Christmas Cards 2012

Happy Christmas everyone! This year is especially merry for me because I have officially finished graduate school!! WOOT! But because my last class was 4 days before Christmas,  I didn't get the chance to make as many cards as I wanted to. These are the few I managed to put together.

All of the digistamps used here were purchased from Pink Cat Studio and I really looooove these images. They are so cute and easy to color. I managed to buy a bunch during their Black Friday sale in November. Santa was nice enough to bring me many new Copics so I will definitely be going back to the site for some more images.
      

I used some silver stickles as the string for the lights.

It's hard to tell, but I used an array of blue, white and silver stickles on this image.

I used some paper flowers that I found in Michael's for a dollar.

Stickles, brads and 3D Zots helps bring this kitty to life.

The stickers say "Snow Day"

Some white stickles for her hood.

I used some distress inks for the background of this card along with Santa stamps. The trees were drawn on the card.

I loved this image of Lily and the Polar Bear! Distress inks for the background. Silver stickles on the snowy mountains.

I hope you all liked them. I wasn't given as much time as I would have hoped, but now I can happily devote as much time as I'd like to my cards. Wishing you all a splendid New Year! Hopefully you now have more time for the things you love too. =)

Til Next Time, Happy Crafting!

Fun Sales/ DT Calls!

Hello everyone!

Things have been mighty quiet around here lately. School ends in 22 days for me which means in less than a month I will have a Master's Degree AND the freedom to return to my crafting! I have big plans for this blog and my mind is cooking up all kinds of fun. My boyfriend is a computer animator and he's promised to teach me some design basics in Photoshop and Illustrator so I'm coming up with ideas for graphics and perhaps a complete overhaul of the site. I'm also going to try and get back into challenges and blog hops of course!

In the meantime, I wanted to showcase some amazing blogs that I read, help spread the word about some design teams and really just share some beautiful projects I've come across.


Digi Stamps are my newest obsession. I bought one from Pink Cat Studio AGES ago and it has just been sitting on my computer. Fast forward to Black Friday, Melissa had a Mega 50% off sale so I took advantage.... and bought like 10 more. Her designs are so adorable and very easy to color in. I have a few Copic markers and I'm getting more for Christmas, so I'm looking forward to using these babies for my Christmas cards this year.

Speaking of Copic markers.... Have you ever wanted to learn how to use them? Well, if you're a newbie like me, they maybe a bit on the intimidating side.That is, unless you can find a good online tutorial but even that can be overwhelming. There are soooo many out there! But I finally found one  I really liked.



Suzanne over at Scrap Bitz offers online Copic classes, but even before you decide whether you want to pay $40 for a class (BTW, she has some Black Friday sales going on until the end of the week) you can check out her coloring chops. There's a section on her blog where she has youtube tutorials and she shows you step by step coloring instructions on hair, clothing, skin, etc. Her voice is very sweet and soothing (if you could imagine just how many videos I Xed out of because I couldn't stand the person's voice!) and she doesn't move too fast. It's really perfect and by looking at her finished products, the lady knows what she's doing! Make sure to check her out!

Speaking of sales, did everyone get some Black Friday goodies this year? My mailbox was bombarded by e-mails from all kinds of places. I scrolled through Facebook as well for some deals, but sometimes, it was a little more than I could take. Enter my buddy Amy from Scrap This, Save That. Amy was nice enough to spell out all the major deals from Michael's, JoAnn's, Blitsy, etc. What's great about this blog is that it doesn't have to be a major shopping holiday for Amy to do this. Her blog showcases great deals all the time, so if saving money is your thing, (and seriously, why wouldn't it be?) do yourself a favor and check this out weekly. She updates it a lot and with not just money saving tips, but great project ideas as well. The lady's got talent!




And now for some fun Design Team calls! I gotta say, I miss being on a Design Team and maybe when this is all over, I'll try again for one. My friend Heather at Random Recipes, Paper Crafts and Photos by HL linked a Design Team call for Tammy over at Cuttin' and Stampin'.



Tammy is launching a whole new challenge blog on January 6th and is looking for design team members until December 2nd. The term is for one year with a total of 27 projects and if you want more information on how to apply, go to her site here. Good luck to everyone!

If you want to feel like a celebrity, maybe you should try out for a Guest Designer Spot with the Red Carpet Studio Challenge Blog.






They are looking for guest designers to serve one month terms in either January, February, or March of 2013. You create two projects per month whether you're on the card or layout team. If you want more information you should look here on the site. If you make the cut then your project as well as blog and picture will be promoted on their celebrities page. Enter before December 20th!

Well, that's all I have for now. I'll still be around in the next couple of days, but say a little prayer that I make it through finals in one piece!!

Until Next Time, Happy Crafting!

Cards Through a Storm

During the hurricane, I was fortunate enough not to lose power. Thankfully, I live in an apartment building that didn't see any damage so my family and I basically hunkered down for the week and waited it out. During this time, I made a few cards, most of which were the Halloween ones I already posted. 

These last two were made for my friends, Rachael and Monique. They were going to be just saying hello cards so this is what I came up with. 

For Rachael, I picked some flower paper from My Mind's Eye 6x6 designer pads. The white flowers is from a Martha Stewart paper puncher and I put some blue jewels on them for some pop. I've seen so many cards where people rip the bottom layers, but when I tried, it looked ugly, not chic. So I took one of my patterned scissors and cut at angles. I'm really glad with the way it came out.

For Monique, if you remember, she really loves birds so I looked through my paper pads once again and found a brown pattern with a cute pink bird. He sorta reminded me of the bird on the cover of the Death Cab for Cutie album, Transatlanticism which is one of our favorite records so I went with him and choose a complimenting pink and purple paper for the above. This card was actually created around that middle sticker which I don't even remember where I got it from, but seeing as how there was a hurricane going on, I thought the sentiment, "Friends Forever, No Matter the Weather," was appropriate.

Closer look at the jewels on the flowers.

Hope everyone made it through Sandy alright and we're remembering those less fortunate. Remember the Red Cross is always taking donations!

Until Next Time, Happy Crafting!

A Spooktacular Holiday!

School has been kind of overwhelming lately so for the past week, I took a few hours after work to craft some Halloween cards. I was grateful for the creative vacation. This is what I came up with-->

I tried stamping bats on the side with a sparkly VersaMark pad. Can you tell?

These cards were created with a series of stamps I found at JoAnn's a few months ago. They were only a $1 each.  I also used an array of Ranger Distress Inks for accents and the paper is from a Halloween paper pack I got from AC Moore for $5 bucks. I really do love deals.

Copic Markers were used to color in the stamps. I am so desperate to take a Copic Marker blending class and if anyone knows of any good online tutorials, PLEASE Pass it along, will ya? Thanks in advance.

Hurricane Sandy gave me two extra days off of work and school so I find myself with a little extra time on my hands. Perhaps this is an opportunity to start Christmas cards? = D

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it!

I've never really had close friends at work. I think it stems from the fact that in the past, I have come across people who I haven't really been able to trust so I have kept a healthy distance from folks in the office.

However, I've recently made a really good friend in my coworker, Gale. We just click and she makes me laugh all the time. Gale is dating a Brit named Peter or Peetah as we like to call him and he recently proposed when they were on a vacation to Aruba. In  celebration, I wanted to create a card that showcased the goooorgeous diamond he got her.

This card was made using this fantastic glizty glitter stack from DCWV. They really do have such beautiful paper. The ring was made using the Bridal Shower Cricut cartridge which doesn't have many cuts but I really love the ones they do offer.

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Surprise!

This year, my boyfriend's birthday was rather interesting. I had tried to set up a surprise party a month in advance with his family, friends and classmates. His birthday is the beginning of September so school had always prevented him from having a good time. Last May he graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City so I was determined to throw a big party!

I hadn't expected him to come down with two inner ear infections and a bad sinus infection though. Long story short, with the help of some very strong antibiotics, he was able to make his party.

For his card, I wanted to create an almost celestial feel to it so I turned to my Stardust paper pack from a DCWV. Let me just say that I found this in a sales bin at a Jo Ann's upstate for $6 bucks!!!

I SIMPLY ADORE IT.

Ever had a stack of paper so pretty you don't even want to use it? I have been very selective on the projects I've used them for. But I do adore my boyfriend so I decided to use the black and gold paper along with one of the $1 stamps I got from Michael's.

I've been a little busy lately and it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The countdown to December and the end of my last semester has already begun, but I am trying my hardest to get back into my craft room. My sanity depends on it.

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Saturday Spotlight

I'm so excited to share this week's Saturday Spotlight on Amy's website, Scrap This, Save That! I was supposed to have this up on Saturday but without a computer at my disposal, I realized there is so much I could do with a iPhone.



I think this is such an awesome series on Amy's website because it's a great way to find new and upcoming craft bloggers. I was so honored when she asked me to be on it! If you follow the link, you will find a brief history of my crafting and three examples of my favorite cards.

You should definitely check out the other bloggers she has showcased and become a follower of her blog! There's always a great project and money-saving tip!

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Hey There, Sunshine!

Hello friends!

Today I am sharing a special card I made for Miss Amy E! I was so happy when Amy won my give-away to celebrate my new blog redesign. It seemed appropriate that the gal who saved me a bunch of money by checking out her blog's sale mentions and discount sites would win the Michael's giftcard. When I sent it to her, I sent it in this card.

The background was used from the My Mind's Eye 6x6 designer pads. Does anyone else buy those $3 pads at AC Moore or Michael's? I have a billion of them because they have all kinds of great patterns and colors.

Then I took a complementary yellow piece of card stock and cut the edges with a special scissor paper cutter that I have. I took two different stamps. The elephant is an Inkadinkadoo stamp and the sentiment "Hey There, Sunshine" came from one of those $1 stamps from the Michael's piles.

I used my 3D Zots to make whole thing pop out a bit and we're done!

Speaking of Amy, have you been by her daughter-in-law's blog yet? She is spreading the word about Erin's design prowess because they are saving to adopt a baby and Amy would love to be a Grandmother! Won't you help with a donation to her website, The Silver Lining? There are so many ways to help! Make sure you check it out! Everyone deserves to be a Mommy. =)

 

Until Next Time, Happy Crafting!

Birthday Cupcake

Hello Friends!


Today's project is a birthday card I made for my friend Rachel. She's a big Hello Kitty fan and after trying and FAILING to draw Hello Kitty, I decided on the next best thing: a cupcake.

I grabbed some Birthday folders for my Cuttlebug b/c I hadn't used it in awhile. I took my pink/purple Recollections card stock pack (I seriously have a ton of these packs) and used it to make a sweet looking template. I used the bottom of a cupcake from Once Upon a Princess Cricut Cartridge, but I didn't like any of the tops so I simply made my own. It's kinda big and crazy looking, but I was simply imagining a lot of frosting.

I ran it through the Cuttlebug and used silver stickles for an extra glittery pop. It seemed very girly to me and Rachel is very feminine and sweet so I thought it would suit her!

Until Next Time, Happy Crafting!

Born to Fly

Before I tackled my first decoupage project for my best friend Monique, I needed to figure out what her card would look like. I knew I wanted to keep with her bird theme and her favorite color is purple so during my crafting date with my friends Jenn and Steve, I came up with this card.

I had been looking for cute bird stamps for a few weeks before her birthday. The top and bottom borders are from Recollections and using a special scissor cutter, I took some lilac card stock and cut the edges before stamping the bird and sentiment.

I thought it was missing something, so I added flowers to the corners and put silver stickles in the middle for a little extra sparkle. I choose the sentiment "Born to Fly" over a 'Happy Birthday' one, because I think the reason Monique loves birds so much is because they're free to go wherever they want to. They have no restraints and can fly as high as they want. That reminds me a lot of her so I thought that would be appropriate.

So until next time, Happy Crafting!

Decoupage Project for my Partner in Crime!

My best friend Monique is a major foodie. She's incredibly talented in the kitchen and to hear her talk or blog about food, you can instantly tell how passionate she is about it. She has her own website and she blogs about the food she cooks herself as well as places and restaurants she's been to. Monique likes to eat.... a lot. Because of that, she calls herself The Eatinist Bitch which is an endearing nickname, I assure you. The best part is the way she describes the food! She could make a messy sloppy joe sound like a masterpiece. So I knew I wanted to make her something food related for her birthday.

This is what 11 years of being besties looks like!

I decided to take a crack at decoupage! I have never done this before so it was an adventure. I wanted to make her a binder where she can put  recipes in. I also wanted to incorporate birds into the project since she loves birds (she even has some awesome tattoos!) I also cut out magazine clippings but the Mod Podge ripped those instantly on contact so I realized only thicker paper would do for this project.

Decoupage intimidated me a bit. I looked at some videos online and made my way to Michael's for some supplies. I thought the Mod Podge mat would be a waste of money, but seriously it was the best thing ever b/c that glue got everywhere!

My supplies.

Part 1: Gluing

With my Cricut, I used the Create a Critter and Birthday Bash for the birds. The words were cut using the Cuttin' It Up cartridge and the sides are borders from K&Company and Recollections. It looked so nice when it was simply glued, but this was just part one. I used the Sparkle Mod Podge and applied it generously. 

First Coat.

I'm not going to lie- I started to panic right here. I wasn't sure if this was going to dry like this and I was worried the cloudiness wouldn't go away. I let it dry overnight and in the morning, I applied the second coat.

Second Coat.

This is after the second coat and it was finally starting to look somewhat normal. Of course, I forgot to actually take a picture of the final product, but Monique was nice enough to snap a photo for me.

Ta-Da!!!

Although I liked the way it came out, in retrospect, I wish I would have used a more matted Mod Podge instead of the sparkle, but she liked it so that's all that matters.

Have any of you played around with Mod Podge? What kind do you like to use?