Cold Twigs, Warm Heart Card

I made this card for an Ellen Hutson WCMD challenge but I failed to blog it and enter it in time. Fortunately, I’ve found someone who can use it and I can be entered for other prizes!

Vera Yates is running a card drive for the holiday season for the elderly in nursing homes. Make a winter or holiday card, send it in and it will be entered into a draw for lots of awesome prizes.

Check out the details by clicking on the icon above.

I used a die to cut out the snowflakes from the blue paper. Then I filled in the holes with glue and glitter. So pretty! I was in a rush when I made it so the trees aren’t Copic coloured as well as I’d like. Oh well.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: SU!
Ink: Memento black
Paper: night of navy, red CS-SU!, white CS-X-Press It
Accessories: glitter-SU!, Copics, die-Memory box, foam dots-Jody Morrow

Pet Sympathy Cards

My best girlfriend’s neighbour lost her dog this last week. I knew she would buy a sympathy card so I offered to make one for her to give.

First, I decided to try out my new hex cover plate die from PTI. I had to die cut it three times before I finally got the right combo of number of passes through the machine and shim. I think my plates are old and that is part of it but it is a tricky thing to cut even with a new plate. Don’t start using it the first time on your last sheet of paper! Test it out first!

I used Nichole Heady’s PDF cutting diagram for 4 patterned papers but I substituted paw stamps for one of the papers. I love how it looks. I decided it was just too much work to give to someone I don’t even know so I’m going to save it. Then I made another one for my girlfriend to give away using this week’s Unscripted Sketch.

I made the button with the same paw stamp I used on the other card. It’s clear with glossy accents as adhesive. I was going to use a grey button from the pack that matches the paper but another button from another Basic Grey pack in this gorgeous teal colour really popped.

Click on the sketch to visit the challenge post.

I hope these cards bring some comfort. It’s so awful to lose a special pet.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: heartfelt, paw-PTI, hugs, sorry-WMS
Ink: chocolate, kraft-PTI, Antique Linen, Vintage Photo Distress, pumpkin-SU!
Paper: kraft, chocolate, cream-PTI, DP-Basic Grey Max and Whiskers, confetti ivory-SU!,
Accessories: twine, hex cover plate die, labels-PTI, clear button-SU!, teal button-Basic Grey, wood button-stash, circle Nesties, 1/16” circle punch-Fiskars, foam dots-Jody Morrow,

Altered Mousetrap–Vintage Beach

Apparently, one of the newest cool things to alter is a mousetrap! They make a great note holder when magnets are attached to the back. I guess if you work in a cubicle, you could also add Velcro to the back.

I decided to take apart the trap mechanism to make it easier to add the background paper and ink it. Wow, it is very stiff and very spring loaded. Poor little mousies… Anyway, it took a bit of yanking to get the clips out from the wood but I kept prying until I got them out. I was glad I did; I decorated it and let everything dry when I realized that I didn’t remember how to put it back together. Yikes! Fortunately, I had another  still intact and figured it out. Whew! All sides were inked with Vintage Photo ink.

I used liquid glue to adhere the background papers and then made some embellishments. The lady under the orange umbrella was adhered to coaster chipboard, sanded and inked front and back; at least the portion that will show so it looks finished from the back. The flower was painted with acrylic paint then sanded when dry to distress it. The watch hand was inserted then the brad distressed with the claw end of my hammer.

The sand dollar was punched out twice from ivory and kraft cardstock. Then I layered them and added Glossy Accents to the surface. Before it dried, I added the sand and shell inclusions. I couldn’t get all the bubbles out, they kept moving away from my pin tip (GRRR!) so I finally left them since they added to the rustic nature of the embellishment, or at least, that’s what I told myself! {{{Grin}}} Add magnets and all done!

Have you ever embellished a mousetrap? This was my first. If you decide to try it, send me a picture! It was really quite fun!

No Mouse was Harmed in the Making of this Project! New Unused Traps. A better use for sure!

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Paper: DP-Graphic 45 Boardwalk, Vanilla, kraft CS-SU!
Ink: Vintage photo, antique linen Distress
Accessories: acrylic paint, flower, watch hand, brad- Tim Holtz, mousetrap-Dollarama, sand dollar punch-MS, sand and shell-Mudd Puddles, coaster board-Ellen Hutson,

Papertrey Ink October Blog Hop–Love Has Wings

I loved the colour combos PTI provided as inspiration for this month’s blog hop. I don’t have quite a few of them though as I’m still working with a 2009 paper pack so I went with the combo shown below.

The little house is a layered die cut which resembles chipboard. It is made of three layers with an additional roof layer and the patterned paper layer. The heart section is only one layer thick so it is recessed into the house.

I used a new technique I developed for the leaves. I turned the leaves upside down and scored the veins. Then I flipped it back over and folded each score line upwards, away from the scoring. This cracked the score lines giving a vintage. distressed look. Then I sponged ink over the cracked score lines to accentuate them.

I also entered this in Retro Sketches #34. Click to visit challenge post.

I hope you enjoyed my card. Thanks for taking the time to visit and I hope you will leave a comment. If you liked this project, feel free to sign up for email updates or my RSS feed, thingies on the sidebar.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Paper: all cardstock-PTI, DP-SU!
Ink: vintage photo, antique linen Distress, artichoke-SU!
Accessories: foam dots-Jody Morrow, house, edge, scallop die-PTI, leaf die-Spellbinders, floral die-Heartfelt Creations (I think), ribbon-Offray, embossing tool-stash

Horse Frame Gift

Another horse themed blog post. Seems to be a theme huh? And there is one more to come! The cards I made for the fundraiser.

I made this for my son’s riding teacher. She is also my friend’s daughter so it will be perfect for their home. This started out as a basic frame from IKEA. Less than $10 for sure, maybe less than $5! I wouldn’t buy it for my stash unless it was pretty cheap. I cut some clouds with a PTI die out of Eclipse tape and used them as masks. Then I airbrushed the sky and grass.

In case you didn’t know, you can totally air brush with Ciao markers. I keep a small elastic wound around my airbrush several times which holds them in place and keeps them from moving as I work, easy solution for sure. Because the Ciao marker slides in too far, I just align the amount of the marker tip that protrudes until it is the same as a Sketch marker and let the elastic snap tight.  I stamped and coloured the horses with Copics of course.

This would totally work with a thrift store frame and a fresh new mat too. I can think of so many fun ideas for images that would work with the same sky and grass. A child holding flowers or balloons, a pet, a bird in the sky with a picket fence below or a baby carriage. Or you could add glitter to the lower part for a snowy scene.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: SU!
Ink: Memento
Paper: Xpress It
Accessories: Copics and airbrush system, Eclipse tape, cloud die-PTI

Floral Gift Card Holder

The owner of the barn where my son rides recently rescued 4 very neglected horses. This isn’t what she usually does but when she saw an ad for these horses, Free to a Good Home, she thought she’d be thrilled to add them to her stable. But when she found the horses, which might otherwise be suitable, in deplorable condition, she felt she had to rescue them. Horses are already quite expensive but when they haven’t seen a farrier or a vet in a very long time, are super skinny, malnourished and sick and can’t be ridden for a long time while they recover, it is a very expensive endeavour indeed.

They hosted two fundraisers, for one of which I donated 2 card sets and a gift certificate inside this pretty gift card holder.

The background is stamped with a background stamp from a.muse studio which I won from Paper Crafts magazine blog. I’ve actually won from PC mag blog or Moxie Fab blog at least 5 times! Can you believe that? You know how people often say, “I never win anything!” Well, I actually am the opposite. I win things all the time! Weird huh? Anyway, back to the card holder… I stamped the background using champagne Versamark, I love the subtle shimmer.

I dyed the seam binding ribbon myself. When I want the natural colour but need it scrunched and a bit shabbier, I wet the ribbon with homemade pearl mist using gold Perfect Pearls. Then I rub my hands on my Antique Linen ink pad and scrunch the ribbon. This adds colour to the raised areas only giving, I think, a more realistically worn look. After all, had this ribbon been handled often and naturally distressed, that’s where the distressing (aka dirt) would be.

This also works for The Shabby Tea Room challenge to use something rustic and something elegant. The rose and pearl are elegant, maybe the background pattern too and the twine and ribbon are rustic. I can’t remember if you can enter two things, I’ll have to check because my other entry has a better chance of being recognized. ETA: It’s OK, you can enter multiple times! Yeah!

As always, click on the photos for links to the challenges. Both of these have time left too. Wow! I’ve actually counted down the seconds while posting and adding a link to a challenge. Yeesh!

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: a.muse bg, sentiment-SU!
Ink: Versamark, Antique Linen Distress
Paper: Howdy Doody-MME, chocolate CS-SU!,
Accessories: label 1 Nesties, Prima rose, HugSnug Seam binding,  twine-PTI, lace-May Arts, corsage pin-Michaels, gold EP-SU!

Horse Thank You Card for October SFYTT

This is a very belated thank you card for my girlfriend. Her DD taught riding lessons for summer day camp this summer and my son was in her class. Because we live very close together and she was driving her daughter there anyway, she drove my son also.

This may sound like a small favour to you but it was huge to me. Huge enough that without her kindness, my son probably wouldn’t have been able to attend even though his grandma paid for the lessons. It would just be too much for me to get up and get everyone ready to go so early so many days in a row. You may not be aware but I have lupus, fibromyalgia and serious fatigue as a result. Getting everyone ready and out of the house is a major undertaking. I am so grateful to her and since she also rides, I made this horse themed thank you card for her.

My son helped with the Copic colouring in case you were thinking it isn’t as detailed or refined as my usual work. I’m teaching him the theory behind colour selection (greyer and cooler further away and in shadowed areas for instance) and shadowing (choosing a light source and the difference it makes depending on it’s shape) and colour blending. He prefers to draw in pencil and not colour but yet wants to use my Copics. Hmm…. Maybe just the novelty of something he isn’t allowed to use?

The sentiment panel is an unusual shape, I know. I used a ticket  punch on the corners then decided the panel was too wide for the space I’d left. So I trimmed the panel down and started to repunch the corners when I decided I liked the unusual shape!

For once there is plenty of time to play in this challenge! Crazy unusual for me! I ALWAYS link up at the last minute. Half the time I forget to post in time to actually enter the challenges I’ve made cards for. Seriously??? Click on the sketch to link to the post. Can you believe that I’ve played in every sketch so far this year! I can’t either! I am rarely so disciplined!

I’ve been having some serious behavioural issues, the kind that require therapy and professional diagnosis, with my 5 year old. On top of that, I’ve been having some other very frustrating things going on; it’s been a terrible couple of days. If you are reading this and have a few seconds to linger, please leave me a cheery comment or (clean) joke. I can use all the help I can get today. I rarely post anything personal unless it directly relates to why I made a certain card (as above) but I could sure use a pick-me-up today. Thanks in advance.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: Horse poetry-CDS, sentiment-SU!
Ink: Memento black, Vintage Photo Distress
Paper: Archaic-Basic Grey, chocolate, vanilla CS-SU!, kraft CS-PTI
Accessories: ribbon, ticket corner punch-SU!, foam dots-Jody Morrow, Copics

Rustic Elegance Triple Challenge Card

I am going to enter this in three challenges. I Spy sketch Challenge, Shabby Tea room Rustic Elegance challenge and Simon Says Challenge to use dies.

Most of this card is pretty obvious. I was so bummed that I had no pearl swirls except a deep tan one so I kinda engineered the swirl in the corner. I pieced together several smaller swirls and clipped the adhesive in between them to change the shape. I am pleased with the result.

I hand dyed my own seam binding. I’m adding the recipe here so I can remember it myself later. But maybe it will help you out too! I used 5 drops each of pretty in pink and blush reinker and one drop of Antique Linen so it isn’t too bright.

I used a die to cut the doily (SSS) and I used pearls and the stick pin as elegant elements and the twine and board flooring paper as rustic elements (TSTR).

Click on any photo to visit the challenge blog post.

RECIPE
Stamps: flourish frame-SU!
Ink: Champagne Versamark
Paper: All Dolled Up-MME, moss CS-PTI, doily-vintage typing paper
Accessories: HugSnug Seam binding ribbon, Porcelain paint-MS, reinkers as above-SU!, pink flower, pearls-Recollections, white flowers-stash, twine-PTI, corsage pin-Michaels, various beads-stash, doily die-PTI

Happy Hexagons for World Card Making Day

Happy World Card Making Day to you all! I am playing in Ellen Hutson’s challenge today.

The challenge is #5; Trend Watch, use a trend so I used hexagons. I’m absolutely am crazy about this paper! It’s so beautiful, I am only using parts of it so I can use the rest later. Strange, the colours don’t really look quite right but I assure you, they match perfectly IRL.

I also used some items from Joan’s Gardens on this card. The adhesives I used are from her store. I airbrushed a white flower to get the peach one.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Paper: MME, white CS-Taylored Expressions, Kraft, moss, artichoke CS-PTI
Accesories: silk flowers-Prima, paper flowers, lace-stash, ribbon-May Arts, pearls-Dollarama, leaves die-Sizzix, corsage pins-Michaels, twine-PTI, Copic marker and airbrush system