Monday, June 30, 2008

Saturday at Camp PTI and a Card

First thing Saturday morning I had to make a birthday card for my bf's mother. He neglected to tell me (a) that it was her birthday and (b) that they were having a party for her that day.

I woke up early and made this card using Plum Pudding and Lavender Moon from PTI. I used Spring Moss ink on the flower stem and Lavender Moon for the flower petals. I wanted a sparkly brad so I used a yellow brad and covered it with yellow stickles. It wasn't my best work, but I wasn't totally awake yet either.




I had made plans that day to go craft shopping with Beth (babies), Lynn (Lynn in St. Louis), and Anna (IndiAnnaJones) from PTI. Beth was here all the way from Maine and I was excited to meet her and my local PTI friends.

We met for breakfast and then hit lots of stores, doing our part to stimulate the local economy. Beth made Camp PTI T-shirts for all of us and also cardstock and ribbon rings with all of the PTI colors so we could easily match up new supplies to our favorite PTI colors. Anna had tote bags for all of us that really came in handy after we hit a few stores and had lots of bags to carry.


It was really nice to finally meet in person after chatting on the PTI forum for so long. We had a great day--good weather, craft shopping, and new friends. What more could you ask for?

Friday, June 27, 2008

Creative Space

Over on the PTI forum we've been discussing and showing our creative spaces. I did a little reorganizing and took some photos last night. While looking you have to keep in mind that this is half of a tiny bedroom that's why it looks so cramped, but I'm not complaining--I love having a dedicated space for all of my craft goodies I've been hoarding.

First up is my craft table. I have my clear stamps, ink, paper cutters, colored cardstock, and most used ribbon close at hand. The baskets in the center hold my PTI ribbon and all of my cardstock scraps.


To the right of my table is a shelf unit with my Cuttlebug, my 12x12 paper, and all sorts of odds and ends including my acrylic paints and tags/bags in baskets on top.


Next to that shelf is a drawer unit that has one drawer dedicated to adhesives and more odds and ends including my deco-edge scissors and hand held punches/Crop-A-Dile. Next to that is a messy collection of paper punches.


To the left of my table are shelves that hold all of my rubber mounted stamps, (non-PTI) ribbon, glitter, embellishments, Xyron machine, and everything else.


Here is a close up of my ribbon. It's not the best storage solution, but it works for me. I have them grouped by color and it makes it easy to pull out each box and see what I have in there.


I hope you enjoyed seeing my space. It may be small and crowded, but I'm very thankful to have a place of my own to create. Thanks for looking. Have a great weekend.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Easy Peasy Patterned Paper from Papertrey

I got out my brand new Guide Lines stamps from Papertrey Ink and I have to say that I am in love with this set. You can make your own patterned paper in a flash and even if your lines aren't perfect--you can hardly tell.

I started out with Spring Moss ink and stamped my lines. Then I filled in with different design elements from the set in Plum Pudding, Lavender Moon, and Spring Moss. My lines were far from perfect, but once you add the other stamps it is not noticeable (unless you're studying the paper and who does that?). I hope to use this on a card soon.


If anyone else has this set from PTI, I'm sure you see as many different possibilities as I do. Can't wait to try out all of the colors.

Monday, June 23, 2008

More Weekend Cards

I got these ready and downloaded sooner than I thought I would so I'll go ahead and post them today as well.

First up is a card that I can see making in different color schemes very easily. The base is Sweet Blush cardstock from Papertrey Ink and the orange is a textured cardstock from Archiver's. I stamped the Stained Glass Lily stamp from Rubbernecker on PTI white and colored it with my colored pencils, blending with baby oil. The sentiment is from Out on a Limb stamped on one of the Cuttlebug tiny tag dies.







Next up is a card that uses PTI's Summer Sunrise cardstock as a base and patterned paper from DCWV's Summer Mat Stack. I embossed the striped paper with Birds & Swirls in my Cuttlebug. The bird/cage stamps are from Memory Box (Gilded Cage) and the sentiment is from Inkadinkado. I accented with a touch of PTI's twill tape in Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise, and Spring Moss, and some clear buttons with more pp attached. I went over the bird with my AtYou Spica glitter pens.



My third card uses PTI kraft cardstock as a base and more paper from the DCWV Summer Mat Stack. The sentiment and the sun are from Stampendous and the penguins are from Imaginisce at Archiver's. I used colored pencils and accented the sun, popscicle, flower, and bikini top with stickles. The sun is popped up on dimensionals and I cut it out using my new Tim Holtz scissors which I happen to be in love with at the moment.






*Helpful Hint: The strip of patterned paper on the bottom is a cute accent, but it also helps disguise when you don't score evenly and end up with one side shorter than the other.*

Stamping Frenzy

I had the house to myself this weekend and I got some serious stamping done. I'm going to post a few of them today and the rest hopefully tomorrow.

First I have a fun Bee-Day card using Papertrey Ink's Lemon Tart as a base and Mellow by Basic Grey as the patterned papers. The stamps used are Bee Buddies by Stampendous and the sentiment is from Rubbernecker. I used my black Sakura glaze pen for the dots around the scallops. The yellow flowers are from American Crafts and the centers are stickers from the $1 section at JoAnn's.




Next up is a card using Papertrey Ink's white and Lavender Moon cardstocks and accent paper from DCWV (Summer Mat Stack and Glitter Mat Stack). I stampted a few images on the Lavender Moon cardstock in White and Wisteria inks. The butterfly is from Stampendous (Ruffled Butterfly)--I used my colored pencils and a few different colors of stickles. I outlined the image with a cool grey Copic marker. The sentiment is by My Sentiments Exactly.


I hope you enjoyed these cards. I have more to share later so check back. Thanks for looking.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Papertrey Ink Casual Mid Week Challenges 10 & 11

I just realized that I have a camera at work that I can use while mine is gone. Only problem is that the batteries are dead. I have them on the charger and hopefully will be able to post a few updates soon.

Batteries are charged and ready to go so here they are:

The first was a sketch challenge, but we could use our own choice of colors and stamps. We were supposed to use stamps that we hadn't used before, but instead I used ribbon that I have been wanting to use for a long time, but never did until now. The base is PTI kraft, the ribbon is from the $1 bin at Michael's, and the stamps used are Honey Bees and Simple Little Things. I stamped my flower images and then used distress ink over the entire thing. I followed that with some stickles and a few tiny seed beads for some sparkle.




The second card had a sketch also and we could use whatever stamps we wanted. The three images to the left had to be the same stamp, but the sentiment could be different. I used PTI's Simple Little Things set again for both. I used black, white, Spring Moss, and Everyday Blessings patterned paper. As a last minute addition, I decied to put some beads on this card too. Since I used a jewelry headpin instead of a normal stick pin I was able to curl the end to finish it off instead of having a sharp point.



I had a small glue emergency on this card, but luckily the patterned paper is a little more forgiving so it's not so noticeable. Next time I need to be more patient with slow moving glue--it WILL come out eventually. I need to remind myself that patience is a virtue. :-)

Thanks for looking. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Quick & Easy Papertrey Ink

I ordered some fun ribbon from Ribbons and Bows Oh My! (http://ribbonandbowsohmy.com/) and I immediately had some ideas for a few quick cards with my PTI stamps.

When I saw the red/black polka dot ribbon I immediately thought of using Little Lady with it. Here was a quick card I made last night.


When I saw this yellow/black lollipop ribbon I immediately thought of Honey Bees. I used my black glaze pen for the dots and for the black parts of the larger bee. I used some Doodlebug yellow glitter for a little sparkle. The yellow ink is Lemon Tart from PTI.


I was able to make both of these cards in about 20 minutes. I can't wait to see what I can come up with when I have more time. :-)

Hopefully later this week I will have some time in my stamp room since my bf is going to be out of town for a few days. Unfortunately he's taking my camera with him so I won't be able to post any more photos until next week.

Thanks for looking. I hope you have a great rest of the day.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Embossing Folders

If you're like me you're always checking and hoping that Michael's and Hobby Lobby are going to get some new Cuttlebug embossing folders in stock. You're probably just as disappointed as I am to see the there are only the same few that you already have/want.

Well, yesterday I went to Hobby Lobby and I almost couldn't believe my eyes. They had a bunch of new ones (new to me) that I had been looking for. I ended up getting: Birds & Swirls, Textile Texture, Snowflakes, and Script Texture. I have a few more on my list--especially since I checked out the newest ones on ProvoCraft's website, but I'm working my way to a nice collection.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Scrapbooking

I haven't made any cards this week, but over on the PTI forum we've been discussing scrapbooking so I decided to share some pages I made from my FL trip last year. I'm not much of a journaler, I just try to make the pages look pretty. I may have to go back and add some details later.

This is the first page of my album. The flash sort of overtook the picture--there is a sailboat behind us and it's just after sunset at Mallory Square in Key West. I found all of the fun metal charms and the sea-themed paper at Red Lead Paperworks.



Here is a close up the Florida tags. I used Distress Inks and stamped various images for the backgrounds, then for the letters I used a fun alphabet set called Cowboy's Ransom and popped them up on dimensionals.


Next is a page from our stop in Jupiter to see the Cardinals play a spring training game. It was a beautiful (but hot) day and I loved Roger Dean Stadium. You can get so close to the players/field it's a really great experience--even though we lost that day. I {heart} my St. Louis Cardinals.

The last page is from our time in Key West. It has photos of several things I loved about being there, including the chickens. I painted the chipboard letters with acrylic paints to match the theme of the tropical fish paper.

I have never been to a more laid back place where everyone gets along because they're all there for one thing--to relax and enjoy themselves. (I don't think there's a place in KW that you can't wear flip-flops to.) I definitely would like to go back there again.


Thanks for looking. I hope you enjoyed the peek at my Florida trip. I have a lot more pictures to scrap to finish the book, but who knows when I'll actually get to working on them.

Monday, June 9, 2008

New Cards

I had a few hours to myself in my craft room yesterday so I took advantage of it.

The first card uses stamps by Inkadinkado. I colored the image with my Copic markers and was actually happy with my blending for the first time. The card needed a little something so I added a few feathers that I picked up in the clearance section at Michael's.



The second card starts out with Papertrey Ink white cardstock. I used some Provo Craft deco-edge scissors (the $1.99 ones at Michael's) for a little more interest and then I used Berry Sorbet cardstock from PTI on the decorated edge. Next I used PTI's Spring Moss, Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush, and Lavender Moon inks with some stamps from Rubber Stamp Tapestry called Pretty in Pink. They are individual rubber stamps that can create such pretty floral/leaf designs. The sentiment is from Butterfly Kisses and the butterflies are made from a Martha Stewart punch in Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush, and Lavender Moon.


The third card was a PTI weekly challenge, following a sketch given online and some color guidelines. We were to use any PTI stamps, kraft as a base, and Lavender Moon as one of our colors. I used the small lady bug from Little Lady on my squares and mounted them on larger squares of Summer Sunrise paper. On the Lavender Moon paper background I used the coordinating ink to stamp some of the flowers from Honey Bees. The ribbon on the side is Summer Sunrise in satin and the flowers/brad are from my stash but I don't remember who makes them.


I hope everyone had a good weekend. Thanks for looking.

My best friend had her babies last week so I've been spending some time visiting with them instead of stamping. I'll be back with more as soon as I can.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Last weekend I did some stampin'

Here are the cards I made last weekend. Two of them were challenge cards for PTI.

For the first one, the challenge was to use PTI's Lemon Tart and Lavendar moon to make a circular card. I haven't invested in a good circle-cutting system yet so I traced a bowl from my kitchen and cut it out--that should explain a lot about my circle. :-) The ornate circle stamp and the sentiment are from Simple Little Things. The lavender "pointy" circle was an individual design element from the Borders & Corners {oval} set. I stamped it in each scallop until I had a complete circle. I used a regular office hole punch for the small yellow circles. All stamps, paper, and ink (except black - Palette Noir) are from Papertrey Ink.

The second card was another weekly challenge card as well. We had a sketch to follow and our guidelines were to use a monochromatic color palette and whatever stamps we wanted. I started with a PTI Kraft base and used their Lemon Tart and Summer Sunrise as the first 2 colors. The second 2 were from my stock. I used Polka Dot Basics to stamp the little bridal flowers from Michael's and accented with Dew Drops. The sentiment is from Simple Little Things and the accents around it are from Boxes, Bags and Tags (all stamps used are from PTI).

The next card started out with PTI Kraft paper as a base also. Have I mentioned how much I love this paper?! The flower and bee stamps are from Honey Bees and the dragonfly and sentiment are from Pond Life + Sentiments. I curved the end of the sentiment to appear as if it is "taking off". I finished it off with some Berry Sorbet twill tape. All stamps. paper, and ribbon are from PTI.

The nex two cards were inspired by a fellow PTI member Donelda. She used this brayer technique to create a sunset look that contrasts very well with the black stamped images. The first card uses PTI's Out on a Limb stamp set. The second uses Pond Life also by PTI.



Thanks for looking. Have a great rest of today. :-)