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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Sailing Around

Hello!! It is HOT, HOT, HOT here in Kansas!  It is NO fun being outside!  Yesterday just running a few errands was enough for me.  I think I'll enjoy the air conditioning all day today! LOL!!

I am going to share a card with you today that I started more than a month ago and got frustrated because I just couldn't figure out how to finish it so I set it aside.  Then, low and behold, as I was playing with my rainbows in the card I showed yesterday (I know, you couldn't guess could you, lol!) I had a lightning bulb moment and it FINALLY came together!  This was originally going to be for Passion for Papertrey's Recipe Challenge to use 3 colors, 2 buttons and 1 ribbon but it just looked empty to me so I went on and made something else.  This is how I finally finished the card this week:


I had everything on the card done and in place except for the sentiment and the rainbow and clouds.  It just seemed like the rainbow was MADE for the space left on the card!  And I really like how the glitter in the clouds adds a little oomph (is that a word?) to the card. 

Someone asked me yesterday how I made the perforations in the cloud.  Well, it is super, super easy! The die COMES that way!! Yes, I know, isn't that cool!!  I tried to find a link with a picture of the actual dies and couldn't, but in my card I did use both sizes of cloud dies and both have the perforated edge.



In this picture you can see the dimension on the card a little better.  The largest cloud is popped up with pop dots and the bottom 2 layers of waves are also popped up.  To make the waves I used my Quickutz scalloped border dies and used the negative left over from die cutting it and then cut those pieces down to the size I needed.

I'm also entering this card in the Off the Wall Craftiness challenge to use red, white and blue on a card.  This was the inspiration photo.


It sure says summer to me!!


I hope you have enjoyed this series of rainbow cards!  I'm sure you'll see more later but I'll give you a break tomorrow! LOL!!  Thanks, as always, for stopping by!


Supplies (all PTI unless noted)
Stamps: Bitty Baby Blessings
Paper: Spring Rain, Blueberry Sky, White, Pure Poppy, Basic Grey Offbeat, October Afternoon Cherry Hill, DCWV Glitter Paper
Ink: True Black
Other: Rainbows & Clouds Dies by Lil' Inker Designs, Sunshine IP, Quickutz Scallop Border Die, Button, twine, Fine Linen Buttons, Pop Dots

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Wish Upon a Star

Hi!! I am taking a break from the rainbows...sort of!  LOL!! I tell you, I am seriously addicted to the Rainbows & Clouds die from Lil' Inker Designs!  I think that this is one of the most fun sets/tools that I've purchased for a long time and that says a lot!! The possibilities are endless!  So today I sat down to make a patriotic card of sorts and as I started to play with my rainbow die, I realized that it looked sort of like a star burst!  I loved that idea so much that I ran with it and this card is the result!


I used the rainbow for the star trail!  Does it work?  I stamped the star from PTI's Star Print set and used the matching punch to punch it out.  Then I used a star nestie to cut a small star for the center which I layered on top with a pop dot. 


I used a lot of dimension on this card but some of it is very, very subtle.  I cut out numerous clouds and layered several on top of each other.  I didn't want to pop them all up as high as the star so that I could keep the star as the "star of the show", lol, so to add just a bit of dimension, I layered them on top of each other.  Here's another view of the dimension below.


To get the sentiment to say "Wish Upon A Star", I used the "Wish" from PTI's Tiny Tags set, and the "upon a" from the Star Prints set and just masked off the "wish" that was included in that particular sentiment.  It fit perfectly on that cute little perforated cloud!  I also used tea dye inks around the outside of each of the clouds to give them a little of an aged look.  I also outlined each cloud with a spica glitter pen but I know that you can't see that detail in the photos.


The reddish paper that I used as a mat has been in my paper collection for years!  It is DCWV white core paper and I thought it fit with this aged looking card.  I cut it to the size I wanted and then used a paper sander to lightly sand the edges.  This made the white of the paper show through.

I hope you enjoyed this post!  I'll have one more for you tomorrow if I get it scheduled and then I'll promise to do something else for a post or two, lol!  I also have a Twinery post that will be featured on The Twinery blog coming up next week to share as well.

Supplies
Stamps: PTI Tiny Tags & Star Prints
Paper: Basic Grey Offbeat, October Afternoon Cherry Hill, PTI Rustic White & Spring Rain, DCWV
Ink: Charcoal & Moulin Rouge Palette, Tea Dye PTI
Other: Rainbows & Clouds Lil' Inker Designs Dies, Fiskars Star Punch, PTI Linen Impression Plate, Pop Dots, Spica Clear Glitter Pen, Star Nestability

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Wood Mounted? GASP!!

Hello everyone!! I am back from vacation and trying to catch up with everything!  I had the chance to stop at a couple scrapbook stores while we were traveling and although I didn't buy a lot I did pick up a new stamp.  This part is hard for me to type because it is a wood mount stamp...gasp!  I. Don't. Use. Wood. Mounted. Stamps. Period.  But this particular stamp, I have loved for a long time and decided since it was a background stamp I could justify it.  This once.  And, honestly, after stamping with it, I know why I do not like to use wood mounted stamps!  LOL!!

So, the wood mounted stamp is the cloud background by Hero Arts.  Cute stamp!  I have so many other stamps that I can use with this image and so I think it will find its way onto many cards...even though I have a handicap with wood!  Are you getting sick of rainbows and clouds yet?  I just can't quit playing with them!  They are so much fun and unlike anything I have and I thought it would be so much fun to use them with the cloud background!


I also picked up 2 sheets of gingham paper and so I thought a cute, gingham rainbow was in order! Luckily, I had the green gingham paper already in my stash.  I didn't really want to make the cloud dies white since that was what the clouds in the background were, so I went all out with pink glitter clouds!  The pink clouds are cut from a glittery piece of fun foam. If you have a fun rainbow, you might as well have fun clouds too right?


That's all for me today!  Thanks for visiting! I hope you have a bright spot in your day as well! 


Supplies
Stamps: Rainbows & Clouds by Lil' Inker Designs, Hero Arts Clouds
Paper: Spring Rain, Rustic White, Pink & Green Gingham by Creative Imaginations & Green Gingham by October Afternoon
Ink: Hibiscus Burst, Spring Rain
Other: Rainbows & Clouds Dies by Lil' Inker Designs, Harvest Gold Ribbon, Pink Foam, Pop Dots

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Celebrate Flying

I'm back today with another quick post!


Originally, I had another Father's Day card for my dad but then I decided that I need something a little less glittery and so I came up with this one instead.


The sun was made with the Lil' Inkers Designs rainbow die.  The airplane is from PTI and I hadn't used the die for the airplane until now.  I love it! Makes it so easy to add to a card!  I colored my plane with copics like Nichole did on one of the cards she made (I'll have to get the link later).  Those cute little perforated clouds are also from Lil' Inkers.  Of course I had to add some Lemondrop twine from The Twinery on here too!


Thanks for coming by!! I hope your day is filled with happiness!!


Supplies (all PTI unless noted)
Stamps: PTI Fly Away, Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler
Paper: Kraft, Spring Rain, White, Distressed Dots, Bitty Box Paper
 Ink: True Black, Memento Black
Other: Lil Inkers Rainbow & Cloud dies, Fiskars Upper Crest border punch, Lemondrop twine from The Twinery, copics, button, pop dots, PTI Sunshine Impression Plate

Monday, June 20, 2011

Celebrate You

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!  I'm sure my whole week will seem "off" this week as my kiddos were sick today and we stayed home from church.  You know how it is when you miss that week "marker" whatever it may be, the rest of the days just never seem to be the right day!  I'll probably keep thinking each day is Thursday or something, lol! 

I am going to share a card with you that I made with the "leftovers" from this rainbow card that I posted the other day.


On my previous card, I made a rainbow with glittery pieces of cardstock cut from the Lil' Inkers rainbow die.  For this card I took those leftover pieces and used them as a design element.  This card is for my husband and so I wanted to stick with a masculine theme while still getting away with some glittery goodness!! :)  And, since I knew that my husband probably wouldn't appreciate a ribbon or bow too much I used some of my FAVORITE twine in the world, and the BEST twine too if I do say so myself, from The Twinery!


I attached the twine through the frame by punching tiny holes through the frame and threading one strand of the Maraschino twine through the holes.  The frame is popped up on pop dots so that it lays flat.  I really like how the frame and the twine and the rainbow pieces all work together!

I'm entering this card in two challenges.  The first one is for Crazy 4 Challenges C4C92, which is a new one for me.  Their theme this week was to make a card that uses twine, floss, string, etc on a card. 

The 2nd challenge is Wee Memories Scrappy Saturday Challenge #60 to create a card with a party theme.




Thank you for stopping by!! I hope you enjoyed this card! 


Supplies (all PTI unless noted)
Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs Rainbow & Cloud Sentiments, Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler, PTI Mat Stack 1 Sampler
Paper: PTI New Leaf, Spring Rain, Kraft, White, DCWV Glitter Paper
Ink: Palette Giverny Green, PTI True Black, Pure Poppy & Tea Dye
Other: Twinery Twine, Lil' Inker Designs Rainbow Die, PTI Mat Stack 1 Die, Pop Dots, hole punch, Sizzix Connect the Dots Embossing Folder

Friday, June 17, 2011

Sunshine & Rainbows

Hello!  I have a sunshiny card to share with you today! 


This is my dad's Father's day card!  I know! Not quite "traditional" but I think it is a fun card!  I made both the rainbow and clouds glittery.  I really like how that turned out and I just LOVE how the clouds are perforate around the edge!



Of course I had to add some of The Twinery's yellow Lemondrop twine which worked perfectly with the bright rainbow colors!  I also made an embossed polka dot background on the kraft cardstock.  Both the panel and clouds are popped up with pop dots.


As one final detail I rounded the bottom corner to stay consistent with the shape of the clouds.

I based this card on a Clean & Simple sketch from several weeks ago #139.


Thank you so much for stopping by today!! I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful weekend!!

Supplies
Stamps: Lil' Inkers Rainbows & Clouds
Paper: PTI Kraft, Aqua Mist, Bitty Box Paper, DCWV Glitter Paper
Ink: True Black PTI
Other: Lil' Inkers Rainbows & Clouds Dies, Lemondrop Twine from The Twinery, Kaiser Mango Pearls, Pop Dots

Thursday, June 16, 2011

New Rings Added

Hello everyone!! I have new rings added to my Etsy shop, Jen's Ink Spot!  I shared with you earlier in the week a sneak peek and I am now officially sharing those with you today that are now in my shop!

The rings above are all resin rings that I hand poured and colored.  I hope to have more colors available at a later date.  These rings are all adjustable and fit fingers size 6 and up.

I also uploaded quite a few new button rings too!  Here's a look:


This has got to be the biggest ring I've ever made, but it is FUN!!  
The largest button is 1 5/16" in diameter. 







This is a one-of-a-kind button ring, only available in size 10 3/4.






And, this is one that I haven't had in the shop for a while and I readded it today:



Be sure to stop by and see the rest of the rings I have in my Etsy shop, Jen's Ink Spot!  Thanks for stopping by! 

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Sneak Peek

I am super excited about this post!! I have been working on a new item for my Etsy Shop, Jen's Ink Spot, for several weeks now and wanted to share a sneak peek with you! Actually, it has been more like a year since I originally put a ring like this together, lol, but I wasn't happy with my original attempt all those months ago and didn't pursue it any further.  But then, as I began seeing more and more cabochons around, and LOVING them, I decided to give it another try and this is what the result was (I am STILL working on perfecting the technique):


Here's a group picture of them!  These are adjustable size rings so one size fits most!  When I add them to my shop you will be able to purchase the ring that you see pictured as they will not have to be made to size like the button rings (don't worry, I will still have lots of button rings too!). 


Here's a little closeup of a few of them.  The ring bases are all different and range from silver, to copper to brass. 

Here's my favorite of the group:


Love this one lots!! Isn't that flower so pretty?  And the color turned out gorgeous!!
  
I hand made those flowers on the rings! I love it!! But, let me tell you, I had A LOT more bad flowers than I had good ones! I hope I can "get" it soon and they will all turn out perfect!

These aren't in my Etsy shop yet, but they will be in the next few days hopefully (unless they are all purchased before then).    I am trying to get more made and hope to list these by the end of the week! If you'd like to check out what I currently have in my Etsy shop, click here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Just Because

I have  a super quick post to share with you today! I am so busy this week and have so much to do but I wanted to take the time to update my blog with a card I made recently!


I've been wanting to use this image from PTI's Anniversary set so I pulled it out for this card.  I based the design of this card off of the first card in this post that I made a few weeks ago, keeping the design very simple and basic.


There are green rhinestones on each flower.  I hope that the "floating" flower at the top looks like it is flying in the air and not just randomly stamped there, lol!

Thanks for stopping by!


Supplies (all PTI unless noted)
Stamps: Botanical Silhouettes, American Crafts Sentiments Large
Paper: Royal Velvet, Ripe Avocado, Rustic Cream
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Palette Landscape & Violette
Other: Green Rhinestones, Pop Dots, Twine, Corner Chomper, Quickutz Embossing Folder

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

The Twinery + PSA Essentials BLOG HOP


Welcome to the first stop on The Twinery | PSA Essentials blog hop for Day 2!  Did you miss the hop yesterday?  You can find the complete list of blogs at the end of this post here

Be sure to read through to the bottom to find out how to become eligible for great prize packs! There will be new designers each day this week sharing how they've used The Twinery Twine and PSA Essentials stamps together in their projects!  Be sure to check the list of bloggers each day (you'll have more chances to win!!).

I have two cards to share with you today!

First up is a clean & simple card that could be used for many different occasions.


I just love this coffee cup image from PSA Essentials Cupcake set!


 It is hard to see but I used a glitter pen to highlight the coffee in the cups.  And the twine...well, you know how much I LOVE my twine from The Twinery!  It adds so much to a simple card!  It is the perfect finishing touch and adds just the right pop of color!  I used the charcoal twine for this card which is a nice bright black & white!

My second card is a little more elegant.


I built this card on an acetate card base.  I thought that these intricate stamps needed to be the star of the show and not compete with a solid cardstock base. 


For the inside of the card, I used one of the rosettas from the PSA Essentials "Rosetta" set to ground my sentiment.  It added just a little extra to the inside and continued the theme from the front of the card.  And, in keeping with the theme of the card, I continued that to the backside of the card as well.

The back sides of cards are often kept plain, but for this particular card, I decided to have a little more fun.  I stamped the rosetta again at the top in VersaMark ink and then ran a strip of Blossom twine down the center of the images. 

Here are a few more closeup shots of some of the details in the card (you can get an idea of how intricate the images are and how beautiful the twine is!!).



Want some good news??  Both The Twinery & PSA Essentials are giving discounts
for any purchases made between June 6th-10th!

When you visit The Twinery's website,  use the COUPON CODE: PSAHOP15 and receive 15% off your purchase!

When you order from The Lettertree , retailer for PSA Essentials, you will automatically receive 30% OFF your entire purchase!!! (no coupon code needed)

Here's a little bit about our sponsors:

Our twine is made from 100% cotton, it's eco-friendly and made in the USA.  Whether you're gift wrapping, crafting or tying up baked goods to give to a friend, our baker's twine adds a fresh, yet nostalgic look to any project at hand! Our baker's twine comes in 11 delicious colors and is uniquely twisted against a bright white hue, creating an eye-popping burst of color and a creative embellishment! Our twine has lots of color which lends to a fun, candy-striped look. 

PSA Essentials manufactures custom, self-inking stamps (think return address labels.)   We have patent-pending Peel & StickT technology which allows you to PEEL away your custom stamp and STICK on a new design, and we have thousands of designs - from Holiday, Birthday, Sentiments, and licensed Peanuts, Hello Kitty, U.B.U., Smirk, College & Universities, and Greek Life, making PSA Essentials perfect for crafting! The self-inking stamper (and 22-ink cartridges) give a crisp, clean and consistent impression every time, and the technology allows you to interchange your designs quickly for scrapbooking, cardmaking, creating gift tags, bags, wrap, making favors and decorations.



PRIZE GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

The Twinery will be giving a prize package of:
Winners choice of 6 spools of baker's twine (value of $84)

PSA Essentials will be giving a prize package of:
1 stamper & 3 Peel & Stick packs, and 1 Monogrammed Tote Bag (value of $75+)

How to win!
You will receive an entry for each of the following:

*Visit 5-6 blogs each day on the hop (26 blogs in all)
and leave a comment on each blog
You'll have until Sunday, June 12th to complete the hop

*Become a follower of The Twinery

*Become a follower of PSA Essentials Stamp Camp

*Follow PSA Essentials on Facebook 

Your next stop on the hop is the talented Angelica Suarez!  Be sure to hop over to her blog where she'll be sharing more inspiration!

Thank you SO MUCH for visiting today!!  Be sure to leave a comment for your chance to win!  And, don't forget to check out the rest of the blog hop through the end of this week for even more chances to win!

Supplies
Coffee Cup Card
Stamps:  PSA Essentials Cupcake
Twine:  The Twinery Charcoal
Other:  Dies, Cardstock, Copic Markers, Spica Glitter Gel Pen, Linen Impression Plate, Pop Dots, True Black & Dark Chocolate Ink

Rosetta Card
Stamps: PSA Essentials Rosettas
Twine:  The Twinery Charcoal & Blossom
Other:  Die, Buttons, Fiskars Border Punch, Acetate, PTI Cane Print Impression Plate, Pop Dots, Copics, White Pearls (colored with copics), VersMark ink, DCWV Glitter Paper

Friday, June 3, 2011

New Shop Updates

Hey everyone! I just wanted to pop in here to share a few new items I've added to my Etsy shop!

First, something new! 

Ribbon Trims!



This is the deep pink flower trim.  Isn't this the cutest thing!?  LOVE it!! The little flowers remind me of tiny yo-yos!  And they are so super cute on the picket fence.  You can use this trim as is or you can cut the flowers off and use them as embellishments!






Cute, huh!?  Can't wait to play with this some more!

And a few new rings:


This ring is just like the Purple Passion button ring!  Isn't that blue gorgeous?





Love how fun this ring is!! The different layers of color and the interest it has...fun!!

Thanks for coming by!  As always, hope you have a great day!!