Paper Crafters Sampler May Issue ~ Wooden It Be Lovely

Panels, planks, pallets.  What do they all have in common?  They're all made of wood.

 

Wood, be it recycled pallets, old fences or barnyards, has evolved into home décor and arts and crafts.  It's the later of the two in which the design team was given a challenge to create projects with a wood theme.

 

The May issue, "Wooden It Be Lovely" offers project ideas using stamps and textures resembling wood.  We've really come through with an array of ideas, each unique.

 

Keeping in theme with the wooden theme, the template of the month is a Garden Bench with a sweet Hardwood background stamp.

Sneak Peek at what I contributed!!!

papercrafterssampler.blogspot.com

Stop by and pick up the latest issue for just $12.99. You won't be disappointed!!!

A Little Rusty ~ Retro Sketches Challenge #121

I am obsessed with anything rusty. I'm a junk collector so the rustier the better! I was totally inspired today while surfing Pinterest. The colors are absolutely gorgeous. I love how they contrast and compliment each other. So, I set out on a mission to create my own rusty card.

Here's my Inspiration...

The sketch came from Retro Sketches for challenge #121. It's a fun one that really worked well for this card. 

Here's the Sketch!

My initial idea was to make a gate with rusty hardware, but it didn't exactly turn the way I had it pictured in my head. I just plain ran out of room for hinges. Oh well, I really like the way the coloring turned out. I hope you like it too!

Here's my Creation!

Supplies Used:

Cardstock ~ Early Espresso, Baked Brown Sugar, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Cajun Craze

Ink ~ Soft Suede, Baked Brown Sugar, Sahara Sand, Cajun Craze, Tangelo Twist, Hello Honey, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Tempting Turquoise, Soft Sky, Early Espresso

Stamp Sets ~ Hardwood, Chalk Talk, Gorgeous Grunge

Tools/Other Supplies ~ Sponges, Big Shot, Circle Framelits, Chalk Talk Framelits, 1/4" Circle punch, Paper Trimmer, Paper Snips, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Paper Piercing Tool, Piercing Mat, Liquid Adhesive, Dimensionals

Embellishments ~ Antique Brads, misc. brads

Oh Baby!

I have been wanting to make one of these for quite some time. I love doing the chalkboard technique and this is a super cute way to incorporate it. I think it would also be adorable for a teacher's card. But, since I don't have any baby cards in my stash I thought I should do this instead. 

The cardstock by itself is too thin to let the easel stand on its own, so I backed it with Vanilla Coaster Board.

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Basic Black

DSP ~ Sweet Sorbet

Stamp Sets ~ You Are My Sunshine (retired), Itty Bitty Banners, Hardwood, Banner Blast

Ink ~ White StazOn, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pool Party

Tools ~ Itty Bitty Banner Framelits, Boho Blossom punch, Banner punch, Vanilla Coaster Board, Dimensionals, paper trimmer, adhesives

Embellishments ~ Sweet Sorbet Accessories Pack, Mini Brads, Pearls Basic Jewels

Itty Bitty Banners Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$11.95

Boho Blossoms Punch

$16.95

Vanilla Coaster Board

$5.95

Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack

$0.00

Banner Blast Wood-Mount Stamp Set

$0.00

Banner Punch

$0.00

Silver Mini Brads

$5.50

Basic Pearls Jewel Accents

$4.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Fascinating Feathers ~ My infactuation

Today has been a long day. Shuttling kids to and from school, doctors appointments, moving hay, cleaning house, feeding critters, homework and dinner. To say the least, this week is catching up to me in a hurry. Come on Friday! Despite being totally exhausted, I decided to sneak to my She-Cave. I was only going to tidy things up, but I got sidetracked and fell into some stamps and ink. Oops! I don't know how that happened!

I think I am on a new kick. After making yesterday's card, I am hooked on a Southwestern theme. What better to show that off than wood, arrows, and feathers? I wanted to go with softer, more subtle colors, so I chose Sahara Sand and Soft Sky. I know that the Soda Pop Tops are retired, but I stockpiled them and need to use them. Besides, they're pretty amazing! I really like how this turned out. It is masculine enough for the manly man in my life, but it's also soft enough for any occasion. SCORE!

Supplies

Cardstock > Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand, Whisper White

Ink > Sahara Sand, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Soft Sky, Basic Gray

Stamp Sets > Hardwood, Perfect Pennants, That's the Ticket, Peachy Keen, Off the Grid, Chalk Talk

Tools > Distress tool, paper snips, paper trimmer, Ticket Duo Builder punch, 1" circle punch, Dimensionals, adhesive, sponge daubers

Embellishments > Soda Pop Tops (retired), thread, Natural Chevron Ribbon

Finished Size: 4" x 5 1/2"

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