Clearly Vintage

I just wanted to do a plug for an awesome blog that is centered around vintage. Cora has lots of nice images as well as a nice vintage stamp line that she sells at her Etsy Shop. I failed to ask her if I could borrow some images to place here to show you, so since I did not ask permission I will just direct you to her blog and on her blog she has her link to her shop. So if vintage is your thing or not; you should check it out and tell her Nina sent you! :O) Her blog is linked in this title, but here it is too: http://www.clearlyvintage.blogspot.com/

House Mouse Challenge #30 - Shaped Card

HEY THERE CUPCAKE! OK.. I must admit, I have cupcake on the brain a lot lately... LOTS!! But that is altogether another future post, I promise! So, this week's house mouse challenge was to do a shaped card. I instantly knew I wanted to do a cupcake... guess because that is what is on my mind lately! (hehe covering mouth giggling) so anyway, I stamped the panda bear from the wheelbarrow ride and colored him and cut him out. I knew I wanted him to adorn the top of my cupcake. I made my own template for this card and I when I get around to it I will make a whole sheet pages of all the pattern pieces and upload it so if you want it you can have it, but that will have to be another day. I actually made my base out of a darker pink heavy paper per my pattern. This way the backside of my card was a pink. The crimped cupcake holder is the same paper, just a seperate piece that was crimped. I did this mainly because I wanted my baskside to have color. Since I had made some individual peices of pattern that were loose like the icing and the cupcake holder I just traced around my pattern paper for the icing and inked it with the dew drop inks and them I crimped my card stock for the holder and then I traced it and then cut my piece. Be careful when you crimp things, you will want to make sure you crimp then cut the piece to fit and I will tell you why. It tends to make your piece smaller because it crimps, thus using a bit more paper... so always crimp first and them cut... that was the paper crafting tip for the day! I also outlined my icing in black sharpie because I wanted my icing to stand out more, plus I wanted to have some swirls within the top too. I chose to add the black and white ribbon to mainly pull it altogether since I used the panda bear, plus it really pops and it adds some weight to the bottom which makes it more balanced to me. It really is a balance kind of thing, that's another thing balance, it truly is a funny thing, it is mainly just something I feel in my work, but there really is a truth to balance whether it be with color or a feel of weight and how it carries your eyes. Then I had these lovely sequins that I bought off Easter clearance at the craft store last year really inexpensively and thought that would be the perfect finishing touch. Although, I wanted to add some little white pearls in the center of the sequins from crafting many years ago I couldn't locate them ((oh well)). I also used the same pattern paper from the icing on the full inside and added my sentiment that said "because you're special". I made this for a friend that just had foot surgery. I am certain she will just love it. OK... Thanks for looking and I promise to have my template here in the next week for you to right click and save to your files... I think I might just add a little hanging tag from the bow that says "for you" or "thinking of you", but here is my pic for now.... so in the meantime... have a cupcake kind of day!