Card Patterns Sketch 117 - Strawberries

Happy Saturday! I am back from the civil wedding of my BIL to share this yummy card I made for this week's sketch over at Card Patterns, which is sponsored by DRS Designs:

I used the Large Strawberries stamp on my card and paper-pieced it. Hehe, couldn't resist taking the photo in my strawberry pots - but that strawberry is a bought one, mine are not ripe yet :o) Don't you love that sketch? I hope you'll join us this week!

Be sure to check out all the details for this week here.

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Off to fall asleep immediately...

Hugs,

Vanessa

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink

Patterned Paper: Pink Paislee

Stamps: DRS Designs, Papertrey Ink

Other: ribbon

Wedding Cake

Happy Friday! Just quickly wanted to share a little project I made for my brother in law's wedding:


This little cake is made from small round boxes that I covered with patterned paper and embellished with those pretty paper roses. We will give money to the couple and I wanted to have a special packaging for this. All the paper is SEI from the Madeline Collection. So beautiful!



To assemble the cake, I pierced holes into the bottom of the top and the second layer and the lids of the second and bottom layer and connected them with brads. Here is one last shot:


I'll be back with my Card Pattern's post and the winner of my giveaway shortly.

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs,
Vanessa

Papertrey Ink May Blog Hop Challenge

Hi again! I managed to make a card for the PTI Blog Hop Challenge during nap time! Just couldn't resist this month's theme: flowers!!! So here is my card:



These fun little fabric flowers are showing up everywhere and they are so easy to make! I decided to make it a hair-clip for my little girl. Just in case some of you haven't seen how to make these, I took photos of the process:



First I die-cut 5 circles from fabric, using the circle die from the Limitless Layers dies. I found out that it's cutting well when I put the thin embossing mat on top of my sandwich before die-cutting and running it through two times. Then you just fold the circles into half and loosely stitch along the round edge. Just pull the thread and you'll see the petals form. Here is the finished flower:


And here is the finished hair-clip:


And here is the new little owner, wearing it:



Ok, back to my little wild thing. She is jumping on the trampoline and decided to take off all of her clothes :)

Happy Hopping and thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,
Vanessa

Make it Mondays and a NEW WINNER!

Happy Wednesday! I had to draw a new winner for the Card Creations Vol. 9 issue, because sweet Lindsay already owns a copy and wants to give another one the chance to get it! But before we come to the new winner, I'd like to share another card. This one is for PTI's Make it Mondays Challenge Sympathy Cards:

Mmh, the larkspurs again. Can you tell that I love them? They are heat-embossed using black embossing powder. Somehow I tend to use green and purple on sympathy cards. It just looks elegant and soothing to me. Ok, now to the new winner of the Paper Crafts Magazine! I asked Random.org again and it is:

SARAH! Please email me your address as quickly as possible! Thanks for your sweet comment!

I might be back with another post today - maybe I am able to make a card for the PTI blog hop. If I don't decide to sow my green beans :)

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Supplies:

Cardstock: PTI, Bazzill Basics

Stamps: PTI, Hero Arts

Ink: Tsukineko

Pearls: Prima Marketing

Other: Black Embossing Powder

ATC and a Winner and a Reminder!

Happy Tuesday! Happy Winnerday! But before I'll announce the winner of the Paper Crafts Card Creations Vol. 9 blog hop, a reminder and a little something to share.

REMINDER: Today is the last day to enter my second Blogoversary giveaway! Including HERO ARTS stamps, UNITY stamps, OCTOBER AFTERNOON paper, PINK PAISLEE paper, COSMO CRICKET chipboard and much much more!!! It's beautiful stuff! Enter it here.

Now to the little project. It is an ATC I made for this month's Hero Arts Challenge:

I love these pretty silhouettes stamps, but didn't own them. But now Hero Arts offers these great die-cuts for cutting machines!!! We own the Craft Robo and I have been neglecting it for such a long time - but now I have a great reason for using it. The background is stamped with the Old Letter Writing stamp. I wonder if I'll ever stop using it!

See that flower in the background? Our peonies are blooming! LOVE that rich color and they are huge! Lisa Spangler made me try taking photos of my projects in our garden and now I am hopping through it, camera in one hand, projects in the other, trying to find great set-ups for taking photos :) I am glad there are not many neighbors around to watch me doing this.

And finally, here is the winner of the Card Creations Vol. 9 issue. Random.org said:

And this means:

Yay, sweet friend!!! Congratulations! And please send me an email with your address so I can forward it to the Paper Crafts editor. Thank you so much for your sweet comments, I enjoyed reading every one!

I hope your day is wonderful! Thanks for visiting today!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Supplies:

Cardstock: SEI, PTI

Stamp: Hero Arts

Ink: Tsukineko

Digi Die-Cut: Hero Arts

Doily: PTI

Other: Pearl

Card Patterns Sketch 116 - Penny Black

Happy Sunday! This week Card Patterns is sponsored by Penny Black!!! I have so many elegant stamps that I chose to work with one of their fun critters set called Hello Friend. Here is my sample for this week's sketch:

I wonder if those three little balloons would be enough to lift this cat :o)

So, would you like to win some Penny Black stamps? Join us this week over at Card Patterns!!! Find all the details here.

And don't forget to enter the giveaways here and here!!!

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Supplies:

Cardstock, stamps: Penny Black

Patterned Paper: Bo Bunny, October Afternoon, Pink Paislee

Ink: Tsukineko

Dies: Spellbinders, PTI

Marker: Copic

Other: Baker's Twine

Paper Crafts magazine Presents: Card Creations 9 Blog Hop

Happy Friday and welcome to the Paper Crafts Card Creations 9 Blog Hop! I am glad you are stopping by! Today you will find inspiration on the blogs of 9 Designers sharing cards that are inspired by this wonderful cover:

And while hopping along, you have the chance to win this amazing magazine! Just leave a comment on every blog on your way! Now, before showing my card I would like to tell you a bit about my experience working on this issue. I have to say that this kind of submission call is my favorite! I love to sit down and just play with all my supplies without a lot of limits. I sketched many ideas into my idea book and just enjoyed creating one after the other. I made about 30 cards which was a record for me! I was a bit strung up while waiting for an acceptance email (because I made soo many cards) and when I opened my email account and saw that list of 16 accepted cards I ran to my husband (who was lying in his bed almost asleep) screaming and squealing and hopping and dancing happily. Unbelievable for me. So cool. Ok, but now let's get to my card, shall we? Here it is:

For my card I wanted to include something from each of those fabulous cover cards and use the colors of the cover itself. The "sketch" and the flower are inspired by Windy's card, the flag with the sentiment is inspired by Carolyn's card and that sentiment with the red rhinestone is inspired by Kelley's card. Somehow I wasn't able to work the green/blue of the cover into my creation, so I just used it for my setup :) Because I didn't own that gorgeous Prima Flower Windy used, I created my own. I just layered some die-cut tissue flowers, some tulle and some red velvet flowers and voilà. Not THAT gorgeous, but it worked. Red feathers would have been perfect! Here's another shot:

I can't wait to see what the other designers created for today, can you? Be sure to hop on and to stop by the Paper Crafts Connection blog for even more fun and a fabulous prize!

Here is today's blog hop list:

• Chan Vuong

• Teri Anderson

• Vanessa Menhorn <- You are here :o)

• Cristina Kowalczyk

• Windy Robinson

• Julia Stainton

• Kim Hughes

• Betsy Veldman

• Kalyn Kepner

And don't forget to leave a comment on this post before midnight (MDT) on Sunday, 22 May. A winner will be selected randomly shortly afterwards. Good luck to you and happy hopping!!!

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day ♥

Hugs,

Vanessa x

Card Creations Volume 9 Publication

Happy Thursday!! I am glad you are back, because today I wanted to share a card that is lucky enough to be published in the newest amazing Paper Crafts Special Issue Card Creations Vol. 9! I so love this magazine. So much inspiration for all styles! Without further ado, here is the favorite of my published cards:

I made this using Vinnie Pearce`s Journey Back Collection before the collection was released and liked it so much that I held it back to save for publication. And it was worth it :)

Be sure to get this wonderful magazine:

You´ll find it here. Oh, and a happy shout-out to my sweet friend Kelley Eubanks who made it onto the cover with her cute tricycle card!!!

Be sure to come back tomorrow for a fun Paper Crafts Card Creations Volume 9 blog hop! There'll be lots of prizes involved! And don't forget about my giveaway here.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Make it Mondays - Shimmer Spray

Happy Wednesday! I made a card for this week's Make it Mondays challenge! Yay! It's about making your own shimmer sprays. I made a very subtle one with Hawaiian Shores ink to use on my card:

It is so subtle because I don't own any reinkers yet and had to scrape off some ink from my inkpad. Ha. First I used the spray on the background then I stamped text from the textstyle set with Hawaiian Shores. Before stamping I wiped off a lot of ink with a baby wipe, I wanted it to be subtle, too. The larkspur is stamped with brown pigment ink and I colored the blossoms with that shimmer spray and a brush. My own larkspurs in the garden are growing well, can't wait for them to bloom! And the peonies are about to open any day now! Oh, but enough of this - here is a close-up of the shine:

I know that larkspurs come in that deep, beautiful blue, but I didn't have that color available. Hope you like it nonetheless!

Did you order from the newest release? I just did today because I wanted to wait for another payment to arrive. And now the Seed Packet Die isn't available!!! Doh! Wish I hadn't waited so long. I NEED that die! There are soo many ideas for it in my head already! One for my girl's birthday.

I hope you are having a sunny day! Thanks for visiting and don't forget about my giveaway!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Supplies:

Everything PTI except for

Brown Ink: Tsukineko

Perfect Pearls: Ranger Industries

Pearls: Prima Marketing

Two Years of Blogging - time to celebrate with a giveaway!

Happy Tuesday to you and Happy 2nd Blogoversary to me! I can't tell how much I appreciate all of you, so thank you so much for your support!!! Today I am having a giveaway for you :

It's not the ranunculus, they are already withered now, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to have a nice photo in my post. I don't have a pic of the giveaway, because I didn't have time for that yet. But it will be a box full of new stamps (Hero Arts, Unity, Imaginisce), Stickers (SEI, Glitz Design, SRM), Paper (Cosmo Cricket, My Little Shoebox, October Afternoon, GCD Studios etc), Chipboard (Cosmo Cricket, Tattered Angels etc.) and various Embellishments (Buttons, Ribbon, Flowers etc.). Who knows what else will find its way into the box - it will depend on how many of you are interested in my giveaway!

So, IF you are interested in it, please leave a comment on this post. You don't have to include this information, but if you are in a chatty mood, I would love to know if there is something you like about my blog. Or about my creations. Or what you would like to see more often. Is there anything you'd like me to show? Like tutorials? So if you'd like to, please tell me that.

The giveaway will be open for one week. It will close on Tuesday, May 24 at 12 pm EST. And it is open to all of you! I will draw a winner randomly next week.

Again, thank you so much for being part of my little blogworld and for visiting me!

Hugs,

Vanessa x

Card Patterns Sketch 115

Happy Saturday! This week Card Patterns is sponsored by The Craft's Meow again and we all used the Little Frieda on our cards. I used Little Frieda at the Seashore:

That card fell in place around the banner from October Afternoon. I thought the twine would add some maritime feeling to it. Oh, and just in case you are wondering about that leg in the background, I had a little helper while taking the photo:

I hope you will join us over at Card Patterns this week! Show us your take on the sketch for your chance to become our Guest Designer or win two brand new stamp sets from The Craft's Meow! Check out the details here.

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful weekend! I am busy making cards for the latest Paper Crafts call, it is so much fun to just play with supplies!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Supplies:

Cardstock: PTI

Patterned Paper: October Afternoon, Pink Paislee

Stamps: The Craft's Meow

Ink: Tsukineko, Ranger Industries

Sticker: October Afternoon

Marker: Copic

Dies: Spellbinders

Other: Twine

Birthday Card for a Little Girl

Happy Sunday and Happy Mother's Day to you! Today I enjoyed a sunny day with my family in our garden. I hope you are having a lot of sunshine, too! Yesterday we were invited to a 3rd Birthday Party at a friend of Alyssa and I needed a card for her. The little girl stamp from Hero Arts just fit perfectly:

I love to use pencils on Kraft cardstock, so I colored her with these. And this month's Hero Arts contest is about Fabulous Flowers, ATC and the featured technique Colored Pencils. Ha, flowers and pencils - perfect for my card to be entered! Here is a close-up of the girl:

And here the tag. I stamped the flower of the girl's hair one more time, colored it and cut it out to add it to the little tag:

You'll find all the details about the challenge here.

Have a beautiful day and thanks for visiting!!!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Supplies:

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics, PTI

Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye, Basic Grey

Stamps: Hero Arts, PTI

Ink: Tsukineko

Dies: PTI

Embossing Folder: Provo Craft

Colored Pencils: Faber Castell

Other: Baker's Twine

Card Patterns Sketch 114

Happy Saturday! It's Card Patterns day again, and our generous sponsor this week is once again the independent SU! Demonstrator Catherine Pooler. Here is my sample for sketch 114:

Another shabby little card. I distressed the edges of the patterned paper with scissors and inked them up a bit. The seam binding is hand died with black tea. So easy and fun! I tried some fruit tea to achieve a soft pink result, but it turned out mauve. Looks good, too!

Please come over to Card Patterns and join us this week! I would love you to!

Have a beautiful day and thanks for visiting!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Supplies:

Cardstock, Patterned Paper, Button: SU

Birdnest: Pink Paislee

Stamp: PTI

Ink: Ranger Industries

Die: PTI

Other: Seam Binding, lace, twine

Make it Mondays - Baby Card

Happy Thursday! A friend of mine got her baby boy this week and I needed a card. And I wanted to try the great embossing technique from this week's Make it Mondays video! So here it is:

I will have to try out this technique with all the dies and embossing folders/plates I own - love the result!

Thanks for visiting and have a fabulous day!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Supplies:

Cardstock, Stamps, Dies: PTI

Patterned Paper: October Afternoon

Ink: Tsukineko, Ranger Industries

Marker: Copic

Embossing Folder: Provo Craft

Other: floss

CARDS April Pubs

Happy Wednesday! Here are some cards that were published in the CARDS April 2011 issue:

The last one is new, I haven't shared it yet. Difficult to see in the picture, but the plane is glossy because I applied Glossy Accents.

Short post. Off to make another Baby card for a friend who got her boy this week!

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs,

Vanessa