FM100 {Z-Fold Mother's Day Card}

This week is slowly coming to an end. Looking forward to seeing my hubby tomorrow!
All day yesterday, the weatherman was calling for a big dump of snow in PG. Well, it came true. Woke up to a winter wonderland this morning. Ugh. I wish winter would come to an end! Summers are so short here! I really miss the weather in Ontario. Their winters aren't so harsh, the springtime is nice and mild and the summers last longer than 2 months! But, I shouldn't complain... BC is a beautiful province to live in!

While my productivity at work seems to be decreasing as the week goes on, I seem to get quite a bit done in the evenings! Last night, I decided to work on filing our tax return. This is my first year doing our own taxes and I found it so easy! (I used U-File online) While I couldn't quite complete it (because I'm missing one receipt), I got everything else entered in. It feels good to get that almost completed!

Today's card was inspired by Friday Mashup's 100th Challenge!

 

Well..I may have missed the close date/time :( But, I decided to post my card anyway :) I think the biggest challenge was trying to pick one from the long list of challenges! I had a few in mind, but narrowed it down to one - FM#53. The challenge is to make a project with a "special fold", or make a project using the Tic Tac Toe board, or mash it up and do both! I decided to mash it up!

 

I love this challenge! It's so versatile - each card entry could be very different from one to the next. I love the options of the tic tac toe board, and special folded cards are so fun to make! I think this may be one challenge I would turn to multiple times for inspiration.

For the tic tac toe options, I chose flowers, ribbons, and neutrals. The "special fold" I used is the "Z-Fold".

It took me a while to figure out the correct measurements for this fold. I did a lot of pinterest searching and finally combined a couple tutorials to make my own. It's actually quite easy!

Take any colour 8.5" x 11" piece of cardstock. I used Basic Gray (as my neutral). This will be your card base. Measure 2" up from the bottom right corner and 2" down from the top left corner. Cut from point to point diagonally, like so:

This will create 2 card bases (you will only need one). Score at 3-7/8" and 7-3/4" to create the 'z-folds'. Here's a couple pictures to illustrate:

Then it's the fun part - decorating! The options are endless for this type of card! I decided to make a Mother's Day card and covered it with designer paper, flowers, and leaves. Here's how it turned out:

 

I just love it! I don't normally use purples, but I'm glad I did for this card. The colour combo of Wisteria Wonder with Basic Gray and Whisper White is just lovely! I added some elegance to the card with the stamped flowers from the Mixed Bunch stamp set and for a little detail, I added a scallop trim border on the top of each fold. 'Bling' is added to each of the flowers and Basic Gray satin ribbon completes the card.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to visit tomorrow for a new KCRR challenge!

 

Card Ingredients:

 

Stamps: Mixed Bunch

Paper: Concord Crush, Wisteria Wonder, Basic Gray, Whisper White

Ink: Elegant Eggplant

Tools: Labels framelits, Blossom punch, Boho Blossom punch, Little Leaves sizzlit, 1/4" circle punch

Accessories: Rhinestones (Michael's), Basic Gray satin ribbon (ret.)



Mojo Monday #284 & Paper Players #136

Yesterday was another productive day at work (I'm on a roll!)... let's see if I can keep this motivation going all week. I'll keep you posted. :)

Last night I went to another one of Cass' fabulous card classes. Cass is my upline with Stampin Up. Even though I am technically a demonstrator, I don't have the time or space to hold my own classes so I attend her classes :) I love it. Not only do we make beautiful cards, it's also a time of laughter and good times with the ladies. Here's what we created:

 

Aren't these cards gorgeous?! Cass did a wonderful job designing these. (The image in the back is a bit blurry.. it's a large tag with a handmade pouch - so adorable!)

 

 

For today's card, I decided to play along with Mojo Monday and Paper Players. It's another great Mojo sketch and Paper Players has a nice spring colour combo this week!

 

 

To be honest, I really struggled with this challenge! I didn't know how to incorporate all four colours in this Mojo sketch. So, I can't say it's one of my favourite cards, but it turned out pretty good I think!

 



I used Early Espresso for the card base and for one of the layers. The background is Regal Rose designer paper (I originally had Lucky Limeade designer paper, but thought there was too much green, so I changed it :)). I punched out the bird from the Bird Builder punch and popped up the wing. I embossed the white piece of cardstock with the Elegant Lines embossing folder and lightly sponged it with Regal Rose ink to make the embossed lines stand out a bit more. As if that pink wasn't enough, I coloured the three rhinestones with a pink sharpie :)

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 



Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Early Espresso, Regal Rose, Whisper White, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Brights DSP

Ink: Regal Rose

Tools: 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch, Circles nestabilities, Bird Builder punch, Scallop Border punch, Word Window punch, Elegant Lines embossing folder

Accessories: Pool Party ruffled ribbon, Rhinestones (Michael's)

Happy Birthday to a Golfer!

Monday was kind of a blur. I had a busy, productive day at work and it was go-go-go after that. I did some groceries, washed a pile of dishes (we NEED a dishwasher!), ate a quick dinner, and stood in line for an hour (in the freezing cold!) to sign up for a new session of Zumba classes. After that, I finally had time to relax and do what I love to do to wind down from a busy day - papercrafting :)

Today is our brother-in-law's birthday! Mark loves to golf, so I thought, what a perfect theme for a birthday card! I searched pinterest for golf punch art ideas and came across Tawnya Bonnell's blog. It was perfect and looked so easy to make! I added my own creative touch to my card and this is the end result:

 

I made it into a simple landscape of a golf course. The sky is created by simply sponging Bashful Blue ink on Whisper White cardstock and punching out clouds from the Cupcake Builder punch. The hills are were cut free-hand. I used the Extra-Large Oval punch and polka dot Old Olive designer paper for the green. It's hard to see, but the golf ball has indented polka dots on it (using the opposite side of the Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder). I then used the Pennant Builder punch for the flag.

 



 

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to visit tomorrow for my take on the Mojo Monday sketch this week :)

 

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Made for You

Paper: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Brights DSP

Ink: Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, Basic Black

Tools: Petite Pennant Builder punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, 1/4" Circle Punch, Extra Large Oval punch, Cupcake Builder Punch, Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder



Deconstructed Sketch Gift Tags

Another relaxing weekend has come and gone. I spent some good quality time with my hubby, but it was short-lived. He leaves again for a week, training in Vancouver. :(

I had quite the productive day yesterday. I still got to sleep in, so the time change didn't really affect me, but I do feel it today! We went to a great church service in the morning, and took a walk in the beautiful sunshine in the afternoon. I finished a couple papercrafting projects/cards and we had a good time catching up with Kevin's brother, Jon and sister-in-law, Karen on skype.

For today's post, I decided to create something other than a greeting card. I saw the Deconstructed Sketch this week and thought it would be perfect for a gift tag set! I love the layers in this sketch. I checked out the Color Throwdown challenge for this week and... what a great colour combo!

 

I have a tag die with 3 different sized tags and used the larger one for this gift tag set. I first glued designer paper to a strip of white cardstock and then ran it through the Big Shot with the tag die. And then the fun part - decorating! :) I added an oval piece of Crumb Cake cardstock for the background. A swirl image is stamped on the top half of the circle and I put Crumb Cake designer paper on the bottom half. I then added an embossed strip of So Saffron cardstock and added small butterflies to embellish the tag. I completed it with satin Pool Party ribbon. 

 

 

I LOVE how they turned out! The colours are just so pretty together - perfect for Spring!

I left out a sentiment so they can be used for any occasion!

 

Here's pictures of the full set:

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Gift Tag Ingredients:

Stamps: Everything Eleanor

Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral, Pool Party, So Saffron, In-Colour 2012-2013 DSP

Ink: Crumb Cake

Tools: Sizzix Tag Die (Michael's), Butterflies Embosslit die, Circles Nestabilities, Ovals Nestabilities, 1/4" Circle punch, Square Lattice Embossing Folder

Accessories: Pool Party satin ribbon (Sale-A-Bration)

 

 



A Baby Carriage Card

Good morning!
Hope you all remembered to turn your clocks ahead 1 hour! I do not enjoy losing an hour, but it is another sign that spring is on it's way!
I didn't accomplish a whole lot yesterday... but I did get to go on another fun date with my hubby! We went to go see "Oz" in the theatre. It was a fun, creative, imaginative movie! I loved it.

For today's post, I'm going to share a fun-folded card that I made for Kevin's sister and brother-in-law, congratulating them on the birth of their new baby girl. It's in the shape of a baby carriage!

How cute is that? And SO easy to make. I found this great video tutorial on pinterest, giving step-by-step instructions -- Baby Stroller by Night Owl Stamper. Check it out!

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your Sunday!

Card Ingredients:

Paper: Rose Red, Regal Rose, Ice Cream Parlour DSP
Tools: Scallop Circle Nestabilities, Scallop Trim Border punch, 1" Circle punch, 1/4" Circle punch
Accessories: Rose Red 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Rhinestone brads (Michael's)

Inspired By... a Tulip Field!

Oh how I love weekends! Had a great 9 hr sleep :) Last night I enjoyed a dinner out at Earl's with my hubby. I had Chicken and Field Mushroom Fettucini and Kevin had Dungeness Crab and Asparagus Linguini. They were both delicious! I actually finished my plate! Usually I take home a 'doggy bag', but it was just too yummy :) We went over our trip plans together and we're getting more and more excited about it. It's only 3 months away! I have a feeling it's going to fly by!

Today is supposed to be a gorgeous day! We're expecting a bit warmer weather and sunshine! Hoping to go for a walk later today.

Now for a new challenge....

It was my pick this week and I chose a beautiful photo of tulip fields. This picture was taken by my brother when he was in Holland a number of years ago. I had the opportunity to go to Holland when I was 15 with my parents and my younger sister. It was a fun experience! We didn't get to tour around too much because we had so many relatives to visit, but we still got to see the typical Dutch windmills and cobblestone streets. I would love to go back there again someday, especially when the tulips are blooming!

IB #8

I knew exactly how I was going to incorporate these tulips into my card. I picked an older sketch from Sweet Sunday Sketches and chose the colours that I saw in the photo: Tangerine Tango, Rich Razzleberry and Daffodil Delight. What a fantastic colour combo! Here's what I came up with:

 

I love how it turned out! I created tulips using punch art. The tulip flower is made from three punched-out wings from the Bird Builder punch. They are the perfect shape for a tulip! I free-hand cut the stems and the leaves are also from the Bird Builder punch. A strip of Tangerine Tango designer paper from the Summer Smooches collection covers the bottom half of the card.  I added some detail by creating a scalloped edge border with an embossed stitch design.

 



 

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to visit Karly's Creations to see how this photo inspired her!

Just a reminder....

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Summer Smooches DSP
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Tools: Bird Builder punch, 1-1/4" Circle punch, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, Scallop Border punch, Needlepoint Border Embossing Folder

KCRR #8 {Pumpkin Pie and Scallop Trim}

Happy Friday!!

Yesterday was a long day. It felt like Friday, which makes the week go by even slower! Even though I woke up feeling tired, I was quite productive throughout the day. I stopped by the mall after work to kill some time before my hubby came home. I haven't gone shopping in a while and I'm in need of another purse. Well okay.. maybe I don't NEED another purse... but I would definitely love a new one for a change :) I'm looking for a larger cross-body bag, one that would be great for traveling as well. Unfortunately, I had no such luck... I think I'll wait a couple more weeks until more spring clothes and accessories start to make their way into the stores. Just another excuse to go shopping! :)

I was so happy to see my hubby last night! He came home with some delicious fish (including halibut, which I have yet to try) and he found an ocean treasure - a glass ball! These things are quite rare to find. They were once used by Asian fisherman to keep their fishing nets afloat. It is estimated that most floats that have washed up on shore have been afloat for 10 years! (wow!). It usually takes people decades to find one of these! Here's what it looks like:

We have collected a fair number of seashells and stones while we've been living out West. This will be a great addition to our collection!

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Now it's time for another card challenge!

These are the two elements that were randomly chosen:

Pumpkin Pie

Scallop Trim Border Punch

 

This was one of the easier challenges that we've done so far. The only struggle I had was choosing a good colour to go with Pumpkin Pie. It is such a vibrant colour and orange is not a colour you can match up with anything. So I had a look through my cardstock and ended up using Cajun Craze and Daffodil Delight. Since Pumpkin Pie is so bright, I like to use it for kid's birthday cards. I embossed the card front with Perfect Polka Dots. A banner is created with the Petite Pennants Builder punch and the stamps from Pennant Parade. It's such a fun and festive stamp set! I paired it with a birthday sentiment from a hostess stamp set called Happiest Birthday Wishes. To embellish the card I added orange striped bakers twine and small rhinestones on the pennants. Finally, I added the scallop trim border in Cajun Craze.

 

 

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Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to visit Karly's Creations to see what she has created with these two elements!

 

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Pennant Parade, Happiest Birthday Wishes (ret.)

Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White

Ink: Cajun Craze, Pumpkin Pie

Tools: Petite Pennant Builders punch, Scallop Trim Border punch, 1/2" Circle punch, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder

Accessories: Autumn Terracota bakers twine (CTMH), Rhinesones (Michael's)