My Crafts are Like a Box of Chocolates

Love You Always Card

April 20, 2019 beccreates1

It’s my third week of hosting over at Crazy 4 Challenges. I have been trying really hard to get the most out of my card kits. All too often I work with them a bit then move on to other projects.

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So for this card, I went back to the Simon Says Stamp February card kit. I’ve made a few cards with it but they were pretty ordinary. Despite loving this kit, I struggled with making cards. Sometimes my mojo just up and walks out of my house! So I decided that this card was going to be much more impressive. I started with the woodgrain paper to which I added some music stamping using the music border from the stamp set. I used Razzleberry ink by Altenew, sometimes full-strength and sometimes second-generation. I used Spellbinders Labels 55 to cut the main panel from kraft cardstock. The bird was stamped on ivory cardstock with Versafine ink and coloured with Copics. The little tag was cut from canvas by Spellbinders using a tag by MFT. The border is by Spellbinders but it’s very old so likely not available anymore but I’m sure they have something similar now.

So now it was time to put it all together. I added the woodgrain to an A2 sized card panel. Then I added the ivory doily border and a torn panel of paper from the kit. I stamped on the kraft panel then added it to the card with foam tape and adhered the bird. Last I added the flowers, leaves and sequins. The tag looked too plain so I cut a heart from one of the pieces of patterned paper, coloured it with Copics then added it to the tag. and that’s it!

Come on over to the C4C blog to check out the design team’s work! I hope you can play along!

Enjoy, Rebecca

Mixed Media

Make Every Moment Special Art Journal Page

April 13, 2019April 20, 2019 beccreates1

My challenge this week over at Crazy 4 Challenges is to make an ABC ~ Anything But a Card! I listed a ton of possibilities over at the C4C blog if you need some ideas. I needed to make an art journal page for a swap anyway so the timing was perfect to use it for this challenge too! I also could have done an ATC as I make quite a few of those too.

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The theme for this page was lace but there were no other parameters. The background is Kaisercraft patterned paper with vintage music and encyclopedia paper. I then added lace, washi and a couple of die cuts. A bit of doodling with a black pen and some sequins finished it off. This was a pretty simple page. I usually add some paint, spray or embossing paste through a stencil but I have to make these pages pretty flat. I realize adding those still results in a flat page but the more I add, the more I keep adding. Which does NOT result in a flat page. I have to keep it flat as it gets mailed all over the world, at each stop, an artist adds a new two page spread.

Stop on by the C4C blog to join us in this challenge! We’d love to see your take on this theme!

Enjoy, Rebecca

Cards, Gifts

Lip Balm Gift on a Card

April 6, 2019 beccreates1

Hello! Are you also so glad it’s finally spring? I hate the winter! Today I have a card that is also a small gift! My 7 yo son loves his kindergarten teacher and talks about her a lot even though he’s in grade one. So we decided to send her a fun card so she will know he still really cares about her. (She’s very fond of him too.) AND, it’s my month to be hostess at Crazy 4 Challenges! This week I’ve asked the team and players to use at least 3 metallic or metallic coloured embellishments. Oh, and I have an awesome guest designer this month, Cindy Lawrence!

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The cool plastic bubble is by MFT as are the dies needed to cut the the frame and the window in your card so the recipient can pull out the lip balm. I cut the window only partially so it left a flap. I didn’t score it so it stays closed quite well. In addition, the plastic bubble has small divots that hold the lip balm in. The hugs die is from Heffy Doodle and all the papers are by Kaisercraft. It’s hard to see but there is a tiny I MISS YOU on the top of the card. It’s from Painted Butterflies by Altenew.

For the challenge, I added a ton of tiny gold stars all over the white space on the card. I love that they are the perfect colour of gold (IMHO) and not too shiny. You can get these matte stars at Lucy’s Cards. I hope you can pop on over to see the team’s designs and especially the awesome card made by my guest designer, Cindy Lawrence! Her Copic colouring is super amazing! She’s so inspiring! I can’t wait to see the designs made by everyone who can play along with my challenge this week!

Enjoy, Rebecca

Cards

Well, that’s a Trick! A Special Shaker Card

March 30, 2019March 30, 2019 beccreates1

I’m pretty much addicted to shaker cards which is a good thing. Otherwise, I’d be drowning in all the sequins, confetti, crystals and gems I buy! The best way to feature them, IMHO, is to make shakers! This week at Crazy 4 Challenges, we were asked to feature a trick of some kind – maybe an interactive card or something with a twist.

c4c 19 trick coloured sequin shaker

So, a pretty boring card right? It’s not bad but certainly not very celebratory. But the trick comes when you turn it upside down and shake the daylights out of it! Then you get…

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… a riot of coloured sequins and gems! So, how did I do it? The secret is a hidden reservoir of coloured sequins under the ‘Celebrate’ portion of the card! You have to pack the reservoir pretty full so none of the clear and silver stars fall into the bottom. It does takes some serious shaking to get them all out so if you make one, be sure to write a note for the recipient. If the card is light coloured and so is your foam, you can see when you hold it up to the light if you have more shaking to do! I highly recommend this be delivered by hand or only travels flat in a gift box or you could possibly place it upright into a gift bag. Definitely do not attempt to mail a card like this!

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So here is what the foam looks like under the front panel. Originally I added the two horizontal pieces sticking out into the middle to help stabilize the front. But in the end it helped divide the sections which kept the sequins in their correct compartments. I made the reservoir as large as I could while still allowing me to add 1/8″ Scor-Tape to the edges. Making it large mean lots of sequins which then, after shaking, kept the top compartment from looking too sparse. (Dies by PTI, shaker fillers by Little Things from Lucy’s Cards.)

Do you have a trick up your sleeve? Join us over at the C4C blog to get some inspiration and join in our challenge!

Enjoy, Rebecca

Cards

Vintage Floral Love Card

March 12, 2019 beccreates1

This week at Crazy 4 Challenges, we were asked to make a card (or project) using flowers! This might be a common challenge but we all love flowers so much it makes sense to repeat it often!

I worked with some Authentique papers which included a ‘cut-apart sheet.’ You know, those papers with multiple images or borders that can be cut up and used on your projects. I chose the more vintage side, the other side was more retro, and arranged them on a heart die cut. For the background panel, I repeatedly stamped the music border using my MISTI. It helps because you can make sure the border is straight. This can be tricky with some thin borders. Also it helps make sure the stamping is straight on the paper and keeps the spacing consistent when you leave the border on the door of the tool and just move the paper.

I stamped on ivory paper using clear embossing powder. Then I sponged some Hero Arts and PTI inks that matched the colours in the patterned paper. I decided an ombre would look best, isn’t it pretty? For the center of the heart die cut (Hero Arts), I stamped one of the images from the Love Always stamp set by Simon Says. I don’t have dies so I trimmed it by hand. It isn’t an intricate image to cut so no biggie. The edges of the patterned papers were lightly inked with Vintage Photo to add to the antiqued look.

I hope you can find time to make and link up a floral card over at C4C. We would love to have you!

Enjoy, Rebecca

Cards

Vintage Coffee Pop-Up Card

March 3, 2019March 12, 2019 beccreates1

Do you ever buy the coolest die, stamp, embellishment or whatever then not use it for the longest time? Ugh, I know right? I always feel guilty when stuff goes unused! So when I sat down to create a card for this week’s Crazy 4 Challenges coffee or hot drink challenge, I decided to pull out a pop-up set of dies I’d never used.

c4c 19 coffee pop up

I think I hesitated because using a pop-up die set (Elizabeth Crafts) like this one means not only decorating the outside of the card but also decorating the inside pretty extensively. Part of the reason I make cards is because I can complete them quickly, even in between being interrupted by my kids! But seriously, as long as I leave more than one day to create, I can make it work! So I finally used it here. Although I’m showing you the front of the card first, I actually made the inside first.

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I didn’t have any papers I wanted to use that were large enough so cut the die from lightweight white cardstock then applied pattern papers over top. All of the papers are by Kaisercraft. I bought a ton when they were on sale from the Stamp Simply store so was excited to use them. The die cut cups are by MFT while the die cut label shape is by Lifestyle Crafts (I think they were bought out by WRMK). The sentiment I stamped and embossed in gold is from an older Simon Says Stamp set. The papers were so embellished already, I hesitated to add much more. So a few sequins were my only embellies. Lifewise, the front panel already included lots of detail and even a saying so all I added was the border from the paper pack and the lace. Did you know that all Kaisercraft paper packs (6×6 anyway) include several pages worth of sentiment die cuts, tags and borders? What a great value! They are quickly becoming one of my favourite companies!

Come on over to the C4C blog to join our challenge! Can’t wait to see what you make!

Enjoy, Rebecca

Cards

You are the Bestest

February 24, 2019March 12, 2019 beccreates1

While I love buying and using new supplies, sometimes you just have to go back and use some older products. Many years ago, I found a little stamp company called Eat Cake Graphics. Adorable name right? Most of their stamps were cute little critters like the puppy I used in the card below.

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On their website, the displayed the stamps as usual but in the description they told a little story about each animal which came complete with a name. Apparently these guys are Felicia and Sparky! I coloured them with Copic markers then trimmed out the image. I wanted to emphasize that she is lying on her back, at first she looks a bit weird, so I added a felt die cut to look like a rug. At first I chose on oval but I wasn’t sure it would look like a rug. I thought about adding a fringe but that would take a long time. So then I decided to use a scalloped oval and it turned out perfect!

The banner is hand cut on three sides then I used a die from Concord & 9th for the bottom. I have a few dies that finish the end of a banner of any width and I love them. Very versatile! The papers are by Bo Bunny from the Mandy’s Flowers kit by Simon Says Stamp. The sentiment is by Altenew from the Floral Shadow stamp set. Funny, I’d not really paid attention to the sentiments in this set before but I just loved it for this image.

This card was for this week’s Crazy 4 Challenges theme of PETS! I had lots of options but this image definitely needed to be used. I hope you have an image just asking to be used for this challenge!

Enjoy, Rebecca

Cards

I Adore You Heart Balloons Card

February 8, 2019 beccreates1

Wow! So many love-themed challenges this week including ours at Crazy 4 Challenges! I actually make love cards a lot, not just before and for this particular holiday. Love should be celebrated all the time right? I’ve had quite a few on Instagram lately. You should check out what I post over there, just saying!

I started with a soft background using Distress inks, I think Tumbled Glass and Cracked Pistachio. I made my own stencil for the ground/sky line but I used a Simon Clouds for Days stencil for the clouds. I love that there are full clouds and 4 sides for single cloud edges plus you can get different looks by flipping the stencil over, just be sure to wash it first! Ask me how I know… 🙂

The stamps are all from the January My Monthly Hero Card Kit. Here’s a closeup of the balloons. I may have stamped/coloured them on the wrong paper as they over blended to the point that you can’t tell I blended them at all on some. Argh… I used some R80s, RV 50s and RV60s series Copics. Then, after cutting off the strings they came with, I carefully glued gold strings to the bottom of each one. I added the balloons to the card with foam tape at the tops (the glue dots I used for the thread secured the bottoms) and very carefully tied the strings so they all lay straight and neat, adhering the knot to the bike. I wanted them to appear to be blowing back in the wind and I think it worked! I added some pink gems from Studio Katia to the card to accent the pinkness of the balloons. The bike was also coloured with Copics, this time in the Y20s and 30s, probably Y21, 35 and 38 with some Cool greys for the metallic parts and a bit of BGs for the ombre bike basket. Everyone needs an ombre turquoise bike basket right? I know I do!

I hope you still need some lovey cards and will join us over at the C4C blog! We’d all love to see you over there! Don’t forget to find me over on Instagram, click the sidebar link or search for BecCreates1!

Enjoy, Rebecca

Cards

Winter Critter Scene Card

February 2, 2019 beccreates1

Winter has a solid grip on us here in Southern Ontario. Even though I hate winter, I do like watching the snow fall when it’s quiet and dark outside. So I tried to incorporate some of that peaceful stillness in my card.

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Our challenge this week at Crazy 4 Challenges was to use groundhogs in honour of Groundhog day or, if you don’t have any, use another small critter that lives on or in the ground. I recently bought Winter Time Fun by Hero Arts so the critters in there are perfect for this challenge.

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I couldn’t decide what medium to use to colour them in. Do you ever have that problem? I finally decided that my coloured pencils could use some love as I hadn’t used them in a while. So if you enlarge the photo and notice some of the black lines aren’t all that dark, that’s why.

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I decided that the deer would be a reindeer. Did you know that most deer except female reindeer lose their antlers in the winter? I only learned that recently! I had to look up what they look like of course, I think we have reindeer in northern Canada but I’ve never been north enough to see them. I chose a red fox for some additional colour.

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I used two colours for the tree and added some light blue to soften the snowy areas. Then I used orangey reds for the cardinal and warm greys for the raccoon. Now that I see it enlarged, I covered some of the black lines here too. But I really don’t mind. The background was done with Distress inks over the masked images; the snowy hill was masked too with a simple hand cut mask made of plain printer paper.

So now to add a sentiment. I was thinking of a large scripty font but when I placed the clear stamp in the sky, it overwhelmed the small images and made the sky look cluttered. I finally decided on a small simple sentiment at the bottom which kept the calm look intact.

While you are staying indoors staying warm, I hope you will pop on over to the C4C blog to see the other designer’s creations and join us!

Enjoy, Rebecca

Cards

Summer Memories Last Forever

January 19, 2019 beccreates1

I just can’t stay away from summer cards can I? Its very grey and snowy here so I’m constantly longing for summer’s sunshine and warmth. Plus I love the beach!

Our challenge this week at Crazy 4 Challenges was a sketch! I love sketches; sometimes I stray from them but they are a great starting point.

I used some new Kaisercraft Summer Splash paper. I love it when a paper pack has some more neutral prints like this linen-look ombre paper. Kaisercraft paper packs are unique in that they include die-cut borders, tags and sentiments on the last few pages! Makes for some fast and easy cards. They also often include cut apart sheets; papers with small square or rectangular designs intended to be used separately. I used a small panel for my sentiment focal point.

I was headed to grab some ribbon for the banner part of the sketch when I saw this burlap ‘ribbon’ I got from the dollar store. Here in southern Ontario, I’ve noticed that burlap and chalkboard are very popular themes so there are lots of products available. This ribbon is awesome because it is self-adhesive! yahoo!

So while I dream of the beach while staying toasty warm indoors, I hope you will pop on over to C4C to check out the other designer’s amazing projects. Then join in the fun with this sketch!

Enjoy, Rebecca