twinkle, twinkle little star

Hi Everyone!  I have another cute baby card to share with you today.  I used the adorable Sleeping on the Moon image illustrated by Penny Johnson for Stampavie.  I just love this image!  (I think I love all of Stampavie’s baby images! lol)

I colored the image with copic markers (I had them written down, but I seem to have lost the sticky note.  Sorry!) and used some patterned papers from My Mind’s Eye’s Miss Caroline Howdy Doody paper pad.  I thought this sentiment was perfect for this image.  It's from Verve Stamps.  I love using paper doilies lately so one of those made its way onto my card and I used some yellow stickles on the moon.  Then, I finished off my card with some flowers, pearls, and silver filigree corners from Wild Orchid Crafts.

Have a great weekend!

Niki

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star card supplies:
Stamps: Sleeping on the Moon (Stampavie), sentiment (Verve Stamps)
Cardstock: X-Press It (Copic), white
Patterned Paper: Miss Caroline - Howdy Doody  (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Dies: cirlce  nestability die (Spellbinders)
Embellishments: flowers, pearl spray, silver filigree corner, pearls (Wild Orchid Crafts), paper doily, yellow stickles
Copic Markers

You Make a Difference in My Life

Hi Everyone!  I didn't get a chance to come back and post this yesterday, but here it is now. :)  I created this card this weekend to play along with a couple Verve challenges.  I played along with the August Get Your Diva on Challenge (to use tags or create a set of tags) and the Viva La Verve August Week #3 sketch challenge.

I used the Bloom and Grow and Text Objects stamp sets from Verve Stamps along with the Elegant Leaves die (also from Verve Stamps).  I stamped the leaves on cream cardstock with archival black ink (CTMH).  My patterned papers are from My Mind's Eye's Alphabet Soup Girl line.  I stamped the text print (using tea dye distress ink) over a piece of patterned paper that I had die cut for my tag.  Then, I added a sentiment and distressed the edges of all my patterned papers, tag, and leaves using antique linen and tea dye distress ink.  I added lots of stitching and some crocheted lace from May Arts.  I finished off my card with some 5mm pearls, 25mm white wild roses, 15mm white open roses, 8mm white semi-open white roses, and heart stick pins from Wild Orchid Crafts.

Have a great day!

Niki

Missing You

I created this card back in June, but never got around to posting it here on my blog.  I stamped the background using Verve's Bountiful Backgrounds stamp set using Crystal Blue ink from Close to My Heart.  The sentiment is from Verve's Always on My Mind stamp set and is stamped with Archival Black ink from Close to My Heart.  The patterned papers are from October Afternoon's Modern Homemaker paper pad.  I sponged the edges with some antique linen, tea dye, and walnut stain distress inks.  I finished the card off with some charcoal baker's twine and black buttons.  I used the sketch from the May Week 5 Viva La Verve sketch challenge.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Niki

precious little one

Hi Everyone!  I created this card yesterday to play along with the MOJO Monday 194 sketch challenge.  I always love the MOJO sketches.  I used the little Emery Plain Jane image and a sentiment from the To the Moon stamp set from Verve Stamps.  I used some patterned papers from My Mind's Eye's Alphabet Soup Boy line.  I stamped the elephant on a piece of patterned paper (I wanted him to resemble a stuffed animal), shaded it with copic markers and cut it out.  I sponged some antique linen, tea dye, and walnut stain distress inks on the edges of my cream cardstock and patterned papers. I finished off my card with some orange buttons, brown grosgrain ribbon, and some baker's twine.  I adhered my sentiment circle and elephant image with foam adhesive.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Niki

My {heart} Belongs to You

I created this card last week for my post over on the Stampavie blog, but haven't had a chance to share it here yet.  Stampavie has so many adorable stamps that I always have a hard time choosing which image to use next.  I’ve been using a lot of stamps lately from the Spring/Summer 2011 collection so I decided to pull out one of the older stamps that I haven’t had a chance to use yet.  I finally decided on this adorable image from Tina Wenke called Mice Kissing.

I just love this image!  I stamped the image on copic x-press it cardstock with tuxedo black memento ink.  I paired the image with some patterned papers from Jillibean Soup’s Blossom Soup paper pad and colored it with copic markers.  I die cut my image with a Labels 8 nestability die and added lots of stitching.  I used a sentiment from Verve Stamps' Love Notes stamp set.

Have a wonderful day!

Niki

you make me smile

This is the second card that I created yesterday.  This time, I was playing along with a different Verve Stamps challenge.  I used the sketch from the Viva La Verve May Week 4 sketch.

I used a few different Verve stamp sets.  The flowers are from the Amazing Wishes set, the stem is from the Love's Flower set, and the sentiment is from the Thoughtful Florals set.  I used some patterned papers from the Lime Twist: Happy Go Lucky line again.

I stamped the flowers on copic x-press it cardstock with tuxedo black memento ink.  I colored them with copic markers (R83, R85, BG11, BG13) and cut them out.  I stamped the stem with Olive ink from Close to My Heart and die cut the oval with a petite oval nestability die.  While the image was still in the die, I sponged some tea dye distress ink around the edges.  I also sponged the tea dye distress ink around the edges of my patterned papers and kraft cardstocks before stitching my layers.  I die cut the banner for my sentiment using a die from The Cat's Pajamas.  The copper pieces on the corners have been in my stash for a very long time.  I think they were from We R Memory Keepers, but I'm not sure.  I added some glossy accents to the flower centers to give them some dimension and shine.

I mentioned above that I used Olive ink from Close to My Heart to stamp the flower stem.  I've gone back to my roots.  I was a Close to My Heart consultant when I first started stamping (I was a scrapbooker first).  I had to leave when I started designing my own stamps.  Now that I no longer design stamps, I decided to rejoin.  The Close to My Heart inks are some of the best inks out there for crisp images with photopolymer (clear) stamps.  I sold many of my ink pads when I started using pti ink pads and I have regretted it ever since.  So, now that I've rejoined, you'll be seeing me using the CTMH ink pads a lot more.

If you're interested in ordering some ink pads or any of the other great products available through CTMH (I'll have other fun products that will definitely be showing up on my cards!), drop me an email. :)  You can see the online catalog here.  If you're looking specifically for the ink pads, they are on pages 124-125.

We are off this weekend to go camping.  The weather isn't supposed to be great.  I hope it doesn't rain too much!  We'll have fun either way, though.  It will just be so nice to get away for a while.

Have a great weekend!

Niki

kick off your shoes and dance

I had a chance today to do a little stamping and decided to play along with the Sketch challenges over in the Verve Stamps challenge forum on SCS.  I created this card using the Viva La Verve May Week 3 sketch.

I used a sentiment from the Beautiful You stamp set and paired it with some patterned papers from the Lime Twist: Happy Go Lucky paper pad from My Mind's Eye.  I stamped the sentiment on white cardstock using versafine onyx black ink and die cut it with a circle nestability die.  While the sentiment was still in the die, I sponged some antique linen distress ink around the edges.  I stitched my layers and added some carribean teal baker's twine, pearls, and some roses.

 I'll be back tomorrow to share the second card I created.  Have a wonderful day and thanks so much for stopping by!

Niki

congrats

I'm back to share the second card I created yesterday with some Verve Stamps.  I wasn't really happy with the way the other card turned out so I decided to create another card to enter in the May 2011 Get Your Diva On Challenge which is to use fabric on our cards.  I am also playing along with the Mojo Monday 190 Sketch Challenge.  My sister is expecting a baby girl next month so I decided to create a cute little baby girl card using the Practically Perfect stamp set.  Isn't that little bunny so sweet?!

I used some patterned papers from the My Mind's Eye Alphabet Soup collection.  I sponged some antique linen and tea dye distress inks around the edges before stitching them to my pink cardstock.

I stamped the sweet little bunny on copic x-press it cardstock with tuxedo black memento ink.  Then, I colored her with these copic markers: E31, E33, E35, E37, R81, R83, R85, BG10, W1, YG95.  I die cut my image with a rectangle nestability die.  I sponged some antique linen distress ink around the edges before removing the image from the die.  Then, I stitched my image to a pink cardstock mat.  I die cut some fabric using a scalloped rectangle nestability die.  I lightly sponged some tea dye distress ink around the edges of the scallops to help them stand out against my patterned paper.  I stitched some pink buttons in the corner and adhered the image with some foam adhesive.   I lightly sponged some tea dye distress ink to the frayed part of a strip of torn fabric before wrapping it around my image and patterned paper.  I wrapped some blossom baker's twine around my card and tied a button with a bow.  Then, I stamped the sentiment with some versafine onyx black ink and finished assembling my card.  I love all that texture from the fabric!  (Sorry, I'm not good with fabrics so I really don't know what kind it is.  I was just looking for some type of fabric with a linen texture when I bought it.  Maybe it's linen . . . ?)

We were spoiled with a couple days of sunshine this week.  It was so nice after months of rain and snow.  Now, we're supposed to get more rain for most of the next week.  Ugh.  Hope we get more sunshine soon!  Have a great weekend!

Niki

Wishing You . . .

I had the chance to do a little stamping this afternoon and decided to pull out some more of my new Verve stamps so I could play along with the current Mojo Monday challenge.  I love this week's sketch!  I used the Wishing You stamp set for the sentiment in the circle and the Celebrating You stamp set for the sentiment on the ribbon slide die cut.  I love those fonts and I love that you can combine the "wishing you" with the other sentiments to create the sentiment you want.   I used some patterned papers from October Afternoon's Daydream line.

I stamped the sentiments on white cardstock with versafine onyx black ink and die cut them with circle nestabilty die and a ribbon slide die.  Then, I sponged antique linen distress ink on the die cuts before removing them from the dies.  I also sponged some antique linen and tea dye distress inks on the edges of my patterned papers before stitching them to their black mats.  I hand cut the black mat layer on the ribbon slide and used a scalloped circle nestability die for the black scalloped circle mat.  I added some charcoal baker's twine from my etsy shop and some white Prima roses and some leaves cut with a Martha Stewart frond leaf punch.

We are off tomorrow to go for a picnic and drive in the woods.  We always go mushrooming on Mother's Day.  I just love getting away with my family.  The weather here has been too cold and rainy so we probably won't find many mushrooms, but just getting out for a drive and having a picnic is always fun, too.

Have a Happy Sunday and a Happy Mother's Day!

Niki

To the World

I recently got an order of stamps from Julee at Verve Stamps (amazingly fast shipping and great customer service!).  I love the beautiful sentiments in so many of the sets.  I love the fonts, words, everything.  I have a wishlist a mile long and I'm not telling how large my order was! lol   Anyway, I had a chance this week to play along with a couple current Verve challenges so I created this card.

The first challenge I played along with is the April Diva Dare which is April Showers Bring May Flowers so I had to create a card with some beautiful flowers.  The second challenge is the Viva La Verve May Week One challenge which are sketch challenges.  Here's this week's sketch:

Thanks for the fun sketch, Amber!  I always love doing sketch challenges because coming up with a new and fresh sketch can sometimes be the most difficult part of making a card for me.

I used the beautiful One Person stamp set for my flowers and sentiment.  I stamped the flowers with copic x-press it cardstock and tuxedo black memento ink.  I stamped the small flower and the large flower twice.  I colored the flowers with copic markers and cut them out.  I cut the center out of the second lage flower and popped it up with foam adhesive on my large flower  I used the leaves from the second large flower beside the small flowers.   I used some patterned papers from Echo Park's Walk in the Park line.  After die cutting my sentiment with a square nestability die, I sponged some antique linen distress ink around the edge while the cardstoc was still in the die.  I also embossed my oval patterned paper with the Seeing Spots cuttlebug embossing folder before I stitched all my papers.  I added my sentiment and flowers with foam adhesive.

Have a beautiful day!

Niki