Thinking Outside the Box

Welcome to my fun Friday post for ABC DT.  This whole month we are celebrating birthdays and heaven knows mine seems to come more and more often, LOL.  This year I'm going to be the BIG 40...lands help me and I'm bucking it for sure.  I refuse to feel old and out of style...and I think this card speaks to that...it's pretty funky cool if you ask me. 

The first question I have to ask is, do you know how easy it is to create different shaped cards using Spellbinders?  This circle card was created in a flash and not being a box/square really sets it off.  If you've never made a base card using your Spellbinders, its easy.  Just fold your base cardstock in half and tape your die down with just a hint of the die hanging over the folded edge.  Then when you take it out of the machine...it will have cut two images ajoined in the center for a perfect card.  Think of all the shapes spellbinders has and all the different types of cards you could create. 

To create my card for today I used some great goodies you can pick up at ABC Toy and Craft Store.  First I used Crafty Secrets Clear Art Stamps for my butterfly wings and face and cut the both out.  I layered them over some cardstock I had cut out using Spellbinders Scalloped Circles and inked all the edges. I glued my butterfly girl onto a pin to create one of those super hot stick pins everyone is using and topped her off with a metal trinket crown.

Next I created my center sentiment label, again using Spellbinders ( Labels 4 ) and layered together.  I punched my sentiment out using a label maker.  The bird was cut from designer paper and I pierced the bottom of the bird with a little hole to attach a jump ring and the metal star charm. Oh and added two little crystals to the beginning of each word.

The base papers for the card were both cut with Spellbinders Circle and then cut in half.  The black bazzil was embossed us Swiss Dot Folder.  The border through the center was cut from cardstock and layered together using 3-d foam tape for a stacked effect.  Everything was assembled and glued down to the base card. 

I hope you enjoyed today's tutorial...I would love to see some of your examples of different shaped cards you've created using Spellbinders.  Have a great weekend and don't forget our ABC DT Birthday Challenge is still going on so get your card in if you haven't already. 

This card qualifies for the following Challenges:
Shabby Tea Room: Birthday
Bling it On : Anything goes with a charm
Simon Says Stamp Challenge : Birthday
Simon Says Stamp and Show : Stars metal charm start
Flourishes : Butterflies
Top Tip Tuesday : Birthday
Paper Romance: Black / White and one other color
Stamping Vacation : Nestibilities

HUGE Martha Stewart Punch Sale - 2 days only

Hey Everybody just wanted to let you know about a BIG sale that is going on for the next two days over at ABC Toys and Crafts.  All Martha Stewart Punches are on sale for 24% off and shipping is FREE with $75 or more...so get your friends together and place your order today as the sale ends tomorrow.  They also have some of the great deep punches by Martha that are a must for scrapbookers...

Happy Birthday Beary Scrap!!!!

Beary Scrap Design Team Challenge Blog is having their 1st birthday and so it's time to CELEBRATE.  What better way to do it than to offer some out of this world prizes and some great sketch challenges.  This is my version of the first sketch challenge.  If you haven't participated yet be sure to jump in to win!  Oh and you may not have seen but I'm going to be Beary Scrap Guest Designer starting in July so you'll be hearing a lot more about their great online store in future posts. I'm super excited about this offer as their Design Team totally ROCKS!!!!

This is a card I created for using Heartfelt Creations Stamps, Distress Inks, Spellbinders, Emporium Paper from CTMH, and some bling-bling. 

Close Up

Let's kick this week off with a bang and get some serious crafting done. 

Have you been PUNKED?

Hello Everyone. I'm so excited to be joining ABC DT and also helping you all kick off your weekend. First I'd like to tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Lori and I've been crafting ...well, all my life. My degree is in Jewelry Production Crafts and I'm finding my style more and more incorporating pearls, metal and anything that reminds me of jewelry, go figure? I started scrapping 10 years ago when I was pregnant with my first son. Yes, I have many a pages where my son has the big Max Headroom look...thank goodness I've come a long way since those days, LOL. I'm a total southern goofy girl that lives in the mountains of North Carolina with my husband and two wild little boys .I will say I do papercrafting for the love of the art. I'm blessed that it affords me memories of my life and family, but I really do it for my own personal creative release. I'm thrilled to be joining Julie and the girls of ABC DT and can't wait to share with you over the next several months lots of inspiration. Well enough about me ...let's see what I came up with for you this week.

So my question is...Have you been punked? Steam punked that is. I adore Graphic 45 paper and this is one of my favorite collections of G45, STEAMPUNKED. It's so elegant...it's a must have. I created this card using various papers from the collection. The paper is so detailed you really don't need a lot of other embellishments. To create a card similar to this one you will need to create your base card. For the sentiment I had to square pieces of paper...on the base I stamped a birthday sentiment and heat embossed in black powder. I then cut a circle out using my Spellbinders Standard Circle die from the other square and stacked the two squares together with 3D foam dots/tape to give a shadow box effect to the element. I pierced a small hole on the base and added the jump ring and pearl. The corner flourishes were created with a Spellbinders Die. Aren't they beautiful? I cut the butterflies out of G45 paper and bent the wings to give the illusion of them taking off in flight and attached with some of the 3D foam dot. Finished with some pearl embellies and it's was done.

So are you ready to craft the weekend away? well get busy and come up with a great birthday card and link it back to our current challenge. You could win up to $25 in free product from our store...that's enough to get you some Punk!!!!!

Have a great weekend and I'll see you next week.

Hugs, Lori

New Challenge for ABC Toys and Crafts / BIRTHDAY

I'm so thrilled to let you all know that I was asked to join the ABC Toy and Craft Design Team.  They offer all kinds of products that I'll be featuring in upcoming projects like Graphic 45, Spellbinders, and tons of different stamp...plus a lot more.  The best part is all of their goodies are discounted everyday 10% off. 

They also offer a challenge every month where you can win up to $25 in free product.  This month the theme is birthday...and we all need all the birthday cards we can get, right?  So get those supplies out or pick up some extra at ABC and start making those birthday projects.  Be sure to enter them here :

Also be sure to add our blinkie to the side of your blog and you could win even more...easy peasy. 

Here is my birthday card I created for the challenge:  I used Graphic 45 / Once Upon a Springtime for the papers.  The handmade flower was created using Spellbinders : Blossom die and then wetting with water to distress them a bit.  Top it off with some inked edges, layered  3-D tape and some gemstones.  The sentiment was created by using Fancy Labels Spellbinders die and a stamped sentiment.  There again...easy peasy but what a stunning card this would be to receive. 

Remember the challenge is open until the 26th of March...so get your entries in.

Final Spellbinders Entry : Layout

 This was the final layout for the Spellbinders Design Team Entry.  As I said the other day with the card...I loved it.  I adored the rich colors, the theme, the layers, the papers, and the picture of my precious little boy in the fall leaves.  I really gave this one my all...so I wouldn't have changed a thing. 

I've really starting using metal and jewels in my work more and more which I suppose goes back to my background degree in Jewelry Design.  Who would have ever thought paper crafting and jewelry design, but here and there on projects I think is just perfect. 

I really do have so much to be thankful for the theme of this layout and again thank you for all your support during the Design Team process.

Spellbinders Final Entry Card

For the final round of the Spellbinders Design Team Entry we had to do an ensemble, Card and Layout.  This is the card from that ensemble and I'll be posting the layout on Sunday. 

This is a Joy Fold Card and I loved the way I had the Fleur De Lis hold the front of the card in place.  The paper is all from Graphic 45 and is some of my favorite...it's so rich.  I ran a thread through the ribbon and pulled it to give the crumpled look.  I honestly look back at my final entries and I wouldn't change a thing...I love them even if they weren't what Spellbinders was looking for this year.  I hope you do too!

Interior of Joy Fold Card

This Little Light of Mine

This 12 x 12 layout was created for the Soul Scrappers Challenge : Children's Song : This Little Light Of Mine.  I used the Lush Paper Line from My Minds Eye.  The main background page I altered by printing the words of the song in a child's font over the designer paper.  The stickpin was made by stamping the cross from a Verve stamp set and embossing in baby blue powder.  I then cut it out and attached it to a pin .  The scroll background is actually a Fleur de Lis die from Spellbinders wrapped around the cross.  Lastly I took two pearls and stuck them together to form the pearl drop bottom.  The bloomers ribbon is from Webster's and the chipboard circle is from Close To My Heart: On target and covered with designer paper. 

Close Up of Cross Stick Pin

Spellbinders Second Entry Layout

I told you I would continue to show you over the next few days my entries for the Spellbinders Design Team.  This was my second entry.  We had to do a layout...

I used Webster's Pages for the base of my projects.  The large flower frame is cut from Bazzil cardstock and also telephone book pages that I sprayed with Tattered Angels Mist.  The boarder and the butterflies are all Spellbinders dies.  The title is from Dusty Attic...you have to try out their chipboard...AMAZING. Oh and I course I doctored the picture of my son in Photoshop with the butterfly wings...nope trust me there are no little wings on that monkey, LOL. 

Let it Roll with Graphic 45

This is a layout I did for the Soul Scrappers Challenge : Use a train song / Let it Roll and make it reflect the style of Alternative.  This is what I came up with and was picked as one of their top three winners.  All the paper is from Graphic 45...I love that stuff, along with the flowers.  The metal adornments are from Tim Holtz.  I also used Fleur De Lis Die from Spellbinders for the boarder and of course my handy dandy foam tape to bump it all up. 

This picture is so precious to me it's my youngest son and hubbie in front of the Chattanooga Choo Choo in TN.  That's a great weekend trip if you want to take the kids.  The train cars have all been turned into hotel rooms and it's so much fun to sleep...one or two tops (LOL) night on a train car.  You can also check out places like Rock City, Ruby Falls and The Lost Sea (a little ways a way) from Chattanooga...