Expecting!

When I heard the fabulous exciting news that some friends of mine are expecting, I went to work.  Here is what I came up with:

 I scored the cardstock with my cutting tool - I used my bone folder and scored in the gully of the cutter.  I stamped the inchies with Versafine, then watercoloured them with pencils.  Adhered to the cardstock with a glue runner and all done!

Supplies:
Paper: Staples cream card stock, Inchies
Stamp: Expectant Mother (stamp was a gift)
Misc: watercolour pencils, bone folder, Fiskars paper cutter

Another hello and rock and roll technique

A cute little tiny card that I used the direct to paper technique on at the edges.  I also did the rock and roll technique on the flowers to add some depth by adding a darker ink to the edges of the stamp.  Simple and clean.

Supplies:
Paper: Staples cream and white, Gina K pure luxury fresh asparagus
Ink: Distress Inks -- spiced marmalade, fired brick, shabby shutters
Stamps: M's hello, Impress flowers
Misc: pop dots

Simple clean hello

Love the colour combination!  What do you think?

Supplies:
Paper: Staples white, Gina K pure luxury fresh asparagus
Stamp: SU Upsy daisy, M's hello
Ink: Versamark, Peeled Paint Distress Ink
Other: white embossing ink, embossing tool

Fun with chalk inks!

I have recently been inspired to buy chalk inks by all the posts people have had showing off their soft matte finish.  So I went to a store armed with a coupon and ready to buy!  I couldn't seem to find any large ink pads but found dew drops by Tsukineko:

I am loving this set!  It's called Clowning Around and it has Thatched Straw, Midnight Black, Cloud White and Red Magic.  These colours are scrumptious and I am definitely going to get another set. To make the card below, I used my Papertrey Ink Giga Guidelines stamp set with these inks.  I ran my SU Kraft cardstock through my cuttlebug with the Giga Guidelines Impression Plate for some texture.  I used the Thatched Straw yellow ink and it was wonderfully juicy.  Added a scrap strip of Gina K pure luxury Smoky Slate card stock and a jewel and voilà!

Supplies:
Paper: SU kraft, Staples white, Gina K smoky slate
Stamp: PTI Giga Guidelines
Ink: Thatched Straw Tsukineko chalk ink
Tools: Cuttlebug, PTI Giga Guidelines Impression Plate, Marvy square punch, Fiskars paper cutter, pop dots
Embellishments: amber jewel

Made to order card for a wedding

Here is a card I made that a friend ordered for a wedding.  The theme was eat drink love so I used that as my message.  Papertrey stamps used for the background and foreground with some gold embossing and an amber rhinestone.

Inspiration

So when I am in a funk and can't decide on what to create next, I often check out websites for ideas. Some of my favourites are along the side (some fabulously creative spirits there!) and I also love to look at Impress Rubber Stamps. They have an ideas page with all kinds of great ideas. The thing I love best about them is that they keep their designs simple but GORGEOUS! One of their creations is here for you to view but please take a moment to check them out. Where do you go for inspiration?

My First Colour Inspiration Challenge

Ok, so I am finally taking part in a challenge from Kristina Werner's fantabulous blog. I hemmed and hawed and tried several before settling on this card. I used a white textured card with white ribbon, a red designer paper, a cream coloured crinkly oval and then a silver Eiffel tower. I added in the Merci beaucoup mon ami with Distress Ink.

Embossing delight!

Ok, so I got an early Christmas gift (the box will be wrapped and under the tree but I get to use it now!) and it is .... drum roll ... an embossing heat tool! All this time, I have been using an iron or practically burning the paper on the heating element so this is a big deal to me. So now I have been embossing like crazy.

The Cavallini stamp sets have the best combination of stamps. Sentiments and images. Here I just used the Je t'aime but there are lots of others.

This branch stamp is one of my favourites and I never tire of stickles.

Bleach stamping

Ok, so it's a bit smelly but what could be easier than taking a bleach pen or some paper towel with bleach on it and using it as the ink? It looks perfect with darker cardstock and repeated images.

A few cards for all occasions

Drywall tape, vellum quotes and stamped white flowers on silver cardstock with ribbon detail.

An acetate window, some anaglypta paper, a punched window and dragonflies. Would be nice to add a message on the front, if needed.
















A punched out window, a bit of funky ribbon and a cute embossed stamp is perfect for an anniversary.














The special dimensional effect here is from the Spanish moss I bought from a craft store.

Some Christmas cards

Hard to tell, but I made my own shadow stamp with some drawer liner paper stuck onto a block, then did the tree stamp, put some sequins on and added the ribbon.

I almost broke my circle punch when punching out with this sparkly sticker paper. Another punch of the snowflake and the happy holidays stamp and we're done! (Sorry for the bad scan - I think the screen was slightly dirty.)





This is made with a tree punch, a shadow stamp and a message stamp. Simple and quick!














What could be simpler than a bit of ribbon and a circle punch?

Some recent creations ...

Cherry Blossoms

A few stickles in the flowers keeps it sparkly.












Lucky Bamboo





This is one of my favourite background stamps ... adds such a chic style to the card.













Embrace Imperfection