Card Set

Oh boy, I am so happy with myself today!  I read over the Online Clean & Simple Card Class Day 10 yesterday and I was totally taken in by the most gorgeous card set with a box to match, that Julie Ebersole made!  Firstly, I just loved the design she used, love just using a few strips of patterned paper.  And then when I saw the little gift box she made to add the cards to I just knew I had to give it a go!

So Julie, I am casing 100% here today, I could not help myself, why mess with perfection right!  I did change up the patterned papers, sentiments, die and I also decorated the box using another tip from a previous class to make your own embellishments.

There are quite a few photos, so bear with me. First up is the finished product.

Papers: cardstock (PTI); designer paper (Memory Box: Minuet)
Ink: CTMH dye ink (Juniper); Tombow marker
Stamps: Hero Arts (CL342)
Other: PTI Flower die; EK Success border punch & tag punch; Twine (PTI); brad (unknown)

I love those Minuet paper, they make me think of my blog friends Jacqueline & Susanne, I could really see them loving these.  My most used CTMH dye ink ever is this Juniper shade, it's exquisite!  And an all time favourite sentiment set from Hero Arts is the one I used above (I only know the code which is mentioned above).

Doesn't this make a cute gift set.  Here is a picture of the box without the cards inside:

We got the template in the class, so easy to make, I did not even print the template onto the cardstock, I simply used the measurements and made it, very, very easy! 

I decided to add some of the same patterned paper on the top lid and I added a strip of the same grey designer paper used on the card, over the middle of the top and then wrapped some rustic twine around the box several times.  Then I thought this needed a small embellishment, so, all those die cut flowers from the cards themselves, I glued them all on top of each other and added the final one made wih the same patterned paper, finished it off with a brad.  I also added a little Thank You tag on the lid. (The lid does not come off, you simply remove the cards from the bottom of the box, hence the half moon cut out which allows you easy access).

Here is a collage attempt of all the cards, they are all the same, very easy to assemble, I just changed up the sentiments:

And  here is a close up:

I hope you give this a try, it was really satisfying to see it completed, it really did not take me long.

Well, it's kind of grey and gloomy here today.  I had a slow 10 mile run with my friend this morning, we were soaking wet by the time we finished.  Later on we are going to our neighbours for an Open House Madis Gras party and then later this evening we are getting together with Lisa for dinner, she is making the dinner and I am bringing the dessert!

Have a wonderful day!

Love is in the Air

Deary me, I am still struggling to be consistent at coming up with good ideas for some cards!  I am totally lagging behind in the card class.  I have one card today that I made earlier.  It fits in with Day 7's theme of feeling good using white cardstock.  And I think I am going to add it to the CAS-ual Fridays challenge to use scallops.

Paper: cardstock (PTI); patterned paper (MME)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black; Victorian Velvet Distress Ink; Copic markers
Stamps: Penny Black (...in the Air)
Other: Glossy Accents; Pink Glitter; Stampin' Up Scalloped Punch; dimensional foam tape

The back of the card is wider than the front, and I created a glittery edge by running a strip of double sided tape down the side and pouring glitter over it, and then adding a strip of MME designer paper along the inner edge. Here is another view of it open.

The balloon was cut out of the stamped image which has many balloons on it.  I stamped and clear embossed it on white cardstock and then restamped the inner heart with Victorian Velvet distress ink and covered that with glossy accents and a bit of glitter before adhering.  I then popped up the balloon with some dimensional foam tape.

I hope you are having a wonderful day!  It's gotten warm here again!  See you again soon hopefully.

One Stamp, Three Ways

I am sort of "behind" on the online class, Clean & Simple Card Making.  We've been given sketches, new techniques, making one layer cards and using multiple die cut layers as well as finding ways to use the same stamp in three different ways.

Tonight I found some time to make three cards using the new Hero Arts Newspaper Skyline woodblock stamp. I hope you like it:

This first card is supposed to convey a feeling of being far away from someone one cares about, so the embossed buildings in the background are further away and obviously the popped up blue building in the foreground is here, where the sender is.  I also chose these colours as my intention was to make this more of a masculine card.  The sentiment is from Ali Edwards and the cardstock from PTI and Neenah.

This is perhaps a bit of a silly card, I am still toying with the idea of a sentiment, maybe "I miss you" or "Thinking of You", but I liked the XOXO there as a sentiment on it's own too.  It's a simple one layer card with a little masking.  The inks are distress inks, Fired Brick and Gathered Twigs. The heart is from a Hero Arts cling set called Untitled Hearts.

This is my favourite of the three.  I used the sentiment and clock from the Hero Arts Special Time set, love this set.  I stamped the big clock with some second generation Pumice Stone ink.  And then I popped a layered PTI mat stack over that, which I matted with a grey cardstock for a thin border.  The buildings are stamped with Victorian Velvet and embossed.

On a personal note, I had an amazing race this morning and my best time ever at this Half Marathon distance in 15 years!  So who says that getting old means you need to slow down!  Not me!

I hope that you all had a fabulous weekend, mine is not over yet as my daughter does not have school tomorrow so I am taking her to go and see Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked!  Should be a lot of fun!

Valentine Wishes

Firstly, thank you all so very much for the really encouraging comments and tips you left for me about my lack of mojo!  You are all very special! I think it is slowly coming back.

I did go to my craft room last night once Natasha was asleep and managed to make a Valentine's card using one of the sketches from the CAS class.

Paper: HA Pool notecard & patterned paper; Neenah; My Mind's Eye; PTI cardstock
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black; Evergreen Bough distress ink
Stamps: Hero Arts (Graph Background & sentiment)
Other: double heart punch; Memory Box "Marietta Buckle "Die; dimensional squares

Seeing as I had the Pool paper out and also that little double heart punch I just decided to continue using it.   I also found that the Evergreen Bough distress ink is a perfect match for the HA Pool colour.  I used the ink to stamp the Graph background and also to swipe onto that wider strip of paper you see in the design.

Don't you just love that little Marietta Buckle die!  It cuts like a dream!  This is my first Memory Box die and I am really pleased, very high quality.

Thank you for coming by to take a look!

Star Quality

My friend Lisa and I are taking part on the Clean & Simple  Card Making Online Class, me more for the fact that I need a kick start after a two week break, plus I really admire the instructors/designers.

So today was the first class and it came together with sketches, so I chose one of them and made my CAS card.

Paper: cardstock (PTI); designer paper (Cosmo Cricket)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black; Versamark
Stamps: The Craft's Meow
Other: clear embossing powder; dimensional foam adhesive; jute(Michaels)

I followed the sketch to the T.  The sentiment is stamped in black ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.  The patterned paper panel was created by first adhering the paper to a piece of kraft cardstock and then mounted with dimensional foam (it just makes it sturdier).

The star was stamped with Versamark and clear embossed.

So, as you can see, there is not much to it but I like the outcome.  I love CAS designs, right up my alley!

It's been an interesting day here in Katy, Texas!  We were under a tornado warning and were hit by some severe weather including hail which created sheets of ice floating down some neighborhoods!  My poor friend Lisa was forced to pull over at one point and try to sit out the storm, pretty scary, I could hear it in her voice when she called me.  Lucky for me I was indoors at my Pilates class.

But all is quiet here in our neighborhood now.  It's still raining, but it's mild.