Tuesday 22 February 2011

Wanna party?

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! Super duper happy for me as I'm on my week off - yay! Hoping to squeeze in lots of inky therapy this week!

In fact I've already had lots of inky therapy over this past weekend. Since I picked up a sheet of vellum last week for this card, I've not been able to put the stuff down! Is it making a comeback or am I just way outta fashion using it? I don't mind either way because it's good to use up anything that I've been hoarding!

So what did I create with it? Well something a little different from my usual cards....an invitation:


Yup I'm having a party 'just because' and you're invited! Ok, I'll 'fess up that I'm not: I'm up to my eyeballs packing stuff up for our move in a few weeks time so a party is definitely not going down around here LOL! But our new challenge on our PTI blog is to create an invitation and this is what I rustled up.


The vellum overlay on my tag tones down the bold background stamping on the tag underneath. The great thing about this idea is that I could print many vellum tags on one sheet of vellum and die cut after; the transparency of vellum means that I can die cut the tags with pre-printed text on to perfection :D


The colours of my invite are totally inspired by Heather P's Color Hues Challenge #2. I'm seriously loving these challenges that totally kick me into colour combos I'd normally be running scared from!

We'd love it if you could play along with us and create your own invite. Remember that you don't have to think of purely parties but you could create an invite for a friend to come over for get-together! So long as it invites someone to do or attend something, it'll count *wink*

Catch ya later!






Invite Deets
{it's my party!}
Stamps: Damask Designs, Birthday Bash Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)/Sentiment from Frame-It (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Ocean Tides (Papertrey Ink)/Versamark/Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate, Ocean Tides, Aqua Mist, Raspberry Fizz, Vellum (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Provocraft)/Raspberry Fizz Grosgrain Ribbon, Tag Sale #1 Die, Limitless Layers 1 3/4" Collection Dies, Medium Scallop Border Die(Papertrey Ink)

Saturday 19 February 2011

Stamp It!

Hey!

So it's the first day of half term - a whole week off and what do I wake up to? Yup, SNOW! Man, I thought we'd had enough of this white stuff for one winter...guess I'll just have to stay indoors and ink up some new stamps then *grin*

Speaking of stamping (see what I did there?! Smoooooooth transition of subject lol!) have you checked out the special Paper Crafts Stamp It! Techniques issue? Whether you're an expert stamper or just starting out, it has something for everyone! It certainly reunited me with a few techniques that I hadn't tried out for a while.

I was very excited when this issue landed on my doorstep (thanks, Lynn!), not only for all the inspiration I was gonna get from it, but because I had a couple of cards in it myself! Thanks so much for the opportunity, Paper Crafts!

Here's one of 'em you can find on page 41

Enjoy the Journey

This was to demonstrate paper piecing. Used all my DP scraps on this baby and yes, it was kinda fiddly to cut out but totally worth it :)

My other card demonstrates heat embossing and features lots of.....green! Be sure to check it out on page 12 along with all the other amazing creations!

Right I'm off to pretend to do some chores but really get off to get acquainted with some new Hero Art goodies that landed on my doorstep this morning! I wonder how they got there? Tee hee!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!







Card Deets
{Enjoy the Journey}
Stamps: The Whole Cycle (Practicing Creativity Designs)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Versamark
Cardstock: Soft Stone, Kraft (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Summer Sunrise Bitty Box Basics, Pure Poppy Bitty Dot Basics (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Chompy! (Corner Chomper - We R Memory Keepers)

Sunday 13 February 2011

Make It Monday (or should that be Sunday?!)

Hey!

I'm popping in with a super quick post today: I'm starting to feel kinda groggy - hope it's not the start of something to make my last week at work before we break up for a week a toughie....eek!

I'm squeezing this in before the deadline for the Make It Monday series that has started on the Nichole Heady's Blog. I really missed the Guest Star Stamper monthly challenges they did, so I'm delighted that now they're doing a weekly challenge which features a new technique and a chance to win a sweet stamp set with it :D

I could never enter this challenge on a Monday though: it takes me the whole of Monday just to get my body to adjust to the working week LOL! But I did manage to get inky during this weekend to be able to enter today (Sunday!)

As you probably know from all of the wonderful entries around Blogland this week: this week's challenge was to use sentiments and as it's that super-slushy-lovey-dovey day tomorrow, I took all my lovey-dovey sentiments and got busy:

You are the beat of my heart

Where are all those sentiments? Well look closely and you may see that I embossed 'em in clear embossing powder on shimmer cardstock. IRL it looks totally cool: giving almost an engraved effect on the cardstock. Here's another shot from a different angle in the hope that my camera can pick up a few more of those sentiments:

Beat of my heart - close up

I also used a masking technique on that birdcage so the sentiments wouldn't disturb the focal point too much (just ♥ that birdcage!)

Y'know I didn't realise I had quite so many slushy sentiments in my stamp collection; this was a great way to use them all!

So is this card going to my gorgeous geek tomorrow? Nope! I was actually organised this year and made his card WEEKS ago! I'll share it with ya after he's seen it first (I'm not quite sure if he's sneaky enough to check my blog out for his future cards but I'm not gonna risk it *wink*)

OK I'm off to dose up on some honey and lemon: I only need my voice for 5 more days then it can have a week off! LOL!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!






Card Deets
{You are the beat of my heart}
Stamps: Sentiments from various Papertrey Ink Sets, Love Birds (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: London Fog, Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)/Versamark
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, White Shimmer (Papertrey Ink)

Accessories: Fresh Snow Satin Ribbon (Papertrey Ink)/Detail Clear EP (Stampendous)

Saturday 12 February 2011

Bold and BRIGHT!

Hey!

I'm waking us all up on this sunny weekend with this bright little number:


Wowzers! I know it's kinda bright and probably what you'd never expect from an earthy, neutral, green-lovin' gal like me but I couldn't resist challenging myself and taking pure inspiration from my colour combo heroine Heather P and her new Totally Hues challenge! I urge you to play along too - I had so much fin making this: those colours just made me so happy! :)

Thanks for the inspiration and fabby challenge, Heather! I'll be paying a little more love to the bolder colours in my stash from now on *wink*

Dashing off quick today because any sunshine here in Sheffield needs to be made the most of! Wishing you all a super Saturday!

Catch ya later!






Card Deets
{I'm so Grateful for you}
Stamps: Signature Greetings (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Hawaiian Shores, Simply Chartreuse (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Distressed Dots (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Hibiscus Burst Grosgrain Ribbon, Simply Chartreuse Vintage button, Mat Stack 3 Die, Fillable Frames Die, Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Embossed Scalloped Border Punch (EK Success)

Monday 7 February 2011

Tag - you're it!

Hey!

Happy Monday! Let's countdown those days 'til the weekend :)

I'm hoping this week shouldn't be quite as busy as last week, but with moving house on the horizon in a month's time I can't help but feel I should be packing stuff now....!

However, I'm not game for packing yet...I want to have some fun. How about a game of Tag? No, I'm not crazy but leading nicely and oh-so-smoothly into talking about our new challenge on our PTI Blog. I'm really too busy to run around playing Tag, but we'd love to see you create a gift-tag of course!

For my example I went a little outta my comfort zone: making my tag a li'l masculine and adopting a colour combo that I wouldn't normally play with. Poor Ocean Tides - it really does just sit at the bottom of my pile of cardstock (along with Melon Berry of course!) just waiting for a day to be used:

You Rock

Notice that I didn't have to use a tag-shaped die to create this. I just punched a hole in the top of my die-cut shape and set an eyelet in the top. ***I'll have to make a million of these if I'm ever to use up my supply of eyelets btw! I bought them in every colour imaginable when they were all the rage - I wonder if they'll ever come back on trend as fashion does? I'll be ready and waiting when they do :)***

So c'mon and play tag with us! You don't even need a tag shaped piece of cardstock to start with - just punch a hole in any old shape and see what you come up with!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I know I've not been super at commenting on your fabby creations recently but trust me, I have been stalking your blogs from afar *wink*

Catch ya later!






Tag Deets
{You Rock}
Stamps: Fancy Flourishes, Star Prints, Signature Greetings (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Ocean Tides
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Versamark
Patterned Paper: Pure Poppy Bitty Box Basics
Accessories: True Black Vintage Button, Jute Ribbon Twine

Saturday 5 February 2011

Party Time!

Hey!

Hoooooooray for the weekend! :)

I'm in a party mood not only because it's the weekend, but if you didn't know already - and I think you must have been hiding under a rock if you don't know! - but it's party time for one of my favourite stamping companies. One of the factors that had me hook, line and sinker for my downward spiral into my inky addiction: Papertrey Ink!

I urge you to join in the celebrations too! Today, Nichole Heady (one of my stamping idols!) is asking us to share our very favourite project featuring PTI goodies from the last year and I fancied joining in the fun.

Can you guess which project I picked? Well I'm impressed that I kinda narrowed it down to one: I love different projects for different reasons but this one really made me squeal with joy:

chairish cards

And of course - I couldn't resist making a green version *grin*

Chair-ish trio close up

....and I was even lucky enough to have one of these picked up by CARDS magazine for the Jan 2011 issue - thanks CARDS Magzine!


Why on earth did they not pick the green one?! *wink*

Right, I'm still catching up on my Google Reader after a crazy, super busy week so I'm hoping to get a good mojo boost from y'all for my inky time that I've scheduled in for tomorrow. Yup - so busy now that I actually have to pencil inky time in my organiser *sigh* Here's to counting down to half-term in a couple of weeks time :D

Catch ya later!






Card Deets
{I Chair-ish Your Friendship}
Stamps: On My Couch, On My Couch Additions (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Versamark/ Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Kraft (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Dotty Biscotti (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Vintage Buttons (Hawaiian Shores, New Leaf, Raspberry Fizz)/Grosgrain Ribbon (Hawaiian Shores, New Leaf, Raspberry Fizz) (Papertrey Ink)/Chompy (Corner Chomper)

Copyright/Disclosure

I am on various design teams and receive free product to use and promote. I geniunely love the products of the companies and all opinons are honest and my own.

I'm flattered if I've inspired you and you want to CASE anything of mine, but please don't enter it for commercial publications or competitions.
Thank You!
All designs, text, and photographs on Crafting Confessions are ©2009-2016 to Amy Gray unless stated otherwise.