Friday, September 13, 2013

Sending A Smile

I decided to try the 10 Minute Craft Dash today.
CD_25


Since it is allowed and I love sketches, I am adding Clean & Simple Sketch #256
 
I thought I was doing good on time, but when I was done the time was over 17 minutes :(  Ten minutes goes faster than I would have imagined.  At least I like my card.

 
It will be used as an Any Hero card for Operation Write Home.
 
 
 
Supplies:  Patterned Paper - My Mind's Eye, Sentiment - PaperTrey Ink, Buttons - PaperTrey Ink, Cardstock & eyelets are from my stash


Hexagon Mom

I tried my hand at Seize the Sketch #3 which features hexagons

Originally I also wanted to use the Tuesday Trigger inspiration photo too, but life intervened and I did not get the cards finished in time.

 
I want ahead and used the ombre colors in purple anyway.
 
My first attempt is actually my favorite.
 

For card #2, I rotated the hexagons.  For some reason these hexagons were harder to place.
 

Card #3 has the hexagons tilted, as in the sketch.  I like them better straight but still like; the card.  I also tried a different background paper.
 
You may notice that they all say MOM.  I have a mother, a step-mother, and a mother-in-law.  Now I am already for Mother's Day 2014.
 
 
 
Supplies:  Patterned paper - 12 different purple prints, Cardstock - Bazzill Dotted Swiss Salt, Making Memories Pearl Swirl I Do & purple scraps,  Cutting - Silhouette for hexagons and letters, Fibers - assorted from my stash

 

Friday, September 6, 2013

Office Supply Father's Day

The challenge on the Shopping Our Stash blog was to use office supplies.  I thought using colored file folder labels would be fun and I found some paperclips I didn't even know I had.
 
 
I like everything but the ledger paper border.  The idea is good, but it needs something more.  Maybe if I mounted it on cardstock or put the file folder labels on the diagonal, hmmm. . .
 
I used sketch #255 from Clean&Simple stamping.
 
 
Products:  file folder labels, columnar pad paper, staples, paperclip, post-it note, stamp from Embossing Arts (1993)
 


 

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Chalkboard Get Well

I think I was influenced by all the school things around lately to make a card that looks like an old fashioned child's chalkboard.


 
 Chicken soup for a sick friend.  I used watercolor pencils, which work just like colored pencils when no water is added, to give the bowl a bit of color and shade the title.


This card will be linked up with
  • Use It Tuesday - Trends
  • Paper Crafts Gallery Challenge - Chalkboard


Products:  Stamps - Stampin'Up & My Sentiments Exactly, Wood paper - Paper Pizazz, Cardstock - scraps of black, Ink - Fabrico white, Color - assorted watercolor pencils
 

Monday, September 2, 2013

VCM - Final Challenge

labor day vcmp
 
 
The final challenge was to use the negative of a punch or die.  They saved a hard one for the end when are brains are all mushy.
 
I made a card similar to this before with the packaging from some chili mix.
 
 
 
 
This card uses the Silhouette to cut the shapes out.  Bonus, I have the positive shapes for another card.  Gotta love two for one.  The sentiment was cut apart from three different sentiments. Silly me, I thought that would be easier than stamping all the letters.
 
 
 
Products:  Cardstock - Bazzil, Sentiment - PTI, Handmade paper - from my very old stash, Dies - Silhouette

VCMP #8 - Un-BEE-lievable Challenge

 
 
Can you bee-lieve this challenge?  We have to make a bee themed card with a bee themed sentiment.  I actually made this card previously for OWH, but never posted it.  It fit so perfectly with the category and I am bee-hind on the challenges.







Products:  Almost everything is from Stampin' Up, but is quite old.

VCMP #7 - Fall Any Sketch


labor day vcmp



Challenge #7 is to make a Fall card using any sketch.  I chose OWH sketch #4.








Products:  Patterned paper - PTI, BoBunny & unknown stack; Letter stickers - BasicGrey; Ribbon - unknown

VCMP #6 - Tic-Tac-Toe for Kids


labor day vcmp



Challenge #6 is to make a kids card using the tic-tac-toe board below.


 
When I first saw this I decided that the two I did not want to do were Punny Sentiments, since I have very few, and Kid-Friendly Embellishments.  I didn't know what this meant - embellishments that were safe for kids or embellishments that kids would like?   I chose a stamp set with robots - so things with wheels was my starting point.  After that I was all over the board.  I ended up with going straight down the middle with an addition for wheels on the right.  I suppose brads could be considered kid-friendly so I ended up doing the two I didn't want - oh well :)
 
  

 
 
 
Products:  Stamps - The Craft Lounge, Patterned paper - Creative Imaginations, Foil - a yogurt container, Colors - Sakura Gelly Roll & misc. other pens, Brads - unknown
 


VCMP - Sketch 188


 

labor day vcmp
 
 

188 sketch (Sept 1)






The sketch challenge is to make a card using this brand new sketch, number 188.  New OWH sketches come out every Sunday, so this was incorporated into the challenge.








I wanted a really neat embellishment so I chose that first, then the stripes, then the papers.


This is one of my favorite cards so far.  Old fashioned patriotic.



Products:  Cardstock - Stampin' Up, Patterned paper - unknown, Ribbon - from my stash, Embellishment - K & Company
 

VCMP #5 - Masking Tape Block Stamping




I had never heard of this technique before and was leery of trying it.  I finally decided to use a golden yellow background so it would look like farm fields in the fall with a chicken coop and chickens stamped on top.

First problem - I put the tape on the wrong way so it was vertically oriented instead of horizontal.  Second problem - the color came out too orange/bronze, shimmery, and drippy to look much like a field.  Third problem - the stamps covered up too much of the background.

I decided to go for a Fall card with a simple design.



Once it was done, I tried the technique again using four colors of mists and got two impressions out of it.  This is actually quite fun.

 
This one I embossed using copper powder.
 




Products:  Background colors - Tattered Angels mists, Ink - Kaliedacolor & Colorbox, Embossing - clear & copper powders, Stamps - PTI sentiment, Colorbok branch

VCMP #4 - Sketch 29 & Love


This is OWH,s sketch #29 that we were challenged to use in making a love card.




I turned the sketch sideways and used my Pick-up set, which I really like.




The hubcaps & bumper are colored with a silver glitter pen.  I used Diamond Glaze on the hearts and the windows. The shading came out better than I expected.  I guess I am learning something from Sandy after all.

Now that I look at it again, I should have layered the image onto red cardstock.  Oh well, you create and learn.


Products:  Stamp - Stampin' Up, Embellishment - JoAnn's, Patterned paper - BoBunny double dots, unknown red stripes, Color - assorted Tombow, Copic & other markers

VCMP #3 - Triple Die Cutting


Like most of us, I have seen the triple stamping technique before but never tried it.  As Seongsook says, it uses a lot of cardstock and comes out very thick.  Her technique is to use dies to cut the layers so you only use one piece of cardstock.

Since I didn't have the dies, I decided to be clever and cut them on my Silhouette.  Setting up the files was easy.  Figuring out the dimensions was harder.  Actually cutting them took some work since I am a newbie and still figuring out all the different settings for each type of paper/cardstock. 




Hopefully you can't tell that my patterned paper has two cuts in it.  By the time I was done, I had a too small set and a correct size but with cuts set.  I made cards with both since I didn't want to waste.  If anyone wants the dimensions I used and/or my method, just leave a comment below.


Products - all from my stash and I have no idea who made any of them

VCMP #2 - O + W + H



labor day vcmp



Challenge #2 is to use elements beginning with O, W & H on our card.  This is harder than I would have thought since not a lot starts with these letters.



O - oval pieces of cardstock
W - whipped cream, white dots
H - hot coffee, holly

As a special bonus, I used coffee scented embossing powder on the inside of the cup so it actually smells like coffee.

Products:  Stamp - an old (1998) stamp from Embossing Arts, Oval & scalloped oval were cut using my Silhouette, Patterned paper - old (2001) Bo Bunny, Ribbon & cardstock - scraps









VCMP #1 - Inchies




I am playing along with OWH's Virtual Card Making Party this weekend (in between getting useful stuff done like laundry and vacuuming). 








The first challenge was to use this sketch.  I have never worked with inchies before.  I discovered they are hard to cut using a paper trimmer due to the small size - lots of fuzzy edges.









My card has a winter/snowflake theme.  While tying the ribbon, I noticed flakes of silver coming off it.  This card now goes into the Danger! Danger! category for glitter so it won't be going to OWH.


 

I made another one that is OWH safe and tried the technique of using a brad to secure the ribbon.  It worked very well.

 
 
 
Products:  all from my stash and I don't know where most came from

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Sweet Sugar Coated Embellishments

The last challenge.  I was so tired on Stamp A Faire day by this time, but I was also sorry for it to almost be over.  I am also so tired today as I finish this last project.  I had my sentiment all cut out from my Silhouette, then I saw Danielle's instructions and wished I had a die.



Although my glitter ended up with a red/pink tint and I have little pieces of Score Tape everywhere, I like this technique and my card.

Products:  Cardstock - PTI Spring Rain & Lemon Tart, patterned paper - Recollections, glitter - unkown

Limited Ingredients Challenge

This was one of only two projects I got done on Stamp A Faire day.  Probably because I already had the 'ingredients' we were allowed all ready to go and because I made a card instead of a scrap page.

 
 
As you can probably tell, I had a lot of trouble stamping the happy birthday background.  Finally, I just had to go with it and move on.  I really wanted to use an embossing folder and my Silhouette.  This challenge was harder than I expected.
 
 
Products:  Cardstock - PTI Aqua Mist & Melon Berry, DCWV grey, unknown gold; stamps - all Hero Arts; inks - Hero Arts, Colorbox, The Rubber Stamp Factory & Memories

Creating Scent-sational Cards

This was definitely the highlight of the day.  The stamp set is wonderful.  I can't wait to get it next month.  I was intrigued by scented embossing powders when I saw them in Stampin' Up's catalog.  It is even more fun to make your own.  Even hubby was impressed with this technique.




Products:  Patterned paper - Deja Views & a scrap from SEI, cardstock - PTI Orange Zest & unknown white, scent - orange Kool-aid

Custom Accents from the Oven

The samples the design team provided were fabulous.  Mine did not live up to its potential. 






The orange glitter got lost in the blue beads and the design of the die cut label got lost in all of it.  I am afraid to touch them in case the ink smears since I didn't have a Staz-on pad and I don't know if my marker is permanent.


Products:  Patterned paper - Deja Views, shrink plastic, beads - Suze Weinberg's BeaDazzles, stamp - PTI On My Couch, canvas stickers - Little Yellow Bicycle, button - PTI Lemon Tart

Gallon:Quart:Pint Challenge

My turned out more like gallon, pint and tablespoon. 

 


Products:  Patterned paper - Deja Views, cardstock - PTI Raspberry Fizz, letters - Bazzil, button - PTI Lemon Tart, bakers twine - The Twinery

A Sprinkle of Salt

I had actually seen this technique before but never tried it.  It was also fun to finally use the watercolors I purchased years ago.  The rainbow was just a test to get the colors right and see how the salt looked.  When it was dry, I decided to use it. 



I like the sentiment, but it gets lost on the card.  It goes in my 'to be fixed' box. 

I am looking forward to trying the watercolor over salt technique soon.


Products:  cardstock - Stampin' Up, watercolors - Niji, sentiment - PTI Blossom Button Bits

Mixing Mists to Match

Although I like the commercial mists better than my homemade one, I really like being able to make my own colors.  I choose to match/coordinate with the green circles on my patterned paper.  I stamped and embossed rows of dots first, then sprayed with my very own custom made mist.





Products:  Patterned Paper - Deja Views, cardstock - PTI Vintage Cream, letters - Bazzil, stamp - PTI Round & Round, inks to make mist - asst. Posh Impressions (by Ranger) and Distress Vintage Photo




Rolled Dough Designs

This was a hard challenge since I don't have many dies and only one PTI die.  I liked the ideas of kneading in color, kneading in glitter, and of using a texture plate.  I ended up doing something really simple.  I took the piece I had dried overnight and cut it using my one PTI die.  I then stamped it (it stamps great!) and mounted it. 



I will make more for the other three days of the trip.

Products:  Patterned paper - Deja Views, cardstock - PTI Enchanted Evening & American Crafts cream, stamp & die - PTI Fillable Frames #1, alpha stamps - Stampendous, clay - FIMO air light