Be Happy for This Moment

I made this card for today's Ways to Use It challenge on SCS. The challenge was to include a clock or something about time on your project. I've been wanting to use this cute clock image from Unity's December Kit of the Month, {delightful moments}, since my kit arrived a week or two ago, so this was just the push I needed to ink it up.

The clock serves as my focal image. I stamped it twice and cut out the face from one of the images so I could layer it on the other image for dimension. I also cut out an acetate circle matching the size of the face for a plastic-y look, like the clock is covered. A glue dot holds the acetate in place and is pretty well hidden by a small rhinestone at the clock's center. The bells on the clock are colored with Copic markers, then coated with a gray Glaze pen for a shiny, metallic look. I layered the finished clock on a black mat and added a ribbon tab as an accent.

The "be happy . . ." sentiment is stamped in black on a red panel. I used some faux stitching along the edge for a bit of contrast against the dark red, gray, and black color scheme I used here. The gray panel that covers most of the cardfront is embossed with a polka dot pattern, picking up the circle shape of the clock face and the image panel, too.

I've noticed lots of bloggers posting reflections on the past year today, so I figured I should give it a shot in my final post for 2009. I know that I am so fortunate to have my family and friends (both in real life and online!), a good job with a steady paycheck, and a roof over my head. However, my feelings about the year have been heavily colored by the events of the last month. The sudden loss of my beloved Cosmo the crazy dog has been incredibly difficult for me. Even with all of his quirkiness and his constant and costly vet visits, he was truly my baby and the light of my life and I feel his absence all the time. But, I know that I need to try to move on and look towards the good things that I know are are ahead in 2010--like my very first published card and a trip to CHA in January, time spent at the beach in the spring and summer, and, once the weather warms up, a new puppy to bring some life back to my house. If there's one thing I learned from my experiences with Cosmo, it's this-- get pet insurance! Wishing everyone a happy, healthy 2010 . . .

Materials Used:

{delightful moments}-December Kit of the Month (Unity Stamp Co.); white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Real Red, Basic Gray, and Basic Black cardstock (Stampin' Up!); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); white gel pen (Ranger);gray Glaze pen (Sakura); circle dies (Nestabilities); rhinestone (Offray); Polka Dots embossing folder (QuicKutz); acetate; foam tape

Love Me Do I {Heart} You

Here's a bold and bright Valentine's Day card made with supplies from i {heart} papers. I used the fun patterns from the My Mind's Eye Love Me Do Collection Kit along with some images from a Unity Stamp Co. kit to put this one together.

I cut a piece of the My Mind's Eye paper to fit an A2 cardfront, then cut it in half. I flipped one side over for this two pattern arrangement. The patterns are divided by a bold yellow faux suede ribbon. It's hard to see in the photo, but there's machine stitching down one edge of the ribbon. My white thread doesn't have much contrast . . .

I stamped the scalloped circle image from Unity's Love Grows kit on yellow cardstock in red ink and cut it out. It's attached to a distressed edged red circle, then to the cardfront over the ribbon. I added a tab from the same faux suede ribbon at the left of the circle panel. The black button with the faux thread, courtesy of a white gel pen, was a last minute addition. The kit's "i heart u" sentiment is stamped just beneath the circle panel in black ink.

If you've got some holiday money left to spend, you'll want to stop by IHP. Kate's put a lot of stuff on sale to make room for new goodies that she'll be ordering at CHA next month . . .

Materials Used:

from i {heart} papers: My Mind's Eye Love Me Do Collection Kit, Unity Stamp Co. Love Grows Kit, May Arts yellow faux suede ribbon, Palette Noir Black ink, Nestabilities circle die, Ranger Inkssentials White Opaque Pen

other: Real Red Classic ink, Riding Hood Red, Yoyo Yellow and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); black button (American Crafts); sewing machine

Busting Out Blooming Button Bits

I've had some new goodies from Papertrey Ink for over a week now, but haven't tried them out until tonight. Here's a card using the new Blooming Button Bits for today's SCS sketch challenge.

I stamped the branch image in Ripe Avocado ink on a Spring Moss panel. The flower spots are filled in with a trio of Raspberry Fizz buttons with some cream twine knotted through them. I stamped the sentiment along the bottom of the panel in the new formula Raspberry Fizz ink. Love those new inks! They stamp a nice, solid image and look great on colored cardstocks, too.

Slanted panels like the ones in this sketch are usually hard for me to cut so that they end up matching up with each other. For this card, I cut two 4" by 5 1/4" panels of patterned paper and stacked them one on top of the other. Then I cut them at the same time so that I had two pieces that fit together perfectly. I covered the seam between them with a piece of bold Raspberry Fizz ribbon, then layered the panels on a Raspberry Fizz card base.

Materials Used (all from Papertrey Ink):

Blooming Button Bits stamp set, Ripe Avocado and Raspberry Fizz inks, Raspberry Fizz and Spring Moss cardstock, Bitty Dot Basics designer paper, Raspberry Fizz grosgrain ribbon, Raspberry Fizz buttons, twine

Rusty Sympathy

I haven't pulled out my Kitchen Sink Stamps in a while, so I thought I'd use them for this week's SCS color challenge. I combined the colors--Barely Banana, Dusty Durango/Really Rust, and Basic Gray--with this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge for this sympathy card.

I used the 3 Step Butterfly stamp set for my focal image. The butterfly was stamped in reverse on a vanilla panel using gray, then Dusty Durango, then Barely Banana. I went back and stamped the gray again for a little more definition. The sympathy sentiment is from the KSS classic 3 Step Hearts & Roses set. Instead of the stronger SU! gray, I used Memento's London Fog for a softer look that I thought was more appropriate for a sympathy card.

I adjusted the elements of the sketch to fit a standard A2 card instead of a square. The designer paper panel is from an SEI paper pack. I added a gray scalloped strip along the bottom, accented with a dot of Liquid Pearls on each scallop, and a pretty gray satin ribbon along the top.

Materials Used:

3 Step Butterfly and 3 Step Hearts & Roses stamp sets (Kitchen Sink Stamps); London Fog ink (Memento); Dusty Durango and Barely Banana Classic inks, Barely Banana, Basic Gray, and Very Vanilla cardstock, scallop edge punch (Stampin' Up!); designer paper (SEI-Addison line); gray satin ribbon (Target); Silver Pearl Liquid Pearls

Crazy 4 High Flying Fun

I have time for just a quick post before the University of Wisconsin bowl game gets underway (Go Badgers!), so here goes . . . I made this card for this week's sketch challenge from Crazy 4 Challenges. I used images from the Oh Boy set from Clear & Simple Stamps. I don't know what it is about them, but I just love the images in this set!

I paired the paper airplane image with some paper airplane patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket's The Boyfriend line. I had to trim the triangle down a few times to get it to fit, but otherwise it was pretty easy to arrange on the Spring Moss card base.

The plane image was stamped twice--once on the Aqua Mist panel and once on a scrap of white cardstock. I cut out the white image and attached it to the aqua panel with foam tape. The little puffs were stamped under the image and filled in with a white gel pen. I layered the image panel on an Ocean Tides panel with pinked edges for a sort of masculine look and feel. The final piece for the card was the sentiment. It's stamped on a scrap of Aqua Mist cardstock and embellished with a scrap of matching knotted twill tape (rescued from my scrap pile--yay!).

Materials Used:

Oh Boy stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); Aqua Mist, Spring Moss, and Ocean Tides cardstock, Aqua Mist twill tape (Papertrey Ink); designer paper (Cosmo Cricket--The Boyfriend Line); circle and pinking circle dies (Nestabilities); Inkssentials white gel pen (Ranger); foam tape

Superstar

I made this masculine card for this week's Mojo Monday sketch. Once I decided to go with a star theme, the card came together really quickly.

The colors for the card came from the 3 Bugs in a Rug designer paper I used to cover most of the card base. I've had this paper in my stash for a while, but with its bold colors, it's been hard to find a project to use it for. The paper is paired with a combination of sentiments from Verve's Starstruck stamp set for the large circle panel. The words are stamped in gray ink to match the pinked edge mat around the blue panel.

Since the patterned paper I used was pretty bold (and the back of it was a solid black), I embossed a green panel with the Cuttlebug Stars embossing folder for the smaller rectangle panel on the cardfront. A piece of knotted black grosgrain ribbon stretches across the embossed panel and on to the patterned paper.

The final element I added was a pair of American Crafts chipboard stars at the top of the sentiment panel. I layered the white star on top of the blue one for a little more contrast.

My plans for today include renting a carpet cleaning machine to try to repair some of the damage that Cosmo the crazy dog did to the rug in my basement as he went in and out of the house. He may not be around any more, but reminders of him are everywhere I look. . . And, on a happier note, I have the University of Wisconsin bowl game to look forward to tonight--go Badgers!

Materials Used:

Starstruck stamp set (Verve Stamps); Smokey Shadow ink, black grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey Ink); Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, Wild Wasabi, and Basic Gray cardstock (Stampin' Up!); designer paper (3 Bugs in a Rug); circle and pinking circle dies (Nestabilities); Stars embossing folder (Cuttlebug); chipboard stars (American Crafts)

Movie Inspired

Today's SCS clean and simple stamping challenge was to find inspiration from the Disney Store site. My card is inspired by the merchandise related to the new movie The Princess and the Frog.

I used the frog image from the DoodleFactory Fairy Tale stamp set from Starving Artistamps for my focal image. The frog is colored with Copic markers and cut out. I also cut out the crown and attached it behind the frog image. The crown is made super sparkly with some Shimmerz paints and a trio of rhinestones.

I cut a heart from some textured cardstock, then ran it through my Big Shot with the Swiss Dot embossing folder for an interesting texture. A button embellished bow was added to the heart--I'm still working my way through my ribbon scraps (a crafting resolution from last January that I think will need to continue in 2010 . . . ). The fun sentiment fit along the bottom of the pink card base.

Don't forget about the Starving Artistamps discount code I shared with you in the post below if you want to add some of these stamps to your own collection . . .

Materials Used:

DoodleFactory Fairy Tale and Fairy Tale Sentiments stamp sets (Starving Artistamps); white cardstock, Tiny Twinkles (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Rose Red Classic ink, Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon (Stampin' Up!); Sweet Blush cardstock, Sweet Blush button, twine (Papertrey Ink); textured paper (DCWV); heart die (Nestabilities); Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Butter Cream paint (Shimmerz); foam tape

Arctic Animals Appear

It reached the 50's here this weekend, but that doesn't mean it's too warm to pull out my DoodleFactory Arctic stamp set from Starving Artistamps. I made two winter themed cards this weekend with images from this fun set.

This card features the adorable seal Juno. Juno is colored with Copic markers and cut out. I cut a chunk of ice for Juno to sit on from some scraps of silver and shimmery white paper. It's not the greatest looking piece of ice, but it does the job--LOL! I set the ice and seal on a patterned paper circle and matted it on a turquoise scalloped circle.

The image panel is attached to a pale pink card base. I added a rose panel to the cardfront, embellished with a strip of shimmery white snowflakes punched with a border punch. The "you melt my heart" sentiment is stamped in rose just above the snowflakes. I embellished a pretty pink satin bow with a glittery acetate snowflake and attached that to the top of the image panel for a feminine finishing touch.

Materials Used:

DoodleFactory Arctic stamp set (Starving Artistamps); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Regal Rose Classic ink, Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette, Tempting Turquoise, and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); silver paper (Target); designer paper (Imaginisce); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); pink satin ribbon (Target); acetate glitter snowflake (Me & My Big Ideas); snowflake border punch (EK Success); foam tape

Here's another simple scene created with images from the DoodleFactory Arctic stamp set. Walgruff the walrus is front and center here with a backdrop of cool ice.

Walgruff is colored with Copic markers and cut out. He's attached to the scene with foam tape. I stamped the background on shimmery white paper for a snow-like sparkle and highlighted it just a bit with a very pale blue Copic marker. The scene is layered on a shimmery blue panel embossed with a snowflake embossing folder.

I attached the scene to a black mat before setting it on the blue card base. The set's "chill out" sentiment is stamped in white ink on a navy panel and accented with a trio of brads. I added a silver strip underneath the sentiment panel for just a bit more icy shimmer.

Don't forget that you can always use the discount code savetenLT to save 10% on your DoodleFactory and Starving Artistamps stamp orders at Starving Artistamps.

Materials Used:

DoodleFactory Arctic stamp set (Starving Artistamps); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Night of Navy, Brocade Blue, Basic Black, Basic Gray, and Shimmery White cardstock, silver brads (Stampin' Up!); silver, blue shimmer paper (Target); Fresh Snow ink (Papertrey Ink); Snowflakes embossing folder (QuicKutz); foam tape

Four Square Thanks

I made this clean and simple card for today's SCS featured stamper challenge. I was drawn to the kraft card base and the clean lines on the layout, so I used those elements in my version of the card along with supplies from i {heart} papers.

I paired the kraft card base with 4 different patterned paper squares punched out of papers from the Be Loved Collection Kit from My Mind's Eye. This layout is a great way to use up any scraps you have sitting on your desk. The papers are arranged on the kraft base--settling on an arrangement took me the longest time of anything I did for this card!

I stamped the "thanks a bunch" sentiment from Unity's December Stampin' Store Kit in black ink underneath the squares. I added a white felt flower accent with a single crystal dot at the center to the top left block to finish the card. It would be so easy to make a set of these to give as a gift.

Materials Used:

from i {heart} papers: Unity Stamp Co. {sweet affections} December Stampin' Store Kit, My Mind's Eye Be Loved Collection Kit, Palette Noir Black ink, Queen & Co. white felt flower, Zva Creative crystal dots

other: kraft cardstock, 1 1/4" square punch (Stampin' Up!)

Anniversary in Advance

My parents are celebrating their anniversary later this week, so I needed to get to work on an anniversary card for them. Since they're going away this week, I most likely won't get to give this to them before their anniversary passes, so I figured it didn't matter much if I showed it off here and they (or more likely, my mom) got a sneak peek at it before they have the card in hand. I pulled this one together using this week's Mojo Monday sketch.

I started with some striped paper in kind of neutral tones. The paper is layered on a coordinating Sahara Sand card base. I created a layered panel for the center of the card, using more Sahara Sand bordered with Baja Breeze and Chocolate Chip.

A piece of Chocolate Chip ribbon runs down the layered panels. I cut a notch in the bottom of the ribbon for some interest, then layered on a large ghost heart and a button. The button is placed strategically to hide the glue dot that I used to attach the heart. Those ghost hearts can be tricky to work with! The final element was a portion of a sentiment from Verve's Wishing You, stamped in Chocolate Chip ink.

Materials Used:

Wishing You stamp set (Verve Stamps); Chocolate Chip Classic ink, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, and Sahara Sand cardstock, Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); designer paper (Dream Street Papers: Art Nouveau-Aesthetic); ghost heart (Heidi Swapp); button, twine (Papertrey Ink)

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop: Holiday Inspired

The theme for this month's Papertrey Ink blog hop is holiday inspiration. I have to start by admitting upfront that I didn't do any holiday decorating this year. I don't celebrate Christmas and this year, I haven't felt particularly festive this month for a multitude of reasons, so I just didn't bother with even hanging the fun bell wreath that I modeled my project on. I don't have a photo because it's packed away in a box in a closet, but I'll give a description instead. I used a run of the mill door wreath made out of metal jingle bells for inspiration. Mine has bells in cool shades of blue, purple, and silver.

I used the shape and colors from my wreath to come up with this very simple card. I used PTI's buttons in Spring Rain, Enchanted Evening, and Plum Pudding to form a round wreath shape on a shimmery white card base. The buttons are attached with glue dots and foam tape pieces for some variation and dimension. I purposely selected different size buttons to add interest.

Once the buttons were in place, I added a button-embellished bow, made from Plum Pudding grosgrain ribbon, to the top of the wreath. The "winter wishes" sentiment from Vintage Picnic Sentiments is stamped under the wreath in Plum Pudding ink.

Materials Used (all from Papertrey Ink):

Vintage Picnic Sentiments stamp set, Plum Pudding ink, White Shimmer cardstock, Plum Pudding, Spring Rain, and Enchanted Evening buttons, Plum Pudding grosgrain ribbon, twine

Saturday Sketch with a Slant

It’s Saturday and that means it's time for a new sketch challenge at Paper Craft Planet. This week, it's my turn to host the challenge. For this week’s sketch, I did something that’s a little unusual for me—I included panels that aren’t straight. I tend to use straight lines in my paper crafting designs, so this sketch was a little bit of a stretch for me. But, it’s supposed to be a challenge, right?

I’m sure this week will be a busy one spent enjoying time with family and friends, but if you have a chance to play along—and/or want to try out any new crafting supplies you might have received for the holidays—please upload your card to the PCP gallery using the keyword sk122609 so I can add it to the album with the other creations based on this week’s sketch. I can't wait to see some other ideas using this sketch!

Now, on to my version of the sketch. I just love these cute Lollipop images from Stamping Bella and couldn't resist building my card around one of them.

Here, I used little Ella Lollipop as the focal image on my card. She’s colored with Copic markers and her clothing is paper pieced with pink cardstock. I thought about coloring her dress and bow with Copics, too, but figured that the polka dots might get blurry. Instead, I filled them in with a white gel pen for a crisp white color. I added a sparkly rhinestone at the center of her bow for a fun accent.

I kept the polka dot theme started on Ella's dress going on the other panels on the card. The darker pink panel is embossed with a polka dot embossing folder and so is the pale pink panel that covers most of the card base. I was going to stamp the sentiment on the circle at the base of the two tilted panels, but went with an embellishment instead. I placed a button-embellished pink satin bow on the layered circles, then stamped the sentiment on the side of the image panel. Too cute!

Materials Used:
Ella Lollipop and sentiment (Stamping Bella); white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Regal Rose Classic ink, Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette, and Pretty in Pink cardstock, 1” and 1 ¼” circle punches, white gel pen (Stampin’ Up!); Polka Dot embossing folders (QuicKutz); pink satin ribbon (Michaels); rhinestone (Offray); button (American Crafts)

Just for You

It's been a dreary day here with gray skies all day leading to late afternoon cold rain. While the rain will make a dent in some of the huge (and I mean huge!) piles of snow everywhere, it's made a big, cold mess. So, I went for a spring feeling card when I sat down to craft after I got back from a yummy Mexican food dinner at Chevy's with my friend and her family. We eat at Chevy's pretty much every Friday night and were pleased to find that it was open for business as usual on Christmas Day.

Here's my clean and simple card featuring images from the Lovely Shelf stamp set from Gina K Designs for the December customer blog hop featuring the newest GKD releases. I stamped the floral image on white cardstock and colored it with Copic markers in shades of blues, greens, and yellows. The flower petals are lightly painted with Candle Light Shimmerz for a subtle sparkle and the center of each flower is dotted with a coordinating size pearl. I coated the vase with some Glossy Accents for a liquid-y look.

I paired the floral image with a piece of dotted paper from the Bloom & Grow line from My Mind's Eye. I added a decorative border to the panel, machine stitched for a nice detail. The panels are arranged on a cardfront made from a piece of Gina's new Creme de Menthe cardstock. The sentiment is stamped on a panel to match the decorative border. A piece of celery ribbon is at the end of the panel as a final decorative touch. It hasn't quite fooled me into thinking spring's near, but it's a good start!

Materials Used:

Lovely Shelf stamp set, Creme de Menthe and Ocean Mist cardstock (Gina K Designs); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); designer paper (My Mind's Eye-Bloom & Grow line); Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); self-adhesive pearls (Kaiser Craft); Glossy Accents (Ranger); Candle Light paint (Shimmerz); sewing machine

Blogger Challenge: Week 131

This week’s blogger challenge theme is, most appropriately, Christmas, so I thought it would be a good time to share the holiday card that I sent out to family and friends this year. By now, they should have arrived safely, so it should be okay to share.

Since this December has been a pretty difficult month for me both emotionally and financially, I went with a really clean and simple design, actually inspired a card I created a few weeks before (you can see it in this post). I made a few adjustments to the original design so it would be easy to mass produce and be easy to send in the mail and wouldn’t require extra postage.

I embossed a vellum panel with the QuicKutz Snowflake embossing folder. The panel is attached to the bottom of an aqua card base, keeping with my tradition of non-traditional holiday card color schemes. To cover the adhesive, I tied a piece of turquoise organdy ribbon around the cardfront at the top edge of the vellum panel. The “holiday wishes” sentiment from Papertrey Ink’s Vintage Picnic stamp set is stamped above the ribbon in Pacific Point ink. Quick and elegant! When my co-worker opened hers, she turned to me and said, "Wow, Lori, you're getting kinda good at this now, aren't you?" I guess that's some kind of endorsement--LOL!

And, for more holiday ideas, you can visit the rest of the challenge players. Links to their blogs are in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:
Vintage Picnic stamp set (Papertrey Ink); cardstock (Bazzill Basics); Pacific Point Classic ink (Stampin’ Up!); vellum (The Paper Company); Snowflake embossing folder (QuicKutz); ribbon (Michaels)

Sending You Love

Here's a bright, colorful card for this week's version of Mercy's Tuesday sketch challenge. I got some new stamps from Stamping Bella with a gift certificate that I won and I inked up one of the newbies for this card after I got home from a yummy Chinese food dinner.

I used the cute "sending you love" stamp for the focal image on my card. The image was colored to coordinate with the colors in the new My Mind's Eye Love Me Do Collection Kit. Love the fun colors and patterns in these papers! I layered the image on a red scalloped circle, then spent a little time piecing together the 3 patterned papers to fit the square card base. I always have a hard time with things like this!

Once I had all the papers arranged and attached, I stamped the matching sentiment in black ink along the bottom of the card. I used my heart Nestabilities dies and some red felt to cut out a heart to add to the image panel as an embellishment.

Materials Used:

Sending You Love image (Stamping Bella); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Real Red cardstock, sponge (Stampin' Up!); circle, scalloped circle, and heart dies (Nestabilities); designer papers (My Mind's Eye Love Me Do Collection Kit); red felt

I Mint to Tell You

Today's the start of my winter vacation--yay! I plan to be sleeping in a bit, but I have a card to share to start off the morning. Here’s a sweets inspired thank you card for this week’s Technostamper sketch challenge. It uses papers from American Crafts along with the Sweet Tooth stamp set from Clear & Simple Stamps.

I paired a candy patterned paper with a striped one, both from the Merrymint line, on the panel that stretches across the cardfront. The striped panel is machine stitched to a chocolate panel for some contrast, then layered on a cranberry card base.

I stamped one of the candy images from the Sweet Tooth set on a scrap of white cardstock, then colored it with Copic markers and glittered it up with a Spica pen before cutting it out. The candy is set on a trio of layered circles, then attached to the upper right corner of the candy patterned paper. I stamped the thank you sentiment in cranberry ink on an aqua panel. These are colors I most likely wouldn’t have put together on my own, but they look great together on the papers! And, how fun to use some decidedly holiday themed papers for a non-holiday thank you.

Materials Used:
Sweet Tooth stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers, Clear Spica pen (Copic); Cranberry Crisp Classic ink, Cranberry Crisp and Chocolate Chip cardstock, circle punches (Stampin’ Up!); Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); designer paper (American Crafts-Merrymint line); scalloped circle die (Nestabilities); large white brad (?); foam tape, sewing machine

Have a Magical Day

It's been a few days since I inked up one of the Pure Innocence cuties from My Favorite Things, so I pulled out Fairy Girl for today's SCS sketch challenge. I paired her with pastel colors and a pattern from Cosmo Cricket's Earth Love line on this card.

The sweet fairy image is colored with Copic markers and dressed up with some Starlight Stickles. I mean, what fairy would be complete without some sparkle on her wings? I sponged in the grass for a soft look, then stamped the matching sentiment in black ink so it would stand out.

I pulled colors for the mats and panels from the colors in the designer paper. The aqua panel is embossed with a polka dot pattern. I decorated the scalloped circle panel with a coordinating Spring Moss button-embellished bow that matches the ribbon piece that's stretched across the card. All the pieces are layered on a So Saffron card base.

I have to admit that I had a near miss with dropping the card (and most likely smearing the Stickles everywhere) before it was photographed, but I managed to catch the card before it hit the floor face-down, averting a stamping crisis. Always a good thing . . .

Materials Used:

Fairy Girl image (My Favorite Things); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Certainly Celery Classic ink, So Saffron cardstock, scallop circle punch, sponge (Stampin' Up!); Aqua Mist and Spring Moss cardstock, Spring Moss grosgrain ribbon, Spring Moss button, twine (Papertrey Ink); designer paper (Cosmo Cricket-Earth Love line); Polka Dots embossing folder (QuicKutz); Stardust Stickles (Ranger); black Glaze pen (Sakura)

Sweet Winter Wishes

I felt that my selection of red Copic markers was a little bit lacking, so I added a few to my collection recently. I tried them out on these cute mittens, downloaded from Verve Stamps, along with this week’s Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. I worked on the sketch from memory, so it's a little off, but I think still close enough--LOL! The mittens are colored in red (with some of my new markers) and blue. I made the snowflakes sparkly with a clear Stardust pen and a teeny, tiny rhinestone at the center.

I used some swirly patterned paper for the panel along the right side of the card. The pattern makes me think of falling snowflakes (which I’ve seen more than enough of lately, thank you!). I used Gina K’s new Ocean Mist cardstock for the card base. It’s a pretty good substitute for my beloved retired Cool Caribbean cardstock! I added the "winter wishes" sentiment from Verve's Snow Wonderful set in red ink for a bright pop against the white space.

I didn’t have much room left at the top of the card, so instead of using a more intricate border punch for my red paper strip, I went with a simple plain scalloped edge. There’s a narrow white border across the top of it for just a little contrast. I added a sparkly snowflake to the scalloped strip, accented with a clear rhinestone.

Materials Used:
Winter Mittens digi stamp set (Verve Stamps); white cardstock (Xerox); markers (Copic); Riding Hood Red Classic ink, Riding Hood Red cardstock, scallop edge border punch, corner rounder (Stampin’ Up); designer paper (Bo Bunny-‘Tis the Season line); acetate snowflake (Me & My Big Ideas); clear Stardust pen (Sakura); Tiny Twinkles (Taylored Expressions)

Sweet Treat

I've had these chocolate covered spoons sitting in a plastic bag on my kitchen table for a while, left over from this project. When I saw today's anything but a card challenge on StampTV and this week's challenge at Crazy 4 Challenges, I thought I'd give their plain packaging a little makeover with a simple bag topper.

I used a red panel, punched with my Apron Lace border punch, for the topper base. I layered a piece of Gina K's Ocean Mist cardstock over that and tied a piece of red satin ribbon around the panel.

I combined some images from Gina K's 100% Sweet ( just the spoon from the sundae image) and Warm Winter Wishes stamp sets for the round image panel. The heart on the mug is coated with Ruby Slippers Glitz Stickles for some sparkle. After coloring the images, I layered the panel on a red mat, then used foam tape to attach it to the topper. I stamped the "warm winter wishes" sentiment in red on the Ocean Mist paper and added a red rhinestone to complete the topper. Wouldn't these be cute packaged in a mug made from the template in my post below this one?

Materials Used:

Warm Winter Wishes and 100% Sweet stamp sets, Ocean Mist and white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Real Red Classic ink, Real Red cardstock, corner rounder (Stampin' Up!); circle dies (Nestabilities); red satin ribbon (Target); Apron Lace border punch (Fiskars); red self-adhesive rhinestone (Darice); Ruby Slippers Glitz Stickles (Ranger); foam tape

3D Tuesday-Cup of Cocoa Template

I'm hosting this week's 3D Tuesday Challenge at Paper Craft Planet. I have a fun project to share with you that is perfect for those last minute gifts you're still pulling together (and don't even try to tell me that you're not doing that--LOL!).

My project is a mug, perfect for filling with treats for friends. The template is courtesy of Clear & Simple Stamps and can be downloaded for free here. All you need to do is print out the template, cut, and assemble, then have fun filling your mug.

I traced the template on a piece of winter themed designer paper from Imaginisce. Aren't those mittens the cutest things? I added a bright red handle, then filled my mug. In keeping with the warm and cozy theme of the paper, I put a pair of red striped gloves, a snowflake shaped hand warmer, and some sweet flavored lip balms into a tall baggie and tied it closed with a red satin ribbon. I used one of the sentiments from the Cup of Cocoa stamp set (also from Clear & Simple Stamps) to make a simple tag that I attached to the bow.

If you get a chance to play along, upload your project to the PCP gallery using the keyword 3d41 so I can add it to the album for everyone to admire. Happy gifting!

Materials Used:

Cup of Cocoa stamp set, ScorTape (Clear & Simple Stamps); Real Red Classic ink, Real Red, Creamy Caramel, and Whisper White cardstock, scallop edge punch, silver cord (Stampin' Up!); designer paper (Imaginisce-Polar Expressions line/Warm Woolen Mittens); 1 1/2" circle punch (EK Success); red satin ribbon (Target)

Finally, Some Cheer(s)

I was so excited to see one of my cards was selected to be used as the basis for today's SCS clean and simple stamping challenge. The card selected was one I hadn't posted here, so I figured I'd start my post by sharing it.

It's a clean and simple winter themed card with a pair of mittens from Papertrey Ink's Snowfall stamp set as the focal image. The mittens are stamped in Aqua Mist ink, then carefully cut out. I used a piece of twine to string the mitten pair together.

I layered the mittens on a red circle embossed panel on a square kraft card base. I love this color combination! The "warm winter wishes" sentiment is stamped in brown ink, curving around the circular panel. I added a coordinating button embellished bow to complete the card.

Materials Used:

Snowfall stamp set, Aqua Mist ink, Aqua Mist button (Papertrey Ink); Rich Cocoa ink (Memento); Kraft, Riding Hood Red, and Whisper White cardstock, Riding Hood Red striped grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); circle die (Nestabilities); Polka Dot embossing folder (QuicKutz); twine (Walmart); foam tape

And, here's another card I made using the same sketch for today's challenge. I needed a little break from snow, so I went with a festive new year's scheme on this one. There's very little stamping here. Instead I used a super glittery martini glass shaped gift tag I picked up at Target as the focal image. I fashioned a toothpick and olive from paper scraps and stuck the toothpick through the hole that was left when I removed a piece of ribbon from the tag.

I embossed a large red circle with a ring patterned embossing folder and set that on a black card base. I made this card a standard A2 size to accommodate the size of the martini glass. The glass is attached with some foam tape. I used the 1/2 Pint-Playful Alphabet Buddy from Kitchen Sink Stamps to spell out "cheers!" The letters were carefully wrapped around the curve of the circle. I love how the silver pops against the black background!

Materials Used:

1/2 Pint-Playful Alphabet Buddy (Kitchen Sink Stamps); silver ink (Encore); Real Red, Old Olive, Creamy Caramel, and Basic Black cardstock, 1/4" circle punch (Stampin' Up!); circle and oval dies (Nestabilities); Rings embossing folder (QuicKutz); gift tag (Target); foam tape

Tag Trio

Starving Artistamps is the sponsor for this week’s challenge at 2 Sketches 4 You. Instead of a card sketch, this week’s challenge features a tag sketch. I made a trio of tags featuring Starving Artistamps images.

This one features an image from the DoodleFactory Sweet Shoppe set. I colored the lollipop image in shades of red, then cut it out. I coated the pop with Versamark, then with sparkly embossing powder and heat embossed it for a super sparkly, sugar coated look. It is so cool IRL!

I layered the lollipop on a die cut piece cut from shimmery white cardstock. I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to position the sentiment from the coordinating Holiday Sweet Shoppe Sentiments set. The die cut piece is set on a red panel embossed with the Candy Cane Stripes Cuttlebug folder, then rubbed with shimmery white ink for a more defined striped look. I added all of the pieces to a kraft tag with a red bow.

Materials Used:
DoodleFactory Sweet Shoppe and Holiday Sweet Shoppe Sentiments stamp sets (Starving Artistamps); white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Real Red marker, Riding Hood Red, Kraft, and Shimmery White cardstock, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, horizontal slot punch (Stampin’ Up!); Moonlight White ink (Brilliance); Candy Cane Stripes embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Labels 6 die (Nestabilities); red satin ribbon (Target); red button, twine (Papertrey Ink)

My next tag combines images from the new DoodleFactory Arctic set with a coordinating sentiment from the Tropics sentiment set 2. I know you're thinking that arctic and tropic images don't really work together and aren't really going to work for a holiday gift tag, but I promise, they do!

I stamped the two fish images on white cardstock and colored them with Copic markers, then cut them out. The fish are set on a light blue background panel, embossed with a swirl pattern. Again, I rubbed some shimmery white ink over the swirls to highlight them. The bigger fish is attached with foam tape for some interest. I layered the panel on a scalloped oval mat, then attached the "sea"sons greetings sentiment. I added a coordinating coral bow, made from some easy to tie seam binding tape, to complete the tag.

Materials Used:
DoodleFactory Arctic and Tropics Sentiments Set 2 stamp sets (Starving Artistamps); white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, and Pumpkin Pie cardstock, paper piercing tool, horizontal slot punch (Stampin' Up!); Orange Zest ink (Papertrey Ink); Moonlight White ink (Brilliance); oval and scalloped oval dies (Nestabilities); D'Vine Swirl embossing folder (Cuttlebug); coral seam binding tape (Martha Stewart); foam tape

And, finally, this tag uses some images from the DoodleFactory Valentine Remix set. It strays from the sketch just a little bit. I made the bee image the centerpiece of this one. The bee is colored with Copic markers. Its wings are coated with glitter for a bit of shimmer. The envelope was stamped on a scrap of cardstock, then cut out and attached to the tag with foam tape.

I went with bold turquoise and red pieces as layers behind the image panel and made the tag itself yellow to coordinate with the bee. I added a red gingham bow to finish it off.

Materials Used:
DoodleFactory Valentine Remix and Valentines Sentiments sets (Starving Artistamps); white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Real Red Classic ink, Real Red and Basic Black markers, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, and Barely Banana cardstock, Dazzling Diamonds, horizontal slot punch (Stampin' Up!); designer paper (DCWV-Saffron line); oval dies (Nestabilities); Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug); red gingham ribbon (Creative Impressions)

Clear Joy

It took over two hours, but I finished digging out my car today. Fortunately, I won't have to go to work tomorrow, so I won't have to actually move the car anywhere for a little while. My next big challenge will be keeping my storm door from freezing shut. There's water dripping down off my roof, right on to my front step. It's freezing up so my door won't open. A slight complication, but hopefully I can manage that.

I made this quick card for today's SCS featured stamper challenge. It's based on this holiday card. I kept the layout the same, but changed up the colors for a softer winter palette and the embossing folder image. This would be an easy one to do for holiday cards. Maybe next year . . .

I used the QuicKutz Snowflake embossing folder on a piece of acetate. The embossed acetate looks so pretty! The acetate is layered on a same size piece of amethyst cardstock, then on a light blue card base. I added self-adhesive pearl accents to the corners of the acetate panel, hiding the glue dots I used to attach the acetate to the cardstock.

The joy sentiment is from the Hero Arts Holiday Dolls stamp set. It's stamped on shimmery white cardstock and layered on a scalloped oval panel. The final element is a piece of knotted reversible white/light blue satin ribbon. I tied it so that both of the colors were visible to add interest. Clean and simple--and pretty, too!

Materials Used:

from i {heart} papers: QuicKutz Snowflake embossing folder, Hero Arts Holiday Dolls stamp set, Zva Creative self-adhesive pearls, Nestabilities oval and scalloped oval dies, May Arts reversible blue/white satin ribbon

other: Almost Amethyst Classic ink, Almost Amethyst, Bashful Blue, and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); acetate

Glitter and Cheer

With all of the snow outside, I had plenty of stamping time on Saturday. I made these two cards for current StampTV challenges using images from Gina K Designs.

This card is for this week's blast from the past challenge to use colored glitter. This was the first time I've created a multi-colored glittered image like this (I've used multiple colors of glitter on acetate, but not on cardstock). With my kindergarten teacher background, I'm not a huge glitter fan--I've seen first-hand the damage that just a teeny, tiny bit of glitter can do--LOL! But, the Quickie Glue Pen made it pretty easy and it didn't end up being too, too messy.

I used a cupcake image from the Sweetest Blessings set. The image was colored with markers, then covered with a combination of different brightly colored glitters from Stampendous and Martha Stewart.

I kept the card's layout really simple to keep the focus on the glittery focal image. I layered the cupcake and coordinating sentiment on Summer Sunrise cardstock circles, then arranged the pair on a Berry Sorbet card base. I added a ribbon tab, embellished with a coordinating button, as an accent. I like the layout and may find a way to use it again soon.

Materials Used:

Sweetest Blessings stamp set (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink, pink marker (Memento); Berry Sorbet ink, Berry Sorbet and Summer Sunrise cardstock, Summer Sunrise grosgrain ribbon, Berry Sorbet button, twine (Papertrey Ink); markers, 1 3/8" circle punch (Stampin' Up!); 1 1/2" circle punch (EK Success); circle dies (Nestabilities); glitter (Stampendous; Martha Stewart-Garnet); Quickie Glue Pen (Sakura); foam tape

This card is for this week's sketch challenge. I used the cheerleader uniform from Sporty Accessories as the focal image. The image is colored with Copic markers. I added a cut out pom pom to the panel with foam tape, then layered it on a Riding Hood Red panel. A coordinating grosgrain ribbon tab is slipped under the left side of the image panel.

I found some fun paper in my stash with a pattern that kind of reminded me of pom poms. I used that to cover most of the cardfront. The "cheer up!" sentiment is stamped on the set's megaphone image. I used this in place of the sketch's circular panel. I think it still works!

Materials Used:

Sporty Accessories stamp set, white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Riding Hood Red cardstock, Riding Hood Red striped grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); designer paper (K & Company); foam tape

Let it Snow No More

It's still snowing. I'm at 18+ inches in my backyard and still counting. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to dig my car out. When I went out earlier today to brush it off, the snow around it was well above my knees. There's nowhere to put all of the snow I'm shoveling anymore!

So, with all of the snow everywhere around me, I had to do a snow-themed card sometime today. I made this one based on Mercy's Tuesday sketch challenge. The focal image is a layered snowman image from Verve's Snow Wonderful stamp set. I stamped the image a few times and cut out the different layers of the snowman's body, then assembled it using foam tape. So cute!The hat is accented with some blue Fun Flock.

The patterned papers used on the cardfront are from a DCWV winter stack. I accented the layout with a big felt snowflake with a blue button at the center. The sentment is stamped in the lower left corner in Pacific Point ink to match the cardfront.

Materials Used:

Snow Wonderful stamp set (Verve Stamps); white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Pacific Point Classic ink, Pacific Point cardstock (Stampin' Up!)' designer paper (DCWV); oval dies (Nestabilities); Enchanted Evening button, twine (Papertrey Ink); felt snowflake (American Crafts); Snowcone Blue Fun Flock (Stampendous); foam tape

And, this card is for the last Viva la Verve sketch challenge for December. I went with a more Valentine's Day themed design here and kept my card pretty clean and simple.

I used the heart border strip in the new Thankful Hearts paper to create my own patterned paper panel, stamping the image repeatedly tone on tone using Rose Red. I attached the panel to a Pink Pirouette card base.

One of the sentiments from Hundred Hearts is stamped in Rose Red on a white panel. I sponged around the edges with pink to soften the white just a bit. The sentiment is layered over a slightly larger Regal Rose panel. I added some lace to the bottom of the panel to complete the card.

Materials Used:

Hundred Hearts and Thankful Hearts stamp sets (Verve Stamps); Rose Red and Pretty in Pink Classic inks, Rose Red, Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette, and Whisper White cardstock, sponge (Stampin' Up!); lace

Just My Type

It started snowing last night before I went to sleep and I have a feeling I'll be waking this morning to a pretty snow-covered world. The forecast is for up to nearly 2 feet of snow, which is pretty unheard of in the DC area in December. I am so not looking forward to shoveling my sidewalk and digging out my car . . . It's a good thing I got some new stamping goodies in the mail on Friday to help keep me entertained. I guess they'll be my reward for all of the shoveling I'll be doing--LOL!

Here's my card for this week's Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge, hosted by Tammy. I hadn't used the typewriter image from Unity's November Kit of the Month yet and thought it would be a fun focal image for the sketch. I colored the typewriter with Copic markers. The paper in the typewriter is paper pieced with white paper to contrast with the cream panel I stamped the image on. And, the typewriter keys are coated with a gray Glaze pen for some dimension and shine.

I used some text patterned paper from Papertrey Ink for the panel on the bottom of the card. Isn't it a perfect match for the typewriter image? The coordinating sentiment is stamped in red ink, then layered on the card with foam tape.

If you're snowed in like me and have plenty of time to play along with this week's sketch, be sure to upload your card to the PCP gallery using the keyword sk121909 so it can be added to the album with the rest of this week's sketch creations.

Materials Used:
Simply Magical-Nov. KOTM (Unity Stamp Co.); cream, white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers, Lipstick Spica pen (Copic); Riding Hood Red ink, Riding Hood Red and Kraft cardstock, Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); Chocolate Remix designer paper (Papertrey Ink); gray Glaze pen (Sakura); oval dies (Nestabilities); foam tape

Pretty in Pink Bellarific Friday

Here’s my card for this week’s Bellarific Friday from Stamping Bella. This week’s challenge was to include some form of stitching—real or faux. I combined the challenge with this week’s sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You to come up with this pretty pink card.

I used the adorable Hannah Lollipop image as my focal point. I colored sweet Hannah with Copic markers and layered her on a scallop bordered panel. Each of the scallops has a dot of Pink Petal Liquid Pearls for a little pink sparkle. I added a rhinestone to Hannah’s bow, too. The “happy birthday” sentiment fit perfectly along the side of the image.

The sewing comes in on the left side of the card. I attached a solid rose strip along the left edge of the card, then stitched a pleated piece of pink seam binding tape in place next to it. I added a pink button embellished bow to finish off the design.

Materials Used:
Hannah Lollipop and sentiment (Stamping Bella); white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Regal Rose Classic ink, Pink Pirouette and Regal Rose cardstock, scallop edge punch (Stampin’ Up!); Petal Pink Liquid Pearls (Ranger); pink seam binding tape (Martha Stewart); rhinestone (Offray); button, twine (Papertrey Ink)

Blogger Challenge: Week 130

This week’s blogger challenge is a sketch challenge, provided by our leader, Lisa. I flipped the sketch over and went for a fun, festive birthday card in my version. I've been hard at work finishing up my holiday cards, so I needed a little change of pace--LOL!

The card was designed around the colors in the dotted American Crafts paper I used for the large panel on the cardfront. The girl with the balloon image, from the Pure Innocence line from My Favorite Things, is colored with Copic markers to match the paper. For some reason, I can’t resist making the balloon in this image a bold, bright red almost every time I color it. I drew in a line and sponged in some grass to ground the image.

I matted the image and designer paper on coordinating panels and layered them on a Bermuda Bay card base. A strip of scallop edged pink cardstock and matching pink ribbon runs across the card. I added a button embellished bow as a fun, girly touch. I almost left off the trio of matching rhinestones on the right side of the card, but decided to stick with the sketch as designed and include them.

And, for more ideas using this sketch, you can visit the rest of the challenge players. Links to their blogs are in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:
My Balloon image (My Favorite Things); white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers, Turquoise and Lipstick Spica pens (Copic); Bermuda Bay and Certainly Celery ink, Bermuda Bay, Real Red, and Pretty in Pink cardstock, scallop edge punch, paper piercing tool, sponge (Stampin’ Up!); designer paper (American Crafts--Craft Fair line); pink grosgrain ribbon (Morex); red button (Papertrey Ink); rhinestones (Studio 18)

Velvet Pastel Inspired

As soon as I saw the image in this week’s Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger, I knew what I wanted to make. I translated the swirly vines and pastel colors from the stockings in the photo to this soft thank you card.

I used one of the leafy branch images from Papertrey Ink’s Turning a New Leaf stamp set for my vine. It’s stamped in Ripe Avocado ink on a Lavender Moon panel. I added some tiny circle buds in Lavender Moon and Hibiscus Burst inks using circles from the Polka Dot Basics set. Then I added a trio of Sweet Blush buttons with knotted twine to add some texture and dimension.

One of the thank you sentiments from the Signature Greetings stamp set is stamped on the panel in Lavender Moon ink. There’s just a bit of contrast between the panel and the ink for a soft look. I sponged around the edges of the panel with matching Lavender Moon ink before layering it on a Ripe Avocado card base.

Materials Used (all from Papertrey Ink):
Turning a New Leaf, Polka Dot Basics and Signature Greetings stamp sets, Ripe Avocado, Lavender Moon, and Hibiscus Burst inks, Lavender Moon and Ripe Avocado cardstock, Sweet Blush buttons, twine

Be the Star

Here’s my card for this week’s Viva la Verve challenge. I went with some sparkle and shine to go with the star-themed sentiment I used as the focal image.

I built the card around the encouraging sentiment from Verve’s Starstruck stamp set. The sentiment is stamped in teal ink on a white panel. I paired it with a glittery paper from DCWV’s Citrus Mat Stack. I added a teal pinked edged panel, embossed with dots, underneath the sentiment. The raised dots are rubbed with some shimmery white ink for a little more sparkle. The yellow dotted strip that runs along the right side of the card has a strip of ruffled yellow ribbon attached to it.

I wanted to add a star-shaped element to the card, but had a hard time figuring out where to place it. When I put it at the right side of the sentiment panel (where there’s lots of empty space), the card looked too heavy on the right side because of the ruffled ribbon. After trying a few other arrangements, I finally settled on putting it at the bottom of the sentiment panel. It covers the star in the sentiment’s font, but other than that, it worked okay.

Materials Used:
Starstruck stamp set (Verve Stamps); Taken With Teal Classic ink, Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry and Whisper White cardstock, small star punch (Stampin’ Up!); Moonlight White ink (Brilliance); designer paper (DCWV’s Citrus Mat Stack); Lemon Tart satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); pinked circle die (Nestabilities); Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug); sewing machine

Wintery Cup of Cocoa

It's a chilly day here, perfect for a cup of cocoa. With that in mind, I pulled out my Cup of Cocoa stamp set from Clear & Simple Stamps for today's SCS sketch challenge. I really like the combination of images and sentiments in this set--I have to say that it's definitely becoming a favorite.

I went with a wintery blue color scheme for the card. The coordinating patterned papers come from a DCWV winter mat stack. I layered all of the pieces on Brocade Blue mats. To add a little texture, I stretched a piece of light blue grosgrain ribbon across the cardfront and added a button-embellished bow.

The cocoa image is colored with Copic markers. I curved the "sip. enjoy. repeat." sentiment to match the circle panel and stamped it in matching blue ink. Simple and warm feeling.

Materials Used:

Cup of Cocoa stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Brocade Blue Classic ink, Brocade Blue cardstock (Stampin' Up!); designer paper (DCWV); circle dies (Nestabilities); blue grosgrain ribbon (Morex); button, twine (Papertrey Ink)

Hand-in-Hand and #1 Fan

I played in two different StampTV challenges, using two different Gina K Designs stamp sets designed by Melanie.

Here's my card for this week's sketch challenge. I used the Hand-in-Hand set for the focal image. The hands were stamped on white paper, colored, then cut out and attached to a cream panel. The cream panel coordinated better with the colors of the elegant DCWV La Creme Matstack papers I used for the cardfront. The " a perfect fit" sentiment fit nicely along the bottom of the panel. It's an open-ended enough sentiment that this card could be used for either a wedding or an anniversary.

I stretched a piece of cream satin ribbon across the cardstock, covering the seam between the two patterns. I added a simple cream Prima flower with a Dew Drop pearl at the center to complete the card.

Materials Used:

Hand-in-Hand stamp set, white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin' Up!); designer paper (DCWV's La Creme matstack); cream satin ribbon (Michaels); flower (Prima); Dew Drop (Robin's Nest); Silver Liquid Pearls (Ranger)

This card is for this week's "blast from the past" challenge, featuring a technique previously featured on a StampTV video. The technique here is partial Cuttlebug embossing. I hadn't tried this technique before--it was pretty easy to do and worked nicely in my Big Shot. I used the Stars embossing folder for my sports themed card. It's embossed on the top portion of the navy panel.

I used a combination of images from Just So Sporty and Sporty Accessories for the image panel. The banner was colored first, then the "#1 fan" was stamped over the banner. I stamped the football on a scrap of paper, colored it, then added it to the panel with some foam tape.

I cut the embossed panel to about 1/2" narrower than the card base on both sides so that more of the cool texture of the tan leather cardstock would be visible. I ran a piece of red grosgrain ribbon across the card where the embossing ended, then layered the image panel on top of that. A single silver brad accents the ribbon.

Materials Used:

Just So Sporty and Sporty Accessories stamp sets, Tan Leather and White cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Creamy Caramel Classic ink, Night of Navy cardstock, sponge (Stampin' Up!); Stars embossing folder (Cuttlebug); oval dies (Nestabilities); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); silver brad (Making Memories); foam tape

So So Shimmery Snowflakes

***Scroll down to the post below to see my project for December's i {heart} papers DT challenge.***

I have to admit, I totally hesitated about sharing this card. It just doesn't look anywhere near as nice in the photo as it does in real life. But, I'm not feeling great tonight--I've been sick for the past few days, I'm still very sad about Cosmo the crazy dog, and in addition to that, my car died on Friday and has needed major work (like a new transmission kind of major work). When the "death toll" in your house within one week includes 2 (unwelcome) mice, 1 dog, and 1 car, things are just not going your way. Needless to say, pretty much nothing is making me too happy right now. So, I'm just going to go ahead and post the card anyway . . .

I made the card using this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and the JUGS challenge to use the chalkboard technique. I like the look of the chalkboard technique a lot and thought that the snowflakes from Papertrey Ink's Rustic Snowfall stamp set would look so nice covered in shimmery silver and blue chalks against a navy background. Take my word for it--they do in real life! A tiny dab of blue Liquid Pearls is at the center of each one for some more sparkle and some dimensionl.

I paired the image panel with a turquoise-ish paper with a light grid pattern. I like the non-traditional turquoise and navy combo. A pair of layered satin ribbons is on the left side of the card and a trio of tiny rhinestones, backed by turquoise circles to help them stand out a bit, are on the right. I added a button embellished bow for a little more interest. No sentiment on the front, but I'll probably put a white panel inside the card and stamp something on there.

Hoping tomorrow will be a better day . . . I'll have something else that I like more to share in the AM.

Materials Used:

Rustic Snowflakes stamp set, Fresh Snow ink, white button, twine (Papertrey Ink); Tempting Turquoise and Night of Navy cardstock, 1/4" circle punch (Stampin' Up!); designer paper (DCWV Saffron); white satin ribbon (Michaels); blue satin ribbon (Target); rhinestones (Offray); blue Liquid Pearls (Ranger); shimmery chalks (Pebbles inc)

i {heart} papers December DT Challenge

This month's i {heart} papers design team challenge theme is to "eat, drink, and be merry!" All of the DT members' projects will be featuring two new My Mind's Eye Collection Kits, Be Loved and Love Me Do. These fun kits have great patterns and fabulous color schemes. I have to admit, I had already put mine to use long before this challenge . . .

There's nowhere better to eat, drink and be merry than at a party, so that's the inspiraton for my card. I paired papers from the Be Loved Collection Kit with images from Unity's Cocktail Party kit. I colored the martini glass image with markers to get the two toned image. The drink is coated with some Butter Cream Shimmerz for a festive look.

I paired three different coordinating patterned papers for the panels on my cardfront. Each panel is matted with a coordinating piece of solid cardstock. I added a strip of brown velvet ribbon across the card and a tab that had just enough room to stamp the word "party," accented with a self-adhesive pearl embellishment. The "let's mix it up" sentiment fit perfectly along the bottom of the card to complete the festive invitation.

Be sure to check out what the other DT members have created using the MME Collection Kits. Here's where to find them:
Amber
Carolyn
Cathleen
Deb
Gretchen
Kate, IHP owner
Kendra
Lynn
Megan
Merry
Tracy

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: My Mind's Eye Be Loved Collection Kit, Unity Stamp Co. Cocktail Party kit, Maya Road brown double stitched velvet ribbon, Zva Creative self adhesive pearl lines, Butter Cream Shimmerz, Nestabilities circle dies

other: Crushed Curry Classic ink, Riding Hood Red and Very Vanilla cardstock, round tab punch (Stampin' Up!); Terracotta Tile ink, Terracotta Tile and Melon Berry cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Rich Cocoa ink, black marker (Memento)