The Inking spot of Crain Creations

A little goodie and a submission...

I am just giddy, I am so excited at how this turned out!!  For many reasons... first of all it is a gift for someone, but I am also submitting this project for the DT call over at the JUGS challenge blog.  You can view the DT Call here.  Even if you choose not to submit for the call, I highly recommend their weekly challenges (posted every Saturday)... they truely rock!!! ok, back to business, lol.  So I needed to come up with a little "Thank You" giftie something for a gal at work, and one idea lead to another and Voila!  I ended up with this...

As soon as I saw this tote from Lauren at My Time, I knew it would be great fun to make.. and the ideas of what to put in it are endless!  I loved the gardening ideas I'd seen, but I wanted to do something a little different so I made some Blackberry and Strawberry syrups (for waffles, French Toast, Ice Cream, etc.).    I will also be including some recipe cards for a few French Toast and Home made ice cream recipes I have (the cards will go in the gap area in the tote).  The cards will match the Recipe Box I made for her for Christmas.   To decorate the jars I printed out the syrup names, then punched them out and sponged them before adhering them to my "labels" (stamped from the Lovely Labels stamp set).  Then I tied a little ribbon around the lid, covering the knot with a button.  The little flower on the label is from the Rambling Rose Pretty Pieces from Lauren, My Time Made Easy.  The labels are just adhered with some glue dots so that she can easily remove them before she puts the jars in the fridge.

 I took the Rambling Rose  set and just cut the whole set out about 4 times (twice each on 2 different papers), then I just picked pieces to put together on the various places on this project (see there is another just a little larger on the corner of the tote...with a button center).  The large flower on the Tote handle uses all of the pieces, and I used a Corduroy brad for the center.

And last, but certainly not least, here is the card.  The sketch for the card was part of the DT Submisson requirements (you can see that post here).  I wanted my card to coordinate with the gift, but not to look exactly the same, so I pulled some different paper from the same line that I used for the Tote.  I also pulled in the gold brads, and added a little gold cording to the button just so the brads didn't look totally out of place.  This was so much fun to make, I can see me making MANY of these totes in the future!

Tote Supplies

Stamps: sentiment from Fairy Tales (PTI), "Fun" Borders (JustRite Stamps)  Paper: Lemonade (Basic Gray), Wine with Everything cs (Gina K), So Saffron (SU), White (PTI)  Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Victorian Velvet Distress (Ranger)  Accessories: Trendy Tool Tote template (My Time Made Easy), Rambling Rose cut file (My Time Made Easy), So Saffron ribbon (SU), Yellow Corduroy Brad (SU), Sweet Blush Button (PTI), Brads (Basic Gray), Circle Nesties, Scalloped Circle nesties

Jars Supplies:

Stamps: Lovely Labels (by Nina Brackett for Gina K)  Paper: Lemonade (Basic Gray), White cs (PTI)  Ink: Victorian Velvet Distress (Ranger)  Accessories: Rambling Rose Cut File (My Time Made Easy), Oval punch, Razzleberry Ribbon (SU), Labels 8 Nesties, Gold brads, Lemon Tart Button (PTI), Twine

Card Supplies

Stamps: Everyday Thanks (Paper Makeup Stamps)  Paper: Lemonade (Basic Gray), Wine with Everything (Gina K), White cs (PTI), So Saffron (SU)  Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Antique Linen Distress (Ranger)  Accessories: Labels 3 and Oval nesties, White Satin ribbon (PTI), Sweet Blush Button (PTI), Gold Cording, Gold Brads, Dew Drops

Stamping just for the love of it

 

Today, after getting some cards that I needed to do and working on more organization and cleaning of the studio, I got to stamp just for the fun of it!  Lisa Johnson (Poppy Paperie) has started her own challenges and I LOVE the concept of them.   

This is her second challenge and I had so much fun with it I'm going to go back and do the first one!  I started with this challenge, but as I started putting it together I realized Mercy's Sketch would be great with this, then I started to choose my papers and realized that the JUGS and Crazy 4 Challenges for this past week fit perfectly too!  Lisa Kind came up with the challenge for Jugs this past week (she comes up with the best Inspiration challenges, though this one is a color challenge she includes an inspiration photo).  I can rarely combine 2 challenges, let alone more than that, lol!  

 

 Here's a little better picture of those yummy buttons!  I threw that purple one in there "just cause" it was sparkly and pretty, lol.  I used brown floss on the buttons, so they'd stand out a little and not blend in... I like the look.  My tag/sentiment seemed to get lost in the busyness, so I took the edge of my black copic and went around the edge of it.  Just a little hint to make it stand out a little.  Well, I hope you like my interpretation of Lisa's challenge, I'd love to hear your input so leave a comment if you have an extra minute.  Thanks for popping in, hope to see you again soon!  Have a wonderful day!

Stamps:  Everyday Button Bits (PTI)  Paper: Home mat Blue & Pink (My Minds Eye), Spring Willow Dark cs (Prism), Ocean Tides cs (PTI), White (Gina K)  Ink: Spanish Moss (Versafine), Onyx Black (Versafine), Black Copic  Accessories: Ocean Tides, Plum Pudding & Spring Moss Buttons (PTI), Brown floss, Ribbon Tags (Spellbinders), Ocean Tides Twill ribbon (PTI)

A couple of presents to share...

Cat Dubail has done it again!  About this time last year, Cat designed my "created by" stamp (you can see it here).  I am so in love with it, she did such an amazing job.  Anyway, one year ago yesterday my friend Katie started her own stamp company, Paper Makeup Stamps.  I am so proud of her and frequently impressed by her.  So for PMS' first birthday, I wanted to get Katie a little birthday present... here's what Cat & I came up with...

 

 So what do you think?  Thanks Cat!  And for the rest of you if you are in need of a Created By, address or any other type of stamp, make sure you visit Cat... she rocks!!  

No for some eye candy of the paper variety, lol!  My Mom emailed me the other day in need of an emergency gift and she asked for a set of note cards for her friend.  Here's what I came up with.  This is the finished package (8 notecards & envelopes).

 

My mom also asked for a "reddish" theme.  I didn't have any reddish pp that inspired me, so I got out my PTI stamps and found a flower that I thought would be fun.  I punched out a small circle of pp for the flowers center.  These are plain and simple, but I think she will like them.  Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave me a comment on yesterday's PMS Happy Birthday post for a chance to win a PMS stamp of your choice (you have until tomorrow, Thursday, night at midnight).  Thanks for stopping in, hope to see you again soon. 

Recipe Box gift

 

One of the things I just love to do with my hubby is cook!  I swear it brings us closer (kinda like the "couples that cook together, stay together", lol).  So one of the girls at the office, I just adore her, and her and her boyfriend like to cook together (her boyfriend is just a doll too!).  When I was thinking about what to do for them for Christmas, I immediately thought of this recipe box!  I can just see them filling this box with their favorite recipes and as the years go by making them more boxes to hold their collection.

 Just about everything I used to make this project is from PTI.  The box they have is just the perfect size for their recipe cards.  I plan on make some of these for my house hold, but I think I will have box for each category and then make my own tabs (for instance a box for Soups & Stews, one for Favorite Holiday recipes, etc.).  My friend likes green and does not like things frilly, etc., so keeping this simple and "her style" was a little tough for me, but in the end I think they both will just love this box!

Here are the index cards.  The stamped image fits in a 1 3/8" punch, but I trimmed it down a bit by using the 1 1/4" and then mounting it on some Old Olive punched out with the 1 3/8" .  There are actually 9 index images, but I only used 8.

For the index cards, I chose the design I wanted as the topper and then stamped my words along the following lines (Serves, Cooking Time, etc.).  I put "Instructions" on the back so as to ensure plenty of room for ingredients, etc.  Thanks so much for stopping by, I'd love to hear your comments on this. 
 

A Prezzie for my neighbor...

 

I just adore my next door neighbor!  My neighbor is Jewish and does not celebrate Christmas, though we normally make her a big platter of Christmas treats and she just loves them.  I didn't get to bake this year, but I still wanted to make a little something for her, and since she has 2 super darling grandkids that like to have "sleepovers at Gramma's" I thought this would be a fun gift for them all.  Are there any Hanukkah stamps out there?  I've looked for some throughout the year, but never really found any.  

I had already made her this card but hadn't yet decided what was going to go with it, so once I saw this box I just matched the papers.  Voila... piece of cake!!  The idea for this box came from Gina K (thanks Gina!).  

 Stamps: Snow Happy set from Paper Makeup Stamps, Holiday Treats labels set (PTI)  Paper: Me & My Big Ideas Oh What Fun, Night of Navy, Shimmer White cs both by SU and Stampers Select by PTI  Ink: Tuxedo Black by Memento, Night of Navy by SU, Copics  Accessories: White brads by Basic Gray, Button from PTI, DMC Floss, Labels 3 Nesties, Circle Nesties, Winter Embossing border, Blue buttons (PTI), Rope cord (SU)

Thinking of you Blogger's Challenge

 

This week's Blogger's Challenge was a "Thinking of You" challenge.  This card is going to a girlfriend of mine who recently lost her job.  The set is called 'Everyday Button Bits' by Papertrey Ink, and of course you have to get there adorable buttons!  I am a button fanatic, I go CRAZY over antique and neat buttons!!  I have jars of buttons from my Great Gramma, my Gramma and hubby's Gramma!!!  These buttons, though, are from PTI.  I airbrushed a little grass and a little sky, I really wanted the buttons to POP, so I kept the airbrushing to a minimum.  Hope you have a great weekend!! TTFN

BC103, Blogger's Sketch Challenge

Wow! For as long and as hard as I worked on this silly card you'd think it should be a total WOW card, sorry!! lol. The sketch was awesome and I had my layout done in no time... I couldn't decide on a stamp to save my life! Then I remembered about some PTI stamps I just got :)  Thank goodness for pearls, they saved the day!!

Supplies:

Stamps: Beautiful Kindness by PTI  ~  Paper: Misc. dsp & cardstock, Very Vanilla cardstock

  ~  Ink: Ruby Red  ~  Accessories: Misc pearls, Very Vanilla 5/8" ribbon by SU!