Using Lindsay’s Multi-Bracket Paper SVG freebie as a starting point, I experimented in Inkscape until I created Multi-Bracket card base and mat SVG files – definitely a bit of a learning curve, but completely doable! Then I turned to my trusty Photoshop and with the help of Jodiann’s styles, created 5 different papers that I printed out and then using SCAL cut the card bases and mats – I used 5.5 inches as the height for me card base and 5.15 inches for the height of the mat.. Then, using Photoshop again, I selected and printed the stamps from Love Grows Here.

I must admit, I’m rather pleased with the way they turned out – though my fingers were getting a little tired – thankfully I have really good, sharp scissors!  The birds are colored with Copics and Bic Mark-Its; the hearts have a generous coating of red stickles on them, and the the stitching was drawn in with a Blue Spica pen. The sheer organdy ribbon is from my stash. The heart paper is one I created and the card base is from my stash. This was one of my DH’s favorites. This little guy was colored with Bic Mark-Its with a touch of Spica Yellow glitter pen added to his wing and Cool Grey 1 Copic for shadow. Since Lindsay is sponsoring this week’s challenge over at Tuesday Morning Sketches, I used Melissa’s fabulous sketch to guide my layout. I used Bazzill CS and an EK Success Punch to create the image mat.  The card mat is one of my creations; the base is Bazzill textured CS.  The flowers are from Prima (checkout my friend Suzanne’s store – Crafting Connection, for awesome deals on Prima) and the pearls are from Michaels. This was DH’s other favorite!

Yes, once again, I HAD to use the fabulous cupcakes in the Love Grows Here set.  I colored the cupcakes with Copics, Mark-Its, and Spica pens – I used a white gel pen for accent.  The small cupcake sprinkles are coated with Red Stickles while the large sprinkles are Dew Drops from Crafting Connection.  I added ribbon from my stash to the card mat (another of my papers).  The card base is SU.Last but not least, I used the doily heart from Love Grows Here.  I colored the heart with Copics and punched the holes in the lace with my Fiskars hand punch.  The flowers are Prima and the pearls are MS.  Both the card mat and base were created by me.

That’s about it from me, but before you head over to Lindsay’s blog to check our her fab project and goodies – as well as the links to the other DT creations, I have a surprise for you!  I’m giving away the card base and mat SVG cutting files and 4 layered, printable cards – you can get them here.  If you like them, please leave a comment and send your friends to my blog – don’t share the links directly – thanks!

Have a fabulous Thursday!

That’s all again – it’s time for supper!

And, as an added bonus, all of her designs and cutting files at My Grafico are 25% off through Friday – woohoo! What better time to add to your digi-stamp and/or cutting file collections?!?!

For my project this week, I opted to use the yummy (and 0-calorie) cupcake in Lindsay’s Love Grows Here stamp set: I have a couple of birthday cards to make and I thought the cupcake would be perfect for one of them! Last week, in Lindsay’s What Is Digi-Stamping Yahoo group a “challenge” to use scraps was issued (Thanks Cheryl). So, my card base and the white scallop layer are from my scrap bin.  The DP is DCWV The Sweet Stack and the ribbon is from my stash.  I used an EK Success Diamond Lace border punch on all three layers. Then, I adhered a 4.25×5.5 piece of transparency film to my card front to give me an area to stamp my sentiment and because I had never tried adding “clear” paper to my cards – I rather liked the results! I colored the cupcake with Copics, Spica, and Sakura markers and pens.  After trimming and adhering to my card with pop-up glue dots, I used red stickles on the heart sprinkles and Moonlight Smooch (love the Stampin Studio) to add the accent on the cherry.  The Birthday sentiment is SU stamped in Cotton White Opaque Staz-On onto my transparency sheet. I really like the effect!

That’s all from me – today is our first day with gymnastics after 9 months of swimming lessons – which means a change in our schedule and routine – though I’m sure Nadya will be perfectly happy.

Be sure to check Lindsay’s blog for a treat and the links to the rest of the DT projects! Have a fabulous day!

For this week, Lindsay challenged us to recycle – aka repurpose an item or two on our creations – and you can enter too! Today is the last day to enter your “repurposed” project for a chance to win a free stamp set – check Lindsay’s blog for all of the details, links to the other fabulous DT projects, and possibly a FREEBIE! Then head to Lindsay’s store to snag this super cute set and check out her new SVG files – yup Lindsay is now selling cutting files!  And, just for hanging out with me today – I have a goodie for you too – my VERY FIRST cutting files – they’re in SCUT format as I haven’t mastered all the conversions yet – but hey we all to start somewhere.  I’m sharing the scallop heart mats I created to go with my cards and Bunny’s class!

That’s all from me – today  is the last day of swimming lessons – next week we start tumbling again. Plus I REALLY need to join the ranks and tidy my craft space and find homes for all of the new Christmas goodies. Have a fabulous day!

Today ONLY Dustin Pike is having a 1-DAY sale – 2 different packages, 2 INSANELY low prices – you definitely DON’T want to miss this!

Kristine is putting her entire store on-sale 50% off for the whole weekend! The ENTIRE DSO store will be on-sale Thanksgiving Day for AT LEAST 30% off – some are offering crazy sales like 50% off and others will have graduated sales throughout the weekend – so shop early for the best prices.   

Another THURSDAY only sale– Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff sets at My Grafico will be 20% off (and Lindsay is running a contest over at her My Grafico Group – anyone who submits a card using Lindsay’s Stamps will be entered into a random draw for a free set of their choice). What are YOU waiting for – show us what you’ve got!

I’m off to bake apple pies for tomorrow! Have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving (or Thursday if you aren’t celebrating tomorrow).

Shannon

For the card base, I used Riding Hood Red CS shaped with fabulous SVG freebie from Lindsay (I’m borrowing my Mom’s little Cricut for a while so I had to create something). The bonbon is a doodle/digital stamp hand drawn by my dear friend and uber talented Kim of KimB’s Designs (you can snag this wonderful image between now and November 16th at DSO or DSV – it’s part of Kim’s birthday grab bag 1). I printed the image twice, colored the first one with Copics and Sakura pens, then colored the Holly from the 2nd image, trimmed it, and attached with glue dots for added dimension.  After trimming with my nestabilites, I sponged Rocket Red Brilliance ink around the edges.  The mat is from DCWV Glitter Holiday mat stack.  The DP is from the Harvest Holiday collection by Debbie Mumm that I accented with more glitter CS from the Mat Stack that I cut with a scallop edge punch by EK Success.  The sheer organdy ribbon is from my stash as are the accent pearls (I think I used most of my white ones on this card!).  I stamped the joy sentiment from SU with White ink and drew the faux stitching by hand with a white gel pen.  I’m actually quite pleased with the results although I think I’ll skip the Rocket Red Brilliance on the edge if I make another of these.

I’m still working on my card for Jaimie Cates/Spread the Love – I love the Sarah Kay image I chose, but now I’m having trouble with the rest of the card.  I haven’t been satisfied with any of my mock-ups yet.  Maybe I’m trying too hard??!?!!?

In other news, two of my favorite designers are having some super specials!. KimB is celebrating her birthday, so until Nov 16, both of her stores (DSO and DSV) are on-sale 50% off, in addition to her amazing Grab Bags! But wait, there’s more (in my best Billy Mays type voice), this Saturday Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff is on-sale for 25% off at My Grafico! Definitely time to go shopping!

I guess that’s all from me. Oh wait, another couple of teasers for you:  I had a couple of comments regarding using Paint.net and gradients, so I  downloaded the free program and created these tidbits – which I am currently working into a tutorial. I’ll let you guys know as soon as I’m done.

Have a fabulous Friday!

That’s all for now.  I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! Don’t forget about Lindsay’s stamp sale – 10% off at her original store plus a free $1 stamp with every $5 purchase or 30% off at MyGrafico – only until October 31.  Kristine has a fabulous freebie up as well – so stop by and leave her some love too.

As if this fabulous set wasn’t enough, she surprised us with her new All Around Phrases stamp set (I used a couple of the stamps in this set for the Photoshop Elements tutorial yesterday).  So, what did I do this week? Well, started out warping a couple of the Cupcake Wrappers into card fronts, but just wasn’t feeling quite Christmas-y yet, so I opted to create a couple of Halloween themed cards using Lindsay’s Creepy Crow set.  For my projects, I had planned on doing a card set and matching box, but time and my toddler had other plans for me.  The two cards I have for you today double as challenge entries for the Papertake Weekly and Inspirational Card Sketches challenges.

For my Papertake Weekly Challenge card, I printed the Crow Graveyard Scene on Multipurpose photo paper, sprinkled it with Desert Night Embossing Powder by Stamp A Mania (which is produced locally – I LOVE IT) and heat embossed (you have to be really careful when embossing photo paper or vellums as it is very easy to melt the coating or burn the paper – I typically apply the heat to the back of my paper when using these media types – it takes forever, but I don’t usually catch things on fire!).  Then I trimmed the image with my scissors and craft knife.  The card base is textured black CS from Bazzill.  The primary mat is also from Bazzill – a deep purple that seemed to fit so well with the Halloween theme.  The moon is die cut from glitter CS (DCWV glitter  mat stack).  I cut the circle (4.25”) with one of my old wooden Accucut Slimline dies (I’m so bummed they don’t sell them any more) and then cut it in half to create the moon.  The “hillside” is cut from dark grey mulberry paper that I had hiding in my stash.  I printed the sentiment on HP 4×6 photopaper thinking I would emboss it too – NOPE – that stuff came out of the printer dry! Fabulous for printing photos, not so much if you want to emboss! Since I couldn’t emboss easily, I opted for a bit of clear glue and Black Hole ultra fine glitter from The Art Institute around the edges.  The “ribbon” is scrap from cutting out the moon. 

My 2nd card is for this week’s Inspirational Card Sketches challenge.  I used the Crow ATC from Lindsay’s set printed on Multipurpose photopaper and embossed with my fabulous Desert Night powder.  I colored the moon and sky with my Copics – aiming for a stained glass type effect.  I matted the ATC on a scrap of purple textured Bazzill CS and then colored the edges with a Gelly Roll glitter pen.  The card base is the other half of my 12×12 Bazzill black CS.  I had some of the spider web DP leftover from one of my other cards, so I used it as my primary card mat.  I cut the curve from a piece of Black Mulberry paper and then edged the paper with clear glue and this fabulous Orange Twinkle embossing powder (Judikins) that I picked up at Creative Stamp Impressions (my local stamp store). I cut the flowers from black and grey mulberry papers using my Sizzix Daisies #2die. I added the orange button as the center and  covered it with the same embossing powder for added sparkle.

Now that you’re in the Halloween “spirit” – make sure to check Lindsay’s blog – you never know when she’ll have a surprise for you and I know she posted this awesome Halloween freebie during the week!

Stop by the other DT blogs and see what sort of inspiration they have for you!  And, while we’re talking about DT members, Lindsay’s DT call is open until November 7 – don’t miss your chance to apply!

Have a fabulous Thursday! 

For this week’s release, Lindsay has created another awesome Leaf set – Sketchy Leaves is perfect for your Fall projects. I just love the clusters! This set coordinates nicely with Lindsay’s Leaf Prints set – read Lindsay’s  tutorial on recoloring (and the coordinated free background papers) from last week and you can create stunning one-of-a-kind cards quickly!

As I mentioned, my project this week coordinates with Lindsay’s blog freebie – she has 2 fabulous BCA themed stamps for you and I have my very first printable card kit – inspired by my Hope Is paper pack. Here’s what I created using Lindsay’s BCA freebie and my printable kit:

The purse is available here. I have to say a special thank you to Mel of Melz Stamps for her templates and tutorials.  Check out Mel’s blog for awesome inspiration and detailed instructions for constructing purses like this one and many others. To add some sparkle to the flower clasp, after printing and cutting, I covered it in Versamark and added Super Sparkle embossing powder.  I also added faux beads with my silver Prisma marker.

For these cards – inspired by this week’s sketch at Inspirational Card Sketches, I used my printable card kit, wordart that I created in Photoshop, and Lindsay’s Save the TaTas stamp – check her blog for this awesome freebie.  I colored the bras with my copics and Spica clear glitter pen and Gelly Roll Glaze pen. For added shimmer I chalked the bra background with my Pebbles shimmer chalks. The stamps with cut and matted using my nestabilities and DCWV glitter CS from their Glitter Mat Stack.

For my Hope and Believe Cards, I printed the cards and mats from my printable card kit, embossed with my cuttlebug folder and texture plates, and adhered to Pretty in Pink CS.  I added sheer pink organdy ribbon under the sentiment.  In the Hope card, I used pink forget-me-nots from Prima (thank you Suzanne – they’re awesome!).  For the Believe card, the flower is Prima and the leaves are die cut mulberry paper that I made using a sizzlits die. All 4 cards and their envelopes fit inside the purse – so this makes a perfect gift for someone special.

That’s all from me – have a fabulous Thursday!  Be sure to visit Lindsay’s blog for your Free stamp set and the rest of the DT blogs for more amazing inspiration!

For both of these cards I used my Lovely as a Tree set stamped in Basic Brown on Naturals Vanilla CS (all Stampin’ Up). The trees on the first card are trimmed with my Long Rectangle nestabilites, distressed/inked with Chocolate Chip dye ink, and matted with Baroque Burgundy (yes the retired one – that’s  the paper I had) CS.  The ribbon is sheer copper organdy and the dew drops (the glue dried clear) are from my friend Suzanne at Crafting-Connection. The sentiment is stamped with Basic Black Craft ink (also SU) directly onto the card from DCWV Indian Summer Fall Box of Cards, sprinkled with clear detail powder and heat embossed. The inside sentiment was computer generated – I used The Serenity Prayer as it holds special meaning for the people I sent this card to.  For the second card, I used my labels nestabilities to trim and mat the image onto Really Rust CS.  I added texture with my own blend of Flower Soft colors since I didn’t have any of the new Autumn Blend.  The ribbon and bow are sheer copper organdy. I followed a fabulous tutorial from Diana Gibbs’ blog to tie the bow using a dinner fork! The case base is also from DCWV Indian Summer Fall Box of Cards – I just love that set – it’s so easy to use; everything is precut, folded, and envelopes are included.  I’m so glad I grabbed them when they were on-sale! The sentiment is stamped in Chocolate Chip and is also heat embossed.

This card is for a little guy who just turned 2! The stamp is the Cowboy Billy digi-stamp from Pink Cat Studios. I colored him using my Copic markers (I had to work on the skin tone and hair a bit since most of the time I’m coloring blondes!). The card base and DP are both from a fabulous “new to me” local store – Creative Stamp Impressions. They cut and package their own card sets (5 included per package), complete with envelopes. When I saw this set, I knew it would be perfect for this little guy or the Cowgirl from Victoria Case!

For the inside, I created the cupcake paper in Photoshop using an Overlay from Megadoodle Inspired and printing on white CS.  The sentiment (SU retired) is stamped in Real Red on White CS and both panels are matted with Real Red CS.  The card was well-received (I’m always a little hesitant with handmade – some people think it’s cheap and tacky), but the little boy’s Mom is having it framed and displayed in his bedroom. Hooray!

Oh oh and lookie what I got:

The little Fairy birthday card made the top three! Hooray!

It’s time for me to pack – my Mom and I are taking Nadya to visit my Nana.  Her birthday is Saturday and is the first one since my Papa died.  Unfortunately, Sunday is the 1 year anniversary of his passing.  He is in a far better place, but we didn’t want her to be alone – plus we wanted to visit her because she’s fabulous!  Add to the mix that today is our weekly swimming lesson and tonight is the final gathering of the local Mustang Club – well let’s just say we’ll be busy!  Have a fabulous weekend!!!