A little bird told me Journal

So here we are on the last day of May, and I'm having fun

with the Bird Crazy stamps and accessories.

 

I stamped the bird on a journal and colored it in with aqua painter and

 

Crushed Curry ink. 

 

Cut out the eye and popped over face. I love those glasses!!! I cut them 

 

out with glossy black cardstock. 

 

And check out the paper tassel that I made with 6x6 paper pack using

 

fringe scissors. 

 

 

Once I made the first tassel I couldn't stop and made a few more. 

I'm always looking for ways to use designer paper and the tassels are a 

great project. Got to raid my bead, and charm box. The tops of the tassels

are just wrapped with washi tape. 

Stamping trails

Karen

Mailable Monday #153

How fun is this herd? 

From the Herd stamp set is a few years old, and now retired. 

Came across it when I was organizing some stamps. Just looking at 

the "herd" makes me smile. 

I inked the main image with Early Espresso and stamped on Crumb Cake base card. 

The balloons and hat were inked with Elegant Eggplant and stamped on Wisteria Wonder 

cardstock. I fussy cut them out and popped them on the card. 

I like that the balloons are attached to the yak's horns, and goat's tail. 

And of course the pig has the hat on cause lets face it pigs are party animals! 

Stamping trails

Karen

Crazy Bird....You're How Old?

Let me just start by saying that I've had a love/hate feeling for

the Tim Holtz Bird Crazy sets that he released last year. 

With that said in a weak moment on Mother's Day I ordered them from 

Joanns.com because they were 40% off and if I ordered them before

midnight on Mother's Day I would get free shipping. Well that

just pushed me over the edge! Okay I'm laughing at myself as I'm writing this. 

Since when has sale prices ever made up my mind about craft supplies? 

It helps of course, but when you got to have it........you know the rest. 

My first card. 

I used the distress crayons to color the bird. 

The panel looks shiny in the post....that is because I used glossy black cardstock. 

I added strips of washi tape. 

The birds are really cool as the framlits cut around the birds and the bird part 

perfectly and without having a border going around them. 

Here is a side view. The eyes, beak, and wings were cut with the

matching framlits, then popped over the bird. Since I got the sets I simply

had to have the crazy talk stamp set that went with it all. 

And just look at all the little accessories in the left photo that goes

with the birds. I think I'm going to have fun "dressing" my birds. Good thing it

isn't Thanksgiving....get it..."dressing" and Thanksgiving. Okay

Its after midnight and I'm trying to write this post and I think I'm getting slap 

happy from lack of sleep. I better go to bed before I order something else!!!!!

Stamping trails

Karen

White on White on White Cards

Keeping withe the VC Rocks Celebration theme...I have another card to share. 

 

Thought this one would be good for a bridal shower, or wedding card.

This is white on white on white! I used the scribbles thinlit again. 

I layered several of them over the white satin ribbon. 

The top and smallest scribble was popped over the top of the other layers. 

I had the cut the pop dots down into thin strips in order to get it to work. 

Greeting is from Floral Wings hostess set. Embossed layer was done using 

a retired script embossing folder. 

And if that wasn't enough white for you........here is another one.

Its a scribble snowman! I'm sorry I just couldn't resist myself. I saw

the three sizes of thinlits and when stacked it just looked like a snowman. 

The layer was embossed with gently falling embossing folder.

Don't forget to check out the VC Rocks Blog for other celebration cards!

Stamping trails

Karen

Cruisin' for Special Occasions Blog Hop

 

Welcome to the VC Rocks Cruisin' for Special Occasions Blog Hop. 

I decided to go with birthdays as the special occasion, cause lets face it

you never can have to many birthday cards on hand.

Just loving the new scribbles thinlits, so I used them in both of the cards. I

also decided to use the same basic layout for both. 

Stamp set Wetlands. Cardstock: Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Whisper White.

 

Ink colors: Bermuda Bay, Always Artichoke, Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Crumb Cake, and Jet Black

 

StazOn. 

 

 other things used, watercolor paper, aqua pen, wide oval punch, big shot, sponge, and Gorgeous 

 

Grunge stamp set. 

Next card uses the same basic layout. 

 

Stamp sets: Sheltering Tree, and greeting from Butterfly Basics. 

 

Cardstock: Whisper White, Melon Mambo, and Daffodil Delight.

 

Ink: Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, and Jet Black StazOn.

 

Other things used: watercolor paper, aqua painter, big shot, scribbles, and star burst  thinlits, sponge. 

Hope you enjoyed my small part in this fun blog. Don't forget to 

check out what the other designers did at VC Rocks Blog

Stamping trails

Karen

 

Well Embellished Card

So I'm trying to be good. I've been going through the craft room, 

and finding lots of things I haven't used. The Tim Holtz

bird cage die is one of the things I bought several years ago and 

never used. I know I know....shame on me. 

After cutting it out in black cardstock I used my fingers to round out the 

bottom of the cage and the sides. I wanted to put it on a card and 

have it look 3d. 

Glued it to the designer paper using Tombo liquid glue (love that stuff!)

The flower brads that I used in the center of petite petals is another

thing I've had for years (and dare I say years and years) and that the package was never opened!  

 

Cardstock is blushing bride, and wild wasabi. The edges of the leaves and flower were

 

all sponged before gluing to the card. Butterflies are an embosslit from SU. 

 

Edges were also sponged and peals added to the center. 

 

 

Inside view. I used the same designer paper that I used on the front and 

added a little butterfly to the flower petal. 

This is a card that would need to be hand delivered or put in a box so it wouldn't be crushed. 

Sometimes you just need to make a well embellished card! 

Stamping trails

Karen

Card Tote Tutorial

Happy Wednesday! I'm back with the card tote tutorial. This time I made 

a Christmas one. Instead of using a belly band I chose to use a Velcro dot to the inside

pocket to keep the tote closed.

So lets get started. 

Cut two: 5" x 7 1/2" pieces of cardstock. These will be the outside tote. Score

at 1 1/2" along one 5" side. Repeat for the second piece. 

Dash lines are the scoring lines.

For the outside panel mats cut 4 3/4 x 5 3/4 from cardstock, and 4 1/2 x 5 1/2 from 

designer paper. Using adhesive layer them together. 

Apply sticky strip to the bottom of one of the outside cardstock pieces. Remove the tape

and adhere the two bottom pieces together. They are going to be overlapped at the 1 1/2 in score line 

so the bottom of the tote will be a double layer. 

Here is a side view of the tote with the bottom adhered. 

Pockets: Cut cardstock 8 x 4 1/2 in. Cut two of these pieces. 

Score three sides (leaving one 8 inch side unscored) at 3/4 " and 1 1/2". 

You can score on the simply scored tool, just make sure to use a bone folder also to

get nice creases. The cutting lines on the photo are marked as a solid line. The left side

of this piece has not been cut yet, but you can see on the right side how the piece will 

look after it has been cut. 

 

For the mat cut two pieces of cardstock at 4 3/4 x 2 3/4 in. Cut designer paper at 4 1/2 x 2 1/2. 

 

Glue the two pieces together. Then glue to front of the pocket. It's easier to adhere the layered panel

 

to the pocket before gluing the pocket piece to the tote. 

This photo shows how the pocket will come together. Think of making a box. The tab will

fold into the bottom part.  Use sticky strip along the long edge of the pocket. Then

Tuck in the flap and roll the short edges of the pocket over and stick. 

After the edges of the pocket are stuck to the bottom part use more sticky strip

on both of the short edges of the pocket. 

Remove the sticky strip from the side pockets and adhere to the inside tote.  The bottom of the 

pockets are flush with the bottom of the tote. 

Cut ribbon for the handles. I used ten inch pieces to create the handle on this tote. 

Use sticky strip and adhere the ribbon to the outside tote. Then glue down the layered

mat and designer paper. Tombo liquid glue works well. You can also use tear tape. 

Here is the inside view after the tote is completed. I used velcro dot to hold the tote closed, but

as you saw on my Saturday post I used a belly band to hold it closed. 

I don't have the exact measurement for the band, but you will need to use two strips

of cardstock and glue them together at the edges in order to make the band long enough to go around

the entire tote.  

Well I hope the directions are clear enough. If anyone has additional questions just email me and 

 

I'll be glad to help. 

 

Stamping trails

Karen 

Tales from Flower Garden

I know....I know...I promised the card tote tutorial today, 

but something came up beyond my control. 

And yes I will share with you what it was, but I can't do

it yet.  So...today I have pics from my front flower garden to share. 

I will be posting the card tote tutorial tomorrow. 

The flowers on the rhododendrons are really large this season. Just love

these flowers. Never knew about them till we lived in WA state for 5 years when

hubby was in the Navy. They actually grown like weeds in the forests of WA. 

The hostas are also doing really well. 

This is some type of lily, but I'm not sure what the name of it is. 

I need to have Skip pull out the wild rose plant growing next to the rhododendrons.

It never blooms, and the bugs take over, and eat all the leaves. 

 

 

Stamping trails

Karen 

 

 

Mailable Monday #152

Today I'm using a fun die cut card that was included in May's Paper Pumpkin kit. 

Just love the cross hatch. There is also another die cut card design in the kit, but I haven't

used that one yet. 

I added a well worn designer paper layer behind the die cut. 

Here is an inside view of the card. The stamp set in the kit has greetings for guys. You 

can never have enough of those. 

The front panel on this card was embossed with a gear folder by Tim Holtz. 

Decided to step the card up a bit and added a small gear embellishment. 

Stamping trails

Karen

Butterflies in Flight

Playing with a new thinlit die called Scribbles. It will be in the

upcoming new SU catalog.

Color for the scribble lines Wild Wasabi. The butterflies

I actually had cut already and were in my scrap drawer. Those colors are

Cameo Coral, and Elegant Eggplant. I added white accents to the center except

for the smallest butterflies.

I've had several requests for the directions to the Card Tote that I posted on Saturday.

I'll be posting a tutorial on Tuesday so please check back if you'd like the directions to that project. 

It rained most of the day on Saturday, and was a little chilly. We didn't do much outside.

We did go out to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner. That was nice. Seems like every time we go

there its raining! 

I'm planning a trip to the craft store tomorrow. I'm having separation  anxiety from Pat Catan's. 

Since its still a little cold today going to make a big pot of soup. That should be comforting. 

Stamping trails

Karen 

Butterfly Card Tote

I've been stamping a lot this week. This stunning beauty

is a card tote. 

The belly band holds the tote closed, and easily slides off. 

There is a pocket on each side, and will hold 5 cards with envelopes in each one. 

Close up view of the belly band.

I used the largest one from the Butterfly thinlits with black cardstock.

The antenna was made with black hemp. I love using hemp to make the antennas on these

butterflies. I need to get more colors. To finish it off I added some pearls in the center. 

I wasn't sure about the stripes on the designer paper I used on the band. It is the reverse side

to the small butterfly paper I used on the front and inside pockets. After looking at it

awhile I decided that the band needed a bit of "pop" that the blue stripes on the paper give it.
 

Another inside view of the card tote. 

Since I had some leftover pieces I also made a matching card. 

Well its back to the stamping studio to make some more artwork.

Going to rain most of the day and into tomorrow, so its perfect for me to do some stamping.

Trying to finish off birthday gifts then I'm going to start figuring out Christmas in July week

projects.....there I said it Christmas!!!!!!! 

Have a great weekend!

Stamping trails

Karen 

Love You Sew Much Card Using Darice Folder

Another new embossing folder I got from Darice. Remember they had them on sale buy

one get one free at Pat Catan's so I let myself get carried away and picked up several. 

I used Soft Suede and Blushing Bride cardstock, and inks. Don't know why,

but I just love these two colors together lately. 

Greeting is from SU Hostess set. I added some vintage lace and small scallop circles behind

the greeting. 

Here is a few of the folder. Fits in prefect with all the misc sewing themed stamps

and supplies I have. 

Stamping trails

Karen

Vino Themed Mini Magnet Frames

I picked up this set of 3 three frames from Michael's. They were only 1.50 for the set. 

The stamps came from Ink-a-dink-a-doo and are wine/grape theme inchies. 

Inked up the stamps with Jet Black StazOn then stamped on watercolor paper. 

Colored them in with Eggplant, and Pistachio Pudding inks. I added 

some twine bows, and leaf charms to each of the frame. Then hot glued magnets

to the back of the frame.

Pretty happy how these little gems turned out. 

Stamping trails

Karen

Shabby Chic Butterfly in Purples

This started out being a Mailable Monday card, but since I added

all the rhinestones to the butterfly I felt I needed to forget that idea. 

I used Gorgeous Grunge with Blackberry Bliss, and Blushing Bride ink for

the white base card. Next I added a small white doily then popped the butterfly on top.

Stamp set used Butterfly Basics.

Oh I forgot to post we got tickets to see Al Stewart at Kent State in August. I haven't seen

him since I was 15 and my brother Tony took me to see him at Cleveland State. Just love Al!

So happy to see he is touring the colleges again. 

Stamping trails

Karen 

Lilacs, and ATC Swaps

The lilac bush bloomed last week. 

It sure is pretty, and smells so sweet. Wish the blog

had smell-o-vision, so my readers could enjoy them!

Close up of the blooms. 

I've been swapping some artist trading cards this month. 

Here are some of the ones I've received. Its a fun swap so I'm 

pretty sure I'll be doing it again next month. 

Sending hugs and prayers to my dear friend Marianne. 

Her dog Neelix passed away. So sorry for her loss.

Stamping trails

Karen

Mailable Monday #151

I used some things that retiring from the SU catalog. 

Stamp set Nice Cuppa, and Kettles thinlits. 

Hardwood background was used with Soft Suede to make the table. 

Base card Lost Lagoon (I will miss this color as it is also retiring)

Tea cups Lost Lagoon, Lemon wedge Hello Honey (another color I'm going to miss)

Don't know if you can see it in this photo but it actually snowed yesterday!!!!!

How crazy is that to be snowing on May 15. Thankfully it didn't stick around long, but

it has been very cold this past weekend. 

It rained most of the day on Saturday so me and hubby went to the movies and saw

the Huntsman. Good movie, much better than the first Huntsman. 

Here is hoping the weather will get better this week. No fun being cold in May!!!

Stamping trails

Karen