I Moose You

Time for a new House of Cards challenge.  This month we're asking you to use the below sketch.  Now I don't know about you, but I usually find sketches difficult with a CAS style.  I can be very literal so when I see a sketch I often see layers.  For instance, with this month's sketch I can see one layer for the base, one for the vertical element, two for the central matted design, and one for the sentiment.  It's a fun challenge to come up with a CAS design that has the elements of a sketch without all the bits and bobs that my brain throws in initially.  How about you?  Why not join us and show us how your brain works.  :-)

For this card I stamped the moose first then masked it off before stamping the trees. I die cut a handful of leaves and the speech bubble.  I colored the moose with alcohol markers and sponged the edges of the speech bubble--I felt the plain white bubble was too plain but looking at it now, maybe I should have left it white.  I glued the leaves onto the card which eliminated the need for me to color in the ground which I don't particularly like (yes, I'm sneaky that way).  I mounted the lot on kraft.  Finally I combined two Lawn Fawn sets to create the sentiment. 

The Details:  Memento Tuxedo Black, PTI white and kraft cardstock, Spectrum Noir (EB2, EB5, TN5, TN7), Distress Inks (whatever combo of yellows and reds left on my sponges), Spellbinders leaves die, Penny Black speech bubble dies, Lawn Fawn Critters in the Arctic and Critters at the Dog Park, Glossy Accents, Scotch foam tape

Last Halloween Project of the Season

The decos for the office party are up and the potluck foods are making their way into the room.  My puking pumpkin turned out fab--thanks to my sweetie for carving.  We didn't have room on the platter for all of the veggies so the radishes, olives and cucumbers are in bowls in front of the raised platter.

I have to say it was very fun creating all the signage.  I just printed them but perhaps next year would spice them up with diecuts and such.

artichoke spinach dip from Costco = pumpkin puke
celery = zombie bones
carrots = witch fingers
peppers = veins and ligaments
olives = hatched spider eggs (accompanied by a rubber spider)
cucumbers = slices shaped into skulls
radishes = eyes of newt (bought ones in a bunch and left the root on to represent optical nerves)
pita chips = Hannibal's skin chips
Cheesy Larvae = mac & cheese
Maggots au Gratin = mac & cheese (they're having a mac & cheese off)
Hansel & Gretel pies
Monster munchies = people will invariably bring chips
Pick your poison = various drinks
graveyard dirt = chocolate dessert
pumpkin poop = chana masala
salad = Seymour's salad
grapes = peeled eyeballs

The Grand Stamp Re-organization Unveiling

I was in such an excited tizzy when I saw the Avery Elle stamp sleeves.  O.M.G.  Were they reading my mind?  I hate, hate, hate the typical thin cellophane packages that rip the moment you try to slide your stamps back in.  Hate!  Well, these aren't perfect but they are a darn sight better than those (I managed to tear an AE one down the side but quickly learned I can't stick my whole hand in there to retrieve something--duh)

So, the above pic is obviously before.  I had some of my stamps stored in the two containers in their original packaging.  If a set was smaller I had them in a separate bin, if larger in a drawer.  Plus, I had a binder full of stamps using a different type of sleeve. Way too many places to lose a stamp!

I've switched to the Avery Elle sleeves as you can see with the bottom pic.  Isn't it beautiful?  Dreamy sigh.  So neatly organized.  Swoon.  I had seen Jennifer McGuire's video so gathered some good tips from there and have come up with a list of my process.

• I cut the inserts out of inexpensive white cardstock at 5-3/8 x 7-1/4".
• I prepared my labels using Avery 5267 1/2 x 1-3/4" return address labels.
• I don't know that I'll use these for this purpose in the future but since I was doing so many at once, it was the fastest way.
• I use these labels for a couple of other purposes too--as identifiers on the backs of my cards with my name and blog address as well as color coding for my stamp pads (see pic 2 Distress Inks).
• Many of my sets fit right in.  For those that didn't, I either put them on a different size sheet of plastic (transparency film) or simply cut apart the existing sheet.
• If I had the matching dies or a mask, I went ahead and put those in the same sleeve on the backside.
• For small sets, I would combine them by manufacturer in the same sleeve.
• I alphabetized the sleeves by manufacturer.  I also created sections just for backgrounds, Halloween and Christmas.
• I cut chipboard at 5-3/8 x 7-3/4" to act as dividers.
• I then made divider labels for the manufacturers I either use most or had the most of.  Remember that old timey label maker you bought because it's so retro cool from childhood but it's been gathering dust since?  Yup.  I know.  Makes the best labels for this.  I did use Scor Tape to adhere the labels since the adhesive they come with isn't very strong.
• These sleeves fit perfectly in the containers I already had which I got from my local Freddy's for ~$4.  They're called Homz modular stacking system and are 16.25 x 7 x 6.125".  They do come with lids which I've placed beneath each container where they act like sliders.  Really easy to pull a bin partially out and slide it right back.

So there you have it.  And now that this reorg project is done, I can clean up the desk surface a bit and get back to actual card making.  I'd like to say my desk is almost never like you see it in picture 2 but that would be such a lie.  :-)

Woodsy notecard

I really went wild with layers and embellishments with this card . . . for me, anyway.  I rediscovered these papers in my stash and felt really drawn to them. The paper does most of the work; I just added a scattering of tiny red flowers with gold centers to tie in that sturdy strap material.  Bonus--got to destash a whopping 5 brads and 2 feet of thread!  LOL.  Have any bird watches in your life?  I have a surprising lot once I started thinking about it.

The Details: DCWV Green Stack, PTI brown cardstock base, mystery ribbon, Viva Pearl Pen in Sunny (flowers centers), Hero Arts Tiny Backgrounds, Spellbinders dies, mystery brads from my kid sis

I'm entering this in Simon Says Anything Goes, The Male Room #22 Wood, Crafter's Cafe #88 Things with Wings, Crafty Cardmakers & More #126 Cut it Out

Home for the Holidays

Ah, my first Christmas card of the season.  This one was inspired by CASology Home as well as some challenge that I don't recall now where you were to create a holiday card for someone special.  I intend to send this to my sister at the holidays.  Back when my mom was with us, we would all gather at her house for the holidays.  Now we're lucky to see each other every year or so and haven't spent the holidays with each other in way too long. I miss all of my siblings but especially at the holidays.

The card was super easy to work up.  I taped down the stencil, blocking off the bottom half of the houses.  I then sponged them using Distress Ink.  I really like all the detail the stencil provides.  Next I stamped the sentiment; I thought about using red or perhaps a gold ink but classic black won out.  Finally I used a stencil and embossing paste for the snow.

The Details:  Distress Ink Festive Berries and Mowed Lawn, Recollections white 110 lb cardstock, Ranger Claudine Hellmuth Studio Our Town stencil, PTI Mixed Messages sentiment, Simon Says Falling Snow stencil, Dreamweaver Embossing Paste, Memento Tuxedo Black

I'm entering this in CASology #118 Home, CAS on Sunday #45 OLC, Christmas Card Challenge #48 Anything Goes, Addicted to Stamps & More #118 Holiday

Happy Feet

My order of Mama Elephant and Simon Says holiday goodies arrived and I finished up the first of many cards, I'm sure.  I took my inspiration from the current CAS(E) This Sketch, just under the wire too.  I really like the layout so may Christmasify this design on a future card by adding some of the winter hats included in the set and changing out the sentiment.  Cute!!!

I first diecut the ME stitched border die for a hill then I stamped the penguins willy nilly.  The last one reminds me of when penguins launch themselves down a hill straight into the water.  To die for cute!  (get it--to "die" for, ba bum bum)    Next was the sentiment followed by texture paste snow.  While the stencil was still in place I added glitter to the flakes.  While that was drying I used Scor Tape on the card base and burnished glitter onto it for blingy snow.  You guessed, I mounted the scene on foam tape on top of that.  Voila!

The Details:  Mama Elephant Jolly & Merry sentiment, Arctic Penguins and stitched curves border dies, Simon Says Falling Snow embossing folder, Doodlebug Design Sugar Coating Lily White Glitter (my absolute fav), and Versafine Onyx Black

I'm entering this in CAS(E) This Sketch! #96, Fab 'n' Funky #234 In Stitches Let's Have a Laugh, The Paper Players #218 CAS

Edited 23 Oct 2014:  Took a new picture at the office with better light after I had colored the beaks and feets.

Stylized Ladybugs

I love the stylized ladybugs of this set so let them speak for themselves.  I added embossed dots to the white space to mirror the dots on the buggies and triple stamped the sentiment, which mirrors the 3 images as well as the gradation of color.  

Aside:  Anyone have any suggestions for a white pigment ink pad?  I've been using Colorbox but the pad is very shallow relative to the base it sits on so I'm constantly getting fingertip inky.  I'm so over it.

The Details:  PTI white cardstock, Pop Tone Black Licorice cardstock, Dreamweaver embossing paste, Heidi Swapp stencil, Inkadinkado Thank You Words, Inkadinkado Mindscapes, Memento Tuxedo Black, Color Box white pigment ink, Scotch foam tape

I'm entering this in Paper Players #218 CAS (without gold or silver option), Allsorts #281 Embossing, Less is More #194 Little Creatures    

Enjoy Your Day

Man, this one took me forevah because of the layers--What color(s) should I use?  Is the layout too boring?  OMG, there's way too much happening.  There's not enough happening.  Augh!

At least I had no doubts about making the background.  I used a Penny Black background stamp and white pigment ink to create a subtle meadow.  I wanted flowers but not FLOWERS.  I colored the daisies with Distress Inks.  The blue flower background was created with a combo of Tumbled Glass DI and white pigment ink for faux clouds.

The Details:  Distress Inks, watercolor paper, Esse brown cardstock, Stampendous image, Lil' Inker sentiment, Penny Black Floral Tapestry background stamp, Colorbox white pigment ink, Memento Rich Cocoa, MFT stitched rectangle die, Pop Tone Sno Cone cardstock

I'm entering this in The Card Concept #21 Country & Sunflowers (clean and layered), Addicted to Stamps & More #117 Make Your Mark, Paperminutes #343 Layering, Paper Players #218 CAS (without gold or silver option)   

Must give up crafting

Totally not going to happen but only way I could grow out my nails enough for this.   Maybe I will jump on the foxy bandwagon--wait!   Didn't I pick up a Lawn Fawn Xmas set with a fox?!   Oh, yeah!  I saw this on Pinterest with the original here.   Maybe I will play with that over the weekend!

Little Black Card

I am so digging the oranges and yellows of the season, aren't you?  My dahlias and susans are still going strong except for one which was never lively anyway, poor thing.  I wanted to do something a bit different than what I've seen out in blogland with similarly placed flowers so I used the sentiment and enamel dots to create "fabric."  I would totally wear this.  Can't you picture it as a dress (think Grace Kelly) with bold black accessories?  Love!

1. Stamped the flowers with Versamark then embossed with white
2. Watercolored the flowers using Distress Inks
3. Curved the sentiment on my block then stamped a few times
4. Added tiny black dots of Enamel Accents

The Details:  Black Enamel Accents, Avery Elle So Happy sentiment, Stampendous Zinnia, Tim Holtz Watercolor Paper, Distress Inks, Stampendous Detail Fine White Embossing Powder, Recollections black 110 lb cardstock, Versamark

I'm entering this in Keep It Simple #50 Three, Top Tip Tuesday Fav Color Combo, CAS on Sunday #44 Emboss It, Simon Says Wednesday Use Watercolors, AAA Cards #24 Autumn Colors, Virginia's View #8 CAS