Sunday, February 27, 2011

Sunday Snippet Card - Week 8




I had so much fun making this card. I've been kicking this idea around for weeks and finally decided to turn it into a real card.

I actually like this little card so much I might make a few more. The hardest part of it was that little flag piece; next time I'm just going to color it instead of cutting it out of cardstock. LOL

The adorable sailboat is from Verve's Text Objects set and the sentiment is from SU!s Teeny Tiny Wishes (a much favored set of mine). Everything is paper pieced or punched with the sails and sun popped up on demensionals. I made the sun by punching out a circle (1 3/8ths inch) and then cutting inward from the outer edge to an imagined center circle in semi even intervals. Once all the cuts were done, I folded every other cut piece towards the center, trimmed them half way down the length, and then applied a layer of glue to the backsides to adhere them to the underside of the center. I like how it turned out.

All the paper used to make this card is from the scrap bin (snippets) so I'm not too sure on a couple of the colors. My best guess is as follows: Summer Sun (??), Real Read, Lovely Lilac, Brilliant Blue (??), Tempting Turquoise, Cool Caribbean and Whisper White. The white sail is from a piece of DP that was covered in little hearts on branches. No clue who made it as it is years old. The ink is Basic Black.



Thanks for looking in.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Happiness is a Journey



This card is for today's Splitcoast Stampers Clean and Simple challenge (CAS107.)

My personal belief is that a CAS card should come together quickly; as in 30 minutes or less ...... not an hour and 15 minutes. I also believe that making a card should be stress free ... especially a CAS card. I will admit, this card was going along just fine, coming together quickly and just as I envisioned it; then it came time for the bow.

First, I have to ask myself "Why ... oh why when I know I'm crap at making bows do I continue to add them to my cards?" Is it an Irish Italian thing? Is the combined stubbornness of both nationalities just that great that I refuse to let a bow win? Apparently so. Yes once again the bow won the battle for supremacy. If bows were sentient beings, I'd say they hated me .. .with a passion. Not to worry though, because the feeling is mutual. Complex, simple, one knot or more, I cannot make a bow. **sigh** Just in case there is any doubt .... I loathe bows. :p

About the card: Aside from the bow; I'm really pleased with how this one came out. I've had this Close To My Heart set for some time and it's finally seeing ink. I actually bought it for scrapbooking one of my trips to London as it has some wonderful architectural elements in it, but I think its suits well for a card too. I used SU!s Shimmery White, Basic Black card stock and Basic Black and Going Gray inks. I tried to stamp off the background once to get the right lightness, but I couldn't get it to work on the test paper so I switched to the Going Gray ink. The brad and ribbon are also SU! and the pins are Maya Road's Vintage Pearls. I debated on whether or not to add a small splash of color to this, but have decided to let it go for now. I might try it in Photoshop just to see how it looks.


PS: Is the background stamp looking a bit greenish on your screens? It is on mine but its actually grey, and looks really nice IRL.

So that's it for now, thank you for stopping in.
Carole :)

Silhouette Birdhouse


This simple little card is for Splitcoast Stampers Ways to Use It #310 challenge which was to use a silhouette stamp (black ink only).

I've had this stamp kicking around for at least a year, if not longer, and this is the first time it has seen ink. I don't even want to take a wild stab at the number of my stamps that have never seen ink, it's a complete shame and waste to boot.

This pretty didn't take long and it allowed me to break into a new Kaisercraft 6x6 paper pack called Secret Bird Society. I used the piece with the softest colors just to make sure the stamp didn't get lost in the background. I used Basic Black Craft on the birdhouse and sentiment so there would be a bit of texture to an otherwise plain layout. I used retired Sage Shadow to compliment the main panel as it matched up better with the lovely sage feathers than Apricot Appeal. The wider layer of Sage is stamped with a feather stamp from Crafty Secrets Bird Notes; which has seen a lot of ink time over the years. Each layer was framed out in basic black to balance out the black silhouette. The simple sentiment is SU!s Teeny Tiny Wishes set which is really awesome for cards like this where a big sentiment is too much, and no sentiment looks incomplete. Last I added some scraps of ribbon from another retired SU! product called Ribbon Originals - District.

So this is it. Really super simple but I like how it turned out.
Thank you for stopping by.
Carole

Sunday, February 13, 2011

SCS Challenges - Inspiration and Featured Stamper

It was nice to do some crafting today. After being home so much over the last several weeks due to weather, work was pretty harsh this last week and I wasn't able to do any creating. Long hours had me crawling home and falling straight into bed each night, only to have that blasted alarm go off within minutes (well it seemed like minutes) of my head hitting the pillow. But we should be caught up by Tuesday and back to a normal pace by weeks end.

This first card is for the Sunday Featured Stamper challenge at SCS. I cased this lovely card by Willow. I used SU!'s Shimmery White card stock and two old "In" colors; Marigold Morning and Tangerine Tango and accented with basic black. Not sure who makes the EF but it ripped every piece of paper I tried; I even moistened it, but it still cracked. Oh well, just adds to the creative process. I used both the Marigold and Tangerine on the butterfly by dabbing the edges before stamping. The lovely DP is Basic Grey's Ambrosia. The whole card has a nice shimmer and looks much nicer IRL.




This second card is for the Saturday Inspiration challenge at SCS where the idea is to use the provided pictures, or in this case site, and create a card. This week Stef sent us to a blog site for weddings called Santa Barbara Chic. I admit I spent the better part of last night and well into the early hours of the morning looking at everything and clicking on the links provided. One of the features on this blog are regular posts titled "Shoesday" where the picture is of a very chic pair of shoes. In my youth I was always buying chic shoes, loved my shoes. I'd even go without food to get my hands on a cute pair of shoes...... hmmmm... maybe that is why I was so thin. I may have to take up this obsession again. LOL
Anyway, this post was the inspiration for my card.

I made this card after the FS card so I had plenty of black and shimmery white scraps which makes it qualify for Jules Crafty Snippet Challenge at Always With A Heart. Drop on over to visit Jules, she does some really amazing cards with her scraps.

Both cards are made with SU!s Bliss set. This one is fast becoming my favorite.

Thank you for stopping in.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Sunday Scrap Bin Card




This card is for a challenge that the wonderful and creative Jules at Always With A Heart has going. The challenge is to only use scraps; no cutting into a new sheet of DP, card stock or ribbon. No stamping other than piece work, or a sentiment; embellishments are ok; even better if its made from scraps. This card is also for SCS Saturday Inspiration challenge #270.

It's a bit early for my Sunday submission, however I wanted to get this up as I'm going out tonight for my best friends 40th birthday celebration. I have one other scrap card in the works which I hope to finish up tomorrow.

For this card I used textured whisper white and purely pomegranate from SU, one Kaisercraft pearl and a wonderful pewter heart by Magenta which I've had for years. The card is just shy of 5x5, and the frame layers have some blemishes that are well hidden by the stacking. The bottom frame layer has a big scallop hole right in the middle of it. LOL I used Prismacolor Premier FIne Marker to write the simple "i love you". Super easy card, obviously, but I really like it.

The inspiration for this card came from a site called Uncommon Goods, and I selected this piece of art as my inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Day Four of Dallas Under Winter Conditions

Standing in my front door, looking directly across the street.



Standing in my front doorway looking south.



Standing in my garage looking into the alley and at my poor PT buried in 6 inches of snow. Not to mention the ice that is still sitting under that snow.



I don't know how people live in harsh winter climates. I can't begin to imagine how they deal with ice and snow that falls in massive quantities compared to what Dallas has been getting these last few days. Granted, Dallas is simply not equipped to handle this kind of weather whereas the regions where this is common do have a means. But there are still those days when even areas known for their winter weather have to give way to nature. My hat is off to everyone that lives under these conditions and handles it without going bat-shit-crazy; because .... it's day four here and I'm crafted out, can't bring myself to watch the idiot box and have no desire to curl up with a book. I just want to get in one of my cars and drive somewhere. Even to the mall if thats the only choice. Which is really saying something because I'm one of only a handful of women in the world that loathes shopping and shopping malls. LOL

With all that said, it sure is pretty out. Very quiet and peaceful. That's the one thing about snow in Dallas, no one goes out so the traffic and other outdoor noise pollution ceases. I swear you can hear the snow flakes hitting the ground. :)

I think I'll open the blinds and hope for a squirrel or bunny to venture out.

Love With a Few Small Hearts

This one is for Jules .......



...............Hearts!!

I have to admit, this one almost found a permanent home on the trash bin, but was saved from that fate in the final moments.

Thursdays Ways To Use challenge was to incorporate hearts into a card. Easy ....... I pulled out my BG Bittersweet which has a lovely heart pattern, along with the coordinating brads; grabbed a few matching selections of card stock and ribbon then followed that up with the clipboard. I mean how hard can it be to lay down paper that is already coordinating and then add a sparkly "love" center? Apparently too flipping hard for me.

For those of you that love your Basic Grey 6x6 pads and hoard them like they are gold, you will know my pain. I wasted 6 sheets of my wonderful Bittersweet, and to make matters worse, it is my last pad. *sob* I know how I wanted to lay this out but no matter how I arranged, cut, layered the CS and DP, it just looked cluttered, sloppy. I would piece the darn thing together, stick it in the photo box, take a picture and then rip it apart. This went on for 4 hours, nothing was working.

I finally became so frustrated that I ripped the main element off (the Love on the oval center), tossed it in the bin along with all my lovely wasted Bittersweet and then stomped off to bed like some spoiled child. I tossed and turned for about 30 minutes then told myself to get back out there and just slop the main element on a piece of white, tie a bow on it and call it done. Once I did that, I added the two heart pins behind the bow and pearls to the LOVE.

**sigh** And that is how this card came to be. It's really much prettier in real life. I think the glimmer mist, which is on the LOVE, is giving the clipboard a different color. For once all the pinks match up nicely which isn't really coming through in the picture. The oval is popped up along with the two levels of the LOVE so this card has a high side profile. In the picture the pearls seem to jump out but IRL they blend nicely, matching the darker pin heart perfectly.

So thats it; that is the progression of this cards creation. I would like to tell you that this was a one off and that normally I don't rip my cards apart half a dozen times before I am satisfied with them; but that would be a big fat lie. I work this way (sans the mini temper display) on 90% if my cards. I think I have a warped view of my own work. I took a picture of my workspace so you can see some of the larger elements that are still sitting there, it's not pretty.

Thank you for stopping in, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Supplies:
Ink: Blushing Bride - SU!
Paper: Purely Pomegranate and Natruals White - SU!
Extras: Pink Taffy Glimmer Mist (on LOVE); We R Memory Makers clipboard; Maya Road heart pins; Kaiser Craft pearls; BG Bittersweet brad; Michaels $1 ribbon; Spellbinders die

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Ice... Ice... Everywhere

There are perks to being frozen in and it's called card making. I save/reclaim three hours a day by working from home and not trekking into the office; and I've been putting those hours to some fun use.


This lovely card is for my best friends birthday on Saturday. The original design is by Linda Keal who graciously allowed me to case this beauty. Her original Nested Box and cards can be found here. I used Linda's box design as the card. I changed the hearts to a flower and added a bit more SU! News Print DP and added a scalloped card base. I tried to get a shot of the inside, but the following picture was the best I could do.

Thank you Linda for letting me case this gorgeous design.




Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Bliss and retired French Script; Verve Big Wish
Paper: SU! Concord Crush, Very Vanilla, News Print DP
Extras: Imaginisce flower brads; jewelry hemp, Spellbinder dies (flower, base and inside swirl)



This second little card is for yesterdays SCS sketch challenge #318. I bought this lovely little stamp about a month ago planning to use it with Memory Boxes' Gossamer DP. Roxy's sketch was a perfect fit for this stamp and the matching DP. There is really nothing to this card, just some layers and a little water coloring; add a little ribbon and bling and it was done. The added plus was I didn't rip this one apart two and three times trying to "get it right". LOL


Supplies: Stamp and DP: Memory Box
Card Stock and Ink: SU! Razzleberry, Pirouette, Always Artichoke, Kiwi, Celery, Mauve Mist, Whisper white
Extras: Stickles, Kaiser Craft Rhinestones, SU! ribbon

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Baby It's Cold Outside

A couple weeks back the elements for this card were included in my WOYWW post. Well I finally finished it. I'm pretty pleased with it even though I couldn't find the ribbon I wanted to use. I struggled with the whole "black" theme for a teens card, but I received a lot of encouragement so I stuck with it.

This is a birthday card for my bbf middle daughter. Arin is a fabulous kid; straight A student, in the international exchange program, student body president and captain of her volleyball team. I know we adults are not supposed to have favorites, but Arin has been mine since she was 2 years old. She has been my movie buddy for years and even tried her hand at crafts just to please me. Once she goes off to college I will miss her terribly.

Her Mom blames me for all of Arins' bad habits saying I've rubbed off on her. :D Yes, that makes me smile and pleases me to no end. Arin is the girl I never had. I wish she was older so I could set her up with one of my boys and keep her in my life forever, but I know that no matter where Arin goes in life, we will stay connected.

It's a simple card, with just black and pink card stock, stickles, glitter, ribbon and of course pearls. The thin frame of pink is actually the underside of the popped up layer; which I ran stickles over it to give it some sparkle. The stamped "sweet" was one of those $1 stamps from Michaels, the clipboard is Basic Grey and the ribbon was in the scrap jar; no clue who the manufacturer is. Pretty easy; amazing I can turn such a simple card into a two week project. LOL

This is my last post for today. Plano is suffering with blackouts which I initially thought were planned/structured, however my best friend just called me and said that it is not; Plano is having issues. The power keeps going out every 40 minutes or so, and unfortunately it's so cold out that what heat I do have quickly gives way to the cold seeping in from mysterious cracks. My poor heater can't catch up. When I got up at 6am, my house was at 64F, its now down to 55F and if the power continues to fail, I'm sure it will be no time before the indoor temp matches the 19F outdoors.

Security has taken a back seat to the necessity of warmth, so I have opened the outer garage door in case I need to use my car to keep warm. Can't run it in a closed garage and I can't lift that door if the power is out, so I have to leave it open until the outages stop. My driveway is still a sheet of ice, as is the alley, so I can't even drive to anyone's house until the problem is resolved. If someone is out in this weather scouting for things to steal from open garages, then they are desperate and can anything they want ..... except my car. :)

I hope everyone stays safe and healthy,
Carole

Mojo Monday 176 - Birthday for Mom




Yesterday Dallas was hit with a winter storm. Though nothing like what poor Chicago and the east coast are getting, its enough to cause a fair amount of chaos here in the metroplex. Dallas just isn't equipped to handle this kind of weather. In the 15 years I've lived here this is only the second time I've been house bound.

However there is a silver lining in everything; in this case I was able to make two cards yesterday. Mojo176 is for my Mom; she turns 77 years young this week and I really wanted to make something special for her. Mom's favorite color is yellow, and unfortunately my least favorite, which means that I rarely (as in this is only the second card ever) use this color. I struggled with this card all day and I'm still not happy with it; however I think it's simply because it's yellow and not that it's an ugly card. I'm sure she will like it regardless of my feelings about it. :)

Thank you for stopping by.

Carole

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Sincere Salutations
Ink: Soft Suede, Always Artichoke
Paper: SU! Always Artichoke, So Saffron, Confetti Cream; K&Co. Julianne DP
Other: Kaiser Craft Pearls; Recollections roses, SU! Antique brad and Always Artichoke seam binding; Cuttlebug EF, Spellbinders die

What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday ~ #87



Welcome to my post of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday!! This is where crafters the world over bravely post pictures of their workdesk so others may come around a take a peek. If you want to know more about WOYWW and join in the fun, pop on over to Julie's Stamping Ground and join in!!

Well today was an unscheduled day off here in Dallas. We were hit with a ice storm and though it is nothing like what Chicago and the east coast are going through, it was enough to bring Dallas to a stand still. The streets are still iced over so I will be working from home again tomorrow. Thank goodness for technology.

Since I was able to work at my leisure today I managed to get in some crafting projects. The first was my Moms birthday card; I'll post it tomorrow. The other thing I managed to get started today was my ribbon chaos. I actually made some headway in getting it sorted. I have a jar of 1 to 2 yards of ribbon wrapped around clothes pins; a drawer of Michael's $1 ribbon neatly put away though not completely organized by color. And I even managed to place all my SU! ribbons into one drawer. I still have a long way to go but every little dent helps.

One day I'm going to post a pretty picture like other crafters do. You know the kind picture where everything is in perfect order; the project is centered and all the tools and embellishments sitting neatly by the side. One day ..... but obviously not today. LOL