Created by JB

summer's here

Playing a little catch up here with my posts...so sorry for the long pauses between them!!  I am probably like everyone else...summer is a very busy time of year.  We do spend a lot of time outside with the girls, so that makes it really tough to come inside & play on the computer.  Hope you are enjoying your summer!!  We have big plans for the 4th...a parade & fireworks to name a few things.

This is the card I made for my dh for Father's Day.  The inside reads "the catch of my life."  He really is a great husband & father.  :)  I was inspired by the waves that Tiff created on this card.  Tiff is very creative...you can check out more of her work on her blog here.

 

 

Stamps:  HA CL272 All Occasion Messages & S5215 Clouds; Ink:  Ranger Distress Ink (Walnut Stain); Paper:  Cosmo Cricket, American Craft Cardstock & HA Kraft Notecard; Fishing pole:  Grapevine; String:  WalMart; Hook:  safety pin salvaged from my "Life is Good" t-shirt tag; Fish:  printed from digital kit (One Fish Two Fish...I am not sure where I purchased this...perhaps from 2Peas?  If anyone knows, please let me know so that I may give the creator credit); Cuttlebug, Nestabilities (Label 1)

I haven't had a tip for a while!  For this card, I first inked up the clouds stamp & then I pressed a piece of corrugated cardboard onto the inked stamp to give the impression of rain.  Try finding certain objects around the house that might give a cool impression onto an inked stamp.  This method can give your stamps lots of versatility!

 

Catch you later!

Happy Birthday Taylor!

It's my niece's birthday today & I just wanted to shout a big "Happy 13th Birthday" to her.  Hope you had a great day!  Isn't she beautiful?!?!  Love you Taylor!

 

This is the card I made for her...

 

Stamps:  HA CL139 Birthday Messages, CL292 Celebrate All Day, LP146 Asian Dolls & S5215 Clouds; Ink:  Ranger Distress Ink (Walnut Stain); Paper:  Cosmo Cricket (Gretel) & HA PS518 Chocolate Notecard; Flower & Gems:  HA  (thanks, Scrapbook Bakery & Heather, for the flower!); Ribbon & String:  WalMart; Cuttlebug, Nestabilities (Labels 1)

Catch you later!

A Window of Love

There's a new challenge up at Caardvarks...and what a challenge!!  I am so psyched for this one...I can't even wait to let you know who the sponsor is...it's Purple Onion Designs!  I am so happy that Michele sponsored this challenge...just wait until you see what the 'Varks Caard Crew whipped up...take a look here.  The theme for this challenge is to create a window card.  How fun is that?!?!

I am required to do a Caards & More project while on the design team at Caardvarks, & when I heard that POD was going to sponsor the "window" challenge, I knew I needed to sign up for the project portion.  I decided to decorate up a window for this challenge (will hang this between my girls' rooms)! I collect old windows & have wanted to do this for a long time. This was a great opportunity for me to get it done!  Here are some pics...

 

To see the detailed pics up close, just click on the picture...

 

 

 

 

Stamps: Damask & Photograph No. ___, Downcome Alphabet, Doodle Flower Set, & What's the Point; Ink:  ColorBox Queue (Chestnut Roan), Ranger Distress Ink (Fired Brick) & Stampendous Detail White Embossing Powder; Paint: FolkArt Cherry Royale; Paper: My Mind's Eye & American Crafts (brown cardstock); Stickers: American Crafts Foam Thickers (Subway) & American Crafts Moma; Chipboard: MME (birds), Pressed Petals (letter "F"), Maya Road (numbers)& Heidi Swapp (clocks & hearts); Diecuts:  MME; Rub-on: Making Memories; Hemp string: WalMart

Come join the fun...for details & to enter, go here and link your "window" card with Mr. Linky.  The deadline for this challenge is July 3, midnight (PST).  The sponsor for this challenge is...

and this is the prize:

A $50 shopping spree at Purple Onion Designs!!!

Purple Onion Designs will also be offering 25% off to the Crew and readers for the length of the "window" challenge! Enter code "Caardvarks" at checkout.  Cool!

Catch you later!

Just a peek...

Just a quick post with a sneak peek of the project I have completed for the Caardvark's challenge that will be announced tonight at midnight!  Be sure to stop on over at Caardvarks & join in on the fun...it will be worth it!

Catch you later!

Christmas Cards?

Yes, I have officially made a Christmas card for this year.  Hee hee.  ;)  I wanted to do something up for the Hero Arts "diecut" challenge & the only diecut I felt inspired to use was the Noel diecut from the Making Memories FaLaLa design card for the Slice.  Love this design card...seriously, if you don't have it, you need to get it.  ;)

 

Stamps:  CL272 All Occasion Messages, S5101 Raindrop Background & S5218 Modern Lines; Ink:  Ranger Distress Ink (Peeled Paint), StazOn Jet Black & ColorBox Frost White; Paper:  Making Memories FaLaLa line, HA Kraft Notecard & AC Cardstock; Poinsettia & Leaves:  HA CH161; Brad:  N/A; Lace:  Grandma B's stash; Noel diecut:  Slice FaLaLa design card; Label diecut:  Labels 1 from Nestabilities
Cuttlebug; Snow:  Ranger Liquid Pearls

I wanted to let you know that Hero Arts is holding their "win a day on the blog" this week!  Check out Lucy Abram's day here & Susanne Nilsson's day here.  Lucy is such a talented sweetheart & was able to share her fabulous day with Jennifer McGuire!  Susanne is equally sweet & talented & shared her day with Sally Traidman!  So excited for the ladies this week...congratulations to all of you!

I have been working on a project for Caardvarks...can't wait to tell you about it!  Make sure to check back on June 20 for a super fun challenge!

Catch you later!

Bakin' Up Some Cards...

...with Scrapbook Bakery.  Super busy week going on & also exciting!  Heather Ruwe of Scrapbook Bakery (also a fellow Hero Arts fan) asked for me to be her June Guest Designer!  Heather sent me some lovely goodies to play with and I added in some of my Hero Arts stamps that she just happens to carry in her store!  Check out Scrapbook Bakery here & her blog here.  Here are the cards I made up...

 

a little close-up to see the ice-cream scoops made with Ranger Liquid Pearls...

Stamps:  CL346 What's The Scoop & S5215 Clouds

 

Stamps:  CL305 Sending Happy Thoughts & S5215 Clouds

 

CL342 Everday Sayings, F5158 Heart Winged Butterfly & S5215 Clouds

and a detailed shot here...

 

Stamps:  CL346 What's the Scoop & CL333 What's Cooking

 

Stamps:  CL270 Sky's the Limit

Heather is also holding a sale at her store...you can use the coupon code HEROARTS at checkout and you will receive 15% off your entire purchase.  Heather is also doing a challenge for a prize on her blog.

Thanks, Heather, for the opportunity to use your wonderful products & to showcase the Hero Arts stamps that we all have come to love.  :)  You are a real sweetheart!

I also want to remind you of Caardvark's 3D challenge posted here.  The deadline is midnight, June 17 (PST)...there's still time to enter!

Catch you later!

A card & tips to go with it

I have a card to share that I made up for the "background stamping" challenge up at Hero Arts.  The challenge is to use a background stamp in an unusual way using at least one Hero Arts stamp.  I wanted to use this yellow die-cut that has been in my scraps for a while now.  I tried using the S5142 Flower Wood Background in an unusual way by masking off part of it & adding a touch of red to the edge.  I also stamped the K5107 Screen Shadow on the punched butterfly & on the cloud background by using the "kissing" technique (explained in JB's Tip below). 

 

Stamps:  HA CL351 Friends, K5107 Screen Shadow, S5142 Flower Wood Background& S5215 Clouds; Ink:  Ranger Distress Ink (Broken China, Fired Brick Red & Walnut Stain) & ColorBox Queue (creamy brown); Paper:  HA Kraft Notecard, Bazzill Basics Swiss Dot & Making Memories (FaLaLa: Red Polka Dot); Hemp String:  WalMart; Button:  Cosmo Cricket; Butterfly Punch:  Martha Stewart Crafts

I have a couple of tips today...one is regarding the "kissing" technique mentioned above.  The other is a method of disguising stitching.

First, the "kissing" technique.  1. Ink Cloud stamp  2. Press dry Screen Shadow stamp to the inked Cloud Stamp (can do this several times to cover the entire background stamp...I would wipe off the dry stamp after each time you press it to the inked stamp)  3. Press Cloud stamp to paper

Second tip is my method on disguising stitching.  Usually I like to stitch the piece of paper prior to adhering it to the base of the card (this will keep your stitching hidden).  However, I didn't think to do it that way & stitched the hill once it was attached to the base (as shown in the #1 & #2 photo).

Next step is to create a mask that will hide the stitching (you can use paper or embellishments).  If you are using paper, simply lay a piece of copy paper over the stitching & rub your finger over the stitching to "emboss" the copy paper.  This will allow you to cut along the line of stitching (as shown in photo #3).  Now you can use the copy paper as a template to cut a perfectly lined up edge to hide the stitching (as shown in photo #4).

I'm not sure what my sewing machine is doing...the stitching looks terrible on the back!  Dora...I need your expertise!  :)  Dora is my MIL & helps me out with my stitching inadequacies.  :)  I guess when this happens, the disguise works well!!  Hee hee...

Off to make some cards...

Catch you later!

Hope in 3D

There's a new challenge up at Caardvarks!!  The theme for this challenge is to create a 3D card or project.  The 'Varks Caard Crew whipped up some fun projects from Club Scrap...take a look here.

This is a friendship autograph book that I embellished and plan to give to a friend for Breast Cancer Awareness Month:

 

Stamps:  Purple Onion Designs Damask & Deluxe Labels(small); Ink:  VersaMark Watermark (for damask) & StazOn Jet Black (for label); Scalloped Border Sticker:  Adornit by Carolee's Creations; Felt Bird:  Maya Road Microfelt (neutrals); Hope charms:  Westrim Crafts; Autograph Book:  Club Scrap 

I had a lot of fun making up this little book!  Club Scrap also provides tutorial videos for those of you (like me!) who are visual learners...check them out here.  Come join the fun...for details & to enter, go here and link your "3D" card or project with Mr. Linky.  The deadline for this challenge is June 17, midnight (PST).  The sponsor for this challenge is...

and this is the prize:

Huge assortment of Club Scrap product -- a sheet of UM rubber, Club Scrap exclusive projects, a POP (pound of paper), plus a whole lot more!

Can't wait to see your submissions...have fun!

Catch you later!