Create a Card Blog Hop!!!!!!

Welcome to the Create A Card Blog Hop! We are so happy you could join us today.  This is a one day blog hop, but don’t worry you have until Monday to stop by all the blogs and leave a comment to be entered into the drawing for the wonderful prize we have for you.

If you started at the beginning of the hop at Scraps by Gracie, 
you should have arrived here from Pamela's blog.

Catherine Pooler, founder of Stamp Nation and CreativityGrows Here has generously donated a trial membership to Stamp Nation for us to give away to those who hop along with us!!!!

To be entered into the drawing, just comment and follow each of the blogs on the hop today. That's it! It's just that easy! Prizes will be drawn and announced on Theresa's blog Scraps by Gracie on Wed. April 1st - and that's no joke!

But WAIT!!! To sweeten the pot, I also have blog candy of my own. Please comment here, follow my blog with bloglovin or GFC and follow all my social media links found at the bottom of this post to be entered for to win some crafty goodness.

Please leave me your email address in your comment. It will be the only way I can contact you.

*****************************Now on to the project!**********************************

I decided to CASE (copy and share everything) a card from Pinterest. At the end of the post I shared the inspiration and the designer's blog. 

I created two almost identical cards based on the original. I have always been curious about the white on white on WHITE cards. It makes me think... what's up with all the white? But I must say I GET IT now. It's gorgeous...refined... classy...especially for wedding cards.

All the patterned cardstock came from a single SEI stack called white elegance. The cardstock is white with an embossed white pattern. I chose patterns that would blend in and complement each other.

One of the layers is punched with a Martha Stewart punch, the top note is made using Stampin' Up! nesting dies and accented with a punched element on top. A Prima flower and diamond shaped Recollections bling accent the card front.

Just look at all that dimension! But guess what? It can still fit in a normal envelope!!

Our Daily Bread Designs had the most wonderful wedding sentiment - recipe for a happy marriage - and the cake stamp is from Recollections. I used Versafine for the sentiment and Encore metallic ink for the cake. Oh and both of the external sentiments are from Recollections stamped in the same inks.

I bet you didn't notice....for extra flair, the card base and a couple of the layers are made with heavy weight cream shimmer cardstock from my stash. I am very happy with how it came out. Surprisingly, CASEing a card takes much longer than creating one from scratch.

Here's my inspiration by Debbie Stevens of PaperPastimes. I fell in love with the layers and the richness of her creation. 

Please be sure to hop over to all the other wonderful blogs. Here is the entire line-up:

Theresa ~ http://scrapsbygracie.blogspot.com/

Sandy ~ http://www.scrapbookblessingsclub.com/

Lyne ~ http://lynnseverydayideas.blogspot.com/

Lisa ~  http://honeybearzdesigns2011.blogspot.com/

Shavon ~ http://scrappingvon.blogspot.com/

Jessica ~ www.stampinandcraftin.blogspot.com/

Alicia ~ http://www.goldengoddessdesigns.blogspot.com/

Ashley ~ http://marinewifesscrappinlife.blogspot.com/

Michele ~ http://michelescraftroom.blogspot.com/

Pamela ~ http://lovebugcreations3.blogspot.com/

La-Vie ~ http://cestla-viedesigns.blogspot.com/

Deborah ~ http://www.scrappingmamma.net
Rhonda ~ http://craftingwithblue.blogspot.com

Thanks for hopping by!!!

La-Vie

Challenges:

• Suzy Bee's - Anything Goes but add a sentiment
• Simply Create Too - #82 AG

To be entered for the prize, please follow me on social media and help spread the word about me.

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Wedding Card Collabo Featuring Our Daily Bread Designs, Gelatos and Color Me

Hello everyone! Prep for my post today started a couple of months ago when I was teaching my 9-year-old daughter craft techniques using Gelatos on Color Me card toppers by Hot off the Press. She loves art and painting so I figured Gelatos would be a great tool for her. I gave her the guidelines, a card topper, the gelatos and a baby wipe and off she went coloring and blending. What she came back with was stunning. So I promised that one day I would make a card with her creation.

Fast forward to the present. I came across the card topper my daughter colored this past weekend at the precise moment I was scrambling to find a starting point for a unique card for a young couple who's wedding I was about to attend. So I remembered my promise and got to work. Here's what I cam up with.

The card topper was rectangular in the beginning but I asked my daughter to cut out the bottom edge along the design to bring more drama to the card front. The topper almost fit the 5x7 card but I needed to trim a bit off the right edge.

Now what I thought? Some questions arose... could I heat emboss over the Gelatos? I knew I wanted to use this darling stamp from Our Daily Bread Designs and one from Recollections.  With not a second to spare I swiped the topper with my embossing buddy, stamped with Versamark and embossed the happily ever after sentiment in detailed embossing powder by Ranger. Using the 9" Xyron I attached the topper to the card base and moved to the inside of the card.

Next I embossed the Marriage Recipe on the inside of the card and voila! the card was complete. I will definitely do another collaboration with my daughter soon. It definitely helps when they want to help in the craft room (but in certain cases that's not possible or practical).

Supplies:

• American Crafts - green 5x7 card base and envelope
• Hot off the Press - Ebony Color Me Floral Card Toppers
• Recollections - Just married stamp set - Happily Ever After sentiment
• Our Daily Bread Designs - Happy Marriage Recipe
• Ranger Super Fine Detail embossing powder - black
• Tsukineko - Versamark
• Impression Obsession - Mini Mount
• Tim Holtz - Grid Blox
• Xyron - 9" Creative Station 
• Stampin' Up! - Embossing buddy

Thanks for stopping by! If you have tales of you and your kids crafting, please share your story and links in the comments below and I'll check it out!

La-Vie

15th Anniversary Card

A close friend asked me to make a custom 15th anniversary card for her husband and here's a sneak peek at what I whipped up in my 3 fav wedding colors - sliver, black and white.  I used cardstock from DCWV A formal Affair stack, Bazzill basics white cardstock, patterned paper called silver anniversary words from Flair Designs and flowers from Recollections. Although my camera didn't catch it, I spritzed the couple Psst! Sheer Shimmer Spritz in frost by Tsukineko to give them a silvery frosty look.

I started by finding out what my friend wanted to say in her own words and using a quote from my go to resource - The Ultimate Guide to The Perfect Card by Linda LaTourelle - to go along with it. Then I laid it out in Word, chose the perfect font and printed it to make sure it was aligned properly. 

I then cut my card base to 8 1/2 x 11" and ran it through my printer so that the text would print on the white side (inside of my card). This was a 'hit it and quit it' sort of project so that's a tip for ya if you're in a hurry. Print right to the card base instead of making it a separate layer.

Here's the final product in all its glory!

Supplies:

• DCWV - Formal Affair Stack
• Flair Designs - Silver Anniversary words (paper)
• Bazzill - basics white cardstock
• Recollection - silver dimensional flowers
• Bride and groom cut at 5" from Wedding solutions Cricut cart
• Top note and shadow - cut at 5.75" and 6" from Art Philosophy p.37
• silver metallic ribbon from my stash
• Adhesives - foam tape, scotch ATG, Zots glue dots

I hope you enjoyed this quick post! I'd love to hear your comments for the happy couple (aren't they cute?!) and about the card of course!! Thanks!

Challenges:

• Crafting from the Heart - ATG but use flowers

• Sister Act Challenge #46 - Always ATG
• Jo's Scrap Shack - Florals
• Just for Fun: ATG
• Just Inspirational Challenges - ATG
• Ladybug Crafts - ATG
• LEJ Designs - Valentine's/Love
• Crafty Catz: ATG
• A Gem of a Challenge - Anniversary
• The Squirrel and The Fox - something spooled

La-Vie

Fall Wedding Invitation

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This was the largest wedding order I ever received. Although the challenge was fun, I underestimated the stamina it would take to create 75 identical wedding invitations. The results were stunning and the pictures don't seem to do it justice.

I got all the supplies at Hobby Lobby. A few tips for ya...the embossing folder was not long enough so I had to run it through twice. It is tricky to line up the design without smashing the previously embossed design. In order to make sure the printing was consistent and unblemished, I had the printing for the text and the monogram done at Staples print center.

The ribbons were made by hand by cutting ribbon lengths in 6" and 8" lengths. Create a loop (circle) with the larger length and adhere the overlap with your fav adhesive, loop the second length of ribbon just the same then attach both loops in the center. This can be done with a staple or glue dots. The monogram is raised on foam tape and covers the area where you have attached the ribbon. If you use staples, make sure to staple only to the printed layer of the invite and use colored staples.

• brown - embossed with love is in the air Cuttlebug embossing folder
• orange layer - 5 x 8"
• cream layer - 4 x 7.5"
• ribbon loops - 6" and 8"
• Circle punch
• MS word to layout the text and the monogram

La-Vie

Wedding Invite & Placecard

A friend of mine asked me to create a wedding invitation for her parent's surprise 30th wedding anniversary. This would be their vow renewal and a very special one because their first marriage was performed by the justice of the peace. It was an honor and a priviledge to be a part of their love celebration.

As this was my first paying customer, I learned a lot about what it takes to craft for a living (the good and the bad). With a tight deadline, color changes, design issues I had my share of hair pulling moments. However, in the end, I am very proud of my work and can definitively say I can take my passion and put it to work!

It was an emotional experience for me as I have not worked outside the home in a few years. Taking care of my children is the most important job I'll ever have. However, there is something about earning your own money. That intangible feeling of freedom. Tasty... Anyhow, when I delivered my finished product the customer cried at how beautiful they were to her. That made me cry because it was touching that someone could be moved by my handiwork and that I had made some money independently. Then when her parents learned of the big day by receiving my invitation, her mother cried. wow wow wow! God is good. I have received many customers and blessings since I made this invitation. The start of it all...

Here's the recipe

50 Invitations:

• 8 1/2" x 11" black premium cardstock - the paper company - bought from A.C. Moore


• 8" x 5" silver inside layer - american crafts foil cardstock - bought from A.C. Moore


• 7 3/4" x 4 1/2" plumberry inside layer - open stock paper - bought from A.C. Moore


• 7 1/2" x 4" white inside layer 110lb cardstock with lazer printing done at Staples copy center


• text layout done in MS word


• silver eyelets 3/16" - recollections - bought at Micheal's


• ribbon - wine - 12" offray spool o' ribbon


• 5" x 7" Cuttlebug embossing folder from love is in the air 6 piece set bought from Hobby Lobby


• white invitation envlope with silver foil lining - bought from Staples

100 Reception Placecards

Except for the black layer, the placecards were made from the left over scraps from the invitations. the customer applied white address labels with the name of the attendees and their table number

• black layer - cut at 4" from Plantin Schoolbook Cricut cartridge pg 80 (shift and shadow applied)


• silver layer - 3 1/4" x 2"


• plumberry layer -2 3/4" x 1 1/2" cut from Plantin Schoolbook pg 74 (shift applied)


• embossed with Cuttlebug love is in the air folder

La-Vie