Happy Anniversary (04/30/2012)

What a happy day!  And, ya gotta meet today's card, which makes me happy too!  Here it is:

I made this anniversary card for my wonderful cousin and her amazing husband.  They live on a farm, so I used pigs (cuz they are so dang cute!).  The pig stamps are from Lawn Fawn's great set, Critters on the Farm.  I did my first-ever mirror-image technique, where I stamped the pig on paper normally, and then did a reverse mirror image (more on that in a second) so that the other pig would be the opposite direction (which makes them look like they are looking at each other!).  I stamped the pigs on cute pink polka dot patterend paper, heat embossed in black and fussy cut them out, and adhered them with pop-up dots.

And, one of my favorite things about this card is the love/heart postage stamp in the center.  Both my cousin and her husband work for the USPS. I wanted a heart shape to go between the two little cute pigs, and found this in the crop stash at Stampadoodle. It is a Cuttlebug embossing folder, but I don't know the name of it.  I embossed red paper, then fussy cut out the image out to make it look more stamp-like.

And, of course I used my favorite Lawn Fawn alphabet, Quinns ABCs to spell out the sentiment.  I used black embossing powder, and heat embossed the letters, then fussy cut them out.  I layered them over a strip of adhesive glitter ribbon from my stash.

Mirror Image Technique: This is the first time I have tried it, and I have seen this done in Paper Crafts Magazine. I used Versa Mark embossing ink and a piece of packing tape to do this. Here is how to do it: De-tack the packing tape by sticking it to your pants a few times (you want to get most of the tackiness off, but still retain some). Ink up your stamp with versa mark embossing powder, stamp the image onto the "sticky side" of the packing tape. Immediately use the "tape" as your new stamp and stick the sticky and inked side onto the paper. Rub the tape to transfer all the versa mark ink onto the paper. Pull off the sticky tape, and cover the image with embossing powder. Heat emboss.   I recommend using this technique with embossing powder and not just "ink" for the image. I didn't have great results with the dye ink because the mirror-image is 2nd generation and it is lighter than the original. I didn't have any pigment ink with me, so it might be a little different with that kind of ink.  I had to play with this a few times to get it to work, but it is doable. However, I am open to suggestions on how to do this better next time!

Overall, I hope Cousin Vic likes this.  I had a great time making it, and attempted a new technique.  Happy Anniversary Vicki and Dick!

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Flying By & Saying Hello (04/27/2012)

Two for the price of one today!  Let's meet them shall we?

I was looking through blogland, and saw Teri's Flying By card and was directly inspired by her fun and simple design!  And knew I had to try it!

I made two cards, in different colors and sentiments.  I started with two solid sheets of cardstock for the card bases.  I am into washi tape right now and used a strip of washi tape across the bottom of each card, and corner punched the bottom right AFTER I attached the tape.  I paper pieced a Lawn Fawn Flying By plane on some sheets from their totally adorable Petite Paper Pack paper and fussy cut them out.  I popped them up a bit with petite pop up dots.  I also stamped a teeny little heart from Critters Ever After set as well, just like Teri did - I think it makes the plane just that little bit happier and fun!

I used the Flying By set for the "flying by to say hi" sentiment, and Grand Greetings set for the "Just Saying Hello" sentiment.  That was about it - nice, easy, simple and fun ... THANK YOU TERI for the inspiration and ideas!

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Shannon My-O Blog Hop Winner (04/26/2012)

Thanks all of you who hopped by for Shannon My-O's Birthday Blog Hop!  And, now it is time to meet my winner of my very first blog hop.  And, that winner is .... lucky number 7!

Thanks Random.org:

And, here is the winning comment:

Rosie Apr 23, 2012 09:16 AM

too cute


rosiemini@gmail.com
www.scraplovingminis.blogspot.com

Rosie - Please email me at puppykissesandpaperdreams (at) gmail (dot) com with your  mailing address, by Wednesday, May 2, so I can send you your prize :) 

I so appreciate all your comments and support!  Each and every one made me just a teeny bit happier! 

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

You Inspire Me (04/25/2012)

If you are looking for Shannon My-O's Birthday Blog Hop, click HERE or scroll down....


Today's card makes me happy!  Let's say hello shall we?

Sorry - I can't figure out how to rotate the photo ... and I took it landscaped, so who knows what is going on!

I was inspired (hee hee, get it!) from a Lawn Fawn blog post.  I stamped flowers, leaves and butterflies from the Lawn Fawn Flutter By stamp set, and embossed them in white on white paper.  I then colored them with assorted Stampin' Up markers and "water colored" them by swirling a wet paint brush over the markers.  Then, I fussy cut up a storm :)

I have never worked with acetate before, and wasn't quite sure what to do.  But, I ended up creating a card that is 6" wide, and 5" tall.  I cut a piece of acrylic 6" square.  I scored it at 1" and then used my bone folder to get a crisp fold.  I also cut a piece of white paper to make the "back" of the card, at the same 6" wide x 5" height.  I adhered the one inch tab of the acrylic "front" sheet to the back of the "back" of the card. 

I die cut a circle with my Spellbinders and Cuttlebug, and dry embossed the edges of the circle.  I stamped the sentiment in the middle of the circle, and then left the die on the circle and used Spun Sugar Distress Ink and my trusty dauber and edged the circle, but left the "outer edge" crisp clean white.  Here is a bit of a closeup of the sentiment circle with the shading:

After adhering the circle with sentiment inside the card, I layered the flowers, leaves & butterflies on the acrylic to surround the sentiment, and adhered them.

This was tons of fun to make - and I really like the watercolor technique.  It was pretty easy to do - but there is a lot of cutting....

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

My Very First Blog Hop: Honoring Shannon My-O's Birthday (04/22/2012)

This is a FIRST for me ... My FIRST Blog Hop, to celebrate Shannon:

Hello and welcome to (Shannon) My-O's 32 Birthday Blog Hop! Shannon is turning 32 and what better thing to do then have a hop with us crafty people to celebrate!! If you stumbled upon this hop by chance, excellent!! Just make sure you start back at the beginning to give Shannon, the birthday girl, some warm wishes and for a chance to win some awesome yummy candy if you comment on her blog!! If you came here from Diana's blog, then you are doing great, and have been hopping along on the blog. 

To commerate Shannon's birthday, I made her a Birthday Card.  Check it out:

I used my favorite stamp (and now paper!) company, Lawn Fawn, to make Shannon this little card.  I stamped out a Fanciful Frames frame on a piece of Lawn Fawn's new Bright Side Collection Kit paper, and some Critters on the Farm on the Petite Paper Pack paper.  I also used some of the Petite Paper Pack paper for a little cupcake and heart and the sentiment, from the Bake Me a Cake set.  I also stamped some Paper Smooches clouds, from the Spiffy Scooters set, but the clouds are a little tough to see.

I hope Shannon My-O enjoys her card! 

And, to also help Shannon celebrate her birthday, I am offering a little blog candy giftie (see below) to somebody who comments on this blog post, by Wednesday, 04/25, by 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.  Me and Random.Org will choose the lucky winner :)  Please check back on Thursday, 04/26 to see if you are a winner!  I am giving away a two-page "Sentiments" 12x12 layout from StoryTellers Club, and two mini stamp sets from imaginisce.  Sorry, I can mail only to addresses in the United States.

Here is a closeup of the two mini stamp sets:

Thanks for hopping along today. Your next stop in the festivites is Maria.

In case you got lost, here is the total line up:

Shannon
Kacee
Amy
Rhonda
Lisa
Oma Gloria
Ashley
Janet
Paula
Shelly
Jamie
Sylvia
Brenda
Diana
Chris <=== That's me!
Maria


Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Happy Anniversary (04/20/2012)

Another day, another card....

I stamped the four images on white cardstock, colored them, cut them out, and arranged them into a square.   I also colored and used glitter in places - you can't really tell here, but trust me, the glitter and sparkle are there :)

I rounded some corners and called it good. 

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Easter cards (04/18/2012)

My favorite thing about Easter is the Bunny!  And my second favorite thing are the eggs!  So, I made some cards....

For thsi one, I die cut some grass from Stampadoodle, and used an Easter-themed paper pack.  I made the card out of pink cardstock, and created a panel in another bright shade of pink.  I adhered the pre-made Easter Bunny label to the panel, added the die cut grass and ribbon, and an egg I cut with my Silhouette.  Tossed on some ribbon up top, and I was done! 

I also made an assortment of cards, using the same paper pack and the pink cardstock, Silhouetted eggs, and ribbon.  Here is the whole assortment of what I made:

These cards were fun to make ... I do love me some bright colors, and I could go all out on these! 

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Happy 50th Anniversary (04/16/2012)

Howdy!  Let's get right down to it ... let's meet today's card:

I made a 50th anniversary card, but wanted to do something a little masculine, and monochromatic.  I used kraft paper, and used white and brown tones.  I also made the card using a full sheet of 8-1/2x11, and folded it in half because I had a HUGE rhinestone adhesive embellishment, in the chocolate color I used on the card.  I also used some brown Copic markers to highlight inside the loops in the sentiment.

When I had those items placed, the top seemed a little too empty, so I ended up putting on a huge bow to fill in the space.  Good thing I was able to hand-deliver this while at the 50th party because there is no way this would have fit in an envelope!

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Flamingo Hello! (04/13/2012)

Hee hee!  I got a NEW shipment of Lawn Fawn stamps ... and I had to give their new paper and two of the sets a whirl.  Check out today's card:

I was INSPIRED by Chari's card on the Lawn Fawn blog.  This is one of the many things I love about the paper crafting community - we love to share and inspire others :)

For this card, I paper pieced the flamingos (and did one a mirror image) from the Gnome Sweet Gnome set, which is utterly adorable!  The sentiment is from Lawn Fawn's new Grand Greetings set.  I used paper from the Bright Sides Collection kit for the flamingo bodies, and a piece of orange from their Petite Paper Pack.  I LOVE their new stuff!  (And of course all their old stuff too!)

I tried a different technique to do the mirror (or reverse) image. I adhered a larger clear stamp UPSIDE DOWN on a clear block, and then stamped the flamingo onto the "back" of the larger clear stamp, then used that to stamp the flamingo onto the paper.  It worked fairly well - but I am still looking for the perfect image transfer device :)

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Assorted Thank Yous (04/11/2012)

Oh my ... what a day!  Let's meet today's cards shall we?

As you might know, I ALWAYS need Thank You cards, so here is an assortment I made, so I had a bunch of them for some Thank Yous I had to jot off. 

It is hard to tell in this photo but, I used my Cuttlebug to dry emboss the black cardstock.  I LOVE this technique - adds so much texture and fun to a project.  I used an assortment of Stampin' Up stamps on these, and kept everything monochromatic.  I think black goes well with EVERYTHING and I wanted to make the red POP, so black and white were what I paired with the red.

And of course everything is better with rhinestones and sparkles too :)

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Sparkly Thanks! (04/09/2012)

Check out today's card ... I love sparkles!

I made a card with yellow cardstock, then cut a yellow panel slightly smaller than the card front.  I stamped it with some Fiskars daisys, cut and curled some petals, and paper pieced a bit of the daisy using colored paper.  I added in a patterned paper butterfly, and added some stitching and flutter trail.  I used Lawn Fawn's Many Thanks for the sentiment, and adhered a strip of rhinestones underneath the sentiment.

I had fun with this one - and ya can't go wrong with a strip of rhinestones!!!

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Many Thanks (04/06/2012)

Hello!  Meet today's card:

I am always in need of Thank You cards, and I made this one using the technique I saw on a recent Lawn Fawn blog.  I used Lawn Fawn's Many Thanks set, and stamped "Many Thanks" as the sentiment, after stamping some daisy-type Fiskar flowers.  I then cut and curled some of the daisy petals, and adhered the panel over the yellow cardstock card.  I stamped a butterfly on patterned paper and curled and adhered the butterfly with some rhinestones and trail.

Simple, easy, fun.  Hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Speedy Recovery! (04/04/2012)

This is today's card ... still using the "cut & curl" technique I saw on a recent Lawn Fawn blog. 

I  needed to make a Get Well soon kinda card for my Aunt who recently had hip replacement surgery.  She is a trooper, but I wanted to make her a little cute card to let her know I was thinking of her.  I came up with this, using the idea inspired by the Lawn Fawn blog mentioned above.

I made a card from green cardstock, then cut another panel of green slightly smaller than the front of the card.  I used my absolutely favorite company, Lawn Fawn's Blissful Botanicals and stamped (and masked) some leaves.  I cut and curled some of the leaves for dimension, stamped a sentiment from Lawn Fawn's fun On the Mend stamp set and adhered it to the front of the card.  I needed to fill some of the blank space, so I stamped some butterflies on patterned paper and fussy cut them out, curled them for dimension as well, and adhered them to the card, and added some rhinestones and "flutter trails" for good measure.

Here's wishing you are feeling better Aunt Shirley!

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Hello (04/02/2012)

I am so excited about today's card.  So, let's get right down to it shall we?  I had a fabulous experience with Disney Institute leadership training, and our facilitator (Alicia) was so amazing, that I had to make and send her a Thank You card.  Here is the card I made for her:

I saw the "cut and curl" technique on a recent Lawn Fawn blog post, and immediately fell in love with its simplicity and coolness.  So, I tried that here ... (I don't have the ONE Lawn Fawn set that was used on the blog, so I had to use some Technique Tuesday flowers).

I made a card from pink cardstock, then cut another panel slightly smaller than the front of the card.  On that panel, I stamped and masked the flowers, then cut out the tips and edges of the petals and curled them over a paintbrush and pen to curl the petal edges, and stamped the sentiment.  I then adhered the panel onto the card, adhered some rhinestones and had a card!

I used Lawn Fawn's Many Thanks and stamped "Thanks for being so thoughtful" on the inside.

This little card isn't big enough to fully contain my appreciation for Alicia and for the Disney Institute training, but at least it is a small token of it.  If you ever get a chance, attend a Disney Institute training, you won't regret it!

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris