Cr8've Juices are flowing...

Sequin Shaker Birthday Card

2014-04-28T23:47:00.004-04:00

Okay, so I have been seeing these sequin shake cards all over social media. I have been intrigued from the start, so when Pretty Pink Posh showcased a Sequin Shaker Blog Hop... I could not resist.

Never having attempted to make a sequin shaker card, I watched the tutorial from Pretty Pink Posh. This is not the first time I have taught myself by just merely watching someone else execute the idea. It was such a super fun & informative video, so I think just about anyone can watch the tutorial & be able to create their own sequin shaker card.

Here's mine, a birthday card for a friend's daughter:

This bee stamp is from Stampendous! Of course, my sequins are from Pretty Pink Posh & also Lawn Fawn. The papers & ribbon were all scraps from previous cr8've projects (love it when I can use the scraps). I used the display case from my Spellbinders dies that I have purchased over the years to double as the acetate for my shaker box (love it even more when I can recycle or re-purpose an item).

This card was so much fun to make... even if I didn't have the best foam tape to work with, I still managed to cr8 my very first sequin shaker card. (I can see a few more of these pretty cards in my immediate future!)

Thanks for stopping by to view my latest cr8've project.

Happy Cr8'ing!

Friends With Flair: Cork Container

2014-01-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I sure hope you are sitting down for this... I'm turning the world on it's axis this week & NOT doing a card for FWF. OMGeeze! I know - I'm shocked too.

For some time now I have been looking for a container to hold some basic office essentials (pens, scissors, etc.) atop my desk at work. I knew I wanted something cr8've, something that would allow me to *think-outside-the-box* a bit. Then it hit me like a bolt outta the blue & I finally discovered a use for the tins & containers I've been saving. (You know the ones, you buy them & once you done you think "I can use this for something," so you hang on to it for what seems like forever.)

So here's the custom container I cr8'd:

And now, a simple tutorial on how easy-peasy this was to cr8.

Here are the supplies I used to customize my container: old container (tin), natural cork shelf liner, jet black ink, stamp image (I selected Lovely Little Wings), and adhesive.

After cutting the cork liner to the desired size to cover the container in it's entirety, I randomly stamped the image onto the cork. Suggestion: you'll want to use a fast drying ink to stamp with, so the image will not smear. (I learned the hard way in my first attempt at this cr8'ion!)

Once you have completed stamping the image onto the piece of cork, apply adhesive. I found the easiest way & more effective way is to apply adhesive using a Xyron machine. After the adhesive is applied, you can line up the cork to cover the container.

You can add embellishments or even color the stamped image, but I was going for a more "natural" look for my container & opted to keep it simple.

Hoped this project will make you look at your trash a bit differently, & perhaps provide an opportunity to recycle or re-purpose an item.

Thanks for looking!

Happy Cr8'ing!

Friends With Flair: Ionic Bond

2014-01-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

I'm jumping right into Valentine's Day with this week's FWF... it will be upon me before I know it & I don't feel like getting rushed last minute to making cards (like I did for this past Christmas).

Using Our Bond is Ionic stamp (such a cute & clean image) & some adorable embellishments (washi tape & adhesive die cuts - felt & foam), courtesy of the dollar section at Super Target (which if you are unaware of it - offers great embellishments for crafting nearly every season & you totally cannot beat the price) I cr8'd this birght & bursting-with-love card:

Here's the close up of the envelope *bursting* with love:

Since I wanted to *overload* it with hearts - as if they were flying off the card - I kept the image coloring basic. It kinda reminds me of receiving a card with all those glittery confetti bits in it, only without having the mess to clean up. =)

Well, thanks for stopping over this week; I hope you liked my card cr8'ion.

Happy Friday & of course...

Happy Cr8'ing!

Unity's Friends With Flair: Face the Sunshine

2014-01-10T10:30:00.000-05:00

Wasn't quite feeling the winter chill, (last I did last week), but I still have another recent Phyllis Harris at Unity stamp (Face the Sunshine) card cr8'ion to share.

This is such a sweet image to send to someone to lift their day or provide a positive note for what ever may be on their plate.

It's no doubt I had a blast coloring this image... I could almost feel the wind upon my face & smell those sunflowers!

Thanks for taking a look at this week's cr8'ion for FWF!

Happy Cr8'ing!

Cold Season is here, so Get Well Soon!

2014-01-05T13:45:00.000-05:00

Have you caught the flu bug or any cold bug this season? As much as I protect myself, it never fails that I "catch" something!

I used this photo as inspiration to cr8 my get well card:

And here's the card I interpreted from the image:

Never did I imagine a cold bug could look this cute, but thanks to the adorable images in the Healthy Vibes set from Paper Smooches - it does!

I decided to add a little dimensional cuteness to these little germs with glossy accent over their eyes. No wonder why you get a cold, it lures you in with these cute faces & you forget all about the fact it's a germ! LOL

Stay healthy this cold season, & thanks for stopping over to see my latest germ-y cr8'ion!

Happy Cr8'ing!

Unity's Friends with Flair: Let It Snow

2014-01-03T08:30:00.000-05:00

Finally getting around to posting for the new year! The first of many for 2014!

For this week's Friends with Flair over at Unity Stamp Company, I was feeling the chill of the winter season - even though we don't get a winter down in South Florida. (Don't be too jealous, as we have summer heat for too many of the months & you can grow weary of it - tropical is not all it's cracked up to be!)

So the only way I can get my winter is with using some awesome images, like this one from Phyllis Harris at Unity: Let It Snow.

I think this image, while I bought to use on Christmas cards, is also ideal for any winter cards in January & beyond.

Every snowman needs some sparkle-accents, so I glittered 'em up! It makes snow seem magical, like when the sun or moon casts on it from a certain angle. You see, I told you I get easily transported when working with these images! (I sit there & really work on the image, but find myself being transported to when I was growing up & playing in the snow.)

Hopefully from the closer shot you can see the details from the coloring, as well as the individual snow flakes highlighted with more glitter.

Truly hope you enjoyed my card cr8'ion for this week's FWF! It's so therapeutic - not to mention a true labor of love - making cards; today's card is a perfect example!

Happy Cr8'ing!

My Cr8've Picks for 2013

2013-12-30T11:26:00.000-05:00

So I decided to look over all the cards I cr8'd during the past year, & pick a few of my favorites. Here's my top 3 cr8'ions:

To learn a little more about the card cr8'ions, please click on their respective images to be redirected to their original posts.

Thanks for taking a second look at these card cr8'ions! Onto 2014... more great cr8'ions await!

Happy Cr8'ing!

Purr-fect... Paper Smooches

2013-12-28T13:38:00.000-05:00

So, a few months back Paper Smooches had a Design Team Call. I was so excited: picked out my inspiration images & was all set to participate. I cr8'd my card in plenty of time of the deadline too! Man, I was feeling so good about myself too. Until...

I missed the deadline for posting it. Oh crud! I haven't shared the card, until now. (The first image is the inspiration image used to cr8 my card)

Now here's what I cr8'd based upon my interpretation of the inspiration photo:

I used the sentiment & image from Chubby Chums stamp set at Paper Smooches. I usually gravitate towards dog images, but decided to use a cat this time around - expand my animal appeal on my card cr8'ions.

Oh, how I wish I could have & would have remembered to enter this in for the DT Call. Oh dreadful me! Better memory next time.

Thanks for taking a look.
Happy Cr8'ing!

Unity's Friends with Flair: Birthday Sucker

2013-12-27T13:04:00.000-05:00

Does it really suck to get old? I don't know. I just celebrated my 40th Birthday earlier this year, & I would totally disagree with that notion. I think it really depends upon where you are in your life, and the contentment you find in who you are today.

Hey, you can't stop getting older so you might as well enjoy it! It helps to get a fun card like this:

Can you believe I actually had all the elements of this card sitting in an envelope & never finished it?! Well, I did & I'm so happy with it. To me, this card just screams "FUN" - not to mention, it's bound to put a smile on your face!

Here's a close up of that glittery lollipop! You have to be a total kid - or at least a kid-at-heart to enjoy this sucker! The lollipop just doesn't have fun or flair... it's got pizzazz!! =)

Hey, thanks for stopping by to see my contribution to this week's Friends with Flair over at the Unity Blog.

Happy Cr8'ing!

Merry Kissmoose!

2013-12-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to take this time to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!! (The stamped image & sentiment on this card cr8'ion are from Paper Smooches.)

Enjoy the holiday!

Happy Cr8'ing!

Unity's Friends with Flair: Postive & Negative

2013-12-20T07:30:00.000-05:00

Die-cutting is a lot of fun & I have quite a few from a variety of companies, but I need to learn to expand my use of these shapes. I save scraps from the variety of card projects, & use them on other cards... so why am I not making use of the die-cut scraps? So I gave myself a challenge for this week's FWF: to make better use of the die-cut scraps.

The easiest way seems obvious (now): use the positive & negative image of the die-cut. So here goes...

Using a white card, I die-cut the leaf image into the card front. Highlighted the negative die-cut image with some textured cardstock which I adhered to the front inside of the card. Finished it off with one of the sentiments from Bitty Remarks on some patterned paper for a CAS card cr8'ion.

Remember that leaf die-cut... now, here's the positive image. Placed it onto a craft cardstock card I cr8'd & used Vintage Handwritten stamp to create a watermark background to the card. The leaf was framed by oval die-cuts, including the one with the stamped Itty Bitty sentiment.

Two relatively CAS card cr8'ions which fulfilled my self-challenge: to fully use die-cuts - even the scraps! Mission accomplished.

I hope you enjoyed today's card cr8'ion!
Happy Cr8'ing!

Unity's Friends with Flair: Beauty Surround You

2013-12-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

For this week's Friends with Flair I am using one of the images from Phyllis Harris at Unity... why did I wait so long? I love all her stamps & when all else fails... I look at those images & a sense of calm comes over me! There is such an element of complete serenity, so it's no wonder beauty surrounds you.

I always love coloring these images, & I am taken back to my own childhood. It wasn't unusual in the least that I would lay in the front lawn & simply take in the nature that surrounded me. In fact, there was a rabbit on the property once that I would chase & try to sneak up on it... maybe I thought I could sit with it, just as in this stamped image.

The glittery butterfly seems a perfect embellishment, drawing on the butterfly in the stamped image.

I took a little trip to nostaglia with today's cr8'ion, & I hope you enjoyed the ride along with me.

Happy Cr8'ing!

Unity's Friends with Flair: Flip Flop

2013-12-06T07:30:00.000-05:00

Most are approaching Winter, but here in South Florida there is no such thing. We have what I like to call "Diet Summer - it's still hot, but not nearly as humid." Well, at least that's what I wish for each year... barely got a cool spell last year. I think it may have come in wee small hours of the morning & silly me, I was sleeping through it and missed it!

Even in these months, what's the choice of shoe: flip flops. I think it must seriously be the "official footwear" of this state. For my Friends with Flair card this week Flip Flop Happy seemed to be the obvious choice.

The sentiment I used is also from Unity - Bitty Regards. I went with the "Welcome Home" because home is where ever you place your flip flops, side by side. Home is where ever your heart resides. =)

I'm usually a Copic-obsessed nut when it comes to coloring the images, but I decided to throw all caution to the wind & use colored pencils on this image. Who knew I could cr8 depth just as well with the few tricks of the pencil?! I'm actually quite please - or is it surprised - with the results.

The one pair of flip flops is accented with these tiny adorable flower gems I found in the dollar section at my local Super Target. How perfect are they with the bling flower from a Michael's purchase?

So, do I have you longing for warmer weather or even a trip to a year-round tropical place like Florida? Stay warm & keep dreaming of summer! Thanks for looking at my latest cr8'ion!

Happy Cr8'ing!

Random Birthday Cards: Stock up!

2013-12-04T09:30:00.000-05:00

Trying to increase the cards I already have made, this way when someone's birthday "pops" up suddenly I had something already cr8'd & ready to give.

Somehow, someway... I went through all the birthday cards I'd made probably a year or so ago. (Yeah, it's been that long!) I sat down the other day & put myself into a cr8've groove to create several birthday cards. Some of them can be gender neutral cards & wanted to share just a few with you all now.

The stamped images and sentiments are from Stampendous (1st card), Penny Black Stamps (2nd -4th cards pictured), and Unity Stamp Company (last card). I used a lot of scraps for these cards, so I was able to tidy up a bit of all that paper I'd been keeping.

At least now I have a stack of cards to run to when I'm suddenly presented with a birthday for a co-worker, etc. They are bright & cheerful cards, so I'm sure they are bound to put a smile on somebody's face!

Happy Cr8'ing!

Unity's Friends with Flair: SOTW Dressform

2013-11-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's Friday & that can only mean one thing: Unity's Friends with Flair. (Bet you thought I was going to say; Black Friday, right?) Here in the States it's Black Friday (which is the mother of all shopping days), but that craziness ain't for me! Instead, I'm sitting at home away from the rush of the retail world. I can't think of a better way to spend the day than by cr8'ing some cards and unleashing some of my cr8've energy!

Using a recent SOTW - Mind & Beauty (dressform), I created this "girlie" birthday card for this week's Friends with Flair.

What woman doesn't have flair... especially on her birthday!?!?! I am not a girlie-girl, persay but I love this stamp! Paired it with some soft papers from Prima...

...and accented with some white pearls from Queen & Co. - beautiful! Viola!

Well, now that I worked out some of my cr8've juices... I best getting to the Christmas decorating! Have a happy & safe holiday weekend!

Happy Cr8'ing!

Happy Chanukah!

2013-11-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

This Chanukah card was a special cr8'ion: a collaboration of cr8've brainstorming between myself & my man. It's totally his design, with my execution and it came out great! I love it, as does he... so maybe we'll do this collaborating thing more often. =)

The stamps are from Paper Smooches; they are from two different sets: Kibitzing Icons & Kibitzing Sampler. Not only did we decorate the card, inside & out... the envelope was included in on the colorful fun!

I colored the image using my beloved Copics, but he selected all the colors... even right down to the flames of the candles! No detail is too small for my guy.

The sentiment inside the card is from Unity Stamp Company. It was a unanimous decision when it came to the sentiment - we were in complete agreement!

Chanukah is much earlier than in recent years... and here's to wishing all those who celebrate a season filled with love & light!

Happy Cr8'ing!

Flurry of Snowmen

2013-11-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

I LOVE Christmas!! So it's no surprise that Christmas cards are my absolute favorite to cr8! And yet because I have so many wonderful holiday stamps to choose from, my biggest dilemma - if you can call it that - is deciding which stamps to use for my Christmas cards each year.

After much deliberation... I decided to use some snowmen from the Pure Innocence line of stamps from My Favorite Things Clear Stamps. Yes, they are THAT cute! I made a few cards of each of the following designs:

The one constant throughout the cards is the snowmen & snowflakes, because what is a snowman without snowflakes?!?! One can never have too many snowmen!

Pairing each of the cards with sentiments that seemed to compliment each snowman; the first card's sentiment is from Unity Stamp Company, but the remaining snowmen are stamped with sentiments from My Favorite Things.

The papers used are from My Mind's Eye & open cardstock scraps I had on hand. Each die cut snowflake is also from My Favorite Things Die-namics, and accented with glitter dots from Michael's.

With just a month until Christmas, it's time to get those cards cr8'd and ready to mail! I thank you for stopping by to see my latest cr8'ion.

Happy Cr8'ing!

Christmas Cards 2013

2013-11-23T12:39:00.000-05:00

As I've done in years past, I made Christmas cards for my Mum to send out to her friends, etc. I struggled a bit on which Christmas stamp(s) I would use, because quite frankly - I have too many! Wait... is there even such a thing as having too many stamps? LOL

I finally decided on a few recent acquisitions from Unity Stamp Company and paired it with a layout I had seen in a recent issue of Cardmaker magazine. (The papers are from K & Company.)

I liked using black as an accent on a Christmas card - kinda makes it a bit non-traditional, but I really wanted to keep it simple. The sentiment was such a beautiful thought: "LOVE is what's in the room with you at CHRISTMAS if you stop opening presents and listen." It's what I love most about the time of the year: the spirit in the air!

I used two different shades of red rhinestones for accenting the mistletoe stamp, & stamped it in Olive pastel chalk ink. It was just enough *bling* to make this Christmas card special.

When I brought the cards to my Mum, she loved them! *Phew!* I was living dangerously, because she doesn't like pink - like mother, like daughter. Her emphasis fell to the beautiful sentiment, so it wasn't focused on the pink. Yeah!

Thanks for stopping by... this is the first of holiday cards I will be sharing. With just mere weeks to go, it's time to get into the Holiday Spirit!

Happy Cr8'ing!

Unity's October/November Be Inspired Challenge

2013-11-13T21:59:00.001-05:00

I've been on a Unity kick lately & bought this adorable stamp: Birdies, Hugs & Mistletoe. It's the perfect stamp to color up & use for the current Be Inspired Challenge.

I added some flock to their adorable Santa stockings, glossy accent to the ornaments & some bling accents to the card. Maybe you can see it better in the second photo.

Gonna be making a habit of getting myself to get back into challenges... I'm getting my personal life in order, my professional life is finally where it needs to be, & definitely need to play a little... get cr8've with my cards once again!

Thanks for taking a look!
Happy Cr8'ing!

All Tied Up

2013-06-09T22:13:00.001-04:00

Well, the weekend is nearly over me... oh dread. I was happy to have made time this weekend to make a card for the latest challenge over at Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog. The theme for the challenge: Men, men, men, manly, men.

Even though Father's Day is upon us, this holiday has taken on a bittersweet meaning in my life because I lost my father over 7 years ago. (When you have a great father - which he was - I miss him even more during such holidays.) Yet, each year I am drawn to the Daddy's Girl digi image from the Tiddly Inks store to make a card for him in memoriam. It is no surprise that I have chosen that image for this challenge.

The dies are from Spellbinders sets: ovals & ties. The embossing folder is from Cuttlebug, & the paper is from My Mind's Eye.

Closer look at the colored image.

She's just too adorable to resist, dressing up in her daddy's clothes. I can relate, but who didn't play "dress up" as a little kid!

Thanks for taking a look at my latest card cr8'ion!

Happy Cr8'ing!

Recent Card Projects

2013-05-28T10:30:00.000-04:00

Quickly here are just a sampling of my recent card projects, which I wanted to share.

"Sweet Birthday Wishes" using sentiment from Taylored Expressions "It's a Banner Day 1" stamp set & image from C.C. Designs Meoples "I Want Candy" stamp set.

"Pocket-full of Butterflies" using sentiment from My Favorite Things Clear Stamps "Sentimental About Mothers" stamp set & Paper Smooches "Flap Happy" stamp set & dies.

"Mother's Day Bouquet" using sentiment & stamp from Unity Stamp Company "Blooming Mama's Day"

"Congrats Grad 2013!" using stamp from Unity Stamp Company, "Diploma Cap & Gown"

Just a quick post for today, as I'm trying to get back on track with my card-making & posting to share on my blog.

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Happy Cr8'ing!

Wryn Card for Tiddly Inks Challenge

2013-05-27T13:44:00.001-04:00

So life has been getting in the way of my "me" time to make cards, etc. I'm not happy about it either, but I am taking the time when & where I can.

When I saw the recent Tiddly Inks Challenge to use a Wryn image, I told myself I was going to use this challenge as the "excuse" to make time for my card making once again. So with baby-steps to get me back on track to weekly card-making, here's my card for the challenge:

Wryn is so adorable, & I love the fact I was able to submit a card for this challenge. It makes me feel much more happy when I can take some time to unwind & relax with my favorite hobby. It does so much to restore the soul & spirit.

Thanks for stopping by, & I hope you enjoyed my card.

Happy Cr8'ing!

Coloring Time

2013-01-31T13:30:00.000-05:00

Remember those stamped images I shared with you during my last post? Well, I am happy to say my coloring little heart has already been hard at work cr8'ing them into "life."

Take a look...

I jumped right into it with this adorable crab from Paper Smooches! I simply couldn't resist & since I stamped him more than once, I decided to try a few cr8've options with my Copic markers. The top image I stuck with blending the colors in a gradient style, while the bottom image I opted for a "dotting" technique which gave it a different "texture" about the image.

Sometimes there is nothing more relaxing & therapeutic than coloring, & I take full advantage of it when I can. It truly helps me unwind from my work day & commute. My relaxation efforts didn't stop with the adorable crab... I was on a roll, so I continued coloring a few more Paper Smooches characters.

Don't you just love those big eyed creatures? It just screams to me "color me, bring me to life!" So I did just that! As I sat to watch some television, from unwinding from the work day I colored these cuties up within one night. It will be great to see them finally make their final destination onto one of my card cr8'ions.

Thank you for looking at my project in progress!

Happy Cr8'ing!

Stamping it out!

2013-01-28T09:08:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to find a balance to my work & crafting time... but somehow my crafting passion is always on the losing end of that balancing game. In order to help stack the deck in my favor, I took some time this weekend to stamp out a WHOLE LOTTA IMAGES.

I went through my vast library of stamps (clear, cling, & wood mounted) to what I wanted to "play with" for some future card cr8'ions. I stuck primarily with my favorites: Paper Smooches, Stamping Bella, Stampendous, & My Favorite Things.

Those pictured above are primarily Changito's series of stamps from Stampendous! & new Paper Smooches stamps I received for Christmas. (I cannot wait to color on those bright-eyed pals!)

Now, here are my Stamping Bellas (some from the Uptown Girls series & Tiddly Inks)! It's hard to imagine that I have not used some of these bellas EVERRRRR, even though I have had them for at least a year or more.

Last, but not least are those precious kiddies from the Pure Innocence series with My Favorite Things. I chose those here which I have not used previously (with exception of one).

So now that I have planned ahead with at least stamping out some of the images, I am hoping this will make it easier for me to get back into card challenges, etc. I just need to get back on track for some sort of schedule, so I can relax & nothing does that better for me than card making.

Thanks for stopping by today, & be sure to look for these images in the future on my card cr8'ions.

Happy Cr8'ing!

Cr8've Holidays

2013-01-18T13:00:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned earlier this week, I did quite a bit of crafting - even if I didn't share on my blog. Well, allow me to share with you now just what I did over the holidays... my Cr8've Holidays!

I made quite a few cards for family, friends, & even filled a few orders for cards (yeah!), but I also took some time to do quite a bit of cr8'ing in the kitchen too! My kitchen really comes to "life" during the hectic days of December (baking cookies & cakes)!

Get ready, as I have quite a few pictures to share with you from this past Christmas Holiday Season!

This became my Christmas/Holiday card box, as I made cards throughout the year I stored them in here. It came in very handy in December, as I needed to hand out cards. (The Santa card on the top was my personal favorite, & a true labor of love.)

This card was one in which I was commissioned to make for someone who celebrates a Christmas Birthday. These are the tags which sit in each of the pocket of the card I cr8'd. You can see more of the card in the following picture.

Here's the card, when the tags are in their respective pockets. I stamped the sentiments purposefully so they would be easily read while tucked into the pockets, but could just as easily be pulled out of the pockets & enjoy the festive images.

Very simple Christmas card which was used for my list of dear friends this year.

Using stamps from Unity Stamp Company to make this very special "snowglobe," in the hopes to recr8 Rockerfeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City.

Stepped outside of my usual card cr8'ions to make this "paint pail" and turned it into a gift card holder/container. I purchased the pail in the dollar section at Super Target, then i added foil tissue wrap to fill the inside & cut one strand of every kind of holiday ribbon I have in my supply. Tying each stand until the entire pail handle was covered, & finished it off with a gift tag sticker. This received "ooh's" & "aah's" come Christmas morning, & the best part is this pail can be "recycled" - using it again & again.

Baked my very first Fruitcake, & even in doing so I opted to modify the recipe to suit me; placed it in a bundt pan instead of the bake-ware the recipe stated - I think it came out better; it fit my Christmas tray perfectly, & that was a happy accident! My hunny loves Fruitcake, so this was a "gift" for him.

Just one more of my baked cr8'veness to share with you - Sugar Cookie Bars! Deliciously, sweet - a whole lotta sugar!!

So, now you know just what I was up to during the last 2 months! This was just a wee-bit of my cr8'vity from during the holidays. Even though it keeps me plenty busy, it's my most favorite time of year. Maybe that's because I can be cr8've in unlimited ways!

I hope you enjoyed, & I appreciate your stopping by to sit a while with me as I took you through my Cr8've Holidays!

Happy Cr8'ing!