Saturday, March 31, 2012

Hop Into Spring!


One of my very favorite cards of all the cards I have ever made was a step card of Granny on the Beach...when this week's Our Craft Lounge inspiration challenge was posted, I decided I wanted to make a similar card using Hoppin' Into Spring, one of my favorite OCL sets.

The fun thing about making a step card is that it allows you to use more of the cute images from this stamp set!  A horizontal image like this row of sprouting carrots really lends itself well to this design...popping a few rows up on dimensional adhesive adds some depth, and the steps accentuate the illusion of foreground and background even more.  A little bit of Sparkly Fluff to the bunny's tail adds some texture and sparkle and makes it even more fun.


I really wanted to add a fence along the horizon of this card...my husband and son were sweet enough to swing by Michael's between lunch and music lesson so I could run in to buy the punch and finish my card today.  It was pouring rain (which we definitely need), but I was able to dash in and out without getting drenched!  Getting a decent photo on a day like this proved to be a little more challenging!

The fence is punched from a wood-grained print from MME's Fiddlesticks designer paper.  I used a warm gray Copic marker to add some shading to each fence slat and to the horizontal elements between them.

I love the way this card turned out, so bright and fun for Easter!  When it is "closed" the sentiment is hidden, and it looks as though the bunny is hopping along in the furrow between rows.  When it is sitting open zig-zag-style on my desk, the sentiment is visible and he looks like he is leaping mid-air.  It is just fun to make something different than a traditional A-2 every once in a while!

Notes:
OCL Hoppin' Into Spring
Sugar Sparkly Fluff
MME Fiddlesticks designer paper
Copic blending paper
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers
dimensional adhesive
MS fence punch
Cutterbee snips

I hope I've inspired you to play along with our challenge!  Be sure to visit the OCL blog for more information, and to link your project when you're done!  Have a blessed Holy Week!  :)

Thursday, March 29, 2012

The Bees' Knees


Today has been The Bees Knees!  :)  I just got back from a nice long lunch with Asela!  It was sort of an after-the-fact birthday/anniversary celebration, and this is the card that I gave to her.  We took our ukuleles and sat outside at Island Life Grill with our folders of music and a copy of The Daily Ukulele, working on chords and strumming.  Today is a warm day in Florida, but it was still SO nice to be outside enjoying the sunshine and music! Matthew walked over after his chorus class to join us...Asela had to go, but I stayed to keep Matthew company until he had to go back to the high school for play practice.  By the end of the week, we are in need of a day like today!  And there were stampin' goodies in the mailbox when I returned home, too, so you know I'm smiling!

Bees' Knees is an Our Craft Lounge stamp set, paired with My Mind's Eye honeycomb patterned paper and a big gingham bow.  The leaves bursting forth and the beehive hanging from the branch are images of Spring...you still have time to finish and submit a card for the current Spring Theme challenge before a new OCL challenge begins tomorrow!  I'm submitting this card for today's SCS Ways to Use It "Get Sentimental" challenge, too!  I think that little bee is so cute!

Notes:
Copic blending paper
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers
My Mind's Eye designer paper
May Arts gingham ribbon

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The cork's missing...


This week the Flower Soft team is making cards with The Wine Buffs paper-crafting kit.  These illustrations by Mike Payne are absolutely hilarious, and they make card-making really fast and easy!  All you really need is card stock, a paper trimmer, and some adhesive.


You can make these cards as simple or as intricate as you wish...cut out the full color images (square, round, or oval in various sizes) with a paper trimmer, die, or scissors.  If you like adding dimension to your projects, you can use snips to fussy cut and pop up some of the characters and other elements.

There are also The Wine Buffs stamp sets...I used the tiny cork and corkscrew from The Wine Buffs Celebrate to stamp a small embellishment from a scrap of paper (saved from my fussy cutting) for my first card, coloring it with Copic markers, circle-punching it and edging it in gray to match the color of the edge around the larger image...they're faux-layered.  :)

Check out the Flower Soft blog and my team mates' blogs to see more of The Wine Buffs!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Button Mums and Rainbows


Here's a clean and simple card for this week's CPS sketch, sponsored by The {Stamps of Life}.  I used Stephanie's ink to stamp the leaves, then added dark purple buttons tied with jute thread for the flowers.   This rainbow print from Lawn Fawn was one of my favorites from The Bright Side pad, a favorite debut at CHA.      

Notes:
ink and mums2stamp from The {Stamps of Life}
jute thread
buttons

Monday, March 26, 2012

GRS Diner's Club Preview!


Gourmet Rubber Stamps is previewing a brand new Diner's Club set, Garden Tea Time, and today our team is sharing projects using its gorgeous images and sentiments.  This layout is Pam's sketch challenge.



Visit the GRS blog and my design team mates' blogs to see more!

Notes:
Gourmet Rubber Stamps Garden Tea Time
My Mind's Eye Be Happy Follow Your Heart designer paper
Memento London Fog ink
Copic markers
Clearsnap Donna Salazar Mix'd Media inx (chiffon, honey)
Prima pearl flourish
MME Lime Twist twine



I'm also sharing a woven Easter basket that I made for today's Paper Craft Planet Tutorial Monday.  The sentiment on the tag is one from last month's Diner's Club set.   This IS a project that takes more time and effort, but I think it's worth it!  :)

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Bloom Where You're Planted!


Happy Saturday!  Today I'm sharing a card made with mums2stamp from The Stamps of Life.  The wee face is from another TSOL set, sweet4babies.  I love the color combo in this Authentique "Gathering" designer paper, and how happy a pretty, bright (smiling!) mum makes me feel!  A little Flower Soft "earth" really goes great with this sentiment!

Notes:
mums2stamp and sweet4babies from The Stamps of Life
Memento ink
Copic markers
Stephanie's ink
Authentique designer paper
Ultrafine Earth Flower Soft 
velvet ribbon
Kaiser Craft rhinestones

Thursday, March 22, 2012

CPS 257


I have had Easter on the brain this week!  LOL!  This card, made for this week's CPS sketch which is sponsored by Really Reasonable Ribbon, has some pretty lace ribbon that reminds me again of those lacy white Easter gloves I mentioned yesterday!  This darling bunny in an egg basket is Sugar, Sugar from The Cat's Pajamas!  He looks so cute with his ears "out of the box!"  A Martha Stewart grass punch helps ground the image.  I have had this MS glass "gumdrops" forever, and they look pretty sweet with this sentiment!

Notes:
GKD Pure Luxury card stock
The Cat's Pajamas Sugar Sugar stamp set
Memento Rich Cocoa ink
We R Memory Keepers designer paper
Really Reasonable Ribbon lace trim
Nestabilities classic circles large and small
MS grass punch
MS glass "gumdrops"

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Wire Works!


Spring is here, and in Florida lots of flowers and trees are blooming...Easter is only a few weeks away.  I just love this time of year!

Not many women wear hats anymore, but when I think of the Easter Sundays of my childhood, I remember wearing Easter bonnets, frilly dresses, and white lace gloves!  Shopping for Easter was an exciting mother-daughter excursion!  I remember one Easter my mom bought me a pretty pink dress with a sheer crystalline stitched overlay and really pouffy sheer sleeves....it was SO pretty but ugh, was it itchy!  That Sunday I was quite surprised to find my friend Hope (the preacher's daughter and my next door neighbor!) wearing the very same dress!  Hahaha!  But then, we were too young to be horrified over it!  :)

I came across the song Easter Parade in my ukulele song book the other day...that is what got me to thinking about my childhood Easters, and it's what inspired the idea for today's project for the current Flower Soft challenge, Wire Works!

The hat is made with a grand scalloped circle nestie and a classic circle die that are held together by a band formed from a 1 x 11 strip of card stock.   Use the smaller circle to score the larger scalloped circle, providing a template for attaching the band to the brim.

Score the band 1/4 inch from each long edge, then snip slits into those edges as closely together as possible, from the edge right up to the fold line.  The closer the snips, the smoother the curve will be when the band is glued to the brim.  The process can be a little messy!  Using liquid glue allows you to move the surfaces to align the fold of the strip with the embossed guideline...use your thumb to shape the curve from the inside out, and slowly work your way around until you're all the way around.  Snip the end to overlap and lay it inside the other, adding a drop of glue to the short edge.

Run a line of glue inside the smaller circle, right along the edge.  Gently tuck the snipped edges of the band under as you lay the piece on top of the band...take care not to push so hard that you bend the top as you adhere it.  You could even tuck some cotton balls in to maintain the space if this is a card that you plan to mail.

This hat has a layer of soft white tulle held to the band with sticky tape and silk ribbon.  I used several MFT flower dies to create the floral embellishments, and a MS punch to create some "ferns." I shaped  some curliques of wire on my piercing tool, dipped the ends in glue and ultrafine sage flower soft, then tucked them in among the flowers once they were dry.  Couldn't resist adding a teeny tiny "Minnie Pearl" tag, too!  It's a "Squeeze" die that I have had for ages, perfect for a small project like this one!

Visit the Flower Soft blog and my Flower Soft design team mates to see their Wire Works projects!

Notes:
Flower Soft wires
Flower Soft glue
Ultrafine Sage Flower Soft
Spellbinders classic circles
Spellbinders grand scalloped circle
MFT rolled flower die
MFT rolled mini roses dies
MS punch
tulle
silk ribbon
piercing tool and mat
i stick papers tape
Mono multi glue

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Sweets for My Sweet!


It's time for another i {heart} papers design team challenge...we're playing with Mint Motif stamps.  The set I'm sharing is Sweet Hearts...the fun little gum ball dispenser in this set gave me the idea to find a way to display and dispense gum balls right from the front of a card!  I have constructed a little box with a hidden internal mechanism that slides open to let out all that sugary goodness!
My post is actually a combination of two challenges and a tutorial.  
  • ihp challenge:  be inspired!  Visit the blogs of my design team mates, and let their creativity inspire you to create whatever your heart desires, so long as you use products available from ihp!  Link your creation on Kate's blog!  One lucky winner will have their design published on Kate's blog next Tuesday!
  • Paper Craft Planet 3d156:  Make a candy dispenser!  You can follow my instructions here, or come up with something of your own!  Mine dispenses gum balls but it would be easily adapted to dispense jelly bellies from the Easter Bunny! Upload to the PCP gallery with keyword 3d156.
Making the box is easy, and the mechanics are all hidden inside.  The pull-tab protrudes from the fold on the right side.  The actual card front is a separate piece adhered to the front of the box with dimensional adhesive.

Don't let the length of this post keep you from giving this a try! It was much harder (and wordier!) to describe than it is to do!  The only complicated part is getting the openings of the box, pull-tab, and card front to align.  Just refer to the pictures as you follow along and don't get confused in your orientation left-right, inside-outside!  While the photos don't display every step, they show enough for you to get the gist!  Jump in!  Come on!  ;)

Begin with a 6 3/4 x 8 inch piece of card stock, then score 1/2 and 1 1/2 inches from each side.  Trim an L-shaped piece from each corner and cut along one fold to make flaps (see the photos).  Once the inside mechanism has been constructed, this piece will be adhered to a mat to form a box, and then that is adhered to a standard sized top-folding card.  For now we'll leave the box flat and set it aside to work on the pieces of the mechanism and the card front.

Cut a 3 1/4 x 1 1/2 inch piece of card stock.  With the long edge along the top of the Scor Buddy, score at 1 and at 2 1/8 (the dot on the Scor Buddy), then rotate the piece 180 and repeat.  Glue the flaps together to form a flat tube.  Once it's dry, cut it into two pieces (1 inch for the left, 1/2 inch for the right) to form the guides for the sliding tab...those 1/8 inch sides give just enough room for it to move without so much friction between surfaces.

Although the opening for the gum balls must be centered horizontally and toward the bottom of the box to function properly, the images you're using will dictate where it should be positioned vertically.  I chose to make a separate card front (to be adhered later), and decided upon my image placement before cutting the opening through all three layers at once with a small Spellbinders circle die.  Next I aligned the card front on top of the still flat box front, traced through the circle, then used a template to perfectly align the die and cut the opening on the box front.  (If you're using a narrow die-cutting machine, you may need to fold the outermost flaps under to get the piece to go through).

The slider must have an opening too, so the next step is to decide where it should go.  The easiest way to align this piece is to place it on the inside of the box front with the long edge parallel to the scoring along the lower edge of the box.  Carefully lift these pieces in this position to the light to make certain everything is centered relative to the opening...the left edge of the pull tab should be aligned with the innermost fold on the box.  Lay it down again, right side up, and make a light tracing of the circle to show where your stamped image will go when the pull tab is in the closed position.  Flip it over and mark on the inside where the tab crosses the fold of the opposite side...use a blade to cut a slit right on the fold for the tab to pass through to the outside.  Slide the guides onto the pull tab (refer to the pictures for placement...the bottom of the box is to the right)!  No need to pass the tab through the slit quite yet!), making certain that the narrower guide on the right (toward the slit) will not obstruct the opening.  Glue the guide on the right into place, but do not adhere the one on the left just yet!  (Remember that what appears to be "left" on the inside, near the bottom of the above photo, is actually the right side of the card!  Don't let this confuse you!)

Notice that, when looking at the box from the front, the hidden opening on the tab is to the left of the stamped image that is visible when the tab is in closed position.  Gently pull the tab to the right until it hits the stop, and after making sure the long edges are still parallel to the box bottom, lightly trace through the opening.  Remove the tab, die cut the opening, then slide the tab through the guide and the slit.  Slide the wider left guide into place..again, make sure it is not visible through the opening, trim if necessary, then adhere to the box.  It's easiest to align and adhere the decorative card front to the box while it is still flat.

Adhere i {stick} papers tape along three of the long edges.  Fold the box and adhere to a 4 x 5 1/4 inch mat, taking care to keep the box "square." Finish embellishing the box front, and then adhere the entire piece to a standard top-folding card.

Notes:
Mint Motif Sweet Hearts
Scor Pal/Scor Buddy
Memento Tuxedo Black ink (stamped off)
My Mind's Eye designer paper
Copic markers (colors, plus neutral grays to shade)
Spellbinders classic circle nestabilities, large and small, scalloped heart dies
i {stick} papers red line adhesive
Mono multi-adhesive
dimensional adhesive
light pink crepe ribbon
Kaiser Craft pearls (argh, one fell off and was lost...the last one I had of this size/color!)
jute thread
button, pearl bauble from my stash

Visit my i {heart} papers design team mates for more inspiration...and don't forget to link your project to Kate's blog!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Appetizers!


Gourmet Rubber Stamps is excited to introduce a new stamp line, Appetizers!  These smaller sets with four coordinating images retail for $8.99, which is a great value!  We'll be releasing two new sets each month.   The cards I'm sharing today are made with Mother Knows Best, and Spring Botanical.


I think this fun fold looks really pretty with this old-fashioned paper! You can find the measurements for the layers here.

Notes:
Mother Knows Best
Spring Botanical
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers
Copic blending paper
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Crate Paper designer paper
Kaiser Craft crocheted doily
Kaiser Craft rose (air-brushed with a Copic marker)
Spellbinders leaves die
May Arts ribbon, lace trim
buttons
jute thread

Visit the GRS blog and my design team mates to see lots of lovelies with these new sets!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

An Irish Blessing!


With my Scottish-Irish heritage, and two Patricks in the house (albeit they are more Italian than Irish!), I could not resist making a little leprechaun card!

These adorable images are from GRS' Diners' Club set, Abracadabra.  They look so cute with this Lawn Fawn Bright Side designer paper, which has little flowers that look kinda like clovers.  Makes me smile to see these happy colors and sweet images together.

I hope you are having a Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Wishin' you the love of the Irish, and an Irish Blessing too!  Enjoy your weekend!

Notes:
Abracadabra
Lawn Fawn Bright Side designer paper
Copic Blending card stock
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers
Doodlebug Twine
dimensional adhesive
button
gold glitter
glue pen

Friday, March 16, 2012

Thankful Thoughts!


It's been a fabulous week with Our Craft Lounge and May Arts Ribbon!  I am so grateful to be a member of the OCL team, to be among such talented women who get to play with such wonderful art!  It has been a great privilege to work with May Arts this week...I use their products on a regular basis, so it was nice for them to be in the spotlight!

Today's card is also for this week's Our Craft Lounge challenge, Pretty Petals, using another set illustrated by Debbie Corbari, Thankful Flourishes.   This layout is SC373.  I love the rich, vibrant colors of this Basic Grey designer paper.  The flower was colored to match, using Copic markers.

Remember to visit our designers each weekday this week (find their links on the OCL blog), comment on the OCL blog, and "like" our Facebook page to qualify to WIN!  Winners will be announced on the OCL blog next Tuesday.

Notes:
Thankful Flourishes
May Arts ribbon
Memento Rich Cocoa ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Copic markers
Nestabilities petite ovals large and small dies
button
jute thread
dimensional adhesive
1/4 inch redline tape

Plant Kindness!



Our team from The {Stamps} of Life is sponsoring this week's challenge at Lily Pad Cards!  So many beautiful cards to be inspired by!

I used some Basic Grey printed paper for the grass and sky, then stamped and fussy-cut the flower and stem, coloring and shading them with Copic markers.  To finish, I stitched the edges and added a twine-tied button.

Notes:
GKD Pure Luxury card stock
mums2stamp, moremums2love TSOL stamp sets
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers
The Twinery twine
dimensional adhesive
sewing machine

Thursday, March 15, 2012

GRS DT Challenge!


The Gourmet Rubber Stamps design team is playing a challenge today, to make a project with a bird somewhere on it.  Birds and music just go together, don't you think?  This darling birdhouse is a sure sign that Spring is near!

I am in love with this MME designer paper!  This is the third GRS project I've made with it lately...it makes me smile so I just keep coming back to it!  I think it is the music print that is my favorite, and that is what why I chose it for today's project.  This particular pad has been around for a while...since Winter CHA, there are lots of new design available.  If you're like I am, you might have a hard time narrowing your choices!

This layout is SCS Sketch 371. I used a Spellbinder's fleur de lis die for the circular element, adding a teeny, tiny treble-clef-and-notes charm dangling from a jute bow tied to a button.

Notes:
GRS  Birdhouse
MME designer paper
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Spellbinders die
gold satin ribbon
black lace trim
Kaiser Craft pearls
jute thread
dimensional adhesive

Be sure to visit the GRS blog and all of my design team mates to see the projects they've created for today's challenge!

Happy Birthday, Debbie!


It's been a week-long celebration of the birthday of my OCL design team mate, Debbie Corbari!  She is a very talented illustrator and card-maker, and I'm so happy that I can also call her my friend!  I just LOVE when Debbie comes to my blog, because she leaves the best comments!  She has such a great sense of humor, and that comes across very genuinely in her art and in her words!

This stamp set, Love in the Air, is one of Debbie's very own designs. Hot air balloon images make me smile, because the place where I met my husband was decorated with them!  I love that they've become so popular lately!

The OCL challenge is not only Debbie's birthday celebration, but an inspiration challenge! The brightly colored balloons in this photo  inspired not only my choice of stamp sets, but the October Afternoon designer paper that I used.  Pink and red look so great together!  I'm really glad that May Arts shared these beautiful ribbons which so perfectly harmonize with the green of the leaves!  

There is one more day of inspiration with May Arts and Our Craft Lounge!  Tomorrow will also bring a new challenge...I hope to see you here again!

Visit the OCL blog (each weekday this week!), because you absolutely do NOT want to miss your chance to WIN, nor do you want to miss the gorgeous creations by my DT mates!

Notes:
Love in the Air
October Afternoon designer paper
Memento ink
Copic markers
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Spellbinders tag
Kaiser Craft pearls
May Arts ribbons
dimensional adhesive

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Gina K Inspiration Hop Day 4!



The Design Team for Gina K. Designs welcomes you to another fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop!!! Gina and the Design Team will inspire you with many beautiful ideas! And as you hop through their blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a grab bag of deeply etched, pre-cut Gina K. Designs stamps! To see the full list of winners check the Big News forum at Stamp TV a couple of days after the hops!!

Both of my cards for today are rather clean and simple designs...I love to do more intricate layouts too, but sometimes less really is more!  That seemed to be the case with these!  Sometimes I try to add more, but the card seems to simply declare itself finished!


This gorgeous butterfly is from our new Stamp TV duo, Believe In Yourself.  It is such an elegant design, especially with lots of shimmer and pearls!  This mitered corner layout was inspired by Sketch 375.  After coloring the butterfly with Copic markers, I gave it a touch of Stickles and sculpted its wings to dry in a curved position.  Then I sprayed the entire card front with Clearsnap Smooch Spritz.  Finally I added some pearls to its body, wings, and antennae.  It is so pearly and shimmery IRL!


I love this inspirational quote from Great Sayings.  Having been inspired by Vicki's Wild Flowers card, I wanted to use simple pen-drawn lines around the edges with this sentiment...being a calligrapher, I also thought of the "quill" from Asela's set, Nesting.  After using the multiliner to make the outline, I subtly shaded inside it with warm grey Copics, then used a mask to faintly stamp the feather with Memento Desert Sand ink and added a few rhinestones in the corner.  I am so happy with the way this lets the quote really grab your attention while still bringing some interest to an uncluttered background.

Check out all the amazing designs and inspiration:

More OCL and May Arts!


More OCL and May Arts!  This is an image from the vintage set, Years Gone By!   It looks lovely with this Authentique designer paper and the contrast of some dark gray card stock.  That big ole bow reminds me of the ones on the dresses that my mom made for me when I was a young girl!  With two older brothers, you can bet she wanted me to be a girlie girl!  I'm so glad that she taught me to sew!

I am usually very particular about using white OR ivory, but in this case, the cabbage rose print has both white AND ivory, so I mixed the two.  The image and sentiment are stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink stamped off once since I do not have any gray ink yet!  I cannot WAIT to get my hands on the new Memento colors that we saw at CHA!  They were gorgeous!  So...after stamping off and stamping the image, the sewing machine was lightly tinted with some warm gray Copics.  I thought about sponging on some tea-dye distress ink, but decided against it...

This layout is SC277.

Remember to visit the OCL blog for all the information about how to WIN!  :)

Notes:
Authentique designer paper
button
jute thread
Jenni Bowlin pearl pins
sewing machine

Country Bicycle!


For this week's challenge, the Flower Soft team is looking forward to Spring, making projects with the Country Bicycle kit.  I used ultrafine sage, and traditional Fuchsia and Sweet Pea to make a long card with a trimmed, printed topper.

Visit the Flower Soft blog and my Flower Soft design team mates for more ideas with Country Bicycle!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Gina K Inspiration Hop Day 3!


The Design Team for Gina K. Designs welcomes you to another fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop!!! Gina and the Design Team will inspire you with many beautiful ideas! And as you hop through their blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a grab bag of deeply etched, pre-cut Gina K. Designs stamps! To see the full list of winners check the Big News forum at Stamp TV a couple of days after the hops!!


If you attended the release party last week, you might have already seen my project, a long tall card featuring an adorable hot air balloon and patchwork printed paper from the Petals and Wings StampTV Kit.  This particular print reminded me of a patchwork landscape that one might see when looking down upon the earth from an airplane, or perhaps in this case, from another soaring balloon!  It was fun to color this one with Copics and then paper-piece the heart with this darling plaid paper!

The colors of the designer paper perfectly matched the pretty pink of the Thickers that I pulled from my craft stash.  I love the contrast, dimension and texture they bring to this project, and how girlie and romantic it is, overall.  It is just a happy design that makes me smile inside out!

Check out all the amazing designs and inspiration:

CPS, OCL, and May Arts!


I'm so excited that May Arts has shared some wonderful ribbon with the Our Craft Lounge design team...we're making some great projects using products from both of these companies!

You'll want to check the OCL blog each day for the rest of this week as we'll be posting little peeks of the samples our team has prepared. Now don’t forget to leave some love everywhere each and every weekday because there will be FIVE prize packages of blog candy this week!

My project for today features this week's CPS sketch, Cosmo Cricket's Joy Ride designer paper, OCL Sparkly Fluff and an image from Love Potion, brightly colored with Copic markers.  Hopefully this May Arts ribbon reminded you of a helix of DNA or some other complicated chemical compound!

Thanks so much to Bethney and May Arts for sending our designers such FANTASTIC ribbons and trims to play with this week!

Now for some blog candy! May Arts sent us lots of YUMMY ribbon to share with all of you! WOOHOOO! So we’ll have 5 Prize Packages to give away this week. You have lots of ways to enter EVERY SINGLE DAY this week + one BONUS entry!

Daily leave 1 comment on each…

1. the OCL Blog (please leave contact info),
2. each designer’s blog playing along that day, and
3. our Facebook page.

BONUS ENTRY: If you “LIKE” OCL on Facebook, you’ll get a bonus entry (as long as you tell us you did it) ~ if you've already "liked" us, let us know that too!

We will pick 5 random comments this weekend and our winners will be announced next Tuesday, March 20th here on the OCL Blog.

Home-brewed Vanilla


Last month the Gourmet Rubber Stamps design team participated in a recipe challenge, and I missed out on all the fun, so I thought I'd make a little recipe card using this vintage vanilla label.  The papers from the bicycle card I made for our MoxieFab feature were still close-at-hand, and I loved that combo so much I decided to use it again.  :)

This recipe is one that I've had for so long that I don't remember where it came from.  I have made it several times...the flavor is less intensely vanilla than the store-bought version, which sometimes is exactly what you need!  Even if you rarely use it, it is just so pretty to look at!  ;)

Home-brewed Vanilla
2 cups of Vodka
5 vanilla beans, cut into one-inch pieces

Combine the ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid.
(I used a pretty jewel-stoppered bottle).
Cover and let stand six to eight weeks.
The mixture will begin to turn amber within a day or two.

When half of the extract has been used, add more Vodka to cover the beans.  The flavor of the beans is gone when the mixture no longer darkens.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Gina K Inspiration Hop Day 2!


The Design Team for Gina K. Designs welcomes you to another fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop!!! Gina and the Design Team will inspire you with many beautiful ideas! And as you hop through their blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a grab bag of deeply etched, pre-cut Gina K. Designs stamps! To see the full list of winners check the Big News forum at Stamp TV a couple of days after the hops!!


Since my mom loves elephants and collects elephant trinkets, there was no question which of Theresa's Wild About You images would see ink first.  I stamped it on one of the solids from the Basic Grey Little Black Dress 6 x 6 pad, then colored it with Copic markers.  I chose a coordinating print for a background on a layout inspired by the triangular shaped cloths that are often draped over the heads of service or circus elephants.  The "peace" sentiment seems to go along with these clean, simple, uncluttered lines.  I really love black and kraft together!


Here's a cute lucky duck from Rupa's Blooming with Blessings!  Isn't this a fun way to encourage someone to strut their stuff?!  I love the happy colors in this GKD Casual Friday designer paper!

Here's more inspiration for today!