Spunky Nature + Blooms!

Hi there! I'm here to show you a super spring-y card today! I don't know about you, but Christmas is over and I'm looking forward to SPRING! Come on warm weather, gardening, and playing outside! I miss you! Doesn't help that my friend Mandy already received her Burpee catalog in the mail and I was already peaking through it and planning my garden. Yes... it is still December... lol. Anyway, I have the spring blooms bug and here's what happens when that happens:

So... I pulled out my new Spunky Nature set from My Cute Stamps. LOVE this set! Full of bold, solid floral and nature images! Very cute, indeed! I stamped the grass/stem image in Versamark ink on Ocean Tides cardstock. Then, I stamped the large stem image on Rustic Cream cardstock with Dark Chocolate ink. To top it all off, I used my new Bloom Builder die to cut the flower with Raspberry Fizz felt- super cute! The sentiment is from PTI's Everyday Button Bits set.

Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by today!

Steph

Tutorial: Grid Scoring

Hey there! I'm checking in today to share with you how I make the grid pattern seen here and here. A couple of you asked for a tutorial on how to achieve this look and here it is! Please excuse my dry hands and chipped nail polish in the pictures! Haha! You know how it is....

First, I use the Martha Stewart Score Board- I love the board! It is broken down into 1/8" increments and that is the size I like my grid pattern. You can very easily make this grid pattern in larger sizes by scoring at different increments. You'll see what I mean when I show you how it's done!

Here I have my MS Score Board with a 5 1/2" by 2 1/4" strip of Ocean Tides cardstock. I lined the cardstock up flush in the corner of the score board. Being sure to hold the cardstock in place, I used the scoring tool to score straight lines every 1/8" for the entire length of the cardstock.

You have to be sure to hold the cardstock securely in place so that you can create straight lines without the paper slipping. Here is a closer look of the lines created with the scoring tool.

Once you complete all the score lines all the way across the length of the cardstock, flip the cardstock around and make sure the cardstock is flush in the corner of the score board again. Holding the cardstock in place, score every 1/8" to complete the grid pattern. 

Here is a closer shot of how the grid pattern is forming. By crossing over the score lines you made initially, you create a great box pattern on the cardstock.

Here is another shot -- you see that I had to readjust my hands to be sure that the cardstock didn't slip while I was scoring.

This is a simple way to add some texture and depth to your card! When I finished scoring this piece, I cut it down the center so I could use it for two different cards. Here is one of the cards I made with this grid scored cardstock.

I paired the Ocean Tides grid pattern paper with Rustic Cream cardstock, Hero Arts Long Stems stamp and the sentiment from Mat Stack 1 Collection. 

And here's another close up of the grid pattern! I'm so glad you all liked the technique -- I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions!

Thanks for stopping by!

Steph



Merry Christmas!

Hi, everyone! I just wanted to stop in today to share a couple more Christmas cards before it's too late to share them! The first one is a card I made for the last Paper Crafts magazine call -- obviously, it didn't get picked up, but I still love it a lot!

This one is made with Rustic White cardstock and I played around with some Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and my Inkssentials Blending Tool. I stamped the wreath from Wreath For All Seasons in Dark Chocolate ink and stamped the berries in Pure Poppy and Encore Gold. I love the ribbon detail on this one, too!

Next is the Christmas card I sent out to all my close friends and family this year! I had a blast working on these and they came together super easily thanks to Shutterfly!

Of course, who can pass up a card featuring these little cuties! I guess I am a little biased.... haha!

Thank you all so much for visiting today! I wish you all a very merry Christmas!

Steph



Play Date Cafe Challenge #60

Hey! I'm here today to share a quick card I whipped up for the challenge over at Play Date Cafe. Here is the picture provided for inspiration:

Ok... yellow... not my fave.... it's ok, though! I think I worked it out! To be honest, I really don't know if I worked it out, but I'll play along anyway! HAHA! My lovely sister and my husband said it hurt their eyes.... I'm hoping they just have no design sense..LOL! I happen to love it! Enough suspense, here it is:

Ok, people... it's full of things I love!

Damask Designs -- just got it -- I in love. 

Mat Stack 1 Collection -- in LOVE (can't wait to get Mat Stack 2 Collection). 

Vellum -- always a love.

Satin ribbon -- you know me... haha!

So, there it is- let me know... I'm a little unsure of this one. I'm in love.... others are dizzy... lol.

Steph

Friends for Life...

Hi, all! Hope you are all having a great Sunday! My little guy is taking a great nap today so I was able to play around with some challenges! I found this challenge from Skipping Stones Design through Maile Belles blog and thought it would be fun to play along!

Here is the sketch:

And here is my card:

So... I FINALLY pulled out my Larger that Life set- I have been waiting to play with it for a while and finally got around to it! I mixed it with the original Life set to make a wildflower background with black and smokey shadow ink. The frame is Fillable Frames #10 and the sentiment is from Life. I colored the rhinestones with Copics to match the Ocean Tides ribbon. To be completely honest, when I started this card I thought I had Ocean Tides Satin ribbon.... I only had twill tape... I dislike twill tape... lol! It came out OK, though.

Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by!

Steph

Cute little cupcake!

Hey, guys! I don't know about you, but I've about had enough of Christmas cards so today I'm here to share a bright and cheery birthday card with you! When I first got my shipment of My Cute Stamps a couple of weeks ago, the first stamp that jumped out at me was this super cute cupcake- it just screamed glitter and paper piecing to me! I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it the second I saw it! Here's my card:

I love, love, love this Little Cupcake from My Cute Stamps! I stamped it on some Dotty Biscotti patterned paper from Papertrey Ink and cut it out. Then, I stamped the cupcake again on some Shimmer White cardstock and cut out the top of the cupcake. Then, I glitter-fied (is that a word? is now!) it with Prisma glitter! Super, super cute! I adhered the cupcake on a shimmery Fillable Frames #5 die cut that I also ran through the Cuttlebug with the Polka Dot Basics Impression Plate! The sentiment is from the Birthday Bash Sentiments. I also love the look of the Plum Pudding Satin ribbon tied together with the twine! I love mixing the rustic, elegant, and cute elements together! So fun!

Here's a close-up of that super sweet cupcake!

I'm also entering this in the challenge over at Moxie Fab World Glitter is Glam! Check it out- you have until 1/3/2011 to enter!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Steph

Cold and dreery....

Ugh... I hate the cold.... and I know I can't really complain because there are so many of you living in below zero temps.... and it's only in the twenties here... but I can't take it anymore! How many more days until Memorial Day? Haha! No school today, speech therapy has been cancelled, icy road conditions... going to be a fun day....

Anyway, I'm here to share a very elegant birthday card today.

I used Background Basics: Tin Types with smokey shadow and aqua mist ink to create the pattern on the bottom of the card. The focal image is from Mat Stack 1 Collection- love this set! I've been using it a lot lately! A satin aqua mist bow finishes it off for a clean and classic look.

Also, I am proud to say the Christmas cards went  out in the mail yesterday! While I can't show you the finished product until Christmas, I can show you a little sneak peek.....

 love felt, love buttons, love twine.... so pretty....

I'm off to go play with these crazy kiddos now! Have a great day!
THINK WARM THOUGHTS!

Steph

FYI: I'll work on a tutorial for you guys who are interested in making a grid with a score board! Be back soon with that! So glad you like the technique!

Moxie Fab Challenge

Hey, guys! Long time no see! I've been plugging away at my Christmas chores... haha! I hate to call them chores, but there is just so much still to do! Anyway, I decided to take a break today and share some cards for the challenges over at Moxie Fab World. Today is the last day to play along! Hurry up and get your entries in! This card is for the Card Creations: Favorite Occasions Week All Occasion Challenge.

This is a sweet, blank butterfly card with a very rustic feel to it. I used the same grid pattern that I showed you in my previous post with my MS score board. Love the look of that grid and it's super easy to do!

Hope you enjoy the card- I'll be back with more posting soon I hope! Miss you guys!

Steph

My Cute Stamps in the house!

YAY! I got my My Cute Stamps sets in the mail yesterday and I couldn't wait to play around with them! These are super fun images and it'll be tons of fun playing around and seeing what I can do with them. Here's the first card I made with the set Elegant Birds.

I started by stamping the elegant bird cages on some patterned paper I found the other day when I was re-organizing. The paper is Making Memories Black Tie- don't think it's available anymore and I hadn't even touched it. Lovely how things get buried on my desk! LOL! Anyway, I found these super elegant, shimmery papers and stamped the birdcages on them and cut them out. Here's a close up of the different patterns I chose for the bird cages:



Very elegant, indeed.... Then, I cut a card base from PTI Smokey Shadow cardstock and made the grid pattern on the bottom of the card with my MS Score Board. The sentiment is from PTI's Fillable Frames #7 and is stamped on PTI White Shimmer cardstock. I arranged everything on the card base, adding some embroidery floss, ribbon, and rhinestones. Finally, I found a home for my super cute hot pink birdy and called it a day!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Steph

Teacher Gifts

Hey, everyone! Nice to see you this Monday! I've been plugging away- crossing things off my list one at a time! Trying not to get too overwhelmed this Christmas! Today I'm here to show you one of the things I crossed off my list over the weekend- teacher gifts! I made it really easy on myself and ran into Starbucks and picked up a few things- who doesn't love coffee, right? And not only did I get some great gifts, but they even gift wrapped it for me! LOL! The girl behind the counter said, "Can I wrap this in tissue for you?" and I nearly fainted! haha! YES! YES YOU CAN! Nothing easier than that! I brought it home, whipped up a couple of tags, tied them on, and teacher gifts are DONE!

Here's a picture of the gift:

Super cute Starbucks bags this year. And here's a close-up of the tag:

I used Tiny Treats: Christmas and Polka Dot Basics to make this tag. The deer is by far my favorite image in this set- he's so cute! I made a bunch of tags with him! Colored him in with my Copics and wrote a quick To and From on the back! Easy as pie!

See ya next time!

Steph

Live your dream....

Hi, guys! How is everyone? I'm feeling much better, but not quite 100% yet. Still getting over this cold/sinus infection. While me and my oldest, Aden, are feeling much better, my hubby and my youngest, Austin, are just now getting hit with it! I don't think we'll ever all be well again!

Busy day for me today... Aden's at school right now and me and Austin are getting ready to head out to speech therapy. After school today we are going to go try to buy Aden a new bedroom set since he's currently sleeping on the bed I got when I was ten! And his dresser just died. No better time them now I guess... lol...

Just a quick card for you today- I've been super busy working on some submissions for the current Papercrafts call- one of my big goals this year was to get published and I have to say I've been a little lazy about it! ;) I'm submitting everything I make this week... we'll see! My guess is you'll probably be seeing all of 'em on the blog-o next week when they don't get picked! LOL! In the meantime, here's a quick one I whipped up last night for you guys!

Listen... I know what you're thinking.... another YOF card..... haha! I CAN'T HELP MYSELF! I love these sets and I can't put them down. This is YOF: Mums, of course... Stamped a bunch of mums with Dark Chocolate Ink on Vintage Cream cardstock. Then, I went in and added a little color with my Tea Dye Duo in the center of the flowers and around the edge of the paper. I used my new Inkssentials Ink Blending Tool! I've been practicing away with that lately and I'm loving the soft, subtle look it gives me. I pulled out my Harvest Gold cardstock for my card base and I even gave up one of my wood buttons for this one! 

Hope you like it! See ya next time!

Steph