Crafting Trifecta

Three things to share today ...

First up, the last TUSAL post of 2012. It's incredible not only how much stitching I actually managed to get done, how many projects I put stitches into, but how full my ort jar is! Holy cow, I never thought I'd actually fill the jar. It's very cool that I can look at the different layers and recall which projects I was working on at that time.

Second item on the sharing list ... Christmas cards!  These two were specially made for two very dear friends of mine.

The white and silver card is for my friend Jordana of White Cabana. I challenge myself to make an almost all-white card for her every year. She loved this year's effort. :) Best compliment - she mentioned how much I've improved from when I first started papercrafting. That makes me feel good. Could you imagine if I had the time to papercraft more often?!?

Finally, some progress on the spur-of-the-moment Christmas present for my mom (aka her Tree of Stitches). Stitched on 32 ct hand-dyed (by me) lugana using HDF and Carrie's Creations silks.

She wanted a green tree, well, she's getting it!!

Embossing, Masking, and Getting Inky

I haven't posted any cards in ages. I've only made a couple in the past few months, usually at the last minute, which means I forget to take pictures.

I follow 40 or 50 papercrafting blogs, and I noticed a masking trend on one layer cards while using Distress Inks to colour stuff in. I love it. I think it looks great. But I really haven't done much of it myself ... until now.

This first card is for one of my very best friend's birthday. I embossed the bird (maybe from Inkadinkado?) with clear powder, and masked off the area I wanted to ink up. Then, I just started blending. I used Faded Jeans and Dusty Concord from Distress Inks. It's taken a long time (and watching umpteen You Tube videos), but I think I'm finaly getting the hang of these inks. Once I was happy with the inking, I spritzed with water and used my embossing tool to dry it. I love the way the ink reacts to water! As a final touch before I removed the mask, I sprayed a little Shimmer Spritz on it. Add sentiment and bling, and it's good to go!

For the second card, I embossed the butterfly, then I blocked off a bigger area and used three inks - Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade, and Barn Door. Again, my blending is getting better. No big blobs of colour or sponge marks. I spritzed with water, and the placement couldn't have been more perfect if I tried! I love the hint of a trail. No glitter or bling on this one, just a sweet sentiment for a supportive and appreciated friend.

I forgot how much fun it is getting inky; I just might have to do this more often!

July Cards

I'm about to head off on a string of small vacations, and there are a bunch of events that require cards during this time. So I put together a few cards inspired by things I've seen on the web in the past few months. I never remember (or write down) what I saw or where I saw it, but suffice it to say that the layouts and truly creative ideas are not my own, I just put my own tiny little twist on other people's brilliance.

Still papercrafting!

My poor little crafting corner with all of my paper, stamps, inks, punches, etc has been horribly neglected so far this year. I have made a handful of last minute cards that I didn't remember to take pictures of, so I made sure to remember this time around.  I've been trying to figure out what my personal style is and I think it is primarily clean and simple. It's difficult to leave so much white space, but I'm learning tricks to make my cards look more polished.

I fussy cut the kangaroo (from Paper Smooches) and paper pieced the inside of the ear. I also added Glossy Accents to the heart to give it a little shine and dimension (though it's impossible to see it in the picture).

Side note: I live about 2 1/2 hours away from my parents and my mom is my best friend, so I tend to make a lot of "I love you" or "I miss you" cards so I can pop them in the mail every so often. My mom is also crazy about butterflies, so they show up on a lot of my cards too.

I punched out the three butterflies (a Martha Stewart punch) then applied a script stamp (Kaisercraft maybe?) using Black Tuxedo Memento ink. Then I used some Distress Inks to add a little colour. (Top butterfly is Worn Lipstick and Barn Door, middle one is Shaded Lilac and Dusty Concord, and the bottom one is Peacock Feathers and Frayed Burlap.) Finally I added a little bling to the butterfly bodies and popped them up on dimensional foam.

I haven't spent a lot of time using my Distress Inks, so it was fun to get inky today!

And it begins ... 2012 UCJC - Day 1

I've been so excited the past few days just waiting for the 2012 Ultimate Crazy January Challenge to start! 31 new starts in 31 days -- how crazy am I??

So here I go ... Day 1!! Today's start is the 2009 Christmas ornament by Tor Rhuann Designs. (Check my UCJC page for a picture of what it should look like when finished.) I love the look of assisi-style designs, and it feels good to get a head start on my ornaments for next Christmas. I'm stitching this on 18 ct white aida with HDF silk (Ethereal Ice) and PTB Silver.

And my progress today:

I also have a card to share today. I played around with creating my own washi tape the other day using authentic Japanese origami paper. I love how it turned out, and it was fun to make an Asian-inspired card.

Another challenge card

I've decided to enter another challenge! I just love the colours in this week's challenge over at The Play Date Cafe, so I'm going to rustle up some courage and enter a card.

The colours and inspiration are:

And my take on it:

It didn't turn out quite how I had thought it up in my head, but it has some elements I really like. I dusted the black snowflake with some perfect pearls to add a little shimmer and soften the starkness of the black ink. And the bling practically just jumped onto the card.

Edit: I just realized after I posted this that the challenge colours match the colours of my blog !! No wonder I was drawn to this challenge! Hehe.

Disappointment, Christmas Cards, UCJC, and My Boy

I have lost my stitching bug. It's gone -- been MIA for almost a week now. I was working like mad trying to finish page 3 of HSH, and as I got to the last 5-7%, I got bogged down. Not because of confetti or anything like that, but because I HATED the colours. I was stitching pinks and purples, a wonderful change from the array of mustards, oranges, and browns I'd previously been working with. I should have been delighted, delirious, or over the moon!! But, I hate the colours. They look nothing like they should and I think it looks hideous. I was so upset that I had to stop stitching and tuck the piece away. I don't know what to do with it now. Bleh.

See what I mean? (Here's a close up.) Compare it with the pic in my sidebar. Not even remotely close. Grr.

I (of course) didn't make enough Christmas cards in the last 3 months, so I have been a little frantic trying to make a few last minute cards. I used Versamark to do a subtle holly and berries pattern on the background, but it didn't work out quite as well as I hoped. I'll try clear embossing next time, that might give it a little more oomph.

This next one is for my parents. It's simple, but I really like it. Some of the best fussy cutting I've done to date.

The trick is to use distress inks on the little white edges to cover them up (worked like a charm), then I spritzed it with shimmer mist. They look magical now!

I have been preparing for the 2012 Ultimate Crazy January Challenge. I have 30 of the 31 projects kitted up and ready to go. The only one I'm missing is Metamorphasis by Ink Circles, and I still need the chart, fabric and threads! I'm hoping my LNS comes through for me before January!

See -- my semi-organized piles! (And my treadmill put to good use.)

Lastly, I have pictures of my boy to show you. I've never done this before, but he's so freaking cute, I just couldn't resist. He's a 5-year-old Miniature Schnauzer named Toka.

He hates the rain, so sometimes I let him run inside instead.

PS -- IHSW is coming up this weekend. It's the last one of 2011. Cross your fingers that my mojo comes back in time!

Do you see what I see?

That's right! The roof!! The roof!! Woohoo!!

I needed a break from the confetti nightmare that is DQ, so I pulled out my long neglected Home Sweet Home and put a dent in page 3. Page 3 was about 30% done, and now it's 90.4% complete. (Overall I have 15,103 stitches stitched.) You can now see the peak of the roof and part of the tiny top window, and all that's left on this page is to fill in the pinks and purples. I am so EXCITED about pinks and purples after all the orange, mustard, and brown I've stitched on this piece.

I also have a recently made card to share. I hate making sympathy cards :( but I think this was a simple and elegant design. Plus I had a chance to use my new Perfect Pearls for the first time. (Side note - I LOVE VERSAMARK. Where has it been all my life?!?)

There is something so appealing about a clean, simple, and neutral card with a single pop of colour. Variations on this might be forthcoming. :P

A Couple of Firsts

Today I am trying something new -- I'm entering a card in a blog challenge. Eek!

I saw the current challenge over at Young Crafters Unite, which is to incorporate die cuts into your card design, and I immediately had a card idea pop into my head, so I started creating!

This is what I created:

I'm kind of nervous about entering my card -- I'm still rather new at this whole cardmaking thing and I still have tons of tricks and techniques to learn. Gotta start somewhere though eh?

My other first ... I won my first ever blog giveaway!! Kari over at KWCardDesigns picked me at random and I won a most generous prize ... a $30 gift card to Simon Says Stamp. I've been browsing and drooling over that store for a while, and this was just the push I needed to go shopping. Of course I spent more than the $30, but the gift card certainly helped. Thanks Kari!!

My new stash:

I decided I should try something new, so I picked up some Perfect Pearls, some Versamark Watermark ink, and 2 beautiful new Hero Arts stamp sets - Asian Frames & Anytime Messages.

Now I just have to find time to play with it all!!

Masculine Birthday Cards

So I decided to make a birthday card for my Dad. I tend not to make masculine cards, so this was a bit of a challenge.

My first try:

It started off with good intentions - browns and blues, but somehow pearls and shimmer spritz and ribbon jumped onto the card. It's cute, but not my favourite, and not exactly masculine either.

My second try:

It looked better in my head, but it'll do.

Patchwork Cards

I saw a card somewhere in blogland (I'm terrible at remembering where I see inspiration - I know, I'm sorry) that used 3 patterned papers as a background and it made me think a little bit of a patchwork quilt. So, I took that idea a little further and created a Christmas card and a Halloween card.

I went to my local Fabricland the other day, and found some great lace. I've never used fabric on a card before, but I love the subtle texture it adds. I also kinda dig the "frosting" I added to the sentiment. I love heat embossing!

Retail therapy and some Christmas cards

It's been rainy and gloomy here and I have been buried in schoolwork this week. As a result, I have been rather grumpy. Naturally, I figured some retail therapy was in order! So off I went to my LSS. I picked up a new Fiskars paper cutter, some Spellbinders dies, and a 6x6 pad of paper that is loaded with butterflies (which makes it the perfect paper for cards for my mom). I have also discovered Glue Dots -- and they are AWESOME. How did I craft without them?!?!

Anyway, I decided to try out my new Christmas Spellbinder dies. LOVE 'EM!

I really like this first card, so simple but looks great.

I made two of the next card; they are similar but not identical. (I've only taken photos of one though.) I even practiced using my distress inks. I still haven't quite got the hang of them yet.

I probably should have resist embossed the snowflakes, but I was just too lazy to pull out all my heat embossing stuff. I kinda dig the swiss dots folder embossing on the snow. First time I've used that folder. (I bought it and forgot about it -- oops!)

Birthdays, Christmas and More

I told you there would be more cards coming!! I managed to get a few of the personalized cards done, as well as a few Christmas cards. The rest will have to wait until next week sometime, since I am going away for the weekend.

First up, is a card I'm strangely thrilled with. I made this for a good friend of mine who is defending her thesis proposal this week. Woohoo!

I really don't like the colour orange -- I'd even go so far as to say I hate it. But I picked up a used pad of 6x6 paper at a garage sale and I decided that this would be a good opportunity to use some of it. As the card started to come together, I started pulling different shades of orange cardstock out of my stash, then I found some orange flowers and gemstones. I have no idea how I ended up with so much orange!! But I think it really worked.

Next up is a birthday card for my brother. I don't often make masculine cards, and I (like many others) struggle when I try. What do I do with all that space when I can't put ribbons or flowers or other bling on it?!?! I think this turned out pretty well despite the lack of bling.

And finally, a few Christmas cards to add to my growing hoard. The bow on the first card was a pain to make, but it looks okay. For the second card, I struggled with the blahness of it -- then I added the snowflakes and it suddenly wasn't such a failure!

Don't you worry now -- there are still more cards on the way next week!!

A New Card-making Style

I think I have finally mastered the art of matting, and I am LOVING how it looks. I made a Thank You card for some friends who had me over for dinner. I wanted it to be elegant, yet funky/edgy/cool. I almost don't want to give it away!

The patterned paper is from a 6x6 pad that I bought recently at my LSS (local scrapbooking store) Scrappin Great Deals. It's by KaiserCraft, and it is my favourite paper EVER. (Or at least until I fall in love with other paper, though this stuff is going to be tough to beat.)

I have a ton of cards I need to make this week, so there will be more card posts coming up. I'm also at work on a pile of Christmas cards, which are in various stages of assembly at the moment, and I hope to post pics of them before the end of the week.

I missed having my crafting mojo. I'm very glad it's back.

Cards, cards, glorious cards!

Okay not really. I haven't had time to craft much lately, but I have been upping the bling quotient on the few cards I have made.

First, a glimmery, shimmery, clean & simple Christmas card:

And my Mom's birthday card (it'll be late because I don't want to send it in the mail and squash the butterflies, so she'll get it the weekend after her birthday) with a heap of faux pearls, some shimmery butterflies and even a little glossy accents!

Drama Queen - 2 down, 14 to go

The last few weeks when I've been working on Drama Queen has almost made me mental. The confetti is SO heavy, and while it looks great, it is exhausting and frustrating to work on. But late last night I got the urge to make the final push (and I almost succeeded).

There is one stitch left to do on page 1. (I'm waiting to stitch it because there is quite a bit of that colour on page 5.) I have 29 stitches left to do on page 2. (Most of which is confetti, which I just don't have the energy to tackle right now.) And I've put in almost 500 stitches onto page 5! (I decided to move to page 5 instead of page 3 because it looks a little less confetti heavy, and I need a page where I can make good progress for a while.) In total I have stitched 11,244 (or 14.27%) of the entire piece.

This is a close-up of the poppy. Here you can see some of the intricate confetti and the range of colours I get to use. There's purple in the centre of that flower!! Go figure!

During a confetti break last night, I made a quick card for a friend of mine who had a rough week last week. It's simple but I love the elegant lines of it. I might have to make a small pile of these, I like them that much. The stamp is from a new set I got from Denami Designs. They are lovely to work with! I wouldn't mind more stamps from there in the future.

Christmas is coming!!!

To be honest, I'm a bit of a humbug. (Okay, a big humbug.) But I like making (and giving) cards, and what better time of year then at Christmas? So, I have started stockpiling a variety of Christmas/holiday themed cards. It also provides a great excuse to buy more stamps and paper!

My first card was actually made because I was practicing resist techniques with distress inks.

I picked up a new snowflake embossing folder for my Cuttlebug. I just had to play with it!! Plus I like the clean and simple design. I made 3 of these; each with basic variations in paper etc.

I made 3 of these cards. I just changed the placement of paper to make each one unique.

More button bow cuteness!

Okay, so my impromptu button bow on that birthday card the other day really inspired me. I sat down yesterday and spent a few hours putting together a few new button bows that I think are deliciously cute!

And I think they look great on cards too!