Stars and Stripes

Hello Friends! I am here with another card to usher in the weekend, AND I have an announcement. A little less than a month ago, I received an email from a dear friend that wanted to know if I was available for a design team position. So, just to cut to the chase, I am now a member of the Platinum Scraps Design Team!

I think my readers that have connected with me through Facebook or from the Cricut board know that I am not your mainstream paper crafter. I am male, which is rare, but I am also African American, which is basically a double whammy in the paper world! Platinum Scraps is a team of African American scrappers and card makers. My thought is that maybe there is another African American, male crafter waiting to be inspired, so it is with great pleasure that I join the team.

Now, for today’s card! I think for the first time, I made a card based on a sketch – maybe the second time. It’s not generally how I go about creating, but nonetheless, I tried to put my own spin on it! You can see the sketch an get all of the details by going over to the Platinum Scraps blog.

I’m calling my card Stars and Stripes – the design evolved kind of effortlessly. I even glittered the rosette without making a gigantic mess! I know that when I first got into crafting, glitter was one of my first purchases. I think I have maybe 6 colors, but they rarely see the light of day. I will admit that I am quite partial to the Martha Stewart Crafts glitter. I dare say it is the best on the market. I digress!

My card base is Soft Stone from Papertrey Ink. Until they release a medium toned gray, this is my absolute favorite. I used my Distress Stripes Cuttlebug embossing folder to give my Spring Rain layer texture, and to embody the stripes of the flag. From there, I selected some patterned papers. The antiqued book print is from an oldie, but a goodie, Lost & Found Portobello Road by My Mind’s Eye. I used some Tsukineko Gold Shimmer Spritz and water so I could ball and crinkle the paper. I dried it with my heat tool and ripped the bottom edge. I also did a bit of inking with my Antique Linen Distress ink. I adhered it to my card and did a bit of stitching with some red thread.

Next, I adhered another pattern from the Portobello Road pad. I rounded the corners with my Corner Chomper. The ribbon is gold satin from Offray. The Distressed Stars and Handkerchief (the rosette) are from Hobby Lobby. I added the postage stamp border for two reasons: first and foremost, I like the way it looks, and second, it’s thin paper. I also did a bit more stitching.

I used my Martha Stewart Scoring Board to make the rosette. I cut two 1.25” x 11” strips and scored them at every half inch. I glittered it with Jasper glitter, again from Martha Stewart. It’s a beautiful deep red that has incredible depth. It’s dark, but there is definitely a lot of glimmer as well.

My sentiment is from Here’s Lookin’ at You, from My Creative Time. I absolutely love the font combination that Emma used in this set. I used my Versamark Dazzle Frost ink to stamp my sentiment and I embossed it with Gold Metallic Zing embossing powder from American Crafts. I am happy to add that I finally have an embossing buddy! No more dryer sheets!

Thanks for stopping by. Have an amazing weekend (I’ll be working.)!! And, have the most blessed day!

For You–Monday Madness Imagine That!

Hey there crafty peeps! It is Monday and I am here with a vintage inspired Imagine card. The theme for this week’s challenge is, “happiness.” Emma wanted us to create a project based on something that makes us happy. There are a lot of things that make me happy, but quite a few of them do not necessarily translate into card making. I’ve been wanting to use the Kate’s Kitchen Imagine cartridge for a while now. It has a very retro/vintage look, and y’all know that I love me some vintage stuff! What else makes me happy? Coffee, so vintage and coffee make an awesome combination for a card!

Okay, so for the sake of full disclosure. I kind of made a mistake during the beginning stages of making the card. I planned to do some random zig-zag stitching with red thread, but I couldn’t because I put my adhesive on the edges of the patterned paper. Adhesive and sewing are enemies! If you get into sewing on your projects, you only need to use a small amount of adhesive – and put it towards the center of whatever you’re adhering down.

Now, the details! My card is a standard A2 cut into a portrait style. The base is Spring Moss. All of the patterned paper was printed from the Kate’s Kitchen Imagine cartridge. I also inked all of the edges with Antique Linen Distress Ink. For the doily, I blended Antique Linen and Old Paper. I highly recommend buy a package of these doilies. They are super cheap and there’s like 40 in the package.

I made this card for a specific reason. We’re FINALLY getting a Starbucks in my little Alabama town, and I have a coworker that loves coffee just as much as I do, so when they open, I plan to insert a gift card into mini bag. I love that it functions as an embellishment AND a holder. The bags that I use are made by Canvas Corp.

The diecut that my cup is mounted on is actually a cut from Kate’s Kitchen as well. It is located on page 26. I actually intended to use the printed cut, but it was a hot mess, so I turned it over and stamped it with a polka dot in Real Red ink. I diecut the cup from Coffee Break in Lemon Tart cardstock and the sleeve was cut from Aqua Mist. I stamped the sleeve with the coordinating stamp in Crumb Cake ink. I used my heart punch – another item that I highly recommend, to add another pop of red. At the very end, I decided to cover it with some Glossy Accents.

My sentiment is from Teeny Tag Greetings. I stamped it with Early Espresso. Oh, I tied a bow with some red gingham ribbon from Offray. I am so happy that I finally got to use it. I think it is just the perfect touch.

Okay, so I am going to just stop typing now. I know my posts are kind of like information overload, but I know that I personally like to read how people make their cards when I visit their blogs, so I keep that in mind when I write my posts.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have an amazingly blessed day (and week)!

My Creative Time May Blog Hop

Howdy! You should have made your way here from the amazing Tracy’s blog, if not start at our great leader’s blog. here: My Creative Time.

We have come to the end of another great release, and I have one more card to share with you all. I made this for a special little girl and I had so much fun making it.

I had a friend from college that posted about her daughters 3rd birthday, and since she always comments on my cards on Facebook, I offered to make her daughter a card and send it to her. She told me that her favorite color was purple, and it just so happens that I have been really into this light lavender tone for a while now. I try to tailor my color choices to the season, but I have definitely figured out my own personal go-to palette. It’s something that I have come to figure out recently.

So, after that, I went on the hunt for a few patterned papers. I ended up using the colorful polka dot from the DCWV Nana’s Kids Stack and some elements from the Celebration stack. I cut out the little bingo card and 3 square. From there it just kind of came together in no time.

I used Celebrate Good Times again. I am in LOVE with this set. I know that in my own personal collection that I really needed a great birthday set. I used the coordinating dies once again, but I chose to make the cupcake this time. Once I got the card together, I went over the embossed lines with some Crystal Stickles.

GIVEWAY ALERT

In honor of Emma's Birthday month, she has decided to give away 12 "Surprise" Gift bags full of goodies!  All you have to do is leave a comment here & for MORE CHANCES, leave a comment on ALL blogs in this hop!  Also leave a way for us to contact you! Emma will use random.org to pick the 12 LUCKY winners from ALL THE COMMENTS COMBINED!!! So, you actually have 22 chances to win~!  Again, All you have to do is leave a comment on all blogs in this hop for more chances to win! The deadline is Sunday, May 20th at midnight! EASY PEASY!!! GOOD LUCK!:)

Blog Hop Line Up

Emma

Amy

Cassandra

Cathryn

Cindy B.

Cindy L.

Glora

Jeanne

Katie

Kim

Leanne

Liz

Micia

Nancy

Nikki

Rosy

Ruthie

Shar

Tracy

Trell (You’re here!)

Veronica

Carrie

Thanks so much coming by, I truly appreciate it! I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend and a super blessed day!00

Happy Birthday Sweetie!-MCT Day 4

Welcome crafty peeps! We’re on day 4 and it’s celebration day! We’re all showcasing Celebrate Good Times. And, guess what, I made something other than a card for my project.

I decided to make a treat bag. I was thinking that this could go into a child’s lunch box. I think it could be a great little surprise. I filled mine with a few Starburst, but you could put whatever your kid likes.

The bag is a 2.5” x 4” Canvas Corp bag that I picked up from Hobby Lobby. I cut a strip of this stripped paper from the My Mind’s Eye  Miss Caroline Howdy Doody pad and punched it with my Fiskars Scallop Sentiment punch. I trimmed it to a little over a fourth of an inch and adhered it to the bottom and top of the bag with some Tombo Mono Multi glue.

I diecut a tag from Kraft cardstock and I stamped it with the plaid background from Coffee Backgrounds using Versamark ink. I stamped my sentiment from Celebrate Good Times with Early Espresso. I tied double bows with some Aqua Mist twill.

To decorate my bag, I diecut the ice cream cone from Kraft, Vintage Cream, and Sweet Blush cardstock. Before I adhered the pink scoop the the cream, I use my Crop-a-Dile to punch a hole through the top so I could thread my twine on it. The twine is from Martha Stewart. I love smaller twine for things like this, so I actually bought some from Liz’s Boutique on Sunday. She ships for free and I received my order today (Wednesday). Anyway, I wrapped it around the bag a few times and tied a simple bow.

I think it’s super cute, and these could also be used as party favors.

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!

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!

Throwback Thursday: Touchdown Bama!

Hello creative friends! It’s 2012 (woot woot!) and I’m back with a sports card! For this week’s Throwback Thursday, Emma wanted us to make this a sports challenge. So, use any sports cartridge or, if you’re like me and don’t own one, use another cartridge to make a sports themed card or layout. This is the Throwback Thursday before our January release and the winner gets the entire release so make sure you have your project linked to Emma’s blog by Wednesday, January, 18th. Trust me, it’s a great set of new goodies!

Okay, so I have a confession. I find it incredibly difficult to make masculine cards. I’m a guy and I love being one or whatever, but I think cards are prettier with a bow. I’m making myself laugh as I type this, but that’s just how I am. One of my crafty goals this year is to branch out! I definitely think I need to add some sports stuff to my stash. However. I digress!

I decided, for the sake of masculinity, to try and make the card as clean and simple as I could. With touches of, “Trell,” – the polka dots, the embossing, and the white gel stitching. I’m pretty sure the Alabama boys won’t be sporting polka dotted helmets anytime soon. But a boy can dream, right?

I used Sure Cuts a Lot for my cuts. I knew I wanted to use a specific font (Subway) and I wanted it welded together. The helmet is an SVG that is included with SCAL 2.0. I used Real Red Classic Ink and my polka dot background stamp to jazz it up. I know that pennants and banners are super trendy right now and I am admittedly addicted so I stamped, “Touchdown!,” from MCT’s stamp set of the same name, on one. I used my favorite watermark ink, VersaMark Dazzle in Frost, and black Zing embossing powder from American Crafts. I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this, but I use a square punch to cut the notches of all of my banners. I used a Sticky Doo from Hobby Lobby under the banner to create that wavy look and I glued the sides with Zip Dry (Emma loves her some Zip Dry, me . . . not so much. I don’t like the smell!).

And, in case you’re wondering, my card base measures -  7.5” x 3”. The houndstooth patterned paper is an eighth of an inch smaller and it comes from the DCWV Dots, Stripes, and Plaids stack.

This coming Monday is the BCS National Championship and the Tide is playing the LSU Tigers. This is my way of supporting them, hahaha.

That’s all for today! But after my break I’ve been brainstorming ideas for the new year. So, if all of the stars align, I’ll be back on Monday if not before. Thanks for coming by. Have a super blessed day! Here’s to an amazing and crafty new year!

MCT 12 Days of Christmas ~ Day #9

Hey there! If you arrived here from Tracy’s 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 work on another tag design. I decided to incorporate the design of the card I did for the first day into my tag. The colors really match our Christmas decorations and since I already had the paper printed I figured why not.

I sized the tag using my Gypsy. It’s cut from Kraft cardstock and I stamped the background with my Background Basics: Houndstooth stamp in VersaMark Dazzle. I then embossed with with clear embossing powder. The papers are from Mr. Frosty. I used the holly pattern to make a rosette and I used the pink snowflake pattern as my layer. The rosette was made with two 1.25” x 8” strips of paper and I scored ever 1/4.” I used my Curly Label die and felt the make a medallion for the rosette. My sentiment is from Gift Card Sentiments. It’s stamped on ivory cardstock from the Paper Company.

I used my polka dot background stamp and Melon Mambo ink to add dots to the background of my patterned layer. The green scallops were cut from Colorbox cardstock that I got from Wal-Mart. I got another Fiskars Scallop Sentiment punch. I cannot live without a scalloped border punch!! I tied some twine around bottom of the card and a bow around the top.

Before I adhered the rosette to the front of the tag, I used the to and from stamps and Melon Mambo ink, to stamp the back of the tag. These are going to go on a few select gifts as I don’t think I can handle making that many rosettes!

***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

Glora

Jeanne

Katie

Leanne

Linsey

Liz

Nancy

Nikki

Ruthie

Shar

Tracy

Trell (you’re here)

Veronica (Next stop)

Thanks so much for coming by! Have a blessed day!

MCT 12 Days of Christmas ~ Day #8

Hello everyone! 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.

Okay, so for the sake of full disclosure, I was totally planning on posting something else (mini recipe album) today, but I haven’t been feeling well. I did come up with a card for today and I have to say that it’s very different from what I’m used to doing, but I totally like it.

If you can’t tell, it’s clear! I really didn’t want to do a lot of extra embellishing (Do I ever?) because I really wanted the base of the card to be a focal point of sorts. It’s a standard A2 sized card. I ordered a designer paper pack from Stampin’ Up a while ago and this was in the pack. When I ordered it, I didn’t realize two of the sheets were acetate. I figured I would never used them, but a little light bulb went off and I’m glad I went with it.

Because it’s clear, you have to adhere mats to the inside for a message. But, I didn’t want my adhesive to be seen on the back, so I adhered a 3.375” x 5” mat to the back  of the card and then ANOTHER to the inside of the card. If none of this makes any kind of sense, let me know in the comments and I will make this card on video as soon as I feel better.

For the front, I adhered a 2.5” x 4.25” patterned mat the the front of the card with Zots.  Again, I did not want the adhesive to be seen, so I used my Fiskars Apron Lace border punch and punched two 2.25” wide strips. I secured them to the inside of the base to cover the Zots. My patterned paper is from the Merry Christmas collection from Echo Park. I used My Creative Time’s, “Gift Card Sentiments,” for my sentiment. I am so in love with the font Emma used for this set. I am a big fan of writing in cursive, and when I was a student, I always had the best handwriting. I think I won best handwriting from 5th until 8th grade. All the girls with pretty handwriting were jealous, I know it. Anyway, my sentiment was stamped on a Fancy Frame die cut, also from My Creative Time. I used Cherry Cobbler ink from Stampin’ Up. It’s probably my favorite red ink at the moment. To finish the card up, I took some dark green grosgrain and tied a bow! Easy peasy!

***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

Glora

Jeanne

Katie

Leanne

Linsey

Liz

Nancy

Nikki

Rosy

Ruthie

Shar

Tracy

Trell (you’re here)

Veronica (Next stop)

Thanks so much for coming by! Have a blessed day!

Salute to Veterans

 

Hello everyone! I’m back with another card for the Celebrate the Occasion Challenge! This week, the requirement was to make a project celebrating Veteran’s Day.

For my card, I did something that I haven’t done in a while - used patterned paper from a store AND my Expression. I’m still getting used to my Imagine, so that’s why I like to use it most of the time. Anyway, here’s my card:

My card measures 5” x 5” and the base is Kraft from the Paper Company. The navy blue mat is, 4.75” x 4.74,” and the red mat is, 4.5” x 4.5”. Both are open stock from Hobby Lobby. I used my Sukura gel pen to do some faux stitching around the card base and the red mat.

The die cut stars are from Plantin Schoolbook. I used the Roly Poly key. I do not remember the size of the yellow stars as I cannot seem to find my notebook, but the light blue star is 2.25.” I stamped, “Thanks!,” with VersaMark and heat embossed it with Zing embossing powder in pewter from American Crafts. I used Microsoft Word to type, “for all you do,” and I trimmed it and used my Fiskars square punch to make a banner.

Both of my pattern papers are Paper Studio from Hobby Lobby. I used the same navy and red cardstock to mat the I Love USA paper. And to finish off the card, I took a button from my stash, tied a knot through it with white embroidery floss and used a Zot to adhere it to the card.

That’s my card for today. I thank you for stopping by. Have a blessed day!

Happy Halloween!

 

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend. It’s starting to really feel like fall here in North Alabama. It’s what I call hot chocolate weather!

So, I’m totally going to throw out the better late than never excuse for my lack of Halloween cards! Honestly, I really tried. I even bought paper specifically for Halloween, but it’s just not my favorite holiday. This is the first year that I’ve been paper crafting, so I hope that next year will be different.

I knew going into making this card that it was going to be orange, black, and white. When I saw that ribbon at Hobby Lobby, I got it for the specific purpose of making a Halloween card. The same can be said for the paper. Don’t be surprised if it pops up again, as I really love those patterns. I don’t fall in love with a lot of the Paper Studio designs, but these are both timeless. You really don’t have to worry about it being, “last season.”

The card base is True Black from Papertrey Ink. The orange mat is from the Primary Colors Paper Company pack (sold at Jo-Ann). The cream transition mat is Papertrey Vintage Cream, and the patterned paper is Vintage Black Damask from Hobby Lobby.

The orange mat was stamped with the Stampabilities Polka Dot Background stamp (wood mount) and embossed with black Zing! embossing powder from American Crafts. I used my Martha Stewart Scoreboard to make the rosette. I found that in the absence of a hot glue gun, Zip Dry is a great adhesive for putting together rosettes. The 31st stamp is from Studio G. And to finish it off, I used my white Gelly Roll pen to do some stitching.

I embossed the cream transition mat to tie it in to the main orange mat and to add some texture. I then used my Fiskars Scallop Sentiment punch to create small border to adhere to the bottom portion of the mat. I did some white gel stitching to tie it back to the rosette. There’s a method to my madness!

I tied a bow with the stripped ribbon before adhering the rosette. I used Microsoft Word to generate the sentiment. The font is Blackletter and it was printed at 22 points. I printed it on Vintage Cream and adhered to the same orange used on the rest of the card. I used my square punch to make it into a banner. And, to carry that ,”notched,” element to another portion of the card, I used my pinking shears to trim the ribbon tails.

I might try my hand at another Halloween card later today. I’ve had a rather busy week in terms of work. I went to Jo-Ann 6 days this week. And two of those days, I went twice because I’m currently teaching two cake decorating classes.

I hope everyone has a great week! Thanks for coming by. Have a blessed day.

Fall Card for Celebrate the Occasion Challenge #32

 

Hello all! It’s Tuesday and that means it is time for another challenge from Celebrate the Occasion.

 

For this week’s card, I went Cricut-less! I think I mentioned it, but I have really been getting into stamping a lot more and I’m excited to see what all I can come up with. Never fear though, because I will still be using my machines! I made a video discussing the card and I want to apologize now because it is kind of shaky. I’m sorry! I’ve found the tripod I want so that will be over soon.

I stamped the inside using Early Espresso and VersaMark Dazzle with clear embossing powder.

The awesome twill ribbon is from Stampin’ Up! The wonderful Norma from PinkBlingCrafter sent me some. It’s in the clearance section for $3.49. Visit Norma’s site to order some!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a blessed day.

Hey there, Flower Pot!

 

Hey everyone! I hope everyone had an awesome weekend. I’m back with a ANOTHER birthday card on this wonderful Sunday. My aunt had a birthday on Friday and knew what I wanted to make for her. The flower pot on the Straight From the Nest cartridge was calling my name, and I finally got to use it. Also, I decided, against my better judgment, to make another video. I want to apologize for the sound that emits during playback. I generally don’t have regrets, but the camera I bought last year would definitely be categorized as one.

I put in a vintage button and some hemp to complete the flower. I used 4 ink colors to achieve the final look of the flower.

The brown ribbon was my idea to make potting soil.

The sentiment is from Close to My Heart.

It’s the not straightest stamping, but I have a Stamp a Ma Jig on my list for when I place my Stampin’ Up order.

More paisley stamps and some patterned paper to finish off the inside.

I had a lot of fun making this card. I felt like it just came together easily. I know the stamping wasn’t super perfect, but like I said in the video, I was super pleased.

On Tuesday, I’ll have another design team post for Celebrate the Occasion. I think if you look around my blog, you know that my work tends to go back and forth from colorful and kid-like to slightly vintage and traditional. Well, my card for Tuesday is colorful. And I used my Imagine for part of it! There might even be another video . . .

Now, my 27th birthday is this Thursday and I have a very special lady doing a guest post. She’s amazing and I was super excited when she told me she’d design something.

Thanks for stopping by today! As always, I appreciate any and all comments. I hope everyone has a super blessed day and week!

Frogs Read Too!

 

Hey everyone! Instead of usual card or occasional layout, I decided to make a bookmark. My little cousin, Bree, loves to read, so this bookmark is for her. I think I may make another one for my boss because her son loves it when she reads books to him.

I inked the edges of the frog with Martha Stewart Wasabi Pigment ink.

The paper that I used for the bookmark come from DCWV’s Playtime Stack. I LOOOOVE this stack. I tend to gravitate towards Kraft before anything else. I know everyone has a process for when they create and for the most part, I go through my cardstock to pick what I think will be a great base for my project. It doesn’t always work, but for a project like this it did.

The body of my little frog here is from another DCWV stack. I picked up the Grade School Mat Stack at work a while ago. I thought for the occasional school project that it could come in handy.

Lastly, I decided to stamp, “You’re the Best,” because I think kids need encouragement. And,I think reading is super important . On a side note, I totally screwed up on the stamp.

Here are the details:

• Bookmark: Plantin Schoolbook, 3.25” x 6.25” (Gypsy sizing)
• Frog: Create a Critter, 2.75” x 2.84” (Gypsy sizing)
• Base: Hobby Lobby Brown
• Plaid Layer: DCWV Grade School
• Tummy: DCWV Brights Mat Stack
• Cheeks: Stampin’ Up Regal Rose
• Darice Hemp
• Fiskars Simple Stick, “Grateful,” Stamp Set
• Light Blue 3/8” Offray Satin Ribbon
• Martha Stewart Wasabi Ink
• Colorbox Chestnut Ink

Thanks for coming by. I hope everyone has an amazing week and a super blessed day!