Gone in a Flash

    Energy and time have a way of vanishing when chasing after a 6 and 3 1/2 year old. I’m running out of steam!
There has been NO time to stamp, but I did make a few things for the magazine call that didn’t get picked up, or in other cases didn’t have time to fuss with trying to make a photo collage for submission. Getting old stinks! I can’t remember how to do things once I’ve done it. I need to do it over and over. I still haven’t learned how to use PSE! No time during school year, the technology requirements for that is staggering! Blah..blah..blah..... as my daughter would say!

This is a real simple number for me, but I reall like the resuts. All PTI products except for the Pacific Point  paper from SU. I used Vintage Picnic and Postmarks. I hand cut the basket.  I have yet to order the die. There is nothing special about the tag, simply cut on the cutter to fit the basket. The word "love" was hand written with a white Signo pen. A dash of glitter and a pop up here and there and , ta-da!

Now to put two little elves to bed and try to stay awake until 10!

The End is Near!

There are 12 days left to the school year! I'm counting them down! Sadly though, a very good friend is leaving the school. I will miss her smile and sense of humor. There are so few people who make it a point to be cheery to all and make their day with a kind word. She is an inspiration and wonderful role model.

She will be missed. I made this for her, a small token of thanks for all the support and laughter she has shared with me over the last 5 years. I have a card for her for every day left to the year.  Just for her, to bring a smile to her face like she has to mine so many times. Wishing you well, dear friend.

All materials Papertrey Ink, edge punch Fiskars.

Happy Memorial Day

Appropriate colors for a birthday that falls on Memorial Day. Again with the Button Boutique, you say? YES! This time I added the Gingham background. I need to practice with this a bit as I didn't quite get the line up quite right when having to add a little length. The stamp is the perfect size to span the shorter measurement of the card, but must be "pieced" on the longer side. Practice, practice, practice. I might enjoy that! 

All materials from Papertrey Ink.

Have a wonderful long weekend and, please remember those who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice.

Maile Inspired

I was inspired, again, by Maile Belles. Actually, it is as near to a copy as one can get without duplicating exactly, shamefully. I LOVED her card seen HERE. Maile's card is also featured on the Papertrey ink site home page for the April release. She used the Chevron stamp set she created for PTI. I can't wait to play with it once it comes!   Anyway, I really wanted to keep it close to the original. I think I managed that.

                                           
Every thing in the card is from Papertrey Ink. I used Beyond Basic Borders and the stitch line from Faux Ribbon. The sentiment is from Signature Greetings.

Daughter's Mother's Day

Now that Mother's Day is past I can share the card I made for my daughter. If I had posted it before the date it wouldn't have been a surprise! Besides, I promised to space out the cards I made with Button Boutique from Papertrey Ink. I really like this set. There are so many ways to use it and it gives me such a nice feeling  when I design with it. I have fond memories of button boxes at my mother's, both of my grandmothers, and my great grandmother, all of them accomplished seamstresses. Creativity runs in our veins, in this family. This is the perfect card for DD. She used to love to look at all the buttons in grandma's button box.

I really like the way this came out. Once finished I got a chuckle from it. I didn't realize it as I was designing this but, the ribbon and the pearls are from left over materials from her wedding in 2003. Here they are showing up 7 years later. The color is PTI Scarlet Jewel. I used the die from Button Card Collection to cut the piece of fabric. It is much easier to get a clean edge on the fabric if you cut a piece of cardstock at the same time.

Hope you liked your card, Kate.                                              

Mother- in -Law Mother's Day

My mother in law is the reason for that saying, "When I get old, I will wear purple." Only she has ALWAYS worn purple. Luckily she is one of those people who can carry the color nicely. She has beautiful silver white hair and it is the perfect color for her. So when it came time to make her card the new PTI color, Royal Velvet, was the perfect choice. She is also quite a seamstress so the Button Boutique was a natural for her as well.

                                             
Everything on this card is from Papertrey Ink with the exception of the pin, pearl and satin ribbon rose. I used Copic marker to color the rose to match the gold color of the buttons. You wouldn't think those colors would be pleasing but they are. When I look at this it just screams her name! I hope she likes it, I think she will!

Ah . . . Spring at Last!

At long last. Today was beautiful! Finally! Yesterday was sunny but the wind was quite brisk! So I started interior work. A day with spackling and sanding block. Productive but counter productive!
I spent all Friday evening dusting and vaccuuming! Jokes on me! But it feels good to get a much needed project started.

Meanwhile I got my Mother's Day cards done for everyone and a few birthday cards to boot! They all come this week! I promise to space them out, because you will get sick of the Mother's Day look. I got carried away with PTI's Button Boutique!

This card is for my mother. We have this thing for the aqua color. Leave it to say we have a running joke about what to call it (blue or green) from when I was a kid; that was LONG AGO! Everything on the card is from Papertrey Ink with the exception of the hat pin and pearls. Those are left over from my daughter's wedding in 2003. My mother and I made her wedding dress, complete with hand made silk roses, appliqued lace motifs and pearls. Anyone have more pearls than this????

Have a great Monday!

                                    

Clean and Simple Birthday

This little number id really simple. I ran some scraps through the Cuttlebug with a flourish folder. Stamped the middle piece and attached them to the front of a card. I stamped this little flower at Kate’s this weekend and colored it with Copic markers. I think she told me this set was from Verve. I used SU oval punches. The paper is Raspberry Fizz from Papertrey Inc.

Fun Flapper

 

 

Here is a fun little number. Kate and I visited this nice Joann’s store in Concord last weekend. They had some buttons that were to die for. I haven’t seen a display like that anywhere at home!  This cute little flapper jumped right off the rack and into my hand! By the time I got home I knew just what to do with her.

I used the Signature Series Dress form die from PTI and cut a Sweet Blush form and a black one. Her dress is made of strips of real red that were fringed and overlapped. The top and straps are thin ribbon. A little bit of strung pearls finished it.

This is pretty plain for me but I wanted her to be the focus of the card.

Hope you like her.

PTI Challenge- SCALLOPS!

This month we decided to dedicate the Blog Hop to scallops!

 

 

I tried something new with my photos. My daughter gave me a quick lesson in this over the weekend. I took notes and, naturally, left them there! I muddled through PSE and hope I have done it correctly!

 

 

Here is my scallop card. All materials are PTI except the little gems from Hero Arts.

I love the Spring Moss color but it really doesn’t photograph well.

I need to play with that a little.

Colors are Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado, Lemon Tart and Simply Chartreuse. Stamp is Year of Flowers: Marigold.

Hope you all enjoy the hop!

Music to my Eyes

Perhaps it is because music was my first love, and first choice of careers, that I am drawn to anything with music notation. When my children were little I made character music boxes that I sold at craft shows all over New England. I never grew tired of them. Ah well, performance is not the best career if one wants a family!

This card is super simple. All products Papertrey Ink

Stamp leaves on card base. Stamp music notation on cream stock in Camomile ink then stamp leaves over the top in Spring Moss. Sponge edges and randomly across page to antique it. Layer stamped panel; add gold balls (Michael's).

Die cut sentiment layer, stamp and sponge edges. Place over a ribbon and attach to the card with foam dimensionals (SU). Enjoy!

Bookend Friends

Here is a card that uses one of my favorite techniques. I love to make my own background paper.

I own TONS of patterned paper. I use very little of it. Hummmm . . . .maybe it’s time to thin the stock.

This card uses all Papertrey Ink products unless otherwise stated.

Cardstock: Ocean Tides, Stampers Select White

Stamps: All Booked Up, Turning  a New Leaf

Ink: Tuxedo Black, Versa Mark, Ocean Tides, Brilliance

 

Dies/ Punches: Mat Stack 3, Limitless Layers, Modern Window and oval punches from SU

Crystals: Michael’s

Coloring medium: Copic markers

Other: Clear Embossing Powder

Technique: masking, sponging

Mask the Mat stack 3 shape. Stamp the leaves in Versa and emboss. Sponge the area around the mat and randomly

on the card front. Die cut the  circle with Limitless Labels. Cut a slightly larger circle, stamp image, color and adhere

to the inside of the card. Stamp and punch sentiment layers; attach to card with dimensionals. Add crystals.

Enjoy!

Through the Trees

This is a very simple card to make.

Cut center oval with a Nestabilities Oval and emboss it.

Cut the next sized oval in white for the inside image.

Use Eclipse paper or a Post It to mask the moon area. Use 3 colors of blue and sponge around the moon. Begin with the lightest; blend out to the darkest. Stamp image over the sponged sky.

Line up the stamped oval with the front cut out. Attach the oval to the back panel.

Stamp the branch and sentiment on the front. Tie ribbon through the oval  around the front. 

Cardstock: Fine Linen, Stampers Select White

Stamp: Through the Trees, Out on a Limb

Ink: (Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko, (Enchanted Evening, Chamomile) PTI, (Bashful Blue, Night of Navy) SU

Think Big Challenge

 

    Have a big bouquet? This is my answer to this challenge.

  Make a project that incorporates something mega-sized!

This is the challenge at PTI.

All materials are from PTI except the crystals. Those I found in the $1 bin at Michael’s. They are a perfect match to the PTI papers.

The card itself is oversized and will fit in a legal sized envelope.

Check out the links to the other BIG projects. There are some really talented people.

 

Thank you PTI.

Enjoy

"Love"-ly Lace

Oh, happy day. Mid-winter vacation is here. Before I begin cleaning house in earnest I needed to take care of some blog business.



Thanks to my daughter for her "plug". The secret to finding the time... I ignore the dog hair and dust until vacation, LOL . Now I have to REALLY clean. Maybe I'll save one day to craft.



Here is a card I made for the last call. The problem is I read the dates wrong and missed the submission deadline. The good news is I will have a few for blog posts! A silver lining.

Oh, by the way, Happy Valentine's Day.

Papers, Mat stack die, and sentiment are from PTI; image stamp is SU; scallop punches are Martha Stewart; embossing is Cuttlebug folder; bridal trim and pearls.

Background Play

If you follow my work you have probably notices that I don't use much patterned paper. I love it ;I own tons of it;


I have to force myself to use it.
I just like to make my own backgrounds. I used all PTI background stamps for this. They are so easy to use.
The flower is from KLM Designs Decorative circles stamp set. I use a lot of their digitals and now they have clearstamps!

Floral Congratulations – Papers; ( Scarlet Jewel) PTI; (Always Artichoke, Kraft)SU
Stamps: (Decorative Circles) KLM Designs; (Leaves and sentiment from Delightful Dahlia, Frame from Borders and Corners: Rectangles, Basic Backgrounds: TinType, Polka Dot Basics; (Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko
Dies: (leaf from Delightful Dahlia) PTI; (Scallop circle) Nestibilities
Color Medium: (markers) Copic
Fibers: (hemp twine)
Accent: (button) PTI

Papertrey Fun

I love it when I get to play. I broke my rule of using only scraps for the summer. I really made this for a magazine call but it didn't make the cut. Anyway. . .this is the first time I had an opportunity to play with this set. It has great potential .

Button Flower Thank You – Paper: (Spring Moss, Pure Poppy, Lemon Tart, White) PTI
Ink: (Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko; (Lemon Tart) PTI
Color Medium: (markers) Copic
Dies: ( Lables #10) Nestabilities; ( Large scallop) PTI
Fibers: (Pure Poppy Dots) PTI
Accents: (buttons) PTI; (Charm) Modern Romance

Limited Supplies 5 and last

This is the last of the cards. There still were a few scraps left for another day. Now I need to find a home for all these little cards!

Flight of the Butterfly, Little Hellos, Itty Bitty Buds, Short and sweet:SU

Flower Frenzy, PTI

Eyelet and scallop border punches, piercing tool, corner rounder, square punches

Hello everyone,

Here is a card I did for a publication. All things homespun seem to be the rage now. When I think of homespun, I think quilting and stitching! I actually broke out my fancy machine to do this one. Love the PTI Quilter's Sampler and Sentiments. This also uses PTI papers Enchanted Evening and Aqua Mist.

Image is colored with Copic markers.

The base is Kraft from SU, stamped in Background Basics: Tin Type from PTI

Ribbon is also PTI in Enchanted Evening

Limited Supplies 4

Sorry the first shot is so blah! Still using the same Soft Sky/ Blue Bayou / DSP scraps.

Flight of the Butterfly, Priceless, Itty Bitty Buds, Short and Sweet from SU

Flower Frenzy, PTI
Scallop square, border punch, piercing tool