Paper Cuts

On September 1st, My Favorite Things is releasing a new mini-stamp set, Shower Time (so cute!) and their new My Favorite 48, a hand-selected collection of Prismacolor pencils (along with some other goodies).  Check out all the details here.

For this card, I finally broke open my pack of Cosmo Cricket Little Girls paper.  I *adore* the prints and colors in this set!  It has such a “vintage/girly” feel to it. 

I’ve become a big fan of the smaller paper packs and pads, only buying the larger 12″ x 12″ size when that’s the only choice.  This pack is 8″ x 8″ so the prints are scaled down, perfect for card making!  (Check out the Little Boys pack too!!!)

Cardstock:  Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla     Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket Little Girls “Tea Party,” “Carefree” and “Secrets”     Stamps:  My Favorite Things “Shower Time”     Ink:  Brilliance Graphite Black     Accessories:  Copic marker (E00), white Signo gel pen, dimensionals, olive narrow organdy   Finished card size:  5″ x 5″. 

For this one, I used Cloud 9 Design Baby Boy dots and stripes.

The umbrella and shirt are paper-pieced as above with the umbrella popped up on dimensionals (as well as the entire focal image).

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

(I got to sleep in my own bed last night and my son slept peacefully through the night.  Wahoo!!)

Cardstock:  SU Certainly Celery; Papertrey Ink white     Patterned Paper: Cloud 9 Design Baby Boy Dots & Baby Boy Stripes     Stamps:  My Favorite Things “Shower Time”     Ink:  Brilliance Graphite Black     Accessories:  Copic marker (E00), Celery Stampin’ Write marker, ticket corner punch, mat pack/needle, dimensionals     Finished card size:  4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″.

Hi everybody. I’m back…for the most part. 

My son (seven) had neurosurgery last Friday. Considering what he’s been through, he is doing remarkably well. He’s still a little wobbly on his feet and still experiencing some pretty bad headaches, but those should subside within the next two weeks.

Coming home has been both good and bad. I think he had a level of security in the hospital with everyone checking on him so often and Mom and Dad at his side pretty much 24 hours a day for four days. He’s now afraid he’ll fall out of bed, and he wants one of us to sleep with him in his room. After three nights of sleeping on a bench about 20 inches wide, I was really hoping to enjoy the comfort of my own bed last night, but that was not to be. I couldn’t leave him by himself. Hopefully tonight will go a little more smoothly. 

I’ll be back into the swing of things soon!  Tomorrow I’ll have a couple sneak peeks for the new My Favorite Things mini set to be released September 1st.  Thanks for checking in!  Hugs!

m.

I’ve been having a great time using Spooked from Lizzie Anne Designs.  (And it just happens to fit today’s WT challenge at SCS, hosted by Lindsey today!!)  It’s one of my favorites of all my Halloween sets (and I do have a bunch of Halloween sets)!  The images are SO cute!!

Here I used my favorite little bones border, those adorable bats (popped up on dimensionals) and the spider (which isn’t too awfully creepy).  I cut out the spider, popped him up on a dimensional as well and tucked his little web string under a black brad.   The patterned pieces are both scraps I had leftover from another project.

Once I assembled the card, I thought it still needed a bit of something, so I added the row of little black stitches across the top of the grid paper.  

You’ll definately be seeing more using this set!! 

Exciting Lizzie news!!!  Click here to get a sneak peek at new Lizzie Anne Designs sets to be released September 10!!!  They’re revealing FOUR new sets a day for four days–eight new Little Bits™ stamp sets and 8 new Simply Singles!!  You won’t want to miss them–they’re awesome!! 

One more note of interest…Sue is having a “Cards for the Troops” contest.  Make a soldier’s day and possibly win a stamp set of your choice from the SU fall catalog ($23.95 value or less) and a roll of taffeta ribbon.  Get the details here. 

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Cardstock:  SU Black; Papertrey Ink white     Patterned Paper:  Pebbles, Inc. Halloween Stripes; Doodlebug purple grid     Stamps:  Lizzie Anne Designs Spooked     Ink:  Brilliance Graphite Black     Accessories:  Mat pack/needle, black marker, dimensionals, black brad.  Finished card size:  4 ¼” x 4 ¼”.

I needed another birthday card for a friend, so I decided to pull out my You Take the Cake set from My Favorite Things.  (I also used MFT’s It’s Elemental for the background on the Chocolate paper.)  I decided my friend should have a flowery cake instead of the one already on the plate, so I switched them.  I just masked off the cake,  inked the stamp, removed the mask and stamped onto the vanilla cardstock.  I stamped the flower cake onto the platter, then again onto scrap paper so I could color, cut and pop it up.  I know it doesn’t show in the picture (because it’s been SO darn cloudy and drizzly here–and I don’t have any kind of fancy box or lighting system), but all the flower centers and candle flames are colored in with glitter/3-d gel pens.

The three flowers along the side were cut out from extra cake images and attached to the cardstock with brads.  And you can get the ribbon here.

Thanks for looking!  Have a great day!

Cardstock:  Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, More Mustard, Very Vanilla     Stamps:  My Favorite Things “You Take the Cake” and “It’s Elemental”; Stampin’ Up! Canvas     Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black     Accessories:  Ribbon (May Arts), markers (Copic and SU), Ruby Red brads, 3d glaze/glitter pens (Sakura).  Finished card size:  5 ½” x 4 ¼”.

I’m having fun with this set!  I know there are a lot of people out there who don’t like it, but I sure do!  I decided to let the Pumpkin’s (yes, that’s their last name) personalities show here.  We have Pappa Pumpkin who is in desperate need of an eyebrow and mustache trim, Mama Pumpkin with her fancy stitched ribbon, little boy pumpkin and the little girl who wants to be just like Mom…all here to wish you a Happy Halloween! lol.  (It’s just another one of those strange things that pop into my head. I can’t explain it.)

I stamped the kids first, masked them, then stamped Mom and Dad.  After coloring everyone, I realized the image as a whole was a bit large so I cut the border so the pumpkins extended past the edge of the paper, faux stitched and mounted onto Chocolate Chip.  I knew I wanted a bow on the girls’ stems, but I wasn’t sure what to do with the dude.  Hmm…the more I looked at those leaves, the more they looked like mustaches.  Once I was in “hair mode,” I realized I could make some eyebrows as well.  The three pieces (of hair) are all popped up on dimensionals.  I punched holes on each side of Mom’s stem to tie the ribbon, but the girl’s is attached with a glue dot.

That very cool paper is from the new Basic Grey Mellow 6 x 6 paper pad.  Of all the new Basic Grey lines, Mellow is my favorite.  I’m certain you’ll be seeing more of it!

Thanks for stopping by!!! : )

Cardstock:  Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla     Patterned Paper:  Basic Grey Mellow 6 x 6 paper pad     Stamps:  SU Autumn Harvest, Autumn Apparitions     Ink:  Stazon Black, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, Barely Banana     Accessories:  Ribbon (May Arts), mat pack/needle, Chocolate Chip marker, aquapainter, dimensionals.   Finished card size 5 ½” x 5 ½”.

My favorite weekly challenge on Splitcoast is the sketch challenge.  Every Wednesday I take a peek whether I have time to play or not. 

I often feel “layout challenged” so sometimes this is just the push I need. 

I’ve been wanting to use these pumpkins…I really like how “sketchy” they are.  This type of design is great for watercoloring.  You can be a bit messy and it doesn’t often show.  I used watercolor paper here and a whole lot of Earth Elements inks.  (There was quite a pile on the table before I was finished.)  I like watercoloring on watercolor paper best because I can keep adding layers of color without ripping through the paper.  (I do NOT like SU’s Whisper White cardstock for this type of coloring, but I do use it…carefully…once in a while.)  I distressed the edges and added some leaves, some popped up on dimensionals. 

I have to mention the patterned paper…You can’t see much of it, but it’s by Flair Designs.  They have some gorgeous fall and western prints.   You can check them out here.

I almost *always* include a sentiment on my cards so for me, this card is missing something. It looks kind of naked without a message, but I’ll have to settle for the message being on the inside as I left no room for words.

One final note, in case you haven’t been over there already, you may want to check out Trudee’s blog.  She’s having an incredible give-away!

Thanks for looking!!  Have a great day! 

Cardstock:  More Mustard, Really Rust, watercolor paper     Patterned Paper:  Flair Designs “Fall Traditions”     Stamps:  Autumn Harvest, Canvas     Ink:  Brilliance Graphite Black, More Mustard, Really Rust, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, Ruby Red     Accessories:  Karen Foster Thumbtack brads, linen thread, edge distresser, dimensionals.  Finished card size:  5 ½” x 4 ¼”

Well, I thought I was doing this week’s color challenge, but I must not have had both eyes open when I looked at the challenge.  I thought for sure the colors were Blue Bayou, Chocolate Chip and River Rock.  Nope.  It’s Sahara Sand.  Oh well.  (I like this combo too!)

I liked the mottled look I got on my Webster’s Goes Western card (from a few days ago), so I decided to try the same type of thing here.  I first inked the flower stamp with Blue Bayou then put the inked stamp directly into my Chocolate Chip pad.  I like the different looks you get combining different ink colors.  (Just be sure to always ink with the lighter color first!!)

The dotted paper is from SU’s new Apple Cider designer series paper.  I sponged the edges here a bit with Chocolate Chip.

For the sentiment, I inked the smaller words with Blue Bayou, trying to keep the ink off of the bigger words (but not trying *too* hard), then I used my Chocolate Chip marker to go over those.

Now…about this give-away, I have been totally (and I mean *totally*) overwhelmed with the number of responses and the VERY kind words.  I really do appreciate you guys coming here to read my thoughts and see what I’m doing.  I’ll try to answer all of your questions soon!! HUGS!!!  

And the winner (determined by random draw) is #288 Sharlene Wale!  Please email me with your address!!!  And CONGRATULATIONS!!! 

Thanks for looking, everyone, and have a great day!!

Cardstock:  Chocolate Chip, Blue Bayou, Very Vanilla     Patterned Paper:  Apple Cider DSP     Stamps:  True Friend     Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Blue Bayou     Accessories:  Twill, aged copper hodge podge buckle, Karen Foster thumbtack brad, Chocolate Chip marker, sponge, dimensionals.  Finished card size: 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″.

Time for another Take Two with Julia, Lindsey and Trudee!  It’s been a while.  I’ve missed these challenges! 

This time we’re pairing Lizzie Anne Designs with Daisy D’s.  One of my favorites of all Lizzie sets is Spooked.  I just LOVE those bones!  I love the bat and the skull too, but decided to go with the house for this one.  After choosing the set I wanted to use, I had a dilemma.  I didn’t have any Daisy D’s Halloween paper.  But then a little bird (Trudee) said, “Hey, M, Gypsy Harvest will work for Halloween.”  PERFECT!   And how very fitting for this little bird (Trudee) to suggest Gypsy Harvest because do you know who *made* me buy the entire line of Gypsy Harvest?  Trudee.  :)  (At least she makes me buy really good stuff!!!)

So in my stack of Gypsy Harvest, I found this piece of orange and yellow paisley that I thought would make a great background for the house.  From there, I chose the larger background print.  I added the stitches across the top and bottom of the house image, then the straight stitches across the top and bottom of the card front.  After placing the matted bones strip, I thought the card still needed something.  And I REALLY wanted to use my favorite “Halloween-ish” ribbon–the black and orange reversible satin.  So I added the rounded tab and tied the ribbon there.  It’s a pretty simple card really, but I like it.  Thanks for stopping by!! Don’t forget to check out Lindsey, Julia and Trudee’s Take Two!!  Have a great day!!

REMINDERS: 

-You have until August 14th to leave a comment on this post to qualify for my give-away.

-Lindsey’s Lizzie Anne contest ends August 15th at midnight!  Check out the info here.

Cardstock:  Basic Black     Patterned Paper:  Daisy D’s Gypsy Paisley and Fortune Teller Stripe     Stamps:  Lizzie Anne Designs Spooked     Ink:  Brilliance Graphite Black     Accessories:  Round tab punch, ribbon (May Arts), mat pack/needle, black marker, dimensionals

Well, my holiday pre-order came the other day.  I have to say I LOVE that Stampin’ Up! has die cut all of the mini sets.  It was so nice to just pop out the rubber and stick it to the wood!

One of my favorite sets in the new mini is Merry & Bright.  I had to play with that one first.  This little reindeer is just the cutest!   Here I paired him with Cosmo Cricket’s new Christmas line, Be Good.  If you like the distressed look, you’ll love this paper.  It’s already distressed.  Less work for me! (I did add a bit of sponging though…I couldn’t hold myself back. )

I used the reverse side of the red print paper to cover the card front (base is Vanilla cardstock).  I could have used Chocolate as the base, but I wanted some of that pre-distressed look to show around the edges.  I used Copics to color the image.  I’m not feeling the love of these markers yet, but I’m trying.

After assembling the card, I added the three eyelets.  I make an effort not to have metal prongs and such come through the card, showing on the inside, but I do like the look of eyelets going through all layers (super easy with a Crop-a-dile).  Lastly, I added a few faux stitches on each side of the sentiment and along one side of the lighter patterned paper. 

I wanted to try a completely different, brighter look too, so for this one I used Real Red and Green Galore.  It doesn’t show well in the photo, but I used a sparkly red Stardust gelly roll pen for the dots on the trees and the reindeer’s nose.

Thanks for stopping by, and if you haven’t done so already, scroll down one post to enter my give-away!  Have a great day!

Believe card     Cardstock:  Very Vanilla     Patterned Paper:  Cosmo Cricket Naughty or Nice Be Good “Peppermint Candy” and “Poinsettia,” sentiment strip from “Strip Tease”     Stamp:  Merry & Bright     Ink:  Brilliance Graphite Black, Ranger Walnut Distress     Accessories:  Copic markers, K & Company rhinestone, mm eyelets, mat pack/needle, Chocolate Chip marker, Crop-a-dile.  Finished card size:  4 ¼” x 4 ¼”

Merry & Bright card     Cardstock:  Green Galore, Real Red, Papertrey Ink white     Patterned Paper:  American Crafts Truly Inspiring     Stamp:  Merry & Bright, Itty Bitty Backgrounds     Ink:  Brilliance Graphite Black, White Craft     Accessories:  Copic markers, Red Stardust Gelly Roll pen, Black marker, ribbon.  Finished card size:  5 ½” x 4 ¼”

Hmmm…looks like this boy is in a bit of trouble.  I’m happy to say I’ve never had an experience like this (including having to wear a business suit to work)!

Well, you know… my mind wanders when I start thinking about combining sets, and My Favorite Things stamps are absolutely perfect for mixing. 

This card took a bit of planning.  I actually started by stamping a beer bottle, then masking it, stamping another and masking that one as well.  I started with only three bottles on the floor but then thought, no, there needs to be more (because he’s in LOTS of trouble).   But before adding bottles, I stamped the dude image.  I masked him, then stamped the woman from the Back to School set.   Next I stamped four more bottles, colored and cut them out and adhered each one individually in the pile.  The hat and fish plaque are mounted on dimensionals.

Since I haven’t used them in a while (and I need the practice), I got out my Prismacolor pencils to color the images. 

I used my new favorite patterned paper again, Webster’s Pages (available here), adding tiny screw brads in each corner.

I have really appreciated everyone taking a peek at my blog.  I was hesitant to start it, wondering if anyone would even be interested in what goes through my mind or how I do things.  So as a “thank you” I’m having my first give-away.  I’ve tried to cover the boys, both big and small.  I’ve included the newly released set Let’s Hear it for the Boys from My Favorite Things, an 8″ x 8″ pack of the new Little Boy Biography Collection by Cosmo Cricket (VERY cute patterned paper with alphabet and journaling cards), a set of Karen Foster mini tool charms (many of you know how much I love those!), Boy Crazy mini sprinkle brads by Queen & Co., and three yards each of red/cream striped ribbon and brown/cream striped ribbon (both May Arts). 

All you need to do is leave a comment on this post (one per person, please).  You can just say hi, ask a question, whatever.  You can comment through Tuesday, August 14th.  On August 15th I’ll use the random number generator to select a winner.

Thanks again for visiting! I really appreciate your interest!

Cardstock:  Chocolate Chip, Papertrey Ink white     Patterned Paper:  Webster’s Pages Vintage Home Collection “Nestled”     Stamps:  My Favorite Things Let’s Hear it for the Boys, Back to School, Karen Foster mini formal snap stamps     Ink:  Brilliance Graphite Black     Accessories:  Prismacolor pencils, mineral spirits, Karen Foster mini screw brads, ribbon (May Arts), dimensionals.  Finished card size: 5 ½” x 4 ¼”.