Spring Roses

A dear girlfriend is celebrating her birthday this week.  And, yeah, she is pretty crafty.  In fact, she taught me how to do scrapbook pages.  So, I really want to make her something special.  I created a card and box combination.  That way, one creation does two jobs.

To help get my mojo working, I visited a few different challenge sites, to see what their challenges are this week.  I really needed a starting point: a color combo, a sketch, and a technique or embellishment requirement.  And here is what I found: the Shabby Tea Room (#166),  Mojo Monday (#293), and Just Us GirlS challenge (#188).

color combo:  pink and green

(and include a sewing element):

a button and machine stitching

the sketch:

rotated veritcle

a technique:

(use white ink)

white craft ink and white paint

and here is what I made:

Wow, so where do I start, with my notes.  These card-box combos are alot of fun to create.  You create a card, add on a box, and let you gift 'shine' {smile}.  This template was purchased here.

The card/box base is Vanilla cardstock.  I used Paper Trey Ink cardstock.  It's a heavier weight than Stampin' Up!, because I needed a heavy weight cardstock to hold up to the layers.

We'll start with the front.  I rotated the sketch 90 degrees, so it would be a portrait orientation.  I used a piece of sage shadow card stock, hand-stamped the text with white craft ink, and heat embossed white embossing powder.  I used some digital papers I had on hand.  I selected rose prints that have pinks and greens in them.  I matted the larger paper with shell card stock.  To define it from the main panel.  I then  added some machine stitching.  I didn't use two circles like the sketch.  Instead, I used a circle and a square.  The back square in a text pattern paper.  The forward circle is actually a digital image of pink macaroons.  I think these little cookies are a fabulously-glamorous birthday cookie.  I matted this circle onto a darker green cardstock.  I used white paint to distress the edge of the circle.  I also hand-stamped the doily in white ink and used white embossing powder, on vellum card stock, to create the lace doily.

I used a white/black text pattern paper for my strip.  I also matted it with a beige and ivory floral pattern paper.  I took a strip of pom-pom trim and machine stitched that piece on, too.  I added a hand-made white clay blossom to this strip.

I used two different shades of pink seam binding.  The lighter pink seam binding was tied into a multi-loop and one of my hand-made white clay buttons was tied onto the bow with cream twine.  I added a circle tag.  I hand-stamped 'celebrate' on a circle tag.  I distressed this tag with white paint, and tied it to the bow.  The darker pink seam binding was tied around the card-box combo.  I used a rhinestone brad to secure the seam binding to the spine of the box.  

Ok, for the inside, I continued the white stamping and white embossing.  I used a flourish stamp to add the white swirl to the rose digital paper.  The 'happy birthday' square is hand-stamped in black ink on vanilla cardstock.  The cupcake image is cut from a digital paper.

The front of the box, is decorated with a cream and green pattern paper.  I stamped text onto it, with white craft ink and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  I matted the pattern paper onto mellow moss cardstock.  I added a decorative label with stamped 'Birthday Wishes'.  I added a circle of pink roses.  I also stamped 'friends' in black classic ink onto a different pink floral pattern paper.  I added a heart of silver glimmer paper.

Inside of the box, is two glassine bags of hand-made white clay buttons.  I altered a clothes pin with silver glitter.  I used this glitter clothes pin to hold the two glassine bags closed and together.

I left the back au natural.  Thank you for looking.  I hope you have a chance to play along with your favorite challenge site, too!  It's alot of fun, to create something beautiful for someone.

Box Set #129

The weather here, this weekend, is warm and sunny!  It's a great change from snow and cold winds.  It gave me a chance to run some errands, and not wear a jacket or close toe shoes.  It is a t-shirt and flip flop weekend!

So, with the change of weather, I decided to change it up a bit.  The talented ladies over @ Just Us GirlS, have a great challenge this week: make a boxed note card set, with choose your own sentiment tags.  Now, doesn't that sound fun and creative?  And why not change it  up a bit!  So, I went shopping.  I did some looking through the paper crafting products at home, and then went to a local paper craft store, to see what I could purchase for about $5 that would help me complete this challenge.

If you have seen the videos and sneak peaks of CHA 2012, you have probably falling love with some gorgeous new products out there.  I knew what I was looking for, but I always keep my options open.  

I have my products picked out, some new pattern papers from Prima, and some gorgeous dimensional 'ribbon'.    But now I need a sketch to help me put these products together and look great.  So, I headed over to i {heart} 2 stamp and fell in love with this months sketch.  The sketch let me really show off the great graphics in these new Prima papers and that gorgeous new 'ribbon' I purchased.  I used two different pattern papers for the black and grey rectangles.  As for the circle, I used a butterfly shape.  The white rectangle was replaced with a tag.  The long grey rectangle, is where I added a strip of cream lace.  As for my sentiment tags, I actually stamped 5 different sentiments twice, and added foam tape to the backs, so all you need to do is adhere the sentiment circle to the text circle on top of the white doily tag.

Here is my box set:  

This box set contains 6 cards.  The cards are similar, but not exact.  The tags are all different and the white doily tags have three different designs.  But other than that, they are all the same.  With this box set, I have included two sheets of the sentiment circles: Here for You, for you, Heartfelt Thanks, thinking of you, Birthday wishes.  I used my butterfly die to cut those butterflies out of the gorgeous petal ribbon.  I used white bakers twine, when I hand sewn the kraft buttons onto the butterfly bodies.  I used my hot glue gun to adhere the butterflies to the card fronts.  The cards remain blank inside, so you can add your own hand-written message.

Here is a look at the whole set:

  

Thank you for looking.  This card set will be for sale at my Etsy shop soon.  I hope you have a chance to play along in a challenge this weekend!  Remember, have fun, and make something you really love!

You're Sweet, Thank You

It's Tuesday, and I hope this week has gotten off to a good start for you.  Me, yes.  I'm really enjoying my day off from work.  No, I'm not sick.  Just a scheduled day off.  I have no plans to drive into town, and the snow has been falling for a few hours now.  So, it's good to be 'isolated' and no deadlines to get to.

For those who know me, I get up early, everyday.  Yes, even Saturdays, Sundays, and days off.  So, this morning I was looking at some of my bookmarked favorite blog challenge sites, and well I found three I can enter.  So, here they are:  the Sketch (lay-out) came from Card Patterns, the Color scheme came from CR84FN Color Challenge, and the 3-D/Template challenge came from Just Us GirlS.

Lets start with the 3-D/Template Challenge.  Just Us GirlS, wants you to create a 3-D item, using a template.  Easy peasy, right?  I wanted to create a card & gift in one.  So, I remembered that I had purchased a template from Adela Rossol, it was the Gift & Card Combo.  Just Us GirlS, also has a few requires, they want us to include: ribbon, button(s), and flower(s).  Sounds pretty, and girly, and that I can do!

I needed a color scheme to get going with papers and embellishments.  I headed over to CR84FN color challenge.  This week, they wants us to use Kraft, Yellow, and Gray.  Sounds pretty.  And if you look at the inspirational photos, there are butterflies, doilies, lemons and a heart.  I can use those.

Now, for a layout.  I headed over to Card Patterns, they always have a great design.  Easy to work with.  In their directions, they say you can rotate the sketch, so that is what I did.  I needed one that is vertical.

Here is what I came up with:

For those who know me, if you take away any company/manufacture restrictions, I can use just about everything in my craft room.  And with no company/manufaturer requirements, that's what I did!

Lets get started with pattern paper.  I used paper from Cosmo Cricket, Memory Keepers, and Melissa Frances.  (I used papers from my scrap box.)  The solid card stock is all from Stampin' Up!.  Crumb cake is the card base.  I did various matts in whisper white, going gray texture, and the inside 'gift' was made with very vanilla.

I used three ribbons total. For the outside of the card/gift, I used a crochet trim from Stampin' Up! and a polka dot Kraft ribbon from Paper Trey Ink.  On the inside, I used going gray taffeta ribbon and white bakers twine from Stampin' Up!.  

The butterflies were a collection.  The embossed butterflies are from an emboss-lit by Stampin' Up!, and the inside butterfly is actually a stamp I stamped twice (one on card stock and the other on vellum) from Paper Trey Ink.  I added half faux pearls from Stampin' Up! to the center of the butterflies, to help convey a girly, feminine 'feel'.

The buttons are a miss mash of Paper Trey Ink, Amuse studio, and CTMH.  For the buttons on the front, I sprayed  them with spray adhesive, and then dipped them in dazzling diamond glitter, by Stampin' Up!. I finished them off, with a spray of clear sealant.  (I didn't want the glitter to rub off, when I was working with them.)  

For the flowers on the front of the card/gift, I stacked a paper blossom on top of a fabric flower.  I hot glued this floral creation to the top of a gray heart cut from gray textured card stock.  I also distress the edges with some picket fence paint.  

The tag on the front of the card/gift, I cut from a die and stamped the sentiment in going gray classic ink.  I needed a small and simple tag, so not to distract from the pretty paper and embellishments.  I chose this sentiment, because I plan on putting candy inside the box, as the 'gift'.  How yummy!

I used the new frame dies from Stampin' Up! to create the inside window.  I stamped a leaf flourish in snow pigment ink and heat embossed the 'window' with clear embossing powder.   I added some kraft paper shred inside the box so you could see the white embossed leaves on the 'window'.  

The inside sentiment comes from Paper Trey Ink.  I added two hearts cut from the gray textured card stock to the inside, also.  One is under the embossed butterfly and the other is on the stamped butterfly.  I added half faux pearls to the butterfly bodies, to continue the design from the cover.  I tied a yellow heart-shaped button with bakers twine, to the gray taffeta ribbon. I will fill this box with my friends favorite candy: chocolate covered gummy bears.  

I opened the card/gift combo, so you could see the back of the 'card'.  I wanted to show you that I did pay attention to detail and use one large scrap to decorate.  I  also believe that if you continue the same elements and designs through-out your paper craft item, you will achieve a cohesive design with elements that 'belong' (because they are repeated). 

Thank you for looking.  I hope that you get a chance to play along in any/all of these fabulous challenges.

Feminine Pretty

I wanted to create something pretty this weekend. My husband has been out of town for several days, and so I had the time to work on my paper crafting. As I browsed the Internet for a challenge, I came across Dawn's blog (color cue 11). She has a color challenge, that fit the bill: Aqua, Pink, White + any neutral. That sounded girl-y. But, I needed a little more push. So, I started looking at some of my favorite challenge blogs, and looked at JUGs . I haven't played in their challenges for a while, and this was my perfect opportunity. Their challenge is a to create a 3-D flower (JUGs69); Perfect!

So, like I said, my husband has been out of town. This translates to: I can craft all-day/all-night, in any space, and leave my stuff anywhere. Come on crafters, you know what I mean.

Ok, back to my entry. PTI has a wonderful Aqua (Aqua Mist) and a super pretty pink (Sweet Blush). SU! has wonderful stamps, crochet trim, great Crumb Cake card stock, pretty half peals, and this new DSP First Edition. So, I got all my favorite products out, and started to play. I didn't want to just make a card, so I altered a notebook, and made a card. (The notebook I'll show you today, the card I'll post tomorrow.) Without further ado, here is my entry:

Now, you tell me, wasn't it worth the wait? This is one of those works, that isn't completed in a hour, or even an afternoon. I tinkered with this literally all weekend. I'd move something, add something, and it still didn't look right. So, I'd leave it, and come back to it, in a few hours, or the next day. I'm really proud of my creation, I love it, and I hope you do to.

I used several different products from many different manufactures. So, if you have a question, or you need information on a product, or you want to know how I did something, let me know @ sharon_wheet@yahoo.com

Please post me a comment. Let me know what you think, and also, your process of creating.

Just Us GirlS 16 - color challenge

I had so much fun with the last 'Just Us GirlS' challenge, that I decided to play along, again. This challenge is a color challenge. The colors are Burgundy, Blush, Vanilla, and Gray. SO, here is what I came up with. My card base is made with Bravo Burgundy card stock (Stampin' Up!). I inked my very vintage jumbo wheel (SU) with Bravo Burgundy classic ink (SU), and ran it along the left hand side of the card. I ran my Blush Blossom card stock (SU) with my top note die. I trimmed off about a third. I used the words from the Life's Creation clear stamp set, and Inked them with bravo burgundy classic ink. I stamped the words onto a piece of Very Vanilla card stock (SU) and matted it onto a piece of Basic Gray card stock (SU). I used pop-dots to give the matted word piece some lift off the card. I stamped this straight long 'flourish' (life's creation clear stamp set) with Bravo Burgundy classic ink. I used the two different flower sizes from the vintage vogue stamp set (SU). I inked the larger of the two in bravo burgundy classic ink. I inked the smaller of the two in blush blossom classic ink. I cut them out. I used the new very vanilla brads (SU) to give the flowers a center. I fiddled with the flower's petals to give them some 'shape'. I used a slot punch (SU) to create a pass threw for the ribbon's knot. I used very vanilla 5/8" grosgrain ribbon (SU).

Thanks so much for looking!

Just Us GirlS 15 - technique challenge (1 of 2)

Here is my entry to the 'Just Us GirlS' #15 Challenge (technique), "add stitching to your project". I have a little sewing machine that I purchased years ago just for paper crafting. Well, when I dug it out of the box, the thread wasn't in. I'm not so good doing that. I wanted to get this card out before work this morning, so I had to come up with some other 'stitching'. I'm not sure if french knots counts as stitching, but I did use needle and gold cord.

For this card, I got my inspiration from a gift bag I saw at Target. Crazy, huh? My husband has gotten use to me looking at random things when we are out and about. Gotta love those people in our lives whose support is unmeasurable! :)

All supplies are from Stampin' Up!. The card base is chocolate chip card stock. For the stamped panel, I used sahara sand card stock. I off stamped the branch from 'bird on a branch' in close to cocoa classic ink. I didn't want the branch to be too prominent. I off stamped the leaves from 'flower fancy' in sahara sand classic ink, also. The flowers are from 'flower fancy' and they are stamped in whisper white craft ink, and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. The 'congratulations' is from 'well scripted' and stamped in close to cocoa classic ink. I used gold cord to make the french knots in the center of some of the flowers. I tied a scrap piece of the same gold cord around the bottom of this panel and made a little bow. I used my paper distressor to create the rough edges of the stamped panel. I used dimensionals to give the stamped panel lift from the card base.

As always, thank you for taking a moment to look at my entry into JUGS #15. Please leave a comment, as they always make me smile.

Flowers of Kindness - JUGS14 " (2 of 2)

"Just Us Girls" Sketch Challenge! Here is my second card for this challenge. I wanted to make a card that only used Stampin' Up! products. The two stamp sets are both retired - sorry (Echoes of Kindness & Dream a Little). The stamp with the two birds is an incentive stamp. The card base is Close to Cocoa card stock. The brown polka-dot paper is from the Chocolate Chip DSP. The pink strip is actually Blush Blossom card stock, that I ran through my Perfect Polka Dot embossing sleeve. I used the scallop circle to punch that piece out of Very Vanilla card stock. I used the 1 1/4" circle punch to create the inside circle, and I used dimensionals to lift the circle off the scallop circle. I stamped 'dream' on a scrap piece of Very Vanilla card stock (I used the curly label punch to create that shape). I inked some of the edges with a sponge and close to cocoa classic ink, to help give the card stock some dimension. The matted flower piece is lifted off the card with dimensionals. I used my blender pen with Blush Blossom classic ink, Certainly Celery classic ink, and Pretty in Pink classic ink to color the flowers, leaves, and stem. I used my glue pen to outline the flowers and added Dazzling Diamonds.

Thank you for looking!