A Steampunk Thank You Card

Hi Friends and Fellow crafters! Easter is right around the corner and I haven't made a single project for the holiday. Why? Because I am still trying to catch up on thank-you cards from my birthday. My card today is a thank-you for one of my best friends. She is not a "froo-froo" type of person, but finds things like steampunk interesting, so I found this sweet image at Make It Crafty for her. Everything is from my stash and I am proud to say that I still have not broken my spending ban! I do have a fabulous Michael's gift card from my best friend that I made this card for, so I think I will be taking a shopping trip soon. LOL!

Here are the details:

Cricut Gypsy and E-2

Cricut Carts:

Picturesque for Corner

                       Paper Lace for Thank You Sentiment

                   Pop Up Neighborhood for Balloon

Other Materials:

Basic Grey Eva 6x6 Paper

Tim Holtz Paper Stash - Crowded Attic

Tim Holtz Grunge Paper

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Sprocket Gears and Game Spinners

Prima Swirls

Black Leather Twine

Viva Decor Pearl Pen - Anthracite

Ranger Pearl Mist - Perfect Pearl

MS Glitter

Ranger Glossy Accents, 3D Crystal Lacquer

Copic Markers

Annabelle Digi Image



I was researching Steampunk and really liked many of the images associated with it. I went to my Tim Holtz box of goodies and found the gear sprockets and game spinners. I had Annabelle in my digi stamp collection for quite some time now because I knew that one day I would need her for a card. :-) 

The paper is Eva from Basic Grey. I have had this paper since the paper spending frenzy of 2010 and I think I have used about 4 pieces of it! I created the easel card using the directions from SplitCoastStampers but went a little larger in size. My card is a 5x5 card. I colored Annabelle in Browns and Reds. I am still trying to master those colors and black in copics. I don't use them enough to really get a feel for coloring them. I think she turned out pretty.

I like how there are all trains, planes, balloons, and other traveling vehicles connected with Steampunk. I went with a balloon, although a plane had crossed my mind. I used paper from Tim Holtz Paper Stash Crowded Attic Collection. A Viva Decor Pearl Pen created the perfect black dots, and I added the Leather twine for interest. I also spritzed it with the Ranger Pearl Mist for fun. I used pop dots to adhere it. I really love how it turned out.

I cut the sentiment using my Cricut and Gypsy from the Paper Lace Cart. It sort of got lost with the colors I used, so I added some MS Glitter, but hated how it looked. The original glitter was a platinum color, but just looked wrong. When it was dry, I took a copic R29 and colored over it. I added some 3D Crystal Lacquer over the design. It didn't photograph well, but I liked it much better. I added some Prima swirls from my stash and a Tim Holtz Gear Sprocket with a Game Spinner attached by a brad.  

I also made sure to add the Gears and Spinners to the card topper, but wanted to keep it sort of simple. I finished it with the corner.  It was so hard for me not to add a ton of flowers on this card. LOL! I used a piece of eggshell card stock on the inside and wrote my note there. I am putting it in the mail 1st thing tomorrow, if I can keep my Mom from confiscating it!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope everyone has a beautiful day!

Happy Crafting!

Colleen

Using My Stash Challenge

Hi friends and fellow crafters!

Over at the Cricut Circle Message Boards, there is a challenge to use only our stash until September 1st. I jumped at this challenge because I have way too much stuff! Here are the guidelines for the "Using My Stash Challenge"
**adhesives and tape can be purchased
**blades and mats can be purchased
**ProvoCraft products, such as cartridges, folders, dies, and machines are allowed
**something that is needed to complete a project
**No impulse buying or just because you have a coupon!

I have stuck completely to the guidelines. I have even been on a self imposed Cartridge ban, although my Mom offered to buy me the new Close To My Heart Art Philosophy Cartridge from one of my best crafting buddies, Belinda. If you haven't already picked this one up, I fully recommend it! Contact Belinda at her CTMH site if you need a rep to order from. You can also see some of her wonderful artwork at her blog.
So for my first card, I used my Harry Potter Digi Stamp from Simply Betty Stamps to make a card for one of my dearest friends. We haven't gotten together since Christmas and I was missing her. She is a fellow Potter Nerd as my DH calls us, so I knew she would appreciate this one! The background paper is from K&Company Happy Trails. I love my K&Company paper! LOL!  I FINALLY used some Tim Holtz paper that I have been hoarding forever to make a doily cut from Art Philosophy! The front sentiment, "Accio" for non-Potter nerds, is a summoning charm used when you want something to come to you. I printed that and the sentiment on the inside with my computer,  and grunged it up with some Tim Holtz Distress Ink in walnut. All of the embellishments have been sitting around my craft room for quite some time. The swirls are Prima Say It With Pearls that I had to have for something ages ago. I was right, it makes a great spell shooting from Harry's wand. I have had it so long, that package was collecting dust! The Hello embellie is from 7 Gypsies that I picked up when my LSS closed 2 years ago. The beads are from Basic Grey, and the flower is Prima.
Here is the inside of the card.

Naturally, I colored Harry with my copics. I used some Diamond Glaze on his eyes to give the glasses effect.

Next are two cards for the family of a fellow Circle member. Her daughters lost all their belongings in a horrible fire. Another Circle member asked us to make cards for her daughters and young Grandson who thankfully is OK, but traumatized.  I made him a card using my Imagine and the Buccaneer cartridge. The card has 2 wobbles (that I made) on it. The boat wobbles and the pirate in the look out wobbles.

I tried to get a picture of it in motion, but it just wouldn't take. It is fun to watch the pirate wobble as the boat wobbles, too. I hope her grandson likes it. I am also sending him a little something to cheer him up.
The whole card is Imagine except for the back and the inside top which are K&Company Happy Trails paper. I used Life's A Beach for the word Ahoy, ran it through my vagabond using a cuttle bug folder, I think it's bubbles and used Diamond glaze to give it a wet look. I also outlined the letters with copics. The O in Ahoy is from LAB, I thought it was a sun, but I am not so sure! The waves are also from Life's A Beach, and I ran them through the vagabond as well. I used a white gel pen to add the dots to the waves. I used MS glow in the dark glitter that I got on clearance a year or two ago (it was a good deal for 1.99 and it's a big bottle!) on the sails. Here is the inside of the card.

I computer printed the sentiment, then distressed the daylights out of the papers. I cut a couple of "V's" into the paper in various places, ran some black copic marker around the distressed edges, and used Tim Holtz Distress inks, walnut, old paper, antique linen and burlap to give it an aged look. I tied some  baker's twine around the sentiment because I had it sitting in front of me on the table. Then I added another pirate on it just for fun. It turned out to be one of my favorite cards that I have made.

The last card is for her daughters. I used my Imagine and Lori's Garden, which I owned even before I had an Imagine! The paper is K&Company Gypsy Baby Paper. The ribbon has been sitting on my desk for sometime now, and I was so happy to finally use it. No more moving it around!

I used my copics on the image to change a few colors on the bird and flowers, then used Diamond Glaze and sprinkled MS Chunky Glitter on it. A couple of years ago, there was seller on eBay where I got about 6 or 7 sets of MS glitters for about 4.00 each, plus free shipping. It feels good to be finding reasons to use it!

The cuts on the inside are from Art Philosophy. I just love this cartridge! I changed the color of Thinking of You (I am pretty sure it's from Paper Lace) with a copic. Then I shined it up with some Diamond Glaze and added a glittered flower with a skittle center for a little extra pop of color.
The horrible rain that we had here made it nice for me to create these cards. It was even better knowing that everything is from my stash. It's amazing how much I have acquired in just 4 short years of paper crafting.
Thanks for stopping by the blog today. I hope to continue posting using my stash creations until September 1st. I still have a couple pieces of Berry Sweet paper left to use! LOL!

Happy Crafting!

Colleen