Using my Inspiration Boards

How many of you utilize Pinterest?  I LOVE, love, LOVE Pinterest! It is a smorgasbord of unending inspiration and ideas.

And, believe it or not, I actually make recipes from ideas pinned and use my inspiration boards for ideas when creating.  Now if I would actually use the organization and cleaning pins!! snort!!

This past week, I have had to make a total of FOUR  cards in a span of a couple of days.

Four cards.  In a span of a couple of days.  People, I haven't created four cards in a MONTH in a very, veryveryvery long time!!

I needed two cards for office birthdays that we were celebrating the same day at an office lunch.  And, I got asked to make the cards the day before the lunch.   Of course, my creative mojo decided it wanted a vacation.  My Pinterest Inspiration board to the rescue!!

Basically, I took the easy way out and CASEd (copy and stole shared everything) of this fabulous card by beesmom on Splitcoaststampers. , but I had to do it with a twist as I couldn't find a die large enough to cut a frame to fit the  enlarged card size needed for all the office to sign and hold the gift certificates.

And I had a slight problem cutting down on the background!! I REALLY liked it! LOL!!

I wish you could see the shimmer on the background.  Very slight, but eye catching in person! I popped up the main images with dimensional tape to add an extra pop.

Details:  Cards size.  I honestly don't remember. I believe the base was 5"x 5.5".  Distress Paints in Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade and Wild Honey.  A mixture of Glimmer Mist Pearl and Luminarte Radiant Rain Pearl Blue. Embossing folder Sizzix Tropical Paisley.  Dies: Tim Holtz's Garden Greens, Sizzix Bird w/Leaves and Flower.

The technique video that I used for the background can be found here.

I will share the second card I made using this same technique but in a totally different way in a few days! 

Until then................use those inspiration pictures and create!

Red, Turquoise, Box?!!

There are some days (weeks) that I am amazed that I am even able to complete a project.  Not because of time restraints, but because my brain continually zigs and zags all over the creative route. I start out with one idea, then ZIG! Another idea leaps in, changing the path. I go along happily on the new path and ZAG!! A major rut cuts down the path, resulting in another detour.

This creative endeavor is a prime example of my wandering creative journeys.  I started on a path for a birthday card that included red metal altered with alcohol inks against a design paper that brought thoughts of a sunny blue sky with wispy clouds floating.

ZIG!!

Found a few jewelry trinkets that I decided would accompany the  birthday card.  Just so happens the jewelry was turquoise and leather.  Okay, switched gears a bit and decided to make the card coordinate with the gift.  Got out some new metal, paper and accents.

For the life of me, I just struggled with the card.  While I liked the elements for the card, I could not escape the feeling that something was "off".

ZAG!!

Detour number two took me from a card to a box to hold the trinkets.  Ahh! Yes!! Finally! I could see the path through all the weeds!!

Supplies:

Box: from my stash

Paper:  (from my stash):  From Fabscraps Shabby Chic Romance

Metal:  Ten Second Studios  Peacock and Dark Chocolate metal.  Kabuka mold #13. Decorative wheel and fine tip refiner

Embossing folder: Cuttlebug  Swiss Dots

Dies:  Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals and Garden Greens by Sizzix

Other:  SU Antique brad altered with Copic marker.  Suede ribbon: stash.  Brown Paint 

Adhesive:  Glue and Seal, Beacon's Glass, Metal and More

The flower creation was totally inspired by Lin from Yours Artfully .  She graciously allowed me to create a tutorial based on her flowers for SCS a while back.  The step by step photos can be seen here on the SCS resource page or the video below

'Till next time.........remember the path we start out on may not be the path we actually travel!!

Birthday Vine

Hello there Peoples!!  I hope you had a wonderful Day of Thanksgiving yesterday!! I actually spread out Thanksgiving over the past week.  Youngest Kiddo and I went back to Colorado and spent 4 days with family.  Got home late Monday night, and have been trying to play catch up since!!

I missed my chance to say "Thanks" to those of you who stop in, browse and comment. But, I believe it is never too late to say "Thanks" so please know that I appreciate each and every one of you who do take the time from your busy schedules to visit this little ol' blog!!

Today's card is the last of the cards I made a few weekends back.  I'd like to say that I got out of my stuck in a rut, stuck in a rut layout, but alas!  I'm afraid that this layout is just a CAS (clean and simple) version of cards One and Two!!

Details:  card base is Gina K's Pure Luxury Ivory, 5.5" square.  Design Paper is My Mind's Eye Madison Avenue that was sponged along the edges with Distress Ink in Vintage Photo.  The flourish is Sizzix Flourish 2, that was die cut from SU Chocolate Chip and spritzed with various Glimmer Mists (sorry, it was a grab and spray type of thing and I forgot to note which ones I grabbed and sprayed!!).  The little flower petals were punched from an old SU punch (has 3 little flowers on in).  I sponged slightly in the middle with a Q-tip with Distress Ink Warm Lipstick and shaped with a stylus and mouse pad.  The little 1/2 self adhesive pearls are from my stash. The sentiment is from SU's retired stamp set It's Your Birthday and was stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa. 

That's about it for me today!! I have the goal of starting to put out my Christmas decorations this weekend and need to do some preparation cleaning first!!

'Till next time.............................

Weddings and Ants

Hey there People!! I bet you thought I fell off the face of the earth (again)!  The last couple of weeks have just been in the crazy fast lane.  I'll spare you specifics, but here is a quick summery:

Work.  Loooong hours at work.
Ant invasion.
More work.
Catching up with medical appointments.
Another ant invasion in a different area of the house.
Dang...seems those ants are pretty much finding every nook and cranny in this house: Let's see:
                               First invasion in the kitchen, resulting in a much needed cleaning and purging of 
                               two cupboards.
                               Second invasion in the master bath
                               Third invasion from the front door, across the entry to the dog's food.
                               Fourth: my  office and  in a different area of the kitchen...no cupboards, YET
                              Invasion Five outside (thankfully) but all along the edge of the house and trash 
                              cans.  
                             I think the ants are not enjoying our three digit temperatures.  And yes, spraying, ant traps, ant "food" has been applied.  Numerous times. Sigh. 
                              
And some more long days at work.

Pretty exciting huh?!  And I wonder why there are no reality shows as to what reality really is!!

But, despite the exciting life I have been leading, creativity was pushed to the top of the priority list last night! A co worker is getting married today and a wedding card is needed by this afternoon!  I will admit to a brief consideration of buying a card due to the fact that I think the ants have carried away my Mojo. But I took a deep breath and carried forth!

The wedding colors are light pink, white and grey.  The photo makes the roses look darker than they are in reality.  But, I don't have time to retake the picture! LOL!  Remember:  you can click on the photo for an enlarged version.

Some basic details:  Sentiment printed on the computer using a very similar font from the wedding invitation.  Embossed around the sentiment with Sizzix embossing folder Wreath. Sizzix Flowers 3D die used for the roses.  Roses were cut out of some Brazill card stock that I had gotten at my LSS.  **I swear that I am the only person in the "crafting" world who struggles with the making of  these rolled up flowers. It takes me FOREVER to get them to look like flowers! I may take a slight detour from my goal for this year of using the all the unloved supplies I already have versus buying anything new.  I think I NEED to get Donna Salazar's/Spellbinders Rose Creations.  I think I'm a layer flower gal versus a rolled flower gal!! LOL!!  Light sponging of Distress Ink in Victorian Velvet and a spritz of Tattered Angel's Pearl glimmer mist complete the flowers. 

Self adhesive pearls were added to some of the embossed areas as well as a few extra lines that I felt helped tie it all together!!

That's it for me right now!  I need to finish cleaning out all the wonderful grime left in the washing machine from washing the car towels and start making myself presentable for the wedding!

I hope you all have a wonderful creative weekend!  Let me know if any of you are interested in obtaining some ants for house guests.  I'm ready for them to LEAVE! lol!!

'Till next time!!

Mother's Day Monday

Good Morning Peoples!  Another Monday is upon us and that means another Monday that puts up closer to the end of this school year.

I hope that those of you who are mothers had a nice day celebrating YOU.  Personally, my day just reaffirmed that I am a mother!!  Saturday was spent all day at the beach reserving a spot for the Oldest Kiddo's class to have an end of the year party.  We took down a total of 7 teenagers with us, then the rest of the group joined later in the afternoon.  We got home very late and I had NO energy left to deal with all the sand, laundry and cleaning out of ice coolers last night, so Sunday was spent cleaning.  And feeding a few extra boys that ended up camping out on my family room floor.

And you know what?!  That is how it should be!! I am very blessed that the Kiddos and their friends like hanging out in our home. I would much rather deal with the mess of having a house full of teenage boys (so far, we haven't had girls join in the "hanging out") then having them run around who knows where!

 I was pleasantly surprised by a new lens for my camera from the Toad and the Kiddos.  They got me a 50mm lens for taking pictures of my projects and other close up photography.  I used it to take the pictures of the card I made for my mother in law.

I obviously need to play around with it more, but I think I'm really going to like it!!

Since I hadn't cleaned up the mess from making the Tea Time gift for youngest Kiddo's teacher (ahem!),  I stayed with using the same paper pack and colors for this card.  

Basic details:  Card base is 5 1/2"  square cut from Gina K's Pure Luxury Ivory.  All the design paper is from My Mind's Eye Lost and Found line Sunshine. I used Spellbinder's Label Eleven to cut the print layer.  To make the small black edge, I cut out a smaller of the Label Eleven dies and traced around the outside and cut by hand.  The large flower was cut and embossed using Spellbinder's/Donna Salazar's Carnation Creations  from SU's More Mustard card stock.  Sponging was done with Distress Ink in Rusty Hinge.  I then misted the flower layers with Tattered Angel's Glimmer Mist in Pearl. 

The little blue flowers were punched with an SU flower punch (this punch has three different little flowers on it) from more of the Sunshine line.  The leaves were cut using Sizzix's Branch w/Leaves  from SU's Certainly Celery.  I then swiped Distress Ink in Peeled Paint directly onto the leaves.  The sentiment is stamped on vellum with Archival Jet Black ink with the Mother's Day sentiment from SU's All Holidays set.  

I'm really trying to use more of my stash for my projects versus buying all the newest goodies out there.  While I LOVE the new stuff, I think it is such a waste that I haven't even used what I already own.  Sooo, expect to see more projects with those blasts from the past that we used to love!!

Enjoy the rest of your Monday.  I have work, but am really hoping to get home at a decent time so that I can start to clean up this current mess so I can make a NEW mess!!  'Till then.......enjoy some creativity!!