Happy Birthday

Sorry I've been absent awhile--I've been sick, I'm still sick. Haven't felt like doing much beyond work and home (and the hospital--did I mention that my mom's in the hospital? Double pneumonia. She's doing well.) I'm going to the doc tomorrow as whatever I have just won't go away. I've missed commenting on blogs and such, and I'm hoping to get back to that soon! In the meantime, I really wanted to at least post something, so here's a birthday card I made for my BFF. Her birthday is tomorrow, June 1. I had an idea in mind before I made this, but during the PTI blog hop on the 25th, I saw a card that totally inspired me. I loved the whole card, but the part that most grabbed me was the PTI background Tin Types stamp used twice, once in black, once in white, and I just had to incorporate into this card. Here's the original, by Laurie at SoapBoxCreations. Isn't it great? So here's my take, along with the gifts, which I tried to wrap to match. Now if I can just feel better so I can take my friend out to dinner and give her her birthday goodies!

Supplies
Stamps: PTI--Signature Greetings, Damask Designs, Fall Elegance & Background Basics: Tin Types
Sticker: Making Memories
Paper: PTI--Soft Stone; PP--Digital Designs
Velvet Ribbon: Michaels
Embossing Strip: Cuttlebug
Die: Spellbinders
Ink: PTI--Fresh Snow; Tsukineko--Onyx Black

PTI Blog Hop! (And PTPD Challenge #5)

I'm actually participating in the Papertrey Blog Hop for May--woo hoo, my first blog hop of any kind! The only requirement was to use PTI's fabulous felt . . . so I felt I could combine the Hop with Papertrey Paper Dolls 5th challenge, which was to use the PTI colors Dark Chocolate, Hawaiian Shores, and Berry Sorbet. I can honestly say I have never used that color combo before, and I LOVE it! It will get used again!

I have all the felt that has been released so far, but--confession here--I hadn't used any of it! So this Blog Hop was good for me because it made me try something new. I went for a simple card, no sense taking on something complex when trying something for the first time. A base of Dark Chocolate, corners rounded at the top, is topped by a piece of Dotty Biscotti (first use of that too), edged with a border punch on the bottom and corner rounder on the top. Some Berry Sorbet saddle stitched ribbon and a Berry Sorbet button line up above the punched border, and the ribbon is stamped with a PTI sentiment in Staz-On ink. Then for the felt! I had recently gotten this set of heart nesties and decided to use 'em and see what happened. I ran each heart through my Spellbinder twice, and the felt cut almost completely. A few snips with the scissors and they came out clean. I love that the felt can be cut with nesties--it opens up a lot more possibilities! I added three little pearls to the rightmost heart, and it was done! Thanks for looking, and if you leave a comment, thank you again! You guys often put a smile on my face for the day with your kind words!

Supplies
Stamp: PTI--Beyond Basic Borders
Paper: PTI--Dark Chocolate, Hawaiian Shores, Dotty Biscotti PP
Felt: PTI--Hawaiian Shores
Ribbon: PTI--Berry Sorbet
Button: PTI--Berry Sorbet
Ink: Staz-On--Timber Brown
Pearls: Recollections
Border Punch: Fiskars
Dies: Spellbinders

Happily Ever Challenged #6

Ted at Happily Ever Crafter has a challenge this month that I just couldn't resist. It's a Menu Challenge--literally. You choose from a menu of options based on the last number in the year you were born, and have to create a card putting all of them together. Since I was born in an "8" year, my menu looks like this:

Appetizer (Base Color)--Purple
Main Course (Technique)--Sewing
Dessert (Primary Embellishment)--Ric Rac
Tip (Main Image)--Tree

I had a ball creating a card that ended up being very out of the box for me. I just don't *do* whimsical, but that's how my "meal" turned out! The first thing I did was pick out a tree image. I wasn't sure I had one (Through the Trees is on my PTI wishlist), but then I found this image from Kim Hughes. I'm not into cutesy, but I do love Kim's style, and somewhere along the line, I had bought this stamp from CHF. Unfortunately, the impression of it is doing something funky in the photo lighting . . . in person it's not so uneven and splotchy! Next, I chose some dark purple cardstock and PP (I think I've had this PP--no joke--since college!), a border stamp, teeny flowers & rhinestone centers, and some lovely velvet ric rac I've been hoarding. Oh, and stitched across the top. I forgot to photograph the inside, but I did decorate it and add a "Just Because" sentiment. BTW, the ric rac bow *isn't* falling off--it's nice and centered, really! :-D This was really fun--you should hop over to Ted's blog and create your own menu!

Supplies
Stamps: CHF--Kissable Tree by Kim Hughes Collection; PTI--Vintage Picnic Sentiments (inside)
Paper: PTI--Ripe Avocado, Stamper's Select White; stash
Ink: Tsukineko--Versacolor Bamboo
Flowers: Prima
Rhinestones: Recollections
Border Punch: Fiskars
Copic: N0 (the letter "N", the number zero, LOL!)
Ric Rac: Stash
Other: Sewing Machine

Papertrey Pixies Challenge #1

Yeah! I finally scanned the page I made for the first Pixie challenge! I finished it last week but kept forgetting to scan it so I could upload it. :-) The challenge is to make your own background paper. I decided to do this for a scrapbook layout, rather than a card, because it's been so long since I scrapbooked. I mean over a year, at least. Cards kind of took over (love that instant gratification) but I do love scrapbooking too and have really wanted to get back to it. I chose the title page for my kitties' album (yes, I make albums for my pets and I am not ashamed, LOL!). They are almost 3, so I thought it was about time. (I'm embarrassed to admit that my nephew is 3 1/2 and I haven't even done a title page for his first year SB! Um, guess that should be next. ;->) So, I spent an obscene amount of time choosing the picture, and then went with the colors in it to make the page. I made the polka dotted pink paper with Polka Dot Basics II, stamping in watermark ink and then using a pearly embossing powder on them. Yes, that did take a long time. The light gray paper is stamped with a CHF backgrounder in Smokey Shadow. I made the letters too, with a Technique Tuesday alphabet and the same embossing powder as on the dots. Looks different doesn't it? In person, the letters look metal, which is cool but unintended. I used a border punch, a date stamp, and punched the flowers out of paper I made like the big pink piece, only with little paw prints instead of polka dots. Some brads, PTI's medium scallop die, and I was done.

BTW, Mia is on the left and Milo on the right. They are from the same litter but I suspect they have different fathers. Mia is small, not afraid of anything, and the smartest cat I've ever come across, and Milo is clearly part Siamese (you should hear his meow), leery of his own shadow, and a real sweet mama's boy. He's also a special needs kitty, which we didn't know when I adopted them. He was born with shallow hip joints, and through veterinary chiropracty and meds, he does pretty darned well! I'm sure he has no idea he's "special," LOL! If you've made it this far, thanks for looking! ;-D

Supplies
Stamps: PTI--Polka Dot Basics II; CHF--Paw Print Backgrounder & Dotted Lines Backgrounder; Technique Tuesday--Provence Lowercase Letters, Extra Large; Heidi Swapp date stamper
Paper: PTI--Soft Stone & Smokey Shadow; stash
Border Punch: EK Success
Ink: Tsukineko--Versamark; PTI--Smokey Shadow
Embossing Powder: Lindy's Stamp Gang--Silver Moon/Sapphire
Flower Punches: EK Success (?)
Dies: PTI--Medium Scallop Die; Cuttlebug flower die (heart)

SFYTT

I gave this week's SFYTT a try, my first time joining in at Jen del Muro's blog. This card came together pretty easily. The PP was the first I saw, and I just grabbed it and went from there. It was nice to get a chance to use my new Spellbinders Big Scalloped Ovals die. I'm digging this new "big" line and will have to get some more eventually!

Supplies
Stamps: PTI--Beyond Basic Borders & Round and Round
Paper: PTI--Spring Rain, Ocean Tides & Rustic White; DCWV Old World Stack
Punch: Martha Stewart
Ink: Tsukineko--Versafine Onyx Black; Ranger--Stormy Sky Distress Ink; PTI--Ocean Tides
Ribbon: Michael's
Embossing Powder: Ranger--Super Fine Detail Clear
Flowers: Prima
Brads: Basic Grey
Misc: Spellbinders die; Stamping Bella Dewdrops

Papertrey Paper Dolls Challenge #4

I like to play along with the Paper Dolls. Why? Because they're such a nice bunch! And they have fun challenges . . . although I found this one, to make a masculine and feminine version of the same card CHALLENGING! I decided to go embarrassingly basic, which seemed to work as you can certainly tell which one is which! :-D I used a basic-sized card, the Mat Stack Die #1, the sentiment, "Thank You" and buttons & trim on both, switching up the color scheme and "feel." Not my best work, but I did enjoy stretching my comfort zone.

Supplies--Feminine Card
Stamp: PTI--Asian Fusion
Paper: Stash
Punch: Martha Stewart
Die: PTI--Mat Stack #1
Ribbon: Michael's
Floss: DMC
Buttons: Stash
Ink: Tsukineko--Versacolor Opera Pink & Petal Pink
Embossing Powder: Ranger--Clear Super Fine Detail

Supplies--Masculine Card
Stamp: Clear Dollar Stamps
Paper: PTI--Rustic White; stash
Ink: Ranger--Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink
Embossing Powder: Ranger--Brushed Corduroy Distress Embossing Powder
Die: PTI--Mat Stack #1
Buttons: Dress It Up
Twine: PTI

Papertrey Paper Dolls Challenge #3

I was determined to get my card uploaded in time this week, LOL, and it looks like I did it (whew!). I do not do CAS naturally, so I was eager to give this sketch a try to stretch my boundaries. I made a teeny little card (about 3.75"x3.75") to fit in PTI's 4"x4" envelopes. I hesitate to say how long this took me, but let's just say that smaller does not mean shorter in my creative space! You can't really see it in the picture, but on the Enchanted Evening layer is debossing from PTI's Tin Types Impression Plate, with some glitter in each of the round depressions. Trust me, it looks cute in person! :-D

Supplies
Stamp: PTI--Piece of Cake
Paper: PTI--Enchanted Evening; stash
Ink: PTI--Ocean Tides
Ribbon: PTI--Enchanted Evening
Button: Stash
Punch: Corner Chomper
Debossing Plate: PTI--Tin Types
Pen: Sakura--Gelly Roll Clear Glitter

Mother's Day

Here is the card I made my mom for Mother's Day yesterday. In the end I was very happy with it (and she loved it, of course, but then she's required to by law since she's my mother!), but you should have seen me struggle with the creative process making it! I had this vision in my head of Ocean Tides and Sweet Blush, a certain CHF background stamp, some crystalline embossing powder . . . and as I started making card components with those supplies, I could tell right from the start that it wasn't working. Did I immediately stop and begin with a new idea? Nope! I stubbornly kept trying to make it work--do any of you do that? I kept thinking I could "save" the idea. I finally gave up a few days later and set the salvageable parts aside for another project and started over. The only thing I kept was the Ocean Tides layer that is punched all around with a border punch (in its plain state). This second idea just flowed, so I wish I had wised up a lot sooner! :-)

Supplies
Stamps: PTI--Boxes, Bags & Tags (on the inside and the envelope), Turning a New Leaf; Verve--Because of You (on the inside)
Paper: PTI--Ocean Tides, Rustic White, Tea Leaves PP
Ink: PTI--Ocean Tides, Tea Dye Duo; Versafine--Onyx Black
Ribbon: Stash
Flowers: Prima
Pearls: Recollections
Border Punch: Fiskars
Misc: Spellbinders die, sewing machine, ScorPal

Mojo Monday

And now for some Verve-y goodness! I've always wanted to say that. Okay, not always, but since I first discovered Verve stamps! I decided to try the Mojo Monday sketch for the first time--just because I liked it--and here is my entry. It's actually a pretty tiny card, smaller than an A2 (is that the standard smallish size?). I used yellow, black, and white, and Verve's newish Let It Shine stamp set. Oh, and a Corner Chomper--a new toy!

Supplies
Stamps: Verve--Let It Shine
Paper: PTI--Lemon Tart; stash
Ink: Versafine--Onyx Black
Copics: YO2 & Y17
Buttons: PTI--Lemon Tart; stash
Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug
Brads: Basic Grey
Spellbinders Oval

Be Still . . .

This was a rare thing . . . a spontaneous card! I was flipping through my folder of purple scraps and I just felt an urge to use the sparkly background paper. Then I found a sparkly flower that matched the pink perfectly, and the stamp already sitting on the table . . . and I had a card. I used an embossing pen for the sparkly embossing powder around the edge of the purple flower layer and it worked great! I had to do it in stages as I thought the fluid might dry too much if I did the whole flower at once. Add some ric rac and a border punch and I was done. Simple and easy, but it will be nice to have in the old card stash for whenever I might need it.

Supplies
Stamp: Verve--Psalm 46:10
Paper: PTI Spring Rain, stash
Ric Rac: Stash
Flowers: Doodlebug Design, Prima
Rhinestone: Recollections (you can't tell in the picture, but it's the borealis kind--love those!)
Embossing Powder: Stampendous--Crystal
Border Punch: EK Success LE
Ink: Ranger--Dusty Concord; Versafine--Onyx Black
Die: Spellbinders--Blossom

Papertrey Paper Dolls Challenge #2

Here's my card for the Papertrey Paper Dolls Challenge #2! I loved this sketch and knew what I wanted to do immediately--and that just doesn't happen to me often, I'm more of a by-the-seat-of-my-pants card maker. :-D I had gotten some Zoe Pearn patterned paper as a free "thank you" throw-in with an online order and I fell in love with it. The colors and retro style remind me of the decor in the bedroom my sister and I shared as kids in the '70s. Our sheets were the colors of the viney paper, only with Raggedy Ann and Andy on them, with avocado green bedspreads. Our closet doors were painted reddish-orange. We had (and my sister still has in a storage closet) a toy chest of these colors with a flowered pattern just like the accent flowers. Guess who I'm going to send this card to? She is going to laugh when it arrives because she will immediately get it! I love sharing a brain with my sister, LOL! I had fun with the stitching and want to remember to do that more often. Thanks for letting me play along Paper Dolls!

Supplies
Stamps: A Muse--Tiny Flowers Letters; PTI--Polka Dot Basics
Paper: PP--Bloom & Grow by Zoe Pearn; PTI--Vintage Cream, New Leaf, Summer Sunrise, Dark Chocolate
Ink: Versamark; Ranger--Antique Linen
Crystal Lacquer (on the flowers): Sakura
Ribbon: PTI--Summer Sunrise
Buttons: PTI--New Leaf, Hawaiian Shores, Summer Sunrise.
Other: Sewing Machine

Sympathy Card

Well, unfortunately, this card is for the husband of the woman I made the "With Appreciation" card for. Today was the date of her retirement party, and she died yesterday. Things went downhill fast. She sure is going to be missed. You know, I have made more sympathy cards in the last year than ever in my life. I'm just glad that stamp companies make sympathy sets. It makes a tough task much easier. I picked a funky time of day to photograph this card, it's a bit washed out, sorry about that. Maybe I should get one of those photo box thingees. Anyone have one? What do you think? If not, how do you get that soft light that doesn't make the cards look so stark? Any tips are appreciated!

Supplies
Stamps: PTI--Text Boxed, With Sympathy (inside sentiment), and Beyond Basic Borders.
Paper: PTI--Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado, and Rustic White, stash.
Embossing Folder: PTI--Woodgrain.
Ink: Ranger--Peeled Paint, Versamark--Vintage Sepia, Versacolor--Sand Beige
Embossing Powder: Ranger--Clear and Peeled Paint.
Button: Stash
Twine: PTI Rustic White