February 24, 2017 Best Grandma

I have a friend that is going to be a first time grandma to twin boy/girl.  When I have a friend that is a first time grandma I always get them a "Read to Me Grandma" book as a giftie.  

I have had this Lawn Fawn set for a while - and again never before used.  Oh mercy so many that need ink.  Well I thought this would make a cute grandma card with the little owls and it worked out pretty well.  I used some watercolor pencils for my coloring, sponged in some clouds and then started searching for a small grandma stamp. You know one of those things you know you have but don't remember where it is.  Well this was from The Angel Company years ago but it was exactly what I needed for the space. Popped up on a doily, some nature color bg DP,some pearls, and card done to go in with gift.   

February 22, 2017 Anything Goes

Today is "anything goes" day over at The House that Stamps Built - and some months it is my favorite Wednesday - but this week - I had an idea in my head but it just wasn't coming together - so I played a bit more and here is what I came up with.  With Spring just around the corner I know the birds will be looking at the real estate around here - and we have 3 bird houses all cleaned out and ready for new tenants.  The die is from IO - which I have had for a while and not used, and I adore these 3 sweet birds - Tiny Birds - 2614-D  2616-D and 2617-D - so I colored them very simply fussy cut and started to built my scene.  I have had this cute bird DP double sided which worked well together so I again went with the DP.  Used just the word "home" 10624-E  and then on the inside I stamped Congratulations. A bit of twine, some enamel dots, and pop up some birdies and I think we have found a family for our bird houses.
     Challenges:
          Crafty Hazelnuts Pattern Paper-use pattern paper
          Jo's Scrap Shack - anything goes
          Crafting from the Heart - anything goes
          Artistic Impressions- anything goes

Now it is your turn to your turn to make a card using the Anything Goes and enter it in The House that Stamps Built challenge   

You do not have to use Repeat Impressions stamps but if you do you will be entered twice in the drawing for a $25 gift certificate to Repeat Impressions.  

If you look on my right side bar I also have a discount coupon for you to use when you go shopping at Repeat Impressions.
    

Now - take a look at what our design team has made to get you started.

  Cheri     Deonna      Joy     Donna   Heather  Laurie   and   Patti

 

February 21, 2017 Happy Birthday Beautiful You

Just got Beautiful You by SU a week or so ago.  I was so anxious to get it and had spent lots of time on Pinterest looking for ideas, then decided to go with my own.  I love the DP I had in a stack, already decorated with some pretty florals for me.  Colored the girl with copic markers, added some glitter, some die cut embellishment and a bling flower that I have had forever.  Hope you had a Happy Birthday Dear Friend.

February 20, 2017 Happy Birthday

This is the card I made for my great daughter, sweet Bella for her 4th birthday, she is my great grand daughter and what a blessing she is.  For her birthday Mom and Dad took her to see Disney on Ice, well what princess doesn't need a Cinderalla dress to wear for the occasion - so Grandma Hotop got her outfit and accessories.  Then coming up with a matching card - aren't digis a time saver, I found a Cinderalla digi, allcolored, just had to size, fussy cut and make my card. Happy Birthday Bella. 

February 17,2017 Valentine Boxes

Most of you know I am NOT I repeat NOT very good at making boxes but - recently had a class at Hobby Lobby with a BFF instructor Patti and gave us so many hints, instructions, and ideas for boxes that I came home and got busy.  The small boxes have Ghiradelli chocolates one was a dark spicy chocolate) a bit too spicy for me but my son loved his, and the larger box has Little Debbie Valentine cakes. These were mailed out in Chemo buddy boxes as well as boxes to the grandkids last week.  Thank you Patti for all the encouragement in making the "perfect" box.    

February 15, 2016 Photo Inspiration The House that Cards Built

I had to think about this photo challenge inspiration for oh maybe a minute and things started coming together.  I knew flowers - FLOWER POWER FRAME  10202-Q from REPEAT IMPRESSIONS,  Stamped on watercolor paper - colored with a light watercolor and waterbrush.  I have a small envelope diecut from  Amuse which I cut with Kraft paper and then die cut a series of tiny flowers also from AMuse.  Filled with envelope with pink/purple flowers - added some Nuvo centers and then a bit of bling.  I decided this looked like a spring card - only 5 weeks away so I used the sentiment HAPPY SPRING 1301-F.

Hoping this card will cheer up my senior buddy who lives in the "cold cold" part of Canada. 

Now it is your turn to your turn to make a card using the Photo or Color inspiration

and enter it in The House that Stamps Built challenge   

You do not have to use Repeat Impressions stamps but if you do you will be entered twice in the drawing for a $25 gift certificate to Repeat Impressions.  

If you look on my right side bar I also have a discount coupon for you to use when you go shopping at Repeat Impressions.
    

Now - take a look at what our design team has made to get you started.

  Cheri     Deonna      Joy     Donna   Heather  Laurie   and   Patti

February 13, 2013 POTW - OMBRE MONOCHROMATIC FRAMES

Good Morning - this week it is my turn over at The House that Stamps Built  to show you how to do a fun, and easy technique for a WOW card.  I call it ombre monochromatic frame ombre - fading shades of the same color family, "frame"

We all have pieces of 1-2 inch cs  laying around on our desk or scrap basket - well dig through those and find four pieces of the same color family.

Here is a picture tutorial for this technique.

You will need your strips of cardstock, a piece of white cardstock 4 1/4 x 5 1/2, a paper trimmer, glue runner, die cutter, and dies.

Cut at least 4 strips of cardstock in 1 inch strips at least 5 1/2 inches long.

Glue/or use tape runner to apply your color strips onto white cs - making sure that the edges are butted up against each other with no gap and I started with darkest color and worked my way down to the lightest.

Select two dies - one large and one smaller - make sure the smaller one is large enough to accommodate the stamp you want to use, I taped mine in place just to make sure they didn't move around  

You will end up with two pieces, - Use the largest piece and mount on either white/or contrasting color - your focal image will go in the oval space.  Stamp your image in the oval piece, color with your choice - I used colored pencils.
I then cut the sentiment out of the small oval piece I had left and then made my card.

I used Ship 9508J from Repeat Impressions found here , and sentiment Wind in my sails 3918F found here.  I had a nautical die which I used for the anchor out of the darkest blue on my card.  Talk about easy - and WOW.

But wait if you will look on your desk/work space you will see you have aother piece left - don't let it go to waste.

Again  mount this on white and stamp your focal image in the open space,

For this card I used Cape Hatteras Light 3003K found here. the darling little birds in flight Gulls in Flight 3412C found here and and sentiment A Happy Hello.  Tied on the perfect ribbon - (I won this in a blog candy give away) and it works well to tie this all together.  

Try this fun technique - it works with so many stamps from Repeat Impressions. 

  

February 10, 2017 More Valentine Monsters

These monster Valentines were so fun to make - I totally CASE'd the idea from our Card and Coffee social with a great friend and SU demonstrator.  I thought the monster (second picture) which was a SU image was to cute, well I remembered that I had some digi monsters from Gerda Steiner.  I printed them out on white cardstock then again on pattern cardstock - fussy cut and mounted  the monster on a white doily.  I then punched out several hearts and put one in each "hand" some heart washi tape, sentiment and then the cute eyes made this card complete.  Totally a fun fun card to case.  

February 8, 2017 Tic Tac Toe at the House that Stamps Built

This is one of my favorite new challenges at The House that Stamps Built and it is the Tic-Tac-Toe - you choose just like the game up, diagonal, down, or across.  Well I choose Embossing, pink and pearls.  I used Repeat Impressions 4903-F

Love Post  and embossed in a satin pearl embossing powder, then using some raspberry distressing ink colored it and cut out with postage scissors.  I didn't keep many of my fancy scissors but this was one I did keep.  I popped it up on a pink heart doily layered it on some pink/white heart paper and then had some precut borders that I used on the bottom and used my pearls there.  

  Now it is your turn to your turn to make a card using the theme Tic-Tac-Toe and enter it in The House that Stamps Built challenge   

You do not have to use Repeat Impressions stamps but if you do you will be entered twice in the drawing for a $25 gift certificate to Repeat Impressions.  

If you look on my right side bar I also have a discount coupon for you to use when you go shopping at Repeat Impressions.
    

Now - take a look at what our design team has made to get you started.

  Cheri     Deonna      Joy     Donna   Heather  Laurie   and   Patti

Challenges:
     The Paper Girls - with heart
     Everybody Art - for the girls or Valentines
     Brown Sugar - Pink and Pearls
     Crafting from the Heart - anything goes 

February 6, 2017 Valentine Monsters

Are these not the cutest - Valentine Monsters,they are digital images from gsd.com called Three Monsters.  I printed them on white cardstock first then on pattern paper so I could paper piece them.  I love to paperpiece and these monsters worked perfect.  I had some funny playful google eyes that I added and I think they make the monster more lifelike.  These were so much fun to create.  

Challenges:
     Gerda Steiner - Share your design 

      

February 1, 2017 - Color/photo Inspiration The House of Cards

This months theme at House of Cards is Love or color inspiration.  I choose to do "both" and with a Valentine theme.  Easy Peasy on this one, I had some variegated red/pink papers which I used for my starting point.  From there I used a Valentine Stamp and a Love Stamp for my sentiments.  Then cup a "off center rectangular" white piece, used some grapefruit splatters, and a few red flowers and gem hearts. I'm thinking this will be for hubby.  

Why not join our challenge this month at The House of Cards and make a card  using the photo/color inspiration and enter our challenge this month,  House of Cards current challenge.

February 1, 2017 Designer Choice - Cupcake Box

This is my second post for today - so grab a coffee and take a look at my project.

What a fun week this was - Patti was our Designer Choice for the week and the theme was anything but a card.  Now I am simply BOX impaired without a friend who can give me the measurements and score lines, but YEA I did this one on my own.  Success.  Got a cute little cupcake from WM - in red (for my photo shoot) - for Valentines Day - and was out to make the perfect cupcake box.  And here it is.  I used RI stamps:  9302-P Cupcakes,  9309-C Tiny Cupcake and the greeting is  Valentine's 1134-E .  I paper pieced the cupcake liner, colored the cupcake cake and Wink of Stella on the icing.  A couple of flowers for added interest and oh I ATE the Cupcake as I knew it wouldn't last until Valentines Day.  But I am going to get another one for hubby for Valentines Day.  

Now it is your turn to your turn to make a card using the theme "Anything but a Card and enter it in The House that Stamps Built challenge   

You do not have to use Repeat Impressions stamps but if you do you will be entered twice in the drawing for a $25 gift certificate to Repeat Impressions.  

If you look on my right side bar I also have a discount coupon for you to use when you go shopping at Repeat Impressions.
    

Now - take a look at what our design team has made to get you started.

  Cheri     Deonna      Joy     Donna   Heather  Laurie   and   Patti

Challenges:
     Simon Says Stamps  - The Color of Love
     Craft Rocket -It's a Love Thing
     Cute Card Thursday - Be my Valentine
    Jo's Scrap Shack - Anything Goes