Retro & Fresh

Howdy, I don't have all of my planned projects finished, but I needed to change my focus and work on a new project.  I will be doing a card swap this Saturday.  I only have to make 8 cards.  Easy Peasy.  But, I needed some direction and inspiration.  So, I turned to retro sketches : a challenge.  They have this fun and unique sketch this week.  So, this is where I started.

retro sketches is posting their #99 sketch!  Yahoo!  Congrats to this wonderfully talented design team.  They come up with a lot of inspirational work.

here is the card that I made:

I used some new products from Stampin' Up!.  Sale-A-Bratin starts today, and I used some of these exclusive products.  The pattern paper is called Sweet Sorbet.  This pattern paper has a bright, fun, and charming look.  

The card base is Calypso Coral card stock.  I matted the narrow piece with basic black card stock.  I used a circle punch to create the 'window' piece.  I tied a simply bow with pool party seam binding.  I tired a vintage faceted button with white bakers twine, to the bow.  I added half a tea doily to the punched side.

close-up

The blossom, was stamped using the Stippled Blossoms stamp set.  I stamped the blossom in crushed curry and so saffron classic inks.  The leaves were stamped in pear pizzazz and pistachio pudding classic inks.  I fussy cut them out.  Manipulated the pieces, to give them some texture and to keep them from looking too flat.  

The sentiment piece was stamped in basic black classic ink, using the So Very Grateful stamp set.  Finally, to add a bit of sparkle and fun, I added three gold sequins.

Thank you for looking.  Hope you get a chance to play along with your favorite challenge {smile}.  I finished another desk top calendar.  i'll be sharing some photos soon.  Stay tuned!

Dash of Cheer

Whew, this week, is almost as busy as last week.  But, I'm grateful for the work, and the paper craft requests.  But, before I go back into my craft room, I played along with the lovely ladies over @ Nacho Average Challenge.  They have a color challenge this week, and I struggle with those.  So, I kept my card 'clean and simple' (CAS).

here is this week's colors

here is my card:

I used Marina Mist as my main color.  Then added splashes of Melon Mambo and Early Espresso.  The card base is marina mist.  I added a panel of marina mist dsp.  I used my scallop trim border punch to create the decorative border out of early espresso card stock.  I added a strip of plain melon mambo card stock across the front of the card.  

I hand dyed some very vanilla seam binding with my marina mist re inker.  To add a little pizzazz, I tied a vintage faucet button onto the seam binding bow with some thin silver ribbon.

I created my sentiment label with the four frames in marina mist classic ink.  I stamp the sentiment in both early espresso and melon mambo classic inks.  I adhered the frame onto the card front with dimensionals.  But, I felt the card was missing a little something, so I added a trio of half pearls along the right lower edge of the melon mambo card stock strip.

I hope you have been inspired to play along with us @ NAC.  We would love to see what you create.

Now, I need to get back to some chores and crafts.  I'll post a photo of these sweet little gift tags I have made for my 'exclusive' gift for folks who received my holiday craft fair schedule.

Take care, and take some time out of your busy schedule to create something beautiful!

Dots and Dots

Wow, can you believe that it is Friday, already?  Me, if I were to be completely honest, I'd like to have one more day before the weekend starts.  (and I don't want to count this day, as my 'one more day'.)  I have been busy getting some paper craft items created, and made for this holiday season's upcoming Arts and Craft Fairs.  My first fair is tomorrow - Saturday!

I am planning on using this day, to get all my crafts packaged, priced, and labeled.  I'm hoping that I will have some time to do a mock set-up of my tables and see what works for product placement.  But, we'll see.  

Then early this evening, I'm making a trip into town, to get my tables delivered and set up.  That way, all I have to do tomorrow morning, is put my product out.  And I figure that will take about 30 minutes, but I'll give myself an hour.  Just in case.  Know what I mean?  

But, before I get busy getting all of that together, I want to share a card I made, for Sketch Frenzy Friday.  The lovely Jennifer @ Sketch Frenzy Friday, has a very user friendly sketch for you to try.

here is what i created

I have been Christmas crafting my little heart out, and trying to change my gears, is a bit difficult.  I used a piece of Sweater Weather DSP (blue polka dot) as my main panel.  I wanted to accentuate the polka dots, so I matted this pattern paper onto a piece of very vanilla card stock.  

I also wanted my belly band to be in contrast to the card.  So, I used a piece of black and vanilla polka dot paper (Modern Medley DSP).  I wrapped a piece of pool party seam binding across the belly band.  But I wanted to add a homemade touch to it, so I added a machine stitch to it.  

I dry embossed the oval frame  and then tore around the shape.  I stamped the 'friends forever' button in crumb cake classic ink.  I used dimensionals to lift the button off the card front.

I created a sentiment banner using a scrap piece of very vanilla card stock.  I stamped the sentiment in basic black classic ink, and flagged the ends.

For the bow, I tied a multi-loop bow and then tied a vintage faceted button to the center of the bow with some thin silver ribbon.  I wanted to give the card a little sparkle.

I hope that you have been inspired to play along with us @ SFF.

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope that you have been inspired to create something beautiful of your own (smile).

With Sympathy

Happy Friday.  I hope this post finds you well and motivated to create!  

The wonderfully talented Patrice has a fun and creative sketch for you to try over @ Sketch Frenzy Friday.

Here is her sketch:

Here is what I did with this sketch:

When I first saw the sketch, I had several ideas about the trio of partial ovals along one side.  I was thinking, buttons, flowers, hearts, . . .  you get the idea.  Then I was thinking of adding eyelets and lacing ribbon through.  But, I couldn't get the idea/theme to move forward.  So, I scrubbed that whole thought process.  Then it hit me, what about butterflies cascading. 

For the cascading butterflies, I applied by 2way glue pen to the edges of each butterfly, and then dunked them in my tub of dazzling diamond glitter.  I added tiny pearls to the bodies of the butterflies.

For the large circular object, I went with a doily from the Artisan embellishment kit.  But it looked a bit flat, so I stamped a flower on the doily.  I stamped the flower image from Oh Hello stamp set, in soft suede classic ink.  I thought that shade of brown paired very nicely with the pool party shade of blue.

I wanted to add some pretty embellishments, so I added a metal button from the Artisan embellishment kit.  But, I couldn't decide if bakers twine or ribbon or linen thread threaded through the thread holes.  So, I added a pearl to help soften the whole look.  

I machine stitched a strip of soft suede taffeta ribbon to the front of the card.  I threaded the tails of the taffeta ribbon through the thread holes of the vintage faceted button.  I tied the ribbon into a simple bow.  

I stamped the sentiment in soft suede classic ink along the bottom of my card.  I used a sentiment from the Loving Thoughts stamp set. 

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you have been inspired to play along with us @ SFF.

love this card? you can purchase it here, @ my Etsy shop.

Afternoon Daydream

This week, is underway, and I hope you get a chance to sit and craft.  Paper craft is my main crafting medium.  But, I do love to sew.   And baking is my other passion.  Today, I hope to inspire you to play along with us @ Nacho Average Challenge.  This week, there is a sketch to play with.  I hope you get a chance to play along and create something beautiful.

this week's sketch: NAC #39

what I created:

The card base is basic grey card stock.  I added a pattern paper from the Afternoon Daydream scrappin' kit.  I matted the pattern paper onto pool party cardstock.  I just love this shade of blue.  Its so pretty, warm, and easy on the eye.  The scallop trim piece is actually a sticker for the scrappin kit.  I adhered the scallop trim piece to the pattern paper, then wrapped some crinkled pool party seam binding around the card front.  I tied a simple bow to the left.  

The sentiment piece is from the Itty Bitty Banners stamp set.  I stamped it in basic grey classic ink, onto whisper white card stock.  I fussy cut it out.  Adhered the sentiment banner to the seam binding with foam tape.

The paper blossom was quite fun to create.  I stamped the floral image from Mixed Bunch stamp set three times with versa mark, onto whisper white cardstock.  I used pool party embossing powder on two stamped blossoms, and white embossing powder on the third.  I used the blossom punch to punch out the shapes.  I used my heat tool, to set the embossing powder.  I then distressed the ends of the petals with my 2-way glue pen and dazzling diamond glitter.  I then used a wooden stick to create the bends in the petals, and help give the layers of blossoms some dimension.   I layed the blossoms: pool party, white, and pool party.  I used foam tape in between the layers.  I tied a simple bow with pool party bakers twine through the vintage faucet button and added a pearl to help keep the look soft, and feminine.

I hope we have inspired you to play along with us @ NAC.  We would love to see what you create with our sketch.  And who knows, maybe you will be our next Top Nacho {smile}.

love this card? you can purchase it here, at my Etsy shop.

Create in Blue

It's Tuesday, and so that means its time for another challenge from the Nacho Average Challenge.  This week, is a color challenge.  So, lets see what you create with this color palate.

and here is what I created with these colors:

When creating this card, I used things that I love.  The large background doily stamp, the four frames polka dot frame, some seam binding, a vintage faceted button, and a banner piece.

This card was fun to create.  I hope that we have inspired you, and that you can play along with us @ NAC.  

I know that I said I would post some photos from my first craft fair, and well, I should have something tomorrow.  Hope you can stop by.  I'd love to read what you think.

Thinking of You

Happy Friday!  It's time again for another blog hop from Sketch Frenzy Friday.  The wonderful Deb C. has provided us with a this week's sketch: 

Deb has provided us with a very user-friendly sketch.  There is a lot of different possibilities to create something special, unique, and pretty.  Here is what I did with this sketch:

I wanted to make something pink and something vintage.  So, here it is!  I used crumb cake card stock as the base.  I added a panel of pink pirouette card stock under the First Edition DSP panel.  I stamped on the text paper.  I stamped a flourish in crumb cake classic ink.  Along with a splatter mark in pink pirouette classic ink.  I stamped the pen top in various lengths in basic black classic ink.  I wanted the text paper to be 'dressed-up' and a bit classy.

I stamped the typewriter in basic black onto a piece of very vanilla card stock.  I stamped the splatter in pink pirouette classic ink along two of the edges.  I also sponged the edges with crumb cake classic ink.  The blossom was made from a retired emosslit: Birds & Blooms.  I crumpled the blossom and stacked them off-set.  For the center of the blossom, I added the small vintage faceted button tied with linen thread into a bow.

For the sentiment, I used a retired stamp set: Bird on a Branch.  I stamped the sentiment in basic black classic ink and sponged the edges (again) with crumb cake classic ink.  I used a square punch to create the banner ends.  I used a row of dimensions to pop the sentiment banner off the card front.  

Finally, I gave the whole card a sprtiz of vanilla smooch.

Now, head on over to Tammy F.'s blog to see what she has created with this fabulous sketch.  And don't forget to visit the blogs of the other design team members.  I'm sure that you will be inspired to play along with us @ Sketch Frenzy Friday.