Owl Baby Girl Card

How can a Halloween stamp set be used for a baby girl card?

Easy!

I paper pieced this adorable owl with pink chevron patterned paper (Ivy Lane, CTMH) and let her peek through a hold punched out of a wood-grain embossed pieces of Crumb Cake cardstock (SU).  I love how she turned out!

Supplies used:
Sentiment: wood-mount stamp from Michael's, source unknown
Owl: What a Hoot (CTMH)
Ink: Black
Smoothie baker's twine (CTMH)
Woodgrain embossing folder (SU)

Thankful Tree Card

I recently purchased some alcohol blending markers from Stampin Up--they are called Blendabilities.  It was fun to use them to color and shade this gorgeous oak tree!  I definitely need some practice with shading, but I like how it came out!

Stamp set used: Country Born (CTMH), Autumn Splendor (acorn, CTMH)

Inks: StazOn ink for the vellum, Memento black ink for tree

Cardstock: Chocolate, Bamboo, Timberline patterned paper (all CTMH); vellum (SU)

Embossing folder: wood-grain (SU)

Apple Harvest Card

I recently purchased some alcohol blending markers from Stampin Up--they are called Blendabilities.  It was fun to use them to color and shade these apples, basket, and grass.  I definitely need some practice with shading, but I like how it came out!  And I love this sentiment!  My mother-in-law says this all the time to our kids...it is so cute :)

Stamp set used: Country Born (CTMH), Memento black ink

Cardstock: Chocolate, Olive, Ruby cardstock (all CTMH)

Embossing folder: wood-grain (SU)

Fox Hole Card

How cute is this little fox in the tree?!  I put to use my wood-grain embossing folder, this time directly embossing the card front.  Then I punched a 2 1/2 inch circle using my Marvy punch

The fox is stamped using the Wild About Love stamp set (CTMH) in sunset ink.  To make the fox stand out a bit, I outlined the image with a black archival fine-tipped pen.  The flower was colored with a my watercolor pencils.

Sentiment is from Say it in Style stamp set (CTMH) stamped in black ink.

Love!!

Halloween Chevron Tag Card

Are you ready to kick off October in style?!  Well if so, check out Risa's Pieces of Art each day in October for a bit of Halloween and Fall inspired card ideas!

Supplies used: Witches' Brew paper pack and washi tape (SU), black baker's twine

Halloween Bat Card

Are you ready to kick off October in style?!  Well if so, check out Risa's Pieces of Art each day in October for a bit of Halloween and Fall inspired card ideas!

Supplies used: Witches' Brew paper pack and washi tape (SU), tearing tool (CM), black/white/orange baker's twine (source unknown), black ink (VerseFine)

Spider Tag Card

Are you ready to kick off October in style?!  Well if so, check out Risa's Pieces of Art each day in October for a bit of Halloween and Fall inspired card ideas!

Supplies used: Witches' Brew paper pack and washi tape (SU), Halloween stamp set (Michaels), black ink (VersaFine), black/white/orange baker's twine (source unknown)

Cat Card

Are you ready to kick off October in style?!  Well if so, check out Risa's Pieces of Art each day in October for a bit of Halloween and Fall inspired card ideas!

Supplies used: Witches' Brew paper pack and washi tape (SU),  Year Round Cheer stamp set (CTMH), black/orange/white baker's twine (source unknown), black ink (VerseFine)

Washi Halloween Tag Card

Are you ready to kick off October in style?!  Well if so, check out Risa's Pieces of Art each day in October for a bit of Halloween and Fall inspired card ideas!

Supplies used: Witches' Brew paper pack (SU), Witches' Brew Washi tape (SU), black/orange/white baker's twine (source unknown), craft cardbase (Michaels)

Happy 'Owl'oween Card

Are you ready to kick off October in style?!  Well if so, check out Risa's Pieces of Art each day in October for a bit of Halloween and Fall inspired card ideas!

Supplies used: Witches' Brew paper pack (SU), What a Hoot stamp set (CTMH), tearing tool (CM), black ink (VerseFine)

Halloween Hoot

Are you ready to kick off October in style?!  Well if so, check out Risa's Pieces of Art each day in October for a bit of Halloween and Fall inspired card ideas!

Supplies used: Witches' Brew paper pack (SU), What a Hoot stamp set (CTMH), 4" doily (Wilton, Michaels), black ink (VerseFine)

Choke Cherries Card

Are you ready to kick off October in style?!  Well if so, check out Risa's Pieces of Art each day in October for a bit of Halloween and Fall inspired card ideas!

Supplies used: Witches' Brew paper pack (SU), black/orange/white baker's twine (source unknown), craft card bases (Michaels), tearing tool (CM), black ink

Quench Your Thirst Card

Are you ready to kick off October in style?!  Well if so, check out Risa's Pieces of Art each day in October for a bit of Halloween and Fall inspired card ideas!

Supplies used: Witches' Brew paper pack (SU), 4" doilies (Wilton, Michaels)

Accordion Rosette Halloween Card

Are you ready to kick off October in style?!  Well if so, check out Risa's Pieces of Art each day in October for a bit of Halloween and Fall inspired card ideas!

Supplies used: Witches' Brew paper pack (SU), black baker's twine, craft card bases (Michaels), tearing tool (CM), black ink, Sentiment from Holiday Tags (CTMH), circle punch, score board (Martha Stewart, Michaels), Liquid Glass adhesive

October Kick-Off!

Are you ready to kick off October in style?!  Well if so, check out Risa's Pieces of Art each day in October for a bit of Halloween and Fall inspired card ideas!

Today's cards are paper-pieced using the CTMH's August Stamp of the Month, What a Hoot.  My kids flipped over this stamp set (and what a deal at $5!) and have had a blast stamping with all the components. Check out the stamp set here:

For my cards, I used a clearance Halloween paper collection from Stampin' Up called Witches' Brew.  I paired it with some 4" doilies (Michaels)--for some reason they remind me of spider webs!--some black/orange/white baker's twine (source unknown), and Early Espresso and Chocolate Chip cardstock embossed with the woodgrain embossing folder (all from SU).

Inks used: Sunset, black (CTMH)

I hope you enjoyed these cards today and be sure to stop by each day in October for a little crafty inspiration!

Father's Day Card

And now to round out the month with the Father's Day card!  I used CTMH's Timberline papers and My Hero stamp set (retired) for the images and sentiment, stamped in Desert Sand ink.  A little hemp ties it off and an edge distresser was used to rough up the edges a bit on the blue mat (both also from CTMH)!  Love how it turned out!

Father's Day Gift

Is it too late to post a project I did for Father's Day this year?  Well...I hope not!  This frame was made with the kids' help on a dime thanks to Michael's craft store!  The wooden frame was $1 and the "best Dad" wooden sentiment was just a bit more, already painted and embellished with a felted star--cute!  We simply painted the wooden frame yellow with some acrylic paint we had on hand, set the sentiment in the wet paint to dry/adhere to the front, added the blue cardstock stars (CM star punch on cutout setting used on cardstock scraps from my stash), and then embellished it with durables triangle studs (CTMH) for some added interest.  I just LOVE how it turned out...and how EASY it was!  I think he got a charge out of it and it sits by his bathroom sink to enjoy each day.  We love you dear!

Woodgrain Cards in an Instant

 Back again today to share with you a few more woodgrain embossed cards that I made using MAMBI's Cards in an Instant sentiments, which I scored from Michael's craft store.  I used either a kraft-colored cardstock (crumb cake from SU) or a white cardstock and ran it through the woodgrain embossing folder (from SU) using my Cuttlebug machine for the card backgrounds.  Then, I either backed the sentiment card with patterned paper or popped it up using foam tape and adhered it on the card front.  The cards were either embellished with pink enamel dots (flamingo dots, CTMH) and/or houndstooth washi tape (also CTMH) for some added interest.

This card was featured on my previous blog post by itself...but here's another shot of it in the grouping...

 This one features the white woodgrain (LOVE this look!) and pink chevron patterned paper (Ivy Lane, CTMH)...

 And this one features yellow patterned paper (Pemberley, CTMH) and the polka dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug) used on white cardstock for an added layer on top of the kraft woodgrain base...

These sentiment cards were a cute (and affordable!) find--check them out here to get an idea of all the ones included in the pack.  They made up into such fast, easy, and cute & trendy little cards!  Gotta love that!

Fall Leaves Woodgrain Cards

Wanted to share with you a few fall cards I made using my new woodgrain embossing folder.  I just LOVE how they turned out!  I am a big fan of birch trees for their white bark and gorgeous fall leaves, and when I saw this card on Pinterest, I knew I just had to get busy with my white cardstock and woodgrain embossing folder (SU) and crank out a few like it of my own!

Basically, I ran the white cardstock through my Cuttlebug and then swiped the raised pattern with Bamboo ink (CTMH) directly from the inkpad.   I love how this technique really made the grain POP!  Then I stamped and fussy cut several fall leaves using the Autumn Splendor stamp set (CTMH, retired) using the "rock and roll" method with the following inks: barn red, creme brulee, goldrush, vineyard berry, and olive (CTMH). The acorn was stamped with chocolate ink and cut out, as well.

The sentiment is one of my FAVORITES for this time of year--a season that just oozes with GRATITUDE!  It is from CTMH's Always Grateful stamp set and states: "Gratitude turns what we have into ENOUGH"--SO TRUE!  I selectively inked the top of the sentiment with cocoa ink and the last line was inked with vineyard berry ink (both CTMH).  Then I backed it on Cocoa cardstock, cut it into a tag shape, punched it with a small hole punch and tied some brown baker's twine through, popping it up with some foam tape.

So I hope I've inspired YOU to play around with some fall crafting supplies today!  What a perfect way to tell someone how GRATEFUL you are to have them in your life this season!

Woodgrain Embossing Folders

Hi there, friend!  Just wanted to share with you some things I have recently learned about embossing folders. This spring, I got a Cuttlebug machine and have really enjoyed playing around with all the embossing techniques you can do it.  However, I recently ran into some problems with the woodgrain embossing folder.  Let me explain.

I recently purchased my woodgrain embossing folder from Stampin' Up.  It was my first folder from this company--my others are CTMH (Close to My Heart) folders and I have one from Cuttlebug (bought from Michael's).  While the woodgrain embossing folder from SU was $1 cheaper than the one offered from CTMH, I immediately realized that you get what you pay for once it came in the mail!  Here you can see SU's folder (made by Sizzix) compared with CTMH's folder--big size difference!

 The other great feature about CTMH's folders is that they feature this little slit at the top.  This allows you to feed through cardstock strips to get a continuous pattern for 12x12 scrapbook pages, for example.  Love this feature and I have used it often on my pages and it is super easy to match up the pattern!

Well, the problem that I was running into with my woodgrain embossing folder was the cracking and tearing of the cardstock once I ran in through.   I usually emboss my patterns using white core cardstock (made by CTMH) and I am usually pleased with the results.  Here, here, and here are a few card examples I have tried and I love how the white pops through--I often sand the raised edges to give it a distressed look.  However, with the woodgrain, I wasn't getting a distressed-looking image--I was getting a cracked and torn look that I wasn't as pleased with.  Check it out below...

Apparently, after a Google search, I realized that this problem is not unique with me--a lot of people have had issues with cracking and tearing of paper (even using solid-core cardstock) with this particular embossing folder pattern.  So, I gathered some tips from these sources and tried a vellum cardstock shim and regular cardstock shim, and also tried to be careful to emboss with the grain.  I was still disappointed.  It didn't seem to matter whether I embossed with or against the grain, and the vellum shim simply tore apart after a few uses and didn't seem to help.

So what DID finally help?  Well, thanks to a friend of mine (thanks Anna!) who gave me some SU cardstock, I finally was able to emboss without the cracking issue using SU's 80 lb. weight cardstock.  I tried Early Espresso and Crumb Cake and was very pleased with the results.  No tearing.  No cracking.  No need for shims.  No need to fuss with the grain of the paper.  You can see the difference below! 

So now I have the option of the solid look AND the distressed look, on whatever color cardstock I choose!  Bonus!

Hope this might help you if you get stuck with this particular embossing folder pattern!  Hope you have a creative day and thanks for stopping by!

I'm BAA--ACK!!

I have been MIA on my crafty blog for 2 months now--moving from Florida to Maryland, going on 3 weeks vacation, getting the kids situated for school and fall activities, and dealing with a busted PC and unable to upload pictures...so I am just NOW getting my craft on and making pictures of some projects to upload to my blog!!  I trust you have had a fabulous summer and are gearing up for a busy fall.  I know I am!  Fall is my favorite season, but it can also be busy, so one way I deal with the stress is to CRAFT!

My latest obsession?
Embossing folders.

Most specifically?  WOOD GRAIN embossing folders!

I will post more about my experience with this particular folder (had some paper issues associated with this particular embossing pattern)--but I will post a project without further ado:

Supplies used:  woodgrain embossing folder (SU), Cards in an Instant sentiment card: Me and My Big Ideas (Michaels), flamingo dots (CTMH), Crumb cake cardstock (SU), foam tape

You might notice--no stamping!  But I just love these modern cut-out sentiment cards and I found them on clearance at Michaels from Me and My Big Ideas.  Check them out here--there are a ton of variations. I simply popped the sentiment up on foam tape squares for some depth and scattered some pink enamel dots for some interest.  Done!

Thanks for stopping by (and bearing with me) my friend!  Hope you have a crafty and creative day!

Meet the Winners!

My papercrafting heroes WON!!!  WOOHOO!!  These girls are Isabelle and Katherine Adams--you can check out their story through this post here.  Together these amazing girls have helped to raise over $370,000 for clean water wells through their organization Paper for Water for Living Water International.  They are truly an inspiration! 

Guest Blogger: Flower Pot Gift

Here's another great gift idea created by my sister MaryEllen Kiser!

Hi there! I wanted to share with you an easy craft that your kids can make for any gift at any time. Great for Dad's, teachers- you name it and it fits! We recently made this for my husband's birthday. Get a small flower pot and let your kids decorate it with foam stickers of any kind. Create a banner out of paper and attach it to a tongue depressor. Put a foam ball in the bottom to stick the tongue depressor into so that it will stay in place. Fill the pot with the favorite candy of the recipient. My girls also added a decorated foam book mark to the back of the pot. Easy, cute, and yummy! Fun for all!

Guest Blogger: Mommy's Chore Chart

Here is another great idea for your home from my sister, MaryEllen Kiser!  Take it away, sis!...

 

I go through seasons of being a SAHM where I feel scattered with my household duties. I haven't felt like I am keeping on top of things the way that I want to and since I recently made a chore chart for one of my daughter's it hit me- Why not make a chore chart for me? That way I can easily see what I need to be doing instead of trying to remember everything. I decided to go with a daily list and then break it out by day. Now some things on this list may seem intuitive but honestly there are days when it is just so nice to have a reminder about things because sometimes a mommy's brain is just so full! Other days it is just really nice to be able to check something off and feel a sense of accomplishment for doing something simple!

I started by typing everything up on my computer and printed it all out. I found a pretty piece of scrapbook paper in my stash and cut it down to 81/2 x 11. I then found a piece of complimentary paper and cut it into a strip that I added to the top for my title. I used a label that was already decorated and put my typed sentiment in it. I used a flower punch and used up more paper from my stash to create two flowers and attached a button to the center. I cut out each of my chore lists and attached it to my paper. Then I created a journal spot at the bottom for my Bible verse which serves to motivate and help me to remember my purpose in serving my family. It is ultimately all about Him anyway!

I put my chore chart in a page protector and attached magnets to the back so I could put it on my refrigerator to serve as a daily reminder. I can easily check it off with a dry erase marker or just use it as is. I also like that I can easily edit my chore lists and switch them out as need be. I love that it is pretty on my refrigerator, contains God's word and helps me on my quest to be a better homemaker!

Be Still Canvas Frame

 Last week was a bit of a crazy one!  We got the news that my Dad took a nasty fall and suffered a vertebral fracture, landing him in the trauma center flat on his back and awaiting extensive surgery.  Our family lifted up many prayers for his healing and comfort (and continue to do so), and yet, we also felt it hard to be so far away (he was several states away) and not be able to do something.  Well, that is where papercrafting came to the rescue!  We were not only able to send him cards (hand-drawn by the kids, papercrafted by me, and store-bought), but I was able to put together this little 4x4 canvas frame for his bedside!  

Let me tell you how I put it together (it was a quick and fun little project!).  I found the canvas in a frame from Michaels--it was on an endcap near their framing department with all the artistic canvases (they also sell a white frame version).  Then I picked out two black-and-cream patterned papers from my stash (a newsprint and a damask print from SU).  I cut the damask into a 4x4 square to fit the canvas and adhered it with Tombow permanent adhesive.  Then, I tore two corners from the newsprint paper, inked up the torn edges with Desert Sand ink (CTMH) and a sponge and adhered these down in the corners.  For the sentiment, I used one of my favorite stamps from CTMH, Be Still, stamped in black ink (Versamark) on colonial white cardstock.  I inked it up the colonial white cardstock with Desert Sand ink and matted it on Bamboo cardstock, then adhered it to the canvas.  Lastly, I used some metal cross embellishments (Michaels) popped up with 3D foam tape--you can see the dimension it provides in the next pictures...

I really love how it turned out!  It sits up using a little dowel rod/hole system (or it can be hung) and I pray it will be a source of encouragement for my Dad as he convalesces with family for the next several weeks!  I love when my passion for papercrafting can be used by God to bless and encourage others, especially those near-and-dear to my heart!  I hope you, too, can be a bright spot in someone's day with your craft, my friend!

Guest Blogger: Magnetic Chore Chart

Back again today with another inspiring and helpful project from my sister, MaryEllen Kiser!  I will let her tell you how she made this beautiful chore chart for her little ones...

I recently decided that my soon to be three year old's dawdling to get dressed in the morning needed to end and fast! So I started looking online for chore chart ideas that I could make that would hopefully get her motivated to move in the morning! This one that I made is actually a mixture of several I found. I got a cookie sheet from the dollar store and then used Modge Podge to attach scrapbook paper to the bottom of the cookie sheet. The glossy look makes it look a little more "artsy" and like something you would actually buy than just attaching the scrapbook paper with scrapbook adhesive but you could go that route if pressed for time or in order to simplify the process. In this example I used two different kinds of paper. One at the top for the "title" section and the other sheet for the rest of the chart. I liked the look of the contrasting paper and it helps to see the different headings. Next I found chore cards online that were applicable. I cut them out, glued them to scrapbook paper and slid them into plastic  badge holders that I bought at an office supply store. I then attached a magnet on the back which I found in the craft section at Walmart. What I love about using the plastic badge holders is that they are reusable! I can change out the chores at any time and still use the rest of my chore chart! LOVE that! I added some flower embellishments to the top that I made using a variety of punches that I have. I also created three headings on the chart, "To Do", "Lillian's Chore Chart" and "I Did It!". You can also Modge Podge ribbon along the edges of the cookie sheet if you want more decoration. I made a loop out of ribbon to hang it and attached it using E6000. I was able to create this during one nap and it was tons of fun as well! I am happy to report that the chart has really helped my sanity! My daughter loves moving the magnets from one side to the other throughout the day and all I have to do is move them back in the morning. She is proud of herself and so am I! Mission accomplished- pretty and practical!

Thanks MaryEllen for sharing this great project!  And there is my little niece, Lillian--isn't she adorable?  I hope you have a very creative weekend, my friend--see you next week!

Ariana "Sweet" Card

Hi friend!  Back today to share with you a gorgeous card made with directions provided by Christine Adams.  Love this card as it is super versatile--goes great for men (color scheme) and ladies (flower, doily) and can be a "thinking of you" card or a birthday card!  It has two special techniques associated with it.  First, it uses CTMH's polka dot embossing folder--love the look of that with a little light sanding on their white-core cardstock.  The second technique is a box-pleat fold for the damask strip across the middle.  I love how it turned out.  I decided to use liquid adhesive to really secure the folded strip and it makes for a nice firm hold!  Also, love the little "masculine" flower center embellishment from the Proplayer assortment (CTMH).  Sentiment is stamped with slate ink (stamp set unknown).  Thanks for stopping by--hope you have a creative one!

Guest Post: Spring Papercrafting with MaryEllen

Hello friend!  Today we have a guest blogger, my sister, MaryEllen Kiser, who will share with us some beautiful spring-themed papercrafting artwork she has made to brighten and bless her home and family!  I will let her take it away from here to explain how she made these beauties!...

"For the Spring Sign I purchased the wooden sentiment from Oriental Trading Company. I chose patterned paper to use from my stash. I made sure that I used a variety of paper like a stripe, one that would read more as a solid, a large, bright floral, an argyle, polka dots, and a feminine floral. After selecting the paper, I found acrylic paint that would match the background of each piece of paper and I painted all the edges of the wooden Spring sentiment.  After letting that dry, I traced each letter onto the patterned paper and then used Modge Podge with a sponge brush to attach each pattern paper piece to the letter. After I let the Modge Podge dry I used some spring themed embellishments that I already had like sentiments and tags.  I made one of the flowers using a scalloped punch and attached it with foam onto a newsprint flower. I made another flower by stacking two different sized silk flowers together and attaching them with a yellow brad. The rest of the flowers that I used were premade. I messed up on the "P" and had a space showing between the letters so I used small premade flowers that had some "bling" already attached to them and I think it turned out really cute. Love that in crafting mistakes can make your piece look even better than you had originally anticipated! This project was super easy, inexpensive and fun! It shows up really well on my mantel and really cheers up my den!"

Here is another beautiful project that also serves her family around the dinner table...

"I have a pitcher that I love to display on my kitchen table and as much as I love to fill it with flowers, I just can't justify that expense on a regular basis. I was looking at it one day and realized that I could merge my idea of having meal conversation starters handy on the table and cute flowers! I went online and hunted for different kinds of dinner conversation starters and typed a list of the ones I liked. Some of them have spiritual significance and some are more simple opinions. Being a former middle school teacher, I saw kids on a regular basis who could not take part in a simple conversation and it is important to me that my children understand and practice this important skill. After coming up with all the conversation starters that I liked and some that I had made up myself,  I printed them out and cut them up into small strips. I hand made two different flower templates. One has more rounded flower petals and the other has longer, more narrow flower petals. I thought the two different shapes would make the bouquet more interesting. Once again I chose paper from my stash that goes with my décor--lots of earthy reds and yellows--paper that just makes me happy! I traced my flower templates and made sure that I was using a nice variety of paper. I didn't want to use more of one design and over power the entire bouquet.

To build the flowers, I punched out a center using different sized scallop punches (1" and 1 1/2")  that I have and rotated between a red center and a Kraft center. I then used adhesive to attach the sentiments to the flower. I tried to attach the sentiments off center to make the flowers look more interesting. I attached a green pipe cleaner to the back of each bud using basic tape. They were simple and fun to make and more importantly my girls enjoy choosing different flowers to talk about while we eat."

Wow!  Thanks MaryEllen!  Such a beautiful way to ring in Spring in your home AND to serve a wonderful purpose for your family around the dinner table!

Ariana Display Card

 This weekend I had the pleasure of creating this beautiful display card using Christine Adams' kit (inspired by Brenda Rose).  It showcases the beautiful Ariana, Balloon Ride, and a bit of Skylark patterened papers from CTMH.  Wow--what a show stopper!!  I feel so blessed to have been taught how to make this beautiful card using 2 sheets of Slate cardstock and some precut papers; the pattern was included in the kit, so I plan to try it out with different patterned papers in the future!  This card is basically a gift in and of itself!  As always, feel free to click on each picture to see it larger and in more detail!

Here is the card closed up and tied with a slate baker's twine bow...

 

Then you open the card up to see all sorts of various panels pop through!  All the embellishments used are from CTMH and include the Ariana dimensional elements, Ariana assortment (bows), slate twist ties, sparkle flourishes, and various Cricut die-cut shapes embossed with the damask embossing folder.

Here is a closer look at each panel...

 Closer look at the front two covers...

 LOVE this sentiment about life being like a camera!!  It says: "Life is like a camera…FOCUS on what's important, CAPTURE the good things, DEVELOP from the negative, And if things don't work out, TAKE ANOTHER SHOT.

 And another close up of that gorgeous camera--it even has a glass circle cover on the "lens" and a baker's twine "strap"! 

I plan to give this display card to a sweet family member of ours who is recovering from a broken hip!  I hope it brings a smile to her face and beautifies her room!  She can also adhere a picture on the back panel of her family or herself if she wishes!  Thanks again Christine for such a great kit!