Shop Talk: A Strenuous Recommendation

I can't believe June is nearly over and I haven't posted since early May.  I have some half written posts that are at various stages, but they aren't complete obviously.  I feel I must rectify this by at least posting once.

Where have I been you may (or probably not) ask.  I have been sucked into technology actually.  I recently have been keeping up with all those digital scrapbook sites, looking into online classes and listening to the ever amusing and interesting Paperclipping podcasts.  Anyone listen to these?  What do you think?  I find them to be wonderful and I am listening to them all the time right now...as I brush my teeth (seriously), go to sleep, etc.  I love shop talk.  I have a couple of friends that I talk with about art and all things related and we can talk until the end of days and still have more to chat about.  We discuss stamps, paper, paint, companies, artists, digital design, classes, new products, old products, how evil Martha Stewart is (she is I swear to always find ways to make me covet her products), Tim Holtz, scrapbooking, websites, blogs, time, organization, projects here and there, kit companies, and on and on.  So listening to the Paperclipping Roundtable and Paperclipping Digi Show is like ambrosia (as in food of the art and crafting gods) to me. 

The all important links:
Paperclipping Roundtable (available on iTunes FREE)
Paperclipping Digi Show (available on iTunes FREE)

They also offer a membership for their copious amount of video tutorials (very well done from the clips I have seen).  I plan on joining at some point because Noell and Izzy Hyman (the couple behind Paperclipping) deserve the support.

If you haven't already discovered these shows, GO.  It is catnip for scrapbookers, memory artists or anyone interested in listening to various subjects regarding creating, organization, process, design, the industry, photography, digital scrapbooking, etc.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner and I luckily still have both of my grandmothers to make cards for.  During the Hero Arts Club meeting in March we played around with alcohol inks (fun!).  I happened to make a card in which I covered both front and back with alcohol ink and stamped on with flowers.  Because the colors ended up being purplish and the stamps were flowers I knew I could cut up the card into two panels for my grandmothers (one of them loves purple and the other loves flowers).  I would usually make two different takes on the cards, but after it took me an hour to find this card (I have reorganized which basically means I have to figure out the new places I put things) I decided it would make more sense to make the same card (there are very slight variations like size).  I chose a very simple layout and application (I am shocked at myself!) and let the alcohol ink panel really be the star. 

I wish all the mothers, grandmothers and caregivers out there a very wonderful Mother's Day.  May your day be filled with love and care.

Thanks for calling at the Hall!

Flower Power Mother's Day Cards
Supplies
Stamps: Silhouette Burst (H5312), Flower Blossoms (F4489) and Flower (not sure what stamp this is even after an extensive web search), Hero Arts
Inks: Jet Black, Archival Ink by Ranger Industries
Alcohol Inks: Cranberry, Pool, Stream and Gold (if I remember correctly), Tim Holtz Adirondack by Ranger Industries
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate, Stampin' Up!; Lavender Moon, Papertrey Ink; Gold Metallic
Border Punch: Dot Scallop, Martha Stewart Crafts
Other: Black Ribbon, Ofray; This-to-That Dimensional Foam Adhesive, American Crafts (my new favorite for chunky dimension!)

Seeing Double

Hello everyone!  Welcome to any new readers!  How is everyone doing this fine week?  Can you believe it is May already (I say this every month though)?!?  Time seems to be in fast forward.  Anyone else experiencing that sensation?  I imagine parents must experience it accutely with how quickly children grow up.  One minute you are anxiously awaiting their arrival and the next you are anxiously awaiting their first words, first steps, first day of school and so on. 

I recently needed to make a card to go with a gift for a friend expecting twins--identical boys actually--and what could be more adorable than identical multiples?  Well, unless there are too many, they act as a singular unit, have strange menacing powers and look too eerily alike as in "Village of the Damned" and then it becomes scary.   Back to reality, I decided since there are two boys there should be two similar cards, but not identical (the kids may be identical, but they will not be of one mind unlike...see comment regarding "Village of the Damned" above).

I decided to go monochromatic and play more with pattern.  I chose the baby animals from the Little One Just Born set from L'il Davis Designs that I've had for a while because they are just so adorable.  I did stamp Dot Spot on the elephant to add interest and tie it in with the pattern already on the giraffe.  I am pretty happy with the results.  And I am loving Papertrey Ink's background stamps. 

I hope you enjoy the cards too:

Inside the cards:

Thank you for calling at the Hall!

Verdant Baby Giraffe Card

Supplies

Stamps: Baby Giraffe (from Little One Just Born set), Li'l Davis Designs; Dot Spot, Background Basics: Diamonds, Background Basics: Text Style and Bitty Baby Blessings (inside card); Papertrey Ink

Inks: Shabby Shutters & Peeled Paint, Tim Holtz Distress Inks by Ranger Industries

Cardstock: White, Georgia Pacific; Earthstone, Neenah Papers

Other: Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper, We R Memory Keepers

Golden Baby Elephant Card

Supplies

Stamps: Baby Elephant (from Little One Just Born set), Li'l Davis Designs; Dot Spot, Background Basics: Diamonds, Background Basics: Text Style and Bitty Baby Blessings (inside card); Papertrey Ink
Inks: Scattered Straw, Wild Honey and Rusty Hinge (inside card), Tim Holtz Distress Inks by Ranger Industries

Cardstock: White, Georgia Pacific; Earthstone, Neenah Paper

Other: Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper, We R Memory Keepers

Purple Haze

Firstly, I wanted to thank everyone who has commented recently due to the Papertrey Ink blog hop.  I have enjoyed reading everyone's comments and visiting your blogs and marvelling at the talent and cleverness!

Last Thursday night (April 22nd) found me needing to make a card for a college friend of mine.  I have been really remiss in sending out cards for ages now, but I have been trying hard to get out cards for birthdays this year.  So far I believe I am pretty much on target (with a few belated cards like this one).  My college friends have been sadly neglected and they really shouldn't be as they are special ladies. 

I had two directions when I began constructing this card: using my Kenner Road stamps again and incorporating purple.  Upon showing this card separately to my mom and sister they both asked if purple was my friend's favorite color and that is not the reason why I chose purple.  I think my college days have a purple haze around them...purple reminds me of my college friends and it just felt right. I searched through my Scarlet Lime kits (and some of my other kits) and came to the conclusion that purple isn't all that popular (having said that just yesterday I received my April kit from Kenner Road and it has a wonderful purple punch).  Still I found that the paper (Deep Black Patch from the Nancy Jane Collection by ADORNit - Carolee's Creations) I used from the April 2009 Scarlet Lime kit to make the Gypsy Bird Card has a touch of purple...I really am digging this paper (perhaps because it has black, white, aqua and limey green...colors that I go to over and over again).  Maybe it is a year old, but I have never been one to live completely in the moment as I always have a foot in the past (and a thought or two in the future).    And like the Gypsy Bird Card I again did the pleat using the strip of the paper I had punched because I dig that too.

Here is the purple card I made with pictures of the front, inside and back (as always please forgive my shameful photography):

And for those interested in seeing a picture of the paper:

Deep Black Patch from the Nancy Jane Collection by ADORNit - Carolee's Creations

I hope you have a joyous day and thanks for calling at the Hall!

Black & Purple Timely Birthday Card

Supplies:

Stamps: Cuckoo Clock, Home Sweet Home Frame, Vintage Seal, Yesterday Today Tomorrow and Embroidery Hoop, Kenner Road;  Wishing You a Happy Birthday (from Everyday Classics set), Papertrey Ink

Inks: Black Soot, Dusty Concord and Milled Lavender, Tim Holtz Distress Inks by Ranger Industries; Jet Black, Archival Ink, Ranger Industries

Cardstock: White, Georgia Pacific; Black, Stampin' Up!

Patterned Paper: Deep Black Patch (from Nancy Jane Collection), Adornit Carolee's Creations

Punches: Loop Border Punch, Martha Stewart Crafts; Modern Label, Stampin' Up!

Other: Transparency; Copic Marker; Black Ribbon, Offray; Foam Dimensional Adhesive