Challenging Card and a Challenge

Inside of card

Yesterday I mentioned that it took me all day to make one card.  It wasn't a detailed or involved card either.  I had this left over Annie's Attic stamp kit that I thought I should play with.  I quit receiving the stamping kits becuase they always wanted you to stamp other things besides cards.  Indeed, this kit came with a whole vellum wine glass shade (you then put on of those fake tealights in the wine glass), which I had no intention of making.  They did have two card suggestions included so I decided to copy the one card.  After fiddling with it all day it came out awful in person even though it looked okay in their picture.  I really liked the inside of the card though so I took the front part off and started over.  I gave up on the stamps for the front and broke out with my flowers inside.  I like how it came out but I was disappointed that the original design was such a loser.

Front of card

For some silly reason I started today thinking I should make some more cards with the kit and came up with this one, which I like but I'm not really in the mood for fall colors.  I came to my senses and decided to pack that kit away.

Anyway, I need to get off my bottom and make my A Muse Studio challenge card for this week, especially since it involves my favorite technique: heat embossing!  This week's challenge HERE was to use heat embossing on adhesive tape.  You know how I mentioned all those issues I have had in the past when heat embossing?  One issue I didn't mention was how when I would heat emboss with red line tape, the tape would wrinkle up and get squiggly on the ends even though it was supposed to be okay for heat embossing.  It was just an oversight on my part to not mention it because it was another of my issues.  And it was again today, but this time I planned ahead and made that part larger than I needed so I could cut it down.

The Fine Print: Mum cards made with Annie's Attics papers and supplies with the addition of Prima flowers and unknow brads.  Recline card made with A Muse Studio stamps, red line tape and Stampendous black embossing powder, paper and brads unknown.

Blasts From the Past

I just spent all day working on one card.  I guess that isn't technically true because for one, the day isn't over with yet and two, I did start the day by cleaning up my desk, table, and nearby areas too.  You know how it goes, every so often you have to stop and pick things up or else you have no place to play. 

During the cleaning session I started putting the cards I made into a plastic box that I bought just for that purpose.  That sounds like I'm on top of things, but I bought that box several weeks ago and its been lying around since, so not really. 

I found some really old cards I made and by "really old" I mean from 1998.  I was new to stamping in those days and had no idea that size mattered.  I was the princess of off-sized cards.    This also must have been before I became patterned paper addict (I do remember it was scarce in those days) but after I'd been introduced to a heat tool and embossing powder.

I remember being rather impressed at the girl card.  It was one of my first attempts at being "artsy."  Before that I built scenes with my stamps or just had one main focal point.  Those stripes with stuff stamped willy nilly were way out there for me.  And check out that mesh print stamp. I must have felt adventurous the day I bought that!

This second card I recall feeling rather smug the day I went to the office supply store and bought a packet of pastel cover stock to play with. I discovered such a thing existed because a similar pack had shown up at work.  The UFO is stamped onto a piece of iridescent wrapping paper and has an overall pinkish purple hue to it, which is why I'm sure I made the ground pink and purple.

The Fine Print: girl blowing bubbles, hand and mesh stamps by Era Graphics; Aliens by Ken Brown, UFO and ground by ImaginAir, sign post by Copper Leaf Creations, words by All Night Media (a foam set).

It's Good to be Queen

It is good to be queen.  Or so they say. I wouldn't know because I'm the princess.  But hey, it is good to be the princess too!

Here is a sneak peek at what is coming down the pike from A Muse Studio.  There will be a new catalog that will be released really soon with new goodies coming our way on February 1st!  Meanwhile, they let us see (and order!) a select few items to titillate you with.

I had to have this set with the British flag as soon as I saw it.  The flag is two separate stamps so you can ink one whole stamp up in blue and stamp it and one whole stamp up in red and stamp it.  I lined it up with my eye and did pretty good so you don't have to use a stamp positioner.  This set is called "Keep Calm."   Why is it called that you ask?  Hang out and you'll see.

Besides new stamp sets there will be some new colors in inks, papers, ribbons.  There is also a new patterned paper.  There is also lots of other new stuff that I don't even know about yet!

Here is something else that is new.  I got this cute stamp out of the dollar bin at Michael's.  I got it only this past week so if you rush to your Michael's store you should be able to find it too.  Even though I recently reminded myself how much I liked different layers and elements, I didn't do them here.

The Fine Print: Top card stamps, paper, and bling by A Muse Studio, inks by Marvy and Versamark, mirror platinum EP by Stamp a Mania.  Bottom card stamp from Michael's dollar bin, pattern paper by unknown, punches by Marvy, ribbon by A Muse Studio.

Couple of Oldies

I don't have anything new to share today but I do have things that haven't been shared before.  That is almost like new isn't it?

This first card is an iris fold card.  I've had this card lying around for inspiration for ages.  I've always liked this card because of the different papers used in the inside.  I always just used text weight paper that was plain or had a tight pattern.  The white with red dots is one of those.  The gold is a thin shiny metallic paper.  I believe it was wrapping paper or the like.  The other red and white paper is official origami paper.  This card is bigger than an A2 which is unusual for me, plus I like how I layered it up and have the extra hearts punched in the corner.  I often feel that iris folded cards need a little bit more than their focal point and this really does it.

The second card was from a swap called "What was I Thinking?"  The idea was to send a couple of images to your partner and in return you would receive a couple of images to make a card with and return.  The images were to be using some stamp that you were unsure of why you bought it in the first place.  The images I received were of this dog.  I'm not a dog person so I'm not familiar with dog breeds at all.  To me this dog looks like he has the mumps, so I thought a get well card was in order.  I was disappointed to find out that the "get well soon" was mounted on the wood crooked so it stamped out crooked.  I put the dots under it in hopes it would like straighter to the eye.  I never did get a return card from the images I sent.

The Fine Print: I really got nothing for you, except I can say the dog background paper is DCWV.

What's On YOUR Workdesk

Hello and Welcome to another great episode of What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday, brought to us by Julia Dunnit at Stamping Ground.  WOYWW gives us a chance to visit the desks of other crafters and see what they are working on.  It appeals to my inner voyeur.

Last week my desk was rather tidy.  This week it is not.  There is a lot of pink and red and all things Valentine's on my desk again this week.  I haven't gotten much time to play since last week but I still managed to create a mess.  Here is the table, piled high as usual.

Here's a closeup photo of my artistic masterpiece that I am quite proud of.  It is like crooked Jenga but with stamps.  I'm not sure how that pile is balanced, but there you have it.  My attempts to defy gravity.

I am going out to play with some friends tonight so I made this card as a quick and easy card that we could all do. I am not sure that using the scallop punch along the bottom edge did anything for the card.  I think this is kind of an all-around ho hum card.

I had lots of inquires about the Celtic Knot looking punch I bought.  It is called Caning Pattern and is one of Martha's all over punches. I had hoped to get around to making a card or two with it to share but this is as far as I got.  At least you can see what it looks like.  There is always next week for a card made with it.

When I'm not parked at my desk at home, I'm parked here.  All day, every day, Monday through Friday, 40 hours a week with small bits of time off for good behavior.  I should have taken the photo facing inwards so you could see how small my home away from home is.

The Fine Print: Cherry on top card--all things A Muse Studio except the notch corner punch by Stampin' Up, cranberry cardstock (soon to be retired, get yours now!), baker's twine, twinkle stickers, "Sweet Love" stamp set, heartbreaker patterned paper.

I [heart] Heat Embossing

You know that concept of self fulfilling prophecy?  You tell yourself over and over something and then it happens.  Such as you keep saying and think that you are going to fail that test and then you do!  Maybe that isn't the best example because it doesn't take into account that you never opened the textbook and instead of studying, spent all night doing beer bongs with the bikers that live next door... but, well, you know.

I am going to keep telling myself over and over that I love heat embossing and then it will come true!  I will be a heat embossing whiz kid!  A heat embossing guru!  I will be the go-to gal for all things heat embossing.  Tim Holtz will consult with me for advice!  Life will be awesome!

Here is my absolutely free, no strings attached, advice when it comes to heat embossing: reink your pad.  Look!  It has done wonders for me!


The Fine Print: Hearts background stamp by Hero Arts stamped in Cranberry ink by A Muse Studio, Boxed Heart and greeting by DeNami Designs, stamped in Versamark ink and embossed in black powder.  Center of the heart filled with clear glaze and coated with cranberry glitter from A Muse Studio.  Topped with cherry ribbon.

Inspire Me Monday

Oh dear, I got quoted over on Create With Joy's Inspire me Monday blog (here) so now I feel obligated to be inspiring today.  Those are some big shoes to fill!

How about I just tell you about what is inspiring me.  I have spotted this pledge to Use It Up (UIU) on several different blogs that I read.  The idea is instead of constantly running out and buying new crafting supplies you should use what you have.  Apparently, I'm not the only crafter who is over-flowing with STUFF.  UIU has several suggestions such as shopping your own stash, trading with others, or rethinking your project to fit what you have.  Those are all good suggestions.

I often say that I feel I was more creative when I had less stuff.  I really used to make do with what I had.  Now a whole project can grind to a halt or I can waste a whole afternoon searching through everything for just the right thing.  That said, I also like having lots of stuff to pick and chose from, but sometimes it is intimidating and it is too much.  Unlike many crafters I know I do downsize from time to time.  I'm often bringing patterned papers to share or stamps to sell to my friends and stamp club members.  I often hear, "I could never part with anything."  Well, the Use it Up campaign doesn't say you have to give it up, it just says don't get more.  That's a start.

I started some new crafting goals recently (baby steps if you will) and they were to use more stickers since I have a ton of them and to use up my bag of adhesive.   Why don't you make a little crafting goal too?  Start small and with something that can be achieved.  Open up that unused package of embellishments you have sitting around and slap them on a card, layout, or project today!.

The birthday cards on today's post both fit the Use It Up bill.  The first one has a stamp set that I bought on clearence and never used.  All the red paper that was used to paper piece the greeting were scraps I had lying around, and of course the flowers were from my extensive stash of flowers.  The second one is from a DeNami card kit.  I love card kits but I don't necessarily finish them off or use them all up.  This was from a partially used kit.

The Fine Print: First Card stamps by Stampendous, paper by various but mostly DCWV, flowers by Prima, and brad by Recollections. Second card everything by DeNami except for Marvy inks and Copic markers.