Using My Stash Again

I've come to the realization that I am one of "those" crafters...I hoard my supplies. I buy pretty stuff, or cute stuff and then I just kind of look at it and store it...and I have some stamps and inks I haven't even used yet! When I first started in this hobby of scrapbooking and cardmaking, I knew everything I had, I only bought things when I needed to use them and never understood when someone accidentally bought something they already owned. Cut to ten years later and I am embarrassed to admit I have done this exact thing—horrors!

When I saw this meme, I had to share it...it's accurate...lolol. So, for World Cardmaking Day last week, I pulled out my bin of Pretty Little Studio products and used some of them to make a few cards. This one uses printed vellum, leaf printed cardstock and die cut flowers, along with some word stickers from PLS. The sequins are theirs too.

This next card I created for my sister-in-law...we're the same age and grew up in the 70s and 80s and I just know she got little gals like this vintage-looking one from PLS on her birthday cards when she was a kid. The doilies are printed vellum die cuts, and the paper and sentiment are PLS too.

The last card I made uses some different collections from Pretty Little Studio. I love their vintage stuff, but some of the newer and more modern pieces are so bright and colorful that I bought some of those too. Their printed vellum is absolutely my favorite. It's a nice, thick vellum and they have so many choices. These flowers are both die cuts and patterned paper that I trimmed. Don't you love the typewriter paper and the typewriter word vellum?

You might notice that I did no stamping on any of these cards, they are all die cuts and stickers. That makes things a little faster for me, as I'm not a talented stamper. I usually have to repeat a lot of it to get it right :) 

Hope you had a productive World Cardmaking Day too and that you have a chance to use up some of your never-before-used stash sometime soon.

Happy Friday!

Chark

All That Caffeine Is Paying Off

I have a second project today for the Coffee Lover's Blog Hop for Spring and Summer.

This time it's a card, using this cute coffee cup paper from Pretty Little Studio.  I added one of their wooden look tags and two dies that I stickled with Diamond (they came with my new Gemini Jr!). The little typewritten word stickers are from PLS as well and I just added the ones that worked for this card.

I think I might add a little string to the tag as a finishing touch...photos always make me see my work in a new way and sometimes it's helpful!

Happy Sunday,

Chark

Coffee Hopping Again

I love the Coffee Lover's Blog Hop! Full disclosure: I'm a Tea Drinker...but they let us hang out with them, so I join in every time. Today I have a small 8x8 layout featuring me—eek! I rarely scrap myself but I thought it'd be fun to do a little nod to the hop. So, here I am, with my new sassy hair cut. 

I used all Pretty Little Studio products and hand lettered part of the Create, Caffeinate & Make it Happen title. I thought the weathered wood was reminiscent of a boat and kites always say "spring" to me. I added a cupcake sticker because I'm a fan of them and fun flair with coffee (tea) cup.

Thanks for stopping by and join me this week in the Coffee Lover's Blog Hop!

Happy Sunday,

Chark

Wedding Card That Should've Taken Less Time

So, have you ever made a card that took forever? And when it was finished you were all, hey! that's fab, and it looks as good as I thought it would and was worth all my time? Like a complicated folded card? Well, this isn't one of those cards. It's a pretty simple design but it took me forever and I had to trim it and then tore it so I had to go back and redo part of it and so on. Not kidding, I thought I'd never get this card up to snuff.

It's not the worst card, but I can't believe how many times I messed it up and had to work to get it good enough. I used some gold dot paper and gold heart die cuts from Pretty Little Studio, some letter stickers from my stash and black polka dot washi tape. You'd think that it would've been a breeze to make.

Here's a close-up of the shiny goldness. I really like the metallic papers and the printed vellum at PLS.

And I thought I'd throw in a pic of a card that actually took no time at all and came out pretty cute too. This was a Father's Day card for my husband, who is die-hard Coke fan. Won't even drink Pepsi and will opt for Mountain Dew at Pepsi restaurants. I prefer Coke, but a Pepsi will do in a pinch. Ideally, I want a tall fresh-brewed unsweetened iced tea for the caffeine boost and the tea flavor, but sometimes you want that fizz.

These are Doodlebug Design You're so Punny die cuts and papers. The Ale8 bottle top was just sitting on the table from my son's pop (also a fave of my husband), so it made its way onto the card. I doodled on the card with a black pen too.

Here's hoping that you don't have one of those frustrating-for-no-reason cards in your future!

Happy Wednesday!

Chark

Anniversary Celebration

Hard for me to believe it's been 28 years of wedded bliss with the best man I know. I can't believe I found Matt so early in life and that we were well-suited then and well-suited now, even though we've both changed and grown. This pic is from April, after I just turned 50 and he had turned 50 two months before. 

We were both in the musicals in high school and had mutual friends so we hung out together and then when we were sixteen, I got the idea that he liked me and I thought he was funny and dang hot, so we started dating. Thanks to our mutual friend, Vicki Smith, who encouraged me to date this somewhat intense young man. I figured we'd break up and I'd break his heart...but the joke was on me because we just stayed together!

I'm not sure how we got so lucky, but I'm not questioning it, I'm just thankful. He's a rock-solid, hard-working, dedicated family man who would do anything for me or the kids. He's understanding and he listens and he's kind to old people and children. He also has a zero-tolerance policy for people who are mean or stupid or generally make life harder and more dangerous for the rest of us (I'm talking to you, people who text and drive.) 

Here's the little cake we treated ourselves to for this anniversary and the card I made for him with Pretty Little Studio products.

And this guy is still funny. He says, "you can't spell scrapbooking without the word crap," but he also tells me I do important things for the family by scrapbooking and keeping our memories. So, Happy Anniversary to my honey. Am hoping you have the same kind of luck in love as I do!

And if you need a funny card to celebrate an anniversary, Valentine's Day or just Wednesday, you can click this link to get free cards to print.

Happy Monday!

Chark

Teen Guy Card

Not sure which is harder—a masculine card or teen card. Luckily, I had a friend's son turn 13, so I got to stretch my creativity :) I had all the pieces for this, it just took me putting them together. I did have to fix the seven into a one because I ran out of 1s. The die cut numbers are from a pack from about a hundred years ago...here are some from Pretty Little Studio that are similar in size but colored and wood grain if you want some.

The paper is older, and the watercolor panel is from when I was playing around with Color Bursts...love them! The little stripe under the 13 is gold paper to jazz it up a bit without glitter!

Here are 3 cool products for masculine cards (since Father's Day is on the horizon).

1. A Beautiful Day collection from Pretty Little Studios (I've ordered from them and they are great...plus you're supporting a woman-owned business and they have printed vellum and metallic papers to die for). Vellum Tape and Printed Paper.

2. Dad/Masculine Stamp sets from Your Next Stamp. I love their cute stamps and they have fisherman, handyman and golfing stamps, as well as this cute tool set you could use for anyone and lots of different occasions.

3. This set isn't for Dad's day, but who doesn't think of Dad and his chair? This would be great for a card featuring that memory. It's from Hero Arts and it's in the a2z Scrapbooking store where I'm the DT Coordinator. 

Happy Wednesday!

Chark

Pretty Little Studio Christmas Die Cuts

I love Pretty Little Studio and their vintage die cuts, and I have a bunch of their Santas...plus I got some vintage Santa face stickers. This Santa came as a group of cut-aparts on cardstock, so I can make a bunch of these cards and still have a leftover for a scrap page if I want.

I used a glittered journaling card from Me & My Big Ideas for the ho ho ho and the card base is actually from a card kit I tried from Stampin' Up. 

The new Christmas collections from PLS are beautiful, some vintage, some watercolor and whimsical and some traditional...and I love that the company is a small one, run by one woman. They have the most beautiful printed vellum and printed acetate sheets. And I always get a little surprise freebie when I order. I highly recommend them.

I'm sending this card to the Caring Hearts Card Drive for those in nursing homes...a little merry is always good for those who are shut in.

Happy Friday!

Chark

Happy Pineapple Day

So, today is Pineapple Day and although it's not my most favorite fruit, I do like it once in a while. And I definitely like it in Pina Coladas or cake form :) One way my mom used pineapple was in these Soft Pineapple cookies. They are so tasty, though she always added some buttercream frosting and this recipe doesn't call for it. They are very soft cakey cookies, which is probably why I like them frosted!

If you want to celebrate Pineapple Day, you could always buy this adorable partial die from Hero Arts or the color layering stamps over at a2z Scrapbooking. Pineapples are pretty popular right now in the craft world, perhaps since pineapples can be a sign of welcome. 

Although while we were visiting an old plantation near Baton Rouge, they told us that guests received a pineapple on the breakfast tray when it was time for their visit to be up. We found that kinda funny--hey, nice seeing you, take this pineapple and get out now.

While I didn't feature any pineapples, I did make a scrap page (it's been awhile since I made one) with my new Pretty Little Studio goodies. I think I should probably get a commission from them since I'm so enamored lately :)

I'm loving the bright colors of the Hello Heather collection and the gold striped paper is so lovely. You can see the shine of the stripes on the right edge. 

I added some gold die cut hearts (that they threw in for free--they always give a little something free in my orders!) and used a 12x12 sheet of teal shimmer paper.

I think it's pretty colorful and fun for this pic of my daughter. The black word die cuts and tiny phrase were from the same Heather collection and the ampersand was a gold sticker from PLS. They look good together I think. 

Happy Monday!

Chark

Love This Printed Vellum

So, Pretty Little Studio is one of my favorite shops for unique and vintage items. They have die cuts of vintage Santas, little girls in big dresses and birthday parties. But they also carry some new fresh designs. One of my favorite is the Hello Heather collection.

This printed vellum (I'm using the green with flower print) is sooo pretty! I trimmed some layers and added the Hero Arts So Sorry Stamp & Cut heart that I'm enamored with lately. The background stencil is also Hero Arts and is on sale at a2z scrapbooking for $3.50 right now!

I watercolored the heart with Tombow markers and added my favorite crafty item, Stickles, in gold in the center die cut, along with some bold ribbon I found on sale at Michael's.

Gotta admit, I like how all the different elements came together for this card.

I'm entering it at A Blog Named Hero's vellum challenge, maybe you'll join me!

Happy Friday!

Chark

Coffee Cuteness

Third card for the blog hop!

Using a Caffeine Fix digi from Hero Arts, I added some Pretty Little Studio items, including the sun ray jounaling card and the die cut bunny. 

Then I stenciled with Abandoned Corel with the Hero Arts Heart Pattern stencil (on sale at a2z Scrapbooking for $3.50 right now!) and adhered them.

Added one pearl bunny tail and that's it!

Isn't he adorable?!

Psst! I also have it on good authority that if you want to get the Hero Arts Layering Stamp Bundles, you can actually order the items from a2z Scrapbooking for less, if you use your super-secret CHARK15 discount on your order of $25 or more. And a2z ships cheaper if the total order is under $50. 

If there's a color layering stamp set that's out of stock in the store, all you have to do is hit the request button and they order for you, easy-peasy!

For example, this ice cream stamp/cut/ink bundle at Hero Arts ends up being about 9-10% off the items if sold singly...but CHARK15 will get you 15% off and also cheaper shipping!

Happy Wednesday!
Chark

P.S. Leave a comment for a chance to win this coffee stamp set! 

Closes 6-25-16 at 7pm eastern time.

Gold and Pink

I bought this rose die cut from Pretty Little Studio, where they have lots of vintage die cuts for good prices, along with my favorite printed vellums (or is that velli?) ever,  Then my next purchase was some gold printed paper and stickers, and some new Hello Heather journaling cards...put them all together and you get this card.

The only thing that's not PLS is the pink notecard I had. The striped paper strip at the bottom is gold and white and I looovvee it so much!

Just to let you know, PLS is having a Design Team call right now and if you love their stuff like I do, you might want to try out--I'm thinking about it, but they are awesome over there and it's a little intimidating :)

Not sure if you've ever checked out Scrapbook and Cards Today mag, but it's a print and online mag with lots of inspiration and giveaways on the blog. I'm off to check out the free digi issue soon...here's a link if you want to take a peek too. I have a new Kindle Fire so now I can also get more mags out of the library to peruse. I still prefer the paper copies, but this is at least cheaper! :)

Happy Monday!
Chark

First Vacation Layout

We just got back from our Michigan vacation three days ago, and I already have a scrapbook layout finished! That has to be some kind of record! And here's why—the first thing I did when we got back was to visit my favorite local scrap shop and cupcake shop (they are conveniently located next to each other) and found Pretty Little Studio items in the The Paper Cottage. I love PLS, even though I mostly hoard the pretty little items instead of using them. But this time, I found all kinds of beautiful beach items and brought them home and then I printed my favorite pic from vacation of my son and sat down to scrap.

Here's the result.

The 12x12 paper is Fancy Pants and the beach paper is some kind of bargain bin paper with texture that I inked up a little. The rest is all PLS. Here's a close up it so you can see the paper and word stickers. I trimmed the gold anchor from a story card.

I'm entering it over at the PLS monthly sketch challenge, hope you'll join me! I love that the paper is all handmade in the US and run by one little shop. The woman who owns it will often ask opinions on Facebook on what colors the next collection should be. It's a very cool way to run a business. 

I've ordered from them online multiple times and never had a problem and am not affiliated with them in any way...I just love the vintage illustrations and the printed vellum and clear papers. Oh, and the flair is gorgeous, as are the stickers words in gold and silver—I hear teal word stickers are next. yum!

Have a happy weekend,
Chark

Lately I've Been Counting Stars

I used my Star Stencil for my projects over at a2z Scrapbooking yesterday and all I can think of is the One Republic song, Counting Stars, even though I didn't actually count any of my stars.

Here's the video if you're singing the song now too and here's one of my projects I have up at the blog. You might want to check out today's post too, from Cornelia, cuz it's gold and fabulous!

Last thing for today—it's the Book Cover of the Week!

Haven't read it, but now I want to since it's so lovely!

Happy Monday!
Chark

Birthday Haul

I know you'll appreciate seeing my crafty birthday/mother's day gifts. Cuz you're crafty too!

The tin box with the glue gun-toting kitty is from my daughter, who finds all kinds of fun things at the store near her college. Her roommate didn't know it was a glue gun and was worried about the cat with a gun. I appreciated her concern. :)

This is the inside with Oz stickers—my daughter knows me well. As does my son, who made sure I got a Michael's gift card. I'm so lucky!

And here's a recipe link for you to celebrate National Chocolate Chip Day! 

Hope you have a great weekend, you know I'll be playing with my new goodies!

Happy Friday/Chocolate Chip Day!
Chark

It's A Nice Day For A White Wedding

Here's an all-white wedding card I did for a scramble and let me tell you, all white is hard to photograph! However, I love the look of all white cards and was happy to have a chance to try it.

I used the Hero Arts Stamp & Cut Happy set with one of the sentiments that came with it and silver Staz-on ink.

Love this little set, although the happy is a little delicate when you use thin paper and you can't store them without them ripping...ask me how I know.

I used Diamond Stickles on the die, of course, and little sequins from Pretty Little Studio.

Keep in mind this is a 90 minute scramble and you have to make, photograph and upload the project in that time. So, it's not the most elaborate card ever. But I'm planning to give the all-white card another shot very soon. I'll let you know how it goes!

Happy Wednesday!
Chark

Pretty Little Thank You Card

I used my colorful and vintage images from Pretty Little Studio to make a thank you card for my aunt. She loves purple, so I thought I'd go all purple. For my card, I punched circles from their Neapolitan collection. I used some Darice glitter tape and a white gel pen for "stitching." I added some heart stickers I got for 50 cents at Michael's today.

I used the inspiration sketch from PLS too, so I can enter it in their monthly contest to win a goodie bag. If you're like me, you'll love these new blue sequins they offer. You gotta check Pretty Little Studios out on Facebook to see the previews of new collections.

Join me in the challenge to try to win, and just see if you can resist their wonderful (made in the USA) papers, tags and stickers. Love the gold word stickers.

Happy Wednesday!
Chark

Monday's Child is Fair of Face

I was born on a Monday, so I guess I'm all "fair of face." Lol! I love that little rhyme, especially since both my kids were born on Sundays...so that makes them bonny and blithe!

And here's a segue for you—a baby card! I used Pretty Little Studio products and I just love their vintage die cuts, like this little guy and their printed vellum like the aqua wood grain here.

If you want to know what day you were born on, check day of birth. They'll also give you some more of your "characteristics" like I'm apparently soft-spoken and like to spend time with my family...while the second is true, the first...well, I don't think so! It also says I tend to have anemia-related problems and I do take iron sometimes for anemia. Hmmm, weird!

Happy Monday!
Chark