Black White Silver Christmas

Today I participated in another Hero Arts scramble. (if you click the link you will be able to see the scramble post and all the great cards made.) I love them, they are hosted every two weeks and it is wonderful to see what this group of super creative women can put together in 90 minutes, some make multiple cards.  Today I kind of did as well...but only because I failed to fully read the directions.

My Ooops!

We were given an inspiration photo, and asked to make a Christmas Card using black, white and silver, neutral colors could also be used, but the focus was to be the black white and silver.  My fist card had RED in it.  I am so glad I re-read the instructions be for posting it.  So I had to pull it apart and that is never an easy proposition with the tape runner...when I want to have it stick well it doesn't when I wish it was tacky and loose it isn't.  Ya gotta laugh!

My Entry Scramble49

Hubs birthday was this weekend, and after my initial "oh crap I used red" I ran downstairs and grabbed a silver cupcake liner that was left over to add to the card. I also used spellbinder dies, recollections papers, offray ribbons and studio112 half pearls.

Thanks for stopping by.
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(=';'=)  
(")_(")~~Cat

Soup to Nuts?

Patterned Paper

When I saw the Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger photo earlier this week it reminded me of a piece of patterned paper by KI Memories, Inc., that I have been holding on to for quite a while.

Tuesday Trigger Photo

So I decided it was time for the paper to leave my stash.

I decided to tear strips from the paper and layer them horizontally down the card.  

I then cut a piece of balsa wood and inked the edges. A strip of the patterned paper was adhered down the center of the wood. 

I wrapped some threads around it and tied it off with a bow, then added a sentiment strip in blue with brown pearl accents.

Thanks for stopping by. 

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 (=';'=)

 (")_(")~~Cat

Butterfly Birthday

Today I made a card for my niece's birthday.  I finally got my hands on a Spellbinder's die set I have been lusting after. This card was the perfect opportunity to pull it out and play. 

The card base is a blue 5.5 by 5.5 inch square. I used a lot of layers, I wanted the patterned paper to pop.  I rounded the bottom of the card to soften it.

Front

The sentiments (exterior and interior) are both from Hero Arts. The embellishments include a Martha Stewart doily and some Snug Hug seam binding colored with distress ink. The pearls are from Recollections. 

The interior of the card is lined with the same patterned paper as the butterfly on the front. The small butterflies are made with a Martha Stewart punch, using the same card stock as the mats on the front side.

Interior

 

Thanks for stopping by. 

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(=';'=)

(")_(")~~Cat

Wishing...

image credit

Hi, have you seen the gorgeous shoes over at Moxie Fab World's Tuesday Trigger Challenge.  They are quite mouth watering, as is the color combo in the photo.  I love everything about this picture. I decided to play along, but it took me a long time to come up with a card...and now hubs has to wait for his steak dinner!

Here is my entry. Finding a shoe stamp...almost impossible in my stash. However, I found this tiny little shoe floating loose... I stamped and embossed it, added little pearls for some sheen. 

The patterned paper I  thought was similar in style, but I still needed the green. So I stamped a Hero Arts background stamp, embossed it in a pearly green and placed it behind the patterned paper. 

As for my title...envy...wishing...they have to be cousins at least!

Thanks for stopping and taking a look.

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(=';'=)

(")_(")~~Cat

Great Friend

It's been a day of housework and helping hubs, and he helped me with reaching the high places. I haven't made a card for several days and I though I would make something for the Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge Blog   This week it's embossing; dry or heat, or both. I love embossing both dry and heat.  Texture is something I love to feel on cards.  I also need the heat embossing to try to keep myself within the lines... I am also entering this in the Card Design Handbook Challenge-Asymmetry at Moxie Fab.

Lately I seem to be drawn to gray.  So, this is a more muted card than I would usually put together, but I am happy with the end result, and my scrappin' bud to whom this is going will like it too.

I used Hero Arts stamps, Spectrum Noir markers, clear embossing powder, Brilliance ink, and JoAnn ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by.    

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(=';'=)

(")_(")~~Cat

Mini Cards...and more

Hello, a couple of weekends ago, Penny Black had a weekend challenge to make mini cards.  I have exactly 3 Penny Black stamps/sets here in Maryland. First I had to figure out exactly what a mini card was...found a post that mentioned 1/2 of an A2 card. So I gave it a go.  I actually fell in love with these sweet little cards...
what is it about small things?

Both cards use the paisley background, I stamped it with VersaMark, and hit it with the heat gun.  The images were stamped and colored with Spectrum Alcohol markers. Spellbinder dies were used to cut the shapes, emboss the edges, and provide a guide for the inside inking with Distress Inks. I stamped the sentiments, and added some baby Martha Stewart pearls in coordinating shades.

And now for the more part. My hubs often brings or sends me flowers.  I keep them in the entryway because it is a wonderful welcome into the house.  I have a pretty little vase, that I love. It never gets used unless a flower gets a broken stem.  So while watching football, I made some paper flowers for the cute little vase.  I keep it on my craft table, flanked by the mini cards. It makes me smile.

Thank you all for stopping by. Have a wonderful week.

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(=';'=)

(")_(")~~Cat

OLW 106 Sponging

My morning routine generally begins with breakfast and a leisurely stroll through my subscribed blogs. Today, I decided to take up and try a challenge.  I've done masking maybe once or twice, so this was definitely a challenge for me.

I used artist's masking tape to block off my borders, then created the upper and lower wavy mask.  I used distress inks in two colors (baby steps), and added the lighthouse and sentiment stamp.

Thanks for taking a look.

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(=';'=)

(")_(")~~Cat

OLW106 Rules

1. A ONE-LAYER card is defined as a single layer of card stock folded in half. No other layers allowed!

2. Make a card that incorporates sponging

3. Post your card somewhere online and link back  here using the InLinkz button at the bottom of this post. Please make sure you link to the specific post on your blog rather than your blog's main page.

4. Have Fun!

See the challenge at the address below:

 http://cardz.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/olw-106-sponging/

Father's and Father's-in-law

Hi everyone. My father and my father-in-law are both golfers. So it made making their birthday cards super easy.  I picked up some golfing patterned paper and a golf bag stamp from Whipper Snapper Designs that I thought would be fun to color.  My father-in-law got my first effort by virtue of having the earlier birthday.

His card is this one. I wanted to be able to upload it to the Hero Arts Flickr group, so the sentiment is Hero Arts. I used some spellbinder dies, and spectrum markers. My MIL reports the card is on display next to Dad's recliner.

I decided to make my Dad's card on a square format. It too is colored with the Spectrum Alcohol markers. I used another spellbinder die, some American Crafts ribbon, and a little shading with distress ink. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up. I love the look of it, and think its perfect on masculine cards...a little "Ye Old Tavern"-ish.

It is difficult to tell, but the small white circle is embossed with Swiss dots and applied upside down to resemble the dimples in a golf ball. My dad will love this card. 

Thanks much for stopping by! 

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(=';'=)

(")_(")~~Cat

My First Post

Welcome to my first ever blog post. In March of this year I first posted a handmade card to Flickr. I had seen a tweet about a Hero Arts scramble...it sounded interesting. I went to the site, created an account, and then participated the next morning in my first scramble. The scramble consists of specific directions and or theme provided to the participants, 90 minutes to create a card, photograph it, upload it to the pool, and the scramble thread. It took me about 88 minutes to make and post this card.  I was exhausted by the time it was over.

I received such kind comments from the fellow scramblers and I was hooked.  I looked forward to these scrambles, and added to my collection of Hero Arts stamps.  I am so happy to have stumbled upon this group.  It's been six months of card making now; and these encouraging and talented ladies from the Hero Arts group with their lovely blogs have given me the courage to try it myself.


Six months later I am still scrambling with this group and loving it. Below is my card for the latest scramble, last Saturday the 15th. The guidelines we were given were to use fall colors, red, orange, yellow, green, browns. There did not have to be a fall theme, just use of at least one Hero Arts stamp.

The card features a stamped strip of Kraft cardstock, and some larger squares embossed with the same stamp but brightly heat embossed. The sentiment was stamped and heat embossed on vellum and laid over the card front. Attaching vellum without my Xyron here in Maryland was an exercise in patience.  I finally put the border strips to cover the glue markings on the top and bottom.  I think I had about 7 minutes left after photographing and uploading to the thread.


Thanks for taking a look, and I hope you come back to read future posts!  Have a wonderful day.

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(=';'=)

(")_(")~~Cat