The Happy Room

I thought I'd get a Mother's Day card done since there aren't many days left! Just in time, I received some new rubber from The Rubber Cafe and couldn't wait to ink it up!!

I love the little grater because I don't cook and I'm constantly using kitchen utensils and other items intended for kitchen use in my stamp room. Seemed like the perfect use for a grater to me..........a flower pot!!

I stamped the grater image with VersaMark, embossed with detail black EP and colored it in with Distress Ink refills. So easy! The background papers are from my stash, as well as the other embellishments.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

~Kathie

I had the pleasure of meeting Melissa Forsyth-Sampaga of The Rubber Cafe/Pugnacious Ruber Stamps recently at a stamp convention here in AZ. I found this fabulous "Thistle Flower" image among her line and couldn't wait to create some cards with it.

This is my first card using it (more to follow): the base of the card is basic white cardstock. The next layer is some pre-made cardstock with luscious gold swirls which I thought was perfect for this project. Melissa also had some wonderful new Cuttlebug embossing folders and coordinating dies there at the show, so the white panels are embossed with those (sorry, don't have the set name as it is out on loan right now). The scalloped edges is also a Cuttlebug die which was simply cut apart and "fit" around the layers.

The image was stamped with VersaMark onto basic white cardstock and embossed with Stampendous Pearl Gold embossing powder. That layer was cut with a Nestabilities die. Then lastly, I stamped the Thistle Flower image a second time and hand cut it and applied a little Paper Tole technique to give it dimension.

The gold filagree embellishment was a thrift store find, the oval brad in the center is from Wilton. I purchased it at Michael's. The small pearls are from my stash. The leaves are from the same Cuttlebug set!


I hope you've enjoyed the project and thanks for stopping by today!

~Kathie

Here is a little Happy Birthday card for my dear friend, Hetty Sanders in The Netherlands. I had so much fun making this card, because I thought about Hetty the whole time that I was making it and remembered our long time friendship.

The dragonfly image is from Michael Strong Stamps. It was stamped with VersaMark ink onto black cardstock and embossed with gold embossing powder. I hand cut the image and then stamped it a second time, cut it out and layered it on top of the first image. That allowed me to gently shape and curl the wings to give it a 3-D effect.

The top layer of the card is just basic white cardstock which was Cuttlebugged and layered onto more basic black. Here is where the fun begins on this card. The gold layer is obviously Cuttlebugged, but do you know what it really is??? It's foil from a coffee bag!! Now if you know my friend, Michael Strong, you will know that he is the "Original Recycler". I'm a short step behind him, because as one of my friends always says "Kathie was 'Green' before it was cool!" So how could I throw something away that was so recycle-worthy??? I'm happy with the results!

The inside of the card (white layer) was cut with the Stampin' Up! Top Note die. I added a little dragonfly image and utilized a fun little technique called "Pierced Patterns" learned over at the Technique Junkies group. It made a nice little flight trail to show you how happy this little dragonfly really is!

Best of all, my dragonfly flew out of Arizona last Monday and landed on a leaf in Hetty's yard today (Saturday). Just in time to deliver my Happy Birthday wishes to my dear friend. Love ya Hetty!!

Thanks for stopping by~

~Kathie

This was one of those projects that was close to going in the trash. HUH? Me throw something away?? Well, I thought about throwing it away but then there was an A-HA moment.

My friend Judy and I spent an afternoon making Faux Designer Paper, a fabulous technique I learned over at the Technique Junkies group. I was trying to make a very special card for a another very special stamping friend, but I just wasn't loving how it turned out (and I usually really love the technique) so I thought I'd toss it and start over. Judy suggested to me to try stamping a big huge stamp right on top of it and let the Faux Designer Paper peek through a little bit. So I inked up an old Close To My Heart favorite image of mine in Tuxedo Memento Black ink and overstamped it. , I loved it and thought my other friend might love it too (another stamper really can appreciate what one can go through in the creating process, right?).

I didn't want to do a lot of embellishing, because this image is pretty powerful on its' own, so I opted to add just a few little Dew Drops along two edges. It still needed a little something else, so I found the paper tile in my stash that looks like a little painting. That darling friend of mine, Judy, gave me a package of these tiles and I've had so much fun with them. Thanks, Judy! I think it added the perfect touch to my almost trashed project. So would this be considered Trash To Treaure?? :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Kathie

Hi blog hoppers! Wasn't Jane's project incredible? (If you didn't arrive here from the her blog, you don't want to miss what our whole TJ Design Team has in store for you!) Go back and start this hop at the Technique Junkie Blog.

Pat will be offering a prize at the end of the Technique By Design Challenge through a drawing for those who PARTICIPATE in the challenge! You will need to comment on her blog AND CREATE a card sharing the link to the project. The prize will be an assortment of products from our Fabulous Vendors.



1. Follow the sketch...
This is a great way to incorporate technique backgrounds into your cards. Just make sure the colors coordinate and you can mix and match different techniques on your card with a stunning effect! If you make extra backgrounds when trying out the techniques, you will love being able to use them here. Note: in order to qualify for the drawing, at least two different TJ techniques must be used on the card.
2. Post a link to Pat's Technique Junkie Blog
3. The deadline to the challenge is MAY 15

Please visit the TJ Blog for exact measurements of each layer for your card

Directions:
1. Attach Layers A, B and C to Layer One, following the arrangement in the sketch. Attach the three brads (or other embellishments) to the top left of the layered piece, arranging them vertically.
2. Attach Layer One to the Base Cardstock, leaving even spacing between the top and sides of the pieces.
3. Stamp the greeting on the bottom right corner of the card beneath the decorated layer.
4. Attach the Focal Image to the center of the layered squares.

And here's a little bit about my card: I used two fabulous TJ techniques. The layer on the right hand side of my card is "Double Bugging". The layer on the left and the strip along the bottom is from the current newsletter. It's called Metallic Parchment. Without a doubt, it's one of my very favorites EVER! A photo hardly does it justice~it's stunning in real life! And the large medallion is a Paperclay sculpture that was stamped in Brown Marvy Matchable ink and dried, then I applied gold metallic rub-on. It looks heavy, but it's light as a feather! I attached it to the card with a combination of Aleen's Tacky Glue and Fabri-Tac.

The next stop on your journey is the fabulous blog of Kimm Bennington-Thompson. Thanks for playing along!

~Kathie

I made this card for a friend who is a Culinary Chef at a high end resort in New York. Obviously, his name is Jeremy and I decided to put him in his own "Chef Jer's Bistro". I created the sentiment on my computer. Jeremy made a fabulous Italian dinner for me a few months ago when he was visiting in Arizona, so the pile of spaghetti seemed perfect for him! The image was colored with Prisma Colored pencils and blended with Gamsol. The floor image and the chef are Stampin' Up stamps; the wall is patterned paper. Jer's pants are paper pieced.

I hope you've enjoyed your visit to Chef Jer's Bistro and a little taste of Italy!

~Kathie

Who thought nail polish was only for your nails????

This card was made with the "Nail Polish Backgrounds", a great technique I learned years ago at Technique Junkies.

My friend came over to craft the other day and she brought with her 3 bottles of blue/green/teal nail polishes. I couldn't wait to dig into them and start playing. So, this is the first card that I created.

I didn't stop with just making backgrounds. I figured out that painting the half circular plastic beads that I purchased at Michael's ($6 for a bag of 1,000 in the floral section) made for some spectacular opaque Faux Dew Drops. Woot!! And it's wonderful to be able to make them to MATCH the project.

After making the background, I Cuttlebug'd the piece of cardstock. I loved it so much I didn't want to put a single thing on it to cover up one little inch of the background.

UPDATE: A few papercrafter's have asked me how I painted such a small object. Easy! I put two sided tape on a piece of scratch paper. Then, I placed the drops onto the tape and painted them. Let them dry and when you're ready to use them, they easily come off the tape.

Hope you enjoyed the project and thanks for stopping by today!! If you haven't signed my Guestbook, please do!! I love to see all of your comments and smiling faces!

~Kathie

I made this card for someone dear to me who lost her husband recently. I used some lovely background paper that was a gift from a friend. Same friend gave me the peach/gold swiss dotted paper that coordinated nicely. (Gotta love great friends who give paper as gifts!)The design was case'd from one of my stamping heroes, Tosh Leyendecker of Stamp Talk With Tosh. Her blog is so fabulous!! You can see Tosh's card HERE.

I added the stitching with my Janome Sew Mini sewing machine. The die cuts are all from Spellbinders, the flowers and lace are all from a local mill ends fabric store.

Thank you for stopping by!!

~Kathie

This is a fun little card I made using three different techniques that I learned from the Technique Junkies group. I loved it because the sketch (also from the TJ group) helped me use up so many of my scraps that I'd been saving for years (packrat alert!).

The image is from Taylored Artwork, a fabulous stamp company that's right here in AZ!

Hope you enjoy the card! Happy Super Bowl Sunday!!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Kathie

I used some of my favorite products on this "Faux Torquoise Stone" card. The technique is something that I used for the entire background/base of the card; I learned it over at the Technique Junkies group.

I added some Flower Soft to the trees, some Dew Drops to the corners and the little leaf (might be hard to see) is an embellishment that I picked up at Michael's in the jewelry section.

Hope you enjoy my "Faux Torquoise Stone" card and thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Stampin' Up!/Stampendous
Punches: Martha Stewart, Marvy
Dew Drops: Michael's Clear Drop, in the floral section. I colored them with Alcohol Inks.

~Kathie

Hello Blog Hoppers!! Weren't Judy and Vada's projects full of inspiration? (If you didn't arrive here from the Technique Junkie blog, you don't want to miss what our whole DT has in store for you! The Technique By Design Challenge starts HERE, so be sure to go back and start from the beginning).

I hope you like the card I created especially for this hop. It uses two techniques: Starch Smoosh and Brayered Brilliance. Both fast and easy techiques with some eye popping results. The center flower was made from scrap cardstock; the silver flourishes are from a Sizzix die cut. The material used for those flourishes was an ice tea can! Recycling!! Woot!

Now, let's move on to the exciting new challenge that we've created for you!!

Here's how the "Technique By Design Challenge/Contest works:

You can have an opportunity to BECOME A JUNKIE FOR LIFE!
Here is how:


1. Follow the sketch...The sketch uses Six 1-1/2" pieces; three sets of two different techniques or cardstock pieces. This is a great way to incorporate technique backgrounds into your cards. Just make sure the colors coordinate and you can mix and match different techniques on your card with a stunning effect! If you make extra backgrounds when trying out the techniques, you will love being able to use them here. Note: in order to qualify for the drawing, at least two different TJ techniques must be used on the card, and one of those two techniques must be used on the squares.
2. Post a link to Pat's Blog
3. The deadline to the challenge is March 15th.

We hope that all of you join us in our first challenge of this kind!! This was such a fun project for all of us on the design team. We want you to have some too, so come and join us!!

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stop and see the next fabulous TJ Designer, Jane Bosi HERE

Make these "Top Note Die" boxes as seen on 3TV's "Your Life A to Z" in Phoenix!

Here's how:

SUPPLIES
Top Note Die (or other die shape of your choice)
Die Cutting Machine
2 pieces of cardstock measuring 4 1/4" X 5 1/2"
Scoring tool to score cardstock
Glue or tape
Chipboard
Pattern Paper
Scissors
Any other embellishments for top of box

Step 1: With the die and a die cutter, cut 2 chipboard shapes. (Be green and recycle old cereal boxes or other containers! And it's FREE!)

Step 2: Die cut two pieces of patterned paper.

Step 3: Glue each piece of patterned paper to the chipboard shapes.

Step 4: Cut two pieces of cardstock 4 1/4" X 5 1/2"

Step 5: Score at 1" all the way around on one piece of the cardstock.

Step 6: Score at 1 1/16" all the way around on the second piece of cardstock.

Step 7: Cut the two score lines on each of the short ends on both of the cardstock
pieces.

Step 8: Fold and glue the ends to create the box top. Repeat the same steps on the second piece of cardstock to form the box bottom.

Step 9: Attach the box TOP to the die cut shape (attach on the chipboard side).

Step 10: Attach the box BOTTOM to the die cut shape (attach on the patterned paper side).

Step 11: Embellish as desired and enjoy!!!

NOTE: If you don't have a die and a die cutting machine, the box can still easily be created by cutting a piece of chipboard to 3 1/4" X 4 1/4". Then, just follow the rest of the easy steps!

I hope you enjoy making these delightfully easy gift boxes!

Thanks for stopping by!