Online Card Classes: Stretch your Stamps

Hello Everyone,
This is the third onlinse card class I have done and I have to say, they never cease to amaze me with their great. easy-to-use ideas. I love the idea of being able to "stretch my stamps". This background technique that was demo'd yesterday is very easy to do. I bought some of the Felt ink pad stuff (not its official name) and inked it up with a rainbow of colours using my SU reinkers. Then I just stamped as usual. the sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp and I am just loving it. Hope you like the card - I am thrilled with the way it turned out.

Happy Stamping.
Meg

Cas-ual Friday 60: Use Text Challenge

Hello Everyone,
The summer has gotten off to a busy start. I was very relieved to have the school year come to an end - the year is always busy, but my switch from the classroom to the Resource Room was more of a challenge than I had anticipated. That being said it was very productive because it really got the old teacher percolating with new ideas! Anyway, enough of that - I have been stamping up a storm the last few days.

I love the CFC 60 challenge to use text. I created this card. I just got a Vagabond cutting machine and am even more in love with my Memory box Dies. I was finding with the Big Shot, I would have to shim each one differently and they were not cutting cleanly. This machine (Vagabond) is the machine! Thanks Tim Holz! Anyway, I used the Fresh Daisies die from Simon Says Stamp line of Memory Box dies. I love it. I ran it through my Xyron sticker maker to make the front sticky and then covered it with extra fine Glitter Ritz transparent glitter. Next I just coloured it with my Stampin' Write markers. The text background is En Francais from SU! - I love this background stamp. The sentiment is a new set of Hero Arts sentiments that I got thanks to a student of mine and the gift of a gift card she gave me. I love the way this card turned out - it relly is glittericious in real life.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Case Study Challenge 95: Another Card for Wendy

Hello Everyone,
For this week's Case Study challenge - I cased a case! In January I decided that my cards needed a destination - I was making too many that never seemed to have a home to go to. So, I made up my mind to send my BFF a card a week for a year; we live in the same city and we get together every week, but she is loving getting a little mid-week pick me up in the for m of a card. So, when I saw the case study challenge this week, I knew what Wendy's card would be. I actually cased the guest designer's case! Since I started this card club - I have added several more people as recipients and am so enjoying sending my designs out each week. Anyway, I love the way it turned out. My photo didn't quite capture how cool the cutout background looks - I just love my memory box dies! Anyway, thanks for looking!

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Cas-ual Friday Challenge 55: Style it with Bling

I love when Cas-ual Fridays Blog posts the new challenges. This week's challenge is to style it with bling - not much challenge in that for me - I have a hard time keeping the bling off my cards! Anyway, I just made a visit to my favourite local crafting store and stocked up on some new Memorybox dies... How can a girl resist when they keep coming out with fantastic new designs. So, I decided to test out this Christmas tree - I love it! I cut it out with SU's shimmer white paper and mounted it on Cherry Cobbler. I embossed the Cherry cobbler with SU's Snowburst EF. Then I added a Memorybox star cut from silver glitter paper. Finally on went the last touch of bling - clear rhinestones. My picture doesn't quite catch the real-life sparkle, but I think you get the picture! Thanks for popping in.

Happy Stamping and crafting,
Meg

Paper Players Challenge 85: Spring has Sprung!

Hello Stampers,
This week's challenge over at the Paper Players is "Spring has Sprung". I made this card this week and was just waiting to post it. I think it is perfect for this theme challenge. I used the coloured glitter technique that I mentioned in my last post - check out Julie Ebersole's blog for the link to the tutorial. I just love this technique and can see myself using it a lot in the future. The image is so much more glittericious in real life - I had a hard time finding a photo that would really do it justice... Anyhooo - Have a wonderful Sunday.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Play Date Cafe: PDCC121

This is my first time playing along with the Play Date Cafe. The colours this week just seemed perfect for this card that was percolating in my brain. I saw this fabulous coloured glitter technique here on Julie Ebersole's blog - if you haven't followed her work, you don't know what you have been missing! I watched the tutorial and found that it was really not a complicated technique at all. It works beautifully with copics, but I also used my SU Stampin' Write markers on this card and love the results too. In real life it is just glittericious - even my husband was oohing and aahing! Check out all the amazing cards over at the Play Date Cafe.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Papertrey Ink Day Seven: Gotta Have Heart

Hello Everyone,

Boy oh boy I am having fun with all the Papertrey Ink Anniversary challenges. They are really getting my stamping mojo going. I am loving all the inspiration. On this card we were to add hearts - so I did. In a rainbow of colours - I stamped each heart with Background basics Chevron stripes; then I used Wonderful Words and Wonderful Word Additions for the sentiment. I love the way this cheery card turned out. TFL.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Papertrey Anniversary Day Four: Dawn McVey's Colour Combo

Hello Everyone,
Today I made a card using a favourite colour combination of Dawn McVey's - I love the way she combines colours in her designs. Each of the Design Team over at PTI chose their favourite colour combos and today's anniversary challenge is to make a project using one of the colour combinations. I chose Dawn's as she is one of my favourite designers on the design team. I am pleased with the way it turned out! Happy Anniversary PTI!

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Paper Players Challenge 80: Use Flowers, PPA 128: Just add Red

Hello Everyone,
I bought this Memory Box Window Die a while ago and have been "dying" (pun intended) to use it. I love this floral stamp set by Maile Belles for PTI: Gracious Vases. It is so elegant and versatile. Anyway, I cased this card by Heather Nichols. I used the wood sheets from SU to make the window and embossed the Cherry Cobbler background with the stripes EF to give the texture of siding.  I love the simplicity of this card - it really was easy to put together and I think it would be suitable for a variety of sentiments. The flowers are for the Paper Players challenge this week and the red for the PPA challenge this week. TFL.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

PPA 128: Just add Red!

Hello Everyone,
It was a quiet day at home yesterday, so my creative juices were flowing. I made this card for the Pals Paper Arts challenge this week. I used Wonderful Words dies and Additions from PTI. I am also loving the nesting Hearts that SU has come out with. At first I wasn't going to get them because I don't like to buy things that are too holiday specific, but I am using them all over the place. The "forever" was a little finicky to adhere, but having done it once, I think it will be easier to reproduce. TFL.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Happy Anniversary PTI: Casing Dawn McVey

Hello Everyone,
Okay here is my second card for the Design Team Inspiration challenge over on Nichole Heady's blog. I have been following Dawn McVey for a couple of years now - I check her blog religiously everyday to get inspiration. So today I have used Turning a New Leaf for the leaves (go figure) and the background. I saw this rolled flower and found a tutorial - it is so easy to do. You can see the tutorial here. The sentiment is from Maile Belles' Gracious Vases stamp set. I have stayed with the colour scheme that Dawn used, but used Stampin' Up's label for the Flower mat. TFL.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Papertrey's Fifth Anniversary: Inspired by Maile Belles

Hello Everyone,
I was doing a little blog-hopping, when I hopped to Nicole Heady's blog and was excited to see that Papertrey ink is celebrating an anniversary: 5 years! That's huge. I just made my first PTI purchases this year, although I have long-admired their products. My husband gave me a PTI gift card and I was hooked. I have a few sets of stamps and some of their dies. My favourite designers for PTI are Maile Belles and Dawn McVey. Nicole has put together the most amazing give-away over on her blog, and while I won't hold my breath I am entering this card to have a chance to win. You really have to go check it out. I have chosen to case this card by Maile Belles. I love the CAS style. I switched it up a bit, but you can see the layout is all Maile. TFL.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

CFC 37: Sketch Challenge

Hello Everyone,
I am loving this little stamp set - it's called  Scootin' By and is from Sweet Stamp Shop. I have a little red electric scooter, so when I saw this set, I knew I had to have it. I love this CAS-ual Friday sketch and the two (sketch and stamp) just seemed made for each other. I paper-pieced the body of the scooter with a retired Stampin' Up DSP - I don't remember the name. Anyway, be sure to check out the CAS-ual Friday blog.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Last Post of the day: Clean and Simple Day Three

Okay,
Just one more technique I had to try before I packed up my crafts for the day - this one was creating a tone on tone look by using dies and creating multiple layers. I found this to be a bit time consuming and  I also found it difficult to keep the layers lined up. I think in the future I would just cut one layer out of chip board and cover it with cardstock. That being said, I do like the way this card turned out. TFL.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Clean and Simple Card Class: Day Two (and one and five)

Hello Again,
This is my second post for the day, so if you didn't see the previous one scroll on down. As I mentioned previously I am taking an online Clean and Simple card class. I have finally found some time to day to try out some of the techniques they - Julie Ebersole, Kristina Werner, and Jennifer McGuire - are teaching us. So this card shows a couple of things. The main technique is for creating a one layer card. Julie Ebersole demonstrated that you can create a triangle with your images and sentiment to create balance - so that is how I decided the placement of the flowers and sentiment. Then on day five there was a link to her blog where Julie demo'd the technique of colouring directly on Kraft paper - I knew I had to try that. Also, on day one Kristina Werner showed us how hand drawing a faux frame could be used to create dimension. I love the way this card turned out - I am telling you these gals know what they are talking about. I would highly recommend this class.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Clean and Simple Card Class: Day Five

Hello Stampers,
I am thrilled to be taking an online Clean and Simple Card Class, but I am a little behind with trying all the great techniques I am learning! I get up first thing in the morning and check what new technique they have for us that day - unfortunately I have to then head off to work! It was a busy week, so I didn't really get any stamping done - until today that is. So the first technique I wanted to try was from Friday's class - watercolour blocking. I did it two ways; the "Sending you Thoughts and Prayers" card is a direct case from the one demo'd for us in class. The "Praying For You" card I used the same technique but masked off the card front to create a grass and sky background for my tree image. I am pleased with the way they both turned out. I was having difficulty photographing them - they look so much better in real life. TFL - I am heading back to the craft room to try another technique.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Clean and Simple Card Class: Day One

Hello Everyone,
 I  am thrilled to be taking the online Clean and Simple Class. Today's class focused on clean and simple sketches with Kristina Werner and Maile Belles creating cards as inspiration. Kristina's sketch focused on a onelayer card that uses a faux frame made by a background stamp as a way of creating dimension. Maile's card focused on using the negative die cut to create dimension on a CAS card. I loved both sketches. I cased Maile's card pretty directly, but played a little with Kristina's sketch. TFL.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

PPA 126 and Paper Players 77: New Memory Box Dies ... I think I am in Love!

Hello Stampers,
I have just discovered Memory Box dies and am in love. The range of designs, their intricacy and the ease with which they cut make them a must have. Much to my delight, my local craft store here in Ottawa - Heather's Stamping Haven - now carries them! I used the arboscello tree to make this card. It follows the Pals Paper Arts colour challenge this week: Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, and Very Vanilla. Since I knew it was going to be a valentine, and since the colour "models" on the PPA blog have red lipstick, I felt adding a touch of red wasn't really breaking the rules! It also fits the theme challenge on the Paper Players Blog this week: All You Need is Love. To create the shadow for the tree, I first cut it out in NQN, and then in BBreeze and layered the two. The little heart is from the two-step owl punch. Be sure to stop by PPA and Paper Players to check the amazing designs. Tell me what you think!

Happy Stamping,
Meg

CAS-ual Friday CFC 34: Chipboard

Hello Stampers,
I have long admired the cards designed for CAS-ual Friday Challenges and have finally decided to play along. This week's challenge is to use chipboard. Yesterday I made some home-made chipboard heart embellishments with my heart nesties; so I took one of these and sponged it with some Melon Mambo. It is the perfect touch for this card. The stamp set I used is Modern Basics by Maile Belles. If you haven't already check out her blog - she has some amazing designs. Also, hop on over the CAS-ual Friday blog to see the amazing cards the deisgn team and other challenge entrants have put together. TFL.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

PPA 126: Modern Hello

Hello Everyone,
This week's challenge at Pals Paper Arts is a colour challenge: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy and Very Vanilla. Well seeing as I am not quite ready to put away my Papertrey Ink "Modern Basics" stamp set by Maile Belles - I decided to use it for this challenge. I cased this card by Maile. I think this design lends itself well in the blue PPA colour scheme. Maile has a very good photo tutorial which shows how to easily build this pattern. Thanks for looking - hope you enjoyed my take on PPA 126.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Colour Q: Inukshuk Love!

Hello Everyone,
I have been playing with my new toys from Papertrey Ink. I got this stamp set, Modern Basics by Maile Belles, with an order I placed for my birthday. I love this set - it is clean and simple and incredibley versatile. I actually used it for some Christmas cards too! I saw the Colour Q challenge: Cool Caribbean, Calypso Coral, Cherry Cobbler, and Pear Pizzazz and thought I would give it a try. Apart from Cherry Cobbler, this combo had me stumped. Then I saw a picture of an Inukshuk and this pattern popped into my head. I sustituted Pool Party for Cool Caribbean and Lucky Limeade for Pear Pizzazz; I think the colour combo works well in this more masculine valentine's love note. Hope you like it - TFL.

Happy Stamping,
Meg