Stacy's Paper Crafts

Hi

I got a new stamp set from Simon Says Stamp called Square Sayings. This card started out with me "trying out" the star block stamp. Whenever I get new stamps, I condition them by rubbing an eraser over it, I clean it, and then ink and stamp it on scrap paper a few times.  

The background is a little splotchy, and somewhat gradiated on some areas but I kinda like it.  The pattered paper has a fun color palette that I don't normally work with, but I really like it too.

I went to the mall with my MIL the other day, and I think every store we went into featured some type of clothing and/or home decor item with the colors from this paper collection. I especially love the teal & robin's egg blue colors that seem to be everywhere this spring. Color just makes me happy :)

Hope you're having a great week!

 

 

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NSD happenings

Hi all! Sorry I've been MIA. The weather here has been pretty nice & I'm taking advantage of it, getting yard work done before the humidity kicks in.

I have a CAS card to share with you today. I just can't stay away from chevrons. I want to use it on EVERYTHING. LOL  

 

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Officially, Saturday is National Scrapbooking Day, but I'll be celebrating all weekend long! How about you, do you have anything fun planned?  

There will be several events, giveaways, blog hops happening all over the net I'm sure!  Two Peas in a Bucket always has a host of fun challenges during NSD,  so I'll be hanging out there.

Here's a direct link to their NSD schedule...

 Chats, Challenges, & More with Two Peas in a Bucket.

Happy Scrapping :)

NSD give-a-way Winner

 

Congrats Christy!!!

Please E-mail me with your shipping information at stacyscards@gmail.com 

 

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National Scrapbook Day Give-a-Way

Hi All! I know it's a little early but National Scrapbook Day is a little over a week away, so I thought I'd do a

GIVE-A-WAY!!! 

It's been a while since I've done one... and this might just be the biggest one yet! One lucky blog reader, who will be randomly selected, will win this lovely kit which includes some of my old & new favorites. 

This scrapbook kit includes a Simple Stories Snap Album, 8 sheets of double sided patterned paper by Basic Grey & Echo Park, ribbon, bakers twine, sequins, glitter enamel dots, Amy Tangerine's Muse Thickers (white), Tombow liquid adhesive, a mini alphabet stamp set by 7 Gypsies, Prima's Knotted Wood  chalk edger, dark kraft cardstock, light kraft cardstock, & textured white cardstock. I kinda feel like something else is missing, so you might also received a little something extra that is not pictured :)

To be eligible to win:

1. Subscribe to my blog
2. Be a US resident/ or have a US mailing address
3. leave a comment below no later than Monday April 29th 8:00 A.M. Eastern Standard time

I will randomly select a winner on Monday April 29th... this package will be shipped via Priority Mail from Maryland, so hopefully that will give it plenty of time to arrive before National Scrapbook Day! Good Luck :)

MOM you're the best

Today I'm sharing another Mother's day card. I used some Amy Tangerine Sketchbook pattered paper to create the base of the card. I LOVE that that paisley print... actually I really love all of the paper in the collection! It's a mixture of cutesy prints that are slightly distressed with a watercolor feel... if that makes any sense! LOL You really have to see it in order to understand that description. 

I used some tissue paper to create the flower. Tissue paper is becoming one of my favorite things to craft with. It's so versatile and you can literally find it anywhere!

I also paired alphabet die cuts with a partial sentiment from a $1 stamp I bought last year to create the greeting for this card. Thanks for looking! 

 

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I ♥ You Mom

I've been working on Mother's Day cards for the last week or so, this is one of the designs I came up with... a mixture of patterned paper, stamps, and alpha die cuts. 

These Memory Box Parker alphabet dies are the perfect size for card making!

 

She Says Stamps	Paper Smooches Word Salad	The Good Life	PTI White Cardstock
Parker Alphabet Dies	Pumpkin Pie	Archival Ink	Enamel Dots
Tombow

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Changes & Bloglovin

Hi all!

I'm doing a little tidying up here around the blog. The changes aren't too drastic, although I am thinking about another blog redesign in the future. 

On the left side of my blog you'll find a link to my Etsy store and a list of  categories of projects you'll find here. Need an idea for a Mother's Day card? Just click Mother's Day Cards and you'll be able to view all of the Mother's Day cards that I've shared on my blog. 

On the right side of my blog you'll find an icon for Bloglovin. If you haven't heard already Google had decided to do away with Google Reader, which also happens where I keep my blog subscriptions. I've been using Bloglovin for a few weeks and it's a nice alternative. The nice thing about it is that it allows you to easily import all of your blogs from Google Reader to Bloglovin with a simple click of a button!

If you'd like to keep up with what I'm doing here on my blog, you can subscribe to my blog by clicking that little icon.

 You'll also find an "e-mail me" link in case you ever need to e-mail me privately. I love mail... snail or electronic so rest assure I'll respond to you personally and in a timely fashion :)

You'll also find links to some of my favorite on-line stores, and a list of Archives for my blog. I just looked, I can't believe I've been blogging here since 2006. I started before then using another blog server so in total it's been about 8 years, whoa! :)

I'll be back tomorrow with a crafty project of some sort to share, hope you're having a wonderful day! 

 

 

I really like sparkly things on my layouts

 

My son is getting older now. I find myself doing fewer themed layouts for him. I find myself photographing more of the everyday stuff, especially weather lately! LOL I suppose that's a good thing. The upside to that is that I can actually use my shiny, sparkly, pretty papers and embellishments on something other than cards. 

The crop I went to the other day was hosted by a Creative Memories Rep. I typically don't use a lot of CM's products, although I do have some great tools & an adorable tote from them. It's been many, many, many years since I've looked at their papers & embellishments.

They have some different products now compared to when I was first introduced to this company, but I didn't really see anything that I just had to have, except for this adorable Enchanted Epoxy Stickers, the round ones are like glittery enamel dots, so cute and sparkly :)

 

Do you have signature embellishment? I always seem to add buttons, at least one, to my cards & layouts. Not intentionally, it just seems to happen. You can never go wrong with buttons, but I'm going to challenge myself to create something without a button :)  

Thanks for looking! 

My little cherry blossom tree

A pink layout! Now that's something I don't get a chance to create very often. I went to a crop yesterday and created a whopping 3 whole layouts! LOL Well two single paged layouts, and one double. I never really notice how much time I spend crafting when I'm at home, but those 8.5hrs sure did fly by yesterday. 

 

I'm pretty obsessed with butterflies lately... I just can't seem to stay away from them! I recently purchased these larger butterfly stamps from Stampendous Jumbo Butterfly Trio, can't wait to use these in my art journal! 

I used my PTI butterfly die and text stamps, along with some buttons, scrappers floss, mini pearls & rhinestones, foam tape, a little tag from Simple Stories, a staple, and some Making Memories tiny alpha stickers I've had in my stash FOREVER to create this layout. 

If you click on the photos you can get a close view.

Thanks for looking! 

Pretty Papers

TGIF! I'm trying to get myself organized to go to a crop tomorrow... one of these days I'm going to figure out a system that works so I don't feel so exhausted trying to pack before I go! LOL I'd love to hear any tips you might have for packing successfully. I hope to have a few layouts to share with you next week. 

The colors in this patterned paper just make me happy :) They were included in a pack of patterned paper that was available during Sell-a-Bration this year. I have a feeling that no scrap will go unused! LOL

 

Thanks for looking :)

Spray Mist ♥

I've always considered my crafting style to be clean and simple, but lately I've been experimenting with collage art, and supplies that are commonly used in mixed media art... like spray mists! 

Yesterday I shared an art journal page Cultivate, my OLW for 2013, but I didn't provide any details about the supplies or techniques I used to create it. I can't share specifics because I don't really remember exactly what I did! LOL

However, I can tell you that the background was created using Heidi Swapp spray mists, white acrylic paint, Studio Calico's Bubbles Huey's Mask, PTI's Background Basics Text Style II, black archival ink, and tissue paper. I used Heidi Swapp's Color Shine sprays in the colors Sweet Cherry & Mustard. These two colors have a shimmer finish, it's really pretty! I like the shimmer/glimmer finish for more feminine projects, but I prefer the more pigmented sprays without the shimmer/glimmer added for everything else. 

Joann's now carries some Dylusions Sprays which have a beautiful vibrant color. I love these sprays!  After watching the video below, I had to sit down and try the ghosting technique Dyan demonstrated. Ghosting Technique

This card was created using a scrap paper that I "stamped/inked off" from one of the pages I ghosted. This is such a fun technique! The blue color that I used is called London Fog. I thought it would make a great card for a teen so I whipped up this birthday card. I added some stitching, polka dot washi tape, & a button to complete it. 

I believe Joann's only had 6 different Dylusion Spray colors, packaged 2 to a pack, for $9.99, which is a great price compared to some of the other sprays sold individually... and you can use a coupon! I love a great deal :) I can't wait to get my hands on more colors. I hope that you'll take a few minutes to watch the video I posted above. If you create something I'd love to see it, you can just post a link to your project in the comments section or e-mail me directly at stacyscards@gmail.com

Art Journal Monday: Cultivate

Good morning! Today I'm sharing my first art journal page... featuring my One Little Word for 2013. I really love the concept of OWL... it's "a word that I can focus on, mediate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life."  

For the past 10 years or so I've struggled with chronic pain. My Dr.'s have been unable to explain what's causing it. Sometimes it's pretty unbearable. Other times I feel good, like really good and then out of the blue the pain just emerges, sometimes gradually, and sometimes it comes flying out of no where like a ton of bricks. There's no way to predict it, and just when I think I've figured out something that might be triggering it, it turns out it's probably not related at all. 

Sometimes the pain makes it difficult to walk, or sit, or stand. Sometimes it affects my speech. Sometimes it keeps me lying in bed for days at a time. I don't know about you, but when I'm feeling this terrible I'd much rather curl up in my blanket with my heating pad and hibernate. That's pretty much what I've done... hibernate for far too long! Some days I feel like life is just passing me by... without out me! It's a strange feeling...

But I've decided that enough is enough. Although I've tried to advocate for myself to find answers as to what is causing the pain, no Dr. or specialist I've seen has been able to tell me anything. I've accepted the fact that I just might not ever know what is causing the pain. I'll just have to manage the pain as best as I can, and focus more on what I do know, what I can do, and what I would like to do, and nurture those things instead. 

So this year I'm focusing on cultivating... relationships, my health, my art, and eventually a business, once I figure out what that will be. This art journal will help me to document the process, the progress, and allow me to experiment with some art journaling techniques. 

I normally do not get so personal on my blog, but I know that many people struggle silently with  chronic pain and/or what I refer to as "invisible illnesses"... illnesses that may not have visual symptoms such as lupus, fibromyalgia, post traumatic stress disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, lyme disease, and many others. I hope that sharing my story will help someone feel a little less alone in this struggle. Sending hugs to all of you! Thanks for stopping by today. 

Two in one

Happy Friday, hope you had a great week! My week seemed like a blur! My son was home Mon. & Tues.  enjoying his last few days of Spring Break. I can't remember what I did Wednesday! LOL But today I can tell you that I spent some time in my scraproom, whipping up some cards.

At one point on my blog, I used to share Quick & Easy cards, cards that can be created in 10 minutes or less. While I still do create Q&E cards it's been a long while since I've highlighted them as such. I'm going to get back to doing that.  Anyway, Paulina from Pretty Pink Posh added a twist to the Q&E card in the form of a challenge... the 10 Minute Craft Dash! Fun! Each week she asks her readers to create a  craft using a color combination. This week's challenge is a pretty combination...

I decided to create a card using this challenge and today's CAS-ual Friday's challenge...

 

Supplies: PTI CS, SU Ink: Brilliant Blue, Tempting Turquoise, & Pixie Pink, Stamps: Mama Elephant Good Times, Trifecta , Lawn Fawn Chevron Backdrops, PaperTrey Ink Father Knows Best & Fillable Frames #7, Other: floral embellishment, button, & scrappers floss. 

The colors I chose are a bit brighter than the ones shown, but sometimes you just have to work wtith what you have :) I just barely made it... 9 minutes & 56 seconds! The die cutting and foam tape took up quite a bit of my time. Such a fun anxiety provoking challenge LOL! Thanks for looking!

Mixed Media Coasters

On Saturday I hosted a group of ladies for a fun day of mixed media art play. It was such a fun day. It really re-enforced the power of connecting with others for me. I usually craft alone, I really hate to pack up my things to go to a crop because it's so hard to get organized! LOL It really requires a lot of planning for me, but one of my goals for this year was to get out from my craft room and go to a few crops, and invite other crafters to craft with me in my home. 

I planned a spring themed mixed media project to share with my fellow crafters. Most of them like me, are new to mixed media art. I think we all learned a lot from each other and I can't wait until our next gathering :)

So here's my project...

The idea behind it was to gather things we already owned, share what we could, and experiment with a few techniques... collage, incorporating stamped images, and stenciling  were a few of the ones that we used. I used a coaster, but some of the ladies used large and small canvases, chipboard albums, and mixed media paper. 

We started out by applying acrylic paint to build the background. Then we began adding texture to the base by stamping and stenciling layers of paint using stamps and some rather unconventional items... corrugated cardstock scraps & plastic canvas circles! 

We stamped the butterfly and sentiment on tissue paper and adhered it using matte gel medium. If you cut around your images when using tissue paper, it almost becomes transparent when using gel medium. Just be sure to apply the gel medium liberally, and then smooth the tissue paper, adding thin layers of gel medium on top. This technique is perfect for me because I do NOT have a steady hand when it comes to cutting. LOL

Thanks for stopping by today!

A butterfly note card

Happy Friday! I just wanted to pop in to share a card with you today. I used my new embossing folder from Stampin' Up. Today is the last day to get your Sell-a-bration order in :)

It's been a little while since I created a card without a sentiment, but after assembling this card I didn't want to ruin it by miss-aligning the sentiment so I left it blank. 

I used my paper crimper to add some additional detail on the brown cardstock strip behind the tag. My paper crimper is probably one of my most beloved "older" paper crafting tools. 

 

I also added some patterned paper on the bottom portion of the inside of the card. I ♥ that embossing folder :)

Thanks for stopping by today, have a great weekend!