top dog dies: a few cards

Good Morning!

Today I have a little assortment of cards to share with you created with dies from Top Dog Dies.

First up is a happy little spring-themed card (wishfully thinking for warmer weather already!)

 I used my beloved Photo Mats die to frame a little scene with an Echo Park paper line designed by the awesome Crystal Wilkerson.

This next card is a bit more seasonally appropriate and uses both the Photo Mats die and the Snowflake Trio dies:

And finally, here's a fun birthday card using the Photo Mats die again.  The Polaroid-style frame is perfect for holding lots of layers.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

week five: more doily love & a stitched tree

Woohoo!  

We made it through 5 weeks of cards: 2 designs each week, 10 of each design for a total of 

-----drum roll-----

100 cards!

This past weekend I took the boys' photo and ordered prints so we are good to go:

We might have done a little trespassing on a stranger's property to snap these pics, but I am just in love with the rustic look of this barn/shed.  And the red weathered door couldn't be more perfect for a Christmas photo shoot, right?  Even the vine growing up it looks like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree, doesn't it?  In love!

After the shoot, I created these two cards that better match the rustic color scheme in the photo:

Just can't get enough doilies!

And a little stitched tree:

I'm going to run the card base through the embosser to give it a little more somethin'-somethin'.

And there we have it: 10 holiday card designs in 5 weeks!

Hope these cards were an inspiration for your own holiday card making.

Thanks so much for playing along with challenge.  Until next year...

week four {a week late}

Hey there!  

My profuse apologies for skipping out on last week's cards for the 

What kind of challenge host am I?

Actually, I was getting ready to do some hosting of the turkey variety and am using the excuse of being up to my eyeballs in stuffing and various other yummy items.

But now I can breathe a big 'ol fat sigh of relief (emphasis on the "fat" part--hello sweatpants!) and get back to business on the blog.

As I type, my Mac-Daddy

is hard at work backing up my whole system (yay Apple Time Machine!) so that I can box him up and drop him off to be looked at.  A week without my Mac makes for a busy day of drafting posts today.  Better get on with it.

Here are the cards for week 4:

That jumbo roll of snowflake washi is from Michaels' Recollections new line of tapes--love, love!

I created two versions of the next card just because I wasn't sure the stitching was worth the effort for the effect it gives:

So I decided on a little stamped banner with hand drawn string and ties:

The banner is stamped with a pencil eraser cut into a triangle--super easy to do!

I'm still on the fence.  What do you think: banners or stitches?

This week's cards (week 5) will go up on Wednesday.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

week three: doilies & envies

Happy Monday!  

The boys are home with me today in honor of Veteran's Day and being the {sometimes} poor planner that I am, I am drafting up this post while they run amok and shout orders out while playing Minecraft (they are totally and completely addicted!).  Needless to say this post will be a quick one.

With a houseful of boys, sometimes I just have to rip out the pink and pretties:

 Snowflakes seem to be a running theme with this year's cards.

That bitty envie couldn't have been any easier to put together.

cut a 2" square | mark the center on four sides | make a score line from center point to center point on three corners | fold three corners into center (star) and glue | round fourth corner | tie twine around center

How are your cards coming along?  Vero has been creating some gorgeous cards this month.  Please stop by her blog and give her some love.  Thanks so much for playing along, Vero!

week two: merry snowflakes

Happy Monday!

Hope you all had a fantabulous weekend!

It's week two, and I have two cards to share with you today, thanks to a productive Saturday at the crafty table:

Creating with my favorite crafty partner + steamy coconut chai + Christmas tunes on the iPod = the perfect Saturday!

I can't resist a little pennant pin:

 Kept this one simple.  At this time of the year, simple is good.

How about you?  Did you craft up any cards this weekend?

Link 'em up in the sidebar so we can all ogle over them!

week one: pockets and crochet

I'm so excited to get started on the Holiday Card Making Challenge!

100 cards in a month?  I can do it!  Here are the first two cards I'm working on.  Nothing like taking off from the start line with a sprint.  This is why I will never run a marathon!

I used these Valentine's I had created for a client as the inspiration for this design.  This card-making stuff is hard enough, no sense reinventing the wheel.  

And inside the pocket is a little greeting tag:

I already have 7 of these made (go me!  umm, yeah, I know it's only day 1 and this card marathon is going to be long).

Here are some variations on the color scheme:

My second card this week features a little crocheted snowflake ornament.  It's like a card and gift in one!

I kept this design simple because those little snowflakes take a bit of effort.

ETA: the pattern for the snowflake can be found h e r e

So there you have it--the first week's cards.  Now I need to get crack-a-lackin on finishing 10 of each!

holiday card challenge 2012

A few years ago I did a Christmas-card-a-day series here on my blog.  It was lots of fun and saved me from the monotony of mass-producing the same card over and over.  This year I'm thinking of doing a similar thing again.

(especially since my good intentions of making 10 cards each month of 11 designs this year kind of didn't work out, not even a little bit.)

Each week in November, I'll share two Christmas card designs.  My plan is to reproduce each card 10 times so I'll have 100 cards at the end of the month.  5 weeks, 2 designs each week, 10 cards of each design, 20 cards made a week.  Yea, I think I can do that.  Do you notice that little bit of hesitation in my voice?  

Maybe you'll want to play along.  It will definitely keep me motivated, for which I would be eternally grateful.  So, if you're planning to make holiday cards this month, or would like to join the challenge with me, please link up your creations with the InLinkz tool in the side bar.

I hope you will join me--it'll be fun!

I'll post my first two card designs soon!

Valentine Cards

Whipped up some little Valentine's for a cutie pie to hand out to her friends next month.

So thrilled to be able to work with girlie colors, butterflies and bling!

Thanks, Shannon, for the opportunity to work on these for you and little Reese.

Day 6: Christmas Cards

Once in a while, I let my blog feel like work.  I start myself on these little projects (like a card a day, or a layout a week, or Pinspire Me Monday}; all wonderful little projects, filled with good intentions.  And then life with a husband, three boys, a home, and all the wonderfulness that comes with that side of me bounces me right back into reality, and reminds me why I should not commit to such {little} projects.

So here I am playing catch-up on my 12 Gifts of Christmas.  It's only 12 days, you wouldn't think it would be so hard, right?

Christmas cards: I love to design them, kinda like to assemble them, don't really like to address them, love to send them, and LOVE to cross that task off my list.

This year's card:

The base is made from a standard-sized business envelope following the measurements for the larger pocket from this tutorial.

This creates two pockets one perfect to hold a 4x6 photo (trimmed down just a tad), and one for a little pull out greeting.

Pinspire Me Monday: Christmas card album

Happy Monday, and to those of you celebrating, Happy Halloween!

It looks more like Christmas around here than Halloween, though.

Yesterday we woke up to this:

And then the sun warmed things up to reveal the colors of fall against the pure white snow:

It was really quite beautiful.  But the storm knocked out our power for about 7 hours.

So on with this week's Pinspire Me Monday. 

 I just finished my project (when will I learn to not be such a procrastinator?).

I love finding new ways to use/save our holiday cards:

• using card fronts as gift tags or accents on scrapbook pages
• turning artwork into new cards
• slipping them into photo sleeves 

I loved the idea of binding them all into a book--the boys love to look through the photos throughout the season, and even the year.

So here's my Pinspired Project:

 Although I loved the ease of simply punching holes in the cards and sticking rings on them, I somehow feel the need to take a simple project and put a complicated spin on it.

So here's my process:

1. Match up cards according to size
2. Glue card pairs together along one side (the side opposite the one the binding will go into)
3. Cut strips of cardstock wide enough to fit the binding (I used 1 1/2" for the Bind it All)
4. Cut the strips to the same length as each card pair
5. Glue between card layers
6. Punch holes for binding and bind together (I created a front and back cover from chipboard)

I love how the cards still open to reveal the greetings inside.

 

 

What's Pinspiring you lately?  Please share it in the side bar!