Bringing on the Bling

I have two cards featuring images from my favorite My Favorite Things lines--Pure Innocence and á la modes. Both cards have a fun, blinged out element for lots of sparkle and shine, which seems to be missing from my life lately. The dark cloud that's been over my head and house this week has remained in place. Chloe the cutie puppy has developed raging infections in both of her long, floppy ears and the vet said they needed to be treated "aggressively." This meant she had to get a bunch of shots and medicine this morning at the vet. Right now, she's encased in the "cone of shame" and none too happy about it. I have a feeling that the next few days will be long ones here . . .

Here's my card for this month's guest designer challenge with a blue jeans and bling theme. It was just the push I needed to use the pair of old denim jeans I'd set aside for the purpose of making denim embellishments for crafting!

I used the Pure Innocence Being Cute Is What I Do set for my card. I stamped the little girl on white cardstock and colored her with Copic markers. I stamped her pants on a piece of the denim, cut them out and attached them to the image for a textured look and feel. One tip for this--to get a good, solid impression, use a hybrid ink for this, like the ones from Clear and Simple Stamps. The denim was much thicker than the paper and looked funny, so I solved that by stamping the image a second time and coloring the shirt, then cutting that out and attaching it to the image, making sure that I overlapped the top of the denim just a bit. I used a bit of denim to cover the flower on her shirt, adding a clear crystal at the center for some sparkle.

The rest of the card is pretty simple. The girl is set on an oval panel using foam tape. I used a piece of striped paper from Echo Park's Be Mine collection for the panel behind her. The striped panel is edged with a scallop edged denim strip and some bright pink grosgrain ribbon. I ran a strip of self-adhesive bling down the seam between the ribbon and denim. The panel is set on a dot embossed pale pink panel that's layered on a bright pink card base. I added the sentiment on a little banner strip that extends out from under the image.

Materials Used:
Pure Innocence Being Cute Is What I Do stamp set (My Favorite Things); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Perfect Little Black Dress ink (Clear and Simple Stamps); markers (Copic); Melon Mambo Classic ink, Melon Mambo and Pink Pirouette cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Be Mine Collection Kit (Echo Park); oval die (Spellbinders); medium scallop edge die (Papertrey Ink); pink grosgrain ribbon, self-adhesive rhinestone strip (Recollections/Michaels); Polka Dots embossing folder (Sizzix); Pink Stickles (Ranger); foam tape

This card is for this week's Wednesday Stamp Club sketch challenge. Since Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up, I though it would be appropriate to use the á la modes You Rule image on this one. I paired her with a trio of school-ish patterned paper from Pink Paislee's Hometown Summer collection for my card.

After coloring and cutting out the teacher image, I set her on a piece of grid patterned paper that I cut along the top with MFT's Notebook Edge Die-namics die. I arranged her on a cardfront covered with two coordinating papers from the same paper collection. I thought stars and numbers were a good match for a teacher-themed card.

The matching "you're a class act" sentiment is stamped in red on a kraft panel and slipped underneath the image. I picked up a package of glittery gold stars (and a silver and a red/white/blue pack, too) on clearance recently and broke it out to dress up the card. Isn't a gold star the ultimate accent for a school-y card?

Materials Used:
á la modes You Rule stamp set, Notebook Edge Die-namics die (My Favorite Things); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Riding Hood Red Classic ink, Crumb Cake cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Hometown Summer designer papers (Pink Paislee); red grosgrain ribbon, self-adhesive glittered star (Michaels/Recollections); corner rounder; foam tape

HB2U Fungi

Happy Saturday! I'm the hostess for this week’s Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge. The sketch is based on this clean and simple masculine card I made for a recent Paper Crafts magazine call. The card didn’t make the cut for the magazine , but I really like it, so I thought I’d share it as a sketch instead.

I used images from the Fun Fungi and Fun Fungi II sets from Clear and Simple Stamps and the matching Fun Fungi Simple Cuts die set, too—love that there are dies that match the images! I die cut the mushroom pair, then stamped the matching image in brown ink and colored it with Copic markers. I used foam tape to attach the colored image to a cork circle, then stamped the “HB2U fungi” sentiment directly on the cork. Cork is one of my favorite embellishments for masculine cards. It adds lots of interest and texture without being frilly or girly.

I found a fun patterned paper to use for the cardfront’s large panel and set it on a kraft card base, then added a strip of dark brown twill along the bottom of the patterned paper. It’s accented with a button tied with some twine. The cork panel is layered over the twill to complete the card.

I'm looking forward to seeing all the different takes on this sketch. Please link your creation using the linky widget found at the end of this post. And, if you want, you can also upload your project to the PCP gallery using the keyword sk043011 so everyone can find it.

And, as far as Paper Crafts magazine goes, it's not all bad news for me. Just yesterday, I got an email letting me know that three of the projects I submitted for the upcoming Holiday Cards & More issue will be published--yay! I can't wait to share more about the projects with you once the issue is in print!

Materials Used:
Fun Fungi and Fun Fungi II stamp sets, Fun Fungi Simple Cuts dies, Dish All the Dirt Brown ink, Copic markers, Kraft Like a Rockstar cardstock, Dish All the Dirt Brown button (Clear and Simple Stamps); patterned paper (My Mind's Eye); twill (Martha Stewart); twine (Papertrey Ink); circle die (Spellbinders); cork (Creative Impressions); foam tape

Friends with Flair: Ups & Downs, Inside & Out

Happy Friday! It’s been a long week here, as the week following a vacation usually is, but was made even longer due to lots of rainstorms, a broken air conditioning unit, and a keyed car. On a happier note, here’s my card for Friends with Flair using the I’m Here Itty Bitty.

I stamped the yoyo image twice on white cardstock and colored the image with Copic markers. To get a dimensional look, I cut out part of one of the image and layered it on top of the other one using a foam dot. The heart is glittered with some Stickles to accent it.

I kept the layout super simple, adding a red border to both sides of the image panel to set it off from the dotted paper I used on the cardfront. A strip of looped red and cream checked ribbon is set behind the image panel with a button, knotted with some twine, to anchor it at the top of the image panel. I stamped half of the set’s sentiment on the front of the card and the rest “I’m here” inside. If you look closely at the picture, you can sort of see my attempt at dressing up the inside of the card.

Be sure to stop by the Unity blog for links to the rest of this week's FWF players. And, if you're doing any shopping this weekend, stop by i {heart} papers. Kate's donating 10% of all orders placed through May 1 to the American Red Cross for their tornado relief fund to assist victims of this week's storms. What could be better than shopping and knowing you're contributing to a good cause at the same time?

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Unity Stamp Co. I’m Here Itty Bitty, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, X-Press Copic blending cardstock, Copic markers (Y21, Y23, Y26, YR30, R12, R22, R24, W00, W-1, W-3), My Mind’s Eye Stella & Rose-Gertie 6 x 6 paper pad, May Arts red and cream checked ribbon, Creative Impressions natural twine, Ranger Ruby Slippers Glitz Stickles, Zva Creative dimensional dot

other: Real Red and Crumb Cake cardstock (Stampin' Up!)

Blogger Challenge: Week 201

This week’s blogger challenge is a color challenge featuring rose, blue, and green. I paired this spring-like color combination with the new bunny image and matching sentiment from Verve.

As soon as I saw the bunny image, I knew I wanted to make an interactive card where the bunny could really shake. I used this week’s Mojo Monday sketch to make it happen. The card base is a Green Galore circle, cut with the largest Lacey Circles die. I added a smaller circle panel cut from a green gingham paper before layering on a rose strip tied with a matching ribbon.

For the backdrop for my shaking bunny, I cut a blue circle and embossed it with a dotted pattern. After shading the bunny a bit with gray markers and adding a little fluff and sparkle to its tail using Sparkly Fluff, I attached a dimensional dot to the back of the image. I cut a hole in the blue circle just a bit larger than the size of the dot, placed the dot through the hold, then removed the adhesive backing and attached a penny to it. This holds the bunny in place on the panel while allowing it to move from side to side. I layered the panel on a green mat before attaching it to the cardfront and accenting it with a trio of pink buttons. In place a trio of embellishments under the image, I stamped the “what’s shaking?” sentiment instead.

For more ideas using this color combination, check out the links below. And, if you join in the challenge, feel free to add your link to the list.


Materials Used:
Bunny Shake stamp set (Verve Stamps); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Green Galore, Bashful Blue, and Regal Rose cardstock, Regal Rose grosgrain ribbon (Stampin’ Up!) Sweet Summertime Collection Kit (Echo Park); circle and lacey circle dies (Spellbinders); Sugar Sparkly Fluff (Our Craft Lounge); Polka Dots embossing folder (Sizzix); buttons (Michaels); linen twine (The Cat’s Pajamas); dimensional dot

Cooking and Cleaning with Kraftin' Kimmie

It's been a while since I inked up any of my Kraftin' Kimmie images, so I pulled out two of my favorite Moonlight Whispers images for some quick sketch challenge cards.

This one combines this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge with this week's Kraftin' Kimmie challenge to go frilly. I used the bathing beauty Brigitte as my focal image. She's colored with Copic markers and the bubbles that fill her bathtub are covered with Dazzling Diamonds glitter for a pretty sparkle. The matching "take me away" sentiment is stamped in the empty upper right corner of the image panel.

I layered the image on a piece of light blue cardstock and attached a strip of paper with a delicate pattern alongside it, machine stitching around its edges to add interest. I stretched a piece of lace over both panels, then added a trio of layered Prima flowers to dress up the lace. It's been a while since I used any of these (and I have quite a few!) Now that I look at it, I wish I'd stamped the image a little higher up on the panel so that the lace would have sat a little lower under the tub's feet . . .

Materials Used:
Moonlight Whispers Brigitte image (Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Pink Passion and Bashful Blue cardstock, Dazzling Diamonds (Stampin' Up!); Sweet Nectar designer paper (K & Company); lace (Hobby Lobby); flowers (Prima); self-adhesive pearl (Queen & Co.); sewing machine

This card is based on this week's CPS sketch. I used Agnes, another Moonlight Whispers image here. She's colored with Copic markers and layered on a kraft panel. I stamped the coordinating "what's cookin'?" sentiment on a kraft banner strip in red ink and attached it to the empty space on the right side of the image.

Something about this image makes me think of gingham, so I found a gingham patterned paper to use for the cardfront. I cut notches out of each corner using a circle punch before layering the paper on a kraft panel. I machine stitched around the edges, not doing too bad a job around the curves! The panel is layered on a red card base for a little warmth and contrast.

Materials Used:
Moonlight Whispers Agnes image (Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Riding Hood Red Classic ink, Riding Hood Red and Crumb Cake cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Hometown Summer designer paper (Pink Paislee); circle punch (EK Success); sewing machine

Hello

Here’s my card for this week’s Our Craft Lounge supply challenge to use punches or die cuts on your creations. I squeezed in three different die cut shapes on this small square card!

The vase for the flower is made from a die cut oval. I used scissors to cut off the rounded portion of one end of the oval then used a circle punch to make a curve at the other end of the oval. Perfect vase shape! I used a dimensional dot to attach the vase to a die cut white rectangle, then drew in a stem and stamped and colored the small leaf pair from Build-a-Bouquet using Copic markers.

One of the set's solid flower images was stamped on a piece of patterned paper using watermark ink. I covered the ink with clear embossing powder and heat embossed the image before cutting it out and attaching it to the panel with another dimensional dot. I added a pretty pearl to its center for a feminine touch.

I machine stitched a floral patterned paper to the kraft card base before attaching the image panel. The "hello" sentiment (part of a larger one in the Tweet Trees set) is stamped on a small rounded edge label die cut and accented with a light blue faux suede bow.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Our Craft Lounge Build-a-Bouquet and Tweet Trees tamp sets, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers (YG03, YG21, YG25), My Mind’s Eye Stella & Rose -Mabel 6 x 6 paper pad, Spellbinders petite oval, rectangle and labels trio dies, May Arts light blue faux suede ribbon, Bow Easy, Zva Creative dimensional dot and self-adhesive pearl lines

other: Crumb Cake cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Aqua Mist and Summer Sunrise cardstock (Papertrey Ink); sewing machine

Happiness Is a Wet Puddle

I have just a quick post tonight to share my card for this week's SCS sketch challenge. Since storms are approaching and the power around here is very unreliable in both very rainy and very snowy weather, I figure I should get this posted before the rain starts. With the rain approaching it seems appropriate that my card uses the adorable Wet Puddle set from The Cat's Pajamas.

I colored the set's sweet character with Copic markers and added silver Liquid Pearl buttons, too (my dots got a little blobbier than I would have liked . . .). After cutting the image out, I set it on a simple scene. I drew in the sidewalk, then added a dotted blue panel above it as the sky. I lightly rubbed some shimmery white ink over the raised dots for a raindrop-ish effect. A strip of felt grass divides the sidewalk from the sky. And, I added an acetate "puddle" underneath the yellow rain boots--too sweet!

The cardfront is covered with a dotted paper from an older October Afternoon collection. I used a solid yellow strip along the bottom so I could stamp the set's "happiness is a wet puddle" there. A trio of buttons, threaded with linen thread, fills in the empty right side of the card. Perfect for a rainy spring day!

Materials Used:
Wet Puddle stamp set, ivory linen thread (The Cat's Pajamas); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink , Brilliance Moonlight White(Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Marina Mist Classic ink, Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, and Kiwi Kiss cardstock, Daffodil Delight grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); Night Light Collection Kit (October Afternoon); Blueberry Sky buttons (Papertrey Ink); cloud and grass dies (My Favorite Things); Silver Pearl Liquid Pearls (Ranger); Polka Dots embossing folder (Sizzix); foam tape; felt; acetate

Just Under the Wire

It's almost the end of the month, so I got to work finishing up April's Viva la Verve sketch challenges before the Thursday deadline. I got some new stamps from Verve the other day and inked up one of the sets for week 3’s sketch.

I took the Chicks Rule set’s bird theme and ran with it, using a piece of paper with a fun bird pattern on it for the large panel on the ink cardfront. It’s edged with another pattern from the same paper collection. A piece of rose ribbon is wrapped around the paper panel and dressed up with a matching bow. I tucked a piece of lace underneath the paper’s edge. I’m not a big lace user, but I got a roll of it recently to use on another project so I figure I should find other places to work it in to.

I stamped the set’s “to one of my favorite peeps” sentiments in rose ink on a light pink oval, then layered it on an aqua panel. I colored one of the little chick images with Copic markers and cut it out, then slipped it underneath the edge of the oval panel. I think this chick’s named Chloe, which is kind of fitting for me, since I often call my Chloe the cutie puppy “little chick,” even though at her full-grown (at least I hope it’s full-grown!) weight of 60 pounds, there’s nothing little about her. I started calling her that when she was a tiny puppy—all 13 pounds of her—and it just kind of stuck.

Materials Used:
Chicks Rule stamp set (Verve Stamps); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Regal Rose Classic ink, Pink Pirouette cardstock, Regal Rose grosgrain ribbon (Stampin’ Up!); Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Fine and Dandy Tickled Pink 6 x 6 paper pad (My Mind’s Eye); oval die (Spellbinders); lace (Michaels); Bow Easy

When I first saw this sketch, I wasn't sure about it. The cluster of diagonal patterns made me a little nervous! I decided to start with a pad of patterned paper so that I'd have a cohesive color palette to work from and once I chose my patterns, the card came together much more easily than I thought it would. I picked three patterns, cut them into long, skinny triangles, and inked their edges with distress inks before attaching them to the cardfront.

I used coordinating colors for the remaining panels on the cardfront, including a light green to fill in the area to the left of the patterned paper strips and a light blue strip for along the bottom of the card. To visually divide the patterned section from the solid one, I used an orange border punched strip, lined along the top with a narrow piece of blue grosgrain ribbon.

For the sentiment, I used Verve's Vintage Oval Die to cut a panel from cream cardstock, then stamped the matching frame image in orange ink. I stamped a thank you sentiment from the Celebration of Thanks set inside the die before setting it on the cardfront.

Materials Used
Vintage Oval Frame and Celebration of Thanks stamp sets, Vintage Oval Die (Verve Stamps); Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie Classic inks, Pear Pizazz, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, and Very Vanilla cardstock, blue grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); Tea Dye distress ink (Ranger); Mediterranean Cafe matstack (DCWV); Apron Lace border punch (Fiskars); orange seam binding (Martha Stewart)

Springtime with Our Craft Lounge

Here are my last projects as April’s Artist of the Month at Our Craft Lounge. These spring themed projects were featured on the OCL blog yesterday.

This card is a clean and simple design that shows off one of the pretty flower images from the new Build-a-Bouquet stamp set. I stamped the flower twice on white cardstock and colored it with Copic markers, then cut out the center of one of the colored images to layer over the other flower for a dimensional look. The flower’s center is covered with Cotton Candy Pink Sparkly Fluff for a fun look.

I cut a piece of paper from Echo Park’s Springtime Collection Kit to use for the large panel on my pink cardfront. After attaching it to the card, I ran a strip of yellow ruffle edged faux suede ribbon down the cardfront. The end of the ribbon is covered by a blue Labels 4 diecut, stamped with the “you’re the best” sentiment from the Big Thanks set. I added my layered flower at the corner of the die to finish the card.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Our Craft Lounge Build-a-Bouquet and Big Thanks stamp sets and Cotton Candy Pink Sparkly Fluff, X-Press Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers (Y00, Y11, Y13, Y15, 18, YG01, YG03, YG17, YG25, R81), Echo Park Springtime Collection Kit, May Arts yellow ruffle edge faux suede ribbon, Spellbinders Labels 4 (large) die, Zva Creative dimensional dots

other: Pink Pirouette and Soft Sky cardstock (Stampin’ Up!)

This one is a bright and cheerful birthday card featuring one of the bird images from the Tweet Thang stamp set. I colored the bird image in shades of yellow and orange before layering it on an orange mat.

I used a piece of busy floral paper from Jillibean Soup’s Blossom Soup pad for the cardfront’s large panel (don’t look too close, or you’ll notice that I put the paper on the card upside down—LOL!). A strip of red twill runs down the cardstock to the image panel. I added a matching red bow to dress it up a little. The “happy birthday” sentiment is stamped on a yellow panel that runs across the card. The colors are a combination I probably wouldn’t use much, but I love the warm, happy feel that’s the result.

Thanks to Our Craft Lounge for having me as a guest this month. I’ve enjoyed being a part of the OCL family!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Our Craft Lounge Tweet Thang stamp set, X-Press Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers (Y000, Y00, Y17, Y35, 38, YR12, YR15, YR16, R21, W00, W-1), Jillibean Soup Blossom Soup 6 x 6 paper pad, May Arts red twill, Bow Easy, Spellbinders circle dies

other: Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, and Yoyo Yellow cardstock (Stampin’ Up!)

TCP Tuesday 156-How've You Bean?

It's time for this week's TCP Tuesday challenge. This week's challenge is an inspiration challenge based on the photo collage seen above. I took the coffee theme and the color combination in the photos and ran with it for my card.

I used the adorable little boy image from Like You a Latte as my focal image. He's colored with Copic markers and cut out. It's hard to see in the photo, but I added some white flock to his cuffs, kinda like the "fluffy" whipped topping on fancy coffee drinks.

He's set at the edge of a fun zig zag paper panel that's the same color as one of the containers in the inspiration photo. I matted it on a blue panel and machine stitched around its edges before layering it on a kraft panel. The "how've you bean?" sentiment from the You Suit Me stamp set is stamped on a blue strip that I set across the patterned paper panel. I added a button, tied with a little bit of Brown Sugar Divine Twine to anchor it. The panel's set on a rich Dusty Durango card base, picking up on the deep rust color in one of the photos.

I hope you'll play along with the Cat Pack in this week's challenge. As always, the weekly Cat Cash prize is up for grabs for one lucky participant who adds their creation to the guestbook on Alma's blog--as is a chance to be named the next Swanky Stamper. And, Alma will be sharing links to the Cat Pack's creations on her blog all week, so be sure to check in for some fabulous inspiration.

Materials Used:

Like You A Latte and You Suit Me stamp sets, Divine Twine Brown Sugar baker's twine (The Cat's Pajamas); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Dusty Durango, Crumb Cake, and Marina Mist cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Stell and Rose-Mabel patterned paper pad (My Mind's Eye); button (Papertrey Ink); silver pen (Sakura); white flock (Stampendous); sewing machine; foam tape

Out of this World

My card for today's SCS clean and simple challenge to use the artist's rule of threes ended up being an extension of Papertrey Ink's blog hop theme of cards for boys and men. I also took my inspiration from this week's PTI Make It Monday video that showed tricks for making an outline frame for your card.

I started with the frame, hand drawn on the Spring Rain panel. Before drawing the frame, I stamped the sentiment in Enchanted Evening ink in the upper left corner of the panel and the flame image in the lower right. This helped me to figure out where I wanted the frame positioned. I penciled in lines to use as guides and went for it. I think it actually came out fairly straight, which is a big achievement for me. I think if I were to do this over, I'd position the top of the sentiment a little lower so that it was level with the frame's corner . . .

After the frame was drawn in, I added color to the flames using Copic markers. For a fun sparkle, I added some Wild Honey Distress Stickles to the flame. I used the rocket image from Boy Basics: Out of this World again here. I die cut the rocket image, stamped it, and colored it. After adding a dome embellishment to the rocket's window, I attached it to the panel with foam tape. I arranged the die cut moon and stars, completing a cluster of three images. The panel is layered on an Enchanted Evening card base to set it off.

Materials Used:
Boy Basics: Out of this World stamp set, Enchanted Evening ink, Enchanted Evening, Spring Rain, Lemon Tart, and White cardstock, Rocket die (Papertrey Ink); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Vivid Straw ink (Colorsnap); Polka Dots embossing folder (Sizzix); Wild Honey Distress Stickles (Ranger); black pen

Papertrey Ink Boys to Men Blog Hop

The theme for this month's Papertrey Ink blog hop is cards for boys and men. When I make masculine cards, I like to incorporate lots of texture to add interest in place of more frilly, fluffy accents. For the hop, I did just that with the new space themed Boy Basics: Out of This World set, using it to create a fun, interactive card that's perfect for a little boy.

I started by embossing a Spring Rain panel with the Sunshine impression plate (and somehow cracking one of my Big Shot's "B" plates in the process--fortunately I had an extra ready and waiting to go . . . ). This provided a fun background for my interactive scene. I made a bumpy moon using a Lemon Tart circle cut in a moon-like crescent shape. I ran the crescent shape through my Big Shot with a dotted embossing folder, then spritzed with a little shimmer spray for a nighttime sky sparkle before attaching it to the panel with foam tape.

I die cut the set's rocket shape from white cardstock, then stamped and colored the image. I added a clear plastic dome embellishment to the rocket's window for a life-like touch. To make the interactive element, I used a punch to make a channel in the Spring Rain panel. To allow the rocket to move up and down the channel, I attached a "sandwich" of pennies with a foam dot between them to the back of the rocket. One penny is behind the Spring Rain panel, holding the rocket in the channel as it moves up and down. Before attaching the panel to the Enchanted Evening card base, I attached a strip of Spring Rain cardstock to it to make the channel in the cardstock a little less noticeable.

The rest of the card's pretty simple. I added a yellow strip along the bottom of the card, running a piece of red ribbon around the top of the strip to visually divide it from the rest of the card. The "3-2-1 blast off" sentiment is stamped on a white panel in red ink and slipped underneath the ribbon. I accented it with a pair of yellow star brads. A blue button, tied with Pure Poppy baker's twine, finishes the card.

Materials Used:
Boy Basics: Out of This World stamp set, Pure Poppy ink, Enchanted Evening, Lemon Tart, Spring Rain, and White cardstock, Sunshine impression plate, Rocket die, Enchanted Evening button, Pure Poppy baker's twine (Papertrey Ink); Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Sparkle Shimmer Spritz (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); word window punch (Stampin' Up!); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); Polka Dots embossing folder (Sizzix); 1 3/4" circle punch (EK Success); star brads (Making Memories); clear dome embellishment; foam tape

Rainbow Wishes

Here's a bright and cheerful birthday card I made for today's SCS featured stamper challenge. It's based on this birthday card featuring border images running across the cardfront.

I used a solid border stamp image from the Mint Motif Beyond Borders set instead of a more detailed image. Like the card I made last week, I stamped the image repeatedly in a rainbow color sequence using Memento inks directly on a white card base. I did a pretty good job of getting things lined up straight!

Once I was finished with the rainbow lineup, I stamped the birthday sentiment from Very Square Sentiments on a small white panel and edged it with a purple scalloped strip. I used a dimensional dot to attach it to the card. A tiny light purple glimmer ribbon bow, made with my Bow Easy and set at the bottom of the sentiment panel, is the only additional embellishment.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Mint Motif Beyond Borders and Very Square Sentiments stamp sets, Memento Rhubarb Stalk, Dandelion, Tangelo, Pear Tart, Summer Sky, Lulu Lavender, and Tuxedo Black inks, Zva Creative dimensional dot, Creative Impressions lilac glimmer ribbon, Bow Easy

other: white cardstock (Xerox); Lovely Lavender cardstock (Gina K Designs); scallop edge punch (Stampin' Up!)

Give it a Whirl

This card's a pretty loose interpretation of this week's Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge, courtesy of Keely. I wanted to showcase the new pinwheel die and matching stamp set I got from my friend Laura at Lil' Inker Designs and I saw the pocket on Keely's card and ran with it to create an interactive card to house my pinwheel.

I die cut the pinwheel pieces from a piece of double sided October Afternoon patterned paper, then secured them with a brad. I added a button tied with twine at the pinwheel's center to dress it up, hiding the brad in the process. For the pinwheel's stem, I used a wooden skewer, attached to the back of the pinwheel with a glue dot and trimmed down to size to fit my card.

The rest of the card is fairly simple. I used the same patterned paper on the cardfront as I did for the pinwheel to tie the pieces together. I machine stitched a decorated pocket panel to the bottom portion of the card, then added the "you mean the whirl to me" sentiment at the bottom of the pocket, accented with a pair of layered buttons. Isn't the pinwheel just perfect for inside the pocket?

Materials Used:
Pinwheel Sentiments stamp set and pinwheel die (Lil' Inker Designs); Bermuda BayClassic ink (Stampin' Up!); Simply Chartreuse and Hawaiian Shores cardstock, medium scallop edge and double-ended banner dies, Simply Chartreuse grosgrain ribbon, Hawaiian Shores button (Papertrey Ink); Ducks in a Row designer paper (October Afternoon); green buttons (Michaels); olive baker's twine (Timeless Twine); sewing machine; wooden skewer

Whee!

Here's a fun spring-like card for this week's My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club sketch. The swinging girl image from the Start the Day with Whee set was a perfect fit for the sketch's circle panel.

I stamped the girl on a white panel and colored her with Copic markers. After coloring her (and the leaves at the top of the panel), I masked the colored image with a sticky note and used my airbrush tool to add a pretty cloudy sky background to the panel. The mask kept the airbrushed ink from muddying my coloring.

I went with a girly pink and green color combination for the card. I used a striped panel underneath the image and added the set's sentiment on a green panel for contrast against the stripes. A dotted panel, edged with a matching scallop edged strip, sits at the bottom of the card. I knotted a piece of bold pink ribbon around the bottom to finish the card.

Materials Used:

Pure Innocence Start the Day with Whee stamp set (My Favorite Things); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Hibiscus Burst and Simply Chartreuse cardstock, medium scallop edge die (Papertrey Ink); Greenhouse designer paper (K & Company); circle dies (Spellbinders); pink grosgrain ribbon (Michaels)

Hip Hop Hooray

Here's my card for this week's Color Throwdown challenge to use navy, white, and one other color of your choosing. This fun frog mini set from Papertrey Ink had just arrived at my house, so I went with green as my third color for my card using this week's Mojo Monday sketch.

I die cut the frog shape then stamped the die cut piece with the matching frog image. It's colored with Copic markers and set on a lily pad that is die cut from a piece of patterned paper. I like the whimsical look of the dotted pattern. The image is set on a white circle with a piece of navy blue cardstock along the bottom of the panel to act as water for the frog. I may go back and spray it with a little shimmer spray to add a little something to it.

The image panel is matted with a matching green circle and layered on a navy blue panel. I used the same patterned paper I used for the lily pad for the large panel on the cardfront. A piece of matching green ribbon is knotted around the panel. I stamped the set's "hip hop hooray" sentiment on a white tag in navy ink and attached it to the knotted ribbon with some olive baker's twine. The sketch has more layers than my clean and simple self usually uses, so it was a good stretch for me.

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I was going to watch the Washington Capitals off day practice at their practice rink. The rink is right down the street from a school that I used to teach at. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't there when I was working at the school! I forgot to take along my camera, but I did have my iPhone with me and since we were so close to the ice (2nd row of bleachers!), I snapped a few photos. I wasn't sure how they'd turn out, but with a little cropping and editing, they're not too bad. I won't bore you with many of them, but I thought I'd share two. This one shows the team's coach, Bruce Boudreau (in the track suit, watching the players complete a drill).


This one is the team's (and NHL's) big superstar, Alex Ovechkin. I think in Washington we sometimes forget just how lucky we are to get to watch Ovi play on a regular basis--he's amazing! I've been lucky enough to see lots of the "greats" like Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier, Jagr, and Yzerman play in person and Ovi is definitely part of that elite group. I'm looking forward to watching the game this afternoon and hoping that the Caps can finish the series out by defeating the Rangers.


Materials Used:
Boy Basics: Frog Hop stamp set, Enchanted Evening ink, Enchanted Evening and Simply Chartreuse cardstock, Frog Hop and medium scallop border dies, Simply Chartreuse grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey Ink); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Quite Contrary designer paper (My Mind's Eye); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); circle dies (Spellbinders); tag punch (Fiskars); baker's twine (Timeless Twine); foam tape

Friends with Flair: Owl Always

Happy Friday! I've been off of work all week, but I'm still glad to see Friday arrive. I'm heading out with some friends this morning to watch our hometown hockey team, the Washington Capitals, practice at their practice rink. This is the first time I've gone to a practice and I haven't gotten to any games this season, so I'm excited to see some hockey-like activity in person, especially after the team's dramatic, come from behind, overtime victory over the Rangers on Wednesday.

Here's my card for this week's Friends with Flair. It's a clean and simple one (I think you'll be seeing this layout again . . .) that includes a bird image per this month's Unity challenge.

I used the Owl Always Itty Bitty and matching sentiment as my focal image. The owls are stamped in brown ink on a piece of orange cardstock and cut out. It was bugging me that they didn't have eyes, so I went ahead and added them using tiny pearls.

I set a panel of patterned paper with shades of green, orange, and brown on the green cardfront, then layered the owls partially over it, using a dimensional dot to hold them in place. I stamped the matching sentiment on an orange strip and layered that over the opposite side of the patterned paper, adding some white pen faux stitching to anchor it. It's not my usual color combination, but I like how it turned out.

For more Unity inspiration, be sure to check out the full list of Friends with Flair players on the Unity blog.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Unity Stamp Co. Owl Always Itty Bitty, Tsukineko Memento Rich Cocoa ink, Zva Creative white pearl lines and dimensional dots, Jillibean Soup Dutch Mustard paper pad, Ranger Inkssentials white pen

other: Pumpkin Pie, Pear Pizazz, and Close to Cocoa cardstock (Stampin' Up!)

Blogger Challenge: Week 200

Happy Earth Day! Before I share my project for this week's challenge, I have an Earth Day crafting tip to share with you . For more tips, stop by the Clear and Simple Stamps blog for a list of CSS designers sharing their own eco-chic tips.

Now, on to my project. This week's blogger challenge was to use lace or ribbon on your project. This project is one I originally had in mind for the Clear and Simple Stamps group challenge earlier this month, but I didn't have the right supplies at the time. I had it in the back of my mind and when I saw this challenge, I took my inspiration from the On the Mend set from Clear and Simple Stamps and got to work.

I made a simple pin cushion from a small Bell canning jar. I found the half pint size jars in a package of four at Target. They're the perfect size for this project.

The pin cushion is housed in the jar's lid. I made it using a fabric square and some quilt batting. The quilt batting was set over the lid's insert, then covered by the fabric. The fabric was wrapped over the lid's edge and I used CSS's Simple Adhesive to secure the excess fabric to the back of the lid, then covered the back with a white cardstock circle for a finished look.

The lace was attached to the inside of the band's rim, again using CSS's Simple Adhesive. Once it was in place, I put the band over the decorated lid, making sure that the lace piece was still visible. Before setting the lid on the jar, I added buttons to the jar as a fun decoration. You could also fill the jar with fabric scraps or other sewing related items.

I added a simple stamped sewing-themed tag to the jar. The images are from CSS's On the Mend set. I stamped the spool image on the matching die cut, then wrapped it with pink embroidery floss before adding it to the tag. I made sure to leave a little extra floss "hanging" off the spool so I could make it look like it was the thread used to stitch the heart image I stamped next to the spool. The coordinating sentiment is stamped underneath the image. After layering it on a lacey circles die cut, I used pink satin ribbon to secure it to the jar's rim.

For more ideas using ribbon and lace, check out the links below. And, if you join in the challenge, feel free to add your link to the list.



Materials Used:
On the Mend stamp set, On the Mend Simple Cuts dies, Paint the Town Pink and Dish All the Dirt Brown inks, I'm a Princess Pink and Kraft Like a Rockstar cardstock, I'm a Princess Pink satin ribbon, Simple Adhesive (Clear and Simple Stamps); circle and lacey circle dies (Spellbinders); lace (Michaels); pink embroidery floss; fabric; half pint canning jar

Clearly, I Lava You

Here's my card for this week's Our Craft Lounge challenge, just under the wire! This week's challenge was to make a clean and simple card with a clear component. I pulled out one of my favorite OCL sets, Lava You, for the challenge and combined it with the colors from Heather's latest Totally Hues challenge--Lemon Tart, Aqua Mist, Simply Chartreuse, and Raspberry Fizz.

I stamped the lava lamp on a scrap of aqua cardstock and cut it out. I stamped it again on a piece of white paper and colored just the liquid section of the lamp using Copic markers, then cut out the colored piece and paper pieced it on to the aqua lamp. The colored portion is coated with Glossy Accents (my "clear" component for the OCL challenge!). I set the lamp on a piece of dotted patterned paper with a dimensional dot to give it a fun backdrop.

I set the lamp panel on a Lemon Tart card base, backed with a piece of bold pink faux suede ribbon. Love the texture and pop of bold color this adds! I attached a pink button, tied with green baker's twine, to the top of the panel where it meets the ribbon. The set's "I lava you" sentiment is stamped on a round panel and attached to the edge of the patterned paper panel. Even with a lot of products, the look is still clean and simple--and fun!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Our Craft Lounge Lava You stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, X-Press white Copic blending cardstock, Copic markers (YG00, YG03, YG13, YG25, BG10, BG11, BG13, RV13, RV14, Y00, Y11, Y13), Ranger Glossy Accents, Spellbinders rectangle and circle dies, Pink Paislee Hometown Summer designer paper, Zva Creative dimensional dot, May Arts fuschia faux suede ribbon, Divine Twine Green Apple baker's twine

other: Aqua Mist, Raspberry Fizz, and Lemon Tart cardstock (Papertrey Ink)

Sewn with Love

Here's a super simple card featuring a sentiment from the On the Mend II stamp set, this month's Stamp of the Month from Clear and Simple Stamps.

I got a big bag of heart shaped buttons at the craft store and knew they'd be perfect to use with this stamp set. Instead of hand stitching them, I took the easy way out and used my sewing machine to stitch a wavy line across a panel of I'm a Princess Pink cardstock. I picked black thread for lots of contrast.

I used glue dots to add heart buttons along the stitched line, making sure to mix up the colors, shapes, and sizes I used to add interest. The set's friendship sentiment is stamped in black ink at the top of the card. I layered the panel on a white card base to hide the stitching on the back.

Be sure to stop by the Clear and Simple Stamps iPhone/iTouch app for daily CSS inspiration. I have a teeny, tiny peek of my project that's featured exclusively on the app today. You can find all the info about downloading the app here.

Materials Used:
On the Mend II stamp set, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, I’m a Princess Pink and A Blanc Check cardstock (Clear and Simple Stamps); buttons (Blumenthal Lansing); sewing machine

For the Graduate

***Check out my post from earlier today for some big news!***

Here's my card for this week's SCS sketch challenge. I had a hard time figuring out what to do at first, but once I picked a graduation theme, it came together pretty quickly.

I used Papertrey Ink's For the Graduate Set for my card. I kept the card super simple with a black, white, and gold color scheme.

I added little pops of color by breaking up the white panel on the cardfdront with a black strip, edged with gold. The stars, die cut from shimmery gold paper, and a pair of gold brads add a little interest and shine. I stamped the set's graduation sentiment in black ink underneath the black band. I think the card would work great for just about any graduate--high school or college, male or female.

Materials Used:
For the Graduate stamp set, Seeing Stars die collection (Papertrey Ink); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Basic Black cardstock (Stampin' Up!); white cardstock (Xerox); gold cardstock (Target); gold brads (Making Memories); foam tape

You Make My Heart Spin

Did you see the exciting news here? Yes, that's right, I'm now a member of the Cat Pack, the design team for The Cat's Pajamas! I'm beyond thrilled to be a part of this amazing company and group of designers and I'm looking forward to sharing lots of fabulous TCP creations with you.

And, since I'm sharing that big news, it's only fitting that I share my card for this week's TCP Tuesday challenge along with it. This week's challenge is a long, tall sketch, courtesy of Leigh. I went more scrappy than stampy on this one, breaking out my pinwheel die for the very first time.

I made the pinwheel from a piece of double-sided patterned paper and after securing it with a brad, used a glue dot to attach it to a piece of wooden skewer. The pinwheel is attached to a piece of cloud patterned paper, again with glue dots.

I used paper with a subtle heart pattern for the 4 panels on the cardfront. I tried mixing and matching different patterns, but it didn't work for me, so I stuck with simple. Each panel is machine stitched around the edges to add interest (of course, my sewing machine's bobbin ran out of thread right in the middle of stitching one of the panels--never a dull moment . . .). After layering all of the panels in place, I tied a strip of red grosgrain ribbon around the card and stamped the "you make my heart spin" sentiment from the What a Blast stamp set in red underneath the ribbon. A trio of red brads underneath the cloud panel finishes the design.

I hope you'll give the sketch a try! Be sure to add your creation to the guestbook on Alma's blog to qualify for a chance to win the weekly Cat Cash drawing and to be considered for the coveted monthly Swanky Stamper award.

Materials Used:
What a Blast stamp set, Pinwheels Cutups die (The Cat's Pajamas); Riding Hood Red Classic ink, Bahama Bay and Daffodil Delight cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Love Me Do Collection Kit (My Mind's Eye); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); red and silver brads (Joann); sewing machine; wooden skewer

Exclusively Yours

For this month's i {heart} papers design team challenge, IHP's DT is showcasing IHP's exclusive stamp lines, The Petal Press, Mint Motif, and Chicken Girl Design. I made a fun project using images from the Chicken Girl Design Hugs from a Bug set. This set is great for spring and summertime cards!

I used a tin pail, picked up in Target's dollar section, to hold a bouquet of lollipop flowers. Each lollipop is made from a Blow Pop that's inserted into the center of a paper flower cut from a piece of striped patterned paper using the medium sized flower from the Spellbinders Nested Flower die set. I added a small circle to the center of each flower for some contrast before threading the lollipop through the die cut. I set some floral foam inside the bucket and covered it with green paper shred before arranging the lollipops. It took 5 "flowers" to fill out my bouquet.

I dressed up the tin pail by cutting a narrow strip of the same paper I used for the flowers and wrapping it around the pail, securing it with redline tape. I added a bright red twill bow, made with my Bow Easy, as an accent. I also made a coordinating tag using the mosquito image from Hugs from a Bug and the matching sentiment. I stamped the bugger in black ink on a white circle and colored it with Copic markers. The wings are covered with Crystal Stickles for an iridescent look. The "I'm a sucker for you" sentiment is stamped under the image. I used more red twill to attach the tag to the pail's handle, then added a red button, tied with matching red baker's twine, to hide where the twill is attached.

Be sure to check out how the rest of the IHP DT has used IHP's exclusive stamp lines. Here's where to find them:

Carolyn
Deb
Gretchen
Kendra
Loretta
Lori (you're here!)
Lynn
Megan
Tracy
Kate

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Chicken Girl Design Hugs from a Bug stamp set, X-Press white Copic blending cardstock, Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers (C00, C-1, C-3, B0000), My Mind's Eye Penny Lane "Beauty" Charmed Stripes patterned paper, Spellbinders Nested Flower and circle dies, i {stick} papers redline tape, May Arts red twill, Bow Easy, Ranger Crystal Stickles, Divine Twine Cherry Red baker's twine

other: Riding Hood Red cardstock

Tea-rrific Tea Lights

Have you checked out the Paper Crafts magazine special issue, 350 Cards & Gifts? If you have, you might have seen this pretty project I designed that's featured on page 153. The tealights and slide top box are today's Paper Craft Planet 3d Tuesday challenge.

The tealights are super easy to make. Start by stamping a solid image stamp on plain white tissue paper. I used images from Verve's Petals and Stems set here. Use a circle punch to punch out the image and a handheld punch to make a hole in the center of the circle to thread the tealight's wick through. I found that placing a piece of copy paper behind the tissue before punching made it easier to get a clean cut circle.

After setting the tissue circle on the tealight, use a heat tool to heat the wax so that the tissue becomes covered in wax, adhering it to the tealight. The tealight's metal rim will become hot, so handle it carefully. I use a craft tweezers to hold the tissue and tealight in place while heating it.

The box is made from some cut and scored cardstock. You can find the box and box top template here on the Paper Crafts website--you'll have to scroll down a bit to find it, but I promise it's there! The box top is decorated with a strip of cardstock stamped to coordinate with the tealights. I tied a little tag around it to dress it up and it's all ready to give as a gift.

We'd love to see your take on the challenge, so be sure to use the linky widget here on the Paper Craft Planet blog to show off your project. You can also upload your creation to the PCP gallery using the keyword 3d110.

Materials Used:
Petals and Stems and Thankful Hearts stamp sets (Verve Stamps); Regal Rose Classic ink, Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Memento Dandelion ink (Tsukineko); Sweet Blush satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); pink baker's twine (Divine Twine); button (Clear and Simple Stamps); 1 3/8" and 1 1/2" circle and 1/8" handheld punches (EK Success); tealights; heat tool; white tissue paper

Smile and Wish

Before my little beach getaway, I was able to get caught up on the first two Viva la Verve sketches for the month of April.

Here's my card for April's first sketch. I went for a masculine look and even though the card has lots of layers, I think it still has a clean and simple look.

I picked the card's colors from the striped piece of retired SU! Fall Flowers designer paper I used on the card. All of the other panels on the cardfront are made of colors included in the paper. To add interest, I used different textures, including embossing the rust circle panel with a dotted pattern and running a wide strip of dark brown twill across the cardfront before adding the sentiment panel.

The sentiment comes from the Big Wish set. I stamped it in rust ink on a cream panel, then added a cork star as an accent. I love using cork pieces on masculine cards! The final element is a scattering of metal studs, another great embellishment for masculine cards. I've been using so many of these that I went back to the dollar bins at Michaels to snag some more!

Materials Used:
Big Wish stamp set (Verve Stamps); Dusty Durango Classic ink, Dusty Durango, Dark Chocolate, Sahara Sand, and Very Vanilla cardstock, Fall Flowers designer series paper (Stampin' Up!); circle die (Spellbinders); Melon Berry cardstock, star die (Papertrey Ink); cork sheet (Creative Impressions); Polka Dots embossing folder (Sizzix); metal studs (Michaels); brown twill

Here's my card for the second week's sketch. I went bright and sunny on this one using one of my favorite Verve images, the butterfly from Blue Skies.

For the focal image, I used Verve's Vintage Oval die and matching frame image. The "you make me smile" sentiment from Blue Skies is stamped inside the orange frame image in brown ink. I stamped the set's small butterfly on a scrap of white cardstock, colored it with Copic markers, cut it out, and added it to the frame's edge with foam tape.

I used a piece of older My Mind's Eye designer paper to cover most of the cardfront. A trio of copper brads is set in two of the panel's corners. I think I would have been happier with them if I'd set them a little farther from the edge . . . For the panels on either side of the card, I embossed corner rounded pieces of orange cardstock with a dotted pattern. A strip of yellow cardstock, layered with an orange strip and a piece of coordinating yellow satin ribbon, runs down the center of the card. The sentiment panel is attached to the center of the card and a pretty satin bow is set underneath it as a final feminine touch.

Materials Used:
Blue Skies and Vintage Oval Frame stamp sets, Vintage Oval die (Verve Stamps); Rich Cocoa ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Pumpkin Pie Classic ink, Pumpkin Pie and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Harvest Gold cardstock, Harvest Gold satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); Bloom and Grow designer paper (My Mind's Eye); Polka Dots embossing folder (Sizzix); copper brads (Making Memories); Bow Easy; foam tape; corner rounder

Hey Chick

Here are the latest projects I’ve created for my time as Artist of the Month at Our Craft Lounge. All of these projects use the Hey Chick stamp set and are being featured on the OCL blog today.

First up is a card featuring the set’s cute bunny image. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you probably know I love bunny images and this one is no exception. I went with a pink and gray color scheme for both the image and card. I used Copic markers to color the bunny and added a little of OCL’s Cotton Candy Pink Sparkly Fluff to its belly for fun.

I used a piece of pink paper with gray dots to cover much of the cardfront. I machine stitched a strip of gray cardstock across the top of the panel to set it off from the cardfront. Some pink faux suede ribbon runs along the bottom of the cardstock to add some texture. I wrapped pink baker's twine around the ribbon and tied it in a bow before attaching the bunny to the card with dimensional dots.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Our Craft Lounge Cotton Candy Pink Sparkly Fluff, X-Press Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers (C-1, C-3, C-5, R21), My Mind’s Eye Stella and Rose-Gertie 6 x 6 paper pad, Spellbinders circle die, May Arts pink faux suede ribbon, Divine Twine Cotton Candy Pink baker’s twine, Zva Creative dimensional dot

other: Blushing Bride and Basic Gray cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); medium scallop die; sewing machine

The next two projects are Peeps inspired. It’s definitely that time of year and this set is perfect for giving some super sweet (and sugary) gifts. I used a template created by my friend Adela (check out her store here) to make this adorable little slidetop window box that holds 4 Peeps. Edited to add: the box template was provided as part of a Paper Craft Planet 3dchallenge and hasn't been added to the store yet--when it is, I'll provide the link.

I cut the box from pink cardstock and scored it with my Scor-Pal. It was very easy to cut by hand using the PDF file as a guide—but it will be even easier once I get the Silhouette I ordered with some of my tax refund money! After cutting the box, I added a panel of dotted paper from Echo Park’s Springtime collection to the front, then used a Spellbinders rectangle die to cut an opening. I secured a piece of acetate between the patterned paper and the box to keep the Peeps safely tucked inside but still visible, then secured the box pieces with redline tape.

I made a simple tag for the box using one of the set’s chick images. I colored it with Copic markers and added some Lemon Drop Yellow Sparkly Fluff to its tail feathers. The “you’re so special to me chick-a-dee” sentiment is stamped on a white circle. I attached the bird above it with a dimensional dot and added a yellow button tied with pink baker’s twine to accent it. A little more baker’s twine secures the tag to the box’s handle.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Our Craft Lounge Lemon Drop Yellow Sparkly Fluff, X-Press Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers (Y11, Y13, Y15, Y17, Y18), i {stick} papers redline tape, Echo Park Springtime Collection Kit, Spellbinders rectangle, circle, and scalloped circle dies, Divine Twine Cotton Candy Pink baker’s twine, Zva Creative dimensional dots; Scor-Pal

other: Pretty in Pink and Barely Banana cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); button (Michaels); acetate

And, here’s one final project. I saw this multi-colored Peeps pop at the store and had to have it--even though I don't eat Peeps. I loved the bright, fun colors and knew I could do something with it. You could probably make your own by threading different color Peeps on a lollipop stick and placing it in a tall plastic bag.

After removing the Peeps packaging, I re-wrapped the pop and dressed it up with my own little tag. I covered a die cut tag with dotted paper from Echo Park’s Summer Days collection, then added the sentiment across the tag. I wrapped some pink twill around the tag and attached a matching bow, made with my Bow Easy. I attached it to the lollipop stick with a little baker’s twine.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: X-Press Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers (Y00, Y11, Y13, Y18), Echo Park Summer Days Collection Kit, Alexx Kesh pink twill, Bow Easy, Divine Twine Cotton Candy Pink baker’s twine

other: tag die (Sizzix); button (Michaels)

Mint Rainbow Thoughts

It's been a while since I played along with one of the Paper Craft Planet CAS (clean and simple) Card Group's challenges. As soon as I saw this week's lesson to create a card with a rainbow motif, the idea for this card popped into my head and I had to play along.

This quick card took less than 15 minutes from start to finish. I stamped one of the long border strip images from the Mint Motif Beyond Borders stamp set repeatedly in a rainbow array of Memento inks on a white panel. Each time I stamped, I shortened the length of the stamped image just a bit to add interest to the pattern. I stamped the "just thinking of you" sentiment from the Very Square Sentiments set in the open space underneath the images using black ink. I set the stamped panel on a black mat to set it off, then attached it to a white card base. What a bright and cheerful way to let someone know you're thinking of them!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Mint Motif Beyond Borders and Very Square Sentiments stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Ladybug, Dandelion, Tangelo, Lulu Lavender, Pear Tart, Summer Sky, and Tuxedo Black inks

other: Basic Black cardstock (Stampin' Up!); white cardstock (Xerox)