Time of Gratitude

TGIF  and Happy Summer to everyone north of the equator!  It now truly does feel like summertime in North Carolina with the hot temps and sticky humidity.  Our nice, unusually cool summer has hit the road, unfortunately.  Enjoyed it while it lasted.

This post is all about time as my card, not only made to thank my accountant for his expert advice and time, but also for the City Crafter Challenge this week, which is all about time.  And I used the sketch over at Card Positioning Sketches (CPS).  Amazing how things can come together at the perfect TIME!  Pun intended.

Speaking of time, I've been spending mine working feverishly trying to get my own crafty business up and running.  Having been in business for myself before, I knew there was a lot involved, but just as art takes time, incorporating creating and business sure  takes ALOT more time!  LOL!

That is my BIG announcement I mentioned a few weeks ago---my own crafty business, Soul Stampin' Designs!  Hopefully within the next two weeks I will have products posted on my Etsy shop (currently empty except for a banner).  I ran into a few creative problems, so it has taken more time than I planned.  You can't put a time limit on art and creating but it is amazing how much time it takes on the business side of it all. 

Thankfully, I have a great accountant who has been very helpful in getting the business end off the ground and since he is also a good friend, very supportive of my dream and vision for my business.  So, I felt it fitting to give him much thanks and gratitude not only by sending him a thank you card but also to make him the first recipient of one of my products (to be seen on a later post here).

The thank you card:

I used the pattern paper, Time Piece Collection from Bo Bunny.  I cut out one of the watches from one pattern (the bottom half of card, sprayed it with a little gloss spray and then glued a Tim Holtz time piece onto the center.  Then, I added the metal chain.  The top half of the card is another pattern paper embossed with the clock emboss folder (Tim Holtz) and lightly sanded.  I used a third pattern for part of the sentiment and cut the number and letters out using Vintage Market letter die cuts from Tim Holtz.  Didn't realize there's another them going on here --- Tim Holtz products!  Got to love 'em!

I did use something different for the center border, a Spellbinder postage border die.  I spritzed it with some bronze glimmer mist as I also spritzed a little on each other paper and the letters for a little old fashioned shine.  I inked the letters a bit so they would stand out more and the "thanks" banner.

City Crafter Challenge #114 - Time After Time

SPIES:
Stamps:  Sentiment (Fiskars).
Paper:  DP-Timepiece Collection (Bo Bunny); paper bag cardstock; white cardstock.
Ink:  Bronze Glimmer Mist.
Extras:  Postage border die (Spellbinders); Vintage Market letter dies (Tim Holtz); clock emboss folder (Tim Holtz); metal clock face and hands (Tim Holtz); metal chain; sand block (Tim Holtz); gloss spray.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Friday and fabulous summer or winter weekend!

Cute Hoots!

It's double duty tonight.  Did these over the weekend and just about forgot to post them for the Moxie Gingham Challenge.  Not so bad to be almost late this time since it means I have become so engrossed in creating I lose track of time.

Everything started with the owl.  Do I use a stamped image?  Do I use a die cut?  Nope.  I found a great little template from Heidi at Honeybearlane.com.  She used the template for a sewn applique but I just scaled down the template to make this little guy out of felt.  I just fell in love with him!  So much, I made a few more.

I actually only used the body and mask template for my owl.  His wings are actually from a leaf die from Taylored Expressions.  The owl's eyes are buttons with pearl gems glued in the center.  I used embroidery thread to make the tassel on the cap.

I used a label die and cut it up to make the sentiment sign so that it would resemble a diploma, inked the edges in black and tied ribbon around the end.

I 've been wanting to use my new Sizzix blossom framelits and this was the perfect project to do so.  The blossoms are layers of pink gingham paper, pink felt and DP paper.  I inked the petals, used a little pink smooch and some pearl Glimmer Mist to give them some sheen and shine.   The large flower has a black flowered brad for the center, which I think goes well with my stamped blossom floral background.  Wasn't really attempting to, but I think both give the card an Asian feel.

For the background, I used the TPC blossom stamps and colored them with Copics to compliment the DP layer of my blossoms.  I also embossed the background with one of the new Spellbinders M-Bossabilities, reversible emboss folders.  After placing it on brown cardstock, I smooched the edges of the paper.

Inside of Card

Since my project was part of a graduation gift ensemble, I decided to also make a gift bag to go with the card.  I used the Sizzix small gift bag die.  And, of course, I just had to make a blossom for the bag!

Moxie Fab World -Gingham Challenge

SPIES:  

Stamps:  Blossoms(TPC);  Sentiment (Fiskars).

Paper:  White, brown, rose cardstock.  DP.  Pink, brown, black, yellow felt for owls.

Ink:  Jet Black (Staz On);  Rose (Colorbox). Pink Smooch.  Copics.
Extras:  Imperial Emboss folder (Spellbinders), Blossom Framelits (Sizzix), owl template (HoneyBearLane), gift bag die (Sizzix), Yellow embroidery thread, black decorative brad, green decorative brad, black ribbon, pink ribbon, plastic buttons, white and pink gems.

CHALLENGES:
Moxie Fab Gingham Challenge
Passionately Artistic Linking Party

Here is the template I used for the owl.  If you click on the pic, it will take you to the template page at Honeybearlane.com.  So cute!

Cupcake Bling

Wow, two posts in one day!  This hasn't happened in a very long time.  So glad to be getting back to crafting and blogging on a regular basis and in a new studio to boot!

Today is my son's (Ben) girlfriend's (Chelsea) 19th birthday and this is her card I made for her.  She is such a sweet, bright and cheerful young lady and so I chose the ColourQ colors this week for her card.  I love how the cupcakes turned out.  They are from Taylored Expressions (I loooove that store!).  Each part comes separate so you can mix and match lots of different cupcakes and icecream cones.  I cut mine out to make as little die cuts.  I just think they are so cute and bright with a little bling to them with some crystal stickles.  I decided to add a little stickles to the balloons and the star in the sentiment.  The sentiment is from Taylored Expressions also and I colored it with Copics. 

SPIES:

Stamps:  Cupcakes (Taylored Expressions).  Sentiment (Taylored Expressions).

Paper:  White, Sand, Light blue, raspberry and navy cardstock.

Ink:  Jet Black (Staz On); Midnight Blue(Staz On); turquoise and raspberry (Hampton Art); Copics.

Extras:  Daisy Blast Emboss folder (Sizzix); Label Die (Spellbinders); rick rack border punch (EK Success); Star punch; light blue gems; crystal Stickles.

CHALLENGES:

ColourQ #139

Retro Sketches #14

Cas-ual Fridays #55

Have a bling-y Sunday!

Masculine Flashback Friday

Happy Sunday!

And it is the first Sunday in June too!  Summertime is here!  Of course, I could do without the humidity, but a given here in the south, and definitely could do without the mosquitoes, but yet another given in the south.  I'm thinking maybe the Hubs and I need to find that summer home in New England really soon!  Oh, but how I dream.  Anyhoo, there are a great deal of benefits of summer ---fresh vegees (this year from my own garden), lightning bugs, and my absolute favorite, the beach!  Hopefully we will get over to the coast even if just for a day or two or down to Myrtle and crash with my younger brother and his pups.

With that said, this post is for the current challenge at Flashback Friday, #24.  The challenge is to repost your first masculine card.  My card was done back in November 2009 and as you see, is fitting for my love of the beach with the lighthouse and sea stamped image.  You can see my original post here.  Not as bad as some of my older cards.

Flashback Friday Challenge #24

More posts to come today.  Finally getting some things done.  Have some big things happening in my tiny little crafting world.  Check back for big news to come!
 

Retro Graduate

 

Trying to get this posted tonight but my computer is not cooperating very well.  UGH!  A masculine graduation card with a retro grungy feel to it for Retro Sketches #13 and Moxie Fab "Splatters" challenges.

I love the splatter effect I got with my paint. I also stamped white stars and arrows on the "splattered" paper. Then I distressed the paper before cutting it in two pieces to layer them.

 

Moxie Fab Splatter Technique Challenge

SPIES:

Stamps:  Graduate - Digital Stamp(StitchyStamps); Stars; Arrows, diploma (Fiskars); Sentiment (not sure)

Paper: DP-EcoModern(K&Co). White, slate blue and orange brown cardstock.

Ink:  White chalk ink (Versa Magic) and Staz On Jet Black.  Icy white, cocoa acrylic paint.

Extras:  Alpha emboss folder; big dots emboss folder; stars punch; stars Framelits (Sizzix) ; Notebook border punch; black ribbon; sander (Tim Holtz).