Double Embossing

 

On this card, I did some double embossing - first I embossed the pattern with a Cuttlebug folder and then I heat embossed over the pattern. To make this stand out even more, I used a blue pigment ink (pigment ink stays wet long enough to emboss with) that was a few shades darker than the blue cardstock. Then, I used a sparkly white embossing powder to heat emboss. I brushed a bit of the powder off to make it look distressed. What resulted was a 3 color pattern - the light blue cardstock, the darker blue ink where some of the powder came off, and the sparkly white embossed portions. 

As for the dress, I used a Basically Bare chipboard dress form and wrapped it with ribbons and lace. They are fastened on the back with Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac. 

Thanks for taking a peek!

Stamping Challenge

I'm hosting a challenge at www.scrapbook.com right now through the end of August and I want you all to join in! Here is the CHALLENGE THREAD with the rules and everything. :)

It's a challenge for scrapbookers to use their stamps to create paper that mimics their favorite new papers or paper collections. For example, I chose to lift some papers from the new MME "The Sweetest Thing" collection. So far I've done two patterns and I want to finish one more to complete my layout for the challenge. These are the two patterns I've chosen to use as my inspiration...

...and here is what I ended up with.

 This is the finished layout, using the two papers I stamped. I used some stamps and black ink to further embellish the papers after I constructed the layout.

So come on over and join in the challenge! I can't wait to see the different papers that everyone comes up with!

Dollhouse Beds

My daughter has a giant dollhouse.
A few years ago, my dad custom made it and it pretty much takes up most of her room. Alexis didn't start out with much in the way of furnishings, but over the years, we've remedied that with a few birthday/Christmas gifts and some craftiness. We found out that the store made doll beds don't tend to last long and we've glued one back together at least five times. Instead, we decided to make our own and we loved them so much that Alexis now has more beds than dolls!

First of all, we started out with half of a check box (the boxes that bank checks come in). Most of the beds we've made are just stand alone check boxes, but on this one, I had the perfect "headboard" - a chipboard piece that was shaped like a house. I glued the "headboard" to the box with Beacon Adhesives Fabri-tac.

After the glue had set, I picked out a May Arts ribbon for my "dust ruffle" and glued it around the bottom of the bed. The pleats really make it look like a dust ruffle!

Next, I took another piece of trim and adhered it on the top of the bed sides. I also added a rub-on to the headboard.

After I had the bed made, I went piddling around my craft drawers looking for something to make a pillow and comforter out of. I happened upon a square of deep aqua felt, an old pink kid's sock and some flowery and lacy trims.

For the pillow, I cut the sock in half (until it was as long as I needed to match the bed) and filled it with some extra fabric. I glued the end shut with Fabri-tac and then adhered the pink floral ribbon around it. That floral ribbon is AMAZING and it's from May Arts.

For the blanket, I cut pieces of lacy trim to match three sides and adhered them with my trusty Fabri-Tac.

Then I cut out one of the flowers from the flower ribbon and adhered it to the center.

And here's the finished bed & bedding!

So inexpensive, easy and a lot of fun. There are so many possibilities with these - we've used pom pom trim, elegant lace, embossed paper - you name it. Here's the bed inside one of the dollhouse rooms we've decorated.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Weddings, continued

Apparently I need to get busy making more wedding cards - they were pretty depleted when I checked in at Annie Kay & Co. yesterday. Until I get some new ones made up, I have a bold wedding card I made last week for a wedding we attended. I lean more towards pretty and delicate, but the invites to this wedding were bold, graphic and modern - they were also done on the exact same grey metallic cardstock I used on the center of this card.

 The silver strips are stickers - super easy borders. I adhered the bow (with Beacon's Fabri-Tac) at an angle to give it a different look.

 The sentiment is an old rub-on I've had for years. I embellished it with some stick-on gems and this card was finished! Here's a peek at the inside.

Pretty simple, but it matches the style of the invites and that's what I was going for. Thanks for taking a peek!

Plain cardstock, it is!

Since it's CHA season, I've been checking out all the recent paper releases and mentally making a wishlist. I do love some pretty patterned paper! The thing is, I also really enjoy using plain cardstock to make a lot of my projects. There are so many options. For example, on this card below, I embossed American Crafts Kraft cardstock with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. I recently taught my son to play "Heart and Soul" on the piano, so I wanted to go in that direction for this card. The "I" and "U" are American Crafts Thickers and the stamps are by Unity Stamp Co.

Here is another card where I used embossing and stamping. The embossing was done with a Sizzix folder and all the cardstock is American Crafts. Once again, the stamps are all Unity Stamp Co. as well. I just love that bicycle, by the way!

For this layout, I really wanted the colors of the photo to stand out, so I picked American Crafts Thickers that complemented it. I continued the look of the yucca plants with strips of cut cardstock in the left bottom corner. This was super easy to do - I just cut them at an angle in my paper trimmer. The journal spot was cut with Spellbinders dies and layered. The bottom layer was embossed with a Paper Studio wood grain folder.

So, give me a package of good cardstock and I'm a happy camper! That won't stop me from perusing all the new CHA releases any time soon. ;) Thanks for taking a peek!

Be sure to check out the July issue of Scrap n' Art! There are all sorts of tutorials, sketches, reviews and more! I have a fun and easy step-by-step tutorial on how to make flower centers that can be used now or stored for later.

4th of July

In the three years that I've been selling cards, I have never once sold a 4th of July card. I have never sent or received one either. I guess I just don't see the 4th of July as a "card holiday." It's too bad, really, because with the fireworks, stars and bold color scheme, 4th of July projects are so fun to make!

I made the red and blue banners with PTI doily stamps (the largest ones) and Memento ink in Bahama Blue and Lady Bug. the little stars were punched out with mini and regular punches (Target) and accented with tiny gems. The ribbon is May Arts and the punched edge is from a Martha Stewart Double Arches Deep Edge punch. Thanks for taking a peek and happy 4th of July to my US followers!