Trendy Twine Tuesday: Baby Carriage

It's Trendy Twine Tuesday and this week it's my turn to share a project with you. :-)
The color we are showcasing this month is Chocolate Truffle, a beautiful mix of dark brown, caramel and white... :-)
For my project I decided to do a gift-card holder for friends who just welcomed their 6th boy!... :-)

It all started because of this cute little bear giftcard I found at Target and I instantly thought about the awesome little baby carriage Mary designed for SVGCuts.com. I was right because it was the perfect size, and they are quite a smashing duo I think... ;-)

I used some Chocolate Truffle Twine to make a little criss-cross pattern on the hood of the carriage, and also added some little bows on the sides.

Then I used some of the Sky Trendy Twine to make a little stitching on the sides too. It's hard to see in my pic but the cardstock is actually ivory colored and the twine is cream and pale blue colored. It has this soft vintage feel that makes it perfect for baby projects. :-)

If I had more time I would have added a line braided twine handle to mimic the carriage handlebar, but unfortunately time was of the essence... :-( This definitely was a fun project though and I love the result! :-)

My Thoughts Exactly November release: Merci!

It's the 1st of the month, which means it's My Thoughts Exactly November release! This month the new stamps set is called Many Thanks and it is shock full of options as usual... :-)

Of course I HAD to use Merci to go with my Eiffel Tower... ;-) But the piece of book page is in english because I couldn't seriously consider ripping a french book, LOL... I used 2 different types of ribbons and of course some Trendy Twine... ;-)
Now those colors are a little out of my comfort zone, but I actually really liked the cream and black with a little pop of rouge and will have to do it again... :-) (Cardstock is from Recollection)
The tiny little bow is a sneak peek from the December stamps set... ;-)

Don't forget to check the rest of the design team's projects today:

* Alyssa
* Belinda
* Jennifer
* Jessica
* Lenae
* Thienly

(Today is also Trendy Twine Tuesday so check my other post to come... :-))

My Thoughts Exactly Thursday: Cherry mouse

It's DT Thursday for My Thoughts Exactly, and today is the "Bee's posting day"... ;-) Don't forget to check out the other Bee's (aka Belinda) project here. :-D

Not quite sure what to tell you about my card for today. I think I was trying to have fun and make something a little different today, and I probably succeeded! LOL ;-)

I used the Sweet Thoughts stamps set, I really wanted to go with a cherry theme, I LOVE everything cherry, it is my favorite fruit and flavor for everything you can think of... ;-) This cute little mouse was feeling lonely in my drawer after I cut her out from A Cricut cartridge (Create a Critter) eons ago... ;-)  And I thought it would be unexpected to perch a tiny cherry on the top of her head... And it looks like she is wearing a little french beret... LOL ;-)

The Tag and the Trendy Twine  are of course from Annie's Paper Boutique... :-) The tag was just sitting on my desk, and when I picked this yellow striped paper it called out my name!... ;-)

Cute as a button

It's Thursday, so I am sharing with you a card made with My Thoughts Exactly stamps... :-)
I used the new set Sweet Thoughts again. When I saw the saying "cute as a", I knew I had to use it with that stamp set from Gel-a-tin. I have had it for years, and the concept of that card has been in my little "Ideas booklet" forever, so it was time to execute! ;-)

To create a frame for my buttons I used a rectangle Nestabilities with the rubber mat (for embossing) on the other side to prevent it from actually cutting through... The key here obviously is to use a thick cardstock... :-)
For my buttons background (and to have my buttons stay in their frames) I did some masking with Post-Its.

To finish it up, I found this cute little button that fit right onto my paper banner! :-) I refrained from putting twine through it because I thought it was too predictable and decided instead to use the twine on a random button on the card for something a little different... ;-)

Don't forget to visit Alyssa's blog for more projects today, and next Thursday is my turn (and the other Bee's... ;-)) to show you another project... :-p

For April and Hodari

This is the season!! Wedding season that is... My hubby's cousin is getting married this week-end... :-)

I wanted a card that was simple, monochromatic, with texture and somewhat chic.

I don't know if I achieved it, but it doesn't matter because I like the card! LOL! :-D

In case you don't know, my very favorite thing to do on/with paper is embossing it... :-) <3Here I combined my 2 loves... dry embossing (background) + heat embossing (sentiment). :-D
My ribbons are getting a little jealous of all the twine I have been using lately... ;-) so I married them together too... white sheer ribbon + colored twine = love. And the 2 pearls also reinforce the idea of a pair...

Now let me reassure you, I don't think about all of this while I make the card, LOL (I am not THAT crazy yet... ;-))... I just like to see meaning in things, so after I'm done I see little details and give them a reason to be there... :-)

Purple Birthday...

No you are not dreaming, finally a card on my blog!! LOL Well, what can I say, life is crazy! I'm sure most of you can relate... ;-)
This card I made for my friend Bee's birthday is a huge card actually, since it's made of a whole 8.5X11 sheet of ivory cardstock as the base. I really like the DP I used and wanted a big background to really showcase it!  (If you want it big too, just click on the pic... ;-))
I cut-out the wings of some of the butterflies right from the paper to give them a little lift... and added one made with a die cut. I played around with transfer paper a little bit to see if it could stand up for vellum at a fraction of the cost and I have to say, it's not bad! :-)
I used a mail themed stamps set from PTI to decorate my paper further and make a mini stamp for the corner. I used as much purple as possible since it's her favorite color... ;-)

For a little bit of a surprise inside I made those buttons with a die, using one layer of DP and one layer of cardstock (cereal box! ;-)). I glued them together with my mini Xyron, perfect for that kind of project when you want glue on all the surface but don't want to use liquid glue which will make the paper warp... The colors of my pic are horrendous, I swear they're not as ugly in real life (but I cannot take another pic since I mailed them today, LOL)!.. ;-)

Mother's day

I made this card for my Mom using my leftover blooms from the SVGCuts challenge (I had cut extra on purpose ;-)). The background paper is japanese paper, and the flowers match perfectly (both have that cute little indentation I like so much). I like this card but there's something bugging me, I can't quite put my finger on it... I think it is probably the lack of contrast between the blooms and the background paper (although it's not as bad in real life since there is a texture difference between the 2), and maybe the fact that the dark brown branch is the only thing really contrasting? Also I think I could lose the embossed white band at the bottom, but then it would be even more monochromatic... Or maybe it's because I don't like the color combo pink + purple?...
I'm pretty sure however, that my Mom won't mind and that she will be less critical!... ;-)

Gift cards SVGCuts' style...

First let me apologize about the crappy picture but those are on their way to school first thing tomorrow morning so I had to take my pic at dusk which is never really successful for me... ;-)

Next week is teacher's appreciation week and Naomi's room Mom wanted to present the teacher with a different giftcard everyday (ambitious project!), so I made little giftcard holders for her. I have no clue what giftcards she got, except one for a massage so I just used a little bit of everything.... ;-)
All files are from SVGCuts. The ladybug was a freebie (because yes, they're cool like that and give a lot of freebies away... ;-)) and the rest is from the "Give a gift card" collection.

My little guy has croup right now so time was of the essence and I kept them rather simple (of course I forgot to run my ladybug in the Cuttlebug before assembly...) but they can obviously be spruced up.
As usual Mary paid attention to the little details, and these are a cinch to put together! :-)

Lace rainbow

Since I was on a rainbow and lace kick I decided to try another style with somewhat the same concept...
I think it's a little overkill, but maybe that's why I like it... ;-) I used one of my felt butterfly (remember that post?...) for a bit of texture and a little pop of color, and I had fun inking the edges of my medallion in a rainbow pattern. One of those little details that you can't really see on pics unless you enlarge the pic by clicking on it, LOL). I tried to keep the design as simple as possible since the lace was so overpowering.
I think the end result is fun, I hope my sister-in-law will like it, it's her birthday tomorrow, and as usual my card is late... LOL

OK I promise the next card will not have lace or rainbow on it... I have to make one for my son Noah's birthday, and he already had a rainbow last year... ;-)

Our family Birdhouse

I finally finished my project for SVGCuts Spring challenge. It took me forever, between spring break and sick kids, but I'm finally done!... Phew! :-)
I started with a wooden frame found at Michael's for $1, the minute I saw it I knew what my project would be... So the frame became my little birhouse... I "mod-podged" some Que Sera Sera paper on the frame.

I then decorated it using files from Spring Birdhouses for the birds and greenery, and Robin's return for the gorgeous lace border. I added Prima flowers, and a little felt to keep my birdies warm and cozy... :-)

 
The stamp I used is from PaperTrey Ink.

Of course it was only when I was finished sewing the button on the bow that I noticed it was off center... LOL I decided to leave it like that and argue that it looks more homemade this way... ;-)

For now, this hangs above my desk, I like to look at it and think about my crazy little family of 5!... :-D

ETA: My entry got 4th place in the challenge! :-D

Matryoshka's house

My autistic son has been really into Matryoshkas lately. He found an old Sesame Street video on youtube called "Russian dolls" and he keeps requesting it.
So for Valentine's day I got him... russian dolls! :-)
I wanted to package them in a fun way, so I made a little house...

Now let me tell you, I never make anything this elaborate for Noah because I don't know how long it will last in his hands!! ;-) But I thought for once I would try, and I'm entering it in the February Lettering Delights "Red" challenge. For details about the challenge, check here.

I used the milk carton svg as the body of my house (love this file!) and then the house facade of the Matryoshka dolls' set. I removed some elements and moved the little window so that it would open right in front of the dolls face. The window from the milk carton became a little door...

I added a second house shape in the back. I embossed both of them to make it look like bricks. I cut some grass by hand (yes too lazy to look through my cartridges!!) and added little flowers with brads as centers. Same thing for the front, where I also added a white felt heart and little red felt heart on the window shutters.

On the side of the house I put a little Matryoshka Doll (from the same collection). I used a little felt heart and cut some greenery with a corner punch to make for easy decorations.

One of the smaller sizes of the doll fits right through the little side door... ;-)

I made a little pull-out to carry the box around and keep the top closed by threading a ribbon through a button, and slid it into a hole made with my crop-adile.

On a felt kick...

I have been on a felt kick lately! (yes, of course I plan on pairing it with the twine!... ;-))
Today I tried some of my dies with felt and am happy to report I got great results!

I recently ordered some PaperTrey Ink wool felt and, let me tell you, it's nothing like the acrylic stuff you find at Michaels!... I tried both with the dies and, needless to say, the wool felt performed way better. The acrylic was ok for basic shapes like the heart or a scalloped circle but anything slightly intricate, even buttons, didn't work at all. The wool felt is pricey, but in that instance you get what you paid for... ;-)

A lot of companies are now selling thin steel dies that you can use in your Cuttlebug, and they cut cardstock but also felt and fabric. Before I got my Cricut a year ago, I was using dies with my Cuttlebug, and even now they are still a staple for me. I like their convenience, and the fact that I can use them to make a dent in my stash of scraps, (something my Cricut doesn't help with!). :-)
Today I used dies from The cat's pajama, PaperTrey Ink, CuttleBug, and some shapeabilities...

I apologize for the yucky pics but it was night time, and I wanted to take pics quickly before putting those away since, as you know from yesterday's post, I cannot leave anything on my desk! ;-)

Shapeabilities




 How cool are those butterflies?!...

The Cat's Pajama

 Now, won't that look lovely with twine?!...

Cuttlebug

PaperTrey Ink

Cuttlebug

 Aren't those Paisleys awesome?!... Can't wait to put them on a card or something!...

Cuttlebug

Now all I need is time to try and use my little stash of felt embellies!!...
So next time your mojo took a vacation, grab your dies and your Cuttlebug (or your big Shot, or your Sizzix, or your Wizard.... ;-)) , get some (good) felt and start making some embellishments! While you're at it, also use some of your scraps of designer paper!... ;-)
 

Christmas Gatefold

I made this gatefold card for the christmas challenge on SVGCuts.com. I used their gatefold card as a base (freebie). I ran it into my Cuttlebug with the swiss dots folder, then distressed it to reveal the paper's white core. The little stars and Christmas tree sliders are from the Buckles collection.

Inside I created a little scenery of 3 gingerbread men/women enjoying a cup of hot cocoa next to the Christmas tree... ;-) It's my husband who came up with the "concept" and I thought it was a fun idea... Everything is from the "Christmas Cookie Party" collection, except the gifts I made myself (bow is from the collection), and the tree skirt doily (from the baking section...). I used foam tape of course for dimension, and bended the little arms. My favorite part has to be the little marshmallows in the hot cocoa... Yum! ;-)

My husband thinks the eyes are a little creepy but my daughter loves them!...(she and I decided against red eyes because it looked too "evil"!...;-)) The star on the tree is a brad, and I used plenty of rhinestones.

As always, clicking on the pics will give you a bigger version. It's really hard to get the dimension on a pic. I still have to figure out all the wonders of this camera... ;-)
This card will likely go to my niece for Christmas. She loves everything papercrafted, and religiously keep all the cards I send her and likes to look at them or display them. I think she'll enjoy this one too. :-D
I sure had fun making it (well, aside from cutting out those tiny marshmallows with my big hands!... ;-))

Mistletoe wreath

I love this card! Simple cards are my favorite, and the hardest ones to make in my opinion too. This one came out just as I envisionned it which is enough to make me happy! (Sometimes I have this idea in my head and can't transform it in paper!)
I made it for the Christmas Card challenge on the SVGCuts forum.

I used the wreath from "christmas cookies party" file and cut it out 3 times, assembling it with a few glue dots between the layers to slightly prop it up, and bending the leaves forward a little. My "door" is embossed with a Fiskars plate (in my cuttlebug) and I scored some panelling lines. The door handle is a brad and I cut out a little mail slot to slide a mini Christmas postcard in it...

I wrapped some cheer ribbon around my wreath to soften the overall look, made a pretty little red bow and I decided to avoid the expected red berries and go with mistletoe instead, using little pearls...

My little "Joyeux Noël" postcard slides in and out of the mailbox.

Hanukkah lever cards

Last week-end I did a workshop for an event at our synagogue. Those are the Hannukah cards I made as models.
I used SVGCuts files, (and yes it took me forever to prep everything, my Cricut was in a rebellious state of mind and I had a few issues..). I started with lever cards as a base, then used the "jewish elements" file.

I used glitter glue for the flames, if I hadn't been mass producing I would have used little rhinestones instead.
The great shiny foil I used for my candleholders, already mentioned on my blog before, is from Puff tissues boxes! :-) The menthol tissues come in a box that is silver coated inside. Almost makes you want to have a cold more often so you can scrap...

Warm wishes

A little get well soon card for one of my aunts who had surgery recently. I used my beloved Fluffles... ;-)

Textured wedding card

A simple wedding card for one of my cousins, that showcases the texture of the textile folder. Sorry the pic is blurry but I only uploaded it now and the card has long left! ;-)

Birthday waterfall card

I'm finally back, well my computer is, and even though it's still acting a little wonky it seems safe to try to finally update my blog!... :-)
I enlisted the help of my daughter to make this waterfall card for my mother's birthday. (don't ask how late I was... :-S) She drew the pictures for me. This sure was a fun project, and my 1st waterfall card. One I need to remember to do more often, especially for kids' birthdays! It's pretty amazing to see the pics lift up and disappear in the back, and it is deceptively simple to make!! :-D

Laura, Piggie and Gerald...

It's my niece's birthday next Friday. Laura is turning 6 and she loves to read "Piggie and Gerald" books. Last time she came to visit us in Florida, we went to the book store together... and shortly after, those 2 (see picture below) were taking a plane to Connecticut... ;-)

So, when I made her birthday card, I just had to make a Piggie and a Gerald to go with Laura...

I used the Cricut "Everyday dolls" cartridge to make my Laura, and SVG Cuts files (Cuddly Animals part 1 and 2) for my Piggie and Gerald.

I had lots of fun, although let me tell you, inking the edges of those tiny parts and putting foam tape behind them was quite a job for my big clumsy hands... ;-)

And I realized afterwards that I should have used darker ink on my elephant since it barely shows and that the eyes should have been a tad different (forgot the eyebrows!) to look more like the comic book... but I think she'll know who those 2 are and I think she should get a kick out of it!.... ;-)

Strawberries Harvest

SVG Cuts' challenge for August has been posted and this time the requirement is to use one of their pop-up files. I know most people think Fall when they read Harvest, but I live in Florida and I am not quite ready for Fall just yet!... I decided to celebrate the sunny days of summer, and their strawberries' harvest.

My card is pretty straight forward: a lot of layering with foam tape and glue dots, a little bit of texture with embossing folders, and a tad of coloring or inking here and there...

I don't usually take my pictures in the sun, but today I thought it enhanced the summery feel of my card... ;-)

I used SVG Cuts files, the "Chamomille Friendship Cards" for the picket fence, flower pot, and bees. And the "Strawberry Lane" for the strawberries and leaves.

The inside is a Fall Pop-Up Card. I added the "berry sweet" caption and a strawberry leaf from Strawberry Lane.

        

I'll send this card to my sweet e-friend Bee who lives in California. She's the one who introduced me to the awesome goodness of SVGCuts.com, so I sure owe her one!! :-D

We both are nicknamed "Bee", so the 2 little bees on the card represent us... ;-)

ETA: My card tied for 2nd place in the challenge! :-D