We All Need Hope

Welcome to the Studio!

It's been ages since I've been able to create and I'm excited to say that I've finally had the opportunity...and just in time for Link Up For Pink Challenge 16!  The scraproom kind of became a makeshift holding tank for two trailer loads of stuff in the last few weeks of "THE MOVE," which I'm happy to say in finally OVER!  After adding some shelving and lots of organizing, the scraproom is finally usable.  Mom still can't find everything.  I'll be starting on the drawer and basket labeling next;)

Our sponsor for this challenge is Sherri Baldy.  I just love, love, love her awesome images.  Here is my card using Image 707 from her shop.

I decided to paper piece this little cutie.  I wanted the denim look and I'm so not that talented with Copics.  I did the rest of her with watercolor pencils and a blending pen.  I followed an old sketch I found buried on my iPad from My Mind's Eye and it just so happens the pattern paper is MME as well.  The cardstock and the bracket label is Stampin Up.  "Denim Hope" is printed on watercolor paper. The denim paper and the burlap border is from The Paper Studio/Hobby Lobby.  {I finally went shopping at "The Lob" for the first time in months.  They have a ton of cool, new items...like burlap borders and flowers!}  The button and floss is from my stash.  The "Hope" stamp is from Justrite Stamps.  The frilly ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  The awareness ribbon punch is from EK Success.  The pink rose is Recollections/Michaels hit with a little of my own Sassy Shimmer Spritz in La Vie En Rose.  The itty, bitty rhinestones are from CTMH.

Now for the fun stuff...
Be sure to enter Challenge 16.  The rules are simple...make it pink!  There will be two winners and each will receive five digis...Woo Hoo!  If I won, I don't know how I'd possibly be able to pick out only five favorites.  The winners will have their work cut out for them.  I look forward to seeing all your beautiful creations!

In A Witchy Mood

Welcome to the Studio!

I know summer is just beginning, but I'm ready for fall.  It's my favorite season!  So much wonderful stuff is in the fall, pumpkin patches, leaves changing, that crisp, coolness in the air, my birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving...I could go on for hours.  I just totally love autumn.  So just to keep my fall yearnings in check, I decided to play along with Forever Night Challenges Freaking Friday #41 and make this witchy, delightfully wicked, halloween card.  The card is based on Sweet Sunday Sketch #161.  I've used that sketch twice already this week.  It's so versatile for these elongated stamps.  I'll be sharing my other card soon.  It's still in the works on my scrap desk;)

And I just love that wicked animal print flower.  I didn't have any seam binding to match - EEK!  So I had to make my own.  I started with ivory seam binding and added it to some water with a drop of black CTMH reinker.  It gave me kind of the gray I wanted, so then I spritzed it with Sassy Shimmer Spritz (my homemade version of Glimmer Mist) in silver.  It came out great, a little glitzy, a little blotchy, and perfectly shabby.  And check out my gossamer-winged bat on my tag.

And you can never forget the inside of your card...

Wanna make your own "Sassy Shimmer Spritz"?  It's easy.  Here's the easiest recipe:
Mist bottle (find those at Wal-mart in the travel size section)
Water
Pearl Acrylic Paint
Water-based stamp pad reinker

All you do is fill the mister bottle approximately 3/4 of the way with water.  Add a few drops of the pearl paint and shake to mix.  Then slowly add reinker until you get the color you want.  Keep in mind that it looks a lot darker in the bottle than it will when it's sprayed, so get some scrap paper out and spritz until you get the color you want.

Recipe #2:
Mist Bottle
Water
Perfect Pearls by Ranger (not Pearl-Ex)*
Water-based stamp pad reinker

I prefer to add the Perfect Pearls first, normally about a 1/4 tsp for a 2 or 3 oz. bottle.  I think add a little water and mix it around to stop the Perfect Pearls from becoming perfect clumps.  Then I begin adding reinker until I acheive the color I want.  I like the way the pearls look better than the paint, plus you can mix and match all kinds of different colors of pearls and reinkers.  If you'd like your spritz to have a more opaque or whitewash finish, just add a few drops of plain acrylic paint in white (for whitewash) or a coordinating shade.

*My reason for insisting on Perfect Pearls is because they have a binder already mixed in with the pearly stuff.  Pearl-Ex requires the extra step of adding a binding agent (gum of arabic, found in the paint section of your local craft store).  Just add about ten to fifteen drops from a pipette into your bottle with the Pearl-Ex and swirl around before adding other ingredients.

Supply List:
Cardstock:  CTMH, Grey Flannel;  Black textured, Recollections/Micheals
Pattern Paper:  Echo Park Apothecary Emporium 6x6
Inks:  CTMH Grey Wool, Sunset, & Black;  Versamark
Embossing Powder:  A La Mode, Detail Black by Hampton Art
Flower:  Prima
Seam Binding:  Really Reasonable Ribbon, dyed by me
Stamps:  CTMH Wicked and Mischief Workshop on the Go stamp set
Sketch:  Sweet Sunday #161
Challenges Entered:  Sweet Sunday #161 and Forever Night Challenges

Hope you enjoyed your visit.  Until next time, Scrap Sassy!

Wedded Bliss

Welcome to the Studio! I'm today's designer on the Card A Day Blog. I've got another wedding card idea for you today. My inspiration for this card was actually two-fold. First the color. I have to admit that it's not your traditional wedding colors, but they are soft and remind me of springtime. Here is the magazine cover that started the whole color scheme...

For some reason, the pinks and aquas just jumped out at me. My second bit of inspiration came from a sketch. I have to admit that I don't remember where I got the sketch. I probably happened upon it during one of my blog-reading marathons. I start out looking at one blog and before you know it, I've clicked on 25 different links and I'm not even on a scrapbooking blog anymore. Here is the sketch I used...

Mix the two together and this is what you get...

To make this card, I used a 5x7 card blank. I cut a piece of DCWV silver cardstock for a mat for my two colors. I just kind of eyeballed it, the same with the Stampin Up patterned paper. I used Sassy Shimmer Spritz (my own mixture) in Marshmallow on the doily to give a bit of shimmery softness. (Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist works great too!) I used white seam binding for my ribbon and bow. I know you're thinking, "how in heck did you tie a triple bow?" With a peg bow maker, of course. I had my dad make a few while he was visiting (and bored) over the Christmas holidays. I got the idea/plans from Becca Feeken's blog, Amazing Paper Grace. She's selling them now if you don't want to make your own. They are a bow-tying life saver and she has many tutorials as well on how to use it and make all sorts of different bows. My felt flower is from May Arts. I picked them up on the way to the Camp Sumatanga Scrapbooking Retreat a few weeks ago. We stopped to shop at the Scrapbook Princess in Moody, AL. If you live in central Alabama, stop by and say hi. She has some great products!

For the sentiment, I used the SU Teeny, Tiny Wishes set (For the Newlyweds) and the SU punches Modern Label and Decorative Label. I added some mini pearls to the sentiment punch. I've been having fun experimenting with stickpins and hatpins. I made this one just for this card. I always like to add a little extra sparkle!

I hope you enjoyed your visit. Until next time, Scrap Sassy!

Cupid Incoming!!!

Welcome to the Studio!
If you’re visiting from the Card A Day Blog, thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you come back again soon. If you haven’t been to the Card A Day Blog, please stop by over there. We have a whole host of designers who are happy to share their ideas and techniques with you.

The theme for the week is, of course, Valentine’s Day. And I was still in a vintage, shabby chic sort of mood…



I just used an ivory card blank from one of the craft stores. The patterned paper is from My Minds Eye Lost & Found collection. This is from the 6x6 paper pack. The designs are scaled down and perfect for cards (and less expensive). I used Stampin Up Cherry Cobbler seam binding. I just LOVE seam binding and I’ve got a new tool (peg bow maker) to help me tie pretty bows. My cherub is a stamp from LaBlanche Stamps. They are a newer stamp company and their stamps are mounted on foam blocks, which makes them extremely lightweight. Also, instead of the usual red rubber or acrylic, the stamp itself is made of a white silicone material. The images are very detailed and exquisite. I stamped my image on SU crumb cake cardstock with CTMH black ink. I used a distressing tool to ruff up the edges and inked them with CTMH chocolate ink. I then gave it a quick coating of Sassy Shimmer Spritz (my studio-made glimmer spray) and then I squished it into a little ball to get all the creases and stuff. I used a Martha border punch for a little extra on the black mat. I made a stickpin and added a piece of black feather for fun. The “Amour” tag at the bottom is a strategically punched piece of patterned paper with an SU punch and stamped with the sentiment, also from SU.

My Supply List:
Cardstock: card base, store bought
Patterned paper: MME, Lost & Found
Stamps: LaBlanche, Stampin Up
Ink: Chocolate, Black from CTMH
Punches: Stampin Up and Martha Stewart
Ribbon: Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Stampin Up
Stickpin: Made in the studio
Adhesive: ATG Gun, in pink {Blitsy.com has some great deals!}

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time, Scrap Sassy!