Retro Sketches #95: 30

I have a new card to share today.  This one is using a sketch from a new (to me) sketch blog and I used a new product on it!

The sketch that I used was from Retrosketches.  I thought this one was pretty fun:

To make the sunburst on the bottom, I used a Studio Calico circle mask and some Distress Inks. I layered on some patterned papers.  The number 30 is where I used a new product.  It is called Stamp N Bond, and it is so cool.  I should say that this product has probably been around a while, but I just found it.  So what you do is, stamp your image, sprinkle on the Stamp N Bond, heat it like embossing powder and then sprinkle on glitter or flocking.  The Stamp N Bond becomes an adhesive when heated!  It is, by far, the best way I have found to attach glitter to a stamped image!  I now have a new way to use all the glitter I got for Christmas last year!!  I also used my stamping gear to stamp around the circle.

Hey Cuz!

Merry Christmas!  I hope you have all had a wonderful day with family rejoicing that our Lord came to earth!  We have had a laid back day at home, a day that included a little scrappy time for me!  

I made a layout about my older son and his cousin who is 2 months (to the day!) older than him.  I used photos from various times throughout their first two years.  It is so fun to see how they have grown and changed and how they interact with one another. 

I was inspired by the 2nd Day of Christmas challenge at My Scraps and More.  It was a color challenge.  Normally color challenges totally intimidate me and this one definitely had a Christmas feel to it, but I decided to make a go of it with these non-Christmas photos.  I am glad I did!  

I started by pulling papers that fit the color scheme and went from there.  I have so many different manufacturers on this layout!  That is the awesome thing about a color challenge, you can pull from so many different places!

Materials:
Cardstock- Stampin Up
Patterned Paper- Echo Park, My Mind's Eye
Stickers- Simple Stories, October Afternoon
Brad- Crate Paper
Chipboard- Pink Paislee, Studio Calico
Tape- Bella Blvd
Twine- Target
Rubons- Basic Grey
Pens- Zig and Creative Memories
Die Cutter- Provo Craft
Cartridge- Doodlecharms

Random Card Catch Up!

I've spent the last week making cards for various people and now I am going to share them all with you!  There are a lot, so bear with me!

First up is a birthday card I made for my brother-in-law whose birthday was yesterday.  I used this sketch from Cas(e) this sketch:

The papers are My Mind's Eye and the present Cricut cut is from the "New Arrival" cartridge.

Next up is a card I made for my newest nephew, who was born November 30th.  I used a Debbie Mumm chipboard piece for the main piece on here.  The water is washi tape.  For the spout of water, I used a flower cut from the "Storybook" cartridge.  Don't forget to check out your cartridges for cuts that can be used for things other than intended!  I was excited to use the blue glitter on here.  I've been eyeing that color since I received the set last Christmas and I finally got to use it, it is so pretty!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am making cards to give to my grandma.  I made a couple of anniversary cards yesterday.  The first uses some Cosmo Cricket papers and stickers.  I cut the scrolls using the "Cindy Loo" cartridge.

The next card was made using a set of freebies that came in the Prima magazine I received last year at Scrapfest.  I distressed the edges and inked them with Walnut Ink Distress Ink.

Finally, I made some Christmas cards for my daughter's specialist teachers.  I don't hand make the Christmas cards we send out (I make a digital one and then have it printed), so it was fun to pull out my winter and Christmas supplies and play with them.

Isn't this caroler beautiful?!  She is from the "A Quilted Christmas" cartridge.  I am really loving this one!

There are all my cards!  Thanks for sticking with me, I hope you enjoyed checking out what I have been up to!  

Flip Out!

I'm back to doing some "regular" scrapping!  I've had these papers waiting to be used for a few months since I picked them up on clearance.  And the photos, we won't even talk about how long they have been waiting to be scrapped!  We'll just go with my daughter is just two in these photos and she is 5 now...

My inspiration for this layout (besides the papers) is the 7th Day of Christmas Challenge at My Scraps and More.  The challenge was to use at least 8 circles on your layout.  I started by cutting 8 circles from the patterned paper, but then it just grew from there!  I ended up using a Crafter's Workshop mask and some molding paste to make the smaller circles on my background and then a Studio Calico mask and spray mist to add some oomph to my main photo mat.  For the journaling, I used an OLD bare chipboard piece by Basic Grey.  I put a base coat of Picket Fence Distress Stain on it and then colored it with Salty Ocean and Mowed Lawn Distress Inks.  

Materials:

Cardstock and Patterned Paper- Bazzill

Chipboard- KI Memories and Basic Grey

Buttons- Jesse James

Twine- Pink Paislee

Tape- My Mind's Eye

Stickers- October Afternoon

Stamp- Stampin Up

Ink- Hampton Arts, Ranger

Masks- The Crafter's Workshop, Studio Calico

Molding Paste- Golden

Ribbon- American Crafts

Circle Cutter- Creative Memories

One of the gifts I give at Christmas is a set of hand made cards for my grandma who likes to send cards.  I used some of the scraps from the above layout and this sketch.

After I fussy cut the chevron paper for the above layout, I had a few large triangle shaped pieces of paper.  I was inspired by the sketch to make this:

December Calendar Page

No, I didn't forget to post this, it really took me until yesterday to get my calendar page done for this month... Is December kicking anyone else's butt?  

I used a Nuts About Sketches sketch again this month.  Look at all the space for photos!  I needed it too because December is a busy month!

I used some more Recollections "Peppermint Twist" for this.  I fussy cut the stockings on the bottom and the lights.  The two larger stockings are rub ons that I colored using watercolor pencils.  To mark the dates on the photos, I used some small number stickers and just put the day number since all of the photos were taken in December.  I put journaling wherever it fit since there was a lot of it. 

I also did this for the 12 Days of Christmas Crop at My Scraps and More.  The challenge for the 9th day was to use a card of some kind on your layout.  I used two journaling cards, one on either end of my top row of photos.

Materials:
Cardstock- American Crafts
Patterned Paper- Michael's
Tape- My Mind's Eye
Stickers- Pink Paislee, American Crafts, Echo Park
Glitter- American Crafts
Glitter Glue- Hampton Arts, Ranger
Rub Ons- Daisy D's
Watercolor Pencils- Staedtler
Brads- Bo Bunny Press
Pen- Zig
Sketch- Nuts About Sketches #291

Unscripted Sketches #233- Happy Birthday

My oldest turned 7 yesterday (I'm still a little shocked by that number... how am I old enough to have a 7-year-old?!), so I made her a card.  I was inspired by this week's Unscripted Sketch.

I was also inspired by the banner punch I bought last weekend.  I punched the green banners and hand cut the purple mat for the center one.  I also fussy cut the flower face and free hand cut the sentiment bubble.

I heat embossed the cupcake with orange powder and then sprinkled some glitter over the top for some fun sparkle.

The new (and returning) design team were introduced at Scrapping Everyday Miracles the other day.  You can check out the post here.  There is also a Christmas challenge going on now, make sure you enter, there are 3 great prizes up for grabs!

Scrapping Everyday Miracles- Christmas Challenge!

This month we have a Christmas project challenge going on at Scrapping Everyday Miracles.  I decided to make a layout for my younger daughter's album with photos from a few years ago. 

 Some of the photos had weird lighting and so I couldn't get them to look right in color.  I decided to print them and a few others with clashing colors in black and white.  That left me with photos that had pinks, blues and purples in them; very non traditional Christmas colors.  

I used a combination of an older BoBunny collection and Recollections "Peppermint Twist" from last year.  I stamped the background cardstock with Versamark and heat embossed it in blue to match the papers.

I also had these banner pieces already cut from a previous project so I stamped and heat embossed the snowflakes on them as well.  

Make sure you go to Scrapping Everyday Miracles and check out what the rest of the team made.  And then make your own project and share it for a chance at a great prize!

May you have a blessed Advent and Christmas season!

Materials-

Cardstock- American Crafts

Patterned Paper- Michael's, Bo Bunny Press

Stickers- Bo Bunny Press

Punch- EK Success

Ink- Tsukineko, Ranger

Embossing Powder- JoAnn Crafts

Brads- Bo Bunny Press

Glitter Glue- Ranger

Pen- Sakura

Floss- DMC

Stamps- Hero Arts

Thank Yous

Ah, the last of my creative back log!  I made a couple of Christmas thank yous a few weeks ago for some very special people involved in a group I help lead.  

The first is for child care workers.  I had planned to have the entire Holy Family on here, but Jesus was so big, I ended up just using him.  For the background,  I stamped snowflakes with Versamark Dazzle and the sentiments with Weathered Wood Distress Ink.  Baby Jesus was cut using the Cricut and the A Quilted Christmas cartridge.

For my second card, I stamped the snowflakes with regular Versamark and sprinkled it with white embossing powder.  The candles were cut using the same cartridge as above and the sentiment was cut using Sentimentals. This cut includes pieces for the berries and flames, but rather than dealing with tiny pieces, I decided to use Liquid Pearls.

November Calendar Page

Among all of my card making, I did make a calendar layout as well.  While it wasn't done by the first of the month, it has been done for a while now.

I used a two page sketch from Nuts About Sketches.

I used mostly Simple Stories' Harvest Lane.  These papers are so fun and pretty!  The dark red paisley is a really old sheet of Bo Bunny Paper.  Isn't it great when you can pull out some old stash to use with some newer stuff!?  I fussy cut the banners on a 4x6 card and tucked the photo of my son under the banners (top right photo).  I felt like the top left needed something, so I stamped some swirls.  To add a bit of dimension, I put stickers on pop dots throughout the page. 

Materials:

Cardstock- Bazzill

Patterned Paper- Simple Stories and Bo Bunny

Stickers and Transparency- Simple Stories

Buttons- Bo Bunny, Oriental Trading

Pen- Tsukineko

Stamp- Stampin Up

Ink- Color Box

Cardabilities- Masculine Birthday

My brother-in-law's birthday was last weekend, so I made a card for him using the current sketch at Cardabilities:

I started by stamping the leaves with Versamark and sprinkling them with copper embossing powder.  To add some more texture to the top of the card, I used a speckle stamp and dark brown ink.  The leaf was cut with the Cricut and the Doodlecharms cartridge.  I inked it with some Wild Honey Distress Ink and then I rubbed some Distress Stickles down the center.  I inked the edges of my pieces to make them uniform and attached them to the card.

Mojo Monday- Happy Anniversary

My parents' anniversary was yesterday and so I made a card for them using this week's sketch at Mojo Monday:

In my theme of wanting to play with my supplies, I stamped the flowers using Archival ink and then colored them with watercolor pencils.  I blended the pencils with a water pen.  The black pennant is Core'dinations cardstock that I dry embossed and then sanded.  I added the rub on to the tag and attached the ribbon and flowers.

Unscripted Sketches- Birthday Cards

I have two more cards to share today.  Today's cards have a few things in common: they use bright colors, they are both birthday cards, and I used Unscripted Sketches for both of them!  

For my first card, I used this week's sketch.  For the stamped circles, I used my Stamping Gear.  I inked the edges with the same color of ink.  The pink strip is Bella Blvd. washi tape.  I stamped the sentiment and gift with Versamark and used blue embossing powder.  The bow on the gift is pink ink and clear embossing powder.

I wanted to play with inks a couple of weeks ago when I made this card for my daughter.  I stamped the balloons and "Happy Birthday" on Glossy Cardstock with Resist Ink.  I then used my blending tool and some Salty Ocean and Picked Raspberry Distress Inks to color the piece.  The background is some scraps of patterned paper.  The gift was stamped on a pink scrap and heat embossing in white.

I Feel the Love Project- October

Hey there!  I have some crafty projects to share today!  I know, it's been a long time!  I have made quite a few cards, I just haven't had a chance to get them posted.  I will be sharing them over the next week or so.

First up today, I am sharing a couple of cards I made for the I Feel the Love Project.  The assignment for October was to make Thanksgiving cards for the residents of Chancellors Village which is a senior community.  

I wanted to play a bit with some of my supplies for this one so I pulled out my Distress Inks, some watercolor paper and clear embossing powder.  I rubbed the Wild Honey Distress ink pad directly onto the entire card front.  I misted it a bit to blend the color more evenly.  Once that was dry, I stamped the leaves with some Versamark ink and one of my favorite stamp sets, Stampin Up!'s Autumn Leaf Prints.  I then sprinkled clear embossing powder over the stamped leaves and heated.  I then took my ink blending tool and blended Forest Moss, Walnut Ink, and Barn Door over the card.  The heat embossing acted as a resist keeping the leaves yellow.  I misted it again, and this time, used an eyedropper to add some larger splotches. 

Once that was all dry, I attached the ribbon sentiment and embellishments.  For the top card, I used a premade sticker.  For the bottom one, I cut the leaf using my Cricut and the Stretch Your Imagination cartridge.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday 11-3-13

Wow, can you believe it is November already!  My photos for this week revolve around our festivities on Thursday and Friday.

Dress Up

Here are my kids in their Halloween costumes.  We had Spiderman, Tinkerbell, a bumble bee, and wedding Ariel.

Candy
We had a party at our place on Friday.  I made these Rice Krispie treat pumpkins as one of the foods.  There is a Reese's peanut butter cup in the middle.

Pumpkin

We carved pumpkins last weekend.  When I say "we", I mean my husband and I.  The kids got to pick the designs and we carved.

Spooky

This was our punch from our party. We used dry ice for the smoke and made hand shaped ice cubes using gloves.

Orange
Here is my oldest in her costume with some pumpkins.  This is the first time we've done the spray hair color.  It turned out pretty cool!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday 10-26-13

We had a busy week this week with a birthday, birthday party, and a trip to the pumpkin patch.  All of those things provided lots of opportunities for photos as well so I the scavenger hunt was pretty easy this week:

Change

My second oldest turned 5 on Tuesday (how did that happen already?!).  Here is a photo from the day she was born and one from yesterday... she's changed a little.  :)

Your Mood Today

On Friday we had a birthday party with some of Addy's friends.  This photo shows her mood most of the day.  

Dark

I didn't really have any "dark" photos, so I went with this one which was underexposed because I took it in the shade yesterday at the pumpkin patch.

Welcome

There was this little tent set up at the pumpkin patch.  I thought this photo looked like my kids were saying, "Welcome!"

Depth of Field
For as late in the season as it is, there were quite a few pumpkins left at the farm to pick from.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday 10-20-13

 After missing last week, I am back with photos for this week's scavenger hunt.  It was a pretty big week, so I had lots of photos to pick from.

Watching
Thursday through Saturday we were in Wisconsin Dells.  While we were there we ate at a restaurant where the food is delivered by electric train.  In between bringing out orders, the train came around with a bubble machine on it.  The kids had fun watching the train go by each time.

Leafy
On the drive to the Dells, we had fun taking in all the beautiful fall colors.  Here is a shot I took out the van window. I really should get out and take some fall photos, I love the colors this time of year!

First World Problem

From the time we moved in, we have been trying to figure out how to clean the fan hanging from our 20 (ish) foot living room ceiling.  Last weekend, we decided to actually do it because a helium filled balloon got caught in the fan.

Still
As I've shared previously, this guy is on the move and into everything.  Pretty much the opposite of "still."  Here he is, playing with some cookie sheets.  Note the baby food pulled out of the lazy susan in the corner.

A Good Day

The kids had a blast playing at the water park.  We spent the afternoon on Friday playing in the water. Here's my youngest and my husband playing.