Buzzin' by

Heya!

Got a card today that doesn't involve any Nesties - a tool I have used, oh...about the last million cards? ;)

So, just to get my mojo back on track, here it is...

  

I like it WAY better in real life than in the picture. Usually the picture is almost spot on. These ones...not so much. Oh well.

You can see I won the award "For Most Adhesive Pearls on a Card (not counting bling trails)" award. Yep, I stuck those each on individually, and geez, did it take forever!

So, this card was an attempt at successfully putting together three different kinds of patterned paper, lots of embellies and still look nice. Did I succeed? I don't think so...besides, I didn't even have that many embellishments - I chickened out at the last second. ;)  {Sigh} some people have that talent and some people don't...guess which category I'm putting myself in. ;)

 I was inspired by these challenges to make this card...Paper Sundaes, Embellish Magazine (I hope the colors are dominant enough ;)), Sketchy Thursday, Dutch Dare, Cute Card Thursday, The Pixie Cottage, Quixotic Challenge, and The Pink Elephant.

 Speaking of inspiration...would any of you mind poppin' on over to Jill's blog (Inspired by...) and leaving a comment? She's featuring little ol' me this week - you can see my cards, and then you can see Jill's fabulous take on them. So, share the love and leave a comment for her. :)

Anyways, thanks for stoppin' by today...and for putting up with all my italics! ;)

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Sending Love card recipe

Cardstock: Michaels

Patterned paper: Cosmo Cricket "Girl Friday"

Stamp: Hero Arts "Tree, Birds and Messages"

Ink: Ink It Up! black

Pearls: e.

Ribbon: Offray

Other: thread

Frabjous day!

Hello world!

The weather outside is slightly gloomy, but all is well in my little portion of the world! I (temporarily, at least) got my mojo back, had a FANtastic time playing volleyball last night, and then woke up this morning to find that I was being featured over at Jill's blog! I mean, I can't believe I'm being featured by the very same, amazingly talented person who featured other amazingly talented gals such as Lucy Abrams and Virginia L.! You can view her blog here.  Go on over and leave some love for her, will ya?...please? ;)

Here is the card I made...

...and what she said about it...

" And isn't it a beauty? I love her sparkling butterflies against the light pink background! The dark black ribbon makes a bold statement. The polka dot paper was the perfect choice to complement Clare's stamping. Finally, Clare makes the best shaped cards using her die cuts!!" 

{seriously, could she be any sweeter?:)}

And her fantastic card...

...and what I say about it!...

I LOVE the unique shape of this card! The adorable little elephant is colored to perfection, and the sentiment - is that glitter on the "good" I spy? The edge to the card, the embossed swirls, the elephant; they all combine to make an adorable card!

Okay, kinda pathetic. Not half as good as the way Jill puts things; but I'm a first timer, so, cut me a little break. ;)

I'm sorry to say I don't have a new card by me to share with you as I've been working on DT things lately, but I have got one cookin'!

Thanks for stopping by!

Clare

Hugs and Kisses

Heya!

A very girly card for you today...which is okay, considering it's for a relative, who loves flowers, gardening and such...

I cut out the flower border from Cosmo Crickets "Honey Pie" teaser strips...yes, rather out of date line, but still fun! I then (tearfully) cut one of my new HA stamps to make the butterfly's trail...it was worth it though...;). I used the HA grid stamp for the background, since it seemed a little blank, tied one giant juicy bow around everything, stuck it on some chipboard, and oila! Card!

I'm telling you, I tried so hard not to make a card with a butterfly (since I've been using them so much lately), but I couldn't help but stick one in there!  At least it's not the focal point...;)

I made this with these challenges in mind.... Hero Arts, 2S4Y, Lexi's Creations, FTT (pink, pearls), DCRU, Creative Inspirations, Quixotic Challenge, and FBW.

So, like I promised, I'm going to share with you some happy news; I'm on Practical Scrappers DT now! You might have seen the post already, but if you haven't, thought I'd share it with you. Congrats to all the other new DT members - I'm looking forward to working with you!

And MORE happy news; my fabulous friend Jill has only just become a Hero Arts hostess! Congrats, Jill! I was hoping for it! :)

Thanks for poppin' by today!

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Hugs and Kisses card recipe

Cardstock: Michaels

Patterned paper: Cosmo Cricket "Honey Pie"

Stamps: HA grid, HA "Thinking of You Messages", Martha Stewart

Ink: Martha Stewart

Ribbon: Offray

Other: pearls from recycled card

I care....nothing about this card!

Hellooo everyone!

I hope you had a great weekend, though I'm really gonna stink on it with this ucky thing...

I don't know why, but this card drives me nuts! I had some important news to share, but just because of this
card, I'm waiting till my next chance to post because I don't want the news spoiled. Yeah, I'm a baby, but I just do NOT like this card! The only decent thing about it is the bow; I saw Dawn Mcveys tutorial for making bows - it's SO addicting! I could seriously spend all day running my satiny ribbon through my fingers, making these bows. ;)

So, like I said, because I dislike this card so much {the only reason I'm posting it is because "one mans trash is another mans treasure...supposedly...}, I'm not posting the good news, and because I'm not posting the good news, I have nothing else to say {noticing a chain reaction here? ;) } but...

Thanks for stopping by to listen to me complain and look at this ugly glob of paper, and for leaving me those fabulous comments that keep me runnin' when something like this sticks my mojo.

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I care card recipe

Cardstock: Michaels

Patterned paper: Websters Pages

Ribbon: Offray

Stamp: Hero Arts

Ink: Ink It Up!

Other: gems from a recycled card, chipboard

An unhappy scapper...

Hi peoples!

I'm sorry for not posting in awhile - SO much stuff going on over at Simply Scrapping Crafts, having trouble uploading pictures, lost my cardmaking mojo for awhile, not enough time with the computer - basically, our main-computer-crashing-business is NOT making me a happy scrapper.

Enough with the excuses - I will hopefully have something interesting for you tomorrow, but today is pretty crammed.

Just thought I'd let you know! ;)

Thanks!

Clare

Hi There!

Hello, peoples!

A sweet little "friendy" card for you today...something out of my comfort zone...which is good...I think. ;)

The reason I say it's out of my comfort zone is that I generally like things uncluttered, and in this one, the bow is just about ready to gobble up the turtle sticker! ;)

I used my NEW Hero Arts stamps, "Thinking of You Messages" and am so so happy! I now have TWO HA stamps sets! Woo! ;) Pathetic for most scrappers, but for a gal who used to not like stamping, I'm on a roll!

I made this card with a friend in mind...she'd been having a rough time lately, so I thought this would be nice pick me up. Of course, I had to have inspiration before I could get going, and these are the spots I found it.

YNS, The Pixie Cottage, Design Doilies ("blue satin sashes" satin ribbon, "when I'm feeling sad" to cheer up my friend, and "melt into spring" the flowers on the turtle :)), Practical Scrappers (the embossing is on the edge of the card), Crafty Ann, and finally, Hero Arts! :)
And for another friend who recently celebrated a birthday, watch the mailbox 'cuz you got something coming your way soon! :)

Thanks for poppin' by!

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Hi There! recipe

Cardstock: Michaels

Patterned paper: Cosmo Cricket "Girl Firday"

Stamp: HA "Thinking of You Messages"

Ribbon: Offray

Ink: Martha Stewart

Other: sticker from DCWV Home "Adornments"

Miss You

Hi!

Okay, so I lied; I'm not gonna be showing you that one card you had a preview of yesterday. Today I'm gonna share with you a different card, one for SSC's Color challenge. You can check it out here, but it you don't have enough time (or are too lazy, as happens with me a lot ;)), here are the colors...

And my take...

I'll have a photo without all the fancy stuff later - right now I gotta skeedaddle! ;)

Thanks for stopping by and leaving me all those precious comments!

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miss you card recipe

Cardstock: unknown
Patterned paper: Cosmo Cricket "Girl Friday"
Stickers: Heidi Grace
Ribbon: Michaels
Other: Sakura gel pen

Cardmaking photography tips

Hello!

No new card to share with you today, but some good news; I was featured over at 2 Sketches 4 You as the Card of the Week. :) Yay! Thanks gals!

Here is the card...

...which can be found in this post.

Since I'm not sharing a new card with you today, I thought I share with you some photography tips. Now, I'm no professional, but this is what I do...

Get a bench and drape a white cloth over it...

(yes, this card is the one I will be showing you in a couple days ;))

For differant backgrounds, I do these...

Use 12x12 scrapbook papers...

Use another white cloth....

But the key to good photos is lighting - I take pictures by our large windows..

The one other thing that helps is a little editing. Some cameras (like mine!) just can't catch all the good light, so I use Picnik on Flikr to add the missed light.

Not the fanciest way to take decent photos, but definitely the cheapest! ;)

Okay gals, I got some sad and good news for you...

Lesley, one of our DT members over at SSC, has stepped down. :( She will be missed...

The good news is, we have a couple more spots for the new DT! Here is the blog post to go to...I would suggest just e-mailing us at sscraftsdt@gmail.com - seems to me the simplest way. ;)

So excited to see what everyone comes up with! :)

Thanks for poppin' by!

{butterfly birthday}

Heya!

Guess what? It's not a Valentine card today! ;) It's semi-birthday themed, which I haven't done in a while, using my lovely Nestabilities. I. Can. Not. Put. Them. Down. I love them so much! Even more than my first ones!

All these different backgrounds are here to show you how a little thing (like a background) in a photo can totally change the way a viewer thinks of that picture...also because I just couldn't decide which one I liked best, and, having limited computer time (our main computer broke down, and now I'm sharing a laptop with three other people), I had to make a quick decision. ;)

 

Can you believe it- I actually made my OWN paper background! Yes! I used the HA Grid stamp (which I won for the Honorable Mention) to do it. The other stamp I used is a clear dollar stamp from Michaels. I'm really starting to feel like a stamper here! ;)

This is for Dawn's color challenge because, in my last card, the blue didn't really show up, so I had another go, one that I am much more pleased with. Also for 2S4Y (I just flipped the sketch), Pink Elephant, TCP Tuesday, ABC challenge, Belli challenge, Creative Inspirations (I used the new HA stamp), FBW, CC challenge (glittered butterly, paper, ribbon), LLLC, Colour Create, and finally, dear Virginia is having a challenge over at her blog. My WOW! factor, though maybe not wow to those accomplished stampers over at HA, is the grid stamp - I hardly ever use any non sentiment stamps, and using a background stamp (of all things! - I was determined never to use one) is totally amazing to me!

Another happy thing happened today - I got my Souffle pens in the mail! One of the pens was missing, but I contacted the seller and it's on its way here. Here are my only decent coloring mediums...

Can't wait to play with them!

And now, because I didn't post the Chillin' Koala yesterday, here he is...

Cute lil' fellar, ain't he? ;) In case you missed my post, this was made by my sis. I wish I could show you her gallery (which is in this huge knitting/crocheting/anything fiber related group called Ravelry), but you have to be a member. :( So, if you're still interested in seeing some things she's made every once in awhile, don't be afraid to let me know! ;)

Thanks for hoppin' by!

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Butterfly Birthday recipe

Cardstock: Michaels

Patterned paper: Coordinating side to Crate

Stamps: Hero Arts, Michaels Dollar Stamps

Ink: Martha Stewart

Stickers: DCWV Home

Pearls: Basic Grey

Ribbon: Offray

If you live to be a hundred...

Hello everyone!

Simply Scrapping Crafts challenge today is...technique; paper piercing. Here is a handy link, and this is what it basically looks like...

See the added dimension?

Can you believe I hadn't even heard of this until just about two months ago? Crazy, I tell ya. Anyways, it's really fun...and here is the result...

 

Though this image is adorable, it took me the longest time to figure out how to use it...I usually like to keep my cards generally uncluttered (otherwise they look like big blobs), and I wasn't sure how to do it with this stamp. I (obviously) figured out how to manage it, but it sure was a pain. ;)

The background of the card came is text from the actually Winnie-the-Pooh story...I think it's the first chapter. I just printed it out on the back of the only cream colored paper I had; K&Company wedding paper. Elegant on one side, a whimsical story on the other. ;)

Now, for an adorable image I found while looking for a text background for the card; isn't this image just the cutest thing?

"If you live to a hundred, I want to live to be hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you." - Winnie the Pooh

One LAST thing; Simply Scrapping Crafts is holding a DT Call right now! You can view all the details here.

Thanks for dropping by. :)

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Pooh Friends recipe

Cardstock: SU!

Patterned paper: K&Company

Ribbon: Michaels Craft store 

Image: unknown

Ink: Martha Stewart

Other: Chipboard

Butterfly Kisses

Hi!

Another butterfly card, so beware! This time it is a valentine themed one for Practical Scrappers, CCC, TSG (I used the butterflies, pearls and ribbon), GCA, SSS (I took one of the elements out - hope that's okay), and OCC...

Inspired by, and helped along by (with this little video), the one and only Lucy Abrams.

I was thinking "butterfly kisses" if you're wondering why I have butterflies on a Valentine card. ;)

I used these fantastic DCWV Home Adornments stickers that I found (and on sale, nonetheless) - I used them in yesterdays post; everybody was trying to figure out how I made him, when he was right at the bottom of my supply list! ;) Yes, I wish I was that amazing of a stamper, truth is I'm not. I did have quite a few chuckles with all those questions when the answer was on the supply list.

The one stamping technique I did use though, was the pinkish tinge on the white cardstock. I used the Nesties as a stencil, and just sponged pink ink over it. Not hard, but it gives a nice affect...I think. ;)

I added this to the Etsy shop if you want to check it out.

Also going in to the shop (eventually!) is some of my sis' knitting; I took a few pictures today to share with you all.

 his wee little bottom...

 

Isn't he just the cutest? I'll share a little surfin' koala tomorrow, so stick around for more cuteness. ;)

Thanks for poppin' by!

P.S. Guess what? While poppin' through Lexi's Creations, I found out I had won the prize! This time it was random though; here is the "winning" post. :)

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Butterfly Kisses recipe

Cardstock: Michaels
Patterned paper: Cosmo Cricket "Girl Friday"
Ribbon: unknown - possibly Offray
Stamp: Sugarloaf
Ink: Ink It Up! black, Martha Stewart
Stickers: DCWV Home
Pearls: e.

nuts about you

Heya!

If you already haven't checked, RandomOrg picked the winner to my blog candy challenge. I don't know why that post went into caps mode, but it's extremely annoying, not to mention it looks terrible.

Anyways, on a happier note, I finally made a card after losing my mojo for almost a week! Eek! Not good!  I think that's the reason behind me feeling slightly depressed this weekend. ;)

Made this for TE, the Raspberry Suite color challenge (the greenish looking paper on the card is really blueish, but for some odd reason, my camera couldn't capture it), and Hero Arts. I have to say that participating in HA and the RS challenge are probably my favorites. The HA gals are, as I keep on telling you ;), are all so fabulous, and though I just started playing along in the Raspberry Suite challenge, Dawn McVey surprises me because she actually she responds to her readers questions/comments. I've seen some other talented bloggers who really don't pay much attention to these things, but Dawn does, and I think that is what makes her blog so fun to read. Anyways....;)

This is a rather nontraditional valentine - no pink and red, but that could easily be inserted by changing the ribbon color...

First time using this sentiment stamp - just a couple more stamps and I'll have used every single stamp in the "Tree, Birds and Messages" stamp set. Maybe not a challenge for some people, but for me, getting through the whole set is a big accomplishment!

You know, the cutest thing happened today. Yesterday was my birthday, but my two younger brothers were gone wrestling almost all day. So today, my youngest brother, who is seven, came up to me with an envelope and told me to open it. Lo and behold, what should I find but a card he made for me with five dollars in it! I gave him back the money since he'd already gotten me a present (he's had a recent obsession with giving away money since my mom won't allow him to spend it on candy), but I kept the card, and here it is...

 

 

Sorry for making this post so long, just had to share with this with you. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

ETA: You might want to stop by Simply Scrapping Crafts today as we're holding a DT call! :)

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nuts about you recipe

Cardstock: Michaels

Patterned paper: Cosmo Cricket "Honey Pie", Crate

Ribbon: Offray

Stamp: Hero Arts "Tree, Birds and Messages"

Other: Sticker "Adornments" by DCWV Home