Tuesday Morning Sketches #744

 Hello friends! Thank you so much for stopping by.  The sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches and it's the first new sketch for 2024.

I am totally in love with my card!  This card features items from an old Tonic Studios craft kit that I picked up on clearance.  It came with this gorgeous stencil and some wonderful summer images.  The frame is from iCrafter.

Isn't she lovely?!  She is wonderful!!  Let me tell you how I made this.  I laid the stencil down onto some white card stock and used some Calypso Coral embellishment mousse over the stencil.  This mousse goes on like icing on a cake.  It's lovely.  Then while I had the mousse out I colored some scrap pieces of white card stock and some vellum.  I used the white cardstock that I colored to die cut the flower and the stripes.  The vellum piece I die cut the top layer of the butterfly.  I cut out the butterfly 3 times from vellum.  The bottom layer I colored the antennae using a dark blue alcohol marker.  The middle layer I colored using a dark peach color alcohol marker and the top layer, as mentioned, is colored using the mousse.  The frame is cut from copper metallic card stock.  The little square is a scrap white piece of card stock that was spritzed with Mica Mist - it was left over from another project.

Look at this dimension and gorgeous butterfly!!  It's so so so pretty!

I do hope you'll join us at TMS and be sure to leave a little love.

Brutus Monroe - Sweet Notecard

 Hello!  Thanks so much for stopping by.  I'm sharing a fun and super easy notecard...

Stamps:  Salt & Pepper,  Safari and Extra Sentimental

I started by creating my own decorative paper by stamping the flower images from the Safari set followed by the banana leaf stamp.  I colored these in using various Copic markers.  I then trimmed it down and heat embossed the sentiment.

I also heat embossed the Salt & Pepper image with Raven and Bubbly embossing powders.

This is a super easy card and would be easily mass produced.

I hope you like it and helps inspire you to look at those tiny stamps - they can make a big impact.

Tuesday Morning Sketches #743

 Hello!  Thank you for stopping by.  Our last revisited sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches and this week's pick is Tammy's favorite pick.  It's a sketch by me and I went super literal with it!

My project (not a card) features dies from Tonic Studios.  I used the flowers from the Blooming Bouquet Box and Luxurious Leaves & Ornate Circle Die Set.  I got them both for a great price (better than what is currently on site).

My favorite flowers are gerbera daisies so I did my best to make a bouquet of gerbera daisies.  I cut 3 of the large size and 2 of the small size and layered these up.  I made some small rolled roses as filler.  The bow is also from the Blooming Bouquet box.  The bouquet wrap is from the fancy circle die.  The shadow box I made myself following a YouTube tutorial.  This was a lot fun to put together.  The flowers look so pretty.  Speaking of pretty... the beautiful young lady to the right of my project is my momma when she was 17.  I'm going to make my her the actual Blooming Bouquet box for Mother's Day.

Well, I hope to see you over at the TMS blog to join in the fun.  Leave the team some love!

Brutus Monroe - Salt & Pepper Valentine Treat Box

 Hello!  Happy Friday.  Thank you for stopping by.  I have a cute little project to share with you along with a little tutorial. 

I am still learning how to stage my photos so I apologize that my little box sort of blends in with the paper.

Here's a little shot with out the rest of the stuff.

This little box features the Brutus Monroe Salt & Pepper stamp and the Be Mine paper pad. 

I started off with my cutting a piece of white card using a 4 inch circle die.  So, yes, I designed this box from top down.

Using my Scor-Buddy, I lined up the circle - this first score line is going to be crucial to help you keep everything going straight.  Score at 7/8" inch.  Rotate fully to score the opposite side at 7/8".  Then rotate to do the middle score line at 1 1/2" inch, rotate again to score opposite side at 1 1/2".

You will then cut on the 7/8" inch side along the score line to the middle score line and notch it out like you see in my photo.  I then cut a circle from the patterned paper that was slightly smaller than the 4" inch circle.  I scored the paper to match the score lines on the white piece and then cut it apart cutting inside the score lines so that it is slightly smaller to layer on the white piece.  I hope that makes sense. Then glue the sides middle flap in.  I use Bearly Art glue for everything, but you can use tape if you prefer.

From here I made the box.  I measured the inside rectangle of the box which is the top part of the lid and then reduced that measurement by 1/8" so that the bottom of the box fit inside the lid I made.  

My finished sized bottom is 2 3/8" x 3".  I cut out the notches (see photo) and then cut patterned paper to dress up the box front, back and sides.  The front and back measure 2 1/2 by 2 3/4 and sides measure 5/8" x 2 3/4" glued the box together.

Once my box was done, I stamped the S&P stamp and cut out using another circle die and matted with a scallop die.  Stamped the sentiment and trimmed it.  Once you get the basic construction done, you can make these really quick.  I used to make little treat boxes for my sister's students so this would be super easy to mass produce.  

Products Used:

BRU8692 BE Mine paper
BRU8807 Salt & Pepper
BRU2543 Raven Detail Ink
BRU2524 Alabaster Pigment Ink

Color My Heart Color Dare #586

Hello!  Thank you for stopping by.  Color My Heart Color Dare #586 is up and ready for your fun and creativity!

This time we have a Fancy Five challenge - use at least 3 colors.  My card features all 5!  We are also collaborating with Double Trouble, however, my card doesn't fit that challenge.  But it's still cute...

For this card I started the base by using a stencil and some Solar Paste.  This has a gold hue to it, see part of the card on the left side.  My card also features a Small Die of the Month die from Spellbinders - a floral layer die.  I cut the base of the flowers in Ballerina and detailed them with Candy Apple.  The foliage in Jade, the bluebell in Bluebird and those tiny flowers in Periwinkle.

I'm working on building up my birthday card stash!  I hope to see you over at Color Dare!

Brutus Monroe - Salt & Pepper Dynamic Duo

 Hello!  Welcome to my very first official post as an Inspiration Team member for Brutus Monroe.  I am so thrilled to be on this team.  The aesthetic of Brutus Monroe is very different from my own and this is such a great opportunity for me to learn and grow my art.

This sweet little project features the Salt & Pepper Dynamic Due which is the stamp of the month.  It's a super cute little stamp that comes with a sentiment and some sprinkles.  If you know me, you know I'm not into Valentine's Day but I did mention learning and growing and my monthly card traders group presented a challenge for twisted ribbon technique.

The challenge was to make a a double twisted ribbon but I couldn't grasp the concept no matter what I did!  So I went with the single ribbon and this turned out really cute.  

And here's what the inside looks like.  

I hope you like what I made and that it inspires you to create with these items.  They are part of the Subscription of the Month.  I don't have an affiliate link but I did link the items above.

Tuesday Morning Sketches #742

 Hello!  Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate your visit.  The latest sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches and this revisited sketch was Patti's pick.  It's another great sketch by Debbie.

So I have some news!  I've been picked to be on the Brutus Monroe Inspiration Team.  Never in a million years did I think I'd be chosen for this team.  So, of course, I have to play right away...

This card features a stamp from Safari set and Super Sentimental.  The papers are digital papers that I found on Etsy.  These made a quick card that I was able to make two and get them in the mail the same day.  

Cute, right?  I'm not much for animal prints but this is just too cute!  I love the vintage look of these papers.

I do hope you'll join us at the TMS blog and leave some love for the team.