flowers and flourishes

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Jan 282011

This week’s Clean and Simple challenge at Splitcoaststampers.com is to use flourishes in your creation.  In the past when I’ve tried to use flourish stamps, I rarely felt like I did them justice, so I wanted to push myself a little by doing this challenge.  I combined the Clean and Simple challenge with one of the Mini Virtual Stamp Night challenges and came up with the card I’m showing today.  I’m pleased with the way it turned out!  The only problem is, I can’t decide whether to keep it to send to one of my friends, or to donate it to Operation Write Home!

Supplies:
Stamps: Where You Should Be (Ippity by Unity); Priceless (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Kraft (SU)
Ink: Wisteria chalk ink (ColorBox)
Other: flowers (Prima Marketing); half pearls (KaiserCraft); Labels Nine Nestabilities die (Spellbinders); sponge

Posted by PH in VA at 10:00 am Cards, Nestabilities, Operation Write Home, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!, Unity Stamp Company

happy o'birthday

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Jan 262011

Just a quick post today to show off a birthday card I made for a friend who celebrated her birthday last week.  She’s of Irish descent, and when I saw this sentiment in the Stampin’ Up catalog, I immediately thought of her.  I used this month’s Sketch For You To Try for the layout and some retired Stampin’ Up products for the card.  The balloon is popped up with dimensional adhesive.

All supplies are from Stampin’ Up except as noted:
Stamps: Birthday Whimsy, On Your Birthday
Cardstock: Cool Caribbean, Whisper White, Bali Breeze designer paper
Ink: Cool Caribbean, Purely Pomegranate
Other: embroidery floss (DMC)

Here’s the actual sketch.  For my card, I turned the sketch sideways and stretched it out into a rectangle.

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Cards, SFYTT sketches, Stampin' Up!

Paper Therapy challenge time - and, we have a winner!

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Jan 242011

Another Monday morning, another Paper Therapy challenge!  This week we have a color challenge to use colors similar to Stampin’ Up’s Marina Mist, Ruby Red, Certainly Celery and So Saffron.

I’ve been personally challenging myself to try to use some of my stamp sets I haven’t inked recently.  Although I’ve used the sentiments from today’s set, I don’t think I’ve ever used this image before.  The flower blossoms reminded me of daffodils so I colored them yellow, but then I noticed the foliage isn’t really daffodil stems and leaves.  Oh well.  Artistic license, I suppose.  I didn’t want a big mat all the way around the image, so I decided to use a squareish shape behind the image instead of another mostly rectangular shape.

I’m not sure I like the button embellishment.  I wanted to use it for an extra pop of the red color, but it seems a little big and “clunky” compared to the rest of the card.  Maybe I should have added a loop of the celery ribbon behind it to give it more of a visual foundation.  Or maybe I should’ve used a wider ribbon instead of this grosgrain.  Oh – what about using a wider ribbon, tying it in a bow and putting the button in the center of the bow?  But I wanted to keep the card reasonably easy to mail because it’s going in my stash for Operation Write Home.  So, what are your thoughts?  How can I improve the embellishment on this card?

Supplies:
Stamp: Always in My Thoughts (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Basics White (Papertrey Ink); So Saffron, Marina Mist (SU)
Ink: Onyx Black (VersaFine)
Other: Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon, button (SU); embroidery floss (DMC); Premier colored pencils (Prismacolor)

Also – congratulations to Bernie Thomas!  She’s the winner of the blog candy I was giving away during last weekend’s Made With Heart Blog Hop!  Bernie’s comment read:

Wow I love this.  So clean and simple but stunning!  My DH stole my heart 32 years ago.
Blessings  Bernie

Bernie, I’ll be in touch with you via the email address you left with your comment.   I hope you and your husband share many more happy Valentine’s Days together!  Enjoy your prize!

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Cards, Operation Write Home, Paper Therapy, Stampin' Up!

Made With Heart Valentine Blog Hop!

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Jan 212011

Hello!  I’m excited to be participating in the Made With Heart Valentine Blog Hop this weekend!  Sixteen crafters from several different countries are sharing projects to get you in the mood to spread some love.

To me, it always seems that the most difficult person to make a valentine card for is my husband.  He’s not into the long mushy sentiments or lots of flowers or hearts or teddy bears or such.  So I decided to go with a design based off of this week’s Clean & Simple challenge at Splitcoaststampers.com.  I did a mirror image of the sketch because I felt it looked better this way.  It still kind of has a lot of hearts, but oh well.  The pink hearts are actually just the red hearts stamped off once.

All supplies for today’s card are by Stampin’ Up:
Stamps: Branch Out, Short & Sweet, Small Sayings
Cardstock: Confetti White
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Ruby Red
Other: Seaside Ribbon Originals, sponge

If you came here from Emily’s blog, you’re in the right place, and you’ll be visiting Kate’s blog next.  But here’s a list of all the blog participants in case something went wonky or you came in from Facebook or your bookmarked link to my blog:

Kristin
Stacey
Nicki
Paula
Jenny
Nikki
Kimberly
Janneke
Tabitha
Liza
Jessi
Joey
Emily
Patricia <— you’re here!  🙂
Kate
Dee

Now, what’s a blog hop without a little blog candy?  I have a brand new, never used “Frogs & Kisses” stamp set from The Angel Company and a brand new “Two Scoops” 6″ x 6″ paper pad by Basic Grey to give away to one lucky person!  All you have to do to be eligible to win both of these items is to leave a comment on this post, using the word “heart” in a sentence, before 10:00 p.m. Eastern time Sunday, January 23.  Be sure to leave a way for me to get in touch with you, or simply just check back here on Monday, January 24 to see if you’ve won and claim your prize!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you’ll come visit again!

Posted by PH in VA at 7:00 am Cards, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!

Guest Designer!

1 Response »
Jan 182011

Today’s card was made by my son, Matthew. The rest is self-explanitory.

(Mom’s note – Matthew typed that himself, and that is *all* he wanted to put about his card. 🙂 )

Supplies:
Stamps: Fanciful Favorites (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Stampin’ Write markers (SU)

Posted by PH in VA at 11:00 am Cards, Stampin' Up!

sweet and simple challenge

9 Responses »
Jan 172011

Good Monday morning!  It’s time for the next Paper Therapy weekly challenge!  This week the challenge is to make a card in a shape other than a rectangle or a square.

With Valentine’s Day coming up in less than a month, it seemed only natural to make a heart-shaped card.  I used Heart 3, a digital image from InStyle Stamps, for the main focal point.  Aren’t the elaborate swirls in it just fabulous?  I sized it to about 4″ x 4″, printed it out in black, and cut around it with my trusty Cutterbee scissors, leaving about a 1/8″ border all around the image.   I decided to add some Prima flowers to the solid part of the heart, and my red ones were a nearly identical color match to Stampin’ Up’s Poppy Parade cardstock.  I cut a piece of Poppy Parade to 4 1/4″ x 8 1/2″, folded it in half for my card base, used temporary adhesive to attach the printed heart to the card, and then cut around it to get my heart-shaped card.  Then I took the printed heart off so I could attach the flowers with some gold brads, and re-adhered it with permanent adhesive.

And there it is – a very sweet and simple card, but it will be easy to mail to someone to show them a little love.

Supplies:
Digital Image: Heart 3 (InStyle Stamps)
Cardstock: Poppy Parade, Whisper White (Stampin’ Up)
Other: flowers (Prima Marketing); gold brads (SU)

If you are in the mood for more Valentine projects, be sure to stop by this coming weekend because I’ll be participating in the Made With Heart Valentine Blog Hop!  The hop runs from Friday, January 21 through Sunday, January 23.  There will be lots of fantastic projects to see and probably even some blog candy up for grabs along the way.  Who knows – I may even surprise my readers by giving away some goodies!  🙂

 

In the spirit of full disclosure, the image used on today’s project was provided to me by InStyle Stamps to aid in promoting their products.

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Cards, Digital images, InStyle Stamps, Paper Therapy, Stampin' Up!

a cardmaker's dozen

1 Response »
Jan 132011

I’ve noticed several of my friends have done a “Top 10 of 2010” blog post showcasing their favorite cards that they made last calendar year.  I thought that was a really neat idea – until I started trying to narrow the choices down to just 10 cards.  So, I decided since I don’t have to follow exactly in everyone else’s footsteps, I’d show off my favorite 13 – a cardmaker’s dozen, if you will.  🙂  These are all cards that, for one reason or another, have special meaning to me.

 

In chronological order… click on the dates to see the original blog posts

 

January 30, 2010

 

April 24, 2010

 

June 15, 2010

 

 

July 17, 2010

 

July 25, 2010

 

August 17, 2010

 

September 5, 2010 

 

September 13, 2010

 

September 21, 2010

 

October 2, 2010

 

October 12, 2010

 

November 15, 2010

 

December 8, 2010

 

Thank you for reminiscing with me! 

 

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Cards

snowy winter wishes

6 Responses »
Jan 102011

I have some exciting news today! I was selected as a Guest Designer for Splitcoaststampers’ Clean and Simple challenges, and this is my week to serve in that capacity! I’m thrilled to have been chosen from the many people who tried out for the winter design team.

Since it’s Monday, it’s also time for a new weekly challenge at Paper Therapy!  We have a sketch challenge this week.  I combined the sketch with this week’s SCS Clean and Simple theme, “A Day in the Snow.” 

When I learned the CAS challenge theme, I knew I wanted to use this snowman designer paper. Isn’t it darling?  I had originally planned to use a different sentiment.  Then in Friday’s mail I received this stamp, which I’d won as a trivia contest prize.  It was perfect for the theme so I decided to use it instead of my first choice.  I turned the sketch sideways – here’s how it was originally drawn:

I hope that my readers will join in the challenges this week at both Paper Therapy and Splitcoaststampers!  I’d love to see what y’all create!

Here are the supplies for today’s card:
Stamps: Winter Wishes (Unity)
Cardstock: Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Naturals Ivory, Bordering Blue (Stampin’ Up); snowman designer paper from Winter Wonderland paper pack (Lizzie Anne Designs)
Ink: Bordering Blue (SU)
Other: Always Artichoke grosgrain ribbon (SU); Bordeaux grosgrain ribbon (Offray); snowflake punch (EK Success); half pearl (KaiserCraft); Snowflake embossing folder (QuicKutz)

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Cards, Lizzie Anne Designs, Paper Therapy, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!, Unity Stamp Company

Kolar's birthday balloon

1 Response »
Jan 092011

It’s Sunday, which means there’s a new sketch challenge on the Operation Write Home Stars & Stamps blog!  I had volunteered to make a sample card for one of their sketch challenges, and the sketch I was given is the one presented this week.

I decided to make a birthday card using this adorable digital image from K ‘n K Designs.  The accompanying sentiment makes me smile every time I read it.  I substituted a die-cut balloon for the circle element of the sketch because I felt that tied in with the theme.

I hope you’ll play along in the challenge, and choose to send some cards to Operation Write Home so that our military members overseas can keep in touch with their families here.

Supplies:
Digital Images: Kolar’s Birthday (K ‘n K Designs)
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Cajun Craze, Certainly Celery (Stampin’ Up); Basics White (Papertrey Ink); “Radical” from Offbeat 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Basic Grey)
Other: Premier colored pencils (Prismacolor); odorless mineral spirits (Houston Arts); balloon die (Sizzix); embroidery floss (DMC)

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Cards, Digital images, K 'n K Designs, Operation Write Home, OWH Stars & Stamps sketches

thinking of you... and retired products

6 Responses »
Jan 082011

While I was making this card I had it in my head that I was using all Stampin’ Up products (well, except for the adhesive, but nobody sees that), but it wasn’t until it was mostly assembled that I realized that nearly all of them were items that had been retired by the company. In fact, the only part of this card that you can find in their current catalog is the ivory cardstock.

This is my first Operation Write Home card of the year.  I followed this week’s OWH sketch layout and I took up the Midweek Throwdown “Shipper’s Choice” challenge of making a “thinking of you” card.  Other than turning the sketch on its side, I didn’t make any revisions to it, resulting in a very flat card that will be easy to mail.

Because the card base is so dark, I lined the inside of the card with another piece of the ivory cardstock.  I decided to dress it up a little by adding a rose to the bottom right corner.

I hope to do more OWH sketches throughout the year.  But there are so many other challenges I enjoy too.  I wish I had enough time to do them all!

Supplies: all products are from Stampin’ Up
Stamps: Wild Rose, Warmest Regards
Cardstock: Cranberry Crisp, Mellow Moss, Naturals Ivory, Recollections designer paper
Ink: Cranberry Crisp, Mellow Moss
Other: Stamp-a-ma-jig

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Cards, Operation Write Home, OWH Midweek/Midmonth Throwdown, OWH Stars & Stamps sketches, Stampin' Up!

kissed floral birthday

1 Response »
Jan 062011

Today I’d like to give a little shout out to my friend Lois at Country Stampin’ Oasis because it’s her birthday! Go visit her blog and wish her a wonderful day!

My card today is the one I’ve sent to Lois.  I’ve used this week’s Splitcoaststampers Clean And Simple challenge.  I inked the Floral background stamp with Bermuda Bay ink, and inked the Linen background stamp with River Rock ink, and “kissed” the two stamps together.  The image I got from the Floral stamp didn’t show the River Rock ink very well.  I noticed the Linen stamp picked up a fair amount of Bermuda Bay ink, so I decided to try getting an impression from it – and that is what I ended up using on this card.  I also used the Linen stamp on the sentiment panel. 

Lois, if you see this post today, I hope you have a fantastic day, and that your card arrives in the mail on time! 

Supplies:
Stamps: Floral, Linen, On Your Birthday (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: River Rock, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White (SU)
Ink: River Rock, Bermuda Bay (SU)
Other: ticket corner punch (SU); flower (Prima Marketing); micro brad (Recollections); Small and Large Labels Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders)

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Cards, Nestabilities, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!

CASEing Taylor

6 Responses »
Jan 032011

It’s Monday – which means it’s time for the first Paper Therapy challenge of 2011!   This week, the challenge is to find a project on one of your favorite blogs (but not your own blog – LOL!) and “CASE” it.  Some people define “CASE” as “Copy And Share Everything”. I originally learned it as “Copy And Selectively Edit” so that’s what I did. 

I actually made this card just before Christmas.  I needed something in which I could include an iTunes card for our family friends’ teenage son.  Because I literally had only about a 90 minute chunk of time to work on this project (and that included finding what I wanted to CASE!), I needed something that would be really quick and easy.  My inspiration piece came from a blog post by Taylor Usry.  I love so much of Taylor’s work that I knew I wanted to use something from her blog.  This particular card looked so clean and easy to replicate that I chose it to CASE.  I kept the white background and the red accent color, but changed the black to green and the popcorn theme to Christmas ornaments.  The large ornament was stamped on a scrap of white cardstock and cut out.  A 1/4″ hole punch was the perfect thing for “cutting out” the center of the ornament loop!

I hope you’ll take the time to visit Taylor’s blog and fall in love with her work.  Be sure to visit the other Paper Therapy design team members’ blogs and comment on their work, too!  They’ve made some fabulous things this week!

Supplies:
Stamps: Fun With Shapes, Short & Sweet (Stampin’ Up); Build-a-Bauble (Lizzie Anne Designs)
Cardstock: Real Red, Garden Green (SU); Basics White (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Real Red, Garden Green (SU); Silver (ColorBox)
Other: Silver organdy ribbon (SU); red satin ribbon (Offray)

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Cards, Lizzie Anne Designs, Paper Therapy, Stampin' Up!

Happy New Year - and some happy news!

3 Responses »
Jan 012011

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope that 2011 brings all the best to all of my readers.

I’m excited today to announce that I’m now an InStyle Stamps Chickie!  I’m really looking forward to being a part of this design team and sharing fun projects and ideas.  Take time to check out the InStyle Stamps company blog for more fantastic news and upcoming plans for the new year. 

I’m still tired from the traveling my family did over the holiday season, and being away from my supplies didn’t allow me to get any new things created.  So I’m sorry I don’t have anything crafty to share today.  But don’t worry – I’ll be back at it by Monday!

Posted by PH in VA at 12:00 pm InStyle Stamps
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