Chloe's Closet and birthday card for hubby

I've had a lot of fun today. I love it when I get a chance to make some cards. This morning I was particularly anxious about something and just decided to make a card to "get away from it" for a bit. It worked! Crafting is GREAT therapy!

I've gotten a few things from the Making Memories Chloe's Closet line and decided I wanted to make some cards today. I also recently got my very first Papertrey Ink stamps and wanted to use those as well. Soooo....here's what I came up with. I stamped "just for you" from PTI's new Around & About Sentiments set. I also used the solid circle stamp and the flower stamp for the inside of the circle. I used VersaMagic chalk in in Hint of Pesto, Aloe Vera, and Aegean Blue. Then I punched it out with a circle punch and stuck a little K & Co Brenda Walton adhesive rhinestone in light green in the center of the flower. I used Bazzill cardstock from a winter pack for both cards. The DP on both cards is from Chloe's Closet.

For the portrait card, I stuck paper flowers, and buttons from Chloe's Closet and from a Recollections pack around the sentiment. The orange ribbon is from Michaels. I so used my Scor-Pal to score a couple of lines on either side of the ribbon, and pierced the corners of the card.

For the landscape card, I added a strip of yellow Bazzill cardstock from the winter pack, punched with my Fiskars Threading Water border punch. I used a few of the Chloe's Closet brads through alternating holes in the punched border. I ran some blue ribbon along the seam where the DP and the yellow met up. The little rosette behind the stamped image was kinda fun. I saw it on a blog and as soon as I figure out which one, I'll be sure to post it here. I thought it was kind of a cute idea. It's another piece of Chloe's Closet DP, cut 1" by 12". I used my Scor-Pal to first score every 1/2 inch, then moved it over 1/4" and scored every 1/2" again. The Scor-Pal has 1/2" grooves, not 1/4", and you need a series of 1/4" marks for this to work. After everything's scored, fold it accordion style. Connect the ends and then sort of push the center down, so it forms a rosette. Then stick it on something (I used a punched circle) to keep it from popping back up. And I adhered my stamped image on top.

Last card is a birthday card for my hubby next month. I'm hoping he doesn't read my blog or that he decided not to read this entry since it SAYS hubby card in the title. :-) The striped paper came from a huge pack from Costco. The kraft cardstock is from a variety pack from Michaels. The brads in the corner are Making Memories mini-brads. The brown ribbon is from Michaels.

I tried "masking" tonight, which I've never done. It involves stamping an extra image, cutting that out, and temporarily adhering it over your main image so you can stamp around it without stamping through your main image. So, I stamped my Inkadinkado present twice, cut one out and adhered it to the other one. I used the star and circle from the Around & About Sentiment PTI set in Aloe Vera chalk ink. Then I removed the mask and used my Bic Mark-Its to color in the present. I used my Nestabilities to cut out my stamped image and the scallop behind it (the same yellow as the previous card). I used Antique Linen distressing ink to distress the edges of everything. Lastly, I used the straight Happy Birthday sentiment from the PTI set to stamp several lines on the kraft using Sand Beige Versa Color pigment ink. You can barely see it, but that was sort of my point. I wanted a subtle effect.

So....lots of fun today! Hope everyone's having a great, creative weekend!

EDITED: I found where I got the rosette idea!!! It's the I Love Pretty Paper blog. She has a link there to a tutorial on how to make it. I didn't look at the tutorial, but now that I'm looking at her card again, I'm wishing I had inked mine. So pretty!

Valentines Treats

This is a prototype for goodies for my son's first grade class, closed and open.

I created the template using Inkscape. I also used Inkscape to create hearts to coordinate with the Martha Stewart valentines stamp set and a short scallop for the flap of the box. I cut everything on my Cricut using Sure Cuts a Lot. I stamped a Martha Stewart clear pattern stamp in Color Box silver pigment ink (I'm probably going to print something on the cardstock to save time). I used my Scor-Pal to create the scores so the edges would fold nicely. I used my Scor-Tape to assemble the box. After cutting out the hearts, I stamped a couple of the MS heart stamps on them. I adhered a couple of the hearts and a Prima flower to the front, inserted the Fun-Size M&Ms and a valentine (purchased) and loosely tied "Made with Love" ribbon from Michaels around the whole shebang. The ribbon just slides off to reveal the contents.

I thought it came out cute, and other than printing a pattern instead of stamping it, I think this is pretty much what it's going to look like. The box will be several different Valentine-y colors (pink, red, hot pink, grey, maybe white) and probably different ribbons based on the box color. I'm also thinking I'll put a "To/From" stamp on the back where my son can write his friends' names. For the girl boxes, I might add a teensy bit of bling with a rhinestone in the center of the flower instead of the brad. But this is generally the idea. What do you think?

EDIT: Due to popular demand, I'm offering downloads of the files. Please choose SCUT (for Sure Cuts a Lot) or SVG (for Inkscape/Adobe Illustrator). Please note the Terms of Use included in the ZIP archive.

Kristina Werner Challenge #39

I'm getting this up tonight, so it's up, but I'll add details on it tomorrow. Here is this week's color scheme:
And here is my submission:


Again, no Stampin Up, so I approximated the colors the best I could!

Wow...I've been awarded!

Many thanks to Margie, who bestowed upon me the Proximity blog award. It's my very first blog award, and I'm proud to receive it!



This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

So, I guess I have to pick eight other blogs that I feel fit this award. I follow a bunch, so in no particular order:

  1. Okieladybug
  2. Ashley Newell
  3. Billie
  4. Sheri
  5. Teri Berrios
  6. The Artful Mama
  7. The Frugal Crafter
  8. Wanda
Visit their blogs and hopefully you'll be as inspired as I am!

And another card

I thought not too long ago about the fact that I've never made a card for the birthday parties my son and I attend. Most of the time, it's because there's not much time between the invitation and the party itself. He's only six, so there haven't been that many, but I wanted to make one for "just in case," so the next boy party, he'll have a nice card that nobody else could possibly give. Not that the other seven-year-old will really care. :-) Here's what I came up with:


I also don't do many square cards because most of mine get mailed, and a square card costs more to mail. But for a birthday party, you're just handing it to the recipient or it's attached to the present.

The cardstock, I believe, is from Joann open stock. It's textured a bit, so I know it's not from one of the generic packs of cardstock. The patterned paper is from the Nana's Kids premium stack. The Wish and cupcake "button" (that I snipped the shank off of) are from a Jesse James button pack. The green cardstock is generic and was run through the Cuttlebug sandwiched in the Swiss Dots embossing folder. The orange is also generic cardstock. The two buttons are from a Making Memories Chloe's Closet pack (great colors!), and the floss I strung through them is DMC. The cardstock behind the Wish button is from scraps and was cut with my oval Nestabilities -- the light blue is a bit pearleascent. The light green is actually from a pack of paper I got from Sam's Club. The stamp on the Orange is from SeeD's Say It Again set, and it's stamped in Versamark Pumpkin Spice chalk ink.

I don't have a recipient yet, but hopefully there will be more parties this year!

(EDITED: Oops, I almost forgot to give credit. This card is almost an exact copy from Kelly Ramussen's submission for Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration #37. I had the Wish already assembled and wanted to use the paper, and came across the submission and thought the design would be PERFECT.)

Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration #38

I've never tried one of these before, mostly because I don't have ANY Stampin Up products. But, I'm a huge fan of Kristina Werner, and she hosts a color inspiration challenge on her blog. So...this time I decided I'd try anyway.

These are the colors for this challenge:



And here is my submission. As I said, NO Stampin Up, but I tried to match the colors:


All cardstock is generic cardstock from Michaels. The pearls in the corners and on the flower are from Michaels. The ribbon is from Michaels. (Sense a pattern?) I don't have the Stampin Up ticket corner punch, but I love the look, so I simulated it by punching the corners with a circle punch. The red medallion is from We R Memory Keepers and is an Extra Large Gromlet from the Frenzy collection. The spotted flower is Prima, and the smaller pink flower is from Michaels. The stamps are from Inkadinkadoo (flowers from Occassions, Thank You from a set of thank you sentiments). The ink is clear embossed Color Box Frost White pigment ink (the flowers on the orange) and Cats Eye chalk ink in Lipstick Red. Oh, and I used my handy-dandy Scor-Pal to score the grid on the pink. I hope you like it...I hope Kristina likes it! Even if I end up not featured, I'll try again. It's definitely a good exercise.

More Cards -- I've Taken My Time Posting

I had a bit of fun this weekend, but haven't made time until today to take the pics.

The first one is for a challenge in one of my Yahoo groups. The deal is you make a card and submit it. A random number generator decides who wins of the entries, and the winner gets all of the submissions! Kinda cool! I figure if I win, I'll donate them to the Cards for Kids. But I never win anything, lol! The card blank is from Joann. The stamp is from Michaels, as is the ribbon. The stamp was stamped with Cats Eye chalk ink in Lipstick Red. The DP is generic from my stash. I pierced the card and drew faux stitching with my Ranger Inksentials Opaque White pen. The center of the stamp is clear embossed, and I cut the stamped image and the scallop behind it with my Nestabilities.

The next two were completely random. I think this is the first time I've made a card with no particular purpose in mind. I had specific supplies that I wanted to use, so I just picked an occasion and went with it.

The first one is a generic thank you note. The DP is from a Making Memories 6x6 stack called Fresh Anthology - Sydney. The stamp is from the Inkadinkadoo Blossoms set from Costco, and it's stamped with Cats Eye chalk ink in Blue Iris. The yellow cardstock and dark blue cardstock are from my scrap stash. The yellow button is unknown, but the blue heart button is from Jesse James Dress It Up. The ribbon through the yellow button and the gold ribbon on the card were from a Tonal Adornments pack of fibers from EK Success. It was given to me by a fellow Yahoo group member, and I wanted to make good use of it. And the gold adhesive rhinestones were from Michaels.

The last card is a birthday card, but it wasn't made for anyone in particular. I have a couple of guy birthdays coming up, so this might end up being used for one of those. The stripe DP is from Making Memories Fresh Anthology - Eliza. The orange is from a Bazzill Basics Winter pack. The border punch is from Fiskars. The candles are from the Inkadinkadoo Seasons set from Costco, and it's stamped with Versamark chalk ink in Spanish Olive. The words on the strip are from the Inkadinkadoo Occasions set from Costco and are also stamped in Spanish Olive. The ribbon is from Michaels.

I'm hoping to post a video tutorial for creating aperture cards with Inkscape later tonight. We'll see if my setup works with me or against me (like last night, lol). Stay tuned! (EDITED: CamStudio wins. I lose. I can't figure out how to get a good video that a normal person would be able to actually see, so I'm giving up for the week. I may try again this weekend, but it will likely be a different topic. I will figure this out...it's just a matter of time. But for now, CamStudio has beaten me.)

Birthday Card for Number 95

In one of my groups, one member's father is turning 95 this year. She had a great idea to solicit handmade cards from all over to be sent to her father in hopes that they would number at least 95. She says he gets a kick out of receiving cards and will hang them on the walls in her sister's house. I'm hoping she'll get a picture of them all.

So anyway, here's my contribution. I cut the "b" using Bernhard Condensed on my Cricut with SCAL. First I cut it from chipboard, then I cut it from an Autumn Leaves adhesive backed paper pack. I affixed the patterned paper "b" on the chipboard "b", then distressed the edges a bit with Vintage Photo distressing inks. I tied several colors of ribbon around the "b". Then I printed "is for birthday" from Inkscape and die cut it with my oval Nesties. I also cut a backing oval, as pictured.

The card blank is a brown blank from a Joann set. The green spotted paper is from a set of DP I got from Michaels. It came in its own 12x12 box, but unfortunately, I don't recall the designer. The middle green strip is actually a little iridescent, but you can't see that in the picture. It comes from a Canson Effects Papercraft pad. Both the DP and the iridescent green were punched with a Fiskars border punch.

The "b" was mounted using pop dots, and the oval was adhered to the "b" with the right side also getting a pop dot for support.

I thought it came out cute. I hope ToniAnn's father likes it, too!

Valentines Cards for the Hospital

Well, I have at least a few cards to go to the kids at the hospital. I may make a few more, but I have a couple other challenges to get done plus stuff for my son's school. Now, I realize it's January 3, but I don't want to take on too much and then not be able to pull ANY of it off! So....starting slowly....


I've made four each of these cards. The first one uses $1 stamps from Michaels. They're stamped in Black and Warm Red Color Box Chalk Ink. You can't tell very well from the pic, but I used my Zig Embossed pen and drew in the center heart of the circle stamp, then clear embossed it. That's why it looks a bit darker. I colored the open hearts on the other stamp with watercolor pencils. The round stamp was cut using my circle Nesties, with a scalloped circle behind it. You probably recognize the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder and Fiskars Threading Water Punch. The sentiment stamp comes from the Costco Inkadinkadoo Occasions set and is stamped in Black Color Box Chalk Ink. Unfortunately, I don't remember where the blanks for this or the second card came from, but I believe they're from a Joann "Card Essentials" card blank set.

The second card uses squares punched from pink DP I got a LONG time ago. The pink ribbon is from Michaels' Basic Basic collection. It's a 5/8 inch, two-tone pink ribbon. The sentiment also came from the Occasions set and was stamped in black chalk ink. The border punch is Fiskars Diamond Border Punch.

The third card blank is from a neutrals cardstock pack from Michaels, cut down to size. I got to use my handy-dandy Scor-Pal to make the creases for the cards. The stamp is another $1 Michaels stamp and is stamped in Orchid Pastel Color Box Chalk Ink. Because of the shape of the stamp, the design was inspired by Lisa Somerville's card; I just turned it sideways. The paper scraps are the same pink DP I got a LONG time ago. And that's pretty much all there is to this card!

So I'll be sending 12 cards off on Monday to Pat for her Cards for Kids program. Like I said, I hope to send more, but at least I'm sending some!


About Me

I'm a 40-something (WAIT...40-something? When did THAT happen?), married mother of two boys. I work full-time outside the home, but spend the little "me" time I have crafting. Oh, and collecting supplies, lol.

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Copyright Info

I post this stuff just to share what I've done, but all content included on my blog is copyright Heather Kosinski, unless the images themselves belong to others. You may copy my ideas to make and sell at craft fairs or to give away, but please give me credit if it was my idea, and please don't submit my ideas for publication, classes, or design contests.

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