Double Card Challenge: Stash and Sketch

Hi there, Carla here with a card project. With a couple of friends' birthdays coming up, I wanted to make a card or two. While deciding what to do, I ended up taking on not one challenge, but two! 

First, our friend Tara over at Spot of Tea Designs posted a card-making use-your-stash challenge. I previously blogged here and here about how I like to make cards from my paper scraps, so I was all in for that.

Then, while surfing for inspiration, I found this card sketch site: Seize the Sketch.  Their most recent sketch was just what I needed to break out of my card-making rut. Here's the sketch:

I went through my stash of scraps for some coordinating colors. I decided pink would be a good color for one particular friend, and so with the sketch as my guide, I ended up making this card:

This card was so fun to create that I decided to make a few duplicates to have on hand the next time I need a girly birthday card!

Supplies:

Striped paper: 7 Gypsies

Dotted paper: Martha Stewart Crafts

Embossed pink cardstock

Cream cardstock

Heart and flower stickers: K&Company

Pink gemstones: Martha Stewart Crafts

Sentiment stamp: Inkadinkado

Embossing pad: Versamark

Embossing powder: Stampin' Up!

Scrapbook Video Saturday & CHA!

Happy New Year! Carla here to welcome you and finally let you in on our big news. We're proud to release a series of beginner scrapbooking video tutorials on Howcast.com! There are 24 videos in all. We'll share about one a week here on the blog, but you can view all of them any time at Howcast.com's How-to-Scrapbook link. We all know someone who's just starting out in scrapbooking, and if they haven't started, you know they want to. Send them our way for lots of tips!

Because one of the most commonly searched scrapbook topics is How to Distress Paper, we'll start our Scrapbook Video Saturday series with some ideas for giving a weathered or aged look to your paper.

Note: You may need to allow a moment for the video to buffer before viewing.  If it doesn't work for you, you can view How to Distress Paper on Howcast.

All the projects shown in our videos were completed by members of The Crafting Journals. The scrapbook page in this video was created by Virginia Haverick. In addition to all the cool distress techniques she used, I love the way she re-created the look of shoelaces using cord.  What a great way to embellish a masculine page!

Products used in this video include:

• Distress Tool: Edge Scraper, Making Memories 
• Inks:  Clearsnap® Colorbox® Chalk Inks; and Ranger Tim Holtz® Distress Inks
• Stamps:  Scratches, Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz® Collection; Coffee Stain, Inkadinkado®; Aged Background Block, Hero Arts®

By the way, Howcast is a really great place for an amazing assortment of how-to videos -- from taking a panoramic photo with your iPhone, to how to deal with a screaming child while shopping, to hip-hop dancing. I could seriously spend all day there learning stuff.

And when the new sewing machine arrives that Santa ordered for me, you can bet I'll be checking out the videos from my sewing guru friend Jennifer Wiese! Woo-hoo!

Meanwhile, I'm headed out of this snow-strapped Northeast to the milder climes of sunny Anaheim, Calif., and the dream destination of every crafter: CHA, the Craft and Hobby Association trade show! I can't wait! It's strictly a trade show, and I was fortunate to work it for many years with EK Success. This year, I'm going as a designer and blogger, thanks to the incredibly talented Nathalie Kalbach. So keep your eyes here Jan. 9-14 for my reports from the show on the latest crafting goodies!

Trick or Treat Card

Hi Everyone,

Anna here from St@mpAnna Designs.

I am here with another card share. Yep, I am getting into the spirit of Halloween.  :)

Isn't he the cutest?  :)  He is from "Dylusions" Stamps by Ranger.  The name of the set he came from is Monster Mash.  I stamped him out on Copic x-press it paper and colored him in with my copic markers. He did not come with the circles on his coat so I drew those in with my Copic Multi-liner and filled in with purple Spica glitter pen.  I fussy cut him out and popped him up on the finished card and then added a little glossy accents to eyes.

The green paper is by K & Company Tim Coffey Specialty Paper called:  TC Halloween 6 x 6 specialty pad. (as part of the Creative Artist Team this was a courtesy of EK Success Brands)

The other paper is DCWV and regular black card stock for the base.

The Sentiment stamps is by Inkadinkado (another Courtesy of EK Success Brands in my last box I received.)  The set is called :  Halloween Expressions wood stamp set and can be found by clicking HERE. I stamped it on piece of white card stock scrap and cut it out with fish tails on each end.  I then inked around the edges with Pumice Stone Distress Ink.  

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you enjoy the card.