Sorrowing with You...

Why is it that the most important cards are the hardest to make?  I found out a few days ago that a sweet beautiful girl that used to live next door to us passed away unexpectedly.  I used to babysit her and her siblings all the time, and my heart is just breaking for her family.  Her funeral is tomorrow, so I wanted to make a card to take along. 

What strategies do you use for making "tough" cards like this one?  It's fun to make birthday cards and baby cards, but at the times when you most need to communicate love and support, it's harder to get what you're feeling onto paper.  I wanted to make something simple but still beautiful, and I also wanted to communicate something of how beautiful I thought this sweet girl was.  That is why I added the little butterfly with the pearl on it -- it's a detail that might not ever be noticed, but it means something to me.

On to the nitty gritty -- I used this week's CPS Sketch as my jumping-off point.  I embossed the background with my Cuttlebug, using a folder from Quickutz.  The stamps are from Stampin' Up, the ribbon is from Fancy Pants, and the butterfly is a cut file I designed myself and cut in Sure Cuts a Lot.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Times like this remind me just how much I have to be thankful for, and how much others need our prayers in so many ways.  Blessings to all of you!

An explosion of color!

I decided to try my hand at the Mojo Monday contest this week, and wow, using this paper collection really created an explosion of color and pattern. So fun! I was also thinking about the current contest over at the fabulous Bitten By The Bug blog and decided to give it a go, so I chose a summery theme and created my sun with yellow buttons. The pp is from SEI, and the little buttons for the sun are mounted on a clear acrylic circle. I cut the tag and the S with my cricut (TBBM and MM cartridges, respectively). I cut the little gift bag with TBBM (love the bigger size with my new Expression!). I think this little set will be perfect for my cute little cousin turning 12!

Here's a close-up of that cute sun:


TFL!

Quilt Block Card

I needed a get-well card for a friend who is an avid quilter, and creating a quilt block card was the first thing that jumped to mind. I used mostly circles and squares, then designed a layer to coordinate (the green bits) and cut it using my Cricut and SCAL. This week's sketch over at Mojo Monday was the perfect jumping off point for this large quilt block! The paper is from Crate Paper, and I hand lettered the sentiment. TFL!

P.S. If you're interested, I've listed my quilt block cut file and piecing instructions in my etsy shop. Thanks!

Blog Candy Alert!! There is really great blog candy going on at the following blogs:

Gramma's House of Cards
Going Buggy

Plus all sorts of great inspiration, so check 'em out!

A whole stack of stampin' cards...

It's been far too long since I posted a new card -- I've been busy, busy this month! I turned the big 3-0 and had lots of fun with my family and friends celebrating the big event. This past week, I've finally been able to make some cards. Hooray! (Mom, if you're reading this, don't go any further, because one of these is for you...) This one is my favorite -- it's an engagement card for my little brother and his new fiance. The pp is from Sassafrass Lass and the stamps are from the Stampin Up Love Matters set. I colored the letters with PrismaColor pencils and blended with Gamsol. The artisan label is my own design, cut with SCAL and my Cricut (the cut file is available in my etsy shop!).



The following two cards I created for the 2 Sketches 4 You Spring Design Team call. I wasn't going to enter, but I liked the sketches so much I decided to just go for it. I think I emailed in my entry about 5 minutes before the deadline Saturday night! I just got these Stampin Up sets from my friend Tammy for a really awesome deal (thanks again, Tammy!) and I'm having so much fun playing with them. This first one uses the Love Matters set and that same artisan label again, as well as a 5 1/2" scalloped square from the Cricut Mini-Monograms cartridge:



This one uses the "Pick a Petal" set and a JoAnn's metal rim velum tag. I created the scalloped border for the tag using my Cricut and Design Studio. The little tab at the top is from the Cricut Fabulous Finds cartridge, cut at 1". "hi" is from the Cuttlebug "Typewriter" alpha.



These last two are quick cards that I made several of each as thank you's for Christmas and birthday presents. The one on the left uses Stampin Up cardstock (last year's In Color combo) and a cool set of acrylic stamps my mom gave me for my birthday. Their from Inkadinkadoo and came in a huge set of 130 stamps! I'm pretty sure she got them at Costco. I cut the circle and scalloped circle with the Mini-Monos cartridge, and made the scalloped border with my Fiskars Threading Water punch. The little flower is an EK Success punch.

The card on the right uses Chatterbox paper that I've had in my stash for years and a Stampin Up block party stamp, along with another EK Success flower punch for a quick embellishment.



I've started listing some of my cut files in my etsy shop! If you have SCAL for your Cricut, be sure to check them out. I think they'll also work for the Pazzles and Wishblade, but I need to learn more about that. I'll be making a big announcement and offering some fun blog candy once I get more files ready to go, so stay tuned!

Miss You -- Kazan Sketch #17 at 2S4Y

Another week, another lovely sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You! I decided to let the big flower make the major statement on this card, and I used chalk ink to grunge it up to go with the pp. A little stitching and a hand-written label (which I cut using my own design on my Cricut machine) finish it off. TFL!

Materials:
PP -- Scenic Route
Lace Trim -- Fancy Pants
Flowers -- Heidi Swapp (large), Fancy Pants (small)
Cardstock -- Provo Craft
Chalk Ink -- ClearSnap (Cat's Eye)
Brad: unknown

2S4Y - Laura #12

This week's sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You was a tricky one for me, but I like how the card turned out. I like the patchwork feel to it, and I think it will work well for one of my more free-spirited, eclectic sisters. This was a good card for using stuff from my stash that I haven't used in a while! The stamps are from CTMH -- one of those sets I just had to have, then never did much with. The pp and rub-ons are from the Scrapworks Florabella collection, and the vellum tag is from Joann's. I've also used a flower from Fancy Pants with a "skittle" in the center. I used mini-scallop scissors for trimming the circles, and a corner rounder for the larger scallop on the side. A little stitching is always a good touch, too! TFL!

Here's this week's sketch:



Also, check out this fun blog: On the Dot Creations. There are all sorts of cute things, and this week she is giving away a totally adorable apron. Check it out!

Kazan's sketch #11

My dear aunt and bestest bud Glynis is having a baby in December, and this great sketch from Kazan at 2 Sketches 4 You was the perfect jumping off point for this invitation to her shower! I love how this turned out -- the photo really doesn't do the sweet colors justice. Anyhoo, they've called this baby "Peanut" ever since they found out they were pregnant, so a little elephant seemed like the perfect touch. I'm in charge of the decorations and invitations, so I'm planning to coordinate everything with this scheme. I adore this baby boy paper collection from Cosmo Cricket. The elephant is from the Cricut Zooballoo cartridge, cut at 1 3/4", and I cut the circles with George at 2" and 1". The striped shape I designed on my computer and cut with SCAL. The background is embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder. To create the notebook edge, I used my Cropadile to punch the holes, then snipped them with scissors.

Be sure to check out Kazan's sketch this week!

2 Sketches 4 You this week!

Another Monday, another yummy sketch from Kazan at 2 Sketches 4 You! I had lots of fun with this one.

Supplies:
Paper: Sassafrass Lass (I just love their fun and funky papers)
"thanks": Cuttlebug Olivia font
Stamp and scallop punch: Stampin Up
Flower: Fancy Pants
Acrylic heart: Heidi Swapp
Liquid glass (on the little heart in the middle of the stamp)
Brad and black stamping ink: JoAnn Essentials
Cardstock: Provo Craft and DCWV

Here's the sketch of the week!

Fun with needlepoint, plus a great sketch...

Another great sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You this week! It is so fun to bloghop through all the submissions each week -- I am just amazed at the talented cardmakers from all over the world who take on the sketches. Here's this week's sketch, from Laura:



And here is my take on it!


I pulled out these felt flowers from Fancy Pants and felt like they needed something a little extra, and for me that usually means some decorative stitching! I had fun with these especially because I relearned how to embroider a french knot, which I had learned to do in junior high but could never quite get the hang of again. I found a great video tutorial at Needle'nThread that made it so easy.

For these cards I used the Fiskars Threading Water punch to make the flower stems (see a tutorial here), and the Cuttlebug Olivia font for the "thanks." The pp is from My Mind's Eye, Magnolia collection.

More fun with 2 Sketches 4 You

I just can't say enough about the beauty of a good sketch -- I think of it as the scaffolding on which I can create any kind of card. These sketches from 2 Sketches 4 You are the perfect example -- this first one is this week's sketch, created by Laura, and the next two are sketches provided for trying out for the design team (wish me luck!). I decided to create cards in three totally different styles with these sketches, and it was so much fun! I already had the "bones" of the design, so I was able to spend my time being creative with everything else instead of worrying so much about that. I love it!





This card is based on this week's sketch, and I love the bold, graphic style. The journaling card is special to me because I found it among my grandma's things after she passed away a few months ago. In her office supplies she had a whole bunch of fun things like this, and of course I couldn't let them just get thrown away! The pp is all from Scenic Route (the flowers are cut from the PP), and the scallop chain is done with the Fiskars Threading Water punch. The word NOTE is cut with the Cuttlebug Typewriter font.





This one is a brighter, more summery card, made just for my little sister who is away on a Church trip for the next three weeks. It's made using this sketch by Laura, and it's also my first design team entry. This cute little penguin chick is an Imaginisce stamp. The scallop circle was cut with Mini-Monograms at 3", and popsicle is from Doodlecharms, cut at 2 1/2". The green border is meant to be like a grass skirt, and the background is embossed with the Cuttlebug.





This one is based on Kazan's design team sketch, and I went for a softer look with this card. The paper is from Crate Paper, and the "Thinking of You" rub-on is from Pebbles, Inc. The swirl stamp is from Autumn Leaves -- I stamped the blue paper all in one piece, then cut it into three and added the punched flowers.

TFL!

2 Sketches 4 You this week!

Another lovely sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You! I am in the midst of working on a mini-album using these adorable papers from Cosmo Cricket, so I decided to use a few of the scraps to make a baby card. (Can you tell I'm having fun getting ready for a baby girl?!) This uses a tag from Tags, Bags, Boxes, & Stores and the word "love" from Opposites Attract, and ribbon and flowers from Fancy Pants and Prima. I also used the Fiskars Threading Water punch for the borders. Here's the sketch of the week!

Bright happy cards!

I just love the card sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You this week, and I thought it would be perfect for a bright, happy card to celebrate our friends buying their first home! This paper comes from Making Memories -- it is part of a pack with several coordinating papers, which I love! It makes paper crafting so much easier when stuff is made to go together. :)



I created this housewarming card using the Cricut Zooballoo cartridge, and I stretched the house in Design Studio so that it worked with the sketch -- so cute! The flower and felt heart are from Fancy Pants.

But having coordinating papers doesn't mean you automatically love everything! I started out to make the housewarming card but I didn't like the stripey paper for that one at all. So after I finished the housewarming card I used these pieces to make some fun birthday cards!



I used the Cricut Celebrations cartridge for this one, along with some Studio G stamps for the sentiment and stickles for the hat. Fun stuff!

Card for Kazan's sketch challenge

I made this birthday card for my little sister using the sketch for the challenge over at Kazan Clark's awesome blog. I was really trying to capture my sister's style, and I was so happy because she loved it! Once again I used my pen tablet to draw the birdie, then converted it to an SVG filea and cut it out with my bug using the SCAL software. I am so glad I bought this software -- it's opened up a whole new world to me! PP here is My Mind's Eye, Magnolia line. The flowers and rub-on are from Fancy Pants. TFL!

Here's a link to the sketch challenge -- a really great set of Souffle pens is the prize, so it's worth giving it a try!

http://nunutoolies.blogspot.com/2008/05/sketch-challenge.html

And don't forget our very own "Rummage Challenge" -- you still have plenty of time to enter! All the details are in the next post down!

Card sketches and examples

I LOVE working with sketches, both for scrapbooking and cardmaking. Everyone needs a jumpstart for their creativity sometimes, right? I thought I'd add a couple of my "go-to" sketches here, along with some examples of just how versatile they are, for your viewing pleasure.