Merry Gentlemen

We're still making "guy cards" at Jingle Belles, and you still have time to join the fun. This week I've got a double header, thanks to a page of steampunk-inspired holiday journal cards and coordinating papers from Graphic 45's Christmas Time collection. 

These are some of the simplest cards ever made. I cut out the journal cards, gave them all skinny (skinny!) black mats, added Eyelet Outlet Holly, Star, Compass and Gear Brads and called it a day. Gotta love it when that happens, right? 

Be sure to visit Jingle Belles to see what Stephanie and our lovely guest star Beverly have made this week!

Spoiler Alert: It Ends with "Zebra"

Yes, we've come to the fourth and final post of the Eyelet Outlet Alphabetical Brad ATC's! It's so exciting, I'm going to show off the entire set and then we'll talk about the letters S through Z.

And here are the individual cards, with all their brad styles listed:

S: Safety Pins, Shells (in the form of Shell Corners, Shells and Seashore Brads), the Sun from our Sun and Cloud set, one of two styles of Sunglass Brad, and a Sleigh direct from the North Pole. 

T: A Tractor Brad is a fine addition to any haul, while Tissues (and TP) come from the Toilet Paper and Tissue Brad set, (Summer) Trees, Tool Brads are great, but of course they need a Toolbox.

U and V: The U.S.A. is represented by our Patriotic Flag and Hat Brads, and the Utensils are called Silverware Brads, but the Unicorn is from the Unicorn and Rainbow set; a Vacuum from the Vacuum and Broom Brads (on sale!), both halves of the Video Game set and a Valise which is technically the Suitcase from our Travel Set.

W: A lovely Wreath, some Water Lillies from the Frog set, a champagne toast from the Wedding Brads, a Witch Hat and some Witch Legs.

X, Y and Z: An Xmas Tree (technically listed as a Pine Tree Brad) and a Skull Brad who's standing in as an X-ray; these cute Yellow Jackets are actually Bumble Bee Brads (there are Mini Bee Brads also) and the Yolk is in the center of the Fried Egg from our Bacon, Egg and Toast Brads; finally we've got Zinfandel from the Wine Brad set and a Zebra from the second Jungle Mix, called Lion, Tiger Zebra Brads. 

That concludes the EO Brad Alphabet, but of course there are lots more brads (plus washi tape, bling, flowers and more!) in the Eyelet Outlet Online Store; and be sure to consult the sidebar on the Eyelet Outlet Blog and look for the EO Booth at a tradeshow near you!

Make Mine a TALL One

A tall card, that is. Which is what we used to call Slimline cards, back in the day. It's also what we're celebrating this fortnight at Shopping Our Stash, so break out your tall skinny envelopes and a few supplies you haven't used in a bit, to make a card to link up with us. Here's what I made.

When I started thinking about "Tall" cards it reminded me that I have a super cute older stamp set with a giraffe in it (technically it's "Peeking Pals" from Stampendous) that is quite fun to color with Tombows and shade with Prismacolor pencils. So much so, that I made a double set of critters in order to end up with two cards; definitely a boon going into the summer birthday season. The sentiments are from Taylored Expressions' Big Bold Birthday set, which Stephanie gave me over a year ago and I somehow never used until now. The background is one of the half dozen or so "cloud" papers I currently own... I can never resist a paper with clouds or woodgrain!

Speaking of Stephanie, she is over on the SOS blog with the rest of my awesome teamies, and they've all made fabulous slimline cards to inspire you!

Sunshine & Stickers

I haven't made a sticker mandala in a while; long enough that I had somehow forgotten how much fun they are to assemble! Most of these stickers are from Pipsticks' So Many Stickers Book, which is fairly magical and one of the best birthday presents ever... from Stephanie, of course! If you've always wanted to make mandalas, but don't enjoy drawing, sticker mandalas are a fun (and easy!) way to start.

 

Masculine Merry Christmas

We're making holiday cards for the special men in our lives this fortnight at Jingle Belles, and we'd love for you to join the fun!

I based my card around a postcard-sized pre-printed panel from Penny Black, called Masterpieces Made Simple, which I got at Paper Anthology. These little cards are semi-glossy and slightly textured, so they are a gorgeous centerpiece; you just add stamping, diecuts, embossing or... in my case... an Idea-ology sticker sentiment, some Eyelet Outlet Brads and a few mats! This card was so fun (and FAST!) to make that I decided to use the other three cards in the set right away. I've used Cardinal and Female Cardinals, a handsome Moose, several Snowflakes, plus Bluebird and Robin Brads; as well as a variety of patterned paper scraps and solid cardstock to complete my A6 card designs.

Be sure to visit Jingle Belles, where Stephanie and our lovely guest star Beverly, have made marvelously merry masculine cards to inspire you!

The ABC's of EO... Part 3

Here are the next five cards in our Eyelet Outlet Brad Alphabet. This set takes us from L to S, with lots of adorable brads along the way.

Todays brads, allocated to each card are:

L: (Holiday) Lights, Lizards from the Reptile Brad set, the Lighthouse from the Boat and Lighthouse set, Lions from the Lion, Tiger, Zebra set, sequel to the popular Jungle Mix.

M: Mailbox from the Mail Brad set, Monkeys from the Jungle Mix, Mrs. Claus from the Santa and Mrs. Claus set, a Mood (technically an Emotion Brad) in a Mask from the CoVid-inspired Mask, Hand Sanitizer and Soap Brads, a Mower from the Lawn Mower Brad set (which is on sale!) and a stately Moose.

N: (Music) Notes, Navigation aka a Compass Brad, Navy (technically a Sailboat from the Boat and Lighthouse set with an Anchor Brad), a stack of Novels which we actually call Book Brads, and a Nutcracker.

O and P: The handsome Owl is known as a Sketched Owl (there are also Owl Brads and Winking Owls... both of which are on sale!), Ornament Brads are also on sale, and the Oven Glove is from the Cooking Brad set; the super-cute Paw Brads are one of two styles, a Party Hat is always a good idea (just ask the Birthday Sock Monkeys) and the Pipe Brad is part of a cool set that your Dad (or handy Mom) would love!

Q and R: Our Crown and Tiara Brads are fit for a Queen, the cute Quackers technically are called Duck Brads and the Quilting supplies are a combination of Thread and Scissor Brads (you need to get creative when it comes to the more challenging letters, lol!); a Rainbow from the Unicorn and Rainbow set, the Ring hails from our Wedding Brads and finally a handsome Rooster.

We're getting towards the end of the Alphabet... next week we'll wrap up with the letters S through Z!

Moody Blues

It's a Moody Blue Mandala Monday, featuring some of my current favorite shades of Wendy Vecchi Archival Inks from Ranger, including deeply dramatic Night Sky, as well as Cornflower, Bluebird, Sky, Fern Green, Prickly Pear and just a touch of Violet. I used a few sizes of Letter It Fineliners to draw the basic shapes, then applied the inks using fingertip sponge daubers and Detail Blending Tools. Though with hindsight, I realize it would've been easier to apply the ink first and then draw the lines; OR to have made my shapes slightly larger. We live and learn.