Monday, May 23, 2011

Football Frenzy at House Mouse

This is my second post as Guest DT at the House Mouse Monday Challenge.   This has been a wonderful and enjoyable opportunity!  The next challenge has been set by Stacy...Football Frenzy...inspired by Super Bowl champs, Green Bay.  For this challenge, we can go with colors, overall theme, team, etc.  I chose this "Little Nibbler" image, because it's a good depiction of how I am during the play-offs and Super Bowl.  I was rooting for the Colts until they were eliminated, then went with Green Bay for the Super Bowl.  I didn't actually chew pencils during the game...but I did munch down a bunch of chips and salsa!  : )  I went with green and yellow for the Packers' colors, colored the image with Copics, and added the lettering to the pencils with a Copic Multiliner.  I used Spellbinders Labels 18, added some German glass glitter to the edges.  I made this a twisted easel card, followed the sketch at Pixie Cottage, framing the image with embossed CS strips that I sprayed with Glimmer Mist.  I stamped the background repeatedly with the clock from the "Sense of Time" set from Stampin Up. 
Challenges:
The ABC Challenge - Unusual fold
Simon Says Stamp - Sparkle and shine
The Stamp Man - Recipe

Stamps:  House Mouse "Little Nibbler", Stampin Up "Sense of Time".
Paper:  The Paper Studio CS, Neenah Solar White CS.
Ink:  Memento, Distress Inks.
Accessories:  Spellbinders Labels 18, corner punch, CB embossing folder, Glimmer Mist, German glass glitter, Liquid Pearls.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Some Wedding Cards...

Monday I was asked by a lady at work to make a wedding card for her cousin's wedding, colors were turquoise, black and white, and whatever I came up with would be perfect.  The wedding is this weekend and I was going to be leaving town Thursday.  Hmmmm...I thought of the Orchids set I had just gotten from Flourishes.  I stamped it on Neenah Solar White paper, colored the flowers with Prismacolors and Copics.  I traced around a Spellbinders oval and cut out the "window".  Sponged all over with Distress Ink, and the white paper is now a pretty vintage looking sepia.   I stamped the sentiment on a scrap from my stash and attached it under the window with foam tape.  The embossed turquoise "panel" under the main image is actually left over strips of the same paper the sentiment is on, from my scrap drawer.  The strips were embossed and attached with foam tape as well.  I used black crinkled seam binding and added some subtle bling with the turquoise pearls I happened to find in my collection.  I took this card to my co-worker on Wednesday.  She really liked the card, showed it off at the office, and I got a waterfall of requests for wedding cards.  Six cards, two different weddings (they have all been working together for years).   I, and they, knew they would be "quicker" cards so I could take them by the office Thursday morning before leaving town.  Those cards are below, and everyone was very happy with them.   

Challenges
Lily of the Valley - Ribbon and Bows
Creative Inspirations - Glitzy and Blingy

Stamps:  Flourishes "Orchids", Crafty Secrets "Cherish"
Paper:  The Paper Studio
Ink:  Distress Ink, Memento.
Accessories:  Craft knife, Spellbinders Oval, pearls, foam tape, wrinkled seam binding.

These are the other wedding cards.  I got the ideas for these cards on Elly's Card Corner blog.  I fell in love with her cards the first time I saw them, and thought they would make beautiful wedding cards.  All the die cutting and figuring out how to lay them out was fun, and more time consuming than I thought because I kept changing my mind. :)

The first one, I have no idea who the silhouette stamp is made by. I stamped it with Versifine and embossed with black EP.  The sentiment is from Stampin Up.  All of these use various Spellbinders dies, Marianne D Creatables, Paper Punch, Martha Stewart punches. 


Spellbinders Fandy Tags, Fancy Tags two, Labels 14, Marianne D LR0157, flower made with Marvy punches
  
Lattice Pendant, Fleur de Lis Doily Accents, Sizzix leaf die, flower made with sakura punches.


Spellbinders Labels 4, Plain and Scalloped Hearts, Fancy Tags Two, Marianne D LR0157, Martha Stewart Butterfly, flowers made with sakura punches


Spellbinders Parisian and Fleur de Lis Accents, fern punch, Martha Stewart Layered Arches PATP, flower made with Nellie Snellen punches

Spellbinders Labels 20, Fleru de Lis Doilies and Accents, Marianne D LR 0157, flower made with sakura punches

Spellbinders Fancy Tags Two, Fleur de Lis Accents, Floral Accents, fern punch, MS butterfly, flowers made from Marvy punches

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Last One Before Hitting the Road...(Warning, it's long)

Such extremes in weather all across the country.  We haven't been able to buy a drop of rain, having severe drought conditions and already into stage 1 water restrictions, a few days from stage 2 for our city.  Other parts of the country can't get dry!  As I sit here writing this post, I am watching the severe weather report interruptions, showing the HUGE, creepy line of severe storms heading this way.  It looks like 10:00 at night rather than 10:00 in the morning.  Very dark outside, high wind already hitting here.  I'm not good when there's high wind in bad storms, but don't think I need a straight jacket...yet.  LOL 

I fly out this afternoon, headed to Vermont.  My daughter's fiance' graduates Sunday (they both attend the same university, then she and I will be off on our road trip, driving back home in her car.  Not really sure of road conditions with all the flooding, but we are looking forward to the trip.  We plan to stop in to see our friend, Barb, a super sweet lady I met here in blogville.

I have been absent from my craft cave way more than I've wanted to this past month.  Adjusting back to full-time work (thank goodness for full-time!) and working on the yard and painting the exterior of the house in down time...haven't had the time I've wanted play, though have been able to get some cards and creations done.  Hopefully when I get back from Vermont I will be able to get back into the swing of things. 

In the meantime, I am posting this wedding planner I made for Shelbie.  I had started with the dividers (posted a few several posts back), but finally finished the binder.  It started with a 7x9" three-ring binder I had sitting around here.  I started covering it with pretty DP but then noticed the vinyl on the binder was stretching and sagging.  Well, that won't work!  So I pulled off the paper and subsequently the vinyl, and ended up with separate pieces of thick paper board.  So I use some book-binding tape and got it all put back together, then started over with the covering.  I'm posting before pics as well, and the dividers, further down in this post.  Most of the DP I used for the entire planner project was HOTP, some Anna Griffin, DCWV.  For the binder itself I used HOTP and the musical note paper is Anna Griffin.  I couldn't find my plain scallop punch so I used MS Cornice punch.  All of the roses are from Wild Orchid, attached to the Spellbinders On the Vine Borderabilities. The metal corners I got from a local stamp store, and the little lock and key are from Hobby Lobb, and I attached them to the chain and the chain to the Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Ornate Plate.  I printed "follow your dreams" off my computer for the insert. I just got the Labels 20 from Spellbinders so had to use those.  Cut copper colored foil, embossed it with a CB folder and sanded it a bit.

On the inside, again I used HOTP paper.  The vintage "marriage license" I got from Graphics Fairy, shrunk it down and printed off my computer, aged it with distress inks.  Added a cut from the Borderabilities and a couple tiny hand made flowers. 

The "before" pics and dividers are posted below.

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes
Everybody Art Challenge - Flowers
My Time to Craft - Scallops
Papertake Weekly - Punch or die cuts
Wags N Whiskers - Dies or punch.
Crazy 4 Challenges - Flowers
Craft Us Crazy - Favorite embellie or something new.

Stamps:  None for binder.
Paper:  HOTP, Anna Griffin.
Ink:  Distress Inks, Colorbox Queues.
Accessories:  Spellbinders On The Vine Borderabilities, Labels 20; Wild Orchid flowers, hand made flowers; MS cornice punch; digital "marriage licence", metal corners, lock and key charms, chain, Tim Holtz Ornate Plate, Spellbinders foil, sanding block, CB folder.

Open, vinyl still on.

"Stripped", ready to cover



Monday, May 9, 2011

A Little Bragging...

Back in March I had posted a pic of a sewing pattern and pile of fabric, for a dress I was making for my daughter for her Junior Ring Ball at Norwich University.  Since she wasn't here for me to take pictures, I had to wait for her to send me some.  Finally have those.  She looked beautiful!  Thankfully the dress was a perfect fit, and she loved it.  I also made her a matching purse, something I have done since she was a little girl.  She has all the dresses and purses (and some hats) that I made for her in her closet. 


This past Saturday was also my son's Senior Prom.  I was a bit taken aback at the cost of renting a tuxedo, but it was definitely worth every penny when I saw him.  He looked so handsome!  He's a jeans or cargo shorts, T-shirt, and sneakers guy - as are most teenagers, but he sure cleans up good!  :)  Was like nailing Jello to a tree to get him to stand still long enough to take a picture, but I managed.  : )  Tyler and I got back Saturday around noon from his State Competition in Waco, where he had two architecture projects qualify.  We found out his 3D bed & breakfast project took first place!  I'm so proud of both of my wonderful children!! 

And...here they are!


Shelbie & her fiance', Ryan, Junior Ring,
Norwich University, April 15, 2011





 



Tyler before Prom, May 7, 2011

Matching purse




May Flowers in House Mouse

I was thrilled beyond words to be asked to be a Guest Designer for May for the House Mouse and Friends Challenge blog!  These little critters are some of my favorite stamps, and I have quite a few of them to play with!

For this first challenge of May, Sue K. came up with the idea of  May Flowers, and the challenge is being sponsored by Simon Says Stamp.  As always, the DT have created some wonderful inspirational designs, so be sure to check them all out.

For my card I used "Take Time to Smell the..." image, colored with Copics.  The flowers I made using SB Rose Creations dies, one of my favorites.  I sprayed the flowers with Deep Plum Glimmer Mist, then again with an iridescent mist I made with Perfect Pearls.  The leaves are Crealies dies, and the lattice is MS Garden Trellis punch, through which I wove some wrinkled seam binding.

House Mouse - May flowers
Craft Us Crazy - Mother's Day and/or flowers
Paper Romance - Favorite die.

Stamps:  House Mouse "Take Time to Smell the..."
Paper:  Neenah Solar White, The Paper Studio, HOTP.
Ink:  Memento, Copics.
Accessories:  Spellbinders Labels Small, Blossom Four, and Rose Creations; Martha Stewart Garden Trellis punch, SU! scallop border punch, Crealies leaf die, brads, seam binding, Glimmer Mist.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Travelling Mouse

I've been MIA from my blog for a few weeks.  Chuck and I have been doing spring cleaning and yard work in our spare time, but I've missed my paper play time! 

Over on the House Mouse challenge blog it's travel time, which is perfect timing for me because I'm off to Waco tomorrow to a state architecture contest my son is in.  Then next week I'll be heading to Vermont to see my future son-in-law graduate from Norwich University, and then road trip to bring my daughter back for the summer.  Oops, I wandered off track there.  :)  For this challenge I chose this super cute Hummingbird Express image, colored with Copics.   I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch, added some floss that fits in Our Creative Corner challenge, and used the recipe from Crazy 4 Challenges (3 different DP, 2 flowers, 1 button).   The scalloped square got some embossing.

House Mouse - Way to go - Travel
One Stitch at a Time - Emboss it
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes
Mojo Monday - Sketch
Our Creative Corner - Fab floss
Crazy4Challenges - Recipe

Stamps:  House Mouse Hummingbird Express, Flourishes Birds in Vines.
Paper:  Prima Botanicals, DCWV Tattered Time, SU! CS.
Ink:  Memento, Colorbox Queues.
Accessories:  Spellbinders Circles and Scalloped Squares Nestabilities, Labels 10, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Crealies die, Wild Orchid roses, button from stash, embroidery floss, scalloped border punch.