Life is Sweet

Hello everyone! I told myself I would do a better job of blogging, and it helps that I have had moments of inspiration hit me here and there. I have one to share today that I really love, and I take a lot of comfort in the sentiment. Especially so, given the events in Boston on Monday.

I used, The Sweet Life, a multi-step floral set from Papertrey Ink. It builds the most wonderful cabbage roses. Next to hydrangea, roses happen to be my favorite flowers. The more hues of ink in ones arsenal, the more possible combinations. Personally, I like to make mine look as realistic as possible. I mean, I doubt you’ll see neon roses here. I guess it could be fun if you’re into that kind of thing.

Because I can’t be satisfied with less, I went back in with some paisley stamps from a Recollections cling mount set that I just love. And, I filled in the pattern further with the strawberry flower from Strawberry Patch. The dots are from Polka Dot Basics I. I used my Envelope Pattern backgrounder to add a little texture.

I stamped my sentiment on a strip of vellum and heat embossed it with some detail gold embossing powder from Recollections. I used the envelope pattern on the back of the sentiment strip because I felt it needed a little bit of color, and because, I just can’t leave well enough alone.

The panel was sewn to a Kraft base embossed with my Squared Lattice folder. And, to finish it off, I added some buttons threaded with Rustic Cream twine, and silk ribbon.

Alrighty, that is it for me! I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Keep the people of Boston in your thoughts. I thank you all for visiting, and I wish you a very blessed day!

Boo! Three Ways

Hello crafty people! So, I will admit that I have been a rather bad blogger lately, but I’ve still been working on things and I have THREE cards to share today!

Two noticeable things, I used my Cricut and I used some new photo editing effects to play up the Halloween theme. I really like the fading effect, but it does make the photos darker so by all means, let me know if you don’t like it.

My good friend Norma and I were chatting one night and she pretty much told me I should make a card using my Cricut. Well, I decided that I wanted to work on my design skills, so I used the same image and sentiment in a series of cards. I started with something simple, and worked my way up to something more involved. I have to be honest and admit that if I were just going to make one card, my first inclination is to always make it very involved.

What I ended up doing was using a few select patterns, textures, colors, and embellishments in different ways. The chevron from the ribbon the first card inspired the use of the chevron paper on the second and third cards. The first card had a black base, but instead of using a black base on the second card, I used a pattern that was mainly black. And, on the third card, I used the same patterned paper (stars) to punch out the pattern, to tie is back to the second card. Lather, rinse, repeat!!

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a blessed day!

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!

Hi

Howdy! I hope everyone is having an awesome week. I’ve been super busy with work, but I carved out a bit of time to make this card, and complete another (which you will see soon).

Today’s card is being featured on the Platinum Scraps blog. I encourage you to visit to see my design team member’s take on this week’s card sketch.

I pretty much followed the sketch, but I wanted to do more than add patterned paper. Initially, I was going to do all of my pennants with ribbon, but I had these scraps laying on my work table, and I really like to use as much of my supplies as I can.

I really love using painted corrugated cardboard on my cards. It’s inexpensive and I think it packs a lot of punch. I tried to take good macro shots in order for you all to see the different colors. I painted it with acrylic paint that I bought from Jo-Ann. The colors I used were Vanilla, Lemon Ice, Grey, and Robbin’s Egg Blue. The green you see is the blue and yellow combined. I never imagined myself a paint artist, but I have a lot of fun when I do this. I’m sure you’ll see more of this in the future.

My card base is Rustic Cream from Papertrey Ink. I used the “Be Happy,” stamp set from the My Mind’s Eye Follow Your Heart collection to stamp the doilies and butterflies. The inks are Chamomile, Sugar, and Blue Sage Fresh Inks.

The patterned paper is also from the, “Be Happy,” collection. Again, I used scraps from previous projects. I find that I love this kind of color scheme, so I don’t mind using the same papers. The jute pennant is Offray. I took the pencil I keep in my craft caddy to curl the pennants and I used hot glue to secure them – it allows them to remain curled.

I round the corners of my cardboard element (and card base) with my Corner Chomper using the 1/2” setting and secured it with hot glue as well. Oh, I used Lemon Tart twill tape to tie a bow around the bottom portion. I also added an Aqua Mist vintage button that I threaded with some jute twine.

I used my Martha Stewart 3-in-1 Classic Butterfly punch to punch butterflies out of the same My Mind’s Eye Papers, and some Recollections yellow gingham. And to complete the card with a simple sentiment, I used some American Crafts foam Thickers in the Lullaby font. The color is Sunflower – a bit bright, but I can totally live with that.

That’s pretty much it. A pretty simple card to put together. I thank you for stopping by, and as always, I wish you a blessed day.

Bon Voyage–MCT June Sneak Peek

Hey there! I have a super special project to share with you all for the June My Creative Time Release. So, I am going to get right to it!

I made a mini album using the tag dies! I went on a trip to Michigan during May, and snapped a lot of photos using Instagram that I plan on printing out and putting to use.

So, as you can see, I decided to color the hot air balloon from Fly Away With Me. Here is the thing, I am not a alcohol marker expert by any means. I just worked with what I had (Prismacolor and BIC Markers.) until I was satisfied. I don’t even have the right cardstock! Nevertheless, I am more than thrilled with the result.

I was going to show all of the individual pages and what not, but I’m holding off for a bit – but it will be up, I promise.

For those that want to understand the color palette and everything. I based everything on the papers from the My Mind’s Eye Follow Your Heart, “Be Happy,” collection. I supplemented that with some paper from the Recollections Pastel cardstock pack. The solid cardstock I used is all Papertrey – Kraft, Aqua Mist, Melon Berry, and Sweet Blush.

The title or the sentiment that I used as my title, is from Fly Away With Me Sentiments.

My felt addiction continues – I used the coordinating die to cut out some clouds. It’s all about texture, right? And I couldn’t resist a bow. I used some Orange Zest Saddle Stitch for that.

Sneak Peek Giveaway Time!

With all of our Sneak Peeks week, Emma likes to do some FUN giveaways!

All you have to do is leave comments on our blogs! It is NOT required 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 & 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, June 21st during the blog hop release happening @ 12:01am PST in her video! GOOD LUCK!

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

Thanks for coming by! I will see you back here tomorrow for the blog hop. Have a blessed day!

Favorite Stamp of the Month

Hey everyone! I am popping up with a card to share before I jet off to work.

I won’t go into the ins and outs of everything, but the flip-flops are from the Pack Your Bags Cricut cartridge. The cut includes a pair of sunglasses, but I didn’t want them, so I used my snips to trim them off.

I took a picture inside so that you all could see the misting. After I adhered my layers to the card base, I did a little misting with my new Mister Huey’s Shine from Studio Calico. Love this stuff already!

I used My Creative Time’s Fun in the Sun stamp set for my sentiment. With the weather we are having, it is such an appropriate sentiment. And, because my flip-flops were looking kind of dull, I decided to add some Melissa Frances that I picked up from Liz’s Paperloft Boutique.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a blessed day!

MCT April Sneak Peak–Day #1

What’s up crafty peeps! It is that time of the month again and I have a relatively simple card to show you today.

Interesting tidbit, I didn’t use any patterned paper or ribbon on this card. Yes, shocker, no bow!! Truthfully, I decided to try something a little different, but don’t be alarmed if this isn’t your cup a tea, I’m 100% positive that there will be ribbon and layers and inking and yummy vintageness later in the week!

So, a few weeks ago, Nichole Heady from Papertrey Ink, did a post on graduated backgrounds and I really liked the look of it. Now, here is the thing. I don’t own a single Copic marker. They’re on the list, and I would love for them to offer a certification class in Nashville (it’s the largest city close to me).

I made my background with Prismacolor Markers. They’re alcohol based like Copics, but the two big differences are they are not refillable, and don’t have a brush tip. Mine are super old, and still have a lot of ink in them. And they’ve been through interior design courses, so if you color, they can be a more cost effective option to Copics.

Now, I used two of our new sets on my card. My cute whimsical flower is from the All Around Everything Accessories set. The entire team is using this set today so and you will find that it has an image for every occasional. And, I must mention, that it coordinates with my FAVE Scallop and Stitched Circle die set! My sentiment is from Floral Sentiments. You will see more of it later in the week Because I used markers, I stamped it with Memento Rich Cocoa ink so that it wouldn’t bleed.

I felt like my card needed something else (because I couldn’t put on some ribbon!!) so I took out a piece of pink cardstock and stamped the Chicken Wire background on it with Wisteria Wonder ink from Stampin’ Up. I then took my Recollections butterfly punch and punched a few out. I am so loving the light blue/purple tones right now. In need of some lavender here!

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!;)

That does it for me today! I hope everyone has a blessed day and an amazing week!

P.S. Vintageness is not a word. It was created by me. Feel free to use it. ♥

MCT Stamp of the Month–Spring Chicken

Hello everyone and happy Friday! I hope everyone has had an awesome week. So, I was supposed to post yesterday, but I’ve been having migraines and I simply could not focus on anything all day Wednesday. I woke up with a mild headache on Thursday and it seemed like it was going to be a repeat. Thankfully, it passed, and I was able to make something.

I started with a Kraft A2 card base. The cardstock I used is from Recollections. I really like the blue and white striped pattern from the A Walk in the Park collection by Echo Park. I trimmed the pattern to 3.750” x 5” and adhered it to a sheet of orange that measures 4” x 5.25”. To fully secure it, I did a zig-zag stitch with my sewing machine.

Normally, when I use my Cricut, I will pick the papers for my image first and then design my card around them. This was the first time I can recall picking everything at the same time. After I prepared my card base, I cut the image using my Cricut Expression. I sized my little chick at 2.5”. All of the cardstock I used is from Hobby Lobby. I almost forgot to mention that the image is from Simply Charmed. 

The banner that my chick is layered on had to be the biggest pain to cut ever. I was using a ruler and I still managed to not find the center! After I adhered the green gingham paper to the blue cardstock, I stitched around it with my sewing machine. Next, I took some vintage buttons from Papertrey Ink and stitched them directly to the banner with orange embroidery floss. Lastly, I tied a bow around the banner with some Lemon Tart twill tape ribbon from Papertrey and adhered the entire piece to my card base with dimensional adhesive from Hobby Lobby. I did some doodle work on my hatching chick and adhered him down with dimensional adhesive from Stampin’ Up.

My sentiment is from Color Me Happy and I stamped it with Tangerine, Colorbox Fluid Chalk ink.

That is all for me today! Thanks for coming by. Have a most blessed weekend!

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!

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!

My Creative Time November Release Blog Hop!

Hello everyone and happy Friday!! If you came from Tracy’s blog, then you’re on track, if not, start at Emma’s blog, My Creative Time, because we have a HUGE giveaway today! I’m going to jump right in and show the two projects that I made for the hop. I’m showcasing Sports Sentiments again. Here’s the stamp set:

The first is the card I mentioned on Monday. I decided that I would post it for the hop AND make an additional project. I used Sure Cuts a Lot to make this football shaped card. I sized it to fit into a regular A2 envelope. The card base is Recollections Kraft, and the layers are Paper Company Ivory and brown. I used my Gelly Roll pin to add some faux stitching and stamped my sentiments in VersaMark and embossed them with gold Zing powder from American Crafts.

My second project is an altered frame. I had every intention to make cake pops today, but I was called into work. So, be on the look out for cake pops and a recipe in the next week or so! I haven’t decided yet. This is a 4” x 6”  acrylic frame that I got from Jo-Ann for $1.99. I went back and forth between the 4” x 6” and the 5” x 7". I didn’t know how this was going to go – as I have never altered anything before. So, if you do this, I would suggest getting the 5” x 7.” I made this for my nine year old cousin, Leah. And I’m sure she won’t care that it’s not perfect. She’s both girly girl and a tomboy and she played basketball this past summer.

The basketball also came from Jo-Ann. I got it in the isle with the wood letters. I used Jet Black Staz-On to stamp my sentiment onto the ribbon. And I used Emma’s, Build-A-Banner Kit, to personalize it with her name. I’m super pleased with it, but again, I wish I would have gotten the bigger frame. I used Papertrey Ink (Orange Zest, Royal Velvet) and Georgia Pacific cardstock to make the banner. All of the ribbon is Offray.

***HUGE GIVEWAY ALERT***

For our giveaway today, we are  giving ONE LUCKY winner an E2! If you have always wanted an E2, here is your BIG chance to win one! OR if you have one already, just think if you did win, you would make someone SUPER HAPPY by giving it to them as a gift since Christmas is right around the corner!  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 19 names! So remember you  have "19" chances to win! All you have to do is leave a comment on ALL blogs in this hop! The deadline is Sunday night at midnight! EASY PEASY!!! GOOD LUCK!:)

That’s it for today. Make sure you get your comments in to win a brand new Expression 2! Have a blessed day!

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.)

Kelley (Guest Designer!)

All Star Layout - MCT Sneak Peeks Day 1

Hello everyone! Welcome to day one of sneak peeks at the November My Creative Time stamp release. We have some amazing stamps sets being released this month!

Today, I’m showcasing, “Sports Sentiments.” And, as you can see, I made a layout! Truthfully, my first inclination is to ALWAYS make a card. And, naturally, I did just that. However, I did not like it. Normally, if I’m not super thrilled with something, I will still post it. I may still, the verdict isn’t in yet. Anyway, I made an 8” x 8” page to showcase the stamp set. I will be the first to admit that I am not a sports boy (I’d rather be crafty!), but I do love the, “All Star,” stamp. I think it could be used with more than sports related projects.

I used Versamark and white Zing embossing powder from American Crafts to stamp the title and journaling spot intro. The journaling spot is a cut from Elegant Edges.

I don’t have any sports related Cricut cartridges, so I took a trip to Hobby Lobby with my bestie, Jessica, in search of patterned paper. I won’t say I love the footballs, because I’d be lying, but I do like the paper a lot. I think in a way, it’s very much my style. But, Jess picked it out, so she gets the credit!

The border is from Elegant Edges. I used my Gypsy to size it, and I stamped, “MVP,” with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Sneak Peek Giveaway Time!

Listen up "My Creative Time" friends! We are giving all of you an opportunity to win the BEST PRIZES during Sneak peek week with a total of "6" winners to be announced during Friday's Stamp release! All you have to do is leave a comment HERE along w/the rest of the design teams blogs for a chance! There are some AWESOME prizes w/this release!

1. 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! And . . .
2. Just comment on ALL of the designers blogs EVERYDAY during Sneaky Peek week!  THAT's ALL you have to do to qualify for the BEST giveaways EVER!;)

All winners will "randomly" get chosen and Emma will announce all six winners on Friday, November 18th @ 12:01am PST in her video during the release of this AMAZING new stamp collection & maybe a new die!;) GOOD LUCK! Log onto to your Facebook now & let start spreading word!;)

That’s my project for today! Also, I think you still have a chance to enter the, “Throwback Thursday,” challenge! Have a super blessed day!