SBS22 January Blog Hop Challenge by Peggy

My SBS22 Sister Peggy's January challenge (here) was to create anything but a card - the only catch is that it must be for Valentine’s Day! So I decorated a Tully's coffee tin from a Christmas pack I bought at our local supermarket. I'll probably fill it with Hershey's Nuggets for the recipient - a little chocolate is always a great treat!!! Don't forget my SBS22 challenge to create a card using no pink or red & one Valentine! ;-)

Paper: Basic Grey's Bittersweet
Ink: PTI's Palette Raspberry Fizz
Ribbon: Making Memories
Other Embellishments: Spellbinder's Wizard Scalloped Heart; Fruit Punch Stickles; Lace & Felt Heart from stash

SBS 22 January Blog Hop Challenge Card II

Here's a quick, simple card for my SBS22 Blog Hop Challenge posted here. I simply traced around a Spellbinder's Nestie plain heart, tore my heart from polka dot flocked paper, cut out my center heart from a doily and added a silver heart brad. I added a wide navy ribbon with "Love" rubon and scored a line above & below my ribbon. This would be appropriate for a man, but could also work for a lady who likes non-traditional colors!

Paper: Navy Linen cardstock, flocked paper, doily from stash

Embellishments: Making Memories Brad; rubon, ribbon from stash

PTI January Blog Hop Birthday Card

I'm so excited to see all your wonderful creations tonight!!! Nichole's challenge could not have been simpler, but for me it turned into a bit of a struggle. Sometimes I get an idea in my head & no matter what, it just will not fall into place! I had this grey metallic paper, embossing folder and Raspberry Fizz cardstock in my head for a while, thinking it would be a great combo, but none of my original ideas remained. I'm not sure if that's good or bad -- LOL! Thank you so much for stopping in; come again soon. Now it's time to clear the mess from my craft room and get ready to soak in all the birthday beauty out there in PTI Blog Hop land!!!

Paper: PTI's Raspberry Fizz CS; grey metallic & vellum from my stash

Stamp: PTI's Heartfelt Basics

Ink: PTI's Palette Noir

Embellishments: PTI's Raspberry Fizz Grosgrain Ribbon; Petaloo blossom; Sticko gems

Tools: Spellbeinders' Wizard & Long Rectangle Nesties; Martha Stewart Doily Lace Punch

Card Size: 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"

Owl Be Yours, Valentine!

My little owl Valentine card was inspired from this post by Julie. I used a little owl from PTI's Wise Old Owl, as well as the saying, "owl be yours". I used a pink marker to color my Spellbinder's heart die before I ran it back through to emboss. I really like that little pop of color it added! I also like it's imperfect/distressed look, which blends nicely with the background paper I used. I'd seen this technique done, but never tried it before -- it's an easy/fun detail I'll definitely be using more often!!!

Paper: Making Memories "Sabrina" 6" x 6" Argyle DP; black & white CS scraps

Stamps: PTI's Wise Old Owl; Inkadinkado's "Be My Valentine."

Ink: PTI's Palette Noir

Embellishment: Making Memories Heart Brad from Sabrina Collection

Tools: Spellbinders' Wizard & Heart/Scalloped Heart Nesties

Card Size: 4 1/4" Square

Red Felt/Red Velvet Valentine Card

My Valentine was CASEd from a thank-you card my BBGF Gwen sent me. I loved how she paired red velvet ribbon with this velvet paper, which I'd actually given her awhile back! When I got the chance to shop at a newly-opened Ribbon & Lace store in Chandler yesterday, I quickly grabbed a 10-yd. roll for my very own -- maybe it will also help my creativity come Christmas 2009 -- I know it sure can't hurt! ;~)

Paper: Bazzill cardstock; red & black velvet papers from stash

Stamp: Inkadinkado

Embellishment: Felt Heart from Hobby Lobby

Card Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Masculine Tent Topper with Nesties "Crew Cut" Scallops

I was blog hopping recently & somehow ended up here. Since I was also trying to come up with a masculine card to share with my crafting group, Designing Divas, I knew Tosh's ingenious idea could be the answer to my prayers! I'd never even heard of a tent topper card before, let alone giving a scalloped circle a "crew cut", but I loved both ideas! I then decided to take the crew cut a step further & use my long rectangle Nesties to edge my happy birthday strip at the bottom also! It takes a bit of extra effort, as you must cut each edge separately, but I like the way it brings the whole card together. In order to fit into an A2 envelope, I made my card 4" square and then made sure my card was no more than 5 1/2" high once the topper was attached. You could use a 4 1/4" square card, of course, but I had only one 12" x 12" piece of this plaid paper, so I couldn't take any chance that I'd run short. Hope the Divas like it!!!

Paper: PTI's Vintage Cream & Craft cardstocks; Bazzill cardstock; plaid & brown handmade DP - from stash

Stamps: Inkadinkado's Round Frames & Studio G's phrase

Ink: PTI's Burnt Sienna Palette Ink

Embellishments: Making Memories Lg. Brad; sm. brads from stash

DD's Birthday Card

Our DD's birthday is today, so I actually finished off a card I'd started looonnng ago. She loves dogs, though she doesn't have one at the present time, so I know she'll like this card. I used chalk on her pants, hat & hair. Because it was over 5 1/2 inches square, I didn't have a piece of paper long enough to add a liner for my inside greeting, so I decided to add a piece of designer paper edged with a fancy punch. Trying to think "out of the box"!!! ;-) It's actually the same paper as the card front, but due to lighting (& my lack of camera skills) it looks much brighter and actually more true to real life. I used an "edited" inside photo. I also edited the card front photo, but where I'd used chalk on her pants, it looked "blotchy" in the edited version. Do you think I NEED camera classes?!!! LOL!

Paper: SU DP (from 2006); cardstock from stash

Stamp: Rubber Romance

Ink: VersaFine Vintage Sepia

Punches: SU's Spring Flower Bouquet; MS Embossed Zig Zag

Embellishments: Hero Arts Gemstones (yellow) & blue $1 store

Happy Valentine's Day, Dude!

My goal today was to create a masculine Valentine's Day card, which qualifies for both my own SBS22 challenge for the end of the month, as well as my blogging friend Kelly's Blog Candy Challenge here. Why don't you join in and see what you can come up with? Always fun to win "candy"!!!
When I attempt a masculine card, I try to think more architecturally (grooves/textures/metallics) than "glittery". I used black and gray DPs and added some embossed hearts, lines made with my Scor-It Board, pierced holes above & below my sentiment with my Tim Holtz ruler and his "manly" Weathered Wood Distress Ink to edge my sentiment strip. Whattaya think -- is it manly enough??? My husband wasn't terrificly enthusiastic, so I'm a bit skeptical!
Paper: Die Cuts With a View DP; Black cardstock from stash
Stamps: Inkadinado (V Day) & Studio G (happy)
Ink: PTI's Pallette Noir; Weathered Wood Distress Ink
Tools: Wizard; Spellbinders' Nestabilities; Scor-It; Tim Holtz Ruler
Embellies: Michaels' Adhesive Silver studs

Doily Lace Valentine

Ahhh, a perfect way to spend a dark cloudy rainy day - crafting with a friend!!! My friend Ilene came over and between my new Cuttlebug folder & the small love stamp folder she received with her new Cuttlebug machine, we came up with this sweet little Valentine! It was a fun afternoon! She has a bunch of grandkids, so I know what some of the girly girls will be receiving on V-Day!!! ;~)
Paper: Martha Stewart Brown Cardstock; White Bazzill Bling; Double-sided 2-Color White Core from stash; PTI's Shimmer
Stamp: Hero Arts
Ink: PTI's Dark Chocolate
Punch: Martha Stewart Doily Lace
Embelllishments: Pearls

SBS22 January Blog Hop Challenge

Happy 2009!!!

Your mission (should you choose to accept it!) is one I've done before and found to be fun; I hope you will too! The challenge: create a Valentine's Day card using at least one heart, but NO red or pink on your card. Here's the one I made last year to hopefully give you some inspiration. It turned out to be a perfect card for my grown son, so at the very least you'll have one Valentine for a special guy in your life!!!
I'll post a new one here on January 31st when we'll blog hop to see what everyone came up with. Don't forget to go check out another challenge for this month on Peggy's blog, ladies! Let the 2009 challenges, RAKs and blog hopping begin! Enjoy!!!

Paper: Martha Stewart's Coffee Bean cardstock; Making Memories Boho Chic Tweed Embellishment paper
Stamps: Stampin' Up's So Very set

Embellishments: Colorbok's White Metal Dots