Little Ones, Part II

I made a few more baby cards last night but didn't have a chance to photograph them until this morning. I decided to experiment with some different sentiments. I've also coloured about eight more of these images using different colours so that customers have a great range to choose from. I'll be posting those in the next couple of days!

Sources: Halcraft (white) & DCWV (sweet stack) cardstock; SU Baby Firsts; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copics; Fiskars Baby sentiments; SU Basic Gray ink; Memories Sky Blue ink; SU Crystal Effects; Diamond Stickles; Fiskars Threading Water border punch; Offray ribbons; dimension squares

Little One

My little guy took a really long nap this morning which allowed me to make this set of four baby cards. I had stamped, coloured and accented these images last night so I was all set to go with cutting and framing. This was the first time I made squares with a straight border punch. I had my husband measure out exactly the size of paper required to punch out the perfect scalloped square. Then I looped matching ribbon through the holes to complete the frame. I picked a simple sentiment and the set was done.

Sources: Halcraft (white), DCWV (glitter stack) & (nursery-boy glitter chicks) cardstock; SU Baby Firsts; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copics; Fiskars Baby sentiment; SU Basic Gray, Pink Pirouette & Elegant Eggplant inks; Memories Sky Blue ink; SU Crystal Effects; Diamond Stickles; Fiskars Threading Water border punch; Offray ribbons; dimension squares

Great Job

I've had this Billy coloured in and ready to go for weeks and maybe even months. I finally got around to making a card this morning and decided to use this Billy before his tools got lost as they've been floating around for a while now. Obviously it was going to be made into a masculine card. I wanted to avoid using kraft as a base but couldn't help myself with the fence. Of course I paired the fence with grass again - my favourite thing to do! I think a style may be evolving here? I picked a nice neutral background and finally fixed the tension on my sewing machine so the stitching looks way better than it did before. I love how easily this card came together but that's only because Billy was already done. This is the perfect card for that guy who helps you out with odd jobs around your house - your husband, boyfriend, dad, or random stranger! LOL ;)

Sources: Q-Print (white), The Paper Company (cottonwood, kraft) & DCWV (green) cardstock; Pink Cat Studio Dress Up Billy; HOTP Tiny Words & Images; Memories Black ink; Copics; SU Crystal Effects; SU Large Star Punch; Martha Stewart picket fence border punch; Gutermann thread; dimension squares

Two Reasons to Celebrate

I didn't realize August 29th was sneaking up on me so quickly! I have two wonderful friends celebrating their birthdays on the same day and they also know each other. I had to make these cards today and get them in the mail so they'll arrive on time. I thought I would make quasi-matching cards because I didn't want them to have the exact same cards and one couldn't be better than the other. ;) Plus one of these ladies makes and sells cupcakes for special occasions so she'll really love her card! I thought I used the same dimensions but looking at them now I can see there are differences. I have no idea how that happened! Ever since I made these two cards: Hey There Cupcake and My Favourite Sweets, I've wanted to use sprinkled beads on a cupcake to combine the two ideas. I varied the cupcake icing, paper and sentiment although both use the same delicious, pretty colours.

Sources: Halcraft (white), DCWV (sweet stack) cardstock & SU (chocolate chip) cardstock; SU 1-3/8" circle punch; Stampendous Hey There Cupcake; HOTP Tiny Words & Images; Memories Artprint Brown ink; Pebbles Inc. chalks; PSX Diamond Stickles; SU Crystal Effects; random beads; American Crafts mini chestnut brads; dimension squares

Pun Fun Trio

For a while there I was stuck on square cards. Now I'm going back to cards with a kraft base. I've had a lot of ideas pop into my head the past few days and started keeping a little catalog of my own sketches. I wanted to make a bunch of CAS cards and ever since I got my new SU Heart to Heart punch I've wanted to use it. I also haven't used any of my SU stamps in a while so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to find a new way to use the Pun Fun set. This was supposed to be a set of four but I botched the first one so now it's a set of three.

I decided to keep the images simple. Instead of colouring them in, I just added accents with a red Copic marker, white gel pen and subtle sparkle with my Atyou Spica glitter pen. I really like how these turned out so I'll probably use the same design to make some of my Christmas cards. A boutique downtown here has ordered 35 Christmas cards from me for the end of October and I haven't even started. Now I have some great ideas after making this set.

Sources: SBD kraft & Bazzill Basics red cardstock; Fiskars Threading Water border punch; Gutermann thread; SU Pun Fun; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copics; Atyou Spica glitter pen; Uniball Signo broad white gel pen; SU Heart to Heart punch; dimension squares

Hooty Birthday

I can't believe it's been a week since I made a card. There's been a lot going on, including a car accident last week, so I haven't been feeling the greatest or had any energy. I probably should've napped this afternoon but I wanted to make a card because I thought it would make me feel better and it did!

I have a few birthday cards to make for the end of this month so I thought I would get cracking on them. I wanted to use the same dp that I used here and thought a paper pieced party owl would be perfect with it. The bright colours made it come together easily. I just love this Pink Cat Studio Q.T. Hooty and thought I would redo this card. Whenever I look at the owl, I can't help but add googly eyes to it! I think my favourite part of this card though is the texturized mylar balloon.

Sources: The Paper Company weave white cardstock; Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday Wednesday & Provo Craft papers; The Japanese Paper Place origami foil; Pink Cat Studio Q.T. Hooty; Memories Black ink; Copics; Craft Medley googly eyes; SU Tangerine Tango 5/8" ribbon; dimension squares

Pet Sympathy

Good friends of ours had to put down their beloved dog this past weekend and the news made me cry. I just can't imagine how hard it was for them to lose their best friend after a year that has already been difficult. I decided to make an unconventional sympathy card. I replaced the traditional With Sympathy sentiment with Miss You which has a double meaning here. After all, my friends will miss their baby girl terribly and I miss them because we haven't seen them in so long due to so many things going on in their lives. If there's one thing harder than people sympathy cards, it's one for a pet. I put together stamps from three different sets to make this sweet little card to recognize their loss.

Sources: SU (chocolate chip) & Q-Print (white) cardstock; Provo Craft paper; Local King Rubber Stamp Four Seasons (tree & Flowers); Pink Cat Studio Lily & Billy Accessories (d0g); HOTP Tiny Words & Images (Miss You); Memories Artprint Brown ink; SU Pink Pirouette & Pink Passion inks; Celebrate It ribbon; dimension squares

Twice As Happy

I was a little off-kilter today. I thought it was Monday but it's Tuesday. When I wanted water, I poured myself a glass of milk instead. Well, it's obvious that I need more sleep. I had the chance to nap this morning but a friend was visiting from New York so I couldn't.

I started this card with the intention of following a sketch but I ended up abandoning it completely. I made a birthday card since I seem to have a shortage of those. I created this card from the bottom up, starting with the white picket fence. I can't help but pair it with some textured grass! It's definitely my favourite border punch. When I punched the first scallop, I was originally going to use it to frame an image but when I was moving it around on the card, the idea of using it as a flower popped into my head. I decided to stagger two of them and left the leaves off so they could also be interpreted as trees. I really love how this card turned out!

Sources: SBD kraft, Halcraft white & Bazzill Basics spring moss cardstock; Basic Grey Wisteria Violet & Provo Craft paper; SU scallop circle punch & 1-3/8" circle punch; unknown Happy Happy sentiment; Imaginisce All Kinds of Happy sentiment; SU Elegant Eggplant ink; dimension squares; Darice hemp cord

Panda Cupcakes

I admit it outright. I'm a panda fanatic. I love panda everything. When we lived in San Diego for 2.5 years we had an annual membership to the Zoo and went there almost every week just so we could see the pandas... not to mention the otters and the meerkats. :) Seeing them live didn't satisfy our love for pandas either. We had to watch the Panda Cam 24/7 to watch the cubs grow! Since the pandacam has a postcard feature, I captured and saved hundreds of photos. Well, I am once again addicted because Bai Yun just had another baby last week! Here are two photos of her cuddling and cleaning the cub. I know you want to say it so go ahead. "Emily's craaaaazy!" LOL

Anyway, all this talk about pandas really has a point. Yesterday we had my son's first birthday party and I made panda cupcakes. He loved watching me make them and one of the words he's able to say is "Ca-!" because we have a cat. He thought I was making cats even though he has a million stuffed pandas and I told him I was making pandas. It was so funny watching the expressions change on his face as he was trying to figure out what I was doing while I was putting the faces on the cupcakes. The party went smoothly despite everyone being late when the megastorm of the summer arrived. The little guy smashed his cupcake and didn't really eat any of it but that's what we expected him to do. It was a lot of fun!

Happy Birthday, Sweetie

I turned this week's Mojo sketch 90 degrees to make a first birthday card for my son. Of course it had to be ultra special and since I've been wanting to make another cross stitch card for, oh, about a year I felt this was the perfect opportunity. I also dreamt up this ribbon wreath a couple of weeks ago and thought it would pair up nicely. The sketch worked so well for me!

I used earthy colours that I love to dress my son in. Think Carter's animals! They are boyish yet bright and happy. The textured colours on the dinosaur called for loop stitches. As much cross stitching as I've done in the past, I'd never used the loop stitch before and it was harder than I thought it would be. The finished result reminds me of those pom-poms I used to make with yarn in elementary school! After I finished the dinosaur, I roughed in a circle on the fabric with pencil and secured the ribbon along it loop by loop. Then I added the corner accents. At the bottom, I bundled all five colours of embroidery thread that were used to create the dinosaur and tied a simple knot. Then I stamped the sweet little sentiment to finish off.

I love this card and it's significance but I'm so tempted to hand it to my son on his birthday. I know he'll chew on it and crumple it up but that would make it so much more sentimental wouldn't it? :)

Sources: The Paper Company (cottonwood) and SBD (kraft) cardstock; Charles Craft 16 count cross stitch fabric in antique white; Leisure Arts 120 Alphabets dinosaur pattern; Carnival and DMC embroidery thread; SU Tangerine Tango ribbon; Stampendous Hey There Cupcake sentiment; SU Garden Green & Vivid Butterscotch inks

Peek-a-Boo

I have baby brain... er, baby on the brain. LOL Since my son's first birthday is coming up and I have to make his birthday card, I thought I would warm up with this baby card. I pulled out the retired SU set called Baby Firsts and I paired it with some Nursery dp. It's so much fun making pink cards! Initially, I tried to use various sketches but nothing looked right so I created my own layout and this is what I ended up with. I find that sometimes when I rely on sketches too much it stifles my creativity so it was nice to think outside the box this time. The image and sentiment are a little smudged but, meh, I made this in record time! I glittered up the duck and bubbles, then added crystal effects to the bath tub. I was very shocked and delighted when the bow came together on the very first attempt! I think I may be getting the hang of bow tying!!! :D

Sources: DCWV (textured cardstock & Nursery-Gltr Girl Stripes), Paper Reflections & Halcraft (smooth white); SU Baby Firsts image; unknown sentiment; Memories Black ink; Copics; Atyou Spica glitter pen; SU scallop circle punch; SU Crystal Effects; Dashes, Dots & Checks ribbon; dimension squares

Creativ Festival

Look what came out today! For Canadians, the Creativ Festival is as big as the CHA Craft Supershow in the U.S. I look forward to the fall show every year since it's right downtown and much bigger than the spring show. Last year when I went, my son was only two months old and I was barely recovered from my caesarean but there was no way I was missing it! My husband came along, as he always does, pushing the stroller and feeding the baby to let me have a few hours to myself which was a complete luxury since I was nursing. Believe me when I say men are absolutely rare at this show. He paid for a ticket and was barely in there! It was super sweet that he took care of the baby and sat with all the other nursing mothers who thought he was the greatest guy out there. ;)

Anyway, I can't decide what classes to take since there are so many of them and it's not only the paper crafting stuff I'm interested in! I have to have a closer look at all the events when I have more time but so far the brochure has gotten me way too excited. I'm counting down the days. Only ten weeks to go before I can buy all the stuff I regretted not buying last year and then some! LOL Download and drool over the brochure here. :)

Well-Read Mice

I decided to make a card using stamps that I haven't used in a while and also invent a new use for the book stamp which reads "This book belongs to" that I use on a lot of my books. I created this card without a vision! I kept repositioning all the elements because it looked a little cramped. The more I look at it the more I like it, especially when it's all packaged in a nice Clear Bag! At first I was going to leave it all black, white and grey but I think the splash of pink makes it pretty. I really wanted to use the argyle pattern and figured it was nerdy enough for a book theme. I mean I love to read and also wear argyle. ;)

I masked off "This book belongs to" just in case it showed through the paper piecing which I got from last year's Toronto Life Shopping Guide. It's too bad I couldn't curve the words. That would've involved too much work on the computer and I didn't want to get too technical with this card. I stamped the image twice so I would have an extra mouse. I coloured that one a tad darker so it looks like a different mouse. Then I added glitter to their ears, bellies and tails. They're sparkly, smart mice. Heehee! And will you look at that bow? I think this may be my first awesome bow. LOL Yup, I'm the biggest geek out there. :Þ

Sources: DCWV (black, ) & Q-Print (smooth white) cardstock; Fiskars Nostalgia corner edger; Class Act P03D image; Stamping Bella ese319 sentiment; Memories Black ink; Copics; Atyou Spica glitter pen; SU brads & ribbon; dimension squares

So Sorry

I have to apologize for those of you who have been checking for new posts. I feel bad that I haven't posted anything in so many days. I've had a few things going on including severe back pain which had me flat on my back, getting ready for my son's first birthday party, and selling my cards to local boutiques. On top of all this, I've been fighting extreme fatigue and have no idea what is weighing me down. I eat well and get plenty of exercise! I just have zero energy these days which results in me vegging or sleeping when I should be making cards. My inventory is running dangerously low due to the sale of my cards so I really need to get creating again! Stay tuned. I will have some things to post very soon. Thanks for your loyalty and patience! :)

To reward you, I'm posting one of my favourite vacation photos of all time. This was taken during my very first trip to Italy and the view is of a little town called Vernazza in Cinque Terre. We hiked along the edge of those hills through three towns and it took us four hours. Yup, one wrong step and you are over the edge into the ocean. Isn't the view just stunning? I can't wait to take my son there when he's older.