Crocheted Flowers

I used to think crocheting was for old ladies. My mom used to crochet these little lacey things to put under our lamps at home and I felt they were so "yesteryear"! Apparently no one ever told me you could crochet flowers!

After seeing them on various blogs, I finally buckled down and decided to learn how myself. A few unsuccessful attempts of watching various you tube videos and a crash session with Ren-Yi for a weekend, I made flowers! Aren't they so pretty!

(Disclaimer: The light pink and light blue ones on the right, aka the non-lopsided ones, are crocheted by Ren-Yi)

Next on the list, to have Ren-Yi teach me to make a butterfly! Or maybe I should outsource that one to the person with the id of flutterby.... ;-)

TSG Challenge - I didn't forget!

Sigh, so I've been internet less for the last week at home at least.... so sorry for abandoning the blog kiddies! I haven't forgotten you! Although I do have a tendency to forget about birthdays... Hah. So when I got this set from TSG, I knew it was just perfect for me!

I just got this set recently and I love it already! I've been itching to ink it up for awhile and I'm not sure what took me so long... oh right, life. ;-) Anyways, they're super cute and I can't wait to use it for other cards as well!

To my favorite enabler (*cough*Ren-Yi*cough*), aren't these adorable? ;-) Cuter than robots even?

Ok, back to the card, this card is also for the TSG challenge this month -- to make a non-traditional shaped card.

It's been awhile since I've done anything but your typical sized cards so it was fun to try a different shape!

I pulled my nestabilities out and my circle cutter to make this fun little circle card. I also didn't want to have a seam in the front so I scored the "back" piece of my card and then glued it to the front.

What I like about this set is the ability to substitute either "Special Day" or "Birthday" in the space. :) Makes it fun to stamp in a different color or just write something yourself even. So for once, I decorated the inside. Pretty simply but still... it's the thought, right?


I glossed up that snail shell with some glossy accents since snails are traditionally slimey. At least the ones I used to poke at as a child were...

Stamps: Slow and Steady (TSG)
Paper: SEI (Dill Blossom), PTI(Dark Chocolate, Cream)
Ink: Noir Pallette
Other: Ribbon (SEI), Nestabilities, Circle Cutter, Glossy Accents, Copics

Flowers, flowers, flowers!

Finally home from my business trip and I learned that our internet is basically broken... Sigh. Guess with all the rain that happened and the flooding, something, somewhere went blargh. So I guess this didn't post like it should have.

I'm sitting in the public library chilling because I can't survive w/o the interwebs but I will be a little slower to respond to emails, do blog posts, comment until our internet is fixed. Hope you all understand!

I have a bunch of cards to catch up on and I can't wait to be back in my crafty area (which the hubster and I just reorganized last weekend!). He even volunteered to clear out stuff so I'd have room -- I didn't even have to ask! Isn't that sweet?

I also learned last weekend how to crochet flowers! Thanks Ren-Yi! Now that the Pens have won (w00t!), there's no excuses not to make me more flowers, right? ;-) Haha, j/k. Anyhoo, I can't wait to use those flowers on my cards!

I love simple embellishments that just are easy and fun to make! So I punched some circles and then distressed them. I rolled the edges up a little, some sides more than others. Added a button on top and there we go! Instant embellishment using scraps! ;-)

I also love the fun sentiment from Flower Garden Additions. :) The bee is too cute as well, don't you think?

Stamps: Flower Garden Sentiments, Polka Dot Basics (PTI)
Paper: Lemon Tart, Spring Moss, Avocado (PTI)
Ink: Avocado (PTI)
Other: Nestabilities, Circle Punches, Ribbon (PTI)

Purrrfect!

I'm on business this week so I'm showing some cards that I've been sending off to people this week. Hopefully they've gotten it already!

This is an adorable set that I got from Carrie on my birthday! Thanks again Carrie/Oak!

As per my usual habit, the first card I make always goes to the person who gifted me with the stamp set. This would have been sent out a LONG time ago if only I didn't use that button with the ribbon! Darn button! I had to trek to the post office to have them stamp it for me. Sorry it's so late guys!

This card is actually my first card where I used my new Copics. :) Using the Copics have been an absolute joy so far and I love love love them! So much fun to color! I'm actually relatively happy with the coloring job on these little lions... but I'll let Carrie tell you what she actually things. ;-)

When I showed my hubster the coloring on the card, he was super impressed... and I gleefully told him then that justified my buying more markers (I have like 10 right now) and then he said, "Gee Belinda, that coloring really sucks". Too late hubster, too late!

So let's see... I added some flock to the lion's mane. Which after I did it, I kinda wish I didn't. But I figure a little flock never hurt anyone and now my lion looks super old. Haha.

I'm a perfectionist. However, sometimes, I let my imprefections slide by doing simple things to try to mask it. A little RAK of sorts to the first person who can tell what I think the imperfection on this card is. ;-)

Stamps: GinaK (Hugs and Cuddles)
Paper: Bazzill, Making Memories
Ink: Palette
Accessories: Copics, White Flock, Ribbon (PTI), Tag Punch (EK Success), Nestabilities, Twine

Hoppity hop hop

Here's a fun whimsical card that I made for a friend's birthday. I don't think I'll end up sending it since I feel like it's a little more masculine than I intended.

I hadn't inked up the grasshopper ever but it is quite adorable! I thought it might be fun to use the trail from Little Lady for the grasshopper and then I also thought that it might make a fun and unique background!

Stamps: PTI (Little Lady, Green Thumb)
Paper: PTI (New Leaf, PP), Black
Ink PTI (New leaf)
Other: Ribbon (stash), Punch (Martha Stewart)

Papertrey Princess Challenge 3 - One Layer Card

The hubster is still up fixing the Linux server so I'm staying up too as a means of solidarity... so here I am!

Yeah, yeah... I'm totally late again for the challenge! This time we were challenged to make a one layer card -- no one ever said pearls or ribbon were considered layers... ;-)

Ok, so onto the deets of this card. I'm not a one layered card person at all. Looking back in my archives I think I've only done like one other one layered card. What can I say? I love my layers! So this was a challenge for me.

I really wanted to get some depth into the card so I added the sponging to the embossed nestability frame. Its as if there are imaginary layers. ;-) And of course, the ribbon helps to add some dimension as well.

Seriously guys, can you have a card without ribbon? ;-) Maybe that should be the next challenge... hah, I'd prolly totally fail that one.

Stamps: Beautiful Blooms, Friends Til the End
Paper: White
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Chalk ink
Ribbon: Dark Chocolate twill and Sweet Blush Grosgrain
Other: Pearls (Hero Arts), Nestabilities (Label 4, i think?)

Thinking of You and Tumbling

So I made this awhile back too but I haven't had a chance to share it. This is the problem when you try to send cards before you post them. ;-)


Stamps: PTI (Scattered Showers)Paper: PTI (White, Poppy, PP)Ink: PTI (Poppy), Stazon (black)Accessories: Ribbon (stash), Punch (Martha Stewart)

I love sending my husband little fun lovey dovey notes sometimes -- simply just because. I slip them into his lunch bag so he'll find it when I'm not there. :D When we did long distance, I used to hide them in random spots in his apt so he'd find them randomly during his day (pantry, medicine cabinet, bookshelf). Turned out to be quite an easter hunt sometimes... since he usually knew I did it so the minute I left, he'd be searching for them.

This is to my lovely hubster for:

• beginning my day with an "I love you"
• making breakfast for me everyday (or at least shoving a yogurt in my hands before I run to catch the bus)
• letting me call him a big fat dork every day and sometimes, just sometimes, not calling me one as well ;-)
  
• doing the guy things around the house - garbage, installing shelves, crafty corner boards, towel rings ;-)
  
• making fun of me for reading the instructions and then being grateful later that I did read said instructions
  
• thinking of others and being friendly to everyone -- even when I have to drag him along to get him to stop talking to the store clerk I do like that he does
  
• tickling me (just seeing if he reads this... hah! I'm so ticklish sometimes all he has to do is look at me with a tickle glare and I'll crack up laughing until my stomach hurts). But seriously.. for making me laugh -- even when I'm grumpy
  
• never complaining that I steal his sheets every night
  
• Ending the day with an "I love you"
  

Ok, card deets! Done with the lovey dovey. I stamped the XO border and I thought it'd make a fun bg! Nice and whimsical. Seeing all the swirls other people have been doing made me inspired to pull out the Autumn Leaves swirls set I have -- remember I said I was using dusty old things? Another dusty old thing was the fun sentiment. Added the fun felt flower, again another dusty old thing. And of course, how could we top this off with a new basket thing -- the pearl pin.

Ahh, I'm loving the dusty old things and the new basket things!!

Stamps: Cornish Heritage Farms, Hero Arts, Autumn Leaves
Ink: Raspberry Fizz (PTI)
Paper: Kraft, Hibiscus Burst, Raspberry Fizz (PTI)
Other: Ribbon (stash), Pin (Maya Road), Flower (Making Memories)

For My Friend

I have to say, having a dorky husband is awesome. :D It's nice that he's dorky so I don't have to reach into my inner dork while at home. Usually..

I've been muttering under my breath about the dork factor. I had to find a printer that had Linux drivers available. Do you know how hard that is? There were lots of "maybe it'd work" printers and of course since *I* was the one that wanted the printer, I was the one that had to find a compatible one. Personally, I was a-okay with plugging the laptops into the printer when we have to print stuff but I understand having a printer that works with all our systems and when its networked its even better... EXCEPT of course after 3 hours of fiddling with the OS, the hubster finally remembered that he fried the USB hub on the server.... Back to square one. Thanks hubby! ;-)

Ok, sorry, enough with the dorky talk. The end result is I have a printer to print sentiments, digi images and templates -- We just need to get it to work! I named my printer Leonard, Lennie for short. Hopefully he'll have a better shelf life than Bernie (my fern)! [The hubster seems to think my tendency to name inanimate objects or plants for that makes them want to shorten their lives]

Anyways, card! I love the fun images from Everyday Classics and this was just a fun little diddly I created. I loved when Michele challenged us to pull out our dusty stamps so I did pull out some stamps I hadn't used in awhile. I tend to craft with the idea of what I see in front of me is what I use policy. So in order to solve that I've decided that I'm going to put stamps I've just used in the back of my stamp box and keep the older ones up front! That way I'll cycle through all my stamps and it'll be like Christmas every day! Maybe, just maybe, I won't even feel compelled to get 30 thousand stamps sets every month. Hee hee. ;-) Well, a girl can dream...

In addition to my cycling, I do keep a basket of new supplies. I don't let myself remove supplies that I haven't used from that basket. This way, I know I'll use my new supplies. :D How many new yet dusty supplies do you have hanging around? Or old and dusty for that matter? ;-)

Stamps: Everyday Classics, Tags for Spring (PTI)
Ink: Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado, Melon Berry (PTI), VersaMark
Paper: Ripe Avocado, Melon Berry (PTI), Vellum (Archivers)
Other: Label 1 Nestabilities, Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Flower (Making Memories), Button (Making Memories)

Pool Party Favors

Well, I've been a little quiet recently and it's because I've been working on some fun projects that I can finally share! One of them is up on the Creative Vision blog. Go check it out!

In addition, all the stamps that you'll see me using and the other members of the DT are only $10 for a limited time only. Also, there's free shipping on all purchases from Creative Clear Stamps... go check it out here!