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Scrap-Mart Projects

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I’ve had several projects go live on the Scrap-Mart blog, and I often forget to share them here as well.

BumperCropLO

Sadly the bumper crop of tomatoes has ended, and we need to get over to the garden this week to clean it out. Our investment in the Community Garden plot was returned many times over this summer–both the financial and time investments.

SMApples

I love this “Autumn Blessings” stamp from Just-Rite. I colored it with Prisma colored pencils and then sponged some ink on the Scrap-Mart exclusive Nestability. It’s become one of my favorites. So many images seem to look good on it.

FarmersMarketLO

As usual, the layout looks a bit crooked in the photograph. I’ve been investigating some different options for photographing projects. Does anyone have a process (or product) that works for them? Our house is so dark I always need some artificial lighting. And I’d love to get more reliable results when taking photos of scrapbook pages that are too big to be scanned.

This layout uses new Jillibean papers from the Pasta Fagioli line which I love.

 

Gift Set

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We made our annual trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake this weekend. As always we took in a play (The Ideal Husband, this year) at the Shaw Festival, visited some wineries (new ones this year; never made it to our old favorites), and had dinner with the couple who used to own the B&B we stay in who have become our dear friends. We had a glass of wine and delicious pate and cheese, with Pat and Ian before we went out to dinner so I wanted to take her a little gift for her hospitality.

I started with a notepad I created in August and made four cards to go with it. One thing I love about Paptertrey Ink products is how easy it is to pull together a set like this. I chose the 2009 Autumn Tags stamp set and the Turning A New Leaf patterned paper pad. I added some twill, ribbon, and buttons (all Papertrey Ink), a few pearls, and stuck with a basic card design. I made envelope liners this time with the  liner die I picked up at the Papertrey booth during CHA. It really makes the set seem much more finished, and it’s so easy I think I’ll start doing this regularly. The notepad and cards fit in one of Papertrey’s large glassine bags perfectly, and I added a little topper to it with scraps from the project.

GiftPackage

CardCollage

 

A Card and Macro Fun

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I have been getting some papercrafting done, but most of it is for the Scrap-Mart blog. I did finish a birthday card for a friend today that I can share here. I had a lot of fun with this one. I found an old piece of leaf-printed vellum that I knew would make a good background for a fall birthday card. First I covered it with Amber Clay chalk ink and rubbed it in with a tissue. Then I misted it with some Sunshine Glimmer Mist and a couple of shots of Studio Calico’s Mr. Huey Sunshine mist. Despite the same name, the two mists are quite different colors. I like the final effect.

NikkiBD

The wreath (Wreath for All Seasons by Papertrey) is overstamped with red and orange Brilliance inks which has a pearlescent glow to them that doesn’t show up in the photography. The sentiment is from Impress Rubber Stamps, and the ribbon is from my stash.

Today was lovely and the forecast for the next couple of days is for rain so I decided to take my camera to Highland Park and try out my new macro lens. I know I am going to like this lens a lot. For the first time out, I got a couple of decent shots. (And a lot more that went directly into iPhoto’s trash.) I’m going to have to work on sharper focus. I usually rely on automatic focus, but I think I’m going to have to make friends with manual. Here are three:

PurpleFlowersw

We  haven’t had a frost here yet, so there are still some pretty flowers in the park.

LeafRedPodsw

I love the light shining through the leaves’ veins in this one.

RedPodsw

The same tree, different focus. The bokeh is great with this lens.

 

 

 

 

 

World Card Making Day & Caardvarks C&S Challenge

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It’s been the second day where everything I do seems to take twice as long as I allotted. I needed a wedding card, so I did get one card made during World Card Making Day. This fits the Caardvarks Clean & Simple Challenge as well.

WeddingCard2

 

Supplies: Cardstock: from stash; Dies: Diamond Impression Plate
(PTI); Scrap-Mart Exclusive Square/Oval Nestability; Pearls: Zva
Creative; ribbon: Midori; Stamp: Delightful Dahlias (PTI)

Today for my photography project, I set up my new tripod and ball head. I think I’ll enjoy using it. I ended up getting the lighter of two tripods I considered, giving up some stability. I know myself well enough to know I’m not going to want to haul a heavy tripod out in the field. I also got out the neutral density filter and figured out how to get it on the camera. Friday we’re planning a little photography road trip so I can put some of this into practice.

I also spent too much time this morning reading photography tips and watching videos on Kent Weakley’s Blog. It is definitely worth checking out. His explanations are clear and his photography is wonderful. I particularly liked a series of five videos on getting sharper focus. I’ll be trying all of them soon, and the tips are good for any camera. Another great post was the Top 5 Reasons for Getting the Shot Now. Great practical advice here.

Moxie Fab #2 & Papertrey Pixie Challenges

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Here’s another card for the Moxie Fab Off-Set Scallop Challenge as well as for the Papertrey Pixies September challenge. As usual, I’m getting this in just under the wire for the second challenge! Pat’s inspiration piece was an ad from a Macy’s catalog. It was truly a challenge; so much going on here. 

September Challenge - Inspiration

Pat identified six Papertrey colors she saw in the ad: white, kraft, Ocean Tides, Terracotta Tile, Orange Zest, and Plum Pudding. There are, of course, florals, diamonds, and repeated patterns as well. I finally decided to go with just the colors. They aren’t ones I would typically put together, but I incorporated all of them and am pleased with the outcome.

AutumnWishes 

I started with a Kraft base, used the Woodgrain Impression Plate, and coated it with the Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink. The image, colored with Prisma colored pencils, and sentiment are from the Friendship Jar Fall Fillers. The cork tag came in one of my Scrapbook Circle kits. and the border punch is an EK Success punch. The purple twill from my stash is a bit more purple IRL.

Just Playing Around

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I had some time today to play around, and started with some photos I took recently. I love the textured photos I see on some of the blogs, but haven’t come up with a lot I like when I try myself. Today I did. I’m quite happy with this photo.

BottleFlowersLight4w
I bought this bouquet at the Ithaca Farmer’s Market on Saturday. I added Kim Klassen’s Light Paper 4 with a soft blending mode. Here’s the original:

OriginalBottlew

It made a nice card as well.

PhotoCardBottle 

There’s plenty of room to add a message directly to the photo, so I think I’ll try that as well. I purchased Kim’s e-book of Photoshop Recipes, and this texture was part of a preview pack she sent. I realized that I need to learn about Gradient Maps in PSE which I have never used. Tracy has a subscription to Lynda.com so I’ve started watching the PSE instructional videos there. I haven’t gotten to gradient maps, but I’ve learned quite a few new tricks in just a half an hour or so. The videos go for nearly 7 hours!! PSE 9.0 is coming out in November. They’ve added some very nice new features, so Tracy is going to upgrade it for me as a late birthday gift. He offered to buy the full Photoshop, but I know the learning curve there is greater than the time I want to spend on it. Hopefully, Lynda.com will do a video series on the new additions when 9.0 comes out.

I also got inspired to make a card with some supplies I’ve had around for ages.

HappyDayw
I’ve had a pack of these Happy Day journaling cards from Webster’s Pages for ages, as well as the floral rub-on and gems from Basic Grey. The papers are also Basic Grey, the Origins line. I scored the card in the wrong place, but instead of starting over I just went with it and rather like the two layers. The sentiment is from Papertrey (Simply Stationery & Take Three: Summer) and the ribbon is from Paper Source.

CPS 186

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It’s been a long time since I participated in a CPS challenge. They’ve always been one of my favorite challenge sites. This week’s sketch is a bit challenging, but I had some new Jillibean papers on my desk and a new Spellbinders Nestability so I decided to take it on. Here’s the sketch:

186 

And here’s my take on it:

CPS186
Cardstock: Chartreuse (Papertrey) & Core’dinations Core; Patterned paper: Pasta Fagioli (Jillibean); twine, canvas flower, journaling sprout, cardstock sticker: Jillibean; button from stash

Papertrey September Blog Hop Challenge

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Bloghoplogo

I love the Papertrey Blog hops and feel lucky to have gotten this card done in time! Here’s the challenge:

One of the most fun things about this hobby is the people you meet,
whether in person or online, and the things you learn from them.  Now is
your chance to show off any skills you might have learned from a fellow
stamper, and perhaps even give them a little shout out to thank them
for the inspiration they have provided.  Create a project using one of
your favorite learned skills and perhaps after a little blog hopping, we
will ALL learn some new tips and tricks and continue to pass on the
love of this hobby!

Nicole Heady, one of the owners of Papertrey Ink, inspires me every month with her creations for the monthly release parties. One of the techniques she uses frequently  that I have always admired is drawing a frame around her main focal image. I have tried occasionally to master this technique, but my ability to draw a neat, well connected frame around an image is far from masterful. Now with the new “Framed” set of stamps, I can replicate this look with ease.

BirthdayWishesPTI
For this card, I stamped the leaves from “Turning a New Leaf,” masked some of the leaves and then stamped the frame. The butterfly is from “Butterfly Dreams” and colored with Twinkling H2Os. The sentiment is from an old PTI set, “Faux Ribbon.” One of the things I love the most about Papertrey stamps is how they can be mixed and matched. Sentiments from this older set fit beautifully into the break in the frame of this brand new set. The cardstock is Select White and Enchanted Evening, and the gems are from Creative Imaginations.

Moxie Fab Offset Scallop Challenge

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I love scallops and Moxie Fab issued a challenge for
projects with offset scallops. It was a perfect opportunity to get our my
Papertrey Ink scalloped border dies. 
I started out hoping to use some of my new Teresa Collins papers, but
ended up with just cardstock and a chipboard star from her Celebrate
collection. I also used my Tin Type Impression plate for the first time and
just love it.

MoxieScallop
Cardstock: Spring Rain
and Pure Poppy (PTI); Chipboard start: Celebrate (Teresa Collins); Stamp:
Fillable Frame #5 (PTI); Dies: Medium Scallop and Mat Stack #3 (PTI);
Impression plate: Tin Type (PTI); ribbon from stash; white Filigree Embossing
Powder (Superior)

Here’s a layout I did for our California album that also uses scallops. These remind me of Minnie Mouse, although we don’t have any photos of Minnie.


DisneyFunw

Cardstock: American
Craft, Chipboard alpha: AC Thickers “Sprinkles;” Patterned papers: Chicken Noodle “Dried Egg
Noodles” & Soup Staples “Red Sugar” (Jillibean)


More Cards from Bits & Pieces

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In the little bag of goodies I found the other day were several partially colored images or pieces of projects that had never been completed. Here’s another round of cards from my “Finish It Up” session.

DaisiesinJar
This card is a total lift from Maile Belles. I loved her card and reproduced it pretty closely, just changing the color of the daisies and adding some Judi-Kins Expresso Speckles to the centers. All the rest of the supplies are from Paper Trey Ink. The ribbon is their off-white silk ribbon which I colored with a Copic marker.

PumpkinThankYou
The picnic basket was in the baggie, so I stamped the pumpkins from the same set (Vintage Picnic by Papertrey Ink), used my Tin Type Impression plate (for the first time!) on the Paper Source card, die cut the Spiral Notebook page and stamped it with lines from It’s Official (both PTI). The ribbon’s from my stash, and the sentiment from Communique Sentiments (another PTI set.) Must say I have lots of Papertrey stamps and I love the way they can be combined so easily.

MumsThanks
The mums (Autumn Abundance–PTI) had been colored on this image at one of my crafty sessions with my friends, so I finished coloring the vase with Copics, die cut it with a Nestability Labels One and layered it onto two scraps of paper from the scrap drawer. I used a Martha Stewart border punch on the bottom and a sentiment from the 2009 Autumn Tags set (PTI).

Feels good to have some finished cards and a few less scraps laying around!

Bits & Pieces

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I had a little time the other day and found a baggie filled with bits and pieces of stamped goodies and some tags from Make & Takes at CHA. I decided to turn them into some cards. Here are the cards I made from the CHA projects.

AppleHi
The orange dotted tag and the ribbon were both from a Make & Take at CHA that came home in pieces. I don’t remember where I was or what the finished project was supposed to look like, but I had saved those two pieces. The little gift card and envelope were in my stash, and I think they came from Paper Source. I added the letter stickers, stamped “For You” on the inside of the gift card and then a get well message inside the card.

IppityMake&Take
This tag was done at the Ippity booth with my friend, Eva. All I did was put it on a Dark Chocolate(Papertrey) card. It could be a birthday card, thinking of you . . . I’ll do the inside message when I decide to use it.

HAMake&Take
The circular tag was a Hero Arts Make & Take at CHA. I layered a piece of A Muse gingham paper on New Leaf (Papertrey), and have a quick Christmas card ready to send.

And a bit of happy mail to share. In July I was a winner in a Zva Creative Blog Hop, and my package arrived this week filled with brand new releases.

ZvaPrize

Cards

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I had a card published in the most recent Cards magazine. I thought I’d share it here along with a few others none of which I’ve posted before. This is the card that was picked up for the Cards magazine. I subscribe
to the digital version and haven’t received a hard copy yet, though a friend sent me a digital copy of the page.

SewSweet 

Cardstock: Terra Cotta Tile, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink); Patterned paper: Material Girl (Cosmo Cricket); Rub-on: American Craft; twill: Scenic Route; Tag punch cut to size.

Here are two birthday cards . . .

MakeLifeSweet 

Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned paper: Kioshi (Basic Grey); stamp: cupcake (Hero Arts) & sentiment (A Muse); Doily (Martha Stewart); silk ribbon (Ellen Huston); glitter pen (Copic); pearls (A Muse)

HappyBirthday

Cardstock: Bazzill; Chipboard flowers: Lily Bee; Doily: Martha Stewart; die: Ribbon Trio (Spellbinders); Patterned paper: Lily Bee; Button: Sassafrass Lass; stamp: Savvy.

A baby card . . .

BundleOfJoy 

Cardstock: Lavender Moon, Scarlet Jewel, & Vintage Cream  (Papertrey Ink); Patterned paper: Bitty Dots (Papertrey Ink) & Making Memories; pearls (A Muse); stamp: Baby Button Bits (Papertrey Ink); Nestability die: Labels Four; brad: Making Memories.

A “just because” card . . .

OctAftHi

Cardstock: American Craft; Patterned paper: Go Fly a Kite (October Afternoon); Slice Basics 2 and Calendar cartridges; button: Sassafrass Lass; twine from stash; DMC floss


And a get well card . . .

 

WishingYouSunshine
Cardstock: Hawaiian Shores (Papertrey Ink); Patterned paper and die cut: My Mind’s Eye; stamp: Blooming Button Bits (Papertrey Ink); flowers: Prima; brad: Making Memories

A Butterfly

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I woke up the other day and said to Tracy, “I had an idea for a card for Marcy. I should get up and make it.” Here it is.

HelloFriend
But there’s a story here, too. The same day I made this card my BIL posted a message on Caring Bridge that Mercy was pretty frustrated with her slow progress after extensive chemotherapy. Her blood count has been slow to recover as well as her energy, so she’s still in the hospital. He told her she should think of herself as a butterfly still in the cocoon, building its strength for its later flight! Such serendipity doesn’t happen often. I hope this card brightens her day!

Cardstock: Ripe Avocado & Vintage Cream (PTI), turquoise from stash; stamps: Turning a New Leaf, Birds of a Feather, & Butterfly Dreams (PTI); Twinkling H2Os were used to color the butterfly.

Notepads

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I was asked to create some notepads to be given as gifts. Since I don’t know the recipients, I decided to make some extras so there would be some choice. I like having a few on hand myself. I’m not terribly happy with the photos for this post, but I’m still trying to figure out the best place in the new studio to take photos. I thought they were fine, took the notepads off to my friend, and then wished I had checked the photos more carefully. They were all taken in exactly the same spot with the same light, but it sure doesn’t look that way. Here’s a look at three of them.

3Notepadsw
And a close up view of the focal images on six of them. I had a lot of fun mixing up the stamp sets and finding images that would work with the sentiment stamps. I found a flower in Beautiful Blooms II, one of the labels in Vintage Labels, and a tag image in Tags for Spring that worked really well.  All the stamps are Papertrey Ink.

NotepadDetailCollage
Most of the papers are also Papertrey Ink. The first pad in this group uses Basic Grey “Kioshi” papers, and the last one uses Cosmos Cricket “Delovey” papers. All the buttons are Papertrey Ink, and the pearls/gems are from my stash.

Aside from trying to find the right light to take photos, the new studio is proving to be very efficient. I LOVE working in here. I have so much more work space and everything is so convenient. It’s the perfect space for me. We’re still finishing up the details. A new track lighting fixture arrived from Pottery Barn this week and needs to be installed. My fold-up Ikea table and printer’s drawer need to be moved into the new space, and then I think we’re done. Photos should be coming next week, I hope.

We’re off to Filmore State Park this afternoon for our annual three days of camping with good friends. Our friends found this spot earlier this year, and I’m looking forward to a new place to explore.

Babies!!!!

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Yes, that’s right, it’s plural. Sarah and Adam are expecting twins!! We’ve known for a while, but they didn’t want anything to get out before they told their congregation yesterday. We are all very excited, but evidently twice the hormones equals more than one share of morning sickness. Thus my trip to California earlier this month. Although it’s actually worse at night than in the morning, Sarah is beginning to feel a bit better. Hopefully, it will clear up soon as she has a busy schedule this fall taking two classes at Berkeley and teaching one at San Francisco Seminary. We are so excited for them and for us!!!

Early this morning I thought there’d be a bouquet of balloons gracing this post. I looked out our window about 3 am and saw a huge bouquet of balloons tied to one of our yard decorations in the front. Sadly, the wind and rain blew half of them away by the time it was light, although I did rescue the second bunch from the driveway. I think I know who the balloon ladies are, but if there was a note, it also disappeared. 

On another front, the studio move is nearly complete. There is just one large and one small job left to do, but I am in my new space (photos later when it’s all done) and loving it. It feels very extravagant to have such a beautiful, large space just for me. Matt says the change makes so much better use of the space, and I think he’s right. The little room where I’ve worked for the last 7-8 years really looks tiny now that I’m out of there. We need to paint that room, and buy a bookcase and perhaps, a small coffee table and then we’ll be done. Everything is put away for now.

Neither of my hutches from the old desk worked on the new one, so I had more organizing and purging to do over the weekend. Everything has a home now, and there’s still way too much stuff for one crafter. I’d love to have you come over and share!

Here’s the last of the cards I made before the move. (You can’t have a post without some photos!) The first one is a definite lift of a card I saw on Dawn McVey’s blog last week and just had to copy.

BDCard
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink); patterned paper: Turning a New Leaf  & Bitty Dot Basics (Papertrey Ink); ribbon: Ripe Avocado (Papertrey Ink); doily: Martha Stewart; stamps: Take Three: Summer  (Papertrey Ink); flowers & brad from stash.

Love
Cardstock: ColorMates (WorldWin) & Bazzill; patterned paper: Basics & Kioshi (Basic Grey); stamp: Scenic Route; gems: Kaiser; Nestability Heart (Spellbinders)