Letterpress Cards

Hello.  So the fabulous ~amy~ tempted me with her unused Lifestyle Crafts Letterpress and I couldn't say no.  I've done a lot of fun things with the faux letterpress technique (click here for a tutorial I did for Do More With Less)... but girls... I'm in trouble-- the real letterpress technique makes me giddy.  This card is for the Moxie Fab World "Winter Blues" challenge.

Some friends just had a baby boy-- so why not send them a non-blue card?  I used this week's CR84FN colors.  I've done a loose take on the Authentique sketch and I'm just sneaking in this with a tiny bit of time to spare.

And this my friends would be the DH's card for our friends' new baby.  I'm sharing this for Emily who often talks about her husband's crafting and I've told mine that he should make me a card from time to time and he always declines.  Well, my new tool had him intrigued.  I have a feeling you'll be seeing more of my new letterpress...

Materials: PTI Warm Happiness Too stamp and die, Life Style Crafts letterpress, Authentique gathering patterened paper,  black card stockstock, Versafine black ink, Life Style letterpress ink silver and black, PTI white card stock

Congratulations: Lifestyle Crafts letterpress,  Authentique patterened paper, PTI kraft card stock, Coredinations card stock

Super Sunday projects and blog candy

Happy Sunday!  I've got a few projects for a few different challenges today and some fun goodies for a giveaway.  Let's start with the 365 Cards Super Sketchy Sunday card.   This week's sketch was tricky for me, this is not the first version of the card, and I'm not 100% sure I love the end result, but it's great to try to think outside the box sometimes.

I have been lucky enough to win a number of crafty goodies over the last year and I was inspired by the purge blog hop last month to do a bit of "spring cleaning" of my own.  (Basically I'm justifying the new crafty goodies I've bought... best to part with some of the items that aren't getting used right?).  So, to win this blog candy all you've got to do is play along with the 365 Cards crew this week.  You've got 7 different challenges, starting today and the winner is drawn on Tuesday.  Goodies from Cosmos Cricket, Basic Gray, Prima Marketing, Close to My Heart, Shirley's 2 Girls, Kaiser Craft, QuicKutz, Niki Silvis and more.

 

This super cute tag was inspired by Runway Inspired and the CAS-ual Fridays play on words (which had me all tongue tied and now that I think about it my tag has a literal take on the word, but I tried).  But I've used part of a pair of jeans in the tag and put them in the gift bag for my employee, who's currently making a t-shirt quilt with used pieces of clothing.

And my final card today is for the Play Date Cafe, I realized that I had 3 coordinating May Arts ribbon that were fairly close to the challenge colors.  I have been admiring various bloggers use of staples and thought I'd add that element to this card (and I also ran out of adhesive, and since I made this card before the shops opened, I thought I'd try something different).  

Thanks for looking... hope you can come play along with us at 365 Cards and help me make room for more crafty supplies.

Materials: First card: WPlus Woodgrain Silhouette, PTI Pretty Peonies sentiment, PTI Mat Stack 1 frame, Martha Stewart Scor-pal, Twinery charcoal twine, PTI pure poppy and kraft card stock, Tim Holtz Distress inks festive berries, dusty concord and shabby shutters, Versafine black ink

Tag: PTI Every Day Treats, Practicing Creativity The Whole Cycle sentiment, PTI Tag It Sale #1 die, PTI kraft and white card stock, water color pencils, PTI double sided banner die, vellum, My Mind's Eye rhinestons, Stampendous clear embossing powder, Versafine black ink, recycled blue jeans, denimn Baker's Twine, EK Success 1 3/4th inch circle punch

Happy Birthday card: May Arts ribbon, WPlus Spring Post sentiment, PTI impression plate, PTI white card stock, Versafine black ink, staples

celebrate happy birthday card

A card for the Papertrey Ink Blog hop, I had a busy day, but thankfully was able to re-create this card while my friend was over, nice to craft, chat and drink wine at the same time.  I used the Fiskars rotary blade to create the tab, under neath the card it says "wishing you a happy birthday."  Can't wait to hop along and see what else everyone else made.

Materials: Waltzingmouse Stamps Say It Loud, PTI Pretty Peonies, PTI Mat Stack 1 sentiment, PTI linen impresion plate, PTI Tag It Sale #1, May Arts ribbon, Crate Paper border sticker, PTI kraft and pure poppy card stock. Versafine black ink, Stampendous clear embossing powder, Tim Holtz Distress inks festive berries and worn lipstick, My Mind's Eye rhinestones

House Congrats wine label

Another wine label for you this evening.  I'm running out the door, but this label is a challenge happy project.  I've used the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger as my source of inspiration, the 365 Cards Super Sketchy Sunday sketch, Unity stamp so I could play along with my neglected Friends with Flair crew and finally Rose's fabulous guest blogger challenge over at Do More With Less (use at least 3 types of patterned paper).  Thanks for looking...

Materials: Unity KOTM Life is Fabulous house, SRM sticker, My Mind's Eye Kraft Funday patterned paper, Tim Holtz woodgrain embossing folder, PTI kraft card stock, EK Success 1 3/4 inch circle punch, PTI edgers die, Versafine black ink, water color pencils

celebrate love

I've got a couple of cards to share, all of them for my sister, read yesterday's post for details.  Sometimes it's easier to express yourself through cards when you're at a loss for words.  I think she'll like the cards, hopefully they'll make her smile.

The Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge was the source of inspiration for this card.  I upcycled a heart my son made in preschool and used some more burlap from the local coffee shop.

The colors are from The Play Date Cafe, this is basically a redo of this card.

The Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge provided the base for this super simple thank you card.  One of the themes for my sister's upcoming wedding is pine cones, so I thought it'd be nice to have an extra thank you card, if I were smart I'd make a box of 'em, but mass producing just isn't my thing, so she'll have to make due with one.  

Materials: Paper Smooches sentiment, Hero Arts background cling, PTI Tag It Sale die, PTI impression plate, burlap, Tim Holtz distress ink gathered twings, Tim Holtz distress stain antique linen, Versafine black ink, May Arts ribbon, PTI kraft and cream card stock, heart by Josh

Skier card: Waltzingmouse Say It Loud sentiment, custom skier stamp, PTI cloud die, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Twinery twine, Versafine black Ink, My Mind's Eye rhinestones, PTI white card stock, Score-pal

Thanks card: Waltzingmouse Say It Loud sentiment, Impress stamps pine cone, Tim Holtz distress stain antique linen, Stampendous clear embossing powder, Versafine black ink, Tim Holtz distress ink gathered twigs, Antique linen stain

Flashback Friday card

The Flashback Friday crew is celebrating a big 20th challenge, with a big huge giveaway.  It's been on my to do to search back for a black and white card, but you know how life gets?  Anyway, here's a card I posted in June 2010 for a Card Patterns sketch.  If you read the original post you'll see that I was upcycling the patterned paper my mom bought for my younger's son's change table when he was born. 

And since the card has a trailer on it, why not share a couple of photos from our recent camping trip in Calistoga.  Our vintage trailer got a few looks amongst the parking lot of large RVs.

 

Thanks for looking... I'm having a day where I want to say thanks and love you to everyone I know... my sister was with a group in a back country skiing avalanche today, click here to read the article, and while she and her fiance are okay, it's so heartbreaking to think of her friends that she lost today.

it's not the years in your life....

Happy Sunday!  Today's 365 Cards Super Sketchy Sunday sketch is a goodie...  love to see how it inspires you.  I've taken this month's Coredinations color challenge and a few different embossing folders to help create this birthday card.  One of my regular card buyers requested 8 non-gender specific birthday cards, so I think this one fits the bit pretty well.  

Materials: Unity sentiment, Waltzingmouse Stamps Very Vintages Labels 1, Spellbinders Nestabilities Label 1 die, Cuttlebug and PTI embossing folders, Core'dinations card stock, PTI white card stock, Versafine black ink

Celebrate Spring

There's a party over at Waltzingmouse today and being a social butterfly, I didn't want to miss out on all the fun.  Love that virtual parties allow you to multi-task, we'll skip the details on my real life day (it's a bit all over the map, literally).  Because I've had the WMS Say It Loud set out with the PTI Rosie Posie set all week, and this would have something to do with the minor detail that I hardly ever tidy up my desk, why not continue this winning combo of stamps (click here and here to see the other projects).

Materials: Waltzingmouse Stamps Say It Loud, WPlus9 Spring Post, PTI Rosie Posie, Crate Paper borders, acetate, vellum, Versafine black ink, Tim Holtz distress ink fired brick, PTI Rosie Posie die, Stampendous clear embossing powder

celebrate wine label

I mentioned the other week that I was trying to rent more rooms at the motel by offering a wine label and 2 coupons to two local tasting rooms, and thankfully my marketing ploy is working!  Today's CAS label uses the Young Crafters Unite sketch.  That's all for today :)

Materials: PTI Rosie Posie, Waltzingmouse Stamps Say It Loud, PTI edgers die, Fiskars corner punch, Tim Holtz distress inks fired brick and worn lip stick, Versafine black ink, Tattered Angels black mist, PTI kraft, white and pure poppy card stock, Circle punch

love....coffee

I've been sucked into the PTI anniversary fun and this morning I asked my handy husband for ideas on how to make an interactive card-- even made him watch a video.  And his response, "Don't you have a perforated blade?"  By golly I do-- so I swapped out the blade of my Fiskars rotary cutter and made this cute card, underneath the tab it says "celebrate today and always", but since my neighbor is going to use this for a wedding this weekend I didn't want to take it apart.  I used the Waltzingmouse Sketch challenge, seriously think I could use WMS Say It Loud on every single card.  And since I've used red with kraft together I'm going to enter it in the Kraft Journal challenge.

Next up I have a coffee card using the Skipping Stones sketch.  I recently found the Hero Arts Have a Donut set on sale at my local Ben Franklin for $3.75, as many of you know I have a small collection of coffee stamps, but who can resist a mark down like that???  I added the PTI Warm Happiness Too sentiment which I thought worked well for the friendship Hero Arts challenge.

Materials: Waltzingmouse Stamps Say It Loud, PTI Rosie Posie, PTI Mat Stack Collection sentiment (hidden), PTI impression plate, PTI kraft and pure poppy card stock, Versafine black ink, Tim Holtz Distress inks festive berries and worn lip stick, Stampendous clear embossing powder, PTI Rosie Posie die and Tag it Sale #1, May Arts ribbon, My Minds Eye rhinestones

Coffee Card: Hero Arts Have a Donut, Hero Arts cling background, PTI Warm Happiness Too sentiment and steam, Spellbinders scallop circle, Versafine black ink, Tim Holtz distress ink antique photo, Glossy accents, water color pencils, canvas paper, May Arts natural string, PTI kraft card stock

Happy Birthday, leaves and butterflies

So I'm feeling a bit under the weather and after a full day at work I came home to find my package full of mystery goodies from Leeann at Artful Delight.  Who doesn't love crafty goodies in their mail box?  So I rallied and made this birthday card.  I wanted to play along with the PTI Anniversary challenge "leaves and butterflies".  And then I figured I'd up cycle something and play along with the LESSology crew for their "Flights of Fantasy" challenge (I reused a take out coffee holder). 

Materials: PTI In Bloom leaves stamp and impression plate, WPlus9 Spring Post sentiment, PTI Happy Trails, Spellbinders Nestabilities Label, PTI Edgers #1 die, My Mind's Eye Rhinestones, Studio Calico butterfly stickers, May Arts ribbon, Coredinations card stock, PTI kraft card stock, canvas paper, Versafine black ink, take out coffee holder 

to love and be loved is everything

I got a commission to make 4 Valentine's Day cards for couples, so I went looking through my sentiments and decided on the PTI Happy Trails, thought that'd be perfect for a card that you're not giving to your Valentine.  So, despite my normal inability to mass produce, I made a set of 5 (and thankfully sold the 5th one too, even though she asked for 4).  Loving my new Impress Stamps lace border stamp, with this order the stamp already paid for itself.

And then I packaged up the cards in a recycled glassine bag I got from Monika's I Love It All etsy shop and wrapped it in Twinery twine.

And this Valentine's Day card uses the Hero Arts monthly challenge sketch.  It's hard to tell in this photo but I spritzed the HA background cling with Smooch Vanilla Ice and it's got a fun bit of sparkle to it.

Materials: Impress Stamps Lace Border, PTI Happy Trails sentiment, Versafine black ink, Stampendous clear embossing powder, PTI kraft, pure poppy and white card stock, Black card stock from stash, Twinery twine, glassine bag


Be Mine card: Hero Arts background, PTI Daily Designs sentiment, mystery heart stamp, PTI Photo finisher die, Spellbinders Nestabilities Label 1, Stampendous white embossing powder, Tim Holtz distress inks festive berries, Versafine black ink, PTI white card stock

Enjoy the Journey

Happy Sunday everyone.  I've just been for a freezing cold walk with my costume clad children, so trying to thaw out over here before I head to work.  Today's card is an ode to Ms. Karen B.  Enjoy the journey girlfriend!  I've started with this week's 365 Cards Super Sketchy Sunday, but thrown in the Play Date Cafe colors as well as the CAS-ual Fridays "Love you to pieces" challenge.  I tried to mask out the background layer for the sketch with mist, but it didn't quite work out the way I'd hoped, oh well.  This week's sponsor at 365 Cards is CrismonCloud, and the prize (for one random player for any of this week's challenges) is a 3-pack of die cuts.  And, just so you know 365 Cards is having a design team call, if you're interested in more information click here.  Hope everyone has a fabulous Sunday, perhaps a bit of crafting?  Think of me as I fold laundry.  

Materials: Practicing Creativity The Whole Cycle, SRM Sticker, Bella Blvd patterened paper, PTI kraft card stock, Coredinations card stock, Versafine black ink, Versamark, Smooch Spritz Navy Twinkle