Shabby Chic for Our Creative Corner

Looking for my Dynamic Duos post? It's right after this post. :)

Hello again! This week at Our Creative Corner, the lovely and talented Sue Butler is our hostess and she is challenging us to create a "Shabby-Chic" project. Here are the details in Sue's own words: 

"The theme this week is unequivocally 'Shabby Chic'. This means the shabby part of Vintage! The challenge requires you to pull elements together, the more old/worn and distressed the elements/images the better; think of muted colours, layers, roses, burlap and pearls. You do not have to use all of these elements. The effect you are aiming for is a soft warm palette." 

Ok, do you want to know a secret? I am NOT a shabby-chic gal. (not shocking, right?) I absolutely love this style, but it is a style that doesn't really come easily for me. After being a part of the Our Creative Corner Design Team (and having a friend like Ann Schach), who are masters of the "shabby chic-ness", I was hoping that I learned a thing or two from viewing their fantastic projects. In searching around "blogland" before I got started on my card, I was also inspired by the Crafty Creations Challenge featuring Pastels, Pearls and Lace.

When I thought "shabby-chic", the stamp set that came to mind was Artistic Etchings. I was going to try to make it work with the pink/yellow/ivory/kraft color combo I had decided on. There are a lot of details on this card. I sponged ink on all of the edges, used the Color Spritzer Tool for some soft accents, glittered up the edges of the scalloped frame, dyed the seam binding, distressed all of the edges, busted out some acrylic paint to color the corner accent, heat embossed the stamped images...it was a lot but I totally had fun with the process of creating the card. I left the inside of the card dressed-up yet blank. I figure I can add a sentiment when the occasion suits. (anniversary, engagement, wedding)

I dyed some Very Vanilla seam binding to match Blushing Bride. It's really easy, just fill a small bowl with water and a couple drops of re-inker. Add your seam binding, swirl it around, (don't splash it on your white shirt like I did) let it dry and BAM...custom-colored seam binding! All of the supplies used are listed at the end of this post. 

I hope you will join us and play along this week over at Our Creative Corner! Please stop by and see what the rest of the gals on the Design Team have created for inspiration this week, as well: 

Linda Coughlin- The Funkie Junkie

Vicki Burdick- It's a Stamp Thing

Sue Butler- Scrumplescrunch
Anita Houston- The Artful Maven Haven

Anne Marie Hile- Stampin' Anne

Wendy Janson-  It's All About Stamping
Marcy Kaminski - En Papillote Arts
Holly Kean- Kean On Paper 
Irena Kowalczyk (aka Rudlis) - Love, Life and Crafts
Meihsia Liu- Simply Paper Crafts
Tui Nathan- Stampin Time
Lori Rider- The Diva Stamper
Kristin Tierney- Lilly Beth Boutique
Sharon Wheet- Designs by Sharon

Have a SUPER day!! 



Stampin' Up! Supply list: 
Stamps: Artistic Etchings
Paper: Subtles Patterns DSP, Blushing Bride, So Saffron, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla card stock
Punches: Small Oval (ret.) and Scalloped Oval punch
Accessories: Very Vanilla seam binding (dyed with Blushing Bride re-inker), Color Spritzer Tool, Crumb Cake Stampin' Write Marker, Cutter Kit (for distressing), Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder,  Stamping Sponges, Basic Pearls, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter and Stampin' Dimensionals
Non-SU! Accessories: lace trim and flower sent from a friend in Denmark, metal corner accent and metal accent behind sentiment from Linda Coughlin at Our Creative Corner and acrylic paint (for metallic corner accent)

Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge #54: Ribbons and Lace

Hiya friends! It's Tuesday and that means it is time for another fun and fabulous challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments. This week we are challenging you to share your creations showcasing RIBBON and LACE. We sure hope you will come play along! 

You might be saying...hmmm, another Valentine's Day card, Anne Marie? Well, that's where I tried to shake things up a bit. One thing I love about the Artistic Etchings set is how it just has a romantic, vintage vibe. That makes it perfect for Valentine's Day, weddings, anniversaries or for just a lovey-dovey card to share with a sweetie. 


I ruffled up some 1/2" Raven Lace Trim (ret.) to frame the embossed Eiffel Tower to give some extra texture to the card. (I used Sticky Strip to keep it in place.) I also broke out the Color Spritzer tool to add some Riding Hood Red distressing around the main image. I added a vintage brad because, it kind of reminded me of a full moon on a beautiful, Paris night. Oooooh, so romantic, huh?  A few pearls later and I felt like my main image was accented appropriately. 

For the ribbon treatment, I went BIG! (I mean, I DO live in Texas and all...haha!) I used some 1 1/4" Riding Hood Red, Striped Grosgrain ribbon (sadly, ret.) and although I was a little hesitant, attempted to sew again. I only sustained a few injuries this time and think I might be getting used to stitching up some super, scrunchy ribbon. In the words of my sweet husband: "Wow! This is a puffy card!" Yes, it is...and I LOVE it! 

To get everything to fit on my design, the card was NOT a traditional size. This one measures 5 1/4" x 5 1/2" inches, so I will definitely be making a custom envelope for it. 

The finishing touch was to decorate the inside of the card. I left the sentiment blank (for now) and will save it in my card file for the perfect occasion to share some love! 

Thank you for taking a look and I do hope you will join us at Hand Stamped Sentiments this week with YOUR creation featuring ribbon and lace. I hope you are enjoying your week so far. Before you go, please leave me a comment to say hello and to let me know what you think of my card today. I really enjoy hearing from you and would love to visit your work, too. 

Make it a great day today! :)

SU! Supply List:
Stamps: Artistc Etchings
Ink: Riding Hood Red Classic ink and Basic Black Craft ink 
Papers: Love Letter DSP, Newsprint DSP, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black and Very Vanilla card stock
Accessories: Scalloped oval punch,1 3/8" x 5/8" Oval punch, 1 3/4" x 7/8" Oval punch, Scallop Trim Border punch, 1/2" Lace Trim in Raven (ret.), 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain ribbon in Riding Hood Red (ret.), Color Spritzer Tool, Antique Brads, Small Heart Punch (inside), Heart to Heart XL punch (inside) and Basic Pearls

Feel the Love

Hello and Happy Friday! Whew, what a week! I have been, pretty much, missing in "creative action" since Monday. I have had a crazy busy week and in the process, have also been battling a nasty cold. Needless to say, I haven't had a ton of free time. Last night I decided to try to get back into the swing of things and head to my craft room. I created this card based on the sketch below from Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge:

I'm also submitting this one to the "Anything Goes" challenge by Nance over at The Paper Players. I am so excited that starting Sunday, I will be sharing my very first project as a "guest designer" for the month. I sure hope you will come check it out and play along. It's going to be a lot of fun! :)

I haven't used my Artistic Etchings set in a while and actually wanted to try something other then a fall or holiday card to get my creative mojo back. I used Riding Hood Red, Basic Black and Very Vanilla to create this LOVE-ly card. I suppose the card could really be used for Valentine's Day, a wedding or even an anniversary. 

I embossed both of the pieces of Love Letter DSP and the Basic Black panel with the Square Lattice embossing folder for added texture. Then the whole base layer was "smooched" with a kiss of Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz. The Eiffel Tower was heat embossed with Basic Black craft ink and clear embossing powder. I added 2 layers of 1/2" back lace trim to the right side of the stamped image. Hmmm, I actually think I should have ruffled that up, too (it looks so "flat" in the photo). Oh well! I also "dirtied" up the edges of the Very Vanilla card stock layers so it looked a little more vintage. 

The scrunched gingham ribbon was really easy to do thanks to this awesome tutorial from Ann Schach. I topped it off with a vintage brad backed by a 3/4" circle of Riding Hood Red. I felt like it needed another final detail so I attached 3 black Glimmer Brads to finish it off.

Of course, I couldn't neglect the inside of the card, so the "AMOUR" continued with the help of 3 punched hearts. 

I also was able to get together with my friend Sarah this week. She is very new to the whole "stampin' world" but she created the following card and I really wanted to share it.  This is the third card she has ever made, actually. She even decorated the inside and added a cute little purse made from punches. She also seems to have an affection for sparkly bling! I think she did a great job! :)

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 

Stamps: Artistic Etchings

Paper: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Very Vanilla card stock and Love Letters DSP

Ink: Riding Hood Red classic ink, Basic Black craft ink and Basic Black classic ink (for distressing)

Accesssories: Square Lattice embossing folder, Vintage Brad, Heart-to-Heart XL punch (inside), Vanilla Smooch Spritz, 1/2" Lace Trim in Raven (Holiday Mini), Glimmer Brads (Holiday Mini), 3/4" circle punch, Clear embossing powder, Scallop Trim Border punch and gingham ribbon (retired)

Non-SU! Accessories: border punch (inside) and thread for scrunched ribbon

Thanks for stopping by! 
Enjoy your day, 

Creative Day!

I was pretty excited to FINALLY have a Stampin' Day this week, with my favorite "creative-partner-in-crime", Dawn! To celebrate the new SU! catalog, we decided to do a little challenge amongst demos! Our mission: to create a simply, fabulous card with the new Artistic Etchings stamp set.

Note: whenever Dawn and I get together it traditionally takes 3+ hours before we even get STARTED on a project. We are usually too busy chatting and chomping away on chocolate treats to stay focused. :)

After MUCH deliberation, I finally put this card together. I combined the Artistic Etchings set with the Love Letter Designer Series Paper (from the new catty). Then I threw in a couple of new products from the Holiday Mini Catalog, which makes it's debut on September 1st. Contact me today to get your copy!

I started by using a (non-SU!) background stamp on the focal image. Then I added the circle image from the Artistic Etchings set in Riding Hood Red. The Eiffel Tower image was stamped in Versa-Mark ink then heat embossed in black. Because every gal loves a little SPARKLE, I then gave the image a shot of Smooch Spritz. (Sorry, it doesn't show up well in the photo...) I also used the Color Spritzer tool to "age" the background on the red cardstock behind the main image, along with the cardstock behind the sentiment. The embossed "Bonjour" sentiment came from the retired set, Carte Postale, which I still adore! I inked the edges of most of the layers in black, because I felt the card needed to look a little "dirty" to maintain that "shabby chic" feel.

The Glimmer Brad, Silver Glass Glitter (adhered with Sticky Strip) and Black 1/2" Lace Trim are all previews from the Holiday Mini Catalog!! Pretty exciting, huh?

**QUICK NOTE: use caution when applying the new Glass Glitter. After applying it to the Sticky Strip I pressed down gently to make sure it adhered and...OUCH, guess I should have paid attention to the word *GLASS* in the product description. I chalk this up to a "blonde-moment"!

Below is the result of our little challenge! Check out Dawn's Blog (<-- Click her name) to get the details of her beautiful card! I LOVE her color combo, the embossing on the background and the sparkle on the crown! :)
Stampin' Up! Supply List:

Stamps: Artistic Etchings, Carte Postale (retired)

Ink: Riding Hood Red classic ink, Basic Black classic ink, VersaMark ink

Paper:Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Very Vanilla cardstock, Love Letter DSP

Accessories: Ticket Corner punch, 1 3/8" x 5/8" Large Oval punch, 1 3/4" x 7/8" Large Oval punch, black embossing powder, Smooch Spritz in Vanilla Shimmer, Color Spritzer Tool, Stampin Dimensionals, Sticky Strip, black marker

Brand Spankin' New Accessories from the Holiday Mini Catalog: Glimmer Brads (basics assortment), Silver Glass Glitter, 1/2" "Raven" Lace Trim

Non-Stampin' Up! Supplies: background stamp, silver staples

Happy Stampin'!