Celebrate Your Birthday Card - Retro Style

I love working with retro things, vintage embellishments and fun patterns so the monthly challenge at STAMPlorations is sah-weet for my cardmaking inspiration. 

I wanted to have some fun with the colors and patterns of the late 60s and early 70s so I broke out some of my vintagey papers. 

I chose this rich gold-brown and used a white pigment ink to stamp a subtle pattern using balloons from A Snarky Birthday to You.

I layered on funky patterned papers, adding some texture with with CUTplorations Art Edges for a little bit of visual interest. 

I used the CUTplorations Celebrate Word Die and double layered it for dimension, stamped a sentiment using SENTIMENT BUILDERS: Celebrate, scribbled on some x's using a white gel pen, and splashed the whole thing with some Picket Fence Distress Spray Stains. 

Fusion Challenge - Pink, Pretty, Coffee!

I'm popping in for a quick card I designed for the new Fusion Challenge. 

The minute I saw this adorable inspiration image, I knew exactly what I wanted to create. This card took me all of 20 minutes and that NEVER happens! 

Usually I'm putzing around with this embellishment, trying that paper - no that one!, all the while attempting to keep myself from getting glue on my boobs (I said it) because I've left the cap off *again* and am constantly reaching for things. I can't tell you just how many shirts I've ruined with that ol' fiasco. 

But anyhow, here's my card:

I used STAMPlorations A Cuppa Love stamp set (which my bloggy readers can get in the STAMPlorations store for 20% off by using code STAMPGIRLBECCA) along with the XOXO word die.

I added some teeny heart stickers, along with a less-than-teeny heart rosette and put it all together! 

I hope you'll go check out what the other Fusion girlies have made for your eye-ticement. 

Little Red Wagon - Company or Companies you Love
Oh La La Creations - Die Cuts

Wednesday Espresso-Sions - My First Coffee Loving Cardmakers Post!

Heeeeey! I've got a banging card up on the Coffee Loving Cardmakers blog. It's my very first post as an OFFICIAL designer and I made a super sweet mixed media card. 

 

Go check it out! There's full step-by-step directions of some fun techniques. I promise you won't regret it!

Vintage Chic Card - Valentine

I know... I know... it's the day after Valentine's Day and I should stop already, but I just can't! I've whipped up SO many valentines this season and I've still got a few more to showcase. 

Case in point? This one that I designed for the latest The Card Concept challenge, which hit the internet TODAY. 

Isn't that inspiration image a beaut? I love all the vintagey goodness going on and was super inspired by the scrawly script and leather heart. 

So I decided to make some paper leather. 

Check that out! This was made with a combination of Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Antique Linen, and Tea Dye Distress Inks - using the Distress Ink Double Dipping technique. 

Next, I brought out a lovely little cardboard heart and did some alterations to give it texture and life. 

I started by using Vintage Photo Distress Paint over the surface of the cardboard and, while it was still wet, sprinkled some Rust Embossing Powder over the top. I heat set it with my embossing gun and edged the heart with a coppery InkaGold. 

To bring in the scrawly script, I used a big background stamp and added a layer of Distress Crayon and Distress Spray Stain splatters, edging the whole panel in InkaGold to tie it in. 

Put it all together and what do you get? Taaaa daaaa! 

I hope you'll go check out the other awesome inspiration on The Card Concept blog and then play along! 

I'm going to enter my card at the following challenges:
Mixed Media World - Anything Mixed Media Goes
Try it on Tuesday - Let's Get Messy with Paints/inks

My Valentine... A Valentine's Day Memory

Valentine's Day has always been my favorite holiday - mostly because the weekend before was always spent with my Grandma Mead, cutting up sparkly bits of pink and red and creating cards, laughing and gabbing away the hours. 

My grandma loved all 22 of her grandchildren and managed to take time for each of them in unique ways. Valentine's cardmaking weekend was "our" time and I looked forward to it every year.

I'd always buy the basics - cardstock and V-day papers, but I cringe now to think about the expense she incurred in embellishments, ribbons, stamps, inks, embossing powders and specialty tools she kept at the ready for her young granddaughter.

She'd patiently show me the latest cardmaking techniques, let me mess up her kitchen for two days, and then put it all back together again once my whir of valentine's energy subsided. My favorite part, though, was when our creative retreat came to a close. I'd line up my collection of creations on her kitchen counter and we'd carefully vote on the order of best cards. She always pretended like there wasn't a bad one in the bunch, but hey - I'm sure in my 10-11-12-year-old cardmaking infancy that she was a big ol' lovable liar.

I can't remember when or how or why this tradition started... but I miss it terribly. Her patience and love created the foundation for the papercrafting artist I am today. She's been gone now for 3 years. 
 

In the years since she's been gone, I haven't really done much of V-day crafting (at least not on the scale that I used to). No pun intended, but my heart just wasn't in it. This year, though, I'm starting a new tradition. I am teaching a Valentine's Day card class and following it up with a crafty crop. I'm excited to share my love of all things red and pink and sparkly with new crafters.

Would you all send some extra good vibes my way this weekend? They would definitely be joyously accepted! 


Now that storytime is over, I suppose I'd better share one of the designs I'll be teaching.

Check out that metallic goodness, loved up with some InkaGold paste. 

My card was derived from the Atlantic Hearts Sketch:

That scrawly "love you" comes from Verve's Stronger Love sentiment set, which has theee most beautiful sentiments. <3 <3 Seriously! Go check it out!

I also want to play along in the following awesome challenges:
Simon Say Stamp Monday - Young at Heart
Crafty Cardmakers - Love Love Love
Paper Players - Will You Be My Valentine

Thank you for stopping by and reading my memories! <3 <3

A Punny Valentine's Day Card

Ah, February, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways:
1) You give me reasons to make tons of punny cards
2)  I can fully express my love of all things hot pink
3)  You're short - just like me

 

If you haven't guessed by now, I've got another Valentine's Day card to share with you! Actually - two of them! I loved the first one so much that I made it in duplicates. 

But before I get toooo far ahead of myself, let's talk about where I'm drawing my inspiration from. It's time for a brand spankin' new STAMPlorations theme & sketch challenge. 

As lovely as the sketch is, I saw the theme "Stamps & Retro" and could see no further than that. Especially since I just got the new Hello You 5x7 Stamp Club set and <3 <3 <3 everything about it!

I could not WAIT to ink up that typewriter. I also wanted more of a V-day lovey dovey sentiment, so I decided to make my own. 

I verrrrry carefully (because stamping is such an exact science right? <-- please see sarcasm in the dictionary for a full definition) drew a tiny little sheet of paper and then hand-lettered a punny typewriter-related phrase. 

I layered and layered and layered following the sketch from the Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge. 

Figuring out how so many patterns could go together and not clash was so fun, that I decided to do it a second time in order to create a more masculine version and used the color challenge from The Color Throwdown.

Taaaaa-daaaaaaa! 

My cards are also going to play along in:
Simon Says Wednesday - Color of Love
Craft Rocket Challenge - It's a Love Thing
Cute Card Thursday - Be My Valentine

Thanks for popping by!!

Snarky Birthday - My New Stamp Set Design!

I'm doing a little happy dance today because I've got a BRAND NEW stamp set out at STAMPlorations and it's a punny fun-filled birthday set. I adooooored playing with it and I hope you all will love it, too!

 

All of the sentiments in the set are super snarky <3. Take, for example, the card above! 

This card is going to play along in the following challenges:
Aud Sentiments - Masculine + Sentiment
Seize the Birthday - Birthday theme with optional "felt" topping
Addicted to Stamps & More - Make your Mark

Here's what the full A Snarky Birthday to You set looks like:

Psssssttt.... My bloggy followers can get 20% off this set
(and any order in the STAMPlorations shop)
by using code STAMPGIRLBECCA at checkout. 

 Go check out the full release that STAMPlorations is putting out this time! There are tons of lovely new stamps! 

And you just have to go comment on the STAMPlorations blog to win them alllllllll!

Thanks for popping by!

Fusion Card Challenge - Interlocking Hearts

Chugga chugga chugga chugga CHOOO CHOOO - I'm still riding the Valentine's Day card train and I've got two more adooooorable cards to share with you today. 

Today I'm taking my inspiration courtesy of Fusion Card Challenge. I loooove Fusion because it gives me options. You can choose to work with either the sketch or the inspiration image or BOTH. 

For me, I chose to work with the sketch, and used the inspiration image loosely by interpreting it by making it a lovey dovey card. 

I used a couple of adorable animal sets from Unity to make some squeal-worthy designs. The inside of this one says "I wuff you". haha - you know me, I can't resist a good pun. 

Can you even stand that adorable cat's glasses?!?! I named him Spencer and he is definitely one of my new faves. I stamped the used a sentiment from the stamp set and repeatedly stamped it in the background to create a pattern. The inside of this one reads "You are purrrrr-fect for me". 

I'm sending these over to play along in:
Simon Says Stamp Monday - Pets Corner
Cards und More - Pets and Other Furry Friends
Tuesday Throwdown - Love Notes

I hope you'll head on over to Fusion and play along! Can't wait to see what you create! 

Love & Romance - Shabby Chic Card

I am in my favorite zone right now - all things red, pink, and heart-shaped!! That's right, Valentine's are in the house and I'm having a blast.

I have a big thank you to give out to The Card Concept challenge this week because they are feeding my V-day addiction with their new inspiration image.

Seeing that vintage paper in the background made me want to go all shabby chic with my designs, so that's exactly what I did.

I incorporated the vintage paper, the notes of green, pink and beige, and brought some beautiful paper flowers (by Recollections) into the mix.

The sentiment is from a set I designed for STAMPlorations called Strong Women. I love how mushy gushy it makes me feel. 

But listen, friends, Valentine's day isn't all about being mushy. If you've visited my blog a time or two, you know by now that I LOVE humor. 

Enter: 

This sentiment from my A Funny Kind of Love stamp set. That set is FULL of fun sentiments for lovey-dovey occasions.

So there you go - two similar cards, one sweet, one snarky.

By the way - for my bloggy followers, you can get 20% off these stamp sets in the STAMPlorations shop by using my personal code: STAMPGIRLBECCA at checkout.

I'm going to enter my cards into the following challenges:
Frilly & Funkie - Shabby Chic Valentine
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Color of Love
Try it on Tuesday - Hearts and Flowers

 Now get your beautiful behinds over to Card Concept and check out all the inspiration from designers who have super diverse card-making styles!