Late night card fun

I originally knew where the pin was for this but apparently when it's that late I don't pin it to my own board! Eek! If you see something similar, let me know. One of my most favorite things about handmade cards is that once you  build up a good working stash of inks, stamps, and papers - you can tailor any card you make to the personality of the recipient.

Dusting off another old SOTM, Sweet Life - I decided to use fruits and stick to a blue schematic. She loves cooking and farmer's markets / fruits is totally up her alley. And, blue is her favorite color. I had thought about Copics for coloring, but with the way the stamp turned out, I felt that a more "watercolor" type of coloring would be a better choice. So I picked up a standard tiny paintbrush and the little pigment inks and started painting.

I brought the apple off the twigs out front to the inside of the card and accentuated that with a strip of the pattern I used on the front. I love matching the inside to the front of the card.

Other:
* Cream cardstock
* Paintbrush

CTMH:
* A Sweet Life Stamp Set - retired SOTM
* Joyful Birthday
* Outdoor Denim Ink
* Sweet Leaf pigment Ink : Whimsy
* Cranberry pigment Ink : Adventure
* Saddle pigment Ink : Basics
* Hollyhock pigment Ink : Adventure
* Foam Adhesive
* Blue / Green Adhesive Sparkles
* Itty Bitty Sparkles
* Skylark Level 2 Paper Pack

It's transitioning to fall too quickly for me!

First Class Birthday

I am back from a fabulous holiday in beautiful Malta, on the Mediterranean Coast. It was warm, the food was fantastic, the company was awesome, and I'm left wondering if I want to move or not :) If you do go and see one thing, go see Comino - the waters are just unreal but prepare for a large amount of tourists! And this photo is just from my iPhone... so you can imagine photos do not do this place justice.

 Comino & Blue Lagoon - an island belonging to the Maltese Archipelago between the islands of Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea

My brother in law is a huge fan of planes... which means, I use a specific set: Horizons over and over again. I'm hoping to expand my collection of plane stamp sets eventually. However, this time I had accidentally double ordered a set for a customer of mine that included a first class fun tag - just perfect for the same flight theme.

Inspiration: http://stempelwiese.de/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/geburtstagskarte-stampin-up-rosette-sonnenblume-031012.jpg

I hauled out an old set of the Level 2 Assortment from Lucky to finish this off. After all, doesn't everyone dream of flying first class one day? I wanted to play a bit more with distressing, so I crumpled up some paper towel and went to town with Barn Red, Autumn Terracotta and Outdoor Denim.

On the inside, I used one of the borders that you can cut off the 12 x 12 patterns from Skylark. Some left over goodies from my workshops that went awesome!

Other:
* Cream Cardstock

CTMH:
* True To Life Stamp Set
* You Are My Happy Sentiments Set - retired Constant Campaign
* Card Chatter Birthday Set - retired
* Horizon Set - retired
* Dreams Come True - retired
* Skylark Level 2 Paper Pack
* Barn Red Ink
* Outdoor Denim Ink
* Autumn Terracotta Ink
* Goldrush Ink
* Lucky Level 2 Chipboard Assortment
* Designer Ribbon Blue Collection - retired
* Blue / Green Epoxy Adhesive Bubbles

Where did the heat go?

Foxes and a little girl's birthday...

I admit it. I'm guilty of buying stamp sets that I fall in love with. Which means occasionally I have all these sets that I've never used just floating around somewhere. The Feburary 2014 SOTM was no exception. But, I finally found a use!

Inspiration: Case Study 157 : Jean Martin

On the front of the card is a scrap from La Belle Vie, a retired paper pack that I was sad to see go. It's French inspired and thought it would be super elegant for the little birthday girl. I just had to use the foxes - she's intelligent and very sassy :) when she's not scared of the people around her. I also popped up the flower on the bottom fox with puff tape and used a bit of bling to make it stand out.

On the inside is a quote from You Are My Happy, an older constant campaign (another set I didn't know what to do with until now!). I brought the fox inside along with a strip of the same paper from the front. I love being able to do that.

Other:
* Pink adhesive flower sparkle

CTMH:
* La Belle Vie Level 2 Paper Pack - retired
* You are My Happy Sentiments - retired
* Wild About Love - Feb 2014 CC - retired
* Card Chatter - Birthday - retired
* Bronze Shimmer Trim
* Gypsy Ink
* Smoothie Ink
* Twilight Ink
* Foam Adhesive

Hope you are enjoying the respite from the heat!