Throw Back Thursday Niagara Falls Die Cut Layout

Created in 1999

In the summer of 1998 I made a trip to Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  During that trip I was able to take a tour to Niagara Falls.  The Canadian side of the falls is a celebration to the engineering feat of harnessing the falls for hydroelectric power.  These are just a few of the photos I took on that memorable day.

I wanted the photos to shine in a layout, so I used a pre-diecut 12" x 12" black card stock.  Some areas have the cross pieces cut out with a craft knife, other sections I left them in.  The small squares were each cut down by 1/8" to fill in the spaces.  I love this layout!

Seashore Thinking of You Guest Designer at Crafting By Designs

I am very excited to once again be a Guest Designer for Crafting by Designs today.  I selected the theme of "Thinking of You" a month ago with the intent to make a card for my friend, but instead it is a "Thinking of You" card for her adult son.  This the third of five cards created for my dear friend's family who passed away on Feb 16th.  It has been excellent therapy for me to release some of my grief by crafting and blogging about her home going to Jesus.  It is my prayer to live my life as well as she did!

I am not sure what company made the seashore image, perhaps Stamp Cabana?  It is stamped in Tsukineko Tuxedo Black and colored with craft chalks.  This is a quick and easy way to create a blended multi-colored scene.  The inner frame is golden yellow card stock die cut with Spellbinders Scalloped Petite Ovals Small.  The top layer of royal blue card stock is die cut with Spellbinders Petite Ovals Small then pressure embossed with Darice Plaid embossing folder.  The top layer is adhered with dimensional foam adhesive.

The Unity sentiment is stamped in StazOn Tuxedo Black on re-purposed packaging.  The image is fussy cut and mounted to the top layer with a glue dot under the cork.  I think it looks remarkably like a glass bottle found on the seashore although maybe not as scratched up!

Please come on by Crafting by Designs and enter your own "Thinking of You" card!

The color inspiration for this card is the challenge and photograph at Chocolate Baroque.  Thank you!  It is entered into their challenge.

Retro Rubber Blog Challenge #08, Eyelets

Today I reveal my Retro Rubber Blog Challenge #08, using eyelets.  Do you have any of the  eyelets we all fell in love with back in the late 90’s!  Remember pounding them in before we had the wonderful Cropadile tool?  I do, and have a few layouts in scrapbooks with eyelets applied in this manner.

Some of my early stamp purchases were made at the annual Rubber Stamping Convention held in Portland, OR over Labor Day weekend.  The local stamp stores would run a shuttle to and from their stores, and there was a big turnout of stampers.  This was just before the scrapbooking craft started to take off with their own conventions.   I attended the convention and had a blast looking at samples, taking classes and of course buying stamps.   My earliest unmounted rubber purchases were mounted on homemade wood blocks . . . because we had not started with acrylic blocks yet! 

One of my favorite booths was Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers . . . and their pit of rubber.  They would throw all their unmounted rubber in big bins, and we would sit on the floor and sort through the images that we just had to have!  Hand held mirrors were important so you could read sentiments more quickly!  Ah, the memories. 

All of that to say, my card this week is made with some of my RBBB stamps purchased in 1996 or 1997.   

   

The front image is stamped in Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black on white card stock and is fussy cut around the outside.  The porthole is masked by stamping the same image on a post it note and fussy cutting just inside the stamp line before it is placed over the image.  This prevents a shadow effect when the diver image is stamped in the center . . . as if he is looking in through the porthole!  The porthole and scene are colored with Chameleon pens CG8 Cool Gray, BL3 Sky Blue, BG4 Aqua Marine, and BR5 Bark.  Each of the “rivet” holes are punched wit the Cropadile and the silver eyelets are mounted to the image.  Craft card stock is trimmed to 3 7/8” x 5 3/8” and pressure embossed with Darice Woodgrain embossing folder.   The raised portion is inked with Ranger Van Dyke Brown, along with the edges of the card stock.  The porthole image is mounted to the wood grain and to the front of A-2 card, 4” x 5 ½”.  

The scene inside the card is stamped in Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black.  The sentiment by Unity is stamped in Technique Tuesday Caribbean Sea Ink.  Each of the images were masked and Tsukineko Dew Drop Versa Magic Sea Breeze is sponged into the scene.  The images are colored with Chameleon CG8 Cool Gray, BG4 Aqua Marine, BR5 Bark, OR4 Seville Orange, and PK3 Bubble Gum.

Our rules are simple:

Create a new project, card, scrap book lay out, whatever.

Use eyelets.

Use a stamp from your stash that you have owned (preferably) for at least a year.

Come and join the fun at Retro Rubber Challenge Blog!  

Butterfly Sympathy Card

 I have returned from an amazing Celebration of Life service for my very dear friend.  I was one of eight asked to speak about a specific topic of her life.  What an honor and blessing.  Memorial services truly are a time to celebrate a life well lived.  I will miss her friendship but know this was not a goodbye . . . but I will see you soon in the glory of God's presence in heaven.

I created this card for her beloved mother, whom I have known for almost as long.  This is the second of five sympathy cards I made for her family.

 

I started with my version of Blackberry Bliss card stock trimmed to A 2 size, 6 1/4" x 9" folded in half.  Spellbinders Labels Eight and Decorative Labels Eight were die cut from white card stock and Raspberry Ripple make up the lower layers.  The top layer is stamped on Wisteria Wonder in Tsukineko Brillance Gold with an image from Unity Stamps' Beautiful Life, Blessed Memories set.  It is heat embossed with Stampendous Sahara Pearls embossing powder.  I purposely shopped for sympathy images over the last few months as I knew my friend's time was short.  The layers are adhered with dimensional foam adhesive.

The butterfly is a die cut by Cheery Lynn Designs, Exotic Butterfly Small #2 die cut in white card stock and colored with craft chalks.  It is backed with Small Angel wings by Cheery Lynn Designs in gold card stock.  The die cut was pressure embossed so it would merge nicely with the upper layer. The card is finished with a few DCWV pearls and a triple looped bow tied on my Bows-It-All 2.  I am very pleased with the front of the finished card.

Inside of the card

Since the card stock was so dark I decided to decorate the inside of the card, using the same Spellbinders dies and white and gold card stock.  The inside image is stamped in Tsukineko Versa Magic and is another sentiment from the Unity Stamps' Beautiful Life, Blessed Memories set.

This card was inspired by and entered in the following challenges.

Color Q #280

Crafting byDesigns Bingo row of Pearls, Die Cuts, Ribbon.

ScrapCreations row of Ribbon, Die Cut , Pearls
Allsorts Challenge Blog Week 299 the color Purple

Comfort Day by Day

I have been missing in action for a week or two . . . crafting didn’t make it to the top of the list for a few reasons.  I spent the weekend with my son at his first High School wrestling regional, my parents came to visit, my wonderful German Shepherd had eight healthy and beautiful puppies, and I am grieving for a very dear friend.

A few of the cards I have shared on this blog have been for this dear friend.  I was her last roommate before she married her DH 25 years ago.  She has prayed for me during my years of singlehood.  She stood beside me at my wedding 10 years ago.  She and her husband were part of the home study and adoption process for our two wonderful boys.  My sons are fortunate to call her Godmother, along with her husband as Godfather.  We were blessed that she was able to travel to their baptism just less 5 years ago.  Part of my gift to her was to create cards (with her permission) to have for her children for future life events.  I feel blessed that she would allow me to be a part of her life in this way.

She has been battling cancer for just over 6 years.  When her breast cancer returned less than 2 years ago, she knew the fight was on.  Her brave testimony to God’s love through all of the pain truly shows her courageous and buoyant outlook on life.  She is now in the presence of Our Lord and Savior and celebrating her new life in heaven.

I made it my mission to use my gifts and skills as a card maker and paper crafter to create cards for each surviving member of her immediate family.  This is the first of five and is for one of her daughters.

 

I started with a standard A-6 card (4” x 6 ½”) and added a strip of “blossom” card stock trimmed to 1 ½” and then punched with an edger punch by EK Success.  The black card stock is 3 ½” x 3 ½” and is pressure embossed with Sizzix Tropical Paisley.  The white card stock is 1 ½” x 5” and is pressured embossed with Cuttlebug D’vine Swirl, then inked with Tsukineko Versa Magic Pixie Dust.  It matches beautifully don’t you think?  These layers are adhered to the card.  The sentiment is by Great Impressions and is stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black and die cut with Spellbinders Petite Ovals Small.  The edges of the oval were inked and then adhered with dimensional foam adhesive.  A quick search through my Prima flower and brad collection yielded a few little flowers to add the finishing touches.  

This card was inspired by and entered into the following challenges:

Mojo Monday Sketch 385

Cupcake Inspiration Challenge 298

Retro Rubber Challenge Blog #08, Eyelets

It is time for a new challenge over at Retro RubberChallenge Blog!  This time it is as easy at digging out those eyelets we all fell in love with back in the early 90’s!  Remember pounding them in before we had the wonderful Cropadile tool?  I do, and have a few layouts in scrapbooks with eyelets applied in this manner.

Our rules are simple:

Create a new project, card, scrap book lay out, whatever.

Use eyelets.

Use a stamp from your stash that you have owned (preferably) for at least a year.

I had a blast creating my card for this challenge and it will be posted mid-challenge next week. 

Come and join the fun at Retro Rubber Challenge Blog!   

TBT Valentine's Post-It Note holder

This is a mini project I created as gifts for moms in my Mother's of Preschoolers (MOPS) small grop in 2011.  I have a few left that I plan on gifting to my younger son's team of teachers.

Created in 2011

 I started with red card stock trimmed to 3 1/8" x 8 1/2".  It is scored at 3 1/8", 3 1/2", 6 5/8", and 7".   The pink card stock was pressured embossed with Sizzix Heart and Dots embossing folder then inked with red ink to make the hearts pop a bit more.  The square is trimmed to 2 1/2" x 2 1/2'.  A 18" piece of ribbon is adhered to the red card stock, and the pink card stock is adhered over that.  A simple bow closes the little gift.  I made about 15 of these in less than an hour and they were a bit hit!

Thanks for stopping by!  It has been a busy week around the little farm, and I've not had much time to play in my craft cave.  The up coming weekend will be all about High School wrestling, so I don't know that I will have time to play this weekend either.  Good thing I've had a some time in the last few weeks!

CASE yourself for Retro Rubber Challenge Blog

Blog land is filled with challenges for Valentine’s cards and Retro Rubber Challenge Blog is no exception.   Join us in making a Valentine or two and play along!  For this challenge we are asking you to find an older Valentine YOU have created before and CASE (Copy and Share Everything) yourself.  Maybe change up the papers, or the color scheme.  Or keep it all the same.  But please remember to create A NEW CARD to enter our contest.  Remember to use stamps that are older than one year.  

Come on by and join the fun!  You can see my card for this challenge here. 

Anything But a Card Friendship ATC Booklet

This month the challenge over at Anything But a Card is to create a project that celebrates Friendship.  There are so many sayings that give us an understanding of friendship . . . and I have several that are stamps in my collection!  Artist Trading Cards are one way to make new friends and share art at the same time.  I have a collection that dates back to 2006 from the now defunct Memory Makers forum.  I have remained friends with many of my ATC trading friends through new forums and now in blogland too.  Another reason to dabble in ATC creation is the small "canvas" size that allows experimentation with a number of fun techniques.  I am glad that you have stopped by to see the full version of my ATC Friend booklet.

Front Cover, ATC 1

I knew that I wanted to make a collection of ATCs for this project.  So I decided to make a booklet along the lines of the tutorial over at Splitcoast Stampers.  I choose to make my booklet from 8” x 12” card stock and fold at 3”, 6”, and 9” on the long direction and 4” on the short direction.  The card stock was stamped with a Fiskars’s roller stamp and Tsukineko Kaleidacolor Berry Blaze.  After training the folds the edges were inked in corresponding colors.  The front cover edge was slit and ribbon was adhered inside, the back cover has an open edge and the corresponding back ribbon was adhered inside.  Each page was adhered together to form the booklet.

While I design my ATC I kept the rule of threes in mind.  The ATC needs three things:  a background, a focal image (in this case the friendship sayings), and an embellishment.

ATC 1 (front cover)

I wanted to play a little with my Superior Palette Stamp & Stick Gluepad that I’ve owned for awhile.  I stamped glossy card stock with a star image from Technique Tuesday Twinkle Twinkle set and “friend” sentiment from Stampendous Happy Messages.  After the images are heated I gently brushed Jacquard Products Pearl Ex Flamingo Pink across the image with a paint brush and buffed.  Using a soft foam roller (normally used for small household paint jobs) I added Tsukineko Kaleidacolor Denim ink over the top of the image then inked the edges with the darkest blue.  My Moments Paper Roses were the final touch to embellish the ATC.

ATC 2 and ATC #

ATC 2

This saying I found on the Internet and printed it on white card stock.  Using the same soft foam roller I inked the ATC with Tsukinkeo Kaliedacolor Berry Blaze over the sentiment and inked the edges with the darker purple.  The Inkadinkado image is stamped in Berry Blaze just below the sentiment.  The finishing touch is a bit of bakers twine tied in a small multi-loop bow.

A few process photos

ATC 3

I stamped the sentiment from Hampton Art on white card stock.  I used several pastel pink and purple chalks from Decorating Chalks with a stencil from Recollections I recently received as a prize from winning a challenge.  A few buttons from my stash and white craft thread finish the ATC.

ATC 4 and ATC 5

ATC 4

This is actually the first ATC I created and I did a bit of experimenting with the Superior Palette Stamp & Stick Gluepad and different media.  I tried foiling with no success, glitter (too chunky), and finally the dry Pearl Ex.  The images are stamped and heat embossed on black glossy card stock before brushing Duo Red-Blue and Flamingo Pink Pearl Ex over the images.  There really is a nice iridescence to the Pearl Ex that does not show in the photographs.  The frame is by Sweet Impression (in my stash forever!) and the sentiment is by Creative Cousins.   I added a heart shaped paper clip to the ATC.   ATC can be created either portrait or landscape style as shown with this image.

ATC 5

This was another experimentation ATC.  I finally went with using the Tim Holtz Mini Mask Compass to create the background image FIRST on white card stock, then printing the saying over the top.  This saying I found on the Internet as well.  The Jacquard Products Pearl Ex is mixed 4 parts to 1 part of powdered Gum Arabic.  I have used this process a few times and created my own well plate from an old candy box.  I add just enough water to make the well moist enough to use the Pearl Ex as a paint.  The water evaporates and the remaining pigment and gum Arabic are good to go for the next round.  After printing the sentiment over the image, I added the small watch by Recollections with a small black brad.   The edges are inked with Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black.  

ATC 6 and ATC 7

ATC 6

The image by Hero Arts was inked with Tsukineko Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black and heat embossed with clear embossing powder on white glossy card stock.  The leaves were colored in with Chameleon YG3 Spring Meadow.  The image was masked with a fussy cut post-it mask and then the edges were inked with a Tim Holtz handle and Adirondack alcohol inks in Purple Twilight and Wild Plum.  I added a flower brad over the top of the stamped flower with a Liquid Pearls Lavender Lace center and a little dragonfly brad to finish the ATC.

ATC 7

I used another saying from the Internet and then inked the white card stock with Tsukinkeo Kaliedacolor Denim and the soft foam roller.   The star image by Personal Stamp Exchange is inked in Tsukinkeo Encore Silver and stamped around the sentiment.  The brad was inked with Tsukinkeo  StazOn Azure to match the ATC, and the edges of the angel were inked to help her stand out from the background.  Mrs Grossman’s Vellum Vines Silver & Rose finish the ATC as a frame around the edges. 

To say I used just a few supplies would be an understatement . . . !

Almost everything used in creating this project.

  

Whew!  Thanks for stopping by and checking out my Friendship project, and as always, please join our challenge at Anything But a Card!  As a final note I wanted to show you just a portion of the experimental failures for this project . . . just so you know that playing with our inks, paper, and media is a process and is meant to be fun!

The not ready for prime time ATC versions!

I would like to enter my ATC Friend Booklet in the following challenges:

We Do Doobado #3 Hearts and Flowers-Flowers on the cover and ATC 6, hearts in ATC 2, ATC 3, and ATC 4

Suzy Bee’s Bloomin’ Challenge Blog #66 Anything goes with wings—Wings on ATC 6

dragonfly and ATC 7 Angel

Simply Create Too #78 Use Hearts--hearts in ATC 2, ATC 3, and ATC 4

QRK Stampede Challenge #125 Anything But a Card

 

Throw Back Thursday Woven Valentine

Unbelievably, this Valentine was created with scissors, an Xacto blade, and a hole punch!

Created in 2000

The heart outline was cut with a pair of scalloped Fiskar decorative scissors then the holes were hand punched.  The inside of the heart was cut out with an Xacto blade.  The woven red card stock is cut with the same scalloped decorative scissors and then woven with straight cut white card stock, and adhered to the scalloped heart die cut.  The large white heart card base is also hand cut.  I made several of these and kept one for my archive files.  Now we have all kinds of ways to cut and punch paper.   

I hope you have enjoyed this little blast to the past!  It has inspired me to do a little more paper weaving!

Retro Rubber Blog Challenge 07, Be My Valentine

Blog land is filled with challenges for Valentine’s cards and Retro Rubber Challenge Blog is no exception.   Join us in making a Valentine or two and play along!  For this challenge we are asking you to find an older Valentine YOU have created before and CASE (Copy and Share Everything) yourself.  Maybe change up the papers, or the color scheme.  Or keep it all the same.  But please remember to create A NEW CARD to enter our contest.  Remember to use stamps that are older than one year. 

 

As you can see by cruising around my blog, I’ve made a number of cute Valentine’s myself but wanted to make something a bit more special for my Dear Husband.  Stair step cards are fun to make and create dimension quickly and easily with a few cuts and strategic folds.  Splitcoast Stampers has a great tutorial that can be found here.

Slanted view

I used the following dimensions on white card stock:  trimmed to 6” x 11”, cut 1 ¼” from each side from 1” to 6 ½”, score sides at 1”, 2”, and 5 ½”, score center at 6 ½”.  After I trained the folds I ran the entire card base through my Grand Calibur with a Craftwell Teresa Collins embossing folder suitably named Honeycomb.  

Front view

 

All of the heart images are from a sheet of red rubber I purchased from Yvonne Albritton back in 2000 or so.  I really like that the images are repeated in three different sizes, making a coordinated stamped card easy.  All the images and sentiments are stamped in Tsukinkeo Memento Luxe Love Letter and are heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  You might be able to tell I am a big fan of inked edges, and this card is no exception.  Each of the stamped sections are backed with Fancy Pants Black Glitter sheet. 

The front sentiment is by CoMotion and has been in my stash for a very long time!  It is backed with Fancy Pants Black Glitter sheet die cut with Spellbinders Fancy Tags.  I was surprised how easy the glitter sheet was cut with the dies.  But I still have glitter all over my desk!  The tiny hearts are die cut using the Lawn Fawn Stitched Journaling Card heart die.  Quick way to add a little bit more to the card!  

Inside sentiment

The interior of the card is a smorgasbord of images.   Technique Tuesday’s All You Need is Love provided the I, you, and lips.  The hearts are from the Yvonne Albritton stamp sheet.  The large Love is by Heidi Swapp. 

Created in 2001

 

My original plan was to CASE the part this card by using velvet to stamp on for my Valentine.  But I was not able to find velvet in my town of about 80,000 that would work properly.  Maybe the next time I visit Portland I will go to a bigger fabric store and stock up!  This is a Valentine I made in 2001 that uses a similar broad stroke style stamp as the center image, and shiny metallic card stock.  The sentiment is stamped and embossed with glitter embossing powder.  It doesn’t show up well in the photo.  I have an entire collection of Fiskar scissors, both small and wide.  In this case I used the wide version of Seagull to trim the ends of the sentiment, and the band is trimmed with the smaller version.   

This was fun card to put together and use a number of stamps that needed a little time hanging out on my craft table and getting inky!  Why don’t you join the fun over at Retro Rubber Challenge Blog and make a Valentine that uses your older stamps!

I also must note that as I was making this card last week, this little ladybug flew in to join me.  Where she came from I have no idea . . . but it has been unseasonably warm here in Central Oregon.  This is where I found her, inside of the stair step card! 

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Simply Craft Too  #78 Happy Valentine’s Day and uses Hearts 

The Crazy Challenge #190 Love

Mema’s Crafts Valentines 

Crafty Boots Hearts and Valentines

Great Impressions Challenge Love, Love, Love

Chosen as a top pick!

Sweet Stamps #207 Love is in the Air
Chosen as a top pick! 

Aloha Friday Challenges#40 Valentines 

It's All About the Chemistry

I just love this stamp set from Your Next Stamp, Perfect Chemistry!  (It's so phunny, I love teaching Chemistry too!)  I’ve made a few more Valentine’s cards with the set and here is the latest reiteration.

The test tube and erlynmeyer flask are stamped in Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black on white card stock.  (My fav for a dye based inkpad.)  Chameleon RD4 Crimson Red shades the images before they were die cut with the matching dies from the set.   The sentiments are stamped on Die Cuts With a View chalkboard card stock in Tsukineko StazOn Opaque Cotton white trimmed to 3” x 6 ½”.  Chalkboard card stock behaves a bit like glossy card stock, so take care when stamping so the stamp doesn’t slip.  I added 3 glossy heart brads from my stash, and adhered it to Imagination Project Great Grid Paper Black trimmed to 5” x 6 ½”.  The Target Dollar Spot ribbon is adhered along both edges with Zips Ultra Thin adhesive.  The card base is Recollections red card stock trimmed to 6 ½” x 12” and folded in half.  There was just a bit of ribbon left, so I tied it in a knot and used a glue dot to hold it in place.  The fun Chemistry images are adhered with dimensional foam adhesive. 

There are so many challenges that fit for this card! 

I was inspired by the following:

 Your Next Stamp Sketch and Color Challenge #6

It just so happens that it fits the Incy Wincy Tic Tac Toe perfectly with the row of Brads, Use 3 or More Papers, and Ribbon.
 Happy to say the DT team at Incy Wincy picked this as their top choice!

and the following challenges are all about Valentine's!

Crafty Boots: Hearts and Valentines

Scrapbook Stamp Society #59 Valentines

The Crazy Challenge #190 Love

Mema’s Crafts Valentines using Red, White + Black

Simply Create Too #78 Happy Valentine’s use hearts.