Sentiments are the bomb

Good morning, We are covered in snow and temps are below freezing so staying inside to keep warm, what better excuse for hiding away in my craft room!

There is a new challenge starting over at Arty Divas and the sponsor this challenge are a great stamp company, The Project Bin.
I have a whole set on sentiments to use so I decided to make 2 cards:

 

What I did:

For the first card I used a 4.25 x 5.5in card base and matted it with some bright yellow design paper. I then used a sunburst die to cut the sun and it's rays.I placed a gem in the center of this for extra shine! I then stamped the Project Bin sentiment on white card and matted this with the same yellow I had used for my sun burst. This was the placed on foam tape to give dimension.

The second card was also a 4.25 x 5.5in white card base which I matted in purple. I then cut a 1.5in strip of vellum and stamped the sentiment using embossing ink. I then heat embossed using dark purple embossing powder. This was the wrapped around some floral design paper. I didn't have gems in the correct purple so i colored the ones used with an alcohol marker.

What I used:

Card 1

The Project Bin sentiment stamps: Just Sayin'
White Card base: Core'Dinations
Yellow design Paper: unknown (from my Stash)
Yellow Card: Core'Dinations Color Core
Sun Burst Die: Gina Marie Designs
Gem: From my stash
Black Ink: Versafine
Foam pads

Card 2
The Project Bin Sentiment stamps: Just Sayin'
White card base and colored card as above
Design Paper: Lili of the Valley (Retired)
Vellum: From my stash
Embossing Ink: Versamark
Embossing Powder: Copper Kate Vibrant Violet
Gems: from my stash
Alcohol Marker: Copic BV17

 Our challenge is anything goes so if you craft or make art you can join in. Just head on over to the blog and add your design!

Thanks for stopping by and if you like what you see please let me know in the comments

One Cup Is Not Enough!!!

Good Afternoon, More news from me today I'm now a member of the Craftin Desert Diva's Digital Stamp design team and today I'm showcasing my first design for them. 

Do you know the feeling where you need extra caffeine just to get you through a normal day - I've had many of those and I don't drink coffee so tea has to do for me!

Well my make today is really feeling it - meet Coffee Mouse 

This adorable little mouse will be a bit manic once he downs that huge cup of coffee. However in my design he's had a bit of a rough night:

Just look at the bags around his bloodshot eyes!!!!

I colored him using alcohol markers and matted him on to brown card. I then used some design paper from my stash, again matting it with brown card. 

The sentiment has been typed up on my pc and matted to match the other elements.

 I then added all my design pieces to my card base and realized it needed something more. The coffee beans and grinder die cuts just finished off the design without taking away from the detail of the image!

Ingredients used:

Craftin Desert Divas Coffee Mouse Digistamp

Spectrum Noir Ultra Smooth Cardstock

Spectrum Noir Markers

Copic Markers

Core'Dinations Brown Card

Memory Box Coffee Dies

Staples White Card - for base

Craftin Desert Divas have a Coffee Digi challenge running this month and this little guy would be a great image if you want to enter.

They have a wide range of digital stamps and very reasonable prices so why not pop by the store and check them out.

If you are looking for inspiration their Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages are a great place to start.

Dandelion wishes

Good afternoon - it was the first day of summer yesterday and yes summer has finally arrived in Michigan. We have had gorgeous hot sunny days and spent lots of time out in the yard.

I am showcasing Dandelion Fae from Faery Ink today and I just loved coloring her up.

If you follow my blog you will know I am a huge fan of soft, pink and girly so took the opportunity to be just that in my design after all dandelion clocks are soft and delicate.

I colored her with alcohol markers, adding sparkle to the dandelion clock.

She was then fussy cut so I could add her to the blowing seeds design paper. 

I added sparkle to the dandelion clock I matted the design paper with blue card to make it pop against the white card base. The stamped sentiment just fits too - who as a child used these clocks to make a wish? I know i did and my daughter does now!

Ingredients used:

Faery Ink's Dandelion Fae Digital Stamp

Spectrum Noir Ultra-smooth card

Spectrum Noir Markers

Copic Markers

Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen - clear overlay

So Suzy Stamp - wish

Blue Core'dinations card

Staples white card - for base card

Dandelion Design paper- from my stash

I hope that this has given you some ideas of what you can do with this beauty. She is available for purchase over at Faery Ink along with lots of other gorgeous digital stamps 

Thank you for taking time to stop and read my post we love having visitors especially if our posts give you inspiration.

For more Faery Ink check out our Facebook page

Have a hoot!

Good morning from a rainy Michigan! I think the weather thinks it is still April! 

Today I'm showcasing my all time favorite bird a cute little owl from Scrapoholic Candy Shop

He is part of the Snuggle Palz and is a 2 digistamp set his pal being a super cute Giraffe

I have chosen to color him in traditional owl colors and giving him a big pink heart on his tummy.

I used alcohol markers for most of him and then fine line water makers to give texture to his feathers.

The branch and leaves were die cut and I fussy cut the owl so I could sit him on the branch

I then chose a digital backing paper with clouds on to look as though he was high up the tree.

I stamped sentiment which was fitting finishes off my design

You can find him and all his friends in the Snuggle Palz section of the Scrapoholic Candy Shop 

We also have a Facebook page where you can get more inspiration from me and my teamies, there are also giveaways and discounted posted frequently!

Ingredients used:

Owl Snuggle Pal digital stamp

Spectrum Noir ultra smooth premium white card stock 

Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers

Spectrum Aqua Markers 

Nitwit digital papers 

Blue card

Thanks for stopping by and if you like what you see a comment is always welcome!

Cowabunga!!!

Good afternoon! I have been so busy with paperwork for applying for our green card that I haven't posted much over the last few weeks. I think I am now caught up with all that so I'm back to blogland!

Today is my showcase day for Scrapoholic Candy Shop and I have another sweet critter for you today

Meet Turtle from the Snuggle Palz collection

He comes as a set with the adorable cat too!

So I wanted to do something different with him to show how you can turn these characters into designs for all ages.

Meet Raphael

Yes I added a mask to him and he now looks like a cute version of well know ninja!

After drawing in his mask I colored him with my alcohol markers. I found some design papers on a party website that were perfect for the design so I matted these with red card before adding to a 6x6in card blank.

I then used my graphics program to make my well know sentiment and after matting them with the same red card I added this and my image to the card

Of course you don't have to color him up as a Ninja the images are great to use with any design and so easy to color!

You can find him and all his friends in the Snuggle Palz section of the Scrapoholic Candy Shop 

We also have a Facebook page where you can get more inspiration from me and my teamies, there are also giveaways and discounted posted frequently!

Ingredients used:

Spectrum Noir ultra smooth premium white card stock 

Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers

TMNT design papers

Red card

Thanks for stopping by and if you like what you see a comment is always welcome!

Cards purse

Good morning - I have seen some gorgeous little purses all over Facebook recently so investigated how to make them. I am about to share with you how to make them -  I can't take credit for this as I found the original tutorial on You Tube done by  Crafty Hallett. I have broken the video down in to pictures of the steps I followed that I hope are easy for you to follow too.

 

To start with let me show you what I am talking about

 

 

This little purse hold 6 cards and envelopes and is made totally from cardstock - and here's how:

 

To start with you need the following pieces of card

 

 

I made a booboo when photographing there should be 3 12x1/2 inch strips.

The paper is from Echo Park Homegrown range and the card is Core'dinations.

 

You start by making the base, score a half inch around all sides of the 2.5x5.25 piece like so:

 

 

Then cut into one side of each of the corner squares and add tape:

 

 

These are then folded and stuck on the outside to form a box, it's important you stick on the outer edge as you don't want to see them inside the finished purse

 

 

Put this to one side and then tape all (3) of the 12x1/2 inch strips

 

 

With the patterned side facing you stick one of the strips to the top of main body of the purse (patterned paper 3.5x12 inch strip)

 

 

Turn this over and apply tape along the bottom and the right edge

 

 

The starting at the middle of one of the longer sides of your base box stick the main body around the base - ensuring you keep the bottom edge of the main body level with the bottom of the base.

 

It is important that you don't crease or fold the main body as you wrap it around the base

 

 

Continue until you have completely wrapped the base then stick the side edges together

 

 

Your purse should now look like this.

The next step is to cover the bottom edge with another of the 12x1/2 inch strips. This will hide any parts where you may have not covered the base

 

Again make sure you don't crease or fold the strip as this will take away the shape of the purse

 

You have now almost finished - It just needs straps adding.

 

 

I have chosen to add these with brads but you could glue the straps inside and add pearls /gems to look as faux fasteners.

The straps are made from the 6 x 3/8 inch strips. First of all curl then slightly (as you would curling ribbon)  to make them easier to work with.

 

If using brads pierce your bag twice on each side using your judgment of where to put the straps. Then pierce the straps about 1/4 of an inch from each end. Push the brad through the bag and then the strap fixing at the back. repeat this for all 4 strap ends.

 

 

This is where the 3rd 12x1/2 inch strap comes in carefully stick this around the top of the inside of the bag covering the ends of the straps and brad tails

 

 

That's your bag finished!!!

 

Onto the cards

I have used So Suzy Stamps Peony stamp and the Beautiful sentiment

 

 

 In order for these to fit in your bag they must be 4x4inches. Here's what I used to make them

 

 

I started with a 4x8 piece of white card and folded this in half. I matted the card and patterned paper (that I had used to make the purse) onto the card. I then stamped the Beautiful sentiment onto the bottom right corner of a piece of white card. Two of the peonies where stamped onto white card using Evergreen Bough Distress ink which matched perfectly with the green card. I then fussy cut these out. After fixing the white card onto my base I then arranged the peonies onto this. I glued the fist one flat and then used foam tape on the second one to add dimension. A crystal gem in the center of each flower just added a finishing touch.

I then made envelopes in a tonal match paper

 

 

 

These can be made using any paper:

 

 

 Here's one I've done using Kraft card and the Dandelion and Dandelion fluff set with the some see a wish sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by and before you leave hit the June tab on the top right of the So Suzy Stamp blog and enter our challenge. If you don't have a blog - don't worry you can enter over at our Facebook group

 

For more inspiration why not check So Suzy out on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest

New this month So Suzy has also ventured out to Flickr so check that out too!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty poetry

Good Morning from a cold Michigan - yes I put all the winter boots away last week and the cold has returned!!!

Oh well the heating will just have to stay on for a bit longer..........

 

Today is the start of Challenge 41 over at Scribble and Scrap. As always it is anything goes and so easy to enter. Just stop by and read the rules here before you link your makes.

 

 I have decided to take a break from stamping and coloring and use a Joanna Sheen cd that has been hiding in my cupboard for a while.

 

The image and verse is from her Patience Strong Volume 1 (which is unfortunately no longer available on her website.) as it's supposed to be spring I thought I would find a pretty spring image!

 

 

 

It's a very simple card to make. The ribbon was plain white but so it matched into the design I colored this with my Spectrum Noir pens, placed a piece around the bottom of some lilac Core'dinations card and added the handmade bow. I matted this onto a cream A5 card blank and added the image - nothing else was required as I didn't want to distract from the beautiful words.

 

 

Jeans and a Tee

I have a very good friend, Diane, who owns the Haveman's Hardware store  in Fremont which is also the local craft store - she recently started stocking Little Darling Stamps which I love and as I have a few of the ones she is stocking I offered to make her some samples for the store.

 

This is the first of them and is a Saturated Canary Stamp - Jeans and a Tee:

 

 

I have colored her using my Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and matted her onto lavender Core'dinations card. I have tried to use products that Diane sells in the store to help her promote them. The backing paper is from a Docrafts Papermania Capsule collection matted onto the same lavender card. and the die is one of the new memory box range - both of which she sells. I have stamped hello onto the inner part of the die cut and added some pearl hearts as accents.

 

Diane's Store is full of great stamps, papers, dies and much more and if she hasn't got what you need just ask and she will endeavor to get it for you!

 

I have entered this card into the following challenges

Sister Act Card Challenge - Anything goes

Crafts Galore Encore - Use a stamp or a digi

Through the Craftroom Door - Anything goes

As you like it Challenge - CAS or fussy

C.R.A.F.T Challenge - CAS

 

A little under the Weather

Hello and welcome to Challenge number 3 at Little Patch of Crafty Friends.

 

We have 3 more fab Sponsors for our challenge and they are offering some great prizes:

 

Faery Ink giving away a prize of 3 of their images

 

That Craft Place Ltd giving a prize of 3 images

 

Oddballs Art Giving 3 images also!

 

The challenge is anything goes all you have to do is follow our simple rules which can be found here. For inspiration each of the design Team has chosen and image from the sponsors. My creation is using an Oddball image called Big eyed Emo Girl Under a Rain Cloud with Glasses. 

 

 

I have used my Polychromo Pencils to color her and she is slightly out of my comfort zone being an Emo girl - but think the colors I have chosen fit her mood! As she is under a cloud I typed an "under the weather" sentiment on the pc and matted this onto 2 shades of purple Core'dinations card. I used a Crafters Companion Embossalicious folder to emboss the cloud design onto some of the same card and sanded this back to make the pattern pop. I have then used a Memory Box set of cloud dies for added embellishment. The edges of my topper and the clouds have been color tinted with distress ink as a finishing touch.

 

Come along and join us at Little Patch of Crafty Friends and enter the fab challenge you never know you may win!

 

 

Phineas The Peacock

Good morning all I was lucky enough to get hold of the Peacock during the pre-order over at So Suzy Stamps and couldn't wait to use him. Suzy did a Facebook competition to name him and Phineas was the favorite of the Design Team members.

Todays post is a reminder about our January challenge over on the So Suzy blog - It is easy to enter just check out the rules which you can find here. This month we have started theming the challenge and for January the theme is something new and what better way to showcase this but with another new release stamp.

So here is his debut for my blog:

 

 

I have used Indigo Blu's Flitter Glu to stamp him and the used their gilding flakes to give him his regal glow! The stamps are so detailed that even with gilding flakes you don't lose the definition of the swirls. The gems within his swirls are hot gems in which are black with an iridescent coating. I have then used the top part of So Suzy Stamps crown stamp in each corner for the swirls again stamped and gilded with flakes. I have used a blank shaped card blank, Phineas has been matted onto gold mirror card and purple glittered Core'dinations.

 

Before I go, did you know that So Suzy Stamps can be found on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. Yes you should join us there and find more inspiration and fun.