Sunday, June 30, 2013

You're Berry Sweet...some enabling :)


Hello! I made a card with this fabulous Peachy Pick Of The Week. Two super adorable stamp sets for one really great price! Total must have sets in my opinion! :) Here's my card...

I stamped the cute strawberries from the Faceless Fruits set on pattern papers from the Vintage Bliss collection by Simple Stories and paper pieced them. Aren't they adorable?! :)
I white heat embossed the greeting from Fruit Sentiments One on vellum. I'm really loving vellum lately. I use THIS vellum from PaperTreyInk. It's super thick and totally awesome. 

Pop over to PeachyKeenStamps to get in on the Peachy Pick Of The Week before the sale ends!

♥ Nikki ♥

P.S. It's awesome t.v day!!! New True Blood tonight AND the glorious return of everyone's favorite serial killer...DEXTER!!!! :)

P.P.S. I'm a t.v junkie! :)








Friday, June 28, 2013

Neon Sunshine Shaker Card


Hello! My card today was made for a sweet girl named Maddy. I saw her story HERE, and definitely wanted to send her a card...you can too! Details HERE. My goal was to make her a card that would make her smile, if even for just a moment. Here it is...
Bright enough?? :) I started by stamping the Here Comes The Sun background by MarketStreetStamps with Neon Pink Hero Arts Shadow Ink. I LOVE this background soooo much! It is still available HERE, but that's it! The yellow on this card??? I used a highlighter from the dollar store. YAY! :) The sweet face on the sun window is from the Sweet And Silly Face Assortment by PeachyKeenStamps
I filled the window with Neon and Crystal Clear sequins from Neat And Tangled. The greeting is from the Everyday Sayings set by Hero Arts. To make the greeting strip pop, I mounted it on some silver paper I made with Brushed Pewter distress stain.

I hope this makes Maddy smile, and I hope YOU have a great weekend!

♥ Nikki ♥

P.S. I added a new "button" to the top right of my blog. Click it to keep following my blog...Google Reader is going away on July 1st. By clicking to follow, you won't miss any of my posts. :) 

P.P.S. If you want to add that to your blog, go HERE to do so. :)

P.P.P.S. You can import your current Reader list {the blogs you follow} once you sign up for Bloglovin. It's free and only takes a minute. :) 


Thursday, June 27, 2013

Thoughtful Thursday

Hello. Today is Thoughtful Thursday at MyCreativeTime. Today we make creations using a thoughtful greeting. For my card today I got inky. VERY INKY. :) I made my own spray mists with distress ink reinkers and water in mini mister bottles. A dropper full in each bottle, and some water. I cut out some masks from Post-It paper with the Stitched Daisy Die from MyCreativeTime. I free hand cut the stems. I stuck them to my cardstock and started spraying. :)
As you can see, because the colors mixed, I got more colors than just the 3 I used. Score! :) To get the white splatters I squirted some white paint on my craft sheet and added lots of water. Then I dipped my paint brush in and tapped it over the cardstock to get the splatters. And here's what became of this inky piece...
I peeled up the masks and used a black marker to outline the flowers. Because the masks got really wet, you can see the stitching lines on the flowers. This looks extra cool in real life. :) 
The greeting is from the Vintage Sentiments set from MyCreativeTime. To finish it off, I added some Crystal Clear sequins from Neat And Tangled

I really super love how this turned out! :) Pop over to MyCreativeTime to see more creations!

♥ Nikki ♥





Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Thinking Of You Shaker

Hello! I got my new On The Strip stamp set from Neat And Tangled in the mail yesterday. It's super awesome! And it's even extra awesome cuz I won it from the Little Tangles challenge. :) Yay! I started by stamping the talk bubble from A Lot To Say on Post-It paper to make a mask. I trimmed around it leaving a border. I adhered it to my cardstock, and then stamped the heart stripes from On The Strip over it. I stamped them with Pale Tomato, Fresh Peach, and Soft Cantaloupe Hero Arts Shadow Inks. After I had them stamped I peeled up the mask. Then I stamped the talk bubble from A Lot To Say in the masked area. And then I cut out my window for the shaker.
I stamped the greeting from the Just Thinking Of You set with Charcoal Hero Arts Shadow Ink. Then I filled my window with Pretty Pretty Pink, Just Peachy, and Tangerine sequins. 

I made this for the new Little Tangles challenge which is to use washi tape. But, believe it or not, I only have one roll {and I can't find it}... So I used this stamp set because it's washi-ish. :) 

♥ Nikki ♥


Sunday, June 23, 2013

Neon Hibiscus Cards

Hello. I have some BRIGHT cards today. :) I have 2 cards that I made with the new Tropical Floral set from PeachyKeenStamps. They're the same, with different greetings. I stamped the hibiscus with Neon Pink and Neon Orange inks from Hero Arts. Super fun and bright! 
\
The greeting on this one is from the June 2013 set. 
Totally simple cards, but I love how they turned out!
The greeting on this one is from Rock A Hula set from PeachyKeenStamps

Are you into the neon thing??? I love it!!!

♥ Nikki ♥




Cheers to 21

Hiya! Here is the card I made for my nephew Mike's 21st birthday. GASP! 21? Am I THAT old??? I have to remind myself that I was only 12 when he was born, so I'm good. ;) Anyhoozle, I started by stamping the beer mugs from the Cheers For Green Beer set from PeachyKeenStamps. I colored them with my prismacolor markers from my art school days {that I just found in the closet and can't believe they still work!} I coated them with glossy accents to make them look like glass. For the foam, I added rock candy stickles. 
I filled the shaker window with Summer Sun, Snow White, and Black sequins from Neat and Tangled. The "21" are cool glittery thicker stickers. :)

I hope you've had a great weekend. Remember to go outside tonight and take a gander at the SUPER MOON! :) OH, but don't miss a minute of True Blood to do so. ;) 

♥ Nikki ♥ 



Friday, June 21, 2013

Thinking of You

Hiya! Happy Friday bloggy friends! I made this card today for another pre-class challenge for the upcoming Summer Card Camp 2 class at OnlineCardClasses. There is a sketch, and this is my take on it. I cut out the circles with dies, and then traced them so I could glue down my sequins {with glossy accents}. I used Pretty Pretty Pink, Summer Sun, and Lovely Lilac sequins from Neat And Tangled
I added butterflies, gems, and the greeting from the Year Round Sentiments set from Hero Arts. My sweet love affair with sequins continues to blossom... 

♥ Nikki ♥


Thursday, June 20, 2013

Designer Challenge "Bling"

Hello! It's time for another Designer Challenge over at MyCreativeTime. Emma's challenge for us is to use bling. YAY! So for my bling, I used sequins. LOTS of sequins. I used Pretty Pretty Pink and Just Peachy sequins from NeatAndTangled. :) I started by cutting out the window with the XL Label Die. Then I traced it on another sheet of cardstock so I'd know where to put my sequins. Then my favorite part, gluing the sequins. Soooo relaxing to me. 
I stamped and white heat embossed the greeting from the More of My Favorite Sayings set on vellum. I finished it off with some punched Martha Stewart butterflies. I super love the white on white look. 

Pop over to MyCreativeTime to see more creations and play along! 

♥ Nikki ♥

p.s. On this day one year ago, I quit smoking. I made my mind up to do it, and I did it. Proving that truly, anything is possible if you put your mind to it. :) 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Inspire Me Tuesday

Hello! Today is the first Inspire Me Tuesday over at MyCreativeTime. Today we are all making something and sharing our inspirations. For my card, my inspiration is one of my favorite songs. A song  by Eddie Vedder about/inspired by an incredible love story. The song is "Satellite". It's about Damien Echols and his wife Lorri. Damien is now a free man, but was wrongly convicted and spent 18 years and 78 days in prison. He is one third of the "West Memphis Three". {google it for more info} Eddie Vedder was a huge supporter, and helped to raise funds for them. Here is the song. Makes me tear up every time I listen to it. ♥


I was inspired to think of an actual satellite orbiting in space. And that's how this card was born. I'm sorry for the in progress pictures, it was LATE {like middle of the night late}. :)
I started by cutting a bunch of stars out of Post-It paper using the Stitched Button Dies. I'm using these for masks, so I covered up the button holes with little bits of Post-It paper. See, some are already covered in the above picture. And then I got inky. VERY inky. :)
I started with salty ocean distress ink. It looks terrible at first, but after all the layers it turns out cool! 
After the first layer of salty ocean I layered on faded jeans, stormy sky, chipped sapphire, and black soot distress inks. I left one area light, because I wanted that bit to "glow" behind my Earth. And here's how it turned out. {sorry, forgot to get a pic of the mask reveal}
After I peeled up the masks, and heat set it, I misted the background with perfect pearls and water in a mini mister. I wanted it to look sparkly like the night sky. :) I cut the heart shaped Earth using the Give A Hoot cricut cartridge. I inked it with green hills shadow ink and tumbled glass distress ink. I also misted it with perfect pearls and water. 
I white heat embossed the greeting from the My Favorite Sayings set on some vellum. And that's my card for today. 

Pop over to MyCreativeTime to see what inspired the other DT girls today! 

♥ Nikki ♥






Monday, June 17, 2013

Thank You

Hello! I have signed up to take the next class over at OnlineCardClasses. Class doesn't start until July 8th, but they have a pre-class color challenge using the above palette. I used all of the colors, and used the circles as a jumping off point. Here's my card...
I did some circle masking like I did on THIS card used the Build a Banner set from MyCreativeTime. I stamped the houndstooth with Pale Tomato, Charcoal, and Tide Pool Hero Arts shadow inks. I stamped the Hero Arts Wood Background stamp with Soft Granite shadow ink. I ♥ this background! 
The greeting is from the Year Round Sentiments set from Hero Arts. To finish, I added some punched butterflies and some gems.  I really like how this one turned out. :) I can't wait for class to start! :)

I hope you're having a FABULOUS day! 

♥ Nikki ♥





Friday, June 14, 2013

Peachy Keen Challenge

Hello! It's time for another Peachy Keen Challenge! The challenge this time is to create a card with a Father/Grandfather theme. I made a card for my hubby from my cats since my Daddy and Papa are in heaven now. :( Anyhoo, I used the adorable Tear Kitty die from PeachyKeenStamps for my kitty. I gave her a white tip on her tail, and white "socks" cuz that's how my Jinxy girl looks. The Tear Kitty die comes with really cute faces, but I chose another face. I used the Here Kitty Kitty Face Assortment. Isn't that just the cutest face?! :)
The greeting is from the May 2012 set. 

Pop over to the Challenge Blog to play along with us!

THE CHALLENGE
Create a card using the theme of Father/Grandfather!
We'll be awarding "TOP PEACH" to the player who uses their Peachy Keen Stamps this week and  our two runner ups will receive a spiffy badge to display on their blog!
Guidelines:
- Design must be new
- Link up by 6/19 - 11:59 pm EST




Thursday, June 13, 2013

Thrifty Thursday "Masking/Shaker"

Hello! Today is Thrifty Thursday at MyCreativeTime. We are making projects with circles today, and I snapped a couple pictures to show you how my card came about. I started by cutting circles out of Post-It craft paper to make my own mask. This way you can make circular stamped shapes using square stamps. Cool, right?! I stamped the houndstooth pattern from the Build A Banner set with Soft Granite shadow ink over the biggest circles. I stamped the burlap pattern also from the Build A Banner set with Tide Pool shadow ink over the medium circles. And I used the polka dot pattern from the Coffee Break set to stamp over the little circles with Butter Bar shadow ink. Looks a mess now, but the magic happens when you peel the mask off...
See! Sooooo fun! I LOVE MASKING!!! And here is my card...
I added some stamped black rings to the card front using the Vintage Label set. I can't seem to stop making shaker cards. It's a sickness. ;) Anyhoo, I stamped the greeting from the Thank You Hugs set with staz-on ink on the acetate window. I filled my shaker with sequins from Neat And Tangled. I also scattered some on the card front. :)
I totally dig this card! :)
I hope you'll pop over to MyCreativeTime to see the other DT creations! 

Have a splendid day! 

♥ Nikki ♥



Monday, June 10, 2013

Thinking of You Shaker Card :)

Hello! My shaker/sequin obsession continues to grow. :) I started by stamping the clouds for the background using the super cute Just Thinking Of You set from Neat And Tangled. I stamped them with soft granite shadow ink by Hero Arts. Then I stamped the cloud where I wanted my window, and cut it out by hand. Then I stamped the cloud with staz-on ink on my acetate piece for the window. I glued my window into place with glossy accents. And then I filled up my shaker with sequins. I used snow white,  ocean breeze, summer sky, and crystal clear sequins from Neat And Tangled
The greeting is also from the Just Thinking Of You set from Neat And Tangled. As a finishing touch, I added some more Crystal Clear sequins to the front of the card. 

I hope you're not getting sick of sequins! :)

♥ Nikki ♥

p.s. Here's a tip for stamping on acetate. You're most likely to mess up your stamping because it wiggles, so tape it down to your work surface, and then stamp on it. OH, and a Fiskars Stamp Press is your friend! Seriously! You NEED one. :)


Sunday, June 9, 2013

Zig Zag birthday

Hiya! This is the card I made for my MCT design team sister Kim. :) First I punched a circle out of post-it paper for a mask. I stuck it where I wanted, and then did the background. I made the background in a matter of seconds using my new Zig Zag stencil from Heidi Swapp. I sprayed it with my own mist that I made. I filled a mini mister with a dropper full of picked raspberry reinker and some water. Then I pulled up the circle mask. I ♥ masking! 
I stamped the greeting from the It's All About You set from MyCreativeTime. Finished it off with some...wait for it...sequins. ;)

♥ Nikki ♥

p.s. Do you watch Game of Thrones? I'm excited for the season finale tonight, but also super bummed that the season is almost over. MAN, I love that show! Here's a poll just for fun...

Who do YOU want to win?

      a.) Jon Snow
 b.) Tyrion 
c.) Arya 
d.) Daenerys 

I'm Daenerys all the way!!! GIRL POWER! :) Ok, my geeking out on Game of Thrones is over. :)


Saturday, June 8, 2013

Hello Handsome

Hiya! Happy Saturday peeps. :) I decided to make a masculine version of the card I made yesterday. Wait, what? A masculine card with sequins on it??? Well, the sequins are in masculine colors, so it counts. Right? HA! I stamped the talk bubble from the set called A Lot To Say from Neat And Tangled. I made double rows with Shamrock and Royally Blue sequins. 
The greeting is from Year Round Sentiments by Hero Arts. I'm also entering this in the Little Tangles challenge. :)


♥ Nikki ♥



Friday, June 7, 2013

Hello SEQUINS :)

Well hello there, bloggy friends! I made this card to play along in a challenge over at the Little Tangles blog. The challenge is to create a project with a hello theme. I started by stamping the A Lot To Say talk bubble from Neat And Tangled. It's awesome and GINORMOUS! :) Then I used my scissors to cut out the inside, making sure to leave a little white border. Then I traced around the talk bubble on to the piece of paper for my sequins, so I had an idea of placement. And then came the super fun/relaxing part, gluing sequins.{I use glossy accents} My rainbow is made up of the following sequins from Neat And Tangled...Raspberry Red, Tangerine, Lemon, Lime, Summer Sky, and Perfectly Purple
I stamped the greeting on vellum because I couldn't stand to not let those sequins show! :) OH, the greeting is from the Hooray set from Hero Arts.

I hope you have a FABULOUS Friday!

♥ Nikki ♥






Thursday, June 6, 2013

Have a Spooktacular day

Hello! It's time for another designer challenge over at MyCreativeTime. This time we have the above sketch to follow. For some reason, I was feeling Halloweenie. :) And here is my take on the sketch...
I stamped the background with the Cloudy Day background from PeachyKeenStamps with charcoal hero arts shadow ink. The tree and bat are from the Simply Charmed cricut cartridge. The face on the bat is from the September 2012 set. 
I white heat embossed the greeting from the Treats For My Sweet set from MyCreativeTime

Pop over to MyCreativeTime to play along!

♥ Nikki ♥