A complete departure

from my usual style. I was inspired by Julie Lacey’s take on this week’s Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. I needed to make a birthday card for my awesome boss (OK, I had plenty on hand to choose from – I just wanted an excuse to play), and I wanted to use more of the yummy papers from the Echo Park Be Mine Collection, because she is totally into the whole black/white/grey thing.

A little bit of Raspberry Fizz (Papertrey) made the card pop. You will notice that I actually used my sewing machine. Yup, I sewed on paper! Of course it helped that the machine was already loaded with black thread (I hate changing thread). Peeking out from under the ribbon is some of the BG adhesive paper lace, and the swirls are pieces cut from some Zva Jet Crystal Flourishes.

The center piece is cut with Labels 13 Nestabilities, and stamped with PTI’s Damask Designs.

So even though this is the complete opposite of my usual clean & simple style, I rather like the way it came out. Don’t get too used to all this fussiness from me, though!

Yummy

Just a quick share. I spent the afternoon making these for my boss’s birthday tomorrow. She’s a terrific boss, and a really awesome woman. And she LOVES m&m’s.

These are triple chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting. They were fun to decorate, and yes, I did sit and sort the whole bag of m&m’s out by color.

And yes, I did lick the bowl(s).

IHP March DT Challenge: What’s New?

This month the i {heart} papers Design Team was given a bit of free reign – we could make whatever we wanted, but it had to use some of the NEW stuff that Kate ordered from CHA.

Since Easter is right around the corner, I decided to use some of the spring-like and delicious paper from the Stella and Rose Hazel pad by My Mind’s Eye to make an Easter basket and some eggs. I just LOVE these colors and prints! (Yes, I know there are a few of you out there asking what a nice Jewish girl is doing making an Easter basket ☺)

I found some styrofoam eggs when I was cleaning up my craft closet (you wouldn’t believe some of the stuff I had hiding in there!), so I took a few and covered them with punched out flowers, using some glass head pins that I picked up in the sewing notions section at Wal-mart a long time ago.

The basket is made with an 8x8 square of kraft cardstock, scored 2-5/8” inches from each side. This post on Splitcoast Stampers has a link to the directions. The strip left from trimming an 8-1/2x11 sheet was enough to make the handle. I applied squares of various papers from the Hazel pad before I assembled the basket. Here’s a closer look at just the eggs:
How have you been using the new goodies introduced at CHA? Would you like to join our challenge? Just post your project to the SCS or PCP gallery and use the keyword ihp0311 so we can find it.

Now go take a look at what Kate and the other very talented ladies who comprise the IHP Design Team made with their new stuff:

Kate
Deb
Gretchen
Kendra
Loretta
Lori
Lynn
Megan
Tracy

And be sure to stop by i {heart} papers to see the new and wonderful goodies that are coming in almost every day! Kate’s legendary outstanding customer service, and free shipping on orders of $50 US and up, just can’t be beat!

IHP & OCL Partner Challenge Day

Today I’m happy to join my fellow i {heart} papers design team members in partnering with the Our Craft Lounge Challenge #55. The challenge is to pick a card made with an OCL set (there are soooo many awesome ones to choose from!) and do our own version using a different OCL set. 

Above is my card, and if you click here you’ll see the card that the very talented Denise Marzec made, and which I used as my inspiration. While Denise used Pat the Good Dog for her card, I used Tweet Trees for mine. She had some adorable die-cut clouds floating over her image panel, and I decided to pop up the body of the bird over my image. The oval image panel and scalloped mat are cut with Large Oval Nestabilities, and the scalloped border is cut with the Jumbo Scalloped Petite Borderabilities. My patterned paper is from the October Afternoon Seaside collection. And these are the Copic markers that I used to color the image:

We’d love to see your take on this challenge too! Here are the details:
Play along and you might even win one of OCL’s monthly prizes! Details are on their blog. 

Go take a look at the cards that the rest of the IHP Design Team came up with for this challenge:
Deb
Gretchen
Kendra
Lori
Lynn
Tracy
Kate

Happy stamping!

A couple of sweet cards

I got to spend some time at my new craftin’ desk this weekend (more on that soon) and whipped up a couple of sweet and simple cards using the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 105.

Amazingly, I didn’t use any stamps on these – just the Echo Park Little Girl Collection Kit that I recently got from Kate at i {heart} papers, some ribbon, and some cardstock. I love collection kits – lots of papers that coordinate, and all kinds of stickers and stuff to go with them. Gotta love these cupcakes, too – totally guilt-free and calorie-free!

I have a couple of other things I worked on this weekend – some I can’t share for a little bit yet. I’ll be back in a couple of days to show you more.

IHP DT Challenge: Inspired by a Story

This month Deb, our design team challenge coordinator, assigned us the task of making a card or project that was inspired by a story. My card is inspired by the Jules Verne story “Around the World in 80 Days,” which was first published in 1873. It was made into an Academy Award winning movie with David Niven in 1956, and again in 2004 with Jackie Chan. As far as I’m concerned, the second one didn’t count. It was also adapted many times and many ways for stage, screen and TV. But anyway…The story is about an English man, Phileas Fogg, and his French valet, who set out to circumvent the globe in 80 days on a bet, using whatever means of transportation is available. In the original book there was no hot air balloon involved, but the 1956 movie added that element and all adaptations after that kept it in.

I used the Unity stamp set Itty Bitty Adventurous for this, along with paper from Kaiser Craft’s Up, Up and Away pad. Both are currently available at i {heart} papers (of course), although in very limited quantity. It was stamped with Palette Cocoa ink and colored with Copic markers (BG11, YR20, YR24) to coordinate with the background paper. The aqua dewdrops are from my stash.

Now go take a look at what the rest of the design team came up with:

Cathleen
Deb
Gretchen
Kendra
Loretta
Lori
Lynn
Megan
Tracy
Kate

We’d love to see what YOU can make that’s inspired by a story. If you make something, please post it in the PCP or SCS gallery with the keyword “ihp0211” so we can find it.

Wishing you your own great adventure,

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Just a quick post with a couple of cards that went out in the mail. Hopefully I timed it right and they get where they’re going on time. With all the mess of reorganizing my craft space the last couple of weeks, I didn’t get as many cards made as I would have liked.

This card was inspired by one in a PaperCrafts magazine a while back. Can’t put my hands on it right now to give proper credit. The brown layer is run through the Big Shot with an embossing folder and then lightly and carefully stamped with PTI Background Basics:Text Styles. A white eraser took care of the boo-boos that inevitably occurred.

This one was inspired by what must have been a recent sketch challenge. Again, I wish I could put my finger on which one, but I can’t at the moment. It’s hard to see, but the pink strips were first stamped with an old SU heart vine background stamp, then run through the Big Shot with the Swiss Dots embossing folder. I stamped a piece of darker pink CS with the reverse dots stamp from the Mint Motif set Very Square using Palette Claret ink before I punched it out with a large heart punch. I find that Claret is actually a better match for the PTI Raspberry Fizz CS than their own ink. The words along the bottom, stamped in Palette Charcoal, are from the PTI set Sweet Love.

Hope your day is filled with love.

January IHP Design Team Challenge

This month’s i {heart} papers design team challenge was an inspiration challenge based on a lovely European candy store called, well, The Candy Store, in Ottawa, Canada. In keeping with the European-ness of it, and the candy-ness of course, I decided to alter a candy box I received as a gift. I wanted a way to package some sugar-free Dove chocolates, and this was the perfect size. The box was originally filled with the most incredible chocolates from Japan. Really, truly scrumptious. Interestingly, they were brought directly from Japan to me by the girlfriend of a dentist – hmmmm, do you think there’s a little collusion going on there?

The box was black to begin with, and I simply cut a sheet of paper from the delicious Echo Park Be Mine Collection Pack to cover the top, the inside, and all of the sides, leaving a bit of the black as a border. Both the circle pattern and the pink text pattern are 2 sides of the same 12x12 sheet. The Eiffel Tower label and the 2 little pink hearts are part of the collection pack – it has 2 sheets of stickers in it. I finished it off with a double bow made from some fuchsia silk ribbon in my stash (with the fabulous Bow Easy).

The inside of the box is decorated as well, with another one of those little pink heart stickers for an added pop of color. You can’t see it because of the chocolates, but the bottom is covered with the pink text paper too. Oh, and I’m afraid that by the time you see this, some of those candies might have mysteriously disappeared…

Now go take a look at what the rest of the design team came up with:

Cathleen
Deb
Gretchen
Kendra
Loretta
Lori
Lynn
Megan
Tracy
Kate

I’m guessing there will be some sweet treats to feast your eyes upon. If you’re inspired to participate and share your creation, please post it to the SCS gallery or PaperCraft planet gallery with the key word ‘ihp0111’ so we can all find it.

Have a delicious day!

Puppy Love

I think I’m gonna send this card to my daughter and son-in-law for Valentine’s Day from their puppy, Sugar. (I’ll have to move quickly to delete it from Facebook when it automatically loads there so she doesn’t see it beforehand ---shhhhh.)

I used Pat the Good Dog, a cutie OCL set that I just got from i {heart} papers, and I used the OCL Color Challenge of red, black and kraft, too. I made my own patterned paper with the border stamp in the set, and colored it, and the dog, with my Copic markers. Everything is stamped with Memento Cocoa ink.

The XOXOXO in the bone is from an old Hero Arts set, but any number of sentiments would fit in there. I used my Bow Easy to make a double bow from some black & white gingham ribbon in my stash.

I’ve got some more Valentines done too – but I’ll save them for another day.

Inspired by…

This week’s Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger was right up my alley, and I knew as soon as I had a chance I was gonna use this gorgeous cake as the inspiration for a card.

Look at this cake:
I decided that it would be really cool if I used my new Cricut Cake to make a card based on this inspiration. I love the fact that my two passions have collided on so many levels. I have used many paper crafting tools in cake decorating, and now I can use my Cricut Cake to cut paper for a card! I used the Elegant Cakes cartridge and some SU Shimmery White cardstock. Here’s the results:

It was impossible to get a really good shot of this card. You can’t see the shimmer of the paper; it’s really beautiful in person. And of course I had to add some butterflies (Martha punch) and some pearls to finish it off. 

I love how it came out! I’m sure you’ll be seeing more Cricut creations in the near future.

 

Happy New Year!

I thought I’d start the year off by pulling out one of my favorite OCL sets and wishing you all good fortune in 2011.

I’ve got much to be thankful for in the past year, and I can’t wait to see what this year brings! Good fortune, both financially and otherwise, would be nice. And the return of my mojo would be nice, too.

This card uses the sketch from the January SFYTT Sketch Challenge. I’m so glad Jen decided to switch to a monthly challenge instead of giving it up. Her sketches are the best, and they never fail to inspire me.

After I colored the designs on the tablecloth, I went over them with some Spica glitter pens to match the sparkle of the striped paper. And I wrote in the 2011 by hand in the crystal ball.

What I used:
Stamps: Crystal Clear(OCL)
Paper: Happy Day (s.e.i.), Black, Copic Blending Cardstock
Ink: Memento Black, Copic markers, Spica pens

Wishing you all the best in the new year.

Hi, my name is Piper, and I’ll be your date tonight (aka IHP December DT Challenge)

This month’s IHP Design Team challenge was to make something inspired by fancy fashion. I found a vintage glittery white dress online and decided to dress up a champagne bottle for a festive occasion. You can see the dress below.

I created a simple pattern first with plain paper, so as not to waste my precious supplies. Once I knew what my goal was, it only took about 15 minutes to get it done. But oh, the days I spent trying to get to that point! As Kate, says, that’s why they call it a challenge!

The glittery white paper is from the Petaloo glitter pad. Kate has a few different assortments in the store. I punched 6 holes down the sides of the “bodice” and ran some white Glimmer Ribbon through it, looping it over the neck of the bottle and tying it in the back. Then I took a piece of burgundy crepe ribbon and wrapped it around from the front to the back and then to the front again, tying it there. Did that make sense? I actually fed the ribbon first through a couple of the holes on the sides to keep it in place, then did the wrapping and tying. Clear as mud, right?

Anyhow, hope you feel a little inspired yourself! Wouldn’t this be a great way to present a bottle of bubbly this New Year’s Eve? If you want to post your own version of a fashion inspired project, make sure you use the keyword “ihp1210” in the SCS or PCP gallery so we can find it.

Now go take a look at what the rest of the design team came up with:

Cathleen
Deb
Gretchen
Kendra
Loretta
Lori
Lynn
Megan
Tracy
Kate

Have a sparkly day!

For the love of a dog…

This is how I spent my afternoon today. I’m home with a miserable cold, and had to stop to sit down several times throughout the process, but it’s the holidays, and some things just need to be done. There’s no shortage of puppy treats and gifts available online, but there’s nothing like something from Grandma’s kitchen, right?

So while everybody else was home baking holiday cookies, I made doggy biscuit treats for my grandpuppy, Sugar. And a few for my brother’s dog, Rusty, too. I am THAT crazy lady who went and bought the cookie cutters in 2 sizes!

In case anyone is interested, the recipe was from the King Arthur's Flour blog. Very easy, and you probably have all (or most) of the stuff in your kitchen already. I actually had to go out and buy a new jar of peanut butter because it’s been so long since I’ve used the real stuff that it had gone rancid in the cabinet!

Counting down… Is anybody less ready than I am?

Look who’s hiding in my refrigerator…

Are these not the cutest little turkey cupcakes you have ever seen? I’ve been working on them since Wednesday, and they’re all tucked away now, chillin’ and waiting for their trip to the Philadelphia area to meet the family today. Too bad their lifespan will be only slightly longer than their poultry counterpart. Gobble gobble! They even look a little apprehensive, don’t they?

A few details for those who are curious: I got the idea here. I used Trader Joe’s Yellow Cake Mix for the cupcakes (first time – I’ll let you know…), and for the frosting, I made a Bittersweet Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Let me tell you folks, this stuff should be against the law. Never have I tasted anything so sinfully silky and deliciously decadent. Trouble with a capital “T”.

The tail feathers and beaks are made of fondant. Hopefully, the food coloring will have worn off my hands by the time you read this. I cheated and bought the eyes already made at NY Cake and Baking Supply, which is conveniently (and dangerously) located about a block and a half from my office.

Have a wonderful day. Catch up with you soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, and every day, I am most grateful for my amazing, wonderful, loving family. I completely lucked out in that department. Every single one of them, whether related by birth or by marriage, is a true joy.

The favor boxes above will be on our family Thanksgiving table tomorrow. Yes, I said tomorrow. Our family has decided that when we can, we’ll celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas on the “off” days. No matter where we celebrate, there’s a great deal of traveling involved for most people, and celebrating on an alternate day makes that a lot easier. It also lets those with spouses celebrate with both families.

Here’s a close-up of the box. The image is made with the Happy Harvest set by The Petal Press, available exclusively from i {heart} papers. I drew the stem on the pumpkin, since technically I stamped it upside down. It’s colored with Copic markers, and a drop of Glossy Accents is added to each of the acorns. The greeting is from the same set, and it’s embossed with gold EP. I punched the whole thing out with a big oval punch, but you could easily use Nestabilities. I then ran a gold metallic marker around the edge to finish it off. The box itself is made with the Sizzix matchbox die from SU!. I don’t know how I ever lived without it! Most of them are filled with Hershey’s Nuggets (a few, like mine, are filled with Weight Watchers candies).

I sincerely want to thank those of you who actually follow my blog. I know there are a few of you out there, and I do appreciate it. I also know that I’m not as diligent as I’d like to be in posting. I hope you’ll stick with me anyway as I try to get better at that.

And make sure you take some time to check out Kate’s enormous Black Friday Sale at i {heart} papers. From Black Friday through Sunday (midnight EST) use the code black25dt for 25% off any order $25 or more. This is the biggest discount IHP has ever offered so take advantage of it while you can!

Then, in celebration of Cyber Monday, after the 25% off coupon has expired, there will be over 600 items on steep, steep discount - some up to 50% off! So shop early with your 25% off coupon to get what you really NEED to get and then come back on Monday to see all the fantastic savings that are left!

(The nitty gritty details - coupon does not apply to any previous orders or any items that are out of stock. Sale items are first come, first served and no rainchecks apply. And, no credits will be issued if you purchase something with the 25% off coupon and then it goes on sale at a later date. Sorry!)