Belle Papier {pretty paper}

I have a totally different look for you today. Fresh and clean, I just adore this patterned paper. Actually…I have quite an addiction to beautiful papers going on. The papers that really have me drooling right now are all those gorgeous glittered, embossed, flocked or otherwise embellished papers. You know the kind. The ones that put a serious dent in your wallet! I know everyone is pretty budget conscious right now and so, I thought it would make a perfect challenge today! Pull out your patterned paper and find Ways To Use it by making it special. Alter it, emboss it, glitter it…I’d love to see your very cool ideas.

Butterfly Sky

After I got this paper home, I was struck by how well it would work with the Vintage Butterflies stamp set. I did a little ink testing until I found the perfect inks to match up with the paper… Aqua and Watermelon Adirondack Inks. No fancy stamping in this design…the feature is the glittered butterflies on the patterned paper. The paper is so crisp and clean in style that is just doesn’t suit a lot of frou frou.

To easily add glitter exactly where I want it…I use my Sakura Glue Pen. It’s just like a gel pen only holding glue. Working in small areas so that the glue doesn’t dry too quickly…I traced the butterfly shapes and then sprinkled with glitter. It’s super easy and I love the look.

Quick Tip: Know when to quit with your design. More is not always better and can look cluttered. Decide on the focal point of your design and highlight it.

Have fun with the challenge!
Supply List:

Stamps: Vintage Butterflies (Saturday Evening Post line) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: Watermelon, black, Aqua Adirondack Ink by Ranger
Paper: Simply Smooth White, patterned paper by American Crafts

Other: buttons, Nestability dies by Spellbinders

Roses are….yellow! At least they are for this Thomas Kinkade design, a Perfect Yellow Rose. Actually, this image looks perfectly stunning in any color but I decided to try and color it true to the original for this design. Now I hear that yellow is one of the hot and trendy colors for 2009 but I still have to wrap my mind around it. I’m not so much of a yellow kind of gal. I decided to try out a softer look for this design and tried out a new trick that’s been spinning around in my mind for a while. I love it when you finally get time to try something out. I really need to write them down for those times when I’m a little lacking in inspiration. Do you have days like that too?

Birthday Rose

To create this project, I started off by coloring my stamped image with Copic markers. A few touches of colored pencils helps soften some of the shading and add finer details. Then comes in the vellum card. I love vellum for card bases…it gives such a soft, but crisp look. After piercing a small hole in the front of my card where I wanted to tear my hole, I stitched the image to the back of my card front. Tear away excess vellum until you have a desired window and then carefully roll back the edges for a textured “frame”.

Quick Tip: Cut a piece of white cardstock 1/4″ larger than your main image. Adhere to the inside of the card. It makes a perfect mat when the card is closed and a spot to write your message inside on.

Have a fabulous day!

Supply List:

Stamps:
A Perfect Yellow Rose (Thomas Kinkade line) by Cornish Heritage Farms
A Birthday Rose (sentiment from Thomas Kinkade line) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: Rich Cocoa and Black Memento Ink by Tsukineko
Paper: vellum cardstock and Simply Smooth White cardstock by Prism
Other: sewing machine, yellow ribbon by Creative Impressions, Copic markers

I love a good challenge and this is one I just couldn’t resist. It’s been a few months since I last managed to play along with the monthly “Dirty Girls” challenge at Splitcoast. I always hate missing it and so this month I made sure it went on my calendar right away. The challenge? Feel the Love…. a great Valentine’s Day challenge with the emphasis on “feeling”, aka texture. I ADORE texture and of course, I just had to squeeze in as much as I could on one little card design. So, each month besides the theme (Valentine’s Day), we have a required element (texture) and a restricted element…this time no red. Pink was OK so I went with a pink, Kraft and Chocolate color combo.

Embrace

So….where’s all the texture here? I’m sure you can see most of it! But here’s a quick list…

• velvet ribbon
• Distress Embossing powder to create the background
• Distress Crackle Paint on the Grungeboard
• corrugated cardboard heart
• turned up-stitched border
• edge distressed sentiment panel

Looking for more designs from this challenge? Check them out here.

Quick Tip: Texture is a fabulous element for any design but especially for shabby and vintage looks. My favorite way to add texture is with Distress Crackle Paint.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supply List:

Stamps: Aged Sheet Music Scrapblock™, Tulle Damask Scrapblock™ (stamped on cherub), Big Inspiration (Mona Lisa Moments line) by Cornish Heritage Farms

Ink: Vintage Photo Distress Ink by Ranger, Distress Embossing Ink by Ranger, Rich Cocoa Memento Ink by Tsukineko

Paper: Rose Light, Kraft, Suede Brown Dark by Prism

Other: cardboard by Prima, ribbon by Fancy Pants Designs, Brushed Corduroy and Worn Lipstick Distress Crackle Paint, sewing machine, Distress Embossing powder by Ranger, Tim Holtz pin by Ranger, Grungeboard by Ranger

This morning I decided to kick off the week by trying out something new. I know this technique has been around for a while but I’ve never gotten around to trying it. As today’s SCS Technique challenge, it seemed like the perfect time to try out Faux Mosaic Tile. I did give this technique a few of my own personal touches. I’m not a huge fan of metallic embossing powder so I decided to try out my Distress Embossing Powder for a more matte groute look and I torn the edges of my paper for a very collage style shabby look. This technique is great for using up small scraps of patterned paper. I can’t quite decide if I like this card or not but it was a fun way to start off the week.

Shabby Princess

Have a happy Monday!

Supply List:

Stamps: Paisley Pattern Scrapblock™, Motivational Centers (Mona Lisa Moments line) by Cornish Heritage Farms

Ink: Aquatic Splash Versamagic Chalk ink by Tsukineko, Black Palette ink by Stewart Superior, Brushed Corduroy Distress ink by Ranger

Paper: Kraft Cardstock by Prism, Patterned paper by Prima

Other: chipboard crown by maya Road, pearl stickers, flower by Prima, lace by Fancy Pants Designs, sewing machine, rhinestone by Making Memories

Poppies are one of those flowers you just have to love. Rich, vibrant and full of life but tough and resilient as well. I decided to have fun with this new image by giving it an eye-poppin combo of red, black and aqua. I’m not usually a “red” girl but this time of year…I had fun heating things up a little! We’ve been going through an extremely cold snap here right now. Brrrrrr! This design was cut out with a Labels 2 Spellbinders die and then colored and airbrushed with my Copic Markers. For a fun way to add black accents to my poppy centers, I adhered some black buttons to them.

Elegant Poppies

Quick Tip: When stamping your Scrapblock™ background, center your layer evenly on each side, especially when you have a balanced pattern. An easy way I do this is to ink the Scrapblock™ face-up on the table and then carefully lay my layer on top. I press firmly with my hands to get an even impression.

Have a fabulous Sunday!

Supply List:

Stamps: Poppy Pair (Shady Tree Studio line) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Tulle Damask Scrapblock™ by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: Black Memento by Tsukineko
Paper: Blush Red Dark, Black, Simply Smooth White, Iced Teal by Prism
Other:
ribbon by May Arts, buttons by AUtumn Leaves, Labels I dies by Spellbinders, Copic Markers