I’ve been practicing with my Prismacolors………….

and Goo Gone. I have the OMS but I think it’s probably safer with the Goo Gone and it works just fine. I also used a paint brush with some alcohol and the ink from one of my Sharpies to add a little shadowing type background color. The image I used was not a stamp….I guess you could say that I made a digital stamp using the“Red Rose” Plate 28 in my “The Language of Flowers" Coloring Book by Dover. I just printed it using my Canon Pixma MP530 All-in-One inkjet printer and then heat set it with my heat gun. I then decided to use it to make a birthday card for my “adopted” daughter, Cathy. Her birthday is next month……..I sure hope that she will like it!

Oh, and I just have to mention this. Do you notice the beautiful designer paper? I love it……I purchased it from Michaels a few weeks ago when they had the “get 7 sheets of 12x12 paper for $1.00” sale! I wound up buying ten sheets of this particular paper for only $1.40…..WOW, what a bargain!!!
Finished Card Size: A7/5”x7”

Supplies

Papers: GA Pacific White CS, DP from The Paper Co. [Michaels], Bazzill Bling and “Best Occasions” Metallic Paper Pack gold metallic CS.

Tools: Pazzles “Inspiration Creative Cutter”, Provo Craft “Cuttlebug and Ranger “Heat It”

Accessories: Provo Craft Cuttlebug “Textile” embossing folder, Spellbinders “Ribbon Tags Trio” and “Small & Large Petite Scalloped Ovals”, Prismacolor Pencils, Goo Gone, “Gold Photo Corner” Peel-Off Stickers by the Paper Studio, Edwardian Script ITC font and Offray ribbon

I guess you could say that I "got bugged' today.......

Actually, today’s Limited Supplies Challenge at Splitcoast Stampers was entitled “Go Ahead and Bug Me” and we had to make a card with any kind of a bug on it, with no more than four layers and NO patterned papers! Well, I just happened to remember this really cool bug that I had used on a digital scrapbook page that I designed four years ago, so I located the image on my Hemera Big Box of Art CD collection and tuned it into a “digital stamp” so that I could color him with my Prismas and some Goo Gone…..here you can see the scrapbook page and the darling little bug!

I also decided that since I could not use pattered paper, I would create my own background using ink pads and a cloud stencil. I designed the “picket fence” using my Pazzles “Inspiration Studio” software and then cut it out using my Pazzles “Inspiration Creative Cutter”. The “Always take time out to smell the flowers” was done using the "FreehandBT 591" font and Photoshop CS3 and then printed on my Canon Pixma MP530 All-in-One inkjet printer. In addition to using Prisma Watercolor pencils, I added the shadowing using watercolor and an aqua brush. I placed a clear Dew Drop over his eye instead of using a googly eye! I also used some iridescent paper to make an extra layer of the wings that I covered with “Crystal” Stickles.

If you would like to participate in this challenge, you can find all the information here! Trust me you will have a lot of fun with it and I usually learn something new from doing their challenges!
Finished Card Size: A2/4.25”x5.5”

Supplies

Papers: GA Pacific White CS, “Majestic Blue”, “Plum Iridescent” and “Gold Leaf” Effect Papercraft by Canson
Inks: Memories “Soft Stone” and “Antique Linen” Distress Ink by Tim Holtz
Tools: Pazzles “Inspiration Creative Cutter
Accessories: “Crystal” and “Black Diamond” Stickles, The Robins Nest “Clear” Dew Drops, Prismacolor Colored Pencils and Daler Rowney Watercolours

I can't believe our youngest granddaughter.........

is turning 18 tomorrow and I guess you know what that makes me? Old!!!LOL It seems like just yesterday she was a little girl sitting on my lap at my computer. How time flies! At any rate, yesterday when I was starting to design her birthday card in my head, I decided to use the sketch for the Splitcoast Stampers Sketch Challenge (SC218) for this past Wednesday.


Some time during the past couple of weeks I had been playing with my new Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks and some gold mirror cardstock. I used some “Denim”, “Bottle” and “Silver Mixative” along with some of the blending solution and it turned out stunning on the gold cardstock……looks very marbled, but it’s extremely hard to capture using my camera. Here is a close-up that I took of some of it back on February 24th:

I used some of it for the corners, circular frame for sentiment and the ribbon buckle. For this card, I also decided to make my own “designer” paper using my “Antique Linen” Tim Holtz Distress Ink pad . The pretty lattice overlay was designed by me using my Funtime Deluxe 2009 software and then I cut it using my Craft Robo. All of the panels were cut using my Pazzles “Inspiration Creative Cutter”. The sentiment was created using Adobe Photoshop CS3 and printed onto my homemade designer paper using my Canan Pixma MP530 All-in-One inkjet printer.
Finished Card Size: A2/4.25”x5.5”

Supplies

Papers: GA Pacific White CS, “Majestic Blue” Creative Collection Metallic Cardstock by Wausau Paper
Tools: Pazzles “Inspiration Creative Cutter, Craft Robo, Sizzix Big Shot, and Quickutz “Revolution”
Accessories: Provo Craft Cuttlebug “Textile” & “Happy Birthday” embossing folders, Spellbinders “Photo Corners” and “”Ladies Fashion Buckles" Shapeabilities, ribbon from Spare Parts “Neutral Doily Ribbon” pack, Michaels “Gold Beads” Rhinestone Stickers and “Peel-Offs” (18th) that was a gift from a UKS forum friend of mine.

"Frugal Finds"..................

Today at Splitcoast Stampers, Julia came up with the idea of “Frugal Finds” for the “Ways to Use It” Challenge. Well, what could be more frugal than FREE background paper designs? One of the blogs that I check out, almost daily, is Jak Heath’s “Crafters Kitchen” and the other day she had some lovely “Damask Papers” that she designed and offered for free download and I just fell in love with them!!! You can find them here. She also made a card using them that I used for my inspiration and you can find it here. Another item I consider frugal is that I used clear Dew Drops that I colored black using my black Sharpie! The little “birthday” tag was designed by me and cut with my Pazzles “Inspiration Creative Cutter”. “Happy Birthday” was hand written by me!

Finished Card Size: A2/4.25”x5.5”

Supplies
Papers: GA Pacific White CS, Bazzill, “Metallic Black” Best Occasions Metallic
Paper Pack and Westrim Black CS
Stamps: Hero Arts (Flower) and Lotus Greeting Stamps by Amy Butler, K&Co.
Ink: StazOn “Jet Black” & “Graphite Black” Brilliance Pigment”
Tools: Pazzles Inspiration and Quickutz “Revolution”
Accessories: Spellbinders “Long Rectangles & Long Scalloped Rectangles”
Nestabilities and “Photo Corners”, “Black Diamonds” Stickles, The Robbins Nest “Clear Dew Drops” and Offray

“Poly Fleur” Ribbon

Going to the chapel and I'm going to get married!!!!!!!

Well, not me! Had you going there for a minute, didn’t I? Seriously, my husband’s great niece is getting married on March 12th and I just found out about it about the time I was beginning to design a card for the Splitcoast Stampers “Ways to Use It” Challenge “Embellishment Pile-up”. So my card for that challenge became a Wedding Card! I loved creating this card, but it seemed to take me forever to get it all together, but now that I have, I really like it. What do you think?

I designed the “Leafy Branches” and a lady by the name of Sabrina, at the UK Stampers site, designed the lovely “white dove” and they were cut with my Pazzles “Inspiration Creative Cutter”. The flowers were designed by Teri at my Yahoo Pazzles Inspiration Group and they too were cut with my Inspiration and then I sculpted them with my embossing stylus. I also used stamps and white embossing powder to emboss the main layer (underneath the embellishments), but unless you look at the close-up, you won't be able to see it. Here is a detailed close-up of some of the embellishments. As usual, please forgive my photography skills...some of these materials that we use to make our cards are to hard to capture!!!

Finished Card Size: A2/4.25”x5.5”

Supplies

Papers: GA Pacific White CS, Wausau Paper Creative Collection Textures Cardstock
“Sparkling Papers” Jewel Toned Mica Coated Papers by WorldWin and Villa Blanche
Textured Wall Paper Samples (for the flower centers)
Stamps: Anna Griffin “Flourishes” and “Flora & Fauna by KaiserCraft
Ink: Tsukineko “VersaMark Watermark”
Embossing Powders: Stamp-n-Stuff “Detail White Opaque”
Tools: Pazzles “Inspiration Creative Cutter, Cuttlebug, Ranger “Heat It”
Accessories: Cuttlebug “Leafy Branch” embossing folder, “Young Love ES” font, Martha Stewart “Branch” punch, Spellbinders “Photo Corners” Shapeabilities Collection and Large Scalloped Petite Ovals, Martha Stewart “White Pearl Stickers”, Offray “White Satin Ribbon” and the Cuttlebug “Textile” embossing folder by Provo Craft.

Hello everyone!!!

I decided yesterday to take on the Splitcoast Stampers Inspiration Challenge from Saturday. If you would like to do so too, please go to this link. I have had a hard time getting my creativity back on track since the holidays and my two bouts with viruses and I find these Challenges really help! I chose this card at the Elum website for my inspiration:

I did not have any designer paper that looked like the background, so I used Adobe Photoshop CS3 to make my own paper for the background and then used my printer to print it. It looks almost exactly like it, doesn’t it? I used my Funtime Deluxe 2009 software to make the banner and then cut it with my Pazzles “Inspiration Creative Cutter”. “Birthday Girl” was done using my Pen Tool that came with my “Inspiration Creative Cutter” and a Sharpie Marker.

This challenge was so much fun……I really have to get back to doing them on a regular basis!!!

Finished Card Size: A2/4.25”x5.5”

Supplies

Papers: GA Pacific White CS (card base), “Black Westrim Crafts. Royal Brites “White” CS
and Pink CS that was in my “stash”…don’t know who makes it!
Stamps: Anna Griffin “Flourishes” and Studio G (“Best Wishes”)
Ink: Brilliance Pigment “Graphite Black”
Tools: Pazzles “Inspiration Creative Cutter”
Accessories: “Petal Pink” Liquid Pearls, Mark Richards Crystal Stickers “Pearls”, “Black Chancery” Font and icons (pink bling) by me & my BIG ideas

I finally made time to create a card………….

Of course, it helped that I have a dear friend whose birthday is today and I created this card for her!!! She has been quite ill with congestive heart failure and lung problems…so if you could add Melitta to your prayers, I know she will be grateful!!!

I have been busy working on projects for Pazzles, plus my youngest son, wife and two adorable grandsons came for a visit, so since the holidays I have been quite busy!

The “Woven Frame” was designed by me using Funtime Deluxe 2009 and was cut using my Craft Robo. I used Adobe Photoshop CS3 for the sentiment. The bottom layer of the butterflies and all of the cardstock layers were cut using my Pazzles “Inspiration Creative Cutter”.
Finished Card Size: A2/4.25”x5.5”

Supplies

Papers: GA Pacific White CS (card base), Colorbok “Pearlescent Cardstock”
(Yellow & Lavender), Best Occasions “Metallic Paper Pack” (Gold Mirror
Cardstock used for Woven Frame), Wausau Paper Creative Collection Metallic
Cardstock “White Gold” (white shimmer CS used for label) and Canson Effects
Papercraft “Iced Gold” (bottom layer of butterflies)
Ink: Tsukineko “VersaMark Watermark”
Embossing Powders: “Winter Wonderland Opaque” and “Star Dust Transparent”
by Stamp-n-Stuff
Tools: Pazzles Inspiration, Quickutz "Revolution, Cuttlebug, Ranger “Heat It”, Fiskars
“Lace” Border Punch
Accessories: Spellbinders “Ribbon Tags Trio”, “Saginaw” font, Martha Stewart
“Monarch Butterfly” punch, Scor-Pal, Mini Flower Brads “Pastel”, Michael’s
“Rhinestone Stickers” (Gold Beads), Liquid Pearls “Lemon Yellow” & “Platinum”,
Offray Ribbon and the Paper Studios “Peel-Off Stickers”