Ink It Forward: Card Care Connection

Hi friends. A couple weeks ago I posted about a new series I was starting called Ink It Forward. I am thrilled to introduce you to the very first organization I am profiling - Card Care Connection!!

Card Care Connection is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing sympathetic messages and motivational cards to those who face cancer. Their goal is to provide an uplifting message of hope to brighten their day. Through this program, volunteer card makers from all over the United States create handmade paper crafting cards. We collect and distribute these handmade cards free of charge to identified individuals who may benefit from support.

Wow! How fantastic is that! Their web site is chock full of all the information you need. It includes guidelines, packing slips, fliers for groups who want to host a card making party and much more.

I have a complete write up with quotes from the founder and recipients over on the Sweet Stamp Shop blog. Head there for more information, then head to Card Care Connection for all the details. Here is one of many cards I plan to send them.

Here are a few cards and the packing slip. Getting ready to send them!! (Sorry, but I had to black out my address for obvious reasons!)

Now it's your turn. Link up an encouraging card right here and when you're done, pack it up and send it to Card Care Connection:

Card Care Connection
112 Saddlehorn Court
Fenton MO 63026

Before sending them off, please go to their web site for all the details.

Do you want to get the latest posts about Ink it Forward? Feel free to follow my blog so you don't miss out!

Happy to Be on the Runway

Hi everyone. I'm just popping in really quickly to share a card I made for the Runway Inspired Challenge. The inspiration image features bold splashes of color. I love bold colors! This is right up my alley - or should I say runway!

This challenge was a good chance to show off the Elegant Flowers and Elegant Sentiments sets newly released by Sweet Stamp Shop. I stamped the images in colors similar to the dress and cut around the top of the flowers to reveal the black in the upper right corner - just like the black fabric in the upper right corner of the dress (the left shoulder area.)

New Blog Series: Ink it Forward

I have been thinking about starting a blog series for a while. I've also been thinking about doing something good with the huge stash of extra cards sitting in a box collecting dust. Well, guess what!?! I'm doing both at once!

I am happy to introduce to you a new blog series called Ink It Forward, where I will be highlighting different charitable organizations that take cards, bookmarks or any other paper craft project to bring happiness to people.

The most widely known organization is Operation Write Home, which I will be profiling later in the series. There are other organizations out there that can also benefit from our creativity.

I hope you will join me in "turning our crafty creations into charitable donations." I will be hosting a linky party right here on my blog, where you can share the cards you plan to donate to the featured organization!!

Now, I will share a card I made for Sweet Stamp Shop. To make this, I created a heart with my Silhouette machine. I used the negative space to mask off a piece of white cardstock. Then I used several stamps from various sets to create this pattern. I also hand drew some flowers and vines and added my favorite - bling!!

Sets Used:

Elegant Sentiments

Monogram It

Easily Distracted

Jammin' with some Ribbon and Flair for the 3 Girl Jam Hop!

Edited to add some good news! I can't believe I forgot to add this news earlier. Oops. I was selected to be a designer for Paper Sweeties!! My term starts in January. They have some adorable paper doll images and little coordinating outfits. My daughter will love these!

I got a message from my friend Julie asking me to be a part of a blog hop for 3 Girl Jam, a ribbon and flair company owned by Julie and her two daughters. Of course I had to say "Yes!" Julie and I were design team mates together a little over a year ago for Pink by Design. Once a teamie, always a teamie! Besides, she has some absolutely gorgeous crinkle ribbon that I am more than honored to show off for her.

I made this card using their new Ribbon Candy Bundle and the peppermint from their Christmas Flair.

I'm actually the third stop on the hop. If you arrived here in another way and you want to hop along, it all starts at the 3 Girl Jam blog. If you comment on all the stops, you have a chance to win a Ribbon Candy Crinkle Ribbon Bundle, Christmas Flair and a pack of their new (and very cool) Jute Ribbon Pack. Here is the whole lineup:


3 Girl JAM- http://3girljam.blogspot.com/
Jessica E- http://chick-n-scrap.blogspot.com/
Guest Designer Annette- http://aspoonfullofsugarcrafts.blogspot.com/
Jovan- http://www.cardsbyjovan.com/
Cheri- http://www.djssundries.blogspot.com/
Abby- http://scrappin-abby.blogspot.com/
Julie O- http://muddypawsinkyfingers.blogspot.com/
Nicole- http://teachdanz.blogspot.com/
Guest Designer Ashley- http://especiallymade.blogspot.com/
Jessica B- http://jessicascraftshaque.blogspot.com/
3 Girl JAM- http://3girljam.blogspot.com/


Rumor has it they are having a special this weekend on these products. Use code: HOLIDAY to save $10.00 off your order of $20.00 or more when you buy one or more of the 3 new products!
Also Blog Candy: Comment on all the stops for a chance to win a Ribbon Candy Crinkle Ribbon Bundle, Christmas Flair, and a Jute Ribbon Pack.

Some Sweet News!!

Hello dear friends. I have been holding onto some news for quite sometime and I can finally spill the beans! I am a designer for Sweet Stamp Shop!!

I'll be designing for them from now through February. In fact, I have already designed a few projects for the December release, which is TODAY!! You need to see these goodies. They are yummy - literally!! Just check out my projects and you'll see why.

I designed four card with four different sets. The first card uses the set Baking Love, which  you can get here.

In the still photo, it looks cute enough, but what you don't know is that the oven mitt actually waves hello! I attached it with an action wobble. Check out the video of the waving mitt! Hello!!!

My next card uses the new Elegant Sentiments set. This set is so versatile, you can use it for almost any occasion and you can use it with other sets. I used the new Cheers sentiment with the existing Happy Hour set. They coordinate well together.

If you're more of a baker than a drinker, check out this fun creation using one of Alyssa's new sets Cookie Sprinkles. See the bigger sprinkles on the paper? I created them with a little circle stamp from Holiday Cheers.

My final card uses Elegant Flowers, which is very appropriately named. I love this set. You can do so much with it. In this card, I stamped the flowers in a bright color palette.

Stay tuned. I have my first official post on Saturday and I am starting a new blog series about something that has me very excited!!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

I'm up on the Eyelet Outlet blog for the 12 Days of Holiday Inspiration. I decided to go all out and make this fun winter village!

I created this little wonderland with my Silhouette Cameo and embellished with Eyelet Outlet brads and bling. The embellishments are what gives this village personality. 

I hope this gets you all in the holiday spirit!!

 There are snowmen carrying candy, trees in the yard, a cute little dog in front of his house, which is decorated with holiday lights.

 

The other house has a spray of leaves adorned with snowflakes and bling.

 

 See the wreath on the church? It's also covered in bling! Oh, and don't forget the Christmas tree!!

Happy Holidays!

Supply List

Eyelet Outlet Brads and Bling
Small Snowflake Brads
Puppy Brads
Candy Cane Brads
Snowmen Brads
Holiday Lights Brads
Holiday Tree Brads
Lollipop Brads
Bling Strips
Bling Sheets
Jewel Bling

Paper
Carta Bella
Recollections

Stamps
Sweet Stamp Shop

Ahoy! It's the Mayflower!!

It's my turn to post on the Eyelet Outlet blog today. I made a couple of fun projects for my Thanksgiving themed post. I'll start you off with a little humor. I seriously cracked myself up with this one! If turkey's could talk, they would be yelling this right now!

Supplies:

Turkey brads - Eyelet Outlet

Paper - American Crafts

Sentiment - Computer Generated (Font is Skinny Jeans)

 Now for a non-card project. I made a boat!! Specifically, I made a miniature paper version of the Mayflower. If any history buffs are reading this, let me clarify that I know the Mayflower didn't have pilgrim hats and writing on the its sails. I can also say with confidence that the pilgrims did not display the banner "America or bust!" In fact, I don't even think the New World was even called America, but it's fun to pretend, right.

Wouldn't this be a fun treat holder to place on the table at Thanksgiving? I loaded my boat with Skittles, but you could use nuts, crackers or even popcorn!

I created the boat in Silhouette Studio. As a special treat and as my way of saying "Thank You" to my readers, I am going to make this available on my blog for FREE. You don't even have to be a follower to get it (but I always get a little excited when I see a new follower added to the my list.)

 Supplies:

Pilgrim Hat Brads - Eyelet Outlet

Bling - Eyelet Outlet

Ink - Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Brushed Corduroy)

Farewell Moxie Cath

Hi everyone and welcome to what is probably the biggest blog hop in the world ever! Why is this hop so huuuuuge, you ask? Because it's for a very special lady who means a lot to a lot of people. You could even say she means the world to us - the Moxie Fab World. 
 

We are honoring Cath Edvalson, an amazing designer, writer, trend watcher, community builder and friend. She has been a fixture at Paper Crafts Magazine, where she served in various editorial capacities. She created one of my favorite blogs. Moxie Fab World was a source of inspiration, community, motivation and friendship for me. As I told Cath recently, it was Moxie Fab World that motivated me to hone my card-crafting skills. I lurked on the site for a while until I felt I was ready to start participating in challenges. I admired the work of many designer's that she brought to light. I reveled in the sometimes beautiful, sometimes whimsical and sometimes inspirational images she shared. I learned about new companies and trends. Moxie Fab World was my go-to place.   

Cath is moving on to new endeavors. I will miss her. So will the other 200 something designers who are in this hop. (I would publish an exact number, but I can't keep track. She is very loved.)  I designed this card in honor of the very first challenge I entered in the Moxie Fab World. It was called Cityscapes are on the Rise. Fortunately, my card-making skills have improved since then (thanks, in part to MFW).  Cath, if you're reading this (and you probably are b/c you're awesome like that), you have added so much color to my life. Thanks for the bright world you created. It was super Moxie Fab!!

Supplies

Stamps - Sweet Stamp Shop, Paper Smooches

Bling - Eyelet Outlet

Paper - My Mind's Eye 

Ink - Memento, Tombow, Copic Markers

If you happened upon this post by accident, I invite you to hop along. It all starts at www.moxiefabworld.com. If you are participating in the hop, you probably came from my friend Heather's blog. Your next stop on the hop is Tarynne Wise. Here is the whole list:  

Thank You Cath

It was Friday morning. Nothing out of the ordinary. I woke up and checked my phone before getting my kids ready for school. I was a bit groggy because I hadn't had my morning coffee yet. As I checked out all the posts in my news feed, one particular post caught my eye.

It was Cath posting something on Moxie Fab World. I always see these wonderful inspirational images show up in my news feed. This one, on the other hand, was different. It was this:

Why would she post something about saying goodbye? I clicked on the link to read the entire post. It was Cath's last. She was saying goodbye to us. My heart sunk. My grogginess turned to alarm. I love the Moxie Fab World blog. As I mentioned to Cath, it was the Moxie Fab World blog that motivated me to hone my card-making skills. I entered the challenges, oohed and ahhed over cards made by some very talented designers, and made friends. A couple months after I started regularly participating in this Moxie Fab World she created, I was pleasantly surprised to get an email from her. She invited me to be the Moxie Fabber of the Week. I couldn't believe it. I was so humbled and excited and honored and ... I just felt really good.

As time progressed, so did my kids and their schedules. I found myself unable to actively participate as much as I had, but you can bet that I checked out that blog every day. Every. Single. Day.

So, when I read Cath's post on Friday, a part of me mourned. I know Moxie Fab World will continue, but it was Cath who nurtured that fun phrase into a huge community of talented designers, several of whom I now call friends.

It's without further adieu that I say thank you, Cath. Thank you for your inspiration, for your kindness and most importantly, thank you for your moxie fabulousness. You are very special to me. (Pause to wipe tears from my eyes.) I dedicate this card to you.

Supplies used include:

Stamps and dies from Wplus9

Bling from Eyelet Outlet

Super Fun with Super New Stamps!

Recently I ordered stamps from the Sweet Stamp Shop with some of my birthday money. I've been playing with them over the weekend and came up with a couple of fun creations using the newly released Super Mom set.

Edited to add: I decided to enter this into the Use What You Have Challenge going on at Sweet Stamp Shop. Here is a picture of the stash I used to make this card. I primarily used Super Mom, but the small Happy Birthday sentiment on the card came from the set Easily Distracted. It fit perfectly inside the burst stamp!

What little boy wouldn't want this card and tag for his birthday? It's going in my stash so when I need a card for a boy, I have one on hand.

Thanks and have a "super" day!

What Does the Fox Say?

I have been cracking up at this card since I made. I'm even smiling now while writing about it.

I knew nothing about this song until this afternoon when I saw some people posting "What does the fox say?" I wondered what that meant, so I Googled it and found this video.

I loved it. It's a catchy tune and it's hilarious. If you just read the lyrics, you'd think it was a children's song, but the tune and video don't seem anything like a children's song. I love that.

Anyway ... a card sprung to mind. I envisioned a fox on a hill saying Cha cha cha cha cha chow! I remembered I had these adorable fox brads from Eyelet Outlet. I created the funny speech bubble in my Silhouette. I made the hills and sun with my Silhouette, too. Man, I love that machine. So, there you have it. My funny card for the day!

SSS Wednesday Challenge - Christmas Cards!!

Hi everyone! I just got my first sets of Wplus9 stamps and dies and I LOVE them! I love the designs and matching dies. I ordered the stamps with some of my birthday money and couldn't wait to start playing.

Below are two Christmas cards I made with my new goodies. I'm entering them into the Simon Says Stamps Wednesday Challenge, which is to create Christmas cards. Both cards use the Pretty Poinsettia stamps and dies.

The set has two poinsettias - a large and small. I used the large poinsettia on this card. The sentiment is from the Christmas Wishes set. I embellished it with a snowflake brad from Eyelet Outlet and some bling strips.

The second card features the smaller poinsettia. To create the wreath, I borrowed a trick from Jennifer McGuire, who recently created a wreath using a spring stamp. For my wreath, I used the veins of the leaf. I first drew a circle, then stamped the veins in two different colors of green. I also double stamped to create different shades. Then, I embellished it with some bling from Eyelet Outlet. The sentiment is also from the Christmas Wishes set. I actually stamped Holly Jolly first, then to get the word Christmas, I took the Merry Christmas sentiment and only inked up the word Christmas. My Fiskars stamp press helped me to center the word under Holly Jolly.

*Wplus9 CHRISTMAS WISHES Clear Stamps 24159

*Wplus9 PRETTY POINSETTIAS Clear Stamps CL-WP9PRPO

*Wplus9 PRETTY POINSETTIAS Designer Dies WP9D-068

*03441 Fiskars PREMIUM CUT LINE Paper Trimmer 12 Inches

*Fiskars Compact STAMPING PRESS Stamp Entire Project at Once! 02958

InLinkz.com

Getting Nauty on the Runway

Did that title get your attention? Well, if you're mind is in the gutter, I'm sorry to tell you to dig it out because this isn't that kind of post. Notice I spelled it "nauty" not naughty. That's because this card is a nautical twist on the Runway Inspired Challenge (ric#45) featuring this dress from the Tanya Taylor Spring 2014 Collection as the inspiration.

 I drew inspiration from the blue and white horizontal stripes as well as the multicolored splash of fabric that is sewn slightly at a diagonal. If you look closely at the model's necklace, you'll see colorful flowers. The tropical flowers seemed like the perfect embellishment for a nautical theme. (Nautical makes me think of the ocean, which makes me think of the beach, which makes me think of a tropical island. Get the connection? LOL.)

 The paper and anchor are from the Down by the Shore Collection by Fancy Pants Designs. The arrow and sentiment are from Reverse Confetti's Arrow's and Elements set.
Have a great day and thanks for visiting my blog!

Fall Chalkboard Card

 Hi friends!! I have a fun fall card for you today!

This project features one of the latest trendy techniques. I'm talking about the chalkboard craze. Most people create chalkboard art by double stamping with white ink onto black paper, but did you know you can create the same effect without stamps? I created mine with the Silhouette Cameo by typing fall words in different fonts and arranging them on the fancy label. I printed the image and then cut out the label with my machine. While creating the image, I intentionally left spaces between words so I could fill in the gaps with Eyelet Outlet brads and bling. Then, I used Eyelet Outlet washi tape and ribbon to decorate the card base.

There is an excellent video tutorial on how to create a chalkboard card using the Silhouette here. 

Supplies:

Pumpkin Ribbon

Bling Strips

Stitched Washi - Lady Bug Colors

Stitched Washi - Pumpkin Colors

Zig Zag Washi - Monster Colors

Turkey Brads

Pumpkin Brads

Candy Corn Brads

Mini Leaf Brads

Silhouette Cameo

A Card from a Nonslip Rug Pad?

Yes. I seriously made a card using a nonslip rug pad that looks like this.

Why? Because Cath challenged us Moxie Fabbers to create a card using this as the Trigger Target. When I first saw the picture, I thought "Oh, cool!" However, my next immediate thought was "That looks like a hard one." Followed by "Challenge accepted!"

Here's where the nonslip pad comes into play. I wanted to create a similar texture as the target with colors overlapping colors. I've seen cards and multi media projects that used drywall mesh. I scoured the house for drywall mesh. We didn't have any. But we DID have the rug pad with a similar mesh pattern. That'll do!!

First, I cut a couple small strips, then I cleaned the heck out of the rug pad. (Did I mention it was used? Ick!) After it dried, I placed it on my card front and taped it down with low tack tape. Then, using my Tim Holtz blending tools, I applied ink on top of the pad. I overlapped areas using the same colors as the target. It created a similar effect. You can see colors on top of colors just like in the target.

Next, I stamped the sentiment from Hero Arts on top of the design and added my signature bling. It's pretty funky and definitely outside of the box!

Thanks for looking and have a great day!!