Everyday Enchantment is for the {BIRDS}!

Hello there bloggie friends!  How's your week going?  Hope it's a good one.  You're probably wondering what I mean with my post title....well, let me tell you..or maybe my sneak peek pic above will give you a hint.  I was determined to craft today.  Besides the fact that it's been a while, I also felt the need to release some creative energy, too.  Do you guys ever have those weeks? ;)  So up to my craft studio/office I go.  

I wanted to try out a couple of the new dies I got from the Occasions Mini.  Plus, I wanted to play with the pretty Everyday Enchantment DSP from the Sale-a-bration set, too.  So, I came up with this brilliant idea to die cut a bunch of birds from the Elegant Bird Bigz die {4 of them is a bunch for me!} and create some cards all in one sitting.  I was soo excited how gorgeous the birds looked in that paper!  I loved them so much that I took pictures of ALL of them to share with you guys. Are you excited?  One last thing before I start the bird parade of pics...I was happy to see that this month's So Shelli Creative Challenge is to create projects using Sale-a-bration goodies.  Woot woot!  {BTW - You should definitely play along and share your projects if you've been in a Sale-a-bration state of mind!}  Anyway, back to the bird cards - my how they look enchanting in that DSP...

Here's my first card.  For this sentiment, I used the modern label dotted outline stamp from the Tea Shoppe stamp set and the greeting from the Apothecary Art stamp set.  I have to tell you that I have always been cautious about mixing too many patterns, but I really did like the effect of these multi-patterned combos that I used from the Everyday Enchantment DSP.  I used Calypso Coral twine and topped it off with a Designer Button.

For this card, I actually embossed the DSP background using the Square Lattice Embossing folder.  Such fun texture!  How about the fun pleated ribbon?  I LOVE this accessory.  I also used the Boho Blossoms punch for my little flowers and added some dimensions to them with the Basic Pearls and then the Jumbo pearls from the Mini.

This is my second most fave card of the batch.  I experimented making the flower, which is actually the smallest flower from the Flower Folds die.  At Leadership, we got to see one technique where you basically wear down the fibers in the cardstock so that they separate from each other.  The flower you see here is actually from one flower that I peeled apart after running it through the crimper every which way to get the fibers broken down.

And last but not least...my FAVE card of the bunch. 

First of all, I have to say that I was super excited that the bird's eye ended up perfectly centered in the flower print from the DSP!  That wasn't intentional, but I was happy that's how it happened to turn out! :) 

Secondly, I also really LOVE how the Pool Party seam binding ribbon looks with this the pretty bird and striped DSP, topped with a button and twine.  The seam binding is such a pretty and delicate texture, it was just the right touch I was looking for.  I also love the Happiest Birthday sentiment - this is from the Apothecary Art stamp set, too!  To vintage it up a bit, I used the Tea Stain stamping spot on the edges.

Hope you liked the cards! Thanks so much for popping by today :)

{Heartstrings} Forever and Always

Pin It

Hello there dear blog friends!  Hope you had a nice weekend.  I'm just popping in with a quick post - a simple card I made from the extra hearts I had left over from my "you're just my type" card in my previous post.  I'm a big fan of clean and simple, and for this month's So Shelli Challenge, I think this card fits the bill!  What do you think?  I love using twine on my projects and am so thrilled that the new Occasions Mini has twine in the In Colors!  Here's the super simple recipe for this card for you...

{Forever and Always Heartstrings}
*Stamp Sets: Take It to Heart, Loving Thoughts
*Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Pool Party
*Inks: Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral, and Pool Party Markers; Early Espresso Classic Ink Pad
*Accessories: Fashionable Hearts Embosslits, Calypso Coral and Pool Party Baker's Twine, Corner Rounder

Hope you like it!  Thanks for popping by today.   Have a fantastic week and I'll catch up with you guys soon.

Mojo 203 - {take 2!}

Hi all!  I'm back with another variation of the Mojo Monday Sketch 203 challenge - I still used the Beau Chateau paper, but this time I decided to have a flower focal point and add some more ribbon! 

I LOVE the Fun Flowers die and I think it really looks so pretty with this DSP!  For the center of the flower, I used the Boho Blossom punch and an Antique Brad as a finishing touch - love me the embellies!  I also like that the Crumb Cake Seam Binding makes such a pretty little ribbon accent.  I created the ribbon by creating 2 loops and then cinching the center with the twine and then knotting the button on top. Easy peasy!

This also fits into the So Shelli's Creative Challenge of a Thinking of You type of card, so I'm throwing this card into that hat as well.  Hope you like this version!  I still did the buttons at the top, too, but used the Early Espresso twine and kind of looped the buttons loosely. I also went with a little pennant sentiment, which I just hand cut and added a little twine and button at the top, then adhered to the card using a dimensional.

Here's the recipe for you:

{Mojo Take 2 - Beau Chateau}

*Stamps: You're a Gem

*Cardstock: Textured Soft Suede, Marina Mist, Beau Chateau DSP, Very Vanilla

*Inks: Soft Suede

*Accessories: Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, Fun Flowers Bigz L die, Neutrals Buttons, Early Espresso Twine, Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Basic Pearls, Antique Brad, Boho Blossoms punch

Thanks so much for popping by!  Ciao for now :)

{woot woot!!}

Morning!  I've got some fun news, blog friends!!!  Remember the card above from this post?  It got picked as one of the winners in Shelli Gardner's Fantastic Fabric challenge!!  I was sooo thrilled and excited to get the email this morning notifying me that my card was picked!  Yay!  It's made my day.  You can check out the rest of the winners here...I still can't believe that my card was picked...the other fabric projects are so amazing.  I am truly honored and humbled :)

Hope you guys have a fabulous day!

Shelli's SIP Challenge

Hey there blog buddies! As you all know, I LOVE me the challenges. For me, I'd say that card challenges help me to dig deep and find my inner creativity. Does that sound a little corny? I think it's true though. Soo, before I get into a long philosophical tangent about creative inspiration, let me say that the creative challenge I participated in tonight is Shelli Gardner's SIP challenge. What is SIP? Well, it stands for Stamps, Ink, Paper and she says that we can create anything that only uses those elements. The key is to keep it simple.

I decided to go with some distressed edges, embossing, free-hand cutting and a modified punch to create my card today. The color scheme I went with was a simple 3 color combo of Rich Razzleberry, Going Gray, and Shimmery White. My inspiration came from the CB2 catalog - they had a lot of gray color schemes with a pop of one other color and white, so I used the Rich Razzleberry to add that extra color element. I've been drawn to that color lately! It's got a nice fall feel to it. Here's a look at the full card. It's sentiment free, currently, because at the time I took the picture, I couldn't decide on what sentiment to use! The beauty of it though, is that it could be anything, so this versatility makes for a great all purpose type of card! I got to use the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder for the first time today and I really love how it looks. It dresses up the card instantly, but in a really nice, subtle way. I also got to use the new Ornament punch that will be available in the upcoming Holiday Mini. It makes for a great contemporary vase! I created the two-tone look by first stamping the polka dots from the For All You Do stamp set onto the Shimmery White paper, then I punched about 2/3rds the way on the punch. I then punched about 3/4 of the punch on solid textured Rich Razzleberry paper. Next, I layered these 2 pieces together and ~Viola!

{Razzleberry Flowers Card Recipe}:
All supplies Stampin'Up!
* Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Shimmery White, Going Gray
* Stamp Set: For All You Do
* Inks: Rich Razzleberry, Going Gray
* Accessories: distressing tool, Ornament Punch, Elegant Bouquet Embossing folder, sponge dauber (for the Rich Razzleberry distressed edge)

Hope you like it. Thanks for taking a peek and visiting me today!