Purple and Gold Valentine

By now you should know that Dies R Us has expended it's product line, and I'm not going to go on and on about all the great stuff they are carrying; I'm just gonna say watch this space 'cause I've got goodies coming! I wanted to create a Valentine without using a speck of red or pink, one I could give my Man without it being too girly.  I think I accomplished my goal and got to use lots of yummy dies!  

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Square Card Base {5 1/4" x 5 1/4"}
Purple Card {Core'dinations Lap of Luxury Paper Pack}
Pale Gold Card
Gold & Silver "Crinkle" Designer Paper
Creative Expressions, Sue Wilson Jeweled Heart, #CED21005
Creative Expressions, Sue Wilson Swirly Lace Edger, #CED6405
Cheery Lynn Heart Chain Border, #B115
Die-Version Complements Everyday, #DVS-4X6-104 
Purple & Gold Designer Paper
Gold Background Paper

Making this card is the beginning of fulfilling my resolution to use more of my stash.  I've had the purple & gold paper, and the gold & silver crinkle paper, for longer than I care to admit.  Back in the day, when I first started stamping, I collected designer papers like mad.  I have some that are so beautiful, I can't

The heart is cut from this

ever use them.  I used to think I was going to delve into book binding and all these gorgeous papers were going to grace my book covers.  Well, that never really happened {although I still have all the stuff needed, should I ever decide to go that route} and I have to start using these papers.  Especially since Dies R Us has started carrying paper; and there are SO many paper pads I want! I have to start making some room.  

I started this card with the center design, the purple & gold heart.  The gold background matches the gold in the design almost perfectly.  I carefully cut the heart out and mounted it on the gold paper.  The next step was to find a purple paper that matched so I could use it as a mat; luckily, the Lap of Luxury paper worked.  I then mounted that onto the square, white, card base.  The card was pretty, but I needed to add more, and I need a sentiment.  I cut the "Love You" out of the same purple I'd used as the mat and glued that into the middle of the heart.

The corner paper

I literally just got the Swirly Edger Die in the mail so you know I had to figure out a way to use that on the card.  Plus, there was some nasty glue residue that had to be covered up; but that's our secret, so don't tell anyone.  I found this interesting, crinkly, paper in my stash and decided to use that.  I cut it out twice; there wasn't enough room at the top of the design to add the corners there, too.  This did mess with my sense of uniformity but I am working on getting over that, too.  

The card was looking better to me but it still was missing something.  It

needed one more little touch of oomph.  I happened to have the heart border die on my desk and I thought that would fit in the border of the card perfectly.  Instead of using the same gold with which I had matted the card, I went with a pale gold {another very old stash item} and, in person, it really does perk up the card.  It's a shame I can't get a picture of the pale gold card; it looks white {or vanilla} in the pictures, but it is a creamy gold and has a subtle shine to it.  Not ideal for pictures at all.

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial {and I hope my Man likes his card; I'm sure he will!} and that you are having a fabulously creative week! Don't forget to stop by all of the Dies R Us blogs for more inspiration and creativity and maybe stop by the store for some new goodies ~ Fondly, Christi

Don't forget to join in on all the fun at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog.  

There's  a new challenge theme offered on the 1st and 15th of each month

 and one lucky  randomly drawn winner will receive a gift voucher prize to 

the Dies R Us Store.  For your convenience, all the important Dies R Us 

links are provided below.

click below for:

STORE
CHALLENGE BLOG
FACEBOOK
INSPIRATION BLOG

FRIENDS OF DIES R US PINTEREST PAGE

I am entering my Purple & Gold Valentine in the following challenges:

Cut it Up - #141, Layers of Love

The Die Cut Divas - M, Love is in the Air, #5

Scrapy Land - #83, Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - It Must Be Love

Listen to Your Heart

** Warning - this post has a lot of pictures! Grab a drink, and a snack; it may take you a while to get through it.  Enjoy!

My parents were married for over 30 years when they divorced.  It was a very civil separation and both my parents worked very hard at not letting their divorce effect our lives {the kids} in a negative fashion. The entire family would get together on holidays, my parents sat together at weddings and they actually got along much better.  About ten years after the divorce, my mother found herself in a situation where she needed to find a place to live.  My father asked her to move back into the family house.  He had made the top floor a mini apartment and my mom had her own bedroom, a living room, and her own bathroom.  So mom lived upstairs and my dad lived in the basement {a whole other story} and they would meet in the middle, watching TV together, going grocery shopping, and sharing meals.  They lived like that until my dad passed away in 2008.  This is a testimony to the love they shared, married or not.

** Typically I link to where you can find information on a product, or the actual product.   Because Tim Holtz' items are so popular, I'm not linking his items to anywhere. I am only linking if a product is difficult to find, or to a product information page.

 What I Used to Make my Project:
Tim Holtz Vignette House, #TH93339 {discontinued but available}
Tim Holtz Paper Dolls, #TH93555
Tim Holtz Beaded Berries, #TH93666
Tim Holtz Quote Chips, #TH93563
Gesso, Blick Artists White Gesso
The Following Items are From my Stash:
White Pearls, Studio G, 60 Assorted
Paper Flowers
Fabric Flowers
Heart Charm
Shamrock Charm
Snowflake Mini Button
Key Charm
Watch Face
Rings Charm
Studio Katia Sparkling Crystal Mix, #SK2411
Parents Wedding Photo
Dimensional Dots
Lace
Krylon Leafing Pen in Silver
Plastic Angel
E6000 Adhesive

I've had this Tim Holtz house for quite a while; longer than I thought since it's already discontinued!  I see my collection of Tim Holtz goodies every single day and I finally decided to make something for myself - my own keepsake.  I wish I could give it to my mom, but her eyesight has begun to worsen and I know she'll just get frustrated at not being able to see it.  So, mine it is!

Mom was 18 & Dad was 24

The first thing I did was lightly gesso the house to give it a worn appearance, almost a weathered look.  Once that dried, I started working on the wedding picture of my parents.  It took me a while to get the sizing correct and to learn how to erase the background.  This was the first time I manipulated a photo {aside from the typical enhancing; like brightening} and I think I did pretty darn good!  Of course, I see all sorts of things I should have done differently, but I refuse to let that little voice talk to me and make me think this project is a failure.  It isn't a failure if for no other reason than I made it for ME!

Bottom Detail: you can see the key & the clock face 

After letting the house dry overnight I started picking through my stash.  I've collected junk items for 3D projects for years.  One of my favorites is an object board that I made by gluing all sorts of goodies onto a piece of game board, then gessoed it all up and painted it.  If you're interested, you can check it out by clicking here {The Courage Board}.  I found some ribbon and a bunch of fabric flowers and put them aside; I had a vision of a black, white, and cream project so I

Mom's Dress

wanted to stick to those colors.  I fussy cut the wedding picture and chose a few Paper Dolls to attend the wedding.  I glued the Paper Dolls to the back of the house and used dimensional dots to pop out my parents; I wanted to ensure they'd be the focal point of the design.  I had to fold my mom's gown a bit, if you look on the bottom of the box you can see the ruffles from her dress.  I added a strip of lace where her dress met the bottom of the box, then attached the ruffle lace to the roof of the house.  The lace with pearls was perfect for the very bottom of the house.  In

Top Detail

my florals made of fabric, I found two large white flowers {I want to say they're carnations, but I know nothing about flowers, so I'd probably be lying!} and four small cream colored roses, then fiddled around a bit with placement.  I ultimately decided to put each group of three in the lower corners.  I also came across a tulle rose with green ribbon leaves that I centered in the middle.  In back of the large white flowers are some Beaded Berries.  Above the centered flower is a wedding ring set and I glued a Studio Katia Crystal to the engagement ring.  It's very difficult to see the crystal, unfortunately.

Snowflake

Moving up the house, on the left side is a key; the right is a watch face.  Each charm has a reason to be there and in this case the key stands for the house they bought.  My dad finished the house and added on many amenities. The key also symbolizes the house {the same one} where we all grew up and where my dad chose to pass away.  I then put white pearls on the sides, using the same size on the top and bottom with a smaller one in the center.  Where the house meets the roof, I used a paper rose on each side, with a Beaded Berry wrapped around the flower.  If you look closely, you can see under the right side, under the paper rose, is a snowflake button with the shank cut off.  My parents were married in the month of February.  On the left side you'll see a shamrock.  This charm speaks to our

Shamrock

Irish history as both my parents' relatives came from Ireland.  All the charms I used, except the clock face, were originally gold; I just painted them with the Leafing Pen to change the color to silver.  Leafing pens aren't cheap - they run about $7 each - but they last for years! If you find you aren't using some of your materials because they don't match your project, I highly recommend getting one {or two!} as they come in very handy.  They can also be used to edge your cardstock, which gives it an elegant look.

The Chipboard Quote I chose fit the situation my parents were in perfectly.  The whole time they were divorced and not living together neither one went out on a single date or attempted to find another partner.  They were meant to be together. I honestly believe they were Listening to Their Hearts.  Above the quote is an angel that started out as a Christmas ornament, I just snipped the string off and glued her in place.  And the final touch is the heart at the very top of the piece.  This was just in my stash and I thought it fit perfectly as I didn't want a heart that was too cutesy. 

Just another look from a different angle 

I am thrilled with how this came out.  I'm very proud of myself both because I think I did a good job and because I actually made myself something.  It's funny, I rarely make anything for myself or to decorate my house and craft room.  I think we are all like that in some way.  Thank you for hanging in there; I know the post was long, between my explaining and stories, and then all the photos.  If you like this project, please feel free to share it {but please link back here!} and I'd be grateful if you'd consider following me {if you do, please leave me a comment with your blog info so I can return the favor!}.  This piece is going to help remind me to Listen to My Heart every day! Have a wonderful day and take care! Christi

I am entering my Listen to Your Heart in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - It Must Be Love
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Love is in the Air
Rhedd's Creative Challenge -M,  Anything Goes {altered art}
Creative Artiste Challenge Blog - M, #35, Anything Mixed Media Goes
The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - M, #45, Inspiration Photo

Bird Crazy Lovers

I'm still crazy about Tim Holtz' "Crazy Birds."  I've been wanting to break them out again and I think Valentine's Day is a perfect time to play with them, especially when there is a fabulous challenge to enter!  The theme for February at Stinkin' Inkers is "Love is in the Air" and your creation can be for Valentine's Day, an anniversary, or even a wedding; anything to do with L-O-V-E.  So, while love is flying all over the place, I present my Bird Crazy Lovers:

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Versafine Onyx Black Ink
Watercolor Paper
Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Bird Crazy Stamps, #CMS212
Tim Holtz/Sizzix Bird Crazy Dies, #660954
Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Crazy Things Stamps, #CMS237
Tim Holtz/Sizzix Crazy Things Dies, #660953
Clean Color Zig Markers
Derwent Water Color Pencils
Hero Arts MMH January 2017 You Are Loved Sentiment
Heart Googly Eyes {Dollar Tree}
MISTI
Dimensional Dots

Playing with these stamps feels like I'm home.  I love all the crazy animals Tim's designed and I always have a stash colored and cut, ready to use when the mood strikes me.  However, for this card, I made these characters just for this card.  I didn't want the birds to be too red or pink; in other words, I wanted the card and embellishments to say Valentine's Day - not the color of the birds. 

Mr. Bird

Also, it was important that the birds were looking at each other; and I wanted to color.  Before I get into the making of the card, I just have to detour for a quick second.  I was rummaging through my stamp pads and found my Versafine Black Onyx pad; I must have had this pad for at least 15 years {and five of those years were in storage} and I figured this pad would need to be re-inked, but I'd recently seen a card on Pinterest that used this ink and wanted to try it again.  To my surprise, there was NO re-inking needed!  This pad was so juicy and vibrant that I only needed to stamp with my MISTI one time! Only once! I am hooked on this pad again.  It's been taken out of the drawer and is living on my desk.  Simply amazing since every other black ink I've used on watercolor paper has taken at least two re-inkings to get a good image -

Ms. Bird

these images were clearer and crisper than I've ever gotten on watercolor paper.  So, yes, I've gotten my images happily stamped and I colored them in with my Derwent Watercolor pencils first, and then added some more color using the Clean Color Markers.  I like using more than one medium to color; it gives me the richness I want and it's fun.

Angry Ms. Bird

I cut all my images and accessories, including an extra wing for our fancy guy, and assembled my birds.  I put a bow on her head and he's dapper with his hat and bow tie.  In his wing he is carrying a box of chocolate-covered birdseed to give to his honey.  As you can see, they both have love in their eyes; and, since they are birds, I expect they will get some "Love in the Air" as well <wink>.

A calmer Ms. Bird

One thing you need to be aware of when using shaped googly eyes is how the eyes are pointed.  See how she looks awfully angry in the above picture! Just a little thing to be aware of!  Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial.  You have an entire month to enter your Love is in the Air creation at Stinkin' Inkers; I hope to see you there! Christi


PS: As the requirement for Retro Rubber is to state how long I've had these stamps I'm going to say at least since April of 2015.

I'm entering my Bird Crazy Lovers in the following challenges:
a2z Scrapbooking - M, It's a Love Thing
Die Cut Divas - M, Love is in the Air, entry #2
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - M, #11, Anything Goes w/ a Critter {or 2}
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Love is in the Air
Retro Rubber - M, #79, Inspired by Love
The Paper Players - #379, Will You be my Valentine?
Just Us Girls - #426, Love
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

 

Roses are Red or What to do with Leftover Shaker Card Foam

I LOVE making shaker cards; even more since I discovered this foam that Kelley from Lawn Fawn inspired me to use {you can see her video as well as the foam I used here.}  Now I seem to have a lots of "extra" foam, so I made a card out of it! This is something new that I have never done before, so for all those "new" challenges, I hope this fits the bill! I made a bunch of roses that I really like and I might even make a wall hanging out of it!

What I Used to Make my Card:
Red Card Base
Die from Die-Namites, Rose Bouquet, #DN-1120 {available online}
Vellum
Embossing folder, Darice, Mini Hearts, #1219 223 {available online}
Alcohol Ink Markers
Red & Green Card
Foam from this card
Ranger Glossy Accents

First thing I did was die cut the roses. I wasn't sure it the die would go through the foam, but it worked perfectly!  So then I had these rose buds cut from white foam.  I wasn't sure what I was going to use to color them, but I figured

I had to start somewhere, so I whipped out my alcohol ink markers; I have a bit of every manufacturer {my generous friend, NanaConnie, sent some to me that she was no longer using - SO SWEET!} and took every red I could find.  It took me two days to color the flowers, mostly because I wasn't sure what they'd look like dry, and I really wanted a deep, rose red on them.   Once they dried, one of them had a sheen to it; no matter what I did, how many times I colored it, the sheen stayed.  What's a crafter to do? Make them ALL shine a bit - I covered them all with s light coat of Glossy Accents.  Problem solved.  Aren't we a talented bunch when it comes to problem solving?

Now I set the roses aside and began to construct the stem portion of the card.  I

cut the die out twice; once in green and then again in red.  The green card is the main design, the one I built off.  I manipulated the red cut by trimming out just the bow portion.  I attached the red card to the green card and then set about attaching the foam flowers; this is when I realized I was missing something - can you spot it? Yep, I am one flower shy.  I have NO idea where it went, but I suspect a Fabulous Feline might have been creeping on my desk.  I try to cover everything I'm working on so

they can't get to it, but they're pretty crafty little devils.  Luckily, I still had foam left and I cut another rose, colored it and glazed it with Glossy Accents.  This rose didn't take as long as the others since experience told me it didn't matter how long I let it dry or how many colors I used; and I had some idea which markers I used.  While this rose was drying,  I ran my vellum through my Big Shot using the Mini Hearts embossing folder and set it aside.

Finally all of the roses were ready to go and I glued the last rose to it's stem; the existing roses on the card had to be trimmed down since my foam flowers didn't quite match up to the roses on the green card.  I wasn't as careful as I should have been and I must have glued a red rose to the wrong green rose.  No worries, you can't tell.  I attached my rose bouquet to the vellum and then used the area under the bouquet to glue the vellum to the red card base.  There you have it! There are tons of ways to use leftover foam; any die will cut it, so even a tiny heart, star, or accent can be utilized - just keep the critters away!

 Since this is such a tactile card, it's going to be my mother's Valentine card.  She never has to worry about the roses wilting!  

I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial.  What do you do with your leftovers? Be it foam, shapes, whatever; I'd love to hear how you recycle your crafty leftovers.  Please leave your idea in the comments below and be sure there is a link back to your creation, if you've made one.  I'd also be grateful if you'd consider following me; I'll follow you back :)

Have a wonderful day! Christi




I would like to enter my Roses are Red card in the following challenges:
Die Cut Divas - Love is in the Air
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
AAA Cards - #108, CAS & All You Need is Love
Crafting with Dragonflies - #97, Valentines 

A Scrappy Valentine

As a crafter, I hate throwing out things I could possibly use in the future.  One look at my craft room {and craft storage!} will confirm this.  Recently, when I was making my I Love You Easel card, I had to cut off the very top of the papers from the DCWV stack - in order for me to properly position my paper on my Silhouette mat it needed to be 12" x 12" exactly and at the top of the paper, where the hole was, needed to be cut off.  Well, when I was done with my card I had all of these beautiful strips of paper.  Plus some extra strips on my desk from other creations.  I just could not let them go to waste, so my Scrappy Valentine was born:

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Literally Strips of Scraps {mostly from my Easel Card}
Neat & Tangled Floral Heart Stamp Set, Sentiment
Cutter Bee Hearts Dies, #54-80012
Hero Arts Ink in Lavender 
Pink Card
White Card

Close up of the Heart

There really isn't much to tell about this card.  I took the strips of extra cardstock I had and glued them onto a piece of white card {only because that was what I had lying on my desk} and waited for them to dry overnight under the tile on my desk.  I then trimmed the sheet of strips, attached it to my white card base, finishing off with the outer heart cut from pink card, and stamping and cutting the white heart after stamping the sentiment.  That's it.  Sweet and simple!

I hope to encourage you to use up some of your scraps! I appreciate your stopping by and I hope to see you again, soon ~ Christi

I am entering my Scrappy Valentine in the following challenges:
Die Cut Diva's - Love is in The Air
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenges - Anything Goes
CAS-ual Fridays - Hearts, Hearts & More Hearts
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Must Use Snippets
Through the Purple Haze - Add Some Turquoise 

Also, Challenges for Days is having a List Manager Call - see here for all the details!! 

Exciting Happenings!!

Hi everyone!! Let's welcome in February with a BANG!

First, I am now on a NEW Design Team for Simply Crafty SVG's.  Sandy is extremely creative and I am honored to have this opportunity to showcase her talent! My first post will be on February 28th, so please stay tuned and support me on my new team.

Second - I am on Instagram.  I've made the plunge.  I will be adding the Instagram logo on to my blog as soon as I figure it out - however, please feel free to check it out at art-without-anxiety.  And I would love to follow you back, but I'm not sure how yet, so feel free to leave your Instagram address in a comment and if you know how to add the Instagram icon to a Blogger blog, please help me!

I appreciate all of my followers and I am getting ready to have another giveaway - you can see what I gave away last time by popping over to D. Ann's blog {she was my last winner.}   This will be open for international folks as well.  I've got to make up the graphic and decide when to hold it, but most likely it will be in March.  One of the rules will be you MUST be a follower of my blog, so why not get ahead of the game and follow me now?

Thank you so much and stay tuned!

Hope your day is filled with craftiness,
Christi

Hello Shaker Card

I wanted to make something my sister could have on her desk.  We don't get to see each other that often since she works all week and I work mostly weekends.  And every time we make plans, something seems to come up - this last time it was the snow.  So I made this sweet little shaker so she'd know I was always thinking of her <3

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card
Lawn Fawn Ready, Set, Snow Stamps , #LF973
Lawn Fawn Ready, Set, Shake Dies, #LF975
Acetate {I used an overhead projector sheet}
Hello stamp was a Lawn Fawn Gift {and the first time I've used it}
Versafine Onyx Black Ink
Copic Marker
6mm White Craft Foam {Michael's}
Shaker Fill {explained below}
Washi Tape

This is the actual foam I used.

I filled the shaker with sequin hearts, some glitter, and a few black cats {I have a black cat and she adores my sister} and all of it came from my extensive stash of sequins.  I have quite a collection; aside from your average stars and cups, I have cats, chili peppers, flowers, dots, and much more.  These are all left over from when we used to actually use sequins as an integral part of our cards.  Not just one or two tastefully placed sequins, oh no - we'd plaster happy birthday sequins all over a card!

I digress.  I made this sweet shaker the same way I made the Happy Purrthday shaker.  The only difference is I made the shaker {which is the snow globe} the actual card instead of using it on the card.  I colored the bottom with a red Copic, stamped the "sending you hugs," cut the sentiment out, and attached it to the bottom.  I actually took a chance and stamped the Hello directly on the back of the card.

The inside

The Hinge

I used a piece of washi tape as a hinge - here is the inside of the card {I had already written in the card before I took these pics, so I blurred it out.  I didn't think you all needed to read the gushy sisterly stuff I wrote}. I attached the hinge to the back of the shaker, the back wall that actually holds in all the shake, and then just made another panel and hinged to that. You can sort of see what I mean by looking at the photo. Oh and I added a little red glitter heart that I had lying on my desk.

Here's another look

This set is SO versatile - you can make ornaments out of it for any season or use it like I did.  My sister just sent a text that she loves the card and people in her office want my blog address; I guess I did well! Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day! Christi

I am entering my "Hello Shaker Card" in the following challenges:
Die Cuttin' Divas - #354, Anything Goes
Unicorn Challenge Blog - M, #28, Anything Goes
Crafting with Dragonflies - #96, Anything Goes
Crafter's Castle - #1, Anything Goes
Scrapy Land - Anything Goes
As You Like It - Favorite Die & Why - this is my FAVORITE die set because I love making shaker cards and this makes it SO easy & fun! And Lawn Fawn products are just so stinkin' cute!