new baby thank you...

this was the thank you card that i made (while tending brand new baby, nonetheless!) for the first 20 people who sent us lovely baby gifts... unfortunately, my initial burst of creativity hasn't been matched and i have about 10 thank you cards outstanding... please forgive me! love the paper i used for this one, which from SU...

a very simple thinking of you...

i made this card using PTI's Guide Lines Two set... what did i learn? i need to buy a longer acrylic block and i need to invest in some ink that works better with photopolymer stamps...

Gift Card Holders for my Midwives

today i said goodbye to my midwives... it was a bittersweet moment, especially since a third pregnancy is unlikely for me... it's just hard to say goodbye to people you've spent the last 10 months getting to know as they see you through a really huge moment in your life...

due to complications, i ended up having kid 2 in the hospital (i had planned another home birth)... one of my poor midwives was pulled from bed at 5 AM to assess me and i could tell that running out to get a coffee or something to eat was the last thing on their minds... i thought i'd give them gift cards to the coffee shops and cafeteria in the local hospital, so they wouldn't be stuck for funds when at another unexpected hospital delivery...

Recipe:
Inspiration: this gift card holder by Amy
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, & Urban Oasis DSP
Ink: Whisper White craft ink
Stamp Set: Edgy Eloquence, Short & Sweet © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: Baja Breeze striped grosgrain ribbon
Tools: wide oval & slit punches, Mini Glue Dots, tape runner, paper trimmer

Birthday Card for E...

i've been a big fan of Kristina's (and her awesome videos) for a long time... and this particular card was so cute, i couldn't resist CASE'ing it for E's birthday... i didn't change too much up with this one, except for the addition of the scalloped edge and the use of Kiwi Kiss and Tangerine Tango (i'm so sad to see these In Colors retire)...

Recipe:
Inspiration: Kristina's Finally Friday card for June 19, 2009
Paper: Kraft, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip
Stamp Set: Dots Are Hot © Stampin' Up, Birds Galore © Inkadinkado
Embellishments: Thickers foam stickers, white gel pen, Tangerine Tango striped grosgrain ribbon
Tools: scallop edge punch, paper trimmer, tape roller, dimensionals

One Gift Card Holder, Two Looks

in the past month, i've missed baby showers for two work friends due to illness... i still wanted to give them a little something and was inspired by this gift card holder by Jennifer... for the most part, i'm very pleased with how the cards turned out... kind of questioning my colour choices on the watercolouring, but i figured i'm the only one who would have been really bothered by it...

Recipe:
Paper: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Summer Picnic DSP, watercolour paper
Ink: StazOn in Jet Black & Timber Brown, Crayola markers
Stamp Set: Sock Monkey & Sock Monkey Accessories, Tart & Tangy © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: "A Perfect Day" rub-ons by Stampin' Up, sheer red ribbon, watercolour pencils
Tools: Circle and Scallop Circle Nestabilities, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punches, Martha Stewart Doily Lace edge punch, Aqua Painter, Glue Dots, dimensionals, tape runner, paper trimmer, craft knife

Recipe:
Paper: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Windsor Know DSP, watercolour paper
Ink: StazOn in Jet Black & Timber Brown, Barely Banana, Crayola markers
Stamp Set: Sock Monkey & Sock Monkey Accessories © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: "A Perfect Day" rub-ons by Stampin' Up, Basic Grey buttons in Wassail, hemp twine, watercolour pencils
Tools: 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, Aqua Painter, Glue Dots, dimensionals, tape runner, paper trimmer, craft knife

Baby Shower Card for J

i've had a lot of friends have babies in the last 6 months... as a result, i've made variations on this beautiful card by Beate four or five times... my Punches Three baby buggy stamp has gotten a lot of action...

this card is for my friend J, who is expecting twins any time now... a boy and a girl... so i wanted to mash both genders up into one card with the light pink contrasting the starker grey... the peekaboo layer behind the doily lace punch is Pink Pirouette overlaying Baja Breeze and the Urban Garden DSP...

Recipe:
Inspiration: this card by Beate
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Basic Grey, Baja Breeze, Urban Garden DSP
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze
Stamp Set: Punches Three © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: pink sheer ribbon
Tools: wide oval punch, Martha Stewart Doily Lace edge punch, paper piercer, Glue Dots, dimensionals, paper trimmer, tape roller

The Fabulous Ms. M's Baby Shower Card

here's a card i made for the fabulous Ms. M's baby shower... i absolutely love this card and drew my inspiration from some beautiful wrapping paper i found (see below)... a very simple card...

in other news, you may have noticed the new Twitter box in the right hand column... find me at MsCraftyIYNasty...

Recipe:
Inspiration: Hallmark double-sided wrapping paper
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Whisper White, Baja Breeze
Ink: Chocolate Chip craft ink
Stamp Set: In the Stars © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: clear embossing powder, green/brown satin ribbon
Tools: circle punches (1/2", 1", 1 1/4", 1 3/8", 1 3/4"), heat gun, paper piercer, Glue Dots, Zig 2 Way Glue pen, paper trimmer

KW Colour Inspiration Challenge 42

while i've been a devoted follower of Kristina's blog and videos for quite some time, i've yet to take part in any of her colour inspiration challenges... this morning, the mood hit me and this is what i came up with... love the card, slightly annoyed i couldn't get the ribbon straighter...

Recipe:
Inspiration: Kristina Werner's Colour Inspiration Challenge 42
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Really Rust, More Mustard, Whisper White
Ink: Really Rust
Stamp Set: Artfully Asian © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: Kiwi Kiss 5/8" striped grosgrain ribbon, Thickers white foam stickers
Tools: Nestabilities circle dies, 1/2" circle punch, paper trimmer, tape roller, Glue Dots, dimensionals

Twin Congrats

one of my friends is expecting twins... this is the card i made for her when she first found out... the little image below is what i stamped on the inside of the card...

Recipe:
Paper: Gable Green, patterned paper from a Costco block
Ink: Gable Green, VersaMark, Black Staz-On
Stamp Sets: A Little Love, Short & Sweet, Define Your Life © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: Perfect Pearl Pigments in gold, sheer sheer polka ribbon, green 1/4" satin ribbon, safety pins
Tools: ticket corner punch, 1/4" rectangle hand punch, tape roller, paper trimmer

My Scrapbook Table Blog Candy Card

so this is my entry for my scrapbook table's blog candy challenge... on the left, you'll see the picture that we were given as inspiration... i ended up doing a pretty literal translation of the picture, with a few alterations to accommodate colours and tools... i knew right away that i would be using the Always stamp set for this challenge...

i started by stamping the background layer of Close to Cocoa cardstock with the branch from Always, using Close to Cocoa and Cameo Coral ink... i sponged around the edge of the cardstock with Close to Cocoa as well... i cut the next layer (Whisper White) and sponged the edges with Cameo Coral first, then Close to Cocoa (i repeated this around sentiment as well)... the Nestabilities circles were adhered with Mini Glue Dots and i hand drew the trunks of the trees with a brown Crayola Washable marker (highfalutin, i know!)... i added the ribbon using the Xyron 150 and then mounted my sentiment on dimensionals...

what excited me most about this card was how the bird stamp turned out... i ended up doing a strange hybrid of two techniques, Rock n' Roll and Thumping... i inked up the stamp in the Cameo Coral and then rolled the edges in the Close to Cocoa... i then took my Close to Cocoa Stampin' Spot and lightly tapped it all over the stamp... the result was a weathered look that let lots of the pink tone show through... not sure if this technique has another name - anyone? Bueller? here's a close-up of my lovely little bird...

finally, i don't know if you can tell from the smaller version of the card, but if you click on it you'll see on the enlargement that i fudged a rectangular Nestabilities behind the sentiment by shortening one of my squares... it's a little noticeable, but a quick little fix until i can afford to buy the rectangles (and ovals)...

Recipe:
Inspiration: Sarah from my scrapbook table
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Whisper White, pink and peach cardstock
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Cameo Coral
Stamp Set: Always © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: ribbon
Tools: Cuttlebug, Nestabilities (circles, scallop square), Crayola Washable Marker in brown, Mini Glue Dots, Xyron 150, double-sided tape, dimensionals, Cutterbee scissors, paper trimmer

Mojo Monday 42

because i'm on a roll lately, i decided to do another card challenge this week... this one was for the Mojo Monday challenge that Julee has weekly... please check out her blog, Poetic Artistry... i only changed the sketch slightly by having a few less stripes/panels on the left hand side...

Recipe:
Inspiration: Julee's Mojo Monday sketch
Paper: Purely Pomegranate, off white, black & pattered paper from a Costco block
Ink: Purely Pomegranate
Stamp Set: Garden Whimsy, Baroque Motifs © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: brads
Tools: sponge, dimensionals, double-sided tape, paper trimmer

Father's Day Card 2008

nothing says Father's Day like sock monkeys... i don't have any Father's Day stamps, so the origami shirt that i had seen used many times on SCS seemed like a good idea... i CASE'd westamp's card...

i found the origami shirt folding instructions here...

Recipe:
Inspiration: westamp
Paper: Sock Monkey DP by Daisy D, Bordering Blue, More Mustard, Real Red
Ink: Bordering Blue
Stamp Set: All Year Cheer I © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: yellow eyelets
Tools: Crop-a-Dile, Cuttlebug Spots & Dots folder, Cuttlebug, double-sided tape, dimensionals, paper trimmer

Beate's Challenge WSC52

while i've been a big fan of Beate's for a long time, i've yet to participate in one of her challenges... having a little bit of free time this afternoon, i sat down and made this little something something... clearly, i need to work on my sponging technique, but i kind of like the heavy-handed effect in the end...

Recipe:
Inspiration: Beate's WSC52 Challenge, this card by the fabulous Ms. M...
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Not Quite Navy, Purely Pomegranate, River Rock
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Not Quite Navy, Purely Pomegranate
Stamp Set: Baroque Motifs © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: none
Tools: sponge dauber, double-sided tape, dimensionals, paper trimmer

Card Exchange - All Occasions

this card is for the third card exchange i've participated in (the first one can be seen here and the second here)... i bought a few packages of Soft Sky and River Rock and decided i finally should start using them... this exchange was an "All Occasions" theme, so i opted to omit the sentiment to make them a universal card...

i CASE'd 3 different cards for this project... thanks to Lynn Larson (the colour scheme), scrapshappen (the layout), and kaloso05 (the paper piercing for the band) for their inspiration...

Recipe:
Inspiration: Lynn Larson's Baroque Motifs Scallop Note Card, scrapshappen's Cherish Challenges, and kaloso05's Monochrome Old Olive Kindess
Paper: River Rock, Soft Sky, Whisper White
Ink: Soft Sky
Stamp Set: Baroque Motifs © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: River Rock double-stitched grosgrain ribbon, brushed gold brad
Tools: scallop, 1 3/8", 1 1/8" and 1/16" punches, paper piercer, SU Mat Pack, paper trimmer, double-sided tape, glue stick, dimensionals card (the paper piercing on the band)

Congratulations Card for Greg & Alicia

this particular card was made last month and was the reason i found myself in Vancouver...

i tried a different technique for the bow on this card, which can be found here... i'm pleased with how it turned out, mostly because i still need to work on my bow tying skills (which sounds ridiculous, as i'm almost 30 years old, but there you go!)...

this full-time working mum bit is a lot harder than i ever expected... after yet another particularly busy month, i've not found the time to craft at all... which better change because this blog has been sorely neglected, i have a card exchange deadline looming, and i'm leaving for a family visit halfway across the country in a week!

Recipe:
Paper: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Whisper White craft ink, VersaMark
Stamp Set: Always © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: Perfect Pearl Pigments in gold, chocolate brown ribbon from Michael's
Tools: Cuttlebug, Textile Texture and Word Hearts Cuttlebug embossing folders, ribbon punch, paper trimmer, Cutterbee scissors, dimensionals, tape roller

Thank You Card for Normande

last month we went to Vancouver for the weekend and were treated to lush greeness, beautiful cherry blossoms, and a lovely garden owned by my sister's friend, Normande, who hosted us for the weekend... i took many beautiful pictures of her spring garden and i wanted to use them as a Thank You to her for her hospitality...

this card is based on the accordian card tutorial from SCS... the only thing i changed was to add an extra panel so i could fit more pictures on the card...


Recipe:
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Real Red, Whisper White, Summer Picnic DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Crayola Washable Markers
Stamp Set: Garden Whimsy, Friendship Blooms, Just Celebrate © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: SU Love & Happiness rub ons, Icon rhinestones, brown eyelets, brown ribbon from Michael's
Tools: SU scallop, 1 3/8", corner rounder, & 1/16" punches, Cutterbee scissors, Fiskar's Ultra Shape Express & 2½" circle template, paper trimmer, tape roller, photo mounts

even more blog candy!

a new week and more blog candy to be found!

Pickled Paper Designs - enter by 9:00 AM, April 25th...

Heather Rolin's Creations - enter by 4:00 PM CST, April 25th...

congrats to both Amy and Heather on their milestones / releases this week!

other places to win these stamp sets are:

my scrapbook table - enter by April 25th...

Stampin' With Markie's Mom - enter by 5:00 PM, April 25th...

and one more great blog candy:

No Time To Stamp? - enter by April 26th...

blog candy!

so many of my favourite blogs right now are giving away blog candy, it's unreal... so if you want to get in on the fun, please visit these great blogs!

fresh & fun - enter by 2:00 PM CST TODAY!

i{heart}2stamp - enter by Saturday morning, April 19th...

Inkling of Love - enter by April 19th...

The Voices In My Head - enter by 8:00 PM, April 20th...

my scrapbook table - enter by April 21st...

Sharing My Obsession - enter by 12:00 PM, April 21st...

L'il Buck's Creations - enter by midnight, April 21st...

Tutorial: Partially Embossed Card

when looking for ways to use my Cuttlebug (the item i just had to have, yet rarely use to its full potential), i stumbled across Heart Prints by Sue Nelson... i loved the look but just didn't "get" how she was able to partially emboss part of her cardstock... and those embossed lines intrigued me...

after searching out everything i could on the technique and then being blessed with
three great tutorials (thanks to Sue, Jay and Beate), i decided to add a tutorial of my own... not because it was needed but, rather, because i wanted to try my hand at doing a tutorial...

i started by getting my supplies together and cutting and scoring my cardstock... i went with a standard 4¼" x 5½" card for this tutorial... just keep in mind that you are somewhat limited by the size of both the Cuttlebug opening and the embossing folder... i stack my plates as you would for any Cuttlebug dies or embossing folders, with the B plate on top of the A plate...

next, i took my embossing folder (Birds & Swirls, which co-ordinates perfectly with the Always stamp set) and lined the edge of the embossing up with the line i scored earlier... i apologize that you can't really see that in my picture, but it's hard to get a clear image of the score line... it's really important that you look at your cardstock placement and ensure that everything is square so you don't end up with a slanted edge to your embossing...

once you have your embossing folder lined up to your liking, place it on your A & B plates with the portion you do not want embossed hanging over the edge of the two plates... in my example, i've left about 2" overhanging in order to fit my sentiment in later... then place the second B plate on top, lining it up with the A & B plates below... make sure that your cardstock hasn't shifted and then begin to feed the stack through your Cuttlebug...

when you're done, you should end up with a partially embossed card front that looks like the example on the left... you can see that i've gone ahead and stamped my sentiment...


now it's time to embellish! i selected the small dotted circle embossing folder because i wanted to keep the whole card fairly simple and clean in its design... i've always found that my smaller embossing folders can leave indentation marks where the folders end, but Sue suggested instead of running the folder all the way through, reversing the stack back towards you to solve that problem and it has worked perfectly... another suggestion is to shim it with another piece of cardstock...

here's a close up of the dotted circle... it's very subtle and doesn't look half as smart in the picture as it does in person...




time for the final embellishments: black ribbon to border the partial embossing, the lovely bird from the Always stamp set (also stamped in Graphite Black and mounted with a dimensional, although it's hard to see in the picture), and a few black brads to give some visual interest to the upper corner...

Recipe:
Paper: SU Whisper White
Ink: Dew Drop Brilliance in Graphite Black
Stamp Set: Always © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: black ribbon, black brads
Tools: Cuttlebug, Birds & Swirls and small dotted circle Cuttlebug embossing folders, Xyron 150, 1/16" hole punch, dimensionals

what i love most about this card is the simplicity... there's not a lot going on, but the different textures and images work well together yet are subtle... i have a feeling a lot more of my cards are going to be of similar design in the next little while (i have another card exchange coming up in June with a Thank You / Congratulations theme and i could see something like this working perfectly for that)...

something i didn't do with this card was the embossed lines, like the other tutorials show... that, dear readers, is simply because i'm still awaiting my Scor-Pal, the lovely tool that allows you not only to score your cardstock perfectly but to emboss lines as well... i'll be sure to do a product review / demo when mine arrives...

Card Challenge 3 - Monochromatic

the latest card challenge i was participating in was simple: use whatever you like but keep it to one colour, black and white excluded... i decided to go for something very simplistic and just stick to black and white in order to showcase one of my latest favourite techniques: partial embossing with a Cuttlebug... i won't get too far into explaining how i made this card, as i'm adding my first tutorial later today on how i did it exactly... in the meantime, here's the recipe...

Recipe:
Inspiration: Sue's beautiful cards at Heart Prints
Paper: SU Whisper White
Ink: Dew Drop Brilliance in Graphite Black
Stamp Set: Always © Stampin' Up
Embellishments: black ribbon, black brads
Tools: Cuttlebug, Birds & Swirls and small dotted circle Cuttlebug embossing folders, Xyron 150, 1/16" hole punch, dimensionals