KittyKards

Frameable Scrapbook Pages

2012-01-29T20:45:00.004-05:00

I finally broke through with another frameable scrapbook page. This one I just listed on etsy.com.

After completing the gift for a couple of friends (http://kittykards.blogspot.com/2012/01/celebrating-christmas-union.html), I knew I had to do more of these. They can be customized with select words or sentiments for whatever the occassion. I am thrilled with how this turned out and can't wait to make more. Once I find the inspiration for the starburst design, I will link it here.

The "Sisters Forever" can be for family or for sorority sisters.

"For Mom" can be special for Mother's Day or even Mom's birthday. I chose the Postcard font from a Silhouette portfolio.

I love using clear photo corners for this type of project. The photos seem to float on the pages.

More color combos to come!

Ringing in the New Year

2012-01-03T19:58:00.008-05:00

A few posts ago, I reintroduced myself back into the blogging world.
http://kittykards.blogspot.com/2011/11/back-in-game.html

I included a great new pic of our two new kitties, Titus and Ptolemy. They are both so sweet, but with very different personalities. Titus is the oh-so-chill guy, already huge and not even one year yet. He reminds us of the Sam Axe character played by Bruce Campbell on Burn Notice. Loyal and sweet. Titus is a lover, not a fighter, but he will give a bruisin' if necessary. Ptolemy is the trouble maker. He flies from one feat of mischief to another. And he fetches (after waiting for you to throw) and buries items (under the rugs) like a dog. After watching Beginners with Ewan McGregor, we decided he reminds us of a Jack Russell terrier (like the one in the movie).

So, a card about these two additions to our lives was inevitable. But while you may get a dog to sit still long enough for a picture, your best bet for a cat is to catch them while they're sleeping. So, the drawn picture of them was perfect.

We figured Titus' laid back nature made him perfect to deliver the straight man response to Ptolemy's hyper rant.

Ptolemy: When does the ball drop? Is it midnight yet? Did the flash go off? This is going to be the best New Year's card ever!
Titus: The ASPCA is going to hear about this %#!& hat.

The embellishments are printed then cut using the Silhouette. The party favor lays flat, but the hats are popped up from the base of the card.

Still trying to figure out if these guys could be used in other card themes. Can't wait to find out!

Celebrating a Christmas Union

2012-01-02T13:29:00.012-05:00

A friend at work was just recently able to exchange wedding bands with his wife after several years of marriage. They decided to keep them wrapped until Christmas.

To honor this occassion, I knew I wanted to make a scrapbook page, but one they could hang up.

I asked him for their favorite colors. His is forest green. Hers was pink or red. How much more perfect could that be for the holiday?!

I started with the paper. The base was whimisical and the heart-patterned paper was the perfect complement. I wanted their names on the piece, and the ribbon made the perfect background for the banner. The heart-shaped brushed metal brads are the perfect accents.

The banner pieces have alternating inset round corners with outside rounded corners.

The hanging holly is a rub on using the same paper from the banner piece with the edges inked in red and popped up from the simple white textured white cardstock. The "love" metal piece is affixed directly to the embellishment.

Clear photo corners are holding in place the two picture placeholders for a 3.5" x 5" and a 3" x 3" picture. Finishing the piece are four infinity clips to reflect the unity of marriage and echo the rings they were exchanging.

I had so much fun making this and have been wanting to do something like this for a long time. I think placing a scrapbook page into a shadow box frame would make a great gift for any occassion and can be custom made. So excited about this next step.

On the move

2011-12-24T17:38:00.006-05:00

In August, we moved from Boston to the D.C. area. I made a set of these cards using a variety of paper for the base including the polka dot paper seen here. The truck image was drawn by my husband using the Draw feature in MS Word. The wardrobe and lamp are clip art images. I was able to print them out then cut them out using a Silhouette.

The road isn't just regular black paper. It's textured, sparkly paper that almost mimics the sparkly flecks of mica you see reflecting light when you drive down the road.

The truck is popped up slightly to better define the dimension of the card.

The most amazing thing was placing the cards in the mailbox at the post office on Saturday at 3:45 p.m. and people calling me on Monday (two days later) to say they had received the card! Wow! Such the deal for 44 cents!

Variations on a Theme

2011-11-24T21:04:00.007-05:00

I started with this design here matching three very different patterns of the same color scheme with coordinating ribbon and ink.

The torn piece adds texture and the subtle inking around the sentiment piece helps the layer pop. I repeated the design for other color schemes and then came across the paper for the card below.

The deep aqua blue and circle design on the paper reminded me of scuba diving. So, I pulled out my Heidi Grace stamp set and layered the ribbon with the paper pieces. "by the seaside" is not only stamped but also heat embossed so the letters are glossy and slightly raised. Almost looks like water made the letters.

These were so much fun to make.

Waste not, want not for great card ideas

2011-11-21T22:10:00.001-05:00

Papercrafting breeds scraps. Lots and lots of scraps. In the middle of assembling this card, I looked around at the scraps and designed and made another before going back to finish this one.

I started with the ribbon. It's this luxurious, satiny chocolate chip color from Stampin' Up. The Silhouette software at the time I made these did not have a gingerbread image I was happy with. So I manipulated a clip art pic using Microsoft Paint and cut out lots of gingerbread girls and boys from a matching brown using the Silhouette. I merged the letters for the "sweet" cut out and also cut out a coordinating offset for the "sweet" background. The star is also cut out.

Assembling the gingerbread trees was no picnic. If I were to do this again, I would merge the images to get one solid gingerpeople tree. Like a practiced procrastinator, my eyes and mind started to wander. I looked at the sheets of paper with gingerbread people-shaped holes all over. They looked like cookie sheets!

Well, now I had to stop what I was doing immediately and work on this new project. I reformatted the images I was cutting for the first card to get what you see here on the "scraps". Picked a new ribbon color and coordinating red paper and ink for stamping for the heart. In less time than it took me to plan out the first card, the second card is done!

Two great designs and less to throw away.

Of course, you can save so many scraps that you have a box full of one-off scraps you save "just in case". Don't let the little ideas keep you from great ones. Every now and again, scrap the scraps and start a new box.

Back in the Game

2011-11-20T19:41:00.011-05:00

It's been almost two and half years since my last post. We lost Louis, the inspiration for the Kitty Kards logo, earlier this year. But a house is not a home and KittyKards is not the same without kitties in the house. We picked up Titus and Ptolemy from a shelter in Quincy, MA, before moving to MD in August. My husband drew this picture of the little guys using the draw feature in MS Word. It's a card waiting to happen.

The big reason I have not done any posts is my job and the traveling involved. I have done the occassional creative project, but I couldn't finish anything. Until now.

My new craft room in MD is all set up and ready to go. I cut out these vinyl pieces tonight using my Silhouette. The words are from a font created using my handwriting. The whole thing takes up a 2' x 3' space on the wall.

I plan to post something every night this week along with cards and pages onto Etsy.

I am excited to share my ideas again!

Sit back, relax, and listen

2009-06-07T20:28:00.006-04:00

Bill and I are big fans of NPR programs including This American Life. When I saw this program was being offered with Sarah Vowell and David Rackoff - two of their best contributors - I had to get tickets.

The venue was the warmly appointed with rich woods. As I sorted through paper trying to figure out what to use, I came across this sheet that looks almost like the pattern for an old velour blanket.

I love the super chunky clear photo corners for placing programs on pages. I can also doo dad them up with pieces like this strip I cut from a spare program and backed up with some coordinating cardstock.

This was the one picture I took for the night. Just the stage before the show began. The pictures from the book covers is an idea I borrowed from Bill. He uses this for a lot of his pages and includes a signature page. This was one event, though, where we did not stay for signatures.

As I have indicated in other posts, I am a big fan of using images cut from programs. It's a great way to fill in the spaces.

Next weekend we will be heading for D.C. for a mini trip ahead, but I have a post ready to go. And, I hope to have my newest cards up and ready, too.

Time to Toot the Horn

2009-05-30T19:28:00.010-04:00

After many months, I have decided to get back into the blogging, posting, card making, and scrap booking groove. To go along with that groove, I have decided to begin with a post for this page I put together for the Chris Botti concert we went to last September.

Since this was a live show on a stage with lots of production and it was being taped by PBS, I wanted some spotlights for the page. Since Quickutz didn't have a die or an image for the Silhouette of a spotlight, I found an image with 3 spotlights, cut out 3 with the Silhouette (I just love the outline feature!), and laid them side by side. Doesn't it make a great border?

I also used a couple of metal, brassy pieces I had been saving for... I don't know what. I guess this page exactly.

I wasn't really sure how to frame the pictures until I found some fantastic scraps of gold paper. To borrow from the color scheme of the page, I used some great ivory and black scraps to layer with the gold.

And this pic I took with the digital camera IS Sting, Josh Groban, and Chris Botti getting ready to perform Shape of My Heart. They had to do three times because they kept messing it up.

See you back next week for another post. And in two weeks I will post new cards to Etsy.

TTFN!

A New Design Unfolds

2008-09-14T20:48:00.011-04:00

While vacationing in Chicago last month with my mom (www.studiobeecreations.blogspot.com/), we stopped in the first ever Paper Source location. They were having a fantastic sale on lots of goodies including some summery paper colors. Included in the sale were sets of matchbook cards (A2 size). I bought a set of 25 just to get the measurements.

When I attempted to score the card in the correct dimensions, I was off by about 3/4". And not just the first time! By the time I figured it out, I had four cards with an extra score near the bottom fold. So, I covered the score mark on the inside of the card with a piece of ribbon which I also used to tie through as a bow on the top of the card.

Then, I needed to cover the score mark from the outside. I decided to incorporate a stamping element on the card. And I love heat embossing. So, starting with the "happy" cards, I pulled out the Stampin Up "Happy Everything" stamp set (pg. 143 of the 2008 catalog). These are posted for sale on etsy.

The "smile be happy" card uses the Quickutz Sophisticate set. I cut out the large letters using the Quick Stamps foam to stamp and emboss in copper the "smile". Then I used the smaller gel stamps from the set for the "be happy" pop up piece. On another card, I stamped out "time to smile".

"Best" is also cut from QK dies - can't remember now which font. But it looks like Biography. I stamped using craft ink and then heat embossed using clear. Once I get it posted, you'll be able to see the detail. For "Best Dad" I used the QK Silhouette to cut out the grill. But since I found the white core of the paper I used too distracting, I used a coordinating Stampin Up ink marker to color the edges. I did the same with a graduation cap for the matching "Best Grad" card.

It has been about 2 weeks since my last blog entry OR my last etsy post. I have been working on a creative project for work. Hopefully I will be able to share that story by this weekend.

Thank you for visiting. On your way out, check out my sister's blog at http://joy-full-ness.blogspot.com/.

From the Road: Lesson Learned

2008-09-08T21:10:00.008-04:00

Keep all ribbon scraps!! These two cards both demonstrate this important lesson I've learned in my efforts at creating on the road. Especially this "just for you" card. The row of little knots was the perfect accent.

The negative image (from the In Any Event Stampin Up set) is stamped on vellum using classic ink from Stampin Up. The watercolor effect was unintended, but I will use it again. Unfortunately, the "thanks" sentiment did not come out clearly enough to be read. So, I covered it with a lovely piece of textured cardstock edged in brown ink and stamped using the Quickutz Sophisticate set. Finally, the vellum is attached to the same creamy cardstock with large brushed gold eyelets.

With this card I was going for understated. The paper itself is busy enough without accenting it too much. I began with the brown center - a scrap!! I knew I wanted to use the marigold yellow to tie it the paper's color theme (the back side of this double-sided paper is marigold yellow, too). But I also like to layer my paper pieces with ribbon. So I took a length each of gold and thinner brown-stitched ribbon and layered these in between the paper. The sentiment to "wish big" (from the Wish Big Stampin Up set) is stamped in pink. The white card stock is edged in the same. And, even though I was going for simple, I couldn't resist one more embellishment... the white cupcake (same set) heat embossed in the brown paper.

Check back in a couple of days to find out what the "flip flap" is all about.

Back home and listing again!

2008-08-31T21:14:00.007-04:00

Even though I have found myself on the road a lot this summer, I have managed to be creative on occassion. Today I list on etsy two of my summertime creations.

First, I begin with one of six cards I made on the road while staying in New Rochelle, NY, stopping over between Poughkeepsie, NY, and Hartford, CT.

While shopping in scrap stores, it's not like I seek out Heidi Grace, but I just seem drawn to her. But after all these months of accumulating her product, this is the first time I've used her rub on designs on a card. For shame for shame, especially since I think they go great with this Chatterbox paper. The white pieces, I believe, are textured Bazzil. The ribbon I felt fortunate to have packed enough of for my trip as I think it perfectly finished the card.

After making this next card on my most recent work visit to Poughkeepsie, I've decided to pull out my QK Silhouette and play with some designs before attempting another similar design. Cutting the petals one by one with the QK squeeze - my die cut tool of choice for the road - was devastating to my hand! But isn't it precious anyway?

Looking at my previous blog entry where I discuss more about how I made this card, I notice I forgot to mention the QK font. It's Maggie.

Still more cards to come, so check back soon. I'm also excited to sneak in a few scrap pages. Until then, go to my sister's blog and etsy site to see what she's rolling out for the fall.

On the road but back in Blogger city!

2008-08-27T23:28:00.004-04:00

This has been one busy summer for me! While the previous post has a date of June 23, that's the day I created it. What took me so long to post it? The site locked up on me that night and I lost the post - or so I thought.

So, in June Bill and I went to Florida. Early July we were in Aruba - took lots of cool pics to fill a vacation scrap book. Then this month I visited with family in SC and spent time with my mom in Chicago - more pics for another vacation book!

I have actually made about a dozen cards and completed several scrapbook pages in the last few months, but with all the traveling I kept coming up with the same excuse not to post... just not enough time.

Well, tonight is my third and last night (this week anyway) on the road for work. Staying in Poughkeepsie - woo hoo! (Imagine sarcasm here.) As usual, I packed up card making paraphernalia (sp?) and managed to piece together a couple of interesting designs. What a mess I've made!

Here I am showing you just one. The others are to be part of a set I hope to blog about later this week - crossing fingers.

The base of the card is - I believe - American Crafts. Fantastic double-sided paper perfect for a not-bland card. Love the rounded corners! The flower is pieced together from various QuicKutz die cuts. I used up the small square of vellum I had left over that I've used in other projects. I like the dimension it adds to the petals. The stem and leaves are a portion of a 12" Revolution border die I cut from a rich velvety green paper. It's like the whole page is flocked.

I sure do miss my Revolution on the road, though. I had to use my QK squeeze and cut each die cut image one at a time! Talk about hand cramp!

While I wasn't watching, several of my card listings on etsy expired. I plan to relist and post the new cards I've made in the last few weeks over the next few days.

Check back regularly as I unpack and blog my crafting adventures.

Visit to the Happiest Place

2008-06-23T20:22:00.009-04:00

The first weekend in June I accompanied Bill to the Panasonic Academic Challenge (PAC) held in Orlando each year. We stayed at the Contemporary Resort with a view of the Magic Kingdom from our room. We could also see the fireworks every night. How cool is that!

Since we were staying a few days, I went for a snack supply run. On my way back, I saw this momma duck and four ducklings crossing a drive way in front of the hotel. I immediately thought of Make Way for Ducklings. In case you've never heard of the story, it is set in Boston. There is even a statue set in the Boston Public Garden commemorating the story.

Having spent 11 years in Tampa, I had to try to visit with old friends. I was able to meet with my friend Chris Holcom and his wife, Jaime, (sorry - he has that pic) for lunch in a NY-style deli. (Note: Even with all my time spent in NY, I honestly can't say how authentic it was. But it was good. Thanks guys!) His Jobsite theatre group is in its 10th season. I love how he and his wife describe each other as "disgustingly talented." They are great together.

We really miss this guy since our move to Boston. We just finished watching the 1st season of the USA Network show called Burn Notice. Excellent show! But, Bruce Campbell reminds us so much of Chris. Chris could play a young Bruce Campbell. Won't know if Jaime will be happy with this imagery or not.

In honor of Bill's last trip to the PAC, I wanted to make a card with his most identifiable Disney character as the theme. Don't you just love the bow?!

Later this week, I will post scrapbook pages from a marathon creative run from Sunday. It felt good to do some catching up.

See you soon.

Special Order Delivery

2008-06-02T21:32:00.002-04:00

Here it is. A special request realized. This was my first special request on etsy.

This card was made for someone looking for "graduation cards for an 8th grade girl... She really likes VW buses if that's of any help." The "Congrats" is cut from a Silhouette design. The VW bus front was drawn by the hubby using the draw function in Word.

We'll be in Florida this weekend. So, I probably won't post again for a couple of weeks.

Jenny

Hello, again!!

2008-06-01T17:28:00.006-04:00

I have been away way too long from this blog. I had fantastic plans for last weekend - remember? - Memorial Day? - 3-day weekend? - Sure, I was home. But with a soar throat that led to sniffles! I even got a box of goodies I had ordered from Mom, and I couldn't play. :(

Well, I had overnight travel this week - 1st time in almost three months. Wow!! Checking my email, I noticed I had a sale on etsy! Cute card with an elephant. So exciting!

So, finally feeling better this weekend, I had to finish a card-making project I began a few weeks ago. I made this set of one dozen cards for a friend from work. This is an original design I created using ribbon, Quickutz, and Stampin Up products.

I bought the envelopes for the cards at Paper Source in Brookline, MA. While there, I saw an awesome chocolate brown color, so bought a set of those envelopes, too. That brown color inspired these two sets of six cards showing two different color-coordinating approaches. These are now posted on etsy.

I hope to post again soon with the result from a special request for a graduation card.

Stay well.

Music and Scrapbook Pages - 1-hour Page

2008-05-01T21:02:00.008-04:00

It had been awhile since I made a scrapbook page. I had focused on a card making project and just let time get away from me. At this point, we are seven pages behind. That is, we've attended seven events in the last few months for which we still have to create a page commemorating said event. Not to mention there are two mini-vacations/albums. Perhaps we've taken on too much? Only one more week, though, and Bill will be done with class work for this last semester at BU.

Anyhow, I decided to finally make a page - and challenge myself to get it done in an hour.

Tickets (for instant embellishment) - Check!
Programs (for embellishment cut outs) - Check!
Perfect Paper - Check!

The 2007-2008 pamphlets for the Handel and Haydn society include these great timelines that we knew were going to be incorporated into the pages for this season.

Since we ordered season tickets, we got these calendar stickers - definitely had to use them on THIS page. They color-coordinate!

Okay - seriously! - this is a great brad embellishment, right?

The final page - probably took longer to write this blog - especially since I've been distracted by Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy. I'm also sure I've missed plot points since I was writing this blog entry.

I am hoping to get some creating done this weekend - can't wait to share it with you!

Taking the Bee Line to Sweet

2008-04-28T18:36:00.010-04:00

If you are looking at this blog entry, you may very well have buzzed over here from my mom's blog at http://studiobeecreations.blogspot.com. Her name is Debbie, and frankly I'm surprised she hasn't had it legally changed to Deb-bee.

I found this sweet polka dot bee paper at a scrapbook store I found after taking a wrong turn near Mahopac, NY - http://www.lastingmemoriesscrapbook.com/. I bought a few sheets for mom - which I still need to send to her.

Green is my favorite color - something I should probably be careful about or everything I make will be green. The base of the card is this great pale green generic, textured card stock. The white paper is textured Bazzil rounded off and distressed in green ink. I had used a Coluzzle to cut out the center and ink the inside edge. But, I didn't like the color I had chosen. On Saturday, I cut out the part I did not like - using the Coluzzle again. But then the hole was too big!

My mom had sent me months and months ago some awesome fabric and fiber paper. The yellowish, flowered center piece is cut (again, Coluzzle) from one of those pages to tie in the yellow from the bee with the rest of the card.

The sweet polka dot bee paper I cut to frame the center of the card and distressed the outside edge in brown. The green, stitched ribbon I tied into a bow before using a glue dot to keep it down. The Prima flowers are centered with color-coordinating Stickles.

I used a Stampin Up brass stencil to dry emboss the "Hello!", but didn't like the effect - too subtle. So, I used the same stencil on the front to stencil watermark ink and winter white Stampin Up embossing powder (two passes) to really make it pop from the page.

The bee is a QK double-die 2x2 image where the yellow paper is textured Bazzil. You can just detect the faint striping effect.

Tomorrow's post will show a one-hour scrapbook page I started and finished this weekend. And, oh, it's green. Oh well!

Bug me anytime

2008-04-27T19:00:00.014-04:00

I was creative this weekend - woo hoo. I had made some cards months ago while traveling for work, but wasn't thrilled with the results. I fixed them up yesterday.

This first one I had used a wonderful paperclip in the shape of a speech bubble. It was too bulky, though, so I dipped into Bill's toolbox for his needlenose pliers to clip off the inside part of the embellishment. The phrase piece I recreated onto a new piece oh-so-carefully cutting it out using the Coluzzle blade.

The base of the card is Bazzil paper with an awesome textured pattern. I have used the same Bazzil paper in beige to look like pages in a book from a Quickutz die. The second layer is rounded off using Creative Memories corner rounder. (I have a new Stampin Up corner rounder on order with my mom. Can't wait to get it.) For flair, I included one final gold, swirly, vellum layer to the card before embellishing - rounding the corners again.

The "Bug me anytime" stamp is one in the same with the ladybug. The Prima flowers are centered with Candy Cane stickles. I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig for proper placement. The ladybug I colored in with the Stampin Up watercolor pencils and blender pens.

This ribbon was just too sweet to let it go, even as a remnant. I've used it in other projects, including the balloon card you can see in my first blog entry and available on etsy.

Check back tomorrow for the other fixer upper.

Spring in Boston

2008-04-24T20:23:00.004-04:00

Springtime has officially sprung in Boston. Bill and I were walking away from South Station last week and saw this half building facade. Just odd. You can see the outside through the building to the - er - outside.

Walking up Beacon Street and Commonwealth Avenue this week, we saw the first trees in bloom. The fragrance was intoxicating. Personally, I think these would make fabulous scrapbook page backgrounds!

We took a walk, too, along the river and stopped to sit on a bench on the way. The boats were too much in the spring mood NOT to take a picture.

I know this blog entry is not about scrapping, but I just wanted to share some of the Boston experience.

My first... and second convention

2008-04-23T22:02:00.004-04:00

I really do love scrapbooking. But, for Bill and me, it's more than scrapbooking. It's about preserving - or even recreating - memories. One year ago, my mom and I planned to go to the CKC in Nashville, TN, just south of where she lives. Even though I made this page for myself, I thought of my mom when I picked the paper. She loves polka dots.

After having gone to the convention with Mom in Nashville, I just had to go to the convention north of Boston in Manchester, NH. When I was in TN, I bought a "scraplete" shirt for Bill as a souvenir. He wore it when he went with me to Manchester. Never has a fully clothed man ever gotten so many looks, I think, as Bill that day.

Anyhow, I didn't have room for the booklets from both conventions, so I cut out the Manchester label from that booklet and pasted it onto the Nashville booklet. Cool, huh?

This large sticker had been sitting in my stash for months. Had to go on the page. I also used the same scissor and ribbon motif on a card (posted on Etsy - wink wink) you can see on an earlier post.

The narrative I created in a text box in Word and printed it on sticker paper. (Notice my correction? I've lived in Boston 5 years now after a lifetime in Florida. Still figuring out where all the states are.) Used a brad to attach the wrist bands on the page. Used the same kind of brad to hold together the tickets then tied the same ribbon (above) through the brad.

Here you can see the photo corner holding the booklet. And, the envelope holding the tickets had the list of classes we took. Cut out that section, distressed it, framed it with a color-coordinating card stock, and pasted here.

Happy scrapping 'til next time.

Lost and Found - in Meriden

2008-04-17T21:35:00.006-04:00

Someone left a comment on the ewe card (see blog entry below Have Travel Bag...) wanting to know where I found the ewe paper. I know I have several different animals, but this was what I found for this pic...

The company is The Paper Lady - and all the animals are just awesome!! I just looked at the site myself - never did before tonight. I am going to HAVE to buy some - shouldn't have any trouble meeting the minimum order requirement.

I put together a lobster-themed page together using this brand of paper (see company link below) for a Boston Globe cartoon caption contest Bill won awhile ago. Ooh! Another idea for a post!

Now, for the last card made in Meriden, CT...

This is a 6" x 6" card made from this great double-sided paper. The inside is green on slightly lighter green polka dots. I got lucky with my card stock scrap pieces that I had just the right colors to make the embellishments using the Quickutz squeeze - SO glad I did not sell or get rid of that tool - it's perfect for travelling! The letters I have from one small stamp set. The "I" is the only embossed letter - had to do it to get the white to pop from the paper.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope to see you around the blog-o-sphere soon. I look forward to visiting everyone's blog and getting to know your creative sides. If you visited from my mom's blog (http://studiobeecreations.blogspot.com), good luck with the Blog Candy!

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind...

2008-04-15T21:43:00.003-04:00

Well, according to this card, they are drifting. This is card #2 from my over night stay in Milford last month. My mom loves these little vellum sayings - I can understand why. They are great for me when I am on the road since I don't have access to my printer for making my own on the spot.

I went a little corner-rounder crazy on this one. It's just such a fun tool! Kind of difficult to work with tiny strips of paper, but I made it work somehow - after three tries!!

Sadly, though, the mouse and leaves is not from Stampin Up. Just something I found in a bargain bin somewhere in scrapbook store land. But it is cute, isn't it?! I stamped and embossed the leaves on a piece of brown cardstock - same paper used in the "ewe" card shown in the previous entry - and cut them out so they could float on pop dots for that drifting effect.

Thanks to everyone for leaving such wonderful comments on my blog. So very encouraging. Check back tomorrow for one more Milton, CT, card.

Have Travel Bag - Will Scrap!!

2008-04-14T20:14:00.005-04:00

Well not exactly scrap... but make cards. I have not had an overnight stay in some weeks!! So what took me so long to get these posted? I am a major procrastinator - don't try this at home!!

Every year, ever since I started filing my own taxes, I have filed as soon as I have all my paperwork in the first week of February. This year - April 12. Fortunately, we don't owe any money! Phew!!

Wait a minute... what was I talking about... I was distracted by Bones on Fox - love that David Boreanaz. Plus, it's a great show!

Anyhow, back to the cards... I was in Meriden, CT, this time - mid March - after driving from Boston to the Palisades in NY halfway back to Boston to stay in Meriden two nights. The 1st night I stayed, I came across the HBO miniseries about John Adams. Now I wish we had cable so I could see the whole thing... I'll just have to wait until it comes out on DVD.

So, I will let you decide if the life of John Adams was inspiration or hindrance to the creative card making process.

I bought this paper with the sheep/ewe months and months ago! While I was sifting through the paper, I knew I would make this card one day. Used my Stampin Up scissors to get the close details. Love those things.

I brought this skinni mini Quickutz font along because - well - it's skinni mini! Wrapped the ribbon around the brown card stock. Glad I had it in my bag.

Finally, I added the prima flowers in the lower left corner. Unfortunately, I had brought only gold stickles in my bag o' scrappin goodies. I added the stickles after I got home.

I made two other cards this trip. Come back tomorrow to see them.

If you visited from my mom's blog - http://studiobeecreations.blogspot.com - Thank you!Remember, too, to visit my sister's blog - http://joy-full-ness.blogspot.com.

I will be posting this card and the others on Etsy throughout the week... http://kittykards6473.etsy.com.

See you soon!

Jenny

Music and Scrapbook Pages - Part 15 - Arlo Guthrie

2008-04-06T21:00:00.006-04:00

Another of Bill's awesome creations... He could not find paper that he wanted to use, so he took a blank sheet and stamps and made his own. He found the album covers for 3 records online and created frames for them in Word - his specialty.

Another Bill touch... creating a marquis sign for the venue over an actual picture of the venue found online. Of course, we had to use the signed tickets - how cool!!

We still have so much to show - and it took almost a whole month for me to get this page posted. I have my fingers crossed for another post within the week.

Oh - and my sister Joy has a blog started and just opened her own etsy store... Check it out!

http://joy-full-ness.blogspot.com

http://www.joyfullness.etsy.com

Reefilling those Creative Urges

2008-03-16T17:15:00.006-04:00

It's not a misspelling. I meant to put that extra "e" in the "reefilling" both in the blog and on the card. A friend from work took me to an art supply store a couple of months ago knowing I am always looking for cool paper to craft with. The silver fiber paper I knew would be used as the basis for an underwater-themed creation. Of course, when we scrap our dive vacation to Aruba this summer, I will be using this paper again.

Talk about recycling/repurposing - I used the grey ribbon from an Ann Taylor bag - just about my favorite place to shop for clothes EVER - to give the card the chance to hang as art work in someone's home or office/cubicle.

I used the Stampin Up classy brass template to dry emboss the circles on the SU Blue Bayou card stock.

Quickutz Sophisticate clear stamp font was used for the phrase with SU Sterling Silver embossing powder.

The crab and fish were cut from QK dies and the scallop was cut from a QK Silhouette image.

The back half of the fish were heat embossed in two layers of color - purple and blue.

I decided to list this item on eBay instead of etsy to test the waters - so to speak! ;)

I am travelling again this week, but I still hope to do some on the road creating. I love Marriott Residence Inn for being able to spread out - just like at home!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Music and Scrapbook Pages - Part 14 - Chamber Music

2008-03-15T18:07:00.005-04:00

Another of Bill's wonderful pages. We had yet to go to a chamber music performance, so for Bill's birthday I bought tickets to what turned out to be a wonderful time.

The narrative was printed on a piece of pearlescent shimmery card stock. The musical instruments images came from a sticker set - just sitting in the packaging waiting to be used.

Again, the folder corners holding the program in place on the page. Bill included scanned images of the CDs he bought from the pieces he really loved from the program.

Not sure why we don't have a "we sat here" piece for this page. Jordan Hall was so beautiful and intimate. We might even prefer it a bit to Symphony Hall where the sound is better.

The next page is another of Bill's creations. Get ready to travel on the New Orleans.

On the Road

2008-03-06T21:39:00.008-05:00

My job takes me away from home periodically. It's a good month when I have fewer than 5 days of travel. A great month when I don't travel at all! The last time that happened was November '07. I am crossing my fingers for a good month in April.

This week, I was in Fishkill, NY, for 3 nights. Knowing I would be in one place for sequential nights, I brought some cardmaking supplies with me on this trip and made 5 cards last night.

Woo hoo!!

For this first one, I was inspired by the gears Quickutz die sitting in the binder having yet to be used. It just so happened, too, that I had a 3"x3" silver cardstock leftover piece in my bag 'o goodies to cut out the gears. Yeah me!

I stamped the background with a Stampin' Up background image. The coordinating-color circles are also QK dies, stamped on using the QK Sophisticate stamp set and heat embossed using SU powders. The ribbon finished the card off nicely, I think.

This awesome double-sided cardstock was just begging to be made into a card. It was the scraps I had available and, again, the QK Sophisticate stamp set that inspired the theme of the card. I used copper archival ink and clear heat embossing powder for the phrase. The prima flowers and pewter stickles set it off just right.

Do the scissors look familiar. I used a scrap piece from the card directly above to cut these scissors from a QK die. These trips from home actually force me to use the scraps I am reluctant to use at home. I took larger scrap pieces from other projects and tilted them until they each touched the edges of the larger layer behind. The vellum piece is held onto the orange polka dot piece with copper-color brads.

The same copper-colored paper used as a layer in the card above is used here again for the two phrase pieces. The font? What else but QK Sophisticate?!

The butterfly is a SU image from a whimsy-named stamp set and heat embossed in brown. The top wings on the butterfly are popped up from the card. The ribbon is knotted and threaded underneath the butterfly. I just love the knotting look to the ribbon. I have used this with the scissors on two scrapbook-themed pages I've created. (Perhaps I should post those some day.)

From a clear stamp set a bought ages ago, I used VersaMark to stamp this little butterfly - oh so subtle - on the two phrase pieces.

I purposely brought these two SU stamp sets to create this card I have been creating in my head for some time. The green paper has this great texture - looks like grass. I found it as this great art supply store someone introduced me to in West Hartford, CT.

Finally, I used the "thanks" card template from the previous posting to create this more colorful version. A couple of differences: I used Prima flowers and stickles instead of a ribbon and the border across the bottom was replaced with QK flourish stamp images.

I actually feel fairly accomplished with these creations. The irony is, though, that with all the travelling this week, I will probably be too tired to create anything this weekend.

I am still working on the next music and scrapbook page posting. Until then, you should definitely check out my mom's new creations posted on etsy!!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10008686

Until then, take care and happy creating!

KittyKard Interruptus

2008-02-24T20:17:00.009-05:00

As we tried to go about our day today - Louis - the inspiration for the KittyKards logo - just had to claim his share of the down time. Here, Bill is trying to read The New Yorker magazine.

Tonight, I actually went through the trouble of taking out my crafting supplies to make a card - see below. When I got up to get something, I turned around, and look who claimed his spot in my work area!! But he is sooo cute!!

I did manage to create these cards... not too bad if I do say so myself. My mom (studiobeecreations.blogspot.com) suggested the ribbon embellishment. Such a smart lady!

The photo corners are 2 of 3 on one Quickutz die. The striped paper I found on sale when one store was getting rid of the last of its Chatterbox. I tore the edge to distress it and used distressing ink for further effect. The swirley border is from Stampin Up. The paper frames I cut using my paper cutter and corner rounder. The circle and images I created from a Quickutz die and matching stamp set.

Come back soon for another scrapbook page entry and thank you!

Music and Scrapbook Pages - Part 13 - Pops on Bernstein

2008-02-24T16:14:00.006-05:00

This page I made shortly after receiving the most excellent corner rounder from Creative Memories. All of the sudden I found that just about everything should have rounded corners!!

The off-set pictures of the top-billed performers I clipped from the 2nd program will always get at these events. I used very low pop dots for the pics. I wanted to color up the embellishments on this page, so I chose the green card stock for the narrative piece. The font is actually my handwriting made into a font - a birthday gift from my husband so I could "write" in any color and any font size. Very cool!

I also used green distressing ink on the Boston Pops logo piece and the program sheets to tie in the green.

To sparkle it up, I placed small dots of stickles on the program pages. Bernstein's name is spelled out in these really cool stickers - I actually broke down and used some alphabet letters - a huge step for me!

The music note is stamped and embossed in black. The rest of the performers pics - also from the program - are laid out in no particular order, but in more even spaces rather than scattered.

Bill's talents return for the next posting for a page on a more intimate musical performance.

Music and Scrapbook Pages - Part 12 - Salute to Oscar and Tony

2008-02-22T20:16:00.007-05:00

This was a great program - a Boston Pops Salute to Oscar and Tony (as in the awards for film and stage). Once I picked the paper, it really informed how I would decorate the page.

I used brown ink to distress the program pages and make them pop - almost framing them. I also carefully cut some gold sheen paper to shadow and frame the program sheets. I cut the pictures of the two singers and framed them with ribbon and string using brads for one and plastic embellishment notes for the other as "photo corners". I also used Quickutz dies cuts from the left over gold paper almost mimicking the whimsical Boston Pops logo.

The G clef border on the right side of the page was sent to me by my mom and helps add some continuity to the black notes and G clef used on the corners of the one photo.

Picking fonts to use for each page can be a very particular process. I chose what I thought was a fairly elegant and still fun font to write the narrative for this page. But, there was already so much of the white paper with shiny, gold musical staff lines and notes covered by embellishment and decoration, I didn't what the narrative to also cover the paper. So, I printed it on some sticker paper, even choosing red and blue font color for Stars and Stripes Forever.

Remember that sheet music vellum from the Gershwin page (last entry)? I used a remnant of that to additionally embellish the space behind the tickets.

With the next page, I finally discover Stickles!

Music and Scrapbook Pages - Part 11 - Waxing Rhapsodic

2008-02-19T20:47:00.008-05:00

This page was all Bill. He loves Gershwin's music - especially Rhapsody in Blue. When we found out The Boston Pops was to perform an all Gershwin program - including Rhapsody - we knew we had to go. He started very simply with a sheet of darker blue paper.

Did I say ALL Bill? Well, I did suggest the sticker. And I did have to cut out this oboe he printed from an image he found online. Boy was that tedious!

The musical notes are Quickutz die cuts from small gift boxes Bill salvaged from some junk at work. He had thought I would find them useful for some creative project. He used them up for this page. Great recycler!

The picture of Gershwin he found either online or from the second program. But a great pic! The vellum with sheet music helped to fill in the blank space - and we use the left overs again later on one or two other pages.

The metal accents complete the page by reminding us of Gershwin and his piano. What a genius he was - and too young (only 38) when he died! Think what else he could have created.

For the next page - time to sing and "salute".

Music and Scrapbook Pages - Part 10 - Going Baroque, Again!

2008-02-16T12:00:00.001-05:00

This was an afternoon performance we tried to squeeze into a Sunday before I went off to the part-time job I held at the time. We ended up leaving at the intermission because the program changed. The only time so far we've been disappointed by a Handel and Haydn performance.

I had these great metal musical note accents and had to use them. This was a departure for me to place embellishments over the tickets. I also wanted to do something different with the border around the program page. The ribbon coordinated beautifully, and I used the brads to finish and bring together the metal touches on the page.

I used distressing ink around the two printed embellishments to help them pop from the page. It's impossible to remember everything about an event, but I like to include some journaling comment if something different happened.

Warning: The next page will make you feel "blue".

Music and Scrapbook Pages - Part 9 - Going Baroque

2008-02-10T21:43:00.002-05:00

Our first Handel and Haydn society event was Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Embellishments were minimally employed here with still beautiful effect. The number "5" was printed, from Word, onto clear label paper. Oh how we love label paper! I rarely buy stickers anymore because there is so much we can make on our own.

Bill found this pic online and, using Word, printed it out with a frame he created.

The Quickutz die-cut notes were cut from one paint chip sample from the local hardware store. How handy THESE are! Of course, the clear photo corners are used to hold the program on the page.

The tickets were tucked behind the program to complete the page. A great way to fill space.

More ways to go "Baroque" in the next posting.

Music and Scrapbook Pages - Part 8 - Spam a LOT!

2008-02-10T21:32:00.000-05:00

This two-pager was done by the real Monty Python fan in our place - Bill! And what fun he had in it's creation. There was just too much to say with only one page. And he wanted something to visually tie them together. He had me free hand the wave cut on the gold-embossed paper. I think the effect just pops from the pages. He cut some images from the second program (always the one that gets bent - the good one makes it on the page). Others he found online.

Of course, we have to have the we sat here illustration - this one's just not a flashy as others we've done.

At the finale, they sprayed the whole theatre with these 2-inch circles of round confetti. I HAD to pick them up and INSIST they have a place on the page. Bill used Word to create the little narrative bubble about Ted Kennedy singing back stage with the cast.

He also used Word to create a text box over this image of a Monty Python foot. Notice how he changed the color of the font depending on where the letters landed over the image. And what an appropriate image to use considering what we had to witness!

You'll go "Baroque" on the next two entries.

Music and Scrapbook Pages - Part 7 - Pops goes Soundheim!

2008-02-03T15:12:00.001-05:00

I was a huge Sondheim fan before I ever knew he was the genius behind West Side Story! And this performance of the Boston Pops Orchestra and the singers shown here was phenomenal. They performed selections from various Sondheim pieces including West Side Story and Into the Woods.

Symphony Hall only had enough programs to give one to each party. So, rather than include the entire program mounted on photo corners, I cut mine up to create this page.

I used scissors with a decorative edge on two sides of the cover and placed the cover on a coordinating solid. The program pages themselves I placed on the left side of this page using brown ink on the edges to make it pop from the blush-colored musical background.

The pictures I also cut from the program and framed them with solid yellow squares.

A very simple page, I used just a couple of stickers. The final touch was the ribbon with staff lines and musical notes attached to the page with orange brads.

No need to adjust your computer filters for the next posting. This is "spam" you will love.

Music and Scrapbook Pages - Part 6 - Romantics in the Park

2008-02-03T15:06:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you think of an event and know JUST the paper you want to use. So it was with this outdoor, evening, FREE, classical music concert. This page was Bill's creation. The only stumble was when we discovered the paper in the foreground was not exactly 12 x 12. Fortunately, we had some other grass-colored paper to frame out the edges for a complete 12 x 12 finish. I didn't want to waste a whole sheet just to compensate, though. I cut out a 10 x 10 sheet from the center of the 12 x 12 backing to use for something later.

I had a not-so-great digital camera plug-in for my PDA and took a couple pics of the orchestra and evening. Again, the photo corners were used to hold the program in place on the page.

And, we did get rained out. We had eaten a nice dinner picnic on the Boston Common through sunset. I think the orchestra managed to get through one complete piece, then the thunder and lightning (an oddity for Boston) threatened much rain. They played one movement from a different piece, and we all skedaddled! Bill used a text box in Word to create the "We got rained out!" embellishment.

He also found the lightning bolt pic online. I used some silver "carbon paper" to create the rain on the picture. Lucky for us, to complete the effect, we had a rain cloud sticker.

For the CD cover pic, Bill scanned it and cropped the image into Word and placed over a colored background for a framed effect. This is something he's very good at.

The next page takes us from the grass "Into the Woods".

Music and Scrapbook Pages - Part 5 - Spacey as Darin

2008-02-03T13:49:00.000-05:00

I l-o-v-e Kevin Spacey! He is a fantastic actor - do you know he went to high school with Val Kilmer and Mare Winningham? - and when I discovered he actually had a voice, I was hooked! I first heard him sing That Old Black Magic on the soundtrack for the film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I was impressed.
Then came the release of the Bobby Darin biopic Beyond the Sea. I know some critics panned the movie, but I bought it hook, line, and sinker! I got the soundtrack and a Bobby Darin CD to make the comparison. Just astounding!
I am a sucker for guys who can sing and act AND look good on screen - like Jesse L. Martin and this guy!

I happened to be looking online one day and found out about this 13-city concert tour. I bought the tickets, called Bill, and told him we were going.

Spacey sang with a small band of a dozen or so. He didn't try to be Bobby Darin - just sing Bobby Darin songs. Since I didn't feel I could do justice to the event with my own words, I copied an article from the local paper and snuck in a picture from the same concert into a Word text box. I also separately printed a color-copy of the same picture to pop up from the text.

This is the first page where I used uncoordinating paper - the bright orange stripes over the black and gold swirly music theme. I used a pair of scissors with a designer edge to soften the brightness of the orange.

From the concert itself, I cut out a piece of the bright pink flyer to use as an embellishment. Again we created our "We sat here" embellishment. Not orchestra seats, but near the front of the balcony anyway.

With so much already going on with the papers themselves, I did not want to go overboard with the embellishments. I added one heat-set embossed image in gold and another in glitter. But the glitter image was so subtle, I offset it with a matching 1/8 note die cut.

Stay "tuned" for the next page for a lesson in rainy day preparedness.

Music and Scrapbook Pages - Part 4 - Sarah McLachlan

2008-01-31T21:25:00.000-05:00

While I admit that not much out there could possibly be better than chocolate - PUH-lease!! - Sarah McLachlan did sing her song "Ice Cream" at this concert with the great line "your love is better than chocolate." This is exactly how I feel about my guy.

Still - I think it's time for a chocolate break RIGHT NOW! Nummies!

My favorites...

Godiva - anything with caramel or more chocolate AND the hot chocolate mixes - WOW!
Cadbury - Caramellos and Fruit & Nut bars - so creamy!
Max Brenner - introduced to by a friend while visiting NYC - walking into the store is like walking into a chocolate cloud - I love the caramelized pecans rolled in praline paste and fine cocoa powder - sigh...

Now - back to the page... Since I bought the tickets online, I was able to get them "delivered" as pdf files and print them from home. I cut the ticket part of the print out to use for the page. And, since it was a print out anyway, I didn't have a problem embellishing over the tickets with rub ons, stickers, and a heat-embossed image.

Bill - my guy - chose the paper - it's this great swirling paper with a chocolate-colored background - the swirls themselves are made with tiny dots. Just whimsical enough!

Another "we sat here" locator - Bill usually finds and creates these things for the pages. And, since the opening act was good, too, she got a spot.

I spelled out Sarah's name using this great set of alphabet stickers. I have a real problem using up my alphabet stickers - what if I'll need "that" letter for something else? So, I have lots of unused sets of alphabet stickers.

One other touch I included for this page - I copied, pasted, manipulated, printed, cut out some of her album covers. Just another set of embellishments made with the help of the internet! Woo hoo!

I hope to get the next post up in a couple of days.

Warning!! You may get Spaced out! ;)

Music and Scrapbook Pages - Part 3 - Seasons of Love

2008-01-30T16:00:00.000-05:00

The last post pretty much closed 2003 for us - our 1st year living in Boston. So, when my mom comes to visit, I take her to NYC to see RENT!! She surprised me with the letters - the page just wouldn't be the same without them.

Since we were keeping the playbill and event brochures for everything - HINT: USUALLY CONTAIN EXCELLENT EMBELLISHMENTS!! - I had to have a way to keep the material on the page without ruining it. I found these large-size photo corners. I recently ran out and can only find jumbo photo corners. But, aren't they great?!

There is quite a bit to show you on this page. I think I first used ink embossing here - and all three colors I had - I used a great big staff music stamp and overlapped silver, pewter, and gold embossing, then proceeded to create the page. I also used theatre-themed stickers and Quickutz music notes - oh - and pop dots on the music note!

You may also notice the red square in the bottom left corner - that's the narrative for this page. Just some details about the event and other tidbits. It's another thing we try to do for each page. A fun way to remember little details.

The next page will be "better than chocolate".

Music and Scrapbook Pages - Part 2 - "At The Zoo"

2008-01-28T16:18:00.000-05:00

Okay - I admit - this entry has nothing whatsoever to do with the zoo. But it has everything to do with Simon and Garfunkel! This was the 3rd ever scrapbook page I created. I started with the paper - I gave my guy a few options, and he selected this great diagonal stripe.

When The Fleet Center in Boston was still the Fleet Center (it's now called TD Banknorth Gardens - or The Gardens), I heard about the Simon and Garfunkel tour. I spent my 15-minute morning break at work trying to get the best seats I could from Ticket Master the day tickets became available.

The price was high - can you see it in the picture? - but worth it!

And what a treat, too - The Everly Brothers joined them on stage and did a 4- or 5-song set - by themselves and with S&G!

Nothing pops up on this page. I didn't even know pop dots existed. I didn't know a lot of things existed out there, yet. But, to embellish, I found the great "Feelin' Groovy" sticker. I also wanted a way to list the songs they performed without just printing and gluing standard list. I created text boxes in MS Word to include about 3 songs each. (I found a song list from the concert online - I don't have that good of a memory.) I printed out my page of boxes onto a letter-size sheet of label paper. (I think Avery actually has rebranded some of their label paper as sticker paper - same stuff but more expensive!)

The pictures of S&G and the Everly Brothers I found online.

To wrap up our scrapbook moment, we began a tradition we continue (although we aren't very consistent) to this day... We document the location AND where we sat. Here, we have a picture of the Fleet Center in the upper right corner of the page. And above, next to the tickets, you can see a seating chart with an arrow and a dot showing "We Were Here".

And - well - they did perform "At the Zoo" afterall.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for 525,600 great ideas!!

Music and Scrapbook Pages - Part 1

2008-01-27T20:58:00.000-05:00

Today, we went to a Handel and Haydn Society program at Boston's Symphony Hall - so no scrapbooking... But, I had an idea to post scrapbook pages to commemorate past musical events. Be sure to return to this site over the next few days to see these pages - some made by me - others by my guy.

I can't wait to share these experiences and the creative results.

Thank you.

KittyKards

2008-01-20T15:38:00.000-05:00

I am inspired by my mom, encouraged by my husband, and supported by both to begin this blog. While I have a full-time job that requires sporadic travelling, whatever free time I can manage to scrape together goes into card making and scrapbooking. Even when I travel, I can occassionally manage to create two or three cards (like the one below) on the road from my extremely stuffed scrapping travel bag.

You can check out my wares at my kittykards6473 store site on etsy.com.

My inspiration... mom... You should definitely check out her blogspace AND her creativity at her online studiobeecreations shop at etsy.com.

My encouragement... and heart of hearts... and closet scrapper... my guy... He is SOOO supportive. And creative, too. He helped me design this card by drawing the truck using the draw function in MS Word. Believe it! How talented is that?!

There are so many wonderful things I can say about these two rocks in my life. I look forward to sharing with you in future postings.