Crop Chocolate Designs: Nature

This layout definitely fits its title. My son loves the outdoors and trying to see what he can discover. This is a small park near city hall and just up the street from our family dentist. We had lunch in the park and of course he took time to explore. I had my camera and was able to capture the moment. I used the photos to design a project for www.CropChocolate.com.

I started by inking the 8x8 base with brown around the edges to create a slight distressed look. This striped piece if the other side of the double sided Making Memories Hillary Lace Flower. Isn't it neat? I love the boldness of it.

Then I cut the Making Memories blue Watercolor Collection (Ocean Simple Sponge) paper to 4x8 and inked around the edges with blue ink using a cut n dry foam pad for a softer look. Using my craft mat makes this job easier.

Basic Grey Fiber ribbon was adhered to the back and brought around to the front and tied into a knot set off center to the right.

This is the 8x8 page with inked edges, middle layer inked and fibers attached and tied at the top. This creates the base for the remainder of the project.

Close up of quote embellishment.

I used the adhesive back Basic Grey Granola chipboard for the title and added additional chipboard elements for the frame and as accent pieces. There is a companion page showing us having our lunch in the park. That is the page that will contain the journaling.

What amazed me was being able to get in three photos to help tell the story. Simple and quick. That is my kind of crafting. 

No matter if it is fast or you labor for days, just make sure you ink it with love.

Until then.

Crop Chocolate Designs: Green Calendar

Hello everyone. I am not sure how many of you shop at www.CropChocolate.com but there are a lot of goodies to be found and at rock bottom prices. You have the option of holding your items in your 'la carte' until you reach a total that will allow free shipping.

There was a recent call for customers to create some designs using their products. I was among many of those selected. Although my pics have been up at CropChoc I never got around to posting them to my blog. I created several projects and a few of which can only be seen here.

My favorite was the calendar I created using a photo taken of my son at a studio. After distributing as many as I could, I had to figure out what to do with the rest. This is a great use for them. Here is how it all came together.

White Sakura gel pen used to create faux stitching around the 8 x 12 inch base. I simply drew these freehand and tried to make sure that the corners were even.

Next, the green base was stamped in various muted ink colors with one of the flower stamps used to create the embellishments on the final piece. Since I was covering the center of the base, I used that area to test my flowers.  

Photo was matted to black paper with a faux stitching using a Sakura white gel pen. Then that was matted to a patterned piece leaving a two inch border at the bottom to add some journaling or a quote.

Stamped Fancy Pants flower and heat set using the green cardstock. I used a swirl stamp in the background to give the flowers some variety and a bit of texture.

This Making Memories 5th Ave patterened piece was cut to 4x12, inked around the edges in red and adhered on top of the flowers and the faux stitching.

This is a better view of all the elements together.  A hand-made calendar has been added along with the matted and layered photo with a quote at the bottom. Two Basic Grey Granola chipboard embellishments have been added also.

Primary brads were used as the center for the flower images and mounted on to foam dots for dimension. You don't see the faux stitching here, because this was taken during the planning process.

The flirty letters were used and over-inked with black ink to bring down the color.

Flowers have been added to the scroll swirls and around the photo.

 I really like this idea of using those leftover photos to make calendars. Once the month has passed the calendar can be adhered to a full 12x12 piece of cardstock and placed into an album. The extra four inches at the bottom can contain numbered items that happened during the month which will correspond to the day. You get double duty for your scrapping.

Working on these projects really got me to think in different ways. This one certainly gives you bang for your buck.

It would not be mine if it were not inked in some way. I just can't resist. Why the red you ask? It is my son's favorite color, so I had to try and incorporate a bit.

Keep crafting and inking in the name of love.
Until then.

Happy Birthday, Mom

My mother celebrated her #?? birthday last week. Since I knew I would not be with her, I created this card and tucked a small gift inside for her to enjoy.

This was created when Flowers to Flourishes was running a Fancy Pants contest and I entered a few projects. I don't think the owner ever followed through on the contest.

Here is a top view. I tried to keep my dimensional elements to a minimum since this had to go through the post.

I made the foundation for this card during my aperture kick but never added any additional embellishments. I have several with the same theme. I love that they are sitting in my container waiting to be finished and personalized for that special someone.


Since this one was for my mother's birthday, I went to my birthday swap stash and pulled a few of the embellisments. I think they work well together.

I needed to leave some white space so that I could write in my sentiments and sign my name.


How did this all come together? I used watercolor paper as my base. I cut the aperture using the Spellbinders scalloped circle die. I then stamped and embossed the cover with clear ink and used the TH Distress Ink Fired Brick to cover the entire card. Next, I wiped the card with a dry paper towel to polish the clear swirls by removing the excess ink.

I turned the card over, reinserted the scalloped circle and covered the inside with the TH Distress Marigold. I dusted a bit of the Fired Brick on the circle for color continuity.

For some reason blogger is turning this picture and no matter how much I manipulate the size it is posting as portrait and not landscape.

For the right side, I measured a piece of watercolor paper and added an additional 1/2 inch to create a fold. The top was glued with a 1/4 inch border showing on the front. I decided not to cover the strip on the inside.

I stamped my sentiments on the scalloped circle and adhered that to the back of the card, added the other embellies and it was finished.

I usually go crazy and fill all of the empty space. I wanted to keep this one simple and clean.

This one was the same. It would only post in portrait.







After locating an envelope, this was ready to bring a smile to my Mom's face.

When I spoke with my Mother, she said that she loves her card. Mmmm, is she saying this because I am her daughter? lol.


I like crafting with watercolor paper because it can take as much ink and water as I want to use and not worry about the paper warping. If you have not tried it, do. Michael's has the Canson paper on a buy one get one. I picked up a few $2.99 packs.


That paper is the perfect opportunity to color, paint, and Ink in the Name of Love.
Until then.

Mother's Day is Drawing Near

I know Mother's Day is still a few weeks away, but time does fly when you are having fun, and it will be here before we know it. As soon as I completed my Easter cards, I started working on an idea that I had been kicking around for a card design and decided to use it for this year's Mother's Day cards.

This technique allows me to maximize my cardstock paper with minimal waste. Here is the final result of the mock up card. I just could not get my lighting to co-operate.  The card is four sided and stands upright.

So how did I get started? I began with a 12x12 sheet of Fancy Pants double sided paper that had the manufacturing information on the white strip. I cut it in half to get two 6x12 strips with the white piece on the six inch side. I then scored from left to right at 3, 6, 9 and 12 with 12 being on the strip--see left hand side.

I inked all of the edges with Distress Ink and stamped and embossed the flowers so that they would be in the center of my aperture. Queen & Co pearls were adhered to each center.

The overlays were created using the Nestability Labels 6 die. I ran them through a Cuttlebug folder and swiped ink over various parts to bring out the embossed design. I did two panels to be embossed and two panels were debossed. This spices it up a bit, I think.

Next, I prepared the pieces that would go on top of the

embossed/debossed panels.

Below you can get a better view of how this all came together. I finished them off by stacking two flowers together and putting a brad through each and adhering them with the clear glue dots. LOVE those. The mom and cupcake were mounted on low profile foam tabs because I did not want to create too much bulk.

I can see this being used to cover the plain clear bottle that a bouquet of flowers come in or as a pencil/pen caddy. Slide this over the plain container and you have something that Mom or anyone else can enjoy all year long.

How great would this be to cover the holder for your summertime plasticware?  Much cuter on your table than that red plastic cup we all use.

Slide it over that small bottle of handcream/sanitizer that sits on your desk and you will smile each time you reach for it.

 

I created this as a topper if it is not used for other purposes. I added touches of Worn Lipstick Distress ink to this one, and just played around with decorating the Spellbinders Peony.

As always, thanks for stopping by to see what I have been inking. Can I be cheesy and say my ink runneth over? I do put it to good use by swiping it over everything that doesn't move. Keep crafting and inking in the name of love.

Until then.

Celebrating Spring

It is that time of the year. Spring has sprung. Except that this year the tree blossoms are coming and going very quickly. Before I have had a chance to get out my camera and capture the Dogwoods (state tree) and Cherry Blossoms in full bloom they are falling to the ground. One of my most cherished times of the year is passing far too quickly. Our area continues to go from summer to spring and back again. Hopefully by May things will have settled a bit and we will have more predictable weather.

This card captures so much of what I love about spring. The feeling of looseness and freshness. We are less confined by heavy outer wear and snow and ice.

This is the completed card which I recently sent to a blog winner along with her set of stamps. It is from the DCWV kit in the pink box currently available at HSN.

This next card is uber cute in its simplicity. I was on an aperture binge and could not stop myself. I used my Spellbinder scalloped circle on this one. I did not get to finish off the card but kept it in my stash for inspiration. 

Taking a look at the components close-up. Everyone knows that I love my Sakura pens and I used them on this card.
The flower stamped on the scalloped
circle was colored in using the meteor pens. It looks like stained glass. Very classy.


 The circle quote was stamped and embossed. I went over the tulip and the dots with the black Sakura glaze pen. Love this cute little stamp.

Since I cannot leave well enough alone, I also outlined this cute bunny with the Sakura black glaze gel pen and filled him in using one of the metallic pens. A regular gel pen was used to achieve his cute little pink ears. I will at some point finish off this card with a ribbon wrap across the top and bottom and send it out to provide cheer for someone.

This card was created using watercolor paper which added a unique texture. I am having a blast playing with everything. When I take out a set of something to craft with, it reminds me of why I made the purchase. I have great ideas for lots of other things, but need more time to work on them.

No matter what I do, it will always be inked with love.

Until then.

He Is Risen

I just absolutely love the Easter season. The promise of spring comes to fruition. The trees push out their blooms and the tulips and daffodils extend their tender stems towards the sun. Their reward for braving the cooler temperatures: luscious flowers that bring us joy and delight in a myriad of beautiful color.

In the springtime everything is fresh and bright and new. It is truly a rebirth. As we celebrate the death and the resurrection of Christ, let us remember that life can began anew at anytime. As a matter of fact this month's Vee-ism is, "The best time to begin is now." It falls right behind why put off for tomorrow what you can do today. There is so much satisfaction in beginning and finishing what we start.

My ScrappinFriendz Yahoogroup issued an Easter card challenge. Everyone who enters will get a prize. So, well, why not. I entered two. Both were experimentations on my part. I had gotten some new Spellbinder Dies:  Kaleidoscope being one of them, and wanted to play with my Sakura Stardust pens and my water pen.  Thus this first card was born. Disregard the cluttered background--not enough time to take a proper picture.

The water pen used on the diecut template behind the egg was the large size. Therefore, I did get some bleeding of the color under the die. Lesson learned.

I diecut everything using watercolor paper--I wanted something that would stand up to the pen and water work without warping. The base for this card is a piece of American Crafts grape paper cut to 8x8. I used the Victoria Cuttlebug Folder to add some texture.

This is my original pop up design and it will fold flat for mailing. I added some of the Dew Drops/Pebbles around the egg and some of the Martha Stewart micro clear gemstones. I do like the overall composition and debated on covering the centers of the two side pieces with a small flower image stamped onto the smallest oval die cut.

Here is the center image up close and in person. You can see what I mean about the bleeding so I corrected for the second card.

This base on this cute little card was edged in a mixture of Tim Holtz Distress Inks--Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint. The second layer is a card from Die Cuts With a View. I simply cut it in half and embossed the striped side with the Floral Fantasy CuttleBug folder. TH Distress Ink Worn Lipstick was used on the edges.  The white dots were created using the Sakura glaze gel pen.

To paint the bunnies, I used the smallest water pen I could find. I do think the results were much better.

This is a close-up of the large egg used. I created about 6-7 eggs in total using various background colors and Sakura pens.

I like the natural texture created by the watercolor paper. And this Spellbinder oval die gives the appearance of triple matting although it is only the single piece of diecut. I stamped the quote using some Martha Stewart acrylic alpha stamps. That was embossed onto a scalloped rectangle and layered onto one of the long Spellbinder rectangular tags. I needed it to reach from the bunnies and overlap the DCWV card. The gauzy ribbon mimics the stripes in the card without being too overwhelming.

It is my hope to get the remaining cards created and post them here. One will be for my DS. His favorite color is red, but I am hoping I can sway him with a deep orange or red-rose colored egg.

Have fun this coming weekend with family and friends. Remember the reason for the season. This is a celebration of the Risen Christ.

Thank you for taking the time to visit and see what I have been inking in the name of love.

Until then.

St. Patty's Day Celebrations

Wow. I cannot believe how the time flies. When I was but a wee girl, the days, weeks, months and years would drag. Oh, if I could just turn back the hands of time. I would use it more wisely for one thing.


I have been busy playing with a lot of my tools and realized that I had been neglecting my Pink Wishblade. So, I joined a new group, Easywishbladers@yahoo. I am hoping this will rejuvenate my love for my wonderful machine and start designing again.


Just to show that I mean business I am posting a cut image I created.
 
It was not hard to do. I simply found some clipart pictures I liked and cleaned it up a bit using Inkscape and Creat and Cut--Wishblade updated software. Very easy peasy.

She is holding a set of clovers but those did not make it. Her hat is not complete. There are dark green pieces that cover the black on the hat. I could not find them and just went ahead and scanned the pic. Found them later under my cutting mat.

There is a hunky guy that I found who would make a lovely mate for this lady. I just might do a Vee-dio of creating a cut image of him. Figured out everything I did not do right on her and am getting back into my groove.

Just to challenge myself, I tried to copy an idea from Mary of Mamawslegacy. I failed miserably. She is a fabulous designer and does have free files available for various machines and images for download. Talk about your inspiration starter. You can always purchase cut image files directly from her store.

I had planned to make some St. Pat's day cards...and ...um...well...it didn't happen. Best intentions and all of that.

To make that up I would like to giveaway a set of Inkadinkado inchies clear stamps and a set of Martha Stewart clear leaves. Please leave a comment on this blog by the end of March and you could be the proud owner of one of the aforementioned stamps. Two winners will be picked at random.

Happy St. Patrick's day and let's try to go green all of the time.

As always keep inking in the name of love--even recycled. lol

Until then.