CAS77: You're a Great Catch

I feel awful about not having participated in any SCS CAS Challenges this month so I felt I should at least do the last one for this month. Making this card was super easy because this week's CAS77 Challenge is to be inspired by the Dr. Seuss book One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and my son has loved books from day one. This challenge also gave me the opportunity to discover a new colour combination that I normally wouldn't use and I quite like how it looks.

I loved Angela's third card from this post where she used rows of the eyelet lace border die and thought it would be fun to pair up the fish from Tiny Treats: Valentine with that border die. This was the first time using this die and it cut so nicely! My sewing machine was happy to get some love, too. ;) I framed the little fishes and sentiment with Fillable Frames #2. Since there was a lot of blue in the 'water', I used red accents in the sentiment, fish and embroidery floss to balance the card. Obviously my card is yellow-based just like the cover of the book!

Sources: AC textured yellow & blue cardstock; GinaK 120lb pure luxury white cardstock; PTI Fillable Frames #2; PTI Tiny Treats: Valentine; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Vivid Red ink; Copics; PTI Eyelet Lace border die; PTI Fillable Frames #2 die; QuicKutz Epic Six; Gutermann white thread; sewing machine; DMC red embroidery floss; SU Crystal Effects (to hold string in place at holes)

Doh! It was supposed to be square.

Er, I've really lost my mind! Actually, I think I'm too tired to think clearly and this morning's early start didn't help. I was having an email conversation with the wickedly talented Sunghee a while back about how it's even possible that mothers of young children even have time to craft. She told me that she stays up super late crafting to her heart's content and it makes her so insanely tired that she can't function properly. That is beginning to sound a lot like me, except I don't stay up late to craft! I just can't function without nine straight hours of sleep. Other crafty mothers have told me that I just have to get used to it. Well, after almost two years, I don't think I'll ever get used to not having a good night's sleep!

I really wanted to make a card today that was not a client card. I've been so busy with those that I haven't had time to participate in any challenges for at least two weeks. I decided to use Susan Raihala's OLW14 Challenge which is to make a card using an outline stamp with little or no colouring. Here's my card except for one important detail... it was supposed to be square! This card uses more of the scrumptious stamps from Unity's July KOTM. Since little or no colouring was allowed, I used various colours of ink for the apples, stems and leaves. It was a bit difficult since I don't have markers but I managed to press the corners of my ink pads into the appropriate areas. I rushed to do this before the sun went down so I could photograph it. Therefore, I won't be making a square version. Sorry! One is enough for this tired brain. Have a great night, everyone! My husband should be home with some Italian wine very soon. :)

Sources: GinaK 120lb pure luxury white cardstock; Unity July 2010 Kit of the Month - Happily Ever After; Vivid Red & ButterScotch inks; SU Garden Green ink; Memories Artprint Brown ink

Stamps for Sale

I normally say goodbye to crafty supplies as a vendor at 2nd Hand Sales hosted by Scrapbooks By Design. However, they're currently renovating and I really want to get rid of some stuff. I thought I'd offer it here in case anyone is interested. They may end up on eBay at some point but I'd like to avoid the fees. If you think my price is too high, make me a deal I can't resist. ;) All prices are USD via PayPal. If you reside in North America, I'd be happy to ship your purchases for free if you spend more than $30. I tried to give as much detail as possible but I'd be glad to answer any other questions you may have. Please pass on the link for this post to all your crafty friends and let them know. Thanks so much!

Fiskars - Baby - $8 SOLD
I bought this at the CreativFestival years before I started blogging. I threw away the outer packaging as soon as I opened it and didn't even know the name of this set for the longest time. LOL There is light staining on a few of the stamps but most have never been inked.

Hot Off The Press - Plain & Simple ABCs - $10 each
I have two of these, one practically brand new and one with some stains. Stains do not affect the quality of the stamps. The stamps are on their original acetate sheets but not in the original cover wrap.

Local King Rubber Stamp - Snowflakes - $8
There is light staining from white pigment ink but stains do not affect the quality of the stamp.

QuicKutz - Retro Squares A2 embossing folder - $5 SOLD
This has barely been used, it's practically new.

Stamping Bella - cuppacakeabella - $6
Gently used and in original condition.

Stamping Bella - mwahbella with words - $8
Gently used and in original condition.

Stamping Bella - pmsabella - $5
Gently used and in original condition.

Stamping Bella - pregabella - $4
Gently used and in original condition.

Stamping Bella - teddybella - $5
Gently used and in original condition.

Stampin' Up - Heart-to-Heart Punch - $10
My punch is the original black version with the thumb lever.

Stampin' Up - A New Little Someone - $10
This is the first SU set I ever owned and I purchased it off eBay after it was retired. I've accumulated quite a few baby sets since then and don't use this one anymore but I still love it. It has some staining on the rubber and wood which does not affect the quality of the stamps.

Stampin' Up - Pun Fun - $25 SOLD
I bought this set directly from my SU demo. It has been gently used with light staining but stains do not affect the quality of the stamps. There are no stains on the wood blocks themselves. Some 2nd Hand SU stamps aren't positioned perfectly on the blocks but I made sure to do this with my own stamps!

Verve - Sweet on You - $8
Only three of the images/sentiments have been inked and they are stained but stains do not affect the quality of the stamps. Five of the sentiments have never been inked.

Verve - Up, Up and Away (plus bonus Whimsy Tree) - $10
There are stains on the six images that I used but they do not affect the quality of the stamps. Two of the images have never been inked.

RAK from Saskia

Today's just flying by despite the early start that I was not pleased with. ;) I'm trying to take some deep breaths and let all the stress slide away. I haven't been to a yoga class in so long that I forget how good it feels!

I wanted to take a moment to share this beautiful card that Saskia sent me in response to receiving my blog candy earlier this month. It's my first RAK ever so it means oh so much and I'm going to cherish it forever and ever! I couldn't stop looking at all the pretty little details... the ribbon, flower, brads, charm and that stitched border... and the adorable little chef which Saskia coloured and cut to perfection! This is such a grand card just to say thanks and she didn't even have to since she already emailed me when she received the goodies. Saskia, you're the sweetest!

In case you haven't discovered Saskia's blog, I'd urge you to stop by for a visit. Saskia's talent isn't limited to cards. She makes jewellery and the cutest knitted (or are they crocheted) animals! I'm on the waiting list for a little chihuahua and it's pure torture, I tell you!! ;)

Happily Ever After

Happy Hump Day to everyone! I hope your week's been going well so far. I'm struggling with my online shopping purchases. I guess life could be worse, eh? LOL I still haven't decided what to order from Stampin' Up and my sister is coming up for the Labour Day weekend so I have to decide what I want from Papertrey Ink for my birthday so she can bring that up for me. Then I received J.Crew's August catalog in the mail this morning and those of you who know me well know that fall is my favourite season. Of course, there is a ton of fall stuff to drool over. I better make up my mind about a few things!!

Today's card uses three stamps from Unity's July KOTM. I know I've said it before but I have to say it again. I love this kit! One of the images is a damask pattern and I'd been eyeing PTI's Damask Designs for a long time but didn't know how much use I'd get out of it. Unity provided me with the perfect opportunity to try it out. I really love how elegant this one is and I think it'll be enough for now! The main image with the two love birds has the chorus lyrics from The Chapel of Love in the background. Isn't it the cutest? I stamped it twice and popped the birds for some dimension. I also love the sentiment and especially the typewriter font! I sponged the edges of the damask background and also the circle nestie. I felt the card needed something extra so I used Stickles on the hearts and to embellish the sentiment. I may have only ever used my Black Diamond Stickles once before but I love the impact it makes here. :)

Sources: SU Kraft & Naturals Ivory cardstock; Unity July 2010 Kit of the Month - Happily Ever After; SU Rose Red, Pink Pirouette & Basic Gray inks; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Circles Large; QuicKutz Epic Six; Ranger Stickles in Diamond & Black Diamond; Glue Dots pop up relief

Wedding Wishes

I have to make two wedding cards for a customer and this is the first. I wanted to keep it simple and elegant, much like this customized birthday card. I used Side One of the In Bloom impression plate to impress the flower and Side Two to impress the main background. I'm so glad there is a nice wedding sentiment in Enjoy the Ride because it came in handy here! Most Chinese people would be horrified at the thought of having any black on a wedding (or any happy occasion) card but I think a touch of black makes for some class. Neither the bride nor groom are Chinese anyway so it doesn't really matter. :) Of course, I had to throw some kraft in there, too!

In other crafty news, I'm trying to decide what to order next. I love Certainly Celery but now that there's Wild Wasabi I think I'll be ordering that instead, especially since my SU demo is offering free shipping 'til the end of the month. :D Another colour that I really want to try is Cherry Cobbler and I already know that Meg and Angela love it! What new SU colours and products are you in love with? Please share.

Petwise, our little Pit'r doesn't seem to be suffering much but she has lost her appetite after the first chemo treatment. She'll be going once a week for the first two months and then bi-monthly for six months. It hasn't been fun trying to force daily meds on her and we actually had to switch from liquid versions to pill ones because she figured out how to fend us off. When I say us, I mean that it takes two of us to hold her down which makes her pretty feisty for an 8lb cat! She's even figured out that pill pocket treats have meds in them and now she won't even eat them. There's just no reasoning with her. Sigh.

Sources: SU Certainly Celery, Naturals Ivory & Kraft cardstock; AC textured black cardstock; PTI Fillable Frames #2; PTI Enjoy the Ride; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; SU 1-3/8" circle punch; PTI In Bloom impression plate; PTI Beautiful Blooms II #2 die collection; PTI Fillable Frames #2 die; QuicKutz Epic Six; Forever in Time button; Darice hemp cord; Glue Dots mini dots

Happy Days

I made this card ages ago but it had a hot air balloon where the car is now. I coloured it with orange, yellow and green Copics and I really didn't like how it turned out. Even though orange is one of my favourite colours, it just looked too orange. I tried another balloon and even two balloons but it never looked right so I finally replaced it with a car.

I love how the sun from Up, Up and Away stamps on to the large circles from Side One of the Sunshine impression plate. Even though it wasn't perfectly centred it looks so cool! The circles even help the rays shine toward the car. ;) I stamped the little flower from Up, Up and Away in the window of the car to keep it looking from too boring. I did this partly because I didn't feel like cutting out the window which I've done in the past when using Enjoy the Ride. The flower, license plate and dotted line below the main sentiment are all in green to make this a citrus-coloured card. Three fun staples (which I flattened so they don't punch holes through the card when mailed) finish up the card.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you're all having a great start to the week. :)

Sources: AC textured orange and yellow cardstock; GinaK 120lb pure luxury white cardstock; SU Kraft cardstock; PTI Up, Up and Away; PTI Enjoy the Ride; PTI Top Ten; SU Summer Sun and Garden Green inks; Vivid ButterScotch ink; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Fiskars Apron Lace border punch; Fiskars Nostalgia corner edger; PTI Sunshine impression plate; PTI Enjoy the Ride die; QuicKutz Epic Six; Glue Dots pop up relief; stapler and staples

Happy New Baby

Sigh. I love Unity's July 2010 Kit of the Month! Here's my first card using this month's kit. I used three of the images to make one last baby card for my friend Shannan who ordered two other baby cards posted here and here. First, I created a mini background with the patterned hexagons. When Unity previewed this set, I knew that would be one of the most used stamps in this collection. I stamped the pattern in two colours, cut them out and adhered them to the card flat. I didn't pop them because I knew I wanted to do that with the animals.

Speaking of which, aren't these the cutest baby animals you've ever seen? They even caught my husband's eye as he was walking by and he said they were super cute! I'm always on the lookout for baby sets from other brands but didn't feel any were quite right. Thanks, Unity, for making this set perfect with these little animals!

I stamped the animals three times in neutral colours and added one word from the sentiment on each animal. Then I cut them out, added a little sparkle to the mane, ear and eye, and popped them on the background to finish. Did I mention that I love this kit? I'm already looking forward to making my next card with it. Heehee. I hope you all have a fabulous summer weekend! Stay cool. :)

Sources: SU Kraft & Naturals Ivory cardstock; Unity July 2010 Kit of the Month - Happily Ever After; SU Basic Gray, Summer Sun & Kiwi Kiss inks; Vivid ButterScotch ink; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Ranger Diamond Stickles; Generations dimension squares

Pink Cat Studio Design Team Call

I don't have a card for you today. The biopsy results came back for our cat and she has gastrointestinal lymphoma. Her first chemotherapy treatment was this afternoon so it's been a truly busy day. I've been itching to craft but, alas, haven't found a moment to myself. I even received Unity's July 2010 Kit of the Month yesterday and barely found time to snap out all the pieces and pop them into a Papertrey box as shown in this post. I've been drooling over this kit since it was unveiled on July 1st! You know, even though I'm completely exhausted, I might just have to make something with it tonight. ;)

Pink Cat Studio is having another Design Team Call which starts today and runs 'til August 2th! Melissa has all the details on today's blog post. I'd love to have you on the design team with me! I'm giving you a virtual nudge here. Go on! I urge you to apply, even if you've never worked with Pink Cat Studio images before! Maybe now's the time to try downloading a cute digi or two? ;)

pLayFul baby

Good evening! I should've mentioned this sooner but there won't be a Pink Cat Studio digi release this week or next. Melissa is enjoying a much-deserved vacation while her Mom is out there enjoying the west coast. I heard they were going zip lining on Grouse Mountain today. That brought back some wonderful memories of when I went zip lining in Costa Rica. It was so much fun!

This is another baby card for the same client who ordered Tuesday's card. I need to make two neutral ones since the parents don't know if they're having a boy or girl. As you could probably tell by now, I love kraft and I don't need an excuse to use it. When I realized it would look amazing with Summer Sun, I decided to go this route. I love playing with the words from Top Ten and Top Ten Additions so I picked three words and stamped away. Then I used Outlines Alphabet to spell baby, overlaid dots using Polka Dot Basics II and cut it out. I decided it would look best slightly off the text background and stamped the fun Fillable Frames #2 into position. To finish, I added a couple of gemstones and popped it for dimension.

I think the circles in the background really make this card fun. It almost looks psychedelic. I used it because it was the only embossing folder/impression plate I had that resembled anything "baby". If only I had (Side Two of) the new Book Print impression plate. Ya, I see that impression plate in my future. ;)

Sources: SU Kraft & Naturals Ivory cardstock; PTI Top Ten & Top Ten Additions; PTI Outlines Alphabet; PTI Polka Dot Basics II; PTI Fillable Frames #2; SU Summer Sun & Basic Gray inks; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; PTI Sunshine impression plate; QuicKutz Epic Six; Glue Dots pop up relief; Forever in Time gemstone stickers

For Baby Deklan

I'm pretty sure this is my first case. I often say I'm going to case something but I always forget or have my own ideas. I cased Dawn McVey's baby boy card here. Of course, my colours are slightly different and I customized the card but the whole idea is the same. I have to make three baby cards for a client without too much time to think about ideas so this helped a lot. However, I did not feel comfortable knowingly copying someone else's design. If I think of a non-original idea quite by accident, then that is an entirely different thing. Know what I mean? Having said that, I'm not sure I will case another card but I've also learned never to say never in life. ;)

I just wanted to give you all updates on my father-in-law and furry daughter. My father-in-law is now recovering at a rehab facility and Pit'r is getting scoped and biopsied this afternoon. We'll know more in the days to come and I appreciate all your kind thoughts for both my father-in-law and Pit'r. Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you've all had a great start to this week.

Sources: SU Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip & Naturals Ivory cardstock; PTI Tiny Treats: Valentine; PTI Polka Dot Basics II; PTI Simple Alphabet; Memories Artprint Brown ink; SU Garden Green & Ballet Blue ink; Versafine Watermark ink; Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Circles Large; QuicKutz Epic Six; SU Bashful Blue 5/8" satin ribbon; Glue Dots mini & pop up relief

Thinking of You... Again

Today's card uses the same idea as yesterday's post but incorporates a few other elements. I wanted to use the medium and small hot air balloon dies in the same way since they were already cut out. Originally, I was going to make separate cards with each flower but they just looked better together! Since neither a standard card nor a square card worked with this layout, I made this one rather big. It's 4" x 9" and fits into a business-sized envelope, so I guess you could say that's pretty standard, too!

While I was typing in my sources for this card, I realized I had incorrectly sourced the centre circle for yesterday's flower. I used the smallest circle from my nesties whereas today's flowers used SU's smallest circle punches. I added some sparkles to each flower and cut out my own leaves from stamped text. My inspiration for the polka dot background came from Meg's paper flowers. I love how she used larger dots for the bigger petals so I used small dots on the bottom to match the smaller flower and larger dots on the top to match the large flower. Then I added some journalling lines on each side in opposite ink colours to contrast with the flowers.

Thanks to everyone for sending good wishes and hugs to Pit'r. So far, she's still doing well and we hope it continues. Last night, she actually slept with us on the bed for the first time in years. She hasn't done that since we lived in San Diego from 2004-2006! I hope everyone's enjoying the lovely weekend. I'll be back soon with some baby cards. :)

Sources: SU Kraft & Naturals Ivory cardstock; PTI Up, Up and Away; PTI Fillable Frames #4; PTI Fillable Frames #2; PTI Background Basics: Text Style II; PTI Polka Dot Basics II; PTI Top Ten; SU Kiwi Kiss and Pink Passion inks; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Versafine Watermark ink; PTI Up, Up and Away die; PTI Fillable Frames #4 die; QuicKutz Epic Six; SU 1/2" and 3/4" circle punches; PSX Diamond Sparkles; Glue Dots pop up relief

Thinking of You

Goodness, where does time go? I made this card a few days ago and I just got around to posting it now. It's Saturday night and I'm going to relax with my husband because he spent the last two nights out with his old friends and former co-workers from his decade-long career in motorsports. They're all in town for tomorrow's Honda Indy Toronto race. Tonight, we'll probably just have some wine and watch TV. :)

Last night, we also had to rush our cat to the emergency clinic after she started vomiting blood. The poor girl had to stay overnight for monitoring. They did an ultrasound which revealed an unusually thick stomach lining and some spots near her spleen. All these things are indications of possible cancer or lymph nodes. Pit'r is home now and resting well. She has an appointment with the gastro specialist on Tuesday so we'll know more then. Have I ever mentioned that I have a cat? She's 13+ years old now. Pit'r is a brown tabby but we like to say she's an earthy tabby. ;) This is Pit'r being silly on a friend's couch in Indianapolis. We used to put pink nail caps on her before we discovered those awesome scratch boards.

Anyway, back to my card. This is for a client order fulfilling the "any occasion" category. I really loved Nichole Heady's flower card made with the large hot air balloon from Up, Up and Away (see her original post here). I just had to try it for myself. My version doesn't leave spaces in between the "petals". I also added sparkles on three of the six lines on each balloon to give the flower subtle sparkle and added texture. It looks very pretty in real life but was hard to capture on camera. Since the text in the centre of the circle was placed on a slight angle to the left, I angled the sentiment tab slightly down to the right which balances the card and makes it a little quirky. Oh, ya, that woodgrain impression in the background? Love it. :)

Sources: SU Kraft & Naturals Ivory cardstock; Paper Reflections yellow cardstock; PTI Up, Up and Away; PTI Background Basics: Text Style II; SU Kiwi Kiss; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; PTI Woodgrain impression plate; PTI Up, Up and Away die; Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Circles Large; QuicKutz Epic Six; Forever in Time button; Darice hemp cord; Glue Dots pop up relief; PSX Diamond Sparkles

Pink Cat Studio ~ Christmas in July Rubber Release!

Welcome to the Pink Cat Studio Christmas in July rubber release! Today, five new mini sets are available in rubber. They are some of the most popular holiday digis turned into rubber for your stamping pleasure. Now you'll be able to wet emboss, ink in different colours and paper piece with ease!

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to make any new cards for this release so I'll show you the ones I made for the digi releases last October and November 2009. :) First up is the Friendly Snowman. I love him! He's so tall and elegant, and the birds are adorable. I love all the little details like the buttons, the curl on his hat and at the very bottom, and the tiny stitch pattern on his scarf. I cut off the paper tassles and added real ones using embroidery floss! {Click here to read more from the original post as well as for my source list.}

Next up is Hootie Pie Santa from the Stitched Owls collection.

I think this has to be my absolute favourite of all the owls. Hootie Pie makes one ultra cool Santa, don't you think? I chuckle to myself when I read blogger complaints about not being able to paper piece with digis, or that entire sheets of dp are wasted when paper piecing with digis. Not so! I figured out a way to do it using a piece of dp just the size of the image. Have you done it, too? ;) {Click here to read more from the original post as well as for my source list.}

Last, but not least, here's Penguin on a Candy Candy Swing. This little guy is so, so cute. Then again, aren't all of Melissa's images incredibly cute? {Click here to read more from the original post and as well as for my source list.}

I need to make approximately 50 Christmas cards each year and I usually leave them 'til the last minute since I'm a big procrastinator. However, since my son seems to keep me busier the older he gets, I should probably get started now! LOL No, not likely. Still, I hope you've been inspired to start making your Christmas cards, or at least start ordering these stamps from Pink Cat Studio today. ;) As always, much more inspiration can be found on the DT blogs whose links are on my sidebar. Thanks for stopping by today to enjoy a bit of Christmas magic in July!

Happy Birthday, Triscuits

One of my repeat customers ordered a birthday card for his girlfriend who's celebrating her birthday on Thursday. When I asked Steve to give me some ideas for the card, he replied with, "Jess likes food, jewellery, flowers and me, probably in that order." LOL Earlier he already told me that she likes red and cutesy stuff. As you know, cutesy is easy for me. Hello! Can you say Pink Cat Studio? LOL However, I just didn't feel like working in that genre for this card.

Since I was already in the PTI groove with the last two cards, I decided to go that route again. After all, I still have a lot of new stuff to break in. ;) I already had the red flowers die cut a few days ago because I wanted to try this paper poppy tutorial by Lisa Johnson. Unfortunately, after about 50 rolls, the paper still wasn't fraying. Mind you, PTI paper is 110lb (and I don't have any) whereas SU paper is 80lb so that's probably where the problem lies. I used the flowers anyway and paired them up with leaves from Masculine Motifs.

The fun part of this card is the swirly frame from Fillable Frames #2. I love that it looks so casual! I used a sentiment from Birthday Basics and Steve's term of endearment for Jess was spelled using Simple Alphabet. I also repeated the Happy Birthday sentiment around the red part of the frame in watermark ink but it's hard to see in the photos. Do you see what's on the kraft background? I don't own any PTI flower sets but really love the In Bloom impression plate and had to have it. I thought it would work well when I had to use flowers but didn't have any. I really love how it looks and I think it was a wise investment. As a result, I think this card has that delicate balance of cute and elegant. It also has a lot of red and flowers, of course!! I hope Steve really impresses Jess with this card and whatever birthday surprises he has in store for her. :)

Sources: SU Real Red, Naturals Ivory & Kraft cardstock; PTI Fillable Frames #2; PTI Birthday Basics; PTI Simple Alphabet; PTI Masculine Motifs; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Vivid Red ink; Versafine Watermark ink; PTI Beautiful Blooms II #2 die collection; PTI Fillable Frames #2 die; PTI In Bloom impression plate; QuicKutz Epic Six; Forever in Time buttons; Darice hemp cord; Glue Dots pop up relief

The Opposite

Well, I promised you the opposite of the last card I posted so here it is. It's pretty much the same except the colours are the reverse... almost. :) However, I'm not sure I like this version. Looking at it, I think the outermost pink frame should be black, as should the sentiment itself. Either way, whoever receives this card better like pink! LOL

As you can see, I used the Linen (& Canvas) impression plate again but of course I used the linen side of it. Instead of the dots on the flowers, I used the text. I also substituted the text from last time for flourishes. Because this flower had so much ivory, even with the text, I inked up the edges with pink to make it pop even more against the linen background. I thought I positioned the flourish on the left perfectly but it was a little too high so the flower covered up most of it. Ugh. Ya, I would definitely do things differently next time.

Angela asked if I liked the way the PTI impression plates work in my Epic Six. I had to experiment a bit with them but it didn't take me long to realize that I needed to sandwich the plate and cardstock between one Spellbinders embossing pad and two or three pieces of cardstock to make the impression look decent. I hope that helps!

Tejal and Meg also asked how I get such a clean impression when I stamp over two layers. It's no secret! It was a fluke but I do press down fairly hard where the layers meet, thus risking "fat" letters near the overlap. Maybe the secret is that I didn't glue the frame down before stamping. When it was time to attach the frame to the background, I just lined it up perfectly. This closes up any space that may exist. Another method would be to stamp once on the background, then stamp again when your frame is in place, careful not to press too heavily on to the lower layer. I hope that makes sense!

Thanks for the questions, ladies! I really enjoyed answering them. They made me feel like my blog was real, inspiring and helpful to you. :D

Sources: SU Naturals Ivory & Kraft cardstock; PTI Top Ten; PTI Fillable Frames #2; PTI Fancy Flourishes; PTI Background Basics: Text Style II; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; SU Pink Passion ink; PTI Linen & Canvas impression plate; PTI Fillable Frames #2 die; PTI Beautiful Blooms II #2 die collection; PTI Raspberry Fizz felt; QuicKutz Epic Six; Forever in Time pink button; Darice hemp cord; Glue Dots pop up relief

Happy Birthday

Thanks to everyone who sent well-wishes regarding my father-in-law! He's continuing to improve and that is great news. My family and I really appreciate all your kind thoughts. We're not sure when he'll be out of the hospital but hopefully it'll be soon. :)

This is one of the many birthday cards I'll be making over the next few days. I recently received a bunch of client orders so I'll be working fast and furious to fill those! Thankfully the first deadline is not 'til Thursday. I haven't made many cards where all I use are Papertrey Ink stamps and I thought it would be fun to go that route. After all, I have a lot of new stuff to ink up, right? So be prepared to see a lot of PTI cards over the next week or so!

For this card, I decided to use my new Beautiful Blooms II #2 die to cut out some yummy felt in pretty Raspberry Fizz. While I was cutting the felt, I decided to cut blooms in other coloured cardstock since I already had my machine out. When I tossed all the pieces together, the idea of mixing cardstock into the felt appeared in the pile. I love accidents like that! In fact, I love this card so much that I'll be making the reverse version of this one.

I used the (Linen &) Canvas impression plate for the background and I tied in the dot theme from the frame to both the flower and the edge of the kraft panel. After deciding where I wanted to place the frame and flower, I felt the card was missing something. I thought it needed leaves or maybe flourishes but, in the end, I added some text. I inked the right side using Pink Passion and the card still didn't look finished so I decided to add more text to the left side in black. That was it. I'm pleased with the way it looks and it will be fun to try different combinations of this layout!

Sources: SU Naturals Ivory & Kraft cardstock; PTI Top Ten; PTI Fillable Frames #4; PTI Polka Dot Basics II; PTI Background Basics: Text Style II; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; SU Pink Passion ink; PTI Linen & Canvas impression plate; PTI Fillable Frames #4 die; PTI Beautiful Blooms II #2 die collection; PTI Raspberry Fizz felt; QuicKutz Epic Six; Forever in Time black button; Darice hemp cord; Glue Dots pop up relief

dad, you mean the world to me.

I made this card yesterday but it was pouring buckets for most of the day and I couldn't get a decent photo. I don't like to wait to show you what I've made but in this case I had to. The days are insanely busy and even though I was willing to post dark photos, I couldn't find the time to download them and blog!

My father-in-law has been in the hospital since last weekend. Early in the week, we were scared we were going to lose him but thankfully he's starting to improve a little. I needed to make a Get Well card for my husband to send to his dad and I didn't feel like making a typical one so I decided to play with some of my new arrivals from Papertrey Ink. First, I used the Woodgrain Impression Plate on kraft. Boy, do I ever love it! Then I die cut and embossed the window using the Mat Stack 1 die. Love that, too! For the images and sentiment, I inked up Masculine Motifs. A tiny problem arose: I needed a comma. I'm a stickler for grammar, spelling and punctuation so I used a comma from Birthday Basics. ;)

I hope you're all having a really nice weekend so far. After all that rain yesterday, we finally have relief from the ridiculous heat wave this past week. Is anyone else drooling over the sneak peeks at Papertrey Ink? What are you eyeing for your next order? :)

Sources: SU Naturals Ivory, Chocolate Chip & Kraft cardstock; PTI Masculine Motifs; PTI Birthday Basics; Memento Rich Cocoa ink; Versamark Watermark ink; Ranger Ancient Gold embossing powder; Hobby Hot Boss; PTI Woodgrain Impression Plate; PTI Mat Stack 1 die; QuicKutz Epic Six; Forever in Time pop dots