Karla Dudley Desings | New Release Thursday

Hello, hello! In between packing + walk throughs + paperwork I have been working on a few layouts for Karla Dudley's newest releases. Digital templates have been a long time favorite of mine, and Karla's Everyday Life Templates are fantastic! The rounded corners and simple designs provide endless opportunities for creating amazing layouts.

I took these photos last week (or the week before?), and I immediately created this layout... Jack wearing his awesome new hat and giving me the cute smile just melt my heart!

(All supplies are Karla Dudley Designs - (Template) Everyday Life Templates. ("Today" brush) Everyday Life Sentiments. ("Good Stuff" sticker) Hello Stickers. (Staples) Digi Essentials. 

The next layout uses Karla's new Kraft Essentials Cardstock... an absolute must have! Evan's classroom celebrated the 100th day of school last week with a small party and a really cute hat:

(All supplies are Karla Dudley Designs - (Camera Brushes) Ashbee. (Staples) Digi Essentais. (Arrow brushes) Change. ("100 days" alpha) Brook Loft Alphabet. (Border) Hello Love. (Patterned Paper) Kraft Essentials.)

My final layout uses a lot of the papers and elements from Karla's new Valentine/Love themed kit: Hello Love. I paired the Hello Love elements with Coded | Love and Kraft Essentials. 

(All supplies are Karla Dudley Designs - (White Patterned Paper) Kraft Essentials. (Frame) Coded | Love. (Staples) Digi Essentials. (Border) Hello Love. (Heart Patterned Paper) Hello Love. (Small red heart) Hello Love Alphas. (Gray journaling sticker) Hello Love.)

That's it for me today! Hop on over to Karla's blog for more inspiration and info about each of her new kits.

Thanks for stopping by!

Great Impressions Stamps | Happy Frog

Good morning!

Today is a very exciting day for me and my family... we are signing the paperwork and purchasing our first home! Because of the move my card today is was a "limited supply challenge"... most of my cardstock, paper, ribbon, and stamps are all packed up and ready to move to the new house. But I managed to pull out some fun bright colors (the same colors as last week... I loved the green/pink combo!), a cute as a button frog stamp, and a few simple embellishments.

(Supplies - Stamps: (Great Impressions) Happy Frog. Ink: (Memento) Tuxedo Black. Cardstock: (PTI) Raspberry Fizz, Limeade Ice, Stampers Select White. Patterned Paper: (Papertrey Ink) Limeade Ice Patterns Pack. Ribbon: (Stampin' Up!) Whisper White Satin Ribbon. Dies: (Papertrey Ink) Mat Stack #4, Layerz #4, Mega Mat Stack #4, Heart Prints Die (smallest). Impression Plate: (Papertrey Ink) Linen and Canvas. Other: Copics, water mixed with perfect pearls and sprayed onto the heart dies.)

I didn't add a sentiment because the focal image and dies take up a lot of room, but I will add a sentiment to the inside of the card when I'm ready to mail it.

And don't forget about this month's challenge! It's a sketch challenge and one participant will be chosen to be a guest designer for Great Impressions Stamps! You can get all the details here. 

See you next week!

Erin.

Retro Sketches | Challenge #48

Hi there! I just love this week's Retro Sketches challenge. I changed a few things because the Paper Smooches stamp I used is a bit bigger than the panel on the sketch, but I'm happy with the results. The "love you" stamp is by Mama Elephant (Type It).

Last year I made an order with Paper Smooches and one of the stamp sets was back ordered by a few days. When my set was shipped Paper Smooches included this adorable monkey as a free gift for the (very slight) delay. I cannot say enough fantastic things about this company!

(Supplies - Stamps: (Paper Smooches) Love Monkey, (Mama Elephant) Type It. Ink: (Memento) Tuxedo Black. Cardstock: (Papertrey Ink) Raspberry Fizz, Hawaiian Shores, Summer Sunrise. Patterned Paper: (Papertrey Ink) Raspberry Fizz Patterns Pack. Twine: Doodlebug. Other: Copic Markers, gems.)

Have a wonderful week! Thanks for stopping by. :-)

Avery Elle | January Challenge

Hey there! Mark and I have been wrapping up the house before we close on Wednesday, but I wanted to pop in and share a card I created earlier this week for this month's Avery Elle AEI {Heart} U challenge.

The inspiration photo is adorable! I love the gray, black, and red color scheme and the striped socks. :-)

Here is my take:

 (Supplies - Stamps: (Avery Elle) Lots of Love, To the Point. Ink: (Papertrey Ink) Pure Poppy, (Ranger Archival Ink) Jet Black. Cardstock: (Avery Elle) Fog, New Moon, (Papertrey Ink) White. Gems: Hero Arts. Twine: Doodlebug.)

When I sketched out this card I originally wanted the gray panel to be embossed with a PTI texture plate, but I can't find my embossing mats... I must have packed them. I can't wait to get moved and get my new office set up! Only having access to a few of my supplies is driving me bonkers! I started out with one box of "do not pack" products, but that box turned into two boxes, then three, and I realize that I should have told Mark that my whole office is "do not pack". 

And yes, my card is resting on my big shot. Mark took apart our kitchen table last week and I don't have a lot of options for getting natural light for photographing cards. But the Big Shot works for now!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Great Impressions Stamps | A Little Hello

Good morning! I hope you all enjoyed hopping along to the Great Impressions Stamps and Paper Crafts Facebook pages yesterday. The Little Trailer stamp is so fun to stamp with! 

For today's card I used a new stamp by Great Impressions: Floral Bouquet. I used Copic markers to color the flowers and leaves, and I used a light gray Copic marker to outline the entire image. 

(Supplies - Stamps: (Great Impressions) Floral Bouquet, A Little Hello. Ink: (Memento) Tuxedo Black. (Ranger) Archival Ink Black. Cardstock: (Avery Elle) Celery, Raspberry, Fog, White. Patterned Paper: (Papertrey Ink) Limeade Ice Patterns Pack. Dies: Pinking Edger Die, Mat Stack #4 and Layerz Die, Turning a New Leaf. Ribbon: (Stampin' Up!) White Satin Ribbon. Gems: Hero Arts. Markers: Copic. Other: Vellum.)

I have a confession to make. I sketched this card out before making it, and I really wanted the flowers to be bright pink. I spent 10 minutes searching my office for my Copic markers when my hubby informed me that he already packed them up and put them in our POD for the move! I was so bummed.... I had a plan and my markers were gone! So I did what any reasonable paper crafter would do: I had my husband unpack them! He wasn't very happy with me, but my card turned out great so I think it was worth it. ;-)

Thanks for stopping by!

Great Impressions Stamps + Paper Crafts Magazine

I am so excited to share the details of a fantastic collaboration between Great Impressions Stamps and Paper Crafts magazine for a Facebook giveaway! And you have a chance to win two adorable stamps from Great Impressions Stamps: Travel Trailer and Park It. 

(Supplies - Stamps: (Great Impressions Stamps) Travel Trailer and Park It. Ink: Memento, Hero Arts. Markers: Copics. Patterned Paper: BasicGrey. Other: buttons, twine, glitter.)

Here are all the details for the give away:

Click on this link for the Papercrafts Magazine Facebook page. Susan Opel posted a photo of my card and Cheryl's card and please share what you think in a comment! Then hop on over to the Great Impressions Stamps Facebook page. "Like" us and leave another comment. And that's it! 

Three random winners will be chosen from the comments left on both Facebook pages.

And make sure to check out the Great Impressions Stamps FB page for a super secret deal. :-)

Thanks for stopping by!

Paper Smooches Sparks | Designer Drafts Challenge

The last card I have to share today is for this week's Paper Smooches Sparks Designer Drafts challenge. I used Cutasaurus again this week because, well, I think the dinosaurs are darn cute. :-)

(Supplies - Stamps: (Paper Smooches) Cutasaurus. Ink: Memento. Cardstock: Avery Elle. Dies: Papertrey Ink. Markers: Copic and Spectrum Noir. Other: Button, twine, thread.)

What is cuter than a turquoise t-rex? And I have a certain 6 year old who gets grumpy from time to time, so I know this card will be used. 

The cardstock I used is all from Avery Elle, and I am just love it. The grey is the perfect medium shade, and I love the bright turquoise and orange. All their cardstock is wonderful! I highly recommend checking them out if you get a chance.

That's it from me today. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

ColourQ | Challenge #172

This week's ColourQ challenge features a bright and colorful inspiration photo that I love!! Poppy Parade isn't usually my first choice when I am looking for a nice red, but for this combo it worked beautifully. 

I pulled out another older set, Beautiful Blooms 2, and paired it with Fabulous Frames and Thanks All the Way for a very bright and graphic card. I used two sentiments, one from Fabulous Frames, and one from Thanks All the Way, and I think for the right person they work well together. The frames were popped up with dimensional adhesive, as well as the pink and red flowers. The button is from Doodlebug.

Thanks for stopping by! 

RetroSketches | Challenge #46

Good morning! I have a few cards to share this morning (hopefully) before I run off to get Jack from school, meet a friend for lunch, and check on the progress of our house. Less than two weeks before we close! The POD was delivered to our house yesterday, which means I have to start packing up my office. Probably the task I am looking forward to the least in the coming weeks. A close second being unpack my office. :-)

I enjoyed this week's RetroSketches challenge... CAS, lots of white space, and lots of possibility. I pulled out Papertrey Ink's Baby Button Bits stamp set for the image and sentiment, and a Doodlebug button for the center of the bee:

It's the little bee darling? I used Papertrey's Sweet Blush, Kraft, and Vintage Cream cardstock for the top panel, and Smokey Shadow for the scalloped edge.

Thanks for stopping by!

Great Impressions Stamps | Beautiful Doily

Good morning! I have a CAS Valentine's card to share this morning using a beautiful doily stamp from Great Impressions Stamps. Doilies seem to be popping up everywhere these days, and this doily stamp is the perfect size for cardmaking and scrapbook pages!

For my card, I stamped it using Pink Pirouette ink by Stampin' Up! onto Rustic Cream cardstock, then layered two die cut hearts & a heart button on top:

(Supplies - Stamps: (Great Impressions Stamps) Lace Doily. Ink: (Stampin' Up!) Pink Pirouette. Cardstock: (Papertrey Ink) Rustic Cream. Patterned Paper: BasicGray. Dies: Papertrey Ink. Other: button, twine, gems.)

And make sure to check out the Great Impressions Stamps website for their Valentine's special: 10% off and free shipping with the coupon code: Love 

Thanks for stopping by!

CAS-ual Fridays | Round of Applause

Hey everyone! I hope you guys are having a great weekend. 

This week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge is Round of Applause: CAS cards that celebrates an accomplishment, and feature at least one circle.

I used Papertrey Ink's Party Popper stamp set and a fun color combo of Limeade Ice, Aqua Mist, Enchanted Evening, Archival Ink's Viridian, and Orange Zest. I accented the poppers with my Spica glitter pen and a few gems/pearls.

 (Supplies - Stamps: (PTI) Party Poppers, Fillable Frames #3. Ink: (PTI) Limeade Ice, Enchanted Evening, Orange Zest. (Archival Ink) Viridian. Cardstock: (PTI) White, Aqua Mist, Limeade Ice. Dies: (PTI) Party Poppers. Other: gems, pearls Spica glitter pen.)

Party Poppers has moved to the top of my "most used" list... it is so cute and versatile! 

And I want to thank the team at CAS-ual Fridays for the VIP shout out last week... you guys made my day!  

Thanks for stopping by! :-)

ColourQ | Challenge #171

Another week, another fabulous ColourQ color combo. I pulled out Papertrey Ink's Funky Florals, Wplus9's Heartfelt Mix, and Simons Says Stamp's Lots of Thanks for my card.

(Supplies - Stamps: (Wplus9) Heartfelt Mix, (Papertrey Ink) Funky Florals, (Simon Says Stamp) Lots of Thanks. Ink: (Stampin' Up!) Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Basic Grey, Daffodil Delight. Cardstock: (PTI) Rustic White, Kraft, Harvest Gold. Dies: (Wplus9) Heartfelt Mix, (PTI) Pinking Shears Edger Die. Impression Plate: (PTI) Linen and Canvas. Twine: (PTI) Enchanted Evening. Other: Spica glitter pen, buttons, white string.)

My favorite part of the whole card might just be the little dotted heart from the Simon Says Stamp stamp set (hello alliteration!) Lots of Thanks. I think it adds the perfect finishing touch. :-)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Paper Smooches Sparks | Vintage Challenge

Happy Friday! I am really looking forward to the weekend. The transition back to school has been hard on me! I really enjoyed the freedom of not having a schedule, but we are back into our school routine and the kids are doing great.

This week's Paper Smooches Sparks challenge is Vintage! And this really was a challenge for me. I have some Tim Holtz distress inks but I don't use them as much as I should. And most of my Paper Smooches stamps are modern, not vintage. But... I just received Cuteasaurus in the mail, and it doesn't get any more vintage than 500 million years ago! I realize dinosaurs might be a bit of a stretch for this challenge, but I had fun & I used distress inks, so I'm going with it. 

(Supplies - Stamps: (Paper Smooches) Cuteasaurus. Ink: Memento Black, Distress Inks. Cardstock: Papertrey Ink. Twine: Papertrey Ink. Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye. Markers: Copics.)

I cut the hills/grass free hand and popped them up; first the green, then the brown. The sun was punched from a circle punch and I free handed the triangles. The sentiment is also from Cuteasaurus and I stamped it on Vintage White cardstock before distressing it. 

I have another post coming with a much more "me" card... but I will give Vintage a try again soon. I liked stepping outside my comfort zone a bit. Thanks for stopping by!

Cloud9 | January Blog Hop

This month's Cloud9 | Wplus9 blog hop inspiration photo is simply stunning! I pulled out my Wplus9 stamps and created a fun, shimmery card last night.

Inspiration Photo

I was drawn to the kraft/white/silver combo & the stars. I used Ranger Silver embossing powder on the frame and star die cuts, and I used white embossing powder on the sun burst image. 

(Supplies - Stamps: (Wplus9) Quite Like You, Super Star, Design Basics: Background 1. (PTI) Fillable Frames #10. Ink: VersaMark, (PTI) Fresh Snow, (Ranger) Archival Ink Jet Black. Cardstock: (PTI) Kraft, Stampers Select White. Embossing Powder: (Ranger) Silver. Dies: (Simon Says) Large Holiday Shapes, (PTI) Fillable Frames #10. Gems: Recollections. Twine: (PTI) Dark Chocolate.)

To create the silver edges on the card I pressed my VersaMark ink onto the edge of the white paper and dumped silver embossing powder on top, then heat set. It was pretty uneven, so I repeated the process a second time. The shine is pretty cool in real life!

Have a great week!

Great Impressions Stamps | Chalkboard Owl

Good morning! I have a fun post for you guys today. One of the trends I have been seeing a lot of is the Chalkboard Technique. It's all over Pinterest and now taking cardmaking by storm! Betsy Veldman did a fantastic tutorial on it a few months ago, and of course I had to try it. I took photos of my process along the way and added notes to each of the photos. Enjoy! 

(Supplies - Stamps: (Great Impressions Stamps) Love Struck Owl, Simple Elegance. Ink: VersaMark. Cardstock: (PTI) True Black, Pure Poppy, Sweet Blush. Patterned Paper: BasicGrey. Dies: (PTI) Limitless Layers Hearts, Small Scalloped Border. Gems: Hero Arts. Other: Baker's Twine, white embossing powder, white colored pencil, typewriter.)

As an added bonus you got to peek at my craft desk. Which is usually a mess while I am in the middle of a project! :-)

Isn't it a fun technique? And the Love Struck Owl makes the cutest Valentine's Day cards. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section. Have a great week and I'll be back next Wednesday with another card for Great Impressions Stamps!

Chirstmas Joy | Digital Layout

(All products are Karla Dudley Designs.)

There it is. My favorite layout with my favorite photo of 2012. My two getting-bigger-by-the-minute boys + our Christmas tree (and most of the ornaments are handmade by Ev and Jack). I just wish the moment had lasted longer than 6 seconds. :-)

--

I will be back on Wednesday with a mini tutorial for Great Impressions Stamps. See you then!

Great Impressions Stamps | January Challenge

I am so sorry this post is late! I posted several cards last night, then Jack got really really sick and I ended up staying up with him until the wee hours of the morning. I finally crashed in my bed at 9am and slept until 2pm! I think this is Jack's second bought with the flu in the past 3 weeks... and he is the only one of us to get the flu shot! Go figure.

Anyway, this month's challenge is to create a card based on this sketch:

And the sketch was based on this card from October.

When I posted my card on Wednesday I mentioned that I created three colored butterflies, but only used one on my card. I stuck the only two in my scraps pile to be used on a future project. Well, this is that project! I wanted to make a bright Thank You card and the Tiger Swallowtail works perfectly!

 (Supplies - Stamps: (Great Impressions) Tiger Swallowtail. Ink: (Memento) Tuxedo Black. Cardstock: (Avery Elle) Sea Glass, Lemon Grass, (Papertrey Ink) White. Patterned Paper: BasicGray. Letter Stickers: BasicGray. Dies: (Papertrey Ink) Half and Half, Pinking Shears Edger Die. Markers: Spectrum Noir. Other: Pearls, gems, stickles.)

What do you think? I think I need to make a dozen more pretty butterflies. :-)

Have a great week!

 

ColourQ | Challenge #170

This week's ColourQ challenge is to use any color combo chosen by one of the Royal Court. I wanted to pick a combo I haven't worked with before so I chose Riding Hood Red, More Mustard, Old Olive, Kraft, and White.

(Supplies - Stamps: (Wplus9) Banner Love and Quite Like You. Cardstock: (PTI) Kraft, White, Pure Poppy, (Stampin' Up!) Old Olive. Ink: (Stampin' Up!) Riding Hood Red, More Mustard, Old Olive. (PTI) Smokey Shadow. Dies: (PTI) Heart Prints. Gems: Hero Arts.)

The sentiment was stamped in Smokey Shadow, but photographed brown? I have no idea why. I will try to rephotograph it tomorrow because in real life the black gems + sentiment are the same color. 

Anyway, the two mini stamp sets by Wplus9 that I used are super cute and I will be using them a lot. And all the white space makes me happy. :-)

That's it for me tonight! Four posts... I think that is a record for me. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving comments! And I'll be back tomorrow with a card for January's sketch challenge at Great Impressions Stamps. Have a great night!

Papertrey Ink Make It Monday #98 | Chalkboard Technique

This week's Make It Monday Challenge is to use Betsy Veldman's Chalkboard technique on a card. I think my jaw hit the floor when I read her blog post featuring this technique ... talk about gorgeous cards! And I was anxious to pull out some of my Valentine's stamps and try it myself. 

I used Papertrey Ink's Sending My Love set for the sentiment and a flourish from Over Under Easy. I used a white colored pencil for the outline and to color in the "by your side" banner.  

(Supplies - Stamps: (PTI) Sending My Love, Over Under Easy. Cardstock: Smokey Shadow, Sweet Blush. Ink: VersaMark. Patterned Paper: BasicGrey. Gems: Hero Arts. Other: heart button, white twine, white embossing powder.)

Isn't it a fun card? After I finished up this card (late) last night I wanted to make 10 more! 

I have one more card to post tonight for this week's ColourQ challenge, so check back in a few!

Hero Arts January Challenge | Try Something New

This might be my favorite card of the night. A few months ago Jennifer McGuire posted about a fantastic product she discovered: Inktense Colored Pencils. I watched the video in awe. I have tried several brands of watercolor pencils but never like the results. I'm too much of a protectionist to enjoy the watercolor process. But the Inktense pencils looked controlled and more like a paint or marker... and I was anxious to try them! I purchased the basic 12 pack from Dick Blick for around $17.00, and this is the first project I attempted with them:

The Inktense pencils are so rich and vibrant and I love them! I used two stamps for the background: Hero Arts' Small Open Flower and Hero Arts Small Solid Flower. I stamped them one at a time, dumped white embossing powder on top, heat set it, then continued with another stamped flower. The sentiment is from Hero Arts' Wish Big stamp set, which I heat embossed with blue glitter Zing embossing powder.

Here is a close up of the orange and green colored pencil:

 (Supplies - Stamps: (Hero Arts) Wish Big, Small Open Flower, Small Solid Flower. Ink: VersaMark. Cardstock: (PTI) Limeade Ice, Stampers Select White, Kraft. (Stampin' Up!) Pacific Point. (Avery Elle) Fizz. Embossing Powder: (American Crafts) Blue Glitter Zing. Edger Die: (Papertrey Ink) Pinking Edger Die. Button: Doodlebug. Gems: Hero Arts. Pencils: Inktense.)

I am not an expert on using these pencils, but Jennifer McGuire has several videos on her blog that share a lot of great information and tips. I watched her videos before creating this card. If you are looking for a fun technique, give Inktense colored pencils a try. They are fantastic!

CAS-ual Fridays | Thank You Card Challenge

Hi there! This week's CAS-ual Fridays Challenge is to create a clean and simple Thank You card.

Here is my take:

(Supplies - Stamps: (PTI) Fillable Frames #1. Ink: (PTI) Enchanted Evening. Gems: Hero Arts. Other: Various cardstock from Stampin' Up!, Papertrey Ink, and Avery Elle.)

I wanted a wide range of cardstock colors... all bright and fun, but not monochromatic or a specific color family. I sorted through my scraps bin until I found 7 colors that complimented each other, then trimmed the cardstock into 1/2 inch strips before adhering them at an angle to a sheet of 4 in x 1/2 in white cardstock. The result is an arrow that points from left to right! 

I'll be back soon with two more cards!

Traditional Layout | A E I {Heart} U Challenge

Hi! We are still in "vacation mode" around here... at least for a few more days. Evan doesn't go back to school until Tuesday, and Jack is off for another week. We have been playing, watching way too much TV,  reading new books, playing Blokus and Trouble, making paper airplanes, cleaning, napping... and mostly doing nothing. It's been great! The kids have been wonderfully well behaved the past week. Exceptionally so. They have been so busy playing with their new toys that bickering hasn't occurred to them. I hate to tempt fate, but I am thoroughly enjoying our vacation together.

After the boys are in bed I usually head to my office to watch episodes of the West Wing and work on cards or layouts or my (not-so-finished) December Daily... and I have been extra productive this week. I am feeling rather proud of myself. :-)

I pulled out a few Studio Calico kits for this layout (and I used one of my favorite pictures):

I also finished another card for Avery Elle's A E I {Heart} U challenge:

(Supplies - Stamps: (Avery Elle) Lots of Love, Picture It. Cardstock: (Avery Elle) Cherry, Mimosa, (PTI) White). Patterned Paper: BasicGrey. Ink: (PTI) Simply Chartreuse, Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy, Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet, Harvest Gold. Other: Gems, DMC floss, twine).

Make sure to check back on the 6th for my Great Impressions Stamps challenge card... it's a beauty! Thanks for stopping by!

Great Impressions Stamps | Hello Butterfly

Happy New Year! Welcome to my first post of 2013 for Great Impressions Stamps. I am delighted to be here for another 6 month term. 

This week I pulled out Great Impressions Stamps Tiger Swallowtail. And what a beautiful stamp to work with. I used Copic markers and a touch of Stickles, cut out the image, and popped it up with pop dots to create dimension. Although I had a hard time getting this card from a single stamped image to the finish product. I initially stamped the butterfly three times onto white cardstock, colored each one a different color, then tried to make the three butterflies work on this card. I moved them around, arranged them differently, then finally got frustrated and took the pink and blue ones off... then my "ah-ha" moment came: one is better than three. The single butterfly looks great and the other two butterflies landed in my scraps pile. And that is how my 20 minute card turned into a 90 minute card. :-)

Anywho, I think it turned out pretty darn cute:

   (Supplies - Stamps: (Great Impressions Stamps) Tiger Swallowtail. Cardstock: (Hero Arts) Pool, (Avery Elle) Kraft. Patterned Paper: (My Mind's Eye.... I think. It was a mixed manufacturer pack). Washi Tape: (October Afternoon) Witch Hazel. Letter Stickers: (BasicGrey). Ribbon: (Stampin' Up!) Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding. Gems: Hero Arts.)

Seam binding might be my favorite ribbon to work with. It is so light and doesn't weigh the card down. I like that it adds softness to a card with a lot of harsh points (the patterned paper) and colors (black washi tape & gems).

Make sure to check out the Great Impressions Stamps blog on the 6th for our new challenge! 

Have a great week! 

Erin.