Color and More Color

I made two cards tonight based on two different color challenges. Both include flowers, but each has a completely different look and feel.

This one is for Dawn's Raspberry Suite color challenge. The colors to include were teal, celery/moss, brown, and white. I combined the color challenge with the sketch from this week's clean and simple stamping challenge on SCS.

I used mostly pigment inks here for a rich look against the white background. The images are from Papertrey Ink's Beyond Basic Borders set. I stamped on a white background, then added a simple teal flower, embellished with a button, to complete the design.

Materials Used:

Beyond Basic Borders stamp set, white button (Papertrey Ink); Certainly Celery and Close to Cocoa Craft inks, Taken with Teal Classic ink, Taken with Teal and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); teal flower (Prima); twine (Walmart)

This card is for today's SCS color challenge--Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, and Chocolate Chip. I used images from Unity's March Kit of the Month. The silhouette flowers are stamped in Chocolate Chip Craft ink on a Pink Pirouette circle. The image panel was double matted before layering it on the card.

I used a piece of designer paper from the SU! Candy Lane paper pack for the panel on the bottom of the card, bordered by a piece of elegant Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon. I "framed" the image panel with the sentiment by curving the stamp on my acrylic block, then inking it with cream pigment ink.

I'll be back tomorrow with another card using Unity's March KOTM . . .

Materials Used:

March Kit of the Month (Unity Stamp Co.); Chocolate Chip Craft ink, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, and Chocolate Chip cardstock, Candy Lane designer series paper, Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon (Stampin' Up!); Vintage Cream Palette ink (Papertrey Ink); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); pink Bella dots (Stamping Bella)

Sketches {by Tamara}: Recipe 42

Here's my card for this week's recipe challenge at Sketches {by Tamara}. The required ingredients for this week's challenge were embossing (dry or wet), hardware, and stitching (real or faux).

I got a big box of goodies from Stampin' Up! last week, so I tried out some of my new stuff for this challenge. This look and color scheme was actually inspired by a linen dress I've owned for many years. I used one of the flower images from the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set on the image panel. I stamped the image in three different craft inks on kraft cardstock, then covered the images with clear embossing powder and heat embossed.

The layout is very simple. The kraft panel is placed directly on the black card base. I added a photo corner, embellished with two silver brads, and a sentiment panel. I did some black faux stitching on the right side of the sentiment to complete the card. I really like how this turned out and I can't wait to play some more with this pretty stamp set.

Materials Used (all from Stampin' Up):

Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set, Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, and Very Vanilla Craft inks, Very Vanilla, Kraft, and Basic Black cardstock, Basic Black Stampin' Write marker, photo corner punch, silver brads, mat pack and paper piercing tool

Kitchen Sink Monday: Daisy Tile Coaster

It's time for another Kitchen Sink Stamps Monday. This week, I have a non-card project to share, along with a matching card.

First up is the non-card project. I used a tumbled tile to create a pretty stamped tile that can be used as a coaster. I used the 3 Step Daisy set on the tile and a combination of Palette and Staz-on inks for the flower. This was the first time I'd used the Palette inks on a tile with a multi-step image and I found that for the most part, they worked nicely

Since the tile's surface is a little irregular, the inks didn't always cover fully. When that happened, I went back and carefully tapped the ink pad over the less-inked spots to get better coverage. I used a sticky note mask to add in the leaves. This looks so pretty IRL and was so quick and easy to do. I think a set of these coasters would make a really nice gift.

Materials Used:

3 Step Daisy stamp set (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise, Dark Chocolate, New Leaf, and Ripe Avocado Palette inks (Papertrey Ink); Pumpkin Staz-on; tumbled tile

After I finished the tile, I decided to make a card to match it. I used this week's sketch challenge from Paper Craft Planet. It's a pretty basic one with lots of possibilities and I thought the daisy would be a perfect fit in the sketch.

The daisy image was stamped in pretty much the same colors as on the tile. I carefully trimmed around it so that I could attach it to the card with a dimensional.

I used a combination of patterned paper from the My Mind's Eye Grow Collection kit on the cardfront. These colors just scream spring to me!

For more inspiration, you can visit the rest of the Kitchen Sink Crew. Here's where you can find them:

Angela Knopf
Dee Jackson
Julie Masse
Lynn McAuley
Maria Colosimo, owner
Nicole Cooke
Tammy Hershberger

Materials Used:

3 Step Daisy stamp set (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise, Dark Chocolate, New Leaf, and Ripe Avocado Palette inks, New Leaf cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Pumpkin Pie Classic ink, Pumpkin Pie and Whisper White cardstock, Eyelet border punch, word window punch, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); My Mind's Eye Grow Collection Kit (i {heart} papers); green self-adhesive rhinestones (Michaels)

A Birdie Told Me . . .

One of my stamping buddies is celebrating a birthday this week, so I made this springy card to send off in the mail to her. I hope it makes it to her in time!

My card is based on this week's Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge. I used SU!'s Cheep Talk set for the main image. This set is so versatile and easy to use! I inked the bird and branch to match the colors of the papers in the SU! Sell-a-bration paper pack, Delicate Dots. I cut coordinating strips of the patterned paper to criss-cross the cardfront.

Since none of the sentiments in the set were right for a birthday, I pulled out my A Little Birdie Told Me set and used one of those sentiments on my image panel. My Stamp-a-ma-jig helped me to place it just right. The panel is embellished with a pair of layered Flower Fusion flowers, joined with a sparkly brad. The colors aren't an exact match to the card's colors, but I think they're close enough to work.

Materials Used (all from Stampin' Up!):

Cheep Talk and A Little Birdie Told Me stamp sets, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, and Basic Black Classic inks, Barely Banana, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, and Whisper White cardstock, Delicate Dots designer series paper, So Saffron 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Flower Fusion and Flower Fusion Too felt flowers, rhinestone brad

A Pair of Eyes

So, it's no secret that I love the beautiful papers from My Mind's Eye. I was so excited to see that Kate has lots of the newest patterns in stock at i {heart} papers and I made sure to stock up on my latest order.

I made this card for this week's sketch at Page Plans. This will be my final Page Plans card as it is also the last week of new sketches from Page Plans. Due to time constraints, Chris and Lesli have made the decision to discontinue the weekly card and scrapbooking sketches.

In addition to following the sketch, we were supposed to include 3 patterned papers and use a pastel color scheme. These papers from the MME Penny Lane line were perfect! I paired two different patterns for the panel on the cardfront. Both papers I used have a kind of circular shape as the repeating element, running in straight lines across the paper. I thought that helped to coordinate them. I used a piece of solid pink cardstock for the sketch's vertical panel so I'd be able to stamp a sentiment on the panel. I used a sentiment from the Hero Arts Thoughtful Messages set, stamped in a coordinating blue ink, then paper pierced below the words to draw attention to them.

I counted the die cut butterfly as my third pattern--I don't think that was cheating! I dressed up the butterfly with a trio of self-adhesive pearls along the center, then attached it to the cardfront with dimensionals. It overlaps a piece of taffeta ribbon that I gathered by loosening and gently pulling on one tiny strand from the ribbon. This is such a pretty detail, even though it took me *forever* to separate the threads in the ribbon so I could gather it . . .

Materials Used:

from i {heart} papers: My Mind's Eye Penny Lane designer papers: Chasse Graceful Circles and Jazz Moving Dots, K & Company Amy Butler Tea Box die cut butterfly, Hero Arts Thoughtful Messages stamp set and self-adhesive pearls

other: Baja Breeze Classic ink, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, and Pink Pirouette cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool, corner rounders, Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

I made this card using more My Mind's Eye papers and this week's sketch from Card Patterns. It took almost no time to put this together using one of the kits. Kate has both the Bloom and Grow Collection Packs at IHP--I couldn't decide between them, so I got both!

I used papers and elements from the Grow Collection here. They're not a color combination I usually use, but I love the combination of blues, greens, and oranges in this kit. The flower and leaf, plus the striped and scalloped paper strips, are from the die cut accessory sheet that comes with the kit. Using these pieces made it easy to put this card together. I added a sparky brad to the center of the flower, then layered it on the circle panels with a dimensional.

I found a piece of coordinating sage colored faux suede ribbon to layer on the card. I stamped the sentiment from the Hero Arts All Occasion Messages set directly on the faux suede ribbon using black Palette ink. I wasn't sure it would work, but it worked beautifully!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: My Mind's Eye Grow Collection Kit, Stemma Silver Wedding glitter brads, May Arts sage faux suede ribbon, Nestabilities circle and scalloped circle dies, Palette Noir Black ink, Hero Arts All Occasion Messages stamp set

other: Aqua Mist, Summer Sunrise, and New Leaf cardstock (Papertrey Ink); mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

Gina's Elegant Flowers

I've been playing with my Elegant Flowers set from Gina K Designs today. I really like the mix of solid and line images in the set. I created two very different looking cards with the images.

Here, I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch to create a feminine card. One of the line image flowers is stamped on a white panel. I masked the flower image with a sticky note to add the stem. The image is colored with Copic markers. I coated it with a layer of Angel Wings Shimmerz, too.

I used both sides of a piece of patterned paper from K & Company's Wild Raspberry paper pad for the panels on the cardfront. The flower images in the paper's pattern looked kind of similar to the stamped image to me. I arranged the paper panels, then layered the colored flower image on top. A piece of red taffeta ribbon is wrapped around the panel.

It's hard to see in the photo, but the "thank you" sentiment is stamped directly on the red patterned paper. It shows up much better IRL!

Materials Used:

Elegant Flowers stamp set (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); white Choice Cardstock (Taylored Expressions); markers (Copic Ciao); Baja Breeze and Pink Pirouette cardstock, scallop edge punch, mat pack and paper piercing tool, Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon (Stampin' Up!); patterned paper (K & Company-Wild Raspberry); Angel Wings paint (Shimmerz)

On this card, I used one of the bleach stamping techniques Gina showed off on Stamp TV. I used one of the solid silhouette flower images on Chocolate Chip cardstock. I dipped it in a bleach "inkpad" I made with a paper towel and an empty SU! clamshell box. I thought that using something with a lid might keep me from having a bleach disaster . . .

I layered the bleached image on a slightly larger vanilla panel, then on a Kiwi Kiss panel with distressed edges. I thought the distressing went well with the look of the bleached images.

I used a panel of My Mind's Eye paper with stripes in earth tones to cover some of the Baja Breeze card base. The image panel is layered over this, along with a cream button tied with some twine. The sentiment is centered under the image along the bottom of the card.

Materials Used:

Elegant Flowers stamp set (Gina K Designs); Chocolate Chip Classic ink, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, and Very Vanilla cardstock, distressing tool (Stampin' Up!); cream button (Papertrey Ink); patterned paper (My Mind's Eye-Wild Asparagus Brothers Stripe ); twine (Walmart)

Tangerine For You

It seems that every year, there's one of SU!'s In Colors that doesn't grow on me, even by the end of the year. The first year, it was Vintage Violet, last year it was Wild Wasabi, and this year, it's been Tangerine Tango. I pushed myself to find a way to use it for Kristina's latest color inspiration challenge. It's paired with two other colors that I do use often--So Saffron and Chocolate Chip--plus white, so I thought I might be able to pull it off.

My card is based on this weekend sketch challenge, which helped me to pull it together pretty quickly. I used some Tangerine Tango patterned paper from SU!'s now retired Haiku designer paper pack for the large panel on the cardfront. I really liked the colors and patterns in this pack, so I made sure to get one more pack before it retired.

My pre-order stuff from the upcoming mini catalog arrived earlier this week and I had to try it out, too. The "for you" sentiment on the oval is from the Great Friend set. The butterfly image is from this set, too. I stamped it in So Saffron ink on white cardstock and trimmed closely around it, then placed it on the panel with dimensionals. I added a pair of Chocolate Chip felt flowers with brads at the centers to the other end of the oval, then attached it to the cardfront.

I'm off to our community's Month of the Young Child celebration for a while this morning. My afternoon plans include coming home and catching up on some DVR'd General Hospital episodes, maybe watching some college hockey, and, of course, some stamping!

Materials Used (all from Stampin' Up!):

Great Friend stamp set, So Saffron and Chocolate Chip Classic ink, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango, and Whisper White cardstock, Haiku designer series paper, So Saffron 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Flower Fusion Too felt flowers, silver brads, dimensionals

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars

I made a pair of cards tonight using this week's Viva la Verve sketch. The twist for this week's challenge was to use only a sentiment stamp--and no other stamped images. I knew that Verve's Little Star Plain Jane would be the perfect image for this challenge. I couldn't decide between making a card for a baby girl or for a baby boy, so I did both.

I started by searching through my patterned paper collection for papers with a star pattern. I pulled out a bunch of different ones, then decided on one for a girl card and one for a boy card.

I did the girl card first using the pastel star patterned paper to cover most of the cardfront. I found some coordinating scraps of patterned papers from SU!'s Prints Series and Patterns Pack papers for the panels on the cardfront. I used my new eyelet border punch for the border on the pink paper--this is so pretty!

The sentiment is stamped in Lovely Lilac ink on an Almost Amethyst circle. I used some Stardust Stickles to fill in the open star images with some sparkle.

Here's the boy version. I used a monochromatic color scheme with a more masculine star patterned paper to cover the card front. I used the flip side of the patterned paper for one of the panels (it has a grid pattern that's hard to see in the photo) on the cardfront and another Prints pack piece for the other panel.

Since this card was for a boy, I stayed away from scallops. I used a Fiskars punch for the strip across the top of the dotted paper. With some trial and error, I've realized that the punch embosses with more depth if you press down and hold in place for a bit (makes sense, doesn't it??). I stamped the sentiment in bold navy ink and filled in the stars with some gold glitter. What a fabulous sketch to use to show off this fun sentiment!

Materials--girl card:

Little Star Plain Jane (Verve Stamps); Lovely Lilac Classic ink, Almost Amethyst and Pretty in Pink cardstock, Almost Amethyst and Pretty in Pink Prints designer series papers, eyelet border punch, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); Star Dust Stickles (Ranger); satin ribbon (Michaels); patterned paper (Paper Pizazz-Stars on Lavender)

Materials--boy card:

Little Star Plain Jane (Verve Stamps); Night of Navy Classic ink, Bashful Blue and Brocade Blue cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); circle dies (Nestabilities); light blue satin ribbon (Morex); Champagne Glitz Stickles (Ranger); patterned paper (Studio 8 Paper Company-Daydream Collection); zig zag stitch border punch (Fiskars)

Blogger Challenge: Week 92

This week's challenge was to use either templates or die cuts as part of your project. I turned to a sheet of trendy butterfly die cuts to make this card.

Kate from i {heart} papers has a "Five Minute Friday" feature on her blog every week and as I was making this card, I realized that it fits in that category nicely. The simple layout and use of a die cut helped this card to come together in no time at all.

I combined a pretty paper butterfly from an Amy Butler die cut sheet with a subtly patterned paper from Upsy Daisy. I stamped the "enjoy every moment" sentiment from the Hero Arts Thoughtful Messages stamp set in blue ink on the patterned paper.

I cut a pair of circles to coordinate with the die cut butterfly and layered the stamped image panel over those. I attached the butterfly with a dimensional and added a trio of tiny pearls to its body. After arranging everything on the card, I added a dot of Silver Pearl Liquid Pearls to each of the scallops on the scalloped circle. And, I even managed to not smear the wet stuff or drop the card face-down on the table before it dried--a big achievement for me!

For more template and die cut inspiration, you can check out what the rest of the challenge players have created for this challenge. Links to their blogs are in the sidebar on the right. And, be sure to check out Kate's five minute creation--she always comes up with something fabulous!

Materials Used:

from i {heart} papers: K & Company Amy Butler Tea Box die cut butterfly, Upsy Daisy Tweet-Mommy Bird designer paper, Nestabilities circle and scalloped circle dies, May Arts reversible champagne/moss satin ribbon, Hero Arts Thoughtful Messages stamp set and self-adhesive pearls; Ranger Silver Liquid Pearls

Other: Baja Breeze Classic ink, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, and Basic Gray cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

Sky's the Limit

I made this card for this week’s clean and simple challenge on SCS and for something else special, too (more about that later in my post . . .). The challenge was to use your punches on your card.

This was the perfect opportunity to break out my new Fiskars Moon & Stars punch! It became the focal image on my card. I punched out the moon and stars from a piece of Baja Breeze cardstock, then used a circle Nestabilities die to cut a circle around the punched area. I backed the open space behind the stars with shimmery gold paper, then layered the moon and stars on a yellow circle.

I used a piece of striped paper from the GCD Studios Eye Candy line for the panel on my cardfront. The bright colors, bold patterns, and the texture in this line of papers is fabulous—Kate has a great selection at i {heart} papers. I wrapped a piece of aqua glimmer ribbon around the panel before attaching it to my card. I thought that the “sky’s the limit” sentiment from the Hero Arts Sky’s the Limit set would be a nice match with the punched images. It’s stamped in pink ink to jump out from the blue background.

Now, for the something special I mentioned earlier. . . This card is heading out in the mail to my fellow Paper Craft Planet Super Nova, Jen Tapler. Jen’s hosting a challenge on her blog with over $250 worth of blog candy up for grabs. You can read all the details HERE on her blog. Jen's father has Alzheimer's disease and by participating in her challenge, you will be helping benefit the Alzheimer's Association. All you have to do is create a card, post a photo of it with a link back to Jen's challenge, and then mail Jen the card. In May, to kick off her Annual Stamp Out Alzheimer's Event, Jen will be hosting a charity auction where she will be auctioning off decorated Card Organizer tins full of all of our handcrafted cards. The money from those auctions will go directly to the Alzheimer's Association. I participate in challenges all the time, it is so nice to know that with this one, I will be contributing to such an important and worthwhile cause. I hope you will join me.

Materials Used:
From i {heart} papers: Hero Arts Sky’s the Limit stamp set, GCD Studios Sweet Tarts designer paper, Creative Impressions aqua glimmer ribbon, Nestabilities circle dies
Other: Moon & Stars punch (Fiskars); Baja Breeze and Barely Banana cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); Hibiscus Burst Palette ink (Papertrey Ink); gold paper (Target)

Tea Trio

Clear & Simple Stamps will be releasing some new sets on April 15 and I have a sneak peek at one of the new ones here today. Be sure to look around at the other DT members' blogs for more sneaks.

I made this card using some of the images from the Tea Time stamp set. I used Mary Jo's sketch challenge as a starting point for my card. The Porcelain paper from Basic Grey was my color inspiration for the design. The pattern seemed like a good match for an elegant tea set.

The panel at the bottom of the card was created with the sentiment block image from the Tea Time set, stamped repeatedly in pink ink. The stamp includes the names of a bunch of different kinds of teas (Earl Grey, Chamomile, Oolong, Chai, etc.). I wrapped a piece of matching pink ribbon around it before attaching it to the cardfront.

The tea cups and tea pot are paper pieced with papers to match the card's color scheme. I added a tiny pearl to the top of the tea pot, too. The tea pot image didn't fit as well on a circle, so I switched it to an oval--still works with the sketch, I think.

Materials Used:

Tea Time stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Pretty in Pink Classic ink, Very Vanilla cardstock, 1" and 1 1/4" circle punches (Stampin' Up!); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); oval dies (Nestabilities); Sweet Blush and Dark Chocolate cardstock, Bitty Dot Basics designer paper, Sweet Blush satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); self-adhesive pearl (Target); patterned paper (Basic Grey)

And, here's a little more Clear & Simple Stamps inspiration for you. I recently participated in an ATC swap through the CSS Paper Craft Planet group with some other CSS fans, including the rest of the DT members. I'm looking forward to getting all of the ATC's back and seeing what everyone's created.

Here's a look at my ATC. I used images from the DIY Darling set, but not the Darling herself. It’s great that the other images in the Darling sets are versatile enough to stand alone.

I stamped the paint bucket and paint brush stamps and colored them with Copic markers. I carefully cut around them, then put them aside while I stamped the images for the rest of the ATC. I stamped the “make your mark” sentiment and the squiggly painted line image on the base, then arranged the cutout pieces. I tied a red grosgrain ribbon around the base and added a single silver brad. I backed the ATC on a piece of black cardstock.

Here’s the card that was my inspiration for this ATC. I arranged 5 solid cardstock strips, each 1 inch wide, along the base of a black card front. I colored each of 5 paint cans to match the color strips.

The brush is colored, then cut out and attached to the image panel with dimensionals. I stamped the sentiment next to the brush, then layered the stamped panel on to the card with dimensionals. I really like how this turned out--it worked just like I had imagined it and that so rarely happens for me!

Materials Used (ATC and card):

DIY Darling stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); white cardstock (Xerox); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Real Red, Only Orange, Yoyo Yellow, Green Galore, Ballet Blue, and Basic Black cardstock, Real Red grosgrain ribbon, silver brad, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

The theme for this month’s Papertrey Ink Blog Hop is backgrounds. PTI has some fabulous sets for building beautiful backgrounds. I have a few of these sets in my collection and there are a few more I want to get my hands on—LOL!

I started out with the plan to use the very versatile Guide Lines set to make a background for my card. I always forget how easy it is to use this set until I pull it out and get started on a project with it.

I was able to create this panel for my cardfront in no time at all. I was going for a masculine look, so I started with a Ripe Avocado cardstock panel and stamped the guide lines on the panel tone on tone in matching Ripe Avocado ink. I tried out a few different image patterns and color combinations before settling on this one, which uses the same pattern in each block and alternates between PTI's Vintage Cream and Ripe Avocado inks.

Once it was finished, I decided that the panel was too nice-looking to cover up and use as a background. Instead, I stamped the guide lines image in Dark Chocolate ink across the entire front of the Dark Chocolate card base, creating a grid patterned background for the card.

Then, I cut down the Ripe Avocado stamped panel a little and used it as the focal image on my card. I placed a strip of Dark Chocolate cardstock across the bottom of the panel, then added a knotted strip of Ripe Avocado stitched grosgrain over the panel. The brown keeps the ribbon from being “lost” against the patterned background.

I layered it on an Ocean Tides panel with distressed edges, then on a kraft panel. The card base is Dark Chocolate, matching the strip across the cardfront. I added a simple sentiment from the new Mega Mixed Messages set. I liked the original version of this set with its wide range of sentiments and fonts, but I think this larger version might be even better!

Materials Used:
Guide Lines and Mega Mixed Messages stamp sets, Ripe Avocado, Ocean Tides, Dark Chocolate, and Vintage Cream Palette inks, Ripe Avocado, Ocean Tides, Dark Chocolate, Kraft, and Vintage Cream cardstock, Ripe Avocado stitched grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey Ink); 1 ¼” and 1 3/8” circle punches, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); copper brads (Making Memories)

Unity Challenge: Retro Color Combo

It’s time for another Unity Addicts Challenge! Cyndi is our hostess this week and she gave us a fun, kind of retro color combination to work with—pink, orange, turquoise, and brown. Since she didn’t say exactly which shades of each of these to use, I bent the rules a little bit on this one. Mine is kind of the pastel version, I guess . . .

I took my color inspiration from the funky patterned paper from the Sassafras Lass Sunshine Lollipops line that I got from i {heart} papers. I used a strip of this paper along the left side of my card. It coordinated well with Papertrey Ink’s Melon Berry (my version of orange here), Hibiscus Burst (pink), and Aqua Mist (turquoise-ish) cardstock. I used scraps of each of these colors to paper piece the bird image from February’s Kit of the Month. I added a coordinating tiny rhinestone to each bird as an eye.

For brown, I used a piece of kraft cardstock as the card base. I placed the patterned paper panel and image panel, then stamped the “together” sentiment from March’s Kit of the Month under the image panel using Hibiscus Burst ink. I accented it with a little paper piercing.

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

Materials Used:
February and March Kit of the Month (Unity Stamp Co.); Sunshine Lollipops designer paper (Sassafras Lass); Hibiscus Burst Palette ink, Hibiscus Burst, Aqua Mist, and Melon Berry cardstock, Aqua Mist twill (Papertrey Ink); Tiny Twinkles (Taylored Expressions); Chocolate Chip Classic ink, Kraft and Whisper White cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool (Stampin’ Up!)

Chocolate Friend

The very talented Dawn McVey has started a color challenge on her blog. She uses such fabulous color combos that I had to play along. I'm also hoping that by using her color choices for inspiration, some of her talent may rub off on me--LOL!

Here's my card for her first challenge. I used Papertrey Ink's Friends 'Til the End set for this one. The card came together easily in less than 20 minutes using this week's sketch challenge from 2 Sketches 4 You. I really like their sketches. My versions always end up with a much cleaner and simpler look than the fabulous examples they share on the site and I think I'm finally okay with that. It's just more my style to do something clean and simple!

I stamped the smaller flower image in white craft ink on the new Hibiscus Burst cardstock, then covered the images with white embossing powder and heat embossed them. I layered the embossed panel on a slightly larger piece of Pumpkin Pie cardstock with a scalloped edge.

I stamped the sentiment on a piece of So Saffron cardstock in Hibiscus Burst ink to match the image panel. I paper pierced underneath the "friend" sentiment, then added a matching pink button to the left side of the panel. A pink satin ribbon tab tucked under the button finishes the design.

Materials Used:

Friends 'Til the End stamp set, Hibiscus Burst Palette ink, Hibiscus Burst and Dark Chocolate cardstock, Hibiscus Burst button, Hibiscus Burst satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); White Craft ink, So Saffron and Pumpkin Pie cardstock, Winter White embossing powder, scallop edge punch, mat pack and paper piercing tool (Stampin' Up!); twine (Walmart)

Sketches {by Tamara}: Recipe 41 and KSS Contest Info

Here’s my card for this week’s recipe challenge at Sketches {by Tamara}. This week’s required ingredients were masculine, metal, and grunge. Two of those three (masculine and grunge) are not my usual thing, so this one was really a challenge!

I turned to my 3 Step Baseball set from Kitchen Sink Stamps for my card. This is a perfect set for masculine cards for a variety of occasions.

I made an off-center tent topper, using the mitt and ball images from the set on the topper part. The ball image was stamped on a scrap, then punched out with a ¾” circle punch and attached to the panel with a dimensional. I “grunged” it a bit by inking the edges with a sponge dipped in brown ink. A little weak for grunge, I know--LOL!

The card base is Riding Hood Red, topped with a piece of striped paper from SU!'s Urban Oasis designer paper pack. I attached a piece of matching twill tape across the panel and added a trio of metal brads through the twill. The sentiment is stamped in matching Riding Hood Red ink. Since it’s one long stamp, I broke the wording up over two lines to fit on my smaller cardfront. I think the red stands out nicely against the neutral colors in the striped paper and still works for a masculine card.

Don't forget about the ongoing Kitchen Sink Crew Challenge. If you join us in making an ATC and incorporating it into a card (see my post from yesterday for a sample), you'll have the chance to win one of 3 prizes. The 1st prize winner will receive $50 worth of Kitchen Sink Stamps!

For all the info, go HERE. You have 2 weeks to leave your link below in the Mr. Linky box on the Kitchen Sink Blog. The deadline to play in Tammy's challenge is April 6th. midnight EST. Please leave one link per challenge sample. You can enter as many samples as you like.

Materials Used:
3 Step Baseball stamp set (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Dune pigment ink (Color Box); Riding Hood Red, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, and Chocolate Chip Classic inks, Riding Hood Red, Close to Cocoa, and Very Vanilla cardstock, Urban Oasis designer paper, brads, ¾” circle punch, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); twill tape (Martha Stewart); circle dies (Nestabilities)

Easter Tiny Treat Basket and More

Each Tuesday, Paper Craft Planet has a different 3-d challenge to try out. Last week’s (yes, I’m a little late . . .) was to make one of these tiny treat baskets. You can find full directions here on Cambria’s blog.

I used some fun spring themed paper from Imaginisce for my basket. I added a light pink scalloped edge to the top of the basket, keeping with the spring color scheme. The basket's base is made from yellow cardstock, so I chose yellow twill for the handle. I filled it with some matching pastel jelly bean eggs.

The tag is made with stamps from the Easter Basket set from Clear & Simple Stamps. This set is the current "Stamp of the Month" at CSS and through March 31, you can get $1 off your purchase of this set using the code DTBlog309 .

I stamped the strip of egg images repeatedly in pale pink ink on white cardstock, then punched out the tag. I stamped the “for you on Easter” sentiment over the eggs in a darker rose ink. The tag is layered on two slightly larger coordinating tags, then attached to the handle with some twine.

Materials Used:

Easter Basket stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Regal Rose Classic ink, Barely Banana and Whisper White cardstock, large tag punch, horizontal slot punch (Stampin’ Up!); patterned paper (Imaginisce-Hot Chicks); Sweet Blush Palette ink, Sweet Blush cardstock, Lemon Tart twill (Papertrey Ink); yellow brads (Making Memories)

For more Easter ideas, you can stop by the Better Homes and Gardens site. Their Easter idea section has tons of fun and cute craft, gift and home décor ideas for you to try out. Here's a photo of one of the crafts you can find. These cute chicks are really egg "cozies," keeping soft-cooked eggs warm until someone eats them.

Kitchen Sink Monday: ATC Challenge

It's time for another Kitchen Sink Stamps Monday (how is it Monday already???). We have a Crew Challenge for this week. Tammy is our challenge hostess this week and she posed a two part challenge to the Kitchen Sink Crew. Her challenge was to first create an ATC (artist trading card), then use the ATC on a full-sized card.

I haven't done many ATC's, so this was a little bit of a challenge for me. The tiny space (2 1/2" by 3 1/2") really makes you think about the images you're going to use and how you're going to place them to fit. I used my new 3 Step Honey Bunny set for the challenge. This was one of the few KSS sets not yet in my collection and I finally broke down and added it.

The smaller rabbit image is the focal point of my ATC. I stamped it first in Chalkbox's Dune pigment ink. I've found that starting with a pigment ink for the base of these multi-step images works really well. I layered 3 brown dye inks over it to complete the image.

I masked the rabbit image, then added the grass in 3 shades of green ink, again starting with a layer of pigment ink as a base. I had just enough room to add the "Hip Hop Hooray!" sentiment in the upper right corner.

I tied a pretty pink ribbon around the ATC, then layered it on a pink, then a celery panel to complete it.

Here's how it looks transformed into a full-sized card. I used my Nestabilities dies to create a partial circle from a piece of coordinating patterned paper. I layered this on a yellow scalloped circle. I added a few pinkish Dew Drops to the side of the panel as an accent.

I attached the ATC to the cardfront, overlapping the patterned paper circle. I stamped the "Hello Spring" sentiment along the bottom of the card, using the same ink I did for the sentiment on the ATC to tie it all together.

For more ATC inspiration, you can visit the rest of the Kitchen Sink Crew. Here's where you can find them:

Angela Knopf
Dee Jackson
Julie Masse
Lynn McAuley
Maria Colosimo, owner
Nicole Cooke
Tammy Hershberger

Materials Used:
3 Step Honey Bunny stamp set, Dew Drops (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Dune pigment ink (ColorBox); Certainly Celery and Regal Rose Craft ink, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, and Old Olive Classic inks, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Soft Sky, Barely Banana, and Pink Pirouette cardstock, Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon, mat pack and paper piercing tool (Stampin' Up!); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); patterned paper (K & Company)

Aren't You Sweet?

I am having a great time with my March Kit of the Month from Unity Stamp Co. The assortment of images in this month's kit is fantastic and they're a great size for card making. I used a different pair of images for today's SCS featured stamper challenge.

I based my card on this one in Beate's gallery. Hers was a 3 1/2" square card, but mine is a 4 1/4" square one. I replaced the cherries she used as the focal image with the strawberry candy one from the Kit of the Month. I colored the image with Copic markers and "sugared" the strawberry with Dazzling Diamonds. I did some paper piercing in each of the scallops on the black mat under the image, matching the dots in the patterned paper on the cardfront.

I used the same layout and colors as on the original card, but added a layer of black under the patterned paper from the Summer Picnic paper pack. It really makes the orange pop! I used the ticket corner punch on the bottom corners of the paper, like Beate did in her original card. I haven't pulled this punch out in a while--I'd forgotten what a fun touch it adds.

Materials Used:

March Kit of the Month (Unity Stamp Co.); white Choice Cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Real Red, Basic Black, and Old Olive cardstock, Summer Picnic designer series paper, ticket corner punch, word window punch, 1/4" circle punch, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); olive ribbon (Morex); red brad (Joann)

And, here's another 4 1/4" square card. I made it for this week's sketch at Page Plans. I used one of my favorite retired SU! sets, Vases in Vogue, for the focal image. The vase is paper pieced using paper from the Georgia Peach paper pack. I paper pieced the flower image in Regal Rose ink, then added a tiny rhinestone to the center.

I used two other Georgia Peach patterns for the rest of the cardfront. The seam where the different patterns meet is covered with a strip of Regal Rose grosgrain ribbon. Since the patterns are kind of busy, I didn't add any sentiment and I kept the embellishments simple, using just a trio of matching pink brads in the lower right corner.

Materials Used:

Vases in Vogue stamp set, Basic Black Classic ink, Old Olive marker, Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, Old Olive, and Whisper White cardstock, Georgia Peach designer series paper, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); pink brads (Joann); self-adhesive rhinestone (Michaels)

Fly

Here's my card for this week's Viva la Verve sketch challenge. The twist with this week's challenge was clean and simple, which meant a limit of only one embellishment. With this one, I've completed all four of the sketches this month!

To make up for the lack of embellishments, I used a patterned paper with some glittery stripes in it for the large circle. I stamped the small butterfly from Verve's Beautiful Kindness set in black ink and colored it with pink markers. I made a vellum overlay for the butterfly for a 3-d effect.

I stamped the sentiment in rose ink on a light pink panel, then layered it on the card with dimensionals. I added a trio of pale pink Bella dots as my embellishment to finish the card.

Materials Used:

Beautiful Kindness stamp set (Verve Stamps); Regal Rose and Basic Black Classic inks, Pink Pirouette, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, and Barely Banana cardstock, white vellum, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); white Choice Cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); pink Bella dots (Stamping Bella); patterned paper (Imaginisce); Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

Dream

I pulled out my just arrived March Kit of the Month from Unity Stamp Co. for my card for this week's Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge. Adela is our hostess this week and she's given us a fun square sketch to try out.

I was drawn to the cute rainbow image in the kit and thought it would work well for the square panel at the center of the card. I stamped the image on white cardstock, colored it with Copic markers, then carefully cut it out. I stamped and cut out the cloud portion of the image a second time. This one is covered with Dazzling Diamonds and attached to the colored image with dimensionals. It really is dazzling IRL!

I set the colored image on a Soft Sky panel, then stamped the "dream" sentiment in the upper left corner of the panel in Baja Breeze ink.

I paired two contrasting panels of patterned papers for the cardfront. They're arranged on a Barely Banana square card base. I added the image panel and a white button with a red ribbon tied through the button holes to finish the card.

I hope you'll play along with us this week. If you do, upload your card to the PCP gallery using the keyword 032109 so it can be added to the sketch gallery for everyone to admire.

Materials Used:
March Kit of the Month (Unity Stamp Co.); white Choice Cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Baja Breeze Classic ink, Soft Sky, Riding Hood Red, and Barely Banana cardstock, Washington Apple and Baja Breeze Patterns designer series paper, Real Red grosgrain ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); white button (American Crafts)

Branching Out from Cupcakes

I know they're not the newest thing, but I am loving the papers in the Dill Blossom paper pad I picked up last week! I used them again tonight to make this card for Taylor's Cupcake Challenge. No cupcakes here, but I did use some of Taylor's new stamps on my card.

I ended up flipping the sketch on its side so I could use my new Branching Out set. I stamped the solid branch image first, then added Kiwi Kiss leaves to the tiny branches (using my Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement).

I added the swing and a small bird image to the branch, too. I used a scrap of textured paper to paper piece the swing. The bird was stamped a second time on a scrap of white cardstock, colored, cut out, then added to the image with a dimensional. I put a tiny green gem from a pack of Taylor's Tiny Twinkles on the bird's eye for a fun touch.

I used a combination of a stipple brush and a sponge to apply some Soft Sky ink to the image panel. I placed the sentiment (again with the SAMJ) on one side of the panel.

I used a pair of papers, one patterned and one textured, from the Dill Blossom paper pad for the panel on the cardfront. I layered the panel on a Chocolate Chip mat, then on a kraft card base.

If you add your card using this sketch to the gallery at Paper Craft Planet, you just might win a treat! Taylor is giving away a FREE Tiny Twinkle to one random winner picked from everyone who uploads their sketch challenge cards at Paper Craft Planet. Be sure to use the keyword TECC60 so your card will be placed in the gallery and eligible to win.

Materials Used:
Branching Out and Branching Out Coordinates stamp sets, white Choice Cardstock, Taylor's Twinkles (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); textured and patterned paper (SEI-Dill Blossom); petite oval dies (Nestabilities); Close to Cocoa, Kiwi Kiss, and Soft Sky Classic inks, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, and Kraft cardstock, Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, scallop edge punch, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

Blogger Challenge: Week 91

This week’s challenge was to think spring. Well, what’s more spring-like than a newly hatched chick and pastel colors? Not much! So, that's where I went with this card.

I used the eggshell images from the DoodleFactory Easter set to make a “home” for the chick from the DoodleFactory Country set. I love how the images from the different DoodleFactory sets can be mixed and matched!

Twee, the chick, is colored a bright, springy yellow. The edges of the eggshell pieces are outlined with the lightest of pink markers to give them a subtle tint, then coated with Angel Wings Shimmerz. I used dimensionals to attach the eggshells so it looked like the chick was just hatching and popping out from the egg.

And, I found the perfect sentiment to match my brand new baby chick. I added the “Hi Chickie!” sentiment from one of the Country Sentiment sets just above the chick image. I used a single yellow brad to accent the words.

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

Materials Used:
DoodleFactory Easter, Country, and Country Sentiments sets (Starving Artistamps); white Choice Cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao);Regal Rose Classic ink, Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette, Soft Sky, and Barely Banana cardstock, Regal Rose grosgrain ribbon, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); yellow brad (Making Memories); Angel Wings Shimmerz (i {heart} papers)

Spring Scene

Time for just a quick post tonight! I have an evening meeting/presentation for work, so I have to run.

I made this card for Mary Jo’s sketch challenge. I thought the large panel would be perfect for making a pretty spring scene with one of the rabbit images from the DoodleFactory Easter set from Starving Artistamps.

The sky and clouds were created with a sponge and a plastic cloud template and the grass was done with a stipple brush for a soft look. I colored the Stella the rabbit image in feminine colors, then coated the dress with Angel Wings Shimmerz paint. I added tiny yellow gems to the center of each daffodil, too.

I used the new Fiskars Apron Lace border punch to make the border on the Riding Hood Red panel. It’s a similar shape to the scalloped edging on the bunny’s dress.

The pink panel on the cardfront is stamped with the polka dot background stamp in a slightly darker pink than the paper so it will stand out. I attached the image panel with dimensionals, then added the simple “Happy Easter” sentiment on a pair of layered ovals.

Remember, if you want to place an order at Starving Artistamps for any of the DoodleFactory or Starving Artistamps stamps, you can always use discount code save10lt for a 10% savings on your stamp purchases. I’ll have another fun DoodleFactory card to share in the morning . . .

Materials Used:
DoodleFactory Easter set, Easter sentiment, polka dot background (Starving Artistamps); white Choice Cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao);Cool Caribbean and Certainly Celery Classic inks, Regal Rose Craft ink, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red cardstock, sponge, stipple brush, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); apron lace border punch (Fiskars); yellow Twinkle stickers (Amuse); Angel Wings Shimmerz (i {heart} papers); petite oval dies (Nestabilities)

Thinking of Her

I made this card for today's SCS sketch challenge. I purposely made it very girlie looking since it's heading out in the mail tomorrow to a little girl. She's the young daughter of a friend and fellow SU! demo who's unfortunately had a recurrence of cancer. I want her (and her mommy) to know that I'll be keeping them in my thoughts.

I used my Petal Pizazz set for the bold flowers on the image panel. I stamped the images in Rose Red and Regal Rose Craft inks with Old Olive Craft ink leaves on a pale Pink Pirouette panel. I really like how craft ink looks against pale cardstock! Since the images are kind of big, it took me a few tries to get a stamped panel that I liked.

I borrowed the "thinking of you" sentiment from my Trendy Trees sentiment and stamped it on a word window punch (exactly perfect fit!). I found a scrap of Regal Rose ribbon in my ribbon jar, knotted it, and attached it at the edge of the sentiment as a simple embellishment. I added a large Rose Red photo corner with a brad at the center to the upper right corner, too.

I used narrow strips of paper from the Raspberry Tart paper pack on the cardfront. The colors are a perfect match for the stamped flowers. I like this paper pack, but for some reason I'm having a hard time using it on my projects, so I'm glad it worked so well for this one.

Materials Used (all from Stampin' Up!):
Petal Pizazz and Trendy Trees stamp sets, Regal Rose, Rose Red, and Old Olive Craft inks, Rose Red Classic ink, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Pink Pirouette, and Old Olive cardstock, Raspberry Tart designer series paper, Regal Rose 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, word window punch, photo corner punch, silver brad

i {heart} papers DT Challenge #4

It's time for another i {heart} papers design team challenge! This time, we're doing a sketch challenge, brought to us by Kendra.

I used some of the new SEI Bridgeport paper for my card. Since the paper has two coordinating patterns, it was easy to come up with something that would match for the cardfront and for the large circle element. I used Nestabilities circle dies to cut the circle from the varnish-finished cardstock.

I tied a strip of reversible light blue/parrot green satin ribbon around the panel, making sure to knot the ribbon so that you could see the two different colors. I added a pair of matching Prima flowers, coated with Angel Wings Shimmerz and embellished with a simple self-adhesive pearl. I’ve had these flowers for a while now, but I was having a hard time finding something to use them on since they’re such dramatic colors. This paper’s equally bold colors worked great with the flowers.

I added a simple sentiment along the bottom from the Hero Arts All Occasions Messages stamp set. So that it would stand out against the patterned paper, I stamped the message on a strip of Kiwi Kiss cardstock.

To see what the other DT members have created based on this sketch, you can stop by their blogs and take a look. You can find links to their blogs in the sidebar on the left. And, we'd love it if you'd play along, too. If you try the sketch, be sure to leave a link to your card on Kendra's blog. She's offering a prize to one lucky participant. Entries must be posted to her blog by noon on Tuesday, March 24 to be entered to win.

Materials Used:
From i {heart} papers: Hero Arts All Occasion Messages stamp set, self-adhesive accent pearls, SEI Bridgeport-Tennis Court designer paper, Nestabilities circle and scalloped circle dies, May Arts reversible light blue/parrot green satin ribbon, Angel Wings Shimmerz
Other: Tempting Turquoise Classic ink, Tempting Turquoise and Kiwi Kiss cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool, corner rounder

Woodgrain Silhouette Flowers

Here's my card for this week's sketch at Paper Craft Planet. This is a really versatile sketch that works well both horizontally and vertically. Tammy is our sketch hostess this week and she's doing double duty this week as the hostess of the new weekly 3-D challenge at PCP, too. The 3-D challenge this week is to make one of these fun tiny treat baskets that I showed in this post last week. I may have to try another one for this challenge. . .

Okay, on to my card. I used the woodgraining technique that Gina K highlighted on Stamp TV last week to make my background panel. I started with a Riding Hood Red panel and brushed cream and brown inks along the cardstock to get the woodgrained look. Really pretty and easy, too--but the other pieces on my card hide most of the background.

I stamped one of the silhouette flowers from Gina K's set on the cream panel, stamping off on two of the three images for a lighter image. The sentiment is also from this set. It's stamped in Riding Hood Red and accented with a copper brad.

I used a panel of SU!'s Candy Lane designer paper across the bottom, embellished with a piece of Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon. I really like this ribbon--the white edging is so pretty. I used a Pink Pirouette panel across the cardfront, matching the stripe in the patterned paper, then layered the woodgrained panel on a Chocolate Chip card base.

Materials Used:

Elegant Flowers stamp set (Gina K Designs); Riding Hood Red and Close to Cocoa Classic inks, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette, and Very Vanilla cardstock, Candy Lane designer series paper, Red Riding Hood taffeta ribbon, corner rounder (Stampin' Up!); Vintage Cream Palette ink (Papertrey Ink)

Sketches {by Tamara}: Recipe 40

Here’s my card for this week’s recipe challenge at Sketches {by Tamara}. This week’s required ingredients were three different patterned papers, staples, and stars. I used Lauren’s Saturday sketch challenge to pull all of the elements together.

Three different patterns can be a lot on a card, so to make it easier, I started with a kit. All of the papers and elements in the kit come already coordinated, so at least I had an idea that they’d look okay together—LOL! I used the 3 Bugs in a Rug Happy Bird-Day Caboodle kit I got from i {heart} papers and mixed and matched the papers until I came up with a combination I liked.

I used the lightest patterned paper for the largest panel so that I’d be able to stamp a sentiment directly on the paper. I used the “you’re a star” sentiment from the Hero Arts Sky’s the Limit set. I attached a chipboard star, painted with Angel Wings Shimmerz, to the right of the sentiment and stapled two coordinating tabs of mint glimmer ribbon to the upper left corner of the card. I think this card took me about 15 minutes from start to finish and I'm totally thrilled with how it turned out. Love when that happens!

Materials Used:
From i {heart} papers: Hero Arts Sky’s the Limit stamp set, 3 Bugs in a Rug Happy Bird-Day Caboodle Kit, Creative Impressions mint glimmer ribbon, Angel Wings Shimmerz
Other: Blue Bayou Classic ink, kraft cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); chipboard star (American Crafts)

I'm a DoodleFactory Fan

Check out the new DoodleFactory fan button in my sidebar! Isn’t it fun? You can pick one up for yourself at the Starving Artistamps gallery blog. And, since, I’m on the subject already, here’s a little DoodleFactory inspiration for you.

I made this card for Jenn’s sketch challenge. I wanted to make a card that would be good for a little boy, so I went with shades of blue and green for my background papers and for my image.

I started by selecting my coordinating patterned papers. This way, I had an idea of what colors to use on my stamped image. I colored Buttons the bunny with Copic markers, then arranged the cardstock panels to match the sketch. The sentiment was just the right size to fit alongside the stamped image.

In keeping with the boy theme, instead of using flowers as an embellishment, I went with a trio of cream buttons--and perfect for a bunny named Buttons, too. I threaded a piece of brown twine through each button and secured it on the back of the button with a glue dot.

Materials Used:
DoodleFactory Easter set and Easter sentiments (Starving Artistamps); white Choice Cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); patterned paper (K & Company); Blue Bayou Classic ink, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery, and Blue Bayou cardstock, scallop edge punch, corner rounder, Top Note die (Stampin’ Up!); white satin ribbon (Target); buttons (Papertrey Ink); twine (Walmart)

I made this 4 1/4" square card based on this week's sketch at Card Patterns. I made a few changes to the shapes on the layout, but definitely used elements from the sketch as inspiration.

I used Yoop, the cute lamb from the Easter set, as my focal image here. Yoop's shaded and colored a little with Copic markers and I added some white Fun Flock, too. I layered the image on a pair of hearts and stamped the "love ewe" sentiment next to the image. I had room for a cute little heart brad, too (covering a tiny ink smudge . . .)

I layered the heart on a dot embossed circle, then layered the circle on a piece of dotted patterned paper. The corners of the paper are wrapped with coordinating pink ribbon, then layered on the kraft card base.

Materials Used:

DoodleFactory Easter set and Fresh and Funky Farm sentiments (Starving Artistamps); white Choice Cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Riding Hood Red Classic ink, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, and Kraft cardstock, Bella Rose designer paper, Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug); white Fun Flock (Stampendous); heart and circle dies (Nestabilities)

This card features the Bluebelle image from the Easter set. I stamped the image twice so that I could cut out the top of the flower and attach it with dimensionals. The image is colored with Copic markers, then coated with some Angel Wings Shimmerz for a subtle sparkle.

I used a monochromatic blue color scheme--what else??-- to show off Bluebelle. The panel on the left side of the card is stamped with the Pretty Background in pigment ink and bordered with a scalloped strip to match the image’s mat.

Materials Used:
DoodleFactory Easter set and Pretty Background (Starving Artistamps); white Choice Cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Tempting Turquoise Craft ink, Tempting Turquoise, Night of Navy, and Soft Sky cardstock, scallop edge punch, mat pack and paper piercing tool (Stampin’ Up!); satin ribbon (Target); oval dies (Nestabilities); Angel Wings paint (Shimmerz); self-adhesive rhinestones (Michaels)