Brilliant!

Hello, there!  Hope you're having  a brilliant week!  And if not, I hope this card brightens you up a bit because you are brilliant no matter how your day is going!  Funny today my day started little blah but I was conscious enough to notice what was bothering me and say: You know what? I am not letting anything take away my possibilities of making this a great day!  Sometimes little nagging situations can eat up our enthusiasm if we let them.  Lets not!  Lets shine on!

So my experience today was so perfect for the card I am posting.  I am making this card for  the StampTV Monday Challenge .  The challenge is to pick what inspires you from the picture and create a project.  My inspiration came from the lamp and the colors green, orange, and blue.  Here is my card:

I just could not resist paper piecing the lamp shade or cutting out the panel edges to match the shape of the lamp shade!  You can't see it very well on this picture but I 'colored' the green parts of the vase with a Sakura clear pen for some shimmer.  To add dimension to the card and some interest to the focal image I cut an oval out of the front panel and then mounted it on dimensional squares.  Here is  a better view of the dimension of the card: 

Materials list:
Card Stock: GKD Pure Luxury 120lb white, GKD Jelly Bean Green, Patterned paper from DCWV  
                    Citrus Stack
Stamps: GKD Lighthearted Wishes by Tammy Mayberry
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Markers: Copic YR02, Y38, YG03
Others: Clear Sakura pen, Spellbinders large ovals for panel cut-out (I used the second largest)

Well, that is my card for today!    I will be back on Friday, August 17 with a post for Sean and Regina's Blog Hop!  I am so excited to participate on this hop with so many talented card designers!  In addition to inspiration for the fall season, there will also be blog candy!  So come back on Friday to find out what it's all about and join in all the fun!

On a final note, I will say this (not only for you but for myself): Remember you are brilliant no matter the circumstances.  No one or nothing can take your shine away unless you give them permission to...

Have a bright day!

Aixa

Brilliant!

Hello, there!  Hope you're having  a brilliant week!  And if not, I hope this card brightens you up a bit because you are brilliant no matter how your day is going!  Funny today my day started little blah but I was conscious enough to notice what was bothering me and say: You know what? I am not letting anything take away my possibilities of making this a great day!  Sometimes little nagging situations can eat up our enthusiasm if we let them.  Lets not!  Lets shine on!

So my experience today was so perfect for the card I am posting.  I am making this card for  the StampTV Monday Challenge .  The challenge is to pick what inspires you from the picture and create a project.  My inspiration came from the lamp and the colors green, orange, and blue.  Here is my card:

I just could not resist paper piecing the lamp shade or cutting out the panel edges to match the shape of the lamp shade!  You can't see it very well on this picture but I 'colored' the green parts of the vase with a Sakura clear pen for some shimmer.  To add dimension to the card and some interest to the focal image I cut an oval out of the front panel and then mounted it on dimensional squares.  Here is  a better view of the dimension of the card: 

Materials list:
Card Stock: GKD Pure Luxury 120lb white, GKD Jelly Bean Green, Patterned paper from DCWV  
                    Citrus Stack
Stamps: GKD Lighthearted Wishes by Tammy Mayberry
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Markers: Copic YR02, Y38, YG03
Others: Clear Sakura pen, Spellbinders large ovals for panel cut-out (I used the second largest)

Well, that is my card for today!    I will be back on Friday, August 17 with a post for Sean and Regina's Blog Hop!  I am so excited to participate on this hop with so many talented card designers!  In addition to inspiration for the fall season, there will also be blog candy!  So come back on Friday to find out what it's all about and join in all the fun!

On a final note, I will say this (not only for you but for myself): Remember you are brilliant no matter the circumstances.  No one or nothing can take your shine away unless you give them permission to...

Have a bright day!

Aixa

Wedding Bells

Hi, there!  Hope your week was off to a good start!  I had a great day today: This is the last week of school and my daughter had her "Move-up" ceremony.  She had such a great year and has learned so much...  Now it's off to first grade...  It seems like she was born the other day!  (Sigh...)

Anyways, I've been working on a couple of wedding cards, and it was the perfect week to do so as Stamp TV's Friday Challenge is to make a wedding card!   The  card I made last week is white, silver, and light blue, so I wanted to make something a little different, but still elegant.  Here's the card:

 I felt like doing some kind of embossing and decided to experiment with letterpress using the 'Rebecca' Cuttlebug embossing folder.  To make the embossing stand out and still be elegant, I chose to ink the folder up with  Memento's Brilliance Galaxy Gold ink.  Then I distressed over the embossing with Tim Holtz distress inks Antique Linen and Tea Dye.  One thing I liked was that when I was distressing over the embossed folder, the dauber picked up the shimmer of the Brilliance ink and spread it neatly all over the card as I distressed.  It added just a hint of shimmer without being overpowering.   Last, I used Memento's Brilliance Cosmic Copper to stamp the bells image (GKD 'With this Ring').

  

 I added some layers of 'gold' and 'copper' papers to tie-in the colors used on the image and embossing.  At the top of the card I stamped the sentiment with the same ink I used for the embossing folder and added a little bling to balance the card out.  I also added some bling on the bells.

Since the outside of the card is so elegant, I decided to dress up the inside just a little bit:

I have to say, I'm loving the Memento Brilliance inks!  The shimmer they have is just right and work great to dress up your project without heat embossing.  

That's it for today!  Thanks for stopping by!  

Have a bright day!

Aixa

Wedding Bells

Hi, there!  Hope your week was off to a good start!  I had a great day today: This is the last week of school and my daughter had her "Move-up" ceremony.  She had such a great year and has learned so much...  Now it's off to first grade...  It seems like she was born the other day!  (Sigh...)

Anyways, I've been working on a couple of wedding cards, and it was the perfect week to do so as Stamp TV's Friday Challenge is to make a wedding card!   The  card I made last week is white, silver, and light blue, so I wanted to make something a little different, but still elegant.  Here's the card:

 I felt like doing some kind of embossing and decided to experiment with letterpress using the 'Rebecca' Cuttlebug embossing folder.  To make the embossing stand out and still be elegant, I chose to ink the folder up with  Memento's Brilliance Galaxy Gold ink.  Then I distressed over the embossing with Tim Holtz distress inks Antique Linen and Tea Dye.  One thing I liked was that when I was distressing over the embossed folder, the dauber picked up the shimmer of the Brilliance ink and spread it neatly all over the card as I distressed.  It added just a hint of shimmer without being overpowering.   Last, I used Memento's Brilliance Cosmic Copper to stamp the bells image (GKD 'With this Ring').

  

 I added some layers of 'gold' and 'copper' papers to tie-in the colors used on the image and embossing.  At the top of the card I stamped the sentiment with the same ink I used for the embossing folder and added a little bling to balance the card out.  I also added some bling on the bells.

Since the outside of the card is so elegant, I decided to dress up the inside just a little bit:

I have to say, I'm loving the Memento Brilliance inks!  The shimmer they have is just right and work great to dress up your project without heat embossing.  

That's it for today!  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

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

Hello there! - Originally 3/8/12

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

 "Hi, and happy Friday!  Yay...  Today I'm posting a card I've been brewing in my brain since I saw the trigger .  Yep, it's Moxie Fab's Tuesday Trigger time!  And here's the fab trigger:

I just loved the color combo and the three apricots on the turquoise plate. I also liked the golden accents on the plate.  So elegant....  And here's the card that 'popped' in my head (well, at least the focal image of the card):  

I made the flowers out of ribbon, they're simple and yet so elegant.  I also used gold as an accent on the lacey circle and the line on the turquoise circle, which I traced with a glitter pen using the circle die as guideline.  It resembles the gold lines on the trigger's plate.  : )

As I was putting the card together I remembered this printed paper, which I layered on the card.  I had something else in mind but I thought the colors, slight glimmer, and elegant print of this paper would be a nice addition.  As an accent I added the orange ribbon at the top and bottom edges of the layer.  I did a narrow layer as I did not want to overcrowd the card and wanted the circle and flowers to be the focal image, just like in the trigger.  

So today my paper crafting journey reminded me to just 'go with the flow', to take the inspiration and run with it.  If something changes along the way, it's fine...  In the end it all works out!  Yesterday I read something that kind of stuck in my head: I may not be where I intended to go but I ended up where I needed to be.  So true when you look at the big picture.

I feel like that about life too.  Sometimes we make all these plans that don't always turn out the way we intended, but in the end whatever happens is for our own good.  Maybe we don't realize it at the moment but when we look back we can appreciate the 'changes' and where they led us.

Usually there is a lesson to learn from every experience, it is up to us to find out what it is.  Maybe if we look at our experiences as our teachers we can learn more of ourselves and get closer to our goals, maybe even beyond...

And I don't know how I went from Tuesday Trigger to Philosophy!  LOL!  Hey, the trigger was so good it triggered more than a card!  LOL.

Have a lovely Friday and weekend ahead!

Thanks for stopping by! " 

Have a bright day!

Aixa

Hello there! - Originally 3/8/12

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

 "Hi, and happy Friday!  Yay...  Today I'm posting a card I've been brewing in my brain since I saw the trigger .  Yep, it's Moxie Fab's Tuesday Trigger time!  And here's the fab trigger:

I just loved the color combo and the three apricots on the turquoise plate. I also liked the golden accents on the plate.  So elegant....  And here's the card that 'popped' in my head (well, at least the focal image of the card):  

I made the flowers out of ribbon, they're simple and yet so elegant.  I also used gold as an accent on the lacey circle and the line on the turquoise circle, which I traced with a glitter pen using the circle die as guideline.  It resembles the gold lines on the trigger's plate.  : )

As I was putting the card together I remembered this printed paper, which I layered on the card.  I had something else in mind but I thought the colors, slight glimmer, and elegant print of this paper would be a nice addition.  As an accent I added the orange ribbon at the top and bottom edges of the layer.  I did a narrow layer as I did not want to overcrowd the card and wanted the circle and flowers to be the focal image, just like in the trigger.  

So today my paper crafting journey reminded me to just 'go with the flow', to take the inspiration and run with it.  If something changes along the way, it's fine...  In the end it all works out!  Yesterday I read something that kind of stuck in my head: I may not be where I intended to go but I ended up where I needed to be.  So true when you look at the big picture.

I feel like that about life too.  Sometimes we make all these plans that don't always turn out the way we intended, but in the end whatever happens is for our own good.  Maybe we don't realize it at the moment but when we look back we can appreciate the 'changes' and where they led us.

Usually there is a lesson to learn from every experience, it is up to us to find out what it is.  Maybe if we look at our experiences as our teachers we can learn more of ourselves and get closer to our goals, maybe even beyond...

And I don't know how I went from Tuesday Trigger to Philosophy!  LOL!  Hey, the trigger was so good it triggered more than a card!  LOL.

Have a lovely Friday and weekend ahead!

Thanks for stopping by! " 

Have a bright day!

Aixa

Birthday Numbers - Originally Posted 1/12/12

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 New Year!!!  A little belated...  It's been ages since I last posted anything or even blogged.  Christmas time was busy.  I made a few of cards before the holidays but never got around posting them! I did have a wonderful Christmas!  My family came over and my daughter was so excited about Santa and the Three Kings (it's a hispanic celebration I like to keep to remember when the Three Kings brought presents to baby Jesus).   Anyhow, I had a lot going on for the holidays and just now getting a little back to normal.

In the spirit of the new year, I  want to work on balancing my life a little more.  It's kind of hard to keep the balance, especially when there's a lot going on.  So this year I would like to keep things in perspective, look at the big picture, and keep more balance in my life.  I'll let you know how that goes!

Enough of me and on with card making!  This card is for the Tuesday Trigger challenge at Moxie Fab World.  Here's a picture of the trigger:

And here's my card:

My inspiration came from the numbers (pretty easy to tell!)  I loved how they are scrambled in all different sizes and colors!  With my dad's birthday coming up, I thought a number background would be perfect for his card.  On this particular paper from DCWV Grade School Stack, some of the numbers are in metallic red (it's not too clear the picture), so I picked a metallic red paper as the first layer of the card.  For the candle I used stamp markers to color the stamp in.  On the flame I applied orange first, red second (towards the bottom), and lastly strokes of yellow to blend it all in.  

Well, that's all for today!  Hope to be back soon with more projects!

Thanks for stopping by! "

Have a bright day!

Aixa

Birthday Numbers - Originally Posted 1/12/12

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 New Year!!!  A little belated...  It's been ages since I last posted anything or even blogged.  Christmas time was busy.  I made a few of cards before the holidays but never got around posting them! I did have a wonderful Christmas!  My family came over and my daughter was so excited about Santa and the Three Kings (it's a hispanic celebration I like to keep to remember when the Three Kings brought presents to baby Jesus).   Anyhow, I had a lot going on for the holidays and just now getting a little back to normal.

In the spirit of the new year, I  want to work on balancing my life a little more.  It's kind of hard to keep the balance, especially when there's a lot going on.  So this year I would like to keep things in perspective, look at the big picture, and keep more balance in my life.  I'll let you know how that goes!

Enough of me and on with card making!  This card is for the Tuesday Trigger challenge at Moxie Fab World.  Here's a picture of the trigger:

And here's my card:

My inspiration came from the numbers (pretty easy to tell!)  I loved how they are scrambled in all different sizes and colors!  With my dad's birthday coming up, I thought a number background would be perfect for his card.  On this particular paper from DCWV Grade School Stack, some of the numbers are in metallic red (it's not too clear the picture), so I picked a metallic red paper as the first layer of the card.  For the candle I used stamp markers to color the stamp in.  On the flame I applied orange first, red second (towards the bottom), and lastly strokes of yellow to blend it all in.  

Well, that's all for today!  Hope to be back soon with more projects!

Thanks for stopping by! "

Have a bright day!

Aixa