Wednesday, July 24, 2013

You Make Me Smile

Hi everyone!

I know, I haven't checked in this week but it's been busy. We homeschool our boys and my new curriculum for next year arrived so that's had me busy going through it and making ROOM for all the stuff they're going to be doing. Exciting--but overwhelming with all the stuff!

I've been enjoying the Summer Card Camp 2 class but really fell behind in week 2. So, today's card is from week's 2 color challenge. Here's my card:

This card was a real stretch for me...mainly because I tend to not do "cutesy" cards. But, I will admit this monkey is cute and she was fun to work with. I started out with brown cardstock. I knew it looked too plain so I used a leaf stamp from The Craft's Meow "Kindred Spirits" set and used versamark to stamp the image all over the cardstock. I heat embossed it and that created my background paper. Then, I stamped the tree and monkey on watercolor paper using Versafine ink and used my distress markers to color in the images. I die cut the image and some green pattern paper from My Mind's Eye. For the monkey's hula skirt, I used some gems. She looks cute with that little skirt. And the sentiment is from the "You" set by Simon Says Stamp! Although you can't see it, I did add glossy accents to the coconuts in the tree, too, so that they'd have some added dimension also.

Thanks for stopping by and hoping to see you soon with another post,
Pat

Friday, July 19, 2013

Happy birthday #37

Hi friends,

I hope you all had a great week! I'm popping in to share a card I made for my husband. He just had a birthday and it's always fun making cards for those you love most. I'm also submitting this to the CAS-ual Fridays site. Their latest challenge is to make a clean and simple card with numbers on it. So fun! And I'm also submitting it to the Word Art Wednesday site that allows us to have an "anything goes" card each week. Here's my card:

My husband loves the color orange. So I chose to pair it with some blue accents. I used the Simon Says Stamp Chainlink Die to add some texture to the card and then layered that on some pattern paper (My Mind's Eye). I then added some strips of blue on either side of that panel to make it a bit more defined. I stamped the number from a stamp set from Inkadinkadoo and the sentiment (dollar bin from Michaels) and then heat embossed them. The small frame is chipboard that I colored with my distress marker (spiced marmalade) and then added stickles to it for some added shine. Clean and simple yet I really like how it turned out.

Have a great weekend, everyone!
Pat

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Precious and Few are Friends Like You

Hi all!

Just popping in quickly to share a card I made for some dear friends of ours. They have become like family and we are so very blessed to have them in our life. I pray you all have friends that are like family, too, because they are a gift!

I'll be submitting this card to the Word Art Wednesday site. I really like this site! Every week there's a new Scripture text that you can download and use on a card. I haven't done that yet just b/c I tend to use sentiments that are ready to go. But, there's a lot of texts that I really like that they've shared on their site. Every week there's an "anything goes" challenge so it's great to share cards there. Here's my card:

Turns out I won this great stamp set from The Craft's Meow last month. It's called Kindred Spirits and I love it! The sentiments are great and there's tons of pieces in the set. You can outline the lilies, silhouette the lilies, stamp the different parts of the lilies--and the leaves, too--and you get really play with a lot of the set! I decided to keep my card simple--just having 3 flowers and stems stamped in that vibrant wine color with a mossy green for the leaves. But I wanted to show the flowers kind of bathed in sunlight. To do that, I masked the flowers off and then used the "friend" definition stamp from Hero Arts to add that sunshine. I then thought it would be nice to sort of frame the main panel by sponging the wine color on the edges but I didn't like it. So, I grabbed some chipboard corner edges, inked it with the same color I used on the flowers, and added those to the card. I added the sentiment and some gems and the card was done.

Thanks for stopping by!
Pat

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Summer Card Camp 2--"New Baby"

Hi everyone!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I'm here to share a card I made for the Summer Card Camp 2 class. We were given a new color combo as well as new sketches so I wanted to play along. Here's my card:

This is my first shaped card! And it was super easy to make!!! I used brown cardstock for the base and then cut several circles (Spellbinders). The pattern paper is from a friend so I don't know who made it but the onesie is from Wplus9. The white circle was also embossed with the Swiss Dots folder for some added texture to the card. I wanted to add a lot of faux stitching, too, so I added it to the onesie, the card base circle and the sentiment (Hampton Arts). It was actually pretty quick to make the card and I might just make some more like this to have on hand.

Thanks for stopping by!
Pat

Friday, July 12, 2013

Peel better soon card

Hi all!

I wanted to share a card I made last night with a new stamp from Technique Tuesday. I'm also entering this card for the latest challenge at the Simon Says Stamp and Show. Their challenge was to use a small stamp or just a little stamping. Here's my card:

Since this is for a guy, I chose more masculine colors and a simple sketch. The pattern paper is from My Mind's Eye. I used the apothecary label from Simon Says Stamp! and put the little monkey on there with versafine ink. I then colored him in with my inktense pencils. My small stamp? The sentiment! I usually have big sentiments on my cards but this one is teeny! But it is just so cute when paired with this little monkey! Super easy and fast to make...in fact, I may just make a few and have them on hand.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!
Pat

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Sending Caring Thoughts

Hi friends,

There are some cards that are much more fun to make than others. Today I found out a friend's dad is now in hospice care. My friend's parents have been married a long time and they're a close-knit family so I'm sure this is a very sad time for them. So, in my small way, I wanted to make them a card to let them know they were being prayed over and that I care. If you believe in prayer, please join me in praying for the Karpenko family.

Here's my card:

I used some watercolor paper and stamped the Hero Arts flower and sentiment. I then colored in the image with my inktense pencils and then sponged some distress ink (broken china) for the sky and then washed over that with my watercolor brush. I added some stickles to the center of the flower and the card was done.

I'm submitting this card for the challenge over on the Word Art Wednesday site--not so much for the prize, though. I know the ladies on that blog are Christians. If you would, ladies, please pray for this family. The dad is needing a lot of courage right now. Thank you SO much!

Have a good night!
Pat

Summer Card Camp 2--10 Minute Challenge!

Hi friends!

I wanted to share a card I made this evening to go along with the latest challenge from the online card class--Summer Card Camp 2. The challenge was to make a card in 10 min. NOT AN EASY task! And when you throw into the mix that you could stick to the color palette they assigned, too, the challenge got even harder! But, I came up with an idea and I did, indeed, come in under 10 minutes! I came in at 8 minutes and 30 seconds...and am thinking of making another quick card since I have all the material out anyway! :) Here's my card:


One of the colors assigned was an aqua-colored blue and that was my starting point. I had initially thought of watercoloring a card but quickly realized that would take too much time! I knew I needed to have either die cuts or punched elements b/c that makes the assembly of the card faster and I knew I wanted butterflies. So, I decided on a simple design. Using a turqoise card base, I added a strip of white that had been stamped with an Impression Obsession music stamp (broken china distress ink). Then, I quickly punched out 3 butterflies (Martha Stewart) in the assigned colors and adhered them. Then, I added 3 scored lines to differentiate the white strip from the card base. I added some pearls and the antennae. Then the sentiment (The Craft's Meow--Kindred Spirits) was heat embossed and the card was done.

Unless you've done one of these challenges, you really can't imagine how stressful it is to keep watching the clock and race against it! But, it IS fun!

Thanks for stopping by!
Pat

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

"You are loved" card

Hi friends!

I'm playing around with another sketch from the Summer Card Camp 2 class today. I got some new dies from Wplus9 and making baby cards has just gotten so much easier! So, here's my card:

I don't know where the pattern paper is from (got it as a prize from a LSS) but the cute onesie die is from Wplus9. I LOVE this die! It's so much easier to make baby cards now! The sketch is from the card class and I loved it! I chose to use the Simon Says Stamp! stamp and die called "You". I realized, quickly, that the cut out word needed to be a bit thicker so that it could stand out a bit more. So, I layered the word on 2 more pieces of white cardstock. Now it's more of a chipboard thickness. I used the "are loved" stamp on the onesies. I cut the stamp (I know, it's always a bit frightening to do that!) and used versafine ink to stamp the sentiment. I used a Martha Stewart heart punch for the other onesie. Then I realized that any little girl card should have some sparkle to it. So, I used my stickles to add some shine to the heart and to the "you" die cut. As a final touch, I added some faux stitching and the card was done. Now to see who is going to have a baby girl so that I can give them this card! :)

Thanks for stopping by!
Pat

Hello World card

Hi everyone!

Popping in to share a card I made a few days ago for a friend that welcomed a baby girl to her family. Baby cards are always so much fun! :) I'll be entering this card in the "Anything Goes" challenge at the Word Art Wednesday site. Here's my card:
This card was super quick to make and I love how it turned out! I used the Swiss Dots embossing folder to emboss the card front. Then, I die cut the onesie from Wplus9. The pattern paper is actually from a Christmas pack but it's so cute! The sentiment is from Inkadinkadoo and I layered that on the pattern paper, too. Then I die cut the eyelet circle from Spellbinders. I added a few pearls to the onesie and added some faux stitching to the onesie and the card was done. Easy--yet cute! :)


Have a great Wednesday everyone!
Pat

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Summer Card Camp 2--Sketch time!

Hi all!

I'm here sharing a card I made based on a sketch for the Summer Card Camp 2 class. We were given 3 sketches to play with. I can't show you the sketch but I can show you the card I made based off the sketch. :) Here it is:
I wish I could tell you what pattern papers I used but they're all from a gift pack (without the front cover) that I won from my LSS. But the sentiment and die cut is from Simon Says Stamp! (LOVE them!) and the onesie die is from Wplus9. This was a fun card to make and easy, too. I added a little heart to the die cut (Martha Stewart) and some faux stitching to the onesie and the card was done.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Pat

Monday, July 8, 2013

Color Combo challenge

Hi friends!

It was a busy day for me. But, after all the hard work, I decided to go play in my craft room. :)

Today I'm sharing a card I made for the Summer Card Camp 2 class that started today. There's a few sketches and a color combination that we're supposed to brainstorm with. I plan on working with one of the sketches tomorrow but for today, here's my card.
For this card, I actually got the idea of it from a Women's Devotional book. I loved the cover of the book and always thought it would look really nice as a card idea. So, I rotated and tweaked it a bit and here it is! For the class, we had to use 4 of the 5 colors in the swatch. I had hoped my purple flower would be more magenta-ish but oh well! I started out with watercolor paper. I stamped the flower (Hero Arts) in Versafine Sepia ink because I'd be watercoloring the image. I then used my inktense watercolor pencils to color in the image. Once the image was colored, I carefully used my broken china distress ink to add the sky color behind the flowers. Once the sponging was done, I used my watercolor brush to blend out the ink a bit more. I had originally stamped the sentiment (also from Hero Arts) directly on the card with Colorbox Surf pigment ink but my hand smudged the sentiment and I was NOT going to start all over! So, I made a banner for the sentiment and covered up the mistake. I added a few gems to the card and the card was done.

It's only Day 1 of the class and so far, I'm LOVING it! Hoping to play with a lot of the ideas this week!

Thanks for stopping by!
Pat

Friday, July 5, 2013

Another Tuesday Trigger card

Hi friends!

Yes, three posts in one day! I really loved the tangerine challenge that is happening over at the Moxie Fab World site so I decided to do another card. Here's my card and the trigger picture.


So, here's the bad news. I really have NO information on the stamps I used for this card. These stamps were part of a very large gift with several different stamps in it. My son, only 8 years old, was the recipient of the gift and they were sent so that he would continue nurturing his love for crafting. All I know is that the company is Autumn Leaves. (And that my son was very annoyed that I used HIS stamps!) I chose several different stamps in different sizes for this card. I stamped the flowers in different shades of orange/tangerine and then added some green flowers, too. I mounted the sentiment (Hero Arts) on some bright green pattern paper and then rounded the corners and the card was done. Really enjoyed playing with the different stamps and colors.

Thanks for stopping by!
Pat

Tuesday Trigger Time!

Hi again!

Yes, it's my second post! Since it was the 4th of July yesterday, I finally had the chance to play in my room...and I took full advantage of the time! :) I'm sharing a card I made for the Moxie Fab World's Tuesday Trigger challenge. Here's my card and the challenge badge.



For this card, I used watercolor paper to stamp the Stampendous Star Lilies with Versafine Ink (brown). I stamped it on the side that doesn't have quite as much texture so that the image would stamp a bit better. Then, I used my inktense pencils to color in the image. These pencils are great for coloring and I love that you can add different shades and blend in the color. For the leaves, I used 2 different shades of green. And on the petals, I used an orange color and then mixed some yellow, too, for a different shade of orange. I added a soft blue color for the sky by using my distress ink and sponging in the color. I then used my watercolor brush to smooth out the distress ink, too. I mounted both the image and the sentiment on some tangerine-colored pattern paper from My Mind's Eye and I punched a border at the bottom of it. The sentiment is from Hero Arts and I finished off the card with a simple ribbon at the bottom. It's always so much fun to color in images using my pencils--it's easy and looks great when you're done!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!
Pat

Playing with my favorite stamp!

Hi friends!

Please forgive me for the long absence! Life has been hectic but seems to be slowing down a bit now. How has your summer been so far?

Today I'm sharing with you a card I made using my new favorite Hero Arts stamp, Leafy Vines. I LOVE this stamp! I had been wanting it for awhile. I'll be entering it in the A Blog Named Hero challenge (use your favorite stamp) and also the Simon Says Stamp and Show (anything goes). Here's the card and the challenge badge.



Isn't this stamp beautiful?! And when you add the silver embossing to it, it just comes alive! Since the stamp is rather large and the main focus of the card, I chose to simply add a couple of vellum butterflies and then the sentiment. I used the apothecary labels from Simon Says Stamp! and one of the coordinating sentiments from that set. I heat embossed the sentiment, too, and the card was done. An easy card to make--but so elegant!

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! :)
Pat