I ♥ U

I have recently fallen in love with gold. I'm not entirely sure where I've been all this time, but I'm finally in the "here and now"... For now.

With Valentine's Day on the horizon, I decided to play around with this fabulous color combo and create a not-so-girly card. I really REALLY love how classy this looks!

Supplies

cardstock ~ basic black

designer series paper ~ typset

stamp sets ~ four feathers

ink ~ basic black

tools and accessories ~ paper trimmer, paper snips, liquid adhesive, glue dots, bigshot, circle card thinlit, label card thinlit, feathers framelits, sponges, perfect polka dots embossing folder, 

embellishments ~ gold basic metal buttons, venetian crochet trim

The Paper Players Challenge #203 ~ Let's Go to the Beach!

Good Morning fellow crafting peeps! I've been up since 3 a.m. surfing all of my favorite blogs. I'm blessed with insomnia AND I'm a crafting addict so I have a lot of project plotting time, so thanks to good ole' Pinterest I have quite the list! I'm lucky I'm still married. Thankfully I have a very loving and patient hubby that understands I suffer from chronic crafting.

Among the many different blogs I follow, The Paper Player's is one of my favorite and they have a new {really fun} challenge this week!

I absolutely LOVE nautical themes, so I jumped right on this one. This card isn't exactly "beachy" but it's close. So, I decided to enter it into this challenge. If you recognize it, it's because I created it a couple of weeks ago. But, it is still a recent creation AND it's still hanging on my "Gallery" wall at home!

Click here for card details!

Stylin' Stampin INKspiration ~ Technique Tuesday {Shaker Frames}

Now Go Change the World!

This stamp {World Map} has totally changed my world. I've always loved the more masculine stamps and this one definitely floats my boat! One of the things that I really like about it is that you can color it. That leaves it WIDE open for creativity! So, I set to work with my blender pen and ink. 

Since we're playing around with Shaker Frames at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration, I thought this stamp would work perfectly for my vision. I wanted the shaker frame to resemble water. Since it's not like the treat cup and you can't put liquids in it, I chose to use beads instead. This was perfect!

Have I mentioned that I'm totally in love with this new cross grain ribbon? Well... I am! I like it so much that I ordered it in every color and this is the first time I've actually gotten to use it. I'm so glad that I have a whole rainbow of it!

What I Used:

Cardstock ~ Basic Black, Whisper White, Bermuda Bay

Stamp Sets ~ World Map, Something to Say, The Open Sea, From My Heart

Ink ~ Black StazOn, Cajun Craze, Baked Brown Sugar, Bermuda Bay, Pacific Point, Coastal Cabana, Lost Lagoon, Pear Pizzazz, Island Indigo

Tools/Other Supplies ~ Blender Pen, Apothecary Collection Framelits, Big Shot, Hot Glue, Glue, Sticky Strip, Dimensionals, Sponges, Paper Snips, Paper Trimmer, Shaker Frame, Window Sheet, Paper Piercing Mat, Paper Piercing Tool, Brayer

Embellishments ~ Antique Brads, Wooden Essential Elements, Bermuda Bay Cross Grain Ribbon, Baked Brown Sugar Twine, Seed Beads

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration ~ Happy Father's Day!

Today at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration, we're celebrating all the fabulous Dads out there! I've been busy creating Father's Day cards for some time. I don't have just one wonderful dad in my life, I have THREE! This card is special because it's for my hubby. He's an avid hunter so I'm sure he'll enjoy the rugged manliness of this design. This is the first time I've gotten to play around with this {Walk in the Wild} stamp set. I think it was a success!

What I Used:

Cardstock ~ Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Crumb Cake

Ink ~ Smoky Slate, Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Soft Sky, Soft Suede, Black StazOn

Stamp Sets ~ Hardwood, The Open Sea, Gorgeous Grunge, Walk in the Wild, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Tools ~ Paper trimmer, paper snips, distress tool, deco labels collection framelits, word window punch, dimenisonals, adheisive, sponges

Embellishments ~ Black ribbon

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration ~ Friday Favorites!

Today is Friday Favorites at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration! Once again, I've chosen {Hardwood} as my favorite. This card actually encases a lot of favorites for me. I really really love {By the Tide}. It makes for an easy masculine card. Something that is sometimes difficult to created. Another favorite is Tempting Turquoise. It is such a FABULOUS color! It was so much fun to put all of these "favs" together!

What is a great card without a great envelope? With the help of the Envelope Punch Board, I created this matching envelope. A big white envelope just seems boring to me, so I decorated it to match. Perfect!

What I Used:

Cardstock ~ Whisper White, Island Indigo

Ink ~ Smoky Slate, Tempting Turquoise, Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight, Pistachio Pudding, Cajun Craze, Calypso Coral

Stamp Sets ~ By the Tide, Hardwood, Something to Say, Gorgeous Grunge

Tools ~ Paper Trimmer, Paper Snips, Word Window Punch, Sponges, Dimensionals, All Purpose Liquid Adhesive, Glue Dots

Embellishments ~ Hemp Twine (non SU) 

A Ship in the Night ~ An Impressionistic Approach

Father's Day is quickly approaching. I know, you're thinking... no, it's next month. Well, I said that too, then I looked at the calendar and my busy schedule and decided I'd better get started or I'd never get them done I need THREE! One for my dad, one for my father-in-law, and one for the most wonderful Daddy of all...my hubby.

Masculine cards are one of my favorite things to make. Mostly because there isn't a lot of options out there to work with. I love pushing myself (a little).

This card was so much fun to create. It was actually pretty simple and quick to put together. Really, it was! Obviously I wanted to do a nautical theme. I'm addicted to them. I'm not really a fan of DSP, only because everyone has access to it. I wanted something very unique that you can't find anywhere. So, I decided to go with a Van Gogh theme. I think it worked out perfectly.

Sponges and markers were used to color the background.

I added a three dimensional look by cutting out the sails (from a second stamped image) and lifting them with dimensionals.

                            

I've recently started matching the envelopes to my cards. It's a simple way to add that unique, one-of-a-kind touch. I love it!

What I Used:

Cardstock ~ Whisper White, Basic Black, Island Indigo, Baked Brown Sugar

Ink ~ So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Marina Mist, Not Quite Navy, Night of Navy, Island Indigo, Soft Suede, Basic Black, Black StazOn

Stamp Sets ~ The Open Sea, Hardwood, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Tools ~ Paper Trimmer, Paper Snips, SU Markers, Sponges, Blender Pen, Water, Word Window Punch, Glue Dots, Dimensionals, Liquid Glue, Anywhere Glue Stick, Paper Piercing Tool

Embellishments ~ Vintage, Hemp Twine (not SU)

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration ~ May Color Challenge

Woo Hoo it's Color Challenge time at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration! Today's challenge is FABULOUS. I absolutely love this combination. Midnight Muse and Summer Starfruit are magnificent together, then you add Crumb Cake to the mix and it's to die for!

I personally feel that this combination is perfect for a masculine card. Something that I don't have a lot of. I went with a generic greeting. One that could be used for several different occasions. I'm still quite addicted to arrows, so naturally they had to be included.

Curious about the Dots? I just drew them with a Midnight Muse marker, then applied a spot of Crystal Effects over the top. 

Supplies

Cardstock ~ Crumb Cake, Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, Very Vanilla

Ink ~ Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit

Stamp Sets ~ Hello Lovely, Gorgeous Grunge, Off the Grid, Peachy Keen

Tools ~ Dimensionals, Anywhere Glue, Glue Dots, Decorative Label punch

Embellishments ~ Summer Starfruit twine (Sale-a-Bration catalog), Crystal Effects

Stylin' Stampinn' INKspiration~ Masculine Monday

Today at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration, we're showcasing Masculine cards. I actually have come to really enjoy making "manly" cards. Stampin' Up! makes it fun! With the use of {Hardwood} and {By the Tide}, I was able to make a go of it. 

If you haven't already used the {Hardwood} stamp, YOU SHOULD! I absolutely LOVE this stamp. I've used it on so many different projects. It is so versatile... and just plain AWESOME. I'm a big fan of the natural, rugged look anyway so this stamp just floats my boat.

I used some hemp twine to create a "net" for the Lobster to sit on. 

Lots and lots of Dimensionals were used to make these little sea critters JUMP out of the card. 

I used the Fancy Fan embossing folder to add texture to the Window Sheet behind the fish. I wanted it to really resemble water. 

I really like to decorate the inside of a card as well. This one was really fun. I just brushed the Whisper White cardstock with Soft Sky and Marina Mist ink pads and stamped the coral in Cajun Craze. 

Supplies 

Cardstock ~ crumb cake, basic gray, marina mist, basic black, whisper white

Ink ~ basic black, basic gray, marina mist, pool party, not quite navy, so saffron, cajun craze, lucky limeade, pumpkin pie, soft suede, soft sky, crumb cake

Stamp Sets ~ by the tide, hardwood

Tools ~ circle framelits, window sheet, big shot, paper trimmer, paper snips, dimensionals, 1" circle punch, sponge daubers, fancy fan embossing folder, bone folder

Embellishments ~ twine, 1/8" brads

By The Tide Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$19.95

Hardwood

$13.95

Circles Collection Framelits Dies

$26.95

1 Inch Circle Punch

$12.95

Big Shot Die-Cut Machine

$99.95

Bone Folder

$6.95

Silver Mini Brads

$5.50

Blender Pens

$9.95

Medium Window Sheets

$4.95

Sponge Daubers

$10.95

Stampin' Dimensionals

$3.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Wine tags... You're the Best!

I live smack dab in the middle of wine country. Yeah, it's rough. There are so many wonderful wineries out here it's ridiculous. So, I thought I'd make some cute little wine tags. It's so much fun to give a bottle of my favorite to a loved one, but it's even better to be able to personalize it.

I absolutely LOVE this color combination. Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse and Crumb Cake. How fabulous is that? I love that it's masculine and modern. 

Supplies

Cardstock ~ Midnight Muse, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Summer Starfruit

Ink ~ Crumb Cake, Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse

Stamp Sets ~ Geometrical, Hello Lovely, Peachy Keen, Gorgeous Grunge, Off the Grid

Tools ~ Paper Trimmer, Paper Snips, Dimensionals, Anywhere Glue Stick, Decorative Label punch, 1" Square punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig, 1 3/4" Circle punch

Embellishments ~ brass brads

Wine tag dimensions: 3" x 7 3/4" (score @ 3")

The Garden Gate ~ Carved with Love

I absolutely LOVE the new "Hardwood" stamp from Stampin' Up! It's so earthy and warm and manly. Perfect for a Valentine's Day card for my hubby! He is the most rugged, manly man I've ever met so a pink cutesy frilly card just wouldn't do it for him. I immediately thought of cutting this stamped image up and adding depth to it by shading the edges with a sponge and adding a darker piece of paper as the base. It worked! Once I did that, I added mini brads to each end to make it look like a gate. I added a few of the new embellishments from the Occasions catalog and a quick sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes and it was done! 

I wanted the heart to look like it had been carved with a pocket knife. How sweet is that? So, I pre-stamped the heart in Soft Suede and traced around it with Soft Suede and Early Espresso markers. I used a masking technique to stamp the arrow from the Geometrical stamp set (I'm slightly addicted to those arrows!). 

Supplies

Cardstock ~ Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake

Ink ~ Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler

Stamp Sets ~ Hardwood, Hearts a Flutter, Geometrical, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Tools ~ Stampin' paper trimmer, 3/16" Corner punch, Word Window punch, Dimensionals, Paper Piercing tool

Embellishments ~ Mini Brads, Natural 5/8" Chevron Ribbon, Basic Metal Buttons, Linen Thread

Drinks for All!

I'm kind of hooked on these cute little bottle tags. Here are a few more for the Christmas Season!

Supplies:

Cardstock~ Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

DSP ~ First Edition (retired), Glimmer paper in Champagne

Ink ~ Cherry Cobbler, Baked Brown Sugar, Cherry Cobbler Embossing powder

Stamp Sets ~ Santa's List, A Banner Christmas

Embellishments ~ Cherry Cobbler Chevron ribbon, Brads dipped in Cherry Cobbler Embossing powder

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Crisp Cantaloupe, Early Espresso

DSP ~ Glimmer paper in Champagne

Ink ~ Crisp Cantaloupe, Early Espresso

Stamp Sets, Beautifully Baroque, Daydream Medallions, Christmas Messages

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

Ink ~ Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Early Espresso, Baked Brown Sugar, Sahara Sand

Stamp Sets ~ Remembering Christmas, French Foliage (retired)

Embellishments ~ Antique Brads, hemp twine, orange ribbon