TSC13: Mother's Day

It's challenge time again over at The Stampsmith Challenge blog and this time around is my turn to come up with a challenge theme. So, with Mother's Day coming up, let's celebrate our Mom's in paying our tributes, expressing our love and thanking them for all they do. Get out your stamps of beautiful women, children or simply a beautiful floral card as a gesture of love.

For my sample project, I decided to create a Matchbox Easel Jewelry Box. This is a view of it from the front. I used Butterfly Kiss as my main focal image. This is a precious stamp from The Stampsmith. I thought it seemed appropriate for this project since I call my girls my little angels. This is the larger size of two sizes available for this stamp.

I don't think you can see in the photo above, but I also added little antique finish decorative feet to the bottom to lift it up and give it a more decorative look. Here's a clip of the little feet I used.
Here's another view from the top, with the easel card folded down and the drawers pulled open.

I created a tutorial for this chipboard matchbox jewelry box a few years ago. You can find it here in case you'd like to make one for yourself. They're great for gifts and you can put most anything in the little drawers.

I hope you decide to come over and join us for the current challenge. Remember, since this is the first challenge of the month it's open to any stamp company, so get creating and submit your card or project to us for a chance to win some new rubber from The Stampsmith! I look forward to seeing what you all come up with!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

With Sympathy

Sadly, I had to make a sympathy card tonight for a friend who just lost his Dad to a battle with cancer. Sympathy cards aren't my favourite type of card to make for obvious reasons, but it's my hope that the recipient will know that I put my heart into making it and that my thoughts are with them during this difficult time.


Supplies:
Stamps: Natural Beauty (SU), Sympathy Sentiments (Impression Obsession)
Cardstock: Flat Black (CRS), Goldenrod Linen (CRS)
Patterned Paper: Beau Jardin Harvest (Bo Bunny)
Ink: Onyx Black Versafine (Tsukineko), Marigold Morning (SU)
Tools: Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug, Sponge (SU), Scissors
Embellishments: Marigold Brads (EK Success)

Happy Sweet 16th, Alysha!

I wanted to make a fun birthday card for my niece who's having her sweet 16th birthday this week and I saw this card by Mary Fish and I knew I wanted to use the same idea. I love the bright colours and the fun style and I hope Alysha will, too.

I can't believe she's 16 already...it only seems like yesterday that she was a little baby, where does the time go? She's now grown up to be a beautiful young woman. She makes me so proud. She's so smart and carries herself so well. I know she's going to go on to do wonderful things!

I'll be back soon with another project to show you, so stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Happy Birthday - Well Scripted (SU)
Cardstock: Hot Pink (Bazzill), Navy Blue (CRS), Flat White (Staples)
Ink: VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Tools: Cuttlebug, Labels 4 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Embossing Buddy, Embossing Tray, PEARLustre Sapphire Opaque Embossing Powder (Stampendous), Heat Tool
Embellishments: Pink 3D Flowers and Butterfly (Dollarama)

Another Birthday Tri-Fold Shutter

I'm finally getting the chance to post this now...I had company this past weekend so I was busy with them with no time for blogging. We did have a great weekend, though. :)

In case you're wondering, no, I'm not posting the same tri fold shutter card that I made recently.  I was just asked to make another one of these cards for the Mom of a friend/co-worker of mine. I did change up the cardstock for a lighter mauve colour this time, but I used the same patterned paper again, since I thought it was so pretty.  If you're not familiar with this style of card, here's a great tutorial  for the Tri Fold Shutter on SCS.

Here's a close up of the butterfly and flowers...yes, I cut them all out myself!

Here's a close up of the sentiment.

Ok, I'll try to pop back soon with something else to show you.  Until then...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Swallowtail Butterfly (Anita's), Branch - Natural Beauty (SU), Happy Birthday - A Greeting for All Seasons (SU)
Cardstock: Mauve (Bazzill)
Patterned Paper: Airy Fairy P365 Dreams (KaiserCraft)
Ink: VersaFine (Tsukineko)
Tools: Scoring Board (Martha Stewart), Embossing Buddy (SU), Embossing Tray, Antique Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Scissors, 3/16" Glue Dots

Birthday Tri-Fold Shutter

Wow, I can't believe it's been a month since I've anything on here! Life just kinda happened, I guess, plus I'm in the middle of my two week vacation from work and before hand I was pretty busy during the days getting everything from work all done so I could actually leave for vacation and not feel guilty! lol :)

So far, we're having a great vacation. We spent 6 days up in New Brunswick visiting Jim's Dad and enjoyed lots of gorgeous weather on the Miramichi River. We've been back for a jam packed weekend and tomorrow  we're going camping for a few days and off to a water park after that. By then, I should need a little mini vacation from my vacation! lol :)

Anyway, enough of my babble...I know you're here to see the card, so here goes. I was asked my one of my co-workers for a card like the one that my friend, Yvonne, made me for my birthday last year. You can see that card here.  You can also find a template for this style of card here.

Well, I just realized that it's 1:22 AM, so it's time this girl goes to bed!!   I'll try not to let it go too long before I pop back again...until then,

Thanks for stoppin' by!  :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Swallowtail Butterfly (Anita's), Branch - Natural Beauty (SU), Happy Birthday - A Greeting for All Seasons (SU)
Cardstock: Mauve (Creative Memories), Eggplant (CRS)
Patterned Paper: Airy Fairy P365 Dreams (KaiserCraft)
Ink: VersaFine (Tsukineko)
Tools: Scoring Board (Martha Stewart), Embossing Buddy (SU), Embossing Tray, Antique Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Scissors, 3/16" Glue Dots

Sweet Pea Twins

I don't know about anyone else, but I've been having major problems with Blogger for the past few days. I'm assuming it because of the work that they're doing on the site with the design changes, but it's really frustrating! I can't get in to edit my posts and when I try to log in it just keeps going to a blank screen and tries to load, but is unsuccessful. Hopefully it'll be back to normal by tomorrow.

I've made this card before, a CASE from Sunny Stampin'. I love this design that they came up with to use the Baroque flourish as the vines and the little sweet pea babies. Her original was just one sweet pea, but this card was requested by a friend and co-worker of mine for her friend that just had twins. Hope she likes it. :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Baroque Motif - Flourish (SU), Sweet Pea - 1800c (Paper Salon)
Cardstock: Lime Green (Bazzill), Flat White (Staples), Magenta (The Paper Company)
Ink: Wild Wasabi (SU), Bareley Beige-29, Blush-136 Touch Marker (ShinHan Art)
Tools: 1/16" Hole Punch (to make the hole to poke the plum and white flowers through), Scissors, White Gel Pen (Signo), Black Gel Pen (Signo), Oval Custom Cutting System (Creative Memories), 1" Circle Punch (Creative Memories), Sponge Dauber (SU), Sponge (SU)
Embellishments: Plum and White Flowers (Viva Craft - Dollarama)

Paper Flower Swap

The theme for our monthly card swap this time around was to make our own flower and to use up one or more scraps of patterned paper.  I made this flower by stamping out 4 flowers from the True Friend set from SU.  I carefully cut each one of them out and then crinkled them all up.   I used my bone folder to curl the petals up and then used a thumbtack to poke a hole down through the centre of all the flowers.  A Decorative pewter brad finished off the flower and holds it all together.  I love this frame, but I don't own that particular Nestabilities, so I freehand drew it myself and cut out two of them!  So proud of myself!  lol  :)

I saw this card below and fell in love with it and decided to CASE it in part.  It was created by Amy Sheffer for StampersDream.com.  I've always been a huge fan of Amy's, her artwork is absolutely gorgeous and such a joy to look at. 

Here's a close up to show you the flower a little better and the dimension of the card.

My girls decided to they wanted to make flowers, too.  Here's the one that my 6 year old made.  She loves red and she's all about shiny things, so she chose this metallic red paper.

This is the one that my 8 year old made - just like Mama's but baby blue.

Well, it's a beautiful day here today, so we're heading out to the yard to enjoy the sun!  :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Amy Butler - Lotus Greeting Stamps (K&Company), True Friend (SU)
Cardstock: Pumpkin (Bazzill), Ivory (Staples), Chocolate (Bazzill), Deep Red (Bazzill)
Patterned Paper: Bountiful (Creative Memories) - scraps from three sheets from this paper pack
Ink: Chocolate (Ancient Page)
Tools: Thumbtack, Bone Folder, Scissors, Sponge (SU), 1/8" Dimensional Squares (EK Success), Cuttlebug, Classic and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders)
Embellishments: Jumbo Chocolate Brads, Slate Blue Lace Ribbon & Striped Grosgrain (Autumn Splendor - Making Memories), Pewter Decorative Brad (Dollarama)

RAK's and a Swap Card

This beautiful card above was given to me by my friend, Louise Allen.   I love the shimmer on this card and it also uses some of my favourite colours, gorgeous flowers and a beautiful butterfly charm.  I absolutely love it!  Thanks so much, Louise!

Apparently, a couple of my friends have a twisted, sarcastic sense of humour...with the next two cards!   lol   :)  The card below was given to me by my friend, Kim Prince.  I love it!  So funny!  Thanks so much, Kim for thinking of me and making me laugh so hard with this card!

 

Here's another card that had me roaring with laughter - so funny!  Not sure about holding the kitty by the tail, but I know it's all in fun!  Thanks so much to my friend, Valerie Wilson for bringing this one over to me.  My hubby, Jim's not quite sure about you two, now!  But, you know I luv ya both!  lol :)

The card below was created by Catherine Levy.  I drew Catherine's name for our swap this time around.  It was to incorporate sheet music and buttons on a card or project or your choice.   I love the way she used the sheet music to create this beautiful distressed flower.  So pretty.   Thanks, so much, Catherine, it's beautiful!

As you can see, I used a few of the girls photos from their blogs to save me from having to take pictures of them and plus, they were watermarked already.  I don't think they'll mind me using their pictures.   Thanks again, girls!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Arrival of Twins

A huge congratulations to our friends, Ann and Andrew Ferguson on the birth of their beautiful new twin girls, Alyse and Amelia. They're so precious, ya gotta love a new baby and they've been blessed twice! :)

I loved this 'sweet pea' card idea when I saw it done by Sophia on her sister, Andrea Walford's blog. I decided to add an extra sweet pea this time for twins. You can see Soph's original card here along with a tutorial on some great other projects, as well.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)


Supplies:
Stamps: Baroque Motif - Flourish (SU), Sweet Pea - 1800c (Paper Salon)
Cardstock: Lime Green (Bazzill), Flat White (Staples), Magenta (The Paper Company)
Ink: Wild Wasabi (SU), Blush-136 Touch Marker (ShinHam Art)
Tools: 1/16" Hole Punch (to make the hole to poke the plum and white flowers through), Scissors, White Gel Pen (Signo), Black Gel Pen (Signo), Oval Custom Cutting System (Creative Memories), 1" Circle Punch (Creative Memories), Sponge Dauber (SU), Sponge (SU)
Embellishments: Plum and White Flowers (Viva Craft - Dollarama)

More Xmas Cards

These are a couple more cards that I made yesterday. The one above is one from a Christmas card making class that I went to through the Military Family Resource Centre. It was a three hour class and we did a few different projects. Three cards, a bunch of gift tags for time fillers while we were waiting for the others to finish the current card and a little 3-D purse.

I had a nice afternoon although the cards really weren't my style. I finished this card last night. I just needed a little something extra, so I added the extra red and white layers underneath the coloured vellum stocking. This card measures 4" x 9.25".

Here's a close up of the stocking. I believe it's one of the stamps you get at Walmart.

This is a CASE of my own card that I made last year. My friend, Tammy, from work asked me to make her several Xmas cards and this was one that she wanted.

Here's a close up of the snowman. A cute image by SU. I have no idea what this stamp set this came from, but it has the year 2000 on it. Anyone know what set it comes from?

I have another card to make today and I'll also share with you the other cards that I received last week at our crafty get together with my local group of friends that I still haven't had a chance to take pictures of! Stay tuned for those...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Hey Pussycat

I had fun making this masculine anniversary card for one of my co-workers. Their anniversary is on the weekend and she wanted to give him a card that used the pet name, 'pussycat' that she has for him along with an image of a cat. I really like this cat stamp and thought it would go well with this retired patterned paper from SU.

I spent a long time last night finding the 'purr-fect' font that I wanted, then when I tried printing it off today, my printer decided not to cooperate! Arg! :( So, I ended up having to write it out myself. Anyway, I think it turned out ok with having to write it myself.

Well, I spent the day watching my friend's little girl. I'm not used to watching toddlers anymore as my girls are 5 and 7 years old now. But, she was good as gold. We went for a long walk over to some stores and checked out all the pretty flowers along the way. I think she had fun, but was ready for a nap after lunch. My legs are sore from the walk, I think I'm ready to go put up my feet, too.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Flourished Cat - See d's (Inque Boutique)
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip (CRS), Ivory (Staples)
Ink: Rich Cocoa - Memento (Tsukineko),
Patterned Paper: Au Chocolat (SU)
Tools: Classic Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Custom Circle Cutting System (Creative Memories), Cuttlebug, 3/16" mini glue dots (SU),
Embellishments: Antique Copper Brads and Sentiment Frame - Hodge Podge Hardware (SU), Antique Brass Iron-On Studs (Stuff by Hillary Duff - Michaels)

Flourished Anniversary

This is another card that I made for the same co-worker. This one is for her in-laws anniversary. I decided to go with some pale yellows matched with some Ivory Pearl embossing powder for a soft look. I love this Ivory Pearl, it has a shimmer to it that's hard to see in the pic, but in person it's quite pretty.

I used white cs for the base, scalloped the edge with my diamond scallop punch and embossed the top. After I heat set the flourishes, I used a sponge dauber and sponged on some barely banana ink to give it a softer look. I also used a sea sponge to apply some more ink around the edges of the 3 square mat layers.

Again, I hope she likes this one, I do find it hard to make cards for other people when I don't know exactly what they want. It's so much easier to just let them choose a card from my stash of cards, but I don't tend to keep many anniversary/wedding cards on hand. I guess with June upon us, it wouldn't be a bad idea, seeing how June and July are such big wedding months.

Well, I'll try to have more to show you tomorrow.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Baroque Motifs (SU)
Cardstock: Flat White (Staples), Goldenrod Linen (CRS),
Ink: Marigold Morning (SU), Barely Banana (SU), VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Tools: Scallop Diamond Punch (EK Success), Sponge Daubers (SU), 1/8" Dimensional Squares (EK Success), Ivory Pearl Embossing Powder (Stampendous), Embossing Buddy (SU), Embossing Tray, Heat Tool, Sea Sponge, Scissors
Embellishments: Sheer White Ribbon (Michaels), Marigold Brads (Making Memories)

Tri-Fold Shutter Birthday Wishes from Yvonne

I got this gorgeous birthday card yesterday from my friend, Yvonne Balmer. Yvonne knows how much I love these tri-fold shutter cards that she makes. I really need to try one! The sentiments are so nice that she chose, as well. It will certainly be proudly displayed in my home! Thanks again, Yvonne! :)

So, the countdown is on til my birthday on June 10th...I'm hoping for some new Nestabilities ...Scalloped Squares, Scalloped Rectangles and Scalloped Ovals. Hint, Hint, Jim if you're reading! lol :)

Here's a view from the top to show you how it looks when it's opened. You can also fold this card down completely, so it's the size of a standard A2 style of card. Sorry for the dark pic...
Well, it's been a long day, I think I'll turn in early. I'll be back tomorrow with more to show you.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Faux Brayering Technique

This is a card that I CASE'd off my friend, Yvonne Balmer. Thanks for the idea, Yvonne! I was chatting with her about this card that I was asked to make for another co-worker of mine. The card was supposed to take care of three occasions. The wife's birthday, the husband and wife's anniversary and thirdly the husband's birthday which all happen a few days apart. I'm honored that she asked me, but you can see my challenge with coming up with a sketch idea. I said, so you don't want anything too frilly or girly looking and my co-worker said that it really didn't matter if it was, that he wouldn't mind. So, here goes. I hope they like it! :)

Here's an angle to show the dimension of the card.
I love this Serengetti tree stamp by Stampendous and I think it gives a masculine look to the card and the colours and scalloped diamond edge give it more daintiness. For a faux brayered technique, I used a sponge dauber with inks to apply the different background layers for the tree image. Go lightly at first with your daubers and apply more ink until you reach the desired look you want.

Ok, it's nearly midnight, time to call it a day. I'll be back tomorrow with more cards to show you.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Serengetti Tree (Stampendous)
Cardstock: China Red Linen (CRS), Flat Black (CRS), Groovy Guava (SU), Ivory (Staples) Ink: VersaMark (Tsukineko), Certainly Celery (SU), Barely Banana (SU), Apricot Appeal (SU), Cameo Coral (SU), Mellow Moss (SU)
Tools: Scallop Diamond Punch (EK Success), Sponge Daubers (SU), 1/8" Dimensional Squares (EK Success), Midnight Black Embossing Powder (Stampendous), Embossing Buddy (SU), Embossing Tray, Paper Piercer, Piercing Mat, Piercing Guide (Creative Memories) Embellishments: Gradient Red Ribbon (Michaels)

Bridal Shower Book Card

The sister of one of my co-workers is having her Bridal Shower next month and my co-worker asked me if I would make her sister up a card like the one I made a few posts back, but using her wedding colours of chocolate brown and cream. I'm honored that she asked me.

This is a fun little project to do and I tried a new technique with it tonight. For the card that I made the other day, Deborah had given us all a little silver foil heart embellishment. But, I didn't have any more of these, so instead of going out and trying to find some more, I decided to make one of my own. To do this, I stuck aluminum foil tape onto a piece of cardstock and then free hand cut out a heart. I ran it through the Cuttlebug using my Paisley folder. Then, I adhered the foil embossed heart to a piece of chocolate brown cardstock and cut around it again to make a mat layer for it. It just seemed to plain on it's own. I kinda like how it turned out, I think I'll have fun playing around with my foil tape... lol :)

Here's an angle to show the dimension of the book. With the two chipboard layers, it's about 1/4" thick.

This is the inside of the book card.

This is the back and front of the book card.

I'll be back soon with something else to share with you. Stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Wedding (Inkadinkado), Calligraphy Sentiment (QuietFire Designs)
Cardstock: Cream (Ivory), Chocolate Brown (CRS)
Patterned Paper: Au Chocolat (SU)
Tools: Classic Circle and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug, Textile Texture Embossing Folder (ProvoCraft), Paisley Embossing Folder (ProvoCraft), Scissors, Aluminum Foil Tape (Henkel), chipboard, Terrifically Tacky Tape (ProvoCraft)
Embellishments: Brown Satin Ribbon (Michaels)