Magazine Monday

Yep, running a little late.... okay... by several hours late. But with good reason.

I'm usually 'one of those' who can look at a design and know exactly what I want to do... and have it work the first time around. This week, when I needed it to, was not the case.

I went to my magazines for inspiration last night and found a layout I thought would work. It was a cute and simple card. So I set to work putting it together. I hated it. Yep, I couldn't bring myself to even photograph it, let alone post it to the blog. So I called it a night.

This morning began Bob's last day home before he leaves for 3 weeks. Try as I might, we just can't seem to NOT have to go anywhere on his last day. It always means last-minute errands. So before I could go back to the card, we had to leave the house for the day.

As soon as we got home (about 2 hours ago) I headed back down to the studio, put last night's card aside and pulled out a new magazine for inspiration. The very first card I spotted was the one I knew I wanted to do and it came together in 10 minutes.

I went back to the Spring 2006 issue of Take Ten and found a card called Solo Shoe by artist Clintine Steele. You can see her on FB at Bean Up The Nose Art.

Clintine's card was a 4.75 x 6.5 laying horizontal. She used a black and grey polka dot pattern on white paper, edged with black on the top and bottom as her base. Across the center she put 2 red squares and one black one as the second layer. Then the solo shoe image went on a white rectangle, stamped in black. She colored the bow on the shoe in red and used a black pen to apply a dot border around the edge of the mat. A very basic and elegant card.

To create my version, I flipped mine vertical, used SU black CS for the first mat and a scrap of pink dot patterned paper for the 2nd mat. My center mat squares were from a red oriental patterned scrap and SU black CS. I stamped one of the heart images from the new Hero Arts 'Untitled Hearts' stamp set with Memento Tuxedo Black on baby pink Valu CS (I'm trying to use it up and get it out of here). I added a black satin bow. I wanted something a little lighter but the satin was all I had.

I like the way this one turned out though I think next time I'll use a slightly smaller image so more of the black mat square will show at the top and bottom.

Magazine Monday

With the head cold working it's way to where ever colds go, I'm back to creating again. I felt so good last night I didn't want to leave the Studio. I created today's card plus cut the base mats and stamped the images for 9 more. Yep 10 more Christmas cards for 2012 will be done by the end of today.

I was inspired with today's card from a member of our Christmas Card Challenge 2012 members. Colleen (Katchoo1 on SCS) showed us her January card using a layout she used back in 2006 in the spring issue of Take Ten. You can see her card HERE. Although I have several back issues of Stampington publications, this was one of only 2 back issues of Take Ten I have in the Studio and am glad it was. WOW!

This LO hits all the marks:

EASY

SIMPLE

CLEAN

USES STASH/ SCRAPS

IMPACT

Here's the recipe:

5x6.5 card (I created mat dimensions for both standard card sizes)

DP scraps from DCWV Christmas 2010

SU Pacific Point CS

SU Pacific Point ink & water color crayon

SU Big On Christmas stamp

Black and Red Perma Marker

Blue snowflake (gift wrapping trim - Walmart)

Dimensions:

5x6.5 card -

Base Mat - Cut 2- 5 1/8 x 1" + Cut 2- 3 5/8x1"

DP - Cut 2 - 5x7/8 + Cut 2- 3.5x 7.8"

Center Mat- Cut 1- 3 7/8x 2.5" (CS) + 1- 3 3/4x 2 7/8" (white)

4.25x5.5 card-

Base Mat- Cut 2- 4x1" + Cut 2- 2 5/8x1"

DP - Cut 2- 3 7/8x 7/8 + Cut 2- 2.5x7/8

Center Mat- Cut 1- 2 7/8x 1.5" + Cut 1- 2 3/4x 1 3/8

This card also fulfilled the January Challenge for the PBU thread at Splitcoast using the theme 'Let It Snow' direct our creativity.

My next plan is to pull out my scrap drawer, cut the DP strip sizes I need and then match with CS to make several cards for the All Occasion Challenge thread. I already see one in browns and earth tones with Noble Deer featured in the center for guy cards.

I hope your 2012 is off to a creative start!

Magazine Monday!

This week, I'm getting a jump on Christmas 2012. I was part of a Christmas Card Challenge at Splitcoaststampers this year. Aside from pledging to do X-#of Christmas cards every month, I mailed out a prize envelope to one lucky stamper who made their personal goal each month. This year I am co-moderator. My co-conspirator, VikkiJo, works out of town part of the week and doesn't always have internet access. So we decided to team up this year so no one got lost in the daily postings. To set a good example, I'm going to try and have my card posted by the 1st day of the month.

I'm still playing in the Volume 4 of Take Ten. The card I chose this week is by Sylvia Yu. I couldn't find a link for her. I hate CASing a card without giving credit back. I can tell you my card is very close to Sylvia's. Sometimes you just like a layout the way it is. Where I used GP White CS, Sylvia chose a pearlescent vanilla CS. She also used actual ribbon for the vertical strip, and punched small holes in her silver-embossed tree so the 'red balls' would show through when she matted it on the red CS. Her tree and border were from Art Impressions.

How is mine different? I used SU Real Red CS and Ink, Lovely As A Tree, and Sculpted Style. I also cut the front flap of the card back 1" and stamped the Sculpted Style border on the right edge of the 'inside' of the card. I added the sentiment mat using the Nauveu label shape (Cricut) at 1.25" and the shadow. I added dimension by popping up the tree and sentiment mats.

So... 6 cards done for 2012 and 46 to go. Now to get this year's mailed!

Magazine Monday

I love fall. It is my absolute favorite time of the year. Warm days (usually), followed by cool, crisp nights perfect for sleeping. It also brings to mind yummy comfort foods such as turkey, pumpkin pie, and apple crisp. I found these things listed on a pattern paper from a Fall holiday slab.

I hope I have the right Heidi Erickson. In the Take Ten Vol. 4, she is listed as living in Mosinee WI. As you’ll see in the link above, that Heidi

has a shop in Schofield WI. I’ve heard from Heidi and because she’s submitted so many over the years, without seeing the actual card she can’t be sure it’s her either. Hehe I’m linking to her studio anyway. If they’re two separate artists, both are very talented and inspiring!

Okay, the LO this week again features the long, narrow card. Heidi’s card is a simple one perfectly adapted to any occasion. She did a Happy Birthday patterned paper for the main focus. Her image is a slice of birthday cake stamped over a shadow square (both from A Muse). She used monochromatic shades of greens in both her CS and her ink.

I chose to pull the colors from my patterned paper, too. I used Stampin' Up Cajun Craze and Old Olive. The green ribbon wasn’t exactly the shade I wanted but what I had on hand. I also felt it needed some hardware so added the 4 brads.

Next week I'll have another Fall card showing the versatility of this LO.

Creative Blessings!

Magazine Monday

Today’s card is a play on the production ‘Wicked’. I love the frog stamp. Don’t you think he’s cute?

My inspiration came from a card by Diane Jackson in the Take Ten Volume 4 called CELEBRATE. Each Take Ten issue has a challenge LO. This one called for a 6x3.25 card. I chose to use a 9x3.25 to accommodate a business-size envelope. It also meant I had a bit more room to work with. The first card was a challenge for me because I don’t work with this size as a rule so it took adjusting my creative brain to the new format. Once I did, I had fun creating cards – as you’ll see over the next 3 weeks. (yep, my cards are done and ready to post!)

I like to include links to the original artist’s page whenever possible. However, I could not find one for this Diane Jackson (Ponte Vedre Beach FL). If you know her, please let her know I thank her for her inspiration.

Diane used a black base with a purple print panel. Then a smaller white panel and a grape vine/ word patterned paper. Where I have WICKED, she spelled out CELEBRATE on white. My adorable frog replaces her cluster of grapes. I loved her card but needed something for my Halloween post.

My papers are from an old holiday slab, ValuCS neon green and SU Vintage Violet ink (letters) Tuxedo Memento Black for the frog

Magazine Monday Returns!

Yep, although it is late afternoon I do have a card for this week. As I told you a few weeks back, I'd selected several 'inspiration' items from the 2005 Take Ten by Stampington. This week I combined MM with my SCS August Challenge envelope from Shell.

Shell's items for us to play with were some stamped images from Clear Dollar Stamps, a couple of mats of DCWV Blossoms and Butterflies paper and embellishments. I decided to get ahead of the game and get my daughter's birthday card done ahead of time. Sometimes I manage this better than others.

My inspiration card is by Jenn Mason. Her concept was Gifting in Ten Minutes... cards that include either a handmade postcard or a gift card. I'll be including a Starbucks GC in my daughter's. Although she isn't a big fan of pink, the color lent itself to the paper I had to work with. She'll live through one year. With a new baby girl due in just 4 weeks, it's not the only pink she's seeing these days.

You'll find a link to Jenn's website HERE and a link to her BLOG For Birthday Kitty, she used a beautiful image of a cat with a birthday hat from Lost Coast Designs stamped to the far right of a tri-fold card. She also used ribbon/ bow to attach the mat on the front of the card bearing the sentiment. I went girly and simplistic with mine. With my daughter, the less froo froo the better.

Because I know this is not a 'keeper' card, I used ValuCS in Baby pink to go with the DCWV DP.

I cut the 2 scoops of ice cream apart and popped the caramel scoop with 1 pop dot and the cherry with 2 pop dots. I also added red stickles to the cherry.

The grandtoddler is here this week so I don't see a lot of stamping going on. Well - except for her. She picked out 3 of her own stamps at Michaels yesterday and was stamping with Grandpa before bedtime... and again right after breakfast this morning.

Creative Blessings

Magazine Monday

I don't know about you guys, but it seems forever since I've been in here. I spent most of the month of July fighting to keep my internet on line. Basically, it boiled down to my HughesNet modem overheats. After three calls to their out-sourced call center in India, I finally got someone who spoke English well enough to understand my problem. A $10 fan from walmart blowing onto the box whenever it's booted up has solved my problem.

So today I'm showcasing the card I had ready to run a month ago.

I found this card LO in a Take Ten 2005 from the artist Lenita Gratz.

The medallion to the right is a bottle cap with a stamped image of a snowflake in the center. Her card is very elegant. She used a silver mat with a midnight blue ribbon against the white background. It's a beautiful card. But I'm a traditional artist so I took my Christmas card to the country.

I used the CB folder for some texture as well as a fabric frazzle strip. The bells are from Bells and Boughs (SU). I made gold paint from Metallic Gold Pearl X and Gum Arabic. Although it doesn't show up in the picture, the bells really sparkle!

One of my future projects is to create watercolor paints for all 24 of my Pearl X colors. Keep an eye here for how you can make your own Pearl X watercolors.

How are your Christmas cards coming along?

Magazine Monday!

It's storming in the Ozarks yet again but I did want to grab a quick couple of minutes and show you this week's card before I drop it in the mail.

I've nearly depleted my magazine stash. I find myself going back to the same ones over and over. That's a good thing, right? One area I haven't touched are the Take Ten magazines from Stampington. I love this quarterly publication because it's all about cards created by people who LOVE to play with ink/ stamps/ paper and cardstock. So for the next several weeks, all of the designs will come from my back issues of Take Ten.

This week I'm starting the series from the 2005 Volume 4 issue. Rather than be inspired by a layout, I had an idea in my head and went looking for one to coordinate. I spend a lot of my mornings in a local small-town cafe called Flossie's Apple Barrel. There are your regulars who come in. One gentleman just turned 95 years young last month. Ray Haynes is as sharp as a tack and has grown up around Winona MO all his life.

Until a week ago he's been getting around under his own steam. Still drives his little blue pickup to the cafe several days a week - just to get out of the house. But last week, Ray took a nasty fall and he's looking at several weeks in rehap at Birch Tree Care Facility. So I wanted to send Ray a card to hopefully brighten his day. Now if I can just sneak him in a piece of his favorite pie :-)

So with Ray in mind and a pre-stamped image from a swap in hand, I went through the Take Ten. The closest I could find to an idea I had is from Linda Beeson - check out her blog at PaperCutting Kind of Day. It's a really cool blog!

Linda's creation for this issue was called Giraffe Greeting. She used a image and sentiment from Stampin UP, coloring the giraffe with a yellow crayon (when's the last time we used those!) Her center panel is an animal print layered on a black cs strip. Her giraffe image was layered over a caramel stamped background which she'd mounted on black and it was off-set to the right of the card. She stamped the sentiment on a smaller matted square and overlapped the image a bit. Everything was neat, clean and crisp. Very pretty card.

Well, you know I like texture and before finding this, I'd already torn my paper strip. LOL All my papers were from the DCWV Old World slab and the image is from a retired SU set.

Here's what I came up with for Ray:

I decided not to color the truck. I thought it looked fine just the way it is. I think I am going to add a little color to the flowers. I was so concerned with getting this uploaded before I had to shut down due to storms, I didn't even think about it. LOL So picture those flowers with a bit of color.

Tomorrow I'll show you pics of the CD albums. They are finished and ready to go postal!

Magazine Monday - on Wednesday!

Yep. I'm late. Between being gone over the weekend, Monday being the 28th Valentine's Day I've spent with my husband, and his last day home before leaving for three weeks... well, creating just wasn't on the agenda. Tuesday are always spent cleaning. I fret like you would not believe knowing my husband is out on the highway for that 8-hour trip to Chicago. I clean like a madwoman the days he's traveling so I don't have time to worry.

So, here it is Wednesday. And I have a springy card that will work for lots of occassions. I am sharing it with a lady who fell on the ice and broke her wrist. Can you imagine being a stamper and having a broken wrist? I'd be going nuts. So I thought this card might brighten her day.

The card I'm featuring this week is from Take Ten Volume 4. It is on page 4, 2nd row, 2nd card. Artist Marianne Harris did a great basic card using Close To My Heart stamps - including a butterfly. Her card is almost identical to mine minus ribbon. I liked the color tones, the layout and the stamped background. But I thought it needed some texture.

RECIPE:

Paper - GP White, Lavendar (Anna Griffin), misc swirl

Butterfly - Anna Griffin

Sentiment - SU Three Little Words

Ribbon - stash

Ink - background Almost Amethyst (ret. SU), butterfly - Lavender Lace (ret. SU), sentiment - LePlume Amethyst

The bow is done in 2 pieces. The band of ribbon is attached to the card front, then the bow was tied and adhered in place with a glue dot.