Monday, January 31, 2011

2 Masculine Birthday Cards

Good chilly morning:) Thought it was about time I posted again. My daughter had a birthday this past weekend, {sniff} and she turned {sniff} TEEEEENNNNNN {wahhhhhhhhhh}. Double digits, where does the time go?

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On to what ya came for....CARDS!!! Today I have some guy cards to share. I totally lifted this from the lovely Lorrinda Holman over on Isn't That Sweet?! Her blog is packed full of ideas, and she's currently on the Design Team over at Heart 2 Heart Challenges. You can see her card HERE. I wasn't kidding when I said I lifted it, lol:)
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Card Sizes: 4.25" x 5.5"
I masked an area first, then sponged the top with Creme Brulee and Bamboo, toward the bottom I sponged Grey Flannel. The trees are stamped with Grey Flannel, Olive, and then New England Ivy. I removed the mask and stamped the big tree with New England Ivy. I then clear embossed the tree to make it stand out a little more. (see photo below). I tied hemp in the corners.
Recipe: CTMH CS-New England Ivy, Black & White Daisy, CTMH Ink-Bamboo, Creme Brulee, Grey Flannel, Olive, New England Ivy & Black, CTMH SS-Beautiful Things & Happy Birthday, Versamark, Clear Embossing Powder, Hemp.
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The second masculine card is stamped with a new image available in the new CTMH Catalogue. I stamped it with Black ink and coloured it with chalk.
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Recipe: CTMH PP-Miracle, CTMH CS-Colonial White & Twilight, CTMH Ink-Black, Chocolate & Twilight, CTMH SS-Summer Breeze & For Every Occasion, Nestabilities-Labels 15 & Labels 16, Twill Ribbon, Foam Squares, Chalk, Antique Brads.
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Hope you have a great day!
Deneen

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Time To Get Wild H2H Challenge

Just sneaking in here for the H2H Time To Get Wild Challenge, before the deadline tonight. The challenge was to create something that features an animal or bird (insects are okay too). This card was inspired by one I saw on someone's blog (so if it's you, please let me know, I would like to give you credit).
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Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"
I loved the colour combination of blue and brown, and of course cream. Sweet and simple.
Recipe: CTMH CS-Cocoa, Sky & Colonial White, CTMH Ink-Black, Chocolate & Bamboo, CTMH SS-Harmony, Live Inspired & Wings Workshop SS, CTMH Markers-Buttercup & White Daisy, Nestabilities-Labels 4, Dark Brown Satin Ribbon, Pearls, Copics-W1 & W3, Foam Squares.
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Hope you're having a great weekend.
Deneen

Friday, January 28, 2011

2 Kraft Cardstock Cards

Ain't I just so original with my titles, lol. You can only type in 'Birthday Cards' so many times (actually, you could type in 'Birthday Cards' every time if you wanted), but you know what I mean, lol. I haven't really used Kraft CS because CTMH didn't offer it, well they do now...actually, as of Feb. 1st they will...but I bought other Kraft CS long before I knew CTMH was going to carry it, oh well, I guess I better start using it. I really quite like how these turned out:)
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Card Sizes: 4.25" x 5.5"
I stamped the background with CTMH Damask Tiles, one of my favourite stamp sets right now:) I used Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers Die to make the flowers. It's difficult to tell from the photo, but I used a dark brown satin ribbon. It feels like the light pink flower needs a little something more, but too late, it's on the card now:) This card was inspired by one I saw on Cynthia Stevenson's blog.
Recipe: CTMH CS-Vineyard Berry, White Daisy, Cocoa, Blush & Baby Pink, CTMH Ink-Desert Sand, Chocolate, Cocoa & Black, CTMH SS-Damask Tiles, Happy Birthday & Treasure Life, Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers Die, Pearls, Foam Squares, Martha Stewart Eyelet Lace Border Punch, Dark Brown Satin Ribbon, Kraft CS.
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Here's the other card I made using Kraft CS.
Hmmm, what to say about it? The doily looking stamp is a new one from CTMH, available Feb 1st., called Simple Memories. I stamped it with CTMH White Daisy ink onto the Kraft CS. I then layered up the image with my trusty 'ol Spellbinders:) The flowers are stamped using 1st and 2nd Generation stamping.
The new stamp set again, and the border is also new, called Eclectic Edges.
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Recipe: CTMH CS-White Daisy, Amethyst & Pansy Purple, CTMH Ink-Petal, Pansy Purple, Olive & White Daisy, CTMH SS-Sweet Flowers, Simple Memories, Candlelight & Eclectic Edges, Nestabilities-Labels 4, Labels 17, Fancy Tags & Ovals, Impressabilities-Floral & Stone, Martha Stewart French Scroll Border Punch, White Grosgrain Ribbon, Pearls, Foam Squares.
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Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by,
Denee


Thursday, January 27, 2011

Same Card, Different Colours & A Short Tutorial

Welcome here, it's the third day in a row posting for me:) These were actually uploaded and edited on the old computer, but I just hadn't had a chance to post them yet. Actually last week I was not moving very well, I had a virus that caused inflamation in my back. I was in so much pain, I could not sit, move, or even talk without pain, never mind trying to cough. But it's gone now, bye-bye, see ya later, gator. Amazing what difference a week can make. I slept lots, and not in bed, lol. I had to sleep sitting up in a chair, it was the only way I was comfortable. Then, not a few days later I discovered I had tonsilitis, yup, the pain medication worked so well I felt no pain, lol. It was getting really hard to swallow, and I decided I should look at my throat, yuck, so off to the doctor's again.
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Enough about me, you came to see some cards! These were inspired/cased/lifted from the lovely Vicki Wizniuk. She used different paper, but I used her idea. I tried to make a more masculine card...not sure if the flower kind of nips that in the bud...and a more feminine one.
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Card Sizes: 4.25" x 5.5"
The middle piece is on foam squares, and see the flower, feminine or not-so-feminine, hmmmm, not sure.
Recipe: CTMH PP-Magnifique, CTMH CS-Outdoor Denim & White Daisy, CTMH Ink-Pacifica, Black, Sky, Lagoon & White Daisy, CTMH SS-Herat to Heart, A Little Everything, Piece of Cake & The Present, Martha Stewart Pinking Scallop Border Punch, Rhinestones, Foam Squares.
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Here's the same layout, just different paper:
I dyed the red flower with Copics, I saw it over on I Like Markers, and gave it a try. It was super easy, and fun to do. And because Copics are alcohol based rather than water based, they dry quite fast. Just below, I'll show you how I dyed mine.
Recipe: CTMH PP-That's Amore, CTMH CS-Cocoa & White Daisy, CTMH Ink-Tulip, Black, Blush, Vineyard Berry & Olive, CTMH SS-A Little Everything & The Present, Martha Stewart Pinking Scallop Border Punch, Foam Squares, Copics-0 & R59, Prima Flowers, Petaloo Flowers, Rhinestones.
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A - shows what the flower looks like before I dye it
B - shows where I coloured with my Copic marker, right on the flower
C - shows what the flower looks like after adding a drop or two of colourless blender
You can see how the Colourless Blender 'pushes' the colour out to the tip of the petal. Here I used 1 drop right from my refill bottle (do this on a scrap piece of paper!!). I added another drop to push it right out to the edge. How fun is that!!! Easy-peasy, as my girls would say:)
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've been inspired to go create!!
Deneen

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Hello from Tilda:)

This stamp from Magnolia is called Longing Tilda, and I envision many different ways to use her, for instance she could just be hanging out and saying 'Hello', or maybe she's waiting for her Prince Charming, or maybe she's concerned that you're feeling under the weather, etc. I just think she's adorable, and I hope you like her too.
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Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"
Because I'm still a newbie to Maggies (Magnolia Stamps), I don't have any backgrounds yet, so I made due with what I had. I thought the shape of Nestabilities Labels 4, and the oval, looked like a window, and so that's what I used. It's difficult to see, but the white border is on foam squares, so that Tilda can lean on it...she's also on foam squares. I like to use lots of dimension with my cards. The patterned paper is a little washed out, (grrr to my new computer for that...still trying to get my old photo imaging program back), but it's very bold in real life, the pinks stand out from the black.
I paper pieced her shirt...I'm lacking a little in variety of Copic colours, but they've been ordered, yeah! And the photo editing available to me, grrr computer, makes her look a little washed out. but she's so cute, none-the-less.
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Recipe: CTMH PP-Sweetheart & Sophia (both avail. Feb. 1st), CTMH CS-Whte Daisy & Gypsy, CTMH Ink-Black & Pansy Purple, CTMH SS-Gracious Greetings, Memento Black Ink, Pearls, Rhinestones, Impressabilities-Flower Silhouette, Nestabilities-Labels 4 & Petite Ovals, Corner Rounder, Martha Stewart Swirling Lace Border, Prima Flowers, Grosgrain Ribbon, Foam Squares.
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Copics used:
Skin-YR0000, 00, R02, E00
Hair-E08, 31, 33, 37
Shirt-Paper pieced
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This card qualifies for:
*7 Kids College Fund Challenge Blog - I challenged myself to create a background for Longing Tilda without using a background stamp.
*OLLCB - 3 flowers, 3 spiral twists.
*Simon Says Stamp and Show - My Grandparents had two huge flower beds, plus little ones all around, when I was a little girl...I wished I had appreciated its beauty more as a child...the flowers remind me of that, and Tilda reminds me of when I was a little girl.
*Top Tip Tuesday - Use flowers.
*Paper Cutz Challenge - Anything goes.
*RRR Challenge - Purple grosgrain ribbon, hearts on the paper.
*Stamp Something - Something cute is Tilda
*Let's Ink It Up - Anything goes.
*Simply Create - Punches/Nestabilities...me used both:)
*Pile It On - I used paper with hearts on it
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Thanks so much for stopping by, I appreciate all your comments,
Deneen

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

H2H Challenges, A Card and My Desk

Hellllloooooo {said like Mrs. Doubtfire} For those of you who have seen that {ahem} older movie. Sorry I haven't posted sooner, I have a ton to share with you too. I'll probably post each day, just to catch up. We got a new computer, and not all the programs made it onto the new tower. Grrrr, especially my photo imaging program. It seems to be somewhere in the depths of the computer, but I don't know how to get to it. So, while we wait for our friend to drop by and fix that, I couldn't hold off any longer, and had to learn a new photo imaging program. The photos seem almost over exposed now. You can barely see my watermark. Maybe my photos were too dark before, and I just didn't notice, because it seemed normal to me. Anyways here they are.
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Anyhow, please, please, let me know if this editing is really awful on the eyes, or if it's just fine.
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The first photo is for the Heart 2 Heart Colour Challenge. They've changed things up a bit over there, and you have until the end of the month to get your entries in. And look at that, the end of the month is THIS week. The colours to use are: Sky, Pear, Colonial White &/or Sorbet. You can click on the link just above, to see the colours if you need.
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Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"
I used Damask Tiles for the background, because it is a busy pattern, kept the other items fairly simple. The butterfly is embossed with Clear EP, and the wings are raised with Foam Squares. I was in a hurry, and didn't think about getting a close-up.
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Recipe: CTMH CS-Colonial White, Sky & Pear, CTMH Ink-Sky, Pear, Black & Outdoor Denim, CTMH SS-Damask Tiles & Find Your Style, Foam Squares, Nestabilities-Squares & Lacey Squares, Versamark, Clear EP, Pearls, Satin Edge Organdy Ribbon.
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The 2nd H2H Challenge is sharing how you organize your schtuff. Well, that was easy to get in almost 1 shot for me, lol. {with a Vanna White pose} Tadah, here it is. Okay, once you pick yourself up off the floor from laughter, you'll see that I'm actually quite organized, really, or maybe you can call it an organized mess:)? Maybe you'll see something that you can incorporate in organizing your space. Ppffffft, yeah, nice try Deneen:) If you dare, read on.


First off are the drawers (which I bought at different times, hence the different colours, yes, it bugs me that they're not all the same colour) that I store finished cards, flowers, ribbon, and excess product that I wouldn't use everyday in (the little container is scraps that my girls love to pick through. All my CTMH B&T paper sits vertically, within reach of my desk. My stamps are stored in a 3-drawer container (that I wished I had picked up 2 of, when I had the chance, because now I can't find them that size), you can see the top of it in the bottom right hand corner. My Spellbinders are sitting in front of it at the moment. On top of my stamps sits a container for my blocks, sponges, sponge daubers, embossing powder, chalk, yup it all fits in there:) And on top of that is one 12x12 container that holds non-CTMH paper:) P.S. The quilt made by my Gramma (a good 40 yrs ago which she used to cover her hope chest), covers my hope chest made by my dad:)
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In the 2nd photo you can see my itty-bitty desk space (only because I have no where to keep a file of all the ideas I want to try, and so I share the front right corner with it). My Copics, CTMH Markers & Inks, and Stickles, sit nicely above my desk space. My CS is stored in the 12x12's on the right hand side of the photo, yup, it goes from almost the floor to just out of camera range. I fit 1/2 a season in each drawer, starting with Spring-Harmony, then Spring-Blossom etc. My brads, pearls, rhinestones, white CS scraps, and eyelets sit in the white container on my desk. And just at the edge of the photo on the right side, I store adhesive, 2 1/2 drawers of punches, 2 drawers of more stamps, and a drawer for my double scrubber and other misc. items. I almost forgot to say that my Cuttlebug, and folders sit on a stool in the space just to the right of my desk. I'm actually sitting on our bed to take the picture, lol.
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Phew, if you read all that, way to go! Thanks for taking the time to check out my crafting space.
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I'll see ya tomorrow,
Deneen

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

My Second Tilda

Hi everyone, welcome here. I finished my second Tilda:) I was almost finished colouring her, and saw that the challenge over on Double Dutch is White Wishes - Make a card or creation all in white, the only colour should be your stamped image. And I knew that my pinkish Prom Queen Tilda would be great on white.
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Card Size 4.25" x 5.5"
This was my second go colouring pleats, and thought they came out great! Zoe from Make It Crafty just put up a video on how to colour pleats/folds with Copics. I just gleaned some more tips from her video, and my next image I colour with pleats should be even better! And I watched another of Zoe's video's on flicking...I seem to have a heavy hand, but I hope to improve with practice...I can't wait to try out colouring hair with the flicking method.
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Here's a close-up of Prom Queen Tilda (I just noticed she's a little crooked, oops).
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I added red glitter to her shoes.
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I embossed her crown with gold, and added pearls to finish the look.
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Here's the inside of the card.
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Recipe: CTMH CS-White Daisy, CTMH Ink-Black, Memento Black Ink, CTMH SS-Be Yourself, Versamark, Gold EP, Cuttlebug-Grace's Frame, Nestabilities-Oval, Floral Accents & Circle, Impressabilities-Flourish, Martha Stewart Pinking Scallop Border Punch, Pearls Foam Squares, Red Glitter.
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Copics used:
Dress: RV10, 13, 14, 29
Hair: E29, 31, 33, 37
Other: C1, C3, Colourless Blender
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Enjoy,
Deneen

Monday, January 17, 2011

Dresser Stair-Step Card

Is this not the cutest thing you ever did see!?! Okay, well, at least one of the cutest things. There are a lot of Stair-Step Cards out there, but I found one on Craftymariasstampingworld that was a little bit different, it was shaped like a dresser.
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I've posted a template for it at the bottom of the post.
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Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"


Recipe: CTMH PP-? (it was a scrap), CTMH CS-Sky & White Daisy, CTMH Ink-Indian Corn Blue, Black, Baby Blue & , CTMH SS-The Best Way, Rhinestones, Foam Squares, White Brads.
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Dresser Template:
The Corrected Template is shown:)

I like to mark the middle of the card (2.75"), and then mark the starting point (at 1") and the end point (5.5" from the edge). I cut between those 2 points with an X-acto knife. I then score where indicated, and fold on the score lines. Decorate as desired.
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I'd love to check out any Dresser Cards you create, just leave me a comment and I'll pop by:)
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Enjoy,
Deneen

Sunday, January 16, 2011

My First Tilda!

Hello there, and welcome here on a Sunday! I just couldn't wait to post my first ever Tilda stamp. These cutie stamps are made by Magnolia, and I've been eyeing them for a while. I've been improving my Copic skills and finally decided that I could do these cute stamps some justice.
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Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

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Here's a close-up of Valentine Tilda. I was having a hard time with blending, partly due to the cardstock I'm using, and partly my skills. Then I saw THIS awesome card by Zoe from her Make It Crafty blog, and knew I had to learn how she did pleats. So my next image is almost done, and thanks to Zoe, {mwah} Thank-you Zoe!!!!!, my pleats have really improved, and so has my blending. I paper pieced her pink shirt because I didn't have the Copic colour I wanted.
Recipe: CTMH PP-Bella, CTMH CS-Amethyst, Pansy Purple, Olive & Colonial White, CTMH Ink- Bamboo & Black, CTMH SS-Katrina Relief, Magnolia-Valentine Tilda, Nestabilities-Labels 4, Impressabilities-Flourish, Cuttlebug Die-Vintage, Pearls, Prima Flowers, Foam Squares.
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Copics Used:
Hair-E31, 33, 35 & 37
Skin-E00, YR0000, YR00, R02
Dress-BV02, 04 & 08
Socks-CTMH Bamboo Ink & Blending Pen
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I've been lurking over at Copic Creations Challenge Blog, and I finally have a card to submit for one of their challenges....Challenge 42, What's New. I used my new Magnolia stamp!
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Thanks for stopping by,
Deneen

Friday, January 14, 2011

Sweet Simple Birthday Cards

Welcome here. Hope you've had a great week, and are now sitting back and enjoying your weekend. I have a couple of Birthday cards to share with you. The first card was inspired by one I saw in Stamp It '07. I keep my old issues and pull them out once in a while, I find it interesting that what catches my eye now, didn't back when I first looked at it. It's like having a whole new magazine to enjoy.
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Card Sizes: 4.25" x 5.5"
I used the border stamp from CTMH's Happy Journey stamp set to stamp the background. I stamped the flowers with Versamark and Clear Embossed it. I then sponged ink over top, and wiped off the excess. Did you notice anything out of the ordinary for me?...I didn't use a single Spellbinder or Embossing Folder, lol. Going back to the basics was fun.
Recipe: CTMH CS-Pansy Purple, Cocoa & White Daisy, CTMH Ink-Pansy Purple, Garden Green, Black & Chocolate, CTMH SS-Sweet Flowers, Happy Journey, Live Inspired & Gracious Greeting, Dark Brown Grosgrain Ribbon, Versamark, Clear EP, Foam Squares.
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This card started out being inspired by a card in Stamp It '07 as well, but the only thing left that resembles the original card is the light green cardstock:) In the photo below, you can see I added some sparkle...on the flower petals I used the Clear Spica Pen, and on the wisps I used Stickles.
Recipe: CTMH CS-White Daisy & Sweet Leaf, CTMH Ink-Black, Blush, Hollyhock, Sweet Leaf, Petal & Buttercup, CTMH SS-Smiles, Light Purple Textured CS, Purple Grosgrain Ribbon, Pearls, Foam Squares, Stickles, Impressabilities-Flower Silhouette.
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Hope you enjoyed the cards, have a great weekend!
Deneen

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Inspired Stamps Card Redo

Welcome here. I actually had some time to redo one of my Inspired Stamps card for the Artwork Contest. You can see the original card HERE. I almost like this one better than the other one, I really like the green with it.
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Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"
Recipe: CTMH PP-Veranda, CTMH CS-Colonial White & Cocoa, CTMH Ink-Black, Cuttlebug Script EF, Inpired Stamps-Inpired Stampers' Favourite Verses Collection 1, Distress Ink-Vintage Photo & Antique Linen, Nestabilities-Fancy Tags, Brown Organdy Ribbon, Foam Squares, Pearls.
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Enjoy,
Deneen

Monday, January 10, 2011

Cards With My Free Inspired Stamps

Good morning! I have 3 cards to share with you today. If you follow my blog, you know that I won some stamps sets from Antoinette at Inspired Stamps. I posted the first time I won HERE, and the 2nd time HERE. Thanks again Antoinette for the chance to win!
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All Card Sizes: 4.25" x 5.5"

I was surprised at how big of a stamp Mark with Tree is:) I don't know why I thought it was a small stamp set. I had a chance to use my Copics, I've become more confident with my colouring over time. For the tree I coloured it in, and then used the Colourless Blender to add the 'needles'.
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For the second card I coloured Mark the same, but cut him out instead.

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The other stamp set I won was Inspired Stampers' Favorite Verse Collection 1. Antoinette chose verses from those submitted and had them made into stamps. It comes with 4 verses and a little saying. I made the card below with the verse I had submitted (and which she chose to print).
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Antoinette has an artwork contest on right now!! Unfortunately I didn't use Inspired Stamps exclusively, so these ones don't qualify (I had actually finished them before she posted the contest). So depending on how busy my week is, I might make some new ones to post for the contest.
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If you need information on what I used for the cards, please let me know. As I typed this up I could not find my sheet with all the information I had written out, and of course none in my family know where it disappeared to. I guess it just vanished into thin air, lol:). And since it's been over a week since I made the cards, I don't remember off the top of my head what all I used. But I know it can be frustrating sometimes, when you want to know what was used, and it's not listed.
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**Don't forget about the Heart 2 Heart Challenges blog! I'm no longer on the Design Team, but I'll be joining the challenges along with you. I can't wait to see what the challenge is for today!**
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Enjoy,
Deneen

Thursday, January 06, 2011

A Missing Christmas Card

Happy Thursday! I have a Christmas card to share with you:) Late, I know. It somehow got overlooked in the chaotic-ness of the holidays. The tree is made with the Martha Stewart Branch Punch. I placed the branches to form the outline of a tree shape, and then filled it in with more branches.
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Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"
Recipe: CTMH CS-White Daisy, Grey Wool & Moonstruck, CTMH Ink-Tulip, CTMH SS-Say It In Style, Nestabilities-Labels 17 & Fancy Tags, Martha Stewart Branch Punch, Cuttlebug Snowflakes EF, Ribbon.
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Ugh, now I can't find where I put my paper with my info to post. I saw a card similar to this on a someone's blog, so it's not my original idea. I'll look for that info tonight:)
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Enjoy,
Deneen

Sunday, January 02, 2011

Business Card Holder

Welcome 2011, good-bye 2010. Out with the old, in with the new. Not very catchy or memorable, but it's all I could come up with:) Hope you made some great memories last year, and are planning (or maybe not planning, some do come by surprise ie. broken bones etc.) a great, memorable year this year.
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I still have some projects from my Craft Show that I haven't shared with you yet. Here's one:
It's a Business Card Holder I created after I saw THIS ONE made by Stampin' Betty.
I covered White Daisy CS with CTMH Bella paper, and cut out the base with Nestabilities Labels 8. I cut out 2 and cut one to attach to the other. (clear as mud, right?) I then used a different pattern from Bella for the box, (covered White Daisy CS) and then used Labels 4 to cut out the front piece so that you can see, and take a business card. I finished it off with some Prima flowers, and butterfly. I wanted to keep it simple so that you would be attracted to take a business card, and not just be awed by the magnificance of the Holder:)

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Enjoy,
Deneen