Sit Back and Enjoy the Ride

I tend to create a lot of cards with floral themes which isn't necessarily the type of look I want when sending something to my dad or brother or someone male! So I've been trying to create more masculine types of cards just to keep on hand. I used two of my new stamp sets, Enjoy Life and Two Step Backgrounds on my card.

Enjoy Life:






















Two Step Backgrounds:






















I used the colors from The Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC103 to help me along. I love that these colors can work for a masculine card yet there is no brown in them! It seems that I always revert to brown for masculine cards so it's nice to play with a brighter palette.


Here is the card I came up with.

Supplies used (all CTMH): (X7141B) Elemental Level 2 paper pack, (C1439) Enjoy Life stamp set, (D1473) Two-Step Background stamp set, (Z2125) Grey Wool stamp pad, (1447) Autumn Terracotta stamp pad, (Z2192) Pacifica stamp pad, (Z280) Natural Hemp, (1385) White Daisy cardstock, Scrap of Grey Wool cardstock, Scrap of orange paper from my stashPin It

Lucky Little Pumpkin Studio J Layout

I've been neglecting my Studio J layouts! I usually place an order every month but didn't have time to last month with school (and work) starting up. I finally had some time to play and I was inspired by the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog. The challenge was to do a layout and journal/tell a story about your pictures. I had this idea in my head since Monday but only got a chance to work on it today! Anyway, it's about a cute little pumpkin that actually survived and grew in our tiny, somewhat dim backyard garden. Click on the picture and it should enlarge for you so you can read the journaling. Enjoy!

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Fall Themed Treat Bag and Waxy Flax Quick Tip

During my last workshop, we made treat bags out of the Kraft Die-Cut Cards. This is what a card looks like without any embellishments.

Here is a card with an oval window cut out of the front with the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.

Check out this post from last Wednesday for Pamela O'Connor's directions on how to make the treat bags. Here is the embellished treat bag with fall themed papers and die-cuts. I still need to add a ribbon to the top to tie the flap shut (or you could add velcro underneath).

I wanted to show you a quick tip about Waxy Flax. It's a great embellishment for cards and layouts which doesn't add a lot of weight or bulk. One neat thing about Waxy Flax is that it can keep it's shape. So if you twirl it around a toothpick like this:

...it will hold it's shape like this:

 Supplies used (all CTMH): (Z2135) New England Ivy stamp pad, (Z2191) Sunset stamp pad, (Z1686) Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge, (B1395) So Grateful stamp set, (X7142B) Dreamin' 2 paper pack, (1385) White Daisy cardstock, Olive Waxy Flax

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Happy Day

Wouldn't this sketch make a pretty card all on its own? I love it!

This sketch is from the Clean and Simple Stamping blog. I had a chance to stamp and make cards with Heather and Debbie today so that got me in the creative mood. It also helped that I had my stamping supplies out and that I got a new order of stamps and embellishments in the mail today! So exciting! Check out that corrugated star...it comes in the package of Milepost Shapes. I broke out my new Blue Ribbon stamp set to make my card.

My mom is so sweet and always sends cards for special days. It's not as easy as it used to be for her to go out and get cards from the store, so I try to send her a bunch of handmade cards every once in awhile. She always goes through them faster than I can make them though! Anyway, I'm hoping to make duplicates of this card to include in a package for her (along with some others).

Supplies used: (C1464) Blue Ribbon stamp set, (X7139B) Typeset paper pack, (Z2165) Juniper stamp pad, (Z2162) Honey stamp pad, (Z2114) Cocoa stamp pad, (Z1484) Milepost ShapesPin It

Happy Hauntings Card

Here's another project I created after being inspired by my scraps. I had a number of those fancy shaped white rectangles left over from experimenting with the Art Philosophy cartridge so I'm using them now! The orange paper on the card is very old CTMH paper and the gray ribbon is very old CTMH ribbon. And I think I've mentioned this before but I just adore that little fence that you can cut out with the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge. It's so intricate and detailed. I'm still a bit in awe at what the Cricut can do since I'm a new user. After every cut I have to show someone in my family and say, "Look at this! Isn't it amazing?"

Supplies used (all CTMH): (Z1686) Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge for fence and shaped rectangle, (C1423) Captured Moments stamp set, (Z2105) Black stamp pad, (Z726) Sponge Daubers, (1385) White Daisy cardstock, (Z1410) Antiqued Copper Designer Brads, (Z1263) Bitty Sparkles, Gray Organdy ribbonPin It

Fall 2005 Layouts

I spent some time organizing my scrap paper yesterday. I've had a variety of systems to keep scraps over the years. I started off with a file box and file folders. This worked for awhile but I needed the file box for something and by then I had acquired quite a lot of scraps. Then I switched to keeping them in the pocket dividers that came in a Cropper Hopper vertical paper holder. This was probably my worst system. It was very difficult to reach the small scraps that had fallen way down into the dividers. I couldn't open them up the way I could with a file folder. Most recently, I've been keeping them in two 12" x 12" plastic drawers...which was definitely not enough space. Yesterday, I cleaned out another drawer and divided my scraps between three drawers. Now, one drawer holds my neutral scraps (white, off-white, browns, blacks, and grays). One drawer holds my green and blue scraps while the last holds purples, pinks, reds, oranges, and yellows. I could probably benefit from using two or three more drawers but right now I can't expand anymore!

Anyway, looking at all of my scraps inspired me and that's what it's all about! I started cleaning up my desk just a bit and found some cute photos of my kids from 6 years ago (yes, I still have a lot of organizing to do). So I used these pictures, some scraps, some old embellishments, and some new stuff to make the layouts below. I love the background paper on that second layout and I didn't want to cover it up too much so I tried to keep my embellishments to a minimum.

 

Supplies used (all CTMH): (Z1686) Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge for leaves and shaped journaling blocks, (Z2114) Cocoa stamp pad, (Z726) Sponge Daubers, (X7142B) Dreamin' Level 2 paper pack, (Z1450) Color-Ready Alphabets Cork, (Z1127) Chocolate Designer Ribbon Rounds, (Z1333) Opaques Mocha Adhesive Gems, (Z1410) Antiqued Copper Designer Brads, Noteworthy stamp set for the lines on my journaling block, Foundry FlourishesPin It

Buttoned Up Card Set Video

This video shows how to make the cards on page 93 of the 2011 Autumn/Winter Idea book. It also gives some great tips on how to use your Cricut art Philosohy cartridge. Take a look.Pin It