Pinwheel Birthday

Hello crafty peeps! I have a super special post for today. My former DT boss, Emma, invited me to guest design for her and I was more than happy to oblige!

We’re going to think of today as a bit of a Technique Tuesday. One of the most difficult things I can think of is mixing patterned papers. So, my card today will hopefully show you how you can mix different patterns cohesively.

I’m going to throw out a disclaimer, however. I am not a graphic designer so I can’t honestly say that I have special training that makes me an expert. I studied Interior Design,  so my pattern and color usage is influenced by that.

All of the papers  used are from the Dear Lizzy Neapolitan line. I bought it LAST year at Archivers and this is the first time I used it. My overall goal was to make a fun and bright card. Something a little outside of my comfort zone -  because my style is generally very shabby and vintage inspired.

The great thing about using a collection is that the color mixing is done for you. And, generally, the patterns will have a lot of built in coordination. I decided to choose four papers from the collection. I chose the wood grain chevron, green grid, and gray dotted papers because I wanted the banner pattern to provide the pop of color. None of them work against each other. They all kind of peacefully coexist because I used the right patterns in the right amounts.

Also, I left a lot of white space around the sentiment. Even though the pinwheel is a rather large embellishment. It doesn’t take the eye away from the sentiment. I think a lot of people would have used ink to splatter the sentiment card because the pinwheel had splatters. Doing so would have been a mistake because the pinwheel would have disappeared into a sea of ink splotches. Instead, I took some enamel dots and placed them around the sentiment to further define it and draw the eye in. And, in a way, you could imagine them as extensions of the ink spots flying from the pinwheel.

Supplies

Patterned Paper: Dear Lizzy Neapolitan by American Crafts.

Stamps: Journal It and Floral Sentiments from My Creative Time.

Cardstock: Stamper’s Select White.

Ink: Versamark. Mister Huey spray ink in Taxi, Water Cooler, and Boss Lady.

Embellishments: Rustic Twine from Papertrey Ink. Enamel dots and decorative brad from My Mind’s Eye.

Other: Corner Chomper by We R Memory Keepers. Apricot Zing embossing powder by American Crafts

Alrighty, before I let you hop away, I have a giveaway sponsored by Ms. Emma! I have a set from Emma’s last release that I just love! It’s called Life is Good, and I plan to use it in my Project Life album. All you need to do to win is leave me a comment here with a way for me to contact you. You’re not required to follow me or anything else. I will take comments up until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, June 13th. Easy peasy!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I wish you all a very blessed day, and good luck!!

Victorian Halloween

Good day wonderful people! I have another one of my vintage numbers to share with you all today. As I type this, I have the urge to add some glitter to it, but what’s done is done!

Okay, so I challenged myself to make a Halloween card without using traditional colors, and to also use some of the things that I’ve been hoarding. I’ve been on a bit of a, I need to buy this and this and that phase, and, I have to kind of lay off the buying because I’m going on vacation in November. Moving on!

For the first time in a long time, I made an odd sized card. The base is Sweet Blush and measures 3.75” x 5.5.” I basically made an A2 and shaved half an inch off. That keeps you from wasting cardstock.

All of the patterned papers are for Colorbok. I bought the Victorian Parlour 8” x 8” pad and the die cut accents from Jo-Ann this summer. Basically, I just picked some patterns that coordinated, starting with a brown scroll type pattern. I stamped Background Basics: Sheet Music with Crumb Cake ink on the pink doily paper. I wanted something a bit subtle. I stitched the papers together and then adhered them to the base.

I found some new (Well, new to me!) doilies at Jo-Ann a few weeks ago, and it' wouldn’t be one of my cards if I didn’t use one, so I took one out and gave it a misting with Boss Lady Mr. Huey spray mist from Studio Calico. Again, trying to bring in the pink more. Ohh, I did ink the doily with Antique Linen and just the tiniest amount of Vintage Photo Distress ink because white would have ben too stark for this card. I rarely, if ever, use white cardstock. When I do, you will know it!

From there, I adhered a large rose die cut and then I layered on the vintage postcard I printed from Beatriz Jennings Etsy shop. A little more stitching – to fully secure it. I added a little pearl flourish from Recollections across the bottom. I used some trim on the edge of the card. I really love this stuff. I need to get it in more colors.

To finish it up, I made a bow from natural jute ribbon and seam binding from Liz’s Paperloft Boutique. I glued one of the butterfly die cuts from the collection in the center. If you look closely, the little girl on the postcard is holding Jack – O – Lantern, so I found the perfect sentiment in All Around Halloween from My Creative Time. I stamped it with Soft Suede ink from Stampin Up. The very last touch was to swipe my Fresh Ink Paper White ink pad to soften the hard edges of the card. I decided to do this instead of Distressing it with Antique Linen. I wanted it to stay kind of light.

Thanks for stopping by! 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!

Tree-mendous Wishes

It’s beginning to look a lot like . . . summer. Cause I live in Alabama and it’s hotter than a box of firecrackers on the Fourth of July. Anyway, I welcome you on this great Wednesday!

I have a quick Christmas card to share with you today. I was trying to make it vintage, yet fun.

For today’s card, I wanted to incorporate a little more stamping –because that’s what I mainly consider myself to be these days, a stamper. And, one of my favorite things to do is stamp onto die cuts. In this case, Cricut cuts. I stamped on the lighter green cut with my Just Jeans stamp from Stampin’ Up.

I totally winged this card. With the exception of the Kraft base an the Christmas tree cut from Winter Frolic, the rest just kind of came to me as I was creating. Just to let you all know where I was going, the Christmas tree is basically a vintage pin. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. When I cut the tree, the little circle that are meant to be balls were incredibly tiny. But no matter, I grabbed my Melissa Frances pearls and colored a few with my markers, problem solved. A little Crystal Stickles and my little tree was complete. The button card stamp is from Button Boutique and I stamped it with Real Red ink.

Standard card base, no need for reinventing the wheel today. Continuing the theme, of the week, my pattern papers are from the Echo Park Merry Christmas Collection. The green polka dot measured 4” x 3,” and the stripe is 4” x 2.25.” Adhered them with a small amount of ATG – just enough in the center so they won’t shift while sewing. By the way, I use Coats & Clark thread for all of my sewing. While I had my machine out, I stitched some lace over the seam where the papers met.

Once I added the lace, I figured I might as well keep with the fabric/texture theme, so I stitched some burlap with Liz’s Boutique onto a scrap of Vintage Cream cardstock. Initially, I was going to distress the edges, but I decided to trim it with my pinking shears to match the little paper sack I used. Which reminds me . . .  Before I stitched the burlap, I used Background Basics: Houndstooth to stamp on a Canvas Corp bag. I used Stampin’ Up’s Soft Suede ink. Words cannot describe how much I love that color. Love it. I know some of you are thinking, Trell, it’s just brown. Errr, no it’s not, so there!

From there I tied a bow with some red seam binding, because everything is better with a bow. I adhered the bag and the button card to the card with red line tape. I have found that I like to use it because it has such a strong hold. Anyway, I stamped my sentiment from My Creative Time’s newest sets, It’s a Magical Season, onto a negative from a frame that I kept. I know it’s on Elegant Edges. The main cut is a postage note frame.

To finish it off, I inserted a corsage pin into the bow, and inked around the card with Antique Linen Distress ink and a little Soft Suede.

Thanks for stopping by and leaving such wonderful comments. Have a blessed day!

Best Witches

Hello beautiful people! I hope your week is off to a great start. Mine definitely is, thank you the the awesome comments yesterday, I really appreciate them!

How about a little vintage Halloween number today? What’s that? Yes? Well, I will surely oblige!

Believe it or not, I don’t really celebrate Halloween. I do love Thanksgiving and Christmas though. Anyway, this came together better than I could have ever imagined. I am in love with silhouettes. I think they are classy and elegant, and when I was planning my projects, I knew I wanted to cover the witch with some Martha Stewart glitter.

I was shopping around for vintage/shabby crafting supplies and I came across some crepe paper trim. So, a light bulb went off and I thought, I bet I could make my own. And that I did. Super economical. I bought five colors for $6.45 – a total deal. I do regret not picking up the purple though. But, I will be making a trip back to Hob Lob this week so I might pick it up then. I used my sewing machine to stitch six strips of crepe paper together, and then I just cut it with my scissors. Really easy.

So, my card is a standard A2 – True Black from Papertrey. I adhered some of that star paper that I printed from the Teresa Collins Black & White Pattern cart to the bottom. It measured about 4.25” x 2.25” – the width matters more than the height because it will be covered. The top portion of the card is a piece of Stampin’ Up! Wisteria Wonder that I stamped with my acanthus background stamp. I inked up with Versamark Dazzle in Frost and embossed with clear embossing powder. It measures 3.75” x 2.25.” I cut a 4.25” x ,” strip from a diagonal stripe I found in the My Mind’s Eye Mischievous pad. And the vintage bingo card is a printable that I purchased on Etsy. It comes as a 8.5” x 11,” sheet and I trimmed them out. I inked it with Wild Honey & Black Soot Distress inks. I should mention that everything is sewed to the card, with the exception of the bingo card, I used some red liner tape to adhere it.

I tied a bow with some seam binding that I purchased from Liz’s Paperloft Boutique. I like mine crinkled. I found the frame and silhouette on the Happy Haunting Art Cartridge. Again, I tend to use my Gypsy whenever I cut, so shoot me a line if you want the file, but they were cut at 3.75.” I sprayed them with adhesive and covered them with Onyx and Sterling glitter from Martha Stewart.

Confession, I made a bit of an oopsie when I was sewing, so that is why there are buttons on the card. They are Papertrey and are stitched directly to the card with orange embroidery floss.

My sentiment is from My Creative Time’s new Treats For My Sweet stamp set. I stamped with Onyx Black Versafine ink. I stamped it on one of my favorite Cricut cuts from Plantin Schoolbook. I just love the shape of that tag. The pointed end helps it tuck nicely under the button when I secured them. Last touch was a little inking with my Slate inkpad from Impress.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a blessed day!

Papertrey Ink July Blog Hop

Okay, so I haven’t posted a card in ages. Basically, I’ve been quite the worker bee and I also might have had a fire in the backyard during the first week of the month that burned my cable lines. So yeah, but no matter, I have a card I quickly made once I got home from work today!!

I was finally able to order the dies that coordinate with Pretty Peonies, and I cannot be happier. I have said this before, but I am not a good fussy cutter. I also ordered like 4 new stamp sets! Might not sound like a lot, but homeboy here is on a budget and I can’t drop major dollars at Papertrey every month. I digress!

I trimmed a piece of Rustic Cream, which I am in love with, I cannot stress that enough, to 3.75” x 5.” I started off by stamping the solid peony from Pretty Peonies with Cameo Coral and Calypso Coral inks from Stampin’ Up. The yellow peony was stamped with Chamomile Fresh Ink from Impress.

Next, I stamped the largest leaf cluster from The Sweet Life with Lucky Limeade ink. I then went back in with the small cluster to fill in, but I did some stamping off and generational stamping to give my pattern more dimension and depth.

My third step was to use the medallion building stamps from Lovely Layers. I guess I should have mentioned this earlier, but I was kind of going for a vintage fabric kind of look. Anyway, I stamped the medallion with Mango and Chamomile from Impress, and Calypso Coral. After that I used the two small flower images from the Strawberry Patch set to fill in.

I don’t know if this shows up in the pictures, but my the last thing I did was stamp the entire background with my Stampin’ Up Just Jeans background stamp. I inked it with Antique Linen Distress ink just to give it the slightest bit of texture, and to again, bring out that fabric look. I inked the edges with more Antique Linen and a little Tea Dye. I used my edge distresser tool to roughen up the edges and then I crumpled it up into a ball a few times. It’s all about texture people!

The rest of the card came together pretty easily. I attached my stamped background to a Kraft card base. I took it to my sewing machine and by the Grace of God, I had brown thread in my machine, so I went with it.

I diecut the frame from Lemon Tart cardstock and the butterfly from Kraft. I then ran the butterfly back through my machine with the woodgrain impression plate. I tied a bow with some Berry Sorbet grosgrain and adhered the frame and butterfly with dimensional adhesive. I embellished the butterfly with my Melissa Frances pearls, because I just can’t help myself, and that is was it.

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you all a blessed day!

Gingham and Toile

Hey there! It’s been a while since I posted a card just because I was inspired to create. That’s not to say that I’m not inspired with my other cards, but the card that I made for today is very good testament to who I am and to my favorite style.

Before I share my card, I’d like to share some inspiration photos that I found while Pinteresting:

Gideon Mendelson Design via Design Chic

Credit

Ginger Barber via Cote de Texas

As I have mentioned before, my first love is interior design. One of these days I hope to spend my time designing beautiful spaces as well as cards! I’m pretty patient, and I am sure God has a greater plan than I can even imagine.

A few months ago, I ordered a Papertrey Ink set that I had wish-listed, Button Boutique, and I was finally able to put it to use.  I combined it with Background Basics: Gingham, and some toile Paper Studio paper from Hobby Lobby to design this shabby card:

So, I have to confess that I have a total love affair with felt. It’s not the most luxurious of fabrics, but I love that it adds a bit of a soft texture to my projects. I will say that the non-synthetic variety is better for die cutting, but for uses like my button card, my craft felt worked fine. By the way, I used the Scalloped Circle die from My Creative Time to make my flower. The buttons are from Papertrey Ink.

I will say that I deviated from my normal process when I made this card. Since my flower was made previously, I started by stamping the gingham pattern onto a strip of Lemon Tart. Yellow is one of my most favorite colors – especially soft yellow. When it is the right shade, it can be incredibly neutral.

Next, I trimmed my toile paper. The sizing came to be about 4” x 2.5” – my focus was on the imagery within the pattern. I knew I wanted that particular vignette. Then I cut a strip of Aqua Mist – actually, it might have been a scrap, but I embossed it with the Perfectly Paisley Cuttlebug folder. Starting with my patterned paper, I adhered them all directly to a Spring Moss card base. I stitched the seam between the papers with red Coats & Clark thread. I then went back and stitched around the border with my normal cream thread (also Coats & Clark – I will only use that or Güttermann).

To soften the edges and give the card a bit of a weathered look, I took a foam brush and swiped on some vanilla paint from Jo-Ann. I then cut a Wilton doily in half and adhered it over the embossed portion. After that I ruffled some Antique White Offray grosgrain ribbon over were it met the gingham portion and went back it with my sewing machine to add a zigzag detail.

My button card was stamped with Early Espresso ink from Stampin’ Up! I don’t have the coordinating die at the moment, so I used my trimmer to trim it, and I then adhered it to a piece of Aqua Mist. And I then adhered that with a little Beacon’s 3-in-1 to my felt. Back to the sewing machine with red thread for a little stitching! More vanilla paint, some brown baker’s twine from Liz’s Paperloft Boutique, and my flower completed it!

I really love how it came together! Thanks for stopping by. Have a blessed day!

MCT Sneak Peak–Day #3

Hello everyone! It’s day three of the April release week and I am so thrilled to show you the card that I made for today. I am back to my normal style, but I tried to up the ante a bit. 

When I found out the theme for this month’s release, I envisioned a shabby grayed out backdrop for a flower and this is what I came up with.  Now, I don’t think I did anything groundbreaking, but prior to this, I wouldn’t have gone near acrylic paint. But I’ll start at the beginning.

My color inspiration came from the Howdy Doody Collection from My Mind’s Eye. It’s composed of soft greens, pinks, cream, and grays. So, first, I brought out my Scallop and Stitched Circle Die set and diecut a circle and four scalloped circles in Baby Pink felt. The circle is the base of the flower, and to make the “petals” I folded the scalloped circles in half twice and hand sewed them to the circle. In this instance, I did them by hand, but you could also add a bit more detail by machine stitching. To complete the flower, I threaded a Vintage Cream button from Papertrey with their rustic jute button twine, and glued it to the center.

I impressed a 3.75” x 5” piece of Soft Stone with my woodgrain impression plate. Next, I adhered it to a Sweet Blush mat and embellished it by adding some lace and trim. I then added my piece of painted cardboard (I used Gray, Robin’s Egg, and Vanilla acrylic paint from Jo-Ann.).

The set that my sentiment came from is Floral Sentiments. I diecut an XL Label from Rustic Cream cardstock and stamped it with one of the coordinating borders using Angel Pink ink. I then stamped my sentiment, “With Love,” in VersaMark Dazzle and embossed it with Pewter Zing embossing powder. I trimmed the label in half and it adhered it above the cardboard towards the right of the card front. I tied a bow around the card front with Aqua Mist twill and then I adhered it to an A2 Aqua Mist base.

The finishing touch was to add some diecut felt leaves and my flower. I also swiped some white pigment ink around the edges of the base.

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 Thursday, April 19th during the Stamp Release Blog Hop  happening @ 12:01am PST in her video! GOOD LUCK!

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

I am so glad you stopped by my blog! Have a blessed day!

My Creative Time March Blog Hop!

Hey everyone! It’s been a super busy week, but I’m back with a card to celebrate the March release! If you came to my blog from the wonderful and talened Tracy’s, then you are doing great, if not, start here: My Creative Time.

I decided to go vintage with my card for today. I’ve been trying to work with color palettes outside of my normal box and I have to say that I just love the little touch of turquoise. against the richness of the dark red, I think it makes for an interesting card.

My card is Vintage Cream and is a standard A2. I have a mat of Hawaiian Shores and patterned paper from a Paper Studio pad called The Classics. Lots of timeless patterns and I think it was around ten bucks. Totally worth it. I sewed those together with my sewing machine and some cream thread. I then inked the edges with Antique Linen and Walnut Stain Distress Inks. I used my blending tool and I used the Walnut Stain very sparingly. I didn’t want to overdo it.

I cut the stamp shape from Elegant Edges at 3.75”. I used the wonderful background Emma designed from Coffee Backgrounds and stamped it with Versamark. Initially I was going to leave it plain, but I decided on a whim to go ahead and clear emboss it. I then took the same Distress inks to my stamp mat. My to-go cup is from the AWESOME Coffee Break Set. I diecut it in Vintage Cream and stamped the sleeve with the polka dot background with Cherry Cobbler ink from Stampin’ Up. I love this red. Love it. I inked my cup as well. 

I tied a bow using some Offray grosgrain, one of my favorites. I adhered the stamp mat with my thicker dimensional adhesive dots at an angle, and I adhered the cup with Stampin’ Dimensionals. I stamped my sentiment from You Are Perk-fect on a piece of Vintage Cream with the same Cherry Cobbler ink.

***** BLOG HOP GIVEAWAYS *****

For the BLOG HOP giveaway each one of us will be giving away a brand new Release Echo Park 6x6 pad of paper! All you have to do is leave a comment and a way for the DT member to contact you if you should win. Each designer will be using RANDOM.ORG to pick the lucky winner. Emma and Each Designer will announce their winners on THEIR blogs on Wednesday March 21. So remember you have 16 chances to win! ! All you have to do is leave a comment on ALL blogs for more chances :) 
EASY PEASY!!! GOOD LUCK;)

Blog Hop Line-up

Emma~ http://www.creativetimeforme.com/

Amy ~ http://www.scrappingmommy.com/

Cassandra ~ http://www.ctimz3.blogspot.com/

Cathryn ~  http://inthepinkcathryn.blogspot.com/

Cindy ~ http://cindylee77.blogspot.com/

Glora ~ http://glorascrafts.blogspot.com/

Jeanne ~ http://www.jeannespapercrafts.com/

Katie ~ http://www.craftingwithkatie.com/

Kim ~ http://www.scrapinmomofoneinspiringlittleboy.blogspot.com/

Nikki ~ http://scrappinnavywife.blogspot.com/

Rosy ~ http://sweetdelightspapernmore.blogspot.com/

Shar ~ http://scrapendipity.blogspot.com/

Tracy ~ http://tracyscricutcorner.blogspot.com/

Trell ~ http://polkadotsandpaint.blogspot.com/

Veronica ~ http://www.vkcreate.blogspot.com/

Micia ~ http://yellowbirdcreation.blogspot.com

Thanks so much for coming by! See you for the Imagine challenge on Monday. Have a blessed weekend!!

Monday Madness . . . Imagine That!

What’s up crafty peeps! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. We have beautiful weather here and I spent the entire weekend in the house or at my job. Go me.

I have a card to share with you all today. I’ve been trying to stick with spring colors and themes, so this is what I came up with. I think people will begin to notice that I use butterflies quite often. I can’t help it. I puffy heart butterflies. Sue me.

The jumping point for the card was the floral patterned paper. I printed the patterned from Imagine More Cards and I used the one of the pre-sized rectangles so the patterned would be suitably scaled for a landscape oriented card. My card base is Lemon Tart and the mat is Hawaiian Shores.

I used the color palette from Imagine More Cards to fill the label image. I stamped the green label with the Chicken Wire background stamp from Spring Chicken Backgrounds with French Blue Colorbox chalk ink. I stamped my sentiment from Happy Hunting on the yellow label with Wisteria chalk ink and adhered it to the green label with dimensional adhesive.

Initially, I was going to tie the bow around the card layers underneath the doily, but decided that it looked better tied around the label. I was kind of going for an accent of purple. By the way, I used Plum Pudding twill tape from Papertrey Ink. People always comment on my bows and I will say that just knowing how to tie is bow is one part of the equation. The other is having a decent quality ribbon. The Papertrey twill is wonderful to work with – but my favorite is definitely saddle stitch.  Love!

The butterfly is a cut from Storybook and I used Imagine More Cards to fill it with a pattern. It was adhered directed to the label with liquid adhesive.  

That’s it for me today. Thanks for coming by. Have a blessed day!

MCT February Release Blog Hop

Hello everyone! If you came from Tracy’s blog, then you’re in the right place. If not, start at Emma’s blog, My Creative Time. I’m going to go on record and say that I think this is a one of those month’s that I would recommend getting the entire release. All three of the sets that Emma designed this month coordinate very well together.

For my card today, I tried to keep it soft with a vintage feel.

My card base is Sweet Blush and is a standard A2. I used patterned paper from the My Mind’s Eye Follow Your Heart “Be Happy” 6” x 6” pad. I stitched it to a 4” x 5” piece of white cardstock. I then took a doily, trimmed it in half, and stamped them with the Chicken Wire background stamp in Pool Party ink. I then adhered them to the mat on each end.

Next, I took my Spellbinders Label Four dies and diecut a label out of Aqua Mist. I decided that my card needed another pattern, and I gravitated to the weathered woodgrain pattern from the My Mind’s Eye On the Bright Side Two pad. I stamped the Aqua Mist label with the Floral Background and adhered the patterned label with dimensional adhesive. I cut two butterflies from Storybook out of some yellow cardstock. It’s from Hobby Lobby so I don’t have a color name. I stamped on the butterflies with the swirled egg from Hello Spring with So Saffron ink. I adhered the two butterflies together with liquid adhesive.

To pull everything together, I stamped my sentiment with Memento London Fog ink. I tied a bow with Lemon Tart saddle stitched ribbon and adhered the mat directly to the card base. I used dimensional adhesive to adhere the label mat to the card, and a small strip to adhere the butterfly.

***HUGE GIVEWAY ALERT***

For our giveaway today, we are  giving ONE LUCKY winner a $100 Gift Certificate to "My Creative Time's" new online store!  All you have to do is leave a comment here along w/the rest of the design team's blogs AND also leave a way for me to contact you! Each designer will be picking a winner, then Emma will use random.org to pick the lucky winner out of those 18 names! So remember you  have "18" chances to win! All you have to do is leave a comment on all blogs in this hop for more chances to win! The deadline is Sunday, Feb 19th at midnight! EASY PEASY!!! GOOD LUCK!:)

Blog Hop Line-up

Emma

Amy

Cassandra

Cathryn

Cindy

Glora

Jeanne

Katie

Kim

Leanne

Liz

Nancy

Nikki

Rosy

Shar

Tracy

Trell – You are Here

Veronica

Kim Score

As usual, I thank you for stopping by and I wish you a very blessed day!

MCT Sneak Peak #3–Happy Egg Hunting!

Hello everyone! Long time no see peeps! Thankfully it’s sneak peak week and I have some great stamps to make cards with. And, now that Valentine’s Day is over, I have all of that lovey stuff out of my system. Today the team is showcasing Hello Spring. But I think used all three of this month’s sets in some form or another on my card.

I absolutely love cards with a picket fence. In the middle of going through my carts, I remembered that I bought the wood fence that I used as an embellishment. I love the dimension that it gives the card. I don’t remember why I bought it, but I’m glad I did because I don’t have a cartridge with a cut that I like on it.

I cut an A2 card base out of Lemon Tart cardstock from Papertrey Ink. Next, I trimmed the patterned paper scrap to 4” x 5.25” and adhered it directed to the card. I’m fairly positive that the pattern is from the Die Cuts With a View Stack 7. Next, I used the “Stitched Egg Die” included with Hello Spring to cut eggs from Aqua Mist, White, and Summer Sunrise cardstock. On the Summer Sunrise egg, I used Tangerine Colorbox Chalk in and stamped the scrolled background. On a side note. I did this with my Fiskars Stamp Press. I find that using it when I stamp on die cuts makes it really easy. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend them.

Next, I stamped the Aqua Mist eggs. I stamped one with the “Chicken Wire” background with Pool Party ink from Stampin’ Up! I used the rick rack and dot pattern that Emma included to stamp the other Aqua Mist egg. I did the same with the white egg.

I used my Expression and Plantin Schoolbook to cut the grass. I used Co’ordinations Meadow cardstock and I think I cut it at 1.25”. I know it can’t be seen, but there is a layer of grass behind the fence as well one in front.

I trimmed a scrap piece of Summer Sunrise to .375” and I stamped my sentiment with VersaMark ink and heat embossed it with white Zing embossing powder from American Crafts. I used my scissors to make it into a banner and secured it to my card with hot glue. I then threaded two Aqua Mist buttons with green Martha Stewart bakers twine and adhered them to my card with Zots. To finish it up, I tied the twine into bows and trimmed them up.

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 WORD ON FACEBOOK about this release using 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 Thursday, Feb 16th during this AWESOME release happening @ 12:01am PST in her video! GOOD LUCK!

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

 

Thank you for coming by! I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and I wish you all a blessed day!

Monday Madness . . . Imagine That!

Hello everyone! I am here with my first ever Imagine That project! It shouldn’t be a surprise that I made a card for today, but it’s a different card! Papertrey Ink is celebrating their 5th Anniversary this month and Nichole put out a challenge to pick one of the design team members projects that inspired you and make something new. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it on my blog, but I LOVE Ashley Cannon Newell. If you’ve never been to her blog, A New Design, I totally recommend it. I think she is just fantastic. So, my project today is inspired by her. Generally, I wouldn’t do a casing type of deal – I like to try and come up with my own ideas and even if I don’t love the resulting project, I post it. I don’t want to get in the habit of using others ideas. Click here to see the card that inspired my project.

I just realized that I totally used Teresa Collins’s signature color scheme, and it really wasn’t something I did consciously. Initially, I was going to make a spring themed card as a pre-release week appetizer, but I’ve been really into making Valentine’s cards.

Anyway, the jumping point for the design and color scheme came from the Teresa Collins Black & White Imagine cartridge. I printed the bold floral onto some Sweet Blush cardstock from Papertrey Ink. I did not print an entire sheet, instead I printed a 6” x 6” square. I trimmed it to 4” x 5.25” and matted it onto a A2 sized piece of Vintage Cream.

I used my favorite label cut from the Imagine to cut a 3.2” Vintage Cream mat. I then cut the label again in Sweet Blush at 3”. I used my Background Basics: Houndstooth stamp and VersaMark ink to give the label some depth. I built on the pattern by stamping the cherub from 100% Sweetness. I used More Gift Card Sentiments and another piece of Vintage Cream to stamp my sentiment and I embossed it with black Zing embossing powder from American Crafts. Err, backtracking a bit, after I adhered the floral paper to the cream mat, I used my sewing machine to stitch around the edges. Moving on!

To make the pocket, I trimmed a piece of True Black cardstock to 6.5” x 8.5” and scored it at 4.25”. I used a ruler to find the center of the pocket front and marked it on the inside with a pencil. I then drew lines from to corner to that center point and used an X-acto to cut the notched opening (It helps to adhere the cardstock to your cutting mat with repositionable adhesive.). I used white ink and Polka Dot Basics to give the front a little pattern. I then set it off with two rick rack die cuts. I used some black satin to trim the opening of my pocket. I would have loved to incorporate felt, but it wasn’t cutting to my liking. I stitched the pleated ribbon to secure it completely. It is important to sew the pocket together after you decorate it! After that, I stamped the cherub on the heart die from 100% Sweetness and embossed it with black Zing as well. I hope all of this makes sense and doesn’t sound complicated (it really wasn’t)! I know a lot of people like it when I give detailed instructions, so I try to include everything. Lastly, I used my white ink pad and swiped it around the pocket to soften it a bit.

Thanks for coming by! Have a blessed day!

Rosie’s Rocking 45th Birthday Blog Hop!

Hello everyone! Me along with five wonderful ladies are hopping to help Rosie from Scrap Loving Mini’s celebrate her 45th birthday! If you didn’t start with Rosie’s blog, I made her blog title into a link to to get you to the right place.

Here is the card I made for Rosie. I bought this Echo Park collection earlier this month and I was saving it for today. I really hope that Rosie likes it!

The card is a standard A2 and is True Black from Papertrey Ink. The floral pattern and the black polka dot are from the Echo Park For the Record Collection. I used a flourish stamp set that I’ve had for a while now and Bermuda Bay ink to give a backdrop for the sentiment. I use Think Big Favorites #12 for the sentiment. If you can’t tell, it’s embossed with black Zing embossing powder and I realize now that I used regular VersaMark instead of my normal Dazzle in Frost. It makes a difference!

To embellish the card, I tied a double bow with some red sating ribbon and used a variety of yellow and red roses from Recollections and I Am Roses.

Blog Candy

I’ve decided to give the winner a choice of three things for my blog candy! And here are the choices:

1. $10.00 Gift Card to Jo-Ann
2. $10.00 Gift Card to Hobby Lobby
3. A stamp set of your choice from My Creative Time

The only requirement is that you leave a comment here with a way for me to contact you AND leave a comment on Rosie’s blog wishing her a happy birthday. You don’t have to follow me or anything of that nature.

Hop Line Up

1. Rosie - http://www.scraplovingminis.blogspot.com

2. Kari - http://purplefuntastickcreations.blogspot.com/

3. Zeni - http://www.scrappyzeni.com

4. Trell - http://polkadotsandpaint.blogspot.com (you’re here)

5. Rosa – http://craftsbyrosa.blogspot.com (next stop)

6. Lena - http://lenascreations.blogspot.com

7. Gloria – http://www.omascrafts.blogspot.com

That’s all for me today. I wish everyone a blessed weekend, and Rosie I hope you have a wonderfully blessed birthday!