Papertrey Ink's March 2013 Blog Hop: Sequins

Welcome fellow Papertrey Ink lovers! 

I am going to try to make this sort of short and sweet as I know you are hopping along to so many amazing blogs and it is also way too late when I type this.

I went with making a rainbow set of cards with the same design, dies and stamps.  In my sequin collection I found a box of multi-colored swirl sequins have had for years...so long that I don't recall when or exactly where I bought them.  I separated the colors out and chose colors for the cards I made from the color families I found.

I just got my March release order and I (like many I am sure) was over the moon for Maile Belles' new Birthday Style and Bountiful Banners sets.  I stamped the solid streamer on a piece of white cardstock.  I die cut the Boutiful Banners die from white cardstock as well and stamped the sentiments using the same ink.  I adhered the sequins onto the streamers.  I first tried glue, but found mini glue dots to be easier and less mess.  The little HB circle is adhered with dimensional adhesive.

I adhered this panel with dimensional adhesive to a white cardstock card base that I adhered a matching patterned paper stripe of paper to.  And that's it!  I love how fun these all turned out together and I could easily replicate this design for any occasion.

Thank you so much for stopping by and I know I will inspired by what you make!

Happy creating,
Shay.

P.S. Scroll down for today's Man Oh Man Monday post.

Supplies:
Stamps: Birthday Style and Bountiful Banners, Papertrey Ink
Inks: bubble gum, butter bar, green hills and stone wash mid-tone shadow inks and soft cantaloupe shadow ink, Hero Arts
Cardstock: white, Georgia Pacific
Patterned Paper: "Memorable" and "Notable" Collectable 6x6 paper pads, My Mind's Eye; Ready Set Go 6x6 paper pad, Amy Tangerine/American Crafts; Neapolitan 6x6 paper pad, Dear Lizzy/American Crafts; Soleil 6x6 paper pad, Basic Grey
Other: Boutiful Banners Die, Papertrey Ink; Cuttlebug, Provo Craft; glue dots, dimensional adhesive; Cool Grey No. 3 (C3), Copic

Man Oh Man Monday No. 3

Happy, happy Monday!  I have a couple of cards to share with you today using a busy craft girl's best friend: kits.  I used Studio Calico's Central High Card Kit, their first card kit from back in September of 2012 along with some letter stickers from the Central High Scrapbook Kit.  The only other item I added from my stash was a birthday die I recently got from Papertrey Ink that I was dying to try out. 

I have found that Studio Calico creates kits that are great for creating cards for any gender and the Central High Card Kit was a perfect example.   They always include an exclusive 6x6 paper pad of patterned paper that is in a word, awesome.  No, sadly I was not paid by Studio Calico to give this endorsement...weirdly I just promote products I pay for and love.  For even more ease I didn't ink up anything.  Yes, that's right no stamps for these suckers.

I would rate these cards as Easy Going.

Card No. 1

From the number file folder die cut found in the kit I die cut the birthday from it.  I then backed the die cut with the red patterned paper.  I made sure to add back some of the insides of the letters.  To cover up a change of mind with some of the letter stickers that caused some paper tearing (I hate when that happens!), I added the speech bubble die cut and placed the letters on that.  I adhered it to the file folder die cut with dimensional adhesive.  This was all adhered to a white cardstock base covered with some of the chevron papers and striped patterned paper. 

Card No. 2

I had the positive birthday die from the previous card I wished to use.  I loved the yellows featured on a lot of the die cuts included in the card kit.  I decided to use the yellow with the soft morning sky blue and also include some grey (grey is always good, right?).  I cut out a banner strip from a patterned paper with the same color as the birthday die and adhered it to the grey dot paper that I adhered to a white card base along with the mustard number paper (big love and perfect for birthdays).  Then I added a few layers of the die cuts.  I added the letter stickers (the ones I peeled off the previous card) to spell out happy and then adhered the birthday die.  Last I rounded the left bottom corner.

 

MOMM Tips:
MOMM Tip No. 1: Use kits.  There are some really incredible card kits out there along with scrapbook kits that take the guess work out of choosing products that coordinate and include the latest and greatest products.  Along with Studio Calico I really like Simon Says Stamp's monthly card kit. 
MOMM Tip No 2: Keep it clean.  You don't have to pull out your inks every time to create a card.  It is okay to give your stamp collection a little breather.  They really won't revolt and come at you when you sleep.

I hope this has inspired you to make some easy and fun manly cards.

Happy creating,
Shay.

P.S. You will find my Papertrey Ink March 2013 Blog Hop today as well.

Supplies:

Kits: Central High Card Kit and Central High Scrapbook Kit, Studio Calico
Other: Wonderful Words: Birthday die, Papertrey Ink; Cuttlebug, Provo Craft; dimensional adhesive; Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper, We R Memory Keepers

Man Oh Man Monday No. 2

Good Monday and ahoy mateys! This week I bring you a clear based card with a touch of a nautical feel.   I was inspired to make a clear card by Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday #107: Clear Card & Copic Coloring Basics. 

I would say this card is Easy Going.

As I don't have any clear cardstock (something that I need to add to my already eye-popping long to-buy list) I used some of the backing that stamps come on that I have collected over the years.  I cleaned the backing with a old t-shirt to get any unsightly film off them. 

For this project I wanted to use my Background Basics: Herringbone.  I love this set, but found the large image a challenge to stamp with good results.  Perhaps I am merely stamping challenged, but if you also find yourself in this undesirable situation I can help by suggesting doing this:

1. stamp into a foam pad or mouse pad; 
2. apply some force with your fingers onto the acrylic mount or stamp press enough so that the ink actually sticks to the paper;
3. carefully flip over the acrylic block with the paper still stuck to the stamped image
4. place a piece of scratch typing paper over the cardstock being stamped upon
5. either use your fingers, brayer or a smaller acrylic block to evenly press all over the cardstock and stamp through the typing paper. 

Using this method I then got a clean stamped image instead of an image with gaping holes.

The little sailboats are from Bitty Baby Blessings which I stamped three times on a white piece of cardstock with black ink and then colored in with Copics.  I wanted a little interest on the sails so added stripes using the Colorless Blender and edging it with the darker blue for them to stand out in contrast.  The sentiment is also from Bitty Baby Blessings, but I decided not to include "little sailor".  Somehow a smidgen of the ink from the "little sailor" part of the sentiment transferred although I swear I carefully wiped it all away.  So that is why there are those three brown gems under "ahoy". 

The herringbone panel is adhered on the opposite side of the clear card front with the sailboat panel adhered to the top of the cart front.  A word of caution, take your time placing your panels down as once adhered they won't budge without damage thus why the cardstock panels on my card list (pun intended) to one side.  The card front and back are adhered with a simple strip of gold washi.

I think this card could be given to a baby, boy or someone older with an interest in the sea and thus why I left out the "little sailor" of the sentiment.  Also, this card could be used for various occasions depending on what sentiment was put inside (my inside is a simple red piece of cardstock).

Challenges Met: Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday #107: Clear Card & Copic Coloring Basics.

MOMM Tips:

MOMM Tip No. 1: Clearly fun.  Try using acrylic cardstock or clear packing material to make a card.  It is fun to play with the transparent aspect of acylic.
MOMM Tip No. 2: Don't fret mistakes.  If you fumble a bit try to find a creative solution before tossing it and starting over.  I covered up my mess up with a gem and like the card more for it and only I know the reason I added the embellishment.
MOMM Tip No. 3: Use your background stamps.  Those stamps are marvelous for gender neutral designs that you can ink up in any color you want to match your project.
MOMM Tip No. 4: Modify your stamps as needed.  There is no rule that you have to ink up the whole sentiment/image of your stamp.  Ink up whatever part works for you.

And there you have it.  I am firmly behind the nautical trend and you will probably see this theme appear in future Mondays (wait until I go anchor crazy!).  Are you on board for all things nautical or rather see them walk the plank? 

If you would like to play along leave a comment with a link to your creation(s). I am so excited to see whatever you make. Also, if you have any suggestions for products, inspiration, themes, colors, etc. please don't hesitate to leave me a comment.

Happy creating,
Shay.

Supplies:
Stamps: Bitty Baby Blessings and Background Basics: Herringbone: Papertrey Ink
Ink: pale tomato mid-tone shadow ink, Hero Arts; tuxedo black, Memento by Tsukineko
Cardstock: stamper's select white and pure poppy, Papertrey Ink
Other: acrylic; colorless blender (0); prawn (R24), cadmium red (R27), light grayish cobalt (B95), night blue (B97), sepia (E37), dull ivory (E43): Copic; gems, Studio Calico; gold washi

Man Oh Man Monday No. 1

Welcome, welcome my friends!  Thank you for joining me on this new adventure.  When I thought about this idea I knew it was so right.  Without further ado, I share with you my first blog feature:

Do you have the blues when trying to come up with cards for guys?  Stumped on how to have fun making something for the opposite sex?  How do you use your beloved supplies to create cards for the males in your life?

I wonder these things too and thought why not devote a day each week to making masculine cards (and possibly projects)?

My number one reason for making masculine cards are for birthdays so at first that is what I will mostly be focusing upon, but should anyone be interested in exploring other occasions in depth, give me a holler. 

I will be using three categories of products:

• Hear Me Roar = male gender specific full of good ol' boy stereotypical guy goods like camping, fire, Western gear, trucks, motorcycles, trains, tools, sports, hunting, video games, comic books, boats, camouflage, rope and the like.
• Easy Going = gender neutral designs which could include chevrons, stripes, triangles, wood grain, nature, maps...most shapes are great here.
• So Secure I Wear Pink = not really either of the above and may involve (gasp!) pink, glitter and hearts because male cards are just not challenge enough for me...haha.  Seriously, some of us have supplies that may not translate immediately to masculine cards, but that shouldn't mean the need to spend more money to create guy friendly cards.  With some ingenuity we can use what we have!  

For the inaugural Man Oh Man Monday, I chose to use a color scheme informed by the Moxie Fab World's Trigger Tuesday: Pattern Play:

an embossing folder, dies and stamps along with Mama Elephant's Sketch Challenge 02:

I would classify the products used as Easy Going.

Card No. 1:

 

 

I used the bull's eye and an arrow from On Target and an arrow from Trifecta to create an interesting clock to play with the sentiment I stamped using Midnight Letters.  I found that the bull's eye fit perfectly into one of the clock faces found in the Pocket Watches texture fade (aka embossing folder) by Tim Holtz Alterations/Sizzix.  So thrilled with the discovery.

The dies are from a newer purchase from Lifestyle Crafts.  I chose the Tape It Kit collection because there were so many shapes that will work for any occasion, age, style or gender.

Heat embossing is always a great addition to a card.  I chose white on this card.

The banner is colored using my ink pad as it was the exact color I wanted.  I simply used the ink pad to paint on the color and since it was Distress Ink I lightly misted the banner with water to help even out the color making sure to wipe off the color from the white embossed letters.

After adhering the embossed panel onto the white card base with dimensional adhesive I added the last finishing touch with an enamel dot for the center of the clock where the arrow hands met.

Although I used this card for a birthday it would be equally as good for a congratulations of some sort...graduation, getting a job, anniversary, starting a business, promotion, closed on a house, or even climbing Mount Everest (if someone I knew climbed Mount Everest they deserve a card in the very least is all I am saying) for instance.

Challenges Met: Mama Elephant Sketch Challenge 02; Moxie Fab World's Trigger Tuesday: Pattern Play

Card No. 2:

Using the Mama Elephant Sketch No. 2 and flipping it upside down, this card began all about color and pattern...triangles in this case.  Trifecta is an *awesome* stamp set because it is so flexible. Using the small triangle border stamp I stamped it once in each of my 6 colors.  I then cut each line of triangles into a strip.  Using alternating strips I made a new diamond pattern onto my white card base.  The options here are limitless.

Surprisingly, here is where things got tricky.  At this point I was thinking I was going to use another banner.  I wanted a specific birthday sentiment, but I didn't really have one from Mama Elephant (yet) and I had already used Midnight Letters in my last card (several cards recently actually) so I searched through my various stashes for an alternative.  Finally I hit upon using my happy die from Papertrey Ink to make a negative die cut.  The idea of which was pushed into my head by Moxie Fab World's recent The Emphasize the Negative Challenge.  Of course I adhered the happy negative with foam adhesive.  I love how the colors and design peek through the word. 

By the way, inside the card I stamped "birthday!" to finish off this card, but if you wanted to make this into another sort of card you could put any sentiment in that fit your circumstances...even the sadly neglected Arbor Day.

Challenges Met: Mama Elephant Sketch Challenge 02; Moxie Fab World's Trigger Tuesday: Pattern Play; Moxie Fab World's The Emphasize the Negative Challenge

MOMM Tips (I had no idea that was the acronym of Man Oh Man Monday...too funny):

MOMM Tip No. 1: Make it easy for yourself and use a versatile sketch/challenge. I love how classic Mama Elephant's sketch is. An added bonus is that using their sketch dictates I use some Mama Elephant products thus minimizing the stamps I need to shift through and decide upon. I can't tell you how much time I spend simply choosing supplies for a project. I also decided to use the colors from Moxie Fab World's Trigger Tuesday as another way to narrow down my choices. These colors are fun, fresh and quite cool.
MOMM Tip No. 2: Use texture on your card and break out your embossing folders. Many embossing folders have designs that work for guy or gal cards.
MOMM Tip No. 3: Go negative.  Even dies with a little bit of a feminine look like the "happy" in Card No. 2 looks more graphic when only using the negative.

If you would like to play along leave a comment with a link to your creation(s).  I am so excited to see whatever you make.  Also, if you have any suggestions for products, inspiration, themes, colors, etc. please don't hesitate to leave me a comment.

Happy creating,
Shay.

P.S. If you want to see what I did with the positive of the happy die, please visit The Aviary today at 8:00 am (central) for something with a feminine mixed media edge.

Supplies:
Card No. 1
Stamps: On Target, Midnight Letters and Trifecta, Mama Elephant
Ink: broken china, rusty hinge, shaded lilac and seedless preserves, Tim Holtz Distress Ink by Ranger; limeaid ice, Papertrey Ink; VersaMark, Tsukineko
Cardstock: white, Georgia Pacific
Other:opaque white embossing powder, JudiKins; Tape It Kit die collection, Lifestyle Crafts; Pocket Watches & Steampunk Set texture fades, Tim Holtz Alterations/Sizzix; Cuttlebug, Provo Craft; dimensional adhesive; Collectable Remarkable "Handsome" enamel dots, My Mind's Eye; Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper, We R Memory Keepers; dimensional adhesive
Card No. 2
Stamps: Trifecta, Mama Elephant
Ink: broken china, rusty hinge, shaded lilac, seedless preserves and pumice stone, Tim Holtz Distress Ink by Ranger; limeaid ice, Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: white, Georgia Pacific; rich razzleberry, Stampin' Up!
Other: wonderful words die collection, Papertrey Ink; Cuttlebug, Provo Craft

Make It Monday No. 106: Two-Toned Stamped Flowers

Happy Friday (or Saturday)!

Tonight I bring you a card I made for my mom's birthday this week.  She's in love with aquas and turquoises right now so that dictated the monochromatic color scheme.  I was inspired by Make It Monday No. 106: Two-Toned Stamped Flowers by Melissa Phillips (isn't she amazing?  If you haven't seen her work I highly recommend spending some time over at her blog) although I used two colors very similar to each other: tumbled glass (pale aqua) and broken china (turquoise/teal) that blended much more than in the example by Melissa Phillips.

What I did:

1. I colored in solid peony from Pretty Peonies (unfortunately no longer available) with the tumbled glass Distress Marker and then came back in with broken china Distress Marker only coloring in about half the stamp.  I misted the image lightly with water before stamping the flower 3 times.  I over stamped the outline peony with broken china Distress Ink.
2. I pleated a strip of pattern paper.  I cut out the bracket tab from Fabulous Frames Die Collection from white cardstock and stamped the sentiment from Mini Blooms (love, love this font!) in broken china.  I adhered that down and then adhered the pleated pattern paper (I used Scotch Quick-Dry Adhesive which worked fabulously) over it.
3. I drew a frame around the top part of the card using my broken china Distress Marker.
4. My peonies needed some leaves so used the leafy Lovely Layers die from the Lovely Layers Die Collection to cut from vellum twice.  I folded them over and then attached them to the cluster of peonies.
5. I added some sparkle to the peonies with Stickles.
6. I adhered two stripes of the pattern paper onto the right and left sides of a 4.25 x 5.5 inch white card base and added my flower panel over that using dimensional adhesive. 

Voila!  Thankfully, my mom liked the card.  And maybe you will too.  Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit.

Oh and if you are interested I will be blogging at The Aviary Monday (a mixed media project) and also on Monday I am introducing my brand new (my first!) blog feature that I may be a tiny bit excited about.

Until Monday,
Shay.

Supplies:
Stamps: Pretty Peonies (limited edition and no longer available) and Mini Blooms, Papertrey Ink
Inks: broken china, Tim Holtz Distress Ink by Ranger
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Papertrey Ink; vellum
Patterned Paper: Shoreline 6x6 paper pad, American Crafts
Markers: broken china and tumbled glass, Tim Holtz Distress Markers by Ranger
Dies: Fabulous Frames Die Collection and Lovely Layer Die Collection, Papertrey Ink
Other: star dust Stickles, Ranger; dimensional adhesive; Cuttlebug, Provo Craft; Quick-Dry Adhesive, Scotch

Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger: Pattern Play

Good evening!

Tonight I thought I would quickly share a card I created for this week's Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World:

I think my take is pretty literal...again.  I was inspired by the colors and design.  I searched through my embossing powders for colors similar to the Trigger.  Here is what my card ended up looking like:

 

 

Most of the stamping is embossed, with some accents added with Distress Markers, Copic colored gems and a tiny bit of cross stitch.  I hope you like it.

Have a magnificent Monday!  And thank you so much for taking the time to stop by.

Happy creating,
Shay.

Supplies:
Stamps: Delightful Doilies, Giga Guide Lines and Pretty Peonies, Papertrey Ink
Ink: VersaMark, Tsukineko; rich razzleberry, Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: rich razzleberry, Stampin' Up!; pale grey, stash; vellum
Patterned Paper: Census from Basics collection, Basic Grey
Other: old paper and milled lavender Tim Holtz Distress embossing powder, Ranger; powder Zing! embossing powder, American Crafts; Double-Ended Banners die, Papertrey Ink; Cuttlebug, Provo Craft; embroidery floss no. 415, DMC; rusty hinge, broken china and dusty concord, Tim Holtz Distress Markers by Ranger; blue violet (BV08), hydrangea blue (BV13), sepia (E37), Copic; gems, stash; Tiny Attacher, Tim Holtz

Paper Wings Productions' March Design Team Blog Hop

Hello there my friends,

I am so glad you could join me to celebrate the many splendid Winged Things for the Paper Wings Productions' March Blog Hop.  If you came from Carrie's blog you are in the right place.  If not, you will want to check out The Aviary to start at the beginning so you could win this:

All you need to do is:

1. Be a follower of the Paper Wings Productions' blog, The Aviary;
2. Visit each of the design team's blogs including our guest designer and leave them a little love; and
3. Go back to The Aviary and leave a comment letting them know you completed the hop.

BONUS: For extra chances to win, just like the Paper Wings Productions' Facebook page and/or invite your friends to the hop. Then just come back and let us know ! Be sure to leave a separate comment for each of the additional entries.

The winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 5th on The Aviary.

You will also want to go through the blog hop to be inspired by the awesome design team's projects.  I have seen peeks and you will love them all!

Now on to my little Winged Things project.  When I thought of the "Winged Things" theme I decided I wanted to make something using the Wings stamp set (or Butterfly Wings) that would be uplifting...which is something I very much need at the moment. So I picked out a 8x10 canvas to make a little piece to hang in my studio. This size is great as it isn't too large or too small.

I recently received the Simon Says Stamp March 2013 Card Kit and I loved the happy designs and colors in the kit including the Daphne's Closet 6x6 papers by Lawn Fawn.  All of my colors came from those papers.

I stamped the set of butterfly wings on a different patterned paper and then gold embossed them.  I cut them out...luckily, they are an easy shape to cut.  I knew I wanted to make the body of the butterfly from the straws included in the kit and I made attenae with gold thread.  I rolled the edges of the wings to mold them and give them some dimension.

For the canvas I wanted something that the colors would pop off of.  I began by painting the canvas with gesso and then I used a toilet paper roll (who knew they could be so useful in the studio?!) to stamp black paint rings onto the canvas.  After the paint dried I added a light wash of gesso to the middle of the canvas just to soften the circles.  To the bottom edge I inked up the edge and then stamped the solid small circles from Single Dots Border in green.  To the top edge I inked up the edge and then stamped the outline small circles from Single Dots Border in fuschia.  For this application I was really happy with the haphazard stamping of clear stamps on canvas.  I added a frame with my gold leaf pen to pull in more gold (I can't get enough of it at the moment).

Next I went searching online for a quote I liked.  After finding a quote, I shopped my little Thickers collection for the right colors and different textures.  Of course the gold glitter Thickers came out...they seem to show up on everything I make right now.  I may have to start wearing them.  I also pulled out some neon letters from Heidi Swapp because I liked the color and shape.  I only altered the 1 by coloring black to make it stand out a bit more.  Just a note, the Thickers stick but move pretty easily.  I recommend that you adhere them permenantly with something like Glossy Accents, Diamond Glaze or even hot glue if you prefer.

 

After spelling out my quote I placed my butterflies on the canvas to figure out the placement.  I originally made 6 butterflies, but only ended up using 3 for this project.  I adhered the butterflies in place with glue dots and/or dimensional adhesive.  Lastly I added drops of sprays for added pops of color.  Easy peasy.  Just change up the colors, design and quote to suit your taste and style.

I hope this has inspired you to make something that will uplift you or someone else!  And remember to head on over to The Aviary for your chance to win.

For more uplifting ideas for Winged Things or if you get lost along the way here is the full list for the blog hop:

Heather Lynn Novinger - http://heathernovinger.blogspot.com/Dana Tatar - http://datatar.blogspot.com/
Tara Chaussee - http://secretbeesstudio.blogspot.com/
Norma Gomez - http://lilhoneybeestudios.blogspot.com/
Amber Rasmussen - http://sew-ink.blogspot.com
Carrie Avery - http://www.carrieavery.com/
Shay - http://verdigrishall.blogspot.com/  <-----You are here
The Aviary -  http://paper-wings-productions.blogspot.com/

Thank you so much for visiting! 

Happy hopping,
Shay.

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Stamps: Wings or Butterfly Wings and Single Dots Border, Paper Wings Productions
Ink: VersaMark, Tsukineko; limeade ice and raspberry fizz, Papertrey Ink
Kit: March 2013 Card Kit includes 6x6 paper from Daphne's Closet by Lawn Fawn and paper straws, Simon Says Stamp
Other: detail metallic gold embossing powder, JudiKins; gesso, Claudine Hellmuth Studio by Ranger; metallic sequin black acrylic paint, Folk Art by Plaid; gold decorative sewing thread, Coats; gold glitter sunrise, orange chipboard flat, yellow foam Eric, pink chipboard bliss, green puffy honey Thickers, American Crafts; day glow neon letters, Heidi Swapp; sherbert, buttercup and Doris Mister Huey's Color Mists, Studio Calico; pink balloon sprinklers, October Afternoon; gold leafing pen, Elmer's; black fine point permenant marker, Sharpie; canvas