It's beginning to look a lot like...Fall!

So in Florida, we don't have autumn (or winter either for that matter), so if we want to experience the missing seasons, we have to get a little creative! I love fall leaves, but the closest I can get to them is by stamping them. So that's exactly what I did for this card project! :)

I got a beautiful CHF Oak Leaves backgrounder stamp in the mail recently and I immediately thought it would look lovely stamped in gold on white paper. Then I saw Susan's One Layer Wednesday challenge this week, which challenged us to add something metal to our cards (you can find the details: HERE) and this project came together!

Here's my entry. It is a set of metallic leaf notecards to give as a gift.

I stamped the leaves with Versamark ink onto Papertrey Ink's white shimmer cardstock. (And I'm going to totally enable you and say that if you haven't yet tried it--you must! So beautiful.) Then I sprinkled embossing powder onto each and heat set it.

Another interesting thing, I used a different EP brand for each card. Here are some closeups so you can see the shimmer of the cardstock and compare the embossing powders for yourself. (Click on the images to see them enlarged.)

Here's the gold (using PTI Filigree gold EP). See the CS shimmer? :) And check out the amazing detail. You can see all the veins of the leaf! The PTI Filigree powder gave the most detailed and clear lines.

And the copper (using Zing! EP). The lines were much "puffier" and thicker and not as detailed.

And the silver (using Stampendous detail EP). The lines were very precise, but there were a lot more excess stray bits that stuck to the paper and in between the veins of the leaf.

Isn't the detail in these leaves amazing? I had a lot of fun stamping them. Now they are sitting on a shelf in my living room, shimmering in the afternoon sunlight. Nevermind that it's 89 degrees outside--if I turn down the A/C just enough, it's beginning to feel like fall around here! :)

That's all for today! Enjoy your beautiful, sunny autumn day wherever you might be! :)

Supplies
Stamps: Oak Leaf Backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms)
Paper: White Shimmer Paper (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Versamark
Other: Embossing Powers- Gold (Filigree-available at PTI), Silver (Stampendous, detail), Copper (Zing, American Crafts)

Handmade Soap from Croatia

Hi everyone! Hope you had a great summer. It's hard to believe that fall is already here. Where did the time go? I've been a little bit behind in posting things I've made, I'm so sorry about that, so I'll be catching up with some posts over the next few days. So check back if you can! :)

Today I will be showing you a handmade soap project where I made some soaps to give to friends and family as souvenirs from Croatia. As a crafter, I think it's kind of a fun idea to hand make souvenirs rather than buy them. This is my first time making soaps and it was a lot of fun! I would definitely recommend trying it out if you haven't yet. It's super simple to do.

To make the soaps, I brought back some bags of dried lavender, which grows on the island in Croatia where my mother-in-law lives, and a bottle of distilled lavender scent. When we returned, I bought some Olive Oil soap, molds, and purple dye from Michaels.

Then I melted the soap base, mixed all the pieces together and this is how the lavender soap turned out!

For the soap wrap, I trimmed some PTI kraft paper and ran it through a Fiskars crimper. If you've never used a crimper, you should give it a try. I just love that tool! The handmade paper is from a soapmaking kit, but I would love to learn to make handmade paper too one day. If only there were enough hours in the day to make everything by hand...I think I would seriously try if I could! There is something really fun about making things yourself.

And here is the full set, including some pretty handstitched lace bags we also brought back from Croatia.

And since we're on the topic of Croatia, I thought I'd share with you a few pics that I took!

Here's the cool unusual-shaped beach at Bol where we went swimming. And yes, the water really is that blue and crystal clear!

Here is the River Canyon where we rode on an old wooden boat through the mountains. It was very magical being that close to such high mountains. Living in Florida my whole life, mountains amaze me like nothing else. I'm so used to everything being flat!

And this is the town where my mother-in-law lives on the island. You can see the mountains of the mainland in the distance (see, I can't stop talking about mountains! ;).

The houses are all made of hard white limestone, which is quarried locally on the island. That same stone was also used to build parts of the White House in the US. The island also has the most beautiful purple flowers. Can anyone name the type of flower in the picture? (ETA: I found out that the flower is a bouganvilla. Thanks Mariana!)

We had a great trip and are looking forward to going back next year!

Also, just wanted you all to be aware too if you haven't noticed yet, that my url has now changed to www.craftinginsunshine.com. I redirected it through blogger so any links from the previous url (www.monicacrafts.blogspot.com) should still work. Just wanted to give you a heads up if you'd like to update with the new info!

Thanks so much for taking a look today! Have a wonderful, sunny day! :)

Thank you, Nichole!

This post is dedicated to Nichole Heady, who is such an inspiration to many of us! We want her to know how appreciated she is so we are posting cards in her honor to let her know how much she inspires us. Thank you Nichole for all that you do!! This card is for YOU!

When I think of Nichole's stamping style, I think clean and soft with a touch of glitter. Spring Moss and Aqua Mist were the first colors released by Papertrey Ink, so I used those colors for this card.

I stamped Thank You from Big & Bold Wishes (PTI) in versamark, clear embossed it and then sponged on Aqua Mist & Spring Moss ink. I then outlined Stickles glitter over the clear letters and attached the panel with pop dots.

Thanks again, Nichole! You really do bring joy to so many lives with what you do. Thank YOU!

All supplies are Papertrey Ink unless otherwise listed.
Stamps: Big & Bold Wishes
Paper: Stampers Select white
Ink: Aqua Mist, Spring Moss, Versamark
Other: Clear embossing powder, Stickles glitter

Wish Big!

Hi there! :) Hope you're having a great summer! The past few days we've been getting things ready for our trip to Europe. We go every summer to visit my mother-in-law in Croatia and we can't wait to see her. Just thought I'd stop by real quick to post a card I just finished.

This card was a lot of fun to make! I used embossing powders, which I had been neglecting for awhile, and also a ton of bling. I had a birthday card in mind when I made it, but I realize now that it might also work for a New Years fireworks card or a Congrats card too.

So here's today's card, Wish Big.

I saw this fun card by Michele, and it inspired me to use a black base for my card. I stamped the sentiment from Big and Bold Wishes and embossed half in Rouge and half in Neon Amber. I stamped the largest circle from the Shapes by Design stamp set several times in Versamark ink. Then I lightly dusted Zing embossing powder at an angle on all the circles.

I had a lot of fun adding all the gemstones to the card! I usually tend to hold onto them, so it was fun just letting go and adding lots of bling.

Ok, I've got to get back to packing! Thanks for taking a look. I appreciate you stopping by. Have a wonderful, sunny day!

ETA: A big thank you to Nichole for featuring this card in the Papertrey Ink August newsletter!!

All supplies are Papertrey Ink, unless otherwise listed.
STAMPS: Big and Bold Wishes, Shapes by Design
INK: Versamark
PAPER: True Black, Summer Sunrise
OTHER: Gemstones (Michaels), Zing embossing powder-Neon Amber, Rouge, Aqua (American Crafts)

Watermelons!

So today’s post is all about watermelons. Yummy, juicy watermelons. Nothing says summer quite like them.

One of my favorite summer memories from childhood was slicing open a huge watermelon out by the pool and spitting the seeds into the grass. I have no idea why it's so fun, but it is!

So here’s today’s card, You’re So Sweet.

I made it for Ingrid’s challenge to make a summer card. I am also entering it into a Passion for Papertrey’s challenge, since they are also featuring summer cards right now. Summer is definitely in full swing! I also found out that Sarah Martina is hosting a "fruity" card challenge, so I'm entering it there as well. Be sure to play along with these fun challenges! :)

The veins of the watermelon are from a Halloween spiderweb Cuttlebug folder. Then I swiped on some fresh snow to give it a little juiciness. The watermelon rind is a branches cuttlebug folder swiped with Simply Chartreuse to emphasize the stripes.

And here is the back of the "watermelon". :)

Since we’re on the topic of watermelons, here’s some fun things I found while looking for inspiration for the challenge!

How about some watermelon shoes?

 

Or maybe a watermelon sweater?

Or how about a watermelon car?

And yes, the inside is pink. ;)

Who knew there were so many watermelon products out there!

That’s all for today! 

Thanks for checking out my blog! I really appreciate you stopping by. It is so *sweet* of you! ;)

Have a wonderful, sunshine-filled summer day! :)

ETA: Thanks so much to Ingrid for choosing this card for her summer challenge! Thanks also to A Passion for Papertrey for featuring this card as one of the Top 3 Passionistas cards!

All supplies are Papertrey Ink unless noted.

STAMPS: Cupcake Collection (sentiment)

INK: Dark Chocolate, Berry Sorbet, Simply Chartreuse, Fresh Snow, Tea Dye Duo

PAPER: Simply Chartresue, Berry Sorbet, Rustic White

OTHER: 1/8” white silk ribbon, rustic twine, cream fabric (Michaels), Cuttlebug folders-Halloween spiderweb and branches, Dark Chocolate buttons, pearls (Michaels)

You're a Grand Old Flag...

I hope you all are having a wonderful 4th of July! I just wanted to pop on here real quick to show you a card I made for Susan's One Layer Wednesday challenge on the Simplicity blog. The challenge this week was to create a patriotic card using just one layer of paper and ink. So I thought it might be fun to stamp an abstract flag design! I am also entering this into Ted's Old Glory challenge, which challenged us to use the colors red, white and blue.

The stripes are from the fun stamp set by Practicing Creativity, called You're Dandy. The other stamps are from We R Memory Keepers, Old Glory collection. I masked around the circle and around the sentiment and then added red gemstones to give it some 4th of July sparkle. You can find my other 4th of July posts HERE and HERE. I just love the bold shapes and colors of this holiday!

Have a fun and safe 4th of July with your family and friends! And thanks so much for stopping by the blog today. Have a wonderful, sunshine-filled 4th of July! :)

Supplies used.
STAMPS: Freedom from the Old Glory collection (We R Memory Keepers), You're Dandy (Practicing Creativity)
INK: Rocket Red (Brilliance), Mediterranean Blue (Brilliance)
PAPER: Stampers Select White (Papertrey Ink)
OTHER: Red gemstones (Michael's)

Father's Day: Stepdad

Here is the second card I made for Father's Day. This one is for my stepdad. He is really into cars, so I knew I would be using Enjoy the Ride stamps.

I originally meant to have the card sitting on a road, but thought it was kind of fun and abstract to have it sitting out in a field. The tree in the background is from PTI Father Knows Best. I also used Lisa's magnet idea and included a magnet with the same car design on the front to coordinate with the card.

Here's a detail shot.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great, sunshine-filled day!

All supplies are Papertrey Ink, unless otherwise noted.

STAMPS: Father Knows Best, Masculine Motifs, Enjoy the Ride, Up, Up and Away, Grass (A Muse stamps)

INK: Ripe Avocado, Dark Chocolate, Terracotta Tile, Enchanted Evening, Fresh Snow

PAPER: Kraft

OTHER: Enjoy the Ride car die

Father's Day: Grandpa

I am a little late in posting these cards, but I thought I would still share them with you to show you the cards I gave to my grandpa and stepdad for Father's Day. I'll be posting my grandpa's card today and my stepdad's tomorrow.

Here is my grandpa's Father's Day card.

Here is a detail.

I was inspired by Nichole's card here. I cut the tree image out by hand and then distressed the edges with Tim Holtz's paper distresser. I added tea dye duo ink to the edges of the leaves panel and also to the inside of the card. I have been going through a phase with adding distressed elements to my cards lately. I just really like the look!

And the inside of the card.

I used a sentiment from PTI Father Knows Best and PTI Masculine Motifs. I stamped the leaves on scratch paper first, and stamped them a second time on the card, to give a lighter and more worn impression.

A special note about my grandpa... We kids grew up less than a mile away from grandpa and grandma, so they have played a huge role in our lives. They have been there through everything. My grandpa has been a big role model in my life and in my siblings' lives. We love him and appreciate him so much and feel lucky to have such a great grandpa.

I'll be posting another Father's Day card for my stepdad tomorrow. Would like for you to take a look if you get a chance.

Thanks for stopping by!

All supplies are Papertrey Ink, unless otherwise noted.
STAMPS: Father Knows Best, Masculine Motifs
INK: Ripe Avocado, Dark Chocolate, Tea Dye duo
PAPER: Rustic Cream, Dark Chocolate, Kraft
OTHER: Dark Chocolate button, Ripe Avocado grosgrain ribbon, Rustic twine

4th of July Treats

If you had a chance to read through my post from yesterday, you would know that I am a big fan of the 4th of July! I just love the vibrant colors, the stars, and of course the importance of what the holiday means for our country.

To celebrate, I made some 4th of July treats for family and friends. They were a lot of work to make, but it was a lot of fun and I learned a lot too. It was also my first time stitching, which was an interesting experience to say the least!

Here is the treat.

I handstitched around the edges with PTI red baker's twine, and left the top open to drop in some M&Ms. Below is a pic of the yummy mint M&Ms inside!

Thought I would show you some pics, as to how I made and assembled it. 

The thin white paper in the background is parchment paper, which I used as a buffer between the red paper and the cuttlebug plate. It served two purposes: to prevent the cut lines from showing up on the red paper and also to provide an inside liner for the treats. 

The star was diecut with the largest star nestabilties. Then it was stamped repeatedly with the Freedom sentiment. Then I ran the star at an angle through my Cuttlebug embossing folder and swiped the impression with Fresh Snow ink.

Here are the stamps I used. They were only $1 each! ;)

They are part of the 4th of July Old Glory collection from We R Memory Keepers. I really love that line of papers and coordinating stamps! 

Next, I did some paper piercing around the edge to provide a guide for the stitching.

Then I stitched with PTI poppy baker's twine to fasten the treat holder together.

I stamped the fireworks image, cut it out and then rolled it around my paper piercer to give it dimension. Then, I sponged on some Chamomile ink to soften it.

I also added score lines across the intersections of the angles to make the star dimensional. Here's a closeup. 

Finally, I tied a bow with PTI white silk ribbon and added the stamped elements (and of course the candy too!). 

That's all for today! Thanks for stopping by to take a peek. Hope you have a very sunny day!

All supplies are Papertrey Ink, unless otherwise listed.

STAMPS: We R Memory Keepers-Old Glory collection (Boom! and Freedom), USA-Studio G

INK: Enchanted Evening, Pure Poppy, Fresh Snow, Tea Dye Duo (Chamomile)

PAPER: Pure Poppy, Vintage Cream

OTHER: Pure Poppy Baker's Twine, 1/4" white silk ribbon, Spellbinders nestabilities-stars, Cuttlebug embossing folder-chipped paint

Papertrey Pals 4th of July Challenge

For the most recent Papertrey Pal's challenge, Ingrid from the Papertrey Pals challenged us to use red, white and blue colors as well as stars in our projects. Such a perfect challenge with 4th of July coming up soon!

Here is the card I made for the challenge, Let Freedom Ring.

One of my favorite images to use in cardmaking are stars, so naturally I love making 4th of July cards! Not to mention, it is our country's most important holiday too.

The background stars and sentiment were stamped with PTI Let Freedom Ring. The main star image was stamped with PTI Text Boxed. I just received the set from an online seller, and this is my first time trying it out. It is so versatile and I can tell already that it will be used a lot!

Here's a close up.

I was very happy to find a blue button with stripes in it in my stash! And notice the white corrugated paper? I dug up my Fiskars corrugator tool to make the background texture. It's a fun way to add a little extra dimension. The poppy ink was kind of distressed a little to add interest.

Here's the card once more.

I had a lot of fun making this card and it's got me excited for the 4th, which is one of my favorite holidays. Do you have any plans yet for the 4th? We are still trying to work out the final plans, but my mom is going to see Lee Greenwood in concert. She's a huge fan. ;) Have a sunny day!

ETA: Thanks so much to the CARDS blog, for featuring this card in their 4th of July challenge!

All supplies are Papertrey Ink unless otherwise listed.
Stamps: Let Freedom Ring, Text Boxed
Ink: Pure Poppy, Versamark
Paper: White, Kraft 
Other: Red Poppy Baker's Twine, Enchanted Evening button, Stampendous clear EP, Clear rhinestones

One Layer Wednesday: Overlapping

This week's One Layer Wednesday challenge on the Simplicity blog was to create a one layer card overlapping an image with a sentiment. Here is the card I made for the challenge, There's No One Like You.

Just received my first Hero Arts order from Stampin' Treasures, and had fun playing with some of my new goodies. 

I love that in real life no two butterflies or clouds look alike, so I especially like this sentiment for the card. It might make a nice winter card to use the same sentiment with a snowflake, since they are also unique. 

The butterfly is stamped from the Antique Engravings set using the rock 'n roll technique with Memento Tangelo and Lady Bug inks. I thought it might be interesting to do some extra overlapping for the challenge, so I then masked the butterfly and stamped the cloud stamp in Memento Summer Sky ink. Finally, I stamped the sentiment from the Happiness Messages set directly onto the butterfly with Memento Rich Cocoa ink. I didn't take a picture of it, but the clouds are stamped and continued on the back of the card too.

I did several versions of this card. Here is a simpler version without the clouds.

And here is a more masculine, natural version with a PTI woodgrain background and rustic cream paper. The woodgrain and edges are sponged with PTI Vintage Touch Tea Dye Duo.

That's all for today! Be sure to check out the Simplicity blog and play along. It's a lot of fun!

Have a wonderful, sunshine-filled day! :)

One Layer Wednesday with Ribbon

Here is my entry for Simplicity's weekly challenge. We could only use a single folded card, ink and one piece of ribbon. What a fun challenge!

I used the Lawn Fawn stamps I received recently. I just adore her new stamp line. The images are so adorable, fun and happy!

To emphasize the phone ringing, I stamped the image once in yellow ink and then stamped again right on top with a contrasting ink for each of the images.

I created a double-sided ribbon by scor-taping a piece of satin Lemon Tart ribbon to a satin Summer Sunrise ribbon to add some dimension in the color. Then I wound the ribbon on the side to mirror the cord on the phone headset.

I still feel like the ribbon needs something. Any suggestions?

Thanks for stopping by! :) Have a sunny day!