Monday 28 April 2014

Sweet Sorbet Birthday Card

One of my favourite Stampin Up designer series paper this Spring is the Sweet Sorbet collection. I love the patterns and the bright colours. I decided to make it the central focus on the card I'm going to share with you today. As always, Cardabilities has a fabulous sketch this week and I'm entering this card just in the knick of time. 



Not only did I use the designer paper for the card front, I also die cut flowers from the DSP as well, and I love the way it turned out! All it needed was a simple birthday sentiment against the busy background and pearls to embellish the flowers. 



Finish it off with a matching envelope and voila! 


Thanks for stopping by! 

Card Ingredients:
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Crisp Cantaloupe, Sahara Sand, Pool Party, Pistachio Pudding, Whisper White, Sweet Sorbet DSP
Ink: Crisp Cantaloupe, Pool Party
Tools: Floral Fusion sizzlit die, Little Leaves sizzlit die, Itty Bitty punch
Accessories: Pearls (Michael's)

A Birthday Wish for an 8 Year Old!

Happy Monday! 

I'm feeling rejuvenated after a relaxing, somewhat productive weekend. It involved a little bit of grocery shopping, some baking, date night with the hubby (saw the most recent comedy called "The Other Woman" - hilarious), a walk at the dog park, a Sunday afternoon nap, and lots of papercrafting! 

Today we celebrate my niece's 8th birthday! Elena is a quiet, sweet little girl who has a beautiful smile and a tender heart. She is the oldest of 4 girls in her family and loves her sisters! 

At first it was a bit of a challenge coming up with a design for her birthday card. But, I thought, I can't go wrong with the owl builder punch! 


I love this colour combo and the patterns in the designer paper. To make it a little more interesting I added a wing to the owl (using half of a scallop circle punch) holding a balloon (created using 1" circle and the small heart in the owl builder punch). Rhinestones embellish the balloon, as well as the sentiment. 



Here's wishing Elena a fun birthday filled with laughter, love, birthday cake, and sunshine! 

Card Ingredients:
Stamps: Short & Sweet (ret.)
Paper: Basic Gray, Smokey Slate, So Saffron, Whisper White, Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, Wild Wasabi, Floral District DSP
Ink: Basic Gray
Tools: Owl Builder punch, Little Leaves sizzlits die, Scallop Circle punch, 1" Circle punch, Word Window punch, Circles nestabilities, Scallop Circles nestabilities

Friday 25 April 2014

Card in a Box

I feel like it's been forever since I've written my last blog post! Being away for a couple weeks and then jumping right back into work, my nights have been left to catch up on housework, etc.... After a bit of a break, it feels good to get back into crafting & blogging again! 

Today I want to share with you a fabulous fun-folded card that has been popping up everywhere on Pinterest lately! It's called a "Card in a Box".  Ever since I saw it I've been wanting to try it for myself. I followed this great tutorial on youtube. It really is quite easy to make! In fact, the real challenge for me was decorating it, but once I chose my designer paper and coordinating cardstock, everything kind of fell into place. 





Isn't it so fun?! I chose to make mine into a bright and colourful birthday card, decorating it with pinwheels, butterflies, and clouds. The best part about this card is that it collapses to fit inside a regular A2 sized envelope!! Perfect for mailing! 


I can see this being one of MANY that I plan on making in the future :) 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Pennant Parade
Paper: Melon Mambo, Gumball Green, Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Sunshine & Sprinkles DSP, Neutrals DSP, Brights DSP
Ink: Melon Mambo
Tools: 1" Circle punch, 1-1/4" Circle punch, Scallop Oval punch, Designer Label punch, Scallop Border punch, Pinwheel die, Itty Bitty punch, Cupcake Builder punch, Beautiful Wings embosslit die
Accessories: Grey bakers twine (CTMH), Silver brads

Saturday 12 April 2014

A Birthday Wish for an Artiste!

Dropping in for a quick post to share a special card made for a special person!
My older sister has a birthday today! I don't get to celebrate with her unfortunately, as she lives all the way in Scotland, but I'm thinking of her today and sending my best wishes overseas!

 
She is a beautiful person inside and out, has a thoughtful and caring heart, and is a creative and talented artist. I wanted to create a card that would best suit her and I thought an artist easel card would be perfect. Here's how it turned out:

 
This card is a little larger than a regular A2 size card. Unfortunately, I can't remember the exact measurements, but it's roughly 4.75" x 6". I used a woodgrain stamp on Crumb Cake cardstock to create a wooden look. To make the artist palette, I simply used the large oval punch and the word window punch. The paint drops on the palette were created using one of the itty bitty punches. For the paint brush, I used one of the leaves from the Little Leaves sizzlit for the brush part and used part of the word window punch to create the handle (altering it with scissors). The Gorgeous Grunge stamp set was perfect the paint splatters! 
 
 
 
I completed the card with a handmade envelope using the new Watercolour Wonder DSP.


 
Here's wishing Monique a Happy 40th and a great year ahead!
 
Card Ingredients:
Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge, Memorable Moments, Pennant Parade, Woodgrain
Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant, Pacific Point, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, Basic Gray, Smokey Slate, Brights DSP
Ink: Early Espresso, Midnight Muse, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango
Tools: Large Oval punch, Word Window punch, Petite Curly Label punch, Itty Bitty punch, 1/2" Circle punch
Accessories: Early Espresso bakers twine

Thursday 3 April 2014

Inspired By... Multicolour Seashells!

Today we introduce a new inspirational photo challenge!


IB #42

It was Karly's pick this week and she chose a summery photo from David's Tea. I love the multicolour seashells on this bubble teapot and teacups! I decided to use these colours, as well as an ocean/beachy theme to create a spring/summer birthday card! 


I was inspired by the latest Viva la Verve sketch challenge:


This layout is somewhat similar to the card I shared with you on yesterday's post, but with just a few more layers. I started with a Sahara Sand card base and added layers of embossed cardstock, designer paper, and stamped images. "By the Tide" stamp set is one of my favourites, as I love the beach, and I thought it was a great representation of the inspirational photo. 



Thanks for stopping by! 

Just a note... we will be taking a break from the KCRR and "Inspired By..." challenges for the next couple weeks. :) 

Card Ingredients:
Stamps: By the Tide, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Sahara Sand, Crisp Cantaloupe, Coastal Cabana, Tangerine Tango, Very Vanilla, 2013-2015 In-Colour DSP
Ink: Sahara Sand, Tangerine Tango, Coastal Cabana
Tools: Fancy Fan embossing folder, Distress tool
Accessories: Pearls (Michael's)

Wednesday 2 April 2014

KCRR #42: Thoughts & Prayers

We're back with a new KCRR challenge! 


Ruffled Ribbon
Modern Label punch
Thoughts & Prayers stamp set

Great combination! I don't use the Thoughts & Prayers stamp set often, so I'm glad it was one of the options this week. I chose to combine this challenge with a sketch from Fusion Card Challenge.


Here's how it all came together:


A sympathy card always needs some soft & subtle colours, so I chose to use Pool Party, So Saffron and Soft Suede. My inspiration for this colour combo came from the beautiful designer paper that covers the card front. I distressed and sponged the edges of each piece of cardstock and DSP to soften the look. The flower vine image was stamped in Soft Suede and stamped again without re-inking to create a faded image. I decided to use the modern label punch in a unique way, creating a banner along the bottom half of the card. Pool Party ruffled ribbon and small pearls embellish the card.



Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to check out Karly's Creations to see how Karly used these three elements in her card creation.

Card Ingredients:
Stamps: Thoughts & Prayers
Paper: Pool Party, Soft Suede, So Saffron, Very Vanilla, Attic Boutique DSP
Ink: Soft Suede
Tools: Large Oval punch, Designer Frames embossing folder, Modern Label punch, Beautiful Wings sizzlit die
Accessories: Pool Party ruffled ribbon, pearls (Michael's)