Friday, August 31, 2012

The Monthly Challenge at Stampendous for September is
EMBOSSING TECHNIQUES!
Click HERE to see how I used
and a bit of ink to create this earlier project!.
The result was this shimmery, gorgeous tag giving those vintage colors
an extra pop!

Poppies poppin' everywhere!

Love these flowers and I can't put this new stack from
DCWV
d
o
w
n
!
 
 
 
"Sweet Blossom"
This stack is brand new and available at Michael's this month!
 
The pattern of this paper keeps drawing me back. I am going to need more poppies!
This card was SO simple!
I simply cut the black mats from the Tres Chic Stack because it has such deep texture and is true black...
Then I cut the background poppy pattern paper just 1/4 inch smaller,
and continued fussy cutting additional flowers to layer over, popping them up at various heights. The glitter centers add just a bit of elegance.
 
The sentiment is one I've used before, too, and love it!
It's from Stampendous,
"Flower Path"
and you can get it here.
 
The sparkle is also compliments of Stampendous, and is the
"Silver Halo" glitter.
 
The finishing touch is a silver flower charm attached with some black twine! I love adding charms and beads to my cards! Gives them that little dab of dimension.
 
Please, leave me a comment and let me know you came by!
 
Jan


Thursday, August 30, 2012

Yes, It's School Time at Do You Stack Up!

 
Can You Digi It
* $10 Gift Certificate

My Heart Pieces
* Winner's Choice of 3 Digis
Melonheadz Illustrating
* $15 Gift Certificate

My card this week focuses on encouragement for the student.
Here it is, using a "Can You Digi It" image,


The cloud was printed on white, the bird on yellow, and the gorgeous background is new from DCWV, "Bouquet de Fleur", available at Michael's!
I love the music sheet print on the little bird and the text on the cloud! 
It all comes on the digital image!
I popped up both the cloud and the bird.
I just noticed that one of my machine stitches slipped through on the last heart...
homemade cards...that's what makes them special.

Since I've "retired" from teaching, I lose track of how quickly it's time for everyone else to go back to school!

Check out the rest of the DYSU Design Team's projects!
They're sure to get you back into the "school year mode"!

And, please, leave a comment. They truly make my day!
If you're not a follower, click it! I would love to see that number grow!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Gift Wrapped...

I wanted to do something besides the usual flat card,
so I made a small box card only 1/4 inch thick.
Just enough room inside to add the little machine stitched paper "socks"...


The Copics colored image I used was

and the inside sentiment is

I then added the ribbon that ties partially around the card to give the appearance of a wrapped gift.  With the extra space inside, I can always add an actual pair of boy's socks for my 7 year old grandson!  Yeah, I know, that's mean!  Haha!

Hope you got a kick out of this and maybe some new ideas!




Special Delivery!

Hello, it's Jan again!

(Please scroll down to see my latest DCWV layout!)

Today, I made a tag-turned-card!
Sometimes, you start with a concept, and it just grows from there!
I used the recently released Stampendous,
on kraft cardstock.
First, I stamped and heat-embossed the image onto the kraft tag.
The image was then colored using watercolor pencils.

The sentiment is from the set,  "Christmas Wishes",
and was stamped and also heat-embossed.
The edges of the tag were inked with Tim Holtz Christmas inks,
and the kraft card mat and the pattern paper edges inked in Momento, Cocoa Brown.
I love the vintage look of these colors!
What set the whole thing off was covering the entire tag with Versamark,
Champagne Dazzle Ink.
I then sprinkled the entire surface with Stampendous,
Detail Clear Embossing Powder.
The result was this shimmery, gorgeous tag giving those vintage colors
an extra pop!
I send more cards than I attach tags to gifts, so this was assembled and will be one more Christmas card off my list! 

The August Stampendous Challenge,
 "Focus on Sentiments",
is very close to coming to an end!
 
Just look at all of the wonderful projects by the
Design Team!
 
InLinkz.com
Stampendous is giving away three stamp sets in August!
Go here to see all of the details and rules, and make your own project and link it up here or on the Stampendous blog!
 


Check out my second post for today!
These new DCWV papers will knock your socks off!


DCWV Autumn Melody

"Family Traditions"
 
I wanted to capture the magic that was so evident in the photo where my grandson is reading to my mother,
his great-grandmother.
There will only be so many moments like this in
this lifetime.
 
 
Hayden had been reading at a very high level for some time, but my mother had never had the opportunity until last November to sit down and share a book with him. I know she loved it, having read to me and my sister, and then to my children from the time we were all very young.
At only 6, he was reading at a third grade level!  He has since started second grade this year, and is in a Gifted Program, so I'm sure he will be passing us all up and reading everything he gets his hands on now!
 
These DCWV papers are so gorgeous to work with!
Fall colors with a touch of elegance...
 
 
The gold foil on the leaf pattern paper is my all-time favorite for this time of year!
Even in small amounts die cut, border punched, or as trim, this paper steals the show!
 
 
The coordinating stickers make putting together a finished layout a breeze!
My banners have a beautiful sheet music print and comes in the stack, too!
I only wish my photos would do it justice.
 
My mother hates photos of herself, but I have a  feeling she'll
make exceptions for this one!
 
Please leave a comment so I know you've been here!
I love reading them and returning the favor by going to your blogs and seeing
your own creations!
 
Thank you, too, Fiskars, Spellbinders, and Prima
for their amazingly wonderful products!
 


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Crafter's Companion shows "Friendship"!

My challenge entry this week at
is this adorable little S.w.a.l.k gal
and a sweet sentiment from Henry Thoreau.
 
 
 
This particular stamp set is called "With Sympathy", but I look at her and she just appears to be deeply sincere whatever her message and can be used for
 many occasions.
And I love to color these with my markers!
 
Inside of card reads...
 
 
and is a combination of sentiment from MFT,
and silhouette image by Unity Stamps.
 
I hope to win a gift certificate from Crafter's Companion so I can get more of these adorable stamps!


Monday, August 27, 2012

DCWV Forever and Always!

This paper stack is SO SWEET!
First off, it's black and white with silvers and greys, with some pages embossed in such a way that it is the most elegant paper with a modern twist!
So you know I love it!
Then there's that romantic element....   aaaahhhh...
so very lovely.
This is destined to be one of my favorites for a very long time!


Can you see the printed detail in the background paper?



I can't imagine a prettier paper for anniversaries, weddings, and
any romantic occasion!

With the Spellbinder dies, this was an easy 30 minute card!

 
Supplies:
Papers; DCWV, "Always and Forever"
Dies: Spellbinders, "Labels Seventeen", and "Fleur de Lis Squares"
Bling: Imaginisce





Sparkly Poinsettia by Stampendous!

I love the colors of Christmas!
And the fact that the beautiful Poinsettias will soon be in the stores in so many gorgeous colors!

Stampendous has a wonderful holiday stamp,
"Poinsettia Background"!


I just had to heat emboss it, ink it with my daubers, and then VERY CAREFULLY color inside the flowers with my Copics...yes, I know, living dangerously!
I took it slow and tried hard not to get too close to any of the embossed lines.
And afterward, I cleaned those nibs!

I used more Copics colors to blend than I normally do (stepping out of my box).
R22, R32, R35, and RV21
and couldn't resist covering the whole image with embossing ink and clear embossing powder to give it a shine and make those colors POP!


The sparkle is done with the Champagne Crushed Glass Glitter and an edge of
A sprinkling of gold micro beads, a pretty little pearl button that I altered with my Copics, and a soft five-loop bow finishes off this one!
Here is a front-on view better showing the crushed glass!


It just adds an elegance to everything!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

It's a Doodle Dragon Christmas!


         With the challenge this week at
Pike's Playground
being
"Black and White, with a splash of color", 
I took a different approach
with my splash of color being the red in the papers,
 
and the image having to follow the black and white rule!

This fellow is
the snowman from the
2012 "Christmas in June" release! 

Create your own Doodle Dragon Christmas cards or other occasion cards, and enter them at
Dustin Pike's Blog! 
Everyone who enters and follows the challenge requirements gets a FREE image!
 

Thursday, August 23, 2012

DYSU CHallenge #86!


We have three amazing sponsors this week:

One Year PDF subscription

Winner's Choice of 5 Digis

$16 Gift Certificate

Fantasy, combined with Halloween, mix in a bit of romance...


I had some Graphic 45, "Hallowe'en in Wonderland" paper left over from Fall last year and decided to use it to clear the way for yet more NEW papers!  Whee!
Other than the spider who was stamped and heat embossed, no images were used on this card.  And the sentiment was one generated on my computer in Word...
easiest card I've made in a while!

Since "Alice" is a fictional character, I figured this would count as a fantasy project!  I dearly love little Alice. And it would be so like me, too, to pick up and eat a biscuit just because it said "Eat me"... yea, I'm gullible that way! 

Go check out the rest of the Design Team's projects!
I'm sure their fantasy cards are fun, too!

MFT November Sketch Challenge!

This week at MFT ,  the sketch challenge #462 is  a fairly simple one!.   Here's my take on a much needed Get Well card for my ...