Lagniappe Sweets

Check out the following, for a chance to win a $20.00 gift cardd to the Kraft outlet! http://thekraftjournal.blogspot.com/2011/10/have-hoot-at-kraft-journal-give-away.html

My boss has been having issues with a nerve in her arm and hand, so we are getting together to do something nice for her. To start, my co-workers asked if I could create a card. This is the first time I really used a masking technique. The dot stamp by Hero Arts is really large, so I put paper on both sides of the card, so that it would dot just the small area. I colored the flowers with Copic markers, so that they would match the bee. Added stickles, and a few pearls for the finishing touches. Hope this helps her feel better!

It just so happened that the CAS Just add color challenge ( http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2011/10/cfc25.html ), coincided with my husband's birthday! My husband just had a birthday, and he LOVES monkeys. I bought this stamp a while ago, just for this occasion. I also had left over wood grain paper from another project that I was able to use too. Once the images were stamped and put together, I added the googly eyes. I hope you enjoy! Supplies used: Googly eyes, Whipper Snapper stamp, Copics, Memento ink, impression folder, Real wood cherry and kraft paper.

As a cost saving attempt, I am altering wooden picture frames for Christmas/Birthday gifts for alot of my friends and family. It just so happened that this http://marksfinestpapers.blogspot.com/2011/10/speedy-cats-friends-challenge-week_22.html challenge, coincided with my friend's birthday. This was a wooden frame from Michaels, that I covered with paper, painted black, and added a few flowers. Not to bad for a 50 cent frame! Thanks for looking!

As I mentioned with the altered frame, I will be making alot of gifts this year. My other idea is to make sets of cards. The set above was for my best friend's birthday. I kept a similar pattern, and changed the stamps and colors. I hope you enjoy!

After I finished the altered frame and card set for my friend, I couldn't give her a store bought Birthday card! So I stamped the image on watercolor paper, then embossed. I then used two colors of blue distress inks, and saturated it with shimmer mist. I cut out the image with a nestibility, and ran the front of the card through an impression folder. Hope you enjoy the final outcome!

I really liked the sketch for Hero Arts this month, so I used it again for this shower card. I punched the holes with my circle punch, and my spellbinders. I then attached the printed paper with pop dots, then stamped the items in the circles. I really like the finished product!

A good friend/co-worker is moving down south (and just before winter!). Her church gave her a special going away service, and this is the card that I made for her. I was glad that my mojo came back, because when she retired, I had lost my mojo. I will be entering this card for the Hero Art challenge. I took one stamp, embossed it on to white paper, then inked it with distress ink. I then sprayed the image with glimmer mist for a little sparkle. Then I used my circle cutter for the circles.

A good friend of my husband's just turned 60, so I needed to whip up a quick birthday card. I hate making cards for boys/men. I am just to girly, and prefer to make girly cards. Anyway, here is what I came up with. Hope you enjoy!

My nephew loves Mickey Mouse, so he was the inspiration for the birthday card. I cut out the oval and the frame with my nestabilities. Stamped the image with Memento ink, and colored it in with my trusty Copics. The shorts are a little darker red than I would have used, but my red Copic Ciao, ran out of ink. I will have to get that replaced!

We celebrated my FIL's birthday this past weekend, so I had to make a quick card. My inspiration came from soapboxcreations.blogspot.com . I absolutely love her cards! Since I am trying to better utilize my products, all of the paper (other than the white used for the card), came out of my scrap pile. I then used my nestability to cut out the hole, for the birthday sentiment. I really enjoy the color scheme! Hope this card can provide you with a little inspiration as well!

I am planning on making alot of my Christmas gifts this year. One of my plans, is to make personalized picture frames. The frame below was an unfinished wood frame from Michael's that I altered. I couldn't find letters to match, so I painted the white letters to match. Hope you enjoy!

CAS Friday challenge at cas-ualfridays is to create a card using glitter by more unconventional means. I grew up in Texas, and let me tell you, we love our bling. This challenge was right up my alley!! While checking out other challenges, Mark's Finest Papers, wanted a card that was anything other than the normal card size. Below, is what I came up with: I used two circle punches, to cut circles out of double sided adhesive. I then removed the backing from one side, and dipped it into my art glitter. Once this was done, I removed the other side, and adhered the circles to my card. I dusted off all of the extra glitter, and covered the circles with diamond glaze. Not only does this help the circles pop, but it also keeps all of that glitter in place. I finished it off with a Hero Arts stamp, that I colored in with Copic Markers.

This card is for the My Favorite Things challenge. As soon as I saw the sketch, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I need a card for a baby shower next weekend, and the mom-to-be doesn't know the baby's sex. The notecard on my card is removable, so that the MTB can complete the baby information, and add it to the baby's baby book. I really like the bright, happy colors of this card! Supplies: DCWV paper, Stamping Up ink, Kaisercraft and Stamping Up stamps, ribbon, flowers and a button.<

I was just invited to submit this card to the Kraft Journal challenge at make-it-monday-with-kraft-outlet . Thanks for the invitation Elizabeth! This is my first attempt at a Clean and Simple card! Check out the cas-ualfriday's blog for this week's long and short challenge! I tend to really enjoy piling up all kinds of different elements (See the My Favorite Things Post!). Another new technique I tried, was cutting my clear stamps. This just seemed so unnatural, but if I didn't trim my border stamp, it would not have worked for this card. The flowers were embossed on watercolor paper, inked with distress ink, and then saturated with glimmer mist. Once they dried, I cut them out and adhered them to the card. Adding the pearls in the center of the flowers, was the final touch. Supplies: Heartfelt creation, The Paper studio and Kaisercrafts stamps; Distress and Colorbox Ink; Glimmer Mist, watercolor paper, Stamping Up embossing powder.

Below is my take for the CPS Sketch 126 challenge. I used the new stamp and die cut from My Favorite Things on this card. Supplies: My Favorite Things stamps and die cut, Versamagic ink, paper, ribbon and pearls.

This is my card for the CPS card sketch challenge 228. I stamped the birthday sentiment then ran the card though my Sizzix embossing folder. I stamped the candles and added a little bit of glitter. Supplies: Stamping up and Hero Art stamps, Sizzix embossing folder, Memento Ink, Copic markers, art glitter, and stickles.

A friend of mine needed a birthday card for her two year old nephew who was born on July 4th. Her request was for a red, white and blue card with stars and monkeys. The above card was my interpretation! Supplies used: Hero Art Stamps, Memento ink, and Copic markers.

I was on the Hero Arts blog yesterday, and found a Summer contest. Hero Arts are looking for summer interpretations. Winners will be announced August 4th, when they will be giving out a handful of $50 gift cards to their online store! I was checking out their how to videos, and saw a technique in which you stamp 3 colors of distress ink onto a craft mat, stamp the image, and then spray the stamp with water for a watercolor effect. I decided to use gold glitter mist instead, to add some shimmer to my summery card. I am also trying to use all of the stamps that I just had to had, but never used. This is the first time I have used this flower stamp, and I am really happy with the end product. Supplies used: Mustard Seed, Fired Brick and Worn Lipstick distress ink; Memento ink; Hero Art stamps; gold glimmer mist; corner rounder; ribbon; colored beads.

I love the Taylored Expression (TE) challenges, and as soon as I it, I knew exactly what I wanted to make! The above card was stamped with TE stamps, colored in with Copics. I added rick rack, and a little diamond glaze to make the blender pop.

After I left CHA, my creative slump disappeared! I couldn't wait to get home to make more cards. The next card I created was for the Card Pattern challenge. I am trying to make more of my own backgrounds, so I used the"You're a Hoot" for my background. Supplies used: Kelly Panacci, Hampton Arts, and Hero Art stamps; copic markers, ribbon, My Minds Eye adn DCVW paper.

I made it to CHA last Friday, where I fell in love with DeNami stamps. I checked out their blog, and found this informal challenge. What cute colors! How could I not participate! For this card, I used copic markers with Hero Art, DeNami and Stamps by Judith stamps. I added stickles to the cupcake top, and Diamond glaze to a couple of the cupcakes. Hope you enjoy!