Stitches and Ink

PTI Blog Hop - June 2011 - My Play Garden

2011-06-25T09:49:00.000-04:00

Here we are at another Blog Hop for Papertrey Ink. This month Nicole Heady gave us an inspiration photo to work with. You can read all the details here

The hanging dresses in this playroom look like princess costumes - something a little girl would use to play dress-up - with layers and layers of ruffly tulle. When I first saw this photo, I immediately thought of flowers. So I set out to make some.

I started with a six inch length of sheer, white polka dot ribbon from Michaels and ran a gathering stitch down the middle - pulled tightly and doubled it up around a silk ribbon flower in colors of PTI - Harvest Gold, Sweet Blush, Spring Rain and Raspberry Fizz. Okay, but it needed more color. So out came the Copics and I colored the ribbon to match. The stems and leaves are from Flower Fusion #2 and remind me of the storage boxes on the floor in the photo.
The background was inspired by Jessica Witty and her "You Color My World" project from the PTI June release. The inspiration was - use watercolors. It doesn't look anything like her gorgeous work of art. I used Crayola watercolor paints that I have here for our grandchildren and just made stripes of the various colors, trying to blend colors to match the photo as best as possible. At first I had tried Copics in PTI trio colors, but the result was dark and almost muddy in comparison. My paints were more pastel. I inverted the order of the colors so that the greens are at the bottom and the blue is at the top - grass and sky in my little Play Garden.

The Sentiment is from Happy Trails and the tiny dragon fly is from Places, Please. I thought it more in proportion with this project. There's also a pretty one in Wishing You which I may use with the trails for other designs. White cardstock, True Black and Ripe Avocado inks by PTI.
I'm sure this will go to one of the dear granddaughters.

Hope you enjoyed your stop. I'm off to see all your incredible interpretations of this inspiration photo.
Thanks for hopping by.

Papertrey Peeps June Challenge.

2011-06-20T10:45:00.001-04:00

This is my masculine card for our Papertrey Peeps Challenge this month. Cammie asked us to celebrate the guys in our lives. I had already shared my Father's Day card I made here, so I thought I would give you a guy's Birthday card straight out of Ad Sense. I love this set for our friends (we're in that over the hill category) who love nostalgia.

I started with a Soft Stone card base and an Enchanted Evening panel tipped in Fresh Snow. The striped paper is from DCWV Linen Closet. The focal image is Ad Sense cut with the co-ordinating dies and stamped in EE, Spring Rain and Pure Poppy. The ribbon is a scrap from my stash that matches EE and was stamped with Background Basics: Geometrics in Fresh Snow.

Inside, I added several more sentiments from Ad Sense. The lines with dots are from Grunge Me. It just seemed to need that little extra. Just a little pop of some of the front elements made this a great card to slip in the mail for a dear friend.

Hope you enjoyed your stop. Thanks for dropping by.

PTI Make It Monday #18 - Tissue Paper Texture

2011-06-11T16:00:00.001-04:00

This week's Make It Monday technique was brought to us by Betsy Veldman. You can read all the info and watch the video here.

My background is Pink Gingham tissue by International Greetings USA. I couldn't get it to adhere well, so I finally ran the cardstock panel through my Xyron machine and then placed the crinkled paper on it. The little wrinkles after running it through my Cuttlebug are quite pretty but did not photograph well. The bottom strip is Hybiscus Burst Bitty Dot covered with white tissue. It muted the color and made a great match with my little fabric flowers.

The watering can was cut with the Garden Variety die out of a scrap of 12x12 paper that has a texture that reminds me of brushed aluminum. I didn't attempt to stamp it, just colored it with Copics and adhered with pop dots. I also used the new Picket Fence die. My rose bush is made with PTI Leaf Ribbon and flowers snipped from trim purchased from Christopher Pines on Etsy. The butterfly is from Butterfly Dreams and colored with Copics. The sentiment is from Garden Variety. The sprinkles of water are Martha Stewart Carrara Marble Coarse glitter sprinkled on dots of Zig 2 Way Glue.

I hope you enjoyed your visit. Thanks for stopping by. Your comments are greatly appreciated.

Papertrey Ink - Make It Monday #17

2011-06-02T16:06:00.001-04:00

This weeks Make it Monday technique - Cracked Glass - was demonstrated by Heather Nichols. You can view the information here.

This was certainly a new one for me. It looked so interesting, I visited my favorite craft store and bought a container of triple thick embossing powder. It took me a couple tries, but I was quite happy with my first attempt at this technique and want to do more. Thanks Heather, for introducing it to me.

The card base is PTI Kraft cardstock with a panel from Postmarks, edged with Chamomile Vintage Touch ink. The road is a stripe of Smokey Shadow stamped with the dashed line from Faux Ribbon. The map, frame, compass and sentiment are from Road Trip. Inside is Are We There Yet from the same set and Happy Father's Day from Fillable Frames #4. It's for DGS to give his Dad. He loves to get us all going by asking said phrase before we even leave the driveway. Hope our son gets it!

Thanks for stopping by.

PTI May Blog Hop

2011-05-25T09:55:00.156-04:00

Flowers

May is the month when many flowers finally go into full bloom after a long winter's sleep. For the blog
hop this month we want to see your favorite take on flowers. You can stamp backgrounds, create
custom floral embellishments, showcase unique flower center additions (buttons, rhinestones, beads,
etc...), flowers die-cut from different materials (like fabric, felt, vellum, etc...) or anything else you can
dream up! We are looking forward to seeing all of your amazing creations!
You can read all the information here.

Welcome! I hope you're enjoying the hop.

When I first saw the theme for this month's Blog Hop, I immediately wanted to do something with the seed packet. Several of us enjoy sharing seeds (no, I really don't need anymore Morning Glories, thank you). And I'm dying to color the new mini Flowers of the Year. But, sadly no package yet.

So on to Plan B. What to do, what to do? You might have seen some of the tissue flowers I've been playing with of late. If not, see here or here. I've been picking up some interesting tissue packs when I see them on clearance and decided to try some of that stash. This flower is made with blue and white gingham.

At first I was going to do a baby card even though there are no babies anywhere on my radar. A dozen layers of each of two sizes were cut at once just by folding the tissue and using the two smaller dies from Beautiful Blooms II #1. I punched a small hole in the center and held them together with a tiny blue brad. Uh, so-so. It needed something. So I added a light blue pom-pom to the center. Cute, but still lacking something. So I added another layer of vintage lace that I purchased at a local thrift shop. Now that I like. But for a little boy?

On to Plan C. How about a hair clip for one of the girls? These flowers are fantastic. The more you squish them and mush them, the fuller and better they look. But for a six year old? After all, they are only paper.

Okay, Plan D (and if this doesn't work, I give up). If I only had one of those alligator clips. How about a clothespin? I bought these fabulous minis from Michelle Wooderson's Etsy shop. I had tiny ones, but too tiny. Sort of like Goldilocks - the one I used would be Mama Bear size. Okay. now what? Stick it on a tag! I picked up a paperback for a dear friend who last week broke a bone in her foot - off her feet for a while. Light bulb! Gift package. Yes, yes, yes. I love it when a plan comes together. (Even if it is the fourth in a series.) I slipped the book into a sack from Michelle Phillipi. Tied it with some tea dyed twine and there you have it. The evolution of a simple (uh, yeah, sure) project.

I gave it to her on Monday. And you know, with a really good friend, it's all worth it. She loved it and hobbled into the kitchen to clip it on a wire framed message board - tag and all. Oh . . . and she liked the book, too.

Thanks for hopping by. If you read all of this, thank you so much! Any comments are truly appreciated.

Enjoy the rest of the hop!!

Supplies:

Paper: PTI Rustic Cream, Kraft

Stamps: PTI Green Thumb

Ink: PTI True Black, Vintage Touch Chamomile

Dies: PTI Beautiful Blooms II #1, Tag Sale #3

Other: Spare Parts ribbon by Paper Studio; Timeless Twine - overdyed with tea solution; Tissue paper by International Greetings

Papertrey Ink - Make it Monday #14 - Selective Inking

2011-05-15T16:46:00.001-04:00

This week's technique was selective inking. You can view the video and information here.

This card involved a lot of trial and error. I used the technique twice. The first was on the sentiment stamp. Part is stamped on the front panel and the rest is on the inside on the Rustic Cream card base. That was easy. I've done that before. The second is the thread coming off the spool and through the needle. (You might want to click on the photo to see the detail better.) I wanted the longer, looped thread that is used on the "Handmade by" needle stamp. I inked part of the thread on the spool stamp and then part on the needle stamp. I practiced lining them up quite a few times and then stamped on the PP panel using Smokey Shadow. Didn't like that because the thread disappeared in the background. So I stamped the whole thing on Neenah white, colored it and cut it out. Yuck, that looked terrible. So back to the drawing, er stamping board and stamped in two parts -- Lavender Moon on the Pretty Pastels panel and Smokey Shadow on the white. I colored just the spool and cut that out. The needle was now lavender, so redid that and embossed with silver powder, cut out and adhered over the original on the panel. I used a craft knife to cut around the curve of the thread and slipped the Kraft Button Card under. By the time I was finished, I'd gotten pretty good at selective inking. I guess that's the point of this whole thing. Thanks Erin Lincoln!

All supplies, except lace trim from a fabric store, are PTI. The stamps are from Quilter's Sampler and Button Boutique.

Papertrey Peeps May Challenge -April Showers Bring May Flowers

2011-05-15T15:46:00.001-04:00

May is all about the blooms. Terri brought us this months challenge. Check it out and you'll see her take on some fun dimensional blossoms. And now I'm trying to plan what to do with this month's PTI Blog Hop which is also about flowers.
One of the reasons I haven't been creating much lately, is that we've been spending every available minute in our gardens - weeding, mulching, separating, dividing, planting, and on and on and on. It's been wonderful when it isn't raining. The temperatures have been cool with low humidity. We want to get as much done as possible before the heat and humidity set in.
Here's two little posies I made for our granddaughters.

The felt (just the inexpensive kind from Joanns) flowers are made in a style I first saw by Betsy Veldman with six Beautiful Blooms II #1 die cuts, each folded in quarters and adhered to a covered hair clip. (already wrapped and purchased from Michaels ) The centers are fabric covered brads using the I-top tool from Imaginese. I cut two slits in each Button Card stamped with Raspberry Fizz and Spring Moss. I am anxiously awaiting the new inks. I only had the cubes and they are getting so-o-o dry.
Well, that's it for now. I hope to be back later with my Make It Monday card. Waiting for my battery to charge on the camera so I can download. Thanks for stopping by.

Papertrey Ink - Make It Monday #12

2011-05-01T16:34:00.004-04:00

Another quick post today to show you the card I made for the April Papertrey Peeps Challenge and Make It Monday #12.

PeggySue asked us to use black and this week's Make it Monday technique was using a Line Frame. I combined the two. The rosebud from Year of Flowers: Roses is colored with the Pure Poppy and Ripe Avocado Copic trios for PTI. The sentiment is from Damask Designs. Thanks for dropping by.

Papertrey Ink - Make It Monday #11

2011-04-18T15:01:00.001-04:00

This week's technique comes to us from Heather Nichols - Embossing with Dies. I was working on an Easter card when the post went up. I was going to cut one of Heather's Fillable Frames, #1 to be specific, and thought I'd try the technique. I must admit it's not PTI cardstock because the sentiment is computer generated and my printer will not take their wonderful stock. So I had to play around a little. But I will try this again with PTI. I'm sure the image will be crisper and won't need extra shimming.

I think this detail shot may show the embossing better.

No need for pricey Nestabilities with this trick. Thanks Heather. I'll definitely be making more of these.

Supplies (all PTI unless otherwise indicated)
Paper: PTI White for card base, Pretty Pastels, The Paper Company White for label & egg
Stamps: Fillable Frames #1
Ink: Ocean Tides, Vintage Touch Chamomile
Dies: Fillable Frames #1, Tiny Envelope
Other: Egg graphic - Made by Janet (Etsy), Rustic Cream Button Twine, Tattered Angels Pearl Mist, Corner Chomper

Papertey Ink - Make It Monday - #9 Heat Embossing

2011-04-09T19:25:00.001-04:00

Quick post here to add a card for this week's Make It Monday - Heat Embossing.

I'm trying to think ahead and used the opportunity to make a Mother's Day card. I love the Year of Flowers series and have been thinking about trying to color the rose like a Peace Rose - yellow tipped in pink. Well, I worked on it and this is what I came up with.

It's my mother's favorite rose. Grandpa used to grow them. But she and I have no luck whatsoever.

I started by stamping the rose in Smokey Shadow and heat embossing with Filigree clear powder on white cardstock. The background is A Little Argyle, overstamped with Turning a New leaf embossed with Filigree white. The sentiment is from Fillable Frames #4. The rose is colored with Copics. I added a white silk leaf.

Not much time tonight. Hope you're having a good weekend. Thanks for dropping by.

Bliss

2011-04-02T16:55:00.001-04:00

Michelle Wooderson, one of my favorite design team members at Papertrey Ink, is offering a fat quarter collection of Bliss fabric. You can see the details on her blog here. She asked us to share
"a favorite sewing project using fabric and why you like it."

I am such a fabriholic and this is a beautiful line. Asking me to choose a favorite project is like asking a mother to pick her favorite child. Not fair. But I will share one that is especially dear to my heart. It was really quite simple in construction and used charm squares. My dear, sweet, lovable, 7-year-old-at-the-time granddaughter asked me to make her a pink and purple quilt for her Christmas present.

It's really special because she asked for it and I think she really liked it.

She wears it well

The Bliss fabrics would be wonderful for her sister. *wink*

If you ever want to see a few more of my favorites, check out my Webshots albums. Those are ones that I remembered to photograph. Thanks for dropping by.

Papertey Ink - Make It Monday - 8

2011-03-29T14:43:00.001-04:00

Just a quick post to add my Make It Monday for this week. The details can be found here. Betsy Veldman did this week's video on blending inks. I tried it a little tighter to form a rainbow. I only had sponge daubers to work with. It was inspired by the sentiment from the Up, Up & Away Sentiments set.

Thanks for dropping by.

Supplies: All PTI unless otherwise indicated.
Paper: White cardstock, 2008 Bitty Box Basics patterned paper
Stamps: Up, Up & Away Sentiments, Blooming Button Bits
Ink: True Black, Pure Poppy, Orange Zest, Summer Sunrise, New Leaf, Spring Rain, Enchanted Evening, Lavender Moon
Die: Cloud I & II
Other: Pure Poppy Button, Studio 18 Rhinestones, Copics T0 & T1

Papertrey Ink March Blog Hop

2011-03-25T13:40:00.001-04:00

This month's Blog Hop challenged us to use Embroidery Floss. You can check out all the information by clicking on the logo above. I thought about different ways I could use it, but wanted to use some of the new products I just received. I decided to make a rope to tie up a bundle of "memories" and make an Anniversary card for my sweetie. I got so carried away with Tiny Tags and Postmarks, I didn't know when to stop and the floss was almost lost in the process.

The floss is doubled and then twisted until it twists back on itself again. I knotted the ends and after trimming, a fringe results. It reminds me of chunky, curtain tie backs. This skein was variegated and blends well with the cream and blues.
The envelope is die cut with the new die and is a different scale than Postmarks. So I dug out some stamps I had purchased for scrapbooking and they worked great.
After I was working for a while, I kept thinking I had made something similar. If you want to see the evolution of a cardmaker, check out my very first Blog Hop post here. Guess I've always loved layers.
For some reason, I can't get the song Traces out of my head. I've been singing it all day. I knew it by the Classics IV way back when. But I know its been redone many, many times. I have a shoe box, covered with (now torn) wrapping paper and filled with mementos from three years of dating DH, very similar to what I included here - cards, notes, ticket stubs, dried corsages.
I had so much fun with this. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks so much for hopping by.

Supplies: PTI unless otherwise indicated
Cardstock: Kraft, Rustic Cream, Blueberry Sky, Spring Rain
Ink: Enchanted Evening, Smokey Shadow, Vintage Touch Duo; Versa Color Charcoal
Stamps: Tiny Tags, Postmarks, Love Lives Here, It's Official, Background Basics: Text; Maya Road Postcard; Prima Clear Stamps Postcard
Dies: Tiny Tags, Tiny Envelope, Just the Ticket Border
Other: Coasters; DMC floss 4160; Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Pearl; Recollections tiny rose; vintage (circa 1976) note pad paper (I never throw anything away! I used it to write notes to teachers back in the day. It's great for stamping and lining an envelope. And it's already well aged & discolored!!)

PTI Make It Monday #7

2011-03-21T15:15:00.001-04:00

Today's technique for Make It Monday is Coloring with Copics on Colored Paper. Jennifer Ellefson's video takes us step by step into the technique. Here's my example.

I started with Lemon Tart cardstock and stamped the small Daffodils from Year of Flowers in Summer Sunrise. I used some lighter Copics than the Lemon Tart Trio, specifically Y00, 13, 15 & 21. The Y21 brought the shading back to the Lemon Tart spectrum. Several of the ruffle tips are highlighted with a white gel pen.

That's a little brown paper bag holding the flowers. It's about an inch longer. I folded that amount to the back before gluing it to the card base. One of the design team mentioned them, but I didn't note it at the time and I can't find the reference now. The bags are so darn cute! It's tied with cream button twine.
You might have noticed the Summer Sunrise gingham strip next to the 2008 Bitty Box PP. Yup! My order came while I was working on this and I had to try it out. I'm in love!! Just think, gingham in any PTI color. Thank you Nichole for such a beautiful image. It really looks like woven threads! (I get excited very easily concerning all things fabric)

Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for dropping by.

Supplies (all PTI unless otherwise indicated)
Paper: Stamper's Select White, Lemon Tart, 2008 Bitty Box Basics
Stamps: Year of Flowers: Daffodils
Ink: Summer Sunrise, New Leaf
Other: Rustic Cream Button Twine, Celebrate It Mini Kraft Paper Sacks, foam dimensional dots

Papertrey Peeps March Challenge & MIM#6

2011-03-19T12:26:00.005-04:00

We have had three gorgeous days here in Lancaster County, PA. I took some time out from garden clean-up to finish a card for our March Challenge and Make It Monday #6.

Our hostess is Kimberly. "This month we are making Good Luck cards in honor of St. Paddy's day! But you can't go out and buy St. Patricks' stamps. Instead use some other symbol of good luck" It's a good thing it wasn't for St Patrick's Day since I didn't make that deadline. I think it was Arthur Godfrey that used to say "The hurryder I go, the behinder I get". (or something like that. Heck, I was young) Well that's me! But here's my card.

I didn't use any image or sentiment stamps. The poem was computer generated. The cardstock is PTI Sweet Blush and white with lots of Vintage Touch ink. I also used the PTI Picnic Plaid Impression Plate using the technique for Make It Monday #6. I tea-dyed and wrinkled the seam binding for the bow. The frame was made by first die cutting the inner rectangle using the PTI Button Card die, then adding 1/4 inch Scor-Tape around the opening and cutting the outer edge before removing the final paper from the tape. The edges were rounded with 1/4 inch side of the Corner Chomper. The glitter is Martha Stewart coarse crystal.

Thanks Kimberly for a fun challenge that really made me think and search way back in the archives for this bit of luck. If you have some lucky wishes, come over and play with us at the Papertrey Peeps.

Thanks for stopping by.

PTI Make It Monday #5

2011-03-13T17:39:00.001-04:00

This weeks challenge was to distress the edges of your paper.

Another dress form with a skirt in the style of the new, tutu style with layers and layers of ruffles underneath.

Supplies - all PTI unless otherwise indicated

Stamps: Button Boutique, Friendship Jar, Big & Bold Wishes
Paper: Rustic White, Vintage Cream, True Black, 2008 Bitty Box Basics
Ink: Smokey Shadow, True Black, Vintage Touch Duo

Nine on the Ninth - A Golden Birthday

2011-03-05T16:04:00.000-05:00

I made a special card for our very special Grandson. He will be 9 years old next Wednesday.

Right now, one of his favorite places is Hershey Park. I used a photo we had taken from the Kissing Tower as a background. He had just rode the Comet for the first time and I think he will remember this shot. I used the transparency tool on my editing program and printed it on matte photo paper. The gold star with the 9 symbolize this significant birthday which I explained inside.
The cupcake from Tiny Treats fits perfectly inside the Around and About Sentiments Happy Birthday circle on the flap of the envelope.

Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies (PTI unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Just the Ticket, Star Prints, Big & Bold Wishes, Outlines Alphabet,
Around & About Sentiments, Tiny Treats Birthday
Ink: Enchanted Evening, Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise
Paper: Rustic White, Enchanted Evening, Pure Poppy
Other: Just The Ticket die, Ranger Glossy Accents, Fiskars star punch,
Kodak Matte Picture Paper, Copics

Papertey Ink - Make It Monday - 4

2011-03-05T15:03:00.000-05:00

This week's Make It Monday is Creating With Fun Foam

Supplies - All PTI unless indicated
Stamps: Butterfly Dreams.
Ink: True Black
Paper: Spring Moss, Green Tea Leaves Collection
Other: stick pins by Making Memories - Chloe's Closet; Crafters Square Foam Sheets - Dollar Tree;
foam adhesive dots; my own not-so-wrinkled dyed seam binding.

Thanks for stopping by.

TSTR #50 & CASE Study #28

2011-02-27T18:36:00.002-05:00

No, you're not seeing double. After completing the challenge for PTI Make It Monday, I thought the card needed a little tweeking. (I do this alot!) So I added some buttons and a little lace petticoat type insert and decided to enter it in two other challenges.
The Shabby Tea Room #50
Case Study #28

Thanks for dropping by.

supplies - all PTI unless otherwise indicated
Stamps: Mat Stack 2 Collection, Love Birds, Mixed Messages
Ink: Vintage Touch Duo; Versa Mark; Colorbox Metalic Gold
Other: Scor-Tape, Martha Stewart tag punch & glitter, Natural Button Twine; fabric store twill tape that I tea dyed; unknown flowers; Making Memories button brad; PTI Sweet Blush buttons; lace scraps

Papertey Ink - Make It Monday - 3

2011-02-27T15:39:00.001-05:00

I took an idea I'd been thinking about and tried incorporating the glitter strip made with Scor-Tape.

With the addition of the edger dies, I had been staring at the index label for Mat Stack 2, wondering what it would look like as a border. I die cut several from Sweet Blush and stamped them with Versa Mark, adhered them to the lower edge of a Rustic Cream card base, and cut around the edge. I added the Scor-Tape and glitter through the center.

Thanks for stopping by.

supplies - all PTI unless otherwise indicated
Stamps: Mat Stack 2 Collection, Love Birds, Mixed Messages
Ink: Vintage Touch Duo; Versa Mark; Colorbox Metalic Gold
Other: Scor-Tape, Martha Stewart tag punch & glitter, Natural Button Twine; fabric store twill tape that I tea dyed; unknown flowers; Making Memories button brad.

Papertrey February Blog Hop Challenge

2011-02-25T09:57:00.000-05:00

Welcome to another monthly PTI Blog Hop. All the details are in Nichole's post here. We were to create a project using scallops.

Did you see Jessica Witty's post on the Evolution of a Card? I thought she was writing about me. I won't bore you with the whole, long process to arrive at my card (but it did evolve over three days). I know you're here to see a card and move on. Therefore, without further ado, my contribution to "A Salute to Scallops".

I am infatuated with Dawn's Dress Form. I used it for a Christmas card and made a tiny skirt from lace edging. I thought I could do more with rows of scallops - but it just wasn't working. Then as I was folding a strip of scallops, this idea came to me. I think the greatest AHA! moment was when I inverted a scrap and saw that I could create that sweetheart neckline with just two scallops.
The skirt is vellum, cut with the PTI medium scallop border and heat embossed with white Filigree powder. PTI Background Basics: Petal Power was used for the lacy design. I edged the scallops with a VersaMark pen and again embossed with white. With the aid of my ScorPal, I accordion folded the wide strip as you would for a medallion. I added the bodice and a narrow white ribbon and bow to cover the waistline. Tiny white pearls finish off the neckline.
Triple cuts with the same border die create the right front opening of the card. A scrap of the vellum is sandwiched between a Soft Stone base and a Scarlet Jewel panel. The background is stamped with Fancy Flourishes and VersaMark ink. The sentiment is from Wishing you, stamped inside Fillable Frame #7 (notice the scallops?) and cut out with a pair of small scallop Paper Shapers from ProvoCraft. (I can never part with anything. Knew they'd come in handy again someday)
I hope you enjoyed your stop here. I spent three days on this card and besides this entry, have absolutely no use for it. I thought it might work for a Bridal Shower. I don't have an Etsy shop or anything. So, if you know of someone who might be interested, contact me and we can talk.
Enjoy the rest of the Hop. Thanks for stopping by.

Love Notes - CSC26

2011-02-14T20:23:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

I got this one done just under the wire. I made it for my sweetie and gave it to him before dinner. It got the normal - "Very nice." He's a man of few words.

Don't tell him, but I followed the guidelines for our February Peeps Challenge. Thanks Marinette for hosting this one. Then when I saw today's Make-it-Monday, I decided to try the Vellum Sentiment Strip technique described in Nichole Heady's video today.

I made the flower with red tissue, diecut with Beautiful Blooms II #1 (medium and small dies). The stick pins are made with punched True Black cardstock coated with Ranger Glossy Accents. The heart doily is tea-dyed.

I love the sentiment inside. I had to print it by computer as I'm waiting for a replacement due to a spelling error. In my rush I omitted the author - Channing Pollock.

Hope you had a great day and thanks for dropping by. Looking forward to the PTI release tonight!

supplies
Paper: PTI Vintage Cream, Pure Poppy; unknown vellum
Stamps: PTI Background Basics: Hearts, Love Birds; KaiserCraft Sheet Music; Clear & Simple music notes
Ink: PTI Vintage Cream, Smokey Shadow, True Black, Vintage Touch Duo
Other: Hobby Lobby edging and doily, foam adhesive dots

PTI-Anniversary Celebration Button Challenge

2011-02-10T15:03:00.002-05:00

Today's PTI challenge was to use buttons. Over my many years of crafting, I have used buttons to make ornaments, wreaths, decorate candles, strung as arms and legs of a shelf-sitter doll and sewn onto fabric for pillows to quilts. Today all I could handle was a card.

The Button Boutique release has made me a really happy stamper. I have collected many buttons and button cards, but now we can make our own. The image I used is from Sew Nice, a sheet of vintage prints by Heartwarming Vintage. The large tag is from Michelle Wooderson's Etsy shop and stamped with It's Official.

I made the flower using tissue I found on clearance in Target, half matching Raspberry Fizz and half matching Hawaiian Shores. It's cut with Beautiful Blooms II #1 die collection - the two smaller dies.

My big creative use of the buttons is to make my own stick pin from a corsage pin, removing the pearl and adhering a tiny pearl button. It's finished off with the Dress Form die cut, a MS tag stamped with Mixed Messages and some Raspberry Fizz buttons.

I just made, what I would like to call, a presentation pocket. I bought the bags (and the red gingham ones, too) from It's in the Bag!, Michelle Philippi's ETSY shoppe.

I'm off to Target to get a great candy bar or something Raspberry Fizz-y to put in the front pocket. I'm going to give it to our DIL on Saturday. I 'kinda' invited ourselves to their place to finally celebrate Christmas. I think she deserves an "official" thank you! Any great suggestions?

The festivities at PTI continue for four more days. Thanks for dropping by.

PTI-Anniversary Celebration Color Scheme Challenge-Part 2

2011-02-09T20:41:00.001-05:00

I wanted to make a stamped candle for my DIL. I'm going to add it to her Christmas stocking. Oh, yeah. We haven't celebrated Christmas with them yet. It gives me time to make even more extra things for them. I chose Erin Lincoln's colors for this one.

The candle is cream. Wreath for all Seasons was stamped in Dark Chocolate. The tiny dots are Ripe Avocado and the flowers are Ocean tides.

She's not into country as much as I am, so I think I'll add some tiny pearls to the center of the flowers. Hope that helps.

Thanks for stopping by.

PTI-Anniversary Celebration Color Scheme Challenge

2011-02-09T19:18:00.002-05:00

Today's challenge was to select one of the Design Team's color scheme and create a project.

I'm always in need of a get well card. Did you ever see the slogan "After 40 it's patch, patch, patch." It may only be popular among quilters, but it seems most of my friends are well over that age and are having some type of surgery. I used Maile Belle's color scheme.

So here's my card to satisfy today's challenge.

I stamped all the patterns on the various "fabrics" using Distressed Stripes for the pillow ticking, Background Basics:Tin Types with flowers from Life, Green Thumb and Vintage Picnic all on Rustic White. Coloring was done with Copics. I even colored some natural twine for the loose thread.
Thanks for dropping by.

PTI Anniversary Celebration - Announcing Make It Monday Series

2011-02-07T15:30:00.001-05:00

You can read all about it on Nichole Heady's Blog.

Today we were asked to make a card using various sentiments as the design. I really needed a get well card for a fellow from church that slipped and fell on the ice last week. (Different guy than our Minister that I mentioned a few days ago. The ice has been treacherous here.) So I used get well sentiments.

This uses sentiments from Healing Touch Sentiments, Tea for Two, Quilter's Sampler, and Mixed Messages stamped with Enchanted Evening on Soft Stone cardstock. The images are from Embellishments and stamped with Scarlet Jewel. The panel is layered on EE and SJ.
It seems like this took forever to lay out. My Fiskars Stamp Press was a HUGE help. I didn't have any luck stamping the way Erin did in the video. I really need to learn how to stamp. These challenges have me feeling so-o-o inadequate. I'm overwhelmed by all the festivities and the talent of PTI customers!

Thanks for dropping by.

PTI Anniversary Designer Tags Challenge

2011-02-06T16:35:00.001-05:00

This is day two of PTI's Anniversary Celebration. Today Nichole has provided us with a free download of tags made by the Stamp Designers and asked us to use them in projects.

Using shades of cream and white, I created this for a wedding or anniversary. The base is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder. The tag by Beth Silaika is covered with MS Crystal Fine Glitter and edged with a lace ruffle. I adhered a small, cream rose to the center of the bow. Simple to do and rather quick.

Happy Anniversary PTI - Customer Favorites

2011-02-05T08:49:00.002-05:00

Four Fabulous years and still growing! Happy Anniversary PTI!

There's a party going on and the host is giving away the gift. Nichole has assembled the ultimate card kit and will award it to one lucky person. Here's our assignment: "Go through YOUR Papertrey projects from the last year and choose your very favorite of the bunch." Holy Moly! That's like asking me to pick my favorite child, or worse yet, my favorite grandchild!

So I went back down Memory Lane and it didn't take me long to find this baby. I really was happy with it and hope you like seeing it again. You can view the original post here with all the details.

Thank you Nichole and the entire PTI team for another wonderful year of quality products, service and inspiration. Looking forward to all the amazing things to come!

Thanks for dropping by.

A Get Well Smile

2011-02-01T14:19:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to get back in the swing of things here and I find myself rushing to get some cards done. So I've turned to some of the best inspiration around - the Papertrey Ink designers and members of the forum. The Blog Hop is always full of eye candy and I'm pretty sure the participants don't mind being CASED. The one I am going to share with you today is based on this lovely creation by Karin - PeppermintPatty. I think she does wonderful work and I guess others agree by the look of the badges on her page.

I needed a masculine Get Well for our interim Pastor. He has been such a rock for me this past year. We met him before he even started with the congregation in my Mom's hospital room after her first fall and hip replacement. I think he was taking notes on the falls and breaks in our family, slipped on the ice and broke his tibia in two places and also his ankle in two places. Pastor, you win! It's certainly not funny, but we have this ongoing thing about laughter and healing. I hope he didn't injure his funny bone.

I used the Library Cards from PTI with sentiments from Faux Ribbon and wanted to add a vintage graphic, something like old medicine bottles, crutches or bandages. In my search I found a fantastic source - The Graphics Fairy. She has such a fantastic collection of vintage images.(You may see more if I ever get around to making some Valentines.) This particular image is from a Victorian child's alphabet book. It's the letter "I " with a poem about a boy sliding and falling on the ice. (I reprinted the poem on the inside of the card). Not quite as colorful as Karin's, but definitely customized to the occasion.

I hope to be back soon with more of my mojo working and creating more original work.
Thanks for stopping by.

Papertrey Peeps January Challenge.

2011-01-31T16:57:00.001-05:00

I think I made it just under the wire. Rhonda issued the first challenge of this year - to make a thank you card and send it.
I wanted to play with Debbie Olson's design ever since I saw it. I removed the center circle from the Mat Stack 3 and the card front. This was my first time shading on patterned paper. I cut out the carnation and adhered it to the inside of the card and added two sentiments from Big & Bold Wishes.

I want to start by thanking all the sweet members of our Peeps group for their prayers and condolences this past month and for all their support and understanding throughout 2010. I won't bore everyone with all the details. You can read some here.

In particular, gratitude and appreciation are being sent to Terry for keeping us going, and especially to her daughter, Emilia, for sending us each a beautiful cyber cake on our Birthday. Thank you for making the day special. It was so wonderful to see it when we got home. And I promise I will send the card.

I must run now. Be back soon since I understand the next challenge is up and ready. Thank you all!

PTI Blog Hop - Holiday Leftovers

2010-12-26T09:40:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

This month's challenge from Nichole is:

Holiday Leftovers

"It's that time again for our annual holiday leftovers challenge! Use scraps of wrapping paper, parts of holiday cards, recycle gift tags or bits of ribbon on a paper crafting project. We all have plenty of it laying around after all the holiday excitement and this is your chance to incorporate some of those pretty little things into an amazing piece of art!"

Not having a super amount of creative time around Christmas, I opted for a note card that did use two leftovers. When I started my Christmas cards, I was going to use the landscape layout, but then changed my mind. So I have a few card bases that are stamped horizontally. And I don't throw anything away.

We had a Christmas Brunch two weeks ago and the gals requested one of the recipes. Two of the three went in their cards, but somehow I forgot the third. When I sealed the envelope (lined, mind you, with paper cut with the PTI Envelope Liner die), there was the recipe sitting on the table. No way I was going to open that baby. So I held it for a few days and made this note card.
Another leftover is the label containing the sentiment. I was using Spellbinders Nestabilities and the paper shifted. I recut it into a rectangle and it didn't look too bad.
Then it was my opportunity to use the new YOF: Pointsettias. It was stamped on another scrap. It's half of an A2 card panel. I colored two of the leaves green and added the upper right green leaf by just inking the tip of one of the other leaves and positioning it between the two reds. That gave it a little more color and balance for a one layer flower stamped directly on the paper. I got the inspiration from Dawn McVey's tag you can view here. The notebook paper on top of the music notes may be a little redundant, but I like layers, and hey you can never have too many notes.

Hope you enjoyed your stop. Thanks for hopping by. Have a Happy New Year!

Supplies
Paper: PTI Rustic Cream, Paper Works white for small label
Stamps: PTI Journaling lines, Signature Christmas, YOF: Pointsettias
KaiserCraft Sheet Music
Ink: PTI Smokey Shadow, True Black, Vintage Touch duo
Other: Copic Pure Poppy and New Leaf trios,Y13 & YG23 in center;
EK Success punch; Spellbinders Nestabilities

For the Family Fashionista - CSC17

2010-12-03T14:09:00.006-05:00

I turned the Dress Form die cut into a Christmas Card!

I started with PTI True Black cardstock and the die for Signature Series: Dress Form by Dawn McVey. The Santa hat was made from a tiny scrap of felt (sorry, not PTI), a pompom and a bit of chenille yarn. I added a snippet of tiny roped pearls and some gathered lace. The K&Company patterned paper was cut with the largest Spellbinders Nestabilities Label One, then cut in half and adhered to the PTI Vintage Cream card base. I layered two different ribbons to cover the space, both from Michaels. The Order Form from It's Official was stamped on Vintage Cream with Dark Chocolate and 'Tis the Season from Signature Christmas. I added a gold snowflake using a Martha Stewart punch and a festive bow. Lots of Vintage Touch inks were used to shabby up the edges. I'm really happy with this one so I'm going to submit it to some challenges and see what happens.

Hope you enjoyed your visit. Thanks for stopping by.

PTI November Blog Hop

2010-11-25T08:04:00.008-05:00

Welcome. Happy Thanksgiving to all our American Friends. I hope your day is truly enjoyable, filled with people you love and gratitude for all your blessings. It's very quiet here, just the tapping sound of tiny ice pellets hitting the skylight overhead as I write. We are just three today, Mom, Hans and I, but I am happy for the quiet time to reflect on the past year and all that I have to be thankful for. I'll have several Thanksgiving dinners in the next few weeks as work and school allow the boys and their families to visit with us.

To all our International Friends. I hope you're safe and comfortable and still enjoying the gratitude of everyday blessings. Now on to the Hop!

This month's challenge was:

TAG TIME

Recently the design team and I put together a variety of holiday tags that are perfect to keep on hand
for quick wrap options. Now it's your turn to inspire us and the rest of the Papertrey community! Design
a holiday tag or two using all of your favorite goodies and share it with all of us! We will all have plenty
of inspiration to create a large stash and try to get ahead of the hustle and bustle of the season!

I haven't been able to make any to create a stash yet. Mine have been made for specific packages as the need arose. Several weeks ago, Rhonda of our Papertrey Peeps group issued a challenge using tags. You can read about it here. I was so happy with my entry (scroll down to the second photo), that I knew I had to make another. They're for my DGDs, and you know, you can't do for one and not the other. So, here it is.

I am absolutely in love with On Ice and the matching die. I've been using it on cards and tags and found that, if I only applied adhesive around the outer edges, I could create a pocket that could be filled with embellishments. I hoped this angle would give you an idea of how the leaves are inserted into the skate.

I've only scratched the surface of ideas for this application. I have a list of items to fill other skates. Stay tuned.

Supplies - PTI unless stated otherwise
Stamps: On Ice, Friendship Jars Holiday Fillers
Paper: Ocean Tides, Soft Stone
Ink: True Black, Fresh Snow
Other: Copic RV14 to color pompom, T1,4,6 to shade skate, BG75 to color leaf on rose
Silver Paint Pen, Floral supply leaf pick accented with Ranger Tiara Glitz Stickles
Michael's tiny rose, Seam binding, Martha Stewart Fine Glitter, Glimmer Mist Pearl
My Mind's Eye Tinsel Garland, Ribbon from stash

I also wanted to share my CASE of Lisa Johnson's Candy Cane tags you can see here. All my family will get one on a package. I tried to mix them up Using Tiny Treats and Mat Stack Stamps. The solid canes are Gobstoppers by Willy Wonka and the striped one is Hershey's Chocolate Mint.(hence the Dark Chocolate ink and use of Reindeer and Gingerbread boy - not shown.)

I hope you're enjoying the Hop. Have a wonderful day!
Thanks for hopping by.

Papertrey Peeps Challenge #19 & #16

2010-11-10T18:55:00.006-05:00

I finally found some time to play with my new sets. Aimes issued the challenge this week to "use a negative (empty aperture) space in a creative way." I thought of using On Ice and this is what I made.

I die cut the skate and filled it with snowflake sprinkle candies. I collect all types of these toppings for when our grandchildren visit. It's an ongoing surprise - what sort of sprinkles I've found for their ice cream or cupcakes. I die cut through both layers and attached the treat bag inside so it can easily be removed. This card is 5x6.5 inches. The patterned paper and tag are from K&Company. Score tape around the outer edges with MS glitter. Snowflakes cut from DCWV Glittered Winter Mat Stack with Cuttlebug Snowflakes #2 die. The ribbon is Hug Snug dyed with Copic Various Ink R29 - Lipstick Red . The jingle bell is from my embellishment stash.

When I was cleaning up, I found I had two die cut skates from the cut out and decided to use one of them for Rhonda's Challenge #16 - "make a tag with an emphasis on sentiments."

The pink patterned paper was a scrap from K&Company Peppermint Twist pad and had pastel colored snowflakes. I stamped, colored and adhered the On Ice image creating a pocket for the glittered pine and berries. ( I hang some old skates on my old sled every year and fill them with Winterberry and pine.) It just followed to add them here. The sentiments "Let it snow" and "Frosty Fun" are from the same set and stamped in Scarlet Jewel and Aqua Mist. The "to & from" is from 2009 Holiday Tag Collection. The wrap of Bakers Twine hides the fact the the tag is pieced from two scraps.

One cut - two projects. I hope you liked them. I'm trying to catch up and hope to fill in the others that I missed very soon. Thanks for all your fun challenges, Peeps!
Thanks for dropping by.

PTI October Blog Hop

2010-10-25T11:19:00.006-04:00

It's that time of the month again! Here's this month's challenge: "this month's blog hop is dedicated to those that celebrate winter holidays other than Christmas. Create a project that celebrates Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or some other winter holiday as we embrace everyone's beliefs in a celebration of diversity through paper crafting."

I found myself at somewhat of a loss not knowing how to use any of the stamps I had to complete this challenge. So I turned to my library of graphics that I used before I started stamping. I found the tag graphic that I always thought was very pretty and worked from there.
It is from the Hug Club at pcCrafter.

I used Get a Handle on It from PTI's My Timeless Templates and the beautiful new Blueberry Sky cardstock to form the box. I thought it might be nice to use it to present a small gift during the holiday.

I did a Google search for free Hanukkah graphics and found the dove at Free Clip Art by Phillip Martin and the other three at HubPages. I printed them on white cardstock and cut them out using Nestabilities. They are edged in Spring Rain and backed with scalloped circles of Enchanted Evening.

(ETA: I cannot take any credit for coloring these images. They are full color graphics.)

I hope you enjoyed this stop. Thanks for hopping by.

PS
I'm going to miss the party again this evening. We have a concert to attend, the first in The Community Concert series here in Lancaster. They cover a huge range of interests and are very enjoyable and affordable. I'm disappointed that it conflicts with the hop, but now that we can visit during the day it's much easier. I'll visit what I can this afternoon and then continue tomorrow. I always look forward to all the creative talent found on these hops. Enjoy the fun!

Time for some Stitches

2010-10-12T12:22:00.006-04:00

We were away for three weeks visiting my 94 year-old MIL in Florida. Things went well there and my mother did well here on her own. She had visits from church friends, her "I've-fallen-an-I-can't-get-up" pendant, my homemade frozen dinners (AKA glorified leftovers) and daily calls from me. This is when I truly appreciate cell phones.
Before we left I had the opportunity to enter several items in the Southern Lancaster County (Solanco) Community Fair with very good results. If I have any quilters still following, they may be interested.

This is a small wallhanging from a pattern by Cynthia England. This features her "Picture Piecing" technique using freezer paper. (It is not paper or foundation pieced.) I used assorted reproduction fabrics to mimic my stack of rescued antique quilts. Each section is quilted differently as would be various old pieces.

Next is a wool penny-type rug using tongues instead of pennies for the border. PTI followers may recall this from the May Blog Hop. It is completely hand done using felted, overdyed wool and perle cotton buttonhole stitching.

And lastly, a stamped card also from the May Blog Hop.

I also received Red Ribbons (second place) for a punch needle project, tole painted doll house dining room set, and a scrap book layout. I had never entered the punch needle, stamping or scrapbook categories, so this was extremely exciting.

I hope to get back to more sewing and stamping now that we're home and getting back into our regular (somewhat crazy) routine. For those of you that enjoy quilting, I have a new link on the right for Free Quilt Patterns Info. It links you to many great designers who offer free quilt patterns when you visit their blog or web site. There's some big names included and many, many lovely patterns.

Thanks for stopping by and hope to chat again soon.

Papertrey Peeps Challenge #15

2010-09-09T15:21:00.005-04:00

Angy has issued the challenge to "Fall into Fall".

When I saw this image, I immediately thought of PTI's Through the Trees. I wondered if I could simulate that look with ink. I'm pretty sure I could do it with paint, but not real confident about ink. Well, all I could do was try.

And there you have it. First I sponged the background on white cardstock using Spring Rain and Lemon Tart. I deepened the center with Summer Sunrise. Then I found an old eyebrow brush and loaded it with Orange Zest. I stippled the ink here and there trying to imitate the photo. After adding some Terracotta Tile, I stamped the image from Through the Trees with Dark Chocolate. Then I repeated the process on top of the image and added some white gel pen for highlights and Dark Chocolate for contrast. Well, you get the idea. It's all about layers. I think it sort of mimics the photo. DH thought it was a forest fire, but I set him straight on that one. Hope you enjoyed your visit and saw the onset of fall and not the downfall of the timber.

All supplies PTI unless otherwise indicated
Stamps: Through the Trees, Autumn Abundance
Ink: Spring Rain, Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise, Orange Zest, Terracotta Tile, Dark Chocolate
Paper: Rustic Cream, Terracotta Tile, Kraft, White by The Paper Company
Other: Rustic Jute Button Twine, Basic Grey Button, Scor Pal, Paper Shapers Tag punch

With Appreciation

2010-08-31T05:18:00.000-04:00

In this busy world we live in, we take so many things for granted. Sometimes you need to take a moment and just say "Thank you for all you do". This is for Nichole Heady of Papertrey Ink.

Nichole, I hope you get an opportunity to see this. I made this quite a while ago. Sorry it's not something new or unique, but the thought is the same. We truly appreciate everything you do. On a personal level, you have inspired me to create things I never dreamed were possible. Your fabulous designs and products have allowed me to learn and grow in this hobby and hopefully bring enjoyment to others. You have brought together such fabulous artists and designers in one place who, together with your work, daily inspire anyone who takes the time to explore your blog and gallery. It can never be said enough - Thank You!

Aspiring to Creativity Glimmer Challenge #2 & A Passion for Papertrey

2010-08-26T09:48:00.006-04:00

ETA: And do I have a Passion for Papertrey! Aimes suggested I might want to add it to their challenge, so here it is. Thanks Aimes & Kate. I love your blog and check it often for all the lovely inspiration that is shared.

Aspiring to Creativity issued a challenge to"use the following photo as inspiration as well as a supply or tool that you own but have not used before." You can see the information here.

Here's my interpretation.

I only wish my execution could approach my concept. A close up might help.

Those are four stamps from the new PTI Embellishments set that combine to form the butterfly. They really achieve the graceful curve I was looking for. One each - mirror images - on the lower wing and two grouped to form the upper wing. Then those two had to be removed from the block and reversed for the other side. It's just I don't stamp well with white on darker paper. I hope you got the idea. I want to try it with darker ink on lighter paper.

In a drawer I found those beautiful pink pearl swirls by Zva Creative that I've never used. I snipped off one of the smaller ones and used it as the flight trail behind the butterfly. I added some gathered ribbon for the body and colored two corsage pins with Copics for the antennae.

I love the sentiment from PTI Butterfly Dreams for every child and here for Sabrina's granddaughter.

Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies
Paper: Paper Company white CS, PTI 2009 Bitty Dot Basics New Leaf
Stamps: PTI Embellishments, Butterfly Dreams
Ink: PTI Fresh Snow, New Leaf, True Black
Other: Zva Creative Pearls, American Crafts ribbon, Craft store pearl corsage pins, Wavy scissors, Score Tape

PTI - August Blog Hop - Brown Bag Challenge

2010-08-25T18:00:00.004-04:00

Hi and welcome to my stop on the August PTI Blog Hop. This month Nichole challenged us to

"dress up, alter, change an ordinary brown lunch bag into a paper crafting work of art."

Well, I don't know about the work of art part, but I turned a brown paper lunch sack into a vase.

I've done similar projects before, but never with any sort of decoration. On a few occasions I added one to a dinner tray I took to friends that were recuperating from surgery or experiencing other health issues. I think it added a delightful surprise and certainly brought a smile. Just soak a piece of Oasis in water, place it in a plastic bag and then into the lunch bag. You can add a bit more water if desired, but consider how you will be transporting your gift. You might want to let the recipient do that. And in the end there's no container to worry about or return. I wish I knew where I first saw this idea. I did a Google search, but was unsuccessful.

I thought many participants would go the school or lunch route, so I thought I would try a different angle. Here I chose to use Boards and Beams and make it a gift for a new neighbor. I had considered doing direct stamping on the bag, but that didn't work very well. My markers didn't work on the thin paper. So I resorted to stamping, coloring, and then cutting out the image.

I began by ironing the bag to try and flatten those pesky folds. Try explaining that to your husband. I rarely press a shirt! The tree and sentiment were stamped directly on the bag. Here's a closer shot of the stamping.

I hope you liked it. I'm excited to get started and see all the fabulous projects you all have made. Enjoy the Hop! Thanks for hopping by.

Supplies
Stamps: PTI Boards and Beams, Home Made, Through the Trees
Paper: PTI Soft Stone
Ink: PTI Pure Poppy, Momento Tuxedo Black
Other: Brown Lunch Bag, Copics, Westrim Jute Packaging Twine, flowers from our garden

Happy Birthday Mom

2010-08-23T12:31:00.004-04:00

Well tomorrow is the big day, Mom's 89th Birthday! From the moment Nichole introduced her Year of Flowers series, I was hoping she would include Gladiolas for August. It's Mom's favorite flower and I try to get them for her birthday whenever possible. Grandpa never forgot. And if he didn't have any in the garden, then he'd go find them somewhere. I can usually get them up the hill from us at an Amish farm, but the last two years they were done by now. If I don't have any luck, at least I'll have these to give to her.

I didn't have lots of time and was so happy when my order came last week. I cut some corners by stamping the image on a tonal pink CS and just shaded the centers and colored the leaves. Then I cut it out - eek! - I didn't lose too much, just a few hairs. (I hope they were the gray ones) Then I popped it on a layer of Berry Sorbet. The ribbon was originally white and colored with Copic R20. I like how it turned out.

I hope you enjoyed your stop. Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies
Paper: PTI Vintage Cream, Berry Sorbet, K&Company Pink textured, tonal and green PP
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black
Stamps: PTI YOF Gladiolus, Mixed Messages
Other: Copics, Martha Stewart tag punch, ribbon remnant

Papertrey Peeps Challenge #14

2010-08-21T11:40:00.007-04:00

Sharron issued a color challenge using this picture as inspiration.

I've wanted to try doing some work in a more shabby, vintage style and I thought this picture gave me that opportunity. I stumbled upon this site while searching for something else -
Miss Cutie Pie
Here's how it all came together:

It's amazing how things you thought were white, turn out to be more in the cream family. In particular, the paper doily. I cut it in quarters and fan folded it. (It looks much better IRL) I added the white CS on the bottom, stamped with Vintage Cream. You may be able to see it better in the next photo.

I also experimented with dying the seam binding with Copic Various Inks as described by Debbie Olson.
This one's definitely going in a box. No envelope here!

Hope you enjoyed your visit.
Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies
Paper: PTI Harvest Gold, DCWV red paper, The Paper Company white CS
Ink: PTI Dark Chaocolate, Vintage Cream, Vintage Duo
Stamps: PTI Damask Designs
Printables: Miss Cutie Pie
Other: paper doily, Michael's Boutique Fleur, Star Dust Stickles, Martha Stewart punch, Hug Snug seam binding, Copic Bisque Various Inks refill

Papertrey Peeps Challenge #13

2010-08-16T19:09:00.004-04:00

I'm back. At least for a little while. I told Carol I would have this done by the end of the week, just not which week. Now that Challenge #14 has been issued by Sharron, I'm posting #13. The faster I go, the behinder I get.

Carol's challenge was to make something in the style of Mary Englbreit. Here's what I came up with.

Supplies
Stamps: PTI Tea for Two, Vintage Picnic
Ink: PTI True Black
Paper: PTI 2008 Bitty Dot Basics Black, Harvest Gold
Making Memories Black Gingham
Printable Candied Apple Fun Flowers by Kristin Bueter for My Time Made EasyTM
Other: PTI Tea Pot die, Copic markers

That's it for now. Hope you like it.
Thanks for stopping by.

What a day this has been!!

2010-07-26T19:23:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone. We're home from our little get-away at The Sweetest Place on Earth - Hershey, PA. A wonderful time was had by all - me at Quilt Odyssey and DH & DGD at Hersheypark. I was a little down about having to leave, but all that was overshadowed by finding out I won the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop Contest and - please don't hate me - the gift certificate from Aspiring to Creativity! (you can see the card here) I'm just ecstatic and overwhelmed, two new sets in one day! I know. I know. You hate me.

I wasn't able to do a blog post for the Hop but loved everything I have seen so far. I'm still hopping! So if I haven't gotten to you, I hope to some time this week.

I wanted to share with you the altered journal my granddaughter and I made. Her teacher requested that they keep one this summer and here it is. (Those are two bookmarks peeking out that she also made using All Booked Up)

We picked out some old patterned paper about summer that she liked (she's my pink & purple gal). She stamped the loose leaf lines and the A+ from PTI's It's Official, the Official circle is from 7Gypsies. I showed her how to tear the paper and she used punches for the others. On the inside cover she adhered a library card with her personal info using Heather Nichols' newest release. And heres the best part . . .

She's used it everyday she's been with us. She's 8 years old and entering third grade in the fall. She says to tell you all she LOVES PTI stamps!

Thanks for stopping by.

Papertrey Peeps Challenge #11

2010-07-17T07:26:00.010-04:00

Hi Peeps! I'm so excited to get back to creating and blogging. It's just a month since my mom broke the second hip and had a subsequent partial replacement. My thanks to everyone who sent prayers and thoughts of concern for her recuperation. She's done extremely well. For anyone not familiar, that's two in five months and the rehab is rough for her at 88. This is our week for our annual trek to Hershey, PA (The Sweetest Place on Earth!) for Quilt Odyssey. Our Granddaughter is here and we're going to try it. It's about an hour drive and we can get home easily if necessary.

Okay, back to creating. I finished this card for Nicole's Challenge #11:
This challenge is about "outside the comfort zone." It can be anything you want (a card, template, etc) and just about any type of style, technique, color combo, or whatever.. --just as long as it's not something you wouldn't normally do.

I have a really hard time working with multiple colors. I have the same problem with my fabrics for quilts. I can do three colors comfortably, after that it's a true *challenge*. This new challenge from Aspiring to Creativity had caught my attention and I thought I would use it as well. My other stumbling block is working with what I have. I start a project and then stop because I need to go shop for some silly embellishment (well maybe not always silly). So that rounded out my personal challenge. Work with what you have!!

And here's my card:

I began my process by looking though patterned papers that I own and came across this plaid (I l-o-v-e plaid!!) It has all the colors required. It's from DCWV Glitter Sweet Stack which is all about candy and other sweet stuff. The coordinates are from the Spring Glitter Matstack. I wanted a lollipop and that's where using what I have really entered the mix. After rummaging through shelves and boxes, I found the silky cord in a notions box and grabbed my trusty Copics in the necessary colors. A dab of color here and there and then coil it into the shape of those yummy All-day Suckers that are as much a work of art as a treat. Add some ribbons from Michaels and edging from my stash, a toothpick and some PTI Dark Chocolate CS mats and you have it! The sentiment is from Everyday Button Bits.

This was tons of fun. Thanks Nicole and ATC for the kick start to my mojo.
Hope you enjoy it, too. Thanks for dropping by.

Papertrey Peeps Challenge #10

2010-06-30T10:26:00.006-04:00

Hi Peeps!

Our granddaughters are in the NYC School District and just finished up last Friday. They both received great grades and glowing comments from their teachers (Oh to be in Kindergarten or Second grade again. ) I really wanted to send something to congratulate them, bolster their confidence and inspire them to keep reading over the summer.

Back for the February Blog Hop I made a mini journal for Arianna and put it away to tuck in her Christmas stocking. (You can see it here.) Well, what better than to make another for Taylor, and maybe satisfy Heather's challenge at the same time. It came close.

The Chartreuse really clashed with the green pen, so it's New Leaf. The torn note paper is purple, the scalloped circle is turquoise, and the sentiment form Take Note was stamped in charcoal gray.
I added the yellow ribbon to match circles on the pen.

I added a gift card for Barnes and Noble for each of them and made cards inspired by this week's Mojo Monday #145.

Here's the whole set now well on it's way to Staten Island. Hope they enjoy!!

Thanks to Heather for a very challenging Challenge! What she makes look so fabulous and easy is quite difficult for some of us. This was a fun exercise outside of my usual box.

Thanks for dropping by.

PTI June Blog Hop - Sweet Blush, Dark Chocolate, Kraft, Cream

2010-06-25T18:00:00.007-04:00

Welcome! I'm so glad we can all be here tonight. I wasn't sure I would make it. Many of you know that my Mom lives with us and has been recuperating from a broken hip since January. Just when we thought she was about to regain some semblance of independence, she broke the other one last Thursday. Well, I guess it could be worse (but don't mention that to her). In between emergency room, surgery, hospital visits, etc., I was able to color the new Year of the Flowers: Rose, literally one petal at a time. IMHO this is the most beautiful image Nicole has designed. It was so exciting to see it come to life. I'm in love!

I love the soft pink of SB with DC. I added the new 2009 Bitty Dot Basics in Kraft and cream. I had to substitute another cream cardstock in order to use the Martha Stewart border punch. ( I would have preferred Rustic Cream, but the fabulous quality of PTI cardstock makes it difficult to punch a design like this.) Color Box Sand ink complemented the Kraft nicely and was subtle enough for the Fancy Flourishes. The Sentiment, from Damask Designs, is stamped with DC.

I tried a little different approach to the rose. This is not a quick technique. It was first stamped on Neenah white with a combination of first Versa Mark and Sweet Blush (the newer formula). I then embossed it with Filigree clear embossing powder. This gave outlines to each petal, but almost disappeared when colored. (Don't color over the embossing. The Copics will dissolve it.) Copics used were R0000, 20, 22, 24. The first layer of pastel (Pink Beryl) allowed me to shade and blend for a very realistic image. I finished off with some strokes of a white Uni-ball Signo and a dew drop of Star Dust Stickles topped with Ranger Glossy Accents for dimension.

I'm hoping the recipient is going to enjoy this as much as I enjoyed making it. I hope you liked it.
Thanks for hopping by.

(Oh, and if you are so inclined, prayers and understanding would be greatly appreciated during the coming months. Thank you.)

The Shabby Tea Room Challenge

2010-06-12T12:39:00.005-04:00

Many of the PTI Forum members have been playing along with The Shabby Tea Room challenges. So I thought I'd give it a try. I wanted another Father's Day card, so here's my entree for Week #13.

I had some nice feedback on the last card I posted using my mini road map. I wanted to try it again with some different elements.

All supplies are PTI unless otherwise stated.
I started with a card base of Soft Stone. I'm loving this CS and using it a lot lately. I love how it takes on the hue of the darker color you are using. Here I paired it with Ocean Tides.
Next is a panel of Kraft. I stamped a strip of SS with A Little Argyle in Smokey Shadow and Orange Zest, then added a rectangle of OT Bitty Box Basics. My map was found on the internet and printed on SS, scored and folded to imitate the real thing. The poster was also found when I did a Google search for free vintage bicycle image. I die cut SS with Mat Stack 2 and stamped the bike from Everyday Button Bits with True Black. I colored with Copics E08 and T1, 4, 6. The buttons are of an unknown manufacturer. Lots of distressed edges tipped with Vintage Touch Tea Dye Duo. I tied it all up with Rustic Button Twine. The Sentiment was stamped on white Twill Tape, heat set, and then spritzed with diluted Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink. It's tucked under my favorite Bobbin Ribbon in Black & White. I also used lots of Glue Dots, Score Tape and Sticky Strips.

I really enjoyed this one. Hope you liked it.
Thanks for dropping by.

Papertrey Peeps Challenge #9

2010-05-31T00:01:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone and a Very Happy Official Unofficial Start of Summer! Well, at least here in the US, Memorial Day signifies the start of summer. It may still be 50 degrees and three weeks until the Summer Solstice, but get out those shorts and don the flip-flops. Damn the mosquitoes, full speed ahead. It's off to the beach, the lake or the pool. Roll out the grill and get cookin'.

So I thought for this challenge what could be better than to make a project that has to do with vacation or travel. No involved, complicated rules, just hit the road! And I chose the best trip of all -

This is a birthday card for a fellow that has been facing a lot of challenges since his retirement. When you have a conversation with him, he always winds up with a smile and the statement "Life's a trip". So right away I grabbed Enjoy the Ride. It was inspired by Melissa Phillips' card you can view here.

The sentiment is computer generated in fonts similar to Enjoy the Ride. I used the PTI sentiments inside, so it wasn't necessary that they match.

A Little Argyle is stamped in Smokey Shadow & Pure Poppy on Soft Stone cardstock. The map of our town was found on the internet and printed also on SS. I scored and folded it to look like the real thing and edged it with the Vintage Touch duo. I also used some Enchanted Evening CS for the background.

I loved Melissa's car. If you were a child of the sixties, as I was, VW bugs/beatles were the absolute rage. All of my friends wanted one. Me too, but my folks got me a secondhand yellow Corvair - "unsafe at any speed" is how Ralph Nader described it. Oh well, I managed to survive and that's another story for another time. The hip bugs were painted with flowers and hearts and peace signs. I loved the polka dots, so I stamped my own PP with Pure Poppy Polka Dot Basics on Kraft CS. I paper pieced several images and added an acetate windshield, rhinestone headlights and even a steering wheel. The ribbon is from Michaels and reminds me of the road.

Inside I stamped the large argyle diamond in Smokey Shadow & Pure Poppy and topped it off with the sentiments from Enjoy the Ride.

Well I hope you've enjoyed this ride. Once the festivities die down, get those stamps inky. Let's start summer out with a fresh new project, be it a card, a layout, or maybe a Bon Voyage gift. Keep it loose, think of vacation and stamp away.

I'd like to leave you with one more image.

That's my grandmother wrapped up in Old Glory and it was taken shortly after my grandfather left for WWI. My Dad served in WWII. Whatever you're doing today, I hope my friends in the US will pause for a moment and remember what this day is all about. Go watch a parade, thank a veteran, or just wave a flag. I sincerely appreciate if you read this far. Now I'll get off my soapbox.

Thanks for dropping by.

Papertrey May Blog Hop Challenge

2010-05-25T18:00:00.008-04:00

Hi. I'm Linda and I'm a Papertrey Fan-addict. But I must confess, I am a member of that oh-so-small group that does not own any felt! There, I've said it. I hope I can still participate in this Hop tonight. If you've exiled me from the group, you can stop reading now.

The reason for not purchasing the PTI felt is that I have a humungous, ginormous investment in felted wool. This rather similar product is achieved by laundering (eeeek!!) 100% wool fabric and then tossing it in a hot dryer (double eeeek!!) When I was a teenager my mother did this to one of my beloved sweaters, she felted it, and it didn't cost $64 a yard! Have you seen the felted purses? They're made from knitted wool yarn and are really yummy. The end result is that the fabric is thicker and tighter and will not ravel. Most of mine are over-dyed. You can find plaids, tweeds and textures which are not available in felt. I have made candle mats, table runners, pin cushions and make-do's. I have appliqued small motifs and I just ordered a pattern for a small crazy quilt. Wool felt can always be used in any of these patterns. Here are some pictures I could find of things I have made.

I made this card following the requirements for tonight's Blog Hop. It was inspired by this card by katielawton. Thank you Katie and if you're hopping, I'm so glad you posted your beautiful card to the gallery.

You may notice the PTI die cut the felted wool quite nicely. I had to pass it through my Cuttlebug several times. A thicker piece would have been a bear to cut.

My love affair with the Delightful Dahlia continues. I think one of my best investments this year was the set of Pastel Copic sketch markers. They're mostly the ones with four 0's. Here I colored the entire flower with Y0000 and then went back and shaded with Y21. The dahlia was stamped with VersaMark and embossed with white embossing powder.

I hope you enjoyed your stop here. I hope I'm off somewhere enjoying your project. Thanks for hopping by.

Supplies
stamps: PTI Delightful Dahlia, Life, Floral Frenzy
ink: PTI Simply Chartreuse,True Black; VersaMark
paper: PTI Berry Sorbet, 2008 Bitty Box Basics;Neenah white
ribbon: PTI Sweet Blush Swiss Dot Satin, Leaf Ribbon
other: pearls, Martha Stewart border punch, Copic markers, white embossing powder, PTI Butterfly die

PTI Peeps Challenge #7

2010-05-12T11:58:00.013-04:00

Nerina presented us with a challenge to take a delightful trip to A Creative Mint ....

There, we were to select a photo that would be an inspiration for our design. Now be aware that it is extremely easy to get lost in the sheer beauty of this blog. Be forewarned that you may spend a lot of time there. Here's what I chose from the Feb. 1, 2010 post:

I loved the simplicity of the two colors and the texture in the bottom left photo. I thought I could translate this into a Birthday card for our DIL. Mind you, she was disappointed she didn't receive a handmade card last year. So, here goes . . .

I hope I haven't bored you with my Dahlias. But I absolutely love them and love coloring them. For this one I stamped it on white cardstock (Neenah) and embossed it with white embossing powder. I then created the shadows with a Copic marker C00. The center is a Making Memories large flat-back pearl. Here's a close-up of the flower.

For the background, I wanted to imitate the look of the tablecover (or whatever is under the ball of perle cotton). Well, after several failed attempts, this is what I came up with. The Lavender Moon CS is stamped with Damask Designs in Fresh Snow and again embossed with white embossing powder. The lower half is Tin Type stamped in Lavender Moon.

The leaves (PTI leaf ribbon) aren't attached yet. I have time and am waiting on the new Chartreuse ink before I decide on a stamped image or the ribbon. The lace with pearls is from a local fabric outlet. The bow is Lavender Moon satin ribbon. And the sentiment is from Year of Flowers: Sweet Peas.

Hope you all enjoyed your visit. Thank you Nerina for a truly inspiring challenge.
ETA: After I received the June release stamps, I decided not to send this card, but went with this one.
Thanks for stopping by.

PTI Peeps Challenge #6

2010-05-05T13:06:00.005-04:00

Late, but done! Signed sealed and on it's way to Florida. From conception to completion, this card underwent so many changes it doesn't resemble anything I started with. Now it looks like this by Barbara of Paper Pursuits. It's going to my 93 year old MIL and I hope she likes it. She's such a sweetie. I'm sure she will.

Quilter's Sampler was the first set I ordered from PTI in January '09 and I made my first stamped cards with it. Here I used one of the sentiments. For the background design I also used one of my older sets, Background Basics: Retro. I had only used one of the stamps in that set. I added the small flower and leaf from Delightful Dahlias. You might have to hunt for the bling. It's some Star Dust Stickles in the flower center. Inside I stamped the flower and then stamped over it with the Sentiment from Delightful Dahlias. I added the Dahlia & leaf on the enveloped.

Hope you liked it. Off to see if I can catch up on the next challenge. Thanks for dropping by.

PTI Guest Star Stamper - Honorable Mention

2010-05-02T15:17:00.006-04:00

Now that Nichole has announced the winners and honorable mentions for the February Guest Star Stamper, I thought I would share my card with you. It is such a thrill to be included with all the talented people she has spotlighted.

If you click on the photo, you can see more detail. The pinwheel quilt was paper pieced using PTI Pretty Pastels. The bear and sentiment are from Baby Button Bits. The button is from my Grandmother's button box. You can definitely call it vintage!

I'm looking forward to the launch of the new PTI website. Hopefully we will be able to see all the entrants then. Although I'm sad to see the GSS end, I can't wait to see what inspiration Make it Mondays will hold for us.

It was such fun to create this card. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for stopping by.

April Blog Hop

2010-04-25T18:00:00.006-04:00

The challenge for April's Blog Hop was to use Tissue Paper. I was intrigued by Nichole's video on Faux Silk and started to play with my white tissue that has been lovingly folded and saved after arriving as the wrapping on our stamp sets. Well I tried it with different stamps and it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I wasn't crazy about the white. Then I remembered some tan tissue I had saved from a gift box. I went through everything and couldn't find it. I know I will when I'm looking for something else. So I got out my creative chemistry set (no chemicals, just odds and ends of stuff I don't use very often) and this is what I came up with.

I used Rustic Cream cardstock and white tissue. I stamped the tissue (not the card base) with Background Basics: Text and Dark Chocolate ink. Then I crinkled the tissue and misted it with a solution of Tim Holtz's Antique Linen Distress Ink. (It's the only re-inker I own.) I dried that with my hair dryer - well, after all it's right there in the bathroom where I stamp! Repeated the process twice until I liked the color. Then I used the glue stick and adhered the tissue to the Rustic Cream Panel. I forgot about folding the tissue to the back and just trimmed to size. I guess that's okay. The glue was dry and the tissue was well adhered. The close-up photo shows the creases and color variation.

If you click on the photo to enlarge, I think you can see the detail.

I stamped the sentiment, from the new For the Graduate, right on the Faux Silk and added the image with pop-dots. I didn't get the co-ordinating die yet, but was able to cut it free hand rather easily. The image was stamped again with Color Box Gold pigment ink. I used a Spellbinders Circle Nestibilities to cut out the center circle. I'm really pleased with the project and am going to experiment some more.
All supplies are PTI unless otherwise stated.

I hope you enjoyed your stop and thanks for hopping by.

Papertrey Peeps Challenge #5

2010-04-18T15:48:00.003-04:00

Wow! When I checked the dates, I realized I've really been missing for awhile. My apologies to my fellow Peeps. I promise to get back on schedule. We had our family here over the Easter break. What a joy to spend five days with our dear granddaughters. But it reminds me why God gives children to the young. They wore me out! Since then it's been a string of doctor appointments and trips to physical therapy for my mother. Somewhere in between I managed to take up the challenge of making a project with a template.

I had downloaded this template so graciously offered by Nichole Heady of PTI. See her project here. Here's my interpretation.

I printed the template on kraft type cardstock. (Not PTI and lighter in weight) I had fun stamping with images and sentiments from seven different PTI sets. I love how they mix and match!! Add a button for the perch and a roof of red scrap. As I said this was fun and I wish I had time to use more templates. Thanks for the challenge Terri! Hope you like it.

Supplies
Template: Bird box by Nichole Heady
Paper: Sequoia Collection by ANW/Crestwood, Inc. (100% Recycled), unknown red scrap
Stamps: Homemade, Boards & Beams, Faux Ribbon, My Punny Valentine, Around & About Sentiments, Holiday Treats, Mixed Messages
Ink: PTI Terracotta Tile, Dark Chocolate, New Leaf, Fresh Snow, Tea Dye Duo
Other: PTI Rustic Cream Button Twine, Santa's Workshop Ribbon (Joann's), Martha Stewart tag punch, button from stash, basket filler shredded paper, speckled jelly beans left over from Easter - waste not, . . .

Thanks for dropping by.

Papertrey Peeps Challenge #4

2010-03-26T10:44:00.006-04:00

PeggySue issued this latest challenge. "Choose a card or project Nichole made from one of the last two releases and using a set NOT from that release, make a similar card." This one was difficult for me. I've been working on it a little at a time over the last ten days or so.

Here's the card made by Nichole that I choose:

And here is the one I made:

This was an excellent exercise for me as I am not good at stamping directly on the card as Nichole had done. My sentiment is a little crooked, the leaves aren't in the position I would have liked, and the coloring, although the Copics are the same as she used,looks very different. Thanks PeggySue!

Supplies: all PTI unless stated otherwise
Cardstock: Kraft, white
Stamps: Delightful Dahlias, Big & Bold Wishes
Ink: Fresh Snow, Chai
Other: Marvy white gel pen (filing this one under don't use again)

Hope you liked it. If you're not a Peep, why not join us in the challenges. I've found them to be lots of fun and a way to work outside my usual comfort zone.

Thanks for dropping by.

March Blog Hop

2010-03-25T19:00:00.002-04:00

This month's challenge was to use buttons.

I wanted to play with some of my new supplies. I made some funky flowers from crocheted edging, mounted them on Cuttlebug flowers in Hawaiian Shores and used buttons for the centers. The buttons are Aqua Mist, Lavender Moon and Lemon tart. I used the new rick-rack die to cut Lavender Moon and Lemon tart. Thanks for everything from Year of Flowers: Violets in Fillable Frame #1, stamped in Aqua Mist and cut with corresponding die. All mounted on Pretty Pastels paper and then Hawaiian Shores cardstock.

Thanks for hopping by.

For Terri

2010-03-25T14:05:00.002-04:00

This is Terri's day. Happy Birthday Peep!! Here's to sharing our love of quilting.

And may your stitches never unravel.

For Kim

2010-03-15T00:01:00.001-04:00

Today is Kim's day! Happy Birthday Peep! Hope it is filled with everything wonderful and that you get some fabulous gifts. It wouldn't hurt if some were new releases from PTI. So here's the card I made in your honor.

Lots of green. The panel is DCWV and the buttons are Basic Grey. Of course, the stamp set is from PTI - Everyday Button Bits. The patterned paper is Pretty Pastels. Ribbon is from Craft Essentials for Joann's (I tried the knot technique). Fibers by Fiber Accents. Tag punch is by Martha Stewart with sentiment from PTI Mixed Messages. Inks used were Dark Chocolate and Chamomille.

Enjoy your day!!

Papertrey Peeps Challenge #3

2010-03-09T12:11:00.004-05:00

Kim issued this challenge to the Peeps:

"I thought I would give you all the challenge that I have been working on the last few days and that is a birthday card for my sister, who is also my best friend. Her birthday is March 2nd, so the timing works out very well for this challenge. Her favorite color is orange, bright orange, and I always have so much trouble working that color into a feminine card. (Mine usually end up looking sports-team imspired, which can be nice, but none of my sister's favorite teams feature orange!) So that is the challenge: a feminine card featuring orange zest. Bonus points if you work in Spring Rain, her second favorite color or a tea theme, since tea is one of her favorite things in the world."

The first thing I thought of when I read this was a teapot that my grandmother used when I was a child. (As my son would add, Oh, you mean at the tea party with the Dinosaurs?) I think it was redware. It was brown with tiny enameled dots of blue and orange that made a pattern of flowers and a gold trellis. There were my colors and the tea theme. And here's what I came up with.

I started with a cream base, added a panel of Terra Cotta Tile and then a layer of Rustic Cream edged in Chamomille. I stamped the teapot from Tea for Two on white card stock, added some gold paint pen and Copics from Terra Cotta Tile, New Leaf, Spring Rain and Dark Chocolate trios. A Fancy Flourish was stamped with Smokey Shadow, and the sentiments in Dark Chocolate. The ribbon is by American Crafts (Michaels) and the brad from Joann's. I added the orange stripe on the ribbon with Copic E08 and a very light touch or it bleeds. The brad was white and also colored with E08. I went over the dots and flowers with a clear Glaze Pen by Sakura. The Spring Rain panel is edged with Vintage Cream. All stamps, inks and papers by PTI.

This was lots of fun once I got going. Hope you enjoyed it. And thanks for dropping by!

Poppy Seed Challenge #1

2010-02-28T14:17:00.003-05:00

This looks to be the first of another series of card challenges. This time by Lisa Johnson, another of the super talented designers with Patertrey Ink. The requirements for this one:
1. Crystals
2. Flower Stamp
3. Light yellow

Here's my card.

Supplies
Stamps: PTI - Wishing You, Flower Garden Sentiments,
Background Basics Tin Type, Mixed Messages
Ink: PTI - Plum Pudding, New Leaf, Fresh Snow
Paper: PTI - Plum Pudding, Lemon Tart, Pretty Pastels
Other: Yellow Gingham by Garden Gate (Joann Stores),
Lace unknown, Martha Stewart tag punch,
Rhinestones by Recollections (Michaels)

This was lots of fun and I was able to complete my first card for Easter. Thank you, Lisa.
And thanks for dropping by.

Compose a Card with Becky Oehlers - #5

2010-02-26T06:44:00.006-05:00

I love this challenge! My favorite colors - red with white. It takes me back to our previous home. We had so much stuff, from the red & white enamel table and chairs to the spice jars and canister set. We spent hours scouring antique shops putting together place settings for eight of vintage dishes, glasses and utensils. What fun and what memories!

Oh well, on to the challenge at hand. You can find all the info here.

This is the inspiration photo.

And this is my card. I always wanted something like this. You can see the canister in the uppermost right corner of Becky's photo. I saw that and was on my way. Hope you like it. Thanks Becky for the trip down memory lane and the fun of creating this card.

Supplies
Cardstock: white, PTI Pure Poppy & Aqua mist
Stamps: PTI Polka Dot Basics, Vintage Picnic, Flower Garden Sentiments
Ink: PTI Pure Poppy, Fresh Snow
Other: PTI Pure Poppy button, Martha Stewart Baker's Twine and edge punch, EK Success circle punch, Copics, Pebbles Chalks (for table shading), Pop Dots.

Thanks for stopping by.

PTI February Blog Hop

2010-02-25T18:00:00.010-05:00

This month's Blog Hop is designated as: Design Team Appreciation Day! Nichole wrote "Your challenge is to go through the Design Team gallery or any of the Design Team Members' blogs and find a project that is especially inspirational to you! Then recreate the project with your own spin, making it unique!"

Well this was not easy. First I got distracted by all the beautiful work and forgot what I was looking for. I was amazed while browsing their blogs by how many photos had been removed for publication. What a super talented group! Then when I did decide on a project, it really encompasses five members of the team. Credit for the inspiration must go to Dawn MacVey.

The adorable library card was from Heather Nichols in her mini Valentine book. The mini composition book project was by Lisa Johnson. And of course credit to Michelle Wooderson for her notebooks and stamp set Take Note. Then we have Debbie Olson's project for the Take note reveal. So I really appreciate all of them for this project.

This project has been rolling around in my head since I got the set back in October. This is for our Granddaughter to keep track of books she wants. If she reads one, she can cross it out. I've bought several duplicates recently and maybe this will help. Heather's library cards come four to a sheet. So I tucked the other three in a pocket inside the front cover. She can make me a list so I know what to buy.

The little pen has purple, pink, blue & green stars on it, so I stamped the star outline from Sign Language in Smokey Shadow on the Plum Pudding for the background. It disappeared in the photo (update: it disappeared completely!). Books to Read from Take Note is stamped in Fresh Snow on Raspberry Fizz. Rhinestone stars are by Recollections (Michaels). Ribbon by American Crafts. Scalloped Circle is by Spellbinders Nestabilities.

Hope you enjoyed your stop. Thanks for hopping by.

PTI Peeps Challenge #2

2010-02-24T12:53:00.006-05:00

This week's challenge was offered by Aimes: "Therefore my challenge to you is to pick any one of the products by Dorset Cereals and think about using the colours featured on it on a creation of your own" This was really fun and forced me to put some colors together that I might not have done. If you haven't seen the packaging, you might want to check it out.
Here's what I chose:

And here's my card:

I had been waiting for my PTI February release order to have a larger selection of colors. I purchased the 2009 Cardstock Sampler and thought I now had all the colors PTI offers. I don't have Soft Stone and that's what I wanted for my neutral background. I used a color called Pewter from The Papercut (found at a stamp show last year) and added Soft Stone to my cart. The oval was cut and embossed with Spellbinders Nestabilities and stamped with the new Background Basics: Tin Type using Versamark. The scalloped oval is Enchanted Evening and the background is 2008 Bitty Box Basics in Plum Pudding. The sentiment is from Damask Designs. The Offray ribbon and pearls were all originally white and colored with Copic R89 to represent Scarlet Jewel. The violet was stamped with Year of Flowers and colored with the trios for Plum Pudding and Enchanted Evening. Then I went back with a white gel pen and added little lines along the edges of the petals to mimic the little white ruffle on the flower. The whole time I was coloring I thought of my grandmother and her collection of African violets. How she loved them, and how I didn't appreciate them then. But I guess she instilled a love for all flowers that I wouldn't realize until years later.
I cut out the flower and leaves, shaped them and popped them up with Pop Dots. (visions of too many hours spent on paper toile, too many years ago)

I truly enjoyed doing this challenge. I am definitely trying new things. I'm looking forward to seeing how the other Peeps answered this challenge. Thanks Aimes and thanks to everyone else for dropping by.

For Carol

2010-02-19T10:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Peep! It's your day. May you be walking on air!!

Compose a Card with Becky Oehlers #4

2010-02-18T18:30:00.007-05:00

I really have enjoyed these challenges from Becky. She provides the recipe - color, dimensions, embellishments - and you just put it together using the stamps you want.

Here's my interpretation.

For the background I stamped an image from Damask Designs in True Black. For the negative design I stamped an image from Vintage Labels in Fresh Snow on black cardstock. I removed the shank from a PTI Ripe Avocado button and layered it on a PTI pearly white button. I layered the sentiment and popped it up to balance the weight of the buttons and added three small pearls from Michaels. Thanks Becky!

Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for dropping by.

PTI Floral Embellishment Challenge

2010-02-13T20:39:00.006-05:00

I am so in love with Pretty Pastels Patterned Papers by PTI. I've used them on several recent cards and have been playing around with the scraps. I made a 2" square pinwheel and thought it would work well for today's challenge. Then I reread it -

"Design a floral embellishment, then create a card using one and and an acetate sheet of them to share."

It wasn't a flower. So I found some small flowers and used them as centers. I think it worked.

The background paper is Bitty Box Basics in Aqua Mist, Baby Button Bits stamp, buttons by PTI, button brads by Making Memories, tiny bows were tied using the Bow-Easy, pinwheel handle is a toothpick.

PTI Paint by Number Challenge

2010-02-08T16:17:00.005-05:00

This was really difficult for me. I just couldn't get Terra Cotta Tile and Raspberry Fiz together. I know, I know, I've heard it so many times. I know all colors go together, look at a garden. But there's just something about pink and orange that just scream at me. I even considered changing my screen name. But I figured I'd play by the rules. Well, now you know I'll do just about anything to qualify for PTI loot.

They're in there. Just not touching. I stamped my #3 paper with Background Basics: Retro and colored the dots with Copics matching Ripe Avocado, Raspberry Fizz, Orange Zest and Terra Cotta Tile. The flower center is colored with Orange Zest. The Sentiment is from Damask Designs. This is the first time I really wished I had Mod Squad!

Thanks for dropping by.

Papetrey Peeps & CPS

2010-02-07T18:38:00.006-05:00

I wanted to do something for Nichole's challenge today for Papertrey's 3rd Anniversary celebration. But I had allotted this time to do the Papertrey Peeps challenge. So I combined the two.

I used Baby Button Bits "Bundle of Joy" stamped with Summer Sunrise and a button from my huge button box. I love the way this stamp spotlights one special button. I cut the image and embossed it with Spellbinders Large Labels. And my special gift for a special baby is always a quilt, so I used the new Pretty Pastels patterned paper collection from PTI to mimic a simple one. I'm not sure if you can see the stitching (click on the photo for better detail), but each patch is stitched as fabric would be onto white cardstock. Everything is mounted on a Lemon Tart card base.
Hope you liked it. And thanks for stopping by.

PTI Emboss Resist Challenge

2010-02-05T17:06:00.008-05:00

Nichole Heady of PTI has issued yet another challenge in this 3rd year Anniversary Celebration. She posted her first (of which we hope there are many) video demonstrating the emboss resist technique. We were then to use a form of it to create a project. This is something I have never tried and was eager to make a card. I think this is the first time in over a year that I actually had all the supplies I needed. I had just ordered the clear Filigree embossing powder during the last release. Here it is.

Not bad for a first attempt. I see some things I'd like to change and will definitely practice and make more. The birch trees were stamped with Smokey Shadow ink. I used spring rain and enchanted evening ink to create what I hope looks like light shining "Through the Trees". The sentiment is from "With Sympathy". Hope you like it. And thanks for dropping by.

PTI Birthday Bash Challenge part deux

2010-02-02T18:59:00.004-05:00

This is post number two for the Birthday Bash Challenge at PTI. Here I used the script graphic from Tiffany Pastor and Heather Nichol's cupcake.

The patterned paper is PTI 2008 Bitty Box Basics. This time I chalked the edges and background of the script. Think it matched well. The ribbon and button are from my stash. This challenge was tons of fun. I really wish I could have made more. I'm hoping these graphics may be a sign of things to come. Thanks for stopping by.

PTI Birthday Bash Challenge

2010-02-02T17:14:00.006-05:00

In between cleaning my mother's rooms, I managed to put together not one, but two cards using the embellishments from the PTI design team. The first one features the Happy Birthday from Lisa Johnson.

I printed the sentiment on vellum and colored with Copics. I didn't realize the first image on the page didn't have the bow, so I colored and cut out the bow from the third image. (also, the two bows are different) I scored a frame aroung the image using the Scor-Pal. I mounted this over a white card base on which I had stamped the carnation and greens from Life. It shows through much better than the photo shows.
I'll be back later to share the other one. Thanks for stopping by.

Compose a Card with Becky Oehlers

2010-01-30T14:18:00.008-05:00

Since I became involved with the Papertrey Peeps, I've wanted to try my hand at some other challenges to get ready for their big kickoff, February 1. Becky Oehlers issued this one on her blog.

This seemed within my ability and I had most of the supplies. So today after the housework was done and several loads of laundry out of the way, I grabbed some time to create. This was super easy because Becky had picked out the colors and given all the measurements for cutting. However, the only heart punch I own is an old, small, primitive style from about eight years ago. So I tried my hand at making a flower ( a la Dawn McVey) and used six of the hearts as petals in the center. Most everything else was as described.

Supplies
Cardstock: PTI Kraft, Vintage Cream, and Melon Berry
Stamps: Background Basics Hearts, Polka Dot Basics, Sign Language
Ink: PTI Melon Berry and True Black
Button: PTI Vintage Holiday Mix (it doesn't match, but it blends)
Twine: PTI Rustic Cream
Ribbon: American Crafts Valentine Cherry Cordial
Punches: heart unknown, Martha Stewart Tag
Mini pop dots

Thanks for dropping by.

A Challenge by a fellow PTI stamper

2010-01-19T11:06:00.006-05:00

Fellow PTI stamper Ted has issued a challenge to create a Valentine project using non-traditional colors. You can view the instructions here. I can't believe almost three weeks have passed since it was issued. In between something called life happened. Our two sons and their families visited on the first two weekends to celebrate Christmas. They are both in the foods industry and find it so difficult to get time off around the holidays. But it's all fun.
Then on Jan. 10, my 88 year old mother fell and broke her hip. Since then it's been a blur of surgery, hospital visits, doctors and now a rehab facility. She has been living with us for the past four years since we moved to PA. I am the only child and this has been really stressful. I know it could be worse. I'm trying to stay connected, but losing ground quickly.
Enough of my troubles and on to the challenge. I make sugar spiced pecans with any leftovers from making holiday cookies and pies. I thought I would turn some of them into a Valentine gift for my dear sons and husband. The boys took them home early.

I used My Punny Valentine stamp set, Orange Zest and Dark Chocolate inks, all by PTI and the colors of the Cleveland Browns. I used the rock and roll technique (hope that's the correct term) to stamp the squirrel so that he's orange in the center and brown around the edges. The tag punch is by Martha Stewart. Jute and button from my stash. The decorating cones are by Wilton. I use them a lot! Simple but special for the special guys in my life.

You still have time to join this challenge. It was lots of fun! Thanks Ted.

PTI December Blog Hop

2009-12-26T06:57:00.008-05:00

Welcome everyone. I hope, for all who celebrate, you had a very Merry Christmas surrounded by family and friends.

I'm sure you are all anxious to get on with the hop, so on to the reason we're here. Nichole challenged us to find an inspirational piece among our holiday decorations and design a project around it. Here's what I chose.

It's actually a Boyds Bears Tree Topper. Her outfit is cream velvet with white fur and touches of metallic gold. I used that palatte to design this card.

I used PTI Vintage Cream cardstock and white Pearlescent Cover by Worldwin layered on a white cardstock base. The stamps are by PTI - Snowflake Serenade and Star Prints. Gold ink by Colorbox, Ranger Queen's Gold embossing powder, and metallic gold paint pen by DecoArt. The star is adhered with 3D-Dots.

I hope you like it. Now I'm off to admire and be inspired by all the other participants. I wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year. Thanks for hoppin' by.

PTI October Blog Hop

2009-10-25T17:39:00.011-04:00

This is the card I am going to send to friends that we left back in NJ when we moved to PA. I hope someone will believe that I had a card very similar to this sketched out using the Sign Language image on a Cuttlebug folder from last year - Winter House. But when I saw Lauren Meader's sneak peak for her Fold and Go back in August, I had to run and order Boards and Beams and make it a true PTI card. This is how it turned out.

I hope I did her work proud. I love it and I apologize for not having something really creative this month. The colors are non-traditional and are representative of our home. I found the ribbon at Michaels - it's Chocolate with almost Spring Rain lined trees and red stars - and the color palate developed from there. I started with a base of Rustic Cream (my personal favorite PTI color-VBG) and layered Dark Chocolate and Spring Rain. The house is stamped in VersaMark and is very crisp in actuality. I topped the flag holder with the solid star in Pure Poppy and added some red Stickles glitter. Each little blue tree on the ribbon is topped with a red glitter star. Everything went fine until I tried to stamp the tree in Spring Rain. So I went with Enchanted Evening. One of these days, with the help of the Forum, I am going to understand these different inks. The flag is adhered to the panel with pop dots. For the sentiment, I typed out the wording in PrintShop using a font similar to Boards and Beams. Then I stamped the word house from that set into the phrase. (I have to work on positioning it better.)

I hope you enjoyed it. Please give me a good grade for effort and not for originality.
Now I'm off to love all the other entries. Thanks for hopping by.

September Blog Hop

2009-09-25T18:00:00.007-04:00

This was a very interesting challenge. Nichole asked that we "focus this month on reusing & recycling portions of your newly arrived Papertrey order in an earth-friendly way." I had several ideas, but the more I worked, the less I came up with. I didn't have much to work with, mostly the empty stampboxes from previous months, some acetate that the stamps come on, the thank you cards, and the tissue paper. So here goes number one.

I started with the thank you card and pictured a frame. Then it became a window with the acetate as the glass and the tissue for curtains. The wallpaper inside is PTI Green Tea Leaves in Aqua Mist. The flowers are from Vintage Picnic and the clapboards on the Ocean Tides cardstock are made with Journaling Lines using Versamark ink.

The second uses the wrapper from Poppy Prints by Lisa Johnson. I had found these Balli's Best Tea Candies at a local candy & nut outlet. I thought they were quite different and would work nicely for Autumn. The wrappers are green, orange, and brown. I made a pillow box out of a transparency (no time to order PTI Clearly Creative but it's on my list) and covered up the logo - so sorry Lisa - with a Nestabilities label stamped with Tea for Two. I added the acorns and leaves from Autumn Abundance to keep with the theme. Tied with a ribbon from Michaels and little tags stamped with words from Tea for Two. Ink: Spring Moss, Orange Zest, Dark Chocolate. Colored with Copics.

I hope you found these interesting and I'm off lovin' all of yours.
Thanks for hoppin' in.

September Guest Star Stamper

2009-09-23T11:51:00.012-04:00

I thought I would take this opportunity to share my GSS entries at Papertrey Ink. I am so honored and excited that Nichole Heady chose my Creepy Cap as this month's winner in the Halloween Project category.

I used a Wilton Disposable Decorating Bag filled with Halloween candy. Then made the brim from True Black cardstock and embellished with stamps from Spooky Treats II. The little spiders are from the end of the "best if eaten before..." stamp. The spider charm was stamped on acetate and embossed with black embossing powder. I finished off with Ripe Avocado Swiss Dots ribbon.

The brim is also stamped with the web design and heat embossed using Versamark Ink and clear embossing powder.

My other entry was for the Timeless Templates category to use for sharing seeds with a friend. It holds a small sunflower that when dried will provide the seeds for her garden. They're really pretty - multi-flowered, rusty red & gold.

The template is Get a Handle On It cut from Rustic Cream. The scalloped circle was cut from Summer Sunrise with Spellbinders Nestibilities. Lots of different stamp sets were used for this one. The main image is from Autumn Abundance, stamped with True Black and colored with Copics. The wavy flowers and sentiment are from Around and About Sentiments, stamped in Summer Sunrise. The sentiments on the side and label and the bee are from Flower Garden Sentiments. The little dot trail on the bee is from Wishing You. Flower and ribbon from my stash.

I hope you enjoyed my projects as much as I enjoyed making them. I hope to be back with something for the Blog Hop. See you then.

Papertrey Ink August Blog Hop

2009-08-25T10:45:00.016-04:00

Our challenge this month was "to create a project inspired by any aspect of fall." Nicole's suggestions included texture found in fabrics and stitching. There is nothing that speaks to me of fall more than my quilts. Those first crisp Autumn evenings, with the smell of that first fire in the fireplace and being able to snuggle under a warm quilt, are heaven to me. While browsing through my fabrics ( and in a quilter's stash that could take days!), I came across a remnant from one of my projects that immediately said fall and the card evolved from there.

In a perfect world, it would be wonderful to go pumpkin or apple picking and then spread out a quilt on the ground for a picnic lunch. This is my interpretation.
I cut a rectangle of the fabric and fringed the edges. I started with a base of PTI Rustic Cream, then Dark Chocolate and 2008 Bitty Box Basics in Summer Sunrise. The upper portion presented a problem with my limited supplies, so I stamped Background Basics: Text Style on a piece of Rustic Cream. The ribbon is a piece of green twill from my stash. For the basket I stamped Vintage Picnic on PTI Kraft and shaded with Copics and adhered with pop dots. The pumpkins are stamped on PTI Cream with Smokey Shadow and also colored with Copics. (I had so much fun with the leaves.) The sentiment is from Autumn Abundance. Click on the photo to see a little more of the detail. I hope it made you feel like fall and that you liked it.

Here's another Autumn inspired card I finished before the Blog Hop deadline. I've found a new love in coloring with Copics. I studied tole and decorative painting for several years and I am using some of the principles of shading, etc. on my cards.

I tried to emulate rust colored mums from our garden and a yellow ware pitcher. This is the first time I've used a sketch from CPS and I went all the way back to #5 for this one.
The stamps are Autumn Abundance. Edging and pearls from my stash. And a huge thank you to Lauren Meader for sharing her tip of coloring embellishments with our Copics (April 2, 2009). I toned down the pearls from Michaels with the lightest color from my flowers. Big difference! True Black and Vintage Cream inks by PTI.
PP is by K&Company, Rust CS by DCWV, PTI Cream and Rustic Cream cardstock.

Enjoy the Hop and thanks for stopping by.

Why I love Papertrey Ink

2009-08-13T14:29:00.008-04:00

Tell me, do you ever get to the point that, when you sit down to make a card, you have everything you need? Today was one of those frustrating mornings that nothing went as I wanted. I needed a quick birthday card to get in tomorrow's mail. I had the paper colors but not the ink. Then when I found some ink, the papers didn't match. Saturday is the new release for Papertrey Ink and I hope to finally fill in the colors of ink that I don't have. I'm almost glad they aren't releasing a new color this month. I'm trying so hard to catch up and not have to declare bankrupcy. Here's what I ended up with. Click on the photo for a better look. Even my photography wasn't working right.

This is based on Mish's ATC from Feb. 09. I didn't have a scalloped border punch or Nestabilities that would work (actually nothing was working). So I used a Martha Stewart doily border punch. The stamps are PTI Journaling Lines, Polka Dot Basics and Floral Frenzy. The button is from my stash (and it does match the green ink).

This is why I love PTI so much. They have fabulous stamps with wonderful sentiments and everything MATCHES! Yes, I was yelling. In fact I nearly lost it a few times. I hope my dear friend enjoys her card. After all, she'll never know what really went into making it. When she says thank you, and I know she will, and adds something about making it, I'll say - - -
Oh, it was nothing. (while trying to cover the bald spots on my head)

Off to Hershey

2009-07-29T06:00:00.009-04:00

Much of the past few days has been spent packing for Hershey, PA and Quilt Odyssey. I have one class on Saturday, Dancing with the Stars with Linda Ballard. It's a mystery and, let me tell you, quite a challenge. On one not-too-busy morning I had the entire staff of Burkholder's Fabrics in Denver helping put the fabrics together. This isn't my first mystery quilt by far, but it's the first with so many instructions as to color, texture, scale and value.

This is the third year we have taken our granddaughter and stayed at Hershey Highmeadow Campground. I tell everyone, she comes along to entertain Opa while I'm at the show. Five days of fun in the campgound and at Hershey Park. (I don't know who is the bigger child.) She has been a tremendous help, first in packing and then in loading the motorhome. This is no small task.

This is the view from the motorhome down the steps to our home. The door is at the far end of the porch. And to a seven year old, this was fun!! Oh, to be young again.

So from Arianna, Hans and me, bye for now. Talk to you next week.

Another Text card

2009-07-26T13:13:00.007-04:00

Wow! The Blog Hop was fantastic! I learned a little more about this technology. (Thanks to Kim I found out about moderation, turned it off and now have comments. I didn't think anybody liked me! ) All kidding aside, thank you all for your warm welcome to the Blog Hop. And to put the icing on the cupcake, I won one of the prizes Nicole gave away. Thanks Papertrey!

I didn't think you could post more than one project for the hop, so here's the other one I made while working with Background Basics: Text Style.

I stamped the daisy from Floral Frenzy on the back of an acetate sheet (used one that the stamps come on). The card is a tri-fold and on the inside right flap I attached a Kraft panel stamped with Text in Dark Chocolate. I used the largest Spellbinders oval and cut through both the Green Tea Leaves paper and the Rustic White cardbase, sandwiched the acetate, and edged with some cotton braid and finished with a small bow. The button is an old white one from my stash, colored with Copics. (That idea came from Lauren Meader. Buttons are on my wish list.) Inside I used the sentiment from Floral Frenzy - like a flower our friendship continues to grow. There's lots of room to add your own note. (You can click on the image to see it larger for more detail.)
I enjoyed this challenge and loved the idea that I finally had the right supplies to complete the card. I look forward to the next one and all the new goodies I can add to my stash!

My first PTI Blog Hop

2009-07-25T06:30:00.010-04:00

I've followed the Blog Hop for several months, but this is the first time I've been able to participate. My blog is quite new and I'm learning with every post. I created it just so I could be a part of the PTI Hop. I love sharing my projects and hope you enjoy them too.
I was having so much fun preparing for this that I made two cards using Background Basics: Text. It was really difficult choosing one, but here goes:

I had this vision of old love letters. I have samples from my Grandfather from the early 1900's and I wanted to get that faded, muted, sepia toned writing made with an old dip pen. I stamped BB: Text on velum using a combination of Chai and Chamomile. (I know they aren't intended for stamping, but they're great colors. I hope I didn't harm my stamp.) The ink doesn't get absorbed into the velum like regular paper and I got the effect - sort of fuzzy. The edges were distressed with Chamomile. The flourish and flowers are from With Sympathy. Sentiment is computer generated. (not as pretty as PTI) Card base is Kraft, layered with Pure Poppy and Rustic Cream. The string wrapped around the letters is DMC Perle Cotton #8. It's another great fiber to work with. It's twisted so that it doesn't unravel like floss. Not as many colors, though. It's all in what you want your look to be. Try it in your buttons!

Thanks for visiting. Hope you like my contribution. I'll share the other card tomorrow.

And now some Ink

2009-07-21T13:01:00.007-04:00

I've played with stamps for a long time, but only became a serious stamper about a year ago. I had found the clear stamps and really liked how I could accurately place my image. Last fall I bought my Cuttlebug and started making cards. I would have loved to take some classes, but again like so many other places, our local stamp store closed. When I found Papertrey Ink at the beginning of this year, I learned how to combine the two. This is one I completed today, the first to use PTI stamps colored with Copic markers. I'm in love!!

Vintage Picnic was from last month's release and I had to wait for the right markers to arrive to complete it. The paper came in yesterday's mail with my order from the July release. Put it all together and here it is. (Click on the photo above to see better detail) I can't wait for the day when I can sit down and have all the supplies I need to complete my card. I'm ordering hard and fast, but there's always something else I want. I am hoping to be able to participate in this month's Blog Hop. That is the main reason I created this blog. So, stamping friends, stay tuned.

Thirty-nine and counting

2009-07-19T15:37:00.024-04:00

No that's not my age. That passed several years ago. Today is our Wedding Anniversary. My dear husband Hans and I were married 39 years ago today. I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce you to my "Silver Celebration - Baltimore Style" and tell you a little about it.

Back in 1994 my local quilt shop Quilts and Crafts in Manasquan, NJ (sadly, closed for many years) organized a year-long Baltimore Album group led by the very talented Joanne Belson. She had studied with Elly Sienkiewicz and we worked our way through the Baltimore Album books, planning, drafting, and learning new techniques each month. I decided to make mine in celebration of our up-coming Silver Anniversary - a wall hanging, nothing big, nothing too involved. After all, it's only 36 inches square. Well five years later it was finished.

The center block is 15 inches square. All the flowers were based on ones from the the Dimensional Applique book. The basket was woven and appliqued from silver ribbon and cording. The Album is three dimensional, my own creation, and holds photos and dedication.

All the bordering blocks are 7.5 inches square.

Writing was done with artist's acrylic ink and an old fashioned dip pen.

Lots of berries, not always round and only 1/4 inch in diameter. I used needle-turn throughout, even on those little guys.

Paper cuts technique, cut like a snowflake.

Reverse applique, one of my favorites.

Strings on the lyre were embroidered with metallic thread.

This was a challenge to design our own block based on the Baltimore style.

Lots of fabrics with silver.

My other favorite. The daisy was appliqued using the Broderie Perse (sp?) technique. Then the butterfly was appliqued using needle turn and then embroidered with black floss.

I entered it in the first NJ State Quilt Guild show and it was awarded first place in its category and was chosen to be one of a handful featured in a documentary produced by NJ public television. Truly this was my fifteen minutes of fame. The following year it hung at QHC in Lancaster. What a thrill!

I hope you enjoyed this tour. Stay tuned for what might appear for our Fiftieth!!

Never say never

2009-07-05T18:55:00.004-04:00

That's a favorite saying of mine. I've told our sons that many times and continue to remind our grandchildren of the same. I swore I would never get into blogging, at least not my own. I do read others but felt maintaining one would just add more time at the keyboard. I would much rather use that time to be creating something. I always love to be doing something. I just can't sit still. Any evening I will be working on a project, be it applique, punch needle or other embroidery. At other times it will be machine piecing or quilting, scrapbooking or stamping and making cards. There aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish all I would like. But then that seems to be a common "thread" that is stitched into all crafters. I hope you can visit back often and that I can share with you some of my completed or on-going projects. The quilt in the header is recently completed from a pattern by Pat Sloan in her book "Crooked Cabin Quilts", photography by me. I hope to change that out often and will link you to Pat when I figure out how.

Thanks for stopping by. And please, come again.