You Are Loved

I've been feeling pretty sluggish these days... I'm thinking it's the cold winter days that are getting me down (It has been around -30 deg C the past couple mornings! brrrr...). I almost didn't want to step out into the cold again last night to go to my weekly Zumba class, but I'm so glad I did! I feel so energized and ready to start another work day. And spending a little time at my crafting table always seems to perk me up!

Today I'm playing along with a few challenges :)

First and foremost, Karly and I introduce a new KCRR challenge!

You Are Loved Stamp Set

Strawberry Slush

Smokey Slate

 



Can you believe these were randomly picked? What a perfect combo and just in time for Valentine's Day :)

Mojo Monday has a fabulous sketch this week and I just had to play along! It also happens to be contest week!

And the last challenge I wanted to play along with is The Card Concept. Their challenge this week is "Monochromatic Pinks".

 

Clean and Layered is probably one of my favourite styles for cardmaking. I love lots of layers, but also keeping it clean and fresh looking. So I chose this style for my card and was inspired by the flowers in the picture to use different shades of pink. 

All these challenges tie together so well! Here's how my card turned out:

 

I used layers of Basic Gray, Pink Pirouette, Smokey Slate cardstock and Strawberry Slush polka dot DSP to make up the card front. The "Love" sentiment and a couple of the punched out hearts are popped up to give the card some dimension. I added a few rhinestones to embellish the card. I love how it turned out! 

 

 

 

 



Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to hop on over to Karly's Creations to see how she used these three elements in her card!

 

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: You Are Loved

Paper: Basic Gray, Pink Pirouette, Smokey Slate, Whisper White, 2013-2015 In-Colour DSP

Ink: Strawberry Slush

Tools: Heart to Heart punch (ret.), Decorative Label punch, Small Oval punch

Accessories: Rhinestones (Michael's) 

KCRR #10 {From My Heart to Yours}

Happy Friday!

Not too long ago I heard about a craft show coming up at the end of April at a local elementary school. I've been going back and forth trying to decide if I should have a booth at this show. I did quite a few craft fairs last fall/winter and had a lot of fun doing them! On the other hand, it took a lot of time and effort to prepare for them. So after much thought, I decided to go ahead and participate in this one!  It's April 21st, so I have exactly one month to make as many handmade papercraft items as I can! My goal is to make a couple cards/projects each night during the work week and then approx. 20 items each weekend (if possible!). We don't have much planned between now and then so that will give me lots of time!

Time for a new card challenge with KCRR!

We picked two items this week and they complement each other quite well!

'P.S. I Love You' Stamp Set

Rose Red

Ok, so if you have seen this stamp set, you will know that it is related to Valentine's day. This was a challenge in itself, to try and find a way to use it without making it a Valentine's Day card (of course, there's no rules against making a Valentine's Day card!). I try to make cards for upcoming events or all occasions. The sentiments in this stamp set can work for Anniversary or Wedding or just a simple love card to give to that special person in your life. I decided to use the sentiment "from my heart to yours." I kept it clean and simple and added just a touch of Rose Red with the neutral colours.

I used a sketch from Viva La Verve Sketch Challenge as a guide.

 

And here's my card:

 

KCRR #10

 

I love the layout. I deviated a bit from the actual sketch and added a bit more detail The Rose Red sentiment and sponging on the hearts adds a splash of colour. I used burlap ribbon from Close to My Heart for the strip in the background. A doily cut out is sponged with Crumb Cake ink, as well as the edges of the card front. A pearl adds a perfect embellishment to the card.

 



 

Thanks for looking! Head on over to Karly's Creations to see her take on this challenge!

 

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: P.S. I Love You

Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede

Ink: Crumb Cake, Rose Red

Tools: Delicate Doilies Sizzlit, Scallop Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Heart to Heart punch

Accessories: Burlap Ribbon (CTMH), Pearl (Michael's) 





ColourQ #174 & FMS#71 {Be My Valentine}

Can't believe it's already Thursday! Feels like this week has flown by! Last night was a bit of a blur, but overall a good night! After enjoying a delicious dinner of baked trout, lemon and herb quinoa and veggies, I went to my weekly Zumba fitness class. To be honest, I wasn't so eager to go this week. I just wanted a relaxing evening at home. But, I pushed myself to go and I'm glad I did! This second time around was so much easier than the first! I was able to follow the routine quite well this time and got a good work out! I went home to my crafting table and created a Valentine's card, playing along with the Colour Q and Freshly Made Sketches challenges.

The colour combo from Colour Q is perfect for Valentine's. I love how they threw in Early Espresso with the pinks - so pretty! And even though you can use any shape in the sketch, I wanted to stick with the heart. I knew exactly what I was going to use. The More Amore DSP comes with single-sided laser cut sheets in the shape of hearts. I just snipped one of the hearts from the sheet. I saw this idea on someone's blog (can't remember which one, unfortunately) and just loved it! Here's my interpretation on the sketch using the beautiful colour combo:

I didn't have any Raspberry Ripple cardstock (not sure why I don't have this - I'm realizing how much I love this colour!), so I looked through my stacks of DSP and found this beautiful polka dot designer paper in the Orchard Harvest collection. It fits perfectly with this card! I kept my card fairly simple at first, but I didn't like the empty space, so I embossed the card front with Elegant Lines, added small hearts in the top corner and pearls to embellish the card. I also added crochet ribbon and a small rose on the heart. The sentiment and small hearts are popped up using dimensionals.

 Card Ingredients:

Stamps: P.S. I Love You (ret.)
Paper: Early Espresso, Pink Pirouette, Primrose Petals, Very Vanilla, Orchard Harvest DSP
Ink: Early Espresso
Tools: Heart to Heart punch, Elegant Lines embossing folder
Accessores: Crochet ribbon, Rose ribbon, large eyelet (ret.), pearls (Michael's)

Thanks for looking!

Introducing Karly & Charissa's Random Recipe!

It's Friday! It's been a busy week of {early} "spring cleaning" at work -- lots of dust, boxes and old files. I must say it looks much cleaner now! However, I am ready for the weekend. Not quite motivated to do house-cleaning though... those Christmas decorations still need to come down. Wasn't that on my to-do list last weekend?

My coworker, Karly, and I do a lot of brainstorming and chatting about crafty projects, challenges, and inspiring ideas. There are SO many card challenges out there on the web (and I'm already addicted to participating in as many challenges as I have time for). We decided to come up with our own!

INTRODUCING...

 

We came up with a long list of stamp sets, embellishments, tools, and techniques and each week we will randomly choose two ingredients (using random.org). These two ingredients will make up part of the card/project recipe and can be used any which way you like.

--> This was inspired by "Naki and Nina's Double Dare Challenge". Check out their blogs: Deesigns by Nina Dee and Notes from Naki.

 

This week the two ingredients are:

 

Tiny Tag Punch

Square Lattice Embossing Folder

 

I just love the tiny tag - it is so cute! And the square lattice pattern is so versatile! Here's my take on our very first challenge:



KCRR #1

 

I used an older sketch from RetroSketches and kept it fairly simple. Usually I tie the tiny tags on bakers twine or linen thread, but this time I wanted to do something a bit different. The tiny tags are held together by a silver brad on a flower (from the Boho Blossoms punch). I embossed a strip of Rich Razzleberry cardstock with the Square Lattice folder and added stitched ribbon as a finishing touch.

 

To see Karly's take on this challenge, visit her blog: Karly's Creations.

 

Feel free to participate! I'd love to see your creations! (Just leave a link to your blog in the comment section below)

 

Card Ingredients:

 

Stamp Sets: Tiny Tags, Candy Conversations (ret.)

Paper: Rich Razzleberry, So Saffron, Crumb Cake,  Whisper White, Floral District DSP

Ink: Rich Razzleberry

Tools: 1-1/4" circle punch, 1" circle punch, Tiny Tag punch, Heart to Heart punch, Boho Blossoms punch, Square Lattice Embossing Folder

Accessories: Rich Razzleberry stitched ribbon, silver brad, rhinestones

 

Thanks for looking!