Card Patterns 168 & 2 Sisters Challenge 94

Welcome to the Studio!

I hope I don't bore most of my readers with all these challenges.  I've just been struggling in my crafting lately, either no time or no creativity.  I've been trying to jumpstart things, and I think I'm back on the right track.  The challenges are keeping me motivated to get stuff done in a timely manner.  I work really good with deadlines.  I was a freelance court reporter for about 12 years and deadlines are critical.  Although I loved my job, I can do without the stress;)

I made a very vintage card for a friend's mom.  I love toile patterns.  I have black & white toile curtains in my scraproom.  You can see a peek of them in an earlier post about the new punch rack.  Anyway, I also have a few toile stamps.  I decided it might be fun to color in the toile images.  I used watercolor pencils and SU watercolor crayons.  This is a close-up of my image...

And here is the front of my card and the Card Patterns Sketch:

The background paper I used is Anna Griffin.  The cardstock is DCWV.  The mini roses are Recollections from Michaels.  The "Happy Birthday" stamp is from Justrite Stamps.  I used the SU word window and modern label punches.  I also added some bling, also Recollections from Michaels.  The crinkled seam binding is from my stash.  I purchased it during CKC Nashville 2012.  The toile stamp is All Night Media.

And here is the inside of my card:

For the inside, I used the same Anna Griffin paper as I used on the front.  The verse is Stampin Up, the Happy Birthday is Justrite Stamps.  the card verse diecut was made using SU/Sizzix Framelits and Spellbinders dies for the corners.   I also used bling by Recollections.  The ink is CTMH Vineyard Berry.

The second challenge I'm entering this card in is the 2 Sisters Challenge Blog.  Their current challenge is "Inside & Out."  I normally don't decorate the insides of my cards, but lately I've been trying to make the inside as pretty as the outside, so I thought this challenge was a must!

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



Easter Cards For My Peeps!

Welcome to the Studio. It's time for me to get those Easter cards and projects wrapped up. I'm quite the procrastinator, but as long as I have a deadline, I'm good. (That's what I keep telling myself, anyway.) I just love the Stampin' Up 5th Avenue Florals set. I find it to be very versatile, and the lily is perfect for some more elegant Easter cards. I was getting tired of the same old pastels too, so I used a tone on tone floral yellow paper from the DCWV Mediterrean stack and CTMH Sorbet and White cardstock. I also used two Martha Stewart border punches I recently purchased. I just love the double loops (shown on right). That's my new favorite. I also used some coral organza to give the cards a bit of softness.

I started with just a 5x5 square card and added the white and sorbet circles on top. I wanted a 5x7 card but was looking for a little bit of a sassy twist. Why make a plain, old rectangle card all the time; right?

For my sentiment, I used a clearance stamp that I found at Hobby Lobby a few months ago. To keep it soft, I stamped it in Versamark and used CTMH Cranberry Embossing Powder. For the flowers, I just stamped them in black on CTMH White cardstock and cut them out. Using a marker, CTMH Sunflower, I colored the yellow stamens and used a Sorbet marker on the very tips. I used chalks (remember those?) and mixed a coral and pink together and tinted the flower centers. The middle flower is attached with foam tape to give it a little dimension.

On to the next one...

I saw a sketch that I really liked from Verve Stamps, their Viva La Verve March Week 2 sketch. You can find some really fantastic sketches and inspiration on the Verve blog. http://www.vervestamps.blogspot.com/ The patterned paper was from an American Crafts pack I found at TJ Maxx for $5.99. Yes, TJ Maxx has scrap supplies now. The other supplies were CTMH cardstock in Garden Green and White, white grosgrain ribbon, olive green pearls, a doily, a calla lily spray from the bridal department at Hobby Lobby. They are made of resin of some type. I visit the bridal area of my favorite craft stores for flowers, pearls, tulle, etc. that are sometimes cheaper than in the scrapbooking department. Keep an open mind when you're shopping. Scrapbooking supplies, especially embellishments, are everywhere. My husband hates to go to Lowe's and Home Depot with me;)

For the sentiment, I used my clearance Easter stamp with CTMH Sorbet ink and matted it on Sorbet cardstock. The tag is from Silhouette, artisan shapes. I just squished it a little to fit my stamp.

Cards For Little Peeps...

I enjoy making mini cards and they are great for younger (and smaller) hands. These are 3x3. I used some cardstock scraps and some Easter paper from a friend's purge pile. The stamp was a $1 bargain bin stamp from Michaels. I stamped the chick on white cardstock and then stamped it again on yellow. I cut the yellow chick out (except for the tail and head feathers) to give it a bit of dimension. I used markers to color the feathers and added a pink bow to the little girl chick's hair. The inside is another $1 stamp and I just used coordinating ink to stamp and edge the cardstock.

I hope you found some inspiration and enjoyed your time here. Hope to see you again soon. Until next time, Scrap Sassy!