Smile birthday card

A cute card for CUTE CARD THURSDAY hearts challenge.

Materials:

Heidi Swapp "Smile" stamp
Penny Black stamps
- cat - Bubbly clear set
- it's your birthday - Salutations clear set
black glitter
heart gems

Whiff of Joy Guest -Design-Team Call!

Whiff of Joy stamps are having a call for a new guest design team member and I'm adding my two cents to all the great applicants out there. I ADORE these stamps! Pick me! Pretty please!

P.S. Sorry about the blurry photo.

Materials:
"Melinda helping Angel" Whiff of Joy stamp
"Thinking of You" foam stamp
SU spritzer
Whispers markers
October Afternoon paper
green cardstock
SU dots stamp (from 'Delight in Life' set)
gems (blue ones colored with Sharpie marker)

Check out the Whiff of Joy Advent Calendar over at http://katharina1704.blogspot.com/ They're giving away prizes!

AFK

AFK means "away from keyboard" if you've never heard that before. I've been playing the new Tomb Raider game! My husband surprised me with it the day it came out. He had reserved a copy for me!

So I've been having fun playing that instead of making cards. I'm nearly done with my first time through the game, so I'll get back to my craft desk soon.

P.S. On the level with the tigers I used a tranquilizer gun. :)

What happened the year you were born?

In 1986 (the year you were born)

Ronald Reagan is president of the US The US officially observes Martin Luther King Day as a national holiday for the first time The space shuttle Challenger explodes moments after lift off, killing 6 astronauts and a teacher A major nuclear disaster occurs at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union Japanese video game maker Nintendo introduces its games to America US warplanes bomb Libyan headquarters in retaliation for terrorist attacks The Soviet Union launches the Mir space station IBM unveils the PC Convertible, the first laptop computer Charlotte Church, The Olsen twins, and Lindsay Lohan are born New York Mets win the World Series Chicago Bears win Superbowl XX Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup Top Gun is the top grossing film "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne & Friends spends the most time at the top of the US charts ALF, the Oprah Winfrey Show, and Pee-wee's Playhouse premiere

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

Happy 30th!

I love the colors on this card. Those micro beads really dress up chipboard so well. I hope she'll like it.

Materials:
American Craft Thickers (Black Tie - they're fuzzy!)
Chipboard 30 (I'm not sure yet, Scenic Route, maybe?)
micro beads
Anita's 3D Clear gloss finish (for liquid embossing)
May Arts ribbon
blue textured foil paper
ChatterBox patterned paper
black cardstock

Animals birthday card

I used this sketch from stampchallenges.blogspot.com to make this card. It was very easy to use. Don't the chalks give these images the perfect look? I love it!

Materials:
Stampin' Up 'Wildlife Reserve' stamps
Creative Cafe alphabet stamps
FancyPants paper (light green)
cardstock (brown, dark brown, and cream)
Pebbles Inc chalks
Whisper brown marker
brown brads

Quick card

Q is for... Quick card challenge over at abc-challenge.blogspot.com.
Making a card under 20 minutes is really hard.

Materials:
Penny Black candles (from 'Salutations' set)
See-D's alphabet stamps
Creative Cafe alphabet 'I' stamp (for the dashes)
gems

I'm an Orange!

You Are an Orange

You have a zest for life, especially for anything colorful, wild, or dramatic. You have a unique take on the world, and you're not afraid to be a little funky. You are a bit reserved toward people who don't know you well. (Very true.) You have a thick skin, which can protect you from anything that goes wrong in your life. (Definitely not true; I'm too sensitive.) Once someone does get to know you, they totally get and appreciate you. Your friends see you as a bright person with a refreshing take on life. (I hope so.)

What Type of Fruit Are You?

Birdy Birthday card

I made this card for my friend Stefanie. She's only 7, so it also works with Spoon Full of Sugar's challenge to make a card for a child. I don't really make cards any different for kids, but I do like to think of the person who will be receiving it when I make one.

Materials:
Inkadinkado Stamp
Quickutz alphabets (Paige mini and Bright)
October Afternoon paper (dots)
Crate paper (red)
Sakura pens
Whisper markers

Simple thank you card

I made this card for the challenge over at Stamp Something. The challenge was to only use one layer of cardstock. Boy, that is difficult. To me this card doesn't look quite finished. If I had a silk or paper flower in the right color, I would have added one on the bottom right. Or something like that. Or maybe I should have added a third color.

Materials:
Inkadinkado 'Birds Galore' stamp
Penny Black 'Salutations' stamp
Hero Arts (the four flowers around the thank you's)
lilac cardstock
blue ink
blue ribbon

So exciting...

Craft Stamper magazine has a new blog and they mentioned me! Check it out: here. I am so THRILLED!

I used their strawberry stamp on this card:

Happy Birthday, Lou!

Happy Birthday, Lou! I love you! Have a great day!

Ok. I made a card, but haven't mailed it. (The post office is my nemesis. I hate going there.)


Materials:
Penny Black stamp
Stampin' Up celebrate stamp
FancyPants paper
Crate Paper
fuzzy white Dovecraft ribbon
black May Arts ribbon
Whisper markers
brown color pencil

I live in England...

"So what are you doing over here?"
When I first moved to England, I got asked this question a lot. Mostly from strangers. I think it's funny how people can ask me such a personal question just because I have an American accent. I don't mind, I'm a naturally curious person myself.

I tell them in the simplest way that I married an Englishman. I'm not very good at reading people, but I think a small portion that ask are surprised that I'm married at all; I think that to them it would make more sense if I were studying at the University. That's because I'm young (22) and to most people I actually look younger than I am.

"Do you like England?"
This is a funny question. Do you know how you would answer if you were asked if you liked where you lived? I always answer that I think England is normal. I mean life for me is work, eat, sleep, etc. Everyday life in England is only slightly different than in America. At least it is for me.

The biggest differences for me: snack food and sweets, and I don't drive over here. I really miss crackers, but I don't really miss driving.

"How did you meet your husband?"
Whenever I answer this one, I grin like crazy.

My husband was studying International Business at University and got the opportunity to study for a semester in Moorhead, Minnesota just across the river/state border where I was living/studying in Fargo, North Dakota (my hometown). The two cities are squished right together with only the river seperating them.

NaBloPoMo

November is NaBloPoMo (which means National Blog Posting Month). I'm not going to be able to post everyday (my life is a little too slow for that), but I will make a huge effort to make lots more posts this month. And hopefully, I'll get into the habit.

I'm going to start today, by going over the basics:

I'm 22 year-old American, married to a great English guy.

My favorite color is orange (blue is 2nd). I have a weird dislike for pink; it's just not for me. I'm trying to overcome it little by little, but something all pink puts me off.

My favorite foods: pepperoni pizza, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and mashed potatoes. (But not all together; that would be weird.)

I love animals. I have two budgies (Jack-jack and Mater). I love them to bits.
Here's an old scrapbook layout showing them:

I'll do a post later all about my birds soon.

I love crafting. Scrapbooking, card-making, and cross-stitch are the main ones right now, but I love trying lots of different crafts. I dabble in drawing, watercolor painting, beading, and quilting, and probably some more I'm forgetting at the moment.

I also love baking. Cookies, brownies, pies, tarts, and other desserts are my favorite things to make. I like trying new recipes all the time. Desserts are the most fun, but I try different meals, too, sometimes. Making the same things over and over again frustrates me.

That's all for now. I should write more about each of these topics soon. (and with photos, don't you think?)

If you have any interesting questions I could answer, I would be grateful.

Blue & Orange Whiff of Joy card

Close up of the image:

I love coloring this stamp. It is so much FUN! I made the card blue and orange for the challenge at artygirlzchallengeblog.blogspot.com. I left the card without a message, because the image is so versatile it could be several things; a thank you or a thinking of you card are my first impression.

Materials:
Whiff of Joy stamp: Melinda Helping Angel
Whisper markers
Chatterbox orange patterned paper
Penny Black flower stamp (from Salutations set)
silver glitter
blue inkpad
ribbon

Halloween cards are TRICKY! :)

Halloween cards are not easy. I have one halloween set, so that doesn't help. Does anyone else have this Inque Boutique set? It's great; I got it for the star border really. I made this one for the Halloween challenge at A spoonfull of sugar challenge.

One tip: I used my SU scallop punch to take a notch out of the corners.

Materials:
Inque Boutique stamps - Happy Halloween set
Happy Halloween foam stamp
Stampin' Up scallop punch
Whispers markers

Nature Thank you card

I made this simple card for the Nature challenge over at abc-challenge.blogspot.com. If anyone has used this stamp, or seen it used, I would love to see what others have done with it. I struggle with the size and shape of it.

Materials:
Stampin' Up - A little bit of happiness
Stampin' Up buttons
Prima flowers
Whisper markers

My first Whiff of Joy!!!

This is my very FIRST Whiff of Joy stamp. I am so thrilled. I have been drooling over these stamps ever since before they came out. I was so lucky to win one off of Katharina's blog last week. I used her sketch to make this card for Stamp Something's challenge.

Whiff of Joy stamp: Melinda Helping Angel
Patterned paper: FancyPants (purple) and Basic Grey
Bazzil Cardstock
Making memories ribbon
Prima flowers
papermania eyelets
Whispers markers and aqua-pen

Sketch by Katharina:

Blue butterfly card - baby wipe technique

I used the baby wipe swipe technique to make this card. If you don't know what I mean, I found a youtube video that shows this technique. I don't have any re-inkers, so I just colored the baby wipes with my whisper markers.

I liked adding more and more 'waves' to this card. Ric-rac, decorative scissors, and a wavy stencil with a marker. This was a very quick card; very little thinking involved. :)

Materials:
Stampin' Up stamp
clear embossing powders
white and blue paper
blue card blank
decorative scissors
ric-rac
PaperCraft Inspirations magazine stencil
Sharpie markers

Rach is giving away a blog candy.

over at: http://papercraftsbyrach.blogspot.com/

Isn't it just scrumptious???

And if you've never visited her site before, check out her amazing cards.

Whiff of Joy blog candy at Le blog de Scrapmumur

I can't speak French, but the cards over at Le blog de Scrapmumur are gorgeous. At the moment, she's got a lovely blog candy: check it out!

<----

Penny Black Suspension card

Here's another creation I made for World Card Making Day and the challenges over at In Love With Stamping (a UK stamping community). Their challenge was to make a card that moves; I chose to make a suspension card, because the middle part can spin. (And because I only know a few techniques to make a card move.)

I've never made a suspension card before this, so I'm happy about how quickly I was able to put it together. I usually have to mess up a few times with new techniques. Even cutting out the green paper with the decorative scissors, I did it in one go. I did have to color the mouse twice, but that was a quick mistake to fix.


It says 'Thinking of you' on the opposite side.

Materials:
Penny Black 'Bubbly' and 'Salutations' sets
Fiskars circle cutter
SU scallop circle punch
decorative scissors
hole punch (crop-o-dile)
Basic grey patterned paper
coloured pencils
Whispers marker (for the bowl)
Sakura yellow glitter gel pen
embroidery thread
ribbon

Burgundy Birds Card and matching Box

I had a busy World Card Making Day (last Saturday). The first things I made using my new Cuttlebug folder (Birds and Swirls).

I have a Quickutz Revolution so it's not designed to be compatible with other companies; I used thin bits of plastic instead of the embossing mat (which is too thick) and had to run it through the machine twice, embossing the top first and then the bottom the second time through. (If I had the new 12" platform, I would only need to run it through once.) It's no problem, however; it just takes 2 minutes instead of 1 to emboss.

So here's what I made:

1- I embossed cream paper with the Cuttlebug folder and then I used the Brilliance inkpad and a sponge to highlight the embossed parts.
2- I used a black pen for adding shadows and white uniball Signo pen for highlights. Then I rounded the corners and matted the paper.
3- I stitched the left and right sides with burgundy coloured embroidery thread. Then I glued the papers down and added a bow (which is easier to say than do).
4- For the message, I used SU scallop punch once with black and twice with the burgundy paper. Then I added rub-on letters and drew a small swirl and dots.

I used the same techniques to make this mini box out of a card blank.

The box holds ribbons and buttons for my friend.

Materials:
Black, cream, and burgundy papers
Pink card blank
Cuttlebug embossing folder 'Birds and Swirls'
Brilliance Inkpad 'Crimson Copper'
Black pen
White pen (uniball Signo)
corner rounder
embroidery thread
black ribbon (sheer)
SU scallop circle punch
Doodlebug rub-ons
Foam dots

More projects coming soon.

Another blog candy find.

Lim has got a great blog candy over at her blog: lim-thevoicesinmyheadlimblog.blogspot.com
She's also looking for help to store her stamps. I've shared with her my current method and there have been plenty of other good ideas in her comments section.

Happy World Card-Making Day!

I didn't even know until I opened a crafty email this morning. Luckily, I am SO ready to make some cards today. I went to The Paper Mill shop yesterday. Look at all the goodies I got (and it was under £20)! *I got the sharpies at another shop for 99p.

You can't tell, but three out of the four ribbons that I bought are FUZZY! I got 5 yards on each roll, so I couldn't fit it all on one of my embroidery thread spools. So I did two yards on each and set aside a yard (in the baggies) to give to my friend.

I'm sorry you can't see the cuttlebug embossing folder pattern. It's called 'Birds and Swirls' and it is so pretty, and perfect for me (I've got two budgies, so I love anything with birds). I'll be making something with it really soon.

It's also my very first embossing folder. I have a Quickutz Revolution, so I wasn't sure it would be compatible. It doesn't work with the embossing mat, but I've gotten around that little detail. I'm planning to do a video showing how I made it work for me.

Leave me a message if you make anything for World Card Making Day! I'll make sure to comment. :)

Butterfly house mini album

This is pretty much the second mini-album I've ever made. I've learned a few things I wish I knew before I started.

1. Cutting and sanding around the scallops took ages, but the finished product is totally worth it, because scallops and sanded edges look so pretty.
   
2. Smaller photos are easier to scrapbook (I cut these ones down from 4x6).
3. Stamps and inking are great - looks cool, but doesn't make the book un-closeable. (I know that's not a word, but you know what I mean.)
4. It takes me twice as long to make a mini album as I thought it would.
   
5. Finding room for a lot of journaling was the hardest, until I added the journaling pages.
   

This butterfly was very active. It flitted in our faces several times. It was also bigger than most of the other butterflies that we saw. And so pretty.


"All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream. -Edgar Allan Poe"
It was so much fun watching this butterfly flying around this flower. I tried to catch it in action but it moved to fast for me.

Our trip to the Southsea Natural History museum was on a lovely warm summer Saturday. It was extra warm in the butterfly room to keep them nice and cozy.

This one was resting on the underside of a potted plant.

This butterfly is the same as the one from the previous page. It decided to move location when I was photographing it.

This was my first trip to the butterfly house but it shouldn't be the last. Ian and I had a lovely day going around Southsea on Sat. July 26th.
"It is never too late to be what you might have been. -George Eliot"

Materials:
Magistical Memories chipboard album

Papers:
Black, white pp -> pinkpaislee (vintage moon collection)
orange stripe -> Fiskars Kimberly Poloson
orange bazzil

Stamps:
diamonds, butterfly and dotted lines -> Penny Black 'Salutations' clear set
Arrow -> hero arts letter S set

brown, black, and white inks
clear embossing powder
Basic grey chipboard alpha
various ribbons and rub-ons