As the holiday season is absolutely upon us, I thought it would be nice to put up some gift tags and a few holiday cards... so here we go!

First up is a Christmas card but with non-traditional colors. I wanted something that was elegant and neutral-- I used a metallic cream as my card base, matted with Kraft cardstock and then embossed the top layer. Above that, I cut by hand 3 triangles, embossed and embellished with pearls and mounted with dimensional adhesive. The hint of blush color was neatly 'tied in' with the bow and the small tag with "Merry Christmas" to finish it off. Next is a tag,

The base is from Spellbinders label 8 and then topped with a scalloped circle, 13/4 inch in size. The strung lights are from a Bo Bunny Christmas stamp set and then "to" and "from" are from Papertrey Ink's "From Me to You" stamp set. 

This was a bit more organic with the added raffia and simple font used but I think simplicity really adds to the tag.

This tag has the argyle design in the back and topped with a label that I painted with distress inks, Red Barn and Pine Needles and then sprayed heavily with water.

These were fun to make and absolutely useful for the holidays! I have more coming so stand by. :)

Craft on!

-O

For the Y Chromosome...

I know how to make gushingly feminine cards, it's become quite the easy recipe but it's when I am commissioned to make a masculine one that my heartrate increases, my palms get sweaty and as my two-year old likes to say "It makes me nervous!!". But with the new nautical theme being incredibly popular, I think I have finally found a pretty good 'recipe' that turns out with rather acceptable results! Here are so recent Y-Chromosome-Centered cards:

Gift Tags...

This is another entry for this week's Make-It-Monday challenge from PaperTrey Ink. A while back
I purchased their superb stamp set To You From Me and just absolutely loved the versatility. While of course it can be used for gift tags, bookmarks and labeling, the designs also lend themselves as wonderful frames for sentiments. Here are a few I recently created:

 In this gift tag, I once again used the texture technique, though it's quite a bit more subtle. I took the tree from PTI's Love and Marriage stamp and swiped it across Hero Arts' Soft Lilac shadow ink. Gave it a beautiful yet soft textured look.

A close up. The wreath, "with love" and the "to" and "from" are all part of the newer stamp set.

Here I used the cake from the "Foodie Fun" stamp set and then embellished with a very muted wreath at the bottom.

This gift tag feel a bit more organic with the kraft cardstock and natural hemp twine. I wanted  a much more simple layout so not too much 'glitz' on this one.

This combined the To You From Me stamp set with the Polka Dot Parade "THANKS" stamp and die set. I absolutely love the coral and mint color scheme, as exemplified by nearly all of the tags here! ;)

Hope you enjoy and craft on!

-O

Another week, another Papertrey Ink Challenge!

This week's challenge is for "textured stamping", where you simply swipe a solid stamp across an ink pad and it gives it this distinct texture. Here is my take on it:

There seems to be babies, babies everywhere... I always need more of these cards so thought it might be a good idea to be prepared! 

Thanks and craft on!

-O

*Of note, this card was featured in PaperTrey Ink's monthly e-newsletter as the top pick of the challenge by the owners and designers! Woo hoo!

Papertrey Ink's Make-It Monday Challenge

As you surely must know, seeing as though I seem to _always_ be using one of their stamp sets, I am quite the Papertrey Ink fan. This post is a submission to this week's Make-It- Monday Challenge, which is "layered embossing resist". The task is to stamp a background or onto patterned paper, then use clear embossing powder for the "resisted" elements. Then, use ink along with a blending sponge to "bring to life" those stamped images. You end up with the stamped image resisting the patterned paper or stamped background underneath! Here is my take:

Here is a closer view

Thanks for stopping by and craft on!

-O

Babies, babies, babies!

Is it just me seeing babies everywhere?  Perhaps it's due to my large family but it seems that everyone is having babies...what a joyous, exciting time! So, in honor of this corporeal miracle, here are some baby cards I have made recently:

 Have I ever mentioned how much I love PaperTrey Ink? Hmm, probably numerous times... ;-) Here I used the Polka Dot Parade Easter stamp and die for the bunny and then "True Love" was from a miscellaneous stamp set from one of my Michaels' excursions! Matted with a Sizzix oval die, Doodlebug paper and finished with ribbon and rhinestones. Next a close up of the bunny...

B is for...

B is for ...baby bottle, booties, bibs and more! LOVE my Silhouette Cameo, which cut the B out like butter. Yes, "butter" starts with a B, I couldn't help myself!

Shabby Chic Baby #1

Shabby Chic Baby #2

Summer Love

Summertime reminds me of the sun, striped umbrellas, Adirondack chairs on the porch and lemonade stands...but also love and weddings! Here are a few recent cards I have made for the occasion:

Bridal Shower

Yikes...so much time has elapsed!

Hello Crafters,

The past few months have been so incredibly hectic-- we purchased and moved into our house and so my craft room was 'temporarily out of order', my son and I both fell ill...more than once, we traveled for a wedding...and then another, etc, ad infinitum! :)So this too will be a quick post but here are some recent and not so recent cards--
Hope you enjoy and craft on!

-O

Mothers Day Cards

Just as my incredibly boring but straightforward title 'gave away', today I'll be sharing a couple of Mothers Day cards. As this week is incredibly busy, I unfortunately will simply be posting the pictures up and then jetting back to the myriad of projects I'm currently 'working' on. Hope you enjoy and it provides you with some inspiration!

Love is in the air...

Wedding season is upon us, I'm certain you have felt it-- the love, the planning, perhaps even the tension? Ha, I find myself entirely too amusing when surely I'm not. ;) Anyhow, here is a card celebrating love, marriage and happily ever after!

Ethereal Bride and Groom 1

 As you know, I am quite the Papertrey Ink fan, though on my blog it may not be readily apparent, I promise I do in fact own stamps from other companies! So this card is a tri-fold, money holder, where the finished -closed- card measures 7 1/4 by 3 1/2. I am currently down with a pesky bug, but perhaps once I recover I could do a mini-tutorial on how to make this fold and the process I followed. The stamp set is *surprise* Love and Marriage and the bride and groom dies, both from Papertrey Ink.











In the close up, you can see the color scheme of purple, soft pink and a tinge of grey a bit better. I used a mixture of Tim Holtz distress inks, namely Seedless Preserves, Shaded Lilac, Broken China, Spun Sugar and Pumice Stone and applied them using the foam applicator from ranger. To give the wedding dress interest and texture, I used the Sizzix Damask embossing folder. To make the focal point pop -literally- I used some dimensional adhesive and backed it with a die cut I ran through my BigShot machine, the Spellbinders beaded oval collection.

 

Ethereal Bride & Groom, close up

Ethereal Bride & Groom, inside 1

 The inside, as mentioned, is configured in order to be able to slip a check or cash. I find the sentiment from the First Kiss mini stamp set, again Papertrey Ink, super cute: "It started with a kiss and now it's come to this!". Very versatile and applicable to quite a few other occasions, even babies, *wink, wink*. :)

The happy couple/recipients of the card are Jewish, so I finished it off with the "Mazel tov!" sentiment from the Mazel Tov stamp set. 

That's all for today, I hope you enjoy the card as much as I enjoyed making it! 

Craft on!

-O

More Easter cards...

 Here are a few more cards that I made for Easter. As with the previous entry, the stamp set I used is from Taylored Expressions but the patterned paper is from Doodlebug's Easter collection, released in February. I adhered purple butterflies, which were punched out with the Martha Stewart Crafts punch and layered with purple rhinestones from Simon Says Stamp.The butterflies add movement and depth, or at least that was my goal! I think this card is versatile enough to also be perfect for babies and any Springtime birthdays!

Close Up #1

Close Up #2

I'm not quite sure what the technical/official name of this fold is but it is easily produced-- simply fold a standard card size, 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 and then cut about two inches off from the top. I then layered the inside piece that shows through to add color and definition. Then, using the We R Memory Keeper's ribbon punch, I created the pattern that then permitted me to thread satin ribbon through. A Sizzix embossing folder was used to create texture on the front, as well as a satin bow layered on a Spellbinders die cut circle.

On this card I used the bunny as a strong focal point, which I die cut using the Polka Dot Parade die that was released in February. I had a few Easter cards left over and so I think I could easily send this as a baby card, especially since I have so many friends that are currently expecting! I wanted a cleaner and simple look, which I think I may have actually achieved-- hooray!

Hope you enjoy these and I promise to keep adding more! 

Have a great weekend and craft on!

-O

Easter came and went...

Easter Bunny 1

Originally, this post  was titled "Easter is nearly here!" and yet somehow when I vacationed in technical difficulties land, Easter _and_ Passover came and went! But perhaps these can still provide you with inspiration for Spring seasonal cards or perhaps for a head start next year?? :) Unless noted otherwise, the stamps and sentiments are all from Taylored Expressions. I gravitated toward their line because 1) they have really refreshing stamp sets at very reasonable prices but also since most of my in-laws are of the Catholic faith, I wanted to send a card that was meaningful and religious! :)

Easter Bunny 2

In this first card, the Easter bunny takes center stage. Oddly enough, nearly all of the supplies used, except for the sentiment are left over from last year... that unfortunately also means that I couldn't tell you the manufacturer of the patterned paper etc. I love the colors of Easter because it sometimes feels as though a light is starting to shine, announcing the arrival of March. I know that's a bit quirky but I absolutely love spring with all its trimmings, plus probably does not hurt that my birthday is the first day of the season either! ;) 

In the card "Easter Bunny 2" I embossed the card base with Sizzix flower embossing folder, taped down the multi-colored ribbon with double sided adhesive, added on a panel for the focal point, which is from a 2012 paper pack, embellished with some Petaloo flowers, lavender rhinestones, a bit of baker's twine, both aqua and lime, and there you go! Okay, I suppose that was a bit more involved than I thought.

In card Easter Floral 1, the supplies used are quite similar to the first card, Easter Bunny 1, in terms of brads, color selection, patterned paper and stamp set. A notable mention though is the flower is a die cut from My Favorite Things and the leaf peaking through is from a Hero Arts stamp that I then fussy cut and added a bit of Tim Holtz Stickles to make it pop!

Easter Floral 1

Easter Lamb 1

This one I set out to simply create a card that had a color scheme matching the focal point, those adorable lambs. But as so often happens, I set out with an an 'agenda' and take a few detours along the way. I then added some lace and embossing to give it a bit more of a vintage feel. I have quite a few more to share and will be posting those in the coming days, along with more Passover cards!

Have a wonderful week and be calm and craft on!

-O