Thanks for visiting!


Welcome! This is the place where I share my artsy and crafty projects. I am an evolving artist these days ... finding myself enjoying less of the cards and mini albums that I have made for years, and turning to art journaling and more artistic endeavors. I have always enjoyed some craft or other, and some of my earliest memories of my mother helping me make paper dolls and other crafts. I am now in my 60's and finding myself more passionately enjoying creating beautiful things and learning new skills and techniques and products.

While you are here I hope you will find inspiration and ideas for making your own projects, however any images or projects you find here are my personal property and should not be used for your own monetary gain, or for contests or challenges. Thank You!

7/31/2008

CPS #75 Entry - My First Entry

For some reason, CPS (Card Positioning Systems) challenge has intimidated me for some time, but I finally decided it was time to enter it. The sketch this week was interesting, and took me a while to figure out what to do, but I remembered this sheet of Sassafras Lass paper in my drawer, and decided to see what I could do. I think the end result is an awfully bright and cheerful card! What do you think???





The base is Bazzill washboard cardstock in a deep buttery yellow. The next layer is the Sassafras Lass double sided paper 'Life is Beautiful - Pocket Full of Rosies'.




The flower in center is the reverse side of that paper. I drew a petal shape freehand, traced it out 8 times, cut them, glued them to some pretty blue Bazzill cardstock, and glued them to the yellow layer.





The border on the right hand side is simply the sweet scallopped border they put on the label edge of their paper - how cool is that!!!


And the cute [hello] rub-on is from Scenic Route, Sentiments Set 2. I really enjoy these rub-ons, too!


Well, thanks for looking at my latest card, and don't forget to come back to Camellia Cottage for another visit really soon! Blessings, Becky

7/30/2008

Two New Cards To Share

I have two new cards to share. First is for a challenge on Scrapbook.com's August Card Challenge. I'm entering it in two categories, sketch and product - ribbon. Here is a link to the August Card Challenge >>> http://www.scrapbook.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/1473125/ . And here is my take on that sketch >>>


I used bright yellow cardstock from the Bazzill 'Rainbow' collection, as well as Bazzill black cardstock. The image is from a software called 'Colored Impressions' by Lasting Impressions for Paper, Inc. I love this software because most of their images look like stamps, and you can re-size them or change the colors.


The red polka dot ribbon is so old, I can't imagine where I got it, lol! The black gingham ribbon is Ribbon Trends by The Paper Studio, and the ric-rack is vintage, and came from a local shop called Grosgrain Annie's.



The rub-on is from Melissa Frances - Vintage Rub On Transfers - Inspiration. I just LOVE her rub-ons! They adhere so easily, and the frosted plastic they are on shows exactly when the rub-on is released from it and stuck on the paper. Just a great product!

The second card, I actually made for the 2 Sketches 4 You challenge, but chose not to enter it, and made another one instead. It's cute enough, but it just didn't feel right. But I will share it with you!


The paisley paper is from an old Wild Asparagus stack, the black cardstock is Bazzill, I think the blue paper is The Paper Studio, but I could be wrong, and the plaid paper is American Crafts.

The pretty red ribbon is ribbonFX from Hobby Lobby. The buton is from a grab bag bought from Buttons Galore.

Once again, the rub-on is from Melissa Frances - Vintage Rub On Transfers - Inspiration.




Well, that's it for now, and I've promised hubby a home cooked meal for dinner, so I guess I had better get in the kitchen. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about these cards, and come back for another visit soon! Becky

7/29/2008

2 Sketches 4 You - Laura's Sketch #5 - My First Entry!

I've wanted to join in the fun on this challenge at 2 Sketches 4 You for a while now, but somehow never actually made the plunge, until today that is! I guess things were just 'right, and I'm happy with my little birdie card. Here's "Heartfelt Birdie".


I must confess that with the exception of the light green cardstock (Bazzill orange peel texture) all the papers in this are old as the hills, and came in a package I bought years ago. I actually think they were a K & Co. 'Brenda Walton' paper pack I got at QVC, but I wouldn't swear to it! But these papers blended so well, and set the mood I wanted for this soft little birdie, so yes, I did indeed use scraps.




The bird I copied from another card, traced and cut her with love, as is the case with the brown branch and leaves. I just cut out a leaf till I got it to look how I wanted, traced it onto the dark green cardstock, cut them out, glued them to the light green cardstock, and cut them slightly larger. Voila! A cute place for birdie to sit! A light blue seed bead was just right for her little blue eye.



The 'heartfelt' rub-on is from Melissa Frances, the organza ribbon is from a local shop called Grosgrain Annie's.


I hope you like my little birdie card. Please leave a comment and let me know you've visited Camellia Cottage. Till next time! Becky

7/27/2008

The Rest Is Still Unwritten!

Happy Sunday!


I have a very sweet friend named Nancy. We met online at a recipe swap forum, and have become fast friends. She has many day to day challenges, but she rarely lets them get her down, and somehow always seems able to find the beauty and the laughter in everything. She is very special to me, and I hope to meet her one day soon!


Anyway, Nancy asked me to make a graduation card for her neice's husband who, after much hard work and dedication, is graduating from college next month. Of course I got right on it, and am pleased with the outcome. This was a new type of card for me, but I think I'll be making more in days to come.


The shape, or design of the card is called a joy fold card. Another online friend, Linda, told me about it and gave me a link to the tutorial on how to make it. It's from the Split Coast Stampers website, and you can find them here, too >>> http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ee/index.php/resources/tutorials/joy_fold_card/


The base cardstock is Bazzill's orange peel textured cardstock. The paper is from Fancy Pants 'Papa" line in the 'Brave' design.

I simply typed the quote onto vellum and attached it to the front card flap with some gold 'snap' eyelets from Buttons Galore.



The quote inside is from the same line, and from the
'Papa Card Set'. I love this concept, because it's a dozen neat cards all on one 12 x 12 inch piece of paper, and you can cut them as you need them. Great idea!



The chipboard circle is from Bo Bunny's Bleached Bare Naked Chipboard - Fancy Frills. I scratched the white surface with an emery board (nail file) then inked it heavily with copper swift ink from the Color Box Petal Points 'alchemy' collection. Next I heat embossed it using copper embossing powder. I just love that hammered copper look. I topped it off with a piece of orange and white gingham ribbon (Ribbon Trends - The Paper Studio) and a small button from Buttons Galore.
Below is a view of the card as it appears fully opened.

I used a piece of plain white cardstock to cover the back side of the snaps, and it also gives the 'giver' an extra place for their note.

Well, that's it from me for today! I hope you've enjoyed your visit! Add me to your favorites and come back from time to time to see what we've been doing at Camellia Cottage! Blessings Friends! Becky

7/26/2008

Wonderful You!

I have a wonderful hubby! We've been married for just over 23 years now, and although we've had our trials and tribulations, ours is a sweet relationship. I was 33 when we got married, and had never been married before. I guess by then I knew what I wanted in a partner, and with God's help, I found him!


Now, you are probably asking yourself, 'but what does that have to do with cardmaking?'! Well, I'm telling you this to explain my newest card, titled "Wonderful You". I've been on a card-making frenzy lately, and he's never complained when I didn't cook dinner, or when the floor wasn't swept or vacuumed, or when I barely came out of my room to say Hi. That's because he understands what this is all about for me - escape, relaxation, enjoyment, and fun!


My elderly parents are depending on me more and more these days, and my mom thinks I only exist to listen to her gripe and complain about everything. She even called me on my cell the other day when I was at the local scrapbooking store (EMI Scrapbooking) just to tell me what was on sale at her local supermarket this week! And I was expected to stand there and listen! But I didn't, lol! My life truly means nothing to her unless it is in direct relationship to her. Now don't get me wrong - I love my mother - both my parents - to death, but sometimes they just stress me out big time, and that's where my cardmaking comes in!


So, just to show my sweet hubby how much I appreciate his enabling this obsession of mine, and letting me have my way when I'm really stressed, I made a card for him. I'm going to put it by the coffee pot so he'll see it first thing in the morning. Do you think he'll like it???


The base of the card is Bazzill cardstock, topped with Cosmo Cricket 'Fleuriste: Dew Drops' paper. The matting is just some old burgundy cardstock, and the 'Wonderful' tag is from Cosmo Cricket 'Fleuriste: Journaling Cards'. The beige and brown satin ribbon is from from Grosgrain Annie's (a local shop at an antique market). For the matting, I used brown ink and the stamps are Rhonda Farrar's Flourishes 2 by Autumn Leaves. I used clear embossing powder and heat embossed the flourishes for a little more detail.


On the bottom left-hand corner I used one of the Journaling Tickets from Tim Holtz 'idea-ology', and topped it with two flowers from Petaloo's Dahlia Box Blend - Small in the gold, peach, green, blue blend. A petty cut tortoise-shell look button centers the flowers.


On the upper right hand corner I used a Heidi Swapp ghost shapes heart, punched two small holes in it, and made a bow of thin brown satin ribbon with white dots along it. I just love those ghost shapes!

The bottom right hand corner I added the word 'you' in chipboard. The chipboard was from an old scrapbooking kit, and the letters were a horrible pink-y orange. I inked them heavily with 'peacock gold' from the Color Box Petal Point 'alchemy' colors. Then I added clear embossing powder and heat embossed them to get a shiny, pebbley look. I think they turned out quite well.
So now you know about my sweet hubby, and about the card I made just for him. I hope you've enjoyed this visit - come back soon! Becky

Welcome to Camellia Cottage Designs!

How do I start this thing??? Well, first, let me welcome you to my new blog home! There's so much I feel the need to say, but so little that you are probably interested in, so I guess the best place to start is with why I am here.


Hello, my name is Becky, and I am a paperaholic! There, I said it!!! I love papercrafting, paper, ribbon, buttons, rub-ons, diecuts, inks, stamps, and anything that I can work into one of my lovely cards.

Yes, I make cards! I don't do much scrapbooking because it's just hubby and me, and no kids around, period! So I take all those scrapping products and make lovely cards to send to family and friends. Let me show you my two most recent projects. They were for two challenges on Caardvarks card challenge blog >>>

This one was for Laura's sketch. I just love these springy colors. I used Fancy Pants 'Celebrate' papers. The striped paper is one side of 'Play', and the bird's body is the other side. The bird's wing is from 'Confetti'. The rub-on 'Hello' is from Scenic Route. The stitching around the edges is doodled with a metallic gel pen in a blue color. I used the scallop blade on my Carl PRT-100 rotary cutter to get the scallopping on the bottom of the striped paper, and a little bit of Sulyn Industries 'opal' glitter glue on the lines beneath the bird. The spiral clip on the edge is by Creative Impressions, and the ric-rack is by Wrights, purchased at WalMart.

I made the bird by using a pattern cut from another online greeting card, tracing it onto cardstock and inking the edges, adding a bead for the eye. I popped it off the card with foam dots.



This card is for Kazan's sketch. I made it
using Bazzill cardstock for the base, and Fancy Pants 'Sweet Spring' papers. The base of the card is one side of 'Abbi', the dotted paper is 'Marli', and the quote is from the 'Sweet Spring Card Set'. The flower was stamped onto the back side of 'Marli' with Tim Holtz' Distress Ink in Frayed Burlap, and I used the tiniest bit of Sulyn Industries 'opal' glitter glue on some of the petals, then popped it off the page with foam squares. The button is from Buttons Galore, the rub-on sentiment is from an old K & Co. Brenda Walton swatchbook, and the chipboard was a piece of a frame that I inked with turquoise ink and heat embossed with clear deep impression embossing powder. All of the stitching was done on my Kenmore machine. Oh, and the orange cardstock came with an old kit ages ago, but I distressed it with the same Distress Ink as used on the flower. This isn't at all my usual type of card since I'm usually about pastel and brighter colors, but I love how it turned out.

My online home away from home is at scrapbook.com. Here's where you can find my profile there >>>


Well, that's all for now. I hope to be sharing more with you as time goes by. Thanks for paying a visit to Camellia Cottage!