Top Ten for 2010

Over on the PaperTrey forum there is a thread about posting your top ten creations from 2010. I thought this was a great idea, so I perused my blog and decided on my top ten favorites for this year. These are in no particular order of preference (feel free to click on the pictures for a closer look):

I made this card for a spring card color challenge Nichole hosted on her blog back in March. I love this color combination and I enjoyed practicing my Copic coloring skills.

This cheerful card was made for one of Lisa Johnson's Poppy Seed challenges back in March. The sweet bunny tag was part of the packaging from some baby soap, which I repurposed for this card.

I think this card is one of my all time favorites. I made this card for the June blog hop. While the picture is okay, the card really pops in real life. I haven't been able to part with this one yet; it is still displayed on my desk as a source of inspiration.


This is also one of my absolute favorites. I love the color combination and layout, which was inspired by Dawn McVey. I made this card for a dear friend's birthday.

Doilies were a big trend for 2010. This card was one of my first featuring doilies. I like the more earthy color combination of this card.

I found this card in my picture file, and realized I never posted it on my blog. The picture isn't great (the sentiment is gold embossed and says "Hello Friend"), but I love this hydrangea flower that I colored with my Copics.

This card was my first and only card I submitted for a magazine call this year. While it didn't get picked up, I'm proud of myself for trying. I practiced my Copic skills again by coloring the coffee percolator.

I made this card for the October blog hop. For a long time I made cards in the clean and simple style and now my style has gradually evolved to include more layers and embellishments. This card takes me back to the CAS style, which is perfect for the message of peace conveyed here.


These tags were featured on my November blog hop post. I made a total of 12 as part of my gift packaging for my calendars (I plan to post pictures of the calendar months throughout the coming year).

Finally, last week I posted about the cocoa packets I made my employees for the holidays. I was really please with how these turned out, and I would love to make more!


Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a safe and Happy New Year and best wishes for 2011!

PaperTrey December Blog Hop Challenge: Use Your Leftovers

Time for another PTI Blog Hop! This month's challenge is to incorporate left over bits of wrapping paper, gift tags, ribbon, etc. and transform them into a new project. This year I bought some adorable rustic mitten wrapping paper from Hallmark. As I was wrapping some of my gifts last week, I made sure to save any decent scraps so I could use them for this blog hop challenge.

Several months ago I also picked up a Sizzix mitten die from JoAnn's, in hopes of making some tags, ornaments and things with it. That didn't happen, but there's always next year! I was curious whether the die would cut felt, as it's one of those chemically etched types, and I've only tried to cut felt with PTI's dies and Nestabilities. So I used some of my cheap-o felt to test the die, and it worked! My test mitten is the one you see on this card.

The red baker's twine wrapped around the card is left over from the yardage I purchased to make all of the tags seen here in this post.

I stamped the snowflakes from the Peace Be Still set on the kraft card base and the sentiment is from the Holiday Button Bits set.

Thanks for looking and enjoy the rest of the hop!

Have a Cozy Christmas

Merry Christmas! It's been awhile since I last posted. Not that I haven't been crafty, I've been plenty busy in the craft department. I just haven't been good about taking pictures and posting them! In October I transitioned to a supervisor position at work. I have a team of four people and I wanted to give them all a little something to wish them a Happy Holiday. I decided to make a cocoa packet slider and attach a Starbucks gift card. Since three of my team members are guys, I wanted the design of my wrap to be gender friendly. After doing a test one and settling on my design, I had all four whipped up in no time. My team was really pleased, and I couldn't believe all the questions I got about how I made it. I didn't realize how hard it is to explain the concept of a die and a die cut machine to a non crafter!

I basically made two slider pockets for this project. The larger one for the cocoa packet and then the small bag on top for the gift card. The cocoa cup tag image and sentiment is from PTI's Tiny Treats Christmas, and the snowman holding the coffee cup is from A Muse.

I hope you have a cozy Christmas!

Project details:
Blueberry Sky cardstock, holly patterned paper from Christmas Prints collection, Limitless Layers die, cocoa cup and sentiment stamps all from PaperTrey Ink; Snowman Gent stamp from A Muse; red cardstock from stash; red stitched ribbon from Michaels; baker's twine in red and green from Martha Stewart; Copic and Copic Spica markers; EK Success circle punch; mini white bag from stash.

Papertrey Playhouse Challenge: Just in CASE

The latest challenge at the PaperTrey Playhouse blog is to CASE a card created by Niki Estes. Click here to see the card we were to CASE. This is my take on the challenge. I used the Year of Flowers Gladiolus stamp and paired it with Terracotta Tile and one of the Text Style background stamp images.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be posting again later this week with the PaperTrey Playhouse challenge I'm hosting.

Card Details:
Stamps, cardstock and ribbon by PTI; ink by Memento; Copic markers

PaperTrey November Blog Hop Challenge: Holiday Tags

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving! It's the 25th of the month, which means time for another PTI Blog Hop. This month's challenge is to design a holiday tag. This challenge was perfect timing for me because I was in the process of working on the gift wrap for my annual gift of calendars to my family and friends. I took inspiration from recent posts by Nichole and Dawn to come up with these tags:


I kept the basic design of my tags the same for simplicity. The Tag Sale 2 die cut from Pure Poppy card stock, red baker's twine, and one of the background stamps from a Text Style set in white ink. The focal points were stamped with different images from the 2008 and 2009 Holiday Tag sets. (I hadn't ordered the 2010 set yet when I'd made these, but I will make a few more now that my order arrived this week!) I layered the tag images over one of the Limitless Layer die cuts, and even tried the lazy stamper's medallion technique that Nichole featured on her blog last month (I loved the look of it, but found it tricky to adhere the medallion to the tag; it also was a bit too time consuming for mass production). I finished off each tag with some sort of embellishment like the velvet holly leaves and sparkling red rhinestone berries, paper and felt poinsettias and other felt stickers.

The green prep cups and loaf pan were some great finds at my local Tuesday Morning. They are from Emile Henry, and if you frequent cooking stores you know that line of cookware is typically pricey! I love that shade of chartreuse green. So fresh. Incorporating these cups and pan into my crafting added to my inspiration and also kept me organized.

I made a total of twelve tags to attach to each of my gift bags. Here's a look at all of the finished tags:

Feel free to click any of the photos for a closer look. Enjoy the rest of the hop, and have a terrific Thanksgiving!

Thanks for stopping by!

Papertrey Playhouse Challenge #3: Tag Time

Hello and Happy Weekend! I'm desperately trying to fight off a cold bug that seems to have the upper hand right now. No fun. I will be filling up on more Vitamin C as soon as I finish this post! I played along with the current Papertrey Playhouse challenge, which is to make a creation with a tag on it, and as a bonus, to take inspiration from one of the PTI design team members. I love each of the DT members because they all have their own individual style. The one I'm most drawn to is Dawn McVey. I love how she selects unusual color combinations and creates unique layouts for her cards. My card layout is inspired by the one she did here (the card shown at the end of her post).

Though it's hard to tell in the photo, I used the woodgrain impression plate to create texture on my card front. Other than the kraft note card itself and the orange Dotty Biscotti paper, everything else was a scrap I had in my stash.

I'm off to nurse my cold. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Happy Halloween!


Card details:
Stamps, ribbon, button, twine, dies, impression plate, patterned paper by PTI; Indian Summer patterned paper by Basic Grey; Memento ink; brown cardstock from stash; Hero Arts note card.

PTI October Blog Hop: Winter Holiday Celebration

Thanks for stopping by! This month's challenge is to make a project that celebrates a winter holiday other than Christmas. I opted to make a card in celebration of the winter solstice. I kept my card simple, focusing on the frosty birch trees and emphasizing the sentiment that captures the essence of the season: peace. I haven't made a clean and simple card like this in a long time, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out.


Thanks for looking and enjoy the rest of the hop!

Papertrey Playhouse Challenge #2: Pop of Color

Hello and Happy Friday! We made it through another week! I'm way behind on my Halloween projects, so I plan to spend most of my weekend getting crafty! I made this card last weekend in hopes of jump starting my Halloween mojo and to also fulfill the current challenge on the Papertrey Playhouse blog, which is to make a black and white card with a pop of color.

All of the stamps on this card are from PTI's Spooky Sweets II set. I love this set, especially that ornate circular frame! I made my own background paper by stamping the scroll image across the paper, then flipping it upside down, lining it up under the first row of images and stamping across the paper again. It gives the image a totally different look. More mileage out of our stamps, gotta love that!

I also tried my hand at making one of those crepe paper medallions. They aren't as easy as they look, maybe because the crepe paper can be so flimsy, and if you don't hold the folds tightly as you make your accordian pleats, well...there goes all your hard work! I finished off the card with some American Crafts grosgrain ribbon and a Making Memories metal Halloween charm that I bought some years ago.

Someone from the PTI forum just might be the recipient of this card, along with a treat!

Thanks for looking, and have a wonderful weekend!

Papertrey Playhouse Challenge #1: Felt

Happy Saturday and Happy World Card Making Day! I recently joined a new group over at the PTI Forum, Papertrey Playhouse. Our first challenge is to make a project incorporating felt. I wanted to make a fall card since autumn is here and it is my favorite season by far! I pulled out the Leaf Prints set, one of my Leaf Prints dies and Harvest Gold felt and got busy! A few buttons in shades of autumn, some scraps of paper from previous projects, and the great Fillable Frames #7 stamp set and die, and I was done! I gave this card to a dear friend who recently came back from a trip to China and brought me a beautiful scarf.

Hope you get some time to be crafty today!

Thanks for stopping by!

Card details:
All supplies by PTI except for ink, which is from Memento, and the We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper.

PTI September Blog Hop: Inspiration from My Fellow Crafters

Hi and Happy Saturday! This month's PTI Blog Hop challenge is to share a project inspired by another stamper. One of the fun things I have learned while practicing this craft is to infuse something unexpected or unique into a creation. I can't give credit to one specific individual, I get inspiration from EVERYONE! So, my card is for YOU and for all that you bring to this great hobby.

I'm participating in a Fall/Halloween swap on the PTI Forum, and this is the card I made for my recipient Jill (I hope it arrives in the mail today so I'm not spoiling her surprise!)

My picture doesn't show it well, but the ghost with the googly eyes is popping up out of the pocket! I attached him using some fine gauge wire I wrapped around a pencil so it had some spring. Inside the pocket is a Ghirardelli extra dark chocolate square as a special treat.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy the rest of the hop!

Card Supplies:
Stamps, cardstock pocket die and patterned paper by PTI; EK Success (circle) and Marvy (scalloped circle) punches; Memento ink; wire; googly eye accents; candy.

What's Perking?

When Paper Crafts magazine put out a recent call for projects for an upcoming stamp technique issue, I decided to submit this card in the marker category. I am by no means a Copic professional. I've taken only one Copic marker class at a local stamp store which introduced me to the basic blending techniques and rule of three markers (pick out one of each marker in light, medium and dark tones). I came away with a good understanding, but I would definitely like to take my skills to the next level. It was probably a bit ambitious on my part to submit a card in the color marker category, and my card wasn't picked, but oh well. Nothing ventured nothing gained!

The What's Perking set from Hero Arts is one of my favorites. It's definitely good for practicing paper piecing and coloring, plus it's just so bright and cheery. It was fun to pair the set with PTI cardstock and buttons, along with some patterned paper from October Afternoon's Thrift Shop collection.

Thanks for looking and have a good week!

Card Supplies:
Stamps from What's Perking clear set by Hero Arts; patterned paper from October Afternoon; PaperTrey Ink ocean tides cardstock, lemon tart and ocean tides buttons, button twine; Memento inks; assorted Copic markers; We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper.

Thank You, Nichole

This card is for Nichole Heady, one of the co-founders and owners of PaperTrey Ink. A bunch of us on the PTI forum decided to participate in a blog hop especially for her in appreciation for all she does. Words can't express how much Nichole and the rest of the PaperTrey team have influenced me. I know I'm a better crafter because of them, that's for sure. The inspiration Nichole and the PTI design team provide is endless, and just when I think things can't possibly get any better, they prove me wrong!
Nichole, I am in awe of your talent, both as a crafter and as a business person. How you find the time to do it all, I will never know, especially because you make it all look so easy (and I am sure it is not at all easy to be a wife, mother, business owner and crafter in addition to all of the other hats you wear!), but you have my utmost respect and admiration.
I will keep this short because you have many more fans who want to share their appreciation with you, but I just want to say thank you for all you do. You are simply the best! You can continue to count on me as a loyal customer always.

Card details:
Paper, stamps, ribbon, button, die and impression plate from PTI; Memento ink; Copic markers; 1.75" circle punch from EK Success.

PTI August Blog Hop Challenge: Brown Bag

Hi there! I hope you're having fun with this month's PTI Blog Hop Challenge! I decided to transfer an ordinary brown lunch bag into a wrap for one of four loaves of my banana bread I made recently (this is the last loaf I have left that I pulled out of the freezer; they've been popular!). I trimmed a strip of Summer Sunrise cardstock and stamped one of the large polka dot border stamps from Polka Dot Basics II on it in coordinating ink. I then made the "handmade bread" label using several stamps from the Just For You stamp set. I slipped the loaf inside the bag, turned down the top edges of the bag a few times, then wrapped my decorative belly band around the middle. I tied a length of dark chocolate polka dot ribbon around the ends of my plastic bag that encases the banana bread, and I was done!

Thanks for looking! Enjoy the rest of the hop!

Project Supplies:
Brown lunch sack; Ribbon, cardstock, stamps and ink by PTI; Circle punch by EK Success; Scalloped circle punch by Marvy.

Make Your Own Doily

Happy Saturday! I hope your weekend is off to a good start. We are experiencing very warm weather here in the Pacific Northwest this weekend. Temps are in the 90's and it is hot! Thank goodness for air conditioning! I've spent the day inside staying cool and working on different projects in my craft room, one of which is the card you see pictured.

Ever since Betsy Veldman posted the tutorial last week on how to make your own doily, I've wanted to try it! It's pretty simple to execute, but it does help if you have images that coordinate well together and you want to make sure you get your images aligned. I think the circles that I used to create the outer layers were a bit too big. One thing I learned as I went along is to make sure I clean off my stamps in between uses, as it was sometimes hard to tell which part of the stamp I had previously inked, and when I stamped my image some of the residual ink from my previous stamping also transferred to the paper. Grr... I started another doily, but that one wasn't going well, so I decided to be satisfied with my first one and try to mask my ink boo-boos with the sentiment strip!

Are you looking forward to PaperTrey's release tonight? I am! So many neat new things to add to my collection! Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your comments!

Card supplies:
All stamps and Simply Chartreuse green cardstock by PaperTrey Ink; Memento ink in Paris Dusk; Patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket's DeLovely collection. Yellow and green pearls by Queen & Co. We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper.

Paper Crafting Trend: Doilies

Greetings! I hope your month is off to a good start. A former co-worker of mine invited me to the opera recently, and I wanted to send her a thank you note, so I decided to ink up one of my newer stamp purchases, the circle doily from Hero Arts. I'm sure you've seen that doilies are a hot trend in paper crafts right now. Thanks to Betsey Veldman's recent post on crafting your own, I'm inspired to try my hand at making my own version using stamps already in my stash, but that will have to wait for a bit. I've got several projects in queue already, including making 16 calendars for Christmas gifts!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a good week!

Card details:
Kraft note card, circle doily stamp and latte chalk ink by Hero Arts; Martha Stewart paper doily embellishment; circle border and friends stamps, Melon Berry paper and ink, Chamomile ink, Simply Chartreuse grosgrain ribbon by PaperTrey Ink; Making Memories paper flower; rhinestones by K & Co.; french background stamp by Stampin' Up; Versamark ink; maize cardstock by Memory Box; Rich Cocoa ink by Memento; EK Success circle punch.

Happiness Is An Afternoon with a Friend

Hello and Happy August! It's hard to believe how quickly summer is passing by! I took Friday afternoon off from work to have lunch and spend time with a dear friend who was in town for the week. Robin was my manager when I worked at a non-profit about six years ago, and we quickly became friends and have stayed in touch despite our careers taking us in different directions.

Robin's birthday is later this month, but I decided to give her my gift in person, rather than mail it off to Japan. This is the birthday card I made for her, which was inspired by Dawn McVey's series of embellies made with the Martha Stewart paper doilies seen here. For Robin's gift, I made her a set of witty kid quotes note cards and packaged them up in a coordinating file box using the Filed With Flair template. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of the finished set.

This card is one of my favorites. I adore the bright colors and unexpected splash of blue. Dawn is great for inspiring one to use unique color combinations. I will definitely be using this one again!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a great August!

Card Details:
All cardstock, Pure Poppy ink, Raspberry Fizz felt, button, twine, flower dies and stamps by PaperTrey Ink; Martha Stewart paper doily; EK Success border punch; K & Co pink rhinestone; Tuxedo Black Memento ink; Red felt from Michaels; EK Success 1 3/4" circle punch; Circle Nestabilities die. We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper.

PTI July Blog Hop Challenge: Office Supplies

Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog for this month's PaperTrey Ink blog hop! The challenge is to incorporate office supplies into a project. I bought some fun round brass paper clips probably 10-15 years ago, and I think I've used maybe one since! I also challenged myself to use a color combination I wouldn't normally use, and this one definitely is one I wouldn't have thought to put together, but it works (melon berry, hawaiian shores, brown and kraft). I used the paper clip stamp from "Take Note" and stamped it inside each of the scallops that I cut out with the border die. I also had fun making my own mini bulletin board with a scrap left from a cork sheet, and then stamping a woodgrain background onto some brown strips of paper to create the frame. The background paper is from Basic Grey's "Basics Kraft" paper pad.

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the rest of the blog hop!

Supplies:
PTI cardstock in Melon Berry and Hawaiian Shores; PTI Take Note stamp set; Lined Notebook paper cardstock from A Muse; Basic Grey kraft patterned paper; PTI Chamomile distress ink; Memento ink; Copic markers; PTI and Basic Grey buttons; PTI scalloped border die; Cork sheet; Bazzill brown paper; All Night Media woodgrain background stamp; round paper clip; Heidi Swapp edge distresser tool; Notebook paper edge punch by Stampin' Up!

June Blog Hop: Color Combination

Hey Everyone! Happy Friday! I just got home from work and have been furiously trying to photograph my cards and create quick color swatches in time for my submissions for this month's PaperTrey Ink blog hop. I don't really have a favorite color combination, so instead I tried to come up with combinations I'd never used before. It really was a challenge for me!

My first card incorporates dark chocolate, pure poppy, lemon tart, spring moss, and aqua mist.

I hadn't received the new teapot die in the mail yet, so this teapot image was cut out by hand. Can't wait to try the die. It will save me lots of time! I used the strawberry cluster image from the Vintage Picnic set to tie in my tea pot with the strawberries on the patterned paper. I also cut a couple of Dark Chocolate cardstock rick rack strips with the PTI die to coordinate with the patterned paper. The little polka dot tea cup image is from the 2nd year anniversary set, Everyday Classics. I accented the little heart on the tea bag label with a heart rhinestone sticker. The patterned paper is from October Afternoon's "Fly A Kite" collection.

My second card incorporates Ripe Avocado, Summer Sunrise, Raspberry Fizz, Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet, and Lavender Moon. I think this card is my favorite of the two. I just love the "Life" stamp set, and this color combo seems like the very essence of summer!


Thanks for looking! Enjoy the rest of the hop, and have a great weekend!

PTI May Blog Hop: Felt!

This month's PaperTrey Ink blog hop challenge was to make something incorporating felt. My sister's birthday is this coming weekend. She is crazy about pink, sparkles and butterflies, so this card came together in no time at all. She stopped by my house this past weekend and happened to pop into my craft room. The card was out on my desk as I had just finished photographing it for this blog post. I hadn't intended for her to see the card early, but she spotted it right away and oohed and aahed. Well, at least I know she likes it, even if she won't be surprised when she opens the envelope!
Thanks for looking! Enjoy the rest of the blog hop!

Card details: All stamps, ribbon, ink, felt, paper and card stock by PaperTrey Ink; Stickles glitter glue; black pearl floral stem.

PTI April Blog Hop: Tissue Paper!

Hello there! Happy Sunday! This is my first time participating in the PaperTrey Ink Blog Hop, and I'm so excited. This month's challenge was to incorporate tissue paper into your creation. I ended up making two cards.

Prior to this challenge, I had been recycling all of the tissue paper that came with my PTI orders. I won't be doing that anymore!

When I went to make my cards, I couldn't find any tissue paper. Then I remembered a recent clothing purchase I had made and that the store wrapped my clothes in tissue paper. I pulled the tissue out of the bag and discovered it had a neat, watermarked houndstooth pattern to it. I cut some of it apart and repeatedly stamped the handwritten script from the Background Basics Text stamp set on to the back side of the patterned tissue. I ended up creating scalloped borders with my designer tissue (featured on the first card), and then made some of the ever-popular tissue paper flowers (featured on the second card). Rather than get out some of my flower dies, I pulled out three different sizes of Marvy scalloped circle punches and used those to create the flower layers. I had a lot of fun making these cards, and definitely plan to incorporate tissue paper into more of my projects!

Thanks for looking!

Card Details:
All stamps, cardstock and dies by PTI; ink by PTI and Color Box; Frost Shimmer Spritz by Tsukineko.

Card Details:
All stamps, ink and cardstock by PTI; ribbon by Stampin' Up; fabric brad by Basic Grey; Marvy Uchida punches; We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper.

Poppy Seed Challenge #2

Happy Sunday! Hope you had a good weekend. I spent most of mine crafting, which always makes for a good weekend in my book! I saw Lisa Johnson posted her second Poppy Seed Challenge on her blog, so I was excited to play along! I actually made three cards for the challenge, which was to include at least one button, polka dots, and a light moss green in your creation.

My first two cards here are similar in layout and elements. I was really proud of myself for recycling packaging and incorporating them into my cards. I recently bought a couple of cartons of cute soaps to put in my Easter baskets for my family and friends. One carton had bunnies, the other carton had duckies. These tags show they are "baby" soaps, but I think they're fun for just about everyone, and a good alternative if you don't want to put candy in your Easter baskets. As I unwrapped the soaps from their packaging, I was about to toss the tags into the recycle, when I stopped and thought, "these would be fun on some springtime or baby cards," and carefully stashed them away. I knew they would come in handy, I just didn't think it would be so soon!
I'm going to send this card to my friend who is about to become a grandmother for the second time. The baby is due in early April, and it's a boy. She told me she saves all of the cards I make and send her in a special box, so I know she will appreciate this one!
I think the little duck in the picture just has a ton of personality. He's adorable. I will have to save one of the ducky soaps and package it up to give with this card, along with some fun baby socks that look like high top sneakers. I've given these as baby gifts several times, and everyone just loves them. They are too cool! I wish they came in adult size, as I would totally wear them!



I tried out the paper piercing technique on this last card. I have a template that has a swirly line of dots, so it made it super easy to poke the holes for flight paths for the butterflies. These butterflies are included in the new Embosslits Beautiful Wings Sizzix die for Stampin' Up. I love it, because you get five different sizes of butterflies, and each one has a different pattern imprinted on it. Too much fun. I know I will get lots of use out of it. I've become infatuated with the Berry Sorbet color from PTI. It's just so bright and cheerful. I want to use it on everything, and goes with so many other colors. If you don't have it, you NEED to get it! I hooked a friend of mine on it, and she uses it all of the time now, too!

Thanks for looking! Have a good week! My latest order from PaperTrey Ink is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, so that's definitely something to look forward to on a Monday!!

Card Details: Card 1: Cardstock, designer paper, scallop border die, ink, stamp and button from PaperTrey Ink; polka dot ribbon from American Crafts; string; tag from soap packaging; Martha Stewart tulip punch; We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper.

Card 2: Cardstock, scallop border die, Ocean Tides ink, sentiment stamp and button from PaperTrey Ink; Versamark ink; polka dot background stamp from Hero Arts; ribbon from American Crafts; string; tag from soap packaging; We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper.

Card 3: Cardstock, flower stem stamp and buttons from PaperTrey Ink; polka dots background stamp from Hero Arts; sentiment stamp by Savvy Stamps; Beautiful Wings Embosslits butterfly die from Stampin' Up; We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hello! In anticipation of St. Patrick's Day, I whipped up a couple of cards. I'm not Irish, but hey, I'm always up for a celebration, so bring on the green! This first card was inspired by an idea I saw at Impress, but I put my own spin on it, and I think it turned out to be a fun card. Perfect for my Irish friend, Kelly! Impress actually released the "Be Merry Be Green" sentiment last Christmas, but I think it works equally well for this holiday too. The green foam for the beer was colored in with a Copic marker, and then I went over it with a green Spica glitter pen, just to give it some pizzazz.

This next card is actually pretty cute in real life. I cut out the shamrock using my Slice and the Spring cartridge, and stamped the "Sending you a wee bit of luck" sentiment on it. I then outlined it with a green Spica marker. I punched out a bunch of tiny shamrocks with a teeny Punch Bunch punch, and tossed them into the glassine envelope, then adhered it to a striped green background scrap. As a fun little surprise, I tucked an individually wrapped organic mint tea bag inside the card for the recipient. Gotta have some sort of green beverage on St. Paddy's day, right?

Thanks for looking! Hope you remember to wear your green, otherwise you might get pinched!

Card details:

Card 1: note card by A Muse; paper from my stash; stamps by Impress, Art Impressions, 100 Proof Press; ink by Memento; Copic and Spica markers; circle punches.
Card 2: note card by A Muse; paper by Making Memories; glassine envelope from Impress; ink by Memento; Spica marker; Making Memories Slice machine and cartridge; punch by Punch Bunch.

Spring is in the Air

After a crazy Monday at work, I was so glad to get home this afternoon and just play! I wanted to participate in the spring card challenge on Nichole Heady's blog, and once I decided on my color scheme it didn't take me too long to figure what stamps to use (I've quickly learned that my inventory of PaperTrey Ink spring-like stamps is sorely lacking; I will need to fix that!) and my card layout. I had a chance to practice my Copic blending, and I really like how the tulips turned out. The basket was a bit more of a challenge with all of those polka dots!

This card just makes me so happy and anxious for spring to arrive! Here in Washington we have an annual tulip festival each year up north in the Skagit Valley. Although I am a Seattle native, I'm ashamed to admit I've never attended it. Perhaps this year. There are just fields and fields of gorgeous tulips all over. A true visual feast for the eyes.

Thanks for visiting! I hope your week is off to a great start!

Card details:
Cardstock and designer paper by PaperTrey Ink, Neenah (Classic Crest White); ribbon and stamp images by PaperTrey Ink; ink by PaperTrey Ink and Memento; button from my stash; Karen Foster pink floss; Copic markers; Stampin Up! label punch; We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper.