Getting Ready for Farmers Market

Good morning Stampers!

I am continuing to work on cards that will be up for sale at the Farmers Market in Nyssa on the 3rd Friday of August, the 19th!  Hopefully I'll do well as I got reports from people who attended the Thunder Egg Festival who said there were a lot of crafters selling their wares, but there were no greeting cards for sale in the whole place, so hopefully I'll have the market cornered!  Doubt it.  There were probably no greeting card stands at the Thunder Egg Festival for the same reason that I didn't have a table there.  75$!  Too rich for my blood!  What I really like about the Farmers Market is the charge is 10% of whatever I sell.  That is at least safe.  I won't be paying a fortune that I can't afford for people to come look through my cards with dirty fingers (I shudder to think of the idea)

Anyway, here are some more cards I have worked on:

Sweet Summer Collection

I really like the Sweet Summer stamp set from Stampin' Up!  The set is versatile and allows for many different designs for many different personalities.  It's really hard to see on the pictures, but I used Dazzling Diamonds on the wings of the bumble bee's.  In person, they are adorable.

I will be posting more cards that I have been working on, though they probably will not have details associated with them because I'm in a hurry to get everything updated.  If you are interested in what was used or how a particular card was made, please email me:  Shawnie@CardsByShawie.com and ask away!

Blessings & Inky hugs!

~Me

Just an Update

Good evening.  Sorry I don't have anything to share with you today.  I figured I should at least post something so everyone knows I'm alive. 

I could definitely be better, but I am alive.  I just haven't quite been myself for a while, don't really care at this point about finding my way back because the person I was failed miserably at so many things, parenting being the most important.

There are just about as many dust bunnies and cob webs in my craft area as there are on my website.  lol.  I have been doing a lot of reflecting on my life.  Where I was at, where I am, where I was going.  Evaluating the importance of everything that was important to me, have come to determine that those things were only important to me and hold no significance to those who are / were close to me. 

On the good side of things, books have been filling most of my time.  I have spent no time on the computer (800 email messages have piled up so far), no crafting, no entertaining company, no nothing other than reading.  I've found that the more I read and get into books the less I think or dwell on my own lame existence.  It has been a nice interruption. 

I'm sure as soon as things blow over with Lauren and I'm able to see Dylan again, my disability comes through, and we get the house finished, things won't feel or look so bleak.  It's just too many things at once and dealing with unbearable physical pain as well, its messing with my noggin.

I assure you, in time I will be back up & fighting in my familiar form.  Until then, please be patient with me and understand if I avoid communication with any of you via phone or in person, please don't internalize and think that you've done something to upset me.  I also know that the negativity of this post will upset some of you because it's not positive and uplifting.  I'm not going to lie and say that things are just great and I'll be pissy if I want to!  :)

Fore those who have stuck it out through this entire post:  X's & O's and thank you's for being there for me.

Awash Generic

This card would make a nice Birthday, Anniversary, Get Well Soon, or Thank You card.

This card was created using the following:

• Stamp Set: Awash with Flowers
• Paper: Whisper White, Stampin' Up! DSP
• Ink: Basic Black
• Other: Dimensionals, Halfback Pearls, Ribbon
• Technique: Paper Piecing

Origami Shirt Fathers Day - Card Tutorial Instructions

I have been seeing a lot of these shirts sprouting up on projects.  My orders were all caught up, email inbox was empty, so I figured I had a little bit of time to treat myself.  I would learn a new technique and I thought I would share it with you!  I learned how to make these really cool shirts!  Depending on the Designer paper and embellishments you use, it could be a shirt for a man, woman, or a child.  In this case, I am going to use my shirt on a Fathers Day card.  Though I am sure there are a lot different variations and forms of making these, I grabbed the first tutorial I saw and figured I would go with it.  To see the Tutorial I used to make this Origami Shirt visit Karen's website by clicking here.  If you want to see other variations, all you would need to do is Google Origami Shirt.  That should bring up some options.  

Penney, one of my valued and appreciated regulars sent me a comment not too long ago thanking me for including step by step pictures for making a project, which made me think.  Not everyone has the same level of experience and if the card looks too complicated a newer stamper may feel intimidated from the beginning and not even give the card a chance.  So, I'm going to do my best to break my steps down and photograph them to assist.

It's like I used to explain to my employees before I got Medically Retired.  I put a huge marshmallow elephant in front of you and tell you that you have to eat it all!  The elephant is bigger than your car and your thinking "how in the world am i going to eat that whole elephant?!".  It's so frustrating your sure your not going to make it so you don't put everything you have into it.  Well, if you think of it in terms of pieces, a piece here, a piece there or a bite here, a bite there.  Next thing you know, your halfway finished with the elephant because you focused on just a small piece at a time, not the whole thing.  Make sense?

So, I have broken my card down into "pieces"  PLEASE MAKE SURE TO LET ME KNOW IF THIS HELPS! 

So, here we go: 

Here is the card in finished form:

I stamped the sentiment & then punched it out with the Word Window Punch.

I then took the punched out shape and inserted the end in the Tiny Tag Punch to make a longer tag.

I sponged the edges.

I punched a circle out in Early Espresso, folded it in half and adhered to a strip of Sahara Sand.  Then with my Paper Piercing tool and my mat pack, I used the guide to create faux stitches

I pierced  hole through the tag end and strung it with Linen Thread.

Wrapped ribbon around this piece and tied in a square knot. 

I tied the linen thread and a matching piece of ribbon and then adhered it to the strip with a safety pin.

Adhered that strip to the end of the card to still leave room for the focal piece.

With the Round Tab punch I made sure to punch out the center of this Taken with Teal (retired color) cardstock. Normally when I punch shapes out of cardstock, I do it on the very edges to conserve / save as much paper as possible, however, this time was an exception because I'm going to be multi-tasking.  You'll see in a second  ;)

I took the Chocolate Chip cardstock and laid it on top of the Taken with Teal mat.  Nobody will ever know that there is a piece missing under the Chocolate Chip cardstock, it makes the cardstock go further, and is cheaper to mail because the card won't be as heavy when shapes are punched out of the cardstock.  If you ever see layers on my cards, you can rest assured that there are misc shapes punched out of the center ;)  I save them for a later project. 

What the other side looks like (nobody will see this as it's covered)

This next step is crutial.  I am always a fanatic about cleaning my stamps, but when using light colors, pigment ink, or versa mark I am always extra careful and I pre-clean the stamps to make sure there is no left over residue if someone else used the stamp last. 

Scrub scrub... clean that stamp.

Using my Embossing Buddy I rub it on the Round Tab punched piece to make sure there was no static or oils from my fingers.

Using versa mark I stamp the punched piece.

While the stamped image is still wet I cover it with white embossing powder and then flick it to shake off the excess.

Use my heat gun & proceed to "setting" the embossing powder.  It's a powdery substance, once it get's hot it melts and resembles whatever he stamped image is and raises it.  (I have a versa mark pen that I occasionally use to hand write something and emboss it as well).  And since we're talking about versa mark, once you have stamped / written / drawn your image before the ink dries, you can also take chalk on a dauber, q-tip, or cotton ball and lightly rub it over the inked image and the chalk will stay on the ink & no-where else.  It's quite beautiful when done.  ")

I adhere the punched piece with staples on the mat for the focal point

Apply Dimensionals to the back of the shirt.

 To finish, adhere project to the card.  Make sure this is always the LAST thing you do.  The reason why is any hardware you use, brads, eyelets, etc... will not show through on the inside of the card, which can look rushed and unfinished.  (if it's absolutely necessary to add hardware on the face of the card that will show through on the inside -brad prongs or eyelet prongs, etc...-- make sure to apply cardstock to the entire card surface so the hardware is not visible from anywhere other than the outside front of the card, where it's supposed to be.)

To add additional value added to your projects, add a stamped sentiment or velum sentiment on the inside of your card and perhaps include a punched shape or stamped image or sticker that matches the theme on the outside. 

Feel free to leave a comment on this project. Remember if you are kind enough to add yourself as a follower on my blog, I will do the same for you as well. Please just let me know your website.

God Bless you and thanks for stopping by!!

Inky Hugs

~Shawnie Bartron

Remember, if you’re not covered in ink, you’re not stampin'!

Visit my online Stampin' Up! store 24-7. Click on "Shop Now" http://Shawnie.StampinUp.net

Happy Birthday in Stitches

I just finished this card and figured I would take the picture and get it loaded on the website before I started another card (I have a habit of putting it off and then I'm left holding a stack full of cards that I have to load and document). 

The carnation used on this card is home made.  Click here for my tutorial for making these flowers.  They are simple to do and look quite real when they are finished.

The background is some patchwork quilting I did, at least I think that's what it is.  Anyway, I had a bunch of scraps of Stampin' Up!'s designer paper and because it's so beautiful AND I hate to waste even the tiniest bit of paper I figured this would be a perfect time to use it.  Once the whole sheet of cardstock was full with the pieces fitting together, I ran it through the Big Shot with the Bigz Top Note die.  Once I had the patchwork shape of the top note, I ran it through the Big Shot again in the Square Lattice Embossing Folder this time.  There, that definitely gave it a unique look & texture.

I had some misc clear stamps I used for the Postal H in the upper right hand corner and the Cross Stitched Happy Birthday sentiment in the lower right hand corner.  Once I stamped the sentiment I took about four different colors:  Concord Crush, So Saffron, Pretty in Pink, & Wild Wasabi and their matching sponge daubers and did some pouncing, which gave it a cool effect. 

Another step, not sure why I did it, but I guess it doesn't look too bad is a button with silver DMC floss strung through holding an apple shaped charm. 

So, with the name of this post, were you expecting a funny card?  Not quite, but it is fitting considering the sentiment is to look like it was cross stitched & embroidered, hence the "stitch" in the title.  I don't usually use stamp set's from other manufacturers but with the quilt theme, I wanted the sentiment to blend smoothly with everything else - yeah?

Feel free to leave a comment on this project. Remember if you are kind enough to add yourself as a follower on my blog, I will do the same for you as well. Please just let me know your website.

God Bless you and thanks for stopping by!!

Inky Hugs

~Shawnie Bartron

Remember, if you’re not covered in ink, you’re not stampin'!

Visit my online Stampin' Up! store 24-7. Click on "Shop Now" http://Shawnie.StampinUp.net

Tutorial - Delicate Detailed Paper Carnations

I wish I could remember where I first saw these flowers and how to put them together, I could have added the link in this post as well.  The flowers are really beautiful and they look to me exactly like carnations.  You can use one color or you can use two different colored papers to add dimension and shading to your flowers.
Here is a project sporting one of my paper Carnations

Supplies needed for this project:

• Scallop Circle Punch
• Brad (preferably one with long tongs)
• Paper Piercer
• Piercing Mat (so table surface isn't marked)
• Premium Quality cardstock - I used Stampin' Up!.  I would strongly recommend you use a good thick cardstock for this project for ease of splitting the paper.
• Crimper (helps break the paper down but isn't necessary)

So the basic idea is to wad the paper up to make it soft & pliable to where it starts to separate.  You can start by running your cardstock through a crimper (if you don't have or use a crimper, just keep wadding up your paper more)

And then once you've crimped the paper, start wadding it up to make it soft & pliable.

Once this has been done and you see where the paper is starting to separate within itself, wad the paper some more to make it even softer.  You need to make sure that every area of the cardstock is soft as you are going to separte the paper into two pieces.  If you start separating too early and you get to the middle of the cardstock, it'll either tear one way or another, it won't split if it's not soft & worked with enough.


As you start tearing the pieces apart, you'll notice that the inside pieces have more of a fuzzy-type texture.  This is the texture that is going to face the outside of the carnation.  The other side is shiny.


Now that the paper has been separated, you've just doubled the amount of carnations you can create!  :)
Once this is done, punch with a round scallop punch.  Each carnation needs four round scallop pieces.



You will need to pierce a hole through the middle of each circle scallop.  The thing that's so great about this split paper is when you bend it & shape it, it's really good at retaining it's shape.  Place a brad through the hole of the first circle scallop and bend / crumple the paper pretty tight so the brad isnt noticable.  You can use the tongs of the brad on the other side to hold on to while you shape your carnation.  You can flatten the tongs out once your finished with the whole thing.  (I really wish i had pictures of this, but it seems my husband was distracted when we got to this part of the tutorial.
Once you are satisfied with how the first circle is crumpled around the brad, add the next one.  Each one you add can be looser and not as tight.  just crumple and twist them until they look like a carnation.



Good luck and I can't wait to see your project!  (if you don't mind, I would like to share your work on my website for others to see as well!  If you forward me a picture of your project but DO NOT want me to share it on my website, please let me know and I will respect your privacy)  :)
Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to hearing your comments!
Blessings & Inky Hugs
~§hawnie B
Remember, if you don't get ink all over yourself, your not stampin'!
Visit my online Stampin' Up! store 24-7.  Click on "Shop Now"
http://Shawnie.StampinUp.net

Imagine - Prayer Request - UPDATED

This card is a CASE and I honestly don't remember who inspired it.  (If this looks familiar to you, please send me an email so I can give credit where credit is due)  By a miracle I found the site again where I had seen the project!  Yay!  I found the inspiration on Lori's site!!!  So, now that the proper person has been recognized I will no longer need to hang my head in shame.  ")  The sentiment says "Imagine the possibilities".  Sometimes when life is at it's most frustrating it's hard to stop, take a breath, and remember that things won't always suck forever!  So, this card is meant to remind me to "Buck up little troop" when I'm feeling frustrated and hopeless.

I need to knock it off and remind myself of the many blessings I have that I take for granted, that many people would happily point out if they were in my situation.  I am trying very hard to figure out what this lesson is I am to learn.  God is not as direct as I would like.  If I had the right frame of mind & wasn't thinking about other things, it would probably hit me like a piano falling from above on a sidewalk.

For those who willingly pray for me and / or my family members, I have another request.  I know what I want to say, but to put words to it is a lot harder than I thought.  Please pray for me to learn how to forgive honestly from my heart.  Right now it is so full of pain, sorrow, loss, anger, frustration, fear, and hopelessness that there isn't any room for the really important thing, Forgiveness.  Until I honestly forgive and ask for blessings for those who have trespassed against me, those other emotions are going to control me and that scares me.  They have had their fun this is not who I am and I have to take control back.

What was used to create this card?:
Stamp Set's:  Elements of Style and Word Play (which is currently 30% off during the month of May, which is Scrapbooking Month.  
Elegant Lines embossing folder
Bigz Beautiful Butterflies Die
Bling gems
Dimensionals
Stampin' Write Markers
Big Shot
Blue Loop Braid (kind of like Rick-Rack or Seam Binding)

Feel free to leave a comment on this project. Remember if you are kind enough to add yourself as a follower on my blog, I will do the same for you as well. Please just let me know your website.

God Bless you and thanks for stopping by!!

Inky Hugs

~Shawnie Bartron

Remember, if you’re not covered in ink, you’re not stampin'!

Visit my online Stampin' Up! store 24-7. Click on "Shop Now" http://Shawnie.StampinUp.net