Wedding Wishes for Kate and John

Kate, the owner of i {heart} papers, got married last weekend and the IHP DT and our current guest designers are showering her with cards today in honor of this special event. I used stamps from Lawn Fawn along with the current Deconstructed Sketch to put together this card that’s already making its way to the newlyweds.

Since they had an outdoor wedding, I went with a card that incorporated elements with nature-inspired patterns. I stamped the large woodgrain background image from the Woodgrain Backdrops set in brown pigment ink on the kraft panel , then heat embossed the stamped image.  The embossed panel is inked with some distress inks for a more rustic look. I stamped one of the set’s heart images on the back of the panel, then used a craft knife to cut it out along the outline.  The open space is backed with a cream flecked cardstock to look (somewhat) like the wood inside the tree. I layered the woodgrain panel on a pair of solid cardstock mats, then adhered it to a piece of honeycomb patterned paper.

The “wedding wishes” sentiment from the Sophie’s Sentiments set is stamped on a red cardstock strip using brown ink.  I edged the strip with some cream ruffled trim, then set it over the woodgrain embossed panel along with a strip of heart patterned paper.  I knotted a piece of ivory faux suede ribbon and adhered it to the left edge of the paper strips.  A trio of brown enamel dots finishes off the design.

Here are links to the rest of the IHP DT members who are wishing Kate and John well today:

Amy
Deb
Gretchen
Libby
Linda
Lindsay
Lori--you're here!
Sarah
Stacey
Tracy
Vera
Wida

Congratulations again to Kate and John (and Mr. Barbo and Boo Boo, too) from me and Chloe the cutie puppy!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Lawn Fawn Woodgrain Backdrops and Sophie’s Sentiments stamp sets, Tsukineko Memento Luxe Rich Cocoa ink, Simple Stories 24/Seven 6x6 paper pad, May Arts ivory faux suede ribbon, Doodlebug Design Bon Bon Brown Sprinkles

other:  More Mustard and Chocolate Chip cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Kraft Like a Rockstar Ivory cardstock (Clear and Simple Stamps);  Tea Dye and Vintage Photo distress inks (Ranger); Zing Chestnut embossing powder (American Crafts); Seen and Noted 6x6 paper pad (Pebbles)

CSS Party Hop-Come as You Aren't

The Clear and Simple Stamps team is capping off our Release in Review week with today’s party hop. Each designer will be sharing a party ensemble created with stamps and dies from the Collection 8 release. I used stamps and dies from the Halloween and Basics series to create a few items for a Halloween party.

The inspiration for the color scheme came from this fun multicolor striped paper straw I found at a craft store. I used my CSS color file and the cards I made with the File It: CSS Color set and the Stationery Organizer dies to easily find coordinating CSS colors to match the straw.

Here’s the invitation. I used stamps from the new Party Elements: 31 and Banner Flags 2 sets along with ones from the Apothecary Jars and Apothecary: Holiday set to create it. I stamped the party information stamp on the panel in black ink, then added a die cut banner stamped with the “come as you aren’t” sentiment over the wording using foam tape. I stamped the larger apothecary jar directly on the panel and filled it in with the purple liquid image from the Apothecary: Holiday set. The smaller jar was die cut with the matching Apothecary Jars die and adhered to the panel with foam tape. I set the finished panel on a black mat, then on a contrasting orange panel.

No party’s complete without treats, so I created some spooky refreshments to go along with the theme. I wrapped a (store bought) cupcake in an orange wrapper made with CSS’s Cupcake Wrapper die and stamped with the bat image from the Party Elements: 31 set. I found some green fizzy water at the grocery store to serve as “witch’s brew.” I put it into an upcycled Frappucino bottle and added a tag to the bottle, held in place with a strip of black satin ribbon. The straw that served as my color inspiration is placed inside the drink, too.

And, to wrap up the party, I dressed up a few fun treats for party favors. I filled tall, skinny test tube style shot glasses with chocolate eye ball candies, then added a label to the front of the tube. And, I used the same banner shape as I used on the invitation to dress up a tube of slime. The banner reads, “open if you dare.” Perfect for a Halloween party favor, right?

Be sure to check out what the rest of the CSS team has created for the party hop. Here’s where to find them:
Audrey Tokach
Lori Tecler-you’re here!
Jennifer Rzasa 
Sarah Martina, guest designer
CSS Blog

Materials Used:
Party Elements: 31, Banner Flags 2, Apothecary Jars, Apothecary: Holidays, File It: CSS Color stamp sets, VIP Purple, In the Limelight, and Perfect Little Black Dress inks, Orange You Fabulous, Perfect Little Black Dress, In the Limelight, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Cupcake Wrapper, Shapes: Circles, Banner Flags, Stationery Organizer, and Apothecary Jars dies, Perfect Little Black Dress satin ribbon (Clear and Simple Stamps); foam tape

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 194-Ahoy Matey

It’s time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! I created a whimsical nautical themed design using stamps and dies from The Cat’s Pajamas. My card also fits the current TCP Tuesday paper piecing challenge. You can find all the challenge details here, but hurry, since the challenge ends tomorrow!

Instead of coloring, I paper pieced the whale image from the A Whale of a Time set using a combination of patterned paper and solid cardstock. I set the whale on a light blue panel with a pair of navy blue strips die cut with TCP’s CutUpsWave Border die along the bottom.

The simple scene is adhered to a striped patterned paper panel over a panel of red star patterned paper and a strip of navy blue ribbon. Once it was in place, I added a pair of shimmery white clouds, made by cutting apart a strip of clouds cut with the CutUps Cloud Border die. I stamped the “ahoy matey” sentiment on the larger of the two clouds in navy blue ink.

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

Dana White
Dawn Easton
Jackie Pedro
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Karen Motz
Lisa Henke
Lynn Put
Melissa Hubert
Sarah-Jane Kalé
Tracy Clemente
Vicki Burdick

Materials Used:
A Whale of a Time stamp set, CutUps Wave Border and Cloud Border dies (The Cat’s Pajamas); Memento Nautical Blue and Tuxedo Black inks (Tsukineko); Real Red, Night of Navy, and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Sea Glass cardstock (Avery Elle); Rough and Tumble 6x6 paper pad (Carta Bella); navy blue satin ribbon (Michaels); foam tape

Merry and Bright

I’m playing around with the new Grand Ampersand set from Papertrey Ink again. This time, I used it for a wintery design along with an A2 sized version of this week’s sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.

I used a non-traditional color scheme with two shades of purple for the card. I cut a piece of elegant purple patterned paper into four rectangles, then arranged them on a lavender panel. It would have gone a lot quicker if I’d kept the paper pieces organized in some way when I was cutting them so that I knew how to rearrange them correctly so the pattern lined up . . . Once the panels were in order, I adhered the lavender panel to a darker eggplant purple card base.

I die cut a rectangle from a piece of shimmery white cardstock and stamped one of the ampersand images on the panel in lavender ink. The “merry” and “bright” sentiments were stamped above and below the ampersand in darker purple ink. I layered the stamped panel on a dark purple mat, then adhered the panel to the center of the cardfront. For a little festive sparkle, I added a few silver sequins around the sentiment at the corners of the panel.

Materials Used:
Grand Ampersand stamp set (Papertrey Ink); Memento Grape Jelly and Lulu Lavender inks (Tsukineko); Elegant Eggplant and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Lovely Lavender cardstock (Gina K Designs); Winter Wishes 6x6 paper pad (Echo Park); Stitched Rectangles dies (Lil’ Inker Designs); silver sequins (Michaels)

Too Kind

This week’s Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a Picture Perfect challenge. I was inspired by the photo’s butterfly images and soft color palette. I used those elements and the current sketch from Seize the Sketch as the basis for this design together.

I started off with a softly striped paper panel as a backdrop. After matting the paper on a darker blue panel, I attached it to a light blue card base over a scallop edged gold paper panel. The inspiration photo seemed to have a somewhat shiny gold tint in places, so the gold panel was a nice nod to that. I cut notches in a strip of light blue faux suede ribbon and adhered that over the patterned paper panel, then used dimensional dots to attach a die cut butterfly on top. The butterfly is made from a pair of die cut pieces, one gold and one vellum. I attached the two die cuts at the center to allow the top layer (vellum) to be bent up to give the illusion of moving wings.

The “too kind” sentiment from the Chit Chat set is stamped underneath the ribbon strip in gray ink. I added clusters of white enamel dots above and below the butterfly as an embellishment, echoing the diagonal arrangement of the butterflies in the inspiration photo.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Paper Smooches Chit Chat stamp set and Butterflies 2 dies, Tsukineko Memento Luxe Gray Flannel ink, My Mind’s Eye Chalk Studio 6x6 paper pad, Doodlebug Design Lily White Sprinkles, May Arts light blue faux suede ribbon, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other: Soft Sky and Blue Bayou cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); gold paper (Target); medium scallop die (Papertrey Ink)

Apple of my Eye

Here’s my card for this week’s Mojo Monday sketch. I paired Papertrey Ink’s Apple Prints set with a bit of country-style gingham for this sweet design.

I stamped the apple image on the matching apple die cut using a combination of different inks. I did a little selective inking to get the two-toned apple (apple/seeds) and stem (stem/leaves) images on the die cut. It’s adhered to a round panel using foam tape.

I covered a kraft card base with a moss green panel that I partially embossed with a dotted pattern. After adhering two strips of red gingham ribbon to the panel, I attached a strip of kraft cardstock across it, covering the transition between the embossed and unembossed cardstock for a clean look. The image panel is set on top of the kraft strip so that the gingham ribbon strips extend out from the top and bottom of the image panel. I stamped the “you are the apple of my eye” sentiment at the bottom of the card in brown ink.

Materials Used:
Apple Prints stamp set, Spring Moss and Kraft cardstock, Apple Prints dies(Papertrey Ink); Memento Pear Tart ink, Memento Luxe Love Letter and Rich Cocoa inks (Tsukineko); Real Red and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); circle dies (Spellbinders); Spotted embossing folder (Lifestyle Crafts); red gingham ribbon; foam tape

Craftization with Clear and Simple Stamps

Collection 8 Release in Review week continues today at Clear and Simple Stamps with another look at the products in the Craftization series. Earlier in the month, I shared a few ways to use the Stationery Filer dies (here and here), so I thought I’d share how I’m using the Stationery Organizer dies. I finally finished putting together my rolodex of CSS cardstock colors and today, I’m going to show you how I’ve been using it.

I used the rolodex card dies from the Stationery Organizer die set to cut out a card for each of the different colors of CSS cardstock. Once I’d finished die cutting, I stamped the name of each color on the tab at the top of the cards using the File It: CSS Color stamp set, then arranged the cards in the rolodex base. It’s great having all of the colors in one place to reference quickly when I’m working on a project. I’ve been using the file cards to match cardstock colors to the colors in patterned papers. Here, I used the cards to match the colors in a piece of patterned paper from Echo Park’s Paper and Glue collection.

Once I’d matched the colors, I put together a simple thank you card using this week’s sketch from Retro Sketches and stamps from the Collection 8 Rag Doll series. You can see the patterned paper block at the top of the card. It’s matted on a piece of My Style Blueprint cardstock, then adhered to a Golden Tiara panel. I stamped the “thanks” sentiment from the Rag Doll: Teacher Notes stamp set on a Rouge Ruffles strip and matted it on My Style Blueprint cardstock before adhering it beneath the patterned paper panel. I stamped the pencil from the Rag Doll House: School set and colored it with Copic markers, then cut it out and used foam tape to add it on top of the card. The finished panel is adhered to a kraft card base.

To go with the card, I made a sweet treat. It’s a candy pencil made by filling one of CSS’s clear treat bags with Skittles. I started with yellow ones, then switched to a few pink ones just before the bag was filled. After sealing the bag, I wrapped a band of silver washi tape around the bag just where the candies transition from yellow (pencil) to pink (eraser). Super sweet—and super easy, too!

For more Craftization inspiration, check out the rest of the CSS designers sharing projects today. Here’s where to find them:

Lori Tecler—you’re here!
Stephany Zerbe
CSS Blog

Materials Used:
Rag Doll House: School, Rag Doll: Teacher Notes, and File It: CSS Color stamp sets, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, Rouge Ruffles, My Style Blueprint, Golden Tiara, Kraft Like a Rockstar, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (Y21, Y23, Y26, YR30, E51, R20, R21, R22, N1, N3, N4), Stationery Organizer dies, clear treat bag (Clear and Simple Stamps); Paper and Glue 6x6 paper pad (Echo Park); foam tape

Thankful for You

Here’s my card for this week’s My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club sketch challenge. I switched up the sketch just a bit to make it a tall A2 card, but I think it still works!

Most of the Brick Red card base is covered with a red and kraft gingham patterned paper. It has a rustic feel that’s nice for a fall card. I added a piece of a large kraft circle die cut on the right side of the patterned paper panel, then adhered a Brick Red cardstock strip across the panel. A pair of copper brads dots each end of the strip.

I used the overall-clad girl from the Doodle Garden Happy Harvest set as my focal image. The girl is colored with Copic markers and cut out. I used foam tape to put her in place over the kraft circle and red cardstock strip. The “thankful for you” sentiment is stamped on a scrap of kraft cardstock and adhered to the bottom of the red cardstock strip.

Materials Used:
Doodle Garden Happy Harvest stamp set, Brick Red cardstock (My Favorite Things); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Fresh Goods-Rain Check designer paper (Pebbles); circle die (Spellbinders); copper brads (Michaels) foam tape

Oh Happy Day

Here’s my card for this month’s Avery Elle AEI♥U challenge. I was inspired by the photo’s blue background with bold pops of color and incorporated those elements into my design.

I started off by using several different distress inks to make a background panel on white cardstock. After I was happy with the look, I stamped the bicycle image from the Roll with It set and the “oh happy day” sentiment from the Oh Happy Day set on the panel and heat embossed them with black embossing powder for a bold contrast.

To bring in some more color, I stamped the balloon image twice at the back of the bike. I stamped the balloon image twice on white cardstock and colored the balloons with Spectrum Noir markers. After cutting out the balloons, I used dimensional dots to attach them to the panel. I added a trio of fishtail flag strips to the top right side of the card to balance the design, then adhered the finished panel to a red card base.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Avery Elle Roll with It and Oh Happy Day stamp sets, Crafter’s Companion ultrasmooth white cardstock, Spectrum Noir markers (CT1, CT2, CT4, CR1, CR6, CR8, CR9), Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

Other: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, and Daffodil Delight cardstock, black detail embossing powder (Stampin’ Up!); Versafine Onyx Black ink (Tsukineko); Tumbled Glass, Broken China, and Salty Ocean distress inks (Ranger)

Thinking of You

Here’s my card for the second Waltzingmouse Fanatics Challenge. I combined several of the colors from the inspiration photo/color scheme with the current sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping to create this floral design.

This is the first time I’ve used the modern looking blooms from the Funky Flowers set. I stamped them in Memento Luxe inks at the top of a white panel, using a bold red for the flowers, an earthy green for the leaves, and a rich brown for the flower centers.

The stamped panel is layered on a dark brown mat, then set on a green card base. I ran a narrow dark brown scalloped strip across the top of the cardfront, overlapping the top edge of the stamped panel, then knotted a narrow strip of red grosgrain ribbon around the top of the scalloped strip. I stamped the “thinking of you” sentiment from the Compact Sentiments set in brown ink to fill in the open space at the bottom of the stamped panel.

Materials Used:
Funky Flowers and Compact Sentiments stamp sets (Waltzingmouse Stamps); Memento Luxe Love Letter, Pistachio, and Rich Cocoa inks (Tsukineko); Chocolate Chip and Pear Pizzazz cardstock, scallop edge punch (Stampin’ Up!); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels)

Color Throwdown 261-Happy Bird-day

It’s time for another Color Throwdown! Our hostess this week is Vickie. She’s chosen Pacific Point, So Saffron, Marina Mist, and Lucky Limeade as our challenge colors.

I used the colors and the sketch from this week’s challenge at The Paper Players to make a birthday card featuring the bird from the Paper Smooches Birthday Buddies stamp set. I colored the bird image with Spectrum Noir markers, then cut it out and used dimensional dots to attach it to a round panel. The round panel is adhered over a pair of coordinating patterned papers from the Pebbles Family Ties paper collection—they’re a perfect match for the challenge colors. After matting the patterned papers on a contrasting Pacific Point panel, I attached them to a green card base (I used Kiwi Kiss as a substitute for Lucky Limeade!). I added a little yellow velvet scallop edged trim along the bottom of the patterned paper panel for some texture and a little pop of contrasting color. The “happy bird-day” sentiment is stamped beneath the trim in black ink.

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 CTD261. Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team and our September guestie, Susan Roberts.

 ** Barbara ** Broni ** Joan ** Lynn **

** Melody ** Tammy ** Vickie ** Wanda **
** September guestie Susan Roberts **

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Paper Smooches Birthday Buddies stamp set, Crafter’s Companion ultrasmooth white cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Spectrum Noir markers (GB1, GB2, GB3, GB5, OR1, CG2, CG4, CR1, TB3, TB4, TB5, BT1), Pebbles Family Ties 6x6 paper pad, Cosmo Cricket yellow scalloped velvet trim, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

Other: Pacific Point and Kiwi Kiss cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); circle die (Spellbinders); Stitched Circle die (Lil’ Inker Designs)

Let Your Dreams Take Flight

Here’s my card for this week’s sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch. I used a few die cut pieces to put this one together.

I used a dark blue cardstock panel to make a sky-like background. I layered the panel on a contrasting red mat before adhering it to the top of a light blue cardfront. The panel is filled with a pair of clouds die cut from shimmery white cardstock. I topped the clouds with a small red die cut airplane, attached with foam tape for a little dimension. I stamped the "let your dreams take flight" sentiment from the Right on Target set from My Favorite Things in blue ink on a white notch-ended strip and adhered the sentiment to the panel.

Materials Used:
Right on Target stamp set (My Favorite Things); Memento Nautical Blue ink (Tsukineko); Not Quite Navy, Real Red, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); cloud dies (Lil’ Inker Designs); Small Planes dies (Simon Says Stamp); foam tape

(Rag) Dolled up Teacher Gift Set

Collection 8 Release in Review week continues today at Clear and Simple Stamps with another look at the Rag Doll Series. You won’t see any of the signature Rag Dolls in my projects today, but you will see the coordinating Rag Doll sets in action--they work beautifully for lots of projects even without the doll images!

First up is a fun desk sized chalkboard I made from a red picture frame. I cut a piece of chipboard to fit inside the frame, then painted it with black chalkboard paint, following the directions on the paint’s label. Once the paint was dry, I stamped “I {heart} school” from the Rag Doll House: School set on the painted piece using CSS’s A Blanc Check ink. I placed the stamped piece inside the frame to finish the chalkboard.

To go with the chalkboard, I made a stationery gift set. The set includes a bunch of note cards for different occasions packaged inside a box made with CSS’s Stationery Filer die.  I die cut the file from kraft cardstock and assembled it. To dress it up, I stamped a red cardstock strip with the pencil image from the Rag Doll House: School set and attached the stamped strip to the file.

I used the Rag Doll: Teacher Notes and Rag Doll House: School sets plus a few others to make a bunch of different note cards to fill the file. To organize the cards, I used the Stationery Organizer dies to die cut dividers from kraft cardstock. I decorated each divider with the same pencil stamped strip as I used on the file. Each divider has a tab on top stamped with the type of card found in that section. I used words from the Taglines: Critter Pals set for mine, but the ones found in the File It: Stationery set are designed for just that purpose. I tucked the cards inside the file behind the appropriate divider along with envelopes to finish the gift.

For more Rag Doll inspiration, check out the rest of the CSS designers sharing projects today. Here’s where to find them:

Lori Tecler—you’re here!
Audrey Tokach 
CSS Blog 

Materials Used:
Rag Doll: Teacher Notes, Rag Doll House: School, Perfect Harvest, and Taglines: Critter Pals stamp sets, Perfect Little Black Dress and A Blanc Check inks, Dare to Be a Diva Red, Kraft Like a Rockstar, Sterling Silver, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (YR21, YG25, E51, R12, R14, R17, R81, C-3), Shapes: Circles, Favor Flags, Stationery Filer and Stationery Organizer dies, Simple Adhesive (Clear and Simple Stamps); black chalkboard paint (Martha Stewart); red frame (Ikea)

Two Thank Yous

Over the weekend I finished up my cards for the last two Viva la Verve sketches for September. I used a seasonal fall thank you theme for both designs.

Here’s my card for week 3. I used colors and the flower images from the inspiration photo to get me started along with the sketch.

I started out with a woodgrain kraft cardstock piece set on an angle on a golden yellow panel. A strip of olive green cardstock runs across the yellow panel and the kraft cardstock. I die cut a circle from dark brown cardstock and layered a white circle on top. After stamping the “thanks ever so much” sentiment from Verve’s Treasured Words set at the top of the circle, I added a half circle of grid patterned paper at the bottom of the circle. The seam between the two papers is hidden with a narrow strip of dark brown cardstock. The circle is layered on to the yellow panel over the other two cardstock pieces.

To accent the sentiment, I stamped one of the flower images from the Wishful Elegance set on white cardstock and colored it with Copic markers, then cut it out. I attached it to the side of the sentiment panel with foam tape. A folded piece of olive grosgrain ribbon is tucked underneath the flower to look sort of like leaves. I added a pair of layered half circle pieces to the top right side of the card and accented the circle with a pair of copper brads. The finished panel is adhered to a kraft card base.

Materials Used: 
Treasured Words and Wishful Elegance stamp sets (Verve Stamps); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); So Saffron, Old Olive, and Chocolate Chip cardstock, More Mustard designer paper (Stampin’ Up!); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); kraft woodgrain cardstock (Simon Says Stamp); circle dies (Spellbinders); circle punches (EK Success); olive grosgrain ribbon, copper brads (Michaels); foam tape 

Here’s my card for week 4. I found some pretty patterned paper in warm fall colors and used that to put this one together pretty quickly.

I cut the patterned paper into three pretty close to equal strips, then layered each strip on a piece of golden yellow cardstock leaving just a teeny, tiny bit of the yellow cardstock as a border. The strips are arranged on a mustard panel. I wrapped the panel with some similar colored twine, securing it with a bow near the top of the panel.

I die cut a pair of wonky rectangles, one from golden yellow cardstock and one from white. The “thanks ever so much” sentiment is stamped on the white rectangle in brown ink. I layered the stamped panel over the yellow one and used foam tape to adhere the panel over the bottom of the patterned paper strips. The finished panel is attached to a kraft card base.

Materials Used:
Treasured Words stamp set (Verve Stamps); Memento Luxe Rich Cocoa ink (Tsukineko); More Mustard, So Saffron, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); wonky rectangle dies (Spellbinders); twine (Hemptique); foam tape

Learn to Count

We’re kicking off Release in Review week at Clear and Simple Stamps with a look at the sets in the School Days Series. I made a set of flashcards using the Flashcards and Flashcards Fillers sets from the series.

The flashcards are made with the outline image from the Flashcards Fillers set. It’s stamped in red on a white panel. I filled in the top with stamped buttons (found in the Baby Sentiments set) and the bottom with the corresponding numeral from the Alpha Modern set. After trimming each card, I backed them with red panels stamped with the grid patterned image from the Flashcard Fillers set. The extra layer reinforces the cards a bit and makes them sturdier.

To store the cards, I made a matching box using the Party Favor 7 die. The crayon box shaped box is the perfect size for the flashcards. I cut the box from red cardstock and decorated it with a half circle stamped with the same grid image as I used on the back of the cards and the “learn to count” sentiment from the Flashcards set. A strip of number patterned washi tape helps secure the panel to the box.

And, as any good early childhood teacher knows, young children learn best when they have actual objects to use. So, I made a box using the Party Favor 14 die and filled it with red buttons so that the real buttons can be matched to the stamped buttons to practice counting and one to one correspondence. The box is held closed with some baker’s twine, and—of course—a button!

For more projects featuring the School Days Series from the Collection 8 release, check out the CSS blog.

Materials Used: 
Baby Sentiments, Alpha Modern, Flashcards and Flashcard Fillers stamp sets, Dare to Be a Diva Red, A Blanc Check, and Perfect Little Black Dress inks, Dare to Be a Diva Red and A Blanc Check cardstock, Shapes: Circles, Party Favor 7 and Party Favor 14 dies, Dare to Be a Diva Red button, Divine Twine red baker’s twine, Simple Adhesive (Clear and Simple Stamps); number washi tape (Michaels)

You and Me

Here's my card for the current 10 Minute Craft Dash.  I just got the Grand Ampersand set from Papertrey Ink and it's perfect for putting together a quick card.  This one was done in 8 minutes and 18 seconds.

I used one of my go-to layouts on this one.  One of the set's ampersand images is stamped in gray ink, then the "you" and "me" images are stamped on either side of the ampersand in blue ink.  I added a pair of hearts alongside the images and wrapped the panel with gray twine.  The stamped panel is adhered to a blue cardstock mat and layered on a red panel.  The red panel is set on a gray card base.



Materials Used:

Grand Ampersand stamp set (Papertrey Ink); Memento Gray Flannel, Teal Zeal, and Rhubarb Stalk inks (Tsukineko); Cherry Cobbler and Blue Bayou cardstock (Stampin' Up!); gray twine (Divine Twine)

Give Thanks

Here's a quick card for today's SCS featured stamper challenge.  I picked this simple design and made mine a more fall-like version in honor of today being the first official day of fall.

I covered a piece of paper with a bunch of different distress inks, trying for a somewhat color gradient like appearance.  A piece of kraft cardstock die cut with the largest die from Papertrey Ink's Turning a New Leaf die set was attached over the inked paper panel, letting the colors show through the negative space.  Pretty!  I layered the leaf panel on a rust cardstock panel, then set it on a golden yellow panel.  I stamped the "give thanks" sentiment from the Fillable Frames #7 set next to the leaf in brown ink, then adhered the panel to a cream card base.  A few enamel dots scattered around the leaf give the card a little dimension.

Materials Used:
Fillable Frames #7 stamp set, Canyon Clay, Harvest Gold, Kraft, and Cream cardstock, Turning a New Leaf dies (Papertrey Ink); Wild Honey, Barn Door, Dried Marigold, Mustard Seed, Squeezed Lemonade, Scattered Straw, and Tea Dye distress inks (Ranger); Memento Luxe Rich Cocoa ink (Tsukineko); enamel dots (Freckled Fawn)

Wishing You a Spooky Halloween

Here’s my card for the current Lawnscaping monochromatic challenge. It was the perfect opportunity to use Lawn Fawn’s new Critters in Costume stamp set and matching dies.  I have to admit that I dress my own Chloe the cutie puppy in a costume each and every Halloween, so I knew I'd have to have this set for my collection!  I'm still undecided about what Chloe will be this year, but there's still plenty of time to decide.

I die cut the cat in the witch's hat from white cardstock, then stamped the matching image on the die cut and colored it with gray Spectrum Noir markers. I paper pieced the band on the hat with a scrap of silver cardstock. The shimmery silver seemed close enough to the gray and black to fit with the monochromatic color scheme I was working with.

The cat's set on a night sky panel that's also in shades of gray.  The top of the panel is covered with clouds made with a cloud template and sponged gray ink.  To fill in the scene, I added a round moon made from a shimmery white cardstock circle with a debossed dotted pattern and several silver and white sequin "stars."  The bottom of the panel is a piece of gray cardstock with a curved top edge.  I stamped the "wishing you a spooky Halloween" sentiment on the panel next to the cat.  After adhering the scene to a black mat, I set it on a gray cardfront to complete the monochromatic design.

 Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Lawn Fawn Critters in Costume stamp set and Critters in Costume dies, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black and Gray Flannel inks, Crafter's Companion white cardstock, Spectrum Noir markers (IG1, IG2, IG3, IG4, IG5, IG7), Lifestyle Crafts Spotted embossing folder, white and silver sequins, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Basic Gray, Basic Black, and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); silver paper (Target); circle punch (EK Success)

Sending a Bushel of Thanks

Here’s my card for the current Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge. I took my cues from the pretty sunflowers in the photo as well as the colors to create this card using the current Mojo Monday sketch.

I used stamps from WPlus9’s Happy Harvest set along with the matching Happy Harvest dies for the focal image panel. The wheelbarrow and parts of the sunflower image were stamped with Memento Luxe inks—these are quickly becoming my favorites for solid images.  As of now, I have just a few colors in my collection, but I'm definitely going to be adding more soon!  I used dimensional dots to adhere the wheelbarrow to the white panel. Once it was in place, I stamped the “sending a bushel of thanks” sentiment next to it in Pistachio ink.

The image panel is adhered to a kraft panel over a strip of golden yellow patterned paper.  Before adding the image, I knotted a piece of green striped twill around the panel, positioning the knot so it would sit next to the image panel An olive green half circle is tucked underneath the top of the image panel, bringing in just a bit more of the green color that really stands out against the neutral brown in the inspiration photo.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: WPlus9 Happy Harvest stamps and dies, Tsukineko Memento Cantaloupe ink and Memento Luxe Gray Flannel, Pistachio, and Rich Cocoa inks, Carta Bella Traditions 6x6 paper pad, May Arts celery green striped twill, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

other: Old Olive and More Mustard cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); circle punch (EK Success)

You Color My World

Here’s my card for this week’s My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club sketch challenge. This is actually my second try at the sketch—the first one didn’t make the cut for the blog!

I used the largest paint brush from the Die-namics Paint Brushes die set to create the brush for my focal image. I cut the different pieces from different cardstock scraps, then assembled them and adhered the finished brush to a pierced circle die cut.

The pierced circle is layered on a white cardfront covered with strips of solid cardstock and patterned paper. I went with a multicolored patterned paper to represent the sketch’s dotted or peekaboo die cut block. Some baker’s twine is wrapped around the top edge of the patterned paper panel and secured with a bow. It adds a nice texture to the design. I stamped the “you color my world” sentiment from one of the Pure Innocence sets on a strip of Pixie Pink cardstock and adhered it to the cardfront extending out from the edge of the paintbrush’s handle.
A trio of enamel dot "paint drops" around the brush was the perfect finishing touch.

Materials Used:
Pure Innocence You Color My World stamp set, Sour Apple and Steel Grey cardstock, Die-namics Paint Brushes and Pierced Circle dies (My Favorite Things); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Pixie Pink cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Hawaiian Shores and Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Take Note 6x6 paper pad (Doodlebug Design); Caribbean baker’s twine (The Twinery); enamel dots (My Mind’s Eye); foam tape Playing Favorites

Hey Cute Ghoul

This week’s Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a Cool Shades challenge using teal, lime, purple, and gray. I used the colors and the current Deconstructed Sketch for this fun Halloween card in a somewhat non-traditional color scheme.

I die cut the witch from the Halloweenies set with the matching die from the Halloweenies die set and colored her with Spectrum Noir markers. She’s set over a piece of lime green chevron patterned paper with dimensional dots.

I mixed and matched a few paper scraps for the little fishtail flag strips that are clustered together on the left side of the card. I wrapped the panel with some green baker's twine to add a little texture before adhering it to the purple card base.  The “hey cute ghoul” sentiment is stamped at the bottom of the patterned panel in black ink.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Paper Smooches Halloweenies stamp set and Halloweenies dies, Crafter’s Companion ultrasmooth white cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Spectrum Noir markers (BT2, BT3, BT4, BT5, BT6, CG1, CG2, CG3, CG4, LV1, LV2, LV3, BGR3, BGR4, BGR5), Doodlebug Design Halloween Parade 6x6 paper pad, Divine Twine green baker's twine, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots
 
other: Elegant Eggplant cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Hawaiian Shores and Simply Chartreuse cardstock (Papertrey Ink)

Happy Fall

This week’s blogger challenge theme is “welcome fall.” I used my Reverse Confetti Forever Fall set and this week’s sketch from Freshly Made Sketches for this fall design.

I stamped the “happy fall” sentiment in brown ink on an orange panel. I used the new Memento Luxe ink in Rich Cocoa—love, love, love these inks! After matting the panel on a coordinating brown mat and setting it on an orange dotted patterned paper panel, I added a fishtail flag strip cut from burlap over the end of the panel. The burlap’s a great accent piece for a fall design. I found a roll of laminated burlap at the craft store and the laminate really helps the die cut burlap hold its shape and not unravel so much. I stamped the set’s woodgrain heart and acorn images on kraft cardstock and cut them out, then added them to the burlap flag. They’re topped with an orange baker’s twine tied button.

Materials Used: 
from i {heart} papers: Reverse Confetti Forever Fall stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Luxe Rich Cocoa ink, Lily Bee Design Pinwheel 6x6 paper pad, Divine Twine orange baker’s twine

other: Pumpkin Pie and Close to Cocoa cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Die-namics Fishtail Flag Stax die (My Favorite Things); burlap (Michaels); orange button

From Pin to Paper with Clear and Simple Stamps

Today’s Clear and Simple Stamps group project features creations inspired by our Pinterest pins. I used this pin to create a teacher gift ensemble including a treat box and a card.

The treat box is what was inspired by the pin. Instead of using a clear tube as a ruler, I used CSS’s Party Favor 7 box. I die cut the box from yellow cardstock. Before assembling it, I stamped the “teacher” and “you rule” sentiments from the Rag Doll: Teacher Notes set on the box. I used a fine tip pen (and a ruler!) to mark off small lines at 1” intervals along the bottom of the front of the box, then stamped a number above each line using the larger number stamps from the Alpha Modern set. Once that was done, I assembled the box with the help of CSS’s Simple Adhesive and filled it with some chocolates.

To go with the box, I made a simple 3” x 3” square card. I stamped the “teacher” sentiment in red and the “you rule” beneath it in black. I stamped the tiny ruler image from the Rag Doll House: School set on a scrap of yellow cardstock and cut it out, then adhered it to the card and topped it with a red button.

For more Pinterest-inspired projects, check out what the rest of the CSS designers have created. Here’s where to find them:

Audrey Tokach
Jennifer Rzasa
Lori Tecler—you’re here!
Amber Kemp-Gerstel
CSS Blog

Materials Used:
Rag Doll: Teacher Notes, Rag Doll House: School, and Alpha Modern stamp sets, Dare to Be a Diva Red and Perfect Little Black Dress inks, Say Yellow to All Your Fans, Dare to Be a Diva Red, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Party Favor 7 die, Dare to Be a Diva Red button, Simple Adhesive (Clear and Simple Stamps); white twine (Hemptique)

Shine On

Here’s my take on this week’s sketch from Retro Sketches. I used stamps and dies from Lil’ Inker Designs to put this one together.

I started off by die cutting a light blue panel with the Starry Sky die. The die cut panel is backed with some shiny gold paper to fill in the negative space and create shimmering stars. I layered the panel on a piece of blue gray cardstock, then adhered it to a striped paper panel.

I used a pair of flag die cuts for the sentiment. The “shine on” sentiment from the Sun Sentiments set is stamped in gold ink on the stitched flag die. The flag was a little shorter than I needed it to be, so I die cut a second one and pieced the two together for an extended length. The gold stitched star die cut hides the seam nicely! I topped the star with a button tied up with a little baker’s twine.

Materials Used:
Sun Sentiments stamp set, Starry Sky, Stitched Stars, and Stitched Sentiment Flag dies (Lil’ Inker Designs); Delicata Gold ink (Tsukineko); Steel Blue cardstock, Fishtail Flag Stax die, Steel Grey button (My Favorite Things); Sea Glass cardstock (Avery Elle); gold paper (Target); Chap-Dave designer paper (American Crafts); Caribbean baker’s twine (The Twinery); foam tape

Color Throwdown 260-Thanks Chickie

It’s time for another Color Throwdown! Tammy is our hostess this week and she’s challenged us to use Baked Brown Sugar, Orchid Opulence, Pistachio Pudding, and Tangerine Tango on our creations.
 
My card is based on the current sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping. I started with a brown card base (I don’t have any Baked Brown Sugar cardstock, so I substituted Soft Suede) and added a strip of orange striped washi tape and a narrow piece of Orchid Opulence cardstock extending from the left edge of the cardfront.

I stamped a pair of feathers using images from the Waltzingmouse Stamps Funky Feathers stamp set and cut them out, then arranged them over the strips on the cardfront. The purple feather is attached with foam tape for a little dimension. I stamped the set’s “thanks chickie” sentiment beneath the orange tape strip and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. Gold’s super trendy right now and it looks so nice with these colors—so nice, in fact, that I took it a bit farther and added a trio of gold sequins to the card, too.

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 CTD260.

Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team and our September guestie, Susan Roberts.

** Barbara ** Broni ** Joan ** Lynn **

** Melody ** Tammy ** Vickie ** Wanda **

** September guestie Susan Roberts **

Materials Used:
Funky Feathers stamp set (Waltzingmouse Stamps); Memento Lulu Lavender and Pistachio inks, Delicata Gold ink (Tsukineko); Orchid Opulence, Soft Suede, and Whisper White cardstock, gold embossing powder (Stampin’ Up!); orange striped tape (Target); gold sequins (Michaels); foam tape

You Are Too Kind

Here’s my card for this week’s Muse challenge. I used the layout and several of the design elements (floral image, tag panel) as inspiration for my card.

I covered most of the card base with a chevron patterned paper. I picked a paper with a pattern in two tones of the same color in a nod to the crosshatch patterned paper in the original design. The paper was edged with narrow red and dark pink strips before it was attached to the card base to set it off just a bit.

The tag was die cut from kraft cardstock using Avery Elle’s Simply Tags die. I added a flower and some leaves from the Avery Elle Petals and Stems set to the lower right corner of the tag. The flower is attached over the leaves with dimensional dots to add interest. I stamped the “you are too kind” sentiment from the All Squared Up set at the top of the tag in pink ink, then topped the tag with a piece of knotted pink faux suede ribbon.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Avery Elle Petals and Stems and All Squared Up stamp sets and Simply Tags die, Tsukineko Memento Rose Bud, Love Letter, and Pear Tart inks, Echo Park Here and Now 6x6 paper pad, May Arts fuchsia faux suede ribbon, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other: Cherry Cobbler, Melon Mambo, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink)

TCP Tuesday-Handle with Care

Here's my second take on this month's TCP Tuesday paper piecing challenge.  I used the sweet Bear Hugs set for my card.

The bear image was colored with Copic markers.  I paper pieced the heart that the bear is holding in his hands with a piece of plaid patterned paper.  The finished image panel is matted on red cardstock. 

I stamped the set's "handle with care" sentiment on the edge of a rose cardstock panel, then wrapped some twine around the panel underneath the sentiment and secured the twine with a bow.  The panel is matted on the same red cardstock as I used to mat the image panel.  The two stamped panels are layered on a panel with some of the same plaid patterned paper I used for the heart and a white doily topped with a strip of red grosgrain ribbon. Using the same patterned paper on the cardfront and the image helps tie the pieces together nicely.

For all the details on this month's challenge and how you can play along for a chance to be the next Swanky Stamper, check out Alma's blog or the TCP member company forum on SCS.  We've also welcomed some new members to the Cat Pack, so be sure to check them out and give them a warm welcome.

Materials Used:
Bear Hugs stamp set, Neenah white cardstock (The Cat's Pajamas); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Cherry Cobbler and Regal Rose cardstock (Stampin' Up!); XOXO 6x6 paper pad (American Crafts); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); hemp twine (Hemptique); paper doily