Late November Challenge

This post is late.

November's challenge over at the HCCC was to use a stamp that I've never used before.  This worked out perfectly for me - I had a stamp set that I was itching to use, and the perfect excuse to use it - my nephew's birthday.

I picked up some great monster stamps at Michael's on sale one day and I thought that they would be great to make some birthday cards for my nephews.  Picked up some google-y eyes at the Dollar store and I was all set.  Here's a look at the finished product:

I love everything about this card - the colour combo, patterned paper, layering the stamped sentiment over the stars, the embossed strip of blue cardstock that I wiped my white ink pad over to add definition.  And last but not least the google-y eye.  It all works.

Neutral Wonder

I managed to whip up 10 Christmas Cards this weekend(!), and I will be posting them soon.  Before I do though, I wanted to share with you a card that I made for my Sister-in-Law's birthday this summer.

It was meant to be quick and simple, but ended up taking me 2 nights to complete.  I think the effort was worth it in the end:

It is a one-layer stamped card.  You can't really see it, but each of the flowers have sparkles in their centres that shimmer in the sunlight.

Quicky Card

I recently had to make a card for my niece's birthday.  The big day was quickly approaching and I needed to get her card in the mail, asap.

Unsure of what I was going to do, I pulled out a piece of my favourite patterned paper and went from there.  Here's a look at the finished product:

I especially love how the flower with the rhinestone centre pops:

It was so quick and easy to make (and turned out so well) that I made two - now I have another one on hand the next time I need a birthday card. :)

Autumn in the Air

This month's HCCC was to create a gate-fold card inspired by the Autumn season. 

I was stumped by this challenge at first, and didn't know how to start.  I began looking through my collection of stamps and patterned paper, and eventually came up with this little creation:

The background paper is 'Ominous' from the Haunted Halloween collection by Cosmo Cricket.  The pumpkins are paper-pieced using 'Bonfire' patterned paper by Pink Paislee, and 'Jaw Breakers' paper from the Sugar Rush collection by Basic Grey.  The stems are cut out of kraft cardstock.  The 'thankful' sentiment and pumpkin stamps are from the September 2010 KOM from Unity Stamp Co. - When I am With You.

To finish off the card, I placed four green buttons, tied with some linen thread, randomly around the lower left corner of the central panel. 

Here's a look at what the card looks like when it opens up:

Thanks for stopping by!

Asian Influence

I'm really pleased with how this card turned out.  It is a birthday card that I made for my Sister-In-Law's birthday.  

I purchased the "Asian by Design" stamp set by Inkadinkado several months ago but hadn't had an opportunity to use it.  I wasn't sure how to get started on the card, so I started looking for inspiration online and found this card.  I really liked the colour combo, so I set to work.  Here's the finished product:

The red branches in the background and the happy birthday sentiment are both heat embossed and really 'pop' on the card stock.  The rhinestones added the perfect finishing touch.

I added a few little extra touches to the inside of the card as well:

Thanks for stopping by :)

Having Fun with Punches

The past few weeks I've been having fun making cards.  I'm a bit behind in sending birthday cards to some of my family, so I needed to remedy that.

I was in a bit of an inspirational slump, and started playing around with some scraps.

Here's a look at the end result:

I had a lot of fun punching circles out of my scrap card stock.  Something I'll have to keep in mind the next time I need to get rid of some scraps.

Comfy Chair

A few months ago, both my brother and some friends moved into new homes. I wanted to send them each a card to welcome them into their new homes, and set to work.

I started browsing through my stamps and spotted the awesome chair stamp that I received in the September 2010 Unity KOM "When I Am With You". I had never used the stamp (and I don't know why, 'cause it is awesome) and thought this was the perfect opportunity.

I was inspired by this card and set to work.  I stamped the chairs on some blue card stock to create some patterned paper that I used as the base of my creation. On top of this I layered some grey card stock which I had run through my Cuttlebug with a Tim Holtz checkerboard embossing folder. I lightly rubbed a blue ink pad over top to add some definition to the checkerboard pattern. After this I stamped a couch stamp from the November 2010 Unity KOM "Picture Perfect" (which fit in perfectly with the theme of the cards) on some Stampin UP! DSP . I layered this couch on top of some Basic Grey paper, and popped it up on the base of the card with some dimensionals.


Getting this far in the creation of my cards was fairly quick and easy. All of the elements kinda fell into place. But I wasn't quite sure how to finish the card.... I thought it would be fun to use my new silver Smooch Spritz spray from Stampin' UP!. However, never having used this spray before, I discovered it takes a bit of finesse. Not quite the effect that I was looking for, but not completely horrible either.

And finally, I needed a sentiment. I thought it would be cute to put the old saying "Home, Sweet Home" on the cards, but I don't own a stamp with this sentiment. So I turned to my computer, downloaded a cute embroidery font, and printed off the sentiment in two different layouts. I wasn't sure which sentiment layout I preferred so I decided to use each one on a card - thereby adding a unique element to each of the cards. A couple of well-placed buttons and I was done.

Its amazing what a difference a sentiment and a couple of buttons can make, eh? Who knew?

I think I prefer the 2nd card, but I don't hate the 1st one either. They both have elements that I appreciate. Which card do you prefer?

It took me a few months to actually get both of these cards in the mail. But I'm glad that I procrastinated 'cause over on the HCCC blog, August's challenge is to use the chair stamp from Unity's Sept. 2010 KOM! Perfect :) Procrastination does pay off! These cards fit the challenge perfectly.

Oh My Word...

You totally have to check out this give-away. It is amazing (and you still have time to enter!).

Christmas in July

This post is a few days late, but I was so busy over the holiday weekend, that I didn't have any time to compose it.

July's HCCC was to create a Christmas card using the colour combo: orange, green, yellow.

I am not a fan of this colour combo, so I really wasn't looking forward to it. I procrastinated all month simply because I did not like the colour combo. ;)

In the end I did manage to come up with this simple and easy card:


Not exactly what I had in mind when I started working on this creation, but it still feels like Christmas to me.

Gallery Idol 2011

This year I decided to throw my hat in the ring for the Gallery Idol 2011 competition. The 'open audition' round stipulated that we had to create an original congratulation card.

I never thought that I stood a chance, but thought it would be fun to play along. Here's a look at my submission for the competition:


Love the colour combo, love the layout, love the stars.

Even though I wasn't selected as one of the finalists, I am happy with the finished product.

Milestone Birthday

Waaaaaay back in January (can you remember that far back?) a friend of mine turned the big 3-0. In celebration of this momentous occasion, I decided to create an awesome birthday card... but where to start?

I often draw my inspiration from different sources, and this time it was the 'Viva La Verve' sketch challenge.

Here's a look at the sketch for the week of January 21st:


And here's a look at my take on the sketch challenge:


I used my 'Sanded' SU background stamp on the kraft card stock, but it is almost unnoticeable in the picture.

A close up of the top of half of the card shows a bit of detail. I embossed some Taken with Teal (SU) cardstock with my checkerboard embossing folder. On top of this I layered a Unity Stamp Co. frame and a large '30' which I had embossed in black.


A close up of the bottom half of the card shows the Tim Holtz tissue tape that I layered on top of some black card stock. Around all of this I wound some linen thread and added a black button to finish it all off.


A simple little 'happy birthday' greeting at the bottom and some subtle distress ink around the edges of the card finish it all off.

Mother's Day Challenge

Several weeks ago it was Mother's Day and over on the HCCC blog we were challenged to create a Mother's Day card inspired by gladiolas. Such a pretty flower.... and my mother's favourite! What could be better? She'll love it for sure, right?

Totally.... I'm sure she would.... if I had remembered to create such a card when I actually sat down to make my Mother's Day card. Instead I ended up making a card from a kit. Boo-urns. :(

I couldn't live with the guilt, and so I sat down on Mother's Day-eve and set to work on the challenge. Here's the end result:

Not too bad for a last-minute effort, eh? Plus, I finally used my vintage ledger stamp from Unity Stamp Co. that I was fortunate enough to win last year (I can't believe it took me this long to ink it up). I sponged a little ink around the egdes, and Voila! - a pretty little card.

More Babies

My cousin gave birth to a beautiful baby girl back in March, and her arrival deserved the creation of a fantastic card. I had seen this card a while back when I was casing cards on SCS, and thought it was great source of inspiration.

I recently acquired some stamps on sale at Michaels and they were perfect for the design.

Here's a look at the final product:


As you can see from the picture, I was feeling like a bit of a renegade when I created this card, as I opted for some non-traditional baby colours. But I like the earthy look and feel of the card.

March HCCC

I can't believe this is the only card I've posted this month. I have been slacking. And I can't say that this post is going to make up for it, 'cause this card sucks. I apologize in advance.

The Hazzard County Card Challenge for this month was to create a card inspired by a picture of a stain-glass window. This idea is better in theory than in practice. The best thing I can say about this card is that it fulfills the requirements of the challenge.

There really isn't any more to say, here's the card:

It wasn't until I had finished the card that I realized I had made a "rose" window. I'm so punny.

Baby Fever

There has been a plethora of pregnancies over the past year at work.

Several weeks ago we had a work baby shower for a friend of mine. I knew that this occasion called for a great card, and I had just the thing in mind. A while ago I saw a card created by a fellow crafter and couldn't wait to duplicate it for the shower gift. (I lost the link, sorry).

I had a Unity stamp that I knew would be perfect (such cute little baby animals) and I knew that the baby was a boy, so I could tailor the colours accordingly.

Here's a look at the finished product:


A cute little card... A cute little card that earned me a commission :)

Another baby shower was being held at work the following week, and they needed a card for everyone to sign... and I had one night to make it. Challenge accepted! The gender of this child is unknown, so I got to mix it up a bit.

Stuck with the same Unity stamps as above for the main image and sentiment, and used some retired SU! stamps to create my own patterned paper. I ran some cardstock through my Cuttlebug with an embossing folder, added a few buttons, and here's the finished product:


Since it is such a bright, cheery, happy little card, I think that I can also use this as my submission for the HCCC for February. I really like the way it turned out. I get a little smile on my face every time I look at it.

Jane K's 80th

Last month my Beppe ('Grandmother' for all you non-Friesian's out there) celebrated her 80th birthday. I knew that such a milestone deserved a truly fantastic birthday card.

When I started working on her card I couldn't get this sketch out of my mind, and I decided to use it as my inspiration.

The end result looks like this:


Yummy Basic Grey paper, some embroidery, purple flower-shaped brads, an embossed '80' and a little butterfly to tie it all together. Very sweet.

And an 80th birthday is definitely an occasion that calls for the inside of the card to be decorated as well.... Here's a look at the card interior:


A lovely card for a lovely lady. Thanks for stoppin' by.

Great Giveaway

I've been seeing twine pop up on card creations all over the place, and I've been wondering how I can get my hands on some of this twine-y goodness.

Today I learned about this great giveaway that The Twinery is holding.

If you like winning free stuff, you should check it out!

Scrap-tastic Card

The January challenge for the HCCC was designed so that I could use up all of my little scraps of cardstock.

I had visions in mind of all the great cards I would make.

Instead, I made this:

It's okay, but its not great. Really wish that I had a sewing machine... that totally would have stepped it up to the next level.

Hopefully I'll be on my game for February's challenge. Can't wait to see the challenge that is issued.

'Til next time :)

Neutrals Challenge

Wow, today is a 2-post day! I think this is a first for me :)

I've completed all of the colour challenges issued on the Moxie Fab World blog and wanted to share with all of you the card that I made for the Neutrals Color Challenge for Color Inspiration for Card Makers Week in the Moxie Fab World. I really like the colour combo that was issued for this challenge and couldn't wait to start getting crafty.

Here's a look at the color combo:

And, here's a look at the card I was inspired to make using these neutral colours:

I used some yummy Basic Grey paper and paired it up with some Stampin' UP! cardstock and stamps to get the finished result. Coloured in the truck with my blender pen and Voila! I love this finished card! Probably one of my favourites from the colour challenge.

Thanks for visiting!

Monochromatics Challenge

Today's card is the one that I made for the Monochromatics Color Challenge for Color Inspiration for Card Makers Week in the Moxie Fab World. This is the 5th of the 6 colour challenges that were issued over on the Moxie Fab World blog to celebrate the release of Paper Craft magazine's special colour issue. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, you should! It's been a lot of fun to play along with.

I love monochromatic cards. I always think that they look so sharp and clean.

Here's a look at the colour combo that was issued for the monochromatic challenge:


And here's a look at my finished card:

I was feeling very uninspired when I started working on this card, and wasn't staggered by the results, but the more I look at it, the more I like it. Love the buttons!

Thanks for visiting.

Metallic Challenge

The card that I have chosen to share with you today is the one I made for the Metallic Color Challenge for Color Inspiration for Card Makers Week in the Moxie Fab World. When I heard that there was going to be a 'metallic' colour combo, I was intrigued.

Here's a look at the colour combo we were challenged to use:

(Note: it contains pink).

I wasn't too happy to see pink in the combo (again), but that's why they're called challenges!

Sadly, I've seen the inside of too many funeral homes over the past month. My heart and prayers go out to my family and friends that have suffered loss.

When I saw the above colour combo, I thought it was subtle enough that I could use it to make some simple and understated sympathy cards. Here's a look at the end result:


Nothing too fancy-schmancey. A simple card with a clean look.

Thanks for stopping by to have a look :)

Jewel Tones

I'm really excited about today's card. It is the card that I made for the Jewel Tones Color Challenge for Color Inspiration for Card Makers Week in the Moxie Fab World. I have really enjoyed playing along with this challenge and today's card marks the half-way point. If you haven't checked out this challenge yet, click on the above link to take a look.

Here is the colour combo that we are supposed to use as our inspiration for the Jewel Tones challenge:

So pretty. So inspiring. I love it.

Now, here's a look at the card I made:

I love the way the light hits the rhinestones, adding another special 'jewel' element to the card. And the little birds in the Unity Stamp Co. stamp are so cute.

Thanks for visiting!

Pretty Pastels

Today I am going to share with you the card that I made for the Pretty Pastels Color Challenge for Color Inspiration for Card Makers Week in the Moxie Fab World. So far, I have found this the hardest colour challenge to be issued.... I know, I know, it's only the second one! ;)


Very pretty colours..... very.... pink! Totally not my style, which is why it was probably such a challenge for me. Here's a look at the card that I made:


Ribbon and rhinestones and punches, oh my! I mixed and matched stamps from Unity Stamp Co. and Stampin UP!. Love the way the flowers pop on the bottom half of the card. A nice all-occasion card.

Bold & Bright Challenge

Last week Paper Crafts magazine released a special Color Inspiration for Card Makers issue and over on the Moxie Fab World blog they celebrated the release of this special issue by holding a daily colour challenge. Each new day revealed a new colour challenge that readers could play along with.

Since I am constantly inspired by colour and often use different colour combos as my starting point for cards, I decided that this challenge would be perfect for me to play along with. I encourage all of you to play along as well. It's super fun! You have until the end of the month to complete all of the colour challenges.

First, check out these bold & bright colours:


Now, here is a look at the card I made for the Bright & Bold Challenge for Color Inspiration for Card Makers Week in the Moxie Fab World.



I loved the colour combo, but totally hit a brick wall trying to decide on a layout. I eventually grabbed a magazine sitting nearby and started flipping though it. My eyes came to rest on an ad for the RCMP, and I thought "Eureka! This is my layout" ;) I tweaked a few elements here and there to suit my purposes.

Super happy with the end result. And I can't wait to share the rest of my colour challenge cards with you over the next couple of weeks.

A Little Thank-You

December has been over for a while, and 2011 is well on its way.... but I still wanted to play along with the December HCCC.

I received a few unexpected gifts over the Christmas holidays, and I thought the challenge would be a great way to say "Thank-you". I decided to keep the layout and colour scheme as simple as possible. I think the entire set only took me about 20 minutes to make.

Thought I would add a little bit of international flavour to the design by using a "merci" stamp from one of the Unity KOM's.

I think the end result is a fun little thank-you note.
Thanks for stopping by! :)