fall friend

Fall is definitely in the air here, so excited!  I've got an order to make some fall cards for a friend, so I really should get cracking on some of those.  Hero Arts is celebrating fall this month and this card uses the Designer Friend leaf stamp.  I've also used a loose take on this week's Card Patterns sketch, I tried and tried to incorporate the two little tabs and it didn't work, so I'm going with the CAS style.  It's hard to see in this photo but I used the eyelet punch to create mini holes in the two corners, I swore off using the actual mini eyelets after one too many frustrating attempts months ago, so I've just got holes.

And since the current Flashback Friday is to repost your first fall card I pulled out this one (using the same stamp!).  I made this card in May 2010 for one of the Play Date Cafe color challenges.

And least but not last... I wanted to share some storage ideas... I posted a photo of my very messy desk last week and somehow inspired Amy to do a bit of a clean up... thanks Amy for the added motivation, because a clean up was indeed in order over here.  I recruited a little helper, because he's actually quite good at cleaning up if he's motivated.  He came in, took charge and somehow I managed to find the floor, desk and make some order in the drawers.  Here are Ben's top craft room organization tips: 1) turn off the computer, 2) don't get sucked into to making cards and 3) just put it away.  Here are some photos...

Before

After

 This is a peek in the drawer with my dies, normally I just chuck them in the drawer (as seen on the top), but I've got these fabulous magnet holders that Ayana has mentioned once before, so my tip is to actually use them!

Scrap folder

Scrap Organizer

So I've got lots of fabulous scraps and heaven forbid you should get rid of them, but I'm not very good about filing them away in my scrap binder,  but tip #2, recruit helpers!  The clear sleeves are great for finding the perfect color.

And the final result!  A clean desk (and floor) just in time for my grandma's visit!  Woo hoo!  I'll add this to "What's On Tap Tuesday" since I was brave and posted the before photo here.

Materials: Hero Arts Designer Friend, Tim Holtz woodgrain embossing folder, Tim Holtz Distress ink mustard seed and fired brick, Versacolor Orange ink, May Arts burlap twine, Making Memories eyelet punch

hello friend

hello friend....  I'm off to meet a friend I haven't seen in years... so with no time to spare today's card uses the CR84FN colors, the Card Patterns sketch and the All Things Unity "sticker, stamp, embellie".  I've also got a bit of embossing with works well for the new Lawnscaping challenge.

 

 

Materials: Unity bit of burlap background stamp, SRM sticker, Studio 112 dimensional flower sticker, PTI Mat Stack 3 die, PTI impression plate, Twinery twine, MFT Large Scallop die, Fiskars corner rounder punch, Tim Holtz tumbled glass distress ink, teal ink, white card stock, Recollections rhinestones

fancy a cuppa?

I recently won some fabulous Waltzingmouse Stamps and this sentiment (from Frame It) makes me think of all my fabulous New Zealand friends, who would ask if you "fancy a cuppa" within minutes of anyone walking in their door (winter or summer).  So yes, my fabulous friends, "I'll put the jug on," which is how the rest of the conversation would go.  The other fun bit about this card is that I asked my youngest son what he thought the card said (he's 3 1/2, so it's not like can read), and he said with a big grin "I love you."  Too precious.  I've used the current Card Patterns sketch.

Materials: Waltzingmouse Stamps sentiment, PTI Warm Happiness stamp and die, Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934, PTI kraft card stock, May Arts ribbon, Versafine black ink, Tim Holtz Distress ink antique linen

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

back to school

I was inspired by Emily's super cute apple/thank you card this morning, and had one that looked a lot like hers, but then decided to branch out a bit and use the Card Patterns sketch again. There are a lot of fun Back to School challenges on at the moment, so please check out ABC Design Blog, Stampin Royalty and Kah-Wink-E-Dink Digi Stamps.

Materials: Stampin Up apple stamp, Treehouse Stamps digital sentiment, Stampin Up red and kiwi bliss designer paper, Stampin Up red and Kiwi bliss card stock, Fiskars punch tag, Making Memories eyelet, green twine, Stampin Up square scallop punch, Stampin Up black ink, black card stock

Harvest card

Mark's Finest Papers Speedy Cat challenge this week is to make a harvest card. I was trying to figure out how I was going to do that, when I stumbled upon Jessica Witty's Thanksgiving card in the Card Creations Vol 8 issue (pg 124) and I realized that I had that PTI pumpkin. I've used this week's Card Patterns sketch. I love that I'm creating a fall card, where in New Zealand there are small signs of spring poking up the yard (i.e. the daffodils).

Materials: PTI pumpkin and circle from Daily Designs, Gina K Designs Lovely Labels, PTI sentiment, Hero Arts tiny background leaf stamp, PTI kraft card stock, orange & white card stock from Spotlight, white gel pen, versamark, Stampin Up almost apricot ink, Stampin Up black ink, Making Memories black eyelet, orange twine, Fiskars tag punch, American Crafts black ribbon

keep cool

The Lawn Fawn Swimsuit Season set is just too much fun. I love the irony of the fact that I've made a summer card with a sentiment that says "keep cool" and there's a snow storm out my window. I've used the Color Throwdown colors and the Card Patterns sketch (even though I've left out a few details parts of it, I've used the basic outline).

Materials: Lawn Fawn Swimsuit season stamps and sentiment, patterned paper from my stash, yellow card stock, green art paper scrap, Stampin Up black ink, Studio G orange ink, Vellum, Fiskars free hand circle cutter, ball point pen, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter, corner rounder, white card stock

Cherry thanks

Sylvia was oh-so generous with the Color Throwdown party and gave away several Stampin Up sets as a thank you for the 280 comments she received on her blog. I love generous people. (This is a great place to throw in a random mention to Jenny's blog candy give away, click here to post a comment- she's spreading the word about her challenge and giving away a Hero Arts set). But back to my current thank you card-- thank you Sylvia for the great Stampin Up cherry stamp. I've used the Card Patterns sketch. Mark's Finest Papers Speedy Cat challenge this week is thank you cards, so here's another entry to that challenge. And Everything But the Kitchen Sink is celebrating buttons this month for their household item. Thanks to Sylvia I had these cute buttons. Last month when EBTKS did tin foil I was able to get the entire family to play along, click here, so this month my 5 year old son wanted to play again. I absolutely love his creative ideas, I swear it wasn't my idea to use buttons as coconuts. And since I've used the great Cosmo Cricket paper with polka dots let's enter this in the Simon Says Stamp and Treehouse Thursday polka dot challenges.

Materials: Stampin Up cheery stamp, PTI sentiment, Cosmo Cricket Early Riser patterned paper, Ribbon, Fiskars circle cuter, Stampin Up buttons, white twine,Versacolor red ink, Stampin Up black ink

Ben's card: Hero Arts palm tree & sunflower, PTI cloud & sentiment, buttons, Versacolor ink

Card Patterns Friend

While hunting around for patterned paper over the weekend I rediscovered this lovely piece of K & Co Wild Saffron Wild Flowers paper and thought I had to use it. I really like how it looks in lots of little pieces. The gluing process made me think I was doing a jig saw puzzle. The sketch is from Card Patterns. The stamped image is Hero Arts. Shelly's Images Terrifically Thrilling Thursday is celebrating the any day and anything and this card is just perfect for that.

Materials: Hero Arts stamp, K & Co Wild Saffron Wild Flowers paper, Stampin Up card stock, Misc. card stock scraps, twine, Stampin Up black ink

Purple Dresses

I am such a CAS girl. This purple card is for the 3 shades of purple 365 cards challenge. I love that all I needed was to include 3 shades of the color and for all of the cards I've done this week for their color challenge I've done only the color- no additional colors. Purist? So glad I finally motivated to organize my color scraps, b/c I'm sure I'd never have found this scrap of purple vellum otherwise. I've used the Card Patterns sketch, a little loosely since my card is a bit more rectangular... and I thought the little brads worked well for the circles.

Materials: Stampin Up dress stamp, white card stock, purple vellum, purple scraps from an envelop from Vanda, Making Memories purple brads, Stampin Up black ink

Egg Beater Card

I had out my Cosmo Cricket "Early Riser" papers and I just had to keep playing. I can't believe I've had the set for an entire year and I still have a bunch left. The paper hoarder in me is letting go and getting creative. This card uses the Card Patterns sketch. Please note lovely Card Patterns ladies that I've had my eye on those stamps you're giving away this week. Would love that couch stamp! Since I'm using more patterned paper, I'll add this card to the Just Add Ink challenge. Digi Doodle's Shop is having an "anything goes challenge.

Materials: Cosmo Cricket Early Riser paper, red ribbon, yellow twine, Kiwi bliss Stampin Up card stock, White card stock, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter

Black & White Caravan

This very retro black and white card is a combination of the Card Patterns sketch and the 365 Cards challenge to use a silhouette in black and white. I recently got this caravan stamp (that'd be the Kiwi name for a trailer) and I've inked it up in color to play with, but I quite like it in black... I tried to think of a way to add some flowers/buttons/eyelets to stay closer to the sketch, but in the end stuck with just the basic outline of the sketch. An interesting side note is that the black and white Tinkering Ink paper (Greta Garbo) was a present to my youngest son when he was born- my mother put several large scrapbooking sheets of black and white paper by his change table to give him some visual stimulation. I love that I'm still using bits and pieces of the paper, even though my son is now 2 1/2 years old.

Materials: Paper Source stamp, black paper, Tinkering Ink Greta Garbo patterned paper, white card stock

French Press Card

I love how my online card addiction takes me to all sorts of cool places for inspiration and challenges. This card is a combination of a number of challenges. I started off at Two Peas in A Bucket and they've got a current challenge that requires you to use one of their free digital kits. I thought that sounded like fun. Being that I have a thing for coffee I downloaded the Coffee Cup Album: Cupcakes and Coffee by Wilna Furstenberg. Then I decided to try out a different blade on my rotary cutter to see if it would look like faux stitching for Jenny's Wee Memories stitching contest. And then I threw it together in a take on this week's Card Patterns sketch. I saw a lovely blurb on By The Cute and Girly about "Something old, something new, sometthing borrowed, something blue" and realized that this card works well. Old is the blade from the cutter (which I never use, but now think is cool), new is the vellum I just got last week, borrowed is the lovely digital image and blue is the card stock and background.

Love Birds

A sketch from this week's Card Patterns challenge using Lucy's Cards color challenge (with bonus points for birds).

Materials: Hero Arts Clear Designs birds, Penny Black heart, Stampin Up Circle Punch, water color pencils, versamark, black ink, white, blue & kraft card stock

Sweetie Heart Card

I have run out of white card stock and am having to dig deep into my color wheel to make cardstock like this bright pink work for my palette. I'm combing the Card Patterns sketch and the Shabby Tea Room challenges.

Butterfly Thank You

A simple card using the sketch from Card Patterns and putting the main message askew for the challenge on Stamp Simply Challenge #40. Hope Card Patterns doesn't mind that I chose to put two eyelets in each corner instead of one on each corner.