Thanks a Latte

i {heart} papers has just added Fresh Squeezed Stamps to the lineup at the store! Here’s a quick card for this week’s sketch from Freshly Made Sketches made with one of the new sets you can find at IHP.

I just love the to go cup image in the Hot, Hot, Hot set, so I used it here, set at the side of a die cut tag using dimensional dots. The cup is colored with Spectrum Noir markers, also new at IHP.

The tag and cup are layered on a piece of blue patterned paper.  I think it works for the masculine feel I was going for. I stamped the set's "thanks a latte" sentiment in teal ink on a kraft strip and adhered that underneath the to go cup. The tag is topped with a piece of knotted cream twill to give the card just a little bit of texture.

Materials Used: 
from i {heart} papers: Fresh Squeezed Stamps Hot, Hot, Hot stamp set, X-Press white Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Teal Zeal, and Summer Sky inks, Spectrum Noir markers (TN3, TN4, TN5, BT1, BT2), Carta Bella Traditions 6x6 paper pad, May Arts cream twill, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

other:  Neenah Desert Storm cardstock

Be Mine

As promised yesterday, here’s another Avery Elle design. This one’s inspired by the photo shared for this month’s AEI {heart} U guest designer challenge. I used the color scheme and patterns in the photo—muted gray with some stripes and a pop of red—as the inspiration for my design.

I started out with a gray card base with half of a paper doily at the top. I layered a striped fishtail banner strip over the left side of the doily, then added a pair of layered hearts stamped with one of the images from the Lots of Love set. I accented the hearts with a black button tied with some baker’s twine. To bring in a little more red, I ran a strip of red dotted tape along the edge of the banner strip, opposite the heart. The set’s “be mine” sentiment is stamped next to the banner strip in black ink. Lots of elements, but still a pretty clean, classic design.

Materials Used:
Lots of Love stamp set (Avery Elle); Memento Tuxedo Black and Love Letter ink (Tsukineko); I Steel Got It cardstock (Clear and Simple Stamps); The Good Life 6x6 paper pad (Fancy Pants); Fishtail Flags Layers Stax die (My Favorite Things); black button (Michaels); black baker’s twine (Divine Twine); paper doily; red dotted tape; foam tape

Color Throwdown 227-Don't Go Breakin' My Heart

It’s time for another Color Throwdown! Lynn is our hostess this week and she’s found this pretty color combination to work with—Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Old Olive, and Crumb Cake. I used the colors and this week’s sketch from Retro Sketches to create a sweet love themed design.

I used the bear from the Bear Hugs stamp set from The Cat’s Pajamas as my focal image. The bear is colored with Copic markers and cut out, then layered on a panel with rounded edges using foam tape for dimension. Now that I look at the card again, I wish I’d paper pieced the heart in the bear’s hand to add a little pattern to the image . . .

The strips behind the image panel are three different patterned washi tapes. I found ones with colors close to the challenge colors and with a variety of patterns to add interest. The “don’t go breakin’ my heart” sentiment is stamped next to the image panel in a rosy ink. I added a baker’s twine tied green button at the bottom of the card as an accent.

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 CTD227. Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team and our December/January guestie, Miriam.

** Barbara ** Broni ** Denise ** Joan **

** Kerri ** Lynn ** Tammy ** Wanda **

** December/January Guestie Miriam Napier ** 

Materials Used:
Bear Hugs stamp set, Neenah white cardstock, Divine Twine pink baker's twine (The Cat's Pajamas); Memento Tuxedo Black and Rose Bud inks (Tsukineko); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink cardstock (Stampin' Up!); olive green button (American Crafts); arrow washi tape (Freckled Fawn); pink striped washi tape (Queen & Co.); pink dotted tape; corner rounder; foam tape

Way to Go Mojo

Here’s a fun, encouraging card using this week’s Mojo Monday sketch and Avery Elle’s Framed Fonts set. I was glad that I managed to use up some older papers in the process, too. Gotta clear some of them out to make room for new stuff!

The set’s congratulations block image is front and center here. I stamped it in a rusty colored ink on a cream panel that’s layered on a coordinating mat, then on some arrow patterned paper, picking up the arrow image that’s in the text block. I layered the panels on top of some dotted paper that’s matted on the same coordinating cardstock as the other panels to tie it all together.

The panel is set on a golden yellow card base with a strip of rusty velvet ribbon across it. Once the panel was in place, I used foam tape to add a star punched from yellow cardstock just to the right of the text panel.

I’ll have another Avery Elle design to share tomorrow morning . . .

Materials Used:
Framed Fonts stamp set (Avery Elle); Memento Potter’s Clay ink (Tsukineko); So Saffron and Very Vanilla cardstock, large star punch (Stampin’ Up!); Canyon Clay cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Away We Go 6x6 paper pad (My Mind’s Eye); pennant trim die (Verve Stamps); Zig Zag Stitch border punch (EK Success); amber velvet ribbon (American Crafts); foam tape

Punny Love Notes

Today’s Clear and Simple Stamps group project theme is “love notes.” From my time teaching kindergarten, I have fond memories (or maybe not so fond, given that Valentine’s Day around here almost always closely coincides with the 100th day of school, which is another big kindergarten party event--two parties in one week is way too many!) of those little Valentines with punny messages that my students would painstakingly address and deliver to their classmates. The kids were always so excited to distribute their cards and just as excited to open the ones they received from their friends. I used some of CSS’s new releases along with some old favorites for my own take on these cards.

I cut the Mini Tri-fold 2 pieces from pink cardstock, then added a little stamping using images from the Airmail set. The little dashed lines image is super easy to line up and stamp in two colors like I did here. After assembling the tri-folds with Simple Adhesive, I set them aside and got to work on the inserts.

The inserts are made with the rounded rectangle that comes with the Mini Tri-fold 2 die and images from the Taglines: Critters stamp sets. I stamped and colored a few of the critters, then cut them out and used foam tape to attach one at the top of each insert. I stamped the coordinating punny sentiment next to the critter in red ink, then added the “to” and “from” from the Trendy Tags set so they’re ready to be signed.

Valentines are even sweeter if there’s candy inside, too, so I set out to find some that would fit inside the tri-fold. The individual wrapped Ghirardelli squares are a perfect fit, so I tucked one of those inside each trifold along with the insert. To keep the tri-fold closed securely, I added a red die cut heart with a piece of foam tape. The tri-fold’s top tab tucks nicely underneath the heart.

For more love note inspiration, don’t miss what the rest of the participating designers have created. Here’s where to find them:

Kim Duran
Elena Roussakis
Laurie Willison
Lori Tecler-you’re here!
Audrey Tokach
Tracy Schultz
Laura Bassen
Jennifer Rzasa
CSS Blog

Materials Used:
Airmail, Trendy Tags, and Taglines: Critters stamp sets, Haute Red Couture, Simply Blue-tiful, You're Such a Gray-cious Host, and Perfect Little Black Dress inks, I'm a Princess Pink, Dare to Be a Diva Red, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (Y11, Y13, Y18, R81, B0000, C-1, C-3, C-5), Mini Tri-fold 2 and Shapes: Hearts dies, Simple Adhesive (Clear and Simple Stamps); foam tape

Simple Thank You

Here’s my card for January’s last Viva la Verve sketch. This week’s sketch was a clean and simple one layer design with lots of possibilities.

My card ended up being more than one layer, but I kept it pretty clean and simple with a monochromatic color scheme and minimal embellishments. For the focal image, I used part of the round frame image from Verve’s Thankful Accents set. I covered half of the image with a sticky note when inking the stamp to get just the parts I wanted inky. Once it was stamped, I fit the set’s “thank you” sentiment inside the half-circle opening. I wrapped a piece of green ribbon around the top of the panel and secured it with a bow, then adhered the stamped panel to an avocado green card base. Easy to reproduce and easy to mail, too!

Materials Used:
Thankful Accents (Verve Stamps); Jelly Bean Green ink (My Favorite Things); Spring Moss and Ripe Avocado cardstock, Ripe Avocado satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink)

Paper Smooches SPARKS-January Picture Perfect Challenge

This week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a Picture Perfect challenge.  I needed a sympathy card, so I used some of the photo's design elements along with the current sketch from CAS(e) this Sketch for my clean and simple design.

I used a similar color scheme for my card, picking a graphic pattern in a sort of gray (okay, probably closer to beige!) print for the panel along the right side of the card.  I stamped the "deepest sympathy" sentiment from the Good Gab set in gray ink on an orange strip that I layered over the patterned panel, close to the bottom of the cardfront.

For the image, I used one of the butterflies from the Flap Happy set.  It's colored with Copic markers and cut out, then adhered to the cardfront with a dimensional dot.  In a nod to the look of the silver studs along the headboard in the photo, I added a white pearl flourish at the bottom of the butterfly as a flight trail.

Be sure to stop by the challenge blog for all the details on the challenge and for more inspiration, too!
 
Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Paper Smooches Flap Happy and Good Gab stamp sets, X-Press white Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Gray Flannel ink, Copic markers (YR12, YR15, YR16, Y35), Studio Calico Classic Calico 6x6 paper pad, Zva Creative white pearl flourish, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:
Sweet Mango cardstock (Gina K Designs)

Chalkboard Love

Claire posed a challenge on her blog to try the chalkboard technique with some of her Waltzingmouse Stamps.  I had the My Heart set out for another project last week, so while I had the set out, I put together a chalkboard style panel featuring a few images from the set with the the plan to assemble a card over the weekend.

Here's what I came up with.  Instead of using black cardstock as my base, I used a dark gray, which is more like the chalkboards I had in my classrooms when I taught kindergarten.  I used a pair of the woodgrain heart images along with the "love you" sentiment on the panel. 

Once the images were embossed and offset stamped with a white pigment ink, I added lines around the panel's edge with a white gel pen (which was a little sticky due to the current long stretch of cold weather, so some of my lines are a little wonky . . .) and brushed on a little pigment ink "chalk dust."  The dusty patches are a little less obvious IRL.  I guess my lighting/photo editing really brought them out in the photo.

I edged the top and bottom of the panel with pieces of a white paper doily.  It's set on a red panel with a text patterned strip topped with red dotted washi tape layered across the middle.  I machine stitched around the panel's edges before adhering it to a gray card base.  The little red satin bow was a last minute addition.  I felt like the card needed a little something more and I played around with a few options before settling on the bow.

Materials Used:
My Heart stamp set (Waltzingmouse Stamps); Fresh Snow ink (Papertrey Ink); Real Red cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Steel Grey cardstock (My Favorite Things); Uncommon 6x6 paper pad (Authentique); white embossing powder (Michaels); white pen (Ranger); decorative tape (Freckled Fawn); paper doily; Bow Easy; red satin ribbon; sewing machine

You're Grrr-eat!

It's been a while since I played along with SCS's featured stamper challenge, so I put this sweet Valentine's Day card together this afternoon while watching a hockey game on TV (can the Caps win one already??).  It's based on this cheery card featuring a lion seen here.

I kept the layout the same and used a lion image as well in my version.  My lion comes from the WPlus9 Bitty Buddy Valentines stamp set.  I stamped the image in orange ink on a matching die cut piece, then used a dimensional dot to adhere it to a white panel with a little patterned paper free-hand cut stand.  The set's "you're grrr-eat!" sentiment is stamped at the bottom of the panel in the same orange ink.

I matted the image on coordinating cardstock panels, then adhered it to a yellow honeycomb patterned paper panel.  Instead of making a banner for the upper left corner of the card from cardstock pieces, I used a combination of decorative tape and stamped banners made with the WPlus9 Banner Love set.  It's hard to see since my banner covers most of it, but the banner is strung together with some twine from Hemptique.  This twine might just have been one of my favorite finds at winter CHA.  Kate has it in stock at i {heart} papers in several colors (see them here)and I'm pretty sure I'll be adding some of them to my collection soon!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  WPlus9 Bitty Buddy Valentines and Banner Love stamp sets and Bitty Buddy Valentine dies, Tsukineko Memento Tangelo ink, My Mind's Eye The Sweetest Thing-Honey 6x6 paper pad, Hemptique natural hemp twine cord, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); orange striped decorative tape (Target)

You Warm my Heart

Earlier in the week, I got my first sets of stamps from Fresh Squeezed Stamps. I thought I’d try them out on this card for their monthly Squeeze-a-palooza challenge to create a Valentine's Day themed project. 

I used the new Hot, Hot, Hot set and this week’s sketch from Deconstructed Sketches for my card. I ended up adjusting the layout from a square to a standard A2 size to fit what I had in mind.  The set's to go cup is my focal image. I colored the cup with Copic markers and cut it out, then added a silver heart shaped brad to it for a whimsical touch.  I used  a little foam tape to adhere it to the round panel. 

Instead of using circles, I die cut a bunch of hearts in coordinating shades of pinks and reds to arrange along the left edge of the patterned paper panel. Once I settled on an arrangement for the hearts, I adhered the round panel on top.  The panel is matted with red cardstock, then adhered to a kraft card base.  I stamped the set's "'you warm my heart" sentiment near the bottom of the cardfront in black ink. I probably should have used a brown ink, but I really like the bold look of the Versafine ink for sentiments.  Guess I need to find it in brown . . .

Materials Used:
Hot, Hot, Hot stamp set (Freshly Made Stamps); Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, and Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); With Love 6x6 paper pad, silver heart brad (Recollections-Michaels); Shapes:  Hearts dies (Clear and Simple Stamps); circle dies (Spellbinders); foam tape

Collection 6 Release-Rag Doll Birthday Ensemble

Today is the final reveal of products in January's Collection 6 release from Clear and Simple Stamps. I’m showing off the new Mini Tri-fold 2 die as part of this girly birthday ensemble.  My ensemble includes a card, a box, and a mini trifold, all created in the same color scheme and with similar design elements for a unified look.

Here’s the card, using one of CSS’s Rag Doll sets. I colored Rag Doll Emma with Copic markers, then layered her on to the cardfront over a paper doily anchored with a dot embossed pink cardstock strip and some fun dotted decorative tape. The sentiment is stamped on a white Favor Flag die cut and embellished with a twine tied button.

The little box is made with CSS’s Party Favor 1 die. I used the same pink cardstock along with a bit of paper doily to dress up the box. I personalized it by adding a die cut lower case “e” as a monogram. The mini banner from the Rag Doll Emma: Banner set fit perfectly on the mini label tag die cut that I attached to the handle of the box with a button and some twine.

The mini trifold fits nicely inside the box and is just the right size to hold a gift card! I put a piece of doily on the front and used the same button/twine combo to hold the trifold closed. The inside is dressed up with a piece of decorative tape.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the CSS DT has created with today’s new releases. Here’s where to find them:
Audrey Tokach
Elena Roussakis
Lori Tecler - you're here!
Dana Grothaus
Jennifer Rzasa
CSS Blog

Materials Used:
Rag Doll Emma: Banner stamp set, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, Paint the Town Pink, I'm a Princess Pink, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (R81, R83, R85, RV00, RV17, BV0000, BV01, BV02, E000, E00, E11, E31, E33, E35, YR20,YR21), Rag Doll Emma: Banner, Mini Tri-fold 2, Mini Label Tags, Party Favor 1, Lowercase Alphabet, Favor Flags, and Shapes: Circles dies, Divine Twine purple twine (Clear and Simple Stamps); Polka Dots embossing folder (Lifestyle Crafts); pink buttons, decorative tape (Michaels); paper doily; foam tape

Friendship Warms the Heart

Here’s my card for this week’s My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club sketch challenge. It’s been super cold around here over the past week, so I went for something warm and cozy feeling for my card.

I used the a la modes Hot Cocoa set for my focal image. She's colored up with Copic markers.  I left enough room on the panel to stamp the "friendship warms the heart" sentiment along the right side. 

The colored image is layered on a kraft mat, then set on a piece of patterned paper with a knit-style pattern, keeping with my warm and cozy theme. I ran a strip of red grosgrain ribbon along the right edge of the image panel and wrapped it with some kraft baker's twine, secured with a bow at the top.  I added a single die cut felt heart at the bottom left corner of the panel for a little texture while still keeping the card easy to mail.

Materials Used:
a la modes Hot Cocoa stamp set, Die-namics Hearts A-plenty dies (My Favorite Things); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Real Red cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); Winter Wonderland 6x6 paper pad (Studio Calico); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); kraft felt (Papertrey Ink); kraft baker's twine (Timeless Twine)

Typewriter Love

Here’s my card for this week’s Mojo Monday sketch. I changed the orientation of the panels a bit to fit the images I wanted to use for my love themed card.

The focal image is the vintage typewriter from the new Mama Elephant Type It stamp set. It’s stamped in gray ink on cream cardstock and cut out, then adhered to a cream panel with foam tape. To get the paper to extend out from the typewriter, I used a craft knife to cut a slit in the image, then inserted the paper into the opening. Just like a real typewriter, right?

For the text panel to the right of the typewriter, I repeatedly stamped the set’s “love you” image on a cream panel, staggering the placement of the text and stamping just one image in red for a nice contrast. I added a little notch-ended strip to the top of the panel and accented it with a button. A strip of gray cardstock with a trio of somewhat evenly spaced silver brads runs across the panel’s bottom edge. After layering the two cream panels on a red mat, I adhered them to a red gingham panel, then to a gray card base.

Materials Used:
Type It stamp set (Mama Elephant); Memento Rhubarb Stalk and Gray Flannel inks (Tsukineko); Riding Hood Red, Basic Gray, and Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Picket Fence Tiny Tablet (Lily Bee Design); silver brads, red button (Michaels); black baker’s twine (Divine Twine); foam tape

Go Forth and Eat Cake

This week’s blogger challenge theme is birthdays. I combined the challenge with this week’s sketch from Freshly Made Sketches for this clean and simple birthday card featuring one of those big eared bunnies from The Cat’s Pajamas.

I stamped the bunny from the Forget about the Cake set on white cardstock, colored him with Copic markers, then carefully cut out the colored image. It’s set on a red and kraft dotted patterned paper panel with foam tape.

After matting the dotted strip with a brown panel, I adhered it to a kraft panel with a debossed dot pattern, carrying on the dot theme. The set’s “go forth and eat cake” sentiment is stamped on a red notch-ended strip and attached to the cardfront so it extends out from underneath the cake.

Materials Used:
Forget about the Cake stamp set (The Cat’s Pajamas); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Versafine Onyx Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); Riding Hood Red and Close to Cocoa cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Polka Dot embossing folder (Lifestyle Crafts); foam tape

Woo-hoo!

Here’s my card for the current Lawnscaping challenge to be inspired by winter. I just love Lawn Fawn’s Winter Bunny set and it's perfect for the challenge!

I made a simple scene, using some blue patterned paper with white dots as a snowy background and torn shimmery white cardstock strips as snowbanks. Once the scene was set, I adhered the colored and trimmed bunny image with dimensional dots.

For a sentiment, I used the “woo-hoo!” from the Critters in the Forest set. It’s like the bunny’s letting out a shout of joy as he/she flies across the snow! It’s stamped in black ink next to the stamped image. A pair of coordinating decorative tape strips fills in the empty space at the top right side of the card and adds a bit of bold color to the simple design.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Lawn Fawn Winter Bunny and Critters in the Forest stamp sets, X-Press white Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers (R12, R22, R24, R27, E41, E42, E43, C-3), My Mind’s Eye Quilting Bee 6x6 paper pad, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other: Turquoise Sea cardstock (Gina K Designs); Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); teal decorative tape (Target); red striped tape (Freckled Fawn); sewing machine

Wishing You Sunshine and Rainbows

Here’s a quick and cheery card for this week’s sketch at Retro Sketches. I used some dies from Lil’ Inker Designs to put this scrappy design together.

Instead of using three of the same shapes for the sketch’s trio of images, I used a rainbow and a pair of clouds. I picked bold colors for the rainbow bands so they’d stand out nicely against the light blue card base. Once the rainbow was in place, I adhered a yellow strip across the cardfront, covering the bottom of the rainbow. I used foam tape to attach a pair of white die cut clouds to the card to give the design a little dimension.

The cheerful sentiment is stamped on the yellow strip in black ink. I thought about using red or turquoise ink, but in the end, decided to stick with black.

Materials Used:
Rainbow and Clouds stamp set, cloud and rainbow dies (Lil’ Inker Designs); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Bashful Blue, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); foam tape

Color Throwdown 226-Turtle-ly Awesome

It’s time for another Color Throwdown! Denise is our hostess this week and she’s found this pretty color combination to work with—Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery, and Garden Green. Flowers were the first thing to come to mind when I saw these colors, but I gave it some more thought and came up with a non-traditional colored Valentine using the combination.

I used one of the little creatures from the WPlus9 Bitty Buddy Valentines stamp set along with the current sketch from Deconstructed Sketches for my card. The die cut turtle image is stamped in two shades of Memento green inks (the closest I had to the challenge colors!). If you look closely, you’ll see a heart hidden among the spots on his shell. I used dimensional dots to attach the turtle to a rounded rectangle panel stamped with the coordinating “you’re turtle-ly awesome” sentiment.

I used a piece of purple dotted patterned paper from an older paper collection for the panel behind the turtle image—it’s more plum colored IRL than in the photo. The panel is wrapped with some green baker’s twine that I secured with a matching bow and edged with a celery scalloped strip cut with an Edgeabilities die. I set the pieces, along with a layered fishtail banner strip, on a pale purple panel, then layered the panel on a plum card base.

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 CTD226. Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team and our December/January guestie, Miriam.

** Barbara ** Broni ** Denise ** Joan **

** Kerri ** Lynn ** Tammy ** Wanda **

** December/January Guestie Miriam Napier ** 

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: WPlus9 Bitty Buddy Valentines stamp set, Bitty Buddy Valentine and Rounded Rectangle dies, Tsukineko Memento Cottage Ivy, Pear Tart, and Sweet Plum inks, Echo Park Springtime Collection Kit, Spellbinders Classic Edges One Edgeabilities die, Divine Twine Green Apple baker’s twine, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other: Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery, Garden Green, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Lovely Lavender cardstock (Gina K Designs); Fishtail Flag Stax and Fishtail Flag Stax Layers dies (My Favorite Things)

You Bring Me Sunshine

Here’s my card for the current clean and simple sketch challenge at The Paper Players. I interpreted the sketch’s block panel as a Polaroid style frame on my summery feeling card.

The image is made using several stamps from the Waltzingmouse Stamps My Island set, layered over each other. I started with the sun ray image, stamped in orange ink, then added the large distressed block image over that in yellow ink. The smaller distressed block image is stamped at the bottom ink kraft ink. Once that was in place, I stamped the silhouette palm tree image in the same kraft shade. Since the stamped images didn’t completely fill in the panel, I went back with some coordinating distress inks to blend the colors out to the edges of the panel before setting it on a white frame.

The panel is adhered to a piece of blue patterned paper with a diagonal grid pattern. I used some orange decorative tape at the top of the image to make it look like I’d taped it on to the panel. The “you bring me sunshine” sentiment is stamped just underneath the image in black ink.

Materials Used:
My Island stamp set (Waltzingmouse Stamps); Memento Tangelo, Dandelion, and Toffee Crunch inks, Versafine Onyx Black ink (Tsukineko); Mustard Seed and Tea Dye distress inks (Ranger); Turquoise Sea cardstock (Gina K Designs); Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Playground designer paper (Echo Park); orange decorative tape (Target)

Fun with Favors

For today's Clear and Simple Stamps group project, the CSS design team is showing off party favor ensembles.  I made a pair of favors for an all-star themed birthday party. I mixed and matched a few different CSS stamp sets and dies to create a box filled with chocolates and a lollipop wrap, too.

The chocolate box is made from the new Party Favor 7 die. The box fits 8 Hershey’s Nuggets mini chocolate bars. I made the box from Trendsetter Blue cardstock, then added a panel stamped with one of the images from the Stars Plus set to go with the all-star theme. I wrapped some red baker’s twine around the box and tied on a tag cut with the Tags 1 set that I stamped with the matching outline image and a combination of sentiments from two of the Rag Doll stamp sets. Each nugget is wrapped with a white shipping label stamped with one of the labels from the Wrap-a-Round stamp set.

The lollipop wrap is made from two Trendsetter Blue tags cut with the large Tags 1 die. I scored each tag at the bottom and adhered the scored parts together to make the base for the wrapper. After placing a lollipop inside, stick end up, I used baker’s twine to secure the lollipop and tags. To bring in the star theme, I die cut a True Blue Fan circle and added it to the front of the lollipop wrap along with a die cut Dare to Be a Diva Red star.

For more fun with favors, don’t miss what the rest of the CSS team has created for today’s group project. Here’s where to find them:
 
Audrey Tokach
Laurie Willison
Dana Grothaus
Lori Tecler-you're here!
CSS Blog

Materials Used:
Stars Plus, Wrap-a-Round, Trendy Tags, Rag Doll Willa: Thank, and Rag Doll Chloe: Banner stamp sets, Haute Red Couture and True Blue Fan inks, Trendsetter Blue, True Blue Fan, Dare to Be a Diva Red, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Party Favor 7, Tags 1, Shapes: Stars, and Shapes: Circles dies, Divine Twine red baker's twine, Simple Adhesive (Clear and Simple Stamps); Avery labelsl foam tape

Love You

Here's my card for this week's sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping.  I really like the sketch, but I'm not so thrilled with how my version came out.

I used one of the hearts from the Waltzingmouse Stamps My Heart set as my focal image.  I'd originally planned to use the set's heart and arrow image, but when I tried it out, it ended up being too big, so I changed things up.  The woodgrain patterned image is stamped in gray ink and layered on a gray mat.

I set the heart over a cream panel with a plaid patterned paper block along the bottom.  A strip of red decorative tape runs across the top of the patterned piece.  I think I'd be happier with the card if I'd used a gray or silvery tape instead for more contrast.  Once the tape was in place, I adhered the heart using foam tape.  I stamped the set's "love you" sentiment on a red notch-ended panel, slipping one edge underneath the raised heart image.

Materials Used: 
My Heart stamp set (Waltzingmouse Stamps); Memento London Fog ink (Tsukineko); Riding Hood Red and Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Steel Grey cardstock (My Favorite Things); Love Me 6x6 paper pad (My Mind's Eye); red decorative tape (Target); foam tape

Paper Smooches SPARKS January Cool Shades Challenge

Here’s my card for this week’s Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge. This week’s challenge is a Cool Shades challenge featuring navy, fuchsia, teal, and grey. So pretty!

I made a wintery card using the colors and the Chilly Chums stamp set. I colored the set’s seal image with Copic markers. When I stamped the image, I did a little masking with a sticky note to add the scarf included in the set to the image. I love the pop of the bold pink shade against the gray!

After cutting out the image, I added it to a background made from a blue panel stamped with snowflakes and a strip of chevron patterned striped paper. The seal is sitting on a little piece of ice made from some torn shimmery white cardstock.

I stamped the set's "I think you are so cool" stamp set on a pink notch-ended strip, then wrapped the strip with some blue baker's twine, securing it with a bow.  I added the strip to the card, overlapping the top of the image panel.

Here are the other team members posting today. Be sure to check out what they've created for the challenge:

Ashley Marcu
Jessica Davis
Nina Yang
Savannah O'Gwynn

And, stop by the challenge blog for all the challenge details.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Paper Smooches Chilly Chums stamp set, X-Press white Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers (RV13, RV14, RV17, C-1, C-3, C-5), My Mind's Eye The Sweetest Thing-Lavender 6x6 paper pad, Divine Twine Blueberry baker's twine, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Baja Breeze, Melon Mambo, Pacific Point, and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Encore silver ink (Tsukineko)

Sentimental Viva la Verve

Here are my next two cards for January's Viva la Verve sketches.  I made a pair of clean and simple masculine cards, each using a Verve sentiment as a focal image.

The first one uses a sentiment from the Words of Wisdom stamp set.  I stamped it on a cream panel in Memento's Toffee Crunch ink, a kraft-ish color, to match the color of the card base.  It's layered on a pair of panels that coordinate with the multicolored patterned paper I used for the large block at the center of the card.

For accents, I used circle punches to make a pair of layered circles.  The circles are the same color as the mats underneath the sentiment--in fact, I punched the circles from the mats.  The sentiment hides the holes! 

Now that the card's done I wish I'd done some machine stitching along the top and bottom edges of the patterned paper panel where it meets the mat . . .

Materials Used:
Words of Wisdom stamp set (Verve Stamps); Memento Toffee Crunch ink (Tsukineko); Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Ocean Tides cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); Prairie Hill 6x6 paper collection (Pink Paislee); 7/8" and 1" circle punches (EK Success)



And, this one uses a sentiment from the Treasured Words set.  The set's "thinking of you" sentiment is stamped in a green ink to coordinate with the multicolored patterned paper panel that covers most of the light green cardfront.  I rounded the corners of the panel before setting it on a pair of coordinating mats.

To break up the busy pattern a bit, I used a solid cardstock strip along the right side of the card, instead of finding a coordinating pattern. The sentiment is layered over the panel at an angle.  I wrapped a piece of cream twill around the card and knotted it in front of the sentiment panel.

Materials Used:
Treasured Words stamp set (Verve Stamps); Memento Pistachio ink (Tsukineko); Soft Suede and Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Spring Moss cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); Nest-Comfort & Familiar 6x6 paper pad (Authentique); cream twill (Michaels); corner rounder

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 176-You Rock my World

It’s time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! My take on the sketch is pretty clean and simple with a bold black and red color combo to give it interest.

I love the bold, graphic designs in the new Lovey Dovey Sentiments set from My Favorite Things. I used the heart and banner image here as my focal point on the large circle image. The image is stamped in red ink, cut out, and adhered to the panel with foam tape.

I used two different patterned papers from an American Crafts paper pad for the big panels on the cardfront. I loved the look of the arrow patterned paper with the bold heart image! I went with a less busy red on red dotted paper to cover most of the cardfront and a plain solid cardstock strip for the panel across the front of the card. To dress up the solid cardstock a bit, I wrapped it with some black baker’s twine before adding the image panel on top.

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, Jacquie Southas, have created for you this week. Here’s where to find them:

Dana White
Dawn Easton
Jackie Pedro
Karen Giron
Karen Motz
Lynn Put
Melissa Hubert
Sarah-Jane Kalé
Tracy Clemente
Vicki Burdick
Jacquie Southas, special guest stamper

Materials Used:
Lovey Dovey Sentiments stamp set, Wild Cherry ink, Die-namics Fishtail Flags Stax die (My Favorite Things); Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); XOXO 6x6 paper pad (American Crafts); circle dies (Spellbinders); black baker’s twine (Divine Twine); foam tape

You Make My Heart Spin

Here’s a quick card for this week’s sketch at CAS-e This Sketch. I used some older Valentine’s Day themed papers with the CutUps Pinwheel die from The Cat’s Pajamas to put this one together in no time at all.

I love the bold, bright colors in this Doodlebug Design paper pad, but have such a hard time finding the right mix of papers and colors when using it. Keeping it simple by matching one of the striped papers with a solid card base that almost exactly matches one of the stripe colors worked well here.

I made the pinwheel out of another piece of paper from the same collection. It has some of the same pink shade as on the card base, but a few other colors and a bit of white for contrast. I added a piece of wooden skewer as a handle for the pinwheel. To adhere the skewer to the card, I used a piece of narrow ScorTape. The “you make my heart spin” sentiment from the What a Blast set is stamped underneath the pinwheel in a bold, black ink.

Materials Used:
What a Blast stamp set, CutUps Pinwheel die,  (The Cat’s Pajamas); Pixie Pink cardstock (Stampin’ Up!);Versafine Onyx Black ink (Tsukineko); Sweet Cakes 6x6 paper pad (Doodlebug Design); silver brad (Michaels); wooden skewer

Getting Crafty with CSS Collection 6

Here’s a look at some of the latest additions to Collection 6 releasing this month at Clear and Simple Stamps. Today I’m showing off a new die, Party Favor 7, along with some previously released craft themed stamps in a gift set that’s perfect for a crafting buddy.

The gift set includes a box made using the Party Favor 7 die. It fits one of CSS’s Copic marker trios perfectly! I cut the box from kraft cardstock and assembled it using CSS’s Simple Adhesive. It’s dressed up with some silver glitter tape and a silver cord tied button. I stamped the “you color my world” sentiment from the Craft Room set on the box in black ink, then filled it with three markers--I used the ones in Blue Green Trio 3. The other gift item is a sketch book, made from a small wire-bound notebook I found in my alterable stash (I think it came from Target). I stamped the “create” sentiment from the same set on the cover in black ink, then added a strip of silver glitter tape. I wanted to keep the embellishing simple and not bulky so that the notebook was easy to use.

To go with the gift set, I made a coordinating card using images and sentiments from the Craft Room, Crafty Sentiments, and Craft Room Bonus stamp sets. I used the images to make a bucket filled with a rainbow of Copic markers. The bucket is stamped on a separate piece of cardstock, cut out, and adhered to the card with foam tape. I stamped the “sending you inky hugs” at the bottom of the image panel and divided it from the rest of the card using a strip of glittered tape.

Don’t miss what the rest of the CSS team has created using the new products releasing today. Here’s where to find them:

Elena Roussakis
Audrey Tokach
Kim Duran
Lori Tecler-you’re here!
Laura Bassen
Laurie Willison
Tracy Schultz
Dana Grothaus
CSS Blog

Materials Used:
Craft Room, Crafty Sentiments, and Craft Room Bonus stamp sets, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, Kraft Like a Rockstar, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (E41, E42, E43, C00, C-1, C-3, BG72, Y11, R14, YR15, BV02, R21, YG11, B01), Party Favor 7 die, silver cord, Simple Adhesive (Clear and Simple Stamps); silver glitter tape (American Crafts); black button(Michaels); foam tape

Love You, Ladybug

Here’s my card for this week’s My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club sketch challenge. I inked up one of the super sweet Pure Innocence sets for this one.

I used the Pure Innocence Ladybug for my focal image. I colored the little girl image with Copic markers, adding a little sparkle to her wings with a glitter pen. The cutout image is set on an oval panel using foam tape.

For the background, I wanted to keep the dotted motif from the ladybug costume going, so I used the debossed side of a red dotted panel to cover most of the cardfront. The panel is stitched around the edges for contrast. Please ignore my wonky stitching—the thread on my sewing machine is nearing the end of the spool and it seems to be having some tension issues that made my machine stick a little . . . I adhered a piece of black and white dotted patterned paper, also machine stitched around the edges, over the red panel and added a pair of red ribbon strips at an angle across the panels. The ribbon adds a bit of texture to the design. I added the image panel on top, matted on a black oval. The set’s “love you, ladybug” sentiment is adhered to the left side of the image panel on a little notch-ended strip.

Materials Used:
Pure Innocence Ladybug stamp set (My Favorite Things); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Real Red and Basic Black cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Soup Staples 2-Black Salt designer paper (Jillibean Soup); petite oval dies (Spellbinders); Polka Dot embossing folder (Lifestyle Crafts); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); clear Stardust pen (Sakura); sewing machine; foam tape

Blogger Challenge: Week 300

This week’s blogger challenge is a sketch challenge. I used the sketch to make a Valentine's Day card in a traditional red and pink color scheme.

The new mini label tag die from Clear and Simple Stamps was the perfect shape for the sketch’s small fancy edged panel. I stamped the red die cut tag with the matching outline image from the Party Elements:  Baby set, then stamped the “love you” sentiment from the Wrap-a-Round set inside it. I adhered the tag to a pink and red striped panel that I machine stitched to a coordinating pink mat. The hole at the top of the tag is covered with a piece of knotted pink satin ribbon.

I used a piece of an elegant damask patterned paper for the two different sized panels on the cardfront. The sketch seems to call for two different papers for these two panels, but I just couldn’t find a combination of two that I liked, so I went with two of the same! After matting the panels on pink cardstock and machine stitching around the edges, I adhered them to a red card base, then layered the panel with the tag on top.

I'll be back tomorrow to share more new goodies from Clear and Simple Stamps . . .

Materials Used:
Party Elements:  Baby and Wrap-a-Round stamp sets, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, Dare to Be a Diva Red and I'm a Princess Pink cardstock, Mini Label Tag die, I'm a Princess Pink satin ribbon  (Clear and Simple Stamps); Love Story 6x6 paper pad (Echo Park); Devoted 6x6 paper pad (Carta Bella); sewing machine

Sunny Side Up

Here’s a super cheery card for this week’s Retro Sketches challenge. I went pretty scrappy on this one, using a mix of papers and some dies from Lil’ Inker Designs.  After all the dreary weather I've seen since getting home earlier this week, a sun-themed card was a nice change of pace!

I layered a pair of fluffy white felt clouds on a piece of dotted patterned paper, then added a die cut sun on top, using foam tape for dimension. After edging the patterned paper panel with solid cardstock strips that match the sun, I adhered the panels to the top of an aqua card base. The “sunny side up” sentiment from the Lil' Inker Designs Sun Sentiments stamp set is stamped just underneath the panels in a slightly darker blue ink. So cute and easy to mail to someone in need of some cheering up!

Materials Used:
Sun Sentiments stamp set, cloud and sun dies (Lil’ Inker Designs); Aqua Mist and Harvest Gold cardstock, Aqua Mist patterned paper (Papertrey Ink); Vivid Beach Glass ink (Clearsnap); white felt; foam tape

I Quite Like You

With being in California for the winter Craft and Hobby Association show for a few days, it's been a while since I did any stamping.  I figured I'd start off with a quick little card to get back into things at my craft table.  I put together this one using the colors from the current 10 Minute Craft Dash--pink, celery, and gray.  So pretty!

I used the WPlus9 Quite Like You set for my focal image.  I like the look of the mix of the block and script fonts in this one!  Here, I stamped one of the sentiments in gray ink on a white panel and matted the stamped piece on a gray panel, then adhered it to a pink card base. 

I used two strips of decorative tapes along the right side of the panel, making them different lengths to add interest.  A die cut pink felt heart anchors the tape pieces on the cardfront.  I couldn't resist adding a little white button tied with green baker's twine as an accent.  Done in 7 minutes, 53 seconds!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  WPlus9 Quite Like You stamp set, Tsukineko Memento London Fog ink, Divine Twine Green Apple baker's twine

other:  Pretty in Pink and Basic Gray cardstock (Stampin' Up!); From the Heart die (Lil' Inker Designs); white button, green dotted decorative tape (Michaels); gray striped decorative tape (Freckled Fawn); pink felt

Waltzingmouse January Blog Party

The theme for this month’s Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog Party is love. I put together this frilly, feminine design for the party.

I love the look of WMS’s woodgrain stamps, so I used several on this card. The big woodgrain background image is stamped on the kraft panel in matching kraft ink. I rubbed a little distress ink on the panel, too, for a warm look. I also stamped two of the woodgrain patterned hearts from the My Heart set in red ink on kraft cardstock to use on the card. After adhering a piece of paper doily and a part of a big crystal flourish to the kraft panel, I added the hearts using foam tape. One of the hearts is embellished with a piece of knotted taffeta ribbon.

I stamped the “with love” sentiment from the Sweethearts set at the bottom of the panel, then layered it on a red card base. It’s a little more formal and elegant than my usual style, but I like how it turned out.

Materials Used:
Woodgrain, My Heart, and Sweethearts stamp sets (Waltzingmouse Stamps); Memento Rhubarb Stalk and Rich Cocoa inks (Tsukineko); Tea Dye distress ink (Ranger); Crumb Cake Classic ink, Riding Hood Red ink, white taffeta ribbon (Stampin’ Up!); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); clear crystal flourish (Michaels); white paper doily; foam tape

Color Throwdown 225-Wishing You All the Best

It’s time for another Color Throwdown! Kerri is our hostess this week and she’s found us this fabulously set table for color inspiration.

I used the colors and the Medallions 2 stamp set, one of the new releases from Clear and Simple Stamps, to create this simple, elegant card. For something different, I stamped with my colored inks on kraft cardstock—vibrant colors like these look great on kraft! I used two different stamps from the Medallions 2 set along with a solid circle from the Circles Plus set. I layered the panel on a bright pink mat, then machine stitched around the edges. The center of each medallion is dotted with a white pearl.

The panel is layered on a light pink card base. I added a piece of folded pink satin ribbon at the top, accented by a twine tied button. The “wishing you all the best” sentiment from the All Occasions 1 stamp set is stamped along the top of the panel in pink ink. It fit the space perfectly!

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 CTD225. Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team and our December/January guestie, Miriam.

** Barbara ** Broni ** Denise ** Joan **

** Kerri ** Lynn ** Tammy ** Wanda **

** December/January Guestie Miriam Napier ** 

For more CSS inspiration, be sure to check out the CSS iPhone/iTouch app. A new project is shared daily, complete with step by step instructions. Here’s a sneak peek of my project that you can see on the app today. You can get all the info on downloading the app here.

 Materials Used:
Medallions 2, All Occasions 1, and Circles Plus stamp sets, Paint the Town Pink, Creamsicle Cardigan, and A Blanc Check inks, I'm a Princess Pink, Paint the Town Pink, and Kraft Like a Rockstar cardstock, Paint the Town Pink satin ribbon (Clear and Simple Stamps); pink button (Michaels); hemp twine (Hemptique); white pearls; sewing machine

Warm Wishes

Here’s my card for this week’s My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club sketch challenge. This week’s sketch is a simple one, so I added interest with a busy designer paper background and a little scene as the focal image.

I used the Pure Innocence Warm Wishes set for my focal image. I colored the little girl image with Copic markers, adding some white flock to her coat, hat, and boots for a little texture. The cutout image is set on a snowy backdrop made from a snowflake embossed oval with torn shimmery white snow along the bottom. The panel is layered on a kraft mat, then set on a piece of multicolored hexagon patterned paper. I machine stitched around the edges of the patterned paper, then added the set’s “warm wishes” sentiment on a little tab, accented with a snowflake brad.

Materials Used:
Pure Innocence Warm Wishes stamp set (My Favorite Things); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Soft Sky and Shimmery White cardstock, word window punch (Stampin’ Up!); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); Winter Fun 6x6 paper pad (Carta Bella); oval dies (Spellbinders); white flock (Stampendous); silver snowflake brad (Michaels)

January IHP DT Challenge--Simply Amazing

For this month's i {heart} papers design team challenge, we were challenged to create a project based on this super sweet inspiration photo featuring a yummy looking cupcake.  I resisted using the cupcake shape as inspiration for my project and instead based my project on the colors in the photo. I made a clean and simple card using two WPlus9 stamp sets.

I stamped one of the little single pennant flags from the Banner Love set three times at the upper left corner of a white panel, using a different shade of ink each time, to create a banner. In a nod to the sprinkles on the cupcake in the inspiration photo, I dotted the banner with some round pink crystals. I stamped one of the sentiments from the Quite Like You set at the bottom of the panel in a soft gray ink.

Once I’d finished stamping, I layered the stamped panel on a gray mat. I added a pair of ribbon strips with the ends cut on an angle to the bottom of the panel, just under the sentiment. A pink button, tied with gray baker’s twine, sits over the ribbon. The panel is set on a light gray card base. The different shades of gray along with the white made this one hard to photograph well, but it’s so pretty IRL!

For more projects based on the inspiration photo, don't miss what the rest of the IHP DT created for this month's challenge. Here’s where to find them:

• January's guest designer, Kasia
• Carolyn
• Deb
• Gretchen
• Judy
• Lori--you're here!
• Taylor
• Tracy
• Kate

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: WPlus9 Banner Love and Quite Like You stamp sets, Tsukineko Memento London Fog, Summer Sky, Lilac Posies, and Dandelion inks, May Arts light blue and yellow faux suede ribbon, KaiserCraft pink rhinestones, Divine Twine gray baker’s twine

other: Smokey Shadow and Soft Stone cardstock (Papertrey Ink); pink button (Michaels)