CAS 2: Day 4

Day 4's objective was to Embrace the White Space.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: SSS Lots of Hearts, PTI Heart-2-Heart #12, Simply You
Dies:  SSS Large Hearts
Cardstock:  PTI Stamper's Select White
Ink:  PTI Hawaiian Shores, VersaFine Onyx Black
Other:  Studio Calico Mr Huey's Calico Shine Mist, The Twinery Caribbean Twine, DoodleBug Washi Tape 

How'd I do?  Just a couple strips of Washi tape, a heart die cut from the front, with a couple images stamped inside, and a tiny twine bow that was a scrap left from Day 3's card.  Oh, and some Calico Shine mist, because... well, I wanted to.

More to come.
Steph

CAS 2: Day 3

Day 3's objective was to use various inking & stamping techniques.  I went with Jennifer McGuire's gradient technique.

Supplies Used:
Stamps:  PTI Say It With Style, SSS Lots of Hearts
Ink:  PTI Raspberry Fizz, Hawaiian Shores, Plum Pudding
Cardstock:  PTI Stamper's Select White
Other:  The Twinery Twine Caribbean, Orchid, Pink Sorbet, rhinestones

I sort of adore this card.  That is all.

Steph

CAS2: Day 2

Alright, I know I said I was going to bed... but I'm going to keep these posts short & sweet and see how many I can get through tonight.

Day 2's objective was to create a one layer card.  

Supplies Used:
Stamps:  PTI Love Potion
Ink:  PTI Raspberry Fizz, VersaMagic Pink Petunia, Pretty Petunia, Sea Breeze, VersaMark, VersaFine Onyx Black
Other:  Glossy Accents, Filligree Clear Embossing Powder

Can I just say this one gave me absolute fits?  Like, it took two freakin' hours to make.  Insane.  I'm not even going to get into it... let's just say, by the time it was all said and done, and the Glossy Accents was dry, and THEN I noticed it messed up on the far left bottle, as well as warped the crap out of that whole bottom right corner, I wasn't going to start all over again!

Laters,
Steph

PTI 6th ANniversary - Day 2

PTI's Mision for Day 2 was to create a project using at least one of the freebie digital images provided by the team.  In years past, I've created a card with every single image, but this year, I was having printer issues & basically just had no time.

I went for a masculine feel, and used the image provided by Heather Nichols (*side note:  Oh Erin Lincoln, how I adored the flamingo you provided!!*)

Suuplies Used:

Image:  PTI 6th Anniversary Freebie Download - Heather Nichols
Cardstock:  PTI Fine Linen
Other:  Studio Calico Mr Huey's Opaque White Mist

Super simple.  I just cut out the image, splattered the cardstock with Mr Huey's, and mounted the image on an angle with pop dots.  Let's just say... I may or may not have been crazy frustrated by the time this was all said and done.  (First World problems, right?)

I'm off to bed.  I'll flood your readers with everything from CAS2 tomorrow!
Steph

Holy Ketchup, Batman!

Hola!

Ok, so it's more like 'Catch Up'.... sorry for flooding your Readers, folks, but I've been too busy playing behind the scenes and...uh...living... to blog.  But now... not only do I have Days 2 through 8 (plus a bonus day) of CAS2 to show you, but PTI's 6th Anniversary festivities are also in full swing... so here goes nothin'...

PTI's Anniversary Celebrations:  Day 1

Mission:  Choose a project by one of the PTI's Design Team Paper Goddesses as inspiration, and show them what you've got.

Here's mine:

Supplies Used:
Stamps:  PTI Funky Florals, Think Big Favorites #3
Ink:  PTI Lavender Moon, Royal Velvet, Raspberry Fizz, Summer Sunrise, & VersaMark
Cardstock:  PTI Stamper's Select White
Other:  Filligree Gold Embossing Powder

So.... I may or may not have had an issue with the sentiment not embossing properly... and I may or may not have tried to re-heat it to dump more powder on for a second go of it... and the excess powder may or may not have stuck to the hot cardstock, creating the funky halo/splatter/confetti/firework looking spot....and I may or may not have thought it looked pretty cool... and then done the same thing two more times.  (Heating the cardstock & just sprinkling a little powder on.)

The card's inspired by a combo of Erin Lincoln (the colour scheme) and Maile Belles (the CAS design, lots of white space, and the gold).

Thanks for looking - there's lots more to come...
Steph

World Map - Take 2

Hello!

(Whoa, three posts in three days?  YES!)

I kind of had a momentary love affair with PTI's World Map stamp... and it's quite possibly my new favourite stamp, EVER.  Also, I stuck with MFT's WSC Sketch #108, 'cause, well.. if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?!  (I made this so soon after the other one, I don't think the VersaMark even had time to dry on the stamp! lol)

Check it:

Supplies Used:
Stamps:  PTI "World Map", "Tiny Treats: Valentine"
Paper:  PTI True Black, Soft Stone, Soft Stone Bitty Dot
Dies:  PTI "Photo Finish Strips
Other:  Studio Calico Wood Veneer Hearts, Pink Chevron Washi Tape, Distress Stain (Weathered Wood), PTI Hibiscus Burst Ink, American Crafts Neon Zing Embossing Powders

Neon Rainbow World Map... *swoon*

The map is heat embossed with Zing neon EPs on a black panel, which is then mounted on a Soft Stone mat & adhered to a black base.  Add a little pink chevron Washi tape here, a little Studio Calico wood veneer heart there, and a die-cut Soft Stone bitty dot sentiment strip, and you've got yourself a card!  (Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!)

I'm off to see what else I can come up with...

Have a great day!
Steph

CAS2: Day 1

Hello, hello!
(This is my second post today, hence the double greeting!)

Online Card Classes has just kicked off their Clean and Simple 2 card class, and I thought I'd take part in it this time around... the first one looked like it had been pretty awesome, and I didn't want to miss out again!  :)

Today's lesson was all about craftsmanship and various tips & tricks, and for our 'homework' tonight we were to choose one of the sketches provided and put those tips & tricks to good use!

I'm kind of pumped that I finally got to use Lawn Fawn's "Lovin' Breakfast" set!  The little toaster is heat embossed on shimmery silver cardstock, and the toast is heat embossed in brown on kraft.

Time for me to head to bed...
Laters!
Steph

MFT WSC Sketch #108

Hello!

I finally had a chance to play along with MFT's Wednesday Stamp Challenge - Sketch #108...and by 'finally', I mean I've been trying to play along since the WSC's inception!  (It's about time!)

Here's the sketch:

And here's my take on it:

Supplies Used:
Stamps:  PTI "World Map", "Heart-2-Heart #11",, "Destination"; Simon Says Stamp "Plenty of Hearts"
Dies:  Simon Says Stamp "Large Hearts"
Cardstock:  PTI "Classic Kraft", "Ripe Avocado"
Other:  Distress Stains (Peeled Paint, Broken China), Filligree Clear Embossing Powder, PTI Rustic Jute Button Twine, eyelets

You know those cards that sort of take on a life of their own?  Yeah.  This actually started out with the intention of being my father-in-law's birthday card... before any hearts were added, of course!  I had the Heart-2-Heart stamp set sitting out, and the sentiment caught my eye....and that was the end of the birthday card!  The accent hearts are from Simon Says Stamp's "Plenty of Hearts" set - ummm, woodgrain hearts?!  *love!*  I heat embossed the map image with clear ep, then messed around with Distress Stains to get the colour on it.   I can't really explain the eyelets & twine... in the end, I thought they resembled some sort of system to hang the map on the wall...turned out kind of funky, and I like it, either way! The green panel is stamped with the swirly trail image from PTI's "Destination" set, and then popped up.... and that was that! 

Have a great day!

Steph

MFT February Guest Designer Contest

Hello there!

Long time, no see... but guess what?!  It'll be that way no more!  The kids are all finally sleeping through the night, and all in bed early enough in the evening that I have time to play WITHOUT having to stay up until the wee hours of the morning!  YAY!  (Haaa.... Here's hoping I didn't just jinx that!)

Since I haven't made anything just for the fun of it over the last year, I thought it was high time that changed... and playing along with MFT was the perfect place to start!  I have quite a few of their stamps & dies (and have had them for some time now), and couldn't wait to get into them.

Want to see?  Sure you do; why else would you be here?! (hehe)

Supplies Used:
Stamps:  My Favorite Things "Who's That Birthday Girl", "Who's That Girl All Wrapped Up" (I can't find a link to that set - retired, perhaps?)
Dies:  MFT Mini Rolled Roses, MFT Sentiment Strips, MFT Leafy Flourish, Spellbinders Classic & Scalloped Ovals Large, PTI Small Scalloped Border
Paper:  Echo Park "Sweet Day"
Cardstock:  PTI Stamper's Select White
Copic Markers:  E00, E11, YR000, YR01, YR02
Other:  Buttercream Baker's Twine (the Twinery), Gold Stickles

I decided to combine the bottom half of the Birthday Girl with the present in All Wrapped Up (simple masking), and then paper-pieced the gift & her skirt.  Not much Copic action on this one - just her legs/hands, and a bit of shading on the gift & skirt.  The sentiment strip is wrapped around the edge of the card front for a bit of a different effect.  Despite having an entire cupboard full of flowers, I couldn't seem to find the 'right' ones, so I broke out the MFT Mini Rolled Rose dies and made my own; I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised there.  It was WAY easier than I was anticipating!  

I'm a little rusty, but it'll do.  (Haa... this is the most labour-intensive card I've made since...before I was pregnant the last time - like, before July 2011!)  Thank goodness there was a sketch to follow - I love having that little bit of 'stucture' to start out with!  (Thanks for the awesome one, MFT!)

I didn't have any small tag dies/punches, and the sentiment strip die was calling my name...hopefully my sentiment/flower/flourish cluster will be okay!

Well, I'm off... thanks for stopping by & have a great day!

  ~Steph

For the Children...

I know I haven't posted in a very. long. time... what can I say?  Life with three littles means crafting time is severely limited - unless I can find a way to survive with no sleep.  (Yeah, not gonna happen.)

I did come here to let you all know (if 'you all' actually still read this blog!) that Amber at Damask Love has had the brilliant idea to organize a fundraiser for the surviving children of Newton, Connecticut.  Her goal is to compile at least 50 creative kits to help the children affected by this tragedy to cope through art.

Please see Amber's post HERE for more details on her Drawn Together campaign.

Hug your babies tight, folks.
Steph