Shoebox Swap Part 1

Saturday I went to my first ever Shoebox Swap with some ladies from Splitcoast Stampers.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but I have to say these ladies blew me away!   I'll be showing you the cards I made with kits created by the ladies at the swap over the next few days.  First up though is my card.  I made 25 kits plus 2 card samples (one of each color) and a 3rd card for the competition. 

My cards are Christmas cards based on one of my favorite card designs.  Click HERE if you want to go to that post and see my original card.  I had two color choices, the more traditional Crumb Cake with Cherry Cobbler accents and the more modern Smoky Slate with Island Indigo accents. 

Each person was able to choose their greeting from Greetings of the Season and I had 3 scallop punches for everyone to use.  From there the differences were mostly based on the color kit they chose.

The Crumb Cake/Cherry Cobbler kit was embossed using the Fancy Fan embossing folder AFTER I cut out the ornament using my Holiday Ornaments framelits.  I didn't know the framelits have been discontinued, but the new ornament punch would work just as well. :) 

The Smoky Slate/Island Indigo choice had textured paper, Silver ribbon and DSP from the Winter Frost DSP stack.

This Crumb Cake/Cherry Cobbler kit had Black taffeta ribbon and Seasons of Style DSP stack.  My cards weren't the only Christmas cards.  Here are the other Christmas cards from the Shoebox Swap.

Aren't they great?  This is just the first batch.  I'll have more samples to show you tomorrow.  For now I will leave you with the card I completely messed up but totally love.  It's actually just the card front.  I'll be adding it to another card base so I can give it out this Christmas.

If you think these cards are good you are in for a treat this week because each card kept getting better and better.  :)   There was something for everyone from the lovely layered and super embellished card above to a lovely Clean & Simple One Layer Card I'll show you tomorrow.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Christmas Card Recipe (Stampin' UP! Supplies)
Stamps: Greetings of the Season
Ink: Black Staz-On
Paper: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Smoky Slate, Smoky Slate Textured Cardstock, Island Indigo, Winter Frost DSP stack, Seasons of Style DSP stack,
Misc: Holiday Ornaments Framelits (retired), Silver 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Basic Black 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Scallop Ribbon Punch, Dotted Ribbon Punch



Silver 1/8th" Taffeta Ribbon




Greetings of the Season



Seasons of Style DSP Stack



Winter Frost DSP Stack



Saturday Sneak Peek

If you are a regular follower of my blog you may have noticed that I haven't posted as often as usual the past week or two.  Here is why:

1) My family (and I) have been cycling through Strep Throat, Sinus Infections and Bronchial Infections.  This is also the reason I haven't filmed any new videos in the past couple of weeks.  Nobody want to hear that! ;)

2) World Card Making Day!!!!  Did you know that October 5th is WCMD?  I've been busy this month working on Design Team cards and challenge cards that I cannot post on my blog until they go live on Oct. 5th.  That means starting next weekend I will have loads of goodies to show you.  ;)   Here is a sneak peek of one of them.  shhhhh, don't let anyone know I showed you, okay?

3) Shoebox Swap- I signed up for this shoebox swap months ago and today is the day we meet.  :)  It's my first time doing a shoebox swap so I am excited and a bit nervous.  My other cards swaps have been online and the scrapbooking swaps I have been involved with never had this many people in them.  I will be showing you the cards I designed in the next couple of days, along with the supply list, but I can't show them to you until everyone at the swap has a chance to see them.  Here is a sneak peak of these cards though. 

I feel like such a tease.  Sorry about that.  The good news is that I should have daily posts for you for the next 2 or 3 weeks and enough Mojo to last me all month.  :)

As for Sew Saturday.... it will be up Sunday or Monday.  I'm almost done with Tyler's quilt top and if I have energy tomorrow afternoon I hope to work on it so I can finish it in time for September's "A Lovely Year of Finishes".  If not, then it will get done in October.   Just a few more hours is all I need to finish the top and then I get to decide how to quilt it.  Too bad getting sick has cramped my creative time. 

What are your creative weekend plans? 

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Elegant Birthday

So many special people celebrate their birthday in September, but the most special of all has to be my mom.  <3  Her birthday is later this week, but I am mailing this card to her today in hopes that she gets it before her birthday this weekend. 

This card didn't start out to be my mom's birthday card.  Actually I planned on making her card using the new label card framelit, but this card turned out so pretty that I wanted my mom to be the one to receive it. 

This card started with the Lacy Brocade embossing on Raspberry Ripple cardstock.  From there I just basically cleaned up my craft table.  I had some doilies, papers and a ribbon flower.  It all came together to make this eclectic focal point.   The real challenge came when I decided to play around with the decorative stitches on my sewing machine.  I broke 2 needles making this card. 

Honestly, that is the second reason I am sending this to my mom.  I put so much time and energy into it that I wanted it to go to someone who would cherish it.  Not that she has to keep the card forever, I never expect that from my cards, but that she will enjoy it and appreciate it for longer that 2 minutes.  :)  Mom's are great that way.  They love what we create simply because we made it.  <3

On the inside you can see the detail on the Apothecary Accents framelit label that I added.  It's from the stamp set Forever With You.  The greeting came from Blooming With Kindness.

Happy Birthday MOM!  I hope my card makes you feel as loved and appreciated as you are.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

P.S.  When I made this card last week I had no idea that the Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder had been discontinued.  Good thing it is on the Clearance Rack right now.  :)  Get it while supplies last.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: A Round Array, Blooming With Kindness, Forever With You
Ink: Basic Grey, Raspberry Ripple
Paper: Birthday Basics DSP, Eastern Elegance DSP, Raspberry Ripple, Smoky Slate, Whisper White
Misc.: Tea Lace Doily, Ribbon Flower (retired), Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder (retired), Apothecary Accents Framelits, Punches, Basic Rhinestones




Lacy Brocade EF
Clearance-WSL



A Round Array



Forever With You



Sew Saturday + A Card

Last weekend I made some progress on Tyler's quilt and yesterday I made a little more, but in between I haven't worked on my sewing very much.  My cat, Sasha, was so happy to be fighting me for my sewing chair yesterday.  I think she missed me being in there for the past few days.  :)

I have about 19 blocks left to sew for the sides and bottom, then I have to decide what is going in the middle.  I can do more of these disappearing 4 patches or new design I am trying to work with.  For now I am just plugging away at all my blocks and trying not to think about the math I will need to do if I create my own center block pattern.  :)

I designed this card for our guild to use.  It's based on the image from the top of the South Sound MQG blog.  I would like to make a few more that our blank or have a different sentiment so we can send a card with our quilts.  My goal was to make it clean and simple.  I think that is part of what modern quilting is.  Clean lines with lots of  "white space".

In addition to working on Tyler's quilt and trying to finish the rest of the blocks this week so I can sew them all together next weekend, I have chosen my fabrics for our Block of the Month.  I'm seriously thinking about making an entire quilt out of these colors and our BOM patterns.  We will see how the next few months go, but I want to make a quilt with Aqua, Red and White.  I've been collecting fabrics in these colors, so I may just be able to pull it off.

What are your sewing plans this weekend?  It's time for me to get ready for my husband's company picnic, but I hope to get some time in my sewing room when I get back.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

You Are Amazing!

Everyone should hear these words at some point.  Yesterday one of my friends said this to me on Facebook and it warmed my heart.  It truly did.  :)   Today's challenge at StampNation is to create a children's birthday card.  What better time to tell a child they are amazing than on their birthday?  Especially if mom or dad makes them read their cards out loud.

My main image was colored using Raspberry Ripple and Bermuda Bay Markers.  I like coloring my stamps with markers to get more than one color on them, especially when the stamps are big like this one is. 

For some reason I felt like using a staple on this card.  When using staples in cards and scrapbooking was popular a few years ago I often found ways to include them in my projects, but my little stapler has been sitting lonely in my crop bag for some time now.  I decided to pull in out and I love what it added to this card.  Sometimes it's the little details that make the card.

Making birthday cards for kids is fun.  Take the challenge and make a card for someone young or young at heart.  I would love to see what you make for this challenge.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Blue Ribbon, You're Amazing
Paper: Birthday Basics DSP, Raspberry Ripple CS, Very Vanilla CS
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Raspberry Ripple
Misc.: Bermuda Bay Taffeta Ribbon, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Circle Punch



Birthday Basics



Blue Ribbon



You're Amazing



With Sympathy

Sympathy cards are the hardest cards to make and the most important thing to send.  Making them means that someone I care about has lost someone that they love.  It's heartbeaking, but it is good for them to know that we care.  

Often I make sympathy cards with flowers in pastel shades.  For this card i went a bit more masculine with an oak tree in a late summer sunset.  My friend's father passed away last week.  Her mom past away recently as well.   The poor thing has lost both of her parents this summer.   The least I can do is send her a card and pray that she finds comfort and peace in her memories.

This card is similar to one I made at a Stamp Camp last Spring.  Today's card has the added addition of burlap ribbon, pearls and sunset colors.  If you would like to see the card I made last Spring CLICKY.  If you would like to see the masking technique I used you can watch the video below from that card.

***Note*** If you are unable to view video above, please click on the post title (With Sympathy) to go to my blog and watch the video.

For all of you who have lost a loved one recently, please know my thoughts and prayers are with you.   If you know someone who has recently lost a loved one, please take some time this week to send them a card letting them know you care.  You never know if it might just come at a time when they feel most alone.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Card Recipe
Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, Word Play (Retired)
Paper: Baked Brown Sugar, Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Ink: Old Olive, Summer Starfruit, Raspberry Ripple, Baked Brown Sugar
Misc.: Bronze Button (Retired), Burlap Ribbon, Basic Pearls

Masculine Monday

Last Friday I was in need of a quick card for a 5th grade boy's birthday.  I was looking at my friend, Kristie's, blog, of Kreative Kristie fame, and was instantly inspired. 



At first I thought about dusting off the Cricut and clearing off the space in front of it so I could make a star like she had on her card, but I was short on time.  Instead I used the stamped image I had on my table from the Great Sport stamp set and colored in the stars with a Daffodil Delight marker.  The piece was already cut out using my Labels Framelits, and sponged.  (this is why I don't clean my stamp space, you never know when inspiration will hit!)  Then I stamped Happy Birthday from the Blue Ribbon stamp set. 

It appears I used just about every "masculine" stamp set I own.  :D  Next I stamped one of the Gorgeous Grunge stamps with Smoky Slate ink and then stamped Celebrate, from Seasonal Sayings, on top of it with Pacific Point ink.

How many stamp sets did I use?  5? I was thinking this was a clean and simple card, but now I'm wondering if it was.  :)  The boy that my son gave this to actually thanked me for my card when I picked him up from the birthday party.  Isn't that sweet?

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Sew Saturday

This has been a great sewing week despite my lingering headache.  I've been able to do at least a little something each day in my sewing room.  The result is that Tyler's quilt is making good progress.  First I sewed all the 5" squares into a 4 patch.  This part went fairly quickly.  Next I put them up on the design wall to see how the colors & patterns looked together.  My son came in and said it looked like a chess board.  :)  This give me an idea for another quilt. ;)

Now things slow down a bit as I am having to do each block one at a time.  I'm not working with a pattern, so I can't just chain piece.  It is worth it though, because I am really liking how it looks.  My spinning rotary mat is worth it's wait in gold for this process.

To make this block I am lining up my ruler on the 1" line down the center of the block and making a cut, then rotating the mat 90 degrees and repeating the process all the way around the block.  Once all the pieces are cut your block will look something like this.

Next I swapped the four outer squares and then rotated the center 4 patch square 90 degrees.

It's a block with a lot of impact and not as hard as it may look.  Today I learned that I can't sew these together very well while talking and listening to others.  Our quilt guild had a sew-in and at the last minute I was able to go.  I only made about 6 blocks and probably ripped out at least 6 seams because I sewed them to the wrong piece.  A pattern would have been soooooooooo helpful today.  Perhaps I should make one up for myself.

Here we have the first two completed blocks I made back on the checkerboard wall.  I'm still trying to decide whether or not to frame these blocks.  I probably won't, but I might make this pattern again and do it on the next one.

At this point I'm still not sure how big I will be making this quilt.  Tyler's over 6' tall so I am leaning towards a longer quilt top he can put on his bed or cuddle up with on the couch for family movie night.  I have 16 blocks done so far, and 30 or 40 more blocks ready to become finished blocks.  :)  This is the fun part of being able to design the quilt myself.  I have no idea what it will become, but I'm having fun in the process and I'm happy with our fabric choices.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Faux Silk

Today's design team challenge at StampNation is to use the "Faux Silk" technique.  Who comes up with these names?  I didn't know it had a name, but I learned this technique from US Air Force Captain Catherine Todd at a scrapbooking workshop in my home over 8 years ago!  Yes, pilots like to scrapbook, make cards and can be women!!!  She is still my hero.

The technique that Catherine showed me was to take some pretty tissue paper, wad it up to get the tissue paper crinkly.

Then unwrap it and put it on a piece of cardstock with a glue stick.  It was so easy and so pretty.  You can use any color/pattern you want, and if you can't find a pattern just make your own by stamping on the color of your choice.  Even when I wasn't good at making cards I could use this technique and have pretty results. 

Today's card takes that up a notch with some stamping, layering and embossing.  The background stamp was inked up with Black Staz-On ink and stamped onto my red tissue paper.  I then layered the tissue paper onto Real Red cardstock.  It's fun to experiment with different colors of cardstock behind the tissue paper.  Each one give the tissue paper a different hue.

This card was going to be a sympathy card, but it took on a gothic look with all that black and red.  I quickly made it into more of a romantic card.  It was going to be sent to OWH, but with the added glitter strips, I'm not sure it will.  Perhaps I will try adding Crystal Effects over the Red Glimmer Paper to be sure no glitter will come off on our troops.

Techniques like these never grow old.  We can update them with newer products and trendy designs.  I hope you will give this technique a try.  It really is easy!

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Grunge Swirl (Stamper's Best), Loving Thoughts
Colors: Black, Real Red
Misc: Black Lace Ribbon (Retired), Gold Embossing Powder, Fancy Fan Embossing Folder




Loving Thoughts



Red Glimmer Paper



Fancy Fan Embossing Folder