Birthday Cards

Hi Everyone,

I was asked to create 3 birthday cards for a friends granddaughters (ages 4,6,and 10) and I wanted to share with you the cards that I made.

The first card is one that I have already shared on my May 24th post, and it uses the Penny Black http://pennyblackinc.com/  stamp called Tutu and Cupcake (4334J) which was recently released. This stamp was designed after the Penny Black mascot Scooter who is black and white, but I made this one brown to match the dog in the recipients family. I colored the stamp with Copic Markers http://www.copicmarker.com/ .  The paper I used is from DCWV http://www.dcwv.com/ and with the touch of glitter I thought it would be great for a young girls card.  The Happy Birthday banner was made using the stamp and die set Banners #2 from Sizzix http://www.sizzix.com/product/658696/sizzix-framelits-die-set-8pk-w-stamps-banners-2 . I love how it turned out and making the banner was so simple!  Isn't it cute how Scooter is looking up at the banner??

I layered a circle spellbinders that I fussy cut around the party hat to slip over the die so that the hat stuck out from the circle and then I layered it on a basic scallop die also from Spellbinders http://www.spellbinderspaperarts.com/Home.aspx .

I didn't want to take away from the main image, so I didn't add any ribbon or embellishments. I thought it was cute just the way it was.

The second card I made was using a Lily of the Valley http://www.liliofthevalley.co.uk/ stamp called Messy Messages (ST 155) which comes with 4 different sayings to place on the piece of paper that the bunny is holding. I adore the Lily of the Valley stamps because they have so many cute animal images. This stamp caught my eye and I purchased it a few years ago and use it for everything from quick Thank You cards to sending my daughter a note at college. The stamp is colored with Copic markers. 

The paper on this card is also from DCWV and it also has some glitter shine to it.  I used plain and scalloped ovals from Spellbinders to mount the stamp and added a ribbon with a ribbon buckle made from a die by Memory Box (98185) http://memoryboxco.com/ . 

The third card I made uses a digital stamp from Bugaboo stamps http://www.bugaboostamps.com/ called Make it Snappy - Happy Birthday. I  love Bugaboo stamps and I can always find an image that fits perfectly for my style of cards. Each Friday Bugaboo puts a freebie digital stamp for the week. Its nice to be able to re-size the images to fit your card. 

This card was set on dotted papers by Bo Bunny http://www.bobunny.com/  and I added some twine and a heart button that I dyed orange using Ranger Adirondack alcohol ink http://rangerink.com/ .  I just put a few drops of ink into a snack sized ziploc bag and tossed in the button. I kneaded the bag for a few minutes until I reached the tye-dye/sponged type of look with darker and lighter areas. I took the button out of the bag using a paper towel, wiped it until I got the results I wanted and  set it on the paper towel to dry. It only took a few minutes since the ink drys quickly. The stars on the image were colored with a silver Uniball Signo gel pen  and they shine so nicely. The image was colored with Copic Markers. For the papers, I cut the image and the rectangular background pieces using Spellbinder A2 Matting Basics B set. The matting basic set and its partner A2 Matting Set Basic A set were a gift and I don't know how I lived without them. Together the sets give you a 1/8" layered mat and alone each set can give you a 1/4" layered mat. For this card I just used one die and cut all three pieces the same size. 

I hope you enjoy these cards as much as I enjoyed making them. Thanks for stopping by!

Have a TGIF kinda day!

*Hugs*

~Andrea

Reverse Confetti

Hi Friends,
As many may already know Reverse Confetti  http://reverseconfetti.com/ debuted their first ever release on May 8th. They held a wonderful sneak peek that had us all sitting on the edge of our seats. I have followed many different stamp companies, but this was the first I had followed from before they even had a product to sell. How exciting!

I purchased the Happy Harbor set.

I loved the nautical theme and the whimsical animals. The lighthouse and nautical items brought back memories of a vacation to New England. It has so many cute details and the sneak peak creations by the Reverse Confetti design team were fantastic. Check them out on the Reverse Confetti blog!

There are 3 other sets that were released and all of them are fantastic. Here is a link to the Reverse Confetti Shop: http://reverseconfetti.com/shop/

Here are some cards I created with this new set. 

These stamps are high quality acrylic and stamp so clearly, it was a pleasure to use them! They come in sturdy packaging, clean up great and the set has a ton of combinations!

Stop over to their blog http://reverseconfetti.com/blog/ to meet all of the faces behind this new and upcoming stamp company. I will leave you with a little info about when their new stamps will be released. Can't wait to see what is next!

Jen del Muro, the face behind the company REVERSE CONFETTI stated: 

"As I noted yesterday, all of our releases will happen on the 8th of the month…just not every month.  We will release new product every other month.  We’ll still be hopping on the 8th, whether there is a release or not.  Just remember, “Eight is Great!”

Have a fun and crafty day.
*Hugs*
~Andrea

Chic Tags and my first try at a smash book!

My daughter bought a smash book for her pics at college and she asked me if I could make a small version for her to put her pics she takes of our two rescue dogs. I was hesitant at first because I usually make cards, but had purchased a Zutter Bind-it-All a couple years ago and had used it to make small note books and photo albums, so why not try a smash book!

A few weeks ago I entered a facebook giveaway being held by Chic Tags http://chictags.com/ and was shocked when I was selected the winner of 3 collection sets of absolutely wonderful tags!! When the package arrived, I was like a kid on Christmas morning! Packs of Tags, labels, journaling tags, and the quality is top grade! The tags are sturdy and finished beautifully. The sets I received were, Birthday Cake, Everyday Life II and Road Trip Collections. Each pack had several items inside and on the back of the package showed the variety inside. So quick and easy for selecting shapes, colors and labels for the pages!

So started my try at making a Dog Smash Book. I really enjoyed picking papers, placing some tags and using all items I already had in my craft stash (yes, I had a lot of dog papers), I created this little smash book. I only took a few pictures of the book, but you will get the idea of what I put together. Hope the smash book police don't mind my interpretation of this smash book.

The front cover items came from a 3-D sticker set that I've had for eons but never used. Since our last name is Good, the Good Dog sticker was perfect for the cover.

My binding skills are a bit rusty, but for this little book, it wasn't a big deal to us. Why waste the cute paper just to make another hole at the bottom or redo the book, so please excuse the bad binding, but the book opens and closes beautifully, so the boo-boo it more aesthetic and doesn't effect the functionality.  Since the finished book was quite full, I punched a hole in the covers and made a plastic ring reinforcement for the ribbon and attached it to both covers with an eyelet and tied it into a bow. I then added a gem brad into the eyelet to give it a finished look.

I didn't make any of the papers, or alter them in any way, other than adding some tags and stickers, but now that I feel a little more comfortable with it, I may try my hand at another and make a mixed media style journal. I am saving up to get some glaze and gesso and mediums on my wish list and am looking forward to being a bit messy..LOL

Here are some inside pages of the book. I placed a bone shaped paper clip on most of the pages, and when I ran out I had some heart shaped clips to use. They make the perfect tabs to turn the pages. All tags inside are from Chic Tags! http://chictags.com/

This is the inside cover and the first page in the book. The little paws are felt stickers from my stash.

These are some inside pages.  I really love the Chic Tags and how cute they are!! I highly recommend them and will be buying from them in the future. 

Hope you like what I created. I really did have a blast creating it!! If you haven't figured it out by now, we LOVE our dogs and there will be plenty of pictures and journaling to fill this book up quickly. Here is a recent pic of our pups. 

Have a wonderful crafty day!

*Hugs*

~Andrea

Where to Start?? Let's start where I started....Penny Black

Hi Everyone,

Its been a couple weeks since I posted my mojo is back, and boy is it ever! In the past two weeks I have been creating cards, made a small smash book. and have been having SO much fun! I've also been following blogs and watching videos and am loving every minute of it!

So where to start? I looked at my blog and realized it had been an almost 2 year slump for me and I could have waited the extra 7 days to post, but why? So I decided that since I already had things to share, why wait, but where should I start with showing what I made? Well, lets start where I started all those years ago with the company that I bought my very first stamp....Penny Black.

As many of you may know, I am a cutesy card kinda girl, but it works for me and Penny Black stamps certainly have that charm..along with most other stamps that I use. I like happy cards, and the ones that I have created fit the bill.

The first card is from a stamp called Cheerful (4160K). I wanted to make a friendship card for my daughter's resident director at college. She was new to the college and quickly became a family friend. She had admired the cards that I would send to my daughter at school which covered her dorm room walls, and hinted she would like to have one for her office. So this is what I created for our dear friend Li.

I stamped the image twice and  colored the stamp with Copics and then fussy cut the flower part twice and used foam adhesives to raise the image up to give a 3-D effect. I added some bling to the center of the top flower. 

A close up of the charm. 

This is the inside. 

The inside stamps are from a very old set by Sarah Phelps for Impression Obsession (CL219). I tried to find it online, but it seems to be retired. I love the sentiment and the little flowers, and it is a go-to set that I will use for many years to come. I added some bling to the card inside and out and it added just the right spark. The background stamp on the front is the Hero Arts Friend definition stamp (CG125), and it really fit with the purpose of this card. 

The second Penny Black card that I made is a birthday card for the granddaughter of a friend. She had asked me to make a card and I recently got this new Penny Black stamp  Tutu & Cupcake (4334J) and knew it would be the stamp to use! I love how it turned out. I recently purchased a Sizzix Framelits & Stamps set Banners #2 (658696) and it is super cute. I used it to create the Happy Birthday sentiment. The DP is from DCWV and has shine and glitter which went perfectly with the stamp.

I hope you enjoyed visiting my blog and I truly appreciate all of the wonderful comments and encouragement that I have received. I have more cards, new stamps to share and hope that you all have a very creative day!!

*Hugs*

~Andrea

Thank You to so many who helped me find my mojo again!

Hi Friends,

I know it has been absolutely eons since I have posted anything on my blog, but due to some very bad health issues and a major loss of my mojo, I just couldn't keep up a blog when I had nothing good to share. Well times are changing, and yes, I still have my health issues, but lately I have found that with support of some very wonderful family and friends, I am making some cards and again. I have been following with the latest craft items, enjoyed countless hours of others cards and creations, envied over new stamps, dies, and inks. I dont have a card to share with you yet, but hope to post one soon!

I first want to Thank a few crafty friends who have inspired me and Im happy to call my friends.

First is Vera  Yates http://lingshappyplace.blogspot.com/, who has encouraged and inspired me through thick and thin. Her beautiful creations and upbeat attitude has really pulled me through some bad times.

The second person I would like to Thank is my dear friend Elizabeth Pujalka, the artist/owner of Soft Pencil Studios. http://www.softpencilstudios.com/  Elizabeth has such cute and happy stamps and she always has a kind word of encouragement for me.

Third is Jodie Mackrell, the artist/owner of Bugaboo Stamps http://www.bugaboostamps.com/  You will find many of my cards use Bugaboo Stamps (as well as Soft Pencil Studios) and I still use them all of these years later! Jodie is incredibly creative and her generosity of giving away a weekly digital freebie shows that she really thinks of her fans!

And last but certainly not the least is Curt, from Curt's World  http://curtsplayhouse.blogspot.com/  who has shared his gorgeous creations and have given me inspiration to craft again. Curt's Wednesday Evening post and his giant schnauzers have made me smile for quite a while.

I am sure I am forgetting many others who have helped and inspired me along the way and you know I am not intentionally leaving you out, but Thank you to everyone who has helped when the times were really bad, and have inspired me to write this post. There are so many many creative people I have had the pleasure to follow  to keep up with the latest trends (such as Kathy Racoosin, Jennifer McGuire, Patricia St. Martin, etc).

As I write more posts here, I want to share with you some new friends and companies that are inspiring me to try new things, and get back to blogging again. I will share again as often as I can, but can not promise it will be daily.

Thank you again my dear friends who use your creative talent to inspire others, share a smile and generally make the crafty part of the world so much nicer!

Love you All !!

*Hugs*
~Andrea