Wednesday 29 February 2012

Birth Day's

Welcome back! I hope you don't mind that I post so late in the day. Dinner time seems to be the best time for me to get posts up as I can cook dinner and run to the computer while my husband keeps the kids entertained :)

Today's projects are more MDS pages (I promise I'll have some new cards for you very soon). This page was a little bit tricky for me as I created it and then found out that some (ok, a LOT) of my images were outside of the "bleed area" (the part that gets cut off when you print it. Sort of a big deal. So, today I spent far too much time rearranging ALL of my pages I've created so far to avoid said bleed area. Ugh. I did get one new page finished though but I'm not going to post it today :) 

Without further delay, here's the page:
 

 I'm really happy with how things worked out. I love all the little elements that make this a "boy" page. Oh, and I have to give a shout out to the tractor seein' that Mason is a farm boy after all! These are pictures that I wouldn't want blown up and hung on my wall, but they are really special and I wanted a reminder of them. This was the perfect page for them. They're forever displayed but not in a "in your face" kinda way.


What do you think? Do you have some photos you could see fitting this page layout? You could definitely change it up and scatter your photos like a checkerboard or diagonal or whatever floats your boat.

The next page features my daughter, Lucia, who is now 8 months old. This photo was taken just a few hours after she was born. This was a special moment that I'm so glad I caught with a picture.




Oh and happy LEAP DAY! Did anyone surprise their boyfriend with a marriage proposal? I read some of the history of Lead Day on Sage Kimble's blog. Go here to read up on it.


Have a great rest of your day!

Tamara

Tuesday 28 February 2012

Some favorites


Today I thought I'd switch it up a bit and show some of my favourite samples and swaps I've received.

This is a super cute 3D type card that was featured at Regional Conference in February 2011 in Vancouver. It's difficult to tell, but the birdcages pop off the page! I'm so sorry that I don't remember whose creation this is! 


 
This card features the Fun Flowers Bigz Die for the Big Shot. The butterfly and sentiment are now retired, but isn't that flower gorgeous! I love the colour combo too!



This lovely card was made by my upline, Desiree Spenst. She wowed us with her main stage presentation on creating that beautiful background. I can't remember what it was called - smooch & scrunch or something similar!

Hope you've enjoyed my trip to the past today!

Tamara

Monday 27 February 2012

Best Day Ever!

To those of you whom enjoy scrapbooking, I'll really be catering to you for a couple more days. I haven't had a chance to take photos of my recent card creations, but I've been cropping up a digital storm using My Digital Studio lately!

Today's page is a complete CASE from Heather's page she showed us a few days back. She created this page in under 10 minutes. Mine took a wee bit longer than that! (Like, 6 times longer!)

Anyways, I absolutely LOVE this photo. We were down at the coast visiting my family and went to the beach one morning. Mason had just turned a year a couple days before this but was already VERY active  excessively mobile for his age. He had a blast exploring the sandy beach and even attempting to eat it. That's what it's all about though, isn't it? Taste life!


If you have MDS, the download I used is called "On the Go" and features some GREAT boy elements!

Hope you're having a good Monday!!

Tamara

Sunday 26 February 2012

Mason on the Move!

Here's my 2nd page! I'm really excited about this. I think I might be able to finish an album for Mason by the end of this course and that really excites me! I used a really cute download called "On the Go" that's geared for boys! 

This photo was taken Summer of 2011. Mason loved running around the yard in his birthday suit this past summer. If you have any questions or would like to get a free 30 day trial of My Digital Studio, leave me a comment or send me an email at tamaracasorso@gmail.com and I'll get you set up!

You can do so much more with My Digital Studio than just scrapbooking too! You can make postcards, cards, posters, flyers, tags, recipe cards..you name it!

Hope you enjoy today's page!

Thanks for stopping by,

Tamara

Saturday 25 February 2012

FIRST EVER...

I fell off the blogmobile for a few days! Sorry about that. I've been spending all my spare time learning how to better use My Digital Studio. I'm taking an online course with Heather Summers and I am LOVING IT! I've owned MDS for quite some time but hadn't used it much because I didn't really know what I was doing. In just 4 days of Heather's course, I have learned a TON and am really, really getting into it.

What do you think of my first page? This is my eldest, Mason. I don't know if you can tell from these photos but he is quite the monkey. Sometimes I call him George (as in Curious George).  Anyways, I'm really diggin' yellow and gray right now. I've even started buying yellow clothes again (and that was so 10th grade). 

Off track! Anyways, be sure to drop me a note and let me know what you think!! I'm eager for some feedback on my FIRST EVER digital scrapbook page!

Ciao for now!

Tamara

Wednesday 22 February 2012

Man Cards


Welcome! Today I'm giving a preview to the class I am holding tonight. It's my monthly technique night and stamp club. Our theme for the evening is masculine cards. I really struggle in this area and always have a hard time coming up with something "manly".  I asked my husband about some of my designs and his response was basically, less is more. He liked the more simple, clean card designs over the intricate and involved ones. 

Enter the first card. Fairly straight forward. Clean lines. Some texture and slight distressing. No ribbon. (That was a big one for my hubby. Apparently ribbon instantly feminizes (is that a word?)  anything). 

 Let's get up close and personal...


I used the Extreme Elements stamp set for the background and the "Happy Birthday" sentiment is from the SAB (Sale-a-Bration) set Elementary Elegance. It's heat embossed with pewter embossing powder but I'm going to give using black embossing powder a try at class tonight. It might be easier to see. I could mix a little of both too for a sweet shimmery blackness.  I finished it off with some linen thread wrapped around and a couple of brushed metal brads. The background is called inlaid embossing. Adhere a bunch of squares and then run it through the Big Shot using an embossing folder. (I really like to use the Houndstooth or Stripes folders for masculine cards).

Have any questions? Or really like it? PLEASE leave me a comment. Just so I know there's actually people out there...

Just an FYI, I'm going to work on getting my posts up first thing in the morning. I have a rough time with that.

See you tomorrow!

Tamara

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Elementary Elegance, Extreme Elements
Card Stock: Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy, Pool Party, Cajun Craze
Ink: Basic Gray Classic Ink, VersaMark
Accessories: Pewter Embossing Powder, Linen Thread, Metallic Brads
Tools: Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Houndstooth Embossing Folder, Paper Piercing Tool and Mat Pack, Stampin' Dimensionals, Multipurpose Liquid Glue

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Photo Wallet


Today's project is a photo wallet that I came across on Dawn Olchefske's blog a few months back. I had to change my colour scheme a little bit to suit the materials I had on hand. I love how it turned out. The colours I used are Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Basic Black, and Whisper White. 
I won't give a complete tutorial because Dawn has it all available on her blog. I just wanted to show how the end result. I used Elements of Style for the background flourish and the flourish on the belly band. I stamped and embossed the flourish and after ran it through the Big Shot with the Textured Lattice embossing folder.
 I used Seam Binding Ribbon in Crumb Cake for the bow and the Trinket Key is the perfect amount of bling for this project. The 'happy I do day" stamp is from Play on Words and that scalloped circle behind was from the Perfect Pennants Extended Die for the Big Shot.

Inside the wallet is the photo book. The tabs are punched with the Round Tab and  folded over and stapled on. Textured Early Espresso card stock gives this a nice, elegant feel. There are just so many little things that add up to make this beautiful.
This is the wedding wallet open with the photo book and belly band. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me or have a look at the tutorial on Dawn's blog.

And it doesn't have to be just a wedding wallet. You could make this for anything really. A baby book, a favorite recipes booklet, favorite scriptures, quotes, you name it! Whatever you want it to be, it can be!

Enjoy!

Tamara

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Elements of Style, Play on Words.
Card Stock: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Whisper White.
Ink: VersaMark, Early Espresso.
Accessories: Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon, Trinket Key, Black Embossing Powder, Basic Rhinestone, jumbo brads.
Tools: Round Tab Punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, Heat Tool, Perfect Pennants Die, Textured Lattice embossing folder, Circles #2 die, staples, paper piercing tool, glue dots.

Monday 20 February 2012

Watercolouring 101

 Hello! Today I'm showcasing some watercolour techniques (yes, I'm Canadian so I spell "colour" differently!). Above I coloured directly onto the Medallion stamp with Bashful Blue and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers. I then spritzed the stamp all over with water and stamped it onto naturals white card stock. I like how soft it looks.
 The next example used watercolour crayons which I coloured direct to stamp and then spritzed with water prior to stamping on card stock.
Stampin' Supplies: Card Stock: Garden Green, Concord Crush, Whisper White, Watercolour paper. 
Ink: VersaMark, Concord Crush Classic Ink. Stamp Set: Nature Walk, Teeny Tiny Wishes. 
Accessories: Modern Lable Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Watercolour Crayons

The last technique I'll show you is done using watercolour paper. I stamped the butterfly in VersaMark ink and heat embossed it with black embossing powder. Once that cool, I scribbled in a somewhat random fashion with 3 different colours of watercolour crayon. I left a little it of blank space here and there. Then, I leaned the stamped paper against a box and spritzed it with water to get the colours to run and bleed into one another. When I reached the desired look, I put in down to dry on some paper towel. You could use a heat tool to speed up the drying process if you like but just be careful not to move the water around too much. You would probably want to dry in one direction (like when you blow dry your hair from the top to the tips). This is a great card that looks impressive but isn't really that complicated.  It's also a very versatile technique in that you could use any image you want and just repeat it.  It would be an easy way to create a water theme background for say a sailboat image as well. Lots of ways to use this technique.

If you have any questions, just leave me a comment!

Enjoy your day,

Tamara


Sunday 19 February 2012

Family Brag Book

I created this little Brag Book for my trip to Nashville for Stampin' Up!'s Leadership conference in January 2011. I knew I would meet lots of new friends and wanted to be able to have something little to show off my cute family! I was expecting our youngest at the time so that's why there are no pictures of her!
 
We were taking photos outside the firehall and one of the firemen asked if we would like to take some pics with the truck. They'd just washed her! So great.
My husband, JP, & I. I embellished with a little snippet of Victoria Crochet Trim and a flower button.
My sweet little Mason. He was 15 monts old here and such a charmer!
I love the look Mason is giving. He looks like a little model.
 
We also had some fun on the playground.
So, there's a super quick little brag book. Cut out a few sheets of card stock using the Top Note Bigz Die. I used the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder to fancy some of them up a bit. Add a little ribbon and other embellishments to spruce it up and you have a nice little album to show off.  I was even able to show this to Shelli (our CEO and co-founder of Stampin' Up!). I need to make a new one that includes Lucia. Hopefully soon. It's on the list.

Do you keep photos of your family in your wallet or purse? Why not make a little brag book like this to show them off in style. It's a great little project.

Have a nice day!

Tamara

Saturday 18 February 2012

For the Newlyweds

I married into a pretty large family and it seems like someone is either 1) Graduating, 2) Getting Married, or 3) Having a baby. My husband and I were wed in 2007 and we attended 13 weddings that year (including our own). Talk about going broke. 

Anyways, I love making wedding cards and I typically will make it coordinate with the wedding colours so, once that invitation comes in, I start planning! This year there are only two weddings (along with 2 babies to come) so I should be able to handle the work load! This is NOT the card for either of the weddings we are attending but it's a favorite from the past. Fairly simple, quick, but I think it's GORGEOUS. Did I mention that you can make it fit ANY colour scheme? Just change up your base and accent colours and you've got a classy and sophisticated card made in minutes! 

Here's the scoop: Stamp the Medallion (it's a huge stamp) onto your background paper - in this case it's Whisper White card stock. Clean and dry your stamp and then ink only the center of the stamp in your accent colour. Stamp onto another piece of Whisper White. Punch it out with a circle punch (I think 2 2/2" would work well) push a purdy Rhinestone brad in and pop it up on dimensionals with some pretty gathered ribbon (remember I showed you how to do that the other day?) and she's done-zo! I love the simplicity of it. It feels clean. And classy. And just right. You could easily make this a lot more vintage too with some sponging or pulling at the ribbon to fray it a bit. 

Happy Stamping!

Tamara

Stampin' Supplies: (all products are from the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalogue)
Stamp Sets: Medallion, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Card Stock: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Clear Rhinestone Brade, 5/8" Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon
Tools: Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Dimensionals, Sticky Strip

Friday 17 February 2012

Trendy Thanks

Trendy Trees was one of the first stamp sets I bought. I still love it but haven't used it in quite some time. I love the simple images it contains. Another simple card today. Pretty straightforward but here's a couple highlights:

This is a two-step stamp set (say that 10 times fast!).  I eyeball it to match it up and I think I did a pretty good job. If you want the trunks and "leafy" part of the tree to match up perfectly, I would suggest using the Stamp-a-ma-jig. That ensures a perfectly placed stamp every time.

I paper pierced the garden green for some visual interest. The sentiment is popped up on dimensionals. 

I'm trying to think of some way to complicate the explanation of this card but really, that's all there is to it!

This is a great versatile little stamp set. Worth having as a staple set for your collection.  A tree can say I'm sorry, happy birthday, thank you, I love you, lean on me..you get it. Trees work for a lot of life events. They stand tall through it all. Sheesh, that was cheesy.

Have a great day!

Tamara


Stampin' Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Trendy Trees, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Card Stock: Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Garden Green, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Ink, Bashful Blue Classic Ink, Old Olive Classic Ink, Pumpkin PieClassic Ink, Melon Mambo Classic Ink.
Tools: Stampin' Dimensionals, Paper Piercing Tool and Mat pack.
 

Thursday 16 February 2012

Cheery Happy Birthday


It's snowing here again! To combat the cold and slush, here's a cheery card for you all!
 Yellow is such a happy color. I need some happy. I pulled this card from my photo stash. It's long since been given to some happy recipient but thought I would share it with all of you! I'm keeping it pretty simple lately but don't worry, there's some technique-y cards in the future! 

Fairly straight forward. Card Base is So Saffron and I embossed it using the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder for the Big Shot. (Side note- I don't know if I could live without my Big Shot. I use it for pretty much every card and project I create. It's wonderful and doesn't even need to be plugged in. It's a "go green" kinda tool.) The stamped flower image is a two-step stamp from Flower Fancy and I layered it on top of a square of Elegant Eggplant. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and I punched it out using the Modern Label Punch. Same with the border behind the sentiment. Quick tip: Punch out a Modern Label and cut in half to "frame" your sentiment. It's so nice when things coordinate like that.

Have fun!

Tamara

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Flower Fancy, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Card Stock: So Saffron, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White
Ink: Elegant Eggplant Classic Ink, Pale Plum Classic Ink
Accessories: Dimensionals
Tools: Modern Label Punch, Elegant Bouquet embossing Folder, Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Happy Dirtday!

Hello! Thanks for taking time to stop it today.  I bought this stamp set with my son, Mason, in mind. He's very much a 2 year old and loves trucks and dirt! This card was CASEd from Heather Summers @ www.stampwithheather.typepad.ca  I love her style! Here's a quick "how-to" for you:
Tear some Early Espresso or Chocolate Chip card stock and sponge the edges to make it look like dirt. Use the 1 3/8" scallop circle to punch some clouds and then run them through the Big Shot using the Textured Lattice embossing folder.  For the dump truck, I coloured it in using Stampin' Write Markers and fussy cut each piece. I used a circle punch for the tires. I popped all the pieces up using dimensionals. To flag the edges of the "happy dirtday" sentiment, either use a square punch or plain old scissors. I used a bone folder to curl the sentiment and then adhered with a couple dimensionals (one at each end). Pretty simple, hey? If you want, you could use some brads in the tire for the hubcaps/wheel to add some metal in there! :)


This would be great for a truck-lovin' boy or a boy at heart!


Enjoy your day!

Tamara


Stampin' Supplies: (all items are found in the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalogue)

Stamp Set: I Dig You
Card Stock: Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Baja Breeze, Whisper White.
Ink: Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write Marker, Early Espresso Stampin' Write Marker, Bashful Blue Stampin' Write Marker, Early Espresso Classic Ink.
Accessories: Stampin' Sponge, dimensionals
Tools: Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Textured Lattice embossing folder, Square punch, paper snips, 3/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" scallop circle punch.

Tuesday 14 February 2012

3 Little Birds..and a giveaway!

This is another fav of mine! I didn't CASE this from anyone. I came up with it all on my own and I love it.

I embossed the Baja Breeze card stock with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder and then sponged it with Platinum Shimmer Paint. When using shimmer paint, less is more. You want to go over your embossing with a light touch at first. It's easier to add more than to try to take it away. The sweet little birds and butterflies are from Clearly For You. The birds also have a touch of shimmer paint on them while the butterflies were stamped and then brushed with an aqua painter to blur them just a tad.
There are SO many fun ways to use ribbon. It's up there on my "Favorite Things List" along with Shimmer Paint and Antique Brads (and many, many other things!!). For this gathered look, apply sticky strip and then gather and press the ribbon down. Very simple yet stunning. An antique brad finishes it off beautifully. So far, I haven't been able to part with this card. I just look at it every once in a while and admire it. I think the time has come for me to bid it a fond farewell and send it to another to be admired.  Would you like to win this card? Just leave me a comment on my blog and I'll randomly choose a winner and mail it to you! Be sure to check back Friday to see if you're the winner!

Tamara

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Clearly For You 
Card Stock: Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Old Olive, Naturals White
 Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Old Olive Classic Ink, Baja Breeze Classic Ink, Crumb Cake Classic Ink
Tools: Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Paper Piercing Tool & Mat Pack, Stampin' Dimensionals, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Sticky Strip, Shimmer Paint, Sponge Dauber, Aqua Painter
Accessories: 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Antique Brads


Saturday 11 February 2012

Valentine's Wreath

Hi There! Glad you stopped by.  I found this little gem on Pinterest and decided I've pinned enough things it's time to do some! I traced a dinner plate to get a circle shape for behind the wreath. Then I chose a colour palette and started cutting out all kinds of sizes using the Hearts Collection Framelits for the Big Shot along with the Fashionable Hearts Embosslit. I added some texture using various Embossing Folders, stuck everything down and there's a fairly quick decor item for Valentine's Day.



 

I just love the Silver Glitter Paper. So pretty!

Enjoy your weekend!


Tamara


Stampin' Supplies:
Tools: Big Shot Die Cutting Machine, Hearts Collection Framelits (Occasions Mini), Fashionable Hearts Embosslit (Occasions Mini) Polka Dot, Stripes, and Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folders, Multipurpose Liquid Glue.

Card Stock: Silver Glimmer Paper, 2010-2012 In Colours DSP paper stack, Rose Red, Blushing Bride, Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Concord Crush

Thursday 9 February 2012

Gnome Sweet Gnome...

 Top o' the morning to you. This is one of those stamp sets that caught my eye right away. My husband really likes garden gnomes so I was immediately thought of him when I saw it. I CASE'd this card from Heather Summers. She's the top demonstrator of the year in Canada and a REALLY, REALLY talented crafter. She also won an Artisan Award this year which is a pretty big deal! I visit her blog every day for ideas and inspiration. If she can balance her family of 4 kids, a husband, and a thriving Stampin' Up! business, then I should be able to as well! You can visit her blog at Stamp with Heather.


 This is the card I demonstrated at our technique class. I wanted to try out the girl gnome. I rushed a little bit with the watercolouring and my stamping (hence the half mushroom beneath her).  I think I'm starting to get better at watercolouring (when I take my time). I really enjoy it. The hard part to me would be drawing the image but that's the beauty of rubber stamps! The image is already there and you get to colour it however you like!
This little button from the Twitterpated collection adds a nice touch and coordinates beautifully with the Twitterpated Designer Series Paper and Pleated Satin Ribbon. 

Hope you've enjoyed the cards today. Be sure to leave me a comment!


Tamara

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Gnome Sweet Gnome (Occasions Mini)
Ink: Jet Black StazOn Solvent Ink, Blushing Bride Classic Ink, Marina Mist Classic Ink, Chocolate Chip Classic Ink, Riding Hood Red Classic Ink, Old Olive Classic Ink, Blushing Bride Stampin' Write Marker
Card Stock: Lucky Limeade, Twitterpated DSP (Occasions Mini), Watercolour paper, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Twitterpated Designer Button (Occasions Mini), Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots, 3/8" Pleated Satin Ribbon in Blushing Bride & Baja Breeze (Occasions Mini)
Tools: Aqua Painter, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch

Gratitude Journal

 Welcome Back! Thanks for taking time to stop in. This project was taken from the Sale-a-Bration catalogue. We made these at our team Christmas party. It's the Board Book Journal and we just beautified it! There are all kinds of perks to being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. We received some SAB items early with our Occasions Mini pre-order. That meant we were privileged to play with some great new exclusive products before everyone else! This journal uses the Fresh Vintage stamp set, Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper, Organdy Ribbon in Calypso Coral, and coordinating brads. The background stamped flower image was colored with markers prior to stamping.
This cute Trinket Heart is from the Occasions Mini Catalouge. It's tied on the ribbon and secured with a glue dot.

I used the rock 'n roll method to stamp the flower inside the butterfly. I first stamped the image in Peach Parfait and then rolled around the edges in Poppy Parade. (Very important to stamp in the lighter colour first so you don't transfer darker ink into your lighter ink pads!) The butterfly is cut out using the Beautiful Wings Bigz Die for the Big Shot. I stamped a flower in the same ink colour as the paper (Poppy Parade) for a subtle look.

Hope you've enjoyed today's project! Stampin' Up! catalogues have a TON of great ideas! Why not pick yours up and create something?


Tamara

Stampin' Supplies: Products are from the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalogue unless otherwise noted.

Stamp Sets: Fresh Vintage (Sale-a-Bration Catalogue)Card Stock: Poppy Parade, Naturals White, Everyday Enchantment DSP, Chipboard
Ink: Peach Parfait Classic Ink, Poppy Parade Classic Ink, Poppy Parade Stampin' Write Marker, Lucky Limeade Stampin' Write Marker, Pool Party Stampin' Write Marker, Peach Parfait Stampin Write Marker.
Accessories: Trinket Hearts (Occasions Mini Catalogue), Everyday Enchantment Ribbon and Brads, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Multipurpose Liquid Glue
Tools: Big Shot Die Cutting Machine, Scallop Square Bigz Clear Die, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, Paper Snips, On Board Journal

Wednesday 8 February 2012

Live, Laugh, Love

 I'm a little late with a post today. Everyone around me has been sick and I've finally succumbed to it! The card I'm showing today was one of our "Fun with Fabric" projects. This card was CASE'd from my upline Desiree Spenst(see her Facebook page here). I had to tweak it to fit with the colours of ribbon I had on hand.  I love how it turned out!

I think this may be one of my favorite Birthday sentiments. "Live, Laugh, & Love  happy birthday". There's a lot of texture to this card with the polka dot embossed card base, the little leaves creeping up the side, and of course those gorgeous ribbon flowers!
The two chocolate chip flowers use the 1/2" Scallop Dots ribbon. Basically, take a needle and thread and weave in and out of the holes already in the ribbon all along one side. Once you reach the end, pull tight and it forms a circle. Tie with a knot. I adhered a 3/4" circle on the back and pushed a Rhinestone brad through to finish it. The center flower uses the 1 1/4"  Striped Grosgrain ribbon. Fold it in half and do a running stitch using linen thread along the open edge. Then, snip almost to the fold about 1/8" apart along the whole length of the ribbon (make sure not to snip all the way through the fold). Then pull tight on your thread to pull the flower into a a circular shape. Tie a knot. Use another 3/4" circle for your large rhinestone brad to go through. I pulled at the edges of the ribbon a bit so it would fray. I like the shabby chic-ness of it. If you'd like to see a photo tutorial, just leave me a comment.

Thanks for stopping in!


Tamara


Stampin' Supplies: Products are from the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalogue unless otherwise noted.
Stamp Sets: On Your Birthday
Card Stock: Rose Red, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Ink
Embellishments: Clear Rhinestone Brads, 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon, 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Polka Dots Embossing Folder,
Tools: Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Scallop Oval Frame Bigz Die, Little Leaves Sizzlit,Needle and thread









Monday 6 February 2012

My Little Family

Happy Monday! It was a busy weekend and I didn't get much stamping time in. Boo. I found this pic of a 12x12 scrapbook page I did a looooong time ago! This was taken October 2010, the day after we found out we were expecting our second child. I'll be sure to scrapbook a page that includes both kids soon!

The Baja Breeze cirlces on the left are embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. I also stamped an image from the stamp set "Bliss" (now retired) in Versamark and heat embossed it with clear powder. I love the Top Note die for the Big Shot! It's so useful for scrapbooks and cards alike. Here I've just got half of it peeking out from behind my photo (which is a 5x7) and stamped "family" using the Just Perfect Alphabet. The sweet butterflies are from the Beautiful Wings Embosslit. Lots of use of the Big Shot on this page. I think this has a bit of a vintage appeal as I've done some distressing and curled up the right corner. Special thanks to my good friend, Louisa, for taking such amazing family photos for us!

As I said before, I'll see about getting an up-to-date page on here in the near future!

Thanks for stopping in!

Tamara

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Just Perfect Alphabet, Bliss (retired)
Ink: Soft Suede Classic Ink, Versamark
Card Stock: Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Baja Breeze, Elegant Soiree DSP (retired), Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla
Tools: Heat Tool, Big Shot Die Cutting Machine, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Top Note Bigz Die, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Stampin' Sponges
Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Basic Pearls

Friday 3 February 2012

Gettin' My Birthday On (Part Four)

This is the final installment of my "Gettin' My Birthday On" series. I hope you've enjoyed it so far. Here is our last card. This is the card I deemed "Masculine" as it doesn't have ribbon, pearls, rhinestones, pink, or...??? Take your pick. I LOVE this card and I cannot take ANY credit whatsoever. I CASE'd (Copy And Share Everything) this whole card from the lovely LeAnne at Wee Inklings. I did change the sentiment to one I had on hand and omitted a button and larger circle behind the waterpump image.


This may have been a bit too involved a card for a Stamper's Dozen as we're trying to work through 12 cards in less than three hours (it always takes longer). I couldn't resist though. I fell in love with everything about this card as soon as I saw it. The colours, watercolouring, stamping on twill tape, all of it. Yes.


Know what's fun? Stamping on fabric. Or Twill Tape. Or anything that ISN'T paper. Spice things up a bit!



Thanks for stopping in! 


Tamara

Stampin' Supplies: Products are from the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalogue unless otherwise noted.
Stamp Sets: Countryside, Happiest Birthday Wishes (Hostess Set)
Card Stock: Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy, Well Worn DSP, Naturals Ivory
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Basic Gray Classic Ink, Marina Mist Classic Ink, Always Artichoke Classic Ink, Soft Suede Classic Ink
Accessories: 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Aqua Painter, Twill Tape, Linen Thread, Anywhere Glue Stick, Stampin' Dimensionals. 

Thursday 2 February 2012

Yearning for Spring


Happy Groundhog's Day! I can never remember what means what with the groundhog. Is it shadow = Spring or shadow = more winter. Whatever it is, I hope it means Spring is coming.  I'm yearning for Spring. I really do enjoy winter but having a very energetic 2.5 year old and a very small house which isn't a very good combination. This makes me long for warmer weather. I need to tire my boy out and no amount of racing around the kitchen is good enough!

Enter Spring, budding blooms and a bird. I always notice when the birds start singing in the morning. That means Spring has arrived. I can look forward to more sunshine, green grass, and play dates outside.  Let's dream for a moment and take a step into Spring...



This card design is right out of the Occasions Mini Catalogue. The only thing I changed was the ribbon flower embellishment. This was a card for our Ribbon feature at Technique Night.  So many little things that add up to one stunning card. It's much prettier in person. This is the kind of card that takes quite some time to create but is so worth it in the end. I haven't given mine away yet. I need to duplicate it first :)

 The ribbon rose was made by folding the ribbon over like you would make a spring for a card. I found instructions on YouTube and watched the video several times before attempting. My tip: After you've folded it all up, hold it loosely while pulling. If you hold on too tight, you'll pull all your folds back through and end up at the beginning again.  If you'd like detailed instructions on how to make this, leave me a comment and I'll see if I can get a photo tutorial up for you.
 I used a sponge dauber and a re-inker to die the silver glimmer paper blue after I had punched it with the Lace Border Punch. The background was stamped with Baja Breeze Classic Ink onto Baja Breeze card stock using the En Francais background stamp. (Love it!) My favorite embossing folder has got to be Vintage Wallpaper and I think it was the perfect setting for this card.  The cute banner is from the Take It To Heart stamp set in the Occasions Mini catalogue. I fussy cut it (meaning that I cut it out by hand) and popped it up on Stampin' Dimensionals.  The Loving Thoughts stamp set would have been perfect for a sentiment but since I don't have that one yet, I used a greeting from Happiest Birthday Wishes and I was pleased with this as well.  

Overall, it makes me long for Spring. How about you? Do you have the winter blues and need some sunshine to lift you up a bit? Crafting with colour or images reminiscent of Spring are a good temporary mood lifter. I hope you can find some Spring today :)

Tamara

Stampin' Supplies: Products are found in the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalouge unless otherwise noted.
Stamp Sets: Take It To Heart (Occasions Mini), Happiest Birthday Wishes
Card Stock: Early Espresso, Baja Breeze, Naturals Ivory, Silver Glimmer Paper
Ink: Early Espresso Classic Ink, Baja Breeze Classic Ink, Old Olive Classic Ink, Chocolate Chip Classic Ink, Pretty In Pink Classic Ink, Melon Mambo Classic Ink, So Saffron Classic Ink
Tools: Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Lace Trim Border Punch, Aqua Painters, Framelits (for Big Shot)
Accessories: Basic Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals, Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Old Olive 5/8" Satin Ribbon, needle and thread

Wednesday 1 February 2012

Gettin' My Birthday On (Part Three)


Welcome to day three of "Gettin' My Birthday On"! Today's card is fun and kinda geared more towards kids. I used some Big Top DSP and went with the colours found in the paper. Real Red, Daffodil Delight, and Tempting Turquoise bring high energy to this card. Pair it with the Polka Dots embossing folder, a sweet smelling cupcake (embossed with Vanilla scented embossing powder) and covered in glitter and you've got one sweet birthday card!
 
The red looks kind of orange here. Trust me, it's Real Red!


Have fun!

Tamara

Stampin' Supplies: Products are from the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalogue unless otherwise noted

Stamp Sets: Easy Events, Word Play
Card Stock Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Big Top DSP, Whisper White
Ink: Jet Black StazOn
Accessories: Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Polka Dot Embossing Folder, 1/4" white grosgrain ribbon, Basic Rhinestones, Stampin' Pastels, Blender Pen, Versamarker, Vanilla Scented Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, 2 way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals