Pink Ink

I am so loving monochromatic looks right now! I was in Target the other day and saw some adorable accessories by Liberty of London that inspired me to make this card. Here's the Clean & Simple sketch that inspired this layout.


Here are the DEEtails:

1. I started out by randomly stamping flowers in Basic Gray ink on Whisper White card stock from various sets: Fifth Avenue Floral, Itty Bitty Buds, and Wings of Friendship.

2. I used various shades of pink Stampin' Write markers to color in my flowers: Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Pixie Pink, and Pink Passion.

3. I added a Regal Rose card stock mat, then added a piece of Melon Mambo Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon.

4. Then I created a Scallop Edge rectangle with Melon Mambo card stock and stamped the sentiment from my Whimsical Words set onto Whisper White card stock trimmed to size. I recently was asked how to make the Scallop Edge rectangle, so I've posted some DEErections. You can click here or click on the DEEsign Tools button at the bottom of my blog.

5. Finally, I mounted everything onto a Melon Mambo card. Hope you like it!

Happy as a Clam

Here's my DEEsign for the Caardvarks Monochromatic challenge:

Here are the DEEtails:

1. I paired Stampin' Up's Cameo Coral with Papertrey Ink's Berry Sorbet. They are a perfect monochromatic match!

2. I used various stamps from the TPC Studio Undersea Adventures set that I found at a local craft store and started off stamping the seaweed and coral in VersaMark ink on Cameo Coral card stock.

3. I love the sentiment, which I stamped in Cameo Coral ink on Very Vanilla card stock. I cut it out, then adhered it to a piece of Berry Sorbet cardstock. I cut a scallop edge to mimic the outline of the sentiment stamp.

4. I cut a Berry Sorbet mat and added a scallop edge to the bottom. Then I adhered my stamped Cameo Coral card stock onto the Berry Sorbet.

5. Then I added a piece of velour ribbon from my stash which matched perfectly. The clams were stamped in VersaMark, embossed, cut out, then adhered to the card with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Thanks for peeking in today!

My First Mojo!

Can you believe that this is my first time attempting a Mojo Monday Sketch? It's really more of an inspired by Mojo DEEsign, but I love it!


Here are the DEEtails:

1. I started off with a Basic Gray card. I loved the way Elegant Eggplant popped on the card, so I trimmed a piece of cardstock for my main mat.

2. I love, love, love Going Gray. I am so sad that it is retiring! :( I used it to create a scallop edge trim on the top of my card. I actually chose to make my card rectangular, rather than square, because I wanted to see more Going Gray scallop edge trim!

3. I have some ribbon in my stash that matches Going Gray perfectly, so I used it on this card. I love it! I stamped a sentiment from my Papertrey Signature Greetings set above my bow. I can't tell you enough how much I adore Dawn McVey's handwriting!

4. I stamped a cute bird cage stamp that my Hubby got me a while ago in Basic Gray ink on Naturals White card stock. I cut it out and adhered it to my card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

5. I also stamped a heart from my I {Heart} Hearts set using Elegant Eggplant ink on Going Gray card stock. This stamp is so beautiful as is, but it is absolutely gorgeous in these colors. I love it!

Guess Whoo!

Isn't this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch fun?


Here are the DEEtails on my DEEsign:

1. I started off with a fun stamp that my mom recently got me. I stamped this cute little guy 3 times - once in Chocolate Chip, then in Taken with Teal, and again in Garden Green.

2. I embossed my Taken with Teal image to add a little extra something to my owl. Then I cut out each part I wanted for my image and adhered it onto my original Chocolate Chip image.

3. I adhered the owl onto a Taken with Teal circle (using my Cricut) that I layered onto a scallop circle (using my Scallop Circle 2 Sizzix die).

4. I cut 2 random sized strips of Chocolate Chip Patterns Designer Series paper and a strip of Taken with Teal card stock and layered it onto my Naturals White card.

5. Then I adhered my scallop circle onto my card using Stampin' Dimensionals. Hope you like it!

Thanks Robyn!

Some exciting news! Robyn (from Rainbows by Robyn) has given me this Beautiful Blogger Award! Thank you Robyn! You made my day! :)

In order to fulfill the requirements for this award, I must list 10 things about me, so here goes!

1. I've been crafting for a very long time (it's no joke when I say my mom had my crafting at the age of 2), but I'm fairly new to card making. I think I made my first card 3 years ago...

2. My first big stamp project was our wedding a couple of years ago. Our DIY wedding featured handmade everything, but this was my first time to really show off my card making skills. I stamped invites, favors, thank yous, etc. And my wonderful hubby helped every step of the way!

3. I adore trees, branches, leaves, flowers, birds, owls, and neutrals (especially browns and grays), which I think shows quite often in my cards. It seems like I'm a total nature girl, but I am surprisingly not that big into it - no nature walks for me!

4. My work space is teeny tiny. It only measures 5' x 8', but still manages to be the focal point of our home with a giant Ikea bookshelf. And it is completely overflowing, because...

5. I am a hoarder. I only recently started using embellishments because I'm always scared of running out of anything and not being able to replace it. I'm gradually forcing myself to get past this, which explains why I am constantly "finding" new stuff in "my stash."

6. I designed this blog myself! (More info about it can be found here.) I know that there are a couple of flaws, but I haven't had a chance to work on it in a while. When I have the opportunity, I love being creative on the computer too!

7. I got my perfectionist genes from both my mother (her bag line is called Sew Type A for a reason!) and my father. You might not have guessed, but I usually have several outtakes before I post my final DEEsign.

8. I don't really know what to do with the cards I make. The only cards that actually get sent out are the ones that specifically state they are made for someone. The rest of them sit in a bird cage on my desk. Terrible, I know!

9. I'm not actually a DEE... (yes, it's sort of my pen name!) Dee is my married name, but I haven't legally changed it. I use it and love it! And it's great to have a pen name because...

10. I actually have a phobia of the Internet and strangers. This is the main reason why I'm so reserved when it comes to commenting on other blogs. (It's not cause I don't like you, I'm just shy!) And I do truly appreciate how kind everyone is! Starting this blog was a huge step for me, but you all have made it much easier! I still get nervous when I tell about myself though- believe me, this post is one of the hardest I've ever written!

The second part of accepting this award requires me to select 10 Beautiful Blogs that I would like to pass this award on to. It was so hard to decide, but here are 10 of my favorite Pals blogs. (in no particular order!) Enjoy!

1. Regina, The Stampin' Bean, makes absolutely beautiful cards and does some really neat stuff with floss and punches!

2. Margaret is a master at Pals Paper Arts Challenges! You have to check out the awesome cake she made for the Anything but a Card challenge a few weeks ago!

3. Linda at Stampin' Seasons has such a great clean and simple style!

4. Carla's Scraps has a gorgeous blog design and some really awesome tutorials. Check out the links on the right side under Tutorials and Misc. for some neat stuff!

5. Kris at Kween Bee Kreations also has a great CAS style and is a master at blog design using SU!'s My Digital Studio!

6. Kalshelia at Stampin' Fabulousity always has beautiful, bold, and bright cards!

7. I really like the natural look of Liz's blog at DIY Paper Creations. Plus she makes some really cute cards!

8. I am so jealous that Kylie has a live-in photographer! The cards at Kylie's Crafty Corner are so sweet and photographed so beautifully by her husband!

9. Creative Cards by Carrie is another really cute blog with fun girly cards.

10. And last, but certainly not least is my up-line and fearless leader, Mary at Stampin' Pretty. Everything she does is fantastic, she really doesn't need much of an introduction...

Hope you're having a great day! :)

We Miss U!

One of my students at school has been out all week due to an injury, so I made this card for him to deliver with some get well goodies. Sorry for the terrible photo, but it was late and it was my only chance to take the photo before delivering the card this morning.


Here are some DEEtails:

1. I have the hardest time creating cards without any inspiration, especially when it comes to masculine cards! I basically picked out random colors and they just happened to work!

2. I chose an alphabet theme since I figured it was appropriate for an elementary school student. I stamped my Pure and Simple Alphabet stamps with VersaMark ink randomly on my Ballet Blue card stock.

3. I adhered my Ballet Blue card stock on a Tempting Turquoise mat, then adhered it to my Crushed Curry card.

4. Then I added a piece of ricrac from my stash. I love the subtle texture it adds to the card.

5. I hand drew the "U" and cut it out of Crushed Curry card stock. I adhered it to a Ballet Blue mat. I hand wrote the "we miss" part inside the "U" with my Basic Black Stampin' Write marker. Then I layered it over Tempting Turquoise and Crushed Curry squares and adhered it to my card with some Stampin' Dimensionals.

Happy Birthday Carrie!

Today is my friend Carrie's birthday, so I made this card for her:


I really liked the layout challenge this week at 2 Sketches 4 You:

Here are the DEEtails:

1. I selected my colors, Bermuda Bay, Pretty in Pink, and Regal Rose, based on this beautiful ribbon that I found last week.

2. I started with stamping my A to Z stamp with VersaMark on Pretty in Pink cardstock. I jus tlove the subtle look of the letters in the background!

3. Then I used my Cricut to cut out a { shape with Regal Rose card stock. I adhered it to overlap my alphabet stamp.

4. I then stamped a sentiment from my Papertrey Signature Greetings set. I love the Dawn McVey' beautiful handwriting!

5. I layered everything onto a Bermuda Bay mat. Then layered my ribbon over a piece of Regal Rose card stock that I punched with my Scallop Edge punch. Hope you like it!

Happy Birthday Carrie!

Another Bird Card

Here's the last card in my Crate and Barrel catalog collection:

Here's my inspiration:

I love these Bird Wall Tiles from Crate and Barrel! I so want these for myself!

DEEtails:

1. I cut 1 3/4" squares out of Kiwi Kiss card stock. I wanted to imitate the bird and branch images from the Wall Tiles. I chose stamps from several different sets to create this look: the bird from Season of Friendship, the branch from Great Friend, and another bird from Branch Out.

2. After playing around with where to position the images, I stamped them with ColorBox Dune ink and embossed them. I can't wait for SU!'s Crumb Cake to come out!

3. Then I cut out 1 7/8" squares out of Kraft card stock. I used dimensionals to mount my Kiwi Kiss squares onto my Kraft squares.

4. I then adhered my sqares onto a Naturals White card stock mat, adhered onto a Kiwi Kiss card.

5. I love how simple this card is! There's no 5th step!

Too Kind

I love a unique color palette and I am loving this one!

Here's my inspiration from Crate and Barrel. Isn't this chair just gorgeous? And the wall behind it is so neat!


DEEtails:

1. I absolutely love the colors of this chair! I chose So Saffron and Bermuda Bay card stock for my flowers. I used my 1/2", 3/4", 1", and 1 1/4" circle punches to create layers for my flowers, which I distressed at the edges and punched with brads from my stash.

2. I wrapped my Naturals White mat with some gray ribbon from my stash, then adhered my flowers in a cluster.

3. I used my bird punch to create the leaves using Going Gray card stock. I tucked them in behind my flowers.

4. I used my Scallop Trim punch and corner to create a small So Saffron border for my sentiment from my Whimsical Words set, stamped in Taken with Teal on Naturals White card stock.

5. I layered my Naturals White mat onto a Bermuda Bay mat on a So Saffron Card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happiness Always

Here's another one of my DEEsigns:


I love my inspiration for this card! I wish my living room could look like this:


I really love the framed art, which is what I really looked to for the inspiration for my card:



Here are the DEEtails:

1. I stamped the image from my Great Friend set using VersaMark on Crushed Curry card stock. I embossed and cut each image out.

2. I stamped the image on Basic Gray card stock as well and stamped a setiment from my Whimsical Words set.

3. I adhered all of my images onto a Naturals White square mat, which I layered onto a Basic Gray mat, then trimmed the edges.

4. I tied a bow with a piece of Basic Gray ribbon from the retired District Ribbon Originals set. I liked the way the striped ribbon echoed the look of the gray couch.

5. I love the way everything looks on a Sahara Sand card.

Hope you like it!

Happy Birthday Kelly!

Yesterday was my brother-in-law's 30th birthday. Here's the card that I made for Kelly:

The layout from this week's Pals Paper Arts challenge is what inspired me. Won't you play along?

Here are the DEEtails:

1. I started off with a Night of Navy card. Masculine cards are so hard for me, so I decided to just keep things basic.

2. I love the rugged look of the Happy Birthday stamp in the Four Square set. I think every man I know has gotten a birthday card using this one. Hehe! I stamped it in VersaMark and used silver embossing powder - Oooh! - to kick this card up a notch. It is, after all the BIG Three-Oh!

3. I cut each Happy Birthday Square out and mounted each one onto a Basic Black square trimmed just a tiny bit larger. I lined the three squares up on a Basic Black mat and used dimensionals to make them pop.

4. You know I can't resist a bit of frill, no matter how masculine a card it is, so I added a bit of ribbon. I had this neat silver and black ribbon in my stash that I thought I would never use, but it just happened to be oh-so perfect for this card! I rippled and layered it a bit to add some texture.

5. Then I adhered my Basic Black mat onto my card! So simple!

What do you think?

New Goodies!

I love new goodies in the mail, don't you? I just got a box of stuff last night and I just had to start playing! Here's what I made:


My layout is inspired by this week's challenge at 2 Sketches 4 You.

Here are the DEEtails:

1. I started with a piece of Basic Gray card stock which I ran through my Cuttlebug with my Swiss Dot embossing folder.

2. Then I took a piece of ribbon from the retired Fairy Tale Designer Ribbon pack and adhered it down the middle of the card.

3. I stamped the gorgeous rose from the Fifth Avenue Floral set which is on sale this month! I used Basic Gray ink on Georgia Peach DSP, retired, but currently on the Clearance Rack at SU! I've been dying to stamp on patterned paper and just didn't have the right stamp to do this with. I am loving the fun polka dotted rose, which I adhered to my embossed mat, using dimensionals.

4. I took another small piece of Fairy Tale ribbon and made it into a bow, which I tied with a piece of Hemp Twine. I stamped the Thank You sentiment from my new Tiny Tags set and used the coordinating punch. I tied it to my bow and adhered it to the card.

5. Finally, I adhered my embossed mat to a slightly larger Going Gray mat centered onto a Basic Gray card.

Hope you like it!

April Showers

You know I love a fun new challenge, so I was excited to find the cute April Showers challenge at wee Memories. Here's my DEEsign:


And check out the challenge. Adorable right?


Here are the DEEtails:

1. I started off stamping my umbrella from the Blooming with Happiness set in Basic Gray. I colored in the flowers with my Yoyo Yellow and Going Gray Stampin' Write Markers. I also stamped the little boots from my Branch Out set in Yoyo Yellow. I've totally been looking for a way to use these cute boots! To help them stand out a bit, I drew in a little shadow using my Basic Gray marker.

2. I layered some yellow flowers from my stash, ruffled them up a bit, and poked a white brad through them. I love the burst of color!

3. Then I stamped the sentiment from my Blooming with Happiness set. Perfect!

4. I carefully cut out scallops around my stamped images. It was a bit tricky, but I think it turned out okay. It kind of reminded me of clouds! Then I layered my Whisper White card stock on a Yoyo Yellow mat that I ran through my Cuttlebug using my Swiss Dots embossing folder for a bit of sunshine.

5. I added a cute ribbon from my stash at the bottom of my card because it needed a little something extra and mounted everything onto my Basic Black card.

Thanks for stopping by!

More Crate and Barrel Inspired

I couldn't stop with just 4 Crate and Barrel inspired cards. Here's another:

Isn't this caramel container cute? It was my inspiration for the card:

Here are the DEEtails:

1. I chose So Saffron, Lavender Lace, and Elegant Eggplant for my flowers. I punched each color twice with my scallop circle punch. I crumpled them up and adhered them to a Whisper White mat. I used buttons from my stash for the centers of my flowers, with thin strips of card stock to "thread" them.

2. I used my Martha Stweart leaf punch on Certainly Celery card stock and tucked them in with my flowers.

3. I took a strip of Certainly Celery cardstock for the border with my scallop edge punch. I stamped a sentiment from my Trendy Trees set along the edge in VersaMark. (It's a little hard to see in the photo.)

4. At the top of my card, I punched two holes and threaded a piece of Certainly Celery satin ribbon.

5. I then mounted my Whisper White mat to a Lavendar Lace mat, which I adhered to a Certainly Celery card.

Kindness

Here's the final card for Nancys' set:

This one was inspired by this cushion from Crate and Barrel:


Here are the DEEtails:

1. I started off with a Basic Gray card and a Naturals White mat.

2. I stamped the kindness sentiment from my Heart from the Heart set using my So Saffron and Basic Gray Stampin' Write markers. I stamped it in 3 sections. First, the word Kindness, then the first part of the bottom line directly underneath, and the second part below.

3. I used a piece of Sticky Strip, overlapping part of the sentiment, then cut a length of Basic Gray satin ribbon. I tucked one edge of the ribbon over the top, then sort of randomly adhered the ribbon to the Sticky Strip, in a sort of wave-like motion to create the ruffles.

4. I found 4 small buttons from my stash and threaded them with thin strips of Going Gray card stock.

5. Then I punched 4 blooms with my Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch and stuck the tiny buttons in the flower centers. I adhered the flowers to the card, using dimensionals, purposefully adhering them a little wonky and overlapping the ruffe ribbon. Fun!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you've liked these cards!

Bloom with Happiness

Here's another card for Nancy!

This DEEsign was inspired by the flowers on this chest of drawers from Crate and Barrel:

And the DEEtails:

1. I started off using my SU! Top Note die with Basic Black card stock. I thought it was a nice way to emmulate the curves of the sleek black dresser.

2. Then I stamped some flowers from my Bella Blossoms set using Versa Mark ink on Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose card stock. I sprinkled some clear embossing powder and added a bit of heat to make them stand out.

3. I stamped the sentiment from my Blooming with Happiness set in Whisper White ink.

4. Then I tied a simple black bow with some grosgrain ribbon from my stash.

5. I adhered it to a Pretty in Pink card for a clean look.

Hope you like it!

One Person

Here's another card for Nancy inspired by Crate and Barrel:


Here's my inspiration:


DEEtails:

1. I started off running a piece of Chocolate Chip card stock and my Scallop Circle Bigz die through my Cuttlebug.

2. Then I punched a bunch of circles using my 1/2", 3/4", and 1" circle punches. I adhered them to my scallop circle randomly.

3. I stamped a sentiment from my Flight of the Butterfly set with Chocolate Chip ink near the top of my Kraft card.

4. I added some Very Vanilla satin ribbon tied in a bow at the bottom of the card to break up all the brown.

5. For the final touch, I added a little flower button from my Button Latte set. I used a thin strip of Very Vanilla card stock to "thread" my button.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday Nancy!

I love being inspired by images and creating my DEEsigns based off catalog photographs. I actually feel like it's easier this way. A nice, balanced photograph, already has the elements in place that are needed for a nice, balanced card. One of my favorite sources for clean and colorful photos is the Crate and Barrel catalog. This week, I'll be sharing a series of cards that I made that were inspired by images from various Crate and Barrel catalogs. Some of these cards were created as a gift for my mom's friend, Nancy whose birthday is tomorrow (I'm all for an early celebration)!

So, Happy Birthday Nancy! Here's my first DEEsign:

Here's the inspiration for the card:

And the DEEtails:

1. I love the monochromatic bookends in the photo and the simple look with the black and gray books and background. I tried to capture this look on my card.

2. I started off with a Whisper White mat and placed random letters and numbers (from American Crafts) onto the card.

3. I tied a small bow with some black polka dot ribbon from my stash.

4. I made a simple "hi" by layering the letters to create a slightly raised look without using dimensionals. I wanted it to stand out, but still wanted the sentiment to be subtle.

5. I adhered the Whisper White mat to a Basic Black mat and centered it on a Basic Gray card.

Hope you like it!

Oh Baby!

As you may know, I love birds. So the idea of love birds and a nest egg popped into my head when I thought of a baby card. Here's my DEEsign:


Here are the DEEtails:

1. I created the baby card for the current Caardvarks challenge and wanted a gender neutral color palette. I love green and brown! I started off with some AC patterned paper in the Letterbox series and my Stampin' Up! Top Note die. It's a perfect backdrop for my love birds!

2. I punched the birds using my favorite tool - the bird punch in both Certainly Celery card stock for the body and some AC patterned paper for the wings.

3. I punched one more bird wing from the floral patterned paper and cut the tip of the wing to create an egg shape.

4. Then I used some ribbon from my stash to create a sort of nest. This was fairly easy to do.

5. Believe it or note, I hand cut the hearts because I didn't have the right size heart punch. I think they turned out pretty good.

Hope you like it!

For You

We're finally back home from our spring break trip and I'm back to my usual supply of stuff plus a few extras! Over the break, I got myself a Cricut and couldn't wait to try it out! Here's my DEEsign:


My layout is loosely based off on Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch:

Here are the DEEtails:

1. I used my Cricut to cut out the bird images from the Songbird cartridge using Kiwi Kiss and Chocolate Chip card stock. I embellished the branch a bit with some Sweet Pea stitched felt flowers. I think they add the perfect punch of color!

2. I cut a strip of polka dot paper from my Chocolate Chip Patterns DSP set and layered it onto my Kiwi Kiss card.

3. I loved the way the pink rickrack stands out on the card. I adhered it to the edge of the patterned paper for a fun look.

4. I used my Songbird cartridge on my Cricut again to make the embellished tag, layering Pretty in Pink and Rose Red card stock. I stamped the sentiment from my Great Friend set in Chocolate Chip ink.

5. I layered everything on the card and there you have it! :)