Counterfeit Kit Mini Challenge #1

Sorry this is late posting to my blog! I had two blog posts ready to go for last Friday, but then Blogger went down and I lost them both. Grr! This is the first chance that I've had to re-do them. There is still plenty of time to play along, though-hope you can join us!

Our first mini challenge for May over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge is to use THIS sketch from Sketch Support. I made a quick card using an adorable lemonade sticker from May kit and a super-cute sentiment stamp from Technique Tuesday.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Don't forget to check out all of the adorable cards from the Master Forgers. Enjoy your weekend!

My Counterfeit Kit for February

I have to admit that this month's Counterfeit Kit Challenge was a huge challenge for me. While I loved the color swatches that Bethany and Meridy posted before the kit reveal, I was very intimidated when I saw the actual inspiration kit. It was totally not my style-not the colors, the patterns, embellies, anything. But I really wanted to play along, so I thought a lot about how I could use the inspiration kit.

I decided to make a list of kit contents, but in a very general way. First, I started with the papers. Rather than try to match the papers in the inspiration kit exactly (which would have been impossible from my stash), I wrote down what the inspiration kit contained: a distressed solid, a flourish/heart pattern, a polka dot, a basic geometric pattern, and three all-over patterns. Now this was a list I could work with! I started with the flourish/heart pattern. I looked through my patterned paper and found this beautiful heart flourish paper from the Bittersweet collection from Basic Grey. This is the paper that I built my entire kit around. I had the matching stripe, so that took care of my basic geometric. I was then able to pull other papers that coordinated. I added a distressed pink solid from Basic Grey (a different line, but still matched), a kraft/cream polka dot, and three all-over patterns: the heart woodgrain (Imaginisce), cream flower (My Mind's Eye) and little fruits (an old Basic Grey line-Recess.) I added one other patterned paper-the numbers-which remind me of the bingo card in the inspiration kit. I didn't end up using the bingo cards from my January kit, so I substituted patterned paper. I think that I am more likely to use this paper than the actual bingo cards.

For embellishments, I found some great printable postcards, tags, and vintage images on Flickr. I also fell in love with the printable doily tags, which I believe were linked on Write. Click. Scrapbook. I also threw in some journaling boxes which were leftover from an SEI album kit.

I found that I didn't include enough letter stickers in my January kit, so I really loaded this kit up with some fun stickers and rub-ons. More mini alphas from Making Memories, a sheet of Basic Grey stickers that have sat untouched in my stash for 3 years (since my very first CKC class!), two different sets of rub-ons from Imaginisce and Cosmo Cricket (thank you, Eryn Hagen!), some pearl flourishes and Momenta Bubbles & Bling. The Bubbles & Bling will work great in place of the mirrored embellies in the inspiration kit, which really weren't my style.

For 3D embellies, I included some chipboard pieces from Colorbok (flourishes) and Fancy Pants, large postage stamp die-cuts which I plan to use for a card base, tiny pearl ribbon slides, and assorted trims. I am anxious to make some of the faux Prima flowers, but I will do that as I make my projects. I also plan on using buttons on my projects, but I found it was just as easy to add the buttons to my kit as I go along. My buttons are all sorted by colors in individual jars, so I can easily just pick what I want. :)

Finally, I added two sets of seriously neglected clear stamps. The smaller set is The Language of Love by Technique Tuesday. The flourishes are from Gel-a-Tins. These stamp sets will work really well with my papers, and I hope that by including them in my kit I will remember to use them!

Thanks for stopping by today. I know this was a long post. Hopefully I have inspired you to think outside of the box a little bit when it comes to finding inspiration in other kits or projects. Can't wait to start creating with my Counterfeit Kit!

Krafty Hello

I made this card for several challenges. The colors were inspired by the photo above, from the CR84FN Color challenge #12. Soft and pretty, and very feminine, don't you think? These would make great colors for an Easter card, too.

I used the Card Patterns Sketch #99 for this. I loved this sketch-it's a great design that I know I will use again and again. I think it's the scalloped border-one of my favorite things to include on a card. You could easily change this up by using a different border punch in place of the scallop. My scalloped border is actually a premade chipboard border from Technique Tuesday. As I try to use up some of my stash, I am finding lots of goodies that I had forgotten about! The chipboard circle, scalloped circle, and flower stamp are also from Technique Tuesday.

I'm lovin' my kraft cardstock lately, and this is my entry for the Kraft Journal's Anything Goes challenge this week. finally, it is also my entry for the new Altered Alice challenge blog to create a hello or goodbye card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Glittery Thank You card

One more thank you card to share. This one uses the Girl Friday paper collection by Cosmo Cricket. To mimic the butterfly shape in the paper, I trimmed the point off a chipboard heart from Technique Tuesday to house my sentiment. I then painted it with cream acrylic paint and sprinkled it with loose iridescent glitter. I popped some of the letter stickers (from Basic Grey) up with foam squares and added some Fruit Punch stickles to the ones that were popped. Adding the stickles helped to define the letters and make it easier to read, since they overlapped. I finished the card with pink iridescent ribbon from American Crafts. I was really pleased with the result! It's fun and feminine.

An elegant birthday card

I made this birthday card for my mother-in-law. At first, I didn't think this was my usual style. After all, it doesn't feature any cute little critters! But looking at each of the details, I can definitely see where it's got my own little touches.

For example, it features a mix of patterned papers. If you're not confident about mixing patterns, go with coordinating papers from the same manufacturer/line. That's what I did here. I've used three different patterned papers, all from Cosmo Cricket. They work well together because one has a bold print (the cream floral on the bottom) while the other two have more subtle, tone-on-tone prints. These subtle patterns work as solids, but with a little "oomph." Love the "oomph".

Next, it features some 3D elements. The chipboard label is from Technique Tuesday, and it makes a great accent when inked and stamped. The gray border is also 3D, as it is pleated and stand just slightly above the rest of the card. Very easy to make-just start with a 12" long piece of patterned paper, then score and fold at regular intervals for a polished, formal look. Or, for a fun look, fold at random intervals.

Finally, it has ribbon, sewing and stickles, three things that I find I use constantly on my projects. The ribbon is stitched along the front of the card using little loops of orange thread, which worked well with the coral patterned paper. Kind of spiced it up a bit, I think, but in an elegant way. I left the ribbon extending beyond the edge of the card. I've been doing that a lot lately-adds a little personality. And of course I added stickles! My collection of colors keeps growing. They're the perfect touch for cards-they add sparkle and personality without bulk.

Hope you enjoyed this card. I've got lots more to share soon!

Some fun Valentine's Day cards...

to share with you today. I made these mini cards using up some spare stamped pieces and scraps. So easy!

First, I started with one white A2 size card (4.25" x 5.5"), then I cut it in half. The result: two 2.75" x 4.25" mini cards, already folded. More bang for your buck, as you're making two cards from one. Plus, the smaller surface makes them perfect for using your scraps!

For each card, I adhered a small scrap of kraft cardstock to the top, then a small punched border directly below that. I adhered a scrap of ribbon around the card, letting the ends extend beyond the card. (The ribbon is not tied-just adhered.) I also added a button with thread tied through on top of the ribbon-just attach it with a glue dot.

For the images, I stamped the frog and the owl (both from Hero Arts) on patterned paper and cut them out. I added some pink chalk to the frog's cheeks, and used a red colored pencil and a white gel pen to accent the owl. I wanted to add fun touches to each image, since these cards are for my kiddos. The frog got a little tiny heart "kiss" on his cheek-the heart is actually a tiny heart left behind after I used a Martha Stewart heart border punch. I used a glue stick to attach it to his cheek, then added a bit of Fruit Punch stickles. For the owl, I also added some Fruit Punch stickles to the wing, but the fun part was adding the pink, eye-lashed googly eyes. I found these at JoAnn Fabrics. So cute!

You can add whatever you'd like for sentiments near the top. My "Happy Valentine's Day" stamp is from Studio G, while the "I" and "you" are from Technique Tuesday. The heart is from Hero Arts.

I'd love to see what you come up with for mini cards using your scraps. If you'd care to share, email me a link to your card and I will share the link on my blog. Be brave-we'd all love to see what you create!

Another Card with CPS Sketch #141

Here is another card that I made using the same sketch and stamp sets as the Autumn Thank You card. The papers are also from My Mind's Eye. The result was totally different, though, by using different colors and ribbon instead of jute.

I actually sent this card out yesterday as a sympathy card to my cousin's husband and daughter. My cousin passed away last week after a long battle with cancer. Her husband, Jim, and daughter, Dorothy, live in El Paso, Texas. We're keeping them in our thoughts.

An Autumn Thank You

I have had this little leaf stamp for a few weeks now, but just recently had the chance to use it. It is from a fall Studio G set ($1) and I can say that it was a buck well spent. I made a few different cards using it, and here is the first.

This card is based on CPS Sketch # 141. I just love this polka-dot paper from My Mind's Eye. The colors and pattern have a fresh feel and are very versatile. I stamped the little leaf on a distressed white patterned paper, colored them with colored pencils and then stickled them with a coordinating color. The "Thanks" stamp is from Technique Tuesday. I added jute instead of ribbon to keep with the nature theme, and also because this card is going to my brother-in-law who just fixed my laptop for me. (Thanks, Mike-card and cookies coming your way tomorrow!)

Thanks for looking-and stay tuned for more new cards from sketches!

Just a few cards to share...

I have to be honest-since school started I really haven't been very creative, so I don't have much to share or to blog about! I feel like I'm being stretched in every possible direction. Making cards has taken a "back seat" this fall. There just aren't enough hours in the day between my semester at UMF, my family, my house (seriously neglected!) and all of the other things that seem to make it onto my to-do list.

Over the next few days, though, I hope to share with you some of the cards that I lovingly refer to as my "duds" (the ones that haven't been picked up by publishers.) Despite their "dud" status, I still like them and hope you all do, too.

I also just heard from Jami over at http://www.scrapbooking.com/. I will have a short article and card set featured over there starting on November 1. Be sure to check it out!

This card was one that I submitted to Papercrafts "Stamp It" issue. I just love these magazines-I refer back to them often. This card features a happy little palette of yellow, white and dark brown. The stamps are from Technique Tuesday, and the border punch is by Martha Stewart. Thanks for looking!

So Much Love

Here is my take on this week's sketch at 2S4Y. Very simple card-pretty close to the original sketch. I made the card business-sized, which is very different from what I usually make. It measured 8.5" X 3.5" finished. I am trying to make a dent in everything in my stash, and these papers, stamps and chipboard are all goodies that I brought home from CKC. Patterned paper from Sassafras Lass, yellow and pink Double Dot cardstock from Bo Bunny, stamps from Technique Tuesday, chipboard heart from Fancy Pants, border punch from Fiskars.

Thanks a bunch for looking!

Card Patterns Sketch #21

I love sketches, both for cards and layouts. I've been scouting out sketches online, and I was surprised to find so many incredible sites out there that not only offer free sketches but also weekly contests and prizes! One of the first sketch challenges I tried is from the Card Patterns blog.

This is the card I made for this week's sketch, Sketch #21. The stamps are by Technique Tuesday, cardstock by Bazzill and Prism, and the patterned paper I bought at the Yardgoods Center in Waterville. I'm not sure of the manufacturer, but the pack was called Garden Variety. Lots of pretty prints and colors, perfect for cardmaking. I also used my scalloped circle punch to create the ticket-style corners on my stamped image.

Thanks for looking, and don't forget to check out the Card Patterns blog for some great sketches!