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. :-)

Trendy Twine Tuesday: Lucky enough to have you

It's Trendy Twine Tuesday, and the 1st one for March, so today the whole design team has projects for you!

We went with a somewhat "St Patrick's Day" theme this month, and used Twisted Lime twine.

For my project I decided to make a birthday card for my e-friend Alice. See, everyone needs an Alice in their life! :-) She is kind and loving, beautiful inside and out. One of the sweetest persons I ever (not) met... ;-) I really hope I will meet her for real one day! It might take a while before it happens, because she lives in London... :-S
So in the meantime I will just be sending a little paper love her way. I thought this sentiment (by Papertrey Ink (Big Birthday sentiments)) was perfect for my clover card and for Alice!... ;-) I was looking for a "one in a  million" sentiment when I came across this one... ;-) I am definitely lucky to have her be a part of my life, even if it's only the virtual part... :-) One of the things I really love about acrylic stamps is how you can bend them and stamp a sentiment in a curve... :-)

I initially used twine on my leaves too but didn't like the look of it and removed it, I didn't think it was possible but there is such a thing as too much twine on a project!... *gasp* o.O
The front panel is on pop dots which allows space for the twine all around. And now that I am all finished and my picture is taken I suddenly wonder, why on earth didn't I fold those leaves down the middle and only glued them partially to give them dimension? The answer is simple: I am a victim of the post office. When I make a card now I often ponder wether it will fit into the dreaded 1/4 inch slot limit or not... I think I had that in the back of my mind when I decided to glue everything flat... ;-)

For more projects with Twisted Lime Trendy Twine, visit the Trendy Twine blog, where you will also find the details about this month's challenge:

The challenge is on from March 6th to March 30th. Your project must include a Shamrock, Glitter and Twisted Lime or Holly Green Trendy Twine. If you don't have any Trendy Twine,  you can substitute Green embroidery Floss instead. The Winner will receive 50 yards of Trendy Twine, color of their choice! :-D

Trendy Twine Tuesday: Feel better bunny...

The 3 years old daughter of one of my cousins recently fell in the stairs and broke her collarbone! :-( This happened to my daughter a few years ago (she fell from a tree) and it was a very painful and slow recovery. So I made a little card to cheer her up. :-)

I used Melanie's bunny, stamped on craft cardstock and cut out, then I bended the right paw, and made my own little sling out of Strawberry Cupcake Trendy Twine. So fun! :-)
I hope she'll get a little kick out of it... :-)

In the spotlight: Sweetly Scrapped

Do you love vintage graphics? Do you like free printables?

Thanks to Pinterest, I discovered Sweetly Scrapped . Emily comes up with free printables faster than I can papercraft! ;-D

Pay her a little visit, she has fun stuff for every taste! I am not really into vintage and I found lots of cute accents for scrapbooking or cardmaking. :-)

Today she has a whole mini album with tabs!... :-)

Lovebirds trio of boxes

This is my entry for SVG Cuts Valentine's Day challenge. It's been ages since I entered one of their challenges so this time I told myself I would do it no matter what! ;-)

I used the candy box and the heart pennants from "Love Me Do" collection. The little fence is from the "Love Bear Village"collection, and the birds are from "Robin's return" collection.

It's hard to get an idea of the scale on the pic but those are actually quite big, 5 1/2 " in height.

I used coordinating cardstocks so the color theme is the same for all. This is box 1.

This is box 2. I love that plaid with spring colors. <3 :-)

This is box 3.

Not sure what will go in the boxes so I just put some tissue paper in there for now, but in retrospect it might not have been a good idea, it makes it hard to see the details...  Oh well! LOL ;-) As always, click on any pic and you will get a bigger version. Plenty of details that way! :-)

I had initially planned on giving those to my kiddos for Valentine's day, but I think they are too cute and would be crushed too fast... >.<  So I am saving them instead... Bad Mommy!... LOL ;-)

Dots and Butterfly

Today theme for PTI's 5th anniversary challenges is leaves and butterfly...
So I used my beloved "Turn a new Leaf" stamps set and dies to create this foliage for my felt butterfly.

It's really hard to see in the pic but I stamped some text, using "Background Text Style II" on some copy paper and then cut out more leaves. It is pretty in real life but barely there, so almost impossible to capture in a pic for someone like me... ;-) You'll just have to take my word for it...