Creatables and JustRite Musical Christmas JRC_078

I made this card for the JustRite Friday Challenge #078 - Christmas In July.

I decided to make a 5x7 gatefold card using ivory CS and this Oriental Trading Co poinsettia paper. The poinsettia paper had borders at the top and bottom, so I cut them to fit the outside of the doors, and used the green between the borders inside. I also cut the green with the background die from this Marianne Creatables set, and outlined it with an 18K gold Krylon pen. Then I cut the fancy part of the die with Core'dinations gold pearl paper, and mounted it onto the green paper.

The Spellbinders 2010 Heirloom Ornaments was cut with more of the green and also outlined with the gold pen. I added pieces of Dresden Trim to the ornament as well. The ivory oval was stamped using the JustRite Original Peace On Earth Borders & Centers - Interlocking, which is one of my favorite stamps. I stamped it with VersaMark, and used Superfune Detail Gold EP, then outlined the inside border of the stamp with a red Copic. The ivory oval and card were distressed using Antique linen.

The oval is mounted dimensionally onto the ornament, which is mounted dimensionally onto the doily. Then the whole thing was mounted dimensionally onto half of the card, leaving the other side unmounted so the door can be opened. The inside has a larger ornament using the same gold pearl paper, with a distressed smaller oval inside it as a space for writing, and gold holly dresden trim in the corners of the card. The berries on the Dresden trim were colored with a red Copic.

I added strips of another Oriental Trading Co paper to the inside of the door, and added more Dresden trim and red Stickles to the ornament inside. After finishing the inside, I added gold and pearl Liquid Pearls to the front of the card.

Creatables White Card

I made this card by using only one Marianne Creatables Die Set. This one was also bought from Joan's Gardens. I used Core'dinations Pearl and made a card, then die cut each piece in this set with the same paper and layered them onto the card. After that, I added Liquid Pearls and regular half pearls, and I was done. It was a quick and easy card with lots of lacy layers, and only one die. I thought it would make a beautiful wedding card if you need one in a hurry.

It could also be pretty just by changing the colors of some of the layers, or by adding color to the raised embossing. You could also add flowers, butterflies or ribbon to this card and change it's look that way, or add a stamp or photo instead of one or two of the inner layers. I love this die set for it's ability to make a quick and beautiful card for any occasion!

Creatables Anja Edges Gatefold Card

I made this with another of the beautiful dies I got from Joan's Gardens. To make the card, I started with a 12" long piece of CS, and cut the width to the length of the die, and scored it at 2" 4" 8" and 10". Then I die cut both edges, one with the wide part at the top, and the other with it at the bottom. Then I cut pieces of Anna Griffin DP to fit the parts of the card which weren't die cut, and applied those.

Next, I outlined the embossing on the die cuts with a Copic marker and used Pebbles Cream Chalk to color the parts of those sections which were closest to the fold. Next, I cut a Spellbinders die for the inside, and used the cream chalk while it was still inside the die. After I applied that to the inside of the card, I added three pearls to look like door knobs, and my card was finished. I may still add some flowers, but I'm not sure. The bottom photo was taken before I added the "doorknobs", but I didn't realize it until just now when I looked at it. That's what I get for deciding to add things after I think I'm done. :-)

Creatables and JustRite Card

Sorry for the two pink cards in a row, but I know Jill will be happy! :-). I made this card using one of my new Marianne Creatables dies from Joan's Gardens, and the Spring Rose Medallions from JustRite.

For paper, I used two of Core'dinations pearl colors, and an Anna Griffin patterned paper. The image was stamped with Stazon and colored with Copics. The metallic gold is a Jellyroll pen. The pearls are Liquid Pearls, and the flowers are from Recollections. The greenery is the MS branch punch.

I didn't straighten my bow before the picture was taken because the silicone glue wasn't dry yet, and neither were the Liquid Pearls. The design really is straight on the card, I just took the picture crooked. :-)

Lacy Celebrate Card Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge 38 - Celebration

I made this card for Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge 38 - Celebration. The Cheery Lynn dies I used for this card are the Kiwi Spirit Doily and the Exotic Butterflies Small #2.

Both stamps are from Anna Griffin, and are stamped with Tsukineko Brilliance so they would have a lot of shine to match the pearlescent papers I used.

I mounted lace paper I had in my stash over the card so it would echo the lacy look of the stamps and dies, then mounted the kiwi doily onto pink pearl paper and cut around it with scissors, and mounted them onto the card. Then I mounted the cake dimensionally on the doily. I did the same thing with the saying. The pink on the butterfly actually matches the paper, but it looks different in the photograph. The roses are from our local craft store, and the greenery is the MS branch punch. The "pearls" are Liquid pearls, and the candle flames are a glittery stuff like Stickles.

Poinsettia Card ODBDSLC117

I made this card for the Our Daily Bread Designs ODBDSLC117 Sketch Challenge. For my card, I made the two contrasting paper patterns and ribbon go horizontally, rather than vertically, but I still placed the bow at the top.

I made the card using a stamp and die set I hadn't used yet. I was really anxious to use this stamp, but it didn't work with the vertical pattern, so I turned it sideways. The stamp is ODBD's Blessed Christmas, and I used the matching Poinsettia Die to cut it out. The Blessed Christmas set has some really gorgeous sentiments to go with it, but they weren't the right shape for this challenge. I have a lot of ODBD sentiments, but the only one I have which was the right size and shape was this one from the Faith Set. I love this one, but I really wanted to use a Christmas one.

I stamped everything with VersaMark, embossed with Superfine detail gold, and colored the poinsettia with Copics. The sentiment was outlined with a Jellyroll pen, and mounted onto Gold mirror card. Both stamped designs were mounted dimensionally onto the Anna Griffin background papers. The background was also mounted onto gold mirror card, and all the white paper is Core'dinations Pearl. The gold cord is from Wrights Trim. I added Liquid Pearls to the corners, and Stickles to the center of the flower.

For those who are following the story about the family of minks, I posted a few photos today.

Is there a mink in the house? A story about cute furry creatures.

I'm sorry there are no pictures to accompany this story, but when you have a family of minks living in your shop, you never know when they are going to appear, and they disappear just as fast. There is no time to get a camera.

Update, One of the reasons I never took pictures is because Minks don't really want me noticing them. They tolerate me only because I don't follow them around, and other than talking to them if they are watching me, I don't move when I see them. When they are walking over, or around me, I don't move a muscle, and they don't feel threatened.

Today I tried to take pictures. It really shook them up, because I was following them, and the flash kept going off. These were taken with my cell phone. The inside ones came out terrible because they were moving too fast and trying to get away from me, so most of them are either very blurry, or just a tail disappearing under something. The best ones were when they decided to escape out the door to get away from me. I will probably never try to photograph them again.

Mink are very common where I live, and most people have seen them a lot, but for two years, I have had one sharing my shop with me. The one in my shop is very tiny, smaller than a ferret, but so far, she seems very healthy, and has had a litter each year.

Minks are related to ferrets, but rather than being social, they are solitary. My little friend tolerates me, but I think she would rather I left the building all to her. She isn't at all afraid, and if I am in the way, (minks seem to be always in a hurry when they aren't sleeping), she will run right over the top of me to get where she is going.

My shop is in a huge building like a barn, which used to be a Clam Factory. It is built on rock pilings over the ocean, with land on only one side. In part of it, there is an upstairs, and there is insulation tacked loosely up on the ceiling in one place. Apparently the mink decided the insulation was warm and cozy, and safe from predators. There are also lots of places where she can easily slip in and out, and dive for crabs to eat right under the building. (She is very cute when she is diving, we can watch her through the windows).

Well, last year was the first year she had babies in the shop, and she picked a place where two pieces of insulation come together. Luckily, it is over a very thick rug, because every once in a while, a baby would fall through and land on the rug. If I was there, I would pick it up with a towel and lay it, and the towel on the floor upstairs, and I would hear her run across the floor and carry it back to the nest.

One couple who knew about her used to come a lot hoping to see her. One day, I told them she was out catching crabs for the babies. They looked at me like I was nuts, like how did I know she was catching crabs???!!! It was so funny when a few minutes later, the woman said "Oh, look"! And there she was standing there, a little tiny animal, with a great big crab hanging out of her mouth! She stood there and looked at us for a while, as if to say "what are you doing here", and then trotted by us toward the stairs, with the crab in her mouth.

She moved the babies out in early August last year, and I would see her outside occasionally.

This year, she had the babies somewhere else, but something must have threatened her den, (we have a lot of foxes, fishers, one bear, and now a coyote in the neighborhood), because yesterday, she was back with three babies as big as her.

I pretty much stayed out of her way yesterday because I didn't want to shake her, or the babies up. This morning, I could hear them running around upstairs, and she was in and out a lot.

This afternoon, I heard scuffling and ferret noises coming from around the corner, so I went and looked. All three babies were running around, playing and rolling around "attacking" each other. They were rolling around under my feet where I was standing, and using me for a hiding place. Once in a while, they would stop and sniff my feet and put their tiny paws up on my legs and sniff and look at me. The mother just stood there and looked at me, probably wishing I would leave. Finally the babies and mother went upstairs for a nap.

Later in the afternoon, I was working on a card, and I saw something fall right near me, and heard a plop. We have a leak, and I had a bucket under it, and it had about an inch of water in it. I looked in the bucket, and there was a little mink, scrambling to get out. I scooped it out, and it stood there for a second, getting it's bearings, then ran back up the stairs. Now mink have scent glands, and they sure are ripe when they are scared. My hands really stunk!!!

Well, now the bucket is empty and not under the leak anymore, so I hope it doesn't rain, but I really don't want to drown one of those cute little guys either. I wonder what kind of trouble they will get into tomorrow???!!!

I just keep wondering how anyone can buy a fur coat. It would take hundreds of them to make one full length coat. We have had a number of ferrets, and they are unbelievably similar as far as actions, noises and intelligence go. It's just that they are solitary wild animals, while ferrets are social and can be domesticated. I feel so lucky to have had this experience!

Lighthouse tag and card JustRite Friday Challenge #077 - "Tag! You're It!"

I made this card for the JustRite Friday Challenge #077 - "Tag! You're It!"

For this tag and card I used JustRite's Oceanside Oval Medallion - Cling, and cut it with the JustRite Nested Oval Medallion Labels Dies. For the tag, I cut a rectangle 3 x 5 1/2 inches, and cut the corners diagonally at 1", and punched a hole in the top center. Both the card and the die are ivory CS covered with K&Co paper, and distressed with Antique Linen. The netting on the tag is over a hundred years old, and was used on a weir. The tag is attached inside the card, and can be removed for hanging. The lighthouse is colored with Copics, and the twine and medallion are mounted dimensionally onto the tag.

The netting is actually called twine by fishermen, and this twine was handmade for seining. Seining here in those days consisted of building a fence, usually heart shaped, out of small trees, and lining it with twine. As the fish went into the top of the heart shape, they would swim to the point, then keep circling around. As they reached the top, since the heart shape pointed back toward the point, they would go back in that direction and not find their way out. The twine was attached to a rope at the top, and had real corks to make the top part float.

This twine was stored in the building where my shop is, and has sat in one corner since it was last used.

If you came earlier, and saw this post before I was finished, I mentioned a story about the little mink family which lives in my shop. The post about the minks is here. Yeah, by mink, I mean the cute, very intelligent little animals that some people kill and make coats out of.

Creatables and Spellbinders Lacy Card

Here is another card made using the Marianne Creatables I got from Joan's Gardens. I started this card by die cutting and embossing all four corners of a 5 1/2" square of white cs.

I have seen a lot of sites which say you need more than one corner die to do more than one corner on a card, but this isn't strictly true. First, you cut and emboss your first corner as usual, then, when you do each successive corner, try to die cut and emboss each one with the corner facing up like a triangle, rather than parallel to the sides of the cutting board. Only cut and emboss a little more the length of the die, so you will flatten the previous corners as little as possible. When you have all of your corners cut and embossed, carefully place each one back into the die over a light box, and use your stylus to trace the embossed lines again. This only takes a few minutes, because you won't have to cut your lines with a craft knife like you would with stencils. When done, you can't tell that they were partially flattened!

When you look at my card, you can see that mine isn't completely straight, so I carefully aligned and traced the four corners onto a piece of white CS and cut around it with scissors to use as a template next time. If that doesn't work, I'll try cutting all four corners separately and paste them onto card stock to use as a template. Maybe they will be straighter next time!

I mounted the cut doily onto a 5 3/4" square piece of Core'dinations Gemstones paper, and mounted that onto a 6" card. The sections between the corners looked very unintersting to me, so I cut a Spellbinders Fleur de Lis pendant, and trimmed off some of the points so the corners would cover the blank parts of the Creatables doily, but the other points wouldn't cover the rest of the creatables die cut. I was going to make that part pink, but I didn't have enough of the matching Core'dinations paper, so I cut it in white, and cut a smaller motif from the Spellbinders die in pink and mounted it in the center. The Spellbinders motifs are mounted dimensionally.

Then I added a bunch of pink and white Liquid Pearls and it was done. I hope my tips for cutting more than one corner with only one die helps someone!

Rose Bouquet Doily Card

I was playing with my new Creatables from Joan's Gardens today, and this is one of the cards I made.

The card base is Core'dinations white pearl CS with a layer of gold mirror card, and a K&Co floral CS layered onto it. I cut a piece of white CS with the doily die, then a piece of linen textured aqua CS with the border die to mount the doily onto, and a smaller piece of the aqua with the little insert die to mount in the center of the doily.

Then I added three little roses from a craft store, tied the stems with a piece of old Wright's Trim, and trimmed the stems to the right length. After that, I added opal white Liquid Pearls to the doily, and teal colored Liquid Pearls to the corners of the card. I didn't arrange the ribbon very well yet, because I wanted to wait for the Liquid Pearls to dry. I'm usually too impatient to wait for them to dry and frequently end up with them all over the card! Anyway, this time I restrained myself, and I'll arrange the bow tomorrow when it's safe!

New Goodies from Joan's Gardens

For a long time, I have been lusting after all the wonderful Goodies at Joan's Gardens, but have hesitated about ordering from her because you had to call or email. There were also four Marianne Creatables Dies that I have wanted really badly. Well, last week I made a wish list, and bit the bullet and called. I knew Joan was at CHA, but that she had a friend there manning the shop. The lady I talked to was really nice. It was also nice to have the personal connection when placing an order!

Anyway, the items arrived in excellent condition a few days later, and included a surprise, the pearl flourish! I had always wanted one of those, but just figured they were probably too expensive, so I hadn't even priced them. Now that I actually have one, I think I want more! :-) The postage was extremely low as well. Joan only charges for the envelope and exactly what it costs her!

Anyway, I just wanted to say that if you are on the fence about ordering, try it, I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

Disclaimer: no one asked me to write this, I am writing it because I had such a great experience that I wanted to tell everyone about it.

Happy Sailing

I've mentioned before that in the summer, my mother and I run a very tiny shop. Since we live on an island, nautical cards go very quickly, so I've been making a lot of them lately. (Most of them haven't been on my blog. I've decided to save a few so when I don't have a card made there will still be something to upload. Most of them are simpler cards which are fast to make).

This card took a little longer. The ship is from Our Daily Bread Designs Surging Sea Set, and the saying is from their Smooth Sailing set.

The ship is stamped onto ivory CS using VersaFine Onyx Black. Snce I don't have a light blue stamp pad, I used Distress Broken China Stain on an ink dauber to color the water and make a shaded sky. The rest is colored with Copics.

The central motif is mounted onto antique gold metallic cs, blue Core'dinations foundations, and ivory cs, then mounted dimensionally onto the card. The card is a hand made dragon paper which I bought at an art supply store. The blue background and gold dragon colors went well with the ship, and the pattern fits, because so many of the ships in the old days went to China.

I mounted the handmade paper onto more metallic antique gold, and mounted that onto an ivory card. Then, I decided to use some of my old Sizzix dies to cut Chinese style corners, and stamped "Happy Sailing" onto more of the gold CS. I originally cut and embossed the saying with a Spellbinders Fancy Tags One, but it was larger than I liked, so I cut around the embossing inside the tag, and mounted it to resemble a brass tag. I added a Copic dot to either side of the saying to represent screws, and added a few pearls.

ODBD Eternity Card

I probably won't get a card made today, so I decided to upload one I made a few days ago. It is made with Our Daily Bread Designs Stamps and dies, and I kept it simple to showcase the beautiful shape of their custom die, and the saying.

Wow, I just clicked onto the ODBD blog so I could link my stamps, and they are showcasing CAS!

The stamps and dies I used are Eternity stamp set, and the matching ODBD Custom Die - Elegant Ovals .

I stamped them with VersaMark, and embossed them with Superfine Detail Gold. I first stamped, embossed and die cut the largest shape on Core'dinations Pearl, then stamped and embossed the saying and cut that with a smaller die. Then I ran a Krylon 18K pen around the edges of both die cuts, and traced the inside of the smaller die using a gold Jellyroll pen.

The motif is mounted dimensionally onto a shimmery wallpaper designed CS from my stash, then mounted onto a pearl CS card I made from the Core'dinations paper. I added a simple gold bow I made with some old Wright's Trim, and put some Queen & Co Pearls in the corners.

Birds and Butterflies in the Clouds ODBDSLC116

I was going to do a sunny card for ODBDSLC116 Clouds or Sunshine over at Our Daily Bread Designs, but ended up making this card instead. I have never made my own clouds until today, and none of my blue inks are light enough for a sunny sky. I also didn't want to make another challenge card with "The Mighty Sea" because I've entered it into so many challenges, everyone is probably tired of seeing me use it! :-) So I decided to play with two of my newest stamps instead.

For this card, I used Bird Border & Corners again, partly because so many people have told me they didn't know what to use it with, and I wanted to give another example, and partly because it is so pretty, and The Faith Set and it's matching Butterfly Branch Die, because I love using those ODBD custom dies so much!

I cut out a cloud shape from CS, and daubed VersaMagic Aegean Blue over it until I got something that resembled funny looking clouds. (I had to do it twice, because the first time, it was even funnier looking)! Then I added the bottom border with VersaFine Onyx Black. I then stamped and cut out the Butterfly Branch from the Faith set, die cut it, and laid it on my card to try to figure out the best arrangement for the bird corners. To help with that, I stamped them all on white CS and cut around them so I could try them on the paper before I stamped them onto the card. I could be happier with the arrangement, but my mother likes the card. :-) Anyway, I stamped them onto the card, and decided the die cut would look best if I kept it monochromatic, so I colored just the stems and leaves with a matching Copic, and left the butterflies white. Then I mounted it dimensionally on the page.

Iris and Rose Card

I've wanted the Sizzix Loving Thoughts Set for a long time, and finally ordered it a few weeks ago. Finally today, I got around to using it. I embossed the design on white CS, then fussy cut around the embossed frame and mounted it onto a a piece of pearlized CS from my stash. The CS reminded me of victorian wallpaper, and the embossed frame also looked victorian. I wanted the card to look like a victorian floral picture on the wall, so I chose this iris from JustRite's Botanical Medallions & Banners-Clear.

I stamped the image onto Core'dinations white pearl paper with VersaMark, and embossed it with Superfine Detail Gold EP, then colored it with Copics. I wish you could see the irises in person, because it's the first floral I've ever colored that I've been really happy with. I only have a few Copics, and none of them matched my DP, which is actually a peachy shade of pink. My Copics weren't peachy, so I used two lighter shades of pink and added the only yellow I have which is a golden color. (Sorry, all my stuff is in my shop, and I am at home, and I didn't write down the color numbers). I blended with the two pinks, the yellow, and the colorless blender, and my irises came out the same peachy shade as the DP, and the irises are shaded from peach to yellow, just like those fancy irises I've seen at the garden centers. The shading really doesn't show up in my photograph. Sorry if I sound like I'm bragging, but it's really exciting when you've created so many duds to have something come out just the way you wanted it to for the first time. :-) It may have been the pearlized paper, I'm really loving coloring on it with my markers!

Then I die cut around the irises with a Spellbinders oval, and ran my Krylon around the edge of it. When I tried the oval on the frame, it needed something, so I daubed metallic gold on the raised parts with a sponge dauber. This gave the frame a vintage look that I liked, and also accentuated the design.

I mounted the oval dimensionally, added fern leaves from the MS fern punch, some roses my craft store sells, some Queen & Co. pearls, and a bow made from some Anna Griffin peach ribbon I've had forever.

Christmas Ornament Tag and Card JustRite Friday Challenge #077 - "Tag! You're It!"

I made another Tag and card for the JustRite Friday Challenge #077 - "Tag! You're It!". This time I made a Christmas Ornament that could be used as either a decoration or a tag. After I finished it, I decided to make a card and attach the tag to the inside so it could be removed by the recipient, that way it could be a card and small gift all in one.

I had the Spellbinders 2010 Heirloom Ornaments, which I really like, and decided to make my tag with that. JustRite has some really beautiful new Christmas stamps which match all three of the Spellbinders ornament dies, but I haven't ordered them yet, so I decided to use one of my favorite JustRite original Christmas Sets, Peace On Earth Borders & Centers - Interlocking. This set fits perfectly in the top of the ornament.

All paper is Core'dinations white pearl, which looks beautiful under Copics and distressing, making them have a metallic sheen. All embossing is VersaMark Dazzle with Superfine Detail Gold EP.

First, I die cut the ornament and distressed it with three shades of green to get the shade I wanted. The first two I used were generic ink pads my mother bought me in a set years ago. The stamp pads weren't great, but they work well for distressing. The top shade of green is Distress Peeled Paint. I ran my Krylon 18K pen around the very outside of the ornament, and traced the inside of the die with a gold Jelly Roll pen.

Next, I chose a holly border from the set, die cut it with a Spellbinders oval, and distressed the stamped and embossed oval with the two generic shades of green. I didn't use the Peeled Paint, because I wanted it to be lighter than the ornament. Then I colored the holly and berries with copics, and edged the oval with the Krylon pen.

I stamped and embossed the small oval, then distressed the music part with Antique linen, and very lightly went over the center part with the same two generic greens. I wanted the center to only have a pale shade. The border is colored with the same green Copic as the holly. I cut this oval out with scissors just around the border, and edged it with the Krylon pen. Then I mounted everything dimensionally onto the ornament.

The poinsettia at the bottom is a die cut from Marianne Creatables. The leaves and petals were cut from the Core'dinations pearl, then pushed into the Varsamark Dazzle while still in the die so it would coat just the veins. Then these were embossed with the Superfine Gold, colored with Copics, and outlined with the Krylon pen. The center was cut from Gold mirror card and a red rhinestone was put in the center of it.

I used a length of very narrow offray red ribbon for the hanger, and tied a bow with a piece of red and gold poinsettia ribbon from my stash, and added that to the top. Then I used Buttercup Liquid Pearls as accents on the ornament, and later on the card after I made that.

The card is very simple because I didn't want anyone to feel bad by removing the ornament. It's just a piece of DP from my stash, mounted onto a plain white card, but it looks pretty with the ornament on top. The ornament is just hanging and swings freely when you move the card.

Butterflies and Doily Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge 37

I made this card for the Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge 37 - White on White

I still don't have many Cheery Lynn Dies, only four, and one I can't use because the company I ordered them from sent me the wrong size angel wings for my butterflies. (I was very careful to choose the right ones, but it was a month or so later, when I went to use them that I realized they had sent me the small wings instead of small #2. Too late to exchange them).

Anyway, as I build my collection, I am trying to make the most beautiful cards I can with what I've got! :-) I love kaleidoscopes, so I decided to use my new Kiwi Spirit Doily, and my Exotic Butterflies Small #2 to make a kaleidoscopic design. I used Core'dinations white pearl paper for the whole card. For the base, I made the card 5x5. The card definitely needed a lacy edge, but since I don't have an edge die yet, I used a Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page, and punched around a piece of 5x5 paper. I mounted that dimensionally on the card.

Next, I die cut the Kiwi Doily and mounted that dimensionally with the four central ovals facing diagonally toward the corners. I wanted the butterfly antennae to be on either side of the ovals. I punched out a bunch of each style of butterflies, and tried them on the paper until I found an arrangement I was happy with.

I still don't have any Cheery Lynn flower dies, so I used a flower I made by stacking Prima flower parts and adding stamens to them. Imagine how much more beautiful this would have been if I had real Cheery Lynn flower dies!.

The last step was coloring the butterflies' bodies and antennae with Krylon 18K Gold. I decided that they needed more dimension, so I put Buttercup Liquid Pearls on the bodies, added it to the flower stamens so they would match better, and used it to make fake pearls around the border.

Faith Card ODBDSLC116

I made this card for ODBDSLC116 Clouds or Sunshine.

I received two stamp sets from ODBD this morning, and one was the Bird Border and Corners , which I had ordered to compliment my Bird and Butterfly Labels, which I bought a few months ago. The minute I saw it, I remembered a photo I had taken of two birdhouses on poles, against a very stormy sky. I decided that the silhouette of those stamp sets might be the perfect thing to stamp over the photograph and enter into this challenge.

I printed the photograph out in several different sizes and tried the border on them. When I decided which one looked best, I stamped the border with VersaFine Onyx Black, and trimmed the photograph to fit the border. I really liked how the light in the sky is just peeking out at the top of the grass. Then I stamped the label on an identically sized photograph and cut it out with Spellbinders Labels Eighteen, which is the matching die for the labels, and used a Jelly Roll pen to color the butterfly silver.

This morning I also received the Faith Stamp Set and matching Butterfly Branch Die. The word "Faith" from this set was just the right size for the label.

I tried outlining the label and photograph with a silver leaf pen, but it didn't really work for me, so I trimmed around the label with scissors, just outside the stamped border, then I die cut another labels eighteen from silver paper and mounted the label on that. It looked much nicer. I then mounted the stamped photograph on the same silver paper, and mounted that onto black, and mounted the whole thing onto a white card. The label is mounted dimensionally on the card, and a narrow silver sticker from my stash was added at the bottom of the card.

I thought this would make a really nice sympathy card. The word "faith" is to give hope, and in the darkness of the photograph, there is light shining through the clouds. The silver paper and the white card were also added to represent light in the darkness.

Flower Soft Card and a present from ODBD

A few months ago, I bought my first Flower Soft kit, Flower Soft - Bouquet Colour Selection Box from Our Daily Bread Designs. Then I bought a few more colors from them with other orders. I had always been curious about the card making kits, but wasn't sure wihich ones I wanted, so late one night I ordered the Floral Card Making Starter Kit. This kit contained wires, Flower Soft, and samples of different card toppers, vases, glue, and other goodies. The next morning, there was this post on the ODBD blog introducing a new color, and a special sale. I looked at my order from the night before, and I had automatically gotten the discount, even though I had ordered just before the post went up! I hadn't ordered the Patriot color though, because I didn't know about it. When I saw the blog post, I just figured I would order it next time.

Well, the next time I ordered, I forgot to order the Patriot color and never gave another thought to it. This morning, I received my newest order from ODBD, and in it were two separate packages. I opened one package, and it contained all the beautiful things I had ordered. I was puzzled. What could be in the other package??? When I opened it, it contained a container of Patriot FlowerSoft! Wow, that was so nice of the wonderful people at ODBD! Thank you all so much!

Anyway, this is the first card I have made with the starter kit. The 3-D design on this card is contained in the Flower Soft - Scenic Windows Spring kit as well as the starter kit. It was really fun to make!

Anchored with love tag and card JRC_077

I made this tag and card for JustRite Friday Challenge #077 - "Tag! You're It!". When I saw the challenge, I instantly thought of making a wooden tag which would be part of a card and could be removed by the recipient and used as an ornament, but most of the people who receive my cards keep them forever, and once the ornament was removed the card wouldn't be pretty any more. I decided to stamp the anchor in the center of the card, so there would be an image there when the tag was removed and mount the tag over it. Unfortunately the tag didn't look so great over the stamped image, so I decided to make the card so that the tag would go inside instead.

The stamp set I used was JustRite's Anchors Away. The wooden tag was stamped with Black Stazon, and the stamps on the card were done with VersaFine Onyx Black. The tag is on two layers of wood veneer, with the grain going in opposite directions for strength. The front is oak, and the back is mahogany.

The tag was lightly colored with Copics, and the card was distressed with Antique Linen. I die cut all the stamps with JustRite's Nested Medallion Labels Dies, Nested Oval Medallion Labels Dies and Vintage Label & Banner Dies. The stamped images are mounted dimensionally, and the Anchor and background were stamped twice, and the rope part and anchor were cut out and mounted dimensionally over the first stamping.

The DP is from K&Co, and is mounted on very old linen textured metallic antique gold. I applied two narrow lengths of antique gold Offray ribbon for added interest, and used the same ribbon on the tag.

Smooth Sailing Easel Card ODBDSLC115

I made this card for Our Daily Bread Designs ODBDSLC115 Tearing or Distressing.

For this card I used the ship from ODBD's new set Surging Sea. The sentiments and matching compass are from their new set Smooth Sailing.

All coloring is Copics, and all distressing is Distress Antique Linen. The DP is K & Co, matted with some linen textured metallic Antique gold CS I've had for ages. All the motifs are mounted dimensionally, and an additional compass was cut from the Smooth Sailing set and mounted dimensionally over the compass on the ship stamp. I also stamped the compass with gold, then stamped the Louisa May Alcott saying over that compass with VersaFine Onyx Black, and cut the saying out with Spellbinders Labels Twenty One. The Smooth Sailing was cut with Spellbinders Fancy Tags One.

To add extra interest, I tied a carrick bend made with two strands, and a square knot made with four strands with hemp twine.

Lobsters and no card today

I don't have a card to post today because it was a busy day. At our summer gift shop, my mother and I frequently get a lot of visitors. We have a picnic table and a bunch of lawn chairs, and it's right on the ocean, so it's a comfortable gathering place. This week, we have had more visitors than usual, and today it was all day long.

Our island is the place where the most lobsters are landed of any place. We are also right up at the top for any kind of seafood landings. For the last few years, lobsters have been at historically low prices, and the lobstermen have been having a hard time. Lobsters have been cheaper than hot dogs here every summer for the last three or four years. This week, the price dropped to between $1.25 to $1.50 per pound, and was expected to drop to $1.00 or lower. The fishermen's costs have gone up a lot. Not only have boat and insurance prices risen, but also the cost of bouys, traps, rope, bait, fuel, oil, and all the things you need to keep your boat and gear repaired.

Recently, the government made all the fishermen get rid of floating rope and switch to very dangerous to the fishermen sinking rope at great expense to the lobstermen because they said the floating rope was dangerous to right whales. There are no right whales here where they fish, and the sinking rope kills lobstermen because it gets "rocked down" and when it does, it hauls the lobsterman overboard. The floating rope was used at the bottom, with sinking rope used higher up. This costed the fishermen thousands of dollars at a time when lobsters are so cheap

In Maine, we had processing plants all over the state, including here on the island, until a bunch of "highly intelligent" trust fund kids moved in from out of state and started electing each other into the state capitol. The processing plants worked very well, employing thousands of people, and the factories complimented each other. There used to be a lot of bait from the sardine factories, and the lobster and other factories processed the day's catch directly from the fishermen.

The "highly intelligent" trust fund kids decided that it would be better to base Maine's economy on tourism, and closed down the factories due to their unfounded environmental concerns. They did the same thing to every other industry in Maine, including the paper mills. We only have a few of those left too. Now 85% of the lobsters are trucked to the factories in Canada where that country can make all the money, then sent back here. Only 15% are sold as live lobsters to be boiled and picked out.

This week, the lobstermen decided they couldn't afford to go out because they were losing money every time they went out. Some parts of the coast stopped lobstering last week. Anyway, the lobstermen have been sitting around the picnic table a lot this week, and today there were people there all day.

It's pretty weird to have it so quiet here. It's sort of like a ghost town on the wharves. Usually there are boats coming and going all day long, fishermen on the wharves yelling to each other and trucks with loads of traps going by. Now, there are just a few fishermen talking quietly to each other and trying to figure out what to do.

I wonder who is making all the money on those $20.00 lobster rolls in Bar Harbor? It certainly isn't the fishermen.

P.S. Watch out America, some of those "highly intelligent" trust fund kids are now In Washington!

Congratulations Butterfly Easel Card

I made this card for Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge 36 - Silver and/or Gold. So far, my collection of Cheery Lynn Dies is very small, but I have the Kiwi Doily on it's way to me, so it's growing!

For this challenge, I used the Exotic Butterflies Small #2, and cut them out of gold mirror card. The DP is from DCWV's Mariposa Stack, which is mounted on more gold mirror card, dark green CS, and white CS.

Most of the stamps are from JustRite, except for the frame around the "Congratulations" one, which is a very old clear stamp, and I have no idea who made it. The stamping was done with VersaMark, and embossed with Superfine Detail Gold EP. The stamps were mounted dimensionally. The Pearls are Queen & Co.

Poinsettia Ornament Opening Easel Card ODBDSLC115

I made this card for Our Daily Bread Designs ODBDSLC115 Tearing or Distressing. My latest ODBD stamps are Christmas ones, and I was anxious to try them out, so I used parts of three of them for this card.

The ornament stamps are Ornaments, and they are cut with Spellbinders 2010 Heirloom Ornament Set. The saying inside is also from the ODBD Ornaments set, and the saying at the bottom of the easel is from the ODBD Blessed Christmas Set. The Music background is the ODBD Joy to the World Hymn.

The top photo shows the card when it is closed.

The second photo is when the card is opened like a normal card.

The bottom Photo shows the card as an easel card.

The challenge was to use either distressing or tearing. I'm really not a fan of torn cards, so I used a lot of distressing on this one. Everything is distressed with either Distress Antique Linen, Distress Peeled Paint, or both. All coloring is Copics, and the ornaments are shaded, although the shading doesn't show up in these photos. They also look much brighter in the photo than in real life. I outlined many parts of the stamping with a JellyRoll metallic gold pen, and outlined the die cuts and pages with Krylon 18K Gold. To make the lettering match the ornaments, I outlined the first letter of each word with the Jellyroll pen. The centers of the ornaments are Liquid Pearls, and I added two dots of Liquid Pearls at the top and bottom of the ornament with the saying, which also has room for signing and adding a special message. The pearls are Queen & Co.

Some of my blog friends thought this was more than one card. Actually, it is only one card. It looks like any ordinary card at first, and opens like one, but the whole card is attached to an easel, so if you open it by lifting the card up, it will stand like any easel card. I decided to try making it this way so there would be more room for sentiments and to show off more of these beautiful stamp sets!

Lobster and Crab Double Easel Card JRC_076

I decided to make another card for JustRite Friday Challenge #076 - "Stars & Stripes".

For this card, I used some striped and matching red CS with a very subtle Checkerboard pattern that I bought last winter at Hobby Lobby. Unfortunately, I don't remember the brand. It was one I hadn't seen before. I used a variety of stamps and dies from JustRite. The Lobster, Crab, and stars are from the Oceanside Oval Medallion - Cling set, and the tiny scallop shells and the saying are from the Sea Shell Bay Labels Twenty Two - Cling set. The lobster and crab were cut with JustRite's Custom Nested Oval Medallion Labels Dies and the large star for signing the card was cut with JustRite's Custom Nested Medallion Labels Dies.

All distressing was done with Antique Linen, and the stamping was done with Distress Fired Brick. I traced inside the die on the crab and star shapes with a red sharpie, and ran my sponge dauber around the outside of the die cuts with Fired Brick. When I was trying to decide what to put on the opposite easel from the lobster, I found that the crab and the saying would fit together perfectly inside the same die as I used for the lobster, and I really liked that saying. I really like the fact that so many of JustRite's sets compliment each other so you get even more variety every time you buy a new set!

Anchors Away Birthday Card JRC_076

I am really disappointed in the colors of my photograph. I took the photo with my cell phone, and it turned the brown into kind of a gray color in some places. I will have to rephotograph this tomorrow.

The kids have gone home, so I thought I would make a card for this week's JustRite Friday Challenge #076 - "Stars & Stripes"

The background paper is a combination of Bazill and Striped Anna Griffin papers, with a piece of very old Wright's Trim Ribbon where the two papers join. I used JustRite's Anchors Away Set For most of the card, and cut them with JustRite's matching custom dies Nested Oval Medallion Labels Dies and JustRite's Vintage Label & Banner Dies. The stars are from JustRite's Oceanside Oval Medallion - Cling, and fussy cut. All of the elements are mounted with dimensional tape.

The card and die cuts are all distressed with Distress Antique Linen, and the center medallions are also distressed with VersaMagic Aegean Blue. The center medallion was stamped twice and I cut around the rope and anchor and mounted it dimensionally over the center of the bottom medallion. The border and rope are colored with Copics, and the stamping is done with Anna Griffin Chocolate.

Bird and Clover Double Twisted Easel Card ODBDSLC114

I finally got a chance to finish this card while the kids were out hiking today. I made it for the Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light Challenge ODBDSLC114, which was to make any creation with Our Daily Bread Designs Stamps.

For my card, I used He Watches Me, and once again turned the sparrow into a bluebird because I just love bluebirds. I cut the die with the matching ODBD Custom Sparrow Die.

For the other side, I used the Simple Things stamp set and cut it with the matching ODBD Custom Clover Die .

For the labels, I used the Mother Theresa saying from the Simple Things Set, and a label from the Bird and Butterfly Labels and cut them with the matching Spellbinders Labels Eighteen.

The stamping was done with VersaFine and Distress Peeled Paint, and the label with the saying was distressed with Peeled Paint. All the coloring was done with Copics. I wanted to add a little sparkle to everything, so I used various Jellyroll pens over the copics in many places. (The sparkles don't show up in the photograph, I suppose because they are subtle). I also outlined all the diecuts with a Krylon 18K pen.

I had cut out some ODBD Butterflies to use on the card as well, but they were too large for my design, so I punched some Martha Stewart ones to use in place of them. I mounted the butterflies onto some blue mulberry paper and cut around it so there would be blue inside the butterflies' holes, and used Copics and Jellyrolls on them too.

The background papers are mulberry paper in green, dark blue, and light blue with grasses in it. These were mounted on white CS with my Xyron and cut with Spellbinders Labels One.

Since the card is 5x10, and would be a strange size, I made it so it folds in the middle, so the bird is on the front, and the clover is on the back when folded completely up. This way it will fit into a 6x6 envelope. I had originally planned on making it a triple easel with a vertical Bird and Butterfly label as the center easel, but I thought the card might be more difficult to mail that way, and I wasn't sure I could devise a way to fold it with the center easel.

I'm proud to say that this card won at Our Daily Bread Designs Challenge Thank you so much!

Sweet Shop

I almost got a card finished today, but didn't have quite enough time. The kids and grand children went to Bar Harbor, and I got a call that my truck was finished so I could pick it up in the afternoon. (I was sort of glad I couldn't go to Bar Harbor with them. It's a terrible place to be around the Fourth of July if you don't enjoy being hot and fighting crowds in a million tiny gift shops)!

Anyway, while I was waiting to go pick the truck up, I worked on a card. I shouldn't have picked a complicated one though, because I didn't have enough time to finish it, so here is another dollhouse I made.

This is a view from the top of my sweet shop. I had some really fancy cakes and things in it, but I have them for sale in my shop, and I sold most of the fancy ones. I made all the cakes, pies, cookies, candy, jello, etc myself.

The building was originally a kit from Real Good Toys, and was supposed to be a hardware store, but I decided to turn it into a sweet shop instead because I had made so many confections. Little girls love coming in and having me set it down low for them so they can play with it and look at all the goodies.