Like My New Look?

Hello, hello!  I have been wanting to change my layout to something a little less busy and simpler, and finally got around to it.  I liked the ribbons that I had on my old layout because they were artsy but I just wasn't digging the font or colors, so I had to update it.  This is my first blog and I had no idea what I was doing, but now that I am a little more comfortable, I was able to figure out a little more.  I really love this layout even though I didn't have an option of choosing one with polka dots ;) Oh well! It's still pretty and not distracting, so I'm happy. I hope you like the new look! Talk to you soon!

What's in a Background?

Hi there! Thanks for taking a little time out of your day to check out what I've been up to :)

A lot of times when crafters are in a crafty rut, we feel the need to stack and tape and stack some more, adding a lot of weight and dimension to our cards.  Adding all the pizzazz can be very fun (and sometimes frustrating), and I have seen plenty of gorgeous cards that have so much going on visually, but sometimes it can also be disappointing because behind all that glitter and glue and Copic coloring, we are still left with wanting more because something just didn't look or feel right. Then we want to add even more to make it right and the whole cycle repeats itself LOL 

Anyway, I want to be clear that I am not referring to the card makers who create the gorgeous, fancy cards with lace and roses and layers upon layers.  They make those cards because that is their style, and it's so beautiful.  That however is not my style.  At least not yet.

I prefer to make CAS cards (cute and simple cards).   That's my style and although it may evolve, it suits me just fine :) They're cute, adorable, beautiful, happy, and completely ME!

When you don't have a lot of layers, ribbons, embellishments, pictures, etc, you need a nice, simple background.  While shopping at Hobby Lobby one day, I grabbed this flower stamp in hopes that I could find something to do with it. Little did I know how versatile it would be!  I used it to create the background by inking it with Versamark and stamping in random places on pink paper. I stamped it again on Neenah Solar White paper before coloring it with a variety of Copic markers, fussy cutting it and setting it aside.  I stamped the butterflies on vellum and used a handy punch to cut them out :)  I tried a number of times to figure out exactly where I wanted to place everything and had a really tough time deciding.  You'd think it would be easier because there isn't much going on, but it was probably more difficult because of that fact.  Ultimately, I am happy with the final placement of everything and think this one turned out quite cute :)

Here's my product list for this one:

Neenah Solar White cardstock

Stampin' Up Papillon Potpourri stamp set and Elegant Butterfly Punch

Recollections Black Embossing Powder

Versarmark Ink

Pink cardstock

Stampendous flower stamp

Stampin Up Sincere Salutations 

Copic Markers (RV 10, 13, 14; YG 03, 05)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Fairy Silhouette

Hi everybody and thanks for stopping by today!  I normally don't buy card making magazines, but recently purchased Issue 107 of Papercraft Essentials magazine, mainly for the adorable fairy stamp set that came with it. I didn't have any silhouette stamps and I thought there were so many possibilities with this one, so I had to buy it! I couldn't wait to get home and try it out!  After I shared some pictures of projects, one of my friends said she wanted a card for her friend's daughter's birthday. Great! Here it is:

Isn't that so pretty?!  I used a few Distress Inks to make a watercolor background and added the little mountain using Distress Inks and a paintbrush. The fairy and mushrooms are embossed in black embossing powder and I used Stickles for the fairy dust. Adorable! The little girl loved it and one of her friends was completely mesmerized LOL Makes me feel good :)

Now, even though I love the way the card turned out, I'm not a big fan of the quality of the stamps; they seem very cheaply made. They're really flimsy and do not stick to an acrylic block AT ALL. I had to put a bit of glue on the backs of them in hopes that would help, but it barely did.  I stamped the images a couple of times to make sure I got a good impression, but I just couldn't get a good impression with other stamps in the set so I didn't use them.  Having said that, as I was creating the supply list for this post, I looked on Lavinia's website and saw that many people have complained about the quality of these stamps! They said that although they made the stamps, they used a different company to manufacture them and the quality was not up to par with what they usually put out. If this is the case, I'm really happy because their stamps are absolutely adorable and so unique, but since this first experience was not a great one, I had planned on not purchasing again. Anyway, the post continued by saying if we got a crappy set, like me, we are allowed to send them back for a replacement. I sent an email asking if I could do this because they are based out of the UK and I'm in the states, so I'm not sure if I would be allowed to.  We shall see!

Here's a list of supplies that I used:

Distress Ink in Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserves and Black Soot

Recollections Black Embossing Powder

Silver Stickles

110 pound cardstock 

small paintbrush

Strathmore Watercolor Paper

Lavinia stamps in Issue 107  of Papercraft Essentials Magazine (sorry, I can't find the name of it!!)

Versamark Ink

Thanks for spending part of your day with me!

Watercolor Hydrangeas CAN make a sick mama smile!

Hello, hello and thanks for joining me today!  I really love the support of my friends and family with this adventure.  One of my friends recently asked me to make a very personal card for her best friend who is pregnant and having a miserable time with hyperemesis gravidarum (AKA the most horrible morning sickness you could imagine!).  The only guideline I had was that she loved vintage things. Now, it just so happens that I too adore all that is vintage, so I was really excited to make something for her that would make her smile, even if it was only for a few seconds!   

Look at that!!  Now THIS project was a LOT of fun! OK, so really all of the cards that I make really are a lot of fun, but this one had so many fun elements in one little envelope: watercolor, pearls, vintage paper, vellum, embossing!  My friend was so happy with the final product and said it looked even better in person, and that the recipient absolutely loved it!

So, what did I use??

Hero Arts Hydrangea stamp

Strathmore Watercolor Paper

Stampin' Up Embossing Powder in Copper

Zing Embossing Powder in White

Koi Watercolors

Paint brush

Piano paper

Vellum

Pearl embellishments

Ivory ribbon

Vintage Photo Distress Ink

You're Simply Amazing stamp (unknown manufacturer)

Fiskar's 3-in-1 Corner Squeeze Punch "Dot to Dot"

Thanks for spending part of your day with me :) I hope you liked the card!