Cheep Talk Shoebox Swap

Cindy is hosting another shoebox swap today. I always enjoy getting together with the group of people that gather for her swaps. Lucky for me that my new Stampin’ Up! stuff arrived on Thursday, just in time to design this card to bring along.

Even though my collection of bird and tree sets has grown by leaps and bounds over the past year, I couldn’t resist getting Cheep Talk. I loved the whimsical bird images and the sentiments curved to fit along the branches of the tree. I found it really easy to line up the sentiment pretty much where I wanted it, even without a Stamp-a-ma-jig.

Here’s the card I designed for today. Since there are 31 swappers attending the event, I kept the card pretty simple to make and assemble. The bird image is stamped in Baja Breeze ink on a Kiwi Kiss branch. The sentiment is stamped in Pacific Point ink to pop against the white and softer bird and branch colors.

I am still working my way through tons of Bella Rose designer paper, so I used a panel of paper from the pack along the left side of the card. It’s edged with a scalloped strip of Pacific Point cardstock to bring in a little more of this bold blue. I added a photo corner, accented with a brad, and a ribbon tab to the image panel, then attached it to the cardfront with dimensionals.

Materials Used (all from Stampin’ Up!):
Cheep Talk stamp set, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, and Pacific Point Classic inks, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, and Whisper White cardstock, Bella Rose designer series paper, Kiwi Kiss striped grosgrain ribbon, photo corner punch, scallop edge punch, silver brad, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals

Meet Martini Darling

As promised, I have another sneak peek at a soon-to-be released set from Clear & Simple Stamps. Here’s your very first look at Martini Darling, the newest addition to the fabulous Simple Darlings from Clear & Simple Stamps. This just might be my favorite Clear & Simple Stamps set yet!

I based the colors for my card around the patterned paper I used. I've had this fun olive/martini themed paper from Luxe in my stash, just waiting for the perfect image to pair it with. One of the Darlings from the set is colored with Copic markers to coordinate with the colors in the paper. I added some details with a Copic Spica glitter pen. I used red ink to stamp the “happy hour” sentiment alongside the image and added a trio of sparkly red mini rhinestones to accent it.

The circles were cut using my extremely high-tech circle cutting system (old plastic lids from food containers, traced and then cut on the line). The red behind the patterned paper really makes the paper’s pattern pop. I layered the circles on an Aqua Mist card base after wrapping a slightly deeper Ocean Tides dotted ribbon around the cardfront. I placed the image over the circle panel using dimensionals.

Here's a look at the rest of the images in this fun set. I'll have more Clear & Simple Stamps samples to share with you soon.

Materials Used:
Martini Darling stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Pure Luxury white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers and glitter pen (Copic); Aqua Mist cardstock, Ocean Tides Swiss dot satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); Real Red Classic ink, Real Red cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); patterned paper (Luxe-Cocktail Dress: Martini)

Blogger Challenge: Week 84

The theme for this week’s blogger challenge is birthdays. I have had this cute Happy Chef set from The Greeting Farm since early this month and haven’t used it yet, so I pulled it out for this challenge.

I stamped the chef image on white cardstock and colored it with Copic markers. I ended up cutting the image out and attaching it to the Soft Sky mat behind it because my attempt to cut the image out with a Nestabililties rectangle die didn’t work so well. I kind of like how some of the image (the platter and the hat) extend beyond the border of the Soft Sky panel, so it worked out okay. The red rug for the chef is standing on was a last minute addition, made from half of an oval punched piece.

The rest of the card is pretty simple. The “happy birthday” sentiment is stamped in red on layered petite oval Nestabilities cutouts and attached to the card to overlap the image panel. I used a piece of red grid patterned paper to cover part of the bottom of the cardfront and added a trio of brads to match the rows of buttons on the chef’s jacket.

For more birthday themed inspiration, you can stop by to visit the rest of the challenge players. Links to their blogs are in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:
Happy Chef stamp set (The Greeting Farm); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Real Red Classic ink, Real Red, Soft Sky, and Pacific Point cardstock, Real Red Patterns designer paper, Real Red grosgrain ribbon, oval punch, silver brads, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); petite oval dies (Nestabilities)

First Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge Card

My Paper Craft Planet design team buddy Sankari (along with her friend Brooke) has a challenge blog called Cinema Saturday Creative Challenges. Each week, they post sneak peeks leading up to the big reveal of the featured movie on Saturday and participants have the opportunity to guess what the movie might be. Once the movie is revealed, players are invited to take inspiration from the movie to create a project.

This week’s movie pick was the classic The Wizard of Oz. I took my inspiration from how Dorothy and the other characters she met along the way (the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion) helped and supported each other on their journey. I used the knight image from the DoodleFactory Fairy Tale set from Starving Artistamps as the focal image for my card—and to meet the additional challenge requirement of having a metallic element in your project.

I stamped the knight on metallic silver paper in black ink and sprayed the image with some sealant (after smearing the first one I stamped . . .). The additional details are paper pieced with cardstock scraps. I used a scrap of yellow cardstock to fashion my own yellow brick road, hand drawing some bricks. I set the road and knight on a Baja Breeze cardfront with sponged-in clouds and torn paper grass.

The “thank you” sentiment comes from the matching Fairy Tale sentiment set. I added a punched out heart as an embellishment to complete the card.

Materials Used:
DoodleFactory Fairy Tale and Fairy Tale sentiment sets (Starving Artistamps); silver metallic paper (Target); Real Red Classic ink, Real Red, Yoyo Yellow, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, More Mustard, and Basic Black cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); heart punch, (EK Success); black pen; cloud template

Kiss Kiss Kiss

Exciting things are on the way from Clear & Simple Stamps. I have a whole bunch of brand new images to share with you in the upcoming days, including some new Simple Darlings images.

Here’s a card I made featuring some images from the current Valentine’s Day bundle special. I stamped the block sentiment in red ink on a white square, then layered the square on a matching red scallop edged square. The lips image is stamped over the sentiment block in pink ink.

I ended up making a square card to match the square shape of the sentiment. I used a piece of fun American Crafts patterned paper to cover the card front. I really like the non-traditional colors of the hearts on this paper. I attached a strip of wide red grosgrain ribbon to the scalloped square, then attached the ribbon and sentiment panel to the card. The final touch was a matching red grosgrain bow, attached at the top of the scalloped square using a glue dot.

Materials Used:
Love Bug stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Real Red and Pretty in Pink Classic inks, Real Red, River Rock, and Whisper White cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); patterned paper (American Crafts); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); scalloped square punch (Marvy Uchida)

More Hand Holding

I turned to Melanie's Hand-in-Hand set from Gina K Designs again for today's SCS sketch challenge. This card came together quickly using patterned paper from My Mind's Eye to tie all the elements together.

The hands image is colored with Copic markers--still need practice with coloring those hands . . . I fit the sentiment underneath, stamped in bold red ink.

I stitched the patterned paper to a panel of Ocean Tides cardstock using a zig zag stitch. I layered the red strip over that, then added the image panel with a coordinating ribbon tab. This is a color combination I wouldn't have come up with on my own, but I really like it.

I went back and forth between felt hearts and a Prima flower as a simple embellishment before finally settling on the bright red flower with a pearl Dew Drop center.

Materials Used:

Hand-in-Hand stamp set, white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Pure Poppy Palette ink, Aqua Mist and Ocean Tides cardstock, Ocean Tides grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey Ink); Real Red cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!) ; patterned paper (My Mind's Eye Out & About Diamonds #2); flower (Prima); Dew Drop (Kitchen Sink Stamps); sewing machine

Unity Challenge: Week 21

This week's Unity Addicts Challenge is brought to us by Lisa, who also designs stamps for Unity (how cool is that??). Her challenge was to create a Valentine with red, yellow, robin's egg blue, and pink. Definitely not traditional Valentine colors, right?

Since the colors were a little non-traditional, I decided to put a slightly non-traditional slant on my card, too. I decided those colors would be great for a card for a child. I pulled out my Cuter Than Most kit for this fun one. I colored the one-eyed alien with Copic markers and added a wiggly eye for fun.

I used a scrap of paper from the Sassafrass Lass Sunshine Lollipops pad to cover most of the cardfront. With a blue faux stitched strip and some red ribbon along the bottom, I was able to tone the yellow down just a bit. I stamped the "I've got my eye on you" sentiment directly on the patterned paper with red craft ink. For the pink, I added a pink felt heart embellishment to the alien image. So cute and kid-friendly!

For more Unity inspiraton, you can visit the rest of the Unity Addicts. Links to their blogs are in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:

Cuter than Most stamp kit (Unity Stamp Co.); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); oval dies (Nestabilities); Baja Breeze Classic ink, Real Red Craft ink, Real Red, Baja Breeze, and Yoyo Yellow cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool, white gel pen, Real Red grosgrain ribbon, scallop edge punch, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Sunshine Lollipops designer paper pad (Sassafras Lass); felt heart (Michaels); wiggly eye

Blue Bird Garden

It's snowy and cold here today. I'm still not feeling better, so I stayed home from work to try to sleep my sick off. I ventured outside this afternoon to shovel the snow from my steps and sidewalk and to clear off my car. I must have been quite a sight in my long coat, faux Ugg boots, and pajamas with my unbrushed hair pulled up in a ponytail! These are the moments when I'm less than thrilled to be a single female homeowner . . .

I managed to make a quick card to share with you using the colors from today's SCS color challenge. The colors--Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, and Garden Green--fit nicely with my favorite Unity stamp kit, Giggle Grove.

I created a grassy setting using torn strips of Garden Green along the bottom of a Baja Breeze panel. I rubbed some White craft ink and Garden Green Classic ink along the torn edges to give it some texture. I used a scrap of Wild Wasabi (not Garden Green, I know, but close enough!) to paper piece the tree and added a Pacific Point bird. The "i'm here from you" sentiment from August's Kit of the Month is stamped in Pacific Point ink along the side of the panel.

I plan on going back to work in the morning, so I'm off to relax for the rest of the evening while watching some TV in bed--American Idol (maybe they'll show the Salt Lake City auditions tonight?) and then the basketball Wisconsin Badgers on ESPN. Hopefully they'll end their losing streak tonight . . .

Materials Used:Giggle Grove stamp kit , August Kit of the Month (Unity Stamp Co.); Pacific Point, Garden Green, and Chocolate Chip Classic inks, White Craft ink, Pacific Point, Baja Breeze, and Garden Green cardstock, Baja Breeze Patterns and Wild Wasabi Prints Series designer paper, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); green Bella Dots (Stamping Bella)

Sketches {by Tamara}: Recipe 33

Here's my card for this week's recipe challenge at Sketches {by Tamara}. This week's three required ingredients were a die cut, buttons, and ribbon. I finished my card, then realized that I had forgotten the ribbon! I managed to incorporate it into the design without too much of a problem.

I based my card on Lauren's Saturday sketch challenge. I wanted to use some of the pretty Basic Grey Bittersweet paper for my card and thought the paper looked nice with a Kraft cardstock background, so I built my card around these elements.

I stamped one of the sentiments from the Hero Arts All Occasions Messages stamp set for the card's focal point. This is a great all-around sentiment set. I'm glad I've added it to my collection--I know I'll use it a lot. I layered the sentiment panel on a scalloped border with mini hearts punched out of each scallop. You can see where I managed to squeeze in just a bit of the forgotten ribbon in the form of a brown faux suede ribbon tab under the sentiment panel.

I used a pair of Nestabilities heart dies as an embellishment. I added a pink puffy heart to the center of the die cut. The scalloped edges were a perfect match to the heart border.

And for those of us who aren't able to be there, Kate from i {heart} papers has continued to send back news and previews from CHA. Yesterday, Loretta shared the news, including photos of some fabulous new papers from Upsy Daisy and gcd studios. Today, Tracy will be filling you in, so be sure to check out what news she has from Kate.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Hero Arts All Occasions Messages stamp set, Basic Grey Bittersweet-Mousse designer paper, May Arts brown faux suede ribbon, The Card Co. pink puffy heart

other: Cranberry Crisp Classic ink, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, Cranberry Crisp, and Kraft cardstock, white gel pen, 3/4" circle punch (Stampin' Up!); mini hearts edge punch (Martha Stewart); buttons (Walmart)

Something a Little Different

No new stamped creations tonight because I'm not feeling too well. Hopefully that won't last too long . . .

I do have something fun to share with you, though. Check out this clipboard paper bag album that I made for a swap last summer. I have to admit that I’m not really a scrapbooker, but I’m thrilled with how this album turned out.

I won’t go in to detail about it here, other than to say it’s made with all Stampin’ Up! products, including the Always stamp set and Bella Rose designer paper. Amazingly, I think that everything I used to make this album is still currently available from SU!

If you want the complete directions for this project, you can find a full tutorial in the latest edition of the Daily {Paper Craft} Planet (PDF file), the weekly newsletter from Paper Craft Planet. If you haven't checked it out yet, the Daily {Paper Craft} Planet is full of paper crafting related news and tutorials and also points you to some of the great stuff on the Paper Craft Planet site. If you want to get straight to the tutorial, you can find it here. If you give this project a try, be sure to let me know. I'd love to see your version!

Kitchen Sink Monday: As Easy as 1, 2, 3

I’m the host for this week’s Kitchen Sink Monday challenge. My theme for the challenge is “Easy as 1, 2, 3—With a Twist.” One of the things that Kitchen Sink Stamps is known for is its fabulous multi-step images. With that in mind, I challenged the members of the Kitchen Sink Crew to share creations with KSS’s unique multi step images with one catch—no floral images.

Here’s my challenge card. I used the 3 Step Baseball set to create a birthday card for my best friend’s husband. I used the catcher’s mitt image as the focal point of my card. It is a 4 step image, stamped first in Papertrey Ink’s Vintage Cream ink, then in SU!’s Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, and Chocolate Chip inks.

The colors for the card were inspired by our local baseball team, the Washington Nationals. I had some baseball themed designer paper that I used for the panel on the cardfront. I know it doesn’t look baseball themed, but the pattern on the back is, I promise! I used some solid paper scraps to make a place for the sentiment. Since this is for a guy, I kept the embellishments at a minimum—just some faux stitching and brads to highlight the sentiment.

The multi-step images from KSS are so easy to use and create amazingly detailed images. If you want to see how multi-step stamping works, Maria has created a detailed tutorial to show you. It was in last week’s Paper Craft Planet newsletter, but in case you missed it, you can find it here.

For more projects with KSS’s multi-step stamp sets, you can visit the rest of the Kitchen Sink Crew. Here are links to their blogs:
Angela Knopf
Dee Jackson
Julie Masse
Lynn McAuley
Maria Colosimo
Nicole Cooke
Tammy Hershberger

Materials Used:
3 Step Baseball stamp set (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Vintage Cream Palette ink (Papertrey Ink); Night of Navy, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, and Chocolate Chip Classic inks, White Craft ink, Real Red, Night of Navy, and Whisper White cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool, white gel pen, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); designer paper (Moxxie); circle dies (Nestabilities); blue brads (Making Memories)

More Just in from CHA--Zva Creative

As promised, here's another update from CHA. Kate from i {heart} papers just sent me these fabulous photos from the Zva Creative booth at CHA. They have fabulous bling in lots of forms. I have photos of some of the products featured in the booth. You can see the range of sparkly stuff that they have to offer, from single crystals to fancy shapes.

And, here are some samples showing off these pretty crystals. Wow!

Papertrey Ink Birthday Blog Hop

The theme for this month's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop is birthdays. It seems that I always need birthday cards and never have any on hand, so I decided that for my Blog Hop project, I'd come up with some quick, easy to reproduce birthday cards.

I approached this like I did one of the recent challenges from one of my blogger groups--same but different. I used the same layout but with different colors and papers to create cards perfect for different people. All of the cards use the new Around & About Sentiments set and PTI patterned paper and ribbon. It took me about 30 minutes to complete these three cards. Gotta love that!

This was my first card. It's designed with a child's birthday in mind. I used some bright striped paper for the large panel on the cardfront, then layered this panel on a coordinating mat. I wrapped a piece of Spring Rain twill around the panel, then attached it to a Spring Rain card base.

I stamped the "happy birthday to you" circle-shaped sentiment on red cardstock. I added the smaller circle and the star image inside the sentiment. This was layered on a slighty larger Spring Rain circle, then attached to the card with a dimensional.

Materials Used:

Around & About Sentiments stamp set, Pure Poppy, Lemon Tart and Spring Rain Palette inks, Pure Poppy, Spring Rain, and White cardstock, Men of Life patterned paper, Spring Rain twill (Papertrey Ink); 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

The next card was designed to be a masculine birthday card. I have such a hard time with masculine cards! A monochromatic brown color scheme seemed to be a good way to go for a masculine look and feel. I started with a kraft cardstock base and added a piece of Chocolate Remix patterned paper as the panel on the cardfront. Instead of tying the ends of the Dark Chocolate twill together, I tied a knot in the piece of twill and wrapped it around the panel. It looks a little more masculine to me this way.

I stamped the solid circle inside the sentiment circle, then added a light brown (almost kraft colored) button with a single white gel pen faux stitch at the center as a simple embellishment.

Materials Used:

Around & About Sentiments stamp set, Dark Chocolate Palette ink, Dark Chocolate and Vintage Cream cardstock, Chocolate Remix patterned paper, Dark Chocolate twill (Papertrey Ink); Kraft cardstock, white gel pen, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); button (Walmart)

The final card is a more feminine version of this layout. I love the look of the bright new Raspberry Fizz against black, so I used that combination for my card. The flower pattern from the Raspberry Fizz Mix pack looked kind of busy to me, so I broke it up a little with a strip of wide black grosgrain ribbon before attaching it to the Raspberry Fizz card base.

I stamped the flower inside the sentiment circle, set inside the small black circle to set it off. I embellished the flower with a black sort-of rhinestone.

I really like this clean and simple layout (just my style) and how quickly these all came together. I think I'll do some more of these for different occasions just to keep on hand.

Materials Used:

Around & About Sentiments stamp set, Raspberry Fizz Palette ink, Raspberry Fizz and White cardstock, Raspberry Fizz Mix patterned paper, True Black grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey Ink); Basic Black cardstock, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Noir Black ink (Palette); black self-adhesive rhinestone (Michaels)

Love Etc.

I'm finally getting a chance to use my January Kit of the Month from Unity Stamp Co. I really like the images in this month's Love Etc. kit. They are a great size and include a nice mix of images and sentiments.

I used the heart "bush" image for my card for today's featured stamper challenge on SCS. My card is based on this one in Vicky Gould's gallery. I kept the layout and the colors mostly the same--I remember really liking this color combination when it was a color challenge a while back. I changed the images used and some of the embellishments on my version.

I stamped the image in Black Craft ink, then heat embossed it with black embossing powder. I added the "all my love" sentiment in plain black ink. Like Vicky, I distressed the edges of the image panel before layering it on black and gray mats.

I embossed the Purely Pomegranate panel on the cardfront with the Floral Fantasy embossing folder. It has a few hearts hidden in the pattern! I replaced the black dotted ribbon in the original card with gray taffeta ribbon in my version.

Materials Used:

January Kit of the Month (Unity Stamp Co.); Basic Black Classic ink, Black Craft ink, Purely Pomegranate, Basic Gray, and Basic Black cardstock, Black embossing powder, distressing tool, gray taffeta ribbon, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Floral Fantasy embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Dew Drops (Kitchen Sink Stamps)

Here's my card for this week's sketch at Page Plans, also featuring an image from Love Etc. All of the card sketch design team members used the sketch to create cards with a Valentine's theme.

I went with a simple but elegant black, white, and red theme. I made the large panel for the cardfront with a piece of diagonal striped paper in shades of black, white, and gray. I matted it on a piece of red for a pop of color.

I stamped the "all my love" sentiment (again!) in red on a white panel. I really like the handwriting-like font used for the sentiment. I added an acetate die cut shape and a black button to the panel as an embellishment.

This is the last week to enter the Page Plans contest to win a Making Memories Slice. You can find all the details here.

Materials Used:

January Kit of the Month (Unity Stamp Co.); Real Red Classic ink, Real Red, Basic Black, and Whisper White cardstock, scallop edge punch, white gel pen, dimensionals (Stampin' Up); acetate die cut (K & Company); button (Walmart); patterned paper (Making Memories Scrapbook Basics mat pack)

Breaking News--Updates and New Products as Seen at CHA

Kate from i {heart} papers is at the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) show in California as we speak. She's sending back photos of some of the hot new items as she sees them. Over the next few days, the IHP DT members are taking turns posting the photos. Today it's my turn to share some of Kate's finds with you. And, since there's so much to see, you'll also be able to find updates on Carolyn's blog today, too.

First up are goodies from Piggy Tales. This is a new product called Flower Press. It will let you safely display items like flowers or other keepsakes on a scrapbook page. How cool!

And, here's a look at some of the new papers that are coming out. So cute! They'll be great for spring projects. This paper's from a collection called "The Ants Go Marching."

This paper is from another Piggy Tales collection called "Mary Mary Quite Contrary." As a kindergarten teacher, I have to admit that I love the nursery rhyme inspired titles they come up with for their products!

Next up is new stuff from Fancy Pants. I love the fun designs and shaped papers here.

I'll keep adding updates as I get more photos from Kate. And, be sure to stop by IHP. Kate has put a bunch of products on sale to make way for the new stuff being introduced at CHA.

Escape from Winter

In between loads of laundry and vacuuming (why in the world is Cosmo the crazy dog shedding--yes, shedding--in the middle of the winter?) today, I managed to get a few challenge cards completed.

This one is for the winter card challenge from the Clear & Simple Stamps group on Paper Craft Planet. The challenge was to make a winter themed card with the colors blue and white. I used the Jet-setter Darling set for my card. I thought it was perfect for the challenge. I mean, who doesn't want to jet away to somewhere warm during the winter??

I did a lot of paper piecing on the stamped image. The dress is done with pieces of Memory Box Homespun paper. For her carry-on bag, I embossed a piece of Brocade Blue cardstock with the Houndstooth embossing folder, then stamped the image and cut it out to fit. I colored the rest of the image with Copic markers. I had just enough room along the right side of the panel to fit some of the sentiments along the side.

I used other shades of blue for the cardfront, along with some more of the matching patterned paper. The image is attached to the cardfront on an angle, using dimensionals. I embellished it with a trio of blue Prima flowers with rhinestones at the centers.

If you're crazy about these Clear & Simple "darlings" like I am, you'll be excited to see the new ones that are on the way. I just may have a sneak peek or two to share with you very soon . . .

Materials Used:

Jet-setter Darling stamp set (Clear and Simple Stamps); Brocade Blue Classic ink, Brocade Blue and Bashful Blue cardstock, Bashful Blue grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Pure Luxury white cardstock (Gina K); markers (Copic Ciao); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); Homespun patterned paper (Memory Box); Houndstooth embossing folder (Cuttlebug); flowers (Prima); blue self-adhesive rhinestones (Michaels)

This card is for this week's Viva la Verve sketch challenge. In addition to following the sketch, the other requirement was to include flowers. So, I started with Verve's Petals & Stems stamp set. I stamped the flower to match the colors in the K & Company striped paper I used for the panel on the cardfront. The small flower was stamped in Regal Rose ink on Pink Pirouette cardstock, then cut out and embellished with a pink rhinestone.

I had room on the image panel to stamp the sentiment alongside the flower in Baja Breeze ink. I also added a ribbon tab to the panel. I was able to put all of the pieces of the card together quickly after that. I really like the look of the layout and the spring-like feel of the card.

Materials Used:

Petals & Stems stamp set (Verve Stamps); Kiwi Kiss, Regal Rose, and Baja Breeze Classic inks, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Pirouette Pink, Regal Rose, and Whisper White cardstock, Regal Rose 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); patterned paper (K & Company); pink self-adhesive rhinestone (Michaels)

Always

Here's my card for this week's sketch challenge at Paper Craft Planet. Jessica is our hostess this week--and it's her birthday, too! Happy birthday, Jess! And, in honor of Jessica's birthday, Gina K is generously offering a prize to a random winner drawn from the participants in this week's challenge. Check out all the details here.

When I saw Jessica's sketch, I immediately thought of the stack of already embossed heart images from the Always stamp set that I have lying around, just waiting to be used. I managed to incorporate two of them into this card by cutting the embossed iamges in half, then merging them to create the single heart. I attached them to a Riding Hood Red scrap, then cut around them to make the mat behind the image.

The rest of the card is pretty simple. I used a piece of patterned paper from the Candy Lane designer paper pack and embellished it with a paper pierced strip, a scallop edged strip, and some ribbon, then layered it on a black panel. I arranged the heart and the "always" sentiment, then layered the panel on a Riding Hood Red card base.

The trio of brads were an after thought. Fortunately, I was able to lift up the black panel to place the brads with no damage done.

Materials Used (all from Stampin' Up!):

Always stamp set, Riding Hood Red Classic ink, Basic Black and White Craft inks, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, and Whisper White cardstock, Candy Lane designer paper, Crystal Clear and Black embossing powder, scallop edge punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, mat pack and paper piercing tool, black grosgrain ribbon, silver brads, dimensionals

(Some of the) Colors of the Rainbow

Irene, creator of the fun DoodleFactory images from Starving Artistamps, posted a challenge in the Starving Artistamps group at Paper Craft Planet. Her “Let's Make a Rainbow” challenge was to create monochromatic cards. Once all of the challenge cards are assembled, it will certainly resemble a rainbow!

I made two monochromatic cards for the challenge, both featuring images from the Valentine Remix set. Since this image is called Violet, I had to use it in a purple color scheme. The image is colored with Copic markers. I painted the flower part with some Angel Wings Shimmerz and added some Flower Soft to the flower pot. This is the first time I’ve tried this stuff—it’s fun to use!

The flower image is sponged around the edges with Almost Amethyst ink, then layered on a pair of oval mats. I placed the image on a cardfront with a simple patterned paper panel, then added a trio of purple flowers with pearl centers.

Materials Used:
Violet image from DoodleFactory Valentine Remix set, Heather Flower Soft (Starving Artistamps); Pure Luxury white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); oval and scalloped oval dies (Nestabilities); Almost Amethyst Classic ink, Almost Amethyst, Lovely Lilac, and Elegant Eggplant cardstock, Almost Amethyst Prints Series designer paper, Elegant Eggplant grosgrain ribbon, sponge, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); flowers (Prima); self-adhesive pearls (Target)

My second card uses the rose image from the Valentine Remix set. I colored the image in shades of pinks and red to go with the image (and the sentiment I chose). It's covered with a coat of Pink Shimmerz paint for some sparkle. I added a pair of small self-adhesive pearls to the image as an elegant accent.

I paired the image with the “You tickle me pink!” sentiment from one of the Country sentiments sets. I added a pink button with a rose ribbon threaded through it as a simple embellishment.

Materials Used:
Rose image from DoodleFactory Valentine Remix set, Country Sentiments set #2, Baby Pink Flower Soft (Starving Artistamps); Pure Luxury white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Regal Rose Classic ink, Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink cardstock, Pretty in Pink Prints Series designer paper, Regal Rose grosgrain ribbon, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); self-adhesive pearls (Target); button (Walmart)

Blogger Challenge: Week 83

This week’s blogger challenge was a color challenge using red, Kiwi Kiss, black, and either white or vanilla. Since I have a few shades of red to work with, I incorporated a little of two different shades, using both Real Red and Riding Hood Red in my card.

I pulled out my A Happy Heart set for the challenge. I haven’t used it much, but I really like the images. I colored the image with markers here so I could use several colors on it. I stamped it on shimmery white cardstock—so pretty!

The card base is black, covered mostly by a panel of Riding Hood Red. The red and black are so striking together. I wanted to use a panel of striped Riding Hood Red paper on the cardfront, but realized I didn’t have any (note to self—add to next SU! order. . .), so I substituted striped Kiwi Kiss paper. Worked out fine, I think. I tied a piece of Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon around the panel, then layered it on the card. I added a trio of silver brads to fill in the “empty” space on the left side of the card.

For more inspiration using this pretty color combination, stop by and visit the other challenge players. You can find links to their blogs in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used (all from Stampin’ Up!):
A Happy Heart stamp set, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black, and Shimmery White cardstock, Kiwi Kiss Patterns designer paper, Real Red, Old Olive, and Basic Black markers, Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon, scallop edge punch, mat pack and paper piercing tool, silver brads, dimensionals

New Stuff!

No, I haven't gotten my new SU! stuff yet, but I do have some stuff from the new catalog to share with you. I got my Great Swaps Girls hostess set and sneak peek set swaps back in the mail earlier this week, so I figure it’s safe to post them now.

I chose the Goody Goody Gumdrops set for the Hostess set swap. The images in this set are so cute! I loved the gumdrops in the retired All Wrapped Up set, so I was thrilled to see gumdrops appear in a new set.

I did some paper piecing on my card, stamping the gumdrops on scraps of colored paper, then cutting them out to attach to the white circles. I gave each gumdrop a “sugary” coating of Dazzling Diamonds.

I lined the gumdrops up along the edge of a piece of Kiwi Kiss Patterns designer paper, set on a Barely Banana cardfront. The “goody-goody gumdrops” sentiment is stamped in Kiwi Kiss ink in the lower right corner to finish the card.

Materials Used (all from Stampin’ Up!):
Goody Goody Gumdrops stamp set, Kiwi Kiss and Basic Black Classic inks, Kiwi Kiss, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Barely Banana, and Whisper White cardstock, Kiwi Kiss Patterns designer paper, Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon, 1 ¼” and 1 3/8” circle punches, Dazzling Diamonds, horizontal slot punch

For the sneak peek swap, I used the new Petal Pizzazz set. I guess it’s the replacement set for the just retired Ginormous Flowers set. Of course, the image I wanted to use for the swap (the large flower) had a small crack/flaw in the rubber, so my stamped images didn’t come out as nicely as I would have liked. SU! sent me a replacement image, but it didn’t arrive in time for me to use it in the swap.

Anyway, I stamped the large flower in Regal Rose Craft ink on Pink Pirouette paper, then cut it out. I used my ¾” circle punch to punch out the center of the flower. The flower center is covered with a 1” Rose Red circle so you don’t even know that the center is missing! I attached the punched out piece to the Rose Red circle using a dimensional.

The rest of the card is pretty simple. I wanted to show off some of the new Raspberry Tart designer paper, so I based my color choices on that. I attached a scalloped strip and a paper pierced strip to the Pink Pirouette cardbase along with the piece of Raspberry Tart paper, then wrapped a knotted piece of Regal Rose ribbon around the card.

I used a dimensional to attach the flower to the cardfront. I slipped some Kiwi Kiss leaves under the flower, too. Each leaf was stamped in Kiwi Kiss on Kiwi Kiss cardstock, then cut out. I scored each leaf at the center (on the line on the leaf) and folded it up (mountain fold) for some dimension.

I'll be back tomorrow morning with another SU! only post to share . . .

Materials Used (all from Stampin’ Up!):
Petal Pizzazz and Short & Sweet stamp sets, Rose Red Classic ink, Regal Rose Craft ink, Pink Pirouette, Rose Red, Regal Rose, and Kiwi Kiss cardstock, Raspberry Fizz designer series paper, Regal Rose 5/8” grosgrain ribbon, 1” and ¾” circle punches, mat pack and paper piercing tool, scallop edge punch, dimensionals

Hands Are for Holding

I have time for just a quick post tonight before Lost starts--I am so excited it's back! Anyway, on to the cards.

This one is for today's SCS sketch challenge. This idea immediately came into my mind when I saw the sketch. I used Malbec the monkey from the DoodleFactory Valentine Remix set (from Starving Artistamps) along with the vine image to create this little scene. I colored Malbec and carefully trimmed around him, then attached him with dimensionals so it looks like it's hanging off of the vine. The panel underneath the monkey and vine is embossed with the Cuttlebug Forest Branches folder to add to the jungle-y look.

I stamped part of the "bananas" sentiment on an oval piece. The end of the oval got a little bit cut off, so I added a bit of ribbon to hide it instead of starting over again (like I said, I'm short on time tonight . . .).

Materials Used:

DoodleFactory Valentine Remix set and sentiment (Starving Artistamps); white cardstock (Xerox); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Cool Caribbean ink, Old Olive marker, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, and Close to Cocoa cardstock, sponge, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); petite oval die (Nestabilities); Forest Branches embossing folder (Cuttlebug); olive ribbon (?)

And, this one is for Melanie's very first Hand in Hand challenge--and just under the wire. This is the first month of her new monthly challenge that involves making a card using her Hand in Hand stamp set from Gina K Designs to send to a specially selected cause. You can read more about the challenge here.

I used Mercy's Tuesday sketch challenge for my card. I stamped the hand image from Melanie's Hand in Hand set on white cardstock and cut the image out with an oval Nestabilities die. I colored the hands with Copic markers--definitely need a little more practice with this . . .

I matted the image on a Baja Breeze oval to match the pretty Fancy Pants designer paper panel I cut for the front of the card. I added a pink heart brad over the image as a fun, whimsical touch. I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp the "I wanna hold your hand!" sentiment in one line on the Baja Breeze strip I attached to the bottom of the patterned paper panel.

Now I just need to find my postage stamps so I can get this off in the mail . . .

Materials Used:

Hand in Hand stamp set (Melanie Muenchinger for Gina K Designs); white cardstock (Xerox); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Real Red Classic ink, Real Red and Baja Breeze cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); heart brad (Joann); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); oval dies (Nestabilities); Fancy Pants designer paper (Splendid-Lovey Dovey)

Unity Challenge: Week 20

It's time for another Unity Addicts challenge. This week's challenge comes from Maria, the organizer of the challenges (thanks, Maria!). She challenged us to make a bookmark that represents something about a book--a current read, a favorite from now, a favorite from your childhood, whatever.

I wanted to use my new January Kit of the Month, Love Etc., so I kind of used that to shape what I came up with. My favorite books growing up were the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, so that's what my bookmark represents. I used the house image from the kit. It's stamped on white cardstock and colored with Copic markers.

To get the shaped bookmark, I cut the paper with my Nestabilities Labels 2 die. I folded the white cardstock and placed the die so that the top of the die extended slightly above the fold. This made it so that when I ran it through my Cuttlebug to cut the shape, the pieces remained intact, attached at the fold.

I attached two strips of magnetic tape inside the folded pieces. These will "stick" together when I slide the bookmark over the page in a book. I also added a strip of red grosgrain ribbon as a simple embellishment. I didn't want to add too much or anything bulky since I want to be able to close my book with the bookmark inside!

For more fun bookmark ideas, you can visit the rest of the Addicts. You can find links to their blogs in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:

January Kit of the Month (Unity Stamp Co.); white cardstock (Xerox); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Cool Caribbean and Certainly Celery Classic ink, sponge (Stampin' Up!); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); Labels 2 dies (Nestabilities); magnetic tape

Two Furbabies and a Tweet-Heart

This project features what has got to be one of my very favorite pictures of Cosmo the crazy dog and his "cousin" Bella, my sister Jill's dog. I took this photo the very first time they met. Bella was so little and Cosmo was so enamored with her--and he still is, four years later. She likes him, but nowhere as much as he adores her. He still looks at her like this and she just walks away. Poor Cosmo!

I needed a special way to display this fun photo and this is what I came up with. The photo is set on a heart shaped clipboard I picked up at Michaels. I covered it with some Bo Bunny Valentine paper, adhered with Mod Podge. The photo is set on a Chocolate Chip mat. The mat is adhered to the clipboard, but the photo isn't. The photo is held in place by the clip at the top of the clipboard so it can be changed out if I want at a later time.

I added chipboard letters and a felt heart to spell "love." I also embellished the plain clip part of the clipboard with a scalloped circle and a paper-covered chipboard heart along with some ribbon. I didn't want to make it too girly because Cosmo is a boy dog after all.

I'll be adding this to the Supernova Design Team gallery over at Paper Craft Planet. Check it out for some amazing Valentine's Day project inspiration. These ladies are so very talented!

Materials Used:

patterned paper (Bo Bunny-); Cranberry Crisp and Chocolate Chip cardstock, Pink Pirouette Patterns designer paper, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); heart clipboard (Plaid); grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); heart die (Sizzix); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); felt heart (American Crafts); chipboard letters (Target dollar spot)

Lots of people in the crafting world are heading off to the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) show in California this week. Wish I could be there, too . . . Many new products will be introduced at this event--how exciting! Kate from i {heart} papers will be there and sharing reports on her blogs and on the blogs of her DT members, including me. In anticipation of all the new goodies that will soon be filling the shelves at IHP, Kate has put tons--and I mean tons--of stuff on sale at the store. She's also added a preorder page for some of the new releases, including the new Nestabilities dies. And, even though postal rates have increased, IHP has maintained its free shipping for all orders of $40 or more.

Here's a card featuring some stuff that I got in the mail today from IHP. It was still cold when I pulled it out to use it! I loved the images in this cute Hero Arts Whoo Loves You stamp set and couldn't resist adding it to my collection. I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch as the inspiration for this card.

I stamped the branch image in brown ink on a strip of Soft Sky cardstock, then colored the hearts in with a red marker. I coated them with some Fruit Punch Stickles for some sparkle. I stamped the sentiment underneath the branch in bold red ink.

The bird was stamped on a scrap of white cardstock, then colored with Copic markers and cut out. I stamped the image again on a Soft Sky circle, then attached the colored image with a dimensional.

I used a piece of Piggy Tales patterned paper to cover the cardfront. I wrapped a strip of reversible pink/light pink satin ribbon across the front of the panel, then positioned the layers in place. I added a tiny puffy pink heart to the corner of the branch panel as an embellishment.

And, before I forget, Deb from the IHP design team has some fun blog candy available this week. Be sure to stop by and check it out.

Materials Used:

from i {heart} papers: Hero Arts Whoo Loves You stamp set, Piggy Tales Gretel Collection-Bread Crumbs designer paper, Fruit Punch Stickles, May Arts pink/light pink reversible satin ribbon, Nestabilities scalloped circle die, The Card Co. puffy pink heart

other: Lavender Moon cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Real Red Classic ink, Real Red marker, Soft Sky and Pretty in Pink cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool, 1" and 1 1/4" circle punches, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); white cardstock (Xerox); Rich Cocoa ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao)

Sketches {by Tamara}: Recipe 32

Here's my card for this week's recipe challenge at Sketches {by Tamara}. This week's required elements were lined paper (either notebook paper or scrapbook paper), paint or ink, and journaling. I got two out of the three here and kind of improvised on the third--not bad!

I made a quick and simple square card for the challenge. I had a scrap of notebook-looking scrapbook paper already out on my desk, so I cut a piece of that to size, then used a spiral edge punch to make holes in the side, like it was torn straight from a notebook. This was attached to the red card base on an angle.

I used my new heart Nestabilities dies to cut out a pink heart for the cardfront. I stamped the "i heart" box in black ink at the center of the heart. I filled in the blank lines with a red "u," then surrounded the u with a pair of punched out red brackets. I couldn't figure out how to incorporate journaling into a card, at least in the traditional sense, so I tried to add something that might be close . . .

Materials Used:

Sweet on You and Contempo Alphabet sets, Real Red and Basic Black Classic inks, Real Red and Pretty in Pink cardstock, spiral edge punch, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Pure Poppy Swiss Dot satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); bracket punch (EK Success); Dew Drops (Kitchen Sink Stamps); notebook patterned paper (Me & My Big Ideas Alison paper pad); heart die (Nestabilities)

Remix Revisited

I am having so much fun with the images in the DoodleFactory Valentine Remix set from Starving Artistamps. Since I've had some extra stamping time over my extended weekend, I was able to pull out some of the Remix images to use for some blogger sketch challenges.

First, I did Lauren's sketch using the cute little candy image. The image is colored with Copic markers and embellished with a little glitter. I layered it on a pinked circle mat to kind of copy the edges of the candy wrapper.

I stamped the "so sweet" sentiment from Simple Sweet Sayings in the bottom right corner of the pink panel. It doesn't show in the photo, but I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to painstakingly line up the sentiment and stamp it repeatedly in matching pink ink on the panel.

Materials Used:

DoodleFactory Valentine Remix set, Simple Sweet Sayings set, pretty background stamp (Starving Artistamps); white cardstock (Xerox); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Sweet Blush and Dark Chocolate Palette inks, Sweet Blush and Raspberry Fizz cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Real Red classic ink, Real Red and Close to Cocoa cardstock, Chocolate Chip poly twill, Dazzling Diamonds, scallop edge punch, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); circle and pinking circle dies (Nestabilities); pink buttons (Walmart)

For this card, I used fellow Great Swaps Girl Mercy's Tuesday sketch challenge. Her sketches always have a bunch of layers on them and turn out looking so nice. I created a little scene for the main image panel with Stewie and the small envelope image. I used a cloud template to create the sky and sponged on some grass, too.

I embossed the red panel with the Cuttlebug Heart Blocks folder, then highlighted the embossing by rubbing on some shimmery white pigment ink. The strip across the cardfront is made using a Martha Stewart border punch. I'm not thrilled with this punch. It didn't punch cleanly, so I had to run the strip through it a bunch of times. I'm going to try to sharpen it with some foil and see if that makes a difference . . .

Materials Used:

DoodleFactory Valentine Remix set and sentiments (Starving Artistamps); white cardstock (Xerox); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Cool Caribbean, Certainly Celery, and Real Red Classic ink, Real Red, Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette, and Basic Gray cardstock, Dazzling Diamonds, sponge, Real Red and Basic Black markers, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); heart border punch (Martha Stewart); white satin ribbon (Target); Heart Blocks embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Moonlight White ink (Brilliance); heart brad (Making Memories)

And, finally, this card uses Mary Jo's sketch challenge. The cute little bee image is the focal point on this 4 1/2" square card. I added some Dazzling Diamonds to the bee's wings and to the envelope in the bee's "hands."

I used my new Nestabilities hearts to create a layered mat for the bee image. I layered this over a block of light pink paper stamped with the striped background stamp from Starving Artistamps. Kind of matches the stripes on the bee . . . I stamped the "bee my valentine" sentiment in rose ink and punched it out with a circle punch, then added another one of those tiny heart brads as an embellishment. The yellow card base is a little change from the all red and pink valentines--I kind of like it!

Materials Used:

DoodleFactory Valentine Remix set and sentiment, striped background (Starving Artistamps); white cardstock (Xerox); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Regal Rose Classic ink, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, and Barely Banana cardstock, 1 3/8" circle punch, mat pack and paper piercing tool, Dazzling Diamonds, Regal Rose and Basic Black markers, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); pink grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); heart brad (Making Memories); 1 1/2" circle punch (EK Success); heart and scalloped heart die (Nestabilities)