Ode to the Joy... of cards being done.

Yep, done. Finished.  Completed.  Ended.... not mailed yet... darn!  I was on a roll there for a minute.

Here they are in all there glory.  I played with techniques, I played with color combos, I kept it traditional, I added bling.  You name it and I think I tried it.  Well, not all of the techniques.

I put a number by each.  If you have a favorite, please let me know which one.  Yes, I'm scrounging for comments and this is a cheap way of doing it.  I have no pride but.... I'm done with my cards!!!

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I am getting slowly caught up in my real life.  I hope to be chatting with everyone on the PTI forum very soon.  If I am absent from time to time, it isn't your fault.  I have a major project I am involved with at work at it sucks time out of my life like you wouldn't believe.

Do have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my Christian friends.  Hope Hanukkah rocked for all my Jewish friends and peace and good health be yours this coming year for all the atheists and undecideds.  Most of all, I wish everyone happiness and joy in your life.

Love ya all!

Banner time!

As much as I would love to spend all my money at Papertreyink.com, alas my funds are limited.  I just love the look of homemade banners and have seen so many excellent examples of different styles and I wanted very much to make one. I just couldn't justify the expense of the dies when I knew I could manage a similar shape with my Cricut and SCAL software.

Sure enough, SCAL 2 comes with a shape that works very well as a banner.  I made the first cut in Dark Chocolate and the slightly smaller one in Terracotta Tile.  I then made the cute little accents in 2 shades of Distressed Dots with a touch of Fine Linen border at the top of each one and Terracotta Tile for the ribbon with a Harvest Gold bow at each end to mimic the Dots papers.  Using the Cricut again for the letters and the leaf and star die this banner was pretty straight forward to assemble.  After finishing I realized that I didn't use any stamping in its creation.  I'll make a card later to make up for not getting inky.

Once completed, I was stumped for a bit on how to hang it.  I finally decided to use some small nails meant for hanging pictures.  I works fine but I hope to find a better solution.  If I make more (and I plan to), I don't want to be pounding new nail holes in my mantle each time I change the banner.  Anyone with a better solution, please let me know.

I have many of my Holiday cards completed and will start posting pic's.  I always make each one unique to prevent boredom and stretch my imagination.  I don't have so many to make that I get burned out making them and have really enjoyed using new and unexpected colors on a few.  Be sure to check back and see them.

Well, today is my Anniversary... 37 years!  We had planned on the midnight showing of the new Harry Potter but all 3 midnight shows are already sold out.  We purchased tickets for a late afternoon showing tomorrow and I was able to get them for the digital version.  So excited!

Hope you enjoy my banner and come back soon for Christmas and Hanukkah cards!

Blog Hop October 2010

Welcome to the October Blog Hop for Papertrey Ink!  I'm so excited to share my creations with you tonight.

We were challenged to create a card for a holiday other than our own.  I decided to share THREE!  Yes, I have been a craftin' fool.

First up is a first for me.  I have African American friends but have never sent a Kwanzaa card to any of them.  I know for a fact that one of the families does celebrate this holiday so shame, shame, what's my name...


Problem solved:

I just couldn't stick with a traditional red.  I had to use Raspberry Fizz with some Simply Chartreuse.  I couldn't remove the grey tone to the Kraft Cardstock mat and Fine Linen base.  Oh well, I'm still working on my picture skillz as well as my cardmaking skillz.

Next, for your viewing pleasure:

I have several atheist friends and they like a good holiday as much as anyone.  They usually either celebrate a secular Christmas (I'm not sure how that works???) or Winter Solstice.  They love to point out that their holiday is older than all the others.  That's true, can't argue it!

And for my final card, I want to wish all my bestest friends on the PTI forum and in my real life, the best Christmas yet.  May you all have peace, love and happiness for the upcoming year... and of course, I'll work Christmas Eve for you again!

May everyone find the happiness they search for, the love they desire and the peace we all want most of all.

Thank You Nichole Heady!

Nichole and company at Papertreyink.com have a hard job.  Yes, they run a successful business but you can not please all the customers all the time.  As the face of Papertrey, Nichole often bears the brunt of an unhappy customer and she does it with grace, style and manners.  While we, her fans and her company's fans appreciate all she has done and the outstanding customer service she provides, it has to be difficult when she gets verbally attacked. 

We (the forum fans) want to let you know, Nichole, how much we appreciate all the time, effort and heart you put into your company.  We CARE about you.  We revel in your creativity and stand in awe of your time management skills.  We don't know how you do it and are so very thankful that you do it anyway.

Here is a card I made for Nichole to thank her for providing me the exact stamps I want every month, the exact accessories I want every month and the inspiration to actually make something when I order it every month.  Thank you for all you do.

Patty (pattylt)

All product by PTI except Glimmer Mist spray by Tattered Angels.
Thank you to Maile Belles for the wonderful GlimmerMist technique.  I love it!

August Papertreyink Blog Hop

Welcome everyone!  I'm so glad you are visiting my blog.  Can I just say that a paperbag was an unusually hard challenge for me?  ME!  The one who loves to alter everything!  With Halloween just around the corner, I finally decided I had to turn my bag into a haunted house.  Well, haunted(ish).  Once I got going, it turned into what I wanted pretty easily.  Nothing complex here.  Embossed the bat and embossed the broom.  I've had this color of Zing embossing powder for ages (used on the broom).  It is called Leaf.  Hmmph, not any leaf color I've ever seen but it looks great against black.  Does anyone else have issues with Zing ep being kind of on the chunky side?  I love PTI soooo much better and maybe I'm spoiled?

So, do you see the new pattern paper?  See the stamp set "Been Boo'd?  See the stamp set Home Made?  See my great scissor work on the bat?  See how I curved the window and door stamps to look "spooky"?  I'd ask if you can see that bow but it is mondo sized so I know you aren't missing it.  I'd love to know what you think!

I've got new neighbors.

I was very sad to see our next door neighbors move away.  I'm happy they are building a new home in a great little town down the road a bit but sad they couldn't stay next door to me.  They briefly tried to sell their home but the price they could get right now is just too low for a family that was only in the home for 5 years.  Rather than barely breaking even, they decided to rent and hopefully wait out the market.  It can be scary picking renters but I think a surgeon, his stay at home wife and 3 darling girls from 3 to 7 is a pretty safe bet!

We met them yesterday.  They came over and introduced themselves!  That's supposed to be my job!  THEY're the newbies.  I guess it gave me extra incentive to write a thankyou (they brought cookies) and give them some treats, too.

Here it is.  It's filled with Thumbprint Cookies with different jams in the thumbprint and a matching card.  I gave it to the Surgeon... Wife was bathing the kiddos and I didn't want to intrude.  Just gave it to him and told him to enjoy.  They are sooooo nice and we are so very lucky.  I've had awful neighbors before.  It's enough to make you move and we did.  We've been very happy ever since... and we still are.

PTI template Home Made and matching stamp set... in spring rain and rustic cream.  Just lovely...

Hiatus is over...

Sorry I've been gone so long.  I did go through a brief no-mojo phase but I have created quite a few cards lately.  Yes, I have been extremely busy at work and I am still working overtime quite frequently but the fact is... I just didn't feel like blogging anything.  I guess you could say I lost my blog mojo.

I made a card I just had to post.  With not a button in sight it would be extremely easy to put through the mail and I played with some easy techniques that prove a little can go a long way.  I even fixed a smudge!  Originally, the sun was a single layer raised on pop dots.  Then I had to go and stick my inky dirty finger right in the middle of it. I tried adding more ink but since the smudge was almost black, it didn't hide a thing.  I decided to make a double sun instead to cover it up.  See how creative we can be when we don't want to ditch a great card and are too lazy to remake the thing!

I embossed the clouds and the balloons with white EP.  I colored with Copics on the balloons. I wasn't sure how the colors would perform since I stamped them on Orange Zest... I love how they came out.  I tied a sweet tiny bow on the largest balloon with PTI silk ribbon... I just love that stuff and need to order more.  The entire card is PTI except for the Copics and the Spellbinders dies for the sun.  I even threw in a little Dottie Biscotti strip at the bottom.  Sweeeeeet!  Hope you enjoy this card.  I am quite pleased with myself today.

Good night for now.  I may blog again tomorrow, I may disappear for another couple of months.  I don't plan on it but it may happen!

Altered comp mini's

WooHoo!  Have been wanting to replace my little notebook that I keep in my labcoat pocket for awhile now.  My old one is getting quite ratty tatty.  Wally World had those cute little mini-composition notebooks in stock and the cost was a whopping $0.77 each.  I bought 16 of them and decided that I would make a boat load of them to give to co-workers that want them (many will!).  I was surprised at how quickly they went together, even for me! 

These can not have a bunch of embellies on them as they would just start falling off after going in and out of pockets hundreds of times a day and I figured a few of the guys might like them as well if they weren't all covered in flowers and fru-fru.  I decided on the basic focal and got out the die cuts... can you see the largest blossom from BBII at PTI behind the label die?  Used Take a Note for the sentiments as they are just perfect for this type of occasion.  I did scuff up the comp books a bit to take the shine off and used a glue stick to attach the PP. Time will tell how well these hold up but I glued everything down very well.  Used glue dots to attach the focal and used the ATG gun tape for each layer using several passes on the back of each one.  I think they will just wear out before they come apart.  Don't you think they are cute?

Found some really cute paperclips at WW as well so I included one matching color on each.  My DH wanted one when he saw them so one other masculine book is missing but it was similar to the black one.  Now I need to finish up... I have about 10 more to go!  These are 100% PTI paper and stamps and dies as well as the buttons and ribbons.  The only things that aren't are the composition books and paper clips which came from Walmart (WW). 
Would love to know what you think?

Papertrey May Blog Hop Challenge

Eeek, I linked to the wrong post!  Please go here:  August Papertreyink Blog Hop

I just love the PTI blog hop... so many great projects and great inspiration.  If I had had more time this past week I would have come up with an outstanding Nobel Peace Prize project.. honest!  Since I didn't, I will just have to settle for a sweet Thank You card using the felt that is the requirement this month.

It won't win a Nobel but I do like the card.  It is so nice to have so many PTI felt colors to play with and since my new release order arrived on Friday, I finally had some time to play today!  It was torture having to wait so long to play with my new order!

I used the new balloon die to cut 3 colors of felt, Razz Fizz, Hawaiian Shores and Simply Chartreuse.  I stamped a Thank You sentiment in each color as well and punched it out with the SU window punch. Used Spring Moss for the card base and Ripe Avocado for the mat. They match the Chartreuse very well being a shade lighter and darker than Chartreuse.  Added the fun ribbon treatment with a strip of double sided sticky tape and finished with a Inside and Out: Thank You sentiment on the inside and added a balloon stamp inked in two colors.  Very simple but a fun look.

A very textural card with all the felt and it really didn't use up much of my stock!  Hope you like?

Spread your wings

Well, after creating a dud the other day, I feel much better about this one.  I love the Spring Moss / Enchanted Evening with Stone white card base.  It is not something I would usually pick but today... It worked!  I had to ink up this stamp and sentiment. I just love the image and the sentiment goes with it so well even though they are from different sets...Baby Button Bits (image) and Butterfly Dreams (sentiment and lower background).  I even stamped the inside.  I am getting better about using a sentiment or combo on the inside.  I love the look.

Did the scrunchy thing for the ribbon and love how it turned out. If you haven't done this yet, try it.  One strip of Scor-Tape or any very sticky double sided tape and a long strip of ribbon... stick and scrunch, stick and scrunch, repeat until the end of the card. In this one, I left a bit of tail at each end and clipped the V.  So easy peasy.

The body needed 3 little buttons.  I just wasn't in a big single button mood.  I'm glad.  Bugs have segmented bodies anyway, so I am being biologically correct. (So important, don't you know!)

So, get out a bug stamp... and make a card!