PTI Make It Monday #108: Inked Backgrounds and Sympathy Cards

Hello Bloggers and Bloggettes. It's been a rough past two weeks here, not going to lie. My dear friend who was a Navy pilot died in a plane crash here in WA during a routine training mission on April 11th along with 2 other airmen. We have been having quite a hard time coming to grips with it all, and making sympathy cards when you yourself are in mourning is not easy. She was an incredibly amazing and beautiful person inside and out, and even though I know she is happily with Jesus, it doesn't make me miss her less. Her husband is also a very dear friend of ours and this card was made for him. I was completely lacking in a good sympathy sentiment set and motivation for his card when Hero Arts (via Amazon) and Papertrey Ink's MIM came to my rescue. I liked the soft look of the sponging and thought it would pair nicely with my chosen PTI images. It was an easy card to put together thankfully, since I had several others I had already made for his family and her family as well. I sponged the background, stamped and embossed the silhouettes, and added the banner with the embossed sentiment. Pretty simple. Thanks for stopping by. If you don't mind, say a little prayer for the families of the 3 crash victims who are deeply grieving for their lost loved ones. And hug your loved ones a little tighter today. Our lives are but a beautiful breath.

Cardstock: PTI white
Ink: Versamark, (Momento) Bamboo Leaves, Pear Tart, Dandelion, Tangelo, (PTI) Kraft,
Embossing Powder: (Filigree) White, Gold
Stamps: (Hero Arts) Remember/Sympathy, (PTI) In the Meadow, Masculine Motifs
Other: Square Punch (to notch the banner), Scoretape

Moxie Fab World: Card Creations Week/Emphasize The Negative Challenge

http://www.moxiefabworld.com/2013/03/card-creations-week-emphasize-negative.html

Good evening Bloggers and Bloggettes! How is Spring Forward treating you? I'll have to admit that it sure threw this momma for a loop! I was at least an hour behind all day, if not more. Lol!
About my card: As I have stated before, I have been having such a great time using Pinterest for card inspiration. I know it's not a new concept, OBVIOUSLY, but I personally wasn't really using my pin boards in that way until now. It has made such a difference! The Pinterest inspiration photo for my card is below. Here's the source of the pin: http://jazz--fever.blogspot.com, but I could not find the photo or the photo's true origin. Sorry. It automatically jumped out at me as a beautiful, modern, graphic statement that would be perfect inspiration for this challenge. I stuck very close to the original design, but I knew I wanted my negative sentiment to pop and sparkle, thus the gold webbing behind. I'm loving the gold and melon pairings popping up everywhere, so don't be surprised if you see it again from me soon. Happy crafting and thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: All supplies listed are Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted
Cardstock: White, Berry Sorbet
Dies: Headline Alphabet, Heart Prints
Other: (not PTI items) Foam Adhesive, Scoretape, Glue, Gold thread

PTI Make It Monday #105: Glitter Trim

Howdy Bloggers & Bloggettes! Hope this week is treating you well! I'm trying to squeeze in as much crafting and challenges as I can before the my baby boy #3 arrives in a few weeks. I know that I will be beautifully distracted by him and his brothers for a while, so a crafting/blogging hiatus is inevitable. ;) I wanted to go for a different look for the glitter trim challenge and try my hand at a more modern look. Is anyone else longing for PTI to come out with a mix of super bright, modern colors that are so popular in fashion right now? And a pretty mint? A girl can dream. Lol. I've been pinning color inspiration boards on Pinterest and it has made SUCH a difference in helping me with my cards when I need to be fast. No more staring at my cardstock, wondering what on earth to pair together for the feel I want. I can just look through my board for inspiration! The inspiration board I used for this card is shown below. The link on Pinterest doesn't show you the board (hate when that happens) but here it is anyway: http://blog.heylook.fi/search?q=Neon&x=14&y=13
Do you look for inspiration before you start your crafting? Card sketches? Pinterest? Your surroundings? Or are you a "from scratch" crafter? Thanks for stopping by!

All products used are PTI unless otherwise noted.

Cardstock: White, Kraft, Linen, Berry Sorbet
(Highlighter Yellow is from an old mix pack from Hobby Lobby or Michaels)
Dies: Simple Circles Border, Headline Alphabet
Stamps: Herringbone background, Houndstooth background, Communique Sentiments Mini-dots
Ink: Kraft (Rich Cocoa, Tuxedo Black are from Momento: Tsukeniko)
Glitter: (Martha Stewart: Sterling Silver, Florentine Gold)
Adhesive: Scoretape - available at PTI, (Foam dimensional tape from Scotch)
Other: (Double sided adhesive chipboard from Lifestyle Crafts)