A (brief) break from cards (Part 2)...

Hello and Welcome!

I'm back today with a post highlighting some of my favorite pages from last year's Disney Cruise scrapbook.  I had always wanted to make a real and official scrapbook from one of our family vacations, but somehow time was always getting away from me (figure that!).  But after last year's family cruise, I knew that I had to find a way to put those wonderful memories on paper.  So I bought the Disney book, the Disney paper, the Disney stickers and the rest is history.  I can probably say that my love of paper crafting started with this project, so I'm excited to share some pages.

I'm debating putting another one together for this year's cruise.  It is definitely a great keepsake, so I am sure I will decide to go ahead with another one.

Meeting the Mouse! The mouse ears & bowties were made with a Cricut.

Pirate Night! Specialty Disney Paper made this page one of my favorites!

Family Pic with Mickey! The buttons were a Pinterest find and I love them!

Keep Austin Crafty!

A (brief) break from cards (Part 1)...

Hello and Welcome!

I am back today with a brief post highlighting a non-card paper project.  The family and I will be heading out on a Disney Cruise soon and I am so excited! Truth be told, I can't tell who's more excited...me or my 4 year old!  This is our second Disney cruise, but the first with just me, my husband and our daughter.  Last year we went all out with our whole extended family.  While it was extremely fun and way easier than getting everyone around in Disney World, I am looking forward to having some quality time with my little family.

I'm sharing this project because last year I totally dropped the ball on "door decorations" and this year I was not going to be left out of the party! Who knew that "door decorations" were even a thing on a cruise, but they definitely are with Disney.  So here are my Mickey Mouse (hubby's), Minnie Mouse (yours truly) and a "mini" Minnie Mouse (my baby) door decorations.  The "mini" version still has princess and Lightning McQueen stickers to come so I thought I'd take the picture before that fun began ;) This was a simple and quick paper project!

Supplies used: Black and Brick Red cardstock, Cricut cutting machine for all shapes, white CraftSmart paint pen and 3M Single-Sided laminating roll (no machine needed!)

And don't worry, we have our matching shirts too!

Ever been on a Disney cruise?! Share your "must dos" below! And check back tomorrow when I share some of my favorite pages from last year's scrapbook!

Keep Austin Crafty!

Jingle Jingle

Hello and Welcome!

I had so much fun creating today's card and I am so excited to share it!  I am still working with the wonderful goodies I collected from my mom's craft room and her stuff is awesome! I thought the wonderful, sparkly paper paired with the beautiful plaid background came out beautiful.  The Alpine Adventure bundle is really going a long way and as expected I have been able to create some beautiful cards for this holiday season. 

I am submitting this card to two challenges today...Tuesday Morning Sketches and Just Add Ink.  For the Just Add Ink challenge, I chose to work with Bows and Bling. 

Here are the challenge details...

And here is my card...

I started with a 5" x 5" green cardstock base.  Most of the background paper was the result of rummaging through scraps, so I don't have any details on the paper colors, etc.  I am always amazed by the things you can create from simple scraps.  The die cuts and stamps were all from the SU Alpine Adventure bundle and stamped in SU Early Espresso.  Add a little bling to the present die cuts and presto! one beautiful holiday card! I even had a little fun and stamped the envelope!  

Keep Austin Crafty! 

Fall is in the Air

Hello and Welcome!

Well, it has been a busy week and I cannot say how excited I am to be back in my little crafting area!  It is nice to take a break and let my creative side take the lead for just a few minutes.

I did have the chance this week to rummage through my mom's card making supplies and I think I was able to come up with some fun and new ideas.  I have been looking forward to actually making a "fall" card with dark oranges, browns and reds, so that was my goal for this week.  I kind of skipped directly to making my Christmas cards and completely forgot about the beautiful (and peaceful) colors of fall.  So here it goes...

I was inspired by two challenges this week.  The layout for the card came from the team at Freshly Made Sketches and the color inspiration came from The Color Throwdown.

Here is the sketch and color palette...

And here is my card...

Well, if that card doesn't say, "come enjoy a nice cup of coffee on this cool, crisp morning" then I don't know what will...haha! 

Supplies used: Sizzix Woodland Textured Embossing folder, Sizzix pumpkin spice framelits, SU Seasonal Layers, SU Early Espresso ink, and SU Metallics Sequin Assortment (bling, bling!)

This card was so fun to make and I hope to see you again before the week is up for another card creation! 

Keep Austin Crafty! 

A Simple Hello

Hello and Welcome!

Back to today with a post for a simple "Hello" card with beautiful fall colors.  I was inspired by two challenges today...

Tuesday Morning Sketches & The Paper Players

The Paper Players is a new challenge for me, so I am excited to share my work with that group.

Here are the inspiration samples...

And here is my card...

This was my first time stamping the paper for a design rather than using dies or designed paper.  It was fun creating my own design for the paper.

Supplies used: Victoria Gardens by Cassandra Cooper cardstock, Recollections cardstock, Sizzix oval framelets, Stampin' Up linen thread and Early Espresso ink

P.S....Don't forget to leave a comment for your favorite Christmas card here!

Keep Austin Crafty!

Lovely Flower Pot

Hello and Welcome!

Thanks for joining me today! I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend.  I am back today to share a card that was made during the quiet of a rare afternoon nap by my 4 year old.  It is a somewhat simple card, but I was thrilled to be able to use my new flower pot stamp (found this one and a few others for a bargain at a recent yard sale...boy do I love a good yard sale!).  I thought card making was relaxing, but enjoying the quiet and coloring in those beautiful flowers was a much needed stress reliever.

I'm also entering this into this week's challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  I know it is a very loose interpretation of the sketch, but I thought the circular design of the background paper lent itself to the three circular designs at the bottom of the sketch.  I know, I know...loose interpretation like I said.

I also found a new challenge while looking around on some of my favorite sites.  I found the CAS-ual Fridays challenge and turns out the color scheme that I randomly choose for this card (pinks and greys) fits this week's challenge.  So I think I'll go ahead and join that challenge for the first time! 

Here is the sketch and the color scheme...

 

And here is my card...

I hope to use my markers for more stamp coloring projects in the future.  I think it really adds a nice touch to the stamps.

Supplies Used: Jack and Jill by Lori Whitlock paper, Firefly alcohol markers, twine and Sizzix oval framelits

P.S...Don't forget to pick your favorite Christmas card here!!!

Keep Austin Crafty!

The Bee's Knees

Hello and Welcome!

Back today to play along with this week's sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches.  I was so excited to see this week's challenge because I recently splurged and purchased the square version of the Sizzix framelits.  Talk about the perfect place to use these for the first time! I also have been dying to use these little bumblebee die cuts! My wonderful mom (who is also a card maker) made these for me to use on a rainy day and boy do they make me smile.

Here is the sketch...

And here is my card...

I added some fun, honeycomb paper behind the bumblebees and the yellow embellishments seemed like the perfect touch! I usually try to pop one or more panels, but I thought the embellishments helped add that dimension instead.

So I made this square card as a 5" x 5", but I seem to be having a bit of a dilemma finding an envelope that will fit that size card?!?  Any ideas from anyone? Do fellow crafters make their own envelopes or am I missing something on any of the big craft store websites? I thought that size card would be standard, but I might have made a newbie mistake on that one.

P.S....Don't forget to pick your favorite holiday card from yesterday's post here!

Keep Austin Crafty!

Time to Pick Your Favorite!

Hello and Welcome!

Ok so I know what you've been thinking..."why has it been so long since the ATXPaperHouse has posted? She makes such cute cards!"...just kidding, I know no one is thinking that!

But on the off chance that someone is, here is today's post! While I haven't been posting, I have been busy putting together a few "prototypes" for this year's Christmas card.  And now I need your help! I made three different cards because I was so excited to use all of my new stamping goodies!  Leave your comments below on which one you think is the best!  Perhaps your favorite will be the lucky card selected to be mass produced by yours truly and sent to all of our family and friends this holiday season!

Card #1: Winter Sports

For this card, I was inspired by the Stampin' Up catalog sample for the placement of my sporty die cuts.  I especially loved the wreath hanging from the skis.  I decided to go with a country theme using the wood plank background and traditional reds and greens. 

Supplies used: Alpine Adventure die cuts and stamps, Sizzix Oval Framelits, Recollections Ivory Plank paper, BoBunny Merry and Bright paper

Card #2: Let it Snow

I love how this snowflake inspired card turned out! The snowflake die cuts were so simple and elegant that they really popped on the card.  I loved being able to branch out from the traditional reds and greens.  I even decorated the envelope for this card!

Supplies used: Alpine Adventure die cuts and stamps, Sizzix Oval Framelits, BoBunny Merry and Bright paper

Card #3: Wreaths in a Window

Ok, so as I was working on this card, I never thought that it would turn out to be my favorite! I always have "wreaths in a window" during the Christmas season and I thought why not turn that into a card?!? And this is what I came up with! It just makes me feel warm, cozy and ready for the Christmas season.

Supplies used: Apline Adventure die cuts, Sizzix Oval Framelits, Recollections Christmas greeting stamps, BoBunny Merry and Bright paper

Time to pick your favorite! Don't forget to leave your comments below!

Keep Austin Crafty!

Fun with Washi Tape

Hello and Welcome!

Back with a short post today for this week's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  I struggled with this sketch a bit because I realized that I don't have a lot of stamps or die cuts that could be used as the sketch suggests.  However, I pulled on my creative cap and pulled out my stash of washi tape to see what I could come up with.

Here is the sketch...

And here is my card...

I popped two of the pink flowers to try and add some dimension since the color scheme was somewhat plain.  I definitely think it needs more color or embossed paper on the next variation, but I do love the way the washi tape stands out and sometimes a simple card is all that's needed to make a friend smile.  

Keep Austin Crafty! 

Wreaths and Bows

Hello and Welcome!

I am excited to share today's post because as promised I have finished my first card using my new Alpine Adventure Stampin' Up set!  I had so much fun playing with the die-cuts and stamps and I know I am going to get a ton of use out of this set!

The hubby and I recently took a trip to Colorado for the first time and absolutely fell in love with the scenery.  The mountains were magnificent in the summer and I can't wait to go back to see the true magic of those same mountains covered in snow.  When I saw this Alpine Adventure set, I knew that I wanted to use that trip as inspiration for creating a set of mountain/skiing/sledding themed cards this Christmas!

The layout inspiration for today's card came from the wonderful team at Tuesday Morning Sketches.

Here is the sketch...

And here is my card...

The lovely background paper is from the Merry and Bright Collection by BoBunny.  All of the ink is stamped in Early Espresso and I love how the dark reds and browns came together.  I went pretty simple for the inside with a quick stamped "Christmas Greetings" and snowflake border.     

Keep Austin Crafty! 

An Alpine Adventure

Hello and Welcome!

Ok, so today I am doing a little happy dance...why, you ask? Well, I have finally received my very first Stampin' Up order and I couldn't be more excited!!  I have a pretty ambitious goal this year and that is to hand make all of my Christmas cards...yikes!  I usually do the family photo, Merry Christmas card on Shutterfly, but this year I am going to be bold...that's my goal and I'm sticking to it!! 

So I purchased "An Alpine Adventure" stamp set and it is perfect!  I can't wait to get started...

Be back later this week with my first card from the new set!! 

Keep Austin Crafty!!