A Little Emerald Love

Hey all! I’m popping up with a number I made for this week’s Trigger Tuesday Challenge. In case you didn’t know, emerald is the color of 2013. Initially, I was hesitant to embrace it, but I really love it know. As many of you know, I work in retail and we have a lot of emerald pieces that I love. I would totally recommend picking up a few pieces because I find that it can be a very versatile and neutral color.

I love the inspiration picture that Cath picked for the trigger. I especially love the ruffled top and the floral pattern of the dress. So, for my card, I tried to play that up.

I pulled out what is probably my favorite stamp set, Rosie Posie, and stamped a few blooms. I am sooooo happy that I didn’t get rid of my Jenni Bowlin Seed Packet ink pad. It’s the perfect shade of emerald. And, I also need to thank my dear friends Jess and Sara because if not for them, I would have never bought the huge package of glitter that just so happened to include . . . you guessed it, emerald. Woot, woot!

I made the crepe paper trim myself. I probably went a bit overboard, but I don’t care. For me, sometimes, more is more.

Alright peeps, that’s it for me today! You have about five more days if you want to join in on the fun! Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed day!

 

Floral Hello

Hey there! So, I really didn’t have plans to post this week – my workload is kind of heavy this week, but I didn’t want to leave y’all hanging, so I’m pulling from the archives! Have you’ve ever been in the mall and wondered who dressed the mannequins, did the window displays, and merchandising? Well, people like me. Anyway, enough of that, let’s get to the card!

This is a card I made a while back when I just needed to get something out of my system:

My goal here to make a clean and graphic card. I used what is probably my favorite set ever, Rosie Posie. And, I finally used the Quatrefoil background stamp that I picked up at Hob Lob.

I have standard, top fold A2 base made from True Black. Not something I use often, but this is what popped in my head at the time. The card front is Rustic Cream as are all of the flower die cuts. I stamped the large roses with Real Red ink by Stampin’ Up. The buds and quatrefoil were stamped in Fountain Pen by Jenni Bowlin. I used the Rosie Posie leaves for the die cuts, but I also stamped a different leaf from a Studio G set that I got from Wal-Mart last year. I don’t buy the inexpensive stamps anymore, but I love the leaves in that set. I stamped them using Lucky Limeade ink. Also, the shading you see on the blooms, I did that with a Real Red Stampin’ Write Marker.

I tied a bow using red saddle stitch from Hob Lob. I use this quite a bit – mainly because I love having a pop of color, especially red, but also so that I can order some from Papertrey. I just prefer their ribbon over most others.

I stamped a sentiment from Fillable Frames #1 onto a scrap of True Black and trimmed it with my pinking shears. I highly recommend a pair. I got mine when I worked for Jo-Ann, but they were not expensive at all. I keep telling myself that I need to get another pair to dedicate to ribbon and fabric. And I am convinced that I was a Southern Belle or something in a former life, because I am addicted to pearls! That being the case, I tucked some Melissa Frances pearls in my bouquet of flowers.

I finished the card off with a spritz of Mister Huey Calico Shine from Studio Calico.

As always, I thank you for stopping by! I hope to find some time to create this week, as I have a LOT of ideas that I want to share. Plus, I’ll be working on something special with a dear friend of mine, I’m just waiting on my goodies to come in. Also, the My Creative Time team is giving you all peaks into the different techniques that we use, and the first group started today! You can check that out here. My turn hasn’t come yet, so if there is something I do that you would like to see, LET ME KNOW! I’ve been pricing video cameras, so there are tutorials coming. One reason I stopped was I didn’t like that my camera picked up the noise from itself when I recorded. Anyway, leave a comment below this post, or feel free to email me. Okay, I’ve gone on enough! Have a blessed day!

You’re Still My Sunshine!–MCT Release Day 3

Howdy, howdy creative peeps! We’re on day three of release week. Today we’re all showcasing, Fun Pockets, and, I’m back to what my sister refers to as, “pomp and circumstance.” Also known as layers and bows. God bless that girl.

My affair with clean & simple was lovely and all, but I hope y’all know it was never meant to last. Requires a lot of thinking!

Anyway, so my card today is a bit different, I will totally admit it, but this is what I was feeling so I went with it. It sort of evolved into what you see here. I started off by stamping the sun image from the set with my Jenni Bowlin Fountain Pen ink. I inked around the eyes because honestly, they scare me. I then colored the sun with my Prismacolor markers. I used a combination of yellows, red, and orange, but for those that have Copics, I think the YR family would be the way to go.

Since it’s Spring, I decided that I would make my denim, “white,” but with my inking we’ll just say they’re off white, lol. I used my Imagine to print out two patterns from the Hopscotch Pattern cartridge. I died cut the scalloped tag from the cloud paper and I backed it with another tag cut from Vintage Cream. I adhered them and, did a bit of inking with Antique Linen Distress ink.

That’s all I can explain, the rest just kind of came together and did a few things to make what I was doing make more sense to me. I wanted to use the green seam binding that I got from the wonderful Liz. (You can shop her store here: Liz's Paper Loft Boutique.) The only thing I did add for design purposes was the pinking sheared orange cardstock strip because I felt like I needed a bit of balance – you know, the visual triangle stuff.

Oh, and I think my bow looks like a butterfly. :)

This wouldn't be a party w/o GIVEAWAYS!

With all of our SAMPLES/ SNEAKS this week, Emma likes to do some FUN giveaways!

All you have to do is leave comments on our blogs! You do NOT have to comment on every blog, BUT if you do, you will just have more chances to win!

SPREAD THE WORD TO THE WORLD ON FACEBOOK about this release & whatever connections you may have! Let us know on "My Creative Time's" FB page here http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/My-Creative-Time/364568506334 that you did so! OR you can just tag me in your post!

Emma will randomly pick & announce all winners on Friday, May 18th during the blog hop  @ 12:01am PST in her video! GOOD LUCK!

Log onto to your Facebook now & lets start spreading word!;)

Thanks for coming by! Have a blessed day!

Congratulations Grad–MCT Release Week Day 2

Hey there! Welcome to day 2 of the May release week festivities. So, after yesterday’s card went so well, I decided that I would try to continue my clean & simple thing because it truly is a challenge for me.

We’re all showcasing, Here’s Lookin’ at You!, and I must say that if you need to add a set with a great simple and masculine font, then this is for you. Emma covered pretty much any word we use to refer to males.

Since we’re smack in the middle of May and June is around the corner, I decided to make a graduation themed card. I started with a  Kraft A2 card base. And, I wavered between using brown or black ink for my sentiments. Generally speaking, I don’t use a lot of black ink for sentiments. My go to is usually Stampin’ Up’s Early Espresso, but I feel like black ink makes a much bolder statement on a CAS card.

I used my grid mat and a ruler to draw a straight line to use a starting point for my sentiments. I used three different sentiment stamps on my card. I have found that preplanning is paramount when making clean cards. After drawing my line in pencil, I stamped, “congratulations,” from Gift Card Sentiments. I then stamped, “grad,” and, “you’re simply the BEST!,” from Here’s Lookin’ at You!

Now, here’s the deal, I had absolutely no trouble stamping the sentiments. But, I messed up on stamping the cap FOUR times! After I finally got it right, I took the card back to my score board and scored lines a fourth of an inch in on each side.

This wouldn't be a party w/o GIVEAWAYS!

With all of our SAMPLES/ SNEAKS this week, Emma likes to do some FUN giveaways!

All you have to do is leave comments on our blogs! You do NOT have to comment on every blog, BUT if you do, you will just have more chances to win!

SPREAD THE WORD TO THE WORLD ON FACEBOOK about this release & whatever connections you may have! Let us know on "My Creative Time's" FB page here http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/My-Creative-Time/364568506334 that you did so! OR you can just tag me in your post!

Emma will randomly pick & announce all winners on Friday, May 18th during the blog hop  @ 12:01am PST in her video! GOOD LUCK!

Log onto to your Facebook now & lets start spreading word!;)

 

Thanks for stopping by! As always, have a blessed day!

A Sight for Sore Eyes!–MCT Release Week Day 1

Hello crafty friends! I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day. Kicking off the week with a bonafide clean and simple card. It’s something I’ve tried in the past, but I hated the result so I would start over. It’s not my normal thing, but I actually like what I made today!

Today the team is showcasing What’s Growing On? The set is full of super cute sentiments and phrases and a coordinating set of dies.

My card today was sort of inspired by my sunglasses. I have a pair of Ray Ban Wayfarers and even though mine are tortoise shell, I know they can be purchased in practically any color one’s heart desires.

The base of my card is Soft Stone. It’s a nice light gray and I have to say that it has quickly become one of my go to neutrals. I diecut the glasses from Lemon Tart and Aqua Mist from Papertrey, and Melon Mambo from Stampin’ Up. My sentiment was stamped with Jenni Bowlin Fountain Pen – another new edition to my ink arsenal and I like it. I finished it by using the half inch setting on my Corner Chomper to round the bottom corners.

This wouldn't be a party w/o GIVEAWAYS!

With all of our SAMPLES/ SNEAKS this week, Emma likes to do some FUN giveaways!

All you have to do is leave comments on our blogs! You do NOT have to comment on every blog, BUT if you do, you will just have more chances to win!

SPREAD THE WORD TO THE WORLD ON FACEBOOK about this release & whatever connections you may have! Let us know on "My Creative Time's" FB page here http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/My-Creative-Time/364568506334 that you did so! OR you can just tag me in your post!

Emma will randomly pick & announce all winners on Friday, May 18th uring the blog hop  @ 12:01am PST in her video! GOOD LUCK!

Log onto to your Facebook now & lets start spreading word!;)

Thanks for stopping by! As always, have a blessed day!

Throwback Thursday–Emma’s Surprise Birthday Blog Hop!

Hey there! I hope everyone is having a great week! Today is Emma’s birthday, so the team conspired and decided to convert our Throwback Thursday Challenge into a Birthday Blog Hop! So, hopefully you’ve made your way here from the wonderful Tracy’s blog. If not, start at My Creative Time and make your way around.

Since it is Throwback Thursday, I did something I felt like I haven’t done in FOREVER . . .

. . . used my freaking Cricut! Is it bad that I don’t remember the last time I cut an actual image?

So, the rules for this edition of TT is still the same most weeks- use an older Cricut cartridge, but since we are celebrating Emma’s birthday this month, the additional challenge for this week is to make a birthday themed project using either cake, balloons, or a party hat.

My image comes from Simply Charmed. I used my Gypsy because I decided to hide some of the contours. I figured I would either stamp or emboss the frosting portion (I ended up doing both!) so I completely hid the smiling face.

My patterned papers are from the DCWV Celebration Stack. My card base is New Leaf and the other cardstock I used is open stock from Hobby Lobby. I did ink around the edges of the ivory mat and grid patterned paper with my Jenni Bowlin Chicken Feed ink. Initially, I didn’t plan to ink anything, but I think I have a thing about stark lines and edges.

My sentiment is actually a pre-sneak peek week peek (Say that five times fast!). We have a new birthday set that I love and one of the sentiments fit perfectly into the tag die from Teeny Tag Greetings. I stamped it and the polka dots from the Build A Banner Kit with Strawberry ink from Impress Rubber Stamps.

*Giveaway Details*

There are THREE giveaways associated with today’s post. Given that this is the last Throwback Thursday before our normal, “release week,” you have the opportunity to win the entire release if you upload a project to Mr. Linky on Emma’s blog. Also, because of Emma’s Birthday, she is also going to select one lucky person to receive a Cuttlebug!!

In celebration of Emma’s birthday,  one lucky person will have the opportunity to win a stamp set and die package! All you have to do is comment on each person’s blog!

I tried to keep is short and sweet, so I hope that made sense!

Hop Line Up

Micia

Amy

Cassandra

Cathryn

Cindy B.

Cindy L.

Glora

Jeanne

Katie

Kim

Leanne

Liz

Nancy

Nikki

Rosy

Ruthie

Shar

Tracy

Trell (You are here!)

Sorry for the epically long post! We’d love for you to enter the TT challenge! I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with. Also, please go by Emma’s blog and wish her a Happy Birthday! There could be another prize to a lucky person (wink wink!)! That’s all for me. Have a blessed day!

Happy Graduation–MCT Sneak Peaks Day #2

Happy Tuesday everyone and welcome to day two of the My Creative Time January release sneaks. Emma has put together another great release this month. Getting right into it, I have a card to share with you all using More Gift Card Sentiments.

I knew I wanted to make a card with a fresh color combination. I’ve been really feeling yellow and blue as of late, and I didn’t want to make another vintage looking card. I used patterned paper from the A Walk in the Park collection from Echo Park as the starting point, and from there, I decided that I wanted to use a butterfly somewhere. The orange scalloped border strip is from the collection’s element sticker sheet. and I purchased the felt butterflies from the Spring seasonal isle at Hobby Lobby last year.

My card base is your standard A2. It’s Recollections Kraft. I trimmed the blue patterned mat to 4” x 5.25.” The yellow label die cut is a stock image from my Cricut Imagine. It’s Lemon Tart from Papertrey Ink. I’ve had that color for quite a while, but I’ve been reluctant to use it because I wanted the ribbon to coordinate with the cardstock. I ordered the ribbon on Sunday night and I can’t wait until it comes in. The green mat is from the Echo Park collection and the labels are cut at 3” and 2.8” respectively. I stamped my sentiment with Chicken Feed dye ink from Jenni Bowlin. I love her inks, the cover great and the colors are amazing. I used my Crop-a-Dile to punch a hole on the left side of the sentiment banner and I tied a bow with some yellow gingham Offray ribbon.

Since cash is a normal gift for graduates, I thought it would be a great idea to use the Embossed Gift Card Holder as a pocket to keep the bills secure. Unfortunately, I don’t have any cash on my person to demonstrate this. I‘m 100% committed to using my debit card and pretty much the only time I get cash is when I get my hair cut. My mom fusses at me all the time about it. Anyway, I digress! I used Gift Card Sentiments to stamp on the gift card holder, and I used more of the scalloped border sticker and a flower to dress it up a little.

Sneak Peek Giveaway Time!
With all of our Sneak Peek weeks, Emma likes to do some FUN giveaways!

All you have to do is leave comments on our blogs! You do NOT have to comment on every blog, BUT if you do, you will just have more chances to win!

SPREAD THE WORD TO THE WORLD ON FACEBOOK about this release & whatever connections you may have! Let us know on "My Creative Time's" FB page here http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/My-Creative-Time/364568506334 that you did so! OR you can just tag me in your post!

Emma will randomly pick & announce all winners on Friday, January 21st during this AWESOME release happening @ 12:01am PST in her video! GOOD LUCK!

Log onto to your Facebook now & let start spreading word!;)

That’s all for me, but I will be back on Thursday. Have a blessed day!

Favorite Stamp of the Month

Hello everyone. I hope everyone is having an awesome week. It’s still gloomy here, and I think that we’re supposed to get a little snow today. The new year brings changes, and one of the changes that we’re having at My Creative Time is the Favorite Stamp of the Month. On specific Thursdays of every month the team is going to focus on an older stamp set and Emma is going to offer the set a a discounted price. This month’s set is, “You Had Me at Chocolate.”

If you own this stamp set, we would LOVE to see ANY projects you have made OR any NEW projects using this stamp set! My Creative Time is having a, "You Had Me At Chocolate," Link Party! Please link up your projects HERE to Mr. Linky on My Creative Time's page! If you do NOT own this set, it's your LUCKY day because it is on sale right now: HERE! Go pick up your set before they sell out!  We are ALL looking forward to seeing your projects!;)

I’ve had a desire to make a black, white, and red Valentine’s card for a few days now. It’s the idea that just seems to be at the forefront and I find that I have to make whatever project that is before I can move on to other things. My goal for this year is to also try my hand at making cards that are more simple.

My card base is from a sheet of patterned paper by DCWV. It’s called Dancing Polka Dot, and I bought it open stock, but it’s also in the All Dressed Up stack. It’s a 12” x 12” sheet that I trimmed to 4.25” x 11” and scored at 5.5.” I used my Scallop Sentiment punch to put a scalloped border on a scrap piece of red cardstock. I added a thin black mat and a piece of cream that was an eighth of an inch smaller. The red heart is the stitched heart from the 100% Sweetness stamp set. I used my Jenni Bowlin Malted Milk ink to stamp my sentiment on the cream cardstock to create sort of a patterned paper. And I stamped it once in Real Red. To finish it off, I tied a bow with some black grosgrain.

That is all for me today. Next week is Sneak Peak week – the first of 2012 and I am so excited to share the new things Emma has come up with! Thanks for coming by and have a wonderfully blessed day!

MCT 12 Days of Christmas ~ Day #5

Hey there! If you arrived here from Tracy’s amazing blog, you’re on the right track. If not, start at Emma’s blog here: My Creative Time.

For my project today, I decided to do a tag. Something very new to me, but I’m very pleased with the result.

My tag was cut from Plantin Schoolbook and I sized it to 6” with my Gypsy. I used my Gypsy to hide the hole that cuts out because it would have been too large. The base of my tag is Paper Studio Ivory cardstock. I LOVE their ivory, but I wish it were thicker. I used my Background Basics:Houndstooth stamp from Papertrey Ink and Real Red ink from Stampin’ Up to stamp the background. And then I distressed the edges with Jenni Bowlin Malted Milk, AND Vintage Photo Distress ink.

The poinsettia was cut with the Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia die set. So, so in love with this. I’m pretty sure that it will be seen again. It’s kind of hard to find, but It was well worth it. Poinsettias are the quintessential Christmas flower, so you could use it every year.

I used my Curly Label Die and the sentiment, “Jingle Bell Rock!”, from Mixed Holiday Sentiments. I love this set. I think it’s a must have. I haven’t even used all of the Christmas/winter sentiments yet. I try my best to not repeat sentiments. But that may just be me. I inked my stamp with VersaMark Dazzle and use gold Zing embossing powder from American Crafts. Added some cheap, and I mean CHEAP, green rhinestones to finish it off. I wanted to, “frame,” the sentiment, so I took some dark green grosgrain and pleated it. And I used my sewing machine with brown thread to finish it off. Totally not necessarily, but I’m just trying new things!

***12 Days of Christmas Give Away Alert***

To qualify for ALL the AMAZING giveaways for the next 12 days, you must comment on every blog in this hop! You will have until Tues, Dec 13th @ midnight to have all of your comments in! VERY IMPORTANT, PLEASE LEAVE A WAY FOR US TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE WINNER'S!

There are some AMAZING giveaways for this special 12 day event & some SURPRISES to help celebrate "My Creative Time's" One Year Anniversary! Yep, Emma released her 1st set of stamps one year ago! So make sure you are tuned in because this is ONE hop you do NOT want to miss!;)

Blog Hop Line-up:

Emma

Cassandra

Cathryn

Cindy

Jeanne

Katie

Leanne

Linsey

Liz

Nancy

Nikki

Ruthie

Shar

Tracy

Trell (you’re here)

Veronica (Next stop, and she is AWESOME!)

I have a very sweet post planned for tomorrow! Thanks for coming by. Have an amazing and blessed day!

November Harvest – Celebrate the Occasion

Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend and that THIS week is off to a great start for you!

It’s team 2’s turn this week at Celebrate the Occasion, and our challenge this week is a make a Thanksgiving card and use a button. And this is what I came up with.

My card base is a standard A2 and is Papertrey Ink New Leaf. My patterned mat is Vintage Cream and measures 4” x 5.25.” I used a Studio G stamp set from the dollar bin at Wal-Mart, as well as a Stampabilities set from Hobby Lobby called Fall Holidays to create the background. My inks are from Stampin’ Up (Lucky Limeade, Cherry Cobbler, and Chocolate Chip) and Jenni Bowlin (Malted Milk).

The pumpkin die cuts are from my Imagine. Once again, I used one of the stock images come preloaded on the machine. I really need to start using the carts that I continue to shell out money for. Anyway, the Orange Zest pumpkin was cut at 2.4” and I embossed it using the Perfectly Paisley Cuttlebug folder. The middle pumpkin was filled with a pattern from my go to cart, Ancestry, and is sized at 2.5.” I inked the edges with Tea Dye Distress ink. My last pumpkin was cut at 2 from Vintage Cream cardstock. I stamped the polka dots with Tangelo ink from Memento. I adhered the orange pumpkin directly to my card. I used dimensional adhesive to adhere the largest pumpkin, And the smallest pumpkin was adhered with a combination of both. I stamped my sentiment in Chocolate Chip ink on Vintage Cream cardstock and used my scissors to trim it. I adhered it to my card with dimensional adhesive as well. To finish off my card, I took some brown bakers twine from Martha Stewart and a Autumn Mix button from Papertrey Ink.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a blessed day!