Craft fair outcome

Well, the craft fair was a success!  It was a great learning experience, and I'm excited to participate in another someday.  The weather was very uncooperative, and it rained pretty much throughout the morning.  As you can see in the pics, the event was held on a grassy field, so it got pretty muddy.  Yuck.  Despite that, the flow of customers was pretty good.  Well, I think so, for it being my first and all.

I walked away with a profit, and that is something to be happy about!

As the pics show, I displayed my cards on a table with a nice table cloth over it.  I also had a tent to protect from sun/rain.  Good thing I had it!  I labeled the containers with what kind of card categories the cards were in, and I also had post-it note pads and notecard sets I made.  Sorry, forgot to take pics of those.  I'll try to get a pic taken and posted soon.

The post-its were great sellers, as were the cards.  

Thanks for sharing in my excitement!

Craft fair, here I come!

I'm so excited to be participating in my very first craft fair this Saturday!  I've been wanting to do one for a while now, but it just hasn't come together.  It seems like you have to register for those shows months in advance, and you have to pay a fortune just to rent your 10x10 stall!  Some of the shows I looked into required an application and a review panel to either accept you or deny you.  That process kinda intimidated me, and so I continued to put it off......until now!

I'm someone who believes that things happen for a reason.  Well, on Monday I was shopping with my DH and we saw a flyer for an upcoming craft fair.  He asked me why I haven't done a show yet, and why not do this one.  I started to make excuses, but then really thought about it and decided to inquire if they were still taking sign-ups.  Well, low and behold, they were!  So, meant to be indeed!  

Keep in mind, this was Monday, and the craft fair is Saturday!  Yikes!  I've got to think of some strategies for the sale.  I'm a crafter, but not too good of a sales-person.  I will hope for the best!

For anyone who lives on island, the craft fair is being held at Richardson Field (across from the stadium) this Saturday from 8 to 12.  Should be a lot of fun!  Free admission and lots of vendors.  Wish me luck, and come by to visit if you'll be there!

I'll post picks of my area, so stay tuned!  Also, I hope to make some last minute things before Saturday.  I need to make sure I've got enough stuff.

Using an old stamp

So yesterday I inked up a new stamp.  Today I thought I'd ink up an old one!  Well, in real life, it's not really old, but old-er.

My main objective for this card was to use some of that beautiful SAB designer paper, called delicate dots.  I love the paper set, and hope that SU offers designer paper again next year.

This card uses the Flight of the Butterfly set.  Everyone needs thank you cards, right?  I figure I can never have enough.  

When thinking about my color palette for this card, I realized that I have NEVER, not even ONCE, ever used pale plum.  I don't know why, but I'm not really a purple-ly person.  Now that I've used this color, I realize it's not so bad!  It's actually more of a grey-pink.  I found some fabulous pinky-purpley lace that would work perfectly for this card.

Supplies used (all SU unless otherwise indicated)

Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly

Ink: chocolate brown, baja breeze

Paper: PTI white for base, so saffron, pale plum, whisper white

DSP: delicate dots SAB

Ribbon: white taffetta, lace from stash

Other: paper piercer from tool kit, small adhesive pearls from Hero Arts

ENJOY YOUR DAY!!!  :o)

using new stamps

I'm in love with this new stamp set I just inked up.  I used the large heart image from Stampin Up's set called Ever After.

I wanted to keep it simple and leave it as an all-occasion card.  I REALLY like how it turned out!  Imagine this card in a different color scheme.  So many possibilities!

Supplies: (all SU unless otherwise indicated)

Stamps: Ever After

Paper: PTI white for base, SU basic black, pixie pink, whisper white

DSP: delicate dots SAB

Ink: pink passion

Other: eyelet border punch, black gingham ribbon, paper piercer, flower fusion 2, clear rhinestone brad

a sigh of relief!

Aaaahhhhh............(this is my sigh of relief). 

I've had a long month of waiting, and finally found out some wonderful news.  I will be staying in Hawaii to work for another couple of years! (with the military, you never know)  Yay!  I'm so happy, and this means that my husband and I can go back to normal.  You know when your future is cloudy, it's hard to plan and hard to be "normal".  But now our future is crystal clear and we can continue living!

Anyways, now I've got some great cards to share.  I was in a cupcake mood from all of this stress.  Here are a few cupcake cards!

This card uses some retired designer paper.  Actually, all of these cards used retired paper.  I'm a hoarder, what can I say!?  I really like the color scheme for this card.  The layout is simple.  I used a 1" double stitched chocolate chip ribbon (SU, current) to balance the card.  I colored the cupcake with aqua painter and ink from the lids.  I then colored the sprinkles with SU markers to match the polka dots on the DSP.  

The next card also uses Crazy for Cupcakes.  I love this stamp!  The paper is retired Parisian Summer.  So dainty and delicate, no?  Pink and yellow are such sweet colors, and the shades of So Saffron and Pretty in Pink go really well together.  This time I used a blender pen to color everything in, because the images were smaller and I wanted to be precise.  The cupcake stand was basic grey, cupcake holder thingy was creamy caramel, and cupcake toppers were pretty in pink and so saffron for the 2nd tier.  Saffron ribbon is from the SAB ribbon bundle.  And cherrys are coated in a bit of crystal effects.  

This last card is the same exact thing as the previous one, but in a different color scheme.  It actually uses paper from the same DSP pack, Parisian Summer.  the overall color scheme for this one however is bravo burgundy and pretty in pink.  There is more of an elegant feel, and I really like it.  The ribbon is burgundy grosgrain and a touch of pink taffeta to give balance.

Enjoy your day!!!!

Vegas, baby!

I have a super cool card to share today.  This card literally took me all week to design and create.  I am SO thrilled with the outcome.  I made it for my sister's birthday.  She has never been to Vegas to hit the casinos yet.  We've been there a bunch of times, but not since she has been 21.  So, a few years later.......she's going to Vegas to celebrate her birthday!  I thought it would be appropriate to make her an extravagant card to celebrate the occasion.

Now, before I post the pics, please know that this was totally my invention (as far as I know) and I made it up as I went along.  I have no measurements to share and will probably never make another one of these cards ever again!!  I took me SO long to make!  I really hope my sis enjoys it.

Here it is!!!!!

How cool is that!!?  Can you see the blood sweat and tears that I put into creating this card!!?  I had this vision in my head of what I wanted to create, and the finished card is way better than I could have imagined!!!!!  

I started with a silver piece of thick CS (I think 120#) folded in half.  So the finished card measures 5.5" x 8.5" plus a little bit for the slot machine handle.  I layered on some brilliant blue CS, white, and some fantastic Vegas themed DSP I picked up a while ago.  This was the perfect occasion to dig it out!  

Now, the rest of the details are difficult for me to describe, since I created it idea by idea, and had no pattern or template.  I basically knew that I wanted a slot machine theme, and that I wanted to include folded up money as the jackpot winner.  I had to really think analytically and think about the mechanical design.  You can see more on how I achieved this in the pictures below.  

See!  Even the handle is interactive!!  I attached the handle with a brad, so that it can be pulled down like the real thing! 

See the "coins"?  They are actually attached to the inside of the slot machine fruits by a clear acetate strip.  This allows the coins to be pulled down, and voila.......a winner!!

Keep pulling at those coins..........

Yay!  The jackpot!!!!

Here is a peek at the inside.  I covered the "mechanical" part of the card with a piece of white CS.  I thought to myself that it was too plain......so why not decorate!  A cashier scene is appropriate since it depicts where to "collect" the money.  I attached this panel with a small piece of adhesive velcro under the "lift" sign.

When open.......money!  She can slide the folded pieces of money out without damaging the card.  Who knows? Maybe she will replace the bills with 1's?  That is my hope anyways!

And finally, this is the panel where I will write the birthday greetings.  Just a quick (and messy) sponging of the edges with black and a coordinating strip of the DSP, and it's all done!  

What a sigh of relief now that this card is finished!!!!  I hope you enjoy as much as I did making it!

birthday cards part 2

Okay, so here are more ideas I have for the group birthday cards.

This first one seems more elegant, and more suited for an *adult*.  :o)  I actually REALLY like how this one turned out!  I started with the cupcake stamp from Crazy for Cupcakes for my main image.  I wanted to use the retired DSP from SU called ginger blossoms.  I layered that with basic grey to add a little definition against the white CS base (PTI- the best!).

The cupcake image was colored with blender pen and ink and cut out using the oval nesties.  The sentiment comes from the JustRite stamper.  I really love it because you can personalize it to however you'd like!  I mixed the fonts too!  The B and the W come from the special occasions font, and the rest are from Times New Roman.  I like the combo.  :o)

Felt Fusions and the clear rhinestone brad really jazz up this card too!   For the final touches I added some stardust stickles to each of the cherrys on top!  

Well, this card is on the border of child and adult.  It might be best used for an adult who is a child at heart??  I actually REALLY like how this card turned out too!

The monkey and bananas are from SU's sock monkey set.  I cut out each banana and the monkeys body to place it exactly how I wanted.  Let me be honest here.....this card took quite some time to put together.  But it was worth it I think!  The sentiment is the same one from before, using my justrite circle stamper.  I pre-stamped a couple of these, so that I could use them later.  The hardest part about using that stamper is spelling out the words, and making sure that you are spelling correctly, and in the right direction!  

The banana peels are colored with a summer sun marker.  The whole banana was stamped on a scrap piece of barely banana CS.

birthday cards part 1

I got another request to make some cards.  The order was pretty vague....she asked that I make an assortment of birthday cards that could be used as group cards.  Like, from all of us.....from the gang......from the group, etc.  But other than that, I was on my own.  Here are some of the first ones I made, and I will continue to work on them over the next couple of days.  If anyone has suggestions on other creative ways to incorporate the group theme, please leave a comment!  Thanks in advance!

This card is kind of similar to a card I recently made.  I like how the balloons add so much color.  I used my JustRite stamper to spell out the sentiment "Happy Birthday, from the whole bunch".   Whole *bunch*.......get it!!?

Supplies:

Stamps: balloons and cupcake from SU Sock Monkey, balloon strings hand drawn, background SU Sprinkles

Paper: Bashful blue CS base, real red, more mustard circle scallop using nestability, whisper white

DSP: last catty's DSP prints pack-hostess set 

Ink: chocolate chip, basic black, bashful blue for background, cocoa and brocade blue markers for cupcake

Other: red gingham ribbon and glue dot, paper piercer from crafters tool kit.

Supplies:

Stamps: Cheep Talk, hat from All in the Family, sentiment Hero Arts

Paper: Real Red CS base, whisper white

Ink: Markers:  chocolate chip, old olive, brilliant blue, tempting turquoise, only orange, summer sun, real red

From the whole *flock*......hee hee!  I think it's cute.  :o) 

Supplies:

Stamps: Cheep Talk, bird's hat from All in the Family, JustRite stamper kit, times new roman font, Hero Arts birthday sentiment

Paper: PTI vintage cream CS base, brilliant blue

Ink: brilliant blue, old olive watercolored for grass

Markers: brilliant blue, tempting turquoise, only orange, real red, summer sun

Other:circle punch, circle scallop punch, stardust stickles

If anyone has more grown-up ideas for group birthday cards, please leave a helpful comment!  I like what I have so far, but they kinda feel goofy - like for a children's birthday or something.  I need more adult ideas.....I think.  What do you think?

sympathy cards part 2

Okay, so here are the last three sympathy cards.  

This card uses the flower image from SU's Touch of Nature, and also the fern stamp which is stamped on the mellow moss CS with mellow moss ink.  I like the softness of stamping tone-on-tone.  The small strip of designer paper is from the retired paper from SU called parisian summer.  That was actually where I got the color scheme - which is so saffron, mellow moss, and pretty in pink.  The flower is watercolored with so saffron ink and the center uses more mustard.  A simple piece of green organdy ribbon from my stash finishes it off.  Clean and simple.

This card is different, and I really like how it turned out.  The black piece of CS in the back is actually the base, but the card opens from the going grey piece.  Does that make sense?  See the pic of the inside (below) for a better idea.  The grey piece is a textured CS from SU and it's great.  I layered on a panel of Soft Sky DSP (retired) and the main image is SU's eastern blooms.  I colored it using my markers.  The ribbon is SU grey taffetta and it is a must have.  

As you can see, I stamped the small flower on the inside of the card as well, to tie it all together.  I also added a small 1/2" strip of the soft sky DSP to the inside, to show from the front where I scalloped the right edge.

This final card uses some of the same components of today's first card.  the flower, sentiment, DSP, fern, colors......but it works.  

Hope you all have a wonderful day.

Sympathy cards

I'm sure that no one likes the reason behind making sympathy cards, I know I sure don't.  But I was asked to make several sympathy cards for someone, so that she could have them on hand.  Of course I was honored to be asked, as sympathy cards are always personal and special.  I will show you three of them on today's post, and I'll show the other three tomorrow.  

All of today's cards use the bird from Stampin Up's Touch of Nature as the focal image.  This bird is very delicate, and is perfect for the occasion.  For this first card, I used the new DSP from Stampin Up's Sale-a-Bration.  I believe the color is Sahara Sand.  Everything really just came together, and I really like the simplicity of the overall card.  Both the bird and the flower were watercolored to give that softened look.  The sentiment is from Close as a Memory.  Flower is stuck on with a dimensional.  The card base is from PaperTrey, and is really sturdy.  I think it is 110# weight, which is a really nice card base.

This next card also uses the same bird and sentiment, but is a little more masculine.  The card base is basic grey and DSP is also basic grey patterns, from the hostess level 1 paper pack.  The scalloped oval was made using nestibilities in bravo burgundy, and the card is finished off with a piece of black organdy ribbon from my local crafts store.

This final card (for today's post) uses a burgundy CS base, burgundy DSP (from Parisian summer-retired), and burgundy 5/8" grosgrain ribbon.  The sentiment is embossed with white EP to help it stand out.  

While I was making these cards, I really reflected on how many wonderful people I have in my life, and how thankful I am to have them.  I hope you are also able to do the same as you read this post and see the cards.  :o)

card for a friend

Made a card for my *best friend*, my very own sister.  I kept it simple and clean, which is her style.  I thought the addition of two butterflies would be nice, which could represent me and her.  This is also my entry for PaperTrey's ongoing contest.  Check it out if you have time, there are lots of prizes to be won!

Supplies: (all SU unless otherwise indicated)

Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly, a touch of nature (ferns), sentiment from last year's SAB Friendship Blooms

Paper: pink pirouette CS, very vanilla, regal rose, whisper white

DSP: Basic Grey

Ink: ferns stamped in sahara sand full-strength and stamped-off for a subtle look, butterflies in pretty in pink and close to cocoa dots, sentiment colored with markers: regal rose and cocoa

Other: Stardust stickles on butterfly dots, lower butterfly adhered with dimensional

Enjoy your day!

Papertrey contest entries

I've had fun making some entries for the current PaperTrey anniversary celebration contests.  The downside is that I have no camera right now, and couldn't take a decent picture for my submissions.  But, since there is a contest deadline, I decided to use my camera phone to take the pics.  I apologize in advance for the poor quality of these pics!  Yikes!  But I worked so hard on these and wanted to submit them anyways.  Check out the contests if you have time!  

My first entry is for the "It's in the bag" challenge.  The challenge is to "create, alter or decorate a bag of any kind".  I thought to myself....hmm....easter bag/basket.  I cut away the top of a mini-paper bag to create bunny ears, and decorated the rest of the bag as a bunny.  This was super easy to make, and would be fun for kids to make for easter treat bags.  I used the 3/4" circle punch for eyes and drew in little eye lashes.  The nose is from the heart to heart punch from SU!, and the mouth is hand drawn.  A pretty grosgrain bow finishes it off!  

I REALLY apologize for the blurry pic on this one.......This card is for the "over the rainbow" challenge, also from PaperTrey.  The challenge was to create a project using the PTI colors or similar substitute for pure poppy, summer sunrise, ripe avocado, and ocean tides.  Since I do not yet have the PTI colors, I used SU! colors: real red, summer sun, old olive, and baja breeze.  They closely resemble the PTI colors, so it works!  My card is a happy bunch of birthday balloons.  I stamped the balloons from Crazy for Cupcakes many times on the colored CS and cut them out.  I also stamped the balloons on the white CS for the curly ribbons.  A little gingham ribbon knot ties all the balloons together.  I stamped the bashful blue background with the sprinkles stamp using bashful blue ink.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

Hope you enjoy the challenge as much as I did!

more valentines!

So I'm still on my red/pink/brown kick.....I really love the colors together!  

Here is a card using some left over materials from my latest stamping workshop.  Since everything was already cut and ready to go, I thought I'd use it up to create different cards! 

Supplies: all Stampin Up

Stamps: Love you Much, From the Heart

Paper: pretty in pink, riding hood red, whisper white

DSP: Candy Lane

Ink: Basic Brown

Markers: ruby red, pretty in pink

Accessories: white taffeta ribbon, flower fusions 2, rhinestone brad, pastels w/sponge dauber

Supplies: all Stampin Up unless otherwise indicated

Stamps: Puckers (Hooks, Lines, & inkers), SU sincere salutations

Paper:  riding hood red, whisper white

DSP:  bella rose

Ink: Basic Brown, close to cocoa (watercoloring)

Markers: ruby red

Accessories: aqua painter

I still have a couple spots open for my embellishment share if you are interested!  A share is a great way to have ALL the new things at a fraction of the cost!  Drop me a line if you would like to participate!

Interested in an embellishment share?

Hello bloggers!   I thought I'd feel you out today, and see if anyone would be interested in participating in an embellishment share!  Stampin Up just released the new Spring/Summer 2009 catalog & idea book.  There are SO many new things, and some REALLY great new embellishments!  I thought to myself - it's hard to choose between all of the great things - jumbo brads - in neutral colors!  corduroy buttons AND brads! - in 6 colors!! fleurettes! library clips in colors!......so many more yummy stuff!!  

Why not get them all!??  Of course we would break the bank if we spent almost $140 to buy all this stuff, but if we shared, and sampled a bit from each, we could really get a great deal. (Now let me  point out...I have seen some other embellishment shares out there, and I've noticed that some people are splitting things up by ones or twos.  For example, get ONE clear rhinestone brad, ONE corduroy button, etc.  What good is that, I ask??  I want a supply of each, not just ONE.  So, if that also interests you, why not join me in this share?

Here are more details about the share:

(also, see pages 174-177 of the catalog for more pictures/description)

Item 1. Clear Rhinestone Brads: 7 each of 3 different sizes, for a total of 21 brads

Item 2. Jumbo 5/8" Brads:  2 each of 4 different colors (Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, and Silver), for a total of 8 brads.

Item 3.  Jumbo 5/16" Brads:  5 each of 4 different colors (Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, and Silver), for a total of 20 brads.

Item 4.  Flower Assortment Designer Brads:  2 each of 4 different colors (Pumpkin Pie, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, and Chocolate Chip), for a total of 8 brads.

Item 5.  Corduroy Buttons/Brads:  2 each of 3 different sizes in 6 different colors (Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Kraft, Pacific Point (shown here), Pumpkin Pie, and Summer Sun), for a total of 36 buttons/brads.

Item 6.  Button Latte:  6 assorted buttons (colors will vary from the 4 colors available - Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Very Vanilla, and Whisper White), for a total of 6 buttons.

Item 7.  1/2" Library Clips:  2 each of 3 colors (Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, and Whisper White), for a total of 6 clips.

Item 8.  Fleurettes:  1 each of 3 different design styles as shown here, for a total of 3.

So, if anyone is interested in participating in an embellishment share, please contact me ASAP to hold your spot!  Send an email to kristi.zerga at yahoo.com with "embellishment share" in the subject line.  I will send you a PayPal invoice and will order the embellishments as soon as the order is ready!  So exciting!  

The cost of the share will be $40 per person, which INCLUDES SHIPPING.  In addition, I will thrown in some generous samples of the designer paper and ribbon from the new Sale-a-Bration!  So, let me know if you would like to participate.  I will package the embellishment share items in Stampin Up's plastic containers that the embellishments come in, or something similar.  That way, they will be easy for you to access and use once they arrive in your crafting area!  :o)

an American Crafts Valentine

I found this great paper at my LSS made by American Crafts and had to put it to good use during the Valentine season.  I bought a sheet each of the papers I liked, all in the same collection.  There is one more sheet that I haven't used yet, because I can't figure out a good way to make it work.  :o(  It is large polka dots, and I'm not sure about it.  Stay tuned and I'll try to make something with it.  On with today's cards...

This is such a sweet card.  I purposely left it non-valentine's, more multi-use that way.  It would definitely work as a Valentine's card, but it could also be a card just-because.  I like that!  

Supplies:

Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly (SU)

Paper: Rose red base, pretty in pink, vanilla

DSP: American Crafts romance collection

Ink: pretty in pink, rose red, chocolate chip, caramel for sponging

Other: rose red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, sponge dauber, scallop edge punch, paper piercer tool, stardust stickles

This other card is more of a valentine's card, but again, it can be used for other occasions as well.  I struggled at first because of the white background of the heart DSP.  You can't really tell from my card, but the background was stark white, and it really bothered me.  It took me a while to put this card together, I actually had to put it down (still unassembled), go out to dinner, take a shower, and then come back to it with new ideas.  I really like how it turned out.  To handle the stark whiteness, I sponged the edges of the heart paper with chocolate chip.  There was still too much contrast with the chocolate and white.  So I sponged on close to cocoa ink liberally, and blended it in towards the center of the card.  That did the trick.  Glad I stuck with the idea, and in love with the finished product!

Supplies:

Stamps: Forever in my heart, canvas BG, all holidays (SU)

Paper: chocolate chip base, pretty in pink, whisper white

DSP: American Crafts romance collection

Ink: pretty in pink, rose red, chocolate chip, close to cocoa

Other: American crafts ribbon, sponge dauber, corner rounder punch, paper piercer tool, hemp twine, glue dot, dimensional for small heart

valentines workshop

I had a busy weekend, but it was so much fun!  I held a valentine's themed workshop using Stampin Up products and all the ladies seemed to enjoy making the cards.  I designed all the cards using the new Love You Much stamp set, coordinating heart punch, and Candy Lane DSP.  

Here are the cards!

For this card, we started with a pretty in pink card base, folded the long ways, and corners punched with corner-rounder.  The DSP strip was adhered, then ribbon tied in a knot.  The Love stamp was stamped with Basic Brown ink and then colored in with ruby red ink using the blender pens.  The blender pens are a great way to color if you don't have all the markers yet!  Just dip the blender pen into the ink pad and color away!  The heart stamp was stamped in chocolate chip ink and then punched using the new heart punch.  (I love how easy that is!)  Finally, the hearts were adhered using dimensionals.  

The next card was a gate-fold card using riding hood red CS as the base.  I cut the DSP strips from Bella Rose DSP and Candy Lane DSP, since both paper sets use red and pink - perfect for Valentines Day!  The heart was stamped and colored with markers.  The pink inside of the heart was lightly colored using the pastels and a q-tip.  Also another inexpensive and easy way to color!  A piece of white CS was glued to the inside of the card to write on (since the red is a bit too dark to write on)

This was a 3x3 mini card using whisper white textured CS as the base.  This card could easily be reproduced for classroom valentines cards in a jiffy!  Bella Rose DSP was used, and only the smallest bit was needed for this card, so again, cost efficient and easy to assemble.  The rest is pretty self explanatory.  A cameo coral marker was used to color the circle and heart (please excuse my sloppy coloring job on this card! yikes!)

The final card used the bird image from the set and a definition stamp.  The scallop edge punch was used for the DSP and the birds were colored with pastels and a q-tip again.  You'll notice that the little heart by the birds is red.  After inking the birds in cocoa ink, I carefully wiped off the brown ink from the heart with a q-tip and colored in the heart with a ruby red marker before stamping.  Added a nice touch, I think.  The definition was stamped with chocolate chip ink.  Easy, simple, but wow!

I had a blast, and I think the ladies did too!  Enjoy.  :o)

Busy working on a baby gift!

So this week I have been busy working on a gift set for a new baby.  I was asked to create a set of baby announcements, and matching thank you cards for the shower.  I always like to ask about colors, style, theme, etc.  So, I found out that the baby's theme was turtles, and colors were blue and green.  Other than that, I was free to use my creativity.  Just the kind of order that I like!

So, first the announcements.  I absolutely LOVE them!  I found my inspiration for the announcement here.  It is a pocket card, and the pull out part contains the baby's birth info.  On the back of the pull-out, the parents can put a wallet sized picture of baby there.  How adorable!  Once I got the design part down, these announcements came together nicely.  I cut out a scalloped rectangle with a nestability and embossed it.  Then, I used a zig-zag stitch to sew a piece of blue DSP (SU) on only 3 sides.  This created the pocket.  Then all I had to do was glue together the other DSP pieces (imaginisce, baby powder), and voila!  This isn't a card, per se, since the back CS is only one sheet (4.25 x 5.5")  But I think it works.

Supplies for announcements:

Stamp: inky antics

Paper: SU celery, white

DSP: imaginisce - baby powder; SU summer picnic

Ink: black staz-on, SU classic pads and aqua painter for watercoloring: celery, saffron, caramel, olive, baby blue

Other: oval nestability, rectangle scallop nestability, SU gingham ribbon

For the thank you cards, I kept them simple.  Since I was making so many, I decided to make 4 varieties.  The first card:

Supplies for celery baby:

Stamp: SU all in the family, JustRite stamper with small letters

Paper: SU celery, white, sahara sand

DSP: imaginisce - baby powder

Ink: SU chocolate chip, black staz-on, SU classic pads and blender pen: caramel, brocade blue, baby blue

Other: circle nestability, circle scallop nestability, Martha Stewart ribbon

Supplies for blue baby:

Stamp: SU all in the family, JustRite stamper with small letters

Paper: SU brocade blue, white, sahara sand

DSP: imaginisce - baby powder

Ink: SU chocolate chip, black staz-on, SU classic pads and blender pen: caramel, brocade blue, baby blue

Other: circle nestability, circle scallop nestability, Martha Stewart ribbon

The last 2 cards were mini 3x3 cards, perfect for a quick thank you from other ladies in the office (since they can't be mailed).  I kept these REALLY simple.  I mass produced a BUNCH of these turtles one night, and they took the longest out of everything!  They involved careful watercoloring with the aquapainter, and I'm really OCD when it comes to coloring.  :o)  But it was worth it, and I hope the new mommy likes her gift!  

Supplies for mini cards:

Stamp: inky antics turtle

Paper: SU celery, brocade blue, white

DSP: imaginisce - baby powder (scraps from big cards!)

Ink: black staz-on, SU classic pads and aqua painter: celery, caramel, brocade blue, saffron, baby blue, olive

Other: oval nestability, SU blue gingham ribbon

I was also asked to package the final gift set, but haven't done that yet.  I'll post a pic of the whole gift when it's ready!  

SURPRISE birthday party!

Yea!  Happy Birthday hunny!  I had to wait to post this until after the surprise birthday party, because he stumbles upon my blog every now and then!  I'm posting the card I made for his birthday.  I tried to incorporate the scraps from the favors into his card, since there's no reason to waste, and then it's all coordinating!  It's a win-win!

Supplies:

Stamps: SU spring solitude, short & sweet

Paper: brilliant blue, brocade blue

DSP: Basic Grey

Ink (markers): brilliant blue, close to cocoa, old olive, only orange, chocolate chip for sentiment

Accessories: sewing, nesties, SU hardware, organdy ribbon, sponging

Here are the favors I made for his surprise birthday party!  I made 20 of these.  If you're wondering what's inside, it is organic nut mix, a pyramid tea bag, and organic fruit leather.  I had to decide what to put inside first, and then I created this simple tent holder.

The ribbon band is to prevent the treats from sliding out the side.  The goodies are inside a clear bag to hold it all together.  

Aren't they fun!!?

Another birthday card

It is my sister's boyfriend's birthday, and I decided to make him a fun birthday card, cause he's a fun guy!  I won't lie, this card took me a LONG time to make, but I really like the finished product and think he will like it a lot.  

I've heard mixed things about this little sock monkey.  Some people love him, some people think he's scary or weird, and other people aren't sure what they think.  I think he's really cute.  So, on my card, I stamped him on a piece of textured chocolate chip CS and then again on a sahara sand CS.  I cut out the chocolate chip monkey.  Then, with the canvas background stamp I lightly stamped it on the sand layer using creamy caramel ink.  The close up pic shows a little more detail.

Again, more careful cutting and glueing, then monkey was complete!  I added sprinkles to the cupcake using makers.  The sprinkles matched my fantastic DSP by basicgrey!  The colors are just so bright and happy.  After that, the rest of the card pretty much fell together.  I even added a little to the inside of the card!.....and even more to the envelope!  It's all in the details.  :o)

Stay tuned tomorrow!  I'll post the favors I made for my hubby's *surprise* birthday party, and his birthday card too!  

All Boxed up gift

I spent hours browsing on the PaperTrey website, and drooling over the design team's creations.  I found Lauren Meader's blog especially captivating.  I'm sure you all know who she is, but if not, I encourage you to check it out HERE.  She teamed up with PaperTrey and sells fantastic templates that you purchase, download, and create!  I thought about it for a while, like, why should I spend money on a template when I can just make it myself......but I never found the energy to try.  So anyways, I purchased the All Boxed Up template today and I am SO glad that I did!

Creating this fabulous card gift set was a breeze!  I literally just printed out the template, cut and scored it, and glued it all together!  That's it!  Within hours of purchasing the template, I was done making this cute gift!  (the download is available immediately after purchasing!)

I made this for a friend's birthday.  We almost have the same name, but she has an L instead of an I.  Okay, now back to the project!  So, after I put the box part together, I had to think about what kind of cards to include in the set.  Her favorite color is blue, so naturally I chose shades of blue.  Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, and a bit of Soft Sky made a great coordinating color scheme! 

Here's a close up of the front of the box.

I used a zig-zag stitch to sew the DSP to a piece of baja breeze CS.  For the circle I used my nesties and JustRite stamp to personalize.  Of course the Flight of the Butterfly stamp was a must!  I love the simplicity.  For a little extra detail I added liquid pearls to the centers of the little flowers, and I outlined the butterfly with a glitter pen.  Also I added some little pearl stickers to the mini flourish by the name. 

I decided to make 2 different cards for the set, and made 4 of each, for a total of 8 cards.  This box fits 8 cards with envelopes perfectly!

This card was simple, but makes a statement.  Not Quite Navy CS and DSP patterns, Embrace life stamped with Not Quite Navy ink.

This is the other card.  Sahara Sand CS base, corner rounder punch for bottoms of cards.  Not Quite Navy DSP patterns with Soft Sky DSP prints.  Again, used the JustRite stamp to personalize.

A simple set perfect for anyone!

paper pad holder for friend

I'm out the door for work, so this post will be brief!  Here is a cute paper pad holder I put together for a friend.  I found the paper pad first, which measures 3" x 3", and created the holder around that.  The top flips open, so that you can take one sheet at a time.

Here's a peek at the inside, so that you get a better idea of how to access the paper.

Supplies:

Stamps:  stem silhouettes

Ink:  chocolate chip, baja breeze

Paper: close to cocoa, chocolate chip, whisper white

DP: My Minds Eye

Accessories: SU hodgepodge hardware, felt flower fusions, rhinestone brad, SU organdy ribbon, sponge dauber, 1" circle punch

wedding set of cards

As I mentioned yesterday, here are the cards I made for the wedding set.  I personalized each card using my JustRite stamper, and kept it fairly generic.  That way, the new couple can use the thank you cards for any occasion, not just for their wedding thank-you's.  I made a total of 20 cards.  10 cards were one color scheme, and 10 cards were a different scheme.  See the photos for a better understanding.

**NOTE:  I smudged out the last name of the couple to protect their privacy.

Supplies:

Stamps: JustRite monogram stamper with small letters set, SU thank you kindly, SU pick a petal

Ink: chocolate chip, pretty in pink, close to cocoa for sponging

Paper: kraft, whisper white, chocolate chip

DSP: My Minds Eye yellow polka dots, Basic Grey sultry pack

Other: Martha Stewart twill, prima with saffron brad, nestabilities, sponge dauber

Supplies: 

Stamps: JustRite monogram stamper with small letters set, pick a petal

Ink: chocolate chip, so saffron, close to cocoa

Paper: kraft, whisper white, chocolate chip

DSP: My Minds Eye, Basic grey

Other: flower fusion, silver brad, 1" stitched chocolate chip ribbon SU, nestabilities

Supplies:

Stamps: JustRite stamper with small letters set, Love you much

Ink: chocolate chip

Paper: baja breeze, whisper white, bravo burgundy

other: bravo burgundy grosgrain ribbon, nestabilities, sewing machine

Supplies:

Stamps: JustRite stamper with small letters set, love you much

Wedding card and matching card-set

Last week, my sister asked if I would be able to make a wedding card to give for her friend's wedding.  I said, "sure, no problem!"  While I was asking about the style/color preference, etc., she got so excited that she asked me to make a set of thank-you cards to give as part of her wedding gift for the new couple.  I LOVE these kinds of projects!  Now, time was limited, since the wedding is on Saturday, but with the amount of excitement I get with a new challenge - it was NO problem at all!

Here's a look at the wedding card I made. (next to it is the matching card set - stay tuned tomorrow, and I'll post the details of the card set I made)  I used my new JustRite stamper to personalize the main image.  That thing is amazing!  My sister requested bright, yet subdued colors, with a vintage-feel, with embellishments.  That was what I had to work with!  But  I hope I pulled it off, because I absolutely love the finished product!  

I used SU kraft CS for my base, and the card size measures 4.5" x 6.25".  I found some great yellow polka dot DSP online at i{heart}papers by My Minds Eye and used my Basic Grey stash for the splash of color. After sponging the edges with close to cocoa ink and a dauber, I attached the yellow DSP to a white piece of CS with the sewing machine.  I also sponged the color panel of DSP and sewed, but used a zig zag stitch to add interest.  I used a hardware piece and brads from the retired SU kit, and a scalloped nestability with Martha Stewart twill ribbon.

More to come tomorrow!

Angel thanks

Here is another card using the angel set called If the Halo Fits by SU.  I really like this set for many reasons, but most of all it is so darn cute!  This is a simple layout which makes it easy to mass produce if needed.

I colored the angel using the ink on the lids and my aqua painter.  I prefer this way to color large images like this because its a bit more washed-out looking, and I have all the colors I need.  Her dress is colored with cameo coral and I used my markers to accent the swirls and flowers.  It's finished off with some dazzling diamonds for the wings and halo.  Just love it!

Supplies:  all SU unless otherwise indicated.

Stamps: If the Halo Fits, Sprinkles

Paper: kraft base, really rust, groovy guava, whisper white

Ink: Creamy caramel, cameo coral, basic black

Markers: cameo coral, ruby red, so saffron

Accessories: scallop punch, river rock stitched ribbon, glue dot, dazzling diamonds, 2-way glue

Back to red and pink!

I just can't get enough!  I love this color combo, and I especially love this retired DSP from SU named Ginger Blossom.  When it retired last year, I bought a BUNCH of packs, to stock up since I just love it too much!  I also like the layout because of it's simplicity.

Supplies: (all SU unless indicated)

Stamps:  Embrace Life, Flight of the Butterfly (sentiment)

Paper: ruby red, very vanilla, groovy guava, ginger blossom DSP

Ink: basic brown, pretty in pink, cameo coral 

Accessories: River rock stitched ribbon, twine, dazzling diamonds, blender pen

Baby card

My sister asked for a special baby card for her friend, so here it is!  I used my new Justrite stamp set with the small letter set to add a personalized touch.  I REALLY like the finished product!  She mentioned that the baby colors were pink and yellow, so that was my starting point.  I used DSP from SU parisian set and Bella Rose, which were a perfect match for this card.  I also used the sewing machine to add some subtle detail which looks really dainty - perfect for the occasion!

After choosing the perfect paper, I created the main focal image, which was the "welcome baby elizabeth" part, using the JustRite stamper.  I chose a cute border, that came with the Special Occasions set.  I then pierced around the inner circle and carefully trimmed around the border with my paper snips.  

I thought it looked too plain, so I added a stamped circle from Pick a Petal, which I stamped off first, using pretty in pink ink.  Finally, I created a large circle with so saffron CS and cut tiny strips around the border, about 1/4" deep.  I ran my finger around the circle to fray it up a bit, to add dimension.  Primas finished off the card, and I used some cute button brads I found in my pile of un-used embellishments, as well as a saffron button and rhinestones.  Hope you enjoy!

A break from red and pink

I realized that many of my cards are red/pink colored.  I don't think there's anything wrong with that, since they are great colors.  But I thought I'd challenge myself and make a card using different colors.  I started with some great new paper from my local craft supply store, made by Sandylion.  

Supplies: (all SU unless otherwise indicated)

Stamps: If the Halo Fits, Bitty Basics

Paper: bashful blue, brocade blue, whisper white, bashful blue DSP (paper pieced dress), DP from sandylion

Ink: basic black, creamy caramel, 

Markers: brocade blue, pretty in pink, old olive, so saffron

Accessories: corner rounder punch, sponge dauber, 3/4" circle punch, twine, ribbon from stash, rhinestones from LSS, dazzling diamonds, 2-way glue, aqua painter, blender pen.

Enjoy!

sketch with a twist

This year, I will be making a more conscious effort to participate in more stamping/crafting challenges.  This is already my second entry for the year!  Off to a great start.  This fun challenge is hosted by Verve.  Check out the details here.

For my card, I started with a CS base of red riding hood in a standard A2 card size.  Then, I created three panels of basicgrey DP, sponged the edges with caramel ink and a sponge dauber, and then mounted them on pieces of SU natural ivory CS for a bit of definition against the red.   My twist of hardware is the SU hodgepodge hardware.  The main heart image is from the new Love you Much by SU.  I watercolored the heart with Pretty in Pink and colored the flowers with a ruby red marker, white gel pen, and stardust stickles.  To finish it off, I added a button from the Earth Elements set and used some twine to create a knot.  I really like how it turned out.  Now it's your turn!  Give it a try and have fun! 

Cute little fairy

I came across the cutest little fairy image at Pink Cat Studio.  If you haven't seen it yet, check out the challenge.  I decided to make my fairy a brunette.  Isn't she just the sweetest?  Since I don't have Copics, I used my SU water color pencils.  I then carefully cut out the image and adhered her to a layered background of Basic Grey designer papers and a SU pink pirouette card base.  The ribbon is fantastic, and is Martha Stewart twill tape in putty.  I finished it off with some stardust stickles and light sponging on the scalloped edge.

Hope you enjoy!

A case, but a beauty!

So, this is another CASE.....but I really love how it turned out.  I'm a believer of sharing inspiration when crafting, and I'm all for it.  However, we should all give credit where credit is due.  Since it's been a while since my creative juices have flowed freely, I decided to ease back into it and get some inspiration from the web - mostly SCS.  

My inspiration for this card can be seen here.  I kept the color scheme the same, and changed the stamp set (because I don't have that one), and changed a couple more things.  It is pretty much the same, but with my personal flair.  I just love how great the antique-feel came through on this card.  Although quite time consuming, the style is SO me.  I just love the feeling of creating such a beautiful card like this!  This will be saved for a special person or occasion, since this is certainly not the kind of card you can make in a pinch!  There are MANY layers, and LOTS of sponging, and I think it is fantastic!  Hope you enjoy!

The flowers were stamped on scrap pieces of groovy guava CS with chocolate chip ink and then colored in with ruby red ink and blender pens.  Then they were cut out and glued on to the white layer.  Finally, stickles were added on the tops of each flower for a little extra bling!

Supplies:  (all SU unless otherwise indicated)

Stamps: En Francis, Embrace Life

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Whisper White, Groovy Guava

DSP: Ginger Blossom

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Ruby Red, Always Artichoke marker

Accessories: 1/4" circle punch, antique brads, blender pen, stardust stickles, 5/8" chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon, sponge dauber

New Year, I'm Here!

A brand new year......I love the feeling.  A new beginning, and new goals to accomplish.   So, although we've been quite busy during the past few months, I had some time over the past couple days to create some new cards.  I feel so much better, so much less stressed!  I realize that I really need to make time for myself devoted to stress-relaxation (mainly stamping and card-making)!

Crafting truly is a stress-relaxer for me, and it is so important to take time out for ourselves to do things that bring us joy.  

Here is a card that I made for some of my Christmas thank you's this year.  My main inspiration was this card.  I really love this DSP from Stampin Up.  

Stamps:  Love you much, Thank you kindly

Paper: Kraft, Red Riding Hood, Whisper White

DSP: Candy Lane

Ink: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, ruby red marker, white gel pen

Accessories: 1" Double stitched grosgrain ribbon chocolate chip, fire circle rhinestone brads, felt fusions 2, crafters tool kit, crystal effects, sponge daubers

All supplies SU unless indicated otherwise.  

Hope you enjoyed!  I know I sure did!  :o)  Happy New Years to you!

~ Kris