Thinking Inking

Season of Friendship Meets Gretel

We're back from a long weekend of birthday parties; it's always good to go somewhere and equally good to come home! Although we weren't gone for long, the leaves were noticeably changed in our back yard when we looked out this morning, mostly green still, but tinged with golds and reds.

It seemed like a great time to pull out a new SU set, Season of Friendship, as well as my Cosmo Cricket Gretel paper. I pulled my color cues from the paper: Red Brick, Mango Madness, Oasis Green, Pumpkin Spice, and Jumbo Java Versamagic inks. The papers that I chose were Butterflies and Autumn. Mini brads are Making Memories Antique Copper, and ribbon is May Arts Ivory silk. I used a Spellbinders Long Rectangle die to cut the main image, then used a double-ended tag trio die to cut the sentiment label.

I adore Fall--crisp mornings, glorious colors, and an occasional faint whiff of wood smoke from the outdoor furnace--sheer loveliness!

Hey Sugar Meets Eastern Blooms: CPS82

This week's CPS82 Sketch was really a fun one! If you like bling, circles, and symmetry (and I do), what's not to like? I had just gotten a new SU stamp set, Eastern Blooms, a few days ago. Every time I looked at it I thought of my Cosmo Cricket Hey Sugar/Honey paper. They were meant to be together! Not only that, but our CPS sponsor this week was Kandi Corp, with their hot fix tool and crystals. (As much as I love rhinestones, this could be a new addiction.)

I stamped the large flower three times in two colors of Versamagic ink, with the darker color of each pair in the center and the lighter color toward the outside of the flower: Pumpkin Spice/Thatched Straw, Pink Grapefruit/Red Brick, Oasis Green/Aquatic Splash. I pulled these colors  from the Hey Sugar paper, and luckily, they also coordinated with the Caribbean Assortment of crystals. I used the hot fix tool to attach the crystals to the centers of the flowers. I hadn't used a hot-fix tool before; I've normally glued my crystals on (even the hot-fix variety). It wasn't hard to get used to, however. I really liked that there was no oozing glue and no drying time before I could count on the crystals staying in place. When I got a couple of the crystals slightly mis-placed, it was very simple to touch it again with the hot tip and wiggle it over a bit.

The other thing that I tried the hot fix tool and crystals on was glass.  I had made a couple of soldered pieces and wanted to use rhinestones on top of the finished glass; however, I didn't think that glue would be likely to affix them permanently. The hot fix tool worked like a charm for a solid hold with no tell-tale glue residue.

The flowers didn't stand out quite as much as I would have liked, so I used my Spellbinders Nestability Plain Circle dies to make Dark Chocolate backgrounds for them. The "mother" sentiment is from PaperTrey Ink's Mixed Messages set. I used a Fiskars Threading Water punch to cut the scalloped edge that the flowers sit on--very similar to SU's scalloped punch from what I can tell, except that this one punches holes in the centers of the scallops.  Finished size of this card is 6-1/2" x 3-1/4", sized to fit a tag envelope.

Thanks for visiting!

CPS 76: Always on My Mind and Hinging Die Cuts

If you haven't already done so, don't forget to check out CPS 76 for this week; it's a simple sketch if you've been thinking about playing along! I'm trying to do double duty here tonight. I usually save my CPS card to blog later in the week, but I had been asked a couple of weeks back how to get the Spellbinders dies to cut hinged cards. There are probably other methods, but I thought I'd take a picture of my way tonight in conjunction with my CPS card.

First the details:
Stamps: Always, Stitched by Stampin' Up
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla (SU)
Ink: Soft Sky, Versafine Vintage Sepia
Markers: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery
Accessories: Soft Sky stitched grosgrain;  adhesive-backed pearls
Tools: Spellbinders Labels 2 die, Martha Stewart Crafts Scalloped Lace Border Punch

I score and fold my cardstock, then carefully place it on the die so that I have one edge that will not be cut all the way through (as shown in the picture).  See the top of the die? The folded edge of the cardstock doesn't quite meet the edge of the die.  I usually send the card through the die cutting machine twice to make sure that I have a clean cut. If you have a heavy cardstock, it's tough to get a perfect cut every time, but lighter cardstocks will double-cut pretty easily.

The next picture shows an open view of the card so that you see what the hinged side looks like after it's cut. I use this method often to cut scalloped cards with the Long Rectangle sets--you can get a card that's about 6" x 3" with the largest scallop, and leave one long side slightly hinged. I hope this helps, and I hope you have a wonderful Sunday!

Perfect Match

What a week this has been!  We've been blessed with two healthy baby girls in the family (One Sunday, and one Monday), as well as engagement news--a new sister-in-law-to be! I had been working on baby cards already, but I didn't have an engagement card in the wings. Since I had just gotten the SU Always set, I thought I'd play with it.

In addition to Always, I used the SU Stitched background, and two new Martha Stewart punches that I found in town this week. I've been wanting that little butterfly punch for weeks, and it was never in stock online, so I was pretty happy to find it! Cardstock is PaperTrey Sweet Blush and Vintage Cream, as well as Prism Suede Dark Brown.

I used my Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, and Chocolate Chip SU markers to color the rubber, then stamped it and embellished the image with some A Muse star twinkle stickers, as well as some Stardust Stickles. The little punched butterflies are also coated in Stardust Stickles. Ribbon is PaperTrey Sweet Blush Satin; I love how well that satin ties! Button is from an Autumn Leaves Foo-fa-la grab bag.

If you are trying to win new release Spellbinders dies, the place to be today is Michelle Klomp's blog. You have until midnight tonight to enter at Ellen Hutson's blog too. Good luck, and thanks for visiting!

Monogram Meets Stitched: Just Rite Blog Treat

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The winner of the Monogram Stamper Kit is Kim H.; Congratulations, Kim!  I have just e-mailed you. You'll need to send me your address. Thanks for playing, everybody!

How about that Spellbinders Labels 1 die? I just discovered tonight that I love it framing a circle, in this case a monogrammed, die-cut circle. I used a Just Rite DIY Monogram Stamper Kit with the Special Occasions font, paired with a Stampin' Up background, Stitched. Cardstock is SU's Soft Sky, and Prism Suede Brown Dark. Ribbon is SU's Chocolate Chip Taffeta. In addition to Adirondack Espresso ink, I used some Antique Linen Distress ink on all edges. I also used a gold paint pen to coat the edges of both the brown bracket shape and the monogram.

Now, the part you've been waiting for: I have a little treat for someone! I was recently blessed with a second Just Rite Monogram Stamper Kit. As you can see, it's brand new, still in the box. (It is the font shown on the box--not the font that I used on the card above.) Rather than add to the stacks in my work space, I wanted to share with someone who could use it.

From now until 11:00PM CST, July 5, I'll leave this post open for sign-ups. (I'm leaving it that long so that the Feedblitz people get notified in time to participate if they wish.)  Let's see. . . what if you tell me what kind of stamp set you'd like to see designed--one that you'd like and can't find. I'm sure there are several companies who'd be listening if you stampers speak! ;-D

Don't forget to check out Heidi Blankenship's blog today for a fourth Spellbinders sneak peek and giveaway. On July 4, Ellen Hutson will have another great sneak peek for you.  Thanks for visiting!

Genuine, One and Only Dad: CPS 68

This will be an uncharacteristically short post because I'm trying to finish nine PaperTrey projects  before midnight tomorrow!

Here's my last Father's Day card for you this year, a sneak peek of the card that I made for CPS Sketch 68, a very simple sketch to work with. If you haven't visited the CPS site this week, you might want to; there are some gorgeous pieces posted, and I can see a shopping trip in my future for some materials that I was unaware of. ;-)

I chose the Stampin' Up Bronc Buster set, paired with Cosmo Cricket Halfway Cafe patterned paper (Kingman), natural hemp, and the Copic markers pictured on the left. The little "Dad" above the star is from PaperTrey Ink's Father Knows Best set. I used a sentiment from Father Knows Best inside the card as well. Here's the sad part: I still didn't get it in the mail in time to actually get there before Father's Day. Anybody want to help organize my life?

Would you like to see more sneak peeks?  I'm pretty sure that Nichole, Heather, Amy, and Lisa all have new PaperTrey pre-release peeks up. Have a wonderful day!

Floral Encouragement Card

Tonight I made an encouragement card using Stampin' Up's Fabulous Flowers set and Ginger Blossom patterned paper, Verve Visual's Heartfelt Phrases, and PaperTrey's Everyday Blessings (all linked below). I created a different fold that I thought I'd share with you.

I had started with what is now the inside of the card as the card front, and it evolved from there.  When I started to mount the card front to the card base, it occurred to me that a rounded flap might be nice--hmmm. . . So I used my largest circle Coluzzle to cut the inside circle as well as the front flap's base (a smaller diameter)  and my largest Spellbinders Nestability plain and scalloped circles to cut the front flap Guava and River Rock piece. (Card base is 4-1/4" x 11", scored at -1/2" and trimmed on one half with the circle Coluzzle and a straight-edged paper trimmer.)

I think that you'll be able to see what I did from seeing both pictures, but if not, perhaps I can get a step-by step tutorial written in a week or so if you'd like one.

I'm working on eight projects for this coming week, all to share around the 14th or 15th; so there is plenty to come this week! Taylor and Heather, in addition to Nichole, have posted some gorgeous sneak peeks of the next paperTrey release. Lisa has one going up today as well. Thanks for visiting!

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Credits

Stamps: Fabulous Florals (SU), Everyday Blessings (PaperTrey Ink), Heartfelt Florals (Verve Visual)
Papers: Ginger Blossom (SU)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Groovy Guava
Ink: Groovy Guava and River Rock (SU); and Versafine Sepia
Marker: SU's Chocolate Chip (to ink the tag sentiment and make it a two-liner
Tools: Spellbinders Nestability Plain and Scalloped Classic Circles, and Tags Trio

Natural Beauty Butterfly Pendant

I'm working on some new release projects this week, so I thought I'd share something that I played with a  couple of weeks ago. In case you haven't guessed, I love working with glass and solder!  I grew up around tools, and was expected to know what they were for, how to find one doubletime if my Dad needed it, how to take care of them, and often how to use them too.  So tools don't intimidate me. And when my husband wants to buy a new one, I usually say, "Go for it!" (Of course, I know that he will use them to make beautiful things!)

Enough babbling--it's late. This little piece (1" x 2") is from a retired Stampin' Up set, Natural Beauty. I watercolored the butterfly image and sandwiched and soldered it between two layers of glass.  I twisted the little "s" piece from wire and used a jump ring at the top.  The wavy soldering lines come from wavy copper tape--pretty cool stuff!

If you'd like to explore soldering more, there's a detailed tutorial here for a simple piece. Soldering items (like the wavy tape in a variety pack) can be found here.  I'll try to get a card made for tomorrow night! Have a wonderful day, and thanks for visiting.

Two Hearts, One Love: CPS Sketch 63

I loved this week's CPS Sketch!  Our sponsor this week was Scor-Pal, so I wanted to incorporate something other than my normal fold. I started with a 4-1/4" x 12" piece of cardstock, then scored it at 3" and at 8-1/2". I then laid it out in a landscape orientation and folded the right flap in first. The left flap has the bracket box attached to it.

How about those papers? Digital! I wasn't very confident after my hybrid foray a few weeks ago, but I just kept getting good deals on lovely digital papers--the ones that I'm "someday" going to digi-scrap with. When I looked at this week's CPS Sketch and saw a box, I wanted to use a bracket box. I had ordered some online not long ago, and when I got them, they were too large for cards. What I needed was a bracket box that I could control the size of. . . Wait a minute! I started checking my digital files, and there were several choices--woohoo! So, other than the plain cardstock on this card, a natural vanilla (Prism), Bordering Blue (SU), and Spring Moss (PaperTrey Ink), everything else is from Shabby Miss Jenn's Lil Guys Collection. I have so many pink, flowery papers, but I wanted an anniversary card to appeal to both genders, hence the blues and greens.

Printer Ramble: When I print digital papers, I have the best luck using heavyweight matte finish paper on best print setting. And if I need only 5-1/2", I resize the 12" x 12" file in my print dialog box to 5-1/2" x 5-1/2" so I'm not wasting ink printing paper that I don't need. Then I can turn the paper around to the other end and print a second 5-1/2" x 5-1/2" pattern, or some smaller elements so that I don't waste paper. I also have a printer for which I can get very economical generic ink, and it will be a sad day when it dies. (It's a Canon Pixma iP 3000. It's probably outdated, but I knew that I would get e-mail asking about it if I didn't tell you what it was. Your best bet on choosing a printer is to check Consumer Reports or something similar. Then check the online ink vendors to see if generic ink is available for the model that you choose. I think my printer was only about $50, so a decent printer doesn't have to cost a lot to buy or to re-ink. Okay, printer ramble has now officially ended.

Stamps, etc.: For stamps, I used Stampin' Up's Kind Thoughts set along with a sentiment from Favor It Weddings by PaperTrey Ink. For the tag, I used one of my new Spellbinders Tags Trio dies, and for the circles I used my Spellbinders Nestability Plain and Petite Scalloped Circle dies. Ribbon is PaperTrey Ink's Spring Moss stitched grosgrain, and those cute little heart rhinestones are made by A Muse. (Yes, I've been waiting for at least a year to use these on something! :-D)

Finally, a word about scoring tools: if you don't have one, and you are an avid papercrafter, you need one. (No, no one asked me to say this. It's my version of a public service announcement. :-D) Here's the scoop: I looked at scoring tools for two years before I decided to buy one. I just kept thinking, "That's two sets of stamps that I'm giving up to buy a tool." I had a little scoring blade for my smallest paper cutter. In fact, I had two of them: one was dull and didn't score well, and the other was sharp and cut into my paper unless I remembered to score lightly. I finally bought a dedicated scoring tool, and I don't think I have made even one card in the past couple of years that I haven't used a scoring tool on--yes, to me, it's that important.  I now have two different brands of scoring tools, and both work  beautifully. Truthfully, the Scor-Pal is the one I use most for two reasons: first, it is lighter to pull off of the shelf while I'm sitting down working, and second, I don't have to bother to look at measurements. I can simply align the cardstock in the corner, and 95% of the time, I'm good to go. (Occasionally I may be scoring a non-standard sized item and use a different tool, or  I may have a piece of cardstock that is 1/16" short. That would account for the other 5% of the time, in case you're wondering.)

Goodness, I'm quite verbose when I'm typing a blog post during the day instead of the middle of the night! Don't worry: I won't make a habit of it.  Have a blessed Sunday!

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Credits

Stamps: Kind Thoughts (Stampin' Up), Favor It Weddings (PaperTrey Ink)
Papers: (DIGITAL) Shabby Miss Jenn's Little Guys Collection
Cardstock: Prism Natural; PaperTrey Ink Spring Moss; Stampin' Up Bordering Blue
Accessories: Ribbon is PaperTrey Ink Spring Moss Stitched Grosgrain; heart-shaped rhinestones are A Muse Twinkle Stickers
Tools: Scor-Pal; Spellbinders Tags Trio and Nestabilities Plain and Petite Scalloped Circle Dies; Ranger Inkssentials White Opaque pen; piercing tool, foam tape

Office Wear Goes Glitzy

Today I couldn't think of a thing to stamp--very unusual! Then I saw this glitter  embellishments tutorial by Kandis Smith for CPS, and I remembered buying glitter a long time ago. One thing led to another, and what do you know? I have a card for you!

I used Stampin' Up's Office Accoutrements set, along with a couple of CHF backgrounders, Large Polka Dot and Lined Paper. My pattern and color inspiration was from some cool Pink Paislee paper that I got just last week.  (I'm still hoarding it for just the right project!) Ribbon is SU, and ric-rac is probably May Arts--I'm not sure on that since I bought it in bulk. Mini brads are from SU's Rich Regals collection. Ink is Pink Passion and Brocade Blue, as well as Key Lime Versamagic on the little tag.

Both the tag and the long card are cut with my new Spellbinders dies--the Scalloped Long Rectangle and the tag dies. Card size is 3-1/8" x 6-1/4" and fits nicely into the SU small open end envelopes. I love being able to cut scalloped cards with the long rectangle dies! (The left edge is flattened because it is hinged on that side.)

So what are you waiting for? Pull out that glitter that's in the back of your stash and use it! Thanks for visiting.

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Credits

Stamps: Stampin' Up (Office Accoutrements), Cornish Heritage Farms (Large Polka Dot and Lined Paper)
Ink: Stampin' Up, Tsukineko
Inspiration Papers: Pink Paislee's Lunch Hour and Bottom Line
Ribbon: SU, May Arts
Dies: Spellbinders
Glitter: I think I got the assortment from Creativexpress.com