Give Thanks : Distress Ink Background

I'm on the Creations Galore blog today with a step-by-step video on how I created this fun Make N Take using Sweet Stamp Shop sets and Distress Inks. I'd love for you to stop by! 

 

The Masterpiece Of Nature : Plum Poppy Studio

I am so excited for today's post. When the lovely and talented DoBea of Plum Poppy Studio asked me to play around with her stamps, my heart skipped a beat. I've been a huge fan of DoBea's creations, along with the stamp she illustrated for Market Street Stamps last year. You can see my creation from that stamp set here. If you haven't heard of Plum Poppy Studio, hurry up and head over to her site - You'll find lots of inspiration and tutorials, as well as her high quality stamps and SVG files. 

For today's post I worked with The Masterpiece of Nature set, partnering it with We R Memory Keepers' Harvest collection. I distressed, inked, and layered a few of the cardstocks in the collection to create the base of the card. The small patterns of the 6x6 paper pad were MADE for these leaves! I simply stamped a few onto different colors, cut them out, and adhered them to the front of the card. 

I loved stamping and cutting the leaves out of patterned paper SO much, I had to do it again. And I may have gone a little crazy for this second card. 

Plum Poppy Studio has wonderful SVGs to cut out these leaves (found here). I highly recommend it unless you're halfway through Season 8 of How I Met Your Mother and you NEED to finish it RIGHT. NOW. I'm going to assume that's not the case. Opt for the SVG files to make this card super easy and quick!

Again, I started with an inked and layered cardstock base. I then adhered the leaves, cut from the Harvest 6x6 Paper Pad, around the outside edges of the card. This beautiful sentiment was stamped on cream cardstock and popped up with foam risers. I loved contrast of the clean sentiment and distressed background. 

Thanks for checking out today's blog post. Please head over to the Plum Poppy Studio blog or Facebook page and give DoBea some love. I'm positive you'll fall in love with her new stamps!

SUPPLIES :: Plum Poppy Studio The Masterpiece of Nature Set, We R Memory Keepers Harvest Collection, Memento Tuxedo Black & Rich Cocoa Inks, Vintage Photo Distress Ink, Tattered Angels Apple Glimmer Mist, Mister Huey's Dark Calico, A Muse Studio Twine, Creative Imaginations Twill

TOOLS :: Inkssentials Foam Applicator Tool, CTMH Paper Distresser, Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares, MyStik Permanent Adhesive

Card Making Monday

Happy Monday! I'm back with two new cards I created as Make N Takes for Creations Galore. If you're local, I'd love for you to stop in and create these fun cards for yourself! 

First up, is this card the most adorable papers from Echo Park. Who doesn't love a little, I mean a lot, of pie on Thanksgiving?!

Next we're enjoying winter snowflakes using a Peachy Keen stamp set. These faces are beyond adorable. The border and solid image were stamped with different colors of ink. The cheeks were then added with pink colored pencil to match the large bow. 

Enjoy your week Paper Crafters!

Spreading the love of paper crafting...

Today's an exciting day for me, and I can't wait to share that excitement with you! 

First up, I'm sharing a Thanksgiving layout on the Practical Scrappers blog today. It's my very first individual feature for the site, and I'd love it if you headed over to check it out. In addition to my feature about getting the most from your supplies, you'll find lots of inspiration from my fellow design team members. They're full of creativity and talent!

Second, my crazy face was on a local news station this morning. I spoke on the Project Life and Albums Made Easy systems, both fantastic tools for getting those wedding, travel, or daily photos off your camera or phone and into beautiful albums. You can see the segment here. If you're in the Green Bay area, please stop by Creations Galore where I work... It's a gorgeous scrapbooking and card making store. We have 10,000 square feet of paper crafting goodies. 

Thanks for sharing in my fun news. What exciting things have you been up to lately?

Fall Blog Hop :: Autumn Scrapbook Layout

Good Morning! I've had to use the heat blanket the last few days, which means Fall has finally hit Wisconsin. The trees are changing color, and I can smell that Thanksgiving dinner already! Therefore, I'm so excited to be a part of today's Fall Blog Hop! You should have found your way here from Leslie. Thanks for joining us... I created a layout full of Fall images.

All of the images were taken near my cabin in the Northwoods of Wisconsin toward the end of fall. Lots of leaves, frost, and beautiful colors. This embossed sticker from We R Memory Keepers newest collection was perfect for the layout. 

To secure the stickers and add some texture, I stitched a few lines across each one. I distressed the edges of the cardstock and added a vellum layer. The pictures were meant to be the main focal point and speak for themselves; therefore, the embellishments were kept to a minimum. 

We can't have a blog hop without a fun prize! The Echo Park Reflections Paper Pack is up for grabs. To win, make sure to visit each blog along the way and leave a comment! 

Next up is Jennifer at My Reilly Boys and Me. In case you get lost along the way, here's the full blog hop order: 

Jessica at Finding Sunshine

Erica at Designs by Erica

Kelli at Use It Scrapbooking

Leslie at The Memory Nest

Nicole at She Zig Zags (me!)

Jennifer at My Reilly Boys and Me

Crystal at Capture the Moment

Tracy at Scrappy Chick Designs

Tammy at Creatively Me

Jessica at My Scrappy Corner

Thanks for joining us today! Happy Fall!

SUPPLIES :: American Crafts Cardstock, Paper Cut Vellum, We R Memory Keepers Harvest 6x6 Paper Pad & Embossed Stickers

TOOLS :: Fiskars Scrapbooking Rotary Trimmer, CTMH Paper Distresser, Brother Sewing Machine, MyStik Permanent Adhesive

Harvest Blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today I will be spending the day stuffing my face full of my momma's good home cooking, and thanking God for many things. My family, that food, a roof to sleep under... And a job that allows me to have fun and enjoy my paper crafting hobbies. 

After today, Christmas music will be played and holiday shopping will be on everyone's mind, so I must sneak in one last fall-themed card! It's only fair. 

I clear embossed the Harlequin Background from A Muse Studio onto the green cardstock. I love the subtle pattern this provides. I die cut the circle and kraft shape before assembling the card. I stamped the wheat with wheat ink (ha! so perfect) and paper pieced the pumpkin with pumpkin cardstock (seriously!). 

Have the most wonderful holiday and enjoy your weekend!

CARD SUPPLIES
All A Muse Studio
Cardstock: Sugar, Rialto, Kraft, Pumpkin, Buttercup
Stamps: Harvest Blessings*
Ink: A Muse Studio (Wheat), Memento (Rich Cocoa), Versamark Watermark, Clear Embossing Powder

*The Harvest Blessings stamp set is available only as a hostess gift. To host a workshop, please contact me at nicolelaha{at}gmail{dot}com.

Free Treat Tray Template :: Decorate for any holiday!

Looking for a last minute Thanksgiving treat for family and friends? A Muse Studio has a FREE downloadable template of this adorable tray. The tray, which you can fill with any homemade (or storemade) treat, can be decorated for any holiday. Download the template here. I recommend using Super Stick tape or Scor-Tape, not your regular adhesive, to make sure it stays together.

Of course, A Muse Studio paper, stamps, felt, and twine make this package so pretty. You can find some of these supplies on sale as part of November's Spotlight products. Head over to my webstore to purchase any of these products. 

TRAY SUPPLIES

All A Muse Studio

Cardstock: Squash, Wheat (10% off in November)

Ribbon: French Roast Satin

Twine: Toffee

Felt: Sky

Die: Leaf Trio Die Set

Stamp: Fresh Foliage (10% off in November)

Ink: French Roast

Gobble 'Til Ya Wobble

Good morning! Yesterday, I posted three new cards on the Creations Galore blog, including this fun Thanksgiving card. How ADORABLE is this turkey and the sentiment from Peachy Keen Stamps?!

My jute ribbon obsession continues. After tying a bow, I added a self-adhesive pearl to the knot. 

I stamped the image and sentiment in Memento dye ink and colored him with Copic markers. After blending the colors, I added a few dots of the darkest color marker to add some texture. I was really happy with how it turned out.

 I'm getting so excited for Thanksgiving... It's my favorite holiday of the year! 

CARD SUPPLIES

Cardstock: Paper Cut (White)

Patterned Paper: Bo Bunny Camp-A-Lot (Dot, Firewood)

Stamps: Peachy Keen Stamps (Tanner Turkey)

Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copic Markers

Ribbons: American Crafts (Jute Yellow)

Bling: Melissa Frances (Cream)

COPIC COLOR LIST

Skin: YR20, E53, E55

Wings: E42, E43, E44

Feathers: E31, E33, E35, E37

Green: YG63, YG67

Orange: YR16, YR18, E08

Red: R27, R59

Hat: W-3, W-5, W-7

Buckle: Y17, YR23

Peachy Keen Challenge :: Happy Harvest

Happy Monday! I'm here to share a card with you today that uses the November sketch from the Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge Blog as inspiration. I stopped by their blog originally to see what's new at their fun company. After seeing this sketch, I just had to play along. Here's a look at the sketch so you can play along too!

All of the stamps used on this card come from their Faceless Fall Set. I stamped the small leaf in several colors as the background. The paper pieced pumpkins are surely making their way onto our Thanksgiving tablescape, maybe place cards or napkin rings? 

Thanks for stopping by today! 

CARD SUPPLIES
Cardstock: Paper Cut
Stamps: Peachy Keen Stamps (Faceless Fall)
Inks: Adirondack (Hazelnut, Terra Cotta, Meadow), Memento (Rich Cocoa, Tuxedo Black)

Autumn Greetings

Good afternoon! Today's card was inspired by all the changing leaves outside. The leaves on the card are Studio Calico Mistables. I sprayed Mister Huey's Color Mist onto a craft mat and applied the color to the pieces with a paint brush. The pieces are self adhesive and adhere well. I had stuck one down too fast and decided to move it, but it was too late. Fantastic adhesive for such thick, durable embellishments!

CARD SUPPLIES
Cardstock, Vellum: Paper Cut
Patterned Paper: Bo Bunny (Serenade & Camp-A-Lot Collections)
Mistables: Studio Calico Leaves
Inks: Veramark Watermark, Ranger Embossing Powder (Gold), Mister Huey's Spray Mist (Classic Tan, Sherbet Orange, Leaf Green)
Inkssentials Non-stick Craft Sheet

Bat Cat Attack

It's October 1st, fall is here, and Halloween is on its way. Sending out cards seems like the best way to celebrate! Here's my card to you: Happy Harvest, my friends. 

CARD SUPPLIES

Cardstock: Paper Cut

Patterned Paper: We R Memory Keepers

Stamp: Penny Black (Bat Cat)

Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Prismacolor Pencils
Bling: Hero Arts

Layout Tuesday: Fall Leaves

I'm posting over at the Creations Galore blog today with a scrapbook page I created with Bo Bunny's new line, Apple Cider. How fantastic are these photos taken by the talented Megs Colleen of my friends from college?! You can expect to see more photos from Megs in future CG posts! 

Head over to the Creations Galore blog to see the full layout!

Addicted To Color: FALLing for you

Are you addicted to color? I sure am! I'm constantly searching out new color combos and gathering inspiration from photos, the color wheel, and daily life. This weekend while adding to my Copic collection, I stumbled upon a color combo I really enjoyed. This happens quite frequently... It catches my eye, I take a picture, create plans in my head of how I'll use it, and then loose the inspiration in a sea of other data. 

No longer! I've gathered together some truly color-inspiring photos and created a new series for you all! Introducing Addicted To Color... Every Saturday I plan to show off a new color combination with it's photo counterpart. Without further ado, here's Combo #1, the inspiration from my Copic-obsessed shopping spree: 

And here's the project inspired by the combo:

I may have to hold off on sending it in the mail, as it's not too in season. I started off with plain cardstock and created the background with a leaf stamp. All the edges are inked with a brown pigment ink to get rid of the harsh lines. 

I even added a little beauty to the inside of the card:

What do you think? I hope I've brought a little color and inspiration to your day!

SUPPLIES

Cardstock: Bazzill, Paper Cut

Stamps: Unity Stamp Co

Inks: Adirondack Hazelnut, ColorBox Chestnut Roan, Marvy Brilliant Yellow

Ribbon: A Muse Studio French Roast Sheer

Just A Note

Happy Monday friends! Today I'm sharing a card created as a Make N Take for Creations Galore. After creating this card, I was reminded of how much I enjoy using corner punches. Watch out... that may become a new trend in my cards. Hope you have a great week!

CARD SUPPLIES

Cardstock: Paper Cut

Patterned Paper: BoBunny Etcetera & Forever Fall 

Stamps: Unity Stamp Company

Inks: Memento Rich Cocoa

happy harvest!

Today I posted a tutorial over at Creations Galore as part of my day job as the Creative Genius... yep, that's my official title. Head on over for inspiration on creating beautiful fall decor for your home, office, or craft room!