A Simple Basket

Tonight I am sharing with you a simple little basket that I created for this week's JUGS challenge. It's a Template Challenge. While I was at a stamp show a few months back, I picked up a Purse Basket template with a matching Basket Weave stamp at the Rubber Cottage booth. This is the first time I got to play with it, and it was super easy to create this little cutie :)

I traced the template onto Gina K. Designs Pure Luxury card stock in Soft Sand, stamped it with the basket weave in Memento Rich Cocoa ink, added some shading with my Memento Desert Sand marker, cut it out and assembled. Next, I added a trim around the top edge using some SU! ribbon in Certainly Celery and Scor-Tape. I created my flower using plain white paper flowers - I crumpled them up, distressed the edges, and stamped them with one of the stamps from my Tim Holtz set called Floral Tattoo (such an awesome set for just about anything) in Certainly Celery and So Saffron. I used a piece if the ribbon for the leaves and assembled the whole thing with a button brad. Similar brads were used to attach the handle. To finish the basket, I added an adhesive felt butterfly from K & Co. - is she sweet? Now, what to put inside... Any ideas?

Happy Stamping!

Let's Get Sketchy

There's a super fun sketch over at Get Sketchy Card Challenges for this week! If you have time to play - head on over and check it out! The winner gets a gift pack from The Robin's Nest! I created this card using some new designer paper from Memory Box - Enchanted collection. I layered using Gina K. Pure Luxury card stock in Green Apple. I used a MS border punch to create my center strip, and added some stitching to embellish. All stamps are from my cute stamps. I stamped the bird cage and birdies in SU! Vintage Violet, and then added some of the leafy branches in SU! Old Olive. I then cut it out and added sponging. I attached the sentiment (which I absolutely LOVE) using some fibers I had laying around. I just love the wispy, hairy texture! I finished the card with some flowers I put together using petals from a silk flower arrangement that I took apart, adhesive pearls and some MS frond punches. I am planning to give this card to a very special couple on their wedding day!

Until next time...

A Lovely Sketch

Happy Friday! Tonight I am sharing with you the card I created following Vicki's sketch over at Stamp TV. For this card, I used two different stamp sets by Nina Brackett - Lovely Shelf and Nana's Needlework. My dp is from a new 8x8 paper pad I just picked up at the stamp store. It by October Afternoon and this collection is called The Thrift Shop. I have to say - it's a must have! I layered with some scraps of card stock that I had in my scrap bin. Next, I created my center strip and added some fun measuring tape ribbon for some texture. I then popped on three vintage buttons with some yellow leaves that I punched out using the MS frond punch. I then inked up the fabulously lacy doily from Nana's Needlework in Versamark and SU! Blue Bayou inks, stamped onto ivory card stock, and heat embossed with clear powder. I cut it out and used it as my side element. Lastly I used a sentiment from Lovely Shelf, added some of the small button flower images from Nana's Needlework (I stamped them off once first so they would be in the background), and some sponging - all in SU! Blue Bayou ink. I have had that pearly straight pin pokin' around my desk for too long, so I stuck it into the card as the finishing touch!

Have a great night! I hope to be around with more posts this weekend!

Trouble Organizing Your Mail?

This week's Anything But A Card Challenge hosted by Karen Knegten over at Stamp TV is to decorate a napkin holder. I loved Karen's idea to re-purpose the holder as a mail sorter - what a fab idea, right? We all have the pile of unorganized mail that needs a home and this is the perfect solution! I am also entering my project over at BasicGrey Challenges. The current challenge is to use punches on your project.

I was in PA this weekend visiting mom and we had time to do this project together. If you haven't already, you can check her project out here. As we sat and stared at our blank, plastic holders, discussing out plans of attack, we had a brainstorm. Instead of creating pockets to slip over each side, an A2 envelope with the flap cut off would do the trick! What a quick and easy gift idea this is :) I think I am going to head back to the $ store and pick up a few more holders!

So, for my project, I cut the flaps off of two A2 envelopes and began to decorate them. I decided on using Basic Grey papers from the Boxer collection and I used Gina K. Pure Luxury Card Stock in In The Navy for layering. I distressed the edges a bit to add some texture. I stamped the mailbox image from Gina K. Designs set Autumn Beauty designed by Theresa Momber on ivory card stock, colored with Copics, cut out using Nestabilites, and sponged with SU! ink in Night of Navy. I added some corner treatments using Sizzix dies, a MS flower punch and some green pearls.
For the back of my mail holder, I used the same papers and embellishments, and added a strip that I created using an MS border punch. I wanted to keep the back simple but cute!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I should have extra time this week for stamping so let me know if you see any new fun challenges out there in blog world!

Strut Your Stuff

Mom was telling me about an inspiration challenge at Off The Wall Craftiness so I headed on over to play :) What a fun blog! This week's inspiration is a photo of peacock - I immediately dug out one of my favorite SU! sets, Such a Tweet! I colored the peacock stamp using Memento markers in Bahama Blue and Pear Tart. After I stamped him onto white card stock, I cut him out with Nestabilities Label 9 and added some sponging in Memento's Bamboo Leaves. I added the sentiment to the bottom and to embellish, I added deep blue and aqua rhinestones to his tail! What a fancy peacock he is :) I kept my background simple by just running a piece of SU! Pacific Point card stock through the Cuttlebug with an embossing folder. I added a little more sponging to the edges to finish the card. If you get a chance, hop on over to Off The Wall Craftiness to check out the other entries!

home sweet home

Hello to all my friends! I have missed you so much over the past month and a half! I am so excited to finally sit down and share some news with all of you! Shaun and I are now home owners :) We moved in mid April and we are finally settled (and I finally unpacked all my stamp supplies!) I can't wait to get back into the swing of things - it's going to take me forever to go back through all of your blog posts and catch up! I can't wait to be inspired by all of you!

Tonight I am sharing with you a picture of our new home. We are so proud and we can't wait to have all of our friends and family over to check it out :) I will be sure to throw in a snapshot or two from time to time!

I am also sharing with you the change of address cards that I have sent out. This was my first project after unpacking all of my supplies. Since I needed 40 of these (yes, I know, 40!) I kept them very simple. They are single panel cards, A2 size, cut from Gina K's Pure Luxury in Soft Sand. I stamped each front with my SU! Canvas background stamp using Memento Rich Cocoa ink. I like how the canvas stamp gives the effect of a screen door. I then colored the new home stamp from Inkadinkado using Memento markers in Rich Cocoa and Cottage Ivy, stamped on white, and punched out using the pink Marvy oval punch. SU! card stock in YoYo Yellow was used for the scalloped oval that was layered under and paper pierced. I finished by using corners punched out from various scraps of Basic Grey Origins designer paper. I used the computer to print our new information on the back.

I hope you all have a great night! I am off to create something - I can't let the free time I have tonight get away from me!