Nice Matters

Hello friends! Last month, the Practical Scrappers On Trend Team offered up a great big dose of stitching inspiration. Stitching has been trending in the paper crafting world. If you haven't seen all of the great ideas posted by the team, click this link to visit the post! 

Here's the card I created for the post. I love pulling out my sewing machine and adding stitching to my paper crafts. However, I wanted to highlight a different type of stitching that can be found - No machine needed! I doodled some faux stitching along the edges of the card with a black ZIG Writer. 

CARD SUPPLIES
Cardstock: A Muse Studio (Onyx, Sugar)
Patterned Paper: Glitz Design, October Afternoon
Stamps: Stampin Up (Sweet Little Sentiments)
Inks: StazOn (Jet Black), ZIG Writer (Black)
Baker's Twine: A Muse Studio (Onyx)
Bling: A Muse Studio (Clear Rhinestones)
Doily: A Muse Studio
*You can purchase A Muse Studio products in my webstore.

Hey, Chick...

Today, I'm sharing a Honeycomb Paper tutorial on the Creations Galore blog. The honeycomb paper adds a big surprise to any card!

CARD SUPPLIES

Cardstock: Paper Cut

Patterned Paper: We R Memory Keepers

Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Prismacolor Pencils

Stamps: Stamps By Judith (Grass), Inky Antics (Easter Chick)

Extras: Inky Antics (Pink Honeycomb Paper)

March Card Sketch :: Baby Time

Oh my! I have spent my entire morning thinking it's Tuesday and almost forgot to post this great card sketch from Patty as part of the Practical Scrappers team! 

How great is that sketch?! Practical Scrappers brings you a card sketch and page sketch each month, and Patty sure does not disappoint! Here's my take on this month's sketch:

I loved the layers of circles in the sketch. I used my Martha Stewart Circle Cutter to create a few circles from my 6x6 paper pad. My sister-in-law is due to have a baby boy any day now; therefore, I wanted to stick to more masculine colors. I paper pieced the bear to give him some color and faux texture. 

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you're inspired. Make sure to visit the Practical Scrappers blog to see more cards from my fellow design team members. They really outdid themselves! 

CARD SUPPLIES

Cardstock: A Muse Studio (Pumpkin, Sugar)

Patterned Paper: BasicGrey (Hey You Collection)

Stamps: A Muse Studio (I'm Here, I Was Here)

Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black, Rich Cocoa)

*You can find A Muse Studio products in my webstore.

She's A Beauty...

I'd love for you to head over to the Creations Galore blog where I'm showing the details of this layout... Is that not the best picture of my momma on her birthday?! 

Drill #4 :: Yummy Color Combo

Did you find your way here through Unscripted Sketches? 

Keep scrolling for this week's newest sketch! 

Are you ready for a new S.W.A.T. Drill? Today we're bringing you this cheerful cherry cupcakes color combination. 

I started out this drill by gathering solid and patterned papers that reflected the color combination. To create the background, I cut a piece of white cardstock smaller than my card base and adhered strips of the selected papers. 

To incorporate the light yellow color, I stamped a feather onto cardstock. I added an additional white cardstock feather and sentiment to tie in the white elements repeated throughout the card. Of course, I couldn't resist adding a few buttons!  

Thanks for stopping by to see what I created with this yummy color combo. Don't forget to check out more inspiration on the S.W.A.T. blog. While you're there, link up your own creations for a chance to win a gift card from 3 Scrappy Boys!

CARD SUPPLIES

Cardstock: A Muse Studio (Sugar, Bubblegum)

Patterned Paper: BasicGrey (Fact & Fiction), Studio Calico, A Muse Studio (Petite Chevron)

Stamps: A Muse Studio (Make A Wish)

Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black)

*You can find A Muse Studio products in my webstore.

Sketch It Saturday :: Geek is the new chic

Good morning! It's Sketch It Saturday with Unscripted Sketches, and I'm so excited to bring you this week's sketch. Take a look:

A few stamps from the new A Muse Studio catalog were PERFECT for the sketch elements. I added a few layers to accommodate the smaller images. Here's my take on the sketch:

It's definitely a clean and simple card, but it's quickly become one of my favorites.  I'm just in love with this stamp set. You can find it, along with many other new products, in my webstore. 

Head over to Unscripted Sketches to see what my fellow design team members created. And don't forget to link up your own creation... We can't wait to give you a little blog love!

SUPPLIES
Cardstock: A Muse Studio (Wasabi, Kraft, Sugar)
Patterned Paper: BasicGrey (Hey You Collection)
Stamps: A Muse Studio (Geek Is The New Chic)
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black)

Caring Thoughts

Good afternoon! This afternoon I'm bringing you a card that started out as a bit of fun and experimentation. I have a few interactive Judith stamps. The collection includes stamps that can be used in numerous ways and scenes, working well with each other. I usually pass them over wanting to create a card quickly and be done. I find in those moments that I shut down my creativity, focusing on a finished product and forgetting why I actually love paper crafting. Pulling out the stamps, inks, markers, and papers and really thinking through a design energizes me and brings back a passion for the craft. Forgive my crazy ramblings... Sometimes it's just too exciting to get out of a rut and break free of routine. So let's take a look, shall we?

I had to do a bit of masking for the wheelbarrow. After stamping the main image, I began to fill the wheelbarrow with different flowers, leaves, and grass. The image was then colored in with Tombow Markers and Distress Ink was added to the paper edges.

Thanks for stopping by today!

CARD SUPPLIES
Cardstock: Bazzill Dot, American Crafts, Paper Cut
Stamps: Stamps By Judith
Inks: StazOn (Jet Black), Tombow Markers, Distress Ink (Vintage Photo)
Brads: Gary M. Burlin

It's Time To Use It!

I'm here today with Use It Tuesday, bringing you another inspiring challenge. This week we want you to focus on Diecuts, Punches, and Cutouts! 

Remember, all Use It Tuesday challenges call for you to use your hoarded supplies. You have until Noon EST on Friday, March 22nd to link up your project to the Use It Tuesday site. Make sure you mention your hoarded supplies and that you're playing along with us! One lucky participant will be randomly chosen to be a featured guest designer in an upcoming challenge! I can't wait to see what you create! 

Surprisingly, I don't collect too many dies and punches. I have a few edge punches and a corner rounder that I use quite often. However, I have tons of cut outs and printables! While looking through my stash I came across a 12x12 sheet of cutouts by Pebbles. I had bought the sheet with every intension of making TONS of cards with it. But, let's face it, I've picked up the sheet numerous times since purchasing it, and put it right back down. This challenge was the push I needed to get to it! 

I started with the hello friend banner cutout, adhering it to white cardstock and cutting a border. I then pulled together coordinating products and started stacking. The smile banner is from the 12x12 sheet as well. I mimicked the banners with a kraft piece. When using a lot of color, I try to incorporate one or two neutrals to give resting places for the eye. 

The cording I used here is a bit of a hoarded item as well. I ordered it from A Muse Studio upon its release. I had no plans for it and have only used it once.... And yet I have the world's largest roll of it! I love being on this design team, if only for the fact that it's forcing me to use stuff I already have! Won't you join us in digging into your stash of supplies and creating something for this week's challenge?

Studio Update

I've been posting sporadically the last few weeks as I moved my studio into a new room of the house. I'm falling in love with the new space; however, I can't find anything! I've spent most of my craft time organizing, shopping for new furniture, and getting it just right. Seeing all of my goodies in beautiful bins has me itching to create again. Here's a few close ups of the organization process. I'm hoping to have it all completed this week and can't wait to share it fully with you... And to start posting new paper crafting projects daily!

Sketch It Saturday :: Sweet Friend

Hello! Thanks for joining me for Sketch it Saturday with Unscripted Sketches. We have a new sketch for you to flip, rotate, or, in my case, leave the same. 

I decided to keep true to this week's sketch, using patterned papers and coordinating colored cardstock to fill in the various blocks of the sketch. In replace of one of the blocks, I added a sentiment on white  cardstock, and raised it with foam risers. 

Head over to Unscripted Sketches to see my fellow design team members rock this challenge! And then link up your own creation. I'd love to stop by your blog and see what you create! 

CARD SUPPLIES

Cardstock: Paper Cut, American Crafts

Patterned Paper: Bo Bunny (Alora Collection)

Stamp: Vintage A Muse
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Baker's Twine: A Muse Studio (Cherry)

Embellishment Happy

Hello blogland! I'm still working on scrapbooking all of my travels from 2012 including a few trips to NYC. On my last trip to the big apple, I went to the very top of the Rockafeller Center. It was a rainy night, but the view was still spectacular. 

It wasn't until I was home weeks after the trip that I realized I had taken very few photos of this special event. The pictures that I did have were a little blurry. Therefore, I gathered together all of my bright papers and embellishments to liven up the page. I love how the pink and blue coordinates so well with the pictures! 

I stamped the arrows onto white cardstock and the speech bubble on vellum using this set from Market Street Stamps.

This page is a mash-up of all my favorite companies - Amy Tangerine 3D stickers, American Crafts glitter Thickers, Creative Imaginations felt ribbon. I may have gone a little crazy, but it's become one of my favorite pages. So young and fun - just like the trip to NYC was!

Thanks for stopping by the blog today. Hope you're having a great week!

A new challenge & a funny story...

Hello blogland! I am running far, far behind on my posts from this past weekend! Yesterday, we threw my sister-in-law a large baby shower, celebrating the upcoming birth of my nephew. It was so wonderful but so much work! Now that it's over I can breathe a little easier and get back to work on all my design team work and creating just for fun! That is why we do this, right?! Because we have a genuine NEED to create.

As a design team member for the challenge blog, SWAT, I recently created a layout for their Four Focus Fun challenge. Let's take a look at it: 

With St. Patty's Day right around the corner, we wanted to challenge you with some four focus fun. Just as a four leaf clover brings good fortune, so does this challenge. Create a single page layout using four photos, and you could be the lucky winner of a $20 gift card to 3 Scrappy Boys!

For my single page layout, I used a series of photos I had taken this summer. We were in Chicago attending Renegade Craft Fair. My roommate, my friend Anna, and I were grabbing some refreshments while my parents lounged on a park bench. I found it to be a great photo opportunity. As my mom put her hand around my dad, she elbowed him right in the face. Normally, this would be a sad occasion. But without hesitation, she placed her arm right back down and smiled for the picture, acting as if nothing happened. I'm laughing uncontrollably right now just thinking about it! 

For the page, I used BoBunny's Family Is Collection. The colors in the collection coordinated perfectly with the colors in my photos. Before printing the photos, I sized them to 3x4 inches. If don't print your photos at home, make a collage using picassa or picmonkey. I usually use photoshop to put 2- 3x4 photos to a 4x6 canvas. Planning out my layouts before printing my pictures allows me to size the photos smaller if needed. Had these photos been 4x6, there would have only been space for 2 photos instead of the 4. 

Most of the embellishments for this page were cut from 12x12 pieces of paper. I'm loving the new cut out pages and journaling cards from BoBunny. 

Don't forget to stop by SWAT to see what the fellow design team members created. You have until March 25th to link up your own project for the chance to win! 

CARD SUPPLIES
Cardstock: Paper Cut (White)

Patterned Paper: BoBunny (Family is, Ask Dad, Crazy, Fun, Love, Me & Mine, Nuts)

Embellishments: Bo Bunny (Family is Combo Sticker, Family is Crazy Cardstock Sticker)

Adhesive: MyStik (Permanent Adhesive)

Journaling Pen: ZIG Writer (Black)

Pure Joy :: An experiment with Liquid Pearls

Good morning and happy friday, friends. I'm here today sharing a card I created with the Draft stamp set by Amy Tangerine and new papers from Bo Bunny's Family Is collection.

I created a fun border on one side of the card with a Martha Stewart punch but opted to tear the other patterned paper for some fun texture. Next, I stamped the medallion three times using blue ink, cut out the image, and adhered it to a scalloped circle. I layered the middle medallion and adhered it to the card base with foam risers. While searching for gold pearls to adhere to the center of the medallions, I stumbled upon Liquid Pearls. I love this bright color and added just a drop to the center. This was my first time opening the bottle, and I'm so glad I did. Why haven't I used these before?! Far easier than placing bling on my cards with my fat fingers! 

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend!

CARD SUPPLIES

Cardstock: Paper Cut (White, Deep Blue, Fossil)

Patterned Paper: BoBunny (Family Is Collection)

Stamps: Amy Tangerine (Draft)

Inks: Adirondack (Espresso, Denim), Liquid Pearls (Ruby Red)

Punches: Marvy (Scallop Circle), Martha Stewart Crafts