Whoo Loves You?

I just can’t get enough of the cute owl image from the new Little Critters collection from Clear and Simple Stamps! He makes another appearance here as the focal image on this card made with a sketch from the Clean and Simple Stamping blog.

For the sketch's large block panel, I repeatedly stamped the “whoo loves you” sentiment from the Little Critters set tone on tone in You’re Such a Gray-cious Host ink, staggering the placement of the words from line to line to add interest. One of the lines is stamped in red for a fun pop. The stamped panel is layered on a red scallop edged strip to match.

After adding a heart patterned paper panel edged with a strip of red grosgrain ribbon to the bottom of a pink card base, I added the sentiment panel on top.

The little owl from the Taglines: Critters set was stamped on a piece of gray cardstock and cut out. Its belly was paper pieced with a scrap of red cardstock. I used foam tape to attach the owl to a red circle, then set it on the card.

For more CSS inspiration, be sure to check out the CSS iPhone/iTouch app. A new project is shared daily, complete with step by step instructions. Here’s a sneak peek of my project that will be shown on the app tomorrow (January 28). You can get all the info on downloading the app here.

Materials Used:
Little Critters and Taglines: Critters stamp sets, You’re Such a Gray-cious Host, Haute Red Couture, and Perfect Little Black Dress inks, You’re Such a Gray-cious Host, Haute Red Couture, I’m a Princess Pink cardstock (Clear and Simple Stamps); Yours Truly 6x6 paper pad (Echo Park); circle punch (EK Success); scallop edge punch (Stampin’ Up!); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); foam tape

Blogger Challenge: Week 240

This week’s blogger challenge theme is texturize it. I’ve had the A Pocketful: Valentine set from WPlus9 for a while and hadn’t yet inked it up, so I pulled it out for the challenge to create a texture filled design based on the current Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge.

To get the textured theme started, I die cut a denim pocket for my focal image. After machine stitching around the edges (my sewing machine couldn’t believe it was actually stitching on fabric instead of paper!) and adding a scrap of red cardstock behind it to highlight the sort of heart shaped opening at the pocket’s bottom, I used foam tape to attach it to a kraft circle. The letter trio was stamped and cut out, then set on the panel so the letters appear to be coming out of the pocket.

For texture, I embossed the two bottom layers of the card. They’re both embossed with polka dots, but I used two different embossing folders, each with a different sized polka dot pattern to add interest while keeping the design unified. After machine stitching around all of the big rectangular panels, I layered them on a kraft card base. The image panel is attached over a kraft colored ribbon strip with notched edges. I stamped the set’s “love notes” sentiment beneath it, directly on the dotted patterned paper. Wish it showed up better than it does . . .

For more ideas incorporating texture, check out the link list below. And, if you’d like to join the challenge, add a direct link to your new project below.


Materials Used:
A Pocketful: Valentine stamp set, Love Notes dies (WPlus9); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Lady Bug marker (Tsukineko); marker (Copic); Crumb Cake and Riding Hood Red cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); With Love-be Mine designer paper (Pebbles); circle die (Spellbinders); Polka Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Polka Dot embossing folder (Lifestyle Crafts); Kraft grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey Ink); denim fabric; sewing machine; foam tape

Birthday Spotlight

This week’s Kraftin’ Kimmie challenge was to use part of an image or to use the spotlighting technique. I thought this cake and gift toting Moonlight Whispers Julie image would be a fun one to try out with the spotlighting technique.

I did not just one, but two spotlighted sections on the image. I chose to focus on the cake and the stack of gifts. Those sections were punched out of the stamped image with a 1 ¼” circle punch, then colored with Copic markers. I layered the colored pieces on 1 3/8” pink circles and set them back in place on the original image.

I kept the layout for the rest of the card pretty simple, attaching a pastel plaid patterned paper strip to the bottom of a pink card base and edging it with a coordinating solid green strip. I cut a narrow strip of the reverse side of the patterned paper—a bolder colored dotted pattern and set that across the plaid piece, then added the image panel on top. Instead of stamping the sentiment directly on the open space on the image panel, I punched out a tiny tag and stamped it on that. A blue button, tied with matching baker’s twine, anchors it to the panel and brings a little more color to the image panel along the way.

Materials Used:
Moonlight Whispers Julie stamp set (Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers, Gold Spica pen (Copic); Blushing Bride cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Hawaiian Shores ink, Hawaiian Shores cardstock, Hawaiian Shores button (Papertrey Ink); Hip-Hooray “Girl” Happy Day designer paper (My Mind’s Eye); circle punches (EK Success); tag punch (Fiskars); baker’s twine (The Twinery)

Classy Lady

Here’s my card for this week’s Waltzingmouse sketch challenge. I used my Cameo Maker set to put together this simple but elegant card.

I used one of the set’s cameo images and one of the set’s frames to make a layered cameo for my focal image. The cameo is heat embossed with a shiny pewter embossing powder. It’s not as solid as I would have liked, but it will have to do. After centering the cameo inside the stamped oval frame, I added a faux pearl necklace made with Liquid Pearls. I set the finished cameo on top of a shimmery white doily die cut.

I used a vintage looking lace patterned paper to cover most of the cardfront. It’s layered on a soft gray panel, then set on the darker gray card base. I used the same colors for the panels beneath the cameo. The “classy lady” sentiment from the You’re Lovely set is stamped on a vellum strip that’s machine stitched to the cardfront along the edges.

Materials Used:
Cameo Maker and You’re Lovely stamp sets (Waltzingmouse Stamps); Smokey Shadow ink, Smokey Shadow and Soft Stone cardstock, Doily Detail Collection die (Papertrey Ink); Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); white vellum (The Paper Co); Head over Heels Tiny Tablet (Lily Bee Design); Versamark ink (Tsukineko); oval dies (Spellbinders); White Opal Liquid Pearls (Ranger); sewing machine; foam tape

Color Throwdown 176-Let Your Dreams Take Flight

It’s time for another Color Throwdown! This week, Joan’s come up with a really pretty combination for us to try—Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Rose Red, and Chocolate Chip. I combined the colors with this week’s Our Craft Lounge Challenge to use chevrons to create a simple scene featuring a hot air balloon.

For my focal image, I colored the hot air balloon with a chevron pattern from the Love in the Air set using rosy red and chocolate markers, then carefully cut it out. It’s set on a dot embossed blue sky panel over a pair of die cut felt clouds.

To get a few more chevrons into the mix, I stamped a Crumb Cake panel with one of the chevron images from the Every Heart Beat set in matching ink to add a subtle pattern to the paper. The sky panel is matted on a Rose Red panel, then set on to the stamped Crumb Cake panel. I added the set’s “let your dreams take flight” sentiment on a Rose Red notch-edged strip that extends out from under the balloon. I stamped it in the same color as the paper so it doesn’t show up well in the photo, but it looks nice IRL.

To play along, just create a paper crafted project using these colors as a starting point and add a direct link to your finished project using the linky tool found at the end of this week's CTD post. As always, if you don’t have exact color matches, something close works just fine. And, if you upload your project to an online gallery, use the keyword CTD176. Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team:

** Barbara ** Broni ** Danielle ** Joan ** Kerri **
** Keva ** Kristin ** Lynn ** Tammy ** Wanda **
January Guestie Stacy Morgan

Materials Used:
Love in the Air and Every Heart Beat stamp sets (Our Craft Lounge), white Copic blending cardstock (X-Press); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Rose Red and Crumb Cake Classic inks, Rose Red and Crumb Cake cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Aqua Mist cardstock, cloud die (Papertrey Ink); Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug); white felt; foam tape

Papertrey Ink January Blog Hop

For this month’s Papertrey Ink blog hop, the challenge was to select and share a favorite project from 2011, then to create a second card that was inspired by that favorite project in some way.

The process of selecting a favorite project for today's hop took me a while! I went back and forth between several different creations before deciding on this fall themed project. You can see the original post featuring this card here.

I loved the clean and simple design, plus the color scheme. It also included only stamped elements—and stamping is what drew me in to paper crafting in the first place!

For version 2 of the card, I kept the layout pretty much the same but made changes to make the card more seasonal—as in Valentine’s Day appropriate. I used one of my favorite color schemes—aqua, red, and kraft—for the card and incorporated some fun textures to add interest to the design.

To get my remake started, instead of using the houndstooth stamp for the large panel at the bottom of the card, I stamped one of the heart border strips from the Heart Prints set repeatedly in Aqua Mist ink on an Aqua Mist panel. I kept the Modern Wood Mats panel the same and built a cluster of embellishments on that.

Instead of the leaves in the original design, I used a pair of die cut felt hearts along with a tag cut with the Tiny Tags die. I picked one with a heart cut out and added a scrap of red cardstock behind the heart-shaped opening to emphasize it and tied the top with a little Pure Poppy baker’s twine. The “hugs & kisses” sentiment from the Heart Prints set completes the remade version. Much the same, but definitely different in its own way!

Materials Used:
Heart Prints and Modern Wood Mats stamp sets, Aqua Mist and Dark Chocolate inks, Pure Poppy, Aqua Mist, Kraft, and Vintage Cream cardstock, Mat Stack 1, Heart Prints, Tiny Tags, and Double-Ended Banner dies, Pure Poppy and Aqua Mist felt, Pure Poppy baker’s twine (Papertrey Ink); Crumb Cake Classic ink (Stampin’ Up!)

TCP Tuesday 194-You (and K-Cups) Warm My Heart

For this week's TCP Tuesday stamp and die challenge, Susan's challenged us to use stamps (and dies!) with hearts. Given that Valentine's Day is coming up, this one's an easy one.

I thought I'd share the project I created for this month's TCP Project of the Month. I revised my the design of the K-cup caddy I'd originally created to hold a single K-cup caddy to hold two (or four) of the yummy coffee treats. You can find the full directions in printable form here.

To dress up my K-cup caddy, I used the sweet girl from the Merry Wishes set. She counts for the challenge since she's holding a tiny heart in her hand (look closely--I promise you'll see it!). I colored her with Copic markers, cut her out and added a little white flock to her hat for some texture.

The caddy is made from pink cardstock. I attached a dotted patterned paper to the front and sides to dress it up. A red strip die cut with the CutUps Anywhere Ribbon Slide and threaded with some rose seam binding is wrapped around the caddy. The tutorial has a little tip for how to make an extra long ribbon slide strip for projects like this one.

The colored girlie is attached to the holder with foam tape. The "you warm my heart" sentiment from the Like You a Latte set is stamped on a narrow pennant strip cut with the CutUps Easy Rosette die--it was a perfect match for the image and for the coffee theme. I slipped a CutUps Heart Rosette piece behind her to meet the challenge requirement of using a die with a heart.

I hope you’ll pull out your stamps and dies with hearts and play along with this week’s challenge for your chance to win some Cat Cash. Just upload your project to the photo album on Alma’s blog to enter—and be sure to keep an eye out for the links to the rest of the Cat Pack’s projects that she’ll be posting throughout the week. If you give the K-cup template a try, leave me a comment with a link to your project so I can check it out.

Materials Used:
Merry Wishes and Like You a Latte stamp sets, Neenah white cardstock, CutUps Ribbon Slide, Easy Rosette, Circus Panels and Heart Rosette dies, rose seam binding (The Cat's Pajamas); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Pink Pirouette and Regal Rose cardstock, Regal Rose Classic ink (Stampin' Up!); circle punch (EK Success); Snowday-Fireside designer paper (Pink Paislee); white flock (Stampendous); foam tape