Nativity Card

Hi!  With Christmas right around the corner, I have been feeling a little overwhelmed with the daily schedule my family has and have been dreading making my cards this year.  I found myself trying to find alternatives to my usual elaborate cards as I just don't have the time with an active infant trying to crawl everywhere!

Here is a very simple Christmas Card I made using scraps found in my paper drawer with an SVG image I found here.  I love all of his designs and they are so versatile with every project I have been making lately.  I than used my cutting machine to cut out the base, the star and the nativity scene.

I adhered the star to my base and ran it through my Big Shot with the Cuttlebug Snowflakes folder and than used a file to make the white stand out a little more.  I used clear mounting tape to place my image for a 3D effect.  I thought about lining up the image with the green star, but I found I liked the layered look better.  I think it makes it pop a little more.  For the final touch, I added Liquid Pearls for the star.

thanks for looking!

Image:  Nativity Star Element

Embellishments: Snowflakes, Liquid Pearls

Other: ATG, Big Shot, File Set, Kool TAC

Stash: Paper

CC Blog Hop

Welcome to the Cutters Creek Design Team Holiday Blog Hop! We want you to hop along with us and play for some awesome Blog Candy. The objective for our Blog Hop this weekend is to provide some inspiration to help you get your holiday crafting underway! Our Design Team has come up with some fabulous projects and we have a little bit of everything, from cards to gift ideas, and home décor items. So we invite you to hop along with us and get your creative juices flowing!

Here is the complete blog hop line up in case you get lost along the way:

Cutters Creek Blog (Chris)

Kim

Pebbles

Tee

Melissa -  you are here

Lori

Laura

Fran

Deanna

For my card,  I decided on making a simple birthday card coloring my favorite image from Sarah Kay. I then took some papers from my stash, ran the green through with a cuttle bug folder and assembled.  I couldn't find anything to really go with the card, so I cuts some shapes from the patterned paper I used to add a little dimension.  Assembled the card and its ready to go!

Don’t forget to leave a comment before hopping along to Lori's blog. If you do leave a comment here, you can enter for a chance to win some wonderful AC Glitter Tape which I showed on my project last week. Thanks for hopping by and we hope you enjoy the hop and get many wonderful ideas!

Image:Spring is back

Paper: from stash, Bazzill
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics,
Embellishments:Cuttlebug Oriental Embossing Folder
Other: ATG

Jeans: BG72, BG75, BG78
Pockets: G29, B18, BG10
Ribbon/Shirt: BV00, BV02, BV04
Skin: E50, E00, E02, YR000
Hair: E97, E99, E37
Hat: E21, E11, E33

Flowers:  RV0000, RV00, RV02 

Leaves: YG11, YG13, YG17

Ground: YG91, YG93, YG95

Congrats Card

So I made a really simple congrats card for a bride and groom.  The total card size is 3 1/2x 4 1/2.  So it's great to slip in with a gift.

I started coloring this adorable image from InStyle Stamps; the Wedding Couple.  I colored in all grays to make it classic looking.  Once done, I used my Labels Three to cut out the area around their faces.

I sanded my base paper which came from the Cosmo Cricket Core'dinations pack.  I than used my Big Shot again on leaves from the Foliage set.  I used some paper flowers from my stash and used some Gold Liquid Pearls for added effect.

What do you think?

thanks for looking!!

Image: Wedding Couple -InStyle Stamps 

Paper: Bazzill Simply Smooth, Core'dinations
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics,
Embellishments: Liquid Pearls
Other: ATG, Glue Pen, Spellbinders: Foliage and Labels Three, Big Shot
Stash: Kaisercraft paper flowers: cream

Groom Hair: T1, T3, T4, T6
Skin: T0, T1
Dress: C1, C2
Veil: C00, C1
Flowers: R83, R85, E04, YG91, YG93, YG95

Christmas In July

So I decided to revamp a Christmas card idea I have had for quite awhile.  I started with a snowflake border on my computer for a 5x5 card and cut it out using my Cricut.

After I cut the image, I ran the paper through my Big Shot with the Cuttlebug Snowflakes folder and again with my Lace Tree folder to soften the snowflake impressions slightly.

I used some red glitter from my stash to bring out the snowflake design.  I wouldn't recommend glitter for an area this large as it gets messy!  For future cards, I will use the American Crafts glitter card-stock.  It cuts cleanly and there is no glitter residue to be found weeks later on another project :o)

After the glitter was added I glued my embossed/cut image to the card.  It was still missing something, so I sprayed some Lily Pad glimmer mist on a tissue and ran the tissue over the raised image of my tree.  Once it was dry, I sprayed the front of the card with Dazzling Diamonds glimmer mist to add overall shimmer.  Doesn't it look pretty?

For the next step, make sure your card is completely dry!  I didn't check and noticed after the fact and had some ink running.  I used 3 different Perfect Pearls to accent "ornaments" on the tree.  What do you think??  Definitely a lot of work for a Christmas card, but you are waiting for the card to dry so much in between that it is actually pretty easy to reproduce like a production line.

thanks for looking!

Image: n/a 

Paper: Bazzill Simply Smooth 
Ink: Glimmer Mist: Lily Pad, Dazzling Diamonds
Embellishments: Perfect Pearls: Emerald Green, Ruby Red, White Opal
Other: ATG, Big Shot, Cuttlebug -Lace Tree (retired), Snowflakes, Cricut
Stash: red glitter

Summer Birthday Cards

 So I was looking through my Color Inspiration Magazine that came out earlier this year and I got an idea.  Not so much the colors but the layout.  If you have it, it's on page 46 - Spread Sunshine.  I just love this simplicity of it, so here are some simple birthday cards I came up with.


I really like the look of white ink on black paper, so I wanted the white to look a little messy on the embossed images.  The first card I used Flourished Frame and added the white ink and flowers after stamping my words on some Kraft paper from my scrap paper.  Who says brown and black don't go together :o)  I topped it with someCuttersCreek branded and Prima flowers.

This card I also embossed, but with one of the images from the Organic Flourish Collection.  I also used white to enhance the embossed image but no where else.  I just really like the simple feel to it.  Both cards took maybe 10 minutes total so this was perfect for a card in a hurry or  making some for your stash of birthday cards.  And they look completely different!

thanks for looking! 

Image:  Stampin' Up -retired
Paper:  stash

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, white ink from stash
Embellishments:  Prima Flowers: Dimmet, Aurora. CC Flowers: Aqua Marine, B, W, G.  Organic Flourishes, Flourished Frame.
Other: ATG,  Glue Dots, Big Shot

Mother's Day Cards

So I just thought I would share some of the cards I made this year for Mother's Day.

Enjoy!!

thanks for looking!!

Miss Anya Dressy

So, I decided to try again with a purple colored card.  I think this one went a little smoother :o)  I started with one of the images from the Miss Anya Dressy Collection - -I love these images by The Greeting Farm!  I also stamped it on a post it so I could stamp the leaves and flowers without worrying about my image being ruined. 

I colored my image with my copics and used B000 and G0000 to blend in the background as sky and grass - - just very light colors, but enough to show the white edges on the Curved Rectangle where is was embossed.  The background paper is from Prima Reflections and I used different papers in the collection for the butterflies as well.

Hope you like it!!

Image: Miss Anya Dressy- TGF, Flutterby Friend- PTI 

Paper: Bazzill Simply Smooth,  Prima Reflections,
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics,
Embellishments: Martha Stewart Punch (Stash)
Other: ATG, 1/4" Scor-Tape, Glue Pen, Curved Rectangles, Big Shot
Stash: Purple Cardstock, Post-it Notes

Hair: E11, E97, E99, E19
Skin: E50, E00, E21, E11
Dress: BV0000, V93, V95, V99
Flowers: Y000, Y11, Y15
Leaves: YG13, YG17, YG23
Background: G0000, B000
Shadows: N0, N1, N3

Anime Card

So today, I wanted to show some really simple, lovely cards I made using one of the oriental weave embossing folders from Cuttlebug.  I was trying to think of an image that would compliment the embossing folder.  So I went to my favorite site for anime images; http://www.deviantart.com/

I LOVE this site.  One of my favorite artists is Princess Elemmiriel.  She has the most gorgeous line art to color.  I chose Lady Rose Dragon . . . I can't tell you how many cards and miscellaneous items I have made with this image in particular.  So while I waited for my printer ink to dry - -you can never wait too long - -I embossed a beautiful Jade Green and a Silver Gray paper from Core'dinations Gemstone pack with my oriental weave embossing folder.  I would highly recommend this paper as well!   I centered them on some back cardstock from my stash and started coloring my images.  Bytheway, these cards are the standard A2 size :o)

So I tried to stay with complimentary colors to the papers I chose.  You don't have to use all the colors I did to get the same effect; I just started tossing in colors while I was playing.  I really tried for a dramatic look with the eyes and lined them with a multiliner and with spicas.  What do you think?

Hair: YR000, E50, E21, E11, E97, E99, E37, E29

Skin: E50, E00, E21
Eyes: G20, YG11, YG17
Makeup: R12, R02, R32, Pitch Black Spica, Peach, Clear
Hairband/Trim: Y32, Y35, Y17
Dress: BG10, BG11, BG23, BG13
Flowers: RV02, R12, R02, R32, R35
Shadows: C00, C1

Hair: C00, C1, C2, C4, N4, N6, N9, 0- Blender
Skin: E50, YR000, E00, YR01
Eyes: G20, YG11, YG17
Makeup: R12, RV91, RV93, Pitch Black Spica, Peach, Clear, Silver
Hairband/Trim: N1, N4, N6
Dress: BG10, BG11, BG23, BG13, BG45
Flowers: BV0000, BV00, BV02
Shadows: C00, C1


thanks for looking!!!

Image: Lady Rose Dragon by PrincessElemmiriel

Paper: Bazzill Simply Smooth, Core'dination Gemstone,

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, 0.1 Multiliner, Atyou Spicas

Embellishments: Liquid Pearls

Other: ATG, 1/4" Scor-Tape, Cuttlebug Oriental Weave

Stash: Black Cardstock

Easter Card

So I am trying so new techniques I learned at the Copic Intermediate Certification and decided to use the Miss Anya Dressy Collection as the stamps leave so much open for interpretation as far as shading and placement.  Making an Easter card I decided she should be sitting on the edge of a basket.  There was a lot of stamping and post-it notes involved; just as a reminder or hint, make sure you wash your hands between cutting the image on the post- it note and  placing it on your stamped image.  Ink spreads in case you didn't know :o)

I used the Linear Light template from Marianne Walker's Shadows and Shading Book to determine my light source to create a  more realistic picture; the upper right side.  Now, I colored my images paying attention to shadows and cast shadows in particular.  Cast shadows are shadows created by an object being reflected on another surface.  Does it look like shadows of her legs on the basket and her hair and side on the eggs?

I cut out the stamp using Curved Rectangles, embossed the edges and placed this over some Graphic 45 paper to make it pop!  I than took some Core'dinations paper and sanded it to use as my card base.  I stamped 'happy' on the top right, 'Easter' is on the inside, and used the new Prima Flowers as a corner accent.  What do you think overall? 

Stamps: TGF- Miss Anya Dressy, CTMH Eastertime (Stash)
Paper: Bazzill Simply Smooth, Graphic 45, Cosmo Cricket
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Embellishments: Prima Flowers: Aurora. Splash
Other: ATG, Curved Rectangles, Embossing Mat, Scor-Pal

Stash: Post-It Notes, Shadows and Shading Book by Marianne Walker

Basket:  E21, E34, E44
Sky:      G0000
Eggs:     BV0000, BV00, BV11, BV04
             R30, R32, R35
             Y11, Y32, Y35
Grass:   YG23, YG03, YG17
Skin:     E50, E00, E11, E13
Hair:     E11, E13, E17, E19
Dress:   B00, B14, B16, B26
Trim:    BG10, GB11, GB23 

Pinwheel Card

So today I am sharing a super easy card with no stamping involved; took me less than 10 minutes from start to finish!  You absolutely have to try this!  It is simple and quick for mass production or just a quick card on the go.  I got the idea from my good friend KellyRae.  She got it from here (video included).

Here is what I started with:
A base card of 3.5" x 5" -slightly smaller than the standard A2 card already run through my big shot with the Swirls Embossing Folder.
8- 1 1/4" squares in two different patterns
2- 2 5/8" squares as my base
Embellishment -Prima Say It In Pearls
1/4" Scor Tape




Start with putting your adhesive on the papers; make sure the tape goes in the same corner for the 1 1/4" squares on the back side of the paper.  As you can see in my pic, I didn't follow the steps on the first try :o)

Next add tape to one 2 5/8" square and place the other square across it, twisted.





Now add your first square.  The rest is easy!  Just alternate the color or pattern papers aligning it with the corner of the base card stock.  For the last piece, you simply lift the edge of the first piece you laid down and work the last piece in so it is layered.  Very, very easy to do.

And here is the end result of the layering.  Hmm, I think I need to change my trimmer blades . . . . .

I than added an embellishment in the center and used Scor-Tape again to adhere it to the card base.  I chose the smaller card base of 3 1/2" x 5" as I wanted the Pinwheel to dominate the card front so all of my stamping can be on the inside.  Think it worked?

Stamps: none!

Paper: Graphic 45, PTI Aqua Mist & Ocean Tides

Ink: none!

Embellishments: Prima Say it in Pearls, Burlap & Swirls

Other: Scor-Tape, Paper Trimmer