CASEing Myself

This was the original card I made to submit to Kristina's Color Inspiration Challenge #56. I submitted this other card instead. I like this card, but I wanted a higher color contrast for the white faux stitching.

We are flying out to New Mexico this morning to visit my family. Thanks for stopping by and have a good one!

Card Ingredients
Stamps: Heidi Grace
Paper: So Saffron, Riding Hood Red
Ink: VersaMark
Tools: QuicKutz Silhouette
Other: white embossing powder, Sakura white gel pen, Certainly Celery ribbon, Felt Fusion, buttons (Making Memories), foam tape

Friend to Friend Medallion

Thursday was fun! One of my best friends (and crafting buddies), Ericka, was in town for a day of crafting. We didn't get much accomplished (because we went shopping), but at least she finished a card. I was showing her how to use my QuicKutz Silhouette.

On Thursday night, I got to play with new Stampin' Up products at my friend Peggy's house. I didn't design this card, but I love the layout. I love the Medallion stamp. I added a large Martha Stewart pearl to the center when I got home.

Card Ingredients
Stamps: Medallion, Boho Backgrounds, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Whisper White, Crushed Curry
Ink: Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango
Tools: Modern Label punch
Other: Crushed Curry Polka Dot Grosgrain ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, pearl (Martha Stewart)

Happy Birthday - Crazy for Typography

This card is totally inspired by Kristina's work.

This card is for one of my nieces and it uses the colors from Kristina's Color Inspiration Challenge #56.








I loved Kristina's kraft words on kraft cardstock card. I also love the stitching she does. I cut a welded alphabet design (downloaded from QuicKutz) using my QuicKutz Silhouette. I love it! I was crazy enough to add faux stitching throughout the design...twice. The other card I started was with So Saffron cardstock. I'll publish it later. I used my paper crimper to "soften" some thin strips of Riding Hood Red and Certainly Celery paper. I used the thin strips to thread two of the buttons.

Thanks for stopping by and have a good one!

Card Ingredients
Stamps: Heidi Grace
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Certainly Celery
Ink: VersaMark
Tools: QuicKutz Silhouette, paper crimper
Other: White embossing powder, linen thread (SU!), white Sakura gel pen, buttons (Making Memories-Chloe's Closet collection), glue dots, Tombo multi glue

New Mexico Meets Morocco

Hi everyone! This week has flown by faster than most. It's already Friday...again.

I've had a fun few days though. Tina (Travelingmama) selected my picture of Taos Pueblo for her Traveler's Inspiration Challenge:{two}. She asked me to create a project based on my photo. Thanks, Tina! This was fun.

I call this card "New Mexico Meets Morocco" since I used BasicGrey's Marrakech paper for the skyline and Tina lives in Morocco. Beside the kraft paper, I used items I've never used or haven't used in years (thanks for the push, Kristina!). I've had the Pueblo-style house stamp for years. I bought it in Santa Fe. I think I've only used it once to make house-warming invitations for my cousin. I made this card for my Aunt Ruby who lives in Taos. She has Parkinson's disease and is not very mobile anymore. She loves receiving my cards. While she doesn't have a Pueblo-style home, she does have a ladder next to her house like the one in the image I used.


Here's a photo collage from that January day in 2006. (I need to scrap these photos.) Elmo was on vacation with us. He went everyone, like a Flat Stanley.

I LOVE this place! It's normally buzzing with tourists (I like being a tourist in my own hometown), but we got it to ourselves that day. It's doesn't look it, but it was so cold that day. We wanted to buy some of their famous fry bread, but even Cruzcita was not there frying her famous bread. Kalino was almost 2.5 yrs old. For some reason, he didn't want to leave. In the last panel of the collage you can see him crying. His first language was Spanish, so he was crying "mas pueblo, mas pueblo" (more pueblo, more pueblo). He was mad we had to leave. Poor little guy. If you are ever in New Mexico, visit Taos. You will love it!

Card Ingredients
Stamps: Pueblo-style house (Stamp of Excellence), sentiment (Heidi Grace)
Paper: Kraft (SU!), Marrakech paper (BasicGrey)
Ink: VersaMark
Tools: Embossed curve punch (EK Success), craft knife
Other: clear embossing powder, ribbon (BasicGrey), foam tape

Happy Birthday - Traveler's Inspiration Challenge #1

This is a card for Travelingmama's first Traveler's Inspiration Challenge. I have 2 nieces celebrating birthdays next month, so this card will be for one of them. I remember seeing these colorful Moroccan slippers on Tina's website months ago...so pretty! The photography on her site is impeccable. I love hearing about life in Morocco.

I was inspired by the sequined designs and the colors of the slippers. I love repeated geometric shapes on a card. I also listened to Kristina's challenge to "Use it, Sister." I used stamps I've owned for at least a year and have never inked up. In my next few posts, I'm also going to use paper and stamps I haven't used yet. So, I'm using it, Sister!

Thanks for stopping by!

Card Ingredients
Stamps: Petals (Inque Boutique), sentiment (Inkadinkado)
Paper: Kraft & various SU! scraps
Ink: VersaMark
Tools: 1" circle punch, dotted scallop punch (EK Success), corner rounder (Fiskars)
Other: Diamond Sparkles (PSX), linen thread (SU!), mini rhinestones (Michael's), foam tape

Happy Birthday - Dawn's Color Challenge

I wasn't going to create a card for Dawn's Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #11, but I have some ribbon that had all the challenge colors, except for black, so I had to play along. I barely got K to his karate class on time because of my persistence to create and post this card.

Today I continued playing with my new QuicKutz Silhouette. I created my own SU! Top Note-type shape with a QuicKutz image. I used my paper piercer to pierce the border. I also love the "Birthday" welded word I downloaded from QuicKutz. I cut the image twice and glued it together to give it more weight.

Have a good one and thanks for stopping by!

Card Ingredients
Stamps: All Holidays (SU!)
Paper: Going Grey, Real Red, Basic Black (SU!), Chloe's Closet
Ink: VersaMark
Tools: QuicKutz Silhouette, paper piercer, word window punch (SU!)
Other: pink felt flower (Making Memories), large green button (Making Memories), grey button (my stash), white embossing powder, white embossing powder, ribbon (I think it's American Crafts), foam tape, twine, linen thread (SU!), glue dots

You Are One In a Million

Hi everyone! I finally made time to work in my studio yesterday. I had a deadline to meet. I created this card for Cath's Moxie Fab Lovely as a Tree challenge. I've haven't done one of her challenges in months. I also wanted to use my new QuicKutz Silhouette for the project. If you remember, I was the lucky winner of this machine.

I cut the tree out twice and glued the trees together to almost create my own chipboard. I mounted the tree on the card using foam tape. I added thread to all 24 buttons and attached them with glue dots. I did faux stitching around the entire card (inspired by Kristina) and then at the last minute (like 15 minutes before the deadline) I added stitching to the tree. I love how it looks.

Have a great day!

Card Ingredients
Stamps: none
Paper: Kraft (SU!)
Ink: none
Tools: QuicKutz Silhouette, corner rounder
Other: rub on (Q&Company), tiny buttons (Hero Arts), white Sakura gel pen, foam tape

Teacher Gift Sets

Hi everyone. Sorry, I haven't posted a blog entry in a week. I don't know where my time has gone.

These are some teacher gifts I made a few weeks ago to thank my son's teachers. I bought some travel mugs at Starbucks that you can personalize. I have one myself with a photo collage of my Sweeties. Kalino's teachers loved mine, so I knew even several months ago that similar mugs would be a great teacher gift. I coordinated the design of the cards and the mugs.

I used this sketch from Karen Giron for

my cards. I forgot to post them on her blog June 11th. I remembered about an hour after the deadline. Oh, well.

On these cards and mugs I used the Chloe's Closet set of goodies by Making Memories.

I tried to place a Stampin' Up! order earlier, but the website went down. All of you were ordering too, right? That's OK, I'm not in a rush. I may wait under the Bermuda Bay ink is back in stock, since you can't even order it yet. I heard about the ink problem with this color.

I've been itching to craft. I've had my QuicKutz Silhouette for a week now and I've only used it a few times.