Designer Scraps

It happens to us all, there is a piece of paper that we are willing to pay $2.00 for and then we try to use it in every possible way that we can think of.  This happens to me a lot.  You have to save the scraps of that paper and use it until every single centimeter is gone.  Here is one that I bought at CKC in Nashville, TN in 2009.

A single sheet of paper that I bought at one of the booths and wish that I knew who made it.  I believe it was the paper loft.  If you know differently please tell me then maybe I could fine another sheet.





This is actually 2 sheets that I am featuring here.  A green/brown/tan stripe and a brown leafy page. Both which are very very great.  The stripe is the real one that I love. It's a subtle print with the perfect shades of those colors.  All of the inks used are by the one and only Tim Holtz.  Dusty Concord and Walnut Stain.  Every bit of the paper used is from my scrapbin.  The thinking of you rub on, stand by me rub on, and girl chipboard are also from the leftovers box.


The stand by me card is a bonus.  I used some of the same set, but most of this card was created for a golden anniversary.  It features gold paper, gold mulberry paper and a golden butterfly.  The green strip on the bottom of the purple is from the above mentioned paper.  Everything else is from my bin.

I am hoping to wipe this bin out by the end of the year.  It's February and I feel I have made quite a dent in that little blue box. 

Mojo Monday 226-I don't need a reason

Sometimes you just want to say HI or drop a note for no reason.  Today I HAD to make a couple of cards for just NO REASON.  Collages seem to be my new favorite thing and who would not like to get one on a card?  Both cards can be used for a multitude of things.  Here's how I got the look:

I cut the square and circle shaped bases that the Mojo Monday folks wanted.  With the square one, I just took my blending tool and blended in a little dusty concord.  On the circle one, I did that, but then I spritzed water into my hand and threw it onto the card.  This is one of my favorite techniques.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way the water makes the ink look.  While it was still wet I misted on some of my very own creation of a shimmer ink.  I just can't get enough of this look.


On both cards I took wire and twirled it in many directions to make something interesting.  The brown flower was made by me, the pink flower by Prima.  The "28" was from Maya Road...the Destiny metal tag and green fragment (I colored it with Ranger alcohol ink to get the green) by the great Tim Holtz.  The domino by 7 gypsies, the "smile" metal by JoAnn's.  The green and white button made by my mom and the moon and yellow flower gemstone from a child's outfit.

Spicy Supply Challenge-Ribbon Valentine's Day

I love to send cards to people I card about.  I guess the tradition started with Valentine's cards in Elementary school.  I remember getting the cards at school and just glancing at them, but then when I got home..I would go through them one by one.  Looking at who gave me which one.  To me I felt like the sentiment on the card was directly meant for me by the sender.  I realize now that probably my classmates most likely slapped their name on a card just to get it done.  

Fast forward 30 years later, I am making my own Valentine's Day cards.  These were inspired by a challenge on one of my favorite websites Gingersnap Creations.  The challenge was to use ribbon on your project.  I decided to use ribbon in every way that I could think of using one sheet of 12x12 black Bazzil paper, one 8.5x11 open stock from Hobby Lobby pink paper and the rest of the papers/embellishments were from my scrapbin.  This includes the ribbons.  These ribbons were used previously in a project and I hated to throw away the leftovers.  

I have no idea who made the rub ons, I have had them for years, but the stamp featured on the giggle card is an inkadinkadoo stamp.  All the rosettes were made by me using my incredible Martha Stewart scoring board.  That thing was so worth the $20 I spent on it.  

Colored pencils used were all Prisma Watercolors, all ink was made by the one and only Tim Holtz.  

Thinking of you...

 I decided to make 2 more cards with this weeks CR84FN challenge colors.  One was so I could use my brand new Technique Tuesday harlequin stamp.  I also had this great piece of scrap paper with a red vine on a pink background.  The red is flocked and so awesome.  I could not part with it, but had no idea what to do with it.  This was perfect.  I paired it with a tile from Technique Tuesday, a thinking of you sticker and a Tim Holtz fragment.  Everything else on this card came from my scrapbin.  I just love it when I get my money's worth!!!

The second card was for the Mojo Monday challenge. I love color blocking and thought this one would be perfect.  It has a steampunk vibe, but a simple version.  I used stamps from Hampton Arts (the large gears, key and key hole) and Technique Tuesday (complex gears and phrase).  All pieces of paper came from my scrapbin.

Pretty in Pink (Light Blue and Red too)

I just have to say first hand, I LOVE THIS COLOR SCHEME!  Oh, yes, these colors make me very happy inside.  When I am happy I cannot but make things that make me happy.  Today's cards do just that.  One is a generic card to say HELLO!!  I wanted to use these beads that I had in the colors of red, blue and white...so I got me some silver wire, strung some up and then had to figure out how to use them on my card.  Everything that I used to day was stuff from my scrapbin.  This is full of stuff that I either had left from another project or stuff I had salvaged from another object.  The ring that holds the ribbon used to be on a key ring.  I just loved it so I cut it off the key ring.  The chipboard is from an old card kit I got years ago, and I just didn't use this piece.  

 I liked the scheme so much I decided to make a tag for a friend of mine.  She is a special lady about to celebrate her 40th birthday.  The items here are also from my bin.  The tissue flower is a piece of tissue that came in a gift. I stamped it and spritzed it with some of my inks and then fashioned it into a flower (using Tim Holtz's flower from tissue technique).  The chipboard and harlequin stamp are from Technique Tuesday, the jewelry is from a kids necklace and the girl stamp is from Hot off the Press and I wish I knew where the priceless stamp was made. I bought it at a yard sale. 


Since the tag was made in layers, I wanted to use it for a challenge on layers. I love layers so I HAD to do this challenge.  And the color scheme is perfect for a layering challenge.


Thanks to both CR84FN and Crazy 4 Challenges for keeping us all fresh and on our toes. I for one LOVE what you do for all of us crafters!  

My Mind's Eye Card Challenge

This was fun as well...again I got to use my favorite paper in the world wide world. Actually these are the scraps from my large layout, you can't throw away any Bohemia paper. Get my look: All patterned paper is Bohemia by My Mind's Eye Green paper is recollections from Michael's Punch is by Stamping UP!! Black pen by Sharpie Pink paper by Bazzill Glue by Scotch Lyrics by Lennon and McCartney Thanks for letting me play.

For the Birds (week 2 CR84FN)

I needed to do this challenge one more time, why?  Because I need to learn to use YELLOW more.  People like yellow, yellow makes them happy. I need to overcome my hatred and please others.  This layout was inspired by all of the birds that I saw at the St. Louis Zoo in 2011.  The birds in the 1904 bird cage were very thrilling to watch.  I was watching  the white one and thinking about a NOVA show that I watched once on the birds of the Everglades and how some were almost extinct because they were hunted and killed so their feathers could adorn ladies hats.  The feathers were so lovely, that I could imagine why they were sought in the 1930's.  I even had to do a close up of the wispy feathers.

To go with my birds, I painted some of my favorite birds from the day at the zoo.  I painted that white bird (I have no idea what he is), the flamingo (whom I love to view) and the wonderful little owl.

All of the patterned paper used is Creative Memories (sold to me by Kim Davidson), and the pink paper is Bazzil brought from Archiver's.  The dock was made and painted by me, from brown scraps that I keep in my bin.  The birds were also painted on scraps.  I notice now that I did not draw the white birds neck long enough, but I am NOT redoing it.  Maybe his short neck gives him character.   

Have a great week, can't wait for CR84FN next week...I have my fingers crossed for something PURPLE!!!