Father's Day Card

Hey all, quick post today.  Tons going on in the Skinner casa as of late, but I didn't want you all to miss out on the super fun challenge posted over at Cut It Up challenges.  The theme this week is Father's Day and don't forget you need to use some kind of diecut on your project...thus the 'cut' in Cut It Up ;)

I made a card into the shape of a charcoal BBQ grill.  It swings open to show paper under that we all signed. The grill shape is a circle cut in half and the legs are simply rectangles.  The handle is a square cut that I altered a bit and the font is cut from my Cricut.  I am still struggling to give card making a try, but I'm just gonna keep at it!  :)

Thanks for visiting!

♥

In Like a Lion...out like a Lamb

That is the theme this week at Cut It Up Challenges.  To participate you have to make a project including either a lamb or a lion and it MUST have a diecut (cricut, silhouette, cuttlebug, spellbinders, sizzix, etc) somewhere on the as well.  Make sure you list what die/cartridge/cut you used.

I made a card using the lamb cut from the Create-a-Critter cricut cartridge and the word 'thank' is from the Cindy Loo cartridge,  :)

Thanks for visiting!

♥

2012 A Year in Review

I really can't believe another year has come to an end.  Amazing how it seems to start off so slow, but then Halloween to New Years is such a blur!  I wanted to take a moment to look back on some of my favorite projects that I've created over the past 12 months.  You can click the picture to go to the original post. :)

Favorite Card

Favorite Mini

I'm sharing this one with ABAC's year in reviewdesign team project!  Click the pic to go to theoriginal post to see the full series of inside pictures!

Favorite Layout

Favorite Off the Page Paper Creation

Favorite Non Scrappy Project

Favorite Gift

Thanks for visiting!

♥Christy

Cards 'For the Record'

I have been hoarding this Echo Park paper collection for months.  It's called 'For the Record 2' and it's filled with some of my favorite color combos ever!  I'd been saving them for JUST the right project, but when my step-mommy dearest asked for me to make her a new set of 'just because' cards for Christmas... I knew they were just perfect for her!!  Hopefully she's too busy working retail in the busiest season of the year to keep up on my bloggy because I just can't wait to share!

Inspired by Karen's card HERE

Inspired by Dawn's card HERE

Inspired by Lisa's card HERE

Inspired by Roree's card HERE

Thanks for visiting!

♥Christy

Baby dresser card..and an announcement!

I have seen dresser style cards all over pinterest, and agreed it's perfect for a baby card.  They are so very simple to make.  A regular A2 sized card that opens at the top rather than the side for starters.  Then cut 3 rectangles that are about 1/2inch less wide than the dresser.  Punch holes and add brad 'knobs' then attach with pop dots.  I cut a strip that was 1/4inch wider than the card to be the molding at the top of the dresser.  For the bottom design I would say any tab style die/punch would work best but I just eyeballed it tracing and then cut it out freehand.  I definitely would have rather used a punch though. 

 I inked all the edges before assembling and since I used such a dark color for the wood, I had to cut a light square to go inside for the sentiment and signing.  The baby clothes are Jolee's 3D baby girl stickers.  I picked a onsie to fold over the dresser like it was hanging out and a bib to tuck the string behind the knob.  I think it turned out super cute!!!  I am sharing this card with Craft Your Passion challenges this week, who asked us to make a project with three of something, so I made three drawers for my dresser.  :)

Now for the big announcement.  I got picked for the DT for the new challenge blog starting September 2nd called Anything But a Card.  It's a bi-weekly challenge blog that let's you make *almost* anything crafty you can think of fitting the chosen theme except...you guessed it...a card.  :) :)  The DT will post half one week and half the second week so you are good and inspired.  Click on over and follow us to be sure you are ready when the first challenge launches in a little over a week.

Paper Issues! ..and a request

So I happened upon THE most fantabulous blog ever the other day.  The blog title is absolutely hilarious and definitely drew me in to checking out what it was all about.  It's called "We have issues...PAPER ISSUES!"  HAHAHAHA.  How great is that?!?!  Not to mention, frighteningly accurate LOL!  Their featured theme right now is 'learning curve' and they want you to share all of your school related projects.  The thing I totally loved most is that they leave it open to you sharing anything with them that involves paper.  It could be altered items, layouts, cards, gifts, if you used paper on it...it counts!  Click the blinkie to pop over and see all the AMAZING creations that have been featured so far after you check out my fun piece.

I had been asked (more like hounded) since the day school started to make something for my kiddos to put their box tops for education in.  They've been going into the junk drawer and then when the teacher set a date for the month they could bring them in, they dug through that drawar making all kinds of messes to find every last one.  Enter Super Scrappy Mom to the rescue (I really should wear a cape with all the miracles they expect me to preform HA!).  This started out as a box of taco shells...add a little scrappy yummies from my stash and voila!  We have a box to stash away all of our box tops until it's time to take them to school.  

The typeset paper is The Paper Studio.  The green paper is Creative Imaginations (I really didn't crop that well...it has words all about school and the ONE I centered on is vacation?!?!).  The apple is a cardstock sticker from Reminisce and the swirl is cut from the Sizzix-Flourish die.  The ribbon is from Hobby Lobby.  The word 'box' is The Paper Studio chipboard letters and the word 'tops' is by Recollections. 

Also, while I have everyone's attention....  My friend Tanya is collecting cards for her little friend Aidan.  He is four years old and battling Leukemia.  Getting mail just brightens his day (isn't that just like a 4 yr old??) so she's having a card drive!!  If you make a card for him and get it to her by the end of this month, your name will be put into a drawing for a goodie.  Though, when you click over and see his sweet little face, you won't need any extra motivation to make a boy-rific card for him!!  For details click HERE and below is my card (all the cuts are Create-a-Critter).

Beautiful

A lot of people wonder how I can possible cram 3, 4, sometimes even 5+ challenges into one layout.  I never actually understood why some challenge blogs frown upon it to be honest.  In my opinion while one challenge may bring a viewer to my blog, they are going to see the link to you as soon as they arrive!  Cross promotion at it's easiest.  I'm sure it'd be different if I just did a massive list at the end of my post of all the links, but I take the time to explain the challenge and how I incorporated it into my creation.  Scouring for several different types of challenges is something that has helped me give so much more depth to my layouts than I'd ever thought to see before.  I can find a color challenge to help me pull all of my papers together, then a sketch challenge to help me figure out how to place them, then sometimes I'll see a theme challenge that will lead me right to the perfect photos and if I'm lucky I'll even find a misc challenge that gives me the nerve to add extra layers of embellies I'd never thought to take the time to incorporate.  Of course, I refuse to sacrifice my vision, so if I get to working and find that a certain challenge isn't fitting right with where the rest have taken me...it gets the boot!

With this layout of my daughter a few weeks before she started preK, I was able to stop at 4 different challenges along the path to completed.  I started off at The Paper Variety.  They are celebrating their blogoversary (seriously pop over and jump aboard the train to fun-land this weekend!!).  That was what inspired me to go digging for this picture of my daughter.  The challenge was to scrap your favorite photo and while I won't play favorites between my kiddos...this one's strength is definitely in her photogenic smile!

I then searched around for just the perfect sketch to go with the papers I found that matched her little outfit so well.  The line is Basic Grey-Bittersweet.  Enter Stuck On U Sketches!!  I'm a sketch-a-holic and they've got some of the most beautiful ones around!

I knew I wanted to play along with this week's Frosted Designs challenge the second I saw it.  It is to use a stamp (the postage kind), an envelope and a ticket in one layout.  I immediately went to my Tim Holtz drawer (yes he has his own drawer at my house...wonder if I can convince to come for a stay LOL) and nabbed these fabulous tickets he sells and picked the one that says 'ADORE'.  The envelope can be found at the top of the photo matte...it's vellum.  For the stamp, I spent a while stuck.  Staring at my huge collection (read: hoard) of scrappy stuff and wondering how there isn't one stamp shaped embellie to be found.  Then my husband piped up (he's a pretty useful fella sometimes!) didn't that green bug thing come with something like that.  BRILLIANT!!!  When you buy your Cuttlebug (or at least back when I did) it came with a postage stamp die and a set of 4 stamp image embossing folders.  You'll find the one I picked nestled just on top of the envie.

My last stop on the challenge blog express was to Scrapbookers Anonymous.  They posted a chipboard challenge this month and so I went digging back into my Tim Holtz drawer and found this adorable key and keyhole set.  I painted them pink and glittered them up (like there was any doubt we'd be glittering?!?!) and added them to the layout.  Along with glimmer misted chipboard letters to spell 'beautiful'.

Part 2 of the challenge over at Scrapbookers Anonymous is to create a card from your scraps.  I created this from the basic grey papers I had leftover, but I won't mention any names for who it's for because I know she pops in my blog from time to time.  I'd been wanting to make her a card to say thanks for being awesome and these papers scream A-W-E-S-O-M-E to me!  :)  The birdie is from Create-a-Critter as is the Hello Cloud.  I cut it out and then used the reverse image (the part that's leftover after you take the part you usually want) and stuck it down then inked over it.  Once removed it was supposed to come off more as a thought bubble than a cloud...so there ya go :) 

K & Company Cards

My step mommy dearest asked for me to make her an assortment of cards to give away throughout the year.  She wanted simple notecards, birthday cards, just because cards, etc.  So I found a K & Company pad called 'Roam' and some beachy embellies that coordinated because that is very much her style.  I wanted to share 2 of my favorite with you now that she's seen them.

The paper for both is all from the stack.  I used a Tim Holtz distress ink on absolutely every edge.  I used a few odds and ends from my stash (pearls, buttons, green floss, and twine) as well as some cream grossgrain ribbon from Joann's.  On the second card the tag actually hangs from the button so there is some dimension and movement.  :)  Thanks for looking.

A caardvark card to share

I actually got a layout AND a card this weekend.  Look at me being all productive ;)  LOL!  The layout will come later, but first up I want to share with you a vintage card I just finished.  Not sure how well I did at following the technique, but I do like the end result.  I have challenged myself this month to try things that I normally find very scary.  I scraplifted the layout of the card as well as most of the color scheme (though I went with a totally different theme and embellie choice) from Kelly as part of this week's Caardvarks scraplift challenge.

7 days of 365 cards!!

One of my favorite card challenge blogs is 365cards.  Every day Sun-Sat a new challenge is posted and you have until Sunday night to share.  I absolutely LOVED every challenge posted this week so I wanted to try to knock them all out.  Here is what I came up with:

Sunday is sketch day at 365 cards.  I also used the inspiration over at Stampin Royalty and used some fun ribbon, trim and a bow.  I also followed the color challenge at Crafty Catz, black white and one other color...which was PINK, of course.

Monday's challenge was BUTTONS.  I printed out a digi image of a gumball machine and then included 15 gumball buttons on my card.  I also followed the sketch at Cute Card Thursday. 

Tuesday's challenge is a white space challenge, which I interpreted as a solid space challenge. 

Wednesday focused on one of my favorite images ever...PALM TREES! 

Thursday challenges you to pick three.  Three patterns, three colors and three embellies.  My three patterns are the striped paper, flower paper and dotted ribbon.  The three colors are black, grey and white.  The three embellies are ribbon tab, ribbon tab and flower.  The sketch is from Papertake Weekly.

Friday was a similar challenge....pick five.  Any five items and put them on your card.  My five items are striped cardstock, printed cardstock, image, sentiment and ribbon.

Last, but not least is Saturday.  The challenge was to stamp an envelope to coordinate with a card.  I chose a birthday card to play along with this week's Party Time Tuesday challenge and the sketch is by Lord Have Mercy!  It's hard to see at the angle I photographed it at (i was trying to get all of it in one shot), but I colored the word happy and the polka dots to match the image on the card. 

Christmas treat set...

The challenge over at Design Dollies is to create a themed set.  I got this cute little stamp that has a snowman and the sentiment says, 'hope your holiday is filled with warmth'.  I thought it would be perfect for sending hot cocoa treats.  So I made this card following the sketch at Stamp, Scrap & Doodle.  The stamped image is hanging as a tag on the card.  The matching treat bag is following the tutorial over at Project Tuesday.  I cut a window in it with a Cuttlebug die of a little house and when you open it up (behind the layer of patterned paper) there is a package of hot cocoa mix and a small candy cane.  I am sharing this with the YUMMY themed challenge over at Fab 'n' Funky Challenges too.  What's yummier than a treat bag filled with cocoa!!

TriShutter card

Hi all.  I just finished my first tri-shutter card.  It went decidedly MUCH smoother than my swing card.  I followed this tutorial I found on youtube and was able to follow along with the scoring, cutting and folding in seconds.  Then all you have to do is decorate it as you'd like.  It was so super de duper easy!!!  And because of my pissin' and moanin' about the swing card, you can trust me to tell you the truth if it wasn't as easy as they make it look.  LOL!

The sketch for the front of the card is from Our Creative Corner.  I saw it and thought it'd fit perfectly for a tri-shutter card that I'd been dying to try out.  The theme at Party Time Tuesdays this week is fall birthday card.  Which is perfect for my aunt who's birthday falls right around Thanksgiving every year.  The color scheme started from Off the Wall Craftiness.  I had to use a different color for the card base because I didn't want it blending in with any of the patterned papers I chose, but when you see that it accounts for only 1/8th of an inch of trim around the edges, hopefully it still counts.  Here is the photo inspiration:

 

So without further chattiness on my part...here is my tri-shutter card! 

It's time to THINK PINK!

Hey all, I'm taking a break here and there to share with you what's going on today at my scrappy table.  I made this pink card in honor of breast cancer awareness month.  I'm actually making several for a fundraiser craft fair.  This isn't even almost all I have to share with you...so stay tuned...YAY for being productive.

I used several challenge to inspire this card coming to be.  I started with the sketch at Unscripted Sketches.    Day 218 of 365 Cards was to use 3 papers from the same line with no plain solids.  These papers are all from the Tim Holtz idea-ology Vintage Shabby paper stack.  The challenge at Raise the Bar is to create a pink card with a cancer awareness or female image.  Secret Crafter's Saturday Challenge is distressing.  This paper line just screams distress me.  So I knew it'd be perfect.  The edges are all distressed and inked with distressing ink as well.