HANDCRAFTS FROM THE HEART.......Handcrafted By Dawn Evans

Converting Wood Mount Stamps to Clear Mount

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 17:57:00 +0000

Supplies, in addition to the stamp set being converted:

Small scissors

Tombow Multi Liquid Glue

Small paint brush to apply glue

StazOn Black inkpad *

White tissue paper *

4 Gauge clear vinyl (found in fabric stores if you choose to not re-use the original clear sticker)

Carefully remove the stamps from the wood blocks by slowly peeling the stamp with the foam away from the block. If you find it does not peel easily you can place your wood block in the microwave in 10 second increments until the glue warms enough that you may easily peel the stamp away from the block. Please be cautious that the block does not become too warm and burn your hands. I always leave the foam attached to my stamps whereas some stampers will remove it or replace it with new foam. It is purely personal preference.

I prefer using the stickers on my stamps. There are 2 options for placing the image on the foam.

· You can gently peel the clear sticker from the wood block or use StazON black ink to stamp the image on a piece of ordinary white tissue paper. Again this is personal preference.

Original clear sticker peeled from the block

Stamped image on plain tissue paper

Apply a thin coat to Tombow Multi Liquid Glue then apply the original clear sticker or the stamped tissue paper to the gray foam. Trim the excess sticker or tissue.

I purchased a roll of 4 gauge clear vinyl from Joann’s, a 54” wide yard was only $2.99 and I had a 50% off coupon…that’s a lot of vinyl for $1.60 with tax! Cut a small piece to place over the tissue paper stamped image, this is what will make your stamp a clear mount.

The stamp on the left is the tissue paper stamped image with a piece of clear vinyl adhered with a thin layer of Tombow Multi Liquid Glue. The stamp on the right has the original Stampin’ Up! sticker adhered with a thin layer of Tombow. Trim the excess vinyl or sticker paper.

The final step is to apply a thin layer of the Tombow and let it dry which gives your stamp a repositionable bond to use on your clear acrylic blocks. I do this for all my clear mount stamps and I never have to worry about a stamp accidentally falling off a block while I am using it.

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 15:21:00 +0000

Well goodness, off track already.....missed day 3 in posting some cards but here we go.... I just love that fat Fluffles cat from Stampendous, he is so cute! The other 2 cards are using products from Stampin' Up! The card with the various sized dots is using the embedded embossing technique

Thanks for stopping in, have a great day!

More Birthday Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 15:10:00 +0000

Day 2....more birthday cards using a variety of Stampin' Up! products, new and retired, as well as products from Great Impressions stamps and Sizzix. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, most of my cards are CASEd, but I have the most awful problem remembering who I CASEd the card from and goodness only knows if I wrote it down that piece of paper has long since been lost, ha! ha! If you see one of creations CASEd just let me know and I would be happy to insert your credits. When I was in the flurry of making these 45 (give or take a few) birthday cards I found most of the samples on Pinterest...oh my gosh that place is like a black hole for me....I could spend hours just looking at all the wonderful creations and if I ever created all the cards I have pinned I would NEVER get anything else done again...ever :-) Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

It's Been A Long Time.......

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 16:21:00 +0000

Wow, 3 years......sure is a long time in between blog posts. Since I am not one to make New Year's resolutions I will tell myself I just need to be more proactive in posting to my blog. I have a whole series of birthday cards that I have the good intentions of posting , hopefully on a consistent basis, and perhaps this will also kick start me into using a little time here and there to make more new creations. Most of the cards I will be posting in this series are Stampin' Up! based products, but recently I had an incredible urge to pull out my contraband inventory of stamps and papers so your will see a mixture of stamp manufacturers.....I have to use it or fear being on an episode of Hoarders, ha! ha! Thanks for stopping by :-)

Blitsy Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:50:00 +0000

Blitsy is always sponsoring giveaways and today it's Tim Holtz. Check it out at http://www.blitsycrafts.com/2013/05/its-giveaway-time.html

Great tools to create the popular vintage look on cards or scrapbook pages.

Small Agrrevations

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 22:34:00 +0000

This is definitely off the stamping and scrapping topic, but all I wanted to do was sharpen a pencil. By the time I was done using my electric sharpener I was the proud owner of one pencil nub, ugh!! Then I was lead (no pun intended, I think) to google the best pencil sharpener ever and this is what I found. All the reviews are glowing and then I find out there is a contest to giveaway one of these colorful beauties. If you Pin It, Tweet It, or Blog Post It you can earn extra entries, so this is where we are.....Well, I don't believe I will wait for the contest to be over before I have one, but if I am lucky enough to win I will be re-gifting to one of my boys' teachers. When it is all said and done there will be one less annoying, ill-sharpening pencil sharpener in this world!

If you are interested in one of these check out the website here: http://www.classroomfriendlysupplies.com/pages/about-us

Oh yea, I forgot to mention they come in the the green as above, blue, red, and black...pretty cool!

Single Stamps Now Available!

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:15:00 +0000

How many times have we all looked at a stamp set and have fallen in love with just one image or one saying? Well Stampin' Up! has heard us and has now made available until January 22, 2013 a selection of single stamps from some of our favorite sets as well as some never seen before images. Click on the links to see the single stamps sayings from Perfectly Penned, Seasonal Sayings and Word Play as well as single stamp images in Assortment 1 and Assortment 2 that has 2 never before seen images. You can order directly from my Online Store, email or call me if I can help you with your order. Happy shopping and stamping!

Explosion Box Round 2

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 05:26:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I got a call from my mother-in-law. She had seen the previous explosion box I had made and wondered if I had time to make one as a gift for a friend's surprise 70th birthday luncheon. Well, of course I said I would...what crafter would turn down an opportunity to play, right? I started by using the Build a Blossom punch creating a Bashful Blue flower with an Antique Button center to adorn the box lid.

I dug through my embarrassingly large stash of DSP and found the patterned Bashful Blue from a few year back. I wanted to leave some pages fairly plain so the birthday lady could add pictures of her luncheon.

I pulled out a variety of stamp sets, current, retired and those about to retire to decorate many of the flaps. On this one I used the recently retired Pocket Silhouettes.

I also tried mixing different stamped images and sentiments from various sets on this project. Of course, now that I have put away all the sets I used on this box I find myself at a loss for remembering the sets I used on this flap. Perhaps when I find myself with nothing to do I can go back and and dig them out to insert the names.....yep, I know...good luck with finding that time.

The Language of Friendship set. I put off purchasing this set even though I had seen so many beautiful projects with it so thank goodness for Sale A Bration because this was one of my freebies.

The butterfly is from the Summer Solstice set; the flowers and sentiment not so sure. Another project for when I find those few minutes of spare time.

Another part of the Summer Solstice set.

Faith in Nature hostess set 2011-2012

Elements of Style colored with ink and the Aqua Painters. I then used the Illuminate Top Coat Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink. The shimmer does not come through in the photo that well, but it looks lovely in person. The pearl accents were an after thought... that is after I managed to get an ink smudge on the upper corner that needed to be camouflaged.

My MIL told me her friend just loved the box and all the other ladies were taking pictures as they passed it around the luncheon table. I don't think I could ask for a bigger compliment!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by to see my creations.

Sweet Daisy Mae

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 03:49:00 +0000

This coming Wednesday will mark 2 weeks since we had to say good-bye to our sweet border collie Daisy. She was with us for 12 years and was an absolute doll!! That dog loved to chase after sticks; we always joked that her leg would be hanging on by a ligament and she would still go full bore. Well, now she is chasing those sticks across the Rainbow Bridge. I made this card for the doctors and staff at our vet's office to say thanks for the love and care they always gave to our girl. Shhhhh, I know it's not Stampin' Up! and I won't post the name but I got it at one of those big box stores. Can you believe I did not have any dog (or cat for that matter) stamps in my inventory? Unbelievable! This is a CASE with a couple of minor changes. Of course, once again, I did not jot down the name of the original creator or blog so if this is yours let me know so I can post credit. I did use Stampin' Up! cardstock in Crumbcake, Early Espresso, and Melon Mambo along with retired MM ribbon

And here she is, the wonderful Sweet Daisy Mae! She turned 12 this past February, which for us is short....our mini dachshund, Dollie, was 18 (1991-2009) and our kitty Sneakers was 21 (1987-2008). The house has been really quiet. We could always tell when Daisy was around as she was not the most graceful of dogs when it came to laying down....she would always kind of flop down with a resounding thump. Laughingly we would call her "Grace".

And who ever said cats and dogs don't get along? My 2 snugglers in action. Daisy and Sneakers became fast friends when Daisy came into our family.

And finally, a dog and her boy.....My youngest son, Ethan would love on Daisy sooooo much and she would just take it. Sometimes she would look up at you and you could just tell she was thinking "Okay, that's enough love for now." I think Ethan was always a bit disappointed that Daisy wouldn't sleep on his bed with him, but she tended to be hot natured. The only time she really ever slept with any of us is when someone was sick and in our queen size bed. There apparently was enough room for the sick body and the sprawled out collie. That was one of the sweetest things about this old girl, she knew when you didn't feel well and was willing to stay by

your side until things were better.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out the contraband card. I will actually have another to post in the next day or so; a belated birthday card for my son's third grade teacher. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Explosion Box

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:57:00 +0000

This is my first Explosion Box ever and even though I tend to be my own worst critic....I love it! This little box is such a neat way to keep memories of a special event. For the past several years a friend has asked me to make a favor or memento for a father-daughter dance called the Princess Ball at her church. Our beautiful Poppy Parade is a perfect match for the red sashes that are being used in their color scheme.

I got to use so many different products while creating this box and many for the first time. I am so bad about ordering a product I think I am just going to love and then it takes me forever to actually pull it out of the packaging....please tell me I am not the only one! Although I had put my Mixed Bunch stamp set and coordinating punch to use previously, I have been sitting on the Textured Impressions Designer Frames. Why? It makes such a beautiful presentation and I will be using it a lot more often.

One of my Sale-A-Bration goodies, Language of Friendship. When I first saw this set I thought it was okay, but nothing I really had to have. Then thanks to all the creative ladies that so graciously post their work online I found myself really wanting it.

On the top flap you can see where I used the new Framlits Labels Collection....I am liking these too! It may just be me, but I wish the nesting sizes were a tad bit closer in size. I like the matting that I did on the top flap, but I think I would have liked the black label to be just a bit smaller. I'm sure the dies are sized this way for a reason, but a girl can always wish :-)

Last but not least, I have finally cracked open one of several pads of In Color DSP from the Hostess Benefits to add a little pop to the blank flaps. When I originally put the box together I did not have the scalloped trim around the bottom of the lid. I looked at it for a couple of days and each time I just knew it needed something, it was too plain. I punched a couple of different borders and then decided upon the Scallop Trim Border, cut it about 1 1/4" wide and adhered to the inside of the lid and all of the sudden my explosion box was done.

I know most of the explosion box samples I have seen online started with 12"x12" paper, but since you can't get 12"x12" Poppy Parade only, I opted to go with a smaller size. I started with 8.5"x8.5" and scored at 2.75" and 5.75". Each subsequent layer was cut .25" smaller, but scored the same. The girls will be able to add small pictures and/or journaling on the flaps that range in size from 3", 2.75", 2.5" by 2.75". The reverse side of each embellished flap was left blank for the girls to customize.

I met with my friend last night to show her the sample even though I had already emailed her pictures. Her first comment was "the pictures do not do justice to this box"; what a lovely compliment! Well I am now off to start making 20 of these little beauties. Thanks for stopping by and checking out my newest project, have a great day!

Belated Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 04:23:00 +0000

I have got to get busy and start crafting some more cards now that I am about done posting my latest creations. Can I please have about 12 extra hours per day? I know, don't we all wish there was more time to hide away in our craft rooms, or as in my case crowd the dining room table with my vast inventory of products :-) Bless my husband's heart he rarely says anything about it...love him!!

I also love this Mixed Bunch stamp set. As usual I was running behind on a birthday gift that was

already considerably belated so I had to go fairly simple. I have seen so many beautiful cards done with this set.

My upline did a tutorial on a card like this using the My Friend set and I liked it so much I decided to CASE it. The only change I did was to add some Dazzling Diamonds to the White Embossing Powder to get a little extra shimmer.

I know, here she goes again with that Because I Care set, but I'll say it again.....I really love that set!

Back to that Mixed Bunch set. I told you I was pressed for time so not only did I do simple, but repeats with minor color changes. The first set had Pear Pizazz centers on the flowers and here we have Baja Breeze. I am thinking next time I create one like this I bump it up a notch with some background embossing.

Well, I learned my lesson with this set of cards. I asked my 6 year old what was his teacher's favorite color. He proudly and definitively stated "purple and pink!" So I tried to follow that color scheme throughout this set of gift cards. Just recently I found out her favorite color is green....uh-oh. I find that a tad bit funny, because that is my son's favorite color as well; perhaps he just was helping his teacher expand her horizons on other color choices.

Finally, another Because I Care and in pink, but at least there is some green on the card!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

One Sheet Wonder

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:40:00 +0000

Happy Valentine's Day!!! No Valentine's cards to post today, but hey, I am just patting myself very lightly on the back just to have posted twice within a week's time :-)

I just love this DSP, Paisley Petals, I think it is so elegant. Quite some time ago I got the urge to do some One Sheet Wonder cards with this paper. I searched for layouts, cut cardstock and DSP, had everything ready to go and then I stopped. Then I finally got the urge, many months later, to play with paper and stamps again and this is what I did. I actually made a mistake when I was cutting the designer paper so I ended up with more cards than I was supposed to, but how is a paper crafter going to complain about that?!

Somehow I found a template by Keri Lee Sereika (thank you) and luckily I scanned the template and the card layouts because I have never been able to stumble across this particular one since then. I changed a few things here and there just to put my touch on it.

I did keep the theme going by only using birthday sentiments

You can never have too many birthday cards on hand, can you?

It's good to be posting again and I thank you for stopping by!

1 Year and 13 Days Later.......

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Wow, do I have a lot of catching up to do!!! It has been a very long while since I have posted and truthfully, it's been a long while since I even wanted to post. Last year was not a good year and hope to not have to repeat a similar one any time soon. Next Friday, February 17 will mark one year since I lost my dad....I never imagined how hard it was to lose a parent. I have lost other folks in my life (I am far from being a spring chicken), but to lose a parent was incredibly hard for me....my dad...my hero. I never told him that, but I hope he knew I would walk through fire for him. This is my favorite picture of us ever......

Dad had been ill for a while with COPD, he was sick a lot longer than he ever admitted, but he was a stoic man. It was honor to have helped care for him during his last few days at my parents home. My brother, husband and I were there 24/7 and I would not have had it any other way. I did not have the desire to do much over this last year other than the things that had to be taken care of, family, our business, helping Mom take care of all the "stuff". As much as I knew I needed to be there, I stayed away from my church and church family, but they supported me through cards and phone calls, I didn't craft, I didn't read, but I tell you what I sure could cry you a river when those darn COPD medication commercials came on the TV! Yes, even now I have to laugh at goofy things like that to keep the tears at bay. I was so lost for so many months and then my Pastor asked if she could come visit me at my home. She had been so kind to offer her services over the previous months...my husband would come home from service and let me know who was asking after me and what did I need or want, but I just shrugged it off because I could do it on my own....yeah, right. Little did she know the tidal wave of emotions that she was about to be hit with, thank you and bless you Kim! Since that visit I have slowly been getting myself involved in the things I once enjoyed....I started my crafting journey back by crocheting baby caps for the local hospitals, I returned to Church and my family there received me with open and loving arms, and I finally started paper crafting again....hooray!!! So this brings me to where I am today, bending your ear with a wish to do what I enjoy and share my creations and yes, Dad would want me to be happy.

Well, now that sure was a not quite so happy way to start back with my blogging journey! But on to happier moments with an end of the year (that would be last school year... 2010-11) thank you card and gift made for my son's teacher.

I really enjoyed using the new embossing powders on this Flower Fest card. Just do me a favor and ignore that little dark spot on the "thanks" sentiment. I was a very bad girl and did not get my digital camera sensors cleaned like I should have and this was the price I paid.

I am not sure why this next picture came out so dark, I used the same light box, camera, etc....the end result is not so good. I gave the teacher some monogram cards as well as all occasion cards.

Monogram Note Cards

Because I Care Thank You card

Just Believe

More Because I Care (yes, I really liked this stamp set)

Just Believe (again...I really like this one too)

And another Because I Care.

Well, I should wrap up this first post for 2012 and get to my list of must-do's for the day. I will do my best to post on a more regular basis ....I do have a few pictures stashed away of the cards made over the last few months.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings. I look forward to many more posts!!!

Charming Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 21:39:00 +0000

I was inspired to create this card for my youngest son's preschool teacher for her birthday. Her favorite colors are green and blue green. I received a card similar to this from a recent swap (posting of swap cards coming soon), but changed a little here and a little there. Seems I just cannot get enough of this Victoria Crocheted Trim, I love it! The stamp set is Charming and the sentiment is from the Occasions Mini set Create A Cupcake. I have also developed a very strong liking for the Naturals cardstock and used the Naturals White with Garden Green, Not Quite Navy, and Peach Parfait card stock and inks.

Our class sent both the teachers out to lunch together-something they rarely get a chance to do so I creatively folded their lunch money into hearts. These were $10 bills and I love how the image came out after all the folding. Believe me, if I had tried to make it happen it would not, so this was just a stroke of luck and the the design of the money. I made a "pocket" with punched hearts to hold the money hearts and adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals.

And here we are! Money hearts tucked neatly into a color coordinated heart pocket. I really had fun creating this card and I thank Melissa Bunn for sharing her talents to inspire me to create Mrs. B's birthday card!

Break Time with Bold Blossom and Punch Bunch

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:41:00 +0000

Well, thought I would take a break and post a couple of card samples. I have been scrubbing the cabinets under the sink from overflow where we had a massively stubborn clogged that we worked on for about 4 days!!! Finally we had success with the help of an old friend of my husband's who just happens to be a plumber, thank you Thann. Needless to say I would muuuuch rather be crafting than scrubbing, ha! ha!

This past Saturday I met with a great group of ladies to talk a little Stampin' Up! business and swap some cards. I am posting my two swap cards today and will add pictures of the other swaps I received. There were some very talented ladies and their cards are too beautiful not to share. Keep checking back for those posts.

This is the Bold Blossom stamp set from the Occasions Mini. I CASEd this from....oh shucks, she didn't watermark her photo and I course I forgot to write it down! I did make a few changes by stamping the flowers directly and not cutting them out. I also used pearls in the center rather than brads, white satin ribbon rather than Daffodil Delight ribbon and stamped the sentiment from the Sale A Bration set So Happy For You then punched with the Modern Label Punch, while the original had the birthday greeting (Sincere Salutations) stamped directly onto the green. I believe I found the original on Stampin' Connection and it is so cute. Thanks to the original stamper for the inspiration!

I used inspiration from Julie Davison for this card. Using the Sale A Bration stamp set Punch Bunch, Rich Razzleberry cardstock and ink, Springtime Vintage DSP from the Occasions Mini, and the Square Lattice Embossing Folder I added more layers than Julie's original which you can see here:

http://juliedavison.com/ProjectKits/1012_MonogramNotecardKit/index.html. Since I am still relatively new to this whole blogging thing I hope it is okay to link back to Julie's original creation, if not please kindly and gently let me know.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek at my latest work. I will get busy on showing those other swap samples in the next few days. Have a great weekend!

Lovely As A Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 04:10:00 +0000

I really must pull this Lovely As A Tree seet out more, it makes wonderful cards! This is another CASEd card that has been tweaked to make it my own. The layout is the same but the original has 2 brads on the layer with the stamped tree and used the chocolated chip gingham ribbon (retired), and a circle punched sentiment (retired). I chose to us the EnFrancais background stamp with So Saffron Ink to add some interest to the first layer. I also wanted to add more texture so I used the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder the the all narrow strip and mounted that on a Chocolate Chip layer.
The tree image was stamped in Chocolate Chip ink on Very Vanilla cardstock and the edges were hit with a little Crumb Cake for that aded feel. I think this would be a good manly card, but would probably use the Square Lattice Embossing Folder in place of the Vintage Wallpaper in that particular case. All in all, this is a simple and easy card to do, simple and elegant, one of my fovorite things. Thanks for stopping by for a look.

Ahhhhh...Baja Breeze

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 04:05:00 +0000

I do so like this color. This is another CASEd card that was tweaked a bit here and there. I decided to Scallop Punch both edges of my paper strip layers, used White Taffeta Ribbon rather than the Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta, and stamp my image in that soothing Baja Breeze. The original was stamped in Early Espresso with the flower image was stamped in Pear Pizzaz , trimmed close and matted on another piece of EE CS.Looks like it the flower image and the rectangle image were adhered using dimensionals as it seems to have a lot of depth in the picture. I really liked the original, but wanted to change a few thing to make it mine. Well, they do say that imitation is a form of flattery, right?

Seems that I have about 8 ladies signed up for my class Tuesday night. I have already started to cut paper and organize the card packets. We'll be doing 3 cards and one 6x6 scrapbook page that I will show how to make it a progressive page. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed for a successful evening.

Thanks for popping in to see my latest endeavors.

Here Birdie, Birdie, Birdie

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 04:15:00 +0000

I better be careful and not read my title out loud or our Border Collie Daisy will think it's time to go out and chase the birds in the backyard. She is such a silly girl and loves to chase birds and squirrels. All my husband has to do is say "Daisy, where are those birds?" and she justs starts "talking" with the funniest barks. I have to tell you a little abut my Daisy girl as she was pretty much a rescue. A guy I used to work with had purchased her for his little boy, but upon a vet visit it was determined she was deaf. The training of a deaf dog was a little more involved that what he wanted for his son so Daisy was returned to her breeder. A couple of days or so later my friend told me that the breeders were going to put her down if they could not find someone to take her. Needless to say I was horrified and was not going to let that happen! Well, we ended up getting a FREE Border Collie puppy, hurray! When we took Daisy for her first vet visit it was determined again that she was deaf. One day my hubby and I were in the back of the house and Daisy was in the front, but we just started calling her name and clapping and what do you know...here comes a clumsy, cute as a button puppy trotting through the house ready to play!!! I don't know if she had some "developmental delays" regarding her hearing, but I will tell you one thing, our sweet Daisy Mae can hear a pin drop now!

Okay, back to paper crafting; sorry for the side trip. I used More Mustard Ink on the Sanded Background stamp on MM CS. Other papers used were Cajun Craze, Not Quite Navy, and Very Vanilla. The images were stamped off in Cajun Craze, More Mustard, and Chocolate Chip--this is terrible, I think it was CC, I can't remember, but I do know that I stamped off on scrap to give it a lighter image. I really like my pheasant, I wanted a colorful bird! I used my Stampin' Write Markers in Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze, and More Mustard. Where the MM and NQN blended on the tail feathers there is a hint of green in a couple of places. I finally pulled out the Hemp Twine for a touch of texture.

I thought this would make a nice manly card for birthday or get well or just to say hi. I intentionally have been leaving most of the sentiments off the cards so people can see the verstility in each one. Have a great day and thanks for popping in!

I Love Green

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 04:15:00 +0000

I love so many shades of green and not sure if I have ever met a shade I didn't like. My mom is a green person too except when it comes to her birthstone. She was born in August so her stone is a Peridot. She thinks it just to pale. I, on the other hand love it! Glad that I do too since my youngest was born in August, in fact he was born on my mom's birthday. We actually planned it that way since we were having a C-section and her birthday fell right in the time frame that the doctor wanted to deliver. How convenient and cool is that?!

Okay, back to cardmaking....When I first saw this Studio Sletches stamp set I thought watercolor and then I stumbled across a design like the one above. Of course I forgot to jot down the name of the original artist so if it's you please give a shout out for the credit. I did make a few changes. Rather than using DSP (because I thought I didn't have the same pattern as the original, but it ended up that I really did have some) I once again made my own using elements from the Charming and Itty Bitty Bits stamp sets stamped on Old Olive CS with OO Ink. I also used another piece of lace while the original used Grosgrain Ribbon. The background is En Francais stamped in Crumb Cake while the main image was colored with the Stampin' Write Markers in Old Olive and Cajun Craze. As you can tell I got in a paper tearing mood, but I think it lends a rustic air to the overall feeling of the card. Of course all those torn edges got hit with some Crumb Cake ink for a touch of distressing.

Thanks for stopping in for a look!

The Creativity Continues

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 04:15:00 +0000

The Bella Toile Stamp is so elegant and versatile and I hope it stays around for a very long time. This card was stamped in Elegant Eggplant Ink on Whisper White CS. I really liked the way the Best Wishes stamp from the Oval All set compliment the simple elegance of this card. The sentiment was punched with the Large Oval Punch and then mounted on a piece of EE CS punched with the Extra Large Scallop Oval punch. Add a strip of cardstock edged with the Scallop Trim Border Punch, White Taffeta Ribbon, mount this all on a 4.25"x5.5" piece of Elegant Eggplant and call it a day.

As always, thanks for stopping by to visit!

More Vintage

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 04:15:00 +0000

There is nothing like a little distressing with ink and paper tearing topped off with a little lace and antique brads...ahhhh....

I am probably one of the worst consumers of DSP or any patterned paper...I hate to see it go so I tend to hoard it. I wonder if this qualifies as an obsession? Oh well, I have only purchased Greenhouse Gala and Newsprint DSP so I made an attempt to make my own patterned paper. I used elements from the Artistic Etchings set for the background and back to Puns FromThe Past for the main image. The base paper is Soft Suede stamped in Soft Suede Ink. The image is stamped in Early Espresso Ink on Very Vanilla CS matted on Early Espresso and matted again on Crumb Cake. All edges were distressed with scissors and Crumb Cake Ink for a subtle aging effect. This time I used the Chantilly Lace with one of the Antique Brads. I ran a piece of Linen Thread from the sewing machine needle to the Tiny Tag Punch sentiments and used Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere the tags.

Thanks for stopping by for Day 2 fo my creative blitz!

So Nice To Play Again

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 01:21:00 +0000

It was so nice to just sit back and be creative for a while. I am scheduled to do a papercrafting class at my mother-in-law's home next Wednesday and as I have been extremely slack in participating in any swaps my selection of samples are poor to say the least. I have spent the last couple of evenings creating some cards for my MIL to choose from and the rest will go into my samples stash. I am going to add a card a day until I get through my little creative blast here and hope that Blogspot doesn't blow up....it may not recognize my site with regular posting, ha! ha!.

This is one of the cards my "mom" chose for her class. She and I both love the vintage look as well as a black and white or black and cream color scheme. I have had the Puns From The Past set forever, but this is the first time it has seen any ink. The base is Very Vanilla cardstock edged with Crumb Cake ink layered with a Finial Press embossed basic Black. I really love the the Newsprint DSP, but did not want to completely cover the beautiful embossing so I just cut a small piece, distressed the edges with Crumb Cake ink to resemble aged newspaper. The Basic Gray layer was distressed with a pair of scissors as I do not yet have the new Distressing Kit followed by more Basic Black and then the stamped Grateful For You image on more distressed with CC ink on Very Vanilla CS. I have been wanting to use the new lace trims on everything so it is a good thing I left the Basic Gray layer longer to acommodate the Victoria Lace trim and hung a small tag using the Tag Punch and Linen Thread for the greeting.

It was really fun putting this card together and I hope you enjoy viewing today's creation and stop back for the next several days for new posts. Thanks for looking!!

Late Night Stampers

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:58:00 +0000

FREE Greenhouse Gala Tote!!

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:00:00 +0000

Become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator from September 1-October 18 (or until supplies last) and receive this Greenhouse Gala tote for free (a $39.95 value) with the purchase of your starter kit. These totes were a Memento Mall item at Convention this year...I really need to order one before they all get gone!

Easel Card-Post It Note Holder

noreply@blogger.com (Handcrafted By Dawn) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:18:00 +0000

It has been a while since my last post...there has not been much creating over the summer. While checking my Yahoo groups I came across a couple of posts by Robbie Rubala and CherylAnn Robinson. I thought it was a really cute idea for an easel card.

My oldest started 2nd grade this year and his teacher is a sweetheart and a crafter ♥! Today is our first PEP conference so I thought I would take her a little project

This was also a great way to use some of my ginormous stash of retired paper. Ms. Shepard love hot pink, green, and purple so I grabbed some Pink Passion and Certainly Celery. This is the first time I have used my Friends Never Fade stamp set and the Square Lattice Embossing Folder and I love both of them! I am scheduled to do a class in October and I think I will do this as my 3D project, simple, cute, and useful. Wish I had been able to find some of the mini pens I have seen on other projects...it really would have completed the deal. Anyone know where to get the mini pens?

I had this cute little poem tucked away and thought it suited the start of a new school year. Sure hope Ms. Shepard likes her little gift!

Thanks for stopping by to look and feel free to leave a comment.