Bright and Bold...

When it comes to choosing colors to work with for my cards I am totally drawn to softer, warmer colors. I love using white or kraft cardstock for my card bases and choose color palettes that are soft or monochromatic.

But what do I do then with all these bright, bold colors I have in my cardstock stash??

I suck it up, put my big girl panties on and get busy creating! :D

The bright pink in this card is soooooo not my style and I really had to push myself to finish it and not run away crying! Lol! Once I was done, thanks to some Pinterest inspiration, I felt pretty proud of myself! But it still seemed to be missing something...

Yup, that's better! I grabbed my fine-tip marker and added some faux stitching to finish the look!

The sentiment was a wee bit disappointing. When stamping onto vellum, it can be a bit tricky. I used my Jet Black StazOn ink so that it would not smear off, but you have to be careful not to press to hard or your stamp will slide and you get a smudged image. So the next time I try stamping on vellum, I think I will use a stamp that is not quite so solid so I get a cleaner look.

I would love to hear from you! What colors do you gravitate towards? Are you a scaredy cat like me or do you embrace the bright and bold?

~ Cayla ~

There are only 13 days left in Sale-A-Bration! For every $60 of product you order, you can choose any item from the Sale-A-Bration catalogs for FREE! Click on the links below or off to the side of this post to check out the free items you could receive! :D

Sale-A-Bration I  (last three items in this catalog were a limited time deal until February. Click next link for the new three items available)

Sale-A-Bration II

Swallowtail Clear-Mount Background Stamp Set

Rose Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

Rose Red Classic Stampin' Pad

Metallics Sequin Assortment

Whisper White Baker's Twine

Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker

Jet Black Stazon Pad

Party With Cake Clear-Mount Stamp Set

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Thankful...

Over the past year my family has faced numerous challenges. We have had to make a lot of adjustments when we moved, had to support my daughter through some pretty scary moments and lately my husband's health has been very concerning. But one thing I am thankful for is that we are all together. We are facing the challenges and supporting each other. 

I am also thankful for the close friends and family that have listened when I needed an ear and, when I needed to hear it, gave me the reassurance that I was doing the best I could at being a parent and a wife.

In keeping with the thankful theme this morning, I've created these three Thank You cards...

As part of a challenge this week I had to create a clean and simple Thank You card. It took me three tries to achieve that and this is attempt #1. As you can see, not so simple! Lol!

I used a blending tool with Bermuda Bay and Coastal Cabana ink to get an ombré effect for the background. I also added a hint of So Saffron ink to the background as well to tie in with the yellow title. I stamped the flower in Real Red ink then using my aqua painter I colored it in.

I didn't have the right color cardstock to cut the title so I just used my blending tool again with So Saffron ink and turned white cardstock into the right color before die cutting. You could always die cut first then color but I was thinking that this particular piece would be too delicate to color after.

Attempt #2 wasn't quite as complicated but still took a bit of effort to stamp the Thank You's straight and at the same width apart. (I really just eyeballed it and lucked out that they were all straight! Lol)

The background was using my blending tool again with Bermuda Bay ink and then to get the "dirty" looking spots, I just added some Sahara Sand ink.

Attempt #3... Very simple! I stamped the background using So Saffron and Sahara Sand ink. Then stamped the Thank You with Coastal Cabana ink and cut it out.

Yup, super simple! I kept wanting to add more but I resisted the urge! Lol! 

I fussy cut the title and used dimensionals to adhere it to the page to give it some pop!

Contact me for more information on how you can host your own cardmaking night in your home or in mine! :D

~Cayla~

Last Chance...

Tomorrow is February 15th and your last chance to get the limited items from Sale-A-Bration! Check out the cards I did using the Hello set and Sky is the Limit set...

I think Sahara Sand and So Saffron are my new favorite ink colors!

I swiped my So Saffron ink pad on one of my larger acrylic stamp blocks and then used my aqua painter to pick up some of the ink to add color to the florals of the card.

The Sky Is The Limit stamps are perfect to create those hard to make man cards!

I stamped the airplane using Sahara Sand, cut it out and used dimensionals to stick it to the card. I stamped the triangular pattern using Cherry Cobbler ink.

Tomorrow, February 15th, will be your last day to get these limited time items! Get any               Sale-A-Bration item FREE for every $60 you order! Don't miss out on the stamps you love!

~Cayla~

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Tea time...

We have had such beautiful weather here that it makes it hard to remember that it's winter! It is definitely in complete contrast to the east side of Canada! I'm sure we will pay for this weather at some point but I'll just enjoy it for now! :D

To match this spring-like weather, I decided to make a light, sunny card! I used a few of my new favorite SUP! items that come to my doorstep recently.

I love crafty mail!

I used the Striped Scallop die to add texture to the background and the Cups & Kettle dies to cut the tea cup out. The A Nice Cuppa stamp set has the soooo super cute tea bag stamp that I just love!! I then stapled a piece of Linen Thread to it to finish the look!

The teacup was made using a specialty resist paper that I got as part of Sale-a-bration last year, but to duplicate the look is super easy! Here are the steps you can do to create your own resist paper:

1.  Cut your tea cup out of white cardstock.
2. Stamp a pattern onto your tea cup using Versa Mark ink.
3. Cover image with clear or white embossing powder and heat set.
4. Using a sponge applicator, distress your tea cup with your favorite color of ink.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Cayla~

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

My Happy Place...

Crafting is my meditation. When I am stressed or anxious about something, which seems a lot these days, I will bury myself in craftiness and all of the crap just melts away!  And the last 14 months have been downright crappy!

Lately I was told that I needed to find and do the things that create happiness. That I needed to find time for me and do the things I love. I will give you one guess where my happy place is? Crafting of course! 

So I have decided that I need to start creating more and posting on my blog again! Crafting is the easy part! Finding the time to blog is always a challenge! But I promise to do my best!

Shortly after I moved here, I was introduced to a lovely Stampin' Up! lady, Allison. I quickly joined her monthly stamp club and I love it! I have felt that for at least one night a month I could get together with other crafty ladies and enjoy myself. Allison saw how much I enjoyed creating (and how much I spent! Lol) and told me about an amazing deal that Stampin' Up! has on right now for anyone signing up to be a demonstrator. Of course I took advantage of the deal, I was spending the money anyway right! I got a whack load of product for a super price and I get 20% all my future purchases! Wahooo for me! :D

I created this card today using some of my new and lovely Stampin'Up! goodies! Let me know what you think!

The floral stamp can be found in the Occasions catalog and the Hello stamp is from a set that I got for FREE as part of Sale-a-bration!! For every $60 you spend right now on Stampin' Up! product, you get to pick a free item from the Sale-a-bration catalog! You can check out the catalogs by clicking on one of the links below. I should also mention that a few of the free items that are only available until February 15th! So don't wait!

SALE-A-BRATION

OCCASIONS

ANNUAL

Any questions? Let me know!

~Cayla~

SHOP

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Sleep is over rated, right???

I have decided that my days definitely need more hours in them! Either that or I need to stop sleeping! Lol!

It's been a long while since I had the chance to do some crafting, but I recently made a large purchase and I am now the proud owner of a Big Shot!

I am hoping to finally be able to use a die that I had bought that was just a smidgen to wide for my Cuttlebug! Lol!

I also received 4 new Stampin Up! stamp sets and I got to play with them this morning! Here are two cards that I created.

This first card I made using the Kinda Eclectic stamp set and a flower from the Best of Flowers set. While spending some quality time on Pinterest the other day, I noticed quite a few cards that had black stamping against softer colors. I loved the look! 

Of course I had to add some sequins!

I stamped the flower three times in the blue ink and once in the green ink. I then fussy cut them out and stacked them.

This next card was basically the same idea as the first, in the same color scheme.

To create the background, I rubbed my two ink colors over an embossing folder, spritzed it with water, then laid a piece of watercolor paper over it and pressed down.

Once my watercolor paper was dry, I stamped my black images.

The stamps I used for this card were the sentiment from the Forever Florals set and the rest from the Butterfly Basics set.

The ink colors I used were Tim Holtz Distress ink pads (Broken China & Shabby Shutters) and my Jet Black StazOn ink pad.

Check out my Pinterest board to see where I got my inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Cayla ~

Card Crazy!

Hello everyone! 

I am going to try to keep my words down to a minimum because lately I have gone on a card blitz, so I have quite a few cards I want to put in this post!

So lets just get right to it shall we!

:D
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I loved making this first card!
I have gone crazy buying all the new Stampin Up products from the Occasions catalog! This butterfly die and the larger butterfly stamp came from those products.

Supplies I used:

8.5" x 5.5" Kraft Cardstock

4" x 5.25" White Cardstock

Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder

Follow Your Heart "Be Happy" Stamp Set by MME

Butterfly Basics Stamps by Stampin Up

Butterflies Thinlits Dies by Stampin Up

Crumb Cake Ink by Stampin Up

Aged Mahogany Distress Ink by Ranger Ink

Misc Twine

Misc Sequins

Wax Paper, Kraft cardstock & white cardstock to cut out butterflies

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This next card was inspired by a card a saw on Pinterest (actually all the cards you will see here today are inspired, if not downright copied, by cards I saw while spending "quality time" on Pinterest! :D)

As you can see, I have a love for sequins right now! They are so darn easy to use and come in so many different colors, sizes and shapes! I love them, love them, love them!!!! 

Supplies I used:

8.5" x 5.5" White cardstock

4.25" x 5.5" Cardstock (times 2)

Misc Sequins

MME Washi tape

Red Cardstock

Misc Black Twine

Pool Party Ink by Stampin Up

Coastal Cabana Ink by Stampin Up

Bermuda Bay Ink by Stampin Up

Chevron Punk by EK Success

Technique: To get the ombre look behind the Chevron, I first took one of the 4.25" x 5.5" white cardstock pieces. Starting with the darkest color and using a sponge dauber, I applied ink to the right top side, working down. Then I took the next shade and applied the ink, blending up into the darker shade. I repeated this step with the lightest shade, closest to the bottom. I then took the second 4.25" x 5.5" white cardstock piece, punched the chevron pattern and placed it over top. Lastly, I adhered the whole piece to the card front. Practice on scrap paper till you get the hang of doing the ombre!

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I saw this feather stamp set used so many times on cards on Pinterest that I just had to have it! :D

This was a tricky card to get the feathers all lined up straight but in the end it has a simple yet classy look!

Supplies I used:

8.5" x 5.5" Kraft Cardstock

4" x 5.25" Yellow Cardstock

3.75" x 5" White Cardstock

Four Feather Stamps by Stampin Up

Wonderful Words Stamps by Stampin Up (retired)

Scattered Straw Distress Ink by Ranger

Smoky Slate Ink by Stampin Up

Jet Black StazOn Ink

Misc Sequins

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Another card that I loved to make!

Supplies I used:

8.5" x 5.5" White Cardstock

Crazy About You Stamp Set by Stampin Up

Hello You Thinlits Dies by Stampin Up

Sahara Sand Ink by Stampin Up

Pool Party Ink by Stampin Up

Bermuda Bay Sequin Trim by Stampin Up

Misc Bakers twine

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I did a couple, more masculine cards because I know those men can be a little bit fussy! They don't like bling and they don't like flowers! Sheesh! Who do they think we are? Lol!

Supplies I used:

8.5" x 5.5" White Cardstock

Black Cardstock for stars

1" x 4" strips of varying shades of grey & blue cardstock

Diamond Plate Sizzix/Tim Holtz Embossing Folder 

Riveted Metal Sizzix/Tim Holtz Embossing Folder

Honeycomb Sizzix/Tim Holtz Embossing Folder

Gears Set Sizzix/Tim Holtz Embossing Folder

Big Day Stamps by Stampin Up (Sale-A-Bration Catalog)

Stacking Stars Die-namics (Mft Stamps)

White Sharpie Paint Pen

Supplies I used:

8.5" x 5.5" White Cardstock

4.25" x 5.5" Black Cardstock

4" x 5.25" Kraft Cardstock

3.5" x x4.75" White cardstock

4.5" x 1.5" Pattern Paper banner strip

.75" x 3.75" Black Cardstock banner strip

Misc Off-White Pattern Paper to make Stars

Misc Black Rhinestones

Crazy About You Stamps by Stampin Up

Jet Black StazOn Ink

Sahara Sand Ink by Stampin Up

Supplies I used:

8.5" x 5.5" White Cardstock

4" 5.25" White Cardstock

2.5" x 5.25" Woodgrain Pattern Paper

Misc Off-White Pattern Paper to make Stars

White & Black Cardstock

Lucky Stars Embossing Folder by Stampin Up

Stacking Stars Die-namics (Mft Stamps)

Hello You Thinlit Dies by Stampin Up

Crazy About You Stamps by Stampin Up

Sahara Sand Ink by Stampin Up

Word Window Punch by Stampin Up

Jet Black StazOn Ink

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This Pear stamp is a set I have had forever! I love it but hardly ever use it! Lately I have finally caved and started getting into the world of alcohol markers! I don't know why I have resisted it for so long, because it is simply wonderful!

Supplies I used:

5.5" x 8.5" Kraft Cardstock

4 1/8" x 5 3/8" Black Cardstock

4" x 5.25" White Cardstock

3.25" x 2.5" White Cardstock (Tag)

Black & white cardstock for word & stamping

Seeing Dots Embossing Folder by Cuttlebug

Spectrum Noir Markers

Old Olive Assortment Blendibilities by Stampin Up

Hello You Thinlit Dies by Stampin Up

Crazy About You Stamps by Stampin Up

Infinite Goodness Stamps by Stampin Up (retired)

Peeled Paint Distress Ink by Ranger Ink

Black Memento Ink

Misc Twine

Technique: I have said this before I know, but I love when I can find more than one way to use a tool! To get this patterned background, I took my embossing folder and spread my Ranger Distress ink over it. I didn't apply ink evenly but pressed harder in some areas and lightly skipped over other areas. I then LIGHTLY misted the inked embossing folder with water. The "lightly" part is important, because if you use too much water your ink with just run all over the place! I then placed my paper in the embossing folder and pressed down! I didn't even run it through my machine, although you totally could do that to give it more dimension & texture! 

The reason I used the Ranger Distress Ink is because the ink is designed to react with water in a fantastic way! So you get some really cool watermark effects without the colors separating! YouTube has some great videos on Rangers Distress Inks, so check them out!

Technique: When using alcohol based markers such as Spectrum Noir, Copics, Stampin Up Blendibilites, etc, you want to use a fast drying, water based ink like Memento ink. That way as you are coloring in your image, the outline is not bleeding into the areas you are coloring with the markers.

To color the pear, I chose two shades of yellow (dark & medium) and started by outlining the image with the dark color. I then went in filling in the image using the medium color making sure to work in a circular motion, blending the two colors together. I left a white spot in the top left corner and used the blender pen that I had purchased with one of the Spectrum sets, to blend the edges of the spot so there was no defined lines. Practice this technique on scrap paper to get the hang of blending with alcohol based markers.

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So I am the worst sister ever! I made this next card for my baby sister, whose birthday is on Valentines day, and then forgot to send it! Lol! But now she can see this picture and know that I made her the best card ever! :D

Supplies I used:

5.5" x 8.5" White Cardstock

3.75" x 5" White Cardstock

4.25" x 1 7/8" White Cardstock

4" x 5.25" Red Cardstock

2" x 4.25" Red Cardstock

White & red cardstock for hearts and feathers

Heart Punch by Stampin Up (retired)

Four Feathers Stamps by Stampin Up

Feathers Framelits Dies by Stampin Up

Happy Heart Embossing Folder by Stampin Up

Big Day Stamps by Stampin Up

Smoky Slate Ink by Stampin Up

Real Red Ink by Stampin Up

Misc Sequins

Stamping the candles was fun! It was a single candle that I stamped over and over, so don't judge cause they are definitely not in a straight line! :D

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Grey & Yellow! Two of my fave colors put together!

Supplies I used:

5.5" x 8.5" White Cardstock

4" x 5.25" Woodgrain Pattern Paper

3.25" x 3.25" Printed Pattern Paper

White Cardstock for flowers

Fabulous Florets Stamps by Stampin Up (retired)

Scattered Straw Distress Ink by Ranger Ink

Washi Tape

Black Fine-tip Sharpie

Glossy Accents

I added some Glossy Accents to the center of the flowers to give the flowers an added dimension. It's hard to tell in the pics though, sorry!

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I hope I have inspired you to go get crafty and create!
Thanks for stopping by!
~ Cayla ~

Check out my Pinterest board:
  "CARD IDEAS"
for all the great ideas that inspired me to create these cards!

Also check out Allison Okamitsu's Blog:
NICE PEOPLE STAMP
Allison was the wonderful gal who taught me the fabulous ombre technique and how to overcome my fear of alcohol markers! :D