Baby, It's Cold Outside! (Well... getting there.)

Hey all! Did you get to see the Supermoon Eclipse last night?! Hope everyone is doing well and that wherever you are- fall is starting to show its true colors. So far here everything is beginning to turn and we've got some leaves falling. I am super excited for all of the upcoming months and festivities.

Here is a Winter card I made just the other day. I really LOVE this combination of colors for winter layouts (cards AND scrapbooking!) It makes you think of chilly snow and warm coats and mittens all in one shot! In fact, Doodlebug has a couple lines with these colors that I have had my eye on for the longest time! Eh... maybe one day.

This one was a pain in the butt for sure. At first I was stuck and couldn't figure out where to go. Then I was thinking that it was too plain for its own good. So I brain stormed on how to spiff it up and this is what I came up with! Purple card base, easel style (5 1/2 x 4 1/4 size, so cut your paper to 4 1/4 x 11 and fold in half), then there is a white piece that I cut to just a little smaller and applied glitter to the edges with some double sided tape. Then another white sheet just a little smaller than that and embossed with a snowflake embossing folder. The mittens and sentiment come from a stamp set by Scrap Happy Ohio. I don't remember where the polaroid die came from. The snowflake die is from Stitched Snowflakes by Lawn Fawn. Add some twine, purple behind the heart in the polaroid and you're good to go! Oh and the sentiment is up on blocks (LOL :P foam squares hehe)

I hope you enjoy! Maybe I'm worse than Wal*Mart with the Christmas and winter stuff but t'll be here before you know it! You're lucky I'm not listening to Christmas music! Don't test me!

Chey :)

Cherry Blossom Shaker Card

WOW!! I am soooo sorry that it took me so long to create this post... I completely forgot that I put it in drafts and never posted!! Soooooo....

As promised to my friends over at CARD-MAKING USA on Facebook, here is a tutorial for my Cherry Blossom Shaker Card!!! I apologize that I do not have a video or step by step pictures, but I did not know I was going to be making a tutorial and I have never made a video before LOL I would have made another card, but, alas, I am out of foam tape -_- Put it on the list!

Shaker cards are all the rage right now; they are just so fun to make! Too fun NOT to make, if you will. Humans have always been obsessed with making 2D into 3D, am I right? :P

If I were you, I would choose first the theme you want your card to take. For instance, you don't have to choose a cherry blossom for your tree. You can choose any tree; all trees' leaves fall eventually! (And before you get smart with me, remember that I said LEAVES... not needles... so pine trees don't count :P ) You also don't have to use the Stampin Up Sheltering Tree stamp set. Choose anything your little heart desires. Even pine trees if that's what strikes your fancy. Anywho- it also helps to draw a sketch of what you want your card to look like. It helps me at least!

SUPPLIES:

1.) Stamp set of your choice.
2.) Cardstock in your choice of colors
3.) Color coordinating sequins to go with it (like I would LOVE to make a fall version of this with some gold/orange/yellow sequins!)
4.) Ink pads, including distress inks (blue and green) and foam blending tool
5.) Foam tape or foam squares or fun foam sheets
6.) Your favorite adhesive
7.) Paper Trimmer
8.) Acetate

MEASUREMENTS:

This card measures 6x6 so here are the measurements for this particular card:
- Base: 6x12 (folded in half) ... white
- Picture panel: 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 ... white
- Base the picture panel will go on top of: 5 3/4 x 5 3/4
- Frame: 5 3/4 x 5 3/4 ... pink

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.) First, create your picture/scene. The first thing I did was cut out my "hills" so that I would know the placement of everything else. Eyeball it and set it aside. For this card I stamped a tree in brown and stamped it again off to the right (without reinking) to make it appear as if it were in the background. Then I did the same thing with a medium pink ink for the foliage. After that, and only on the first tree, I took a deeper pink and a lighter pink and used the foliage cluster included in the stamp set to add some various shades to the tree. After this, I used blue distress ink to make the sky.
2.) Ink up the edges of the hills in a coordinating green distress ink.
3.) Glue one down, and put the other on top using foam tape or foam squares to add dimension.
4.) Add more stamps if you'd like (I added a swing and bicycle, grass, etc.)
5.) Glue picture/scene down on the center of the picture panel base.
6.) Build your foam tape wall all the way around, making sure there are no gaps for sequins to leak through.
7.) Add sequins :P
8.) Cut piece of acetate to size and adhere to adhesive of foam tape wall (I always try to do the acetate at the last possible moment to avoid letting it get scratched... as my work surface is always so messy!)
9.) Create a frame using your paper trimmer and glue down on top of the acetate to finish it off! (I used pink here and you can create the frame in advance if you like, it's up to you.)
10.) Glue entire creation onto card base & voila! Shake it up baby!

P.s. afterward, I used the WRMK envelope punch board to create a box envelope (this is done almost the same way as you would on the regular punch board, only you are scoring two lines each time so as to make a deep envelope!)

What do you all think?! If you would like, I can post a pic/links to the supplies that I used. Let me know! :D See you next time!

Paper Pumpkin (September 2015) Alternatives

These days it seems that more and more companies are offering monthly subscription services or products. Movies, shows, makeup, sample products, food, beer, etc. The list truly does go on. Well, the geniuses behind the craft companies concocted a scheme to rock both our worlds and our wallets. I could go broke with all of the monthly craft subscriptions I'd love to get!! After careful consideration and tons of research, I selected two monthly kits/boxes from which to subscribe: Simon Says Stamp & Paper Pumpkin.

This month's Paper Pumpkin kit was only my SECOND EVER (same for SSS!). Yes, I am new to it, yes I am in love with it, but I can totally see how customers might be disappointed in the kits sometimes. I get it- truly you can't please everybody; not everyone is going to want to make treats or pie slices or projects, etc. Not everyone bakes. Not everyone hands out treats. Many, if not most, are almost wishing that these were purely card kits. I know I can count myself among them. I got my friend all excited about these kits and she took advantage of the promotion they had (first two boxes to new subscribers are 50% off). When her kit arrived, I could sense her disappointment. I was disappointed by extension. I thought she knew that you could improvise! Once she realized this, though, our brains immediately started spouting out alternative ideas for what can be done with the contents of this month's PP box!

On the Facebook group "Paper Pumpkin Fan Club" you can find numerous ideas for what else to do with the kit. People are making witches brooms, cards, centerpieces, silverware holders, you name it!

Well, I've made two cards and would like to share them with you all. I hope that you enjoy them and that you get inspired to think outside the PP Box! ^_^ The amazing thing about Stampin' Up's Paper Pumpkin box is that, even though it comes with guidelines and specific shapes/pieces, there are no rules!

Home For the Holidays Card

Who else is guilty of buying a stamp and not using it because you HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH IT?!?!?! I'm sure we all are. This card that I have made was used with a stamp set I had to have to have a long time ago and just never did anything with. But since I've had all of my Christmas stamps out, I brought it out and vowed to give it life! 

First I stamped the images and colored them and the darn thing sat for ANOTHER three days. Where did I go from here? How could I make this badboy look okay??? I truly did not know. But this is what I came up with and I'm hoping that you all enjoy it too.

I tried something new with this blog entry... I made a picture that has a pictorial representation of the materials used. I have not yet had the patience to sit and post pictures with links of everything I used lol this is partly due to the fact that some of my stuff is really old (my embossing powders, embossing inks, etc.).

The card itself is pretty explanatory, but if there are any questions about its specifications or about any specific materials or processes, please do not hesitate to ask! I would love to get a crafty conversation going :D

See you soon!

Chey :)

Watercolor Autumn Tree Card

I have to say. I love all of the seasons for each of their respective reasons. (I'm a poet and I didn't know it? :P ) Spring for the way everything bursts into life, for the blossom trees and flowers, the way it's not too hot and not too cold, and for the way it fills me with hope; Summer for the road trips, BBQs, family, and vacations; Winter for the way the fresh fallen snow looks, for my grandparents at Christmas, sleigh riding and bulky snow suits, mittens, hot cocoa, my anniversary and the way Christmas Eve is the most silent and peaceful night of the year; and fall... for the way mother nature can make change seem like a beautiful experience, for the way the leaves dance on the wind, for apple cider, Halloween, Thanksgiving, football, and reflection.

Given that fall is almost upon us, I thought I would create a card that celebrates the season. I watched a video on YouTube for a similar technique. You can watch it here. I have a long way to go before mine are as beautiful as the talented Sandy Allnock's, but it didn't turn out too bad I didn't think :)

Materials:

1.) Watercolor cardstock

2.) Sheltering Tree Stamp from Stampin' Up

3.) Distress inks (pick a red, orange, a yellow, a green, a brown, and a blue)

4.) Black ink for sentiment

5.) Thin black marker or pen for outline

6.) Water & Paint Brush

Let me know what you all think. Share with me your favorite season and why. Do you have any seasonal cards you would like to share with me?

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Yeti or not... Winter's Here!

Well... almost ;)

I know we have to get through fall first but seriously I can't resist making Christmas cards. I have been having so much fun lately whipping out my Christmas stamps that I have accrued throughout the last year. A new member to my stamp family is this stamp set by Hero Arts & Kelly Purkey:

Here are some things I don't know about this stamp set:

1.) When it came out... or

2.) How long it's been out... &

3.) Why there is not more hype about it. 

Firstly, who doesn't love a stamp set that comes with matching dies? Second, WHO DOESN'T LOVE BUMBLE?! Perhaps for copyright reasons this little guy isn't actually called Bumble, but he looks like him so that is what I am calling him. Yeti/Abominable Snowman/Snowmonster/Bumble. I, yes I, Cheyenne... made a B U M B L E    A R M Y. Details below...

                                             

Directions:

1.) Stamp & cut 5 Bumbles

2.) Color with copic markers (B00 - B05 - R29)

3.) Stamp trees randomly in the background in your choice of green inks (Seen here are Memento Dew Drop inks in Bamboo Leaves & New Sprout)

4.) Randomly emboss snowflakes on the background with Stampin Up Gold Glory embossing powder (not sure if this is still available as I have had it for a looong time)

5.) Position the Bumbles so you know where to place the sentiment. Go ahead and stamp said sentiment.

6.) Draw black lines around the edges (not measured or straight here- I liked the imperfect look of it)

7.) Glue Bumbles down (Center/head honcho/Leader Bumble is raised up on foam squares)

8.) Take B00 copic and draw lines under Bumbles to make it look like they're standing on snow.

9.) Get matching green cardstock and make a card base.

Measurements:

White panel = 4x6

Green card base = 6 1/4 x 8 1/2 (folded in half)

So what do you all think?! I hope you get the stamp set and love it as much as I do. Please share your Bumble creations with me! ♥♥♥♥♥

How to clean your acrylic blocks!

I realize there are many different types of inks out there. Dye ink, pigment ink, water based ink, etc. etc. etc. The list goes on! One of my absolute favorites is StazOn Jet Black ink. I use it for E V E R Y T H I N G. It is super juicy (and somehow manages to smell like juice, if you’ll believe it!) and creates great crisp lines. It’s perfect for when you want to stamp an image and color it in with markers, watercolors, etc… whatever you fancy.

However. If you’re like me, you’ll notice that StazOn (or any other difficult ink) tends to stain your stamps as well as your acrylic blocks. I understand that this staining does not affect performance of either the stamps or the blocks, but sometimes you just want a crystal clear block, right?! After all, that is the purpose of the clear stamp/clear block system... so you can see right through to where you're going to be putting the stamp!

WHAT?!

So, I have found a solution. This one actually comes to me from my little 7 year old who taught me that most ink or paint can be removed this way. I have never tried StazOn’s ink or stamp cleaners, and I do not know if my method would be safe for stamps… but here’s how you can clean your acrylic blocks:

You will need:

• Cotton balls or q-tips
• Nail polish remover (the one in the pic has acetone, I am not sure if acetone-free works, but feel free to give it a shot!)
• Dirty nasty filthy inked up acrylic blocks :P

Step one: Open Nail Polish Remover Cap
Step two: Apply nail polish remover to cotton ball/qtip
Step three: Scrub Acrylic block until clean

AND VOILA! 

Here is the finished product. Look at all that clear see-through goodness! 

I hope you all enjoyed this post and that you rush straight to your inky blocks and clean em up good and right. (For the record, I do not know how nail polish remover would work on stamps. I mean, I'm sure it would remove the ink... but I do not know if it would damage them in the long run. Does anyone know?! Has anyone tried it?!)

See you all soon!

Chey :)