Round Here

Love

2012-01-26T17:29:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to post a couple of cards that I created after taking Clean & Simple Cardmaking. The class completely inspired me to let these awesome Hero Arts stamps take center stage by creating card bases that are mainly white.
Love the pop of red and pink with the black and white.

You're So Special

I Love You

Thanks for stopping by!

Be back soon!

Steph :-)

Easter Morning

2012-01-25T06:31:00.000-05:00

Yep.... a little early for Easter but I wanted to share this layout I did for the Jillibean Soup blog this month. We were challenged to work with Jillibean Soup's bakers twine so I decided to cover a diecut easter egg with it.

Easter Morning

I just covered the egg with glossy accents and then added the twine in pieces until the whole egg was covered. Really easy to do and adds a fun handmade embellishment to a layout.

In other news, CHA assignments are done and shipped. Looking forward to seeing all the new stuff thats coming out at the beginning of next week. Always an exciting time for this hobby! :-)

Jillibean Soup has shown the sneaks of their new lines and products (which are awesome!!!) on their blog this past few weeks. Check it out here to see everything.

And also just wanted to update that my Project Life is going great and is completely up to date. I'm just thinking I probably won't share every week here as planned. I'll do a PL post every couple of weeks and share some of what I have been doing. But I am really loving this project and so glad I decided to do it. Its amazing how many little moments you capture that you otherwise wouldn't.

Be back soon!

Steph :-)

Project Life 2012 | Week One

2012-01-17T07:09:00.001-05:00

Sorry I am a little late in posting week one of my Project Life. The weekend ended up a little busier than planned and I have been busy working away on CHA assignments. (The big crafting tradeshow that happens twice a year. Jillibean Soup has some really awesome stuff coming out this release! I'll share some of the sneaks in the next day or two.

And now onto Project Life. About a month before Christmas I decided that I really wanted to do Project Life this year. And it is sooo popular right now and after a couple I weeks I can see why! It has reminded me so much why I started scrapbooking and why I love it so much! And while I still love my layouts and will continue to create them, this approach is so stress free, easy and fun! It's a little ridiculous how excited I get each week when I pick up my developed photos for the past week. (I was originally going to print all of my photos at home on my Epson Artisan but I decided to send them to get developed instead and am really happy with doing it this way. I just upload my prints, pick them up the next day on my way home from work and it costs like $2 depending on how many photos I have for the week)

So here is Week One:

I am hoping to get on a schedule of posting my Project Life for the past week on Saturdays.

Be back soon!
Steph :-)

Thinking of You

2012-01-13T17:38:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to pop in quick to share a card I created for the Clean and Simple Card class currently available at Online Card Classes.

Thinking of You

Jennifer , Kristina and Julie (along with some great special guests) are providing some great tips and inspiration to keep those card creations clean and simple. And I have to admit how hard it is for me to create simple cards. I always feel like the card needs something more.
But I think I did pretty well staying simple with this one. I used Memento markers on the Hero Arts Newspaper Tulip stamp to give it all the fun colours. Love this stamp!

I'll be back tomorrow to share week one of my Project Life. Haven't had a chance to photograph it yet so I'll have to wait for some daylight tomorrow.

Happy weekend!!
Steph :-)

Happy New Year & A Layout

2012-01-03T16:51:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!!
I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday and got to relax a little. We had a really nice holiday break that involved lot's of pyjamas! :-) It was really hard to have to get up and dressed for work today. But I have to admit that getting back onto schedule is always nice.
I love the start of a new year - I am so looking forward to seeing what 2012 has in store!!

I created a layout the other day to hold some of the holiday cards that I received this year from friends and family. Opening the mailbox everyday and receiving those handmade cards is one of my favourite things about the holidays. And a layout with a pocket is the perfect place to store them and keep them safe. I am thinking I might create an album specifically for the holiday cards we receive because the pages end up pretty bulky once you stuff all those cards in the envelope. And I usually need extra space to store them since they don't usually all fit on one layout.

Anyway, here is the finished page for this year:

December 2011 Christmas Cards

I used a KI Memories calendar page and pocket to create the page and then added odds and ends from my Christmas supplies. I cut squares to fit into the calendar part at the top out of My Mind's Eye and Echo Park patterned paper and embellished them with Elle's Studio tags and Jillibean Soup & Echo Park stickers. I also added an Elle's Studio tag to the envelope stamped with Ali Edwards / Technique Tuesday stamps.
The envelope is pretty stuffed with cards so I added some Tim Holtz clips to the sides to help hold it closed.

I hope everyone is enjoying their start to the new year -
Be back soon!

Steph :-)

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-24T19:09:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to stop in quick on Christmas Eve to say Merry Christmas!!
I hope everyone has a relaxing holiday with family and friends that is full of great memories, laughter and love!!
I also wanted to share this layout of my little guy that was in the latest issue of Scrapbook and Cards Today.
One of our favourite Christmas traditions is the cookie decorating!!

Merry Christmas!!!
Steph :-)

A Card & A Layout

2011-12-21T06:32:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!!
Just wanted to share a card and a layout I made recently for Jillibean Soup.
The card features a 3-D Christmas tree made out of the Jillibean Soup corrugated sheets.

Happy Holidays

A full tutorial went up over on the Jillibean Soup blog yesterday to create the 3-D tree. Go here for supplies and full instructions.

I also did this layout for Jillibean Soup this month and wanted to share. Its a layout of my kiddos on their first day of school this past September.

First Day

I also wanted to say thank you for the sweet comments regarding my last month with Elle's Studio. And I also wanted to let you know that I will definitely be posting here on the blog still...
Thanks so much for stopping by to see what I create....means so much!! :-)

Almost Christmas!! Anyone else counting down the days!

Steph :-)

Elle's Studio December Gallery & Other Randoms

2011-12-15T16:40:00.000-05:00

Hi!!
Can you say complete blog slacker?!?!
I knew it would happen...in December it always does. Life is just so crazy busy with work, home, kids and preparing for and enjoying the holidays.
And I openly admit that I am currently a December Daily failure - I have photos and notes and memories all tucked into the album, but nothing has actually made it into the pages. And I am completely OK with that. I was hoping to assemble the pages each night or at least every couple nights but it just didn't turn out that way.
My plan now is to just keep saving the memories and maybe put the album together in the new year. And if that doesn't happen then I will just create a few layouts, save the foundation album for next year and call it a day!! :-)

In other news:

Today the Elle's Studio gallery went live for December. Yes it is earlier than usual to allow for the holidays. And this month the design team worked with the special edition kits that Elle's Studio released last month. I worked with the Jack Frost kit and created a layout and a card:

Snow Day

Winter Wonderland

And I am sad to say that this was my last gallery contribution for Elle's Studio. December marks the end of our 6 month design team term. I am so sad to be leaving as I have really enjoyed working with Elle and the other girls. Elle is seriously one of the nicest most generous people I know. I can't thank her enough for welcoming me to the team.

Be back soon!
Happy Friday Eve!

Steph :-)

December Pagemaps

2011-12-01T16:32:00.001-05:00

The Jillibean design team got to take part in the Pagemaps sketches for December designed by the amazing Becky Fleck. They went live today so I thought I would share the layout I created.

I was given an 8.5 x 11 sketch to work with that can be found here with all of the other awesome sketches and sample layouts.

This is the layout I came up with. I stayed pretty true to the sketch with a couple of minor changes.

How You Write

All supplies are Jillibean Soup (mainly from the Sweet & Sour Soup and the Watermelon Gazpacho collections) I love how well all the text paper and embellishments to go with the photos and story of the way my son wrote at this age.

And I haven't done an 8.5x11 layout in awhile so it was fun to go back to that size. Will definitely be doing some more in the future.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'll be back later this week with some photos of my December Daily progress.

Steph :-)

December Daily: Foundation Pages

2011-11-30T18:13:00.002-05:00

I figured since tomorrow is December 1st (where did November go?!?!) I should share the foundation pages of my December Daily album before I start filling it up. (I apologize for the long post!)
For more information about December Daily and what it is, check out this post here by the amazingly talented Ali Edwards.

I loved a lot of things that people did with their albums last year, so I saved some of my favourite ideas so I could incorporate them into my album this year. :-)

For the actual album, I am using a We R Memory Keepers brown leather album. I picked it up at Archivers when I was in Ohio a couple of months ago and tucked it away until it was time to start the album. :-) I love love this album. I want to replace all of my albums with these in the 12 x 12 size as well as more of the 8.5 x 11 ones. So classy and well made. :-)

For my page protectors I am using one of my favourite ideas from an album last year... Pink Paislee Parisian Anthology Album refills like Nichol used in her album. (a huge thank you to Nichol for always being such an amazing inspiration!!) I immediately fell in love with all the fun sizes and knew I wanted to do the same for my album. I have been hanging onto these page protectors just waiting for December to get here! :-) In addition to those page protectors, I am also using We R Memory Keepers full 8.5 x 11 page protectors and the 3 pocket ones as pictured in the photos below. I really love the fun mix of all the different sizes together.

For papers and embellishments I am using a whole mix of stuff. Lots of patterned papers from Jillibean Soup, My Mind's Eye, Echo Park Paper, and Making Memories. The numbers for each day as well as a lot of fun tags are from Elle's Studio. And lot's of Technique Tuesday Ali Edwards stamps will be incorporated throughout.

So the photos below show my foundation pages. Definitely going to be adding lots of fun touches as I go and may move them around a bit depending on how much space each day needs.

So excited to start working on this tomorrow. I am so into the holidays this year and I am really looking forward to the memories that will be made over the next few weeks! I hope to share completed pages a couple times throughout the weeks ahead!!
Looking forward to seeing everyone's albums as we progress through December - let the holidays begin!!

Steph :-)

Snowman Fun

2011-11-27T19:25:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to pop in quick and share a layout I created for the Jillibean Soup this month.
My little guy loves to play in the snow and build snowmen...its one of his favourite winter activities. These photos are from him a couple of years ago.

Snowman Fun

For a full supply list, check out the Jillibean Soup blog on this post here.

Today Hubby and I made a serious dent in the kids Christmas shopping. We had a great time and it feels great to have so much crossed off the list already.
And I got everything precut for our family Christmas cards last night. Looking forward to watching a couple of Christmas movies this week and working on getting them completed.

Happy Sunday!!

Steph :-)

Elle's Studio November Inspiration Gallery

2011-11-22T21:44:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!

Today the November Inspiration gallery went live at Elle's Studio so I wanted to share the projects I created this month. I did a layout and a card both Christmas themed. I love love love the new holiday tags that Elle designed this year! So perfect for holiday projects and cards and layouts. Oh and great for December Daily albums too!

Christmas Tradition Layout

Merry Christmas Card

And as always don't forget to check out the full design team gallery here, including some great projects from November guest designer Nichol Magouirk.

In other crafty news, I finally completed my foundation pages in my December Daily album tonight. So excited for the holidays and to document our family memories in December. :-)

I'm hoping to share my foundation pages on my blog next week as long as I get a chance to photograph it this weekend.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Steph :-)

A New Layout

2011-11-16T06:26:00.000-05:00

So sorry that I have been away from the blog so long! Life is returning to normal since coming home from the hospital. Thank you to everyone for all the get well wishes for Caitlyn. She is a real trooper... just taking everything day to day and adjusting to life in a full arm cast. And of course it's her writing hand so that makes everything a little more difficult. We're hoping everything sets correctly and she can be out of her cast in time for the holidays. :-)

Thought I would share a layout today that I created for the Jillibean Soup blog this month. I used some older photos of Ryan carving his pumpkin. He was so funny at this age... the pumpkins fascinated him lol!

Carving Pumpkins

For a complete supply list, you can find this layout at the Jillibean Soup blog here.

Steph :-)

Sorry...

2011-11-10T13:28:00.000-05:00

I have been missing form the blog this past little bit. I finally got my computer problems fixed by getting rid of my PC and getting an iMac! Yay!!!
But then I had a bunch of stuff keeping me busy and this past Tuesday Caitlyn fell playing soccer at school and we have been in the hospital since. She had emergency surgery on her arm Tuesday night and is now in a full arm cast. I just got her home and am trying to get settled back into life here.
Will post soon!! :-)

Steph :-)

TT / AE Stamp Winner!!

2011-10-30T19:31:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone!
Just wanted to pop in to let you know that the random winner from all five days of comments is:

Lynne said...
Such great cards! I have a hard time with card but I love how you added Ali's stamps on them.
October 28, 2011 5:37 PM

Yay!! Lynne, please check out the Technique Tuesday site here and pick an Ali Edwards stamp set that you'd like and email me your choice as well as your address and I'll get it sent to you!!

Thanks again everyone for joining me this past week. Look for another Inspiration week hopefully in November featuring another great stamp company I love - Hero Arts!!

Happy Sunday!
Steph :-)

Technique Tuesday / Ali Edwards Inspiration Week - Day Five

2011-10-28T05:00:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone!!

I can't believe we are already at day five of Technique Tuesday / Ali Edwards Inspiration week! I have had so much fun creating and sharing projects with all of you with a product that I really love! I highly recommend adding some of Ali's stamps to your crafting supplies if you don't already have them.
And I really want to say thank you once again for joining me here all week and leaving such nice comments. Hopefully I have inspired you to get out those stamps and get inky!
And I figured the best way to end the week was to create a card to say thank you to all of you for hanging out with me this week.

Thank You

For this card I used the Favorite Memories and A Million and One stamp sets.
It's hard to see in the photo, but I repeatedly stamped the thank you stamp with aqua ink on the label diecut for a subtle tone on tone effect. I then stamped the same thank you sentiment on beige patterned paper and cut it into a banner.
I diecut two butterflies from sticky back canvas and stamped a definition stamp from the Favorite Memories set with black ink until the entire butterflies were covered. I then added a touch of victorian velvet distress ink and a lot of vintage photo distress ink to the butterflies. I adhered one butterfly directly to the card and added the other one on top with pop dots under the wings for dimension. I glued twine to the butterfly center with glossy accents to create the antennae and added pearls on top. I love using stamps to give simple diecuts a whole new look. And stamping it on the canvas gave the butterflies such great texture.

To end the week I want to send a big thank you to Technique Tuesday and Ali Edwards for joining forces and making a product that I expect I'll use on my creative projects for years to come. I am really looking forward to seeing what new sets will be coming in the future! :-)

And don't forget about the giveaway! (today is the last day to enter)

Simply leave a comment on this post (and every post this week for more chances to win!!) and I'll draw a name after 11:59pm tonight for someone to win a TT/AE stamp set of their choice!! I'll post the winner here tomorrow!

Thanks again!
Steph :-)

Technique Tuesday / Ali Edwards Inspiration Week - Day Four

2011-10-27T05:00:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone!!

Well my computer is still not working properly and I got a nice gloomy rainy day yesterday to try and photograph my layout. So the photo has a bit of a glare on the title letters from having to use the flash. Sorry about that. :-(

Anyways, here we are at day four of Technique Tuesday /Ali Edwards Inspiration week!!
For the second layout this week I decided to focus on the time of year it is and do a fall layout. We just went on our annual family trip to the pumpkin patch last week so I used photos from that for the layout. They had so many cool pumpkins on display so we took a ton of photos of all the different ones.

The Patch

For this layout I used 3 stamp sets: Autumn Afternoons, Give Thanks and A Date With Ali.
I stamped a leaf like the one from the card yesterday and added it under my tags at the top of the page. I also stamped 'autumn' and the '20ELEVEN' on the tags. I added 'October' to the small label sticker in the top right corner and stamped various fall themed words along the bottom under the journaling. I love how it created a border with just word stamps. I don't know if you can see it in the photo but I also stamped 'Gratitude is a Memory of the Heart' on the red strip right below the title. I used red ink to give it a tone on tone look, which is a favourite thing of mine to do with stamps if I just want a subtle stamped image.

Thanks for stopping by today for day four and make sure to join me for the last day of inspiration week tomorrow with one more card to share. :-)

And don't forget about the giveaway!

Simply leave a comment on this post (and every post this week for more chances to win!!) and I'll draw a name after 11:59pm on Friday for someone to win a TT/AE stamp set of their choice!!

Steph :-)

Technique Tuesday / Ali Edwards Inspiration Week - Day Three

2011-10-26T05:00:00.002-04:00

* Note: this morning my computer decided to crash and it is currently in the shop for repair. I had to load the photos of the cards I am sharing today on my kid's computer with no photo editing software, so I apologize in advance for the not so great photos. Hopefully I will it have back in the next day or two. *

Hello everyone and welcome to day three of the Technique Tuesday / Ali Edwards Inspiration week! I want to start by thanking all of you for joining me here on the blog this week and for all the sweet comments left. I really appreciate it and am so glad you are all enjoying this week of inspiration. And the best part is they are so adaptable to every style so even if you have a different way of creating than I do, you can still get a lot of use out of Ali's stamps. :-)

For today's post I decided to create a couple of holiday themed cards... one for Thanksgiving (which we have already celebrated in Canada, but I know is still to come in the US) and Christmas.

So Very Thankful

For this card I used Autumn Afternoons and Give Thanks.
I created the pumpkin with my Silhouette and then I embellished all around it with stamped leaves and acorns from the Autumn Afternoon set. I just stamped them on Neenah cardstock and cut them out. I added a bit of brown distress ink to the edges and crinkled them up a bit so they had dimension and looked like leaves. The sentiment is from the Give Thanks set (the newest Studio AE release).

Peace On Earth

For this card I used 3 stamps from the Good Cheer set.

I love love love this set for holiday cards. So many options for sentiments and I love the ones included.

To create this card, I cut two different sized triangles from Neenah cardstock and repeatedly stamped a sentiment across them. The big tree says 'Joy To The World' and the small one says 'The Most Wonderful Time of The Year'. I stamped them both in different shades of green for contrast and layered them on the card. I then stamped the 'Peace on Earth' sentiment and made it into a banner that I adhered under the silver button.

I hope these cards inspire you to get thinking about what you want to do for your holiday cards this year. It is definitely one of my favourite times of the year to be a cardmaker. :-)

Thanks for stopping by today and make sure to join me tomorrow for another layout.

And don't forget about the giveaway!

Simply leave a comment on this post (and every post this week for more chances to win!!) and I'll draw a name after 11:59pm on Friday for someone to win a TT/AE stamp set of their choice!!

Steph :-)

Technique Tuesday / Ali Edwards Inspiration Week - Day Two

2011-10-25T05:00:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone!

Welcome to day two of Technique Tuesday / Ali Edwards Inspiration week. Today I want to share a layout I created using 6 different Ali Edwards stamp sets.

You Are Loved

I used the following stamp sets on this layout: Who What Where, December Daily, Kids Are Cool, Favorite Memories, This One, It's In The Details

I love how easily different sets can be combined to create a scrapbook layout. And the stamps are a great way to add to the story being told. At first glance, this layout just looks like a fun documentation of my son dressed as a cowboy, but there is so much more to the photos than that. This layout is a way for me to document my son's playtime habits that usually involved pens, books and paper at this age. He didn't 'play' like other kids so it was important for me to get this moment down onto a layout. And I love how the simple use of Ali's stamps add to the layout and make it that much more meaningful. :-)

Thanks for stopping by for day two of TT/AE Inspiration week. Join me tomorrow for some holiday themed cards!

And don't forget about the giveaway!
Simply leave a comment on this post (and every post this week for more chances to win!!) and I'll draw a name after 11:59pm on Friday for someone to win a TT/AE stamp set of their choice!!

Steph :-)

Technique Tuesday / Ali Edwards Inspiration Week!

2011-10-24T05:00:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone!!

This week I am going to be doing something new on my blog. I thought every few weeks or so I would do an inspiration week featuring a company that I love to create with. Just a great way for me to use product I love, share the projects on my blog and promote companies that I think produce some pretty great products. (and no one is asking me or paying me to feature them...just some companies I really like their product) :-)

So this week I have decided to do an inspiration week with Technique Tuesday and Ali Edwards. More specifically the stamps that thay design together. There is two types of TT/AE stamps. The regular release ones that are sold at retailers and through the TT online store and the Studio AE ones that are part of a monthly subscription. (these can also be purchased at some online retailers and through the TT website but they are at a higher cost without a subscription and once they are sold out they're gone. A subscription ensures that you get your stamp set every month and at a cheaper cost)

I am a subscriber of Studio AE and have also purchased a ton of the regular release sets. I LOVE my TT/AE stamp sets! I am a scrapbooker and a cardmaker and these stamps are so great for both. They offer the perfect addition to layouts and also serve as great sentiments for cards.
So for the first day of inspiration week I have a few cards to share that I created with a mix of regular stamp sets as well as some Studio AE sets.

Hello Sweet Baby

This card features the stamp set Sweet Baby by Ali Edwards. One of my favourite sets she has released! This set works for more than just baby cards and layouts too! :-)

And Many More

This card uses the Studio AE set Cake and Candles. I'm not usually a huge birthday card person (they are my least favourite card to make) but this set made creating a card so easy! Unfortunately this set is no longer available for purchase.

Simple Beauty

This is a front fold card (a card technique learned from Jennifer McGuire) that features 2 stamp sets. Both are Studio AE sets called Get Outside and Real Life. Another great thing I love about the stamps is how easy the sets are to mix and match. And the stamping on the inside of the card leaves enough space at the bottom for the card to be signed.

Thank you so much for joining me for day one of TT/AE Inspiration week. I hope these cards have inspired you to get out those stamps and ink and make some cards! :-)

Oh and I can't forget about the giveaway!

Simply leave a comment on this post (and every post this week for more chances to win!!) and I'll draw a name after 11:59pm on Friday for someone to win a TT/AE stamp set of their choice!!

See you tomorrow for a layout featuring more TT/AE stamps!!

Steph :-)

Elle's Studio October Inspiration Gallery

2011-10-22T09:19:00.000-04:00

Today is the 22nd which means the Elle's Studio Inspiration Gallery went live today. Every month the design team and guest designer amaze me with what they create using Elle's tags. And this month's guest is Jennifer McGuire and her cards are so awesome! This months projects include a card, a layout about my niece and a layout about my dad and Ryan:

Welcome Baby

Elle's Studio Product Used: Pieces of Life Note Tags, Forever Grateful Project Kit, Vintage Note Journaling Circle Tags (used to cut out the butterflies)
Other Products Used: Studio Calico 'Mind The Gap' kit

Day At The Beach

Elle's Studio Product Used: Handmade Layers Notes Tags, Handmade Layer Circle Tags, Handmade Layers Tiny Tags
Other Product Used: Studio Calico 'Boardwalk' Kit

Thank You

Elle's Studio Product Used: Lil' Snippets: Thank You, Summer Memories Journaling Circle Tags
Other Product Used: Studio Calico 'Field Guide' Kit

Don't forget to check out the rest of the October Inspiration Gallery here.

We're off to the pumpkin patch today. One of our favourite family activities every year. I love the sites and sounds and of course the pumpkin donuts ;-) ;-) Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

And make sure to join me next week here on the blog for a Technique Tuesday / Ali Edwards Inspiration week. Lot's of projects featuring the awesome stamps that they create together. And of course we'll end the week with a giveaway!!
See you then!

Steph :-)

Elle's Studio - Sketch Thursday

2011-10-20T16:08:00.000-04:00

I played along with the sketch this week on the Elle's Studio blog. The challenge was to work with this sketch based off of Susan Weinroth's layout from the October gallery:

I created a layout of Caitlyn from her school play last year. The photos aren't the greatest due to horrible lighting in the school, but it was important to me that it be included in her album. She loves participating in the school play and she is soooo good at it. So proud of her every year she does it! :-) Anyways, this is the layout I created:

I kept the basic design of the sketch and just changed out some of the elements. You can see a full supply list at the Elle's Studio blog here.

And make sure to check out the rest of Susan's gallery here. She is the guest designer for October and her projects are amazing as always!! :-)

Steph :-)

Friend Card

2011-10-13T19:30:00.002-04:00

I got a chance to get a little crafty tonight and really wanted to create something with the new Hero Arts/Sizzix Stamp and Emboss Collage Background. I decided not to use the embossing folder but did use the stamp on a label I cut from Neenah cardstock with a Spellbinders Die.

(Supplies Used: WorldWin/Neenah Cardstock, My Mind's Eye Patterned Paper, Hero Arts Stamps, Ranger/Tsukineko Ink, Queen & Co. Pearls, Clearsnap Smooch)

After I stamped it with black Hero Hues ink, I traced the word friend with a Versamark marker and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. I also stamped an additional butterfly with Versafine ink, clear embossed it and added it to the stamped image with pop dots for dimension.

All of the colour on the background and butterfly was done with Distress Inks (Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters, Spun Sugar and Victorian Velvet) The shiny sparkle on the butterfly was done with Smooch Pearlized Top Coat. This stuff is great for adding a little sparkle to finished projects.

Be back soon!
Steph :-)

Winter Fun

2011-10-11T06:21:00.000-04:00

Another winter layout to share that I did for the Jillibean Soup blog this month. This layout actually uses a lot of product from non-winter collections. I created the snowflakes with a flower stamp from Jillibean Soup/Unity Stamp.

For a full list of supplies used on this layout, you can check out the Jillibean Soup blog here.

I'm headed back to work today after an extended weeekend for the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday. I hope all my Canadian friends had a great holiday!!

Have a great week!

Steph :-)

Hello Winter

2011-10-07T06:26:00.000-04:00

As I type this blog post, we are headed into a fall weekend that is going to be in the 70's. So not quite winter yet lol!! But I know it will be here soon enough! :-)
This is a layout I did for Jillibean Soup this month. Lot's of great stuff from the new Christmas Eve Chowder collection released at summer CHA.

Hello Winter

For a full supply list you can go to the Jillibean Soup blog post here. And make sure to check out the rest of the layouts. The Jillibean Soup DT does some amazing stuff!!

Off to work before the weekend!!
Happy Friday!!

Steph :-)

Cards To Share

2011-10-05T18:11:00.001-04:00

This past weekend I went to a scrapbooking retreat with the most amazing women I have ever met. We spent 4 days together just creating - some not as much as others - lol!! :-), laughing, eating (there was so much yummy food) and just having an amazing time. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to get to know tham all better and I can hardly wait until the next time we all get together.

And I actually made stuff!!! I am usually the one who just talks and socializes the whole time and gets absolutely nothing done. But I was a crafting fool this weekend and had fun playing with stamps and inks. I thought I would share the cards I created:

Dreams

(Supplies Used: Hero Arts Stamps, American Crafts Patterned Paper, Hero Arts/Ranger Ink, Hero Arts Gems, Hero Arts Watercolour Paper, EK Success Border Punch, WorldWin Cardstock, Spellbinders Label Die, Neenah Cardstock)

Friendship

(Supplies Used: Hero Arts Stamps, My Mind's Eye Patterned Paper, Spellbinders Label Die, Tsukineko/Ranger Ink, Hero Arts Watercolour Paper, Jillibean Soup Button, WorldWin Papers Cardstock, Creative Impressions Twine, Ranger Glossy Accents)

Thank You For Being You

(Supplies Used: Hero Arts Stamps, Ranger Ink, Little Yellow Bicycle Patterned Paper, WorldWin Papers Cardstock, Neenah Cardstock)

Love Never Fails

(Supplies Used: Hero Arts/Papertrey Ink Stamps, Tsukineko Ink, Hero Arts Gems, My Mind's Eye Patterned Paper, WorldWIn Papers Cardstock, Neenah Cardstock, EK Success Border Punch)

Thank You For Your Friendship

(Supplies Used: Hero Arts Stamps, Ranger/Tsukineko Ink, Hero Arts Gems, Spellbinders Label Die, Studio Calico Patterned Paper, WorldWIn Cardstock, Neenah Cardstock)

Very Merry Christmas

(Supplies Used: Hero Arts Stamps, Ranger Ink, Fancy Pants Patterned Paper, WorldWin Cardstock, Hero Arts Watercolour Paper, Jillibean Soup Button, EK Success Border Punch)

Whew!! I can't believe I actually got that many cards done. Doesn't seem like much for 4 days of crafting but for me its a record!!

Steph :-)

I'll Be Back...

2011-10-05T06:26:00.002-04:00

Later today to share some stamping cards I created this past weekend at a crafting retreat. Took a few days to settle back into routine...

Steph :-)

Leaf Party - Jillibean Soup

2011-09-26T06:23:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to share a layout that went up on the Jillibean Soup blog last week. It uses a lot of product from the new Apple Cheddar Soup line which I love! It's my favourite of the releases from the last CHA.

Leaf Party

You can check out the Jillibean Soup blog here for a complete supply list and to see some of the other great fall layouts.

Also, the random winner of the Scrapbook and Cards Today issue is:

Sarah

Congrats on the pubs, Stephanie! Yay, you! :)

September 23, 2011 11:42 AM

Sarah, send me an email and I'll get the issue to you! :-)

Hoping everyone has a great week!

Happy Monday!

Steph :-)

Happy Fall!!

2011-09-23T06:27:00.004-04:00

I love this time of year. It is without a doubt my favourite season! Favourites this time of year include pumpkin anything! (lattes, pies, hershey kisses... if it has pumpkin in it then i'm game!), changing leaves, sweaters, apple cinnamon candles. Well I could go on forever. :-)
Another thing making me happy right now? The Fall issue of Scrapbook and Cards Today is available today!

I have a couple of layouts in this issue and I have to say as a first time designer in this magazine, the people behind the scenes are amazing to work with! Catherine and Becky are two of the nicest people and the magazine they put out at the turn of every season is so great! Proud to be a part of this great issue.

One of my layouts featured is one with my two kiddos and lot's of Jillibean Soup:

For a full supply list and details make sure to check out the issue either online here or pick a copy up in your favourite LSS.

And how about I give a copy away?!?
Just leave a comment here and I'll pick a winner Sunday night for a copy of the Fall issue and some other fun little crafty goodies!! :-)

Have a great weekend!!
Steph :-)

Elle's Studio September Inspiration Gallery!!

2011-09-22T19:16:00.006-04:00

The September Inspiration Gallery at Elle's Studio went live today and I wanted to share the projects I made for this month. I had a lot of fun with the tags as always and love how easy they are to incorporate into my projects!

Fishing In Style

Elle's Studio Product Used: Lil' Snippets: Beach, Everyday Tiny Tags, Everyday Journaling Circle Tags, Summer Memories Circle Tags
Other Products Used: Studio Calico 'Glee Club' Kit

Sweet Dreams

Elle's Studio Product Used: Handmade Layers Pennants - Inspiring, Handmade Layer Circle Tags, Handmade Layers Tiny Tags

Other Products Used: Studio Calico 'Paper Moon' Kit

Hello Friend

Elle's Studio Product Used: Lil' Snippets: Summer, Handmade Layers Pennants - Blank

Other Products Used: Studio Calico 'Glee Club' Kit, Hero Arts Sentiment Stamp

Make sure to check out all of the rest of the projects in the September gallery. Such amazing work by the design team as always!!

Steph :-)

More Inspiration Showcase Cards

2011-09-20T19:16:00.001-04:00

I wanted to share a couple more cards I created based on techniques Jennifer has shared in her online class Inspiration Showcase.
The first is a card that focuses on the trapped embossed resist technique. I stamped the Hero Arts large fabric stamp over a favourite piece of Authentique patterned paper and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. I then covered the whole piece with Faded Jeans Distress ink. Love love the look of the two blues together. This is definitely one of my favourite techniques.

I'm Always Here For You

(Supplies Used: Worldwin Papers & Neenah Cardstock, Authentique Patterned Paper, Hero Arts Flowers, Gems and Stamps (Large Fabric Design, Thank You For Being My Friend, Tim Holtz Distress Ink, American Crafts Clear Embossing Powder, Hero Hues Black Ink)

The next one actually has a piece with the same trapped embossed resist paper from the first card. I didn't get the whole image the first time I embossed it so I decided to cut the piece down and use it on another card. And I love the look of pink and blue together so this card worked perfectly for it.

Hello

Aside from the embossed piece, this card also features a rosette I created with a Tim Holtz die. I added Tim Holtz decorative tape to the rosette for added interest as Jen did in class and inked the edges with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink. I then diecut the butterfly from Hero Arts paper and adhered it all on a card base also covered with Hero Arts patterned layering paper (the rosette was made with the Hero Arts paper as well).
The colours on this are so much prettier IRL.

(Supplies Used: Neenah Cardstock, Authentique Patterned Paper, Hero Arts Patterned Paper and Stamps (Large Fabric Design, Essential Messages), Hero Hues Black Ink, Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch, Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Decorative Tape and Rosette Die)

I'll be back later this week with my Elle's Studio September Inspiration Gallery projects. And speaking of Elle's Studio, did you see that they just launched their newest project kit and their newest tag release! Loved working with this kit...I should have some photos of my completed tray later this week. Once it's sold out it will be gone forever so make sure you don't miss out. The exclusive tags are so awesome!!

Steph :-)

Inspiration Showcase

2011-09-19T19:37:00.005-04:00

I have been taking part in an online class taught by the amazingly talented Jennifer McGuire and finally got a chance on the weekend to play around with some of the techniques. The class is based around a canvas featuring various rows of hearts that have different techniques applied to them. I actually took the class from Jennifer at Buffalo Stamps and Stuff in May so I decided to just use the techniques on cards rather than create another canvas. The first card I have to share is this one featuring the resist technique:

I Have You In My Heart

Its hard to tell in the photo, but the background piece on the card is actually glossy paper with the Hero Arts Collage Music Background stamp stamped onto it with Versamark. I then covered the whole thing with Hero Arts Latte Chalk Ink and the stamped area resisted the ink leaving the image to show through.
The butterfly also features the resist technique but with paint. I stamped the design with a pearl paint dabber and then covered it with distress inks. The paint resisted the colour and left the pearlized swirl to show through. I love the texture this technique provides.

(Supplies Used: Neenah cardstock, Worldwin Papers Cardstock & Glossy Paper, Studio Calico Patterned Paper, Hero Arts Stamps (Collage Music Background, Flower Dot Pattern, With Sympathy), Ranger Pearl Paint Dabber, Ranger Distress Inks, Hero Hues Black Ink)

I'll be back tomorrow with another card I created using some more of the fun techniques.
Happy Monday!!

Steph :-)

2 Peas Design School

2011-08-29T19:06:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!
I didn't get a chance to post last week about a fun event going on right now at Two Peas In A Bucket called Design School! It a 3 week course detailing various concepts of design with lessons, challenges and of course prizes!!
I was a guest designer last week and created a layout based on symmetrical balance. This is the layout I created:

For a full description of how I created this layout using balance in my design as well as supplies used to create this project, please visit 2 Peas here. And make sure you check out what the other guests and the garden girls created... seriously amazing stuff! :-)

This week stats a new week with new design principles...check it out here.

It's our last week of summer here...the kids start school next week and they're pretty excited!! I for one like the laziness of summer and am not as excited :-(

But we'll settle into a routine quickly and start heading into fall. That is something that makes me smile...I am definitely an autumn girl! Love the sights, smells, temperatures and overall coziness of the fall season. Can't wait!!

Steph :-)

Elle's Studio August Inspiration, Sale and Winner!!!

2011-08-22T17:39:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone!
Today is the 22nd which means the Inspiration Gallery went live at Elle's Studio. I had a lot of fun creating my projects this month with lot's of the new tags that recently came out. Here are my projects for this month:

Toronto Zoo

Elle's Studio Product Used: Lil' Snippets: Notes, Summer Memories Journaling Circle Tags, Everyday Tiny Tags

Other Products Used: Studio Calico 'Mind The Gap' Kit

Big Fish

Elle's Studio Product Used: Everyday Large Journaling Tags, Lil' Snippets: Beach, Handmade Layers Circle Tags, Summer Memories Journaling Circle Tags

Other Products Used: Studio Calico 'Boardwalk' Kit

Hello Sunshine

Elle's Studio Product Used: Lil' Snippets: Summer, Lil' Snippets: Beach

Other Product Used: Studio Calico 'Mind The Gap' Kit

And if you haven't heard, Elle's Studio is closed this week as they move to a larger space to accomodate all that awesome product! But to make up for the wait on shipping, Elle is running a great sale this week:

(click here to go right to the site and shop during this great sale!)

And last but not least...I never heard back from the winner chosen for my favourite Elle's Studio product so I picked a new name at random and the winner is:

Amy

congrats on the dt ! and love your scraproom!

August 12, 2011 7:36 PM

Congrats Amy!! I'll email you the specifics on how to get your tags sent to you. Hope you enjoy them! A huge thank you to Elle and everyone at Elle's Studio for the awesome giveaways!!

Check back tomorrow for a new layout!
Steph :-)

Summer Escape & Elle's Studio Winner

2011-08-19T19:00:00.000-04:00

I thought I would share the full layout that was featured on the Elle's Studio blog this past week:

And I haven't heard back yet from cindyn who was the winner of my favourite things from Elle's Studio. I'll wait to hear back from Cindy until sunday night and if I haven't, then i'll pick a new winner.

Happy weekend everyone!!
Steph :-)

Elle's Studio Winner!!

2011-08-15T06:31:00.000-04:00

I drew a name at random from the blog comments and the winner of my favourite Elle's Studio product is:

cindyn said...
love your layout, and love, love, love the new turquoise mix and match numbers! Thanks for the inspiration and for the chance to win some goodies!
August 9, 2011 6:11 AM

Congrats Cindy!!!
If you could please email me at sklauck(at)cogeco(dot)ca your mailing info, I will get it to Elle and have the goodies sent to you!

Thanks to everyone for stopping by and sharing in the DT spotlight week.
And make sure to check the Elle's Studio blog to see if you won my favourite products there!

Happy Monday!
Steph :-)

Elle's Studio Design Team Week & Giveaway!

2011-08-08T06:28:00.004-04:00

Today is the first day of the Elle's Studio Design Team spotlight week! Everyday from now until August 14th one member of the design team will be spotlighted on the blog so you can get to know each of us a little better and possibly win some of Elle's awesome tags too! Today is my day and here is a little sneak of the layout I created just for this week:

To see the full layout just head over to the Elle's Studio blog here. And we can't forget about the giveaway! Elle and Mel asked us all to pick 3 of our favourite Elle's Studio products and is going to be giving away our 3 favs on the blog this week. And she said we could all give away a set on our own blogs as well! How awesome is that! So just leave a comment here by 11:59pm est on Sunday August 14, 2011 and I'll pick someone to win these:

(Handmade Layers Tiny Tags, Everyday Journaling 3' Circle Tags, Vintage Mix & Match Numbers - Turquoise)

And don't forget to head over to the Elle's Studio blog today and leave a comment there for another chance to win!

Steph :-)

The Patch

2011-08-05T06:26:00.000-04:00

This is a layout I did for the Jillibean Soup booth for CHA Summer last month in Chicago.
It's been awhile since I've done an 8.5x11 layout. It's hard to believe that at one time this was the only size I scrapbooked.
I was assigned to do a layout featuring Soup Staples which was no problem because I love these papers!

For a full supply list of the product used on this layout, check out this Jillibean Soup blog post.

Happy Friday!!!
Steph :-)

Summer Fun

2011-07-29T06:28:00.001-04:00

This layout went up on the Jillibean Soup blog yesterday. I love the Watermelon Gazpacho collection! So great for all the summer photos I have waiting to be put on a layout. And the colours are some of my favourites!

I am so glad it's Friday! Its been a really long, emotional week for me. And unfortunately, due to some things that I have been dealing with this week, I had to postpone documenting a 'Week in the Life.' I definitely plan on doing it in the future...I was really enjoying it. And I think for the 2 days I did capture I'll do a page about everyday life for us and include the thoughts and photos that we collected as a family.

Its a long weekend in Canada, so I am really looking forward to some family time.
Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Steph :-)

Remember This Moment

2011-07-25T06:18:00.000-04:00

This layout features a lot of the new Jillibean Soup papers from the new lines released last week at CHA. Love how easy they are to mix and match even though they are from different collections - one of my favourite things about Jillibean Soup!

Supplies Used: Jillibean Soup patterned papers, stickers and diecuts, WorldWin Papers cardstock, Hero Arts gems, Basic Grey Letter Stickers, Technique Tuesday/Ali Edwards stamps, Jenni Bowlin Ink, Fiskars border punch, My Favorite Things notebook edge die

Today officially marks the beginning of documenting a 'Week in the Life' with Ali Edwards. My camera and phone (thought I use it to take photos as well) are ready and I am looking forward to documenting our everyday life.
Check it out here if you want to give it a try.

Steph :-)

Summer Card Camp Week 4

2011-07-24T17:11:00.001-04:00

I can't believe we are at the last week of summer card camp! Thanks to Jennifer and Kristina and all of the guest designers for a fun and inspirational 4 weeks.

This is my card for week 4:

Supplies Used: Authentique patterned paper, Neenah Cardstock, Tim Holtz Distress Stain & Flower Dies, My Favorite Things Butterfly Diecut and Felt, Ali Edwards Stamp, Stampin Up Ink, Spellbinders Die, Signo White Pen, Button (made with Ice Resin & Distress Ink Refill), Mold Muse Molds, Flowers, Thread

I finally got some ice resin and molds from Mold Muse to make some fun buttons and flowers. I've only made one batch so far (the button on the flower was created using Broken China Distress Ink and Frost White Chalk Ink mixed into the resin). I can't wait to create more fun embellishments. I also used Jennifer's finger inking technique to create the flower (I cut it out with a Tim Holtz flower die and used Peeled Paint, Broken China and Faded Jeans Distress ink to ink it up)

Hope your having a great Sunday. It's Big Brother day!!

Steph :-)

Elle's Studio July Inspiration!

2011-07-22T17:45:00.004-04:00

Today the first gallery went live at Elle's Studio with the new design team!
So excited that I get to work with such great product and such great people!

These are my projects for the month:

His Gift:

Elle's Studio Product Used: Handmade Layers Large Journaling Tags,

Handmade Layers Journaling Circle Tags (Large), Handmade Layers Tiny Tags, Handmade Layers Pennants - Birthday

Additional Product Used: Studio Calico 'Mind The Gap' kit

Snapshots:

Elle's Studio Product Used: Handmade Layers Tiny tags, Handmade Layers Pennants - Inspiring,

Handmade Layers Circle Tags, Handmade Layers Cutouts

Additional Product Used: Studio Calico 'Paper Moon' kit

Happy Birthday:

Elle's Studio Product Used: Handmade Layers Pennants - Birthday

Additional Supplies Used: Studio Calico

Make sure you head over the the Inspiration gallery and check out all of the other awesome projects the design team has created!

Have a great weekend!!!

Steph :-)

Learning To Ride

2011-07-20T19:58:00.000-04:00

This is a layout I created a bit ago for the Jillibean Soup blog. The photos are of my daughter (who is now 13!!) learning to ride her bike. The Blossom Soup collection was perfect for the photos of her.

All the supplies used can be found on the Jillibean Soup blog here.

Tomorrow is the last day of CHA (the crafting tradeshow that takes place twice a year) Some really great product has been released!!
Can't wait to start getting it all!!

Steph :-)

Summer Card Camp - Week 3

2011-07-17T18:49:00.000-04:00

This is my card for week 3 of summer card camp with Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner. I can't believe we are already halfway through the class - the summer is flying by! This weeks colours were pretty neutral and I liked that the only colour was a pop of red.

And Ryan decided to skip this week, but Caitlyn did a card. This is her take on the colour combo:

Ok... I am off to watch Big Brother!

Happy Sunday!

Steph :-)

Summer Card Camp - Week 2

2011-07-10T19:31:00.000-04:00

This is my card for week 2. I loved this colour combo:

Ryan was pretty excited that they added a kids gallery. This is his card:

Vacation is officially over here. Back to work and regular schedules tomorrow.

But Sunday means Big Brother is on - yay!!

Happy Sunday!

Steph :-)

Summer Card Camp - Week One

2011-07-03T22:24:00.000-04:00

and this is my card for week one...

Supplies Used:

Cardstock - WorldWin Papers

Patterned Paper - My Mind's Eye

Stamps - Technique Tuesday 'Kids Are Cool'

Button - Papertrey Ink

Other - Flower

Happy Sunday!!

And Happy 4th of July to all my US friends tomorrow - I hope you all have a great day with family and friends!!!

Steph:-)

Jillibean Soup Sneak #2 & Happy Canada Day!

2011-07-01T08:47:00.001-04:00

Jill posted another CHA summer sneak on the Jillibean Soup blog today. I am so excited to introduce you to Sweet & Sour Soup:

And someone is going to win it before you can buy it!! So head on over to the Jillibean Soup blog here and comment to win!!

And to all my Canadian friends... Happy Canada Day!!!
I hope you all have fun plans with family and friends...have a great holiday weekend!!

Steph :-)

Jillibean Soup - Summer CHA Sneak!!

2011-06-29T16:14:00.000-04:00

Jill posted the first CHA summer sneak on the Jillibean Soup blog today. I am so excited to introduce you to Homemade 6 Bean Soup:

And you know Jill.... she wants everyone to have a chance to win it before you can buy it!! So head on over to the Jillibean Soup blog here and comment to win!!

Steph :-)

Welcome Baby

2011-06-21T06:24:00.000-04:00

I love the new patterned paper that Technique Tuesday released called 'Perspectives' with patterns by Ali Edwards. The papers paired with AE stamps and Studio AE stamps make layouts and cards come together so easily. As soon as I saw the papers I knew I wanted to use them with a grouping of photos I had printed of my brother-in-law and niece. I created the photo collage using a Kerri Bradford storyboard template. I was a little worried that the papers wouldn't look 'girly' enough, but I love how it ended up turning out.

Supplies Used:

Cardstock - WorldWin Papers

Patterned Paper - Technique Tuesday 'Perspectives' Collection

Stamps - Technique Tuesday AE (Life In Pictures, Favorite Memories / Studio AE (It's In The Details)

Inks - Jenni Bowlin (Chili Powder, Spice Tin), Colorbox (Frost White)

Digital Cutting Tool and Designs - Silhouette America

Veneer Butterflies - Studio Calico

I definitely recommend Technique Tuesday's new patterned papers. They are made of the same great quality that their stamps are and the patterns are awesome! And they are such a great company with amazing people. Makes using their products that much better! :-)

Happy Tuesday!

Steph :-)

The 18th Hole

2011-06-16T21:09:00.001-04:00

This layout was up on the Jillibean Soup blog today. I love love love these photos of my little guy. When I look at the middle one, I don't know if I want to laugh or cry. He was so heartbroken that the last hole in our golf game took his ball. The rest of us ended up giving him our balls to putt in and that made him pretty happy though. :-)

I have the day off work tomorrow....so excited for a 3 day weekend. Tomorrow the kids and I are having a crafty sleepover night. Every couple months we stay up late in the diningroom making crafty projects and then we all camp out together. Lot's of fun!!

Oh and huge happy birthday wishes going out to both of my sisters today (nope...not twins...just born on the same day) Hope you both had an amazing day!!!

Happy weekend!

Steph :-)

Excited to Share...

2011-06-08T16:27:00.003-04:00

That I am one of the newest members of the Elle's Studio Design Team!!

You can check out the full list of the new team members here!
I am so excited to get to know everyone at Elle's Studio and create with such fabulous product!
Thanks so much to Elle for this opportunity!!

Steph :-)

Adele

2011-06-05T17:31:00.002-04:00

A friend and I went to see Adele at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto a few weeks ago and it was so so amazing! She is such a great singer and her songs are just as amazing as she is. And after seeing her in concert I love her even more than I did before I went. She is so funny and down to earth. It was a really great show. So I, of course, had to document it on a layout:

Supplies Used:
Cardstock - WorldWin Papers
Patterned Paper - Echo Park 'For The Record' Collection
Stamps - Studio AE stamps by Technique Tuesday and Lawn Fawn 'Say Cheese' set
Ink - Jenni Bowlin and Tsukineko
Stickers - Echo PArk and October Afternoon
Chipboard Butterlfies - Jenni Bowlin
Embossing Powder - AMerican Crafts
Mini Clips - Tim Holtz
Pocket - KI Memories

And just so I can share the experience, this is a video I found on You Tube of when she sang 'Someone Like You' - one of my favourite songs by her. Loved the part when she had all of us sing:

Happy Sunday!
Steph :-)

The Beach

2011-06-02T06:20:00.001-04:00

I did this layout for the May Stretch Your Sketch class at 2 Peas. This is the sketch for this month:

I don't do a lot of two page layouts. I do them occasionally, but for this sketch I decided I wanted to stick with one. I turned the sketch on its side and for the large photo at the bottom I used a Kerri Bradford storyboard template to create a collage of photos.

Supplies Used:

Cardstock and Vellum - WorldWin Papers

Patterned Paper - Echo Park Paper (Dots & Stripes Collection)

Digital Cutter and title (Beach) - Silhouette America

Photo Collage Template - Kerri Bradford Studio

Stickers - October Afternoon

Border Punch - Fiskars

Mini Clips / Tiny Attacher - Tim Holtz

Other - Twine

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Thursday!

Steph :-)

Card-A-Day Reject Blog Hop

2011-05-31T06:25:00.002-04:00

Love thie idea of a reject bog hop that Amber does after a Paper Crafts Magazine call has ended and the cards for the issue have been chosen. Everyone posts some of their cards that weren't chosen for publication in the hop. Such a fun idea so I thought I would share mine. I only had time to get a couple cards submitted for this call and I actually love how they turned out. So without further ado, here are my official rejects :-)

I Appreciate You (created for 'Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day' celebrated the last Monday in January) - the big heart on the card was cut out of pink bubble wrap.

What Would I do Without You (created for National Puzzle Day celebrated January 29)

Thanks for stopping by my blog for the reject hop. :-)

Happy Tuesday!

Steph :-)

The Great Outdoors

2011-05-25T06:22:00.001-04:00

I have had these photos for a loong time....since 1999 actually. :-) They are from when I lived in Thunder Bay, ON and hiked up the sleeping giant (a big huge rock formation that looks like a giant laying down sleeping when you look at it from a distance). It was an all day excursion and I remember being so proud that I actually made it to the top!

Supplies Used:
Cardstock - WorldWin Papers
Patterned Paper - American Crafts (Campy Trails), Jillibean Soup (Clouds from Blossom Soup)
Stamps - Lawn Fawn (Say Cheese & Critters In The Forest)
Ink - Jenni Bowlin (Brown Sugar) & Tsukineko
Markers - Copic (YR12,YR15,YR18,Y32,Y35,E55,E57)
Diecutting Machine and Design - Silhouette America
Tiny Attacher Stapler and Mini Clips - Tim Holtz
Stickers - October Afternoon (5 & Dime Collection)

Sorry the photos aren't the greatest...it was a grey overcast day. But I guess lately we have more of those than anything else. Really look forward to the nice weather getting here and staying here.

Happy Wednesday!
Steph :-)

Island Tour - Jillibean Soup

2011-05-13T20:12:00.000-04:00

Another layout that was featured on the Jillibean Soup blog this month was this one that uses photos from my honeymoon almost eight years ago:

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: WorldWin Papers
Patterned Paper, Chipboard Letters, Diecuts, Journaling Sprout, Canvas Flower - Jillibean Soup
Tiny Attacher - Tim Holtz

These photos were taken before I went digital, so I just cut them out to the desired size and created the photo collage on white cardstock. The center photo is one of my favs ever! It is a ship that sank in Big Tub Harbour in Tobermory and was left underwater. I love how it turned out.

I am off tomorrow to Buffalo Stamps & Stuff in Buffalo, NY to take some classes with Jennifer McGuire. Really looking forward to getting crafty for the day!
Have a great weekend!!

Steph :-)

Cousins - Jillibean Soup

2011-05-05T20:17:00.001-04:00

Just sharing one of my Jillibean Soup layouts for this month. I seriously love working with their product....such great designs and colours....I am never at a loss for ideas. :-)

Supplies Used:
Cardstock - WorldWin Papers
Patterned Paper, Corrugated Letters, Diecuts - Jillibean Soup
Tiny Attacher & Mini Clips - Tim Holtz

I'll be back this weekend with another Jillibean Soup layout.
Does anyone have any fun plans for National Scrapbooking Day this Saturday? I'll probably squeeze some crafting time in somewhere. I'm really hoping for nice weather though so we can head down to the beach to explore and look for treasures. :-)
I hope everyone has fun with whatever they have planned!

Steph :-)

Boys and Toys

2011-05-04T18:58:00.002-04:00

I wanted to share a layout about my little guy that I have been meaning to do for a long time. I have really been focusing on getting the stories recorded lately and actually don't mind anymore if the photos aren't perfect (which these obviously aren't). I really wanted to document his love for Mario golf and the way he plays his own version in our backyard. These types of stories and layouts are what make me love this hobby so much....down the road these memories would have possibly been forgotten. I love that they are now documented on this layout for years to come.

Supplies Used:
Cardstock - WorldWin Papers
Patterned Paper - Echo Park Paper
Diecutting Machine & Design - Silhouette America
Stickers/Diecuts - October Afternoon, 7 Gypsies, Jillibean Soup
Corrugated Stars & Twine - Jillibean Soup
Tiny Attacher - Tim Holtz
Stamps - Ali Edwards (Technique Tuesday)
Ink - Stampin' Up

I'll be back at the end of the week to share some Jillibean Soup layouts.
Happy Wednesday!!

Steph :-)

May Scrapbook Stamping - Special Delivery

2011-05-01T15:14:00.001-04:00

I am excited to share this layout that I made as a guest designer for Nichol's May Scrapbook Stamping class at 2 Peas.
This months challenge is to stamp borders on your layout. I loved the idea and created the borders on my layout a few ways:

Supplies Used:

Cardstock - WorldWin Papers

Patterned Paper - Echo Park, Crate Paper
Diecut Machine and Design - Silhouette America
Stamps - Ali Edwards (Technique Tuesday), Hero Arts
Ink - Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Tsukineko
Stickers - October Afternoon
Punches - Marta Stewart Butterfly
Felt Clouds - Pebbles

I stamped the pink, the aqua and the brown borders under the photos with word stamps, a measuring tape stamp and a stitching stamp
I stamped around the entire white cardstock piece with a phrase stamp
I stamped a circle phrase stamp around the inside of the sun

Thanks so much to Nichol for asking me to take part this month! She is such a great person and such an inspiration - I definitely recommend checking out her blog and her stamping class at 2 Peas.

Happy Sunday!
Steph :-)

April Scrapbook Stamping - Blessings

2011-04-28T17:45:00.000-04:00

For Nichol's April Scrapbook Stamping class at 2 Peas, the challenge is to use stamping with your journaling. Love this idea and I really like the Ali Edwards - Technique Tuesday stamps for this. They are such great stamps for layouts as well as cards and I find I reach for them all the time when I am creating....they always just seem to fit.
I wanted to get some older photos scrapbooked from Thanksgiving a few years ago and the Lawn Fawn 'Say Cheese' stamp set is great for that. That polaroid stamp makes any photo look great once you crop it down to fit inside the frame. I can definitely say I am addicted to this set and will probably be using it way too much in the future - lol! :-)

Supplies Used:

Cardstock - WorldWin Papers

Patterned Paper - Jillibean Soup

Diecut Machine and Design - Silhouette America

Stamps - Ali Edwards (Technique Tuesday), Lawn Fawn

Ink - Jenni Bowlin (Ranger)

Stickers/Diecuts - Jillibean Soup, October Afternoon, 7 Gypsies

Mini Clips/Staples - Tim Holtz

I have a few unfinished projects on my desk that I'm hoping to complete this weekend. If I get them done between some family functions and hockey watching (go Philly!!), I'll post them this weekend.

Have a great weekend!

Oh and ps....Grey's is finally new tonight!!

Steph :-)

Watermelon Gazpacho Soup

2011-04-15T07:19:00.000-04:00

SO excited about this mid season release from Jillibean Soup!
Let me introduce you to Watermelon Gazpacho Soup...a fun bright blend of colours and summer fun:

As always with the new releases - we've got a set to give away!!! If you want to win it before you can buy it...head on over to the Jillibean Soup blog and comment for a chance to win!

Happy Friday! :-)

Steph

Cards to Share...

2011-04-12T19:37:00.005-04:00

So I mailed some cards in for the Paper Crafts Stamping Royalty contest and since they weren't chosen I can now share them here. I'll definitely try again next year...I love creating cards for this contest because all of the non-winning cards go to Operation Write Home. Love that they go to such a great organization.
And a huge congrats to everyone who was crowned Stamping Royalty this year...Yay! :-)

I'll post the rest of my cards later this week.

Steph :-)

Some Exciting News...

2011-04-01T15:59:00.001-04:00

SO excited to be able to share some fun news:

Really looking forward to working with such an amazing company and a great group of girls! Can't wait to get started!

Happy weekend!

Steph :-)

Computer Maintenance and a Layout

2011-03-28T18:09:00.004-04:00

Yep...it's been a bit since I blogged. My computer has been having serious issues and using some of my programs has proven quite difficult lately. It's going in this week for repair and it should only take a day or two. If all goes well I should have it back by the end of the week. I'll have full access to my email and I have the kids computer here to work off of, so you'll be able to reach me as normal. :-)
I have been creating like crazy and have new layouts and cards to share, but they'll have to wait until everything is running smoothly again on my computer. I do have one to share... I did this for Jennifer's March 'Stretch Your Sketch' class at 2 Peas.

(Supplies Used: Cardstock - WorldWin; Patterned Paper - Jillibean Soup, October Afternoon; Adhesive Backed Cork - Quickutz; Letter Stickers - Basic Grey, Making Memories; Stcikers - October Aftenoon; Clear Butterflies - Heidi Swapp; Buttons - Papertrey Ink; Paper Clips and Tiny Staples - Tim Holtz; Border Punch - Fiskars)

I really wanted to make these photos look like polaroids since they were from my pre-digital days and needed to be cropped down. I thought creating polaroid type photos would make the them stand out better and become the focus of the page. I am eagerly awaiting the 'Say Cheese' stamp set from Lawn Fawn to restock but since I don't have it yet, I just created these on my own. Can't wait to have the stamp so I have the fun outline.

The cork under the photos is from Quickutz (now known as Lifestyle Crafts)...I used almost the whole piece to create a bullentin type background for the photos. I then stapled them and paperclipped them on.

And completely non-related to crafts...has anyone else seen the previews for the musical episode of Grey's Anatomy that is on this week?!?! I cannot wait to see it....looks like a pretty intense episode and the singing is going to give it a cool twist.

Have a great week!

Steph :-)

Jillibean Soup Projects

2011-03-14T12:01:00.003-04:00

I have finally finished some projects and things that have been keeping me busy and away from blogging. It feels great to finally be caught up and have some things that needed to get done out of the way. And its spring break this week so I took the week off to hang out with the kids and relax a bit.
Thought I would share some projects today that I created for the Jillbean Soup DT call. Thought I would give it a try since I really love their products. I got away from design teams for a while but decided I'd like to do some design work again and what better place to start!

The Jillibean Soup DT call doesn't end until tomorrow so you still have time to get submissions in! Check out the details here if your thinking about trying out! Good luck to everyone!

Steph :-)

A Few New Layouts...

2011-02-27T10:25:00.000-05:00

February has been crazy busy so I haven't had a chance to blog as much as I'd like. Hopefully March will have a little less going on. :-)
Until then, here are a couple layouts I've done recently.

So Grateful For You (for Jen's sketch class at 2 Peas):

Favorite Memories (for Shimelle's 4x6 photo class at 2 Peas):

Celebrate Today (for Shannon's products you love class at 2 Peas):

Happy Sunday! Hope everyone has a great week!

Steph :-)

Scrapbook Stamping February

2011-02-13T10:34:00.001-05:00

The challenge for February's Scrapbook Stamping class at 2 Peas is to use heat embossing on a layout. I decided to finally get the story about the Olympic torch coming to our town scrapbooked. Only a year later lol! I used clear embossing powder for all of the embossed parts of my layout (maple leaves on red cardstock, snowflakes on beige cardstock and sentiment on graph paper)

The clear embossing on the beige and graph paper is a little hard to see in the photos but it loks great IRL.

(Supplies Used: Cardstock - WorldWin Papers; Patterned Paper - Echo Park; Diecutting Machine and Title - Silhouette America; Stamps - Technique Tuesday, Hero Arts; Embossing Powder - American Crafts; Ink - Tsukineko; Stickers - October Afternoon & 7 Gypsies; Buttons - Nikki Sivils)

Hope everyone is having an enjoyable Sunday.....qualifying for the Daytona 500 is this afternoon! This Nascar fan is so excited the new season is about to begin!

Steph :-)

Papertrey Ink

2011-02-05T16:09:00.001-05:00

In honour of Papertrey Ink's 4th Anniversary, they are asking everyone to post (or re-post) a favourite Papertrey Ink project to join in the festivities. I posted this project last year and it is definitely one of my favourites made from one of my favourite Papertrey Ink stamp sets All Booked Up.

(Supplies Used: WorldWin Papers Cardstock, Papertrey Ink Stamps, Scenic Route Patterned Paper, Tsukineko & Colorbox Ink, We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper and Cropadile, Quickutz Die)

They're celebrating all week at the blog, so make sure you check it out!

Happy 4th Anniversary Papertrey Ink!!

Steph :-)

I Love Your Smile

2011-02-03T19:15:00.000-05:00

My daughter got her braces off yesterday so I had to do a layout to document it. And Nichol's 'Start to Finish' for this week was to do a layout using memorabilia. It worked perfect for this page because I wanted to include her appointment slip, retainer contract, etc...

The KI Memories envelope holds everything perfectly!

I can't believe how much older she looks with them off - such an exciting day for her!

Steph :-)

Hero Arts CHA Flower Pins

2011-02-02T14:24:00.005-05:00

I was able to take part in a little fun project for Hero Arts to help make the beautiful flower pins that Sally shows in the video below.

They handed them out to everyone at CHA in Los Angeles this past week.
These were the 2 styles that I made and sent:

A huge thank you to my mom and sister who helped out with them. It was a fun crafty day for sure!

This is the box all packed up to send to Jennifer:

This video wil explain how the pins are made:

I hope everyone who was able to go to the show got one....such a fun keepsake from such a great company!

Thanks Hero Arts!
Steph :-)

Baby Shower

2011-01-30T10:31:00.000-05:00

I finally got my sister's baby shower scrapped... my niece is already 6 months old so I'm a little behind lol!! I decided to use Nichol's Start to Finish challenge from this past week to scrapbook a layout with a photo collage. I knew this would be a great way to get a lot of photos from the day onto one layout. I decided to size each picture to 1.5`square which allowed me to get 28 photos on one layout!

Super happy that I finally have this page completed for my albums.

(Supplies Used: Cardstock - WorldWin Papers; Patterned Paper - October Afternoon, Girl`s Paperie, Echo Park, My Mind`s Eye; Diecut Title - Silhouette America; Punches - Fiskars; tickers - KI Mmeories, October Afternoon; Stamps - Technique Tuesday (Ali Edwards); Ink - Tsukineko; Adhesive - Tombow)

I really like scrapbooking with photo collages for occasions such as this where a lot of photos get taken. Makes it easier to capture more moments from the day than a couple larger sized photos would.

Steph :-)

Snapshot (Capturing Every Moment)

2011-01-23T11:17:00.001-05:00

Finally got a layout done from our trip to the pumpkin patch in October. I have a few more photos to scrap from that day, but wanted to get this story documented of my little guy making frends with a kitten we found hiding in the hay stacks. For Nichol's 'Start to Finish' challenge this week, she challenged everyone to create a layout with non-bulky embellishments such as stickers, stamps, diecuts, etc... Loved this idea and used it on this layout:

I pulled out some of my stashed Scenic Route Sonoma papers for this one. (LOVE that line...one of my favourites ever so I don't use it too often LOL) The 'Notes From Today' stamp is from Cat's Life Press.

(Supplies Used: Cardstock - WorldWin Papers, Wasau; Patterned Paper - October Afternoon, Scenic Route; Punces - Fiskars; Stamps - Hero Arts, Cat's Life Press, Technique Tuesday; Stickers - October Afternoon, Studio Calico; Diecut Title - Silhouette and Kerri Bradford Digital Design; Ink - Tsukineko, Colorbox; Staples & Paper Clips - Tim Holtz)

Well I'm off to get groceries done, then an afternoon of football. Happy Sunday!

Steph :-)

Stretch Your Sketch - January

2011-01-21T17:53:00.002-05:00

The third free class being offered at 2 Peas for 2011 is 'Stretch Your Sketch' with Jen Gallacher. Another fun one because there is so much room for interpretation and doing your own thing, while still following the structure of a sketch as a starting point.

This is my layout for the January sketch which can be found here:

(Supplies Used: Cardstock - WorldWin Papers, Wasau; Patterned Paper - Echo Park; Dicut Title - Silhouette; Stickers - Echo Park, October Afternoon; Tiny Attacher - Tim Holtz; White Gel Pen - Uni-ball Signo)

For my layout I flipped the sketch sideways and used one less photo. This is our first winter with our puppy and I wanted to document how much she loves running and jumping around in the snow with the kids. This month's sketch worked perfect for the photos I had.

Have a great weekend!

Steph :-)

Hero Arts Cards

2011-01-19T06:12:00.001-05:00

Posted these 2 cards at the Hero Arts Flickr group yesterday for their January challenge. The theme of this months challenge is 'Inspired by the 2011 catalogue', 'Masking' and 'Cards Inside and out'.

Thanks So Much was done for the Inspired by challenge:

(Supplies Used: WorldWin Papers Cardstock; Basic Grey 6x6 Paper Pad - Curio Collection; Hero Arts stamps; Tsukineko Ink; Martha Stewart Border Punch; Tim Holtz Distress Ink)

Friends Are Special Treasures was done for the Masking challenge:

(Supplies Used: WorldWin Papers Cardstock; Neenah Classic Crest Cardstock; Hero Arts stamps; Tsukineko Ink; Copic Markers; Tim Holtz Label Die, Tim Holtz Distress Ink)

You should definitely check out the Hero Arts blog if you love to stamp. Great challenges every month to stretch your creativity.

Steph :-)

Products You Love

2011-01-14T17:48:00.002-05:00

Another free class being offered at 2 Peas this year is 'Products You Love Every Which Way' with Shannon Tidwell. I am loving how much these classes are inspiring me to scrapbook again.
For this month, the challenge is to use border stickers on your layout:

I used the main border stickers to edge a large pocket I created to hold the program, tickets and a filmstrip of additional photos I created with my Silhouette.

(Supplies Used: Cardstock -WorldWin Papers / Core'dinations Cardstock; Patterned Paper - Basic Grey, My Mind's Eye; Border Stickers - October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket, Basic Grey; Label Sticker - October Afternoon; Title and Filmstrip Diecuts - Silhouette; Mini Paper Clips & Staples - Tim Holtz; Calendar Diecut - Jenni Bowlin)

Have a great weekend!!

Steph :-)

Colour Inspiration Week

2011-01-10T22:40:00.000-05:00

This week the Paper Crafts Blog and The Moxie Fab World Blog are sharing their new special issue - Color Inspiration for Card Makers. An absolute must have issue! So many great card ideas in this one...seriously love it!

And of course the Moxie Fab World blog is hosting a colour inspiration challenge every day this week. This is today's - Bright & Bold Color Challenge for Color Inspiration for Card Makers Week in the Moxie Fab World and this is the colour combo:

And this is the card I created:

(Supplies Used: WorldWin Papers Cardstock, Making Memories Patterned Paper, Hero Arts Stamps, Tsukineko Ink, Maya Road & Making Memories Flowers, Fiskars Postage Border Punch)

Make sure you head on over to the Moxie Fab World Blog to participate in the challenges this week. You could win this special issue just by getting a little creative with colour!

Steph :-)

December Cookie Party

2011-01-09T14:57:00.001-05:00

Every year a bunch of us do a cookie exchange and have a little get together to actually exchange them and I've been trying to decide how to document this on a layout so that I caould include the recipes from each year. Then Nichol issued a challenge for a new weekly feature she's doing at 2 Peas that worked perfect for what I wanted to do - create a layout with a pocket or envelope.

I didn't have any of the KI memories envelopes to use, so I created an envelope with my Silhouette to use for this project. I used a money card template and just altered it to create the envelope on the layout. It's a great spot to tuck in all of the recipes.

I sewed around the 'Be Merry' sticker for added interest and intertwined sparkle thread with the regular beige. You can't really see it in the photo, but the stitching is sparkly when it catches the light.

I typed the journaling on some graph paper and punched the top with my Stampin' Up notebook edge punch. For the title, I used Loni Stevens 'December' Silhouette shape. I love how the outline diecut makes the title pop off the page.

I cut some ornaments out of the patterned paper to include on the layout. I added thread and adhered one of the ornaments on with dimensional adhesive.

(Supplies Used: WorldWin Papers Cardstock, Echo Park Patterned Papers, October Afternoon Stickers, Silhouette Diecutting Machine & Digital Designs, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher and Mini Paper Clips, Basic Grey Letter Stickers, Ali Edwards Clear Stamps, Tsukineko Ink, Fiskars 'Upper Crest' Border Punch, American Crafts Rub-ons, Stampin' Up Punch)

This ended being the perfect solution to scrapbooking the annual cookie party and now I can just do a similar layout each year. And instead of journaling every year, I can just do a list of all the cookies that were exchanged for quick reference when we want to make them. Super fun and easy to create!

Steph :-)

WCMD 2010

2011-01-04T16:34:00.001-05:00

Sooo.... I have been keeping a little secret since the beginning of November.

Paper Crafts Magazine WCMD Winner!

I'm not even sure if I mentioned awhile back that I entered the Paper Crafts World Card Making Day Card Contest....but I did... and I won!
They announced the winners on the blog today here and we are free to share the good news!

I was shocked when I got the email that I won and even more shocked when I read it and realized I won in 2 categories - Birthday and Hello/Thinking of You! So exciting!

Both of my winning cards will be published in the March/April issue of Paper Crafts and this showed up on my doorstep a little while back:

A HUGE thank you to all of the sponsors who donated to this awesome prize pack! It seriously rocks!
And of course and really big thank you to everyone at Paper Crafts for providing the opportunity to take part in this awesome contest! You rock!

The next WCMD is October 1, 2011...and I definitely recommend entering the contest next year even if you don't think you have a shot at winning.... this is the first year I entered and my winning cards will be my first Paper Crafts publications! :-)

Steph :-)

Scrapbook Stamping

2011-01-02T16:27:00.001-05:00

There is some new classes being introduced at Two Peas in a Bucket for 2011 and one of them is Scrapbook Stamping with Nichol Magouirk. Since I love to stamp on m cards and layouts, I knew I would definitely take part. This is the layout I did for the January class:

You can a full supply list here.

This is my younger sister right after she had her first baby. I knew the Ali Edwards Sweet Baby stamp set would be perfect for this layout. I love incorprating stamping into layouts. It gives it more visual interest and allows you to add little details that bring the layout together.

I defintely suggest taking part in the class if you like stamping. You can find the full class details (with a pdf and a video) here.

Steph :-)

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T17:37:00.001-05:00

Wishing everyone a safe and happy new year!!
Looking forward to seeing what 2011 will bring!

Steph :-)

Hero Arts Blog Hop

2010-12-08T20:08:00.017-05:00

You’re invited to join Hero Arts on Friday, December 10th for a fun-filled, inspiration-packed blog hop featuring ALL NEW stamps from the upcoming 2011 Hero Arts Catalog!

More than 20 Hero Arts designers and friends will be previewing the new stamps and sharing idea after idea. You’ll be able to leave comments along the way for a chance to win fabulous prizes — 2011 Catalog stamps, of course!

So make sure you stop by and join in the fun — it all starts on the Hero Arts blog the morning of December 10.

TPMS Newsletter Project

2010-11-03T06:22:00.006-04:00

This is the project I did for The Paper Mill Store newsletter for October:

Full Supply List and Instructions can be found here.
Steph :-)

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T21:54:00.007-04:00

Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween!

Steph :-)

Hero Arts Pairing Up Challenge - Day 3

2010-10-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

I can't believe we are already at the last day of the Hero Arts pairing up challenge. Its been a super fun week creating cards for the challenges and seeing the awesome ideas that Kelly came up with. And I find it pretty funny that for the first 2 challenges we used the same sentiment stamp. Wonder if today we'll be 3 for 3. :-)

For the last challenge we decided to use the 'Friend Definition' Background and the 'Everyday Sayings' sentiment set:

And this is the card I created:

Supplies Used: Neenah Cardstock, Bazzill Basics Cardstock, Hero Arts Stamps, Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Tsukineko Ink, American Crafts Brads, Collage Press Patterned Paper

I really challenged myself with this card, by throwing in a lot of purple. :-) Definitely a colour that I rarely use.
Thanks so much for stopping by this week for the Hero Arts challenges. And thanks to Kelly who totally rocked them! So glad I got to know her better and so looking forward to continuing our friendship.

Steph :-)

Hero Arts Pairing Up Challenge - Day 2

2010-10-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

Today is day 2 of the Hero Arts pairing up challenge with Kelly and I. For day two we decided to use this background and sentiment set:

For my card, I clear embossed the background stamp on green cardstock, added some butterflies from the 'Antique Writing' background stamp (I love stamping these and cutting them out vs. using the whole background stamp) and then I stamped 'Hello' from the sentiment set:

Supplies Used: WorldWin Papers and Bazzill Basics Cardstock, October Afternoon Patterned Paper, Hero Arts Stamps and Pearls, Tsukineko Ink, Ranger Embossing Ink, American Crafts Embossing Powder, Fiskars Border Punch

Thanks so much for stopping by and make sure to stop by Kelly's blog and check out her awesome card for Day 2 here. We'll be back on Friday for the 3rd and final day of our background/sentiment stamp challenge.

Steph :-)

Hero Arts Pairing Up Challenge - Day 1

2010-10-25T06:00:00.006-04:00

Hey everyone!

Awhile back, a bunch of stampers from the Hero Arts flickr group paired up to do some stamp challenges. I was lucky enough to be paired with the awesomely talented Kelly Rasmussen and this week we are sharing the challenges and cards we did together ! :-)

We decided to do three challenges this week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and for our challenges, we picked one Hero Arts background and one Hero Arts sentiment stamp set that had to be used on our card with any other stamps we wanted.

For day one we chose:

And this is the card I created:

Supplies Used: WorldWin Papers Cardstock, Basic Grey Patterned Papers, Hero Arts Stamps, Tsukineko Ink

I had so much fun creating this card for the challenge! Make sure to check out Kelly's awesome card here and don't forget to stop by on Wednesday for Day 2 of our 3 day challenge!

Steph :-)

Holiday Thinking Inking (Week 1 & 2)

2010-10-14T20:22:00.019-04:00

Last week, a holiday version of Jennifer McGuire's popular 'Thinking Inking' classes started at Two Peas in a Bucket. Lot's of fun techniques and ideas for inks and stamping. The first two weeks are focusing on different techniques with Tim Holtz Distress Inks. You definitely need to check out the videos that Jennifer has done to go with the classes. She shows you how to achieve the different effects really well. Here are the cards I did for Week 1 and 2:

I used distress inks with water to create the watercolour stamped leaves on the first card, and I used distress inks mixed with water to 'paint' the ornament on the bottom card.

So fun to experiment with different colours and water until you get a look that you like.

Steph :-)

Moxie Fab World Holiday Week

2010-10-11T10:00:00.005-04:00

If you've never checked out the Moxie Fab World blog, you definitely should. Awesome inspiration and fun challenges to take part in. One of the most recent challenges are based on the new special issue that recently came out from Paper Crafts called Holiday Cards and More Vol. 5. I had a little time this past week to create a couple projects for the challenges.

This first one is for the All Wrapped Up challenge found here. I created a gift bag with a stamped image for the front. I thought the stamp was fitting for the front of a gift bag. I coloured the image with pencil crayons and gamsol and added icicle stickles to the fur on her coat (hard to see in the photo) The background behind the stamped image was done with Stormy Sky and Pumince Stone Distress Ink.

And this one is for The Decor to Make the Season Bright challenge found here. I used a set of coasters from Making Memories that I had but hadn't used yet. I created the inside pieces with October Afternoon patterned papers and I used a sparkle pen on the houses and trees to create a frost/snow effect. :

And on another note, it's Thanksgiving here in Canada, so Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Canadian friends and family!! We had turkey dinner yesterday, so today we are just enjoying a day off work and school hanging out at home.

Steph :-)

As Soon As I Finish This Chapter...

2010-10-06T16:02:00.012-04:00

A favourite newer stamp release of mine is the All Booked Up set from Papertrey Ink.

As soon as I saw, I knew I had to have it! My whole family loves the read, including me, so I knew I would have a lot of fun ideas for the stamps included in this set including gifts for friends, family, teachers....anybody really.

I finally got the chance to break it out the other day and make something with it. I decided to create a card with a pocket that the handmade bookmark could slide right into. I used matching papers and inks so it matched and now its all ready to gift to someone special:

Supplies Used: WorldWin Papers Cardstock, Papertrey Ink Stamps, Scenic Route Patterned Paper, Tsukineko & Colorbox Ink, We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper and Cropadile, Quickutz Die

And speaking of reading and needing a bookmark, I recently dug out the books that I own by Patricia Cornwell that are part of the Kay Scarpetta series. I've read a bunch of them but missed some and the ones I did read were all out of order, so I've decided to reread the entire series which consists of 17 books, with a new one coming out in November. I made a list of the ones I had and went to the local used bookstore at lunch today to try and get some of the ones I was missing. And they actually had 4 of them! So now I only need 2 more and the're the last 2 in the series, so I have a bit to get them. This is the first in the series:

I highly recommend her books if you like suspense fiction. Kay Scarpetta is such a great character...looking forward to getting back into her world.

Steph :-)

Cards for Baby and a Winner

2010-10-04T17:05:00.005-04:00

I chose a name at random for the Hero Arts Cling stamp giveaway and the winner is:
Audrey Pettit!
I'll send you an email to get your address and get the stamps mailed out to you.

I have a couple baby cards to share today. I did these for the Papercrafts call a little while ago for baby cards in non-traditional colours (no pinks or blues):

Supplies Used: WorldWin Papers Cardstock, My Mind's Eye Patterned Paper, Technique Tuesday Stamps, Making Memoires Ribbon, Doodlebug Brads, Colorbox Ink, We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

Supplies Used: WorldWin Papers Cardstock, Neenah Cardstock, October Afternoon Patterned Papers, Papertrey Ink Stamps, Button

I love the Papertrey Ink 'Baby Button Bits' stamp set. So many different things you can do with the images and they aren't limited to just baby cards.

Steph :-)

WCMD 2010

2010-10-02T16:59:00.008-04:00

Happy World Card Making Day 2010!

I spent the day crafting and hanging out with my little guy. He made an I Love You card and a Halloween card. I love that he likes to get inky with stamps and make cards with me! :-)

I managed to get a few cards completed too. Here is one I did today:

Supplies Used: WorldWin Papers Cardstock, Neenah Cardstock, Imaginisce Patterned Paper, Stampavie Stamp, Fiskars Border Punch, Pencil Crayons & Gamsol.

I hope everyone had a chance to get some crafty time in today and make some cards to honour this super fun holiday. How about a little giveawy too! Leave me a comment here by Sunday October 3 at 11:59pm and I'll draw a name to win these Hero Arts Cling Stamps:

Have a great weekend everyone!

Steph :-)

Stampavie Challenge #33

2010-09-26T18:28:00.012-04:00

I discovered Stampavie stamps awhile ago and finally found a store kinda near me that carries them. I picked up a couple of the new Christmas stamps but wanted to take part in the fall challenge over at the Stampavie blog. The details for the challenge can be found here.

So I used the Chic Shopping stamp by Penny Johnson and used fall colours and papers with it. I figured people shop for gifts in the fall, right? :-) When I stamped the image, I didn't stamp the snowflake on the shopping bag to make it less wintery.

Not sure if I achieved a fall look or not, but I love the way the card turned out:

Supplies Used: WorldWin & Neenah Cardstock, Imaginisce Patterned Paper, Stampavie Stamp, Hero Arts Stamp, Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Tsukineko Ink, Pencil Crayons & Gamsol

I really love the quality of Stampavie stamps and how crisp and clear the image comes out. I will definitely be picking up more of these stamps in the future.

Steph :-)

Operation Write Home & Hero Arts

2010-09-12T20:37:00.010-04:00

This weekend Hero Arts held a birthday bash in honour of Operation Write Home, a great organization that accepts handmade cards to send to soldiers so they have a way to send cards to their loved ones at home.

There was a bunch of challenges posted in the Hero Arts Flickr Group for everyone to particiapte in and then we'll all send our cards to OWH. I was away camping for most of the weelend but was able to get these cards done:

If you get a chance to make some cards for Operation Write Home, I really encourage it. They provide the opportunity for families to connect who can't be together through day to day life as well as all of the special holidays throughout the year.

Steph :-)

Hero Arts Flickr Group Blog Hop

2010-09-05T07:30:00.002-04:00

Jenny (a Hero Hostess in the Hero Arts Flickr group) planned a blog hop today for anyone who wanted to participate. Any theme, any HA stamps... just a chance to get inky and share what we made in a blog hop. I decided to go with a birthday theme for my card, because they are the ones I find the hardest to make. Figured I'd challenge myself to do something I don't normally do :-) So here is my card for the hop:

Supplies Used: Hero Arts stamps (CL382, S5435), WorldWin Papers Cardstock, Cosmo Cricket Patterned Paper, Tsukineko Ink, Copic Markers, Uniball Signo Gel Pen.

Not exactly how i envisioned it in my head, but I think it turned out okay :-) I love this colour palette.

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Make sure you check out the rest of the great cards in the blog hop....just go to the blog hop post in the message board of the Hero Arts Flickr group and prepare to be inspired!

Steph :-)

Twitter Friends Card Challenge

2010-09-02T06:09:00.003-04:00

So Teri Anderson challenged friends on Twitter to a card challenge a couple weeks ago. Any theme we wanted, but it had to include 23 buttons, gems or brads. I love a good challenge, but this one kinda scared me at first because it seemed like a lot to put on one card. So I starting pulling out patterned paper to try and get inspired and the third piece caught my eye and gave me an idea right away. And from that piece of Echo Park Paper, this card was born:

Supplies Used: WorldWin Papers Cardstock, Echo Park Paper Patterned Paper, Hero Arts Stamps, Maya Road Flower, Kaiser Craft Gems, Tsukineko Ink, We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper.

All of the little flower designs on the aqua paper have a gem in the middle for a total of 22, with the 23rd one being the larger one in the center of the flower. Thanks for the fun challenge Teri and forcing me to break out of my comfort zone a bit.

Steph :-)

Hello Out There

2010-08-31T19:22:00.008-04:00

Wow....long time no post!

I cannot believe its been over 2 months! The summer has been so busy with family stuff, camping trips, barbq's, swimming, and a ton of other fun activities.
Now that everything is winding down, I am happy to be getting more creative time.

One of the things we did this summer was a camping trip to Westfield, NY with Wendy Bretz and her family. It was so much fun!! Wendy and I have been friends since the first Buffalo CKC and usually only see each other once a year, so when her and her family invited us to go we couldn't resist. And who knew it is only a little over an hour to their house. It was such an easy drive that we are going for an end of summer camping trip with them in a couple weeks!

One of the best things about the trip was that our kids finally got to meet and hang out together. They had a great time! I did this layout after we got home:

One of my favourite new companies on this layout...Echo Park Paper. Their collections are so awesome! I can't wait for the 2 Christmas lines coming out!

Looking forward to keeping this blog updated!

Steph :-)

Card-A-Day - June 11th, 2010

2010-06-11T20:02:00.001-04:00

Thank You:

Supplies Used:
WorldWin Papers Cardstock
Hero Arts Stamps
Colorbox 'Olive' Chalk Ink
Ranger 'Espresso' Ink
Ribbon
Pearls

Card-A-Day - June 10th, 2010

2010-06-10T06:11:00.003-04:00

Thank You:

Supplies Used:
WorldWin Papers Cardstock
American Crafts Patterned Paper (Letterbox)
Hero Arts Sentiment Stamp
Colorbox 'Chestnut Roan' Chalk Ink

Card-A-Day - June 9th, 2010

2010-06-09T06:13:00.002-04:00

Hello Sweet Baby:

Supplies Used:
My Mind's Eye Patterned Paper (Be Loved)
Papertrey Ink Stamps (Baby Button Bits)
Technique Tuesday Stamps (Ali Edwards Sweet Baby)
Ranger 'Espresso' Ink
Colorbox 'Chestnut Roan' Chalk Ink
Button

Card-A-Day - June 8th, 2010

2010-06-08T06:16:00.003-04:00

One Of A Kind Friend:

Supplies Used:
WorldWin Papers Cardstock
Basic Grey Patterned Paper (Max & Whiskers)
Martha Stewart "Garden Trellis' Border Punch
Hero Arts Butterfly and Sentiment Stamp
Tsukineko Versafine 'Onyx Black' Ink
We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper