Let's Chat....

Hey!

Sorry about the absence here on the ol' blogeroo this week. Just believe me when I say I've had the most stressful week at work ever! Every time I thought things could only get better, they got worse. One thing's for sure though; I'll be happy when the weekend arrives!

Speaking of which, let us celebrate Friday Eve with a new CASE study! (see my clever link there, eh?!)

So without further ado, here's Mariana Grigsby's final creation up for CASEing this week as we'll have a new muse to admire next month. I for one, have loved her creations that have been featured on the CASE study blog!


Just loving those colours! That, and the use of an oval is what I focused on for my own take on it:

I know it's so different from the original card to CASE but if you look closely, I'm sure you can see some similarities (you might need a microscope though - *wink*) You can't tell on the pic, but I coloured my bling black with a Promarker - love that technique!

We had such a fabulous turn out for last week's CASE study - Thank You! I'm hoping you too can find some inky time to join in this week too!

And just in case you need some more ideas and inspiration; check out the rest of the super duper CASE study DT!

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Carole Kisch
Cindy Lee
Lenet Mos
Sue Kohler
Teneale Williams
Mariana Grigsby (September's Muse)

I'm also hoping this will qualify for the current challenge over at Caardvarks - it's pretty clean and simple don'cha think?!

Catch ya later!






Card Deets
{let's chat}
Stamps: On my Couch, Polka Dot Basics II (Papertrey Ink)
Card: Enchanted Evening, New Leaf, Lemon Tart, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Versamark/Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Patterned Paper: Beautiful Blooms DP (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Promarkers/Medium Scallop Die, Hawaiian Shores Grosgrain Ribbon (Papertrey Ink)/Clear Gems (Zva)

CAS - my kinda style!

Hey!

And a very happy Saturday to ya! Hooray for the weekends (makin' those working weeks just that li'l bit easier to get through *wink*)

Ok so I couldn't resist. I just had to take part in the PTI blog hop this month even though I didn't think I'd have time! Now I'm gonna keep this short and sweet for peeps who are hoppin' so firstly here's the Blog Hop Brief:

"One of the most fun things about this hobby is the people you meet, whether in person or online, and the things you learn from them. Now is your chance to show off any skills you might have learned from a fellow stamper, and perhaps even give them a little shout out to thank them for the inspiration they have provided. Create a project using one of your favorite learned skills and perhaps after a little blog hopping, we will ALL learn some new tips and tricks and continue to pass on the love of this hobby!"

Now my obvious thought was to turn to the awesomely talented PTI DT for my entry; but then I thought about how I've been inspired and learned so much from so many other talented stampers too! So I figured it'd be nice to show some appreciation for someone different to who you were probably expecting....

I didn't wanna CASE anyone, but someone who has played a large influence on my current style (and the one I'm most comfortable with) is Carly Robertson of Papers In Bloom. I adore her fabulous CAS, fun style and she might not know it, but she's taught me so much about embracing the CAS style without the need for all that 'white space' all the time!

Now if you haven't already, might I suggest you take a trip over to visit Carly because you too will be inspired!

Oooh and seeing as this card embraces the CAS style, I'll enter it for the current challenge on Caardvarks! Expect a couple more entries for that fabby challenge *wink*

And while I'm on a challenge roll, this card should hopefully qualify for the new challenge over on Wee Memories to go CAS too!

Catch ya later!







Card Deets
{friend}
Stamps: Friend's til the End (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Rich Cocoa (Memento)/Antique Linen (Distress)/Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Jute Ribbon Twine (Papertrey Ink)

Butterflies + Kraft = Yummy!

Hey!

Well last week dragged, but this week is zoomin' by!!! Can't believe it's Friday Eve already, but I'm so glad you stopped by because we all know what Friday Eves (aka Thursdays) mean:

That's right! Time for a new CASE study! Now can I just say that my jaw literally dropped and hit the keyboard when I saw the card up for this week's CASE study. Mariana Grigsby sure knows how to create a jaw-droppingly gorgeous card and this one is a prime example of it:

*swoon* not only my fave kinda image, (butterflies) but check out the kraft-a-licious lovin' on this creation! I was so inspired and ready for this CASE study that I got busy with what little inky time I could squeeze in over the nights after work, and created this:

Apologies for the poor pic: daylight is fading so fast after work now that I'm struggling to find a good place to take a decent pic!

I'm really hoping you can tell what I CASEd here LOL!

Once again this is a li'l card measuring about 2.75 x 3.5. I find with less time to get inky at the mo, it's much easier to start with a smaller canvas (and it's great for a frugal papercrafter like myself too *wink*)

You just know that I'm hoping you can find a few inky moments to play along too! Our sponsor this week is the Pixiepetals Etsy store which has the most sweetest embellishments for sale!

Need more inspiration? Then look no futher than the awesome CASE Study DT of which I'm so honoured to be a part of that I have to pinch myself!

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Carole Kisch
Cindy Lee
Lenet Mos
Sue Kohler
Teneale Williams
Mariana Grigsby (September's Muse)

So don't delay - get inky today! LOL!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{sending hugs}
Stamps: Butterfly Dreams, Friends til the End, Turning a New Leaf, Vintage Labels (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Versamark
Card: Kraft (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: True Black Bitty Box Basics (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Corner Chomper/Detail Clear EP/Detail White EP/Promarkers/Glossy Accents

Hip to be Square...

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! I've finally come down from my fame filled weekend now LOL! Still humming along to some fabulous Barenaked Ladies tunes after their awesome concert on my drives to work this week, but you'll be glad to know that I just managed to stop myself bursting into full song in front of the students so far....(I'll leave that for when I'm in my car!)

So onto a card...well I found it so hard to squeeze in any inky time this weekend but just managed sneak into my crafting corner to make a card to share with ya today:

***Sorry, I'm just on a roll with this card layout - I promise I'll try a new layout soon!***

Actually this card is for our 'Hip to be Square' challenge over on our PTI blog. We wanna see you 'square up' to this challenge (tee hee!) and feature squares on your creations - after all it's hip to be square and I'm a huge fan of the geek chic look y'know *grin*. It's pretty open to how you incorporate squares on your project; as you can see, I've gone for a square card blank (well kinda square thanks to Chompy *wink*) and squared DP.

So I'd obviously love it if you can play along with us, and you need only use one PTI product on your creation (and squares of course!) to qualify for entry. Plus, if you're a European Peep, you could win a filliable frames stamp set!

I'm also entering this card into the the current challenge on Caardvarks! I think it's a pretty CAS creation anyways.....

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Card Deets
{Soaring by to say Hi}
Stamps: Everyday Button Bits (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)/Rich Cocoa (Memento)/Antique Linen (Distress Ink)
Card: Kraft,Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Spring Rain Bitty Box Basics (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cloud Die, Spring Button Mix, Jute Ribbon Twine (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug/Nestabilities

Stars-a-Plenty!

Hey!

Woo Hoo! It's the weekend!!!! Hope y'all enjoying yours so far! We've kicked ours off with a li'l bit of fun - my guy's lovely cousin has just been on TV for most of the morning acting as one of the altar servers for the Pope during his service at Westminster Cathedral! He was the guy holding the Gospel in front of the Pope for him to read from - I feel all starstruck LOL! It's the most attention I've paid to a church service on TV! And if that wasn't enough of fame, later on, my guy and I are off to Manchester to see one of our favourite bands, Barenaked Ladies! What a Saturday this is proving to be! So by the end of today, I'm gonna be a totally starstruck gal!

But enough of our starstruck antics, lemme share a card (which just so happens to feature a few stars of its own!)

I know, I know, more star prints for a guy card - what can I say? I can't resist 'em!

This is from my stash of cards I have on my computer waiting to be uploaded as I've no freshly inked creations to share! Life is busy, and ink has to wait *sob*

This star-themed card winged it's way to my youngest-but-by-no-means-littlest brother. (He might be younger than me, but he towers above me and my parents alongside my other brothers. Why didn't I get that tall gene?!?! LOL!) Anyways if you recognise the card a little, it's based from this card I made for my guy's dad's birthday! I just love that layout so don't be surprised if you see it again!

Right then, I'm off to pop on my new winter boots I got yesterday and prance around the apartment in them! I just love new boots, and it's certainly feeling like the season for them is approaching....better bed them in so they're nice and comfy!

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting my li'l corner of Blogland!

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Card Deets
{Birthday Wishes}
Stamps: PTI (Star Prints, Daily Designs Sentiments)
Ink: PTI (Pure Poppy)/Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Card: PTI (Stamper's Select White)
Patterned Paper: PTI (Bitty Box Basics - True Black)
Accessories: PTI (Pure Poppy Grosgrain Ribbon)/Corner rounder Punch/Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Letraset Fineline Pen

A little Thank You...

Hey!

C'mon it's Friday Eve so it's time for.....



Yup! Another CASE study from this month's Muse, the amazingly talented Mariana Grigsby!!! Wanna see what card of Mariana's we have to CASE this week?!

Mmmm check out all of that gorgeous green! And without further ado, here's my mini-CASE of it:

I say, "mini" because this is another one of my 3x3 cards. As I was saying in my last post, I'm so lucky to have such fab friends at work and I owed a couple of them a "Thank You!" This card will go to my buddy and colleague, Anji who really helped me out this week in getting hold of some supplies for our upcoming PTI Make and Take (I'm so excited!) She's a gal after my own earthy-colour-lovin'-palette- heart, so I hope she likes it!

Anyways if you can't tell, I CASEd the layout, but on a much smaller scale! I'd obviously love it if you played along too! If you need more tempting, this week's sponsor is Bonnie of Really Reasonable Ribbon who is giving this week's randomly selected winner a voucher. Go check her out for a huge selection of ribbons. The lace on my card is one of many sweet styles of ribbon she sells!

Needing more inspiration?! Then check out the awesome CASE study DT's take on the challenge:

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Carole Kisch
Cindy Lee
Lenet Mos
Sue Kohler
Teneale Williams
Mariana Grigsby (September's Muse)

So here's wishing you not only the time to play along with us, but wishing you a happy weekend too (when it arrives LOL!)

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Card Deets
{Thanks}
Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Turning a New Leaf, Daily Designs Sentiments)
Card: Papertrey Ink (Dark Chocolate, Kraft)
Patterned Paper: Papertrey Ink (Turning a New Leaf)
Ink: Versamark/Memento
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Papertrey Ink (Medium Scallop Border Die)/Lace from Really Reasonable Ribbon

Chompy to the rescue....

Hey!

Aww, man! Is it only Tuesday?! Feels like it should be Thursday!

Thanks for your well wishes and condolences regarding my corner punch. You'll be glad to hear that I'm nearly through the grieving process thanks to a li'l something that came through the post the other day...

This baby is my hero! Oh! I'm in rounded corner Heaven! I swear that everything around me now has a rounded corner *grin* So let us not forget corner punch #1, but relish in the awesome power of, Chompy (as he's affectionately called!) LOL!

Notice the return of that holiday tree on this card?! Yup, that tree is not just for Christmas y'know!

I've found that because I have hardly any spare time on my hands now to get inky; that 3x3 cards are perfect for squeezing in a li'l inky time. I'm lucky to have some fantastic friends at work, who really helped me out this week. Obviously I owed them both a Thank You card and this one will go to Sarah who was sweet enough to make my Monday special by treating me to:

To cut a long story short, we were reminiscing over scoffing Lucky Charms when we were little. You can't get it over here anymore, apart from very posh food shops (e.g Selfridges) and sweet Sarah bought some back for me from London! Ahhh it took me back to being a kid again!

And if that wasn't sweet enough of her, she also treated me to something I've spotted and always wanted to try, but never had:
Yup, fluff! Can I just say this stuff is ♥super sweet♥ You guys across the pond are so lucky! I still can't imagine this with peanut butter like it recommended on the label...maybe that's an acquired taste?!

Before I leave for more sweetness, this card also qualifies for Papertrey Peeps Challenge #15 with it's autumnal colours. Autumn is definitely on the way now: it's been blowing a gale around here and the leaves are just on the point of turning! It'll be Christmas before we know it - eek!

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Card Deets
{just a note}
Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Holiday Tree, Daily Designs Sentiments)
Card: Papertrey Ink (Kraft)
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Accessories: Corner Chomper/Promarkers/Fineline Pen

Goin' Digital...

Hey!

Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend so far....I've been so ready for this weekend after my busy first week back at work! Still got this icky cold and trying to shift it for next week - it was an experience to try to communicate with students whilst having no voice the other day to say the least!

So I'm sharing something a little different with y'all today - a digital creation! No stamps and no ink *gasp*


I actually made this a while ago for my niece, Ruby's birthday (hence the rounded corners - sob!). I used this set by Holly Brooke Jones which comes with some great images for birthday cards! Printed out two sets of balloons and added my own text to them and mounted them to add dimension. Oh, and totally smothered them in Glossy Accents too of course *grin*

I have to say that I don't think I could ever put down my inky stamps for too long, but there's something very appealing about going digital every so often. This card was made in a few mins - it took longer to let the Glossy Accents dry than to design and put the rest of the card together! Great for those 'emergency' cards, right?!

Right then, back to the lemon and honey for me!

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

R.I.P Corner Punch....

Hey!

Happy Friday eve my stampy peeps! Yup, totally loving the fact that I'm so nearly through my first week back at work (albeit with no voice and a horrid head cold - ugh!) and still managing to squeeze in a li'l inky time (just!)

Well you know that Friday Eve is not only an excuse to get excited about the weekend approaching, but also a chance to take part in a new CASE study! It's a new month, so we've got a new Muse to admire and CASE and I'm so excited to reveal that this month we have Mariana Grigsby!!! Oh how I love Mariana's style - I could well be literally CASEing everything from the creations we have coming up in the next few weeks *squeal*

But lets focus on this week's CASE study card of Mariana's which is equally as fabby:

Oh I know right? So bright, bold and fun too! So examined this CASE study, I got busy and created this:

I chose to CASE the layout, the colours (with a spot of green throw in *grin*) and the dry embossing. Sadly, my corner punch has kaput on me so I'm stuck with right angles for now - they feel so rigid and uncomfortable (hence the title of my post!) I'm so craving a rounded corner on everything I make now - typical! Need to get my hands on a corner chomper methinks....

Now feel free to CASE any aspect of Mariana's card and play along! Up for grabs is One Free Month of Club InBox! Members get what no one else gets: exclusive videos and tutorials, teaching you techniques, seasonal projects, mini-albums, cards and more courtesy of Catherine Pooler! So why not play along and check out what the rest of the CASE study DT came up with too?

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Carole Kisch
Cindy Lee
Lenet Mos
Sue Kohler
Teneale Williams
Mariana Grigsby (September's Muse)

I hope my card will suffice for my nephew's birthday which is coming up soon. Do you think I'd get away with it seeing as it has a girly flourish on it?!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Card Deets
{Wish Big}
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Fancy Flourishes, Star Prints
Ink: Versamark/Papertrey Ink - Smokey Shadow/
Card: Papertrey Ink - Smokey Shadow/Soft Stone/Pure Poppy/Hawaiian Shores
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Papertrey Ink - Impression Plate Polka Dots, Simply Chartreuse Grosgrain Ribbon/Detail White EP

Punching - not the violent kind!

Hey!

Well that's it. I'm back at work. The mojo has left the building - LOL! Well all good things have to come to an end, right? So it's back to work to earn the pennies for my crafting supplies. I shouldn't complain as I do love my job, I just really value my creative time too *wink*

I kinda feel like I've ended my summer holidays on a creative high though; y'see I got an email from Paper Crafts magazine asking for two of my cards for their upcoming Stamp It! magazine! Still can't quite believe that when I think of how many cards were submitted! I was still grinning from ear to ear on that news when the next day I got an email from CARDS magazine and they want one of my cards for their Feb 2010 issue! Wow! Talk about lucky! Well that's what a holiday does for the creative mojo I guess!

Anyways, lemme show you a card! We have a new challenge on our PTI blog today, and we wanna see ya 'Punch It!' Well not literally, I'm not the violent kinda gal but I do love a good ol' paper punch! My example uses not only one paper punch, but three:


Yup, it's official. I'm addicted to creating this doily, fan, thingies!

So we'd love to see your take on 'Punching it' and remember, your creation needs only one PTI product to be eligible to enter!

Right then, get used to these short and sweet posts and my advanced apologies for my lack of appearance in Blogland until the next holidays! Though I'll be constantly keeping up to date and admiring what you all create, I just might not have the chance to comment much. Hope you can forgive me!

Thanks so much for stopping by, I really appreciate it!

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Card Deets {There's no one like You}
Stamps: Papertrey Ink: Friends 'til the End, Around and About Sentiments
Ink: Papertrey Ink: Pure Poppy
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink: White, Hibiscus Burst
Patterned Paper: Papertrey Ink: Simple Valentine
Accessories: Martha Stewart Scalloped Border Punch/EK Success Embossed Scallop Punch/Corner Rounder/Papertrey Ink button, twine/Cuttlebug/Nestabilities

It started with punching...

Hey!

Happy Thursday, Peeps! I don't think I'll ever tire of saying this, "you know what Thursdays mean, right?"Yup time for another CASE study! Yay! This is Makiko Jones' last week with us as our Muse, and I've loved her creations that have been selected to CASE! So without further ado, let's take a peek at her last card to share with us to CASE:


Scrummy right?! Here's my CASE study take on it:

I don't even know where to begin on how I made this card. I literally just sat in my crafty corner and played; starting with a good spot of punching - paper punching that is LOL! I created that green kinda doily (doilies are so on trend right now, though they're not my kinda thing so I put my own spin on it and created a green 3D one with hearts!) and the rest of the card just kinda fell into place!

Too early for Thanksgiving?! Wrong country for Thanksgiving?! Well this li'l stamp was the victim of inky neglect - kinda predictable living over here, but I loved the idea of autumn and pumpkins. Maybe I'll use this card as an excuse to celebrate Thanksgiving over here afterall!

If you can't tell already, I CASED the following:

• The colours
  
• Use of food - Makiko goes peachy, but I go for a pumpkin!
  
• Paper Folding - I love the flower on Makiko's card and was also inspired by fellow DT member, Andrea with her latest cards which feature a fab paper folding technique!
  

Now if you play along, this week's prize comes courtesy of Annabelle Stamps and she's going to give a randomly generated winner this Holly Branch stamp set! Perfect to get a head start on those Christmas cards with *wink*

Still need inspiration? Then check out what the rest of the super CASE study DT were inspired to CASE:

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Carole Kisch
Cindy Lee
Lenet Mos
Sue Kohler
Teneale Williams
Makiko Jones (August Muse)

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Card Deets
{Give Thanks}
Stamps: Basic Grey/PTI Fancy Flourishes
Ink: Momento - Brown/Distress Inks - Antique Linen, Vintage Photo
Cardstock: Kraft
DP: From stash! I think some of if is SU!
Accessories: Promarkers/Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Martha Stewart Border Punch/May Arts Ribbon