MOPS Play Day

Another layout featuring my younger son in his preschool days.  We had a group over for a time to play and socialize.

 

• This layout features Echo Park All About a Boy collection kit, the same one as yesterday's layout featured.  The bright colors and boy themed embellishments make for a quick layout.
• The background is Kraft cardstock which is a nice contrast to the fun colors of the patterned papers.
• If you look really close you can see that I was able to turn other letters into the "a"s that I needed for the title.  I choose "g" and added the bottom serif from the "z".  

Thanks for stopping by!  I've had a little more time to scrap and am glad to have the opportunity!

Gymnastics

Well not exactly full on gymnastics, but more pre-school time at the gymnastics gym!  I played along with at sketch challenge over at 2PeasRefugees.

• Dark Blue cardstock creates a base for a layout that features bits and scraps from the Echo Park All About a Boy collection kit.
• Stickers from the element sheet and die cuts from the spinner patterned paper came in handy as embellishments.
• Making Memories Dot Style Creative Letters stickers stand out nicely against all the patterns in the layout.

This was fun to put together using as many scraps as I could.  Collections allow me to do this, and Echo Park makes great collections!

Great memories from when my son was small and learning all kinds of new things!

Kindermusik

It is super fun to scrap photos that are now (yikes) ten years old.  They are good memories that help when parenting a teen gets tough!

 

 The left side is inspired by the sketch challenge over at Scrap Your Stash.  The sketch is altered for 4 photos on the right side.

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• I started with light blue cardstock as a base and added a colorful music patterned paper I have in my stash for who knows how long?  There was no identifying printing on the paper to even know who made it, but it was perfect for this layout!
• I has some great scraps from Bo Bunny Toy Box, Circles (which I think count as polka dots) and Cheerful.  The small 4 represents how old my son was in the photos, and is from the B side.
• The yellow strips is also a B side pattern as is the two color small strips.  I think they all coordinate together well.
• To add both washi tape an follow the idea of the sketch I added lime green washi by Paper Studio.  It did take a few minutes to miter the corners.  
• The tag was cut with Paper Studio's Tag punch.  A small remnant of ribbon from my stash tops the tag.
• The Musical die cuts are from the Silhouette store.
• David Walker Creative Imaginations letter stickers create the two titles. 
• Journaling was completed with a Zig Writer in Splash.  

 Thanks so much for stopping by!  It is therapeutic to share my crafting with the blogsphere!   

 

New Baby card for Retro Rubber Anything Goes

Woops, I am a little late with this post as real life got in the way!  So this go around at Retro Rubber the challenge is everyone's favorite.  Anything Goes!  Remember we have a few simple rules 1)  Use at least one stamp that is more than a year old  2)  Let us know how long it has been around with a date (approximate works too) 3)  Enter up to ten challenges including Retro Rubber.

Some dear friends of our just had a baby girl!  She joins her two big brothers.  The parents waited until her birth to find out her gender, so it is such an awesome time for all of them.  Her biggest brother who is all of 4 1/2 said "It's going to be a girl, I can feel it in my bones!"  Such an old soul little boy!

Since I had some really cute baby charm dies, I decided to go that route and include a stamped sentiment.  All of the cardstock is from my stash, some are just little scraps.

• The rabbit and onesie are from Elizabeth Craft Designs Baby Charms.  There are stencil spots on the dies to easily color in the hearts and other details with pens.  I used Zig Writers in Pure Pink, Pure Red, and black.  A white Gelly Roll pen colored the interior of the rabbit's ears.
• The heart is from another Elizabeth Craft Designs set, Hanging Charm Pull Tab.  Zig Writer in  Hyacinth is used to color the highlight.
• Elizabeth Craft Designs Chains 1 is die cut from metallic silver cardstock.  The charms are attached with silver craft thread.  It is softer and easier to mail than jump rings!
• Spellbinders Lacey Ovals is die cut and the placement of the chain allowed me to determine the spot for the sentiment.
• The sentiment is from Technique Tuesday Chickadess 2.0 and is stamped in Versa Magic Eggplant.  
• White cardstock is pressure embossed with  Elizabeth Craft Designs Hearts Entwined and the edges are inked with Versa Magic Eggplant.
• The card is adhered together with the lacey oval adhered with thin foam adhesive. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and we hope to see you in our gallery at Retro Rubber for Challenge #129 Anything Goes!

Monster Valentine

One last Valentine to share . . . this one for our resident 14 year old male child.  Nothing to mushy for for the teenager!

I had a hard time deciding what kind of critter I wanted to use . . . so went looking through my stash and found these fun monsters from The Stamps of Life released in May 2017.

• Searching through my stash of past mixed media experiments I found a sample of Amplify by Imagine the mixed Radiant Neon Electric Pink and Black.  It was rolled out onto cardstock then heated with a heat tool to have a slightly raised textured surface.  I die cut the three monsters plus a backing of black cardstock with the dies from Monster4Celebrations.  One monster has his features penned in with a Zig marker.  
• Additional die cut pieces add the tongues inked with Radiant Neon Electric Pink ink, and white for the teeth.  I had three different sizes of googly eyes in my stash that worked perfectly!
• The sentiment is Hero Arts CL498 Celebrate Every Day stamped on black cardstock and heat embossed with Think Ink Magenta Bright Light embossing powder.  
• The background is pressure embossed with Sizzix Hearts and Dots and then inked with Radiant Neon Electric Pink ink.  
• The card base edges are inked with Delicata Black Shimmer.
• All the layers are adhered together and parts of the monsters are trimmed off so they feel like they are just jumping into the scene. 

Overall I think the card is really fun and conveys the Valentine message well for a teenage boy!  Thanks so much for stopping by and know that I appreciate all your comments!

I am delighted to enter the following challenges:
Aud Sentiments #244 Valentine/Love Sentiment
Cut It Up #193 Love is in the Air
Creative Friday #249 Valentine
Daring Cardmakers Something or Someone to Love

Double D Challenges Hearts 

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges #468 Love, Love, Love

The Paper Funday Challenges #14 AG with a Valentine's twist

The Male Room #129 I Heart You

Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge #419 Hearts on Fire

Try It on Tuesday Share the Love
Always Fun Challenges #149 Love/Valentine's
Make My Monday #115 I Heart You

For My Sweetheart

As a card maker, every once and awhile I like to make a very special card for my husband.  This card did take some time to plan and create, but the results are really fun!

The front of the card is just a hint of the inside!

• Dark red cardstock is the base of the card, topped with Me and My Big Ideas patterned paper from 2011.  The base is 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" (or 11" before the fold).
• Karen Burniston's Twisted Panel Pop-up dies are used to die cut light grey cardstock, dark red cardstock, and black cardstock for the front.
• Memento Tuxedo Black ink is used through the card for the stamping.  
• Joy Clair's Hello Sentiments (2017) stamped the "For My" and Studio G's Sweetheart (2006) completes the front sentiment.
• Red twine decorates the tops of the sentiment's before the entire card front is adhered together.

 

As you can see the majority of the labor of love was in the interior of the card!  To die cut and assemble the card, please follow Karen Burniston's excellent video HERE!

• Red, black, grey, pink and green cardstock are used to die cut all the pieces. The center panel with the mechanism is die cut from the same Me and My Big Ideas patterned paper used on the front of the card. 
• The top panel use's Hero Arts CL498 Celebrate Everyday from 2015.  Using a stamp positioner I stamped each word of the sentiment one at a time, although it is one long sentiment, "Happy Valentine's Day".  
• "Be Mine" is another 2008 Studio G.  They just happen to be the perfect size!
• Lawn Fawn's 2014 Hedgehugs was perfect for the two center panels of the card.  The images are stamped and die cut from kraft cardstock and colored with Prisma pencils.  
• Hero Arts 2013 CL582 XOXO hugs & kisses is stamped on the far right panel.  
• A combination of Technique Tuesday's So Grateful from 2014 "Love You" and Scrapbook.com's 2019 XOXO "forever & ever" finish the final bottom panel. 

I hope you find this card to be an inspiration of ways to combine stamps, die cuts, and different company's products to create one really fun and fantastic card!  Thanks for stopping by and Happy Valentine's Day!

I am delighted to enter the following challenges:
Aud Sentiments #244 Valentine/Love Sentiment 

Double D Challenges Hearts 

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges #468 Love, Love, Love

The Paper Funday Challenges #14 AG with a Valentine's twist

The Male Room #129 I Heart You

Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge #419 Hearts on Fire

Try It on Tuesday Share the Love
Always Fun Challenges #149 Love/Valentine's
Make My Monday #115 I Heart You

Guest Designer for Imagine Valentine

There was a call for Guest Designers for Valentines, and of course I had to send in a card using Imagine products.  I was fortunate to be a part of the Artist in Residence for two years, so I had plenty of choices to work with on this project.  The Imagine blog post featuring guest designers went live while I was traveling so I am sharing my post with you now.

This card was super easy to put together and color!

• Concord & 9th's Geode Stamp and die set heart was stamped several times on the card front in Delicata Golden Glitz and heat embossed with iridescent embossing powder.  
• Angel Pink and Rose Bud Fireworks! is flicked on the front of the card.  
• The same image was stamped and die cut.  The different layers with water color painted with Fireworks! in Angel Pink and Rose Bud and diluted with Ink Potion No. 9.
• The sentiment "You are a Rare Find" was die cut three times and stacked to make a dimensional die cut.  The top layer is inked with Delicata Golden Glitz and heat embossed with iridescent embossing powder. 
• The die cut heart is adhered with dimensional foam adhesive and the sentiment is added to the card base.

This card is on it's way to my son for Valentine's Day, I hope he enjoys it!

Thanks for stopping by, I always enjoy reading your comments!

I am delighted to enter the following challenges:

Double D Challenges Hearts 

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges #468 Love, Love, Love

The Paper Funday Challenges #14 AG with a Valentine's twist

The Male Room #129 I Heart You

Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge #419 Hearts on Fire

Try It on Tuesday Share the Love
Always Fun Challenges #149 Love/Valentine's
Make My Monday #115 I Heart You

Valentine's for Retro Rubber

We are already well into February and time to think about Valentine's.  I like to make and send Valentines to all my kids, so I have a few to do.  Our challenge at Retro Rubber , "love is in the air!" is just the thing to get me motivated!

Two of our kids are boys, so I wanted to go more masculine with this theme, and choose to go bold with dark red, a touch of pink, and use white ink.

• I trimmed the base cardstock to 11" x 4.25 and created a top fold card.
• Red cardstock was pressure embossed with Cuttlebug's Hugs and kisses embossing folder.  
• The "XOXO" is a from the stamp set XOXO by Scrapbook.com released last year, 2019.  It is stamped in Memento Luxe Wedding White and heat embossed with white embossing powder on the same pink cardstock as the base card.  
• The "happy" and Valentine's Day is from Joy Clair's Hello Sentiments released 4/2017.  
• The "XOXO" and "happy" were dic cut using my Brother Scan N Cut, on the direct cut setting.  That allowed me to separate the XOXO and create a more pleasing design on the card.
• All of the elements are adhered with dimensional foam adhesive.   
• The final touch is craft thread tied in a bow around the top of the card.

Hope you have time to play along with us at Retro Rubber with our "love is in the air!" challenge.  You know you have someone who would appreciate a Valentine!  Our rules are simple, 1) sse at least one stamp that is more than a year old 2) let us know how old the image is AND 3) Enter up to ten challenges including ours.

Thanks so much for taking a look!  I hope this inspires you to make a few Valentines and play along with us!

Stick It Down Double Page for February

This month we have a great couple of sketches over at Stick It Down.  As always we have a Double Page, Single Page and a Card Sketch for you to play along with during February.  I am debuting the Double Page sketch with my take on the sketch.

As you can see the design is perfect for a Valentine's Layout.  But I decided to go a different route, one that show cases my stateroom from my recent scrapbooking cruise.

 

 I had never been on a cruise before, so everything was documented, including our 170 square foot cabin. 

• I matched some DCWV light mint green cardstock to the Carta Bella Ahoy There collection for the base of the layouts.
• The B side of Waves and the B side of Let's Sail were trimmed to fit the sketch.
• I purchased the cruise ship cut file from the Silhouette Store and cut it with my Brother Scan N Cut.  Not wanting the place all those tiny little pieces with a second cut in black, I then traced the outline of the ship, scanned and then cut the result.  I never did figure out how to accomplish the same thing in the software!  Hum, something new to learn!
• The Nautical embellishments were also purchased from the Silhouette Store and cut from coordinating cardstock.  
• The Memories by the sea title is from Quick Quotes and is inked with the darkest ink on the Kaleidacolor Denim set with an Ink Dauber.
• The remaining part of the title is die cut using Honey Classic, Honeybee Classic and Santa's Workshop all by Quickutz.  The die cuts are inked with Kaleidacolor Denim as well.
• My Sea Pass fit great with the theme and was used as part of the embellishment cluster  

I have many more layouts to work on to document this really fun experience from last November.  I hope to do it again someday!

Please do check out the sketches over at Stick It Down, and come play along!  We would love to see what you create!