Warmth & Wonder Christmas Shadowbox Card

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I'm going with a clean look for my latest Christmas card!  White on white woodgrain with a little evening scene featuring the reindeer stamp from the Warmth & Wonder hostess set. 

A little sponging and stamping off, then a bit of glitter to light up the scene. 

Playing along with Freshly Made Sketches...

And the Friday Mashup!  Woodgrain and wildlife...

Hope you'll find some time to create this week! Christmas is right around the corner, you know!  

Have a blessed and creative day ~ Erika

Diamond Flip Flop Get Well Card - Tag It

Pin It Now! I needed a Get Well card for my cousin this week, and wanted it to be something she could display and enjoy in her hospital room, so I made a fancy "Diamond Flip" fold and decked it out in this week's Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge color combo.  Major pretty colors!

The colors are perfect for a girl!

This flip flop technique was highlighted in the last round of Ustamp With Dawn and Friends, Cards with Cool Moves.  I love my UStamp catalog...I can always find a Wow technique to practice!

Here, you can see how it opens. I stamped some Delicate Doilies inside to carry the doily theme through. 

And from behind ;)

Feel like making something pretty in the midst of fall / Thanksgiving / Christmas cards?  Check out Hand Stamped Sentiments' color challenge this week!

 I'm also playing along with Friday Mashup this week...Chevrons!  Love 'em!

Have a blessed and creative day!  ~Erika

Supply List:

Stamps:  Tag It, Delicate Doilies

Ink:  Blushing Bride, Baked Brown Sugar, Crisp Cantaloupe

Paper:  In-Color 2013-2015 Paper Stack, Soft Sky, Blushing Bride, Whisper White

Embellishments: doily, Chevron Ribbon in Blushing Bride, Stretch Ruffle Trim in Crisp Cantaloupe, Basic Pearls, Chevron Embossing Folder, Chalk Talk Framelits

Mini Tea Bag Holders - Fall, Friendship Themes

Pin It Now! Hey Crafty Friends!  Today I'm sharing some sweet tea bag holders.  They're a cute little square bifold that holds a note and a tea bag.

The first one is done with Hand Stamped Sentiments' color challenge for this week - Use the colors Island Indigo, Early Espresso, and Tangerine Tango.  Talk about a WOW combo!  

The Four Seasons Hostess set was perfect for the autumny theme I had in mind, inspired by Friday Mashup.  Layered with Champagne Glimmer Paper, and set against a piece of Early Espresso DSP from Candlelight Christmas (not just for Christmas, apparently!).

Inside are two little pockets, one holds a mini card, and the other holds a yummy Vanilla Chai tea bag.  This brilliant little pocket card was taught by Dawn Griffith on her website last week.  Click here to see the video - easy and cute!

A close up of the mini card. The backside is also done in Very Vanilla for writing on.  

You can also see my little glittered acorns I picked up on my bike ride this morning with the boys :) 

I thought they were so neat, I didn't stop there!  My crafty buddy JoAnn came over and we made this one, too - 

 These are even more tea-appropriate, using From My Heart stamp set.

 The paper and borders are from the Merry Moments Simply Scrappin' kit.  I looooove this kit, it uses Basic Grey as the neutral, and two classic favorites, Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive.  I practiced my watercoloring - it's improving, but I still have a way to go!

 Here are the two inserts. Again, all of the embellishments are already made into die cut stickers in the scrappin' kit.  Too easy.

Won't you play along this week at HSS?  See where it takes you!

And how about some Friday Mashup?  Autumn leaves and/or twine.  Perfect for getting you in a Fall state of mind!

Storytime Friends HSS130

Pin It Now! I have to confess, I am on my 3rd week being away (like 500 miles away) from my craft room. My heavenly personal space, my refuge, and 98% of my craft supplies!  This is my 4th card since I left home with a small box of stampin' stash, and it was a bit of a challenge!  The HSS challenge this week is ALL of the new In-Colors, and I found myself really wanting to scrounge through my stuff for support, as I'm not much into super duper color combos.  And since I did this card a few weeks ago already, I had to come up with a fresh multi-colored idea!

So I thought I'd go for minimalist stamping, and these super cute Storybook Friends are purrfect!

The new 7/8" Cotton Ribbon is torn and frayed for a textural layer, and our little friends are tethered together with Hat Pins and little bits of Stitched Satin ribbon to form a little banner.  

Are you feeling colorful this week?  Join the challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments and show what you got!

Another challenge that helped me with my color-full card was Friday Mashup!  They challenge you to use a stick pin / vintage / or combo thereof.  Here's my non-professional screen shot of the challenge post! LOL

Fresh Color Challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments HSS116 {how-to}

Pin It Now! This week at Hand Stamped Sentiments, we are challenged to use one of the prettiest color combos I've seen in a while...Pool Party, Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, Basic Grey.  I can never envision what to do with a color combo until I sit down and start playing.

So, I grabbed a few supplies, a Dollar Tree pack of mini composition books, and got to work.  This ended up being my last project for my Stampin' Buffet at my house yesterday...



I for one, can't wait to tuck this in my purse and whip it out to jot down groceries or cardmaking brainstorms :D I was inspired by a larger spiral bound notebook done by Wendy Cunningham.

These are super easy and cost about 50 cents each to make...below are some basic instructions.  I didn't list measurements, as your notepads might not be the same size as these, mine are about 41/2" x 3-1/2". Just lay the notebook open flat on your cardstock and mark where the top and bottom are, go a little large, and cut and trim...just don't go too small.

BUTTERFLY NOTE PAD

INSTRUCTIONS:

11)      Rub Regal Rose cardstock against edge of table to bend in a curve.

22)      Fold in half to find center.

33)      Stamp randomly with Artistic Etchings stamps and Versamark Ink.

44)      Adhere Basic Grey ribbon down spine and trim excess.

55)      Adhere Regal Rose cardstock to notebook with Tombo Multi glue, and corner round edges.

66)      Adhere patterned paper strip, trim if necessary.

77)      Punch newsprint oval, sponge and adhere.

88)      Tie ribbon around bottom of Pink Pirouette rectangle.

99)      Ticket Corner Punch top to corners, adhere with dimensionals to notepad.

110)  Apply pearls to butterfly, and adhere with dimensionals.

As it so happens, my notepad fits well with the Friday Mashup challenge this week too...to use text or print in a project.  

Hope you decide to play along with the gorgeous springy challenge colors at Hand Stamped Sentiments!

SUPPLY LIST:
STAMPS:  Artistic Etchings
INK: Pink Pirouette, Versamark
PAPER:  Attic Boutique DSP, First Edition DSP, Regal Rose CS, Pink Pirouette CS
ACCESSORIES: Basic Grey 5/8" satin ribbon, Decorative Frames embossing folder, Beautiful Wings embosslits, Basic Pearls, Ticket Corner Punch, Corner Round punch, Sponge
OTHER:




Have a blessed & creative day! Erika.

Side Note Memories {Mini Album}

Pin It Now! So, this week's Friday Mashup Challenge #51 is "When Life Throws You Scraps..."  We're encouraged to make a project using a quilted technique, or using something from your stash that's been forgotten about/sitting around.  So I went digging, and found this packet of die cuts that coordinate with the Beau Chateau suite, called Side Notes.  Love the look of them, but only used them once.

I took some artistic license, and mashed em up with Everyday Enchantment DSP.  I cut and pieced and layered (much as i would when making a quilt, right?!!), and turned them into this minibook.



Here's the front.  The 'Memories' die cut wraps from the front to the back cover.



It makes a cute little spot to fill in the occasion for the minibook.



Here's the long lost stash!  Did you buy these?  did you use them?!  They're nice, thick, sturdy & pretty.



The base of the minibook is made up of only one 8.5" x 11" sheet of patterned paper!!!


I got the minibook base tutorial from Sandy's Space.  She lays out the base very nicely.


Here's how it looked with just the one-sheet base, a small scrap of paper to cover the spine, and a piece of ribbon glued into the spine.  It's nice all by itself.

Here are all the insides...











The 'friend' word art and quote were part of a large die cut that I cut up to place in a mini fashion.



Same with the 24/7.  I left the 24 hanging off the side, and colored the exposed  backside with a Stampin' Write Marker in Marina Mist.



I made a little tiny banner with leftover flower punches and butterflies!  More layering with paper, ribbons, and an abandoned Designer Frame window.



The little banner was easy-to-do, just pierced holes into die cuts on a Mat Pack, and strung them together with a needle and Linen Thread.  I'm going to try this on a large scale too!



Here's the finished product. To keep it uniform, I used only green and blue mats, alternating them on every other page, and tried to put a splash of Calypso Coral or Poppy Parade on each page to carry through the theme.  But all in all, this came together with just a few scraps of paper, and the Butterflies Embosslits.

Best of all, this is my second project made with my Travel Stash!  Just a few supplies in a 12x12 box.  You can read about my little traveling supply box here.



Here's the challenge...Friday Mashup has great themes that engage papercrafters, with a great variety!  Go give it a try!



Have a blessed & creative day! Erika.

Fresh Vintage {cut & color}

Pin It Now! Today we were finally SNOWED IN!  I have so been craving a snow day.  Amidst the boys' wet clothes, mopping up bootprints, and chucking wood in the stove, I made a bright bouquet of Fresh Vintage flowers.


I love the color combo of shabby Basic Grey, Wisteria Wonder, and Poppy Parade.  A little Lucky Limeade to tie it all together. 

The scalloped circle is a die cut from Perfect Pennants, laced together with a little Lucky Limeade Organdy Ribbon from Sale-A-Bration.  A 1-3/8" circle punch of Lucky Limeade fills in the center, and hand-colored and cut bouquets from Fresh Vintage. I spritzed a little Basic Grey and Lucky Limeade here and there to ink up the Confetti White cardstock even more. 

An Antique Brad cinches the center of a seam binding ribbon bow.  My thought was that it looks like a little hand-tied bouquet, for a shabby-chic look. Shabby chic doesn't come naturally to me, but I really love the look when I see it!


I used The Friday Mashup's sketch and theme FM46 for my inspiration...
As well as Cupcake's Creations color challenge.  Excellent combo! 


Here's the view of the tree outside my window today.  I. LOVE. SNOW.

Have a blessed & creative day!
Erika

A-MAZE-ing Easel Valentine

Pin It Now! Here's a seriously fun card for someone you love.  Or like a lot!
It's Stampin' Up!'s new Maze Game set from the Spring Mini, and I plan to have a LOT of fun with these.

This one is wrapped in pleated ribbon and propped up on an easel card to show it off a bit. 

Lots of glitter hearts are added.  Some to hold the easel, some just 'cause! 

Here's how it looks closed.  These angle easels are really easy. Just start with a 5-1/4" square card, and score from the bottom left to the top right, with the card opening from the side (not the top). This way will guarantee that all your embellishments stay right-side-up when you open the card and don't turn sideways.  Believe me, I know ;)


Here's a back view.  I made sure to cover the back of the maze puzzle, which would otherwise be white, so it looks finished from all angles.


This is how it looks opened traditionally, so you can write a nice BIG love note at the top.



Detail of the back of the puzzle.  I used Sticky Strip to run the pleated ribbon around the backside of the puzzle, then covered it with a 2-1/2" circle of DSP, adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals so the ribbon won't get crushed.  I love those embossed hearts!  I also took the tiny balls out of the puzzle and put rhinestones in there, shaker-card style, but they didn't show up as well as I hoped. 
Below is an an angled view, not too much bulk, but still plenty going on there!



I was inspired by two challenges, first one is SUO37, Stampin' Up Only challenge to use your NEW stash. 
Second is this great sketch from Friday Mashup. 


SUPPLIES:
STAMPS: Totally A-maze-ing
PAPER: Sweet Shop designer DSP, Silver Glimmer Paper, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White
INK: Calypso Coral, Basic Black
ACCESSORIES: Maze Game, Pleated Satin Ribbon (Pear Pizzazz), 1/8” Organdy Ribbon Everyday Enchantment (Calypso Coral - SaleABration), In Color Printed Designer Brads, Small Heart Punch, Heart to Heart Punch, 2-½” Circle Punch, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter
BASICS: Simply Scored, Dimensionals, Sticky Strip


Have a blessed & creative day! Erika. www.erikaclark.stampinup.net