Butterfly Birthday

A simple card I made recently where the paper does all the talking. Only had to add an (heat) embossed sentiment and that was it... :-)

Live the life you've imagined...

I was talking with an old friend of mine (whose birthday was coming up) about the fact that Life is all about going after your dreams... and I immediately thought about this sentiment (stamp by Tim Holtz) for the birthday card... ;-) (sorry about the crappy pic, I can't get the lighting right on that one...)
The papers are from DCWV, the "Tradewinds" stack which has quite a few gorgeous papers with old world charm. A few of those papers look like fabric patterns, like the one I used for the tag, or the one used for the card base which reminds me of a chevron man shirt. There's also a pale and a dark woodgrain pattern in the stack.

I kept everything simple because this card is really about the sentiment, and I heat embossed it with gold powder for more pop. I stamped a clock at the bottom right, because life doesn't wait for you... and there's a barely visible "may your dreams take flight" (PTI) under it. The twine is from The Twinery.

Simple Thanks

My mojo took a hike a while back and hasn't returned as of yet... so I was a little nervous when I sat down at my desk to make a card for one of my sons' teachers who is leaving the school system to do private therapy.
I think when you are unsure what direction you are going, it's always a good bet to let the paper do the talking, so that's what I did using my favorite stack Que Sera Sera.
I simply embossed the sentiment (cut an acrylic stamp to use just the part I wanted) and added some twine (the Twinery) and some edging.

Baby Brag Book

One of my husband's cousin had a little boy and I made this little brag book to accompany the gift. Every proud new mama needs something to display pics of her new baby wherever she goes... :-)

Inside are pages of double sided cardstock that she can just glue pictures on.

This is actually quite easy to do. The cover is a piece of cardstock that has been embossed with a folder that looks like some sort of leather to me, and the pages are just cut to size and sewn with a sewing machine.

To decorate the cover I just used some of the same cardstock from inside, and some felt buttons (glued on with a hot glue gun so there is no chance they will come off even if this is carried in a purse). I used special brads and some twine to make sure this stays closed as well.

I made a simple card to go with it, using more of the coordinated cardstock, and heat embossed the sentiment. The twine on the brag book is by Trendy Twine, the one on the card is by the Twinery. Stamp is My Thoughts Exactly. The button dies are by the Cat's Pajama.

Handle with care...

If you are getting tired of all the blue cards of late, hang in there, I am sure my "blue period" will be over at some point... ;-)
This is another card using a sponged ink background. This one is hidden by some stamped text afterwards, but I just love this blue hue! (yes, it is my favorite color... ;-)) The rest is pretty straightforward with a distressed heart and more stamping.

This heart has been through some pretty rough times, you could even say it's been crumpled!... ;-)

Star light, Star bright...

As I said in my previous post, I had way too much fun inking my fingers blue to stop at one background... I couldn't wait to make a sky... (grey cardstock with different shades of blue ink sponged on it and blended with a make-up sponge). That quote and images were just screaming to be used with it... <3 br="br" nbsp="nbsp">

Again I used Versamark, and silver and gold embossing powder. I did a bit of a sloppy job with the powder around the stars (spread it out a bit with a brush) to try and create a "glow" around my stars. I like how it breaks up the uniformity of the sky even more...

Birthday Silver Doilies

I made this card for my grandmother's 90st  birthday. I was gonna go with bright florals when I remembered this stamps set I had been dying to use and hadn't inked yet, even though I got it at least 6 months ago! *shame* >.< Truth be told, when I got that set I had a card exactly like that in mind... Blue background and silver embossing...
I had a blast making this card, ideally I would like it even better without the sentiment hiding the background... ;-)
I started with grey cardstock that I sponged with different shades of blue and purple, I loved how it came out so much that I have already made several other blue backgrounds for other cards to come!... ;-)  -> If you ask me, it was well worth my smurf blue fingers!... (*note to self, use gloves next time*...) Then I used Versamark ink and silver embossing powder with my heating gun.

I am in love with that effect... Embossing has always been one of my favorite things to do with paper...
I think it is safe to assume there will be more blue cards with metallic embossing in my near future... Actually there's one coming right up!... ;-)

Love Graffiti

When I saw the brick embossing folder, I don't know why but I instantly thought about a wall with graffiti on it... So I went along with this idea, combining it with a teenage vibe... You know, those high school years... that crush you scribble the name of all over your notebooks, and draw tons of hearts everywhere?... That's what I wanted to recreate... ;-) Everything is a little blended together because, you know, it's an old wall, and it's been a while since high school!... LOL ;-) Now stepping back, it seems to me like a bit of a dirty wall/project, but then again that kind of was my idea, wasn't it?... ;-)

I used My Thoughts Exactly "Lovey Puns- food" stamps for the love messages...

Purple & cork birthday

Yes, I know, it's been over 2 months of total silence and now I am posting twice the same day... *gasp* Don't panic, I am not going from one extreme to the other... ;-) But my kids will be back to school in 2 days and hopefully I will soon find my way back to my desk!! You have no idea how much I missed it... I am in total withdrawal...

This is a very late card for my friend's birthday, her favorite color is purple so I went quite heavy with it and kept it rather monochromatic. The leaf and butterfly are cut out of cork sticky sheets and then stamped. The sentiment is heat embossed in metallic copper.

Birdies Thank you

A simple thank you card for one of my daughter's teacher, to go with a set of cards (here) that I made for her. :-) Used the same origami paper as background, and little birds to tie it up together...

Birdies Notes

More teachers'gifts... I know that the teachers like to give little thank you notes to some parents at the end of the year, like the room mom etc... So I made some sets of note cards for my daughter's teachers.

I used some patterned origami paper as a background and created a little stamp to put on it. Most of the time I used the same paper to paper piece my bird...

I love paper piecing and here it is really fun to see how each bird looks different... I also colored the wing on this one for more contrast.

Here they are all packaged up and ready for giving away... :-) (PTI clear boxes are pretty awesome if you like to gift cards to people.) The twine is from The Twinery, love that pop of color with the white contrast. :-)

Miss you

A simple card I made for a far away friend. :-) Started with some K & Company paper and then I used some stamps from Kim Hugues (the palmtrees, plane, and miss you) and Tim Holz (the Eiffel Tower, postage stamp and diamond pattern). I am still struggling with vintage inspiration obviously (and the distress ink gave me some trouble... LOL ;-)) But I'm working on it!... :-)

New Home

The cat is out of the bag so I can share my picture now. :-) SVGCuts Design Team members asked if we'd like to make a housewarming card for Leo and Mary using SVGCuts files. Here's my take with the house from "Strawberry Lane". I wish I had had more time to put little curtains... ;-) I just used vellum paper that I colored blue. The house is of course on foam tape.

For the sentiment I used My Thoughts Exactly "More mini Thoughts" stamps set. :-)

Washi stripes

My mojo seems to have left for a  long vacation... >.< So I decided to play around with my tapes a little bit and came up with this card. These are the paper tapes from Target (Up brand, $4 for 4 rolls.) It's hard to see the patterns in the pic because of the transparency of the tapes and the dark background.

The stamp is from My Thoughts Exactly (More Mini Thoughts set), I just love that font! :-)

The inside sentiment is also from My Thoughts Exactly, I used the Many Thanks set . I had to use the Merci!... LOL ;-)
I'm sending the card to Alyssa (my "boss" as I used to call her ;-)), since my term on the team is coming to an end. I know I have made the right decision in leaving, as things are crazier than ever here, but part of me is sad nonetheless... Good times and good memories! :-)

My Thoughts Exactly Thursday: Project Life here I come, and an announcement....

(This is a long-winded post so settle down comfortably... ;-))

Today is my "My Thoughts Exactly Thursday", but it also is my last official post as one of their Design Team members. The key word here is "official", not "last", as I am sure you will still see plenty of MTE projects from me, just not DT projects. ;-)
My term comes to an end at the end of this month and I have decided not to renew it. I have really enjoyed my time with this wonderful cast of ladies (best DT ever!!... <3), and a part of me cannot believe this is coming to an end, especially since I have been with MTE from day 1. It's been fun to watch Alyssa and Brian shape this company up, and I know they are headed for success and I wish them the very best! :-D <3

But there are only so many hours in a day and I need more time... :-( This past year has been difficult and I have struggled to get some things done. My "crafting" goals this year are to scrapbook more (especially learn to digi-scrap), and to work on my photography skills (or lack thereof! ;-)) so, as the saying goes, something's gotta give... ;-)

Which brings me to today's project. You might be familiar with Project Life, a concept developed and sold by Becky Higgins. Basically you get a 12X12 binder and fill it with page protectors that contain different sizes compartments. Add pictures and journaling cards and you're all set. This saves you lots of time compared to "classical" scrapbooking. I have decided to hop on the Project Life bandwagon (as I am YEARS behind in my scrapbooking in general (by years I mean like 10 years or so?... *shame*))  and I think this will enable me to work on present pics while trying to catch up with the old ones in a more conventional way. So I have ordered a binder and pack of page protectors, and all I need now are pics and journaling cards...

So for today's project I made some using a variety of MTE sets! :-)  I used cardstocks and flashcards and made sure each had a little spot to jot down the date or a few words. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had making those! :-)

For this one I used the More Mini Thoughts set.

This one uses the very 1st set released by MTE, the Birds & Bees set.

This one also uses the More Mini Thoughts set.

That one uses the Big Thoughts set.

This one uses the Sweet Thoughts set.

That one uses 2 sets,  More Mini Thoughts and Under The Sea. I think it will go great with pics of my kiddos in the pool...  :-)

That one uses Many Thanks. I love that Polka dot Smash tape, and the pop of red. :-)

This one uses Big Thoughts,.

And lastly, this one also uses 2 sets: Big Thoughts and  Sweet Thoughts.

To hold my little cards I made a little pocket book using a manilla file folder. The sentiment is from the More Mini Thoughts set and the frame is from Holly Jolly Tags.

And that's it for this looooong post!!... Thanks for bearing with me!... ;-)

Don't forget to visit my fellow DT members today: Belinda and Tracy.

My Thoughts Exactly April release: Engaged

It's the 1st of the month which means another My Thoughts Exactly release! :-) This month the sets are your basic go to stamps for every occasions! There are 2 big sets: Big Thoughts and More Big Thoughts, and the same sets come in a smaller scale: Mini Thoughts and More Mini Thoughts to give you even more versatility... You can also buy them as bundles to save money. You can see all the options here.

Those sets cover occasions like birthday, retirement, wedding, etc... but also sympathy and much more.
To see how to use them and mix and match the different combinations head over to Alyssa's blog, she has a video for you that will tell you all you need to know. :-)

Today I made a simple project, I am in my bed with the most terrible flu I have gotten in quite some years, this is not an April Fool's joke, and I only dragged myself out of bed long enough to finish my card. >.<
I should thank my hubby's cousin for her perfect timing, or better yet her fiancé, for asking her to marry him very recently. Turns out I had the perfect stamp for that! ;-)  For my card I used the More Mini Thoughts set, I just love the font of that congratulations!...

Don't forget to visit my fellow DT members to see their wonderful projects:

Alyssa: My Thoughts Exactly
Ashley: Heart Hugs Designs
Bee:  <--  you're here!
Belinda: Bee's Hive O' Drama
Benedicte: Scrap Sweet Scrap
Jennifer: Our Change of Art
Jessica: Crafty Rocket Science
Kendra: Luv 2 scrap n' make cards
Lenae: Sugar Gem's Crafts
Tracy: Queenie's Scrapmad 
Becki (guest designer): The Happy Card Encouragement Factory

And last but not least, Alyssa will be giving away a release bundle (all 4 sets) to one commenter of the DT blogs (in other words if you comment on every blog you have 10 chances to win! :-))
Good luck and I hope you enjoy all the projects today. :-)

Your next stop is  Bee's Hive O' Drama .

Washi & Butterfly

I am trying to catch up with all the birthday cards I am late with.... >.< My motto when it comes to cards is "Better late than never"... ;-) I think it's always nice to get a card in the mail in the middle of the bills and junk mail, no matter when it finally arrives... ;-)
So, I made this card for my sister-in-law whose birthday just went by. I started experimenting with the Washi tape and then decided to play with the sewing machine...

I finished it of by cutting a butterfly out of acetate and then embossed it in a Cuttlebug folder, then sewed all the layers together.
Tapes are by 7 Gypsies and Up, stamp by PaperTrey Ink, and the twine is by The Twinery.

I like it, and like even more that it was a total experiment for me. Sometimes you just have to get out of your comfort zone, even if it seems daunting... ;-)

Cat in the birthday hat

My autistic son Noah is 9 years old today! :-) He loves Dr Seuss' books and videos so I was thrilled when I found this free svg recently via Pinterest! :-D  Thanks to The Lady Wolf for sharing her svgs with everyone. :-).
The paper in the background is from the new Birthday Boy mini collection from EchoPark, it came out as digital today so it was just meant to be... ;-)
Twine is by The Twinery, and stamp is PTI.

~Happy Birthday Noah!~ You're as quirky as Dr Seuss and I love you to pieces! <3 :-D

Vintage Thank You

Well if you know me at all, you know I hate everything vintage and antique, with the exception of old maps and old letters/postcards that I just adore. :-) Lucky for me they are all the rage this year... For this card I tried to create my own background paper with that in mind...

See, a couple of weeks ago was my birthday. I am still waiting for the cards from my crafty friends... LOL ;-) *pouts*... (Dear crafty friends if you are reading this, remember that one of my mottos is "better late than never!"... ;-)) So not only was I surprised when I received a beautiful card from a fellow DT member I haven't known for long, but she also sent me a Michaels giftcard in the cutest giftcard holder! o.O

So this thank you card is for her, and I used the supplies I got at Michaels from her to make the card! Namely Tim Holtz stamps set, and glimmer gold spray. :-)

As I said I am not comfortable with vintage so I'll admit making my own vintage background was a tad daunting at 1st, but I really like the end result. I also used PTI music sheet background stamps, and their big thank you that I heat embossed. I didn't want to hide that homemade creation behind a medallion for such a big sentiment, so instead I cut out the medallion with a Nestabilities, glued it on my card base and then glued the frame on mini pop dots around it. I added a tad of Trendy Twine, and following the trend of crinkled ribbons I decided to crumple my Prima flower in my hand... *gasp*. And surprisingly I like the frumpy flower result! :-)
And there you have it, Bee's rare attempt at vintage... ;-)

Spring is in the air

A simple card for a friend's birthday, made with my beloved Echo Park papers (Country drive collection here). :-) Love those little birds... :-) The stamps are by My Thoughts Exactly. Twine is by The Twinery.

Happy Bird Day

I made this card for a friend using my favorite tools: dies!! ;-)
The branch is a leftover from another project (SVGCuts file) but the birds and house are by QuicKuts and the leaves are by Spellbinder. The twine is from The Twinery, and this cute patterned paper is from the cupcake pack from Recollection that I used for the cupcake lever card in my previous post... ;-)

Now how's that for bright and cheery!?...

Birthday Cupcakes lever cards

While I was cleaning my photo folders I found those 2 cards that I made last month and forgot to post...
They're lever cards made with SVGCuts files. The photos are crappy but I took them at night plus I had a hard time figuring out what angle would be best... ;-)
The cool cardstocks are from Recollection (Michaels' brand), stamps are PaperTrey Ink, and twine is Trendy Twine.

If you are not familiar with lever cards, this is what it looks like from the top. As you can see the moving element (here the cupcake) appears on the outside and on the inside of the card when you open it. SVGCuts has several files for lever cards, they're really easy to put together and really fun to receive! :-D

Changes to come and a farewell.

No project today, I just wanted to share some changes happening on this blog.

Some have been planned, and will take place in a couple of weeks (and be announced when the time comes).
And another one is effective immediately: I have decided to resign from the Trendy Twine Design Team.
The Design Team term will be over in a couple of months, and Lesley is looking for several new team members. If you are interested she will soon have a DT call on her Facebook page and her blog. If you like Trendy Twine now is your chance... :-)
I wish Lesley and her store great success, as she is expanding her business, adding Unity stamps and cute packaging tapes to her inventory, as well as 7 new colors of twine before the summer. :-)

Basketful of blessings

It's My Thoughts Exactly Thursday, and here is my project using the brand new Easter Greetings stamps set.
Thanks to the mix and match concept of the stamps I used "of" from one sentiment and added the "blessings"from another one. This new set is not just for Easter and has several sentiments about Spring too. As you can see the "basketful" can also be used for gifts (there is a "basketful of goodies" option in the set).

I paperpieced the basket from the background paper, and added a few extra tulips with a glue dot to give it a tiny bit more dimension. Coloring was done with Prismacolor markers. (basket + tulips stamps are PTI, twine is Trendy Twine)

Don't forget to visit my fellow DT members who also have a project for you today:  Bee and Tracy. :-)