Happy, happy, joy, joy...

Love this card!
Love that once I had it figured out,
it only took about 10 minutes.
Love that it's such a fun, pretty way use up scraps.

I made it for my sister-in-law's 17th birthday.
A tough age to make cards for! But I started
pulling papers that were her colour and style
and then it all came together from there.

I'm thinking these would be a great card
to mass produce for a set of gift cards, or
just have in your stash. By switching up
the patterned paper and sentiment you
could make these cards for birthdays,
anniversaries, new babies, lots of things!
This card definitely goes on my 'love' list :)

Details:
Cardstock: Kraft, Whisper White, Rose Red (SU!)
PP: Lemonade (BG)
Ink: Baja Breeze, Whisper White (SU!)
Stamp: Savor the Journey (Unity)
Punches: Scalloped Circle, 1" circle, 1 1/4" circle, 1 3/8" circle (SU!)

Sharing in your sorrow...

Last week I need to make some sympathy cards.
These can be some of the hardest cards to make.
But, I really think they can be very meaningful for
the people who receive them.
I wanted the card to be natural and simple, but still
something that would be special to look at.
I think that the combination of the floral image, muted
colours and little details accomplishes that.

Details:
Cardstock: Kraft, Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy (SU!)
PP: SU! (can't remember the name)
Stamp: Delightful Moments (Unity)
Ink: Chocolate chip (SU!), Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress Ink)
Misc: Twill tape (SU!), brads and machine stitching

A baby gift from the Scrapyard

So I've been on a bit of a crocheting kick lately,

and having oh so much fun! A friend of mine
just had the sweetest baby girl with a head
FULL of thick, black hair. So cute!!
So, I got out my hook and stitched
up this little flower. Added a bit of material
from my scrap box and a bright, pink button.
Sewed it all together and attached it to a little
hair clip. Instant sweetie baby barrette.

I made a box out of card stock and personalized
it for 'Baby R'. Add a little polka-dot ribbon and
you have the cutest little gift box.

All together, it probably took about half an hour to
make and probably cost under a dollar in supplies.
I wish I had taken a picture of it in her hair.
Really, it was too cute for words. A-dor-a-ble!!!
And my friend loved it.
I think the Scrapyard will be making many more of these :)

Supplies:
Cardstock: Rose Red, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White (SU!)
Stamp: Circus Alphabet (Get-a-Tins)
Ink: Rose Red (SU!), Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress Ink)
Misc: yarn, material, button, embroidery floss, hair clip, ribbon all from my 'stash'

If at first you don't succeed...

...try, try again.

And again.
And again.

Our Duke girls' challenge this month was a
bit more than I could handle! I started off
super excited, with grand ideas for my card
and here's what I came up with:
Eye yi yi!! It looks like something my
five-year old came up with. No offence, Gracie Jo!
(Funny story, Gracie Jo told me this is 'the BEST card
I've ever made. Really, Mom! - Ha!)
Anyways, seeing as part of this card's problem for
me was just way too much... everything, I went
for a second attempt that was a bit more organized.

Here's card #2:
Definitely better than my first attempt,but I still wasn't
lo-o-o-vin' it. So, I left the Scrapyard and called it a day.
(Also, funny story about this card - notice the stitching around
the pink and orange layer? Well, originally this card had the
pink layer as it's base...until I sewed it shut! Bah!
Note to self: always make sure card is OPEN before
you go to town with the sewing machine!)

A few days later, I came across a tutorial on
the 'emboss resist' technique. It had been awhile since
I had done this and all of a sudden the wheels started
turning...what if, instead of using only one colour ink
for the sponging, I used a gradient of all the colours for
the challenge!! Aha! As fast as I could get everyone's
diapers changed, sippy cups filled, and minds occupied
for a brief ten minutes, I was off to the Scrapyard to
give it another go. And here's what happened:
Loved it!! So clean and simple, but I really
liked it. First, I stamped the dandelion in
Versamark ink, then embossed it with clear
embossing powder. I made a mask by ripping
up some scrap paper and laying it around the
flower. Then, using a cheapie make-up sponge
I dabbed the four colours from the challenge over
the flower. Once I was happy with the way things
were looking, I wiped off the dandelion with a baby
wipe and Oh la la!!
I love how this technique really makes your stamped
image 'pop'. I also love that this card took me less than
10 minutes to make! You could make a whole set, switching
up the image or the sentiment, and have a really nice gift for
someone in under half an hour. Love! I'm definitely going
to give this a try again. Thanks for looking and hope you learned
some things from my mistakes - or at least had a good laugh!!
xoxo