Mother's Day Inspiration

Mother's day is this weekend, if you are like me it kind of crept up and now you might be scrambling to get a card of two made well never fear I have a couple of cards for inspiration over the next few days.

 This card is a copy of one I made for my MIL's birthday back in April but forgot to post. It is stamped with a layered set made by Impression Obsession. I found it easy to use, and although I own a Misti, stamped it without using it.

I used 6 different colors of yellow ink and it worked out well. The inks I used for the roses from the bottom up  the were

Archival Buttercup, Memento Dandelion, Distress Mustard Seed, Memento Cantaloupe (stamped twice on top of each other with the same stamp). Leaf colors were Memento Bamboo Leaves and Distress Peeled Paint. I must say I was not 100% happy with how the Distress inks stamped I found them kind of blotchy and I tried a few techniques to eliminate this but nothing helped. Memento and Archival stamped much better. Distress worked just not as good as the others.

The sentiment is by Penny Black and stamped with Versafine Deep Lagoon ink.

Did you know Crafty Capers now has an online store. I have added a link to the stamp set I used if you wish to purchase it.

Hope this card provided some inspiration!

Coloring inside the lines

I did a Tombow marker demo last weekend and had a few demo pieces done that I need to make into projects. Here is one such piece.

 I colored the flower image with Tombow markers and also used Tombow markers to stamp the sentiment. I used my Distress marker spritzer to create some dots also with my Tombow markers. I pulled out some Distress inks to use with the stencil though.

 The flower image is by Impression Obsession. The sentiment is by Stampers Anonymous (a Tim Holtz set) and I used a Crafters Workshop stencil for the background.

Stop by Crafty Capers to see the card in person. 

Tombow Marker Demo

I will be demoing Tombow Markers at Crafty Capers on Saturday (free event) from 10:30 am - 12:30. Stop by to see how to blend with Tombow markers as well as some other fun things you can do with them!
I was working on some samples for the demo today and got this card finished late this afternoon. All the coloring was done with Tombow markers and the flower image is by Impression Obsession. The sentiment is by BoBunny.
Hope to see everyone at the demo!

More Thanks

Another thank you card I did recently, this time, for our kitty sitter.
I have wanted this Impression Obsession cat stamp for years now and finally justified it because the cat looks so much like my Budman. ;)
I colored the image with my watercolor pencil crayons and added some Glossy Accents to the fish bubbles (can't see it in the photo, sorry). I used some Authentique pattern paper for the background and another Hero Arts sentiment stamp embossed in white embossing powder. Used up a scrap of ribbon from my stash - yeah!
Hope everyone is having a great day!

Dragonfly Happy

It's been a very busy few weeks. I've been doing renos around the shop however I have found a few minutes here and there to make some cards. This card I made for a friend who had a big birthday recently. :)
I used a variation on a reflection technique I saw on this blog. I used a Penny Black background stamp to do my reflection then added an Impression Obsession dragonfly stamp and a Cheery Lynn Happy Birthday die. The dragonfly stamp was stamped and then embossed with a new Lindy's Stamp Gang teal embossing powder.
Pretty happy with how this card turned out.
Thanks everyone for stopping by!

A happy gram!

I made this pink and yellow panel during my heat embossing demo a few weeks back and still liked enough to make it into a card a few weeks later.
The panel started out as a piece of yellow Bazzill cardstock. I stamped the script (Penny Black) in Memento Bamboo Leaves ink then stamped the solid Impression Obsession butterfly over top of the script randomly with my rather grubby Versamark ink pad (those who come to demos know what I am talking about LOL) then heat embossed the butterflies with clear embossing powder. I then used a Colorbox stylus handle and foam tip to apply Memento Rose Bud ink over most of the panel but I paid particular attention to applying ink over the butterflies. The embossing powder will resist the ink and the yellow butterflies will really pop! I added some Yellow Liquid Pearl dots to the panel then matted the piece as shown. I stamped the Happy Gram saying by Hero Arts, used a Sizzix chevron embossing folder to emboss a strip of white cardstock to hide my ribbon ends then added some May Arts chevron ribbon. Pretty simple card but very striking!
BTW next Saturday Demo is Saturday April 13 between 10:30 - 12:30 (free, drop in) topic will be Peel Off stickers.
Thanks everyone for stopping by!

Colored Embossing

I had to make a sympathy card recently. Here is what I came up with.
I started by embossing white vellum with a Craft Concepts embossing folder called Yves then I colored the embossed areas with my Prisma pencil crayons. I matted the vellum on a piece of white cardstock to give it stability. I matted everything as shown and added an Impression Obsession sentiment stamped with Cataloupe Memento ink. The swirls on either side of the sentiment were done by hand with a pencil crayon. The bottom lacy border was done with a Spellbinder Romantic Rectangle die. Ribbon is by Hero Arts. I added some Liquid Pearls (petal pink) to the centers of the flowers to some extra definition.
Don't forget tomorrow Crafty Capers is having a free Ranger Alcohol ink demo between 10:30 am - 12:30 pm. Drop in anytime during those hours and see some of the neat things you can do with Alcohol inks!

A study in black and white

Well wasn't that crazy weather yesterday???? I really hope we have seen the end of the snow! Ick!!
I always forgot about the color combo black and white however I am always very happy with how the cards turn out when I do I use this combo.
This card was super quick to do and would work for pretty much any occasion. I grabbed a piece of My Mind's Eye paper and embossed 3 daisies from the Impression Obsession set Nature Prints with black embossing powder. I stamped the Hero Arts sentiment also in black embossing powder then added some May Arts twine then mounted the cardstock to my main card and easy peasy card done!
Thanks everyone for stopping by hope you are having a great week!

Impression Obession snowman

Another Christmas card. This time I have used lots of Impression Obsession images and dies. I colored the Impression Obsession snowman with my Tombow markers on watercolor cardstock. I matted him as shown using Bazzill cardstock. The sentiment is by Impression Obession and called Christmas Joy. The snowflake die is also by Impression Obsession.
The designer paper is by Echo Park and called Be Happy, it may be my diet talking, but it totally reminds me of Christmas candy! LOL
Oh and I have heard a rumour that Kathy's Coffee and a Card class on Monday will be using this cute snowman image! Drop in between 10:30 and 1:00 pm with your basic class kit and make a card using this image plus some other Impression Obsession stamps for just $2.00.

Joy!

On a mad scramble to start/finish my Christmas cards! This one came together pretty quick so will probably be making a few more of these. I began with some gunmetal Stardream cardstock I embossed some Hero Arts snowflakes on the main card with Crafty Capers Silver Dollar embossing powder. I stamped a Art Stamp (Glitter Ritz) Joy stamp with Versafine Deep Lagoon ink then embossed it with some Stampendous Stamp and Bond embossing powder. This powder turns sticky after you heat it so you can add glitter over the image. In this case, I used Mistique Glitter Ritz glitter over top of the joy word. I thought the O need some more color so I used my Quickie Glue pen and added some Fire Red Glitter Ritz "berries" . I used my new Impression Obsession snowflake to cut out a silver snowflake for an embellishment at the upper left corner of my card.
I am not happy with my vellum adhesive so will play with that a bit for the next card(s).
Thanks everyone for stopping by!

Impression Obsession New Arrivals

Received a bunch of new Impression Obsession stamps and dies in yesterday. Here are some of the highlights:

Seashell Collage. Gender neutral!

This gorgeous classic set is back in stock. Kathy did an amazing card with the lighthouse image earlier in the year. Will have to dig it out.

This set is always very popular and is back in stock.

This image is probably our best selling Impression Obsession stamp! I bought mine years ago and still love it!

Gorgeous hummingbird image

A new image from Impression Obsession. It even has a black kitty in it so I should buy it! LOL

Last but not least we received some of these fabulous new Impression Obsession snowflake dies! LOVE 'em!

Ahh naps!

I made this card for no one in particular but it sure was fun to do. I purchased the new Tim Holtz alarm clock die last week and knew I wanted to make a retirement card with it first thing.
I die cut the clock out of black cardstock then stamped the Impression Obession sentiment in the center and embossed it with Crafty Capers Silver Dollar embossing powder. I mounted the clock onto my main cardstock (Hero Arts) then the fun part came! I had to think of things I wanted to do when I retired. I actually had some help from customers Leslie S and Susan M. I stamped out the retirement activities on white cardstock with a Stampendous clear alphabet using my Versafine Onyx black ink then mounted them onto black. I added some blue pearls to the clock face and the card was done. It was quick to do and fun. Hope everyone is having a great start to the long weekend!
If you are looking for something to do tomorrow morning (10:30 - 12:30) Crafty Capers is having a $2.00 make and take. No need to preregister just drop in with your adhesives, scissors and glue pen (if you own one).

Happy Retirement

The store got in Little Yellow Bicycle's new Hello Spring paper line last week and I could not wait to have a play with it. The colors are so bright and, well, spring like! :) I bought some new Derwent and Prisma pencil crayons last week and used them to color the flower image. I was doing a product test between Derwent and Prisma but could not decide which brand I liked best they were both nice.
The card is pretty straightforward. I used a Spellbinder Grand (larger than regular) Label 23 for the card shape. I should have used my anti static pad for the sentiment because I have stray white embossing powder around the sentiment. I used Yellow Stickles to edge the yellow paper (Little Yellow Bicycle).
Card Recipe:
Stamps: Hero Arts Flowers and Swirls & Impression Obession Happy Retirement
Coloring: Prisma and Derwent pencil crayons
Paper: Bazzil and Little Yellow Bicycle
Spellbinder: Grand Labels 23 & Blossom Tags and Accents
Other: Yellow Stickles & Seafoam White embossing powder

A little sympathy

Hi All! Hope everyone had a good weekend I spent the weekend working on my income taxes. I HATE doing taxes however I bucked up and now they are done. I should treat myself to a trip to the spa or some such!
I realized last week I have no sympathy cards on hand and I really think they are the type of card that you should have on hand since usually you need the cards in a hurry and often you are not thinking clearly when you need to get one sent out. :(
I'm happy with how this card turned and it was quick! I began by stamping my sentiment with Deep Lagoon Versafine ink on 110lb white cardstock. I realized AFTER stamping it would have been smarter to do my other steps before stamping the sentiment. I then cut out a Spellbinder labels 8 shape to mask over my sentiment here is where I realized that it was very difficult to lay my mask over my saying leaving a even border around it. So take my advice cut your mask, sponge around it then stamp your sentiment! I was lucky and my guessing worked out pretty good (whew!) After my mask wask was in place I used my Stylus wand, a foam tip and Adirondack Stonewashed (dye) ink to apply ink around the outside of my labels shape. I kept the blue color darker around the edges and lighter farther away from the saying. I kept the mask in the place and used a cling flower stamp and Memento Canteloupe and Tangello inks and stamped randonly over my card and over top of the mask. I removed the mask and the area around my sentiment was nice and white. I added some twine around the top of the card and done!
Just wanted to say something about the sentiment on this card. It is from a clear sympathy set from Impression Obsession and I have been saying for years in my opinion it is the BEST sympathy set on the market. Lots of really great, but not too mushy, sympathy sentiments. Crafty Capers has it back in stock if you are looking for such a thing.
Looks like the store will be hopping this week with LOTS of new products coming in. Watch this space for updates!
Also, don't forget Crafty's 9th annual garage sale is coming up quickly! The date is Thursday May 24 (and May begins tomorrow!!!!!) 5:30 - 8:00. If you are interested in putting items in the garage sale please contact the store for details.
Stamps used on this card: Impression Obession clear sympathy set & Hero Arts (cling) Small Solid Flower

Little Sheep

This sheep idea is certainly not new but most people seem to make them using punches since I traded in most of my punches years ago for Spellbinder dies I thought I would try my hand at making animals using dies. This sheep was made using the sets large scalloped circle, large smooth circle, large smooth oval and the tiniest picot circle all by Spellbinder. I assembled him as shown then added some white Fun Flock by Stampendous plus some googly eyes from the Dollar Store (sorry should have warned my friends since it is VERY rare for me to shop in a dollar store LOL). The background for the sheep is a stamp by Impression Obession called Summer Field and was drawn by Leigh Hannan (love her illustrations!). Thanks to Leslie S for finishing the coloring of this stamp for me when I got gabbing on the phone!
Thanks for stopping by!

Sympathy card Sept

Spent most of yesterday at a Celebration of Life for my (Great) Auntie Babe. It was a nice day and I got to see lots of relatives I have not seen since my Dad's big birthday party 18 months ago.
Here is the card I made for Babe's son then promptly forgot at home!! Grrr!
I stamped a Penny Black flower image on Stardream text weight shimmery cardstock with Brillance Pearlescent Sky Blue ink, forgot to heat set it, smudged it then heat set the ink! LOL. Matted it with Bazzill cardstock before wrapping a scrap of blue ribbon around the paper then matted it onto my main cardstock of Bazzill Bling cardstock (also shimmery). I stamped the sentiment by Impression Obsession on a cream colored oval then matted that with a scalloped oval to finish off the card. This card was quick and easy to make especially since I was under the gun trying to get things priced and get this card made. Thanks for stopping by.

Sympathy Card - not the best first card of 2011

I hope everyone had a great holiday season! I managed to get 4 days off IN A ROW! I can't remember the last time that happened! I was all excited to get back to the store and make some fun cards as well as some samples for classes then I got the news that a friend's father passed away. That kind of took the wind out of my mojo. :(

Anyway, I managed to get this whipped up. Pretty simple but I don't think a sympathy card is the place to get all jazzy.

I used the new 2011 Hero Arts sympathy set (in the store now) for the sentiment. It's not the most glam set but it sure is good to have a set like this in your stash for quick sympathy cards. The set includes a bunch of sympathy sayings along with a couple of flowers as well so you could get you cards done entirely with 1 set if you wanted.

I am hoping to get some fun cards done today. Stay tuned. Thanks for stopping by!

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Hero Arts With Sympathy set (CL476), Antique Engravings (CL383), Impression Obsession Cover a Card swirls

Paper: Bazzill, A Muse & BoBunny Calipsyo

Ink: Ranger Adirondack Espresso dye, Versamagic Tea Leaves & Brillance Pearlescent Tyme

Other: Spellbinder Labels 1, Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder, Corner rounder & A Muse ribbon

Dashing through the snow...

I was playing with the Impression Obsession Shake It Pouches (in this case the square one) and came up with this card. For those not familar with shaker cards you make a pouch and put beads, glitter, punch outs etc in the pouch and a picture behind the shakey stuff so you can shake the card and have "snow" around the image.

This image was embossed with Crafty Capers Teddy Bear embossing powder and I added microbeads and some sequins to the pouch.

Thanks for looking!

Card Recipe:

Stamp: Hero Arts reindeer

Paper: Bobunny

Other: micro beads, May Arts ribbon & Teddy Bear embossing powder

Christmas Pelican

I did another Tombow marker class a few weeks ago so have been on a bit of a Tombow kick again. I've been eyeing this image for a couple of years now and I was lucky enough to have a friend lend me this stamp! Thanks Leslie!

I stamped this Impression Obession image on watercolor paper with my Versafine Onyx black ink and colored him with my Tombow markers and bender pen.

I added Diamond and Waterfall Stickles to the stars and matted him as shown.

Pretty simple card and I got to practice coloring in the lines! :)

Thanks for looking!

Sometimes the best cards...

come out of the funniest places! I did an alcohol ink demo for a couple of customers last weekend. After they left I saw the inked piece of glossy cardstock sitting on the table and figured I should do something with it. A few customers have been asking if alcohol inks can be used with Stampscapes stamps. I have heard they can be but had not done it myself. I figured I might as well give it a try. Here is the result! I'm very pleased with it and it took me all of 15 minutes to make. Gotta love that!

I used my Ranger Non-stick craft sheet with Pesto and Stonewash alcohol inks along with Ranger's blending solution. If you see the card in person you will see there seems to have been a bit of gold and butterscotch alcohol inks left on my craft sheet from a previous project that also got blended in.

Stamps by Stampscapes and Impression Obsession (sentiment).

Papers: White glossy cardstock and Bazzil.

Thanks for looking!