Christmas Gifts

I have been pretty busy lately getting a jump start on my Christmas cards and gift sets. I still have a ways to go but I have been inspired by the challenge designs of the Technique Twist and My Pumpkin Challenge.

For the Technique Twist, I was intrigued by the 'traced doodling' technique. I'm not sure if I understood all of the steps as mentioned in the Splitcoast Stampers video by Mel but here is what I did. I used my SU Whisper White craft ink (LOVE this stuff!) with my star stamp from My Paper Pumpkin kit and with some crayons from my girls' Crayola stash, I went to town doodling the stars. I also used my heat gun to set the wax. I like how it gives the stars a muted look and it was fun to try a new technique!

For My Pumpkin Challenge entry, I wanted to make some simple note cards for my daughter's 1st grade teacher team. I think all of her teachers are outstanding but one in particular, Ms. Ford, stands out for me because as a full-time intern, she works hard to teach the kiddos- all the while unpaid! She has a love for teaching that impresses me and I know she will be fantastic 'certified' teacher one day...

Like me, Ms. Ford is alumni of Texas Tech so I went with a red and black theme (ink, ribbon, cardstock, etc.). As a side note, Ms. Ford learned that I graduated from TTU when one day my daughter noticed her graduation ring on her finger and said out loud- 'my mom has THAT ring!' Well, it's been a while since I graduated and I don't wear 'that' ring anymore;) I have a feeling Ms. Ford won't either when she and her boyfriend get hitched:)

For the box, I used a wonderful stationary box template by Jin of Under A Cherry Tree; using my Cameo made it easy-peasy. Thanks Jin for the download. (I've been following your blog for quite a while now but somehow missed this post but I'm glad I found it!!!).

Linking to the parties over here and here:

Faux Cloisonne & Double Embossing

Earlier this morning I was checking out Splitcoaststampers for some holiday card inspiration. So many awesome ideas- where do I start?!?! Since I knew I wanted to try the latest Technique Twist, when I first saw this tutorial for the 'faux cloisonne' technique, I was intrigued...Beate does a beautiful job explaining this technique and although it took me a good chunk of the afternoon to complete (3 kids, laundry, dishes, yadda- yadda), I like how my card turned out :)

For the card layout, I roughly used the design concepts from http://www.handstampedsentiments.blogspot.com/ and Catherine Pooler. All materials are Stampin' Up and I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut the svg design from MDS. The glossy magazine I used was from the latest issue of MOPS   Mom Sense magazine. Whew, that's a lot of links in this post but I am definitely linking up at the party over here!

I'm bokeh, you're bokeh!

I love the chance to learn some new skills and thankfully the wonderful design team at the Technique Twist keeps things fresh, fun, and simple for me- all the time! My all time favorite thing about their challenges is that 9 times out of 10 I have the project materials on hand!

The latest challenge involves the bokeh effect (pronounced 'bo-ka') or also known as the confetti card. Using my SU Stampin Up Ink Spots and some scrap paper made this card come together rather quickly. To familiarize myself with the 'twist', I checked out a fun YouTube tutorial from Kelly over at Lawn Fawn.

Using an array of ink spots and as simple sentiment produced some fun results- I like this card! Linking up over at Technique Twist HQ,and I can't wait to see what the Twist team has in store for me next time.

Happy Fall Ya'll

I am so excited about the start of a new season! I love the cooler weather temps and my wardrobe, post baby, could use some variety! For a few days now I have been wanting to try the latest faux patina style for the latest Technique Twist. A YouTube video by Angie was very insightful. I used the background colors  Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive and Bravo Burgundy. To capture a raised effect on my card stock, I used the diagonal plate on my Simply Scored. The heart shaped button is from my 3 year-old's shirt. There were 3 buttons and the first one fell off by accident (o.k. I accept that) but when the other 2 'fell off', doubt started to creep in...  In an effort to salvage this shirt that is now on it's last leg, I decided to use this cute button on my card.

I love making the time to create and fortunately, the fabulous team at the Technique Twist always keeps things fresh and exciting! Linking up at the party over here.

Wild about shapes!

Extra Terrestrial (E.T.)

Many years ago a movie came out about a friendly alien that lands on Earth entitled E.T. starring Drew Barrymore. I didn't watch this movie as a kid (yeah I know I lived in a closet!) but this card that I whipped together made me think of this movie.

Now that my 4 month old is staying awake more often (which is a good thing!) and my 3 year old is really enjoying 'Mama School' carving out craft time can be a challenge. I wanted to make a card for the Technique Twist  bleach challenge and here's what I did: I tried the bleach gel pen but for some reason it was too goopy (is that a word?) so I decided to stick with good ol' spray bleach. I sprayed the bleach on a napkin and simply blotted my dark blue circle. I heat embossed the sentiment and added some twine to give it a softer edge.

I'm linking up to the party and looking forward to seeing what's in store for the next challenge.

Now all my card needs is an alien!

Chain Reaction

For this week's Technique Twist entry, I really enjoyed experimenting with color, embossing and bleach. I've always liked the results of the 'bleach technique' because it's a simple yet effective technique that always looks fab.

I rarely layer my cards with a lot of cardstock but for some reason it seemed to work for this card. I used the 'congrats' sentiment because I like the size of it. I also liked playing with the arrangement of the bakers twine. Linking up to the TTTC party!

Badge Winner on The Technique Twist!

My list of wonderful blogs I follow is rapidly growing and my latest obsession is 'The Technique Twist' What I love about this blog is how fun the techniques are and I also gain the opportunity to learn a new skill. Another cool thing is that the design team helps you further your technique by referring you to some amazing tutorials. So many good things about this blog that I look forward to twisting each month!

Here's the card that I entered for the 'faux wax' technique and I'm happy to say that I won- whoo hoo!

My card entry for The Technique Twist, Aug, 2013

Faux Seal!

I discovered the Technique Twist blog yesterday and decided to learn a new skill with embossing powder and a heat gun. I checked out the following links on the blog and got my materials all ready. Since I didn't know how this would turn out and I didn't want to ruin my newer stamp sets, I used my retired SU Shapes and Shadows leaf set for a faux wax seal. I tried wax/embossing powder mix and that was interesting; I also tried embossing powder and Dazzling Details just to experiment a bit. The results were o.k. but then I came up with the idea to use wax paper instead of having a paper background to peel off. I simply applied the powder on top of the wax paper and very carefully, using my tongs, used heat to melt the powder from the bottom. Once melted, I used my leaf stamp to make this Fall card. I love the Fall season, can't wait for cooler weather!

Linking to the Technique Twist party over here.

Inked the melted embossed powder with Congrats sentiment.