Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking Magazine Special Thanks Blog Hop

Welcome to the Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking Magazine Special Thanks Blog Hop!! You should have arrived from the wonderful Erin Schreiner.
Sigh. My heart has been very heavy ever since I received this email about Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking Magazine closing its doors. What?? My magazine??? Until that day, my crafting life has been consisting (among other things) of creating cards for magazine calls, waiting for happy acceptance emails, preparing accepted cards to make their journey over the pond and waiting for the magazines to hit the newsstands.  For 4 years. After about 250 published projects. All the people working there were so sweet. I got my daily dose of THE Susan Opel on Facebook, Instagram or the Paper Crafts Connection blog. The Go-To-Gals inspired us immensely. They brought us news from CHAs, the newest trends on the Moxie Fab World, showed the hottest products being released and everything else a paper crafter was looking for every day. Now this will be no more. The end of an era. To say thank you, to wish all the lovely people from PC&S all the best for their new adventures and to honor their work, we are doing this blog hop today. Here comes one of the last cards I did submit to the last ever PC&S submission call:

I used the My Favorite Things stamp set "You're Super". The chalkboard background was created using white embossing powder, white pigment ink and white pencil on black cardstock. The girl was die-cut and stamped onto white cardstock, then I colored her using Copics and gave her the mask that I die-cut from black cardstock. She is popped up with foam tape.
Dear PC&S ladies and Matt, I think you are super, awesome, unstoppable and I am sure your new adventures will be wonderful! Wishing you all the best!! Thank you for all the Gallery Idol competitions, the World Card Making Day celebrations, the endless inspiration in your magazines, for connecting paper crafters from all over the world, for making us feel special! I will miss you dearly!!!

Your next stop is the one and only Simon Says Stamp blog. Enjoy!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Vanessa

supplies:
My Favorite Things You're Super stamp set + dies - Hero Arts white pigment ink, white embossing powder - Tsukineko ink - Copic markers - white pencil

Moxie Fab Thanks

Welcome to the huge Moxie Fab Thanks Blog Hop! You should have arrived from Ceal Pritchett.


I am no good at good-byes. And I don't like them. And I don't like changes. If it means something good becomes something different.

change
noun
an act or process through which something becomes different

To quote Kathleen Kelly from one of my favorite movies (You've Got Mail) :

"People are always telling you that change is a good thing. But all they're really saying is that something you didn't want to happen at all... has happened."

Big sigh here. When I read Cath's last post on the Moxie Fab World, I couldn't help crying. There I was sitting in front of my computer, hoping that neither my husband nor my daughter would come and see my tears, because I knew I wouldn't be able to really explain that I was crying for a person I never met in real life and about her leaving a blog. I was wondering myself. But then I thought about it and realized that it felt like loosing a sweet friend. Every day I found inspiration, motivation, kindness and appreciation. It has been part of my daily routine to check what Cath conjured up for us. And she never disappointed. Even if it was "only" a lovingly chosen photo in one of her "Oh My Moxie Fab!" posts.
I knew I'd miss her. And I know many fellow crafters out there will, too.

Thank you for everything, sweetest Cath!

Here comes the card I made for you. I know you like to read a lot, so I wanted to use a page from a book on my card. And I wanted it to be special, so I used some Gesso to prepare the page, stamped the dogwood image and colored it with Gelatos:

Now imagine me standing on my desk, holding scissors and glue in my hands, shouting:

Oh Captain, my Captain!

Your next stop is none other than the fabulous P. Kelly Smith.

Vanessa x

For Cath (sans CHA) with Love Blog Hop

Hello dear friends! Today a special blog hop for a very special person is taking place! It is the first time that sweet, Moxie Fab Cath Edvalson is not able to attend CHA and to cheer her up some of us made a card for her. 


Hallo liebe Freunde! Heute findet ein ganz besonderer Bloghop für eine ganz besondere Person statt! Es ist das allererste Mal, dass die liebe, moxie-fabulöse Cath Edvalson nicht an der CHA teilnehmen kann und um sie ein wenig aufzumuntern, haben einige von uns eine Karte für sie gemacht.

So, dearest Cath, here is your card. Because I think you are amazing!


So, liebste Cath, hier ist Deine Karte. Weil ich finde, dass Du toll bist!

I hope you like it! Feel better soon. We love you!


Ich hoffe sie gefällt Dir! Ich hoffe Dir geht es bald besser. Wir lieben Dich!


To find the blog hop list, just go here. A big thanks to Virginia and Lorena for organizing this!!!


Um die Bloghop Liste zu sehen, kannst Du hier hinklicken. Ein ganz grosses Dankeschön für die Organisation an Virginia und Lorena!!!


Vanessa

Fanatical. About Botanical. About Hydrangea.

* Edited on Sunday, 08/07/2011 to add the photos of the bag and the glass *

Happy Saturday! On Monday, my MIL will turn 70. She stubbornly refuses to receive any presents. Ha. But receiving something handmade isn't really a present, isn't it? It's just something I made, because I enjoyed making it. I made her a set that consists of a card, a bookmark and a notepad so far. Maybe I'll add an embossed pencil and a decorated glass with some coupons (for things like brunch, trips to the botanical garden etc. - if my BIL will finally call me back to finish this, but that's another story...). But now to the projects. I love botanical. My MIL does. And we love hydrangea, although they are not willing to bloom well in our garden! I decided to use the gorgeous, beloved hydrangea stamp from Hero Arts for this. First the card:

The background text is from the Hero Arts digi kit "Old Letter Writing". I own the stamp, too, but I needed a different size for this. You'll find a link to the digi stamp in that box on my sidebar. Really useful! The edges of the panel are inked with Walnut Stain distress ink. The hydrangea is stamped and then heat-embossed using black embossing powder. Don't you love the vibrant color of the hydrangea? I used glimmer mist spray and a brush to color it and it is so so easy! Because the embossing resists the color, you just can't do anything wrong! For the leaves I just spritzed some Peeled Paint distress ink with water and colored them with a brush.

Here is the note-pad:

And here is the bookmark:

And this is a closer look at the hydrangea:

And here is the whole set. Mmh, I may need to make a gift bag...

I will enter this to the Fanatical about Botanical challenge over at Moxie Fab World. I so love this challenge, my head is spinning with botanical ideas! You have until Monday to make something for that challenge, so start creating!

So, off to think about a gift bag! Thank you for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs and Love,

Vanessa

Supplies:

Hydrangea Stamp, Digi Stamp: Hero Arts

Cardstock, Ribbon, Button, Note-pad: PTI

Ink: Ranger Industries

Dies: Spellbinders

Glimmer Mist: Tattered Angels

Other: Black Embossing Powder, Twine

So, today (Sunday) I was able to finish the whole set. I added a glass filled with coupons:

And a gift bag where I cut out the image and stamped a distressed background with the Old Letter Writing Stamp:

Here is another photo of the whole set now that it's finished:

Thanks again for visiting! Happy Weekend!

Vanessa x

Make it Mondays and Moxie Fab World

Happy Wednesday! So, the birthday celebrations and weddings are over for now. Thanks for your sweet comments on the birthday post for my little girl! We had her friends here for a party on Monday, so it was quite busy here! And thanks to all of you who voted for me at the Gallery Idol! I am sorry that the contest was over for me so soon. It was a lot of fun! But now I can sit back and relax watching what the other girls come up with! They are amazing! Last night I made a card using this week's Make it Mondays' technique and I thought I'd combine it with the Moxie Fab World challenge Fanatical About Botanical. Oh, I love the botanical theme! Here is the card:

First I die-cut the seed packet from Kraft. Then I used a dry brush to apply the white acrylic paint. The text is stamped with Fresh Snow ink. The larkspur is colored with copics.

I have to use acrylic paint more often. I own some! So, to find the video and the Make it Mondays contest, just go here and to join the Moxie Fab World challenge, go here.

I am wishing you a happy and dry day (it has been raining here for about 20 hours now)! Thanks for visiting!

Hugs and Love,

Vanessa

Supplies:

Everything Papertrey Ink, except for:

Black Ink: Tsukineko

Acrylic Paint: Lascaux

Other: Ribbon, Twine

Sugared Roses and Snow Angels

Happy Thursday! How are your Christmas preparations going? I have no idea how mine are going. I lost track of time. And I am confused obviously. Can you imagine that I made Christmas cards, sent them off and then realized that I didn't photograph a single one??? Doh! So here I am sharing non-Christmas cards. I love this cling background from Hero Arts:

And I like to use it differently. I have two cards for this month's Hero Arts Challenge - Giving Thanks & Color Challenge + Adding Shine. This card qualifies for the Thanks theme:

I stamped the background onto patterned paper, cut out a large blossom and enhanced the shadows with a brown pencil. And on the second card I created a bouquet using the leaves and the roses:

These are stamped onto cardstock and colored with copics. Then I thought of sugared roses, added some Glossy Accents and Chrystal Glitter and voilà. Some shine! This will also qualify the card for the Moxie Fab World All that Glitters Challenge!

And finally this is for you, Donna (although I had made it before you asked for it):

Have a beautiful day and thanks for visiting!!!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Supplies:

Thanks Card

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink

Patterned Paper: (green/orange) Pink Paislee, (light orange) GCD Studios

Stamps: (Rose Background) Hero Arts, (sentiment, leaves) Papertrey Ink, (label) Waltzingmouse

Ink: (brown) Ranger Industries, (black) Tsukineko

Ribbon: Papertrey Ink

Pearls: Prima Marketing

Pencil: Faber Castell

Die: Spellbinders

Birthday Card

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink

Patterned Paper: (pink) Papertrey Ink, (cream) Webster's Pages

Stamps: (Rose Background) Hero Arts, (sentiment) Papertrey Ink

Ink: Tsukineko

Marker: Copic

Pearls: Prima Marketing

Glossy Accents: Ranger Industries

Other: Glitter

Diggin' on Damask

Happy Monday!! Thanks for your sweet comments yesterday! I am back to normal now - we fell asleep 9 pm last night and I slept all night til 6 am :) Soo much better!

Now I managed to make a card for the Moxie Fab World "Diggin' on Damask" Challenge:

Love love love this paper!! It is Teresa Collins from the "Noel" Collection. So elegant and beautiful! Here is a close-up of the sheet music rose:

Ok, I hope you had a great weekend! Thanks for visiting and have a fab Monday!!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink

Patterned Paper: Teresa Collins

Chipboard: Teresa Collins

Ink: Ranger Industries

Pearls: Prima Marketing

Other: Sheet Music, Satin Ribbon

Pairing up with Deborah Day III

Happy Wednesday! It's the third day of our Pairing Up Challenge making Cards for Kids!

This time I played with the fun butterfly from the Butterflies Cling set:

I made this cute paper-pieced butterfly and needed a background for it. Then I remembered the Moxie Fab World Challenge: Offset Scallop Gallop an the fact that I own the cute Scallop Borders set. I just stamped the border repeatedly and colored the dots with a white pencil. Here is a little close-up:

The adorable papers I used are October Afternoon again. Just love love love these! The sentiment is from the Everyday Sayings set. Ok, be sure to check out my dear partner's card for today - here is Deborah! She rocks our little challenge and is writing fun posts!

Have a beautiful day everybody and thanks for visiting!!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Another published card

Happy weekend sweet friends! I am here to share a card that is published in the Paper Crafts September/October issue. I just got my issue and love it! This card was made for the "Fall for Fashion" feature that is all about patterns:

I used the boots from this adorable digi stamp set from The Cutting Cafe and resized them in Indesign for my purpose. But Regina Easter, the owner of The Cutting Cafe created a new file to create this shaped card more easily! You'll find it here. That houndstooth paper is from the "Homespun Chic Collection" from GCD studios. The sentiment is Hero Arts.

My other card that was published in this issue is featured on the Moxie Fab World blog here. The September/October issue has beautiful features! I love the "Reading between the Lines" feature especially. Get your issue here!

Have a beautiful weekend and thanks for visiting! Don't forget about the stamp giveaway in the post below!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Melting on Monday

Happy Monday! And yes, we are melting here! It is over 35°C all the time and here in our rooms it is almost 38°C - I can't stay on the computer for long, so as long as it is this hot I won't be able to do a lot of blog-hopping. Can't wait to catch up when it is a bit cooler! And it seems that our computer isn't very happy about the heat either...

So I'll better be quick with my post! Here is a card I made for a little boy turning 2:

I really love how this card turned out! This month's challenge theme on the Hero Arts blog is "Food and Travel" - I hope a monkey travelling by balloons counts! The stamps are all Hero Arts, I used this and this and this set. That cute cloud paper is from Vinnie Pearce's digi kit "Toybox" that can be found here. The papers for the balloons are all October Afternoon.

Ha, and thanks to Kelly I just found out it will fit the Moxie Fab World "Fun and Cute" Challenge! I am glad that this Paper Crafts Special Issue is out now - it was difficult to keep the secret, but I have 3 cards published in the Card Style mag! And one is featuring one of my favorite Hero Arts stamp, the Starburst Lace!

Ok, I am busy preparing Alyssa's Birthday, so I'll better hurry!

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Fun with fabric

Happy Weekend! Just popping in to share a card I made for the Moxie Fab World Challenge "Fun with Fabric" last night. Not a very creative use, but I love fabric flowers:

I made the flower with the Papertrey Ink "Beautiful Blooms II" die #1. And the felt leaves are cut with the leaves die from the "Delightful Dahlia" set:

The patterned paper is Pink Paislee. And the sentiment is PTI again from this set.

Have a beautiful weekend! And thanks for visiting :)

Hugs,

Vanessa

Invited to Tea

Happy Mother's Day! Last night I went to bed too late, but my mojo was working well and I had so much fun creating this card for the Moxie Fab World challenge "Three Cheers For Chairs"! I wanted to create a little shabby chic card with a comfy looking couch:

The stamps are Papertrey Ink, the gorgeous papers and pearls are Prima Marketing. I hand-dyed this seam binding and love it! You'll see lots of hand-dyed seam binding here in the future :)

The beautiful fabric covered button was made by Nina (Danke Dir nochmal dafür, ich hätt Dich gestern knutschen können weil der so toll gepasst hat!).

You have until Monday to enter the Moxie Fab World Challenge - have some fun with chairs!

I hope you have a great Sunday and thanks for visiting!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Poolside Inspiration

Happy Tuesday! I hope you all had a fab weekend! Our visit to the zoo was fun, but we had some drama when Alyssa wasn't allowed to touch every animal she saw :) The cutest thing happened when we watched the sea lions. After one breached the water surface and blew the water out of his nose she screamed "Bless You!"

But I am here to share a card and not bore you with stories of a mother hen! When I saw today's new Tuesday Trigger on Moxie Fab World I was inspired immediately! Love the colors! Here is my take:

The paper, pearls, flowers and the flourish stamp are all Prima Marketing. For the butterflies I just cut off one petal and voilà! The sentiment is from PTI's Damask Design set.

Ok, sun is shining, naptime is over - I am leaving for the garden! Hope your day is fabulous!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Go-To Sketch # 28

Happy Monday! Thank you so much for your sweet comments on my Jumping-For-Joy-PC-Cover-Post! I am glad I put a smile on your faces :)

Today I am back with a card I made for my husband's nephew who turned two. I needed a starting point, so I used Kim Kesti's Go-To Sketch #28 from the Moxie Fab World Challenge "Get Sketchy":

The "bubble" is handdrawn and "Jonas" is written by my husband who tried to imitade the font of the sentiment. The banner is from the Vinnie Pearce digi kit "Toy Box"

The little whale is from this cute Unity stamp set. I colored it with pencils and added Glossy Accents, but I wasn't able to capture its glossiness on the photo. The waves were created following Lisa Spangler's instructions from this video.

We visited our nephew yesterday and it was so cute to see my little girl with him! They hugged each other and stood there cheek to cheek! My heart was melting - but do you think we were able to take a photo? No. Three cameras, no photo...

I hope you have a fabulous Monday! Thanks for visiting, my friends!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Picking up the Pieces - Literally

Happy Friday! First, I am sorry Cath - this is my fifth entry to the Moxie Fab World "Picking up the Pieces" Challenge! And you really leave comments on every single entry - thank you for taking the time to do this! But I had this idea and had to give it a try:

A great way to use up scraps! Can you tell I love these Papertrey Ink papers?

Ok, that's it for today! I hope you have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

Vanessa

More Paperpiecing Fun!

Hi! This week's prize sponsor for CPS Sketch #161 is no other than Hero Arts! I had to enter this! And because I can't help it, I paperpieced that butterfly:

Short post - the sun is shining and I want to go outside with my girl!

Have a great day!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Go-To Sketches, Paperpiecing and Mother's Day

Happy Monday! Last night I was able to make two cards combining several challenges. These are just-in-time-takes on the first Paper Crafts Connection Go-To Sketches Challenge:

And I paperpieced the images to enter these to the Moxie Fab World "Picking Up The Pieces" Challenge, too...

The second card is for the Hero Arts "Home and Mother's Day" Challenge. This stamp set is very versatile! Great contest, I have a lot of ideas already and hope to be able to realize them...

Today is the last day to enter my give-away, I'll draw a winner tonight!

Have a great day and thanks for visiting!

Hugs,

Vanessa