Bloggers Challenge: Week 11

This week's Bloggers Challenge was to use the layout on page 12 of the SU! Holiday Mini catalog to create a card. Fortunately, this one proved to be a much easier challenge than last week's layout challenge! This is a great layout to use to showcase those pretty patterned papers that I've been collecting (and that you probably are, too!) and to use some larger pieces of chipboard (or other stuff, as you'll see in this post). It was such a fun layout to work with that I have two samples to share for the challenge.

The focal point on the sample card was a large chipboard star. This made me think of a snowflake, so I ended up with a winter-themed card, despite the 90+ degree weather we're having here. I used two different pieces of patterned paper from Memory Box's Winter Wonderland collection. This paper package has a nice variety of wintery-feeling papers and it coordinates really well with a lot of different shades of blue.

The snowflake is actually a decorated wood cutout. It already sparkled with its glittery coating, but I embellished it a little by adding some rhinestones to the center and around the edges. It's attached to a circle layered on a large scalloped circle using dimensionals. The only stamping on the card is the sentiment, sparkle, from the Warm Words set. I really like the way this card came out. Unfortunately, I don't think this card will ever get mailed because of the wooden accent piece . . .

The second card has a color scheme taken straight from the Fall Flowers designer paper pack--my very favorite in the new SU! catalog. The focal point is a piece of chipboard from the chipboard set that was available to SU! demos at convention. I covered the chipboard flower in a piece of Soft Sky Prints Series designer paper. The flower's center is inked with Old Olive craft ink and covered with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. I attached a Soft Sky colored button to the flower's center, too. The sentiment on this card is also from the Warm Words set.

I will definitely use this layout again. Both of these cards came together really quickly and easily. Be sure to check out the creations made by the other Blogger Challenge participants. We have some new members joining us this week and I can't wait to see what they (and the other group members) have to share.

Materials Used (Snowflake Card):
From Stampin' Up!: Warm Words stamp set; Night of Navy Classic ink; Night of Navy and Brocade Blue cardstock; silver brads; silver cord; photo corner punch
Other: patterned paper (Memory Box's Winter Wonderland Collection); wood snowflake (AC Moore); large self-adhesive rhinestone (Joann); small rhinestones (Walmart); mega scalloped circle (Marvy Uchida); 1 3/4" circle punch (EK Success); white organdy ribbon (Joann)

Materials Used (Flower Card):
From Stampin' Up!: Warm Words stamp set; Blue Bayou Classic ink; Old Olive Craft ink; Old Olive cardstock; Fall Flowers and Soft Sky Prints Series designer paper; On Board Blossoms chipboard; Blue Bayou stitched grosgrain; Iridescent Ice embossing powder; Certainly Celery grosgrain; pop-up glue dot
Other: button (American Crafts); brads (Making Memories)