Butterfly Happiness

This card was inspired by Lisa's fridge magnets. Again I used my Cricut and Sure Cuts A Lot software to cut the butterflies. I placed the butterflies on a 5 inch square base of Papertrey Ink's Stamper's Select White. I like this paper for a white card base as it is slightly sturdier that Stampin' Up's Whisper White. I was excited to find the tiny self stick gems by Elmer's Sticky Jewels at Wal-Mart. The package I bought had 150 clear and 150 pink peel and stick rhinestones. You can also buy a package of clear and blue.

Thanks for looking,
Kim

Base - PTI Stamper's Select White
SU Textured Card Stock - Kiwi Kiss, Pacific, Riding Hood Red, Tangerine Tango

SU Designer Paper - Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, Riding Hood Red, Tangerine Tango
Ink - VersaFine Black Onyx
SU Stamps - Heard from the Heart
Accessories - Elmer's Sticky Jewels

40th Birthday Word Book

I made a word chipboard book for my little brother's 40th birthday in June. This is the first time I've made one of these so it has been a bit of a learning experience! I'm really pleased with how it turned out... I don't think the pictures really highlight it, but they'll work for showing my mom and sister-in-law... "Hi Mom! Hi Shelley".

First pages - it is hard to fit the whole book into the picture, especially on the last pages as they are so long. The book is about 9 1/2 cm tall (4 inches). The picture is of me holding my little brother. I love how unhappy he looks and how scared I look...

On the back of the "H" page and the front of the "A" page. The word art reads, " The best part of life is when your family becomes your friends." Both pictures are of me and my two brothers.

This is the back of the "A" page and the front of the "W" page. It is pictures of my brother with his nephew and nieces. His two sons are also in the helmet picture.

This is the back of the "W" page. These are pictures of my brother with our dad and mom.

This is the front of the "N" page (the last page of the scrapbook). The first picture is my family and the second picture is my brother with his family. The circle word art reads "a family is a circle of love".

All the word art was made by Bethany. She is very talented and has a free word art EVERY day! What a sweetie!

I used my Cricut and Sure Cuts A Lot software to create the pages. Thank goodness box board (cereal boxes) are plentiful as it took quite a few tries to get it right. Some box board is too thick to cut with the Cricut. The box board didn't stick well to the mat, even if I sprayed it with tacky adhesive first. I also found it best to tape down the edges to the mat.

I also wasn't very successful with doing a multiple cut. I liked cutting it once with the Cricut and then using scissors to cut all the way through. I had to remember to put the paper for the backside of the letter down on the mat so it was cut backwards. It also pays to go slow and make sure the paper is placed on the right spot of the mat before you cut. (I had to borrow another piece of cardstock from a friend after I messed up because I put the mat in the Cricut backwards!!! Argh!)

If I was to do this again, I would try making the shape of the pages without the inside of the letters cut out and then cut out the letters out of contrasting card stock to put on top of the pages. This would prevent the pictures from peeking through when the book is all closed up.

Thanks for looking,
Kim

Get Well Butterfly

I used my Cricut and Sure Cuts A Lot software again to create this slightly smaller Carousel Note card from Pink Pirouette textured cards stock. (See this post for an explanation of why it is smaller.) I tried to put something on the right hand side so it would be balanced out, but it just didn't look right, so I put three brads on the inside. It works pretty well, just leans slightly to the left when sitting on a table.

I also used the software to create the butterflies. I learned that when I'm cutting paper with my Cricut, I need the blade depth to be at 4 and the pressure at 4 as well so the paper doesn't tear.

Sometime earlier this week I saw butterflies made with the beads for a body on one of the blogs that I follow. I can't remember which blog and I checked them all trying to find it... maybe I saw it on Splitcoast Stampers. I remember looking at the loop at the bottom, but I couldn't remember what the top looked like. After searching my Google Reader list, I decided to just use Google to search the Internet and I found Lori's site . I like how she made her antennas so I copied hers.

I'm sending this card off to my sister-in-law who just had surgery on Thursday. Hopefully it will brighten her day.

Thanks for looking,
Kim

SU Card Stock - Pink Pirouette Textured Card Stock
SU Designer Paper - Georgia Peach, Sweet Always
Ink - VersaFine Black Onyx
Stamp - PTI - Faux Ribbon
Accessories - beads and wire from my daughter's craft drawer, flower eyelets from a dollar store

Another Masculine Card

I've sure been challenged lately as I've needed quite a few masculine cards. This one is for my nephew-in-law's birthday. I love the colours of this one! I used my Cricut and the Sure Cuts A Lot software to create the Little Leaves just like the Sizzlits Dies. I sure love that program. If you have any questions about how to use it, just drop me a line!

My inspiration for this card came from Mary Fish's card. I just love her blog and her cards... plus she has the cutest haircut in her profile picture :) !

It is not the best picture as it looks a little out of focus to me. Since the card must be in the mail today, this picture will have to do as my husband has our good camera on a trip and he won't be back until late tonight. Can you see the texture of the Kiwi Kiss paper and that the Not Quite Navy piece is raised?

Thanks for looking,
Kim

SU Card Stock - Not Quite Navy, Kiwi Kiss Textured C/S, Whisper White
SU Designer Paper - Urban Garden
Ink - VersaFine Black Onyx
Stamps - Papertrey Ink - Faux Ribbon
Accessories - Stampin' Dimensionals, Hodgepodge Hardware - Pewter, Corner Rounder Punch

Two Sympathy Cards

I needed two sympathy cards last week. Both were for grandfathers that passed away, so I wanted to make the cards masculine looking.

The first one didn't thrill me at first, but it has grown on me a bit more. I used Silke's card as an inspiration. I wanted to use some of my designer paper, but once I made my pick, I realized that the colours wouldn't look good for colouring the trees. I think I could have "upped" the quality of this card by embossing the trees, but I didn't want to use black. I'm also a little frustrated with my paper piercing. I used the Mat Pack so the holes are evenly spaced, but I find that they are not as straight as I would like them. I guess I need to focus on this the next time I use it.


For the second one, I used Kim Scotti's card for inspiration. I really like how this one turned out. I stamped off some of the leaves so that there is a variation in the colour of them.


Thanks for looking,
Kim

First Card
SU Card Stock - Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Sage Shadow, Whisper White
SU Designer Paper - To the Nines Specialty Textured C/S
SU Ink - Chocolate Chip
SU Stamps - Lovely as a Tree, Warmest Regards
Accessories - Chocolate Chip brads from Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts, Mat Pack, Crafters' Tool Kit

Second Card
SU Card Stock - Basic Black, Whisper White, Ruby Red
SU Designer Paper - Old Olive
Ink - SU Old Olive, SU Ruby Red, Versa Fine Black Onyx
Stamps - SU Branch Out, Papertry Ink - Mixed Messages
Accessories - SU Black Brads, Oval and Scalloped Oval Nestabilities, Cuttlebug Birds and Swirls Embossing Folder, Corner Rounder Punch

New Blog - Old Card

I'm pretty excited about my new blog look. I got the template for free from Gisele Jaquenod. Isn't it cute! I tweeked it a bit to make it a bit wider. Since I know nothing about HTML, it took a little bit of playing. Let me know if it doesn't work on your computer as now I wonder if I shouldn't have been messy around.

It was a gorgeous day today so between working in the garden, preparing for my garage sale next weekend and playing with my blog, there was no time to stamp. So, here's one of the cards that I made in March when I went to Jen's Stamp-a-Stack.

I love the above card, but I needed a thank you card and didn't have one ready - of course! So I pulled off the sentiment and changed it to "Thank You". I added the scalloped oval because I wanted to see if I could make the SU scalloped oval with my Cricut and Sure Cuts A Lot software. I really need to set a goal of working on my watercolouring... perhaps I work on that in the summer.

We made two of each of the five designs at the Stamp-a-Stack, plus a bonus project. I'll try and get the others posted soon as they are all so cute.

Thanks for looking,
Kim

Pardon Me...

I'm trying out new blog templates to see what I like. This is all new to me so there is lots of trial and error happening!

Kim

Branch Out Masculine Birthday

I created this card for my nephew's birthday that is later this month. I used my Cricut and Sure Cuts A Lot software to create an oval that was 0.7" high and 1.35" wide to fit in the Hodgepodge Hardware. I put the oval on dimensionals and then placed the frame over top so the paper sits nicely in the hardware.

Thanks for looking,
Kim

SU Card Stock - Two the Nines Specialty Textured C/S, Sahara Sand, Bravo Burgundy, Always Artichoke
Ink - SU Chocolate Chip, SU Always Artichoke, SU Basic Black, Versa Fine Black Onyx (sentiment)
Stamps - SU Branch Out, PTI Faux Ribbon
Accessories - Hodgepodge Hardware in Pewter (Retired), Stampin Dimensionals

Carousel Daisies

I love, love, LOVE this card that my friend, Erin made using a Carousel Note and the Daisies #2 Bigz Dies. She also used a Jumbo Brad and some rub-ons. Isn't it a cute card? Thank you, Erin! (Let me know when your blog is running and I'll link it here! :) )




I just had to see if I could use my trusty Cricut and Sure Cuts A Lot software to create this card as I don't have Carousel Notes or the daisy die. I found out that the software will not let me cut a scalloped circle quite as big as the Carousel Note. I had to settle for a 5.25" one. I was able to cut the daisies, but because my base was smaller, I should have made my daisies smaller too so I could put a sentiment below the flower. Instead I improvised and put my flower to the left. While I like the look of the card, the problem is that it tips to the left when you set it down. (I cheated and taped it to the table when I was taking the picture! I didn't have any jumbo brads so I used my Cuttlebug Build-A-Flower in my Big Shot to make the embossed center of the flower.

Check back later to see my masculine card I made using the SU Branch Out set.

Thanks for looking,
Kim

SU Card Stock - Kiwi Kiss Textured C/S, Tangerine Tango Textured C/S, Very Vanilla
Ink - Versa Fine Black Onyx
SU Stamps - Short & Sweet
Accessories - Cricut, Sure Cuts A Lot, Stampin' Dimensionals, Big Shot, Build-A-Flower

Birthday Goodies

I can't believe that it has been over a month since I last posted. The sad thing is that before this past weekend, I had only made one card since then. (I'll post that one later. First, I want to remake it with some ideas I have for improvements

I just celebrated my birthday and my mom and husband were kind enough to add to my stamping addiction. This afternoon I sat down to use my new SU stamp set, Branch Out. I had seen some beautiful flowering crab apple or cherry blossom trees made with this set so that is what I set out to do. After I stamped the tree I cut it out with my Big Shot using my second largest Nestie oval. I framed that with the largest oval in Certainly Celery and then added the largest scallop oval in Regal Rose. After I made that, I was at a loss as to what to do next...
I did an Internet search and came up with Mary Fish's card for inspiration. The interesting thing is that Mary Fish's blog is on my blog reader, but I hadn't saved this card in my Inspiration folder because I didn't own the stamp set when I first saw it!

I liked the card when I finished it, but there were changes that I wanted to make. I thought the word window should be wrapped around the left side of the Whisper White oval and the brads needed to be closer to the ticket punch corner. So after dinner I decided to make another card, this time following Mary's a little more closely:

I finally broke down and bought the Sure Cuts A Lot program in March and I am SO glad that I did! The program allows me to cut pretty well any shape with my Cricut. I used the image of the SU Bigz Die Oval Scallop Frame from the Spring/Summer catalogue for the second card. I just loaded an image of the die into Inkscape to make a SVG file and then imported that into SCAL. Not only can I cut any image that I want without buying dies or cartridges, but I also can change the size to whatever I want! Let me know if you would like the SCUT file or more information about how to make your own files.

I cut the frame from two pieces of box board (cereal box) - cutting each piece separately and using the cut 3x feature. I glued those together and then cut a piece of Old Olive card stock and glued that on top.

I think the only thing that I would change about this card is make the Whisper White oval just slightly bigger than the frame so I wouldn't have to worry about the designer paper peeking through.

Well, thanks for looking and I hope I'll be back to making cards a little more regularly.

Kim

First Card
SU Card Stock - Regal Rose, Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink
SU Designer Paper - Certainly Celery
SU Ink - Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip
Stamps - SU - Branch Out, Papertry Ink - Faux Ribbon
Accessories - SU Organdy Ribbon - Certainly Celery, Pretty In Pink Satin Ribbon (from my stash). Pretty in Pink Brads from Pink Hedge Hog Paper Crafts, Ticket Corner Punch, Word Window Punch, Oval and Scalloped Oval Nesties, Stampin' Dimensionals

Second Card
SU Card Stock - Whisper White, Old Olive, Pretty in Pink
SU Designer Paper - Regal Rose
SU Ink - Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip
Stamps - SU - Branch Out, Papertry Ink - Faux Ribbon
Accessories - Regal Rose Brads from Pink Hedge Hog Paper Crafts, Ticket Corner Punch, Word Window Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals. Cricut, Sure Cuts A Lot