Card-a-Copia: More Winter Wishes

I was commissioned by my mom to make a card for a friend.  I hadn't  yet used this image from Pure Innocence that I've had forever, so  I decided to take it out for a spin.  I used one of my favorite color combinations - light blues and browns.  I especially like the way the boy turned out but like the overall composition as well.  (I am also submitting this for DYSU's "Winter" challenge and The Stamping Boutique's Holiday/Winter challenge, Pollycrafts' Christmas Fun challenge, The Pink Elephant's Snowflake and Sparkle challenge, ABC's F-is-for-Frosty challenge, Digital Tuesday's Winter Wonderland challenge, 4 Crafty Chicks' Christmas (4CCC-68) challenge, Cupcake Craft Challenges' "Don't look at the light" challenge, The Paper Variety's Anything Goes challenge, Aud Sentiment's Winter Holiday Sentiments challenge, and Sweet Stampin's Sparkle and Bling challenge.)

Stamps: A Boy and His Dog (Pure Innocence digital)

Paper:  card base (Georgia Pacific), brown and light blue (Core'dinations), Winter Whispers Dots and Winter Whispers Plaid (BoBunny)

Inks:  Copics, Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!)

Misc.:  ribbon (Michaels), snowflakes (Nestabilities), glitter (Stampin' Up!), rhinestones (Joann's), fuzzy mittens (Oriental Trading Company)

I made the matchbook cider holders below for people at work.   No stamping involved just lots of laborious cutting!  I taped the cider packet in at the bottom of the matchbook for easy removal.

These kinds of creations always tear at my heart because I know most of them go straight into the trash can.  Oy!  What's a crafter to do when she can't reclaim them and pull off the "valuables" for re-crafting?

Stamps:  none

Inks:  none

Papers:  green (Core'dinations), Snow Much Fun (Three Bugs in a Rug)

Misc.:  none

And a final thought about the holidays, even though I do not celebrate Christmas.

Card-a-Copia: Winter Solstice cards

It's that time of year.  You know, when people you barely remember from days-gone-by send you seasons's greetings with an accompanying epistle regaling you with tales of faulty gall bladders, kids who survived being stuck in the neighbor's trash can for seven hours during a summer dare, or the new driveway they put in that caused the front yard to cave in. 

Good times.

Well, I attempt to brighten up those holiday letters with a hand-made card.  Here are the first three I have for 2011.  (There may be more to come.  Ya never know when creativity will strike!)

This is my entry for the Ribbon Carousel Challenge RCC31 (Color Our World with Stephanie)

Stamps:  sled digi (Hambo)

Inks:  Copics, silver Prismacolor

Paper:  Happy Holidays (Echo Park), Samantha Walker (Creative Imaginations), Very Vanilla and Kraft (Stampin' Up!), green and brown (Core'dinations)

Misc.: brads (American Crafts), ribbon (Michael's) 

Entering this one in Glitter Geeks "Anything Goes" challenge.

Stamps:  Peas on Earth (Whimsie Doodles)

Inks:  Copics

Paper:  Whirlybird "Best Friends" (My Mind's Eye ), (BoBunny "Whoo-Ligans," green (Core'dinations)

Misc.: Crystal Effects (Stampin' Up!), ribbon (Michael's), green bauble (Michael's)

This is my entry for Designed2Delight's "Let It Snow" challenge.

Stamps:  Penguin (Dilly Beans)

Inks:  Copics

Paper:  Glitzmas "Winter Glitterland (SEI), teal (Core'dinations)

Misc.: brads (American Crafts), Dazzling Diamonds (Stampin' Up!)

Card-a-Copia: Flutter By Wednesdays #182

I'm not a real holiday person.  In fact, if it weren't for making cards, I wouldn't celebrate most holidays at all!  I do, however, like Thanksgiving.  Four days off in a row and three days that require little to no cooking whatsoever.  Seriously, what's not to like?

I did the Black Friday thing after all the crowds had dissipated and still ended up leaving with what I wanted to get.  Yes, you read that correctly:  Black Friday deals that didn't require hurling small children across a dozen aisles or disabling pushy women with a sharp uppercut to the chin.  I wasn't even forced to incapacitate any old women wielding their bulky handbags as clubs!  

I've found that it's just better to wait until the glitter of Black Friday has dimmed in the later hours (8:00 AM) of the morning to a mere glimmer to shop safely. (It's also easier to find a place to park once the emergency vehicles have taken away those injured in the pre-dawn shopping melee.)

The challenge this week at Flutter By Wednesdays is to use the following:  the color blue, lace, at least three flowers, and a butterfly.  Yes, challenge IS the right word for this one.  Well, it is for me anyway!

This is a 6X6 album page. It is the "fluffy" side - rather then the photos/journaling side - of a 2-page spread.  It was pretty hard to get a photo that showed the metalic-hue of the lace, the flowers, and the peach butterfly, which is popped up to give it some additional dimension.

Stamps: none
Inks:  Copics
Papers:  Gabrielle Cut-Outs (BoBunny), brown and teal (Core'dinations)
Misc:  sentiment and flower stickers (EK Success), metallic lace (May Arts), opaque bronze cabachons (Studio 112), butterfly (Studio 112)

This Bo-Bunny paper is gorgeous.  I picked it up last night and don't remember having seen the collection before.  You might look for it as you think about future projects featuring a vintage look.

Card-a-Copia: Flutter By Wednesdays #181 (updated)

Yowza! Has Fall arrived in the Pacific Northwest or what?!  Quite the deluge and driving has been an adventure.  I plowed through an enormous "pond" yesterday just moments before driving onto the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.  SCARY!  

This week's challenge at Flutter By Wednesdays is sponsored by Paper Pretties and is OPEN!  Please take time to look at the terrific cards prepared by the rest of the design team.  I, on the other hand, am running behind on getting mine posted, so check back in a couple hours to see what I've come up with!

And for all my friends who have pets, this cartoon really spoke to me.  While it features dogs rather than cats, I thought it was WAAAAY funny!  (Anything like this go on at your house?)

P. S.  The septic tank has now been emptied and the toilet unclogged - you haven't had fun with tools if you haven't unclogged your toilet with an auger yet! - so I am finally getting my card for the last challenge added.

Stamp:  Ian Laurent (Paper Pretties)

Inks:  Copics

Paper:   ()

Misc.:  Dazzling Diamonds glitter (Stampin' Up!), ribbon (Michael's), computer generated sentiment

Card-a-Copia: Flutter By Wednesday #180

The challenge at Flutter By Wednesday this week is open - just make sure to include an angel, a fairy, or a butterfly.  We have a guest designer, Jessica Diedrich, who has some really beautiful work on her blog.  Please check it out and then come play along with us!  

Stamp:  Fairy (JellyPark)
Paper: Mimosa Guava (SEI)
Ink:  Copics, Melon Mango (Stampin' Up!)
Misc.:  Liquid Pearls, flowers (Prima), brads (Dollar Tree), Stickles, white pen (Sharpie)

And to the left, just a little jab at the thieves who broke into my vehicle and stole my laptop.  They were caught by one of the local police departments and my computer was returned to me without harm.  I guess they weren't smart enough to wipe the hard drive clean, so the police were able to track me down via documents stored there.

So, neener-neener-neener, you stupid thieves.  If you're going to pursue a life of crime, you should be a little less stupid about it.

Card-a-Copia: Flutter By Wednesday #179 and Crafty Contagion!

This week's challenge at Flutter By Wednesday was a friendship card.  I used this fabulous sentiment - one of a series written by kids - for the feature of my card and added some embellishments.  I am still shooting photos blindly with my malfunctioning camera, so the photo is not as clear as it could be. 

Stamps: Inkadinkadoo
Paper: Sandylion
Ink:  Basic Brown (Stampin' Up!)
Misc.:  flower brad (unknown), ribbon (Stampin' Up!), butterfly sticker (Studio 112), photo corner punch (Stampin' Up!)







The upcoming challenge at Crafty Contagion is Thanks/Thankful.  I am offering a really simple card to do that was a knock-out with my mom.  Built on some awesome Fall colors, it also utilizes Cuttlebug's Swiss Dot folder and a new use for those weird shaped paperclips that came in Stampin' Up's box of metal goodies a few years ago.

Image:  (Stampin' Up! - retired)
Papers: Basic Black and Garden Green (Stampin' Up!)
Inks:  Basic Black and More Mustard (Stampin' Up!)
Misc.:  paper clip and brad (Stampin' Up!), flower (Prima),  Swiss dot folder (Cuttlebug)

After spending a good deal of time this morning brushing cat hair off my clothes in preparation for going to work, I got to wondering how much accumulated time I have spent on cat-related issues that impact me personally.  (See the trampoline reference for the literal "impact" of my cats!)

Wocka-wocka!

Card-a-Copia: Flutter By Wednesday #178

Yep.  It was truly one of the worst weekends in my whole life.  The car was broken into and my laptop was stolen.  The next night, I spent the night at my mom's and my house was broken into.  Then I discovered my license plate on the front of my car was missing.  Finally, I dropped greasy food on the front of a nearly-new shirt.


Really?


All of which is the reason I do not have a card today for this week's challenge which is to create a card of Thanksful/Gratitude.  I will get on top of everything as soon as I can.  In the meantime, I encourage you to check out the rest of the team's work and add something of your own to the mix!

This little cartoon, though, kind of makes up for all the drama, doncha think?









UPDATE:  Nearly a week later, I finally have something to add to the gallery!  This image is a fun one from Paper Pretties and lent itself well to a Thank you card.  Sorry the photo isn't very clear - my little Canon Powershot is having battery issues and I was forced to shoot blindly at the image to get any photo at all!  (Got lots of "great" photos of my knee and the clock in the process!)

Image:  Peeps Sheep (digi from Paper Pretties)
Paper: Whirlybird "Best Friends" Scattered Flowers (My Mind's Eye), red and turquoise (Core d'inations)
Ink:  Copics
Misc.:  ribbon (Michael's), paperclip (Michael's), black brads (Stampin' Up!), butterfly sticker (Studio 112)


AND YET ANOTHER UPDATE:  Two weeks after it was stolen, my computer has been recovered.  I can't believe it!

Card-a-Copia: Flutter By Wednesday #177

This week's Flutter By Challenge was to use Halloween colors.  I profiled the "richer" version of those tones using rust, olive, eggplant, with black and gold accents.  The digi features a monarch-winged fairy, so I used three different Stickles to pull out the colors even more.  


I struggled some with the design. The tag has an image stamped in VersaMark that was hard to see.  It felt like it needed something else, so I used the by-products of my swirls that looked a bit like seeds or small leaves in the dim confines of my stamp room at 9:30 PM last night.  Sadly, in the daylight, they just look stupid!  I can't pull them off without making more of mess, so stay they will.

Stamp: CU Papillons Grace (Scrapper's Delight), swirl (Michael's), floral (Studio 112)
Ink: Copics, Tea Dyed (Tim Holtz), VersaMark (Tsukeniko)
Paper:  white card base (Georgia Pacific),  Mimosa guava and Mimosa daiquiri (SEI), vines (unknown) 
Misc.: tag (Scrap-n-Book), Alpha Rain Dots (Cloud 9 Designs), button (Karen Foster Design), Stickles, brads (Dollar Tree), organza ribbon (Midori), swirl (Sizzix), gold gel pen

Can you say "Whoo-hoo?"

My Jellypark image of the little girl with the bouquet was announced as a Top 3 winner in their latest challenge - Whoo-hoo!

And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming...

Card-a-Copia: Flutter By Wednesday #176

Flutter By Wednesday has a terrific guest designer for this week.  Please check out Amanda's work when you have a chance!

Oooh, do I have a doozy for this weeks Flutter By Wednesday challenge!  This card is designed for my dad, who is a connoisseur of beer - specifically, an exotic beer known as Bud Light!  The image is probably designed for a holiday card, but I was excited about the "angel" image, so I went for it.  (And who knows, maybe it'll end up at Dad's house for the holidays!)

Stamp:  Glad Tidings and Good Beer (Squigglefly - Suzanne Urban)

Ink: Copics
Paper: plaid (Michaels), green pattern (unknown)
Misc.: pastels (Stampin' Up!), Stickles, Crystal Effects (Stampin' Up!), gel marker (Tsukineko)

And just when you think Maxine has nothing substantive left to say, another one rolls out of her mouth!  I know all "old" people say the next generation's music is an abomination, but I really think rap music is offensive on multiple levels.  Give me a tune I can hum along with, please, and lyrics that make sense, for God's sake!  OMG, I am now officially an old person.  (Where's my Lawrence Welk record?  I going to put it on the hi-fi and dance the hokey-pokey with my friend, Gladys. )

And tattoos?  Don't even get me started!

Card-a-Copia: Flutter By Wednesday #175

Seriously, is there anyone out there who doesn't like Mo Manning's art?  I especially like her older work which is a slightly different style than she's producing now.  For this week's Flutter By Wednesday challenge, I'm using her Baby Fairy Flora image with some sunny paper I bought for early summer cards and had a square left over.  (Just a smidge of a square and it didn't have the name of the paper on it anymore, so I don't know the maker...sorry!)

Stamp:  Baby Fairy Flora digi stamp (Mo Manning)
Paper:  patterned (unknown), brown and coral (Core'dinations)
Ink: Copics, clear gel pen (Tsukineko)
Misc:  Flower (Prima), brad (Close to My Heart), flower punch (Martha Stewart)






Also, take some time to welcome our guest designer for this challenge, Barbara, from Forgotten Scraps.  Whoa, Nellie, can this gal color!  I gaped at most of her cards and wished I had her gift.  Lots of nice work to check out. 

 

Today was a thirteen-hour day at work; I am bleary-eyed and exhausted from reading over student essays which are always gut-wrenchingly and mind-numbingly horrible.  I do not understand how they get to me as 11th graders with such horrific writing skills.  No wonder the English teachers at the post-secondary level are pulling their hair out!  The little sign below is in honor of good writing, which includes punctuation, People, PUNCTUATION!

Card-a-Copia: Challenges!

I'm taking on some added stamping "chores" by trying to be more involved in challenges.  I'm starting small - two challenges in addition to design team responsibilities.  My first challenge card for this week is for the Jellypark's "add pink and a ribbon" challenge for Breast Cancer Awareness month; I'm hoping twine counts as ribbon.  (See previous post about the hundreds of yards of twine I recently came into!)


Stamp:  Girl with Bouquet (Jellypark)
Paper: white card base (Georgia Pacific), Pitter Patter Sophie (Making Memories), My Girl Glitter (KI Memories)
Ink: Copics, Blush (Close to My Heart)
Misc.:  twine (Whisker Graphics), button (unknown), sentiment (computer generated, CK Ali's Hand font)

The second card is for the Ribbon Carousel "Anything Goes" challenge.  I'm still working at my coloring, and, with the exception of the hat, still see the need for practice!  One of the things I often forget I can do - which helped with the pumpkins here - is to lay color on one marker from another to adjust how it looks.  

Stamp: Saiya Fall digi stamp  (Kelley Kids)
Paper:  white card base (Georgia Pacific), Fall (Miss Elizabeth),  Core'dinations), rust/purple (Core'dinations)
Ink: Copics, Tea Dye distress ink (Tim Holtz)
Misc.:  fibers (Basic Grey), gems (Studio 112), sentiment (computer generated, Pea Lacy Chunky font)

And below, just a little massive rationalization for those of us who like to sample the Halloween candy - in all available varieties and sizes - before the big night, just to make sure it's OK for the trick or treaters!

Card-a-Copia: Crafty Contagion #1

This is my card for a new challenge blog called Crafty Contagion.  It started with my regular monthly crafting group which is filled with lots of talented gals.  I know you'll want to play along, too!

Even surrounded by 2,400 yards of twine, I had a devil of a time coming up with a good idea for a card using it!  Finally, the image from Lia Stampz inspired the paper which, in turn, inspired the colors of twine.  

Stamps:  Asha with Present (LiaStampz)

Inks:  Copics

Paper: Hills Collection "Calypso Punch" (KaiserCraft), dk. blue (Core'dinations), green Whirlybird "Best Friends" Scattered Flowers (My Mind's Eye), pink (recycled envelope)

Misc.:  twine (Whisker Graphics), hole punch (Stampin' Up!), gem (KaiserCraft), sentiment (computer generated, Pea Missy Cursive)




And I got some good news this morning.   One of my cards is featured in JellyPark's online magazine this month.  Take a couple minutes to look through this cute publication!

Card-a-Copia: Flutter By Wednesday #174

It's deliciously Fall in the Pacific Northwest.  After our whack-a-doodle summer, it doesn't seem that different from the past three months, but I'm not complaining because I'm a cool-weather-leaves-turning-overcast-skies-cawing-crows-misty-morning kind of a gal!

In honor of the leaves that will soon be turning gold, red, and orange, I bring you this image of fall flowers from Delicious Doodles.  The floral watering can and the flowers have a touch of Prismacolor pencils on them because I couldn't get the depth I was looking for from the Copics.  I popped the can up with double mounting tape in the middle and a single layer of tape on the sides to give it a more rounded look.  I finished off the card with some interesting rust-colored gems from the Dollar Bin at Joann's.

Stamps:  Floral Watering Can digi stamp (Delicious Doodles)
Papers:  white card base (Georgia-Pacific) Back to Basics "Coffee Dot" and Forever Fall "Impressions" (Bo Bunny)
Inks: Copics, Tea Dye distress ink (Tim Holtz)
Misc.:  colored pencils (Prismacolor), ribbon (Michael's), gems and butterfly sticker (Studio 112), flower (Prima), sentiment (computer generated, Clive Barker font)

Are you feeling a little Fall where you are?  Join us for this week's Flutter By challenge and let your '70's colors shine through!  

And since we're all getting accustomed to the new season, I thought you might appreciate this thought from Maxine:

Card-a-Copia: Flutter By Wednesday #173

Yippee-skippy!  I am now officially part of the Flutter By Wednesday design team.  Those of you with a scouting background, say the (modified) pledge along with me:

"On my honor, (mumble, mumble, since you're too old to remember the words and can't hear too well anyway)
I will try (mumble, mumble, but you got the word "try;"  good for you!)
To serve all high-born winged-creatures, (mumble, mumble, WHAT DID SHE SAY?)
Find a way to include a butterfly in my work at all times (What kind of pledge is this anyway?)
And live by the Flutterby Wednesdays calendar."  (...and who let this whack-a-doodle on the team??)

Hey, I said it was modified!  Work with me, People, work with me!

Now that I've taken the pledge and joined the team, I'm pleased to present my inaugural card.  This is a cutie from The Greeting Farm that I picked up at the most interesting stamp store I've ever been in - Cute Stuff in downtown Honolulu.  I hadn't inked it up yet, so not only is the card inaugural, so is the stamp!

Stamps:  OA Happy Day Amelia (The Greeting Farm)
Papers:  white card base (Georgia Pacific, red-orange (Core'dinations), peach, (Wild Asparagus)
Inks:  Copics, Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Tea Dye distress ink (Tim Holtz)
Misc.: cream Pearl Pen, Gelly Roll clear sparkling H2O pen, ribbon (Michaels), "So Sophie" Clever notebook page card (My Mind's Eye), Hello and bubble die cuts (My Mind's Eye), butterfly sticker (Studio 112)


Oh, and this gave me a little chuckle and I thought it might speak to a few of you out there who will go/are going/did go several rounds with your teens.  (It sounds a little familiar to me...could it be that I was actually a teenager once?) 





Until next time...

Card-a-Copia: Salt & Pepper

While watching the season premier of Top Chef: Just Desserts, I made this cute little card with a digital image from Whimsie Doodles.  Granted, this was done waaaaaaaay past my bedtime, so I may have been less inspired than usual.  Still I like the way the dots of the paper are playful with the cartoonish images.

This card could be for a significant other but since I lack one of those, I geared mine toward a great gal pal.

I styled this as a gatefold card and with the brads, found I needed to tack a little piece of white to the back of the main image to keep it looking neat.

Stamps:  Salt & Pepper digi stamp (Whimsie Doodles)
Papers:  White image base (Georgia Pacific), Rocket Red (Stampin' Up!), Shabby Princess "Cherrie Pie Dots" (Bo Bunny Press)
Inks:  Copics, Sanford silver metallic pen
Misc.:  dies (Nestabilities), brads (Oriental Trading Company)

Card-a-Copia: Back to School

Only a few days left before I have no time to myself.  Two days of personal get-it-together time in the classroom tomorrow and Friday followed by two days of those inspiration and "helpful" personal development meetings.  I plan to not go in the day before school begins so I can have one last hurrah - and do a lot of ironing!

In honor of the start of a new school year, I created the top part of my calendar for 2012.  It is 6 X 6 and features one of my treasured Pure Innocence stamps that I paper-pieced and fussy cut. 

I LIKE IT!

Stamps:  Pure Innocence - You Make the Grade (My Favorite Things)
Papers:  White image base (Georgia Pacific), Real Red (Stampin' Up!), It's Your Day (Fancy Pants Designs, Game Day "Track Game" (Scrappin' Sports & More)
Inks:  Copics, Tea Dye Distress ink (Tim Holtz)
Misc.:  ribbon (Michaels), die (Nestabilities), black eyelets (Stampin' Up!), heart punch (Stampin' Up!)

Card-a-Copia: Anyone Seen My Mojo?

Holy sauerkraut, Batman!  It's been a long time since I had something to share here on my world-famous blog.  I've got some health stuff going on that's had me living in the world of lethargy for a bit, but that's about to get taken care of and I'll be crafting my fanny off.  (Oh, that I could craft my fanny off, that would definitely be a win-win situation!)

I've got two cards to profile today.  The first is from an image I got some time ago - before I started an organizing process for my digis - so I can't honestly tell you where it's from.  (I'd be thrilled to give the artist credit, though, once I can figure out who it is!) This was super easy to color, just swishes of color in different places.  That's the great thing about animal images, their color patterns aren't predictable!  I also did a little shabby chic thing with the white ink on the edges.

I had some trouble coming up with embellishments that worked well.  I ended up using small stick pins I purchased and then buying the supplies to make the larger stick pins.  (Yes, look forward to seeing more of these babies!)  

Stamps:  cat digital stamp (unknown)
Papers:  White card base (Georgia Pacific), Pink (Core'dinations), Tres Jolie (My Mind's Eye)

Inks: Copics

Misc.: ribbon (Michaels), die (My Favorite Things), small stick pin (Jenny Bowlin), large stick pin (handmade)


The second card is made from Paws I Care, a set of images from Whimsie Doodles. Purchasing the set provides a nice kick-back to the SPCA with revenue from its sale.  The second I saw this set, I knew it needed to be paper-pieced.  The vision of it in my head was a little different than what came out in the paper though!

I added some faux stitching around the main image and the sentiment that I'm not thrilled with, but it looks goes with the stitched look of the image just fine.  I added some stitches to the outside border and added a little color to the key words in the sentiment.

Stamps:  cat with mouse digital stamp (Whimsie Doodles)
Papers:  White card base (Georgia Pacific), teal (Core'dinations), mustard (unknown), prints Max & Whiskers (Basic Gray)
Inks: Copics
Misc.: ribbon (Michaels), die (Nestabilities)