Love You to the Core

Here's an apple card for this week's back-to-school challenge at CASual Fridays:

As Jenny mentioned, I've never sent a back-to-school card (although maybe that would make my 3rd grader a little less sad about the prospect of his fun-filled, lazy, summer days coming to an abrupt end) so I used a classic school icon instead. The apple.

The outside shows the whole apple (patterned with a Martha Stewart stamp) with just a "love you" on the leaf. When you lift the flap you see the inside of the apple and the rest of the message.

 Glossy accents are on the black seeds (the glossy accents on the right seed kind of collapsed when drying, so I guess that one is a dried seed!)

 Thanks for looking!

-Kelly

Supplies used:
stamps:  PTI Tiny Tags, Martha Stewart Backgrounds
impression plates: PTI stripes

dies:  Memory Box Delicate Chain Border, Cricut
other: glossy accents

Lemonade Stand Banner Card

 With two challenges this week on banners, I was motivated to make a card. And have it be a summer one while I still can.

Make It Monday's challenge is to make a garland.

For this card I just cut out the center, but left a flap which will be the top of the lemonade stand table when it's opened.

The banners are strung between the two posts. I found several great packages of 1970's beads from a recent flea market, and am happy to use the lemon yellow ones right away in between the banners.

The lemons are from PTI Tiny Treats. I didn't have a lemonade pitcher stamp so I drew one and colored with my new alcohol markers.

 There is a tab on the bottom of the lemons and lemonade. I cut slots in the table top for the lemons and adhered pennies to them underneath so gravity would make them stand up when the card is opened.

Then when it's time to slip the card into an envelope, lift the table top flap, and everything folds flat.

The table cloth is made from a Martha Stewart punch. I'll put a tiny note on the front with the sentiment and attach it with a brad once I decide what I am using this for.

Thanks for looking!

[ETA: This also fits with the CASology theme of "Relax" this week, just what I want to be doing!]

Supplies used:

stamps:  PTI Tiny Treats

impression plates: PTI woodgrain

dies:  PTI banner builder

ink: PTI true black

other: MS border punch, baker's twine, beads, pennies, Spectrum Noir markers

Tweed Purse

It never fails. One week you're thinking beach/sun/flip-flops, then school starts and immediately you jump to apples/blankets/Halloween. 

 Then you have all the cozy, fall inspiration from the Papertrey Blog Hop:

This purse project is inspired from these lovely fall textures, and the Make it Monday challenge to die cut fabric. 

This tweed is die cut with the Favor It 1 die. I cut off the die cut handles, notched them at the base, and substituted real leather straps. The sewing was a little challenging for me, but let's just say as the author of this blog post I reserve the right to only show you the better side : ) A metal monogram is an easy way to personalize it for a gift.

Also, if you are using this for a gift idea, take advantage of the 3D pocket area. It's the perfect place to fill with money. Roll the money using a bamboo skewer for something a little different.

 If you are using this for a 30th birthday present you can roll 30 one dollar bills. The same works for a 20th, 40th, etc. birthday. 

Thanks for looking!

- Kelly

Supplies used:
dies:  PTI Favor It 1
paper:  Pink Paisley

other: leather lacing, metal letter, brad, tweed fabric

Sock Monkeys: Post on Inspired By Family

Hope you all are enjoying the last weeks before school starts! If you get a chance, I'd love for you to stop by Inspired By Family and check out my article on making multiple cards with one stamp. I picked up this sock monkey stamp set at a garage sale and had fun playing with it.

Initially I was inspired by CAS-ual Friday's challenge to make square cards.

Then after making the cards I saw the Make It Monday challenge to use stitching on a card. I redid one of the cards and stitched the pom-pom on his hat:

Thanks for looking!

-Kelly

7th Birthday Card for Boy/Girl Twins

Here are a few more cards inspired by the super-cool typewriter from the Tuesday Trigger.

I know, there are no typewriters to be found on these cards. The inspiration is from the colored keys. I was thinking, "what part of an image do I have that is always, without a second thought, colored black so I can substitute colors?" Numbers on a traditional pocket watch!  

I carefully inked each number with an ink pad, except I was able to use a stamp marker for the yellow numbers. Then die cut a thick acrylic circle (from Cricut Cartridge packaging) to put on top of the clock face. I wanted something with a shine, and initially used dimensional glaze. Yuck!! It turned the colored numbers into a soupy mess. I'm embarrassed to even show a picture of that.

This card is for our dear niece, so I put a gem brad in the middle, and used the fancy watch hands. Notice they are pointing to 7:00 ... she's turning 7. Of course you could do this for any age, up to 12 years old.

This card is for our handsome nephew. Also turning 7 years old. Instead of messing around with the numbers which are supposed to be black, I took what is supposed to be white, and added color to that. 

The normally white watch face has ink sponged around in a circle like the tie dye technique that was featured at PTI Stamp-A-Faire. Since this is for our nephew, I didn't want to use the fancy watch hands, so I drew plain, straight ones. A screw brad holds everything down in the middle.

Thanks for looking!

-Kelly

Supplies used:stamps:  Pink Paisley Soiree, AC chevron, old wood block watch 

dies:  PTI fillable frames
other: acrylic, screw brad, gem brad

The Creative Type

Holy smokes, this is such a cool typewriter in the Tuesday Trigger challenge at the Moxie Fab World! I saw a 1930's typewriter on etsy like this and apparently the keys are colored to help with finger placement. I'd rather think that they made it like this just for fun!

The photo inspired me to play around with the theme of "creativity" and the kind of out-of-the-box thinking someone had to make the keys in a color other than black. In my head I had a picture of a blank typewriter page with flourishes and doodles coming out from behind it to symbolize the endless possibilities that await that page, or really any project, right before you start.

It turned out pretty close to what I pictured. Ideally I'd like to have the quote centered under the typewriter on the white cardstock, but I ran out of real estate. That's OK. Three rhinestones are on the keyboard, radiating more creative energy.

 

 

 There are several inspirational quotes that I love, and I couldn't pick just one, so I figured a set would be fun to make. It was fun to play around with the different doodle stamps. You could make 20 of these and they'd all be unique.

Thanks for looking!

-Kelly

Supplies used: 
stamps: Heidi Grace
ink: PTI Pure Poppy, Hawaiian Shores, Color Box Yellow Ochre
other: rhinestones

What is it?

What the heck, right?!?

 I recently found this stamp at the bottom of a box. I thought it was a frog when I bought it a decade ago rummaging through a pile of unmounted rubber stamps, but after stamping it for the first time I'm fairly sure it's an ostrich. Yes?

 

 This ostrich was IN OUR CAR while at a drive-thru wildlife park in Texas. Looks pretty similar.

 Regardless, it's ugly, and a little disturbing. I fell in love with the cat Mandi stamped in a quirky blue for the Less is More challenge to use

Blue & Green

and thought I would try something a little quirky too. Maybe not the best card to give Grandma, but perfect for a dear girlfriend who gets your humor.

[Diane, if you happen to see this, you know what's going to be in your mailbox in January]


Thanks for looking!
-Kelly

Supplies used:

stamps:  unknown, Martha Stewart backgrounds, Michael's swak, American Crafts chevron

Watercolors

-

Dawn McVey has a great tutorial on watercoloring with your ink pads. I wanted to play, but don't have great, open stamp image to play with. So I picked a scrap piece of embossed circles paper on my desk and tried it out.

I liked how it turned out, so I adhered the scrap to a base, stamped a sentiment, and called it a night. I love quick projects!

Thanks for looking!

-Kelly

Supplies used:stamps:  PTI Think Big Sentiments
impression plates: PTI circles

What Goes Up and Never Comes Down?

I loved making paper airplanes as a kid (and decorating them!) and as I was thinking about the CAS-ual Fridays challenge to feature things you'd see in the sky, I thought it would be fun to make a paper airplane again. Only a mini one this time. Add a riddled sentiment and you've got a birthday card for just about anyone.

 

The roof's edge is cut longer so when it's resting it takes the shape of a roof.

Then when you open it, you get the answer to the riddle. Hahaha. The answer is suspended with thread so it hangs vertically as you open the roof. I made wide fringe for the roof tiles, snipped the corners for a little dimension, and used the woodgrain impression plate.

Thanks for looking!
-Kelly

Supplies used:

stamps:  PTI Movers and Shakers: Sentiments, Martha Stewart Backgrounds

impression plates: PTI Woodgrain

other: thread, baker's twine

Love Birds

 Aww, love birds. Just what you need for an anniversary card!

This came about from a couple challenges:

 

 

 

I masked the vertical sentiment ("anniversary" is under the word "happy" on the actual stamp) to be horizontal so they would show through the pair of love birds.

Thanks for looking!

Supplies used:

stamps:  PTI fillable frames
dies:  Memory Box bird
other: heart punch

A Month In Photos [July 2012]

I'm not thrilled that I lost momentum on Project Life (only complete through mid-February) and Month In Photos (again, stopped after February). But since the Month In Photos project is relatively quick to complete, I decided to pick it up again this month. Glad I did.

Here are the highlights:

- watching the moon rise over Lake Michigan while waiting for fireworks and playing in the sand at Summerfest (so relaxing, except for the police helicopter with the roving searchlight),

- over-the-moon excited to be at the Craft and Hobby Association trade show for the first time,

- happy that the boys still play with each other, and are into simple things like playing dress up,

- spending hours in the sand pit at the pool, and meeting friends while working on a common project, like digging a river that ends at my feet for a spa. Or burying someone in the sand.

- loving our routine of doing swim lessons, eating at Wendy's (20 nuggets with ranch, a large fry, and a crispy chicken Cesar wrap is $8.92), and relaxing at the pool the rest of the day with friends.

- RAINBOW ICE CREAM! a Taste of Chicago favorite. Jackson doesn't drip all over his shirt this year!

- treating the kids to ice cream on the beach after hanging out in Lincoln Park all day with friends. our order was large enough that we had to figure out the total and change for the ice cream guy.

Thanks for looking!

-Kelly

Rebecca at Simple as That has posted a free template for you to create your own Month in Photos and is hosting a link party for everyone to share their progress. 

A Little Bleach, a Little Ink

Well I did make it into the laundry room this week ... to grab some bleach for some good, clean card making! Nichole shared a technique to stamp with bleach and then stamp with ink on top.

Chrissie and Mandi may get sick of seeing me, but it's their fault for having such a versatile sketch for us to use this week! This time I at least flipped it over.

I'm short on larger solid stamps, so I turned to Mehndi Medallion to try this technique out. Since I'm only using one stamp for this, I needed to over-saturate this finely detailed stamp with bleach so it bleeds on the paper. This way when I stamp again with orange ink, there will be a larger white area underneath acting as an outline for all the detail.

 The third time I stamped the medallion is in raspberry on the card base. I intentionally rotated the raspberry medallion so it didn't line up with the bleached/orange medallion. When they lined up it seemed to blend in too much.

Interesting to note that when I bleached the PTI raspberry paper it didn't turn color at all. So I grabbed a cheap, thin raspberry paper and the bleach immediately turned the paper to white.


Thanks for looking!

Supplies used:

stamps:  PTI Mehndi Medallion, Martha Stewart Invitations

dies:  PTI Wonderful Words

ink: PTI Raspberry Fizz, True Black, Colorbox Tangerine

Blue Velvet

Anytime I look at this ribbon I think of David Lynch's movie Blue Velvet from the 80's. What an odd story. Anyway, here's a Hello card for the CAS-ual Friday color challenge.

 And the LIM sketch challenge.

 

Thanks for looking!

-Kelly

Supplies used:

stamps:  Inkadinkadoo Hello
impression plates: PTI Simple Stripes
other: watercolor pencil, AC stamping marker, velvet ribbon, circle punch