Bella Carta

Just us girls .... 3D flower challenge

Just Us Girls has 3D challenge this week, create a card or project using a dimensional flower.  And they had a great video tutorial on making a tissue paper flower.  Can you believe it??? I've never made a tissue paper flower.

I followed the tutorial (it was super easy!) and made my first tissue paper flower.  I used Berry Sorbet, Rasberry Fizz and Scarlet Jewel,  I used the round "pinking" circle nestabilities dies and I used linen thread to hold them together with a button (ink, button and twine from PTI).  The stamped sentiment is from Unity Stamp Co.

It's HOLIDAY HOP time! the October Papertrey Ink bloghop

Our challenge this month was to show off project idea for the upcoming holidays:  cards, gifts, wrapping, etc.

I love non-traditional Christmas colors, and this year I'm using Aqua Mist with Plum Pudding, add in a little Spring Moss for an accent color (cardstock, ink, ribbon and buttons!).   Stamp sets used are Snowflake Serenade and Damask Designs.

First up, little 3 in. x 3 in. notecards complete with matching envelopes:

 Next up, full size Christmas cards (A2).  The silver panel is embossed aluminum foil that I colored with alcohol inks (before embossing). 

 

And for little gift giving needs, a pillow box.  I made a ribbon hanger for it (so you can hang it on the Christmas tree) and  just love those PTI buttons, I strung several together on the button twine!  I always find it hard to get my pillow boxes to stay together, what I used and I think works best - strong double sided tape (either the pink stuff or scor-tape from scor-pal).

 

 

Mermaid Cottage Chic

Here's a notecard set in colors for The Laughing Mermaid, a shop in Melbourne (Florida) where you can find handmade organic soaps, candles, body care products; as well as many of my items (in real life)  PLUS some other really nifty hand crafted items from local artists.  

The base is my fabulous Fabriano Medioevalis notecard stock and I've done this set in blue/green seaside colors using Papertrey Ink/Raspberry Suite's Damask Designs stamp set.

 
 

Peaceful Plum {aka one more jeweled card}

Even though PTI's WCMD challenges were limited to one in each category, using "India" (Challenge #3) as my inspiration - I made this card, too!

It features the stamp set "Snowflake Serenade" in fresh snow ink on an acetate panel!  I have a "love/hate" relationship with my acetate - I totally love the look, but I forget that the ink never seems to dry (at least not quick enough for me) even when I use my heat gun.  I will admit to completely smudging the first one I did - even after I thought the ink was dry.  Cardstock colors are Aqua Mist and Plum Pudding, in the middle is a panel I made with embossed aluminum foil that I colored with adirondack alcohol inks (Denim, stream and lettuce). 

Bee Thankful! WCMD triple challenge (SCS), PTI Challenge #1

(my card for PTI challenge #3 is here <------)

This card is for the WCMD SCS challenge WCMD09D (use chocolate, a sentiment of thanks and the sketch) as well as for the PTI Challenge #1 - Japan.  Our challenge was to use Japanese cultural/art history in creating a card: 

I've always found the Japanese culture fascinating.  From the unique style of artistic expression and it's meaning & history behind each traditional routine that they incorporate into their lives on a daily basis.  Your challenge is to create a project that is inspired by either the colors, the design or the themes that are prominent in the Japanese culture.  Stumped for ideas?  Google "Japan" or "Japanese Art" for thousands of inspiration pieces.

I thought PTI's:  Out On a Limb stamp set was perfect for this challenge!   I also used "Honeybees" and Honeybee Sentiments - all from PTI.    You may not be able to see them, but PTI's "Sweet Blush" ink was used in the background, as well as Hibiscus Burst, Raspberry Fizz and Dark Chcoolate (CS and ink). 

Enchanted Jewel {PTI Challenge #3: India}

Saturday was World Card Making day .... and I had some time to make a few cards!  This one is for the Papertrey Ink challenge #3 - India:  make a card that has rhinestones/jewels, gold, etc. 

I used the front of one of my Coldwater Creek catalogs and gold embossing powder to do the "faux cloisonne" technique.  I added a few rhinestones and my sentiment and poof!  the card was done!

Colors: Kraft, Enchanted Evening and Scarlet Jewel

Copper Wishes - EIC55

I had time to play along with this week's Etsy inspired!   EIC55 this week features "The Salty Cat Co." and I selected this fabulous copper bracelet as my inspiration for the card.  Those of you who know me know that I am "cuckoo for co-co puffs" over ANYTHING copper!  Its my fav metal, fav color, fav accent, fav embellishment ..... need I go on????

I dug into my secret stash for this copper embossed paper!  I had bought it a while ago on clearance .... and got such a bonus!  I had thought I was buying just a few sheets, turned out - because its embossed the sheets were stuck together (but came apart easily) and for every sheet I had paid for - I think there were 4 or 5 actually there.   Anyway, I love this paper - its copper!  I embossed the image in copper eP and used Ocean Tides ink and cardstock.  Some fibers in a coppery brown accent the entire thing.  Stamps used are from the Sept. 09 Kit of the Month (Unity Stamp Co).

True friend monday

Can you believe I haven't inked up my PTI set - True Friend - until now????   I know, I know ..... I am working on actually *using* my stamps :-) not just admiring them, lol! The colors used are Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy and Spring Moss (in cardstock and ink) along with Fresh Snow ink. 

I also used my "washi paper tape" that I had purchased at CHA!  This cool stuff is from Japan that they call "masking tape" but its so much more amazing than that.    Its sooo easy to use and comes in colors as well as patterns - its the top two bands of white/red.  If you haven't seen the washi paper tape sold at your local store .... you can find it here <------ click

Unlikely Friendships {TTIC42}

(this is part of my project, can you guess what it is????)

This week's challenge comes to us from the wonderfully talented Erica of Inked Up and Ready to Play, Erica is also our newest design team member!  This is what she writes:

Breaking Dawn is my favorite book of the series, like many of you, so I was really trying to think about what I loved about the 4th book. Of course I love the romance, but that is throughout the whole series. One thing that I love about Breaking Dawn is how SM really looks into Jacob, especially his relationship with his new pack, especially Leah.

"It would be interesting, at the very least, and strange, too, to have Leah as a companion - as a friend. We were going to get under each other's skin a lot, that was for sure. She wouldn't be one to let me wallow, but I thought that was a good thing. I'd probably need someone to kick my butt now and then. But when it came right down to it, she was really the only friend who had any chance of understanding what I was going through now." Breaking Dawn, Book 2 pg. 336

Our Challenge???? Make a project using at least 2 items that you wouldn't think normally go together. Whether it be two colors, or two different patterns or something elegant and rough, it is up to you. As far as the subject, have fun with it. Celebrate one of your unlikely friendships or an unlikely friendship in the Twilight Saga.

My "unlikely" creation????  I went *wild* with color :-) wild plum pairing lettuce green with wild plum in this hand dyed silk scarf. I planned on making a card (celebrating unlikely friendships) that matched using the rock salt technique (see the first pic) but I didn't quite get the cardstock dry in time to make my card .... maybe later this week.    I did get the scarf done.

I stamped it with "Friends till the End" stamp set from Papertrey Ink and then hand stitched french knots in matching plum DMC embroidery thread.   The scarf is 8 x 54 in, silk and is hand dyed using inks in lettuce, bottle, and wild plum and rock salt!   No two are ever the same.   The rock salt causes color variations .... similar to mottling.  If you're not familiar with the salted technique for backgrounds .... check it out splitcoast <----- click.

(I

here's another pic of the rock salt on my cardstock:

Please check out the rest of the TTIC DT and Guest DT!

Beth, Stamp Insanity
Dani, Count Your Beautiful Blessings
Eve, This is Bliss
Jen, Deconstructing Jen
Julie, Stars Fall Designs
Margie, Oh Bumble is Me
Tonya, Stamp Happens

(*Margie, Jen are enjoying some time off)

with Guest Designers:

Alison~ Donna~ Jacquie~Erica

Please join in and play along with us at Twilight Tuesday.  If you do, here are a few guidelines to follow:

For posting to a blog: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site.

For posting on another gallery, such as Splitcoast Stampers or Flickr: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site. Please use the appropriate keywords for our challenges; an example is TTIC42. No number signs (#) or spaces are needed in the keyword. You can also add in more general keywords for Splitcoast/Flickr (such as Twilight, Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge, etc.). Thank you for your help with this!

Comments/Posting your link on Twilight Tuesday: Please leave a comment with the link to your challenge piece to tell us that you played along with us on TwilightTuesday.com.

OOOOH and be sure to stop back Wednesday,
I have a special Twilight Tuesday surprise for you!

more from CHA

I've been a bit handi-capped since coming home from CHA to find my home PC died.   I'm not fully back up and running *yet* but hopefully soon! 

I did want to share the card that was the make n' take from Harmonie , they're a Canadian company and their project featured these great tropical papers in just the juiciest colors! C'est bon!  This sheet is double sided and is called Sous les Cocotiers (there are five other matching pieces in this collection entitled Iles du Pacifique PLUS ribbon, flowers, inks, clear acrylic albums and buttons! The sparkly thing is made from their two sided sticky clear stickers - these coordinate perfectly with the paper.  In the clear, one side sticks to your project - the other side can be coatedwith matching glitter, pearlex, microbeads, etc.  These stickers also come in silver or gold sheets AND there is even several matching stamps.

The PaperTrey Ink booth seemed to have every single CHA participant crammed into it :-) I kid you not!  But being a part of their "first ever" retail experience was just incredible!   I got to see (and meet) the PTI design team AND the wonderful PTI owners, Nicole, Jane and Julie.

Here's some pics from the make n' take (which I did not do, due to the sheer enormity of people waiting!  I
 really wanted to make sure those that had never experienced PTI got to try it).

And one pic of me and Dawn McVey!  Dawn - next time I'm stealing you away and taking you out to eat to the greek restaurant!  PS Dawn has all kinds of great CHA / PTI pics on her blog, go check 'em out!