Flowers, Flowers, Everywhere!

You may well have already guessed that Challenge #491 at Shopping Our Stash has a floral theme, which is handy because it saves me explaining and thus I can get right to my cards:

Not only is nearly everything on both of these cards about ten years old, I have cut into my LAST piece of Basic Grey "Marzipan" paper (with the roses) which I have hoarded with Golem-like intensity for about a decade, lol. It kind of helps that I have pretty much used it one flower at a time... it's not that I didn't like the soft purple background, I just always think the roses look cool in a collage, so that's what I made.

The first card features three roses that were at the edges of the page, so I went with that. I've put them at the edge of a collage of torn vintage paper topped with Pavilio's gorgeous White Lace Tape (a leftover from The Ink Pad) with a little bit of Spun Sugar Distress Oxide added on using the tape as a resist. The background mat is from BG's Out of Print collection (now even more aptly named, alas). The sequins are from Fun Stamper's Journey and leftover from a class at Paper Anthology.

The second card has just one freestanding rose, layered over another vintage collage. This one's topped with super-cool translucent postage stickers that my craft bestie, Stephanie, gifted me; they're Matchbox Stickers from an asian company called Candy Poetry and I adore them. The round white sequins are from Eyelet Outlet and probably the only thing on either card that you could still purchase, lol!

Be sure to visit SOS to see what the rest of the Crew have come up with, then start planning your own card for, "Flowers, Flowers, Everywhere"!

Best Fishes for a Fabulous Week

It's a funky, fishy Mandala Monday. Inspired by a great Collage Social at Second State Press with my neighbor Deb and her daughter Heather on Sunday afternoon, I came home and made another collaged library card for Mandala Monday. With fish... obviously... 

And here's a mid-collage action shot. Many thanks to our hostess, Heather Steckler for snapping and sharing photos; I've never seen myself collaging before!

Here are a few more backgrounds I made during the event; I think in the photo above I'm working on the one with all the Green Stamps.

It Came Upon a Midnight CLEAR

This fortnight at Jingle Belles we're celebrating one of my favorite types of cardmaking product: CLEAR/see-through elements, like transparencies, vellum, acetate, glass, lucite... you get the idea, right? You definitely don't have to build a card on an ancient Hambly transparency or add a shaker window, but you can... and I have! 

Right off the bat I should probably mention that nearly everything on this card is ANCIENT and unavailable, though I did find the adorable Pretty Pink Posh critters, whose stamp set is called Holiday Pals, at Buffalo Stamps and Stuff. That just happens to be the place where my friend Elisabeth from Paper Anthology got hooked on stamping; so if you live anywhere near Buffalo, NY, you should probably check it out. I've colored the Pals (plus trees from the same set) with Tombows from Paper Anthology and built a shaker window on top of the card by diecutting that Nesties frame half a dozen times and stacking them up with a snowy Hunkydory Crafts Acetate Sheet holding in a mix of Eyelet Outlet Snowflake and Round Sequins. Oh and there are a few styles of truly elderly washi and decotape, including some from Heidi Swapp, who anticipated the tape craze by like ten years; in much the same way that she was doing fabulous stylized brush lettering way before that was A Thing. We owe much to Heidi! 

The Midnight CLEAR challenge will run at Jingle Belles until Wednesday evening, March 8th. Head over to see Stephanie's card and start planning what you'll link up with us this fortnight!

EGG-stravaganza!

Do you know how many styles there are of Eyelet Outlet Pearl and Jewel Brads? Ok, as a matter of fact, I don't know either, but it's A LOT! They range from quite small (5.5mm) to extra large (16mm) though the biggest one shown here is the 10mm Soft Pink Pearl Brad attaching a few Paper Flowers on the medium sized egg. Meanwhile, many styles are available in both silver and gold bezels; there are smooth and bumpy styles; some have fancy edges... and by the time you factor in all of the different colors, there are literally hundreds of variations! But the most important thing for you to know about EO Pearl and Jewel Brads is that they are ALL on sale for just .75c a pack!!! The second most important thing for you to know is that they are all beautiful and useful. In this case, I've decorated Easter eggs with them:

As you can see, we also have quite a few styles of Sticky-Back Bling, as well. On this card and tag we see individual Pearls (there are Jewels as well), Bling and Pearl Strips, and several styles of Fancy Long Bling, and I've hardly scratched the surface of what is listed under "Bling and Sequins" in the EO Store. By the way, there are also FOUR styles of Eyelet Outlet Washi on this card: Bunny Tape, Chevron, Rainbow Dot Washi and my current fave: a wide, rainbow blossom-bedecked style called Flower Petal Tape, from which I have cut out individual flowers and added them with Pearl Brads to the largest egg. Of course they work for lots of other occasions besides Easter, so you should probably head over to the Eyelet Outlet Shop and browse around for a bit!

Back to B (Again!)

We're still celebrating our 490th challenge at Shopping Our Stash and as you may remember from last week, the theme is "Starts with B" and could encompass any image, product or technique which starts with that letter. I made a card I really loved, but... as often happens to me... I tried several versions of stamps and diecuts before settling on my faves, so there were leftovers. Enough, in fact, to make TWO more cards!

Once again I've used butterflies, brads and the color blue to make beautiful, blossom-bedecked bonus birthday cards with interesting backgrounds. Once again the butterfly die is ancient Tim Holtz/Sizzix; and the texty stamps are equally old Glitz Design. My Poppy Stamps whimsical Happy Birthday die is pretty new; the brads are older Doodlebug and the backgrounds in question are (on the left): sheet music with the offcuts from trimming last week's card; and (on the right): a digital collage I made in Photoshop Elements using blending layers to combine photos of a tiled wall, chunky knitting and a macro hibiscus flower.

There's still time for you to join us in celebrating SOS490, so I hope you'll start thinking about items from YOUR stash which "Start with B". Hop over to Shopping Our Stash and see what the crew have made to inspire you!

MM008: Soft and Scribbley

This one is what I believe Tammy Garcia would call a, "Free-Range, Organic Mandala Monday". No rulers, no circle tools and no erasers were employed; just scribbled Pitt Pen outlines filled in with messy Tombow coloring and topped off with a few random patterns. Super-relaxing pre-bedtime activity. Happy Presidents' Day!

Are We There Yet?*

Rev up your engine and race to join me at Paper Anthology this March, for a brand new, fun-fueled FIVE Car(d) Class featuring Honey Bee’s Car Show Stamps and Dies, called (as you may have guessed) "Are We There Yet?" 

We’ll color the cars, add them to simple collages of pre-cut map and patterned paper shapes, add washi tape, then construct the easiest ever presentation folder (seriously, it’s two score lines and one cut!) to hold them. 

The only problem will be deciding whether to send the cards to five different friends… give them as a set to one special person, or… keep them for ourselves! 

Cruise on over to the Paper Anthology Blog for details and dates available!

♥♥♥♥♥

*When I was working on this class, I was mentally using the title, "VROOM with a View"; luckily Elisabeth talked me down, lol! :) 

Peace. Love. Joy. (& Embossing!)

It's week two of our Embossing Challenge at Jingle Belles and this week I've brought in all the possiblilities. By which I mean pressure embossing (via Taylored Expressions' Rosy Posey e/f); heat embossing (thanks to Ranger's Vintage Pearl Powder) and I've even got some pre-embossed paper (again Ranger... I love their Cracked Leather Cardstock!) and the results look a bit like this:

I used the Vintage Pearl Embossing Powder with the pretty poinsettia from Wendy Vecchi's Doodle Christmas Stamp Set, then "painted" the flowers using Pink Peony and Viridian Archival Inks and a waterbrush full of rubbing alcohol. I used the embossing folder on pale pink cardstock, then used a dauber loaded with Pink Peony to make the texture stand out a bit more. I traced a heart from Wendy Vecchi's Bases and Frames Chippies set onto the Cracked Leather Paper, then covered it with Rosey Posey Archival and lightly flicked it with Pearl Mica Spray. The sentiment was cut from an ancient journal card, the felt snowflakes are trimmings from a big box store and I've scattered some Eyelet Outlet Clear Bling around for extra sparkle.

The Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is also embossing-centric, so, like me, you can make one card and use it for both challenges!

Don't forget that there's a fun little embossing-related prize this fortnight, for one lucky random cardmaker who links up with us. So head on over to Jingle Belles where you can also see Stephanie's beautiful card.

Vitamin SEA

The third of our brand new Eyelet Outlet brad styles, arriving in the EO Store later this week, are Cruise Brads, featuring lovely large boats, plus colorful red and white life preservers. Here they're set on a background of Ocean Washi, with a small accent of tiny Pearl Brads (which just happen to be on sale!):

Cruise Brads pair perfectly with our other nautical (but nice!) brads, including Sailboat and Lighthouse Brads (the Lighthouses are included here); Ship Wheel Brads, Anchors, Red, White and Blue Stars; not to mention Fish and Fishing Poles; as well as beachy things like Shells and lots more... all available now in  the EO Store; the new Cruise, Rose and Cactus Brads will be there shortly!

B is For...

Wouldja believe it's our 490th challenge at Shopping Our Stash?! I didn't join the team until a year or so in, but nevertheless, I love the way we're celebrating: We went back and looked at what we did for our 49th challenge, and it was "Starts with B" and could encompass any image, product or technique which starts with that letter. So for SOS490, we're going BACK to B; which could include plenty of cool things, including (in my case) Blue, (ink) Blending, Beautiful Blossoms, Butterflies, Brads, Birthday (card), Blush (there's some pink in there!)... ok, you get it, right? Find something(s) that start with B and use 'em in your card!

In the spirit of full disclosure, I should confess that I didn't just make the cool ink-blended panel with the stamped collage on top; I actually found it in a box where I keep hand-painted, ink-blended and gel-printed papers. I'm not positive WHEN I made this or WHY I didn't make it into a card at that time, but... when I saw it, I was excited because it's exactly right for my eldest goddaughter's birthday, woohoo! I diecut and stamped the butterflies (the die is ancient Tim Holtz/Sizzix; the texty stamp is equally old Glitz Design) inked them with Wendy Vecchi's Night Sky Archival and attached them with brads of indeterminate origin. The Poppy Stamps whimsical Happy Birthday die is pretty new. I diecut four or five different coordinating colors of sentiment and butterflies before realizing that, on this background, I really needed some white, so in the end I went with a scrap of watercolor paper which happened to be on my work table.

I'd love for you to join us in celebrating SOS490, so I hope you'll start thinking about items from YOUR stash which "Start with B". If you need more inspiration, there's LOTS to be found from the design team... you should probably hop over to Shopping Our Stash and see those right now!

A Very HEART-y Mandala Monday

Practicing shading with my Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Pencils from Ranger. I love that if you start out fairly dark at the edges and pull the color inwards, this method basically does both shading and outlining for you! I was debating what additional details to add when I spotted half a jar of pink sequins on my worktable; I dumped a few onto the page with the intention of arranging them neatly around the edge, but then I thought, "Nope, I like them scattered" so I just grabbed the adhesive and stuck them on. This mandala created in my Dina Wakley Media Blue Journal which has denim and burlap pages as well as the sturdiest and most wonderful DWM Heavyweight Watercolor Paper, which is truly luxurious to work upon.

My Sweet Embossable You

It's time for another new prompt at Jingle Belles and also for the brand new February Holiday Jumpstart Card Kit at Paper Anthology. This time (as you may have guessed from the title) we're embracing EMBOSSING... either via stamps and powders, or my particular favorite, embossing folders!

I used Sunny Studio's Cable Knit Embossing Folder on some older peacock blue Tim Holtz Kraft Core cardstock, then softly sanded the design to create even more visual interest. The sentiment is from Taylored Expressions' Flip the Snowflake stamp set, stamped on light kraft in Wendy Vecchi's Night Sky Archival Ink. The diecuts are Impression Obsession Primitive Snowflakes Die Set and the whole thing is set atop a lovely dark Grocer's Kraft A2 card. 

February's Holiday Jumpstart Kit: Warm Winter Wishes is now available in-store (and YES, it's there right now!) and online at Paper Anthology.

The "My Sweet Embossable You" challenge at Jingle Belles will run until Wednesday evening, February 22nd. Hop over to read all about it, see Stephanie's beautiful embossed card and get a look at the fun little prize one random cardmaker will score, just for linking up with us this fortnight!

Totally Tangential PS: When heading to the Paper Anthology Website to grab links, I accidentally hit the enter key a bit fast and stumbled upon a surprising variety of Paper ANTS! I've linked the phrase in case that would be of use to anyone, lol...

Wendy Vecchi Floral Valentine

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so I'm getting extra inky using Wendy Vecchi's Flower Pot and Let's Shop Stamp, Die and Stencil Sets with a rainbow of pink and orange Archival Inks on a variety of Ranger specialty paper styles, to create a floral celebration perfect for any loved one. I hope you'll head over to the Ranger Project Page and read all about it!

Make a Wish

If you wished for some brand new Eyelet Outlet Brads in the next couple of weeks, then you're in luck because we have some beauties coming out, including these gorgeous Rose Brads!

Rose Brads would be a beautiful addition to just about any card, tag or journal page; they'd be lovely in a vase, climbing up a fence or pretty much ANYWHERE you'd care to place them, but I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with how they look on top of the cake from Wendy Vecchi's Doodle Celebration Stamp Set! I've also used the "Make a Wish" sentiment from Wendy's Birthday Bash Stamp, Die and Stencil Set, and four gorgeous Eyelet Outlet Washi Tape Styles: Pink Checked, Green Pattern Tape, Wood Washi and Heart Tape from our Valentine Washi Set. I've also framed up my little tableau with some Green Pearl Strips and added a Candle Brad to boot. 

Stay tuned to the Eyelet Outlet Blog to see how our amazing Design Team are using all of the fabulous new brads, coming mid-month to the Eyelet Outlet Store!

Distinctly Doodle-y Mandala Monday

The other night I came across this circle adorned with curvy slices of five patterned papers... each enhanced with my own pen doodles... in my box of odds and ends to use later. I have no recollection of assembling it (and, for that matter, no idea why I didn't use it after assembly?) but there it was, and I thought it would make a nice center for a mandala. I added a few layers of petals around the edge, colored them to match the patterned papers, and even added a few clouds, stripes and dots to coordinate. Definitely a more unusual mandala design, but I like it!

Stuck on Stickers

We're still celebrating stickers at Jingle Belles, a pursuit I could happily do every single week, since stickers have been one of my favorite things to collect (and craft with!) since childhood.

This time I've got some beautiful small stickers based on vintage postcards, which came from an older Tim Holtz/Idea-ology Sticker Book, as well as a nearly new Photoplay sticker sentiment, and some puffy holly-shaped Thickers. All of these are layered on top of Prima graphed patterned paper, some torn sheet music, and strip of White Lace Tape, as well as a few solid mats that pick up various colors in the design.

Our "Stuck on You" sticker challenge runs at Jingle Belles through next Wednesday evening, February 8th, so you have plenty of time to join the fun. First, though, head on over to see what Stephanie has made this week!

On Point with NEW Brads!

Later this month there are some fabulous new brad styles coming to Eyelet Outlet, so here's a little sneak peek at our Cactus Brads. They are wonderful all on their own, but even better when paired with Cactus Tape, Brick Washi and Wood Tape to make a little scene, filled in with the cactus and sentiment from Lawn Fawn's Year Ten Mini Stamp Set. There's also a yellow lily from our Frog Brad Set, a small red Heart and a Mini Ladybug Brad getting in on the action.

Stay tuned for previews of these adorable Cactus Brads from the other Design Team members, as well as two additional styles coming soon to the Eyelet Outlet Store!