Paper Squirrel

L-O-V-E

2012-01-30T20:37:00.001-05:00

I am now full bore into Valentine's projects. Just when I think I've found my favorite season, another one comes along and I love creating for that one just as much as the last!

I love this vintage "LOVE" word art from Free Vintage Digital Stamps...be sure to visit and browse the site, she's got some lovely images. I've been quite inspired there lately.

I went back to basics on this card, nothing too elaborate. I wanted the word art to be the focus and I think that mission is accomplished due to its size and position. The only detail that you don't get credit for in the overall photo is that the bottom edge has been cut with decorative scissors, revealing a bit of the inside, and "stitched" with fiber ribbon.

Challenges:

Paper Make-up Stamps: Digi Makeover Challenge #21 - Be My Valentine

One Stop Craft Challenge: #167 Stitching - Faux or Real

Fussy & Fancy Challenge: #55 - Polka Dots

Aud Sentiments Challenge: #46 - Love

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge: #139 Recipe - Digital Image, Ribbon, Buttons

Shelley's Images: Terrifically Thrilling Thursday #26 - Text Me (text or sentiment on front of project)

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink ‘Kraft’, ‘Sweet Blush’
Pattern Paper: My Mind’s Eye Lost& Found ‘Madison Avenue’
Image: Free Vintage DigitalStamps
Inks: Martha Stewart craftmarkers
Embellishments: TimHoltz tissue tape ‘Symphony’; fiber ribbon; flowers; button
Tools: ink jet printer;Krylon Workable Fixatif; glue dots; decorative scissors; hole punch

Free Kisses

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

This little wooden plaque has been squirreled away for several years now. I rediscovered it a few months ago, but still it lingered on my craft table...primed white, but still blank...waiting for me to give it life. This weekend I was inspired by a cute vintage Valentine image found at Vintage Holiday Crafts and the little wooden plaque has finally come alive!

Just a Few Details:

I am loving Claudine Hellmuth Studio Matte Multi-Medium lately! It adheres incredibly well, provides a nice thickness and protective layer to paper embellishments, and the matte finish is just right. On this piece, I decopaged the background paper and the central image using the Matte Multi-Medium. I also coated the ticket and the banner with it to give them more substance since this is a decorative piece that I want to last for many years.

The red heart is chipboard that has been colored with Barn Door Distress Stain and glittered. The Tim Holtz heart charm was painted pink, sanded, then covered in Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel for a worn/chipped enamel appearance.

Isn't the saying on the stamped ticket just perfect for the image? So cute... The little wooden plaque languishes no longer! :-)

Challenges:

Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

Anything Goes Challenge Blog: #59 - To the One I Love

Drunken Stampers: #81 - Love

Sugar Creek Hollow: Go Girly

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink ‘Aqua Mist’
Pattern Paper: My Mind’s Eye Lost& Found ‘Market Street’
Image: Vintage Holiday Crafts
Stamps: My Mind’s Eye Lost& Found Blush ‘Princess’; Inkadinkado ‘Tickets & Tags’
Inks: SU! craft ‘Real Red’,classic ‘Sahara Sand’; Distress Stain ‘Barn Door’, ‘Tumbled Glass’; DistressInk ‘Old Paper’; VersaMark; Delta acrylic paint ‘Rose Cloud’
Embellishments: MarthaStewart glitter ‘Crystal Fine’; a la Mode glitter; chipboard heart; Tim Holtzheart charm adornment; PTI baker’s twine; fiber; Glossy Accents; Ultra ThickEmbossing Enamel ‘Clear’; Distress Stickles ‘Tattered Rose’; pearls
Tools: TH paper distresser;Claudine Hellmuth Studio Matte Multi-Medium; scallop scissors; hole punch; foamink blending tool; foam tape; steel wool; heat gun; glue dots; tweezers; KrylonCrystal Clear; emery board
Misc: wooden plaque

Skating on Thin Ice

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm really behind on featuring the Ice Skate digi from a couple weeks ago, but the "skating on thin ice" idea struck and I wanted to see where it would take me. It led me to play with aluminum tape and plastic packaging to create two distinct icy elements on this tag.

A Couple Details

The cracked ice background was created by layering aluminum duct tape (found in the heating and cooling section of your local hardware store) on top of a manila tag and embossing it using Tim Holtz's "Cracked" texture fade. I then used swirls of Picket Fence Distress Stain and pounces of Snow Cap Adirondack Paint Dabber to cover the entire tag. Once dry, rubbing with steel wool reveals the metallic shine of the aluminum tape on just the "cracks". Finally, a generous spritzing of Perfect Pearl Mist gives the surface a luminous glow that you just don't get credit for in the photo.

The icy snowflakes were created by embossing plastic packaging using Tim Holtz's "Snowflakes" border texture fade. I then colored the plastic with a little Aqua and Silver Mixative Alcohol Ink and cut around the flakes with deckle scissors. I wanted the flakes to surround my skate image, so I cut the border into three pieces, then layered them as desired and attached them with glue dots.

Challenges:

Crafty Bloggers Network: Challenge #10 - Distressing

Simon Says Stamp & Show: A Song Title (Jethro Tull's "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day")

Crafting When We Can Challenges: #10 - Something Not Intending for Crafting (Aluminum Duct Tape)

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge: #116 - Buttons & Bows

Supplies:
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up! ‘Naturals Ivory’; manilatag
Pattern Paper: My Mind’s Eye Lost& Found ‘Portobello Road’
Image: ‘Ice Skate’ by PaperSquirrel
Inks: Distress Ink ‘OldPaper’; Alcohol Ink ‘Aqua’, ‘Silver Mixative’; SU! watercolor pencils; PerfectPearls Mist ‘Perfect Pearl’, ‘Heirloom Gold’; Distress Stain ‘Picket Fence’;Adirondack Paint Dabber ‘Snow Cap’
Embellishments: HugSnug seam binding ‘Ivory’; crepe paper; Tim Holtz tissue tape ‘Nostalgic’;buttons; aluminum tape; Distress Stickles ‘Rock Candy’; corsage pin; packagingplastic
Tools: heat gun; Zots gluedots; Fiskars deckle scissors; foam tape; foam ink blending tool; felt inkblending tool; circle punch; TH paper distresser; scallop scissors; steel wool;Sizzix texture boutique; TH texture fade ‘Cracked’, ‘Snowflakes’

Free Digi Friday: Mittens

2012-01-20T08:14:00.000-05:00

We really need mittens around here lately! These coordinate well with last week's Ice Skate for your winter-themed projects...have fun creating!

**EDITED**

Friday Free Digis are free for one week. This digital stamp is now available for purchase. To order, go to the side bar, enter the stamp name shown below and click 'buy now' to pay via Pay Pal.

Cost: $2.00

Stamp Name: Mittens

I will email you the file within 24 hours of receiving payment.

Winter Fun

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm still on the winter decor kick and was quite inspired by a recent image offered by The Graphics Fairy of some old-fashioned ice skaters. This one is a bit larger than Glittered Snow and a richer shade of icy aqua. I really love how it turned out!

The Details:

The background is patterned paper on cardboard, approx 6"x9". I printed the ice skaters image from the Graphics Fairy onto Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist cardstock, aligning it in the lower left corner and tearing the excess cardstock from the top and right side.
Once my patterned paper and skaters image were adhered to the cardboard base, I randomly stamped snowflakes in VersaMark, making sure to position some overlapping the torn edge of the skaters image. I then embossed the snowflakes with clear Zing embossing powder.
After the embossing powder was cool to the touch, I applied Picket Fence Distress Stain over the background using a circular motion, carefully avoiding the skaters. I then applied some Snow Cap Adirondack paint dabber toward the edges and corners to get a more opaque white. Once everything was dry, I took a damp baby wipe and lightly rubbed the Distress Stain and paint off of the embossed snowflakes, revealing a beautiful frosty background design!

Chipboard "winter" letters were covered in spray adhesive and Martha Stewart White Gold glitter...loving that stuff! To ensure the glitter stays put, I coated the letters in Krylon Crystal Clear.
I love how the pennant garland adds some festivity to the scene and really joins things together visually. The pennants were stamped in Iced Spruce Distress Ink, covered in a layer of Matte Multi-Medium, and glittered with Rock Candy Distress Stickles. They "hang" from PTI rustic button twine.

To distinguish between the ice and sky, I colored the far edge of the ice in white colored pencil. The ice also has a layer of Rock Candy Distress Stickles for some sparkle. Isn't the image adorable? Of course, I would be the one landing on my bum on that cold ice!

I love this Maya Road chiffon flower...so soft and dreamy. I dug the glittery snowflake from my Christmas stash...you can buy these by the dozen for pretty cheap...and layered that with the flower, glittered chipboard flourish, bridal pick, button, and "Fun" ticket.

Shockingly, none of Tim's adage tickets seemed to say the right thing, so I made my own using an stamp from My Mind's Eye. I LOVE to layer ribbon...one is just rarely enough for me! Here you can see that I layered a crepe paper ruffle, bright aqua satin ribbon, then my favorite crocheted lace ribbon.

The edges needed something to finish them off and Tim's metal corners were just too big and clunky looking, so I just simply added strips of Symphony tissue tape...just enough!

Challenges:

The Graphics Fairy - Brag Monday #119

Gingersnap Creations: GC134 Spicy Supply Challenge - Ribbon

Our Daily Bread Designs: ODBDSLC92 - Winter Word Play (White, Ink, Embossing, Ribbon)

Samuel Taylors: January Blog Challenge - Distress (chance to win 4 bottles of Distress ink!)

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink ‘Aqua Mist’; Stampin’Up! ‘Naturals Ivory’
Image: The Graphics Fairy ‘SkatingVintage Image’
Stamps: SU! ‘Snowflakes’; MyMind’s Eye Union Square ‘Perfect’, Market Street ‘Adore’
Inks: Distress Stain ‘TumbledGlass’, ‘Pumice Stone’, ‘Picket Fence’; Adirondack paint dabber ‘Snow Cap’;Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’, ‘Iced Spruce’; StazOn ‘Jet Black’; VersaMark; whitecolored pencil
Embellishments: MarthaStewart glitter ‘White Gold’, ‘Crystal Fine’; Hobby Lobby bridal pick; plasticsnowflake ornament; pearl; Tim Holtz tissue tape ‘Symphony’; PTI rustic buttontwine; Zing embossing powder ‘Clear’; Distress Stickles ‘Rock Candy’; Maya roadchiffon flower; button; chipboard letters; chipboard flourish; SU! hardware;ribbon; crocheted lace ribbon; crepe paper; TH memo pin
Tools: heat gun; holepunches; tweezers; Glossy Accents; Claudine Hellmuth Studio Matte Multi-Medium;foam ink blending tool; Zots glue dots; TH paper distresser; inkjet printer;Krylon Workable Fixatif
Misc: cardboard

Free Digi Friday: Ice Skate

2012-01-13T19:17:00.002-05:00

An item of winter decor inspired today's Ice Skate image. This should be a fun one for winter activities scrapbook layouts, cards, and other winter projects. Enjoy!

**EDITED**

Friday Free Digis are free for one week. This digital stamp is now available for purchase. To order, go to the side bar, enter the stamp name shown below and click 'buy now' to pay via Pay Pal.

Cost: $2.00

Stamp Name: Ice Skate

I will email you the file within 24 hours of receiving payment.

We finally got some snow today and it looks like it actually might stick around...oh, yay (she said in a sarcastic voice).

Glittered Snow

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Although we have no snow here yet, I know it's coming and I like to decorate in a snow theme for the winter months. When I pulled out my decor this year, I realized that I really don't have very much...(not that I want a lot, less seems to be more after all the Christmas stuff is stowed again). Sticking with the snow theme, icy blue tones, and of course lots of sparkle, I created this hanging piece for my winter collection.

The Details:

I used tons of chip board on this piece because I wanted dimension and for elements to extend past the 4"x6" rectangle base. "Snow" is glittered with Martha Stewart's 'White Gold' glitter. I purchased this color after Tim Holtz mentioned that it's his favorite color and I figured that if Sir Tim was recommending a product not his own, it had to be good! And of course, he's right...it's a wonderful, slightly tarnished silver that has a beautifully vintage feel.

The snowflakes have a lot of layers. First, I colored the raw chipboard with Tumbled Glass Distress Stain, then highlighted with Picket Fence. Next, I added a thick layer of Rock Candy Distress Paint. Once that was dry, I accented with a Snow Cap Adirondack paint dabber and while the paint was still wet, I sprinkled on some crystal glitter. The centers are embellished with gauzy flowers and a button on the large and pearl on the small. That still didn't seem like quite enough, so I also added some dots of Old Paper Distress Stickles.

The snowman is much simpler. He too, has a base of Tumbled Glass and Picket Fence stains and is accented with Snow Cap paint dabber. His sparkle, however, comes from a layer of Rock Candy Distress Stickles. He's finished off with some pearl "buttons" and a gingham ribbon "scarf".

I also colored the Tim Holtz 'Play' adage ticket with Tumbled Glass stain, plus a little Pumice Stone along the edges for depth. I wanted this to look a bit frosty too, so I accented the top edges with Snow Cap paint dabber and added crystal glitter to the wet paint. The ticket is pierced with a crystal headed corsage pin and is actually adhered tho the base with foam tape to give it dimension.

I love this new lacy trim I purchased from Hobby Lobby...I can just get lost in their ribbon department. To make sure the lace stayed put, I adhered it with Wondertape. Because the lace is an open design, some of the sticky Wondertape was exposed, so I sprinkled on more White Gold glitter and voila!, no more stickiness and wow, does that look pretty!

I think I might enjoy making winter projects just as much a Christmas ones. I can still use a ton of glitter and fancy trimmings!

Challenges:
Going Grey with Scrap-Creations: Glitter
Shopping Our Stash Challenge 34: All That Glitters, Sparkles or Shines
The Cheerful Stamp Pad: Challenge #33 - "Let it Snow"
The Hybrid Chick: Card Caravan Challenge #10 - Sparkle

Supplies:
Pattern Paper: My Mind’s Eye Lost& Found ‘Portobello Road’
Inks: Distress Stain ‘TumbledGlass’, ‘Picket Fence’, ‘Pumice Stone’; Adirondack paint dabber ‘Snow Cap’
Embellishments: chipboardletters, snowman, snowflakes, flourish; Martha Stewart glitter ‘White Gold’, ‘CrystalFine’; pearls; Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint ‘Rock Candy’; 7 Gypsies clips;Making Memories rick rack ‘Animal Crackers’; Distress Stickles ‘Rock Candy’, ‘OldPaper’; JoAnn flowers; corsage pin; ribbon; lace; TH adage ticket; TH button accoutrement
Tools: Claudine HellmuthStudio Matte Multi-Medium; glue dots; Wondertape; 3M foam tape; emery board;heat tool
Misc: cardboard

Hello, Love

2012-01-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

I'm baaack! It wasn't my intention to stay away so long, but I came down with a cold around New Year's and I had no inclination to do much but sleep once I got home from work each day last week. Anyway, I'm on the mend now and it's on to a fresh new year!

It's my turn as guest designer over at Card A Day Blog for this week's Valentine theme. I just recently got the retro-fun 'So Sweet' stamp set from My Mind's Eye Stella & Rose collection. The vintage telephone was my inspiration, and it ties in beautifully with the background created from a recycled directory page!

The Details:

To create the background, I sized a section of a telephone directory page to be just a bit smaller than my cardstock base, then roughly tore the right edge. I crinkled the directory page a bit, then used spray adhesive to affix it to my base, purposely adding in some wrinkles.
I applied light brushstrokes of Picket Fence Distress Stain over the entire directory page and the exposed cardstock base, adding heavier applications at the corners and wrinkled areas.

I stamped the Glitz Design 'Vintage Blue' word art heart onto MME Lost & Found 'Union Square' patterned paper using Stampin' Up! Bravo Burgundy craft ink, cut out the design leaving about 1/8" border, and then inked the edges with Black Soot Distress Ink.

The telephone is stamped on the same paper as the card base using StazOn Jet Black. I fussy cut the image, adhered it to the card with foam tape and then added a layer of Glossy Accents.

"HELLO" is stamped on SU! Confetti White cardstock using StazOn Jet Black. "Love" is stamped in SU! Ruby Red craft ink. I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to ensure that my stamps were perfectly positioned (especially since "Love" is stamped directly onto my finished card base!).

It seems so odd to be working on Valentines already, but can you believe it's just over a month away?!

Challenges:

Crazy 4 Challenges: C4C118 - Do or Use Something NEW (new stamp set)

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges: #102 - Something New (new stamp set)

Simon Says Stamp: Simon Says...NEW Something (new stamp set)

Supplies:
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up! ‘Sahara Sand’, ‘ConfettiWhite’
Pattern Paper: My Mind’s Eye Lost& Found ‘Union Square’; recycled telephone directory page
Stamps: Glitz Design ‘VintageBlue’; K&Co. Amy Butler ‘Lotus Greeting’; MME Stella & Rose Mabel ‘SoSweet’; SU! ‘Wonderful Words’
Inks: SU! craft ‘Ruby Red’,‘Bravo Burgundy’; Distress Stain ‘Picket Fence’, ‘Pumice Stone’; Distress Ink ‘BlackSoot’; StazOn ‘Jet Black’
Embellishments: GlossyAccents
Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig; foamink blending tool; spray adhesive; foam tape; deckle scissors; ruler

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

The Santa Cats say,

"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

Santa Ollie - 2006
Yeah, he wasn't too happy with me...

Santa Dodger - 2010
The much more tolerant kitty!

Wishing you andyours a wonderful Christmas

holiday season and peace in the New Year.

I’m taking somevacation time over the holidays, so I will be back in January!

Merry Ornaments

2011-12-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

T’was the night before Christmas and all through thecraft room, a Cricut was stirring…

I created this last card for our entire department tosign and give to our boss along with her group gift. It’s approximately 5x7, larger than mystandard card size so that 20+ people could share their Christmas greetings onthe inside.

Some Details:

· I made my own background using Tim Holtz’s "Holiday Print" texture fade and highlighting it withDistress Inks. Since texture fades aredesigned more for 4-1/4 x 5-1/2” cards, I added strips of patterned paper atthe top and bottom to help fill the space. I scalloped the edges and punched some “eyelet” using a small holepunch.

· The ornaments were cut on my Cricut usingSure-Cuts-A-Lot and The Creative Pointe’s “JoyOrnament” SVG file. The big ornament isapprox. 3” tall. To give it some extra dimension,I cut three layers…one from red patterned paper and two from redcardstock. I stacked and glued thesetogether, then add the green cardstock with “merry & bright” to the back.

· The large ornament was covered in a layer ofRock Candy Distress Stickles for some sparkle. It also has an outline of Fired Brick D.S. around the oval cut out, OldPaper D.S. on the ornament cap, and the red area was covered in Glossy Accentsafter the Rock Candy D.S. had dried.

· The smaller ornaments are the same ornamentoutline, but I removed the inner oval cut and scaled the SVG (scalable vectorgraphic) file to make one long skinny ornament and one short fat ornament. These are cut from scraps, covered in RockCandy D.S. and “hang” from gold cord.

Challenges:

Papertake Weekly: Last Christmas Card of the Year

Splendiferous Creations: Bloggers Challenge - Ornamental

Future Floor Polish Update

2011-12-23T19:47:00.005-05:00

I've had some questions on the Future floor polish that I used on the Alcohol Ink Ornaments and wanted to give you an update. Apparently, I've had my bottle for quite some time because in 2007 this product was renamed...but never fear!...it's still available!

From SC Johnson Wax website:
The Future Floor Polish product - acrylic floor finish for no-wax & regular floors - was renamed under the Pledge® brand in November of 2007. It is now Pledge® Premium Floor Finish with Future® Shine. It is still the same great Future formula, just with a new name. It still provides that durable, long lasting shine.

Thought you'd want to know this if you've been looking for Future floor polish.

Laura also asked whether this technique can be used on the inside of plastic ornaments. I've never tried it myself, but can't image that it wouldn't work. If you know for sure, please let us know...thanks!

Joy Banner

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

I keep seeing gorgeous holiday banners out in blog-landand thought I’d take a stab at one of my own. Papertrey Ink coasters make a great base…lightweight, yet sturdy; easyto glue, ink, and punch. Since this wasmy first go, I chose “Joy”, a perfect word for the season, yet only threeletters.

A Few Details:

· The Christmas patterned paper on each coaster isfrom Basic Grey, the rosettes were made from scraps in colors inspired by thebackground paper.

· I’m really loving the glitter ribbon I found atJoAnn Etc at the beginning of the season. It’s easy to adhere and doesn’t fray. I used every color I purchased on this banner, alternating colors ofletters, rosettes, and ribbon on each coaster.

· The letters were cut using my Cricut andSure-Cuts-A-Lot cutting program, inked, and glittered.

· At the bottom of each coaster, I added a jumpring and tied on a jingle bell with red and white baker’s twine from PapertreyInk.

· Jump rings and baker’s twine also link thecoaster panels together with chipboard asterisks separating the letters.

· I colored the asterisks with Tumbled GlassDistress Stain, sprayed them (and the coaster panels) with Pearl Perfect PearlsMist, and added a starburst sequin and dot of Crystal Stickles to the centers.

· I also discovered that linking the asterisksfrom the center extensions made them spin and flip when hanging, so I moved the jump rings so that more of the asterisk was below the baker’s twine. However,I only had two chipboard asterisks and now had an extra hole punch in them. No worries, I just punched holesin all of the extensions and made it part of the design…gotta roll with it,right?!

Challenges:

Friendship's Garden Challenge: #6 - Christmas, New Year or Winter Theme

The Sisterhood of Crafters: Christmas

Stampin' Royalty: Challenge #103 - Winter / Christmas

Merry & Bright

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Do you have a ton of Christmas cards to make and areshort on time? Then check out today’ssimple, but elegant card design. I justhad a few more cards to make and needed something quick and easy to makemultiples.

The Details:

· Emboss the front of a folded card of Papertrey InkSpring Moss cardstock using Tim Holtz’s “Holiday Print” texture fade andlightly apply Crushed Olive Distress Ink with a foam blending tool. Tip: Brush the ink on in only one direction tobring out the best dimension. If using darkerink, apply from the bottom up, if using light ink, apply from the top down.

· Apply strip of JoAnn glitter ribbon.

· Stamp “Merry & Bright” sentiment on a scrapof contrasting green pattern paper using StazOn “Jet Black”. (It’s important to use a waterproof ink inthis step).

· Punch out sentiment with scallop circle punchand ink edges with Crushed Olive DI. Adhere to card face with foam tape and cover with a layer of GlossyAccents.

· Apply Glossy Accents to leaves and berries of aholly sprig and cover in crystal glitter. Once dry, apply to card with Glossy Accents.

I told you it was simple! Now go make those cards…you still have time to make a bunch and get themthere before Christmas!

Don't forget to enter the

Santa's Naughty Helper Challenge!

Click HERE for all the details.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink ‘Spring Moss’
Stamps: Stampin’ Up!
Inks: StazOn ‘Jet Black’;Distress Ink ‘Crushed Olive’
Embellishments: JoAnnribbon; holly sprig, Glossy Accents; Martha Stewart glitter ‘Crystal Fine’
Tools: Fiskars scallopcircle punch; Tim Holtz texture fade ‘Holiday Print’; Sizzix TextureBoutique; foam ink blending tool; 3M foam tape

Christmas Cuties

2011-12-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

I’ve got two more cards for you today using CraftySecrets ”Merry Christmas” Creative Scraps and papers from my scrap stash. I’m calling these two “Christmas Cuties”because the vintage images are just so stinkin’ cute. They both use the same paper and basiclayout.

First up is a little birdie singing Christmas carols:

I used an old Stampin’ Up! set for the holly leaves, thenused a trio of mismatched red buttons for the berries. A thin layer of Rock Candy Distress Sticklessmeared on with my finger gives them a frosty appearance.

Next up, is our frosty little snowman friend. He looks so happy to not be melting…he mustlive around here! Again, using the samepapers and basic layout as the first card.

The edges of the snowman image were inked with Broken China Distress Inkand a variety of Stickles highlight his body, nose, and holly trim.

Don't forget to enter the

Santa's Naughty Helper Challenge!

Click HERE for all the details.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink ‘Spring Rain’; Stampin’Up! ‘Naturals Ivory’. ‘Mellow Moss’
Pattern Paper: scraps
Images:Crafty Secrets ‘Merry Christmas Double Sided Creative Scraps’
Stamps: Stampin’ Up!
Inks: Versamark; StazOn‘Jet Black’; SU! ‘Not Quite Navy’, ‘Garden Green’; Distress Ink ‘Broken China’,‘Old Paper’, ‘Crushed Olive’
Embellishments: DistressStickles ‘Old Paper’, ‘Rock Candy’; Stickles ‘Xmas Red’, ‘Lime Green’; buttons;PTI rustic button twine; PTI baker’s twine
Tools: paper crimper, 3Mfoam tape; foam ink blending tool; Fiskars punch scallop circle, cornerrounder; glue dots; Stamp-a-ma-jig.

Tutorial: Alcohol Ink Ornaments

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

The Glittered Santa Ornaments inspired me to play aroundwith some round clear glass bulbs that I’ve had in the stash for much toolong. I started out trying to replicatemercury glass and ended up with some really special, colorful, beautiful,glittery ornaments! Truly, these wereone big experiment, but once I got the technique down, they are super easy.

The Tutorial:

1. Usinga felt ink blending tool, pounce a blend of Silver Mixative, Mushroom, andBlending Solution Alcohol Inks onto a clean, clear glass bulb, covering thebulb completely. The ratio isapproximately 5 silver: 2 mushroom: 3 blending solution.

TIP: Recognize this handy-dandy ornament stand?

It's the little gizmo that keeps your pizza from sticking to the lid of the box!

2. Youcan apply the colored alcohol inks either from the bottom or the top. The tutorial photos show it applied from thebottom, but after experimenting, I actually prefer applying them from thetop. Remove the metal hanger cap toapply from the top.

Select your color scheme foryour ornament (1-3 colors) and starting with the lightest color, apply 1-3drops at a time at intervals around the bottom center or top opening. I say 1-3 drops because you want to applyenough ink so that it will run most of the way down the ornament, sometimesmaybe all the way down the ornament.

3. Let each color dry slightly before applyingthe next. With each color, alter theapplication intervals, have fun, and experiment!

4. Thesilver base application will sort of “peel” off and blend with each coloraddition, don’t worry, this is part of the charm!

5. Ifdesired, add more silver on top of the colors and repeat the color applicationsagain at half as many drops / intervals.

6. Once you are satisfied with the color application, let dry overnight.

7. Removemetal hanger cap and add approximately 1 tablespoon Future liquid floor polishto the inside of the bulb. (Don’t worryabout measuring, this isn’t an exact science, I just want to give you an ideaof how much you’ll need.) Swish the floorpolish around until the entire inside is coated. Drain excess.
Update! From SC Johnson Wax website:
The Future Floor Polish product - acrylic floor finish for no-wax & regular floors - was renamed under the Pledge® brand in November of 2007. It is now Pledge® Premium Floor Finish with Future® Shine. It is still the same great Future formula, just with a new name. It still provides that durable, long lasting shine.
Thought you'd want to know this if you're looking for Future floor polish! Apparently, I've had my bottle for quite some time!

8. Addsilver glitter to the inside of the bulb. Plug the opening with your finger and shake gently. Keep adding glitter until the inside of thebulb has good, even coverage in glitter. The glitter acts as a mirror and brings your AI colors to life!

Here’s a couple more ideas to inspire you to play:

· Use painters’ tape to mask off certain areas andcreate patterns:

· Sprinkle glitter on the outside of the bulb too. Just add it while the AI is still wet and the glitter will pick up some of the AIcolor and stick really well.

Here are three of my finished ornaments. The colors on the left ornament were appliedfrom the bottom, the colors on middle and right ornaments were applied from the top.

This one’s myFAVORITE!!
The color scheme on this one is Red Pepper, Oregano, and Aqua.

It will be hard togive away, but I will, because I know it’s going to a good home. J

It’s so hard to photograph glass and glitter well! These are ten times prettier in real life!

I had a blast playing with color schemes and altering howI applied the color layers. In fact, theonly thing that stopped me was that I ran out of bulbs! I think I’ll be hitting the after Christmassales to stock up on some more for next year.

Like I said, these go really quick and are super fun tomake (addicting, actually). So if youstill have some co-workers, teachers, or other folks on your shopping list, youcan whip up a bunch of these beauties with just a pinch of time and moo-lah.

Don't forget to enter the

Santa's Naughty Helper Challenge!

It's easy and there's a PRIZE!
Click HERE for all the details.

Love & Laughter

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Sharing another card today using Crafty Secrets ”Merry Christmas” Creative Scraps and papers from my scrap pile. Look at these little cherub faces rosy from the cold!

I used the Tim Holtz Snowflake Border texture fade on a strip of cardstock that matches the card base, then cut it out with deckle scissors. A few swipes of Broken China Distress Ink using a foam ink blender and those pretty snowflakes just jump right out. I also rubbed some Rock Candy Distress Stickles (a new favorite) onto just the raised areas using my finger and finished the snowflakes off with a dot of Old Paper Distress Stickles in each center.

Don't forget to enter the

Santa's Naughty Helper Challenge!

Click HERE for all the details.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink ‘Aqua Mist’
PatternPaper:scraps
Image: Crafty Secrets‘Merry Christmas Double Sided Creative Scraps’‘
Stamps: Stampin’ Up!
Inks: Archival Ink‘Coffee’; Distress Ink ‘Broken China’
Embellishments: K&CoStudio 112 tag; sticker; PTI rustic button twine; button; Distress Stickles‘Old Paper’, ‘Rock Candy’
Tools: 3M foam tape;Fiskars deckle scissors; Tim Holtz texture fade ‘Snowflake Border’; foam inkblending tool; glue dot

Glittered Santa Ornaments

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Every year, I make ornaments for my niece and nephews aspart of their Christmas gift. I usuallypaint porcelain ornaments, but this year I really wanted to create papercraftedones. About a month ago, I found thesereally unique clear glass bulbs. Theirflat front and back are perfect for papercrafting!

The Details:

· Starting with this fantastic Santa image from The GraphicsFairy, I printed the quantity needed onto plain white copy paper andfussy cutted. Tip: since I’m going to use glue on the face ofthe image, I gave the Santas a coat of Krylon Workable Fixatif to prevent theink from bleeding.

· I inked the edges of the Santa image with OldPaper Distress Ink and glued them to 2” circles of patterned paper. I used Glossy Accents as the adhesive in thisstep because I knew that it would not cause the Santa image to wrinkle.

· I added an even coat of glue to the FACE of theSanta circle. Glossy Accents or Alene’sTacky Glue both work equally well here, the key is just to make sure there isgood coverage. Pressing the Santa circlefirmly from the center out works well to ensure good adhesion to the glassornament.

· Using painters’ tape to mask off the back halfof the ornament made the next step a breeze!

· After the tape was in place, I pounced on aTHICK coat of Alene’s Tacky Glue and then covered it in glitter, shaking offthe excess and reapplying as needed to get full coverage.

· Remove the painters’ tape while the glue isstill wet.

· Once the glittered side was completely dry(overnight), I added rick rack along the glitter line.

· First pouncing on some Old Paper DI, I then handwrote “Naughty” and “Nice” on two white cardstock tags, joined them on a jumpring and then bound them to the top of the ornament with red and white baker’stwine that I then tied into a bow.

· To keep as much glitter in place as possible, Isprayed on 2-3 coats of Krylon Crystal Clear to the back side.

These flat glass ornaments have endlesspossibilities! I really wish I had purchasedmore, but I’m always hesitant to add too much to the stash without reallyknowing what I’m going to do with something. I’m sure you all know how that goes! They are manufactured by http://www.sierrapacificcrafts.org/, they have a store locator if you'd like to find them near you.

For another project using these great ornaments, check outThe Creative Pointe, Cindy has some really neat ideas for these littlebeauties, too.

Also, don't forget about the

Santa's Naughty Helper Challenge!

Click HERE for all the details.

Linking back to Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy!

Holiday Hospitality

2011-12-11T00:05:00.000-05:00

Before we get into today's card, I want to invite you all to join me in the

Santa's Naughty Helper Challenge!

Click HERE for all the details.

This week’s theme over at Card A Day Blog is “Christmas Thank You Cards” and as today’s featured designer, I pulled out some “oldies, but goodies” to create my card.

We always want to thank our hosts for inviting us over for a holiday party…literally opening their door to welcome us into their home. I’ve had this pediment door stamp for a loooong time, but it’s a classic and was perfect for my idea of the open door.

The Details:

The card itself does not open; it’s more a postcard format with a bonus! The base is cardstock layered with My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found “Christmas” patterned paper. The edges of the cardstock are inked with Old Olive, Forest Moss, and just a touch of Barn Door Distress Inks. The patterned paper also has just a touch of these inks added.
A strip of coordinating patterned paper cut with decorative scissors and punched with tiny holes forms a lacy strip. On top of that, some gorgeous embroidered ribbon adds elegance and is the basis for tying the colors of the card together.

The door was stamped on cream cardstock in StazOn “Jet Black”. It’s important to use a waterproof ink here…either StazOn or Archival. Pumice Stone and Brushed Corduroy Distress Stains were randomly brushed on the image. Do not completely color in, just touches of color here and there.
Next the door was colored with Barn Door and Crushed Olive (wreath) Distress Ink and a water pen. Let dry or use a heat tool to dry.
Using a craft knife, the door was cut around three sides so that it would “open”. The “inside” of the door was completely colored using Aged Mahogany Distress Stain. The pediment door was fussy cut from the cream cardstock.
Using my laser printer, I printed “Thank You for Your Hospitality” on red cardstock and layered it behind the pediment door image so that when you open the door you see the greeting.

After adhering the door assembly to the card face with foam tape, I got out the Stickles and went to town! The wreath features Lime Green, Xmas Red, and Peeled Paint Distress. A brass brad "door knob" adds a nice touch, don't you think?

I wanted the appearance of icicles hanging from the pediment roof, so I swiped a little Picket Fence Distress Stain and added a thick application of Old Paper Distress Stickles to the roof line. While that was still wet, I added dots of Icicle Stickles and then used a pin to drag them down like real icicles.

As the finishing touch, I used Alcohol Inks to tone down the bright colors on a sprig of holly and antique up an enamel brad and adhered both, along with a organza ribbon, to the face of the card.

Just one more thing I want to share with you today...have you heard of Blitsy?

It's a brand new site that offers deals on a variety of crafting supplies each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I've already scored some pretty great deals...like the Tim Holtz Limited Edition Winter Distress Ink collection for only $9.95 and Stickles for only $1.49!! Visit HERE to get all the details.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink ‘Spring Moss’; Stampin’Up! ‘Naturals Ivory’
PatternPaper:My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found ‘Christmas’
Stamps: PSX ‘ColonialChristmas’
Inks: Distress Ink‘Crushed Olive’, ‘Old Paper’, Barn Door’, ‘Forest Moss’; Distress Stain ‘PumiceStone’, ‘Brushed Corduroy’, ‘Aged Mahogany’; StazOn ‘Jet Black’; Alcohol Ink‘Latte’, ‘Ginger’
Embellishments: Stickles‘Lime Green’, ‘Xmas Red’, ‘Crystal’; Distress Stickles ‘ Old Paper’, ‘PeeledPaint’; holly sprig; ribbon; SU! brad; The Girls’ Paperie brad ‘On Holiday’
Tools: Scotch precisioncutter; water pen; foam and felt ink blending tools; Glossy Accents; decorativescissors; hole punchhttp://blitsy.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/8467/

Free Digi Friday: Santa’s Naughty Helper…and a CHALLENGE!

2011-12-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

Who’s ready to have some Christmas Challenge fun?!

As soon as I created this sassy Santa’s helper image, Iknew that I wanted to make her part of a challenge! Isn’t she fun?

**EDITED**

Friday Free Digis are free for one week. This digital stamp is now available for purchase. To order, go to the side bar, enter the stamp name shown below and click 'buy now' to pay via Pay Pal.

Cost: $2.00

Stamp Name: Santa's Naughty Helper

I will email you the file within 24 hours of receiving payment.

The Rules

· You do not need to be a follower of this blog(although I would love you to be J). However, if you are a follower, you will beentered into the prize drawing twice.

· Your project can be anything (card, scrapbookpage, tag, etc.), but it must include the “Santa’s Naughty Helper” digitalstamp.

· You must mention Paper Squirrel and include alink to this post in your blog post.

· No re-posting the digi image…please always linkback to this post in order to share.

· You have until midnight (EST) on Thursday, December 22, 2011 to enter.

· One winner of the prize pack will be randomlydrawn on Friday, December 23, U.S.addresses only. If an International winner is drawn, you will have your choiceof 3 digital stamps from my archives.

· In addition, one entry will be selected for thehonor of “Top Nut” and will be awarded a special badge to post on their blog.

The Prize Pack

I really hope you’ll join in on the fun…I can’t wait tosee your creations!

Snow Elves

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

I had a few more cards to make to finish off my Christmas card list this year and decided to use some images from Crafty Secrets ”Merry Christmas” Creative Scraps…these cute little snow elves being the first. The other requirement I gave myself was to use up my paper scraps. You know me, can’t be cutting into a new sheet of 12x12 for one little card! J

Aren't they cute? Stickles on the holly and berries and Rock Candy Distress Stickles on the "fur" of their outfits adds a bit of sparkle.

I am loving my new Fiskars scalloped circle punch! It's just the right size for little sentiment labels like this one. Again, I added some Stickles to the edge for some Christmas sparkle!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink ‘Spring Moss’ ; Stampin’ Up! ‘Ruby Red’
Pattern Paper: scraps
Image: Crafty Secrets ‘Merry Christmas Double Sided Creative Scraps’‘
Stamps: Stampin’ Up!
Inks: StazOn ‘Jet Black’; Distress Inks ‘Crushed Olive’, ‘Old Paper’
Embellishments: PTI baker’s twine; Hug Snug seam binding; Stickles ‘Lime Green’, ‘Xmas Red’; Distress Stickles ‘Rock Candy’
Tools: Fiskars scallop circle punch; Tim Holtz paper distresser; 3M foam tape

Merry Pine Cones

2011-12-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

Wrapping up the card set using My Mind's Eye "The Merry Days of Christmas" paper collection and Stampin' Up!'s "Peaceful Wishes" stamp set today with these last two cards. For these, I switched to the pine cone stamp for the focal image, but maintained most of the same elements as the first two cards.

This card uses Kraft cardstock as the base and features three buttons and a cursive greeting.

This card uses artichoke cardstock as the base, features a single button with a bow, and title greeting.

The pine cone stamp is treated exactly the same way on both cards: first, the pine branch was stamped in green, then the pine cone stamped in brown and accented with Vintage Photo Distress Stickles. A knot of chenille fiber and button twine adds a finishing touch. I cut the image and coordinating mat using my Coluzzle and ahered it to the card with foam tape.

Here's the complete set of four that I made using the same papers and stamp set. Not a ton of variety on these, but it all depends on the stamps and/or papers you're working with. Give a card set a try...it's a fun way to challenge yourself!

Kraft Merry Pine Cone Card
Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink ‘Kraft’;DCWV
Pattern Paper: My Mind’s Eye TheMerry Days of Christmas ‘Pajama Plaid’
Stamps: SU! ‘Peaceful Wishes’,‘Season’s Greetings’
Inks: SU! craft ‘AlwaysArtichoke’; Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’; Distress Stain Aged Mahogany; Versamark;Archival Ink 'Coffee'
Embellishments: HobbyLobby lace ribbon; PTI rustic button twine; buttons; chenille fiber; DistressStickles ‘Vintage Photo
Tools: Glossy Accents; foamink blending tool; foam tape; Coluzzle; glue dots

Artichoke Merry Pine Cone Card

Supplies:
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up! ‘Always Artichoke’;DCWV
Pattern Paper: My Mind’s Eye TheMerry Days of Christmas ‘Pajama Plaid’
Stamps: SU! ‘Peaceful Wishes’,‘Many Merry Messages’
Inks: SU! craft ‘AlwaysArtichoke’; Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’; Distress Stain Aged Mahogany; Versamark; ArchivalInk ‘Coffee’
Embellishments: HobbyLobby lace ribbon; PTI rustic button twine; button; chenille fiber; DistressStickles ‘Vintage Photo
Tools: Glossy Accents; foamink blending tool; foam tape; Coluzzle; glue dots

Peaceful Wishes

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Sharing the second card in the set using My Mind's Eye "The Merry Days of Christmas" paper collection and Stampin' Up!'s "Peaceful Wishes" stamp set. This one is just a little more complex than the first, "Berry Noel" card from Monday. The major difference is that I eliminated all white/cream and added more Kraft-colored elements.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink ‘Kraft’;DCWV
Pattern Paper: My Mind’s Eye TheMerry Days of Christmas ‘Pajama Plaid’
Stamps: SU! ‘Peaceful Wishes’
Inks: SU! craft ‘AlwaysArtichoke’; Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’; Distress Stain Aged Mahogany; Versamark;StazOn ‘Timber Brown’
Embellishments: HobbyLobby lace ribbon; PTI rustic button twine; button; chenille fiber; DistressStickles ‘Fired Brick’
Tools: scallop scissors;Tim Holtz paper Distresser; Glossy Accents; foam ink blending tool; foam tape

Berry Noel

2011-11-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today's card is the first in a series of four that I made using My Mind's Eye "The Merry Days of Christmas" paper collection and Stampin' Up!'s "Peaceful Wishes" stamp set. I've discovered that I like to make cards in sets using either the same papers and/or the same stamps. It's a fun way to experiment and build upon your own creativity. Inevitably when I'm making one card I think "hmm...wonder what it would have looked like if I had done "this" instead." When you make sets, you can try "this" out on the next card.

This was the first card created and is the simplest of the set...great for when you're making multiples like with Christmas cards!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink ‘Kraft’; Stampin’ Up! ‘ConfettiWhite’; DCWV
Pattern Paper: My Mind’s Eye TheMerry Days of Christmas ‘Pajama Plaid’
Stamps: SU! ‘Peaceful Wishes’
Inks: SU! craft ‘AlwaysArtichoke’; Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’; Glaze Pen ‘White’
Embellishments: grosgrainribbon; lace ribbon; PTI rustic button twine; buttons; Distress Stickles ‘FiredBrick’
Tools: scallop scissors;Tim Holtz paper Distresser; Glossy Accents; foam ink blending tool

Icy Shimmer

2011-11-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

It won't be long before the snow flies here in Southeast Michigan. And with the snow comes the ice...and scrapping the car windshield, slick roads, and a longer commute to work. Sigh. Oh, shoot, I meant...and with the snow comes the ice and its beautiful shimmer on the car windshield and the slick roads. Doesn't really sound better, does it? Oh well.

Anyway, the card I'm sharing today DOES have a beautiful icy shimmer created with a generous amount of Pearl Perfect Pearls Mist.

A Couple Details:

The tree image is stamped in Coffee Archival Ink and then accented with Glossy Accents and Stickles. Once those were dry, I rounded the corners and antiqued the edges with Old Paper Distress Ink, then gave the whole image a spritz of Pearl Perfect Pearls Mist.

I used another border punch along the right side and added a stamped border strip.
Some beautiful vintage mother-of-pearl buttons, scrunched ivory seam binding, and a pearl and glass beaded pin create a shimmery accent. Once assembled, I sprayed the entire face of the card with more Perfect Pearls.

Challenges:

Joyful Stamper: Inspire Me Fridays 34 - Linky Party

Totally Paper Crafts: Challenge # - Christmas

Moving Along with the Times: Ribbons & Bows

Some Odd Girl: Recipe Challenge - 2 pattern papers + colored cardstock base + buttons + punch/die cut

Supplies:
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up! ‘Naturals White’;Papertrey Ink ‘Ripe Avocado’
Pattern Paper: My Mind’s Eye TheMerry Days of Christmas ‘All Aglow’
Stamps: Inkadinkado
Inks: Archival Ink ‘Coffee’;Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’; Distress Stain ‘Tumbled Glass’
Embellishments: GlossyAccents; Hug Snug seam binding ‘ivory’; buttons; Darice corsage pin; DistressStickles ‘Old Paper’; Stickles ‘Icicle’, ‘Crystal’; glass bead; Perfect PearlsMist ‘Pearl’
Tools: EK Success borderpunch; scallop scissors; Fiskars corner rounder punch; 3M foam tape; foam inkblending tool

Give Thanks This Day

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I came across this poem and wanted to share it with you today. To me, it really speaks to the heart of what the day means. We may joke and call it "turkey day" and say it's all about the food, but it's important to remember to truly give thanks for all our blessings...big and small.

Giving Thanks

For the hay and the corn and the wheat that is reaped,

For the labor well done, and the barns that are heaped,

For the sun and the dew and the sweet honeycomb,

For the rose and the song and the harvest brought home --

Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the trade and the skill and the wealth in our land,

For the cunning and strength of the workingman's hand,

For the good that our artists and poets have taught,

For the friendship that hope and affection have brought --

Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the homes that with purest affection are blest,

For the season of plenty and well-deserved rest,

For our country extending from sea unto sea;

The land that is known as the "Land of the Free" --

Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

Author Unknown

Courtsey Thanksgiving Day Poems

I am thankful for my loving and supportive family and friends and for their continued good health, for without them, my life would be empty.

I am thankful for my own health because without it, not much else is possible.

I am thankful that I am employed, it's key to supporting my craft addition.

I am thankful for my home, my cozy bed, electricity, running water, and the food in my pantry.

I am thankful for my "boys", the cats, for without them the house would be too quiet and too clean.

I am thankful for my artistic ability and for all of you who read this blog and support my art with your kind comments.

What are you thankful for this year?

Peace on Earth

2011-11-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

Sharing a card today using non-traditional Christmas colors...grey-blue and ivory with a touch of brown. While I do enjoy building up layers and loading on the embellishments, I love the simplicity of this card. The color scheme seems so serene...so peaceful.

"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Luke 2:13-14

For a bit of antique sparkle, I added Old Paper Distress Stickles to the garland, ornaments, and stars in the central stamped image.

I made my own simple trinket tag by punching out the "Peace On Earth" sentiment using a circle punch and then layering a second slightly larger circle of patterned paper behind it. I then used scallop decorative scissors to edge the patterned paper circle and hung the tag using a jump ring.

Challenges:

Make My Monday: MMM Week #25 - Christmas with Flowers, Foliage, or Snowflakes

Penny Black and More: November Challenge - All Creatures Great & Small

Rogue Redhead Designs: RC005 Dress Down - Only One Designer Paper

Supplies:
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up! ‘Bordering Blue’, ‘ConfettiWhite’
Pattern Paper: My Mind’s Eye TheMerry Days of Christmas ‘All Aglow’
Stamps: Inkadinkado
Inks: Archival Ink ‘coffee’;Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’
Embellishments: DistressStickles ‘Old Paper’; Hobby Lobby lace; Papertrey Ink rustic button twine;ribbon fibers; Tim Holtz jump ring
Tools: Tim Holtz paperdistresser; Coluzzle; scallop scissors; foam ink blending tool; hole punch

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2011-11-20T09:05:00.001-05:00

Today is my mom's birthday and I'm sharing the card I made for just for her. She loves to sew, is a big quilter and knitter, so I come by my creativity honestly. Although, I only caught on to simple sewing, and never have really found my groove with knitting. I'm more of a one needle gal...crocheting is my thing.

I wanted to celebrate my mom's creativity with this card and when I saw the antique sewing machine image on one of the papers from My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Two "Sunshine" collection, I knew I'd found my starting place. I tore the corner of the paper out and used it as an image.

I've been on the chipboard label kick lately. I just love how easy it is to color chipboard with Distress Stains. On this one, I used Spiced Marmalade as the base, then lightly dragged Picket Fence for a dry-brushed effect. The sentiment is a K&Co Studio 112 Vellum quote that I trimmed closely and adhered with vellum tape.

I also wanted to have lots of yummy layers on this card. I just love the layered look and keep striving to achieve it. Between the papers, ribbons, lace, buttons, twine, embossed birdies, and everything else...I think I came pretty close this time!

So Happy Birthday, again to my Mom! Hope you are enjoying your day.

Challenges:
So Artful Challenges: Sew Pretty
Sarah Hurley Challenges: #54 Buttons
The Pretty Little Ribbon Shop: November Challenge #4 - Buttons & Bows

Supplies:
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up! ‘So Saffron’, ‘ConfettiIvory’
Pattern Paper: My Mind’s Eye Lost& Found Two ‘Sunshine’
Stamps: Glitz Design ‘VintageBlue’
Inks: Distress Ink ‘OldPaper’; Distress Stain ‘Picket Fence’, ‘Spiced Marmalade’; SU! Craft ‘MoreMustard’; Martha Stewart craft markers
Embellishments: chipboardoval; K&Co Studio 112 Vellum Quote; My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found button(yellow flower); buttons; thread; Hobby Lobby crochet lace; Papertrey Inkrustic button twine; ribbon trends ruler twill tape; Zing clear embossingpowder
Tools: scallop scissors;hole punch; foam ink blending tool; needle; 3M foam tape; heat gun; glue dots;vellum adhesive tape

Treasure Hunting

2011-11-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Every year for my mom's birthday, my sisters, mom, and I go on a shopping trip. We usually stay in Michigan, but have also included trips to Chicago and San Antonio for these girls' weekends. This time, we visited the Port Huron area on the eastern edge of the state, directly across the St. Clair River from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.

We met up last Friday and spent the day and evening shopping the quaint downtown boutiques in Lexington, Michigan. For such a small town, they have some great little shops (definitely hit Noble, Irish Rose, and The Town Shoppe).

Here we are...taking in some refreshment after shopping all day and most of the evening!

We also stopped in Trash to Treasures antique store on the edge of town where I hit pay dirt on some great items to alter! Can't wait to start in on these babies!

Saturday was spent in Port Huron at the Mary Maxim retail store. My mom is a knitter and has ordered from Mary Maxim for as long as I can remember. We also shopped several of the major craft stores that day and got kind of silly with some of the novelty hats.

Here's my mom and me at her birthday dinner. I hope I look that young when I'm her age!

And finally on Sunday, we wrapped things up with a quick stop at a local flea market that I won't name because frankly, it was pretty gross. BUT, we did find some treasures in all the grime and mess. My sisters found books and trinkets and I found these fab-o aluminum cookie cutters that I plan on making into Christmas ornaments.

So much to alter and so little time until the big day gets here! Better go get started...hope you enjoyed the travel log of our treasure hunting adventure!

Free Digi Friday: Candy Cane

2011-11-18T07:00:00.001-05:00

It's Friday again and time for another free digital stamp! (Wow, did you guys like last week's Mod Christmas Tree...I'm so glad...let me know when you make something with it, I'd love to see it!)

Today's "Candy Cane" is tied with a big bow and is great for cards and gift tags. Happy creating!

**EDITED**

Friday Free Digis are free for one week. This digital stamp is now available for purchase. To order, go to the side bar, enter the stamp name shown below and click 'buy now' to pay via Pay Pal.

Cost: $2.00

Stamp Name: Candy Cane

I will email you the file within 24 hours of receiving payment.

Golden Leaves

2011-11-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

When I saw the big gorgeous leaf designs on Inkadinkado's "Leaves Galore" set, I knew that I wanted to emboss them and make something really fabulous. I had a ton of fun creating this card playing with Pearl Ex powders, embossing powders, and Distress Stains.

The Details:

I've been using a ton of neutrals lately and wanted to step out a bit, so I used eggplant cardstock as the base, stamped the medium leaf cluster in Versamark and used a dry paint brush to add gold, bronze, and copper Pearl Ex powders to the stamped leaves. The edges were distressed with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.
The label plate was raw chipboard that I colored with Distress Stains and then added a layer of Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint. "Happy Thanksgiving" was embossed in gold on mustard cardstock that was also colored with Distress Stains. It's adhered to the label plate with foam tape for dimension. The "brads" are dots of Frayed Burlap Distress Stickles.

Now for the fun part...the big yummy leaves! I stamped the large oak, medium oak, and large maple leaves in Versamark onto kraft cardstock. The large oak is embossed with gold, large maple with copper, and the medium oak is mostly gold with a little copper thrown in.
I then cut the leaves out using deckle scissors for a ragged, dry leafy edge, then distressed the edges a bit more with a Tim Holtz paper distresser tool.
Next, I just played and layered, and played and layered...I kept adding different Distress Stains until I liked the results and got some nice autumnal leaves. But I wasn't done yet. Once I was satisfied with the Distress Stains, I sprayed each leaf with Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mist and smeared a bit of Frayed Burlap Distress Stickles to the medium oak leaf.

After layering up the finished leaves (the top oak leaf is raised a bit using foam tape), I added the wide organza ribbon and gold cord.

Challenges:
Shelly's Images: Terrifically Thrilling Thursday Challenge - Anything Goes
Just For Fun Challenge: Favorite Technique
Paper Crafting Journey: PCJ Challenge #23 - Embossing
The Artistic Stamper Creative Team: November Challenge - Backgrounds
Crafting for All Seasons: Challenge #14 - Thanksgiving, Thank you or Sketch
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Simon Says Thanksgiving / Thanks
The Sisterhood of Crafters: Giving Thanks
Scrap-Creations: Going Grey with Scrap-Creations Challenge - Thanksgiving
Victorine Stamps: Challenge #21 - Thanksgiving
Sentimental Sundays: Challenge # 81 - Thanksgiving / Thank You
My Sheri Crafts: Challenge #73 - Be Thankful

Supplies:
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up! ‘Elegant Eggplant’, ‘MoreMustard’; Papertrey Ink ‘Kraft’
Stamps: Inkadinkado ‘LeavesGalore’; Stampin’ Up! ‘All Year Cheer’
Inks: Versamark; DistressStain ‘Pumice Stone’, ‘Brushed Corduroy’, ‘Rusty Hinge’, ‘Spiced Marmalade’, ‘CrushedOlive’, ‘Chipped Sapphire’; Perfect Pearls Mist ‘Heirloom Gold’; Distress Ink ‘VintagePhoto’
Embellishments: PearlEx powder ‘Antique Bronze’, ‘Super Copper’, ‘Antique Gold’; SU! embossingpowder ‘Gold Glory’; All Night Media embossing powder ‘Copper’; Celebrate Itribbon; gold cord; Distress Stickles ‘Frayed Burlap’; chipboard label; DistressCrackle Paint ‘Rock Candy’
Tools: deckle scissors;heat tool; Xacto knife; 3M foam tape

Happy Fall

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Still working toward using all those fabulous new stamp sets that I've been squirreling away lately. And I want to squeeze in a few more Autumn-themed projects before focusing on Christmas.

This Happy Fall card features an absolutely adorable set from Unity's Ippity line called "Fall for You". It's not just for fall either, so don't let the name or this card fool you! You can purchase this stamp set here.

I also used the Lost & Found Two Sunshine paper collection from My Mind's Eye. Such gorgeous papers! I don't seem so worried about hoarding them when I purchase the 6x6 paper pads. Maybe my squirrely-ness is fading...nah! :-)

Challenges:
My Time to Craft Challenges: #166 - Take Two (two pumpkins)
Sparkles Forum: Challenge #24 - Autumn
Sweet Stampin': Going Gorgeously Gingham
Desert Island Crafters: Challenge #20 (ribbon, tree, 3 or more patterned papers, fussy cutting)

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink ‘Dark Chocolate’
Pattern Paper: My Mind’s Eye Lost& Found Two ‘Sunshine’
Stamps: Unity Stamp Ippity ‘FallFor You’
Inks: Distress Ink ‘OldPaper’, ‘Spiced Marmalade’, ‘Forest Moss’, ‘Crushed Olive’; Archival Ink ‘Coffee’;Distress Stain ‘Spiced Marmalade’, ‘Crushed Olive’, ‘Rusty Hinge’
Embellishments: Offrayribbon; PTI rustic button twine; Making Memories trinket pin; Stampin’ Up!twill tape
Tools: Fiskars cornerrounder punch; foam ink blending tool; 3M foam tape; deckle scissors; CricutExpression; Sure-Cuts-A-Lot; water pen

CADB Design Team: O Tannenbaum

2011-11-12T23:50:00.000-05:00

The theme this week at Card A Day Blog is "Christmas Around the World" and after some brainstorming, I decided to pay homage to German ancestry. What favorite symbol of Christmas started as a German tradition? Why, the Tannenbaum, known in English as the Christmas tree, of course! This card celebrates the transformation of a simple pine tree into a gloriously bedecked symbol of the season.

The Details:

I found sheet music of the traditional Christmas carol, "O Tannenbaum", at Free Vintage Clipart. I printed it on standard office paper, sprayed it with Krylon Workable Fixatif to set the ink, distressed the edges with my Tim Holtz paper distresser, crinkled it, rolled the edges, and finally aged it with Old Paper Distress Ink.
The pine tree image is from The Graphics Fairy and was printed on moss cardstock and sprayed with fixative. Before trimming to size, I glued the cardstock to a scrap of cereal box cardboard, then distressed and aged the edges with Old Paper.
To deck my tree, I wound gold cord around as "garland", then added dots of Fired Brick Distress Stickles for "ornaments". Touches of fine crystal glitter give the hint of snow or flocking. And the whole thing is topped off with a "star" that was originally a shiny star burst sequin that I antiqued with Gold Mixative and Mushroom Alcohol Inks, then accented with a antique brass brad.

Next time you're at Michael's, pick up some of this green ribbon! I think this is my third or fourth roll...it's reversible with two great shades of green to choose from.
The chipboard label started off raw. I colored it with Pumice Stone Distress Stain, then lightly brushed on some Brushed Corduroy DS. I LOVE coloring chipboard with Distress Stains! So quick and easy and dry with the blast of a heat gun! I stamped "Merry Christmas" in Jet Black StazOn, then applied Rock Candy Distress Crackle paint...thin where the words are and thick along the edges as if the whole thing is icing over. That didn't look quite frosty enough for me, so I added chunky crystal glitter to the edges too.

The red bracket was some unattractive chipboard accent (not raw), that I decided to custom color with alcohol inks and layer on the label.

Challenges:
Totally Paper Crafts: Week #92 - Victorian
Sweet Stamps: Challenge #40 - Red, Green & Gold

Supplies:
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up! ‘Sage Shadow’, ‘AlwaysArtichoke’
Pattern Paper: K&Co ‘ChristmasCheer’
Image: pine tree – The GraphicsFairy; O Tannenbaum sheet music - Free Vintage Clipart
Stamps: SU! ‘All Year Cheer’
Inks: Alcohol Ink ‘Oregano’,‘Red Pepper’, ‘Mushroom’, ‘Aqua’, ‘Gold Mixative’; Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’, ‘ForestMoss’; Distress Stain ‘Pumice Stone’, ‘Brushed Corduroy’; StazOn ‘Jet Black’
Embellishments: DistressCrackle Paint ‘Rock Candy’; JoAnn glitter; Michael’s ribbon; gold cord; SU! brads;starburst sequin; Distress Stickles ‘Fired Brick’; chipboard tag, chipboardbracket; Martha Stewart crystal fine glitter
Tools: spray adhesive,Krylon Workable Fixatif; deckle scissors; 3M foam tape; Tim Holtz paperdistresser; foam and felt ink blending tools; tweezers; heat tool
Misc: cardboard

Free Digi Friday: Mod Christmas Tree

2011-11-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday, everyone!

Today's an especially great Friday for me because I have the day off and am spending a fun shopping weekend with my mom and sisters in celebration of my mom's birthday. Woo-hoo!

While we start our Christmas shopping, I thought you might want to get a jump on some Christmas cards with this Mod Christmas Tree digi. A simple design that is great for making multiples!

**EDITED**

Friday Free Digis are free for one week. This digital stamp is now available for purchase. To order, go to the side bar, enter the stamp name shown below and click 'buy now' to pay via Pay Pal.

Cost: $2.00

Stamp Name: Mod Christmas Tree

I will email you the file within 24 hours of receiving payment.

Need more inspiration? Visit Card A Day Blog for a new Christmas card idea everyday until mid-December! Definitely stop by on Sunday to see my card that kicks off the "Christmas Around the World" theme. Oh, and did I mention that there's a monthly challenges with PRIZES?!

Fancy Frame Thanksgiving Card

2011-11-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Sharing another Thanksgiving card with an embossed frame today, but this time it's extra FANCY!

A Couple Details:

The frame started life as raw chipboard that colored using a variety of Distress Stain colors, then stamped the filigree frame and corner images in StazOn Timber Brown. Next, I embossed the frame using the Tim Holtz Woodgrain texture fade and accented the raised areas, corners, and edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. As a final fancy step, I spritzed the whole frame with Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls mist and then added some Vintage Photo Distress Stickles.

To create the medallion, I stamped the image on kraft cardstock, again using StazOn. I then cut out the image and accented the base color with layers of various Distress Stains. Once those were dry, I covered the cardstock in Versamark and proceeded to layer on about three applications of Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE). On the final application, I spritzed some Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls onto the warm UTEE and re-heated just long enough for the PP to be absorbed. This creates a pitted surface to the UTEE...sort of like corroded metal. The final touch on the medallion is a fancy metal brad.

Challenges:
Divas by Design: Challenge #14 - Use Metal
More Than Favors: Wacky Wednesday #58 - Buttons, Bling, or Brads
The Sisterhood of Crafters: Giving Thanks
City Crafter: Challenge Week CCCB#82 Thanks*Giving
Scrap-Creations: Going Grey with Scrap-Creations - Sentiment as Main Focus
Shopping Our Stash: Challenge 25 - Stickers, Rub-ons, or Chipboard

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink ‘Dark Chocolate’, ‘Kraft’
Pattern Paper: scraps; Daisy D’sPaper Company; K&Co
Stamps: JoAnn; Inkadinkado;Stampin’ Up!
Inks: StazOn ‘Timber Brown’;Distress Ink ‘Vintage Photo’, ‘Old Paper’; Distress Stain ‘Spiced Marmalade’, ‘RustyHinge’, ‘Brushed Corduroy’, ‘Crushed Olive’; Versamark
Embellishments: DistressStickles ‘Walnut Stain’; Perfect Pearls Mist ‘Heirloom Gold’; Ultra ThickEmbossing Enamel; Tim Holtz texture fade ‘Woodgrain’; chipboard frame;Recollections brad; velvet ribbon; organza ribbon; Papertrey Ink rustic buttontwine
Tools: glue dots; TH paperdistresser; scallop scissors; foam ink blending tool; Sizzix Texture Boutique;heat gun; tweezers; deckle scissors

Damask Turkey Card

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Please welcome back, for the last time, my favorite turkey stamp...yaaaaay...!!!

(Hmm...in my head that sounded a lot like an intro on the Muppet Show! Oops, showing my age! The sad part is that this is not even my stamp, I borrowed it from my sister.)

Okay, back to the card at hand! Obviously, it features the same turkey stamp as The Heart of Autumn and Turkey Tag cards and Mr. Tom is stamped, colored, and Glossy Accented-up the exact same way. What makes this card special is the embossed chipboard frame and the oak and acorn medallion.

Just a Few Details:

I embossed a raw chipboard frame using Tim Holtz's Damask texture fade, then painted it with Burnt Umber acrylic paint, accented it with Vintage Photo Distress Ink, and finally added a rough layer of Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint. To me, the result is reminiscent of tooled leather.

The oak and acorn image was stamped on kraft cardstock using StazOn Timber Brown. I then cut it out and accented with marker and Old Paper DI. I used Glossy Accents to pop the entire image and while the GA was still wet, I added Vintage Photo Distress Stickles to just the acorns. After everything was dry, I added a brass brad to the center, but it looked too shiny, so I used Copper and Silver Alcohol inks to knock the shine down, then added some Vintage Photo Distress Stickles to the tops for a tarnished, corroded appearance.

The crackle background was stamped with Brushed Corduroy Distress Stain for a watercolor effect.

Challenges:
Craft Your Passion Challenges: #83 Anything Goes + Brown
My Craft Spot: Monday Challenge # 32 - Gobble 'til you wobble!
The Crazy Challenge - CCH 92 - Something with Wings
Come and Get It Challenges: Autumn Blessing
Pile It On Challenge: PIO 45 Thanksgiving or Give Thanks
Sparkles Forum: Challenge #24 - Autumn

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink ‘Kraft’
Pattern Paper: Kraft Glassine;scraps
Stamps: JoAnn, Stampin’ Up!
Inks: Delta acrylic paint ‘BurntUmber’; StazOn ‘Timber Brown’; Distress Ink ‘Vintage Photo’, ‘Old Paper’;Distress Stains ‘Brushed Corduroy’; Martha Stewart craft markers; Alcohol Ink ‘Copper’,‘Silver’, ‘Blending Solution’
Embellishments: GlossyAccents; Distress Stickles ‘Walnut Stain’; Distress Crackle Paint ‘Rock Candy’;Perfect Pearls Mist ‘Heirloom Gold’; brads; velvet ribbon; gingham ribbon;Papertrey Ink rustic button twine; chipboard frame; Tim Holtz texture fade ‘Damask’
Tools: hole punch; foam inkblending tool; tweezers; felt ink blending tool; scallop scissors; TextureBoutique; Tim Holtz paper distresser

Thankful for You

2011-11-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

Sharing another Thanksgiving card today from my stash of "I bought them and I MUST use them!" stamp sets. I love the sentiment on this card...especially appropriate for those special people in your life. What a great time of year to remind them that you count them first when you count your blessings.

A Few Details:

The base is Papertrey ink Dark Chocolate that was stamped with a French script background using Versamark. A strip of scrap fall leaves photo pattern paper was added, and then the entire base spritzed with Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mist.
This card is a study of browns and neutrals, so for the central image, I used Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip ink and clear embossing powder on PTI Kraft cardstock. That was accented with some Old Paper Distress Ink, also spritzed with Heirloom Gold PPM, and layered on Chocolate Chip cardstock.

Layers of crocheted lace ribbon, brown polka dot ribbon, a Maya Road chiffon flower, metal elements, and twine all build on the brown/neutral theme while adding texture and interest.

Challenges:

Dutch Dare Card Challenges: DDCC #137 Give Thanks

Shelly's Images: Monochromatic + Ribbon

Divas by Design Challenge: #14 Use Metal

Sweet Stamps: Challenge #39 - So Thankful

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink ‘Dark Chocolate’, ‘Kraft’;Stampin’ Up! ‘Chocolate Chip’
Pattern Paper: scraps
Stamps: Inkadinkado ‘FilagreeFall’; SU! ‘French Script’, ‘All Year Cheer’
Inks: SU! craft ‘ChocolateChip’; Versamark; Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’; Perfect Pearls Mist ‘Heirloom Gold’
Embellishments: Zingembossing powder ‘Clear’; Hobby Lobby crochet ribbon; Making Memories ribbon;PTI rustic button twine; SU! label holder; Tim Holtz foliage; SU! brad; MayaRoad flower
Tools: Glossy Accents; gluedots; heat gun; scallop scissors; foam ink blending tool; 3M foam tape

Fall Harvest

2011-11-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

This sunny Fall Harvest card was created with one of the (too) many stamp sets I've purchased lately. Still working toward that goal of a project from each!

A Couple Details:

For something a little different with rubber or clear stamps (but something I do all the time with digis), I stamped the central image onto pattern paper for a little extra something. I love how you get a glimpse of the leaf pattern through the marker. The image was stamped in brown pigment ink and embossed using clear powder. This ensured that my pigment ink didn't smear when I colored the image.

For some texture, I embossed Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Up! cardstock using Tim Holtz's Woodgrain texture fade. I then distressed the top and bottom edges and highlighted the embossed pattern with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

A distressed "Fall Harvest" banner, some argyle ribbon, and chrysanthemum tag finish off this card that makes me think of the still-warm sun breaking through on a chilly autumn day.

Challenges:

Celebrate the Occasion: Challenge #37 - Fall (must have a pumpkin)

Going Grey with Scrap-Creations: Pumpkins Please!

Creatalicious Challenges: #27 - Distress Your Edges

Desert Island Crafts Challenge: #19 (Fall Theme, Kraft cardstock, Pumpkins, Distressed)

The Pink Elephant Challenge: TPE123 - Distressing

Supplies:
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up! ‘Old Olive’, ‘PumpkinPie’; Papertrey Ink ‘Kraft’
Pattern Paper: Paper Adventures
Stamps: Inkadinkado ‘DoodleFall’; JoAnn
Inks: Distress Ink ‘VintagePhoto’, ‘Old Paper’; Distress Stain ‘Brushed Corduroy’; JoAnn; Martha Stewartmarkers; SU! Stampin’ Write markers
Embellishments: AmericanCrafts ribbon; Tim Holtz texture fade ‘Woodgrain’; Zing embossing powder ‘Clear’;chipboard tag; TH safety pin; PTI rustic button twine
Tools: TH paper distresser;Sizzix Texture Boutique; heat gun

Hey Pumpkin, Best Witches!

2011-10-31T18:51:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween!

I'm squeezing in the last of my Halloween projects just under the wire! I'm sad to see it go...creating for this holiday is so much fun. But of course, there's always next season...and more wonderful holidays are on their way.

I've got two projects to share with you today. The first is a "Best Witches" card showing off this past Friday's "Witch Girl" digi. And remember my goal to make something with each and every stamp set that my PayPal addiction has brought to my mailbox lately? Well, one of those sets was a Halloween set, so I wanted to squeeze that one in tonight too!

First up, "Best Witches"...
I printed the "Witch Girl" on SU! Sahara Sand, colored her with markers, cut the ends like a banner and added layers of Halloween-y papers, buttons, and twine.

Close up of the "Witch Girl" coloring:

A scalloped edge, a few buttons, a touch of twine...

Challenges:

Daisy Doodles Creative Challenges: Challenge #45 - Halloween

Jelly Park Challenges: Costume Challenge

Delightful Sketches: Colour Challenge - Purple, Orange, Green & Black

Paper Play Challenges: 11 Week #43 - Halloween Witches

Next, we have "Hey Pumpkin"!
The "Haunted" stamp set from Cosmo Cricket is such quirky fun...I just love the crazy pumpkin and the non-scary skeleton that is waving at his pumpkin friend. The base on this 4"x4" ornament is a scrap of cardboard covered in pattern paper. The skeleton was embossed in Zing Opaque White, the pumpkin stamped in SU! Pumpkin Pie, then embossed in Zing Clear powder.

Kind of spooky how the skeleton seems to be glowing in this photo:

Challenges:
The Paper Players: Challenge #70 - Anything Goes Fall Theme
Designed 2 Delight: Saturday's Designer's Challenge - Pumpkins!
Do You Stack Up?: DYSU Challenge #43 - Halloween

Best Witches Supplies:
Paper: Stampin’ Up! cardstock ‘Sahara Sand’, ‘Pumpkin Pie’; DCWV
Image: ‘Witch Girl’ digital stamp by Paper Squirrel
Stamps: Cosmo Cricket ‘Haunted’
Inks: Colorbox pigment ‘Black’; Versamark; SU! Stampin’ Write markers; Martha Stewart markers
Embellishments: hemp cord; buttons
Tools: SU! ¼” circle punch; hole punch; glue dots; scallop scissors

Hey Pumpkin Supplies:
Paper: Bo Bunny Press ‘Dem Bones’; Stampin’ Up! cardstock ‘Old Olive’, ‘Apricot Appeal’, ‘Basic Black’
Stamps: Cosmo Cricket ‘Haunted’
Inks: Colorbox pigment ‘Black’; Versamark; SU! craft ‘Pumpkin Pie’
Embellishments: hemp cord; photo corners; Zing embossing powder ‘Opaque White’, ‘Clear’
Tools: 3M foam tape; Tim Holtz paper distresser; foam ink blending tool; hole punch; heat gun
Misc: cardboard

CADB Design Team: Ornamental Joy

2011-10-29T23:50:00.003-04:00

We're giving you tons of Christmas card inspiration from now until the big day over at Card A Day Blog. I'm very excited about this week's "Ornaments" theme. I love reacquainting myself with each Christmas ornament as I place it on the tree. Some very special ornaments conjure memories of my grandmothers who have long since passed away. I'm sure most of us have a few of those cherished Christmas ornaments.

The Details:

The card base is Papertrey Ink's Kraft cardstock that has Old Paper Distress Ink applied along the edges and Perfect Pearl Mist lightly sprayed over the surface.
The next layer is a strip of pattern paper from Basic Grey's Figgy Pudding line. One edge has been torn and all the edges have been distressed with Old Paper DI.
Next, a rectangle of red and white polka dot scrap paper with the edges punched to make it look like a ticket is layered on.
At this point, I gave the whole card another spritz of Perfect Pearl Mist.

Inkadinkado's beautiful ornament was stamped onto Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip cardstock using Encore Ultimate Metallic gold ink. This is such an amazing ink! To even out the gold and make it even more intensely metallic, I brushed on some antique gold Pearl Ex powder while the ink was still wet. (Encore Ultimate Metallic is a pigment ink, so you have time to play and/or use it for embossing.)
When the ink was dry, I fussy cut the ornament and tied gold organza ribbon and gold metallic cord around the "hanger".
I made a rosette from K&Co's Bailey line and adhered the cut out ornament to the center. To accent the ornament even more, I added dots of Scribbles pearl dimensional paint and gold Stickles.

Lastly, I stamped "Joy" in Stampin' Up! Craft Chocolate Chip onto a scrap of green pattern paper. I cut around the image with scallop scissors, adhered it to the card, and "dotted" the "J" with a pearl bead.

Hope you're inspired to get started on your Christmas cards...it's just around the corner (I know, I don't like to think about it either)!

Supplies:
Paper: Papertrey Ink cardstock ‘Kraft’; Basic Grey ‘Figgy Pudding’; K&Co “Bailey”; scraps
Stamps: Inkadinkado; Stampin’ Up!
Inks: Encore Ultimate Metallic ‘Gold’; Stampin’ Up! Craft ‘Chocolate Chip’; Perfect Pearls Mist ‘Perfect Pearl’
Embellishments: Pearl Ex Powder ‘Antique Gold’; Scribbles ‘Pearl’; Stickles ‘Gold’; Stampin’ Up! gold metallic cord; gold organza ribbon; pearl
Tools: dry paint brush; hot glue; scallop scissors; hole punch

Free Digi Friday: Witch Girl

2011-10-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

Just a few more days until that magical night called HALLOWEEN! Today's little Witch Girl digital stamp is just in time for you to whip up some last-minute Halloween projects. She's all dressed up in her costume and ready to ring your doorbell trick-or-treating!

**EDITED**

Friday Free Digis are free for one week. This digital stamp is now available for purchase. To order, go to the side bar, enter the stamp name shown below and click 'buy now' to pay via Pay Pal.

Cost: $2.00

Stamp Name: Witch Girl

I will email you the file within 24 hours of receiving payment.

Friday digis are usually only free for one week. Become a follower so you never miss out! :-)

Turkey Tag Card

2011-10-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

This is the second installment in my family Thanksgiving card series. I fell in love with my sister's turkey stamp and used him in three of the four cards you'll be seeing. This time, I stamped him on one of those great K&Co journaling tags.

Some Details:

The turkey was stamped directly onto the K&Co journaling tag using Timber Brown StazOn ink, colored with marker, and given a layer of Glossy Accents to make him pop.
I mounted the tag onto a scrap of cardboard, cut to fit, then distressed and antiqued the edges. After adding a bit of twine to the top, I attached it to the card with foam tape for dimension.

I again made my own charms by stamping two different size leaves onto kraft cardstock, coloring the veins, adding some Vintage Photo Distress Stickles and Glossy Accents, and then fussy cutting. Some Tim Holtz jump rings and trinket pin and voila!...custom charms!

I also incorporated a scrap of Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine behind the leaves. It's embossed with the woodgrain texture fade and "nailed" on with some antique copper brads.

Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Cards for Men - Challenge #22 Animals
Cheerful Stamp Pad - Challenge #28 First Thanksgiving

Supplies:
Paper: Papertrey Ink cardstock ‘Dark Chocolate’; Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine; K&Co Studio 112 Tag ‘Ornate’; scraps
Stamps: JoAnn; Stampin’ Up!
Inks: Distress Ink ‘Vintage Photo’, ‘Old Paper’; StazOn ‘Timber Brown’; Martha Stewart craft markers; Distress Stain ‘Brushed Corduroy’
Embellishments: Glossy Accents; Distress Stickles ‘Vintage Photo’; brads; TH texture fade ‘Woodgrain’; PTI rustic button twine; gingham ribbon; organza ribbon; TH jump rings; TH trinket pin
Tools: 3M foam tape; Sizzix Texture Boutique; foam ink blending tool; TH paper distresser; scallop scissors
Misc: scrap cardboard

The Heart of Autumn Card

2011-10-25T19:28:00.000-04:00

While Halloween is not yet upon us, Thanksgiving (U.S.) is just around the corner! Since I don't always see my entire immediate family on this holiday, I send Thanksgiving cards each year to my parents, sisters, and brother. The Heart of Autumn Card I'm sharing today is the first of these cards made specifically for my family (sorry guys, I know most of you follow me, so unfortunately, you won't be very surprised!).

A Few Details:

The turkey was stamped in Timber Brown StazOn, fussy cut, colored with marker, and given a layer of Glossy Accents. Learned a little lesson of what not to do on this project. Don't set your turkey aside for the GA to dry, forget about him, and then set a piece of paper on top...ugh!

Lesson learned!

The second turkey I made is mounted in an oval of Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine that was scalloped, stamped, crinkled, and embellished with Vintage Photo Distress Stickles.

I made my own charm by stamping the acorn in Timber Brown StazOn, fussy cutting, and adding some Vintage Photo Distress Stickles. I then added a layer of Glossy Accents. Once dry, the Glossy Accents gives the paper some strength so that it doesn't wear or tear hanging from the Tim Holtz jump ring and trinket pin.

Challenges:

Celebrate the Occasion - #36 Fall

CRAFT Challenge - #125 Autumn

CCEE1142 Fall

Supplies:
Paper: Papertrey Ink cardstock ‘Kraft’; Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine; scraps
Stamps: Inkadinkado; JoAnn; Stampin’ Up!
Inks: StazOn ‘Timber Brown’; Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’; Distress Stain ‘Pumice Stone’, ‘Brushed Corduroy’
Embellishments: Glossy Accents; Distress Stickles ‘Vintage Photo’; Wrights lace hem facing ‘Beige’; PTI rustic button twine; Hobby Lobby velvet ribbon; gingham ribbon; TH trinket pin; TH jump ring
Tools: TH paper distresser; glue dots; 3M foam tape; scallop scissors

Lil' Pumpkin Baby

2011-10-21T07:00:00.002-04:00

The work baby shower theme was Pumpkins and one of the girls found this idea online and asked me to replicate it. How cute is this?!!

And so simple! Just draw the face with permanent marker, cut a hole for the pacifier, and tie some ribbon on the stem.

We had one for each baby and then had a larger pumpkin with "Baby So-and-So" and the due date. I cut the letters from brown card stock using my Cricut and SCAL, and gave them a light spray of Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mist. I also cut the hearts using the Cricut and SCAL, wrote the due dates in brown pen, distressed the edges with Tattered Rose. Spray adhesive worked perfectly to stick the letters and hearts to the pumpkins.

Baby Boom!

2011-10-20T07:00:00.002-04:00

We're having a mini baby boom at work...two baby girls, one due in November, one in December. We recently had a baby shower for the moms-to-be and I volunteered to make the cards that everyone would sign. We have twenty-some people in our department and I knew I had to make bigger cards than my usual half-a-piece-of-8-1/2 x 11, so I started designing 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 size cards. That's when I discovered that the very few baby stamps that I do own are TINY! Well, Cricut and Sure-Cuts-A-Lot to the rescue! I chose a pretty font and cut "Baby" out of brown cardstock. Then I cut two ovals...one cream and one patterned and scalloped the patterned one with decorative scissors. The rest was just layering decorative papers, buttons, hand-dyed seam binding, and Tim Holtz safety pins.

Yes, they are both supposedly girls, but there's been some back-and-forth between boy and girl with the one, so I played it safe and added more blue on that card. As far as I'm concerned, it's not for sure until that baby is born!

We also had some of the most adorable decorations that I'll share tomorrow, so check back!

Autumn Blessings Pumpkin Sign

2011-10-18T07:00:00.008-04:00

In addition to the larger Pumpkin Welcome Sign, I also created a couple of smaller Autumn Blessings Pumpkin Signs...one as a hostess gift and one as an auction donation. These went together very quickly and are easy to do as multiples since the finished size is about 5-1/2" wide and two can be cut on one 12 x 12 mat at the same time. Could make a great hostess gift for Thanksgiving!

For the most part, the steps were the same as for making the Pumpkin Welcome Sign from Sunday's post, but instead of the "Welcome" letters, I cut a tag and border using Sure-Cuts-A-Lot and stamped "Autumn Blessings" in Coffee Archival Ink.

I again used just the background portion of Cindy's free leaf SVG. You can get it for free at The Creative Pointe.

Remember, The Creative Pointe's super cute "Fall Set" can be purchased from Cut and Create.

Challenges:
City Crafter - #79 Harvest Festival

Pumpkin Welcome Sign

2011-10-16T07:00:00.053-04:00

As soon as I saw The Creative Pointe's "Fall Set", I knew exactly what I wanted to do with that pumpkin SVG! I gave this welcome sign to a friend for her birthday along with a yummy pumpkin-scented candle. It turned out so cute, that I wish I would have made one for myself!

The Details:

The Creative Pointe's super cute "Fall Set" can be purchased from Cut and Create.
I scaled the pumpkin SVG to approx. 10" wide and cut the solid back piece from patterned paper and the sections outline piece from solid card stock.
Once those were cut, I scaled the solid back piece down just a touch and cut two more pieces from scrap cardboard, making sure that the back of the pumpkin would be plain cardboard and not the cereal label! Layered up, this gives the pumpkin a good thickness for its size. Scaling the cardboard down just that little bit makes it a lot easier to make sure that everything lines up nice and neat and you don't have any extra cardboard showing on the front. (When I say "just a touch"...for example, if my front piece is 10.00", I would cut my back pieces at 9.80"...just a bit smaller.)
The sections outline was covered in a layer of Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint and sprinkled with two colors of glitter while the paint was still wet.
Distress Stains and Inks were used to create shadows and highlights.
I used Sure-Cuts-A-Lot to cut the "Welcome" text from green patterned paper, adhered it to the pumpkin, and covered it in a layer of Glossy Accents.

The large paper leaf is one that Cindy offers as a free SVG at The Creative Pointe. I used just the background portion here.

Some Stampin' Up! metal pieces glued on with Glossy Accents and strung with twine form the hanging apparatus.

To protect the decorative surface, I gave the finished piece a couple coats of Krylon Crystal Clear.

Challenges:
Fresh Brewed Designs - #67 Pumpkins

Free Digi Friday on Hiatus

2011-10-14T09:00:00.002-04:00

Hello dear followers,
Free Digi Friday will be on hiatus for a couple weeks while I am in North Carolina attending the High Point Furniture Market for my real job. (I love it, but it really gets in the way of playing in the craft studio sometimes!)

While I do have several posts scheduled and will be bringing you more Fall, Halloween, and other crafty goodness while I'm away from home, the digis will have to wait. However, I promise it will be worth the wait...I have a super cute one in mind for when I get back!

Boo Coaster Hanger (& A Confession)

2011-10-13T07:00:00.007-04:00

My name is Vicki, and I'm a craftaholic.

I've heard the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem...although, I admit...I don't know that I want to recover from this particular addiction! But the fact remains: that PayPal button is like a little devil on my shoulder whispering "buy it, buy it!" in my ear. I've gone a little crazy with the Crafty Steals, Flowers to Flourishes, and Molly's Square purchases lately...all stamp sets. They're just such a good DEAL!!

Okay, so I'm confessing to you because I've given myself a goal to make something from each and every one of those new sets. This Boo Coaster Hanger is the first (it will take me a while to work through them all).

Honestly, I was just playing around without much of a plan other than I had to use the Inkadinkado "Pumpkins Galore" stamp set. Halfway in, I didn't like it much...thought it was going to be a big flop. But I love the end result...yay! It's great when things come together suddenly and surprise you.

A Few Details & A Technique:

The base is a Papertrey Ink coaster covered in bright orange mulberry paper that was toned down with Rusty Hinge and Pumice Stone Distress Stains.

The purple tag is from K&Co's Studio 112 line. They come in packs of 24 and were in the $1 bin at JoAnn Etc!

The pumpkin was stamped in StazOn Jet Black, then colored with marker. I then covered the pumpkin and the stem in Glossy Accents. Technique: While the Glossy Accents was still wet, I added Peeled Paint Distresss Stickles to the stem and dragged them through the Glossy Accents up along the curve of the stem with a sewing needle, sort of mixing the Stickles and GA. On the pumpkin, I added dots of Orange Peel Stickles to where the design showed circles. These I did not blend and when everything dried, it looks like little gems set into the shiny surface of the GA...so cool! Give it a try!

Challenges:

Creative Card Crew - Spooky Fun

Come and Get It Challenges - Color Theme Week: Orange, Black & Purple

2 Sisters Challenge Blog - #60 Halloween

Drunken Stampers - Challenge #76 Halloween

The Secret Crafters Saturday Challenge - #155 Anything Goes As Long As It Sparkles
Grungy Monday - #22 A Holtz-ian Halloween
Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Simon Says Halloween / Goth
Simon Says Stamp & Show - Show Things With Wings (bat)

Supplies:
Paper: PTI coaster; mulberry paper; K&Co Studio 112 tag; Paper Adventures
Stamps: Inkadinkadoo ‘Pumpkins Galore’; Basic Grey ‘Boo’, ‘Spooky’
Inks: Distress Stain ‘Rusty Hinge’, ‘Pumice Stone’, ‘Chipped Sapphire’, ‘Aged Mahogany’; StazOn ‘Jet Black’; Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’
Embellishments: Distress Stickles ‘Peeled Paint’; Stickles ‘Black Diamond’, ‘Orange Peel’; Glossy Accents; Tim Holtz tissue tape ‘Symphony’; wire; ribbon

Tools: 3M foam tape; spray adhesive; hole punch

Trick or Treat Hanger

2011-10-11T07:00:00.003-04:00

I just love Halloween! And I just love making things for Halloween. Today, I'm sharing a Trick or Treat wall hanging I made using some left over cardboard, a phone book, some Inkadinkadoo stamps, and elements from My Mind's Eye "The Spider's Web".

Just a Couple Details:

I saved several pieces of cardboard from work that are just the perfect weight and size for decorative hangings (approx. 4"x8"). I used one for the base and covered it in torn pieces of an old phone book using Claudine Hellmuth Medium. It created such a fun black and white text background!

I created a simple rosette from black crepe paper and added sparkle to the edges with Black Soot Distress Stickles. Some stamped pumpkins form the centerpiece of the rosette, the front one accented with a layer of Glossy Accents.

Challenges:

Cupcake Craft Challenges - #163 Halloween

2 Sisters Challenge Blog - #60 Halloween

Drunken Stampers - #76 Halloween

Forever Night Challenges - Freaky Friday Challenge #12 Trick or Treat

Supplies:
Paper: My Mind’s Eye ‘The Spider’s Web’; recycled phone book page
Stamps: Inkadinkadoo
Inks: Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’, ‘Spiced Marmalade’; Distress Stain ‘Brushed Corduroy’, ‘Rusty Hinge’; Martha Stewart craft markers; StazOn ‘Jet Black’; Micron pen
Embellishments: Distress Stickles ‘Black Soot’; crepe paper; Glossy Accents; wire; ribbons
Tools: water pen; thread; needle; 3M foam tape; foam ink blending tool; Claudine Hellmuth Studio Multi Medium Matte; wire cutter
Misc: cardboard

Spooky Tree Ornament

2011-10-09T13:00:00.001-04:00

I used this week's Spooky Tree digital stamp to create a macabe Halloween ornament. Coloring the image was super quick and easy with the help of my Distress Stains. And I like the eeiry look that the blending colors lend to the image.

The Details:

I printed my image on SU! Sahara Sand cardstock and gave it a coat of Krylon Workable Fixatif. This is an important step when you plan on using markers, inks, or stains to color your printed images so that the printer ink does not smear. Just be sure to spray it outside or in a well ventilated area. I then adhered the image to a cardboard base and cut it out with my Coluzzle.
Starting in the center of the moon, I used a variety of Distress Stains in a circlular motion to color my creepy image. I colored the owl with marker.

A section of Tim Holtz filmstrip, some spooky stamps from Basic Grey, and touches of stickles finished off the oval. As a finishing touch, I added black and white baker's twine and a black crepe paper ruffle.

You may have noticed that the Black Soot Distress Stickle dots around the top right edge are not up to my usual standards. Well, that would be the work of one Mr. Dodger who got up on my craft table to play with the crepe paper while I was upstairs cooking dinner. By the time I realized it, the stickles were dry and I scraped away as much as I could, but darn those things stick well! Bad kitty!!

Supplies:
Paper: SU! cardstock ‘Sahara Sand’

Image: ‘Spooky Tree’ digital stamp by Paper Squirrel

Stamps: Basic Grey ‘Spooky’, ‘Boo’

Inks: Distress Stains ‘Spiced Marmalade’, ‘Bundled Sage’, ‘Pumice Stone’, ‘Crushed Olive’; Martha Stewart craft markers; SU! craft ‘Ruby Red’; StazOn ‘Jet Black’
Embellishments: The Beadery hemp cord; TH filmstrip; Glossy Accents; Stickles ‘Lime Green’; Distress Stickles ‘Fired Brick’, ‘Black Soot’

Tools: Coluzzle; inkjet printer; Krylon Workable Fixatif; TH paper distresser; hole punch

Free Digi Friday: Spooky Tree

2011-10-07T15:00:00.004-04:00

Another Friday, another Free Digi! Today's is a "Spooky Tree" that should be really fun for Halloween projects, so get crafting!

**EDITED**

Friday Free Digis are free for one week. This digital stamp is now available for purchase. To order, go to the side bar, enter the stamp name shown below and click 'buy now' to pay via Pay Pal.

Cost: $2.00

Stamp Name: Spooky Tree

I will email you the file within 24 hours of receiving payment.

Remember, Friday Free Digis are usually only free for one week, so become a follower, so you never miss out. :-)

Pumpkin Trio "Boo!" Card

2011-10-06T19:36:00.001-04:00

I wanted to show the versatility of this week's free "Pumpkin Trio" digital stamp for my example project and just love the result! While the pumpkins are perfect for the whole fall season as-is, I added scary jack-o-lantern faces for this Halloween card. Just a few triangles and circles with a black marker is all it takes...easy, peasy!

A Few Details:

The Pumpkin Trio was printed on K&Co pattern paper, layered on card stock, and fussy cut. After I drew on the faces, I used watercolor pencils and a blender pen to add more color and shading. The cut out image was adhered with foam tape for dimension and then covered in a layer of Glossy Accents to help it "pop".

The journal ATC was originally cream, but I used a combination of Distress Inks and Stains to make it just the right color, then distressed the edges and stamped "Boo" in black pigment ink.
I also custom-colored the gingham ribbon to fit my card...never be deterred by a "wrong" color! Distress Inks and Stains, and Alcohol Inks are great for modifying colors...Ranger just works wonders, don't they?

Challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks: Challenge #58 - Monochromatic

Charisma Cardz Challenges: #40 - Black & Orange

Paper Play Challenges: #40 - Autumnal Colours

Crafts & Me Challenges: #55 Use a Digi

Going Grey with Scrap-Creations: Fall

Tuesday Throwdown: #69 Halloween

The Pink Elephant: #TPE119 - Trick or Treat

Supplies:
Paper: K&Co pattern paper; Stampin’ Up! cardstock ‘Really Rust’

Image: ‘Pumpkin Trio’ digital stamp by Paper Squirrel

Stamps: Basic Grey ‘Boo’, ‘Halloween’

Inks: Distress Ink ‘Spiced Marmalade’, ‘Wild Honey’, ‘Vintage Photo’; Distress Stain ‘Rusty Hinge’; ColorBox pigment ink ‘Black’; LePen ‘Black’; SU! watercolor pencils; SU! blender pen
Embellishments: Oriental Trading Co. journal ATC; ribbon; staples; Glossy Accents

Tools: Tim Holtz paper distresser; foam ink blending tool; 3M foam tape; stapler

Misc: ink jet printer

Slow-Mo Scrapper, That's Me!

2011-10-04T08:00:00.003-04:00

Ask my family or any of my other scrapbooking buddies and they will tell you, I am an extremely SLOW scrapper! I just love the details and can sometimes get caught up in them. Last weekend's crop was not quite 1-1/2 days long and I finished 2 cards, 4 pages, and started 2 more pages, so I was on FIRE! :-)

Page #1 - my Mom's Birthday 2010

Pages #3 & 4 - My Nephew's High School Graduation 2010

I used the Cricut a lot this weekend for letters, but also used it on this page with one of The Creative Pointe's SVG files to create the header. I did alter the SVG (yes, you can do that with Sure-Cuts-A-Lot!) to remove the 2011 date since my nephew graduated in 2010. You can purchase this and all of Cindy's great SVGs from either Cut and Create or TKO Scraps.

Here's what the original file looks like:

Page #4 - Grandpa's Ring

The story of my Grandfather's signet ring and how it is now being passed down through the generations.

I'll share the cards I made in another post. Hope you enjoyed this peek at my scrap album.

We Have a Winner!

2011-10-03T18:47:00.000-04:00

Thank you all for joining in on the Card a Day Blog Christmas Card Hop this weekend. I hope you were inspired to start those holiday cards...it will be here before we know it!

And now for the winner of the Blog Candy....

drum roll.....

And the winner is #23 2amscrapper!!

Congratulations! Please email me your mailing address (see side bar for email link) and I'll get your goodies out in the mail.

CADB Christmas Blog Hop! Comfort & Joy

2011-10-02T05:00:00.006-04:00

Welcome to the Card A Day Blog Christmas Blog Hop - Day 2!

If you're here from Tina's blog, you're heading in the right direction. If you're starting here, well there's a whole list of fabulous blogs at the end of this post to go visit when you're done here.

The Christmas card I'm sharing today has a soft and delicate, non-traditional color palette that I just love! I'm also sharing some blog candy, so be sure to check that out, too! (Details at the end of this post).

The Details:

The card base is Stampin' Up! Bordering Blue. I cut another piece of Bording Blue smaller than the card base so that there is a 1/4" border all the way around. Before adhering to my card base, I embossed this smaller piece in a polka dot pattern, distressed the edges with the Tim Holtz paper distresser, and tinted the edges and dots with Old Paper Distress Ink.
The pattern papers are from My Mind's Eye. I used scallop decorative scissors on the vertical edges of the center diamond-ish pattern paper strip.

The centerpiece is constructed from a chipboard base layered with My Mind's Eye pattern paper. The greeting was stamped in the center using Coffee Archival ink. "Comfort" was colored in with marker and the starburst in "Joy" is accented with Old Paper Distress Stickles. The entire edge was also accented with Old Paper Distress Stickles for a sparkly vintage feel.

The final touches are ivory seam binding, some pearl stickers, and a netting and pearl spray. Don't forget to shop the bridal aisle for wonderful floral and accent sprays like this one!

And now for THE CANDY!!

How to win: It's easy! Just be a follower of Paper Squirrel and click HERE to leave a comment. Remember, you can leave one comment each day, so if you commented yesterday, you still have one more entry!

The Hop:
Thanks for stopping by...the link list below will help you on your way. If you didn't start from Card A Day Blog, then you'll want to continue from the top of the list with Karen's blog. Also, don't forget to enter the CADB Christmas Blog Hop Challenge for a chance at even MORE prizes. Each of the designers will be choosing something special and adding it to the grand prize package.

Happy Hopping!

Karin Adamczyk from ScrapperCreations
Adele Robbetze from nogardscreativecave
Christine Patton from Creative Genie-ous
Cindy Foster from Cindy's Creations
Cindy Pointe from The Creative Pointe
Janet White from Stamping At The White House
Kelly George from Sassy Scrapper Studio
Michelle Hessler from Paperthreads
Patricia Logan from MDN Creates
Shelley Bordeleau from Gardens Crafts 'n' More
Tina Campbell from Tina's Scrap Corner
You are Here! Vicki Schram from Paper Squirrel

Back to the Card a Day Blog to see who won the challenge.

Supplies:
Paper: SU! cardstock ‘Bordering Blue’; My Mind’s Eye The Merry Days of Christmas ‘All Aglow’
Stamps: Inkadinkadoo; SU!
Inks: Archival Ink ‘Coffee’; DI ‘Old Paper’; Martha Stewart craft marker ‘Cornflower Meadow’
Embellishments: Hug Snug seam binding ‘Ivory’; Distress Stickles ‘Old Paper’; pearls; Hobby Lobby bridal pick; Cuttlebug polka dot embossing folder; chipboard frame
Tools: foam tape; Texture Boutique; 3M foam tape; TH paper distresser; glue dots; scallop scissors foam ink blending tool

CADB Christmas Blog Hop! All Creatures Great & Small

2011-10-01T05:00:00.006-04:00

Welcome to the Card A Day Blog Christmas Blog Hop - Day 1!
If you're here from Tina's blog, you're heading in the right direction. If you're starting here, well there's a whole list of fabulous blogs at the end of this post to go visit when you're done here.

Sharing a Christmas card with you today that has a lovely folk art feel to it. I'm also sharing some blog candy, so be sure to check that out, too! (Details at the end of this post).

The Details:

The card base is Papertrey Ink Ripe Avocado. I stamped the border along the bottom in Versamark and "Merry Christmas" in Coffee Archival Ink.
The pattern papers are from My Mind's Eye. I used Sunflower decorative scissors on the top and bottom of the diamond-ish pattern paper.

The tree and creatures were also stamped in Coffee Archival ink and then accented with Glossy Accents and Crystal and Xmas Red Stickles. I cut around the image, distressed the edges with the Tim Holtz paper distresser and tinted them with Old Paper Distress Ink. This center piece is adhered using foam tape for dimension.

The final touches are ivory seam binding, a button, and some Papertrey Ink rustic button twine.

And now for...THE CANDY!!

How to win: It's easy! Just be a follower of Paper Squirrel and leave a comment below. Since the hop is for two days, you may leave one comment each day, so if you come back tomorrow, you'll double your chances to win! Plus, you'll see a whole new Christmas card idea.

The Hop:
Thanks for stopping by...the link list below will help you on your way. If you didn't start from Card A Day Blog, then you'll want to continue from the top of the list with Karen's blog. Also, don't forget to enter the CADB Christmas Blog Hop Challenge for a chance at even MORE prizes. Each of the designers will be choosing something special and adding it to the grand prize package.

Happy Hopping and see you back again tomorrow!

Karin Adamczyk from ScrapperCreations
Adele Robbetze from nogardscreativecave
Christine Patton from Creative Genie-ous
Cindy Foster from Cindy's Creations
Cindy Pointe from The Creative Pointe
Janet White from Stamping At The White House
Kelly George from Sassy Scrapper Studio
Michelle Hessler from Paperthreads
Patricia Logan from MDN Creates
Shelley Bordeleau from Gardens Crafts 'n' More
Tina Campbell from Tina's Scrap Corner
You are Here! Vicki Schram from Paper Squirrel

Back to Card a Day Blog to see who won the challenge.

Supplies:
Paper: PTI cardstock ‘Ripe Avocado’; My Mind’s Eye The Merry Days of Christmas ‘All Aglow’
Stamps: Inkadinkadoo; SU! ‘Many Merry Messages’
Inks: Archival Ink ‘Coffee’; DI ‘Old Paper’; Versamark
Embellishments: Glossy Accents; Stickles ‘Xmas Red’, ‘Crystal’; Hug Snug seam binding ‘Ivory’; button; PTI rustic button twine
Tools: foam tape; Fiskars scissors ‘Sunflower’; foam ink blending tool

Free Digi Friday: Pumpkin Trio

2011-09-30T06:00:00.005-04:00

Friday just couldn't come soon enough this week...hooray for the weekend! :-)

Today's free digi is a Pumpkin Trio that will work with all your fall projects from Halloween through Thanksgiving. Have fun creating!

(Jack-o-lantern faces are not part of the digital stamp.)

**EDITED**

Friday Free Digis are free for one week. This digital stamp is now available for purchase. To order, go to the side bar, enter the stamp name shown below and click 'buy now' to pay via Pay Pal.

Cost: $2.00

Stamp Name: Pumpkin Trio

I will email you the file within 24 hours of receiving payment.

Just a reminder that the Card A Day Blog Christmas Blog Hop starts tomorrow. Twelve members of the CADB Design Team will have some Christmas Card inspiration for you Saturday and Sunday and many will have blog candy (including me!). Don't miss out!

And never miss a free digi, please become a follower. :-)

Scrappin' This Weekend

2011-09-28T07:00:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited to be attending a scrapbooking event this weekend with my mom, sister, and good friend. Not only will it be fun, but it's in support of a great cause as well. Mary's Dream - Living Without Fear was started in honor of Mary Lynn Babb after she was stalked and killed by her abusive ex-husband. My sister, Cindy (The Creative Pointe), worked with Mary, so this tragedy really hit close to home. Each year since her death, Mary's family holds several different fundraisers, one of which is this scrapbooking event. Mary's Dream also works to educate and bring about legislation to help protect victims of domestic violence.

Here we are, the Fabulous Scrap Queens at last year's event. It's not every day past the age of seven that a girl can wear hot pink, a tiara, kiddie costume earrings, and practice her "royal" wave!

With that said, I've officially entered "crazy time" at work in preparation for our big bi-annual trade show. In trying to stay organized and ahead of things this week, I packed up my stash for this fabulous weekend and *gasp* failed to create an example using the Pumpkin Scarecrow! So sorry, dear followers! Something tells me you will bear with me, especially since there's so much goodness coming your way this weekend!

Friday...well of course, it's a new free digi!
Saturday...Day 1 of the Card a Day Blog Christmas Blog Hop. A Christmas Card for inspiration and there's BLOG CANDY!!
Sunday...Day 2 of the CADB Christmas Blog Hop. Another inspiring Christmas Card and another chance at candy!

So the morals of this story?

Check out Mary's Dream - Living Without Fear and don't let someone you love (including yourself) live with domestic violence.
Don't pack your stuff before making example projects (oh wait, that one's just for me).
Come back on Friday!
Come back on Saturday!
Come back on Sunday!

Scare-dy Cat Card

2011-09-26T10:00:00.016-04:00

Finally, here is the last card in the series using using Tim Holtz's "Mini Halloween" stamp set from Stamper's Anonymous. All four cards feature the same stamp set and pattern papers, but I think this one is my favorite.

The Details:

The backgound is Stampin' Up! Basic Black with the spiderweb stamped in white pigment ink and distressed with Old Paper DI.
I made a rosette out of black crepe paper and layered on a scalloped circle of the dot pattern paper that I colored with Rusty Hinge Distress Stain. To this, I added the scaredy cat, cut out and highlighted with glossy accents. His eyes are colored with green marker and have dots of Lime Green stickles for a little mischevious sparkle (much like my Ollie's green eyes).

I recycled a telephone book page and used it here as a ruffle. To prep, I first crinkled it, then colored it with Rusty Hinge Distress Stain, then tore the edges once it was dry.
I again used my 7 Gypsies border punch to create a cute border strip, but this time ran orange cardstock behind it and added dots of Walnut Stain Distress Stickles.

Here's the completed series. You can see that I used common elements and colors, but each card has it's own unique layout and focal point.

Challenges:

Supplies:
Paper: SU! cardstock ‘Basic Black’, ‘Naturals Ivory’, ‘Really Rust’; My Mind’s Eye ‘The Spider’s Web’; Bo Bunny Press ‘Dem Bones’; recycled phone book page

Stamps: Stamper’s Anonymous TH ‘Mini Halloween’

Inks: DI ‘Old Paper’; StazOn ‘Jet Black’; Distress Stain ‘Rusty Hinge’; Martha Stewart craft markers; SU! Craft ‘White’
Embellishments: Distress Stickles ‘Walnut Stain’; crepe paper; Glossy Accents; Stickles ‘Lime Green’; button; PTI rustic button twine

Tools: heat gun; thread; needle; Fiskars scallop circle punch; 7 Gypsies border punch kit; glue dots; foam ink blending tool

Crow Halloween Card

2011-09-25T09:00:00.002-04:00

Today's card is number three in the series using Tim Holtz's awesome "Mini Halloween" stamp set. All four cards feature this same stamp set and pattern papers. It was so fun to reorganize and rearrange the elements to create four unique cards.

A Couple Details:

The "moon" behind the crow is punched circle of the polka-dot paper, but colored with Brushed Corduroy Distress Stain.
I used glossy accents on the crow and adhered him with foam tape to give him a little dimension.

I used my 7 Gypsies border punch kit on the skeleton paper, then ran some ribbon through the holes. The ribbon was a little bright, so I deepened the color with Distress Stain.

If you missed them, check out the first two cards in the series:

The last card is coming soon...it's my favorite! :-)

Supplies:
Paper: My Mind’s Eye ‘The Spider’s Web’ PTI card stock ‘Kraft’; Bo Bunny Press ‘Dem Bones’; SU! cardstock ‘Naturals Ivory’
Stamps: Stamper’s Anonymous TH ‘Mini Halloween’; Canadian Maple Collections
Inks: DI ‘Old Paper’; StazOn ‘Jet Black’; Versamark; Distress Stain ‘Brushed Corduroy’
Embellishments: ribbon; button; PTI rustic button twine; Glossy Accents
Tools: circle punch; 3M foam tape; glue dots; foam ink blending tool; TH paper distresser; scallop scissors; Fiskars corner rounder punch; 7 Gypsies border punch kit; aqua pen

Free Digi Friday: Pumpkin Scarecrow

2011-09-23T07:00:00.002-04:00

Happy Friday, ya'll! It's time for another free digi. This happy Pumpkin Scarecrow would love to be included on your Fall projects. Have fun creating!

**EDITED**

Friday Free Digis are free for one week. This digital stamp is now available for purchase. To order, go to the side bar, enter the stamp name shown below and click 'buy now' to pay via Pay Pal.

Cost: $2.00

Stamp Name: Pumpkin Scarecrow

I will email you the file within 24 hours of receiving payment.

Please become a follower so you never miss a free digi (and lots of other fun, too)!

Vino Basket Tag

2011-09-22T19:40:00.002-04:00

I hope you liked the basket fill digis from the past few weeks. I used this week's "Vino Basket Fill" to create a fancy gift tag for...well, what else...a bottle of wine! I left the back of the tag plain and clean so that I can address it with to/from and maybe a brief message to the recipient.

A Few Details:

The basket SVG and tag were cut using Sure-Cuts-A-Lot and my Cricut. SCAL comes with a lot of basic shape files and this tag was one of them. I love that I can scale everything to suit my exact wants and needs (how often do you get to say that in life?!). The tag measures approx. 3" wide x 5.5" tall.
If you haven't downloaded the basket yet, the SVG and print-and-cut files are still available at The Creative Pointe.
I printed the Vino Basket Fill digi on Stampin' Up! Almost Amethyst cardstock and sprayed it with a light layer of Krylon Workable Fixatif to set the ink. I then used SU! watercolor pencils and an aqua pen to color the image.

Since I only left myself *just* enough room at the bottom of the tag for "Celebrate", I used my handy-dandy Stamp-a-ma-jig to position the word perfectly. Do you have a Stamp-a-ma-jig? I don't use it all the time, but when you really need to stamp it right the first time, it's the best!

And here's what it looks like dressing up that bottle of vino:

Tomorrow brings a new digi, so don't forget to snag the "Vino Basket Fill" digi while it's still free!

Challenges:

Just for Fun: Any Shape with More than Four Edges
Southern Girls Challenge: #28 - Anything Goes
Deep Ocean Challenge Blog: #8 - Lace

Supplies:
Paper: SU! cardstock ‘Almost Amethyst’, ‘Going Grey’; DCWV; K& Co; scrap pattern paper
Image: ‘Vino Basket Fill’ digital stamp by Paper Squirrel
SVG: ‘Basket’ by The Creative Pointe
Stamps: SU! ‘Wonderful Words’
Inks: Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’, ‘Crushed Olive’; Ranger Archival Ink ‘Coffee’; SU! watercolor pencils
Embellishments: Webster’s Pages designer trim; Hobby Lobby crocheted lace ribbon; Papertrey Ink rustic button twine
Tools: aqua pen; foam ink blending tool; scallop scissors; foam tape; Tim Holtz paper distresser; hole punch; Cricut Expresssion; Sure-Cuts-A-Lot; ink jet printer; Stamp-a-ma-jig; Krylon Workable Fixatif
Misc: scrap cardboard