Pocket Card Inchies

Edited: I had a measurement typo for the size of the cardstock pieces. The main pieces should measure 4.25" x 11". It's corrected now in the verbage below. Sorry about that girls!!

Hi everyone, TGIF! It's been a busy summer here to say the least. With all of the ballgames, weather cancellations and tornado warnings sitting huddled in the basement, it's been a little stressful. I'm hoping this weekend brings a little bit of relaxation! We're off in a bit to paint Josey's room, she selected a fun, fun color!!


Today I have a fun project to share with you. In the days that I posted to Splitcoast a lot, pocket cards were a speciality of mine. So I revisited my pocket card days and created a NEW design. I wanted to use some Inchie Art Squares on my card inserts so I created those first using Karen Lockhart's little Inchworm stamp. I adhered my 1" Copic colored square to an Inchie Art Square(1" piece of artist quality mat board) and then mounted that onto a tiny scallop cut Spellbinder's square. Sentiment from Amuse.

Here's a photo of my finished pocket cards so you can see what they look like. I used K and Company Berry Sweet patterned paper along with Papertrey Ink cardstock and ribbon.

Here's a single shot of the aqua pocket card.
Here's a shot of the orange card with the cute mushroom patterned paper. And here's what the inserts look like. The Inchies rest on a vertical strip of patterned paper that matches the outside of the cards.
And here's the back of the pocket card....almost prettier than the front, don't you think? The aqua paper is SO glittery, I couldn't resist using a big piece of it.

And here's how you make the pocket cards. Now when I measure things, I work a little backwards. I just lop off pieces to make it look how I want and THEN I do the measurements. So to make the pockets, cut a piece of patterned paper and a piece of colored cardstock to measure 4-1/4" x 11" and fold in half. For the patterned paper, leave 2" on the left side on the front fold portion. For the solid cardstock, cut off 2" from the right side on the front fold portion. The solid white piece of cardstock, which is the card insert, will measure 3-3/4" x 5-1/4". I then took the solid piece of cardstock and stitched around three sides to create my pocket. Be sure to keep the stitch line about 1/8" from the edge......if you creep in further, you might have to cut the white insert piece smaller. After I'm done stitching around the solid piece of cardstock, I then adhere the patterned piece to the pocket piece. The pocket will be on the right side. You place the 2" portion of the patterned paper on the left side, and the rest of the patterned cardstock will be adhered to the back of the pocket. I cover the back of the pocket so that all of the stitching is hidden. I like a clean look on the back side of projects when I use my sewing machine. To finish the card, I tie a ribbon around the entire card, covering the seam where the patterned paper meets the solid cardstock. Then I assemble my card insert and it tucks right in. I wish you could see the glittery card, it's SO gorgeous. I think if you scroll back up and zoom in on the finished cards, you can get a better look.

Well, I hope you enjoy my pocket card. I usually never have a problem sending out my cards, but THESE are ALMOST too cute to send out. I think I'll just look at them for a while before I mail them. :) Have a GREAT weekend everyone!!!

Oh, I almost forgot.......today is Ellen's Friday the 13th sale. Be sure to visit the store to get 13% off everything in stock!!

Arnold Palmer Drink

Many of you asked so I googled an Arnold Palmer. Here's all you wanted to know about an Arnold Palmer (drink):

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An Arnold Palmer or Arnie Palmer is a drink consisting of half iced tea (either sweetened or unsweetened) and half lemonade. It is named for golfing legend Arnold Palmer and is said to be his favorite beverage.[1]
Although the beverage was created at the Cherry Creek Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, it is particularly popular in northern West Virginia, Central Ohio and western Pennsylvania, as well as the South, but is known throughout the United States. In some parts of the South and Baltimore, it is known as half and half. In southern Ohio, particularly Portsmouth, Ohio, this beverage is known as a “Blend”. A purely cosmetic variation in which the drink is not mixed, causing the lemonade to settle on the bottom and the iced tea to float on the top, is known as an "Adam Palmer". Also if you add a splash of grenadine it is called a "Bryan Palmer".
There are four alcoholic variations. The first, known as the "Tom Arnold", consists of the original iced-tea/lemonade mixture, with vodka added. Another variation, the "John Daly", contains 1¼ oz citrus vodka, ¼ oz triple sec, topped off with ½ lemonade and ½ iced tea. The third variation is referred to as the "Dirty Palmer." This drink consists of 2/3 Arnold Palmer and 1/3 Sailor Jerry Rum. Finally, the "Hard Arnold" or "Stiff Palmer" is equal parts of Mike's Hard Lemonade and Twisted Tea (most common in the US Midwest).[citation needed]

Polkadots and Pine's Paint!

Hi everyone, hope you're having a great summer so far. The girls and I went into town early today to do some shopping. We picked up some sidewalk chalk...3D at that after I heard my friends Val and Pine talking about it. I also strolled down the magazine aisle which I MUST do every time I hit the stores. We then hit an antique mall that I've never been to. I found just what I was looking for...an old wire milk basket. I'll show you what I'm going to with that once I get some photos taken. The girls wore me out so DH has them and is fishing right now so I have some quiet time.

So here's today's post. A while back my good friend Pine (Heather Nichols) did some projects using craft paints. Most of Pine's wonderful creations include Kraft cardstock and white ink....and lots of paint. So I took on one her challenges to use paint on a project and I'm just now getting around to posting them here. Please visit Pine's blog HERE to see her wonderful creations and scroll down to the May 8th post to learn all about using paint on your stamps.

I made a fun little set of notecards using pink craft paints (cheap acrylic kind found at any craft store)and the Papertrey Ink set called Polka Dot Basics. You'll notice that I use that set a lot....gotta love the polka dots!! Notice that I also tried stamping on some of Nichole's glassine bags...works great, just allow time for the paint to dry.For my envelopes, I used Stampin' Up! long Kraft envies. I covered the flaps with Papertrey Ink patterned paper and stamped the giant polka dots on both sides of the envelope with the pink paint. For the notecard, I used Spellbinder's new long rectangle Nestabilities, aren't these a fun size? These are *no fold* cards, you just write on the front of them.
To repeat the polka dot design, I also stamp some smaller polka dots on my notecards, using the pink paint again. I made a horizontal band of patterned paper for the top and then added a final circle accent stamped with the cute little two step strawberry from the Papertrey Ink set called Green Thumb, one of my favorites.

Well, I'm off to enjoy the evening. We rented Bucket List, Funny Farm and Son In Law to watch this week. I'm going to get the popcorn and movies ready and put on my jammies.....it's funny that in the summer time all I wear is shorts and a tshirt.....then I get ready for bed and I just put on more shorts and a tshirt! I am SO stylish! I'm also going to fix me an Arnold Palmer. I believe my friends just mix lemonade and iced tea....I'm trying to cut out the Diet Coke so I'm switching to these for a change. I'll let you know how it turns out. Have a great evening everyone!

Knit Happens!

This summer has brought on many *knit happens* moments for my family. I won't go into the boring details, but don't you have those days where it all just falls apart? I'm sure we all know of friends who are in the same boat....or basket, shall we say? That is when it's the perfect time to send them a card just because you care. My most favorite types of cards are the ones I receive from friends and family out of the blue. No special occasion needed.


That's what I wanted to create with Karen Lockhart's Yarn in a Basket stamp. I also have wanting to use some more of this great patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket's Honey Pie line. I pulled out a bunch of Copic Sketch markers that matched my patterned paper and colored my image to match. I then cut and embossed it with Spellbinder's Square Nestabilities Die Templates. I sponged up all the edges of my card to give it a soft, vintage feel. Also added a little snippet of PapertreyRibbon, a brad and some Papertrey Polka Dots to the background and horizontal strip that runs across the card front. Sentiment is from A Muse. And here's my finished card along with a matching envelope. Be sure to add this layout to your sketch book. I forgot to add the photo of the sketch but it's a great one that I'm sure I'll reach for time and again.
I also added a piece of the polka dot stamped paper to the inside of the card. I thought that would make the perfect place to add a line of whimsical inspiration to a friend. And here's the back flap of the envelope. I went all out and stamped it with Papertrey's Polkadot stamp set. Gotta love the polka dots!

Note: I have removed the email subscription from my blog until I get the wacky widgets fixed! And also, I am in the process of straightening up my craft room....I've had lots of requests for photos so I will oblige. And I'll also take photos of the girls' rooms once they are re-decorated. We're picking out paint colors this week. Hope you're having a great weekend!!

Patterned Paper Creations

I've been trying to blog ALL DAY but no time! We have SEVEN children here right now so it's a crazy.....but FUN........night! So I'm going to keep this fairly short, so please enjoy the photos!

I made three cards last night while waiting out the storms. I used my hand stamped patterned paper that I posted on June 3rd. It's SO MUCH fun to make your own patterned paper. You get exactly what you want.

This first card uses one of my favorite images from the Crafty Secrets Bugs set. Isn't it fun to think about being SO tiny that you have a cherry for a house? I used to love little story books with themes like this. Cute, cute image! Sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. Spellbinder's Nestabilities Die Cut.I love this chair from Karen Lockhart, available at Ellen's store! It SO reminds me of the ones my folks still have. I can't recall how many colors they've been painted. I love this pink version! Sentiment from A Muse.
And here's another kitty from Anna Wight's Cat's Life stamp set from Whipper Snapper. Don't you love the jewels on her hand cut crown? I think she's SO sweet! I took the photos on one of Jordan's new finds for her room. I got this at a little sale that these ladies has trash to treasure items. This is a seat, painted shabby pink. I believe that many of these seats are meant to go around a big picnic table. There was only one at the sale so we nabbed it! Jordy's going to sit her American Girl Dolls on this or maybe use it to sit and tie her shoes before school. I love it!
And here's the sketch I used for all three cards. I used different snippets of my hand made patterned paper for each card. All ribbon and cardstock by Papertrey Ink, Spellbinder's Die Cuts, Copic Sketch markers, Palette Black Noir ink.

Note: I'd love to elaborate on some Copic tips but I gotta run. Be sure to check out Marianne's blog for some good information. I would just jot it in journal to check daily.....or sign up for her email updates. Awesome stuff! Okay, I reallllllllly gotta go now, the kids are wanting food!!!

Crafty Secrets....By The Sea

First things first: Marianne from Copic now has a BLOG! If you love Copics like I do, you should be jumping up and down in your seat! Marianne is the Product Specialist for Copic. What's that mean to us? Wellllllll, Marianne is going to answer all those trouble shooting questions we have and show us technique based posts so that we can continue to learn how to utilize our Copic markers. I would definitely visit her site, tell her I sent you and sign up for the email notifications. Congratulations Marianne, you're now a BLOGGER!! Also, I will be joining Marianne this summer at CHA in the Copic booth. So be sure to stop by say hi, ask questions and see lots of Copic coloring demos. I can't wait!

Okay now to today's card. I've been wanting to use one of the new Crafty Secrets stamp sets called By the Sea which can be purchased HERE. It's the perfect little beach set and I think it's just darling. I grabbed a bunch of Copic markers and colored my image then die cut it with a rectangle Spellbinder's Nestabilities Die Template.

When I'm coloring backgrounds like sand or sky, I don't color them in solid like what you see at the bottom of my scratch paper. I use very loose, sketchy strokes leaving some white space like what you see at the top of my scratch paper. By layering in these backgrounds very loosely, you give the indication of sky, sand, grass, etc.....without having to be a great rendering artist.
My colored image had some pretty stark white areas left once I cut it with my rectangle die. So I decided to add some airbrushing with the sky and sand colors to even out the colors a bit. It's hard to see in this photo but while the die template was still in place, I airbrushed some of the sky blue onto the top half of the colored image. I didn't really use that scrap piece of paper because I didn't want that stark line....I just layed it there so you could see the division line that I used.
Then I did the same thing with the sand color. I airbrushed some of the white space all along the sand area to blend out some of the color.
I then removed my die template and was ready to assemble my card. I reached for the patterned papers I created in yesterday's post. I decided to use the giant polka dots, the stripes and the ticking plaid. These three designs really remind me of fabrics and that you would see on beach chairs and in little beach side cottages. Paired with the crisp white, I thought they'd work nicely with my beach theme.
While picking out my card design from my sketch book, I added some Glossy Accents to the water and let it dry.

Here's my finished card. I paired the three patterns with Papertrey Berry Sorbet cardstock and twill ribbon. The twill ribbon reminded me of fabric on beach chairs and pillows.
I had so much making this first creation with my new hand stamped patterned paper. I think this card will be perfect for the girls to send to my inlaws.....they have an awesome pool and we spend a lot of time there during the summer. No sandy beaches for us though, we're smack dab in the middle of the USA!

Stay tuned for more to come with the patterned paper. Have a great day my blogging friends!

Vintage Cottage Charm Inspiration

My dear friend HB (Carol) sent me a birthday card with such a nice hand written letter inside. She asked me what my summer theme was going to be this year.....last year it was strawberries and she sent me the most wonderful vintage teapot with strawberries on it. So it got me thinking and I have to say that my decorating theme right now is what I would call Vintage Cottage Charm.

For my birthday, I purchased this old kitchen cupboard at an antique store. I just love the layers of old, white paint...the kitschy red strip and scallop cut outs. I wasn't sure it would fit where I wanted it in my kitchen/dining room but it does! I'll have to take photos of some of my other vintage treasures I've found too!

Then, Jordan picked out this bedspread(yes, all this pattern is on one bedspread) from Land of Nod. The girls get to redo their bedrooms this summer. Josey picked a more modern fuzzy bedspread. Jordan decided (with a little help) to do her room in the Vintage Cottage theme. Everything in her room will be inspired by the patterns in the bed spread. Her new furniture will be thrift store/garage sale/antique store finds. We've already found an old shutter headboard, a door panel we're going to make into a cork board, some old white shelves, etc. After we oohed and aahed over the girls' new bedding, I got inspired by all the fun patterns in Jordan's bedspread. So I challenged myself to recreate each pattern in the bedspread and make my own patterned paper. Below are the six patterns I created. These are 1/4 sheets of cardstock and I'll use them like little quilt pieces on cards. I'll be sure to post my creations!

I wanted to show you how I made each pattern. These are all just representations, not exact replications. It was fun to dig through my stamp stash to find just the perfect stamps. For the first samples, I made a plaid pattern that resembles the pink gingham pattern of the quilt. I used the Ticking CHF backgrounder....stamped it both vertical and horitzontal with Papertrey Berry Sorbet ink. Here's the stamped patterned paper up next to the fabric sample. Gingham and Ticking just screams Cottage Charm to me.
Next I used the Karen Lockhart Millinery Rose stamp to create an overall floral pattern. I used a polka dot from Papertrey Ink to add some fun. Ink color was PT Berry Sorbet.
Here's the patterned paper sample next to the fabric.
Then I used another CHF background called Victorian Pattern to stamp a paisley-like pattern.

Here's the patterned paper sample next to the fabric piece.
Here's one of my favorites, these giant polka dots! I used the big ones from the PT set called Polka Dot Basics and PT Berry Sorbet ink.
And here's the patterned paper next to the quilt. I love how polka dots add a touch of whimsey to everything.Here's another Cottage Charm basic......stripes. I used the PT Faux Ribbon set and PT Spring Moss to create stripe after stripe.
Here's the finished piece next to the striped portion of the bedspread.
And here's another one of my favorite the cottage rose. I use one of the flowers from the PT set called Garden of Life. Ink colors were PT Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush and Spring Moss.
Here's the two pieces side by side. To create this look, I inked the flower in Sweet Blush then tapped the edges of the flower onto the Berry Sorbet ink pad..then stamped the image. I added a few more polka dots just for fun.
Sooooooo, now I have my very own collection of patterned paper......just like when you see a rack of coordinating papers and you MUST have it all. It's fun to make your own though too. So I hope you give it a try. Be sure to link me up if you create your own! I'll be posting samples soon with my new paper. Have a great day everyone!! I'm off to pick paint colors for the girls' rooms.

Supplies: All CHF backgrounds can be found at Ellen's STORE. Papertrey products can be found at the link HERE.

Square Butterfly Cards

My friend Bevie linked me to Cindy's cute blog below. Cindy has made some adorable square envelopes out of regular A2 size envelopes. It's the perfect solution for 4" x 4" square cards.

http://onehappystamper.typepad.com/stamping_inspirations_wit/2008/05/pun-fun-class.html

I was inspired by Cindy's blog post to create some square cards with matching envelopes of my own. Here's a close up of a single card with the back and front of the envelopes. My envelopes differ a little bit from Cindy's in that I covered the entire envelope side and then created a flap. For my project, I used new patterned paper by pebbles inc which I purchased at my local scrapbook store. The Polkadot Butterfly stamp is from Karen Lockhart and was colored with Copic markers. I cut and embossed my image with a square Spellbinder's Nestabilities Die Template. Notice how I created an assymetrical look to the main image by cutting off a portion of the butterfly. The creates visual interest plus it gave me extra white space to stamp a Papertrey Sentiment.
Here's how you create the square envelope. The width of my envelopes was 4-3/8" so to make a square envy, I cut it to be 4-3/8" square. Lick the envelope and seal or use adhesive to adhere it shut. The finished car inserts into the side that you cut off. Refer to Cindy's blog for more detailed photos. To cover the entire envelope with patterned paper, I cut my striped patterned paper to measure 4-3/8" x 6". By cutting at 6", you can get 4 pieces of this out of one 12 x 12 piece of patterned paper. You score at 4-3/8" so that you have the leftover portion to make the flap. I rounded the corners like Cindy did too. The finished card size is 4" x 4" square. The patterned paper piece on the front of the card measures, 3-3/4" square. I needed some little cards to send out in product orders to friends...I thought by tying a ribbon (May Arts) around the card and adding a little chocolate, it would make a little thank you gift of sorts. Notice on the card above that I used the Papertrey sentiment that reads *Live Your Bliss*. Hershey's now makes a chocolate candy called Bliss.....I love the dark chocolate flavor and have to say that these compare to the silky smoothness of my beloved Dove chocolates. So how cool is it that I matched the bliss sentiment up with a Bliss chocolate!?

Dang, I KNEW I should have bought more of this patterned paper. I was using restraint though....never works!! Hope you enjoy and thanks to Cindy for the inspiration!!