Sunday, April 28, 2013

April SU Stamp Club

This month I was excited to try the chalkboard technique that I've been seeing all over blogland.  This is not something I would have tried on my own which is why I really love going to Christi Beck's Stampin' Up! Stamp Club.  She always gets me to do something outside my comfort zone.  This wasn't bad at all!  We used white embossing powder to create the sentiment on black paper and then rubbed white craft ink across the whole thing to create the chalkboard feeling.  I liked the white embossed image on the black paper but didn't really think I achieved the chalkboard look as well as I've seen some people do it.  But, I absolutely LOVE the black, white and yellow color combo on the card - very crisp and clean!  Mom, I chose the polka dots for you.  :-)

I'm submitting this card for my Operation Write Home Design Bootcamp assignment this month.  Our lesson was to use odd numbers in design.  See my three little yellow flowers!


The second one is a very masculine card - YEAH!  I sometimes have trouble doing masculine cards on my own.  I really like the watch image which is part of a larger stamp set that I didn't like when I first saw it because I noticed the shoe and tie in the set and not the watch - funny what your eye is drawn to, isn't it?!  The sentiment on the inside says, "Happy Birthday."  Everyone always needs masculine birthday cards and this is a perfectly simple design that can be used over and over again.

I'm entering this card in Operation Write Home's Midweek Throwdown Challenge - It's About Time. Perfect, right?  And, in all my cleverness, I thought I would enter it in the Operation Write Home ODBD Monthly Challenge - Things That Fly.  We all know that "time flies!" In fact, it flies by whether we're having fun or not.  I can't believe that April is almost over and there are only a few more weeks of school left!


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

WOW Wednesday Winner from MY blog!

KRISTIE, YOU WON!  

You left a comment on my blog on Wednesday, April 10 which won you a prize from Cat's Creations Scrapbooks.  Click HERE to see the "official" announcement.  To claim your prize, you can contact Cat at catbeaty (at) sbcglobal (dot) net.  Congratulations!



As a side note, if you've been wondering where I've been, I just started my FOURTH part-time job so there has been no time in my day for crafting.  But, never fear, I'm headed to a 4-day National Scrapbook Day Retreat on May 2 so I'm hoping to get some projects done...mostly scrapbook pages from Christmas, but perhaps a few Christmas cards with the paper scraps.  With Operation Write Home, it's NEVER too early to start on Christmas cards!  :-)

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Doodle Pantry - Guest Designer

I was thrilled when Laurie at Doodle Pantry asked me to create a project using the Texas Star new release, the first in a new line of state-inspired digital stamps.  Why did she ask me?  Because she and I are both Texans - who else would want to create a Texas-inspired card?!  I love this new digi stamp set because not only did Laurie design the Texas Star but she separated all of the elements out and gives you those images as well.  Check out what I did with them!

On this card I used the whole pre-colored Texas Star image along with Deconstructed Sketch #54.  The sentiment is also part of this fabulous set. My card is 4.25 x 4.25" so it still fits into a standard envelope. The twine is from We R Memory Keepers and the blue cardstock is SU! Brocade Blue.

I love bluebonnets - they make me think of my grandmother because she loved them so!  This time I wanted to show you how versatile this set really is.  I used the separated out element of the pre-colored bluebonnet and copied it several times.  Again, the sentiments are part of the Texas Star set.  The patterned paper is from Doodle Pantry's Texas set.  I used OWH Stars & Stripes sketch #56 and the Sizzix branch with leaves die to fill in the empty hole to the left of the image.  The card stock is Midnight Muse and Brocade Blue from SU! and red from my stash.

Doodle Pantry has very reasonable prices and great specials.  In fact, until April 17 you can save 45% on your entire order AND get a newly released set free with purchase. What are you waiting for?  It's time to go shopping! Don't forget to play along in the monthly challenge with your newly purchased goodies and get another set free just for playing along PLUS a chance to win a gift certificate.  The challenge deadline is April 24.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Ombre

WOW, isn't it weird how once you notice something you start to see it everywhere?  I first saw a card on Angela's blog From the Tool Shed that uses ombre and thought it would be a great way to use up some of my old Bazzill cardstock that I have in 5 different shades.  Then just a few days later the challenge at Operation Write Home's Midweek Throwdown was to create a card using ombre.  I knew then that I had to give this a try so I CASE'd Angela's card. (She has a link to a tutorial for the card, too!)  What an easy way to make a card!  I feel like my card needs something else - Angela's card has a cluster of flowers on it, but she made hers larger than mine.  To fit in a standard envelope, my card is 4.25 x 4.25 which didn't give me much space.  What would you suggest to jazz it up?!  I may be making more of these in the future and would love to incorporate your ideas.

Supplies:
card stock - Bazzill
ink - SU! Pumpkin Pie
stamp - Inspired Stamps
adhesive - Xyron, this gave full adhesive coverage making the card quick and easy to put together

Here's the definition of ombre, but would you call it a design style, a technique or something else entirely?  The origin is from the French and Italian words that mean "to shade."

Definition of OMBRÉ

: having colors or tones that shade into each other —used especially of fabrics in which the color is graduated from light to dark
Source: www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ombre

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Quilt Block card

Today I have another Quilt Block card for you.  This is a technique that I learned in the Pattern Play class from Online Card Classes.  It's a great way to use up paper scraps.  These scraps are from kids' camp that my daughter took last summer at Cat's Creations Scrapbooks.  Aren't they fun?  I love the bright colors!  I actually think this card turned out better than the one I made for the class which you can see HERE.

I'm entering this in the OWH Midweek Throwdown Challenge for Favorite Color Combo.  I love bright colors, especially bright pink which is also my 10-year-old daughter's favorite color.  I also think that pink and green are an awesome combination.

You can enter Cat's Creations Scrapbooks WOW Wednesday Challenge with any creation you like.  By entering OR commenting on the entries, you have the chance to win.  Several people have won just from commenting on my entry!

Challenges:
Cat's Creations Scrapbooks WOW Wednesday - always anything goes
OWH Midweek Throwdown Challenge - Favorite Color Combo


Supplies:
patterned paper - scraps
card stock - SU! Melon Mambo and Gumball Green
ink - SU! Melon Mambo and Crumb Cake
stamp - Fiskars Fresh Fruit
embossing folder - SU!

Monday, April 8, 2013

Copic Class Cupcake as a Card

I promised you would see the cupcakes I colored in a live tutorial with Sandy Allnock on a card.  Well...here's the first one!  This was not the one my followers thought was colored the best, but I love the bright blue flower.  Thanks to Pat Kinkaid for the idea to use some bling for the flower center.  I didn't like that I colored the center blue also, but look how easily the problem was solved.  I love this sentiment and was happy to finally be able to use it.  Because I made my cupcake so big for easier coloring for the class, this turned out to be a pretty basic card.  I could have added more, but I wanted the cupcake to take center stage - I think it has certainly done that!


Supplies:
paper - SU! Tempting Turquoise, red from stash
die - Spellbinder scalloped circle
bling - Bazzill
sentiment stamp - Inkadinkadoo

Friday, April 5, 2013

Pattern Play - Day 5

Today's card idea was presented by Kristina Werner in the Pattern Play class offered by Online Card Classes.  She called it a Quilt Block card - it was a great way to use up scraps of paper.  I will definitely be making more of these!

If you want to learn this technique or any of the others you've seen on my blog this week, it's never too late to take the class.  All of the Online Card Classes are offered as independent classes once the live interactive classes have concluded.


Supplies:
My Mind's Eye Lime Twist Happy Go Lucky collection - 6 x 6 paper and twine
Swiss Dots embossing folder
Hero Arts Essential Messages stamp

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Pattern Play - Day 4

Today I CASE'd a card by Shari Carroll from the Pattern Play class at Online Card Classes.  The technique is to distress a pattern onto patterned paper.  I really liked this technique - it was simple yet had an interesting effect.  I look forward to doing this again and perhaps distressing a different pattern onto the patterned paper - maybe diagonal lines?!

In my effort to try to mix and match papers, I used two different Echo Park 6 x 6 collections.

Supplies:
paper - Echo Park Splash and Hello Summer collections
sentiment - Hero Arts Year Round Sentiments
tools - Creative Memories 1" square punch, SU! 3/4" circle punch, SU! scoring board

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Pattern Play - Day 3

Welcome to my card for Pattern Play Day 3 - a class I took at Online Card Classes.  If you like what you see, you can always sign up to take the class independently!

I chose to CASE Debby Hughes's card.  Her lesson was to use Bold Pattern for Accents - clean and simple cards with just a touch of one pattern.  


Supplies:
paper - Echo Park Splash collection, SU! Blushing Bride and Baja Breeze cardstock
ink - SU! Pumpkin Pie and Crumb Cake
stamps - Hero Arts Essential Messages, Bo Bunny Gabrielle (butterfly)
bling - from stash

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Pattern Play - Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of cards made from the Pattern Play class I took from Online Card Classes.  Today I used two of the techniques demonstrated in the class.  The first is resist on patterned paper.  The second is stamping on patterned paper.  I really needed a stamp with a larger open area than the one I chose but just made do with what I had.  Yesterday I said that my goal was to combine papers from different companies, but I didn't do that on these cards.  All of the patterned paper is from Authentique Uncommon collection.  Why?  I was too busy focusing on the techniques this time.  Anyone who knows me knows that I don't really love to do wet embossing which is what the resist technique called for - so I had to focus on the technique this time and not the paper!

Challenges: Operation Write Home Midweek Throwdown - use stripes (2nd card)

Resist on Patterned Paper

 Supplies: Hero Arts Zig Zag background stamp
Ultra Thick Clear Embossing Powder
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - fired brick
Really Reasonable Ribbon
SRM sticker


Stamping on Patterned Paper
Supplies: Hero Arts Year Round Sentiments
SU! Quint-Essential Flower
SU! Punches:
2-3/8" scalloped circle
1-3/4" scalloped circle
1-1/4" circle
3/4" circle

Monday, April 1, 2013

Pattern Play - Day 1

WINNERS OF MY FAVORITE THINGS STAMP SETS:
Only 4 people commented which was their favorite card and why by the Saturday deadline, so you are ALL winners - Congratulations!

rscholz - voted for card #2
Susan - voted for card #1
Jennifer Scull - voted for card #2
Linda - voted for card #2

My favorite layout was actually card #3, but Linda made a valid point.  With the image so close to the top of the card, it looks like that's why the lady is headless.  The winner was card #2!

You will each receive a "headless" stamp set courtesy of My Favorite Things and Operation Write Home.  Just email your mailing address to allison (at) operationwritehome (dot) org!

PATTERN PLAY - DAY 1

From March 18-March 22 I was enrolled in a class called Pattern Play at Online Card Classes.  The last time I did an Online Card Classes class (Holiday Card Bootcamp 2011), I didn't play along.  However, the class is open to me FOREVER and I printed and bound the PDFs into a book, so it's not too late.

This time I was determined that I would follow through.  I wasn't able to play along each day, but I caught up by making all the cards the weekend after the class ended.  If you are interested, you can take the class even though the interactive portion has ended.  I may go back and take some other ones, especially the two Clean & Simple classes.  I'd really like to get better at the Clean & Simple design style.  So, EVERY DAY this week I will be showing you the cards I made from each day of the class.  I would LOVE your feedback - Let me what you think!

Day 1 was dedicated to some basic concepts like choosing a large, medium and tone-on-tone pattern to mix together.  Here's my paper combo for my first set of cards.  My goal in this class is to mix patterns from different companies. (Anyone can combine patterns from the same collection!  That's what I've been doing for years.)  The two red papers are from Authentique's Glory collection and the two blues are from We R Memory Keepers Yankee Doodles.

I decided to do a version of Jennifer McGuire's cards that used heart shaped dies and several different techniques to "break up" the patterns.  I chose to use stars instead.

I love this banner but didn't use it on all the cards like Jennifer did because I made smaller cards.  She used 5 x 5 inch patterned paper and I used 4 x 4.  My banner seemed to overwhelm my smaller cards.
Papertrey Ink banner die, Hero Arts Year Round Sentiments







This one was my favorite card because it uses dimensional adhesive to create 
the "separation" between the patterned papers.
Inspired Stamps 1" Circle Sentiments with SU! 3/4" circle punch

Inking edges to create boundaries between patterns
Inspired Stamps 1" Circle Sentiments and Tim Holtz Distress Ink fired brick


Inspired Stamps 1" Circle Sentiments and SU! 3/4" circle punch