Monday, September 30, 2013

Vintage Cuts Buckaroo Birthday

Good Morning Ladies,
It's a bit chilly this morning. The sock hop Saturday night was a blast. My great niece is an awesome little dancer. So much energy!
My card for today is Vintage Cuts Buckaroo Birthday
The starting point for this card is the vintage embossed cut of the horse and boy. It seemed fitting for a boy's birthday card. The blue layer of card stock is stamped random with a CTMH horseshoe from a clear set. I created the lasso with package string.
The inside sentiment was created by using The Stamps of Life Happy Birthday and combining it with a letter set from CTMH to spell out the word Buckaroo.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Vintage Cuts Holiday Sprites

Good Morning Ladies,
I am headed out to a sock hop tonight. Sounds like fun! I am off to work in a few. So here is a card for you today... Vintage Cuts Holiday Sprites
This is a window card. My sprites are a vintage embossed cut. I placed them inside the card so that they show through the window. The card is pre-cut by the paper cut. On the outside I layered the blue pre-cut cardstock. I cut and attached snowflakes from a Spellbinders die set.
This is the inside of the card with the sentiment from The Stamps of Life.. A cute and simple card.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Friday, September 27, 2013

Church in the Woods

Good Morning Ladies,
Happy Friday! I have had a little more time to create this week along with training my dogs. A good week was has by all.
Yesterday I took a trip to Hobby Lobby to pick up supplies. Not the fun stuff. Just adhesive and solid colored paper. So I kept to my list of needs. 
Today's card is Church in the Woods
This is a scene I created on a camping trip this summer with my friend. I had it sitting on my table all this time. I thought it was about time to create a card with it. The scene is stamped on glossy paper with Memento ink. All the images in the scene are from Stampscapes. It was colorized with anirodak dye ink and make-up sponges. I added the horse to the scene when I put the card together. I don't know the company the horse image came from. It is stamped on white cardstock in vera mark and embossed with Ranger fine detail embossing powder in black. It was then colorized with art markers.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Black Cat Halloween

Good Morning Ladies,
I can't believe it is Thursday already. Time is flying this week. Nothing special is happening. I ordered my tickets to the Fort Wayne stamp show yesterday. I am getting excited for that.
Today's card is Black Cat Halloween
I think Halloween cards are always fun to create. It is the one time of year where orange is all the rage. This card started with the black cat image from Posh Impressions. He was stamped in Vera Mark on white card stock. He was then embossed with ranger black embossing powder. I then hand cut him. My DSP Halloween background paper is from my stash. The fence behind the black cat is cut from a Cheery Lynn design die. The moon face...well I'm not sure what company he is from. The pumpkins at the bottom are an iron on applique.
This is the inside sentiment from the same set as the black cat.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The Stamps of Life Better Late Than Never

Good Evening Ladies,
Two post today! What is the world coming to? I have some time before I head out to dog training. So why not post another card.
This card is The Stamps of Life Better Late Than Never
I am having fun with the two snail sets from The Stamps of Life. For this card I stamped the snail in Memento ink on Bristol paper. I then colorized him with Copic markers. I place him in front of a white picket fence cut from a Cheery Lynn die. The background paper is from a DCWV super stack. The mushroom border is cut from a C.C.Designs die in purple cardstock. My sentiment is stamped on a rectangle cut from a Spellbinders die set and inked in purple.
This is the inside sentiment.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Joan's Picture Challenge Oh Christmas Tree

Good Morning Ladies,
Life has been a little crazy and stamping keeps me grounded. So does this blog. I love to blog and share my creations. I miss my sister's store still. But Joan's is a happy place. So today I am entering my third card this week for Joan's Picture Challenge Oh Christmas Tree
You can find all things wonderful at http://www.atjoansgardens.com/
The requirements this week are as follows:
Use a picture
neutral colors
Add a flourish
Use something sold at Joan's
Here is my card:
 If you have followed my blog this week you would know this is more of my fake childhood. This Christmas tree was at some time important enough for someone to take a picture of. I could just not let it go to the round file. It's a piece of history. And I remember trees like this from when I was a kid. Brings back the warm feelings I had as a child at Christmas. I am thinking this picture is from the early 60's. I mounted the picture on craft cardstock. The two bigger layers are craft cardstock and a printed cardstock from a DCWV Christmas pad. The Poinsettias were created using a Heartfelt Creations Stamp Set I purchased at Joan's. They were stamped on ivory pearlized cardstock using Versa Mark and gold embossing powder. They were then hand cut and the petals curled using the reverse tweezers from the flower making kit you can purchase at Joan's. The layers were then stacked and a pearl was added to each center. For my flourish I used the Cheery Lynn Design die B148 Holly Flourish that I purchased at Joan's. Little ivory flowers were added to top this card off.
 A close-up of the Christmas tree. Isn't it wonderful!
A close-up of the flowers.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs.  Swandog



Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Vintage Embossed Cut Birthday Girl w/Hoop

Good Morning Ladies,
I am counting down the days until I go to the stamp convention. It is going to be fun! While I wait I am making cards.
Today's card is Vintage Embossed Cut Birthday Girl w/Hoop
To create this card I started with the vintage girl. I cut two circle dies using two different Spellbinders die sets and stacked them on top of each other. The lace die cut at the bottom is from one of those die sets. Cut in cream cardstock and blue Graphics 45 cardstock from the French Country pad. The floral background paper is the flip side of the solid blue. My roses were made using a Sizzix rolled rose die. They were cut from cardstock from my scrapbox. I believe it is Webster's Pages. I added leaves cut from a Memory Box die. A crystal sprig tops this card off.
A close-up of the vintage embossed cut.
The sentiment inside is from The Stamps Of Life.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Monday, September 23, 2013

Joan's Challenge Picture Beach

Good Morning Ladies,
The weather is staying cool. Feels good outside without the humidity. I had a pretty lazy Sunday other than going to work a couple of times. Stopped and saw my mom and dad. Life is good.
I have a second card for Joan's Challenge Picture Beach This is such a fun challenge. You can see the challenge by clicking on this link... http://www.atjoansgardens.com/2013/09/this-weeks-challengenew-techique.html Come join us or just check out all of the beautiful cards this week.
The requirements of the challenge are as follows:
Use a picture
Use neutral colors
Add a flourish
Use something that can be purchased at http://www.atjoansgardens.com/
So here is my second card...
Another one of my gals from my fake family. This one was labeled on the back. This is Peggy at the swanky beach club. The year was 1949. I decided I would try aging the photo with different inks this time. So I pulled out my Tim Holtz ink (you can purchase Tim Holtz distressed ink at Joan's) and Archival ink. I used the Tim Holtz ink first applying it with a make-up sponge and then I added the Archival ink on top. I decided on dies next. I chose Cheery Lynn Cutie Fringe 3 B257 to create Sea Anemones. I cut them out of cream cardstock and inked them with topaz ink just on the edges before I rolled them. I purchased this die from Joan. This die has so many uses. Of course it is a flower, but I have used it for cheerleader pom poms and now Sea Anemones. I love a die that can be used for many ways other than it has been created for. For my flourish I used Cheery Lynn die Victorian Romance Flourish DL 151. I also purchased this die from Joan. It gave the card the feminine touch I was looking for. To finish this card off I added real seashells and pearl flat backs. 
A close-up of Peggy.
A better view of my sea anemones.
What fun I am having with this challenge! Thanks Again Joan!
Happy Scraps,
Mrs.  Swandog



Sunday, September 22, 2013

CTMH Mitten Mouse

Good Morning Ladies,
I had a very good nights sleep and am ready for the new day. Yesterday I went to our local Sunflower Fest. The food was great. I found the best thing ever there. Hand warmers that you can reactivate over and over again. Good for the earth and great for me! I am always cold. These will come in handy for the stamp convention in Fort Wayne coming up as I will be camping with my friend. And at this time of year you never know what the weather will be. So I think I am all set.
My card for today is CTMH Mitten Mouse
This is an older CTMH set. It is wood mounted. It is new to me though. I stamped the mouse and the mitten on Bristol paper. They were each then hand cut. The mitten lies flat and the mouse is popped up. Both pieces are colorized with Prisma pencil and Gamsol. The paper is from a DCWV Christmas stack. It worked so wonderfully with this stamp set. Being a more vintage set I added buttons and cotton package string to finish this card off. The cotton package string came from my local hardware store. The hardware store can have some great finds in it!
 A side view to show the mouse popping.
For the inside I added the sentiment, another mouse, and a button.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Vintage Embossed Fox

Good Morning Ladies,
I am still having a lot of fun creating with the Vintage Embossed Cuts. I have a lot of designs to work with. Today's card is Vintage Embossed Fox ..
The fox is a vintage cut. I thought he was perfect for a man's Birthday card. He is mounted on a scalloped double cut square. I used a Spellbinders die set to create the scalloped squares in black and craft cardstock. The diamond design paper is from Graphics 45 French Country pad. A black ribbon tied in a knot tops this card off.
This is the inside sentiment.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Friday, September 20, 2013

Joan's Challenge Picture Card

Good Morning Ladies,
I am so excited about the challenge over at http://www.atjoansgardens.com/ this week. It is Joan's Challenge Picture Card
The requirements are as follows:
Use a picture
Use neutral colors
Use a flourish
Use something from Joan's
Here is the link to the challenge http://www.atjoansgardens.com/2013/09/this-weeks-challengenew-techique.html
So why am I so excited about this week's challenge. Well I love old photographs! I pick them up here and there. Lots of times photos don't get identified on the back or in scrapbook albums. So when family members go through old family photos they don't know who the people or places are in them. So they get discarded at garage sales, antique stores, ...you get the picture ( no pun intended). I love to use them in my work. If you have known me or followed my blog for very long you will know these people as my fake family. I figure they need a family and I am as good as any.
So here is my card...
The picture was a black and white photo. I needed to change it for this color scheme. I took a chance and used Color Box brown pigment ink and added directly onto the photo rubbing it in with my fingers as I went. I was pleasantly surprised when I found that it adhered and dried. The suitcase die cut I won from Joan's from an earlier challenge. I had not had a chance to use it in a challenge yet. This was the perfect challenge card to use it for. It is a Die-Versions Sweet Petites die old suitcase. I cut it out of tan package cardstock. I added stitching with Copic marker in dark brown. It looked a little plain so I inked a cancelled postage stamp from a letter I received yesterday. It sits on a brown ribbon. The map background paper I found in my stash. I love map paper it comes in handy. The flourish I used under the roses is Cheery Lynn Designs Mini Fanciful Flourish that I purchased at Joan's. I cut this twice out of textured cardstock. My roses were created using a Sizzix rolled rose die. 
 A close-up view of the picture. I believe this picture was taken in the 50's.
A close-up of the flourishes and flowers.
Thanks again Joan for another great challenge!
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Halloween Grave Digger

Good Morning Ladies,
The weather is getting warm again. So the air went on last night. It stormed pretty good but mostly it was lightening and thunder.
My card for today is Halloween Grave Digger
Halloween will be here sooner than we think. What a fun holiday! Candy and fall treats! I found this man with a shovel that I had stamped and colorized some time back. He was the inspiration for this card. He looks like a grave digger to me. I don't remember what company he is from. The moon was also in my stash stamped and colorized too long ago for me to remember the company. So what do I know....The owl is from a Tim Holtz clear set. The bare branches, fence, and tombstone dies are from Memory Box. This scene sits upon bat DSP. 
The inside sentiment and the scary cat are from the same Tim Holtz clear set.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

The Stamps of Life Twinkle Christmas

Good Morning Ladies,
I woke up at 4 am and new I might as well get up. I was wide awake so all hope for sleep was gone. My sidekicks Windy and Dude were happy to get up at four. In fact I think Windy was awake already and just waiting for movement from me.
My card for today is The Stamps of Life Twinkle Christmas ...
 I am loving my new September Stamps of Life set. I love the old style Christmas lights that are in it. I stamped them on Bristol paper with black Memento ink. They were then colorized with silver metallic pen and brush on Smooch in blue and pearl white. They were then hand cut and strung on a white grograin ribbon. This worked perfect with the DSP from a DCWV Christmas stack. This type of patterned paper can be a challenge at times for card making. I stamped one of the sentiments on Bristol paper and cut it with a Spellbinders die set. The edges were inked.
I wrapped the front of the paper and ribbon around to the inside of the card on the left hand side. My inside sentiment is from the same set.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Vintage Embossed Turkey

Good Evening Ladies,
Another post today. It's a late night post after a long day. This is the way I chose to end my day. My card for this evening is Vintage Embossed Turkey.
The focal point for this card is the Vintage Embossed Turkey Cut. It is matted on a rectangle of rust colored cardstock. The background paper is the flip side of the rust cardstock. The die-cut feathers were created using a MFT feather die. The edges are inked in brown. The feathers are chicken feathers from my sisters chickens. The flowers and leaves are cut with Memory Box dies. 

 This is the inside sentiment for this card.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandpg



Border Collie Birthday

Good Morning Ladies,
This is one of those short mornings where time is going quick. My card for today is Border Collie Birthday
A simple card for sure. The barn and tree is an image from Stampinks. It is stamped in Versa-mark and embossed in fine detail black embossing powder from Ranger. It was then colorized with copic markers. Hand cut and set on a cloud background. The border collie is from Dog Stamps Plus. This image was stamped in Memento black ink on white card stock and hand cut. The sentiments on this card are from Fiskars. 
This is the inside of the card.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Monday, September 16, 2013

Golden Holiday

Good Morning Ladies,
The weather is still cool. I made Darn good chili and sweet corn for supper last night. That was a good fall dinner. I had a glass of apple cider later.
Today's card is a Golden Holiday ..
I don't remember where this golden image is from. I have had it made for some time and just have not used it up until now. It is stamped on white cardstock with Versa-mark and embossed with ranger fine detail black embossing powder and colorized with art markers. It was then hand cut. I die cut a red mitten using a Spellbinder die set. I added a white trim to the edge of the mitten. This was created with pearlized card stock and a Spellbinders border die. The DSP is from a DCWV stack. To top this card off I added a green glitter ribbon.
This is the inside sentiment.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Sunday, September 15, 2013

The Stamps of Life Christmas Wishes

Good Evening Ladies,
Yes, I am back with a second post today. We went to the local Applefest today. I bought a dozen ears of corn, 1/2 peck of gala apples, apple cider, and a print of Clydesdale horses. Met the artist. Nice lady. It started to rain but we were done anyway.
My second card for today is The Stamps of Life Christmas Wishes
The Christmas lights and sentiments are from the new set from The Stamps of Life. The lights are colorized with metallic pen and Copic markers. Hand cut and attached to a glitter ribbon. The oval that the sentiment is stamped on is a die cut from a sizzix thin-lits die set. The malamute puppy is an image from Sunday International. The two DSP are from a DCWV stack.
This is the inside sentiment.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Joan's Challenge Fall Bird

Good Morning Ladies,
It is brisk out there this morning. The dogs are loving it! The 2nd Saturday Downtown Dogs was a fun event yesterday. I loved all the people who came down with their dogs. So much fun to see people sharing a good time with their furry friends.
I have a second card for Joan's Challenge Fall Bird this week. You can see and enter the challenge here... http://www.atjoansgardens.com/2013/09/this-weeks-challenge-big-prize.html
The requirements this week are as follows:
Include leaves on your card
Fall Colors
Tree and/or a bird
Use a product sold at Joan's Garden
Here is my card...
For my bird I used a turkey bird. He is a vintage embossed cut. My leaves were cut from a Spellbinder's die set I purchased from Joan. On my rust leave I stamped the sentiment full of blessings. The acorn and oak leaves are from that same squirrel applique set I used on the first card from my stash. I couldn't see wasting this other piece of the set. The green layer is from the Graphics 45 collection French Country. I also purchased this Graphics 45 pad from Joan's. Happy fall!
Happy Scraps,
Mrs.  Swandog

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Birthdays Are Like Fleas

Good Morning Ladies,
Today is 2nd Saturday in La Porte. This means the local businesses will be open til seven o'clock downtown. Come visit my booth at the Co-op Shoppes and check out my cards. I also have other scrapbooking and stamping supplies. This is in La Porte, IN. I will also be down there with Trail Creek Dog Training Club. We will be located on Michigan Ave. It is dog daze.
My card for today is Birthdays Are Like Fleas ...
 Another Malamute card for my friends baskets. The Malamute image is from Grey Wolf Graphics. He was stamped on Bristol paper and colorized with Prisma pencil and Gamsol. He was then hand cut. He was mounted on dark blue textured cardstock from The Paper Cut. This was a piece in an end cut stack. The label was cut from a Spellbinders die set. The sentiment is from Sparkle and Sprinkle. This is stamped on pale yellow cardstock. All of this sits on a paw print and dots background cardstock from Memory Makers. To top this card off I added bakers twine. This twine is the real stuff from Wilton.
This is the inside of the card.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Friday, September 13, 2013

Joans Challenge Fall Leaves

Good Morning Ladies,
We had a downpour last night before I went back to work. After everything shook out the temps were much cooler. Maybe fall is on it's way. Joans Challenge Fall Leaves is my card for today. You can see and join us in the challenge here.... http://www.atjoansgardens.com/2013/09/this-weeks-challenge-big-prize.html
The requirements for this weeks challenge are as follows:
Include leaves on your card
Fall Colors
Tree and/or bird
You must use something sold at Joan's and mention that you are doing the card/project for Joan's Challenge.
So here is my card....
I think this challenge is great fun! I started with the squirrel applique I found in my stash. I have more than one of these squirrels in my stash. So at one time I must have had a project in mind for this little gem. That idea has long left my brain. But this challenge made finding him like finding gold! For my trees I used the birch tree trio #98617 from Memory Box. I purchased this birch tree die from Joan's Gardens. This die is one that I use over and over again. Next I needed to create a pile of leaves for the squirrel to sit on. I used a Spellbinders die set Fall Foliage S5-120. I purchased this die set at Joan's. It is a wonderful set that has leaves, an acorn, a pine branch and pine cones. I needed birds in my scene. Crows seem to be a fall bird. So I cut two birds from the Poppystamps die #817 Nestled Bird.
You can purchase the dies I used on my card as well as many, many more at http://www.atjoansgardens.com/
Thanks Joan for another wonderful challenge to keep my creative muse going.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Vintage Cuts Eskimo Boy and His Dog

Good Morning Ladies,
I had a free afternoon yesterday. That does not happen very often anymore. So I took some Sizzix dies up to my booth at the co-op shoppes. I don't just have cards there I also have supplies. I went to visit my Mom but she was off and running to lunch with her friends. Her knee is feeling much better. So I visited with my Dad for a little bit. Next I went to the store and did some grocery shopping. Then back home to do laundry. I went to training class. I finished my night out by making a couple of cards.
My card for today is Vintage Cuts Eskimo Boy and His Dog
 I had two images on my mind for this card. It was the Eskimo boy and the Malamute puppy. I think they go nicely together. The Eskimo boy is a vintage cut. He is so cute. The Malamute puppy is an image from Posh Impressions. He is stamped on Bristol paper with black Memento ink and hand cut. I used one of my favorite Cheery Lynn dies cut from blue card stock for them to be layered on. My background card stock is shimmer white embossed with a Darice snowflake embossing folder. A ribbon at the bottom tops this card off.
This is the inside sentiment.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs.  Swandog

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Joan's Challenge Cozy Snowflake Christmas

Good Morning Ladies,
Wow! The day was a hot one yesterday. It helped to keep cool making another Christmas card for Joan's Challenge Cozy Snowflake Christmas
Click the link here to see and join us in the challenge.... http://www.atjoansgardens.com/2013/09/this-weeks-challenge.html
And here is my second card for this challenge...
 The focal point of this card is a Heartfelt Creations image that I purchased at Joans Garden. It was colorized using Prisma pencil and Gamsol. I also used Stickles and Liquid Pearls. Did you know you can color with liquid pearls. My snowy rooftop and the house windows are colorized using liquid pearls. This oval scene is matted with another oval in Maroon glitter card stock. Both ovals are cut using a Sizzix die set. My Christmas background cardstock is from a DCWV Christmas stack. The deer trio is a Memory Box die cut from dark brown cardstock. I purchased this die at Joan's. For my snowflakes I have three flat back snowflakes. The rest of the snowflakes are really beads turned on their sides.
This is the inside sentiment.
You can purchase wonderful things at Joan's. Here is the link to her store http://www.atjoansgardens.com/
Browse around and you will be pleasantly surprised at all of the samples.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Native American Standing Bear

Good Morning Ladies,
It is suppose to be a hot one today. Summer has come to an end and fall is in the air. Is this our Indian summer or is that still awaiting us. Today my card is Native American Standing Bear .
This card started with the Indian stamp from Embossing Arts. Embossing Arts has gone out of business, but there is another company that is carrying some of their stamps. This image was stamped on white cardstock and embossed with rust embossing powder. It was then colorized with art markers. The edges were torn and inked with two colors of Tim Holtz distressed ink. The feathers were cut using a MFT die. The edges of the feathers were inked. They were glued together in a fan headress shape. The checked background paper is Graphics 45 and the bottom layer is a rust colored card stock. 
This is the inside sentiment. A quote from Standing Bear.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Monday, September 9, 2013

Border Collie Vintage Embossed Cut and Graphics 45

Good Morning Ladies,
I had fun working the agility trial this past weekend. I did not trial my dogs. So it was a little different for me. But I had fun watching new dogs run, young people run (the future of our sport), and some dogs who have been around the block a few times. My card today was inspired by these dogs and handlers.
My card today is Border Collie Vintage Embossed Cut and Graphics 45
This card was created using a vintage embossed cut of a border collie. He was matted with black card stock. He was matted again using Graphics 45 card stock from the French Country collection. Another black mat on the card base pulls the eye to the border collie. A blue ribbon was stamped and hand cut. It was colorized using art markers. 
The inside sentiment. To all of you who competed this weekend always remember to enjoy the journey!
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog