Saturday, February 27, 2010

Stop! Thief! Scraplifted...

Hello and Happy Saturday! Today's project was created for the final week of 365 Cards' first year's challenges. All week long, we've been focussing on each 365 Card designer, examining her style and then scraplifting an element of a card she's shared. This card was created by scraplifting a bit of Gloria's vintage style.
Here's her card:

Here are the elements of Gloria's style that I chose to include in my project:

  • ephemera,
  • lots of layers and
  • a more masculine color palette.
I love Gloria's use of ephemera! I love to include items like ticket stubs, newspaper or other media in my scrapbook pages. I found it a bit of a challenge to find items that meshed together for a card, however. I searched through my stamp sets and decided that I'd start with the Sense of Time set (I used the clock face and the gears). I also love the look of the oak tree (or is that an elm?) from Lovely as a Tree. To mimic Gloria's ephemeral look, I masked the clock face and sponged So Saffron Classic ink around the outside. I also crumpled the piece of card stock stamped with the gears (I stamped the gears in So Saffron Classic ink).
**Studio Suggestion: Creamy Caramel Classic Ink is among my go-to tools when I'm looking for a vintage look. After stamping the gears in So Saffron, I crumpled the piece of Whisper White card stock and then sponged over it with the Creamy Caramel. That color brings out the wrinkles in a subtle, worn way.**

Gloria's included lots of fun touches and I sought to mimic that with my Build-a-Brad. I stamped the gear image in Not Quite Navy on Sage Shadow card stock and punched a gear out using my 1/2-inch Circle Punch.
I also used a bit of Very Vanilla Wide Grosgrain ribbon (which I colored using my Creamy Caramel and Bordering Blue Classic Inks) and a paper clip to add to the ephemeral feel.
Finally, since I am Color Challenged, I relied on my Color Coach to help me pick a palette of colors that would support my fave for vintage projects, Bordering Blue. In the end, I think the palette is one for both men and women. I used Sage Shadow, So Saffron and Not Quite Navy to complement the Bordering Blue. I also used Whisper White (for a "clean", crisp look) and paired it with the Very Vanilla grosgrain to further stress the idea of vintage...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Sense of Time and Lovely as a Tree

Papers: Sage Shadow, Whisper White, Bordering Blue, So Saffron and Not Quite Navy

Inks: Not Quite Navy, So Saffron and Creamy Caramel Classics

Accessories: 1/2-inch Circle, 1/16-inch Handheld and Corner Rounder Punch, Build-a-Brad, and Very Vanilla Wide Grosgrain Ribbon

Thanks so much for visiting me today! I hope you have a restful and fun weekend!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

What's black and white and red all over?

This month's challenge at Stamps R Us, of course! For this month's challenge, we were charged with creating a card with only three colors: black, white and red. The rest was up to us... Here's one of my favorite cards:

One of the questions I receive a lot is "Where do you get your ideas for your designs?" Well, this card was "'lifted" from the pages of last year's (I think) Idea Book and Catalog. I simply inked the flourish image from Baroque Motifs (a fav of mine) in Basic Black Classic and stamped it Whisper White (pretty self-explanatory). To make the flowers, I inked those images (also from this set) in Real Red and then cut them out and used Stampin' Dimensionals to make them pop up.

**Studio Suggestion: To make the cutting go faster, I used the 3/4-inch Circle Punch first and then cut the petals.**

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Baroque Motifs

Inks: Basic Black and Real Red Classics

Papers: Basic Black, Real Red and Whisper White card stocks

Accessories: Real Red wide grosgrain, Stampin' Dimensionals, 3/4-inch Circle Punch, paper snips

Thank you so much for your visit! I've been busy organizing the Studio this week and having fun working in a tidier space. Now I've gotta get busy and post it all! :) Stay tuned for lots of new posts (and a video or two)! Thanks again!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day, George!

Oops! I made this valentine for my sweet son, George, who is forever schooling me at tic-tac-toe. I forgot to post it!

Here we go:

I used the set, A Happy Heart, to make this card and chose Pink Passion, Gable Green, and Brocade Blue as my colors. My Scallop Edge punch made a fun border along the top and bottom of the tic-tac-toe board. I also used my 1/2-inch Circle Punch to pop out some circles to add dimension. Finally, I used the heart from You & Moi (one of my Sale-A-Bration freebies) with VersaMark ink to make the background on the right side. I love the subtlety of VersaMark!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: A Happy Heart and You & Moi

Papers: Pink Passion, Brocade Blue, Gable Green and Whisper White card stocks

Inks: Pink Passion, Brocade Blue, and Gable Green Classics and VersaMark

Accessories: Scallop Edge and 1/2-inch Circle Punches, Brocade Blue Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks for visiting the Studio!

Heart Blossoms

Happy Valentine's Day, Studio Visitors!


Here's a fun card that would work as a valentine for someone special or as a card for any special occasion!



I took the bird image from Fun & Fast Notes and inked it with black Stazon ink. Since I knew I'd be placing a paper heart on the stem instead of the blossom, I inked everything *except* the blossom. That technique sounds like a good post of its own (stay tuned)!



Next, I used my Blender Pen and Classic ink pads to watercolor the birds and their stems. For the middle bird, I used a scrap of sueded card stock (but used the smooth side). I just stamped it with the bird, cut it out with my Paper Snips (which make precision cutting like this a breeze), and used a Stampin' Dimensional to pop it up. I did the same thing with a teensy piece of Summer Sun for its beak.
For the hearts, I used my Big Shot and the Hearts and Brackets Bigz die. For some reason, I've never purchased a heart punch, so that was my only option. ;) I was still able to use scraps, which has been a recent mission of mine...
I finished it off with the Scallop Edge punch and a length of White Satin Ribbon tied in a knot. I also stamped the sentiment (a freebie choice from my Sale-A-Bration order!) in Bravo Burgundy at the bottom. For the first time, Stampin' Up! is offering items from the Idea Book and Catalog as freebies in addition to the limited edition Sale-A-Bration items. You & Moi had been a set on my wish list and now it's mine... for free!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Fun & Fast Notes, You & Moi (SAB freebie)

Papers: Ruby Red, Apricot Appeal, Mellow Moss, Bravo Burgundy, Summer Sun and Whisper White card stocks

Inks: Black Stazon, Bravo Burgundy, Mellow Moss and Ruby Red Classics

Accessories: Big Shot, Hearts and Brackets Bigz die, Scallop Edge Punch, White Satin Ribbon, Blender Pen, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thank you for your visit! Hope you have a great day!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Sweet Treats

Hello, Studio Visitors! It's so nice to be back (in the studio and online)! Whew! What a week!

The good ladies over at 365 Cards posted a challenge in which we're to create a card that is inspired by this ad:
I have just received a fun order of things from the Occasions Mini Catalog and by ordering after January 5, I got to pick from the Sale-a-Bration Catalog (the sentiment here is from among my freebies!)... Among the order was the Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper, which is what I used along with the card stocks to mimic the patchwork feel of this treat basket.

One of the things I find most appealing about this picture is the texture. While the Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper has glittered designs on one side of each page (which added lovely texture to a couple of "patches"), I sueded and crumpled card stocks to add more texture.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:


Stamps: Vintage Labels (Sale-A-Bration)


Papers: Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper and Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel and Whisper White card stocks


Ink: Real Red Classic


Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note Bigz Die, Wide Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon


Hope your Valentine's Day is sweet! Our family looks forward to celebrating our "Gotcha! Day", which is the celebration of the day we officially took custody of Dear Anna...


Thanks for your visit!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Ugh... Flu.

We've all had it now and I'm in the process of catching up on house stuff (counters need to be cleared of piles, a Valentine holder needs to be prepped for my third-grader to decorate tonight, laundry needs to be done, etc). I look forward to posting some of the pre-flu things I got to create! ;) Hope you don't catch it!