Simple Life

Here's my card for Dawn's latest color challenge--white, soft aqua, and brown. Like I said yesterday, browns and blues together are one of my favorite combinations, so I had to try this version out.

I paired Papertrey Ink cardstock and inks with a PTI set I hadn't used yet, Life to make this clean and simple card. I really like the variety of elegant silhouette images in this set and the modern look of the sentiments, too.

I inked the longest silhouette image with Aqua Mist ink and stamped it once on a narrow strip of white cardstock. It's matted on a panel of Dark Chocolate cardstock.

I layered the panel on an Aqua Mist card base. A piece of dark brown grosgrain ribbon breaks up the blue panel a bit. To soften the contrast of the brown stripe, I added a coordinating Aqua Mist button to the center of the bow, tied with a piece of twine. I stamped the sentiment above the bow, taking advantage of the clear stamps to get the words lined up as I wanted them.

Materials Used:

Life stamp set, Aqua Mist and Dark Chocolate Palette inks, Aqua Mist, Dark Chocolate, and White cardstock, Aqua Mist button (Papertrey Ink); Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); twine (Walmart)

Things Are Just Ducky at i {heart} papers

There’s a lot happening over at i {heart} papers these days. Kate has gotten tons of new stuff in, like the sparkly flock I used earlier this week and some fabulous new stuff from Basic Grey that you'll see in my card in this post. Today brings some changes in our design team. Two DT members, Kendra and Sarah, are leaving us today to move on to other things. We’ll definitely miss their fabulous creations! We’re also welcoming a new DT member today. I'm so excited to have my Paper Craft Planet Super Nova buddy Lynn Mercurio join the team. Be sure to stop by her blog and welcome her if you have a chance.

To celebrate these big changes, Kate’s offering a 10% off coupon from April 30 (that’s today!) through May 2. Enter code HGB10 to receive the discount on your purchase.

And, here’s my card showing off some of the new goodies from IHP. I used this week’s Mojo Monday sketch as the basis for my card. The patterned paper panels are from the new Basic Grey Lime Rickey pad. I love the fun colors and patterns in this collection!

I paired the papers with an image from a small stamp set that coordinates with the papers. The duck and sentiment are both from the Whirlie Birds set. I inked the duck with two different colors of ink to get the two-toned look, then added some sparkly Yellow Stickles to its eyes. I accented the image with a trio of felt flowers. There’s a lot going on on this card, but I think I like it!

Materials Used:
From i {heart} papers: Basic Grey Lime Rickey 6x6 paper pad and Whirlie Birds stamp set; Creative Impressions small felt flowers; May Arts reversible light blue/parrot green satin ribbon, Nestabilities circle and scalloped circle dies; Ranger Yellow Stickles

Other: Bashful Blue Classic ink, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery, and Whisper White cardstock, silver brads, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); Lemon Tart and Summer Sunrise Palette inks, Spring Rain cardstock (Papertrey Ink)

Because of You Thinking of You

Here's my card for today's SCS sketch challenge. It combines one of my favorite color schemes (brown and blue) with the new Because of You stamp set from Verve Stamps.

I stamped one of the floral silhouette images repeatedly in blue ink on the vanilla panel for the focal image. I varied the placement of the image for a little interest, then sponged some brown ink along the edges for a distressed look.

I paired the image with patterned paper from My Mind's Eye. The colors of this paper coordinated nicely with the Baja Breeze I used for the card base and for the images. The sentiment comes from Verve's Circular Sayings set. I layered it on a scalloped panel, then on a plain circle panel for a slightly different look before attaching it to the cardfront.

Materials Used:

Because of You and Circular Sayings stamp sets (Verve Stamps); Close to Cocoa and Baja Breeze Classic ink, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Kraft, and Very Vanilla cardstock, Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, sponge, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); patterned paper (My Mind's Eye-Penny Lane line); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities)

Happy Birthday, Unity!

I've missed the last few weeks of the Unity Addicts challenge because of other commitments, but I wasn't going to miss out on this one since it marks a special day--or week, actually. Unity is celebrating its first birthday. In honor of this special occasion, the Unity Addicts group decided to make birthday cards for this week's challenge in honor of Unity's first birthday. Maggie, this week's challenge chooser, provided us with a fun sketch to use.

I took my color scheme for my card from these pretty Bloom papers from My Mind’s Eye. I used two of the papers for the panels on the top half of the card. The bottom half of the card is covered in a kraft panel.

I colored the gift image from Unity’s Birthday Chic kit using Copic markers. The flower was stamped a second time on scrap paper, colored, cut out, and added to the colored image with a dimensional. I layered the image on pumpkin and teal mats to coordinate with the colors in the flowered paper, then used more dimensionals to attach it to the cardfront.

I stamped the “happy birthday” sentiment in turquoise pigment ink with the assistance of my Stamp-a-ma-jig.

For more fun birthday ideas using this sketch, you can visit the rest of the Addicts. Links to their blogs are in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:
Birthday Chic Kit (Unity Stamp Co); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Tempting Turquoise Craft ink, Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, and Kraft cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); teal satin ribbon (Michaels); patterned paper (Bloom from My Mind’s Eye); orange tiny twinkle (Taylored Expressions)

Simple Generosity

I have time for a quick post tonight before I settle in to watch game 7 (the final one!) in the Capitals/Rangers hockey playoff series. The Caps haven't performed the best in the playoffs over their franchise history, but hopefully this year will be the start of a turn-around. Go Caps!

I have a pair of clean and simple cards to share tonight that I made using images from the Generosity set from Clear & Simple Stamps. The sentiments in this set make it so versatile!

This card uses a panel of bright but elegant flocked paper to highlight the "thinking of you" sentiment. I stamped the single rose image next to the sentiment and colored it with Copic markers. The sentiment is matted on a scalloped circle and layered on the cardfront with dimensionals.

I kept the embellishments simple, just a piece of black satin ribbon and a trio of small self-adhesive pearls, to keep the focus on the sentiment and paper.

Materials Used:

Generosity stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Basic Black and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Hibiscus Burst cardstock (Papertrey Ink); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); black satin ribbon, self-adhesive pearls, flocked paper (Target)

This simple sympathy card pairs the same floral image from the first card with a different sentiment from the Generosity set.

Again, I kept the layout very simple. Here, I stamped the single rose image and sentiment directly on a white panel. I embellished it with a simple celery satin ribbon, then layered it on coordinating papers to complete the card.

Materials Used:

Generosity stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Barely Banana and Certainly Celery cardstock (Stampin' Up!); celery satin ribbon (Michaels); white cardstock (Georgia Pacific)

Sketches {by Tamara}: Recipe 46

Here's my card for this week's recipe challenge at Sketches {by Tamara}. This week's required ingredients were stitching (real or faux), rub-ons, and somthing that flies. I combined the recipe with this week's Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge from Jessica to create this card.

I used the 3 Step Butterflies set from Kitchen Sink Stamps for my focal image. The multi-step butterfly image was stamped in three different inks picked to coordinate with the patterned paper panel on the bottom of the card.

I combined the required stitching and rub-on elements by using rub-on stitches to create the stitched corner at the bottom of the image panel. I balanced the stitching with a piece of chocolate chip ribbon knotted at the top of the panel and the "dream" sentiment from Vintage Words stamped at the bottom.

Materials Used:
3 Step Butterflies and Vintage Words stamp sets (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, and So Saffron Classic inks, Tangerine Tango, More Mustard, and Whisper White cardstock, Haiku designer series paper, Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); copper brad (Making Memories); rub ons (Creative Imaginations)

Stinkin' Cute

*****If you're here for Kitchen Sink Monday, scroll down to the post below.*****

I made this quick card using Weekend Sketch challenge 78 and the DoodleFactory Oh Baby! set from Starving Artistamps. I used the crawling baby Izzy image as my focal point here. The image is colored with Copic markers to coordinate with the papers on the cardfront.

I paired a striped paper from Memory Box's Beach Collection with a light blue paper stamped with the dot background stamp to cover the navy card base. I hid the seam between the two different papers with a strip of striped green ribbon, coordinating with the green in the striped paper.

I stamped the "stinkin' cute" sentiment in navy ink to help it stand out, then layered it on a navy circle and slipped the upper part of the circle under the iamge panel to finish off the card. Definitely stinkin' cute!

Materials Used:

Doodle Factory Oh Baby! set, dots background stamp (Starving Artistamps); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); patterned paper (Memory Box-Beach Collection); Bashful Blue and Night of Navy Classic inks, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, and Kiwi Kiss cardstock, Kiwi Kiss striped grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!)

Kitchen Sink Monday: Surprise

It's time for another Kitchen Sink Stamps Monday. This week, I tried out an idea that's been on my mind for a while using the Nested Dolls stamps. Traditional nested dolls open to reveal a smaller doll hidden inside. I tried to translate this idea onto my card by making a panel that rotates to reveal a hidden doll.


I stamped the large and medium doll images, colored them with Copic markers, and cut them out. I layered each of the dolls on a die cut oval, I stamped the "just for you" sentiment from Ready 4 Any Holiday alongside the medium sized doll image. I set the ovals aside while I assembled the rest of the card.


I found a patterned paper that features a shape similar to the one on the doll's front to cover the cardfront. I selected a coordinating paper for a mat and kraft cardstock for the card base.



I attached the oval with the smaller doll to the paper panels, then set the oval with the large doll over the oval with the medium sized doll, but did not attach it. Instead, I used a long-reach hole punch to punch a small hole at the top of the oval. I put a brad through the hole and secured it on the back of the card. A knotted piece of grosgrain ribbon, attached over the brad with a glue dot, hides the fastener.


For more Kitchen Sink Stamps 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

And, today we're welcoming three new members to the Kitchen Sink Crew. Be sure to stop by and check out their KSS creations, too.
Connie McCotter
Lisa Somerville
Makiko Jones


Materials Used:
Nested Doll and Ready 4 Any Holiday stamp sets (Kitchen Sink Stamps); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); patterned paper (K & Company Wild Raspberry); Barely Banana and Real Red Classic inks, Baja Breeze, Barely Banana, Real Red, and Kraft cardstock, silver brad (Stampin' Up!); red ribbon (Michaels); self-adhesive rhinestone (Me & My Big Ideas); oval dies (Nestabilities)

Spring Things

Here are two cards featuring things that make me think of spring--even though it's summer-like hot here right now. I finally broke down and switched on the air conditioning tonight so that I'll be able to sleep comfortably later on. I've learned that if Cosmo the crazy dog is hot and uncomfortable, it will be a long night for both of us--LOL!

I made this one for Taylor's Cupcake Challenge sketch. I thought the cute bunny image from The Greeting Farm's Lucky Bunnies set would fit nicely on the tall vertical panel in the sketch. I stamped the bunny on a scrap of cardstock, colored it, then cut it out and attached it to the light blue panel using dimensionals. I used my favorite new product on the bunny's belly--sparkly flock. I just got it in my i {heart} papers order. It's flocking powder with sparkly, glittery stuff mixed in. So cool!

I picked a soft pastel patterned paper from Heidi Grace for the panel on the cardfront. The mats and panels on the card were picked to coordinate with the colors in the paper. I added a trio of Dew Drops to match the dots on the paper and in the scalloped border. I left off a sentiment, but figure this could be used for a birthday or a baby card, maybe.

Materials Used:

Lucky Bunnies set (The Greeting Farm); Solar White cardstock (Neenah); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Pink Pirouette, Soft Sky, and Certainly Celery cardstock, Certainly Celery twill tape, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); patterned paper (Heidi Grace Designs); Dew Drops (Robin's Nest); Threaded Water punch (Fiskars); white Sparkly Flock (i {heart} papers)

Here's my second spring card, based on this week's sketch challenge from Stamp TV. This one features a pretty hat from the Thinking of You set from Gina K Designs.

I colored the image with Copic markers and added a tiny twinkle from Taylored Expressions as a simple embellishment to the largest flower on the hat. The hat's layered on a pale pink scalloped circle and embellished with a darker rose velvet flower with a button at its center.

I found some patterned paper that had kind of a country feel to it to--and pink flowers to match the ones I had colored on the hat--for the cardfront. I used my eyelet border punch along the edge of a strip of pale pink paper, then attached a yellow strip to the top of that for the "I hat to thank you!" sentiment. Originally, I had tried to stamp the sentiment on ribbon, but it looked too blurry to me, so I scrapped that in favor of the paper.

Materials Used:

Thinking of You stamp set, white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Pink Pirouette and So Saffron cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool, eyelet border punch (Stampin' Up!); velvet flower (Prima); Sweet Blush button (Papertrey Ink); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); patterned paper (K & Company Wild Raspberry); twine (Walmart)

Elegant Anniversary

Here's my card for today's SCS featured stamper challenge. As soon as I saw this anniversary card, I knew I could use the Forever & Always set from Kitchen Sink Stamps to rework this card with my own twists.

I kept the layout of the card pretty much the same, but I did flip the positions of the circles in the layout so the sentiment was on the right side of the card. I also reduced the size of the card to a 4 1/4" square, so everything on the card is scaled down a bit to fit and I used a few less layers, too.

I covered the card base with a pretty shimmery silver and gold patterned paper that seemed to be a perfect fit for a wedding or anniversary card. Instead of doing embossing on the sentiment panel, I stamped the words and numbers for the sentiment in two different colors of shimmery inks on shimmery white cardstock.

The shimmery gold panel is embellished with trio of Prima flowers. I added a gold Dew Drop to the center of each flower to coordinate with the gold panel.

I'm off for some chips and salsa--and margaritas, too--with my kindergarten teacher friends. It's sunny and warm--the perfect day for spending time outside over drinks with friends! I won't be gone too long, though, because I want to watch the next installment of the Capitals/Rangers hockey playoff series. Go Caps!

Materials Used:

Forever & Always stamp set, Gold Dew Drops (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Graphite Black and Galaxy Gold inks (Brilliance); gold paper (Target); patterned paper (The Paper Company Studio-Wedding Silver & Gold Stripe); Basic Black and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities)

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop Goes Timeless

It’s time for another Papertrey Ink Blog Hop. This month’s theme was Lauren’s Timeless Templates. I have purchased a few of the templates and downloaded the freebies, but hadn’t tried them out yet, so this gave me the little push I needed to actually work with one.

I used the Recipe Wrap Up template, but not for holding recipes (of course not—my regular readers know that I don’t cook—LOL!). I decided to turn it in to a mini scrapbook of sorts using one of PTI’s new sets, All Star.

For a masculine look, I started by printing the template on SU!’s River Rock cardstock to coordinate with the star patterned paper from Junkitz that I wanted to use. I usually use more PTI products for my Blog Hop projects, but I really wanted to use this paper and my PTI stuff didn’t coordinate as well with it. My printer was not very cooperative with the cardstock (I may have to invest in a new one soon, since it does the same thing with photo papers . . .). Since I was short on time, I made my album using only one of the template pieces.

The outside is covered with a patterned paper panel. I used the pennant stamps from the All-Star Team set to create a vintage looking title for the album. The “all star” on the pennant is stamped in cream ink, then embossed with cream embossing powder. To keep with the more masculine feel I was going for, instead of adding a tie closure, I used a magnetic closure, hidden under the patterned paper panel.

The pockets are covered with the same patterned paper I used on the cover. I cut coordinating cardstock inserts for each pocket. I embellished the inserts simply, using the star border from the All-Star Team set and sentiments from the All-Star Team Additions set. I used a tab punch to create a pull tab for the top of each panel, too. Fun! Now it just needs some photos, memorabilia, and journaling to bring it to life . . .

Materials Used:
All-Star Team and All-Star Team Additions stamp sets, Recipe Wrap Up template, Smokey Shadow and Vintage Cream cardstock, Smokey Shadow and Vintage Cream Palette inks, black buttons (Papertrey Ink); Cranberry Crisp Classic ink, Cranberry Crisp and River Rock cardstock, Vanilla embossing powder, mat pack and paper piercing tool, round tab punch, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); patterned paper (Junkitz); twine (Walmart); magnets (Basic Grey)

Spring Saturday Shoebox Swap

I’m on my way to another shoebox swap this morning. Here’s the all Stampin’ Up! card I designed to bring for the swap (with along with my "homemade" blueberry bread, of course!).

I wanted to use a set from the Occasions mini catalog, so I decided on Great Friend. Since there are 25 people attending the swap, I knew my card needed to be pretty simple—there are a lot of cards to make and not so much time! I used a simple layout incorporating both designer paper and punches to come up with this spring-like pretty.

I used a strip of subtly patterned paper from the Candy Lane designer paper pack on the cardfront. A coordinating strip of Pink Pirouette cardstock punched with the eyelet border punch is on the bottom edge of the cardstock to help it stand out a bit.

The delicate butterfly image is stamped twice using Pretty in Pink ink, once on a circle cutout, then again on a scrap of Pink Pirouette. The butterfly on the scrap piece is cut out and layered over the butterfly on the circle, attached only at the center so the wings can be bent up to add dimension to the card. This circle is layered on a slightly larger Kiwi Kiss circle before it’s attached to the card.

I’m so proud of myself for having this card designed and prepared on Tuesday evening. Usually I’m up late on Friday nights before these events, cutting and bagging my supplies while waiting for my blueberry bread to finish up in the oven—LOL!

Materials Used (all from Stampin’ Up!);
Great Friend stamp set, Pretty in Pink and Close to Cocoa Classic inks, Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss, and Baja Breeze cardstock, Candy Lane designer paper, white grosgrain ribbon, eyelet border punch, dimensionals

Viva la Verve--Complete!

I finished all of this month's Viva la Verve sketch challenges! Here are my final two cards using stamps from Verve, of course.

This one uses Verve's new Wishful Elegance set. This sketch had the added twist of creating your own patterned paper. I stamped one of the flower images tone on tone on the Riding Hood Red cardstock to make the patterned panel on the left side of the card. The panel's embellished with a layered ribbon strip.

I stamped the "birthday wishes" sentiment from the set on kraft cardstock in Riding Hood Red ink. This is matted with Chocolate Chip cardstock and layered on a Barely Banana panel along with the patterned paper I made. I really like this color combination! I'll have to try to remember it so I can use it again . . .

Materials Used:

Wishful Elegance stamp set (Verve Stamps); Riding Hood Red Classic ink, Riding Hood Red, Barely Banana, Chocolate Chip, and Kraft cardstock, Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon, Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); flowers (Prima); Dew Drops (Robin's Nest)

And, here's my card for this week's sketch. The twist was for this week's sketch was something for spring. I used the large butterfly image from the Beautiful Kindness set. Butterflies definitely say spring to me! I colored the butterfly with Copic markers and highlighted it with a little glitter from a clear Stardust glitter pen.

I paired the butterfly with some pastel striped paper and a fun pink polka dotted ribbon. I added a bunch of Dew Drops to highlight the image. The sentiment is stamped in bold pink ink to stand out against the striped pattern.

Materials Used:

Beautiful Kindness stamp set (Verve Stamps); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Hibiscus Burst Palette ink, Hibiscus Burst and Aqua Mist cardstock, Hibiscus Burst dotted satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); patterned paper (K & Company); clear Stardust glitter pen (Sakura); circle dies (Nestabilities)

Blogger Challenge: Week 96

This week’s blogger challenge was to alter something. I picked up a bunch of these small treat tins at the dollar store a while ago and I’ve used them for a few projects (here and here), but I still have quite a few sitting around. I thought I’d try something different with them for this challenge.

I made them in to shaker magnets. This is a quick and easy project and one that would be a lot of fun for kids to do.

First, I found a few different images that would fit inside the bottom of the tin. I stamped the image, then punched it out with a circle punch. I layered it on a contrasting cardstock circle just a bit larger, then adhered that circle to the bottom of the tin.

I embellished the outside of the tin by adding a narrow strip of coordinating designer paper to the bottom of the tin. Be careful when doing this, because if the paper covers where the bottom and lid overlap, it might make the tin too thick to allow the bottom and lid to fit together to close. I tied a piece of narrow grosgrain ribbon around the lid for a little more decoration. They were hard to photograph because of their shape and the clear lid--sorry the photo's not better! They're much cuter IRL.

For the shaker part, I poured in just a few seed beads. To keep the tin sealed, I used a little Mono Multi around the edge of the lid, then closed the tin tight. This stuff really sticks! The final step was adding a disk magnet on the back of the tin.

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

Materials Used:
Flight of the Butterfly and Tart & Tangy stamp sets, Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose Classic inks, Rose Red and Old Olive markers, Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, Barely Banana, and Rose Red cardstock, Candy Lane and Raspberry Tart designer series papers, Rose Red and Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon, 1 ¾” circle punch (Stampin’ Up!); circle punch (Marvy Uchida); clear topped treat tins (Dollar Tree); beads (Halcraft); magnets

Earth Toned Thanks

Here's my quick card for one of today's Unity Hip Hop challenges. The challenge was to use the colors of the globe (greens, blues, and neutrals) on your card.

I used one of my all-time favorite Unity sets for this one, Giggle Grove. I paper pieced the tree using a scrap from SU!'s retired Petals & Paisleys paper pack. The bird is paper pieced using the reverse side of the paper I used for the tree. The vibrant blues and greens in the paper were perfect for the challenge. I added a tiny green twinkle from Taylored Expressions for the eye--so cute! I layered the cutout pieces on the kraft card base using dimensionals.

I tied a teal satin ribbon across the top of the card, coordinating with the colors in the tree. The sentiment, from the Thank You Words set, is stamped in turquoise pigment ink. I added a trio of green rhinestones to finish off the card.

Materials Used:

Giggle Grove and Thank You Words kits (Unity Stamp Co.); Rich Cocoa ink (Memento); Tempting Turquoise Craft ink, Kraft cardstock, Petals & Paisleys designer series paper, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); teal satin ribbon (Michaels); green self-adhesive rhinestones (Darice); light green tiny twinkle (Taylored Expressions)

Rosy Pink Mother's Day

I have time for just a quick post tonight between periods of the Capitals/Rangers hockey playoff game--gotta get back to watching the game! I got new stamps in the mail today from Verve and I had to try them out, so I pulled together this quick card for today's SCS sketch challenge.

I used several images from the Because of You stamp set on my card. I stamped the floral image in Rose Red along the corner of the Very Vanilla panel, then added the Mother's Day sentiment in gray. I'm excited to have a set with a nice variety of sentiments for Mother's Day! I stamped the small flower on a scrap of Pink Pirouette and trimmed it out, then added it to the panel with a dimensional. I also added a tiny twinkle from Taylored Expressions at the center of each flower for a little, tiny sparkle.

I used two patterns from the Candy Lane paper pack for the panels on the cardfront. I ended up matting the patterned papers with contrasting solid cardstock after trying them directly on the vanilla panel and feeling like they needed something else. I layered on the sentiment/image panel with dimensionals to finish off the card.

Materials Used:

Because of You stamp set (Verve Stamps); Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, and Basic Gray Classic inks, Rose Red, Pink Pirouette, and Very Vanilla cardstock, Candy Lane designer series paper, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); red and pink twinkles (Taylored Expressions)

Take The Challenge for Earth Day with Clear & Simple Stamps

In honor of Earth Day, Clear & Simple Stamps is releasing 4 brand new earth and environment themed stamp sets. You can check them out in the badge shown here. In addition, the CSS DT is playing in a special Take the Challenge event. Today, we’re sharing projects using recycled materials.

The recycled item I used on my project is some cardboard/chipboard that would have otherwise been thrown away (or, more likely, put out with my newspapers for recycling). I used it to make a chipboard star for the focal point on my card. I found a star shape that I liked, then traced it on to my cardboard and carefully cut it out. I covered it with gold ink, then embossed it with clear embossing powder. Not only did it make the star shimmery, it solved the problem of the ink rubbing off everywhere—LOL!

I found some patterned paper featuring a gold-ish star for the panel on my cardfront. I chose the colors for the rest of my card to coordinate with the paper. I used the “rock on” sentiment block from the Rockstar set to make the sentiment panel. It’s easy to line up and stamp the words repeatedly using the clear stamps! It’s layered on a piece of sparkly gold paper for a little pop. I added a trio of gold star brads to finish off the card.

We hope you'll join us and play along with this challenge. Upload your creations using something recycled or reused to the Paper Craft Planet gallery using the keyword TTCED. Be sure to check out what the rest of the DT has done with the challenge. Here’s where to find them:
CSS Blog

Beth
Jean
Maria

Nicole

Kim, April guest designer

Materials Used:
Rockstar stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Night of Navy Classic ink, Night of Navy and Brocade Blue cardstock, Crystal Clear embossing powder, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); patterned paper (Scribble Scrabble) gold paper (Target); gold star brads (Making Memories); Gold Galaxy ink (Brilliance); cardboard

Fifth Avenue Happiness

***If you're here for the i {heart} papers DT challenge, check out the post below.***

Here's my quick card for today's SCS color challenge. The challenge colors were Rose Red, Pink Pirouette, and Basic Gray.

I turned to the elegant Fifth Avenue Floral set for my card. The flower image is stamped randomly in Rose Red and Pretty in Pink (a little darker than Pink Pirouette--I used it for a reason). I softened the red (and almost washed out the pink) by placing a vellum layer over the stamped flowers. I love the way this looks!

I was planning on making this a Mother's Day card, but realized I didn't have any SU! Mother's Day sentiments, so I settled for one of the sentiments in the Heard from the Heart set. It's stamped in Basic Grey and layered on coordinating mats. This sentiment strip let me apply a good amount of adhesive to the vellum layer without it showing up. The final element was a knotted piece of Pink Pirouette striped grosgrain ribbon. Quick, easy, and elegant!

Materials Used (all from Stampin' Up!):

Fifth Avenue Floral and Heard from the Heart stamp sets, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, and Basic Gray Classic inks, Rose Red, Pink Pirouette, Basic Gray, and Whisper White cardstock, vellum, Pink Pirouette striped grosgrain ribbon

i {heart} papers DT Challenge: Slightly Askew

The i {heart} papers DT is participating in another challenge. The theme for this challenge is to put something askew on your card. I tend to do linear kind of designs, but I managed to pull this one off!

I used this week’s ingredients from the recipe challenge at Sketches {by Tamara} along with Lauren’s Saturday sketch challenge to create this card. The required elements for the recipe challenge were patterned paper, ribbon, and an image of something that flies.

I love the pretty Amy Butler die cut butterflies, so I decided to use one of them as the focal point of my card. I set the butterfly, askew, meeting the requirements for the IHP challenge, on a cream circle and stamped “hello” from the Hero Arts All Occasions Messages stamp set on the circle.

I matched the colors in the butterfly to the colors in the My Mind’s Eye Penny Lane designer paper. Since the patterns in the paper and on the butterfly have a lot going on, I layered the butterfly on a pair of solid cardstock panels. I added a trio of buttons, threaded with shimmery pink ribbon, to the side of the panel.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the IHP DT has set askew. Links to their blogs are in the sidebar on the left.

Materials Used:
From i {heart} papers: K & Company Amy Butler Tea Box die cut butterflies, Hero Arts All Occasion Messages stamp set, My Mind’s Eye Penny Lane designer paper, Creative Impressions light pink glimmer ribbon, Nestabilities circle die

Other: Berry Sorbet Palette ink, Berry Sorbet and Sweet Blush cardstock, Vintage Cream buttons (Papertrey Ink); Very Vanilla cardstock, dimensional (Stampin’ Up!)

If Friends Were Flowers

If you're here for this week's installment of Kitchen Sink Stamps Monday, check out the post below.

Here's my card for this week's clean and simple card challenge on SCS and this week's color challenge from Stamp TV. The SCS challenge was an inspiration challenge, based on your choice of a kids' bedding set from JC Penney. The Stamp TV color challenge was to use 4 or more colors on your card. I chose a set called Daisy Quilt and took my inspiration from the diagonally striped pillow, the large flower images, and the multicolored design.

I made my diagonal striped panel by cutting a scrap of cardstock to 5 1/4" by 1 1/4". I covered the scrap with adhesive, then attached narrow scraps of brightly colored cardstock scraps to the adhesive on the diagonal. I trimmed away the edges of the scraps so they were even with my base strip, then attached the finished striped piece to my white panel.

I arranged a trio of coordinating Prima flowers in different colors and sizes along the right side of the cardfront and added a button to the center of each one. I finished the card with the friend sentiment from the Bold Flowers set from Gina K Designs.

Gotta finish up now--a rain storm's coming our way and Cosmo the crazy dog does not handle noise and wind (or power outages--that's one of his biggest freak outs!) too well . . .

Materials Used:

Bold Flowers stamp set (Gina K Designs); Hibiscus Burst Palette ink, Hibiscus Burst, Aqua Mist, and Lemon Tart cardstock, Hibiscus Burst, Sweet Blush, and Aqua Mist buttons (Papertrey Ink); Gable Green and Orchid Opulence cardstock, Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); flowers (Prima); twine (Walmart)

Kitchen Sink Monday: Rolodex

It's time for another Kitchen Sink Stamps Crew Challenge. This week's hostess is Maria. She's challenged us to alter rolodex cards.

I kept mine pretty simple--and more "scrappy" than stamped-- since there's a small space to work with (even smaller than ATC's!). I didn't have any "real" rolodex cards, so I simply cut white cardstock to rolodex card size (I used 1 3/4" by 3 1/4" paper) to work with. I made the notches to file the cards by using a 1/4" square punch, then snipping out a tiny bit of the bottom of the square so it could be added to the file.

I layered a slightly smaller solid cardstock rectangle over the white base. I used the letters from 1/2 Pint Alphabet Buddy to stamp my friends' names on the cardstock in darker ink the same shade as the paper.

For embellishment, I used layered circle punches and a mix of solid and patterned papers to create a flower. I finished the flower by adding a cream button to the center. I figured that I could put contact info on the back since I didn't have much space on the front after I had finished with stamping and embellishing.

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

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

Don't forget to play along with this week's challenge. You have two weeks to link your own altered rolodex card to the Kitchen Sink Stamps blog. The challenge winner will receive their choice of $50 in stamps from Kitchen Sink Stamps! You can find all the details on the KSS blog.

Materials Used:

1/2 Pint Playful Alphabet Buddy (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Blue Bayou and Regal Rose Classic inks, Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette, Kraft, and Whisper White cardstock, Blue Bayou and Pretty in Pink Patterns designer series paper, 3/4", 1 3/8", and scallop circle punches, 1/4" square punch, mat pack and paper piercing tool (Stampin' Up!); cream buttons (Papertrey Ink); twine (Walmart)

Cutie Patootie

Here's another DoodleFactory Oh Baby! card. I made it for today's SCS featured stamper challenge. It's based on this card.

I kept the layout and color scheme the same--and the card's baby theme, too. I changed the image to this cute image of Izzy. I added a bottle in Izzy's hands using a dimensional. The strip of patterned paper across the cardfront is from Memory Box's Layette collection. This is one of my favorite paper collections for baby cards! I wrapped a piece of pink satin ribbon around the patterned paper panel--so feminine.

I replaced the embossed panel on the front with a stamped polka dot background (also from Starving Artistamps). It coordinates nicely with the dotted pattern on the paper. I matched the image with the "cutie patootie" sentiment from the coordinating Sentiments Baby set to finish the card.

Materials Used:

DoodleFactory Oh Baby! and Sentiments Baby sets, polka dot background (Starving Artistamps); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); patterned paper (Memory Box Layette collection); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink Classic inks, Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); satin ribbon (Michaels)

DoodleFactory Duo

I spent some time last night practicing my coloring with my Copics. I still have a way to go, but the certification class I attended really helped me to understand how to use these pretty tools! I have two Copic-colored cards to share with you from my coloring last night. Both use DoodleFactory images--they are so much fun to color!

I used Taylor's Cupcake Challenge sketch as the basis for this card. No cupcakes here, but there is a reference to a "bun." This is another one of the images from the DoodleFactory Oh Baby! set from Starving Artistamps.

Here, I paper pieced the mom-to-be's dress to match the patterned paper strip I used across the card. The rest of the image is colored with Copic markers. I sponged around the image with some pink ink to match the colors in the card.

I used patterned paper from the Sugar collection from Memory Box. The colors coordinated nicely with SU!'s Regal Rose and Kiwi Kiss, so I used those as the mats and card base here. I stamped the "bun in the oven" sentiment using my Stamp-a-ma-jig to line up the words.

Materials Used:

DoodleFactory Oh Baby! and Sentiments Baby! set (Starving Artistamps); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Regal Rose marker, Kiwi Kiss and Regal Rose cardstock, scallop edge punch, mat pack and paper piercing tool, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, Kiwi Kiss striped grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); patterned paper (Memory Box Sugar Collection)

I decided to change things up a little and move away from the baby theme on my next card. This one uses the neighborhood image to create a change of address card. Again, I colored the image with Copic markers. I used a cloud template and some Cool Caribbean ink to add in the vibrant sky behind the buildings.

I stamped the polka dot background tone on tone on a Baja Breeze panel and layered that on a kraft card base. I layered the stamped image on red and brown panels, then layered them on the card. I stamped the "our new address" sentiment from the Country #2 sentiments set on a white scrap and layered it on a brown scrap, then added a silver brad. This is attached to the cardfront with dimensionals.

Materials Used:

DoodleFactory Neighborhood, Country Set #2 sentiment set, polka dot background (Starving Artistamps); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Cool Caribbean, Baja Breeze, and Real Red Classic inks, Baja Breeze, Real Red, Chocolate Chip, and Kraft cardstock, silver brad, sponge, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); cloud template (Nicole)

Susie Surprise Has Something to Say

It's time for a new sketch challenge at Paper Craft Planet. Lynn is our sketch challenge hostess this weekend. I flipped her sketch on its side to create this fun card.

I used images from the Susie Surprise set from The Greeting Farm here. What a fun image for a birthday card! Susie is colored with Copic markers to match the designer paper from the Penny Lane line from My Mind's Eye (got it at i {heart} papers). The colors in the paper are ones I probably wouldn't have paired on my own, but they seemed to work okay in the end.

I embellished the image with a big green Prima flower. I found a purple rhinestone to stick in the center to pull in more of the card's colors. The sentiment panel was made with Nestabilities petite oval dies. I ended up layering the ovals so they'd stand out more against the patterned paper.

I may give this one another try, this time using the sketch flipped horizontally . . . If you give the sketch a try, be sure to upload your card to the Paper Craft Planet gallery using the keyword sk041809 so it can be added to the gallery.

Materials Used:

Susie Surprise stamp set (The Greeting Farm); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Elegant Eggplant Classic ink, Elegant Eggplant cardstock, silver brads (Stampin' Up!); patterned paper (My Mind's Eye); petite oval dies (Nestabilities); flower (Prima); purple rhinestone (Studio 18)

Celebrate and Comfort

Here are two quick cards I made for challenges at Stamp TV. Both cards use images from Gina K Designs.

This one is for this week's sketch challenge, designed by my Paper Craft Planet buddy Jessica. I used the Retro Boutique set. I love that dress image! I paper pieced the image with some patterned paper from the Sabrina collection from Making Memories.

I used another paper from the Sabrina collection for the large panel on the left side of the card. The paper's not quite black, more of a charcoal color, so I layered it on a piece of Basic Gray cardstock with a scalloped edge. I dotted a little bit of Silver Pearls Liquid Pearls on each of the scallops. Like I said earlier this week, I've got to get more of this stuff . . .

Materials Used:

Retro Boutique stamp set (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); Pretty in Pink Classic ink, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla, and Basic Gray cardstock, scallop edge punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Sabrina designer paper (Making Memories); Vintage Cream grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey Ink); Silver Pearls Liquid Pearls (Ranger); 1 1/2" circle punch (EK Success)

This card is for this week's Stamp TV technique challenge. I used a baby wipe dotted with Kiwi Kiss, Pretty in Pink, and Lavender Lace inks to make an ink pad that I used to stamp the floral image from the Comfort & Peace stamp set. At first, I didn't have enough ink on my "ink pad," so my initial stamping attempts ended up in the trash. I added a few more dots of ink and liked the soft look of the resulting image.

I kept the rest of the card simple to show off the multicolored flower image. I added a strip embellished with purple dome embellishments to the left of the image panel and a sentiment at the bottom right corner of the image.

Materials Used:

Comfort & Peace stamp set (Gina K Designs); Kiwi Kiss, Lavender Lace, Pretty in Pink, and Almost Amethyst Classic inks, Almost Amethyst, Pink Pirouette, and Whisper White cardstock, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, Pink Pirouette striped grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); purple dome embellishments (Michaels)

Blogger Challenge: Week 95

This week’s blogger challenge was a color challenge that included Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow, Sahara Sand and neutrals. This felt like a masculine color combination to me, so I tried to go for something clean, simple, and masculine here.

I used the tree image from Branch Out for the image panel. The tree is stamped on a Sahara Sand panel in Chocolate Chip Craft ink with Sage Shadow Craft and Always Artichoke Classic ink leaves. I sponged some Sahara Sand ink around the edges of the panel, too.

I kept the layout pretty simple. The tree is layered on an Always Artichoke panel with distressed edges, then attached to the cardfront with dimensionals. I added a kraft corduroy button with twine threaded through the buttonholes to the right of the image panel. These buttons are such a nice embellishment! The “thinking of you” sentiment from Trendy Trees is stamped in craft ink on the bottom right corner of the card base.

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

Materials Used (all from Stampin’ Up!):
Branch Out and Trendy Trees stamp sets, Chocolate Chip and Mellow Moss Craft inks, Always Artichoke and Sahara Sand Classic inks, Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, and Sahara Sand cardstock, Chocolate Chip 5/8” grosgrain ribbon, mat pack and paper piercing tool, kraft corduroy button, twine, sponge, dimensionals

Howdy, Baby

I'm still having fun with my DoodleFactory Oh Baby! stamps from Starving Artistamps. Since I first saw the rocking horse image, I knew I wanted to make it a moving element on a card. I got a chance to give my idea a try tonight.

Here's what I came up with. I stamped the image on a scrap of white cardstock, colored it with Copic markers, then trimmed around it. I cut a 1/2" hole in the center of the blue panel I used for the cardfront. I put a dimensional on the back of the rocking horse, then put the dimensional through the hole. To keep the image in place but allow it to move, I placed a 3/4" circle on the back of the dimensional, behind the blue panel. This keeps the image from moving too much. In fact, it only moves when you touch it.

I kept the rest of the card simple to keep the focus on the interactive element. The "howdy" sentiment comes from the Country #2 sentiments set. I thought it was a fun match for the rocking horse.

Materials Used:

DoodleFactory Oh Baby! set, Country Set #2 sentiment set, Stripes background (Starving Artistamps); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Brocade Blue Classic ink, Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, and Kraft cardstock, 1/2" and 3/4" circle punches, dimensional (Stampin' Up!); Spring Rain twill tape (Papertrey Ink); star brad (Making Memories)

A Little More Verve

Here’s the next installment of my cards for this week’s Verve Stamps release challenges. I managed to get to them all in plenty of time to meet the deadline.

This cute 4 ¼” square card was for one of the sketch challenges. I used the Floral Symphony set for the main image. The flowers were first stamped in Pumpkin Pie ink, then I stamped the outline image over them in black ink. Quick and easy! The rest of the panel is embellished with some kraft taffeta ribbon and a button.

I picked my colors for the card based on the strip of striped patterned paper from My Mind’s Eye that I used across the cardfront. To add some texture and interest, I embossed only the top portion of the Baja Breeze panel on the cardfront with my Swiss Dot embossing folder.

Materials Used:
Floral Symphony and Circular Sayings stamp sets (Verve Stamps); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); Pumpkin Pie and Kiwi Kiss Classic inks, Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery, Kraft, and Whisper White cardstock, kraft taffeta ribbon (Stampin’ Up!); button (Papertrey Ink); twine (Walmart); patterned paper (Wild Asparagus-My Mind’s Eye); Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

This card was for a color challenge using soft blue, soft yellow, and soft brown. I chose Baja Breeze, Barely Banana, and Kraft as my colors.

I used the same tulip image from Floral Symphony, this time stamping in Barely Banana ink. I coated the flowers with Dazzling Diamonds, too.

The panel that's on an angle behind the image panel was embossed with the Swiss Dot embossing folder to match the dotted patterned paper that covers most of the cardfront.

Once I added the strip of kraft taffeta ribbon to the bottom of the card, I didn't have much room left for a sentiment. I fit in the "thinking of you" sentiment from Circular Sayings, stamped in brown ink, to finish the card.

Materials Used:

Floral Symphony and Circular Sayings stamp sets (Verve Stamps); Barely Banana and Close to Cocoa Classic inks, Barely Banana, Baja Breeze, Kraft, and Whisper White cardstock, kraft taffeta ribbon, scallop edge punch, Dazzling Diamonds (Stampin' Up!); patterned paper (K & Company); Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

This card isn't part of the Verve release challenge, but it is for last weekend's Viva la Verve sketch challenge. In addition to the sketch, there was a color challenge to follow--More Mustard, Summer Sun, and Baja Breeze. That's a tough color combination!

I decided to try to make it work for a masculine card. I had some scraps of patterned paper in Summer Sun and Baja Breeze, so I arranged those to fit the sketch, filling in with some solid papers, too, on a More Mustard card base.

I used my Polka Stars set for the image panel. I stamped the stars in Summer Sun ink, then trimmed around them. I layered them on stars punched out of Summer Sun cardstock using a dimensional. I added the "superstar" sentiment from the Great Expectations set at the bottom of the card. It turned out better than I thought it would, given the challenging colors.

Materials Used:

Polka Stars and Great Expectations stamp sets (Verve Stamps); Summer Sun Classic ink, Summer Sun, More Mustard, and Baja Breeze cardstock, Baja Breeze Patterns and Good Morning Sunshine designer series papers, silver brads, large star punch (Stampin' Up!); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento)

Blog Hopping with Anya and Ian

When I saw that there was going to be an Anya Blog Hop featuring fun Anya and Ian images from The Greeting Farm, I knew I’d have to participate! I love these fun images and I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else does with them.

For my blog hop card, I combined the Anya from the Pretty Hat set with the Football Ian image. It took some masking and a few tries to get it just right . . . I colored my blended image with Copic markers and added Pink Shimmerz and Silver Pearls Liquid Pearls embellishments. I took a cue from the Pretty Hat set and added a velvet flower, embellished with a self-adhesive rhinestone, to the football helmet.

The rest of the card is pretty simple. I stayed with the sports theme of the image and went from there. I found some cardstock with a texture that reminded me of a football’s texture, but in a “girly” color, and used that to cover the cardfront. I created a pennant shape for the sentiment. The words “go team” are spelled out with white rub-on letters. I added a button, tied with twine, to anchor the pennant to the card.

For more Anya inspiration, head to the Club Anya blog to see the list of all of the bloggers participating in the hop. You can also stop in to the Club Anya group on Paper Craft Planet for chatting and more fun.

Materials Used:
Pretty Hat set and Football Ian stamp (The Greeting Farm); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Rose Red, Pink Pirouette, and Close to Cocoa cardstock, Chocolate Chip 5/8” grosgrain ribbon, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); patterned paper, rub-ons (American Crafts); button (Papertrey Ink); twine (Walmart); velvet flower (Prima); Silver Pearls Liquid Pearls (Ranger); self-adhesive rhinestone (Darice); Pink Shimmerz

April Release from Clear & Simple Stamps

Clear & Simple Stamps is releasing 8 new sets today! Here's what you can find in the store today:

Mom and Me
Dad and Me
Tea Time
Got Fish?
Bravery Gent
BBQ Darling
Believe in Words III
Summer Sentiments

Here are some samples using the Believe in Words III set. Like the Believe in Words I and II sets before it, this set has a great mix of elegant images and sentiments.

This bold, bright card combines the two images from the Believe in Words III set. The bird image was stamped on a separate piece of cardstock, then attached to the image panel with dimensionals. I colored all of the images with Copic markers to get the vivid colors.

The colors were inspired by the K & Company patterned paper I used on the cardfront. It's a bit bolder than what I usually do, but I like how it turned out.

Materials Used:

Believe in Words III stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); white Choice Cardstock (Taylored Expressions); markers (Copic Ciao); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); patterned paper (K & Company); Riding Hood Red cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); Summer Sunrise cardstock, Summer Sunrise grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey Ink); Angel Wings paint (Shimmerz); Dew Drops (Robin's Nest); rectangle and scalloped rectangle dies (Nestabilities)

Now, from bold and bright to soft and subtle. This card is a tent topper featuring the bird image from the set. The bird is colored with Copic markers. I layered the bird on a panel that I made a cloud background on using a sponge, ink, and a cloud template.

Again, I took my color inspiration from the patterned paper. The card is mostly monochromatic with a flash of silver/gray from the satin ribbon and the scalloped pieces.

I thought the "soar" sentiment was a nice match for the bird image.

Materials Used:

Believe in Words III stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); white Choice Cardstock (Taylored Expressions); markers (Copic Ciao); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); patterned paper (K & Company); Soft Sky and Basic Gray cardstock, Soft Sky and Basic Gray Classic inks, sponge, mat pack and paper piercing tool, scallop edge punch, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); Ocean Tides cardstock (Papertrey Ink); satin ribbon (Target); cloud template (Nicole); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities)

Here's one final project using the Believe in Words III set. I used the images and sentiments to create some pretty tumbled tile coasters.

These were so easy to create and would make a great gift. I picked up the tiles in a box of ten at my local home improvement store. After dusting off the coasters, I stamped the images in StazOn ink and let the ink set for a few minutes. Then I used different colors of fine tipped permanent markers (mine were a combination of Bic and Sharpie brands) to color in the image.

Materials Used:

Believe in Words III stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Jet Black ink (StazOn); permanent markers (Bic and Sharpie); tumbled tiles

Be sure to visit the rest of the CSS DT for more samples using the latest releases. Here's where to find them:

Beth / Maria / Nancy / Nicole

And, don't forget that you can still get $1 off the April Set of the Month, Mom and Me, by using the discount code 04SOTM09.

Butterfly and Bunny

Verve Stamps is having a release later this week and as part of the release, Verve's hosting some challenges for great prizes. I'm going to try to get to all of them if I have a chance. Here are my first two.

Here's my first challenge card. This one uses Verve's Beautiful Kindness set for the focal image. I stamped one of the butterfly images from the set on a scrap of white paper, colored it with Copic markers, coated it with Royal Red Shimmerz, and cut it out. Its center is glued to the embossed dotted panel so that the butterfly's wings can be folded up for a 3-D look.

I paired the butterfly image with some bright sparkly paper from DCWV's Citrus pad. The sentiment comes from Verve's Circular Sayings set--a perfect fit for the circular panel.

Materials Used:

Beautiful Kindness and Circular Sayings stamp sets (Verve Stamps); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Riding Hood Red ink, Barely Banana and Riding Hood Red cardstock, scallop circle punch, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensional (Stampin' Up!); patterned paper (DCWV Citrus pad); yellow brads (Making Memories); Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Royal Red paint (Shimmerz)

I used Verve's Practically Perfect set for this card. I love the boy and girl bunny images in this set! Here, I used the girl bunny image to match the feminine Memory Box Layette papers I used on the cardfront.

The image is colored with Copic markers. I painted the pink areas with Pink Shimmerz and added some Liquid Pearls on the bunny's necklace. I have just started to use these and I think I need to get them in some more colors!

I stamped the sentiment directly on the patterned paper. I didn't have ink that would match exactly, so I used Regal Rose ink, stamped off once. Worked perfectly!

Materials Used:

Practically Perfect stamp set (Verve Stamps); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic Ciao); Regal Rose Classic ink, Pink Pirouette and Pretty in Pink cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Silver Pearls Liquid Pearls (Ranger); patterned paper (Memory Box Layette collection); Dew Drops (Robin's Nest)