Tuesday, April 29, 2014

PTI Make It Monday #162: Paper Scrap Pie Charts

This week's PTI Make It Monday Challenge is a good one! And you know, they usually freak me out, but not this one!! I went to my enormous scrap folder and just started pulling out random scraps of paper. I thought my theme color was going to be turquoise, but it turned out to be green, but turquoise, or in this case, Aqua Mist, looks GREAT with the final project! I nearly ruined the whole thing because I thought I would use a small die so I adhered my pie pieces to a circle. Therefore, when I ran the whole thing through the Cricut using one of the dies from Fabulous Frames, I had bits of paper shooting out all over the place and the frame itself nearly fell apart! Once I put it all back together, I used the large frame and the inner medallion (both from one die) and added a random piece of coral cardstock for contrast. I stamped the sentiment from Round & Round on a banner I cut using another die from Fabulous Frames. I added a piece of Washi tape to the bottom and a button from PTI's Holiday Mix Vintage Button collection.

Friday, April 25, 2014

colourQ challenge #238

This is my third attempt at making a card for this week's colourQ challenge and, although I don't love it, I think it's OK. I had the hardest time incorporating the Kraft, so it is represented only in two little strips of cardstock. I also used Distress Inks in Seedless Preserves and Shabby Shutters. I added a bit of bling to make me feel better about the card. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!

PTI Make it Monday #161: Watercolor Splats!!

Whenever I participate in a watercolor challenge, I always end up using my favorite shades of turquoise because blues and water go together like PB&J! So, for PTI's Watercolor Splats challenge, I used PTI Hawaiian Shores ink and Distress Inks in Peacock Feathers, Broken China, and Tumbled Glass. I die cut Stampers Select white cardstock using PTI's Wonderful Words: Birthday die and then added a few sequins from Neat and Tangled. The sentiment is from the Wonderful Words: Birthday mini stamp set and the card base is my favorite Hawaiian Shores. I didn't have the round brush so I used my Aquapainter with a little extra water in a bowl for the larger droplets. I think this turned out to be a perfectly beachy card! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Friday!!

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Neat and Tangled Mini Card Challenge

This week's challenge over at Neat and Tangled's blog is mini cards, which I don't make often but that are lots of fun! I found the inspiration for these little cards on Pinterest and I LOVE the idea of the balloons extending off the top of the card. I used N&T's Everyday Circles stamp set and several Distress Inks that coordinate with some of my SU! cardstock. Thanks for stopping by. Go check out Neat and Tangled - you will find so much inspiration there!!

Saturday, April 19, 2014

colourQ challenge #237

I love the colourQ challenge colors this week but, as usual, there were obstacles in my way that delayed my creativity this week. (If you've never sold a house, just plan to live where you're living now forever. It's a nightmare and I promise that if we ever make it to our new house, I will stay there forever! But I digress . . .) I only had Baja Breeze and Basic Gray ink pads and my So Saffron marker was a mess, so I tried stamping the colors on white and in white on colored cardstock and wasn't especially impressed with the results. I ended up picking the best looking ones and assembling a pretty nice card. I found the inspiration for this card on Pinterest and I love it so much!! I used PTI's Bigger Blooms stamp and dies sets, which I love using because they are such fun to put together. Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed Easter!!

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Little Tangles Challenge #34: Masking

I am headed out of town in like, 5 minutes, so this will be a short post! This week's Little Tangles challenge is Masking, which I love but don't do very often. I embossed the Circle Scribbles in white, sponged on Milled Lavender Distress Ink, and then stamped SU! En Francais stamp in Seedless Preserves Distress Ink. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!

Thursday, April 10, 2014

colourQ challenge #236

So, this week has been . . . what's the word . . . RIDICULOUS!! We are still trying to sell our house, my little one has been sick, and I'm trying to put the kitchen back together after having new flooring installed last week. The kitchen and dining room are just bare bones to show how spacious (read: cavernous!!) the rooms are. No table, no chairs, no extra cabinets or countertops, no cookbook rack. And today, my teen who is still recovering from knee surgery felt awful so my head is constantly on the verge of exploding. But I took the 10 minutes I had when my hubby got home and put together this quick and easy card for this week's colourQ challenge based on one by Nichole Heady that I saw on Pinterest this morning. And since I have about a million buttons, it didn't take long to find a few in this week's color scheme. Thanks for stopping by and have a great night! Time for me to get ready to watch "Scandal!!!"

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Chevrons and flowers and pearls, oh my!!

I make a lot of cards, but rarely do I absolutely LOVE them. I may love the card that inspired them or the technique or the idea or the designer but I rarely love my own execution. So, for me to stand up (figuratively!) and say (type), "I LOVE THIS CARD!" is significant! And I DO love this card and it is so simple that anyone from a beginning papercrafter to a seasoned (that's me!) one can make this general idea their own. I used the larger of the two dies from PTI's chevron stripes border die set and cut three pieces of coordinating designer paper. I stamped my sentiment in black and highlighted it with a few self-adhesive pearls. Then I cut six scalloped circles, crumpled them up, spritzed them with a bit of water, and continued crumpling them until they were quite distressed. I used three circles for each flower and attached them with tiny brads. THE GREAT THING about this technique is that once the cardstock dries, it is stiff and the flowers maintain their shape beautifully. Have a great weekend!!

colourQ challenge #235


In a cruel twist of fate, I had NONE of this week's colourQ challenge colors except white! How is that possible?!?! I subbed Kraft, Rose Red, PTI Hawaiian Shores, and Cameo Coral, and broke out four, awesome embossing folders! I found the inspiration for this card on Pinterest and LOVED it enough to share it with you this week. In the midst of trying to sell our house and nursing my #1 daughter back to health after knee surgery, making cards should be fairly low on my to-do list, but that and Starbucks coffee are the only things keeping my train on the tracks these days. Life's little pleasures! Thanks for stopping by and have a great Thursday!! :D

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Make it Monday #158: Stamping with Watercolor Mediums

This week's PTI Make it Monday Challenge is stamping with watercolors, a technique that is newly near and dear to my heart. The card I made may not look water colored, but the ink smudges on the card and on my fingers tell the true story!! I love this stamp set! I used Fired Brick, Festive Berries, and Evergreen Bough Distress Inks (sorry for the Christmas colors!!), and SU! Wild Wasabi and Pure Poppy cardstock. After I inked up the stamps, I ever-so-lightly spritzed them with water and then carefully stamped on watercolor paper. I like the result and I can't wait to send it to a precious friend who will be celebrating her 93rd birthday next week. Thanks for stopping by and happy hump day!! :D