Monthly Archives: March 2009

Some of my favorite stamps to use, ones that I pull out over and over, are the Scrapblocks line from Cornish Heritage Farms. If you’re not sure what these stamps are, they’re like background stamps on steroids! 6×6 inches of red rubber goodness. The great thing about Scrapblocks is that you aren’t limited by directionality. If you use them on a card, they are perfect on larger square cards9my fave), and horizontal card designs as well as vertical. I love stamping them on scrapbooking layouts as a place to anchor my photos. I love stamping them to create custom embellishments.

I’ve been having some fun doing some stamp designing lately and am really excited to have CHF releasing Distressed Circles this Friday. I can’t wait to share the other designs I’ve created but that will have to wait another month, and beyond. I’ve had a lot of dreams come true over the past few years and being able to design stamps has been one of those distant dreams that is now here.

Distressed Circles

release date: 20th

Butterfly Dream

The main idea behind this Scrapblock was creating my own “patterned paper.” I love  being able to do this and it’s a fabulous way to match up your design. Seriously…you are only limited by the ink you have on hand. One look I really like that really makes your stamping look like patterned paper is to use multiple inks on the surface or your rubber. My daughter has seen a lot of stamping in this house but she seriously thought I had used some purchased paper to create this design. I used two shades of Versamagic Chalk Ink for ink up the block. I find that by using chalk ink you get a much subtler blend of color and it is much less likely to get muddy on you. I covered my stamp with the lightest color first to prevent staining on my ink pad and then added a few dabs of the darker blue.

Quick Tip: If you don’t have enough of the same size rhinestone stickers to create the look you want…vary them. For this card I started small and increased the size to create movement. Another idea would be to alternate small and large in a pattern.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Supply List:

Stamps:
distressed Circles Scrapblock by Cornish Heritage Farms
Little Gal (Kim Hughes Line) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: chalk ink by Clearsnap, Black Stazon by Tsukineko
Paper: Simply Smooth white cardstock by Prism Papers
Other: Clear Card Sheet by Cornish Heritage Farms
rhinestones by MAMBI, chipboard letters by American Crafts

Mmmmmm, pink. It’s one of my favorite colors. It has so many different faces, soft and subtle or bright and vibrant, so feminine and it goes with almost everything. Today I have two designs using pinks with two different looks. I’ve paired it up with Kraft cardstock each time but one project is fun and whimsical, the other elegant.

This first design uses a very simple layout and color scheme but the different textures give it some elegance and interest. I’ve been hoarding this gorgeous Prima embossed chipboard for so long. you know how it is…saving it for a special project. 😉 I finally gave myself a kick and cut it. To tone it down and give it a shabby look, I dabbed on some Snowcap Adirondack Paint Dabber over it. I love how it picks up the texture. My background layer for this design is stamped with the Fiery Floral Scrapblock. I love it stamped in white for a tone on tone effect. This card was for a friend from church. She’s off to China today for 3 months with her fiance and will be married there. I can’t wait to see the pictures and wish her all the best. I know it won’t be easy! Now that’s…

A Love Story

Supply List:
Wedding Centers (Mona Lisa Moments line) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Fiery Floral Scrapblock by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: White pigment ink by Clearsnap, black Memento Ink by Tsukineko
Paper: pink and Kraft by Prism Papers
Other: Embossed Chipboard by Prima, flower by Prima, ribbon by SEI, pin by Fancy Pants Designs, sewing machine, Snowcap Adirondack Paint Dabber by Ranger

 Funky Friend

This design was a quicky with a fun look. I stamped my mushrooms onto some Cosmo Cricket cardstock, masking them as I went to create a grouping. Doesn’t Kim draw the cutest mushrooms?! They are colored in with Copic markers and a knotted ribbon gives a quick and inexpensive embellishment.

Stamps: Forest Friendzy (Kim Hughes line) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: Black Memento ink by tsukineko, Vintage Photo Distress ink by Ranger
Paper: Kraft cardstock by Prism, Cosmo Cricket patterned paper
Other: pin by Fancy Pants Designs, sewing machine, copic markers, ribbon from Michaels

Until tomorrow…

It’s Sunday and the start of a new week. This week is March Break for our kids so we’re hoping to have a little fun.  Should be interesting as I have a lot of work to do as well. Sunday is a sweet day though as I always try to make it a day of rest. I love being able to start my week on the things that matter the most.

Today’s design a sweet fun card. I was playing around with a slightly different style and incorporating a lot of fun things while writing an article for Craft Critique. This time I was reviewing the Scor-Mat and I just love mine. It’s a fabulous work surface and makes a great tool indispensable. You can check out the article here if you wish to read more.

Sweet Friend

I started out this design by using my Scor-pal to crease the center fold and also fold by 1.5″ from the front right side. It makes a fun little flap and this super simple little feature gives you a peek at the inside of the card as well as breaking up the design surface. I stamped the friend definition stamp from Kim’s Collage Elements 1 set on this flap and then punched the edge for texture.

I don’t often use a lot of glitter but these fabulous glitter letters were so fun to add to this design that I had to try stampign with some glitter as well. My favorite flower from Collage Elements is the circular one. I added glitter in three steps. The Sakura Glue Pen makes it super easy to add bits of glitter to detailed areas. I started off by going over the center petals with the glue pen and then applying my glitter. I then moved to the middle petals and added the blue glitter and shook off the excess. Finally the outside petals in the same manner. It adds a fun unique look to the flower that I love.

A few extra scrappy embellishments turn this card into a fun layered design.I’ve totally decided that I need to do more hand-stitching in my projects. It’s so easy and I love the look.

Quick Tip: Try letting the inside of your card peek out by creating a folded back front panel or cutting in a window. It’s a super simple way to add interest.

 Have a sweet day!

Supply List:

Stamps:
Collage Elements 1 (Kim Hughes line) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: Black Memento Ink by Tsukineko, Brushed Corduroy Ink by Ranger
Paper: Kraft Cardstock by Prism, patterned paper by MME
Other: clear shape by Maya Road, circle punches by EK Success, chipboard letters by American Crafts, embroidery floss, gaffer tape by 7 Gypsies, glitter by Art Institute

Some of my favorite cards are the simply stamped ones and some of my favorite stamps to use for simple designs are the Thomas Kinkade images. The detail and stunning images stand so well on there own, I find it hard to add more. Why take away from a beautiful thing?! I actually created this design for a challenge a few weeks ago. It was to use multiple inks on a Thomas Kinkade stamp. I’ve tried spectrum pads on them before with great results but thought it would be fun to try inking the Light of Peace stamp with 3 different colors of Versamagic Chalk Ink. To do this, simply dab on the ink randomly over the image with each of the inks until the image is totally covered. Then stamp. I had fun playing around with different combinations and colors. Try it and see what works best for the look you are trying to create!

Misty Lighthouse

Quick Tip: Choose inks that are colors that blend well together and are in the same tonal range so that one is not more visually “heavy” than the others.

Have a simply fabulous day!

Supply List:

Stamps: The Light of Peace (Thomas Kinkade line) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Inextinguishable Light (Thomas Kinkade line) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Weather Wood Backgrounder by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: Versamagic Dew Drops ink pads by Tsukineko
Paper: Kraft and Simply Smooth White by Prism
Other: button brad by Imaginisce, punch by EK Success

A mother knows. A mother knows a lot of things. How to kiss a boo boo, take care of a sick child, how to give praise, how to tuck you in at night, how to fill hungry tummies and how to support you through hard times. A mother knows your strengths and weaknesses. A mother knows joy and a mother knows pain. A mother knows that her babies are the most beautiful. A mother knows a fierce and selfless love. There are so many things a mother knows I really couldn’t list them all here.

The latest Mona Lisa Moments set is perfect for the special mothers in our lives. Mother’s Day Centers is a beautiful set that is perfect not only for Mother’s Day but throughout the year. I love how Lisa has included a few sentiments that work not only for mothers, but other special people in our lives as well.

A Mother Knows

I love this quote about a mother knowing the song of her child’s heart. I was brainstorming on how best to use it when I thought of two of my favorite stamps…Toile Backgrounder and Aged Sheet Music. Aren’t they perfect with it? To create this design, I stamped the Toile Backgounder onto some Simply Smooth white cardstock. A stamped vellum overlay adds a soft dreamy look. I love vellum cardstock! I stamped the sentiment directly onto the vellum and then lightly stamped the Aged Sheet Music over top.

Quick Tip: Vellum takes a while to dry so leave it aside for a few minutes so that you don’t smear the ink.

Have a great weekend!

Supply List:

Stamps:
Mother’s Day Centers (Mona Lisa Moments) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Toile Backgrounder by Cornish Heritage Farms
Aged Sheet Music Scrapblock by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: Black Memento and Pink Grapefruit Versamagic chalk ink by Tsukineko,
Paper: vellum, simply smooth white and Kraft by Prism Papers
Other: flower by Prima button brad by Imaginisce sewing machine

I was in the mood for a shabby, vintage style card design today. This is one style I seem to fall back on time and time again as it gives me so much joy to create it. I actually used mostly the same images that I used on Saturday but created a totally different look. I love stamps that are so flexible! I just love definitions and you’ll be seeing this definition stamp again and again as I’m going to want to stamp it on everything!

Vintage Friendship

Quick Tip: Inking the edges of your cardstock direct with the ink pad gives the layers dimension and adds to the vintage look. It actually does the same thing as a mat without all that extra paper and bulk.

Happy creating!

Supply List:

Stamps: Collage Elements 1 (Kim Hughes line) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Friend Centers (Mona Lisa Moments line) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: Burnt Umber Palette Ink by Stewart Superior, Black memento Ink by Tsukineko, Pink Adirondack ink by Ranger
Paper: kraft cardstock by Prism, patterned paper by My Mind’s Eye
Other: brad by Making Memories, sewing machine, stapler, circle punch