Thursday Totally TAGS ‘ n’ ATCs! – 'Buttons'

The trees of the Lord are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
There the birds make their NESTS; the stork has its home in the junipers.

Psalm 104 : 16 & 17

 

Welcome to the recently-added Thursday Totally Tags ‘n’ ATCs over at MyPaperCrafting.com!  Every Thursday we on the Design Team will begin doing a team post featuring Tags n' ATC's.  We will have a specific Theme each week featuring an element, technique or embellishment.  We’ll all come up with something excitingly different – using various types of tools, etc. to create our projects...i.e., Cricut, CAMEO, Spellbinders, punches, stamps, paint, material, lace, inks, etc.   The sky's the limit!  The only restriction...  If we use SVG's or Digi's, we will only use those from the vast selection at PCW.

The Theme for this second week of projects is ‘Buttons.’  I had a totally different Tag already sketched and planned – and I’ll probably do it again for another Theme week - but for several reasons I changed my mind yesterday and have come up with this one -  I thought I’d whip up a breath of fresh, Spring air on a Tag -  ;-}  I miss the coming of Spring in the Mid-west…  (I don’t miss the harsh Winters before it!!)

*  I began with a manilla tag which I had ‘colored’ a while ago while doing another project.  I had used this tag to blot up some unneeded spray inks from a plastic mat I use when spraying items!  I cut a piece of sage parchment cardstock to back it and adhered it – with some punched leaf lace in between the layers on the sides.  I had inked the leaf lace, also, with a darker sage green.  

  

*  I cut 2 sets of flowers, in 2 sizes, and 2 leafy branches from the ‘Flower 2 cf’ which was new last week.  I hand-embossed the flowers and leaves and then inked them on the reverse side.  I added gems to the centers and tiny ones (for buds) on the ends of 2 stems.

*  I made a nest from dried moss, cutting off a little patch of it and then lightly spraying it with spray adhesive to keep it in shape, forming it gently with my fingers into a nest.  

*  I chose 3 light blue buttons to use as eggs.  I tied the twine from the original tag in the buttonholes and knotted and trimmed it.  I glued the buttons into the nest and then hot-glued the nest onto the Tag.

 

*  I adhered a tiny Graphic 45 element to the Tag in the upper right corner.  I punched a circle of cardstock, inked it and adhered it over the tag hole, punching through the hole in all layers.  I made a loop-tie from light blue ribbon and looped it through the tag hole.

This is the cutting file I used for the flowers and leaves –

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Thanks for visiting here today!  I hope you take a few minutes to check all of the Tag/ATC creativeness on the other blogs, too!  Be sure to remember MPC for all of your Cutting and Digital files.  Tomorrow is our Digi post, every other Tuesday is a Cutting File post and in between I may post some other projects.  Come again!  ;-}  Let me know if I can do any Paper-crafting  or Vintage Digital Photo Restoration for You or anyone you know! 

'Thinking of You' Card

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,

 just as in fact you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5 : 11

 Welcome to our 2013 Die Cut Tuesday New Release and Link Up over at MyPaperCrafting.com!  Be sure and pop over there and see what Melin and our other Designers have set up for this Showcase – and the New Release for today.

For today, I chose to make a ‘Thinking of You’ Card for someone I know who really needs to know that I am Thinking of and Praying for them.  I used Black and Cream as the color scheme to portray a strong, yet elegant feel for the card.  I used the ‘Flourished Baroque Elements cf2’ from MyPaperCrafting.com and made an Easel Card for them.  Here it is -

*  I use SCAL3 with my Silhouette CAMEO.  I cut the images from black cardstock.  I made the Shadow for each image and cut them from cream cardstock.  I mounted the black images on the cream shadow and then mounted those on black cardstock. 

*  I added black and cream punched leaves (MS), black flowers (Recollections), black and pearl gems (Recollections) to the front and the ‘prop’ piece inside. 

*  I stamped the sentiment on a punched piece of cream cardstock and inked the edges, adhering it inside.

 

*  To make this Easel, I folded a 5 1/2 x 11” piece of cream cardstock at 4 ½”, 5 ¼”, 6 ½” (M,V, M).   Adhere the section from 4 ½” to 5 ¼”, allowing the easel to prop on the 5 ¼” to 6 ½” section, while resting the bottom edge of the front against the inside ‘prop’ section.

Here is the cutting file –

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Be sure to check out Melin’s post for the FREEBIE File for today and then make something and link up there.  

 I look forward to seeing YOUR creations!  Come back again and visit soon -  ;-}

‘New every morning… Thinking of You’ Upright Diamond-fold Card

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
They are NEW EVERY MORNING;
    great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3 : 22,23

Welcome to Digi Desserts Fridaze in connection with MyPaper Crafting !    We, on the Design Team, are to create a project using a Digital File from the vast selection at MyPaperCrafting.com every Friday, share them with You and encourage You to visit over there, get the FREE Digi File for today, make a project with it and link it for all to see.  The ‘winning’ designer is highlighted next week as a Guest Designer!   It’s an easy and fun thing to do on the weekend! 

For this week’s project I have made a card using a new-to-me Upright Diamond-fold for the base and the ‘Free-for-the-Day’ Digi from last week’s Digi Desserts Fridaze!  When I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for something I had in mind already – a card of encouragement for someone I know who is going through some heavy struggles.  I designed ‘in my head’ all week while I was working on other projects and things I’m dealing with and then thought I’d quickly make the cuts, the prints and put it together this morning…  Hah!  Every step of it – truly! – had something go wrong !  I finally just finished it, took the photos, ‘fixed’ them, added my watermark, posted them to our Design Team page and now am writing this – at midnight!    8-[  (It’s a good thing my Word for 2013 is PERSEVERE, as it’s what I do Every Day – with Every Thing I do…)

Here is the Card –

Here is the Digi File I used -  and the Cut file I used - (cut on my Silhouette CAMEO!)

*  I recently found the directions for the Upright Diamond-fold Card online.  Here is a sheet made by Jennie Williams and posted on her blog.  It uses a piece of cardstock 7 x 11”.  The finished card is 5 x 7”.

*  My base cardstock is sage parchment and the accent colors are Peach and Black.

*  I put the Digi into my Free ‘Perfect Effects Free’ program and added the Blue Dawn Effect, which lightened the stem and flower center colors.

*   I cut the Frame pieces ‘to size’ first – black background, then sage, then peach for the fancy frame.  I printed the Scripture passage on white cardstock and thought I’d measured and figured so that it would fit totally inside the oval of the frame…  It didn’t quite.  So.  I deleted the scripture passage (using PSE 10), ‘saved’ the flowers and then printed just the flower spray again.  After adhering the frame and Scripture pieces together, I cut those flowers out, inked the centers with Peach ink and attached them with tiny PopDots atop the printed flowers, so that the flowers ‘come out of’ the frame.  I added Glossy Accents to the flower centers.

*  With my Cuttlebug, I embossed the two peach cardstock diamond-shaped pieces for the outside and inside.  Then I inked the edges of those and the card edges.  I attached the Framed piece to one of them for the front.

*  I punched a black lace edging and attached it to the backside of the other diamond piece, adhering a black bow at the intersection of the 2 pieces.  I inked the edges of the oval cut from the Frame, stamped the sentiment and adhered it to the diamond piece.  I adhered the diamond piece to the card inside.

*  One could decorate all of the inside panels, but I chose to do only two of them.  I added a piece of peach cardstock to the thin outside edge panel.  I ‘defined’ the sections, using a black marker.   Many other variations of all of this could be done.  This is just ‘my take’ on a basic card design.  I will add a handwritten note on the largest diamond section inside before I send it.

Aside from the Several Problems I had in the making of this card - (More than even the ones I mentioned here!) - I quite enjoyed the design and assembly process.  I look forward to making other cards using this basic Upright Diamond-fold.  I’d love to hear if YOU attempt to do it and I’d love to see your projects!

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Here is the FREE digi-file for this week at MyPaper Crafting.  Be sure to stop over there, if you haven’t already, see all of the other creative projects, get the file, make a project of your own using a digi-file from My Paper Crafting and then link it there so we can see it, too!

I'm so excited to tell you about a new twist this term.  We invite YOU to participate in our Digi Dessert Fridaze weekly posts.  Just create something using a digital image and link up at the end of the post. If you use a Paper Crafting World image, you will receive 2 chances to win.  That's right!  One lucky project will be selected each week to receive a digital image from Paper Crafting World.  If you use a PCW file, please add PCW after your name.   And, it will be so much easier to participate with our Link Up because there's a tab on the home page that will bring you directly to this DDF page.  You'll have until next Thursday 12 noon (EST) to link up.  The lucky winner will be announced in the next PCW post on Friday.

Be sure to come back here often as I showcase other Paper Crafted Projects and Photo Digital Restorations that I make – several days each week.  Sign up to receive my Posts so you’ll know when I’ve posted something – usually 3 to 4 times weekly.  Tuesdays every other week are Cutting files from MPC – Thursdays are Tags and ATCs – Fridays are Digi Files from MPC -  Other days may be other projects! 

Check out my Tabs in the Header above to see what else I do and can do for you!  Let me know if you have questions on anything here – or if I can do anything for You!  Have a Great Week!  See you again soon!

Thursday Totally TAGS ‘ n’ ATCs! - ‘Ribbon’

Like a crimson RIBBON are your lips; 
when you smile, it is lovely.

Like a slice of pomegranate is the curve of your face 
behind the veil of your hair.

Song of Solomon  4 : 3

Welcome to the recently-added Thursday Totally Tags ‘n’ ATCs over at MyPaperCrafting.com!  Beginning today, February 21, we will begin doing a team post featuring Tags n' ATC's.  We on the Design Team will be sharing our Tags and/or ATCs with you each Thursday from now on.  We will have a specific Theme each week featuring an element, technique or embellishment.  We’ll all come up with something excitingly different – using various types of tools, etc. to create our projects...i.e., Cricut, CAMEO, Spellbinders, punches, stamps, paint, material, lace, inks, etc.   The sky's the limit!  The only restriction...  If we use SVG's or Digi's, we will only use those from the vast selection at PCW.

This first week’s Theme is ‘Ribbon.’  I chose to make Ribbon Roses and also add a ribbon tie and bow.  My color scheme is Cream/Olive Green/Pink.  Here is what I made –

*  The base is cream cardstock, inked with light olive green on the edges.  The top layer is light pink/white to which I also added a bit of Platinum ink here and there.  Both layers were cut using this file – ‘pcw Tag g451 cf’

 * Using a MS lace punch, I punched a lace strip from cream paper, inked the edges with olive green, pleated the paper and adhered it between the two layers on the left side.

*  I cut two leafy stems from olive green/white print, using the ‘Acorn and Flourish cf’.

*  I punched MS ‘branches’ from cream paper.

*  I made the Ribbon Roses, one with a pink-dotted-with-white grosgrain ribbon, two with pink and one with cream lace-edged satin.  I made some tiny flowers, using a MS punch and cream paper.  I added Colored Pearl Gems to the centers of all of the flowers.

*  I adhered a tiny Graphic 45 element (that I printed) to the upper right corner.

*  I attached a large Pearl to the olive green ribbon in the top hole and a pink sheer ribbon bow to that ribbon.

I’m making a little Postal Box to ‘house’ my Tags in until I need them for Giving, but I don’t have it finished for today.  Hopefully, by next week and then I’ll show you -  I also have a pattern for an ATC box-envelope and will use that to make one and show that, too.

Thanks for visiting here today!  I hope you take a few minutes to check all of the Tag/ATC creativeness on the other blogs, too!  Be sure to remember MPC for all of your Cutting and Digital files.  Tomorrow is our Digi post, every other Tuesday is a Cutting File post and in between I may post some other projects.  Come again!  ;-}

'Thank You SNOW Much!' Card

We always thank God for all of you

 and continually mention you in our prayers.

1 Thessalonians 1 : 2

There is always much for which to be thankful, even in the darkest of one’s days.  We are taught that a heart of gratitude makes everything in our lives better!  The people who come into our lives and offer what they can, as indications of their love for us, are considered Precious.  I was fortunate at the Holidays to have received some of these Love Gifts from Special People and I made Thank You Cards to send to them.

Having grown up in Michigan – and then having lived in Ohio, Illinois, Wyoming and then back to Michigan for a number of years before coming here to California – I know a LOT about Snow and how very much of it there can be!  I made these cards, offering the ‘depths of my appreciation’ as compared to the piles of snow that I have shoveled in my life!

*  I used a Winter scene stamp – done with Silver ink stamped on white cardstock.  I punched the edges with a snowflake punch.  I scored around 3 edges of the blue card – top, left and bottom edges.

 

*  The white stamped card front flap lifts to reveal the message, “Thank You Snow Much!”  The letters ‘o’ are punched snowflakes.

 

*  The blue front flap lifts to reveal the other side of the white cardstock – ready to write a personal message of Thanks inside!

I was taught at an early age to always write Thank You Notes for gifts given to and kindnesses done for me.  I taught my children that habit, also.  Do You and your family offer Thanks in this way?

You're Heaven Sent Card

Every time I think of you, I thank my God.

Phillipians 1 : 3

Welcome to Digi Desserts Fridaze in connection with My Paper Crafting !    We, on the Design Team, are to create a project using a Digital File from the vast selection at MyPaperCrafting.com every Friday, share them with You and encourage You to visit over there, get the FREE Digi File for today, make a project with it and link it for all to see.  It’s an easy and fun thing to do on the weekend!

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and I don’t think we should only tell people how much we love them on just one day of the year.  We should let them know all the time!  For this week’s project I have made a card (a few of them, actually) to send to some Special People who have been helpful and encouraging in my life.  I used the ‘ You’re Heaven Sent DF’ from My Paper Crafting and made a different type of Easel Card.

*  I put the Digi File into my FREE ‘Perfect Effects Free’ program and applied the ‘Blue Dawn’ effect to lighten the colors of the Digi.  Then I decided what coordinating colors of cardstock and papers to use.  I printed the Digi (in PSE10) on Cream Cardstock and chose to use purple and light green patterned papers, highlighted with black cardstock.  I punched the corners of the Digi.

*  I typed the inside sentiment, printed it on cream cardstock and adhered it to the black flap. 

*  I resized the Hearts Border from the ‘Heart Medallion Set 012 Cutting File’, cut it with my Silhouette CAMEO, applied it to the side panels of the card and then added tiny Heart Gems.

*  I punched black leaves and light green branches – added some purple and green artificial flowers and gems to the top and bottom of the front panel.

*  I made an Easel Prop and adhered it to the back of the card.

Here are the files I used –

 

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Here is the FREE digi-file for this week at My Paper Crafting.  Be sure to stop over there, if you haven’t already, see all of the other creative projects, get the file, make a project of your own using a digi-file from My Paper Crafting and then link it there so we can see it, too!

I'm so excited to tell you about a new twist this term.  We invite YOU to participate in our Digi Dessert Fridaze weekly posts.  Just create something using a digital image and link up at the end of the post. If you use a Paper Crafting World image, you will receive 2 chances to win.  That's right!  One lucky project will be selected each week to receive a digital image from Paper Crafting World.  If you use a PCW file, please add PCW after your name.   And, it will be so much easier to participate with our Link Up because there's a tab on the home page that will bring you directly to this DDF page.  You'll have until Thursday 12 noon (EST) to link up.  The lucky winner will be announced in the next PCW post on Friday.

Be sure to come back here often as I showcase other Paper Crafted Projects and Photo Digital Restorations that I make – several days each week.  Sign up to receive my Posts so you’ll know when I’ve posted something – usually 3 to 4 times weekly.  Check out my Tabs in the Header above to see what else I do and can do for you!  Let me know if you have questions on anything here – or if I can do anything for You!  Have a Great Week!  See you again soon!

Sympathy - and - Celebrate - Cards

 Card One Verse:

I will turn their MOURNING into joy;

I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

Jeremiah 31:13

Card Two Verse:

You are my strong shield, and I trust you completely.

You have helped me, and I will CELEBRATE and thank you in song.

Psalm 28:7

Welcome to our 2013 Die Cut Tuesday New Release and Link Up over at MyPaperCrafting.com!  Be sure and pop over there and see what Melin and our other Designers have set up for this Showcase – and the New Release.

For today, I chose to make two very different cards.  The first one is a Sympathy Card I made for family members who recently had a Dear Aunt pass away.  I used the ‘Heart Flourish 2-12 cf’ from My Paper Crafting and I made an Easel Card, using the cut file as the prop and other elegantly lacey elements and shades of gray and black to make a respectful ‘remembrance’ for them.

*  I matted several pieces of varying sizes of prints/stripes onto black cardstock for the front design.  I recently purchased my first QuikKutz Cutting Die - on Sale! – to use in my Cuttlebug.  It’s a lovely lacey Doily pattern, which is why I chose it, but unfortunately, it does not cut well – and I’ve tried Many alternate ways to have it cut through cardstock…  (I’ve discovered that it does a bit better on plain paper, but still takes time to ‘release’ all of the tiny pieces.   8-[  )  I ended up cutting through most of the designs with an Exacto knife – tediously.  I finally decided to cut the doily in half and save the other side for another project on another day!  I banded the edge with black cardstock.  I added a gray grosgrain bow and then a tiny black bow on top of it.  I added some Gems, also.

*  Inside, I adhered a piece of print paper and mounted a verse on the top part and the cut file at the bottom, raised up with PopDots, to use as the Prop for the easel.

 

*  Because the card is fairly thick when closed, I made one of my ‘deep envelope boxes’ to put it in and then mailed it in a padded yellow envelope. 

(If you are interested in the exact scoring and cutting, let me know and I’ll send you a copy of the ‘map’ I use.  I also use these for my 'sets’ of A2 size cards. ) 

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My second card has to do with Mardi Gras.  Mardi Gras refers to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi gras is French for Fat Tuesday, referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which begins on Ash Wednesday. The day is sometimes referred to as Shrove Tuesday, from the word shrive, meaning "confess." Related popular practices are associated with celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent.

Having spent some time in New Orleans several years ago, I was aware of and participated in some of the events leading up to and including Mardi Gras.  It’s quite a bit more than I care to experience more than once, but it was definitely an occasion that one hears about all of one’s life and it was interesting to see how it was celebrated there.  It’s a colorful time and beads and feathers are in excess! 

Here is my card, using Melin’s ‘Celebrate Title cf’ – which is the FREE file for today!

* The primary colors of Mardi Gras are Purple, Yellow-gold and Green.  I used these on my Trifold Card – and added sparkly bead and trim accents.  I found the ‘Happy Mardi Gras’ sentiment and the ‘Comedy/Tragedy’ masks online and printed them to use here.  I inked a diamond pattern, a prevalent pattern of Mardi Gras, on the front card page.

Color Inspiration -

Traditional 'King Cake'

Here are the files used in both cards –

Be sure to check out Melin’s post for the FREEBIE File for today and then make something and link up there.  I look forward to seeing YOUR creations!