A birdcage day

Ah, Wednesday! Otherwise known as "Freshly Made Sketches" day, in this household ;)

Yesterday was a difficult day, after being handed some rather unfortunate news, so I was so excited to just sit and play with cards today! As I created, I thought about the situation, and felt comforted in the fact that everyone near and dear to me is healthy, happy and safe.

My mother told me that everything happens for a reason, and I believe that. My mother-in-law told me that when one door closes, another one always opens, and I believe that as well.

Then, Rita at Freshly Made Sketches provided this wicked sketch that seemed to scream "waterfall card" at me! It all seems very fitting... The natural flow of life and happenstance - the ease at which transitions can be made.

yada yada yada.. I'll spare you the philosophical psychobabble and get on with it ;)

Happy "bird"day

For some reason, I can't seem to get this pic of the sketch to work here... Please click here to go see!

I reached out to friends on Facebook yesterday asking them to tell me "good news" stories. I can't even begin to describe how it changed my day! It quickly reminded me that it's easy to find joy in other people's achievements (big or small!) and it's SO worth it to celebrate with them :) If you're having an off day sometime, I urge you to do the same. You'll be surprised how many people will post something positive and how quickly it'll make you feel better! 

-Tara

xox

Fresh Apples

This is my card for the Freshly Made Sketches challenge this week! I actually made two cards using this sketch - which I often do :)

I realize that the Well Worn paper makes this card look like it's not all that "clean", however, it's very minimalistic and simple in style. How can you compete with that awesome truck, anyways?

Materials used in this card:
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla 
Paper: Well Worn DSP 
Stamp: Countryside, Petite Pairs
Inks: Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Real Red, Basic Black, Old Olive
Tools: 1 1/4" Square punch, Scallop Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Blender Pens

This is the sketch:

My mom is visiting this weekend, and she had just gotten this set. I thought it wasn't really my "style", but like so many of the Stampin' Up! sets, the second I inked it up, I loved it. I kind of wish she wasn't taking it home to Prince Edward Island with her ;)

I grew up in a fairly small town (around 3000 people when I lived there), and on the outskirts there was this old pick-up truck that sat in a big field. I'm no auto expert, but I'm going to guess it was from around the 40's-50's... Everyone knew where it was, and for some reason, no one really seemed to mind it sitting there. In fact, there was a bit of an uproar when it was finally removed. It was a significant 'heritage site' for most, I guess. This truck, though not nearly as dilapidated, reminds me of that landmark from my childhood. :)


Hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend!

-Tara
xox

Shabby Chic

Back again with my entry into this week's Friday Mashup.

1. Make a project using the "sketch" (below)
2. Make a "shabby chic/vintage" project

3. Or "Mash it up!" and create a "shabby chic/vintage card using the sketch"

Kindness Matters

 

Materials used in this card:

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Whisper White

Stamps: Kindness Matters, Delicate Doilies

Inks: Crumb Cake, Versamark

Embellishments: Basic Pearls, Gold embossing powder, feather*, Hemp Twine

Tools: Heat Tool, sanding block

*This is not Stampin' Up! It's leftover from our wedding :) 

This was the sketch I was working with

I admit, I had to look up shabby chic. And by "look  up", I mean I did my ever-extensive 2-step research process; Wikipedia, then google images.

Wikipedia:

Shabby chic is a form of interior design where furniture and furnishings are either chosen for their appearance of age and signs of wear and tear or where new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique. At the same time, a soft, opulent, yet cottage-style decor, often with a feminine feel is emphasized to differentiate it from genuine period decor

And for those more visual people out there (like me!), Google images returned the following glorious result. I don't know if it's the most accurate portrayal of shabby chic, but I loved it nonetheless.

All this 'research' into shabby chic is really making me want to redo our bedroom again. And the first item on the list of new things to get for it would be that chandelier :)

-Tara

xox

Edit to add: So excited - This card was chosen as a "Glamette" with the Friday Mashup! :)

Friday Mashup Fan Favourite Challenge

There's something really exciting going on at the Friday Mashup! They are currently having a "Fan Favourite" challenge, where we get to put forth a mashup that we would like to see as a challenge. I was very excited about this, but I must admit, it took my quite some time to come up with something! I have a new-found respect for what these ladies do each week!

My Mashup Challenge would be:
1. Create a "birthday card" project.
2. Create a "custom gift bag",
3. Or, "Mash it up!" and create a "birthday card with matching gift bag"!

The birthday card opens like one of those old-school file folders, where the string rolls around two little circles (in this case, brads). When it's undone, it folds down and the inside holds the birthday greeting. We made a version of this card at a meeting I had gone to, and I loved it so much I had to make it my own. (Edit to add: I was told that the original idea came from Becky Roberts)

I hope you like the idea for a mashup. If you want to make a birthday card and matching gift bag, you can vote for my challenge idea here on the side panel! I'm #8 :)

Until next time - Happy Stamping!

-Tara
xox

Gnome Sweet Gnome

I was laying in bed last night thinking about the Freshly Made Sketch challenge (I know, I'm kinda crazy like that), and I couldn't shake the feeling that I had missed something really obvious with my last entry into the challenge. Then it hit me... a window with shutters!

The Gnome Sweet Gnome set was gifted to me from a friend (thank you!!), and I LOVE it. I honestly still laugh every time I use it.

there's no place like gnome

 Materials used to make this card:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Wild Wasabi
Paper: Just Add Cake DSP
Stamps: Gnome Sweet Gnome, Gnomenclature
Inks: Wild Wasabi, Rich Razzleberrym Basic Black
Tools: Big Shot, Adorning Accents Edgelits, Decorative Label punch, Square punch, Stripes embossing folder,

This was the fun sketch I was working with:

And here is basically how it was made:

1. The shutters were painstakingly made by cutting and sponging 1" x 3/4" pices of Wild Wasabi and layering them on the panels. 

2. The Whisper White piece is embossed using the Stripes embossing folder, to give them illusion of siding.

3. To make the windows, I punched out 4 pieces of scrap paper using the 1-1/4" punch and placed them on a 3"x3" piece of cardstock. This gave me my template... even still, I managed to make them all a little uneven.

4. The curtains and valance are made using both the edgelits dies

5. The sentiment is punched out using the Decorative Label punch and cropped to make it look like a flower box. The flowers are from the Gnome Sweet Gnome set as well (the sentiment is from the set Gnomenclature").

6. The little lady gnome was stamped in Basic Black, then coloured with blender pens and cut out. I adhered her to the inside of the card, so that when it's open you can still see her, and it makes her feel as if she's not painted on the window :P

Until next time - Happy stamping :)

-Tara

xox

Hello!

Hi all :)

Thanks for stopping by! Today, I'm playing along with the Freshly Made Sketches challenge. I'm getting back into "work" these days, and have planned and even started the prep for my card class on the 26th. But, in the middle of  all that cutting and sorting, I stopped to make a little hello card.

Hello

Here was the sketch for the challenge. Love the symmetry and simplicity of this sketch. I kept the layout the same, but rotated the card!

Materials used in this card

Cardstock: River Rock, Basic Black, Very Vanilla

Paper: Timeless Portraits DSP

Stamps: Elementary Elegance (SAB)

Inks: Riding Hood Red, River Rock

Embellishments: Pleated Satin ribbon

Tools: Big Shot, Edgelits, Large oval punch, scallop oval punch, perfect polka dots embossing folder.

So, "Hello"! ... and now, goodbye ;)

Until next time - Happy Stamping!

-Tara

xox

Sneaking in...

Wow, I'm sneaking in just under the wire here! My blog post of late have been quite sporadic, I know.

My husband was in a bus accident last week and although he's alright, he hurt his knee quite badly. That night, my (little) boy got really sick and we spent all night at the hospital... Then, he started to get better and my (baby) boy got really sick! It's been a mess of injuries and germs around here, and we're just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel :)

So, all that being said - I absolutely needed (!!) to play along with the Friday Mashup this week. I love participating each week, and I've sadly missed a few lately. But challenge me they did!

Happiness Shared (yup, again! hehe)

This is the challenge I was working with:

1. Make a project using the "Spotlighting Technique".  
2. Or Make a project featuring "Penguins".  
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project featuring "Penguins using the Spotlighting Technique"

Sadly, I don't have any penguin stamps. I borrowed Punch Pals from a good friend over the holidays, but returned it and am left 100% penguinless! It's sad, I know. 

This is  my first time using the spotlighting technique, and I found it quite challenging, but also super fun! I made about 3 cards before I finally settled on this one... The just didn't feel the others were "right". The spotlighting in this card is very subtle.

Materials used in this card:

Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White

Stamps: Happiness Shared

Inks: Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black, Old Olive

Embellishments: Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, Rhinestones

Tools: Labels Framelits, Blender pen

For the sentiment, I used two of the larger framelit dies and and trimmed them so I was just using a section from the middle to frame my sentiment. I like the shape it gave it, and it just screamed for some jewels! After all is said and done, I wonder if maybe the pearls would have looked nicer... Thoughts?

Also, for fun, even though it's a day late, I wanted to show you the Valentine's card I made for my wicked, awesome husband. 

 

Hope all you lovelies are doing well out there in blogland!

Until next time - Happy stamping :) 

-Tara

xox

The Sky's the Limit

Up, Up & Away is one of my favourite stamp sets. It's fun, versatile, and just so darn cute! It's my go-to in times of uncertainty ;)

It's been way too long since I played with the Freshly Made Sketches challenge... and I couldn't let another challenge pass without participating! So, here's my card:

The Sky's the Limit

(FMS21)

This was the sketch I was working with. Love it. It's yet another one of the Freshly Made Sketches that I've saved for use another time. It's in my "rainy day cardmaking" inspiration folder ;)

Materials used for this card:

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White

Stamps: Up, Up & Away!

Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Soft Suede

Embellishments: Ruffled Ribbon

Tools: Scallop Circle Punch, Circle punch

Hope you enjoy your Sunday!

Until next time - Happy Stamping :)

-Tara

Sharing some happiness!

Well hello!

It's been quite some time since I've made a post on my blog. Things got pretty crazy around here! But, I'm back in the saddle again, and it feels good :)


Today, I'm playing along with the Colour Q challenge. The colours this week are so fresh, and I really wanted to make something vibrant and 'summery'. But, it didn't really work out that way ;) I've been dying to try out my "Happiness Shared" stamp set, which I've had for a little while now but had yet to ink up.

I love this set so much. The flower art is so gorgeous, and lets you go crazy with your creativity - you can colour it using any colours you like! For this one, I used Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, Regal Rose and Old Olive. First, I coloured using Blender pens, and then I added some highlights with markers.

Happiness Shared

(CQC123)

Materials used for this card:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Peach Parfait

Ink: Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, Regal Rose, Old Olive, Basic Black

Stamps: Happiness Shared

Tools:  Postage Stamp punch, Blender Pens, markers

I wanted to keep this card very simple. I think the sentiment speaks for itself!

Come back tomorrow to see a fun card made using the Up, Up & Away set (one of my favs!)

Until next time - Happy stamping :)

-Tara

It's your day!

I intentionally waited for the last minute to post this. My brother's birthday is tomorrow, and this was made for him, so I wanted to leave as little time as possible for him to stumble upon it by accident.

The gift card holder was made awhile back, back when the Friday Mashup team posted this challenge! The challenge asks for you to either use the sketch provided, use something new in your stash, or mashup it up and use something new whilst using the sketch!

Oddly, one of the newest things in my stash right now is the Curly Label punch... and I've had it for a little while now. Regardless, it's the "new" item I chose for this project :) I also wanted to use it a little different... so I used the tutorial by Mary Fish using the Decorative Label punch trick and applied it to the Curly Label.

It's your day - Opened

Materials used in this card:

Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze, Whisper White

Paper: Just Add Cake DSP

Stamps: Up, Up & Away, Outline Occasions (SAB)

Ink: Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze

Embellishments: White baker's twine

Tools: Curly Label punch, Labels framelits, Scallop Circle punch (for the cloud details)

Now, for some awesomeness! Stampin' Up! is offering free 30-day trials of My Digital Studio Express! Yes, this is very, very exciting. If you have ever thought about digital scrapbooking or cardmaking, now is your chance to grab the proverbial bull by the horns and download this fantastic program! I've only had it a few short hours and am head-over-heals in love. 

This is my first project using the product that came with the MDS Express, as well as some other freebies that I've been collecting over the months knowing that some day I would have this program in my hot little hands.

Until next time - happy stamping! :)

-Tara