Bellarific Friday with Prezzies

Here's my card for this week's Bellarific Friday sketch from Stamping Bella. I went with a Stella this week instead of a Bella, and used the Stella Needs a Prezzie image.

Stella is colored with Copic markers to coordinate with the fresh colors in the pair of designer papers from the DCWV's Sorbet Stack that I used to cover the cardfront. I love the yummy colors and the sparkle in these papers! I picked shades of aqua, yellow, and peach here. I added some glittery accents on Stella's dress, crown, and wand (which, unfortunately, don't show in my photo. . .).

A piece of Bermuda Bay grosgrain ribbon is tied around the end of the image panel. I stamped the sentiment in coordinating ink and layered it on a matching oval to finish the card.

Materials Used:

Stella Needs a Prezzie image and sentiment (Stamping Bella); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers, Lipstick Spica pen (Copic); Bermuda Bay Classic ink, Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry cardstock, Bermuda Bay dotted grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); designer papers (DCWV's Sorbet Stack); Yellow Stickles (Ranger); petite oval dies (Nestabilities)

Blogger Challenge: Week 110

This week’s blogger challenge was a sketch provided by Lisa. I went back to my Unity August Store Kit of the Month for this one. This kit has so many fun images!

I love the adorable measuring cup image and matching sentiment in the kit. The image is colored with Copic markers. It doesn't show in the photo, but I covered the measuring spoons with a matching gray Glaze pen for a sort of metallic look. I added a photo corner to the top left corner of the image to balance my design a little.

I paired the measuring cup and measuring spoons with some Cosmo Cricket designer paper. I matched the red in the paper to SU!'s Riding Hood Red and used that for the bottom panel. I added some dotted grosgrain ribbon and a decorative strip made with the Fiskars Apron Lace punch between the patterned and solid papers.

The sentiment is stamped directly on the red cardstock in black ink. I added a matching red punched heart, embossed with a dotted pattern for interest and to help it stand out against the matching background.

For more fabulous samples based on this sketch, you can visit the rest of the challenge players. Links to their blogs are in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:

August Store Kit of the Month (Unity Stamp Co.); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Riding Hood Red, Soft Suede and Kraft cardstock, Soft Suede dotted grosgrain ribbon, Heart to Heart punch, photo corner punch, silver brad, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); designer paper (Cosmo Cricket-Early Bird line); gray Glaze pen (Sakura); Apron Lace border punch (Fiskars); Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

Clean, Simple, and Cozy

Here's my card for this week's clean and simple challenge on SCS. This week's challenge was a sketch challenge based on a the layout of card created by fellow Great Swaps Girl Krystie.

I used images from Papertrey Ink's On My Couch and On My Couch Additions sets for the card. I'm looking forward to checking out PTI's booth at the CHA Super Show on Friday (and maybe making a few purchases, too!).

I stamped the patterned couch image in bold Melon Mambo ink, then masked the image and added the rug using Soft Suede ink. I cut a panel of Melon Mambo Patterns designer paper to go underneath the couch. A strip of dotted Soft Suede ribbon divides the striped panel from the image. I stamped the thank you sentiment on the striped panel in Soft Suede ink, then matted the image panel on a piece of Soft Suede cardstock. I used dimensionals to attach the layered panel to the kraft card base. Love this color combo!

Materials Used:

On My Couch and On My Couch Additions stamp sets (Papertrey Ink); Melon Mambo and Soft Suede Classic inks, Soft Suede, Kraft, and Whisper White cardstock, Melon Mambo Patterns designer series paper, Soft Suede dotted grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

Fun with Summer Sand

I have a few more samples to share with you using some of the new sets in the Summertime collection from Clear & Simple Stamps. These projects are all made with the Summer Sand set. If you’re a scrapbooker, this set’s perfect for scrapping pictures from your latest beach vacation.

This clean and simple card features the set’s beach ball image. I stamped the beach ball in black ink 4 times, two times each on blue and red squares. I arranged the squares on a pair of coordinating panels before layering it on a Baja Breeze cardfront. This color totally makes me think of the beach!

I stamped the “having a ball” sentiment directly on the cardfront in red ink. I accented it with a matching red brad to finish the card.

Materials Used:
Summer Sand stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); Real Red, Pacific Point, and Baja Breeze cardstock, 1 3/8” square punch, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); Pure Poppy Palette ink (Papertrey Ink); red brad (Joann)

Here’s a very simple scrapbooking page featuring none other than Cosmo the crazy dog. Cosmo loves the beach, but he’s not a big fan of the water, even though the bay water is very calm. He’ll happily trot down to the beach with us and entertain himself on the sand, but he’ll dig in his heels (literally) if you try to get him in the water.

This photo is one of the very few I have of him in the water. As soon as it was snapped, he realized he was getting wet and high-tailed it back to dry sand. I used some warm colored designer paper, bordered with a strip punched with the Fiskars Boundary Waters punch, as a simple accent for the photo. I added a stamped title using one of the sentiments from the set and handwritten journaling in matching red to complete the page.

Materials Used:
Summer Sand stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Ruby Red Classic ink, Ruby Red marker, Ruby Red and So Saffron cardstock, photo corner punch, silver brads (Stampin’ Up!); Boundary Waters border punch (Fiskars); patterned paper (We R Memory Keepers-Silver Lining/Peppy)

And finally, here’s a beach themed gift set with a tag I made using images from the Summer Sand set. I found a bunch of sand toys in the dollar section at Michaels, so I packaged them up inside a bucket and added a baggie of shells to make a sandcastle kit.

I stamped the sandcastle image on a scrap of white paper and colored it with Copic markers. I trimmed around it and attached it to my blue tag with dimensionals. I glued some play sand along the bottom of the tag for a beachy look and feel. I stamped the “building a sandcastle” phrase along the bottom of the tag. A large eyelet is attached to the top of the tag so that I could easily attach it to the wrapped gift. So cute, and fun, too!

Materials Used:
Summer Sand stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Brocade Blue Classic ink, Bashful Blue cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); Snow White Choice Cardstock (Taylored Expressions); large silver eyelet (We R Memory Keepers); play sand; clear cellophane; curling ribbon

Sweet Sunday Circle Circus

Here's a quick card I made using this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. When I first saw the sketch, I wasn't sure what images would work, then Circle Circus came to mind. The different sized circles were a perfect match for the sketch.

I paired Circle Circus with some Razzleberry Lemonade designer paper and stamped each of the three circle images I used in a color to coordinate with the colors in the designer paper. I ended up carefully cutting out each stamped image, then matting the images on a coordinating, slighly larger punched circle before arranging them on the card.

It took me a little while to figure out where to squeeze in a sentiment, but I finally settled on one of the tiny images from Teeny Tiny Wishes. I stamped the "thinking of you" sentiment in Rich Razzleberry ink on the wide patterned paper strip across the bottom of the card. These sentiments are the perfect thing for smaller sized cards--and for small spaces, too.

Materials Used (all from Stampin' Up!):

Circle Circus and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, and Crushed Curry Classic inks, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, and Crushed Curry cardstock, Razzleberry Lemonade designer series paper, 3/4", 1 1/4" and 1 3/4" circle punches, dimensionals

Just Laugh

I’m so excited to be in Orlando at the Craft & Hobby Association’s summer show. I’m looking forward to spending the next few days checking out the latest and greatest and meeting some stamping buddies, too, including some of the other i {heart} papers DT members. IHP is sponsoring today’s CHA coverage over at Craft Critique, so you’ll want to be sure to stop by there to check out the hottest new stuff.

Here’s a card using some goodies from IHP and last week’s sketch challenge from Card Positioning Systems. The challenge was sponsored by Just Rite Stampers, so I figured I’d use one of the Just Rite sets I got from IHP for my card. I picked the "just laugh"center and one of the borders from the Tiny Words Borders & Centers set for my focal image.

I paired the sentiment with some bold circle patterned paper from the Eye Candy line from GCD Studios. If you like bold and bright, this line’s perfect for you! I used both sides of the Red Hots pattern on my cardfront. For some extra sparkle, I added a coordinating piece of glimmer ribbon to my card.

Pretty much all of the Just Rite stuff in the IHP store is on sale, so be sure to stop by and check it out if you're looking to add some Just Rite to your collection.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Just Rite Tiny Words Borders & Centers set and 1 3/16" stamper, GCD Studios Eye Candy-Red Hots designer paper, Creative Impressions magenta glimmer ribbon, Nestabilities circle and scalloped circle dies

other: Hibiscus Burst Palette ink, Hibiscus Burst cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Barely Banana and Whisper White cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!)

i {heart} wide ribbon

It’s time for another i {heart} papers design team challenge! This month our challenge is to use wide ribbon on our projects. Kate has a fabulous selection of wide ribbon in the store, so it was hard for me to choose what to use. I finally settled on using some of the yummy May Arts 1 1/2” silk ribbon.

I chose the pink ribbon to coordinate with the colors in the two patterns of My Mind’s Eye designer papers (Graceful Circles and Twirling Circles) that I used on my cardfront. I used the pattern with the cream background for most of the card and added the striped pattern at the bottom of the card, along with the simple “You make me smile” sentiment from the Hero Arts All Occasion Messages stamp set. I thought the sentiment would show up a little better on the stripes than on the spots.

The pink silk ribbon is wrapped around the card right where the two patterns meet. I made a ribbon-embellished bow to show off the pretty ribbon. I think this is probably the widest ribbon I’ve used on a project—and to think that I once thought that 5/8” ribbon was too wide to use on my cards. I’ve come a long way—LOL!

The IHP DT is extending this challenge to you. If you want to play along, upload your card using wide ribbon to SCS with the keyword ihp0709. Be sure to spread the word about the contest on your blog (if you have one) or mention that the card's for the IHP contest when you upload your card. The winner of the challenge will get an assortment of fabulous wide ribbon from IHP. Projects must be uploaded by Tuesday, August 4 to be entered in the contest. The winner will be selected by the IHP DT and announced on Friday, August 7. Can't wait to see what everyone creates!

For some inspiration to get you started, here's where you can find the rest of the IHP DT:
Carolyn Mustopa
Cathleen Torina
Deb Felts
Dee Jackson
Kate Baldwin, owner
Lynn Mercurio
Merry Socha
Tracy Schultz


I'm off to Orlando for CHA later today and I'll be catching up with some of the IHP DT bright and early tomorrow morning. Even though I'll be away, I've left some eye candy to share with you while I'm gone . . .

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Hero Arts All Occasions Messages stamp set, My Mind’s Eye Penny Lane designer papers, Palette Noir Black ink, May Arts 1 1/2” pink silk ribbon

other: Taken with Teal cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Sweet Blush button (Papertrey Ink); twine (Walmart)

Verve Trio

Here are my final three cards for this month's Viva la Verve sketch challenges. I managed to get them all in before the deadline!

Here’s my card for the challenge from two weeks ago. The twist for this one was scored lines. My Scor-Pal makes that so easy to do!

I kept my card pretty clean and simple, even though there are a lot of layers here. I used two of the flowers from Verve’s Wishful Elegance stamp set to stamp a random pattern in Riding Hood Red ink on a Pink Pirouette panel. The sentiment is stamped using this same combination. I added a row of paper piercing underneath the sentiment as a simple embellishment.

I scored a kraft cardstock panel to cover most of the Riding Hood Red card base, then assembled all of the layers of the card. After wrapping a piece of soft pink satin ribbon around the card, I decided to attach the sentiment panel with dimensionals

Materials Used:
Wishful Elegance stamp set (Verve Stamps); Riding Hood Red Classic ink, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, and Kraft cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); pink satin ribbon (Classic Traditions-Michaels); Scor-Pal

This one’s for last week’s sketch. The twist here was to use vellum. I immediately knew I’d do a vellum layered butterfly, so I turned to Verve’s Beautiful Kindness set with its pretty butterfly images. I used the large butterfly for my focal image, colored it with Copic markers, then added a vellum overlay.

I used papers from the My Mind’s Eye Bloom and Grow line for the circles on the cardfront. The butterfly is colored to coordinate with the papers. I stamped the “thanks” sentiment from the Circular Sayings set and embellished it with a button to add one more circular element to the card. I layered the panel on a celery card base to tie in just a little more green.

Materials Used:
Beautiful Kindness and Circular Sayings stamp sets (Verve Stamps); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Aqua Mist cardstock, Aqua Mist twill, Aqua Mist Button (Papertrey Ink); Cool Caribbean and Baja Breeze Classic inks, Certainly Celery cardstock, vellum, sponge (Stampin’ Up!); designer paper (My Mind’s Eye Bloom and Grow line); circle dies (Nestabilities)

And, here's my final card for this month's challenges. It's definitely my favorite of the three in this post. It came together very quickly once I chose the color scheme.

The focal image is one of the sentiments from Verve's Hundred Hearts set. I stamped the sentiment in Riding Hood Red on a cream panel. I chose a coordinating cream and red patterned paper for the large panel on the cardfront. The circle panel behind the sentiment is embossed with the Cuttlebug Heart Blocks folder to meet the twist requirement of some texture.

I added some elegant matching red ribbon and a trio of Dew Drops as simple embellishments. Everything's layered on a kraft card base--my favorite!

Materials Used:

Hundred Hearts stamp set (Verve); Riding Hood Red Classic ink, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Kraft, and Very Vanilla cardstock, Candy Lane designer paper, Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon, scallop edge punch (Stampin' Up!); circle die (Nestabilities); Heart Blocks embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Dew Drops (Robin's Nest)

Kitchen Sink Monday: Going Vintage

Here’s my card for this week’s Kitchen Sink Stamps Monday. I really challenged myself on this one, since I’m not a strong vintage style stamper. I used images from the new 3 Step Letters from the Past set and from the School Days set to create my version of a vintage card.

I started with the large script background image. It was inked with Close to Cocoa ink, then stamped off for a softer look before stamping on a piece of cream cardstock. I added the pen image over the text, using a combination of brown inks with some gold at the pen’s tip.

I brushed over the image with some distress ink for an aged look, then layered it on a brown panel with roughed-up edges.

I used the Diamond Rough embossing folder to emboss a diamond pattern on the moss card base, then inked over the raised areas with a shimmery white ink pad. I added a strip of coordinating striped paper, stamped with the sentiment and embellished with a trio of copper brads.

For more Kitchen Sink inspiration, you can visit the rest of the Kitchen Sink Crew. Here’s where you can find them:
Angela Knopf
Connie McCotter
Dee Jackson
Julie Masse
Lisa Somerville
Lynn McAuley
Makiko Jones
Maria Colosimo, owner

And, don’t forget that you can use the code LORI10KSS for a 10% discount on your KSS purchases!

Materials Used:
3 Step Letters from the Past and School Days stamp sets, Brilliance Moonlight White ink (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Crushed Curry, and Always Artichoke Classic inks, Mellow Moss, Soft Suede, and Very Vanilla cardstock, distressing tool (Stampin’ Up!); designer paper (My Mind’s Eye-Wild Asparagus line); distress ink (Papertrey Ink); copper brads (Making Memories); Diamond Rough embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

Baby Boy Giraffe

The start of school is a little over a month away here and I know that the new school year will bring requests for baby cards for the families at my mom's school. I used today's featured stamper challenge on SCS to get a head start with a cute baby boy card based on this one.

My card uses the same layout with just a few changes to the design elements. I used an image from the DoodleFactory Animal set from Starving Artistamps as my focal image. I stamped Dabble, the giraffe, on pale yellow cardstock, then carefully cut around the image. The image is layered on a darker blue dot embossed oval. I used a strip of scalloped paper, run through my crimper, to create the ruffled scalloped border around the oval.

I stamped the blue cardfront with the polka dot background in matching blue ink. The sentiment, from the sentiment set, is stamped in blue ink to match the oval panel behind the stamped image. I added a matching blue twill bow, embellished with a button, to finish the card.

If you're a DoodleFactory fan, you'll want to stop by Starving Artistamps to check out the latest release--fun, as always. And, don't forget that you can use the code savetenLT to save 10% on your Starving Artistamps and DoodleFactory stamp purchases.

Materials Used:

DoodleFactory Animals set, Sentiments Baby set, polka dot background (Starving Artistamps); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); Bashful Blue Classic ink, Bashful Blue, Barely Banana, and Ballet Blue cardstock, Delicate Dots designer paper, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Spring Rain twill, Spring Rain button, twine (Papertrey Ink); Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug); crimper, Threading Water punch (Fiskars); oval die (Nestabilities)

Flying High

I've been playing some more with my new Unity August Store Kit of the Month. I loved the cute scene that's played out in this oval-shaped image and it was a perfect fit for this week's weekend sketch challenge.

I colored the image with Copic markers. The grass was dotted with a textured rag and some blending solution for a textured look. I added the sky with a sponge and some Cool Caribbean ink. The image is matted on a pair of ovals, one cut with a Nestabilities die and one with a Marvy punch. Neither oval was a great match for the image shape-wise, but they looked okay when it was all layered together.

I paired two different patterns from the DCWV Citrus Mat Pack on the cardfront. I added a soft turquoise ribbon around the sparkly flower paper. I assembled the pieces and had just enough room for the "flying high" sentiment. The blue rhinestones were a last minute add-on, just as I was going to photograph the card, in fact.

Materials Used:

August Store Kit of the Month (Unity Stamp Co.); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Tempting Turquoise and Cool Caribbean Classic inks, Certainly Celery, Tempting Turquoise, and Barely Banana cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); New Leaf cardstock (Papertrey Ink); patterned paper (DCWV's Citrus Mat Stack); oval die (Nestabilities); scalloped oval punch (Marvy Uchida); turquoise satin ribbon (Target); blue self-adhesive rhinestones (Studio 18)

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop-Teacher Text

It’s time for another Papertrey Ink Blog Hop. This month’s theme was text. I knew right away what I wanted to create for the hop. I went with a back-to-school theme incorporating text with a traditional school image.

I used patterned paper with text as the focal image on my project. With the help of my Slice die cutting machine, I cut an apple shape (3 ½” setting) from several different papers. I was worried that the machine might balk at the heavy weight of the PTI cardstock, but it cut nicely. I paper pieced sections from the different apples together to create this one. The majority of the apple is made from the alphabet patterned paper from the Chocolate Remix paper pack, with Pure Poppy as the base and New Leaf for the leafy top.

I made a quilted panel to set the apple on by assembling patterned paper squares on a Dark Chocolate mat. I used my sewing machine to stitch the pieces together, then layered the apple on top with dimensionals. I added a button embellished bow to complete the panel. I stamped some of the sentiments from the Teacher’s Apple set in Pure Poppy ink to finish off the card.

Materials Used:
Teacher’s Apple stamp set, Pure Poppy Palette ink, Pure Poppy, New Leaf, Dark Chocolate, and Cream cardstock, Chocolate Remix and 2008 Bitty Dot Basics designer papers, Pure Poppy grosgrain ribbon, wooden button, twine (Papertrey Ink); Kraft cardstock, 1 ¼” square punch, silver brad, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); Back to School cartridge (Slice); sewing machine

Striped Sweets

It's time for another sketch challenge at Paper Craft Planet. Wendy is our hostess this week and she's created a fun sketch that includes a really cool element--reverse spotlighting. I combined her sketch with this week's Taylored Expressions sketch challenge (they're pretty similar--obviously, great minds think alike!) to come up with this sweet card.

I used one of the cupcake images from the For the Love of Cupcakes stamp set from Taylored Expressions to stamp the trio of cupcakes on the image panel. I didn't exactly stick with the reverse spotlighting on my card, but kept the trio of raised elements in my own way.

I colored the cupcake images with Copic markers and coated them with some Shimmerz paints for a subtle sparkle. I colored a second trio of cupcakes on another piece of paper, then used a 7/8" circle punch to punch out pieces from each of the images for the reverse spotlight element. I matched the punched circle piece to each image and attached the circle with a dimensional.

The cardfront is covered with a piece of pastel striped Heidi Swapp designer paper. I stamped the "you're sweet!" sentiment near the right edge of the paper and added some paper piercing leading to the sentiment. I added a pretty pink satin bow as a simple accent to the sentiment.

I'm planning on spending today (and tomorrow) getting ready for my trip to Orlando for CHA next week. I have lots to do before I go and probably not enough time to get it all done . . .

Materials Used:

For the Love of Cupcakes stamp set (Taylored Expressions); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Regal Rose Classic ink, Pretty in Pink cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Lemon Tart cardstock, Sweet Blush satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); designer paper (Heidi Swapp-Baby/Pinstripe); 7/8" circle punch (EK Success);

Angel Wings and Butter Cream paints (Shimmerz)

Chilling Out for Bellarific Friday

Here’s my card for this week’s Bellarific Friday sketch from Stamping Bella. Since I was working on a wintery card for another challenge, I kept with the cold weather theme for this one, too.

I used my Glideabella image (love this one!) for the large image panel. She’s colored with Copics and glittered up just a bit with a clear Stardust pen. I also added some white Fun Flock to her jacket for a faux fur look. I paired her with the “chill out” sentiment to complete the cool theme.

The patterned papers are from a DCWV winter glitter stack. I really like the combination of the soft blue and white with just a bit of sparkle—and they’re a nice match for the Baja Breeze card base. I divided the two patterns with a strip of solid sparkly silver paper. The only embellishment I added was a glittery snowflake with a matching rhinestone center. There’s a lot of sparkle going on here and I didn’t want to go overboard—LOL!

Materials Used:
Glideabella image and sentiment (Stamping Bella); White Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Baja Breeze Classic ink, Baja Breeze cardstock, 1 3/8” circle punch (Stampin’ Up!); designer paper (DCWV’s Glittered Winter Mat Stack); silver paper (Target); white Fun Flock (Stampendous); clear Stardust pen, silver gel pen (Sakura); self-adhesive rhinestone (Darice); glitter snowflake (Me & My Big Ideas); 1 ½” circle punch (EK Success)

Blogger Challenge: Week 109

This week’s blogger challenge theme is Christmas in July. If you’ve followed me for a while, you probably know that I don’t do traditional holiday cards. So, here’s another one following in that tradition.

I used colorblocking to make this clean and simple card. I paired 3 different shades of SU! blues (all past In Colors) with a shimmery white card base and 3 different sizes of snowflakes. The snowflakes are from Papertrey Ink’s Snowfall and Snowfall Additions sets. I stamped the snowflakes tone on tone on each block, matching the snowflake size (small, medium, large) to the size of the block of paper it was stamped on.

To soften the hard edges of the blocks, I added a sentiment on a shimmery white circle. The sentiment is from the Vintage Picnic set, also from Papertrey Ink. At first, I had the shimmery white circle directly on the card. I went back and matted it with a silver circle for a little more shimmer—much better! I added a pair of snowflakes from SU!’s Little Felt Flurries, joined with a clear circle rhinestone brad, to finish the card.

For more ideas to give you a head start on your holiday card creating, you can visit the rest of the challenge players. Links to their blogs are in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:
Snowfall, Snowfall Additions, and Vintage Picnic stamp sets (Papertrey Ink); Blue Bayou, Baja Breeze, and Soft Sky Classic inks, Blue Bayou, Baja Breeze, Soft Sky, and Shimmery White cardstock, Little Felt Flurries, small clear circle rhinestone brad (Stampin’ Up!); 1 3/4" circle punch (EK Success); circle punch (Marvy Uchida); silver paper (Target)

Chillin' and Grillin'

For her sketch challenge this week, Mary Jo challenged us to make apron cards. I’ve wanted to try one of these for a while now and her challenge gave me the push I needed to get one done.

The card itself was very easy to make. I folded my card base in half, then used my tag punch to punch away a section from each of the top corners (near the fold) to form the apron shape. I used my sewing machine’s zig zag stitch to attach a piece of red and yellow plaid paper, reminiscent of the red and white checked tablecloths used to cover many a picnic table, to the front of the card. I purposely didn’t stitch along the top of the panel so I could add an insert to the pocket. I added a pair of yellow buttons to the top of the apron (after dropping my entire container of yellow buttons and having to crawl around and re-capture them—hopefully Cosmo the crazy dog hasn’t chowed down any strays . . .) and a red ribbon loop to complete the card.

I used images from the BBQ Darling set from Clear & Simple Stamps to decorate my apron and the insert. I stamped the “BBQ” sentiment repeatedly along the bottom of the apron and used the “Chillin & Grillin” sentiment across the top of the insert. Wouldn’t this make the cutest invite for a backyard barbeque?

Materials Used:
BBQ Darling stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Real Red Classic ink, Real Red, Barely Banana, and Very Vanilla cardstock, Real Red grosgrain ribbon, large tag punch (Stampin’ Up!); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); designer paper (Sassafras Lass); Lemon Tart buttons (Papertrey Ink); black twine (Walmart); sewing machine

Thinking Pink

Here’s my card for this week’s Unity Addicts Challenge. Taylor challenged us to make a card using one of Unity’s big sentiments as the focal image and to use pink, brown, and green as a color scheme.

For some reason, I really struggled with this challenge. I think it might have been because initially I just didn’t picture any of my big sentiments paired with pink, green, and brown. I finally ended up using the “home is where the heart is” sentiment from the May Kit of the Month. I colored the image in shades of pink using my Copic markers and matted the image on brown to match the outline of the image.

I found some patterned paper with hearts and shades of pink and just a bit of green that was a perfect fit for the sentiment—and for the challenge. I used a piece of it on the cardfront along with a soft pink satin ribbon. After layering on the sentiment, I added a trio of sparkly pink rhinestones as an embellishment. I had originally added some heart brads, but changed my mind. Fortunately, the rhinestones covered the brad holes nicely . . .

Materials Used:
May Kit of the Month (Unity Stamp Co.); White Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Rich Cocoa ink (Memento); markers (Copic); circle dies (Nestabilities); Close to Cocoa cardstock (Stampin’ Up); Sweet Blush cardstock, Sweet Blush satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); designer paper (Luxe-Lovey line); pink self-adhesive rhinestones (Darice)

This was actually my first attempt at the challenge. I decided that the sentiment wasn't really the focal image on this one, so I tried again and ended up with the card you see above. I like this one much better, though!

I paired the "you are one of a kind" sentiment from Unity's brand new August Store Kit with the tree image from April's Kit of the Month. I used Copic markers to color all of the trees, except for one, green. One tree is colored pink and popped up on a dimensional for extra emphasis. I used my brand new airbrush (for the first time!) to fill in the sky. So fun!

I stamped the Distressed Dots background on a strip of Close to Cocoa cardstock and added that to the cardfront, underneath the image. I added a pretty rose bow with a wood button at the center as my only embellishment since the image panel is pretty big.

Materials Used:

August Store Kit, April Kit of the Month, and Distressed Dots background (Unity Stamp Co.); Rich Cocoa ink (Memento); markers, air brush (Copic); Close to Cocoa and Certainly Celery Classic inks, Regal Rose Craft ink, Pretty in Pink, Kiwi Kiss, and Close to Cocoa cardstock, Regal Rose grosgrain ribbon, stipple brush, dimensional (Stampin' Up!); wooden button, twine (Papertrey Ink)

My Grafico Challenge-So Tweet!

We have a really fun challenge for you today -- it's a product challenge, sponsored by MyGrafico. To play along, create ANYTHING using one of the MyGrafico images -- they have a ton to choose from, but if you're trying to cut costs, here's a link to some free images.

Post your project in the Paper Craft Planet photo gallery, and use the tag "PCPgrafico". (Here is a tutorial on adding pictures to the gallery, if you need it.) MyGrafico has generously offered a $10 gift certificate to the store to one of our lucky challenge players.

The Supernovas and I all used the Forest Friends digi stamp set for our cards. I used the bird as my focal image. I printed the bird a few times on white cardstock and ended up using pieces from two of the printed images on my card. I colored one of the images with Copic markers and cut it out with a circle die. The wing is cut out from a second bird image that was printed slightly larger. I covered the colored image with some Angel Wings Shimmerz for a little sparkle.

I used some American Crafts rub-on letters for my sentiment. It’s on an oval punched piece and embellished with a pair of Prima flowers to match the plaid paper on the cardfront. I had originally planned on using the reverse side of this designer paper, but I flipped it over to the plaid side and actually liked it better that way.

Just a note about working with digital stamps:

• You do NOT have to have a photo editing software. You can just open and print these jpg images.


• If you have a photo editing program, the images come in both jpg and png files. You can resize the images and combine them into scenes with just a click of the mouse.


• Digital images last forever and require very little storage space!


• There are several great tutorial videos over on Paper Craft Planet that will show you how to use digital images, if you have any questions.
  

You'll definitely want to check out what the rest of the talented Super Novas came up with:

Adela Rossol
Lynn Mercurio
Kim Burmeister
Wendy Price
Tammy Hershberger
Erika Martin
Jessica Fick
Sankari Wegman
Susanna Boyd

Now, it's your turn! Take the challenge and let's see what you make!

Materials Used:
Forest Friends set (MyGrafico); Classic Crest white cardstock (Neenah); markers (Copic); Cool Caribbean Classic ink, Kiwi Kiss and Close to Cocoa cardstock, oval punch, sponge (Stampin’ Up!); Kate rub-on letters (American Crafts); designer paper (Luxe-Ecology line); Ripe Avocado satin ribbon, Aqua Mist button, twine (Papertrey Ink); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); flowers (Prima); pearl Dew Drop (Robin’s Nest); Angel Wings paint (Shimmerz)

Color Throwdown with Clear and Simple Stamps

Clear & Simple Stamps is sponsoring this week’s Color Throwdown challenge, so I thought I’d give this week’s color combination a try. This week’s challenge colors—celery, plum, and chocolate chip—made me think of florals, so I pulled out my Live Life set for my creation.

For a very soft look, I stamped the set’s floral image in Versamark, then dotted on some plum and celery shimmery chalks. So pretty!

I used a piece of My Mind’s Eye patterned paper with a similar leafy pattern in a celery shade to cover most of the plum cardfront. I added an elegant embossed strip, bordered with a Chocolate Chip scalloped edge to the cardfront. I dotted a tiny bit of of Silver Pearl Liquid Pearls on each of the scallops. I layered the chalked image on to the card and added a button-embellished ribbon tab to one side.

I stamped the "enjoy the simple things in life" sentiment on a scrap of celery cardstock. The sentiment fit perfectly inside one of my oval punches--and at the bottom of the image panel, too.

Materials Used:
Live Life stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Plum Pudding Palette ink, Plum Pudding cardstock, Plum Pudding grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey Ink); Versamark, Chocolate Chip and Certainly Celery cardstock, oval punch, scallop edge punch, Finial Press embossing folder, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); pearlescent chalks (Pebbles); designer paper (My Mind’s Eye); Silver Pearl Liquid Pearls (Ranger)

Chair-ished Friendship

I pulled out my newest Papertrey Ink stamp sets to create a really bright card for this week's SCS clean and simple challenge. This one definitely qualifies as clean and simple--no brads, ribbon, or other raised embellishments.

I used the polka dotted arm chair image from the set for the focal image. I masked the chair to add the yellow rug beneath it, then stamped the square pillow on a scrap of white. The pillow's attached to the card with a dimensional for just a little variation.

I cut out the stamped image and turquoise mat with plain circle dies, then layered them on an orange mat. I added a line of faux stitching to the left of the image before attaching it to the Summer Sun card base. The sentiment is stamped in Pumpkin Pie ink to match the chair. So sweet!

Materials Used:

On My Couch and On My Couch Additions stamp sets (Papertrey Ink); Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, and Tempting Turquoise Classic inks, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, and Whisper White cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool, white gel pen, dimensional (Stampin' Up!); circle dies (Nestabilities)

Have a Sweet Day

Here’s my card for this week’s sketch at Taylored Expressions. While I was waiting for my Unity July Kit of the Month to arrive, I figured I’d keep myself busy with some images from the June kit.

I think this adorable ice cream cone might be one of my favorites from June's kit. It was a perfect fit for the large panel on this sketch. I colored it with Copic markers and added some Stickles to the cherry at the top.

I found some cherry patterned paper from Basic Grey’s new Lemonade collection to use for the cardfront. Even though the image and embellishments cover lots of the pattern, I promise there are cherries there!

I chose my embellishments to coordinate with the colors in the paper. I added a strip of kraft cardstock, layered with a piece of rich Scarlet Jewel ribbon, to the left side of the card. I tried to fit the “You’re the cherry on top” sentiment that came with the KOTM on the card, but it was too big. So, instead I went with Plan B—find another sentiment from my Unity collection. That's how I ended up with the “have a sweet day” sentiment, stamped on a layered pair of circles, peeking out from underneath the image panel.

Materials Used:
June Kit of the Month (Unity Stamp Co.); White Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Cranberry Crisp Classic ink, Pink Pirouette, Kraft, and Very Vanilla cardstock, 1 ¼” and 1 3/8” circle punches, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); Scarlet Jewel cardstock, Scarlet Jewel grosgrain ribbon, Scarlet Jewel button, twine (Papertrey Ink); designer paper (Basic Grey-Lemonade line); Ruby Slippers Glitz Stickles (Ranger)

Scarlet Thanks

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

Here’s my card for Dawn’s latest color challenge. I thought these colors were a tricky combination, but I think I got them to work.

I ended up using a clean and simple design to incorporate all of the colors. I stamped one of the images from Papertrey Ink’s Shapes by Design on a piece of Raspberry Fizz repeatedly in matching ink to create a patterned paper panel. I really like the kind of retro, graphic look of this pattern. I added a strip of celery cardstock, punched with the Fiskars Apron Lace border punch, across the stamped panel. A piece of Scarlet Jewel ribbon runs along the top of the celery piece.

I used the line formed by the ribbon as a baseline for my sentiment. The long thank you sentiment from Around & About Sentiments is stamped in Cranberry Crisp ink. I forgot to add the Scarlet Jewel ink to my PTI order last month, so this worked okay as a substitute (my Scarlet Jewel ink should arrive soon . . .). I layered the panel on a Scarlet Jewel card base to complete the card.

Materials Used:
Shapes by Design and Around & About Sentiments stamp sets, Raspberry Fizz Palette ink, Raspberry Fizz and Scarlet Jewel cardstock, Scarlet Jewel grosgrain ribbon, Scarlet Jewel button, twine (Papertrey Ink); Cranberry Crisp Classic ink, Certainly Celery and Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Apron Lace border punch (Fiskars)

Kitchen Sink Monday: Welcome Little Girl

Here’s my card for this week’s Kitchen Sink Stamps Monday. I loved the clean, simple design of the pair of baby cards that Angela shared last week, so I took my inspiration from her to create this card.

I stamped the baby shoes in shades of pink ink on a pale pink panel. The first layer is stamped in pigment ink. Like I’ve said before, I find that using a pigment ink for the first layer of these multi-step images helps me to get an even base to start stamping with. I added the “welcome little one” sentiment to the upper right corner of the panel.

I layered the pale pink panel on a deeper rose panel. The layered panels are attached to a white card base that’s edged with an eyelet border punch. This adds an elegant, girlie touch to the card—the perfect complement to the vintage feel of the image. I found some variegated pink ribbon in my collection and wrapped that around the top of the card to complete it.

For more Kitchen Sink inspiration, you can visit the rest of the Kitchen Sink Crew. Here’s where you can find them:
Angela Knopf
Connie McCotter
Dee Jackson
Julie Masse
Lisa Somerville
Lynn McAuley
Makiko Jones
Maria Colosimo, owner

Materials Used:
Multi-step Babies stamp set (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose Classic inks, Pretty in Pink Craft ink, Pink Pirouette and Regal Rose cardstock, eyelet border punch (Stampin’ Up!); white cardstock (Georgia Pacific); ribbon (Michaels)

Mimosa Flowers

Here's my card for this week's SCS featured stamper challenge. It's based on this card. I kept the layout pretty much the same, but put my own twist on the design.

I used a Nestabilities circle die to ink a soft pink circle on my cardfront. I stamped the "thinking of you" sentiment from the Hero Arts All Occasion Messages set in the circle, then embellished it with a sparkly crystal flourish.

I used a trio of papers from SEI's Mimosa line that I got from i {heart} papers to create the flowers to decorate the cardfront. They're cut with the Nestabilities Nested Blossom die and embellished with small circles and coordinating buttons. The button holes are threaded with paper "thread"--a nice change from the twine I've been using a lot of lately.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Hero Arts All Occasion Messages stamp set, Zva Creative small crystal flourish, SEI Mimosa designer papers (Daiquiri, Margarita, Pink Lady) Nestabilities Nested Blossom and Large Circle dies

other: Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink Classic inks, Pink Pirouette and Regal Rose cardstock, sponge dauber, 3/4" circle punch, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); 7/8" circle punch (EK Success); Melon Berry buttons (Papertrey Ink)

Dark No More

I finished these cards last night just before being interrupted by an unexpected power outage. We weren't having stormy weather and it wasn't extremely hot, so I'm not sure what caused it, but it was definitely a disruption to our evening. Cosmo the crazy dog freaked out in the complete darkness and began whining and crying. I knew exactly where the flashlight in my craft room was, but when I turned it on, it didn't work. I managed to get upstairs to the kitchen to get another one without falling over furniture--or Cosmo! It was about an hour or so before the power came back on for good and things got back to normal.

I got up this morning and cleaned off the scraps from my table. Here's what I had left behind in the dark. This card is for this week's StampTV sketch challenge. I used the hot air balloon image from Gina K's Eclectic Summer set. I colored it with Copics to match the warm colors in the DCWV Citrus Mat Stack papers I used to cover the cardfront. I used sparkly chalks and a scalloped circle to create a cloud covered backdrop for the balloon.

The sentiment is stamped in black on the sparkly designer paper strip across the cardfront. The ink didn't take too well to the sparkly, textured paper--lesson learned!

Materials Used:

Eclectic Summer and Eclectic Summer Sayings stamp sets, white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Real Red and Bashful Blue cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); designer paper (DCWV's Citrus Mat Stack); shimmer chalks (Pebbles); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels)

I made this card for another StampTV challenge--the Potluck Friday challenge to make a card for a boy. I pulled out Mel's Just So Sporty set. It's perfect for cards for little boys!

I stamped the jersey in black ink on white cardstock, then stamped the "all star" sentiment on the front of the jersey in red. I used Copic markers to add red and navy stripes along the sleeves. The jersey's cut out and added to the blue panel with dimensionals.

I used Gina K's Ribbon Stripes set to create the coordinating star border panel along the bottom of the card. I added navy strips to either side of the star strip before adding it to the card. A row of paper piercing is beneath it.

Since this card's for a boy, I kept the embellishments to a minimum and definitely non-frilly--just a trio of silver brads and a navy button.

Materials Used:

Just So Sporty and Ribbon Stripes stamp sets (Gina K Designs); white cardstock (Georgia Pacific); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Real Red Classic ink, Real Red, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, and Brocade Blue cardstock, silver brads, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); navy button, twine (Walmart)

Happy Birthday to One of My Peeps

Here’s the card I gave to my best friend for her recent birthday. It’s based on this week’s Mojo Monday sketch, which wasn’t my intent when the card was started, but was what it evolved into as I played with the pieces.

I used the Hangin with My Peeps set from My Favorite Things for the focal image. I colored Who’s that Girl and her trio of feathered friends with Copic markers and added some teeny, tiny dots of Liquid Pearls to make an elegant pearly necklace.

I covered most of the Kiwi Kiss card base with some October Afternoon designer paper. I used the reverse side of the paper for the smaller panel that’s next to the image panel. A piece of teal satin ribbon divides the patterned paper from the smaller solid panel along the bottom of the card. Now that I’m looking at this again, I probably should have done some embossing or stitching along the bottom edge of this panel . . . I added the “getting older” sentiment on a pair of layered circles to complete the card.

Materials Used:
Hanging with My Peeps stamp set (My Favorite Things); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Taken with Teal Classic ink, Taken with Teal, Kiwi Kiss, and Soft Sky cardstock, 1 3/8” circle punch, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); designer paper (October Afternoon); 1 ½ circle punch (EK Success); teal satin ribbon (Michaels); Silver Pearl Liquid Pearls (Ranger)

Birthday Picnic

The super-talented Adela is our hostess for this week’s Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge. She shared a great sketch--and a gorgeous card--for the challenge.

Here’s my version of the sketch. I used images from Papertrey Ink’s Vintage Picnic set. Anyone who knows me knows that there’s nothing vintage at all about my style. I’m pretty much a modern style girl all the way. But, there was something about these images that really caught my eye. And, I loved the font and the variety of messages in both this set and the matching sentiment set—I think that might have been what sold me in the end.

The picnic basket is paper pieced using a piece of patterned paper from the My Mind’s Eye Bloom and Grow collection. I used 4 different patterns from this collection on my card. That’s a lot of pattern, but keeping it from the same collection helps it to coordinate nicely. The flowers are colored with Copic markers and embellished with a tiny bit of Yellow Stickles at their centers. I added a coordinating button-embellished bow to the bottom of the panel and a tiny ribbon tab, also decorated with a button, to the sentiment.

I hope you'll play along with us. If you do, upload your card with the tag sk071809 so it can be moved to this week's sketch challenge gallery.

Materials Used:
Vintage Picnic stamp set, Aqua Mist and Summer Sunrise cardstock, Summer Sunrise buttons, Aqua Mist satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); designer paper (My Mind’s Eye Bloom and Grow); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); white twine (Walmart); Yellow Stickles (Ranger)

Cheers to Bellarific Friday

Here’s my card for this week’s Bellarific Friday sketch challenge. I went back to my very first Stamping Bella image for this one—the fabulous Cosmobella!

Cosmobella is colored with Copic markers to coordinate with the colors in the My Mind’s Eye designer papers I used for the panel on the cardfront. I sponged around the edges of the panel in coordinating inks, too, before layering it on a scallop edged mat. The colors on this card were a nice (temporary, probably) break from the brighter, summery colors I’ve been using a lot of lately.

The two designer papers that cover most of the 4 1/4" square card are divided by a piece of dotted grosgrain ribbon. I added a few more circle elements with the “cheers!” sentiment panel and the small dots of Gold Liquid Pearls on each of the scallops on the image mat. Cheers!

Materials Used:
Cosmobella image and sentiment (Stamping Bella); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers, gold Spica pen (Copic); More Mustard, Crushed Curry, and Soft Suede Classic inks, More Mustard and Soft Suede cardstock, Soft Suede dotted grosgrain ribbon, 1” and 1 ¼” circle punches, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); designer paper (My Mind’s Eye Bloom and Grow line); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities)

Blogger Challenge: Week 108

This week’s blogger challenge theme is stitching, either real or faux. I chose to go with faux stitching on this one for no other reason than it's quicker and easier than setting up my sewing machine--LOL!

I combined images from SU!'s Circle Circus set to build the flower image for my card. I used my scallop circle punch along with my 1 3/8” and 1” circle punches to punch out the layers. I attached the Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry layers with a sparkly brad, then used a dimensional to add the circles to the scalloped circle base.

I made the stem using faux stitching with the help of my mat pack and paper piercing tool along with my white gel pen. The leaves were made by punching a circle out of Old Olive cardstock, then using the same circle punch to punch off pieces from the circle to form an oval shape. I used my scoring blade to score down the center of the leaves for some dimension.

I added a piece of Top Note die under one side of my image panel and a word window sentiment strip, embellished with a bright Melon Mambo ribbon, to complete the card.

For more ideas incorporating stitching, 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!):
Circle Circus and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets, Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, and Crushed Curry Classic inks, Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Bashful Blue, and Old Olive cardstock, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8” and 1” circle punches, mat pack and paper piercing tool, white gel pen, word window punch, Melon Mambo dotted grosgrain ribbon, Top Note die, sparkly brad, dimensional

Celebrate, Kate!

Kate from i {heart} papers is celebrating her birthday (today!) with a trip. I sent this card out to her late last week so it would arrive before she headed out for her adventure. She’s left the store filled with a bunch of great deals on stamps and other supplies. If you place an order at the store, know that it will be filled when she returns home next week.

Since this was a birthday card, I went festive with lots of sparkle and shine. I covered the card base with some shimmery striped paper from GCD Studios. Then, I used one of the crystal margarita glasses from Zva Creative as the focal image on my card. It’s layered on a pair of circles and embellished with an ivory faux suede bow.

And, no birthday card for Kate would be complete without a sentiment from one of her favorite stamp sets, Chelsea Sentiments. I chose the “celebrate” sentiment—the perfect match for a martini, isn’t it? It’s stamped in Noir Black ink and looks so nice against the shimmery striped paper.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Inkadinkado Chelsea Sentiments stamp set; Palette Noir Black ink; GCD Studios Starlight shimmer designer paper; Zva Creative crystal martini glasses; May Arts ivory faux suede ribbon; Nestabilities circle dies

other: cream cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Basic Black cardstock (Stampin' Up!)

Ahoy There!

The Paper Craft Planet Super Novas have a really fun challenge for you today -- it's an inspiration challenge, sponsored by Bombshell Stamps. To play along, simply pick something that you think is "the bomb" and make something!

Post your project in the Paper Craft Planet photo gallery, and use the tag "PCPBOMB". (Here is a tutorial on adding pictures to the gallery, if you need it.) Shannon, at Bombshell Stamps has generously offered TWO stamps sets as a prize -- Pinstriping and Speed Shop.

I took my inspiration from the fabulous red, white, and blue creations in this month's PCP DT gallery and used images from a Bombshell Stamps sailor themed stamp set. A card with a sailor image just screams for red, white, and blue, right? So that's what I did. I used my July 4th sketch challenge as the starting point for the card.

The sailor girl image is colored with Copic markers, then highlighted with some glitter pen (for lipstick) and some glitter glue (stars). I stamped the “ahoy there!” sentiment over the image in red ink, then layered the panel on matching red cardstock.

I used some red, white, and (shades of) blue cardstock for the panel on the cardfront. I wrapped a piece of white grosgrain ribbon around the striped panel before attaching it to the soft blue card base. I layered the image over the striped panel, then added the compass rose, embellished with a rhinestone at the center) to the side of the image panel.

Here is what the rest of the Super Novas came up with:
Adela Rossol
Lynn Mercurio
Melanie Muechinger
Kim Burmeister
Wendy Price
Jen Tapler
Diana Gibbs
Erika Martin
Jessica Fick
Sankari Wegman
Susanna Boyd
Now, it's your turn! Take the challenge and let's see what you make! Entries need to be uploaded by Wednesday, July 22 to be eligible for the big prize.

Materials Used:
stamps (Bombshell Stamps); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers, Lipstick Spica pen (Copic); Real Red Classic ink, Real Red, Night of Navy, and Soft Sky cardstock, 1” and 1 ¼” circle punches, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); Yellow Stickles (Ranger); patterned paper (Memory Makers); white grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); rhinestone (Walmart)

You're Such a Treat

I've been wanting to try out the fun ice cream cone image from Unity's June Kit of the Month and today's SCS sketch challenge seemed like a perfect fit. I combined the sketch challenge with my fellow i {heart} papers DT member Tracy's WIT challenge to use shimmer and sparkle to come up with this card.

I colored the ice cream cone with Copic markers and trimmed around it. The summery colors for the layers on the card (and the ice cream!) were chosen to coordinate with the My Mind's Eye designer paper that makes up the wide strip on the cardfront. I embossed the pink strip across the cardfront with my Swiss Dots embossing folder for a little texture, then wrapped a piece of orange-y satin ribbon around it, too. The sentiment fit perfectly underneath the image panel.

The shimmer and sparkle on my card are found on the cherry at the top of the ice cream cone. I coated it with some Ruby Slippers Glitz Stickles. This stuff is so sparkly! Kate carries a great selection here in the IHP store. I managed to photograph the card before I stuck my thumb in the Stickles--fortunately, it didn't smear on the card, just all over my hand . . .

Materials Used:

June Kit of the Month (Unity Stamp Co.); white Pure Luxury cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Aqua Mist and Summer Sunrise cardstock, Summer Sunrise satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); Pink Pirouette cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); designer paper (My Mind's Eye); Ruby Slippers Glitz Stickles (Ranger); Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

Summertime Collection Release at Clear and Simple Stamps

It’s release day at Clear & Simple Stamps! All of the sets in the Summertime Collection are available for viewing—and purchasing—on the CSS site. Today I have samples using the Sunshine stamp set. I showed you a sneak peek of this set in my Summer Treat Pack at the start of this month.
It’s a fun mix of images and sentiments that’s great for summertime crafting.

A set with a name like Sunshine calls for brightly colored projects, right? Well, that’s what I have to share with you. I took the colors for this card from the striped paper that covers most of the cardfront. I fashioned a large sun out of a portion of a dot-embossed circle, backed by a circle with a pinked edge. I added some zig zag machine stitching, too. It was my first time sewing around a circle and that was a little bit of a challenge, but I think it came out okay . . .

I set the sun in a blue panel “sky,” then added the sentiment in the bottom right corner. It’s hard to see in the photo, but once I had everything assembled, I added a light coating of Butter Cream Shimmerz to the sun for extra sparkle.

Materials Used: Sunshine stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Brocade Blue Classic ink, Brocade Blue cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise, and Spring Rain cardstock (Papertrey Ink); patterned paper (DCWV’s The Summer Glitter Stack); circle and pinking circle dies (Nestabilities); Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Butter Cream paint (Shimmerz); sewing machine

My next card features some more bright summery stripes. I made a sort of beach scene on a scalloped circle panel using one of the sun images from the set and some punched out flip flops.

The set comes with some solid and patterned images that you can use to fill in the sun outline, but I decided to use a button here instead.

I layered the scene over a coordinating striped cardstock panel, embellished with some blue ribbon. The sentiment fit nicely in the lower right corner of the card.

Materials Used: Sunshine stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Pumpkin Pie Classic ink, Pumpkin Pie and Brocade Blue cardstock, Brocade Blue grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!); Summer Sunshine Palette ink, Lemon Tart cardstock, Lemon Tart button (Papertrey Ink); flip flop punch (Fiskars); patterned paper (Reminisce-Orlando); orange Tiny Twinkles (Taylored Expressions); scalloped circle die (Nestabilities)

And, here’s a fun altered project using another one of the sentiments from the Sunshine set. I bought a plain wooden sun plaque at the craft store and painted it a summery combination of yellow and orange acrylic paints.

After letting the paints dry, I embellished the sun with some orange self-adhesive rhinestones, then stamped the “you are the sunshine in my life” sentiment in orange ink. I added a piece of orange dotted grosgrain ribbon to the back to use to hang the plaque from a doorknob or a hook. So cute!

Be sure to visit the rest of the Clear & Simple Stamps design team to see samples using other new releases. Here’s where you can find them:
CSS Blog
Beth Matson
Erin Bigler
Jen Tapler
Kim Howard
Maria Levine
Neva McMullen
Robyn Weatherspoon
Sue Berker

Materials Used: Sunshine Stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Summer Sunrise Palette ink (Papertrey Ink); Pumpkin ink (StazOn); orange dotted grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); orange self-adhesive rhinestones (Studio 18); acrylic paints; sun plaque (Provo Craft)