Inspiration Is Everywhere....

Inspiration comes from the funniest places.  Sometimes you will see something in a magazine or store, or someone will say something that sparks an idea, but most often for me, it's catching a glance at my glass jar full of ribbons--that lilac crushed vevet has been calling me for days (and you'll probably see that next post!) or even just looking through my patterned CS.  Something sparks in your mind and off you go.  Wherever it comes from, I love inspiration~it's what keeps life interesting!  I am fortunate enough to have inspiration all around me, an amazing husband, 4 great kids and a job that always leaves me guessing about the next moment and planning crazy, inspired things. I feel very blessed in life, and its moments like this when I take the time to reflect that I especially appreciate.  Inspiration~it whispers everywhere we are, sometimes we just have to close our eyes and listen for it.

{Black Love Card}

I love this card, it's one of my favorites.  Its made with Vanilla CS from SU, stamped with the lace trim (forget the name) in Staz on, then I adhered this super sweet fabric paper I bought in Edmonton.  Can't find anything like it now, but it's actually fabric.  Added the cream pearls for effect.  Adhered the ribbon I got at Walmart (of all places?!) and its super soft satin, I love it.  Then I added the tag, again from my sister.  It was white, so I used apricot craft ink (SU) to rough it up and make it look creamy.  Added my sentiment, rounded the corners with my CM corner trimmer and voila, it was done.  Super easy, sometimes its about having just the perfect 'touch' to make the card spectacular.  For this card, inspiration came from looking at that scrap of fabric that had just a little corner left...  

{Scallops and Pearls}

This card was pretty tricky to photograph, I am not going to lie.  The Bazzill textured paper is shimmery, so everything glows and reflects right down to the ribbons and pearls interspersed.  I made this by cutting and scoring the CS, then cutting half an inch off the bottom of the card front.  I cut circles with my SU 1-1/4" punch, several of each color.  I then layered them and trimmed them to fit the sides.  The very top was just a rectangle of textured CS, with a tiny scalloped edge in that darkest color.

I adhered 2 different sizes of pearls randomly.  Tied on the ribbon, and with my 3/4" punch made a circle, attached an SU rhinestone, then surrounded it with Michaels pearls from the cheap bin.  I adhered that with dottos that were thick and gooey.  The tag was from my sister, as usual, and I stamped it with one of my fave stamps then craft inked the edges.  I'm pretty happy with it, a little elegant and over the top but sometimes that's what your're after.  Totally ripped from the cards mag I bought last week, it was one of their designs and I wanted to see if I could reproduce it effectively.  It was very, very time consuming!  All those scallops...they took so long to cut and line up.  I generally make 2 of every card, so I have one to give away and one to keep (hoarder!) but it took so long I am just adding it to my worshop inspiration collection.

Hope you enjoyed today's cards!

While feeling vastly better, i am not feeling quite back to my creative self so I have no problem ripping others ideas and using them until my own juices start flowing again!

A little paper crafting fun to heal the soul...

I admit, I am going to get personal here.  I've been a stamper for 6 years or so, but gave up my SU demonstratorship 4 years ago when I got divorced.  A hobbiest, I couldn't maintain my quotas.  Anyway, I had a baby (actually, my 4th) and here I am 3 years later finally stamping again.  And loving it!  I went back to it out of desperation~as a busy busniess owner, I was taking no time to replenish me, I was looking after everyone else and giving nothing back to myself.   It took a melt down of sorts to get me back into the stamping room.  And since I've moved 2 times since I 'quit' stamping, everything was in boxes and what a mess.  It was a huge undertaking just to get my stuff in order so I could stamp!

So...back to stamping.  I have been super busy and have a stock pile of cards and even a template to share with you.

{Elegant Heirlooms}

This first card was inspired by a card magazine extravaganza:

Now I know this pic isn't the best, but I promise I will get better at this.  It's a bit too overexposed since the paper is all shiny as is the tatted trim.  Figuring out the template for this was tough.  I naively assumed that to make a 6x6 triangle card, you simply cut your 12" CS in half diagonally, and then score and voila!  Ha ha...was I wrong.  In the end, I worked a template in reverse.  I'll spare you the hassle, I will attach a template for both the 6" and the 5 1/4" triangle card.  These both require square envelopes, the 5 1/4" needs a 5.5 and the 6 needs a 6.5", just so you know when mailing and planning.   

I used Bazzill textured glimmery card stock for this.  It's an off cream-grey color, if that makes any sense at all, but it is what it is.  I cut stips of old scraps that I just adore...'My Mind's Eye' from Tres Jollie.  It's from 2007, so good luck finding it.  I suggest another patterned paper that you love.  Spaced the strips evenly by starting with the top and the bottom and making the two in the middle evenly between.  To this, I added a flower I got from Michaels and I added a diamond brad from SU.  The tatted lace trim is scraps from my heirloom sewing (yes, I am already sewing for the daughter I have yet to conceive...!). 

The 'wish' is an SU stamp from the Warm Words set, along with the pretty background floral stamp--but another confesssion, in my haste to make my thousands of dollars of stamps managable in my little space I use, I took all my favorite stamps out of their cases and jammed them in with others, so I am only dealing with stamps I love at the moment.  In this mad reassembly, I have no idea what most of my stamp sets are called.  'Nough said. I can tell you I used Creamy Caramel ink and Perfect Plum to stamp the image on a tag I got from my sister (this would be her card making blog spot here).  I believe it is an SU punch, but I really am not certain. I get swaps from time to time, so you don't always know what you are using!

{Black Baroque Beauty}

This second card is a huge one.  It's 9-1/4" x 4".  I love it!

Again, I will get better with the photos.  Sorry!  The card is Basic Black SU, with the brocade blue and white fuzzy paper overlayed.  The stamp is Heartfelt Thanks by SU, stamped in Versa Fine and embossed with clear detail powder from SU.  I always stay away from the black embossing powder, it is always too messy, and I am a perfectionist.  Theres 3 littel diamonds in the top right corner, and in the center of the flower as well, I got those from the Michaels $1.50 bins! LOVE IT!  Thye have pearts in lots of colors too...  Anyhow, the lacey frame is also from my sister, I have no idea where it comes from.  The last touch was 5/8" white organdy ribbon from SU that I tied in a bow on the side.

As far as stamping goes, this was a really easy card but I think its super elegant.  And Yes, Kristina, I love those and would happily take many more off your hands ;) 

 {Note Books}
 

At last...not overexposed!  I promised I'd get better ;)  These note books were just fun.  I found them at Dollarama yesterday when buying paint for my daughter's school project.  They were only $1.50 each and were simple to adorn.  
 

The tags are really old from SU, they came in some Pretty Petals paper kit or something.  I hand wrote 'Notes' on them each then dotted lines around the edges, then got out my craft spots from SU and smeared a couple of colors on. I then added the flowers, with SU Rhinestone brads.  I randomly added diamonds of different sizes to the covers and voila, a creative and pretty gift for two nice little girls I know. 

Now you are going to have to bear with me for a bit, my computer and printer refuse to talk to each other so I can't scan my templates for you!  I will figure it out, but admit to not being the savviest computer lady around!

Come back soon, I promise to keep posting!