Gratitude Journal Class

In October, the Women's Ministry at our church will be hosting a crafting session to make a beautiful Gratitude Journal, a Sleigh gift box, and 4 simple Christmas cards featuring some elegant floral and foliage prints.  The cost of the class to cover materials is $15 per person.

All the papers, stamped flowers, and decorative pieces will be precut and stamped.  You will simply assemble the projects and stamp the word art/greetings in your journals and on your cards/packaging. Adhesives and scissors will be provided as well. So no previous stamping or paper crafting practice/skill is required.  We will walk you though the whole process.

Here are some pictures of the projects.  You can click on them to see the photo better.

Gratitude Journal:

The journals will come in 2 different printed paper styles.  This is one of them.  These are great to just get you in the mind set of thanking God for all the little things and big things He blesses you with each day.  It's a small journal so it isn't something overwhelming to write in or keep up.  It also make a great gift.

Sleigh Gift Box with Gift Card

This fun little sleigh will hold a bag of candy, some small cookies, a little potpourri, some simmering spices to scent the home at the holidays, a votive candle, some jewelry, a pair of rolled up socks, a scarf, or some hand cream or other small toiletries.  This is a fun little container to use to send your Secret Sister a little goodie too.  

Christmas Cards:

A lot of people send out photo cards today, but it's still nice to have a few regular cards in your stash to attach to a gift or give out last minute.  These cards feature some pretty winter foliage and flowers and are quick and easy to put together.  You will make 4 cards.  

Paper choices other than the two shown above.

PTI Anniversary Challenge: Day 3

Today is the third day of PTI 10th Anniversary challenges.  We are to create a card and matching envelope to send out in Saturday Snail Mail.  I need to reconnect with a very dear friend from the 7th and 8th grade.  While we don't chat or write much, I do keep up with her Instagram and Facebook posts.  However, if we did get the chance to see each other, I know that after about 15 min. of small talk, we could pick back up and it would be like we were in constant contact.

Anyway, here is my card and envelope I made.  The lighting here today is very shadowy because it is another stormy and rainy Tuesday in Alabama.

Stamps: Garden Variety 2, Fruitful, Postmarks, and MFT Kitsy Kitchen

Papers: white, kraft, black, and SU! designer series papers

Inks: smoky shadow, limeade ice, lemon zest, crushed curry, lucky limeade

Papertrey Ink February 2017 Blog Hop

The above photo is the inspiration piece for this month's Blog Hop by Papertrey Ink.  What a beautiful photo full of colors I hardly ever use, much less all together, but it is such a striking combo. Way to go Nichole for finding this picture.  

So I am last minute making my card.  I like all my elements, except I just can't seem to stamp sentiments straight anymore, and embossing things without flaws has escaped me as well.  Sigh.. Anyway, here is my entry.   I used Stampin' UP!'s Rich Razzleberry and Blackberry Bliss papers.  I used Raspberry Fizz, Saffron Spice, and Smokey Shadow papers from PTI.  I used gold and clear embossing powders for my stamping.  

Papertrey 10th Anniversary 2016

My list of stamps I purchased in 2016 is very very small.  I think I only purchased 9 sets total, and most of them were the $5 variety.  I just had to get the Just Desserts set designed by Lizzie Jones because I am a pastry chef and cake is my passion.  I went to town with this stamp set upon receiving it, but sadly after that, I haven't picked it back up to stamp with.  I had a busy year last year, and I just didn't get a lot of time to stamp.  To be totally honest, I have not been super motivated to stamp a lot lately too.  I have just been in a bit of a creative slump.  I have enjoyed these challenges/contests to help me get back to being creative in this way.

My entries into today's contest are based on a card Lizzie made when she was demoing it for release week back in February 2016,  I think.   I used my new stack of Hooray for You printed papers  I just received from the big $1 paper sale.  I used a MFT sentiment on the masculine card.  I used the Guidelines embossing plate to add texture to the white card base.
I think they turned out nice.

The other sets I purchased in 2016 were:

King of the Grill, cause you always need a great masculine set and my boys love hamburgers, Inspired Faith, Grace, Prayer, Blessing, and Hope sets, MIM Mini kit Color Pop Autumn, and Tucked In Baby.  I may have bought the Enclosed Graduate stamp set and die in the spring too to make graduation cards for sale.  

Papertrey Ink Anniversary 2014

Well, I had time to make one card with Feather Finery for the contest.  I also pulled up past pictures of some cards I made with that set and Life is Beautiful butterfly dies.  Enjoy.

On a different note, I finally cataloged all the PTI stamps and dies by year that I have purchased since 2007 and what I still have.  Quite an amazingly long list, and maybe sadder still that I have so many of them still.  I just can't part with them cause I want to eventually use them for card ideas I have saved since purchasing them.

Papertrey Anniversary: 2011

Ooh, so many stamps from this year I could use.  I really like Garden Variety, Garden Variety 2 and the Year of Flowers Collection.  I don't do a lot of Copic coloring (too expensive and time consuming), but these flowers are so pretty.  I got the mini set because I couldn't afford all the bigger single sets of the flowers released the previous year.

I made these two cards based on the Present example by Stephanie Gold, and an older card by Dawn McVey.  I am hoping to make a simple bundle of Garden Variety and flower cards to send to someone, who I think will really like them, since she is an avid gardener.

Papertrey Anniversary: 2009

I chose to make a couple of cards with the Fruitful set.  Love this set.  I bought it to make labels for jelly.  I don't do a lot of jelly making, but I have yet to give this set up.  I cased two cards from Dawn McVey, but switched up the color schemes to use papers I already had.

I hope to pull out Damask Designs and On My Couch to play along with the celebration.  I have had a busy week and haven't been able to keep up with the years or challenges.  If I get to that, I will add my photos to this post.

Papertrey 10 Year Anniversary: 2007

I sure am enjoying Papertrey Ink's 10th Anniversary walk down memory lane these past several days.  I became a PTI customer  in the fall of 2007.  I was a die hard Stampin' UP! fan and had been a demonstrator for them since 2001.  I never thought I would be a convert to photopolymer stamps.  However, I loved the stamps PTI was making.  They were classic, versatile, and filled a huge gap in what Stampin' UP! was offering.  I bought my first set which was Faux Ribbon and I was totally hooked.  I love photopolymer stamps.  They have truly come a long way and PTI's are some of the best quality for giving you sharp clean images.

While I still have Papertrey, Spiral Bouquet, My Punny Valentine, and Faux Ribbon from the first year, I was a little slower to order Out to Sea.  However, I really like the set.  I just don't get those early sets out as much as I need to.  Mostly because I have so many PTI stamps.  I mean a ridiculously large amount of PTI stamps.  Even after selling off some, I have way more than I could possibly use in the time I have available.

I have been trying to stop ordering PTI stamps here in the past couple of years, and I have done much much better.   I did order some papers from the big $1 sale, but I am trying to not buy stamps.  Too many stamps and supplies actually stifles my creativity and ability to make stuff.  It takes me too long to figure out what to do.  That and all the wonderful cards the design team makes that inspired me to buy the stamps in the first place.  If I just spent time making all those great card ideas I have pinned and screenshot in my photo gallery to save the ideas, I would be busy for a very long time.  I have been trying to do that though and it is fun to use old supplies.  I think if I stayed off the blogs of the design team and Nicole's blog for each month's reveal, I wouldn't be tempted to buy more stuff.  I haven't been able to do that yet, but I am committed to not buying stamps, just paper and consumables if needed.

Anyway, here is my Out to Sea card based on the one from the Present shown on Nicole's blog.  I am not great at coming up with my own designs.  It just takes too long, and I don't know how to pull from all my stash, but I am really really good at CASing cards.  I also got to use my brand new from the huge $1 paper sale printed vellum on this card.  Sweet!  I love it.  The vellum is nice and heavy and I love the white patterns.  So pretty.  Can't wait to use more.

January 2017 PTI Blog Hop

Wow!  Where did 2016 go?  And now it is almost the end of January 2017.  I know it is quite trite to say, "Time flies," but it is so true.   It has been so long since I posted anything to my blog.  "Hello, anyone out there?"  I loved the inspiration photo for this month's blog hop though, so I had to play along.  Just so happens that I had patterned paper, great new stamps, and all the little extras to mimic the cookies.  Kraft paper for the cookie color- check!  Black and White striped paper--check!  Pretty floral stamp image and die cuts--check check!!

This photo makes me think of my sweet friend, Aimee, who has found a creative passion for making decorated sugar cookies.  In fact as soon as I saw this photo, I texted her a copy.  Maybe she can recreate them for Valentine's Day cookie sales.  Even though I am a professionally trained pastry chef, making iced and decorated sugar cookies ARE NOT my passion.  Too labor intensive and tedious.  Plus even though I love to make cards, I don't actually have to draw anything.  Cookie decorating, not my thing.  However, give me a great cake recipe and some luscious fillings and frostings, and I will create you a simple and elegant masterpiece of a cake that will leave your taste buds singing!  That is my passion.  Anyone care for fudgy chocolate cake, raspberry mousse or buttercream filling, and a chocolate raspberry ganache frosting for Valentine's Day?  That would be what I would make and eat.  Or my Chocolate Raspberry Decadence cake from back in my days when I worked for an amazing pastry shop in Durham, NC.

Anyway, back to the cards. I kind of like what I created.  I am trying to beef up my Valentine's Day card stash.  The last photo is of some teacher cards I have created this week too.  Enjoy!

Supplies:

Stamps: Be Mine, Valentine,  Don't Forget to Write, Teacher's Apple

Papers: Red, Hibiscus Burst, Raspberry Fizz, Kraft, White, Black

Inks: red, hibiscus, raspberry, kiwi kiss, daffodil delight

Dies and accessories: Don't Forget to Write, Wonderful Words: Love, Wet Paint 1 word dies, black pearls and rhinestones

Let Them Eat Cake! Just Desserts!

I know, I know, lots of exclamation points in this post title, but I am so excited to have this new Just Desserts stamp set in my stash.  I might just sell off all my other birthday and food stamps cause this one is just over the top perfect.  I received this in the mail on Monday, and I just can't stop stamping with it.  Here are a few things I have created.  Most of the ideas started with a design team member's card, while others, I morphed a few other card making designers and sketches to make them.

Lizzie Jones is the designer for this stamps set, and I feel like she made it just for me.  I have begun to sell my cake creations, and this set allows me to make coordinating gift tags to go with them.  I am so happy!  These three are for my Easter cake orders: Carrot cake, lemon cream cake, and cookies and cream cake.  Fabulous.

These two cards follow design elements  modeled after Inge Groot's cards, where she uses all kinds of tilted layers.  

These two are using a Mojo Monday sketch for this week.  Gonna enter them into their link up. I dug out some very very old Papertrey Ink patterned papers for those two.  They are perfect though.  Next time I might emboss the darker panels with a large dot embossing folder, just for some added texture and interest.  

These two sets are CASed designs from the Papertrey Ink design team and their cards using this set.  Super fun and cute.  This stamp set is so easy to use with fabulous results every time.  Love it. 

Some cards I have been working on.

Hello.  I have been absent for awhile here on the blog.  I wanted to share some cards I have been making lately.  Trying to beef up my birthday and get well card stashes.  I gave away/sold most of my cards this past fall, so I need to get my card boxes stocked.  I need to send more cards this year too.  So many goals, so little time.  Trying to use older or neglected sets as well as some new ones that need to get inky.  I have been having fun and am pleased with the results.  

MIM#242 Sponged Stamping

This week's Make It Monday Papertrey Ink challenge was doing sponged stamping.  I made two cards that are basically the same, one in pinks and one in blues and greens.  You can tell the pink one is the first one I did, cause it has some serious imperfections in the color gradients, but the blue and green one turned out much better.  I used mostly all PTI ink colors and PTI Birthday Wishes stamp set.   I may step the cards up a bit and add some vellum clouds and some candy dots to accent the elements a bit.

Stamp sets and dies for sale: lots of PTI

I need to find a home for these gently used or almost new stamps in my collection. They do not come with index labels or cases. They will be sent on a plastic sheet in a thin PTI box. Stamps come from a smoke free and pet free home.  
You can email me at stampin.chick@gmail.com if you are interested in any of these stamps or dies.
Price:
Price for sets is 10% off prices shown. Price includes shipping. I would prefer a PTI gift certificate.  

FLORAL STAMPS:
Year of Flowers Collection (mini sized of all the flowers for the year): $24

Year of Flowers: Poinsettias $15 and dies for $10

Year of Flowers: Carnations $15
Spiral Bouquet $18

IMAGES SETS:

Pond Life and Pond Life Additions $18

Birthday Basics $12

Piece of Cake $18

Round and Round images only $14

Simple Alphabet $11

Ambassador Monogram $11

Button Boutique $24
Button Up Stamp set $15
Buttoned Up Die collection #1 $5

Teacher’s Apple $24
Teacher Tickets $15
Ticket Border Die $8.00

Simple Stationary $24
Background Basics Diagonals $24 and additions $5
Live Love Life $15

Sentiment Sets:

Framed Out #12 $5 matching die $3.00
Take Note $24
Calendar Basics $24
Handwritten Notes $20
Everyday Photo Finishers $15
Holiday Photo Finishers $20 (excludes the circle stamp)
Photo Finishers dies $22
Kid Kudos and additions $24 and $8

HOLIDAY AND SEASONAL SETS:
Spooky Sweets 2 $24

Vintage Ornaments: $22
Vintage Ornaments Additions: $13
Vintage Ornaments dies: $8

Wonderful Words Holiday $13 and dies $8

Countdown to Christmas and Additions: $22 and $13 or $30 for both

Framed Out #9 $5 matching die $3.00

Love Lives Here: Christmas $23 and dies $15
Holiday Button Bits $23 and dies $9
Holiday Wishes $10

My Punny Valentine and Year Round Puns $20
Tiny Treats Valentine $18
Tag It’s #11 (Valentine’s Day) $5
To You From Me: $13

Dies and Impression Plates 

Parisian Lace Doily Die $22
Cover Plate Hexagons $16 matching stamps $5
Cover Plate Triangles $16 matchin stamps Tiny Triangles $5
Cover Plate Harlequin $16 matching stamps $5
Diagonal Stripes Impression plate $16
Background Basics Diamonds Impression plate $16
Background Basics In Bloom Impression plate $16

Felt for sale:  $1.00 each for smaller sheets   $2.00 for large sheet  Shipping calculated separately and added to your total for felt.
pink( 2 large sheet), buttercup yellow (1 large piece), mustard yellow(3), scarlet jewel/burgundy (3), teal (2), aqua blue (2), chartreuse green (2), olive/avocado green (1).

Papertrey Ink Anniversary Challenge Days 9 and 10

I doubled up on the last two days of the PTI Anniversary Celebration challenges and made one card for them both.  I used the color catcher thing to get my color combo of winter wisteria, new leaf and ripe avocado.  Not my comfort zone at all.  And then I used my initials for the alphabet element challenge.  My initials are MAS, so I had to incorporate a border, stitching, and combine two stamp sets.  I used Wood backgrounds and pretty peonies.  I used border dies and strips of card stock to make a banner, and I used a paper piercer and thread and needle for my stitched border at the top.  Whew!  It was a pretty quick card made at 8:45 pm to try to get these last two challenges in.  I am kind of proud of myself for being able to complete quite a few of them.

Can't wait to see the winners tomorrow.  I hope and pray my name makes it in there somewhere.  After 9 years of entering pretty much every contest every time they are offered on release week, I sure would like to finally win one.

Stamps for sale

Papertrey Ink 9th Anniversary Celebration: Paper Doll/Fashion Inspiration

For the second day of the Papertrey Ink Celebration we were challenged to find a fashion inspiration photo and use it to make a card.  Here is a photo from the newest Boden catalog.  Love their colors and prints.  I love the yellow and blue combo that is showing up this season.  I used Lemon tart and Marina Mist papers and inks, and a hint of Fine Linen polka dot print.  Painted Blooms is the stamp set I used and Bowl of Sunshine sentiment.