My Studio Pics- FINALLY!

Hello!  This post is a long time coming.  I moved my stamping area from the kitchen table to the basement family room sometime last year.  My husband and I made a nice large L-shaped desk for about $125.  It was functional but boring.  But, I was able to leave my supplies sitting out, which was the whole idea.  My studio was pretty much just a table for quite some time, maybe about 10 months.  For my birthday in July, I asked my husband to put up some shelves.  Well, that finally happened last week!  Last week and this week my husband painted the wall "Cincinnati Reds Red" (the rest of the family room has a sports look) and he also hung everything on the walls.  It was a little tricky taking photos with the window.    

  

The L-shaped desk is being held up by triangular shelves from Ikea.  They were about $40 each and then we bought a leg for the center ($5).  There are also rails that go along the back center to hold the desk up.  The table itself is actually two hollow doors without the hole for the doorknob.  They were $20 each at Home Depot.  My husband stained the table and then my father-in-law polyurethaned it.   

I have plenty of space for my Cuttlebug.  There are dies and folders inside the green basket.  All of my punches line the window sill.  

 

This rail and set of cups also came from Ikea.  All purchased separately it was about $12.  I love how everything is at my fingertips. 

I've had the magnetic squares since last Christmas.  Most of the containers are empty, but I'm sure not for long.   

This rolling file rack was also a Christmas gift.  I have all of my most used card stock in the front, large patterned paper in the center (each collection is in it's own ziploc bag), and then all of my outdated Stampin Up paper is in the back for the kids to use.   

Right now I've been sitting in the center of the table.  I have my paper trimmer and scoring board to my left, ribbon and 6x6 paper pads and stamp cleaner in the center.  The magnetic tins hold brads and eyelets.  On the right side the cups hold all sorts of things: markers, scissors, adhesive, jewels, sponges, etc.  The first shelf holds all my stamps and all of my ink.  The coffee can is filled with buttons that my Grandma gave me.  The second shelf is for stuff I use, just not very often.  The top shelf is pretty much just some additional storage.  Plenty of room for more stuff!  

 I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into my studio.  I have dreamed of having a pretty workspace for so long and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out, although we have a few things in mind for the next trip to Ikea.  One of the first things I'm going to do when I get a Silhouette (whenever that may be) is to make a vinyl sign for the beige wall that says "Dana's Dabbling Studio".  

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I would love to hear about your workspace and if you have ideas for mine.  Have a great weekend everyone!!!

 

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Paper Maniac Thursday - Back to Basics!

Hello!  This week the Paper Maniac DT and I are going back to basics-- Basic Grey!  I love Basic Grey so this was an easy one.  I chose to use the Manila Basics 6 x 6 paper pad.  I love all the patterns in this collection, they are easy to pair with other papers.  I wanted to see if I could make a card using only neutral papers, and I think it turned out pretty good and I love the pop of blue.   

Here's another view of the card to give you a perspective on the dimension.  Thanks so much for stopping by today!

{Your Kindness has Touched my Heart}

Stamps: Thankful Flourishes (Our Craft Lounge)

Card Stock: Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)

Patterned Paper: Basics Manila (Basic Grey)

Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU), Prussian Blue (Colorbox)

Accessories: Light Blue Ribbon, Labels 9 Nesties (Spellbinders), Oval Nesties (Spellbinders), Foam Dimensionals, Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Clear Rhinestones (Michaels)

 

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A {Merry Christmas} Card...

Hey guys!  I have to tell you that I'm finally getting things together in my studio (and it actually resembles a studio so I don't feel like I'm lying when I refer to my studio as a studio).  I'm seriously having too much fun making cards.  I felt kinda lazy (and didn't want to leave my studio) and took these photos on my desk.  They didn't turn out bad since there is a window near.  

So, my card uses the Mojo Monday sketch.  When I finished this card, it occurred  to me that I didn't use any stamps. How'd that happen?  I did do a little sponging though.  In general, I'm not really big on patterned paper that has images in the corners, like this santa, but I found a way to make it work.  The brown paper in the background had the sentiment "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" printed on it, so I ended up using that particular sheet in two places.  Both of the red and brown background papers have faint printing on them, which is a little hard to see.

Here's a close-up so you can see the dimension and how the sentiment is wavy.  The sketch did not have the sentiment hanging off the edge, but I liked the way it looked.  By the way, all the edges are sponged with brown ink.

Thanks so much for visiting today!  Have a wonderful day!

{Merry Christmas}

Card Stock: Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink) 

Patterned Paper: 'Tis the Season (Kaiser Craft) 

Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU)

Accessories: Gingham Ribbon, Foam Dimensionals, Stampin' Sponge

 

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A {Happy Birthday} Card...

Hey guys!  My studio is still in pieces.  The rest of the shelves were supposed to go up last night, but when we started working on it late last night, we realized we didn't have the right screws.  And by "we" I mean my husband!   I could put everything back on my desk, but I know it would just get covered in drywall dust.  Yuck!  So, I wanted to make a card today, but I needed to keep it ultra simple and use as few supplies as possible.  

It's funny how this card came about.  I was wanting to make an elegant card.  I planned on putting a silver mini brad at each place the lines intersected, but I made the lines too close together and brads would have been overkill.  Once the lines were finished, they didn't pop off the card like I thought, so I inked up a sponge and lightly swiped it over the entire card so that the raised lines would pick up the most color.  So that turned out well, but I noticed that my card looked like a waffle cone.  There goes elegant!  But, I remembered I had an ice cream cone sticker in one of my SRM Sticker packs.  I wanted to have a white border around the ice cream cone, so I cut it out right off the sticker sheet.  It's applied to the sentiment panel with foam dimensionals.

So, there you have it!  Hope you've enjoyed today's card.  It's making me hungry!!!

{Happy Birthday}

Stamps: Communiqué Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)

Card Stock: Kraft, Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink), Chocolate Chip (SU)

Accessories: Scoring Board (Martha Stewart), Stampin' Sponge, Foam Dimensionals, Circle Punch, Ice Cream Sticker (SRM Press)

 

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An {Autumn Blessings} Card...

I'm so thankful I had a card already made to share with you today.  My daughter had a stomach virus last week and I caught it yesterday.  I practically spent the whole day in bed, which means my house is an absolute disaster area, and we're having company tomorrow.  I have so much to do and I'm definitely not 100% yet.    

So, the card I'm sharing today uses the November SOTM, Happy Fall from Clear & Simple Stamps.  I created a little scene on my card.  The leaves are colored with red, yellow, and orange markers.  The tree trunk is paper pieced with brown card stock.  I used a rick-rack die for the grass and stamped some acorns and a squirrel.  The kraft card base is dry embossed with a distressed stripes embossing folder. 

And here is a close-up so you can see the dimension.  

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Later this week I'll have some photos of my studio.  My husband painted the accent wall and hung up a few organizational items yesterday.  All that's left is the shelves and then putting everything back on my desk.  


Have a great day!

{Autumn Blessings}

Stamps: Happy Fall (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Kraft Like a Rockstar, On the Catwalk Cream, Espresso Your Style, Glamazon Green, Orange You Fabulous 

Ink: Perfect Little Black Dress, Espresso Your Style, Garden Green (SU)

Accessories: Markers, Stampin Sponge, Foam Dimensionals, Rick-Rack Die (Papertrey Ink), Distressed Stripes Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug)

 

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Paper Maniac Thursday - Anything But a Card

Hello!  Today is Paper Maniac Thursday!!!  This week on the Paper Maniac Blog the theme is ABC, which stands for Anything But a Card.  I think I copped out a bit since I technically did make a card, but they are "place-cards"!

I made four place cards, one for each member of my family.  The kids have already had fun using these at dinner.  They are going to be making their own versions for Thanksgiving this year, for many more people.   

My place cards are made from a piece of 5.5" x 3.5" kraft card stock folded in half.  I attached some scraps of patterned paper from Apple Cider by Imaginisce.  I used a computer and printer for the names.  The font I used is called "Sketchy Times".  Under the names I stamped, for lack of a better word, a separator.  I positioned my Labels 9 Spellbinders Die exactly where I wanted it and ran it through my Cuttlebug. I sponged the edges with brown ink and then trimmed off the lower half of the die before attaching it to the base.  

Next I added a light green rhinestone and some orange floss.  Lastly I rounded the bottom edges.  Repeat three more times!!!  

I hope you enjoyed today's ABC!  

{Thanksgiving Place Cards}

Stamps: Enjoy (American Crafts)

Card Stock: Kraft (Papertrey Ink), Cream

Patterned Paper: Apple Cider (Imaginisce)

Ink: Chestnut Roan (Colorbox), Chocolate Chip (SU)

Accessories: Labels 9 Nesties (Spellbinders), Light Green Rhinestones (Kaiser Craft), Orange Floss (DMC), Stampin' Sponge, Corner Rounder Punch, Computer & Printer

 

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A {From Our Home to Your Home} Card...

Hello!  I've had a bit of a crazy week.  I made this card yesterday for the Mojo Monday challenge, but didn't get around to posting it until right now.  My little guy has strep throat.  On top of that, I've been making exercise a priority.  I've been hitting the treadmill before I let myself have any craft time.  So that's why I'm so late.  I took Colin to the doctor, picked up his prescription, popped in a movie for the little guy and hopped on the treadmill.  Yada, yada, yada!

Enough about me, let's talk about my card!  This card uses some snowflake masking tape that I talked about in this post a few weeks ago.  I added some bling to the snowflake centers.  I don't know what is up with my bow.  I tied it so many times, and it still looks wonky.  You probably can't tell in the photo, but there is a skinny strip of brown card stock underneath the ribbon.  

I really love how the these two stamps look layered together.  The rhinestone on the tree ties in with the rhinestones on the snowflakes, making it all cohesive.  


Have a great day!

{From Our Home to Your Home}

Stamps: Holiday Home (Stampendous)

Card Stock: Kraft (Papertrey Ink), Chocolate Chip (SU) 

Ink: Chestnut Roan, Dark Brown (Colorbox)

Accessories: Snowflake Packaging Tape (Michaels), Foam Dimensionals, Rhinestones (Michaels), Gingham Ribbon, Button, Glue Dots, Twine

 

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Clear & Simple Stamps - App Sneak Peek

Hello again!  It's a busy day on my blog.  I also have another card featured today on the Clear & Simple Stamps APP.   You can see a sneak peek below.  This is a card created exclusively for the APP and you won't see it anywhere else.  If you haven't downloaded the APP, you can click here to do it.

Enjoy your day!!!

 

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Clear & Simple Stamps - November 2010 Release

Hi there friends!  It's the first day of November and that means a new SOTM from Clear & Simple Stamps!!!  This month's SOTM is called Happy Fall.  This set is so versatile, it can be used any time of the year.  I'm so happy I can finally share my projects with you.  You all know I'm not much of a colorer, but I had so much fun creating different color combinations with these leaves. 

Without further ado, here is Happy Fall:

And here is just one of the cards I made with this set.  I took the non-traditional route with this card.  Instead of building a scene, I used the large leaf image along with the tree top to create a collage of sorts with circles.  

I used Perfect Little Black Dress ink for all my stamping, then I colored in the images with markers.  There's a lot of dimension to this card.  I scattered orange rhinestones and brown buttons for added interest.  

The sentiment uses a smaller leaf images and is popped up on dimensionals as well.  I love all the negative space on this card.  Very clean and simple.

We are also debuting a new color!  This month's color story is A Clean Slate.  This new color is also available today in card stock, ribbon, ink, re-inkers and buttons as well as the Copic Trio Bundle (pictured below).

Thanks so much for dropping by today.  I've really enjoyed working with this set and I know you will too.  Stay tuned for more cards using this set throughout the month.

Have a great day!

{Happy Fall}

Stamps: Happy Fall (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Kraft Like a Rockstar, On the Catwalk Cream, Espresso Your Style

Ink: Perfect Little Black Dress, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)

Accessories: Orange Rhinestones (Kaiser Craft), Espresso Your Style Buttons, Foam Dimensionals, Circle Punches, Markers

 

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Our Creative Corner - Inspiration Challenge

Hello!  I hope you are all enjoying your Saturday so far. This week is an inspiration challenge at Our Creative Corner.  Diane has picked a lovely and serene image for us.  I took inspiration from the soft, muted colors as well as the vase of flowers.  

I broke out my Pocket Silhouettes set from Stampin' Up.  I haven't used it in forever because, quite frankly, I thought it was retired.  I have to say those images go perfectly with the inspiration photo.  

It's very subtle, but I stamped text using cream ink onto the kraft card base. I think it really softens the card.  

 If you feel like getting crafty you should definitely give this challenge a try.  Make sure you stop by Our Creative Corner and check out the rest of the card samples.  

I hope you all have a great weekend and have a safe Halloween.  Don't eat too much candy!

{Friend to Friend}

Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes (SU), Text Style (Papertrey Ink)

Card Stock: Kraft, Lemon Tart, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink), Close to Cocoa, Certainly Celery (SU)

Ink: Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink), Creamy Brown, Chestnut Roan (Colorbox), Certainly Celery (SU)

Accessories: Spiral Notebook Page Die (Papertrey Ink), Floss (DMC), Curly Label Punch (SU), Stampin' Sponge (SU), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Latte Pearls & Light Green Rhinestones (Kaiser Craft)

 

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An {I'm So Grateful For You} Card...

Hello!  Today I'm sharing a card I made the other night while my hubby was watching the World Series.  I rarely craft at night so I didn't know how it would go, but I'm in love with the card I made.  My son and daughter both love to make cards, but never quite clean everything up.  I'm sure you know what I mean.  Anyway, I guess they were using my flower punch and when I went to clean up the scraps, I thought about making a card using the negative image from the punch.

This card was super quick but interesting and graphic.  I started with a base of Pure Poppy and adhered a thick strip of patterned paper to that.  Then I trimmed a piece of Summer Sunrise the same height as the card but a little shorter on the edges so it would leave a strip of red on each side.  I punched out three flowers on piece of printer paper and placed them on the Summer Sunrise card stock arranged them where I wanted.  Then I punched the flowers out, although my punch was not very cooperative.  It punches great, put sliding the punch off the paper is a nightmare.  Okay, moving on, I adhered the punched card stock to the card base using a lot of foam dimensionals, especially around the flowers.

The flower centers are small circles of patterned paper with a clear epoxy sticker over it.  These are applied the flower centers with foam dimensionals as well.  I forgot to mention that the flowers and the edges of the Summer Sunrise card stock are sponged with blue ink.  Stamp the sentiment and voilà!

I'm so glad it's Friday, but I have a busy day.  Two Halloween parties and a Halloween dance.  I hope you all have a great weekend!!!

{I'm So Grateful for You}

Stamps: Signature Greetings (Papertrey Ink)

Card Stock: Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise (Papertrey Ink)

Patterned Paper: Early Bird (Cosmo Cricket)

Ink: Not Quite Navy (SU)

Accessories: Flower Punch (Paper Shapers), Epoxy Circle Stickers (Sticko), Foam Dimensionals, Stampin' Sponge

 

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