Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Using Your Own Work as Inspiration

Good morning everyone! I'm so excited - remember the sweet Up, Up and Away card I made back in May? Well today it's up on the DeNami blog as this month's "inspired by" card! Eeee!!

I was invited to play along and come up with a new card using my original one as inspiration. Have you ever done that? Can we discuss how HARD that can be?? In the end I decided to use the ridiculously adorable giraffe and balloons again, but this time made him the star of the show. The end result is a soft, pretty, gender-neutral baby card perfect for a shower or to welcome the new little one.


Of course this time, I snuck some sequins in...hehehe...I used the Lemon Meringue and 4mm Crystal sequins from Pretty Pink Posh to jazz up the corners since I just must have my sequins fix! The giraffe and balloons were colored again with my Spectrum Noirs, but I made the giraffe a little softer to go with the card background and changed up the balloons a bit. Ok, so I couldn't remember what colors I used the first time since I didn't write them down.


The papers are from a MME 6x6 pad (gotta love those coordinating collections!) and the gray was shaped with the new Pretty Pink Posh stitched die. A bit of ribbon 'ties' the balloons to the giraffe, and I used the Ranger Diamond Glaze to finish them off again. Everything got inked edges and foam tape, then this card was done!


Thanks for stopping by today! I'm in the home stretch of my sister's wedding shower preparations, and I cannot wait to share everything with you when I'm done!

Happy Crafting!

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

We Have a Winner!

In the whirlwind of crafting I've been swept away in for my baby sister's wedding shower, I nearly forgot to announce the winner of the itty bitty stamps from Unity! Using the magical, random number generator the winner is...



Dawn, you've won your choice of (2) Itty Bitty stamps from Unity for playing along with my Growing in Unity week! Please email me your stamp choices and your mailing address so I can pass it along to Unity.

I'll be back tomorrow with a special card post!

Happy Crafting!

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Floral Hoots

Good morning everyone! Time for another fun DeNami blog hop. Are you loving all of the beautiful blossoms? You should have arrived from Pattie's blog. If you just happened to wander in on this lovely morning, head on over to the DeNami blog for the full list of participants.

 Seeing as summer is blooming outside my window, I decided to be inspired by my backyard.

denami tree denami flowers denami owls pretty pink post summer card

I stamped & fussy-cut a bunch of the petit fours flowers and added them to the tree. A bit of Liquid Pearls for the middles was the perfect touch to those blooms.


Then I let the owls come out to play! I colored the cuties with my Spectrum Noirs and added them on with foam tape. I love the little guy hanging off the branch.


The 'hello friend' sentiment was stamped right on my layered papers and finished off with those fabulous mini sequins from Pretty Pink Posh. Who wouldn't want to receive this from a friend??


Thanks for stopping by today! You're off to Tammy's blog now to continue the hop.

Happy Crafting!

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Friday, June 6, 2014

Growing in Unity Day 5 - Have Some Coffee

Happy Friday everyone - welcome to the last day of my GIU fun! I'm the Growing in Unity gal this week over on the Unity Stamp Co. blog, and I've had such a blast sharing my cards with you this week. Did you get your comments in for a chance to win your choice of (2) Itty Bitty stamps? The deadline is midnight EST tonight; any comments made after that will turn into a pumpkin. If you're new to my blog, I'd love it if you became a follower and join in the fun over on the Caffeinated Papercuts Facebook page. That way, we can keep in touch! :)

So I had to save this gal for last, as she's on her way to a dear sister-of-the-heart of mine on the West Coast. Hopefully she's hitting her mailbox today so I haven't ruined the surprise. Lynda, if you're reading this before the mailman gets here, shoo!

You may remember from Wednesday's post that I love the Angie's Girls line. When they came out with a Jen girl, I was excited, but a little bummed as my 'namesake' wasn't really my style. I snagged her anyway, but, well, I'm not a teacher. Now Kimmie here, I may have suggested on the Unity FB page that they misnamed her...

unity stamp co kimmie girl spectrum noir markers may arts ribbon

This is MY girl! The outfit, the hair, the coffee cup, the bracelet...yup, this is me.


The coloring was done with my Spectrum Noir markers and the corners inked up with the Distress Stain in Walnut. A bit of ribbon and May Arts pink raffia bows, and she was on her way across the U.S.!


No fussy-cutting this time, the ribbons gave me all the height and texture I was looking for. I did add a hint of sparkle to the heart on the coffee cup and shirt with my Spica pens. And no, no sequins! LOL

Thank you so much for spending the week with me. I hope you'll pop in again to see what I'm up to! Sunday is the monthly DeNami blog hop and I've got some great tutorials coming soon. Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Growing in Unity Day 4 - What a Pear we Make!

Happy Thursday everyone - welcome to Day 4 of my GIU fun! I'm the Growing in Unity gal this week over on the Unity Stamp Co. blog, which means I'll be sharing a project created with my Unity stamps with you every day. I invite you to come back each day and leave a comment for a chance to win your choice of (2) Itty Bitty stamps! Woohoo! If you're new to my blog, I'd love it if you became a follower and join in the fun over on the Caffeinated Papercuts Facebook page. :)

All right, today we've got something completely different - a CAS (clean and simple) card with no sequins. Yeah, I'm not sure how that happened either. I'd also like some applause for not going back and adding some later. ;)

unity stamp co make a great pear glossy accents chevron embossed card

And let the puns begin! I ran a second piece of white card stock through the Big Shot with my chevron embossing folder to create the background, making sure to stamp the sentiment first. (Trust me on this.) The pears I stamped on pear-ish colored card stock, then decked out with Glossy Accents and Distress Glitter.


I then let them dry a reeeeaaaaallllyyyy long time. We're talking overnight here, people. And no poking at it before morning to see if it's dry; been there, done that, got the fingerprints in a previous project to prove it.


Just look at that sparkle and shine! A bit of foam tape to hold it all in place, and you've got a really fun card for your stash.

Tomorrow is my last day as GIU gal! I hope you'll stop by, and in the meantime, Happy Crafting!

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Growing in Unity Day 3 - Dance to the Song in your Head

Happy Wednesday everyone - welcome to Day 3 of my GIU fun! I'm the Growing in Unity gal this week over on the Unity Stamp Co. blog, which means I'll be sharing a project created with my Unity stamps with you every day. I invite you to come back each day and leave a comment for a chance to win your choice of (2) Itty Bitty stamps! Woohoo! If you're new to my blog, I'd love it if you became a follower and join in the fun over on the Caffeinated Papercuts Facebook page. :)

Today, I have a card with sequins. Yes, I'm sure you're all amazed. I did change it up a bit, though, and added in some sweet coloring as well. ;) I love the Angie's girls line, and when Whitney was introduced, it was love at first sight.

unity stamp co whitney girl spectrum noir markers pretty pink posh sequins paper craft coloring

Here's a little secret; I've never taken a coloring class. I'm not Copic certified or anything like that; heck, I don't even use Copics! I colored Whitney here with my Spectrum Noir markers, and this was the first time that I sat back when done and went 'holy cow, maybe I CAN color!' I'm self-taught by way of YouTube videos and other crafting blogs, and I think all of my practicing is finally paying off.


Admittedly, I made her look a bit like me. I don't know about you, but I would soooo wear those shoes!


I absolutely love this quote that comes with her. After coloring Whitney, I fussy-cut her out then went to town paring up several different papers from a MME 6x6 pad. I love mixing patterns together, and using the gray floral and black patterned as neutrals was just the ticket here. And, of course, I used more Pretty Pink Posh sequins to finish off the edge of the card.


I popped up the sentiment and Whitney with foam tape for some height and this card was done. Honestly, I'm thinking of keeping her; think she'd look good on the craft table?

Thanks for stopping by today; see you tomorrow for Day 4! Until then, Happy Crafting!

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Growing in Unity Day 2 - Let's Sail Away

Happy Tuesday everyone - welcome to Day 2 of my GIU fun! I'm the Growing in Unity gal this week over on the Unity Stamp Co. blog, which means I'll be sharing a project created with my Unity stamps with you every day. I invite you to come back each day and leave a comment for a chance to win your choice of (2) Itty Bitty stamps! Woohoo! If you're new to my blog, I'd love it if you became a follower and join in the fun over on the Caffeinated Papercuts Facebook page. :)

Watercolors are definitely the rage right now, so I decided to go play with some myself. I haven't broken out my new watercolor set yet, but I did paint several backgrounds one night with my Distress Pads. A little water, a little brushwork, and you have yourself a stack of backgrounds to use another day. For today's card, I pulled one out and got stamping!

unity stamp sail away boat pretty pink posh sequins masculine card

I love how this one came out somewhat dreamy, with the texture of the watercolor paper showing through the stamps and the bit of sequins for the water. Since watercolor paper curls when wet (go figure), I attached it to the card base with strips of foam tape to keep it all down. A bit of Glossy Accents to hold down those Pretty Pink Posh sequins and this card was all done!


The Distress Inks I used for the background were Broken China, Faded Jeans, and Peacock Feathers. Just start with the lightest and keep adding in more colors. So easy, and so much fun!


I love how the stamped image came out a bit faded; makes it seem wind-tossed. See, a masculine card with a bit of bling!

Be sure to stop back tomorrow for Day 3 of my Growing in Unity week; until then, Happy Crafting!

Monday, June 2, 2014

Growing in Unity Day 1 - Shake It, Baby!

Good morning everyone! I'm the Growing in Unity gal this week over on the Unity Stamp Co. blog, which means I'll be sharing a project created with my Unity stamps with you every day. Five posts in one week; wow! I invite you to come back each day and leave a comment for a chance to win your choice of (2) Itty Bitty stamps! Woohoo! If you're new to my blog, I'd love it if you became a follower and join in the fun over on the Caffeinated Papercuts Facebook page. :)

I decided to start the week with a bang...er, shake! I love shaker cards, and they're just so much fun to make. Seriously, just try making one and not smiling.

unity stamp co flower hello pretty pink posh shaker card spring mix washi tape

Fun and summery, right? The floral washi tape is actually holding together two pieces of acetate; I made a pouch for the handfuls of Pretty Pink Posh sequins I tossed in there. The washi also hides my adhesive lines...sneaky, huh? Stamped behind the acetate pouch is my flower, and...


...greeting! Give the card a shake to see the 'hidden message.' The butterfly I simply stamped, fussy-cut, and popped on with a Glue Dot. Note to self: foam adhesive doesn't stick to acetate well. Unless you want to chase butterflies, don't use it again.


Thanks for stopping by today - I hope to see you tomorrow for Day 2!

Happy Crafting!