Penny Farthing Bicycle card

This week's colors at Off the Wall Craftiness are purple!  I stamped the Penny Farthing bicycle from Practicing Creativity's The Whole Cycle onto a lovely lavender card stock, die cut it with Spellbinders Label Number 8 and then wrapped The Twinery's Lillac Twine and some purple string around a white die cut.  I added an accent strip of dark purple to the bottom, which is hard to see in this not-so-fabulous photos (do you like the home repair books in the background?).  I made this card last night after dealing with a headache and a half of a power outage, let's just say people don't like to rent rooms when there's no heat!  So, I took heart to Karen's post about stamping being therapeutic and enjoyed the process of making this simple CAS card.  Thankfully the power is back on and life at the motel is back to normal.

Materials: Practicing Creativity The Whole Cycle Penny Farthing Bicycle, Spellbinders Nestabilities Label #8, The Twinery Lillac twine, purple string, white gel pen, Versafine Black ink, purple paper scrap, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter

PTI February Blog Hop

This month's PTI Blog Hop is all about scallops.  I went for a CAS take on the challenge, using the Spellbinders Big Scallop circles on My Mind's Eye Love Me Do paper and a subtle strip of vellum with a scallop edge.  I added a bit of glitter for the Make It Monday challenge.

Materials: PTI Make A Wish birthday present die, PTI Daily Designs sentiment, Spellbinders Nestabilities Big Scallop Circles, My Mind's Eye Love Me Do patterned paper, vellum, Martha Stewart Oynx glitter, Fiskars rotary cutter with scallop blade, Versafine black ink

New Zealand friend

I started my morning by looking through a whole slide show of the earthquake damage in Christchurch and it just breaks my heart.  While our family is safe and sound in California, the time we spent in New Zealand over the last 6 years is still very fresh in our minds.  Below is a photo of my oldest standing in the Christchurch town center.  I cannot imagine him standing there right now.

So, with those heavy thoughts on my mind I made a card, which I will promptly stick in the mail to one of my many friends in New Zealand.  I've been experimenting with new tips that I've picked up on my blogging surfing.  The first one I tried was from Moxie Fab World's Stamp It Technique with Shimmer Sprays.  I tried the technique of spraying the shimmer spray before I embossed the paper.  My version doesn't quite look Kris' cool card, but I tried.  The second new tip I tried was this week's PTI Make It Monday with a glitter strip.  I love that there's a tiny bit of sparkle on this fairly somber card.  And finally I'm going to add this to Hero Arts Friendship challenge because I've used the HA Designer Friend stamp (which I don't think I've ever done in sold black).

Materials: Hero Arts Designer Friend leaf stamp, Versafine black ink, Spellbinders Nestabilities Label 8, Cuttlebug Embossing folder, Graphite Tattered Angle Glimmer Mist, Martha Stewart onyx glittler, The Twinery Peapod twiner, button from stash,

Happy Spring Bicycle Cards

One of my best card buying friends really liked this card and requested a dozen spring themed cards.  After an attempt to paper pierce the Practicing Creativity bicycle again (with a few too many interruptions from a screaming 3 year old) I decided that perhaps I'd try this Hero Arts bicycle stamp and leave the paper piercing for another project.  I've stamped PTI's Daily Designs sentiment "spring wishes" on the inside of these cute little cards.  I was recently discovered the challenge "Less is More" and thought theses simple, easily mass produced cards, would be a good start for a new challenge.

Materials: Hero Arts bicycle stamp, PTI Daily Designs sentiment, Spellbinders Nestabilities Label 8, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Stampin Up black ink, Copic R85, Green marker, Tim Holtz Distressing ink Antique Linen, PTI kraft card stock, Stampin Up red card stock, Yellow card stock from Spotlight

Birthday presents cards

Card Patterns is celebrating their 2nd birthday, so I thought it was appropriate to make a birthday present card for them.  It also helps that my friend just bought the PTI Make A Wish die set and lent them to me, thanks Kim!  My card uses the ColourQ colors from last week, but silly me didn't look at the details before I made the card, so I missed the deadline.

My friend Jen sent me over to Chicks of a Feather to try out Pam's new challenge.  I tried to use the colors from the photo, instead of thinking of just making a flower card (proud girls?  I'm working on my literal issues).  

Materials: Stampin Up Not Quite Navy card stock, white card stock from Ben Franklin, PTI kraft card stock, Stampin Up Baja Breeze Designer paper, scraps from my bag of scarps, PTI Make a Wish die set, PTI By The Numbers Impression plate

2nd Card: PTI Fillable Frames #11 frame & die, PTI Fillable Frames #4 sentiment, PTI Make a Wish die, Spellbinders Nestabilities Big Scallop circles dies, , Brillance Rocket red ink, Stampin Up black ink, red ribbon from my stash, Shelley Castillo digital paper Home is Where the Heart Is, Cuttlebug Stylized Flowers embossing folder

Bring on the Happy Birthday Bicycle

This week's Wee Memories Scrappy Saturday Challenge is to find inspiration in the new Paper Crafts magazine (Edited to say, I can't read, the challenge is to find inspiration from any craft magazine/online blog/etc, me and my literal issues....)  Thanks to Practicing Creativity's FB post I found Amy's awesome paper pierced bicycle card online (that solves the problem of not having a copy of this month's issue).  I've added a basket and birthday present, so I wasn't a total copy and then added a vellum sentiment for PTI's Make It Monday.  Moxie Fab World is celebrating paper piercing, is it okay to add a card that was inspired by one of the ones in the issue?

Materials: Practicing Creativity The Whole Cycle bicycle, basket and present, PTI Big Birthday wishes sentiment, Cosmo Cricket Early Riser patterned paper, Stampin Up designer paper, vellum, Making Memories red eyelets, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter, Stampin Up black ink, Versamark, white gel pen, sharpie 

More cards....

I recently won the above Unity stamps from Emily so when Savannah made a comment on her blog about the All Things Unity challenge I knew I had to get inky.  These are my favorites, because they're the only ones I have!  The new Embellish challenge has some great colors and the theme is birds.

This card is for the Wee Memories "Live, Laugh, Love" challenge.  I knew I had to dig through my supplies to find this stamp for the challenge when I saw it last weekend.  I'm cutting it a bit close with the deadline here...  I've used this week's Off The Wall Craftiness colors for my CAS card.  Okay, so hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow and I'll get out of my house!  Thanks for looking at all of these cards (scroll down to see the other ones from today's crafty snow day).

Materials: 1st card: Unity birds and sentiment, Tim Holtz rays embossing folder, Versacolor Brown ink, Tim Holtz Distressing Antique Linen ink, Spellbinders Label #8, PTI kraft card stock, Stampin Up baja breeze card stock, cream cardstock from Ben Franklin


2nd card: Unknown stamp (gifted from Yolanda), Tim Holtz ornamental die, yellow string, The Twinery Maraschino twine, Making Memories blue eyelets, cheap blue ink from Spotlight, white card stock

Snow days cards

I just happened to find myself in the craft store without any children, and I just happened to buy myself this Hero Arts cling and the Tim Holtz distressing ink that Karen said I had to have...  and you know what, I'm not having any buyer's remorse!  No intervention needed, thanks Jen for the offer.  Moxie Fab World is celebrating their Stamp It issue with a number of challenges and this card uses markers and paper piercing. Although, truth be known, I'm not sure this card uses either technique in an "innovative" way.  Although I thought it was kinda clever to use the Copic marker to create the mat border, since I couldn't find a piece of paper that was the right color.  Hero Arts is having a Love & Friendship challenge this month, I think of friends when I think of coffee, do you guys think this card says friends?

And since we've had 2 snow days here and I've had a cold, I've spent a lot of time at home.  Next up is the first version of my card for the Limelights Papercrafts sketch challenge, with twine/string.  I was trying to think of something to do for the Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger, and since I love PTI On My Couch I thought that would be fun.  But after I glued it all together it was too lumpy for me, because I had printed the digital paper onto vellum, which looks cool if you adhere it properly, which I didn't.  So I took it pretty much apart, thinking of Laurel's challenge to post a redo card.  I like that the Tuesday Trigger is a white couch with texture, so I went for a white on embossed white background.

Materials:1st card Hero Arts Write Your Own cling stamp, Hero Arts What's Perking coffee pot, A Muse coffee cup, PTI Mat Stack 2 Collection sentiment, Stampin Up black Ink, Stampin Up pink ink, Copic R85 & BV17, Tim Holtz Antique Linen distressing ink, PTI kraft card stock


2nd card:PTI On My Couch couch and pillows,  Shelley Castillo Digital Paper Home is Where the Heart Is, Tim Holtz Ornamental Die, Stampin Up square scallop punch, vellum, The Twinery cappuccino twine, Making Memories gold eyelets, white card stock, PTI On My Couch die


3rd card: PTI On My Couch couch and pillows, Shelley Castillo Digital paper Home is Where the Heart Is, Spellbinders Nestabilites Big Scallops circles die, Tim Holtz circles embossing folder, PTI Daily Designs sentiment, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter, Sharper pen, white card stock, PTI On My Couch die 

Happy Birthday 2 You

If you click here you can find Jessica Witty's card that I have CASEd, I figured if that was the card that made me click "purchase" for the PTI By The Numbers die and impression plate, then I should make a card that pays tribute to the original.  I've used this month's Color Cue colors, check out the DT for some fun cards.    I'm happy to report that the "you" on my card is from W Plus 9's Woodgrain Silhouettes.  Since I've made another card with a vellum sentiment strip, I'll add this to PTI's Make It Monday challenge.

Materials: PTI kraft, My Mind's Eye Love Me Do patterned paper, purple art paper from stash, vellum, PTI Big Birthday Wishes: "happy", Studio G alphabet letters "birthday", W Plus 9 Woodgrain Silhouettes "you", Nestabilities Label #4, PTI By The Numbers die and impression plate, The Twinery lillac twine, blue string, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter

OTWC heart card

Off the Wall Craftiness switched things up a bit these past two weeks and I think I was having a hard time with the shabby/vintage theme.  But Tammy gave me a push and a shove and I've pulled out a card, just in the nick of time, using the "hearts" theme.  Since DT Tenia used the same My Mind's Eye paper I figured this would fit the bill, even if it's not completely true to the colors (see gals I have this literal problem, gets in the way of the creative juices sometimes).  It's snowing here in California and school is cancelled!  Too bad I've got a nasty head cold and am feeling rather under the weather.

Materials: My Mind's Eye Love Me Do patterned paper & heart embellishment, PTI Fillable Frames #4 die,  PTI Fillable Frames #11 sentiment, Stampin Up black ink, Spellbinders Nestabilites Label #8

celebrate today and always

I have shoeboxes full of cards and so one would think that when I need a card, somewhere in that stock pile is the perfect card.  Our dear friend in New Zealand is getting married and I should've sent a card last week.  (I had the special opportunity to be with her and her finance up at the ski resort when he proposed!).  Anyway, after some digging I couldn't find the right card, so instead of getting organized to go to work this morning or helping pack lunches, I was off making a speed card.  I've used my new Mint Motif cloud stamp, compliements of Laurel.  Because I had some vellum floating around my messy desk I add the sentiment to vellum for this week's PTI Make It Monday challenge.  Now I'm off to stick this card in the mail.

Materials: PTI Mat Stack 2 frame and sentiment, PTI Mat Stack 2 die cut, Mint Motif cloud stamp, Spellbinders Nestabilities Label 1, Versamagic Night Sky ink, vellum, white card stock, Making Memories white eyelets, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter

have fun!

Happy Valentine's Day!  I want to take a moment and thank some of you lovely folks out there in blogging land.  I think it's awesome that we all share this passion for crafting and I really enjoy all the great feedback and support.  I recently won a bunch of blog candy, many thanks to Lora, Emily and Laurel for all the fabulous crafting goodies, can't wait to play with them.  Now back to the cards...  Lawnscaping Challenge is having a challenge that's "All About Love."  Well since my Lawn Fawn supply is limited to Just My Type and Swimsuit season I had to think about love in some other light, and then it hit me-- my family loves camping and we just bought this awesome 1957 camping trailer.  The photo above is from our first overnight trip on Saturday night.  My little guys are sitting by the campfire, that's what I call love!  I incorporated a vellum sentiment strip for this week's PTI Make It Monday challenge.  

Below are the cards I made for my children's valentine's day parties.  Let's just say I do not like mass producing cards.  I can make hundreds of cards, but I like them to all look different... so I struggled with the left-to-the-last-minute task of making 40 cards.  

Materials: Paper Source trailer tramp, Lawn Fawn Swimsuit Season sentiment, PTI Mailbox Greetings hearts, PTI clouds die, Brillance Rocket Red ink, Brillance Moonlight White ink, Stampin Up black ink, Twinery Lemondrop twine, red triangle eyelets, white gel pen, vellum, Fiskars rotary scallop cuter, white card stock 

happy birthday

I should've left for the birthday party a half an hour ago, but my PTI obsession is getting in the way of our departure.  I just "had" to make one more card for their anniversary celebrations, today's challenge "think big."  So I added a large birthday sentiment and a die cut flower I won from Unscripted Sketches last year. Now I'm running out the door to the party.

Materials: PTI Big Birthday wishes sentiment, PTI By The Numbers Impression plate, PTI Notebook die, Studio G cupcake stamp, My Mind's Eye Love Me Do patterned paper, ribbon from my stash, VersaMagic blue ink, Studio G orange ink, blue die cut flower

sweet baby tag

I've been having a lot of fun with the PTI Anniversary Challenges this week, so I figured I'd give today's tag challenge a try.  I've decided that I'm just going to have to accept that I'm a pink girl, even though I still claim that it's not my color.  (Thanks ladies for all your fun comments earlier this week).  I've used this week's Play Date Cafe colors.  And the best part about this tag, a friend stopped by this morning who I hadn't seen in a long time and I gave her the tag to send to her friend's baby present, so it's already found a purpose!

Materials: PTI Daily Designs sentiment, PTI Mat Stack 2 Collection frame, Spellbinders Nestabilities Label 4, pink art paper from my stash, PTI kraft card stock, Studio G grey ink, Stampin Up black ink, Making Memories white eyelet, pink string

New Zealand postage stamps

PTI's Anniversary celebration challenge today is to use buttons.  I found this fun piece of patterned paper in my bag of scraps (Wee Memories Scrappy Saturday Challenge) and die cut it out with the PTI Notebook die.  I added an old postage stamp that I found in the bottom of a box I recently unpacked, stamped an Air Mail stamp to it and added PTI's Mailbox Greetings sentiment to the bottom.  I think I'm going to send this to one of my fabulous friends in New Zealand, miss you guys!

Materials: PTI kraft card stock, New Zealand stamp paper from stash, New Zealand postage stamp, K and Co buttons, pink string, Twinery pink sorbet twine, Air Mail stamp, PTI Mailbox Greetings sentiment, Stampin Up black ink, PTI Notebook die

cocoa

PTI is having all sorts of fun on their blog this week in honor of their 4th anniversary.  I started stamping these sentiments for the Make It Monday Challenge, check out the tutorial here.   And then today Nichole put up a color challenge, so I added a bit of red to the card.  Thinking maybe I should've done the sentiments on kraft, but no time to fix it.  Now that I've just seen the first of the February release projects I've got to go make something with buttons!

Materials: PTI kraft card stock, Stampin Up chocolate chip card stock, Stampin Up riding hood red card stock, PTI Warm Happiness Too coffee cup, PTI Everyday Treats sentiment, PTI Warm Happiness sentiment, Studio G alphabet stamps, Stampin Up coffee stamp set, Cuttlebug polka dot embossing folder, Spellbinders Nestabilities Label 1, patterned paper from stash, Versacolor bark ink, Stampin Up black ink

Sweetie

PTI's very first Make It Mondays challenge has a great video and tutorial.  My first attempt (b/c there's another in the wings) was to make a Valentine's Day card with a collection of sentiments.  I've used the Off the Wall Craftiness colors.  I've included one Hero Arts sentiment (sweetie) to make this work for their Valentine's day month long challenge.  I'm also going to enter this in Tiffany Doodle's Valentine's Day challenge.  And lastly I want to include 2 photos of my work-in-progress craft space, b/c it's been a long time since I played with the fabulous What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday gang.

Materials: Sweetie- Hero Arts, Be mine/Love you/sweet heart- PTI Daily Designs sentiment, I love you- PTI Mailbox Greetings, You warm my heart- PTI Warm happiness Too, Hearts- PTI Mailbox Greetings, Copic marker R85, My Mind's Eye Love Me Do patterned paper, Stampin Up red card stock, 2 pink buttons from stash, white string, Spellbinders Nestabilities Label 4

be mine, 3 hearts

This week's Play Date Cafe colors are beautiful, but after several attempts of trying to put them all together I went back to favorite color-- white.  There are a number of fun Valentine's Day card challenges out there at the moment, including Tiffany Doodles.

Materials: Kaiserstamp Negative Heart, Stampin Up square scallop punch, Versacolor Camellia ink, VersaMagic Night Sky ink, StaxOn Royal Purple ink, pink string, Tim Holtz rays embossing folder, Fiskars rotary cutter with scallop blade, PTI Daily Designs sentiment, Stampin Up black ink, white card stock