Pocket Cards

I just love the look of pockets on cards.  I often use them on my scrapbook pages, but don't think about them for cards.  This Hero Arts Technique article by Shari Carroll gives directions on how to make these three fabulous cards with pockets.  I know what I'm doing the rest of this week!

Here's the link to the article with directions and pictures:
http://www.heroarts.com/learning/technique.cfm?techID=54&catID=3

 

Thanks to Shari Carroll for these wonderful pocket cards.  And thanks to Hero Arts for always providing lots and lots of inspiration.  Be sure to check out the Hero Blog for more ideas and fun.

Blessings and peace,

lynda

Challenge Entry

Thought I'd share this layout I just finished for a challenge over on My Mind's Eye blog, using one of their sketches.  This paper is from their Wild Asparagus paper pad.

Wish me luck!

lynda

Lotsa Layers!

I had soooo much fun with this collection by My Mind's Eye!  These papers are from the Be Loved Collection, and I just love, love, love the colors.  I purchased it at Stop and Scrap online, and couldn't wait for it to arrive.  It came just last week, and I had to dive right in and make a card for the Hero Arts Hearts and Friendship challenge on their blog.  Here's my entry:

Here's how I made it:

• Cut four different papers into various width strips and adhere to ivory card front.  Distress edges with Ranger Brush Corduroy Distress Ink.
• Cut, round corners, distress, and adhere green panel.  Add striped strip from edge of card to about 2" in.
• Cut, round corners, distress, pierce around edge, and adhere rust panel.
• Cut, round corners, distress, adhere flowers and brads, and adhere teal hears strip near bottom.
• Stamp Hero Arts CL012 image with ColorBox chalk ink onto peach cardstock panel made with Spellbinders die.  Distress edges and adhere to card with foam mounting tape. Stamp image again, and cut out flower head and attach over original with foam tape.  Add highlights with clear Stardust gel pen.
  
• Stamp Hero Arts K4913 lots of love, cut out, and adhere with foam tape over image.  Add teal knotted ribbon with glue dots.
• Add flowers and gem on left side with glue dots.

Here's the inside (I didn't add the sentiment yet, as I don't know what occasion I want to use it for).....

I had lots of fun with this line, and can't wait to do more with it.  Now I'm hopping over to Hero Arts blog.  Hope you enjoyed this card!

Blessings and peace,
lynda

Technique Tuesday - Paper Piecing

Paper piecing is one of those fun and easy techniques that really makes an image "pop" on your card.  It's as easy as stamping an image onto patterned paper, cutting it out, and attaching the cut out portion over the stamped image on your card.  This link brings you to the Hero Arts blog where Sheri Carroll walks us through, step by step, how to do this technique.  I love her card, and know you will, too.  Think of all the open design stamps you have and how fun it would be to use this technique with them!

Here's the link to the paper piecing technique by Shari Carroll:
http://heroarts.com/cardmaking/cardIdea.cfm?cardID=4233

Here's the card Shari made:

I love the simplicity of this, and the great paper designs she chose!  I hope you'll check out this blog posting on Hero Arts, and leave Shari a comment.

Also, if you haven't signed up for the Hero Arts Club, be sure to sign up while you're there.  They have so many ideas and so much inspiration there, each and every day!! 

Hope you're enjoying our balmy temperatures this week!  I, personally, think snow is highly over-rated! 

Blessings and peace,

lynda

Three Boutique Gifts for $1 Each - REALLY!!

Sad to say, I got NO takers on last week's blog challenge.  Too bad, cuz I had some really pretty blog candy to give away.  Maybe I'll try again in a few weeks.

This week, I'm going to show you three gifts I made for my good friend, Sylvia. Normally, I don't brag about how much I spend on someone's gift, but you just won't believe what this pretty gift set trio cost. Here are the items:

This pretty frame...... just $1!!!!!

This gratitude journal.......just $1

And this candle......yep, just $1!!!!!!

The secret?  The Dollar Store! Yes, I bought a plain, kind of ugly, wooden frame, a top-spiral hard covered lined notebook, and a plain blue candle. I took them home, selected papers and embellishments from my stash in colors that would match Sylvia's bedroom, and simply covered each piece. I had the wonderful buttons from a tin of buttons and findings I picked up at a garage sale this summer.  All three pieces took just three 12 x 12 pieces of decorative cardstock!! 

Here's how it's done:

Frame:  Sand frame so that paper will stick easier. Paint inside and outside edges with blue acrylic paint, let dry. Trim decorative cardstock paper to size of frame (trace frame onto back of cardstock - make sure to trace inside opening, then cut out). Adhere paper to frame with good glue. I used Perfect Paper Adhesive. Or you can use bookbinding glue, as well. From coordinating cardstock, I cut out the paisley shapes, and adhered to covered frame. Distress inside and outside edges of paper with brown distress ink on a piece of Cut n' Dry.  Line inside of frame with coordinating plain cardstock. This is where the picture will go. Add buttons and flower embellishments with glue dots.

Gratitude Journal: Remove plastic spiral binding by twirling it out of the holes. Set aside. Sand notebook if it is glossy, as this one was. I chose to paint the outside edges of the covers, but you could also wrap the paper into the inside. Apply cardstock (striped on bottom, star design on top); apply small strip of cardstock between the two panels. Distress edges. Use small 1/8" paper punch to punch the holes through the cardstock. Do this from the back, aligning the punch with the holes in the notebook. Adhere panel 1/8" smaller all around the the inside cover of the front.  Repeat for back covers. I used the coordinating paisley cardstock for the back cover.  Stamp "gratitude" on brown panel, mount onto blue scrap, adhere to cover.  Add buttons and flowers with glue dots.  Rewind the spiral binding back onto the covers and pages.   Tie coordinating ribbons and fibers to binding.  

For more information about gratitude journals, including how to use them, see my article on HubPages here http://hubpages.com/_quhng16s2trb/hub/-Journaling-About-Gratitude-Changed-My-Life .

Candle:  Cut decorative cardstock (striped) size of candle and circumference plus 1". Wrap around candle and adhere by overlapping the piece and attaching with tape runner.  Cut second piece (paisley) a little more narrow that first piece and adhere as above.  Distress edges.  Add ribbon and tie bow. Add buttons and flowers with glue dots.

That's it!!! A pretty little gift set which looks like it came from an artsy boutique, for a fraction of the cost. Just an investment of your time. But you won't even mind spending the time....it's so much fun making something pretty from something plain!

Ciao!  Peace and blessings,

lynda

Technique Tuesday - Pastel Chalk Resist

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of my wonderful friends, fans, readers, followers, fellow bloggers, fellow stampers, well, everyone!

I'm enjoying a day off.  I love mid-week days off, and usually plan my trips (doctors, shopping, visiting, errands) for this day, but as I looked out the window this morning and saw the winter wonderland scene, I thought it would be a perfect day for staying in!  I don't have to don boots, gloves, hat, etc. and no shoveling or scraping.

Be sure to check read this whole post, as there is a  BLOG CHALLENGE after the technique, and you just could win a prize!!!!

So, now that I have my hot chocolate, it's time for today's Technique Tuesday technique.

Last week I did a chalk ink resist technique.  Many people get confused when we talk about chalks.  For this post, I will be using pastel chalks, the kind that come in little palettes or stick form - in other words, actual chalk.  Chalk INK, on the other hand, is ink that is formulated to look like chalk when it dries. That is what I used on last week's post.  Now that I have that cleared up, let's move along.

Pastel Chalk Resist

This is a card I made for a stamp camp at The Paper Garden in 2008.  Here's how the technique is done:

• Start with a card stock panel.  Ink panel with VersaMark clear ink pad, using stamp images of your choice. For this card, I used Hero Arts Winter's Butterfly set of clear stamps.
• Be sure to let the ink dry a minute or two - DO NOT RUSH THIS.  If you apply the chalk while the ink is too wet, it will smear. Take your time.
• Using an alligator clip with piece of cotton or pom pom, or sponge applicators made for chalks, apply color to the stamped images. Use different applicator for each color. In this card, I used light, medium, and dark blue chalks. This is the exciting step, as you will see the images "pop" out, right before your eyes! 
• Use a soft tissue to gently wipe the card front to remove any extra chalk particles.  You will not remove the smudges around the images....that adds to the charm of the technique, and gives your images a soft glow.
• Finish panel as desired.  In this card, I added some stamped snow flakes with blue Marvy Matchable ink. Then I drew over some of the design with the white Signo gel pen, to break up all the blue a little, and add some interest.
• TIPS:  Again, be sure to let the ink dry a bit before applying chalk.  If desired, you may spray your panel with a fixative, or aerosol hair spray. It shouldn't be necessary, but some people like to add this step.

To finish my card, I attached a white snowflake brad through the panel, then attached my panel to a white layer, then to the blue card. I added the stamped sentiment, and with the white Signo gel pen, added fake "brads" to the corners of the panel. I attached the panel with foam tape.

Here is the inside of the card:  

                                                                                                                       

I hope you enjoyed this technique. I use this a lot, as I like the soft, smudgy look.

Blog Challenge:   If you try this, let me know.

*If you post your card on Flickr, and send me the link, I'll post it on my blog this week for everyone to enjoy. I'd love to see what you do with this.

*BE SURE TO LABEL YOUR CARD PaperArtsCafe Blog Challenge # 1.

*Also, be sure to leave a message on this post, and send me an email at keeleysgram@yahoo.com to let me know you're playing, and that you posted your card on Flickr, along with your link, and your mailing address in case you are the winner!

*Send me your card link by NOON  Sunday, January 10th. I will choose one card, and the artist will win some BLOG CANDY! If you are not familiar with blog lingo, blog candy is goodies that stampers and scrap bookers like....a little prize. No fat, no calories, but yummy goodies to use on your next project.  I will send the winner of this challenge a Colorbok Christmas Mini Scrapbook Kit (hey, you can get an early start for next year). If you are not a scrap booker, don't worry. There are plenty of papers and embellishments for card makers in this package.

So get busy. You have until Sunday NOON to post your images and send me the link.

*Be sure to send me your name and address, so I know who and where to send the blog candy to. I will post all the entries on Monday, January 11th, and will announce the winner of the blog candy.

So check Monday's post, and come back often for more fun "blog stuff" on PaperArtsCafe! (Don't forget, if you don't want to miss a post, sign up to follow me on the blog site). This is my first blog challenge, and I hope you will participate. I look forward to seeing your cards!

Happy stamping and scrapping!

Blessings, joy, and peace,

lynda