Paper Cuts

I don’t feel the need to scream…at least not right now, but it’s still early.  :)  Of all the sentiments I own, this is one of my favorites. 

It’s Been Lovely

I think this bird by Inkadinkado (appropriately named “Squawk”) looks like it has had a bit of a rough day, don’t you?  Look at those eyes.  I’d say she’s done.  LOL.  (I often feel like *I* look like that!)

I paired this little chicky with some Basic Grey Sugared patterned paper.  I colored her with Copic markers and used one of those Stampin’ Up mini library clips I just had to have and never use.  And look at that! I got ALL the stitches on the paper edges this time! lol.  (I almost missed it in one spot, but I’m getting better!)

Speaking of things I never use, since I’ve been moving my things into my own space, I have discovered that I have an insane amount of stuff that I will never, in my lifetime, have the opportunity to use.  So I see a blog give-away coming up pretty soon.  I *have* to get rid of some of this stuff! 

Well, it’s been lovely (lol).  I hope you all have a great weekend!! 

ETA:  The sentiment is by Inkadinkado as well.  I think it is “technically” retired but possibly still available in some stores.

Hi!  Time for Julia’s WT challenge at Splitcoast!  Today’s challenge is to use your scissors.  I know this will come as a shock to some of you but the first thing I thought of was paper-piecing. I used the Once Upon a Time set by Lizzie Anne Designs.

Happy Birthday, Princess!

Lots of cutting here!  First I stamped the castle onto the white paper, then I stamped it again onto the shimmery pink paper.  I cut it from the pink paper and adhered it to the white paper using pop dots.  I cut out the tiny flags and attached them. 

Next I stamped the girl twice onto white paper  (not the big white piece you see here) and once more onto the pink.  One of the white images I cut out and colored (raised on pop dots) and the other white image was just for her arms (which I cut out as one piece).  The ‘arms’ piece had to be cut separately because the hands are over the dress but I wanted the top of her arms tucked under the sleeve poofs.  Clear as mud?

When I adhered the dress to the girl, I rolled a pop dot to place under each sleeve.  The rolled dot gave those parts the perfect amount of lift.

I cut out the hat from the pink paper (even the strings…I know–insane) and raised it on a pop dot as well.

Thanks for looking at my crazy scissor/paper-pieced card, and I hope you have a great day!

Cardstock:  SU Chocolate Chip, Papertrey Ink (white)   Patterned Paper:  SEI Jolie Chocolat “Papillon” and “Éclair”   Stamps:  Lizzie Anne Designs “Once Upon a Time”   Ink:  Brilliance Graphite Black   Accessories:  Copic markers, black SU marker, Hero Arts Gemstones (2mm), pop dots, glue dots.  Card size 5” x 5”.

Hello!  Since Mother’s Day is just around the corner, I thought I’d play a bit with this set from My Favorite Things.  My mother-in-law lives in Arizona, so I did a little switch-a-roo on the pot contents.

Happy Mother’s Day-Arizona Style

Before stamping this image from MFT’s Happy Mother’s Day set, I masked off the part of the image with the irises.  I had to draw back in parts of the girl’s body as the irises overlapped parts.  I had this cactus image left over from another card that used the Ride Em’ Cowgirl set, so  using my craft knife, I cut a small incision at the top of the pot and tucked the bottom of the cactus inside.

I picked up the tiny flower punch from the Target Dollar Spot a while back.  For each flower, I punched two images,  layered them onto the card and attached with a tiny brad.   Then I folded in the petals of each top image just a bit.  I really like the effect.

To give the card just a bit more of a southwestern look, I added the slanted stitches around the striped block and on the sentiment panel.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a great day!

Cardstock:  SU Confetti White (base), Papertrey Ink (white)   Patterned Paper:  Crate Paper Sweet Branch Collection “Hope” and “Blossom”   Stamps:  My Favorite Things “Happy Mother’s Day” and “Ride Em’ Cowgirl”  Ink:  Brilliance Graphite Black   Accessories:  Copic markers, SU black and Close to Cocoa markers, small flower punch, piercing template/needle, Queen & Co. white sprinkle brads, pop dots.  Card size 4 ¼” x 5 ½”.

Hey there!  Here’s another sample using Anna’s fun new Whipper Snapper set, Happy Birthday.   

Happy Birthday

I had some scraps of Imaginisce “For Peep’s Sake” paper lying around and I just couldn’t toss them.  Even though it’s spring/Easter/chicky-type paper, I thought I’d get the most of it and use just the backs of the scraps here.

I colored the cake and candles with Copic markers then added a dot of white gel pen to the center of each dot on the cake.  (Card size 5″ x 5″.)

I’ve really enjoyed designing with Anna’s stamps these last two months.  I wish I could do another!  But two-month runs are fun and it keeps everything fresh.  Thanks, Anna, for letting me play!!  (And for making me laugh for an entire day, you funny, funny girl!)  Whew! lol.

Thanks so much for visiting!  Have a great day! 

Hi!  Back to Monday!  (That’s good and bad, I suppose.)  I hope you all had a great weekend.  I’ve been busy moving all of my stamping “stuff” into my new room.  Wow…I have a LOT of “stuff.”  I need to work on it some more today (and get rid of some of it).  I really wish my table were here as it has shelves on each side and that would help.  And…I know that once the table IS here, I’ll have to rearrange some things again.  I’m trying really hard to be patient, but it’s tough!  I’ve waited years for my own room and now that it’s “mostly” done, it’s almost torturous waiting for the rest. lol.  But I do love my shelves!!! :)  I’m happy!

Where There is Love

We’ve had some very nice spring-like weather this last week so I wanted  to make a bright, cheery spring-like card.  I used two sets here by Lizzie Anne Designs, “Blissful Blossoms” and “Say it in Script.”  I paired them with one of my favorite new collections, Cosmo Cricket’s Honey Pie paper pad. 

I covered the card front with a block of the apricot paper from the paper pad.  The flowers and bee were colored with Copic markers and the ribbon (white taffeta) was dyed to match with a Copic as well.  I split the sentiment a bit in order to accomodate the ribbon.  The bee is raised on a pop dot with the little wings slightly folded up, and I zig-zag stitched along the bottom edge of the striped pattern.  (It’s hard to see in the photo.)

Thanks so much for stopping by!!  Have a great day! 

Hi!  Did you see the Backgrounder Blitz going on over at Cornish Heritage Farms?  Since I’m a big fan of their backgrounds (and I just happen to have a few), I thought I’d play along…at least for today.  (I hope to have time to do more later in the week.)  There’s a challenge each day (with prizes!) through the 25th and today’s challenge is a sketch. 

Birthday Wishes

One of my all-time favorite backgrounds is Canvas.   I don’t know why, but I’m always drawn to the ones that look like cloth.  I had pulled out the Burlap backgrounder to use on the darker brown cardstock, but I guess I grabbed Canvas for both pieces.  Just as well. 

“For the Men” is another one of those sets I’ve had for a while and just haven’t had a chance to use.  I stamped the horse using Ranger Walnut Distress ink, then I embossed it using Coffee on the Rocks scented embossing powder.  (Let me just say YUM! I want a candle that smells like that!) Anyway, it gave the horse this dark almost-sandy look.  Kind of neat!  The swirls are from the Beautiful set and the sentiment was pieced together using So Happy and Silhouette Blooms II.  I sponged all the edges with the Walnut Distress ink, added the hemp stitches and adhered the assembled block to sponged Natural Smooth cardstock using pop dots.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a great day! 

Cardstock:  Prism Medium and Dark Suede Brown, Natural Smooth   Stamps:  Cornish Heritage Farms “Canvas” Backgrounder, “For the Men” (Rummage Bin), “So Happy” (Rummage Bin), “Beautiful” (Rummage Bin), “Silhouette Blooms II” (Kim Hughes Collections)   Ink:  Ranger Adirondack Espresso and Latte, Walnut Distress   Accessories: Cornish Heritage Farms “Coffee on the Rocks” Scented Embossing Powder; piercing template/needle; linen thread; sponge; pop dots.  Card size 5” x 5”.

WOOHOO! It’s Friday!  :)  So I mentioned before that I was finally working on my very own stamp room…  I’ve had some new furniture in “my room” but I haven’t been able to use any of it because I’m missing a piece and everything ties into this missing corner piece.   But it’s coming tomorrow!! I’m SO excited!!  I’ll finally be able to start loading up those shelves with my stamp stuff.  The bad news is that my project table is on backorder (said with distaste) until JUNE!  ACK!  Looks like I’ll be dragging in a folding table to use in the meantime.  But I’m just so excited to finally be getting my very own room!  No more feeling guilty (or, I suppose “embarassed”  is more appropriate) about the HUGE mess I make everyday in my dining room.  YAY!  So, in the meantime, I’m “wishing big” that my table comes early!

Wish Big

This is my second favorite card I’ve made using Anna’s new Happy Birthday set from Whipper Snapper Designs.

I masked off the poof on top of the hat then stamped the hat upside down.  After masking the top of the hat (which is now actually the top of an ice cream cone), I stamped the balloons (which are actually scoops of ice cream), masking them also as I went along.

I colored the images with Copic markers then added paper glaze to the ice cream scoops.  (And yes, Aleene’s Paper Glaze is the same as Crystal Effects…you can see it here.)

That’s about it!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous Friday!

Cardstock:  Bazzill Ladybug, Papertrey Ink (white)   Patterned Paper:  My Mind’s Eye Confetti Surprise Girlfriends Polka Dots and Summer Stripes and Dots   Stamps:  Whipper Snapper Designs “Happy Birthday”   Ink:  Brilliance Graphite Black   Accessories:  Copic markers, Aleene’s Paper Glaze, ribbon, pop dots.  Card size 5” x 5”.

Hi!  Julia’s challenge today at Splitcoast is to use acrylics.  It can be any kind of acrylics.  So I used clear stamps on acrylic blocks (not sure if the stamps are actually “acrylics”), Dew Drops and a clear button that I am claiming to be acrylic.  :)

I’ll Be Your Umbrella

I used one of my favorite sets by My Favorite Things, Rain or Shine.  I stamped the image onto what started out as white cardstock.  I paper-pieced both the girl’s coat and the dog’s sweater.  The boots are paper-pieced as well.  Once the image was assembled, I covered the coat, sweater and boots with paper glaze so they look like they really are waterproof.  And since one group of those raindrops is coming in at a strange angle, I’d say another one of those wacky storms is coming.  (I’ll get it right one of these days!)

Here’s a tip for evenly spacing Dew Drops…  I use the largest holes on my SU mat pack to determine the positions of the drops then I add a dot of paper glaze to each spot.  I carefully remove the template, put the drops in place and then lay the template back over the drops, allowing them to slide a tiny bit in whichever direction before the glaze dries.   The Drops don’t actually fit through the holes, but the holes are just the right size for getting those things perfectly aligned.  Try it!

I punched a circle from the coat pattern to place under the button but it’s hard to see in the photo.  I used the paper glaze to attach the button to the card front.

And did you notice that cute little bubble bath watermark? I love it!  Kim had one made for each of the DT members.  (Thanks, Kim!)

A couple of notes…don’t forget that all MFT stamps are 10% off through Friday, April 18th.  Be sure to use the code “Tish” during checkout to get your discount.  Details here.

Also, if you’d like to help Kim design MFT’s August mini set, leave a comment here with your suggestions.  Kim will pick a winner on May 1st!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

Cardstock:  SU Chocolate Chip, Papertrey Ink white   Patterned Paper:  Basic Grey Sugared   Stamps:  My Favorite Things “Rain or Shine”   Ink:  Brilliance Graphite Black, Adirondack Latte   Accessories:  Copic markers, Aleene’s Paper Glaze, Dew Drops “Men’s”, button, ¾” circle punch, ribbon, scalloped scissors, sewing machine/thread, pop dots.  Card size 4 ¼” x 5 1/2”.

A few months ago, Kim posted on her blog about her friend, Tish, who’d been diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer.  Sadly, Tish lost her battle last week, leaving behind a husband and two young sons.

There are more details on Kim’s blog, but here is the sale info:

• Kim is offering a 10% discount on ALL stamps on the My Favorite Things site.
• Use the coupon code Tish at checkout to receive 10% off all the stamps in your shopping cart. (It won’t discount your other merchandise, just stamps.)
• The coupon code will run from Tuesday, April 15th-Friday, April 18th. 
• Kim will donate 10% of ALL proceeds (including money spent on other items on the site) to the family at their April 26th benefit. 

Let’s help Kim reach her goal.  Thanks!

Hi!  Today I have samples from Anna Wight’s newest Whipper Snapper Designs release, Happy Birthday (available now).  I love this set as much as her last, Bundle of Joy!    :)     

Wish Big

I made this card for one of my daughter’s friends (another lover of pink).  I colored the cake image with Copic markers, adding some sparkle with Stardust Stickles in the center of each white dot.  I matted the stamped image onto another block of white cardstock for the “faux nestabilities” look, and the matted image is raised on pop dots.  (Card size 4 1/4″ x 4 1/4″.) 

I wanted matching gift wrap so I used one of the bigger dots to stamp the white wrapping paper. 

Let’s Celebrate!

And here is my favorite of my cards (so far) using this set.  I can’t tell you how this popped into my head, but once I had the idea, I just *had* to make it work.  I stamped the hat at an angle and masked it off with a post-it note.  Then I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp the cupcake upside down.  I used a black marker to add a couple dots for eyes and a pink marker to add the rosy cheeks.  And there you have it! Santa!  :)   (You can see the actual cupcake image in the photo below.)  I colored Santa and his hat with Copic markers.  The paper is from Basic Grey’s Dasher (blue Christmas theme).

Be sure to check out the other featured designers for more samples using this set:

            Anna Wight

            Meg Shumaker

            Shellie Daniel

            Yvette Ashe

            Valerie Stangle

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I have more samples I’ll be posting soon!  (One of them is another “out of the box” idea I had…just not as far out as the Santa! :)  Have a great day!