Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my post for this week’s Color Throwdown challenge.** 

It’s just about time for the costumed trick-or-treaters to start ringing my doorbell, but I couldn’t resist sharing one last Halloween-themed creation—along with a photo of my very favorite trick-or-treater, Chloe the cutie puppy (at the end of the post). I made this one for this week’s SCS sketch challenge using the Pure Innocence Li’l Pumpkin stamp set from My Favorite Things.

The pumpkin-toting cutie is colored with Copic markers and cut out. I used foam tape to attach her to a cream panel with the “Happy Halloween” sentiment from the Primitive Pumpkins set stamped on it. Once she was in place, I added some Stickles to her barrette and to the little heart on her dress.

I used two different patterned papers from a Bazzill patterned paper collection for the panels on the cardfront. A small dotted pattern covers the cardfront, while a more bold and busy chevron patterned one runs the length of the card. I added an orange scalloped strip to the left edge of the chevron strip, hiding the seam between the two papers with a black and silver striped ribbon. The image panel is set on the cardfront, overlapping the paper and ribbon strips. I added a little knotted piece of the same striped ribbon at the bottom of the panel as a simple embellishment.

And, as promised, here’s my annual photo of Chloe the cutie puppy on Halloween. This year, she’s dressed as a lion. Right now, she’s kind of fluffy and looks like she has a mane even without the costume, so it seemed fitting. While it’s hard to find good costumes for a girl dog who isn’t really “girly,” I had several costumes on standby to choose from (a dinosaur and a pig—and if you know Chloe, you know how appropriate a pig costume would be!), but in the end, the lion won out. She’s “helping” me answer the door and hand out candy. Like Cosmo the crazy dog before her, she loves to see the people at the door. She’d also like to get ahold of some of the candy, but that’s not happening. She snagged half of a sleeve of Fig Newtons at doggy day care last week (sigh . . .), so I think she’s already had her fill of treats for the Halloween season.

Materials Used:
Pure Innocence Li’l Pumpkin and Primitive Pumpkins stamp sets (My Favorite Things); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Always Artichoke, Pumpkin Pie, and Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); All Hallows Eve 6x6 paper pad (Bazzill); ribbon (Michaels); Orange Peel Ice Stickles (Ranger); foam tape

Color Throwdown 216-Celebrate the Good Times


It’s time for another Color Throwdown! Kerri is our hostess this week and she's challenging us to use Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, and Basic Black as inspired by this photo of a beautifully styled living room. I opted to make a masculine birthday card using this week's sketch from I Spy Sketches.

I stamped a pair of dotted balloons in orange and navy ink for the focal image panel. After cutting them out and attaching kraft strings to their backs, I used foam tape to adhere them to a white panel. The "celebrate the good times" sentiment from the Mama Elephant Good Times set is stamped in black ink at the bottom of the panel.

 I brought in some more dotted elements by embossing a kraft panel with a polka dot embossing folder, then layering a piece of dotted patterned paper over the center of the kraft panel. After wrapping the panel with orange twill, I layered the image panel on top.

 To play along, just create a paper crafted project using these colors as a starting point and add a direct link to your finished project using the linky tool found at the end of this week's CTD post. As always, if you don’t have exact color matches, something close works just fine. And, if you upload your project to an online gallery, use the keyword CTD216. Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team and our October guestie, Dawn Easton.

** Barbara ** Broni ** Denise **  Joan **
** Kerri ** Lynn ** Tammy ** Wanda **
October Guestie Dawn Easton


Materials Used: 
Good Times stamp set (Mama Elephant); Memento Nautical Blue, Tangelo, and Tuxedo Black inks (Tsukineko); Night of Navy and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Harvest Market Tiny Tablet (Lily Bee Design); Polka Dot embossing folder (Lifestyle Crafts); orange twill (Michaels); hemp twine (Hemptique); foam tape

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Clear and Simple Stamps Group Project: Seasonal Inspiration


For today's Clear and Simple Stamps group project, each designer is sharing a project inspired by this collection of seasonal photos.  My project represents spring.  After the long, dark days of winter, I'm always happy to see spring arrive with its warmer weather and more sunlight. And, after being cooped up inside all winter, it's nice to be able to take Chloe the cutie puppy out for long walks again!

Here's my spring inspired card. I used the Well Preserved Jars:  Small stamp set to create my focal image--a jar filled with a bouquet of tulips.  The tulips are colored with Copic markers in a bright, cheery yellow.  I used my Bow Easy to make a pretty green satin bow to accent the image.

The cut out image is layered on a paper doily with a green cardstock circle at the center.  The doily is adhered to a yellow card base with a strip of green designer paper along the bottom.  I stamped the "happy birthday to you" sentiment from the Cloudy Day Sentiments set in green ink on a Favor Flag die cut and added that to the card, tucking the right end of the strip underneath the stamped jar.

Be sure to check out how the rest of the CSS design team was inspired by the seasons.  Here's where to find them:

Lori Tecler-you’re here!
Jaclyn Miller
Kim Duran
Tracy Schultz
Dana Grothaus
Laurie Willison
Jennifer Rzasa
Elena Roussakis
Laura Bassen
Audrey Tokach, guest designer
CSS Blog

Materials Used: 
Well Preserved Jars: Small and Cloudy Day Sentiments stamp sets, Green with Envy and Perfect Little Black Dress inks, Say Yellow to All Your Fans, Green with Envy, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (YG01, YG03, YG05, YG17, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y18, B000, B0000), Shapes: Circles and Favor Flags dies, Green with Envy satin ribbon (Clear and Simple Stamps); Hip Hip Hooray 6x6 paper pad (Pebbles); paper doily (Wilton); Bow Easy; foam tape

Rock That Body

Here's my card for this week's Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps musical themed challenge.  I used the Moonlight Whispers Missy image along with this week's sketch from Crazy 4 Challenges for this cheery card.

I colored the image with Copic markers and cut it out, then used foam tape to adhere it to an oval panel. She's colored to coordinate with the bright colors in the papers from the Hip Hooray line that I used for the panels on the cardfront.  I stretched the sketch a bit to accommodate the tall image.

Once the image was in place, I added a trio of star brad accents at the bottom of the image panel.  The "rock this body" sentiment is stamped on a yellow strip and adhered to the card, sticking off the edge a bit more that I would have liked . . .

Materials Used:
Moonlight Whispers Missy stamp set (Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Regal Rose and Daffodil Delight cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Hip Hooray 6x6 paper pad (Pebbles); oval dies (Spellbinders); clear crystals, star brads (Michaels); foam tape

Monday, October 29, 2012

Sending Warm Winter Wishes

We're expecting lots of rain around here over the next few days courtesy of Hurricane Sandy, but I went with a different type of precipitation for my card for this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge to use kraft cardstock. I used this week's Clean and Simple Stamping sketch to create this wintery design.

I stamped snowflake images from the WPlus9 Folk Art Flurries set in white pigment ink on a kraft panel, then added the sentiment in red ink for contrast.  The center of each flake is dotted with a clear crystal for some ice-like sparkle. 

I attached a red and cream striped paper panel to the bottom of a cream card base and topped the patterned panel with a strip of red faux suede ribbon for some texture.  The image panel is layered over the patterned paper, finishing a simple and easy to reproduce winter holiday card.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  WPlus9 Folk Arts Flurries and Winter Wishes stamp sets, Tsukineko Memento Rhubarb Stalk ink, Lily Bee Design Christmas Cheer Tiny Tablet, May Arts red faux suede ribbon, KaiserCraft clear gems

other:  Fresh Snow ink, Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Riding Hood Red and Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin' Up!)

Super Star

Here's my card for today's SCS clean and simple challenge.  The challenge to stamp collage style was really a challenge for me!  I put this one together quickly late last night since I was uncertain how long I'd have power with the big storm arriving in the area.  It was probably good that I didn't give myself much time--if I had, I'd probably have agonized over it for a long time.

The first part of the challenge was finding stamps to use.  I don't have many traditional collage style stamps, so I went in a slightly different direction.  I used a trio of sports themed sets from Papertrey Ink on a kraft card base for a masculine one layer card.

I stamped the largest image, the pennant, first then added the football and "superstar" sentiment.  A trio of blue stars, arranged in a triangle added a few more elements while still keeping the look clean.  I inked the card's edges with some distress ink, then rubbed a white ink pad along the edges to soften the look.  I'm not sure how I feel about this one, but at least I gave it a try.

Materials Used:
All-Star Team, All-Star Team Additions and Have a Ball stamp sets, Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Memento Rhubarb Stalk, Nautical Blue, Rich Cocoa, and Tuxedo Black inks (Tsukineko); Tea Dye distress ink (Ranger)

Sunday, October 28, 2012

For You, Lots of These

Here's a quick card for today's SCS featured stamper challenge.  It's based on this flowery and flourished card seen here.

Instead of flowers and flourishes, I used hearts and stripes in the layout.  For the hearts, I used a pair of red paper hearts die cut with a die from Lil' Inker Designs.  They're layered on top of a piece of cream ribbon stamped with the "for you, lots of these" sentiment.

Th.  Instead of using an embossed panel on the cardfront, I chose a striped patterned paper with a color scheme similar to that seen in the original design.  I adhered the ribbon strip with the hearts to the patterned paper panel.  The paper panel is matted on cream cardstock, then set on a red card base.  Another one to add to the pile that will be sent off to Operation Write Home soon . . .

Materials Used:
Of the Heart stamp and die set (Lil' Inker Designs); Real Red and Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Perfect Little Black Dress ink (Clear and Simple Stamps); Be Loved designer paper (My Mind's Eye); cream grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); foam tape

Lots of Love

Here are my cards for this month’s last two Viva la Verve sketches.  I made two love-themed cards with different color schemes using the sketches.

For this one, I used two coordinating patterned papers from the same paper pad for the strip that runs along the left side of the card. Once I had the two prints in place, the card came together in no time at all. I set the patterned pieces on a red strip, then attached the strip to a gray card base. I die cut a red felt heart using Verve’s Jotted Heart die and set the heart over the heart patterned paper.

For the pair of notch-ended strips, I used two different types of materials. For the top one, I stamped the “I love you” sentiment from the Making a Statement set in gray ink on a white cardstock strip. So that the color of the strip would look more like the background of the patterned papers, I inked the edges of the strip with some distress inks before attaching it to the cardfront. The second strip is a piece of stitched red velvet ribbon. I love the pop of color and texture it adds to the design!

Materials Used:
Making a Statement stamp set, Jotted Heart die (Verve Stamps); Memento Gray Flannel ink (Tsukineko); Tea Dye distress ink (Ranger); Riding Hood Red, Basic Gray, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Loves Me 6x6 paper pad (My Mind’s Eye); Pure Poppy felt (Papertrey Ink); red velvet stitched ribbon (Michaels)

And, here’s my card for this month’s last sketch. I kept it clean and simple and used the same heart die again—it was still out on my table, so it worked!

I used a soft pink and gray color scheme for the design.  The card base and the patterned paper panel are almost a perfect match!  To set the pattern off from the base, I matted it on a gray panel before attaching it to the card.

I die cut a heart from cream felt, then adhered it to the cardfront.  I used some pieces of crystal flourish to accent it, then stamped the "be mine" sentiment from the Love Notes set in gray ink next to the heart.  Simple, but it gets the point across!

Materials Used:
Love Notes stamp set, Jotted Heart die (Verve Stamps); Memento Gray Flannel ink (Tsukineko); Sweet Blush cardstock, felt(Papertrey Ink); Basic Gray cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Style Essentials-Lt. Pink Quatrefoil designer paper (Echo Park); clear crystal flourish (Michaels)

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Frightful and Delightful

There are still a few more days before Halloween, so I thought I’d squeeze in another Halloween card or two before the big day—and, I promise, I’ll share a photo of Chloe the cutie puppy in her Halloween costume on the big day. We (well, really, me) are still deciding between two super cute different costume options. It’s hard to find a good costume for a girl dog who isn’t really feminine or girly!

Anyway, here’s my Halloween themed card for today. It’s based on this week’s sketch from CASE this Sketch. I used a silver die cut spider web to fill in the open space in the orange gingham strip for a seasonal and spooky look. The gingham strip and web are attached to a gray card base. I stamped the “frightful & delightful” sentiment from Papertrey Ink’s Boo to You stamp set directly on the patterned panel, right beneath the web, in black ink. I was worried the stamping might be lost in the pattern, but it seemed to show up okay. For a final spooky touch, I added a spider button with pearl eyes to the sparkly web.

Materials Used:
Boo to You stamp set, Orange Zest patterned paper, Spider Web die (Papertrey Ink); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Basic Gray cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); silver paper (Michaels); spider button (Blumenthal Lansing); self-adhesive pearls (Zva Creative)

You Are So Polished

Here’s my card for this week’s My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club sketch challenge. I went super girlie for this one, using the a la modes Polished to Perfection set with a pastel color palette.

The girl is colored with Copic markers to coordinate with the pastel papers I used for the card. The set’s “you are perfectly polished” sentiment is stamped along the right edge of the image panel.

I flipped the sketch to accommodate the orientation of the image. The image is set at an angle over a piece of plaid patterned paper topped with a solid yellow strip. Each panel is matted with celery cardstock for a cohesive look, then set on the rose cardfront. I found the rose and yellow felt flowers in my “already die cut” collection and layered them to create the embellishment at the bottom of the image panel. I added the clear crystal to the center for a little sparkle, along with a trio of smaller ones at the right edge of the card.

Materials Used:
a la modes Polished to Perfection stamp set (My Favorite Things); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Regal Rose, Barely Banana, and Certainly cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Time for Spring 6x6 paper pad (Fancy Pants); CutUps Button Flower dies, felt (The Cat’s Pajamas); clear crystals (Michaels)

Friday, October 26, 2012

Sweet Spooks Set

Today I’m sharing my last projects for my guest design stint at Market Street Stamps. With Halloween coming up soon I wanted to have a few little treats on hand for some special trick-or-treaters. I used the Sweet Spooks set to whip up a card and a pair of coordinating treats in no time at all.

The card uses the set’s spider web as the focal image. It’s a loose interpretation of this month’s Sketch for You to Try, which is being sponsored this month by Market Street Stamps. I added a pair of button spiders with pearl eyes to the embossed web for dimension. They’re supposed to represent the small square panels at the sides of the large focal image panel (yes, I did say loose interpretation!).

The set’s “Happy Halloween” sentiment is stamped beneath the web image in gray ink—it came out looking kind of greenish against the orange background, but that works okay with the rest of my color scheme! The image is paired with some dotted patterned paper strips and a debossed dotted background panel.


And, here are the treats. I made a spooky s’mores kit in a bag. The bag has two graham cracker squares, a mini sized chocolate bar, and a ghost shaped Peep—just enough for a single serving of gooey goodness. I topped the bag with a die cut label, stamped with the Houndstooth background stamp, then folded in half and decorated with the set’s ghost image and the “spooky” sentiment.

The second treat is a mini treat tube filled with pumpkin shaped candy corn pieces. They’re the perfect size for the tube! After I filled it and put on the top, I attached a simple tag made with a label die cut and the set’s bat image and “trick or treat” sentiment.

Thanks so much to the team at Market Street Stamps for having me as a guest designer this month!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Market Street Stamps Sweet Spooks and Houndstooth Background stamp sets, X-Press white Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Gray Flannel, and Tangelo inks, Copic markers (BV0000,BV000, R11, C00, C-1, C-3, C-5), Doodlebug Design Haunted Manor Collection Kit, Lifestyle Crafts Polka Dot embossing folder, Spellbinders Labels 4 and Labels 4 small dies, KaiserCraft white pearls, Divine Twine orange baker’s twine, SRM mini treat tube, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

Other: Pumpkin Pie and Basic Gray cardstock, white embossing powder (Stampin’ Up!); Simply Chartreuse cardstock (Papertrey Ink); spider buttons (Blumenthal Lansing)

Blogger Challenge: Week 279

This week’s blogger challenge theme is monsters and goblins. I created this silly monster themed card using one of the uglies from the Tagline: Uglies set from Clear and Simple Stamps along with this week’s Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge. I’m the host for this week’s sketch challenge and I’d love it if you’d give the sketch a try, too. You can find all the details here.

I used two coordinating patterned papers for the background panel. The patterns are separated by a red grosgrain ribbon strip with notched edges. I colored one of the uglies with Copic markers and cut it out, then used foam tape to adhere it to a round panel that I layered over the ribbon. The set’s “get ready for a screaming good time” is stamped in red ink beneath the ribbon strip. I added a little half circle piece, dotted with a pair of silver brads, as an accent near the top of the patterned paper panel.

For more projects featuring monsters and goblins, check out the projects linked below. And, feel free to create a new project of your own and link it up for the challenge.

Materials Used:
Tagline: Uglies stamp set, Haute Red Couture and Perfect Little Black Dress inks, Trendsetter Blue, Say Yellow to All Your Fans, Dare to Be a Diva Red, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (BG000, BG01, BG02, BG10, Y15, Y18), Shapes: Circles dies (Clear and Simple Stamps); School Daze 6x6 paper pad (My Mind's Eye); red grosgrain ribbon, silver brads (Michaels); foam tape

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Simple Hello

Here’s my card for the current Paper Smooches Sparks Picture Perfect challenge. I took my inspiration from the photo’s color scheme and simple outline images and used those elements to create this card.

I heat embossed the tree image from the Gently Seasoned set, using white embossing powder against a gray background. I made a few attempts at embossing the bird in yellow, too, but couldn’t get as bright a color as I wanted, so in the end, I embossed the bird on a scrap of yellow cardstock and cut it out, then added it to the tree. It’s hard to see in the photo, but I used a dot of Silver Pearl Liquid Pearls to make a tiny eye on the embossed image.

The rest of the card is very simple. I matted the image to copy the look of the framed picture in the inspiration photo. Instead of using a piece of yellow cardstock, I used a piece of colored paper from a Carta Bella paper pad. The new paper pads include coordinating solids and they’re perfect for layering. Once all the layers were in place, I stamped the “hello” sentiment from the Chit Chat set in gray ink on a white notch ended strip and added that to the card, accenting it with a piece of knotted white ribbon.

I can't wait for the next challenge to start--it will be my first official one as a member of the Paper Smooches Sparks challenge team!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Paper Smooches Gently Seasoned and Chit Chat stamp sets, Tsukineko Memento Gray Flannel ink, Carta Bella Traditions 6x6 paper pad, Ranger Silver Pearl Liquid Pearls, May Arts white ribbon 

Other: Barely Banana, Basic Gray, Basic Black, and Whisper White cardstock, Winter White and Crystal Clear embossing powders (Stampin’ Up!); Vivid Straw ink (Clearsnap)

Papertrey Ink October Blog Hop


This month’s Papertrey Ink Blog Hop challenge is all about non-traditional holiday color schemes. Since I don’t celebrate Christmas and therefore, don’t send out Christmas-specific cards during the holiday season, most of my holiday cards use a non-traditional color scheme and I always love trying out new ones.

For my project today, I went with the blue/green color combination—one of my favorites! I made this super simple snowflake card using 4 different inks and different sized snowflake stamps from the Rustic Snowflakes set. I stamped the images across the panel, mixing up the sizes and colors as I went along. The center of each flake is dotted with an iridescent crystal for a little sparkle.

The panel is edged with a strip of silver paper and a strip of dotted Aqua Mist paper, then adhered to an Aqua Mist card base. I went with Aqua Mist since it’s light enough to write on directly without adding a white or other light cardstock layer—important to consider when making holiday cards!

The “holiday cheer” sentiment from the Holiday Tree set is stamped in Simply Chartreuse ink on a piece of a Simply Chartreuse double-ended banner die strip. I fished out a scrap of Aqua Mist twill from my scrap pile to accent it, but I could easily switch this out for any of the other colors used to fit the supplies I have on hand. I might just keep this design in mind for my holiday cards this year . . .

Materials Used:
Rustic Snowflakes and Holiday Tree stamp sets, New Leaf, Simply Chartreuse, Hawaiian Shores, and Aqua Mist cardstock, Aqua Mist patterned paper, double-ended banner die, Aqua Mist twill (Papertrey Ink); silver paper, iridescent crystals (Michaels)

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Color Throwdown 215-A Monster of a Birthday


It’s time for another Color Throwdown! It’s my turn to host and I found this photo featuring a bunch of monster cupcakes to use for color inspiration. Not only did I use the colors—Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst, and Basic Black—but I ran with the inspiration photo’s monster theme for my projects for the challenge.

Since the photo featured a bunch of monster looking creatures, I made sure to include more than one monster on my card. I turned to images from the Taglines: Uglies set from Clear and Simple Stamps for my card. I stamped three different Uglies on a white panel, positioning them so they’d peek through the trio of die cut circular openings in the right side of the dotted paper panel.

After coloring the images, I attached them to the back of the panel with foam tape. The set’s “have a monster of a birthday” sentiment is stamped on a light purple Favor Flags die cut strip and adhered to the cardfront. It’s anchored with a black button tied with some baker’s twine.

To go with the card, I made a little treat holder using the Little Uglies stamp and die sets. The images in the Little Uglies sets are larger scaled versions of the same creature images as in the Taglines: Uglies set. Here, I paper pieced Theodore/”Spike” to match the challenge colors. He’s attached to a plastic treat container using a cardstock belly band. The container’s the same kind that those little prizes from gumball machines roll out in—too cute!

To play along, just create a paper crafted project using these colors as a starting point and add a direct link to your finished project using the linky tool found at the end of this week's CTD post. As always, if you don’t have exact color matches, something close works just fine. And, if you upload your project to an online gallery, use the keyword CTD215. Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team and our October guestie, Dawn Easton.

** Barbara ** Broni ** Denise **  Joan **
** Kerri ** Lynn ** Tammy ** Wanda **
October Guestie Dawn Easton


Materials Used:
Taglines: Uglies and Little Uglies stamp sets, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, Creamsicle Cardigan, VIP Purple, Green with Envy, Perfect Little Black Dress, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (YG01, YG03, YG05, YR12, YR15, YR16, Y38, BV000, BV000, BV00, BV01, BV02), Little Uglies, Circle Trio and Favor Flags dies, Divine Twine black baker's twine (Clear and Simple Stamps); Haunted Manor 6x6 paper pad and Collection Kit (Doodlebug Design); green dotted decorative tape (Freckled Fawn); black button (Michaels); foam tape

Bewitched

Here’s my card for this week’s Waltzingmouse sketch challenge. I used the sketch and this week’s Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black color combination from the Dynamic Duos challenge for this Halloween card.

I used the silhouette witch from the Hocus Pocus set as my focal image. It’s stamped on an orange panel in Versafine’s black ink for a nice, dark impression—this is my favorite ink for those solid images. I layered the image on a black circle, then used foam tape to adhere it to the center of a die cut doily circle.

I paired an orange striped paper with a solid orange one for the background. The seam between the two different papers is hidden with a strip of glitter tape and a piece of soft black velvet jumbo ric rac The doily is layered over the strips and accented with a pair of silver threaded buttons. I stamped the set’s “bewitched” sentiment at the bottom of the card to finish the card.

Materials Used:
Hocus Pocus stamp set (Waltzingmouse Stamps); Versafine Onyx Black ink (Tsukineko); Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Lush 2—Orange Stripedesigner paper (My Mind’s Eye); circle dies (Spellbinders); antique lace doily die (Lifestyle Crafts); glitter tape (American Crafts); black velvet ric rac, black buttons, silver lame cord (Michaels); foam tape

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

TCP Tuesday 233-Mwahh!

It’s my turn to host the TCP Tuesday challenge and this for week’s color challenge, we’re going with a Halloween inspired color combination—pumpkin, lime, and charcoal. They’re perfect for spooky creations!

I used the Mwah set and this week's Deconstructed Sketch, flipped on its side, for my card. I colored the mummy with Copic markers and cut it out, then layered it on an oval panel with foam tape. Now that I’m looking at it again, I probably should have drawn a sidewalk at the bottom of the panel and sponged in a cloudy sky, too . . .

I used three different patterned papers—one in each of the challenge colors—for the panels on the cardfront. Once the panels were in place, I added the colored image on top. For the pair of round embellishments at the top of the image panel, I used a circle punch to create an orange crescent moon and accented it with a small sparkly chipboard star. The set’s “mwahh” sentiment is stamped at the bottom of the card in black ink.

I hope you’ll play along with this week’s challenge for your chance to win some Cat Cash. For all the details and more inspiration from the Cat Pack, stop by the TCP forum on SCS.

Materials Used:
Mwah stamp set, Neenah white cardstock (The Cat's Pajamas); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Simply Chartreuse cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Pumpkin Pie and Basic Gray cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Haunted Manor designer papers (Doodlebug Design); Dots & Stripes-Metropolitan 6x6 paper pad (Echo Park); oval dies (Spellbinders); circle punch (EK Success); glittered chipboard star (Michaels); foam tape

You've Been Boo'd



Today the Clear and Simple Stamps design team is sharing some Halloween treat ideas. I used the new Rag Doll House: Haunted set to make a little treat package perfect for “boo-ing” a neighbor.

In case you’re unfamiliar with “boo-ing,” it’s a fun holiday tradition where you drop off a goodie package at your neighbor’s door along with a note telling them that they’ve been “boo’d” and that they should do the same to someone else. There are so many stamp sets and dies in the Collection 5 release that are perfect for this—I had a hard time deciding which ones to use! I finally settled on making a little tote bag using one of the party favor die boxes along with one of the Rag Doll house fronts.

I die cut a house shape using the Rag Doll House die, then stamped it with the coordinating spooky house image from the Rag Doll House: Haunted set and colored it with Copic markers in a mostly muted color tone. The colored house is set on the front of a box cut with the Party Favor 3 die. I used the big “boo” sentiment from the set, along with the smaller “you’ve been boo’d” sentiment to decorate a tag for the handle on the box. It’s attached to the handle with a black satin bow.

For inside the box, I packaged up a few small treats. First is a mini pumpkin, made from a big marshmallow covered with orange decorating sugar along with a leaf made from a spearmint leaf candy and a toothpick stem. The pumpkin is packaged in one of CSS’s clear candy bags along with a topper made from the Toppers Combo stamp and die set. I added the “Happy Halloween” sentiment and a ghost from the Rag Doll House: Haunted set to dress it up a bit.

One of the smaller candy bags was a perfect fit for a pair of eyeball-decorated rubber balls. A glowstick finishes off the package.

Be sure to check out the Halloween treats created by the rest of the CSS team. Here’s where to find them:

Lori Tecler-you’re here!
Jaclyn Miller
Kim Duran
Tracy Schultz
Dana Grothaus
Laurie Willison
Jennifer Rzasa
Elena Roussakis
Laura Bassen
Audrey Tokach, guest designer
Amber Kemp-Gerstel
CSS Blog

Materials Used:
Rag Doll House: Haunted and Toppers Combo stamp sets, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, Kraft Like a Rockstar Tan, Orange You Fabulous, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (YR12, YR15, YR16, Y35, Y38, YG01, YG93, YG95, YG97, G40, B0000, E25, E41, E42, E43, E71, W-1, W-3, W-5, W-7), Rag Doll House, Party Favor 3, Favor Flags, Toppers and Tags 1 dies, Perfect Little Black Dress ribbon, Divine Twine orange baker's twine, clear candy bags (Clear and Simple Stamps); copper brads, white button (Michaels); foam tape

Monday, October 22, 2012

Party Like a Rockstar

Today, October 22nd, we are celebrating our Paper Craft Planet leader, Susanna Boyd's, birthday with a week-long Blog Hop celebration that every member on the Planet can participate in!

The Super Novas got together and each made a special birthday gift for Susanna's birthday. In honor of this momentous occasion, we invite everyone to join in the hop and post a birthday greeting on each of their blogs for a chance to win some fun blog candy! Extra points for commenting on the designers’ projects too! I’m sharing a collection of goodies from Michaels with one lucky commenter, including Martha Stewart, Mod Podge, and Michaels private brand products,

Here’s my project for Susanna's birthday. I used this week’s sketch from the new CASE This Sketch blog to create this fun, girlie birthday card. The sentiment is from a new set from Mama Elephant called Good Times—love all the sentiments in this one! I stamped it in bright pink ink on a pale pink panel. I die cut the party hat using a die from Lil’ Inker Designs. The star cut outs are filled in with silver paper for shimmer and the hat’s topped with a big clear crystal for even more sparkle.

We hope you’ll join us for Susanna’s birthday party celebration from October 22nd through October 28th.   Random winners will be announced on Monday, October 29th on each designer’s blog. Here’s where you can join in on the celebration:
Wendy Price
Lori Tecler—you’re here!
Amy Park
Lyn Bernatovich
Pam Hornschu
Deb Felts
Lisa Somerville
Janelle Stollfus
Steph Lee
Wendy Jordan

If you'd like to play along and give Susanna some birthday wishes, just create a card or a little giftie, post it to the PCP gallery with the tag SBOCT22 (exactly as typed). We'll create a slideshow on the Planet Blog post that you can refer back to. We'll also be posting all the random winners on the same blog post on Monday, Oct. 29th!

Materials Used:
Good Times stamp set (Mama Elephant); Memento Rose Bud ink (Tsukineko); Pink Pirouette and Melon Mambo cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Recollections silver paper and clear crystal (Michaels); party hat die (Lil’ Inker Designs); foam tape

Over the Edge

This week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge theme is "over the edge."  I used a pair of Paper Smooches stamp sets to create this simple child-friendly birthday card to meet the challenge.  And, speaking of Paper Smooches, did you see the big news here?  I'm so excited to be a part of the Sparks challenge team starting in November! 

Here's the card.  I designed a clean and simple birthday card featuring two long birthday candles I created from cardstock rectangles.  Each rectangle is stamped with the solid dot stamp from the Primary set in a color matching the cardstock.  Unfortunately, the red doesn't show up as well on the red as I'd have liked . . .  The rectangles are arranged on the left side of a dotted yellow patterned paper panel.  I stamped the "happy birthday" sentiment from the Sentiment Sampler set on a yellow notch-ended strip and layered that over both the candles and the patterned paper panel.  It's anchored with a red button tied with matching baker's twine.

My "over the edge" element is the flames on the candles. I used a circle punch to make two flame-like shapes and adhered them to the tops of the rectangles.  They're covered with Yellow Stickles for a sparkly look.  And, I was actually thinking ahead when I made this card and cut the card base a little smaller on both sides so that the card will still fit in a standard envelope even with the flames extending beyond the card's top edge.  That thinking ahead doesn't happen too often, so I wanted to give myself credit for it!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Paper Smooches Primary and Sentiment Sampler stamp sets, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Lady Bug, and Bahama Blue inks, Jillibean Soup Yellow Salt-Soup Staples 2 Collection Kit, Divine Twine Cherry Red baker's twine, Ranger Yellow Stickles


other:  Brocade Blue, Real Red, and Daffodil Delight cardstock (Stampin' Up!); white cardstock (Xerox)

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 170-Way 2 Go

It’s time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! Karen’s created another fun one for us to try this week.  I kept mine clean and simple with a little bit of bold color.

Here’s my take on the sketch. I used the Rag Doll Super Hero set along with one of the Rag Doll sets from Clear and Simple Stamps for this one. I die cut the Rag Doll Jake: Cool image and colored it with Copic markers, then attached it to a panel stamped with the super hero cape image. I kept the red and blue color scheme going for the rest of the card, using a red grid patterned paper for the long strip behind the image and a dot embossed light blue panel to cover most of the red card base.

Once the image panel was in place, I added a pair of layered Bursts die cuts for the “way 2 go” sentiment from the Comic Bursts set. These dies are just perfect along with the super hero image! To play along, just create a card based on the sketch and link it up on Karen’s blog. For lots of inspiration be sure to check out what the other Sweet Sunday Sketch stampers and our special guest stamper, Mindy Backes, have created for you this week. Here’s where to find them:

Dana White--taking the week off
Dawn Easton
Jackie Pedro 
Karen Motz
Lynn Put 
Melissa Hubert
Sarah-Jane Kalé
Tracy Clemente
Vicki Burdick 
Mindy Backes, guest stamper

Materials Used:
Rag Doll Jake: Cool, Rag Doll Super Hero, and Comic Bursts stamp sets, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, Dare to Be a Diva Red, Trendsetter Blue, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (R12, R14, R17, R27, YR21, YR24, Y32, B21, B23, B24, B26, E000, E00, E11, E31, E33, E35, W00, W-1), Jake: Cool, Bursts, and Favor Flags dies (Clear and Simple Stamps); Hip Hip Hooray! 6x6 paper pad (Pebbles); Polka Dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug); foam tape

Trick or Treat

This week’s Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps challenge is a sketch. I hadn’t inked up any images from my Too Cute to Spook 2 set yet, so I pulled out one for the challenge.

The trick-or-treating costumed girl is colored with Copic markers. I used my clear Stardust glitter pen to add a little sparkle to the wings on the back of her costume. The set’s “trick or treat” sentiment is stamped in the open space next to the image with the help of a stamp positioner. I used a plaid patterned paper for the panel behind the colored image. The plaid paper and image panel are layered on a dot embossed kraft panel and accented with a trio of black twine threaded buttons.

Materials Used:
Too Cute to Spook 2 stamp set (Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Summer Sunrise and Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Matilda 6x6 paper pad (Cosmo Cricket); petite oval dies (Spellbinders); Polka Dot embossing folder (Lifestyle Crafts); black buttons, orange satin ribbon (Michaels); hemp twine (Hemptique); clear Stardust glitter pen (Sakura)

Saturday, October 20, 2012

The Cutest Pumpkin

For this week’s TCP Tuesday challenge, Julie is challenging us to make a seasonal shaped card. I went with a traditional pumpkin shaped card using a card base I cut with my Silhouette and some decorative layers to dress it up.  Because I cut it with my Silhouette, it also works for this week's Cameo Spotlight challenge to create a Halloween themed project.

I cut the pumpkin card a few different times from different papers so that I could mix and match the layers on my design. The base is made from orange cardstock, then layered with a tan piece to get the tan color for the stem. I adhered a chevron patterned piece to the pumpkin, then for a rounded, dimensional look, I added chevron patterned oval using foam tape.

Once the pumpkin was assembled, I attached one of the cut out Jack-o-lantern faces to the center oval, then added a green button, tied with twine to the bottom of the stem. I was thinking it would look like a leaf . . . I wrapped the ends of the twine around my paper piercing tool for a twisty detail. The “you’re the cutest pumpkin in the patch” sentiment from the Hello Pumpkin set is stamped in black ink on an orange notch-ended strip and adhered to the card.

For all the details on this week’s challenge and how you can play along to be eligible to win this week’s Cat Cash prize, stop by the TCP forum on SCS.

Materials Used:
Hello Pumpkin stamp set, Versafine Onyx Black ink (The Cat's Pajamas); pumpkin card cut file (Silhouette); Pumpkin Pie, Creamy Caramel, and Basic Black cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); A Walk in the Park-Flutter designer paper (Echo Park); green button (Michaels); hemp twine (Hemptique); foam tape

Snow Adorable

Here’s my card for this week’s My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club sketch challenge. I went for a wintery design in one of my favorite color combinations—aqua and red—for this one.

I used the little boy from the Pure Innocence Snow Adorable set as my focal image. He’s colored with Copic markers with the exception of the pom pom on his hat. That’s filled in with some white flock for a fluffy look. I used foam tape to attach him to a pair of layered circle panels.

I matched my patterned papers for the panels on the cardfront to the colors for the boy’s clothes. Each panel is matted on red cardstock and layered on an aqua panel. I stamped the set’s “snow adorable” sentiment in black ink on the dotted aqua panel, then edged the panel with a small scalloped strip. A little Fishtail Stax piece, die cut from red cardstock, sits at the bottom of the card. I added a silver snowflake brad to the tab for a little sparkle.

Materials Used:
Snow Adorable stamp set, Die-namics Fishtail Stax die (My Favorite Things); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Real Red cardstock, scallop edge punch (Stampin' Up!); Aqua Mist cardstock, Aqua Mist and Pure Poppy patterned papers (Papertrey Ink); silver snowflake brad (Michaels); white flock (Stampendous); foam tape

Friday, October 19, 2012

Blogger Challenge: Week 278

This week’s blogger challenge is to create an altered project. I came up with this quick, fun seasonal project using new stamps and dies from Clear and Simple Stamps.

I purchased a bottle of foaming hand sanitizer from the store. I peeled off the label, then used some rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad to remove any sticky residue left behind from the label. I die cut the mummy image from a piece of white Duck paper using the Little Critter Dress Up die set. The Duck paper is basically a sheet of Duck tape, instead of the stuff on a roll. It die cut easily. I stamped the matching mummy image from the coordinating Little Critter Dress Up stamp set on the die cut piece in black ink. After the ink dried, I peeled the image off of the backing paper and adhered it to the front of the dispenser, then added a pair of wiggly eyes.

To dress it up, I wrapped a band of dotted decorative tape around the neck of the dispenser. I also made a coordinating tag using the smaller mummy image and "boo!" sentiment from the stamp set and a gray die cut tag.

 For more altered project ideas, check out the projects linked below. And, feel free to create a new project of your own and link it up for the challenge.

Materials Used: 
Little Critter Dress Up stamp set, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, You’re Such a Gray-cious Host, Perfect Little Black Dress, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic marker (B0000), Little Critter Dress Up and Tags 1 dies, A Blanc Check satin ribbon (Clear and Simple Stamps); white adhesive paper (Duck); decorative tape (Freckled Fawn); wiggly eyes (Michaels); foam tape

We've Got Chemistry

This week’s Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps challenge is to create a spooky card. I used the Moonlight Whispers Potion Master set for this somewhat spooky design.

The Potion Master is colored up with Copic markers in seasonal colors. I used my clear Stardust glitter pen to add a little metallic sparkle to the lenses of her goggles, but other than that, kept things simple.

The image is matted on a black panel, then set on a patterned paper panel along with a strip of spider web border backed by an olive green mat to set it off from the cardfront. I stamped the “we’ve got chemistry” sentiment in orange ink on a white circle and added it to the card, accented with a piece of knotted orange twill.  I'm not sure I hit the spooky mark with this one, but I do like how it turned out!

Materials Used:
Moonlight Whispers Potion Master stamp set (Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black and Tangelo inks (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, and Basic Black cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Orange Zest twill (Papertrey Ink); Witch Hazel 8x8 paper pad (October Afternoon); circle punches (EK Success); spider web border punch (Martha Stewart); clear Stardust glitter pen (Sakura)

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Hey Dude

Here’s my card for this week’s Paper Smooches Sparks Cool Shades color challenge. I combined the challenge with this week’s Mojo Monday sketch for this seasonal card.

I used the Frankenstein image from the Halloweenies stamp set as my focal image. He’s colored with Copic markers, cut out, and adhered to the card with dimensional dots.

A strip of multicolored striped paper that includes all the challenge colors (yes, there’s even a reddish shade if you look closely!) sits behind the image. The stripes are broken up a bit with a piece of orange corduroy ribbon. A green dotted panel that matches the color I used for the card base sits at the top of the striped panel. Using words from the Boob Tubes and Word Salad sets, I stamped the “hey dude” sentiment in green ink on the edge of a fancy edged label die cut piece. I the panel's bottom edge under the top of the striped patterned paper strip to finish off the card.

Materials Used:
from {heart} papers: Paper Smooches Halloweenies, Boob Tubes, and Word Salad stamp sets, X-Press white Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black and Pear Tart inks, Copic markers (YG01, YG3, YG05, YR12, YR16, Y38, BV0000, BV000, BV01, BV02, BV04, B0000, C-1, C-3, C-5), Doodlebug Design Haunted Manor 6x6 paper pad and Collection Kit, Spellbinders Labels 18 die, May Arts orange corduroy ribbon, Divine Twine orange baker’s twine, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

other: Basic Gray cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Jelly Bean Green and Sweet Mango cardstock (Gina K Designs); green button (Michaels)

Pretty Polka Dot Pumpkin

It’s almost time for Halloween and that means it’s time to think about Halloween decorations, right? I got this big craft pumpkin from Michaels and spent a little time dressing it up to display on my dining room table. It will sit right underneath the big hole in the ceiling caused by a leaky bathroom pipe—I’m hoping its sparkle and shine might be enough to distract people from looking up at the mess above it. . .

I started out by painting the pumpkin with a combination of several pearlized and metallic paints from Martha Stewart's line of craft paints. The dominant shade ended up being a pretty metallic copper.

Once the paint dried, I adhered some big double sided glue dots randomly around the pumpkin. If you don’t have big glue dots, you can use adhesive sheets, like ScorTape or sheets of redline tape, and punch or die cut circle shapes from the adhesive sheet to get the same effect--that's what I ended up doing here. I peeled off the protective coverings, then sprinkled a darker brown glitter over the glue dots, burnishing the glitter into the adhesive dots as best I could to minimize extraneous glitter from falling off the dots. I used a dry paintbrush to wipe away any glitter left on the pumpkin's surface, too.  While she has a sparkling personality, I don’t want my Chloe the cutie puppy to actually sparkle from any stray glitter she picks up! To finish it off, I tied a big bow made from a matching glittered ribbon around the pumpkin’s stem.  So pretty!

Materials Used: 
Large craft pumpkin, brown glittered ribbon, Martha Stewart Mother of Pearl and Duckling pearl craft paints, Auburn Copper metallic craft paint, and Brownstone glitter  (Michaels)

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Color Throwdown 214-Happy Fall


It’s time for another Color Throwdown! Joan is our hostess this week and she’s brought us this pretty combination to try—Summer Sun, Brilliant Blue, White, and Old Olive. I combined the colors with some new stamps and dies from Clear and Simple Stamps.

I made a simple fall scene, built on a piece of golden yellow cardstock with a sunburst pattern, courtesy of the sunburst pattern on the Imprints 3 plate from CSS. The panel was sprayed with some shimmer spray for a sparkly look—it doesn’t show well in the picture, but it looks great in person. I die cut a pair of green strips with a grass die and layered them at the bottom of the panel, using foam tape to add dimension.

The scarecrow from the Fall Frenzy set was stamped on white cardstock, colored with Copic markers, and cut out, then set on the scene with more foam tape. I die cut a pair of clouds from white felt and layered them on the left side of the card. The set’s “happy fall” sentiment is stamped in green ink on a kraft Favor Flag die cut and adhered to the right side of the card, anchored by a twine-tied button.

To play along, just create a paper crafted project using these colors as a starting point and add a direct link to your finished project using the linky tool found at the end of this week's CTD post. As always, if you don’t have exact color matches, something close works just fine. And, if you upload your project to an online gallery, use the keyword CTD214. Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team and our October guestie, Dawn Easton.

** Barbara ** Broni ** Denise **  Joan **
** Kerri ** Lynn ** Tammy ** Wanda **
October Guestie Dawn Easton



Materials Used:
Fall Frenzy stamp set, Kraft Like a Rockstar Green and Perfect Little Black Dress inks, Golden Tiara, Kraft Like a Rockstar Green, Kraft Like a Rockstar, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (YG93, YG95, YG97, B21, B23, B24, B26, Y35, E34, E31), Sunburst Imprints 3 plate, Grass, Clouds Combo, and Favor Flags dies, white felt, Kraft Like a Rockstar Green button (Clear and Simple Stamps); Frost shimmer spray (Tsukineko); hemp twine (Hemptique); foam tape
 
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