Magical Hydrangea

Happy Easter! I hope you've not been sick from an over abundance of chocolate and Easter treats this weekend. The Easter bunny will hide chocolate tonight for our kids and tomorrow will be a day of running the kids outside to burn it all off!

I've had a busy week making photo cards. I sat down to do some scrapbooking and when I came to my computer to print out some photos, had this incredible idea. I love to include my photos in every paper craft I make and happened upon these wonderful hydrangea pictures I'd taken last Fall.

Something about them had me looking through hundreds of flower photographs I'd taken last Fall. I changed the hue and saturation on one photo and this is the new style of photo card I came up with. Also, after reading a comment on my blog from Jean over at www.justscraps.ca, I thought these cards would fit in their "New Beginnings in Pastels" challenge.

Each of these cards is 5x7. The sentiment has been stamped in black and then overstamped and embossed in clear. They are blank on the inside.

This is the second version I made with the same Hydrangea photos. They are very simple cards, but for me pack a lot of colour punch. I will have something like this on my etsy shop soon, or you can contact me if you would like to purchase a package of four.

Close To My Heart products used:

Stamps: Picture Perfect; Priceless; From Me To You

Ink: Black ink and Versamark

Love You Forever......

I created this card from some leftover pieces from my April 10th Humble Artist Swap card.

The patterned paper is from Topstitch and the sentiment and birdies are from "Love You Forever". I also used my favourite new background from our "Noted Background" set and added some faux stitching from "Togetherness".

The shaped pieces were cut with my Sizzix big shot using one of my many Nestabilities dies. I also put the pieces through my machine a second time to get the embossed edges.

Finally, I added some Chocolate brads and grosgrain ribbon. Then some Colonial White ribbon and a Bitty sparkle for just a tiny bit of bling!

The leaves; nest and flower are all paper pieced with either patterned paper or in the flower's case, Vineyard Berry cardstock.

All supplies are Close To My Heart unless noted.

Stamps: Love You Forever; Togetherness

Paper: Toptstitch

Cardstock: Colonial White; Vineyard Berry; Heavenly Blue; Chocolate

Ink: Vineyard Berry

Embellishments: Chocolate and Colonial White grosgrain ribbon; Chocolate brads; Bitty sparkles

Tools: Sizzix Big Shot; Mega Nestabilities Curved Rectangles

I'm still singing in the rain, sun and wind.......

Our weather is moving around rather crazy.......it is windy and overcast; then sunny and calm; then overcast with terrible black clouds moving in. I think we may be in for a thunder shower or two......it is 14 degrees Celsuis here!

This is another card I created using our wonderful Springtime stamp set. I put it together with our March stamp of the month, A Little Everything and Caboodle paper. I didn't use the whole kit and Caboodle........but my favourite plaid pattern from the paper pack!

I used a mask to create the look of the pair of boots. I double stamped the word "Celebrate" to make it dark and inked only the "Spring" of "Happy Spring" from the Springtime set.

Once again, I added our Bitty Sparkles to our Chocolate mini Blooms. The boots were stamped in Sweet Leaf; Crystal Blue and Sorbet. Everything else is in Chocolate ink.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.

Stamps: Springtime; A Little Everything

Paper: Caboodle

Cardstock: Chocolate; Colonial White; Crystal Blue

Ink: Chocolate: Sweet Leaf; Crystal Blue: Sorbet

Embellishements: Bitty Sparkles; Chocolate Mini Blooms

I'm singing in the rain....................

Well, we are finished our big event at the Victoria Sewing & Craft Show this past Thurs. through Sat. After doing nothing but sleeping for two days, I sat down to play with stamps.

I LOVE this stamp set, Springtime. I'm sure CTMH was thinking of us in BEAUTIFUL British Columbia when they created it, with its rubber boots and umbrellas!

I used Chocolate ink for the sentiment; outlines; and edging on Sorbet cardstock. I stamped on Colonial White. Then I added some mini Chocolate blooms with Bitty Sparkles. The "Happy" is from our March stamp of the month, A Little Everything.

I created the overlapped images by stamping and cutting a mask of one rubber boot. This allowed me to stamp the second boot and umbrella behind the full image boot.

Check back tomorrow, when I'll show you more of my singing in the rain cards!

All supplies are Close To My Heart.

Stamps: Springtime; A Little Everything

Cardstock: Sorbet; Chocolate; Colonial White

Inks: Sorbet and Chocolate

Embellishments: Bitty Sparkles; Mini Chocolate Blooms

A Tweet

This is the fourth and final card from my recent Veranda workshop.

I must say I sure do like bird stamps and paper these days. This is our bird from the A Tweet set. I inked her up in Juniper; stamped off the first ink; then rolled her in Chocolate ink to get this effect.

My next all time favourite type of stamp is any kind of flourish stamp. This large background flourish is from our new Cherished Flourishes and is stamped in Vineyard Berry. The sentiment is stamped in Chocolate and then again in Vineyard Berry.

The tiny flowers are stamped in second generation, Vineyard Berry ink and then cut out. Each has a mini sparkle added and they are on folded glue dots. I like using glue dots this way to give a bit of movement to images, but not the rigid appearance pop dots give.

As you can see, my bird is on pop dots overtop of another stamped bird. This is so the bird has feet. I've placed the one mat under the ribbon just for a different look.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.

Stamps: Cherished Flourishes; A Tweet

Paper: Veranda Creative Basics

Cardstock: Garden Green; Chocolate; Colonial White

Ink: Chocolate; Juniper; Vineyard Berry

Embellishments: Creme Brulee grosgrain ribbon; Mini sparkles

Humble Artist's Swap card for May 10th

Well, I am finally posting my contribution to the May 10th Humble Artist's Swap I participate in. This was a doozy for me, with all of the requirements. I can't say I've ever incorporated a tag into a card, so you may have all smelled the burning while my brain was putting this together.

Here were the requirements:
1. Create a tall card 4x91/4, must fit in a legal size envelope.
2. Stitch or sew on the card.
3. Use 3 different ribbons
4. Use buttons as an accent, may use floss, hemp or twine with buttons
5. Use at least 4-5 layers.
6. Incorporate a tag some where on the card.
7. Make something on your card 3D.

I used Adorable paper and my favourite piggies from the Nursery Bash set. I stitched on the upper left of the bottom mat and the bottom right of the piggie mat, with our embroidery floss and added waxy flax to the button. My three ribbon are Chocolate polka dot; Chocolate grosgrain and Blush ric rac. The mat with the piggies on it is popped up on foam dots.


All supplies from Close To My Heart:
Stamp Set: Nursery Bash & It's Your Day (Aug 2009 SOTM)
Background & Texture paper: Adorable
Cardstock: Hollyhock; Blush
Ribbon: Chocolate grosgrain; Chocolate Polka Dot; Blush ricrac
Embellishments: Hollyhock button; White Daisy waxy flax; Baby Pink Embroidery floss; Blush brad.

No art....only funny Justin Timerlake & Beyonce

This is a great way to start off the day...with a good belly laugh!

I was blogging and came across this skit I watched on Saturday Night Live. Had to provide the link as it is just as funny the second time around.


Single Ladies Parody [LIVE] Saturday Night Live - Beyonce & Justin Timberlake