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Playing with Vellum

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I enjoy using vellum in my card making so when I saw the latest Online Card Class, Sheer and Clear, I signed right up. The first lesson dealt with different ways to attach a vellum piece to your card. This can be quite tricky at times, but Yana Smakula demonstrated 11 different ways to consider in the first video of the class. Some I knew, some I had forgotten, and a few were new to me.

The first card is one I actually made before class begun and gave to my niece and her husband at their wedding. I attached the vellum piece with a thin line of matte adhesive under the silver thread and then added a dot or two under a few of the rhinestones.

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This card uses a new die I purchased recently from a new-to-me company called Concord and 9th. There are several other pieces to the die set as well as an accompanying sentiment set which I didn't use. The striped vellum is from Papertrey Ink as is the Tropical Teal cardstock. The die-cut sentiment is from Simon Says, and the silver thread is from a spool that's been in my stash for years.

Next up is the first card I made for class. I needed a couple thank you notes, so it was a good opportunity to try some new things. 

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I embossed the beautiful flower from Clearly Besotted's "Fresh Flowers," and then colored them in with some white Prismacolor pencil, and added some Wink of Stella. I've never tried this technique, but Jennifer McGuire demonstrated it in a Day 1 video, and I like the extra oomph it gives the card. 

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This time, I attached the vellum piece behind the Simple Stories, "Life in Color" tag, and underneath the sequins from Simon Says.

Last is a card I made last night after seeing a video by Dawn Woleslagle. Her cards almost always blow me away, and the card she presented in class was truly elegant. My first attempt leaves a LOT to be desired, but I'm posting it in hopes that a later attempt will show some improvement. For this technique, you trace a stamp's outline in white on the back of a piece of vellum and then dry emboss it. It creates a raised white line on the front of the piece. Dawn recommended using parchment paper, which I don't have, so maybe one part of the problem is that I used vellum. Then the design was colored with Copic markers from the backside. The stamp I traced is one from Penny Black's "Blooming Garden."

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In looking for some spray adhesive to attach this piece, I found a can of vellum spray adhesive I'd totally forgotten about. It would have saved me a lot of frustration with the wedding card if only I'd known I had it. (I've started a new purge of my workspace, and this would be one reason why I need to do a good clean-out every year or so!) I scored three lines on the Raspberry Fizz card, and die cut the vellum piece with Simon Says "Stitched Rectangles." The die-cut sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Mini-Market kit, "Still Life: Summer." Finally I added a few Rainstones from Papertrey to finish it off. Not a fave, but I can live with it.

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Inlaid Dies–Addicted to CAS Challenge

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This week's challenge at Addicted to CAS is inlaid dies. I made an earlier version of this card for two guys in grays with one red stripe, but today's are for two female friends who celebrate their birthdays later this month.

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This "Stars and Stripes" die from Frantic Stamper takes care of any design questions. It's just a matter of choosing the colors and the orientation of the die. All the purple papers came from my scraps file—a good way to use up perfectly good paper that's left over from earlier projects. I keep a file folder labeled by color for my scraps and that's my first "go-to" when I'm looking for paper. Although the die comes with a die cut for the "celebrate" sentiment, I substituted Papertrey Ink's "Wet Paint" die. The star rhinestones are from Michael's.

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A slightly different version with some Simon Says star dies and some tiny enamel dots. I love the look of inlaid dies, so I'm off to check out the other contributions to the challenge.

Less is More: White Space That’s Not White

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It's good to be home, despite the 4 inches of snow we got as a welcome home gift from Mother Nature. This week's challenge at Less is More is an interesting one. One of their designers questioned whether or not my dotted backgrounds for the last week's challenge constituted "white space," and she was probably correct. This week the challenge asks for colored "white space," and I have a birthday card that fits the bill.

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The cardstock is from Simon Says and the patterned paper from an old MME's paper pack, "Go Fly a Kite." I used Papertrey Ink's "Sentiment Splits" die to create the curved bottom of the top layer, and the candle and sentiment both come from Papertrey's "Wishes Come True." I added a bit of Glossy Accents to enhance the flame of the candle.

I spent most of the first day home unpacking and organizing, and sadly, I think there's still at least one more day for the organizing piece. I took some projects to Chicago to work on, and got a good start, but have more to do. Hope your week is a productive and happy one!

Polka Dots: Round Two

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I have another card for the Less is More Challenge, "Polka Dots," this week. It uses the same paper pack as the last card, but a different design.

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So, once again, a piece of Silver Luxe paper from Papertrey Ink, this time with a sentiment in silver, die cut from the Wet Paint series (the stamped sentiment as well.) I finished it off with three enamel dots from My Mind's Eye. I love these card size paper packs which make for a quick, but lovely, card.

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This angle gives you a better view of the shimmer of the card stock and the die cut. 

Less is More: Polka Dots

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This week's challenge at Less is More is Polka Dots. I'm a huge fan; I just bought a cute hat in Florida and the initial draw was the black and white polka-dotted ribbon on the band. I'm also a fan of Papertrey Ink's Silver Luxe patterned paper pack, which makes for a quick and easy card:

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A gold die cut of "Swoosh" and one stamp from the same set, a little heart from an old punch, and it's done. It's hard to see the silver from this angle, so here's another look.

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Hope your Easter weekend was a good one! We got sunshine and warm temperatures for the egg hunt after church, but it turned cloudy and rainy around dinner time. I'll be back with pics later this week.

 

Easter Crafting

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Before I had grandchildren, I don't think I did much Easter crafting, but now it's lots of fun. Two of these cute bunny boxes work for the current Card Concept Challenge, "Naturally Pink," so I thought I'd post them a couple days early. All three of them are too young to be visiting my blog, so no surprise will be ruined.

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When I saw the cute projects done by the design team at Papertrey Ink for this set, "Bunny Basket," released in February, I couldn't resist. I die cut the bunny from felt, used some Black Enamel Accents for the eyes, a Copic marker for some pink cheeks, and pom-poms from Michaels for the tails.

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The sentiment is also from "Bunny Basket" stamped on a "Double-ended Banner" die. The patterned paper for the Easter eggs came from the Simon Says March kit from Carta Bella ("Spring.) The "grass" was cut with Martha Stewart Fringe Scissors from Simply Chartreuse paper. Everything was layered on a Spring Rain circle cut with Simon Says "Stitched Circles." It all got put on a pillow box made with the Papertrey Ink die from Lovely Lady (a great new pink paper) and tied with ribbons from my stash. Inside I put some chocolate eggs and some cash. Two of the grandchildren are definitely old enough to appreciate a little spending money.

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Two pink boxes for the little girls, and a yellow one from another new Papertrey color, "Bright Buttercup," for Caleb. 

Not very springlike here today. There's a strong wind blowing, and snow flurries are in the forecast. Later this week, temperatures in the 60's are forecast. Typical western New York spring weather.

Happy Birthday, Tracy!

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It's St. Patrick's Day, but more importantly in this house, it's Tracy's birthday! It's the second year we've celebrated in Florida, and it's been a really lovely day. It started out foggy.

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But by 10:30 it had cleared up.

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The resort where we're staying had a party in his honor. (Well, actually in honor of St. Patrick, but it works out the same.)

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We actually celebrated with dinner last night at The Waterfront on Santa Maria Island. We celebrated there last year, and the food and service were outstanding. Fortunately, nothing had changed. 

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Tonight some of us are eating left-overs, and Tracy is picking out a couple of items and a dessert from Harry's Deli up the road. We had dinner at Harry's Restaurant the first night we were here, and it was also excellent. I made Tracy's birthday card before we came, using Papertrey Ink's "Uncorked" stamps and dies, as well as a few MME's enamel dots.

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And a closer look.

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I forgot to take a photo of the inside, but the sentiment is as good as the one on the front:   "Love is like wine. You know it's good when it gets better with time." Perfectly true.

One more day in paradise, and then we're headed back to the cold and snow. Hopefully, not too much snow, but the forecast calls for snow showers in both North Carolina and Virginia!

 

 

A Nautical Birthday Card

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While we're enjoying the beach, I thought it would be a good time to share a nautical card I sent a friend for his birthday. He's the owner of a large boatyard in the Chesapeake Bay, so nautical works for him any time. I purchased this WPlus9 set several years ago, since Tracy is, at heart, a sailor. But after we sold our boat, it never seemed quite appropriate. 

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The little notebook I keep with all the details of what I used is home, so I'm not positive exactly what products I used. I started with a Pure Poppy card, and added a piece of patterned paper from one of my many 6X6 paper pads, and then added the die cuts and stamps from WPlus9 and Simon Says. The stamp set by WPluse9is no longer available, but the dies, "Nautical Notions", are.

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I used a piece of glitter paper from a pack from Michaels to die cut the anchor. It was perfect, and a Simon Says "Stitched Circle" for the background. The sentiment is from a Papertrey Ink set, and the twine from a vintage twine holder I picked up at a shop about a year ago.

One week down, and one week to go at the beach. I've managed to finish two books, and am now enjoying two issues of Uppercase, a Canadian magazine Melissa recommended awhile ago. It's subtitle is "for the creative and the curious." I've already got a long list of ideas in "Notes" on my iPhone from just the first issue, and am very impressed with the breath and depth of the articles. Long walks on the beach, some time at the pool, and lots of reading time equals a pretty perfect vacation!

(The new banner is a photo of the first sunset we saw from our patio a week ago. I won't be able to keep it up for long, but the snowy scene from the previous banner just seemed wrong.)

A Bit of Green for Two March Birthdays

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My brother-in-law and my niece's husband both celebrate March birthdays, so the Simon Says Challenge this week for a "bit of green" fit the bill perfectly. 

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I started with PTI's Enclosed Star die and stamp, cutting twice, once in green (Simply Chartreuse) and once in black and piecing them together. A few black enamel dots finished it off. Pretty quick and easy.

For the next card, I switched out the patterned paper (from the same pack).

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Here's a closer look:

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And the  a peek at the inside:

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Linking up to Simon Say's Wednesday Challenge.

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February Papertrey Ink 2016 Blog Hop Challenge and Pretty in Pink

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The inspiration piece for this month's blog hop at Papertrey Ink is so lovely, soft and springlike.

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It was a great color combination for an early April birthday card that I was getting ready to work on when this inspiration piece appeared. I'd already chose the Bold Blooms watercolor paper by Papertrey Ink, so pulled out my Kuretake watercolors, and mixed up some colors to match.

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After it was watercolored, I adhered it to a Memory Box green card, added a gold die cut sentiment that was in my "die cuts to use" box, and added a few sequins. 

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The last touch was to add the butterfly from the inspiration piece. I used an old Martha Stewart punch and a piece of patterned paper with gold dots from the "Fancy That" paper pack by MME. It wasn't quite the right color of pink, so I added a wash of watercolor to it, and now it's just right.

You can check out the other creations right here.

I'm also linking this up to the FUSION challenge, Pretty in Pink. I channeled the color and also the blooms!

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Color Throw Down

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I've been working on getting the cards made that I need for the next month and a half. While I had a die laying on my desk for another project, I happened across a blog where the card maker was participating in a challenge called "Color Throw Down." I was unfamiliar with it, but when I saw the colors for this week, I knew I'd participate. The die I had on the desk worked perfectly for it. It's one I purchased some time ago, but hadn't put to use. Here are the inspiration colors.

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My new bathroom is functional, and almost totally "decorated." When I post photos, you'll know this color combination is right up my alley! It's been painted two shades of gray with white woodwork and red accents. Even the shower curtain in red, gray, and white. Since I had to make several runs through the die cutter for the first card, I had extra pieces for a second card as well. 

 

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Aside from the multiple cuts on different colors of paper, this comes together quickly. I used "Fog" and " "Smoke" from Simon Says, and "Select White," "Pure Poppy," and "Smoky Shadow" from Papertrey Ink. The die is the "Stars and Stripes Photo Card" by Frantic Stamper. Although it includes a die cut for "celebrate," I preferred the Wet Paint II die from Papertrey.

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The star dies are also included, and that worked out well. An enamel dot or two and the cards were done.

We've had a busy weekend, and I'll be back tomorrow to participate in Memorandum Monday. Hope your weekend is going well.

Memorandum Monday: The Valentine Edition

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I'm back again this week, joining and waving to Sian and friends who post something new they did or used for the first time over the weekend ( or in my case during the week.) I saw some Valentine products I couldn't resist this year. Now that I have grandchildren who I can create for, this holiday is ramping up for me. 

First off, my favorite and an almost total case of a project Danielle Flanders did for the release of this stamp and die set: "Petite Places: Home & Garden." I've resisted this whole line of product from Papertrey Ink, but Danielle got me on this one. I knew Skylar would love it, and I made a second one for a crafty friend who loves this kind of thing. She makes wonderful creations from paper, but she's not a stamper, so I knew she wouldn't have seen it. Got to say, both loved it, and for a first try, I was pretty pleased with how it came out. By using different colors, you can change out the look of the project so it would be great for other occasions.

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The clear dome makes photos pretty tricky, but in this one you can see the cute little swing hanging from the tree. There are also lots of other little additions I didn't add this time. I added a strip of adhesive cork paper to made the walkway, and combined some green Flower Soft and glitter to made the "grass." I threw in a few flower sequins as well.

The card for Skylar and Ella used Simon Says "Baby Party Animals" which I've used before, but the sentiment is from "Paper Hugs," included in last year's February card kit which I had never used.

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With all the stamping, sequins, and die cut foil hearts, this is definitely a busier card than I usually come up with.

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I ordered a die and some clear totes from Reverse Confetti to made Caleb's valentine gift. This combo is sure to get lots of use; it's perfect for hostess gifts, small birthday gifts . . . I can think of almost endless possibilities. The patterned papers are "Pure Poppy + White," from Papertrey Ink, and the heart border die is also an older Papertrey die.

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Here's the tote with the card, which also uses new stamps and dies from Papertrey's "Valentine Pin-up" kit. I have plenty of material in that kit to create for grandchildren for several years to come. The little fox was one of my favorites.

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I used a Simon Says heart die to make the balloons, and used another new die, "Balloon Strings" from Papertrey. It's been on backorder for awhile, and just came in the last order.

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We have a wonderful homemade candy shop nearby, and that's where the Valentine candy corn and the chocolates in Caleb's valentine came from. I was thrilled to find little chocolate cars wrapped much like the Matchbox cars Caleb loves.

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And here's what the tote looks like from the side.

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We had quite a lovely Valentine's Day. It started with some car trouble due to the extreme cold, so we ended up coming in at the end of the first hymn for church. It was worth the effort to get there, though, since we had an excellent guest preacher and some beautiful solos by the bass section leader in our choir. From there I went to Sunday Seminar presented by Ann Meredith, a professor of religion at the University of Rochester. One of my friends was amazed that I had never attended one of her presentations, and said I would love it. Indeed, I did, and luckily it was the first of a three part series. It's days like this when I realize what wonderful resources we have in Rochester.

We played duplicate bridge in the afternoon. The last couple of times we've played we haven't done very well, but yesterday was much better. There are several couples in the group who play bridge regularly, and two who play competitively. We play only in this group, and do not study or practice, so it's quite a miracle that we can keep up with them. We rarely come in first (and we didn't yesterday) but we seem to hold our own, and have been playing with one of the couples for 42 years. The group started the year we were married. We came home for an hour, and then met friends for dinner. Quite an usual (and different-"new") Valentine's Day for us. I hope your weekend treated you well.

Happy Valentine’s Day

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I'll be back tomorrow with some more valentines to share for Memorandum Monday, but today I have one to submit to the Card Concept challenge blog. Here's the inspiration photo:

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Clearly, the hearts were my inspiration.

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I have to admit that photographing valentines can be a challenge in itself, especially when reflective papers are being used. I started with a piece of patterned paper from Teresa Collin's "Studio Gold" collection, then die cut Simon Say's "Heart Tic Tac Toe" from the middle and backed it with red and gold foil paper from Michaels. The sentiment is one of the dies from Papertrey's "Swoosh" set. There are a variety of categories to choose from at Card Concept, but I guess this fits the CAS Layered category the best.

Here's another look at it.

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Tracy outdid himself this Valentine's Day. I received a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, a charm for an Alex and Ani necklace, and a gift certificate for a facial. I'm a spoiled lady! Our duplicate bridge group is playing this afternoon (very unusual; it's usually a Saturday night), and then we're off to dinner (again!) with friends. It's been a cold, but festive weekend.

Addicted to CAS: Bloom

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The current challenge at Addicted to CAS is Bloom.

ATCAS - code word bloom

We could all use a bloom or two here today. The high was 0° and the wind is blowing hard enough that the wind chill was predicted to be -24°. I ran a few errands after helping register folks at a conference this morning, and decided I was not going out again although I should have gone to the gym. I stayed home and made soup instead.

Tomorrow is my niece's birthday. I know she reads my blog, but I hope she's already opened the card, or won't have time to check here before she opens this card tomorrow. I thought she should have some blooms as well. I'm guessing it's just as cold or colder in Vermont.

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I chose not to purchase the "Bold Blossoms" stamp set last month at Papertrey Ink, but I did buy a pack of the watercolor sheets that already have the blossoms printed on them. I used my Kuretake watercolors. They're not quite as transparent as the Daniel Smith ones in my palette, but they are vibrant and colorful. After watercoloring the flowers, I die cut the sentiment with "Birthday Cheers" die, and added a few Pink Posh sequins. The card was in my stash, but I'm pretty sure it's a Simon Says cardstock.

We're off to friends for dinner, so I am going to have to bundle up one more time.

Addicted to CAS: Red

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A quick post to enter this week's challenge at Addicted to CAS. 

ATCAS - code word red

Red is my favorite color, so I wanted to play along. I started with a Paper Source tag and envelope that's been in my stash for a long time. 

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I cut some Amy Tangerine "Plus One" patterned paper with Papertrey's Phrase Play #5 die, backed it with a strip of paper from the scrap dish and some white card stock. I cut a second Phrase Play die from gray card stock, cut out the "happy" and layered it over the original. The stamp was also Phrase Play #5. Three Jenni Bowlin rhinestone stars (also in my stash forever) and some silver thread finished it off.

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I love the silver envelope, and am glad I still have a couple of these tag sets left in my stash.