A Masculine Touch

Wow, it's been a whole week since I posted!

I had good intentions except a whopper of a cold caught me on Monday.  By Wednesday, I had no energy.  Instead of creating, I slept or rested every night.  I'm still hacking off and on but feel much better.

I want to wish Artistic Outpost a Happy Anniversary!  They're celebrating their 3rd year of business this month!  WTG!  They also released a new stamp collection, Oz Collage.  Check out their blog post or website for more details.

Today, I posted this card on the Artistic Outpost blog:

I needed a card for my DH this week so I put this together very quickly after work on his day!  With me being sick, he didn't get much attention.  I managed to make him a cake and this card. 

Card details......

I stamped the barn image from Artistic Outpost's Country Life using StazOn Midnight Blue on white card stock.  I added just a touch of color to the sky with Distress Stormy Sky and Brushed Corduroy to the silo and ground. 

I cut and embossed the frame using Spellbinders Labels One #5 for the outer edge and Labels Sixteen #4 for the inner edge.

To create the textured paper that I used for the frame, I started by crumpling a piece of Kraft paper ( the kind paper bags are made out of ) several times to give it lots of wrinkles.  Then I ran it through my Xyron to add adhesive.  I stuck it to a piece of card stock.  I used Kraft color but it could be anything as it doesn't show.

This photo shows the Kraft paper after running it through my Xyron.....lots of wrinkles.  Some of the wrinkles do flatten when cutting and embossing the Spellbinders die templates yet the texture remains.

I cut the frame from the wrinkly paper and added touches of Stormy Sky and Brushed Corduroy for color.  The ink helps accent the texture.
The barn image in adhered to the back of the frame, then both are raised with foam squares to mount on the card front.

To cut my card, I used Spellbinders Grand Calibur, the new die cutting machine, and Grand Labels One #3.  If you haven't seen these, check them out!  The Grand Calibur can accommodate 8 1/2" x 11" paper.  It's very easy to use and cuts super well!  The largest Grand Labels One cuts 6 3/4" wide!  Imagine that for scrapbooking!  And for cutting card shapes!!!

For my card, I cut a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of Kraft card stock and folded it in half...typical A2 card.  Then I positioned the Grand Labels One over the card so a curved edge was along the open side.  I used small pieces of tape to keep it in place when I ran it through the Grand Calibur.  To get texture on the card front, I embossed it with the die template in place and a piece of metal window screen placed over the card and die template. Tip: move any tape holding the Spellbinders die template to the back of the card. It will emboss! I learned this the hard way! I had to use a little more Distress ink in those spots!  To highlight the texture and add color, I rubbed Brushed Corduroy and a touch Stormy Sky over the card front. 

To finish the card, I added a piece of seam binding with "happy birthday" stamped across it with StazOn Midnight Blue using JustRite's new alphabet called Myriad Pro, 50 pt.  I tied a button to each end with some string tinted with Midnight Blue ink.  A tiny foam dot holds each button in place to stretch the greeting across the card.

This card could easily be created with a different color scheme and a different image. Coordinating cards and frames could be cut and set aside, just waiting for that last minute card!  Add a quick stamped image and the greeting....even the message could be stamped ahead! 

I hope I've brought a touch of inspiration to your day! 

Thanks for stopping!

smiles...

judy

A Halloween Card

I have a quick Halloween card to share today.....

....created with stamps from Artistic Outpost's

Haunted Halloween and Vintage Halloween.

First, I stamped the house with Memento London Fog on white cardstock.  I added the tree and fence with Memento Tuxedo Black.  The bats were also stamped with Tuxedo Black ink stamped off once.  I trimmed close to the house image edges and the bottom of the fence, then placed it on a black mat.  I fastened it to piece of orange Bazzill for my card front. 

I stamped the pumkins on a scrap of white card stock with Tuxedo Black.  I colored them with Copic markers (as shown in the photo) and cut them out.  They're popped up with a foam

 square.

I stamped just "Happy" (Haunted Halloween set) with Versafine Black Onyx and heat embossed it with clear EP.  "Halloween" (Vintage Halloween set) was stamped with the same ink and clear embossed also.

I fastened it to the front of a 3 1/2" x 6" white card.

Quick and fun to make!

Thanks for stopping!
Have a great day!

JustRite 12 Weeks of Christmas Blog Hop 7

Today, I'm joining the JustRite Design Team for their Wednesday feature,

12 Weeks of Christmas Blog Hops 7!  

Every Wednesday up until Thanksgiving JustRite is sponsoring a series of Christmas blog hops, showcasing JustRite’s entire Christmas Collection of stamps!  The JustRite Design Team may also showcase some of their new line of CLING stamps!  See them HERE.  This week, many of the Spellbinders Design Team are joining this 12 Weeks of Christmas Blog Hop 7!  Mark your calendar to join JustRite for the remaining 5 Wednesdays at 9am Central for great Christmas gift, card and project ideas, starting at the JustRite Inspiration blog!

Now for my project!

I created this card....

..... using one of the Groovy Snowmen JB-10000 and a verse from Christmas Nested Sentiments and Verse JB-09255. 

Groovy Snowmen has 4 adorable snowmen and 4 frames....all so cute!

Christmas Nested Sentiments and Verse includes an assortment of 8 verses in different sizes.  The script and messages are beautiful!

Here's my card details......

I stamped the snowman on Classic Crest Solar White paper using Ranger Denim ink.  I stamped the frame separately. I colored both with Copic markers shown in the photo.  I added touches of Crystal glitter to the snowflake, star and frame using a glue pen.

I used Spellbinders Standard Circles LG (#4,6) and SM (#4,7) to cut the snowman, frame and mat circles.  I cut the red mat with my craft knife following around the edge of Standard Circles SM #7. The aqua mat under the snowman is Bazzil Bling paper.  It adds a nice shimmer.

I used Snowflake Impressabilities on the upper 2/3s of the Heather paper by 3M. I wanted the lower portion to remain smooth for my verse.  I stamped the it using Memento Lady Bug ink and heat embossed it quickly with clear EP. 

The little snowflake was created using a snowflake from each of these Spellbinders sets:  Snowflake Wonder, Create A Flake 1, Create A Flake 2.  I colored the bottom and top flakes with Copic markers to coordinate with my snowman colors. I added touches of glue with a glue pen and added Crystal glitter.

I added a narrow red mat and mounted it on a 4 1/2" x 6 1/4" white card.  There's a tiny holographic cord between the snowflake and the snowman frame.  Hard to see in my photo!   I added a sheer ribbon with holographic stripes.  I also added dots of glitter around the verse and over the embossed snowflakes.  There are rings of glitter around the mats, too, all done with a glue pen and Crystal glitter.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today!
I'm so happy you stopped!  I hope I've inspired you! 
My apologies to anyone who stopped earlier and didn't find my post.  It didn't load when it was supposed to. Can't blame it on blogger, it was my error!


 Now, be sure to visit these designers’ blogs to see what fabulous JustRite Christmas inspiration they have for you on the hop today!

JustRite Inspiration Blog
Spellbinders Blog
Debbie Olson
Kimberly Crawford
Sharon Harnist
Beth Pingry
Amy Crockett
Kellie Fortin
Latisha Yoast
Becca Feeken
Lucy Abrams
Sankari Wegman
AJ Otto
Beate Johns
Heidi Van Laar
Kazan Clark
Julie Overby
Peet Roeven
Michele Kovack
Judy Hayes you are here!
Kathy Racoosin
Stephanie Kraft
Terre Fry
Angela Barkhouse
Holly Simoni
Heidi Blankenship

Happy Creating!
 -judy

Flourishes Sneak Peak - A Gift for You

Today, I have a card to share that I created with  Flourishes' brand new set called, A Gift for You.   Flourishes is sneak peaking this new set today and some of the Spellbinders’ team is joining in on the fun!

This set was designed not only to coordinate with some of Flourishes best-selling Christmas stamp sets but with more than a handful of Spellbinders Template Dies! A Gift For You - drawn by the ever-so-talented Marcella Hawley - offers 8 different tag styles and 8 different mini sentiments to fit inside! To make sure your tags come out with a regal style and design, this set coordinates with Spellbinders Labels 14, Labels 15, Labels 16, as well as some of the new circular and square shaped designs like Lacey Circles and Squares, Eyelet Circles and Squares and Beaded Circles! The customizable options are endless.

Although this set is designed for tags, I chose to create a Christmas card. 

I first stamped the bow with greenery which includes a dotted border that works with Spellbinders S4-290 Labels Fourteen #4.  I used that die template to cut and emboss it after stamping.  I added the little bird and greenery at the bottom.  Isn't the detail amazing? 
I stamped the bird a second time to cut out and glue over top for a little dimension.  I used Copic markers to color all the images with some glitter on the ornaments added with Spica markers.

To add the gold edge, I ran a Versamark marker along the edge, then added gold EP and heat embossed it.  Merry Christmas was stamped and embossed, too, then cut with Spellbinders S4-112 Classic Ovals SM #2.  I added a gold border in the same way. 
I used S5-025 Labels Seventeen #4 for the red mat.  I added little gold metallic dots (Metallic Decor from Hero Arts) at each corner.  I distressed all the pieces with Antique Linen and a touch of Vintage Photo before assembly.
I added a green mat to a cream top fold card - 3 1/4" x 4 5/8".   The colored image is mounted with foam tape. I wrapped the ribbon around the inside of the card and gathered the ends on the front.  I wrapped 2 pieces of gold cord over the ribbon and adhered them in the center also.  The Merry Christmas oval is mounted with foam tape over the ribbon ends.  I added 2 more of the little metal dots at each end.


For more inspiration, be sure to check out what these Spellbinders' and Flourishes' designers created for this release!  You won't be disappointed!!

• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Danielle Kennedy
• Dawn Burnworth
• Julie Koerber
• Laura Fredrickson
• Leslie Miller
• Stacy Morgan
• Ashley Cannon Newell
• AJ Otto
• Bethy Pingry
• Deborah Young
• Gina Hanson
• Holly Simoni
• Margie Higuchi
• Julie Overby
• Kazan Clark
• Latisha Yoast
• Mona Pendleton

Would you like to win this set, A Gift for You?  Simply leave a comment on the Flourishes blog !  Flourishes will draw a winner and announce this coming Saturday in their Winner's Circle on their blog!

Have fun blog hopping today!

judy

Happy Columbus Day!

For me, it's a day off from work! Yeah!

My Mom and I are visiting my sister in Wisconsin. A mini vacation!
We've done a lot of visiting, some shopping (we all love to shop!) and lots of relaxing. Back to work tomorrow.

I'll have something new to show on the 14Th! Be sure to stop back then. Can't tell you more yet!

Have a great Columbus Day!

Judy

Fun Birthday Cards!

 I have 2 birthday cards to share today!  I put these together over the weekend for my grandsons who are celebrating their birthday this week.

Happy Birthday Josh and Logan!

I used a Spellbinders Grand LF-161 Labels One to cut the DP background for both cards.  If you haven't seen these Grand die templates, check them out on the Spellbinders website!  They're awesome!  I used the largest (#6) of the six die templates.

The robot is from an older Hero Arts clear set called Far Out Holiday.  I think it worked great for a birthday robot!  The greeting said "have a far out holiday".  I masked off "holiday" when I inked the stamp, then stamped just "have a far out".  From the Hero Arts Happy Greetings set, I stamped "birthday".  I added the exclamation point with a black marker.  DP is from Cosmo Cricket. 
I used Spellbinders Labels Eight for the robot and Labels Eleven for the yellow mat.  The darker DP mat is simply a rectangle with the corners rounded.
THe buttons and ribbon on both cards is from Fancy Pants.

For the Dino card, I chose stamps from Penny Black's Dino Party transparent set.  Such cute little characters for a boy!

I stamped them with Memento Black Tuxedo ad colored with Copic markers. The photo shows all the colors from both cards.

I cut around the dinos with Spellbinders Labels Seventeen.

The red mat behind is Labels Eleven. 

The greeting is from Hero Arts Happy Greetings set.  I freehand cut the shape and added a red mat.

Both cards are 4" X 7 1/8". I used a 1/2" corner rounder on the corners of each card base.

In this photo, you can see where I made the fold on the Grand Labels One.  I folded the shorter section to the back of the card.  The Labels One shown is the largest in the set.  The other sizes would work for smaller cards!

Look for the Grand Spellbinders to be in stores soon! 

I hope I've inspired you in some way today!  Have fun creating!

I'm so happy to be back in my creative mode!!! 

-judy

World Card Making Day

Morning All!

Happy World Card Making Day!

I hope you get a chance to make some cards today....or....at least browse some blogs to get inspired!  I'm happy that you stopped here!

I found some time to "play" the last 2 nights.  I started with Christmas Star by Penny Black and this is the card that I created.....

This flowercaptured my heart as soon as I saw it!  I love the uniqueness of it! 

I started by stamping it twice with Memento Tuxedo Black on white cardstock.  I colored it with the Copic markers shown. 

 

I cut out one complete flower and the top petals from the other flower.  These I glued over the matching petals for dimension.  I also cut out another center and popped it up with a Foam Square.

Then I stamped the script, Letter Background from Penny Black, with Memento Rich Cocoa ink on cream cardstock.  I aged it with Distress Antique Linen, Vintage Photo and a touch of Spun Sugar.  I added a brown frame cut with Spellbinders S4-301 Labels Sixteen #6 and S4-291 Labels Fifteen #4.  I embossed it with Floral and Stone Impressabilities.  With the Impressabilities still in place, I spritzed it with Copper Sheer Shimmer by Tsukineko. That led me to spritz the flower, too, with both Copper and Sparkle.  I layered a copper pearlesent mat with a salmon colored Bazzill paper spritzed it with Copper Shimmer, too.

The brown piece next to the card front was embossed with Floral & Stone Impressabilities also and spritzed with Copper Shimmer. 

I rubbed Spun Sugar and Vintage Photo along the edges of my cream card.

"Merry Christmas" (also Penny Black) was stamped with Rich Cocoa on cream cardstock and heat embossed with clear EP.  I used the longest tag from Spellbinders S4-081Tags Five to cut around it.  Then I rubbed on Spun Sugar and added Antique Linen and Vintage Photo along the edges.

 The "ribbon" is actually beige seam binding that I colored with Copic refills.  I used 2-3 drops of E07, 1 drop of R29 and many drops of 0 in a little plastic bag.  I added the seam binding and worked it around until the color was even.  A shot with my heat gun dried it quickly.

The last little detail are some pearls on the frame.  These are from AMuse, color Latte to which I added a touch of Copic R24.

I really enjoyed putting this card together!  I hope you've enjoyed it, too!

Happy Creating!

-judy