playing with color

I've started following a few new blogs, with some incredibly talented cardmakers! As a result, I've been spending more time creating and experimenting with new techniques to me.

This card came about after viewing this post, she calls the technique color-emboss-color...and that is exactly what you do!



I colored a piece of cream cardstock with distress ink (broken china) on a foam pad, stamped the flowers (Unity KOM) in brown (Memento), stamped the diamond background (Unity KOM) with versamark ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder, then colored the entire piece again with the same distress ink, darkening the color everywhere except under the embossing...cool, huh?



And I'd just like to mention...how do you like the way the sentiment (Studio G) fits into the punch (EK Success)? Its like they were made for each other!

Thanks for looking!

Meredith

Cardmaker Time to Shine BlogHop

What a great day! Its sunny and cheery here in Albuquerque, New Mexico...and I'm surrounded by family ready to celebrate a happy occasion!

Welcome to my little corner of the Time to Shine BlogHop!

There is an awesome crop going on over at CardSwaps this week. Challenges and games will be posted May 16-19, 2012 and you have until May 22, 2012 to get your projects posted to the appropriate thread. If you haven't participated before, don't worry! There are many members that will be around to offer support and encouragement. You can find out all you need to know in the forum. At the end of the hop, will be taken to the crop and I do hope you join in. Collect the letters along the way and unscramble them to entered into the drawing for a prize for one lucky hopper! You will be given details at the bottom of the post. Don't skip ahead!!!

I decided to make a graduation card, because my daughter is graduating from high school this year, which means that most of her friends are graduating also...lots of cards needed!

I created some simple layers, simply using the back sides of the patterned cardstock to mat the shapes, and threaded the beads onto some jewelery wire then glued the wire to the top and bottom of the card. I stamped the peacock on the blue panel, then fit the sentiment into the space left above the bird.

Of course, I needed some sparkle...this is a celebration!!! I took a silver pen and outlined the wing feathers, then colored in the spaces on the curly tail feathers with a bright blue metallic pen. Its a little hard to capture in the photo, but it really sparkles!

Supplies:

The papers are from a pack by American Crafts, the beads and wire are from my jewelery stash, and the stamp is from Hero Arts. The glitter pens are by Sakura.

The criteria the project had to meet is that it had to be able to be used for a day in which someone has their “time to shine”, such as birthdays, graduations, weddings, bridging ceremonies, communions, or whatever. We were also asked to share something about our favorite memory of a day when it was our “time to shine”.

I remember lots of things about my graduation day, and the days leading up to it. It was such an important time for me, and set a pattern for lifelong learning that continues. In fact, just last February I finished the final test for my designation as an Enrolled Agent before the IRS. Which makes me not just a Tax Geek...now I'm a Master Tax Geek!

To be the center of attention for family, to receive recognition for accomplishments that I had worked hard for, these were good things, and have become fond memories. I have a house full of family with more on the way, and a huge party planned for Friday, where Elizabeth will be the shining star!

I am so grateful that it is my daughter's turn to "shine."

 Unscramble It game for hoppers... You will be unscrambling a word once you will collect a letter at each blog you visit. The hostesses can play along, because they don't know any of the letters but their own... I'm tricky that way. Once you collect ALL the letters, the last hostess in the blog hop will direct you to the thread in the forum where you can find all the details you need to enter the drawing. All hoppers collecting all the letters, unscrambling the word or phrase, entering the game by following the directions in the forum, and leaving feedback on EVERY blog they visit WILL be entered in to a random drawing held on May 23, 2012. ONE lucky hopper will have their name drawn and will win a prize!! Fun, right?? So, make sure you visit every blog and find the letters. Your hints are... it’s a phrase, it has four words, and it’s a way you will be able to shine.

OK... You arrived here from Colleen’s blog, I hope. If not, go back and check out her blog and collect your letter. Then collect my letter and hop on to Lora's blog. If you want to start over, feel free to start back with Brooke on the CardMaker Magazine blog.

My letter is...N

The list of hoppers, in case you get lost.

Brooke Smith -CardMaker blog 

Jeanette

Ashley

Anya Schrier      

Golda

Ivanka

Ana

Michelle Woerner

Judy L

Lisa

Trudy Sjolander

Jane

Angelina

Kimberly Crawford

Laura

Tammy

Carolyn King

Marlene

Tina

Susan

Colleen Schaan

Meredith ß You are here

Lora 



Another Father's Day card

I've been having a great time in the craft room, and completed a few more Father's Day cards for the Operation Write Home blog color challenge.
I used the same lighthouse stamp that I used on the prior card, just the whole stamp this time. This turquoise and brown color combo is just perfect for acting like the ocean/sky in the background.



I thought that the sentiment stamp was a nice one to go with the lighthouse, I was inspired for the card layout and sentiment choice by a card in the latest Cardmaker magazine.



Thanks for stopping by!

Meredith

Back to Challenges and Fun!

Long Time No Cardmaking!

But I'm back to the craft room now! Now that tax season is over...I can have fun again!

I had a lovely day playing with paper and stamps, and have twelve cards done!

This was assembly line cardmaking...for a good cause...

Have you heard of Operation Write Home? If not, click on over to http://operationwritehome.org/ and read all about it, its a great program!

There is also a cardmaking challenge blog for the site http://www.owhstarsandstamps.org/ and I participated in the color challenge that they posted just a bit ago.

The challenge was to use turquoise and brown, such pretty colors! I'm pleased with the way that these turned out...

I chose to make Father's Day cards and generic masculine cards, the only difference is that for the latter I left off the Happy Father's Day stamp...



Here is the inside...



Nothing fancy...but I managed to make 12 of them with the supplies that I had on hand! Ten will be shipped to OWH this week, two have been tucked away for the Dads in June.

Thanks for stopping by!

Meredith

Autumn Blessings Crop

Welcome to the Autumn Blessings Blog Hop!

We're hopping around the web in celebration of our blessings at this beautiful time of year! Thank you for joining us and we hope you leave with a bit of inspiration and maybe a new friend or two! After the blog hop, please be sure to stop by the Cardmaker Cardswap Forum to join in for several days of challenges for creating and fun!

You should have arrived here from Lora's blog, aren't her projects the best? She has such a versatile style, clean and simple, with just the right touches of embellishment to set off whatever project she is making perfectly! If you didn't land here from Lora's blog, please click on over to visit her so that you don't miss any of the great things we have in store for you!

I have a life filled with many blessings...don't we all? Today I would like to express my gratitude for my friends. I have such lovely friends in my life, so many people who have helped me to become the person that I am today. Friends who encourage me to overcome struggles that I have, friends who applaud my accomplishments, good friends who compliment me on improvements that I make and great friends who comfort me in my times of need. I am so grateful for the love that each of them shares with me in different ways. I hope that each of you take some time today to thank a special friend that you have in your life.

Thank you for sharing that special thought with me.

Now, on to my project! I wanted a quick project that would give me (or whomever I give it to) a quick pick-me-up whenever I saw it.

I chose to make a bookmark. You will not believe how easy this was to make! I am looking forward to making several more as gifts for my friends this holiday season, after all, doesn't everyone need another bookmark?



It reads, "experience is not what happens to you. it's what you do with what happens to you."

I used:
cream canvas,
stamps (Tim Holtz),
three layers of cardstock (Bazzil, Co'ordinations, Reminisce),
ink (Distress Ink, Memento Ink),
sewing machine,
other (adhesive, 1/16" hole punch, fiber).

Cut the canvas to 1 3/4" x 6 3/4" and stamp with Distress ink for background. Use darker contrast ink to stamp main sentiment. Use adhesive to hold canvas in place on one or two layers of cardstock and stitch canvas around edges. Adhere final cardstock as backing to cover stitching. Punch hole at top and insert fiber.

Thanks for stopping by my little blog, your next stop is Judy's blog, and I know that you will enjoy what she has in store for you. Not only is she an exceptionally talented cardmaker, with a superb sense of design, she colors her images beautifully (a talent that I have yet to master), and her altered art projects are simply divine!

Here is the full list of blog participants, in case you get lost along the way:

Lora
Meredith <--- You are here
Judy L
Golda
Ana
Traci
Angelina
SusieQ
Tina
Ivanka
Jane

I See Pumpkins!

The progressive challenge image over at Designed2Delight for this week is a stitched pumpkin, and it is so cute!

I printed it off and colored it with pencils...I even went for some shading to add dimension...didn't turn out too bad!



I did put a wooden button over the image where it had three buttons...it just looked cleaner to me.

I pulled out a fall themed mat stack for papers, and colored the bling with a permanent marker to get it orange, finished it off with some ribbon, and done!

I haven't decided on a sentiment yet...maybe just a 'thinking of you' to send in the next couple of months, although it could certainly be a nice Thanksgiving card as well...we'll see.

Enjoy,

Meredith

Wedding Inspiration

This has definitely been the summer of weddings around here! In the past three months we have received invitation after invitation...its been exciting! Unless I know the couple exceptionally well, I prefer to give a gift card...which means a handmade card to put it in, of course!

With all the gift giving and reception attending, my stash of ready congratulations cards is perilously low! So I got to work with an idea or two that I had...and here is the result!

At the Designed2Delight blog they have a weekly Designer's Challenge, this week it is to make a card using predominately pink and black...and the lightbulb went off!

I found the perfect stamp in the D2D store, that's the beauty of digital stamps...find, purchase, download and print...then get creating!

For both of my cards I kept the image simple...it is such a lovely collage on its own, I didn't want to distract from it. No coloring, just printed on colored cardstock.



I found a compimentary embossing folder for the background and inked the edges and raised pattern, then added some ribbon and a flower from stash...



The stick pin is from a recent swap, isn't it the perfect match? Most of the wedding cards I give are hand carried (instead of mailed) so I'm not worried about it getting smashed.



The second card got a bit more involved. I cased a card that I received in a swap a while ago...I'd never seen anything like it, and have intended to duplicate it for the longest time...I finally did tonight!

Here is the front view of the card as it is closed, you'd never know how much is in here!



I thought that I'd record the steps here...so if you want to make one too, you can!

Supplies needed:

• cardstock and patterned paper
  


• elastic thread



• 1/16" hole punch



• strong adhesive
  


• focal image
  


• strong adhesive



• embellishments as desired

1) Cut your base cardstock to 5 1/2" x 11"

2) Score your base cardstock at 2", 3 3/4", 7 1/4" and 9"

3) Fold the 3 3/4" and 7 1/4" scores toward eachother, the middle of the card and fold the 2" and 9" scores to the outside of the card, have a look at this picture to get a better idea...you end up with a card sized 4" x 5 1/2"



4) Add your patterned paper strips to the front (cut at 1 3/4" x 5 1/4") and inside (3 1/4" x 5 1/4") of the card

I have to share, my patterned paper started out like this...



but I didn't want the white on this card, so I used my pink ink and a foam sponge to color it!

5) Punch a hole on each 'inside' fold, knot one end of the elastic and thread it through, check to make sure that your knot is bigger than the hole! Double knot if necessary...

6) Thread it through the second hole, leaving approximately 3 1/2" inside the card (the width of the card back), knot the other side.

7) Put some strong glue on the knots, and let dry

8) For the center suspension, make sure that it is about 2" high, and no more than 2 3/4" wide, any wider, and you will not be able to close the card

9) Make the suspension several layers, and use a strong glue to sandwich the final layer between the rest, let it dry

10) Attatch your focal image to the front, and embellish the card as you like

As you open the card, the suspension comes forward and hangs...so intricate!



I couldn't leave the envelopes alone...but I wasn't sure what to do with them until I saw the negative from the bird punch that I used



I took that negative and sponged some pink ink through it, using it as a stencil...I'm so pleased with how it came out!



I'm definitely going to take a look at my punches again with fresh eyes...maybe you'll see more of this on some cards soon!

Enjoy,

Meredith