The Last of 2010

So, on this last day of 2010 I thought I would share with you some of the cards I made over the course of the year that for some reason or other never got posted to my blog.

A birthday card using my newly acquired kraft cardstock:

An amazing thank-you card that I made for a friend. It was so pretty. I would just stare at it until I finally had to place it in the mail:

A pretty birthday card that I made. Loved the flowers. Not crazy about the green sparkle stems.

This card was made for my Aunt on the occasion of her 25th year of teaching. My mother wanted a special card that she could give her to celebrate the occasion:

A fun Christmas card that I made for 2010:

Another fun Christmas card that I made for 2010. I love the Hawaiian greeting:

See you in 2011!!

1st Birthday Card

My cute little niece celebrated her first birthday last month, and I knew that I had to create a card that was equal to the occasion... a single-fold card would just not do the trick! I had also recently seen a colour combination of pink/black/grey and wanted to try a card with it. And because she is such a little princess, I just had to use my castle stamp :)

Here's a look at the finished product:

I am especially please with how the castle turned out:

I stamped the castle image in black ink on white cardstock. I then coloured over certain sections with a white crayon so that they would be highlighted after I sponged some pink and grey ink overtop. The final touch was to tear the edges of the cardstock.

The picture just does not do it justice. It was so pretty. I think by the time I was done with the castle, I was so tired I kinda skimped on the rest of the card, but I still think the finished product is suitable for the occasion.

Dynamic Christmas Colours

A friend showed me this card, and as soon as I saw it I knew it would be the inspiration for a set of Christmas cards I would make. I love untraditional Christmas colours, and this combo was so A.MAZ.ING.

Here's a look at the card I made:

And a close-up of the sentiment:

I especially like the three dots beside the sentiment. I had just purchased a supply of glitter glue from Michael's the day before in every colour under the rainbow and I couldn't wait to use it :)

In the Nick of time

It is 12 minutes to midnight as I begin typing this post. My goal is to be done before midnight so that I can get my entry for the November HCCC in on time.


I created the challenge for this month, and was super excited about it. Didn't seem like much of a "challenge" to me. Boy was I wrong. Couldn't get inspired. That'll teach me :)

So, I just sat down and started playing with cardstock. Forced myself to use a shade of blue (Ballet Blue - SU) that I have never used before. That was really hard for me, because I like sticking to my favourites :) Had some fun stamping the snowflakes and then heat embossing them with silver. Really wish that I had some rhinestones to use on the sentiment (to add some 'sparkle') but had to settle for some silver glitter glue.

The pictures are not great, 'cause I was pressed for time, but here's a look at the finished product:

11:55pm. Phew.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I think the Christmas season has officially arrived. My sister has had her house completely decorated for at least a week... her shopping is nearly complete and the presents are sitting wrapped under the tree waiting for Christmas morning. I've nearly perfected the Christmas playlist on my mp3 player and I'm singing along to it in the car every chance that I get. The only thing I'm waiting for is that first wonderful fall of snow. Can't hardly wait.

I was perusing the latest issue of Paper Crafts magazine not too long ago and was smitten by one of the featured cards on the cover. I thought... "I can do that", and set to work.

I love the simplicity of the layout, and the witty sentiment: Happy "holly"days. Hee hee.


I was especially psyched to use some of the red buttons that I picked up at the dollar store for the holly.

Stay tuned for more festive creations :)

Another Card

It's the beginning of a new week, so I figured the best way to start it off would be with another card for y'all.

Back in September I attended a shower for my cousin and his fiance who were recently wed.

I was in a rush to make a card for the shower, so I knew that the creation had to be quick and simple. Since I had a newly purchased package of Kraft cardstock just waiting for me, I pulled it out and set to work. Here's a look at what I came up with:

It was as I was surveying the finished product that I realized I hadn't used the sentiment stamp I had planned to use.

Instead of just saying "it looks good enough", I set to work stamping my intended sentiment and then adhered it overtop of the original sentiment with some foam adhesive to pop it up on the card:

The bride-to-be was very pleased with the card when she opened the envelope.

Inspired By Carrots

This month's HCCC was inspired by an abundance of carrots.

When I first looked at the picture, I was tempted to design the layout of my card to mimic the layout of the picture. But in the end I was short on time and I opted to just use the colours in the picture as my inspiration.

The most recent issue of Paper Crafts magazine had a sketch in it that I thought was fantastic and couldn't wait to use.

Here's the end result:

November is chock full 'o birthdays in my family, so I have a lot of b-day cards to make. I always find the guys cards the hardest ones to make, so I thought I would start there, and make a card for my older brother's birthday. I think he'll like this one.

I thought I would colour in the apples that are sitting in the back of the pick-up, so that they would 'pop' on the front of the card. The end result is a bit more subtle than I was expecting - but I think I like that even more :)

cardstock: chocolate chip, certainly celery, pumpkin pie (SU!)
stamps: Countryside (SU!)
embellishments: eyelets (making memories)
ink: chocolate chip (SU!), antique linen (Tim Holtz Distress Ink)

Quick and Easy Birthday Card

My nephew had a birthday 5 weeks ago, and I was pressed for time, so I had to assemble a card for him in a hurry.

When I think of kid's cards, I am always drawn to bright colours, and for some reason boy = blue.

So, I took out my new Cuttlebug, the sweet embossing folder that I bought on sale at Walmart, and the birthday sentiment stamp that I borrowed from Angela, and whipped up this little creation:

I love how the stars 'pop' on the card and that they bring a sense of celebration to it as well. I also love how simple, easy and quick this card was to make.

I'm always playing around with variations of this layout. Next time I'll probably try this layout with some ribbon, and maybe heat emboss the stars as well.

Tidings of Comfort & Joy

I made a bunch of Christmas cards back in the summer, but haven't had a chance to post all of them yet.

I really like this one:

It's just elegant and classy. I used black, red and vanilla card stock, and I got to use my new cuttlebug die cut for the oval shape that I stamped "merry wishes" on.

Can't wait to make some more super festive Christmas cards!

Musical Inspiration

OK, it's really late (or early, depending on how you look at it), so I apologize if there isn't much substance to this post, but I wanted to make sure that I got my HCCC card for September posted before the month was over :)

Here's a look at my finished product:

It is a 6" x 6" card. I had a hard time picking a 'favourite' song to inspire me. How can I just choose one? So, I decided to keep my selection to music from the past year, and I picked the song that I listened to the most over the past 12 months. My inspiring song choice was 'United States of Eurasia' by Muse. I listened to it over and over and over and over again while working on the card so that it would inspire me.

The second part of the challenge was to use paper piecing. Ever since I got this sweet stamp (as seen in the above pic) in a Unity KOM, I have been dying to paper piece it. It took me several attempts to get the effect that I was going for, but I am really happy with the final result.

But, it just didn't seem like enough on its own. I needed a little something extra to pull the card together, and settled on adding a cluster of buttons in the lower right-hand corner for that finishing touch.

I wasn't really sure what type of sentiment to put on the card, but felt that the one I chose fit in with the umbrella.

Not sure what type of occasion I can use this card for, but I'm sure I will find a use for it someday. In the meantime it looks pretty sitting on my bookshelf :)

White Crayon..... Who Knew?

I'm really excited about this post. I just finished this card, and I couldn't wait to share it with y'all:

I received a truly excellent, unexpected gift on the weekend, and needed to make a card to thank the giver. Since the intended recipient likes all things 'rooster', I knew that I was going to use the rooster stamp from my SU "Provencal" stamp set.

I cased a bunch of different cards on Splitcoaststampers and combined all of the elements that I liked into this card. I wasn't really sure what to do with the empty space at the bottom under the stamped image, but ended up finishing it off with some rustic looking button-y goodness.

The most exciting part of this card for me is the stamped image of the rooster. While I was looking for inspiration on Splitcoaststampers, I saw a card on which the artist had used white crayon and then used the emboss-resist technique overtop. "Interesting," I thought to myself, "what a great way to highlight a stamped image..... I can totally do that!"

So, I hunted through my crafty storage and unearthed a white crayon from an old box of crayons, and set to work. I just love the end result:

I will totally have to use this technique on more cards in the future.

Vintage-y Christmas

It feels as if it has been eons since I have posted a card on this blog. I've been so busy lately, I haven't had any time to take pictures of the cards I've been making.

That all changed this weekend, when I had the opportunity to snap a few quick pics.

My favourite season of the year is Winter, and my favourite holiday is.... you guessed it.... Christmas! As soon as that first hot, humid, heat wave hits in the Summer, I'm usually looking forward to the day when the snow will start to fly. So, it should come as no surprise that I love to get a head start on my Christmas cards (that's not true - it always surprises me - I'm a procrastinator by nature).

A few months ago, I made a batch of Christmas cards using a card layout that I especially liked.

Here's a look at the finished product:

I think that the end result has a 'vintage-y' feel to it. And I like that I was able to bring together stamps from various different stamp sets and companies to create the card.

Stay tuned for more Christmas creations in the next few weeks :)

Prayers

Back in July I posted this card which I had made for a student at my school who has been battling cancer.

This young woman was in her first year of University when she was diagnosed with leukemia. Now, it's a new school year, and there is a new batch of students roaming the halls full of life and energy, while their peer lays in a hospital battling cancer.

The past few weeks this student has spent most of her time in an induced coma and yesterday we learned that her parents had made the tough decision to take their child off of her respirator.

This year the theme at my institution is to "pray without ceasing". If you are reading this post, please take the time to lift up a prayer for this young woman and her family at this difficult time

Encouraging HCCC

August's HCCC was a great one. Unfortunately, August was a crazy busy month and time was not on my side.

Fortunately, I made a card a few weeks ago which I think fits the two-part challenge.

1) I made this card for my friend:

And I think it totally fits in with part #2 of the challenge - it encourages the recipient, and hopefully bolsters their confidence when they are feeling tired, frustrated or just blah. Basically it encourages them to grow in their self-confidence.

I love the orange slice stamp, and using it to create the scalloped edge at the bottom of the card.

When I finished the card, I felt it was missing that little something. Then, I added the three rhinestones, and VOILA! the card was complete.

Hope you enjoyed August's Hazzard County Card Challenge as much as I did. We'll see you in September :)

My new toy!

I recently purchased a new toy that I can use to make wonderful card creations with - a Cuttlebug! I had been debating about purchasing one for some time, and finally decided to go for it.

I borrowed an embossing folder from my friend, and started having fun.

Here is the card that I made for my mother's birthday at the end of the month....


Simple, classy and elegant, I think. My mother will be sure to love it.

Return of Mojo!

I'm not going to lie to you, lately I had started to doubt my card-making abilities. I thought I had lost my mojo. Every card I made seemed to be an epic failure. Nothing worked.

Then, all of a sudden a few weeks ago, something just clicked. I was inspired. I felt the creative juices flowing once again. I had my mojo back!

What better way to celebrate the return of my card-making mojo than by participating in the Mojo Monday challenge!

I have a plethora of birthday cards to make, and decided to use this challenge to inspire a birthday card creation. Here's a look at the end result:


I love how all of the elements (colours, embellishments, layout, etc.) combined, and hope this is a sign of good things to come in my future card creations.

Belated Birthday Card

I had a very productive card-making weekend. Finished 3 Christmas cards, and made 4 other wonderful creations.

The first one that I want to share with you is a long-overdue birthday card. Since I knew I had to make this card, I thought I would tie it in with the July HCCC.

I've never tried emboss resist before, and have always wanted to. I borrowed the Upsy Daisy (SU) stamp set from my friend, watched a few YouTube videos to learn the technique, and then set to work.

Here is the result:

I love the end result! I kept walking by the card all evening just so I could look at it :). I hope the recipient likes the card as much as I do!

June HCCC

This blog post is waaaaaaaaay overdue, but better late than never :)

The June HCCC was certainly challenging. I decided to make a card of encouragement for a student at my school that is currently undergoing treatment for leukemia.

Here's a look at the finished product:

I really wanted the orange ribbon to pop (since orange is the ribbon colour for leukemia), so I kept the background as neutral as possible, complimenting the orange with some light purple cardstock.

Part of the challenge forced us to make a card that wasn't a standard 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 single fold card. I wasn't getting inspired by any unique folding techniques, so I opted to make a simple postcard.

I have always wanted a stamp set with an Eiffel Tower in it, and recently picked up a Tim Holtz set on sale at Michael's. I couldn't think of a more suitable use for it than this postcard of encouragement.

I hope that the recipient can find a measure of comfort in this small token, and pray that the treatment grants the student strength and restores them to good health.

Summer Daze

I was
super excited
to get my
KOM from Unity Stamp Co.
for June.

I couldn't wait to use one of the stamps from the kit

to make this

AWESOME CARD:

I was inspired by
this card
that was posted on the Unity blog a while back.

i LOVE the end result.

It is happy, sunshine-y, summer!

Dutch Treat

So, this weekend the FIFA World Cup began in South Africa and I thought I would pay homage to this event by creating a card that is influenced by the team that could win it all.... The Netherlands! Really I was looking for inspiration for this week's Mojo Monday challenge (see sketch on right), and it gave me an excuse to use my awesome "Netherlands" stamp set from Stampin' UP!

So, what did I end up creating? Take a look for yourself:

I don't think it is a winner (this one and this one are definite contenders), but it was fun to play along. My favourite part of the card is the little Dutch boy and girl. I embossed them, and then cut them out and popped them up on the card. I am also very fond of the burgandy cardstock in the background. I ripped the cardstock to give it a "rustic" feel, and the colour really pops on top of the subtle patterned paper.

Hope you like it, and I hope to have some new creations posted soon!

Mother's Day - A month later...

June is a busy month for birthdays in my family, so I will have lots of opportunity to get crafty in the next few weeks.

However, today I thought I would FINALLY post the card that I created for my Mom for Mother's day.

Here's a look at the finished product:


There are various aspects of the card that I really love. But, if I had to do it all over again, I would get rid of the brown/pink polka-dot ribbon in the centre. Ugh. Too many different patterns.

I'm really happy with the two flower embellishments that I created using my flower punch and brads. I also really love the stitching that I did around the bottom half of the card. Take a look at a close-up:


Also, for this card, I got to use my brand new tag punches that I purchased from Stampin' UP!. Love these punches! I've got vague ideas of using them to create some awesome Christmas cards. Here's another look at the "Mom" tag:

Overall, the finished result is okay. And, even if I'm not 100% over the moon about it, my Mom really liked it, so that's all that matters :).

Stay Crafty!

Lemon Zinger

So, with a week to go, I've finally got my card for the HCCC completed. Nothing like waiting 'til the last minute! :)

Here's a close-up of my paper-pieRcing. I pierced the corners of the yellow cardstock that is layered under my stamped images.

The layout for my completed card was taken from an old Mojo Monday sketch (I was feeling extremely un-creative and could not for the life of me think of a layout of my own).

I really enjoy the yellow/grey/white colour combo. I glued some 'dazzling diamond' sparkles on the stamped images, layered them on the yellow cardstock and the popped them up with some dimensionals.

Super cool. Way fun. Can't wait for next month's challenge!

Blog Candy

Check out this blog candy!

What an amazing way to celebrate a birthday - giving unto others. Hopefully whoever wins all of Debbie's blog candy will use it to bless others.

Mojo Monday 137 Challenge

Happy Weekend Everyone!

I decided to try my hand at another Mojo Monday challenge. I really liked the layout for this week (see picture on the right) and I was inspired right away. However, it actually took me three nights to pull all of the elements together and complete the card.

I thought the panel of 4 squares was an interesting design element. Right away I was inspired to create a "film strip" type of feature for this section and incorporate it into the card.

Here's a look at the finished product:

My spin on a non-traditional Christmas card. I don't like using traditional Christmas colours, and thought the colour combo in this patterned paper was so great. And I really love how the "film strip" panel turned out.

Awesome!

I tried to find a square punch that I could use to make life a little easier, but I couldn't find one, so I cut out all of the squares by hand with my paper trimmer, and then punched holes down the sides. Love the finished result!

The 'merry' and 'Xmas' are heat embossed in white so that they pop on the cardstock.

These three flower brads kinda faded into the background, so I thought if I glued some sparkles on them, they might 'pop' a bit more on the card.

Overall, I really like this card. Love the colours. Love the layout. LOVE the film strip feature. What do you think?