A BASKET FULL OF LOVE

Hi! I am sort of excited to share this card with you today. Don’t tell, but it is my Mom’s Valentine’s Day card.  She doesn’t have a computer so I know she won’t see it and I can have fun sharing it!

I wanted to make a basket full of hearts and flowers to send to her. She lives about 3.5 hours away from me so I don’t get to see her as much as I would like, so I wanted to make a special card for her.

The gorgeous flowers are both from Prima. I could not resist using that large pink one!

I recently got my new Memory Box dies and had a chance to use the Quinn Flourish in the background on this card.  I just love the light airy feel they give a card and I adore how the swirls look like hearts and fit perfectly with what I am doing.

To get some depth and dimension in the basket, I cut different lengths of a Foamie and stacked them. I placed the stack under the bottom edge of the basket and added some additional distressed ribbon to hide it. By using different lengths, I was able to give it more depth in the center and kept it flat out at the edges.

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The “basket” is made from a piece of card stock that I cut so that it resembles the top of a heart. White satin ribbon was then woven and attached to the card stock. I used Distress Ink on the white ribbon to make it look more like a basket.  A piece of white ribbon was then used to “line” the basket.

I used white nylon cording, distressed a strand of it and placed it along the top of the basket.  Four strands were then braided and distressed to make the handle of the basket.

This card is also being entered into four challenges!  The TLC challenge at Splitcoaststampers is a choice of two techniques. I chose Double Vision and double stamped LOVE as well as the hero arts heart on the inside of the card.

Here is the link to the SCS challenge: TLC362 ~Try THIS, or Try That

Over with the shabby girls at The Shabby Tea Room, we are asked to create a VALENTINE'S DAY card or project inspired by the COLORS IN THE INSPIRATION PHOTO and WITH A MAIL OR POSTAGE ELEMENT! 

I cut a piece of MME paper that had a stamp resembling a postal stamp and die cut it using the Sizzlits Stamp Window. The pretty little Prima flower is attached to a white seam binding bow.

Then at Really Reasonable Ribbon, there is Challenge #41 'Red & Pink with Ribbon' Theme. I’m pretty sure I nailed the “with ribbon” part LOL.

I am also entering this in the SCS Ways To Use It challenge: WT360 - Groundhog Day  Repetition is the theme for today's challenge. Chose an image and use it multiple times on your card.

The repeating hearts and the double Quinn Flourish die cuts are for this challenge.

I don’t think I can give complete details, at least not as detailed as I usually do, my attempt is listed below. If you want all the details, please scroll down.

I had so much fun making this card! I hope you enjoyed reading about it and will leave comments before you leave! Thanks for stopping by….

hugs,

Ellen

STAMPS

• Rubber Stamp Tapestry
• Happy Valentine's Block Stamp
• Love 3" Block Stamp (Love Set)

PAPER

• ColorMates Cherry Ice Dust cardstock
• 5 3/4 x 5 3/4
• 5 1/2 x 2.5
• Stamping Up! Love Impressions Specialty Designer Series Paper
• 12 x 6 folded for card base
• For the 2 flourishes and the hearts
• White card stock
• 6 x 6
• 5 1/2 x 5 1/2
• MME scrap with postal stamp

INKS

• Inkadinkado
• Black
• Versacolor
• Cardinal Red
• Old Rose
• Tim Holtz Distress Inks
• Walnut Stain
• Antique Linen

TOOLS

• Big Shot
• Sizzix Sizzlits Heart #2 & #3
• Sizzix Sizzlits Primative Heart 1 & 2
• Sizzix Sizzlits Stamp Frame
• Memory Box Quinn Flourish
• Hero Arts Stamps
• Heart
• XOXO

ACCESSORIES

• White 1/4” satin ribbon
• White 3/4” ribbon (for inside basket)
• White seam binding
• Clear rhinestones
• Cherry red pearls
• Prima Flowers

Instructions

1. Cut all paper
2. Use Big Shot and Sizzlits to cut heart shapes. Glue the small hearts onto the larger ones. Just use a variety of paper and have fun with it.
3. Use Memory Box and Big Shot to cut motifs. I used coordinating pieces of the SU paper.
4. Stamp one of the hearts with the sentiment. Add rhinestones..
5. Stamp XOXO on another one of the hearts and add rhinestones in the “O’s”
6. Add rhinestones and red pearls randomly on other hearts.
7. To make the basket:
1. Cut a base from a heavy card stock in the shape you prefer. Mine is shaped like the top of a heart. It is 5 1/2” wide and  about 2 1/2” high.
2. Run strips of 1/4” white satin ribbon from top to bottom completely covering the base. Just run a line of double sided tape along the top and bottom of the back to attach the ribbons
3. Weave in strips going across the basket.
4. Use Antique Linen distress ink and a dauber to add ink to the ribbon. When you get enough color, Use a little of the Walnut Stain ink to add a little depth.
5. Cut some strips of Foamie to build up the center of the basket.
6. Add some white satin ribbon to cover it and use the Walnut Stain ink to distress it (making it darker than the side of the basket)
7. Use a strip of nylon cording to edge the top of the basket.  Use the Antique Linen ink to distress it.
8. Place a length of white ribbon beneath the edging to give the appearance of a lined basket.
9. Take 4 lengths of the nylon cording and braid them. Distress with the Antique Linen and a little of the Walnut Stain.
8. Double stamp LOVE in top right corner.
9. Attach the basket and handle to the white 5 1/2 x 5 1/2” panel.
10. Use a dauber and gently add Old Rose ink on the top of the card, outside of where the handle lays.
11. Add motifs, large pink flower and hearts.
12. Add white bow, flower and stamp
13. Attach all layers and adhere to card base.
14. Inside, add a white panel using a coordinating paper at the top of it.
15. Double stamp bottom right corner with Hero Arts heart.

Just let me know if you have questions. This one was a little hard to explain!

VINTAGE BOUDOIR AT THE SHABBY TEA ROOM

Hi sweeties! I hope you are having a great weekend. Mine is cold, at least cold for here, so I am trying to stay inside and craft.

I finally got around to doing my card for The Shabby Tea Room and Mojo Monday’s challenges….First my card, then I’ll explain the challenges.

My card uses mostly K&Company paper from the Life`’s Journey collection, however the blue/green paper on the bottom was made using watercolor paper and distress inks as shown in Judy Rozema’s tutorial here. The inks I used were Distress Stain Broken China and Distress Ink Walnut Stain.  Once it was dry I added some Distress Ink Antique Linen.

The yellow paper at the top was embossed and then distresses with Distress Ink Antique Linen.  All papers were heavily distressed along the edges to “age” it for that vintage look.

TSTR theme is sewing, so I used Rubber Stamp Tapestry’s Tailor's Heart Set because the stamps in the set are buttons and hearts with buttons in them. 

This is the inspiration photo from TSTR Week #96 - 'Vintage Boudoir' and we are challenged to create a card or project inspired by THE COLORS IN THE PHOTO AND USE A SEWING THEMED EMBELLISHMENT!  {Sewing embellishment could be something such as:  lace, ribbon, pins, stamped image, seam binding, machine sewing, faux sewing, buttons, zipper, bobbin, spool, needle, etc.).  For my card, I used machine sewing, seam binding, lace, safety pin and buttons (via the stamps).  I decided to use some of the darker colors in the photo for contrast.

I also designed it around Mojo Monday’s sketch this week MM223.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my card! Please let me know what you think!!! This card will be donated to the Operation Write Home challenge and will end up in a military person’s hands! He or she will have the opportunity to send this card to a loved one from where ever he or she is deployed. 

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
  • Tailor's Heart Set
  • You are Loved Peg Stamp - Mini

PAPER

• K&Company
• 4 1/4 x 5 1/2
• 2 x 4
• 2 x 3 1/2
• Brown card stock 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 folded to make card base
• Watercolor paper 4 x 3
• Off white card stock 4 x 2 1/2
• scraps for heart and sentiment

INKS

• VersaColor
• Celadon
• Pinecone
• Ash Rose

TOOLS

• Big Shot
• Spellbinders
• Lacey Circles
• Cuttlebug embossing folder
• 1 3/8” circle punch
• Sizzlits Heart, Primative #2
• Sewing Machine
• Paper piercing tool

ACCESSORIES

• Lace ribbon
• Seam binding
• Prima Flourish
• Gold Pearls
• safety pin

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut all paper
2. Use Big Shot and cut Spellbinders die cut and Sizzlits heart
3. Stamp sentiment and heart/buttons on scrap of off white paper and punch out with circle punch
4. Stamp heart using the Tailor’s Heart set
5. Prepare the paper for the bottom half of the card using Judy’s technique here.
6. Emboss the paper for the top half of the card and distress with Antique Linen Distress Ink
7. Heavily distress edges of paper
8. Use sewing machine to stitch panels attaching all to card base
9. Use paper piercing tool to punch holes around edge of heart
10. Use marker to create “faux stitching”
11. Add flourish to card.
12. Attach lace and seam binding
13. Add sentiment , heart and gold pearls

TSTR WEEK 95: TIME FLIES – MY QUILLING PROJECT

I don’t usually have more than one post for any challenge, but this week I have 2 submissions for The Shabby Tea Room.  And this one is not a card. Instead, it is a quilled floral project that I completed and had framed in a shadowbox.  This is what I did for the first 2 weeks after I broke my ankle since I could not get around very well.  I hope you like it!!

This is the full picture including the frame and it was way to big for my light box, so I just had to make do as best I could in taking the pictures.

Now for some close-ups:

The project is made using the technique called quilling. The butterfly was stamped using EK Tools Butterfly stamp. The size of the actual design is approximately 10 x 7”.  A lot of people have asked me what quilling is so I thought I would just give a brief description. 

Quilling started in 14th or 15th-century Europe with Italian and French nuns and monks incorporating gorgeous quilled designs into book covers and religious items. Their quilled works resembled ironwork of their day and was cheaper to produce than ironwork.  It spread to England and eventually became a pastime for “ladies of leisure”.  Quilling arrived in America with the colonists, but lost favor once paper became so readily available.  Today there are many new papers and techniques that are available, bringing added interest to this art. Once again, this old art form is taking root and becoming a popular craft of our time.

Quilling is the art of rolling strips of paper around a quilling tool and then forming a circle from that coil of paper. The circles are glued and then pressed with fingers to make it into different shapes which are then used to form designs.

Additional tools are used as well, In this picture you can see the effects achieved by using a fringing tool.  The paper strip is fringed all along the edge and then rolled around the quilling tool to give the flower the ruffled effect that you see in the purple flowers and buds above and the purple flowers below. 

Punches are also used as evident in the picture above. A small circle punch was used to make the little white 4-petal flowers. Lastly, the fringed white flowers are made using a punch and scissors to create a fluffy fringed flower.

Now for The Shabby Tea Room! Isn’t this week’s inspiration photo adorable?  I just love the colors in it and the butterflies caught my attention.

This week we are supposed to create a card or project inspired by the above photo and USE SOMETHING WITH WINGS!  My quilled project picks up on the pretty spring colors and the inspiring butterflies!

I hope you enjoyed seeing my project and reading more about quilling.  Thank you for stopping by my blog today. Please be sure to leave me comments so I know you stopped by and also let me know what you think about quilling!

hugs,

Ellen

SO MANY CHALLENGES….SO LITTLE TIME

Hi everyone! Just wanted to get this quick post out to show you my card that will be entered into the following challenges:

Mojo Monday 222

Stamp School Art Room Color Challenge 1-2-12

The Shabby Tea Room Week #95 Time Flies

I’ll give you the details on these challenges but first I will show you my card….

This little card was hard to photograph because of the pastel colors, but hopefully you get the idea. The broomstick crochet lace was crocheted by me.

This medallion is stamped with Rubber Stamp Tapestry’s Bunny Garden Set . I just adore the cute little bunny included in this set, and the flowers are so dainty and sweet.

The sentiment is also from RST. It is their "Friend" Block Stamp (1" x 1.5") .

The sketch came from the Mojo Monday sketch this week.

And if you have not been to the Stamp School site, you should check it out once you leave comments here!  You will find new products and challenges there.  This month, the color challenge is just gorgeous.  I can’t wait to order their totally awesome card stock!

And of course you know I always try to get in on The Shabby Tea Room challenge because they are so inspiring. And, this week is no exception. Just look at that fabulous inspiration photo! For the challenge we are to create a card or project inspired by the above photo and USE SOMETHING WITH WINGS!

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….


STAMPS

• Rubber Stamp Tapestry
  • Bunny Garden Set
  • "Friend" Block Stamp (1" x 1.5")

PAPER

• White
• 11 x 4 1/4” folded for base
• Scrap for medallion and sentiment
• 4 x 5 1/4” for panel (I used a piece out of my scrap stash and I’m not sure where I got it) INKS
  
• VersaColor
• Celadon
• Sage
• Green Tea
• Neptune

TOOLS

• Big Shot
• Spellbinders
• Beaded Ovals
• EK Tools
• Butterfly Stamp
• Rubber Stamp Tapestry
• Oval Positioning Template

ACCESSORIES

• White satin ribbon
• Crochet lace
• Light blue rhinestones

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut all paper
2. Use Big Shot and cut Spellbinders die cut
3. Stamp sentiment on scrap of off white paper
4. Position oval template over sentiment and rub sage ink around edge forming oval shape. Cut out with scissors.
5. Use Bunny Garden stamps and stamp Beaded Ovals die cut
6. Punch out butterfly using coordinating colored scraps
7. Adhere DSP panel to card base
8. Video instructions for the Broomstick Crochet Lace can be found here
9. Attach lace to DSP panel
10. Add rhinestones to all panels and tags
11. Adhere Beaded Ovals medallion to panel
12. Attach the vertical ribbon.
13. Add sentiment, butterfly and small bow

THE SHABBY TEA ROOM TSTR WEEK 94

Hello to all my friends in blog land. I hope your Christmas wishes came true and that you are looking forward to a happy and prosperous new year! 

I have to say I absolutely love seeing a new year arrive.  It always brings so much hope and anticipation of good things to come.  I know the year doesn’t always really bring us all goodness and joy, but don’t you just love the feeling of a fresh start?

Today, I am sharing a card I made for The Shabby Tea Room challenge Week #94 - 'A Colorful & Shabby New Year'.

…here is the inspiration photo

The challenge is to create a card or project inspired by the above photo and USE PINK OR RED, BLUE, YELLOW AND GREEN!

Well, I’m sure I nailed the colorful part of this challenge! I tried to make this card lighthearted and fun with the colorful design and the cute little dog jumping into the new year. 

How cute is he? I just love the sunshine and that happy little jump from this darling little guy. This stamp set is from Rubber Stamp Tapestry and is called “Sunshine Puppies”. 

I was lucky enough to get lots of new card making items for Christmas….stamps, lots of stamps, and Spellbinders. So stay tuned as I try out my new goodies and once we get into the new year, I will be trying new techniques too.

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….


STAMPS

• Rubber Stamp Tapestry
• Sunshine Puppies Set

PAPER

• DCWV  Garden Party Matstack
• 4 1/2 x 4 1/2”
• 4 x 3” for Spellbinders Fancy Tag
• White
  • for Spellbinders Labels Four
  • scrap for circle
• Craftwell Blueberry
• 1 x 4 1/2” strip
• 4 3/4 x 4 3/4”
• Light blue
• 10 x 5 folded to make card base

INKS

• VersaColor
• Cyan
• Pinecone
• Green Tea
• Canary

TOOLS

• Big Shot
• Spellbinders
• Labels Four
• Fancy Tags
• Lacey Circles
• Sizzix Sizzlits Circle #3
• EK Success
• 1 3/8” circle punch
• Card maker
• Fiskars edger

ACCESSORIES

• Yellow satin ribbon
• Pink pearls
• Liquid Pearls – Petal Pink

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut all paper
2. Use Big Shot and cut all Spellbinders and Sizzlits Circle #3
3. Use Fiskars edger on the Blueberry strip
4. Use card maker on the top two corners of the Blueberry panel
5. Cut the small white circle with the circle punch
6. Slip the 4 1/2 x 4 1/2” panel into the slits in the Blueberry panel
7. Run yellow ribbon through holes in the punched edge of the Blueberry strip
8. Attach Blueberry strip doily and Fancy Tag to Garden Party panel.
9. Use Sunshine Puppies stamps on the Labels Four tag
10. Edge the Labels Four tag and small white circle with Cyan ink
11. Add Liquid Pearls to the grassy areas of the Labels Four tag
12. Make the sentiment medallion by layering the Lacey Circle, Circle #3 and 1 3/8” circle
13. Make bow and attach
14. Add pink pearls

 

THE SHABBY TEA ROOM GUEST DESIGNER

Happy Monday to all my blogging friends. I am so excited today because I am the Guest Designer at The Shabby Tea Room.  I just love those Shabby Girls for all of their inspiration and encouraging comments and thank each and every one of them for choosing my card as winner in week #79 - ‘Boys Will Be Boys’! If you haven’t checked it out yet, be sure to see this weeks challenge Week #92 – ‘The Stockings Were Hung by the Chimney With Care’ at The Shabby Tea Room. 

I saw this cute sleigh template from Card Carousel and just had to find a reason to make it this season. I decided to make the sleigh match my card and create a gift set for a small special gift.  Here is what I did (but be prepared for a lot of pictures!) ……



…which is based on this inspiration photo and the challenge to create a card or project inspired by the attached photo with a stocking(s) on it!



Isn’t that inspiration photo just gorgeous? I ended up including stockings a couple of ways: 1) from the stamp set used on the card and sleigh and 2) from the stocking I quilled to go on the card.

My card is a 5x7 that uses MME Lost and Found Christmas paper that is crimped into a beautiful diamond pattern and lightly rubbed with red ink with distress ink around the edges to soften and “age” the paper.  Before crimping, I  used Rubber Stamp Tapestry’s Holiday Stockings Set to stamp a wreath on the lower right corner.  The same stamps set was used around the border of the card.



The stocking is one that was quilled by me and glued over a gold trim that I crocheted.



The large poinsettia flowers are made from strips of red satin ribbon and the small ones are punches from the McGill Petite Petals Punch.  I just used the 5-petal flower and layered it to create the poinsettia effect. Seed beads create the centers of the poinsettias.  The sentiment tag is stamped with the RST stamp set and with their Merry Christmas peg stamp.



Santa’s sleigh was so much fun to make. The template is available from Card Carousel and is very easy to assemble.  Decorating it is where the fun begins. 



I decided to make my own template for the sleigh’s skids so I could cut them from metallic gold paper. I like the way they turned out, but you can also create the skids by outlining that portion of the original template with glitter, cord, or an element of your choosing.



Santa’s sack opens and is large enough to include a small gift like chocolate, tea, or jewelry.



The sleigh is decorated with the same stocking stamp set as the card…Rubber Stamp Tapestry’s Holiday Stockings Set



The distressed paper, crochet trim and doily give this card a nice vintage feel..  I like the way they turned out, but what do you think?

Complete instructions for the card are listed below, so if you want all the details, please scroll down. The template and instructions for the sleigh are available from Card Carousel.

I hope you like my card and will leave comments before you leave! Thanks for stopping by….


STAMPS

• RUBBER STAMP TAPESTRY:
  • Merry Christmas peg
  • Holiday Stockings Set

PAPER

• MME Lost and Found Christmas 4x6
• White paper  5x7

INKS

• VERSACOLOR
  • Neptune
  • Evergreen
  • Burgundy
  • Olive
  • Green Tea
• Pigment Copper
• Jim Holtz Distress Ink – Antique Linen

TOOLS

• Fiskar’s Crimper
• McGill’s Petite Petals  Punch

ACCESSORIES

• Red satin ribbon
• Crochet trim
• Gold & clear seed beads
• Gold metallic ribbon
• 1/2 baker’s doily
• Gold half-pearls
• Red rhinestones

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut all paper
2. Use RST’s Holiday Stockings Set to make border on white 5x7 paper and lower right corner of the MME 4x6 paper
3. Use Fiskar’s crimper to make the diamond design. Click here for instructions
4. Make large poinsettias from red satin ribbon. Click here for instructions
5. Use McGill’s Petite Petals Punch to create small poinsettias.
6. Glue seed beads in center of flowers
7. Cut baker’s doily in half and rub with Jim Holtz Distress Ink – Antique Linen and adhere to 4x6 panel
8. Adhere gold crochet trim over top edge of baker’s doily
9. Attach quilled stocking to gold trim
10. Add flowers
11. Tie metallic ribbon to sentiment and attach to panel.
12. Add glitter, rhinestones, half-pearls