Be Inspired #90 - Easel Card

This week's Cuttlebug challenge: create an easel card! My card was created with donated papers from My Mind's Eye. This is from their "Quite Contrary" paper collection. These papers are double-sided, have a light texture, and are a nice weight. I loved working with these papers! They emboss beautifully too. I used my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder by Provo Craft.

Other supplies:
My Favorite Things Pure Innocence "My Umbrella" stamp set
copic markers: YG95, E00, E21, E29, C3, G28
Spellbinders Nestibilities circles & squares dies
SU word window punch, label punch, and dimensionals
paper piercer
Bazzill card stock

Brief tutorial: I cut a 12x12 sheet of dark green Bazzill card stock into 4"x12" (I made 3 cards like this one). Score at 4", 6", and 8". Create a mountain fold in the center. On one side of the mountain (2"x4" rectangle), place some strong double-sided tape. I like to use photo tape or red-line tape. Adhere down. Now decorate as desired!

You can alter the dimensions. If you have 8 1/2" x 11" card stock, try cutting it in half (4 1/4" x 11"). Then score at 4 1/4" and 6 3/8".

Now give it a try! Don't forget to use a Provo Craft item: Cuttlebug dies, embossing folders, or your cricut somewhere on your easel card and enter it under Be Inspired #90 at Cuttlebug Challenge blog.

Quick thank you with BasicGrey Lemonade

On the last day of school I realized I forgot to write a thank you note to the girls' bus driver for the birthday gifts she gave to them. I grabbed my BG Lemonade, my CM square punches, and an SU sentiment for a super quick card. I even managed snap a quick picture, I got the girls to sign it, and I handed it to the bus driver that morning. Phew :)

I still have 8 more thank you cards to make and write. I may just repeat this card...I have not had any time to craft with the girls home for summer. I do have a card to post tomorrow for Cuttlebug Challenge blog, so I hope you will come back tomorrow!

Be Inspired #89 - Inchies!

Inchies are so much fun! Inchies are 1" squares. Some are small stamped art work, others are tiny collages, mine are Cuttlebug embossed squares of Core'dinations card stock. I used Provo Craft Cuttlebug Diamonds in the Rough (perhaps it should be re-named Diamonds in the Ruff? LOL)

What can you make with inchies? There is so much inspiration at Cuttlebug Challenge blog using inchies. Link your project at our Be Inspired # 89 challenge. I look forward to seeing what you create!

Other supplies: ribbon and 1" metal-rimmed tag from my stash, all other papers are BasicGrey June Bug, and the dog is a BasicGrey Woolies felt sticker.

A Nekkid Card (or "What?! No patterned paper?")

Have you been stamping long enough to remember when we never used patterned paper on our cards? We used to stamp our own backgrounds. When patterned paper became prevalent, I was ecstatic. For me, it made card making easier. I have a difficult time creating a card without patterned paper...it somehow feels nekkid ;) Today's card feels anything but nekkid and I used all of my most recent dies and embossing folders: Bigz Lattice, Sizzlets Little Leaves, Embosslits Beautiful Wings, and poinsettia embossing folder. I also used one of my all time favorite stamps from the Heartfelt Thanks set.

This card is made of 100% Stampin' Up! products. The papers & inks I used: So Saffron, Old Olive, and Ballet Blue. I was inspired by this card I saw on scs.

Thanks a Latte, Regina!

I purchased another cutting file from The Cutting Cafe (I am sensing a new addiction...)
My first template was a tie cutting file. I posted two cards on my blog (here). Regina Easter, owner of The Cutting Cafe posted my cards on her website in the customer gallery! Thanks a Latte, Regina :)

My card also works for the current challenge at Everything but the Kitchen Sink!

I actually made this card for my daughters' speech therapist. Today is the last day of school, so I need to run this up to her so she knows how much we appreciate her. I filled the treat cup with dark chocolate covered coffee beans (yep, just like my paper cupcake from yesterday's post!)

Happy Friday!!!

Cuttlebug Challenges Wedding Affaire

This entire week Cuttlebug Challenge blog is celebrating a wedding using Core'dinations card stock,Teresa Collins' paper collection, and Provo Craft butterflies from the Give A Hoot cricut cartridge! The DT Wedding Affaire began on Sunday, June 13th post at Cuttlebug Challenges. Today we are focussing on table decor for the reception.

I used these wonderful paper products to create a wedding favor/dinner place card. I love cupcakes, so I filled this tiny paper cupcake with dark chocolate covered coffee beans. I have a love affair with cupcakes, chocolate, and paper.

I hope you will hop over to Cuttlebug Challenge blog and see what my fabulous design team sisters have created. The projects have blown me away :)

Stash of K& Co. / Cosmo Cricket thank you

I am still working on ideas to finish my thank you card stash. I found these virgin K&Co. 3D butterfly stickers...they coordinate well with my Cosmo Cricket Early Bird papers. Add ribbon from my stash and use my Nesties...a SU sentiment and doodles for a butterfly path/antannae with my close to cocoa marker.

Cuttlebug Zoo Animals dies thank you card

I made this card with donated Zoo Animals dies from Provo Craft. Last Saturday my twin girls had their birthday party at a local animal park. I had a fuzzy idea of using these dies to create the thank you cards. This isn't exactly what I had in mind, but I am happy with the result. I had this brown striped sheet of scrapbook paper in my stash (manufacturer unknown). The green grid paper is Colorbok Friendly Forest. The monkey is hanging from an SU die and he is cut from SU chocolate chip; the giraffe is a yellow card stock from XPEDX. My cloud is hand drawn and stamped with an SU stamp in chocolate chip ink. I managed 6 cards from these papers...now to find some more papers to make 8 more :)

Tie Cards for Father's Day + The Cutting Cafe

I follow a blog called "The Cutting Cafe"...to be honest, I am a stalker. The samples are wonderful! Then my blog friend, Kay Sibley, became a DT member. Kay's cards and projects are always beautiful and inspirational. I emailed Kay about my anxiety over buying and using a template with my new Pazzles machine dhDH bought me for Christmas. (You do not need to own a cutting machine to purchase the templates!) Technology intimidates me and causes me great anxiety. Kay assured me, my friend Deanna encouraged me, and last week I purchased this tie template. My first card is below:
I used some old DCWV Nana's Kids paper, SU kraft card stock, and Making Memories rub-ons. For my second attempt (first picture), I was feeling more confident and I pulled out my BasicGrey Hang 10 and Bazzill card stock. And you know I had to use my Cuttlebug embossing folder on my tie ;) The "Happy Father's Day" is an SU stamp & window punch; I was hoping it would sort of look like a tie clip.

The Cutting Cafe has a gazillion (only a slight exaggeration) cutting files and printable stamps in various themes that are very inexpensive. I will be purchasing more cutting files! I have not figured out the whole "printable stamps" part (I can here you laughing...) but that is next on my list!

Finishing up some scrapbook pages of 2 cuties...

I have been creating 8x8 scrapbooks for my f-i-l since his favorite 2 girls were born. The current album was nearly full, so I completed it through June 2008 and gave it to him this past weekend as an early Father's Day gift. You may have seen this left-hand page, but I recently created a coordinating right-hand page.
H 2 Oh! Granny & Granddaddy at swim lessons with Julia & Kathryn.
I recently made the left page for the pennant challenge at Cuttlebug Challenge blog, then made the right page last week.
The last page of the album...Grandparent's Day at our elementary school.

Happy Thursday!

Be Inspired #87- Paint!

Our challenge this week at Cuttlebug Challenge blog is to use paint. My immediately thought to use some of my 12x12 transparency layover sheets for a scrapbook page, then highlight a word or phrase by applying paint. For my LO, I painted behind "SLEEPING LIKE A BABY". I cut out stars then embossed them with my Provo Craft Cuttlebug Stars embossing folder.

When I completed the LO, I wanted to label the pictures with their names. I noticed the space above the bottom right star, and decided to use my alpha rub-ons for their names. I did not realize I had used all of the lower case a and y...I purposely used a lower case k for Kathryn to sort of create a uni-font. Did I succeed?

Other Supplies:
transparency sheet: Daisy Ds Sleep
card stock: darkest blue (Bazzill), maize & slate blue (both smooth card stock)
2 blue eyelets (stash)
Funky with Fibers (mustard)
Alphabet rub-ons by Making Memories (providence font)
Folk Art acrylic paint (buttercrunch)

Be Inspired #86- Color Challenge

Our challenge for you this week is a color challenge! I hope my card inspires you to create your own card, layout, or project and link it to Cuttlebug Challenge blog Be Inspired #86. I used one of my favorite Provo Craft Cuttlebug embossing folders, D'Vine Swirls. The cupcake image is my newest stamp purchase by Hero Arts. I colored with copic markers RV11, RV29, and BG10 to coordinate with my BasicGrey Urban Prairie paper and Bazzill card stock (Cuttlebug embossed.) The white hearts border punch is made by EKSuccess and the scallop border punch is SU. I used my largest square Nestibilities for the cupcake image.

Yesterday was my 3 year blogoversary. I am happy to announce that Deanna is the winner of my blog candy! Deanna, you should receive your prize on Friday :)