Krazy for Kraft

Once upon a time, there was a hot girl {no, seriously. is anybody else sweating?} who was crazy about stamping & making cards. She could frequently be found browsing the internet, looking for good ideas to copy steal borrow. She was constantly inspired by and in awe of all the beauty she found. One thing that would always stop her in tracks, though, was the sight of this plain, brown, paper bag looking paper. 'What is the appeal?' she would often wonder to herself. Then, after seeing her idol use it, and then the amazing projects created by the Kween of Kraft herself, she thought maybe she should give this stuff a try. And what do you know? 'Hey, this stuff is great!' No, really. You can use it for male and female cards. It's like the perfect in between. This girl loves her some kraft paper. There, I said it.

Ok, yeah. I admit, I went a little crazy when editing this picture, so the color is off. I didn't notice until it was next to the other 2 pictures. But it's the same exact kraft paper I used on the other 2, I swear. I was just too lazy to take a picture of this one again. But you get the idea. FYI: I hand drew the straight line boxy thing around the hearts (inspiration: Nichole) and left the opening for the sentiment. And then I cut the hearts out & stuck them on there with dimensionals for a little pop-up action.

I loooove this set. I'm so glad that making cards for Rissa gave me an excuse to buy it. Cuz I love it. Wait, did I say that already?

I know. It's tiny. It says My heart is with you. Awwww. I don't know what it is, but I find myself wanting to go super simple with kraft. Not really wanting to dress it up. I know, me doing simple. Shocking, huh? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this stroll down kraft road. I should really stop showing you guys more than one card at a time, cuz one day, I just won't have any and then you'll have nothing new to look at. But let's worry about that day when it gets here, k? Oh, and she lived happily ever after!

Stamps: Hearts on Fire & Anniversary Birds (Verve), Tea for Two & Borders & Corners Square (PTI), Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Fresh Snow (PTI), Paper: Classic Kraft (PTI), Basic Black (SU!), Accessory: R29 Copic

So Manly

Yes, it's another masculine card. I just hate to think that I'm using up all my good guy ideas when Father's Day is right around the corner. And do I know what I'm doing for Father's Day yet? Now what do you think? What's that? You think I'm secretly prepared and just feign this whole "what am I gonna do?!" thing I've got going? Yeeeaaah, let's go with that. Nah, I'm actually a thriver on the last minute. A fly by the seat of my pants kind of gal. Aw, who am I kidding? I'm just not ready & am so glad I have a month to get my act together. But it's always that false security that gets me. Thinking I have plenty of time, I'll get to it, I'll work on it later...and then, BAM! I need to have it all done tomorrow. Eh, well, it's always worked for me before. Besides, I have sooo much time left, I'll have to worry about all of that later.

Stamps: You Say It's Your Birthday (The Cat's Pajamas), Birthday Basics (PTI), Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, Always Artichoke (SU!), Paper: PTI white, Baja Breeze & Manchester DSP (SU!), Accessories: Nestabilities, Copics:

A Touch of Masculinity

You know, when you have something that works, I say, why reinvent the wheel? Right? So I was making cards for my girlfriend (which I'm done with, but still have cards to show you) and still needed a couple of birthday cards, so I copied the top one and made the bottom one. Now, I know what you're thinking - 'hey, mint, that top card is nothing like i've ever seen you do before.' Yes, well, I was thinking - 'what would rissa like?' And when I saw this stamp, I realized this is what she'd like. And there you have it. Simple as that. She needed a bunch of cards that she could send to her son, and I thought this would be a good one. I wanted the sentiment to be center stage and I think this shows it off pretty well, if I may say so. And since it's my blog, yes, I may.

When I decided to make this a birthday card, I needed something to fill up close to the same amount of space as the top one. I didn't have a sentiment that size, so I had to make one. It's just the SU! 'celebrate' stamp surrounded by a bunch of PTI birthday stamps. Good for a guy. That the sentiment space is not perfectly balanced really bothered Krista, which I found funny. She usually doesn't care about stuff like that. And normally, I think that empty space in the corner would've really bothered me. But I've learned to let go a little. I'm so proud of me. *sniff* My little brain is growing up.

Stamps: Psalm 37:4 & Hearts on Fire (Verve), Around & About Sentiments, Birthday Basics & Faux Ribbon (PTI), Lexicon of Love (SU!), Ink: Versamark, Versafine Onyx Black, Paper: PTI white, Basic Black & Going Gray (SU!), patterned paper (DCWV), Accessories: dew drops (Robin's Nest), silver flat back thingies (Michael's)

Three of a Kind

Ok. I know I've said that I hate duplicating myself, but since I was making all these cards for my friend, I figured I might as well kill a whole bunch of birds with that one stone. (Lovely saying, by the way.) And I'm not going back & doing the card over, I'm just doing it assembly line style and putting them all together at once. See, I'm thinkin' ahead. Alright, who's impressed? This is muuuch easier. K, so that first one up there was for Miss Stephanie's birthday. {Hope you had a good birthday, girl.} I thought the bright colors would make her day cheery.

This one is just a toned down version of the first one. Just me playin' with my Copics. Any excuse to play with those is alright with me. Love them!

And this one was my Thank You card to Rachel, who got me this awesome set. She also inspired me to try making things I wouldn't normally make. And for that, I am grateful. Isn't she the awesomest? K, so that's it for me. Short on the words, but heavy on the eye candy. I somehow ended up with 5 people I have to make graduation cards for, and I still have no idea what I'm doing for those cards. How did I get here? And for the record, Shawn thinks it's hilarious. "You're the one who wanted to make cards." Yeah, yeah, that was me, wasn't it?

Stamps: Miracles Blossom & Circular Sayings (Verve), Women of Life (PTI), Ink: Raspberry Fizz (PTI), Regal Rose (SU!), Memento Tuxedo Black & Versafine Onyx Black, Paper: white, Raspberry Fizz & Hibiscus Burst (PTI), Green Galore, Certainly Celery, Always Artichoke & Elegant Eggplant (SU!), Accessories: Raspberry Fizz, Hibiscus Burst & Plum Pudding satin ribbon (PTI), circle punch (SU!), Nestabilities, Copics:

Simply Feel Better

Guess who got new stamps for Mother's Day? Oh, yeah. This is my version of old school. And old school is my way of saying vintage. But vintage implies old and these stamps are brand spankin' new! Fresh out the package and already inked. I was gonna keep the making of this card a secret, since my mom likes to think that everything I do is hard work and takes hours, but since I'm running low on things to blab about, I'm gonna take you through the process. First, I saw somewhere (where exactly escapes me now) that someone used Vintage Cream and Ocean Tides together and I loved it. And I knew I wanted that combination for this particular card that I had to make for someone who could really use a feel better card. So, I stamped the teapot in Ocean Tides onto my Vintage Cream paper. Then I cut it out. K, I know what you're thinking. Wow, how long did that take? Well, I didn't time myself, but I'm gonna guess about 2 minutes. Yeah, that includes using my xacto knife to cut out the handle. Then I sat & stared at my stamp cases, reading the titles, wondering which one of these had just the right stamp to create a background. Hmmm. Ooh, Guide Lines almost made the cut, but then Damask Designs caught my eye and it was decided. It even has a stamp that's made for repeating backgrounds.

Yes, that will be the background. Now I need to find a color to use on my cream cardstock that will be close in color, but not overwhelming. Of course, Versamark is too light. Can't even see it. The only cream inks I have are craft and I don't want to wait a year for it to dry. I hate using my heating tool to dry large inked areas, cuz it warps the paper. Got it. I'll use my antique linen distress ink.

Holy cow, that's way too dark. Ok, how about if I stamp it off. Aahhh, perfect. Ok, here we go. Let's put this bad boy together! K, stamp the background. Sponge the edges. You all know I love me some sponging!

Mount all the cream onto Ocean Tides cardstock. Put my lovely cut out teapot onto dimensionals, so it stands out. Stamp my sentiment and ta da. I'm done. See, mom, not too bad.

Stamps: Damask Designs & Tea for Two (PTI), Ink: Ranger Antique Linen Distress, Versafine Onyx Black, Ocean Tides (PTI), Paper: Vintage Cream & Ocean Tides (PTI)

Insert Clever Title Here

Looking at this card makes me happy and that's a good thing, cuz I need it. Yesterday I took Krista in to get her bottom braces on. I was just sitting there watching her look incredibly unhappy in the chair as they tried to size the bands on her teeth. I was texting Shawn about the glares I was getting from the chair. He texted back commenting that maybe they should put the top ones on now, cuz she's probably not gonna wanna come back. No kidding! Then the dental assistants at the other stations started asking each other if they had air & water at their stations. No, I don't have any either. 'Hmmm, is this gonna have any impact on us?' I wondered to myself. Nobody seemed too terribly worried. Oh, the compressor, blah blah blah. K, this is a brand new building, brand new office, brand new compressor. Brand.Spanking.New. After she glued the bands Krista's bottom teeth and made a mold for *the appliance!* for her top teeth, I realized we were the only people left in the office. And then we were done. That's it. No air, no water, no braces. So, after psyching up my kid and pulling her out of school and giving her tylenol, which isn't the fight it used to be - thank goodness and having her dread this moment, *inhale* the moment doesn't even happen. I was sure Ashton was around the corner waiting to tell me I'd been punk'd, cuz this was just wrong. But getting upset would only upset Krista, and it wouldn't have made anything happen (can't will the compressor to work out of sheer frustration, darn it), so back on Friday we go. *sigh* On the bright side, she'll have the entire weekend to get used to her braces. See, just gotta find that silver lining.

Stamps: Life (PTI), Circular Sayings (Verve), Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Always Artichoke (SU!), Paper: PTI white, Elegant Eggplant & Always Artichoke (SU!), Accessories: Nestabilities, scallop border punch, glitter

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there! After all that whining I did about Mother's Day coming up & having all this stuff to do, I did get everything done and I wanted to show you what all the fuss was about. First, I had to make cards, of course. I cut way back this year and didn't make as many as I normally do. It was mostly family this year, because I'm a dork and May caught up to me way too fast. But, I did get the important ones done. Both of my moms and Shawn's mom. And then, thanks to this post by Heather Nichols, I just had to make these books. Had to.

I made this one for my mom. I love these colors together.

Of course, I had to fill it with goofy pictures of me & my brother, Kaleb.
These were taken about 20, 15, oh, just a couple of years ago. ;)
I took pictures of the book before I wrote all the silly stuff in it.

I made this one for my stepmom. This one is filled with mostly baby pictures of me, cuz she didn't meet me until I was 9.

So, that's it. That's what all the hubbub was about. Now I can get back to stressin' about regular stuff, like birthdays & cards people are askin' me to make for them. Aaah, the simple life. Have a great Mother's Day!

Card - Stamps: Beautiful Kindness (Verve), Sentiment (Inkadinkado), Ink: Soft Sky (SU!), Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black, Paper: PTI white, Basic Black & Soft Sky (SU!)

Books - Stamps: Best Yet (SU!), Wedding Day swirl (PTI), Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Pink Pirouette (SU!), Paper: Spring Moss & Vintage Cream (PTI), Chocolate Chip (SU!), Bittersweet & Porcelain Papers (Basic Grey), Accessories: coasters, nestabilities, PTI buttons, twine & Hibiscus Burst satin ribbon (PTI)

How Beautiful

I noticed something funny while making this card. I'm a different card maker when other people are involved. I'm making all these cards for my girlfriend and I found myself trying different things. Sure, this card looks like a typical card made by me. But I wouldn't have put this stuff together if I weren't trying to think about the kind of cards she would like to send out. Rissa is a really happy person. I mean, really happy. So I want to reflect that in cards that she'll send out. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy too. Or at least I seem to be. I can usually be found standing around smiling or laughing. Chances are, that's because I don't know what's going on, so I'm just kinda rollin' with it, grinning like I know what everyone is talking about. My mind wanders, so I sometimes get left behind in conversation. And I'm ok with that. Besides, life is too short to be mopey and angry. I'm also different when I'm using stamps someone else picked out for me. This doesn't happen a lot. But last week I received surprise stamps (is there any better kind than the ones you aren't expecting?!) from my friend Rachel. Yeah, she's pretty stinkin' awesome. And, the amazing part: she got stamps I didn't already have. How she pulled that one off, I have no idea. But she did and I love them. The sentiment above is one of the stamps I got and I love it. But I don't think I would've gotten it for myself, cuz what would I use it for? I'm a pretty basic girl. Birthdays, thank you, Christmas, Mother's Day. Not too wild with variety there. Well, turns out, I would use it for this. For cards that other people would want. Ok, so it's not ha ha funny, but more, hmmm, interesting little tidbit funny. Anyway, have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there!

Stamps: LIfe (PTI), Beautiful Kindness (Verve), Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Purely Pomegranate & Perfect Plum (SU!), Paper: PTI white, Perfect Plum (SU!), Accessories: Plum Pudding satin ribbon (PTI)

Thinking of...More Time!

Gee, I wasn't aware until I put this picture up here how not great the picture is. But you get the general idea, right? Good. This is another card for my friend, Rissa. And no, every card I made for her doesn't have ginormous flowers on them. There's quite the variety in there for her, but this is the order I took the pictures, so you get to look at the flower again. I've been so busy getting these cards together for her that I didn't even notice the time flying right by. Hmm, Mother's Day is this Sunday and I have one thing done. One. I usually make cards for some of my friends and all the moms in my family. It's usually about 15-20 cards and I still have just the one done. So sad. And it's not even a card, so I can't copy it for everyone else. It's a thing, and it's a surprise(!) and everyone is sooo not getting one. So, have a great Monday and I'll be sure to have something else up for you guys soon.

Stamps: En Francais (SU!), Friends til the End & Simple Little Things (PTI), Ink: Soft Sky (SU!), Fresh Snow (PTI), Versafine Onyx Black, Paper: White & Aqua Mist (PTI), Accessories: PTI satin ribbon & button

Special Appearance by Purple

Ok, so I've finally given in. Sorta. I've had people tell me for awhile that I should sell my cards. Now, mostly that was my kids & my mom and really, whose mom wouldn't say that? {no offense, mom} And I would always refuse because I was afraid it wouldn't be fun. There would be pressure & deadlines looming about, waiting to squash my mojo. Blecchhh! But this time was different. I have a friend who sounded almost desperate {no offense, rissa} for me to make her some cards. She asked me, "Do you know what they charge for cards these days?!" Well, actually, no I don't, because I haven't bought one in maybe, 3 years. Probably more. I honestly don't remember the last time I walked into a store and looked at cards, let alone bought one. Plus, she was buying her cards in some boutique-y sounding store (in the san francisco area, no less!) that charged outrageous amounts of money for them. Well, that's silly. I don't pay *anything* for my cards. Ha! Yeah, if you are addicted to into stamping & card making, you know how that one goes. Anyway, the point is, I agreed to make cards for her, she gave me her *order*, and while I was putting it together I noticed there was no purple anywhere to be seen. And I can't remember the last time I used purple. So now I have. And I have to add that I just love that flower!

Stamps: Friends til the End (PTI), Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Elegant Eggplant (SU!), Paper: PTI white, Elegant Eggplant (SU!), Copics: