Brambly Hedge Release Distressing Tutorial and a Giveaway!

Good afternoon!

Taking a quick break from work to post this fun project. I've included an easy tutorial (like, 2 picture easy!) on distressing without using a single, fancy distressing tool! All you need is your exacto knife or a box cutter.

To start, choose the patterned paper you wish to use. I distressed the mats behind the image and sentiment, so once I cut them to size, I got to work. Take your exacto knife or razor blade edge of any form and rub it lightly against the edge of the paper:

That's it! It's nice to use the blade at an angle in order to assure you don't tear into the paper, but sometimes I like this look. So here's what I came up with (and I'll bet you can see exactly where my blade slipped up! But I like it :) )

 Don't you think the little slip-ups add more character to the distressed feel of this card? I used October Afternoon - Farmhouse papers, crocheted ribbon, and Mon Ami Gabby pearls to complement this adorable image and sentiment from the Brambly Hedge - A Spring Story EZ Mount Stamp set.

 I used the following Spectrum Noir pens to color the image: TN1, TN2, TN3 (wagon); GB8, GB9, GB10 (mommy mouse); TN3, TN5, TN7 (baby mouse); TB1, TB2 (mom's dress); GB1, GB3 (hat); GB3 (apron); PP1, PP3 (flowers); IG2 (shadows on apron); JG1, JG2 (grass).

There you have it! See how easy it is to distress edges using the tools you already have on hand? Don't forget to head to Crafter's Companion to take advantage of their special: all four stamp sets for $59.95!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention...head over to 'like' the Crafter's Companion USA Facebook page if you haven't already. We have hit 4,000 followers, and to celebrate, we're giving away four $25 gift certificates to the Crafter's Companion store! Head on over and enter for your chance to win!

xoxo

Khristen

Sheena Release Day and a Call for Help!

Christmas in July? Sure, why not?! New Sheena's A Little Bit Festive stamps have just been released today in the Crafter's Companion store. It's never too early for this girl here to start Christmas cards -- my list of recipients is a mile long, and I never have the time in the actual holiday season to get them all done. So I am now one more card ahead!

I chose the Snowy Wellies EZ Mount set, and the teeny little snowflakes and sentiment.

 I used Lilybee Design's North Pole - Christmas Cheer front and back along with red cardstock, all adhered with my Extra Strong Permanent Tape Runner. I embossed the snowflakes onto a sheet of vellum using the Darice 4.25x5.75 Snowflakes Asst. embossing folder, adhering it to the cardstock with adhesive spray. I colored the letters of the sentiment with CR11 and TB4 Spectrum Noir pens.

The snowflakes were adhered with foam circles.

Head over to the Crafter's Companion store to check out the multibuy special: buy three sets of your choice for only $30! That's a great deal, don't let it pass you by!

Alright...now, for another request. I have a dear friend who works for a wonderful program called TAPS, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. They receive requests from those who have lost a loved one in the Armed Services, and they have received a request I know a lot of you out there would love to help with. Recently, a woman contacted them requesting scrapbook supplies. She recently lost a son in Iraq, and wants to include scrapbooking as part of her healing process. Money is an issue in her household, so she cannot afford to take up the hobby on her own right now.

What I am asking: if you have a moment, go through your supplies. Pull out things to donate to this woman, and mail them! Of course a focus on military papers and embellishments is great, but as scrapbookers, we know that there are pictures of this brave man at every stage of life. Anything is welcome! Also, she needs everything: adhesives, album, refill pages....EVERYTHING. Whatever you can give will be much appreciated! They are hoping to gather donations by 6/30 as his birthday is in August. They want to present her with the donated supplies by this date.

Send your donations to:

TAPS
Attn: Kathy Stephens
3033 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 630
Arlington, VA 22201

I really appreciate those who donate. And please share this post! The more people it can spread to, the more who have the opportunity to donate! I thank you all in advance!

xoxo
Khristen

SCS Product Focus: Embossalicious!

Good morning!

Do you love Splitcoast Stampers? I do. They offer excellent crafty advice and loads of new techniques. Whenever I want to try something new, I always go here to choose one of their tutorials. Remember the shaving cream technique I highlighted? Splitcoast Stampers taught me that one :)

This week's product focus: Embossalicious embossing folders from Crafter's Companion! You know how much I love them from my post a couple of days ago, which I can't help but share again:

This card uses the 6X6 Petite Dot folder. I lightly sanded the edges to make the dots pop right off the card. The stamp: Sheena's A Little Bit Sketchy - Poppies and Daisies colored with Spectrum Noir pens.

Here's another pretty card I whipped up for this event:

This time, I used the 6X6 Elegant Frame embossing folder, and inked the raised edges with Memento Teal Zeal ink. The sentiment was stamped in the same ink, one of the freebies that comes with the Crafter's Inspiration magazine, and the image was taken from the Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady CD. Such a quick card to make, but so pretty!

Do you have a favorite Embossalicious embossing folder? Head over to Splitcoast Stampers and find out how to get a discount off your next embossing folder purchase with Crafter's Companion. Enter your favorite card made with the Embossalicious line of folders in the SCS gallery, using the tag CraftersEmbossing

xoxo
Khristen

CC Summer Challenge: Poppies!!

I love poppies. So very, very much! They are so beautiful. Outside the window I work in front of, I planted gorgeous, red poppies with deep purple centers, and they make me happy when I stand to stretch or open the window. They tend to bloom right around the start of summer here, and it's my way of knowing that the end of school is near, the end of hectic schedules, and the beginning of beach days and hiking trips. It's camping, garden harvests, canning those garden treats, cookouts, sparklers, and late nights by the fire pit watching the lightning bugs. Poppies remind me that this is all around the corner.

So I decided what better stamp set for the Crafter's Companion summer challenge than the flower that signals summer's arrival? Sheena's A Little Bit Sketchy - Poppies and Daisies Unmounted Stamp Set was calling to me! Here's my creation:

I started by stamping the poppies in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and coloring it with my Spectrum Noir pens (CR7, DR4, DR7, CG4, CG1). After it was colored, I grabbed a sheet of black Core'dinations cardstock, cut it down to 5X5, and ran it through the embossing machine using the Embossalicious 6X6 Petite Dot Embossing Folder. I lightly sanded the raised dots, making them white, and adhered that to a sheet of red cardstock using my Extra Strong Permanent Tape Runner, adhering it all to the card base. A red satin ribbon over it all, and a matching bow in the upper corner, coordinated perfectly! I adhered the image with adhesive circles, stamped the sentiment and double matted it, adhering that to the card, and finishing it off with black Liquid Pearls. Voila! A gorgeous card that someone I know will love very much!

Head over to take a look at the other gorgeous creations from the other design team members, and enter your project in the Crafter's Companion Summer Challenge! You have a shot at winning a gift certificate to the Crafter's Companion Store! 

xoxo
Khristen

Edwardian Lady Sneak Peek!

Good afternoon! I was hard at work yesterday, playing with a new double CD from Crafter's Companion, released TODAY, called Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady. This CD set is packed FULL of gorgeous images by Edith Holden. I am in love with it all, and here's my first creation using the CDs:

 Besides the few embellishments and dark brown card base, everything is from the CD. I just printed it and fussy cut! I have sheets of more images to play with whenever I want to, all in complementary colors! I just love how everything matches :) I added some netting from Mon Ami Gabby, Twinery cappuccino twine, and a pearl which I colored with my EB8 Spectrum Noir pen to match the browns of the papers. The big, shaped piece beneath the sentiment and the sentiment itself were both inked with Memento ink in rich cocoa after fussy cutting.

It's so fun to play with this CD, full of coordinating papers and elements to make the perfect card! Head over to the Crafter's Companion store to buy it now! Don't forget to head over and like CC's Facebook page, where sneak peeks are posted all the time prior to a release! There is a lot of Edwardian Lady loveliness!

xoxo
Khristen

More Crafter's Companion Playtime!

In cleaning up the craft area, I came across a Crafter's Companion image I'd stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, but had forgotten about. What a nice surprise! All ready for me to color it with my Spectrum Noir pens :)

 The image is from Sheena's A Little Bit Sketchy - On The Water stamp set. I love this image so much (maybe because summer weather is finally here, although I could have done without the 3 day 90 degree stretch!) Soon, we'll be heading to the ocean!

I used the following pens: EB1, EB2, EB3 (dock); LV1, LV2, LV3 (skirt); IG1, IG2, IG3 (woman's shirt); LG1, LG2, LG4 (man's shirt); TB8, TB9 (man's hat); LY1, LY2, LY3 (towels); GB2, GB5 (woman's hat); GB10 (woman's hair); TN1, TN2 (skin); BT4, BT7, BT9 (water) BT2 (sky).

The background paper is My Mind's Eye - Nostalgia - Diamond, and the woodgrain paper matting the photo and sentiment is Studio Calico - Take Note - Executive. I added some Kaisercraft blue adhesive pearls, and a Sassafrass Lass flower. Everything was adhered using my Crafter's Companion Extra Strong Permanent Tape Runner.

Alright, that's it for me today, but watch for a layout post in the next couple of days. I have made a few, and just need the free time to post them! :)

xoxo
Khristen

Crafter's Companion Easel Card

Good morning! Finally getting around to sharing this easel card I made last week. We're at the end of softball season though, so that means back to normal amounts of crafty time :) After this week, the season should be over. First playoff game is Tuesday, wish the girls luck! I think there was a game every single day last week! It was insane!

So...I pulled out my Ultimate Tool to make this easel card, using it to score the card base. It features a wonderful Stamp It Australia Imagine - Friendship Sentiments unmounted stamp set sentiment (my favorite stamp set, so many great sentiments for any occasion) stamped onto this fun Teresa Collins - He Said, She Said speech bubble (the paper is from the same line) with Memento Rich Cocoa ink. I popped it off the card with foam squares, and added a gray ribbon and pearl strands behind it.

 On the inside, I added another ribbon and a bow made using the bow maker feature of the Ultimate Tool. I love how easy it is to make a perfect bow! A few  buttons, another strip of the patterned paper, and a sentiment included as a freebie in the Crafter's Inspiration magazine completes this card!

That's it! Looking forward to some crafty time today, but not sure it's going to happen. Monday is my busiest work day, and my oldest has a chorus concert (the last concert of the season YAY!!!) I have, however, scheduled another post for later in the afternoon :) Watch for it, it's another quick card. I hope you all have a wonderful day!

xoxo
Khristen