So!

Double click on the photo; it will pop up clearer. Hit your back button to go back to the page. I'll get photos figured out sooner or later, lol!

CMWC 15 on Papertrey

I like doing the Casual Mid-Week Challenges on the Papertrey forum (sorry, this weeks task will be figuring out how to do links). Somehow I find myself way far behind- musta been the vacation, or the lazy hazy days of summer! This is the sketch from July 16, number 15. I think we are on number 28 at this point. lol, pretty soon I'll be caught up...

The upper corners are snipped out because I was going to put a little something there- but then I got a bit of blue ink just under the left one, and then realized I was supposed to have a ribbon or layer under there, which in fact hid the blue smudge, and then I tried and tried to get a little something in those corners but failed-

Guess that's why it can take me hours to make one card.

Stamps: PTI's Bitty Baby Blessings, Birds of a Feather, Out on a Limb Clear Stamps; Simple Thoughts Baby

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black; PTI Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise; SU Pacific Point

Paper: PTI Lemon Tart, Aqua Mist, Everyday Blessings; SU Whisper White

Hey! No embellsihemnts! That's not like me!

Baby Bear!

How is it that best laid plans oft times go astray? I had plans of making at least 5 or 6 baby cards yesterday, I had all day... sigh.

This is one of my favorite stamps, from Inkadinkado. I've had it forever, but it sould still be out there. It says Fine Line classis, G1174 and 605 on the side. The brown paper is from PTI's Chocolate Remix collection. The chocolate cs is Papertrey, the blue is SU's Bashful Blue.Buttons and ribbon are from Michaels and/or Joanns. It is hard to tell, but I watercolored the butterflies in with a Bashful Blue watercolor crayon, and also did his ribbon. A little smidge of Pretty in Pink decorates his heart.

I love it when a quick card comes out so nice!!

Enough for today!

Today I have managed to make only 2 cards, although I have some beautiful Halloween alcohol ink backgrounds done. Still, I have spent way too much time on the computer, having fun!

Can a blogspot.com familiar person tell me how to contact people who leave comments? I am guessing that it isn't always possible; that's why blog candy winners have to contact the hostess, right?

My photographs are bad and worse. Can you tell me at what pixels the photos have to be to upload? The second card today is at 650, and it is blurry. I tried to upload one that was about 1100 x 1100, and it wouldn't upload- although, I had two at once, lol, maybe that's why!

My goal for blogging is to show you the things I make, to inspire you to make some, too! I want to give you the instructions you need, and give you good photos- so let me know!

Another Rosh Hashanna card

I feel better about this second card. The shofar is also made with the faux metal technique. I must have goten some glitter in the embossing powder-gasp!- and there were some dark marks on the punched out image. That's why there is ribbon over it. Since I don't have to mail this one, it was safe to layer it up a bit more.

Did I say Stampin Up!'s Night of Navy ink matches the PTI blue paper perfectly? Well, it does. That makes me happy! On this card I used SU's Very Vanilla CS, since the glitter paper under the shofar is a yellowed white, and SU cs is a teensy yellower than PTI's.

The inside of the card holds the year tag this time, with a different sentiment. A brad on the inside makes for a pretty thick card!

Stamps: PTI's Mozel Tov

Ink: SU Night of Navy, Encore Silver

Paper: SE Very Vanilla and Metallic Silver, PTI Metallic Blue, Unknown glittery see through stuff

Other: Unknown brads, PTI Silver ribbons, Marvy Punch, Nestability cut smaller

Rosh Hashanah

I am not Jewish, but have friends and family who would love to get cards for the Holidays. I was very excited when Papertrey came out with Mozel Tov and it's Additions. I love Lauren Meaders gift basket, and CASE'd it shamelessly.

I always learn, or remember, when I make cards. So, here are the lessons of the day: Encore silver and gold inks do not dry quickly- they smear if you are not careful. Heating will help, but they can still smear if you rub them! Scotch double sided tape is unforgiving if you put your card down crooked. Once a layer is on a card base, it almost never works to cut the edge of the card~ especially when there is ribbon along that edge.

This is one card that looks better in the photo than it does in real life, lol!!!

The blue layer is PTI's metallic blue paper. The blue is a perfect night sky, and the shimmer is soft but definately there. I just wish they had done a ribbon to match!

5769 (the number on the tag) is the year to come! If you follow the Jewish calendar, 5769 is the year that will begin on September 30... or so I hope!

Stamp: PTI's Mozel Tov and Simple Alphabet

Ink: Encore Silve, SU Night of Navy

Paper: PTI white and Metallic Blue

Other: Unknown silver brads, unknown white amd blue organdy ribbon (the blue really does match)

Techniques: Faux metal for the Shofar, Nestability tag for the sentiment, Cuttlebug tag for the date

Halloween Is In The Air!

Last night and this morning is the first time the wood stove has burned continuously this season; it's not too cold, just wet and chilly. The pumpkins are on the porch... and politicians at debate. Ha! Something wicked this way comes!

I love Explosion Boxes. I don't have a pattern, I was copying an explosion box I bought. I am sure there are patterns out there- You need to have four sheets of 12 x 12 stiff cardstock. Thinner cs will push down and sag when you go to put the lid on.

The paper and the original box were purchased from my local paper shop, All Things Paper in North Hampton, NH. I promise I will do a better job as I begin blogging of giving details of products used.

I made the little tree from floral wire and tape, then pained it with acrylics- theones in the bottles. The little bats are punched and glued on, sandwiching the wire between 2 bats, and using Ultimate Glue. Probably any sticky glue would work. I did use tweezers, since the glue was sticking to my fingers and so were the bats!

Yes, those are Lindt balls in Halloween wraps. Believe me, they were eaten before the camera shutter closed for the last shot!

The bats on the sides are stickers, the top label is PapertreyInk's Spooky Sweets II, the ribbon is from Michaels~ please ask me anything I forgot!

Well!

I think that's enough playing around for today! I will need to figure how how to create a wonderful banner, how to add a counter, how to add templates at the bottom of posts, and how to respond to people who leave questions. I did respond to Claire, but I could see it sent out the message on the DH's email address, go figure!

Please let me know what a blog needs to have, or what you want me to tell you about a card.

Now I am off to clean up after the Blog Hop, and think about Baby and Christmas cards and maybe Papertrey's October Guest Star Stamper!

Some Fish!

In the same genre as the Spooky card, here are some fish! Alcohol inks on Chromekote, layered with a purchased Italian paper (I think), then layered on CS. Stamps are Stampscapes for the reeds, Fred Mullett for the fish.

A Spooky Treat!

I made this last year for Halloween, but never sent it away~ and may end up keeping it forever!!

The base is SU's black, the next layer up is a purchased paper, and the top layer was done with alcohol inks. I first put some yellow in the center of the Chromekote, then sponged on black in circles until I got the effect I wanted. The tree is from Stampscapes, Leafless Limbs Large-053F. I edged the stamped pieces with a gold Pilot pen. Rather than center the image, I left the upper portion larger to add a banner sentiment if I wanted. That never happened, lol, so it is what it is!

Baby Hopper

Here's a sweet card using a House Mouse Hopper stamp. All of the papers are from Papertrey, and the flowers are Primas, I think.

Really, I'm just trying out all of the potential ways to post, lol!

September PTI Blog Hop Pillowcase

Here is my PapertreyInk Blog Hop Christmas Project~ listed just one day after the Blog Hop isn't really late, is it? The fabric is Debbie Mumm from at least 2 years ago, I do not know if it is still available or not. The stamps are from Papertrey's Believe set, stamped on unbleached muslin and heat set with my iron. The images are stamped with Palette Noir black ink, I used Prisma markers to color the images, staying just back from the inked black lines to help minimize bleeding. The quilt just visible underneath is one I made, it is plaid flannel and black cotton.

The Ribbon Wall

I want to try uploading a photo, and thought you might like to see the ribbon wall, with all of the PTI ribbon across the top. I create in an unfinished space, so the brown you see behind the ribbons is insulation, lol, not a brown wall!

The PTI ribbon is hanging on Lisa & Becky Rail System Spool Holders hooked to the Under Desk (or Shelf?) Rails. Under is the important adjective. I believe they are no longer being made~ I was desparate to get 2 more, and Donna in Chicago came up with some for me! Some Joanns may still have some on clearance. Isn't it always the thing; the day after the DH hung the 2 new ones, the new Silver and Gold Papertrey Ribbons came- on flat folds, lol!

Here We Go!

I have been convinced, rightly or wrongly, to start a blog, even if just for PapertreyInk Blog Hopping! I will try today to get some photos up, and see how that goes~ bear with me as i learn the process, lol!!