A Real Card….

Today I’m sharing a quick card (with one of my favorite “lines”) and an alternative view:

The sentiment is from Hero Arts, the cardstock from Basic Grey, the ink is Hero’s Cup o’ Joe.

I love the chalk look and thought this sentiment would be perfect for that technique:

(Sorry, I don’t have a photo of the finished card … and I already mailed it! Doh!)

To create the look I embossed the sentiment in white on black paper, then smeared a little white pigment ink to make it look like a chalkboard:

Here’s my first attempt at using this sentiment, on this card I posted in January:

Thanks for stopping by!

Wonderful Washi!

Once again, washi tape is the perfect way to make some fast and easy cards. Check them out:

(all sentiments from Hero Arts)

(all tapes from Elmer’s)

(orange tape from American Crafts; Happy Birthday tape from TapeTastic)

(animal tape from TapeTastic; cardstock from Stampin’ up!)

Thanks for coming by! And to all those who have lost loved ones, may your memories be warm, especially today.

Color Me Scrap Happy

So much paper … so many possibilities! I am trying to curb my hoarding tendencies by using up my stash. I am s-l-o-w-l-y making in-roads. Last weekend I decided to grab some fun paper that I have had for a while and … JUST. USE. IT.

I pulled out some very retro papers from Sassafras Lass and went to work. My goal (besides using up the paper!) was to create fast and easy cards that I could send to Operation Write Home. First up: cut the paper, all of it, and create card bases. I’d worry about decorating them later!

I took some other random scraps and cut a bunch of pieces using my Spellbinders Grand Calibur and random dies:

And the finished cards:

(stamped images from American Crafts Sing Along 59212)

(ooh, I was so lazy here…I couldn’t find the stamp I wanted, was in a hurry and just used a white gel pen to write “hello.” I may re-do this one. The stickers came with the paper set.)

Thanks for coming by!

Fabulous Finds Friday — Hot Fix Gems

Hot fix gemstones have been around a long time, but they never intrigued me… until I got a battery-operated, easy-to-use hot fix tool from Imaginisce. Now I want to put hot fix bling on everything! (So much easier than dealing with glue and tiny pieces.)

Take a look:

The rhinestones and metallic pieces have glue on the back. You simply touch your hot fix tool to the top, count to about 10, and it melts the glue.

Here’s a close-up:

One more:

Here’s a detailed look at the butterflies, which were embellished with Ranger’s Liquid Pearl Gold.

The flowers, butterflies and sentiments (all Hero Arts) were stamped in another Fabulous Find from the beginning of the year — ColorBox’s Limited Edition colors Plumeria (purple) and Mint (green), both chalk inks. Aren’t they deep and luscious? (the green flower on the left of the “Smiles” card was hand cut; the others were cut using matching Hero Arts/Sizzix dies.) The striped paper is some scrap stock I saved from an old folder. I attached the front and back using washi tape. The scalloped border used a Stampin’ Up! punch.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ribbonpaloozza!

Not that I’m a hoarder or anything (ok, maybe little)…. but I do tend to save things, including this fabulous collection of ribbon from Cactus Pink, which I’ve probably had, unopened for three years … or more. Enough, I say! Use it, I say! So I pulled out one package, determined to use as much as I could in one sitting.

Here’s a bunch of finished cards:

And a close up view of two:

All these cards, plus some others, will be sent to Operation Write Home to be sent to military personnel overseas.

Fun Storage

I love storage. I love little bitty containers and big boxes. I love metal tins and cardboard drawers and canvas bins. And if it’s something I can decorate, even better!

Check out this fun cardboard container from Karen Foster, with the tiny drawers and the blank white surface that just screams “DECORATE ME!”

First, I stamped a bevy of butterflies on the outside using a variety of butterfly stamps and mostly Ancient Page ink and some ColorBox chalk inks:

(I may cover up the butterflies later with paper.)

Then I added paper to the little drawers (using stock from Close To My Heart)

(The rub-on numbers came with the set.)

Now to fill them…..

Thanks for stopping by!

Fabulous Finds Friday — Pokey Tool

Today’s Fabulous Find is this nifty tool from Lifestyle Crafts*:

Pokey-tool, of course, is not the real name, but’s so descriptive!
The QuickStik has several uses: There’s a sticky piece at one end that lets you grab tiny pieces of paper, rhinestones, etc. And the other end has two pokey sides — one has a sort of chisel tip and the other is pointy. It’s great for poking out tiny pieces stuck in your die!

Here’s the pokey part:

And the sticky end:

And a finished card:

By the way … the die cuts are also from Lifestyle Crafts.

Thanks for stopping by … and have a Fabulous Friday!
(*see disclaimer. Tool provided by Lifestyle Crafts.)

Leftover from My Book…

Yesterday I showed a hand-stitched book I made using a 12×12 piece of double sided cardstock.

I had a small piece of cardstock left…just enough to make a card and a tag:

The paper is from Close To My Heart’s For Always set; the stamps are all from CTMH’s Card Word Puzzle C1494, black embossed and colored with watercolor pencils. They are mounted on black foam tape from EK Success (I love the black foam for darker backgrounds!) Add a touch of Ranger’s Diamond Stickles to the center of the larger flower and a dash of pink around the sentiment (made from the Word Puzzle pieces and cut out using a Spellbinders’ die). Add that black ribbon and bam, we’re done.

And not a scrap of paper left from that piece! Yay!
Thanks for coming back!

A Stitch In Time … Creates A Book

I recently learned a new book binding technique, and it’s so easy and fun that I’ve been going crazy making books! You start with a 12 x 12 piece of cardstock (I used Close to My Heart’s For Always Paper), trim it and score it for the spine.

Take a look:

I haven’t decided what to do with the book … give it away? Use it as a journal? So I left the label (cut using Spellbinders’ die label 8) blank.

Here are closer looks at the spine:

And some of the inside pages:

(The details: Paper, embellishments from Close To My Heart. I used three small Zots dots to adhere the metal piece, which is from the Mini Medley Accents set, as is the paper clip on the inside. The rose is from the Love Blooms set C1511 embossed in Stampendous! PEARLustre Moonstone.)

After finishing the book, I had a few scraps leftover — just enough for a card and a tag, which I’ll post tomorrow.
Thanks for coming by!