Thursday, April 30, 2009

Friendly Frame

Howdy everyone!

made a few changes here at my little blog.. I came across a tutorial this morning at Kevin and Amanda about how to change the fonts on your blog. Since I'm not a big fan of the selection of fonts available, I thought I'd give it a shot. Kevin and Amanda has a huge selection of scrapbooking and handwritten fonts available for FREE! You can follow the link above, or there's a little button on the lower left of my blog. Check them out and give them some love!

Last night I dove into my box of stuff-I-picked-up-in-the-dollar-bin-that-I'll-use-someday and created this little beauty.


The frame was from the dollar section at Michael's.  It measures 4.5" by 3.5".  I started by stamping one of the images from Damask Designs onto a piece of Spring Rain that had been cut to size.  The rest of the stamps are from the Great Friend set from Stampin' Up! (Occasions Mini).  The frame and leaf were stamped with True Black and cut out.  The butterfly was stamped with Spring Rain.  (PS - I have been spoiled by clear stamps). 

I added some Antique Linen distress ink around all the images and some rhinestones for a little fancy vintage look.  The rhinestones on the frame are black and the ones on the butterfly are clear (but at a bad photo angle).  This is another instance where I used my Copics to customize my clear rhinestones, which I love.  Here's your close-up :)


That's it for me!  I have a bit of a tummy ache, so let's hope its because I'm hungry.  My husband has been cooking dinner recently and has been doing a great job.  I love to cook, but he's doing so well I think I may pass the flag to him.  I hope you have a fabulous evening!  Take care!

-Anya



Recipe:
Stamps: Damask Designs - Papertrey Ink; Great Friend - Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: Soft Rain, SS White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow, Spring Rain, True Black - Papertrey Ink; Antique Linen distress ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Adhesive rhinestones, Mini picture frame - Michael's; Copic marker

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

If your dog...

Hi everybody! Before I say anything else, I just want to thank you all so much for your wonderful comments.  You are so nice!  It is really great to see some 'regulars' stop by - I have blog friends! :)

Over the weekend I stopped at my LSS, Stamp Fanci, and found a few stamps from Inkadinkado's kid quotes line. Well, actually, my husband found them (see, I knew there was a reason he came along! ;) Anyway, I saw this one about dogs and needed it.  My dogs are always a very good judge of character!




The card base is Dark Chocolate from PTI.  I embossed a strip using the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder and layered that on top.  The sentiment is stamped in Dark Chocolate on SS White.  The dog is from an old Stampin' Up! set, Ruff Day, and was colored with Copics.  I added some Crystal Effects to his nose to make it look wet and topped it off with a bone-shaped paperclip :)




Cute!

Tonight I am hopefully putting up a new gazebo that we bought for our back patio.  We had one of those ginormous umbrellas that covered the patio and the other day the wind obliterated the darn thing.  I hate those unexpected disasters (as opposed to the expected ones...duh, Anya :P)  Anyway, we decided we'd try the whole gazebo thing, since we have a pretty large area to cover.  I am looking forward to getting it up since I like sitting outside, but do not like sitting in the sun.  We had our air conditioner relocated today (would have to ask the previous owners why it was installed on the back patio) and now it is where it should be on the side of the house.  No loud and blowy AC while we're outside!  So I am very excited to get home and see what that open space looks like now.  I've got lots of ideas what we can do with it!


I hope you have fun plans for the evening as well.  As always, I'm so glad you stopped by.



Recipe:
Stamps: If Your Dog - Inkadinkado; Ruff Day - Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate, Kraft, SS White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; Rich Cocoa Memento Ink - Tsukineko
Other: Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder - Provo Craft; Copic markers; Pinking Circle and Plain Circle Nestabilities - Spellbinders; Pinking Blade for paper trimmer - Fiskars; Bone paperclip; Linen thread, Crystal Effects - Stampin' Up!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Cheer Up, Buttercup! - CPS 113

My new favorite thing is sketch challenges!  I checked out the CPS Sketch for this week and saw this card right away.  That little zig-zaggy design just said tumbling umbrellas to me! :) I couldn't wait to share this card with you!


This is another long card (4" by 8") mostly to accommodate those umbrellas!  The card base is PTI's Aqua Mist, followed by another strip of Aqua Mist with embossed raindrops.  I used the clear Filigree Detail Embossing Powder that PTI carries to emboss those cute little raindrops. 

The umbrellas are stamped in Summer Sunrise and cut out.  The handles are Dark Chocolate.  The sentiment was also stamped in Dark Chocolate.  I rounded the corners and added some buttercup rhinestones.  I am really pleased with this one!  Seems I have good luck with Scattered Showers, as I've loved using it (and loved the results!). 


Hope you all have a great evening!  I might need one of those umbrellas around here when I head out of work, as they are calling for thunderstorms.  Maybe things will cool down a little!

Thanks for stopping by - I appreciate it!



Recipe:
Stamps: Scattered Showers - PTI
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, SS White - PTI
Ink: Summer Sunrise, Dark Chocolate - PTI; Versamark Dazzle - Tsukineko
Other: Filigree detail embossing powder (clear); Adhesive rhinestones

Monday, April 27, 2009

Monday Mini

Happy Monday everyone! I had a great time Blog Hopping with Papertrey Saturday night (and a bit on Sunday morning :) I hope you had a chance to take part.

Today I have another installment of Monday Mini. I love making mini cards, so I thought I'd make a habit of it! Today's card uses Damask Designs again.


The flower/flourish/spidery looking thing (my husband's term) is a combination of images from First Fruits. I stamped them with Palette Charcoal and SU!'s Going Gray, cut them out and layered them. The strip of Soft Stone was embossed using the Cuttlebug Herringbone embossing folder. The pearl embellishment is a brad from K & Co. (I think). I cut the pokey parts off and used a glue dot to attach :) It is a little hard to see, but I stamped one of the circles from Simply Stationary behind the flourish. It shows up better on a different angle.

The finished card size is 3-1/4" square - mini! I hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by, I was really motivated to create this weekend, so I have lots more to share in the coming days.


Have a great one!



Recipe:
Stamps:
Damask Designs, First Fruits, Simply Stationary - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Lemon Tart, Soft Stone, Smokey Shadow - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Lemon Tart - Papertrey Ink; Charcoal - Palette Ink; Going Gray - Stampin' Up!
Other: Cuttlebug Herringbone embossing folder - Provo Craft; Pearl brad - K&Co.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Papertrey April Blog Hop

Happy Blog Hop!  I am excited about this month's project - I love Lauren's My Timeless Templates!


I used a new template from the April release, From the Desk Of.. and put a bit of a gift-giving spin on it.



Who doesn't love movie night?!  This is movie night in a box - complete with popcorn, some movie theatre candy, and a new release!  The template was a perfect fit to display the goodies for the lucky recipient (my hubby!).


I printed the template onto Soft Stone and the decorative mat onto Ocean Tides.  The row of stars is from Limitless Labels and is stamped onto the Soft Stone template using Ocean Tides ink.  The Ocean Tides mat is stamped with the stars from Everyday Classics using Fresh Snow ink (the smallest, solid stars are from Limitless Lables).  I used the Fresh Alphabet to create the box label.  The 'Treats' and 'Sweets' words are from the Spooky Sweets set. 

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy hopping!



Recipe:
Stamps: Everyday Classics, Spooky Sweets, Limitless Lables - PTI
Cardstock: Soft Stone, Ocean Tides - PTI
Ink: Fresh Snow, Ocean Tides - PTI
Other: From the Desk Of.. template - PTI, Adhesive rhinestones - Michaels, Apron Lace border punch - Fiskars

Friday, April 24, 2009

Friendship..

Ahhh.. today was lovely. It was warm and sunny and wonderful. I almost didn't blog today, but I had something that I wanted to share. I started this card last night, tweaked it a little this afternoon and photographed it in the sunny evening.


I felt like coloring last night, so I pulled out a retired Stampin' Up! set called See With the Heart.  It has these great vintage images and I went to town with my Copics.  I matted the image onto Sweet Blush and Vintage Cream, both cut out with the Labels Two Nestabilities.  The card base is True Thyme and the patterned paper is also from Stampin' Up! both of which have been retired for a few years. 

The buttons are from my stash - isn't that iridescent flowered one great?  I think it came from some old buttons my mom gave me.. I wonder if she remembers what it was from.  I love it when things have a little history behind them :)

Kind of a shabby feel to it.. a little different for me.  While I love the style, I'm not quite sure I can pull it off... do you have any thoughts? 


As always, thank you for stopping by.  I hope your evening is wonderful!


Recipe:
Stamps: See With the Heart - Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: True Thyme - Stampin' Up!; Sweet Blush, Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: Stampin' Up! (sorry, I don't remember what it is!)
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa - Tsukineko; Antique Linen - Ranger Industries
Other: Copic markers; Buttons and Ribbon (both oldies from my stash); Labels Two Nestabilities

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Bitty Baby Blessings

Hi peeps!  How are you today?  I am ready for some hockey tonight!  Do you have any big plans?

My dear friend welcomed a little baby boy into the world last week, and I wanted to send some congratulations. I love to paper piece the little elephant from Bitty Baby Blessings!


The cardstock base is Brocade Blue, stamped with Polka Dot Basics.  The elephant was stamped and cut out of Barely Blue cardstock and was also stamped with Polka Dot Basics.  Next I stamped just the elephant's ear and stamped it with one of the images from Everyday Basics to get the reverse polka dot effect (cool, huh?).


The rest of the details are below.. I pulled the sketch from an old issue of Paper Crafts Magazine.  Recently, card sketches have been my thing - sometimes it is color challenges, sometimes it is wanting to use a certain image, but recently it has been sketches.  There are so many resources for great sketches out there, its easy to find something inspiring. 


Thanks for stopping by, have a great night!



Recipe:
Stamps: Bitty Baby Blessings, Polka Dot Basics, Mixed Messages, Everyday Basics - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Brocade Blue, Barely Blue, Night of Navy - Stampin' Up!; SS White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Brocade Blue, Barely Blue, Night of Navy - Stampin' Up!
Other: Buttons, string
Wow! Debbie over at Passion For Crafts is giving away some blog candy for her Blogoversary. So is Bev at All the things I love. Go there now - this is some blog candy!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Scattered Showers

Today's card and today's weather!  Every time I look outside, it is doing something different.. blue sky, rain, hail - who knows what is going on?!

My new PTI goodies arrived the other day and I had an idea that I needed to put on paper (so to speak)! 


Its a card and bookmark combo!  This card has inspiration from a few places:  the sketch is this week's card sketch from Card Positioning Systems, the bookmark idea was inspired from Laurie's card here, and the paper pierced clouds, which I *adore* were straight from Lauren's blog.  All these things were floating around in my head and the lightbulb went off. 

Here's another picture with the bookmark removed.


The card base is a 3-1/2" by 7" piece of New Leaf cardstock.  The bookmark was cut using the long classic and scalloped rectangle Nestabilities.  The Pure Poppy Bitty Dot Basics paper on the card front is popped up so that the bookmark slides behind it.  The upper umbrella is cut and popped up so that it holds the bookmark in place - nifty!  I added an oh-so-trendy button topped ribbon to the bookmark to finish it off.  I tapped a Versamark Dazzle stamp pad onto the umbrellas to add some sparkle.  Here's a closeup.. sparkle is always so hard to photograph!

Thanks for stopping by - I really appreciate it!  Wishing you sunshine!
Recipe:
Stamps: Scattered Showers - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: New Leaf, Spring Rain, SS White, Pure Poppy Bitty Dot Basics patterned paper - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Pure Poppy, True Black - Papertrey Ink; Versamark Dazzle - Tsukineko
Other: Long Classic and Scalloped Rectangle Nestabilities - Spellbinders; New Leaf satin ribbon, New Leaf button - Papertrey Ink; Black Hemp twine - Stampin' Up!; paper piercing tool

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Lifetime of Love

I realized that a few occasions were sneaking up on me, so I made sure I had some time in my stamp room last night.  It was just me and the doggies and I was productive - which felt great!

My lovely sister-in-law (who just found out she's expecting a little boy!) and brother-in-law are celebrating their anniversary later this week.  I looked through some of my PTI sets and decided to use Quilter's Sampler - the sentiment about marriage stuck out for me and I thought it would be equally appropriate for an anniversary as well as a wedding.  So I pulled out my favorite vintagey colors right now: pink, brown, and kraft and this just came together!


I LOVE this card!  It is another unusual size, 3-3/4" by 5-1/2".  I was going for the tall, skinny look :) 

I stamped the quilt squares, punched them out and inked the edges with Frayed Burlap distress ink.  Then I mounted them onto a piece of Vintage Cream... try as I might, I just can't get the darn things straight!  I used my quilter's tracing wheel to faux stitch in between the blocks and then mounted it on a piece of Sweet Blush that had been punched with Fiskars' Threading Water punch.  The sentiment extends beyond the edges of the card - I love this!  I am always so excited to be excited about something I've made!  Sometimes the idea in my head doesn't quite turn out like I think it should, know what I mean?


The Pens play tonight, so I'm looking forward to another win against Philly!  I hope you can stop back tomorrow, I have another new card to share. 

Take care!

Recipe:
Stamps: Quilter's Sampler - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate, Kraft, Sweet Blush, Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap distress ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Threading Water edge punch - Fiskars; Linen thread - Stampin' Up!; 3/4" square punch - EK Success; Paper piercing tool; Quilter's tracing wheel; Buttons

Monday, April 20, 2009

Monday Mini

Hi everyone!  I hope you had a great weekend - we were busy, busy.  Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day and we spent it celebrating birthdays with family.  Sunday was helping some friends move and the Pens game, so our schedule was booked!

I have a cute little card to share with you today using Damask Designs.  I love square cards, and I love 'em even more when they're tiny!  This is a little 3" square card. 


The image from Damask Designs was stamped in Dark Chocolate onto Vintage Cream and cut out.  I inked the edges with Antique Linen distress ink and adhered it to a Vintage Cream circle that had been cut with my Nestabilities.  These both are layered on a Dark Chocolate circle that was cut out using the Pinking circle Nestabilities.  The card base and satin ribbon is Spring Rain.  I added some silver embellishments to my design - I love these in silver, because I can custom-color them with my Copics.  I do this often with clear rhinestones as well - its a great way to add some coordination. 

Hope you have a wonderful evening!  My hubby is headed out with some friends, so I've got my sights set on my stamp room.  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe:
Stamps: Damask Designs - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Spring Rain, Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; Antique Linen - Ranger Industries
Other: Spring Rain satin ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Plain and Pinking circle Nestability dies - Spellbinders; silver elastic cord - Stampin' Up!; silver adhesive embellishments - Michaels

Friday, April 17, 2009

Friday fun!

I have one thing to say: my new office has a ton of windows! And... they're open!  It doesn't get much better than this.  The temperatures are headed towards 70 today, and it is so nice to have a fresh breeze blowing while I'm at work.  It has been pure bliss since I moved.

Today I have another GSS submission to share with you.  I really have so much fun playing with Guide Lines (I can't wait for the new pre-printed paper!).  Here's a fun, springy color combination that I put together for the contest.

I thought it would be fun to layer each GL image onto another.  You may need to click and enlarge to see that one.  I used Sweet Blush and Hibiscus Burst ink together and then Spring Moss and Ripe Avocado.  Have I said how much I love that the images from GL and GL Two coordinate? :) All edges were inked with a little Antique Linen distress ink.  The big funky pearlescent button is from my stash - probably from an Autumn Leaves Foof-a-la collection.  I would love to hear what you think!

I also thought I'd share this with you.. I was looking through some old photos and came across this one.  Goodness, it is enough to melt my heart... 


It has been a long time since she was this tiny, but she still has us wrapped around her little finger.. err paws ;) 

I hope you have a wonderful Friday and relaxing weekend.  We've got big family birthday plans tomorrow and I am looking forward to sitting and soaking up some sun while the guys play horseshoes. 

Thank you for taking the time to stop by - you know I appreciate it!
Have a great day!

 
Recipe:
Stamps: Guide Lines, Guide Lines Two, Background Basics: Retro, Friends 'Til the End, Borders and Corners Oval - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Hibiscus Burst, Sweet Blush, SS White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Sweet Blush, Hibiscus Burst, Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; Antique Linen - Ranger Industries
Other: Button - Autumn Leaves; Linen Thread - Stampin' Up!; Sakura jelly roll pen

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

April GSS Submission

Happy tax day! I hope you finished getting your taxes in on time.  Luckily, we have an accountant (because of the store), so taxes are relatively painless.  We also received our tax return check - it is paying for our diving trip to Cozumel!  So that is exciting.

Since we're past release day, I thought I would share my Papertrey Guest Star Stamper submissions for April.  This card is one of my favorites lately - I really like the color combination.  Tomorrow is my father-in-law's birthday, so this one is headed to him. 
I started by creating my background, stamped with Chocolate Chip onto Kraft using Guide Lines and Guide Lines Two.  I love how well the images from the two sets work together!  I really enjoy making my own background paper.

I used a 1/16" circle punch to punch out the centers of each of the designs.  I then layered this piece onto Pure Poppy so that the red would show through in those areas.  The happy birthday was stamped randomly in Sahara Sand and once in Chocolate Chip.  The red buttons were threaded through the linen thread and wrapped around the card.  Everything is matted onto Dark Chocolate cardstock. 

I don't know what it is, but I love this card!  So did you order anything last night during Papertrey's release?  I picked up Dawn McVey's new Scattered Showers..so cute!  I love the cards I've seen with the umbrella upside down and full of fun stuff.  Can't wait to play. 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a great night.  The Pens start the playoffs tonight, so my hubs and I will be ordering a pizza and watching the game!  Can't wait!



Recipe:
Stamps: Guide Lines, Guide Lines Two, Birthday Basics - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate, Kraft, Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip - Stampin' Up!
Other: Linen thread - SU!; Buttons - Autumn Leaves; 1/16" hole punch

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

A Star is Born!

Hi everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend, whatever you may celebrate.  I made it a long weekend and enjoyed an extra day at home with my hubby.

I have some new things I made that I can't quite share yet, but I do have a card in my stash that I haven't posted here yet.

This uses PTI's 2nd Anniversary set, Everyday Classics, but I have made other versions with other stamp sets - just use your favorite stars!

All the card details are below in the recipe.  I really like making these collage-y type cards.. its fun to stamp and cut and layer! I have two friends that are expecting (one is any day now) so it will have a good home soon!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a wonderful day!


Recipe:
Stamps: Everyday Classics, Background Basics: Stars, Text Boxed, Favor It Baby - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise, SS White - PTI
Ink: Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise, Ocean Tides, Ripe Avocado, True Black - PTI
Tools: Quilter's tracing wheel (for faux stitching)

Thursday, April 9, 2009

You're a Fabulous Friend!

Ahh.. the sun is shining, the sky is blue.. its a happy day!

Today is another quick card using another new PTI set, Wishing You.  It is beyond cute.


I love square cards!  This card is 4.5 inches square.  The card base is Sweet Blush.  The tulips are from Wishing You, and the watering can is from Green Thumb.  I thought they were pretty cute together.  I think I'll send this off to one of my far-away college friends... I think of them often.  The recipe is below!

Thanks for stopping by - have a great Thursday night!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Sweet Blush, Lemon Tart, New Leaf, SS White - PTI
Ink: Sweet Blush, Lemon Tart, New Leaf, True Black - PTI; Bashful Blue - SU!
Tools: EK Success Wavy border punch, Stickles

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Life is Good

I woke up this morning to almost an inch of snow on the ground! I am sure I am not the only one, but what a bummer!  Things look to be improving outside, though, so hopefully that little hiccup didn't hinder any of my flowers from making their appearances.

Today's card uses a new PTI set from Lisa Johnson called Life.  I love this set.  I love the silhouette images and sentiments.


The same floral image was stamped in Sweet Blush, Spring Moss, and Lavender Moon ink onto a piece of Vintage Cream cardstock.  I layered and inked and stamped off to get the look that I wanted.  I distressed the edges and added a piece of Spring Moss twill tied with a piece of linen thread.  I then matted that piece onto a piece of Ripe Avocado cardstock.  I stamped another of the images from the set twice in Spring Moss, cut them out, and inked the edges in Ripe Avocado.  I added these in front of and behind my ribbon for a little interest.  I pulled out my (rarely used - but fun!) color spritzer and added some Close to Cocoa spritzes to my Melon Berry card base.  The sentiment was stamped in Dark Chocolate. 

That's it! This is one of my favorites over the past few days, and I am excited to use this stamp set again. 

In other news, I relocated work offices today to one that is closer to home and much more conducive to my personality.  Life is good!


Thanks for stopping by!


Recipe:
Stamps: Life - PTI
Cardstock: Melon Berry, Ripe Avocado, Vintage Cream - PTI
Ink: Sweet Blush, Spring Moss, Lavender Moon, Dark Chocolate - PTI
Other: Linen thread, Color Spritzer, Close to Cocoa Stampin' Write marker - SU!; Spring Moss twill - PTI

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #3

Good morning everyone!  I am really loving the Raspberry Suite Color Challenges, and this one is no exception. That Dawn has a great eye for color!


I pulled out the oh-so-versatile Damask Designs stamp set for today's card.  Have I ever said how much I love Fleur-de-lis?  It is one of my favorite designs.  I used the small (I like to think of it as a fleur-de-lis) pattern from Damask Designs to create my background.


I stamped the pattern on Vintage Cream, Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet, and Pure Poppy cardstock.  I distressed each piece a little and added to the Kraft base.  The edges were inked with a little Vintage Cream ink.  The sentiment (also from DD) was stamped on Vintage Cream and the end was punched using the EK Success dotted scallop edge punch.  I added a punched out fleur-de-lis and some bling!  If you have some time, take a few minutes and check out some of the other entires for the Color Challenge - they are great!

Thanks for stopping by!


Recipe:
Stamps: Damask Designs - PTI
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet, Pure Poppy, Kraft - PTI
Ink: Vintage Cream, Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet, Pure Poppy - PTI
Other: Dotted Scallop edge punch - EK Success, Fleur-de-lis punch - Punch Bunch, Adhesive rhinestone - Darice (Michaels)

Friday, April 3, 2009

Finally Friday!

I think I always give a sigh of relief on Fridays.  I love the weekend!  It has been a very rainy day today, but it looks like our weather here in the 'Burgh is supposed to clear up in time for the weekend.  I hope you have great weather, too!

Today I have a card to share with you that is a little out of my comfort zone.  I sort of shy away from cute-sy images, and have a tendency to gravitate towards flowers or silhouette images.  But when I saw this set from Stampin' Up! called Under the Stars I snatched it up! I love the little raccoon! I have a growing number of nieces and nephews, so I can always use cards for little ones.
So fun! The background for the bear and coon was created using a combination of Distress Inks from Ranger. I use the foam Ink Blending tool and work the ink in a circular motion - its very forgiving! I usally do the lightest color first (in this case Peeled Paint) and then the darkest (Weathered Wood) and the add the middle color (Pine Needles) last to blend it all together.

The animals were stamped twice on white cardstock with Memento ink in Tuxedo Black and then colored with Copics. I am still new to using these, so its lots of practice for me. I tried to give the bear the look of being furry by adding a few different shades of brown in what I hoped would look like a hairy pattern! If you're interested in trying Copics out or learning more about them (like me!) then you should check out Marianne Walker's, Debbie Olson's, and Michelle Wooderson's blogs. These ladies are such wonderful resources.

The details for the rest of the card are below in my recipe. I love the raccoon holding the can of beans! :) Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!


Recipe:
Stamps: Under the Stars - SU!
Cardstock: Kraft, Basic Black, Always Artichoke, Whisper White - SU!
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko, Sahara Sand, Always Artichoke - SU!, Peeled Paint, Pine Needles, Weathered Wood - Ranger Industries
Other: Copic markers, paper piercer, Kraft Corduroy button - SU!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Twinkle, Twinkle

Yesterday, I took it easy and finally caught up on some much needed sleep.  I do feel better today, but am really looking forward to a relaxing weekend.  I have a project to share with you that I made for Becca's baby shower.  The other two girls and I went in together on a giant basket of goodies (many things we had personalized for Becca - I love stamping on onesies!).  I made this simple baby frame, which was easy, quick and cute!

The patterned paper is from Making Memories and was in a kit called Animal Crackers Jack.  The felt stars that I used on the frame are also from the same kit.  I stamped 'twinkle, twinkle' on Stamper's Select white using PTI True Black Ink.  I have 4 or 5 different black inks, so I really didn't think I 'needed' this new ink from PTI.  But, oh I was wrong.  It really is as good as they say it is - the coverage is excellent, and the images are crisp and clean.  Try it!  The stamped layer is matted on a piece of Ripe Avocado.  The stars are a combination of chipboard and felt and I used a mix of buttons to finish it off.  The frame is from Ikea and is great for a project like this, because it is deep, like a shadowbox. 

Hope you like it!  Thanks for stopping by!

Recipe:
Stamps: Chelsea Alphabet - Inkadinkado
Cardstock: SS White, Ripe Avocado - PTI
Patterned Paper: Animal Crackers Jack - Making Memories
Ink: True Black - PTI
Other: Chipboard stars - Stampin' Up!, Frame - Ribba from Ikea, buttons, string