A Different Kind of Challenge.... 33

Hi Everyone! I appreciate all the sweet comments that have been left regarding my creations :) They sure are encouraging & greatly appreciated!
Today I have a different kind of challenge... You know how fashion goes around & around, never really changes, just comes full circle? Well, I feel like that is what I have done: I started sewing when I was 16 as a necessity to mend my clothes, (growing up with 10 siblings), to making my daughter's dresses & quilting during the long cold winter days & nights in Buffalo, NY. I then adventured into scrapbooking, scrapping my children's photos & making memory books to sell. My girlfriend, Dianne, & I had a wild idea that we could actually make $ selling little memory books at the Hospital Holiday Bazaar. LOL! That was a bust but we had a lot of good laughs & that is when I met my 1st SU Demonstrator, Shana, who introduced me to stamping & has become my dear friend. Consequently, Shana welcomed a set of wonderful twin boys & rarely gets a chance to stamp anything these days & Dianne took on a job requiring 4 out of 5 days of traveling & doesn't even step foot into her Craft room! As one of my New Year's resolutions, I have promised myself that I am going to complete some of those unfinished scrapped books :) I have "met" many cyberfriends, if you would like to see some awesome creations, please feel free to visit their blogs. In no particular order: Diane, Kim, Carole & Susan to name a few! Which leads me to today's post - Are you still with me? :)

Here is my 1st page from our trip to Europe 2007- Venice One think I find very challenging is choosing which photos to use. We always take a million! These 3 are some of my favorites. I love the largest photo which is a "street" view of Venice taken from the water taxi. Of course, I had to get a few pics of the Gondoliers & their beautifully ornate Gondolas.

For sketch inspiration, I turned to the gals on Splitcoast Stampers for some inspiration, SBCS68, to get my scrappin' MOJO flowing :) I tweaked the sketch a bit to "fit" my photos. I "flipped" it & eliminated the big circle because it just didn't look right with my photos. I hope the SCS girls don't mind :) In my search for inspiration, I came across a few awesome sites, but if any of you scrappers out there can recommend some, my "eyes" are wide open for suggestions :) Please feel free to email me or pass the information on in a comment, I read them all!
As you can see, I love to layer my pages as much as my cards :) This is a close up view of the little blossom on the left I made using 3 different sized Spellbinders Scalloped Circle dies & 1 tiny Blossom die. The ornate center is a Making Memories brad.
I made this "Post Card" embellishment from a free digital print of a map. I downloaded the image, scaled it the size to fit my page then hit print! Easy as that! I never knew just how many freebies are out there on the www! I inked up the Post Card image from the SU Winter Post set with SU Chocolate Chip ink & stamped it near the top of the map. I crinkled it up for a distressed look & smudged some Ranger Tim Holtz Vintage Photo ink on the edges as well as the print. Using my distressing tool, I roughed up the edges, layered it on a piece of Bazzill brown cs, then stitched it into place. I found that gorgeous button at the "garage sale" at my LSS :) The little postage stamp image inside the fancy Tim Holtz Ideology bookplate is from a Hero Arts multi-package. I inked it up with SU Rose Red ink then cut it out using a Spellbinders Oval die.
To make this little tag, I inked up the Hero Arts Italia image with SU Bordering Blue ink, stamped then cut it to fit inside the Cuttlebug postage stamp frame, layered with a piece of Bazzill brown cs & set aside. The tag itself was made by first stamping the Waltzingmouse image with SU Chocolate Chip ink then by centering the Spellbinders Labels 4 die right over the image, then sent it through my Sizzix Big Shot Express machine. The tag topper was made from inking up the Waltzingmouse image with SU Old Olive ink, centering the Spellbinders Labels 4 die & repeating the cutting process. I repeated this step again by placing a Spellbinders Scalloped circle die over the image. Topped it off with a little clip from SU.
This big blossom was made by layering the beautiful, whimsical MTME © Fluttering-by digi paper & K&Company DPcut with the Spellbinders Dahlia die then distressed. The center has a Tim Holtz Ideology flower embellishment & pearl Paper Studio brad.

So there you have my first scrapped page of 2010 :) There will be many more to follow. I would love to know if you are a Scrapper as well as a Card Maker? Be Sweet!

Stamps: Hero Arts Italia Tower, International Cancel Post, SU Winter Post, Waltzingmouse stamps, various free digital images
Paper: MTME © Pretty Printables: Fluttering-by, K&Company DP, Bazzill Brown, SU Very Vanilla, Bravo Burgandy
Ink: Ranger Tim Holtz Vintage Photo, SU Chocolate Chip, Cranberry Crisp, Bordering Blue, Old Olive
Sprinkles: Spellbinders Dahlia, Blossom, Oval, Scalloped Circles, Labels 4 & 5, Tim Holtz Ideology hardware, Paper Studio brads, Making Memories hardware, Sizzix Flourish #2 die, Cuttlebug postage stamp die, PTI twine & button from stash

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Flowers & Flourishes 28

Hi Everyone! I hope all of you had a Wonderful Thanksgiving Day (if you celebrated) & I hope you survived the crowds, if you were out shopping on Black Friday!
First, I must share with you the randomly chosen winner of my homespun butterflies from my Buttons & Butterflies post. The Winner is......

Isabel Jett

Isabel, please contact me prior to Wednesday, December 2nd so I can get your goodies to you!!! :)
I have had the Honor of being the November Guest Designer at the Pile it on! challenge site & the pleasure of working along with the super talented DT members! Thank you ladies!!! As a little reminder, Pile it on! is a challenge site that offers a new challenge every Sunday. They would like you to incorporate their challenge with at least one other CURRENT challenge (at the time of posting) to "qualify" to be one of their Three Top Scoops or should there be a prize offered that week. The girls at Pile it on! asked me to be this week's Hostess!!! I chose the challenge to focus on Flowers & Flourishes, TWO of my favorite things, especially when combined :) I played around with Photoshop & made this graphic for the PIO #26, Flowers & Flourishes challenge! I made a Mother's Day card & some fleurettes using the following additional challenges: 2. For color inspiration: Splitcoast color challenge #246 which is to use Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, Bermuda Bay or (Taken with Teal) - I used Taken with Teal & neutrals 3. For sketch inspiration: Mercy Tuesday Sketch challenge #49, MTSC49 4. The Cat's Pajamas Tuesday challenge - EMBOSSING & 5. Crazy for Challenges Week 13 - Punch Happy (use at least one punch).

I really enjoy playing along with challenges & I encourage of all you to do the same if you don't already! It is a super fun way to meet many people with a common interest (papercrafting), develop your style & skills while completing your projects!!! :) Please be sure to stop by all of the sites I have mentioned & see what their DT's have created to get you inspired! If you don't play along in challenges, I would love to know why not? Be Sweet!

Here is my Mother's Day card & fleurettes:I inked up several PTI Fancy Flourishes images with VersaMark ink, sprinkled on some Filigree white embossing powder then heat set. The white embossed flourishes "pop" off the SU Kraft cs. I embossed most of the lil' fleurettes using the Cuttlebug Textile texture EF then sponged the edges with Ranger Tea Dye ink.
I gave the BIG pink blossom a vintagey look by crinkling it up then sponging the edges with a little Ranger Tea dye ink. Using the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, I added a lil' texture to the leaves :)
I cut a mat using my Cricut Expressions & the Accent Essentials cart to show the flower emellishments. I stamped some flourish images using VersaMark then embossed with Filigree white embossing powder. Ingredients Used: Stamps: PTI Fancy Flourishes, Damask Designs, SU Fancy Flexible Phrases Paper: SU Pretty in Pink, Taken with Teal, Old Olive, Whisper White, Kraft Ink: Ranger Tea Dye ink, VersaMark, SU Basic Black, Taken with Teal, Craft White Sprinkles: Cuttlebug Textile texture EF, Spellbinders Dahlia & Labels 4 dies, Offray ribbon, SU silver cord, Sizzix Sizzlit tag, Making Memories hardware, EK Success border & flower punches, Filigree white & clear embossing powder

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Grab N' Go Gift set - PTI November Blog Hop 68

Hi Ladies! It's that time again for the monthly Papertrey Ink Blog Hop! This month, Nichole challenged us to create "a quick & inexpensive wrap or tag that can be the perfect solution for "grab & go" gifts!" If you are no stranger to my blog, you know by now I ABSOLUTELY love the PTI My Timeless Templates designed by the AMAZINGLY talented Lauren Meader. However, when I think of Grab N' Go, my Cricut machine comes immediately to mind! Just push the button & voila! MAJIC you have a completely cut template to score, tape & adorn with your favorite stamps, embellishments & a tag! In case you haven't heard the news, Lauren has spread her wings & will be offering her NEW templates in ALL the various electronic cutting formats :) If you would like to see a YouTube video tutorial that I made on how to create one of these gift bags using your Cricut machine, here is the link http://cupcakescreations.blogspot.com/2009/05/mothers-day-gift-bag-tutorial-and-video.html or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V0VF-cmqjs&feature=player_embedded#
I LOVE to make gift sets so I made a coordinating card using Beate's fun sketch for this week's Weekend Sketch Challenge #107, WSC107 & a tag with a few dangling ornaments inspired by the SUPER talented Betsy Veldman. If you are interesed, here is the link to Betsy Veldman's Ornament Tutorial using PTI ornament stamps. Thanks for hopping by! I can't wait to see what everyone has created!

Here is my Grab N' Go Gift set:I gave my Gift bag & snowflake embellies a vintagey look by sponging on a little Ranger/Tim Holtz Tea Dye ink. Inking up the various sized PTI Snowflake images from the Snowflake Serenade set with Versamark ink, I stamped then embossed them using Filigree embossing powder.
This isn't your typical gift tag! With a close-up look, you can see that the snowflake tag is 3-D!
Here is the coordinating card:
All the snowflake embellishments were made using Martha Stewart's snowflake punches x 3 & layered x 2! I finished each flake off by putting a Making Memories pink crystal brad in the center of each.
Ingredients Used: Stamps: PTI Snowflake Serenade, Signature Christmas, SU Delightful Decorations Paper: PTI Kraft, Bazzill Pomegranate & Pink, October Afternoon DP, SU Very Vanilla Ink: SU Basic Black, Ruby Red, Pretty in Pink, Ranger/Tim Holtz Tea Dye, VersaMark Sprinkles: Cricut Tags, Bags, Boxes & More cartridge, Sizzix 3-D Snowflake die, Martha Stewart snowflake punches x 3, Making Memories hardware, Cuttlebug EF, SU Ornament punch & cord, generic beads, Offray ribbon, Filigree embossing powder

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Deck The Halls... 21

Hello Ladies! We are 1/2 way there :) to Friday that is! & another day closer to Thanksgiving & Christmas :0 Before we all know it, we will be thinking about hearts for Valentine's Day! LOL My girlfriend who works at a LSS notified me this morning that Valentine's paper has ALREADY arrived & is on the shelves! Personally, I would like to ENJOY Thanksgiving & Christmas for as long as I can.... After all, I just received an order of Christmas stamps & more are on the way :) If you visit often, you know I work in an Operating Room & have a lot of co-workers. We are like a BIG family. I can't afford to purchase everyone a gift so, I make them each a HOMESPUN card with lots of love :) With that thought in mind, I wanted to create a card that I could easily "mass produce". LOL I would love to know if you "mass produce" your Christmas/Holiday cards or do you make a "few" & purchase the rest? Be Sweet!

Here is my "Deck The Halls" card:


I really liked the soft, sweet look of the Making Memories DP. I didn't want to hide all that goodness on the paper, so I made a lil' tag to accent the Holly leafs & berries as well as the sentiment.


After inking up the PTI Holly leaf images with SU Glorious Green & stamping, I used a super sharp scissors to cut out the leafs to piece them on the tag. I gave the tag & perimeter of the card a soft- vintagey look by inking up a sponge dauber with Ranger/Tim Holtz Antique Photo ink & gently applying to the edges.
These are all the "pieces" for my cards. Being the CRAZY stamper that I am, I think this picture is sooo YUMMY looking :) All those buttons, brads, tags ....
Here are most of the supplies I used to make these Deck The Halls cards. YUMMY toys :)

Ingredients Used: Stamps: PTI Holiday Button Bits Paper: Making Memories DP, Bazzill Pomegranate, Kraft, SU Naturals Ivory Ink: SU Basic Black, Ranger/Tim Holtz Antique Photo Sprinkles: Sizzix Snowflake EF, Spellbinders Labels 1 dies, Crop A Dile 1, EK Success punch, PTI twine, Michael's ribbon, DMC floss, American Crafts buttons

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Pink Posies x 2 31

Hi Ladies! I hope all of you are having a good first week of September! :) I see I am not the only Black- Eyed Susans fan! They probably do grow somewhere here in AZ, I just haven't seen them yet. I would like to thank all of you for the feedback in regards to the instructions that I have shared for the past few posts. It seems as though a lot of you like that sort of written explanation so I will try my best to do that sort of post at least once a week. I have had a lot of suggestions in regards to " my own Etsy store" - I am working on getting that together to give it a try?

Pink Posies Card #1

I have had a few days off from work, so I have been a busy lil' stamper in my "free" time :) This card is almost a duplicate of the Black-Eyed Susans card except it is made with the emphasis on the color pink. I love the versatility of the PTI Vintage Basket stamp set :) You'll be seeing a lot made with that set here at Cupcake's Creations! I made this card to enter into several challenges, (Not listed in any particular order): 1. Colour Inspiration: Basic Grey Challenges Week 2, 2. Sketch Inspiration: Get Sketchy #3, 3. Pile-It On Challenge #13 Round and Round We Go, we were challenged to use/incorporate anything round in our creations.

Pink Posies Card #2 This cards color inspiration came from Basic Grey's Challenges Week 2 as & the sketch layout was inspired by this week's MOJO102. All of these sites mentioned have amazing DT's that keep me inspired week after week! Maybe you too could find inspiration by visiting their sites! :) Be Sweet!

Ingredients Used:

Stamps: PTI Vintage Baskets, Fancy Flourishes, Flower Garden, Polka Dot Basics, Spiral Bouquet

Paper: PTI Kraft, Lemon Tart, SU Pretty In Pink, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Neenah White

Ink: SU Chocolate Chip, Pretty In Pink, Barely Banana, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers R81, G94, E77, Colorless Blender

Sprinkles: Basic Grey buttons & brads, PTI twine & ribbon, Spellbinders Scalloped Circles & Circles, EK Success punches, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots EF, Sizzix Sizzlit flourish & tag dies

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Basket Full of Black-Eyed Susans 33

Hi Cyber Friends! When I saw the colors featured in Dawn McVey's Color Inspiration Challenge #16, RSCC16, Papertrey Ink's Vintage Picnic stamp set came to mind. I liked this week's Get Sketchy #3 at getsketchy.blogspot.com for the sketch layout which allows me to showcase the Vintage Picnic Basket full of Black-Eyed Susans, (funny this beautiful wild flower is called Black-Eyed when it is known for its characteristic BROWN domed center! :) Thinking back to my childhood, when living in Buffalo, NY, I remember fields & fields of wild flowers with predominantly Black-Eyed Susans sprinkled throughout! This week's Pile-it-on Round and Round We Go challenge #13 is to use anything round and lots of it on your creation! Well I think the polk-a-dots, brads, buttons & round circle Spellbinder die cut fits the bill :) I made this gift set for My Mother-in-Law, Barbara, who's birthday is September 10th. She lives out of state, so I need plenty of time to mail it off to her! Do you like Black-Eyed Susans? I'd love to know. If you would like to gaze at many examples of creations made using this sketch or color scheme, be sure to visit both sites! Thanks for taking the time to look! Be Sweet!

Here is my Basket Full of Black-Eyed Susans Happy Birthday card & PTI's My Timeless Template Fold' N Go gift bag with instructions:

This card is a standard A2 size card (5 1/2" x 4 1/4") made from PTI Kraft cardstock, followed with a piece of SU Chocolate Chip cs (5 3/8" x 4 1/8"), then a piece of SU Very Vanilla cs. The Very Vanilla cs was simply too plain so I inked up my PTI Polka Dot Basics stamp set with SU Chocolate Chip ink & created my own DP! :) I distressed the edges of the DP using a SU distressing tool to give that layer a lil' more dimension & character. Now, on to the stamping of the Vintage Basket & flower images with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on SU Very Vanilla cs x 2. This is where the Spellbinders Circle nesties work fantastic! You simply place the die on top of your image, then send it through your die cutting machine of choice! (I use a Sizzix Big Shot Express). Once I had the stamped image cut out, I colored it using Copic markers E77, E43, G94 & Y17. I used the Spellbinders Scalloped Circle nesties to cut the next two layers, using PTI Kraft cs & SU Chocolate Chip cs. Then I adhered them together, pierced holes around the circumference & set aside.

I cut a piece of SU Summer Sun cs 4 1/2" x 3 1/2", snipped the two left corners using an EK Success corner rounder punch then embossed it using the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots EF. To add a lil' more character, (can you tell I like giving things character :) ? ), I dragged this piece of cs ever so slightly along the edges in the SU Chocolate Chip ink pad, then adhered it to Mona's Polk-a-dot DP / Chocolate Chip layer. I love ribbon, LOTS of it! I wrapped a piece of PTI Vintage Cream Saddle Stitched ribbon & tied a bow off to the left side of the card, then adhered the Vintage Basket of posies embellie off to the right of the bow. For a lil' more detail, I used 2 generic brads to accentuate the handles on the stamped image :) & attached 3 brads in the upper right corner.

Using the Sizzix Sizzlet tag die, I cut the tag out of PTI Kraft cs & SU Very Vanilla cs. Inking up the leafy image from the PTI Spiral Bouquet stamp set & "celebrate" from the PTI Simple Little Things stamp set with SU Chocolate Chip ink, I first stamped the Very Vanilla tag & then I attached the Summer Sun cs flower that I cut using a Quickutz flower die x 2 & embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots ef. I sewed not only the button on the flower but to make sure it was secure, I sewed through the flower layers & the 2 tag layers! That button is not moving!!! :) A small piece of PTI twine was used to tie the tag around the bow. Now that all the detail work is done to the card front, I adhered it to the PTI Kraft cs card base.

We are now ready to embellish the inside a lil' bit! :) I stamped the "Happy Birthday to You" image from the PTI Damask Designs stamp set in the center of the card & down in the lower right hand corner I stamped the same leafy images as on the tag. To add a lil' color, I sewed on 2 die cut flowers :)

Moving on to creating the tag & the PTI My Timeless Template Fold N' Go. After cutting out & scoring the Fold N' Go template made from PTI Kraft cs, I inked up a stem image from the PTI Flower Garden stamp set & a leafy image from the PTI Spiral Bouquet stamp set with SU Chocolate Chip ink then stamped the bag front. Using the SU paper piercing tool set, I pierced holes following the stem image as a guide. A piece of DMC embroidery floss was used to stitch the stem. The embossed flowers & generic button were sewn on the bag! Nichole Heady inspired me to embroider an image onto my project. How stinkin' creative is that? Just adds so much character :) The bag was a lil' too plain for my liking, so I inked up a dot image from the PTI Beautiful Blooms stamp set & once again created some original Mona's DP! Ready for assembly! I love using the strong & mighty Provo Craft Terrifically Tacky Tape to adhere my bags. I embellished the Fold N' Go with a Vintage Basket tag only this time adding another scalloped layer of SU Summer Sun cs & a We R Memory Keepers XL eyelet. Being the ribbon fanatic that I am, I attached the tag to the Fold N' Go using a generous amount of PTI Vintage Cream ribbon & twine & Offray satin brown ribbon. The lil' tag was stamped with the "Just For You" image from the PTI 2008 Holiday Tag Collection, attached with PTI twine & decorated with the embossed Quickutz cs flower.

There you have it! Step by step! Are you feeling inspired? I'd love to see yours! :) Thanks for looking! I am off to the post office to mail this lil' jewel off to Barbara!

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