A clean and simple Lockhart card

I have a clean and simple Lockhart card to share with you today! I used one of the new Kitten in Mitten images (the Mitten Kitten Star). I stamped it onto kraft cardstock and started coloring! (Coloring on kraft with colored pencils is so fun - you should give it a try.) I especially love the way that white POPS on kraft, making this sweet faced kitty the center of attention on this. The "celebrate the season" sentiment is a new one in the Lockhart collection, too - definitely a great one to have!

I hope you had a fun weekend! Lots of stuff to catch up on this week, so I will see you tomorrow! Be well,

Wee & Whimsical Wednesday

Have you seen these cute little wood boxes at Michael's? They're in the wood crafts aisle? They're .99 and have a nice shadow box effect. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for an Inchie square. And once I received the new Neutrals, bells starting ringing in my little creative mind signaling a winning combination. I started by painting the wood box, first with an off-white acrylic paint, followed by a couple layers of Evergreen Shimmerz. (I have to say, I'm a little disappointed in the pics, it's pretty cool in real life!) A little bit of Stickles along the edges, and the box has finished it's transformation.



The Inchie Square is a new neutral in Ivory. I stamped it with Lockhart's Itty Bitty Three Packages and then colored it in with Copic Spicas (just another coloring medium that works perfectly on these high-grade, artist-quality Inchie Squares!). I edged it to match the box, then adhered it to the shadow box interior base with foam adhesive for a great dimensional look.

I think this would make a great box for gift-giving this holiday season. It could be an unique presentation for jewelry or other small gifts! Give it a spin.

Be well,

How to make your holiday cards sweet!

Every time I think that Karen Lockhart has come up with the most adorable illustrations, she goes and does it again! Just take a look at this fantastic candy wreath! The coloring on this goes very quickly, and the deeply-etched rubber lends itself so well to the incredible detail on this image. Anyone who receives this is going to be filled with sweet thoughts about your stamping prowess!

You can't see it here, but I also used a Sakura Clear Glaze pen to give the wrappers an extra little effect. You could also use a Stardust or Spica pen for a glittery effect - either way, it gives an extra texture to your creation. You can see, too, that when paired up with this Basic Grey paper, you get the added bonus of even more sweet candy!

This Lockhart image, along with the others from this latest release, are now available in your local store (although, if yours is anything like mine, they're going fast!)

Happy Monday - be well,

ScoreBoards Blog Hop

{ETA: I fixed some broken links down below; I apologize if you're receiving this a second time this morning!}

Good morning! You're in for a real treat today - it's another Blog Hop for Eileen Hull's Sizzix ScoreBoards. Today's showcase is the Ruffle Cupcake Holder, which will be available in just a couple of short weeks!

You may remember that I showed you one of these previously. Today's picture shows you just how VERSATILE this die is! While my last one was understated and elegant, this one is full of whimsy and bling - perfect for a girl's birthday party, don't you think? In fact, the only thing that my two samples have in common is that I punched holes in each scallop!

This is really easy to recreate, and to create in bulk. It's a matter of just a few simple steps, starting by using some spray adhesive to stick together the matboard and felt (yes, it's felt! So darn cute!). I used my Big Shot with the ScoreBoard die to cut it with ease! Assembling this die is just a matter of putting in the bottom piece and adding some brads (I chose some really blingy ones here!). I punched the holes along the top with my Cropadile and added some coordinating Stickles for the finishing touch. You know what the hardest part was here? Just waiting for it to dry! (Is my crafting impatience growing to legendary proportions yet, or what?!)

I was over at Eileen's house a couple of weeks ago for a demonstration day and we made a ton of these! They look great all grouped together! I think I've mentioned this before, but when I get together with Eileen, my brain goes into overdrive. The ideas are flying around fast enough to make you dizzy if you aren't careful - and she came up with the MOST brilliant idea for this die. See, we were talking about frosting (take a moment to savor that) and how I was thinking about a way to make these a bit more reusable...Eileen's brilliant moment? To die cut these from plastic placemats! Of course she had found some really pretty ones from IKEA, so I quickly cut it and it was PERFECT! I am definitely going to be on the lookout for some beautiful placemats when I'm out and about!

Just wait until you see the talent that Eileen assembled for today's hop! Here are all the stops along the hop - make sure you stop and say Hi!

Laura Bray

Fabrizio Martellucci

Bonnie Bruns

Barbara Mattheisson

Denise Clason

Lorine Mason

Gabriela Delworth

Eileen Hull

Ann Butler

Candice Windham


Thanks for stopping by today! Be well,

Papertrey Tuesday

Last week's release from Papertrey Ink was just incredible! This set, Vintage Ornaments is just fantastic and has so many possibilities thanks to all the interchangable pieces. (And I personally think it pretty much demands at least SOME glitter!)

I started out creating a gate-fold A2 card from Hibiscus Burst cardstock and stamping the front with Background Basics: Retro. The patterned paper panels (from Holiday Cheer) were machine stitched, then adhered to the card front. A few dots of Stickles were added for a little more texture and visual interest.

For the ornament, I stamped it in Hibiscus Burst and Scarlet Jewel ink, cut it out, then applied Glossy Accents only to the decorative stripe so that I could toss a little glitter on that center part only. Once the glitter was on, I went back and added Glossy Accents to the rest of the ornament. (I don't know about you, but allowing it to dry is a true test of patience!)



To finish it off, I added a jump ring and a little sparkly elastic that I had lying around. I think it gave it a perfect touch! I used some foam adhesive on the left side only to adhere it to the card, allowing the card to open correctly. I've been trying to challenge myself to create some holiday cards that were non-traditional colors, and I'm pleased with how this one turned out!

I'll be back tomorrow with another Sizzix ScoreBoard Blog Hop - I've seen some peeks of everyone's work (there are more people joining us this week!) and you will not believe some of the incredibly creative things these people have done! See you then!

Be well,

Sliding in a little late...

Are you starting to think about Christmas? I am - and I love the countless ways that you can spruce up a plain brown bag, especially when you add something as beautiful as Lockhart stamps. The Angels that Karen draws are so lovely and surprisingly versatile. Here I used my Prismacolor pencils to create an angel that coordinated with the patterned paper that I chose. The best part? It was so easy! It would be nice and easy for anyone to make several of these in preparation for the holidays.

Don't forget, the Lockhart Store Locator is always available in case you're looking for a local source or online retailer!

Be well,

Wee & Whimsical Wednesday

Morning, crafty friends! It's Wee & Whimsical Wednesday, when we take a closer look at all things Inchie! You might recall me saying on the last Wee & Whimsical Wednesday that Inchie Arts had just introduced new Colored Inchie products. Well, remember how I said that I had a happy mail weekend? Look what else I got! The brand new Colored Inchie Squares and Colored Inchie Notecards!! :) There are five colors in all (ivory, dark creme, wheat, light gray and dark gray). Just look at that richly colored wheat! Ah, Inchie love.

So I pulled out my Lockhart Harvest Window for a little fall fun again (told you how much I enjoy coloring it!). The Inchie Notecards are a perfect fit for these window images, so I simply stamped this in Versafine Sepia, then inked only the portion that I wanted on the Inchie Square with Versafine Black Onyx (I wanted a slight contrast in the ink colors to help it really pop).

I love using Inchie Squares for the spotlight technique (where you color only a select portion of your stamp; you leave the rest simply stamped without color). It's such a quick, effective way to do this.



I hope you enjoy this and that it inspires you to create a beautiful Inchie creation! Be well.