This Way to Birthday Fun

Here’s my card for this week’s sketch at Retro Sketches. I went for a fun, graphic look using Avery Elle’s Aim High stamp set and coordinating dies.

I found a multicolored dotted patterned paper that reminded me of confetti for the panel on the right side of the card. I used a circle die to cut a semi-circle out of the left side of the panel, then added a narrow strip of solid bright pink cardstock on the opposite side before adhering it to a light pink panel. I die cut a large curved arrow from the same dark pink cardstock and set it in the open space in the patterned paper panel.

The “this way to birthday fun” sentiment is stamped at the top of the patterned paper panel in pink pigment ink. I added a trio of pink enamel dots as an accent. They give just a bit of dimension to the festive design.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Avery Elle Aim High stamp set and Aim High dies, Tsukineko Memento Luxe Rose Bud ink, Carta Bella Cool Summer 6x6 paper pad, Doodlebug Design Cupcake Pink Sprinkles enamel dots 

Other: Melon Mambo cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Pixie cardstock (Avery Elle)

Kiss Kiss

This week’s blogger challenge theme is embossing. I used two types of embossing on this love themed card.

I used Mama Elephant’s sweet Pandamonium set for my card. The pair of kissing pandas was stamped on the white panel in black pigment ink, then heat embossed in black for a nice, bold look. I stamped the tiny heart above the pair in red ink and embossed it in clear for a glossy look to match the pandas.

I matted the stamped panel on a piece of red cardstock, then adhered it to a black panel embossed with a repeated XOXO pattern from an embossing folder. The “kiss, kiss, I love u” sentiment was stamped on a red banner strip and added to the bottom of the image panel with foam tape for dimension.

Materials Used:
Pandamonium stamp set (Mama Elephant); Real Red and Basic Black cardstock, black embossing powder (Stampin’ Up!); white cardstock, clear embossing powder (Michaels); Memento Luxe Love Letter and Tuxedo Black inks (Tsukineko); double ended banner die (Papertrey Ink); Hugs and Kisses embossing folder (Cuttlebug); foam tape

Waving Hello

This week’s Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a Designer Draft challenge. I used the sketch for this nautical themed design.

My focal image is the sailboat from the Wicked Nauticool set. I cut out the image with the matching die from the Nauticool set, then colored it with Copic markers. To make a background for the boat, I a large circle panel from blue patterned paper, then covered the bottom half of the circle with a piece of coordinating blue cardstock to make a sky and water.

I adhered the little scene to a white panel with a strip of red cardstock along the bottom. Before adding the boat with dimensional dots, I wrapped the panel with red baker’s twine, finishing it off with a bow. The “waving hello” sentiment is stamped next to the scene in red ink. The fluffy white felt cloud, die cut with the PS Clouds die, was a last minute addition to the scene. It adds just a bit of texture to the clean design.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Paper Smooches Wicked Nauticool stamp set and Nauticool and Clouds dies, Crafter’s Companion ultrasmooth white cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Memento Luxe Love Letter ink, Echo Park Here and Now 6x6 paper pad, Divine Twine red baker’s twine, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

other: Hawaiian Shores cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Real Red cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Sea Glass cardstock (Avery Elle); markers (Copic); white felt (Michaels)

What Does the Fox Say?

Here’s my card for the current sketch from The Paper Players. I thought the tucked in tag in the design would work perfectly with the new Foxy stamp set from Sweet Stamp Shop.

I made a background for the set’s fox image with some sponged clouds and a little direct-to-paper green pigment ink grass. The fox was colored with Copic markers and cut out, then adhered to the scene with foam tape, along with the empty speech bubble image. I stamped the set’s “what does the fox say?” sentiment along the right edge of the panel in black ink.

I matted the image panel with a piece of kraft cardstock, then adhered it to an olive cardstock panel. The layered pieces are attached to a piece of chevron patterned paper using foam tape to make a pocket for a tag.

I die cut a tag from kraft cardstock and threaded a scrap of olive green grosgrain ribbon through the top, securing it with a knot. I stamped the answer to the question about what the fox says on the tag in black ink. It’s tucked inside the pocket so that the ribbon extends over the top.

Hopefully the recipient will pull the tag out and find out what the fox says!

Materials Used:
Foxy stamp set (Sweet Stamp Shop); Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Memento Luxe Pear Tart and Tuxedo Black inks (Tsukineko); Tumbled Glass distress ink (Ranger); markers (Copic); Old Olive cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Indie Chic “Citron” 6x6 paper pad (My Mind’s Eye); Tags 1 die (Clear and Simple Stamps); gold stud embellishments (KI memories); olive ribbon; foam tape

Color Throwdown 277-For the Little Miss

It’s time for another Color Throwdown! Broni is our hostess this week and she’s shared a pretty color combination with us—Baked Brown Sugar, Soft Sky, and Regal Rose. I used a brand new Rag Doll stamp set from Clear and Simple Stamps called Rag Doll Willa: Diva.

The layout for my card comes from the current Deconstructed Sketch.  I stamped the rag doll on white cardstock and cut out the stamped image with the matching die. The doll is colored with Copic markers. The latest additions to CSS’s Rag Doll line, including this one, come with matching solid stamps to fill in the doll’s outfit in case you don’t want to color. I used foam tape to attach her to the white background panel.

The doll is adhered over a slanted panel of dotted blue designer paper along with a pair of fishtail flag strips. Once the image was in place, I added a pair of hearts to the lower right corner as an accent. The “for the little miss” sentiment is stamped on a round light blue panel and tucked underneath the left side of the image panel.

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 CTD277.

Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team, our January guestie, Linda McClain, and our Guest Star Stamper, Annie Miteen.

** Barbara ** Broni ** Joan ** Melody **

** Monika ** Tammy ** Vickie ** Wanda ** 

** January Guestie Linda McClain **

** Guest Star Stamper Annie Miteen **

Materials Used:
Rag Doll Willa: Diva stamp and die set, Trendsetter Blue, I’m a Princess Pink, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (B000, B00, B01, B02, R81, R83, R85, Y32, YR24, E000, E00, E02, E31, E33, E35), Shapes: Circles, Shapes:  Hearts, and Build-a-Critter Owl/Kitty dies (Clear and Simple Stamps); Handmade-Sky Blue designer paper (Lily Bee Design); Say Cheese 6x6 paper pad (Simple Stories); foam tape

I'm Sweet on You

Here’s my card for this week’s Muse challenge. I borrowed Marion’s layout, but made the card into a Valentine’s Day design.

Instead of using a white card base, I used a pale pink one. To add interest to the bottom of the cardfront and keep the tone on tone look from Marion’s design, I embossed just the bottom section of the card with an embossing folder. The repeated XOXO pattern is perfect for a love themed design.

Once I finished embossing, I adhered a die cut Polaroid style frame on the cardfront. The “I’m sweet on you” sentiment from Reverse Confetti’s Sweet Thing set is stamped inside the frame in rose ink. I used one of the hearts from Reverse Confetti’s Love Note die set to cut a pink dotted heart to add to the frame. I tucked a pair of clear crystals underneath the heart, extending out from either side. And, for one last bit of sparkle, I added a trio of red sequins around the sentiment.

Materials Used:
Sweet Thing stamp set and Confetti Cuts Love Note die (Reverse Confetti); Vivid Tea Rose ink (Clearsnap); Sweet Blush cardstock (Papertrey Ink); white cardstock, red sequins, clear crystal flourishes (Michaels); Bundle of Joy Dots and Stripes-Girl 6x6 paper pad (Echo Park); picture frame die (Lil’ Inker Designs); Hugs and Kisses embossing folder (Cuttlebug); corner rounder; foam tape

You're So Tweet

There’s still time to play along with the current sketch at Seize the Sketch. Here's another card I've made using the sketch.

This time, I replaced the banner element with a branch. The branch was die cut from kraft cardstock and inked with distress inks. I adhered it over a piece of cloud patterned paper, then added some green die cut leaves to the branch, too.

I die cut a cheerful red bird (maybe it’s a cardinal--I'll take any sign of spring I can get at this point!) to go on top of the branch. It’s put in place with foam tape to add dimension to the scene. I stamped the “you’re so tweet” sentiment from the My Favorite Things stamp set with the same name at the bottom of the patterned paper panel in red ink. The cloud panel is matted with a coordinating blue cardstock panel, then adhered to an aqua card base.

Stop by the STS blog for more inspiration from the design team.  Several other designers have given the sketch another try and are sharing their creations there today, too.

Materials Used:
Pure Innocence You’re So Tweet stamp set, Die-namics Contempo Cage and Branch with Leaves dies (My Favorite Things); Memento Luxe Love Letter ink (Tsukineko); Tea Dye distress ink (Ranger); Aqua Mist and Ocean Tides cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Kiwi Kiss and Real Red cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); Quite Contrary-Little Boy Blue “When I Grow Up” Daydream designer paper (My Mind’s Eye); foam tape

Striped Sunshine

Here’s my card for the current Waltzingmouse Fanatics challenge. At first, I wasn’t sure what to do with the sketch, but once I saw the sketch’s slanted lines as rays of sunshine, my card came together quickly.

So that the card didn’t get too busy, I kept the color scheme to just two colors—yellow and orange. I alternated the colors and mixed up the patterns to add interest. Once the pieces were all in place, I stamped the “you are my sunshine” sentiment from the Half Pint Heroes set across the bottom in black ink. My original plan was to use orange ink, but when I tested it out with my stamp positioner panel, the orange got lost in the patterns, so I went with black instead.

 I used Scor Tape to attach a pair of die cut felt clouds to the top of the panel, covering my not so neat work at the top of the card where all the pieces come together. Sneaky, right? The panel is matted on a piece of orange cardstock, then layered on a yellow card base.

Materials Used:
Half Pint Heroes stamp set (Waltzingmouse Stamps); Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Lemon Tart and Orange Zest cardstock, Lemon Tart and Orange Zest patterned papers (Papertrey Ink); cloud dies (Lil’ Inker Designs); white felt (Michaels)

Ahoy There

Here’s my card for the current sketch from CAS(e) this Sketch. I went with a nautical theme using stamps and dies from The Cat’s Pajamas on my design.

I paper pieced the whale image from the Whale of a Time set with a combination of patterned and solid papers. I’ve tried coloring the image, but I’ve never been happy with how it turned out, so I usually end up paper piecing when I use it.

Once I was done with the whale, I used foam tape to adhere the image to a background panel made from a light blue dot debossed panel with two turquoise wave strips cut with TCP’s CutUps Wave  die at the bottom. When I layered the wave die cuts, I offset the strips slightly to add interest. The set’s “ahoy there” sentiment is stamped at the bottom of the wave strips in black ink. I matted the panel with navy cardstock, then adhered it to a white card base. It looked a little bottom heavy to me, so I balanced things out by adding a pair of fluffy white felt clouds, cut apart from a longer strip of clouds cut with TCP’s CutUps Cloud border die.

Materials Used:
Whale of a Time stamp set, CutUps Wave and Cloud Border dies (The Cat’s Pajamas); Sea Glass and Aquamarine cardstock (Avery Elle); Night of Navy cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); white cardstock, white felt (Michaels); Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Buttercup 6x6 paper pad (Lily Bee Design); Spotted embossing folder (Lifestyle Crafts); foam tape

Celebrate Your Day

Here's my card for this week's Viva la Verve sketch.  I took a break from Valentine's Day and love themed designs for this birthday creation.

I created the focal image panel with one of the images from the Poppy Birthday set.  I stamped the poppies in black ink, then colored in the image with Copic markers.  The centers of the flowers are dotted with Liquid Pearls for a little dimension and shine.  The white panel was sponged with pink distress ink to match the rest of the card.

I layered the matted image panel on a piece of pink on pink patterned paper with a piece of solid pink cardstock with a scalloped edge along the bottom.  I found red cardstock scraps from my scrap pile to use for the two strips layered at the top and bottom of the image panel. The top strip was stamped with the "celebrate your day" sentiment.  The bottom one was dressed up with a piece of pink knotted ribbon to balance the design.

Materials Used:
Poppy Birthday stamp set (Verve Stamps); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black and Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black inks (Tsukineko); Spun Sugar distress ink, White Opal Liquid Pearls (Ranger); markers (Copic); Pink Pirouette and Real Red cardstock, scallop edge punch (Stampin' Up!); Penny Lane-Tiny Dancer "Chasse" Graceful Circles designer paper (My Mind's Eye); pink grosgrain ribbon

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 204-Quill You Be My Valentine

It’s time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! I used the sketch along with some stamps and dies from Paper Smooches to make a Valentine’s Day card.

I used the cupid from the Love Struck set as my focal image. He’s colored with Copic markers and cut out with the matching die from the Love Struck Icons set, then adhered to the light blue background panel with dimensional dots. The “quill you be my Valentine” sentiment is stamped next to the image in red pigment ink.

I matted the image panel on a contrasting red cardstock piece, then added it to a piece of arrow patterned paper over a trio of cardstock strips, rescued from my scrap pile. A pair of white enamel dots is attached to the cardfront, just under the image panel.

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:

Barbara Anders
Dana White
Jackie Pedro
Jenny Peterson
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Karen Motz
Lisa Henke
Lynn Put
Sarah-Jane Kalé
Tracy Clemente
Vicki Burdick

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Paper Smooches Love Struck stamp set and Love Struck Icons dies, Crafter’s Companion ultrasmooth white cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Memento Luxe Love Letter ink, Echo Park Head over Heels 6x6 paper pad, Doodlebug Design Lily White Sprinkles enamel dots, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other: Real Red and Pink Pirouette cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Sea Glass cardstock (Avery Elle)

Love

Here’s my card for the current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches. I went scrappy on this one, using just paper and dies to assemble my design.

I used the new Heart Full of Love die from My Favorite Things as the focal image on my card. It took a little trial and error for me to cut the panels using the two dies so that I could get the framed style you see here. It’s still a little off center, but it’s okay by me! Once I had the pieces cut the way I wanted them, I layered them over a pair of fishtail flag banners that I’d adhered to a piece of patterned paper. The paper’s repeated XOXO pattern was a perfect match for the die cut panel.

I accented the die cut piece with a piece of knotted stitched grosgrain ribbon I found in my scrap pile. Now that I've gotten my craft room cleaned up and reorganized, I'm making an effort to see that some of those long-neglected scraps find their way on to my projects!

Materials Used:
Transformables Heart Full of Love die, Die-namics Fishtail Flag Stax and Fishtail Flag Layers Stax dies (My Favorite Things); Cherry Cobbler and Pink Pirouette cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); cream cardstock (Michaels); Yours Truly 6x6 paper pad (Pebbles); pink stitched grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey Ink); foam tape

Hello

Here’s my card for the current Lawnscaping challenge. I used this card from Audrey’s blog as my inspiration. I loved the sweet little scene she created, so I used hers as a starting point for a scene of my own. My card also fits the colors for the current Colour Me challenge—Gumball Green, Blushing Bride, Pumpkin Pie, and Pool Party (see challenge graphic at the bottom of this post).

For my scene, I used the fox from the Into the Woods set. Every time I’ve used this set so far, I’ve turned to the deer image, so it was about time the fox saw some ink! I colored the image with Copic markers, then cut it out with the matching fox shaped die. To add a little texture, I put some white flock on its tail.

Once the fox was finished, I got to work on the background. I die cut a rounded banner shape from a scrap of cardstock and used the negative space to sponge a blue “sky” on a white card base. The grass was made with a border punch and some fun green patterned paper. The fox was placed in the scene using dimensional dots. I added a speech bubble, again using stamps and dies from the Into the Woods set. The speech bubble’s stamped in pink Memento Luxe ink—my favorite for solid image stamps. I decided the scene looked a little empty with just the fox and speech bubble, so I added some sparkly white sequins and a pair of fluffy white felt clouds, cut with the cloud dies from the Into the Woods die set, to fill it out just a bit. 

Materials Used: 
from i {heart} papers: Lawn Fawn Into the Woods stamp set and Into the Woods dies, Crafter’s Companion ultrasmooth white cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Memento Luxe Angel Pink ink, My Mind’s Eye Kate and Co. Oxford Lane 6x6 paper pad, white sequins, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

other: Winter pigment ink (Mama Elephant); Rounded Banner Stax die (My Favorite Things); grass border punch (Fiskars); white flock (Stampendous); white felt (Michaels)

Snappy Birthday

Here’s my card for this week’s My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club sketch challenge. I tried out the new Picture This set for this birthday card.

The set’s “wishing you a snappy birthday” sentiment is stamped in gray ink on a cream pierced circle die cut. I adhered the circle to a piece of trendy triangle patterned paper on top of a rose cardstock panel along with a strip of gray cardstock. A pair of coordinating rose and yellow fishtail flag strips runs across the cardfront, just underneath the sentiment.

To go with the sentiment, I added a mini camera embellishment made with one of the dies from the Die-namics Cute Cameras set. I cut the camera from gray cardstock, then filled in the open parts by backing the die cut piece with a scrap of shiny silver cardstock.

Materials Used:
Picture This stamp set, Steel Grey cardstock, Die-namics Pierced Circle, Fishtail Flag Stax, Fishtail Flag Layers Stax, and Cute Cameras dies (My Favorite Things); Memento Luxe Gray Flannel ink (Tsukineko); Regal Rose cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Golden Tiara cardstock (Clear and Simple Stamps); cream cardstock (Michaels); Be Loved 6x6 paper pad (Fancy Pants); foam tape

You Color My World

Here’s my card for this week’s Mojo Monday sketch. I went with something bright and colorful to contrast the dreary winter weather from this week!

My focal image is Rag Doll Emma: Color from Clear and Simple Stamps. Emma was die cut with the matching die and colored with Copic markers. I colored her to match some of the colors in the multicolored piece of patterned paper I used on the cardfront. Before adhering the image panel to the patterned paper, I wrapped a strip of sparkly blue glitter tape around it for a fun accent.

The set’s “you color my world” sentiment is stamped directly on the patterned paper panel. The open letters in the word “color” didn’t show up as well as I would have liked, so I ended up stamping it on a scrap of yellow cardstock and cutting them out so that I could paper piece the word. The yellow shows up nicely against the multicolored background.  I'm glad I solved my sentiment problem without having to replace the patterned paper panel!

Materials Used:
Rag Doll Emma: Color stamp set, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, Paint the Town Pink, Say Yellow to All Your Fans, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (E000, E00, E02, E31, E33, E35, YR21, Y11, Y13, Y18, BG10, BG11, BG13, BG15, RV13, RV14, C-3, C-5), Shapes: Circles die (Clear and Simple Stamps); turquoise glitter tape (American Crafts); foam tape

Lots of Love

This week’s blogger challenge theme is making your own backgrounds. I made a simple stenciled background for my card using a piece of die cut cardstock with distress inks.  The layout for the card is based on this sketch at the Clean and Simple Stamping blog.

I die cut a piece of scrap cardstock with Papertrey Ink’s Notched Hearts Banner die to create my own stencil. After securing the cardstock stencil in place with some low tack tape, I used distress inks and an ink blending tool to apply ink to the pink cardstock through the heart shaped openings in the cardstock. I had to move the stencil a few times to get the line of hearts across my card, but it was pretty easy to fill in the design where I wanted it.

I topped the inked hearts with a white panel stamped with the “lots of love” sentiment from the Wonderful Words: Love stamp set. The panel was matted on darker pink cardstock to contrast with the pale pink panel.  I used the same darker pink cardstock for the card base to tie everything together.

Materials Used:
Wonderful Words: Love stamp set, Sweet Blush and Hibiscus Burst cardstock, Notched Hearts Banner die (Papertrey Ink); Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick distress inks (Ranger); white cardstock (Michaels)

Hello Honey

This week’s Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is an anything goes challenge. I used the current sketch at Retro Sketches along with the Bee Mine set (on sale now at i {heart} papers!) to make this simple, sweet card.

I used the set’s large bee as my focal image. The bee is colored with Copic markers and cut out. I used dimensional dots to adhere it to a piece of triangle patterned paper. The paper is from the Fancy Pants Be Loved pad—I love the mix of colors and patterns in this one! I matted the patterned paper on a piece of turquoise paper before adhering it to the aqua card base.

The “hello honey” sentiment is stamped above the bee in red pigment ink. The pigment ink is so vibrant against the patterned paper!  Using it instead of dye ink here really makes a difference. I used a clear crystal flourish to make a sparkly flight trail for the bee. It’s adhered to the card so it extends out from the back of the bee image and on to the smaller patterned paper panel on the left side of the cardfront.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Paper Smooches Bee Mine stamp set, Crafter’s Companion ultrasmooth white cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Memento Luxe Love Letter ink, Fancy Pants Be Loved 6x6 paper pad, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

other: Hawaiian Shores and Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); markers (Copic); clear crystal flourish (Michaels); corner rounder

How Sweet it Is

Here’s my card for this month’s Reverse Confetti color challenge. The challenge’s aqua, orange and yellow color scheme is one of my favorites. I used it to make a love themed design.

I combined several of the stamps from the new Sweet Thing set to get the sentiment for my aqua banner. I stamped the words in a slightly darker aqua ink for a nice tone on tone look that works nicely with the soft color scheme. The stamped banner is adhered to a piece of yellow striped paper. I added half of a white paper doily at the top of the panel, using a strip of dotted washi tape to hold it in place.

To bring in a pop of orange, I wrapped the washi tape strip with orange baker’s twine and secured it with a bow. I also added a pair of hearts, cut with the hearts from the Love Note die set. The smaller yellow heart is layered over the larger orange one. A trio of aqua enamel dots scattered around the banner panel finishes the card.

Materials Used:
Sweet Thing stamp set and Confetti Cuts Love Note dies (Reverse Confetti); Vivid Beach Glass ink (Clearsnap); Aqua Mist, Lemon Tart, and Orange Zest cardstock, Lemon Tart patterned paper (Papertrey Ink); Fishtail Flag Layers Stax die (My Favorite Things); aqua dotted washi tape (Michaels); aqua enamel dots (My Mind’s Eye); orange baker’s twine (Divine Twine); white paper doily; foam tape

Color Throwdown 276-You're Grrr-eat!

It’s time for another Color Throwdown! Barbara is our hostess this week and she’s shared a pretty color combination with us that's inspired by some beautiful home decor—Basic Gray, Riding Hood Red, Crumb Cake, and Daffodil Delight.

I made a cute child's Valentine's Day card using the colors and a sketch from Crazy 4 Challenges.  My focal image is the lion from WPlus9's Bitty Buddy Valentines stamp set.  I tried several different cardstock/ink combos before settling on the kraft pigment ink on yellow cardstock lion you see here.  The image is die cut with the matching lion shaped die, which helped this card to come together pretty quickly.

I used a piece of kraft patterned paper for the panel underneath the lion.  The lion's adhered with dimensional dots and the sentiment strip  extends out from underneath it.  I stamped the "you're grrr-eat" sentiment in red ink on the kraft fishtail flag strip.  Even though it doesn't look like it in the photo, it is attached to the card straight IRL!  I tucked a yellow cardstock circle underneath the right edge of the kraft panel, setting off the sentiment from the rest of the cardfront.  The finished panel is adhered to a kraft 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 CTD276. Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team, our January guestie, Linda McClain, and our Guest Star Stamper, Peggy McCurry.

 ** Barbara ** Broni ** Joan ** Melody **

** Monika ** Tammy ** Vickie ** Wanda **
** January guestie Linda McClain **
** Guest Star Stamper Peggy McCurry **

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  WPlus9 Bitty Buddy Valentines stamp set and Bitty Buddies dies, Tsukineko Memento Luxe Toffee Crunch and Love Letter inks, Doodlebug Design Sweetheart 6x6 paper pad, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Riding Hood Red, Daffodil Delight, and Basic Gray cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); circle dies (Spellbinders)

You Constantly Amaze Me

Here's my card for this week's Muse challenge.  This week marks one year since the challenge first started, so this week's muse is the challenge founder, Jackie Rockwell.  I was inspired by her very first card for the challenge.

My version incorporates a similar layout to Jackie's design.  Instead of a trio of die cut elements, I used a die cut word with three letters. I die cut the word "you" from a white panel, saving the "insides" from the y and the o so I could reassemble them later on.  To go with the meaning of muse, I stamped the text "constantly amaze me" next to the die cut word using a combination of stamps from the Simon Says Stamps Expressions for You stamp set.

To fill in the negative space of the die cut letters, I adhered a red cardstock panel behind the white strip, carefully fitting the little letter insides in place on the red piece.  I used foam tape to add dimension to the panel.  After edging it with a strip of black cardstock, I adhered it to a gray card base embossed with a chevron pattern.  A trio of enamel dots, matching the colors of the die cut hearts on Jackie's card, adds another pop of color--and hides a tiny accidental ink smear, too!

Materials Used:
Expressions for You stamp and die set (Simon Says Stamp); Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); white cardstock (Michaels); Fog and Cherry cardstock (Avery Elle); Basic Black cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Charles embossing folder (Cuttlebug); enamel dots (My Mind's Eye); foam tape

Seize the Sketch 12-My Head's in the Clouds over You

I am thrilled to be joining the talented team at Seize the Sketch starting with this week's sketch!  New sketches are shared every other Tuesday, along with amazing samples from the STS team.  Here's my card for this week's sketch, designed by Stacey.  It also works for this week's TCP Tuesday 3-2-1 themed challenge.  You can find all the details on that here.

My focal image is the airplane flying big eared bunny from the Take Off stamp set.  I colored the bunny with Copic markers, then paper pieced the body of the airplane and the bunny's cap.

The cutout image is adhered to a piece of blue plaid patterned paper with foam tape.  A strip of die cut shimmery white white clouds, cut with the CutUps Cloud Border die, runs across the patterned paper.  I added a yellow button, tied with matching baker's twine, on top of the line of clouds to make a cheery sun.  The set's "my head's in the clouds over you" sentiment is stamped at the bottom of the patterned paper panel.  I used pigment ink so it would stand out nicely from the background.

Before you get started with your take on the sketch, be sure to check out what the rest of the STS team has created using the sketch.  Here's where to find them:

Amy

Cathy

Jen N 

Jen M

Jessica

Jessi

Lesley

Lori

Lori T--you're here!

Rose

Sarah

Sherry

Stacey

Tangii

Vicki

Materials Used:
Take Off stamp set, CutUps Cloud Border die, Divine Twine yellow baker's twine (The Cat's Pajamas); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black and Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black inks (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Ducks in a Row-Peek a Boo designer paper (October Afternoon); Basics 1 Cardmaking Pad (Pebbles); Flower Box 6x6 paper pad (Doodlebug Design); yellow button (Michaels); silver gel pen (Uniball); foam tape

Wishes and Dreams

Here's my card for the current Fusion challenge.  I used the sketch and the colors in the inspiration photo as the starting point for my card.

Since the inspiration photo featured a floral bouquet, I used a flower image on my card.  The flower is from Papertrey Ink's Daydreamer stamp set.  It's stamped in Memento Luxe inks on a round panel.  I added the sentiment next to it in gray ink.  I think it will make a nice birthday card!

To bring in the woodgrain element from the photo's background, I used a yellow woodgrain patterned paper for the panel beneath the image.  After matting them on gray cardstock, I layered the image and the woodgrain panel over a pair of golden yellow panels.  The panels are wrapped with gray baker's twine and tied with a bow.  I layered the panels on a gray cardfront to match the mats behind the image and patterned paper panels.

Materials Used:
Daydreamer stamp set (Papertrey Ink); Memento Luxe Gray Flannel, Pistachio, and Dandelion inks (Tsukineko); Golden Tiara cardstock (Clear and Simple Stamps); Fog cardstock (Avery Elle); white cardstock (Michaels); Miss Caroline-Dolled Up 6x6 paper pad (My Mind's Eye); circle dies (Spellbinders); gray baker's twine

We Make the Perfect Pear

Here's my card for this week's sketch at CAS(e) this Sketch.  I made a love themed card using a somewhat non-traditional color scheme.

I used the pears from the Clear and Simple Stamps Perfect Harvest set for my focal image.  The pears were die cut with the Mini Fruit dies, then stamped with the matching outline and solid images from the stamp set.  I used foam tape to arrange the pears on a white cardstock panel.

The sentiment from the Perfect Harvest Fillers stamp set was stamped underneath the pears in green ink.  I added a small red heart from the Hearts Plus set between the pears in red ink.  After matting the panel on green cardstock, I adhered it to a lighter green card base over a gray cardstock strip.

Materials Used:
Perfect Harvest, Perfect Harvest Fillers, and Hearts Plus stamp sets, In the Limelight, Kraft Like a Rockstar Green, Dare to Be a Diva Red, and Perfect Black Dress inks, In the Limelight, Kraft Like a Rockstar Green, I Steel Got It, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Mini Fruit dies (Clear and Simple Stamps); foam tape

I Quite Like You a Lot

Here's my card for the current Curtain Call inspiration challenge.  I used the pretty dressed up envelopes in the photo as the starting point for my card.

The layout comes from the current Deconstructed Sketch.  There are a lot of layers here, but I think I still managed to keep the design pretty clean looking.  I used a pair of patterned paper scraps from an older My Mind's Eye paper pad for two of the panels on the cardfront and mixed in a coordinating solid red cardstock for the third panel.  The panels are all matted on pale gray cardstock to tie them all together. 

I stamped the "I quite like you a lot" sentiment from the WPlus9 I Quite Like You set on a round white panel and adhered the stamped panel on top of the layered panels.  To accent it, I used a die cut envelope and a die cut heart at the bottom.  The die cuts are attached with foam tape, giving them some dimension, but keeping the card easy to mail, too.

Materials Used:
Quite Like You stamp set, Love Notes and Hearts and Clouds dies (WPlus9); Memento Luxe Love Letter ink (Tsukineko); Silver Fox, Pixie, and Cherry cardstock (Avery Elle); Love Me 6x6 paper pad (My Mind's Eye); Die-namics Pierced Circle Stax die (My Favorite Things); foam tape

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 203-You Are My Sunshine

It’s time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! There's just a little bit of stamping on the cheery design I created using this week's sketch.

I turned the sketch's large round panel into a sun, made with a pinking edged circle topped with a piece of orange striped patterned paper.  The round panels are adhered to a light blue panel.  I topped it with a blue dotted patterned paper strip and a bright yellow fishtail flag strip.

For the sentiment, I die cut the word "you" using Avery Elle's Word Fill in the Blank dies.  I arranged the letters on the round panel, just above the yellow fishtail flag strip.  The "are my sunshine" sentiment from the coordinating Fill in the Blank stamp set is stamped on the yellow strip in teal pigment ink.  Love how these Luxe inks work on colored cardstock!  I added a trio of white sequins around the words for a little sparkle. 

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:

Barbara Anders
Dana White
Jackie Pedro
Jenny Peterson
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Karen Motz
Lisa Henke
Lynn Put
Sarah-Jane Kalé
Tracy Clemente
Vicki Burdick

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Avery Elle Fill in the Blank stamp set and Words Fill in the Blank dies, Tsukineko Memento Luxe Teal Zeal ink, Lawn Fawn Into the Woods 6x6 paper pad, white sequins

other:  Avery Elle Sea Glass and Aquamarine cardstock, My Favorite Things Orange Fizz and Lemon Drop cardstock and Die-namics Fishtail Flag Stax die, Spellbinders circle and pinking circle dies

You Make Me Happy

Here's my card for this week's Viva la Verve sketch.  I combined the sketch with colors from the inspiration photo. The purple, yellow and gray color scheme isn't one I would have come up with on my own, but I do like how it turned out!

I started off by finding a purple patterned paper to use for the umbrella from Verve's Rain or Shine stamp set.  The purple floral pattern from an older Lawn Fawn paper pad worked nicely! 

I used the same paper for one of the small square panels on the cardfront along with a scrap of yellow patterned paper from another paper pad.  After rounding the corners of the patterned paper panels, I matted them on gray cardstock and arranged them on a gray chevron patterned panel along with half of a white paper doily.  A strip of yellow ribbon sets the doily off from the rest of the card and brings in just a bit more of the cheery color.  Once all of the panels were in place, I topped them off with the sentiment panel, stamped in gray ink to match the text.  I set the umbrella on top using foam tape.  A few purple sequins scattered over the panels and the doily add a little sparkle to the design.
 
Materials Used:
Rain or Shine stamp set (Verve Stamps); Memento Tuxedo Black and Memento Luxe Gray Flannel inks (Tsukineko); white cardstock, purple sequins (Michaels); Smokey Shadow cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Bright Side 6x6 paper pad (Lawn Fawn); Carolina Breeze 6x6 paper pad (Teresa Collins); corner rounder; white paper doily; foam tape

Have a Fun{tache}tic Day

Here’s my card for this week’s sketch at Freshly Made Sketches. My version is a masculine take using a die cut mustache and the coordinating mustache themed stamp set from The Cat’s Pajamas.

I started off by finding a piece of patterned paper with a masculine color scheme for the cardfront’s large angled panel. I found a plaid paper from an older paper pad that fit the bill perfectly. To set it off a bit from the aqua card base, I layered it on a piece of brown cardstock.

I die cut the mustache from a scrap of the same brown cardstock as I used to mat the patterned paper panel. It’s adhered to the cardfront with foam tape on top of a long, cream fishtail flag strip. The “have a fun{tache}tic day” sentiment from The Mustache Set is stamped at the end of the strip in brown pigment ink.

Materials Used:
The Mustache Set stamp set and CutUps Mustaches dies (The Cat’s Pajamas); Memento Luxe Rich Cocoa ink (Tsukineko); Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Soft Suede and Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Six By Six Blink of an Eye paper pad (My Mind’s Eye); foam tape

You and Me-Always

Here’s my card for this week’s My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club sketch challenge. I used the new Wood You Be Mine set—again!—on this one.

I hand cut a tag shape from kraft cardstock to cover most of the cream cardfront. The top section of the tag is covered with a piece of text print patterned paper. I sponged around the edges of the paper with some distress ink for a softer look. I added half of a pierced circle die cut piece at the top of the tag and dressed it up with a twine bow. To set the text off from the rest of the card, I adhered a red cardstock strip along the bottom of the patterned paper. A strip of cream lace trim is tucked underneath the bottom edge of the red panel to add a little texture.

I stamped the woodgrain heart shape from the Wood You Be Mine set in brown pigment ink on a piece of kraft cardstock, then cut it out. It’s adhered to the tag shape with foam tape. The “you and me always” sentiment is stamped on a cream cardstock strip in red pigment ink. I layered it over the heart, trimming the edge of the strip so it was flush with the edge of the tag panel.  I never would have thought to use such a large tag shape as a panel on a layout--it really makes a fun design element, doesn't it?

Materials Used:
Wood You Be Mine stamp set, Chocolate cardstock, Die-namics Pierced Circle die (My Favorite Things); Memento Luxe Rich Cocoa and Love Letter inks (Tsukineko); Tea Dye distress ink (Ranger); Real Red and Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); Dearest Jane patterned paper (Papertrey Ink); twine (Hemptique); cream trim (Hobby Lobby); foam tape

You Light up my Life

Here's my card for this week's Paper Smooches SPARKS Picture Perfect challenge.  I took my inspiration from the gray and yellow color scheme in the inspiration photo. 

I used the We Totally Click stamp set along with this week's Mojo Monday sketch for my card.  The lamp image was stamped in gray pigment ink and die cut with the matching die.  I used markers to color in the bulb to give it a yellow glow.  It's attached to the white panel with dimensional dots.

The panels beneath the lamp image come from a love themed paper pad, even though with their color scheme, it doesn't seem like they do!  I used the busier yellow and gray striped paper to cover most of the gray card base, then topped it with the easier to stamp on yellow dotted panel.  The "you light up my life" sentiment from the Smoocheroos set is stamped on it in the same gray ink I used for the lamp.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Paper Smooches We Totally Click and Smoocheroos stamp sets and Click Icons dies, Crafter's Companion ultrasmooth white cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Luxe Gray Flannel ink, Fancy Pants Be Loved 6x6 paper pad, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Steel Grey cardstock (My Favorite Things)