...And a natural preservative!

We have a couple of wedding anniversaries in the family this week, so I made these simple cards featuring salt & pepper packets. This week's sketch challenge at Less Is More gave a place to start with the design, and I was also inspired by the fact that the salt & pepper packets that I used on the solid color card worked so well with this week's CAS-ual Fridays color challenge (Coral, Aqua, Gray).

I made a mask layer from white cardstock using a curved edge die, stamped the circle border from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps (using gray ink on the white & black ink on the coral), and heat-embossed it with a mix of chucky clear powder & glow-in-the-dark glitter. For the white card, I added a bit more clear chunky embossing powder to create a splash effect. I created the sentiment "Love is the Spice of Life" using the fonts Dimestore Hooker & Apple Chancery. The banner was handmade using a simple yet fun technique from s.e.i/Scor-Pal. The pepper packets on the white card and inked with VersaMark & QuickQuotes inks.

Inspiration/Challenges:
CAS-ual Fridays: Coral, Aqua, Gray
Less Is More #334: CAS + Sketch 20

Thank you for visiting,

A Spring Walk -- Graduation Shaker Card

I created the shaker window with the frame from the "Build a Scene - Calendar" set by Taylored Expressions. The black frame was made with real black satin material that I harvested from a very old winter coat! I filled the shaker with gold stars; the black & gold are my nod to graduation, as I made this for my neighbor who is graduating from High School next month. The sentiment is from Art Impressions' Flying High Clear Set. I used a pastel color palette for the balloons with Copic markers (R20, B12, YG41, Y02, YR61/E95, BV000, V12, E41). I doodled the outer frame.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Less Is More #324: CAS + Spring Walk (pastel colors; clear days; Graduation)
Paper Players #340: CAS + Vehicle (hot air balloons)

Thank you for visiting,

Simply Rainbow

I found this little bit of rainbow-ish ribbon in my stash and I wanted to make the most of it. I put the ribbon through the front aperture and then glued in the shaker portion, so that the ribbon wrapped around the inside too.

The card base is from the cloud shaker card kit by Jillibean Soup. I filled the shaker with plastic confetti (Recollections) and sealed it with a piece of acetate. The sentiment (Scrapmaster's Paradise) reads, "May your days be filled with color," and is stamped on the inside with an ombre ink pad (Recollections).

I used a cloud embossing folder and coasterboard for the front. I inked the embossed piece with white chalk ink, which is barely noticeable but brighten the natural color. I traced the cloud shape & hand-cut it out. The birds were stamped with an Artsy Fartsy stamp (3 little birds) and a ColorBox ink pad set. I added little bits of ink each time to create a rainbow look. I heat-embossed them with clear powder to make the colors pop.

Inspiration/Challenges:
CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #169: Off the Edge
Crafty Addicts: CAS
Double D Challenges: Things That Fly + Mood Board
Make My Monday #41: Colors of the Rainbow
The Ribbon Girls: Anything Goes with Ribbon

Thank you for visiting,

Simply Lit

We've lived in our house for over 10 years now, and during that time we've relied on our super lawnman, both for his hard work at keeping our property looking decent and for his friendship. He recently gave us a lamp (his landlord gave it to him, and he decided he didn't need it, and he knows I do a lot of crafting that strains my eyes) and yesterday I finally put it together and it's perfect! So I decided to make him & his wife a special card. I was literally finishing it up when he came by... my husband spoke to him while I finished it up! I wanted to keep it really simple yet elegant & fun, and I'm pleased with the result.

Due to a embossing tragedy, this plastic embossing folder has a big dent in it; but I really like its "electric" design, so I went ahead & used the embossing folder on a piece of letterpress paper and then cut an aperture with a circle die. I backed it with another piece of letterpress paper before inking it.

I inked a Hero Arts gradient background stamp with drops of Sunshine alcohol ink, spritzed it, and stamped directly on the piece several times.

The light bulb was cut on my Silhouette Cameo from glittery blue adhesive vinyl; I added the heart-shaped element using SCAL software.

The sentiment is from the Let It Shine set from Verve Stamps (you can see my many uses of this set here), and I inked it with QQ Navy chalk ink & TH Faded Jeans distress ink to give it full coverage over the yellow ink.

Had lots of fun with this project, and my new lamp really helped too!

Inspiration/Challenges:
Country View Crafts' Challenge: 30 mins or under
Less Is More #317: Sketch 19
Ooh La La Creations: Embossing (dry)

Thank you for visiting,

One touch of Geometry makes the whole world kin

I've been having a bit of a creative lull lately ... you know how it goes. That's one of the reasons I enjoy papercrafting challenges so much: it's nice to have some focus. I started at Less Is More, as I find the clean-and-simple style very challenging yet rewarding. This week's challenge is "Diamonds" which I found extra-challenging. The "Geometric" theme at Lawnscaping inspired me to use diamond shapes to create a pattern. I don't have a diamond stamp, so I used a hexagon punch to make 3 diamond shapes, cut 2 from foam, and adhered them with double-sided tape to a stamp block in a chevron pattern. There are so many possibilities with the foam stamping technique.

I used masking paper to mask my new Cardinal rubber stamp from Repeat Impressions before stamping the diamond/chevron shapes. The bird was stamped in Memento black ink & colored with Copic markers. The sentiment (a Shakespeare quote) is from Clear Art Stamps.

This was my first attempt. The shapes were stamped in Olive distress ink. I didn't like all the white space between the bird & the sentiment, so I added a branch from a Prickly Pear Designs stamp set. I'm entering this card into Less Is More #294: Diamonds.


Here's my second card. I used Pine Green pigment ink, inking the foam stamps just enough so that the ink pad lends texture to the final stamp. I'm entering this card into Lawnscaping #138: Geometric.

Thank you for visiting & inspiring my crafting!

Simply Deconstructed S'mores

I spent a recent summer evening making this deconstructed s'mores card:

I started by stamping the chocolate drop candy (Repeat Impressions) in Milk Chocolate chalk ink (QuickQuotes). I colored it with a Copic marker & masked it with removable paper. The sentiment & chevron stencil are from a Recollections set. I colored the stencil with Copics. I used a Hero Arts block stamp & Memento Desert Sand ink for the cracker-y rectangle. The marshmallow splat was created with a TH stencil & Tsukineko Amplify ink. Love how this ink textures when heated.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Color Throwdown: Combo #399
Hand Stamped Sentiments: Sketch #241
Less Is More #282: Use a Stencil

Thank you for visiting & inspiring my crafting!

Nuts and Bolts - Better Together

I had so much fun making & using my nut stamps that I decided to use them again to make a CAS card featuring a "nuts & bolts" pun. The bolts are high-quality PNGs that I grabbed for free at Clker. The sentiment is from a Recollections set.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Come and Get It #121: Weird/Whimsical
Stamplorations June Sketch/Theme Challenge: Sketch

Update: This was a Top Pick at Stamplorations!

Thank you for visiting & inspiring my crafting!

Enjoy the Mess

It's one layer week at Less is More; Clean & Simple stamping is such a skill, and I feel more confident with every try. That being said, clean & crisp isn't really my style so I like to get a bit artsy with it! Here's a Father's Day card I made for my Brother-in-law.

I used 3 inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Barely Banana, and QuickQuotes Coral. The splatter, smudge, and sentiment stamps are from a Recollections "Color Splash" set. I spritzed the stamps to create a messy effect. I used my index finger to stamp the prints, and doodled on them with a fine black pen. Super easy & fun to make!

Inspiration/Challenges:
Less is More #280: Splatters + One Layer
YNS #41: Sketch

Thanks for stopping by,

The golden peaches of Samarkand

My husband been has reading up on the history of the Silk Road, so when I asked him for a crafting prompt (I just like being challenged!) he suggested the golden peaches of Samarkand. Along with a sketch from Less is More and photo inspiration from Stampin' Royalty, I was inspired to make this CAS card featuring the Flutter Tree die set from Spellbinders.

I cut the tree 3 times, once from a gold cardstock (I used the same gold for the butterflies) & twice from a textured white paper. I inked the bottom tree a solid orangey-color, but used 3 orange inks for the top tree.The background is three pieces of bright white paper; The bottom piece is completely dry-embossed, the middle layer is just flat, and I carefully embossed only a portion of the top layer. Inspired by the sketch & theme, I made a sort of migration pattern out of the gold butterflies. The sentiment was stamped in black on a banner die cut from more of the textured white paper & inked with a marigold-yellow ink. I'm pleased with the result.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Less is More #278: Sketch
Stampin' Royalty #331: Photo Inspiration

Thanks for stopping by,

Simply Water Balloons

I was intrigued by the "Something that Pops or Bangs" challenge at Less is More; after mulling it over, I decided to try my hand at using a Water Balloon theme. This is my first attempt, I think it came out pretty well and will definitely return to this idea.

I started by stamping the sentiment (from Recollections' Color Splash collection) in green on a smooth cardstock. I die-cut a balloon with an Elizabeth Craft die from foam, adhered the foam shape to a stamp block with tape, and stamped the shape 3 times using a Martha Stewart ink set. Then I added the splashes with a TH stencil & blue ink from the same ink set. I glued some scraps of a green textured cardstock behind the white panel, and glued it all onto a white card base. I especailly like how the red balloon came out.

Inspiration/Challenges:
CAS(E) This Sketch!: CASE Sketch #173 + CAS
Fashionable Stamping Challenge #111: Blots/Splashes + stamping
Less is More #277: Something that Pops or Bangs (water balloons)

Thank you for visiting & inspiring my crafting!

Inlaid & Inked Father's Day

I really enjoy playing at Taylored Expressions' Share Joy challenge, and, lucky me, I won a gift certificate to their store!  This card features their "Transportation" Little Bits dies.

The cars & treeline are die cut directly from the textured cardstock base and the pieces set back together. The cars were inked with the same 3 blue inks that I used for the sentiments. The "roads" are inked with Memento inks that I also purchased from TE, using a Recollections stamp. I used the same stamp for the blue sections. The "Father's Day" sentiment piece was fussy cut and popped with foam tape. The base is a slate blue cardstock.

Inspiration/Challenges:
AAA Cards #64: Inlaid Die Cutting + CAS/Modern/Nearly Clean
Sunday Stamps #126: Create a Scene using Sketch

Thanks for stopping by,

Simply Fishy

If you're like me, you immediately took interest in this week's theme at Shopping Our Stash: You Stamped With What?!! People have come up with such great ideas!

I had the perfect object in my stash: a lattice-patterned plastic hanger that I've had in my stash for at least a year. I applied ink directly onto it and it stamped quite easily. I stamped it in green 3 times, once vertically and twice horizontally. I used a wet wipe to take off the border. I left the border for the yellow stamps on the base card.

I cut a circle from fun foam, taped it to a stamp block & stamped it in yellow. The sentiment was stamped in green with a Rogue Redhead Designs rubber stamp. Honestly, I chose it because of how it balanced visually, but the pun was an added bonus! I wet the stamp to bleed the ink a bit, for sharp color & an artsy look. The "carp" (Viva Las Vegastamps) was inked once with blue & stamped thrice.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Color Throwdown: Color Combo #388
Less is More #271: 3 stamps (I'm not sure if this counts, but I linked it up)

Shopping Our Stash Challenge #247: You Stamped With What?!!

Update: This was chosen as a Top Pick for Shopping Our Stash Challenge #247!

Thank you for visiting & inspiring my crafting!

Pinspired Pallet Sign

An email from Pinterest informed me that Pallet Signs are trending, and immediately I was inspired to make a papercraft version.

I cut the three "wood" pieces, including two for the back, from a thick packaging cardboard. I embossed the pieces with an SU!/Sizzix folder, sanded them, inked them with Coral chalk ink (Quick Quotes), and added some distressing with Antique Linen ink. Then I used the two other pieces to make a small pallet shape. I stamped the sentiment (Indigo Blue) in blue (Hampton Art) directly onto it; I'm so pleased with the result! I used my CropoDileII to punch holes in the corners, and strung some lovely seam binding (Paper Sweeties) through them. The bow is more seam binding. The silver brad is from my stash; I textured it with sandpaper. The background is a piece of cardboard from a box of Ginger Snaps, and the card base is a light Kraft paper. I'm thinking I'll send this my SIL for her birthday; she's a very trendy lady!

Inspiration/Challenges:
Cards und More #155: Kraft Cardstock
Less is More #270: White Space but not White (2nd entry)
Stampin' Royalty #323: Wonderful Words

Thank you for visiting & inspiring my crafting!