Make It Monday #102: Pillow Box Stamping & Assembling

The MIM challenge at Capture the Moment this week is to stamp on an assembled shape like a bag or a box. You can watch the tutorial here and link up your take on the challenge.

I have to confess, I don't own the pillow box die, but was able to make up one with the help of a pencil and scoring tool.

I made the embossed kraft box first and then realized I hadn't fulfilled the "stamped" part of the challenge. Not sure if the stamped label counted - this was made using the Photo Finish Strips die, layered stamps from Love Potion and the Limitless Layers Heart dies.

I cut the second pillow box and stamped it before assembling. The heart outline stamps are from the Framed Out #11 and With All My Heart stamp sets.

Another sentiment from With All My Heart is stamped on the center heart. The smallest two hearts are cut with the Framed Out #11 die and the larger two from the Limitless Layers Hearts die set.

I used the color palette from the ColourQ Challenge #174 for this pillow box.

Here's one last look at both of them:

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

MFT February 2013 Guest Designer Challenge

The team at My Favorite Things has provided a great sketch to work with for the February My Favorite Things Guest Designer challenge!

Details on how to enter the challenge can be found on the MFT Forum at Splitcoast Stampers or at the MFT Blog. The winner  receives a wonderful prize pack of MFT product AND the opportunity to work alongside the MFT Design Team to the whole month of February!!

I used the sketch to create a Valentine's Day card.

I was looking at my new MFT LLD Document It stamp sets and the "I Love Us" stamp from Off the Chart really caught my eye. It might just be serendipity, but James Taylor was rotating through on my playlist as I was working and before you know it "winter, spring, summer & fall" from the Days and Dates stamp set were on my acrylic block and I was testing ink colors to see if I could create a background for my sentiment panel.

I didn't take me long to decide on the Spun Sugar Distress Ink for the background stamping. The "I Love Us" stamp was easy to mask and stamp on top of this.

My little shell heart button was picked up at a local scrapbook store and helps anchor the tag made with a couple of die-namics from the LLD Accent It: Labels and Tabs set. The "100%" stamp is also from Off the Chart.

A border was die-cut with the Die-namics Faux Crochet Border and topped with a piece of lace tape. The designer papers are from either Crate Paper's Fourteen 6x6 pad or Basic Grey Kissing Booth. A few pearls form my stash and a piece of linen thread on the button are the finishing touches.

So there you have it, my "Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall I Love Us 100%" card - I think this one is going to my husband!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

ColourQ#173 + Simon Says + CASology

This is another triple challenge card.

It started with the CASology challenge Week 28: Drink, which immediately made me think of the MFT a la mode Miss You a Latte stamp. I love paper piecing these girls, so that brought in the Simon Says Stamp challenge and I went to the ColourQ Challenge #173 for my color palette.

And sadly, I took too long to post this and missed the CASology deadline :(

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

MFTWSC108 + Simon Says + Moxie Fab

While I impatiently wait for my husband to get home so we can go out to dinner, I thought I would quickly get my MFTWSC108 sketch card posted - so far I have managed to participate every week for 2013 (LOL I know that we are only 4 weeks into the year, but still I am proud of myself).

Here is the sketch for this week and you can find details of the challenge at their Splitcoast Stampers forum.

I rotated it to fit my ALM The Rainbow Will Come image.

When I saw the Simon Says Stamp challenge was to Paper Piece and that they were highlighting Lily Bee Designs product, I went right to my Buttercup paper pad that I haven't seen since before Christmas. This is one of the paper pads I obsessed about owning from the moment I first saw it released. There is just something about this bright, cheerful palette that I really love.

Cath's challenges at Moxie Fab World always seem to be rattling around in my head, so when it came time to embellish this card I couldn't help but add a sprinkle of pearl raindrops and link it up to the Challenge #7 -- Use 10 Different Embellishments on a Card Challenge.

Husband is in the shower, so we are moments away from heading out to the Pacific Coast Grill. If you are ever looking for good food in San Diego County this is one of my absolute favorites!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Papertrey Ink January 2013 Blog Hop

Welcome to the Papertrey Ink Monthly Blog Hop!

Nichole's challenge this month was to use black for the background of your project - if you didn't come from her blog, you can head over to Capture the Moment for details.

I have really been wanting play with an idea I had to use the Quatrefoil Cover Plate die to create a window card, so took some time yesterday to make this card.

Window cards are notoriously hard to photograph, especially if you are trying to line something up to be seen in a specific spot through the window, so bear with me as I show the card from a few different angles.

I used Smoky Shadow cardstock and cut 2 panels with the Quatrefoil Cover Plate die, poking 7 of the tiles out of the inside front panel and 13 tiles out of the outside front panel.  A few pieces of temporary tape helped hold the tiles I wanted to keep in place until the panels were adhered together. I also cut a 6.5 x 4.25" card base with a score line at 1" to create a flap.

The wrong sides of the die-cuts are adhered together, with a piece of transparency and the front flap sandwiched between them. Six of the tiles on the front of the card were replaced with tiles cut from Sweet Blush cardstock.

The inside of the card is finished with a Vintage Cream tile sitting on a Hibiscus Burst oval (I know it looks like a circle in the photo, but it really is an oval). This tile is stamped with a couple of the small hearts from the With All My Heart stamp set and lined up to fit in the center window panel.

Does anyone else have a container sitting on your desk temporarily housing little bits and pieces until you have time to put them away properly? Well, I do LOL, and earlier this week I finally tackled my overflowing basket. What a nice surprise to find 10 tiny pink gems hiding at the bottom! 

My search of the rest of my gems didn't turn up any more in this tiny size, but I did find a few slightly larger in an ever so slightly different shade of pink. I think they make the perfect finishing touch!

And here is one last photo from a different angle.

This card is also being linked to a couple of the challenges at Moxie Fab World: the Use 10 Different Embellishments Challenge and the Make a Card with a Window Challenge.

I'm off to see what else has been linked to the PTI Blog Hop.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

CAS-ual Make It Monday #101: Layered Embossing

I've been playing around with Heather Nichol's challenge to layer embossed images in the Make it Monday challenge from Papertrey Ink - you can check out her tutorial here.

I tried a few different stamp sets, but somehow came back to the same Framed Out #11 stamp set that Heather used, although the details of the large heart were lost with the gold glitter embossing.

I alternated the white and gold embossed hearts, finishing with a small open heart from the With All My Heart stamp set.

I wasn't loving the image when I was done stamping and embossing - the Hibiscus Burst cardstock seemed to overwhelm everything. I  fussy cut around the edge of the hearts - questioning my sanity halfway through - and ended up very happy with the final card.

I ended up creating a 7 x 3.5" card to fit the image, so am also linking the card to CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #86.

CFC86: Create a CAS card that has one long side and one short side.

3 x 6, 4 x 8, etc. No standard A2's for this week.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

MFTWSC107 with Washi

I am blogging early this morning, but want to get this posted before I get distracted as the day goes on. My daughter has the week off school for her semester break and was overjoyed (not) to find out I'd scheduled her wisdom teeth to be removed. It is so hard for high schoolers to miss school time and I'd rather do something else for Spring Break, so this break seems to be the best choice to give her a little recovery time before she has to appear in public again.

I've challenged myself to participate in the My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club every week this year, so  here is my take on the MFTWSC107. You can find the details on this challenge over at their forum on Splitcoast Stampers.

I found the diagonal lines on this sketch to be the biggest challenge until I had a lightbulb moment and tried using the Teresa Collins washi tape that was part of her Christmas Cottage line.

My oval dies were a bit short for the sketch, so I filled in the space at the bottom with a few flowers.

Is it silly that one of my favorite parts of this card is the little tag made with the new MFT LLD Accent It - Labels & Tabs dies!

I really need to get in the habit of using washi tape more often. The challenge this week at Simon Says Stamp is to Use Washi Tape, so this card is also being linked up over there.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #176 Guest Stamper

Woohoo! Last week Karen Giron from The Sweetest Thing picked my card as the winner from her Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #174, so that means I have the privilege of being the Guest Sweet Sunday Stamper for challenge #176!!!!

Here is a look at the fabulous sketch we have to work with:

And my take on it:

I pulled out some of my favorite designer papers from Now & Then by Teresa Collins, a couple of My Favorite Things dies and a stamp from My Favorite Things Let's Toast.

I love the way the birthday sentiment fits in the star die cut!

To play along, all you need to do is create your own card based on Karen's sketch and head over to the sweetest thing to link up your card to the challenge.

For a little more inspiration, check out the Sweet Sunday Stampers:

• Dana White
• Dawn Easton
• Jackie Pedro
• Karen Motz
• Lori Tecler
• Lynn Put
• Melissa Hubert
• Sarah-Jane Kalé
• Tracy Clemente
• Vicki Burdick

Thanks for letting me play along this week!

Jacquie

CFC86 & Simon Says Washi Tape

When I saw the Simon Says Stamp challenge this week is to "use Washi Tape" I knew I had to participate.

I have a lovely growing collection of washi tape that looks very pretty on the shelf, but doesn't get used nearly as much as it should.  On Wednesday I made it as far as wrapping a panel of white cardstock with a rainbow of tapes and was distracted by other obligations.

Then I saw the CASual Fridays challenge and knew I had to use my washi panel.

CFC86: Create a CAS card that has one long side and one short side.

3 x 6, 4 x 8, etc. No standard A2's for this week.

My finished card is 3x6" and uses a My Favorite Things sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Make It Monday #100: How to Package Cards with Oversized Embellishments

If you have never participated in Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday challenge, this is the week you might want to start because, in honor of reaching the 100th MIM, they are giving away a $100 gift certificate to one randomly selected participant. Hang on a second, maybe you should just watch this week and join in next week.

Details of the challenge and a few suggestions can be found over here at Capture the Moment.

If my card is a little thicker or wider than usual, I usually put the card in a larger sized envelope. I love making 5x5 cards, which require extra postage and hand franking anyway, so I went in with some other card making friends to bulk buy 5.5 square envelopes. Occasionally I use a padded envelope or add a small piece of bubble wrap to protect beads or pins from being pushing through the envelope.

There are a few other options, especially if a gift card or other little treat is being added, such as using a gift bag or paper sack.

Because the heart die-cuts on this card extend off either side, it is 4 3/4" wide and unable to fit in a standard envelope.

There is also a little extra depth to this card as the layered hearts are popped up slightly.

My super simple solution was to fold down the top of a kraft paper sack and add a row of five hearts. The three hearts on the top piece are adhered so the bottom of the heart hangs over the edge of the flap.

The other two hearts are adhered to the base of the bag, with the top of the hearts left unattached. They interlock with the flap to keep the bag closed.

Thankfully a picture is worth a thousand words, as I don't think I explained my technique very well. In fact, I think I am going to claim I invented this technique because I really don't think I've seen it done before. Please don't break my heart and send me links to other crafters or Pinterest where you have a whole board dedicated to interlocking heart flap closures!

By using a paper sack like this, I can easily add a few chocolates and a gift card to the Valentine's Day greeting.

All the dies and stamps are from PTI: Framed Out #11 die & mini stamp set, Limitless Layers Heart dies and With All My Heart stamp set. The papers are Crate Paper Fourteen (anyone else notice the 3 different ways February is spelled?!) and the ink is Barn Door Distress Ink.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2013 - January

Are you familiar with the 12 Tags of 2013 challenge that Tim Holtz has on his blog?

Well, a real life friend of mine, the Frugal Scrapper,  has partnered with a local scrapbook store, Ever After, to run a year long challenge based on Tim's tags. Ever After is offering a discount of Tim's products just for participating and you will be entered in a monthly random draw to win a $10 gift certificate.

It was enough for me to get a little inky and messy this morning.

The Distress Inks I used were Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Faded Jeans, Antique Linen and Vintage Photo. I substituted a flourish die for the gears and embossed it with Vintage Photo Distress Embossing powder. This leaves a much different result and texture than regular embossing powders and gave me the rusty texture I was looking for.

I caught one end of the filmstrip ribbon in the bullnose clip and twisted it under the sentiments panel where the adhesive can't be seen.

I used a small piece of leftover ruler ribbon at the top of the tag - this ribbon is extremely stiff and not easy to manipulate into a knot!

A few Tim Holtz gears finish things off. Can you pick out my big mistake?!

I had planned to link this tag up to Tim's blog, but I am pretty sure it has to be 100% his product. All my gears, regardless of manufacturer, live together in one place. Because I'd used Glossy Accents to adhere the gears to the tag there was no going back when I discovered one of the metal pieces shouldn't be here.

Thankfully Ever After only requires 80% Tim Holtz product to be eligible for the random draw!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Moxie Fab World Window & Itty Bitty Card Challenges

Please excuse any typos or odd grammar in this post. I am trying to type while watching the Seahawks game and having difficulty concentrating.

Yesterday I started playing with a few hearts dies and ended up with an Itty Bitty Window Card.

The finished card measures 3x3" and started with a heart shaped hole cut by PTI's Framed Out #11 die on the front of the card. A piece of scrap paper was cut with one of the Limitless Layers Heart dies and then the FO#11 die cut the heart in the middle of pink chevron heart, leaving a heart frame around the heart window.

A piece of transparency is also die cut with a Limitless Layers die and covers the window. The red cardstock was cut first with the LL Heart die and then the FO #11 the same way I cut the chevron paper. This gave me a red heart frame to cover the transparency on the inside of the card front and a smaller heart frame to use on the inside panel that we see through the window.

A sentiment and heart outline from the Framed Out #11 Mini Stamp set finish the inside of the card.

The front of the window is outlined with Diamond Stickles for a little glitter. When the card is closed, all the hearts line up beautifully!

Cath at Moxie Fab World issued a few challenges this week with the publishing of 75 Creative Card Challenges, so I am entering this card in the Card Challenge #23 - Make an Itty Bitty Card and Card Challenge #60 - Make a Card with a Window.

Thanks for stopping by - the Seahawks need to my full concentration as they are down 13-0, but they had a phenomenal comeback last week and I know they can do it again!!!

Jacquie

MFTWSC106 Birthday Girl

I used the My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club sketch #106 at Splitcoast Stampers and the a la Mode Birthday Girl stamp set to make this quick birthday card.

My oval dies are Lifestyle Crafts and a little skinnier and longer than some others on the market, but frame this ALM image perfectly. The edges and bottom of the image panel are inked with Antique Linen Distress ink and stickles add a bit of shine to the cupcake frosting, candle flame and tiara.

The image is colored with Copics and her dress & the cupcake liner are paper pieced (all papers are from My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Ruby). 

The sentiment is stamped on a fishtail flag banner and a cream seam binding bow finishes the card off.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Make It Monday Rainbows Take 2 & 3

I know I am not alone in making more than one card for the PTI Make It Monday #99: Repeats & Rainbows challenge. You can find the details over here.

This first card used the Rainbow Color Scheme #2.

This card took much longer than it should have to come together. I had a really small piece of Spring Moss to work with, so cut my Edgers Die #2 short & think the edges look unfinished because of that. I dithered over whether the card was too fussy for a sympathy card, but in the end added the sentiment from Big Favorites #3.

This second card, using Rainbow Color Scheme #1, came together in minutes and I will definitely add a few more like it to the birthday card stash. 

The triangles of color were die cut with the Hello Sunshine die and the stamp is from the fabulous Birthday Bash Sentiments set.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

CASual Friday Challenge 84: Thank You

I really appreciate any thank you cards I receive, and have tried to instill the art of sending a thank you card in my children. I am not sure if the lesson will stick in the long run, but this year my son was very aware of which teachers thanked him for the Christmas gift cards we dropped off before the holiday break. Several teachers thanked him personally and one had a thank you card waiting when school started up yesterday.

I usually have them make their own thank you cards for gifts received - now that they are teens, there is very little in my stash of supplies that is off limits. Occasionally I even have to track down a paper trimmer or tape gun in their homework area.

This year they don't have to make all the cards because I wanted to play a bit with my Paper Smooches Qwick Qwips stamp set and made a few they can use for some of their aunts & cousins.

These were super fast & easy!

I used Tim Holtz distress inks (Spun Sugar, Shabby Shutters and Tumbled Glass), Memento Tuxedo Black ink and a little pink Baker's Twine.

They will be making something a little more traditional for their grandparents.

The CASual Fridays Challenge is to make a CAS Thank you, so I am linking these cards up over there.

CFC84: Create a Clean And Simple Thank You card

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie