Hippo*PARTY*mus!

The adorably whimsical new Eyelet Outlet Hippo Brads definitely know how to make any occasion more fun, more fab, and more colorful! On this birthday card, they dance among letters diecut from Heart Tape and adorned with birthday Balloons, a Party Hat and a fun Candle Brad swapped out for the "I" in the sentiment. A background of perfectly coordinated pink and grey Zig Zag Tape completes the design.

Happy Hippo Shopping List:

Hippo Brads

Balloon Brads

Party Hat Brads 

Candle Brads

Heart Tape

 Zig Zag Tape

The Eyelet Outlet Online Store has all the embellishments you need to make your next card extra-special!

If it Rains...

"...look for the rainbows" is my favorite sentiment in Picket Fence Studios' "After the Storm" Clear Stamp Set from The Ink Pad. But if you don't love that one, no worries... there are also four additional sentiments, in a variety of attractive fonts; as well as three lovely images. I've used two of the latter on this card; the details of which are on The Ink Pad Blog today:

cheers!

this fortnight at shopping our stash we invite you to "get your drink on" by which we mean make a card or project which features the beverage of your choice! i went with margaritas on a fun and funky (college) graduation card. see?

all patterned papers and the chipboard letters are vintage/hoarded basic grey; cocktail brads: eyelet outlet; tiny puffy heart stickers from the dollar store; glossy white cardstock: the paper cut; adhesives: elmers brand tape runner, 3m foam tape gluedots, scor-tape by sookwang

i had a totally different plan for this card which i immediately chucked out the window when i found the ancient patterned paper with those cuuuuuute birds on it. i'm not sure what they actually have to do with graduation, but they struck my fancy and matched perfectly with this compound patterned paper i made from strips and offcuts of classic basic grey papers. so i decided to just go with it, lol!

hop on over to SOS to see what delicious drinkies the rest of the design team have made especially for you! ♥

SOS393: chipboard

this fortnight's challenge at shopping our stash is to make a project which incorporates chipboard. because i knooooooooooooow you still have some! i had quite a selection from which to choose: chipboard shapes, chipboard alphas, chipboard mini albums, fancy chipboard, glittery chipboard... yep, i definitely liked that stuff. still do, for that matter! here's my card which incorporates a plain label shape, as well as an embossed butterfly and heart. i left them naked, but used a white paint pen along the edges to make them stand out a bit more.

i know the label shape was from k and co and is quite old. the butterfly and heart...? i have no idea. they were in a box with a bunch of maya road stuff, but the color seems wrong. i'm quite sure they are not by prima, which makes them about the only things on this card that are not by prima, lol. there's quite an age range too: the orange paper i've framed with the kraft chipboard label is from the "flights of fancy" collection and the diecut leaves are from "angelique". the fern leaf made from pearls is pretty old and a bit hoarded. the florals are from three or four different collections. and the two white mats --which i've distressed with great enthusiasm-- are from "pretty pale" which is quite new. i love the way everything works together so nicely, without looking too matchy... if you know what i mean?

here's a closeup of the embellies because i spent quiiiiiiite some time attaching those babies!!!

i hope you'll hop over to SOS and see what my DT sisters have made to inspire you and then start planning your own chipboard-centric masterpiece! ♥

No Prob-LLAMA!

As you know, I can never resist a diabolical pun in ANY language, so here's a Spanglish version featuring the unassailably awesome Eyelet Outlet Llama Brads and some fab new Llama Tape, as well:

I chose the colors for the rest of the card based on the adorable rainbow llamas on the tape. Of course the EO Llama Clear Stamp Set has some awesome llama-based sentiments, but this time I used a trusty alphabet set to make my own. I made the mats using a fun watercolory pink tape that isn't quiiiiiite in the shop yet, but of course any more or less solid color tape would work perfectly. For the label shape, I covered a small scrap of cardstock completely with neatly lined up strips of tape, then diecut as usual. For the card front, to keep the waste to a minimum, I lined a strip up against each side, and trimmed very neatly, so that I would have a nice square edge to place along the next side.

Once all my "parts" were ready, all I had to do was assemble the card. I stacked the mats, set the Llama Brad, and added a bow made from wrinkly seam binding. Et voila!

I hope this week will find you with NO prob-LLAMA that cannot be solved with a bit of pretty washi tape and a few adorable Eyelet Outlet Brads! ♥

quit buggin' me!

no, i'm not having a go at you, that's really the name of this week's challenge at shopping our stash. so you've probably already surmised that we'd like to see an insect of some description on your project. yes, butterflies and dragonflies totally count. (phew!) 

butterflies and journal card: studio calico; cloud and sun: simple stories; heart brad: eyelet outlet; ink: ken oliver crafts; patterned papers: american crafts, basic grey, pebbles; adhesives: elmers brand gluetape, 3m foam tape, sewing machine

i've got a truly weird and funky mix of elderly accoutrements here, and i'm proud of it, man! the ledger-patterned butterfly stickers and flowery journal card are from two completely different, years-apart, studio calico collections. the cloud paper (of unknown origin) was exactly that size and shape when i found it, shoved in with some of my 6x6 paper pads. the sun and cloud elements was cut from another small paper pad, and just happened to feature a printed heart the exact size, shape and color of an eyelet outlet heart brad, so clearly i HAD TO add one o'those! i knew where everything should go because my lovely instagram friend claire grantham, of ham'n'mule designs, provided this sketch saturday gem to inspire us this week:

be sure to check out all the insect-based inspirational goodness at SOS for a treat, then get started on your own bug-bedecked masterpiece! ♥

SOS138: oh, shiny!

this week at shopping our stash we're embracing all things sparkly, shiny and shimmery. actually some of us do that EVERY WEEK, lol; but this time, it's written right into the challenge, so i've tried to excel myself. i've got a glitter rub-on, a shiny enamel pin with rhinestones, a bling border, and some sparkly, shimmery, glitter-encrusted resin flowers. i think my work here is through!

(yellow patterned paper + cloud patterned vellum + fabric brad: crate paper; sparkly bird rub-on: k and co; sparkly flower pin + lg blue floral + leaf: recollections; sparkly resin flowers + sm aqua floral: prima; banner: heidi swapp; vintage doily from my stash; adhesives: staples brand gluetape runner, 3m foam tape, gluedots, sewing machine)

i mentioned last week how much i ♥LOVE♥ the current sketch at cardabilities, and that i planned to use it again; i hadn't thought it would be quiiiiiite as soon as this, but hey, it really is that awesome, so why not, eh?

and now why not hop over to SOS to see what my lovely design team darlings have made for your inspirational pleasure? you can thank me later! :)

even ♥PIXIES♥ have moms, you know!

which is why, for the may challenge at pixie dust paperie, pixie-in-chief kirsty vittetoe has asked us to create a project that relates to mother's day!

it can be a card, a layout, minibook... or perhaps some sort of special gift you'd like to make for your mom on this occasion?

i made a card... because, well... it's what i do!!! :)

(vintage: illustration and text from a czech children's book; patterned paper: basic grey, creative imaginations; prima, girls' paperie; vellum: susan branch; florals: prima; butterfly ribbon: may arts; white ruffle ribbon: tim holtz; ink: colorbox; adhesives: tombow monorunner, scotch gluestick, 3m foam tape, hot glue, sewing machine)

i started with the vintage illustration, obviously; i mean what could be more ♥PERFECT♥ for a pixie-inspired mother's day card?! as it happens, my own mother is a big fan of fairies--and vintage illustrations--as well, so i'm hoping she'll love this one as much as i do! i mounted the illustration on some thin white cardstock (to strengthen it) before fussy-cuting it and mounting the result on a couple of layers of foam tape. the mats are (once again--can you tell i made this on the same day as my 2nd jingle belles embossing card?!) two different nesties* that i really love together**, set on a background of layered patterned paper and some text from a children's book, embellished with some suitably ethereal florals and a lovely pink butterfly!

you have until may 31st to link up your mom-inspired projects at this post on the pixie blog; up for grabs is a generous $15 gift certificate to the fabulous pixie shoppe, so put on your crafty thinking caps and get creative, darlings!

*one of which came from miss leslie's blogiversary candy; ta missus! ♥
**i also used card patterns sketch #164 again, which wrapped up last night, but that doesn't stop it from being fantastically helpful and inspiring, does it?! :)