Picture My Life Cards

I am a big fan of Picture My Life. I've been using it to create quick albums, especially those where I have hundreds of pictures for an event. But after attending Close to My Heart's 2014 Convention though, I saw how PML can also be used to make quick cards, My Crush books

So here's my take on creating cards using PML. And this is also probably my last hoorah for Spring/Summer Catalog as we'll be launching the new one come August 1st.

First up is a card from Avonlea Picture My Life kit. I used Cocoa cardstock as the base, then layered it with a 4x6 PML card, then layered it again with 3x4 card which I punched at the top to make it look like a tag. I used Slate Diagonal Striped Ribbon as the tie.  No stamping on this one!

Z1942 Avonlea Picture My Life

Next I used a card from Skylark PML kit. All the other materials are scraps I have from Skylark WOTG. I also used the stamp set from the kit. This has been a favorite of many but I must confess I think I used this the least.

G1072 Skylark WOTG

Z1947 Skylark Picture My Life

Below I used Balloon Ride paper as base, then layered it with Balloon Ride PML. I love Balloon Ride, from the paper pack to the PML designs, it's so shabby chic!! I used this month's Stamp of the Month Circus Alphabet to stamp the word "smile" and embellished with the durable triangle studs.

S1407 Circus Alphabet

Z1948 Balloon Ride Picture My Life

And last but not the least, a Chantilly PML. The paper and cardstock are from the Lollydoodle WOTG kit I have and I stamp the pair of owls from the Owl set. The "giggle, sing, dance" are from the Chantilly PML too, I just cut one of those and used it to add dimension to my card. I wanted to create a light, fun themed card for a change. 

B1450 Owls

Z1949 Chantilly Picture My Life

Happy Easter Egg-Citement

I'm a bit late but hey, at least I still have a week left to do some Easter cards. Today's card uses Close to My Heart Hoppy Easter stamp set. This is so just so adorable! I had so much fun coloring eggs, trying out different color combinations to make the eggs pop. I also used Colored Egg for the additional eggs on the card. Isn't it obvious I got carried away with the eggs?

I used Lagoon cardstock and embossed it with Chevron pattern to create a background. I did not want to use any more B&T paper given my eggs are already creating a bit of a noise.  The sentiment was stamped using Easter Wishes and Hoppy Easter. It was stamped on a scrap of Skylark paper I had and I snipped the middle to make it look like a banner. I added black epoxy bubbles to accentuate the sentiment.  The pink strip of paper was also a scrap that I added to bring out some nice color.

And as always, my bunny and Easter eggs have all been colored using my ever so dependable Spectrum Noirs markers.

Hope you'll like it! Enjoy!

Thinking of You

New day, new card. When will I ever get to finish my scrapbooking pile?? I keep getting dragged into making cards and it is so addicting!!

For today's card I made a simple Thinking of You card using a stamp from Jeanette's Archives. This stamp is called Friendly Thoughts and is available for purchase at my store. The card is standard A2 size and I used Skylark paper packet. Skylark has a design that's so 'universal' you can't go wrong using it for any theme!

I stamped using Cocoa ink directly onto the Skylark paper that has the chevron looking design on the background. I then cut out the center piece that has the sentiment "Thinking of You". I then inked the edges of the frame I created after cutting the center. I used Tim Holtz Antique Linen to achieve the dark edges. The middle portion or inside portion of the frame was a bit harder so I slightly used a sponge dauber to work it in somehow. It's not obvious from the picture, you have to hold it up to see. I didn't want it going over the sentiment. I re-stamped the whole stamp again onto a plain white Neenah card stock, cut out the middle portion so I can make the whole thing look like a picture frame. I added a splash of color using my Spectrum Noir markers, just single colors since the image is too small for me to blend. I also added a chipboard flower element from the Skylark Complements and Baker's Twine to finish off the card.

Skylark Pinwheel

I just got the retired Pinwheel stamp of the month set from another consultant and got excited to use it. I've been challenged by the Skylark paper design and so I thought I'd give it another shot. The layout of this card was inspired by a Kiwi Lane layout using Sentiments and Rings. I am a big fan of Kiwi Lane and use them primarily when I do my scrapbooking layouts. They have the mini versions which you can also use for card making and sometimes when I'm in a hurry or stumped for ideas, I grab my Kiwi Lane kits.

I inked the edges of all pieces using Tim Holtz Old Paper ink just to give it a little vintage look since that's what comes to my mind whenever I see the Skylark papers. I probably inked a bit too much on the circle while I was watching TV and just got lazy correcting it so bear with me on that please. The Pinwheel was stamped using Desert Sand and the sentiment using Saddle. I love CTMH inks as they coordinate easily with the papers. They are easy to clean too and makes really good impressions once you stamp.

Here is the stamp set that I used. It is retired so it's not available on my store anymore but if you're interested leave a comment and I'll find one for you. The papers are available on my site for your purchase.

Pinwheel (S1305)

Live In The Moment

This is my first stab at using the CTMH Skylark Workshop On the Go (WOTG). I must admit I found one side with all the birds design challenging so I flipped and use the background side instead. I used ordinary cream colored card stock as my base, and layered it with Kraft card stock before adding in my CTMH paper. I fell in love with the Skylark Scrapbooking Workshop stamp set that has the big "LIVE IN THE MOMENT" on it. I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Forest Moss to add some colored texture to the card where I have the bird stamp cut out. I used the Believe In Yourself stamp set for that. And lastly, to round off the card, I added in faux stitch look using a stitch pattern from the Stitch Wonder stamp set. Don't you just love how 'rugged' looking the text "Live In The Moment" look?

I almost forgot, I used CTMH Saddle Ink for the bird stamp and Memento Tuxedo Black for the sentiment and stitch. I'm still waiting for my order of CTMH black ink pad to arrive so this will have to do for now.

Here's a list of CTMH products I used:

Skylark WOTG (G1072)

Believe In Yourself (C1574)

Stitch Wonder (C1564)