wings of a butterfly

You Always Lift My Spirits

2012-01-26T19:52:00.000+01:00

Hello! I am back to share another card. Here it is:

Hallo! Ich bin wieder da um eine weitere Karte mit Euch zu teilen. Hier ist sie:

A simple mix of SEI cardstock pieces and a sentiment from Practicing Creativity. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Ein simpler Mix aus SEI Pappteilchen und einem Spruch von Practicing Creativity. Danke fürs Vorbeischauen und habt einen wundervollen Tag!

Vanessa

A giftbag from Stamp It! 3 Ways

2012-01-25T22:07:00.000+01:00

Hi! Today's project is a giftbag that is published in the new Paper Crafts special issue Stamp It! 3 Ways. Another must-have issue full of inspirational projects. Here is the one I chose to share with you:

Hi! Das heutige Projekt ist eine Geschenktüte die in der neuen Paper Crafts Spezialausgabe Stamp It! 3 Ways veröffentlicht ist. Ein weiteres Heft voller inspirierender Projekte, das man unbedingt haben muss! Hier ist das, was ich daraus mit Euch teilen möchte:

I was allowed to work with the gorgeous Ovals - Classic Frames set from Waltzingmouse Stamps here. And a second project in that issue is made with stamps from Close to my Heart. I first had a third assignment. But that certain stamp company refused to send a single stamp set outside the US. Very disappointing. I will never purchase any of their product. I was not a-mused!

Ich hatte die Gelegenheit, mit dem wundervollen Ovals - Classic Frames Set von Waltzingmouse Stamps zu arbeiten. Und ein zweites Projekt in der Ausgabe habe ich mit Stempeln der Firma Close to my Heart gemacht. Zuerst hatte ich noch eine dritte Vereinbarung. Aber dieser bestimmte Stempelhersteller hatte sich geweigert, ein einzelnes Stempelset ausserhalb der USA zu versenden. Sehr enttäuschend. Ich werde niemals etwas von deren Produkten kaufen. Naja, das Wortspiel funktioniert auf Deutsch nicht.

Ok, now get this fabulous magazine here. And thanks for visiting!

Ok, jetzt holt Euch dieses fantastische Magazin hier. Und Danke fürs Vorbeischauen!

Vanessa

For New Babies

2012-01-24T17:45:00.000+01:00

Hi! Today I am sharing a giftbag and a card for new babies. First the bag:

Hi! Heute zeige ich eine Geschenktasche und eine Karte für neue Babies. Erstmal die Tasche:

On this bag I used the adorable Musical Walk stamp from Hero Arts combined with paper from the My Mind's Eye Lost & Found 2 Blush Collection. That pretty flower is from Webster's Pages.

Auf dieser Tasche habe ich den tollen Musical Walk Stempel von Hero Arts mit Papier aus der Lost & Found 2 Blush Kollektion von My Mind's Eye kombiniert. Diese hübsche Blume ist von Webster's Pages.

And the card uses more My Mind's Eye, this time from the Lost & Found 2 Sunshine Collection. The letter stickers are Studio Calico, the flowers are Prima.

Und auf der Karte habe ich nochmal My Mind's Eye benutzt, diesmal aus der Lost & Found 2 Sunshine Kollektion. Die Buchstaben Sticker sind von Studio Calico, die Blumen von Prima.

Back preparing dinner! Have a great day!

Zurück zum Abendessen machen! Habt einen tollen Tag!

Vanessa

New Vinnie Pearce Collections!

2012-01-23T20:06:00.000+01:00

Hello! Today is a big day for my Vinnie. It's the launch of her new website, the release of three amazing new collections and two sweet freebies for grab! Check out Vinnie Pearce Downloads.
So far, I made three cards. But more stuff will follow!

Hallo! Heute ist ein grosser Tag für meine Vinnie. Die Eröffnung ihrer neuen Webseite, die Veröffentlichung von drei beeindruckenden neuen Kollektionen und zwei süsse Freebies kann man auch noch einpacken! Schaut Euch mal Vinnie Pearce Downloads an.
Bis jetzt habe ich drei Karten gemacht. Aber es folgt noch mehr Zeugs!

The first two cards are made with the collaboration kit "Retrouvailles". Oh, how I love it! You might think that I did a lot of cutting and paper-piecing and sewing on the first card. But I didn't :)
I just printed that zig-zag element twice and adhered it to my cardbase.

Die ersten beiden Karten wurden mit dem Kollaborations Kit "Retrouvailles" gemacht. Oh, wie ich es liebe! Du glaubst vielleicht, dass ich hier auf der ersten Karte sehr viel herumgeschnippelt und zusammengesetzt und genäht habe. Hab ich nicht :)
Ich habe nur dieses Zick-Zack Element zweimal ausgedruckt und auf meine Karte geklebt.

The third card is made with the adorable kit "About a Boy":

Die dritte Karte habe ich mit dem putzigen Kit "About a Boy" gemacht:

Vinnie is celebrating the launch of the website with a sale! Most of her previous collections are available, too! Go here and start shopping. Best thing is, you don't have to wait for a mailman but you can start playing with your goodies immediately!

Vinnie feiert die Eröffnung der Webseite mit tollen Vergünstigungen! Die meissten ihrer vorherigen Kollektionen sind ebenfalls erhältlich! Klick hier und kauf los. Das Beste daran ist, dass Du nicht auf einen Postboten warten musst, sondern gleich anfangen kannst mit Deinen neuen Sachen zu spielen!

Vanessa

More Flowers

2012-01-22T09:49:00.000+01:00

Hello! Here comes another stamped card with flowers. I am ready for spring. Snow/winter is ok for christmas, but now I would prefer it to be over :) So here are some flowers:

Hallo! Hier kommt eine weitere gestempelte Karte mit Blumen. Ich bin bereit für den Frühling. Schnee/Winter ist in Ordnung an Weihnachten, aber jetzt würde ich es bevorzugen wenn es vorbei wäre :) Also, hier kommen ein paar Blumen:

Here I used stamps and dies from one of PTI's Flower Fusion sets and patterned paper from October Afternoon.

Hier habe ich Stempel und Dies/Stanzen von einem der Flower Fusion sets von PTI verwendet, sowie Papier von October Afternoon.

I hope your day is sunny! I'll be back tomorrow with some new Vinnie Pearce cards using her newest collections. Love them!

Ich hoffe Du hast einen sonnigen Tag! Ich werde morgen mit ein paar neuen Vinnie Pearce Karten zurück sein, für die ich ihre neuesten Kollektionen verwendet habe. Ich liebe sie!

Vanessa

Red Poppies

2012-01-19T19:30:00.000+01:00

Hi! Today I have a stamped card to share. This one is using the Delicate Blossoms set from Hero Arts again:

Hi! Heute möchte ich Euch eine gestempelte Karte zeigen. Auf dieser habe ich wieder das Delicate Blossoms Set von Hero Arts verwendet:

Reminds me of those beautiful poppy fields in Tuscany. Sigh. Ok, enough of dreaming. Off to make more cards!

Erinnert mich an diese wunderschönen Mohnfelder in der Toskana. Seufz. Ok, genug geträumt! Bin weg um mehr Karten zu machen!

Vanessa

Love You - Mailbox & Mini Album

2012-01-18T10:26:00.000+01:00

Hello! I've been working on a project using the gorgeous Love Me collection from My Mind's Eye. And today it is finished so I can show it to you. Making this was so much fun! This cute mailbox with a mini album from Maya Road had been sitting on my desk for a long time and now I finally found good use for it:

Hallo! Ich habe an einem Projekt gearbeitet, für das ich die tolle Love Me Kollektion von My Mind's Eye verwendet habe. Und heute ist es fertig, so dass ich es Euch zeigen kann. Daran zu arbeiten hat so viel Spass gemacht! Dieser süsse Briefkasten mit Minialbum war eine lange Zeit auf meinem Tisch gestanden und jetzt habe ich ihn endlich gut gebrauchen können:

Here is the album. I threw in some embellishments from the Lost & Found Two Rosy collection:

Hier ist das Album. Ich habe ein paar Verzierungen aus der Lost & Found Two Rosy Kollektion mit eingebaut:

I painted the cardboard base with white acrylic paint and inked the edges with distress ink.

Ich habe die Graupappe Basis mit weisser Acrylfarbe angemalt und die Kanten mit Distress Ink eingefärbt.

On the inner pages I used a small envelope die and some postage themed stamps to match the mailbox theme:

Auf den Innenseiten habe ich einen kleinen Kuvert Die und einige Poststempel benutzt, damit alles zum Briefkasten Thema passt:

I hope you like it! Off to create more stuff :)

I hoffe es gefällt Dir! Ich bin dann mal weg um noch mehr Zeugs zu basteln :)

Vanessa

Winner of the Blog Hop and a Card

2012-01-17T13:39:00.001+01:00

Hi everybody! I am back with my randomly chosen winner from the Paper Crafts Cool Tools Blog Hop! Here it is:

Please contact me at wingsofabutterfly.vanessa@googlemail.com . Thank you and congratulations! And thanks to everybody who left a sweet comment here!

Now to a card for today. Here it is:

Hi Ihr alle! Ich bin zurück mit meinem Gewinner (oben abgebildet) und einer Karte. Hier ist sie:

More pretty paper from Crate's Random collection. And a digital die-cut from Hero Arts, as well as a Hero Arts stamp.

Noch mehr hübsches Papier von Crates Random Kollektion. Und ein digitaler Die-Cut von Hero Arts, sowie ein Hero Arts Stempel.

I hope your day is beautiful! Thanks for stopping by!

Ich hoffe Dein Tag ist wunderschön! Vielen Dank fürs Vorbeischauen!

Vanessa

Basic Grey Projects

2012-01-16T09:09:00.009+01:00

Hello! Today I have two projects using Basic Grey. I made these a while ago and never shared them, so here I go. First is a gift bag using the gorgeous Curio collection:

Hallo! Heute habe ich zwei Projekte, für die ich Basic Grey verwendet habe. Ich habe sie schon vor einer Weile gemacht und nie gezeigt, also hol ich das mal nach. Zuerst eine Geschenktasche, für die ich die wundervolle Curio Kollektion verwendet habe:

I love the botanical images of this collection! And my second project is a notepad that I created with a mix of Curio and Indie Bloom:

Ich liebe diese botanischen Elemente in dieser Kollektion! Und mein zweites Projekt ist ein Notizblock, den ich aus einer Mischung von Curio und Indie Bloom kreiert habe:

Ok, that's it for today! Thank you for all your sweet comments on my blog hop post! I will be back tomorrow with the randomly chosen winner!

Ok, das wars für heute! Danke für all die lieben Kommentare zu meinem Blog Hop Post! Ich werde morgen zurück sein und den zufällig gezogenen Gewinner verkünden!

Vanessa

Paper Crafts Magazine Presents: Cool Tools Blog Hop

2012-01-13T11:58:00.019+01:00

Hello and welcome to the Cool Tools Blog Hop! It has been Cool Tools Week on Paper Crafts Connection and Moxie Fab World and today is the final day with a big blog hop for you! And there are HUGE prizes involved. But first, a look at the yummy new special issue:

Those projects on the cover look amazing, don't they? I just can't wait to get my copy of this issue! If you want to get a copy, it's available here.

So, today's mission is to inspire you with the creative use of punches. I have decided to use the technique of creating a sponged background using a border punch like I did on a card that is published in the Cool Tools magazine again. And because it is so much fun to play, I created a second card using a scalloped circle punch to make a pretty flower. Ha, two cards. AND a video. Yes, I thought it would be nice to show you how I created the background in a video. A lot to show, so I'll better get started! First, the card using a scalloped circle punch:

To create this flower, I punched about 9 scalloped circles from patterned paper, assembled them with a brad and started spritzing the center with water. Then I crumpled the center circle to the middle, spritzed again with water and crumpled the second layer to the middle and so on. Then I used a heat embossing tool to dry the flower and carefully un-crumpled it.

Here comes the second card:

Valentine's Day is coming closer :) Here I used this background sponging technique. Now, the video to show you how I did it:

Sorry, sometimes it is a bit wonky. And sometimes I don't find the right words. But I hope you'll like it nevertheless.

Now to the fun part of the blog hop! The prizes! First, leave a comment on my blog to be eligible to win a copy of this amazing new special issue. All comments must be posted by midnight (MDT) on Sunday, January 15th. Then, hop on to the other designers' blogs to see their wonderful creations:

And finally, be sure to stop by the Paper Crafts Connection blog and leave a comment there! The prize package is HUGE! Keeping my fingers crossed for you. Good luck!

Thanks so much for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Vanessa

Note: Comment moderation is on. This is a scheduled post and I will control the comments when returning from work, so don't worry that your comment is not showing up :)

Pretty Poppies

2012-01-12T15:44:00.001+01:00

Hello friends! Today's card was one that I had made for the Designer of the Month feature in the CARDS August 2011 issue. It was the extra card that was supposed to be featured on their blog. But they changed their procedure and don't feature the DOM any more, so this one never appeared. I used one of my favorite Hero Arts sets on this one:

Hallo Freunde! Die heutige Karte hatte ich für das Designer des Monats Feature im CARDS August 2011 Magazin gemacht. Es war die Extra Karte, die eigentlich auf ihrem Blog gezeigt werden sollte. Aber sie haben ihre Vorgehensweise verändert und zeigen die Designer des Monats nicht mehr auf dem Blog, also wurde die Karte nie gezeigt. Ich habe eins meiner liebsten Hero Arts Sets für sie verwendet:

The blossoms are colored with Copics. I love this color combo!

Die Blüten sind mit Copics coloriert. Ich liebe diese Farbkombination!

Thanks for visiting! And be sure to come back tomorrow! BIG BLOG HOP. Don't miss it!

Danke für Deinen Besuch! Und komm morgen auf jeden Fall wieder! GROSSER BLOG HOP. Darfst Du nicht verpassen!

Vanessa

All about me. A Crate Mini.

2012-01-11T07:31:00.000+01:00

Hello! How are you doing? Everything is so quiet. I hope you are not too annoyed by me changing the look of my blog - I tried some things and wasn't sure if I like header, profile pic etc. Anyways, today I have a mini album to share. Some of my beloved Crate Paper stash needed attention. And I wanted to capture my thoughts and feelings at this moment.

Hallo! Wie gehts so? Alles ist so ruhig. Ich hoffe Ihr seid nicht zu genervt davon dass ich meinen Blog so oft geändert habe - ich habe ein paar Sachen ausprobiert und war mir nicht sicher ob ich den Header, das Profilfoto usw so mag. Wie auch immer, heute möchte ich Euch ein Minialbum zeigen. Mein geliebter Crate Paper Bestand benötigte ein wenig Aufmerksamkeit. Und ich wollte meine momentanen Gedanken und Gefühle festhalten.

The inside pages are made from little envelopes that I created using PTI's Seed Packet die. I saw how to do the binding for this in this video.

Die einzelnen Seiten bestehen aus kleinen Kuverts, die ich mit dem PTI Seed Packet Die gestanzt habe. Wie man das Album bindet, habe ich in diesem Video gesehen.

Throughout the album I used mini papers, stickers and accent cuts from Crate's Random Collection.

Für das Album habe ich die kleinen Papiere, Sticker und die Accent Cuts von Crates Random Collection verwendet.

If you have any questions, just send me an email. And don't forget about my giveaway in my previous post. Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

Falls Du Fragen haben solltest, schreib mir einfach eine Email. Und vergiss nicht mein Giveaway vom vorherigen Post! Danke fürs Vorbeikommen und habt einen schönen Tag!

Vanessa

Delightful Luminaries Class starting today! Giveaway!

2012-01-10T13:58:00.000+01:00

Hello! My first class at Miss Art's Papercrafting School is starting today! Here is the description:

Is the passion gone from your craft room? Do patterns and styles that once gave you goosebumps now turn a cold corner? If you are looking for ways to rekindle a paper romance, add warmth and light to your papercrafting supplies with Vanessa Menhorn’s 101 class DeLightful Luminaries. In 2 easy-to-follow videos, Vanessa identifies the materials you’ll need to make two different sized paper luminaries in a variety of decorative themes. She’ll demonstrate the use of a scoreboard, walk you through luminary construction and close with a number of innovative ways to embellish them using die cuts, doilies and heat embossing.
Miss Art’s Papercrafting School begins reconciling paper and crafters in Delightful Luminaries beginning on 1/10/12.

Hallo! Meine erste Klasse bei Miss Art's Papercrafting School beginnt heute! Hier kommt die Vorschau:

Here comes a preview:

Would you like to win a spot? I am giving away a one-month subscription. Just leave a comment to be entered!

Möchtest Du gerne einen Platz in meiner Klasse gewinnen? Ich verlose ein Ein-Monats-Abo. Hinterlasse mir einfach einen Kommentar um teilzunehmen!

Vanessa

Just saying Hello

2012-01-09T20:11:00.001+01:00

Hey friends! Another card to share with you:

Hey Freunde! Eine weitere Karte die ich Euch zeigen mag:

Hero Arts and Unity stamps combined with My Mind's Eye and Pink Paislee paper.

Have a great day!

Hero Arts und Unity Stempel kombiniert mit My Mind's Eye und Pink Paislee Papieren.

Habt einen tollen Tag!

Vanessa

Elegant Anniversary

2012-01-08T15:13:00.001+01:00

Hello! Here is another card that I had made for a submission call. This one is using the beautiful PTI background die Quatrefoil:

Hallo! Hier ist eine weitere Karte, die ich für einen Magazin Call gemacht hatte. Auf dieser habe ich die wunderschöne Hintergrund Stanze Quatrefoil von PTI benuzt:

Happy Sunday and thanks for visiting!

Einen fröhlichen Sonntag und danke fürs Vorbeischauen!

Vanessa

Many Thanks

2012-01-07T21:12:00.002+01:00

Hello! Just quickly popping in to share a card. This is one I originally made for the call for the Card Ideas for Paper Crafters magazine. A fun way to use up some buttons and brads:

Hallo! Ich komm nur schnell vorbei um Euch eine Karte zu zeigen. Die hatte ich ursprünglich für den Call für das Magazin Card Ideas for Paper Crafters gemacht. Eine nette Art, ein paar Knöpfe und Brads zu verwenden:

Have a beautiful day! Keeping it short today :)

Habt einen schönen Tag. Ich machs heute ganz kurz :)

Vanessa

Coming Up Soon! My First Class At Miss Art's!

2012-01-04T19:23:00.000+01:00

Hello! I am excited to share that my very first class at Miss Art's Papercrafting School will start 1/10/12!!! It is called "Delightful Luminaries". Here is a peek at one of the projects I'll teach in the videos:

Hallo! Aufgeregterweise darf ich heute verkünden, dass meine allererste Klasse bei Miss Art's Papercrafting School am 10. Januar 2012 startet!!! Der Name lautet "Delightful Luminaries" (das heisst soviel wie Herrliche Lichtkörper). Hier ist ein kleiner Ausschnitt der Projekte, die ich in den Videos unterrichten werde:

And following this link, you can watch a preview video of the class.

Und wenn Ihr diesem Link folgt, könnt Ihr Euch eine Vorschau auf die Klasse ansehen.

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Vielen Dank für Euren Besuch und habt noch einen schönen Tag!

Vanessa

Happy New Year!!!

2011-12-31T19:00:00.000+01:00

Hello my sweet friends! Before sitting down for New Year's Eve dinner with my family, I would like to wish you all a wonderful, happy, healthy, peaceful New Year! Thanks for visiting me and for your lovely comments! Now, meet Bella:

Isn't she the cutest? I needle-felted her and she is sitting at my desk now, making me smile everytime I look at her.

Enjoy the festivities! See you next year :)

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Some More Publications I Forgot to Share and THE CAKE

2011-12-28T08:43:00.000+01:00

Hello! I hope you are all well! And that you all had a wonderful christmas! I have been not well most of the time because of a nasty cold that made me feel dizzy. But I just worked slowly and enjoyed the magic of christmas nonetheless. It was such fun to watch the excitement of a sweet little girl. And I made the most elaborate cake ever! But first some projects to share. So totally out of the season, these Halloween Tags were published in the CARDS October 2011 issue:

You can only see one of them in this photo, but they are featured in a video, too. You'll find it here. And that issue can be found here. Yummy Pink Paislee again. I thought these would make nice little treats.

Next is a card from the Paper Crafts special issue Card Creations: Get Inspired:

Love that Hero Arts Lace Background stamp! I embossed it with gold embossing powder.

And the last card for today was featured on the Paper Crafts Connection blog yesterday:

This one is from the new special issue Cool Tools for Card Makers. Oh, I can't wait to get my hands on it! There will be a Cool Tools Week on the Paper Crafts Connection blog and Moxie Fab World (Jan. 9 -13). Don't miss it!

Now THE CAKE. I was close to giving him a name. So much time spent together. Haha. I got this new German magazine called Sweet Dreams and it is full of delicious cakes and desserts. We have been drooling over its pages. Ok, now that's not a pretty mental picture, sorry. Usually I just look at those amazing cakes and end up making the simple ones, but this time I decided to jump right in. And chose one of the most elaborate ones. It took me hours. Because I had to bake four different cake bases. Then make toffee for the filling. And then the toppings. But it was worth it. Proud me:

And a closer look at THE CAKE:

We were 8 on Christmas Eve. But we only ate a quarter of THE CAKE. Death by chocolate. I froze the rest. So yummy, but so much!

Long post. I hope you are still here? Thanks for reading! And thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Last Last Minute Gift Idea

2011-12-23T20:27:00.000+01:00

Hello! Ok, it's the day before Christmas in Germany. Here we celebrate on Christmas Eve. Tomorrow is the big day. And I have one last last minute gift idea for you. It's so easy and soo yummy. Get out some chocolate and spoons and make hot chocolate on a spoon:

If you are a real chocolatier, don't read on. Because I like to use my microwave to melt chocolate. Disgraceful. But so very convenient! For the one you see above, I used dark chocolate, melted it and poured it into the small baking forms for tiny cupcakes. Then I threw in a cube of nougat and stuck in the spoon. It works well with a popsicle stick, too. Another version I made was with white chocolate and a lot of christmassy spices. For those who like their chocolate with marshmallows, just use small ones and throw them into the chocolate like I did with the nougat. Mmh, I had to try if these are good enough to give away:

They are! To make your delicious hot chocolate, put the spoon into a cup of hot milk. Wait half a minute. Then stir until the chocolate is melted. Then use a small beater (I have one to froth my milk for my latte) and whisk well. Now top with whipped cream and sprinkle with brittle. Yum!!!

Ok, that's it. And now:

Enjoy the time with your loved ones!!! I'll be back soon.

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

More Cards for the Season

2011-12-21T20:23:00.000+01:00

Hi! It's coming closer. It's very close already. Ha, I watched a normally very reserved Mom from Kindergarten having a loud outburst of feeling about how much she has to do before Christmas today. That's not the way I want to feel about it. Honestly, what can go wrong and who in the world would blame you for not making the perfect dinner or not having wrapped the presents artistically. You'll spend the time with the ones you love and you will enjoy this much more when you do not freak out about every little detail. So. Today I have two more cards. The first one is a cute snowman card using Basic Grey paper and the coordinating Hero Arts stamps:

I really have a thing for snowmen. We had a little bit of snow by now - but then it got warmer and now it is just wet again. Oh well, two more days to hope for a white christmas.

And here is another card using Hero Arts stamps, some sheet music and Tattered Angels mist:

This card was one of my projects that were published in the Paper Crafts Holiday Cards & More 6 issue.

That's it for today! Tomorrow I will try to get some photos of easy and yummy last minute gifts I made.

Thanks for visiting and have a calm day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Three Christmas Cards

2011-12-20T20:02:00.000+01:00

Hi everybody! Ready for christmas? I can't believe that it'll be here so soon! Today I have some more christmas cards to share. These were published in the CREATE: Christmas Cards 2011 issue.

Some gorgeous paper from Pink Paislee's Father Christmas collection here. Next some fun Basic Grey combined with Cosmo Cricket:

And finally a one-layer card using Hero Arts stamps:

Stay calm and merry on :o)

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Love Cards

2011-12-18T12:55:00.000+01:00

Hello! Today I have two Love cards for you:

On the first one I used butterflies from Pink Paislee's Butterfly Garden Collection, paper from their Parisian Anthology and Hocus Pocus Collection and embossed cardstock from Core'dinations:

On the second card I stamped tone on tone on pink cardstock, using the gorgeous Hero Arts Classic Fabric Design background stamp. Then I just stitched it to the patterned paper panel and added this cute felt embellishment from Pink Paislee's Sweetness Collection and some bling and the ribbon:

Wishing you a peaceful Sunday! Thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Quick & Easy Inking (with video) + Cardset in a Box

2011-12-17T16:55:00.001+01:00

Hello my dear friends! Last night I was playing around with my Hero Arts stamps and accidentially found a quick & easy way to color bold images. It was late at night, but I got out the camera and made a video about this technique. First, the project. I created a box and a matching cardset:

I made the box from a sheet of patterned paper from Pink Paislee's Parisian Anthology collection using my template from the Floral For You Box from the Paper Crafts 350 Cards & Gifts issue. You can find this pattern, along with many other great patterns, here.
I stamped and heat embossed the wildflowers with white embossing powder on Soft Stone cardstock. The butterfly is colored using copics:

And here are the cards, using the fun technique:

Another little gift idea for christmas. Ok, now comes the video:

I hope you like it!

Have a beautiful day and thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: Pink Paislee
Stamps: Hero Arts
Ink: Tsukineko
Markers: Tombow, Copic
Rhinestones: Kaisercraft
Other: ribbon

Two more Echo Park cards

2011-12-16T11:58:00.000+01:00

Hello and happy Friday! Today I have two more christmas cards using Echo Park:

I made the first one with the Season's Greetings Collection again. Really quick and easy.

And the second one is using the Winter Park Collection:

With the stickers, it is really easy to create little scenes.

That's it for today! See you tomorrow, have a nice day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Is it summer yet?

2011-12-15T11:24:00.002+01:00

Hehe, no - right now I wish it would be "real" winter with snow and all. But I decided to use up some of my beloved and well-hoarded paper stash and because I had to look for photos of my little girl for calendars I am planning to give to my MIL and my parents for christmas, I found cute summer photos to create a little mini album with. Sending you some sunshine today! So here it is:

The paper and chipboard elements are from the Hometown Summer Collection from Pink Paislee. I created the base from Papertrey Ink coasters and used my Bind-it-All to bind the album.

Ok, back to christmas now :) Falalalala!

Have a fabulous day and thanks for stopping by!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Patterned Paper, Chipboard Pieces: Pink Paislee
Coasters, Buttons, Cardstock, Dies: Papertrey Ink
Twine: The Twinery

Quick and Easy Neighbor Gift

2011-12-14T13:21:00.000+01:00

Hello again! This is the second post for today! I wanted to share the project I have made for the Echo Park Holly Jolly Holidays Event, because it is featured on the blog today. So here it is:

I filled a pretty glass with a mixture of chocolate powder, chocolate chips, vanilla sugar and cinnamon and decorated it. Then I created that pocket and that tag and added a cookie and a candy cane to the set. Here are more photos:

Everything I used is from the Season's Greetings Collection. I hope you like it!

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Patterned Paper, Sticker: Echo Park Paper
Cardstock, sentiment stamp: PTI
Label Stamp: Hero Arts
Ink: Tsukineko
Other: ribbon, bell, twine, trim, glass, glassine bag

Christmas Cards Vinnie Style and a dreamy Layout

2011-12-14T11:30:00.000+01:00

Hello! I am back with more digi/hybrid creations using Vinnie's kits. First, two christmas cards using "A Fuchsia Christmas":

Fun and easy. You could use this design for mass-producing christmas cards. Here is a second one:

The "A Fuchsia Christmas" Collection is available here. Now to a layout. Here I used elements from various kits, just having fun playing around:

I hope your day is beautiful! Thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Christmas Tag

2011-12-13T08:50:00.000+01:00

Hello! Today I have a christmas tag to share. I made this for Echo Park's Holly Jolly Holidays event:

A simple mixture of patterned paper and stickers from the Season's Greetings collection, some buttons and stickpins and tiny die-cut stars.

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Patterned Paper, Stickers: Echo Park Paper
Cardstock, Buttons: PTI
Stickpins: LYB
Other: twine, ribbon

Make a Snowman

2011-12-12T07:37:00.000+01:00

Hello! I hope you had a great weekend! Today I have a cute card for you. I just got the PTI snowman dies and thought they would coordinate perfectly with the Snow Day Collection from Pink Paislee:

Love snowmen! I hope I'll get the chance to build a real one with Alyssa this year. But no snow here yet. Here is a closer look at my cold friend:

That label is from the digital elements kit again.

I hope your day is great! Thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Patterned Paper, Digi Label: Pink Paislee
Cardstock, Dies, Stamps, Buttons, Ribbon: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Tuskineko, Ranger Industries
Twine: The Twinery
Other: white pom

Dimensional Star and December Daily Day 2 + 3

2011-12-11T11:19:00.000+01:00

Hello! Here I am with a dimensional star ornament and page 2 + 3 of my December Daily Album. First the star. I have created a pattern for this, if you are interested in it, please send me an email and I will send you the pdf:

The paper and stickers are from the My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Christmas Collection. First I cut the five cones from patterned paper and assembled them to create the star. Then I added the circles, the rosette and the stickers.

Now the pages 2 and 3 of my December Daily Album:

Day 2: My girl's favorite. Snuggling in her cozy corner, reading a book with one of us.
Day 3: We had a fun breakfast, taking pictures from our reflections in the baubles that are hanging over the table from the advent wreath. Again, more photos in the paper bag:

I hope your Sunday is fabulous! Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

December Daily Day 1

2011-12-10T12:42:00.000+01:00

Hello! Yes, on day 10, I finally managed to share my first page of my december daily. I would make so much so different now that I saw so many amazing albums out there! But here is mine:

Day 1 is a two page and I dedicated it to the decorations. I had so much fun decorating everything this year. Amaryllis are my favorite flowers of the season. Can't get enough of them!

Here are two more photos I slipped into the paper bag. Do you like that little gnome? I needle felted it - it is so easy and you can do so many cute little creatures:

So, this was page 1. I'll be back tomorrow with a dimensional star. And maybe page 2 + 3 - we'll see!

Back to my poor little girl. She has an ear infection and bronchitis. Wish I could take it from her!

Have a beautiful day and thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Clear Treat Box

2011-12-08T12:16:00.000+01:00

Hello! Are you wondering about my December Daily? I am working on it, taking photos every day. It is just more thinking about the size of photos than I thought it would be. But I am sure I'll be able to share some pages soon! For today I have a sweet treat box for you. And a template if you want to create your own. It is a simple pillow box. For mine I used clear cardstock:

I am in love with Pink Paislee's Snow Day collection. These colors and the cute elements! My box is hybrid, I have used some "real" patterned paper and some digital elements. The treats are little cholocate balls. A perfect little gift for a neighbor or colleague, isn't it? Here are two more photos. I couldn't decide what background I like best :)

And if you need a template for that box, here is one:

Let me know if you used it to create your own box! Have a beautiful day and thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: Pink Paislee
Digital Elements: Pink Paislee
Button: Papertrey Ink
Ribbon: Papertrey Ink
Twine: The Twinery
Glitter Glue: Ranger Industries
Ink: Ranger Industries
Die: Papertrey Ink

Echo Park Holly Jolly Holidays Blog Hop

2011-12-07T14:59:00.058+01:00

Welcome to the Echo Park Paper "Holly Jolly Holidays" Blog Hop! We've created a special one-day blog hop event in which you can hop from one designer's blog to the next viewing beautiful holiday cards. Be sure to follow the blog hop list below and leave a comment on each person's blog. Finish up at the Echo Park Paper blog with a final comment. THREE Winners will be selected to win a collection kit of their choosing. Comments can be made through midnight MST today for a chance to win! Winners will be announced on December 8 on the Echo Park Paper blog.

I am glad you are stopping by, because it is a great honor for me to be part of this fun blog hop! Here is the card I made for you:

Is there snow in your part of the world? In my part, we don't have any yet. Last year we had tons, but this year we are still waiting for it. My card was inspired by my favorite holiday song "White Christmas". The paper for the background is from the "For the Record" Collection paper pad (because I have already used up all of my christmas papers) and the stickers are from the "Season's Greetings" Collection. To create "snow", I applied some white acrylic paint to the patterned paper and added glitter glue:

I hope you like it! Now hop on to be inspired by some fabulous, very talented ladies. Here is the list:

Good luck and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,

Vanessa

December Daily - A peek inside

2011-11-29T11:28:00.000+01:00

Hello! Are you feeling this I-like-Christmas-but-why-does-it-have-to-be-this-busy-need-to-bake-more-cookies-need-to-get-the-presents-need-more-time-for-snuggling-and-reading-with-my-girl-oh-no-not-a-cold-oh-no-enjoy-this-time-of-the-year kind of feeling already? Ha, I do. But I am in great christmas mood this year. And I love every second of watching my girl enjoying this special time.
But to the peek! Today there is a post about ideas for December Daily Albums on the Echo Park blog and a page of my album is up. This is an inside peek of my album, showing day 12 and 13:

Because my album is made from paper bags, every page has several pockets for photo mats, journaling etc. On this page, I created a little pocket for a tag, a pocket for journaling and photos in the middle and the pocket for larger photos between this and the next page.

I wanted to keep everything quite simple and not too busy, because with photos and journaling it will be busy enough. And when I think that it needs to be embellished more, I can add matching elements when adding the photos.

So, this was one page. I will start showing the other ones when December begins. Can't wait!

Have a beautiful day and thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Echo Park Fresh Face Designer - Post # 4

2011-11-22T13:16:00.000+01:00

Hello! So, today was my last post for Echo Park as their Guest Designer. It has been such a pleasure! For my last post I created these projects:

First is a fun home décor. A few weeks ago, I went to my parents with my little girl and we brought a mustache on a stick. We giggled all the time during this silly photo session :). For this printer's tray, I used the beautiful collection "Times & Seasons". Oh, how I love it! Here are some closer looks:

And then I made this card:

That's it. I hope you liked my projects!

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

December Daily Sneak

2011-11-21T17:26:00.001+01:00

Hello! This year, I have decided to make my very first December Daily Album. I have to admit that when I first read about a December Daily, I didn't get the idea. But this year I am very excited about it! I am not sure if there is a special way how to make it, I didn't read any of Ali Edward's tips. I just prepared what I thought I would like. It's a paper bag album that I made from plain kraft paper bags. All the paper is Echo Park (I can't believe how much I was able to create with ONE Season's Greetings Collection kit!).
The cover:

The spine:

And a look at the book from above:

I will share photos of the inside soon. It is so much fun making this, I have been enjoying every minute! Can't wait to add photos and journaling! Mmh, looks like the double chocolate brownies are ready - I wish you could smell them! Off to check!

Have a beautiful day and thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Peace

2011-11-20T19:06:00.000+01:00

Hello! I am back with another layout I created with Vinnie's new Collection A Fuchsia Christmas. This time I didn't use any of the bright pink:

Last year we had a lot of snow already. Nothing yet this year...

Have a beautiful day and thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Trim The Tree - More Vinnie!

2011-11-19T08:21:00.001+01:00

Good Morning! I have some more new Vinnie eyecandy for you! Her new release is called A Fuchsia Christmas Collection - and I love it, again! I had difficulties finding a good photo of my little girl that fits the christmas theme, but I finally found one. Here is a layout:

I love the colors of this collection! Hopefully my printer will be ready this weekend and I will be able to share some hybrid projects. The elements in this collection are fab! Get yours here!

Hope to be back soon! Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Winner of the 365 Cards Blog Hop!

2011-11-16T14:11:00.000+01:00

Hello! Without further ado, here is the lucky winner of the 365 Cards issue:

Congratulations, Karen!!! Please contact me for your address. You will find my email address above!

Happy Wednesday!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Echo Park Fresh Face Designer - Post # 3

2011-11-15T13:34:00.000+01:00

Hello! Here come the projects I made for my third post as Echo Park's Fresh Face Designer for November. This is all about little girls. First, a home décor item that is useful for a scrapbooker:

This altered clipboard was made to display a photo that can be easily replaced and to hold more photos, journaling, memorabilia etc. on its backside to scrapbook the photos later:

All the papers and the stickers I used are from the Happy Days Collection. And this collection is so fun! Here I made a girly card using it:

Now to two more projects, this time using the Season's Greetings collection again. Echo Park offers great digital die-cut shapes via iDIECUT.com. I used the snowflake shapes from the before-mentioned collection to make a pretty shirt for my girl and to create a shaped card. Here is my sweet little model with the results:

Haha, she had some fun showing her new shirt:

Here you can see the card a bit better:

Creating shaped cards is very easy. Here is how I did it:

Here are the shapes that I die-cut from cardstock and patterned paper

I inked the edges of the patterned paper snowflake and adhered it to one of the cardstock pieces. This will be the front of the card. Then I scored the shape for the back of the card at one peak and assembled the two pieces, putting the adhesive only to the small, scored part.

The finished card looks like this

I hope you enjoyed today's projects! If you have any questions, please write me an email. You will find the address on top of my blog.

Thank you for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Patterned Paper, Stickers, Digi Die-cuts: Echo Park (Happy Days, Season's Greetings)
Cardstock, Stamps, Buttons, Star Tag: PTI
Ink: Ranger Industries, Tsukineko
Other: twine, clipboard, fabric, gemstone

Turned down projects - sorry for the ramblings

2011-11-13T12:48:00.001+01:00

Hello! Today I thought I'd share two projects that I had submitted to the Paper Crafts May/June call. I have to admit that I was really disappointed that none of my projects was accepted. I knew one day this would happen and I've been trying to not take an acceptance email for granted. I didn't want to be arrogant, but I was really being spoilt. So I was very sad when I saw the message on facebook that all the emails had been sent out. From now on, I will try to be modest. I don't want anybody to think that I am conceited. It is just the one thing that I love and seem to be able to do pretty well. Creating things from paper. It's my passion. And it made me ambitious. And although I am working hard on my projects, I haven't lost the fun in creating. It is my therapy and the first thing I want to do when I am not able to spend time with my daughter. Because she certainly is the most important thing. That is the reason why I am not leaving many comments on blogs. I would love to be able to give back all the love I receive from my sweet blogworld friends. Because their support means so much to me. But I never want to neglect my child. She is real life after all. Oh my, I guess I am chatty today :) Sorry for my ramblings!

Here are two of the projects that I made for the "quotes for teachers and grads" feature:

Have you seen today's new release post over at PTI? Haha, I thought my idea was so clever :) . I made my door with paper hinches. These new dies will make this much easier.

The inside of the door:

And the second project, a fun giftcard holder/photo holder:

I used a mix of Simple Stories papers + stickers and Basic Grey paper here. Love this huge clothespin.

Ok, that's it for today. Sorry for all the blah again!

Don't forget to leave a comment on my blog hop post by midnight today for the chance to win a copy of the 365 Cards magazine!

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Paper Crafts Magazine Presents: 365 Cards Blog Hop

2011-11-11T11:58:00.002+01:00

Hello and welcome to the 365 Cards Blog Hop! I am glad you are stopping by! Today's blog hop is all about this:

Another amazing, must-have special issue from Paper Crafts! You can get the magazine here. I am lucky enough to have it already and I love it! Working on projects for this issue was a lot of fun, because I did some research on interesting Holidays and what I found there was, well, really interesting :) I like food holidays best. But we'll come to that later. First some more information. Listen well, this is the best part! You are able to win a copy of this fabulous issue just by leaving a comment on this post before midnight on Sunday, November 13th. And that's not all. Leave a comment on the Paper Crafts Connection blog for your chance to win an incredible-wonderful-Vanessa-would-love-to-win-it-too prize!!! Ha. Go and look yourself! But first leave a comment here. And maybe look at the card that I made for you today. Right, the card. Every designer participating in this blog hop made a special card for you. Every designer made a card suitable for a different month. My month is July. Oh, how I love July! Usually it is warm and sunny, we get strawberries everywhere and eat lots of ice cream. See, back to the food holidays.

I scream - you scream - we all scream for ice cream!

July is National Ice Cream Month. The 7th is National Strawberry Sundae Day. The 15th is National Ice Cream Day. The 17th Peach Ice Cream Day. The 23rd is Vanilla Ice Cream Day (as if I'd need an excuse to eat ice cream). Guess what my card is about:

I wanted my card to look like a vintage ice cream parlor. The paper and that sticker from Echo Park just worked perfectly for this purpose. That sun blind looks bulky, but I adhered a paper hinge and it slides into an envelope easily and opens again when the card is taken out. Here is a closer look at the details:

I wanted the sentiment to look like a chalkboard sign in front of the shoppe, so I painted some cardstock with chalkboard paint and die-cut the label from it. To simulate a chalk writing, I used white acrylic paint to stamp the sentiment. And the ice cream sticker needed some more yumminess, so I added pink stickles to the cream.

Now, I am sure you want to see what the other designers created for today! Here is the list:

Chan Vuong (January)
Kalyn Kepner (February)
Carly Robertson (March)
Cristina Kowalczyk (April)
Kelley Eubanks (May)
Amber Daigre (June)
Vanessa Menhorn (July)
Windy Robinson (August)
Laura Williams (September)
Betsy Veldman (October)
Teri Anderson (November)
Julia Stainton (December)

Happy hopping, good luck for the prizes and thanks for visiting!
(note: please come back on Wednesday, November 16th to find out if you won!!!)

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Cardstock: PTI
Patterned Paper, Sticker: Echo Park Paper (Happy Days Collection)
Stamp: Hero Arts
Button: October Afternoon
Dies: Spellbinders
Glitter Glue: Ranger Industries
Other: Acrylic Paint, Chalkboard Paint, Baker's Twine

365 Cards

2011-11-10T11:18:00.000+01:00

Wow, that are a lot of cards! Today I'd like to share one of the cards that are published in the new Paper Crafts Special issue 365 Cards. A card a day - that means a lot of inspiration. I already got my copy and this is one amazing issue again. Here comes one of my cards:

One of my very favorite stamps ever. The hydrangea from Hero Arts. Although I've seen hundreds of projects using this stamp, I can't get enough of it. The paper is My Mind's Eye. I used glimmer mist to make everything more interesting:

Ok, I decided to share two more cards today. These are cards that I had made for the call, but didn't get picked. No wonder - looking at the better versions I found in the magazine! So fun to see minds thinking alike :) Meet card number 1:

Now, turn to page 63 to admire Julie Campbell's much better take on this. And another one:

And to see Katie Gehring's cute card that reminded me of this one, turn to page 79.

Oh, and if you do not own a copy yet, come back tomorrow for your chance to win one!

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Rosette Tutorial

2011-11-09T13:37:00.001+01:00

Hello! I am back with the promised tutorial for the rosette. These are quite trendy right now and can be used on so many projects, because they make great embellishments. The way I make them is nothing I have invented - I saw how to make them somewhere, although I can't remember where or when I saw this for the first time. I prefer this way to make rosettes, because I don't need a long strip of paper, but can use smaller papers, too. Here is the tutorial (you can always click onto the photos to enlarge):

Die-cut two scalloped circles from paper.

Score every circle as shown.

Cut at one score to the middle of your circle.

Accordeon-fold both circles.

Assemble both parts on both sides.

Looking closely at this photo, you can see how I assembled them.

Then you have this rosette.

Now punch or die-cut two circles to adhere to the front and the back of your rosette and embellish it as desired.

Easy, isn't it?

Here is the finished rosette on the bag again:

I hope your day is great! Thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Echo Park Fresh Face Designer - Post # 2

2011-11-08T11:04:00.000+01:00

Hello! It's time for my second post as Fresh Face Designer for Echo Park Paper! More ideas for christmas and more tutorials for you. The first project for today is a home décor item. Cute Mr. Frosty from the Season's Greetings sticker sheet needed a nice home. Here is what I made for him:

He is just the cutest little snowman!

I filled the shadowbox with glittery mica snowflakes to make him feel at home. Would you like to see how I made this sticker stand in the box? Here comes a little tutorial:

First, use some kind of powder to remove the stickiness from the back of the stickers. I like to use this small anti-static bag that prepares surfaces for heat embossing. But you can use baby powder as well.

Then I adhered the trees to my background. The green one is adhered with foam squares for more dimension.

Next, I created a small triangle from a strip of cardstock. (I added the black one for you to better see it)

And then I adhered the triangle to the back of Mr. Frosty. Easy, isn't it?

Here is a closer look at the bow on top of the shadowbox:

My second project is a giftbag that I made quickly using my scoreboard. Here it is:

This is something I like to do a lot. Some pretty paper, some scores, some cuts and a thoughtful gift packaging is done.

Here is how I made the giftbag:

Trim a sheet of patterned paper to 9,5 '' x 12 ''

From the 12'' side, score at 2,75'' - 5,5'' - 8,25'' - 11'', turn and score at 2,75'' from the 9,5'' side

Cut at the bottom scores to the 2,75'' score

Adhere a strip of patterned paper to the top

Fold and assemble your bag

Tomorrow I will share how I made this rosette. It is not made from a strip of patterned paper and can be made from smaller sized papers, too.

Thank you for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Vinnie Pearce She's a Doll Collection

2011-11-05T23:06:00.000+01:00

Hi everybody! Just quickly sharing a digi layout I made some moments ago. My Vinnie has a new collection called She's a Doll and it is fabulous! Check out all the details and special offers here!

Here comes the layout:

Soo many gorgeous elements - and the art papers! Wow! Can't wait to play and make some hybrid projects!

Have a great day! And thanks for visiting, as always! Off to bed!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

With Gratitude

2011-11-03T13:09:00.000+01:00

Hello! Wow, November already! I am back with a card that you can find in the Paper Crafts November/December issue. There are some gorgeous projects from that issue featured on the Paper Crafts Connection blog today. Check it out here.

Now, when making cards for Fall/Thanksgiving, I tend to reach for felt. And I did it again here:

The paper I used is Crate (argyle) and My Mind's Eye (script). I think using mats from dark cardstock adds so much to a card.

I hope your day is beautiful! Thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Echo Park Fresh Face Designer - Post # 1

2011-11-01T15:08:00.003+01:00

Hello! I am really excited, because today I am able to show you the first projects I made as this month's Fresh Face Designer for Echo Park Paper! For my first post, I made some christmas projects using the beautiful collection Season's Greetings. Here they come:

I can tell you, after I had made this advent calendar, I was ready for christmas! I used three sheets of patterned paper and made 24 cones that I embellished and hung to this wooden tree. You will find the tutorial underneath. Here is a closer look at the cones and the top of the advent calendar:

I will fill these with little treats for my girl. And maybe for my husband, too :)

Now to the tutorial:

1. Trim 24 (or 25) squares the size of 4"x 4" from three sheets of 12" x 12" patterned paper

2. Punch holes through one corner of every square and adhere hole reinforcers that were die-cut from red cardstock

3. Carefully bend the left and right corners towards the middle

4. Adhere strong, double-sided tape as shown, remove protective foil

5. Form the cone, bending the right corner inwards first and the left over it afterwards

6. Die-cut labels from cardstock, stamp frame and numbers, adhere to cones. Die-cut holly leaves from cardstock, adhere. Finish off with red buttons for berries

7. Trim squares from red tissue paper, insert to cones

It takes a while to finish all the cones, but it is worth it! I had so much fun creating this. Next I have a card and a giftbag for you. I first didn't plan to make them a set, but with this collection it is so easy to create matching items! Here they are:

The bag started with a red giftbag that I got from the store. I just trimmed some patterned paper, attached it, fussy-cut the poinsettias and added them with foam tape. The centers are some golden pearls. Then I covered a clothespin with paper and used a left-over scrap as a tag.

And the card was even easier. I love the the journaling cards that are provided on a sheet of paper in this collection. They make quick and easy cards! I just adhered a journaling card, stitched around the edges and embellished it a bit. Done!

So, this was the first post. I hope you like my projects! I am ready for the season now! And next week I will have some more christmas projects for you! Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Patterned Paper, Stickers: Echo Park Paper (Season's Greetings Collection)
Cardstock, Label Frame Stamp, Holly dies, Hole Reinforcers, Buttons: PTI
Number Stamps: Hero Arts
Ink: Tsukineko, Ranger Industries
Pearls, Gemstones: Prima Marketing
Stick Pin: Little Yellow Bicycle
Other: Ribbon

Still in shock...positively

2011-10-30T08:47:00.001+01:00

Hello sweet friends! I hope you are all well, warm and safe! This morning I heard on the news that some of you have to deal with winter already - I hope it is not as bad as it sounds! I am quite well here. A lot of work, but besides the usual little colds we are ok. It has been a bit quiet here on the blog, but I will flood you with posts in the upcoming weeks! You will get LOTS of tutorials and I am planning some giveaways, too!

Now to the title of this post. Yes, I am in shock! When I checked the messages on my phone during lunch break on Friday, I found a sweet message with congratulations on my WCMD win. UM - WHAT??? Now imagine me hopping through the crowded shopping street (very decently dressed because of work), waving excitedly with my phone, squeaking like a teenager at a concert. No composure at all :) The rest of the day it was a lot easier to give grumbling customers a friendly smile.
I couldn't, and can't believe it still. I can't remember what cards I made, except for the four I remembered to take photos of. I am not sure how many cards I made, but not more than 6 or 7. I only know a birthday card won, so I am able to share the others. Here they are:

Hello/Thinking of You category:

Some cute paper from Webster's Pages here. I liked the colors on this one.

Love category:

This one uses Cosmo Cricket.

Christmas category:

And here some more Webster's Pages, combined with the beautiful reindeer from the Hero Arts Christmas Swirls set.

My dancing became even happier when I checked the Paper Crafts Connection blog myself and found out about many sweet crafty friends who won, too! And next week there will be honorable mentions. I am sure there will be some prizes involved, so be sure to check out their blog!

Thank you for visiting and have a beautiful day! Stay save!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Flower Birthday Card

2011-10-19T19:35:00.000+02:00

Hello! Just popping in to share a card that I made for a friend's birthday. To have a starting point, I used one of the sketches for this month's Hero Arts Challenge. Here is the card:

I stamped the flowers onto thin white cardboard, using distress inks spritzed with water. Then I die-cut them to adhere them to the card with foam tape. This is my first and only Hero Arts set with the coordinating Sizzix dies and all I can say is that these are fabulous!!! It is so easy to perfectly die-cut the stamped image. I want more! On the background I stamped the Envelope Pattern, did some slight inking on the edges and used some glimmer mist to add these droplets. Sorry that this photo isn't the best, it is really gloomy here and I haven't ordered lamps for my photo tent yet. Here is a closer look at the flowers:

I hope your day is sunny, warm and beautiful! Thank you for visiting!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Cardstock: BoBunny
Cardboard, Tag Die, Button, Sentiment: PTI
Stamps: Hero Arts
Dies: Sizzix
Ink: Ranger Industries
Mists: Tattered Angels

New winner! And an old card.

2011-10-15T20:07:00.000+02:00

Hello! Sorry for my long absence, it's just a bit chaotic at the moment. I am working on some projects that I can't share, my little girl is very much 3 years old at the moment and we all have a cold. Just the normal stuff. And I played around with a new header to distract me. Do you like it? I was bored by the old one.

Ok. So I had to draw a new winner of the Paper Crafts blog hop, because Detra never contacted me. The lucky one is:

Yay, Natasha! Please send me an email with your snail mail address and you will receive the magazine soon.

And to not post without a card, I dug out a card that never made it into a magazine. I am sure it is a year old. Here it is:

The paper and rub-on are Crate Paper, the sentiment is PTI. Don't you love cork? I do!

I hope you are all well! Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Everything Crate Paper, except for:
Stamps: PTI
Ink: Tsukineko
Die: Spellbinders
Punch: Martha Stewart
Gemstones: Hero Arts

Birthday Card for my Mom and calling DETRA!!!

2011-10-09T19:51:00.001+02:00

Happy Sunday! Brrr! Fall arrived here officially. With stormy, cold, wet weather. Did I say cold already? I love to have four seasons, but I am definitely a summer girl. My feet are always cold, as well as my nose and my hands. Low bloodpressure. But I don't want to bore you with this stuff! I am here to share a card with you. My Mom's birthday was on Friday and I made her a card (and if you are interested what else I had for her, I made her a plant arrangement for her doorstep and three variations of chocolate bark and a self-cooked dinner yesterday). So here is the card:

I die-cut that strip, stamped and heat-embossed the Harvest Berries image, inked the edges of the strip and stamped the background text. Then I adhered it to the card, stamped the sentiment and adhered the rhinestones. Clean, simple and elegant. I love to combine text and botanical images, it just works always!

Now to Detra. You were the winner of the Paper Crafts 12 Days of Christmas blog hop giveaway! Please contact me by Monday or I will draw a new winner! Thank you!

Have a beautiful day and thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,

Vanessa

Supplies:
Everything Papertrey Ink, except for:
Ink: Tsukineko, Ranger Industries
Embossing Powder: Ranger Industries
Rhinestones: Prima Marketing

Make it Mondays - Washi Tape

2011-10-04T09:38:00.000+02:00

Happy Tuesday! After I saw the new Make it Mondays video about creating your own washi tape, I had to rush to my desk and try this! What a great idea! I see myself creating a collection of washi tapes with every stamp I own :)
Here is the card I made last night:

This is a very soft tape, created using the Polka Dot Basics set. I will have to make one in every color and size! My head is spinning with ideas already. The leaves are from the Harvest Berries set and the sentiment from the Love Lives Here set. You can find Nichole's video here.

Ok, I am off to an appointment! I hope your day is beautiful! Thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Everything PTI, except for:
Ink: Tsukineko
Pearls: Prima Marketing

Winner of the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop!!!

2011-10-03T18:07:00.000+02:00

Happy Monday! Just quickly popping in to announce the lucky winner of the Paper Crafts blog hop! Here it is:

Detra, please send me an email with your address so I can forward it to the PC editor. (You'll find my email address above)

Thank you to you all for your lovely comments, I am glad that I was able to inspire you!!!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

My Sweetness

2011-10-02T19:20:00.001+02:00

Happy Sunday and happy belated World Card Making Day! I am so sorry that I missed it. But a Saturday with family, great weather, little sleep, a garden etc made it impossible for me to create a card! And today I don't have a card either. But I'd like to share another little mini album I made recently. This is my favorite so far. Here it is:

I used the well hoarded Pink Paislee Sweetness Collection for this. It is a so-called meander book with pockets for tags made from one sheet of 12x12 paper. Here come the inner pages:

Maybe I will add some journaling on the back of the tags later. Ok, that's it for today! I am off to acquaint myself better with my new mobile phone. My first smart phone! I might even be using twitter and facebook more often now. But we'll see. I am not planning to stay on a computer more than I do now. Don't want to miss real life!

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Patterned Paper, Sticker, Felt Embellies, Rub-Ons: Pink Paislee
Dies: Papertrey Ink
Other: buttons, twine, cardboard

Paper Crafts Magazine Presents: 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop

2011-09-30T11:59:00.009+02:00

Happy Friday and welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop! I am glad you are stopping by today! This will be another inspiring blog hop with fun giveaways! I can't wait to get my hands on my copy of this:

The projects on this cover are amazing, don't you think? This magazine can be purchased here. I can tell you, I have been stalking my mailbox all week long, because this is one of my very favorite Paper Crafts issues! As you can see, there are a lot of quick'n easy holiday cards in it. And this blog hop will provide you with even more ideas! I couldn't stop after I made one card, so I have a set of four cards for you today. Here they come:

When I am trying to mass-produce cards, my go-to-recipe is: coordinating patterned paper, some dies, sentiment stamps and a bit of bling. For these cards I worked with one 6x6 paper pad from the My Mind's Eye Collection Lost & Found Christmas. (You will have the chance to win the coordinating stamp set, but more about that later!!) So, let's look at the cards closer:

Here I just covered a card base with patterned paper, die-cut various shapes from patterned paper, adhered them to the card, stamped a sentiment and added the gemstone. I would have stitched the edges if it wasn't a quick'n easy card. Here is a closer look at the tree:

Although this is a quick card, I wanted to add a bit dimension and bended the edges of the tree pieces slightly. And they are adhered with foam tape. And because I used a die that cuts two trees at once, I already had another little tree to use on the next card:

The label is the other half of the label I used above. Pretty much the same design and even faster than the first card. And another one:

I didn't even stamp on this one. I just trimmed the pretty patterned paper, added some strips of other patterned paper and the three gemstones. Done. And the last one:

Like the one before, I let the pretty paper work on its own. A little gemstone, the ribbon and voilà.

Now to more fun! Do you want to win a copy of the new special issue Holiday Cards & More? Just leave a comment on this post by Sunday, October 2. And I am quite sure you would love to win this:

Ha, I would want to! For your chance to win this amazing giveaway, be sure to leave a comment on the Paper Crafts Connection blog. Good luck!!

Now let's see what the other designers came up with! Can't wait to hop! Here is today's blog hop list:

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:

Cardstock, Stamps, Dies, Ribbon: Papertrey Ink

Patterned Paper, Gemstones: My Mind's Eye

Ink: Tsukineko

Skipping Stones Design Sketch Challenge 95

2011-09-27T14:06:00.000+02:00

Happy Tuesday! It's time for my last card as a Guest Designer for Skipping Stones Design. I once again enjoyed playing with Heather's Stamp Tramps! Here is my card:

I used the cute set Uplifting for my card. The paper is from My Little Shoebox. Here is the close-up:

I hope you will show us your take of Amy's sketch this week! Just go here to find out everything about the challenge and see what the other girls came up with!

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Cardstock, Cloud Dies: PTI
Patterned Paper: My Little Shoebox
Stamps: Skipping Stones Design
Ink: Tsukineko
Other: felt

Halloween Luminary

2011-09-26T19:39:00.000+02:00

Happy Monday! Last night I played around with new Hero Arts stamps and came up with a project that I want to enter to their September challenge Everything Autumn. I was thinking about fall décor and made this Halloween luminary from Vellum:

The images from the So Scary set are heat-embossed with black embossing powder. I created this fence using the picket fence die from PTI with black cardstock and just cut out pieces here and there. The paper on top of the luminary is from the Echo Park Apothecary Emporium Collection. An easy and fun project! Here it is in ~~daylight~~ the light of my desk lamp:

I hope your day is beautiful! Thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts
Ink: Tsukineko
Patterned Paper: Echo Park
Cardstock, Vellum, Picket Fence Die: Papertrey Ink
Other: black embossing powder, twine

Papertrey Ink September Blog Hop Challenge

2011-09-25T15:36:00.001+02:00

Happy Sunday! I hope you have been enjoying yours! Mine is great - compared to yesterday, everything is perfect! Want to know why? Because it was one of THESE days. I will tell you in the end of the post if you are interested (and just have a good laugh - I will have soon, too! No need to be sorry for me!). But first to my card for

Here is the inspiration photo for September:

And here comes the card:

Pretty prominent what inspired me. I had started with nested squares, but then I experimented and cut them apart and ended up with the stripes. Love the happy colors! Can't wait to see what everybody came up with for this challenge! You will find the blog hop on Nichole's blog. Just go here.

Now, for those who would like to know about yesterday, here is the story. Be warned, this will be a bit gross. It all started ok. We went to a small street festival in the morning, enjoyed it a bit, got our little daughter a waffle and went home. After she woke up from her nap (which was quite short), Alyssa came to our bed to snuggle with me. Then I found out that the waffle was a bad idea. My poor little girl suddenly started throwing up the aforementioned. In our bed. Over the pillow, the sheet, the mattress. Yuck! She is not the type of child throwing up very often. And she hates it. As do I! So, after I had cleaned and calmed her, I started cleaning, washing, scrubbing our bed. Fortunately, it was ONLY the waffle and no infection and she felt well again. THEN in the evening I started cooking dinner. Cannelloni with a ricotta and spinach filling. First I burned myself in the hot steam when I took off the lid of the pot. Ouch! And then I wanted to fill the cannelloni. I use a pastry tube for this. It works really well. Usually. But yesterday something went wrong. I put the filling into the tube, closed the lid and started to press the handle down. No good. Everything exploded backwards and the whole thing flew onto the radiator. The filling INTO the radiator. That I can't open. Here is what it looked like:

Aw, isn't spinach the most beautiful thing to land on a white wall? At least the cannelloni were yummy. After I had filled them successfully with the remaining filling. So, today is perfect! How is your weekend?

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day (and a hopefully more boring day than my yesterday)!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:
Everything Papertrey Ink, except for:
Ink: Colorbox
Square Dies: Spellbinders

Echo Park Projects - including a tutorial

2011-09-23T20:19:00.000+02:00

Happy Friday! I worked on some more projects using Echo Park to try out for their Fresh Faces Designer Campaign. This is a long and photo-heavy post! But I hope you'll enjoy. Here are the projects:

1. Personalized Coffee Sleeve

I altered a Starbucks coffee sleeve using various papers from the For the Record Collection. The edges of the sleeve and the papers are inked with distress ink. The sentiment is cut from the Noteworthy sheet.

2. Witches Brew Card

I couldn't resist using one of the new digital die-cuts from iDIECUT here. Isn't this witch silhouette the cutest? I had to stop myself from buying ALL of the files! The sentiment is stamped and heat-embossed with black embossing powder. The papers are from the Apothecary Emporium Collection paper pad.

3. Seed Packet Pocket Book (with tutorial)

Wouldn't this be a perfect gift for a friend with a garden? I used papers from the Victoria Gardens and Happy Days Collections here. The butterflies and flower images are stamped and colored with Copics. And I have a little tutorial for you about how to make this book. It is so versatile, you could make it a recipe book, a tag book, a coupon holder - it's up to you! Here comes the tutorial (just click onto the photos to enlarge) :

Cover

1. Trim cardboard as shown.

2. Trim patterned paper to be about 1/2 inch larger than cardboard on every side. Adhere cardboard and trim edges as shown.

3. Apply adhesive to the cardboard edges and fold down patterned paper edges.

4. Trim patterned paper slightly smaller than the finished piece, adhere.

5. Gently fold your cover to create your book.

6. Adhere either magnetic snaps or hook and loop fasteners to the lid.

7. Now your book is finished to be embellished and filled.

Inside

1. For my pockets I used plain white paper bags. You can make your pockets from envelopes, too. Just seal the envelopes and trim as shown below.

2. Trim paper bags/envelopes to 4 1/4 length.

3. Adhere adhesive to the middle of a bag/envelope.

4. Adhere to another bag/envelope.

5. Repeat until you used all bags/envelopes and adhere to the inside of your book.

I hope you liked the tutorial! Let me know in a comment if you'll give this a try, I would love to see the results! And if you have any questions, let me know, too!

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,
Vanessa

Supplies:

Coffee Sleeve
Patterned Paper: (For the Record) Echo Park
Ink: (Walnut Stain, Antique Linen) Ranger Industries
Stamps: (label, Enjoy) PTI
Die: (tag) PTI
Other: (coffee sleeve, twine)

Witches Brew Card
Patterned Paper: (Apothecary Emporium) Echo Park
Cardstock: (black) Bazzill Basics
Stamp: (sentiment) Pink Paislee
Ink: (Watermark) Tsukineko, (Black Soot) Ranger Industries
Gemstone: (orange) Prima
Digital Die-Cut: (Witch Silhouette) iDIECUT.com

Seed Packet Pocket Book
Patterned Paper: (Victoria Gardens, Happy Days) Echo Park
Cardstock: (white) PTI
Stamps: (Antique Engravings butterflies) Hero Arts, (Seed Packet Frame, Flowers) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Tuxedo Black, Bamboo Leaves, Angel Pink) Tsukineko
Marker: (pink, red) Copic
Sticker: (borders, label, ornament) Echo Park
Ribbon Flower: Webster's Pages
Dies: (seed packet, frame) Papertrey Ink
Other: (cardboard, white paper bags, Hook & Loop fasteners)