Delight in the Unexpected...

Sorry I have been so bad about posting. I always have great plans - just don't always seem to execute them as well as expected.

This card features Marcie - one of the characters from LaLa Land Crafts - which is one of the newer companies that we recently picked up for the store. In this image, she is sitting, which always poses a challenge for designing a card, so I had her "sit" on a piece of ribbon. She is colored with Copic markers and cut out. I used an EK Success border punch on 2 different pieces of cardstock - one is an embossed cardstock from Bazzill and the other is a print cardstock from Kaiser. After punching out the borders, I butted the 2 ends together on a lighter purple Bazzill layer, put that on a green layer and wrapped the ribbon piece around where the 2 pieces came together. Then I mounted all that onto a darker purple card and attached Marcie with foam tape so she is sitting on the ribbon. The words are from Hero Arts - I stamped them on green cardstock (same color as the green layer below), then punched them out with a circle punch and added a purple scallop circle cut from a Spellbinders die. That is also attached with foam tape.

Thanks for coming by today!

Jeannette

JustRite Daffodils

This is another image from the JustRite Breath of Spring stamp set. I LOVE daffodils - they are a happy flower and one of the things that we look forward to seeing every spring!

For this card, I started with the daffodil pitcher image and one of the borders that comes with the set. That was cut out with a Spellbinders classic oval die. The image is colored with Copic markers. I like to do the cutting first, just in case something moves when going through the machine, I have not spent a bunch of time coloring yet! That piece is layered to a blue cut out from the Spellbinders Labels Ten die set. The "background paper" underneath that is actually a very light striped designer paper that I stamped over with a Penny Black stamp in Ranger "Stormy Sky" Distress ink. It was just enough color. After that, I punched a border design out of navy cardstock and layered that to the stamped piece. I wrapped some May Arts ribbon around the layers and attached a bow with a glue dot. Layer that all up to a card with some KaiserCraft paper, add a few pearls and you're done!

Thanks for stopping by!
Jeannette

Glitter Puzzle...

If you're looking for an easy way to create interesting glitter backgrounds, this technique is for you! You need white sticker paper (also known to some as "crack and peel"), a glue stick and fine glitter. Sticker paper is basically a piece of white paper with an adhesive back (covered with a removable sheet to expose the adhesive). You start by drawing lines on the white paper with a pencil. The best are wavy lines - don't get too intricate, as you are going to have to cut along these lines. Next you cut the pieces apart and position them back into their original position (like a puzzle). I prefer to flip them so that the sticker backing side is now face up. Next, cut a piece of plain cardstock the same size as your original size of sticker paper. Apply glue from a glue stick to one side and attach the sticker pieces to the cardstock - so that the release paper side is face up (your lines will be glued down to the piece of cardstock). You'll need 4-6 colors of glitter - depending on how many sections you have and how many colors you wish to use. Start at one end and remove ONE section (and only one section). Sprinkle glitter over that section. I recommend rubbing the glitter with your finger to help push it into the adhesive. Shake off the excess and remove all excess with a soft, wide brush. Now, remove the next section and apply a second color of glitter. Keep doing this, one section at a time, until the entire piece is covered. A couple tips: 1) apply enough glue from the glue stick to get good adhesion of the sticker paper; 2) position the pieces carefully - you want them to abutt nicely together. Do not overlap or leave gaps; 3) after putting all pieces onto the cardstock, rub your fingers over the whole piece firmly to adhere the pieces and set the glue; 4) remove just the sticker backing from each section. This is probably the trickiest part - a finger nail works wonders!

You can mix and match a variety of colors to achieve some wonderful effects. On the card shown, I stamped a butterfly flourish from Kaisercraft on a piece of acetate with Stazon ink and then positioned it over my glitter puzzle and attached it to the card with gold brads. The designer paper is actually from a winter BoBunny collection!

Thanks for coming by today!
Jeannette

One more baby card...

This card is using a large stamp from Whippersnapper - colored this time with Staedtler watercolor pencils and a Dove Blender pen. The stamp was first stamped on a large piece if cardstock, then I used a ruler and exacto knife to cut a straight line across, below the balloon and then cut out the balloon. It is a great way to reduce the amount of "white space" on a card. The DP is from Kaiser. I ran the DP through the Cuttlebug with an embossing folder to add some dimension. A little ribbon is added for accent.