I have a very simple card to share with you today.

This one was made quickly from some leftover patterned paper. I had used this paper for another project a few years ago and I loved it so much I could not bear to throw the leftovers away. So I made a card! Actually, I made 3, but I sold 2 of them to my coworkers.

I like this card not only because I like the paper so much, but because it reminds me that cards don't have to take hours to complete. They don't have to be super complicated and filled with techniques. They don't have to use several different tools to produce. You only need some paper, some ink, a stamp, and some glue. Easy!

What cards do you like to make most? Simple cards like this or more in-depth cards?
For me, it depends on my mood. There are some days when I just want to make something quick and easy to use up my stash or when I am limited on time. Other days I want to sit and create for hours and really get the creative juices flowing.

Happy Crafting!

I've been trying new techniques with my distress inks again! Which means it's time for another edition of:

This time around, I used the mini blending tool to apply the ink to the paper instead of putting the paper directly into the ink. For this first card, I used alphabet stencils and rainbow colors to make a thank you card.

I added some water droplets after I was done, which adds nice texture, but several of them are very large, which I think distracts from the overall message of the card. The letters are hard enough to read without having big splotches on them as well.

On the other card, I applied the same rainbow colors to the entire background, then put a chevron stencil over the top and applied some black ink to make the stripes.

I like how this one turned out - it's pretty muted and soft for having so many bright colors and such a bold pattern.

I like the look of blended distress inks, but it's quite time consuming, so I'm not sure I'll be using this technique that often. But I'm glad I've tried it and I'm happy with how these cards turned out.

Happy Crafting!

Being a preschool teacher, I'm partial to anything that has to do with kids. So when I saw this stamp set, I knew I had to have it!

How cute are these stamps?!? I've had these stamps for a while, but I never took them out to play with. Until now! I got a new paper pad and I knew the bright colors and bold designs would go perfectly with these stamps!

A perfect pairing, don't you think?

I used some foam tape to pop up some of the elements to add dimension and interest, but other than that, it's just the paper and the stamp. No techniques, no inks, no special tools.

It was fun to just play with paper again. That's what I worked with years ago when I started scrapbooking and card making. Just paper. I love playing with the colors and patterns.

Hmmm... I think I'm going to have to dig out all my papers again!

Happy Crafting!

Every year after Thanksgiving, I bring my cards into work to sell in the break room. I always sell a few, and it gets my name and work out there. This year, I was approached by a fellow teacher asking for some custom cards for a gift. She wanted some music themed cards. Easy!

I used this stamp on ivory paper to make the background paper, along with some distress ink to make it look older. That paper was then adhered to a black card base.

For the sentiment, I used this stamp on more ivory paper distressed with ink. I mounted it on black paper, cut a banner edge, and mounted it on the card with foam tape to give some dimension. I also added some die cut leaves behind the sentiment banner.

I really like how these cards came out. I made 4 for the special order (which she used for a holiday party gift game) and 4 extra which sold at work in just days! I think I'll have to make some more!

Happy Crafting!

Anyone drooling yet?

I inherited my love of donuts from my mom, so when I saw this paper, I had to get it! I got it originally for my mom's birthday - I wrapped her gift in it and made her a card. Since I had some paper left over, I decided to share the joy of donuts with others!

These cards were fast and simple to put together. I cut the paper, edged it with some ink, stamped and embossed a greeting, and adhered everything to a card base.

I love that these cards can be used for any occasion. Because really, donuts are always the answer, aren't they?

Want some donuts (cards) for yourself? Get them in my Etsy shop!

Happy snacking, I mean, crafting!

Wedding season may be several months away, but I have been playing with the "&" stamp that I used on the wedding cards I made last summer.

I heat-embossed the stamped image with white embossing powder, then used distress inks (we all know how much I love those!) to make a colorful watercolor-like background. Some simple matting, and voila! Cards ready for any wedding!

What I really like about this design is that I can make it in any color combination I want - making it really easy to customize the card to the wedding! I made a blue, a lavender/pale pink, and a bright pink to begin with. I think those are pretty generic wedding colors, right?

I stamped the inside with a 'Congratulations' in a matching color of ink.

I have these listed on Etsy right now, but if you'd like one in a different color combination, just let me know and I can make one just for your special occasion!

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Crafting!

I've been making a lot of sympathy cards lately. That makes me sad. A lot of friends have been going through tough times lately and though I can't do anything to fix their problems or make them feel physically better, I can give them a card to let them know I'm thinking of them. So that's what I do.

I had to make another one a couple weeks ago and since I knew I'd likely need more eventually, I made several.

I made these cards using the same products. I stamped a dandelion stamp twice and embossed them using white embossing powder. I did the same with the Thinking of You stamp.

I used Distress Ink with both cards but I applied it in different ways. On the first card, I used an ink blender to apply the ink to the paper first, then I spritzed the whole thing with water to let the colors blend together. 

For the second card, I used the smooshing technique that I've used many times before. I started out with a pink, a blue, and a purple, but as the inks smooshed together, the pink and blue blended into purple, so it ended up very, very purple. Which still looks nice, but not exactly what I was going for.

I matted both watercolor pieces with foam tape onto white cardstock, then used foam tape to adhere that onto a white card base.

I'm hoping that I can stop making sympathy cards soon. I'm looking forward to getting started on my Christmas cards!!!

What kinds of cards have you been making lately?
Anyone started on Christmas cards yet?

Happy Crafting!

Have you ever had a vision of how something would turn out and you got so excited you couldn't wait to get started and you worked really hard on it and then it didn't turn out anything like what you have envisioned?

If you said no, you're a liar.  ^_^

It happens to me all the time. And most of the time, I scrap it or start over or just walk away. But this time I couldn't. This time I had an out of town wedding that we were leaving for the next day and I had no more time to make another card. So I stuck with it.

The color I had envisioned kept alluding me. I could not get my distress inks to do what I wanted! But I kept adding more layers. I kept trying more colors. I pushed through till I got the result I had set out to get.

And you know what? It felt really, really good when the color finally showed up.

When I finally got what I wanted, I was too tired to come up with an all new design, so I stuck with the one I made for a previous wedding card and took out some vellum and matching paper to finish up this card.

I really love this card. It matches the invitations perfectly (which I made - post coming soon!) and there's nothing quite like the triumph of working through crafting adversity. (How's that for dramatic!)

What do you do when a project doesn't turn out the way you envisioned it? Do you scrap it? Start over? Keep going? Throw it out the window and eat some chocolate?  ^_^

Happy Crafting!

Thanks for visiting again, I've got another card to share with you today.

Unfortunately, someone close to my family passed away recently and we do not live nearby, so I felt it was important to send a card to the person most affected.

I used Versamark ink and black embossing powder to create the sentiment and floral detail on the card first. Then I used distress ink to make a watercolor background.

Here's a closeup of the embossed flowers.

I trimmed down the background, added it to a black card base with some foam adhesive for dimension, and the card was done.

The hardest part of this card was to figure out what to say on the inside. I always have trouble writing in cards. Sometimes, I feel like nothing I say will be the right thing to say. I have to remind myself that it doesn't matter what I say, as long as I mean it.

Does anyone else have trouble writing on the inside of a card? Or do you have any go-to phrases that I can learn from? Please share!

Happy Crafting!

August 2015 will forever be known in our house as "The August of Insanity!" Of the 5 weekends (technically) in August, 1 was full of birthday celebrations for my mom and sister and 3 were full of weddings. Yes 3. And one hasn't even happened yet! At least I had one August weekend off. Though I used that weekend for dress shopping for the weddings...

With so many events coming up, I knew I would have to make some cards. Here is the first on I made: a wedding card for the first wedding.

I know it doesn't look like a traditional wedding card, but the couple that were married are very outdoors-y, so I thought I should go with a lightly 'camo' look. I white heat embossed the large ampersand, then used distress inks and my favorite 'smooshing' technique to create the center piece. The piece behind it is dry embossed vellum. I love how it turned out! All the softness of vellum, but with a unique texture.

I mounted both layers with foam tape onto a top-folding kraft cardstock base. A quick "Congratulations" stamp on the inside, and the card was complete!

I really like how it turned out, I think I'm going to use this design for some more wedding cards! It's super customizable, so I can use the wedding colors for each couple.

Happy Crafting!