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!

Blankies Layout

Hello all, I am finally having some time to do some scrap layouts.  Not usually a single page gal, I choose a single page sketch for these precious photos of my boys almost 10 years ago!

I am like many scrapbookers, and have a huge stash of patterned papers.  I found a few that are almost vintage to create this layout.

• My Mind's Eye Lime Swirl from 2006, and Magnolia from 2008, and Art Imaginations Blue Scroll from 2005 all coordinated together.  
• Wanting to go a bit mixed media I splattered some Fireworks! in Bahama Blue and Summer Sky on white cardstock.  After it was dry, it was die cut with Spellbinders Cascading Stars.  One of the things I like about this die is you can use all the parts!
• The title is die cut from a light blue cardstock using an installed font on my Brother Scan N Cut DX.  
• A few bits of ribbon from my stash are tied into bows.
• Everything is mounted on Core'dinations Distress Collection Blue cardstock.
• The final embellishments are Spiegelmom Scraps Southern Blue Bells sequins.  

I was inspired by Sketches in Thyme:

 

I would also like to submit to the following challenges:

Shopping Our Stash #412 Winter Blues

Through the Craft Room Door AG

The Paper Girls Challenge #192 Winter Colors

Crazy 4 Challenges Use Ribbon C4C 519

Tic Tac Toe for Retro Rubber

We have a very fun Tic Tac Toe board for our second challenge of the year at Retro Rubber Challenge Blog.   We have very simple rules to play along.  1)  Use at least one image that is more than a year old and share with us how old it is 2)  Enter only up to a total of ten challenges.

There are so many ways to use these fun elements!

I had need for a sympathy card and choose the diagonal to include punch and patterned paper.

• The base patterned paper is from a very old Provo Craft paper slab.
• Stampendous Encouraging Words from 2007 is used to stamp the main image in Versa Magic Tea Leaves.
• A strip of paper is punched on both sides with EK Success Edger punch.
• Green cardstock from my stash is used to back the elements.
• The sentiment is stamped in Memento Luxe Northern Pine. 
• The layers are adhered to an A7 card base.

Please check out the challenge and come play along with us!  We would love to see your wonderful creations at Retro Rubber Blog Challenge.  

Berry Blaze Sympathy Card

Sympathy cards aren't typically cards that I keep on hand, as I like to make each one specifically for the recipient.  For this card I pulled out glossy cardstock that had Kaleidacolor Berry Blaze brayered over the surface to create an ombre effect.

• One section is stamped with Memento Luxe Wedding Dress and a very old Ink Links Butterflies image and heat embossed with white embossing powder.
• Another section is pressure embossed with Elizabeth Craft Designs Berry Branch.
• The sentiment is from the Unity Stamp Company . . . beautiful life, blessed memories set.  It is stamped on vellum with Memento Luxe Wedding Dress and heat embossed with white embossing powder.
• To create a textured look I gently pressed the card base into the Kaleidacolor Berry Blaze.  I am pleased with the end result!

I was inspired by the CAS(E) Sketch #354

I would also like to enter the following

Crafty Catz AG with a critter