5/29/12: Do the Two-Step

Create a card using a two-step stamping technique. You can try out a cool little gadget called the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, or you can "eyeball" it. Either way, start with a base stamp and use another to add to it. Acrylic stamps work great for easy alignment, as do rubber stamps "on a stick" like the ones I used for the sample card.

This card didn't take as long as it may look. I "eyeballed" all the elements. If I was a little off a branch, I simply used a Copic Multiliner to draw in the line I needed to attach the leaf or hat.

I didn't want the machine stitching to show on the inside of the card, so I sewed the image to the brown cardstock before adhering it to the base card.

Supplies:
Tree, leaves, party hat, rocks, and fence post are all Stamps By Judith
Sentiment is Upsy Daisy from Stampin' Up!
punches are Stampin' Up!
background was chalked after the images were stamped and colored
colored cardstock is Recollections
white cardstock is Copic BlenderXpress
markers are Copic
glimmer mist from Tattered Angels
glitter glue from Ranger

If you want to play along, check out the forum. I have a challenge thread ready for you!

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Happy crafting!

5/22/2012: Tough Guys

Masculine cards are my most difficult card to make. I struggle to find stamps that aren’t too plain, too girly, or too youthful looking for the men in my life. Let’s help each other out and create a masculine card. You can use anything you want, except stamped images. A stamped sentiment is allowable.


I was cleaning out the end tables in my living room and discovered I had an atlas from 1995. I decided that since we no longer use paper maps (does anyone?) and since the roads may be a little outdated... the atlas could be tossed. Then, I thought, "WAIT!!! Where is the crafter and Girl Scout in me?? I should repurpose this atlas for the betterment of the world!" So, I stuck it in my craft room. There went the idea of cleaning out the house.


Now, I will have to admit that I was a little... let's say behind... on getting this week's challenge sample card completed. I was a little... let's say stressed (sounds better than freaking out to the point of losing my mind and thinking OH NO what I am I going to do!!!!!!)... this morning because I have to work today and I have a meeting soon and how am I going to get a card done. Thankfully, this little card took me about 20 minutes. That included thinking up a sentiment and getting that a lined out.


For the first card shown (yes, I ended up with two and actually the first is the second, because the first I sort of broke the rules of the challenge because I didn't read it all and was trying to get it done quickly and well... yeah...)... back to the thought at hand... for the first card shown... I cut the map for Colorado, matted it on black, typed and printed the sentiment on white cardstock, punched the corners, matted on black, punched the corners, mounted that on the map piece, wrapped baker's twine around and tied, secured it to the kraft cardstock card base. DONE! Then, I took a picture, cropped, added my watermark, saved, uploaded, inserted, and wah lah... here it is. Just a morning in the life of a crafter and the birth of a card for a sweet guy in my life.

Okay, so let's just say sometimes it's okay to break the rules. Ha! I will show you this card, because 1. I like it. 2. I want to. 3. I knew you'd want to see it, too. :)


Same process, really... The car is a stamp from Rubber Meets Road. He's a seller on ebay and has all kinds of classic car stamps. For those of you that don't know... this is an MG B. My husband has one he is restoring and it's "getting close", which means next year we'll have a fun little toy... hopefully... This is a rather plain card, but I like it. And again, I love my salvaged atlas. The coloring was done with Copics... I think about 12 colors are in there. It turned our pretty sweet, if I do say so myself. Especially when you consider I did this early in the morning in a somewhat slight rush. Ha!

So... where is your masculine card? Help a girl out here. What do you do for the grown up guys in your life?


If you want to play along, check out the forum. I have a challenge thread ready for you!

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Happy crafting!

Time to Shine Friday Challenges

WOO HOO!! I did complete all three Friday challenges (let's not talk about the status of the card challenge for Tuesday, May 22, okay? deal? good!).

Ms. Marlene... I'll start with her, as it was the last to complete... wanted us to use embossing powder or diamond glaze on something and Let It Shine. I tried my hand at a single layer card. I'm not in love, yet I don't hate it. The embossing powder just isn't perfectly applied and that bugs me... but I'm dealing and getting over it...

Then... Ms. Ana... She challenged us to use some Pretty Metal. I chose to cover cardstock with foil and emboss is. This is going to be my Dad's Father's Day card. I'm loving me some baker's twine tonight, too. 

FINALLY... Ms. Golda... actually this was the first one I did today. I found this awesome little lantern clipart and printed it out for her challenge. It was to Let Your Light Shine and use an image of a lamppost, lantern, candle holder, etc... Love this lantern because it reminds me of the one my Dad gave me because I love lanterns so much!!!! That's why I used it again on his card.

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Happy crafting!

Time to Shine Thursday Challenges

Yep.. believe it or not I did get the three challenges for Thursday completed, too. Now, one of them was mine again so I have a little bit of an advantage.


So.. my challenge is to create a shaker card. They are lots of fun and are sure to impress the recipient, no matter what age!

These are all Stampin' Up! papers and ribbons... the flowers are Prima and the base card is Georgia Pacific. I LOVE that huge pack of heavy cardstock for $5 at Sam's. You can't beat it and it makes great cards.

Then comes Ms. Teia with her Starry Eyed challenge. She threw down the gauntlet and wanted to know if anyone could top her 11 stars on her card. Now, technically her eleven stars were all embellishments. Most of mine were stamped. There are three colors here, too. Cherry Cobbler and Cajun Craze look the same in the photo, but they aren't... So here is my fairly simple and clean "thinking of you" card.

Ok... I admit... this one I just finished a few moments ago. Ms. Judy wanted to Bling Me Up, Scotty! I didn't bling scotty up too much, just a little beaded stick pin. But, what I did do was revisit my past and my Shabby Chic era. Oh, I sort of miss it now. I like the rough edges and the inky fingers. I may need to play with that stuff more often. It was just so over the top at the time that the love of it soon waned... but, I think I'm ready to incorporate it back in some.

I do have one of the Friday challenges done and I hope to get the other two finished tonight, too. My sweetheart is working on his car tonight, so I have some much needed and missed time in the craft room... AND I'm finally feeling better after 12 days of a cold/allergy/sinus/annoying virus/illness/pest thing.

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Happy crafting!

Time to Shine Blog Hop

There is an awesome crop going on over at CardSwaps this week. Challenges and games will be posted May 16-19, 2012 and you have until May 22, 2012 to get your projects posted to the appropriate thread. If you haven't participated before, don't worry! There are many members and myself that will be around to offer support and encouragement. You can find out all you need to know in the forum. At the end of the hop, will be taken to the crop and I do hope you join in. Collect the letters along the way and unscramble them to entered into the drawing for a prize for one lucky hopper! You will be given details at the bottom of the post. Don't skip ahead!!! Please read my babbling.

OK... You arrived here from Meredith’s blog, I hope. If not, go back and check out her blog and collect your letter. Then collect my letter and hop on (I’ll be leading you to the forum). If you want to start over, feel free to start back with Brooke on the CardMaker Magazine blog.

The blog hop "theme" goes with the crop title of "Time To Shine". We pretty much left the type of project the hostesses of the blog hop created open. The only criteria the project has to meet is that it has to be able to be used for a day in which someone has their “time to shine”, such as birthdays, graduations, weddings, bridging ceremonies, communions, or whatever. We were also asked to share something about our favorite memory of a day when it was our “time to shine”.

I really don’t like being singled out and applauded for things I do. I do what I do because it needs to be done and I have the ability to get it done. I don’t do things for the glory or applause. Of course, I like being recognized, but at the same time it’s very embarrassing for me and I’m never sure how to accept the “pat on the back”. Instead, I like the everyday recognitions from family… especially my stepdaughter. The best award I have ever received was a paper trophy she colored gold and put a #1 on it. The back she wrote “To the best stepmom in the world. Love, Callie.” She made that when she was in Kindergarten. I have it hanging by my desk and on those days when nothing is going right and everything seems overwhelming, I look at it and remember that there is a little girl that (thankfully!!) still believes I’m the best stepmom in the world.

The card I created is for my #1 fan, the best stepdaughter in the whole world. She’s bridging next week to Juniors in Girl Scouts. I’ve been her troop leader for two years now and even when it seems there are so many things to do and not enough time in the day, I have never once regretted stepping up to assume the Troop Leader position. She wanted to be in Girl Scouts and she needed a leader, so it seemed clear what had to be done. We’ve both learned and grown together, shared lots of laughs, planned activities, and counted cookie money. I admit I do hold her to a higher standard and expect her to set the example for the other girls, because I know she is capable of it. She is a natural born leader with an insane amount of charisma, charm, and passion. For all those reasons and more, she deserves an extra special celebration and congratulations on this achievement.

Front: 

Inside View: (If you aren't familiar with Girl Scouts, Brownies "fly up" to Juniors. The gold wings represent that. The uniform on the left is for a Brownie and on the right for the Junior level. The rainbow in between is because she completed extra steps to earn her rainbow bridge patch.)

Another view to show the dimension:

Supplies:

K& Co Brownie papers
Cardstock: Copic, Georgia Pacific
Stampin' Up! stamp sets "Girl Power" and "Whimsical Words"
K&Co embellishment stickers
Stampin' Up! ribbon
Greeting Farm "girl scout"
Copic Markers

Unscramble It game for hoppers... You will be unscrambling a phrase once you collect a letter at each blog you visit. The hostesses can play along, because they don't know any of the letters but their own... I'm tricky that way. If you started from the beginning, you have all but the last of the letters now. One appears below and the last is in the forum. All hoppers collecting all the letters, unscrambling the phrase, entering the game by following the directions in the forum, and leaving feedback on EVERY blog they visit WILL be entered in to a random drawing held on May 23, 2012. ONE lucky hopper will have their name drawn and will win a prize!! Fun, right?? So, are you ready to unscramble and enter??? Your hints are... it’s a phrase, it has four words, and it’s a way you will be able to shine.

My letter is...
I

and because I'm such a lovely, wonderful, delightful person... I'll give you a couple more hints that the others don't even know about.

Here is the pattern of the letters:


__ __ __ __ __ __      __ __ __ __ __ __ __    __ __

 __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ !

want another hint? Goodness... greedy, huh? Hee hee... okay... one more
something you should ALWAYS do!!!!!

This is the last blog on the hop. So, the next thing you should do is check the forum to collect the last letter for the unscrambling (there may even be another hint in it for you)! Email the answer to LoraBrinkman@gmail.com. Then, go have fun at the crop and complete some challenges, play some games, make some friends!! I can't wait to see your creations for the Time To Shine crop!!!

The list of hoppers, in case you got lost.

Brooke Smith -CardMaker blog
Jeanette
Ashley
Anya Schrier
Golda
Ivanka
Ana
Michelle Woerner
Judy L
Lisa
Trudy Sjolander
Jane
Angelina
Kimberly Crawford
Laura
Tammy
Carolyn King
Marlene
Susan
Colleen Schaan
Meredith
Lora <-- You are here... so, hop on over to the forum and have some fun.

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Happy crafting!