I'm Dreaming of Spring

Yet another example of bad pictures. This card I made for the "I'm Dreaming of Spring" theme for my Favorite MB. I embossed the background with a folder, and then stamped the flower scene on watercolor paper. I used my alchohol markers to color the images in. (I am still not sure how to use them!) The sentiment is from the set the flower came with. I punched it out with my Stampin UP Curly Label punch. Then for the mat for it, I punched two pieces of brown cardstock, cut them both in half and then matted it.
I think this may be the last of this cardstock color. :( I like this color (can you tell?) I have a file folder of miscellaneous colors of Cardstock that I have been trying to use up, and this is one of them. The green and other purple "Beyond Borders" cards seen below were also in the file folder.

Isn't he cute??

Okay another example of bad pictures with my cell phone. I'll have to see if I can get a better picture of this little guy in the light. I originally made these for my Masculine theme for my Addicted to Cardmaking swap on my Favorite MB. But I think instead I am going to use these for the kids cards theme I have in April. The papers are all ones I had on hand. And the cards were ones I got forever ago in a pack with matching envelopes. The swirly pieces are actually the debossed side of an embossed piece of cardstock which I inked up my brayer and ran it across the back (debossed) side. The one card I used Pool Party ink from Stampin Up the other I used Pacific Point. The other piece of paper on the cards are from mat stacks which have been collecting dust in my craft room. I used to buy the stacks when they went on clearance, but I never used them, so I have piles of them. I have to stop doing that!!!

Oh and the sentiment I typed out on my computer, then punched it out with the word window punch, and added that to a modern label punch.

Addicted to Cardmaking swap - December 2011

These cards were made for December's theme, "Specialty papers." The papers I used are hand made papers that have metallic details added. I have always loved red, black and white together, so of course I had to make them that color! I used sentiments from Stampin' Up's "Pursuit of Happiness" (121970 clear, or 121907 wood) on the one on the left, and "On your Birthday" (only available in wood - 111664). I have had these papers for a while, someone had given them to me as a gift (Terri was it you?), but I wasn't quite sure how to use them. I think they turned out pretty nice!

Fall into Autumn Addcited To Cardmaking

Here's another stamp set that I just HAD TO HAVE which my hubby bought me a few Christmases ago. Now I have to say I couldn't decide how to color the leaf pile. I mean leaf piles aren't all one color. So I tried a few different ways, and I think I like this way the best. These are for my Addicted to Cardmaking swap on my favorite MB, the theme being Fall colors. This is the first time I used a big circle/scallop on my card and I do really like it! The background is embossed with a Sizzix folder ran through my BigShot. The twill I colored by pulling it across my (I believe) Soft Suede Classic Ink stamp pad. The PopTop (from a Diet Coke Can) was dyed using alcohol markers. But you could always use alcohol inks. The image I colored with my Stampin' Write markers (Marvelous Markers). The patterned paper is just stuff I had on hand. I love how this turned out!

Red White and Blue Hello

Isn't this little girl the cutest? I found this stamp in a Craft Store in Ohio when we were there last September for my brother's wedding. We don't have the store near by here, and since it is at least a 10 hour drive to get there, we always make time to stop in and see what is new.
Anyway, I made this card for my Addicted to Cardmaking swap on my Favorite MB. I used my Stampin Write markers in Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede, Blush Blossom, and Brocade Blue (I think). The sentiment is from Stampin' Up's "Hello Again". I love how it sort of looks like she is peeking through a window! The background is also embossed with a star folder and my BigShot.

LOL It appears I had the wrong picture there! But It's fixed now! Sorry about that!

White on White Addicted to Cardmaking

These are my cards for February's Addicted to Cardmaking swap. The theme is White on White with one other color. I chose to go with this leaf stamp from Stampin' Up's now retired "Lexicon of Leaves". I first inked up the stamp in Pumpkin Pie and then "Bammed" some Cherry Cobbler ink on top. The edges are all distressed and the sentiment is is stamped with Pumpkin Pie. The background was embossed with one of the texture plates from Stampin Up's "Perfect Details" Texturz plates (item #115962)I think it gives the card a nice touch. (although you can't really see it in this picture.)

Show me the Love - ACM swap

One of my goals this year is to take better pictures of my cards. So I made a light box out of one of the empty Girl Scout cookie boxes we have laying around. I have a little more work to do on it. I didn't have any poster board, so I used what I had, kids drawing paper which comes on a roll. It is sort of on the off-white side, but I just wanted to get a feel for the box, so I used it. I also have different kinds of light bulbs. I do have an Ott-lite, but it's on a short bar, so it's on the side. I think it would work better if it was the one that on the top, but like I said I am still playing with it. These are the first pictures that I took.
Anyway, the theme for January's ACM is "Show me the Love". I totally CASED this idea from the WONDERFUL Ilina Crouse. Ilina is a fellow Philly Inker, and her creations are amazing!! I changed up the colors from her card. I used everything I had on hand for these. I have this tablet of 4 x 4 patterned paper that I never know what to do with, and so I used some papers from that. One pattern had stripes (first picture), and one had a damask pattern (second picture). The ribbon is also some that I had on hand. I used the Full Heart punch and the Heart to Heart punches. The large (Full heart) heart I first layered it on white cardstock to give it some thickness. Then I ran it through the BigShot with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, and then then used dimensionals to give it dimension. Then to finish it all off, I used a glitter pen to make "stitch" marks around the hearts.

Christmas In July - Angel

NOTE another incorrect picture, fixed it, sorry!
You guessed it, another Christmas In July swaps, this time the theme is Heavenly Hosts. It's no secret that I love Angels. And I knew I had to include an Angel theme in the swap this year. Although it wasn't as popular as some of the other themes, we did get a number of participants. I love this angel stamp! I stamped her in Versamark and then embossed with white embossing powder. The back ground stamp used was Stampin' Up's En Francois. Another of my favorites.

Addicted to Cardmaking - Monkeys

Okay can I tell you how much I love these monkeys???? They are so cute and always look like they are having a ball! I had to make cards for the ACM swap on my Favorite MB. The theme for August is Animals. I originally started this card with a different stamp in mind, but couldn't think of a sentiment so I changed it to these monkeys. I still couldn't think of a proper sentiment, so I opted to leave it blank! But wouldn't it be cute with a "Hope your Birthday is a SPLASH" or "Last one in the pool is a rotten banana"? LOL or something along those lines? All materials used were various stuff I had on hand. And I made two versions, because I was running out of cardstock and had to improvise. The images were colored using my Marvelous Markers from Stampin' Up. The layout from this card I am sure you have seen before, and was CASED from fellow PhillyInker Kristin Kortonick. (Thanks Kristin!!)

Wow Flowers Birthday card

I needed to make some cards for the folks in my Stampin Up club, and also some cards for my 2009 Addicted to Cardmaking swap. I also wanted to show the difference that using Stampin Up products make when you create a card, so I went ahead and made these.
Now please know that I CASEed (Copy and shared everything) from a design by a fellow PhillyInker, Ilina Crouse. (thanks Ilina!) She had designed this card for a ShoeBox swap that we had at one of our PhillyInker meetings. I used the Stampin Up set “Wow Flowers”. The first picture is the two cards together. The card on the top used all products (except the ink colors) that I had purchased at one of the big box stores. In the card below, I used all Stampin Up product. The cardstock is Real Red and Pink Pirouette. The ribbon is the 1/4" Real Red Grosgrain ribbon. I also used the Real Red Classic Ink along with the Pink Pirouette Classic Ink. I used the 1 ¼”, 1 3/8”, 1 inch circle punches, along with the Scallop circle and the scallop border punches, all by Stampin Up.