Papertrey stamps & MIM #55

I am SO excited and happy. How often does it happen that someone offers you a whole stamp set for free. Thanks to Lee, a new card-friend, I got the PTI 3rd anniversary set called Round & Round (to see what the set looks like see http://forum.papertreyink.com/forum/gallery2.php?g2_itemId=105763). (Unfortunately these anniversary sets are not for sale but are 'earned' through rewards for purchases done at PTI. So how lucky am I?)
The Make It Monday challenge this week was very interesting. And I can't believe how long I struggled to put this card together once I had the frame done. (That was the easy part!).

The frame behind the circle was made by stamping TWO of the Calendar Bits & Pieces rectangular frame on top of one another (as shown in this video: http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/2012/02/make-it-monday-55-creating-large-frames-with-smaller-frame-stamps.html). The original frame can be seen in my previous post HERE.
The rest of it is all PTI's Round & Round set.

Play Date Cafe # 120 - Colors

Color challenges are very difficult for me due to a limited range of supplies but I think I managed to pull something together for the Play Date Cafe challenge #120.
Here's the Color challenge:

And here's my card:

(Blogger is blurring the thumbnail pic. Click to view clear pic)

 Stamps used:
Elegant Elements (for background)
Whimsical Wishes (sentiment)
Calendar Bits & Pieces (sentiment frame)

Inks used:
Versamagic (chalk ink): Sage (I guessed it's another herb that's close)
Memento Tuxedo Black

Other:
Sakura Star Dust pen
Orange marker

I'm also entering this card into:

• http://www.alwayscrafting.blogspot.com/2012/02/creative-mondays-anything-goes-ch2.html 
• http://ppp-makeitmonday.blogspot.com/2012/02/make-it-monday-78-with-dis-digi.html (as usual!!)
• http://crazychallenge.blogspot.com/2012/02/cch-108-anything-goes.html
• http://www.vostamps.blogspot.com/2012/02/victorine-originals-challenge-28-lace.html (a note on the lace in my project: My grandmother who passed away in 2002 was a brilliant rag doll maker. She had boxes of lace for trimmings and this is one of her old stash. I didn't get her talent for sewing but I'm still using some of her lace on my cards.)

Glitter buttons (PTI)

I used a free image from PTI for this card and their technique for glittering up some buttons!

(Please click to enlarge - then it doesn't seem fuzzy. A bit odd)

Find the Make It Monday link with video here: http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/2012/02/make-it-monday-52-glitter-buttons.html

A birthday boy

This is a birthday card for my card ministry at church. It's for a birthday boy:

The image is called "Ben" from Mo Manning's Digital Pencil. Scroll down on my page (http://www.redcardcorner.blogspot.com/p/my-stamps.html) to find the relevant link.

I printed two copies of the image. The first image I colored all over and was cut out with a square Spellbinders die and the edges shaded with Antique Linen (TI). I then colored the water can and pot on the second image and cut it out. Note: The part of the handle between the boy's hands are on the back copy only. The rest of it was glued down to the back copy by the nozzle (?) and opening of the can. The bottom of it was lifted with pop dots. The whole of the little pot was adhered with a little pop dot.

Here's a close-up:

This picture also shows that I put Glossy Accents on the flower and the pot.

This card is entered into:
http://cardmakinmamas.blogspot.com/2012/02/challenge-39-happy-birthday.html
http://hotshotcraft.blogspot.com/2012/02/challenge-4-one-for-boys-and-winner-of.html
http://www.scrapbookaholicbyabby.com/2012/02/dilo-en-espanol-reto-3dilo-en-espanol.html (they're NEW!)
http://wagsnwhiskersrubberstamps.blogspot.com/2012/02/challenge-73-masculine-birthday.html

Many Thanks with V&A and GinaK

I love the papers I got in the Docrafts Creativity magazine from V&A (museum edition). Although the magazine dates to early 2010 I'm glad in this case that South Africa is sometimes a tad behind.

I'm using CPS's Sketch #253 (http://cardpositioningsystems.blogspot.com/2012/02/cps-253-part-1.html).

To make that tag, I cut the sentiment out with a Labels 8 die (Spellbinders) and then fixed one end of a double ended tag at the back. I shaded the white edges with Antique Linen (Tim Holtz).
The half circle uses Spellbinders Scalloped Circles and Small Circles. It was shaded with Fired Brick (Tim Holtz) and the flower (and sentiment) stamped in Aged Mahogany (TI). The flower was covered with Glossy Accents (love that stuff).

Stamps used:
Faithful Florals (GinaK)
Garden Silhouettes (GKD)

Inks used:
Tim Holtz: Aged Mahogany, Fired Brick, Antique Linen

Pyramage butterfly

I recently saw in the Docraft "Creativity" magazine the technique of Pyramage. Now this can be as complicated or as simple as you'd like. Mine is probably the simplest form there is.
For my card I started off with 3 ovals (Spellbinders Classic Ovals Small). I used the three middle sizes and cut a white oval with each. I stamped bits of the butterfly around the edges and in the top oval, I stamped most of the image complete. It doesn't matter that it goes off-edge since a dimensional butterfly is going to go on top:

As you can see I colored a piece of white card stock with pencils and then stamped the butterfly in black on top. I cut out the top colored butterfly.
Here's the assembled card (using 3D dots for all layers except the dimensional butterfly which is just glued with some normal liquid glue on the body).

The card was photographed at quite an angle to try and capture the Glossy Accents on the wings.

Stamps used:
Bold and Beautiful (GinaK Designs)

Inks used:
Tim Holtz Distress Inks: Crushed Olive, Pine Needles
Memento: Tuxedo Black, Rich Cocoa

Paper:
Basic Grey "out of print" (it was shaded with Pine Needles distress ink to make it less yellow and more green)
Tim Holtz Distress Paper: Frayed Burlap

For More on Pyramage, here's another tutorial that is more complicated: http://www.papercraftjunkies.com/content/2009/02/pyramage-tutorial/
Or just GOOGLE :D

I'd like to enter this card into:
http://lawnscaping.blogspot.com/2012/02/lawnscaping-challenge-28-distress-mania.html
http://shellysimagesblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/2-16-terrifically-thrilling-thursday.html

"Green" birthday gift

I made this covered journal for my "baby" sister whose birthday was yesterday.
The original book looked like this:

They are note books made from recycled paper available from Woolworths (for my SA friends).
I covered the front and pen with scrapbook paper (I think it's Basic Grey....) mounted on Tim Holtz distress paper.

The central image was stamped with "Tree Silhouettes" (GinaK Designs). I used Tim Holtz Antique Linen first to stamp three trees. I then stamped over them by first inking up the image with Tim Holtz Crushed Olive and then dabbing here and there with the tip of a Memento dew drop ink pad in Rich Cocoa before stamping.
The journal image was created on my computer.

Materials used:
Spellbinders Labels 8
Spellbinders Fancy Tags
Tim Holtz inks: Antique Linen, Crushed Olive
Memento ink: Rich Cocoa

I'm also entering this into:
http://lawnscaping.blogspot.com/2012/02/lawnscaping-challenge-28-distress-mania.html
http://shellysimagesblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/2-16-terrifically-thrilling-thursday.html