My card is in Paper Crafts Stamp It! Techniques!!!

I finally have my computer back...it died on me at the worst time ever...glad to have it all fixed!  

I wanted to share my first project ever to be published!!  It's on page 45 of Paper Crafts Stamp It! Techniques (in the paper piecing section).  There are so many amazing cards in this special issue - if you don't have it already, you need it!!

Cardstock: (basic black) Stampin’ Up!, (pure luxury white 120lb) GinaK Designs

Patterned paper: (black gingham) A muse, (offbeat) BasicGrey

Stamps…rubber, foam, clear: (Lamp) A muse, (“Thank you for making us feel right at home” from Boards & Beams set) Papertrey Ink

Ink…dye, pigment, solvent, watermark, chalk: (noir black) Palette hybrid

Accent: (cranberry pretty pearls) A muse

Dies, embossing folders, brass templates: (Lots of Tags Label 1) Sizzix Sizzlits

Tool: (paper piercer) Making Memories, (Design Ruler) Tim Holtz

Other: (pop dots) All Night Media  

Instructions

1)     Stamp lamps on small piece of white cardstock (approximately 2” x 3”)

2)     Stamp lamps again on scraps of patterned paper

3)     Cut out lampshades, making sure to cut just inside the stamped line, and adhere to lamp images.

4)     Ground the lamps with two pierced lines

5)     Mat the main image on black cardstock

6)     Adhere main image to card base with pop dots

7)     Add strip of patterned paper to bottom of card base

8)     Die cut label and stamp sentiment

9)     Distress edge of label with fingernail for added dimension and interest

10) Adhere label with double layer of pop dots

11) Embellish lamps with tiny pearls

A muse Studio mystery!!

Hi!

If you read my blog, you know I love A muse...

There is something brewing right now with A muse - something fun and exciting - big changes!  You need to check out this Facebook page and/or these YouTube videos:

If you belong to Facebook make sure you like the A muse Studio page...you could win a box full of thirty nine (39!!!!) yummy pigment ink pads...

Run QUICK!!!!

A Cameo Card...

I have not made a card for a challenge in ages!  The current challenge at Moxie Fab World is "The Appearance of Cameos"..truly a challenge for me as I have no cameo stamps.  After checking out Google Images for inspiration, I was happy to see that cameos are not just faces of women...they could be flowers or butterflies or scenes.  Here is what I came up with:

Supplies:

Stamps: gossamer wings (A muse), borders & corners oval (PTI)

Paper:  latte, red shimmer couture, watermelon (A muse)

Ink:  versamark

Accessories:  black embossing powder (SU), black superfine detail embossing powder (Ranger), black pearls (Kaisercraft), styled labels die (Tim Holtz), black ribbons (Supreme Laces), Dymo labeller, corner chomper

The butterfly and oval frame are heat embossed for a bit of dimension - I used detail embossing powder for the oval frame and regular embossing powder for the butterfly.  The black elements help the eye travel around the card.  I kind of like the pink label backed with the red panel - doesn't clash at all!! Hope you like it...make sure you check out the challenge and play along!

Teachers are amazing...

I am sending this into my "grade one-er"'s (as he calls himself) teacher because she is clearly amazing...

We had his 7th birthday party this past weekend at our house- 2 parents to 12 boys (ages 5-8) - it was an intense 2 hours.  Their energy was unbelievable - it's a wonder the only "injury" was one bloody nose!  And this was not even all the boys in his class - imagine a class full!!  I am still in a state of shock from the party - I don't think I'll ever forget it!!

Instructions:

1)      stamp 3 pencils, colour with copics and cut out

2)      cut 3 thin strips of cardstock in the same colour as the pencils

3)      adhere pencils & thin strips to white cardstock of main panel

4)      stamp sentiment

5)      mat main panel in black

6)      adhere orange patterned paper to bottom ¾ of card base

7)      adhere twill ribbon where orange paper and card base meet

8)      adhere main panel over top

9)      adhere punched star

Supplies:

Paper:  GinaK (Pure Luxury White), BasicGrey (lime rickey), A muse (cobalt blue, shimmery orange, chiffon green), Stampin’Up! (basic black), Copic (XpressIt blending cardstock)

Ink:  Palette hybrid (noir black), Memento (tuxedo black)

Stamps:  A muse (pencil, for a special teacher)

Accessories:  Star punch (Stampin’Up!), copics, green twill ribbon (unknown source), pop dots (all night media), Corner Chomper

Time for fun...a party card...

I have a "reject" from a magazine call that I thought I'd share tonight...

This card was a lot of fun to make...colouring with my copics, masking the cactus and lots of glitter!  It's hard to see, but the sombrero is pretty glittered up and there is a red-glitter-dotted-border on the black mat.  This card is in honour of the busy month of January with 2 birthdays in the family and a trip to Florida coming up quickly :-)

Supplies:

Paper:  Pure Luxury White (GinaK), XpressIt Blending Cardstock (Copic), basic black (Stampin' Up!)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Palette hybrid noir black

Stamps:  A muse (cactus, sombrero, time for fun)

Accessories:  MS glitter (carnelian), pop dots (All Night Media), Copic markers, Ranger liquid pearls (ruby red), Eclipse masking tape

'Twas the Night before Christmas...

...But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

My Last Minute Christmas Card...

I seem to do everything at the last minute...I have very little time to plan ahead because I am always doing something at the last minute that needs to be done NOW, leaving no time for planning.  Sigh...

Nevertheless, I have been stealing bits and pieces of time here and there to plan bits and pieces of this year's Christmas cards in my head...this card is all of those fragments put together.  There is an interesting thread on Splitcoaststampers discussing whether stampers just "wing it" or plan out their cards ahead of time...neat to see how everyone creates!!  I like to and usually do create spontaneously but when I have taken the time to gather all the elements ahead of time and map out my card, less wasted cardstock and supplies is the result! 

This card also fits with the latest A muse Lounge Challenge "Sparkling Season"  - to make a card that sparkles...

So without further ado, here is my planned-out-ahead-of-time sparkling card:

Here is how it went together:

• I traced the hill on a scrap piece of white cardstock and cut it out
• I placed the white hill on the card base in order to properly position the sentiment and the snowman
• Using my Stampamajig, I stamped the sentiment first and the snowman second (I pulled the white hill out of the way in order to stamp the snowman completely on the card base)
• Next, I put the hill back on the base, lined up the snowman image on the acetate from the Stampamajig over the snowman on the card base, slid a post it under the hill (to avoid stamping over the card base) and restamped the (lower part of the) snowman on the hill.
• Next, I ran the card base through the swiss dots folder on my cuttlebug and sanded the dots to make the white core appear on the cardstock - snow!!
• Then, I adhered the hill to the base, lining up the snowman
• Then, I stamped the snowman a third time on a scrap of white, coloured him with copics and cut him out (leaving off his arms and the snowballs)
• I adhered the cut out snowman over the snowman on the hill.
• I coloured the snowballs on the card base with white gel pen 
• Lastly, I used crystal effects on the edge of the hill and on the snowballs and sprinkled on glitter (I used Diamond Dust which is soooo sparkly because it is actually tiny pieces of glass - sharp if you get a sliver!!)

Hope you enjoy the holidays...thanks for stopping by today!!

Supplies:

Paper:  A muse (winter sky), PTI (white)

Ink:  Palette hybrid noir

Stamps:  A muse (juggling snowman, enjoy the wonders)

Accessories:  Crystal effects (SU), Diamond Dust (twinklets), copics, pop dots, cuttlebug, swiss dots folder, sanding block