I Brake For....Clown FIsh!

Hello stampers  - Nancy here today!  Do you like shaker cards?  They seem to be all the rage these days.  It's been at least 15 years since I made one.  Techniques come and go in the crafting world and back then we all were doing them and it is nice to see them popular again.  Here is mine!

I've used a stamp called Clown Fish, found here on the IBFS store.  A nice image that has the fish above a little section of sand and coral.  The beads that make up the "shaker part" obscures some of the sand and coral portion - here is a little closer look.

It's been so long since I did a shaker card I had to go back and review the steps.  In my stash of stuff I found a bunch of containers of micro beads - if you've been crafting awhile you remember those teeny, tiny beads used to cover pens.  Well I have a bunch and when I used them on the card here I may have used just a tad too much!  They are so small you don't realize how much you are putting into the card.  And you can't tell, but they are a very light blue.  They look clear in the photo.

I hope you take a stab at creating one of these shaker cards.  They are fun to do!

Hop on over to the IBFS store and check out the thousands of stamps available.  There are so many styles you are sure to find something to love!

I brake for Italy!

Hello everyone! It's Monica from Taylormadecards4u. Over the Christmas holiday I was in Italy for two weeks. It was an amazing trip with great art and scenery.  When i saw this stamp over at I brake for stamps, it reminded me of my travels as we actually did visit Assisi! I knew i had to have it. This stamp is called Assisi doorway and brings back such memories!

Italy is definitely an old country, but with such character. I love the tile roofs and vines that decorate their courtyard trellises. Below is the view from the apartment we stayed in for 5 days. While it was a bit chilly, we were able to enjoy this patio for afternoon and evening wine and cheese. 

I colored the image with my copic markers then added some fines using one of my die sets. The stamp creates such a romantic setting that it could easily be incorporated into a Valentine's Day card. 

Here is a closer view of this great stamp!

I Brake for Beaches!

Hello and happy Saturday!

Today I'm sharing my Father-In-Law's birthday card with you.

He lives in Florida and loves the water so I often make him a nautical themed card.

 I've used several images from MS97 Full Plate.

On the front I used the one of the smaller lighthouses because I wanted it to appear that it was in the distance a bit.

I also used the sailboat.

I hand drew in the lines for the sky, water and sand. I used a very thin Marvy marker to make some tufts of sea grass.  I also added a couple more stepping stones.

On the inside I used some rocks with sea grass and the bottle with sand. The verse is from Every Day Phrases.

Even though I don't love the beach...I'm very pale so I burn easily...plus I don't like things touching me when I'm swimming.  Plus the sand gets everywhere...plus...well, you get the point.  In spite of that, Nautical cards are one of my all time FAVORITE cards to make!!  I'm going to get tons of use out of this sheet.

I Brake for Teddy Bears!

Hello Everyone, 

Today, I'm sharing a card with you. The stamp is called Heart Cloud Shy Bear from the store.  I used various alcohol markers from my stash to color the image.

 

Don't forget to check out the store today!

 

Stamp Used: 

Heart Cloud Shy Bear 

 

 

 

I Brake For....May Your Troubles

Hello stamping friend - Nancy here today.  How about a little Irish Blessing?

The card uses a stamp called May Your Troubles, found here. 

  It's a lovely Irish blessing that works well for different occasions.  A wedding shower or wedding celebration card, new home or baby - all fit with this sentiment. You can even use this for a nice birthday card for your Irish friends!

I love the Celtic knot border around the text and was happy when the detail came through even after embossing it in gold.

I used a cryogen white cardstock, which as a very pretty shimmer to it, but is hard to capture in a photo. I really wish you could see the soft, subtle shimmer on the paper.

For the background design I took a Celtic knot border from a Silhouette cut file, copied it several times and welded it together to make one overall piece.  Using a white on white palette I think the design adds a touch of elegance without overpowering the sentiment.   

Hop on over to the IBFS store to find thousands of stamps - you are bound to find something to your liking!  Check out their entire line of St. Patrick's Day images.

Thanks for stopping by today!

I brake for Kisses!

Hello everyone! It's Monica from Taylormadecards4u. I am seeing Valentine's Day projects popping up everywhere so I definitely wanted to get in on the action. 

One of my favorite collections over at the I Brake for Stamps shop is their "Photo" stamp collection. These are rubber stamps that when stamped look like vintage black and white photos. You can either leave them black and white or color them up as I have. 

This is such a cute little image and is great for Valentine's Day! It is called "Love is a Kiss". I chose to focus on the two little children and colored them up with my copic colors.  I left the background black and white so that my image would pop!

These photo stamps are so easy to use and are quick to mass produce when you are creating the black and white design. Be sure to check out the other images in this line. I am sure you will love them as much as I do. 

I Brake for Valentine's Shakers!

Hello and happy Saturday!!

Today I'm sharing a card that in my opinion, screams Valentine's Day!

I've used STAINED GLASS POPPIES from I Brake for Stamps.

There are several stamps in the stained glass series. You can see them all here.

I also used HUGS...KISSES... verse.

I've created a little tutorial to show you how I put the shaker window together.

The first thing I did was to stamp the image twice because you need the bottom full image and then you need the frame on top to hold the acetate on.

I didn't color the full frame on the part that would be on the bottom because it isn't going to show.  I did want to see if I liked the purple color with the colors I used on the image though so I colored a little of it. Once I saw that I liked the color combo I colored the frame for the top.

Next I cut out the inside of the frame with a penblade knife.  I used a metal ruler to make sure my line stayed straight. I used metal because I tried a plastic ruler once and found that the blade was so sharp it sliced thin pieces off the ruler as well as cutting the paper. Lesson learned.

Next, cut out the outside with scissors and measure and cut a piece of acetate to the same size as the frame. It's there...it's just so clear you can't see it...lol.

I used Scor-Tape to adhere the acetate to the frame.

Once the acetate is in place I added my dimensional foam tape.

Fill the shaker window, peel the backing off the foam and adhere the colored and stamped image to it. Flip it over and viola! Your shaker is made.  It's really pretty simple.  I purposely made sure there was a glare on this photo so you could see the acetate that holds your beads in. 

I wanted to emboss my paper with some hearts and to make sure enough of them showed I laid the shaker box down and measured how wide and tall I wanted my front panel to be. It also needed to be wide enough to fit the sweet verse on it.

I embossed my paper and added a little extra pop of color with some designer paper.

Here it is without the glare. You can see the colors of the image and beads better in this photo.

On the inside I used BE MY VALENTINE from VALENTINE SHEET -DESIGNS.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and are inspired to try this if you never have.

I Brake for.. Heart Gift Tag!

Hello Everyone, 

Today, I'm sharing a gift tag and gable box with you. I created this project to be used as a gift. The stamp is called Heart Gift Tag from the store.  I used various trims and markers from my stash to pull it all together.

 

Don't forget to check out the store today!

 

Stamp Used: 

Heart Gift Tag

 

 

 

I Brake For..... Love Text Backgound....and more!

Hello my fellow stampers - Nancy here!  I'm all about Love and Valentines today!

I used three different stamps on this card  and proved to myself that almost any stamp can be made into a Valentine if you use red and white paper and ink.   Take a look at the heart details in the photo below.

I cut out 3 heart shapes (Silhouette cut files) on red and white paper.  Then used three different stamps:

The largest heart has the Love Text Background stamp found here:  I stamped it with a bold red ink.

The smaller white heart uses the Buttercups stamp - found here.  It almost has a toile feel to it.  The same red ink was used.

The small red heart was stamped with the Large Flower Background stamp found here - using versamark and embossed with white embossing powder.

Take a look at your floral and background stamps and see how they look stamped on a heart shape!

The word "love" is a  silhouette cut file as well.  The background is a heart embossing folder

Now, the pillow box - this was so easily done I should make more of these.  The file is a silhouette cut file.  I used the Love Text Background stamp and embossed it in  white.  Here is a close up of the design without the ribbon.  This is so pretty - it would be perfect for a wedding favor as well.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.   Head on over to the IBFS store - there are a ton of Love/Valentine stamps available and I know you will find something to your liking!

I Brake for Dachshunds

Hello everyone! It's Monica from Taylormadecards4u. I am back from my travels abroad and here today to share with you a card I made coming back from my travels. Many of you may know that I have two little Dachshunds and they stayed behind while I traveled. 

While they were well cared for by my son, I sure missed those little pooches. I thought I would create a card to let them know that!

This dachshund image is from I brake for Stamps and I was so thrilled when I found it in the shop! I Created a little background scene using a picket fence die cut.  I also stamped the background using the Numbers Background and added a little tag that reads "Miss You"!

While I enjoyed my travels, I must say, I am very happy to be home and creating again!

Thanks for stopping by!

I Brake for Poppies!

Hello and happy Saturday!

Today I'm sharing a card that a coworker requested for her step-mom.  She wanted something pretty...just something to brighten her day.

I used POPPIES from I Brake for Stamps.

I stamped the image on the printed paper and also on white cardstock.  I cut out the 3 main flowers from the white cardstock and popped them up on foam tape to give the card some dimension. I thought the border punch from Martha Stewart reminded me of one of those garden borders so I added that to my card.