Crimper Flower Fest

While my mom was visiting, I discovered that she had never used a crimper. Well, I just had to fix that! So I took out three of my favorite greens: Always Artichoke, Pear Pizzazz, & Wild Wasabi. I adhered them together & cranked them through my crimper. Then, I wanted to try out something new to me as well. Out came my Antique Brads & my embossing stuff! I just dabbed the brad with Versamark & embossed in white. It needed a little extra bling, but my Basic Jewels rhinestones made that no problem at all. Once I had the brad, I decided it would make a great center to the large flower in my Flower Fest set. From there, the Blushing Bride 5 Petal Flowers were needed to offset the Concord Crush. An Elegant Lines background in Whisper White seemed to work perfectly with my floral pieces. The bottom bits were added last. First came the punched strip courtesy of my Dotted Scallop Ribbon Punch, then the sentiment, & finally the little butterfly. I debated on the butterfly for quite some time, but after a survey of my artistic advisers (hubby & mom), I decided to add him. The Flower Fest set makes it so easy since the images coordinate with my punches perfectly. And who doesn't like easy?

Lattice Leftover Flowers

Do you know where these cute little flowers come from? The title of this post should help you out a bit... Yep, they are the little bits that are left over from making the Lattice Die. The other day, I made a batch of cards with an Eggplant lattice on each. So, I had about a million little pieces from that process. Knowing me, I couldn't just throw them away! I already had a use in mind for the left over frames (of course) & these little bits look like perfect flower petals. I tried to spice up the Wasabi background with textures, stamps, etc. but I found that leaving it plain was the best effect. Sometimes simple is just the way to go! Oh, and there's a "new to me" toy on this one too. :) I just added the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Boarder Punch to my collection. It's great because all of the 1/2 strips I keep from paper cutting fit into it perfectly to make my own little accents! I imagine you'll be seeing this one a lot. I tried backing the punched strips with So Saffron. The fit was great, but I really missed the bold contrast between Wasabi and White. It was another return to basics for this card. Keep it simple stamper! Having that simple mantra in mind would have saved me a bunch of time. :)

Hostess Sets Go Baby

I know, I know, it's St. Patrick's Day and there isn't a spot of green on my card. So sorry. I intended on making a fun charm or card this morning, but what I really needed was a baby card. Given the state of my head this morning (oh how I hate migraines!), I'm going to stick with making what I actually need today. Call it self preservation. I did have lots of fun making this one though! I had to concentrate a bit more than normal & go with less light, but those are accommodations I can handle. I couldn't handle the high school band sub job that was offered on the phone this morning. The thought just makes me cringe!

I used a couple of my hostess sets this morning for a little baby fun. I also used my Scallop Rectangle Clearlits die which gets shockingly little use. We were talking about it in class last week & just how useful it can be. So I decided it was high time it got more use. The best part of this die is that you can stamp your image first & then cut it out using the Big Shot. The die itself is clear so you can see exactly what you're going to get. It's like using our punches upside down. You can aim perfectly! Such a fun option for precision with the Big Shot. Goodness knows I hate to aim using the stamp!

Dotted Fabric Top Note

Okay, this was super fun! I bought a BUNCH of this kinda crazy fabric at a yard sale a long time ago thinking that it would be fun to make into cards. Then, I just could get a feel for what I wanted to do with it. So it just sat. And sat. And sat a bit more. Yesterday I decided to boycott my computer all together and just make cards all day. What a great choice! I had an excellent day and came up with a couple of fun uses for this super funky material. Of course, the Big Shot can cut through darn near anything. That made it a natural choice when working with this stuff. I also found that this fabric doesn't have the tendency to fray unlike others I've used in the past. It also gave me a chance to use the Dot, Dot, Dot stamp that I just got for free from Sale-a-Bration. I have lots of this fabric left, so look for more posts using it soon & let me know if you would like to make one of these cards in class!

Funky Fun Scrap Cards

Today's cards are a little break from the norm. Scandal beyond scandal they feature colors and paper that SU has retired! I've been playing around with some of the scrap bits and pieces I've amassed through time & wanted to share these little gems. All of the cardstock is still available thanks to the Clearance Rack, but the designer paper actually comes from the little sampler I had from last catalog. There's no reason the display bits couldn't turn into great cards too! I am an absolute scrap hoarder & I like to put those pieces to good use whenever I get the chance. Do you keep all the flotsam and jetsam that you make during the creative process or do you toss it?

Masculine Bird Birthday/ Mojo Monday 179

Today I set myself a few extra challenges to go with the Mojo Monday sketch. When I saw the layout I told myself I needed to use Springtime Vintage as the designer paper square & that my three dots would be eyelets. That didn't give me the impression that I'd be making a masculine card, but that's exactly where I ended up. Springtime Vintage is pretty girly, but these green stripes aren't! I also brought out a few old friends. I used Lovely as a Tree in the background (the first SU set I ever bought) and dusted off my Cajun Craze paper. Far too often I find that I only bring this great color out for fall cards. I had the same issue with Really Rust. Every now and then, it's important to remind myself that it's a great color all the time! Otherwise, why would I have used it as the inspiration for my house color?

The Best Thing to Happen to a Kleenex Box/ Color Throwdown 133

I see inspiration for cards all over the place--- clothing patterns, table linens, and even Kleenex boxes. When I bought this box of Kleenex, I thought I could recreate the images using my stamps. I hadn't actually thought of turning it into a card when its primary purpose was over. But, why not? The Big Shot has no trouble cutting paperboard, so I ran it through with the Top Note Die twice to make this fun little shape. Then, I ran the background through with the Elegant Lines folder for an extra little touch. I was super pleased to find the Birthday Greetings stamp from Occasional Quotes fit in my Word Window Punch perfectly. That let me use the Modern Label Punch to add just an accent of Early Espresso. On came a few of my Basic Pearls & I had a great little card that wasn't just inspired by a tissue box...it was the tissue box!
March 16th:
Oh my! I just saw the post for Color Throwdown #133 and I'm pretty sure the tissue box Kristin used for the colors is the same as mine! I've never used an "old" card for a challenge before, but I just couldn't resist submitting this one. Too funny.