Paper Maniac Wednesday - Falling 4 You

Hello and welcome to Paper Maniac Thursday here on my blog.  The theme this week is "Falling For You."  My card uses a dark brown card base, but everything else comes from the Echo Park collection Life is Good.  I didn't have a sentiment that went exactly with the theme, so I made one up using some letter stickers from the kit.    I actually stuck the stickers to a piece of scrap paper and then adhered them underneath the main sentiment panel.  The sentiment panel looks like I just cut it out, but the word happy is actually a sticker as well.  I placed it right over those brown swirls and it looks like it was made that way.

Thanks so much for visiting, have a great day!

{Happy in Love}

Card Stock: Chocolate Chip (SU)

Patterned Paper: Life is Good (Echo Park)

Accessories: Labels 9 Nesties (Spellbinders), Foam Dimensionals

 

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An Inspired "Happy Birthday" Card...

Hello there!  Thanks so much for stopping by today.  As part of my morning ritual, I wake up a half hour before the kids need to get up for school (except for these last few days, don't get me started...), I drink my coffee and read through email and then browse my favorite blogs using my Google Reader.  Well, this morning I came across this lovely card from Silke Ledlow.  My first thought was, "WOW! What a stunning card!" and then my next thought was "Hey, I have that stuff!".  So as soon as I got back from taking the kids to school I went right down to my studio and grabbed my Top Note Die and my Oval Nesties.  And here you have my card for today!

I also used a cool new flower punch I bought last week when I trekked to Archiver's.  I love making my own flower embellies and this punch is perfect for that.  All of the patterned papers on this card are from the Basics Manila collection from Basic Grey.  That is such a versatile collection to have in your arsenal.  For my flowers, I sponged the petals with pink (and not just the edges but all over) and then I sponged the leaves as well.  Speaking of the leaves, those are from the SU Bird's & Blooms Sizzix Die set.    

It's hard to see in the photo, but the layer that the sentiment is stamped on is actually patterned paper as well. It has a bit of a distressed look with very faint text.  In case you didn't notice, the leaves and the sentiment are the same color.  I thought that was a great way to add green to another part of the card and the pink was way too, well pink!

Have a great day!

{Happy Birthday}

Stamps: Communique Sentiments, Text Style (Papertrey Ink)

Card Stock: Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip (SU)

Patterned Paper: Basics Manila (Basic Grey)

Ink: Orchid Pastel, Lime Pastel, Chestnut Roan (Colorbox)

Accessories: Oval Nesties (Spellbinders), Top Note Sizzix Die (SU), Jumbo Brad (Making Memories), Flower Punch (Paper Shapers), Stampin' Sponge (SU), Birds & Blooms Sizzix Die (SU), Foam Dimensionals, Pink Rhinestones (Michaels)

 

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A "Christmas Greetings" Card...

Hello friends!  I'm back with a card to share today.  I was having dizzy spells yesterday so creating in my studio was the last thing I wanted to be doing.  Now that I've made a card today, all the moving around has made me dizzy again.  It's a good thing I don't have to move around as I type this.

So, this morning I finally went through all of my SU Stampin' Spots and weeded out all the colors that are retired.  I went from 36 colors all the way down to 12!!!  But, I don't want to be using colors that are no longer available if you are wanting to reproduce any of my cards.  Which leads me to my next point.  I'm slowly buying all of the Colorbox Queue Cat's Eyes since they are similar to Stampin' Spots and I love the ink.  Anyway, they are about $9.99 (for a stack of 6 colors) at Michaels.  We don't live that close to a Michaels so I usually try to stop every time my kids have a dentist appointment to pick up something with my 40% off coupon.  So, I bought a new stack the other day and also happened upon something really really cool that I used on my card today.

That center strip is actually Printed Packaging Tape.  It is clear tape with red snowflakes printed on it.  You can see the glossy-ness of the tape in the photo below.  The wheels in my head were spinning thinking about all the possibilities for this tape.  Here is the best part-- it comes on a 32 yard roll (about 2" wide) for $1.  I was so tempted to buy every kind they had.  If you make a bunch of holiday cards (like I do) this would be a super inexpensive product to use.  You could probably make 75 cards and still have tape leftover.  I remember they had tape with garland on it as well and a few other choices that I can't think of right now.

Here's a view of the whole card at a different angle so you can see the dimension of the layers.

Can you tell I'm excited about my Michaels purchase?  I just love sharing new things with you.  Especially if they are affordable to everyone.

Have a great day!

{Christmas Greetings}

Stamps: Holiday Home (Stampendous)

Card Stock: SS White, Pure Poppy, Kraft (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Lipstick Red (Colorbox)

Accessories: Labels 9 & Oval Nesties (Spellbinders), Printed Packaging Tape (Micheals), White Gel Pen (Sakura), Rhinestones (Michaels), Edge Distresser, Foam Dimensionals 

 

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This & That...

Hey guys!  I'm just not feeling 100%, so I thought I'd share some totally random things with you today.

• I am a coupon fanatic.  Couponing is like a big game to me.  There is definitely a learning curve to couponing.  I read this blog, Savings Lifestyle daily.  She does coupon matches and also has a coupon database.  This is only helpful if you live in the Greater Cincinnati area, but you can easily find one in yours, just Google it!
• Speaking of saving money, I have a Kindle and I love it.  My husband surprised me with it about two years ago.  I'm a huge reader and he knew I would have never bought it for myself.  At first I had a hard time spending money on books since I would usually just check them out at the library.  I would only buy books that had a long waiting list.  Well, that stopped when I discovered Swagbucks.  It's a search engine (like Google) where you can earn points for searches.  They also have code searches, which are a lot of fun, to earn even more points.  You can trade in your points for pretty much anything you want, but I always choose an Amazon gift card, and buy more books.  So far I've earned about $45 since March.  You can scroll down to the very bottom of this page to join Swagbucks (I also get points for referrals).
• Speaking of reading, I've read quite a few good books lately.  Scott and I both have a Kindle so we are able to read the same book at the same time (and only pay for it once).  We just finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  The first two books were great, but the third one was very long and drawn out.  It took me forever to finish that last book but it was worth it in the end when all the loose ends were tied up in nice bow.  Right now I'm reading The Hunger Games which is the first book in another trilogy.  I love reading young adult fiction.  This book is completely different than anything I've ever read, but I'm really enjoying it and can't wait to see how it ends.  The nice thing about having a Kindle is that when you finish a book, you can download the next book in less than a minute.  
• I drive a big truck.  Bet you didn't see that little tidbit coming.  I told you this would be totally random!
• I've been obsessed with watching video sewing tutorials lately.  My friend Amy has been making some really awesome quilts lately and posting them on her blog (she also makes cards).  She says that everything she learned about sewing she learned on You Tube.  So, she referred me to this video series and I love watching them.  And yes, my sewing machine is still sitting in the corner gathering dust.  I have so many ideas but I'm totally lacking the motivation.
• I also want to learn how to knit and crochet.  It would be something to keep my hands busy when we're watching tv at night so I'm not tempted to snack.  It would also give me something to do on long car trips.  Oh, and I'd have a pretty blanket too.
• I love to cook and bake.  I also love to read food blogs.  Here are a few of my favorites:  The Pioneer Woman, Tasty Kitchen,  Pinch My Salt, and Smitten Kitchen.  And here are some recipes I tried and loved: Bacon Tomato Capellini,  Ree's Pizza Dough (best pizza dough that I've ever made), and Petite Vanilla Bean Scones (substituting almond extract for vanilla beans and adding a whole pack of cherry craisins).  

Okay, I think that's about all the random stuff I can come up with right now.  I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little better.  I was thinking I should have included some tv shows I like, but I think that would be a whole post of it's own.  I love tv (and thankfully so does my husband).  

Have a great day!

 

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OCC Challenge - Color Challenge

Hello!  I hope you all are enjoying your weekend.  I'm here with a color challenge from Our Creative Corner. You can see the color combo on the left.  I don't have any of those exact colors, so I tried to match them as closely as possible with what I had on hand.  I did pretty good with the browns, but the blue I used was more of a navy. 

The oval has a woodgrain pattern on it.  I think this card has on overall masculine feel to it, which is good since I'm giving it to one of my guy friends with his house warming gift.  I don't think he'll mind the ribbon and bling, at least I hope not.  

Check out all the fabulous creations over at Our Creative Corner using this fantastic color combo.  I hope you have time to play along with us.

Have a great day!

{Congratulations on your new home}

Stamps: Boards & Beams (Papertrey Ink)

Card Stock: Enchanted Evening (Papertrey Ink), Chocolate Chip (SU)

Patterned Paper: Apple Cider (Imaginisce), Manila Basics (Basic Grey)

Ink: Not Quite Navy (SU), Creamy Brown, Chestnut Roan (Colorbox)

Accessories: Top Note Sizzix Die (SU), Edge Distresser, Foam Dimensionals, Oval Nesties (Spellbinders), Navy Sheer Ribbon (Offray), Rhinestones (Michaels)

 

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Tea & Friends Gift Box

Hello and Happy Friday!!!  Creative Cuts & More generously sent me some extra die cuts to play around with in addition to the ones I used in The Perfect Pair Blog Hop.  I'm in love with their boxes (among other things).  This one comes with an acetate square for the window, but I chose to use some fun patterned paper instead.  Click here for the box details.

I used one of my new favorite sets from Clear & Simple Stamps, Tea Time. The box is a lavender color so I chose to use a plum color for all the stamping.  

Here's a peek at the inside of the box.  This would make a lovely get well gift or thinking of you gift.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you have a great weekend!

{Tea & Friends Gift Box}

Stamps: Tea Time (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Patterned Paper: Hippy Girl (Kaiser Craft)

Ink: Perfect Plum (SU)

Accessories: Fancy Frame Window Box, Orange Sheer Ribbon (Offray), Sticky Tape

 

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Paper Maniac Thursday - Fall is in the Air!

Hi there!  Today I'm sharing a clean and simple card to celebrate fall.  One of the things that make this card quick and easy is that I used some SRM Press stickers for the sentiment and leaf embellishments.  The patterned papers I chose comes from a collection called Apple Cider by Imaginisce.  The leaf stickers were applied to some pattern paper from the collection and then trimmed out.

Speaking of fall, Paper Maniac has just marked down all of their fall-related items!!!

Have a great day!

{Fall is in the Air}

Card Stock: Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip (SU) 

Patterned Paper: Apple Cider (Imaginisce)

Ink: Close to Cocoa (SU)

Accessories: Sentiment Sticker (SRM Press), Embroidery Floss (DMC), Cork, Circle Punch (SU), Paper Distresser, Foam Dimensionals, Stampin' Sponge (SU)

 

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The Perfect Pair Blog Hop

You are in for a treat today!!!   Clear & Simple Stamps has paired up with Creative Cuts & More to show how wonderfully die cuts and stamps can work together.  If you hopped here from Melisa's blog, you are in the right place.  If not, you'll want to start at the Creative Cuts & More Blog.

For my project today I used the Tea Time stamp set from Clear & Simple Stamps.  This is such a charming set.  I love tea (and coffee too).  I created a card and box ensemble for tea lovers.  

You can find the card template here.  It is an A7 size and comes complete with a score line and window frame.  

I just adore this box.  You can find the box template here.  It was such a coincidence that my favorite tea, Lemon Lift, matches my box perfectly with it's yellow tags.  I was able to fit about 5 unwrapped tea bags into the box.  The box was very easy to but together with a little sticky tape.  I sponged all the edges with Espresso Your Style ink.  You can find the little green tags I used on both the card and the box here.

Here's a view of the card opened, laying on it's side.  I placed a piece of acetate in the window frame and that is what the teapot is adhered to.  It looks as if it is floating.  The tea pot and tea cup are paper pieced.  I love that they look like a matching set.  Just think of the little girl tea party cards you could make with these stamps.  Oh, the possibilities!  

I hope you are having a hopping good time!  The next stop on the hop is Lynn Stevens.  Make sure you leave a comment on all the blogs along the way for a chance to win two great prizes!!!

Have a great day!

{Tea & Friends Ensemble}

Stamps: Tea Time (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Frame Die Cut Card, Kraft Like a Rockstar, On the Catwalk Cream

Patterned Paper: Hippy Girl (Kaiser Craft)

Ink: Espresso Your Style, Perfect Little Black Dress 

Accessories: Tag Mini Set, Embroidery Floss, Acetate, Parakeet & Geneva Brads (Bazzill), Stampin' Sponge, Foam Adhesive, Circle Punch, Markers 

 

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A "There's No Place Like Home" Card...

I totally feel like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz with this card.  The funny thing is that the sentiment stamp actually says "There's no place like home for the holidays", but I thought the just "there's no place like home" would go perfectly with these houses from the Life is Good collection from Echo Park.  All of the papers on my card come from that collection as well as the striped sticker that runs beneath each row of houses.  

The layout of this card comes from this week's CPS sketch.  I love this one!!!  I'm still out of kraft card stock.  I though I would be able to buy a pack at Archiver's on my trek over the weekend.  No such luck.  So, once again I used a creamy caramel card base with brown sponged edges to give the same look as kraft.

Have a great day!

{There's no place like home}

Stamps: Holiday Home (Stampendous)

Card Stock: Creamy Caramel (SU)

Patterned Paper: Life is Good (Echo Park)

Ink: Chestnut Roan (Colorbox)

Accessories: Heart Punch, Flower Punch, Pink Rhinestone (Michaels), Foam Dimensionals

 

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A "You've got a friend in me" Card

Hello!  Hope you all are having a happy Monday.  We had a great weekend, even though Scott was out of town on a "man-cation" from Wednesday through Sunday.  I have some great friends who kept us busy the whole time so we weren't sitting at home alone.  I've included some pics at the bottom of this post.

Now, onto my card.  This card uses the Sept. SOTM  (Topiaries) from Clear & Simple Stamps.   As soon as I saw the tall, thin topiaries, I knew they would look great repeated on a card.  The topiaries were stamped with Versamark onto white cardstock and then clear embossed.  I then sponged blue ink over the entire white area.

The image panels are popped up on foam dimensionals.  The patterned paper in the background is woodgrain.  I love the sentiments in this set, even though this one has me singing "You've got a friend in me" from Toy Story.

Now, here's a few pictures from our weekend.  We had a play date, a MaryKay party, a long drive to Archiver's and Borders, and a birthday party.  We stayed home yesterday to watch the Bengal's game, of course.  Scott came home from is "man-cation" for about an hour and then headed off to the game.  The Bengals won!!!

After the birthday party.  Halle and the birthday boy enjoying s'mores.

Halle & Colin decked out in their Bengal's gear playing on the deck with moon sand.  Moon Sand is definitely an outside activity.

Halle writing in her new diary (with a lock) that she bought at Border's using her gift card. 

 That's about it!  I hope to start including more pics every week.  Some of my favorite bloggers do this and I really enjoy it.  

Have a great week!!!

{You've Got a Friend in Me}

Stamps: Topiaries (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: A Blanc Check, Kraft Like a Rockstar, Espresso Your Style

Patterned Paper: Apple Cider (Imaginisce)

Ink: Fresh Snow (PTI), Brilliant Blue (SU), Espresso Your Style, Versamark

Accessories: Navy Sheer Ribbon (Offray), A Blanc Check Brads, Corner Rounder Punch (EK Success), Foam Dimensionals, Stampin' Sponge (SU)

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OCC Challenge - Sketch Challenge

Hey there!  It's Saturday and that means another fabulous challenge from Our Creative Corner.  This week we have a sketch challenge for you.  I was short on time, so I used a pre-made card base from Creative Cuts & More.  These are perfect to use for a quick card.  They even come with a score line.  I'm not sure of the exact color, but I know it perfectly matches the patterned paper (Apple Cider by Imaginisce).

Every layer of this card is matted with cork.  The cork I use is so thin that it really doesn't add any extra bulk to a card, no more than regular card stock.

The sentiment "grateful"  is an SRM Press sticker.  I've been having a ball using their stickers lately.  I never thought I was a sticker person, but these are great since they look like stamps.

Check out the other sketch samples from the talented design team by clicking ----> HERE.  I hope you make some time to get creative this week and play along with the sketch challenge.  Have a wonderful weekend!!!

{Grateful}

Card Stock: Red Card Die Cut (Creative Cuts & More)

Patterned Paper: Apple Cider (Imaginisce)

Ink: Close to Cocoa (SU)

Accessories: Cork, Labels 9 Nesties (Spellbinders), Grateful Sticker (SRM Press), Ribbon (Michaels), Parakeet Brads (Bazzill), Foam Dimensionals, Stampin' Sponge (SU)

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Paper Maniac Thursday - Autumn Days

Hello!  It's Paper Maniac Thursday.  The weather has been gorgeous here lately, so I thought I would make a card celebrating the changing of seasons.  All of the patterned paper I used comes from the Apple Cider collection from Imaginisce.  I used 4 patterns on my card. It's hard to see in the photo, but the band of brown is actually a woodgrain pattern.  The oval that the polka dots are matted on is a thin sheet of cork.  It adds an organic and earthy feel to the card.  The sentiment "autumn days" is an SRM sticker.  I simply cut around the ticket frame and adhered it to the card with a foam dimensional.

Thanks so much for dropping by!!!

{Autumn Days}

Card Stock: Creamy Caramel (SU)

Patterned Paper: Apple Cider (Imaginisce)

Ink: Close to Cocoa (SU)

Accessories: Fall Sentiment Sticker (SRM Press), Cork, Light Blue Satin Ribbon, Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders)

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