how delightful!

Hi there blog peeps!  Hope you're enjoying your memorial day weekend.  It's a beautiful weekend here in Southern California, although, I haven't been able to take advantage of it as much as I would have liked cuz I've been under the weather!! Boo.  Oh well - at least now I feel like I'm on the mend, so things are moving in the right direction.  Plus, I had an awesome Saturday, which I'll share with you in my next post.  But first, let's start off with this week's 2S4Y sketch, shall we?  Here's a look at the sketch that Laura created: 

It's a great, sketch that's clean and simple!  Now, here's a look the card I created, using the "How Delightful" stamp set from Lawn Fawn.  This is extra special because, not only is Lawn Fawn one of the sponsors for the week, but it's also the awesome company of fellow 2S4Y Design Team Member, Kelly Marie! 

I love the images from the set - for the card, I used the chandelier stamp and added some bling to the bulbs by embellishing with rhinestones.  In order to get my chandeliers to line up just right, I used the handy dandy Cathy Allan Position-It tool, from Scor-it-all.  I did a quick tutorial last week on how to create a background using the Position-It tool, and this week, I've got a quick and simple tutorial on how to align the images just so.

Here's what I did:

1.  First, you'll want to do the center image on your cardstock.  I stamped the image on the acrylic sheet and then positioned the stamped image where I wanted it on my cardstock.  Then, I aligned the right angle block flushed to the left corner of the acrylic sheet.  Next, you remove the sheet and stamp the image in left corner of the right angle.

2.  Next, repeat the above step with the left and right images.  Tip: I used the gridded lines to keep my right angle block aligned.  I kept the bottom edge along the same axis and just moved it to the left or right of the center image to keep the horizontal alignment.  Here's a look at the positioning:

Viola!  That's how I kept my chandeliers in line!  Here's one last look at the finished card. 

Hope you like it!  For more fun ideas, be sure to pop over to the 2S4Y blog!

May's Final Friday Winner!

Hi all!  Hope you had a fantastic week.  I really don't know where the time goes these days.  It goes by sooo fast!  Are you guys ready to find out who the winner is for this month's May Final Friday giveaway?  Let's find out, shall we?  The lucky winner of the Thank You Kindly stamp set is...

Lucky #6 who happens to be Queenie Jeannie!  Congrats, Jeannie!  Thanks so much to everyone that left a comment.  So fun to get your perspectives.  I really do enjoy reading everyone's comments.  Stay tuned for June's Freebie Friday, which will be a BIG one, since the final Friday also happens to be my Birthday! :)  I'll be posting the freebie next week on the good ol' blog.

Have a great day and I'll catch up with you guys later!

2S4Y Lovebirds

Hi all! Happy Monday to you! Are you energized and ready for a new week? Well, to start you off for the week, I've got the new 2S4Y Sketch card for you. Here's a look at the sketch:

I decided to turn it on it's side to create my card:

Aren't those birdies fun?  The stamps I used for this card are from the Love Birds stamp set from our sponsor of the week - WPlus9.  Dawn's the talented gal that started this company and I've had the pleasure of "meeting" her online.  I LOVE her style.  She's amazingly creative and such an inspiration, as you'll see on her blog!  It was such a treat to play with these adorable stamps.  Here's another look at the card for you:

I've even got a tutorial to share with you on how I created the background.  I used Cathie Allan's Position-It, from Scor-it-all, who's also a sponsor of the week for this 2S4Y sketch!  Using the tool made creating the background a breeze!  It takes all the guess work out of stamping and makes sure your image is stamped exactly where you want it to go!  Here's the overview.

The Position-It comes with 4 basic pieces - 1) a sturdy board with a handy, easy to use grid, 2) a large right angle block that you can affix to the board, 3) a clear acrylic board to position your stamps, and 4) a smaller right angle block to give you the flexibility to position the acrylic piece anywhere on your project. 

{Creating a background}

1. Place the large right angle on the board, then place the clear acrylic board (I'll refer to this as the clear sheet), flush to the right angle.  Next, stamp the branch image in the corner the acrylic sheet by making sure the stamp is flushed to the right angle.  You see the resulting image on the acrylic sheet below.

2. Position the cardstock on the grid board and use a temporary adhesive on the back to keep it in place.  Next, place the clear acrylic sheet with the stamped image where you want it to appear on your cardstock.  Now, take the smaller right angle and make sure it is aligned with the bottom left corner of the acrylic sheet.  Take the acrylic sheet away and then stamp your image in that spot.

3.  Now you'll continue to use the acrylic sheet to position your stamp exactly where you want it on the paper. Then, take the smaller right angle and place it in the bottom left corner of the acrylic sheet, remove the sheet, and stamp in that same spot.

4.  For the next step, I filled in my pattern by stamping the branch image upside down.  You'll see that instead of really stamping it upside down, I turned the grid board upside down and then positioned my stamp. 

5.  I repeated the steps until I filled in my background.

6.  Here is my finished background.  You'll see that I got some of the stamped image on the grid board - not to worry - it wipes off nice and clean with a stamp cleaner and a paper towel!

And to bring it all together, here's one last look at the finished card!

Hope you enjoyed that!  Now, go and hop on over to 2S4Y to check out all the amazing cards for this week's sketch.  I invite you to play along, too!  :)

Thanks for peeking in!  Have a great day!

quick cards from scraps!

Hi all!  Hope you're enjoying your Sunday so far.  I was tidying my craft room up a bit and came across extra scraps from a swap I had done for the WooHoo stampers demo event last month.  I actually made more of my background pattern then I ended up putting together for the swap, so I just put the rest together this morning and make these quick and easy cards.  Here's another one - this scrap actually has some smooch spray on it - I was playing with the shimmer effect:

I had 4 of these pieces, so this would make a cute little set.  Here's the rest I made:

In total, I made 12 quick cards!  Yay!  Not only did I get to use some left overs, but now I have an aresenal of cards at the ready - just need to add a sentiment!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Honeycomb flower

Ok, ok - I am SOOO hooked on the felt flowers.  Here's another card I created using the Blossom Party die - the flower is just slightly different from the one on my post yesterday.  These flowers are just too fun to make!  Tip:  I used a hot glue gun to adhere each of the flower layers together.  I also attached the button with the hot glue, too.  Just a little dab in the centers and then gently press them all together before adhering to your card (I used the hot glue gun on the back of the flower to adhere to the card, too!).   I just think it'll be more secure that way.  ere's a closeup look at the flower:

And one last look at the card, during it's "staged" photoshoot:

Here's the recipe for you:

{Honeycomb Flower Note of Thanks Card}

All supplies Stampin'Up! except where noted:

*Stamp Set: Thank You Kindly, Poka Dot Basics II (PTI)

*Cardstock: Kraft, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip

*Inks: Chocolate Chip Classic Ink Pad

*Accessories: SU! Blossom Party Originals die, Scallop Trim Border punch, Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon, Summer Sun Corduroy Button; twine and Felt (craft store)

Hope you have a fantastic day!

Felt {flowers!}

Hi blog peeps!!!  Happy Friday to you!  Wow, did this week fly by again for me! How about you?  Well, thankfully, I got to catch my breath a little this morning and channeled some creativity with my early morning cup of coffee.  I am still on my flower kick, and I really do love the Island Floral and Blossom Party dies!  So, this time, I thought I'd create some felt flowers.  Here's a look at my full card:

I think it's got such a summery feel to it!  I love that Dahlia like flower - it's fun and it really makes me smile! :)  The leaves and smaller flowers in the middle are from the Island Floral Bigz die and the bigger outer flowers are from the Blossom Party Originals die.  The DSP I used is the Island Party DSP from the SU! Summer Mini catalog.  Not only did I create a scallop square card as you see above, but it's also one of those that you can prop up.  I think they're called Easel cards.  Here's another look:

The inside of the card has a border that makes the card "prop up."  Here's a look from the side:

So, what do you think?  Hope you like it.  Here's the recipe:

{Felt Flower Congrats!}

*Stamp Set: Say it with Scallops (retired SU!)

*Cardstock: Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Island Party DSP

*Inks: Pumpkin Pie Classic Ink Pad

*Accessories: SU! Island Floral Bigz die, SU! Blossom Party Originals die; SU! Scallop Square Clear Bigz die, Sherbet buttons, Pumpkin Pie Corduroy button, Scallop Trim Border, Scallop Square punch, 1 1/4" square punch, Melon Mambo Polka Dot Grosgrain ribbon

Thanks so much for coming by today.  Have a great Friday!!

Laura's 2S4Y Sketch 52

Hey there blog peeps!  Did you have a good weekend?  We had lots of fun this past weekend in Central CA celebrating my niece's birthday.  I'll hopefully get a chance to post some pics of the weekend later this week.  But first, I wanted to share this week's 2S4Y sketch!  You got a sneak peek of the card above.  Now, here's a look at Laura's full sketch:

I like the use of a circle in the middle, which was perfect for the digi stamps from our 2S4Y sponsor of the week, The Stamping Boutique.  Here's a look at my full card.

And here's another angle, for good measure:

What do you think?  I love the whimsical and dreamy fairy image, that I decided to use the sentiment "It's OK to Dream" to pair with it.  I added some dimension on the stamped flower by cutting out one leaf and coloring it in with a lighter color {certainly celery against old olive}.  You can't tell that I did that with the petals, but I did do the 3 petals, coloring them in with barely banana and the base flower was so saffron.  I am soo into the gray and yellow color combo.  It's such a fun and trendy palette!  I especially like the sweet little four petal flower punch with gray centers.  The flower is from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack in the Stampin'Up! Summer Mini.  Hope you like it! 

Be sure to stop by 2S4Y for more fun ideas with this sketch!  Thanks for poppin' over ;)

TGIF!

Hi all!  Hope you guys had a good week.  I know I've been pretty quiet for most of this week.  I was away on a business trip for my day job, so I didn't have any time to do much crafting or posting, unfortunately.  While, it was quite a productive trip, I have to say I am super exhausted and am certainly glad that it's Friday!!  Definitely need to get some R&R.  Luckily, I have a quick card for you today - it's a masculine card from the Sentimental Journey stamp set and the Travel Journal DSP.  I have to say, I love the map background on these papers.  And, of course the fun car.  Here's the card:

Are you wondering about the Jumbo Brad?  It looks like it's a copper color, but I think it's just the lighting and the camera angle.  It's actually the silver one.  It kind of reminds me of a cuff link.  Hope you like it!  Here's the recipe for you:

{Masculine Travel Card}

*Stamp Set: Sentimental Journey

*Cardstock: Kraft, Travel Journal DSP, Night of Navy, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie

*Inks: Night Of Navy Classic Pad, Creamy Caramel Classic Pad

*Accessories: Impressions Square Lattice embossing folder, Jumbo Brad

Thanks for coming by.  I'm always so glad you stopped by to visit!

got coffee grounds?

Hey there blog friends!  How goes your week so far? Hope it's shaping up to be a good one.  Well, today, I've got an interesting post using coffee grounds to create a background.  Yes, coffee grounds!  First, let me show you what the finished card looks like:

This is one of my swap card for this month's vintage themed card. I created the coffee colored DSP at the bottom of the card using this fun little technique.  I didn't come up with this all on my own, though - I have to say I saw a background created this way last month at the WooHoo Stamping event by the talented Corie Urey.  It really is a great technique for creating a vintage look!  Another cool thing is, the paper that I used has these white tone-on- tone patterns already on it, so all you have to do to bring out the pattern is to add some color.  These are the Presto Patterned Papers from the Stampin'Up! Summer Mini catalog.  Prettty nifty, huh?  Well I've got a little mini tutorial to show you the basic steps of creating this coffee grounds background using this new DSP!  All you need are some coffee grounds, your Presto Paper DSP,  a paper towel, and some newspaper (to protect your work surface - this can get a little messy!)

Here are the steps:

1.  Cover your work surface with newspaper {or some covering}, then lay your Presto Paper DSP on top.  Next, take your coffee grounds and pour it directly on your paper.  At this point, it looks like an abstract splatter on the paper!

2.  Using a paper towel, spread the coffee grounds over the paper, making sure you cover your entire Presto Paper DSP "canvas."  You'll want to slightly "rub in" the grounds to add some density of color onto the paper.

3.  Wipe off the coffee grounds from the DSP and discard that layer of newspaper.  Place the DSP on a clean layer of newspaper and allow to dry.

Viola!  You've created your coffee grounds background paper!  As you can see, the Presto pattern reveals itself once you add color to the DSP.  Other techniques you can use to bring the pattern out are brayering over the paper, or sponging overtop of the paper.  You can let your imagination go and create unique ways to use this fun DSP!

Have fun trying this technique out.  It's pretty fun.  Once the paper dries, the edges of the paper will have a slight curl to it, but it will lay flat on your project once you use adhesive.  I prefer using the Tombo glue adhesive to make sure that it firmly adheres to your base cardstock.

Hope you liked this technique.  Thanks for visiting today! 

Whoooo Loves Ya?

Happy Monday, blog peeps!!  Hope you enjoyed your weekend!  I wanted to share the card I created for this week's 2S4Y sketch - how do you like that little sneak peek picture....do you wanna see that cute owl?  Well, first, let's take a look at the sketch.  Kazan created an amazing sketch this week with lots of fun scallops.  Here it is:

She draws her card sketches and they just look amazing!  Isn't that awesome?  So, here's my take on the card layout:

Isn't this owl just too stinkin' cute?!  I had a lot of fun using this image.  I even colored it in using my small stash of Copic Markers.  The image is from Whimsy Haven Digital Stamps and it's called Whimsy Owl.

Here's another look at this little owlie friend.  I hand cut the sentiment, and finished it off with 2 buttons that I layered on top of each other and secured with the twine.  The fun papers in the background are from SU!'s Summer Mini and they're called Island Oasis.  Hope you like it!  Have a fantastic day!

Ready for this month's Final Friday Giveaway?

Hey there blog peeps!  Wow, has this been quite the week!  I know I've said I've been busy before, but on the workfront, I would say this is about as busy as it gets!  Thankfully, I enjoy what I do for my day job, so I guess you can say it's a good busy.  The only downside is that it hampered my crafting time this week - big time!  Well, on that note, let's find out what this month's Final Friday Giveaway is, shall we?  Here it is..

This month's lucky winner will get this awesome stamp set called "Thank You Kindly."  I personally love this set because of the sentiment - you can't have enough Thank You's, and this set has a bunch of cute ones that'll add the right touch to your card.  My favorite is the Thank You stamp in the top left corner.  I love that font!  This stamp set is also very appropo because I wanted to say Thank You to all of you that come by and visit my blog.  I am so very grateful to you all!! So, are you ready to play?

Here are the rules {only enforced by the "Honor System"}:

1. Leave me a comment on this post by midnight Pacific Time, Wed, May 26th, 2010.
2. On your comment, please make sure to include a valid email address or a blog URL (where I can leave a comment or have a way of contacting you). For those of you that are uncomfortable with leaving an email in a post, you can write your info like this: yourname at emailaccount dot com.
3. One comment per person please. :)
4. Anyone can play - international visitors welcome!

You can leave me a comment about anything, or you can answer this question:  What's your favorite and least favorite Fashion Trend?  I thought this was a fun question that I got to answer as part of my little bio for 2S4Y. My answers are Favorite Trend - Dressy Tees (like the ones at JCrew and Anthropologie), and Least Favorite Trend - High waisted Pants!

 
I look forward to reading your comments!  Thanks for visiting. Have a fabulous day!

a masculine card for you

Hey there blog peeps!  Thank goodness it's Thursday!  It's been a crazy week for me on the work front, but it's all good.  Just a little bit exhausting.  I don't remember the last time I've worked til midnight (hmm...have I ever?), so I'm pretty certain that last night would have to be the first in this millenium!  So, that's why I didn't get a chance to post.  I do have a quick card share I eeked out the other day, but hadn't had time to put up on the good ol' blog.  This is a masculine take on this week's 2S4Y sketch (turned on it's side)!  Here's the sketch for your reference:

And here's my card!

Isn't the car fun?  It reminds me of London.  It's from a new set in the Stampin'Up! Summer Mini called Sentimental Journey.  I love the paper too - the stripes totally remind me of an airline uniform!  It's also a new DSP called Travel Journal.  Totally fun images and patterns that have a more masculine tone.  Hence the masculine card!  Hope you like it.  Here's the recipe for you:

{Vintage Car for Dad's Day}

All supplies Stampin'Up!

*Stamp Sets: Sentimental Journey, Teeny Tiny Wishes

*Cardstock: Kraft, Pumpkin Pie, Night of Navy, Whisper White, Travel Journal DSP

*Inks: Creamy Caramel, Night of Navy

*Accessories: Jumbo eyelet, Impressions Square Lattice embossing folder, Tag corner punch, Corner rounder, brad

Thanks for popping by today!

woot woot wootie woot!

Come on - say that with me!  How fun is that phrase!! I have Amy Tsuruta to thank for that little ditty {BTW - how fun and creative is SHE!!} - She left a fun and sweet comment on my post that made me chuckle and smile...needless to say, the phrase got stuck in my head and I've been saying it all day...seriously!  I still am oozing with excitement about being on the 2S4Y team!!!  I just added this blinkie to my blog.  I intended to post a card today, but alas, it was one of those days where time escaped me...it was a tad bit busy for me at my day job!  I hope to post something tomorrow though.  For now, I appreciate you humoring me and sharing in my excitement!  Yay! {Can you tell I'm smiling from ear to ear as I type this post?} Thanks again to Laura and Kazan, the Fab Ladies at at the heart of 2S4Y :)

More to come soon!! Ciao for now!

Happy Monday and a new 2S4Y Sketch for you

Hi there blog peeps!  Happy Monday! Did you guys have a good weekend?  Ours was nice, but very busy - we did lots of much needed stuff around the house, like gardening and a little bit of spring cleaning.  But it was nice to just be home to catch up on stuff, you know? Plus, it was a beautiful weekend in Southern California - clear and sunny!

Are you guys ready to start off the week?  I've got a 2S4Y Sketch to share with you today and I've also got an exciting announcement!  I can hardly believe it's true!  I am sooooo THRILLED to tell you guys that I was one of 3 new members picked to be on the 2S4Y Design Team! WooHoo!!!  I truly am so excited!  If you've visited my blog before, you'll know that I LOVE doing challenges, so this will be a super fun role for me! I have to say I'm a little nervous, because there is such awesome talent on the team.  I've looked to these talented ladies for inspiration for the last couple of years since I've become aware of the blogosphere.  I will definitely do my best to step it up and do you guys proud {I hope!}. Here's a look at the this week's sketch:

And here's a look at my card:

The image is called Fairy Mae by a digistamp company called someoddgirl, who is this week's sponsor at 2S4Y.  For the rest of the card, I used SU's Sending Love Specialty DSP, along with Blush Blossom cardstock, and Whisper White.  Here's a closer look at Fairy Mae's details:

I added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter on her wings and a half pearl on her flower headband. What do you think?  Hope you like it!  Here are the card details for you.

{One of a Kind card}

All supplies Stampin'Up! except where noted

*Stamps: One of a Kind, Fairy Mae {by someoddgirl}

*Cardstock: Blush Blossom, Sending Love DSP, whisper White

*Inks: Real Red Classic Pad and Marker, Creamy Caramel Classic Pad, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Blush Blossom Marker

*Accessories: Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Pretties Half Pearl, Scallop Oval punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack (for the flower on the headband), Red corduroy buttons, Pinking Hearts border punch; thread and sewing machine

Thanks for coming by today!  Have a fantastic week!

Take 2 - announcing April's Final Friday Winner

Hi all!  Apparently, I just discovered that I had some technical difficulties on Friday.  I wrote up the post and everything, but instead of hitting "Publish" I must have clicked on "Draft", so the post that I thought went up to announce the winner was actually still sitting in my list of posts in Draft Mode!  Sorry about that...now that I've fixed it, I'm going to direct you to the actual post where you can find out who won!!!  I know...it's a little bit of a teaser, but you'll have to go HERE to check it out (or you can just go to the Winner Winner Chicken Dinner post!)

Gotta get to bed, so I'm gonna go for now...catch up with you guys soon!