Thinking of you Card ... an embossed embossing technique

Hi and welcome to my blog! I love trying new techniques for papercrafting and this week over at The Friday Mashup they have a challenge for us to try  heat embossing on a dry embossed card... there's a link for those who haven't tried this technique yet.
Here's the info:

 

 

This week's Mashup Challenge:

• Create a project with an "Antique Style, element or theme".
• Create a project using the "Embossed Embossing technique" (tutorial) .
• or Mash it Up! and create an "Antique project using the Embossed Embossing Technique". 

 

I'm combining my card with the current  Friday challenge over at Frosted Designs which is to use recycled materials and homemade flowers. 

 

This is my card for both challenges........

 

 

 

I had lots of fun with this technique!!! First , I embossed a piece of leftover ledger paper with a Tim Holtz embossing folder and then used my brayer to layer some Versaink before sprinking  TH embossing powder in Old Paper and then heat set it. To give it a more aged look, I stenciled some stains and then distressed and inked the edges. This certainly has an antique feel to it already. I made some flowers using a Stampin Up! punch for the larger flowers and my Cricut and the Art Philosophy cartridge for the smaller ones. The sentiment is an oldie from Close To My Heart called Thoughtful Seasons. My recycled items are some cheesecloth ,some dark brown hemp and buttons. To finish up the vintage look, I added a metal key and flower and a few gemstones.

 

 That's my card for today... thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 



Winter Banner

Hi all! It maybe be only 15 days till spring but right now its look like winter is just beginning! I'm so ready for warmer days but I guess I'll have to wait a little longer!! Thankfully, there are so many fun winter projects out there for inspiration. I saw a few really cute winter banners on Pinterest and decided that I needed to make my own.

 

I used my Cricut for the banner shapes and the images were from the Artbooking and Art Philosophy  cartridges. The letters were some old chipboard ones I covered with some of the dsp from Stampin' Up! I love the blue, white and silver colors...what do you think??

 

I also made this welcome wall hanging .....

 

 

 

I found a free snowman applique online and imported it to my Silhouette and then just cut it out and appliqued it together!! The border is Newfoundland tartan fabric , so I may have to make one of these for my SIL who lives across the country! The felt snowflakes on the dowel actually wine glass charms, but they are better used here!!!

 

Anyway, those are a few of my winter projects.... I hope to be doing some spring ones soon!

Thanks for stopping by.... have a great day!!

 

 

Hello there!!!

Hello ! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!! It's been a while since I sat down to write a few words for my blog.... Christmas was a fun filled ( and a bit crazy at times) couple of weeks. I actually had to drag myself into my craft room and start cleaning up from all the pre-Christmas creating frenzy!!! Oh what a mess!!! I had everything from papercraft projects to gift wrapping and  wreath making stuff and even sewing notions all over my room!!! Oh how I wish I had a cleaning genie to take care of it but nope, my mess = me spending a whole evening cleaning!! It's somewhat normal now so I can sit down at my desk and actually make something. Actually, I got inspired to create when I started finding some great stuff all hidden away... take a look:

 

 

With the exception of the card base, this card was made entirely with odds and ends I found during my epic cleaning event! The striped paper has a lovely glittery feel to it without being overbearing and at some point I embossed the sentiment from CTMH .The snowflake was made with my Art Philosophy cartridge ( and Cricut, of course).The stamped image is from Impression Obsession. I bought this one about two years ago and although I love it , I haven't used it much. I love the lovely t sled scene - it reminds me of the sled my grandfather made that we used to play with. I think this would make a lovely thank you card or even a winter birthday card .

 

I also used more scraps to make this simple Pinterest inspired card:

 

 

Everything for this card came out of my piles of stuff that was threatening to take over. The label is a Waltzingmouse stamp and the greeting is a Fiskars stamp. The rest is leftovers ( just as yummy as turkey but less stuffing!!)

 

Thanks for stopping by today ..... Happy New Year!!

 

 

 

 

 

Getting ready for Christmas

Hi blogger friends!!! It's been snowing here the last couple of days and it's really beginning to have that Christmas-y feeling . This kind of weather gets me in the mood for some Christmas crafting .... and since I have a few card classes coming up soon, there's no time like the present to get started!! Here's a few cards  I've come up with......

 

This is made with the Cricut and the CTMH  Art Philosophy cartridge. The ornament was cut at 3.5" using  CTMH Topiary cardstock for the top layer and Pear cardstock for the base. The dp is from last year's Recollections X-mas paper pad and the red mat was cut with my Silhouette ( purchased cutfile from Silhouette online) in Poppy Parade and matted with white cardstock. The joy& peace sentiment is from an old set I've had for awhile ( unknown source) and the two shades of seam binding ribbon are from Stampin' Up! - I still have lots of product left from my Demo days. I think I will added some bling to the holly leaves on this ornament.

 

 

 

Here's the second card.....

 

 

This made with the Artbooking cartridge and stamps from CTMH. The adorable snowman is from Flakey Friends and the sentiment is from Very Merry Christmas. Such a fun little card to make ... I think the ladies in my group are gonna love it!!!

 

 

And finally, the third card....

 

 

This was the quickest card I've made in sooo long!!! Really, it's just pine leaves ( from Silhouette) formed into a wreath with a simple bow and some bling for the berries. The sentiment is a Waltzingmouse Stamps set called Ornate Ornaments, inked in black. The paper is also from 2012 Recollections Christmas line .I still have a bit left and really must use it up before I start on my new papers!!!!

Well, those are my newest Christmas cards... hope you enjoyed them!! Thanks for visiting my blog today!! Have a great day!!

 

 

Felt Fall Banner

Good morning bloggers! Fall is here ( officially it arrived this past weekend, but I'm late posting!!!!!! ) - it's my favorite season! I love all those gorgeous colors and the crisp days and how about all those fab fall décor ideas ????  I saw a cute little banner on Pinterest ( my go-to place for just about everything these days!!) , which was made by BoBunny fabrics, I think (. Click here to see my pin.) Since I didn't have any of the super cute fabric I had to make do with what I could find in my stash and here's my take on the banner....

 

 

I cut letters on my Silhouette on scrap cardstock first - couldn't get my machine to successfully cut felt- and then traced on felt and handcut them out. I used the Art Philosophy for the banner shapes and repeated the same cut-trace steps for the felt base, and all the shapes but I was with my  able to cut the fabric with my Cricut. The leaves, except the first one, are also from the same cartridge and the owl is from Give a Hoot. I added a little stitching to the banner base and shapes with X- stitching floss , which really finishes them up. The buttons and flowers are all from my stash as well as the eyelets ( ohhh, haven't used my eyelet setter in ages!!!!) and the hemp twine is from Walmart.

 This was a fun and fairly simple project to make .... I'm already thinking of ideas for a winter banner.

 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today... have a great day!!

 

 

 

It's sketch time at Jingle Belles!

Happy Saturday!! It's sketch time over at Jingle Belles , which was created by this week's guest belle , Allison Fillo:







I love sketches- they eliminate so much of the guesswork , which allows more time for creating !!!


Here's my take on the sketch:

 

I found a tutorial link on Pinterest for making my own Chevron backgrounds with Washi tape - it was so easy and I have enough left over to make another card! I pulled out my Art  Philosophy cartridge and matching CTMH stamp set, Snowflakes, for the snowflake and border and Holiday Commentary for the inside sentiment. The carsdstock is SU! and the papers are from my stash(MME). I used SU's Going Grey, Poppy Parade and CTMH's  Sunset ink for all the stamping .

 

Well, I'm off to enjoy this gorgeous day.... thanks for stopping by ! Have a great weekend!

 

Birthday card and Gift bag

Hi all! I'm back! My internet connection was seriuosly messed up these past few weeks because of all the stormy weather we've been having!!! Ah, but now the sun is shining and my internet is glitch -free ( for now!!) and I can start sharing some projects again!!! Yup, life is good!!!

Recently, we celebrated a friend's bday - I had some jewelery for her so I wanted so pretty packaging for it. I pulled out some pretty papers and my Cricut and started.... here's what I made:

 

Aren\t these so pretty and girly??? I love the papers in the Recollections " Today Tomorrow Forever" collection. I hardly ever use an entire paper pad up, but this one is disappearing quickly!

 

 

This set has so many fab patterns .... definitely money well spent!!

 

 

 

I used my Cricut to create the label for the cardfront and stamped a Verve greeting with CTMH's Juniper ink, which happens to be a perfect match for the polka dot paper ... I love it when that happens!!! The flower is from Wild Orchard crafts and the ribbon was purchased at a local craft store.

 

 

Here's the lil' gift bag ( cut  with Artiste cart) - it's the perfect size for small jewelery, giftcards or even a yummy treat. I added a  rolled flower ( made with Art Philosophy) I sponged the tisuue paper in CTMH Sorbet ink and stamped 'celebrate" all over and then ran it through a hand held embosser .... trust me , it's so cute!!! The flourish behind the flower is a die from Memory Box and the polka dot ribbon is old SU! stuff.

 

This was a quick project , and now that my mojo is back , I'm off to create!!!

Thanks for stopping by today.... enjoy the rest of your day!!!

 

Simple birthday card

Hi! I have a quick card to share today. I just made it .... no challenges, no reason , just because! Sometimes it's nice just to make something, isn't it??

 

This was made using mainly scraps leftover from a previous project. I was about to sort the papers ,but then I found this tag ( it actually has a snowman stamped on the other side!!) and just started creating. The card is cut out from Art Philosophy .... the inside didn't have the scallops so I used a small circle punch to get the same edge as the outside. Lots of stuff from my stash used here.... the ribbon, button,cardstock... yup, it's all geeting good use here!!!

 

 

 

Here's the inside, with a Fiskars birthday greeting stamped inside.More scraps of paper for the banner and a Soft Suede square for the greeting mat. Super easy.... just what I need right now!!!

 

Thanks for visiting my blog today.... have a great day!

Valentine's Day card

Happy Friday! I have a Valentines Day  card to share with you . Since Valentine's Day is really not that far away , I'm trying to get a head start on my cardmaking. I made this card for my hubby.....

 

My DH gave me a Silhouette Cameo for Christmas , which I love!!! I purchased the "Key to my Heart" cutfile from the online file. I love that I can color this file right on my Silhouette  , print it (on my printer) and then cut it out on my SC . But for this particular card, I kept things pretty simple ( hubby likes CAS !), so I just cut it out on American Crafts black cardstock. This is my fav paper for both my Cricut and Cameo - it cuts so smoothly and doesn't leave a mess of  paper fibers behind. CTMH cardstock is also nice for these machines.

Anyhooo, back to my card! The vintage looking papers are from Glitz . The lace trim is from Melissa Frances and the inside greeting is a Tim Holtz stamp ( I love that it looks like I hand wrote it!!). The edges are inked with CTMH's Sorbet ink and finished off with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. The metal hearts were purchased at Walmart and I think they are for jewelery making but I'd rather it on a card!! I diecut the doily heart on my Cricut using my go-to cartridge, Art Philosophy. Again I inked it up with Sorbet.

 

I'm entering this card over at Cut It Up for their In With The New Challenge #10.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today .....have a great weekend!!!

 

 

 

 

Mojo Monday 273

Hi all! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones. This season seems to go by way too fast... already New Years is just around the corner! I haven't done much crafting this month ... way too busy, but I did get a new toy to play with....a Silhouette Cameo! I love it , even though I still have much to learn!! Hopefully, I'll have a Silhouette project to share, but right now I  have a Mojo Monday card to share....

Here's the sketch..

 

 

 

I cut the heart with my Cricut, using the Art Philosophy cartridge. The paper has a  sheen to it which doesn't show very well in the pic , but trust me , it's quite lovely! The mulberry flower is from Wild Orchid Crafts and the ribbon and cardstock are from my ever-shrinking stash of Stampin' Up! supplies. The woodgrain paper is from a  Michaels paperstack.

 

I love this love stamp from Tim Holtz!

 

Well, that's my card... hope you enjoyed!!!

 

 

 

 

I wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas tags

Hi all!! Wow, it has been awhile since I last posted!! Decemeber has just flown on by.... we are less than an a week away from the Big Day!! It's been crazy busy around our household and I never did seem the time to edit and post my projects that I've been working on.
I have  some gift tags to share with you today....

 

 

 

 

 

All these tags were made using my Cricut and the following cartridges:

Art Philosophy, Simply Charmed,and Wrap it Up.

 

The stamps are from Close To My Heart. Most of the papers are just odds and ends from my stash.

 

 I have a few new projects that I hope I can get ready to be posted soon!!

 

Thanks for stopping by today!!!

 

 

 

Polarbear buddies card / Mojo Monday 268

Hi ! Well it's Monday, the start of another week and just a few short weeks 'till Christmas! many of my FB friends have Christmas countdowns added to their wall! Yikes, that only reminds me of how little time I have to get my shopping done- since I live in a rural area that means long drives or many hours searching and/or shopping online!!! I'd rather spend my computer time on crafty blogs !!!

I did manage to convince my DH to do some browsing for techy stuff!!!  I, meanwhile, used my "extra" time playing along with Mojo Monday ..... sooooo love their sketch this week !

 

For my card I grabbed an older stamp of mine. This stamp caught my eye when I first saw it and I just had to have it ( How many times have I said that!! LOL) 

 

 

It's a fairly large stamp ( 4.5x 4.75") and I've struggled to be able to succesfully  incorporate it into my cardmaking. So for much too, it has sat neglected. I nearly got rid of it a time or two, but I just adore the image! 

 Then I got to thinking  of new ways to use it.....

 

 

  I stamped the big bear on a circle and then stamped the little bear and tree on a scrap piece of white cardstock and joined them together! The snowflake and sentiment are from CTMH's Snowflakes set. This is quickly becoming a much used and favorite set of mine! I love that my Cricut cuts the perfect mat for the snowflake... saves a bunch time!!!

 

 

 

By cutting out the smaller bear , I was able to offset it a bit and a few foamdots added some dimension. More paper from my Xmas stash from last year . I used some Stickles and Copics to add color. A glittery snowflake completes this card nicely, I think.

 

Here's inside the  card..........

 

 

Isn't that greeting so cute??!! This card doesn't necessarily have to be a Christmas card... it could be just a fun winter-themed one instead!!

 

I hoped you've enjoyed my card today .... thanks for stopping by!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gift bag topper Tutorial

Hi all! I thought I'd post how I made my custom sized topper for  giftbags. The gift bag that used was a kraft bag ( from Walmart) that measured 6.5X3" and was 9" high. You can adapt these instructions to fit just about any size gift bag.

Supplies used:
cardstock - 8.5X11 was used for this project
patterned paper for decorating
scoring tool /bone folder
paper trimmer
strong adhesive - I used the red sticky tape
Exacto knife and ruler

 This is so super easy!!!! Just a few simple steps.......

 

Trim cardstock to 7X10.5". If you have a smaller or larger szed bag , then measure the base and add 2" to each side ( or less if you want it to be smaller). Score at 2' on all sides. Score all corners at diagonal, as indicated in the pic above. If you wish, you can use a border punch on the outside edges .. just start at the 2" score line.

 

 

With your ruler and Exacto knife, cut two slots for the handles.  Then fold the corners inward. I added sticky tape to the inside , and the outside of the corner to make sure it stayed stuck together.

Once you've folded and adhered all the corners, it should look like this! Simple, huh?

Now comes the fun part, let your imagination take over and decorate your giftbag topper!! Here's mine....

 

 

I stamped the bag with CTMH 's Ornamental Cheer set and made a matching ornament tag with my Cricut and Art Philosophy for the topper. The ribbon and dp are from my stash of leftovers.

 

I hope you've enjoyed this quick tutorial...I'd love to see your creations- email me a link to what you've made!!

Thanks for stopping by today...... have a wonderful rest of your day!!