Inspired By #55 Just a little something!

 It's time for another fabulous Inspired By challenge! I took last week off because I was immersed in PTI release frenzy, but I'm back today sharing a trio of gift card holders using this week's inspiration! You can check out the challenge HERE as well as see how the rest of the team used the inspiration! I loved the mix of plaid, ticking and color combination, so that was my starting point.

 I hosted a cocoa night for the ladies in my church and I needed a few "cocoa" inspired thank you gifts, so this challenge was perfect! I love these papers from Authentique and knew they would work well to include the mix of patterns from the photo. I used the fabulous Coffee Cup Gift Card Holder from Honey Bee Stamps for today's cards. 

I also used the Gina K tag bundle that was a freebie from Simon Says Stamp during the holidays. The "just a little something" sentiment was the perfect thing to add to the front of these gift card holders. 

 I used a circle punch to create the circles once they had been stamped. It is obviously larger than the image, but I like the bold white edge.

 I'm planning on putting gift cards to a local sweet shop into the gift card holders. I will package them up in cellophane bags with a couple of packets of hot cocoa as well, so I wanted to make some tags for the cello bags. I really like the pillow from the inspiration photo that says "let's huddle" so I used the simplicity of that for the tags. I also did some zig zag stitching along the edge for some extra textile detail since that is so present in the photo. I hope you get a chance to join us this week. I know I sound like a broken record, but participating in challenges really helps get the creative juices flowing and creating things that you might not normally. Thanks for fluttering by!

Merry Monday #288 {NOEL}

Welcome to this week's Merry Monday Christmas Challenge! I'm so happy with my  collection of cards that is growing week by week! 

Deanne has asked us to create cards without stamps! What??? LOL! I thought of making a scrappy card, but in the end, decided to take a more artistic approach and pull out my watercolors that haven't been used in a while.

My design was inspired by my cosmetic bag. It has a Navy background with words spelled out in Red, Fuschia, and Mauve. I just love the bold, graphic quality  and I thought it would be fun to try and translate the idea onto paper. I had to make a few adjustments because of the size of the letters, but I really like how it turned out. I like doing things a little more artistically from time to time and this was the perfect excuse.

To begin, I cut a piece of Strathmore cold-pressed 140 lb. watercolor paper to 4 1/8 by 5 3/8. I used my Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolors to do a wash of blues across the paper. I also mixed up some gold really well with water and splattered it over the top. I set it aside to dry while I got to work on the letters.

As I mentioned earlier, I was limited in my design because of the alphabet die cuts I chose to use. They are the Bookprint Alphabet Upper Die set. In the end, I really like that I was only able to get one word onto the design. I just chose to incorporate the 3 different colors by using a different color for each letter. The "N" and the "L" are both red, however! I die cut each letter four times and then glued them together using Tombow Mono Multi glue. I also added some Wink of Stella to each letter as well as a good coating of Tonic Crystal Glaze.

Once the watercolor panel was dry, I ran it though my cuttlebug using one of the "Next Generation" embossing folders from We R Memory Keepers. I also spritzed it heavily with shimmer spray. I glued the letters onto the card using liquid glue as well. I made sure to place something heavy on top for a bit so that they would stick nicely. With all of the grooves from the embossing, it makes it a little more difficult to glue them down.

At that point, I was ready to call the design done. It had a boutique chic feel that I just love, but my daughter disagreed. She DID NOT  like it! Her new favorite word is "terrifying" which is how she described this card! LOL! So...at that point I thought what more I could add {that wasn't a stamp} that wouldn't detract from the original vision I had for the card. I decided to pull out some ancient SU! rub-on transfers. They were just the thing! The texture from the embossing folder made the application a little tricky, but I finally got it done! I added a few Sparkling Clear sequins to the centers of three of the snowflakes for some shine!

I really enjoyed making this card! It was so fun to think a little out of the box and not use stamps! Thanks, Deanne, for the fun challenge! I hope you will join us as well! It's so fun to see your creations in the gallery! Thanks for fluttering by!

Keeping Christmas {Believe in the Magic of Christmas}

It's the 25th and that means it is time for another Keeping Christmas Inspiration Blog Hop! Make sure to head to each of the other designer's blogs to see what they have been cooking up this month!

Kelly Lunceford

Lesley Croghan (off this month)

Anita Madden

Broni Holcombe  (off this month)

Claire Broadwater

Julee Tilman

Kim Heggins

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Rachel Bergfeld

Vicki Finger

For my project, I decided to make some gift card holders. I ended up by making a few of these last year and they ended up by being one of my favorite little gifts I handed out. You can see last year's project HERE. This wasn't the project I had planned on doing, but things changed when this AMAZING Holiday Style Stamp Set and coordinating Holiday Style Die Cuts showed up in the mail yesterday! I saw a beautiful project on Instagram that inspired my purchase and these stamps arrived in THREE days! Can you believe it? Such crazy fast shipping! So...I obviously couldn't wait to play, so I made these! I used the equally amazing Coffee Cup Gift Card Holder Die. 

I think I've mentioned this before, but for some reason when I sit down to pre-make any type of project, I always settle on the amount of 6. I have found that 6 isn't always enough, so I ended up by making 8 of these today. I used 4 sheets of cardstock, getting two per sheet, of 4 different colors. I wanted an earthy feeling project, so I chose: Prairie Grass, Kraft, Pinefeather, and a random speckled white from SU! that I have had forever and I don't think they carry anymore. I also used this for the bands that the cups slide into. I had enough left over from the gift card portion that I could die cut the lid piece as well. I just mixed and matched the lids to the bases in a way that I thought looked nice.

Each of the gift card base front flaps is stamped with a really old background stamp from SU! called Flannel Plaid, but I thought it gave them the texture and detail that they needed. Each band is stamped with the pine bough image from the Holiday Style stamp set.

The bells are stamped using SU!'s Going Gray ink, Smokey Shadow and Palette  black. I am absolutely amazed at the result! So incredible!  The bows are stamped using Pure Poppy, SU!'s Bravo Burgundy and Palette Black. I used the coordinating die cuts, which I linked above, to die cut them. They are adhered using foam squares. I actually ended up by buying the mini "Stampin' Dimensionals" from SU! and I love them! I used them to attach the bows. The sentiment is stamped on the lid portion using Palette Black as well. These didn't take long at all! I hope you enjoyed today's project! Thanks for fluttering by!

Ticket to Adventure!

 I'm just loving this new Globe Greetings stamp set from Concord and 9th. I am back today sharing a more masculine design; a graduation card for my darling nephew. I made this card earlier this week with a feminine flair so it was fun to change it up. I can see me reaching for this set again and again. I really like some of the other sentiments included and I can't wait to use them for other occasions.

I used an old paper pad from PTI called "Road Trip". I bought it when my now 7 year old was three for his "UP" themed birthday party. It was perfect! I am glad I still have it because it is a natural choice when using this darling globe. I also took a trip down memory lane by using this super old "Congratulations" set from SU! (I can't even recall the name) as well as an old favorite;Just the Ticket and the coordinating dies.

 I heat embossed the globe stand using gold powder. Our globe growing up had a gold base and it totally brings back memories. My siblings and I would have great fun looking at it and of course, spinning it! I think my mom still has it, which is definitely a vintage treasure now!

I created a vintage looking tag as the backdrop for the focal image. I also stamped a few images from yet another old set from SU!;Stamp of Authenticity. It one that I will never part with. I used some hemp twine to tie at the top of the tag.

I did some machine stitching using a zig zag pattern at the bottom of the card for some detail and interest. A few gold sequins, which I debated adding to a masculine card, finish it off! Thanks for fluttering by!

Happy Mother's Day card and tag

 Just popping in to share a quick Mother's Day card and tag project that I put together for my ladies' church group! Prepping for it made me miss my stamp group days and my stamp-a-stack events! I might need to revisit the idea. 

Because I was needing a lot of paper, I dove into my hoard of old SU! In Color paper packs. I found I had a lot of "Vintage Violet" from 2007. It's such a pretty color and perfect for mother's day!

I also used the new Grans Garden stamp set from PTI. The scallop mat stack, that is also new, was the perfect backdrop! The mother's day sentiment is from the "All Year Cheer" stamp set from SU! clear back from 2002, but I LOVE it! Super quick and fun! Thanks for fluttering by!

Bon Voyage Bunnies!

I'm popping in one more time before Easter to share the last of my Easter designs. My desk is clean, the Easter sets have been put away and I'm ready for our annual egg hunt tomorrow! I was able to spend some time in the flower beds and yard getting ready for the eggs to be hidden! I love this time of year!

My first design is a quick card using the new "So Sweet" stamp set from PTI. I thought it would be so fun to make a Mr. and Mrs. Bunny. I added a narrow gingham ribbon to the bunny's ear and then made a bow tie for Mr. Bunny out of the same gingham ribbon. Don't they look like they're ready for the Easter Parade? I only added color to their ears, nose, and eyes. A little bit of Stickles on the nose and ears finish it off. I diecut a tag using one of the ones included in the carrot treat box die set. The sentiment was stamped using Palette Noir ink. I covered up the hole on the tag using a button threaded with button twine. I didn't want to add more ribbon to the design.

My next design uses a very old SU! set called "A Good Egg". I've used it every year and in pretty much this exact same way because it's just too cute! I love paper piecing the egg shell! The pattern paper I used is "Pretty Pastels" from PTI but I think they just retired it. The sentiment and circle piece are from the "Tags for Spring" set that is always fun to use. A ribbon and a button finish it off! Super simple spring designs today!

I needed a few tags for some Easter tins I put together for a few special people. I used a new "Tag Sale" diecut that I recently purchased in preparation for my upcoming "Keeping Christmas" series that I am doing this year on the 25th of each month.

This particular tag die comes with three separate pieces; the base, which is cut out of pink card stock, the slotted background piece, which was cut from "Pretty Pastels" pattern paper and then the white piece which inserts into the slotted piece. These were simple and fun to make! Thanks for fluttering by! Follow me on Instagram @kellylunceford

Pack 572 says "Thanks"

I needed to make a card for the Cub Master for my son's Cub Scout pack to say thanks for all he has done. For all of you "Scouting" families, this card will probably make a little more sense. I knew that I wanted to incorporate a Bear, a Wolf, a Bobcat and a Fleur de Lis to honor the Webelos. I think that the "bobcat" image I chose to use, is really a fox! LOL! We don't have the Tiger Cub den around here, so I didn't include that. Our pack number is #572, hence the big red numbers to mimic the red patches on the uniform.

I was lucky enough to get this stamp set from SU! before it retired and I didn't realize how handy it would become. I thought that it would serve mainly for masculine birthdays and father's day, but scouting....no. I am glad it has worked so well. I have been wanting the coveted scouting set from SU!, but I have never found anyone who would part with it. So...this is a shout out to anyone who is willing to let it go! I would be willing to pay nicely for it! LOL!

I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch to get started. I was in a hurry since I still needed to bake cookies and get a little thank you for all of the den leaders as well. Like I have mentioned before, I have really come to love sketches!

On a sad note, I really messed up yesterday. Once I was finished with all of the St. Patty's day boxes for Emma's dance class, I set them at the bottom of the stairs in a basket so that I would remember to take them with us to class. My husband keeps joking that he stepped on them. Well....yesterday I was carrying Rowan down the stairs and with my ever-growing pregnant belly, I didn't see them and forgot they were there. You guessed it...I completely stepped on top of the basket, which attached to my foot and I had to walk on it the rest of the way down the stairs with the basket shattering everywhere, boxes smashing and candies going EVERYWHERE!!!!! I was sooooo upset. All of that work ruined! I am sure it was quite comical to watch had anyone other than Rowan and I been there. I was just lucky that I didn't fall risking everyone's safety! Lesson learned: Don't set things on the stairs that can either kill you or you can ruin! When Emma saw them, she said, " Oh MOM, they don't look that bad. They're just smashed and bent a bit! She is cute! I am going to see what I can salvage, however! Thanks for letting me vent and thanks for fluttering by!

Little Cutie *SFYTT*

In honor of making it half way through my pregnancy, I decided to post this on my 20 week mark! Yay! I am not goint to let the fact that it is the "Ides of March" get in the way of my celebration! LOL!

It seems like I am always in need of a baby card! I love babies, though! Baby cards are some of my absolute favorites! You know me; I really like to make the card to match the gift. In this case, I bought an adorable Nautica outfit in khaki, navy and yellow, of course! This month's sketch was perfect for my card. I love Jen's sketches so much because I end up making cards that I normall never would have come up with. They really are the perfect springboard for creativity and thinking outside of yourself.

Since the outfit was "nautical" I chose to use the little sailboat from SU's "Nursery Necessities". It is one of my absolute favorite baby sets! I stamped the sailboat image three times; once in each color. I cut each piece out and popped it up using dimensionals.

After it was all said and done, I realized that I used a few design elements that I used on my first card using this sketch. OH well.....


I hope you have all had a chance to play along! If not, you still have time! Remember, this month's sketch is sponsored by Amber Ink and here is this month's sketch!

All Star Coach

Last Saturday was my son's last basketball of the season so of course that means coaches gifts! My husband was the assistant coach so I really only needed one. In "Kelly" fashion, I was running a bit behind so I had to make something quick! I always do the same thing for my son's coaches. I go to the dollar store and get the large plastic popcorn bucket and fill it with microwave popcorn, candy, etc. I always include a Blockbuster gift card to continue with the theme. Well....I didn't end up by getting the gift card; apparantely Blockbuster is up for bid and so they can't sell any giftcards so they know where their assets are. ughhh!

I had to *quickly* make a card, which kindof bugged me because I wanted to be able to relax and take my time. Anyway, PTI stamps and dies to the rescue! For as much as I love banners I had to have PTI's Banner Builders stamp set and coordinating dies! I got it when it was first released and this is the first time I have used it! Shame on me!

I started off by picking the paper; I chose to use some old SU! paper, but it was perfect! The bright colors were just what I wanted. After I did that, I die cut all of the pieces and then stamped each one with a different design. The letters are from a really old PSX set that I love! They fit perfectly, all except the "H". The string image that came with the set was too small for 5 banner pieces so I just arranged them like I wanted and then used crochet thread tied in a bow and glued to each end. It worked out well. The #1 and "All Star" sentiment are from su!

P.S. I want to take this time to thank all of you who stuck by me during my many weeks of morning sickness and fatigue! I really feel like a brand new person; actually, I just feel like *me* again, which is great! I was really starting to worry whether my desire to do much of anything would ever return, but it is here... full force! Thanks again and stay posted this week for some fun St. Patty's day projects!

So sorry for your loss

Yesterday at my PTA meeting, I found out that one of the board members had lost her mother this week. I have helped her with the book fair every year, so I wanted to send her a sympathy card.
I have decided that I have become addicted to sketches; partly because it gives me a challenge and a new way of looking at things, but also because it takes out all of the guess work and gets me right to the fun part! I decided to check out this week's Mojo Moday sketch and really liked it. She gave you two options; square or round. As you can see, my card is neither. This did pose a problem as I got down to placing everything. I had a hard time getting it balanced.

I chose to use some older SU! papers and stamp set. I didn't want to use my traditional sympathy sets. I wanted something nice, not too bright, but not too drab, either. I thought these papers were a nice balance. It is gray and rainy here today, so my photo is ending up looking a little gray as well. The card is much more cheerful in real life.

Rowan has just woken up from his nap, so my creative time has come to an end. I haven't even showered yet, so I better get going! I have an end of season basketball coach gift to put together for Saturday as well as this month's new SFYTT. I also have some fun news to share! Thanks for fluttering by!

Love You Forever *SFYTT*

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and it is one of my favorite holidays! I love putting together little gifts and treats to celebrate the people I love. Today's SFYTT card is in honor of someone I love very much; little miss Emma! I thought this little girl from SU's "Greeting Card Kids" was just too sweet and so perfect for Emma! I paired it with PTI's "Heart Prints" and "Just the Ticket". I bought the coordinating die for the ticket set and I have had fun messing around with it, but nothing has ever made it onto a card until today!

This month's sponsor is Antita Be Stampin! I didn't get any stamps, but she sure has some darling images you will definitely want to check out! You can view her things here and here! The other gals have used her stuff as well so you won't want to miss seeing their creations.

For my card, I decided to stamp my focal image, cut it out and mount it onto a pattern paper background. I really like how it turned out. I glittered her little heart with some red chunky glitter from SU! It just seemed to be begging for it. If any holiday calls for glitter, it has to be Valentine's Day! I remember doing all kinds of Valentine's projects growing up and they all seemed to include glitter. I just couldn't resist adding this sweet little sentiment to the side, even though I strayed from the sketch a bit. The tickets were the perfect touch and gave it just the feel I was looking for. I hope Emma enjoys her card as well as the fun little presents I have picked up for her.

You won't want to miss the other designers!
Jen Del Muro and New Guest Designer
Amy Rohl
Susan Liles
Amy Sheffer
Leigh O' Brien,
Amber Hight
Megan Lock
Sony Christoph
Jodi Collins
CAROLE

Kerry Johnson

Thanks for fluttering by!

A new little someone *SFYTT*

Happy New Year! Can you even believe that it is 2011? Time goes by way too fast! It's a new year and that means a new SFYTT format. Before I say anything, I am going to send you all over to Jen's Blog for all of the new deets! Today's sketch is sponsored by The Cat's Pajamas, which is one of my favorite stamp companies, but I needed a baby card so I opted out of using their stamps since I don't own any baby girl TCP stamps. They have fabulous stuff, so you will defintely want to take a trip over there to do some drooling and maybe even some buying, if you are a lucky stamper! LOL!

Today's card is for one of the gals in the neighborhood who just had her first baby girl! Baby cards are some of my most favorite cards to make! I bought some fabric to make her a quilt and now I have all of the squares cut, but it isn't even sewn yet. I bought it in the middle of Christmas festivities, so I knew that it would sit untouched for a couple of weeks. Anyway, the fabric is pink and brown, polka dots and damask! Of course, the card has to match, so I used some My Mind's Eye pattern paper. The damask on the back panel is flocked, which I absolutely love. The other two patterns are not, but are from the same line.

I have been feeling like I use "Baby Button Bits" from PTI for every baby card, so I switched things up and used "Buggies and Booties" from SU!. I thought it worked nicely with the patterns also. I don't know if she even likes vintage, but that is what she is getting! LOL! The sentiment is from "Baby Button Bits", however. The focal image is one of my favorite images and I am sure it really should stay white, but I didn't want to make it a christening/blessing card, so I decided to add some hints of pink. After I was done coloring it, I thought the focal image seemed a little too stark and plain, so I stamped the sentiment which is included in the set which says, "Babies are bits of stardust blown from the hand of God" very lightly with "Antique Linen" distress ink by Ranger. It gave it the perfect touch.

I actually did quite a bit of tinkering to the card; adding and removing, changing and re-changing. I really hope she doesn't look to close at the card, because she may just discover a little rip or tear where something was removed. Eeek! Oh well!

The lace flower was made by baste-stitching a length of lace and then gathering it and adhereing it with some glue dots. I really like the vintage detail that it added. You can't really tell in these photos, but I also cut some felt ric-rac using the ric-rac die from PTI. I thought it gave it some extra detail as well.

You won't want to miss the other designers!
Jen Del Muro and New Guest Designer
Amy Rohl
Susan Liles
Amy Sheffer
Leigh O' Brien,
Amber Hight
Megan Lock
Sony Christoph ( will be back next month)
Jodi Collins
CAROLE ( will be back next month)

Kerry Johnson

Thanks for fluttering by!
It is always fun to see what the other gals have done! Here is the sketch! Have fun!

P.S. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a safe New Year's Eve! Thanks for visiting me this year here at Flutter by Atomicbutterfly and here's to another great year in 2011!