Wicked Good Card

Another quick one...

This is another one from my colored images stash, Wicked Good from Simply B Stamps.  I colored the image with Prismcolor pencils and added Krystal Effects to the crystal ball and eyes, and use a glitter pen from Gelly Roll to add sparkle to her crown.  This was a fun one to color and I have been dying to use.  I kept it pretty simple as I wanted to focus on the image and sentiment, which came with the image.  Papers are from my scrap basket, as well as the ribbons and flower stickers...even the blue scalloped circle was in my scrap basket.  I love when I can use up those bits and pieces!  

What are you creating today?

Marie

Vintage Tags

These are a couple tags I made for a swap...The theme was vintage floral.    I wanted a shabby type collage effect.

I used kraft paper to make the base tag.  I added a doily that I inked with Tim Holtz Walnut distress ink.  I used my dress form dies from Stampin' Up to cut the dress shape from some Basic Grey floral scraps.  I added a paper swirl, a metal brad, a paper flower (from another swap) and a Stampin' Up ivory button tied with some twine.  For the top I used glittered ivory tulle and brown satin ribbon.  Wasn't too sure about this one, but now that it is done...I like it!

Marie

Christmas in July Gift Tags

Just a quick share...I recently purchased Close to My Heart Art Philosphy Cricut package.  This is the first chance I have had to play with it...I made these tags for a swap.  I just the tags and layers from the cartridge.  Then I added Stickles to the ornaments and cute felt penguin stickers to the others; and tied on some pretty ribbons.  They were so easy and pretty!  I am looking forward to creating some more with the coordinating stamps/cuts.  Thanks for looking!
Marie

Popsicle Penguins Paper Bag Album

Just wanted to share one of my swap projects for Paper Crafting Divas.  We were to make a paper bag album with animals.  I decided to use my stash of this cute summer line from Imaginesce that I had been hoarding :)  I had papers, rub- ons and chip board stickers.  I added some flowers and glittery flourishes....and LOTS of fibers on the binding.  I also used some acetate letters for the pull tabs on the tags so the word "fun" is spelled out on the edge of the album.  Cute, don't you think?  

Hope you are having a WONDERFUL day!  

Marie

Going Green Cards for Swap

Just a quick share of the cards I made for the recent swap on Paper Crafting Divas.  The theme was a color combo; black, white and green.  I decided to make a feminine and masculine card.

Here's  the details:

Papers:  Lime card stock from my scrap basket, both black embossed papers are from the DCWV Black Currant stack pack.  Butterflies from the top card are cut from a laser cut sheet of glitter card stock.

Image (bottom):  Stampin' Up - Feeling Sentimental

Embellishments:  rhinestones and ribbon on top card

While simple, I think they both turned out nice.  Thanks for looking!                                                                                Marie

Birds of a Feather Tags

I wanted to share my latest swap item...tags.  I loved making these.  Our theme was "Birds of a Feather".  To get my inspiration I just goggled "vintage bird images".  Once I found these beautiful images, I just started creating.  I cut the tags with my Coluzzle (old school...I know, but I like it for thicker papers) from some old folders I had.  I liked them because they were not manila, but rather a brown.  I also punched the little tag from the same folder.  I then stamped feathers all over the tag, inked its edges and sanded the entire thing to distress it.  I went through my scraps to find some pieces of vintage looking papers to layer with.  I hand wrote the sentiments and stitching on the small tags.  Then I just started layering and adding flowers, ribbon and a brad to get it the way I wanted it.  I really like how they came out.

Thanks for looking!

                  Marie

Finally....

I can share what I made for my Secret Santa Swap.  I didn't want to spoil the surprise so I had to wait...I had a lot of fun with this swap.  My recipient was a friend of mine...I tried to do as much as i could to fulfill her questionnaire.  She likes purple, wanted a brag book, and liked embellishments, so....here is what I created to give her...

I fell in love with this brag book.  It is a paper bag album with double tags in each pocket.  I used the remainder of a stack pack, some handmade papers and lots of fun embellishments:  flowers, flocked stickers, jewels, pearls, velvet butterflies, etc.  I kept the color palette simple...white, black and purple.  I decorated the front with her initial cut on my Cricut from glitter card stock.  I hope she likes filling it as much as I liked creating it!

Then I made this recipe card tin.  She has been participating in our recipe card swap on the FB group, so...I kept it simple as I could not remember her kitchen color palette.  the stickers are from Martha Stewart and the papers were from my scrap basket. 

To mail her gift, I put the mini album in the tin and then added embellishments and Stickles I had purchased for her.  I also added a simple set of cards I had made. 

Halloween Happenings

Fall is finally hear...leaves are rustling, there's a chill in the air, and pumpkins are everywhere! So I decided to do some Halloween crafting to help get in the mood.

I created all the cards above using Twinichies from a recent swap. In the swap you received a set of 3 - twinichies from each person. Some of the sets had to be kept together, like the "BOO"; while others could be made into a set of cards. I still have several sets left to use.

These are treat bags I made for my parents' group. Each bag is made from one sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 paper using a rather simple fold technique. I then added the Mrs. Grossman's sticker, punched a hole & tied closed with some ribbon. I just have to fill them now.

Now I am off to decorate the house...must climb into the attic to get all the stuff down. Pretty windy here, so not sure how much will actually get put out...I can get it organize though.

Mummies, Frankies & Wolfies....Oh, My!

Latest swap I am participating in...Twinchies! On the left are the completed sets of twinchies. I kept 'em simple because I had these great dimensional stickers from Jolee's Boutique. I used my Cricut to cut the bracketed squares, glued them together and added the stickers.
On the right is my card i made with my set of Twinchies....scrap papers, little ribbon, done! On to the next swap...ATC's!

Cricut Cut Swap = Cute Card

This month's Cricut Cut Swap on my FB group was your favorite cut. So, while this cute cat is maybe not my favorite cut I do like it. I just got Happy Hauntings so I just had to do something from it. On the left is the finished swap item...cricut cut cat and stamped sentiment. I cut the cat from Raven card stock and used scraps of green and purple for the layers. Once all adhered together, I added green lime stickles. The sentiment is one from the $1 bin...I stamped in black and matted with another scrap of green.

The right is what I created with my cuts...I used a scrap of BoBunny paper from my scrap bin. Layered the card background and the sentiment on Raven card stock. I colored in the stamped image with orange. I added a pumpkin sticker, pop dotted and accented with yellow stickles on the features. Cute & Simple!

Back to Reality....and a Christmas ATC

I am always amazed at all the things you have to do after taking a vacation...mail, yard work, bills, laundry, etc. You would not think 8 days would create so much pile of chores...and the e-mails, facebook, etc. are chores unto themselves. So many messages, so little time:) I think i finally weeded through my FB account messages, game requests, etc, got the two e-mail accounts all cleaned up, laundry in the washer, groceries in the fridge, mail sorted, bills paid, yard mowed, weeds pulled, plants watered....ahhhh, time for another vacation!

It was a wonderful, busy trip. We went to Key West for 8 days of sun, water and fun. We all came back a little tired and a little sunburned. We did it all...snorkeling, jet skiing, sailing, sunning, shopping, sight seeing, etc. It was a GREAT trip.

Now on to something a little craftier....my latest ATC. This month's swap on FB group was "Christmas Memories". I thought about this for several days and here is what I came up with...

A FIREPLACE! Let me explain...

When I was little we lived in an apartment...so there was always the dilemma of where to put stockings & how would Santa get in. One year, my father decided to make me a fireplace. He used colored paper & markers to turn a little bookshelf into a fireplace. So....a fireplace it was.

I used handmade paper to make the base for the fireplace. I then free handed liquid applique for the mortar. I added a mantle out of handmade papers. I free handed the stockings out of a velvet paper and added a candy cane sticker. I used a brad for the "nail" to hold the stocking on the fireplace. I used real twigs for the logs and the stickles for the flames.

Splish, Splash!

I made this cute die cut for our latest swap, Splish Splash, on FB. I bought the die a couple of years ago and have never had the chance to use...I was excited to finally get to use it. he is just so cute and goes with the theme perfectly.

The second two pictures are the items from each swap, I participated in both groups. I can't wait to use them with my vacation pictures...we are going to Key West & I plan on a lot of beach & water time.

ATC: It's Where You Live

So this is my ATC for a swap...the theme was "It's Where You Live". I decided to go with a literal interpretation of it. So many things came to mind that I wanted to include on the card....planes, cardinals, beavers, USAF, carnations, Wright Brothers, etc...if you haven't figured it out, I live in Beavercreek, Ohio...very close to Dayton and a huge AF base, Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Dayton is considered the "home of aviation" as it is the birthplace and home of the Wright brothers. Of course then you have our actual town, Beavercreek...well, they are just cute :) Then there are the state facts...flower, bird, etc... So, after a lot of sketching and re-sketching, this is what I came up with. I printed the beaver stamp on the computer and then covered it completely with Crystal Effects for dimension. I made the little carnations with tissue paper and floral tape. The state I cute on my Cricut using "50 States", inked the edges and added a brad for the capital. Unfortunately, one of the elements...the antique planes on the peachy background paper...get a little lost, but....if you look closely you can see them. I am really liking these little pieces of art. I think I am ready to do a series of three for an exhibit one of my FB friends shared with me....Hmmm...what to do, what to do...I am thinking "Winged Things"....butterfly, dragonfly, bumble bee??? We shall see...

ATC: Somewhere in Time

Here is my second ATC. It is for a swap and the theme was "Somewhere In Time". This one I took a more literal approach. I am not sure if I like it...it just didn't come out the way I had sketched and envisioned in my head.....it is growing on me. The background paper is velvet embossed. I hand pieced the hour glass with the "sand" flowing out. I added crystal effects on the glass part of the hourglass for dimension. I used glitter paper for the 'sand'. I thought it still needed something so I added the filigree corner by Flower Soft.

Makin' lemonade

This is my swap card for this month's FB swap. The theme was summer sun...had to have a sun or the color yellow. For some reason lemonade popped into my head & I just had to go with it. I knew I wanted to do the double pocket card...it is one of my favorite folds ( direction can be found here: http://splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/diagonal_double_pocket_card/ )
Now my dilemma was how to decorate...I found the paper and then just drew a blank. I had no stamps I liked...didn't want to do Cricut cuts...so I went surfing! I first looked for digi-stamps. While I ended up purchasing several, none were for this project, so on to plan B...clipart! I found images that I liked and then formatted on my computer. Then I had to figure out what to put in the pocket...that didn't take long...Kool-aid. I think they turned cute...if I do say so myself.

Stamped Image Swap

One of our latest swaps on my FB group was 'Stamped Image & Embossed Paper". Each person was to send a stamped image and a piece of cardstock embossed with folder of your choice...So, here is what I got....

And here is what I did with them...

I used waterbrush markers or colored pencils for all the coloring. I think I used every fun thing I had....Crystal Effects (on the large conch shell), stickles, inking, edge punches, Perfect Pearls, Smooch, rhinestones, etc. For fun, I sent the cards to the swap participants with their stamped images...I always think it is interesting to see how other people use your images. Now on to my next swap project...ATC's!

Spring is in the air!

That was the theme for the swap I was working on. I found these cute dimensional felt stickers at Jo Ann's and I knew I had to use them...My original idea was a scalloped egg with spirelli and then the stickers in the middle. As you can see I went with the scalloped circle...after cutting both with my Cricut, the circle scallops are deeper and therefore easier to wrap. Since I was making 12 I thought I would go with the easier:) The papers are from a stack pack I picked up at Tuesday Morning...I am not a pastel girl, so these were perfect for me...springy but not pastel. I think they turned out pretty cute.

A Holiday Behind!

I know it is St. Patrick's Day and I should be crafting in green, but I just finished scrapping my Valentine's Day pictures! I used elements from a swap. The papers are Echo Park: Be Mine Collection.

I really like how the banner came out in the layout below...I used Storybook to cut the hearts & letters to make the "Sweet" banner. Everything else came from the swap...I still have a lot left to create more pages.

1 hour + 3 stamped images =

3 PRETTY CARDS!

So, I had one hour to create...I just received a stamped image swap so I decided to pick the first 3 images & see what I could come up with...

I loved the peacock...it was stamped in blues & greens. I added stickles in purple, blue, green and silver, some rhinestones and Smooch inks. Glittery!

The turtle was cute & I decided to keep it simple...color, ink edges and layer.

Finally, the rose. This was my stamped image & I have never made anything with it, even though I love it. I colored the rose with Smooch in a sunflower and pumpkin. the paper is from a DCWV stack pack, Indian Summer...perfect colors

All in all, not bad for one hour....now to do my errands:)

I am swamped with swaps!

I have been working on several swaps...even did a few for my sister who somehow managed to break BOTH of her elbows!


Card Swap...

Theme: Birthdays & I picked 'teenage boys'....kept is simple, it is for a boy. The background paper is metallic. I used the "Dude" cartridge to cut the skateboarder and printed a label with the sentiment for the inside. It is a gift card holder, too....what else do you give a teenage boy?




Next Swap....this is a new one on my FB site...recipe cards. I am really having fun with this one. I did my card (French Country soup) and my sister's. My card is made like a conventional card...opens up. On the inside I have the ingredients and directions. I made Noels like a standard recipe card...title on one side and recipe on the other. I am really having fun with this swap and just think...at the end of the year I will have a wonderful collection of recipes.




I have been working on ideas for our Suprise Swaps on my FB site...next month I am going to try inchies. I thought I should make a set up and give an example of what to do with them...I kept it simple...stickers and pen lines. I really like the card though. I did alter the size...many of the ladies on the FB group like to do Cricut cuts, so I increased it to 1 1/2 inches t give them a little more work room.
I can't wait to see what they do!

Final project...an accordian album for one of my "pay it forward" swaps. This is one is for someone who just moved into a new home and likes to garden...I thought she could use it to show off either pictures of the new house or her garden when it comes in. I really loved these papers...they were from the Indian Summer stack pack by DCWV.

I still have my Cricut Cut Swaps to do...and I just got two new cartridges in the mail:)