You're the Best...

Another Friday is upon us...another weekend of fun mixed with summer relaxation to look forward to...I still love Fridays even if I don't work in an office all week anymore!

I ran across a paper collection in my 6x6 drawer that had some wonderful aqua and white patterns in it, and I was determined to use them.  I decided to mix them with coral, so it was easy to create a mini square digital collage to feature in the center square once the color combo was decided.  The sentiment is one I like to use, because it works for a friendship greeting as well as a thank you for someone special...

Since there's a floral bouquet in the digital collage, I wanted to keep the flower cluster small. I chose mini roses in the colors of the tulips in the collage, and simply added some green and aqua branch punches and dark green leaves, and nestled them all on top of a dyed Hug Snug bow...

The sentiment tag is one from a set from Janet's ByDigitalPaper shop on Etsy. I reduced the size after adding the sentiment to one, then shabbied up the edges and shabbied the one beneath it with white paint...

Supplies:

Patterned papers:   Pink Paislee Nantucket collection          Flowers:  Wild Orchid Crafts

Lace:   TheFunkieJunkie.com          Pearls:   Recollections          Martha Stewart Medium Branch Punch

My Favorite Things Royal Leaves die          Hug Snug seam binding        Miscellaneous:   white hemp twine, button        

Tickets:   "Ticket Flower" set from ByDigitalPaper on Etsy  (text added)

Digital collage elements:   Dotted paper: A Wolff Designs "That's Life" bg 5; 

all other elements:   TheGraphicsFairy.com

Thank you for visiting today...have a wonderful weekend!

Thank You for Being My Friend...

After working a lot with pale and soft colors, it was time for a little change-up, so I pulled a piece of bold purple and white polka dot paper from my stash, and set to work finding something to work with it.

In the end, I went with bright white and a print with shades of green and lilac and pink...here's the end result...

I embellished a Tim Holtz memo pin with a jeweled spacer, white pearl, and gold spacer, and added the little sentiment tag...

A strip of pearls across the top of the lace and more mini pearls along the stems of the leafy branches...

A peek at the inside...

Supplies:

Patterned papers:   Prima/IOD Coquette (purple dot);  Basic Grey Kioshi collection (floral)

Dies:   Spellbinders A2 Scalloped Borders One, Opulent Ovals, Classic Ovals Large;   Sizzix Flowers Branches & Leaves

Crocheted lace:   TheFunkieJunkie.com          Pearls:   Recollections          Tim Holtz Memo Pin (embellished)

Roses:   The Paper Studio (white);  Wild Orchid Crafts (purple)

Thanks for stopping by for a visit...I hope your week is going well!

Hello, Monday!...

I'm still enjoying a renewed creative streak lately...looks like that small break a few weeks ago was just what I needed after all! :)

Today's card is another light and airy, shabby, summer-y number, in cream and the palest of greens.  I blended some newer Prima papers with some "older" Pink Paislee papers. (I love the challenge of blending my new supplies with older ones, especially when I can blend the styles of two or more different manufacturers.)

I left any sentiment off for now, knowing that I can add a decorative stick pin and sentiment tag later on if I want...

Once again, I used Spellbinders' Grand Peony Creations die for the large centerpiece flower, accenting the edges with a green to blend with the greens in the patterned papers.  I used Scattered Straw Distress Ink and water on a craft mat to color the stamens as close to the paper color as I could...

Inside the torn piece on the bottom, a cocoa-colored mini rose, inked mini leaves, and a tiny twine bow...

I added a trio of mini roses in the upper corner to add a little contrast to the card...

Supplies:

Patterned papers:   Prima Botanical collection (floral & text);   Pink Paislee Queen Bee collection (pale green solid, green diamond print, dark dotted print)

Dies:   Spellbinders Grand Peony Creations;  My Favorite Things Royal Leaves

Rose cotton lace:   Prima           Mini roses and flower stamens:   Wild Orchid Crafts          Hug Snug seam binding

Miscellaneous craft store supplies:   pearl trim, twine, cheesecloth

Thanks for visiting today...I hope your week is starting with a smile!

For Example...

Remember how I mentioned my conflicting styles the other day? Today's card is a perfect example of how my brain can switch from super-shabby to symmetrical and precise at the drop of a hat. :)

Rather than use the shaped die to determine the shape of the card, I used a rectangular 6x4 card as the base. This particular set of dies has the option to emboss outside the cut lines, and that works well for this technique. I originally decided to use the three largest dies in the set, but after cutting them all, changed my mind and took the smallest of the three out of the mix, and substituted the fourth, label die.

To make placement easier, I first taped the three largest dies together with low-tack painter's tape, and used the embossing pad to emboss all the designs at one time onto a 6x4 piece of cardstock (no cutting yet).  I permanently adhered this embossed piece to the front of my 6x4 card.

Then I ran the dies through a second time (still taped together) with another separate piece of cardstock, to cut the frame pieces, and then a third run to emboss the frames I had just cut.  This way, I could adhere the frame pieces with varying heights of foam tapes, using the first embossed piece as my guide to placement.  (I hope this makes sense!)  The label piece was cut and embossed along with these three taped-together dies...I love that the Grand Calibur with its larger mats makes cutting/embossing multiple pieces so much faster.

Here's the card, and maybe what I just explained will make more sense...

The large flower was made with the Grand Peony Creations dies...the two smallest dies in the set. A little contrasting ink around the edges of the petals makes the edges more defined...the white stamens were dipped into a few drops of Mustard Seed Distress Ink + water on a craft sheet...

Little sweetheart blossoms were added, with some leafy branches distressed with white painted edges...

Since I already had an idea who I'd be sending this card to, I went ahead and finished the sentiment on the inside. On the 6x4 piece on the inside, I embossed only the largest of the three dies, to create a decorative  edge. The sentiment is stamped onto that third piece I originally cut for the front, but pulled out and substituted with the smaller label.  It worked out perfectly inside the card...

Supplies:

Dies:   Spellbinders Resplendent Rectangles, Grand Peony Creations;   Sizzix Flowers Branches & Leaves

Sentiment stamps:   Papertrey Ink          White sweetheart blossoms, flower stamens:   Wild Orchid Crafts

Pearls:   Recollections          Hug Snug Seam binding

Thank you for visiting today...have a wonderful weekend!

Gone Shabby Again...

I've rediscovered something about myself lately... my crafting style has become so varied that it's now difficult to describe in one or two words. One day I'm having fun with die cut shaped cards and frames, arranging them in a neat, symmetrical pattern...the next I'm going slightly-shabby with touches of paint and lace among the layers...then on to "extra shabby" with an "anything goes" feel, and finally (what you haven't seen here yet) playing with paints and texture mediums on an art journal page. There are certain elements that remain common for the most part - dimension, flowers, pearls and gems, bows of some type - but I'm definitely having the most fun when I'm totally inconsistent. (I hope I'm not alone in this! LOL)

Today's card is another fun extra-shabby card, that all started when I was looking for a way to incorporate some cute little carnations I made with my Carnations Creations dies. Here's how it all came together in the end...

Using the two smallest flowers in the die set to make these little carnations, I just varied the number of layers used on each flower, then placed one of them on top of a textured red and white Prima flower. Before assembling the carnations, I dry-brushed all the edges of the pieces with white acrylic paint to accentuate the layers...

There's a bit of dry-brushing on the leaves, too...just to shabby them up a bit...

In the upper corner, I took the twine used to thread the button and wrapped it around the corner of the background papers...it stays put after a drop or two of clear glue behind the background paper.  :)

Supplies:

Patterned papers:   My Minds Eye Bramble Rose collection

Dies:   Sizzix Flowers Branches & Leaves;  Spellbinders Carnation Creations

Pearl stamens:   Wild Orchid Crafts       Pearls:   Recollections       Aster flower:   Prima

Lace corners:   K&Company       Miscellaneous:   buttons, twine, crochet thread, Wilton doily

Thanks for visiting today...I hope your week is going well!

Celebrate...

Happy Monday, everyone!

It's the start of another summery week, with lots of heat and sunshine around here. So today's short and sweet post is a card filled with bright summery colors, perfect for happy birthday wishes...

The large floral cluster sits atop a round die-cut flourish and a gathered piece of lace that seems to cradle it...

Tea-dyed scalloped lace breaks up the front of the card by seeming to fall out from beneath the large flower cluster...and it's accented with more pearls inside the lace flowers...

Supplies:

Patterned papers:   Echo Park This & That/Graceful collection (dot and red damask);  Crate Paper Portrait collection (floral)

Punches:   EK Success Scalloped Sentiment;   Martha Stewart Medium Branch

Dies:   Memory Box Quinn Flourish;   My Favorite Things Royal Leaves

Laces:   TheFunkieJunkie.com       Flowers, pearl stamens:   Wild Orchid Crafts       Pearls:   Recollections

Thanks so much for stopping by...I hope your week is starting with a smile!

Mojo Monday 297

I'm sneaking in an extra card this week... :).  When I saw this week's Mojo Monday sketch, I knew it was one I wanted to make...it was just a matter of making it happen in time...but I made it!

It's another slightly shabby card in aqua and purple, with accents of coral-pink...some of my favorite colors (well, I actually have lots of favorite colors, in case you haven't noticed...ha).

Here's today's card...

I followed this sketch pretty closely...

Mini roses in purple and coral  accent the lower corner of the square frame...

I doubled the banners to the right side, giving them just a little dimension...

To the right of the jeweled heart stick pin, a little piece of crumpled white doily and cheesecloth peek out from the center of the cluster of roses...

Supplies:

Patterned papers:   Prima Nature's Garden collection (purple ledger, pink & purple print), Botanical collection (aqua text)

Dies:   Spellbinders Classic Squares Large and Small;   Sizzix Flowers Branches & Leaves

Lace:   TheFunkieJunkie.com          Flowers:   Wild Orchid Crafts          Pearls:   Recollections

Embellished Maya Road heart stick pin          Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder

Miscellaneous supplies:   cheesecloth, Wilton doily

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit today...I hope you're having a fun weekend!

 

Another Lovely Day...

Happy Friday, all!  The card for today is filled with lots of die-cut edges and layers of die cut frames...all in monochromatic tones of cream and tan...just perfect for several different card occasions - birthday, hello, even a wedding or anniversary card...

Leaves and florals on both sides of the center frames...accented with pearls, of course...  :)

A peek at the inside...the decorative lacy die cut edge is only on the front...the inside has the punched scalloped edging...

Supplies:

Dies:   Spellbinders A2 Scalloped Borders One, Opulent Ovals, Classic Ovals Small, Classic Ovals Large;

Sizzix Flowers Branches & Leaves

Embossing folder:   Cuttlebug Swiss Dots       Sentiment stamp:   Papertrey Ink

Paper flowers:   Wild Orchid Crafts       Stamens:  local craft store       Pearls:   Recollections

Thanks for stopping by today!

Just a (very shabby) Note...

Today's card takes my sometime "slightly shabby" style a little farther down the road to very shabby...heavily distressed edges, soft pale colors, and lots of lacy shabby touches everywhere...

The largest rose started as all white...with a few swipes of a couple different ink pads and a light spritz of water, it now has touches of pinks.  It's surrounded with some gathered cotton crocheted lace and a small clear crystal...

The little aqua tag comes from a set in Janet's ByDigitalPaper shop on Etsy...shabbied up like the larger sentiment tag with distressed edges...

Inside the torn edge along the top, a tiny rose and leaf, and a small twine bow...

Supplies:

Patterned papers:  My Minds Eye Bramble Rose collection (floral); My Minds Eye Tres Jolie/Unique Tiny Dot (green dot);

Prima Botanical collection (cream pattern)

Flowers:   Wild Orchid Crafts and The Paper Studio       Aqua ticket:  ByDigitalPaper on Etsy

Miscellaneous craft store supplies:   twine, crocheted lace, pearl spray, cheesecloth, clear crystal

Thanks for visiting today!

Hello Again...

I took an little unscheduled break from crafting and blogging, but my creative mojo is back stronger than ever...sometimes a little break from the norm is all you need. :)

Today's card is one that's definitely very dimensional, meaning it's probably best delivered by hand, or packed in a small box to accomodate it's thickness.  But it was so fun to make I didn't want to skimp on the flowers and texture. It's more like a mini-collage in card form, in rich burgundy and light green, with a bit of pale pink for accent...

The large flower in the center was made using Spellbinders Grand Peony Creations dies (the two smallest size dies in the set).  The stamens started out white...I spritzed some diluted Distress Inks onto a craft mat, and dipped the group of stamens in randomly to give them some color. It's surrounded with some sweetheart blossoms and wine-colored paper roses, all sitting atop some leafy branch dies that soften the edges of  the scalloped, pearl-trimmed frame...

A couple pearl and silver-embellished stick pins add a little interest to the center of the empty frame...

And finally, a peek at how I finished the inside...

Supplies:

Patterned papers:   Basic Grey Capella collection (floral, green solid);   Prima Tea Thyme collection (pale pink)

Edge punch:   Martha Stewart Double Arches       

Dies:   Spellbinders Lacy Squares, Classic Squares Large, Classic Squares Small, Grand Peony Creations; 

Sizzix Flowers Branches and Leaves

Roses, sweetheart blossoms and stamens:  Wild Orchid Crafts        Mini pearl trim:   SuhaFuha on Etsy

Handcrafted pearl stick pins

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit today...I hope your week is starting with a smile!