The Paper Loft and Cardmaker Blog Hop

Welcome to the CardMaker and The Paper Loft Blog Hop! 

Today the CardMaker Designers and The Paper Loft Designers will be showing you some wonderful projects featuring papers from The Paper Loft. 

Make sure and comment on each of the blogs in the hop! One winner will be randomly chosen to win a $25 Gift Certificate from The Paper Loft!  The winner will be chosen on August 31^st at 9pm CT and announced on The Paper Loft Blog on September 1st. 

Here are my cards:

Here I used The Paper Loft's On the Go collection : Forward Motion, On the Double, Hurry Up, Things to do, Places to Go with the Road Trip Accessory Sheet.  I used Local King Rubber Stamp and matching die cut from their Summer Vacation collection for the bus and stamped with Stampin Up Groovy Guava ink.  The yellow die cut is from Quick Kutz Road Sign set and the arrow is from Kiwi Lane's Adventure template collection.  All items are chalked with Quick Quotes Blue Lagoon and Lemonade Powder Puffs or Versa Cloud White.  I also added Glitter Liner in Amber to the arrow.

Card two uses the same The Paper Loft's On the Go collection  with the addition of Zippy and People to see paper.  Also the same Local King Rubber Stamp and matching die set, Summer Vacation.

I cut the papers with the Creative Memories border maker and hex punch.  The sentiment is from a collection named Happy Campers, I don't know the manufacturer.  The kayak and sentiment are stamped with Staz On Azure.

I am sending the card to my brother, he is ranked third in the State of Tennessee for bass kayak fishing.  I think he will love this! 

 

Next Up:

The final stop is The Paper Loft!

If you get lost along the way:

Blog Hop List:

CardMaker Blog
Jeanne Streiff

Teresa Momber

Vicki Garrett
Anna Wight
Piali Biswas
Debbie Seyer
Jeanne Jachna
Kelli Hull

Noelle McAdams
Lori Iwanowski
Mae Nazareth

Alicia O’Bryant
The Paper Loft

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:

http://www.4craftychicks.blogspot.com/2014/08/4-cc-209-something-oldsomething-new.html until Sept 2
Old:  Creative Memories punches and borders New: Local King Rubber Stamps and dies

http://cutecardthursday.blogspot.com/2014/08/challenge-336-anything-goes.html until Sept 2

http://crafterscafeblogchallenge.blogspot.com/2014/08/challenge-79-use-your-punches-and-dies.html until Sept 1

http://www.lovesrubberstampschallenges.com/2014/08/challenge-118-two-or-more-pattern-papers.html until Sept 1

http://pdelinkyparty.blogspot.com/2014/08/pde-linky-party-17-with-team-b.html until Sept 1

Thanks for stopping by!

The Paper Loft Gear Head Get Well Card and Wednesday Winner!!!

This is a card I made for a friend in the hospital.  He is a truck driver. I used a gear punch with The Paper Loft Gear Head collection of papers.  I first ran the brown card stock card through the Big Shot with a Tim Holtz movers and shapers magnetic die of a truck.  Then I put some pretty gear paper behind the truck.  The stamps are an alpha set I purchased off HSN.  I believe they are a "typewriter" font...I have used them for several masculine cards.  They snap together and include letters, numbers and icons.

Easy, cute, and a great masculine card! Sorry for the poor pictures, but I made it in a hurry and quickly snapped pics on the way to the hospital.  He is out and recovering nicely.

Inside.  I used a Kiwi Lane template.

Drumroll please....
Finally, the winner of my blog candy from the Kiwi Lane blog hop is.....

MaryAugust 22, 2014 at 6:54 PM

Fun Fun ice cream cones!! Love all the bling! I might have to dress up an ice cream cone I made recently on one of my pages. I just became a follower.

Congrats!!!  And thanks to all my new followers!

Mary, please email me via the contact button with your physical address to send your package!

Thanks for stopping by today!

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:

http://cardz4guyz.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/steampunk-challenge-33-and-dt-call.html until 8/30

http://www.lovesrubberstampschallenges.com/2014/08/challenge-118-two-or-more-pattern-papers.html until Sept 1

http://artisticinspirationschallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/challenge-106-anything-goes-labor.html until Sept 1

http://www.lunagirlmoonbeams.com/2014/08/creative-blog-challenge-lets-hear-it.html until 8/30

http://robynsfetishchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2014/08/challenge-226-cards-for-men-824204.html until 8/30

Explosion box with K & Co

Good Day every one!  Today I am showing off my very first attempt at an explosion box.  There are several videos on youtube that I consulted prior to beginning.  I found this one the best:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYCUdE_Rtcc

But keep in mind it is not the only one I used.

This box was for a trade with a partner.  My partner was Nikki and I will show off what she made for me later.  But first she told me she wanted to put pictures of her and her husband in the box I made.  I also had a list of her favorite colors.  I chose some Amy Butler K & Co papers and layered stickers that I have had for a while (like a couple of years but I don't think it looks outdated).  I also had some K & Co bird stickers.  Although they are not "love birds" that was the idea.  The top also includes layers of the paper cut with Spellbinders scalloped circles.  Queen & Co bling is used throughout the box.  I used a Bazzil Swiss Dot blue paper for the outside and cut an ivory border with my new Marvy border maker set from Tuesday Morning.  Side note:  with a little notch these same cartridges can be used with the Creative Memories border maker.

Exploded!  I added several smaller Spellbinders scalloped circles in the middle with each layer on pop dots.  I added another bird an more bling.  The scalloped edges on this section were made with the Spellbinders Grand Nestabilities Label 11 and cut in half.  I also rounded all the corners of every page.

Close up of my center piece.

More Grand Label 11 and some washi borders with bling.

Layers of Grand Label 11 and a paper strip with washi and bling.

Some of the Swiss Dot paper and more scalloped circles.  I purposely placed the die on the center of doilies and flowers.

More "pages" more die cuts

I also lightly distressed with Quick Quotes Powder Puff Chalk Feather Gray.  I wasn't sure how much edging Nikki would like, but I just couldn't leave it "naked"!

Here is the box I received from my swap partner, Nikki: 

Quite a coincidence we both used Swiss dot for the outside.

I told her I liked purple and green! She did a great job!

I love the center flower and the one on top of the box!

She also added some cute little tags!  (I didn't think of that)

The most lovely feature of her box is the beautiful flowers.  She used a stamp and embossed the image in black then used Alcohol inks to color the flower.  It is gorgeous!!

There are two on the project!

Some die cuts.

Thanks for checking out our explosion boxes today!  Nikki does not have a blog, but she should show off her gorgeous work!

I would like to enter my project in the following challenges:

http://sparklingblackrose-craftmylife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/all-crafts-challenge-augustseptember.html until Sept 30

http://craftingfromtheheartchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2014/08/challenge-33.html until Aug 30

 http://corrosivechallengesbyjanet.blogspot.com/2014/08/challenge-206-b-unique.html use 3 "b's" bling, birds, box, blossom, banners until 8/30

http://fattastictuesday.blogspot.com/2014/08/fan-tastic-tuesday-challenge-50.html until Sept 1

http://tuesdaytaggers.blogspot.com/2014/08/use-your-stash-at-try-it-on-tuesdays.html Sept 3

http://pdelinkyparty.blogspot.com/2014/08/pde-linky-party-17-with-team-b.html until Sept 1

http://oldiebutagoodiechallenge.blogspot.com/2014/08/anything-but-card.html until Sept 2



Creative Blog Tour!!

Good morning!  I was invited to be part of the Creative Blog Tour by my friend Lyne!  Her very cool blog is http://lynnseverydayideas.blogspot.com !  I met Lyne through a Design Team that was part of a Facebook group that dissolved.  But something great came of it and that is knowing the great lady that is Lyne!  We are members of several other FB groups together and participate in swaps and blog hops together regularly.  We have also bounced ideas off each other, she is a great crafter!

Participants are to answer the following questions.  I hope this helps you get to know me a bit better.

What am I working on? 

Well, I am almost finished with a huge scanning project for my family.  So I have not been as "crafty" this month. So far I have scanned 580 pictures and documents!  I just went "home" for the weekend and returned those pieces to my mother and she gave me another bag!  My part of being the family historian.  My mother is on Ancestry.com and does her part in researching our history, she has found some pretty neat stories.

Creatively, I have done some "bigger" projects lately.  If you look back to last few post, you will see a couple of great projects I did for Kiwi Lane.  I am also doing several swaps this month and next.  Here is a peak at an upcoming blog post about an explosion box swap.

  

I am also working on an upcoming blog hop project and my next DT projects.  You will get to see more soon!

 

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

 I think my style is pretty unique. I enjoy a little of everything:  Clean and simple, shabby chic, grungy, and elaborate.  Since I have worked in different mediums, I try really hard to bring all my knowledge together to create something different.  I don't know exactly what you would call it, but I can pick my work out of a crowd. Just recently (at the Stampaway Convention), I noticed a pair of earrings on a woman, I immediately knew they were some I had created.  The woman didn't remember where she had got them, but I KNEW they were mine, they just had my touch!  There are so many techniques to try, I try and sometimes I fail.  And sometimes I discover a new technique that I fall in love with!  So even though I am constantly evolving I seem to have a flair that is uniquely me!
Here are some of my favorite cards:

Why do I create what I do?

 I have always been creative.  I don't know what I would do without some creative outlet in my life.  I have worked in various mediums over the years.  Beaded jewelry has been primary for years and was a thriving business for me.  Many reasons have contributed to changing my focus which is now paper crafts.  I have always loved paper crafts but it was usually put on the back burner to my "business".  I have had a bit of success selling my cards and just this spring won 2nd place in Graphic Arts at an art show.  I also have been accepted to a couple of design teams in the past year.  As nice as it is to "support" my habit, however, I do it for the therapy more than money because I NEED to create.

How does your creating process work?

 I usually start with some spark of an idea, either pictures for scrapbooking or a need for a card.  I love challenges!  They really get my juices flowing.  I love blogging because I can pick and choose the challenges in which I would like to participate.  I like design teams because I am sometimes forced to think out of the box.  Sometimes, I begin with a new product, just one stamp, piece of paper or paper.  I will purchase something and the juices start flowing.  Unfortunately, I seem to never have enough time to produce all my good ideas.  Sometimes my "ideas" loom around for a year or more, sometimes one more purchase solidifies the project.  I find this with beads, too. 



This is one of the projects where I started with a stamp and I knew I wanted to make a card for my mother, it ended up being her Mother's Day card one year.  She loved it so much she framed it!  Coloring is not typically my style but I am working on it!

Now to my choices of talented crafters to which I pass on the torch!

My first pick was Connie! at http://www.conniecancrop.blogspot.com/.
Connie is awesome!  She comes up with the greatest ideas!  She is on many design teams and organizes the BEST blog hops!  She is a seasoned professional who gives me a lot of inspiration!  We have also become friends over the couple of years we have worked together.  I think it is just awesome to develop relationships so from so far away!  These would have never been possible just a few years ago.

 

Next up is Jessica! at http://www.craftinandstampin.blogspot.com/.
Jessica is also one awesome lady! Again, we only know each other from blog world and Facebook, but she is such an inspiration.  She is rockin' her CTMH business and recently won some great recognition at convention!  Congrats Jessica!  You really work hard and deserve it!

And finally my latest bloggy friend is Sue K! at http://suek86401.blogspot.com/.
Sue recently discovered my blog and I her's.  She is a design team member for Hiding in my craftroom  which is a great challenge blog!  No, I am not partial because I have won a few prizes...Sue has been the most loyal follower EVER!  and so creative in her own right.



Please check these ladies out and they will post the answers to their questions next Monday, Labor Day, September 1.  Thank you so much for spending your time reading my creative blog!

Kiwi Lane Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to the Kiwi Lane August blog hop!  You should have arrived from Barb's blog if now please start at the Kiwi Lane blog.  The featured sets for August are tiny celebrate and playtime, both of which are on sale this month!  I have used Tiny Celebrate to make my ice cream cone cards. Read on for how to win a $25 gift certificate from Kiwi Lane!  We hope you are inspired to create some delicious delights of you own!

I used 3 of the Tiny Celebrate templates to make the cone, the ice cream and the ticket!  I used the Abbie Road for the background papers.  The beautiful pink ribbon is hand dyed seam binding I received with some blog candy all the way from England!!!  This version is my favorite because it has "mint chocolate chip" ice cream.

I used a couple of different sentiments on the ticket.  The Chocolate one is from a Close to My Heart SOTM last year.

 

One final version (I started to run out of brown, green and pink bling):

Ingredients:

Celebrate 3T, 5T, 6T

Abbie Road 1B, 2B

Pearls and Bling from Michael's, Recollections, and Queen & Co

CTMH stamp

hand dyed seam binding

American Crafts paper

Creative Memories paper

pop dots

 

What to do to win

Two chances:

My own blog candy is a the tiny celebrate set!  

To qualify for my blog candy you must be a follower and state so in your required comment below.  I will choose a winner next Wednesday, August 27!  

 

 

Kiwi Lane is giving away a $25 Gift Certificate to purchase your choice of templates. Leave one comment at each blog posting along the way, including this one! This needs to happen by Sunday night,  April, 6th at 11:59 MST to be eligible to win.  So be sure to visit every one and see our wonderful creations!!  Kiwi Lane's winner will be announced on their blog!

 

Next up is the wonderful project of  Charity!

 

Here's the entire line up in case you get lost along the way:

1. Kiwi Lane Designs www.kiwilane.com/blog

2. Barb http://www.mommaducksblog.blogspot.com/

3. Alicia http://www.goldengoddessdesigns.blogspot.com/

4. Charity http://menemenetekeluniversity.blogspot.com/2014/08/kiwi-lane-designs-blog-hop.html

5. Gail http://glowormdesigns.blogspot.com

6. Connie Wallenbrock http://conniecancrop.blogspot.com

7. Brittany http://craftypaperbee.blogspot.com/

8. Christina:  http://tinasscrapcrap.blogspot.com/

9. Erica: http://stampingstarlette.blogspot.com/2014/08/kiwi-lane-designs-blog-hop.html

 

Thanks for hopping by!

Kiwi Lane Altered Frame/Shadowbox

My second project is a TPC Chipboard frame that I turned into more of a shadowbox. I was hesitant to use the butterflies on a "boy" project, but since they were brown I think it turned out awesome!  The pictures are a few years old but these are some of my favorite pictures of my son ever!  I have made a pendant out of the small picture that I wear often.  I think the plaid CTMH paper lends a masculinity.   I also distressed most of the embellishments.  I crumpled and inked all the Kiwi Lane cuts to distress them.  I made the background the pictures are on from the Celebrate 7T cut from many of the CTMH papers then spritzed it generously.  I also spritzed the flowers and  crepe paper to dull them up and be more boyish.

I used Clara lane 3B on the crepe paper while bunched up and Celebrate 6T for the banners out of two different papers.

This is the best picture of the "inside" background which I spent so much time on and you can't even see most of it!

More close ups of my flowers created with Kiwi Lane templates and Mon Ami Gabby felt flowers.  I added some super cute brads to the center and a few have the same brown gems as the Mon Ami Gabby butterflies.

Here are some pics of the assembly of the frame and Kiwi Lane cuts:

Here I dropped the blade a couple of inches in to cut out only a center square.

Paper and frame

I left an inch for overlap but it still didn't stick as well as I wanted so I added some more strips of paper and more tape to make it stick down.

I used foam from packaging to add dimension.

Using every bit of CTMH paper!  I have had this paper for well over 3 years.

The template is only a "half" so I flip it over to make a complete flower.

Finished flower:

Ingredients:

Kiwi Lane:  Tiny Celebrate 6T, 7T; Holiday 3T, 7T; Nature 1; Delight 1; Clara lane 3B

Mon Ami Gabby flowers, crepe paper, butterflies

TPC chipboard frame

Close to my Heart Felicity collection papers

TPC Ancestral Columns paper

Bazzil card stock

Spare Parts brads & Misc brads

Tattered Angels Crème de Chocolat spritz

Adirondack butterscotch spritz

Quick Quotes Mocha Moma chalk

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:

http://alteredeclectics.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/new-challenge.html until Aug 29

http://oldiebutagoodiechallenge.blogspot.com/2014/08/anything-but-card.html until Aug 25

http://craftycreationschallenges.blogspot.com/2014/08/challenge-270-dig-deep-use-something.html until Sept 3

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope this project inspires you!