Julee Tilman Sketch

This is Julee's sketch for this week...#80! If you have followed my blog for a while, you may know I am a huge fan of Julee's sketches.

Julee used to have a pdf file on her blog (Poetic Artistry) of the sketches, but now you can go to Mojo Monday- The Blog.

See the butterfly on my card? I found a package of these at Michael's yesterday in the $1 bins. They are by Studio 18. I thought it would coordinate well with my My Mind's Eye papers. I also used white Bazzill scraps. The rub-on, mini brads, and base card are all DCWV. The ribbon is by American Crafts. The square and scallop square are Nestibilities.

I love pinks, oranges, and lime together...such happy colors :)

Make it a great day!

Hey, Chick, Have You Seen My Mojo?

I have been very happy with the cards I have made/posted the past 2.5 weeks. Today I had a lot of trouble coming up with something. Anything.

I could not come up with a unique idea for an Easter card. I looked through the cards I made in Sue's "Thoughts and Prayers" Stampin' Up! class. I decided to use a sketch from a card Sue had us make. Then I sifted through my I've-had-this-forever embellies. I found three Laura Ashley buttons. I recalled I had a 12x12 of I've-had-this-forever Laura Ashley double-sided paper to coordinate. (Let's define "forever" as 5 1/2 years.) I stamped with blush blossom and mellow moss inks. I colored the chicks (a PSX stamp)with barely banana, their beaks & legs with more mustard, and their hats with apricot appeal. I colored the ribbons & leaves on the hats with mellow moss and the flowers on one hat with blush blossom. I eked out three cards from that 12x12 sheet, which worked out nicely since I had three buttons! Ah...no scraps :) The doily border punch is Martha Stewart. I masked the chicks and sponged mellow moss for the "grass". I think I need more practice with this :)



I also made this card out of the scraps from this post.

Happy Monday!

Cuttlebug Meets Cupcake- Be Inspired # 24

This week's challenge at Cuttlebug Challenges is to "create some unusual techniques for the frosting." I don't know if this qualiefies as unusual; I have used these pomegranate dew drops before on my cupcake icing here, and I have used Cuttlebug embossing folder as icing here. But I have never embossed and used dew drops :)

I used my Nesties Labels Two for the first time, and I paper crimped the cupcake "wrapper"...something I have not used in a long time :)

I just found a challenge blog called Stamp Something. They have a sketch challenge this week; like today's card.

Recipe:
Card base: DCWV
Black cardstock: ACMoore
Decorative papers: Bo Bunny
Cuttlebug embossing folder: Bloom Dots
Die: Nestibilities Labels Two
Dew drops: Embellashments
Sentiment stamp, oval punches, dimensionals, paper crimper: Stampin' Up!

Cuttlebug Spot Challenge #23 : Spring

I made the top panel using alcohol inks. I stamped and embossed in black, then added the white Basic Grey rub-ons to two corners.
I found a coordinating paper in my stash (by Magenta), ran it through the Cuttlebug embossing folder D'Vine Swirls. I mounted each on black cardstock. Then I added the scrap of purple decorative paper (also by Magenta) on black cs.
I used my paper piercer to punch holes and add the silver brads across the bottom. I found this silver flower charm in my stash, and hot glued it to the front.
Enjoy your weekend!

Cuttlebug Spot Challenge: Spring

When I think of Spring, I see dyed Easter eggs in pretty pastels, like this argyle bling paper by DCWV. I thought The argyle Cuttlebug embossing folder would be perfect with it. But the image? Spring also reminds me of the rebirth of the flowers and trees, allergies, and bugs :) I used the SU set "Cute as a Bug". I popped up the heart on dimensionals and added some stickles to coordinate with the bling in the DCWV paper. I didn't know how to add the sentiment. Then I noticed my new EK Success border punch with the pinking edge (like the argyle diamonds) and the hearts. Perfect!

CASE of Sharon Johnson & Faux Watercolor Tutorial

I fell in love with this card by Sharon Johnson of No Time To Stamp. Sharon is one of my "favorite inspiration" blogs. There are days when I go in my craft room and ask myself, "I have all of this stuff. Why don't I have any mojo?" Those are the times when I peruse her lovely cards. The stamp is SU two-step stamping set called "Heartfelt Thanks." This is one of my favorite SU sets.

I need to make Easter cards to send to my family, and I love to use purple and green. I remembered when I used some Sweetwater papers last August to make these cards.

I used my Scor-It to create a dry embossed frame around the flower. I layered on a scrap of purple, then on mellow moss cs, which I paper pierced and popped up on dimensionals. The gold sheer ribbon is May Arts, and I used my swiss dots Cuttlebug embossing folder on the base card. The inks are SU mellow moss SU lovely lilac, and Encore gold pigment ink. I used gold embossing powder by Stampendous.


Here are my Sweetwater scraps

that were left before I started. The scraps are on a 12x12 sheet of paper. I used that one long striped piece to CASE Sharon. It looks like I will need to find some other dps for the rest of my Easter cards, or make some June Houck scrappy cards :)

TUTORIAL: These are the materials I used to faux watercolor.

1. Color the solid stamp (direct-to-rubber). I spritzed the stamp twice, then stamped lightly, and then again with more force.

2. Here are my two images. I can create two cards! Then I stamped the outline stamp with gold pigment ink, dusted with gold embossing powder, and heat embossed the image. Voila!

I really like this card! So pretty. Thank you, Sharon :)

Basic Grey Bittersweet Card Kit & SU! rub-ons/primas

This card came from the Basic Grey Bittersweet Card Kit that I purchased from 7 Kids College Fund in January. I did not want it to be a Valentine, so I added some white SU! rub-ons (the sentiments.) Another part of a rub-on came off too, so I had to hide the offending rub-on with SU! primas from the Pretties Kit and an American Crafts brad.

Today actually is my parents' wedding anniversary and this is the card I made for them.

Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!

Cuttlebug Challenge- Punches Be Inspired & A Smile & A Prize

The current challenge at Cuttlebug Challenges is to use your punches in unusual ways, and to use your Cuttlebug, of course!

I used my Swiss Dots embossing folder on a ValuePack card from Michael's. I mounted three cardstock stickers on black cs, white cs, then on a metallic silver specialty paper. I layered the tri-sticker panel to black cs, then used my Martha Stewart border punch. Did I use my punch in an unusual way? Well, many of the other entrants made very creative animals with their punches, so my simple card is unusual compared to theirs AND it is unusual for me to use my border punch on top and bottom. (Although I did do it once before, just last week, on this card.) Does that logic work for you???

Last week my postman brought me a smile. This lovely hand stitched card is from Leslie!!! She calls her blog "The Crooked Stamper", but as you can see, her card is anything but crooked :) I LOVE this card, and I have it proudly displayed in my craft room and it makes me smile every time I go in there.

And this prize was won by another one of Leslie's loyal blog readers. She wanted to share her ribbons with another Leslie fan. So Leslie drew another name, and she drew mine! Can you believe Leslie let these babies go??? Lucky me!

Basic Grey Challenge 27- Texture; Black Tie Anniversary Card

When I saw this week's challenge at Basic Grey Challenges, I immediately thought of trying to use some white ribbon with black flocking from Michael's. I thought it may go with this Basic Grey dp (Black Tie Collection from 2005; probably "Diamante".) I couldn't make it work, so I ended up using my Cuttlebug embossing folders. I think this "textile" folder goes nicely with the dp. The base card is Michael's Value Pack; the black cs is Bazzill; the white cs is from Wal-Mart; the dark grey metallic paper is ??? (possibly Magenta); the silver swirly ribbon is from my stash (ACMoore?); and the sentiment (on my Nesties) is a Stampendous Class-A-Peel. I used lots of SU! dimensionals on this card (some double high!)

Why did I choose to make an anniversary card? Probably because that is what I did the last time I used this dp on this card. Also, this was the last "Happy Anniversary" Class-A-Peel I have. And the dp seems too elegant to me for any other occasion. Maybe because my parents' wedding anniversary is this Wednesday. I did make them a Basic Grey card for their anniversary, but it was using Bittersweet. You will have to wait until Wednesday to see it :) I will post it then.

Happy Monday!

Butterfly Thank You Card

I am entering this card in the current {Caardvarks} challenge, "Did You Ever Know That You're My Hero Arts?" Yep, Hero Arts is sponsoring this challenge. It is a sketch by Heidi Van Laar. I rotated the sketch clockwise 90 degrees.

I used the new DCWV glitter matstack, "Garden Party." I also used SU! chocolate chip cs, ribbon from my stash, and a QuicKutz icing ("Thank You" rub-on). I cut two butterflies from the scraps of the dp, then mounted the top butterfly with SU! dimensionals.

I hope you can see the shimmer of these fabulous papers :)

All American Family Mini Book-- WWII Memorial Dedication

My parents and grandparents attended the WWII Memorial Dedication in May 2004. I taught this mini book class at Memories in June 2006. Yesterday was my grandpa's 88th birthday. I decided to finally get around to making this for him :)

This is (left to right): Grandpa, Grandma, and my mom :)

Atlantic (and there is another E page I accidentally deleted OOPS! with "Pacific"; trust me, the book does spell out FREEDOM with two Es).

My grandpa was born in Rhode Island (his parents were born near Montreal, Quebec.)

My grandparents moved to Maryland from New York in the 1940s. They still reside in Maryland. I'll go visit this Sunday for a little birthday party for Grandpa. In addition to this mini book, I am bringing cupcakes!

Supplies used: Basic Grey Hang Slash; Sweetwater Red; the dymo labels are actually EK Success Label Lingo-Patriotic; the mini brads, decorative brads and Cajun gingham ribbon are all Making Memories.

Eighty-eight sounds old...but I suppose it is a matter of perspective. Dh's oldest aunts (who you may recall turned 99 & 100 two months ago) would call my grandpa a spring chicken :)

My 2009 Mother's Day Card?

It's all Sue's fault, really :) During February Stamp Camp she had SU! sets sitting out, and I just had to have this stamp! It is from the Garden Sillouettes set. Yes, I violated Leslie's 50% rule: Don't buy the set unless you are going to use 50% of the set. But see how pretty this one stamp is??? I think it may go well with some of my Yuzen and Washi specialty papers.

During this month's stamp camp, Sue had out the dp pictured too. I knew it coordinated well with my new stamp, so I had to buy that dp too. Ugh. The trials and tribulations of a stamp and paperholic.



Then I saw this card on Amy Sheffer's blog. I don't have her "Story of Us" dp by ATD. (Should I add "yet"? Hmm...I am volunteering at school today and ACMoore is on my way home...okay, actually in the opposite direction of my home, but it is in the same town as the school...) Isn't Amy's card GORGEOUS? Okay, so all her cards are frame-worthy, but I especially love her sketch of this card in particular. You know I now had to use my 50% coupon at ACMoore to buy the Martha border punch and CASE Amy's sketch.

The cs I used is all from ACMoore (white, black, tropical green) except the SU Old Olive cs. I used SU dimensionals and a white gel pen (from SU catty). The ribbons are from Mike's. I used the SU top note die on the dp, and the smallest oval is the stamped image.
Should I make four more and this be my Mother's Day card for my 3 grandmothers, my mom, and my m-i-l??? Let me know what you think, my Peeps :)

Basic Grey Challenge 26-All Round

This week's Basic Grey challenge is to use rounded corners...not an angle in sight. This was an excuse for me to use my Basic Grey Motifica scraps, and my new border punch I purchased yesterday :)

Playing with dye inks this past weekend got me thinking about a technique my Supreme friend, Sharon, taught me about 8 years ago using 3 coordinating Marvy Matchables ink pads (from Mike's). 1. Take a piece of white glossy cs and using direct-to-paper, cover in the lightest color. **Use a facial tissue to buff immediately to remove hard lines.**
2. Then use your medium color direct-to-paper on the outer edges, leaving the center with only the lightest color. Buff with the tissue, if desired.
3. Go around the outer most edges with the darkest color, then buff.
4. Stamp your main image with Stazon black (my girl is a Stampa Rosa stamp.)
5. Using your darkest Marvy matchable, repeatedly stamp around your image with a crackle background stamp (mine is from Judikins).

Here they are:
#13 ochre
#6 brown
#18 dark brown

All cs is by Bazzill except for the black (ACMoore). I used a CM corner rounder, and my paper piercer.

A Scrappy Sketch Card

This stamped image is one of the four samples I got to make at Marti's house Saturday night. We played with her alcohol inks ang Basic Grey rub-ons. It was so much fun being with two other Design Divas (Sheryl and Deanna) as well as another dear friend, Amy Sheffer. I have not played with alcohol inks since B.G. (before girls.)

I went up to my craft room with the intent to make a card using this week's Cuttlebug Spot sketch challenge.

Back to my comfort zone...I had run this white Value Pack card from Mike's through my swirls Cuttlebug embossing folder a few months ago, then the card did not come together. I felt it tied in nicely with the white swirly Basic Grey rub-ons, so I decided to try to make it work and use it up :) Then I was in search of coordinating dp. DCWV...no luck. Basic Grey...no luck. Magenta...YES!!!

BTW, the stamp is by Inkadinkadoo. I loved it so much I had to go to JoAnn's yesterday afternoon to buy one for myself. Stamps are 40% off this week at JoAnn's...hey, I'm just here to enable :)

Happy St. Patty's Day!

My New Banner

Did you see my beautiful new blog banner? The Crafty Miz Kristie made this for me and emailed it to me. I must be living right to have such wonderful friends. Paper crafting friends are the best, don't you agree? They enable inspire us and keep crafting FUN.

Speaking of paper crafting friends, the Design Divas are on a field trip tonight to Marti Wills' house (aka Pez-A Doodle!)

Then tomorrow I am going to Sue's to make 5 cards using the SU! set "Thoughts and Prayers" set.

Life IS good...

Basic Grey Challenge 25

I found the Basic Grey Challenge blog! This week's challenge is a sketch. I used Basic Grey Fusion papers, purple Bazzill cs, American Crafts ribbon, and a DCWV rub-on (sentiment). The card base is DCWV.

And you know what? I used all scraps! You know that makes me happy :)

Another Note of Love

I changed up the color combo. I used up all the DCWV paisley dp in the pale greens from the second card in this post. This one is in blues.

Now my large piles are gone...I am down to two small piles on my craft workspace :)

Basic Grey Birthday Card

I love this sketch! You may recall I used it here when I CASEd my dear blog friend, Corie.

This time I used Basic Grey "Oh, Baby Boy!" dps, CM circle cutters, my square Nesties, and a QuicKutz party hat die.

Happy Wednesday!

Marrakech Card Kit from Basic Grey

One might think I receive some form of compensation for advertising for Basic Grey; nope! I am just a HUGE fan.

I purchased this kit from 7 Kids College Fund.
Last weekend I was feeling down and completely unmotivated to do anything. "Un-inspired" to make cards would be an understatement. When I get in a funk, it can be difficult to pull myself out. But then Leslie mentioned that for the month of March, she is going to make cards only from scraps from The Heap; the only virgin cs she will use is for card bases. And Kristie continues to beautify her craft room with painted or paper covered containers.


So I pulled myself up and I spent almost the entire day yesterday and today(while the girls were at school) in my craft room. I decided I was going to work on my piles. My piles consist of:

1. the started-but-unfinished Basic Grey card kits (yesterday's post and today's post); I want to use those large dinosaur cards (previous post) for birthday cards for some neighbor boys,

2. cards that are made and already blog posted, but not packaged for sale at the coffee shops OR placed in my stash for personal use,

3. other cs and dps pulled with sketches drawn on Post-It notes, but not made.

Check off #1 and #2!

Today I am working on #3. And my four original piles of stuff are down to two very small piles! And now I have something to post tomorrow and Thursday as well. Thank you, Leslie & Kristie! Nothing is more motivating for me than a cleaned up craft room :)

Basic Grey Card Kit---Baby

I saw this kit at Linne Cards website. I just had to have it! The little bird "as tweet as can be" is really cute IRL.


I also love the one with the airplane!
Have I mentioned how much I love Basic Grey? And these kits are super easy. The cards are already scored. All the dp are punch outs, and all the chipboard embellies are already stickers. Each kit makes 8 cards (including envies), and their are no scraps leftover (you know I don't need more scraps!) You do get extra rub-ons.


Hey, I'm just here to enable :)

Scrappy Thinking of You & Leapin' Leprechauns

I pulled out blue cs scraps, white acrylic paint, my Creative Imaginations foam stamps, and my QuicKutz for the sentiment. Add some scraps of ribbon...voila!

I had exactly 3 more aqua color cards in my DCWV card box, so ya know I had to go ahead and use them up. It is difficult to see in the sunshine, but the background dp in the top two card is a diamond pattern. I added dots with my white gel pen to girly them up:)

I made these this morning while chattin' it up with my Design Diva gals...not after some excitment on the way to Shery's house:

I was pulled in Sheryl's neighborhood (Tavistock Farms for my local blog friends) going 43 in a 25. I almost never speed, but I sure was today. The officer was very nice and friendly. He got another call and let me go wishing me a "happy Friday" as he pulled away on his motorcycle. I was just a few blocks from Sheryl's house on Santmyer Dr., and in my agitated/elated state, parking in front of her house, I hit the curb and put a nice size hole in my tire. It went flat in seconds. AAA to the rescue! The guy was there in less than 10 minutes, put my spare on for me, and I went back in to Sheryl's for some card making fun. I'll go into the 'burg tomorrow to The Tire Shop for a new tire.

Hope your day was a little less exciting!

Lucky Me!

Back to June Houck cards...I have made 30+ cards recently, but all have been from Basic Grey card kits. Yeppers, after making those Bittersweet cards, I went online searching for more kits. So that is what I have been busying myself with recently. Until this morning...

Lucky Me! I went to all three coffee shops yesterday to get paid for February and load up the baskets with more cards. February was very good. I sold a total of 91 cards/mini books last month. After really sad sales in December and January, February '09 was fantabulous. And March is looking pretty good so far too. My sixteen St. Patrick's Day cards are almost gone. I made this one this morning from DCWV scraps. I added a large white MM brad, a blue Bazzill prima, and a green prima from Mike's. The Leprechaun is a SU! stamp inked in CTMH soft leaf. And the border punch is the Fiskars threading water punch.

Happy Anniversary!

Happy 19th Anniversary to my f-i-l & his lovely wife, Cathy.

This is an odd size card for me (3"x6"). The dp is 1.5"x 6". The sentiment is a Basic Grey rub-on. I used black ribbon from my stash and a gem brad.

The happy couple are actually on their way from NC to visit us this week to see their two adorable granddaughters :)