Polka Dot Thank You

This card is based on the current sketch at Unscripted Sketches. I haven't done a card for a  Unscripted Sketches challenge for a while and thought it was time to try one again. For this card I started with a Kraft cardbase and used a bit of Darice decorative tape and MME Antique Dots paper. I followed the sketch quite closely.  The only addition was the sentiment tag that I punched with a Stampin' Up punch and inked with Page Craft ink.

Let Well Enough Alone

I woke up with this card swimming around in my head. I started by adhering twine in the sunburst pattern on the front of a square piece of white cardstock. Then I punched the tags in the center from two different shades of cardstock and added the punched circles and the button. After it was all adhered, I decided it would have been better to leave off the circles....but it's too late now!

Supplies:
Cardbase: DCWV
Twine: The Twinery, Carribean
Tag Punch: Stampin' Up
Circle Punch: EK Success
Button: ?
Adhesive: Scotch Advanced Tape Glider, Scotch Quick Dry

Dotted Love

This polka dot card is for the Pick Two challenge at 365 Cards. The challenge was to create a card using  two of the following choices:

1) Pattern choices: Paisley, Polka Dot, Houndstooth, or Toile

2) Themes: Love, New Year's, or Winter

My card has both polka dots and a love theme.  I began by cutting the card shape. I traced around a shaped card that I received last year then added the Core'dinations polka dotted cardstock (sanded the dots) and Offray green polka dotted ribbon. I used an EK Success punch to create the heart and wrapped it in the green ribbon.  I hand cut and adhered the sentiment.

Happy Birthday, candle challenge

It's day 300 of the card challenges at 365 Cards. Today's challenge is to create a card with a candle and flame.  I used a candle stamp, markers, colored pencils and Washi tape to create this birthday card. To create the shape, I traced around a Christmas card that I had received last year.

Supplies:
Card base: Paper Studios
Washi tape: Darice
Stamp: Stampin' Up
Markers: Bic MarkIts, Zig
Ink: Memento

Starry Tree

The cue card challenge at CASology is STAR. So I used up a bunch of my star shaped buttons and created a this card with a starry tree.  After adhering the buttons, I added a bit of glitter to the top of each button to give the card a bit of sparkle and dimension.

Supplies:
Card base: Fox River Paper Co.
Cardstock: Fox Fiver Paper Co. (red), Paper Studios (cream), Core'dinations (brown)
Colored Pencil: Crayola
Trim: ?
Buttons: Favorite Findings
Adhesive: Scotch Advanced Tape Glider, Scotch Quick Dry
Glitter: Premier Diamond Gold

2012 Family Ornament

Each year I send handmade ornaments to family members. This year's ornament is this Double Ball Ornament. I found a tutorial for this ornament at Split Coast Stampers. This ornament is made from cardstock from the I Believe MME collection. It's quick and simple to put together, unless you aren't making 55 of them like I did!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

O Christmas Tree(s)

This card came together very quickly. I began by printing the words to "O Christmas Tree" on white  and yellow cardstock. Then I hand cut trees from the printed cardstock, added ink and adhered the trees to the front of a cardbase. I wrapped twine beneath the trees and tied it into a bow and finished the card by tearing the upper edge of the card base at a diagonal.

Supplies:
Cardbase: Paper Studios
Cardstock: Recollections, Coredinations
Twine: The Twinery
Ink: Anna Griffin
Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares, Scotch Advanced Tape Glider
Marker: Bic Mark It

All in a Row

This is the second card for the challenge at CAS-ual Fridays and the 10 Minute Craft Dash at Pretty Pink Posh. They teamed up for an exciting challenge.  The challenge is to create a card/craft in under 10 minutes with a holiday/dashing through the holidays theme.  This card was completed in 8:13.  I started by using a scoring board to create the embossed lines then added brads in a diagonal row.  I finished by adding the ribbon and bow.

SUPPLIES:

Cardbase: Paper Studios

Scoring Board: Martha Stewart

Ribbon: Offray

Brads: ??

Ho Ho Ho

I created this card for a 10 Minute Card Dash at 10 Minute Craft Dash @ Pretty Pink Posh and Cas-ual Fridays who have teamed up to offer a fabulous challenge.  The goal is to create a CAS holiday themed card in under 10 minutes. I was able to create my card in 9:26!

I started by using a scoring board to create the diagonal embossed lines on the cardbase. Then I hand cut the letters for Ho Ho Ho and adhered them to the card. I drew some snowflakes on each letter with a gel pen, then tied a ribbon and a bow around the top. Next I punched six snowflakes and adhered them to the dangling piece of ribbon (sandwiching the ribbon between two snowflakes).  

SUPPLIES:
Cardbase: Paper Studios
Score Board: Martha Stewart
Ribbon: Offay
Cardstock: Fox Paper Co.
Adhesive: Elmer's Glue Spots, Scotch Quick Dry
Gel Pen: Sakura
Punch: Emagination

Personified Snowflake

This is my second card for the snowflake challenge over at The Paper Players. This personified snowflake card is for a young friend of mine.  I began my adding a face to the snowflake and then added hand made hat and mittens. I adhered  two other snowflakes behind the first one to add dimension and then adhered the snowflake to a piece of vellum. I trimmed the vellum with white cardstock , attached it to the card base and added embroidery thread.

Supplies:
Cardbase: Fox River Paper Co.
Vellum: ?
Snowflake punch: EK Success
Embroidery thread: DMC
Polyfil for mitten and hat trim
Gel Pen: Sakura
White cardstock: recollections
Marker: Zig Memory System
Adhesive: Scotch Quick Dry, Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares

More Layered Snowflakes

I made  this simple snowflake card for the "Snowflake" challenge over at The Paper Players.  I used a cardbase that already had a circle cut out and just added the blue cardstock behind the front panel. I added a layered snowflake and a strip of blue with snowflakes punch in it.  I used the blue snowflakes to decorate the inside of the card.

Supplies:
Cardbase: Mrs. Grossman
Snowflake punches: EK Success
Blue Cardstock: DCWV
Adhesives:  Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares, Scotch Quick Dry, Scotch Advanced Tape Glider

Tree Ornament Card

I put this card together for the "tree" challenge over at Allsorts Challenge. I had the red ring in my scrap stash and decided to use it as the base for an ornament shaped card. I adhered the red ring to a white cardbase, cut the card base into the shape of an ornament, added gems and the hand cut decorated tree.  The lights on the tree were punched from metallic paper. I used the flame only of a birthday candle punch to create the lights.

Supplies:
Cardbase: Paper Studios
Cardstock: Fox River
Patterned Paper: DCWV
Gems: Studio G
Trim: ?
Metallic paper: Hygloss
Candle punch: EK Success
Adhesive: Scotch Quick Dry, Scotch Advanced Tape Glider

Layered Snowflakes

Although I've already mailed all my Christmas cards, I'm still eagerly creating more. These two cards were both made with snowflakes and were pretty simple. I used a die cut for the largest snowflake and punches for the smaller snowflakes. On the first card, I added dimensional adhesive between two large snowflakes and then layered the smaller snowflakes on it.  On the second card I added dimensional adhesive behind the smaller snowflake.   Both cards came together quickly and I deliberately left off the sentiment so that the cards would remain clean.

SUPPLIES:

Cardbase: Paper Studios
Cardstock: Recollections, Water color paper
Patterned cardstock: MME
Washi Tape: Red
Ribbon: Offray
Snowflake die cut: Fiskars Fuse
Snowflake punches: Emagination, EK Success, Tonic Studios
Adhesives: Elmer's Glue Spots, Scotch Advanced Tape Glider

Thanks for stopping by!

Enjoy the Next Chapter of Your Life

I created this table top centerpiece for a retiring librarian. Since she is a librarian, I created a  mini book for the focal point and framed it. The book shape is a die cut. On the left hand center page I printed the definition of retirement and on the adjacent page, I wrote a sentiment. To personalize the book, I asked library staff members to each write a message to the librarian on a page of the book. The hardest part of the whole project was getting everyone to write something in a timely fashion. Once I collected all the pages from the staff members, I sewed the pages of the book together with fish line and  adhered them to a cover created from heavy cardstock and velvet paper. I mounted the book on  crimped cardstock and framed the book with scalloped edged cardstock. (I printed "Enjoy the Next Chapter of Your Life" before cutting the frame pieces.) The base of the center piece is made from foam core. Once I determined the dimensions, I scored it in the center on one side to allow it to fold to make an easel.  To stabilize it and keep it standing,  I attached a piece of ribbon between the two panels (on the inside so it isn't seen by the recipient).

Supplies:
Base: foam core
White cardstock:  Recollections
MS Word
Paper Crimper: Marvy Uchida
Velvet paper ?
Die Cut: Ellison
Adhesive: Scotch Advanced Tape Glider, Elmer's Glue Spots
Scallop punch: Stampin' Up

Multi-tasking

Are you a multi-tasker? I certainly am. I love to multi-task.  Normally, I listen to audio books while working on cards or scrapbook pages. Yesterday I made this simple card while I was chatting  on the telephone with a sister.  I had the leaves on the top of my work table and was playing around with them as I talked. The next thing I knew, I was creating a card. I adhered the punched leaves to a mat, added a button in the center and inked around the outer edges of the mat. I attached the mat to the cardbase with dimensional adhesive and it was done. The card was finished loooooong before the telephone chat!

Supplies:
Cardbase: Paper Studios
Cardstock:
Punch: Punch Bunch? (There is no name on it)
Button
Ink: Anna Griffin
Adhesives: Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares, Elmer's Glue Spots, Scotch Quick Dry

Thanks for coming by today! 

I really appreciate each of your visits.

Memory Fails Me

As with the previous post, I created this card for a Washi Tape challenge and have forgotten who was offering the challenge. Since my memory fails me and it would take an incredible amount of time to search through my blog reading list, I'm just posting it here.

Supplies:
Cardbase: Paper Studios
Patterned paper: pieces from my scrap stash
Punch: McGill
Decorative tape: My Mind's Eye: Indie Chic
Adhesive: Scotch Quick Dry

THANKS SO MUCH FOR STOPPING BY!

Let it Snow!

This card was inspired by a challenge to use Washi Tape. When I first saw the challenge, off I ran to be creative. The card came together very quickly, but I had to put it aside before  posting it because something more pressing came up. This morning I discovered it still sitting on my craft table and photographed it, only to realize I had forgotten which blog was offering the challenge. So, to save a lot of time trying to look through my very long blog reading list, I'm just posting it.

Supplies:
Cardbase: Paper Studios
Cardstock: piece of scrap white cardstock
Snowflake punch: Tonic Studio
Decorative tape: My Mind's Eye, Indie Chic
Adhesives: Scotch Quick Dry, Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Tape

Cheerful Happy Birthday

This card is based on a sketch created by Becky Fleck over at Page Maps. My take involves a bit of dark red cardstock and some wonderful decorative tape. I used the red decorative tape around the outer edges of the card and yellow decorative tape for the horizontal strips and flowers.  The card came together pretty quickly.I followed this fabulous sketch quite closely with the exception of adding the white detail to the maroon cardstock banner. I tried it as a solid color and it just didn't work so I added the detail.

Supplies:
Cardbase: Paper Studios
Decorative Tape: Indie Chic
Punch: McGill, EK Success
Gel Pen: Sakura
Adhesive: Scotch Advanced Tape Glider
Wire
Lined Patterned Paper: DCWV

Festive Snowmen

The color challenge at Simply Less is More is RED & GREEN. I started with the snowman, added the festive green and red scarves and detail with a white gel pen.I adhered them to a frame with an oval center and added white punched snowflakes here and there.  

Supplies:
Cardbase/cardstock: Paper Studios (brown, green and red cardstock are pieces from my scrap stash)
Punches: Martha Stewart, snowman, Emagination and Tonic Studios, snowflakes
Marker: Bic Mark It
Colored pencils: Crayola
Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Tape, Scotch Advanced Tape Glide, Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive

Jingle Bells

It's time for the December sketch over at Kathy's Waffle Sketch File. I hope you'll take a moment to hop on over and see what the the other design team members have created. 

Have you stopped by her blog yet?  If not, I encourage you to do so. A new sketch goes up on the first Tuesday of the month and  new projects are added as the month progresses.The challenges are "anything goes" so the possibilities are endless.

About the card:
I loved Kathy's sketch and knew right away that I wanted to make jingle bells.  I started by punching circles from metallic paper. I used two different sized circle punches. Then I used a 1/8" circle punch to punch two adjacent holes in each circle. Using scissors, I cut at an angle to the small holes to create the bell shapes.  I added metallic bows and adhered the string and bells to "music" background paper that I created from a word document.  I used a dark blue mat and a white cardbase.

Supplies:
Cardbase: Paper Studios
Cardstock: Paper Studios, Fox Paper Co
MS Word
Metallic Paper: Hygloss Embossed
Adhesive: Scotch Advanced Tape Glider, Elmers Glue Spots
Trim: metallic

Ringing Bells

I think I like making Christmas cards best of all. There are so many wonderful images to use. For this card, I couldn't resist using metallic paper to make a few bells. I hand cut the bells, added a silver circle at the base of each and a little silver trim and they were finished. I layered them on a mat with a scalloped edge and backed this with metallic paper.

Supplies:
Cardbase: Paper Studios
Trim:
Metallic paper: Hygloss
Punches: Stampin' Up Scallop Edge, 1/8" circle (?)

You Make My Heart SING

Now that my son is a teenager, I decided to update some of the photos hanging in frames throughout the house. The photos in this layout are a few of the ones I removed and are some of my favorite photos of him.  Although  I am normally more of a chronological scrapbooker,  I decided to combine these three photos from different years into one layout.  I tried to keep the layout simple and used some of my favorite patterned papers from DCWV: Heirloom Collection.

Warm Wishes

A warm cup of rich hot chocolate is a favorite treat around here, especially after coming in from a day of skiing, hiking or playing in the snow.  We had a light snow this morning, so I was inspired to create this card. I used my Fiskar's Scrap Boss and embossed the cup image then fussy cut around it. I colored it with markers and colored pencils, added the snowflakes and used poly fil to create the steam. To make the candy cane, I cut a piece of white cardstock into a strip and added detail with a red marker and colored pencils. I slipped it into the cocoa by cutting a small slit with an Xacto.   The sentiment was printed with MS Word before attaching the brackets.  I added white cardstock to the red brackets to repeat the candy cane pattern.  I also used the red and white twine for the same reason.

Supplies:

Cup: Fiskars Scrapboss

Cardstock: Fox River Papr Co.

Cardbase: Paper Studio

Bracket punch: McGill

Snowflake Punch:Tonic Stuidos
Candy cane: handmade
Twine: The Twinery Maraschino

Markers: Impress Dual Marker Teal

Sunset

This is my latest post for Kathy's Waffle Sketch File. I'm a new member of the design team there. Have you stopped by yet?  If not, I encourage you to do so. A new sketch goes up on the first Tuesday of the month and  new projects are added as the month progresses.The challenges are "anything goes" so the possibilities are endless. My layout is based on the November sketch.

About the Layout:
Sunsets are pretty amazing at my house but I don't always get a photo. Fortunately, I was able to snap a few photos of this one.  This was a fun layout to create. I started by cutting my photo into fourths and mounting it on black cardstock. Then I layered it on the bottom of a piece of light green cardstock.  (The green cardstock looks white in my photo. I just couldn't get a decent photo of it.)  I mounted the second photo of black cardstock and adhered it to the top of the green panel. For the background,  I chalked in some clouds on a piece of black cardstock. Next I cut the orange strip with decorative scissors, added a ribbon and strip of black cardstock and adhered the green panel and this strip to the background.  I adhered tiny circles around the edges of the green cardstock as well. For the title, I hand cut the letters and adhered them above the top photo. I added vertical strips of the orange patterned paper and a few brads to the lower right hand portion of the green cardstock and finished by adding a journaling tag and ribbon.

Supplies: Cardstock: Paper Recollections, Patterned paper...sorry don't know the source, Ribbon: Offray, Die cut tag: Fiskars Fuse, Brads: Making Memories, Chalk: Craft T Products, Adhesive: Scotch Advanced Tape Glider

Stockings Were Hung

Do you hang stockings? It is a Christmas tradition at my house. My son loves to open the small gifts in the stocking after we've finished opening everything else. Our stockings look nothing the ones on this card, but I couldn't resist using up some of my scrap pieces of patterned paper. I started by hand cutting the stockings and then used poly fill to top them off.  I added faux stitching and detail with colored pencils. Before adhering them to the card, I  printed the sentiment with a MS Word document and added a strip of green cardstock on each side of the sentiment.  This was a pretty fast and simple card to create.

Supplies:
Cardbase: Paper Studio
Polyfil
Patterned paper: Oriental Trading
MS Word
Colored Pencils: Crayola
Green Cardstock: from my scrap stash
Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives Crafty Foam Tape

Quilted Thank You

I recently purchased a hexagon punch. I love this new punch! It helped pull this card together very quickly.  After punching a series of hexagons and adhering them to a piece of black cardstock, I trimmed the black cardstock down to fit onto a cardbase and added the faux stitching with a gel pen. I also wrote the sentiment with the same gel pen.

Supplies:
Cardbase: Paper Studios
Cardstock: Paper Studios
Patterned Paper: Fancy Pants Be You
Solid paper: scrap pieces from my stash
Pearls: E Line Pearl Crystals
Gel Pen: Sakura
Punch: Emagination

You're the Best!

A sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping was the inspiration for this card. I ended up rotating the sketch and used a soft color palette.

Supplies:
Cardbase: Paper Studios
Patterned Paper: Fancy Pants, Be You
Punches: EK Success: circles, Marvy Uchida: Flower
Pearls: E Line Pearl Crystals
Twine: The Twinery
Adhesive: Scotch Advanced Tape Glider, Scotch Quick Dry

Season's Greetings

This card was inspired by the Glamour & Glitz challenge over at Simply Less is More.  My handmade ornament was cut from glittered paper. I added metallic trim, gems and a few bands of glitter.

Supplies:
Cardbase: DCWV
Cardstock: green: scrap pieces, red: MME I Believe
Punch: Ek Success Tree, Letters: Oriental Trading Punches
Trim: Offray
Metallic Paper ?
Gems: Studio G
Glitter: Gary M Burlin & Co
Adhesive: Scapbook Adhesives Crafty Foam Tape, Scotch Quick Dry

Framed Wreath

After counting the Christmas cards that I've already completed for mailing this season (fifty already), I realized I was short three. So, I made this one thinking it would be quick.  In reality, the wreath itself took far longer than I planned. All the little branches were punched and each time I punched, the punch would get stuck. I persisted and glued each down on a cardstock ring and then added the bow before adhering it to the cardbase.  I used a die to cut the frame and adhered it with dimensional tape.  I toyed around with the idea of adding the sentiment at the bottom, but put it inside so I could keep the clean and simple look.

This is the first year in over 15 years that all of our card recipients are not receiving the same card design. I have had a great time creating many different designs and it was equally fun trying to figure out who would get which card. My husband and son helped with this part. I enjoyed hearing  their reasons for selecting each card.  I've learned that they both truly appreciate the cards that are CAS.
Supplies:
Cardbase: DCWV
Cardstock frame: DCWV, Fiskars Fuse die # 0081 scalloped square
Wreath: scrap pieces of green cardstock, EK Success Tree punch
Ribbon: Offray
Adhesive: Scotch Advanced Tape Glider, Scotch Quick Dry, Scrapbook Adhesives Crafty Foam Tape

Dashing through the Snowfakes

I'm playing along with the 10 Minute Craft Dash over at Pretty Pink Posh. The colors are Kraft, Navy Blue and Sky Blue.  I am also submitting this card for the sketch challenge at Skipping Stones Designs.  This card was completed under 10 minutes. In fact here's what my stop watch read:  7:45:10

I love the challenge of the 10 minute dash!!!

 
Supplies:
Cardbase: Kraft Paper Studios
Cardstock: DCWV: Sky Blue, Fox River Paper Co: Navy Blue
Ribbon: Paperbilities: Raffia Ribbon
Die Cut Snowflake: Fiskars Fuse(die cut and Letterpress)
Snowflake Punch: Emaginations
Adhesive: Scotch Advanced Tape Glider, Scotch Quick Dry

Retirement Party Placemats

I created these placemats from the pages of old books that were discarded.  The placemats will be used at a retirement party for the local library director. Since she is a librarian, I decided to upcycle old discarded books. All the image are from the old discarded books. The letters for each word were hand cut from the pages with text. Each placemat has photos, a word cut from text, a map and flowers.  I don't usually like to do collage projects. I find that they can be over crowded and too busy, so I tried to keep these placemats pretty simple and stuck with the same design elements for each placemat.  Since I need about 100 of these for the party, I will use a color photo copier and make copies as needed.

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