Monday, May 30, 2016

Repairing "Glue Issues" With Lace

Hello, friends!  Today I'm sharing a card I made for Really Reasonale Ribbon, and I have a helpful hint that will allow you to "erase your mistakes" so to speak.    I learned this technique by accident (and out of necessity), but I've now mastered it so that it looks like it was intentional; and that's the whole point.  Really Reasonable Ribbon carries 49 different styles of just their Crochet Lace, and they're priced to sell.  Any of these beautiful laces would work for this repair tip.
When you're adding paper flowers, leaves, felt flowers, ribbons, lace or other small embellishments, and you have a little glop of glue that doesn't look becomingly; you are able to easily hide your blunder by taking a small snippet of Crochet Lace and "pinching it together" with hot glue, then working it into place with your metal poker tool.  Just tuck it right in that little nook or cranny, and it hides your glop of messy hot glue.  No one will ever know that you had made a messy mistake.  The sweet little touches of lace tucked in are so sweet, and like I said earlier they look like you put them there intentionally.
This card was created using one piece of patterned paper that was inked in black.  There's a button card (which is recycled packing from a package of Jenni Bowlin buttons), and on top of that I added some rolled felt flowers, 33mm Green Leaves from Wild Orchid Crafts, Deep Ivory Open Roses, Black Open Roses, and several small pieces of the lovely Chloe Natural Crochet Lace.
That big beautiful bow at the top right of that card was creating using Black Seam BindingCream Seam BidingBlack Burlap String, and Ivory Burlap String in the bow and threaded through the vintage cream button in its center.  There's a small tag cut from patterned paper that has some Vintage Black Soot Scotch Tape on it, and the sentiment (hello) was cut from ivory cardstock three times and layered.

There are so many great ways to repurpose tiny pieces of ribbon and lace.  I keep my lace snippets in one jar, and my ribbon snippets in another.  They come in quite handy every now and then.  I hope you've enjoyed this little tip about covering glue mistakes by tucking in a piece of lace, and would also love to have you stop by and participate in our Current Challenge.  There's always lots of great inspiration over on the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog so be sure to stop back by often.

I'm sharing my card here:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says, "Anything Goes"!

Little Scrap Pieces - Show It Off Saturday Linky Party

Have a creative week,
Karen

Monday, May 23, 2016

Pretty In Pink

In case you haven't ever noticed before, I absolutely ADORE working with wool felt.  So needless to say, I've had a really fun with some of the challenges this week.  I've been incorporating the felt into so many of my cards just because I love it so much, and it's a great week to work with it and share it in challenges.  I've also entered a few more challenges this week than I normally do.  It's so much fun, and I really do enjoy it.  I always end up getting to visit the sweetest blogs and make new friends.  And....by using the sentiment HELLO, I can send these cards to anyone.
I created this one using some white and shiny gold polka dot On Trend patterned paper from My Mind's Eye.  To that, I added some Crate Paper stickers and chipboard, etc.  The hello sentiment is a Poppy Stamps Die called Hip Hello, and I cut it from pink paper two times and layered them together, placing them strategically onto the Crate Paper chipboard piece.  Then, I made my rolled roses from black and light pink wool felt and tucked them in with some Gold Metallic String, and some black and pink tulle.  
I'm thrilled to share this sweet little card in these FUN challenges:

Poppy Stamps Challenge - Challenge #20 - Pretty In Pink - I used the Hip Hello Die from Poppy Stamps as my sentiment.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says "Fun With Felt"

It makes me happy to read your comments. so thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.  I hope you've been having fun creating cards and playing along in some challenges this week as well.  Enjoy your craft time.

Karen


Sunday, May 22, 2016

Hello Again

Does my card look familiar?  That's OK, you're not seeing double.  I recreated my last card, but this time I did it in pinks.  I started with an October Afternoon grey plaid patterned paper, then I ran a strip of adorable May Arts ribbon across the bottom of my card.  I attached a button card that I cut and then stamed using a Papertrey Ink Button Die and Papertrey Ink stamps.
Then, I cut the Paptrey Ink Heart Border Die from two shades of pink wool felt.  I used a bit of craft glue, and rolled the felt strips into these sweet little rosebuds.  Next, I hand-cut two little leaves from green wool felt, and then I pinched and glued them into place.  On the bottom right, I cut the sentiment using the same two shades of pink using my Poppy Stamps Hip Hello Die.
I'm excited to play along and share my card in these fun challenges:

Taylored Expressions Blog - Share Joy Challenge #36 - Sketch and/or CAS - I followed the sketch and kept it fairly CAS (for me anyway).  I've been SO enjoying this sweet and simple sketch.
Poppy Stamps Blog - Challenge #20 - Pretty in Pink - I used lots of great pink touches, including my sentiment that I cut from pink papers using my favorite Poppy Stamps Hip Hello Die.
Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says "Fun With Felt" - I used two shades of pink wool felt to cut my heart borders, and then rolled them into flowers.  I also used felt to cut my little green leaves.

Thanks so much for visiting me.  I'm so very grateful for your visit, and hope you're having a blessed day!

Karen

......hello

I had so much fun making my first card for the Share Joy Challenge over at Taylored Expressions that I decided to create yet another card for this awesome challenge (and a few others) once again using the sketch they offered this week.  This card is "borderline CAS", but not completely so.  I do LOVE the simple and sweet sketch.  Check it out:
Isn't it sweet?  For the strip at the bottom, I added a piece of cream patterned paper with black stars.  For the smaller square, I added a Papertrey Ink button card, and for the sentiment I added a hello die-cut.  I also hand-cut some more of the little felt flowers that I used on my first card.  Did you know that Taylored Expressions carries 50 different colors of wool felt?  Yep!  That's right, they do.  And it's high-quality wool felt that your die-cuts will cut through like a knife cutting through warm butter.  It's AMAZE BALLS!  I used the Red Hot Wool Felt and the Black Licorice Wool Felt.  They also carry super cute stamps and dies along with other fab products.  Yes, I'm in love with Taylor's sweet store, and I'd like to own it all.  Yeah, that's a problem for me.  LOL
Here's where I'm going to share this cute little card.  I got several comments on my other card regarding the felt flowers.  If you're interested in learning how to create these, just let me know and I will send you a link to the tutorial I did years ago showing how incredibly easy it is to make these flowers yourself.

Taylored Expressions Blog - Share Joy Challenge -  Challenge #36 - Sketch and/or CAS - So I did semi-CAS and also followed the sweet sketch.  I used Taylored Expressions sweet wool felt (see details above).

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says "Fun With Felt"

Little Scrap Pieces - Saturday Linky Party

Thanks so much for visiting me today, and please know how very grateful I am for the wonderful comment you leave me.  Have a blessed week, and please come play along in these fun challenges.

Karen


Saturday, May 21, 2016

.....thanks

A simple thank you can mean SO much to someone.  Never underestimate how much it might mean to someone to hear that one simple little word.   I try my best to send a thank you note every time someone does something kind for me just to express my gratitude, and to let them know how grateful I am for the "little things".  Sometimes a person will say, "it was no big deal"; but in reality they feel very touched that you've taken the time to thank them.  Really Reasonable Ribbon has so many great ribbons, trims, and flowers to help you make a fabulous card to tell someone "thanks".
I recently ordered some of the Teal Baker's Twine from Really Reasonable Ribbon (among other things), and I just wanted to create a card to show you all how much a simple trim like baker's twine can add to a card.  Really Reasonable Ribbon carries 40 different colors of Baker's Twine, and they're all GORGEOUS and really add that special touch.
I created this card with some scraps of patterned paper that I attached together using my Scor-Tape (and this fabulous adhesive comes in a variety of different widths for various projects).  Next, I stamped a background stamp onto a small glassine bag that I attached to the card. I added a small piece of washi tape, a stamped mini tag with a tiny tea-stained wooden clothespin, some sequins, and a tag tucked into the glassine bag.  Then, I ran a nice long length of the beautiful Teal Baker's Twine around my card, and also ran the Teal Baker's Twine through a coordinating teal button and tied a bow with it.
I also used the Scor-Tape to attach my sequins, my tiny tag with the tea-stained clothespin, glassine bag, and the doily.  Scor-Tape is an amazing adhesive that really sticks well to pretty much everything.  This photo (above) also reallly shows you how beautiful that Teal Baker's Twine really is.

I really encourage you to pick up some Baker's Twine from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  You can get a 10-yard roll of Baker's Twine (in any color) for just ONE DOLLAR.  That means if you spent just $40, you could get 400 yards of baker's twine (ten yards of each of their 40 gorgeous colors).  What a bargain!  This lovely trim is so versatile, and always adds just the right accent to any card or project, and is great for tying on buttons, stringing through tags, and using to beautifully accent your artwork in a soft, sweet way that really adds a special touch.

We also invite you to stop by the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog to play along in our CURRENT CHALLENGE.  We love to see your creativity, and hope that you will link up in our challenge.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderfully creative week.
Karen



Friday, May 20, 2016

......vintage challenge at Really Reasonable Ribbon

VINTAGE  and this is a style that I absolutely LOVE!  I had so much fun using some of my favorite vintage items and giving my card a shabby chic feel.  I had no problem finding lots of sweet little vintage bits and bobbits in my stash to combine with some fabulous products from Really Reasonable Ribbon to create my vintage card.  I encourage you to do the same.   We sure would love to see what you might create to share with us.
The base of my card is a little bit shiny, and that's because it's the backboard packaging from a sheet of Pink Paislee Artisan Elements (the decorative whitish/cream rubber piece I used at the top of my button card) that I repurposed by cutting it to use as the foundation on my card.  It was the same perfect shade of pink as the Button Card.  To that, I added some Melissa Frances patterned papers, some narrow creamy vintage lace, and the Button Card I used is the repurposed backboard packaging from a packet of sweet little JilliBean Soup buttons.  One of the buttons that originally came on this button card is still in place on the card (top left) - it's the sweet creamy white button with a tiny pink gem in the center.  I love being able to repurpose old packaging as ephemera pieces on my cards.  Never throw away any packaging if it's pretty.  It's all recyclable, so be creative!
Once I had the base with all the patterned papers in place and had the button card attached, I added a few more pieces to the button card.  There's a small Melissa Frances sticker on the bottom left of the button card, and on the top right of the button card I placed a Maya Road ivory fabric rose with a Freckled Fawn felt pink leave and a white print Prima leave, and a snippet of turquoise tulle that I tucked in there to accent the fabric rose.  On the bottom right of the button card, I gently placed a Pink Paislee Vintage Vogue Spool Button (wood with cream and black).  Like I said, no shortage of vintage here!
Well now, let's just be honest.  My poor card would have looked bare and pitiful at the top if weren't for the BIG GORGEOUS BOW I added using some of favorite Really Reasonable Ribbon trims.  First, I ran a length of the lovely Bay Leaf Seam Binding across the top of my card.  Because it is so nice and flat, I was also able to add my rub-on sentiment directly onto the Seam Binding.  Then, I created a bow using one length of the Bay Leaf Seam Binding, and two lengths of the Cream Seam Binding.  I stuck a sweet Light Pink Miniature Sweetheart Blossom in th center of my Seam Binding bow, and stuck in two stick pins for an extra vintage touch.
I'm sure you've got something "VINTAGE" looking in your stash that you could use on a card or project to create and share with us.  Another great VINTAGE toouch is adding LACE to your project, and Really Reasonable Ribbon has dozens of beautiful laces to help you get started, as well as flowers, trims, seam binding and so much more.

We look forward to seeing all of your fabulous vintage projects.  Thanks for stopping by today, and be sure to see all the other great inspirational projects posted on the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog today where you can link your projects.

Blessings to you all,
Karen

Thursday, May 19, 2016

......wishing you

It's not often that I can control myself and create something CAS (clean and simple).  Those who know my stlye are aware that I just can't stop, and I just keep layering and adding on.  
But when I saw this week's challenge at Taylored Expressions, I knew I wanted to play along.  They have two choices each week, and this week the choices are a sketch and/or CAS.  I chose to combine the two, and although it was a challenge; I'm happy with the results.
As you can see, the sketch itself is pretty CAS so it was easy to combine the two.  And while you're probably aware that Taylored Expressions carries super cute stamps and dies, you may not be aware that they also carry the SWEETEST colors of wool felt.  I used some of their lovely wool felt to hand-cut and roll these adorable little flowers.  You just cut a small circle out of the wool felt, and then cut that into a strip that you roll into flowers.  I placed some little pearl accent stickers in the centers of the flowers.  The wool felt I used from Talored Expressions are their lovely Tiffany Wool Felt, Robin's Egg, and Butter.  They are all so delicious, I'd love to own every color they carry!

The stamped sentiment is a set called Wishing You from Inspired By Stamping.  I also ran a length of wide ribbon across the bottom of my card.  Pretty simple, for sure.  The patterned paper is from October Afternoon.

Here are the challenges where I am sharing my card:

Taylored Expressions:  Share Joy Challenge #36 - As stated above, I followed the sketch and went CAS, and I had so much fun using my Taylored Expressions wool felts.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says "Fun With Felt" - I had lots of fun making my felt flowers.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a blessed week!
Karen

Monday, May 16, 2016

So Very Blessed

Like most of you, I love making cards and playing along in challenges.  I rarely win anything, but I enjoy the creative process and linking my cards anyway.  However, this week I realy got lucky.  My name was randomly drawn at Papertrey Ink for a $75 gift certificate, and I was over the moon excited.  It didn't take me but a minute to spend the money because their stuff is AMAZING!  So, while I don't win often, I sure am grateful when I do.  I can hardly wait to get my new goodies.
I had some time today to create a couple of cards.  Both of these were, in one way or another, "lifted" from Melissa Phillips; whose work I love.  I always try to put my own spin on it when I recreate other artists' work, and I'm happy with how they turned out.
This first one was created using Crate Paper Oh Darling, and the second card was created using Crate Paper Market Place items among other bits and bobbits I had on hand; but both are primarly Crate Paper creations.  I want to play along in a few challenges, so these cards will allow me to do just that.  The first card uses Bubble Gum Baker's Twine from Really Reasonable Ribbon, and the second card uses their Teal Baker's Twine.  I love how baker's twine can add such a lovely touch to any card or project.

Here's where I'm linking up:


Sketch Saturday - Week #412 - The oval on my card is a little bit burried with all the other goodies layered on top, but the second card is the one I created following this week's sketch.

I can't thank you enough for stopping by to say hello and take a peek at my cards.  I love reading your comments, and look forward to visiting your blog to see what you've created this week.

Blessings,
Karen

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Gracielle Design Blog Hop - Part 2

Are you ready for some more serious FUN and inspiration?  Well, I'm joining my friends at Gracielle Design for Part 2 of their exciting Blog Hop and GIVEAWAY to showcase Gracie's fabulous new digital stamp release.  The Hop started on Gracie's Blog in case you need to get started; but if you're already hopping along, you most likely arrived here from Joyce Erb's sweet blog.  You'll be seeing things on this blog hop that will completely blow your mind regarding digital images.  Did you know that you can emboss digital images?  Yup!  I learned this great trick from Gracie, and let me tell you.....her stamps look FABULOUS embossed.  She has the sweetest new vintage whimsical images, and I had SO much fun playing with them.  Aren't they super sweet?  She's got LOTS of other great images and sentiments, too.  You can see all of the sets in this release on Gracie's Blog.
 We are SUPER excited to share a SPECIAL SALE with you all that will be effective today through the end of May.  You will be able to purchase any three images for just $8.50, and that includes this sweet new release as well as any other of the fabulous images available at Gracielle Design.  And don't forget that ALL of Gracielle Designs' fabulous images are ready for download now at Gracielle Design Etsy Shop.
Just as a reminder, I have shared (below) a picture of the cover of my little album to remind you of my theme and to show you how beautiful these images are.  I had so much fun coloring the images with my Copics and gellatos.
So, continuing on with the same vintage feel, I created the next two pages of this sweet mini album and left some room for adding photographs.  I used another image (the fan) from the On Your Special Day collection.  Once again, I colored in the image using my Copics and gellatos, and added some sweet little vintage embellishments to complete the look.  Gracie's images are absolutely adorable, priced great, fun to use, and original.  You will really LOVE the gorgeous images and the beautiful sentiments to match.
I also added som pretty paper flowers and lots of sweet ephemera to match this wonderfully whimsical project.  I really mean it when I saw that Gracielle Design has super sweet images that will beautifully enhance your projects.  You won't want to miss out on this opportunity to see all the beautiful designs and take advantage of this great sale.
Before I run off, here are the names of the winners who were randomly drawn from the names of those who left comments on Part 1 of the Blog Hop.  These lucky people need to contact Gracie to claim their fabulous prize!

Winner #1Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards

Winner #2Gail

Winner #3K Ritter

Now, I hope you will stop by Autumn's Blog to see what else she has created for you all.  Thanks so much for joinig us, and have a great week!

I'm linking my project here:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - FLOWERS

Karen

Friday, May 13, 2016

Blog Hop Time at Really Reasonable Ribbon

It's that wonderful time of the month again when I join my creative friends at Really Reasonable Ribbon for our FUN Blog Hop.  This month's Ribbon Club Assortment has a patriotic feel to it with lots of great red, white and navy blue colors.   You can sign up for the Ribbon Club Assortment so that you will receive a gorgeous package of ribbons each month to help you stay prepared for every seasonal occasion.  Here's a peek at this month's assortment:
You should have arrived here from the blog of my talented "Ribbonista" friend, Nancy Hill.  But if you need to get started, you can head over to the RRR Blog.   I always enjoy sharing a hair bow on the blog hop because I am able to easily implement all the ribbons from the monthly assortment into my bows.  This bow includes lengths of each one, including the super sweet 5/8" Plaid Ribbon in Red (recently restocked), 3/8" Diamond Satin Electric Blue Ribbon, 3/8" Random Patriotic Stars on White Grosgrain, 5/8" Satin Doubled-Faced Poppy Red Ribbon, 3/8" American Flag Print on Satin, 5/8" Electic Blue Double-Faced Satin, 3/8" Patriotic Chevron Grosgrain Ribbon, 3/8" Checkerboard Satin Red, 5/8" Plaid Royal Blue Ribbon.
Also, don't forget about the FUN CHALLENGE taking place now on the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog.  We always enjoy having you play along with us, and Really Reasonable Ribbon has so many great ribbons and trims to help you get started on your project.

Your next stop on this Blog Hop is at my friend, Kathy's Blog, and I know you will LOVE her amazing project using this month's Ribbon Club Assortment.  Thanks for hopping along with us, and have a great week.

Karen

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Hello from Really Reasonable Ribbon

Hello, everyone!  Today I'm sharing a super sweet card I created using LOTS of great products from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  No matter what I'm creating, Really Reasonable Ribbon always helps me make my cards "over-the-top" beautiful by adding some of their lovely ribbons and flowers; and that's exactly what I did with this card.  Once I had my patterned papers, stickers, and other goodies in place, I knew that it simply wasn't complete without a fabulous bow.
My card was created using LOTS of Crate Paper products (primarily from their Craft Market line).  This is includes the patterned paper, ephemera (gold and transparency pieces), stickers and wooden embroidery hoop.  I machine stitched my patterned paper, added an antique ivory doily, and some vintage scotch tape.  The sentiment (hello) is a die-cut called Hip Hello from Poppy Stamps.  Everything else is from Really Reasonable Ribbon.
I used Really Reasonable Ribbons lovely Seam Binding in my bow - first by adding a bigger sized bow using the Cream Seam Binding, and then the Black Seam Binding.  My bow also includes a length of Black Micro Gingham Ribbon (always a classic favorite and so versatile), as well as lengths of Ivory Burlap String, Black Burlap String and Gold Metallic String.
You will also see that I tucked in some of Really Reasonable Ribbon's sweet Mulberry Flowers.  I used a Wild Orchid Crafts Deep Ivory Open End Rose 10mm as well as an adorable Wild Orchid Crafts Sweetheart Blossom in White (although it looks rather cream next to all the other cream items).  Really Reasonable Ribbon carries SO MANY fabulous Mulberry Flowers that you're sure to find some that are PERFECT for your next project.
Not only is Really Reasonable Ribbon FILLED with the most wonderful ribbons, laces, trims, ric-rac, flowers, leaves, and SO much more.....but they also have a SUPER FUN CHALLENGE taking place now on the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog, and we would LOVE to have you play along with us.  You can find our CHALLENGE here, and you simply follow the theme (including ribbon or trim of some sort), and you can play along with us.  We really enjoy seeing your wonderful creativity, and Really Reasonable Ribbon wants to help YOU make something wonderful.  Just stop by the store and treat yourself to some fabulous new products, and then come play along!
I whipped up a second card, and I used some of the same patterned paper as in the first card.  But to this card, I added a smaller polka dot on half of the card, ran a bunting banner across the card to separate the two patterned papers, and added a length of both Cotton Candy Baker's Twine and Black Licorice Baker's Twine.  I also added Baker's Twine bows on the ends of the bunting banner, and some pearl accent stickers.
Thanks for visiting today. I'm always SO super grateful for your visits, and your comments mean the world to me.  I can't thank you enough for taking the time to stop by.  Have a blessed week, and please come see me again soon.

I'm sharing my second card in this challenge:
Cupcake Inspirations - Challenge #359 - Bunting - This bunting is a sticker.  And sadly, this is my third and final entry into this super fun challenge.

Blessings to you all,
Karen

Monday, May 9, 2016

What Is a Bunting?

To be very honest with you, I'm a little bit confused about the word "bunting".  I had always thought of a bunting as a bird from the cardinal family (or something of that nature).  So, when I saw the challenge this week over at Cupcake Inspirations, I had to scratch my head.  It was time to educate myself since, obviously, I was missing something.  Well, I found this definition and I now consider myself better informed on the matter.  Here is what I found:

2. patriotic and festive decorations made from such cloth, or from paper, usually in the form of draperies, wide streamers, etc., in the colors of the national flag. 3. flags, especially a vessel's flags, collectively.
With that new information, it totally made sense to me that a bunting is a decorative banner.  The "bunting" I used on this card is some chipboard from Crate Paper's fun Confetti line.  It was originally one long piece of chipboard, but I cut it in half to make it fit on my card.  The patterned paper is also from Crate Paper, to which I added a small white doily and I stamped a Happy Birthday sentiment on the doily using black ink.  Then, I placed a pink and ivory seam binding bow at the top right with some metallic gold string and a pearl accent sticker in its center.
I just LOVE the sweet pieces in these Crate Paper lines.  As some of you may remember, I scored BIG TIME at Tuesday Morning and got a whole bunch of the sweet embellishments for these lines at great prices, so I have A LOT of it to use up.  That's why you see me posting so many cards and projects using Crate Paper.  Isn't it cute?

Here's where I am sharing my Bunting Card:

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge Blog - Challenge #359 - Bunting - And now I truly know what a bunting is.  What a FUN challenge!

DRS Designs - Challenge #225 - Distress It - I love inking my cards to give them a distressed look, and it makes them look vintage (which I also love).  I used a stamp for my sentiment.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Karen


Sunday, May 8, 2016

.....a little birdie told me

This doesn't happen very often, but.....I actually did have "a little birdie" who told me about a birthday that has long been kept a secret.  My sister-in-law is Russian, and she has never made a big deal about her birthday.  It's just who she is - nothing wrong with not wanting to draw attention to yourself.  But....her daughter, my precious niece Alexa, told me that Mama was about to turn 40.  So, I decided to make her a sweet little card and tell her that "a little birdie told me" it was her birthday.  Alexa was excited, and wanted to celebrate Mama's 40th with her.  My sister-in-law was actually very touched by my gesture.
I used all October Afternoon products on this card.  I started with cardstock in ivory and in a darker blue.  To that, I added October Afternoon patterned papers, ephemera, a blue bird journalling card, and a seam binding bow with an adorable matching blue bird flair/pin in the center of the bow.  The word happy is OA ephemera, and the word birthday is from a stamped sentiment.  I love the combinatio of blue and yellow, and I had lots of great October Afternoon patterned papers from which to choose when I picked my supplies.
I'm sharing my little blue bird card in these fun challenges:

Little Scrap Pieces - Show it Off Saturday Linky Party

Pile It On Challenge Blog - Challenge #107 - Garden Creatures - I don't know about you, but there are ALWAYS birds in my garden.  Some birds like to gather nectar from my flowers, some birds want to eat the seeds I plant or nibble on the greens, and others just came there to use my antique bird bath.  They are all welcome!

The Ribbon Girl Challenge Blog - May Card Challenge - Anything Goes with Ribbon.  Well, you all know me - I can't create anything without ribbon!  LOL

Thank you so very much for stopping by to visit me today.  I'm always grateful for your visits, your kind and encouraging words, and for all the amazing friendships I've made through blogging.  You're all awesome!

Karen

Friday, May 6, 2016

......sew adorable

Every now and then as I'm surfing through some of my favorite blogs, I see a card that inspires me to pull out an old line and create something with it.  Such was the case when I saw a card by Melissa Phillips on Emma's Paper Blog, and I completely changed just about everything in it.  Yet, it completely inspired me.  I didn't need to make this card, and don't quite know why I did to be perfectly honest.  It will still in my stash until it's needed or sold.  Nonetheless, I haed a good time making it.
I used some old Simple Stories patterned papers, a Kaiser Craft woden dress form, ephemera from JilliBean Soup (sold ticket), a stamped sentiment on inked cream cardstock using a banner die-cut, two October Afternoon journalling cards, seam binding, and a button in the center.  I also tied some ribbon around the bodice of the dress form, and attached a small pink flower to its side.
I'm sharing my card here:

Die Cuttin' Divas Challenge Blog - Challenge #264 - May Sketch Challenge - I used the various tags and journalling cards to follow the sketch when setting up the layout of my card.  My sentiment is stamped on a die-cut banner that I cut from cream cardstock.

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Have a great week, and happy crafting!

Karen




Thursday, May 5, 2016

....stencil it

When I saw that this week's challenge at Simon Says Stamp was "Stencil It", I knew two things:  1.  I wanted to play along, and 2) I don't own any stencils.  So, needless to say, this will be my one and only entry into this challenge (unless I find a stencil or get really creative).  You might be asking how I created a stencil card without any stencils.  Good question!  I took a piece of cardboard and used several different sizes of circle punches to create my own stencil.  Once I had cut several different sized circles (holes) into the cardboard, I laid it over a piece of vintage sheet music and used pink acrylic paint to cover each hole in my make-shift stencil.  Once I had completed that process, I sprinkled a few of the wet pink paint circles with some ultra-fine glitter to give my card a little bit of sparkle.
Next, I took two chipboard hearts from my stash and covered them with Mod Podge and several scrap pieces of lace to cover them.  I trimmed the exceess lace overlap to create two different sized lace hearts.  I attached a few vintage buttons to each heart, and placed them onto my card base.  Next, I had to add a sentiment, so I stamped happy anniversary in black ink onto a strip of cream paper and attached that to the card.
I also inked the edges of my sentiment strip with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Hickory Smoke to give it an aged appearance.  Anything shabby and grungy is always a fun accent in my opinion.  Tea-staining is another fun vintage accent, but I didn't try that technique on this card.
Here is where I'm sharing this (make-shift) Stencil Card, and I encourage you all the give it a try even (if like me) you don't own any stencils.  I love the vintage feel to this card and I always enjoy using vintage items on my cards and creations.  The pink paint looks really cute on the vintage sheet music.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Stencil It

DRS Designs Rubber Stamps Challenge Blog - Challenge #225 - So Distressed - I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink so distress my card and make it grungy.

Have a great week, everyone.  Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today to take a quick peek at my stencil attempt.  It may not be perfect, but at least I didn't let the fact that I don't own a stencil stop my from entering this challenge at least once.  It was fun, and I enjoyed myself.  That's what it's really all about.

Karen