Humphrey takes off!

Welcome everyone to my very first

Crafter's Companion

Challenge

Design Team post!
 

 Yep, that's right!

My big news, well for me, is that I am now a proud member of both the
Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog
and the
Crafter's Companion Blog!
This means I will be bringing you not only the fun new challenge every month,
but sneaks and releases of the newest Crafter's Companion stamps and products!

 

 

I am so thrilled to be on this team

that I celebrated by coloring this adorable "Humphrey" image

and making this window card

for the

Fall Colors Challenge!
 

 Today's the LAST DAY to get your entry posted!

 

 

Isn't she cute?

The image is

"Swinging By"

and can be found here at the CC store!

 

 

 

Lots of fussy cutting on this little sweetie!

After coloring and cutting, I attached her "rope" and

hung her from the window opening.

The paper used for background is  

DCWV, "Wild Splendor" stack
and the punched leaves are made with the tiny Recollections leaf punch.

 

Quick, join the fun and maybe you could win

a $30 gift certificate to the Crafter's Companion store!
 

~Jan~

Scor-Pal is my pal!

Welcome to the

DCWV and Scor-Pal Hop!

 

Today I am demonstrating how my Scor-Pal score board makes my card making so easy!

 

Rather than just a simple gate-fold card, I like to occasionally throw in a

double gate-fold box card.

 

This can be as thin as 1/4 inch, which allows for you to add small dimensional elements to the inside sentiment/decoration of your project!

 

"Autumn Splendor"

 

First, accurately scoring and cutting your 12 x 12 pattern paper is key.

For this simple card layout,

I use one sheet of two-sided paper as both my base AND pretty background for my card.

This is also where using a very heavy, high-grade paper is important.

DCWV stacks are such quality products that they serve perfectly for these projects.

 

Wrong side up, score 3" from all four sides.

Then cut out the corners and

follow up by scoring 1/4 inch from the first scores...

towards the outer edge of your paper.

That's the easiest, fastest way for me to do it.

 

This will make a 1/4" THICK card when folded.

 

I hope you can see it in this photo.

 

This will leave the front flaps about 1/2" apart when closing the card. I either leave this as is and add some eyelets to the flaps and tie with ribbon,

OR

do as I did with this card, and add several layers of matching paper including punched scalloped layers, and ribbon to lengthen the front top flap.

 

 

The little Blue Moon metal pendant was hung from the bow, with a resin flower glued to its' center.

 

 

 

For the inside, I used Scor-Tape to adhere pattern paper.

This holds so well, and instantly! No waiting for glue to dry!

 

 

The leaves were cut from the Autumn Melody paper with my Cricut and the sentiment is one I found on the web.

Spellbinder Labels Nine was perfect to showcase my sentiment!

And notice that the 1/4" depth gives me the option of adding a bit of dimension to my card! You could add as much or as little as you like!

 

 

These cards could be saved and displayed as "shadow boxes" by your recipients.

 

 

 

Candle is for display only!

Never light a candle near paper!

 

Hope you enjoyed my simple tutorial and will start going "out of the box"

with your card projects!

 

 Enjoy the rest of the hop,
and please leave commetns as you go!



Challenge #95 at DYSU!

 

WET OR DRY EMBOSSING!

YOU CHOOSE!
OR USE BOTH!

Our sponsors:

Robyn's Fetish!

* Winner's Choice of 5 Digital Stamps

      Birdie Brown

*Winner's Choice of 3 Digital Stamps

Paper Pretties

* Winner's Choice of 6 Digital Images

******************************************************

This week's challenge really put my new coloring skills

to the test!

 

I had the pleasure of working with the gorgeous

 "English Tea Cup" image from

Robyn's Fetish!

 

I used three copies of the image, cut them out, and then stacked them. Only then did I color them. That way, I could clearly see where the shadows and highlights would fall. This is my very first true mono-chromatic Copics project.

 

I am quite happy with the way it turned out!

Those lessons are really paying off. Thanks, Jennifer Dove!

 

 

 

The "Die-Sire" embossing folder, Floral Frenzy", is also something new.

You can find it on the Crafter's Companion store blog.

I love the pretty little flowers that really POPPED when lightly sanded!

 

Now, go check out the rest of the team's projects!



Mulberry Woods Everyday New Release!

At Crafter's Companion, we are celebrating another fantastic stamp set from

Mulberry Woods!

 

This little cutie-pie is from the "Everyday" collection.

There you'll find six new sets, each one so adorable that you'll want them all!

 

"Relax"

 

I will be the first to admit that when I see animal fur on an image, I choke!

And because I haven't mastered the art of coloring it with my markers (not yet, anyway) I am quick at grabbing a piece of fabric and dabbing the bear with some colorless alcohol. This gives the look of fur without any of that unpleasant stress and nausea that accompanies my regular "fur" sessions! LOL!

I used the same method to make "grass". I simply dabbed a stripe of solid green ink across my horizon, and using a cordoroy fabric, lifted the color in a vertical pattern!

 

 

The next obvious question is, "How did you make the tree?"

This was an idea I BORROWED from my friend, Jennifer Dove.

I ran the Co-ordinations cardstock through my embosser using a woodgrain folder and sanded. Then, I cut out the knot hole and attached the tree to the card front with

black paper rolled inside. (Your tree will stick out about an inch)

I attached some moss to the bottom, along with some flowers and punched butterflies, and my tree was done. Well, almost.  You certainly can't sit under a tree with no leaves and branches, so I dug through my scraps of silk flower pieces, and found the ivy.

 

 

From a slight side view, you can see how this is a 6 x 6 step card with the tree attached to the highest side.  I will probably not be mailing this, but I thought it would look sweet along with a nice gift of a gardening/flower magazine for a friend who needs a break.

 

Hope you enjoyed my sharing these ideas with you!

 

See you next week!

~Jan~

 



A Bevy of Butterflies!

In recognition of

Breast Cancer Awareness Month,

I made this layout using the prettiest butterfly stamp ever

and one of my favorite quotes!

 

Crafter's Companion

 has many different styles of stamp images...

funny, cute, sincere, and insightful.

I loved these butterflies from

"Flying Colors"

(part of the Sheena Douglas collection)

the very first time I saw them!

 

 

The proverb was taken from the internet.

I think it speaks volumes when it comes to the brave women who

face breast cancer every day!

"There, but by the grace of God, ..."

 

 

A side view showing the dimension I added to each butterfly.

 

I colored them with my alcohol markers.

Then, with the antenna and the Glossy Accents added, they really came to life!

 

 

This is definitely one of my all-time favorite layouts.

No personal photos, or even experiences journaled, but it simply reflects how I feel about the trials that one must be faced with when battling a horrible disease.

 

If you look closely, you will also see how I implemented a new embossing folder from Die'Sire!  More of that at Crafter's Companion later this week!

 I made the background layer more vintage by cutting and distressing the edges and inking it to appear more aged.

Paper:  Graphic45, "Botanicabella" 
Cardstock:  Bazzill

Thanks for sharing in this special project with me
and Crafter's Companion!



Cameo Greeting!

The challenge this week at
DYSU
is...

VINTAGE!
AGED!
DISTRESSED!

No matter how you say it,

Really throw on the ink, lace, ribbon, distressed edges,

whatever it is that speaks "old" to you!

And our sponsors:

Stampendous! 

* Silver & Gold Embossing Powders

Digi Darla

*Winner's Choice of 5 Digis

My Heart Pieces

* Winner's Choice of 3 Digis

 



Vintage is one of my favorite styles!

 

 

I used a Stampendous Jumbo Cling stamp,

and heat embossed the cameo image and then portions of the vintage floral frame
onto the basic chipboard dress form.

 

 

 

 

I embellished the cameo with a piece of a rhinestone bracelet I had, and

added the pearl, bling, ruffle and trim to the dress form.

The pin is handmade with assorted beads.

 

I will leave the inside blank and black, and when the occasion arises,

I will print out a message for the recipient.

 

Supplies:

Paper:  Cosmo Cricket

Chipboard: Pink Paisley

Stamp: Stampendous

Die: Spellbinders

 

 

 Please visit all of the Design Team's blogs
(their links are on my sidebar)
and leave them some love!
They have all been working so very hard and have some amazing projects to share!

 

 

 

 

Introducing Sky!

Today my card showcases an adorable little Toread nymph by the name of

 

"Sky".

 

She is cute, precocious, and very worldly.

 

I have visions of her scurrying around from here to there, crossing oceans and forests, without anyone being the wiser...

 

 

They may be "mythological" , but just like the unicorns and elves, fairies and gnomes,

do we really, truly believe they never existed?

LOL!  I 'd like to think they did, and still do, in some far away corner of the world.

 

 

I may only get as far as across this country, but this card will deliver a message of exploration and excitement... well, for me , anyway.

 

 

Each and every Toread has its' own personality depending on how each person colors it!  Go crazy with your markers and see what you can do!

 

I had a blast using:

 

7 Gypsies papers

Alcohol-Based Markers

Stickles

Recollections Brads

Leaf Charm, Blue Moon Beads

Cotton cloth, Dollar Store

 

 

Bye!!

 



Showcasing "Bouquet de Fleur" by DCWV!

My layouts this month

are made with the luscious new stacks from

DCWV

"Bouquet de Fleur",

and, hopefully, demonstrates how very versatile this stack is!

 

My first page is a very sweet and "girly" layout!

 

 

I fussy-cut the pink swirls from the pattern paper.

I wanted to take the elements of the adorable photos and bring them into my colors and embellishments. Hence, the tulle ruffled ribbon, quilt-like squares of pattern papers, and the large purple resin flower. The baby's momma is always saying how quickly the time goes by with her little ones, so I added the sweet, little clockface charm from the

Blue Moon Beads', "Trinket Shoppe" collection.

 

 

 

You can find the papers and the charms at your local Michael's.

 

The rhinestone swirls are from my Zva stash,

and the white satin flowers I've had for years.
 

 

My second layout is a more masculine one 

of her older child.

 

 

It is so hard for me to look at these photos and not be a little sad...

I babysat this adorable little boy from the time he was 3 months old until he was 16 months old. I shared with him learning to crawl, talk, walk, and felt as close to him as my own grandson.

He is getting so grown-up now.  He still calls me "Nanna Jan", and we get together as often as time allows.  How I envy my friend (their Momma) being able to stay home with these two precious children. They really are angels!

 

This stack has so many options, as you can see by these pages.

The plaid lent itself perfectly with the pattern on the tie,

and the green fussy-cut leaves fit well with the outdoor scene,

along with the jute twine and silk leaves.

Again, to add to the "time passing quickly" theme, I hung a small clock face from the same Blue Moon collection on the layout.

 

I am slowly getting back into scrapbooking the photos that I hold dear to me, and will surely start doing more if I continue to receive gorgeous photos like these on a regular basis!  Cards are fun, but the memories that these will preserve are priceless!
 

 

Thanks for letting me share with you today!

Now, time to start making your own memories!

And DCWV papers are the best place to begin!



Birthday Fishes!

Have you ever thought about hanging a tag

UPSIDE DOWN? 

I always think of tags as hanging DOWN,

 or off from one side...

 

I wanted the balloon string attached to the tag,

but wanted the tag to "float" UP.

 

Here's what I came "up" with...

 

This is the

Skipping Stones Design

sketch that inspired it all:

 

 

 

Flipped it over, and there you go!

 

Have fun playing!

There are no rules...just things that aren't done as a rule!

This fun little card also entered into the "Birthday" challenge at
By The Cute and Girly blog!

 



The wheels are turning at DYSU!

This week's challenge at
Do You Stack Up?

Anything with Wheels!


 

Our wonderful sponsors:

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

* $10 Gift Certificate

Jelly Park

* Winner's Choice of 10 Digis

Pink Cat Studio

* Winner's Choice of 5 Digis

 

 

 

 Here is my card using one of our previous sponsors' images,

CI-325 from Crafty Individuals!

 

 

I love the way this stamp heat embosses!  Every sweet, tiny detail shows up!

 

 

I've found myself needing more masculine cards,

with male friends and family having birthdays and short stays in the hospital. 

That's also why this was left without a sentiment.

This way, I can use it for anything!

In case you're wondering, the black metal embellishment is a piece from an old library magazine storage container. I simply cut the corners and edges that contained the metal strips, and then flattened them and sanded slightly. The containers had gotten wet and were in poor shape anyway, so rather than throw them away, I recycled!

A length of mesh or two, some sprockets attached with brads, some ribbon,
and we're done!

Enter to win some fun images of your own!