Thursday, November 29, 2012

Make It Monday #93: Splitting Die Cuts

It's time for another Make it Monday challenge.  Thank goodness there's a whole week to play because life is soooo busy!  I've been thinking about splitting dies and which ones to split and how to split them.  It wasn't until I decided to use my new soft blush pattern pack that the fillable frames 5 die jumped out at me and asked me to be cut in half.  Sounds silly but with all it's rounded edges it just seemed to match the pattern on the paper.  I split the fillable frames die and turned the pieces around so the rounded edges faced into my card.  Here is a sweet little baby card for the make it monday challenge. 
 
Ok there is the front and inside of my card.  Hope you enjoy your day!
I already am!
♥Lisa♥


Monday, November 12, 2012

Papertrey Make It Monday #91: Faux Pockets

Good evening everyone. Tonight I am playing along again at what it is quickly becoming one of my favorite weekly challenges!  Dawn McVey has created a very cute card with a faux pocket on the front for this week's PTI Make it Monday Challenge.  I Love watching her videos!  She is so easy to follow and understand and I love her classic style!  I chose to use my heart to heart stamps for this challenge because I thought those adorable coffee cups would look so cute on the front of the pocket.  Here is my take on the challenge.
(front of card)
(full view of tag)
(inside of card)
 
Such a cute idea! 
Have a great night everyone!  See you next week for another MIM!
♥Lisa♥


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 171

I've recently discovered another designer that I am in awe of.  If you haven't visited Karen Giron's blog already, I suggest you head over there now.  She is so talented and makes the cutest cards.  One of the reasons that I am so impressed with Karen is because she decorates the insides of her cards to match the fronts.  I have always wanted to decorate the inside but I always seem to draw a blank by the time I finish the front.  Karen has given me new inspiration and now I have been decorating all of the insides of my cards. 
The sketch this week on Karen's blog for the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge looks like this:
Here is my take on the sketch.  I used one of my favorite images from the Pure Innocence collection and colored her with copic markers. 
(front of card)
 
And I'm proud to say that thanks to Karen I am getting more and more comfortable and creative with decorating the insides of my cards.
(inside of card)
 
I enjoyed using this sketch and some fun colorful papers!
Have a great day everyone!
I just did!
♥Lisa♥
 
 
 


Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Papertrey Ink MIM #90 and a little inspiration!

Good morning everyone.  Today I have a card to share with you that came from a very unusual place!  We all know that inspiration is everywhere and that includes the break room at work.  I went to get a cup of coffe before my shift and I found this beautiful mug sitting on the microwave.  Well, I did what any of us crafty cardmakers would do.....I took a picture.  LOL 
I knew I just had to recreate that design onto a card as soon as possible.  I just can't resist the pink and brown with polka dots and stripes!
The very next day I was over at Nichole's blog to see what the make it monday challenge would be and I instantly knew what I was going to make.
Here is the card that was inspired by a mug and the Papertrey Ink MIM challenge.
(front of card)
(inside of card)
 
The Make it Monday challegne was to create a focal point sentiment with stamps and dies.
I used the sentiment "I believe in you" from Flower Fusion #12 and I substituted the word "YOU" with the block alphabet dies.  I stamped the roses inside and out with stamps from The Sweet Life stamp set. On the inside I die cut the roses with The Sweet Life dies.  The polka dot background is from the Bitty Dot Basics paper pack. 
I hope you are all enjoying your day and I hope everyone gets out and votes today!!!!
If you need any information on voting Nichole has put together a great blog post on the history of women's right to vote with some informational links on voting in your state.
 
Have a great day!
I already am!
♥Lisa♥
 I really love how the card turned out! 

Thursday, November 1, 2012

More Make it Monday with PTI #89

Good afternoon everyone!  I just couldn't resist making one more card for PTI's make it monday challenge (Creating windows for floating images.)  I watched Nichole's video again and got inspired.  I wanted to make another floral card in pink and green with a layered flower.  Here is my second card for the challenge!
 
Have a great day everyone!
I already am!
♥Lisa♥


Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Papertrey Make it Monday Challenge #89

Hello again.  I have been busy making cards but not necessarily blogging.  It just doesn't seem like there is time for everything.  Crafting, blogging, picture taking, organizing and running a house with 3 kids.  I'm not complaining but I wish I had more time for crafting.  I even forced myself to open my Etsy shop again.  SO MANY CARDS just sitting in boxes, so we'll try Etsy again. 
Ok so on to the crafting!
 Last night I was up in the middle of the night and I came across Papertrey's Make it Monday video.  Creating Windows for Floating Images.  I immediately fell in love with Nichole's technique and card.  I am creative but sometimes I need inspiration and I just had to copy Nichole's card as close as possible before I could branch out on my own.  Here are the three cards I came up with.
 
 
 

I am entering the Holiday card into the challenge since the first two are so similar to Nichole's.  I really enjoyed making these cards and I can't wait to try some more variations.  Maybe with a Chanukah card. 
Have a great day!
I already am!
♥Lisa♥

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Oh So Cute

Quick post today with a cute card!  Just love these bathroom symbol people! 
 Such a cute idea for a love card!
Enjoy your day!
I already am!
♥Lisa♥
 

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

The Shabby Tea Room

I am very excited because I just finished a card specifically for one of my favorite challenge sites.  The Shabby Tea Room is dear to me not just because I love all things shabby but because I used to be on the design team and I loved every minute of it!  Debbie is a sweetheart and a talented designer and she is the busiest paper crafter I know.  Anyway, on with the card.  The minute I saw this week's challenge, I just knew I had to make a card and my stamp set from PTI was the perfect centerpiece.  The Sweet Life stamp set has the most beautiful rose images with different layers that they almost look lifelike.  The Shabby Tea Room week #135 theme is Beautiful Romance and here is the card I am entering.  It's been a long time since I entered a card challenge and I missed it so much! 
Enjoy your day everyone!  I already am!
♥Lisa♥

 
 



Sunday, October 7, 2012

4 New Cards

Good morning.  I just got home from work and I am exhausted but instead of sleeping I detoured into my card room and created a wedding card that I have been wanting to make.  One of my favorite designers is Lucy Abrams and I visit her blog regularly.  She does some beautiful work, very clean and colorful designs.  I made a few cards based on some of her designs.  I am loving the feeling of creating again in my new room and can't wait to get back to creating and blogging on a regular basis.
I have 4 cards to share today and then it's off to bed for me since I am due back at work in less than 12 hours.
 
Have a great day everyone!
I already am!
♥Lisa♥
 
 
 

Friday, October 5, 2012

New Craft Room

Wow, I can't believe I haven't blogged since January.  I really do miss it but life was so overwhelming for a while it was hard to get into my card room and when I did, it was so messy I just couldn't think or create.  I am a very lucky girl though.  Recently my dad renovated a room in my house to accomodate all of my supplies and now I have a new craft room!  He is very handy and was able to create a new space for me that is cozy and functional.  Thanks Dad!!!  I got a bookcase from Ikea for storage and several towel racks for my punches.  I love Ikea and I wish they were closer.  It's about an hour drive for me but totally worth it.  Here are a few snapshots of my new space.  I'm still getting organized but I am having fun doing it.
Well that's all for today.  I've created 2 new cards and some cute earring cards for my daughter since I'm in my new room and I'll post them later today maybe. 
I can't wait to start creating again.  I miss being on a design team and I am hoping to work my way back on to one again. 
Have a great day everyone!  I already am!
♥Lisa♥
 

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!  Once again I'm missing my blog and want to get back to updating it and posting cards.  Maybe this time will be the charm.  I decided to blog today because I've created a card that I love and wanted to share.  My daughter just got a Vera Bradley backpack as a birthday present and I am in love with the pattern.  I decided to replicate the colors onto a card to match the bag and I am quite happy with the results.  Here is a picture of the backpack and the pattern is called "Safari Sunset".
I needed a birthday card for one of her friends who is getting the same backpack so here is the card I made to go with it.
It's amazing the results you get when you put Vera Bradley together with PTI, Sizzix and Spellbinders.
The color combo is so pretty!
Have a great day everyone!  I already am!
Lisa

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Missing Blogging

Even though I haven't been blogging, I have been busy creating and I have been loving it!  Most of my problem is not being able to take pictures of the cards I've been making.  I bought a photo light tent to take better pictures but I'm still playing with it and learning about the best lighting and camera settings.  Anyway, I just thought I'd pop in and play along today at Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge seeing as how I made this Tim Holtz inspired card.  I saw a technique that I loved on the Michaels website where Tim covered this cool bird in tissue tape and I had to try it.  I love how the card came out and when I saw the challenge was Wings and Things I thought I'd enter.  The pic is not great, I took it with my iPhone but here it is.

It's not the best picture but you get the idea!
Hopefully be back soon with some more cards.
Have a great day everyone!
I already am!
♥Lisa♥

Friday, July 29, 2011

It's Good To Be Back!

Wow I have really missed making cards and blogging and it feels so good to be back!  In my last post I showed pictures of my messy card room and I was frustrated because I couldn't get near my crafting table.  Since that post, my 12 year old daugter took pity on me and also was probably tired of hearing me complain so she cleaned the room for me.  What an angel!  She gave me back something that I was missing so dearly.  Since I've been back to crafting I am so happy and once again the ideas are overflowing and I can't get them out fast enough.  I've made approximately 20 cards and a handful of tags since I started again and now I just need to photograph them so I can get them on my blog and start entering some challenges again.
I also miss being on the design teams that I used to work for and someday when life calms down a bit I hope to try that again!
One of the first cards that I made when I got back to crafting is a sweet card that uses the stamp set and matching dies by
Melissa Phillips is one of my favorite designers and it's no surprise that she designed this adorable stamp set.
Anything with hearts usually catches my eye and this set is loaded with them.
Here is the card that I made:

I am very happy with the way this card turned out especially with the color combinations. 
I will not be entering this card into any challenges this week, I just wanted to get a post up and display one of the cards I have been working on.  I will be scouting out the challenges in the next week and get back into them soon!
I hope this post finds everyone happy and crafting!
Have a great day!
I already am!
♥Lisa♥

Friday, March 11, 2011

Suffering From Card Making Withdrawal!

My last post was on November 22nd, 2010.  I was fortunate enough to have a card published in Papercrafts Magazine and I was so proud of my great cardmaking hobby!  Unfortunately, life got crazy busy and making cards fell by the wayside and the rest is history.  My blissful cardmaking room got messier and messier by the day and I got sadder and sadder watching it happen.  I miss all of my sweet cardmaking buddies out there!  I have randomly been viewing my favorite blogs and wishing it was me making those beautiful cards!  I miss being a Shabby Girl in The Shabby Tea Room!  I miss being a Polkadoodle Girl over at Polkadoodles and I was always grateful for the opportunities to design! 
I wanted to thank Debbie in The Shabby Tea Room and Nikki over at Polkadoodles for their understanding when I had to step down from my design positions.  Those were not decisions that I made lightly!

Lately I am suffering from cardmaking withdrawal and it is getting stronger by the day!  I have kept up with all of the new products over at Papertrey Ink (my favorite online shop!)  I'll need to win the lottery to buy all of the products that I have missed out on while I've been on hiatus!  I love all of their designers and I follow their blogs as well!  The itch to make cards again is back and I can't wait to get started!!
There is just one problem......
AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!
This room is just unworkable!  I have been trying to tackle it little by little but is so overwhelming!  If anyone of my followers reads this blog post could you please give me a tip on tackling this mess!  It would be greatly appreciated!
I can't wait to get back to designing and look forward to entering all of the fun card challenges once again!
See you soon in blogland!
♥Lisa♥

Monday, November 22, 2010

TSTR week 37 - Pick A Cause

Good morning and welcome to week 37 in The Shabby Tea Room!
This week our challenge has been set by Nicole and she wants us to make a card/project in honor of your favorite cause or charity.  Shriner's Hospital for Children is a charity that is very near and dear to my heart!  They offer Pediatric Specialty Care in the following areas:
Orthopaedics
Burn Care
Spinal Cord Injury
and
Cleft Lip and Palate
My daughter is a bilateral above the knee amputee and has been a Shriner's Kid since she was born.  She is 16 years old now and they have been making her prosthetics to walk in whenever she needs them.  She is an amazing young lady and greets every day with a smile.  Recently she has been involved with another amazing organization called Achilles International and they have given her a handcrank bicycle to race in marathons!  She has already participated in 2 marathons and a few shorter races and she is addicted!  Her first marathon ever, she completed 26.2 miles for a full marathon and she came in 3rd place in her division!  Like I said, she is an amazing young lady! 
Over the years, Achilles has developed specialized programs for children and war veterans. Achilles Kids provides training, racing opportunities, and an in-school program for children with disabilities, while their Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans program brings running programs and marathon opportunities to disabled veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

 Shriners is a truly amazing organization funded completely through donations making their care 100% free to their pateints!!!  That's right FREE CARE TO THEIR PATIENTS!!!  One of the nicest things that you experience at a Shriner's Hospital is the incredible generosity and kind employees.  Their staff is tripping over themselves to make the kids feel safe and comfortable! 
My card this week is in honor of Shriner's Hospital for Children and I decided to honor them with another one of my adorable Waltzingmouse stamps that is all about Kindness.  Shriner's is definitely all about KINDNESS!

Our generous sponsor in the Tea Room this week is June Lanum and she is offering 20 trinket pins, one chrocheted flower as the prize this week.  June has generously supplied the DT with some wonderful trinkets to work with and you can see her beautiful handy work on my card.  The pin at the top of the card was made by June and was perfect for my card because it is topped off with an angel.  The staff at Shriner's Hospitals are all angels so this pin was so fitting!  Here is a close up of the pin.
Each Shabby Girl has picked their own cause or charity to honor this week, so hop on over to each of their blogs to see what they have created!  Here are the individual links:

Debbie Marcinkiewicz - {TSTR Creator} - Simple Treasures
Cathy Clark-Santie - Papier Girl
Clare Buswell - Clare's Creations
Nicole Segnere - My Craft Room Creations
Pattie Goldman - The Pampered Paper Patch

That's all for now!  Go find your charity or cause and make a card/project in honor of it, then, let us see!
Have a great week!
{Hugs} Lisa

Monday, November 15, 2010

TSTR Week #36 - What are you thankful for?

Welcome to week 36 in the delightful Shabby Tea Room
This week I'll be your host and I am getting in the Thanksgiving mood by asking what you are thankful for? 
I have found this fun inspo pic to inspire you with this week:
I have had a lack of inspiration myself lately but this week I remembered what I love so much about making cards!  The stamped sentiment on my card comes from a stamp set from Waltzingmouse Stamps and I am in love with it!  When I saw that the stamp was about friendship, I immediately knew that it had to be the centerpiece for this week's card.  We should all be thankful for our friends, they help us through so much of life's ups and downs! 

This week's sponsor in the Tea Room is
The Stamp Simply Ribbon Store.  They carry a large variety of quality ribbon by May Arts, available by the yard or spool, and welcomes custom orders. Designer paper, stamps, embellishments, tools and paper crafting supplies round out the product line carried, providing all that's needed to create in the Stamp Simly style. You can visit Sharon's Blog and store at http://www.stampsimply.com/.
Here is a picure of the lovely prize package they are offering this week to the winner in


Don't forget to visit the Shabby Girls individual blogs to see what they have created for you!
Here are the links to make it easy for you!

Debbie Marcinkiewicz - {TSTR Creator} - Simple Treasures
Cathy Clark-Santie - Papier Girl
Clare Buswell - Clare's Creations
Nicole Segnere - My Craft Room Creations
Pattie Goldman - The Pampered Paper Patch

Ok everyone, reflect on what you are thankful for and have a great week!
{hugs} Lisa

Monday, November 8, 2010

TSTR Week #35 - Lavender and Lace


Welcome to week #35 in The Shabby Tea Room!  This week our lovely hostess Clare has picked an absolutely gorgeous photo and theme to inspire us!  The theme is called Lavendar and Lace and here is the beautiful inspiration photo.  It makes me want to fill a bathtub, light some candles and forget about the world for a couple of hours!
Our generous sponsor this week in The Tea Room is
My Time Made Easyâ„¢ LLC
My Time Made Easy, LLC, provides you with the basics for creating your own coordinating handmade cards, tags, and gift packaging in no time. It is fun, affordable, and we made it easier than ever! I have always said that it really is all about the TOTAL package. Now you can afford to create and dress up the simplest of gifts on your own, and make them appear to be that much more special. Nothing says love like something handmade. Lauren Meader, Owner.

Lauren has generously supplied the DT with some fun inspiration and I have used the butterfly box template and decorated it with some lovely lavendar, lace and flowers to go with our beautiful theme!  This box is so dainty and would be such a lovely gift box to put flowers, candy or jewelry in!

Don't forget to visit the Shabby Girls individual blogs to see what they have created for you!
Here are the links to make it easy for you!

Debbie Marcinkiewicz - {TSTR Creator} - Simple Treasures
Cathy Clark-Santie - Papier Girl
Clare Buswell - Clare's Creations
Nicole Segnere - My Craft Room Creations
Pattie Goldman - The Pampered Paper Patch

Thanks for stopping by today!
Have a great week everyone and enjoy working with your lavendar and lace inspiration.
♥Hugs, Lisa♥













Sunday, November 7, 2010

Polka Doodles DT Call!

We are looking for creative talent to join us here at the Polka Doodles challenge blog.


So if you'd love to get your work seen and have fun please follow the instructions below:


Criteria for Team Members:

You must be able to enter at least 3 weekly blog challenges a month and have a blog.

It is part of your duties to leave comments on the challenge entries on a weekly basis.

You must be able to contribute fully to the team and be able to commit for at least 6 months. Please make sure you really consider this - many people jump in without really considering the commitment we are asking for and what is required.

An important part of your duties is to create samples for Polka Doodles products which will be seen on the website, shows and Create & Craft TV. The deadlines for these samples are very short and are a pre-requisite for the DT members. From time to time you may also be asked to make additional samples as and when required.

Payment: there is no payment for this work, but you will receive Polka Doodles products to enable you to make the samples and your projects and obviously these are free for you to keep and use.

The Design Team call is open to anyone and everyone, no matter what your ability. We have a diverse pool of creative talents and are looking for individuals who can complement the team. This does not necessarily mean we are only looking for advanced crafters, we have a variety of reasons for choosing new members. If you feel proud of your work then please let us see it.


To enter please email Nikky here with a link to your blog and tell us why you want to be on the team.

Closing date for entries is Sunday 14th Nov at 6pm.

Good Luck!! x

Friday, November 5, 2010

Polka Doodles week 44 - Quick and Simple Christmas Card

Welcome to week 44 at Polka Doodles!  This week the DT was challenged to make a simple Christmas card that could be mass produced easily.  The challenge this week was set by Jenny.
My reindeer is from the winter section of The Sundae of Seasons CD and he is Oh So Cute, dontcha think!!  I matted him onto some kraft paper and then backed him with some fun polka dotty Christmas paper.  I added a fun bow at the top and finished it off with a cute red button.  Make sure to check out what the rest of the DT has made to inspire you!  If you haven't already checked out the Sundae of Seasons CD, I highly recommend it!  It has the most adorable images on it for all seasons!
Have a great week everyone and let's see your easy Christmas cards!
♥Hugs, Lisa♥

Monday, November 1, 2010

TSTR Week #34 - Country Kitchen

Welcome to week #34 in The Shabby Tea Room!  This week our lovely hostess Cathy has set the challenge for us and she has chosen the sweet theme of Country Kitchen.  Here is the colorful inspiration pic she has chosen for us.
I just love the old fashioned feel to this pic and the bright red and blue colors and all of those wonderful polka dots!  So many possibilities!


Our sponsor this week in the Tea Room is
There She Goes Clear Stamps offers a variety of stamp sets for all of your stamping needs. From elegant to playful, they have something for everyone and the collection keeps on growing! TSG takes pride in the versatility of their stamp sets and many of the stamp sets can be used in combination with others giving you even more variety in your paper crafting fun.
Visit the TSG Blog weekly for new challenges as well as inspiration from the talented design team- the Trendsetters!

You are in for a real treat this week when you see what those amazing Shabby Girls have created for you!
Please visit their individual blogs to see what they have been up to!  You will be pleasantly surprised!


Debbie Marcinkiewicz - {TSTR Creator} - Simple Treasures
Cathy Clark-Santie - Papier Girl
Clare Buswell - Clare's Creations
Nicole Segnere - My Craft Room Creations
Pattie Goldman - The Pampered Paper Patch

Enjoy cooking up your Country Kitchen Creations!
See you next week!
Hugs, Lisa