A little late...

I have had this layout finished for a few days now, but I am just now taking the time to share it. I needed a break from studying for an exam. It's Monday night, so wish me luck :)

Once again, I am participating in a sketch challenge with Creative Scrappers. I thought this layout would be perfect for some of my photos of my eldest stepdaughter dancing. I didn't get the great photos I was hoping for, and so I knew I would need to keep the images small.

Let's see: The black base cardstock came from Paper Temptress. I don't know where I found the shimmery white. The blue glitter cardstock that I used to emulate ribbons came from Michael's (I think -- don't quote me on that). I cut two strips of the cardstock, then cut one of those strips in two. Yes, one of the strips is thinner than the other. That was intentional. I then cut a little triangle out of the bottom of the three pieces. I'm going to have to remember that trick -- it works well when you don't like your ribbon choices.

The flowers came from Petaloo. I debated spraying them with some Tattered Angels mist, but ultimately decided I wasn't sure how that would turn out.

The butterflies are from Maya Road, and I painted them with a dark blue Silks acrylic glaze from Luminarte. If you love paint and/or shimmer, I recommend you try out Silks. 

Finally, I used Thickers from American Crafts for the title. I wanted a fairly short title, so, yes, I went with the Lady Gaga song. I apologize if I got it stuck in your head. It could be worse: The title could be "Call Me, Maybe." :)

I am pleased with how my pictures turned out -- some things are actually in focus! I applaud those who are able to use an iPhone to create a great work of art. I don't think I will ever be one of them. Give me my DSLR any day.

That's it for this week. As always, your comments are appreciated!

Second scrapbooking challenge

 

I spent a rare free weekend -- well, Saturday -- in my craft room, working on the newest sketch challenge for Creative Scrappers. It looked like the perfect layout for a page on my stepdaughter's college graduation. She received her associate's degree from a Dallas-area community college back in May -- before she had even attended her senior prom! A program at her high school allowed her work on an associate's degree and high school diploma at the same time. I've been so jealous!

The gold and white cardstock came from Paper Temptress. I cut the navy shapes (you can sort of see them in the photo to the right) using my Cricut. The blue glitter border I created using Scor-Pal tape and, well, blue glitter. If you haven't noticed, I love sparkly things :)

The gold flowers came from Hobby Lobby. I painted some Petaloo Color Me Crazy flowers blue. I had the most fun making the stars, though. I mixed some gold mica powder with a clear acrylic glaze by Luminarte. Then I just painted the chipboard shape.

These pictures don't do the page justice, though. I guess I haven't gotten the hang of taking pictures with my iPhone.

As always, I appreciate your stopping by. Thanks for any comments (especially if you have advice about iPhone cameras).

Scrapbooking challenge

I've taken a bit of a break from making cards -- I've been struggling to get my creative mojo running. Instead, I've been busy scrapping. I have tons of pictures that need to find their way onto a layout, and I'm adding to the pile all the time.

I'm taking a step out of my comfort zone and joining in a sketch challenge at Creative Scrappers (I've included the sketch below). I love all the girly elements of this layout. So I decided to use my stepdaughters' prom photos on this layout. The white cardstock base came from Paper Temptress. The blue and cream metallics probably came from a metallic pack.

I made the turquoise glitter paper myself, using double-sided adhesive sheets, cardstock, lace and two shades of glitter (turquoise and white). I love how this technique makes a girly dp.

The white flowers and curlicues came from Hobby Lobby, I believe. I know the flowers did. I wish you could see the sparkle in the photos. I'm still learning how to take pictures with my iPhone. Finally, the ribbon came from Really Reasonable Ribbon's June club kit.

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate any comments!

Birthday card

I had so much fun making this birthday card for a friend. I used a variety of glitters and embossing powders, all from Sparkle N Sprinkle, one of my favorite places to spend money. I created the background using Sparkle N Sprinkle's sticker paper and three different glitters from the company (Priceless Peacock on the top and bottom, then Sparkling Snow, and finally Hanauma Bay in the middle). This is a modification of a Technique Junkies technique.

The flowers were embossed using two powders from Sparkle N Sprinkle. I got the stamp at an eBay auction, and so have no idea what kind of flower that is.

All in all, I think it turned out OK, though I doubt I'll enter it in a contest. I need some more practice with embossing.

Thanks for stopping by!

First Christmas Tilda of the year

I actually have finished a few Christmas cards, and I think I'm already in better shape for Christmas 2012 than I was ever in for Christmas 2011.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to not neglect my crafting so much. By spending so little time on my craft last year, I've gotten out of practice on coloring with Copics. I hope, though, that it's like riding a bike (which is probably a bad comparison, seeing as how I haven't ridden anything but a stationary bike since I was 15!).

Anyway, here is my first Tilda Christmas card of the year. I borrowed the design from a magazine (Just Cards! Holidays). I don't think I've ever used that much cardstock on a card before. The cardstock came from my stash. I used Tilda with Christmas Stockings and colored her with the aforementioned Copics. I may add a flower or some crystals to the card, but I haven't decided yet.

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! More to come (I hope)!

Rough semester

This past semester was a rough one, and I am just now getting back to my card-making.

I started out with a simple Christmas card (I need to get a head start on next year, as I expect my last semesters of grad school to be quite busy). The card uses a green metallic cardstock base and is topped with a dp that came in a pack that I bought at Hobby Lobby (how's that for specific?). I spritzed the dp on the card's front with Dazzling Diamonds from Tattered Angels. I didn't do anything to the dp on the inside. The iridescent cream cardstock came from my stash.

I added a little bow to the front of the card, and made the glitter "ribbon" using glitter from Sparkle N Sprinkle (one of my favorite online stores). The sentiment is from a Crafter's Companion (I think).

With any luck, I'll finish a few more cards before classes resume. Until next time!

Flowers for a friend

I have fallen in love with the stamps at Heartfelt Creations. I saw their products at the Great American Scrapbooking Convention back in June and could not get them out of my head. I've placed two orders since then!

For this card, I modified an old sketch that I had saved to my computer. I apologize for not saving the information regarding who created the sketch. I just loved it, and so I copied to my desktop. If it's your sketch, please let me know so I can give proper credit.

I colored the roses and leaves with my Prismacolor pencils, and used Stickles on the petals. The glitter stripes I made using Scor-Pal tape and glitter from Sparkle N Sprinkle. The card stock that I used as my base is, I think, from Wausau Papers.

On the inside of the card, I used a digi-paper from the Nitwit Collections. The quilted purple digi is part of the Fairy Tale Too collection. Using my Nesties, I cut out the two scalloped ovals so that I could write a message to the recipient.

I'm sending the card to a friend of mine who just recently had an emergency surgery to repair two strangled hernias. I hope the card can cheer her up.

I'm entering the card into the following contests:

GingerloftChallenge: Make It Sparkle
Jellypark Friends: Favorite Embellishment (glitter is now and always will be my favorite embellishment!)
Mami Doodles: Challenge #31 Flowers
The Poodle's Parlour: Round and Round the Garden
Wags 'n Whiskers: Sparkly

Thanks for stopping by. As always, I appreciate comments and suggestions!