my comfort zone a bit, and that's a good thing.

When I made my initial card for challenge #14, I had the Punched Tin background stamp from Market Street Stamps still lying on the table.  I put this one together that same day.  Actually, I like this card better than the first one!

If you'd like to play along with us, click HERE for more details on the challenge.

See you soon!

Stamps: Pennant Party - Paper Sweeties; Punched Tin background - Market Street Stamps Paper: True Black, white - PTI Ink: black - Rubber Stampede Fibers: red satin ribbon

Accessories & Tools: red gems - Queen & Co.; blue flower puffy fabric sticker - Carolina collection - Anna Griffin; circle die - Spellbinders; Mini Wavy Pennant die - My Favorite Things