Seasons Greetings Snowman

 Here is one more Christmas themed card to wish you all Season's Greetings this Christmas.

This cute little snowman is from My Favorite Things Stamps, and is from the Pure Innocence Collection: Trim the Branches Snowman. I stamped it on Neenah white card stock and then through the Cuttlebug Die Cut machine with the Romantic Rectangles Die set.  It is then backed in a beautiful plaid print from the Graphics 45 "12 Days of Christmas" paper pad.  I then mounted it onto a rectangle of Wild Cherry MFT stock, trimmed it, and mounted onto a white card stock base card.

The image is colored and shaded with Copic markers, and twinkle added with Wink of Stella Glitter markers. (clear on the snow covered ground, and silver on the brim of his hat)


The "Season's Greetings" is a die from Elizabeth Crafts, and the verse on the inside of the card is from Paper Wings Productions.  I also added another piece of the plaid stock inside the front cover to spice the inside up a bit.

Today has been a dreary cold day, so has been a wonderful day for crafting and card making.  I have enjoyed so many cups of hot tea, coffee, and hot chocolate I think I swish when I walk. They have done the trick in keeping me warm, so I guess it is all for the best.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend full of last minute shopping and preparing for the Christmas feast.  Until I check in again,

Merry, Merry, and Ho Ho Ho!

Mindy

Spread Your Wings

Hello friends! Today's card was inspired by my good friend, Lisa, from A Mermaids Crafts. She does these beautiful layered cards using Spellbinders Dies in various shapes and sizes for cards that are awesome and unique!

I started by making my card base, a 4" square note/gift card, by punching the Nestabilities Leafy Squares die from white card stock with my Cuttlebug machine. I then cut another, with 1/2" folded under, before placing the die right on the edge of the folded card stock.  After cutting this piece, I removed it from the die and glued the little 1/2" flap to the top of the plain square piece, aligning the designs on both pieces.  This makes the card base with the fold on the top.

I then cut two printed paper squares 1/4" smaller than the solid square area, and adhered them to the card base.  Using my Faerie's Clear Stamp Set from Paper Wings Productions, I then stamped the fairy in the circle on white card stock, and colored her in with my Copic Markers. Using my Twinkle Gel Pens and Spica Glitter Pens, I added sparkle and shine to the Copic colored image.  I then used foam tape to adhere the circle to the card front, raising it up to give the card some dimension.  I also stamped the phrase included in the Faerie Stamp Set to the outside of the card, and remainder of the saying is stamped inside the card.

Of course, Lisa's cards are much more ornate than mine, but this was my first attempt at such a beautiful design, and I think it turned out pretty.  I will keep practicing this technique because I really love the way these cards look. Again, I want to thank Lisa for her inspiration. I hope you will check out her blog mentioned above to see more of her wonderful cards and creations. 

Have a great week, and I will visit with you again soon.

Be Wise, Kind, and True Fall Tag

Happy Friday, friends. Today's post is another tag using the Witch's Brew Paint System from Tattered Angels.

I started out by using one of the Prima Tags as my background, and I stamped the Owl Panel Clear Stamp from Paper Wings Productions on the tag with Rich Cocoa Memento ink. I also stamped the single flying owl and word stamp from the same set.  I then spritzed the entire tag with Pumpkin Spice Glimmer Mist, and let it dry.  When dry, I colored the image with my Wink of Stella Glitter markers from Kuretake and let them dry also.

To add a little shadow, I drew around the entire tag edges with my Licorice Black Gelato from Faber-Castell. If you are not familiar with Gelatos, they are a chap-stick like crayon coloring tool that can be used with a sponge or even your finger to blend color on your project.  I used my finger to blend the dark color around the edges and around the words, "Be Wise, Be Kind, Be True!"

I also punched a small black cat from black card stock and the Cats Galore die from Impression Obsession. I used flowers and leaves from Prima Marketing and the September Nesting Components Kit from Paper Wings Productions, matching the color scheme used to color the stamp, also included in the September Kit.

Paper Wings Productions creates these Nesting Component Kits on a monthly basis, and sells them in their online store. Click HERE to visit their web store and check out the wonderful stamps, kits, and supplies that they carry there!

I have really enjoyed bringing you these tags using the Witch's Brew Paint System.  The next post will be using the Lagoon Colors Paint System that coordinates with several Prima Marketing products. See you then!

"Don't Be Afraid to Sparkle" Art Journal Pages

Don't be afraid to Sparkle!

I love that phrase! I think everyone should be allowed to sparkle if they want. This is the left side page of a double page spread in my art journal. If you have visited my blog before, you have  probably noticed that I just love the Doll Stamps from Prima and designer, Julie Nuttingl. When I get an idea for a project using my stamps, I usually like to try them out, before stamping on my project.  That is one reason I purchased my art journal.

This page was started shortly after I purchased my PanPastel artist chalks and Faber-Castell Gelatos. I started making circles with the Gelatos and then blending them with a little water and my finger. I filled both sides of the double-page with circles of various sizes and colors. Then using the PanPastel chalks I shaded around the edges of the pages and in between the circles.  Several weeks later, I purchased a couple of clear stamp sets from Paper Wings Productions; Sparkle Sayings and the Stars and Sparkles.  Using Majestic Blue Versafine Ink I stamped the stars and sparkles around the pages, and the word phrases in the empty areas. When the ink was dry, I used the multi-sparkle Gel Pen to highlight the stars and sparkles. The larger sparkles were highlighted with Starry Night Stickles and Mermaid Glitz Stickles. I stamped a tiara and colored with Silver stickles on one of the large circles.

 Several days later I found a sheet of scrapbook paper in my stash, that had the giant Gerbera Daisies printed on it, and the centers were glittered. I cut out a few of them and used Gel Medium to adhere them to the page. I let that dry for several days, with weight on the book to keep the pages from warping. When I was chosen to participate in the Prima Doll Blog Hop, I stamped one of the Doll Stamps on the left page, with the Gelato circle masked, so it would look like the doll was standing behind it.

Stay tuned for page two (2) blog post to follow. Thank you for stopping by today!

Black-Eyed Susan Clean and Simple Card

This is a very simple card that can be as clean and simple as you want it to be.  First off, I stamped the Black-Eyed Susan Wildflower Stamp from Paper Wings Productions on a sheet of watercolor paper. Then using my water-based markers, I colored them in and used a water brush to blend the colors together.

I then stamped the poem, from the Flower Quotes Cling Stamp Set from Paper Wings Productions, and then stippled around the background with Pear Leaf Memento Ink. I trimmed the watercolor paper to 4 1/2" square, and inked around the edge with Shabby Shutters Distress Ink from Ranger and Tim Holtz. I also used my Clear Glitter Gelly Roll pen to accent the vein lines and centers of the flowers.  I then cut a cardstock card base 5 1/2" square and  a piece of coordinating  printed scrapbook paper 5 1/8" square. I rounded all the corners with my corner chomper and adhered them with a double stick tape runner and foam tape.

I hope you all have a wonderful day filled with sunshine and happiness. Please visit with me again soon.
Mindy

You Make Life Sweet, Happy Birthday!

I have been hungry all day! It is a rainy dreary day, and I have been trying to stay busy working on a mixed-media canvas, several birthday cards, and a scrapbook page, all to keep my mind off food.  Every time I glance over at the computer screen (I have it open to my Facebook news feed) someone is posting about food! Whether they are pinning beautiful party decorations, super supper casseroles, or uniquely decorated cupcakes, it all looks so good I want to go bake something. But I know I'd better not. Instead, I will decorate a cupcake theme birthday card.

I started with a piece of Basic Grey scrapbook paper and glued it to my card front.  Then I adhered a strip of sheer purple ribbon about 1/3 of the way down the card. The bottom half of the card is a coordinating print of paper from the same Basic Grey pad.  Using the "Hey Cupcake" clear stamps from Paper Wings Productions, I stamped the pedestal on a printed paper, and the cupcake on white cardstock. I colored in the cupcake with my Copic Markers and then glittered the frosting with pretty pink ultra-fine glitter.  I also stamped the fork, knife, & spoon from the Hey Cupcake set on white stock, and colored it in with my copics also. I adhered the fork to the back of the cupcake to make it look as if someone was eating it, and attached a large half-pearl on the top of the cupcake swirl.

I also took a strip of white cardstock and stamped the phrase,"you make life sweet! using the Whimsical Alphabet stamp set from Paper Wings Productions for the word "L I F E" and hand wrote the rest. Using double sided tape, I adhered the paper strip with the phrase directly under the purple ribbon and then attached the cupcake and pedestal on top of it using foam tape to make it POP!  I also adhered three smaller half-pearls below the strip for accent. I also stamped "Happy Birthday" inside the card, before I wrote my message..

After it was completed, I could stare at it sitting on my computer, instead of looking at all the yummy food on the computer screen.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Saturday, and look forward to a beautiful Sunday!  Happy crafting, or celebrating with Dad, whichever you happen to be doing on Sunday. Until next time-

Mindy

A Pocket Book or Money Holder for Graduation

Hello Everyone! Hope you are having a wonderful week. Today's post and project is called a Pocket Book, but I have adapted it to be a Money Holder for a gentleman's Graduation gift. I'm not sure who the original creator of this mini pocket book is, but it has been around for awhile and I have seen different versions of it in Mini Book magazines and books.  All I know is, it is fun and easy to make, and only uses one sheet of double sided 12 X 12 scrapbook paper.

I started out with pictures showing a smaller version, because I use my computer's scanner to scan my images. (I couldn't fit the 12 X 12 page on the scanner bed.)

1.  Fold sheet in quarters;  first fold in half, then fold each side to the middle.(you don't need to mark with white, I just did so on the dark side to show where to fold.)



 2.  Fold in 1/4" from left and right edges of the page. (I'm sorry you can't see the fold here, it is lost in the design of the paper.)

 3.  Fold each corner to the first fold line. DO NOT place over the fold! Up to the fold line ONLY! (do this on all four corners)

4.  When your 1/4" edges and all corners are folded, fold each side into the center of the paper.
(on the next step I will be showing the full size 12 X 12 sheet.)

 5.  Flip the entire unit over and fold 1/2" down towards you from the top of the unit. You will notice that you have created two tiny corner pockets at the top of the fold. (in my picture they are black)

 6.  Bring the bottom of the unit to the top, folding the paper in half, and then tuck the bottom corners into those two little pockets at the top of the card. (in this picture you will see two diagonal pockets, one on the left and one on the right) If you have a bone folder or creasing tool, use it now to set all of the folds in the card.

7.  Fold the unit in half and crease again with your bone folder or creasing tool. Now you have a pocket book with four pockets; one on the front, two inside, and one on the back.( I have placed a sheet of paper in the front pocket just to show you how big the pocket is.)

Now you can decorate the front with a graduation theme, as I did, or you can decorate it with any theme you wish. You can even leave it blank if you want to. I decorated mine with the Marcel stamp from Paper Wings Productions, stamping him on a sheet of Art Angel Element Deck Tags with Tuxedo black Memento ink and coloring him with my Copic Markers. I wanted to dress him in a black graduation gown, so I took my copic and drew the gown outline and then filled it in over the clothing of the stamp. I used the mortarboard hat from the Lawn Fawn "Hats Off to You" set and the sentiment "hat's off to you" from the Marcel set from Paper Wings. The hat was a little large, so I had to alter it a bit to fit his head. The sentiments inside on the various elements, are from the set "About New Beginnings" from My Favorite Things, and "Happiness Messages" from Hero Arts.

You can also decorate the pockets inside, and they can hold pictures of the graduate, a nice size check to get them started out in the work-a-day world, a gift card to their favorite coffee house, a list of things that they have done to make you proud of them. . . . . . . and on and on! Of course, depending on how much decorating you do, depends on if you can mail it or not. It will fit inside a letter size envelope, but since it is such a special gift that will be treasured a lifetime, you may just want to hand it to them in person at their graduation ceremony.  Whatever you decide to do, I'm sure you will be thrilled with the way it turned out, and know that it is a special gift that was made with LOVE;  From you to Someone Special!

Thanks for stopping by today. I would appreciate any comments you would like to leave on this post. Have a great day, and I will see you again soon.

Mindy

When Irish Eyes are Smiling. . . . .

Happy Wednesday fellow papercrafters and cardmakers!

Today's post is a St. Patrick's Day card that I made, and I really like the way it turned out. I started out with a 4" wide strip of dark green card stock and cut it at 6" long.
I then scored it at 1" from the end and attached a rectangle of light green stock 4" x 41/2" overlapping just as wide as my red-line tape. This completed the card base.

For the embelishments on this card, I cut two more scraps of card stock; one from a peach and green muted background 3" square, and one dark green stock 2"x4".  The dark green piece was the leftover from the 4" strip cut from the 8"x8" paper pad. I adhered one strip of a yellow and green print washi tape and a strip of beige tape measure style washi tape leaving a space in the middle for my handwritten sentiment banner, "When Irish Eyes are Smiling".  I then handstamped the double dot strip clear stamp from Paper Wings Productions on the left side of the card, and stamped some clover plants from the Louise clear stamp set also from Paper Wings Productions. The stem with leaves stamp and teeny heart stamps made the clover plants, then I colored them in with my Copic markers. I printed the leprechan from an online copyright-free image and colored it with copics also.  To add just the right amount of bling I dabbed a bit of Stickles in Firefly to his shirt, tie, and socks. Foam dots poped him up from the surface of the card, and a bit of peach twine was tied in a knot above his head.

I have a bit of Irish in me, but it must be just a wee bit, because the Guinness makes me woozy! (even a wee bit!) I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead, and try to make some cheery St. Patty's Day cards. (even if you aren't Irish!)

Celebrate Love

Good  Morning fellow Card Makers,

I have another wonderful surprise Valentine for you inspired by my friends at Paper Wings Productions. I received this beautiful Damask design background stamp from them recently, and was so inspired that I had to make this beautiful card that could be used any time during the year, for any occasion.

First of all I stamped the damask background twice, side-by-side with Memento Love Letter red ink on a piece of white card stock. I then stamped the sentiment, "celebrate love", also from Paper Wings in the lower right hand corner. I left a small space between the word celebrate and love, so that I could attach a strip of black and red check ribbon across the front of the card. I then stamped my Frida face stamp from Stampotique in Staz-On black ink on a piece of adhesive backed cork shelf paper. I saw several cards using adhesive backed cork in the fall issue of the Stampers Sampler magazine.  The cork in thin, so it can be stamped on, and then inserted between two thicknesses of card stock to give yet another layer of texture to your card.

I then mapped out an opening on the front of the card for my cork insert. Using my Xacto knife and ruler, I carefully trimmed  the opening, and then inserted the cork stamping, using red line double stick adhesive to stick the cork to the back of the card front.  I then cut a smaller rectangle of card stock to adhere to the inside of the card front, after removing the backing of the cork to expose the adhesive. Therefore sandwiching the cork between two layers for the card front. The last tiny touch I added, was to tint Frida's lips red, the only part of the stamped image to be colored.

You may want to try using some of this cork in your stamping or scrapbook making in the future. It makes for a unique background, and is found in the shelf paper isle of your home improvement store or large grocery store. Have fun with your stamping this week, and I will see you again soon.

Always Remember . . . . .

Greetings Stampers and Cardmakers!

Today's card is a very simple, and very beautiful card that can be used for many occasions.

The base card is a red/rose colored stripe base with dots. I started by stamping a large open rose or peony with 2 leaves from the Hot Off the Press Fresh Cut stamp set on a piece of white card stock. I colored in the rose with copic markers, blending several colors to make it look realistic. I knew I wanted to leave a banner area at the bottom of the flower to stamp the word "remember" from a Paper Wings Productions clear stamp set, so I left about 2" of stock at the bottom, and cut out around the flower leaving a white border around the edge.  I then stamped the word "remember" in pastel pink ColorBox Chalk ink, and also the smaller word "always" from the same stamp set.  After I trimmed down the white area around the words to fit the card base, I inked around the block with the pastel pink chalk ink.

I left the inside of the card blank, so that I can hand write a special message inside.  These types of cards are handy to have on-hand in case you need a card in a hurry.  I have a few birthday cards to make for later in the month, so I will visit with you again soon with some birthday wishes for February.  Until then, have a great weekend.

Dia de los Muertos

Hello friends,
Yesterday I finally had time to get out my NEW stamps from Paper Wings Productions, that I had ordered and play with them. This set is titled "Dia de los Muertos Hombre "clear stamp set. Click here to see more of their New stamps that are available now!
I especially liked this set because of the papel picados and rose garland spray stamps that were in the set with the "hombre".

I have never celebrated Dia de los Muertos, (Spanish for Day of the Dead) which is a Mexican holiday celebrated in Mexico and around the world in many other cultures. It is celebrated on November 1 & 2 and focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember those who have died. I have enjoyed hearing and reading the history of the holidays, and always thought it was a good idea to celebrate and honor family members and friends who have passed on before us.

Traditions include building altars and decorating with pictures of the deceased, sugar skulls, marigold flowers, and favorite foods and beverages of the departed. Celebrations should take on happy tones, remembering fun events and anecdotes about the departed.

This card made me happy while making it, because it reminded me of the great times I spent with my Mother and Dad before they passed away. I first stamped the hombre on white card stock with Memento black ink, and colored his hat, shoes, and facial decorations with my copic markers. Then I stamped the rose garland twice, and colored the roses in pink, which was my Mother's favorite color rose. The shrine stamp is from Stampers Anonymous, and was colored with my Distressed markers. The pieces were fussy cut and then mounted on some printed scrapbook paper to give it a little pop! A length of matching ribbon was knotted in the center and adhered to the unit before attaching it to the card front, which I shaded along the edges with chalk ink.  I then attached the banner and my card was complete.

I don't know for sure if I will send out this card or not. I may just keep it for myself, happily remembering my friends and relatives that have gone on before. Take time to remember someone you love.

Steampunk Luc at Halloween!

Hello friends,

Halloween is about a month away, and I love decorating and dressing up for the holiday. I have been lucky, the 30+ years I have been working, the other employees and I have always worn costumes for Halloween. I have worked retail sales, and every Halloween we would dress in costume, and customers would come in just to see our costumes.  Of course, by the time I got off work and headed home, I was ready to rip off the costume and wipe off the make-up. After my bath it was into my jammies and off to read or watch TV.  Especially in my later years, there were no trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood to hand out candy to.

This card was made with papers from the Graphic 45 Halloween collection, bits and pieces of ribbon, and the Luc stamp from Paper Wings Productions.  I also found a breastplate "costume" for Luc in the Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutant paper collection that fit him just fine.   I also stamped three pumpkins on a tag, colored them in with Copics, and made one to look like a carved Halloween pumpkin.  Then the embellishments were just adhered to the card in different layers with foam tape, some popped up, and others not, so it wouldn't be so flat. Then glitter and gemstones made it sparkly and blingy to boot!  I have a few more Halloween type cards started, and will post in a few days if I get them done this weekend.

The weather is predicted to "cool off" this weekend, with a cold front on Sunday.  I wish it would cool off some, I am ready for me some winter!  Not slushy, snowy winter, just temperatures a lot cooler than 90 degrees!  See you again soon.

PAPER DOLL themed Artist Trading Card for September

Hello friends,
The September trade of Artist Trading Cards or ATC's was lots of fun! My first card theme was Paper Doll. I made a bi-fold card with the map that says "Summer is for lots of fun" on the cover, and when you open it, the school house with "but now the school bell has rung" on the inside of the cover. Opposite the school house is the Papier Family of stamps from Paper Wings Productions, Marcel, Louise, and Luc in their summer wear. On the back of the card is a mini manila envelope that holds the paper doll's school clothes, shown on them in the bottom picture.

This card was so much fun to make. I had to stamp out the figures, trim off their clothes, and add their shorts, shirts, and bathing suit. I then printed these out to use for the summer theme of the card. I then took the clothes I trimmed off, and copied them on my printer and adjusted the clothes to fit their new shapes, so I could print them out and color them.  Of course, I had to add the little tabs to fold around the doll, and then had to adhere the dolls to the background, popped up on foam tape so the clothes could be taken off and put back on. That section was the hardest of all to produce.

The front of the card was a printed piece of scrapbook paper that I colored with my copic markers and adhered the little label saying "summer is for lots of fun". The school house stamp from Stampabilities was stamped on white cardstock, colored with copics, cut out and adhered to the light blue stock, and the label with "but now the school bell has rung" stuck beneath it. The family and their clothes were colored with my copic markers, and the background behind them was sprayed with the Dylusions Sprays from Ranger.

The second theme for this month's trade was "Crown Jewels." I did a take off of an occurrence in the news two weeks ago with  Prince Harry, and will show my card in a couple of days. I hope you enjoyed this card, and will check back to see the "crown jewels" card. See you soon!

Tribute to the 2012 Olympics

Well, the summer Olympic Games have begun in London, England. Here is my tribute card to the Summer Games.

This card was stamped with stamps from Paper Wings Productions, with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. First off, I stamped the background with the Writings Background stamp that is the postcard, twice on my piece of coral cardstock. Next, I stamped the Tower and the word "London" from the London Clear Set. Then on a separate sheet of white stock I stamped the Papier Family and dressed them in their USA colors (even the funny beannie hat). Lastly, I punched out the five rings for the Olympic Rings and colored them with my copic markers. I then added a little USA banner on a toothpick and matted the whole thing on a black cardstock, before mounting it on a base red card.

I stayed up way too late last night watching the opening ceremonies, but luckily while watching I finished my card. I wish the best of luck to all the athletes participating in the games, at least we will have something different to watch on TV for the next week!  Keep Creating!

#1 Dad and Honey Bear Cards

Two card posts today!  My little Honey Bear card turned out cute!  My good friend, Marcia gave me a set of the new 2012
Copic Marker colors for my birthday last week, so I went looking through my stash of stamps for an intricate stamp to color. Honey Bear is a Stampington & Company stamp that I stamped on white card stock and colored with the Copic markers. I then cut out the design and matted it on orange cardstock, and then an orange printed paper before adhering it to the orange printed card base. I also stamped one of the Dotted Flower stamps from Hero Arts and popped it in the corner after coloring it with the copics, too!

I also made this #1 Dad card for the Flight Plan-003 Monthly Challenge at Paper Wings Productions blog. http:/paper-wings-productions.blogspot.com

I followed the sketch for the challenge, using a printed paper strip down the length of the card, and another print ribbon strip on top. Then I stamped the rectangle with the two cameras, stars, and the word "smile" on it, colored them in with copic markers and a sparkle pen to make the cameras appear to flash.
On another strip of stock I stamped another camera, colored it, and cut it out to pop dot it on top of the rectangle. The camera's are from Paper Wings' Vintage Technology clear stamp set. The #1 Dad stamp is from a Fiskers Holiday Stamp Set and is matted twice before adhering to card front.

If you have purchased any of Paper Wings' stamp sets, you should check out and enter the contests on their blog. They are fun, plus you might win their monthly prize, a stamp set of your choice from their website.
Have fun this week, make a card or two, and I will see you again in a few . . . . . . . . . .

All About Me!

Hello fellow paper artists,
Several years ago I attended a class at one of my local scrapbook stores, and took a class on making a scrapbook, "All About Me"!  I filled an 8"X8" scrapbook with pages from the class, and when it was over we persuaded the instructor to teach another series of classes to continue with the theme. When these classes were complete, I still had several blank pages in my album, so whenever I feel like making another page for the album, I do so.

I was designing a page for a challenge at Paper Wings Productions, and using one of their stamp sets; Vintage Technology, I made the following page to submit.  My background paper was an oriental design from the "Far East" paper collection and the center bracket design was from the Paper Wishes Card Topper series. I colored the bracket design and all of the  technological parts with copic markers. I then used one of the Hot Off the Press Label Templates to make accent borders to go around each of the vintage items. I used 3M foam tape to pop up each vintage item in the label to give the page more texture and movement.  For my title strip,  I printed my saying on the computer, and then adhered it to the middle of a punched strip of card stock, using an EKSuccess border punch. I also added a few strips of coordinating ribbon to the right hand corner, and my page was done.

Scrapbooks can be lots of fun, and also helpful when trying to remember occasions and dates. My only problem was waiting 40+ years to start making the album and trying to get my brain activated enough to remember everything I wanted to remember!

I hope I have inspired you to start an album of your memories while they are still fresh in your mind, before they
get all moldy in your brain, like mine.  Have a great day!