BlackCat Band Starring SG6

It's Sketch Girl time!! We're on number 6 already! Time really flies when you're having fun!

The change of seasons here turned in ONE DAY!! Sunday was sunny and beautiful, but by Monday morning there were 50 mph wind gusts and 20 degree lower temps! I think that kicked my mojo into fall mode because I've been in a Halloween mood lately. I can't wait to get out all my spooky stuff and start decorating - perhaps this weekend if the weather cooperates :0)


This card uses some Cotton Scraps by Crafty Secrets. The image is actually printed on a thin canvas like material - there are about 8-10 images on one sheet and they are all of that vintagey, whimsical, postcard/poster style. Love it!

Head on over to the Sketch Girl blog to check out what the others have come up with - I am! There are even some prizes and a guest designer spot up for grabs.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful FALL day!

Chandelier Revisited

Hey there!! Hope everyone had a good Wednesday. It was ugly rainy weather afterwork yesterday. I feel sorry for the kiddos 'cause they've only got a few days left of summer, but secretly I was smiling 'cause it's perfect stamping weather!!. I decided to work on the other swap I'm behind in - "Happy Birthday". I originally was planning on using this card. But I didn't think it was fun enough for a girlfriend so I decided to revisit the whole idea. This is what I came up with:



I like this one better because it's a little more lighthearted - what girlfriend wouldn't like a chandelier full of martini's !! Too cute and fun! The inside reads "Hang in there!" This isn't a very good photograph, but I colored in the bead/baubbles on the chandelier with my Sakkura Stardust glitter pen to given them some shimmery sparkle. And, I even added a couple of small rhinestones in the button holes. What do you think?


Today looks like more of the same weather ;0) I've really got to work on organizing my craft space. It's getting REALLY out of hand and like a bad plague, rapidly infecting the rest of the house. Maybe I'll take some pictures so you can see . . .


Have a GREAT DAY - whatever the weather!


Recipe:
Stamps: Crafty Secrets
Paper: SU!
InK: Memento, Sakurra, Copics
Accessories: Offray Ribbon, Button, rhinestones

Chandelier Fun!

WOW! Seems like forever since my last post. It's been a crazy week and I'm glad to get back to the routine. We went back to Iowa to pick up the boys. I was soo glad to see them. I didn't realize how much I missed them until they were actually in my arms. I decided to play around with some ideas for an upcoming swap but I just couldn't get the juices flowing and this is what I ended up with :
This is my "GO-TO" layout. I think everyone has one. This is the layout I seem to use over and over again and just feels comfortable, especially when the MOJO isn't flowing. The main image centered smack dab in the center of the card with some layers - It works for me :0)

I decided to use a set by Crafty Secrets called Chandelier Fun. It comes with an assortment of stamps that you can put into the candleholders including; cupcake, heart, martini glass, rose, candle. There are a couple of cute sayings too. The one I chose for the inside reads "Happy Birthday Girlfriend".

I think my mind is still on vacation, so I kept it simple :0). Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Recipe:
Stamps: Crafty Secrets
Paper: Bazzil, Paper Studio, SU!
InK: Memento black, copic
Accessories: Offray Ribbon, Vintage button, twine, tracing wheel

Spooky Cuttlebug Challenge!

Hey there! It's been a lazy end of the week since the boys have been gone! No running every night to one activity or the other, making sure everyone is fed, referee-ing fights . . . I miss ' em terribly, but I'm enjoying it :0)

SO!! I got a chance to have some fun stamping. When I saw the Cuttlebug Challenge Blogs Wednesday post I was very excited to play along. Any altered item (preferebly out of your recycle bin), just not a card! Hmm . . . what to do, what to do. I wanted to do something for Halloween (cause I REALLY wanted to use the Spider Web embossing folder). I decided to make a treat container out of and empty can that used to hold pineapple chunks. Its a little bit larger than the normal size - it's 20 oz. Here's how it turned out . . .



Pretty cute huh? I made a corresponding gift card that can be tied to the handle. Here's a close up of the card.

Aren't these stamps adorable?! They are both images from Anna Wights Spooky Expressions set for Whipper Snapper. You've got to check them out - Hocus Pocus is another fav, and her newest Halloween set is on my wish list too :0) I was originally planning on embossing black cardstock, but I decided to go for a vintage feel to coordinate with the Crafty Secrets vintage halloween images I used around the card. So, I embossed on white and distressed around the edges with Ranger distress ink in sepia. I matted the white on black cardstock I had originally started out with, so when you open the gift card, the reverse web design still shows - pretty cool!

I used 3 images from the Crafty Secrets Vintage cuts sheet around the can. They are all so adorable :0) I matted each one on a coordinating piece of colored cardstock and then on black. Hard to tell, but I faux stitched around each image as well. And one last added note. A 4 1/4 X 11 strip of card stock is perfect to fit around this can. And even better, you can easily stick the embossing folder on each end of the cardstock to get the image easily all the way around!!

I used my Crop-o-dile to punch two holes on either side (works like a charm and so effortless). Then used some rusty wire to create the handle. For a little added touch I tied this gorgeous black and tan striped ribbon around the handle and added a cute little skeleton jingle bell - I even rubbed a little sepia ink on him to age him a little bit more :0)

There are lots of details on this one, but in the end, my favorite part is the web background. I LOVE how the distressing ink emphasizes it so much more. This is definitely a fav!!

Thanks for stopping by, hope you have a very relaxing weekend!


Recipe:

Stamps: Spooky Expressions - Whipper Snapper (AnnaWight)

Ink: Ranger Distress ink - sepia, Black Stazon

Paper: SU naturals white, black, Bazzil, Crafty Secrets Halloween Time Vintage Cuts

Accessories: Cuttlebug, Spider Web embossing folder, Ribbon - (Heidi :0), buttons - ??, SU! scallop border punch, Martha Stewart border punch, rusty wire, skeleton jingle bell (Michaels)

2S4U - Top 20 Sketch!!

I can't believe I am posting my card for Laura and Kazan's 2 Sketches 4 You - Ultimate Card Showdown - Top 20!! To say I am thrilled would be an understatment. Lil ol me and my lil piece of blog world in the same league with some amazing artists with amazing talent. This is just too fun!! So here's the sketch we had to work with this week . . .




And here's my card and interpretation of the sketch! Anyone who knows me knows that I am am a notorious procrastinator. So, with Father's Day just the day after the challenge deadline I thought it would be very PROactive of me to create a card that served both purposes :0)

I decided to created a card with a belly band and use the band to fulfill the design elements of the sketch. Plus, I just love to watch the recipient (usually a non-cardmaker) try to figure out how to open the card and then the "Wow!" factor when I show them :0)

I tried to go with a vintage meets modern theme. For the vintage feel I used some gorgeous papers from Teresa Collins Spooktacular, and Tis the Season line. I just loved the look when I added some distressed Ranger ink in sepia. I also used stamps from Clear Art Stamps Crafty Secrets, Favorite Fellas. I love their vintage images, they are so fun! Finally, I used some not so great stitching! My sewing machine is on the fritz, so I had to pull out my $6 battery operated Crafty Stitcher. Not so good, but it definitely gives that one of a kind look! I must say, however, that after using it I had the strong urge to bake a cake in my Easy Bake Oven!!!

Here's a view of what the front of the card looks like with the belly band removed. The green letters are actually glitter rub-on's. These letters, the bright colors and the texture would be the "modern" elements of the theme.

And finally, here's a view of the inside. I don't normally get around to doing anything on the inside, but I thought the Teresa Collins ledger look paper was perfect! I heat embossed another Favorite Fellas sentiment and image in black. I thought they just went perfect with the look and feel of the card.


And that's it! I hope you like it and wish me luck for the next round!! If I don't make it, it was super fun playing. I wish all the best to the other Top 19. I have been inspired and awe'd by all of your creations!!


Recipe:

Stamps: Clear Art Stamps Crafty Secret Favorite Fellas

Paper: Teresa Collins, Su! , Bazzil

Ink: Staz On Black, Versamark, Tim Holtz Ranger Distress ink - Vintage Photo

Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing folder, crimper, EK Success scallop border punch, American International Letter rub-ons, Crafty Stitcher, Basic Basic Ribbon

Paper Challenge Birdie

So once again I'm behind on my monthy paper challenge with my friends at work and once again the "hounding" has started. But this time I'm only behind by less than a week. So this weekend was all about getting those done (in between Ju Jitsu, rained out baseball games, cards with friends, watching the Backhawks WIN!!! and spending too much money at a friends jewelry party :))

Any-hoo, I submitted a request to my PCG's for a "springy" paper and this is what I got. Unfortunately, the paper name was not listed on the back of the single 12x12 I received. I knew I wanted to play with these little paperboard birdie shapes I got at Michaels. 12 of them in a pack for less than $3.00!!! They're sturdy, easy to Cropadile through and just too darn cute! I fell in LOVE with them when I say Anna Wight play with them. You can check out her fabulous version here.

Each wing was created using one white silk flower. I cut the flower in different sized wedges and then secured each layer on top of each other with a glue dot. The final layer is a punched out heart. I stamped on the little wooden tags with staz on brown. They're too cute. A package of six already distressed - gotta love it!

And what better card to go with this darling little birdie than an equally darling little bird-house card. I finished up using the scraps from the paper challenge to create the roof of the house. I created the template and popped up the roof to give the house some dimension. I wanted the card to coordinate with the birdie so I used the same ribbon on the bottom perch/porch. I used my Crafty Secrets Bird Notes stamp set to stamp on the inside of the card positioned so that it would show through the hole to the front of the card. So, what do you think? Worth the wait right ;0)

Thanks for looking, havee a GREAT week!

Recipe:

Stamps: Crafty Secrets Bird Notes,Michaels (Studio G $1 bin)

Paper: Cardstock SU!, PP is unkown

Ink: Staz On (Brown), Ranger distress ink (Sepia), Coor Box Chalk Ink (Olive Pastel)

Accessories: Joanns -ribbonFX, Wooden tags, Michaels - ribbon, bird shapes, wire, bells, Paper studio buttons, silk flowers, Su! copper cording, sewing machine

Boys are Blessings

My submission for this weeks Mojo Monday layout. The papers are from a Daisy D scrappack that I got at Archivers. All of the papers had a vintage feel so I went with that theme and aged them (and everything else) with Ranger distress ink in "vintage photo". I would rather have had stamped an old vintage toy like a top or yoyo, or car instead of the bird. . . but I didn't have any! And all of the boy stamps I did have were just to cute for this card. By the way did I mention before that I LOVE this new Marrtha Stewart border punch! It embosses, punches the holes and zigzags all at the same time. How cool is that :0)

Recipe:
Stamps: Crafty Secrets, Cloud 9
Papers: Daisy D's
Accessories: Hardware - SU!, Ribbon- Michaels