What I'm Working On...

Happy Thursday everyone!
This week I have a few things to show you!

Here is the progress I have been making on my second Hermione Everyday Socks:

I just love this pattern! As you can see I am nearly done with the leg, which I should finish up this evening while I am sitting at the dance studio during Abb's classes. I'd imagine I should at least get through the heel flap and gusset. Now that I understand the basics of making a sock, this one is going so fast! If all goes well I'll have a completed pair by next week. :)

I ordered a yarn swift and ball winder from Knit Picks last Thursday night (at about 11:30pm!) and it arrived on Saturday! Wow! Saturday night I put it all together and wound my first balls from the skeins of yarn I dyed a couple months ago - I love it!

I made a card for a friend of mine who has a birthday this weekend. I am trying to put my organizing tools to use and be better about planning and sending birthday cards. I hope she likes it. :) Facebook notifications are all good, but who doesn't like real happy mail? I have a few more birthdays coming up so I will be working on a few more cards over the next couple of weeks. It's nice to set aside some paper crafting time.

 I used some Basic Grey patterned paper from the Kioshi 6x6 paper pack and a strip of paper from the Making Memories Slice paper pack. I used a bit of gesso and pearl paint over the text paper to tone it down a bit for the stamping. I used a Hampton Arts Celebrate and Thanks stamp set for the front sentiment and a Technique Tuesday Ali Edwards set (Cakes & Candles) for the "Happy Birthday" sentiment inside. The butterfly was a Studio 112 mini set from Joanns dollar bin. I didn't color the butterfly in, but instead I spritzed a bit of Glimmer Mist in Cocoa on the butterfly for a bit of shimmer. I wish it showed up in the pictures! I fussy-cut the butterfly and then mounted it with foam adhesive for a bit of dimension.

Other notes:
I just treated myself to this yarn on Etsy. I plan to make another pair of socks with it, and if I get my act together, I will use them as part of the Knit Girllls Halloweel KAL. They have just the right amount of creepiness to them for Halloween, but I think I could still get away with wearing them the rest of the year. :) Right?

I love this vest pattern. :) And just like the picture, I think it would be perfect with jeans and boots...something to wear to a fall baseball game or hanging out in the dance studio.

I'd love to eventually make this cardigan for my daughter. Probably not yet though...I have some gift knitting to start and finish!

If you are on Ravelry, check out the Knitmore Girls podcast group! Great chatter, but there is also a Martina Behm Knit-A-Long that is about to start...if you are member of the group they are offering a one-time 10% discount on any of Martina Behm's single patterns. You can even get more than one...I have had a few saved in my library for a while now and took advantage of the discount to purchase a couple. I may try the Trillian, although
I'm also loving the Leftie! Decisions, decisions... Oh, you can find me on Ravelry here!

And on a non-craft related note...the camera on my iPhone died yesterday! :( I don't know what is happening with it, but it looks like I have to make a trip to the store to find out what they can do. Fingers crossed it's something fixable!

Follow me on Bloglovin' to stay updated on what's happening in the nest!
 

Father's Day card - super late!

I know how completely late this is, but I wanted to share the Father's Day card I made. Things have been SO crazy at work, that I haven't had a chance to post on this blog.

It's a 4 1/4" square card. The image is a digi stamp from Mo Manning and is called "Daddy's Shoes". Isn't it sweet? :) I used my Copics to color him up and used a card from the July issue of Card Maker (pg. 48) as the inspiration of my layout. The paper is from the Complete Boy paper stack by My Minds Eye and the cardstock is from Stampin Up. The sentiment was created with a combination of Lawn Fawn's Sophie's Sentiments set ("happy" and "day") and a Martha Stewart alpha set ("Father").

I'm excited to have a few days off to catch my breath from work. I can finally catch up on a few things around the house and enjoy some time with the family. And hoping that some of the heat we've had in Michigan will let up a bit. These 100* days are for the birds! :) Hope the weather has been a bit cooler in your neck of the woods...and if it has, please feel free to send a bit this way!



Pinhole Card

Today I wanted to share a simple card. It's called a "Pinhole Card" and creates a pattern by poking holes into the cardstock. For this card, I decided to use a heart pattern, inspired by some images I saw on Pinterest and Google. Once I created the base card using Gina K white cardstock, I lightly sketched a small heart and a larger heart on the inside of the card as my guidelines. Then, using a simple sewing pin, I outlined the smaller heart with closely spaced pin holes and gradually extended the spacing so the heart faded out at the edges. Because I poked my holes from the inside the of card, it created a raised surface on the front of the card - I really love the look!

On the front I simply wrote "i love you" with a black pen. I am trying to practise more hand lettering and would like to incorporate it more into my cards. My basic handwriting isn't very impressive, more function than form to be honest, but I've always wanted to be good at calligraphy. Some days my handwriting is better than others, do you notice that as well?

Well, I hope you enjoyed the card! It was such a treat to have some real crafting time, even for a card as simple as this. Having my supplies spread around me on the table and just working was great. Things have been so busy lately that my crafting time has been really limited. I'm sure so many others can easily relate! lol

Have a wonderful day! We're expecting close to 90 degrees today, so I've been coaxing the last of the cool morning air inside before I button everything up to keep the house cool. It's on days like these that I long for central air...but I do love my radiators in the winter (when they work properly). Maybe I will be able to get a few other cards done...forget housework! lol

This card has been submitted for the CAS-ual Friday challenge: Using Polka Dots. I'm a first timer! lol



And for the Black & White Challenge at Stamp N Plus! I'm a first timer here too! :)

A couple of images all colored up!

Hi everyone! I know it's been a while since I posted here...spring is always an insane time at work for me, so I have had very little time to craft at all, much less post. I'm really hoping things slow down a bit in the next few weeks, although I think the busy times will transfer from work to home life in these next few weeks as the kids wrap up the school year. Are any of you feeling a little overwhelmed right now too?

Anyway, I wanted to share a couple of digi images that I colored with my Prismacolor pencils yesterday. Both are from Mo Manning, and I have really fallen in love with her images. I can't believe how long it took for me to start using her digi stamps, but they are so cute!

The first one is called Bronte Kisses. How sweet is this image??? I colored this one while I was on my lunch break. Lately, I've been either rushing through lunch, missing lunch, or working through lunch, and yesterday I decided I just needed to get off the grid for a bit and have a little "me" time. And although a couple people looked at me a little strangely as I sat there with my bowl of soup and my pencils, blending stumps and Gamsol around me, I had a great time. :)

The next one is called Prince Edward Island. As soon as I saw it I had to have it! My best friend and I were huge Anne of Green Gables fans when we were girls. Have you read the series? It's just delightful - and I have been rereading the first book over the past couple weeks when I have a few minutes here and there. My favorite as a girl was Anne of the Island, and I wonder if my taste has changed now that I am older. But knowing that Anne and Gilbert are finally going to end up together...sigh. :)

This was my first time coloring on kraft cardstock. I used a tutorial over at Dorcas Designs to help me with the flesh tones. Not nearly as good as hers, but I was happy with the result for a first try. I really like how the colors pop on the cardstock. With kraft you don't use Gamsol or other solvents to blend the colors, rather you layer the colors on top of one another. The photo makes the coloring look a lot lighter than it is in person, but still, the overall effect is a lot like pastel chalks on paper. I worked on blending on Anne's face & body, but left her carpet bag less blended, trying for more of a tattered look. If anyone read the book, they would remember that she held onto her old bag when she met Matthew because the handle was broken and she knew the trick to keeping it closed. :)

The next step with each of these images is to put them on a card. Hopefully I'll have a chance by the weekend to do that, although first I have to dig my desk out of the piles that have accumulated over the past couple of weeks. I've also been working on my quilt here and there, and pulled out the knitting needles to work on a preemie hat. I'd like to get a few together and make a donation to the NICU at the local hospital. Ever since my colleagues twins were born at around 21 weeks in October, I've had preemies in the back of my head. The twins are home now, both well over 9 lbs and happy and healthy. Modern medicine really amazes me, but knowing that there is also a little something I can do to help these tiny babies makes me happy.

Lastly, an update on our duck. She laid a total of 11 eggs, but never returned to incubate them. Perhaps she was a young duck and didn't know what to do, perhaps she was frightened off, perhaps (and I really hope not) she was attacked and couldn't return. We kept our distance from the nest for over a week, but never saw head nor tail feather of her. Maybe she will try again next year...but it will have to be in a different spot since I still plan to dismantle the crumbling stone grill this summer.

Oh wait - one very last thing! Today is Teacher Appreciation Day in the states, and I just wanted to take a moment to wish our teachers a very happy day! We set up a lunch for the teachers at my son's school, and my daughter gave her preschool teacher a wooden birdhouse she painted herself. I'll have to post a couple pics of that...her furrowed brow as she concentrated on her art was adorable to watch. She was very proud to give it to her teacher when I took her to preschool today. :) So to all teachers (including my hubby!) - a very Happy Teacher Appreciation Day to all of you. Thank you for all you do for our children!

Thinking of You card (Chickadees)

I traded my Copics for my Prismacolor pencils for this card. I started with a beautiful chickadee stamp from Sparkle & Sprinkle. I showed the various stamps, glitters and embossing powders that I purchased from them in this video. It was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Naturals White cardstock from Stampin Up.

Once I got it colored I used a sketch from Splitcoast Stampers as the inspiration of my layout. The sentiment is also from Sparkle N Sprinkle, and I used a Nestibilities die to cut out the circle. Here's the finished project!

 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed the card! :)

Birthday card

Here is the card I made for my daughter's 5th birthday. I had sooo much fun coloring this digi stamp from Saturated Canary on Etsy. She's called Ellie's Birthday. Isn't she cute? :)

Copics Used
Skin: E000, E00, E01, R20
Hair: E31, E32, E34, Y17
Shirt, Socks, Hat: B00, R27, V06, YR08, Y17, B05, G07
Skirt: B91, B93, B95
Boots: C3, C5, C7, C9
Balloons: B00, B05, Y11, Y17
Highlights: AtYou Spica, Clear

We had a wonderful party for her surrounded by our family. I'll share pictures soon!

Knight in Shining Armor card

I wanted to share the card I made for my husband for Valentine's Day. I know, we're over a week past Valentine's Day, but it's been a crazy week at work and at home and this has been the first chance to take a picture and post it.
Take a peek!

The stamp set is Mr. Knight? by Craft Lounge. Cute, huh? I kept the coloring pretty simple, using my Cool Grays C1, C3, C5, C7 and my Reds R29, R27, R24. I then used a black pen to add dashed lines and layered the card on red and gray cardstock from Stampin' Up. The dot paper is from Basic Grey.  My husband isn't into lots of embellishments, so I kept things pretty simple, but I was pretty happy with the way it all turned out.

Tonight I'll be working on a card for my daughter, who is turning 5 tomorrow. Five!!! How did that happen??? Watch for pictures soon of the day! Her party is Sunday so we've spent a good portion of the day getting supplies, decorations, etc. Tomorrow I'll be baking her cake and getting the rest of the food ready. Wish me luck!

Anyway, hope you enjoy and hope you have a wonderful weekend! :)

Listen to Your Heart card

Here is the color version of the "One and Only Heart" image by Sweet Pea Stamps that I used in this card. I added quite a bit of purple (B60) to her hair and used the same color for the dress. I really love the expressiveness of her face and hope to get a lot of use out of the stamp.

The card is layered onto more of the Immortal Love matstack from DCWV. "Twilight-y", yes, but it had a bit of the quietness I was hoping for in this card. I love that the neutral background lets the touches of red pop. The sentiment is from a Tim Holtz set that I bought at Michaels. I really think that this sentiment says it all: "Listen to Your Heart"...how many of us go through life wishing they had done that? I know there have been moments in my life I wish I had done that instead of listening to my head. :) 

Otherwise the week has been pretty busy...we're in the middle of hiring season so my time at work has been filled with interviews. My daughter's birthday is in a week so we've been working on getting that organized. We planned to have her party on Saturday but it turns out that there are a lot of family conflicts that day so we're moving it to Sunday, which also happens to be Oscar night. We host a party on that night as well. If I thought we were nuts to have 2 parties in 2 days, I should be committed for thinking we should have 2 parties in 1 day. Oh boy. :)

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Copic coloring in gray tones

So tonight I cooked 18lbs of penne pasta. Yes, 18 pounds. Big D's school is having  a family Valentines Dinner & Dance tomorrow and so the members of the PTO have been prepping the food. I think I've seen enough penne for a while!

But in between batches of penne, I sat down and did a bit of Copic coloring. I wanted to practise some monochromatic coloring, which I rarely do. It's a fun challenge!

The stamp is from Sweet Pea Stamps, and is called One and Only Heart by chin chou kuik. I am loving the faces that this designer creates! I used my cool gray Copics (C1, C3, C5, C7 and C9) as well as a touch of B60. I wish the shading on her skin showed up better in the photo, but I took the picture after midnight so the lighting isn't the best. I'll try to upload a brighter picture soon.

I then layered it on designer paper from the Immortal Love matstack by DCWV. I've had it in my stash for a while and really have struggled to find ways to use it so I was happy to have an opportunity now. I kept it very simple because I didn't want to distract from the image or the paper. I'm sure I'll find a friend who is a Twilight fan that I can send it to. :)

I have a color version of this image as well, but I need to mount it to a card base. As soon as I do I will post a photo. For now I need to pack up the pounds of pasta and finally head to bed. Goodnight!

Spring Fairy card

Hi everyone!
Today I'm sharing a card I finished last night. I ordered 2 digi stamps from The Greeting Farm, Spring Fairy and Autumn Fairy. They are SO cute! I love how sassy they are! I haven't had a chance to color up Autumn Fairy yet, but couldn't wait to show you Spring Fairy! I am submitting her for the very first TGF Farm Fresh sketch challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers (TGFSC1).

The Copics I used were:
Skin: E00, E11
Hair: R81, R83, R85
Dress: BG11, BG13, BG15, BG45
Wings: BG11, BG13, YG06, 0 Colorless Blender (to add tiny dots to the tips of her wings)
Highlights: At You Spica pen, Clear

After I colored her I cut her out with my detail scissors. Following the sketch, I used Lemonade paper from Basic Gray to add the layers. (I love this paper, and have been hoarding it...I really should just track down another 6x6 pad! :) ) I sponged the edges of some white cs with Pixi Pink ink from Stampin Up and layered this little fairy on top. It's a very subtle change in the texture and thought I would give it a try since I didn't have my dimensionals handy.  I tried dyeing the fabric flower (also from SU) with Lindy's Stamp Gang mists, but once it dried it was far too light (and purple-ish) for the look I wanted. I used the same Pixie Pink ink to sponge over the flower and got a much better result. I then just used some adhesive pearls to finish it off and called it a day!

My family think she looks very mermaid-ish, and I can see how they think that with all the aqua tones I used. I'll have to play with some other color combos and see if I get a different look. Watch for more posts soon! :)
Enjoy!

Making cards

I made a few cards recently...it's been hard to get the time to work on projects but I finally had a bit of time to work. I've been in the mood to work on "romantic" cards lately. Perhaps because of Valentine's Day, maybe because I've been watching too many sappy movies! :) Anyway, here are the cards I came up with:

I broke out my Copics for the first time in ages...I love this sweet stamp I found at Hobby Lobby, and have lots of plans for it. I was really pleased at how the shading on the umbrella turned out. :)

Once it was colored, I cut it out and popped it up with dimensional adhesive. I stamped the image on the card front before I layered the cut image and did some quick coloring to match the layered image, although I didn't color the center and I didn't do the same amount of shading as on the top image. The sentiment stamp is from American Crafts, and maybe it's just me, but I never seem to get a crisp image from these clear stamps.

I found this quote on Google some time ago and knew it would be great for a card. I printed it on vellum with my computer, and next time I think I would try to print directly on the card...I really don't like the vellum tape that I had to use to secure it. Maybe it's time to invest in a Xyron sticker maker? The background script stamp is a retired stamp from Stampin' Up. The little heart is from a set of small enamel sticker set I found at Joanns ages ago (I think in their dollar section?)

This image from Stampin' Up was colored with Prismacolors and mineral spirits. I'm really loving the blending abilities with these pencils...so worth the money! (especially with a 50% off coupon from Michaels!) 

I used a Lawn Fawn stamp set for the background and the sentiment stamp is from the dollar bins at Michaels. The Memento ink in London Fog was a little darker than I expected...I was hoping for a more subtle look, but nevermind! I used the same tiny dimensional heart sticker as I used in the second card.

It was great to finally spend a bit of time getting inky fingers. I've missed it, and really need to set some more time for myself to work on things like this. Sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day. :)

Friend card

I made this Friendship card thanks to the inspiration from a Splitcoast Stampers sketch challenge. When I'm in a bit of a creative funk this is my go-to place to find inspiration!

I got this sweet little girl from The Greeting Farm after eyeing in for a while. "Snuggle" reminds me of my daughter and her favorite stuffed animal, a little pink bunny she has had since she was an infant. So naturally when I sat down to color her, the bunny had to be pink! I really need to add to my Copic stock...I only have a couple of pinks so there really isn't much to see in terms of blending. Ah well. Add it to the wish list! :) The sentiment is also from The Greeting Farm, and everything is stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. The set has some very cute sentiments...I can't wait to use the "I like you more than puppies" stamp in a future project!

The card stock is from Stampin Up, and the bit of patterned paper is from my overstuffed envelope of scraps. :) I think the paper is from 2006, probably bought at Joanns.

I punched the edge of the sentiment piece with a scallop punch from Stampin' Up (I really have to thank them for my obsession with punches!) and for a little added twinkle, used some tiny rhinestones along the edge.

I tried to keep this card pretty low dimensional so it could still be mailed. Pretty simple, but a soft color scheme that would be great to send to a friend for any reason (or no reason at all!)

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday card

I found a tutorial on YouTube by SplitcoastStampers on the Embedded Embossing technique. I was intrigued so I gave it a try. All in all it's a fun technique, but for the work involved I think I would rather stick to stamping my images and then covering the entire image in clear embossing powder. I felt there was really no difference in the effect and found that I lost some of the crispness of the stamped image. Once I stamped over the clear and used black powder, I found that the image started to spread as the black powder melted. I noticed it in both the flowers and especially in the sentiment.
Here's the card:


I started with white cardstock and used Distress inks (Wild Honey, Dried Marigold, Barn Door) to create a sunset/sunrise effect. I put two layers of clear embossing powder on the card and once cooled stamped the flower (Stampin' Up) and sentiment (Ali Edwards/Technique Tuesday) with VersaMark. I used black detail embossing powder and heated it. At this point I lost the fine lines of the flower stems and sentiment. I have to admit its really cool to watch the black sink into the clear.


I wanted to machine stitch around the image with black thread so off I ran to my sewing machine. Lesson learned: my sewing machine does NOT like embossing. Instead of sewing it gummed up in the embossing and nearly ended up sawing through the bottom 1/4" of the card. Ooops! So I had to hide it. Ribbon would be too wide, so I dug through my collection of fibers and found this one. I wanted it to be secure along the length of the card but also discovered that Tombo Mono glue didn't really want to stick the fiber and embossed surface together so I ran my tape runner in spots on the fiber and finally had some success. For a little extra something I used my Tim Holtz Mini Attacher and stapled the ends of the fiber.
Once all of that was done, I used some Basic Grey paper on the front of my card and popped the embossed image up with dimensionals. Whew! Crafting is an adventure!
I think if I try this again I will stamp everything first and switch to UTEE for more depth. Simpler technique, but I think I would like the effect more.
On a side note, I have a strong desire to try some embroidery. I used to cross stitch as a kid, but I don't even know where my floss has ended up now, years later. I want to try something like the pillow I made from my kids handprints (I have a video up on YouTube), perhaps using my kids drawings as the pattern. I saw something like this in the current issue of Create With Me by Stampinton (I totally LOVE this publication!). I'll have to dig through their sketchbooks for something. :) I've been looking through YT videos (naturally) and Google for ideas. We'll see.

Congratulations card

I finally had a chance to sit at my craft table for a bit and work on a card. Things have just been so busy lately that I haven't had a moment to catch my breath. It felt great to be creative again...I have been sorely missing that. I stalk YouTube regularly, keep some cardmaking/scrapbook magazine handy all the time but just haven't had the time or the energy to sit down and create something myself. It's also been so hot, and not having central air in the house means that it has been too hot to sit in the front room for long periods of time. But that is neither here nor there at the moment - I finally made a card! :)


My plans for this card is a wedding I'll be attending in September. I bought this stamp from Rubbernecker a while ago and love the elegance of the couple. I colored it a bit with Copics, just in the hair and face. I left the dress white (it is a wedding after all) but did brush some Perfect Pearl on it. Unfortunately it doesn't show up at all in the photos, but in person its so pretty and shimmery. The cardstock is from Stampin' Up and the patterned paper is from DCWV (Lemon Flower matstack). I used a flower that I got from a flower swap last year...I've been hoarding the flowers from the swap, but this fit so perfectly that I had to use it. The frame is from Nestibilities. For the sentiment I used a bit of patterned paper from the matstack and layered a light yellow cardstock on top. I flagged the ends and stamped "Congratulations" with VersaMark before heat embossing with black powder and adhering with dimensionals. The stamp is from Hero Arts.

Inside the card I wanted something lighter than the dark gray cardstock so I pulled a piece of vellum out of my scrap stash and layered it inside. I thought white might be too stark. To hide the adhesive I cut some strips from another piece from the Lemon Flower stack and fussy cut the edges to bring out the design. It was then attached to the top and bottom of the card.
All in all I was pleased with the result. I would have liked to do something with the mat behind the couple but couldn't think of anything that was subtle enough so I left it plain beyond embossing the edges.
Enjoy!

Keeping busy...

Happy Tuesday! I'm hoping you are having a great day! I have a very welcomed day off after working this weekend. I work at a museum and weekends tend to be busy for us, especially when we are launching new family-focused programs. This one involves a certain little blue engine...that's right, THOMAS the Tank Engine! I will have Thomas related songs in my head for months, I know it! :)

Anyway, on this day off, Lil A and I have been doing a bit of crafting for Mother's Day. Check out this card that we made together...she colored this super cute C.C. Designs stamp (Gretel) and I layered her on a card using Nana's Kids paper, which I have had for ages! The sentiment stamp is from "Just Cheese" by Lawn Fawn. And of course it needed extra flowers and a little bit of glitter on the wings! She is so proud of her card for her Grandma. :)





This is another card that I made today, inspired by DCSrappinDiva1 on YouTube. I haven't used my birdcage die in far too long, so I cut a few using the Lemon Flower mat stack from DCWV. I'm loving this paper!



And an update on the robin...I took another peek into the nest and she has 4 eggs now! Still no sign of the male though. We also saw the most adorable tiny hummingbird right outside the kitchen window but I didn't get my camera in time. Hopefully it comes back.

Birthday card!

Hi everyone! Just a quick post...I meant to post a picture of this card before but in the transition from my old blog to new I didn't have a chance. I made this card for my hubby following a tutorial by Kristina Werner (starofmay on YouTube). It takes a little time setting up the rays and cutting them out, but nothing longer than the other paper piecing projects popping up all over YouTube lately. The paper collection is by Basic Grey and has a decidedly masculine feel. The cardstock is Kraft by Stampin Up (I'm still going through my stash and haven't picked up the new Crumb Cake color). My hubby wouldn't be thrilled with flowers or bling, so the only embellishment I used was button (also by Basic Grey) with a bit of embroidery floss used to tie a knot. I then spelled out the sentiment using black letter stickers and added some black stitching lines around the card. Very simple, but I loved how it turned out.

I did work on some more Easter decorations last night but havent finished yet. Hopefully I'll finish it tonight and be able to post some pics. For now, it's off to work on another grey, drizzly April morning. :)