Saturday, December 7, 2013

A Quickie for Cas-ual Friday's Challenge 122

Just a quick pop in for the Cas-ual Friday's Challenge 122 of Tree or Trees.  I needed to make a sympathy card for my daughter to give to a friend who just lost her grandmother.  This family has a rustic cabin in the northwoods of Wisconsin so even though this isn't a typical sympathy card I thought that the image was fitting.  The inside, which I forgot to photograph, has a lovely sympathy sentiment.


It is made with Taylored Expression dies and although the picture doesn't show well, it is heavy 120lb white cardstock mounted on white, then choco brown and finally kraft.  Take care and enjoy your weekend!

Be well,
Sheila

Friday, December 6, 2013

Working with Metal...

Hi and I have something really fun to show today!  My oldest is living in her first "real" apartment....one that she can finally decorate the way she would like to...but on a very tight budget.  So, enter "mom".  I have been shopping with Bess and seeing what she likes then trying to recreate it on a cheaper scale.  And, when her tastes change, she can "deconstruct" the decorative items that I have made and repurpose the different pieces and parts into some other use.  One thing that she seemed to like was "tiles"....and we saw different decorated tiles at nearly every store we went to.  Most were accented with metal and had an overall shabby chic look to them.  I found my "tiles" at the paper mache' aisle of Hobby Lobby.  Each paper mache tile was only a few dollars and that of course is before coupons.  I  had Bess pick out the various papers that she liked and wanted me to work with.  And from there I had free rein to go where ever my imagination took me. The tiles measure 6" x 6" and so a the small paper packs are a perfect fit. And, wow, this was so fun.  I first decided that the floral would be the center tile and then went from there.  I decided that the two "bookending" tiles would be decorated exactly the same but with coordinating papers in order to tie the whole grouping together.  The "metal" is foil paper that I embossed in some Spellbinder embossing folders and then worked over with Distress Alcohol Inks as well as some copper Perfect Pearls and then finally, Staz On Saddle and Timber Inks.  I LOVE HOW THIS LOOKS!  I really think that this looks like burnished metal!   In the center tile I also cut a simple circle out of foil paper and then stamped it lightly with a "script" stamp as well as a IO crackled background stamp.  This stamping was also carried over to the two side tiles for continuity.  I then used that foil circle as a mirror effect for the center tile.  The two side tiles were accented with the same door/dresser pull that I bought from Hobby Lobby.  Hobby Lobby has an amazing variety of these pulls and they are almost always on discount.  I find that when I can't find the metal style that I want I can easily change almost any of the others with some sanding and ink to look the way that I want them.  I am entering this project into the Drunken Stampers Challenge #152-Thing: METAL.  I haven't ever entered this particular site before but have followed their various challenges and love the the fun approach they have to crafting.

First I will show a pic of how the tiles look as a grouping.....I am sorry the pic is so small...not sure how to make it bigger.   Then my next pics will be of each tile on it's own.









I am really excited to get this in the mail to Bess and actually, to try another set of tiles.  I am envisioning a 9 tile wall grouping......

Thanks for stopping by and be well!

Sheila

Friday, November 29, 2013

Hello!

It has been a while but of course the holidays always take me away from crafting!  But, I did see that City Crafter Challenge Blog has a challenge that is right up my alley....."Snow White"....basically an all white card which I love to make!  Here is the lovely inspiration photo that was included:

 
And, I actually went almost totally with this photo....even down to the placement of my bling and ribbon to mimic the lit candle.  I used a Spellbinder's tapestry die to create the "lace curtain"  and then to copy the opaque look of the windows I used vellum behind the die cut.  Since the challenge refers to "Snow" white I also used double sided tape along the edges of the velum  and then pressed some glitter on it for a frosty look!   Finally, I used silver for my sentiment along with some rhinestones to further a crisp winter look.  I loved this challenge and really, really hope that I will be able to play along again before it is done.  It is such a challenge for me to work an all white card and still make it interesting!


I am also entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp Monday - Countdown to the Holidays and also the Simon Says Stamp Blog Anything Goes.



The inside is really hard to see but it is white card mounted on silver with a silver embossed Merry and Bright and two snowflakes on the upper portion.


I hope you all had a wonderful holiday yesterday....and are ready to gear up for the next one!  

Take care and Be well,
Sheila

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Another day....Another Jewelry Box....

I really have had such a good time with making  these jewelry boxes.  They have been a really nice accompaniment to the TV when Joe was out of town last week.  I was able to sit and listen to a show....usually a documentary or a TED Talk and then just craft away.  I use those two types of shows because  I can just listen and craft rather than having to actually watch what is going on like I would with a movie or other type of show.  So, I have been getting lots of "larger" crafting done and also improving my mind with documentaries....Win/Win!

One of my daughter's friends saw the box I made for Bessie and asked her if it would be alright to ask me to make her a box.  I was tickled that she asked....Bess and this girl have been friends since they were in second grade.  She asked me if I could use the color purple and I said yes before I discovered that there is almost no purple paper out there!  I searched thru my own stash and basically came up with nuttin'!  Just random bits here and there that even with distressing didn't really look well together.    Then when I went online I did find one pack by Authentique that seemed more eggplant or Aubergine than truly "purple" but I like the way this turned out anyway.  It seems more sophisticated  shabby chic than just shabby chic.  I hope she likes it!

The first two pics are the box laying flat....so you can really see how it is constructed and then standing up so you can see how well these Tim Holtz products support the box!  I also am entering this into the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge of Patchwork.  I think this look like a lovely homemade patchwork quilt!





I then picked up some fake vintage hardware from Hobby Lobby and placed the cabinet knob on the top panel of the jewelry box.  I love how this looks!  This shot also shows the two different types of corner hardware that I used on the top of the box.  I like how it finishes off the project but I also think it gives greater stability to the overall box.  


This is a shot of the back of the box.  The first box that I made I used a 12x12 sheet of paper but really struggled with it and the small bubbles that would form below the surface.  I do think that cardstock would work but I used some Tim Holtz coordinations and think that it was too absorbent for the ModPodge.  I now distress the pack of the cardboard after I seal it with some ModPodge and really like this warm, vintage-y look instead.


Finally, these last shots are of the sides....both sides are the same as far as being framed out with a piece of hardware.  This helps to cover the seam that is created when i used two pieces of paper from the 6x6 paper pack.  Now I know I could just use a 12x12 piece of paper to eliminate the seam but if I did I think that I would still use the hardware here as I think it adds even more interest to the piece.


Well, I hope that you liked my piece and I certainly hope that Jenny loves it!  Thank you so much for stopping by today and I hope that your weekend is FABULOUS!!!

Be well,
Sheila

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Life is Sweet!

Yep life is sweet and one of the main reasons is because we bought waaaay too much candy for Halloween!  We had tons of trick or treaters last year but this year...not so much.  We now have oodles of candy and just Joe and I in the house.  So, I decided to make up Halloween gift bags to mail to my three kids and the "boyfriend", as well as one to my little second grade lunch buddy and then finally to  the people who I "chemo angel".  I have two people that I am chemo angeling at the moment. Both   have just been assigned to me last week  so this will be my first "meeting" with them.  And what better way to meet new folks than with a sack of candy right????  In the bios that I was given one person has young children and the other has grandchildren so I thought that both could share these Halloween goodies with their family!

This first bag is the one that I made for my little lunch buddy.  I used a regular gift bag for this one and I like to go all out for her as she gets so excited!




The rest of the bags are clean, bulk coffee bags that I ordered awhile back and have been using them over the years to fill up with coffee, candy, bath salts etc....They have liners and are so nice  to use.  They are  pretty sturdy so they hold up nicely to whatever I put in them!  I have gotten them in two different sizes.  This is the smaller of the two.....



And these.....






and these are the next size up.  It is a nice little treat  bag to have around and can be filled with quite a bit.






Thank you for stopping by today and for leaving me such nice comments the other day on my jewerly boxes.  I have a couple more that I am working on and when they are finished I hope to post them.  I am discovering a whole new world of "modpodge" items....or rather items that can be modpodged!  It has been fun to try other paper crafts and I am enjoying stretching my products (and using up tons of hoarded paper.....) and trying new things.


Monday, October 21, 2013

Moxie Challenge - The Sequel....

So, let me just start off by saying that I had soooo much fun making my daughter Bessie's "thing-y" that I posted yesterday that today I dove right into making one for my daughter Clarice.  And, it had to be as different as Clarice is from Bessie.  Now, if you read my previous post you saw that the Moxie Fab Challenge of "The Ready Made Embellishments", Moxie Fab Challenge of Using Wood, Metal and/or Cork,  and the Moxie Fab Challenge of General Craft Supplies  is what got me so exited to try something different.  And I know that sounds absurd because these particular challenges are what we do all the time as crafters but.....I was just back from a long vacation with my husband and really, really feeling the emptiness of my house when Joe left for work.  All the kids are either away at college or away in another town and so, for the first time, I am alone.  And that is really different for me. I got into card making from Scrapbooking.  In fact, I switched from scrapping to cardmaking when one of my children became very ill and I needed to be awake through out the night sometimes. I needed an "outlet"for all the stress that a sick child in the house brings but at the same time I needed to be able to be immediately accessible.  Cardmaking, which is sort of small and confined, really fit the bill for me.  But now, now I have time and space.  Two things that I have never had before.  Time to try out new techniques and and bigger projects and space to leave my larger projects and supplies out and at the ready.  So, when Cath posted these particular challenges over at Moxie Fab I really began to think about all the STUFF I have cramming every nook and cranny of my craft room.  And then I began to think big.  Yeah, BIG!  Bigger than a card.....bigger than a scrapped page.....and, this altered "thing-y" is what I came up.  And. I. Am. Having. Fun. Like. I. Am. Out. For. Recess!   

My daughter Bessie has already received her gift and called me right away to let me know how much she loved it!  I am so glad.  I knew she would like it and be appreciative but I could tell by her voice that she really, really liked it.  So, today, I made one for Clarice and tomorrow I will drive over to see her at college and give it to her and I just know that she will love her's too ;-D

I am entering this into the above challenges again.  I am just tickled that I am trying something new!  So,  here is the altered cupboard I made for Clarice.








Thank you for stopping by today and thank you to those who left me such kind comments yesterday!  You have no idea how much I appreciate the time you took to leave a pleasant remark ;-D

Be well,
Sheila


Sunday, October 20, 2013

WARNING!!! MOXIE FAB PHOTO HEAVY POST AHEAD.......

I am so excited to post and share my most recent project! I went on the Moxie Fab blog during one of my "trying to find some inspiration" trolls and saw that Cath had these three challenges that really prompted me to try something totally out of my comfort zone.    I decided to make each of my girls a ....well, I am not even sure what to call it.  I saw these super inexpensive cardboard advent calendar containers at Hobby Lobby and used a coupon to bring down the cost to about $6 for the advent calendar.  It is a cardboard container with 25 cardboard drawers which I thought that I could redecorate and give to my two girls as a funky jewelry box. This type of 3 dimensional project is really a step out of my comfort zone.  But, I had a blast making this.  I think I might be one of the last crafters to get into "altered art"....I think that is what this might be called. And the three Moxie Fab challenges that dealt with "ready made embellishements" and using "cork, metal and wood"  and "using general craft supplies" seemed pretty much tailored made for the type of adornments and stuff that I have been hoarding over the years.  You know, the type of stuff that looks sooooo cool that you gotta buy it....especially when you can get a sale but then you never are really sure about how to use it.  Like Advent cartons.  And,  Tim Holtz stuff.   I certainly have always admired Tim Holtz and consider myself to have been so lucky to take a class and meet him at Scrapfest last year.  I have never really, outside of that class, every felt that I could take his "funkiness" and apply it to something that I would use or give in my own life.  I was more concerned that what he can create so well would turn out to look like a brownish distressed blob of c@#% in my hands!  And so, I admired from a distance all the folks who can "alter" items and make them look cool and fun.

But, I secretly bought and hoarded do-dads and ephemera and Tim Holtz stuff whenever I saw it on sale at Hobby Lobby. Or Micheal's.  Or JoAnn's.  I did this until I had a shoebox full of metal bits of coolness staring me....taunting me with it's need to be made into something.  And then Moxie Fab and it's perfect challenges came along......

So, I saw this advent box-y thing and thought this is my plunge into the world of altered art.  And, man alive, DID I EVER HAVE FUN!

First, I decided on paper and found that I did best with paper that is coordinated in a 6x6 pack.  The paper also need to be two sided.  I then cut each sheet into 2 1/4" squares.  I modpodged each "drawer" and then laid the paper onto the drawer and modpodged again.  These drawers then were stacked over a glue bottle, mist bottle....whatever I had to allow them to dry.  When dry, I distressed each corner and edge with distress inks.  I modpodged each drawer 3 times.  I also cut coordinating strips from the paper pack into 6 x 2 1/4" strips to be modpodged over the sides and top of the advent box.  I used a large sheet of card stock to modpodge over the back.  I did the same distressing on the corners and edges of the box and also distressed the bottom edge and each little cubicle edge.  Then the whole thing was modpodged 3 times just like the drawers were.

After all was modpodged 3 times and dry the real fun began!  It was time to decorate each drawer and I can't tell you how much fun that was to do!  As you will see by the pictures I went a little wild and didn't follow a theme except to distress each item in some way.  I also used Platinum Stickle for a bit of glimmer and shabby glam and really, the pics do not do justice to just how cool this stickle color looks! A while back my husband bought me a dremel to use to make earrings and I used this little dremel to sand and file away the edges of certain embellishments.  I also used a small, personal drill to drill the holes for the legs, knobs, brads and corner pieces.  Both little tools worked just great and I loved the fact that I could do a project and "alter" anything I felt like using.  I also used "Matte" finish ModPodge so the project wouldn't looks super shiney.  I am in the process of making another one of these for my other daughter and am thinking of a Christmas themed one as well.  Mine is made to stand but I think it would be equally nice to make one that can me hung on the wall.

So, here is the finished project, standing up on it's own little adorable four legs....I also included a pic of it lying down to try and eliminate some of the glare....not too sure that I succeeded.  I also am going to enter this into two Moxie Fab challenges.....something I hardly ever get to do!  I love Kath's inspirations and hope that now that I am an empty nester I will be able to take part in more challenges instead of always having to do what family and friends want! I am not sure this totally qualifies as it isn't a card but I am going to share it anyways!  Can you feel how excited I am?  Don't you love it when something turns out????  Anywho....I certainly used alot of challenge "stuff" in making this project!

So, I will be entering this into the    Moxie Fab Challenge The General Craft Supplies ChallengeMoxie Fab Challenge "The Metal, Wood and Cork Challenge",  and also into the Moxie Fab Challenge "The Ready Made Embellishements".







 Here is the top of it....the next one that I make I am going to put a cabinet handle on the top rather a frame like this.....I think I will put the frames on the side.  The top embellishments and the side embellishments cover/mask the seam where the two pieces of paper meet.  This pic also shows the two different types of corner hardware I used.  The back has a industrial look while the front (see pic above) has a more ornate look.



With both the upper corner pieces and the lower corner feet I glued the drawers into the box and then drilled the holes through both the box and the drawer.  I also did that on the sides where the embellishments are.  Therefore there are 6 drawers out of 25 that can't actually be pulled out....this is partially because the 4 front corner pieces block the drawers but it is also done to make the overall piece more stable.  Then when I put the brads in I also put glue or glossy accents into the holes to help hold the brads to the metal accents nice and tight.




I don't know if I would call this a tutorial but I hope that if you too want to create this type of project you will be able to follow my tips and do so.  If you have any questions I will be happy to answer them. I sent the project on to my daughter today by way of a pal of her's who was heading back to Minn so I will for sure share her response with  you all when I get it!  I am soooo excited to hear what she thinks!

Thank you for hanging with me thru this super long post...and I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Be well,
Sheila

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Whew....It's been a looong time!

Hi All!  It has certainly been a long time since my last post....well over a month I believe!  It is for several reasons....moving kids (7 moves in all) back to school.  Two trips to see my oldest, several to see my other two and also a nice, looooong trip to France.  We had a marvelous time and realized that in nearly 22 years of marriage Joe and I have only had approximately 6 days in all that time away alone....like with out kids!  I can't believe that although I know it's true.  We didn't have a honeymoon so this trip was truly a long time coming and believe me - we made the most of it.  First we went to Reims and then over to Paris and even though we had a blast years ago when we took the kids to France, Paris is a really fun city to be in WITHOUT kids!

So, it has been quite a while since I have had the opportunity to craft.  And, wow...how I have missed it!  I am just getting back into the crafting groove and it feels gooood.  I have made some purchases lately....some JustRite Stamps, some dies....Some Taylored Expressions and I am really looking forward to getting them out to play.  I also have re-contacted ChemoAngels....I took a break this summer knowing that my craft time would be nil.  But now I am ready to get back into that program and have also looked into Operation Write Home.  I like the freedom of making many different types of cards and love to give them aways  so what better way than to donate cards than these two organizations!

My oldest daughter recently completed a MS walk with her friends and she wanted me to make her some thank you notes to send out.  I was just back from our trip and kinda dry when it came to ideas....even thank you note ideas!  Then I saw this card here on my blog friend Robin's blog and EUREKA! - I had found my card idea....Thanks to Robin of course.  Instead of a Christmas tree (which really wouldn't have made any sense for my cards hehee) I decided to go with a heart because my daughter showed such "heart" in embarking upon this walk.  I loved Robin's idea of the ribbons and sequins and thought that it would look cute, young and fresh....just like my 23rd old daughter. So, I created an assembly line and made 15 of these cards with scraps and bits of various ribbons.  I love how this turned out and it was so simple and quick!  I used a Paper Smooch sentiment that I thought would fit the card style when and then mounted on scraps of colored paper before mounting on white cardstock.

The colors really didn't turn out well in my photo's.  In real life they are fun and bright but not at all "neon-y-ish".  My daughter has received them and she LOVED them too and all have been sent out to her various supporters.

Here are the cards....





And thank you to Robin for the great idea!  And folks, stop by Robin's blog.....it really is a treat!

Be well, 
Sheila

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Pinkalicious!

I have had a few ideas rattling around in my head for the JustRite Challenge #103  Things with Wings. Late last night I finally had some time to try and put one of the ideas into paper! This particular challenge also partners with Spellbinder Dies so I used a multitude of Spellbinder dies on this card!  I like Spellbinders because I am able to really mix and match shapes.  And if I cut a die shape out and it doesn't work with the card I am making I just put it into a basket with other cut die shapes to use on another card down the road.  This way I have a ready and varied stash of cuts in regards to shapes and colors.

 I decided to go with a "Breast Cancer" themed card as unfortunately, there are always so many people that I can send this card to. I have a sweet little set from JustRite that is all breast cancer themed....and I have used and used  and used this set.  I only ended up using the sentiment from the Be Strong set this time. I decided to enter this card into Our Creative Corner's Challenge Words, Words, Words as I think that this sentiment says it all!  Together we CAN find a cure. The little white embossed doily is from a JustRite set called Graceful Monogram and the white embossed pink background is a large background stamp called Sweet Lace.  When I started this card some of the inking and papers were in a second color of pink...ultimately I decided that was too much going on and so since I didn't want to sacrifice layers I decided to sacrifice color!  But all in all I like this card.  I am loving that background stamp.  This is the first time that I have inked it up and I can say it inked up beautifully and evenly the first time out! And, think about stopping over to the JustRite site.....there is a new challenge every Friday.  Also, there is still time to enter JustRite Challenge #103 Things with Wings.  So here is my card....Pink Rules!


And here is the inside.  I see know there is a bit of a smudge....so I will have to have a do over before I send this on. It's amazing what I see thru the camera that I don't always catch in RL!


Thank you so much for stopping by and all your kind comments lately.  I appreciate each and every one of them.

Be Well,
Sheila

Friday, August 16, 2013

Making My Own Window.....

After having so much fun taking part in the last JustRite Friday Challenge I thought that I would try again this week.  I loved the theme ... JustRite Friday Challenge #103 is "Things With Wings".  It is a challenge that also is shared by Spellbinder's meaning that on your card you need to use both JustRite Stamp's/Die's as well as Spellbinder Dies.  And, I had an idea almost from the second that I read the theme.  I wanted to make my own window out of Spellbinder dies and then fussy cut a stamped image to use with the "window".
I wanted to use THIS  beautiful JustRite background stamp and basically just ink up and fussy cut the birds and the flowers.  Which I did because I planned to put them in front of Spellbinder window of my own creation. I do have a Spellbinder window die....but it  was too small and too fancy for the image.  So, I decided to "make" my own window by cutting a large square from my Spellbinder die and then measuring and cutting a much, much smaller square die 9 times to make a 9 paned window.  Which turned out great once I finally got the measurements down right!  Then, I cut two frames, one in white and one in maroon to highlight the window and give some depth to the image.  I then embossed the white window frame in the "wood" embossing folder to give the window some texture.  I cut and colored out the birds a second time and popped them up on dots and stickled in the centers of the flowers as well as the leaves, the lettering and slight bits on the birds themselves.

Inside I used JustRite stamps for the message and then matted the white spaces on colored cardstock to match the outside colors.  I am pretty happy with how this turned out and made a "template" of sorts so that I am able to make this window again.  It is soooo easy and tempting to use my dies only for what they are originally intended....such as squares just for matting.  Today I am pretty pleased that I stepped out of my zone to "create" a new window out of dies that I had on hand.  I just wish that I was faster with computing the measurements!  So here is my card....



And here is the inside.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today.  I love to have visitors and always appreciate the comments ;-D

Be well,
Sheila

Thursday, August 15, 2013

It Never Ends!






The making of wedding cards that is!  Man o man I have had a lot to make this summer!  After today's card I have one engagement card and one more wedding card and then I think I will be done for a bit.  Although truth be told, they are some of my favorite types of cards to make because they can be so ornate and over the top.  This particular card is made for two people who are very, very close to me and have waited 35 years for the right to be married.  I wanted an elegant card that uses some of the traditional elements of wedding cards such as metallics, bling or ribbons but also had a distinctly masculine edge to it hence the black and silver color scheme.  I am so happy with how this card turned out!  I included two shots of the inside of the card....this, for some reason, was a really difficult color combo to photograph!  I am entering this card into Our Creative Corner's Challenge entitled "Words, Words, Words".  Although the words that I have at the heart of my card aren't a sentiment per se they certainly are words that speak volumes.  They truly do "tell a story" as much as any other type of inspirational quote!





Thank you so much for stopping by today and I hope you are heading into a great weekend.  Can you believe the summer is nearly over?  I can't......in Wisconsin it was so short this year!

Be well,
Sheila

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Ice, Ice Baby!

Actually, the title refers to the ice-y blue shimmer card that I used for the following wedding card.  Please bear with me with regards to all the wedding cards that I have been posting.  My daughters' have required several lately and I still have two more wedding cards and an engagement card to go!  Anyways, I really love this particular card.  It uses one of my favorite JustRite Stamps paired with a favie Spellbinder's Die combo.  I decided to create an elegant, "cool and crisp" looking card using 120 lb white cardstock and shimmer blue cardstock. I love the results!


I apologize for the high shine on the photo.....I haven't managed to get that under control when using a shimmer cardstock or a pearlized embossing.  This particular embossing powder is great....it is a "pastel" powder which changes any color ink you use to the "pearlized pastel" version of that color!
Also, here is the inside.

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  To all who have asked....my finger is getting better ;-D

Be well,
Sheila


Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Wedding Bells....and a Challenge!

Hi Everyone!  Thank you so much for the nice comments and emails regarding my Guest Designer spot over at My Sheri Craft's.  There is still time to get in on the "Back to School" challenge if you would like to take part. Also, my finger is healing and thank you for all the kind words regarding my recent surgery....like they say....getting old ain't easy!  Finally, I have a card for a JustRite Stamps Friday Challenge.  I have wanted to take part in these challenges for some time now but haven't had the time unfortunately.  Now that life is starting to slow down some I plan to be a regular over at that site!  I just love JustRite Stamps.  They are perfect go to stamps for me when making wedding, anniversary or birthday cards.  This week I have three wedding cards and a birthday card to make so I believe my JustRite stamps will be getting their exercise.  The challenge for this week was a color challenge with the following as the inspiration photo.  If you want, check out the challenge yourself over at JustRite Friday Challenge #102


Now I will readily admit that these colors are all lovely on their own but I struggled with putting them together into a card that didn't look too "precious".  I think what I ended up with works....I feel that the strong lines of the stamp as well as the sentiment being in black sort of "ground" the overall cutesyness of the card's colors.  I wanted to also include the roses that were in the picture as well as the delicate gold edging.  The edging for me came about with the mount that the sentiment is layered on as well as the color of embossing that I used for the the stamps.  I also busted out a new Spellbinder's die that I picked up at Hobby Lobby with a coupon too.  I wish my camera showed the softness of these colors a bit more.  It is a little hard to photograph today and I feel the pics don't do the card justice!  I also hand colored some roses and used a little enamel heart on the bow.  The bow is doubled...first I used one 5 loop bow and topped that bow with another 3 loop bow.  Kinda like it.  Then, I felt that the lower right hand side of the card became a bit heavy as I was trying to include the various colors so I evened the "weight " out by adding some flowers to the upper left hand side of the image.  I think that this works just fine as it is a wedding card and there is some lee way for going over the top with these cards!  Here is my card!  I am going to include it on two diff backgrounds in order to try and capture the colors....but am thinking it's a fail on both accounts!




Anyways, thank you so much for stopping by and please check out both My Sheri Craft's for my Guest Design gig as well as this new challenge I found over at JustRite Stamps!

Be well,
Sheila

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Guest Designer!

Yippee Yahoo!  I am so excited to share some news with you.....I was picked to be a guest designer over at My Sheri Craft's Blog.  I won a challenge with this card to use the colors of yellow, black and white and the "prize" was a guest designer gig.

                                                    

Which has me tickled pink.  So, the road to these two cards is kinda funny though.....I received the email from Sheri the day after I had finger surgery on my right hand index finger.  Unfortunately after surgery found me with a dressing on my finger about the size and thickness of a sleeping bag!  Yikes.  And did I mention I am right handed......well, anyways, my cards were to be to Sheri by the third of August which, besides the finger issue I would also be leaving town on the 2nd for the weekend.  Time to put my thinking/creating cap on and completely "make" the card in my head in order to be good to the minute my bandage was off and the stitches were out on July 31st! And, my assignment was "Back to School" which is an awfully cute assignment and one that shouldn't have been hard but still had me stumped initially.  It is a fun idea but with one daughter graduated from college, another daughter halfway through her college career and our son beginning college this September cute little "Back to School" cards are pretty much a memory for me!  But then I thought about my little lunch buddy who is 6 1/2 and realized she would be the perfect person to keep in mind when I got to the crafting table.  I had several days to think and think and think and design and design and design these cards in my head before I was ever able to put hands (finger?) to paper!   For whatever delusional reason I somehow thought that I would have full use of my hand when the stitches came out.  Not the case.  I found out within 2 seconds that my finger was not bending and not able to hold a marker.....grrrrrrr.....time to change up my decided upon plan.  A quick trip to the store and voila!  A few cute and cheap images that I could substitute for my previously chosen idea.  I was able to keep the basic layout of the card and of course was able to use my Grand Caliber in order to die cut all the shapes and layers that I needed.  I ended up with three cards....both heavy on the die cutting as that was what I could do but I am fairly happy with them for being cards that I made with a sore hand and short time period!  And,  I want to give a shout out to My Sheri's Craft's Challenge Blog..please check it out.  You won't be disappointed!  There are really fun challenges and the inspiration examples are always gorgeous!  Anyways, here are my cards with a "Back to School" theme.  I am not sure which card sweet Sheri will choose so I have included all three here in my post.  I have a few other images that came on the sheets  I bought so I will make several more for my little lunch buddy and send her them every few days through out August.  This will be a great way for her to  get excited for the upcoming school year.






I want to apologise ahead of  time for any weird or odd errors in the posting.  I am out of town at a place where the internet is spotty at best and non existent most of the time.  I will just sign off now with a BIG THANKS to Sheri and ll the ladies over at My Sheri Crafts and to all of you for wading through this super long post.

Be Well,

Sheila