WHO DOESN’T LOVE WINNIE THE POOH?

Pooh Bear said it best: “If there ever comes a day when we can't be together keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever.”  I just love that quote from  my favorite bear!  It is on the inside of the card I am showing you today.

This card is being entered into two challenges; one at Stamp School and one at Really Reasonable Ribbon.  But first the card…..

I know some people think Valentine’s Day is just a commercial holiday aimed at getting our money, and we should show our love every day. I agree somewhat, but I think it is terribly fun to make something for that special someone in your life and express your undying love to them. 

This 5 x 7 card is made using SU paper and Craftwell card stock. Don’t you just adore those small delicate designs on these papers?

I used a Spellbinders tag from Fancy Tags Two and layered a motif from Floral Doily Motifs. That is then topped with a double heart cut from Sizzlits and mounted on dimensionals.

The cute little Be Mine tag is made using Rubber Stamp Tapestry’s Small Shapes Positioning Template and sponged with Cardinal Versacolor. The Be Mine is stamped with their Be Mine Block Stamp (Be Mine Floral) with Burgundy Versacolor Ink.I used Petal Pink Liquid Pearls on the red panel to add some dimension to it.

The inside is made to coordinate with the outside.  The heart is a Hero Arts stamp, but the S.W.A.K. is just penciled with a red pencil.

All of the details for this card are listed below, so if you want to know more please scroll down.

Now for the challenges:

Stamp School: Geometry Room Sketch Challenge 1-18-12

Yes! I finally got to this sketch. I was really looking forward to doing it but just didn’t have the right card until now. I love how this card came out using this sketch! What do you think?

 

 

 

 

RRR Challenge #40 - Valentine's Day Theme

We just need a Valentine themed card so, all good there!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my card today and will leave comments before you leave! Thanks for stopping by….

hugs,

Ellen

STAMPS

• Rubber Stamp Tapestry
  • Small Shapes Positioning Template
  • Be Mine Block Stamp (Be Mine Floral)

PAPER

• Craftwell cardstock
• 10 x 7 Tomato Red folded for base
• 6 3/4 x 4 3/4 base panel
• 4 3/4 x 2 for the red panel
• 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 for tag
• Stamping Up!
• 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 for doily motif 
• small scraps for hearts (2)
• Watercolor scrap for sentiment

INKS

• VersaColor
• Burgundy
• Cardinal Red

TOOLS

• Big Shot
• Sizzix Sizzlits Heart #2 & #3
• Spellbinders
• Fancy Tags Two
• Floral Doily Motifs
• Crop-a-dile

ACCESSORIES

• RRR Cherry Baker’s Twine
• Liquid Pearls – Petal Pink
• Cherry red eyelets (3)

Instructions

1. Cut all paper
2. Use Big Shot and Sizzlits heart #2 & #3 to cut heart shapes. Glue the small heart onto the larger one.
3. Use Spellbinders and Big Shot to cut tag and motif
4. Use a small piece of watercolor paper to make the heart sentiment. Stamp Be Mine, then center the heart template over it and sponge around the edge with Cardinal Red.
5. Use crop-a-dile to place one red eyelet on the small heart and two on the long red panel (one on each end for bakers twine to go through)
6. Measure off enough baker’s twine to cross card 3 times. Tie a knot towards the right side and slip ends through eyelets. Stick to back of panel.
7. With another small piece of twine, loosely tie the sentiment tag to the twine going across card.
8. Attach the red panel to the base panel. Then attach the base panel to the card, leaving the right lower corner unglued. Curl the right lower corner.
9. Add the motif on top of the tag.
10. Add the double heart using dimensional dots
11. Add Liquid Pearls as desired and let dry.

THINKING OF YOU TODAY

OMG I have a really BAD case of Spring Fever! The temperatures have been in the 60’s for a couple of days with sunshine making it feel just like spring.  I know, winter is going to come back with a vengeance soon, but for now, I’m going to enjoy this weather!

Today’s card is another one for challenges at Operation Write Home  and Stamp School. Please if you have not checked out OWH do so now. We need experienced cardmakers to help supply handmade cards to our troops so they have nice cards to send home to their loved ones.

This is a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 A2 size card (to fit the OWH requirements) made of Craftwell and K&Company card stock and paper. I just love K&C’s Life’s Journey DSP with the beautifully rich colors.                 

That sweet stamp set is from Rubber Stamp Tapestry.  I just love how delicate and tiny the stamps are. You can see how detailed they are even though they are very small.

I had so much fun with the Belleek Pottery challenge at SCS I decided to use the same technique for the bottom half of the card.  I used Celadon VersaColor to make the negative areas darker than the raised areas.

I also used the RST set inside to coordinate with the front of the card. Some ric rak, Liquid Pearls and flowers finish it off.

Complete instructions for this card are listed below, so if you want all the details, please scroll down.

Now for the challenge details:

Over at OWH Stars and Stamps our challenge theme this week is Glitterfree bling!  We challenge you to make cards that have bling without using glitter for our heroes to send home to their family and friends!

And at Stamp School, it is a sketch challenge from my friend Judy Rozema.  I just love this sketch!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my card today and will leave comments before you leave! Thanks for stopping by….

hugs,

Ellen

STAMPS

• Rubber Stamp Tapestry
• Pottery Garden Set
• Thinking Of You Today Block Stamp

PAPER

• Craftwell cardstock
• 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 dark brown folded for base
• 4 x 5 1/4 light blue embossed
• 2 3/4 x 5 /1/4 deep purple/red
• K&Company Life’s Journey
• 2 1/2 x 5 
• 1 5/8 x 2 1/8 (x3)
• Watercolor scrap for sentiment

INKS

• VersaColor
• Old Rose
• Atlantic
• Celadon
• Olive
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink – Walnut Stain

TOOLS

• Big Shot
• Sizzix Sizzlits Heart #2
• Cuttlebug embossing folder
• Ticket punch
• EK Success  corner rounder

ACCESSORIES

• Light blue ric-rak
• Liquid Pearls – Bisque
• Prima flower
• Mark Richards Fluerettes

Instructions

1. Cut all paper
2. Use Big Shot and Sizzlits heart with watercolor paper to cut heart shape (the watercolor paper gives it great body and texture)
3. Stamp heart with RST stamp set and sentiment
4. Use Judy’s instructions to make the Belleek inspired background using the light blue card stock and Cuttlebug embossing folder with Celadon ink on 1/2 of the folder front.
5. Use the corner stamp to clip one top and one (opposite side) bottom corner on the 3 small rectangles.
6. Assemble all of the papers onto the card base
7. Use dimensionals to attach the heart sentiment
8. Add ric-rak, flowers and Liquid Pearls

A NONTRADITIONAL VALENTINES CARD

Hi everyone! The weather has been GORGEOUS here for a couple of days and I have been getting outside to enjoy it.  This is that time of year that we don’t know from one day to the next what our weather will be, so when it is as nice as today, you just drop everything and get outside!  I hope your week is going well.

Thank you for stopping by to look at my card. Today’s card is for the Splitcoaststampers technique challenge hosted by my friend Judy Rozema! In the  TLC361 Inspired By Belleek Pottery  challenge, “We want our backgrounds to look reminiscent of porcelain or bisque pottery/china, so we will be limited in what colors we can use.” Please scroll down to see all of the challenges this card is entered into!!!

I was completely enchanted by the Belleek Pottery that I found on their website. In particular, the items with the tiny flowers inspired me. 

My background was made using Umber Versacolor ink in the front of my Cuttlebug embossing folder and embossing a white piece of paper.

For the medallion, I used Spellbinders Big Scalloped Circles Large, pierced it using 2 different stencils from Erika Fortgens, and stamped it using Rubber Stamp Tapestry’s Be Mine Floral Set . I then quilled a flower for the center and finished it with white pearl beads and purple rhinestones.

The above photo shows the sentiment and the detail of the paper piercing.

The inside has a coordinating piece of cardstock attached for the message.

Oh I wanted to share with you a picture of what I am seeing as I work on this post!

So, I am sitting in the recliner working on this post and Joy is on the foot lying there watching me work while she chews on her treat.  At least she is not walking on the keyboard as she usually does!

So, what do you think of this non-traditional Valentine’s card? Please let me know because  I need feedback before I give this to someone very special!!!!!

Other challenges:

RRR Challenge #40 - Valentine's Day Theme

The theme for Challenge #40 is Valentine's Day.
Create a card, layout, multi media piece, tag, ATC, hair bow, you name it. Just be sure to follow the theme above and use ribbon/lace or trim somewhere on your project.

Complete instructions for this card are listed below, so if you want all the details, please scroll down.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my card today and will leave comments before you leave! Thanks for stopping by….

hugs,

Ellen

STAMPS

• Rubber Stamp Tapestry
• Be Mine Floral Set

PAPER

• Craftwell cardstock
• 12 x 6” folded for base 
• 6 x 6” & 5 1/4 x 4  dark purple
• 5 3/4 x 5 3/4 & 5 x 3 3/4 light purple
• 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 white crimped (cut this 6 x 6) (see note in instructions)
• White card stock
• 4 3/4 x 3 1/2
• 4” square or round for Spellbinder
• Watercolor scrap for sentiment

INKS

• VersaColor
• Lilac
• Heliotrope
• Bamboo
• Olive
• Boysenberry
• Umber
• Pebbles Earth Tones chalk

TOOLS

• Big Shot
• Sizzix Sizzlits Heart #2
• Spellbinders Big Scalloped Circles Large
• Cuttlebug embossing folder
• Fiskars crimper
• Erika Forgens stencils
• Paper Piercing tool
• Quilling tool
• Quilling paper strips 1/8” wide and 1/4 strip @ 1/16” wide

ACCESSORIES

• Purple satin 1/8” ribbon
• Lace trim
• Purple rhinestones
• White pearl beads (3mm)

Instructions

1. Cut all paper
2. Use Spellbinders and Big Shot to cut large scalloped circle (I used the largest die for this)
3. Use Big Shot and Sizzlits heart with watercolor paper to cut heart shape (the watercolor paper give it great body and texture)
4. Crimp the 6 x 6 piece of white card stock.  Crimping changes the shape of the paper and the size so always crimp a piece larger than you need, then cut it to size.
5. Use Judy’s instructions to make the Belleek inspired background using the white card stock and Cuttlebug embossing folder
6. Determine the center of the scalloped medallion and mark it with pen or with the paper piercing tool
7. Use paper piercing template and tool to pierce the small hearts around the scallops. Also pierce the hole in the middle of the heart for placement of the rhinestones.
8. Use template to pierce the lined from the center out towards the scallops. (later these will be covered with beads)
9. Now use the RST stamp set to stamp the flower designs between the lines of holes
10. Either quill a flower for the center or use a pre-assembled flower for the center of the medallion
11. Add white pearl beads along the lines of holes
12. Add purple rhinestones in the middle of the hearts
13. Ink outside edge of the medallion
14. Trim the medallion with lace
15. Attach all layers and purple ribbon to the card base
16. Adhere the heart Be Mine sentiment using dimensionals
17. Adhere the large scalloped circle using dimensionals
18. Adhere all to card base

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Well, it is somebody’s birthday somewhere!  And I have a cute little birthday card to share today.

This card was inspired by the sketch at Operation Write Home’s Stars and Stamps challenge blog and the inspiration challenge at Splitcoaststampers.  I’ll give you all the details about these challenges after I show you my card….

I absolutely love this card! OK, I know I made it but I would not usually pick these 3 colors and put them together, but I did and they are so cute! Be sure to read about the challenges to see how I came up with them.

This little boat is so adorable! It comes from Inspired by Stamping’s Kids Fun set, as does the Happy Birthday sentiment. I embossed the boat on watercolor paper, cut it with a Spellbinder, inked the paper with Polar Blue VersaColor and colored it with markers. The medallion behind the boat is from Spellbinders Floral Doily Motifs.

I do place a sheet of card stock inside and attach it with a coordinating piece of card stock.

OK. Now for the challenges!!

First the sketch from OWH Stars and Stamps. If you are not familiar with Operation Write Home, it is a program designed for card makers to create handmade cards to send to our deployed troops so they have beautiful cards to send back home to loved ones.  Even though we have less troops deployed now, the need is even greater! There are MORE troops than ever signed up now so we need people to help with this worthy cause.  Just visit Operation Write Home for details on how to get started!  

Here is the sketch for Sketch Challenge #105

….and at Splitcoaststampers, my friend Judy Rozema suggested this week’s Inspiration Challenge 320: Land of Nod.  She thought the adorable galleries of children’s goods at this site would inspire us all. I know it did me!!!! Thanks Judy.

This is the picture I chose as my inspiration:  See? That is where the colors came from.

I hope you enjoyed checking out my card today!

Complete instructions are listed below, so if you want all the details, please scroll down.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my card today and will leave comments before you leave! Thanks for stopping by….

hugs,

Ellen


STAMPS

• Inspired by Stamping
  • Kids Fun

PAPER

• DCWV Linen Closet
  • 1/2 x 5” strip (striped piece)
• Card stock
  • 4 1/4 x 5 1/2” Red
  • 3” Red square or round for Spellbinder
  • 4 x 5 1/4” Light Blue
  • 1/2 x 5” strip (x2 1 Red; 1 Yellow)
• Water Color paper 3” square or round for Spellbinder

TOOLS

• Big Shot
• Spellbinders
  • Floral Doily Motifs
  • Scalloped Circle Large
• Fiskars texture plate – Waves
• Heat tool
• Black embossing powder

ACCESSORIES

• Yellow 1/8” satin ribbon
• Star shaped button

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut all paper
2. Heat emboss the boat onto the watercolor paper
3. Use Big Shot and cut Spellbinders die cuts
4. Color boat with markers
5. Emboss light blue panel with Fiskars Waves texture plate
6. Adhere 3 vertical strips to blue base
7. Attach ribbon strip
8. Adhere blue panel to red panel
9. Attach boat to red medallion and then attach red medallion to card
10. Add bow, star and stamp sentiment

What Do You Think of Black/White/Yellow?

Oh my! I thought this post would be on much earlier, but Miss Joy didn’t cooperate at all. I don’t mind though; she is so much fun to play with.  Right now she is snuggled up by my legs just chilling out.

This card is being entered into the SCS SC368 sketch challenge and Operation Write Home’s Stars and Stamps color challenge….First my card then I’ll give you the deets on the challenges.

This is a A2 size card made from card stock and MME Paris & Co. paper.  The color challenge was black, white, and a splash of another color. I chose yellow because I thought everyone would be doing black, white and red, and I just wanted to do something different.  I do love yellow and black so I like the way the card came out.

A little Prima flourish to add bling and a Cuttlebug embossing folder to provide texture to the yellow cardstock.

The challenge at Stars and Stamps is a Color Challenge. Our challenge theme this week is a color challenge.  We challenge you to make cards that are black and white with a splash of one other color for our heroes to send home to their family and friends!  My card: black/white/yellow.

And this is the sketch from Splitcoaststampers.. I did add a few little small changes, but basically the sketch is used for the card.

I really like the way this card turned out! What do you think?

Complete instructions are listed below, so if you want all the details, please scroll down.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my card today and will leave comments before you leave! Thanks for stopping by….

hugs,

Ellen

STAMPS

Rubber Stamp Tapestry

• Miss You Block Stamp

PAPER

• eCraft Diecutable Card Stock (65 lb)
• 1 x 2 3/4 (x2) Butter Cream
• scrap for sentiment tag
• MME Paris & Co
• 5 1/4 x 4
• 1 x 5
• Black card stock
• 5 1/2 x 4 1/4
• 1 1/4 x 3 (x2)
• 1 1/4 x 5 1/4
• scrap for 1 3/8” circle punch

INKS

• VersaColor
• Charcoal

TOOLS

• Big Shot
• Spellbinders
• Floral Doily Motifs
• Cuttlebug embossing folder
• 1 3/8” circle punch

ACCESSORIES

• Yellow satin ribbon
• Wright’s Creative Creations trim
• Prima flourish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut all paper
2. Adhere panels to black card stock.
3. Attach horizontal strip to base panel
4. Attach 2 3” panels
5. Use Spellbinders Floral Doily Motifs with Big Shot to cut black flourish and yellow sentiment medallion
6. Use circle punch to make a 1 3/8” circle
7. Attach sentiment medallion on top of circle
8. Stamp sentiment and attach medallion to card base
9. Attach black flourish over the yellow panels
10. Add Prima flourish over yellow panels and a few pieces on sentiment medallion
11. Add white/yellow flower trim
12. Make small yellow bow. Add the medallion from Floral Doily Motifs
13. Add one flower from the trip on top of doily motif and attach bow to card

MY HEART “TWINES” FOR YOU

OK maybe that should have been pines, but who cares! This card is all about twine and finding creative ways to use it.  I have never used a lot of twine, and didn’t even have any of that cute baker’s twine on hand so I am using some hemp twine for this card.  I have used twine in place of a ribbon on cards, but that is it, so I had to figure out something different for this one which is being submitted to four (4) different challenges. 

I am going to show the card first and then discuss the challenges after you see my card.

This card is made using beautiful card stock from Craftwell’s eCraft 65 lb card stock.  For added texture, I used white velvet paper over the red panel.

The twine is some hemp twine I had in my stash. For this heart, I use a Sizzlits and my Big Shot to cut the Primitive heart #2. I then added double sided tape and wrapped the twine around the heart shape and finished with pearls.

On this panel I made the letter “I” using twine and a rhinestone

And on this panel, I wrapped the twine in a circle and then formed petals of the flower. I finished it with a pearl in the center.

 

Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps had this sketch for Sketch #104 so I used it for this card. Sketch used? Check!

Stars and Stamps also had this challenge: Our challenge theme this week is “Floral Fantasy”.  We challenge you to make cards with flowers on them for our heroes to send home to their family and friends!  So, check. Flower on card!

And Stamp School had a color challenge. I didn’t have their colors, so I came as close as I could with what I had on hand. Colors on card? Check!

TLC360 ~ Twine it Up!! ~ (1/16/12)….my challenge is to Twine it up!! Wrap twine around something for a solid look, use it to outline something, or create a flower, grass, or a sun with it....just be creative and have fun!! You can use any kind of twine, thread, or cording...use what you have!! Of course I am doing Splitcoaststampers, and the technique challenge is all about twine. Twine on card? Check!

Complete instructions are listed below, so if you want all the details, please scroll down.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my card today and will leave comments before you leave! Thanks for stopping by….

hugs,

Ellen

STAMPS

• Rubber Stamp Tapestry
• Miss You Block Stamp

PAPER

• Craftwell
• 5 1/4 x 4
• 5 1/8 x 1 7/8
• 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 (x3)
• 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 for Sizzlits
• White velvet paper 5 x 1 3/4

INKS

• VersaColor
• Burgundy

TOOLS

• Big Shot
• Sizzlits
• wavy box
• primitive heart, #2

ACCESSORIES

• Lace ribbon
• Blue Pearls
• Red rhinestone

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut all paper
2. Use Big Shot and cut Sizzlits wavy box and primitive heart
3. Stamp sentiment in center of wavy box.
4. Cover heart with double sided tape
5. Start at top center of heart and wrap twine along the outer edge working in to the center.
6. Add blue pearls
7. Using twine, form a circle and add glue dot under it. Then form flower petals
8. Finish flower with a blue pearl
9. Add a small scrap of twine in front of “Miss you” on the sentiment tag.
10. Add a red rhinestone to dot the “I”
11. Attach lace to base panel
12. Adhere panel to card front
13. Adhere red panel, white velvet panel, then 3 blue panels.
14. Add the embellishments to 1st and last panel.
15. Add the sentiment panel to the center
16. Add bow and finish with another blue pearl

MISS YOU!

Hi dear friends! Is your mojo moving this Monday morning?  I know mine is; now if I could just get Joy to cooperate it would be a perfect morning!  I am still exploring all of the new-to-me challenges over at Splitcoaststampers where there are enough challenges to keep me busy all week long!  If you have been following my blog you know I am committed to sending cards to our troops via Operation Write Home, and this one is no exception. It is destined to my little box of cards that I hope will be full enough to send soon.

My card today is for the SCS FS258 and CAS-ual Fridays CFC35 challenges…and here it is:

I love using pastels, but I can never get the picture to look as pretty as the card in real life.  This card stock is a gorgeous lavender color giving this card a sweet, soft look.

This stamp is from Inspired by Stamping’s All Year Wishes II stamp set.

I chose to use this Cuttlebug embossing folder so that the embossing goes down the sides as well as across the top.

The challenge was to choose one of the Featured Stamper’s cards and CASE it. This week, Holstein is the Featured Stamper and the card above is the one I chose to CASE. I was so intrigued by the Spellbinder, I just had to try it.  I actually changed a lot of things about this card. I embossed 3 sides instead of 1, I used lavender instead of pink, I used a round Lacey Circle Spellbinder instead of the Beaded Ovals, and my bow is placed differently. However, I think it is still obvious that I used this card as my inspiration.  I love this card and the technique, so I’m sure I will be using it again.

CFC35:  Create a Clean And Simple project with scallops!  Both the Lacey Circle die and the Fiskar’s border have scallops.

Complete instructions are listed below, so if you want all the details, please scroll down.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my card today and will leave comments before you leave! Thanks for stopping by….

hugs,

Ellen

STAMPS

• Inspired by Stamping
• All Year Wishes II

PAPER

• eCraft Diecutable Card Stock (65 lb)
• 8 12 x 4 14 (Candied Violet color) 
• 3” scrap for heart
• Coordinating scrap from my scrap pile for the scalloped border

INKS

• VersaColor
• Violet
• Heliotrope

TOOLS

• Big Shot
• Spellbinders
• Lacey Circles
• Cuttlebug embossing folder
• Sizzlits Heart, #2
• Fiskar’s border punch Sunburst

ACCESSORIES

• Gingham ribbon
• Wright’s Creative Creations trim
• Purple rhinestones

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Position the Spellbinder die and cut 1/2 of it using Big Shot, then emboss the entire die.
2. Use paper cutter to carefully remove paper at end of die cut so that half of the circle pops out from the rest of the card
3. Fold card stock so that the circle edge is even with the back of the card.
4. Emboss the card with Cuttlebug embossing folder
5. Use Big Shot to cut heart using Sizzlits Heart #2.
6. Stamp heart with Miss You sentiment in Violet Versacolor.
7. Sponge edge of heart using Heliotrope Versacolor
8. Punch out Sunburst border and attach to card
9. Attach Wright’s trim along edge, at top of border
10. Adhere gingham ribbon from top of card to center of circle. 
11. Adhere heart sentiment
12. Make bow and add to top of ribbon. 
13. Add rhinestones.