the card yard

Kreate-a-lope blog hop!

2013-05-18T20:59:00.001-04:00

I am SO late to this party!

I was away in Atlanta for work and totally flaked on posting this so here I am....

Kelly was approached by the inventor of the Kreate-a-lope, Nick, who sent her some samples of his envelope template to try out. I was happy to give this a try with her and some others, and here I am with the results!

I love the ease of making an envelope to match my cards in a jiffy, and was able to do this using regular 12x12 paper.

If you'd like to learn more about the Kreate-a-lope template, you can visit their website here or watch this video tutorial on Splitcoast. Nick is having a campaign to raise funds to make this template in new sizes, and for a donation of $10 folks can get the current Kreate-a-lope by clicking here.

For more fabulous projects, check out the blogs of these super talented ladies!

Cathy

Julia

Kelly

Renee

Hope your weekend is going GREAT!
Suzanne

Sweet Stamp Shop - Guest!

2013-05-16T11:00:00.000-04:00

Hey there, friends! I am guest designing for Sweet Stamp Shop this month and am so happy that Nicole Rixon invited me to join her this month! Today I am featuring some more projects using her newly released stamp sets.

My first card above uses the new set called Eye Love. I went clean and simple, thinking I could use this card for one of my super smart co-workers. That shade of green is one of my favorites!

Next, I made a fun girly card using Weird Love and some patterned papers from My Minds Eye:

And then I made a bold and graphic card using Eye Love. The image is funky, so I paired it with a funky color combo and heat embossed the image on some dark gray cardstock. They say hindsight is 20/20...that's the occasion that I had in mind here. :)

Here you can see that the lighter gray cardstock has some texture to it - a great touch for CAS cards, I think.

Head on over to the Sweet Stamp Shop blog to see more great projects!

I am off to Atlanta for work today. I have never been there, and I have a chance to tour and meet some folks at Emory University, so I am looking forward to the trip! Have a great day!

Hugs,
Suzanne

Sweet Stamp Shop May Release!

2013-05-14T11:00:00.000-04:00

Hey there, friends! I am guest designing for Sweet Stamp Shop this month and Nicole Rixon has designed some really fun sets for her May release!

My first card uses the new set called Weird Love - LOVE this sentiment!!I stamped it onto a diecut rectangle and added layers of patterned paper and matching stickers from SEI:

And my second card features the new Eye Love stamp set:

This card was stamped and layered on plain cardstock, and I added the splatter along with a diecut heart covered in Crystal Effects:

Super fun! For more inspiration, head on over to the Sweet Stamp Shop blog!

Hugs,
Suzanne

Supplies (Love card): Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop (Weird Love); Paper: SEI, MFT navy; Ink: Hero Arts; Other: SEI stickers, Lil' Inker Designs stitched rectangle and scallop border dies, A Muse pearls

Supplies (Awesomeness card): Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop (Eye Love); Paper: PTI (gray, cream, yellow), A Muse burano; Ink: A Muse Studio (pebble), Versafine (dark gray); Other: splatter, A Muse scallop border die, Pebbles button, Simon Says Stamp heart die, Crystal Effects

Hooray! Items for sale!

2013-05-12T17:53:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there!

I have been cleaning out my stash and have decided to part ways with a LOT of stuff - it has all been listed on my For Sale page, so please take a look if you're interested.

Hooray for cleaning!

Thanks so much!
Suzanne

#FF: Follow Friday

2013-05-10T19:21:00.000-04:00

Hey there! Just popping in really quick with a few fun blogs for you to check out for #FF: Follow Friday. Enjoy!

Erin Taylor Designs

Fill Your Paper with the Breathings of Your Heart

Stacey's Stamping Stage

Stampin' Scrapper

May Cloud9 Blog Hop

2013-05-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! Just posting a card that I made for this month's Cloud9 Blog Hop! I've combined some Crate Paper goodies with some Wplus9 diecuts and stamps - I was inspired by the colors and the circular shapes in the inspiration photo for the month.

Hope you can play along with us!
Suzanne

Supplies: Stamps: Wplus9 (Lacey Layers, A Pocketful); Paper: Wplus9 kraft, white; Crate Paper (The Pier); Ink: Papertrey Ink (brown), A Muse Studio (pink); Other: Wplus9 scalloped border die and Lacey Layers die, Crate Paper pinwheel sticker

Neat and Tangled Stamps: May Release Day 3

2013-05-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Today's the day! It's the final day of the May release from Neat and Tangled Stamps, and today we are featuring cards made with a new set called Across the Card.

I stamped the sentiment in Versafine black ink onto some cream cardstock and trimmed along the bottom edge of the image, knowing that I wanted to layer that panel over the red and blue striped paper from Crate Paper. I then added the vellum clouds, wooden airplane and enamel dots to finish the card off.

Head on over to the Neat and Tangled blog, where there's also a chance to win a prize! All of the sets are also currently available for purchase in the store, or at i {heart} papers, Simon Says Stamp, and Absolutely Everything!

Hugs,
Suzanne

Neat and Tangled Stamps: May Release Day 2

2013-05-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

It's Day 2 of the May release from Neat and Tangled Stamps, and today we are featuring cards made with the new Sunburst stamp.

I heat embossed the sunburst with clear embossing powder over the heart patterned paper from SEI. Next, I inked up the image with a variety of yellow and orange Distress Inks a la the emboss-resist technique. The last step was to use my iron to remove the shine of the clear embossing.

I then trimmed the image and mounted it on the matching orange cardstock from A Muse Studio, later adding the coordinating sentiment sticker from SEI and some Basic Grey enamel dots. SO FUN!

To see more design team projects using the Sunburst stamp, head on over to the Neat and Tangled blog, where there's also a chance to win a prize! All of the sets from this release will be available for purchase tomorrow, but we're also super excited to announce that they can also be found at i {heart} papers, Simon Says Stamp, and Absolutely Everything!

Have a great day! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Suzanne

Neat and Tangled Stamps: May Release Day 1

2013-05-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday, everyone! Today marks the first day of the May release from Neat and Tangled Stamps, and today we are featuring cards made with the new Sparkle and Shine set.

For my first card above, I first scored chevrons along the bottom part of the card. Then I stamped the "You Rock" sentiment in a variety of colors, adding the diamond image at the end. I chose ink colors that match the spritzes that I used. At the end, I added a clear button that was threaded with some white crochet thread.

My second card reflects the very last of my Crate Paper Pretty Party collection. *sigh* I started this card with the white Hero Arts crochet trim, and started to add the layers of paper and stickers until I found a great spot for the "Sparkle and Shine" sentiment as well as the coordinating stars that were stamped in gold ink and hand cut. I also added some Pretty Pretty Pink Satin sequins to embellish the card, as well as some white acrylic paint dots.

And there we have it: one CAS and graphic card, and one layered and girly one. :) If you'd like to see more design team projects using the Sparkle and Shine set, head on over to the Neat and Tangled blog, where there's also a chance to win a prize! These sets will be available for purchase on Wednesday, but we're also super excited to announce that they can also be found at i {heart} papers, Simon Says Stamp, and Absolutely Everything!

See you tomorrow for Day 2!
Suzanne

Supplies (You Rock card): Stamps: Neat & Tangled (Sparkle and Shine); Paper: PTI (white);Ink: A Muse Studio (slate, papaya, mermaid), Fresh Ink (fuschia); Other: SU! (clear button, scoring tool), crochet thread, Dylusions Ink Spray (bubblegum pink, vibrant turquoise), Mr. Hueys ink spray (gold)

Supplies (Sparkle and Shine card): Stamps: Neat & Tangled (Sparkle and Shine sentiment, stars); Paper: Crate Paper, PTI (white); Ink: Hero Arts (navy), Encore (gold); Other: Neat and Tangled (sequins), white acrylic paint, Hero Arts (crochet trim)

#FF and miscellany

2013-05-03T10:00:00.002-04:00

What a crazy week I've had! Like anything, there's always good news and bad news, right? I haven't been feeling great and went through oodles of (negative) tests early this week, but am starting to feel better; on a happier note, I was happy to hear that one of my research papers had been accepted for publication and I was invited to teach a card class sometime next fall. SUPER YAY!

On an even happier note, here's the photo of my sister's puppy that I told you about in my last post. She doesn't even weigh 2 pounds yet, but she is super feisty - a perfect match for my sister. We are all hoping that she can come home soon:

I also wanted you all to know that there is a new release for Neat and Tangled coming next week; this week there has been a fun Sequin Series on the Neat and Tangled blog, so you should check it out!

Then on May 20 there is going to be a Lil' Inkers Blog Hop with prizes!

And since I've basically been stranded on the couch all week, I found some fun blogs and wanted to share them with you. They do something like this on Twitter on Fridays (not that I tweet all that much) - they call it #FollowFriday and everything is tagged with the #FF. It's a way for people to give a shout out to other tweeters that they really like. Anyway, here's my bloggy version of #FF!

Clouds Color Garden

Scrap Happiness

Kristi's Paper Creations

My Little Piece of that Azure Sky

Just Nick

Hope you enjoy them! Have a great weekend!
Suzanne

Party Day with Neat and Tangled

2013-04-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hi there! Just popping in really quick to let you know that I'm sharing a card over on the Neat and Tangled Stamps blog today!

Hope your weekend is going well! I got to meet my sister's new puppy...SO cute, but such a peanut. She has to gain some more weight before she can come home though. Today I am taking a Project Life class, hoping to chip away at my album a little bit more. One of these days I will share some pics.

Suzanne

Papertrey April Blog Hop: Foxy Origami

2013-04-25T20:29:00.001-04:00

Hey there! I've got a fun project to share for this month's Papertrey Ink blog hop. The theme this month is "tilted designs" and my foxy origami project was inspired by this tutorial that I found on Pinterest, since the backs of these foxes are slanted.

I used lots of PTI goodies on these. The patterned paper is their Dotty Biscotti paper, and the noses were stamped using one of the solid circle stamps in Daydreamer. The sentiment comes from Sketched Shapes.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Suzanne

A happy little card

2013-04-21T14:50:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone - I am finally back with a happy little card to share. It felt good to be back in my craft room after a very sad and tense week here in Boston. Thanks to everyone who wrote or called - very much appreciated!

I picked up where I left off last week when I made several bad attempts at a card using these very stamps. The cure? This awesome Trendsetter patterned paper from Fancy Pants that Renee sent to me.

I love how the glitter kicks the happiness factor up a notch on this, and how the Sketched Shapes banners make for such a cute embellishment.

I am heading out soon to run errands and go for a roller blade - have a great afternoon. In the meantime, I am gonna enter this into this week's CAS-ual Fridays B-day Bash Challenge...it's CAS for me...and the girls know they can gimme the boot from the gallery if the PP is too much. ;)

xo,
Suzanne

Supplies: Stamps: PTI (Tremendous Treat Birthday, Sentiment Signs, and Sketched Shapes); Paper: Fancy Pants (Trendsetter); Ink: Hero Arts (navy); Other:PTI dies (Tremendous Treat Birthday, Half & Half, Sketched Shapes), Prima (bling), Corner Chomper, Recollections glitter

A baby boy card and some thanks...

2013-04-14T21:09:00.000-04:00

Hey there! I want to share this card with all of you - it was published in CARDS back in January, but I am so happy to be sending it off to some friends who had a baby boy the other day.

I also want to thank everyone who played along in the Ugliest Card Ever Blog Hop on April Fool's Day - thank you all for having such a great sense of humor and joining in the fun. Maybe we will do it again next year!

I put together some fun crafty goodies to give away as a prize to one of the players (chosen at random), and the winner is:

#30: Bev

Bev, congratulations! I left a note for you on your blog so I can ship these to you. There's a fun assortment of dies, stamps, chipboard, and inky fun things for you, as well as oodles of baker's twine samplers.

Hopefully, I can get crafty this week. I tried to make a card tonight but after 4 attempts, I just gave up! Wishing for better luck tomorrow...

Suzanne

April CARDS Blog Challenge

2013-04-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hello, hello! I am back with another Lil' Inker Designs post today because we are sponsoring this month's CARDS Blog Challenge! This month's challenge is to use these gorgeous colors on a project:

I couldn't resist using the Maggie Holmes collection from Crate Paper for this challenge, and love how all these Lil' Inker goodies look here!

The ombre tag is from the American Crafts Dear Lizzy collection...and I curled my twine using Distress Stickles:

Hope that you will join in on the fun this month over on the CREATE blog for a chance to win some Lil' Inkers goodies. :)

Suzanne

April Cloud9 Blog Hop

2013-04-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hey there! Just stopping by really quickly to let you all know that the April Cloud9 Blog Hop goes live today at 10am and lasts through the 12th. I made my card today using the colors from this month's inspiration pics and Wplus9 stamps, of course!

I've had a crazy week that included a whirlwind trip to Chicago on Friday and Saturday...all I can say is that I am SOOOO looking forward to a vacation soon. Hope all is well with all of you!

Hugs!!
Suzanne

Lil' Inker April Release Day 3

2013-04-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

Today is the final day of the Lil' Inker Designs release hop, and if you're hopping along with the team then you may have arrived here from Karen Baker's blog, but if you're lost along this hop, you can always head on over to the Lil' Inker Designs blog to start at the beginning.

Anything goes today, so I made this sunny Mom card using all of this month's new goodies and some Lawn Fawn patterned papers. See how I diecut the top panel so that "Mom" is very subtle? Here are all the dies and stamps available in the store now:

There are two Lil' Inker Designs $10 credits available as prizes to folks who comment along the way in this week's hop, so head on over to the next stop at Jen delMuro's blog - it's her last release with us before she ventures off for a new exciting endeavor...she will be missed so much!

It's "anything goes" week at Simon Says, and since it pairs nicely with our anything goes theme for today's release day, I am linking up! :)

See you soon,
Suzanne

Lil' Inker April Release Day 2

2013-04-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Today is Day 2 of a 3-day release hop for Lil' Inker Designs, and if you're hopping along with the team then you may have arrived here from Sarah Jay's blog, but if you're lost along this hop, you can always head on over to the Lil' Inker Designs blog to start at the beginning.

Today we are featuring projects made with the new Stitched Scallop border die - I used it to make the edge on these party hat cards. I wanted to make a set of birthday cards for my mom, since she's always looking for more cards.

I cut triangles from some A Muse Studio polka dotted cardstock in a rainbow of colors to make the card fronts and backs, and used the Lil' Inkers Gift Bow Topper die to make the pom-pom on top.

Then I decided to stamp the inside of the cards using the sentiment "You're never too old to wear a party hat" from the previously released You're Invited stamp set, and the banner image from the Mom and Dad Sentiments stamp set that was featured yesterday by our team.

I also decorated the envelopes - I selectively stamped three lines for a mailing address using the lines from the You're Invited stamp set and added the color-matched banner once again from the Mom and Dad Sentiments stamp set from this month's release.

There are two Lil' Inker Designs $10 credits available as prizes to folks who comment along the way in this week's hop, so head on over to the next stop at the Lil' Inker Designs blog!

Have an awesome day,
Suzanne

Lil' Inker April Release Day 1

2013-04-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

This is my second post for the day.

If you're here for the Ugliest Card Ever Blog Hop,

please scroll down or click here. Thanks!

Yippee for another Lil' Inker Designs release! Today is Day 1 of a 3-day release hop, and if you're hopping along with the team then you may have arrived here from Sarah Jay's blog. And if you're lost along this hop, you can always head on over to the Lil' Inker Designs blog to start at the beginning.

Today we are featuring projects made with the new Mom and Dad dies and coordinating sentiment stamps, all of which are available in the store today.

For my first card, I used the Dad die and the "Hey" sentiment to make a manly birthday card for my father-in-law. I used patterned paper from Glitz Design's Uncharted Waters on both of my cards today, but I paired it with the birthday equation card and brad from Crate Paper on my Dad card:

I added the white splatter using some acrylic paint and then some tiny staples to make it seem more manly.

For my second card, I used the Mom die to make a window card:

I adhered the matching red heart to the acetate window, and stamped the sentiment in Hero Arts ink:

I also added an enamel dot from My Minds Eye and some crochet thread to the top to finish it off.

I hope you keep on hopping because there are two Lil' Inker Designs $10 credits available as prizes to folks who comment along the way.Your next stop on the hop is the Lil' Inker Designs blog!

Thanks for stopping by!
Suzanne

Ugliest Card Ever Blog Hop

2013-04-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

It's April Fool's Day, and it's time to get your ugly on! I enjoyed reading all your comments after posting about this idea - you all make me smile.

I didn't have to search very hard for my ugliest card because I am still so ashamed that I ever posted it. The thing is, it just took me sooo long to make. I think it was 2-3 hours, and after all that work, I felt like I needed to post it as proof of my sweat and hard work. I made this card for the Moxie Fab Card Play Challenge, and I probably blinded Cath for at least 45 seconds when she clicked over - it is the most Moxie Fabless thing ever . And God bless my crafty friends who left me compliments on that card - you are sweet!

To me, the card is just. that. ugly. for a number of reasons, starting with....well, just about everything. I think the gingham paper is the only saving grace - notice how you have to look HARD to find it, though? Seriously, what on earth was I thinking!??!!?!??!!?
.....

So, today we are celebrating all of the stamping fools who have some crafty regrets when they look back at prior work - the same way we look back on clothes and hair styles from decades ago.

To participate, you do not need to write a new blog post and you are welcome to post as many uglies as you like, but I do ask that everyone plays nice and posts their own card (not someone else's - the point is for us to laugh at ourselves!)

This will only be fun if lots of folks participate, so pretty please don't leave a few brave souls hanging - spread the word however you like! I think we probably all have some ugly hidden on our blogs somewhere...

Please feel free to snag the logo and edit your old post to include it as a form of shameful crafty admission that you now know your card is the ugliest thing your craft room has ever seen. The hop will be open for 24 hours and ends at midnight EST on April 2!

Have some laughs, and hop along! I'm excited to see what everyone posts, so thank you in advance for joining in the fun!

Ugliest Card Ever Blog Hop Reminder

2013-03-30T14:12:00.002-04:00

Hey there! Sorry for the absence here on the blog this last week. My car was in for service and that just threw me off - I am in the middle of Lil' Inker Designs release prep and Easter cooking. The family is coming over tomorrow for brunch - yay! If you have any great recipes to share, I would love to hear about them, because I am not sure what else to make.

Anyway, I just wanted to say hi really quickly and post a reminder about the Ugliest Card Ever Hop for Monday, April Fool's Day. If you missed my original post, you can read all about it here. One huge clarification: you should be posting your own ugliest card, not somebody else's - that would just be mean - but thanks to those who asked! ;)

Happy Easter!
Suzanne

Neat and Tangled Inspired by Pattern Play

2013-03-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

Just popping by to let you know that I've posted a card over on the Neat and Tangled Stamps blog today - it's a card that was inspired by Day 5 of Pattern Play. Head on over to check it out!

Thanks & Happy Monday!
Suzanne

Pattern Play Day 4

2013-03-23T22:42:00.000-04:00

I have been a bad card class student and am playing catch-up on my homework! I was inspired by Shari Carroll's video on Day 4 of Pattern Play, so tonight I made this card using the March Simon Says Stamp card kit.

I combined 3 patterned papers and lots of stickers on this one, and no stamps! I was inspired by this week's CAS-ual Fridays Challenge, but I am not really sure this qualifies as CAS - what do you think? Yay or nay, please help me decide! Edited to add: CFC girls...I linked up, but you are free to give me the boot if this isn't quite CAS enough. :)

How was your day? I went to breakfast this morning with my family for my sisters' birthday, to a place that is only a couple miles down the road, but have not visited in nearly 9 nine years! I think I need to start going there more often - the pancakes were divine! I was able to squeeze in some work, and spend the afternoon shopping with my hubby...so fun!

All in all, a pretty good day!
Suzanne

Pattern Play Day 3

2013-03-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

I am back with a card for Day 3 of Pattern Play, this time trying to use up some hard to use patterns. I tried breaking up this bold pattern using Kristina Werner's technique tonight.

I used some Amy Tangerine papers from American Crafts and rounded the top edge of the paper before trimming it into 4 sections. Then I stamped and diecut the feathers and sentiment from A Muse Studio's Make a Wish set, later adding some gray twine and pearly rhinestones. This patterned paper is double-sided and the green paper is the coordinating paper on the backside of the rainbow pattern:

I love the bright colors on this so much!I am going to have to try this out some more, because I had all kinds of ideas of how to break up the pattern.

Thanks so much for stopping by - hope you have a great day!
Suzanne

Pattern Play Day 2: Make a Wish

2013-03-19T15:07:00.000-04:00

Day 2 of Pattern Play really took me out of my comfort zone, but the technique that Jennifer McGuire shared with us was too awesome to go untried. I did my best to find a good background stamp for emboss resist on patterned paper, and this great Flower Bursts image from Hero Arts was the one with the most open and filled space.

I used patterned paper from Doodlebug Designs' Sugar and Spice line (ETA: Thanks, Bobby, for suggesting I show the original pattern. You can view it in 12x12 form here.) and a Framed Fonts sentiment from Avery Elle, as well as some Distress Inks - don't see those much around here, either! Below you can see how I made this card twice using lighter and darker shades of Distress Ink:

You may also notice that the shine from the clear embossing powder is gone, and that's because I also used Jennifer's ironing technique to remove it - GENIUS!

Anyway, I think I prefer the darker green color since it makes the patterned paper stand out more, but these matching cards will come in super handy this weekend for my twin sisters' birthday! Even into their 30s, I feel like I need to give them the same thing. :)

So what do you think? Not bad for my first try, and now I think I need a whole new suite of background stamps for this technique! And with all the green going on here, I am entering this in the elegant emerald challenge over at Moxie Fab...

Suzanne