Welcome to Paris!

Next month, my better half and I will be travelling from Nova Scotia to Europe with several friends. These friends form a group of eight; we often enjoy dinner parties with one another, and our tradition is to spend every New Year's Eve together. So I wanted to create a little "purse-something card" to give the gals at our "Pre-vacation dinner party," coming up soon. We'll be visiting Paris, Nice (French Riviera), Cinque Terre (Italian Riviera) and Rome over a period of nearly a month. Our dinner party's theme is "all things Paris."

Although one of the challenges needed some distressing (which is ALWAYS an extra challenge for me!), I had such FUN with this project! I created four of these, three for gal-friends, and one for a local paper crafting shop.

Sooo...I browsed through all the current challenges, and decided on these:

The Crazy Amigo challenge is "welcome" (to Paris!)
The Cuttlebug challenge is to create a "scene" card (Eiffel Tower)
The Wednesday Stamper challenge is "paisley" (inside pocket)
The Ready Set Stamp challenge is to use the following ingredients: cork, the colour blue, a monument, the Cuttlewax technique, and a metal embellishment

Isa's done an easy tutorial on the Cuttlewax technique, on a post dated Aug 12th. (An added bonus is a pic of her "favourite helper elf," her little daughter Melissa)

So, this is what I did: I used a piece of the new Basic Grey lace medallion paper first.

It was actually nicely distressed as it was, but I Cuttlebugged the Swiss Dots folder on waxed paper, then ironed it onto the lace medallion (sandwiched with another piece of cardstock), then distressed it with Tim Holtz Broken China ink.

Then I stamped this Crafty Individuals stamp on a piece of cork paper with the same colour ink, mounted it on the Basic Grey lace medallion, then mounted that on another cork panel. Crafty Individuals stamps lend themselves so well to distressed work. The tower image is very faint, which is just what I wanted. I used some pretty ribbon from Michael's, the Fleur di lis emblems are glittered with rust...very pretty! I picked up the rust again with a small circle of rust textured paper underneath the stamped image. I added a Fleur di Lis metal embellishment from Frost Creek Charms.

I stamped and embossed a couple of paisleys on an inside pocket, coloured with a little Sakura Glaze ink, added some note paper and a pen, then a greeting on the back...et voila!

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit today.

Created by Hand Challenge

The current Created by Hand challenge is to use a favourite background. I'm enjoying glitters with brass stencils these days, so here's one I did for a young friend, who's just recently started card making. I used a Dreamweaver brass stencil with this double sided tape, and a mixture of different Glitter Ritz glitters and Martha Stewart glitters, along with a Quietfire Design sentiment stamp, some crystals and pearls, and a Martha Stewart border punch.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today.

Challenges!

Well, it's been two weeks since I posted anything here. I've been enjoying visiting grandkidlets, and haven't spent any time at all in my happy room, so it was fun to get back here.

This project was created to meet several challenges, but the initial conception was about my little grandson's current obsession with spiders. Connor is three years old, and this will be going in the post to him later this week. It's designed to hold a battery operated flickering candle.

Here are some pics of three year old Connor (wearing green and red shirts) with his five year old brother Avery, at White Point Beach in Nova Scotia last week. They're such FUN little boys!

So, on to the challenges! I started this one a couple of days ago with the current Gothic Arch challenge, which is Edgar Allan Poe (the ravens reflect that). The current Saturday Surprise challenge is to use a different shape. The Papertake Weekly challenge is to reflect the seasons, so here's fall and Halloween! Over at Our Creative Corner, they want us to comemmorate harvest time, and at SAWO, the challenge is to use texture paint.

I started with a 12 by 12 piece of chipboard, cut the three arch shapes in a continuous fashion, gessoed and painted them with Lumiere Burnt Orange, then used the Dreamweaver spider web and spider templates with Dreamweaver Black Matte embossing paste. I paste embossed the spiders on acetate and glued them to the inside Spellbinders-cut ovals. Then I thermal embossed the Quietfire Design crows and word with Tsukineko Black embossing powder, added lots of glitter and little wooden buttons which were painted with gold Lumiere for feet...and it was finished! I made one of these for a favourite local paper crafting shop too..."The Cutting Garden." They're such FUN to do!

Thanks SO much for taking the time to stop by today!

Wednesday Stamper

The current Wednesday Stamper challenge is "take a ride." This is my interpretation...my Christmas cards will be taking a ride all around the world, starting in a mailbox! (lol) Hope this isn't too abstract an interpretation to meet the challenge. This is my first Christmas card of '09; I'm determined to be ready this year, and not feel pressured to produce cards quickly when the holidays roll around.

I used a vintage mailbox image, altered it in Photoshop, to add our Nova Scotia flag and "Nova Scotia Post," added some Flowersoft around the holly and some textural paste and glitter for the snow, stamped and white embossed the All Night Media "Wish you were here" postal cancellation, and added a hand stitched panel to complete the card.

Thanks so much for visiting today!

Shar Pei challenges

I created this next card to meet six different challenges: the sketch is from Our Creative Corner; the Created by Hand challenge is Asian; the Saturday Surprise challenge is pets; the Thursday Craft Challenge is to use tags; the gals over at Crazy Amigo have a "free" theme this week, , and over at Secret Crafters, we're instructed to use two designer papers, three buttons, and one ribbon. We share our home with a lovable Chinese Shar Pei named Li-Na, so I used this Shar Pei image as the focal point of my tag. It's actually a Canadian postage stamp. I scanned it, enlarged it, and cut it with the Spellbinders petite ovals die, which I then layered with gold mirror cardstock and black Bazzill. The two designer papers I used are from Creative Imaginations and Kodomo. The sentiment stamp is from Suzanne's beautiful hand calligraphy over at Quietfire Design, stamped with Versafine Brown ink and clear embossed. The Asian characters stamp is from All Night Media. I outlined several layers with gold and silver Krylon pens.

This next card is one I did for the Created by Hand challenge last week, but never got around to posting. The theme was stars and moon. I coloured the Inkadinkado owl stamp with chalks, then stamped the Quietfire Design sentiment with Versafine Black ink and clear embossed it. I cut the shapes with Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 4 dies, then I hand embroidered a star with metallic silver thread.

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit today!

"Inspire"

It's been more than a week since I posted here, the Nova Scotia summertime weather is keeping me in my gardens and at the lake.

I created this card based on the current “2 Sketches for You” challenge, and have included other challenges as well. The current TGIF challenge is…”words!” I used the “Inspire” word stamp from Quietfire Design, stamped in Colorbox Chalk Ink, with a Just Right Stampers Fleur de Lis border, stamped with the same ink. The Cute Card Thursday challenge is to use eyelets. I don’t use eyelets much anymore, but really like the effect with the Spellbinders blue eyelets diecut, which I paired with the Spellbinders Renaissance Hearts Medallions and borders dies. I chalk inked parts of the borders for a little added dimension, and layered the borders over Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossed panels. The current One Powerful Hour challenge is to use our favourite colours. Mine change from time to time, but I’m currently enjoying a blue and white combination…reminds me of Wedgewood ornaments. I added a few rhinestone accents for a little extra interest. I have a “play date” this week with a friend, who wants to create “elegant cards.” This is one of three of my designs we’ll do together, so I hope she likes it.

Now, speaking of inspiration, if you're enjoying Spellbinders Nestabilities, you must visit Becca's blog at Amazing Paper Grace...her work is simply beautiful! I visit regularly, and am always inspired!

This is another card we'll start together, with a different blue and white combination. Although I'll have all the pieces cut and ready to assemble, we'll finish the "Wisteria" stitched and beaded design on our own time. This one doesn't meet any online challenges...just one of my own. ;) I used a K & Co fabric covered brad for the centre, and the Textured Textiles Cuttlebug embossing folder.

Thanks so much for visiting; I wish you a happy, creative day!

Going to Paris!

The current Gothic Arch theme is “Marie Antoinette.” I did mine a little differently. I needed dinner party invitations for several friends we’re travelling to Paris with in September, so I thought it might be fun to incorporate the Gothic Arch theme into the invitations. I started by pouncing Broken China Distress Ink on a craft sheet, spritzed it with water, dipped glossy cardstock into it, heat dried, then overstamped the Eiffel Tower (Hero Arts) with Memento Black Ink, and attached it to the base cardstock with dimensional foam. I stamped and gold embossed these beautiful Crafty Individuals flourishes in the corner. The Fleur di Lis border punch is EK Success. The watercolour image is a Marie Antoinette rose, to pick up on the sentiment. I don’t think anyone will “get” the rose though (lol)...a bit too subtle...such a FUN card to make though!

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today!