Loriscards & Creations

Wonderful you Card

2011-05-29T13:59:00.000-06:00

I made this card with a new set of Hampton Arts stamps that I picked up this weekend. This card is a product of our craft get toghether last night. Had a great time with my family. Gotta love 3 day weekends!

Happy Stamping! L

Family Craft Night

2011-05-28T15:33:00.000-06:00

Tonight I am getting together with my mom and daughter to do some crafting. I am very excited! Can't wait to post pictures later. Hope you are all having a safe and memorable Memorial Day weekend.
Happy Stamping! L

Stamping...priority number???

2011-05-04T23:15:00.000-06:00

I read a quote the other day from Steven Covey's book the "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People": "The key is not to prioritize your schedule but schedule your priorities". This quote really had me thinking about my priorities. Of course, family was my first priority, work had to be at the top of the list (I do like a regular paycheck), and then there is my schooling...but, is that it?

Was I doing my life justice by not making time to do the other things that I love to do? Card making used to be my stress reducer! Without it, is all my stress bottling up? Will I one day explode from all of that bottled up stress and loose my mind? Holy cow, this is getting scary! I am getting stressed while thinking about how not to be stressed!!

Well, if I take Mr. Covey's advise, I need to schedule time for my card making. It's a priority! I need to take charge and add it to my calendar with all of my other priorities. I can do this! I am woman! Ok, maybe that last bit was a little over the top.

But I did join a stamper's Club through Stampin' Up rep. Regina Moore. This once a month activity is a step in the right direction, right?!?! Maybe I will get moving on my card making again. Maybe my family will start getting their birthday greetings again. Maybe I will submit something for publication again. The inspiration is endless! Stamp Happy L

Next blog...how to overcome procrastination. :)

Getting Crafty again...

2011-03-20T09:41:00.002-06:00

Wow! When I logged in today I couldn't believe that I haven't made a post since November of last year. It shouldn't be a surprise to me because that is about when I started my new job. So, now that the job is setting down I am determined to fit my craft time in again. No creative time is making me insane! Hope life is treating you all well! Will post a new card soon!
Happy Stamping! L

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T11:00:00.002-07:00

Just wanted to post a Happy Thanksgiving message to my fellow bloggers. Hope that you have a wonderful day filled with everything you love! Happy Stamping! L.

Spooky

2010-10-30T08:49:00.002-06:00

It is Saturday morning and I am sitting here in my quiet craftroom....Spooky! Usually, our Saturday mornings are filled with everyone getting ready for various weekend plans. But not this Saturday, both kids are away with friends and my hubby is sleeping in. I have enjoyed my few moments alone and even cleaned out my filing cabinet...another Spooky moment.

Anyhow, I am posting a card to say Happy Halloween to all of you. Hope you have a safe and fun weekend.

Happy Stamping! L.

Have a great day!

2010-10-17T20:28:00.003-06:00

I hope you all had a terrific weekend. It was a great one for me as I was able to set aside time to stamp on both Saturday and Sunday! Nice!

This card was made to order for a friend of mine. Her son-in-law is a golf lover so I am hoping he will like this golf themed birthday card. The unique aspect of this card is the use of a bead for the golf ball. I painted a flat, round, pitted bead with white crafters ink and then glued it in place of the stamped golf ball to produce a 3d effect. Pretty cool, right!?! Re-defining the use of craft products can be a great way to add flair to your cards and projects.

Other products used:

Tim Holtz - Distress Ink

Versafine Archival Onyx Black Ink

Hero Arts stamp

Memory Box Stamp

Rhinestones

Bliss Beads by Halcraft

Pallette Ink

Crafters Ink

Water Color Pencils

Pearlx Powders

Perfect Medium Pens by Ranger

Hope the week goes well for you. Happy Stamping L.

Stitches & Florals

2010-09-25T20:08:00.003-06:00

Today, I went over to Boise and attended the Stamp and Scrap Fest. Found a few unique stamps and goodies. It was a nice day. Not much else to blog about today but thought I would at least post the card I made this evening.

Ingredients:
Tan and Dark Brown cardstock
Nature's Wonder stamp set from Club Scrap
Happy Birthday stamp by alota Rubber Stamps
Water Color pencils
Archival Ink Jet Black by Ranger
Gem Stones (Hero Arts)
Floss and ribbon

Happy Stamping! L

Bits & Pieces

2010-09-07T01:09:00.008-06:00

Attached is a card and tag that I made up today from elements I created earlier and then set aside, waiting for the right project. Between work, school, and raising a family my crafting time has drindled down to nearly nonexistant. So, I have started to work in bits and pieces. I play around with decorative chipped glass and Alcohol Ink (Tim Holtz/Ranger), color tags with Distress Ink (Tim Holtz), or fancy up some black card stock with Opalite Ink (Tsukineko, Inc). Each just takes a bit of time to put together; then when I'm ready to make a full project I am already halfway there.

All of this demand of my time has made me rethink my crafting process. This bits and pieces stamping has built up my idea box and made my crafting time more productive. It was very satisfying to see two completed projects sitting on my craft desk today. Happy Stamping! L

Remembering why

2010-08-12T00:54:00.003-06:00

Today, I gave away cards to a couple of my co-workers. One card was given as a thank you and included a small gift and the other card was for a friend going through a difficult time. It was amazing how wonderful it felt to do something nice for someone else. Even a small gesture such as a card or a little desk trinket can go along ways to make someone's day. In return, I received a card back with a lovely note inside. This all reminded me of why I love card making so much. Sure, making the cards are a treat to myself but sharing my cards produce an even better reward. Happy Stamping! L

Nothing in mind...

2010-08-08T15:32:00.006-06:00

When I sat down at my craft desk today I didn't have much in mind as far as a project or design so I just starting playing around. Inside one of my ink pad bins I found several Opalite Ink pads that I purchased awhile ago but never used much. I used these ink pads along with some long forgotten embossing powders to test and try different ways of using them together.

This card was made by blending (using a color box blending tool) different Opalite ink colors for various backgrounds. First I applied Opalite to a piece of black card stock on which I stamped and embossed a flower to create my focal point. Next, I used the Opalite on Inchie Art one inch squares and then stamped a birthday wish. The card face was also treated with the Opalite ink prior to adding a stamped polka dot image for a background. All the pieces were assembled on the card. Lastly, I embellished with a few brads and mounted the entire card face onto a black 9 x 6 1/4 inch card.

These Opalite Ink pads make beautiful and shimmery backgrounds (not shown very well in the image). Not sure why they have been gathering dust in my craft room. Now that I dusted them off I will have to find more creative way to use them. Happy Stamping! L

Materials:

Black, Gold and Mint green card stock

Opalite Ink pads

Inchie Art one inch squares

Verdigris embossing powder

Archival Ink

Bazzill Wings

Brads

Colorbox Blending tool

Laudrey Line Flower Stamp

i-cling Birthday wishes

Polka dot background stamp (unknown maker)

Stamp-lifting

2010-07-24T22:55:00.004-06:00

Well, I am here to confess to the completely acceptable crime of "Stamp-lifting". What is this crafty deed? It's lifting stamping ideas and/or techniques from others and making them your own.

I was in the mood to make a card today but my brain was mush from a long and difficult week at work. After coming up with no ideas of my own, I starting browsing through the many stamp and craft resource books that I keep on hand. The idea for this card came from Judy Claxton's book "Rubber Stamp Gifts", published by North Light Books. Starting on page 14 is a wonderful technique using acetate and Lumiere inks. Using my own stamps and card design I made a card of my own using Judy's techniques.

It felt great to get some stamping time in. So I encourage you to do some Stamp-lifting today! It's a great way to keep your creative juices flowing even when your brain does not want to cooperate. Happy Stamping! L

Grandpa's 80th

2010-03-20T22:00:00.003-06:00

My Grandfather turned 80! Wow! I thought that I would post his birthday card since I was so pleased with how it turned out. Right now he is not feeling so well so I hope that this card cheers him up a bit.

The main products that were used in this project was paper by Clubscrap , Ranger's distress ink, Grundgeboard by Tim Holtz and Stamps by Stampers Anonymous (Tim Holtz Visual Artistry).

Bay Boy Calendar Book done

2010-03-20T16:43:00.001-06:00

Wow, finally finished the Baby Boy Calendar Book for my friend's grandbaby today. Haven't had much time to craft lately so it will be given to her much later than planned but I hope she will enjoy it for the remainder of the year. Happy Stamping! L.

Girls night "IN"

2010-03-13T21:41:00.006-07:00

While the boys in our family went to the Moster Truck show, Britt and I got to have a girls night together. After a brief trip to the shoe store to buy her a new pair of shoes and me a new purse (priorities are important, ya know), we went home and spent some time in the craft room. She loves to paint so she painted an underwater ocean scene while I worked on a stamped mini-canvas that I picked up from Craft Warehouse. The stamps I used were from the Stampendous Sunny Flowers set. With some Archivers ink, water color pencils, and Distress ink I stamped up this pretty little canvas and placed it on a white washed mini-easel. Oops, don't want to forget the embleshments of Pearls, button, and ribbon. We sure had a good time together this evening. Very thankful for the small moments in life. Happy Stamping!

Flower Possible

2010-02-28T14:55:00.003-07:00

I found some really lovely paper at the Hobby Lobby, "Where the heart is" by Zoe Pearn from My Mind's Eye. The color scheme of the blue, orange, and green has to be one of my favorites. I had no problem finding ways to use this terrific color pallete. Here is one of the cards that I made. Hope you find some stamping insipration this week. Happy Stamping! L.

Ingredients:

"Where the heart is" paper - My Mind's Eye
Card stock
Large Diasies Die by Sizzix
Archivers Jet Black Ink - by Ranger
Kaleidacolor, Melon Melody Rainbow Ink pad - by Tsukineko
VersaMark watermark stamp pad - by Tsukineko
Ribbons, brads, buttons, string for embellishments

Stamps:

Circle background stamp by Stampendous
Polka dotted flower stamp - Jen Wilson's Laundry Line stamby - by My Mind's Eye
Saying stamp - Tim Holtz collection by Stampers Anonymous

Happy Valentines Days

2010-02-14T16:06:00.003-07:00

I hope that everyone is having a nice Valentine's Day. After making special Valentine's Day waffles for my wonderful family this morning, I had some time to play around in my craftroom. The result of my playing around is this Valentine's Day themed bookmark. As usual, it is always a good day when I make time for stamping! Happy Stamping! L.

Ingredients:

Velum

K & Company Paper

Fiskars Texture Templates

Time Holtz Distress Ink & Grundeboard

Archival Ink

3L - 3D foam squares

Adirondak Acrylic Paint Dabber

Metal Embellishments & Ribbon

Stamps by:

The Angel Company

Studio G

Inque

Birthday card for Keith

2010-02-04T22:12:00.003-07:00

Today I made this card for my bother-in-law, Keith. He has had a rough year so I hope this card brings him a little happiness (even though it features a skull and cross bones). I find that making cards for men can be a little difficult but, I thought this motorcycle theme would fit for Keith as he is a motorcycle kind of guy. Not much time to post details about this card today...but the stamps I used are from http://www.artisticoutpost.com/.

Happy Stamping! L.

ATC - Artist Trading Cards

2010-01-30T13:39:00.004-07:00

ATC or Artist Trading Cards originated in Switzerland and have been used by artist across the centuries for many different purposes. Back in the 14th Century artist used these 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" miniature pieces of art to promote their work. Later, wealthy families used them to help arrange marriages. They were even used by artist as training tools.

Today, ATCs are still being created across the art industry. Stampers and paper crafters use ATCs as a method to share new techniques, demonstrate the versatility of products, or just for the pure fun of the swap. Typically, a swap starts with a theme (i.e. Asian inspired). The participant would make 9 originals of the same design. Each would be labeled on the back with the edition of the work (i.e. 1 of 2, 2 of 2...), date, artist signature, and title.

The cards would be gathered by the ATC host and then redistributed to each of the 9 swap participants. In the end you would receive 9 (including one of your own) ATCs back. Being 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" in size, the ATCs fit into standard sized card collector sleeves/sheets. These small pieces of art are a nice way to be exposed to different styles of stamping and paper crafting. It is amazing to see the variations on a given theme that each designer comes up with.

I have included a picture an Asian Themed ATC that I recently made.

Ingredients:

Velum
Archival Ink - Jet Black
Asain Coin
Black Cardstock
Metallic shimmer paper
Prism color - Colored pencils
Stamps by "I Break for Stamps"

Check out some of these ATC examples on the Papertrey Ink Blog. Happy Stamping! L.

Just because I needed to card...

2010-01-22T21:42:00.004-07:00

This week was a crazy busy week for me. By the time Friday rolled around I definitely had enough of work and studying. So, tonight I took the time to de-stress with a little card making. Since I am still exploring the new stamp set I recently bought from Innovative Stamp Creations, I couldn't resist playing with the other dragonfly image within that set. I also used a wonderful background word stamp from The Angel Company. Using water colors, brads, glimmer mist and distress ink, I stamped my way to a nifty background and focal point...then embellished it up with some ribbon and flowers. It was wonderful to get a few hours of stamping in tonight. Hope you all have a great weekend! Happy Stamping. L

Crazy 4 Challenges C4C20

2010-01-16T21:24:00.004-07:00

Another dragonfly? Of course, I couldn't resist using the new set of stamps that I just purchased from Innovative Stamp Creations. It is a great set of stamps with two very cool dragonfly images. Anyhow, I had a lot of fun making this card for the C4C20 challenge.

Ingredients:
Glimmer mist
Club Scrap paper flowers
Bo Bunny Ribbon
me and my big ideas - Modern Milan paper
Gem stones by Hero arts
Lettuce Adirondack ink pad, Ranger
Archival Jet Black Ink pad, Ranger
Versafine onyx black ink pad, Tsukineko Inc.
extra large eyelets - WR Memory Keepers

Velum

Stamps:
Innovation Stamp Creations (all except words on diamond image)
Club Scrap (background words on diamond image)

Hope you have a nice week! Happy Stamping. L.

New Stamp & Scrap Store

2010-01-10T17:30:00.002-07:00

I have just returned home from Boise where I checked out the new Stamp & Scrap store, "A Scrappers & Stampers Delight". It is a great store with a large selection of stamping supplies and accessories. A lot of the latest products along with some that I haven't seen before. WooHoo! I love that we now have a local store carrying such a wide variety of products. I can see it now...my gas budget will have to be increased to make up for the repeated trips to Boise. lol
Hope you all had a nice weekend. Happy Stamping! L.

C4C19 Birthday Challenge

2010-01-09T23:48:00.005-07:00

Here is my card for the C4C19 "Birthday" Challenge. This is not a typical color scheme for me but you know how it is...when you get into that creative mood you just have to go with the flow. Anyhow, this is were I ended up. I love the dragonfly and it always makes me smile to use the Pearls to make the eyes bug out!

Ingredients:

Tim Holtz - Jump Rings & Distress Ink
Ancient Page ink by Clearsnap
Archivers Ink by Ranger
Versamark Ink by Tsukineko
Whispers Ink by Sugarloaf Products Inc.
Metal tag
Ribbon
Pearls by Micheal Richards
Stamps by: The Angel Company & another set (Flowers) that I don't have the maker for.
Gelly Roll glitter pen by Sakura

I will take this opportunity to wish Happy Birthday to all of you January people! Hope you have nice one.

Happy Stamping! L.

Gift for a Special Friend

2010-01-07T23:21:00.006-07:00

Well, the other day I posted a card that I made for a friend of mine who was in the hospital. Today I am posting the gift I made to go with the card. I wanted to take a few moments to let her know what a special friend she is and I hope this will do the trick.

Ingredients:

K - ology Designer Papers

Buttons

Velum

Sizzix: Flowers, Daisy

Hero Arts gemstones

Pearls by Mark Richards

Split rings

Stamps by Inkadinkado

Have a great day and Happy Stamping! L. :)

Crazy for Challenges C4C18

2010-01-05T20:09:00.003-07:00

Recently, I was checking out a fellow blogger's (Bill's favorite Stamper) post of the wonderful card she made for the Crazy for Challenges, C4C18 challenge and thought that participating in a weekly challenge sounded like fun.

So, I made this Polka Dot "Cheer up" card for my friend (who is in the hospital right now) with this challenge in mind.

Card Recipe:

Pallette Ink (burnt umber & new canvas)

Bazzill Basics ribbon

stamps from The Angel Company & Stamp Affair

Pearls, Basics by Kaisercraft

Metal Rimmed tag

Card Stock

Large Brad

I sure hope that this card will cheer up my friend a bit when she is feeling so down. Take care & Happy Stamping! L.

Don’t let work get in the way of rubber stamping.

2009-12-31T17:57:00.003-07:00

I am sure that many of you are in the same position that I am in with a career, family, going back to school…and the list goes on. Stress can be a major health issue for many women. Sometimes we let the unimportant issues consume our time. The old saying “the squeaky wheel gets the attention” still holds true.

Over the past few years I have neglected my creative side, always putting it last on my list. Not recognizing that I was removing a major stress reliever from my life. The harder I worked, the worse I started to feel. During the holiday season I have spent more time stamping and crafting. And behold it came to me, stamping makes me happy. It’s priceless, I tell you! An hour in the craft room was better that any therapy out there.

Balancing family, work, and other priorities is a reality for us all. The trick is to take time to recharge so that you can keep up with life’s demands.

Happy New Year & Happy Stamping! L.

Teaching an old tool new tricks.

2009-12-29T18:59:00.001-07:00

As you have probably noticed, through my prior postings, I am really into the Tim Holtz Distress inks and products right now. And even though I fear that I might be boring you all to death, I just had to mention these products again in respects to a new use for an old tool.

Now, if you are familiar with Tim Holtz & Ranger products you know that he uses a terrific tool for blending the distress inks, Inkssentials™ Ink Blending Tool & Foam. This tool is priced pretty reasonably at around $5.00 each. I have purchased one here and there to build up my supply but realized that I didn’t have much space to keep a tool for each color. Looking for an alternative, I tried out my ColorBox Stylus to see how it would work and was pretty pleased with the results. The tips do a nice job blending the inks and are easy to clean off and reuse. The tool is small, handy, and stores easily. This is a big deal when you have limited space in your craft room!

Now, if I had more space I would definitely go with the Inkssentials Blending tool however, that is not the case. So, I am super excited to have found an almost equivalent tool that has a much smaller footprint. Plus, I have found another use for an existing tool. That is a good deal! Happy Stamping! L.

Baby Book Done

2009-12-28T00:08:00.001-07:00

Wow, it wasn't easy getting a baby 1st year calendar scrapbook done during the holiday season! I'm so glad to be finished and can't wait to go deliver it to the new mom. Will try to post pictures tomorrow...off to bed for now.

Favorite card of the day

2009-12-26T22:56:00.000-07:00

Love the Tim Holtz Grundgeboard and Distress Ink. These products really made this card. Well, that along with Black embossing powder (Gary Burlin & Co), Archival Ink (Ranger), and stamps by Club Scrap, Inque boutique, as well as from The Angel Company. I also used the Daisies Sizzix die for the flowers on the card. I cut them from the pages of an old book that I picked up from the second hand store and keep around for craft projects. It is nice to be off from work for a few days...gives me some much needed stamping time. :) Happy Stamping! L.

Scrap, Stamp & Chat

2009-12-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

Thinking about putting together a virtual scrap, stamp and crop night. We would get together virtually, using a chat room to chat, share our project ideas, or just talk life. I would even put together a prize to give away at the end of the night. Anyhow, if you are interested...use the voting buttons above or post a comment below.

Happy Stamping! L.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year to follow!

Last Christmas card done

2009-12-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, can't believe I am finally done with my Christmas cards. I am almost disappointed...but not quite. Now I can move on to another project. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas.

Card Recipe:

Glimmer mist by Tattered Angels

Stamps by Inkadinkado (Chrstmas word stamp)

Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink by Ranger

Transparency film

Sizzix Snow Flake #2

Dad's Page Finished

2009-12-22T22:37:00.001-07:00

Finished! Had fun making this scrapbook page tonight. This is my dad with baby Derek...what a great memory to record.

Stamps used: Tim Holtz Visual ARtistry from Stampers Anonimous and Club Scrap - Let Me Count the Ways.

Paper: Club Scrap

I also used Tim Holtz Grungeboard for the truck image...love that stuff!

Remembering

2009-12-22T18:25:00.000-07:00

Today is the anniversary of my father's death. It has been five years now and hard to believe that so much time has passed. To honor his memory I am making a new scrapbook page to add to his album. I find this so comforting. Digging up an old photo, all the while thinking of the wonderful times that I had with him while he was here. This year I am adding a photo of my dad with my son (who is now 16) when he was only a few months old. I am thankful that I have so many good memories. L.

First Blog

2009-12-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

Well this is my first blog entry. I am hoping to create a blog that will encourage creativity and discussion regaring papercrafts including rubber stamping and scrapbooking. Feel free to comment. Thanks! L.