A Thank You Tag

We recently hosted a comment party to give away a few pieces of blog candy.  One winner has yet to contact me-

CREATE OUT LOUD


My hope is that this lovely lady will email me at viralscrapa AT gmail DOT com and provide me with mailing information so that I can get the prize out to her.  Thank you to everyone who commented to win.  Your encouragement and participation is greatly appreciated. 

Which leads me to today's post- a thank you tag to include with our second winner, Diane Loughrey.  Diane won the Spring Distress set of ink pads and stains.  I couldn't resist thanking her for participating. 










Here's the tag details:

• The patterned papers are Stampin' Up's Attic Boutique.  
• The flower was stamped and cut from colored cardstock with  my Heartfelt Creations Tattered Blossoms set.  The flower has some Glass Shards Glitter applied with my Crystal Accents to create the dimensional glint on the flower.  The center is made using my Good Earth- Earth Elements.
• The sentiment was stamped with a Simon Says Stamp sentiment stamp in brown archival ink.  The frame is cut using my Stampin' Up Apothecary Accents Framelit die.
• All papers are edged with some Vintage Photo Distress ink.
• The floral die cut is from my Spellbinders Floral Flourish cut from green cardstock. 

Diane has emailed to say she received her package last week.  I'm watching to see what she creates with her new supplies!

A Small School Project

My daughter, Katie, approached me a few weeks ago with this sheepish request.  She had a project due on Monday to create a journal for Juliet (based on the Shakespeare play).  Her English class had read the play and a writing assignment required the students to imagine a journal written by one of the star-crossed lovers.  They were given permission to be creative in the process.  The question from Katie was "will you help me?"  Ahhh, yes!

We started with a browse through Pinterest pins for ideas.  Katie found this example that she really liked.  Next was a selection process for patterned paper/color scheme.  I had recently purchased (on discount from my LSS) a paper pack of Authentique's Grace collection.  Katie quickly decided that the soft peach, pink and mint green of this collection coupled with gold and cream was just the right mix of romantic.  I was home one day over the weekend when she was out with a commitment and die cut a bunch of leaves, ornamental die cuts, and flowers for her to choose from.  Here's what she ultimately selected and pieced together:

• Brown cardstock floral icon using my Heartfelt Creations Ornamental Add On die.
• Mint green patterned paper leaf and swirl die cuts using my Spellbinders Floral Flourishes and ODBD Fancy Foliage dies.
• Dark green cardstock leaves with my Heartfelt Creations Delicate Asters leaf die.
• Pink patterned paper flowers using my Heartfelt Creations Delicate Asters dies. 
• Frame die cut with Juliet printed out from the computer using my ODBD Ornate Borders die.
• Floral patterned paper border from the Authentique's Grace collection.
• Pearl accents and a pearl swirl from Michaels clearance bins.  
• Mint green ribbon from the local ribbon store (been in the stash quite a while now).
• Everything edged with a bit of Vintage Photo Distress Ink and most edges worn using my Tim Holtz distress tool.

The book was made by stapling the computer printed pages (figure out how to get those puppies printed double sided on 1/2 of an 8 1/2 x 11 paper was... challenging) inside a cardstock cover.  The staples covered by the patterned paper both in the front and in the back.  Simple, effective and didn't take a lot of time.  After we'd made the cover, we didn't have much time left!

I think I might have had more fun than Katie.  At least I thought that until the report was turned in and Katie came home with the same sheepish grin to tell the story of how her teacher responded.  Apparently Katie was part of the group that was singled out because they "put in a little extra effort".  Truthfully, Katie's writing was mostly what she was singled out for.  Here's a sample:

The cover was shown to the class.  Too bad it's totally not-cool to be pleased by this kind of attention in high school.  She did tell me the story though, high praise and a kind of real 'thank you' from your teenager.

From the too proud mama.

A little ballerina card

After I finished the paper dolls for Yuli, my Compassion International sponsorship, I just couldn't resist a quick card with the Close to My Heart ballerina paper.  I used this card to write to Yuli and tucked it into the package with the dolls.  This is a simple card- pink cardstock was used to make the card base.  Patterned paper from the collection for the background.  I used several die cuts from my workspace- using my Our Daily Bread Designs Fancy Foliage dies and Spellbinders Floral Flourishes dies.  The flower is from a very old Making Memories package.  The sentiment is from Word Art Wednesday cut using my Spellbinders Scalloped Ovals.  A pearl swirl from the stash and I have a particularly lovely card to send to Yuli.

I linked this up over at Word Art Wednesday's Challenge #124: Anything Goes and The Shabby Tea Room's Week #210- Anything Goes  The sentiment came from Word Art Wednesday's wonderful blog.  Come on over and join the fun!

 

Best Mom Ever- A Mother's Day Card

I'd mentioned that I picked up a clearance priced package of Authentique's Grace collection at my LSS.  The package came with many different embellishments mostly geared to mothers and Mother's Day sentiments.  I just couldn't resist the opportunity to put together a card with these colorful and stylish papers.  Here's the details:

• All papers are from the collection, even the brown matting paper and they are all edged in Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  
• The floral and swirls are cut from matching patterned paper and cardstock using my Our Daily Bread Fancy Foliage, Sizzix Decorative Swirls, Spellbinders Floral Flourish dies.

• The flower is store bought and has long since been separated from it's package.  I also rubbed on some Vintage Photo Distress Ink to tie this in.
• The pearl swirl came from the stash.  
• On the inside, I stamped the sentiment on a piece of patterned paper to create the flag and used foam squares to adhere some of the tag sentiments from the collection.  

I'm linking this card up at Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday challenge blog: Mother's Day or Special Girl.  Come join the fun!

ETA:  I'm linking this up with The Shabby Tea Room's Week #210: Anything Goes challenge.   Come join the fun or have a look around.  The ladies who share at these challenges are sooooo talented!

Happy Birthday Card

Embossing folders.  I've not had a machine where I could effectively use them.  That changed when I purchased my Grand Calibur.  However, this means that I haven't fully incorporated their craftiness into my skill set.  Yet, they are wonderful for texture and interest on a card.  This one today was made using that fabulous paper pad from Prima- Madeline.  Here's the details for this card:

• The sentiment frame was cut using my Spellbinders Labels 18 die from a piece of script patterned paper. The sentiment was stamped using with brown Archival Ink.  
• The second frame was cut using two different Spellbinders Labels 18 which I taped into place on a piece of patterned paper from the set.
• The flowers were cut from patterned paper using my Posy dies.They were shaped and a pearl accent added to the center.
• Several floral elements were  cut from brown and green cardstock scraps.  I've got pieces from my Spellbinders Floral Flourishes die, Our Daily Bread Designs Fancy Foliage, and some other dies I've long since forgotten where they came from.
• The background is embossed with a folder and Vintage Photo Distress Ink brushed on the raised portion using my Ink Blending Tool.  The background and the card base were also edged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.
• A piece of seam binding tied to the frame finishes the design.  

I left the inside blank on this on to be added when the purpose is identified.   We're headed towards 90 degrees today here in Phoenix.  My goodness, but spring has sprung!

ETA:  I've linked this card up over at Scrapbookpal.com.  They have a running challenge each month to use certain suppliers/products and then get featured over at their blog.  Here's my entry for the last part of February.   Click on this link to check out their latest challenge.  Their online store supplies many of my common tools and supplies and some of the lowest prices around.  Check them out.

Day 2- A two page layout for the Hawaii scrapbook

So I, albeit slowly, continue to plug my way through my catch up project.  Today I'm sharing a layout I put together for our first full day in Hawaii.  We knew that we wanted to get to the USS Arizona memorial early in the day to soak in the sites and information without the bustle of the crowds which inevitably flock to the memorial.  Since we were still on Arizona time, the first day seemed appropriate.  We slept in until 6 am (because we went to bed early the night before, exhausted from our flight).  Four showers, a shared breakfast with Dan's parents, and we were off on our adventure of the day.  We arrived before the memorial opened, so we took a moment to stop by the signage out front.  The page is made with the patterned paper from the Maggie Holmes Signature Series and a piece of grid patterned paper from the stash. The sentiment was created by covering a chipboard letter D with a patterned paper scrap and sanding the edges.  I paired it here with a "a" and "y" from a metal "Baby" set that's been in the stash for nearly a decade (bought a set of three, used one and kept the other two... don't know why except it kinda works here) and with a chipboard piece from the Maggie Holmes Signature Series Chipboard Stickers. 

The matching second page uses more chipboard pieces from the set and one of the fabric frames from the Signature Series Stitched Fabric Frames.  The sentiment was cut from one of my stash papers and stapled in place... what do you think... too many staples?  I agree but the freak in me would let me remove them because of the holes that would be left behind.  In some sort of weird way, holes are *worse* than too many staples.  I'm telling you, I'm a nut!  Just a small Floral Flourish to peak around the frame and I'm done.

Yeah- three whole pages scrapbooked.  A few more to go.  Just keep on scrappin', scrappin', scrappin'.

Celebrating 23725 Days of You

The dearest Jan, my co-worker of the famous sage bush incident,  had a momentous birthday last week.  I made this special card for her to highlight the occasion.  I'd kept the post from you to keep it a surprise for her and forgot all about it until now.

It's tough to say where all the patterns came from.  Most are MME's The Sweetest Thing- Tangerine.  However, there is a bit of scraps from here and there including the solid cardstock which are pieces from the scrap pile.  It feels good to use these scraps- so efficient.  However, with all the paper in the Scrapbox, I sometimes wonder if I could afford to let a scrap or 1,000 go.  Oh well, no sense changing who I am now.

The chipboard elements (border on the left and the buttons) came from MME's The Sweetest Thing- Lavender collection.  One of the ladies at work was taken aback by the "60" on one of the chipboard buttons.  Then I pointed out how each button has a different number, the theme??, get it???  O.K., I'm weird I know.  We've established this before (remember the sage bush flower incident mentioned above?).  Moving on... the swirls were cut using my Floral Flourish dies and the frame for the "of you" portion of the sentiment was cut from my Stampin' Up Apothecary Accents Framelits.  The oval was cut using my Creative Memories oval cutters.
 

 

The inside demanded some attention.  The sentiment was stamped using my Peacock Feathers Distress Ink (a new favorite, perhaps?).  I ended up using my Stampin' Up paper piercing Essentials Pack to pierce the shape into the cream cardstock and fussy cut the shape following the piercing.  The patterned paper creates a ribbon like effect and it just seemed like some pearls would add to the feel.

What do you think?  Great card for a milestone birthday?  She loved it and was very touched.  Not nearly as touched as I feel when I think about my friend who I hope will stay close long after the work is over.

Happy Birthday, Jan!  I love you!

ETA:  I entered this card in the Ready-Made Embellishment Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.   There's still a few weeks to come join the fun.  The challenge closes on October 21st.  I also entered this card in Simon Say Stamp Monday Challenge: Say It With Stamps.  There's still a little time to join the fun.

 

Hawaii- Catching up on scrapbooking efforts

I am going to admit to feeling overwhelmed and tired.  I've volunteered for a couple different things this fall and my work has exploded on me this past week.  I know I need crafting more than ever, but I can't seem to squeeze it in like I would like.  Having said that, I am so excited about my current project.  I mentioned I'm getting caught up on some scrapbooking projects and one involves our 2008 trip to Hawaii.  I always intended to make a book and never got around to it.  When I saw the Maggie Holmes Signature Collection with a coordinating wood mini album I realized what I had been waiting for.  This collection is filled with the colors and style that I think of when I think of our trip.  Today I'm sharing the front cover.  I elected to keep it simple and use the

Polaroid fabric frame from the kit to highlight this family picture taken up in the mountains.  We'd stopped at a tourist attraction and thought the view breathtaking.  The doily was fussy cut out of one of the patterned paper from the kit.  The little swirls were die cut using my Floral Flourish and the flower cut using my Heartfelt Creations Vintage Floret.  The circle was cut with my ancient (I like saying that, it feels like I'm using my stash!) Creative Memories circle cutters.  I intend to add some fibers and ribbons to the book rings, but will wait for the finished product to do so.  I'm really pleased with the front cover.  I've a photo to take of the first page which I've already done, but haven't had the time to capture the photo.  Maybe things will ease up enough for just a little blogging.  Hope your crafting is contagious, I could use an innoculation.

Front Cover for Heartfelt Creations Die Storage

I thought I might interrupt this week's posting of the scrapbook pages to show off a little bit of creativity that leaked out around finishing up the scrapbook pages.  The front covers of my Heartfelt Creations storage was so bland and boring I couldn't leave them alone.  Plus, the scrapbooking effort wasn't heavily laden with flowery goodness and I was missing my Heartfelt Creations creativity.  Out busted these blue little beauties.

 The flowers were created with my Heartfelt Creations Vintage Floret stamps and dies.  I used a black archival ink to stamp the flowers and die cut the flowers out.  The swirls come from a couple of different die sets, Spellbinders Floral Flourishes and Sizzix Decorative Swirls.






I now have two books of these stamp and die sets.  With this weekend's arrival of the leaf sets, I may be expanding to a third book. It feels like a good problem to have, but sometimes I wonder if I'm truly just a craft tool junkie.

A Little Hi

Just stopping in to say a little "Hi".  I thought I would put one of the paper pads I purchased at the scrapbook convention to good use.  I mean, the convention was back in April which is fully three months or a quarter of a year ago!  It's time to use it, not file it away in the Scrapbox.

The paper pad is MME's Ooh La La For Her.  Such soft lovely colors and tiny, intricate designs.  I once again reached for my Heartfelt Creations Posy stamps and dies and the Spellbinders Floral Flourish.  The larger leaves were cut from  Cricut's Picturesque cartridge [Leaves].  

The patterned grid was cut using Cricut's Craft Room.  I haven't spent a lot of time in this online software.  As such, I've not found it to be particularly intuitive.  However, it works well enough that I can totally make my way around and create simple cuts.  This particular cut is a Teresa Collin's Basic- Imperial.  I went looking and couldn't find this cut on the Cricut.com website.  It might have been an exclusive that is no longer available.  Guess I'm glad I scooped this cut up.

All stamping and edging is done with my trusty Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  A few little pearls in the corner bring your eye to the tiny Hi.  I stamped the sentiment on one of the shapes pulled out of the patterned grid after cutting and adhered it with a teeny, tiny piece of foam tape to create some depth and bring it forward a bit. 

The inside was just too plain so I pulled a trick from my bloggy friend, Karon, and stamped a posy in the corner, layered up on patterned paper.  I added a little glitter glue to the center which just bled the ink... a little messy finish, but I'm going to claim a design to add sparkle to the inside...

This card was sent off to encourage a young lady battling a serious health complication.  I hope it brightened her day!

I've entered this card in Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge: Celebrate! and Word Art Wednesday's Challenge #90: Anything Goes!  Come on over and join the fun.

A Very Special Birthday Gift

My co-worker's request for help in celebrating a milestone birthday was extended.  She worked with Tarzana Joe to create a poem especially for the occasion.   It's a really neat result of a heartfelt and touching poem that captures the essence of their friendship and camaraderie as they have worked together toward building a business.  Check him out as he has a really interesting story.

Needless to say, how to present said poem as a gift?  It is, after all, just words on a page unless you spruce it up.  So, I set about the sprucing.  I wanted the gift to match the coloring and style of the card I'd created.  This is the final result.

The flowers were created using vellum and Shaded Lilac Distress Ink along with my Heartfelt Creations Vintage Floret stamps and dies.  I decided against applying the Glimmer Glam.  There are a couple of reasons- first is that the glam is liquid and the stamped flower detail was somewhat lost in the final result.  This is good sometimes, but in this situation I had shiny glass overlaying the image.  So, second reason, I thought that a crisper image was good given the framed result, size and overall feel.  Some flowers were finished in the Heartfelt Creations' fashion with a little tiny bud in the center and others were finished with some pearls.  The green flourish were cut from cardstock using my Spellbinders Floral Flourishes die set.  The bling comes from a set so old I've lost the packaging and I ended up adding a couple of pearl hat pins to draw the eye.  The poem was printed out onto linen textured cardstock and I really liked the final look of the product.  I edged the cardstock with some Vintage Photo ink to create a little interest. The background paper is a sheet of Basic Grey that was found in the stash. 


I couldn't leave it alone at that.  In the end, the card I'd previously made was used to wish a happy birthday from all of us at the office.  This gift begged a small gift card for the giver to write a small sentiment.  I pieced together this 3 x 3 card using the leftovers from the frame set that I'd made.  The frame is from Cricut's Straight from the Nest card (birdcge2) where I cut out the bird and the bottom half of the cut.  The frame is finished using the Rusted Enamel technique and Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  There's real texture to that frame, but the photo doesn't do it justice.





I just couldn't resist a couple of pearl hat pins here as well.  This close up really shows the beauty of the Vintage Floret stamp.  I must use this more in the future.  It's easy to forget about your better stuff sometimes...










 
I ended up making the envelope from scratch using my Envelope Punch Board.  This little tool makes envelop making a breeze and I whipped up this puppy in a matter of minutes.  I stamped a small floret in the front face using my Shaded Lilac and glued a small flower on the back with a glue dot to hold the envelope shut (this was hand delivered, no seal needed).  It also makes it easy to place a liner on the inside.  The entire thing was a big hit.  That's reward enough.

I've linked this card up to the Inspiration Journal's  July Monthly Challenge:  Happy Birthday America & Other Birthday Celebrating.  Come join the fun!