Its amazing what you find when you clean ...

I found 2 bags from my LSC ... one with Core'dinations paper and one with the mother load of all ... Cosmo Cricket: Girl Friday, Snorkel, maybe another collection.  I remember when I got them and told everyone in the house to NEVER TOUCH the brown paper bags.  Apparently they listened because they got under something else and  I {how could I} forgot about them!!!

Since one of the patterns in Snorkel was a great stripe I decided to do another Bargello background.  This one was much easier than the first one since I didn't have to make stripes first.

Here's a closer look at the background

I made my own library card using Library Ledger and distressed it with Chai Tea from the Tea Dye Duo.  finished the library card off with a sentiment in crumb cake ink (available starting July 1 from Stampin' Up!) and some twine from my garage.

The flower is from a great technique posted by Lisa Johnson. I used a scalloped circle punch instead of the flower die and it worked just as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

{Supplies}

Stamps: [PTI] Library Ledger, Take Three: Summer (sentiment)

Ink:[SU!] Marina Mist, Crumb Cake; [PTI] Tea Dye Duo - Chai Tea

Paper:[SU!] Crumb Cake (Kraft renamed), white, Pappy Parade (2010-2011 In Color); [Cosmo Cricket] Snorkel

Other: Twine; [PTI] vintage wood button

Another TCP card

When I ordered for the first time from The Cats Pajamas, I got this great set called Its a Mod Mod World.  It had some super fun retro images and these Siamese cats that I fell in love with (please note I am NOT a cat person, but these guys are so cute I couldn't help it ... besides they don't make me sneeze:)

I played around with them just to see what I could do ... this whole set is a little outside my norm, but its just super cool

Here's what I made

The cats eyes and nose were colored with Copics.  I masked the cats and sentiment with an oval cut with a Nestability.  I then spritzed the snot out of it with Silver Foil and a little Log Cabin Smooch Spritz from SU!  The paper I used was thinner than most card stock so it bent a little, but I still like how it turned out.

The sentiment is from the same set ... and from what I've seen with my cat-loving friends and family, its the truth too :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Papertrey June Blog Hop Challenge

Tonight is the blog hop over at Papertrey Ink.  The challenge this month is to use your favorite Papertrey color combo.  I have 2 faves that are my go-to combos: True Black with Raspberry Fizz and Pure Poppy with Dark Chocolate. 

Tonight, I went the poppy route.

The card base is Pure Poppy.  I used Stampers Select White with a 1/8" Dark Chocolate border for the front layer.  I've been using 1/8" layers a lot more recently ... I like how it sets it apart from the base, but it's just peeking out.

I stamped the vintage picnic basket and colored with the Dark Chocolate Copic Trio.  I also used the Pure Poppy Trio on the envelopes and outlined with C1

The chipboard "table" was a scrap I had lying around on my work bench.  I colored it with Pure Poppy by dragging the ink pad over the top until it was completely covered.  I heat set it (because patience is not a virtue I possess) and then stamped the Library Ledger over the top to give it a table cloth-y look.

The sentiment from Vintage Picnic Sentiments was stamped in Dark Chocolate.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy the rest of the hop!

{Supplies - PTI unless noted}

Stamps: Vintage Picnic, Vintage Picnic Sentiments

Ink:Pure Poppy, Dark Chocolate, Fresh Snow; [Tsukineko] Momento Tuxedo Black

Paper:Pure Poppy, Dark Chocolate, White
Other:Chipboard scrap; [Copic] E55, E57, E59, R24, R29, C1

Playing with some new stuff

Last weekend, 3 stamp companies that I have seen but not bought from had a fundraiser sale to support a friend to all the companies.  I always like to help in these types of things, so I bought my first sets of The Cat's Pajamas stamps and got to help someone out in the process.

Here is the card I made tonight:

I used the set called Blow.  I love the peaceful feeling I get looking at this

I colored in the mushroom with some Copics and then used the colorless blender to mark the inside.  I used a white gel pen for the spots so they would stand in stark contrast to the mushroom cap.  The stamp itself just includes the mushroom stem, so I added the grass blades with a fine tipped black Sharpie

The background was stamped with some of the smaller mushroom images and the dandelion fuzz.

Inside I stamped the small 'shrooms again with the dandelion fuzz and used some chalk to highlight it a bit

Thanks for stopping by!!

Another GTG Challenge

Betsy V has another masculine card challenge this week.  She is focusing on masculine cards and today its masculine color combinations.

This wasn't as much a stretch for me because I tend to shy away from too much pink anyway (unless its hot pink with black ... now THAT is cool!)

One of the combos in the list was right up my alley ....

I also loved the striped pattern that the color swatches made  .... and this week has been about grabbing inspiration from anywhere :)

so this is what I made ....

I used Men of Life and Background Basics: Text Style to create this card.  The striped pattern is Baja Breeze, Marina Mist (new), Night of Navy, Crumb Cake (kraft renamed), and Always Artichoke.    I love the text background .. I just don't like wide open expanses of blank card stock :)

I wanted to use some twine as well (twine being the manly version of ribbon ... and what better way to attach it than with staples

I stamped the sail boat and then cut it with a circle Nestability.  I embossed it and then sponged it with the die still in place

Thanks for stopping by!!

{Supplies - SU! unless noted}

Stamps: [PTI] Men of Life, Background Basics: Text Style

Ink: Baja Breeze, Night of Navy, Crumb Cake

Paper: Baja Breeze, Marina Mist (new), Night of Navy, Crumb Cake (kraft renamed), Always Artichoke and White

Tools: Circle Nesties, Big Shot

Other: Twine, stapler

A Graphic Challenge

Betsy Veldman, one of Paper Crafts Go-to Gals, issued a challenge this week to make a masculine card inspired by fabrics or clothes. Around our house graphic tees are the go-to apparel choice so I went graffiti tee all the way!

and here is my card that this t-shirt inspired

I used a mix of stamp sets, most of which weren't meant to be graffiti (Everyday Blessings for the cross, and Baroque Motifs for the swirly).  I embossed the red cross so it would stand up against any graffiti elements that might have been over stamped on it

The chip board pieces were left over from trimming down the chipboard ring book for this project.  I inked them up with True Black ink, then stamped in Fresh Snow and added a little grunge by tapping the Fresh Snow ink pad around the edges

 

I also had to put a little graffiti on the inside too ... .just to complete the look :)

Thanks for stopping by!

{Supplies}

Stamps: [PTI] Everyday Blessings; [SU!] Baroque Motifs, Extreme Elements

Ink:[PTI] True Black, Fresh Snow, Smokey Shadow; [SU!] Craft Real Red

Paper:[PTI] True Black, White, Pure Poppy
Other:Chipboard, Clear Embossing powder

GTG Sketch Challenge #4

This months Go To Gals sketch from PaperCrafts Online is here.  Check out the sketch and entries at the Flickr Gallery

Here is my entry

I used my cool new Color Coach to get this color combo and I think I like it!  I used the new In Colors too.  I can't wait til July when they are available

Thanks for stopping by

Supplies:
Stamps: [Papertrey Ink] Polka Dot Basics, Background Basics: Text Style, In Bloom, Fillable Frames #2
Paper: [Stampin' Up!] Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, Concord Crush, Whisper White
Ink: [Papertrey Ink] Fresh Snow; [Stampin' Up!] Peach Parfait, Crumb Cake, Concord Crush
Tools: [Papertrey Ink] Polka Dot Basics Impression Plate; [Stampin' Up!] Word WIndow Punch, eyelet border punch
Other:[Stampin' Up!] White grosgrain ribbon, [Copic] R01, R02, R05, YG11, YG15, YG17

The Book Of Me

 ... well not me really,  but my daughter.  Another project for the Australia trip is a small travel friendly photo album.  I found a steal on a ring bound chipboard album at Target for $1.  It had a scalloped edge so I sliced those off and am saving them for later.

I used all Cosmo Cricket The Boyfriend collection on the pages ... lots of school related (pencils and dot test forms) and also music-ish backgrounds

I also used Nichole Heady's trick from this post and stamped the titles in white on on clear card stock

Thanks for stopping by!

{Supplies}

Stamps: [PTI] Trajan Alphabet, Fresh Alphabet, Fillable Frames #4

Ink: [PTI] Fresh Snow, True Black

Paper: [Cosmo Cricket], The Boyfriend

Ring bound Chipboard Album: Target

Another SFYTT

 

 

Good morning and Happy Saturday!

I wanted to try Jen's Sketch For You To Try this week and

combined it with the Moxie Fab "I want to Ride My Bicycle" challenge.

I turned the sketch on its side and made a vintage card :

I used the Pedalling Past stamp set for the bike and sentiment and Vintage Labels for the medallion

I distressed the heck out of all the layers with Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distressing inks.  And see that incredibly awesome patterned paper in the background?   Its NEW from Stampin' Up! ... Newsprint DSP available in July

I added a few rows of  wandering straight stitch to give it some texture and some jumbo eyelets to finish off the sketch.

Thanks for stopping by!

{Supplies - SU! unless noted}

Stamps: Vintage Labels, Pedalling Past

Paper: Newsprint DSP, Crumb Cake (Kraft), Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink: Early Espresso; [Tsukineko] Momento Tuxedo Black; [Ranger] Antique Linen and Vintage Photo distressing ink

Tools: Designer Label Punch, Word Window punch, Scalloped Circle punches

Embellies: Jumbo Eyelets (antique brass), thread

Bargello

According to Wikipedia, Bargello is a type of needlepoint embroidery consisting of upright flat stitches laid in a mathematical pattern to create motifs. The name originates from a series of chairs found in the Bargello palace in Florence, which have a "flame stitch" pattern.

The paper crafts version consists of making your own striped pattern (or using a striped patterned paper) cutting it into strips and offsetting those strips to form the variegated pattern. I tried it after seeing some awesome examples in the latest Stampin' Success.

I made this gift card holder for my dad for Father's Day:

Since Fathers Day is close to the 4th I decided to go with a stars & stripes , red, white & blue theme.

The card holder pattern comes from Heather Nichols although I changed the inner layer size a little to get less overhang.  Since it was her pattern, I used stamps from her line ... the star strip is from Around and About Sentiments and the sentiment is from Fillable Frames #4

To create the bargello pattern I first attached strips (1/2", 1/4") to a scrap piece of card stock.  The colors went Red, White, Blue and the sizes went 1/2" followed by three 1/4" strips so that the same color would not always be the larger strip.  After I got all those strips placed,  I sliced the piece up into 1/2" strips and arranged on yet another piece of scrap CS, staggering the pattern by roughly a 1/8" (I just offset by about half the width of the skinnier strip)

Instead of hand stitching as Heather did, I ran a crazy / random straight stitch using white thread and a red bobbin (the back stitching shows red and the front is white ... it actually looks rather cool IMO)

Inside is a {drum roll please ... }

Cedar Rapids Metro Library card ....

I needed something to check the size !  I promise it will be replaced with something that has steak house in the title before I give it to my dad :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies {All PTI unless noted}
Stamps: Around & About sentiments, Fillable Frames #4
Ink:Fresh Snow, Pure Poppy
Paper: Kraft, Pure Poppy, Enchanted Evening, White
Embellies: Vintage buttons - Enchanted evening, button twine, Enchanted Evening stitched grosgrain ribbon
Other: white and red sewing thread.

CPS #170

This weeks CPS sketch is wonderful (again!) 

The sponsor this week is My Favorite Things and since I happen to have a couple of their sets, I thought I would use one for this weeks sketch

This uses the set On The Pier

I used the eyelet border die and dark chocolate felt for the center layer and my Woodgrain background for the layer beneath,  I thought it went well with the beachy theme.

I also sponged some clouds along the top of the card base to give it a sense of summer.  Iowa summer skies look a little like this

The sentiment is also from the On The Pier set

Have a fabulous Sunday!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies

Stamps: [My Favorite Things] On The Pier, [SU!] Woodgrain

Ink: [PTI] Fresh Snow, [SU!]] SO Saffron, Pacific Point, [Memento] Tuxedo Black

Paper: [PTI] Spring Rain, Soft Stone, Dark Chocolate, Kraft

Embellies: [PTI] dark chocolate felt

Sewing on paper

I wanted to try another patch work / sewing project (card making sewing project that is) so I made this for a friend at work: 

 

I used some retired Bella Rose DSP and zig zag stitched them on to a scrap using black thread.

The front still seemed a little bare so I made a scrap flower for the front (3 scrap pieces about 1/2 inch different in size - rough torn into circles and crumbled and crimped into a flower shape)

The leaves on the flower are rough torn ovally leafish shapes ... I pulled the ink pad over both the flower layers and the leaves before assembling

Thanks for stopping by!!


Supplies{ All SU! unless noted}
Stamps: none
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Basic Black, Bella Rose DSP
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Old Olive
Other: black sewing thread

Summery Birthday card

I guess I'm starting to like birds now ... I haven't used birds hardly ever in the 7+ years I've been stamping until I got a bird punch from SU!   Now ... well, I kinda like them. Especially the birds in the Take Three Summer set that came last month at Papertrey.

This card will be for an upcoming class I am holding

Aren't they cute!  They kinda remind me of the partridges in the opening credits of the Partridge Family .... for all you youngsters out there that was a TV show when I was growing up ... Google it, You'll laugh I'm sure (Danny Bonaduce of current Breaking Bonaduce fame started out life as Danny Partridge ... so there is a relevant connection :) 

I used a summery color combo - berry sorbet and soft stone (nope that's not white ... its a super light gray.  I like the lightness of it but it doesn't have that sharp contrast that white would have)

I finished it off with a knot of berry sorbet twill.

Thanks for stopping by

Supplies {All PTI unless noted}
Stamps: Take Three: Summer
Ink: Berry Sorbet, Dark Chocolate
Paper: Berry Sorbet, Dark Chocolate, Soft Stone
Embellies: Berry Sorbet twill
Other: Square punches [SU!]