Wedding Damask

Wow, I feel like it's been forever since my last post!  It kind of has been.  I should probably change my 'quote of the month' to 'quote of the quarter'!  LOL.  Good news is I think I might be moving back into my 'refreshed' craft room pretty soon!  It has been a long process but well worth it.  I'll let you know how it turns out!

Anyways, back to my main reason for posting: Damask & Brocade Challenge at Moxie Fab!  I love the elegance of a damask pattern...  When asked to do a wedding card, I thought it would be the perfect card to incorporate the damask pattern.  I wanted the card to be simple, yet elegant.  Here it is (sorry for the quality of the pictures; I've been having lighting issues):

I used the pale blue damask paper since it looks very soft and elegant, and the blue reminded me of the "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" wedding saying.  The paper is also a bit shimmery so I layered in a shimmery silver panel. 

 In order to frame the damasked shape I  added little pearls around it.  Pearls have this elegant simplicity about them so I thought they would be a nice touch.  I wanted the bigger pearls to stand out for more than their size, so I colored them with a Copic Marker (B21).  It was just the right amount of blue! 

The "On your wedding day' is stamped with shimmery silver ink (Memento Brilliance).  I did not catch that on the picture.  The inside greeting shows it a little better.  

Here's a picture of the inside of the card: 

I have to admit, originally I was going to stamp the greeting directly on the card, but it came out a little slanted and it looked sooo plain.  So I decided to use the same layering I used on the front of the card, but instead of silver and white, I layered blue and white.  I also added a thin damask side panel (left over from the shape I cut out for the front) that brings the elegance inside the card yet keeps it simple.  And this time I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to ensure the greeting came out straight!  He, he. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed the visit.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Have a bright day!

Aixa

Wedding Damask

Wow, I feel like it's been forever since my last post!  It kind of has been.  I should probably change my 'quote of the month' to 'quote of the quarter'!  LOL.  Good news is I think I might be moving back into my 'refreshed' craft room pretty soon!  It has been a long process but well worth it.  I'll let you know how it turns out!

Anyways, back to my main reason for posting: Damask & Brocade Challenge at Moxie Fab!  I love the elegance of a damask pattern...  When asked to do a wedding card, I thought it would be the perfect card to incorporate the damask pattern.  I wanted the card to be simple, yet elegant.  Here it is (sorry for the quality of the pictures; I've been having lighting issues):

I used the pale blue damask paper since it looks very soft and elegant, and the blue reminded me of the "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" wedding saying.  The paper is also a bit shimmery so I layered in a shimmery silver panel. 

 In order to frame the damasked shape I  added little pearls around it.  Pearls have this elegant simplicity about them so I thought they would be a nice touch.  I wanted the bigger pearls to stand out for more than their size, so I colored them with a Copic Marker (B21).  It was just the right amount of blue! 

The "On your wedding day' is stamped with shimmery silver ink (Memento Brilliance).  I did not catch that on the picture.  The inside greeting shows it a little better.  

Here's a picture of the inside of the card: 

I have to admit, originally I was going to stamp the greeting directly on the card, but it came out a little slanted and it looked sooo plain.  So I decided to use the same layering I used on the front of the card, but instead of silver and white, I layered blue and white.  I also added a thin damask side panel (left over from the shape I cut out for the front) that brings the elegance inside the card yet keeps it simple.  And this time I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to ensure the greeting came out straight!  He, he. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed the visit.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Have a bright day!

Aixa

Classic Friendship - Originally Posted 1/28/12

This post was transferred from my previous blog.  I had technical difficulties so I could not transfer any comments.  Feel free to post one!

"Happy Saturday!  The weekend is here!  Normally I'd be cleaning, but I'm the mood for some card-making.  You could say my mojo is on!  LOL.  The card I'm posting today is for Stamp TV's Friday Challenge.  It calls for a stamped flower image and at least two different shapes (die cuts).

Yesterday I was looking at a great magazine (House of Fifty), and the inspiration I got from it is amazing!  By the way, thanks my friend from work for "hooking me up" with this magazine!  (I don't want to name her without her consent; my job depends on it!  LOL! ) Anyway, if you're looking to give your home a boost, take a look at this magazine.  It's overflowing with great ideas! And of course the card-maker in me could not stand to look at those pictures and not be inspired to make a card!  No specific image I can relate to, but just the feel of a vintage and classic look inspired this card:

I was also inspired by friendship itself.  I was thinking of those 'old' friendships that have lasted the test of time and how much beauty an value there is in those friendships.  Just as we come to appreciate the dent on an old dresser, or the 'personality' of an old piece, we come to appreciate our friends for all they are and treasure their friendship even more... So here's to 'old friendships', or better yet: vintage friendships that only get better with time!  

So back to the card, here's the list of materials:

Paper:

Gina K Designs Pure Luxury White Cardstock

Printed Paper from K&E Company - Best of Brenda Walton Stack

Textured Turquoise Paper form DCWV Brights Cardstock Stack

Stamps:

Flower Stamp form 'Garden Silhouettes' Gina K. Designs Stamp Set 

Sentiment from "Springtime Silhouettes' Gina K. Designs Stamp Set

Ink:

Memento 'Rich Cocoa'

Tim Holts 'Tea Dye' Distress Ink

American Crafts Stamp Markers: (62604 Aqua, 62605 Powder, 62608 Leaf, 62609 Cricket) - I used those to color the flower stamp

Accessories:

Offray 3/8" Ribbon (1017SFS OCNBLU 1H)

2 Recollections Adhesive Pearls

Tools:

Spellbinders Standard Circles (Large)

Spellbinders Lacey Circles

Sponge applicator

Thanks for stopping by! "

Have a bright day!

Aixa

So Sweet - Challenge Bonanza! - Originally Posted 2/1/12

This post was transferred from my previous blog.  I had technical difficulties so I could not transfer any comments.  Feel free to post one! 

 "Hello! Today I'm posting a card as part of what I decided to call a "Challenge Bonanza"!  There are so many challenges I wanted to participate on and so limited time to work on projects that I ended up combining FOUR challenges in one card!  That's a first for me!

Initially I was going to combine the challenges from Stamp TV's Monday Challenge and Moxie Fab's Tuesday Trigger.   Those two meshed in my head fairly easy so I decided to combine them.  Then I came across Card Pattern's Sketch 150...  I was kind of working on a sketch for the card I had in mind, but hey, why not use this sketch... Hmmm....  There's also My Craft Spot's Monday challenge.  I just discovered this blog last week and I liked it a lot so I definitely wanted to participate.  And then I realized the theme was "Anything Goes".  Well, I took that to heart!  LOL!  Therefore my Challenge Bonanza!

I had so much fun making this card!  Here's the trigger picture (Moxie Fab) for the card:

Is that delicious or what! Forget the card,  I was inspired to go to the bakery, that's what happened!  LOL!  

Here's Sketch 150 (Card Patterns):

The Stamp TV Challenge called for the use of pearls, and My Craft Spot's challenge was "anything goes".  Here's my card combining all four challenges:

Most of my inspiration came from the trigger:  the rich and bright colors, the crisp doili, the edible pearls on the cake, the cake itself, and the overall yumminess (is that a word?  I tend t make them up every now and then!) of the image!  

I really liked the sketch from Card Patterns.  You'll notice I rotated it to a 'portrait' position.  Since I really wanted to incorporate a doily in the card, I decided to use one in place of the square diamond in the center of the sketch.  Also, instead of the bow by the square, I used a mini tag with the sentiment, and ran the ribbon through one of the openings on the doily.  I'm learning to use sketches as guides more than a rule.  Don't be afraid to switch some elements and kind of give it 'your own take'.

I really wanted the image to be a cake and I had these cupcake stamps from Ink s Dink s Clings that were perfect!  I thought it would be cute to paper piece the cupcake paper cup with the same paper I used on the card.  I think it adds interest to the image.  

By the way, the patterned paper came from "The Sweet Matstack" from DCWV.  It's a fun pack with lots of fun, yummy patterns!  Yummy is the key word for this card!  The rich brown cardstock is from Gina K. Designs and I used the Swiss Dots embossing folder to give it some texture and add to the card the same richness in texture and layering as the cake on the trigger.  

The final details were the pearls and I thought the perfect place for them was around the doily.  For some contrast I added a chocolate brown pearl to the sentiment.  

Here's another view of the card so you can see the different layers and textures: 

Well, that's it for today!  Hope you enjoyed the Challenge Bonanza as much as I did!

Thanks for stopping by! " 

Have a bright day!

Aixa

So Sweet - Challenge Bonanza! - Originally Posted 2/1/12

This post was transferred from my previous blog.  I had technical difficulties so I could not transfer any comments.  Feel free to post one! 

 "Hello! Today I'm posting a card as part of what I decided to call a "Challenge Bonanza"!  There are so many challenges I wanted to participate on and so limited time to work on projects that I ended up combining FOUR challenges in one card!  That's a first for me!

Initially I was going to combine the challenges from Stamp TV's Monday Challenge and Moxie Fab's Tuesday Trigger.   Those two meshed in my head fairly easy so I decided to combine them.  Then I came across Card Pattern's Sketch 150...  I was kind of working on a sketch for the card I had in mind, but hey, why not use this sketch... Hmmm....  There's also My Craft Spot's Monday challenge.  I just discovered this blog last week and I liked it a lot so I definitely wanted to participate.  And then I realized the theme was "Anything Goes".  Well, I took that to heart!  LOL!  Therefore my Challenge Bonanza!

I had so much fun making this card!  Here's the trigger picture (Moxie Fab) for the card:

Is that delicious or what! Forget the card,  I was inspired to go to the bakery, that's what happened!  LOL!  

Here's Sketch 150 (Card Patterns):

The Stamp TV Challenge called for the use of pearls, and My Craft Spot's challenge was "anything goes".  Here's my card combining all four challenges:

Most of my inspiration came from the trigger:  the rich and bright colors, the crisp doili, the edible pearls on the cake, the cake itself, and the overall yumminess (is that a word?  I tend t make them up every now and then!) of the image!  

I really liked the sketch from Card Patterns.  You'll notice I rotated it to a 'portrait' position.  Since I really wanted to incorporate a doily in the card, I decided to use one in place of the square diamond in the center of the sketch.  Also, instead of the bow by the square, I used a mini tag with the sentiment, and ran the ribbon through one of the openings on the doily.  I'm learning to use sketches as guides more than a rule.  Don't be afraid to switch some elements and kind of give it 'your own take'.

I really wanted the image to be a cake and I had these cupcake stamps from Ink s Dink s Clings that were perfect!  I thought it would be cute to paper piece the cupcake paper cup with the same paper I used on the card.  I think it adds interest to the image.  

By the way, the patterned paper came from "The Sweet Matstack" from DCWV.  It's a fun pack with lots of fun, yummy patterns!  Yummy is the key word for this card!  The rich brown cardstock is from Gina K. Designs and I used the Swiss Dots embossing folder to give it some texture and add to the card the same richness in texture and layering as the cake on the trigger.  

The final details were the pearls and I thought the perfect place for them was around the doily.  For some contrast I added a chocolate brown pearl to the sentiment.  

Here's another view of the card so you can see the different layers and textures: 

Well, that's it for today!  Hope you enjoyed the Challenge Bonanza as much as I did!

Thanks for stopping by! " 

Have a bright day!

Aixa

Classic Friendship - Originally Posted 1/28/12

This post was transferred from my previous blog.  I had technical difficulties so I could not transfer any comments.  Feel free to post one!

"Happy Saturday!  The weekend is here!  Normally I'd be cleaning, but I'm the mood for some card-making.  You could say my mojo is on!  LOL.  The card I'm posting today is for Stamp TV's Friday Challenge.  It calls for a stamped flower image and at least two different shapes (die cuts).

Yesterday I was looking at a great magazine (House of Fifty), and the inspiration I got from it is amazing!  By the way, thanks my friend from work for "hooking me up" with this magazine!  (I don't want to name her without her consent; my job depends on it!  LOL! ) Anyway, if you're looking to give your home a boost, take a look at this magazine.  It's overflowing with great ideas! And of course the card-maker in me could not stand to look at those pictures and not be inspired to make a card!  No specific image I can relate to, but just the feel of a vintage and classic look inspired this card:

I was also inspired by friendship itself.  I was thinking of those 'old' friendships that have lasted the test of time and how much beauty an value there is in those friendships.  Just as we come to appreciate the dent on an old dresser, or the 'personality' of an old piece, we come to appreciate our friends for all they are and treasure their friendship even more... So here's to 'old friendships', or better yet: vintage friendships that only get better with time!  

So back to the card, here's the list of materials:

Paper:

Gina K Designs Pure Luxury White Cardstock

Printed Paper from K&E Company - Best of Brenda Walton Stack

Textured Turquoise Paper form DCWV Brights Cardstock Stack

Stamps:

Flower Stamp form 'Garden Silhouettes' Gina K. Designs Stamp Set 

Sentiment from "Springtime Silhouettes' Gina K. Designs Stamp Set

Ink:

Memento 'Rich Cocoa'

Tim Holts 'Tea Dye' Distress Ink

American Crafts Stamp Markers: (62604 Aqua, 62605 Powder, 62608 Leaf, 62609 Cricket) - I used those to color the flower stamp

Accessories:

Offray 3/8" Ribbon (1017SFS OCNBLU 1H)

2 Recollections Adhesive Pearls

Tools:

Spellbinders Standard Circles (Large)

Spellbinders Lacey Circles

Sponge applicator

Thanks for stopping by! "

Have a bright day!

Aixa

Think Pink for AJ - Originally posted 9/7/11

This post was transferred from my previous blog.  I had technical difficulties so I could not transfer any comments.  Feel free to post one! 

"Hello!

Today I'm posting a card I made for Stamp TV's challenge 'Think Pink for AJ".  AJ is one of Stamp TV's designer and was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.  Her birthday is coming up so for this challenge, Lee invited us to create a birthday and/or encouragement card for AJ.  The card has to be pink, white, and another color.  The extra (and special) part of the challenge is we can actually mail our cards to her! The minute I read the challenge I knew I wanted to make a card.

I embossed the butterfly background using Versamark ink and then distressing with green and pink.  Since I'm mailing this card, I decided to line the envelope to give it a nicer feel and give it a sense of oneness with the card.  This is actually the first envelope I line!  Anyways, I hope AJ gets showered with support through the cards she receives!

I think cards have a powerful impact.  The act of giving one says 'I'm thinking of you', and when sent at the right moment, they can really lift someone's spirit.  I think that's one of the reasons I like making cards, besides it being a creative outlet.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your week!

Thanks for stopping by! "

Have a bright day!

Aixa

Think Pink for AJ - Originally posted 9/7/11

This post was transferred from my previous blog.  I had technical difficulties so I could not transfer any comments.  Feel free to post one! 

"Hello!

Today I'm posting a card I made for Stamp TV's challenge 'Think Pink for AJ".  AJ is one of Stamp TV's designer and was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.  Her birthday is coming up so for this challenge, Lee invited us to create a birthday and/or encouragement card for AJ.  The card has to be pink, white, and another color.  The extra (and special) part of the challenge is we can actually mail our cards to her! The minute I read the challenge I knew I wanted to make a card.

I embossed the butterfly background using Versamark ink and then distressing with green and pink.  Since I'm mailing this card, I decided to line the envelope to give it a nicer feel and give it a sense of oneness with the card.  This is actually the first envelope I line!  Anyways, I hope AJ gets showered with support through the cards she receives!

I think cards have a powerful impact.  The act of giving one says 'I'm thinking of you', and when sent at the right moment, they can really lift someone's spirit.  I think that's one of the reasons I like making cards, besides it being a creative outlet.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your week!

Thanks for stopping by! "

Have a bright day!

Aixa