Every Cloud has Angels in it

I've got quite a list of cards to make this weekend, and this was first on my list.  Sadly, our dear friend unexpectedly lost her father - such a sad, and very tragic moment for her.  Sometimes it's so hard to find the good when we've lost a loved one, but we know she was blessed to give her father a final goodbye and be with him, as well as, her entire family as he passed.  Losing a parent is extremely difficult no matter how young or old you are, we struggled with this in my own family after losing my father-in-law.

Kudos to whoever started these wonderful sayings inspired by kids at Inkadinkado.  I love this saying, it's simple, yet thought provoking.  Wouldn't we all be comforted knowing there are angels within every cloud?  

Stamps: Fastion Statements, Stampin' Up!, Sentiment - Inkadinkado

Patterend Paper: :DCWV The Linen Closet

Ink:  Stampin' Up! Blue Bayou, Creamy Caramel, Sahara Sand

Accessories:  Two way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds, Pop dots, Aqua Painter

Handmade Valentines for my guys: Love You, Key To My Heart, Wild About You!

Love You Card - K&Company "Handmade" Specialty Paper and accessories

I raved about this paper pack yesterday, but after using many of the pieces I can't say enough good about it!  I think my husband will love his Valentines Day card this year.  I kept his card pretty simple using some grand adhesions, pop dots, patterned paper and die cut shapes.  I printed out one of my favorite photos to use as the focal point.  Here's a pic of the full card:

Love You Card - K&Company "Handmade" Specialty Paper and accessories

For the boys cards, I added some hand stitching using Stampin' Up! linen thread and used stitching templates from both  Stampin' Up! mat pack and  In Stitch'z by Bazill.  For my photos, I adjusted the color hue and saturation to give them a softer more vintage look.  The "Key to my heart" card features an acrylic overlay that is just magnificent!  Did you get your paper packs yet?

Key to my heart Card - K&Company "Handmade" Specialty Paper and accessories

Key to my heart Card - K&Company "Handmade" Specialty Paper and accessories

Wild About You Card:  K&Company "Handmade" Specialty Paper and accessories 

Wild About You Card: K&Company "Handmade" Specialty Paper and accessories

Stampin' Up! Artisan Winning Entry 2007

I was very fortunate to be one of 10 winners for the 2007 SU! Artisan Contest. It's taken me over a year to post this to my site. Each participant was to include 3 Scrapbook pages, 5 cards and 2 3-Dimensional items. These were the items I submitted. All items use strictly SU! All products unless otherwise noted:


3-D Items

3-D item 1 "Flower Pot & Mini Scrapbook"
One special additions to my 3-D flower pot was to add a flower that was actually a surprise mini-book. I remember learning how to make this minibook when I was at the Creating Keepsakes Convention just a few months earlier. I believe I had 6 petals with pictures. After a little trial and error, I was able to get the book to hold together nicely.





3-D item 2 "Tunnel Album"
This album is one of my favorites to make. Not only does it fold down to the exact size of a card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2 but it just looks amazing when you can peer through the little holes and look at the pictures inside. there is a lot of texture, style and dimension going on! (Not to mention 5 kids who had a blast at the Kangaroo Farm)


Cards


Card 1: "Birthday Beauty"
I love this pop-up card, very simple to make, but the outcome is an exciting surprise for the recipient!



Card 2: "Ahoy Matey, Diarama"



Card 3: "You're Invited, surprise inside"

Card 4: "Ruff Day w/ Mini Scrapbook on cover"

Card 5: "Cold Twigs"

Scrapbook Pages

Scrapbook Page 1

Scrapbook Page 2

Scrapbook Page 3

Baby's 1st Birthday - Invitation

Bi-fold Sample (Front & Inside)
*This was the sample the client selected


Accordian Card (Front & Inside)

These are a few samples created for a client looking for a Baby's 1st Birthday Invitation. Both samples use SU!'s "Unfrogettable" stamp set. I used SU! patterned paper for the soft yellow/blue bi-fold card and My Minds Eye for the more colorful accordian card.

This too is some of my favorite paper!!!! Love it love it love it! K&Co's Urban Rhapsody is so awesome...it's got this real nostalgic feel to it...lots of cool sayings, symbols and great muted colors that work well no matter what color palette you feel like mixing it with! I've used some chipboard 3D elements as well as some Stampin' Up! mini library clips...I love those things, seriously, they are so great! (But their gone for now...they used to be in the holiday mini)

Good Times

I'm realizing that I have a lot of favorites...including this awesome paper pack by K&CO called Mira. OMG it's gorgeous and colorful and there are all these really super cool swirls and shiny things and and and....I could go on forever...oh, but I almost forgot you can get it at Michaels of all places. This spread was a lot of fun to do. I totally love journaling via my computer even though it's so important to have your own handwriting to cherish too. I have a cute little butterfly on the top right of this page that is actually 3D, but it's hard to tell w/ this photo...trust me, it's cute...the wings pop right off the page and only the body is attached. I did use Garden Whimsy by Stampin' Up! for the butterfly trail...love that set...it's underutilized right now along with many of my stamps. I'll get there.

Time for You

I just fell in love with this set called "Time for You" out of the mini Occassions catalog. It's very cute, has a chair, a clock and a bicycle (which is the real motivation behind buying it). I kept the card very simple by wheeling a city background and popping up the main image.

Recipe

Stamp Sets: Time for you, Neighborhood

Paper: Bashful Blue, River Rock, Whisper White, Basic Black

Ink: Basic Black, Basic Black craft, Bashful Blue, River Rock, Creamy Caramel

Accessories: Striped grosgrain ribbon, clear EP, dimensionals, aqua painter

Altered Clipboard

Stampin' Up! has these chipboard clipboards that are really cool. This was an altered clipboard I did using Le Jardin DP. it's slightly tricky to get your paper lined up around the actual clip mechanism, but the result once you've figured it out is totally worth it!

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Define Your Life

Paper: Le Jardin DP

Ink: Craft White (I would recommend using Staz On, gives a brighter result)

Accessories: Vintage Brads, Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, 5/8" Vanilla Grosgrain, Clipboard

Target DOLLAR SPOT Find! Cars Tin

I am always so excited to run into Target and stop at the dollar spot to see what new treasures they might have waiting for me! Last year in the fall I was delighted to find these absolutely adorable little Cars Tins - seriously, they are super cute and oh so tiny. I picked up a few (ok, like 24) because I knew I would have a use for them. This is what I came up with, a kids Cars Scrapbook for any Cars crazed lover! Simply add pictures and wahlah!

With a little bit of imagination and a lot of sticky strip to hold this puppy in place, I created an accordian style album that open up but doesn't fall out. Here's two photos showing the inside of the album.

I'm excited to announce Target has new adorable little tins for the spring - they have Bambi, Thumper and Dumbo....umhhh, yeah, I did pick a few up! Check back to see my new designs.

Very BIG Heart

Not only do I LOVE the "Happy Heart Day" set, I also love the Ginger Blossom Designer Paper! This was a card I designed for a swap with my stampin sistas recently. To create the large flower, I used the negative space on some SU chipboard and just traced the heart image on ruby red paper. I distressed with my inkpad and wahlah!

Recipe
Stamp Set: Happy Heart Day
Paper: Groovy Guava, Ruby Red, River Rock
Ink: Ruby Red, Basic Black
Accessories: Groovy Guava double stitched ribbon, vintage brads, Ginger Blossom DP

So Much

This was yet another scrapbook submission to SU featuring an 8.5x11 page. All materials are Stampin' Up! This layout focuses on simplicity so as not to lose focus on the main image especially with the amount of color in the photo. I can't believe how versatile the Bali Breeze Designer Paper is...as you can tell I've used it a ton recently. (see older posts)

YOU!

this was one of my submissions to SU! Just a simple 6x6 Scrapbook page - All pieces are from the Simply Scrapping Boho Kit using Old Olive and soft sky. I added some vintage brads as well as a define your life "You" stamp.

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

I finally had to try my hand at these little criss cross cards and oh my, they are addicting! This card was created as a thank you to my dear friend and her 2 daughters who made my birthday extra special with their handmade treasures! Each tag has it's own special Thank You sentiment.

Creating a criss cross card is simple, but instead of a confusing explanation, you can visit this link with great detailed instructions including pictures. Enjoy! http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ee/index.php/resources/tutorials/criss_cross_card/

Stamp-A-Stack of Birthday Cards

These are the cards from my recent annual "Stamp-a-Stack" event. This was a great turn out and lots of fun! 39 of us made 20 cards each (5 designs - 4/each) Yes, I was feeling a little crazy, but everything worked out beautifully. Here's a quick look at all the cards we did.


RECIPE
Stamp Set: Pick a petal, It's Your Birthday
Ink: Old Olive, Tempting Turqouise
Paper: Whisper White
Accessories: Bali Breeze DP, 3/4" Circle Punch


RECIPE
Stamp Set: Star Wheel, It's Your Birthday
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Blue Bayou
Paper: Whisper White, Blue Bayou, Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Blue Bayou double stitched ribbon, Large Star Punch, Scallop Punch, Small Star Punch, Vintage Brad 1 3/8" Circle Punch


RECIPE
Stamp Set: Happy Everything
Ink: Craft Old Olive
Paper: Old Olive, Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Clear EP, Piercing Tool, Vintage Brads, Felt Flowers, Dimensionals, Bali Breeze DP


RECIPE
Stamp Set: Fast & Fun Notes, It's Your Birthday
Ink: Staz On Black , More Mustard, Rose Red, Barely Banana
Paper: Rose Red, Barely Banana, Whisper
Accessories: Barely Banana Brads, Ticket Punch, Aqua Painter, Bali Breeze DP




RECIPE
Stamp Set: Zoofari, Invite One
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Accessories: Bali Breeze DP, Brown Taffeta Ribbon, Glue Dots, Photo Corner Punch, Stampin' Write Markers