Crafty Critters Challenge #6

Here is the page I made for our Crafty Critters challenge. We were to use this sketch and make a page about us to our kid (s). I chose to use pictures from our wedding (plus, I don't really have any pictures of just me, so the pickings were slim!)

I use SU Rose Romance and Chocolate Chip papers, some Penny Black DP ans SU Vellum for the journaling. Some "bling" brads are on the bottom of the vellum.

Thanks for looking!

Picnic Time

I created this layout a while back, but am just now sharing it! The theme was green, so I decided to do this picnic theme. It's pretty simple, but I like it. It's hard to see, but the cupcake is highlighted with clear stickles.

Thanks for looking!

A Couple Cards

I guess I've kind of been in a card mode lately. I'm not sure why. I think it's just easier to either have all my card stuff out or all my scrapbook stuff out. Anyhow, here are two more cards I made this last week.

This card was my first try using a digital stamp (free download from http://www.mygrafico.com/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=95&order=lowhigh). Pretty neat. I'm not too happy with this one because the color did bleed a little with the markers. I have since used other images that had smaller outlines and did not have a problem with the markers.

This is a graduation card for my cousin. I'm not real big into the school color thing (hers were black and orange) so I used a coral color and chocolate brown. It's a pretty simple card, but I really liked the DP.

Thanks for looking!

Another Criss Cross Card

I can't believe it's been going on a week since I last posted! Time is flying by. I actually got some craft time in this weekend, so I thought I'd better get some of this stuff posted! So here's the first installment.





I made this card for Tracey's swap. Paper is DCWV spring stack, SU Cameo Coral, Ruby Red & So Saffron. I've used this color combo a couple times in the recent past, and I really like it. Stamps are SU Good Times and PTI Mixed Messages. The flower on the front is accented with clear Stickles.

Thanks for looking!

Frogs & Butterflies

I am so tired, but we're watching a movie and I really want to stay awake for the end so I'm doing double duty and posting while we watch.

I created these 2 layouts for a 12x12 page swap - one frogs, one butterflies. I decided to leave no title on the butterflies page because, well, I just couldn't think of a good one!

Thanks for looking!

Criss Cross Card

This is my first attempt at a Criss Cross Card. I really like this technique. It was a lot easier to make than it first looked!


Supplies used: SU Creamy Caramel & Mauve Mist cs, nesting scalloped punches, clear glitter Stickles, Mixed Messages (Papertrey Ink), SU Chocolate Chip & Mauve Mist ink, SU tab punch.

Thanks for looking!

Stationery Project

I was looking through some craft stuff yesterday and realized that I had a whole stack of pre-cute white cards and envelopes that are slightly smaller than the A2 cards, and I figured I should probably put them to good use! So after finding some inspiration on SCS (didn't bookmark the page so I can't give credit though) I started looking for a box to hold cards, and this is what I came up with. (Here's the box tutorial.)

The cards are very simple - I just stamped right on them with Stampin' Up's Sincere Salutations and Watercolor Garden II. Inks are SU Lovely Lilac, Lavendar Lace, Positively Pink and Certainly Celery.

The box is made out of SU cardstock (Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Lovely Lilac.)

Thanks for looking!

Stamping on Candles

I saw this idea a while back, from April (thanks!) on SCS. I had to give it a try and really enjoyed making these. All you need are white/light colored candles, white tissue paper, stamps, ink, colored pencils, wax paper and a heat gun. I think that's everything. Basically you stamp your image(s) onto tissue paper, color in as desired, position on candle and hold tight in place with wax paper, and briefly heat with your heat gun until the image melts into the candle. Not too long or you'll have a mess. Here is the tutorial if you are interested.



This first candle I used chocolate chip ink and SU's Stipple Shells. I did not color the images in on this one.



This second one I used a SU image (Summer by the Sea, I think). I used my watercolor pencils to color in the image.

Thanks for looking!

My Craft Room

We were challenged to post pictures of our craft areas for the Crafty Critters - so here it is! It looks slightly more organized here than in person though. Although to see it today, it looks like the one closet exploded because I decided to start tackling the organizing...but I'm committed now or else I have no room to craft!

Another Sweet Page

Here is another "sweet" page I made today. I like it (but please excuse my ratty edges on the title, I think I need to change my cutter blade!) It's a pretty simple 8x8 layout. The chocolates are highlighted with Crystal Effects.


Supplies: Paper is Stampin Up, ink is too. Colors are Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip. The chocolate are SU, but the saying is a clear set, can't remember the name.

Happy stamping!

CCC5

This was my first challenge for the Craft Critters blog group. It was also my first sketch challenge! We were to use sketch 49 from SCS, somewhere the color red, ribbon, and a stamp set we have not used in the last 3 months.

I embossed the butterfly with chocolate embossing powder. The sentiment is raised with dimensional dots (hard to see here).

Sweet Stuff

I've been doing a lot of things with my cupcake stamps lately. This is a simple 8x8 page I made a week or 2 ago.

I used the Winnie the Pooh Cricut cartridge for the title. I love the fonts on that one. Papers are SU Creamy Caramel, Real Red and Chocolate Chip. Same for the ink. The cupcake is from a clear set, can't remember the vendor. I embossed the cherry on the cupcake with chocolate embossing powder, and highlighted the cherry (colored red first) with clear Stickles.

Teacher Appreciation Cards

So I was going through my stack of card kits yesterday, and I came across this one with the Bella image and thought wouldn't it be great for a teacher appreciation card? And since I usually procrastinate to the point that I usually forget, I thought I'd get them done now since the school year is almost over!

These cards are both made from the same kit, I supplied the Lovely Lilac and Postively Pink papers (SU). The images are also colored in with SU markers.

I like how the numbers paper had girly colors in it and was able to use the pink background (both my son's teachers are girls). And this is my first time using a Bella image, and I really like it!

Happy stamping!

Chocolate Magnet

This is a magnet I made this last week for a coffee swap. I LOVE this stamp set! It's Like it a Latte from SU (retired). Papers are close to cocoa, and creamy caramel. Ink is the same. I embossed the cup with chocolate embossing powder (yum!) and used my rectangle punch to make the holes for the ribbon. To make it a magnet, there are 2 small pieces of magnetic strip on the back.
Thanks for looking!

Cards From Card Kits

I am really into card kits lately. Basically it's just the supplies you need to make a cards - paper, blank stamped images, and embellishments. These are both cards made from card kits for Mother's Day. Fortunately, neither my mother nor my mother-in-law are on the internet much, so I'm not ruining their surprise!

2-pg Layout

I'm stealing a couple of minutes here before the day really gets going to post some new pics. These are two scrapbook pages I made from a secret sister kit I received this month. This is the final page in my son's 2nd year album (finally!) except that I have to go back and make a cover page still. I really do like the colors, because I don't know that I would have tried this combo. I used SU's Certainly Celery, Brocade Blue & Ruby Red (and the background is Night of Navy).


Thanks for looking!

Scrapbook Tags

These are some tags I recently made for scrapbooking.

The colors on the baby tag are SU Certainly Celery and So Saffron, ink is celery too. The cutouts were done on the Cricut (all these tags are too). Stamps are SU Classic Alphabet and I can't remember which set the diaper pins were...
This birthday tag is cutout again on the Cricut. Chocolate chip paper and ink, also creamy caramel and real red markers. The cherry on the cupcake is a clear dew drop/skittle. The stamp set is a clear set I had gotten a while back.

I love this House Mouse stamp, but I have such a hard time using them unless it's for a card, but I like the way it turned out with this tag. Paper is again SU Certainly Celery, ribbon is SU Lovely lilac. The bottom egg is highlighted with clear stickles.

This last tag is I think my favorite. The stamp is SU By Land and Crosshatch background stamp. Colors are Only Orange and Not Quite Navy. I embossed the car by inking first with Versamark, then Navy and used clear embossing powder. The eyelet is a jumbo eyelet, which I've just recently started using, but they work great for these!

I hope you like these and happy stamping!

Homemade Stamp Cleaner

A while back I was looking for a homemade stamp cleaner recipe. I wish I could remember where I found this to give her credit, but I can't. Anyway, I think it works great for a fraction of the cost of store-bought cleaner. I have plenty of glycerin to make 2 batches, and bought the cheapest baby wash, I think I spent a total of $6. (I did cheat and just used regular bottled water.)

Here's the recipe:
2 Tbsp liquid glycerin (in the Rx department)
8 oz distilled water
1 tsp baby wash

THAT'S IT!

More Pass Along Cards

Here are two more cards from a progressive card project on SCS. They turned out really good!

Jumbo Paperclip Bookmark

This was my first try making a bookmark with the jumbo paperclips. It was really easy! I found the paperclips in the office supplies at Wal-Mart - very inexpensive!

The pink and white papers were punched with nesting scalloped punches. I embossed the cupcake with chocolate embossing powder and then colored it in with blender pens and my ink pads. The cherry is highlighted with clear Stickles. The ribbon is attached under the white layer with glue dots. I also used glue dots to attach the back to the front around the paper clip. I tried using glue, but couldn't get it to hold.

The colors are all SU - Rose Red, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocoa.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping!

Group Card

This card front is a collaberation (sp?) of several girls on SCS for a card swap. Everyone contributed an element to make this card. I love how it turned out!

Some Scrapbook Layouts

Yesterday I posted some cards I've recently made, and today, here are some scrapbook layouts I've made recently for swaps on SCS.

This first one was to have a bath time theme. (Sorry these pics are so aweful!) I cut the letters out on the Cricut with the Winnie the Pooh font cartridge. (I love that one for fonts!) I used some bubbles DP, DCWV cardstock, and dewdrops on the bottom. The scallops are cut with 2 nesting punches (can't remember brand) but I love them - use them a lot. The stamp is House Mouse.


This page I made for a brown theme. Again, DCWV background paper, some misc DP, some SU cs (creamy caramel and chocolate chip). All ink is SU and versamark for the embossing on the bon-bon. The stamps are SU, but the name is escaping me now - I believe it's a retired set though. I can't wait to use this page!

This last page was a blue theme. The paper is the same as above (photo mat is SU Ballet Blue). The stamp is a misc rubber stamp, and you can't see it, but the "family" is highlighted with clear stickles.

Well, I hope you like them. I'm off to hopefully get some crafting done today. I want to try making these coaster boxes for Easter baskets, so I may try one today. If they turn out, I'll post a pic later.

Happy stamping!

Some Cards

So, once again it's been a while since I've posted, but here I am! We've had a rough start to the year, but the weather is finally warming up and hopefully it will get better!

I haven't done much crafting lately, and I've also been lax on taking pics, but here are two cards I've made recently.

This first one I made needed to include embossing somewhere - so I embossed the background in silver from a clear stamp set I have from Pat Catan's or something. I used stickles to accent the candles on the cake too.


This second card I created from a card kit I made for a swap on SCS. I used blender pens to color in the image. I've just recently this last year started to use DP on my cards. I think it adds a nice touch, and if you have any leftovers from scrapping, it's a nice way to use them up since you don't need a lot for a card.



Thanks for looking and happy stamping!

Strange Things Happen in this House

Yes, this is my son. He takes after his Daddy. I had to share this because I was laughing so hard when I took it (and he was wondering what was wrong with me?)! We had just gotten back home from a birthday party, and he was enjoying his goodies. (By the way, the thing in his mouth is a ring pop). But I think the glasses make the outfit....:)

House Mouse Card

I made this card from a card kit I put together for a swap. I love this stamp (or most house mouse stamps for that matter!) I've been using a lot of browns lately too and love how the pink and brown go together. The paper is Heidi Grace I believe; it's double sided (you can see the other side in the bottom picture, which is the inside of the card.) The ribbon is SU Chocolate Chip grosgrain, the brads are brown also. The cotton ball is highlighted with stickles.

I've only recently started making the gate-fold cards, but they are so cute and are a break from the standard.
Thanks for looking!

Fake-Out Rotisserie Chicken

This is a great recipe I got from Stephanie's blog. It's a takeoff of the rotisserie style chickens you get from the grocery store. We love it!

Here's the basic mix:

--2 tsp kosher salt
--1 tsp paprika
--1 tsp onion powder
--1/2 tsp dried thyme
--1 tsp Italian seasoning
--1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
--1/2 tsp black pepper

Rub onto any chicken cut of your choice, grill it, broil it, throw it in the crockpot all day. Any way - it's delicious!

Ink Spray and Smash

I made this card for a card challenge that used glossy paper. I did the ink spray and smash technique.

Basically you drop a couple drops of reinker on your glossy cs, spray a spray or 2 of water, and then lay another piece of glossy cs over it, smush them together, and then pull apart and let dry. I like how it turned out. The image and sentiment are embossed on with clear embossing powder and old olive ink. The card stock is SU barely banana and old olive.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping!

Father's Day Border Set

So, we are getting hit with a lovely ice storm today. I am SO tired of winter. But then, I'm definitely not a cold-weather person. I should be washing dishes out of our now broken dishwasher, but I'd rather be here...posting:)

Here is a border set I made a few weeks ago (yes, I am a little behind here) for a holiday border swap. Sorry about the picture quality. I took it with our old camera right before it died.


I love the paper that I found at JA's for this. It's a little hard to see, but it's blues and chocolate browns stripes (duh) and paisley. I can't remember the alphabet name for some reason, but it is SU. The truck is Loads of Love, and the journal box was a rectangle I used my corner rounder on (great tool I think). On the top border, I used dark brown brads (they are so cool) and the bottom one I used my little deco stapler with blue staples. The smile box I cut out on the Cricut (Fabulous Finds cartridge.)

Well, I'm off to wash dishes now. I think I've put that off as long as possible if I want to cook dinner tonight (hey, we have a small kitchen)!

Happy stamping!

Gate Fold Card

I decided to break out of my box with this card and made a Gate fold card. I am very happy with how this turned out. The papers are Stampin' Up (Eggplant Envy, Lovely Lilac and Old Olive) and same on the inks. The stamps are Papertrey Ink. The centers of the flowers are Stickles (I love those!). The background stamp is from Pat Catan's, but I don't remember the company. I hope you try one of these cards soon - they are a nice break. The only thing I wish is that it would lay flat better, but I think the happy birthday box needed to be moved up a little higher.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping!

Coffee Card

I love how this card turned out. I used the Warm Happiness set from Papertrey Ink. The paper is SU Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, and Blush Blossom (which I don't use that often for some reason). The "coffee" is black stickles. It's a little hard to see, but the edges on the coffee cup piece I dusted with Caramel ink using a sponge.

Happy stamping!