Pots, Paints and Plants, Oh My! (05/30/2012)

Today's project didn't have ANY paper in it at all ... but it had bright colors, stamps, embossing powder, and plants :)  Here it is:

My Mommy sent me a beautiful potted plant assortment for my birthday, but in a pot without drain holes, and kinda ornately-ugly (not her choice I'm sure!).  Anyhoo, it has been on my to-do list for a very long time to repot the plants.  And, since one of them was an African Violet, I wanted to put that in its own pot, with the other plants in a second pot. 

So, the other day I bought two clay pots with saucers and acrylic paint.  I got a glittery purple and a bright yellow (sorry Cougs, I didn't think this through ...).  I painted each pot - but didn't realize until I had done the first coat on the purple one that the glittery purple paint is really designed to go over an already existing color, because it isn't an opaque paint - it is pretty translucent with sparklies.  Oh well, it is still kinda cool.

After I painted them and let them dry, I pulled out my Lawn Fawn Judy's Blooms and used versa mark ink to stamp a flower repeatedly, tossed on some white embossing powder and then heat gun them until they were shiny :)

Dumped in some dirt, re-potted the plants, and I have a complete project!  Now, just gotta bring them back to my office!

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

We Did It! (05/28/2012)

I get excited thinking about this ... meet today's scrapbook page:

I recently started RUNNING, and this was my FIRST-ever running event.  Guy and I did the Disney Princess Half-Marathon at Walt Disney World in February, 2012.  It was AMAZING!

I never in a million years thought I could actually do a half-marathon, and I do have to confess ... I didn't run the whole thing - I ran a mile, walked a mile, ran a mile, etc.  But, my next running goal is to actually RUN a whole Half-Marathon!

Anyhoo, back to the scrapbook page - we had a challenge at our monthly crop to incorporate circles, so I cut out my photos and some embellishments with my trusty circle and scalloped circle die cuts. I also needed something "crown" like.  So, I die cut (using Stampadoodle's snowflake die) out a big circle-ish thing, and created "jewels" to make it like a tiara or crown, fit for a Princess!

I used my Creative Memories oval cutters to cut out some small blue cardstock ovals, and then covered them almost to the edge with some Crystal Stickles.  I also punched out some blue cardstock holes, and stickled them as well.  After they dried, I adhered them where I wanted them.

I also used Lawn Fawn's Claires ABCs to spell out my sentiment: "We Did It!" and used some Lawn Fawn Triple Pack Cord to hang the bannered words from.

 
I highly recommend the Disney Princess Half-Marathon ... it was so much fun!  There are princesses everywhere, and a very fun and festive event.  I had a really good time, and this page makes me happy because it reminds me of all the fun we had that day :)

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Happy Birthday Critters (05/25/2012)

Today's card is full o' critters and dimension ... let's meet it shall we?

This is a little birthday card for a friend that really likes animals ... I used Lawn Fawn's Critters in the 'Burbs.  I also created a "stair-step" card and layered grass die cuts in varying shades of green as the base.  I stamped out some critters, a tree and a butterfly, and copic marker colored them in.  I then adhered them with pop dots and die cut out a label, and stamped the sentiment on it.  Slapped it all together, and totally made Kelly's day!

This was a fun one - and I love the little pink bunny - too cute!

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Mikey's Birthday (05/23/2012)

Hee hee, here is another attempt at a masculine birthday card:

This card is for my brother's birthday.  He is very outdoorsy, and I wanted to make him a little something to acknowledge that, and be masculine at the same time.  I envisioned Lawn Fawn's Critters in the Forest (yay!) and even drew a sketch to capture my vision  I am starting to do this a little bit more .... it is quite helpful!  And, this is probably the first time ever that my final card looks a lot like the sketch design idea!  Yay!  Here is the sketch that I made a day before ....

I paper pieced pretty much everything.  I used Lawn Fawn's Bright Side Collections Petite Paper Pack for the sloped ground and pine trees. I also used plain card stock for most of the other parts - I didn't use any markers at all ... I did this all with paper and fussy cutting.  Although, I did use some Distress Ink on the grass border (punched with a Fiskars punch) because I needed to darken the green cardstock a tad.

Then, I topped it off with Lawn Fawn's Grand Greetings for the sentiment.  I didn't take a picture of the inside, but I used Lawn Fawn's Critters Ever After and stamped "may all your dreams come true" from that set.

I hope Mike likes his card - he is a great big brother :)

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Mothers' Day Cards (05/21/2012)

Moms are the best ... and here are two Mother's Day cards I made for the two special mommies in me and Guy's lives:

I used an old favorite standby stamp, the flowers and pot from D.O.T.S. (yes, it is that old!).  I stamped out the flowers & pot twice, and colored them with my Copic markers.  I also stamped the image two more times, so I could color in some flowers to pop-up for some extra dimension.  Here is a closeup of a pop-up:

I really like that these two images are the same, are colored very similarly, but, the background and card stock are completely different, which makes each card quite different.

And, here is the inside of my mom's card - I used a little bling, and cut out a panel to slip underneath the bling for the sentiment.  I stamped the sentiment first, gave it a little inking, and adhered it and then layered the bling over it.  Fun!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mommies out there.

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Classic Happy Birthday (05/18/2012)

Today's card is a black & white Happy Birthday card.  Let's check it out!

I wanted a classic, clean line, and I really like black & white together ... this has a lot of b/w patterned paper, and some silvery paper too.  I used strips of rhinestones to add a little extra pop too!  Can't go wrong with lots of rhinestones!

I also used a border punch to make a fancy pants border on the silver paper.

I didn't have quite the right Happy Birthday sentiment stamp, so I printed out the sentiment with my printer, but I can't remember what font I used (sorry!).  I "reverse" printed it - I made a text box in black, and changed the font color to white.  This allowed the sentiment to appear white on a solid black background to give it extra pop!!

I really like this card, and I hope it inspires you too :)

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Inspirational Hello (05/16/2012)

Hi, let's say HEY to today's card:

This little card was to tell a very good friend of mine how very proud I am of her.  She inspires me in so many ways - and I wanted to tell her that.  I used my favorite Lawn Fawn stuff, especially Flutter By and Fanciful Frames.

I stamped out flowers, leaves and butterflies with versamark on white paper, and used white embossing powder.  A little heat-gun action later, I had some white-on-white images.  I used my ol' trusty Stampin' Up markers to color them, then water-colored them to soften them, with a wet paint brush.  After a little bit o' drying time, I fussy cut them out.

I stamped the frame on patterned paper, using Lawn Fawn's Bright Side Collection Kit, and then fussy cut it out as well.  I repeated Kelly Marie's tip (she is the owner of Lawn Fawn) to do a second-generation stamp of the frame and cut it out to use as the "background" of the framed image.  This really helped me line up where the frame would be, and layered my images on top of it.  I also used some Distress Ink to color the inside/back of the frame to offset the flowers a bit.  After I figured out where I wanted the flowers and leaves, I stamped the sentiment and then adhered the flowers, and the frame.

I added a little bit of Martha Stewart glitter glue to a flower for a little extra oomph, and tossed on a butterfly and did a white gel pen flutter trail. 

Here is close up of the butter fly and trail:

I am so very proud of my buddy Cheryl, and hope this helps tell her.

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Felt Thanks! (05/14/2012)

What a fabulous day! And, a fabulous day needs a fun card, right?  So, let's meet our little card:

I made a Thank You card, using my favorite: Lawn Fawn's Quinns ABCs, and Blissful Botanicals.  I also used a Spellbinders die cut, cut out the label, and then textured it with my trusty Cuttlebug and folder.  I made a sweet little felt flower (see my 05/07/2012 post, or click HERE) for directions on how to make the felt flower.

I stamped out the sentiment with Quinns ABCs on patterned paper and embossed them in white, and fussy cut them.  I also stamped out some leaves from Blissful Botanicals, and fussy cut them out too.  Inked the edges, added in a little patterned paper and a strip o' ribbon from my stash for fun, and had a simple Thanks card. 

I love this card ... and think I need to make some more :)

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Banana Bread Wrap & Note (05/11/2012)

Squeal!  Today's project was a banana bread wrapper and bitty tag note.  Check it out:

I used strips of patterned paper, and punched them out with a Fiskars border punch.  I used two strips of paper for each wrap, with one strip about one inch wider than the thinner strip.  I cut out a label using a die cut, and stamped the little star cluster from Lawn Fawn's Critters Ever After set for the background, and used the "You Rock" sentiment from Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler set.  I tied each loaf up with some Lawn Fawn Triple Pack Cord, and my little giftie was ready to go! 

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Congrats Rosette (05/09/2012)

Hi!  Today's little bit o' happiness is a Congrats card/project, that I made for a friend who was accepted into Nursing school.  He has a cat, so I incorporated that in there too - if you look close enough.  And, here it is:

I made a large rosette from a 12x12 piece of patterned paper, and then did some smaller rosettes in coordinating colors and adhered them on the largest rosette.  I also pulled out some of my go-to Lawn Fawn stamps. I used Quinns ABCs to spell out Congrats, which I stamped on patterned paper and fussy cut out.  I stamped some images from the On the Mend set, and the kitty from Critters in the 'Burbs on white cardstock.  I colored them with my Copic markers, and fussy cut them out too, then adhered them on top of the smaller rosettes.

It was easy and fun to make - and I really hope that James does well at school!  Congratulations James!
Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Lil Party Favors (05/07/2012)

Today's project is not a card ... but was four times the fun!  Let's see what it was shall we?

I did some treat boxes and name cards for a luncheon, and this is what I made for us!  I went to my local Mom & Pop stamp store, Stampadoodle, and die cut out some mini chinese take-out style boxes with some bright colorful floral print patterned paper. 

I adhered them together, and used coordinating ribbon for handles.  They still looked a little plain, so I made some felt flowers.  To make these, I pulled out my trusty Cuttlebug and my scalloped circles Spellbinders die cuts.  I used three dies (doesn't matter what size, but they need to be three successive-sized dies.  Cut one circle in the flower-color felt, with the biggest die.  That becomes your flower base.  Then, cut four circles in the same felt, with the middle-sized circle.  Finally, cut one circle in the light green felt, with the smallest die, for the middle of the flower.  Lay down the largest circle as the base.  Heat up the ol' heat gun, and grab one of the four middle-sized circles.  Squeeze a teeny bit of glue in the middle of the felt circle and fold it in half (like a taco).  Then, add another little dollop of glue in the middle, and fold it again to have "one-quarter" of a circle, or large pie shape.  Add a tad more glue, and place it down on the flower base felt piece.  Keep adding the second through fourth pieces of felt glued and folded like this.  That becomes the flower.  Then, do the same technique with the smallest, light green piece, and push it into the center of the "flower" and then fluff up the edges on all the petals. 

Simple!  And fun!  Also, a hint I'd like to share is to use GOOD QUALITY (wool) felt.  Don't use the bargin-felt you find at big-box stores.  That kind of felt isn't woven very tightly, and won't cut well with the die cuts.  I purchased my felt at a local Mom & Pop toy store, called Fairhaven Toy Garden.  They have some really cool stuff there!

I also made some place cards to put at each place setting for our luncheon.  I pulled out my trusty Lawn Fawn Quinns ABCs, Chevron Backdrops, and Gnome Sweet Gnome sets.  I used Spun Sugar Distress Ink and stamped some chevrons on the background.

I used Quinns ABCs to spell out each name, then used some a couple random stamps from the Gnome Sweet Gnome set to add some fun to each place card.

I rounded the bottom right corner, and tossed on two little flowers and a bitty rhinestone in the center.  Then, I I stuffed these sweet little boxes with some candy, and off I went to a luncheon with these wonderful and amazing ladies!

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

An Anniversary Card for An Anniversary! (05/04/2012)

Today is Guy's and my anniversary ... so let's meet today's card shall we?

Now, before you get all squishy and think that I made this card for Guy - I have to sheepishly admit that no, this card is not from me to him ... I made this card for his parent's anniversary last week - but I thought it would be a nice homage to post it on OUR anniversary :)  So, here it is!

I used Flutter By by Lawn Fawn (I LOVE this set - happy flowers, cute butter flies, leaves, wonderful sentiments, oh my!).  And of course, I used Bright Side Collection paper set and the Petite Paper Pack for the patterned paper.

I stamped out a ton of flowers, leaves and some butterflies with Versa Mark on white cardstock.  I added white embossing powder, and a little heat gun later, I had some wonderfully white embossed images on white paper.  Then, I used my years-old Stampin' Up water-based markers and colored in the images.  To finish these off, I dipped my trusty brush into water and swirled around the water over the colored-in images to soften and "water color" the ink.  A little time went by to let everything dry, then I spent some time fussy cutting out each flower, leaf, butterfly, etc.  Here is a closeup of the flowers and leaves:

I made this card from a full 8-1/2X11 sheet of kraft cardstock.  I trimmed the "stem patterned" paper from the Bright Sides Collection into a panel and adhered that at the bottom.  I die cut out the sentiment frame from a sheet of orange floral paper from the Petite Paper Pack.  I used Claire's ABCs to stamp out the sentiment.  Finished adhering everything together, added some cute butterflies for movement, gave one a trail, and I had a fun and beautiful card to celebrate an anniversary! I also made an envelope to fit from a soft-green patterned paper in my stash.  Pulled out my trusty Martha Stewart score board to make the envelope to the exact size I needed since this was an oversized card.  Pretty cool!  You can see the envelope in the first photo - it is underneath the card.

I hope the happy couple enjoy their card - and Happy Anniversary to me & Guy too :)

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Thank You! (05/02/2012)

This was a fun card to make - let's meet it shall we?

I pulled out my trusty Lawn Fawn Many Thanks set, my Lawn Fawn Petite Paper Pack, and a whole mess o' washi tape from my stash.  I made a card base from white card stock, and cut a square panel of the striped paper from the petite paper pack and adhered it on the front of the card.  I cut a smaller square from white card stock and covered it with washi tape strips and adhered it to the front of the card.  Then, I stamped the sentiment on white card stock, fussy cut it, and popped it up on top of the washi tape panel.  That was it!  Simple, easy and fun!

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris