Masculine Birthday Cards

April is a busy month for Birthdays in my family--all of them being males!!! So as I was digging through my card box for some cards, I discovered I was lacking in the masculine b-day cards section. I took the time on Friday to sit down and get busy creating. I had earmarked a card that a fellow consultant Delores Byrne had posted (click on her name to visit her blog and see the template for the springfold card) Here's my take on it!

I got my template a little backwards--and didn't realize it till I had attached the paper to it--so I added the brads and waxy flax to assist in holding the card closed! The Victory paper pack was the perfect fit for my nephew Michael, who I was creating the card for.

Next up I needed a card for my brother.....I pulled out some of my scraps from the retired Lucky paper pack, but I knew that I wanted to use this particular sentiment stamp on his card, from the new "Just a Number" stamp set, which is just packed with witty birthday sentiments. The inside of the card reads......
....yours will remain unlisted.

And finally a card for my stepfather. I had debated ordering this stamp set, Perfect Day, wasn't sure I would use it enough! So glad I had it on hand Friday when I was inspired to create this card and brayer the background. I clear embossed the dots to resemble the stars, prior to brayering twilight then outdoor denim. I used a 1/2" circle punch from a post it note for the moon--then removed it once I had finished brayering. I coloured the light in yellow then covered it in liquid glass. The effect was much better in person!

Well now I have to go create some more cards, because I already gave all these away this past weekend!!!! Back to the drawing board!

Thanks for stopping by and please leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Florentine Paper Pack

Today I have my version of the layout on pg 50 of the current CTMH Idea Book using the new Florentine paper pack.

It's also my submission for the Frosted Designs Sketch Along Tuesday #35 challenge.

These papers just called to me for a wedding picture, and this candid shot I took of my cousin Craig and his new wife Melissa at their wedding reception was just the one! Their eyes and the twilight papers are a perfect match!
The double row of hand stitching around the boarder was made so much easier with the CTMH ruler, which comes with 2 rows of guide holes to help me keep my stitches evenly spaced. And what would a wedding layout be without some bling!! So I had to get in the Bling buttons, as well as the new Bitty opaque pearls, which come with an adhesive back, sooo much easier (can you imagine trying to glue these little suckers down!)

I even added a few pearls to the body of the butterflies of the new Garden Wooden Shapes (it was a wedding after all--couldn't send them naked!) I layered a couple of the lace flowers, then a flower button, and finished it off with a bling button. It's a pretty thick layer, but it's all held together with liquid glass, so I know it isn't going anywhere. You can't really tell in these shots but I also used the liquid glass to highlight the ring of hearts between the mini pearls, it adds some beautiful dimension. Peaking out from beneath the lace flowers and under the corner of the picture is one of the new sparkle flourishes, then topped it off with a branch of leaves also from the Garden Wooden shapes collection.

The edges of all the papers were distressed and then inked in desert sand using my sponge dauber. The title was cut using the exclusive CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge, and then inked as well.

Supplies used

-Florentine paper pack

-Bitty Pearl opaques

-sparkle flourish

-Bohemian Assortment (lace flowers)

-garden wooden shapes

-Bling buttons

-Blue button assortment

-colonial white embroidery floss

-desert sand ink

-liquid glass

-Art Philosophy cartridge

-ruler

-edge distresser 

-sponge dauber

The Beach

This year I've been off to a bad start with my blog, but I have been scrappin! So I'm going to share one of the layouts that I created recently (OK well finished lately--I actually started this one last Nov)


It also falls into this weeks Heart 2 Heart challenge--it's a photo inspiration challenge and the colours in the photo definitely remind me of sand and water.
This layout will show how my scrapbooking is always forefront in my mind...what was a last minute trip to the beach to cool off on a hot summer evening, had me planning a layout right from the word go. The kids rushed to get into their bathing suits and I made sure to grab my camera--while they were playing in the water, I was writing words in the sand and taking pictures to use on the layout!!! Can you say obsessed!!!
I used flip flaps to create this layout--but didn't put them in it to take the pictures--they photograph much better out of the flip flaps.
So here's how it will look all closed up.....

This shot shows you the full layout with the 2 6"flaps open--(that's a full 36inches of layout, 48" if you count the other side of the flaps!!! Have I told you how much I love flip flaps!!)
Our white core cardstock is perfect for a project like this---I was able to tear the twilight cardstock so that some of the white showed, and gave the impression of the white caps you see on waves, at least I think so!

Here's a closer look at the left page, I've even used some of the 4x6" flip flaps on this page below the journaling.

And the right page open.
I tried to duplicate the bubbles that you see when the water washes up on the beach, by using a glass bead gel along the edge of the twilight paper (water) where it meets the kraft paper (sand).

I took an idea from the 2012 spring CTMH idea book and braided some embroidery floss then put knots in it to add to my embellishments. I'm actually glad I hadn't finished this layout before the new book came out, otherwise I wouldn't have had these great Seaside Wooden Shapes to add to my layout. I gave them a little coat of Pearl Paint, to give them a bit of shimmer.
The real shells that I put on the pages I first filled with liquid glass in hopes that it would prevent the shells from getting crushed once the layout is in my album---just another use for Liquid glass!
You can see the glass beads better in this picture.

Supplies used
-Kraft cardstock
-Twilight cardstock
-white daisy cardstock
-Sky cardstock
-4"x6" flip flaps
-6"x12" flip flaps (not shown)
-Seaside wooden shapes
-assorted blue buttons
-blue sparkles
-Colonial white embroidery floss
-shells (the real ones!)
-burlap (non CTMH)
-Glass Bead Gel (non CTMH--made by Golden)

Paintball Layout--H2H challenge

Well after a trying week of technical difficulties--(again) I think we are back up and running! In my time away from the computer I was able to accomplish some more layouts and choose to use the layout sketch over at Heart 2 Heart.

I again dove into that "pile" of pictures that has been just waiting for me to be inspired and pulled these paintball pics out. The Lucky paper was the right feel for the outdoor pics and I played a bit with my liquid glass trying to figure out a way to make a paint splatter, wasn't too successful with that, so instead choose to make the title look like it was wet paint running.

Here's an up close picture of the letters, which I stamped with sunset ink on sunset cardstock using the Rustic Alphabet stamp set, then filled it in with liquid glass and really made it thick at the bottom of the letters, held the piece of cardstock up so that it ran down. When I got the effect I was looking for I set it aside to dry (overnight as it was sooo thick). Then I was able to cut around the letters and drips and glued them on the layout.

Just noticed as I was typing up this post that this shot I took to show the liquid glass up close spells PAIN, which is a little ironic as there is definitely some pain involved in this sport--and had I thought of that when I was doing the layout I might have set up the title a little differently to highlight this!!! I see another layout in the future!

Supplies used

Lucky paper pack

sunset ink

Liquid glass

Lucky level 2 assortment (chipboard)

Kraft boarders

Rustic Alphabet stamp set.