We're The Perfect Pear...

It's no secret that my favorite color is green. I love all shades of green--but honestly, I tend to really love the odd end of the scale--olive, chartreuse and lime. Last night while keeping tabs on the all-absorbing Winter Olympics from Vancouver, I worked on this card. I was ready for something Spring-y and Kermit-y.

The base cardstock is Papertrey Ink cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and scored at 4 1/4" with the Scor-Pal. I used my Stampin' Up! ticket corner punch to shape the card. All along, I knew I wanted to make this wonderful Unity Stamp Co. pear stamp the focal point of my card. But, I also knew I was going to need "something" more to keep the card from swallowing up the stamped image.

I stamped the image with a Versamark pad onto Stampin' Up! Whisper White cardstock and then heat embossed it with a fine black embossing powder. I used my Stampin' Write markers to color the embossed image and then trimmed around it. (TIP: I found through trial and error that sometimes using Copic markers to color a heat embossed image is a bit tricky. The alcohol based ink can tend to smear some embossing powders, putting unsightly black streaks into your coloring. However, the Stampin' Up! Stampin' Write markers do not smear any embossing powders that I have tried thus far.)

To set-off my pear image, I decided to use a Cricut cut from the 'Picturesque' cartridge. I chose a swirled tag image cut at 4" from some dark green textured Bazzill cardstock. I used another piece of Papertrey Ink pear colored cardstock to create a backing shadow cut for the open swirl tag. For the hole in the top of the tag, I chose a polka dotted Making Memories brad, cut off the backing prongs, and used Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere it to the tag. Finally, I found a piece of scrap Stampin' Up! designer series paper in a green houndstooth pattern and cut it down to creat a horizontal mat to break up the tag and add another layer of visual interest. Now, it was time to put everything together using my ATG714 adhesive gun.






After I finished the card, I was getting ready to pull and envelope and a poly storage bag to file it away. But, I decided to try something a bit different--and I have to say I really like this idea for presentation purposes. Instead of using an envelope, I chose a glassine envelope/pouch to put my card in. It fits perfectly and I love the fact that you can see some of the card detail through the glassine paper. I picture this stuck in a wicker basket of fresh Bartlett pears as a wonderful neighbor/housewarming gift.





As always, thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to stop by and see what's crafting on my blog. Wherever the day takes you, I hope you have a pear-fect one....

Keep Crafting!

It's A Bird...

Today simple and easy card features a die cut from the new licensed ProvoCraft Cricut cartridge 'Superman'.

For this card project, I chose a base cardstock from Die Cuts With A View (DCWV) 'Modern Loft' paper stack. As this was obviously going to be a masculine-inspired card, I thought the brick pattern was reminiscent of a background panel one might see in an actual comic strip. I used a Chai Tea stain to ink the edge of my cardstock, which was cut to 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" and scored at 4 1/4" to form an A2 sized card. The corners were clipped using my Stampin' Up! tag corner punch.

The diecut was cut on my Cricut Expression at 4 1/2". I did shadow cut with Bazzill corduroy textured cardstock in Raven. For the layering pieces, I cut them out of Bazzill corduroy textured cardstock in Snow. The reason I cut the layering pieces out of white cardstock is that I wanted to use my Copic Sketch markers to "color" in the face and hair details. I think the handcoloring gives the diecut a bit more "pop" and comic book realism (than if I had just used corresponding colored cardstock). I used a blend of E00 (Skin White), E11 (Barely Beige), E13 (Light Suntan) and E15 (Dark Suntan) for the facial features and shading. I used B29 (Ultramarine) for the hair highlight. I also went back in with a Copic Atyou Spica Glitter pen in Sky Blue to add a little oomph to Superman's locks. (He is a SUPER hero after all, lol.) Finally, to achieve those come-hither baby blues, I used Clearsnap Smooch metallic ink in Azure for intensity and sparkle. (Am I the only one fanning myself!? Wait, don't answer that.) The sentiment stamp is from Unity Stamp Co. and seemed appropriate. It was stamped using Tsukineko Memento ink in Tuxedo Black.






'Superman' is a terrific addition to your Cricut cartridge library if you have men in your life--big or little. It's also a terrific resource for themed parties and decorations--as it includes three-dimensional character boxes, banners, party favors, Clark Kent spectacles, treat bags and much more. Of course, it features several variations on that fabulous Superman logo and a complete font set.

Now, I must be off. (I have to go figure out what size I need to cut my Clark Kent glasses at. Don't judge. Or at least, don't tell me.)

Trust me. I know.

Picturesque

After an internal battle with my will and common sense ended in gory defeat, I finally succumbed to this itch that has been plaguing me for nearly two months and begrudgingly (with a slice of giddiness) gave in an purchased the illusive Cricut cartridge 'Picturesque' on the secondary market. It goes without saying that this has become my most expensive cartridge yet (replacing 'Potpourri Basket').

Finally, it came down to a simple matter of supply. It does appear (via information from a well-placed source) that ProvoCraft will NOT be making 'Picturesque' available for individual sale any time in the near future. Originally, paired with a champagne-colored Expression, 'Picturesque' was to be an exclusively bundled cartridge to Home Depot. However, a contractual problem occurred and the deal fell threw. It is my understanding that the rumored 300-500 bundles were sold to a warehouse club--and were quickly broken up to sell on the secondary market by some savvy consumers. My source says that the cartridge will reappear in a new set of exclusive machine bundles that will be exclusive to a major retailer in approximately the same quantity. The retailer has been chosen, but has not been officially announced. Meanwhile, there are no plans through 2010 to offer 'Picturesque' as a solo cartridge.

In my opinion, that really is a great shame as this is a bursting-at-the-seams chock-full content cartridge. The artwork by Noralee Peterson is intricately detailed and filled with decorative flourishes and embellished elements. The cartridge features the following creative features: tags, corners, frameworks, cards and seals, shadow and blackout on over 99 individual pieces of artwork. Among the images included are: florals, dragonflies, butterflies, birds, nests, swans, vines, scallops, celtic knot elements, greek key elements, and iron work elements.

Here are a few photographs of some of the elements from the enclosed handbook:







My first project using 'Picturesque' was a quick greeting card. The three lighter blue cardstock pieces (card base, mat, and die cut) are all Bazzill cardstock from a Fourz pack with a grasscloth texture. The mat cardstock was punched with an EK Success border punch called "Swiss Cheese". The backing paper on the diecut tag is an SEI glitter cardstock. The "love" sentiment was cut on the Making Memories Slice (from the 'Think Pink' card) out of silver foiled SEI cardstock. The actual diecut tag I chose to cut on my Cricut Expression is called "cotton blossom" and was cut at 4" (Shift + Tag). The polka-dot ribbon is from Papertrey Ink's "Enchanted Evening" collection and the mabe pearl accent is from the Stampin' Up! Pretties kit. I used my ATG 714 adhesive to assemble the card. The inner sentiment is from a Stampin' Up! Sale-a-Bration stamp set entitled 'Whimsical Words' (#119119). Finally, I used a Martha Stewart corner rounder punch to shape the final card.









With the addition of 'Picturesque' to my cartridge library (and Gypsy), I am now only down three cartridges of all that have been released thus far: 'Keystone International', 'Don Juan International', and 'Pink Journey'. As always, the search continues...

Well, I was rather wordy today. I hope you enjoyed the peek at 'Picturesque'. If you have a way to add it to your collection, I highly recommend it. It really is a beautiful set of images.

As always, have a terrific Friday ahead...and keep crafting!

Up Close: Aging & Staining

This tri-fold card was an experiment to use several aging/staining techniques I will be sharing with you in the near future. I really like the effects you can obtain by using tea stains, inking, paint, masking and overlaying. It gives a bit of the vintage feel, but still retains an overall modern and stylish look.






Also, next week be on the lookout for your chance to win some cool prizes, including:



Wanna know what they are and how to win them? Stay tuned...and tell a friend. Have a terrific weekend Crafty peeps...

Love Struck 2010

I seem to be enchanted with hearts these days. While two-thirds of the country may be finding icicles dripping from their tickers, it's safe to say that the blood is still flowing in my neck of the woods. (Which reminds me, I should really clear up the latest craft-blog rumor about myself: That story about me dating an entire NFL football team is so overblown. I swear. It was just the offensive line of the Indianapolis Colts--not the entire team.)

Hearts are so randy... Now, where was I? Oh, hearts. Not to be obvious or anything, but Valentine's Day is soon upon us and Cupid will be looking to pierce his little sticks of love (or lust) into unsuspecting paramours around the world. I'll shortly be handing out my yearly application for potential boyfriends and other assorted play toys.

One of the new timely releases from ProvoCraft's new line of seasonal limited-edition cartridges is appropriately entitled 'Love Struck 2010'. It features a very nice array of highly-detailed cuts celebrating all things love and hearts. This weekend, I played around with the cartridge a bit and thought I'd share a couple of examples of the intricate hearts found on this mini-cartridge. It's truly a must-have in my opinion (but, aren't they all usually?)

These first two are base cut out of Bazzill cardstock and the overlay is cut from a piece of K & Co. decorative cardstock from the "Smitten" collection.




The final two examples (which I A-D-O-R-E-!) are cut with base layers of Bazzill white cardstock. The top layers are cut from Stampin' Up! textured cardstock in Melon Mambo. To really set off the intricate designs, I used a layer of Stampin' Up! Crystal Effects for gloss, sheen and added dimension.





Now all of you crafty peeps, go break some hearts....

Matryoshka

A matryoshka doll is also known as a Russian nested doll or babushka doll. The set of typically wooden dolls is of decreasing sizes which fit one inside the other. The word "matryoshka" (матрёшка) is derived from the Russian female first name "Matryona" (Матрёна). The word "babushka" is the Russian word for grandmother.

Matryoshka dolls are said to have been inspired by souvenir dolls from Japan. The concept of nested objects was familiar in Russia at that time, having been applied to carved wooden apples and Easter eggs. They date from the 1890's and consist of a wooden figure which separates, top from bottom, to reveal another figure of the same sort inside, which has, in turn, another figure inside of it, and so on. The number of nested figures is usually five or more. The form is approximately cylindrical, with a rounded top for the head, tapering toward the bottom, with little or no protruding features; the dolls have no hands (except those that are painted). Traditionally the outer layer is a woman, dressed in a sarafan. The figures inside may be of either gender; the smallest, innermost doll is typically a baby, and does not open. The artistry is in the painting of each doll, which can be extremely elaborate. Matryoshka dolls are often designed to follow a particular theme, for instance peasant girls in traditional dress, but the theme can be anything, from fairy tale characters to Soviet leaders.



The first Russian nested doll set was carved by Vasiliy Zvezdochkin (from a design by Sergei Maliutin), who was a folk crafts painter in the Abramtsevo estate of the Russian industrialist and patron of arts Savva Mamontov. The doll set was painted by Maliutin himself. Maliutin's design was inspired by a set of Japanese wooden dolls representing Shichi-fuku-jin, the Seven Gods of Fortune. Maluitin's doll set consisted of eight dolls -- the outermost was a girl holding a rooster, six inner dolls were girls, the fifth doll was a boy, and the innermost was a baby. In 1900, Savva Mamontov's wife presented the dolls at the World Exhibition in Paris, and the toy earned a bronze medal. Soon after, matryoshki dolls were being made in several places in Russia.

I've long been fascinated by Imperialist Russian history and art. I am a student of the work of Peter Carl Faberge and a collector of eggs. The beauty in art, textiles, sculpture, jewelry molding, fashion, and other areas of Czarist Russia is truly breathtaking in its scope and grandeur. Wassily Kandinsky is another artist of the period that I adore.

When I saw the early sample images of the new Cricut cartridge "Paisley", I was immediately drawn to the images of several matryoshka dolls. Of course, the entire cartridge is filled with delightful, whimsical images, but the matryoshka sold me immediately.

Of course, I was dying to make a card with one of the pieced images. This card was my first attempt--and I have to say it holds a special place in my heart. For some reason, every now and again, the crafting muses align perfectly and a project has just the right combinations of colors, textures, and design elements. For me, this card is one of those watershed moments.

The matryoshka image is cut at 3.75" on the Cricut Expression and consists of several layered pieces. The solid cardstocks are all textured Bazzill papers. The decorative paper for the mat and outer matryoshka layer is from Die Cuts With A View. The card base is an A2 piece of Stardream Fuse Mica cardstock in Ruby. The ribbon is 1/2" satin Stampin' Up! in Real Red. I also used the Stampin' Up! tag corner punch on both the card base and mat in all four corners. The crimson pearls are from Jennie Bowlin Studio and the inner journaling shield is from K & Co. The layers were adhered with SNAIL adhesive and the matryoshka is elevated with Stampin' Up! dimensionals. It's a very simple, yet strikingly elegant layout.

A Sketch & A Card

Today, I thought I'd try something a little bit different. We begin with a sketch that (hopefully) shows the folding card project I experimented with. I should warn you that is hand-drawn and not necessarily to scale, but I think it gives you the general idea as well as the key measurements. Of late, cards that include this type of stair-step folding seem to be all the rage. I think this one lends itself to a holiday card very nicely.



Your base cardstock should measure 5 1/2" x 8 1/2". I chose to use a piece of Bazzill textured cardstock. The "trickiest" part of this card is a vertical cut that you must make from the 1" mark to the 6 3/8" mark. Where you decide to make the cut is entirely your option. Where you put the cut will determine the length of your stairstep folds. I made mine at 2" in from the left side of the cardstock. You can either use a craft knife and a straight edge or your paper trimmer to make the cut. Once you have made the cut, the rest of the card basically becomes an exercise in paper folding.

You want to use a scoring tool (in my case the Scor-Pal) and score from the right side of your cardstock up to the cut line you made. You should score your paper at 1", 2", 3 1/8", and 6 3/8". Notice here, that your first and last score (1" & 6 3/8") should meet the beginning and end of your cut mark. There is one final score to make, but it is slightly different in execution than the others. This score mark will go all the way across the entire width of your cardstock at 4 1/4". This is also the midline of your cardstock (and your folded card). Once you play with you scored paper a bit, you'll see the natural way it fan folds to create the stairstepped effect. After you've folded and creased your paper, the fun begins as your canvas is now ready for your imagination.

For my project, I used a piece of DCWV decorative paper measured to fit the front of my folded card in a complimentary shade of blue. For my cut-out decorative piece, I used my Cricut Expression and the new Limited Edition cartridge "When It's Cold Outsided 2009-2010". The large snowflake and the shadow were cut at 4". The snowmen came from the snowman snowflake. I merely trimmed them out of the snowflake with scissors and used adhesive to put them in the row in front of the giant snowflake. I liked the idea of the snowmen doing a secret unseen dance out in the snow in front of a giant snowflake (like their altar if you will). I added a Stampin' Up! rub on and sentiment to finish the card.

This card type is lovely in that it creates its own stand and would look lovely displayed on a mantle or other decorative holiday display.