Ink to Paper Organization Week {Cardstock}

Hello friends...and happy New Year's Eve! I hope you all had wonderful Christmases and that your hearts are light! I've taken a crafty break, as you've probably noticed, to spend time with my family and enjoy this special time! That being said, nothing says "New Year" quite like some fresh organization and inspiration to get things started off right! Today I'm sharing my organizational strategies for cardstock and a few other types of papers that we all probably have in our stash!

I'm one of those people who craves organization (having 5 kids challenges this craving) but I like being able to visually see what I have so that it doesn't get neglected or forgotten about. I was so lucky to procure these awesome paper racks YEARS ago when the local scrapbook store I was teaching at went out of business. They are perfect for my personal needs: out in plain sight, neatly organized, holds a large quantity of product, and creates visual harmony and appeal! Who doesn't love rainbow, right?

These racks are on the right hand side of my desk, so I can easily reach for the color I need or play along with different combinations as I peruse the colors. I've labeled the rack by each color of cardstock with the color name. I organized the colors pretty closely to the swatches on the website, so it isn't necessarily "rainbow order" but it sure looks pretty! The neutrals, including vellum an acetate are on the bottom left.

Please note, I removed the scraps from the top of each stack for photography purposes, but when I have a scrap, I place it back into the slot so that I can use that up first if it is the correct size for the project. I know some people have a separate bin or folder for scraps, but this personally works best for me.

I've had these IKEA shelves for years as well, and they are the perfect fit for so many crafty products. I love using magazine storage boxes to house my Bitty Big Pattern Paper and the folios of other pattern papers that are included in the Make It Market Kits. 

Since these papers are 8 1/2 by 11 or smaller, they fit perfectly into the storage boxes and are easy to reach for when I need them. The scraps fit nicely into the folios, but if they slip to the bottom, they don't get lost or damaged in the box.

This storage box holds my collection of Bitty Big pattern papers. I don't own all of the colors, so this one box is perfect. As my collection continues to grow, I will just start a new box. These pattern papers come shrink wrapped in plastic with a color name label at the front. I like to keep the bottom of the pack still in the plastic so that each color is contained and the scraps are easily contained. Because of the "job" part of my creativity, it is important for me (and for you) that I let you know the EXACT products and colors I am using, hence my need to keep scraps organized and tidy!

This is a project that I made in 2018 for one of my Traveler's Journal features that you can read about HERE. I have swatched cardstock, ink and felt in this tiny book. I keep it at my desk within easy reach!

I posted this photo on my @kellylunceford Instagram page the other day because it made me happy and I was in the midst of getting this post ready! LOL! I have a few "favorite things" here that you may be interested in so I'll add some links! Here is the link to the "let's make the most of this BEAUTIFUL DAY" sign, made my my fellow teamie Melissa Bickford. It is the delight of my space and it inspires me daily! You can find it HERE.

My beloved "Craft House" mug is a treasured reminder from my stay at The Whatever Craft House and can be found HERE.

I received THIS from the dear Betsy Veldman and it is a new treasure just as she is! 

I hope that this post has helped you in some way to get your new year off to a colorful and organized start! Thanks for fluttering by!

Concord & 9th December 2019 Release

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and enjoyed time with family and loved ones! I'm back today with my final Feature Friday as a Guest Designer for Concord & 9th! I had a lot of fun on today's card using the Special Delivery BUNDLE!

Tacos seem to be all the rage right now and I have a dear friend who loves them, so this card is for her! To begin this fun taco inspired design, I wanted to create a background that looks like a hard taco shell. I used the amazing Rectangle Masking Stencils to do some ink blending using Scattered Straw and Fossilized Amber Distress Oxide ink. I also added some black paint splatter to look like an actual corn tortilla. It looks light in the photos, but there is actually a nice amount in real life.

Once the background was done, I added the sentiment, which is included in the Special Delivery stamp set using black ink. I used my mini MISTI so that I could get a good saturated image. I also stamped the delivery truck using black in and then die cut it using the coordinating Special Delivery dies. I added some Crystal Glaze on the windows for some added detail and interest.

The taco images are stamped in black and then colored with Copic markers. I attached them to the truck using foam squares. The truck image is adhered to the blended background using additional foam squares for dimension. I also added two hearts that were die cut from red cardstock with a quick coat of Crystal Glaze. 

I had so much fun creating the lettuce detail that is sandwiched between the focal panel and the card base. I simply cut very narrow strips of green cardstock, spritzed it with a water bottle, and then crumpled it in my hand to get it more "lettuce-y"...LOL! I used ScorTape to secure it to the base layer and then used a double thickness of foam squares to raise up the focal pane. I can't wait to give this to my taco loving friend! Thanks for fluttering by!

Concord & 9th December 2019 Release

Hello friends! I'm back today with my second Feature Friday for Concord & 9th using some amazing new products! I took a minute to put away all of the Valentine's Day cards I've been making this month and one might think it was February, not December! LOL! These first two cards feature some super fun and versatile new products that I can't wait to tell you about!

Both of these cards use the new Sew Happy Hearts stamp set as well as the versatile Sew Happy Hearts dies. I knew I wanted to incorporate some stitching on these two cards, but I barely scratched the surface as far as the creative possibilities that they possess! ha ha!

I wanted the stitching to be evident, but not overpowering so I chose a Rose colored floss to do the stitching around the heart. I used all 6 strands of floss based on the size of the die cut holes. If they were smaller, I might have split it into a 3 strand length.

The best part of stitching on cardstock is there are no knots required! I simply secured the ends with a bit of washi tape and was done! For this top card, I used the heart cluster image and the "you have my heart sentiment" to decorate the heart die cut.

I also added a few sparkling clear sequins for some sparkle and shine! I love the postage stamp edge that you can get using the dies.

Of course I HAD to use this cute sentiment to accent and highlight the stitching that was done on the card. It's so cute! I use this saying a lot in my daily life as well, so it is a fitting card for me to send!

These cards measure 4 1/4 by 4 1/4 and are the perfect little Valentine size!

This second card uses another fun new collection of goodies; the I Chews You stamp set and the coordinating I Chews You dies. What I have failed to mention is that you can purchase these in a convenient BUNDLE, which is always handy!

I heat embossed the base of the gumball machine and the top of the machine using silver embossing powder for some realistic detailing. The die collections comes with a cute little die that cuts three sides of the portion where the gumball would fall so you can lift the flap!

I also used the fun new XOXO Turnabout stamp to do a little background embossing for this fun card!

This set comes with ALL KINDS of punny sentiments, which are my favorite, and I know I'll be using year round!

I added some Crystal Glaze to the gumballs for some realistic shine and detail!

A simple bow of red baker's twine finishes off this fun design! Join me next Friday for another Feature Friday! Thanks for fluttering by!

Ink to Paper {The Gift of Packaging}

Hello and welcome to the Ink to Paper "The Gift of Packaging" installment for this week! I'm thrilled to be here today sharing some fun shaped gift tags using some new favorites! I love when I can mix and match my supplies to create something new, unique and fun!

I couldn't wait to create some gift tags using the new Cup of Love die collection! You could use any large shaped die to make some unexpected and whimsical tags to dress up all of your holiday packages!

For today's tags, I decided to use the Cup of Love die to create two tags per die cut, if that makes sense. This particular die creates a small shaped card, but to maximize my time and supplies, I cut each card in half to get two tags instead. I mentioned the other day that I literally used my last FULL sheet of Pure Poppy cardstock so I was only able to get one tag made from a remaining scrap! LOL! I'm putting in an order STAT, since I have another fun installment coming up soon and you'll know why I need the red paper! ha ha!

Once the cups were cut, I heat embossed the "warm Christmas wishes" sentiment which is from the It's a Sign: Christmas Bough onto the small die that is included in the Cup of Love die collection (linked above).  I also die cut the tea bag tag and stamped the heart that is included in the Cup of Love stamp set onto the tag. I added a length of crochet thread to the tag and then secured it behind the black embossed portion using a bit of tape. At this point, I was able to attach the black portion to the cup portion using foam squares. 

I added all of the stamped bits and pieces that were die cut using the It's a Sign: Christmas Bough die collection here and there for lots of holiday cheer!

Of course, I always like to add the "to: from:" portion as well and the Just Sentiments: To & From Essentials stamp set was the perfect fit. I just line them up on an acrylic block and stamp them at the same time for quick work! The finishing touches are a length of Pure Poppy Baker's twine and a few sparkling clear sequins here and there for sparkle and shine! Thanks for fluttering by!

May Your Holidays Be Merry and Bright

Hello and welcome! I'm over on the SugarPea Designs Blog sharing one of my last Christmas designs for the season! I haven't had a chance to use these cute critters from the recently released Christmas Cheer stamp set so I made them the focal point of today's card!

To begin, I die cut a panel of white cardstock using the largest die in the Card Front Element Builder collection. I did some festive ink blending using the Geo Snowflake Stencil using Festive Berries Distress Oxide ink.

The "merry and bright" sentiment and the image are both stamped in black onto a panel of white cardstock that has been die cut using the Postage Stamp SugarCuts. I colored the images using an assortment of alcohol ink markers.

I reinforced the sentiment at the bottom by adding the die cut Merry word to the top of the card using foam squares.

The entire postage panel is added to the stenciled background using additional foam squares for added dimension.

This was such a fun design to put together and I hope it will bring some holiday joy to the recipient! Thank for fluttering by!

Ink to Paper December Countdown Day 4

Well friends, it's the 4th and final day of the Ink to Paper December release countdown! Remember, all products will be available for purchase starting at 10 pm EST on the 15th of December! I've got two cards to share with you today; first up is this wedding design using the new "Cake Creations" stamp set! This is one of those perfect sets for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and more! 

I shared a card yesterday that used the new On The Border: From the Heart Frame, but I dry embossed it rather than die cut it. I just love how well it works die cut paired with the Cake Creations stamp set! I cut it from Fresh Snow Linen Cardstock using a metal shim. I shared some Design Team tips last year on how to use intricate dies that you can read HERE. 

Once I die cut the frame, I cut a 4 1/4 inch by 5 1/2 inch piece of Linen Cardstock and blended some Simply Chartreuse ink around the edges using a blender brush. I layered the frame over the top using a 2 way glue pen to get all of the narrow edges.  I die cut the cake stand from specialty gold cardstock and once again from white cardstock and glued them together for stability. The cake was die cut three times from Linen cardstock. I adhered 2 together and added the Nuvo drop "frosting" and set it aside to dry. 

The leaves and flowers were stamped using my mini MISTI and then die cut using the Cake Creations die collection. I stamped the "congratulations" sentiment onto one of the banners from the banner die collection. 

At this point, I was ready to get everything assembled. I added the cake stand using foam squares and then added the extra cake die cut to the blended/frame panel. Then I added the Nuvo Drop cake over the top using foam squares. I was able to add the flowers and banner using additional foam squares. The finishing touch is a few sparkling clear sequins in the center of some of the flowers. 

My second and final card for today uses a new set called A Little Wispy. It is a fun set that includes two vases, with the option to make the vase show the stems or closed like I did here. It has a lot of fun branches and stems to make all kinds of different arrangements.

It also includes some fun sentiments that are very versatile which makes this a great all-occasion set!

Thanks for fluttering by!

Concord & 9th December 2019 Release

I'm so excited to be a Guest Designer for Concord & 9th this month! I'll be sharing projects using all of the new goodies from the December 2019 Release all month long! Join me each Friday for the rest of December to see how I've used the fabulous new products! 

Who loves sugar juju hearts as much as I do? Raise your hand! I used the new Love You to Pieces Dies and the coordinating Love You to Pieces stamp set to create this fun and graphic card! To begin this design, I did some ink blending onto a panel of white cardstock using Festive Berries, Worn Lipstick, and Spun Sugar Distress Oxide ink pads for a Valentine-y ombre effect. I layered that onto a panel of red cardstock measuring 4 by 5 1/4 inches using foam squares.

I die cut the "LOVE" word twice; I intended to stack them up for a sturdy piece, but upon experimenting struck on this idea of lining them up side by side for a more whimsical feel. The sentiment is heat embossed in white onto a piece of red cardstock and then I die cut it using the banner die from the Love You to Pieces dies. 

The hearts are also die cut and then I added a layer of Crystal Glaze and sprinkling of coarse crystal glitter to create the juju jelly hearts of my dreams! Don't they look good enough to eat? My sister has a February birthday so she always got to take cupcakes to school decorated with hearts and sprinkles and I had a summer birthday so I never got to bring any cupcakes! LOL!

My second card also includes some juju jelly hearts and inkblending, but this time in a circle using the same colors. I forgot to mention earlier that I also spritzed them with a light mist of Shimmer Spray for some added sparkle. I used the large XO images that are included in the Love You to Pieces stamp set and my MISTI to get them nice and saturated. You can see that the ink doesn't stamp the same over the oxide ink so I wanted to get it as dark as possible and the MISTI allowed me to do that. The sentiment is heat embossed the same as in the first card, but I used the "all the hugs" sentiment because it just so darn cute! I hope you've enjoyed today's projects! Join me again next Friday for additional inspiration using even more new products! Thanks for fluttering by!