Friday, March 31, 2017

Sneak Peek

Here's a little sneak peek of some things I'll be sharing next week! Tutorials for making lacy accents (from a very unusual product) and handmade embellishments as well as a GIVEAWAY.  You'll want to stay tuned and stop by my blog again the first week of April for all this and more!

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Casting all your care

My (non-cardmaking) sister-in-law sent me the coolest one-layer long card for my birthday last year, which (of course) I used for inspiration in my handmade cardmaking! I gently undid the envelope and traced it off for a pattern which I'm sharing below.

I use a 8.5 x 11 stack of thin designer paper I bought a long time ago for making my envelopes. The paper isn't really my style anymore, so rather than throw it away, I turn it into envelopes for my odd shaped cards.  I usually add a little something to them to make them coordinate with the card.

Supplies and Tools: 
Kraft/Teal/White/Red Cardstock, Teacup Stamp (PSX), Paper Doily, Circle & Scallop Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Stamp and Cut Handmade Tags (Hero Arts), Choose Happiness (Stampin' Up), Different Strokes Stamp Set (Basic Grey), Washi Tape, Biblical Impressions, Sequins, Fired Brick , Mermaid Lagoon, & Vintage Photo Distress Ink (Tim Holtz)

FREE ENVELOPE TEMPLATE

This post linked to:
Coffee Loving Cardmakers - Spring 2017 Coffee Lovers Blog Hop
Tuesday Throwdown - Sparkles (I used sequins)
Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes
4 Crafty Chicks - Crazy Egg/Anything Goes

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Dear Jane Teacup

I've had a lot of fun playing along with the Coffee Lovers Blog Hop this week. Today's card is a super feminine teacup card full of roses and lace!
Using the Dear Jane Paper Stack (from DCWV) made coordinating all my layers easy! I even used a cut-out cameo from the pack to embellish the inside of the card.
To embellish my hand-cut teacup and saucer (template below), I inked the edges with distress ink and layered lace under the die cut roses and added a tiny teabag tag.

Supplies and Tools:
Dear Jane Paper Stack (DCWV), Tiny Tattered Florals Dies (Tim Hotlz), Ground Espresso Distress Ink (Tim Holtz), Lace, Baker's Twine, Embroidered Lace Deep Edge Punch (Martha Stewart), Die Cut Sentiment from Momento

FREE TEACUP & SAUCER TEMPLATE

This post linked to:
Coffee Loving Cardmakers - Spring 2017 Coffee Lovers Blog Hop
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Spring or Easter
City Craft Challenge Blog - In Bloom (use flowers)
Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Rise and Shine

Today's card features ditial images from two Etsy shops and Verve Stamps. To create my giant coffee cup I layered a digi from Emily Peterson Studio onto a shabby wood background from Iralamijashop.
I used two images from Verve's Rise and Shine set - a sentiment on the outside of the card and a coffee mug inside the card.
 Supplies and Tools: 
Emily Peterson Studio Digi, Iralamijashop Digi, Rise and Shine Verve Digi,  Coffee Stained Paper, Stamp Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Burlap Ribbon, Red Baker's Twine, Got Flowers (Aqua and Red), Pearls, Sequins, Fired Brick/Mermaid Lagoon/Ground Espresso Distress Ink (Tim Holtz), Kraft Cardstock, Glitter Washi Tape

This post linked to:
Coffee Loving Cardmakers - 2017 Spring Coffee Lover's Hop
Verve Stamps - Rise and Shine Digi Set
Tuesday Throwdown - Sparkles (I used sequins and glitter washi tape)
City Crafter - In Bloom - Flowers


Monday, March 27, 2017

Pretty Tea Gift

Here's another Coffee Lover's Blog Hop creation I made. This time I used tea as my inspiration and created a decorated pretty gift ensemble for gifting some yummy Jasmine tea! 
To decorate my bag I folded a paper doily across the top and tied it shut with Baker's Twine wrapped around the bag several time.
I decorated my mini wooden clothespin with washi tape and a tiny crocheted heart. The tag is made of Kraft cardstock embossed with the Victoria embossing folder (Provo Craft) and lightly inked with white pigment ink. I l cut my FREE printable sentiment (from Verve Stamps) with the Spellbinders Labels One Nestabilities and layered it on coral cardstock. Next I stamped a tea bag (Latte Love - Fiskars) over it in abandoned coral distress ink (Tim Holtz). The large bloom is made with my Paper Blossoms punch, coral cardstock, abandoned coral distress ink, a pearl, Petaloo lace, and the frond punch from Martha Stewart. Through the punched hole at the top, I tied a bow in brown Baker's Twine.
This post is linked to:
Verve Stamps - Rise and Shine Digi Set
Coffee Loving Cardmakers - Spring 2017 Coffee Lovers Bloghop
4 Crafty Chicks - Punches or Dies

Color Bursts and Gesso

Today's Cropstop blog cards are pretty quick and easy to make and full of texture and color!!

To create the background for these cards: I cut a piece of watercolor paper to size and tapped out just a bit of Ken Oliver's Color Bursts in Ultramarine Blue, Chartreuse, and Fuchsia. I spritzed it with water from my mini mister and heat set the colors with my embossing gun.

Note: I found that alternating spritzing with water and heat setting let me control the amount and depth of color I wanted. Less spritzing = less color --- more spritzing = deeper color.

After the colors were dry, I used my Tim Holtz stencil (Watercolor Stamp and Stencil Set) and applied a layer of white gesso. The card fronts are matted on black cardstock to make them "pop" against the white backgrounds.

To finish them off I added butterflies (Tim Holtz - Watercolor Stamp and Stencil Set) stamped in mermaid lagoon, twisted citron, and abandoned coral distress ink. For extra sparkle, I applied a fine layer of white glitter over top before fussy cutting and matting on black cardstock. The friendship sentiment (Stampin' Up) is stamped in black soot across the front of the card.

I'd love to see how you use color bursts or gesso, so stop by the CURRENT CHALLENGE and link your projects using Cropstop products! Hope to see you there!

This post linked to:
Tuesday Throwdown - Add Dimension
Ooh-La-La - Layer it up (I used matted and stenciled layers)

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Coffee Filter Treat Bag

Here's another coffee themed craft I made for the Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.
To make my little treat bags I up-cycled some kraft colored coffee filters that I found at a thrift store.
Here's a view of the back of my coffee filter so you can see how I folded my filter to form my mini treat bag.
I embossed my little pouches with the Script Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), and added a bit of heavy gesso and distress ink (Brushed Corduroy). Across the front I added a piece of torn dictionary page, an embossed piece of kraft cardstock, and a twine bow with a wooden button center.

This post linked to:
Coffee Loving Cardmakers - 2017 Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop
 Tuesday Throwdown - Add Dimension
Craft-Dee Bowz - Handmade Bow
Paper Sweeties - Inspiration Photo --- Coffee Themed

Perfect Blend

The Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop was the inspiration behind this coffee themed shaker card.
I created the frame for my shaker by stamping my pink cardstock with a plaid background stamp in versamark watermark ink and lightly rubbing chalk over it. The coffee bean panel was created the same way - only with coffee bean stamps and brown chalk.
I used a free coffee themed printable from Verve Stamps to decorate the inside of my card.
Supplies and Tools:
Kraft/Pink Cardstock, Washi Tape, Latte Love Stamp Set (Fiskars), Ground Espresso Distress Ink (Tim Holtz), Baker's Twine, Sequins, free sentiment (Verve Stamps), Tiny Tattered Florals Die (Tim Holtz), Versamark Watermark, Brown/Pink Chalk, Classic Scallop Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Embroidered Lace border punch (Martha Stewart)

This post linked to:
The Verve Blog - Rise and Shine Digi Set
Coffee Lovers Blog Hop - Spring Coffee Themed
4 Crafty Chicks - Punches or Dies (inside my card)
Dies R Us - Borders or Edges (inside my card)
Little Red Wagon - It's Clear to Me
City Crafter - Through the Window
Tuesday Throwdown - Add Dimension
Paper Sweeties - Photo Inspiration (Coffee Themed)

Friday, March 24, 2017

Mini Crochet Bowls

I just added some Mini Crochet Lace Bowls to my Etsy shop.
These little bowls fit so many different decorating styles: Rustic Farmhouse, Shabby Chic, Cottage Charm, Primitive, Country, etc.
By switching out fillers you can use them in any seasonal decor. Also, great for parties, weddings, showers.
 Stop by Our Homemade Blessings today and check out these and other home decor items!

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Sympathy Card

Today I'm sharing a CAS sympathy card I made earlier this year. I wanted to add some 3D flowers to that stamped image so I layered the flowers from two different border punches to create my mini blooms.

Supplies and Tools: 
Victoria Embossing Folder (Provo Craft - Cuttlebug), Labels 4 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Thoughts and Prayers (Stampin' Up), Daisy Dot Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Scalloped Daisy Border Punch (Fiskars), Prismacolor Pencils, Blue Thread

This post linked to:
4 Crafty Chicks - Punches or Dies
Tuesday Throwdown - Add Dimension
Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes
Stamping Sensations  - Close To Nature

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Washi Tape Bunny Cards

So....the current challenge on Less Is More got the wheels of my brain turning on how to use Washi Tape in unique ways and out hopped these Easter bunny cards!
These mini cards were so simple and fun to create! Just a few pieces of washi tape and a sharpie marker!
You can see I got a little carried away and created five cards instead of just one! (They were just too stinkin' cute to stop with one!)
I stamped the matching sentiments in Tim Holtz Distress Inks and added some tiny flowers to the Baker's Twine bows for a little extra "bling."
These little cards are easy enough that even your kids, grandkids, nephews, nieces, Sunday School class etc. could enjoy making them!
 
This post linked to:
Less is More - Washi Tape
Shopping Our Stash - Forest Creatures
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Spring/Easter
Ooh- La-La - Spring is in the Air

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

CAS Washi Tape

The "Less Is More" Challenge blog is featuring Washi Tape this week.  In all honesty, clean-and-simple (CAS) cards are very hard for me. I'm a pile-it-on kind of crafter, but it's fun to branch out once in a while and try something outside our comfort zone.
 To create my cards, I cut a white panel slightly smaller than my card and distressed the edges with scissors. Next, I applied washi tape to some white cardstock and then die cut it using my Birds On a Wire Die (Spellbinders). I layered that on an embossed  strip (Circular Grid Border - Anna Griffin), and used my Martha Stewart Scoring board and scored a line on either side. The sentiment comes from the Hampton Art set, "Home Tweet Home." I finished off the front with three brightly colored sequins.
I also decorated the inside with the same stamp set, added some more washi tape and a die cut from Momento. 

This post linked to:
Less Is More - Washi Tape
Shopping Our Stash  - Forest Friends (birds are found in the forest)
Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes
Stamping Sensations - Close To Nature

Monday, March 20, 2017

Chalkboard Embossing

Happy First Day of Spring!! Today I'm sharing a floral card that features a chalk technique I recently experimented with. Here's a mini tutorial to show you how I created the chalkboard look on this card.
Step One: Gather your supplies - Black Cardstock, Chalk, an Embossing folder of your choice Step Two: Rub the chalk on the negative side of the embossing folder Step Three: Insert your black cardstock and emboss (photo #3 shows you what it looks like after embossing) Step Four: Rub your finger over the chalk to blend it into the cardstock and create a chalkboard look over your embossing.

 To create my floral card, I chose to die cut my black cardstock with the Tabbed Journal Die from Couture Creations, and embossed it with the Moroccan Screen embossing folder (Cuttlebug).  I stamped a sentiment from the All Occasions Sentiment set (Heartfelt Creations) in Seedless Preserves Distress Ink and cut it out using the Labels One Nestabilities from Spellbinders.
Using the Tiny Tattered Florals die set from Tim Holtz I cut three pretty blooms and inked their edges with seedless preserves/abandoned coral distress ink. I spritzed them with water from my mini mister to help the colors run a bit and heat set them with my embossing gun.  Holding two pieces of burlap string together (pink and purple) I tied a pretty bow and glued a purple button to the center.  The background features designer paper from the Barnwood Pretty Stack (The Paper Studio) and a small paper doily. I adhered four tiny pearls to the bottom corner to complete this card.
VARIATIONS: #1 Chalked Piece as background (click here) #2 Embossed and then chalked (click here)


I'd love to see your take on this fun technique, so stop by the CURRENT CHALLENGE and link up your projects using Cropstop products! 

This post linked to:
4 Crafty Chicks - Buttons
Ooh-La-La - Spring is in the Air
The Card Concept - Rich Texture (Mixed Media inspired by the colors/flowers/textures of photo)
Craft-Dee Bowz - Handmade Bow



Saturday, March 18, 2017

Spring Nests

Since my last set of nests (below) sold out so quickly, I decided to make some new ones with a spring theme.
I love how bright and cheery these turned out with the colored eggs on a nest of Spanish moss tucked in a vintage tart tin.
I added a removable chalkboard style sign using my Labels Four Nestabilities (Spellbinders), pastel papers, alphabet punches, some twine, and the Tiny Tattered Florals Dies from Tim Holtz.
These pretty little nests are perfect for adding to your spring or Easter decor and were a lot of fun to make!

This post linked to:
Allsorts Challenge -- Anything But A Card
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Spring or Easter with ribbon or trim
Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes
Do-Al(l) Creatives - Spring