Hiatus

Hello All,

Due to some issues going on right now I'm going to be taking a hiatus from posting for a bit.  Too much going on now.  Hopefully I'll be back soon! 

To my new followers - thank you for joining and I promise to have lots of postings when I return.  I apologize for the poor timing since you've just signed on to follow me.

Thank you for your understanding!

Happy crafting :-)

Today starts Softpencil's Customer Blog Hop!

Hello and thank you for stopping by on your blog hop today!  It's so fun to create cards using Elizabeth's super adorable images!  I hope you will find some inspiration along your hop and have a fun time doing along the way.  Enjoy your hop, hop, hopping!!! :-)

If you have arrived here from Softpencil's blog you're on the right track - I'm the first stop! Woot woot!! :-)  If you didn't arrive here from Softpencil, please go back and start there. 

I'm posting these for the first time, but I do have a couple of other Softpencil designs as well - you can find the older ones by clicking on the Softepencil tag on my sidebar.  Thanks for looking!

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For this card I used the "Happy Teddy Bear" digi.  I colored the digi with Prismacolor pencils.  I used Cuttlebug "D'vine Swirls" to emboss the pink background cardstock.  I used green cardstock as a mat for the digi, but I also layered a ripped piece on the bottom to give the illusion of grass.  (I'm not a fan of how my grass comes out when colored, so I tried this instead - even though I did color the grass in the digi lol)  I tried to show it in the second picture, but again, it still didn't come out that well....but I digress... on the bottom of the bear's dress I used some clear/white glitter just to give it a little dimension. 

For my next card I used one of Softpencil's many girl stamps - I just love her!  Again, with the glitter glue I added some dimension to her bows.  I also had fun with my new SU border punch.  A ribbon and some stick on bling and I'm good to go!  Enjoy!

For my final card I used one of the freebies - a unicorn.  Once again (okay, it's a new toy, can you tell?) I used glitter glue on my card.  Some gold for the horn, wings and hooves, and some blue for the eye.  I also had some sequins I got at a tag sale that I used since they just happened to be gold :-)  I put some in the swirls of the embossed background.  I made this card for my 6 yr old daughter's friend's b-day coming up.  Thanks for looking! :-)

Thank you for visiting my blog! I hope you enjoyed your stay and will come back again soon :-) 

Your next stop on the hop is here: Rhonda Miller http://bluepoohbear753.blogspot.com/

Have fun hopping along and don't forget to end up back at Softpencil's blog...and leave some love along the way! :-)

Enjoy your day!

Softpencil Customer Blog Hop

Hello All!

In celebration of their one year anniversary Softpencil is having a Customer Blog Hop!  Starting this Thurs. (5/27) at noon (EST) you can hop along and check out some of the wonderful creations some of their customers have made.  My blog will be part of it so I hope you join along! :-)  The hop runs until Sunday May 30th 8pm EST so you have until then to finish hoppin'. :-)

Color Challenge update

I WON, I WON!!  I'm super excited! My first card challenge and I won! How cool is that?!  Now I can do a little shopping in the Softpencil store - woohoo!  Looking forward to getting some new digis to play around with.  I'll be sure to post them here when I do!

Happy Friday!

p.s.  I'm a new Auntie!  Yay!

Color Challenge

Here's a card I made for a color challenge at Softpencil on Paper Craft Planet.  The color challenge (if you can't already guess lol) was to use primary colors red, blue and yellow.  I just love these little girl images! Too cute!  You can't really see in the picture, but I put glitter on her bows.  For the background I used my Cuttlebug to emboss the dots and then I used my new SU corner punch for the corners.  The glitter flowers are leftovers from a craft we did for my daughter's 5th b-day last year.

Tools used: Cuttlebug, digi stamps, corner punch, Prismacolor pencils

blog candy

Hi All!

Looking for some blog candy?  Head on over to Raindrop Echo Designs and enter! They are celebrating their first blogoversary.  Go show some love! :-)

http://raindropechodesigns.blogspot.com/2010/05/its-my-one-year-blogoversary-candy.html

p.s. She also has a freebie - sentiments! Go check it out! :-)

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!  Here's a mother's day card I came up with.  Enjoy your day moms!

Kindergarten Project

For my daughter's kindergarten class we were given a sheet of cardstock and we had to make a scrapbook page to put in a class book.  For this page I used Darcy's Kindergarten collection ABC Frame file and her Kindergarten Apple Worm title.  I had edited both to make it work for my scrapbook page but that's one of the things I love about her files - so easy to work with!  (I don't remember where I got the 'we are family' file, so if it's your's or you know who's it is, please let me know and I will give you credit.)

Tools used: Silhouette

I'm now on Facebook!

Well...that's not entirely true... I have personally been on FB for awhile, but recently I decided to put together a facebook page for my crafty side - this is still a work in progress but please feel free to 'like me' there (I guess they changed it from becoming a follower to liking the page) - I appreciate all those who wish to follow me!  If you are on FB click the link below (or search for Stamping Designs by Heather) and then click the like button if you like what you see.  Thank you!  Hope to see you on FB!

Stamping Designs by Heather on FB

Dad's b-day card

Here's the card I made for my dad's birthday.  I find it difficult to make masculine cards, but luckily my dad isn't much of a card person anyways, so I could be more simple and he'd be just as happy lol.  So, this is what I came up with:

Again, my black cards don't come out that good when photographed (guess I gotta work on that! lol) but the background is embossed with the diamond plate for my Cuttlebug.  The stamps are from SU (totally tool) and JRS.  I also used the silver sticky paper I have as a mat for the tools. 

Tools used: Cuttlebug for embossing, SU Totally Tool stamp set; JustRite Stampers stamps, circle punch

Blog Candy

Hi All,

Head on over to Tales from Pollycraft for a chance at some blog candy!  I wish I could tell you more, but it's a mystery!  There are 5 prizes up for grabs, all wortth about 10 bucks, but no one (not even the DT) knows what's inside.  Very cool!  Can't wait to see what it is!  In any event, head on over and leave a comment and get entered :-)

Plus, if that weren't enough, there's also a free digi on the blog for the taking...so what are you waiting for?! :-)

freebie & blog candy

Wipes Box

My sister-in-law is pregnant and for her baby shower for every box of wipes or diapers you brought in you were entered into a raffle for a drawing of a gift basket.  I couldn't just bring in a plain old wipes box! So, I made it pretty :-)  .... wait, she's pregnant with a boy...I mean I made it cute! LOL  In any event, the baby's room is a soft green color and the items that my brother and sister-in-law chose for it have monkeys on it so that's the theme I went with on my box.  I used my Silhouette to cute out words and the template for the box top and sides.  Since I had the same wipes box at home from when my kids were little I took the top off, used a black sharpie to outline the top and then I scanned it.  From there I was able to import the scanned image into the Silhouette software and create a template for the top.  The sides were much easier and I just pretty much measured them and created a template in RoboMaster.  I have all the templates saved in case anyone wants to create their own.  It's from a Huggies box if you've got the same one.  Just let me know! 

For the monkeys I used a clipart that I had.  I colored it in PSE and copied it so that I could import into Word.  From there I made two small monkeys and one larger one.  I printed and cut them out.  I used some twine for the vines and punched out some leaves using the same paper as the letters/wording.  I used tacky tape to adhere all the background pieces and then glued the monkeys and leaves and letters down.  I let it all dry for a day and then I covered all the paper with a triple tacky sealant.  It goes on really thick but makes a nice seal over everything.  My sister-in-law was very happy with it and said it matches the room perfectly.  Yay for me! :-)  I hope you like it too!

Tools used: Silhouette, leaf punch

Another stencil card

The picture didn't come out that great, but I still wanted to post this card.  I did this card by using stencils on a black piece of cardstock.  You'd never get colors like this using ink! lol  My good friend Diane gave me her set of chalks since she wasn't using them anymore, so I had to make her a card using the chalks to thank her :-) 


For this card I used the flower stencil from Darcy's Designs, SU Stampin' pastels chalk, and PTI's Everday Classics stamp set.  In the corners I used an EK Success corner punch.  What I did was take the black card stock and I layed it on top of the white cardstock.  I lined it up to where I wanted it and softly drew pencil lines in the corners - that way I could line up the corner punch so that I'd get a perfect fit for the cardstock ;-)  For the mat behind the seniment I punched out a scallop and then trimmed it to be a mat.

Thank you Diane!  Love ya!

Tools used: SU Stampin' Pastel Chalks, flower stencil, Everyday Classics stamp (PTI), corner punch, scallop punch

Paper Roses - today only!

http://dianasdesignsonline.blogspot.com/2010/03/paper-roses.html

Do you like these roses?  I sure do!  If you want to know how to make them, the wonderful lady who created these made a tutorial and she's giving it away today only!  Check it out and then you can make your own beautiful paper roses!  (her tutorial also comes with a free gsd file too!)

p.s. The file that comes with the tutorial makes slightly different roses than the ones shown above, but you can win the whole file set with additional roses included!  Check it out here....but you only have thru today to do it!  Good luck!

Girl with flowers

Look out digi world here I come! tee hee :-)  My girlfriend Diane got me into coloring...and hopefully I'll be making my colored images into cards really soon!  Here's one I did recently.  The image is from Softpencil.  Go check them out!  Very cute stuff! 

Tools used: Cuttlebug - die cutting and Nestabilities; Delight in Life stamp set from SU; Prismacolor pencils; flowers & brads

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In the end, there are only two things to worry about:

either you are well or you are sick.

When you're well, there is nothing to worry about.

But if you're sick, then there are two things to worry about:

either you get well or you will die.

When you get well, there is nothing to worry about.

But when you die, then there are two things to worry about:

either you'll go to heaven or you'll go to hell.

When you go to heaven, there is nothing to worry about.

But when you go to hell, you'll be so damn busy shaking hands with friends,

you won't have time to worry!

Valentine's Bookmarks

Instead of doing the typical valentines or candy for my daughter's class this year, I used my trusty Silhouette machine to make some valentine bookmarks.  My daughter really liked them and they were so easy to do!  I cut a sheet out of hearts, and two sheets out of the mats.  On top of the mat I put a white bookmark and then I added the heart on top.  My daughter signed all of them (she's 5) and wrote out the girls' names, but she wanted me to write the boys' LOL.

p.s. I have the file saved - it's a gsd file - if you're interested email me and I can send it to you. 

Tools used: Silhouette

Eye shadow on a card?

On the suggestion of my friend Darcy, I used some old eye shadow (don't ask my why I still have this stuff when I don't wear it lol) with my block stencils to create this card.  Instead of using chalks I used the eye shadow and although you can't see it from the pictures, it's really a nice shimmery color which I think added a nice element to the card.  A little ribbon and bling and I was done.  Enjoy!

Tools used: Silhouette, ribbon punch

My first sliceform

I made this card for my mother-in-law's b-day.  It was my first attempt at a sliceform.  If you just read that and said to yourself, 'what's a sliceform?', you can read all about them below the pictures.  I'll paste the explanation from the wonderful lady, Jennie, who created this vase file!  Speaking of which, you can find her vase file here.  Jennie offers it in a variety of formats - I used the gsd format, naturally LOL.   

For this card, I cut everything out on one piece of peach colored paper.  The flowers I colored in with Prismacolor pencils.  The stems and random pieces of grass I stamped with a green ink spot and then used my blender pen to soften it up a bit, but to allow the lines from the ink spot to show as if it were the veins running through the grass and stems and to give it some faux texture.  The tops of the flowers were adhered to the card with pop-dots while the stems were just placed into the vase.  I embossed a piece of green cardstock for the background.  I hope you like it! I'm looking forward to see what else I can create from Jennie's very cool creations!

Tools used: Silhouette, Cuttlebug, Prismacolor pencils, blender pen, embossing folder

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What is a Sliceform?


A sliceform is an object normally made totally from paper, where all the different parts slot together (normally no glue is ever needed apart from any embellishments) to form a 3D object. These sliceforms fold totally flat with the simple push of a finger, making them perfect for including inside a card which has to be mailed to a friend or loved one,or even inside a pocket on a scrapbook page. Then either by lifting the sliceform, or again pushing it with your fingers, it will pop back into its 3D form.
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Hubby's b-day card

I find it challenging to make 'men' cards, but I think this one came out okay.  I used the diamond plate embossing folder for the background and some 'screw' brads in the corners.  The sentiment is from JustRite Stampers.  The silver stuff is like sticky paper that I came across.  I cut a strip to use down the center of the card.  I also covered a punched circle in it to mat the sentiment.  The second picture was taken to show that I used a pop-dot for the circles to give the card a little more dimension. 

Tools used: JustRite Stampers, Cuttlebug, Embossing folder

Cooper's 1st b-day card

This is a card I made for my husband's Godchild who had his first birthday last month.  It was the first pop-up card I've made with a file I purchased from the Silhouette online store.  The pop-ups are so fun!  This train was designed by Rivka (check out her blog here).  She's a Silhouette designer and has some fantastic designs! I can't wait to use more!  I have purchased some more of her pop-up files and when I create cards with them I'll post here.  Until then... you can enjoy this one :-)  (The signatures on the card are from my 3 and 5 yr olds.)

Tools used: Silhouette

Block Stencils

For these cards I took two blocks of the block stencil kit and enlarged them to 2.5x2.5" each.  They come either in the sheet, or as individual blocks, so once I enlarged them and centered them on a rectangle (4.25x5.5") I removed the outline of the block so that the stencil part would stay on the paper I was making for my card.  This created the centerpiece, if you will, for my cards.

For the hearts card I cut a frame out using my nesties and cuttlebug and put it over the stencil part.  I used a scrap piece of red paper to put behind the hearts.  Chalked the border of the paper I cut on my Silhouette and then stamped "love" and added some flowers to the end.  Voila!

For this card I followed the same kind of thing as above, but instead of the red paper, I used - get this - a part of the blue plastic bag that covers our paper each week.  Good way to recycle, right? :-)  I was going for more of a stained glass look.  I wanted the blue to really show through, but I wanted it on a black card, so I layered the blue plastic and then white paper behind the stencil (blue plastic on black would've been too dark).  Then I added bling, a ribbon, a stamped sentiment and then adhered to the black card and I was done!  Well, except that it's hard to write on black, so I put a white piece of paper inside to write a note on.

Tools used: Stencils, Silhouette, Cuttlebug, Nestabilities

Flower Stencil sample

Here's a card I made using Darcy's Floral Stencil Kit.  One of the things I love about this kit is that it's so versatile!  You can mix and match and make any kind of flower you want.  Also included in the file are mats for the flowers too.  Very cool! 

In this card I used the "ink on the Q-tip technique" in my previous balloon card.  This time I didn't use the blender pen because I wanted a softer feel for the flower.  I used my Cuttlebug to cut the mat and the slider.  The 'thank you' is from Just Rite Stampers.

Tools used: Stencils, Cuttlebug, Just Rite Stampers, Silhouette

Stencils with your Silhouette? Oh yes!

Did you think about creating stencils on your digital cutter?  Well, Darcy of Darcy's Designs did! You can check out her blog here, store here, and digital cutting site here.  Yes, she's a busy lady!  Below is the first card I made using her Birthday Stencil Kit.  I colored the balloons with a Q-tip and ink, and then I used a blender pen to blend them in a little bit more.  Tied a bow on it, framed it, and called it a day. :-)  Very fun, yet simple to do!  I can't wait to try other media on the stencils!  And more samples to come this week - keep your eyes open ;-)   

Tools used: Silhouette (to cut the stencils); Cuttlebug w/ Nestabilities to cut the frame;

Another Sympathy Card

I know - seems like I'm posted a lot of sympathy cards but unfortunately we've had a lot of needs for them this past year.  Hopefully 2010 will be better and I'll have more happy reasons to create stuff! :-)  Hard as it may be, we all need sympathy cards now and again so hopefully I can inspire someone to create their own - I'm sure it will mean a lot to the recipient. :-)

Mom-in-law's b-day card

I made this card for my mom-in-law's b-day.  She loves bright color combinations and these, in fact, match some of the decor in her living room.  The 'happy b-day' is embossed with white powder.  The background was embossed with my cuttlebug.  Gosh, I love that machine! :-)

50th B-day card

I made this card for a friend of ours who turned 50, but it's hard to believe she's a day over 40!  She looks fabulous!  For the silver background I embossed aluminum foil through my Cuttlebug.  The word 'happy' and the ???? are embossed with silver as well.  The '50th' in the middle was done with my Just Rite Stamper.  Enjoy!

Last coaster...for now :-)

Ok, this is my last coaster posting....for now tee hee.  This was done by using one of the background stamps from SU that I have.  So simple!  (It's funny to watch people at craft fairs pick out the ones with the words they like - but they don't realize that they are looking at the same coaster but just from a different viewpoint.  Too funny!)

Wine coaster

For the wine enthusiast in your life....or just because they look nice :-)  For this coaster I've colored in parts and I 'chalked' the edge of the coaster with purple Stazon ink. 

Snowman coasters

The pics didn't come out that good for these little fellas - they are much brighter in real life.  In any event, these are a popular sell at my craft fairs...but only during the winter months :-)  I make these guys in a few different color schemes, but I've only shown two here.  What I like about the snowmen is that you can use them all winter long - no matter what holidays you celebrate!  And you don't have to put them away when your decorations go back into storage.

Red Heart Coasters

Two versions of the heart coaster - one plain, one with French script behind it.  To do the layered one, I first stamped the heart onto a post-it note, then I cut it out.  This was to cover the heart on the coaster to then layer the French script over it.