Beach House

Ah, to be lying on a beach somewhere, listening to sea gulls and waves and soaking up the sun. This summer I'll just have to settle for playing with this beachy new image from DigiStamp Boutique. It is appropriately entitled "Beach house" and can be found in the shop with the rest of the July 14 releases.

I especially had fun coloring in the flags. You could come up with a lot of different color combos for the flags to make this more masculine or feminine.  The image is very gender and occasion-neutral. Go check out this versatile image in the shop!
~ Lisa

Phebe Relaxing

Busy, busy, busy! Who wouldn't appreciate a chance to relax over a nice cup of her favorite beverage? These new Besties images from DigiStamp Boutique are so much fun! This one is called Phebe relaxing. I've paired her with this versatile sentiment set - Essential sentiments.

Hope the rest of your week is a relaxing one!
~ Lisa

Black and White Beauties

Got together this weekend with the ladies from my stamping group, Inky Fingers. Once a month we gather together to share a project or technique and make some cards. This month's hostess, Linnea, challenged us to make black and white cards - ONLY black and white cards. This may sound difficult, or even boring, but it really forces you to look for other ways to add interest to your card (layout, texture, etc.).  I've finished two and I'm hooked! I will be making more soon!

Lisa

Birthday Kate

I am loving the new Kates from the May release over at DigiStamp Boutique! My card features the adorable Birthday Kate. I love the sentiment that comes with her because, in my opinion, the cake really is one of the best things about having a birthday! :) (OK, at my age, it's one of the few good things about another birthday!)

Supplies: Birthday Kate (DSB), This and That Graceful 6X6 pad (Echo Park). 

pink and kraft cs from my stash, Copics, rhinestones.

New releases are coming soon so be sure to visit the DigiStamp Boutique store soon!
~Lisa

Fishy Father's Day Wishes

Wow, where has this month gone? I can't believe it's almost Father's Day and my oldest daughter's birthday (both Sunday). I'm happy to say that I have gotten back into the card making groove. Today I have not one, but TWO Father's Day cards to share with you.

First up is a card featuring Fishing Stan from DigiStamp Boutique. He looks quite proud of his catch, doesn't he? Stan makes a great masculine card for Father's Day, birthday or whatever the occasion!

Supplies: Fishing Stan (DSB), Glasses, Staches & Ties paper stack (The Paper Studio),

kraft cs (PTI) and Copics.

I'm entering Stan into the following challenges:
Papertake Weekly Challenge -  For the Boys
Digi Choosday - Use 2 papers
Pile It On - Use Some Patterned Paper

Next up is a card that was inspired by this tutorial on Craftsy: Father's Day Card. I don't have the fabulous necktie dies used in the tutorial, so I found a free necktie shaped SVG file and used my SCAL software to cut out the solid tie. (To make the top "knot" on the tie, I just placed a copy of the tie over the edge of my cutting area, so that just the top of the tie was cut.) This was a really quick card to make and you could really have fun changing up the patterns on the ties!

Supplies: tie svg file, sentiment (typed on my computer), foam tape,

Reflections Christmas 6X6 pad (Echo Park), Cricut, SCAL software,

blue cs from my stash and kraft cs (PTI).

Come back later this week for a birthday card featuring a recent release from DigiStamp Boutique!
~Lisa

Birthday Boy!

Long time, no blog! It's been a time of major changes in the Thompson household. DH and I are just wrapping up the first week of our new jobs with new work hours. And my usual photo taking spot has been turned into his home office, so I'm trying out new spots in the house for photo taking. I took this week's card featuring DigiStamp Boutique's adorable Owen in my dining room. Not great, so the hunt for a new photo taking spot continues...

I'm entering Owen into the following challenges:

Cards 4 Guyz - Fathers Day

Clear It Out - Fathers Day / stars

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

~ Lisa

Happy hump day! Just popping in here with a quick birthday card featuring one of DigiStamp Boutique's February releases, Stanley. The sentiment is from one of the May DSB releases - Isla and flowers. And speaking of sentiments, have you checked out the new Essential sentiments and Fathers Day words in the DigiStamp Boutique shop?  A little cardmaking tip - I keep various digital sentiments printed off and cut so that they're ready to quickly pop onto a card. Sometimes they are the perfect finishing touch.

Have a great rest of the week! Be sure to check out the newest releases in the DSB shop, too!
~ Lisa

Baby Chicklet

Popping in with a quick baby card using the adorable Baby chicklet from the DigiStamp Boutique store.

This is a fun image that works equally well for a baby boy or girl, depending on the color scheme. I just love the little chick peeping out from her carriage!

Have a good one. Hope to be back soon with another card.
Lisa

I'm Back!

Long time, no blog.  Things have been crazy busy here between work, job searches and family events. It felt so good to FINALLY finish a card. Whew! I have got to make more time for crafting!

Even though I haven't done my Mothers' Day shopping yet (eek!), I'm looking ahead to Fathers' Day. I thought this Alf image, Dad's Shed, was just perfect for a Fathers' Day card!

Supplies: Dad's Shed (DSB), sentiment (DSB), grass border punch (Fiskars), 

cloud and bunny dies (Memory Box), white fun flock, Copics and colored pencils.

There are so many great Alf images, which can be found HERE in the DigiStamp Boutique. Go check them out!

~ Lisa

Curtain Call

This is a sad week for the Totally Papercrafts team. After a long and successful run, we will be closing down the blog after this week. It was not a decision that we made lightly or quickly. We will miss bringing you challenges and seeing all of your wonderful creations! Please be sure to join us this week for our last hurrah. It's a really fun challenge - Tag It! - and we're being sponsored by a terrific company - Crafty Sentiments - run by one of our own teammates, Suzette.

For my card, I chose this adorable digistamp from Suzette's store. He's called Henry and I think he's just the sweetest!

So, please head on over to the Totally Papercrafts challenge blog this week and join us in our farewell challenge! You could win 3 digital stamps of your choice (including Henry!) from Crafty Sentiments.
Lisa

Just Ducky!

Hi there! Just popping in with a quick post and a new card.  My birthday card features Birthday Quacky, one of last month's releases in the DigiStamp Boutique shop.

Stop on by the DigiStamp Boutique shop and check out the great new images that were just released!
Lisa

Totally Papercrafts Challenge #213

Happy Friday! It's been a while since I've been able to participate, so I'm especially excited to bring you a new Totally Papercrafts challenge! This week's challenge is a fun one - Pastel (i.e., use pastel colors in your card). This is a perfect challenge for the upcoming Easter holiday. So for my card, I chose this adorable chick from the DigiStamp Boutique Cute Chicklets - Easter collection.

I just love this little guy!

You remember the drill - hop on over to the Totally Papercrafts challenge blog to check out the rest of the design teams' fab projects, leave them a little papercrafting love and then join us for a chance to win a prize from this week's sponsor - Stamp and Create.
Lisa

Birthday Quacky

Hooray! I'm so glad that spring is finally here. (Even if it comes with tornado warnings and hail here in the American Midwest.) And, along with the flowers that are popping up out of my garden, there are some fantastic spring inspired images popping up in the DigiStamp Boutique store. I am especially fond of the new Birthday Quacky:

I'm still on a bit of a kick to use up old papers and scraps, so I traveled in the Way Back Machine and used some papers from my days with The Angel Company.

Enjoy! I'll be back on Friday with a Totally Papercrafts post.
Lisa

Pop-Out Card

I am not usually a fancy folds kind of cardmaker, but I saw this on Facebook and had to give it  a try:

It's a "Pop Out" card and I found a very easy to follow tutorial on the Craftwork Cards blog, written by a crafter named Hazel.

Here are a few other views of the card:

For my inside sentiment/image, I used this great set from DigiStamp Boutique: Flower and heart circles. I wanted something soft and round with all of those sharp angles. My papers are an assortment of SU! (green), Creative Memories (pink floral/swirl) and Penny Lane by My Minds Eye (stripe).

The finished card is pretty large (6" square) and pretty bulky, so this isn't a card I can see myself making very often. But Hazel's tutorial was easy to follow and it was a lot of fun to make, so I'm sure I'll be making another one in the future.

Lisa

Happy Birthday Stanley

Hope you're having a happy Monday! Dog images are always my favorite, so I am just loving this Stanley dog set from DigiStamp Boutique.

If you visit my blog somewhat regularly, you realize it's been a long time since I've last posted. Several weeks ago we learned that DH was being laid off from IBM. Needless to say, this has been a stressful time and my crafting mojo has been no where to be found (nor have I been feeling up to looking much for it). I'm hoping things start looking up soon.
Lisa

Easter Wishes

Popping in with a quick Easter card using one of the chicks in the Cute chicklets Easter collection, which is currently on special in the DigiStamp Boutique shop. My layout is based on a great sketch I found over on the Sunday Stamps blog. It was perfect for using up some of those scrap strips we all find in our scrap stash.

The "Easter wishes" sentiment can also be found in the DigiStamp Boutique store. It's part of the Easter Branch set.

Hope to see you later this week with another card!
~Lisa

Spring!

We had a taste of Spring here in the Midwest this week, but alas the temps are back down into the chilly winter range today. I am so looking forward to Spring's true arrival, when hopefully it sticks around for a bit. In the meantime, I'll have to take comfort in all of the wonderful Spring themed projects in this week's Totally Papercrafts Spring challenge. Totally Papercrafts is sponsored this week by the fab Crafty Sentiments. For my card I chose the adorable digi appropriately entitled "Rain, Rain".

Supplies: Rain, Rain (Crafty Sentiments), computer generated sentiment,

cloud die (Memory Box), sun punch (All Night Media), corner rounder punch,

oval Shapemaker (Creative Memories), Copics and papers from my stash.

I'm entering my card into the "anything goes" challenges on the Crafty Sentiments and CMC Copic Challenge Group blogs.

Head on over to the Totally Papercrafts Challenges blog to see what the other girls came up with this week. Join us for a chance to win a prize from  Crafty Sentiments!
Lisa

Sweet Bobbi

I just love the DigiStamp Boutique teddies and use them often. I had intended to use this cutie - Valentine Bobbi  - for a Valentines Day card. That never quite happened but this versatile guy is just at home on a non-Valentines themed project. I think he'd make an adorable baby card, too.

Don't you just love this heart patterned paper? It's a digi paper called "Heartfelt paper set" and it can also found in the DigiStamp Boutique shop. The sentiment is part of the "Cute chicklets love collection".

I'm entering my card into the following challenges:
Penny's Paper Challenge - Lots of Layers
Crafty Girls - Anything Goes
CMC Color Group Challenge - Anything Goes

Have a "lovely" day! :)
Lisa

Metal Die Storage

Sticking my head out for a few minutes, taking a break from my never ending craft room organizing. (Is it re-organizing if you never really stop and restart?) If you have thin metal dies (Nestabilities) and are frustrated by your current storage system, run - don't walk - your fingers and credit card over to SP and Company. As part of her conversion to a focus on Project Life style scrapbooking and digital products, Samantha is clearing out her storage binder system. I just transferred my Nesties to the thin magnetic pages and they are AWESOME!!

I also bought a couple of the Plumeria Pink binders, as well, because I wanted to separate my Nesties by shape and because, well, they're PINK! What better reason do I need to buy something? :)
Lisa

Happy Birthday, Renate!

Wishing a big Happy Birthday today to Renate of the Yumi & Fumi Handmade design team.  Stop by the Y&FH blog to leave her some birthday wishes. While you're there, you can check out the rest of the birthday banner that the DT has assembled for our birthday girl!

Happy Birthday, Renate! Hope your day is as sweet and special as you are!

Lisa