Mother's Day Picnic

My last share for today is a 2-page layout that I made using my July Counterfeit Kit and the latest sketch (Two-Page Sketch #17) from Allison Davis at Sketch Support. As much as I love the look of large die-cut papers, I am VERY intimidated by them! So this was a huge step for me to use this paper. (I can't tell you how nervous I was to cut it right down the middle of that beautiful paper!) I changed the photo sizes on the left hand page slightly to work with my photos, but other than that, I stayed pretty true to the sketch. The butterfly garland was very fun to make, too. I got this idea from Pinterest, and it made a great substitution for the stars in the original sketch. Thanks for checking out the projects that I made over my scrappy weekend. I hope to be back tomorrow with another project or two!

Patriotic Thank You

Today I get to share with you my creation for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge's first challenge for July. It is all about embossing-you can dry emboss or heat emboss. I chose to dry emboss, but with a twist. I wanted to emboss a coordinating border for my card. Since I wanted to make my card using leftovers from my 4th of July Add-On, I thought stars would be a fun accent. My only problem: I don't have a star embossing folder. So, I decided to make my own embossing plate.
First, I found a thin piece of chipboard (this piece came in a package of Stampin' Up patterned paper.) I trimmed the chipboard to be slightly larger than my card front. Then I used a star punch to punch 6 stars from the leftover chipboard. I arranged 3 of the stars on my chipboard base, then adhered them down. Because the chipboard was so thin, I stacked another star on top of each on the base and adhered them so that I could get a deeper impression.
Then it was time to emboss. It took a little trial-and-error to come up with the right "sandwich" for my embossing plate, but here is what worked for the thickness of chipboard that I used. You may need to adjust your "sandwich" if your chipboard or cardstock is heavier than mine. I started with Tab 1, one clear cutting pad,and the homemade embossing plate. (Make sure the star punches are facing UP.)

Next, I stacked my kraft cardstock on top of the embossing plate, making sure that the edges were placed slightly inside the edge of the embossing plate.

The next layer is the black silicone pad that I use with my Sizzix embossing plates.

The final layer is the hard black plastic pad, also used with the Sizzix embossing plates.

Carefully run all layers through your die cut machine. Here is what the finished cardstock will look like:

To highlight the embossing, I rubbed a Creamy Brown chalk ink pad over the tops of the stars and also around all of the edges of the kraft cardstock. I attached the embossed panel to the front of my card base, then embellished the card with rub-on letters and a handmade bunting embellie.

I love the Americana look, and the tri-color bunting looks slightly vintage. I can't wait to try this embellie using softer colored papers from my main kit. Thanks for stopping by!

May Counterfeit Blog Hop

Welcome to your next stop on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog Hop! If you didn't start at the very beginning, you will want to start HERE.

Our blog hop challenge was to be inspired by a project from a manufacturer's blog. This wasn't hard-although narrowing it down to just one inspiration project was a bit tricky! I immediately went to the Pink Paislee blog where I found THIS adorable layout by Caroline Ikeji. I have always loved Caroline's layouts-especially the way she mixes patterns and clusters embellishments. I tried the cluster technique on this layout. I think I have a new favorite technique!

I'm so glad you stopped by today. Your next stop on today's hop is the fabulous Kim's blog!

My Counterfeit Wildflowers Kit

With this kit, I once again started with one paper, inspired by the Studio Calico kit. I chose the butterfly print from Basic Grey, then found some coordinating papers similar to the inspiration kit. My lace paper has butterflies, which went perfectly with this kit! I printed the sign language and song cards from websites, and I was AMAZED to find the images identical to those in the inspiration kit! Glittery die-cut letters and vellum sentiment stickers from Momenta, and lots of fabric flowers from my stash complete this kit. I am hoping to try some fun things with Meridy and Bethany's flower tutorials, but I really want to use up these flowers, which have been in my stash for too long. :)
Be sure to stop back tomorrow, when I reveal my project for our Etsy-Inspired Challenge!

March Counterfeit Kit Challenge

I'm so excited to be the Guest Designer this month at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog! This month's inspiration kits are from Studio Calico. That's right-I said kits, with an "s"! Not only are Meridy, Bethany and I counterfeiting the main kit, but we also are each making the FOUR add-on kits! Lots of scrappy goodness, I tell you!
Today, we are each sharing our main kits on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog, and I am sharing mine here with you. Here is the main inspiration kit from Studio Calico:

And here is my kit:

With this kit, I was able to match almost all of the papers very closely. The only exception was the Woodland paper (top, second from the left.) I chose a repeating aqua pattern from Basic Grey. The colors in this pattern worked well with the other papers in my kit. My cardstocks are Lagoon, Watermelon, Crushed Curry, Kraft, White, Ivory and Black. I have also included a couple of small scraps of green that matched one of my add-on kits perfectly.

When it came to the embellishments, however, I had to make some substitutions. I started with the bee stamp. I don't have a bee stamp, but I saw this pretty butterfly stamp that a friend recently gave me. I added that to my kit, and that inspired me to add the chipboard butterflies. My label stickers are from Martha Stewart, and the colors go well with my papers. Finally, instead of the larger letter stickers and title die-cut, I included a rub-on alphabet and a package of Basic Grey rub-ons. The rub-ons have lots of icons (including some bees) and sentiments which would work well for either cards or layouts.

I will also add buttons as I make my projects. I discovered in January with my first kit that it is much more practical for me to keep my buttons in their original jars and just take what I want as I go.

Thank so much for stopping by today! I can't wait to show you my add-on kits, plus I am itching to start making some projects to share! Don't forget to take photos of your kits and share them on the blog or on the Counterfeit Kit Facebook Page-we'd love to see how you're inspired by the kits!

My Scrappy New Year's Goals

I have set a big goal for myself this year. Several scrappy friends have been talking about doing the popular Project 365 albums, where they take a picture each day and scrapbook it. At the end of 2011, they will have 365 photos. I'm not much of a scrapbooker, but I am a die-hard cardmaker. I also like to hoarde scrapping supplies. :) I am combining these two "talents" to create my own spin on Project 365. I am going to post a new project each day (usually a card, but sometimes a layout, tag, gift bag, etc.) My goal: to have completed 365 projects by the end of 2011. The twist: I am not allowing myself to buy ANY new scrappy supplies (other than adhesive) until I meet my goal. That's right-no new stamps, papers, punches, or ribbon. These are all major weaknesses for me! I am, however, continuing to design for Momenta (a VERY generous company that sends me monthly goody boxes) and I am also going to be entering many, many challenges in hopes of winning some new supplies. (Winning is very different from buying, lol!

(This card is out for PUBLICATION!)

I am sharing a few cards with you today. The first two are for this past week's 365 Cards Challenge. This is a new challenge site for me, but it will hopefully keep me both motivated and inspired this year. Monday's challenge was to pick 3 patterns from a list of choices. I chose houndtooth, paisley, and plaid. Since I am trying to use up my scraps, I punched hearts from each of these patterns (and I threw in a polka dot just because I liked it!) Then I stitched the hearts to my card front, scored the edges, and added a stamped sentiment and three tiny gems. Not a bit of adhesive on this card! This card is also based on Day 1 of Lucy's Sketch Challenge.

Tuesday's challenge was "Let's Make Some Noise!" The task: add something that makes noise to your card. I thought about this one for a long time. As I was looking through my stamp sets, I saw the VW bug stamp and the "Just Married" license plate. I thought it would be cute to tie some "cans" to the back of the car. I searched through my embellies, looking for silver beads for the "cans". What I found instead were these two album extenders which came in a package of page protectors. They jingle when you tip the card, making just a bit of noise. I thought it was a pretty creative idea. :)

The third and final card of the day is for my friend and fellow Momenta designer, Kelly Cranfill. She recently had a little girl, Braelyn Joy. Congratulations, Kelly! This card uses a premade card base and chipboard stickers from Momenta. I tried a new technique that I just saw in the new Scrapbooks Etc. magazine. I put masking tape on the back of plain white muslin, then embossed it with a Cuttlebug folder. It really works! It was the perfect touch for my card. This is also my entry for the Cardabilities Sketch Challenge #18.

Thanks for stopping by today! Please come back again tomorrow for some cute and easy "Thank You" cards and the rest of my 365 Cards Challenge entries. As always, I would love to have you leave me a comment-they keep me smiling and motivated!

My first Wee Memories Challenge!

I'm so excited to share this card with you because it is my first assignment as part of the Wee Memories Design team! Our sponsor this week is the fabulous Cosmo Cricket. One lucky winner will get two paper packs and two chipboard alphas from Cosmo Cricket! You can also check out all of their products by clicking on their logo in the sidebar of my blog.

The challenge this week: use chipboard! I was so happy that my new "Cosmo Cricket & Unity" stamp set came in time for this challenge. I stamped the tag image onto ivory cardstock, them distressed it and stamped some random flower images using Creamy Brown chalk ink. I then used a glue stick to adhere the tag to thick, plain chipboard. Then I just trimmed around the image for a custom chipboard accent. I did the same thing with my blue flower and the stamped photo corners, using a thinner chipboard so it wouldn't be too bulky. These patterned papers are from Cosmo Cricket's Girl Friday collection. I also added some Heidi Grace rub-ons from my stash-they were the perfect match.

Will you be joining us for this week's challenge? Check out all of the details on the Wee Memories blog, along with the design team's fabulous creations. Thanks for stopping by today!

Safari Animals

When I received this set of stamps in the mail from DeNami Design, I was a happy girl! As you can tell from many of my cards, I LOVE critter stamps, and these little guys are no exception. I have had so much fun using them on different cards. I showed this set used on a card for one of the Get Sketchy challenges (see it HERE).

For this card, however, I wanted to create a safari scene. As I was moving elements around, I realized that this would make a fun interactive card. I created two pockets on the front of my card using green cardstock for grass. The, I made three tiny cards and stamped the safari animals on those. The animals are also covered with fuzzy flocking. I finished each of the mini cards with a little strip of "grass" and tucked them into the grass pockets on the card front. I also created a sun using triangles cut from patterned paper and an oversized button from DeNami Designs.

Sometimes cards for boys can be challenging, but I think this is perfect for a little guy. Because the mini cards can be taken out and tucked back in, this little scene may even become something he will play with later. (I'm thinking road trips or waiting at a restaurant! Why not tuck it into your purse for such "emergencies"?)

Thanks for looking, and don't forget to check out the DeNami blog to see what the other designers came up with!

(All cardstock, stamps, and button by DeNami Design, patterned paper by Heidi Grace, flocking by Studio G.)

Heartfelt Thanks Pumpkins

Here is my second Thanksgiving card of the week. This one is based on this sketch from Get Sketchy. I took quite a few "liberties" with this sketch because I wanted to use a round image and my scalloped circle punch. But I think that it works, don't you?

This is another retired stamp from Stampin' Up (pumpkins) and the sentiment is from Hero Arts. The orange patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye; all other papers are from Heidi Grace.

Thanks for looking!

Bountiful Thanksgiving Card

I have to admit-I've never made Thanksgiving cards before. Finding the time to make them is really tricky, with school, family, COOKING, etc.

My little guy is home sick today (I should point out that my "little guy" is now 1/2" taller than me!) and I only have to bring the pies for Thanksgiving dinner, so I actually had some time to play along with some online challenges and create some Thanksgiving cards. Some of you had asked for some Thanksgiving card ideas, so here are a few. (They will be in separate posts, however, because I'm still learning all the little details about blogging!) :)

This first card is my absolute favorite. I'm going to give it to my mom and dad. It is based on this sketch at the new challenge blog called Everything But the Kitchen Sink. The stamp is from a retired set by Stampin' Up and all of the patterned paper is by Heidi Grace. I cheated-it looks like it is all separate pieces quilted together, but really it is 1"X 4" strips of "strip" paper. I just alternated the patterns and zigzagged between. The stitching took a little while, but I really like the result. If you're in a pinch (or don't have a sewing machine) you could also use rub-on stitches or use a pen and a paper piercer to create faux-stitching.

I have a few more Thanksgiving cards to post, plus I will be sharing some more holiday cards this week.

Thanks for looking!

Happy Holidays Swivel Card

I think I have enough scraps in my scraproom to last me (and every other papercrafter in Maine) for an entire lifetime. While I love to buy new patterned papers-they're my weakness-I also feel good about using up my scraps sometimes, too. This card was made using all scraps or salvaged items from projects that just didn't work.
This card is based on a sketch by Becky Novacek from the Fiskars website. I changed it a bit, but the general design is the same. Best of all, I used just scraps to make it. The card itself is actually two photo mats that I had leftover from a scrapbook layout. I trimmed them slightly so they were both 4" x 5.5", then rounded the corners. After embellishing the card front, I attached the two cardstock pieces together with a large brad, forming the card. As you can see, it opens by swiveling.
Cardstock by Bazzill (brown) and The Paper Company (white); patterned paper: red and green speckled (unknown-I've had it for about 10 years!), green swirl (American Traditionals), polka dots (Heidi Grace); stamps (Hero Arts); pompom trim (Offray); red stickles, wire, pop dots.
This is also my entry for the Hero Arts "trimmings" challenge on the Hero Arts blog. Be sure to check it out for lots of great ideas for using your "trimmings" (scraps).

Oh, and if you haven't checked it out yet, please go see my article at www.scrapbooking.com. I have a set of three cards for kids featured this month. The article will up until November 30th. Beginning Dec. 1, the site will be featuring a set of three of my holiday cards as well. Very exciting!

Halloween Candy Trifold Card

Thought I'd share another Halloween card today. This is based on the trifold, or backfold, design. To make the base of this card, start with a square or rectangular card (any size.) Fold the card front back, down the center, so that the inside of the card shows. It will look a bit like a lop-sided accordian fold. Now you are ready to embellish. I like to use the same paper on both the flap and the inside of the card, add a narrow strip along the fold (this hides any mismatches if you can't match your patterned paper design-like with this text), then embellish with an accent that is adhered to just the front flap.

This candy stamp is from Imaginisce, and the patterned paper is from Heidi Grace.

Also, I have just opened an online store at http://www.shophandmade.com/. The name of the store is ShareCroppers and HERE is the link. You can also search Sherri Thompson and it will find my store. I'm adding cards each day (both new ones and ones you've seen on the blog) so keep checking back regularly for new cards and kits!