Prairie Sky Paper Crafts

 Sometimes, it is incredibly hard to find inspiration with a stamp set. This was the case for me with Beetles & Bugs from the current Occasions catalogue... When I saw it, I immediately thought I NEED THAT!!! (along with nearly everything else in that catalogue, but I digress...) I have a five  year old boy, who is more than slightly obsessed with all things creepy crawly with which he can torture his sister. However, when I actually got the set, it sat on my desk for a very long while before I even knew what I wanted to do with it. Several attempts went into the recycling bin. There wasn't much inspiration with it online, either. But, one morning last week, I woke up determined to make something with that set- and an upcoming birthday party was the perfect reason to get it inky. This first card was created for my launch party- the ladybugs coloured in Real Red, paired with Mint Macaron and the flower from Avant Garden (free Saleabration set) stamped in Versamark. Aft...

With all the excitement about the new Occasions catalogue, and Saleabration, some of the sets from the annual catalogue have gone by the wayside. My dad's birthday is next week, and I wasn't really getting inspired by any of the new sets, so I decided to break out one of my favourite sets from the annual catalogue. I absolutely love the simplicity of The Wilderness Awaits. The images are crisp and clear, and look amazing either coloured, or, like I did here- just stamped on the card. The stag was stamped on Crumb Cake using Chocolate Chip ink, and was layered on Dapper Denim and then placed on Subtle Suede.  I decided it needed a little something else, and used the leaves from the free Saleabration kit Avant Garden. They were stamped in Versamark and then the Happy Birthday sentiment (from another Saleabration set- Designer Tee) was stamped in Chocolate chip. Quick and easy card, already on its way to my dad. If you'd like information about how to get FREE stamp...

I love it when inspiration comes from unexpected places. This was the case for this background technique. Last week, I was cleaning up my craft space from the holiday cardmaking extravaganza, and unpacked some of the items I purchased during the year-end closeouts. One of the items I purchased was a punch board. It came in a bubble wrap bag. I took it and put it on my desk, intending to put the packaging in the garbage. It landed on my Versamark pad, and inspiration was born! Hope over to my Facebook page to check out the video tutorial for the background . Materials: Watermelon Wonder, and Mint Macaron cardstock (In Colour 2015-2017) Basic Black cardstock Clear embossing powder Bubble wrap Versamark pad Embossing Buddy Detailed Dragonfly Thinlits dies Playful Pallet washi tape Wink of Stella clear glitter pen Create the background using the bubble wrap, Versamark and embossing powder Cut the background piece to 3.25x3.5 Cut a piece of Mint Macaron to 3.5x3.7...

Christmas is just over, and yet, I have Valentine's Day on my mind. I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's Day, but my kids love giving cards to their school friends, so, every year, we head to the store and get them. This year, I decided to change things up a bit. I was mulling over ideas yesterday, trying to figure out what I was going to do with their class cards this year. After all, I have some beautiful paper, amazing stamps and other fun things from the Occasions and Salabration catalogues that started this week. I had decided that I would use Real Red cardstock, the sentiment from Cool Treats stamp set and the ladybug from Beetles & Bugs. Then I started thinking about other paper I have... and remembered the Candy Cane Lane paper from the holiday catalogue. I still had a few pieces left, and they match with Real Red, so I thought- why not? There's patterns in there that don't look Christmas specific, and I AM on a quest to use more of what I already ha...

Yesterday, I was doing some project ideas for the catalogue launch I'm holding January 4, and of course, there was a huge pile of scraps on the desk when I was finished. I don't normally hold on to smaller pieces of scrap paper, because I find them hard to use. But, sometimes, I leave them on my desk because I may have a use for them. When I finished crafting for the day, I walked out of my space and just shut the door, thinking I'd get back to it today. Well, I didn't. I couldn't find the inspiration, so, instead, I decided to organize all my 8.5x11 cardstock by colour. I happened to find some large zip-top plastic bags today, and arranged them all by colour. I am so happy it's organized now, and I can find exactly the colour I want. After I finished that task, I was going to start stamping and creating for a few card classes I have scheduled for January, but I couldn't get into it today. Some days, I have no problem coming up with ideas- one thing spi...

I've finally been able to play with the big box of goodies I ordered to preview the Occasions catalogue and the goodies from Sale-A-Bration (SAB) (which starts January 4). One of my New Year's resolutions is going to be to actually send the cards I make- regardless if there's an occasion or not. It would brighten someone's day to get a card for no reason. It's always nice to get something other than bills! I took advantage of some uninterrupted craft time this morning while hubby took the littles for a pre-Christmas errand. This card combines goodies from the new Occaisions catalogue, SAB and the regular catalogue. This card also gave me the chance to play with the new watercolour pencils Stampin' Up is reintrocuding. I have to admit- I wasn't sure how I would like them- I am more of an ink and aquapainter girl, but I do love how easy they were to use- lighter or harder pressure leads to easy shading, and then using the blender pen gave the flowers just...

I wanted to design a card today for a former co-worker who is going through some fairly serious health concerns lately, to let him know I've been thinking about him. He enjoys outdoor adventures and nature, and I thought that this would suit him well. It's easy for me to come up with feminine cards, or cards for kids, but sometimes, cards for men take a few trips back to the drawing board. First, I was thinking about doing something with a watercolour background, but that didn't sit with the vision in my head. So, I got up, wandered around my craft space, and started pulling out cardstock. I love browns, and had Chocolate Chip and Crumb Cake close at hand, and that was my jumping off point. When it was finished, and layered, I decided that it needed a textural element, so I ran it through my Big Shot and gave it a the finishing touches. Sometimes, it takes a little time to hit on the winning design. Once everything clicks, things come together easily.  Materials: ...