Saturday, December 31, 2011

A year in review

A bunch of bloggers are doing a year in review type posts and posting their favourite cards for each month in 2011 I thought it would be fun to do the same. Here are a few of my favourite projects over the past year:

January this month was actually fairly hard. I did a few really nice cards this month!


I picked this card because I love the colors and it was the start of my orange phase in 2011!












February card. Loved this image and loved how this card turned out. I was very sad when the image was discontinued by Just Rite. I mailed this card to my Great Aunt because I could not bear to throw out the card.








March Liked the colors on this card and it turned out nice and sparkly!











April
Its a Penny Black stamp what more can I say??











May

An orange Stampscapes scene. Love it!
June

Used my new Sizzix butterfly die to make this easel card. Loved that it was different from the usual square shape.
July

Love this elegant tree image by Penny Black.











August

Love the coloring on this card! I won't mention the dominant color...
September

Love the monocromatic look of this card.










October

Made this for a Hero Arts contest. I did not win but sure got lots of compliments on this card.










November
I made this for a private class I taught in November. I was very pleased with myself that I managed to use summer Basic Grey paper for a Christmas card.









December
Had a lot of fun coloring on glitter for this card. I need to do more of this in the new year.
Hope everyone enjoyed the quick card summery of 2011. Here's hoping everyone has a creative 2012!

Thanks everyone for stopping by!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

New Blog to check out!

Sheree and Nancy, two Crafty customers have started a scenic stamping blog. They will be having regular challenges not to mention lots of inspiration! The first challenge will be up Jan 1. Check it out! http://www.craftascene.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

More New Hero Arts

Just a quick card using another new image from Hero Arts. As soon as the new stamps came in I knew I had to buy the new cling set Enchante. Totally not my usual style and in fact I believe this set is my first ever set of "people" but I love them! I stamped the gal image on a peice of watercolor paper then colored her with my Tombow makers she does not have too much to color so it was quick. I cut out the shape (Hero Arts will have Sizzix dies to match this shape out later in January) by hand then cut another one slightly larger as a mat. I mounted her onto a piece of Hero Arts Designer paper. I found a Hero Arts clear saying that originally said "just wanted to let you know you're fabulous" and cut it apart and just stamped the You're Fabulous part on a Spellbinder Circle and mounted that onto a tag from the Spellbinder Fleur di Lis Accents set. I added some Glossy Accents to the gal's purse, some Offry ribbon and some Hero Arts gems and voila card done!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Hero Arts Peacock & Stamp sale

This peacock image is an older Hero Arts stamp that I have not played with for a while so thought I would pull it out. I began by randomly applying Hero Arts inks over a tag in my stash (soft sand, soft pink and pool) then let the ink dry for a little while. The drying step is quite important because I wrecked my first tag by not letting it dry! Once the ink is dry I stamped the peack stamp on the tag with Versamark ink and embossed with clear embossing powder. The peacock stamp is a fairly solid stamp so I then rubbed Adirondack Pool ink over the entire piece the clear embossed area kept their original colors and the darker Pool color went into the unembossed areas which makes the peacock pop!
I then finished the card off by embossing a piece of cardstock with a Cuttlebug embossing folder "Victoria" then rubbed Perfect Medium ink over the raised areas and dusted the piece with Perfect Pearls Pearl powder. I used my Tim Holtz medallion die to matte a Stampendous sentiment.
Don't forget this week only all winter/holiday stamps and stickers are 20% off also all the clearance items are now 60% off at the store.
Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, December 26, 2011

Guest Artist

I dragged "Mr. Crafty Capers" with me to work on Christmas eve and we spent the morning working on sample cards. He really is a good sport! :) Here is the card Phil designed for his Mom's birthday in April. He used all new Hero Arts stamps and all are in stock at Crafty Capers. It's a fairly straight forward card. I have not had a chance to play with the key background but love how it stamps up. Phil's Mom will be so proud of him!

Thanks for stopping by!

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Hero Arts Wish Big clear set, Fancy Keys cling stamp & Happy Birthday Cupcakes (Hero Arts and Sizzix Stamp and Die cut set), Cupcakes clear set.
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black and Deep Lagoon, Memento Bamboo Leaves
Cardstock: Upsy Daisy designer paper and Bazzill

Sunday, December 25, 2011

A Beautiful Christmas

Here is hoping everyone will have a wonderful day. Thought I would post this Stampscapes scene since it looks so peaceful and, to me, this time of year is about peace. I stamped all the all the stamps with Memories Art Print brown ink on glossy cardstock except the mountains they were stamped with Adirondack (dye) slate. I applied color with Colorbox stylus wands and foam tips. 
Card Recipe:
All Stamps by Stampscapes: buck, rocky peaks, reeds, babbling brook, pine row, boulders with lichen and water pattern sm. Sentiment from Sentiment Sheet #7
Inks used: Ranger (dye) Espresso, Pesto, Slate, Pool, Denim, Latte, Aqua, Pebble. Memories Art Print Brown
Other: Ranger Inkessential white gel pen, twine (from my Grandma's stash), Hero Silver Decor, Spellbinder Label 8

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas to all!

A super quick card to share today. I demoed a Crafts Too You "sleigh" embossing folder for someone and she left the piece at the store so figured I'd make it into a card. I embossed a piece of white cardstock then carefully rubbed a Hero Arts Soft Pool ink pad over the entire piece it highlighted the raised areas nicely. I stamped a Hero Arts sentiment in Adirondack Denim ink. I added 3 Fiskar's snowflakes with Hero Arts gems in the middle to finish them off. I used my new Spellbinder Classic Scallop Edgeabilities for the bottom border. I used my Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder on my main cardstock.
Just a reminder Crafty Capers will be closed at noon today (Dec 24) and closed all day Dec 25 and 26. We will reopen Tuesday Dec 27 at 10 am and will be closing early Tuesday to Friday at 4 pm. Saturday Dec 31 we are open 10 am - 3 pm.
Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, December 23, 2011

Time for a Challenge!

Lesley from the blog Freshly Made Sketches popped by the store the other day and challenged/hassled me to participate in some of the challenges since this week has been a bit slower than usual I found a bit of time to participate! I LOVE how this card turned out and I got to color as well! I colored my flowers with my Tombow markers on watercolor paper then cut them out. I used matted them on rectangles of designer paper. I stamped the sentiment with Versafine Vintage Sepia ink in a shape in the Spellbinder Twisted Metal tags set. I stamped the main cardstock with a script stamp to jazz it up a bit. I finished the card with some Lemon Liquid Pearls.
Card Recipe:
Stamps: Script & Moments - Penny Black, Narcissus clear set - Stampendous
Coloring: Tombow markers 020, 062, 933, 946, N00 Blender on Strathcona watercolor paper
Paper: Kaisercraft, BoBunny & Bazzill
Other: Versafine Vintage Sepia, Spellbinder Twisted Metal tags, Lemon Liquid Pearls

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Speedy Recovery

Just a quick card tonight I am happy with how the card turned out and it was easy peasy! I embossed a Hero Arts cling stamp "cars" twice on red cardstock with Ranger Seafoam white embossing powder. I used a label from the Spellbinder Twisted Tags set and stamped a Hero Arts sentiment. I thought the sentiment was perfect for the background! Luckily, I don't have anyone at the moment to give this card to but it will be ready to go when I do need a get well card.
Thanks everyone for stopping by.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Gift Card holder

Sorry for the lack of posts recently but with all the holiday hussle and bussle I have not had much time for crafting however I am happy to report my Christmas cards are all finally made and sent out!  Just a reminder that Crafty Capers last make and take of 2011 is tomorrow! Cost is $2.00 including taxes and runs 10:30 am - 1:00 pm. You will be making a Hero Arts Happy Birthday card. It's quick and easy a perfect 10 minute get away then you can get back to your busy schedules this week. Please bring your scissors and adhesive with you to the make and take. I have been busy working on gift card holders over the past few days since I have had NO gift inspiration for quite a few people on my list so gift cards it is!
This card measures 5" wide and 8 1/2" wide. I scored at 2 1/4" and then 5 1/2" I folded up the bottom and used one of my Scalloped Circle Spellbinder dies to cut a little finger hole and so people can see the card. I embossed the top flap with my Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder and added 2 Spellbinder circles to the front along with a partial circle to put the to/from stuff on. The patern paper is by Kaisercraft called Silly Season. The paper comes with a decorative strip along the bottom so I cut that off and used it to embellish the holder. I used some ancient Queen & Co "turnettes" to keep the card closed along with some old rhinestones for some extra bling. Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, December 9, 2011

Coloring on Glitter

Just a reminder the Crafty Capers Hero Arts 2012 Debut party is tomorrow! The party lasts all day however we will have a $2.00 card make and take tomorrow between 10:30 - 2:00 if you would like to participate please bring your adhesive and scissors with you. We will also have the new 2012 Hero Arts catalogue for you to view, new stamps and tasty treats! To make the party even better ALL Hero Arts products will be on sale 15% off tomorrow only! Whoo Hoo. For a sneak peak of some of the new stamps Hero Arts is having a blog hop tonight. I've just finished all the hopping and am feeling a bit cross eyed but there lots of great cards done with the new stamps!
My card tonight has nothing to do with Hero Arts but thought I would post it anyway. :) It's fairly simple but I am really happy with how it turned out. I began with a Peel Off sticker (black) which I put on a piece of Be Creative tape along with some Glitter Ritz Warm Highlight glitter then I colored on top of the glitter with my Sakura Glaze pens. I waited to make sure the Glaze pens had dried before I cut out the dove image. I learned that hard way that Glaze pens take a few minutes to dry on glitter when I smudged the red holly berries on another dove and ended up having to color the entire dove pink to correct my mistake! Everyone who saw it assured me no one would notice the smudge however I have never seen a pink dove in my life so that might be a bit of a giveaway or people will just assume I was drunk while coloring! I matted my doves with Kaisercraft designer paper "silly season". I embellished the designer paper with some of the black dots and border from the sheet of dove stickers. I added Glossy Accents to the holly part of the dove for some extra interest.
Thanks for stopping by and perhaps see some of you tomorrow at the party!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Flowery Thank You

A friend needed some thank you cards done up in a hurry so I volunteered - anything to get me out of doing my own Christmas cards! LOL
I wanted to keep the cards fairly simple and opted to use all Hero Arts stamps. I began the card by cutting out a Spellbinder Labels 8 shape out of glossy cardstock then I misted it with some Broken China Distress reinker mixed with water and Pearl Perfect Pearls. I used my Tombow markers directly on my flower stamp then misted with water and stamped onto my cardstock. I stamped my main cardstock with Hero Arts dictionary greetings using Old Paper Distress Ink. I stamped the sentiment, also from Hero Arts, with Memento Bamboo Leaves then cut it out using a shape from the Spellbinder Twisted Metal tags set. I added a bit of ribbon and a bow and the card was done.
Don't forget Crafty Capers will be debuting the new 2012 Hero Arts stamps beginning Saturday Dec 10. We will have a $2.00 make and take using some of the new stamps (please bring your own adhesive and scissors with you). We will be repeating the same make and take on Monday Dec 12 between 10:30 - 1:00 for those who can't make it on Saturday.
Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Sweet Snowman

A quick card today. The main image (sweet snowman) is by Penny Black as is the sentiment (snowflakes). I colored the snowman with my Tombow markers on watercolor cardstock.
I cut him out and added regular and Distress Stickles. I mounted the snowman with foam mounting tape on a scrap of red cardstock which I had embossed with a Craft Concept embossing folder called Candy Cane. The snowflakes are part of a Sizzix/Hero Arts Stamp and die cut set. Ribbon by Offray and is 10+ years old. I hope to get rid of the roll of ribbon this Christmas.
Don't forget Big Hero Arts party next Saturday at Crafty Capers.
Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Holly Folder

I think I have mentioned that I love the Hero Arts (stamps) and Sizzix sets. This card was done with the Holly stamp and emboss set by Hero Arts and Sizzix. Hero Arts makes a stamp (or stamps) and Sizzix makes a matching die or embossing folder, they come in 1 set so you know everything matches.
The background of this card was first stamped with Penny Black's script with Brillance pearlescent thyme ink then I inked the Hero Arts Holly stamp and stamped over the script. I embossed with the matching holly folder. I used my glue pen on the holly berries and applied Glitter Ritz Warm Highlight and voila my background was done! I stamped a Merry Christmas sentiment by In the Making with Brillance Rocket Red ink. I finished the card off with a Holly cut out done by my Slice machine, I added some Candy Cane Stickles to the holly and added a ribbon at the bottom.
This card is a case of ones found on Hero Arts.
Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Must be Christmas!

It must be getting close to Christmas I'm listening to Christmas carols as I blog! I really love Faber Drive's Sing in Celebration song this year so beautiful although I have a bit of Brad Paisley mixed in my play list as well. Oh and can't forget the song I want a hippopotamus for Christmas. I'd rather have a (small) potbelly pig if truth be told! :) Anyway, onto the card. This is another ornament card I was playing with for my class today. I like how it turned out but it did not make the cut for class. Pretty simple card. The ornament is good 'ol Spellbinder Ornaments 2011 cut 3 times with Gold Leaf Stardream cardstock and embossed with a Craft Concepts embossing folder and embellished with Red Liquid Pearls. The holly paper is by Graphic 45 and I made the frame with a Spellbinder Big Scallop rectangle (love the big scallopes!). The Joy was cut out with my Slice machine and glittered with Fire Red Glitter Ritz (Microfine). I scored the ornaments in the middle and popped them on the edges as seen in the second picture for some extra dimension. Hope this provides you with inspiration.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Sweet Threads card

I am teaching a private class on Thursday with an ornament theme so am playing around with my Spellbinder 2011 ornament dies. This card uses the Basic Grey pattern paper Sweet Threads a summery type line of paper however I thought the flowers looked rather like poinsettias. The card is pretty straightforward I used an In the Making Merry Christmas stamp for the sentiment and covered it with Be Creative tape and Warm Highlight Glitter Ritz Glitter. I used a Sakura Quickie Glue pen to add some bling to the ornaments however it is not visable in the photo.  Thanks everyone for stopping by and a special thanks for those who take the time to leave comments. :)

Monday, November 28, 2011

Monocromatic Christmas card

A few weeks back a friend sent me a picture of a card she thought I should copy well with one thing and another I finally got around to that challenge over the weekend. I'm feeling kind of "mah" about how it turned out it's OK but not spectacular.
I used Stardream cardstock for most of the card to create a monocromatic look. I embossed my Couture Creations "funky poinsettia" embossing folder then cut out some of the petals so they would hang down inside the oval cutout. The sentiment is by Penny Black and embossed with Gold powder. I used my Spellbinder poinsettia and rubbed some Versamagic Rocket Red ink on it to make it stand out a bit from the background. Pearls are by Kaisercraft. The card shape was created by Spellbinder's Label 8.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Fabulous Birthday

One of my sister's is having a birthday in the next few days. We are having the family party tomorrow evening so I had to come up with a card for her somehow I got off an a completely different track and ended up making a very cute little gift card box instead. LOL. Thankfully, I had already decided to get her a gift card so I didn't have to rethink my gift since I had already sent my hubby out for it since I am still not particularly mobile due to my ankle. The colors in this picture are a bit off trust me everything matches.
I bought a new Sizzix die this week called Scoreboard XL die Business Card box and decided to pull it out of the package! I discovered that this die works best with thicker paper I'd say 100lb or thicker, of course, I did not have any handy except boring old white so I glued to sheets of 65lb together. The patterned paper is by DCWV and is from an old 8x8 pack the inside of the box is Coredinations cardstock. I decorated the front of the box with a small frame from the Just Rite Stampers set "You Inspire Me". The inside sentiment is from the same set. I pulled out another new Sizzix die as well for this project the 3D Flower die. I used it to cut some wool felt to make a rolled rose. Love how that turned out! I could not find my velcro to use as a fastener for the box so settled for some ribbon from my stash. Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Snowflake greetings

I'm pretty happy with how this turned out and it is fairly quick!
The snowflake cutout is being sold at Crafty Capers and is made locally by Back Acre Wood. The snowflake started out as bare wood and I used a Ranger Paint Dauber in the color Pearl. I applied 2 coats of paint then I used my finger and spread a thin layer of Glossy Accents over the entire snowflake then I applied Glitter Ritz Ultra fine Warm Highlight Glitter to make it nice and sparkly. I stamped a Penny Black greeting on a circular piece of cardstock with Black Versafine Ink then glued the sentiment to the middle of the snowflake. I added a layer of Glossy Accents to add some extra dimension. I sewed the snowflake onto the card front with a piece of crotchet cotton so it can be removed and hung on a tree. I put a bow on the snowflake to try to hide the sewing. The background of the card is a Craft Concepts embossing folder that I applied Art Institute Dries White glue to then added more Glitter Ritz Warm Highlight glitter to.
Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Finally getting cracking on the cards

I am finally back to work and now have the big job of cranking out my Christmas cards in about a week! Keep in mind I tend to make each card individual. Please remind me not to leave things to the last minute next year!!! LOL
This card is done with a In the Making tree stamp. I used Art Institute's Clear drying glue with a metal tip on the top of the bottle. It make it much easier to get skinny lines of glue out. I used Glitter Ritz Ultra Fine Glitter in Emerald Green and Champaign on Basic Grey designer paper. The sentiment is by Hero Arts. I used Spellbinder long rectangles and long scalloped rectangles as well as the Standard Circles. Embossing folder is by Cuttlebug and gems are by Hero Arts. Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Christmas card using scraps

Most of this card was done using up old patterned paper I'm pretty happy about that. I'm so happy with this card that I actually cut out enough parts to make 3 cards I just need to finish assembling them. The card is fairly straightforward. The trees are cut from a Sizzix/Hero Arts stamp and die cut set. The houndstooth circle was cut with a Spellbinder standard circle. I used Spellbinder Picot circles as a mat for the smooth circle. The embossing folder used is by Cuttlebug (D'vine swirl).
The embellishments on the trees are Petal Pink Liquid Pearls. Sentiment by Penny Black (of course, LOL).

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Playing with Glitter

It's been so busy at the store that a friend and I headed into the store on Sunday to get some samples done. I was quite productive so I'm glad I did. I even managed to refresh my one handed crafting skills since I had Carly boxer dog 1/2 on my lap most of the day who expected me to scratch her while I glittered, Cuttlebuged and colored! :)
This card design actually is a CASE from one Carly's Mom had done. The medallion is done with a Spellbinder die Anomone Flower Topper, Be Creative tape and Gun Metal Microfine Glitter Ritz. The embossing folder is by Cuttlebug and I jazzed it up with my Quickie Glue pen and more Gun Metal glitter. Cardstock is by Bazzill and Stardream.
Hope this card inspires you!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Finally a new card to post!

It's been quite busy at the store and at home so I have not had much time to play lately. :( I am happy to report I did manage to get out my Dreamweaver stencils and paste a few images over the weekend and am working on getting them made into cards. As usual, I am behind in my Christmas card making!! This card was pasted with Dreamweaver white paste then I added Glitter Ritz Highlight glitter to the wet paste then left it to dry. When the paste was dry I colored the paste with my Sakura Glaze pens. I matted the piece as shown. I used a sentiment by Penny Black. Pattern paper is by SEI. Main cardstock was stamped with more Penny Black stamps and Peeled Paint Distress Inks. Black Pearls are by Hero Arts.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Happy Birthday Yvette!

One of my good friends is having a birthday today unfortunately, one of her dogs went to the Rainbow Bridge yesterday so she probably is not feeling like celebrating as much as she would normally. :( The main image is by Penny Black. I had to use a Penny Black image as Yvette and I both are in LOVE with Penny Black stamps! I colored the image with my Tombow markers on watercolor cardstock. I matted everything as shown (Bazzill cardstock and My Mind's Eye). The sentiment is by Just Rite. The ribbon is by Offray that I bought before I started the store I must have known I would need those exact colors 10 years (or more) later! The final step on the card was to add some Stampendous Fun Flock on the the sheep and cow and some Stickles glitter glue on the gals accessories!
Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Snowy Tree

I am getting my Christmas card mojo going and managed to get another card done over. The tree image was colored with my Tombow markers on watercolor cardstock. I edged the cardstock with Tumbled Glass, Broken China and Walnut Stain Distress inks. I mounted the tree at an angle on a piece of Broken China Coredination cardstock that I embossed with Satine Couture Creations embossing folder I edged this cardstock with Tea Dye Distress ink. I stamped the sentiment on a Spellbinder oval and attached it with some May Arts ribbon. I used a new Sizzix/Hero Arts Stamp and Die Cut set to stamp and cut out some glittery snowflakes for the upper left corner of the card. I sprayed the entire piece with mist made of Pearl Perfect Pearl and water in a Ranger mini mister to give the card a bit of shimmer. I used my Tombow glue pen and added some clear glitter to the snowflakes behind the tree. I finished the card by adding some pearls to the center of each snowflake. Thanks for stopping by!
Card Recipe:
Stamps: Sizzix/Hero Arts stamp and die cut set Joy Snowman, Joy of the Christmas Season & Get Merry clear sets
Ink: Versafine Onyx, Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Tea dye and Walnut Stain Distress inks
Other: Couture Creations Satine Embossing folder, May Arts Ribbon, Pearl Perfect Pearl powder, Hero Arts embellishments, Spellbinder classic oval, Tombow Glue Pen & Glitter Ritz Cool Highlight glitter

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Hero Arts Challenge

Did you know Hero Arts has a monthly challenge? I've been meaning to play along for quite a few months now and finally got inspired and got a card done. This card is based on one of the October sketches. Normally, I find sketches hard to follow but this one really worked for me.
I began the card by stamping the ornaments on a piece of scrap cardstock with red ink then I applied Be Creative double sided tape over top of the ornaments then Glitter Ritz cool hightlight glitter. I cut out the ornaments. I stamped the Hero Arts branch with green ink across the top of the card and used my foam mounting tape to mount the ornaments. I added a strip of green along the left side of the card also stamped with the branch. I stamped the sentiment and added some pearls. I mounted everything as shown. Hope  this provides you with some inspiration!
Card Recipe:
Stamps: Hero Arts Decorate the holidays clear set and Big Pine Bough (wood mounted)
Ink: Adirondack dye Cranberry and Watermelon and Pesto
Paper: Bazzil and Basic Grey
Other: Be Creative tape, Cool Highlight Glitter (Glitter Ritz), Hero Arts Pearls

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Collage Christmas

I must admit I do not often play with collage type images I am never quite sure what to do with them however I bought this Penny Black image (Christmas Text) a month or so back and I have actually used it quite a bit in fact I have not used a couple of the non-collage images I bought at the same time.
I began this card by stamping the image on a piece of off white Bazzill cardstock with Versafine Vintage Sepia ink. I distressed the cardstock with a mix of Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Peeled Paint Distress inks using Cut N Dry foam. I colored the pine bough with my Prismacolor pencils. I stamped the Penny Black sentiment on a piece of fragments vellum also with Versafine Vintage Sepia ink. Versafine ink can sometimes have issues drying on vellum so I embossed the sentiment with Ranger's Frosted Crystal embossing powder. I mounted everything as shown and the card was done! This card is a perfect one for mailing to out of town relatives since it has no bumpy embellishments. Always something to keep in mind when doing your winter cards nothing more annoying than spending lots of time on your cards, take them to the post office only to realize have to be hand sorted and you have to pay extra postage.
Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Jo's Circles

I had a few minutes to play last week and I decided to use some of the newer embossing folders we currently have in stock at the store. I decided to use a Craft Concepts folder called Jo's Circles. I ran the folder through my Cuttlebug with a piece of white cardstock. I used my Prismacolor pencil crayons to color all the raised areas. I love how this techique looks when it is done. I stamped a Hero Arts sentiment with Adirondack Brights Raspberry Dye ink. I cut out 3 Fiskar Framelets hearts and embossed these as well with the same embossing folder. I applied Glossy Accents to the hearts to give them some extra oomph.
Hope everyone is having a great long weekend!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Happy 10th Anniversary Crafty Capers!

Hard to believe it but Crafty Capers turns 10 years old today! The time has really flown by. About this time 10 years ago my sister Kim (the hairdresser) and I were madly loading up our cars and hauling boxes of stamps up to Rutherford Mall in Nanaimo (now known as Nanaimo's North Town Center). It took us way longer to set up than we figured so we were probably not up and running until 11 am or so. We stayed in the mall until Dec 24. At that time we carried 5 stamp companies:
  • PSX (now out of business, I miss their images!)
  • Hero Arts
  • Peddlers Pack
  • Denami Design
  • House Mouse (House Mouse was made by Stampa Rosa but are now made by Stampabilities)
We travelled the malls on Vancouver Island in the spring of 2002 and moved into our first storefront May 1 2002 with Creative Images Hair Studio (Kim) in Lantzville. In July 2009 we moved to our current location on Bowen Road.
We have had many adventures and made so many friends over the past 10 years. Thank you to everyone who has supported Crafty Capers and here is to 10 more years!
To help celebrate stop by the store this week and enter to win a free class (maximum value $27)! For those of you who are mail order customers send me an email or leave a comment on this blog and we'll do a draw for a little something for you as well. :)
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Tree Trifold

I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who came by the store last Saturday for our World Card Day fundraiser for Nanaimo's Food Bank. It was a very successful day. Thank you.
I managed to get a few minutes to play yesterday and decided to pull out my newer Hero Arts/Sizzix Stamp and Die Cut Reindeer set. Unlike the first time I played with the set I decided to go with a more elegant look and use the trees in the set. I heat embossed the trees a few times then cut them out with the matching die. I ripped my 2 front panels of the card so it would look like snowy hills. I edged the ripped edge with Brillance Sky blue ink. The sentiment is by Hero Arts. Hope this provides you with some inspiration.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Holiday Shopping

I was lucky enough to have a friend lend me this super cute Penny Black Fashionista stamp Fashion Delivery (thanks Barbara!) so I whipped out my watercolor paper, Tombow markers and Glue Pen! Once my coloring was done I cut out the gal and set her aside. I wanted to make her part of a scene so I seached my stuff and found a Hero Arts Row of Houses stamp which I stamped and embossed with Crafty Capers Copper embossing powder on my main cardstock. I then took a piece of ripped text weight paper from the recycle bin and used that as a template for my drifts of snow along with Brillance Pearlescent Ice Blue ink. I stamped some Hero Arts snowflakes in the sky with Ranger's Seafoam White embossing powder then sponged Brillance Sky Blue ink over them. I stamped my Penny Black sentiment on a Spellbinder Labels 1 also inked with Brillance Sky Blue I taped the sentiment flat to the main cardstock. I used foam mounting tape to pop up the girl then I used my white Liquid Applique to add some fur (fake, of course) to the gal's coat and boots and heated it with my heat gun. I used my Sakura Stardust pen to add some smoke to the house chimney's as well as hightlights to the gal. I'm very happy with how this turned out. Unfortunately, as I was working on this card I sold the last Fashion delivery stamp however we do have more on order should be back in stock in about 2 or so week. Everything else is in stock currently. Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Winterscene

Wow I think this cards brings my completed Christmas card stash up to about 4 only about 56 more cards to go before Dec 1!
This card is another technique card I was playing with. I found a bottle of light lilac Americana acrylic paint in my small craft stash at home. I'm sure I bought it about 2008 when I was going to become a famous tole painter! LOL For some reason I must have thought I was going to become a famous painter with only 2 colors of paint because all I could find was the lilac color plus a cream colored paint! No idea what I was thinking there! Anyway finally cracked the plastic on the lilac paint. I squirted a blog of paint on my Ranger Craft Sheet then I lightly stamped my stamp into the paint when the stamp was covered I stamped in on a piece of white cardstock. If you are doing this technique make sure you clean your stamp right away. I thought I did this but still had a heck of a time getting all the paint out of the nooks and crannies.
Once the paint was dry I went in with my Cut N Dry foam and applied Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Tumbled Glass and Broken China Distress inks to make the lilac paint pop a bit more. I finished up the card by applying Waterfall Stickles in the sky. I like how the paint stamps up it has a little more texture than stamping with a traditional ink and if you have some acrylic paint in your stash so much the better!
Stamp used: Penny Black Snowscape

Saturday, September 24, 2011

World Card Day Sat Oct 1

Next Saturday is Oct 1 and World Card Day!!! World Card day was started to celebrate the "kick off" to the winter card making season. Realistically I think September is actually the kick off but what do I know??? Crafty Capers will be having it's annual fundrasing event Oct 1. Drop by anytime between 10:30 am - 1:30 pm we will have a bunch of instructors each teaching a different card. Each card is $3 and all tuition will go to Nanaimo's Loaves and Fishes food bank. Please bring your class kit wiht you to class. All cards are suitable for all skill levels bring a friend and make it a fun girls day!

This card was done using my Versamark ink pad using it as a resist on glossy cardstock. I began by cutting a Spellbinder Labels 2 shape out of glossy cardstock. I then stamped my Penny Black flower stamp, that I seem to be using for every card lately, with my Versamark ink pad. I heated the cardstock to make sure my ink was dry then I used a piece of Cut N Dry Foam and applied Distress Broken China ink over the entire piece. The Versamark inky areas will resist dye inks. Pretty cool. I rubbed the piece with a tissue to get the ink that was sitting on top of the Versamark off the piece. I used a Want 2 Scrap Labels 2 rhinestone embellishment around the edge of the piece. I stamped the sentiment using the Broken China ink. I had some white with blue Hero Arts flowers I thought they looked a little white so I used my Broken China ink and made them less white. I matted everything as shown. Hope this card inspires you to use your Versamark ink pad for more than embossing!


Card Recipe:
Stamps: Penny Black Lace Edged & Hero Arts sentiment

Friday, September 23, 2011

Life is not a matter of milestones

I might not have been happy with yesterday's card but I LOVE today's card! I'm so happy with how it turned out.
I began with a piece of Radiance vellum (shimmery) available from Crafty Capers then I stamped a Hero Arts leaf stamp with Brillance Pearlescent Sky Blue on the vellum then I stamped with the same stamp right over the top of the blue ink with my Versamagic Cloud White ink. Brillance inks don' t dry very well on vellum so I heat set it. I then stamped the wheat sort of stamp in the white ink as well without the blue and stamped the dragonfly with the blue ink. I heat set this as well. I stamped the Penny Black sentiment with the white ink as well. I then jazzed up the card a bit more by adding some Glitter Ritz Cool Highlight glitter with my Tombow Glue pen. I matted everything as shown.
Card Recipe:
Stamps: Hero Arts Delicate Leaf clusters clear set & Penny Black Milestones
Inks: Brillance Sky Blue & Versamagic Cloud white
Paper: Radiance Vellum, BoBunny Double Dot & Et Cetera

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Just saying hello

Not sure I am in love with this card but it will work for what I need. While at a funeral last week, I got a lecture from an aunt about how I need to send her more cards! Given that she is a fiesty "Reeve gal" thought I had better get on that sooner rather than later or she would be likely to kick my butt!!
I thought the old fashioned telephone image by Hero Arts would be a good image to start with. I stamped it with Memento Bamboo Leaves ink on a piece of cream cardstock then I cut it out. I matted it on a piece of white cardstock embossed with a Crafts Concept embossing folder. I used my NEW Spellbinder Picot Edge Circles. It goes perfectly with my older smooth Spellbinder circles. I stamped a Penny Black flower stamp on a piece of pink cardstock using Brillance Pearlescent Orchid ink to add some interest to it. I stamped the green cardstock with Versamark ink using a Hero Arts Hello stamp. I added a sentiment onto a piece of Spellbinder Labels 1 with more Memento ink. I added a swirl from my Sizzix Butterfly mini album die.
Thanks for stopping by.