MARDI GRAS!

Hello Everyone!  This year Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine's Day, so guess what day Tuesday, the 13th is, Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras!  Has anyone thought how much fun it would be to create some fun cards to send out "just because" to friends and family?  I sure did.  Here they are:

I love Creative Impressions embellishments joined with Graphic 45 papers!  I still have a stash of G45's Midnight Masquerade paper that I wanted to use just for this theme.  Love the combination.  Of course, I thought the embellishments that really "made" these two cards were the Velvet Shimmer Ribbons 70971 Orange and 70978 Lavender  and especially these wonderful Yellow 90602 Fleur-di-Lis paper fasteners/brads!  Don't they make you immediately think of New Orleans and Fat Tuesday?

Here are some close ups for detail:

For this first card, I created a border using one of my border punches and a matching shade of orange cardstock.  I then layered on one of the G45 papers in the collection after first wrapping Creative Impressions Orange Velvet Shimmer Ribbon around each side edge.  Then I punched three holes on each side with a paper awl and inserted the Yellow Fleur-di-Lis brads.  What a difference!  I cut out some masks separately from the paper and used foam tape to adhere them to a black panel.  I could not resist adding some Orange Stickles to the bottom border as well.  Here is the card without the brads:

See what I mean?  It is still pretty but it really "pops" with the addition of the brads!

Of course, I think some feathers coming out from behind the masks would have really added some "punch", however, I am allergic to feathers, so alas....disappointing.

Now for some detail on the second card:

I cut an extra of the costumed character from another panel as well as the larger flowers and adhered them over the top of the bottom images using foam tape.  I used some Orange and Purple (Starry Night)  Stickles to accentuate the mask and part of the pattern of the clothes.  Matches the beautiful Creative Impressions Purple Velvet Shimmer ribbon well!  I added some White Pearls from Creative Impressions to the flower centers and, after wrapping the panel on the left side with the ribbon, I adhered all to a second G45 panel and finally to the card.

Hope you have enjoyed these Mardi Gras themed cards.  Hope they make you think of New Orleans and maybe even Brazil and Carnival!  Party on!

Susan

Valentine Paper Scrap cards with G45 and Creative Impressions

Happy February everyone!  Today I have seven Valentine's Day cards to share with all of you which were created completely out of paper scraps!  I had a small bag with leftover paper scraps from a wonderful class I took at Rocky Mountain Art Retreats last year.  We made a wonderful Birthday Planner paper bag book using Graphic 45's Time to Flourish paper collection.  The scraps were just too beautiful to throw out, so I stored them away and waited for the right time to use them!  Now is the time!

I love to challenge myself to make cards using paper I might have otherwise thrown away.  G45's cut-apart papers are so versatile as there are many designs on a piece of paper.  However, I knew that these cards needed some ribbon and fabulous embellishments, so off to my stash of
Creative Impressions embellishments I went!

Here is the first card I created.  As you look over the different cards, keep in mind that there is a lot of paper piecing going on!

To give you an idea of how I started the card, here is a photo of the different paper pieces I decided to use.  Of course I didn't have a big enough patterned paper piece for a background, so I overlapped two smaller ones together.

Now you can't tell there was even a gap in the background, can you?

The addition of some fussy cutting pieces as well as some Creative Impressions Double Stitch Gros Grain and Crepe ribbon and a Burgundy Country Heart makes this card pop, don't you think?  I had some tag "tops" left over from another G45 project that I had saved.  Now it looks like there is a tag.

Here is another card:

I forgot to take a photo of the "before" of this card, however, it started out in a very similar way.  The background paper only went part of the way down the card, so I used a strip from another piece of paper to "lengthen" it.  I had the two cut apart pieces plus a postage stamp.  I die cut a larger heart, placed it in the center of the card, adhered the two cut-aparts on an angle and then, using foam tape, adhered the postage stamp to the card.  It still wasn't quite right.  Creative Impressions Gingham ribbon tied in a bow onto each cut- apart along with an Antique Copper Country Heart  solved the problem!

Now for the third card:

I like the way this card turned out using cut aparts as well some die cut hearts and a fussy cut rose bush, however, it still needed something.

Creative Impressions Velvet Shimmer ribbon and a word stamp by B Line Designs to the rescue!  Now it "pops".

Now for something a bit different.  I only had a little background paper left, so I decided to try covering an ivory card panel with Natural Web Ribbon from Creative Impressions.  I used matte medium to adhere the mesh to the card panel in three strips.  I love it!

I trimmed off the excess around the card panel, added a G45 cut-apart panel, used foam tape to adhere another "cupid envelope" over the top of the middle one and finished the card by wrapping some Creative Impressions Thin Red Twine around the cream panel and adding an antique Copper Country Heart to the center.

Love this textured background!

This next card was pieced again using a background paper:

Again pretty paper, but too simple a card for me.  Here is the finished card:

A big difference, huh?    I added some brown cardstock as a mat for the patterned paper panel, a piece cut from a decorative border punch that was in my stash, a postage stamp matted with a piece of brown card stock along with the word "Valentine".  Creative Impressions finished off the piece nicely again.  I used their lovely Singe Stitch Gros Grain ribbon along with another Antique Copper Country Heart placed in the center of a die cut heart.  Five cards finished!

Now I was getting low on supplies, but determined to get another two cards made with what I had.  This card has tons of piecing on it!

Now I had two holes to cover on this card!  Once again I added a strip of border  punched cream card stock above the cut-apart border strip.  Then I decided to create a faux tag again using another leftover tag topper and a piece of burgundy card stock with postage stamp images on it.  I made a burgundy mat for the words "Hugs and Kisses" and adhered it to the card.  I used a fabulous Crepe Ribbon from CI to finish this card.

Finally I arrived at my biggest challenge!  This last card started out as nothing more than this:

 and ended up like this:

I truly almost surrendered with this card.  Nothing seemed to work with the pieces I had left.  Then I decided to take the postage cut aparts I had left and see if they would work for the card.  I am pleased with the way it turned out!  Of course adding some "bling" from Creative Impressions really finished the card off well.  I used light and dark silver pearls to different areas of the card as well as a small heart from Heart Bling for the finishing touches!  It worked!

Now it's your turn!  Take a look in that scrap paper drawer of yours, pull out some Creative Impressions ribbons and embellishments and have fun!

Susan

Collection Folio Challenge!

Here it is - the 23rd challenge for the Compendium of Curiosities III - the Collection Folio found on Page 34 of Tim's third book!  I will confess I was a bit nervous about taking on this challenge on as it looked like quite the task!  However, it has turned out to be one of the most rewarding challenges I have done!

I decided I would use my maternal grandmother, Eunice Blanch Wood, as my inspiration as she was truly one of the strongest people I have ever known.  She was also kind, loving, faithful and patient, attributes that I will always remember.  I was also blessed to be the granddaughter she wanted to have her photos, so I have lots of wonderful photos to work with.  It was hard to fit them all in!

Here is the cover of the folio:

I originally resisted using Tim's Wallflower Stash as I use it quite frequently, however, it is truly my all-time favorite paper and I couldn't bear not to use it for this project!  Don't ever discontinue it, Tim!  I removed the elastic closure and covered the entire folio with the paper with the exception of a few of the "fold-over" areas.

I then cut out my favorite picture of my grandmother with an oval die and oval scalloped die and mounted it on green and brown card stock.  I used Tim's Alterations Typeset die to cut the letters for her name.  After this was done, I reattached the elastic closure through the designated holes, adding a Word Band to the top before threading it through the last hole.

Now it's time for another confession!  I tend to generally "play it safe" with colors and textures.  However, I finally decided I needed to step out of my comfort zone and go crazy!  I did this with the inside piece of the folio that the photos and ephemera are attached to.  Here is what it looked like when I started:

I used Tim's Frameworks Trellis Die as well as the Latticework stencil along with Peeled Paint, Antique Linen, Forest Moss and Gathered Twigs Paint.

The fun then began!  I have to admit that it took me two full days to put this together, however, I wanted it to be extra special.  I also had lots of photos I wanted to incorporate.  You certainly don't have to put as much as I did into this project - just select a theme you like and go for it!

For the inside cover of the folio I used one of Tim's Mini Cabinet Cards and placed my grandmothers baby's picture in it!  I always laugh when I see it as she looks so startled.  I used this photo for the first challenge and turned the photo into a birthday card.  I die cut a banner from Tim's Sizzix Alterations Tattered Banners strip and hand wrote her birthdate.  To finish this cover I added two photos of the farm where she was born in Alva, Oklahoma.

On the right side I sandwiched two new Elementary Flashcards, one that said "family" and the other "story" over the first cascading flap.  These Flashcards have such wonderful words on them!  Love them!

On the right hand side of the second cascading flap I attached two photos of my grandmother's family.  I used an Industrious Frame from the new Gallery set to frame her parents' wedding picture.  Some photo corners from the same set were used in all four corners of the family photo.  I used the Alpha Parts: Newsprint letters to spell out the word "Family" at the top of the photo.

For the back of the second cascading flap I added two more photos which I adhered to not only the flap, but also the reverse side of the photos on the opposite side.  I used the Life Quotes Remnant              Rubs to add some words.

The right side of the third flap features my Great-Grandmother Mamie.  I used a library pocket I had in my stash.  I laid it on its side and covered part of it with paper from the Wallflower Stash.  After placing the photo on a brown mat, I adhered it over the paper and added some Alpha Tiles to spell out her name.  I tucked in a tag I colored with Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress Inks and stamped with a B-Line Designs Gorgeous Fabric background.  I added another Elementary Flash Card and then a Remnant Rub from the Botanical set to the card.  I finished the front of the flap die by cutting and adding a Tim Alterations Distressed Doily die cut and  fussy cutting a rose image from the Wallflower Stash paper (one of my favorite things to do).  The last touch was the addition of an ephemera piece from the Emporium Ephemera Pack.

Close up of the tag:

I used the reverse side of the third flap for one photo plus another Flash Card and some fussy cut images from the Wallflower Stash paper to create a nature collage. 

I also stamped the tag on the reverse side with a stamp from Wendy Vecchi's The Beauty of Art stamp set.  Here's a close up of the reverse side of the tag:

On the right side of the fourth flap I used two large #10 tags.  I adhered a reduced size copy of my grandmother's graduation certificate to the top tag.  I used two B Line Designs stamps for the bottom tag, Women are like Buttons and Button Collage that I stamped lightly with Antique Linen Distress Ink.  Another photo was placed on this tag along with a Life Quotes Remnant Rub, Stencil Mark and Chit-Chat sticker.   Both tags were finished with a strip from the Industrious Gallery Stickers, two bows made from Crinkled Ribbon, a Ring Fastener and a Graphic 45 Shabby Chic key.  Another                      Flash Card with an image from the Botanical Remnant Rubs can be found in the center of the flap.

The left side of the fourth flap features two #8 tags to which have been added Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress inks and adhered to the larger #10 tags on the opposite side.   I decorated the tags with another photo, my grandmother's wedding announcement, a flower from the new  Emporium Ephemera pack, two bows made from burgundy seam binding that was crinkled, an photo is an oval frame from the Industrious Gallery Stickers with a photo, a Flash Card with a Botanical Remnant Rub and a metal key (sorry - not sure where this is from) and a floral stem from Nature Adornments.

The left side of the fifth flap was adorned with photos of my mother and uncle in Industrious Gallery Frames and finished with words from Chit-Chat stickers.  The back of the library pocket on the opposite side was decorated with another photo and Label Letters spelling my mother's name.  I also attached a gingham ribbon bow by Creative Impressions to the tag front.  Here's a close up of the tag front:

 Finally the back of the tag was stamped with a border from Wendy Vecchi's The Beauty of Art set and a stamp from Wendy's new Art and You set.

Close up of the reverse side of the tag:

Finally, the last flap was adhered to the back of the folio and a large photo of my grandparents on their honeymoon was placed on top.  A later photo of my grandmother was adhered to the top inside flap and a photo with me in it was adhered to the inside bottom flap and a fussy cut image from the Paper Stash was glued over the photo and onto the paper. 

I had to move from my small studio to the dining room table to spread everything out for this project. Here is what it looked like (I'm embarrassed to say):  I would bet that many of you can confess to the same thing!  Am I right?

Wow, that was a much longer post than I had intended, however, there are so many details I wanted to share with  you.  Now it's your turn to create something beautiful with this wonderful Collection Folio and share it with us.  As usual, head on over to the lovely Linda Ledbetter's site, read the rules for the challenge and start creating!  For this 23rd Challenge,  Inspiration Emporium is sponsoring a shopping spree in the amount of $50.00 for one randomly chosen winner.  Tim and Mario have a fabulous prize package for the winner of the Curiosity Crew Choice.

Good luck to everyone and have fun!

Susan

Distress Watercolor - Part 2

I know I say this every time, but I really can't believe we have arrived at Number 20 for the Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge!  I hope all of you are having as much fun as we are creating these projects!

I finished this piece just before I was lucky enough to go to the Craft and Hobby Trade Show in Anaheim, California with most of my dear friends and fellow members of the Curiosity Crew, including the lovely Linda Ledbetter (unfortunately several members could not attend this year).  We have returned with lots of new ideas and inspiration which we hope to share with all of you.

Here is the card I created using this wonderful Distress Watercolor Part 2 technique:

I have wanted to use this fabulous Tim Holtz dragonfly stamp by Stampers Anonymous for such a long time!  Even though we are still in the midst of Winter, I must say that, after being in California and returning to snow and cold, I am ready for some warmer weather and dragonflies!

Have you used Ranger's watercolor paper yet?   I love it! There is so much detail on the paper and the ink colors stand out so beautifully!  

I apologize I don't have a lot of step by step photos.  However, here are a few close-ups of the card details:

After following the technique found on Page 40 of Tim's Compendium of Curiosities III book which can still be purchased here, I added some more detail to the card.  This is a silver dragonfly brad from Creative Impressions to which I added some Seedless Preserves Distress Paint (my favorite color) and placed it inside the "dragonfly" circle which is part of the stamp.

I took a scrap piece of the watercolor paper and stamped Happy Birthday from Tim's Simple Sayings.  I cut the paper to the same width as my dragonfly piece and adhered pieces of aqua card stock to the backs to create two mats.

Next I had some beautiful Birdsong Cherry Blossoms paper from Graphic 45 which I thought would make a lovely background. I adhered both stamped and matted pieces to the G45 paper.   I also wanted to add a few extra flowers, so I fussy cut several of the flowers from the paper and layered them to some foliage cut from Tim's Sizzix Alterations Spring Greenery die using green card stock accented with some Peeled Paint Distress ink.  I then adhered more foliage to the base of the card underneath the Happy Birthday sentiment from Tim's Simple Sayings stamp set.

The watercolored dragonfly image and the Happy Birthday sentiments were both layered onto aqua card stock and adhered to Cherry Blossoms background paper.  To finish this piece I used Tim's crinkle ribbon which was dyed with Tattered Rose and Spun Sugar Distress Paint, tied into a bow and adhered to the bottom of the card.

This 20th challenge is being sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  A $25.00 shopping spree will be awarded to one lucky randomly chosen winner.  I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely owner, Linda, at the trade show.  What a wonderful and sweet person she is!

Tim and Mario have another prize package awaiting the winner of the Curiosity Crew choice for this challenge.  Head on over to Linda Ledbetter's site for all the rules on how to participate and possibly win this terrific prize package.

Come join us!  We would love to see your creations!

Susan