Blu_Butterfly Creations

Freshly Made Sketches #261 Entry

2016-11-06T10:55:00.001-05:00

Good Morning,

Today I have my version of the Freshly Made Sketch #261. You can find Freshly Made Sketches HERE.

Here is the original Sketch:

Here is my version of the sketch:

To create my version I used my Copic Markers to color the Stampendous "Santa Waiting" stamp. I then mounted the image on a piece of red cardstock off centered. I used the wrap around method to secure a piece of white lace and a piece of holly ribbon to the card front. I then mounted the layered image centered over the card front which is from SEI "Holiday Traditions." This whole panel was then mounted to the white A2 sized card base.

Thank you for stopping by,
Toni

What a Crazy, Busy Year...

2016-11-06T08:57:00.000-05:00

Greetings Everyone!

It has been a crazy, busy year! I realized today that I have not posted in a very long time. Since my last post I have launched a Steampunk clothing line with friends known as Victorian Secret, and gotten married.

My husband and I are in the process of reorganizing our 1 bedroom to live together. This means another down sizing of my craft room. I have listed items I no longer use on my eBay page.

With the holidays approaching, I will be vending at 3 craft fairs this season. Below is my newest addition to my winter holiday card collection.

This is a simple A2 sized card. I embossed the red cardstock with my Cuttlebug using the Oxford folder from Provo Craft. The buckle was made by cutting slits at opposite ends of the glitter cardstock square.

Thank you for stopping by!
Toni

Happy Holidays

2015-12-24T21:38:00.000-05:00

Greetings Everyone!

I hope this holiday season is most enjoyable for all. I actually had oral surgery on December 23rd. So I will not be enjoying many of my usually holiday festival foods. Oh well, it was time for the last two wisdom teeth to come out.

Here are some of the cards I made for this season.

The stamps on this card are from Stampendous. They are colored with Copic markers.

This card is made using the December 25th cartridge from Cricut

This card is made using a House Mouse from Stampendous.

I hope you have a wonderful New Year! Thank you for stopping by.

Announcements and an Embossed Witch Flourish Card

2015-10-10T11:16:00.000-04:00

Spooktacular Greetings Everyone!

Sorry it has been so long since my last post and my last video. Over the past few months I have been in and out of the hospital due to an unknown allergic reaction in my throat. Currently, the doctors are as mystified as I am as to why this is happening.

As the holiday and craft fair season begins, I am going through my supplies and weeding out things that I am no longer using or have never used. These items are available through my eBay store.

Today I would like to share with you this embossed witch flourish card that I made using a stamp from Inkadinkado.

I made this card using a variety of materials that have been in my stash for...well...years. A kit for this card is available in the eBay store as well.

How-to Video:

How-to Emboss using Powder:

Thanks for stopping by. Happy crafting!

A House Mouse Masculine Graduation Card

2015-05-31T10:05:00.000-04:00

Good Morning Everyone,

It's finally raining here in New Hampshire, USA. It has been a long hot and humid week. What better way to enjoy being inside then coloring and crafting. With many graduations only weeks or days away, I decided to work on graduation cards for friends.

I wanted something that was nostalgic and masculine. This is what I came up with.

I started by cutting out the die cut using my Cricut and the Ribbons & Rosettes cartridge. I used the medallion of page 41.

I then stamped the image using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.

I colored the flesh of the mouse, Maxwell, using Copic markers in E93, E41, and E42. The hair is colored using E31, E33, and E23.

The hat and robes are colored using N0, N3, N6, and N8. I also used a white colored pencil to lighten areas around the folds. I added shading to the diploma and the ground using N0 and N3.

I then matted the image on black cardstock that was also cut using the Cricut and the shadow option.

I layered the image on a piece of matted pattern paper measuring 3.5" square.

This was then layered on to the matted pattern paper that formed the card front.

Using the "cheater's method," I secured a piece of black ribbon to the lower portion of the card front. The front was then mounted to the card base. I added a bow and 3 mini buttons using glue dots.

A kit to make 6 of these cards is available in my eBay store. Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment below.

Toni

1st Vertical Paper Bag Album

2015-01-03T11:24:00.003-05:00

Good Morning Everyone!

Well, it's still morning here in New Hampshire USA.

I've had this video walk-through of my 1st completed vertical paper bag album sitting in my "To-Do" list for a while. So I finally edited it and uploaded it to YouTube.

I used a tutorial from My Sister's Scraper to create the basic foundation for my album. I used papers from the 2013 Autumn with Foil Collection from Die Cuts with a View to decorate and embellish my pages.

I loved how it turned out. I used the scraps from this project to create an Explosion Box to match.

Thanks for stopping by! Please leave a comment or a question if you have one.

Toni

First Project of the New Year! Welcom 2015!

2015-01-02T12:48:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone! Welcome 2015! So long 2014!

Every new year I set a goal or "resolution." This year I just want to be healthier and continue to be crafty. I hope to post at least once a week some of the different projects I've been working on.

So....here goes....

My first project for 2015 is an altered cabinet. I purchased the unfinished cabinet from my local Goodwill.

I figured it would be perfect altered with Graphic 45's French Country paper collection.

I started by taking apart the cabinet by removing all the hardware. I then painted all of the wood with black acrylic paint.

Next I measured all the sides and pieces of the cabinet. The height of the cabinet is taller than the paper in the 12x12" G45 French Country collection. So for the longer sides I used a piece of the rooster and hen border to cover the seams between paper strips.

Once I had finished cutting and laying out all of the pieces of paper I wanted to use, I distressed the edges with Tim Holtz Walnut Stain ink. I used Mod Podge for furniture to adhere the paper to the painted cabinet. Using a plastic putty knife I pressed out the extra glue and any air bubbles.

I covered the doors as well. The larger square door was easier than the smaller heart doors. I used an x-acto knife to trim out the heart openings.

Once all the paper was adhered, I let it dry for about 2 hours. After which I covered every edge with the Mod Podge to seal it. I waited another 2 hours before installing the hardware to the doors.

I really like the wired piece that came with the cabinet and tacked it back to the larger square door.

Next I adhered pieces of paper to the backside of the cabinet to enclose the shelf. I did this to both the top and bottom portion of the cabinet.

Then using a cereal box I created a back to the cabinet using black cardstock.

My next step is to create altered pieces to place in the cabinet. I'm so excited to have finished this cabinet as it has been sitting in my "To Do" bin for a few months.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my first project for the 2015 year.

#Graphic45, #G45, #French Country

Fresh Snow Owl Card

2014-12-01T05:40:00.000-05:00

Good Morning Everyone!

It has been a cold start to the holiday season here in New England. The first snow of the season fell heavy on Wednesday into Thursday. It was beautiful. I love the look of fresh snow as it covers the browned grass. It's time to pull out sweaters and make hot cocoa.

That was my inspiration for this card.

I mixed the creaminess of hot cocoa with the white of fresh snow using Core'dinations White Wash line.I embossed the cardstock using a Tim Holtz Alteration folder called Deer Knit. I then sanded the paper to remove the white from the raised impressions.

The image and sentiment are from Teresa Collins Fisker collection Winter. I stamped the image and sentiment with Hot Cocoa Memento ink. I then used two different sized snowflake buttons to embellish the card.

I have a kit to recreate this card for sale through eBay by clicking the link above.

Thank you for stopping by. Stay warm and enjoy the snow.

What's Black and White with Accents of Red?

2014-09-03T09:28:00.000-04:00

Good Morning!

It has been a busy few days. This week I'm on vacation from my full time job. I have decided to devote most of this vacation to my crafts and art. I have finished two altered jewelry boxes and a few cards so far.

Adam Bagni has been busy drawing and designing digital stamps too. I will be posting these digital stamps in the Butterfly Garden on Friday.

But back to the topic of this post....

What's Black and White with Accents of Red?

This jewelry box!

I used paper from Cloud 9 Designs called "71382 C9 NS Glitter Paper Pad 24sh/2s" and Core'dinations smooth black cardstock.

Originally the jewelry box had wood dowel handles. I cut them off and sanded the area smooth with sandpaper. I removed all the hardware and put them in to a ziplock bag. I then painted the entire wooden jewelry box with Apple Barrel "2043 White" acrylic paint.

With the top of the box removed, I began measuring and cutting pieces of paper to line the inside and outside of the top. I cut the pattern paper to be 1/8" smaller than the black cardstock. I ran each layer through my Xyron Create a Sticker and adhered them together. I used this adhesive to adhere the paper to the painted jewelry box.

Inside the cover there is a mirror. I used an X-acto knife to cut angles in the paper to create a seam between stripes of layered paper.

I used Mod Podge for Furniture to seal the paper to the painted wood. I covered every nook and cranny of the top (except the mirror). I set this aside to dry.

Next I began cutting pieces to cover the rest of the outside of the jewelry box. Again I cut the pattern paper 1/8" smaller than the black cardstock.

I measured and cut around the edges of the jewelry box where the drawer cut our is located.

I continued this process with the drawer and tray. Every surface once covered with paper including the bottom trim was sealed with the Mod Podge.

Once the Mod Podge was set I cut and lined the bottom of the tray and drawer with velvet paper in red. I used two clear drawer knobs that I purchased from Michael's to accent the front of the drawer and the jewelry box. I placed a red rhinestone inside each of the knobs and sealed it with E6000. I used the E6000 to adhere the knobs to the front of the jewelry box.

Once the jewelry box was dry, I used rhinestones to accent the top of the box and strips of velvet paper to accent the inside of the top.

I then reattached the hardware.

I hope you enjoyed stopping by and seeing this project.

Happy Crafting!

Embossed "Happy Halloween" Card

2014-08-29T20:00:00.000-04:00

Good Evening Everyone,

Today is the first day of my vacation. This is the first full vacation I've had in years. I really have no plans to go anywhere, but I do have plans to work on many projects.

Today I completed this cards:

The main image is a stamp from Inkadinkado. I stamped the image with VersaMark and embossed in with Midnight Black embossing powder from Stampendous.

I then inked the embossed panel with Iced Spruce and Black Soot Distress Ink. I covered the whole panel with the Iced Spruce and inked the edges with the Black Soot I used the wrap around method to attach a piece of ribbon along the left edge of the image panel. I took a shorter piece and tied a knot.

I stamped the sentiment with Tuxedo Black ink and adhered three red rhinestones.

There is a kit available in my eBay store to create 6 of these cards with envelopes.

Thanks for stopping by.
Toni

A Little Halloween Spirit with Stampin' Up and Mojo Monday

2014-08-25T19:46:00.001-04:00

My favorite season is coming! I love the cool crisp air of fall. The trees are changing colors and painting the forests and skies. This will be the second season that my dear boyfriend and I will be able to go apple picking together. I have two favorite places; Carter Hill Orchard and Gould Orchards. Apple orchard are a great place to visit for a whole day. It's even better when they make their own apple cider donuts or have pumpkins for carving.

Do you have a favorite orchard that you and your family visit every year??

To celebrate the coming season, I decided to create a card that showcased the wonders of the fall season and my favorite holiday...Halloween. This is the sketch I used as inspiration.

I used my Copic markers to color this image from Stampin' Up's Halloween Smiles Set (now retired). To color the image

I used the following color combinations:
Pumpkins-YR31, YR68, YR15
Crows, Tire and Wheel-barrow -C7, C5, C3
Leaves and Grass-G99, YG95
Stems and Ground- E37
Wheel-barrow handles- E31, E33

I then used my Inkssentials Opaque Pen in white to accent the images to highlight.

Each Layer to the card is inked with Walnut Stain from Ranger by Tim Holtz

The lace is also distressed with the stain.

Using two buttons in different shades of orange I accented the pendent with twine.

I have put a kit with materials to create this card on eBay. You can find my eBay store by clicking the navigation tab above. Thank you so much for stopping by and happy crafting.

Proud to Announce...Our First Digital Stamp!

2014-08-24T12:26:00.001-04:00

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I am very proud to announce that Blu Butterfly Creations has teamed up with Graphic Artist Adam Bagni to bring you digital stamps. Our first digital stamp is a sentiment for the upcoming Halloween Season. This image is available in The Butterfly Garden (Navigation Tab above).

Below is an example of a card using this digital image. The image is printed at 2.5x5.75" and colored using Copic Markers. I used Spica pens to accent the image. The image was then adhered to a black cardstock mat with a piece of striped paper from DCWV. The orange pattern cardstock is from American Loft. Both the orange pattern paper and image are distressed with Black Soot by Tim Holtz.

We have more digital stamps on the way. I hope you enjoyed stopping by.

Toni
Blu Butterfly

MoJo Monday Sketch #357

2014-08-19T19:55:00.000-04:00

Good Evening Everyone!

I'm ready for Fall and Halloween! The smells, the colors, it's all so magical. So I created a card with all the Halloween colors I love.

I stumbled upon MoJo Monday Sketch blog last week. I love the ideas I've been having since. Here is the sketch I decided to make.

Here is my version:

The image is by Lockhart and the sentiment is from Memory Box.

Freshly Made Sketches #149 Entry

2014-08-17T11:44:00.000-04:00

Good Morning Everyone!

It's an over cast day here in New Hampshire. What better weather to create cards? Today I finished my entry for the Freshly Made Sketches #149 Challenge.

You can follow Freshly Made Sketches here.

Here is the sketch for this week's challenge.

Here is my interpretation of the sketch.

The image is of cherry blossoms from "Rubber Stampede" I stamped the image using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. I colored the image using Copic markers (RV000, RV21, E25, E59, YG03) and accented the blossoms with Cotton Candy Stickles. The paper is from Core'dinations and Recollections.

Thanks for stopping by.

Entry for Freshly Made Sketches #143

2014-07-06T21:02:00.001-04:00

Good Evening Everyone!

It was a beautiful weekend here in New Hampshire...well except for Friday when it just rained, and rained, and rained. So to chase away the gloom I decided to work on my card creations.

Below is a picture of Freshly Made Sketches' Sketch for this week.

I decided to blend masculine and Steampunk themes to create this card.

I used stamps by Fisker and die cut the circles using my Cricut Expression 2.0. The card is 5x6.5". I've had the pattern paper and embellishment in my stash for the longest time.

Thanks for stopping by.
Toni

Freshly Made Sketches #142 Entry

2014-06-30T17:47:00.000-04:00

Good Evening Everyone!

It's been so long since my last post. I have been so busy with Steampunk events that I really have not had the time nor energy to work on my art. However, I was able to complete a card for the 142nd Freshly Made Sketches. With the 4th of July only a few days away and friends coming home from over seas, I decided to create a card with a patriotic theme.

Here is the original sketch from Freshly Made Sketches:

Here is my version of the sketch:

The paper has been in my stash since I started scrapbooking in 2001. I recently purchased the stamps from Close to My Heart at the CK Convention in May 2014.

Thanks for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches #130

2014-04-04T10:01:00.000-04:00

Good Morning Everyone!

Today is another beautiful spring day! The snow out back of my building is almost gone. (Insert happy dance) However, I'm really looking forward to summer and taking a trip up to York, Maine. So for my version of the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #130, I decided to use a more summery theme.

This card is A2 size (4.25x5.5"). The cardstock is from Core'dinations and the pattern paper is from DCWV. I colored the stamp image with Copic markers. The brad and ribbon are items that I've had in my stash.

Here is the original sketch

Thanks for stopping by!
Toni

My 1st Saturated Canary Card

2014-04-01T20:42:00.000-04:00

Good Evening Everyone!

It was a beautiful day here with temperatures over 50 degrees F. This is what we call summ-ah! I can't wait to enjoy the warmth of the sun and plant flowers that call to the butterflies. Speaking of butterflies the card below was created using a digital image from Saturated Canary called "Butterfly Princess."

I used my Copic markers to color this fine maiden.

The dress is colored using YR000, YR00, and YR15
The hair is colored using E18, E29, and E49
The skin is colored using E33 and E37
The lips are colored using R14, and R27
The eyes are colored using G17 and G29
The maiden is shadowed using W0
To add detail to the hair I used an Opaque pen in white from Inkssentials.

The flowers are from Petaloo Velvet Hydrangeas in Orange.
The paper is from Recollections by Michaels.
The cardstock is from Bazzill
The border is cut at 1.25 on the Cricut from the Ribbons and Rosettes cartridge.

Thanks for stopping by!
Toni

Entry for Freshly Made Sketches #128

2014-03-23T20:41:00.000-04:00

Good Evening Everyone!

As you can see I've been a busy lady today--as this is my third post.

Here is my entry for the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge for this week:

I used the Cricut Preserves cartridge to cut out the tag and the Cuttlebug Companion Embossing Folder for the Preserves cartridge. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up. Below is the original sketch from Freshly Made Sketches blog:

Thanks for stopping by.
-Toni

Sunflowers Already....

2014-03-23T19:05:00.000-04:00

Good Afternoon/Evening!

Ok, ok, so I skipped ahead to late Summer with this card. I was inspired by the stamp and some of the new paper I purchased from Michael's. I personally love warm neutrals.

Here is a picture of the finished card. I wanted it to be simple in design due to the amount of color and work in the stamped image.

The stamp is from Stampabilities and is part of the House Mouse Collection. This stamp is called "The Thinker." I used Copic markers to color the image. The skin of Amanda (the mouse) is made up of E000, E00, E02, and R11. Amanda's hair is E31, E33 and E37. The stem of the sunflower is YG23 and YG17. The Sunflower is Y08, Y15, Y26, Y28, and YR23. The center of the sunflower is E25 and N3. The flower pot is E11, E15 and E18.

Thanks for stopping by.
Toni

1st Easter Card of the Season

2014-03-23T10:39:00.000-04:00

Good Morning Everyone!

The sun is shining here in New Hampshire USA. However, the weatherman says another storm is on it's way this coming Tuesday. As much as I love snow....I'm tired of the ice. Plus, it's Spring. So to help bring on the feeling of spring I created this card for Easter/Spring.

The bunny was cut using one of the preloaded Cricut Alphabet Cartridge on my Cricut Expression 2 at 3.75". The mat behind the bunny was cut using the preloaded Cricut Essentials at 4". The bunny is adhered with foam dots.

Thanks for stopping by.
-Toni

Freshly Made Sketches #127 Entry

2014-03-14T19:58:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!

Luckily we missed the most recent winter storm. Only 4 inches of snow; however, the temperatures remain low. Besides cuddling with my "minions"-I've been working on the Freshly Made Sketches #127 Challenge. You can see that blogs by clicking here.

Here is the sketch:

Here is my card based on the sketch.

I used some paper I have laying around in my stash along with an embossing folder to add texture to the tag.

Thanks for stopping by.

Entry for Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #126

2014-03-09T19:35:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!

I am so happy that it is finally starting to warm up here in New Hampshire. I think my dogs are very happy too. The other day as I was huddling in my blankets surfing the internet I stumbled upon a new blog to read. Freshly Made Sketches has a variety of fun challenges and sketches to spare my imagination.

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #126:

Here is my entry for this challenge:

The paper used in this card is from American Crafts part of the Bookshelf Collection. The image is from TPC Studio Retro Greetings and colored with Copic maker in Lionet Gold (Y28).

Thanks for stopping by.

Stampin' up Three Little Words Card

2014-01-25T12:23:00.001-05:00

Good Afternoon!

It's a shivering 8 degrees F here New Hampshire USA. What better way to warm up than with a little love. Today I have a tutorial using the Three Little Words stamp set from Stampin' Up. With Valentine's Day is only 20 days away, I thought I would get a job start on the holiday.

I hope everyone stays warm.

Video:

Materials Needed:

Dark Pink Cardstock (4 1/4x5 1/2") folded in half at 5 1/2"
Medium Pink Cardstock (4x5 1/4")
Pattern Paper (3 3/4x5")
Light Pink Cardstock (4x5 1/4")
White Cardstock (3 3/4x5")
Heart shaped die cuts--mine were cut using the Victorian Romance Cartridge from Provo and cut using the Cricut at 3 1/2"
Tattered Rose Distress Ink and Inking tool
3 Heart shaped brads
Piercing tool
Adhesive
Three Little Words stamp set
Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black

Instructions:

Adhere pattern paper to coordinating sized medium pink cardstock
Ink and stamp sentiment "Three Little Words" with flower and stamp on white heart
Distress edges of white heart with Tattered Rose Ink and adhere to red decorative shadow heart
Color the T and Flower as desired
Adhere Layered heart to pattern paper
Using piercing tool poke three holes in pattern paper---1/2" in from right side of card front and 1/4" up from edge of pattern paper---space the three holes 3/8" apart
Insert brads through holes and secure
Adhere card front to card base
Ink sentiment for inside of card and stamp on white cardstock
Distress edges of white cardstock with Tattered Rose Distress Ink
Adhere white cardstock to coordinating sized light pink cardstock. Adhere this panel to the inside of the card.

"Joyous Elf" 2013 Holiday Card

2013-10-06T14:44:00.001-04:00

Good Morning Everyone!

It's a chilly Autumn New England (USA) morning here in New Hampshire. It's the perfect weather for hot chocolate and card making. This weather always puts me in the mood to create holiday cards. I've noticed that this years seems to be going by faster than usual, so I better get in gear.

This card is created using an idea I found in the Summer 2013 edition of Card Maker magazine. The image was found doing a Google image search for "Digital Stamps." I do not own the rights to the image or the layout idea. This is just my interpretation of them.

"Joyous Elf"

Materials:

Computer with printer
Copic approved white cardstock
White cardstock cut to 8 1/2 x 5 1/2, folded in half
Core'dinations Vintage Card stock in Asparagus
Polka-dot holiday pattern paper
Holly print pattern paper
Crochet lace in white (1/2" width)
red/white baker's twine
Red button
Copic Markers in G05, G17, R22, E000, E00, E02, R27, E18, Y26
Copic Colorless Blender
Adhesive and dimensional adhesive
Scotch tape
Zots
Zip Dry
Fun Flock in Cotton Ball White

Directions:

"Joyous Elf" Card Tutorial Video

Print image on Copic approved paper with a width of 2"
Color image as desired. I used the Copic colors listed approve
Trim image
Cut Asparagus cardstock- (1) piece 4 1/4 x 5 1/2", (1) piece 3 1/8 x 4 3/4, (1) strip 2 1/8 x 4"
Cut a piece of the polka-dot pattern paper to 4 x 5 1/4"
Cut a piece of the Holly pattern paper to 3 x 4 5/8"
Adhere Holly pattern paper to coordinating size Asparagus cardstock
Using the wrap around method adhere a piece of the crochet lace to the polka-dot pattern paper about 1/2' in from the left side along the long edge.
Adhere polka-dot paper to the coordinating Asparagus cardstock and adhere to card base
Wrap a piece of baker's twine around the layered Holly pattern paper about 1/4" in from the long left side and secure using Scotch tape.
Adhere colored image to 2 1/8" Asparagus cardstock so that it sits center along three sides and trim excess.
Adhere layered image to Holly pattern paper so that it sits along the edge of the baker's twine.
Using dimensional adhesive adhere the image panel to the card front so that it covers half of the lace. (See picture above)
Using a piece of the baker's twine tie a bow through the button and adhere to card front using Zots.
Using the Zip dry adhere Fun Flock to image on ruffle of hat and shirt, and the pom-pom.