Monarch Butterfly wall hanging

Hello All!

Today I am sharing a wall hanging that I made for my craft room.  I wanted something bright, bold and colorful to hang on the white storage unit in the room.  The wall hanging pops against the white!

The wall hanging is entered into the Craft Hoarders Anonymous challenge this fortnight: embossing.  My hoarded item for this project is my sweet Olde Curiosity Shoppe paper from Graphic 45.  Ugh...I wish I had two pads of this paper!

The butterfly was embossed and die cut using Sizzix's new butterfly set Layered Butterfly (659578).  Tim Holtz stain in Spiced Marmalade, Scattered Straw and Black Soot was applied.  It was spritzed using gold glitter spray.

A wood frame (from Michaels) was colored using Tim Holtz stain (Tarnished Brass), dried, and then white crackle applied.  The cracks are difficult to see in the photos but are shiny brass.

The base was die cut using two of the circles from Spellbinders Grand set: Stately Circles.

Thanks so much for stopping by to see my wall hanging.  I hope you like it!
Hugs,
Kathy Jo

This project is entered into the following challenges:
Craft Hoarders Anonymous, Embossing
613 Avenue Create, AG
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, Embossing
Pile It On, Embossing
Sisterhood of Crafters, Die Cuts or Punches
Scrapping for Fun, AG

Bold Thinking of You card

 

Hello!

Last week I received a package from my parents and in that package were some crafting goodies!  Woo-who!  One of the goodies was the new die from Cuttlebug- Anna Griffin's Flower Bramble.  Oh my word, this die is A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  Love, love, love it.  Not only does it it make a beautiful die cut, but all the little bits of paper easily come out of the die.  The holes for the bits are larger so my Spellbinders Tool  pushed the bits out of dies with no problem.  Score!  Now, onto the card...

The Flower Bramble was used to die cut and emboss white card stock.  While in the die, I applied Tim Holtz's Dried Marigold and Shabby Shutters.  Next, I die cut white paper using Spellbinders' Enchanted Labels 28 and Labels 28.  The Labels 28 also die cut the Bramble die cut paper.  A frame was die cut using two Twenty 28 dies and was then inked using Shabby Shutters.  Stately Circles die cut black paper.  Quietfire's Thinking of You stamp was applied to a circle die cut.  Seam binding was dyed using Tim Holtz stain in Dried Marigold and adhered as shown.  All of this loveliness was assembled to a black tent fold card- which made the Flower Bramble die cut pop.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a great Sunday and Father's Day!
Hugs,
Kathy Jo

This card is entered into the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create, AG
Crafting by Design, June Linky
DL Art, June Linky

Shaped Cameo Mom card and draw winner

Hello Crafters!

Before I get to the draw winner, I wanted to share a Mom card I made using some new goodies.  :)

The patterned paper is Kaisercraft's Chanteuse Collection.  Several dies were used on this card (starting from the base up and all are Spellbinders): Grand Decorative Labels One, Grand Stately Circles, Opulent Ovals, Ovals, and Silhouette.  

On the bow I added a pearl button and "Mom" from Quietfire's Home Is Where Your Mom Is stamp.

The inside is a die cut (Scalloped Labels One) from Chanteuse and Opulent Ovals die cut of "Home Is Where Your Mom Is".

Now, onto the draw...
Unfortunately none of the photos of cats' draw were good.  Both of our cats (Ginger and Pepper) nosed into the folded paper numbers.  It was Ginger that chose Christy Butters!  If you don't know Christy, you should hop over to her blog.  She is one of the members of the Craft Hoarders Anonymous Design Team and she does amazing projects!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Have a good day!
Hugs,
Kathy Jo 

This card is entered into the following challenges:
Word Art Wednesday, AG
613 Avenue Create, AG

Mother's Day card- Quietfire, Graphic 45 and Spellbinders

Hello Crafters!

The Card Concept announced their challenge, Mono Chromatic Purple, and my first thought was that I never use purple.  But I guess that is the point of challenges- challenge yourself to do new things.  Mother's Day is coming up (have my theme), purple is the challenge (color...check!) and Cardabilities provided the sketch (sweet!).

Working with all purple felt weird.  I don't recall ever running purple paper through any of my dies (shocker!) and I was not sure I even had ribbon or twine.  Luckily I have seam binding and Dusty Concord Distress Stain.  Deep in a drawer was purple twine.  Graphics 45 Sweet Sentiments and Secret Garden has purple paper.  Go figure!  I had purple stuff in my crafty room but never paid attention.  You learn something new every day.  :)

Hope you enjoyed my purple card.  Thanks for all of the Challenge blogs out there that challenge us!  
Thanks for stopping by!
Hugs,
Kathy Jo

Product used:
Quietfire (Happy Mother's Day stamp), Spellbinders (Gold Corners Set One, Gold Circles One, Standard Circles, Stately Circles, A2 Bracket Borders One), Cheery Lynn (French Pastry), Graphic 45 (Sweet Sentiments, Secret Garden), Memento (Sweet Plum Dye Ink)

This card is entered into the following challenges:
Card Concept, Mono Chromatic Purple ( Style- shabby)
Cardabilities, Sketch
Loves Rubberstamps, AG
Sweet Stamps, Mom

Quietfire Thinking of You card

Hello Crafters!

Today has been such a great day!  First thing this morning was the start of the baseball season.  (Ohhh...I just love baseball!  I am a huge Chicago Cubs fan and I look forward to seeing my boys play again!)   After the game was done, my friend Janice and I went shopping- which is always a good time.  The weather was in our favor with beautiful sunshine, too.  Now, I am listening to my Cubbies play Cincinatti in an exhibition game.  Feeling spring in the air, I decided to take photos of my card outside.

The gorgeous sentiment is Quietfire's Thinking of You stamp.  The background paper was an awesome find at a store in Crown Point, Indiana called Cafe Crop.  They had loose sheets of Authentique 6x6 paper available!  I have never seen that available in a craft store and I just had to have this sheet from the Free Bird Series.

Dies used: Spellbinders Stately Circles, Standard Circles and Stately Circles Grand.  The metal flower with gem is from Recollections.  Tim Holtz stain in Shabby Shutters was applied on the edge of the smaller Stately Circles die cut and on the pearls.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a wonderful weekend!
Hugs,
Kathy Jo

This card is entered into the following challenges:
Die Cut Divas, Emboss It
Crafting by Design, March AG
Word Art Wednesday, AG
613 Avenue, AG
TTCRD, AG
Sister Act, AG

Happy Birthday tag

Hello All!

Just a little post to share a little project.  :)

My Mind's Eye "Be Amazing" polka dot paper was distress along the edges and Tim Holtz inks in Aged Mahogany and Victorian Velvet was applied.  The white doily is Spellbinders Stately Circles.  Inspired By Stamping stamps (Vintage Frames) was stamped in Memento's Rich Cocoa.  The flowers have been in my flower stash for so long...years.  Felt good to finally use them!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great Friday and an incredible weekend!
Hugs,
Kathy Jo

This tag is entered into the following challenges:
Inspired by Stamping, Tag and Customer Gallery
The Shabby Tea Room, polka dots
Simon Says Stamp, tag it
Craftin Desert Divas, Birthday
Word Art Wednesday, AG
613 Avenue, AG

Craftin Desert Divas Challenge: Winter

Happy Monday!

It is a new challenge over at Craftin Desert Divas: Winter.

For my DT card I wanted to capture the beauty of winter.  Not just the snow flakes and the snow but the lovely trees that you notice in the winter.  It seems that deciduous trees grab all of the tree attention in spring, summer and fall.  In the winter, the deciduous trees are at rest and the lovely evergreens are again in view.  

Hero Arts' stamp Winter tree is the focal point of the winter card.  Mini snowflakes are gracefully falling around the tree.

The inside is a continuation of the outside with simply stated "Winter Wishes".

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Looking forward to seeing your winter cards at Craftin Desert Divas!
Hugs,
Kathy Jo

This card is entered into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp, Blues
TTCRD, AG
Allsorts, Free and Easy
Crafting By Designs, AG
Word Art Wednesday, AG
613 Avenue Create, AG
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas January, AG
Christmas Cards Challenges, AG with optional no coloring
Christmas cards all year, Christmas
Cards Galore Challenges, AG

Supplies used:
Spellbinders (Resplendent Rectangles, Stately Circles), Tim Holtz (Tumbled Glass ink pad and stain, Black Soot stain), Hero Arts (Winter Tree stamp), Inkadinkado (Winter Wonderland sentiment), Lifestyle Crafts (embossing folder used on black card stock), seam binding, Liquid Pearls (for the snowflakes), crafty love :)

Kraft JustRite Autumn Splendor Card

Hello Crafters.

I do hope you all are having a good weekend.

Today I am sharing a card made combining the Kraft Journal Challenge Sketch and JustRite's Autumn Splendor Challenge.  

The ivory card base was made using the Kraft Journal's think ivory linen paper.  The paper is wonderful to work with and is perfect for a card base.  The ivory paper was cut using Spellbinders Timeless Rectangle.  The Kraft sketch shows a small square over a vertical band.  Well, I decided to change the sketch a bit by making it larger and putting it under the band...this change really accentuated the JR Lace Background stamp (stamped with ColorBox's MicaMagic in green and then embossed).  TH distress inks in Scattered Straw, Spiced Marmalade and Red Barn was applied as shown.  The circular die cut stack is as follows: textured gold linen paper die cut using Memory Box's Quinn Flourish, Kraft paper die cut using Spellbinders Stately Circles, ivory paper die cut using Spellbinders Big Scalloped Circles.  JR stamp set Kindness provided the "You mean the world to me" sentiment.  The leaves are Spellbinders Little Leaf Sets and the ivory twigs were cut using Martha Stewart's twig punch.  Red gems were applied in the areas shown.

Thank you so much for stopping by and have a great week.

Hugs,

Kathy Jo

Baby Shower gatefold card

Hello again!

A work colleague is having a surprise baby shower tomorrow.  This is her first child and it looks like it will be a boy.  Guess what I made for her?  (lol)

This was a last minute card.  I was checking my blogs this morning and saw Lisa's post for Paper Playtime's challenge- use three different patterned papers.  I thought "Hey!  I have three different patterned papers."  ;)  Then I saw Craftin' Desert Divas new challenge which is babies.  I thought "Hey!  I have a baby shower card to make for Friday...perfect!"  Then I remembered the email on Friday stating there was a last minute change and it is now Tuesday for the shower.  D'OH!  So, I went up the the craft room and started at it.  Two hours later was this baby shower card.  (That is actually very fast for me.  I am usually doing laundry or I get distracted by dies and start playing with scrap paper...and then I realize I have been in and out of the craft room for a while.)  Anyway, on to the card!

The card is a gatefold (base is 8.5 x 4.25 and then scored at 2 1/8 and 6 3/8).  I used Anna Griffin dots and damask paper on the small folded sections.  The striped paper is MME's Be Amazing.  Ivory paper was die cut from Spellbinders' Stately Circles.

The outside has a die cut stack starting from the bottom: ivory (Stately circles), stripes (Standard Circles LG), ivory (Stately),  and dots (Circles LG).  The Bundle of Joy sentiment was stamped in Versafine's Vintage Sepia and then embossed in copper.  The stamp is from Michaels $1.50 CA ($1 US) bins.  Kaisercraft copper pearls were applied.  Stickles Waterfall was inserted in the stars.  A baby blue bow with a button/twine embellishment was the finishing touch. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great work week and back to school week!
Hugs,
K-Jo

This card is in the following challenges:
Craftin' Desert Divas, Babies
Paper Playtime, 3 different papers
D.L. Art, linky par-tay
Word Art Wednesday, AG

JustRite Challenge #102, Color Inspiration

Happy Monday!

JustRite's current Challenge #102 is color inspiration.  As soon as I saw the photo I gasped: I have those tea cups!  Big shocker to my friends, I'm sure.  LOL.  For those of you who do not know me: I love tea cups (and tea pots...thus the blog name of "I'm a Little Teapot").  Tea cups are like little works of art.  Not only are they art but they are perfect when having a tea alone and best when shared with friends.  

The photo made me wonder:  If I had a tea party, who would I like to drink tea with?  One tea cup would be mine...so I need two more people at my tea party...

The first person is my mom.  She is one of my best friends and I would love for her to visit me and share a tea and some laughs.  But what tea cup would my mom choose?  I think she would choose the pink tea cup.  I verified this in a phone call to her: "Mom, you have three cups in front of you, all are identical except color.  You have a choice between pastels in pink, yellow and robin's egg blue.  Which would you choose?"  About 1/10 of a second went by and my mom said pink.  Do I know my mom, or what?  At my tea party my mom would have the pink tea cup in front of her and this card:

All pink with the JR lace background (she loves lace), a doily (ditto on doilies) and a ribbon (another ditto).  The sentiment is from JR stamp set Poppies Labels Twenty Nine.  I picked the sentiment because it is true and because we jokingly tell my mom she has brown thumb when it comes to gardening.  :)

The second tea cup is for my best friend, Kim.  She is also in the States so having her here would make the tea party complete.  At first I thought she would choose the blue cup but I really think she would consider the yellow.  For Kim, she would have whatever tea cup (the blue or yellow) and this card to match:

I had to use the JR Winged Vintage Labels Two and Three stamp set.  Kim and I used to collect butterflies as kids and this butterfly stamp brings back some great childhood memories.  I am smiling just thinking about those times!  The card was made using Spellbinders die Filligree Delight- which I think Kim would like.  I wanted to give some life to the card and make it look like the butterfly was in flight.  I used flourishes from the SW dies sets Twisted Metal Tags and Accents and from Ornate Artisan Tags and Accents to do so.

Finally, I get the last cup.  Honestly, I do not care what color because it is not the tea or the cup that matters but the friends at table.  Since this is a tea party, I decided to make a happy party themed card in all three colors.

The card was made using Spellbinders Detailed Scallops.  The banners are SW Buntings and Button dies.  The large banners were made using the JR stamp sets Victorian Tile, French Rose Background and Floral Flourishes. I used a flourish from Ornate Artisan Tags and Accents to make steam coming out of the cup. 

There you go!  My tea party.  Thanks for stopping by to find out about my tea guests and to see the cards.  

Have a great week!
Hugs,
Kathy Jo

This card is entered into the following challenge:
JustRite Challenge #102, Color Inspiration


Materials/Tools used for each card:

• Mom- JustRite stamp sets Lace Background stamp and Poppies Labels 29; Spellbinders Stately circles and Std Circles LG; Couture Creations Alcyone Doily die; Recollections bling; TH ink in Spun Sugar.
• Kim- JR stamp set Winged Vintage Labels 2 & 3; Filligree Delight, Ornate Artisan Tags and Accents, Twisted Metal Tags and Accents, Vintage labels 3 dies; white pigment ink and winter white embossing powder; Recollections light blue chalk pad; mini pearls; pale yellow vellum (inside of buterfly)
• Kathy Jo: JR stamps Floral Flourishes, French Rose Background, Victorian Tile Background, Charmed; Buntings and Button, Ornate Artisan (steam out of the cup), Detailed Scallops, Framed Tags One and Nested Tea cups; white pigment ink and embossing powder; pastel gems.

Kraft Thank You Card

Happy Sunday, All!  I do hope you are having a great weekend. 

Yesterday was a fun day: Rebecca and I went to Carsand Mosher to pick up some crafting goodies.  It was a fun trip and we picked up some sweet new crafty items...one of which is Spellbinders Doodle Parts.  This die set was on the clearance rack for 50% off!  Woo-who!  I decided to use two of the die doodles on my Thank You card I am entering in the Kraft Journal and 3 Girl Jam challenges this week.

You may notice one different thing about my card: it is not square or rectangle.  I usually stick with rectangular shapes but I want to get out of that consistency and move on to new shapes.  So here it is...my first non-rectangle card!  (feel free to insert applause here for my daredevil crafting)


The Kraft card shape was die cut from QuicKutz Nesting Doily Ovals.  (This is the first time I have used QuicKutz and I am quite impressed.  It cut quick and easy.)  The pretty floral and dot papers are from the Prima Romantique mini pad.  The dot paper was die cut using Spellbinders Stately Circles.  JustRite stamp set Lace Medallion Labels provided the "Thank You" and was inked with Memento's Rich Cocoa.  The pearl flower embellishment on the bow is a Recollection's item.  Wee pearls and Stickles were added in the areas shown.

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving comments!  They are so appreciated.  

This card is entered in the following challenges:
Kraft Journal, Pretty Papers
3 Girl Jam, AG with Ribbon

Happy Birthday to My Friend, Graphic 45 and JustRite

Hello Crafteteers!

It has been a glorious Saturday here in Nova Scotia.  We took our saint, Ella, for a Jeep ride with the top down and then for a long dip in the lake.  She stayed in the water for a while for a long cool soak.  She is definitely a lake lover in this heat!

Today I am sharing a birthday card using my favorite paper: Graphic 45's Bird Song.  I sparingly use the paper and I keep all the little scraps from my paper pad- which I ended up using as the banners on my card. JustRite's birthday sentiment from Winged Vintage Labels Two and Three (just came in the mail yesterday!!) was stamped onto a die cut from Spellbinders' Stately Circles.  Tim Holtz's antique linen ink supplied the aged look.  Under the die cut, I stacked three scraps of banners.  Two small doilies were assembled as were two roses with leaves.  The embroidered lace trim is a Recollections item.  Colored gems added some highlights on the die cut and the opposite corner of the card.  The card used my favorite things: a JustRite stamp, Bird Song paper, gems, Spellbinders and flowers.  

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

This card is entered into the following challenges:

JustRite, Doily
Allsorts, Favorite Things
Creative Moments, AG
Pink Gem Challenge, Stack
Bearly Mine Challenges, AG
Inky Chicks, AG
Papertake Weeky, AG
Loves Rubber Stamps, AG
TTCRD, AG