Another Graduation Card - Freshly Made Sketches #185

Our son is graduating from the University of Arizona on Saturday. It’s been six years of hard work to complete dual degrees, and he is ready!!!  I wanted to tailor the card to his diverse programs – piano performance and mechanical engineering.  So with the use of the Freshly Made Sketch, I added the musical notes background and the cogs design on the top banner to represent his fields of study.   

The main sentiment and diploma are from the new CTMH "Diploma Day" stamp set.   The hat and numbers are from the retired "Congrats Graduate" set.  The cogs are from the retired hostess set "A Thing Well Done", and the musical notes are from "Universal Backgrounds", also retired.  

I used black and white cardstock, black ink and black and white embossing powder (the hat and diploma). 

I can't wait to celebrate with Nathanael.  We are all very proud of what he has accomplished.

Pop over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog to check out other cards made with this sketch.  And thanks for stopping by!

Graduation Card for RetroSketches #163 & Papertake Weekly

It's that time again - graduations are popping up.  The RetroSketch Challenge Blog this week gave a great design that worked well with this new stamp set I wanted to use.  I finished the card yesterday, but our internet went down.  It was finally repaired late today, so I'm actually able to upload this to the challenge blog! 

The sentiments and diploma are from the new "Diploma Day" in the CTMH Seasonal Expressions 2 catalog.  The hat and numbers are from the retired "Congrats Graduate" from last year's CTMH line.  The splotches are from one of my favorite sets, the long-retired SU "Itty Bitty Backgrounds."


The pattern paper is CTMH's Chalk It Up and the cardstock is Flaxen, Black and White Daisy.

I used Black and Flaxen inks, as well as black and white embossing powder on the hat and diploma. 

In addition to the RetroSketch Challenge, I'm also entering this card over at Papertake Weekly, where they have said that "Anything Goes" this week.  Click on the links to see the other great projects cardmakers have created.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your weekend!

APRIL 2015 STAMP CLUB

April's Stamp Club is fast approaching.  Class will consist of the four cards shown above as well as the tea bag holder shown in the center.  There is an add-on option this month.  You can cover a chipboard box that coordinates with the cards, making a wonderful gift set.  More photos and details can be found on the Stamping Club page of this blog.

The basic Stamp Club fee is $20 and covers the four cards and tea bag holder.  There is an added fee for the storage box.  Dates for Stamp Club in April have been adjusted to accommodate my husband's work schedule, so please note that most classes have been moved back a week.

 Monday, April 13

Tuesday, April 14

Thursday, April 16

Saturday, April 18

Email me at scrappingailaz@gmail.com to register.

Favorite Sketch - Scrapbooking

When I started this project, I really didn't know how much I would LOVE the sketch I chose.  The whole project went together so quickly, and the placement of the photos was very versatile.  In fact, I added 3 pictures to this layout that weren't included in the original sketch!  As a result, I am entering this layout in the H2H Favorite Sketch Challenge.  I just couldn't resist.  The layout is based on the "Monologue" sketch from CTMH's Imagine scrapbooking book.

You will notice that there are no photos on this layout.  Well, this layout is going to be used to showcase the photos from my "girlfriend" crafting weekend.  It was suppose to be happening right now, but family issues arose that made us postpone it.  But the layout is ready whenever we take the pictures.

I used the Chalk It Up papers from CTMH for this layout.  LOVE the colors in this paper pack.  I really like to use stamps on layouts, and I used old and current sets to complete this.  It's great that you can change the colors and placement of stamped images, and never know that it's appeared elsewhere in your album.

This layout was also one of two that we did in my March scrapbook workshops.  Check out the Scrapbook Workshop page of this blog to see more details.

You can also pop over to the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog to see other projects made with favorite sketches by the participants.

Thanks for stopping by.

Put A Bow on a Spring Card

Spring is just around the corner, and flowers are ready to pop out of the ground, if they haven't already.  At least, here in Arizona they are!!  Not so sure about the rest of the country.

This is a card I designed for my March Stamp Club classes.  You can see a variation of it below.  The background on this card is done with sponge daubers and three ink colors.  In the one below, I did a gradation of color, and tried to keep the ink application soft so you don't see the dauber impressions.  In the one above, I used the yellow over the entire card, then added the green over it all, using a little less near the top of the card.

The three inks I used were Canary Yellow, Sweet Leaf and   Pear (both greens).  The Sweet Leaf was used as a transition between the yellow and darker green on the card on the left.  When the dauber is pressed onto the paper it leaves the circle image, then you can keep pressing the same dauber and get lighter inkings with each application.  If the dauber is rubbed over the paper, you don't get the dauber impression.  I was going for a look something like the Bokeh technique, but without using the white pigment ink.  It works well to create a unique background for your stamped image.

Speaking of that image, the daffodils are from the CTMH stamp set "A Little Note" #A1171.  I stamped it again on the inside of the card in the canary yellow ink, just to add something fun when you open the card.

The canary yellow corner mat is from the Whimsy Assortment of Paper Fundamentals (Z2033), using the glossy pattern side.  The bow, which is why I'm entering this in the Crazy 4 Challenge this week, is done with the Topiary Mini Chevron Ribbon (Z1929).

Check out the other cards with bows added over at the Crazy 4 Challenge Blog.

Thanks for taking a look.

Retrosketches Challenge #156 with the NEW Jackson paper!

CTMH will be revealing a new mini catalog the beginning of April, and I just received the preview materials for it!  The Jackson paper is a great outdoors paper pack, and so I used it on this masculine card for May's "It's a Guy Thing" Stamp Club.

I used the RetroSketches design for this week and a stamp set that had been sitting in my box since I came home from the CTMH convention last July!!!  Finally put ink on it and am happy with the way it worked.

Here's the list of what I used on this card -
all are from CTMH unless noted

Stamps:
Great Job (doodled swirl design) #C1588
Doodled Designs (doodled circle - stamped twice) #A1170
Heartfelt Birthday Wishes (sentiment) retired

Inks: Cocoa, Barn Red and Lagoon

Papers:
Jackson patterned paper - available April 1
Barn Red and Lagoon cardstock
Tan cardstock from my stash


Other:
Bronze shimmer trim #Z1849
mounting foam
star punch from my stash

Check out the other "doodled" cards over at RetroSketches Challenge Blog.

Thanks for popping in today!

Another Masculine Card - with Deconstructed Sketch #191

I've been working on the masculine birthday cards we will be making in the May Stamp Club classes.  I wanted to get a lot of different textures on this card, and I think I succeeded.  I started with the Deconstructed Sketch seen on the right.  I used a standard A2 card size instead of the square.  The brown paper is from a pack I bought at Costco years ago - really liked the case it came in, and I still use it to store my papers.  But I'm running out of usable 12X12 paper from the pack.  But, this light pattern worked well for this card.  Not too much design, but enough to give some interest.

The striped strip across the top is actually just kraft cardstock with the design stamped in white pigment ink!  The baker's twine was purchased at an estate sale by my neighbor - and I got a TON of it for just a few dollars.  The banners and circle mat are cut from a pack of DCWV glitter paper I got at a steal at JoAnns a couple of years ago.  No reason not to add a little glitz to a guy card!  The greeting is stamped with the same white pigment ink.  I even embossed the black paper at the bottom so that it matched the stripe above.  Luckily, my strip wasn't too wide as I had to angle it in the 5X7 embossing folder.

You might notice that there seems to be a recurring thought with this card - I'm trying to use up my stash!  I love my papers, and tend to hoard them instead of using them.  After cleaning my craft room, I've decided that I bought this stuff for a reason, so I have to start using it. 


Here's a list of what else I used on this card:
Stamps -
You Mean the World to Me (sentiment) CTMH #B1467
In the Background (striped strip) CTMH #D1540
Inks - White Daisy Pigment Ink - CTMH #Z2163
Other -
Stripe 5X7 embossing folder - CTMH #Z1960
Tim Holtz Baker's Twine

In addition to the Deconstructed Sketch Challenge #191, I'm also entering this card in the Just Us Girls Challenge #283 - Masculine card.  Hop over to both of these blogs to check out the other great projects that have been submitted.

Thanks for stopping by!

Masculine Birthday from a Favorite Sketch!

This card was for my son’s birthday.  While I knew I wanted to use the typewriter stamp, I was struggling to make it work with the papers I wanted to use.  Finally, I went back to this sketch that I’d used before, and even though I was using the same papers, it all came together because of the sketch!  The sketch is from CTMH’s Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 1 – card sketch #24.  Breaking up the background pattern with the two rectangles helped make the typewriter stand out. 

The typewriter image is from the April Stamp of the Month from CTMH – Typed Note.  This will be available to purchase in April.  I embossed it in black and added a “Stuck on You” puffie moustache to the paper, as well as a bit of the black arrow washi tape to the grid paper.  Both background papers are from the retired Scholastic paper pack.

When I started to take the pictures of this card, I went into my son's room (who actually is off in another state in graduate school, but still maintains most of his "stuff" at our place) and got down his grandfather's typewriter to use in the photos.  It brought back great memories of him typing on it as a little guy.

This card is entered into the Heart 2 Heart “Your Favorite Sketch”challenge and the Seize the Birthday challenge with the optional “Topping” of Masculine.  I think this works well for both.  Pop over to these two blogs to check out the other creations for these specific challenges. 

"Hopping By" Easter cards and enTWINEd Challenge

Believe it or not, Easter is just around the corner!  So it’s time to start playing with the fun new “Hopping By” set from CTMH.  These fun little animals are ready to “spring” into action bringing Easter wishes to your family and friends. 

 

The Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog posted a challenge earlier this month to use twine on a project.  I love the spring twine colors (lagoon, buttercup and sunset) that coordinate with the “Year Noted” paper pack that was a CTMH special in January.  I’m also glad that H2H allows us the entire month to participate in each challenge.  While I’ve had these cards done for a while, there just hasn’t been enough time to get them ready to post.

I used both of my cloud embossing folders (one from Stampin’ Up and the other from Darice) on the upper part of the card, and used my journaling pen to doodle around the bottom section.  I have really fallen in love with doodling on the cards!  The sun (from last year’s You Are My Happy set) is mounted on foam.  All of the rest of the images are from the Hopping By stamp set.  It seems like every spring I find some way to use the little CTMH springs to mount an image on a card.  I thought these animals in their Easter vehicles were good candidates.

In addition to the items I’ve already listed, I used black, glacier, sorbet and canary inks.  I used the ShinHan markers to color the images.

The gals in my Stamp Club groups are looking forward to making these cards in March.  Why don’t you give it a try?!  And pop over to the H2H Challenge Blog and check out the other great projects using twine.

Thanks for stopping by. 

YULETIDE CAROL SCRAPBOOK LAYOUT FOR H2H TIC-TAC-TOE CHALLENGE

This is the finished layout from my most recent scrapbook workshop.  I used the Yuletide Carol sample in the CTMH Annual Inspirations Catalog as the inspiration.  I loved the turned-down corner on the page.  While I couldn't get the "scrapbooking" box filled on the H2H Tic-Tac-Toe challenge, I did get the middle row completed!  I used the Black Striped Twill Ribbon (Z1988) on the large photo mat.

I cut the holly leaves from the Cricut  "Christmas" cartridge and the tickets from CTMH's Cricut Artbooking cartridge.
The red bling is from my stash and the small gold gems and the black "merry" are from the Yuletide Carol Assortment (Z3007).  These were actually left over from another project, as was the little journaling square seen behind the holly.  It is a part of the Holiday Happenings Assortment (Z2062).
The paper has so much detail, I didn't want to detract with a lot of other elements, so kept the title and journaling simple.  I love doodling around the edges - no need to mat the strips but they still stand out.

You can see other ways the Tic-Tac-Toe challenge was interpreted by hopping over to the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog.