This Way to Halloween Fun-Card Tutorial #6

     Welcome back crafters!  Today we are going to make a Halloween card filled with all the traditional seasonal goodies. It's orange, black, and pumpkins oh my!

A close up of the Halloween Fun

     To begin I pulled out a kraft card base.  I wasn't too sure what I was going to do at this point, and kraft is kind of my go to staple, so I decided to work from what I know.  Next, I looked through my Recollections 6x6 Halloween Basics Paper Pad and pulled out two patterns that I absolutely love.  I decided to use the chevron as the background and the little bats for a banner.
     I loved coloring the pumpkins so much earlier in this series that I decided to do some similar coloring on this card.  I selected my image from an Inkadinkado Halloween set (another that I purchased on clearance:), and used my Memento Tuxedo Black ink for the impression.  Then, I set to work coloring the pumpkins.
     After coloring, I broke out my wafer thin circle dies.  First, I cut out the image.  I decided that it needed a mat just to make it stand out from the chevron.  I chose a light grey cardstock, though instead of adhering it directly to the colored piece, I slipped the banner in between.  To complete the banner element I stamped a Craft Smart stamp on to white cardstock in Staz On black ink, which I fussy cut and adhered with my tape runner.
     After adhering the banner element to the chevron background with foam squares, I chose my finishing elements.  Honestly, they are my go-to elements to complete any project.  First, I rounded the bottom corners of my card base and background paper before gluing them.  Then, I tied black and white bakers twine around the banner piece.  I chose not to make a bow to keep it a little less cutesy.  Finally, albeit unsurprisingly, I broke out my Jelly Roll white gel pen to add a few dashed lines.

The finished Halloween Haunt

     Thanks so much for stopping by friends!  I hope you have been enjoying the series so far, happy crafting!
estimated time= 40 minutes

You Rock-Card Tutorial #6

     Hi friends!  Today we are going to take a look at how changes colors and patterns can alter the entire feel of a card.  The card today shares the same basic layout as this card from earlier this month, but the feel is completely different.  I recently took my first trip to Tuesday Morning and let me just say, it was a memorable one.  Three hours after I entered,  I emerged from the store with heavy bags and a light wallet.  Over the next few weeks I'm sure I'll be incorporating my new products, and I'm sure many more trips to Tuesday Morning will be in my future.  What can I say?  I'm just a sucker for sales, especially sales on my favorite types of things.  Today's card is entirely composed of products I purchased on my excursion. Let's get down to business (to defeat the huns)!

I love how this glitter shows up completely differently in different lights

     To begin, I cut and scored a piece of Bazzill Basics paper to make a standard size, top-folding card.  To match this bright piece, I pulled out my We R Memory Keepers Groovy paper pack.  I knew I wanted to work with three patterns, so I pulled out a few and began playing with them.  I finally decided to run the striped piece through my BigKick with a circle die to create a peek-a-boo effect.

The bare bones of the layout

     I knew I wanted to use some of my new dimensional letters from Momenta, so I searched for a sentiment I loved and settle on 'you rock'.

Placing the stickers after I marked out where each should go

     I decided to place 'rock' on a banner to keep it from getting lost in the shuffle.  After I had the letters on, I decided they needed a little pizzazz; enter Stickles.  Initially, I only intended to glitter (yes, I'm using glitter as a verb) the second word, but in the end I smothered 'you' as well.

I loved how the glitter ended up reflecting green, blue and yellow. It matched the card perfectly!

     It was at this point that I caved to my routine and added a white twine bow and stitching lines to the card.  What can I say, old habits die hard.  To accentuate the peek-a-boo business, I adhered the entire top portion of the card with (a copious amount of) foam tape.

You could say I'm a little paranoid about things coming unglued

     Once that was adhered, I simply added another layer of Stickles to the letters and presto! Card complete!

The finished magic

          This sentiment is super versatile and I think this card could be perfect for birthdays, thank yous, graduations, you name it!  Thank you so much for stopping by, and good luck in all your crafty endeavors.

estimated time: 30 minutes

Ribbon and Twine Storage-A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place #3

     Welcome, crafters!  For years my ribbon and twine drawer was an absolute pain.  I used to throw everything in one drawer, which is obviously a recipe for a giant organizational disaster.  The tangled mess was a strong deterrent, and as a result I almost never incorporated any fabric elements in to my projects

The most photogenic section of the prior ribbon horror 

     This seems like a distant, phantasmal past, considering how often I use bakers twine now.  When I reorganized my room, I poured over all the different options for storing ribbon.  After an excessive amount of pinteresting, the right solution hit me square in the face.
     In addition to paper crafting, I am an avid friendship bracelet maker.  I experienced the same tangling problems for years with my embroidery floss until I discovered my current system.  I found these little plastic (cards?) at Michaels that work absolutely perfectly.

The cards are super cheap and are sold in large bulk

I store my spare cards in a former Gerber baby food container

     After years of having this system, it finally occurred to me that I could incorporate it in to my paper crafting storage.  For all my bakers twine, I am able to use the notches to keep everything secure.  For thicker ribbon, I simply break out my sewing push pins to keep everything in place.

A few different types of ribbon, all compatible with this system

     I keep all of the wrapped ribbon in a clear box with dividers, which helps me keep everything color coded.

I find these Creative World boxes so versatile in craft organization

     All of my larger wrapping ribbon is kept in my craft closet in color coded bins.

Not nearly as cute, but still very functional

     I hope that some of these ideas help you organize your own ribbon stash!  Accessible storage makes little bow or banner such an easy and fun way to add a little extra pizzazz to your projects.  Good luck organizing, I'll see you soon friends!

Autumn's Arriving-Card Tutorial #5

     Hi friends!  Today I am continuing with the Fall series.  There is nothing better for fall than simple warm colors and textures, so that's what we are going to work with today.  This card was inspired by the new products I picked up from Michaels and Joann's, namely the Cuttlebug Honeycomb embossing folder and Stampendous Fall background stamp.  Let's get to it!

I loved breaking out my Tim Holtz Muse Tokens for this card

     I began by finding a piece of kraft cardstock that matched closely to my premade kraft card base.  I new I wanted a largely tone-on-tone pallet for this card, and I wanted the browns to be cohesive.  After cutting the kraft piece to fit and rounding the corners with my Fiskars corner rounder, I inked the edges. Inking the edges of an element is a great way to add some extra dimension and prevent anything from getting lost.

I turn to my Colorbox archival dye ink in Mudslide and my Tim Holtz blending tool when inking edges.

     I used the same ink to cover my Stampendous fall background stamp (which I am proud to say I found on clearance).  When stamping larger images like this, I always stamp on a mousepad and standup to provide even pressure and the cleanest image.

I love creating my own version of patterned paper with a large background stamp

     To me, burnt orange is the epitome of fall, so I rifled through my orange scrap drawer to find the perfect paper.  Originally I was going to go with a patterned piece, but I decided to keep this card really clean and simple.  Blank cardstock also gave me the chance to use one of my new embossing folders.  After cutting the paper to size, I ran it through my BigKick with the adorable Cuttlebug Honeycomb embossing folder.

This folder is slightly oversized and perfect for larger than A2 creations

     Next, I turned to my ribbon drawer.  I already knew that I wanted to use a Tim Holtz Muse Token, so I searched for something to secure it.  Surprisingly, I turned away from my traditional bakers twine and opted for wrapped natural twine and burlap.

I always have to fuss with the not a bit to make it perfect (or close enough)

     To secure everything down I broke out my ATG gun and foam squares.  A little tape on the embossed portion and foam squares on the kraft element and the card is complete! (Or so I thought at the time...I caved and added some dashed lines before deciding that I was officially finished)

The completed fall fun

     Thanks everyone for stopping by!  Don't forget to spend some time this week to get crafty.  Hope to see you soon!
estimated time: 20 minutes (this card is actually a really quick one to make, so simple but so cute)

When Nature Turns to Gold-Card Tutorial #4

     Hey friendship! Welcome back to the Fall card series! (I've decided to separate Fall and Halloween in to Falling Leaves and Halloween Haunts).  I loved doing a little Copic coloring on yesterday's card, so I decided to do some more today mixed with embossing.  Let's get to it!

Some warm colors for this upcoming season

     I knew I wanted to do a little experimenting with my coloring, so I started by cutting my patterned cardstock and preparing it with my embossing buddy.  I proceeded to stamp and emboss leaves from my Inkadinkado fall set with Versamark ink and Recollections gold embossing powder.

Embossing over my powder tray 

     I used four Copic markers to color in the falling leaves; E21, E23, E25, E59.  I was actually super pleased with the results. I love how you can see a little bit of the penmanship peeking through under the coloring!

A little Copic fun

     After the coloring, I went rifling through my ribbon drawer, finally selecting a white ribbed ribbon and tan (lacy?) piece.  I ended up using double adhesive to secure these on to my patterned paper.  Glossy accents is adhesive for ribbon, though I added some traditional tape just to add extra security.  

It's not pretty, but it's effective

     I embossed the sentiment with the same gold embossing powder on to a hand cut tag.  I've been dying to use my Recollections button brads, as they just scream 'fall' to me.  Additionally, my itch to use bakers twine was creeping up on me again, so I decided a nice bow was going to be necessary.  Using my Tim Holtz Tonic Craft Pick, I pierced the paper to insert the brad and make room to tie the bow.

The craft pick works much better than a hole bunch for smaller brads

     Finally, I was ready to adhere the entire decorated portion to the card base using foam tape.  I elected to use a white standard size card base, just to keep everything from getting to brown. And finally...

The whole shebang

     Thanks for stopping by, friends.  I hope to see you again soon. Happy Fall!
estimated time: 40 minutes

Happy Halloween-Card Tutorial #3

     Hey crafty people! Today I have for you the second installment in my Fall/Halloween series (I'm starting to think this series needs a snappy and alliterative name).  Alas, back to business.  In this card I wanted to explore the cheerier side of Halloween, as well as do a little Copic coloring.

A closeup of the fall fun

     I began this card adventure with an A2 kraft card base.  Because I knew that I wanted to do some coloring, I rifled through my stamps to find a nice autumnal image.  After stamping the image in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, I began the coloring process using Y11, Y15, Y17, and Y18.  To give the image a little extra dimension, I then covered each pumpkin with Glossy Accents (a Kuretake Zig Wink of S  tella glitter pen in clear would also be a great choice here).

I did a few practice runs to check the color combination and get a perfectly stamped image

     I wanted to pursue the pumpkin patch theme further, so I picked out an orange gingham background paper to be the main pattern.  I then selected a piece of kraft cardstock to mount the coloring on.  It looked a little bland though, so I decided to break out my oft-forgotten paper crimper. After rounding the corners of the card base, I found the perfect sentiment stamp to emboss under the image.

I chose this sentiment from the Hero Arts Celebrate Everyday stamp set

          I decided to emboss the sentiment in white using Versamark watermark ink and Paper Source white embossing powder.   To create more contrast on the card, I cut a black cardstock piece to place behind the orange patterned paper.  I just couldn't resist using my scallop border punch on it.  To incorporate more of the black, I secured the pumpkin image with black photo corners, (photo corners fall in to the same constant-use category for me as bakers twine and stitching marks).  Speaking of stitching marks, I decided to complete the card with dashed lines all around the outer elements.

   

The finished item

     Thanks for staying tuned, friends!  Hopefully by the next time you visit I will have a fun little name for this series.  Have fun creating this fall season:)

estimated time: 30 minutes

Trick or Treat- Card Tutorial #2

     Hi friends!  Today I'm going to be starting a miniseries for Fall and Halloween cards.  I can't help myself. The back to school season, filled with pumpkin spice candles and warm soup, is seeping in to my craft room and creativity.

A (hopefully) spooky closeup 

     I knew when starting this card that I wanted to use a less traditional Halloween color, (don't worry though, there will be plenty of orange throughout this series).  I began by using my Martha Stewart scoring board to create a standard size top-folding card.

Martha Stewart mini scoring board

     I ran the card base through my Sissix BigKick with the Creative Memories chevron embossing folder.  I decided, as I often do, that I wanted to enhance the embossing with ink.  This time, however, I opted against my traditional white and decided upon silver. I went for a slightly messy look with the ink to harken back to the creepy Halloween aspects of the card.    

Using Brilliance silver ink over newspaper to keep my cutting mat clean

     Next, I chose my papers.  I fell in love with the little bats from the Recollections Halloween 6x6 paper pack as well as this purple cardstock, and thought they worked really well with the sliver ink.  I decided to use my scallop border punch on the purple cardstock to give it a little something extra.

Using my ek success border punch

     After I cut the patterned paper down to size, I realized that I wanted to place my sentiment within this paper.  I broke out my wafer thin circle dies and chose a 1.5 inch die that would fit the stamp perfectly inside.  Next, I placed foam tape on the back before returning to the sentiment.  I decided to emboss the sentiment in silver, to tie in the rest of the elements.

The embossed sentiment

      Finally, I was able to adhere all the portions of the card down.  I then took my black and white bakers twine and tied a small bow at the top of the card to finish it off (I know, bakers twine, surprise surprise).

   

The completed card

     Finally, the first card in my Halloween and Fall series is complete! Thanks for much for stopping by!
estimated time: 25 minutes

Clear and Cling Stamp Storage-A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place #2

     Oh, stamps!  You are truly my addiction.  Some girls love shoes, some girls love purses, I love you.  For years I struggled with how to organize you, but struggle no more! A solution has been found.
     Stamps are one of the most versatile tools a crafter has.  Their lore is so vast that they encompass a hobby all their own.  The traditional rubber stamps are easy enough to store, (I love the look of mine so much that they are displayed on a wall unit), but their clear and cling counterparts prove to be a greater organizational challenge.  My first semi-attempt at organizing them led to a catch-all stamp drawer.  The problems with this system are immediately apparent; I could never find anything.  I knew exactly what stamp I wanted to use, yet it took a ridiculous amount of time for me to sort through and locate it.  Next, I moved on to a stamp binder.  As beautiful as a stamp binder seems in theory, the reality for me was lackluster.  I do like everything to be (problematically) precise, and with the binder I could never make the stamps stand or lay how I wanted them to.  Finally, after a recent craft room overhaul, I have enacted a system that works for me.

My cubby wall unit

     All my clear and cling stamps hang in a cubby to the right of my work station.  As you can see, many of the cubby holes are empty, which means plenty of room to expand my collection *insert maniacal evil laugh here*.  Within each cubby, my stamps are held in clear cd cases by set.

My first full drawer:) 

     The cd cases are wonderful because they allow me to hold a stamp above my project to check prospective size.  Because I can never turn down a chance to use a label maker, each case receives a title and is then alphabetized.

Labels make me too happy

     Originally, each stamp set received its own case, though now I have taken to mixing some of the smaller, similarly themed sets together.  For me, it just makes more sense.  I can never resist the bin at Michaels with $.50 clear stamps sets that come with three or four images, so its pretty necessary that I combine those.
     Using this system, cling stamps can sometimes be a challenge.  Because they are often thicker than their clear counterparts, in many cases it is impossible to close the case.  My current solution to this hiccup is to separate the two sides of the cd case and use them independently, and so far it is working magnificently.

A few of my cling stamps

     As the holiday season rolls around, I am sure my collection will continue to grow.  I can't resist when two of my favorite things, holidays and stamps, are combined to adorable and heartwarming success.  Thanks for sticking with me friends, and happy crafting!

Swatching System-A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place #1

     Hi friends!  I feel like I'd be lying to you if I omitted my intense love of organization in crafting.  After a long day of creating, there is nothing better than being able to return everything to its neatly defined space.  Okay, so maybe not after every creative day, but no matter.  The fact is that I feel much better creating when there is at least some method to the madness.  So in the spirit of orderliness, here is the first entry in to the organizational series, 'A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place'.

My Copic, ink, and embossing swatches

     One organizing method that has proved to be exceptionally useful, as well as aesthetically pleasing, is my current swatching system.  After many experiences with stamping a finishing sentiment with the 'perfect' color of ink, only to find out the hue was not at all what I expected or remembered, I realized that I needed a form of reference.  After trying many different swatching methods, I decided upon my current system.

My swatches hanging behind my workspace

     I keep my ink, embossing, and Copic reference colors hanging all together.

My Copic color chart

     The Copic color chart was easy enough to find, and I made haste printing it off of a google search (and yes, I do take immense pleasure in coloring each new square as I grow my Copic stash).  The Copics were easy enough, though the other swatches proved to be a bit more challenging.
   

A close up of my ink swatches

Coin collecting sheets, available super cheap at hobby stores

      I decided upon using coin collecting sheets with white cardstock inserts.  I chose a stamp that showcased the most of each color and then set to work cataloging my supplies.

For both inks and powders I add information about finishes and types (pigment, dye, pearl, opaque)

     This is an ideal system works fabulously for me. Now, I can pull each sample and compare them to my project (and generally toy relentlessly over the options).  I love the color it gives to my workspace, as beautiful organization is my favorite type of fun!
     Thanks for stopping by, I can't wait to share more organizational goodies with you.

You Make My Day- Card Tutorial #1

     This card is all about using what you already have in your stash! I am the queen of holding on to even the oldest of craft supplies, so every once and a while I have to challenge myself to create from some of my long-forgotten goodies.  I love how this mish-mash of products turned out.  It's great for birthdays and valentines or any time that you just want to bring a smile to someone's face.

A close up of the magic     

     I began by embossing a piece of DCWV Kraft cardstock with the Cuttlebug Cross My Heart Folder.  To make the embossing more prominent, I then ran a VersaMagic Dew Drop ink in Cloud White over the raised areas.  To create the peek-a-boo effect, I proceeded to run the craft sheet through my BigKick with a 4 inch wafer thin die.  Sifting through my scrap papers, I decided to go with an American Crafts Amy Tangerine scrap for the background element.

I couldn't believe my luck when I found the American Crafts 'Best of' reams at Michaels for only $5)  

     After deciding on a sentiment, (I wanted something versatile yet sweet), I turned towards the 'random' drawer in my craft room.

One of my many 'miscellaneous' drawers

     Though I love organizing my stash, there are certain things that inevitably get thrown in to the 'unclassifiable' section.  A childhood valentine's craft left me with hundreds of foam hearts that I have always been hesitant to relinquish.  Wanting to make a dent in those, as well as the Disney dimensional alphabet stickers I unearthed, I designed my sentiment.  I decided upon a word banner to to accompany the foam heart, using my powder bag as well as my Prima stamping set to emboss the message in white.

I always stamp on a mouse pad for the cleanest image

     Laying it all out, I realized it still need a few last touches, so I turned to a few of my trustiest staples.  Namely a bakers twine bow tied around the kraft piece and white stitching lines around each of the elements.

One of my favorite techniques

     Finally, I was read to adhere everything down to my white 6.5x5 inch card base using foam squares to give the kraft piece and the entire sentiment dimension. And voila!

The finished product

estimated time: 30 minutes