cards

JANUARY *CCC *Christmas Card Challenge & Goal Report

Erika L Hayes5 Comments

Well, as the end of January makes its way toward us, I wanted to share the first 10 of the 120 Christmas Cards for 2023. I put the main product used for each card in the caption. If you see something and want to know what it is, just shoot me an email and I can most likely give you the product name or where I picked it up. I keep pretty good notes in my Color My Life App.

  • JAN 2023 – MFT Stamps
  • JAN 23 – Simon Says Stamps
  • JAN 2023 – Stampin’ Up!
  • JAN 2023 Simon Says Stamps
  • 2023 – My Favorite Things Stamps
  • JAN 2023 Cathy Z with Simon Says Stamps
  • 2023 – Pink & Main
  • JAN 2023 – Spellbinders
  • JAN 2023 – Stampin’ Up!
  • JAN 2023 – CC Designs with Silhouette Cameo 4

I hope that you find some kind of inspiration from these cards, and know I am excited to show what’s in the mix for February. It’s kinda fun to know you can get out your Christmas goodies and play all year long. I have a lot of great ideas and am really excited to use some of the products I got this year more than just for a month!

Some other fun cards that went out this month include some birthday and and a few anniversaries. Of course some of my encouragement cards are going out tomorrow or the next day.

I completed a class from Sandy Allnock. The pen & ink class I started and didn’t finish is now done! Upcoming classes I am signed up for include, The Altenew/Spellbinders class in February and in March the Concord & 9th class. I am very excited for both of these classes. I have also several classes I have in the wings.

Some of the stuff I learned in Sandy’s class was amazing. I don’t want to share the techniques as it wouldn’t be fair to give away her content. I can tell you she has a way of teaching that is fun. You don’t really feel like you can do it wrong, or that you aren’t good enough. She really did give some great ideas and I enjoyed the class a lot! If you are interested, you can follow this link to the class I took. (It is NOT an affiliate link, I get nothing for sharing this class). As of the timing of this post, the class is at a discounted price so….check it out!

Feburary has some fun stuff I’ve made for Valentine’s day I will not share just yet.

100% Chance of fun

Erika L Hayes1 Comment

GOOD NEWS! I finally have my new computer! This is good news because I get to start playing with my videos. I am still learning the software and pray for your consideration while I learn and improve. Now onto our card for today!

I take a lot of classes. I love learning about my different mediums. One of the things about card making is I get these little canvases to try my newly aquired skills! This card is a combination of many of my classes and playing.

The background of this card has been built using several sets. I enjoy the masking and adding many different elements to create the one of a kind look. I loved this Whimsy Stamp set I ordered from Simon Says Stamps. Gnome Get Well (click image below to find it).

I also used Cathy Z Design for Simon Says Stamps and it was the actual inspiration. The 100% chance is what triggered my rainy day feel. Living in a state that sees very little rain, any chance to enjoy it (even if I am only creating it on a canvas) is a must!

I hope you like this card and get a little inspiration.

I really did enjoy making the rainy-day look. I hope to make a video with this technique for you very soon. Let me know if that is something you would be interested in seeing.

Have a wonderful day! I’ll be back soon!

MFT Superstar Contest!

Erika L Hayes3 Comments

This year I am entering the contest. They have three categories my first is the coloring category. In the past, I’ve gone overboard trying to guess what they are looking for and add my own art. This year I made a fun little scene and I didn’t think about it. I didn’t draw a ship or add anything but the stamps I put them center stage. So here is my color entry

Next up was the Out of the box challenge! I love the out of the box challenges. They are so fun to put together. I got the idea for my HoHoHo Santa is coming to town card while sitting in my studio sorting stamp sets! Here is my entry for the out of the box category

Finally, CAS (clean and simple). I’ve had this idea since last year. I struggled with which to make for the contest and went with my other idea last year. This little baby has been waiting 360+/- days to be created. I sketched it out but waited to make it. Now that I have made it I wish I would have made it last year. Here is my CAS entry

Now, I’m not expecting to win anything, but you never know. I really do this contest for the fun of it. I love MFT Stamps (just look through my blog, you’ll see lots of their product is my literal favorite things.

I hope you get joy or inspiration from these cards. Enjoy your night!

Blessings!

ErikaLee

Great News!

Erika L Hayes1 Comment

It’s been a few since my last post. I have been working on something and think I can share the news. I have been able to get my camera and now have the video editing software. I am still learning all the how-to’s, but I think you will soon see the first video up on my youtube channel! Filming starts this weekend.

I don’t want to leave my blog unloved, so I am adding this fun card I made using Honey Bee Stamps Designs – Market Card Builder.

Honey Bee Stamp Designs

Now I have plenty of cardstock something in the crafter of me must not only use but save all the scraps that I could possibly find a future use. While I was making this card, I realized a couple of things. One that it is a fantastic scrap paper user. Second that if you use a large scrap, you can get impressions from the acrylic plates (they of course have cut hundreds of dies and do like to leave behind some lines and shapes on the paper usable portion of the remaining scrap. Usually, I just toss them if they are too bad. To counter those little impressions, I took a lesson from the hot foil tricks and tips. I found after placing my die on the scrap, that cutting it around the die before running it through my machine preserved the rest of the paper for future use. All the dies in this card with the exception of the actual cart are scraps.

This tip is really effective on foiled
and specialty papers

I’m excited about what is coming to my blog and I look forward to sharing, inspiring, and educating. If you have any questions just go to my contact page and send me a note!

Blessings to you all!

Please like, share, and follow!

In Stitches with Spellbinders

Erika L Hayes1 Comment

Spellbinders All Dies, Hot Foil Plates & Foil; Pixie Cardstock Lawn Fawn; Pattern Paper My Favorite Things; Floss, DMC

When the stitched alphabet came out from Spellbinders I liked the idea, but I couldn’t really see buying ALL the letters. (I made a big mistake.) I bought a few to spell “Hi” and “love” well soon after these few cards I realized; I need the entire alphabet. I am so glad I did and would highly recommend if you are considering the stitched alphabet, just buy the bundle. It really opens your world to so many possibilities. (It is an investment, but really, I have used these so much that I think it was one of my better purchases for card making.)

Because I love these little guys so much, I put some tips for using these dies to be the most successful.

Tips for stitching on your paper crafts.

  • Choosing your thread (floss) will make a significant difference. My first craft was cross-stitching, and I can tell you a few things to make you successful.
  • The number of strands. Two is most commonly used, but if your floss is light on light you may want to add one or more strands to ensure your intended color shows as you want it. (In the sample above, I used all six strands
  • Floss comes in many brands and materials. You may want to test them on your paper before you commit.
  • A single sheet of card may tear when you stitch with several threads of floss. To ensure your card can hold up, simply cut two additional letters and glue them together to create stability.
  • Use your finger or fine tip applicator, (such as Barely Art glue tip) to apply glue to prevent seepage through the premade stitch placement holes.
  • remove any excess glue immediately
  • Make sure your glue is completely dry before stitching. (If you notice any glue at this time, use a needle to remove it.)
  • As a cross stitcher for many years, I learned one especially important thing. Always go in the same direction. Start each grouping in the same place.
  • Light is caught by the floss and keeping it in the same direction and same placement will give a better finished look.
  • Place your needle over the last stitch and press all other threads under the stitch you are adding.

If you have any questions, feel free to click over to the contact me and shoot me an email. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook.

Coming Soon!

I have finally been able to get everything I need to set up my YouTube channel. I will be sure to let you know once we’ve gone live. Color-A-Longs are coming soon! I’m working hard to make this a place for inspiration and education. Please share with all the crafty peeps you know. 🙂