Thank You

Today's SCS clean and simple challenge was to create a card for a hero. In honor of Memorial Day, here's my card.

I stamped the flag image from the Freedom set from Clear & Simple Stamps in black ink across strips of red, white, and blue cardstock. The "thank you" sentiment from the limited edition Thank You set is stamped at the bottom. A pair of silver brads in the upper right corner accent the image. I matted the stamped image on a white panel. To set the panel off just a bit from the white card base, I added a strip of red across the base, then layered on the panel using foam tape.

Thank you today (and every day!) to all the brave men and women who have served to defend and preserve America's freedom.

Materials Used:

Freedom and Thank You stamp sets, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, A Blanc Check cardstock (Clear & Simple Stamps); Real Red and Not Quite Navy cardstock (Stampin' Up!); silver brads (Making Memories); foam tape

What's Hot Wild Thing

Here's my entry for this month's My Favorite Things guest designer challenge. The theme is "what's hot," to be interpreted as you wish. I went with some hot new products from MFT plus a hot trend, variegated colors, for my card.

I used the cute new Little Loveosaurus stamp set for my image and sentiment. The dino image is paper pieced using some Basic Grey Origins designer paper. I picked a piece with varied shades of green, kind of the colors I imagine a dinosaur might have been. The pointy scales (or whatever) on its back and the little head peeking out from inside the dino's mouth are colored with Copic markers.

I used two new MFT products to create a fun, textured background for my dino. I cut a trio of felt clouds using the new Die-Namics cloud die. When I went to cut the clouds out, I discovered that I didn't have any white felt, so my clouds are ivory instead. I thought about running to the craft store to pick up white felt, but Chloe the cutie puppy was sound asleep at the time and there's no way I was disturbing a sleeping puppy--LOL! The ground is made with a piece of MFT's cork. I freehand trimmed it and attached it to the blue panel with some liquid glue. The coordinating "wild thing" sentiment, accented with a button, is at one end of the cork. The dino is at the other, attached with some foam tape.

Materials Used:
Little Loveosaurus stamp set, Die-Namics clouds, cork (My Favorite Things); Kiwi Kiss and Baja Breeze cardstock, word window punch (Stampin' Up!); Origins designer paper (Basic Grey); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); felt; sewing machine; foam tape

Here's another simple MFT project featuring another hot trend, text patterned paper. This is one for this week's Wednesday Stamp Club challenge. Since the challenge was to use text or music print paper, I figured I'd use text patterned paper to make a quick gift card holder featuring images from the I {Heart} Books set (you know, books, text, all that goes together).

I scored a 11" piece of cardstock into 3 sections (4", 4" , and 3"). To get the rounded edge for the top (smallest section), I slipped the paper through a Nestabilities circle die, then ran the paper through my machine. The set's bookworm sentiment is stamped on the flap, accented by paper piercing.

I covered the front of the gift card holder with some text patterned paper from the Manila pad from Basic Grey's new Basics line. The bookworm was stamped on some white paper, colored with Copic markers, and cut out. To keep the teeny tiny sides of the worm's glasses appearing intact, I stamped the image on the text patterned paper, then adhered the colored image. I used the same paper to make a simple pocket on the middle section inside the gift card holder. I forgot to take a picture of that part . . .

Materials Used:
I {Heart} Books stamp set (My Favorite Things); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Pacific Point and Real Red cardstock, Real Red grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); circle die (Nestabilities)

Simple Sweet of You

Here's my summery feeling card for today's SCS featured stamper challenge. I loved looking at Emily's gallery--lots of clean and simple designs! My card's based on this pretty floral design.

I kept the layout the same, but changed up the stamps and colors. I went for a more vivid color scheme, using some of Papertrey Ink's colors. I stamped one of the leafy branch images from Turning a New Leaf in Spring Moss ink on a white circle, then went back and added a trio of flower images from Everyday Classics in Raspberry Fizz ink. One of the sentiments from Signature Greetings is stamped across the middle of the panel in black ink. I added dots of Pink Petal Liquid Pearls to the centers of the flowers for a little shimmer and dimension.

I used a piece of Hawaiian Shores cardstock to make the card base. To add interest without changing the simple design, I embossed a circle in the cardfront. The stamped image panel is centered inside the circle and attached using foam tape.

Materials Used:

Turning a New Leaf, Everyday Classics, and Signature Greetings stamp sets, Raspberry Fizz and Spring Moss inks, Hawaiian Shores cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); circle dies (Nestabilities); Pink Petal Liquid Pearls (Ranger); foam tape

Bring on the Cake

I made this simple but sweet birthday card for this week's Hip Hop sketch challenge. I changed the sketch from a standard sized A2 card to a square one to make the sketch work with my idea. It turned out so cute!

I stamped the "bring on the cake" sentiment from Unity's It's Your Day kit in black ink on a white cardstock panel. The letters are colored with pink and yellow Copic markers. I used a white pen to add polka dots to the pink letters for a fun detail.

I used a square of yellow patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket's new DeLovely line to cover most of the cardfront. The sentiment panel is set on a pale pink panel, then attached to the top half of the card. A piece of yellow scalloped velvet trim runs along the bottom of the sentiment panel. A cute cupcake Feltie completes the card.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Unity Stamp Co. It's Your Day kit, Couture Cardstock medium weight white Copic blending cardstock, Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers (R81, R83, Y13, Y18), Ranger Inkssentials white pen, Cosmo Cricket DeLovely designer paper and yellow velvet scalloped trim, Sassafras Lass Delicious Feltie

other: Pink Pirouette cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Bubblegum Pink cardstock (Gina K Designs)

Some Clean and Simple Stuff

Here are my cards for the last two challenges in my “audition” for the SCS clean and simple challenge design team.

This card is for the challenge to make a card with a moving part. I made a suspension card—one of my favorite easy wow cards. In this card, a silver embossed star is front and center in the card’s round opening. I stamped a pair of stars in Versamark on brushed silver cardstock, sprinkled on embossing powder and (with Chloe the cutie puppy’s assistance) used my heat tool to emboss the images. The stars were punched out with a star punch so they’d be exactly the same size. The suspension mechanism is made using some clear fishing line.

The rest of the card is very simple. I hid the suspension mechanism under a navy panel. I stamped the “way to go” sentiment next to the opening in silver ink. I was going to stop there, but the card looked too clean and simple, so I added a strip of light blue ribbon running diagonally along the top left corner and dressed it up with a button-embellished bow.

Materials Used:
Star Prints stamp set, Spring Rain grosgrain ribbon, Enchanted Evening button, twine (Papertrey Ink); Bashful Blue, Not Quite Navy, and Brushed Silver cardstock, large star punch, silver embossing powder (Stampin’ Up!); Versamark (Tsukineko); silver ink (Encore); circle die (Nestabilities); clear fishing line

This one's for the challenge to make a card with a popped up element. I turned to my Mint Motif Very Square and Very Square Sentiments sets from i {heart} papers again for this one.

This time, the squares serve as brightly colored birthday gift boxes. I stamped 4 of the images on different shades of pink cardstock scraps with different inks, then I used punches to make the different sized squares. Each box is topped with a bow made from glimmer ribbons. Two same sized squares anchor the ends of the lineup. The gifts in the middle are both popped up on foam dots. I used a thicker dot for the smaller square to add interest. I inked up just part of one of the sentiments using the boldest shade of pink ink and stamped it underneath one of the presents.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Mint Motif Very Square and Very Square Sentiments stamp sets, Creative Impressions white, magenta, and pink glimmer ribbons, Bow Easy, Zva Creative 2 mm and 1 mm foam dots

other: Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, and Regal Rose Classic inks, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, and Pink Pirouette cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Bubblegum Pink cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tea Rose ink (Vivid); square punches (EK Success)


And, here's one final card for the challenges. This one's for the popped up element one again. I went for a more masculine look featuring a blue and green color scheme.


I paired a Hawaiian Shores card base with a piece of coordinating dotted paper and a bold green scalloped strip running across the card. I used a star die to cut a cork and a felt star. I layered the two and added a coordinating button for my own custom embellishment. The star's attached to the end of the paper strips with foam tape. A birthday sentiment from Verve's Big Wish set finishes off the card.


Materials Used:
Big Wish stamp set (Verve Stamps); Hawaiian Shores ink, Hawaiian Shores and New Leaf cardstock, Green Boutique patterned paper, Hawaiian Shores felt, medium scallop die, Simply Chartreuse button, twine (Papertrey Ink); cork (My Favorite Things); foam tape

Masculine Mint Motif

Happy Saturday! I’m looking forward to spending the long weekend relaxing at home. Chloe the cutie puppy and I are off once again to puppy kindergarten class. Hopefully she’ll be a better listener this week—LOL! She's had a tummy bug for the last few days, so maybe that will help tone down her (mis)behavior in class . . . Anyway, before I go, I thought I'd share a clean and simple masculine card made for this week's CAS-Tastic Wednesday "touch of green" challenge featuring images from the Mint Motif Very Square and Very Square Sentiments stamp sets available exclusively at i {heart} papers.

I stamped one of the square images 4 times on a dark blue panel using matching dark blue ink for a tone on tone look. I trimmed around the edges of this square and wrapped a piece of twill around the panel. To secure the twill, I wrapped a piece of jute rope around the edge and added a brown button as an embellishment.

The stamped panel is layered on a green kraft panel, then on a square kraft card base. I stamped the same patterned block image on a scrap of kraft cardstock in brown ink, stamped off once, then punched out a section of the image with a square punch. I stamped one of the sentiments over the patterned piece in blue ink. The sentiment is layered on a piece of green kraft cardstock, then attached to the card with foam dots.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Mint Motif Very Square and Very Square Sentiments stamp sets, Alexx Kesh jute natural rope, Zva Creative foam dots

other: Enchanted Evening ink, Enchanted Evening cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Kraft Like a Rockstar Green cardstock, Dish All the Dirt Brown button (Clear & Simple Stamps); Soft Suede ink, Kraft cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); twill (Martha Stewart)

You Rock

Here’s a quick masculine card created based on this week’s Mojo Monday sketch. I paired images from the You're My Hero set from Taylored Expressions with papers from Cosmo Cricket’s Joy Ride collection for this fun one.

I stamped the rocker image in two inks on a blue panel—first in a coordinating blue, then again in white ink, offset just a bit from the first image for a shadowed look. I stamped the matching sentiment just alongside the image panel in the same blue ink.

I cut two strips of Joy Ride paper for the panel behind the card. I picked papers that had very different patterns, but some of the same colors and design elements to pull them together. The seam between the two papers is covered with some shimmery silver ribbon. It has kind of a metallic sheen, so I thought it still passed as masculine . . . I used the same ribbon to make a ribbon tab to slip underneath the image. A tab accented with a trio of star brads is attached under the bottom edge of the panel. I layered the panel on a matching star embossed panel for a little texture, then attached it all to a yellow card base.

Materials Used:
You're My Hero stamp set (Taylored Expressions); Bermuda Bay Classic ink, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, and Basic Gray cardstock, modern label punch (Stampin’ Up!); Fresh Snow ink (Papertrey Ink); Joy Ride designer paper (Cosmo Cricket); ribbon (American Crafts); Stars embossing folder (Cuttlebug); star brads (Making Memories)

Blogger Challenge: Week 153

This week’s blogger challenge is a color challenge using red, white, and blue. I came up with a clean and simple—and quick—card using the challenge colors.

I stamped a trio of stars from Papertrey Ink’s Let Freedom Ring stamp set on a white panel. The set’s border image is stamped directly underneath the stars in red ink at the center of the panel. The “red, white & true blue friend” sentiment is stamped in navy blue ink just underneath the line and accented with a single silver brad. I matted the stamped panel on a navy panel, leaving a wide border around it, then layered the panels on a red card base. From start to finish, this was less than a 10 minute card—gotta love that!

For more projects using this color combination, you can check out what the rest of the challenge players have created. Links to their blogs are in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:
Let Freedom Ring stamp set (Papertrey Ink); Real Red and Not Quite Navy Classic inks, Real Red and Not Quite Navy cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); white cardstock (Xerox); silver brad (Making Memories)

Patterned Silhouette

I wanted to try something a little different with floral silhouette image from the Kind Deeds set from Clear & Simple Stamps. On this card, instead of stamping the solid image on plain cardstock, I tried stamping on patterned paper.

I purposely picked a very subtly patterned paper so that it wouldn’t distract too much from the image. The paper, from DCWV’s Linen Closet Matstack, has sort of a linen-looking pattern on it. I stamped the image in a slightly darker blue ink, then again just slightly offset in a white pigment ink. I was going for a shadowy look, but it really didn’t show much against the soft color of my patterned paper.

Since the image panel was quite large, I kept the rest of the card simple. The image panel is matted on a blue panel, then on a card base that matches the ink I used for the image. I stamped the “you are on my mind” sentiment in blue ink on a small strip and attached it to the cardfront, overlapping the image a bit. A small knotted ribbon piece at the end of the sentiment strip completes the card.

In other Clear & Simple Stamps news, CSS is participating in the Embellish Magazine blog hop that's going on now. Be sure to check out all the details on the CSS blog or on the Embellish Magazine blog.

Materials Used:
Kind Deeds stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Blue Bayou Classic ink, Blue Bayou and Baja Breeze cardstock, Blue Bayou stitched grosgrain ribbon (Stampin’ Up!); Fresh Snow ink (Papertrey Ink)

Krafty A+

Here’s my card for this week’s Our Craft Lounge sketch challenge. I went pretty simple with this one, using images from the School Notes set to pull it together.

I am loving the look of the new Kraft and Manila papers from Basic Grey's new Basics line. Here, I used a piece from the manila paper pack that had lines like notebook paper to make my own patterned paper. I stamped the set’s “abc123” border image repeatedly over the lined paper using a soft gray ink. The paper panel and matching mat are cut with a Nestabilities Labels 9 die. A piece of red twill is knotted around the fancy panel.

I used a little more of the BG Manila paper on the kraft card base to make a frame for the fancy panel. To help it stand out, I stitched around it with my sewing machine. Since I was battling Chloe the cutie puppy for the sewing machine power cord while trying to operate the machine, I didn't notice until after I was halfway down the first side that the stitching was wonky, so I just kept on going. After finishing the sewing (and safely stashing all cords out of puppy reach), I attached a circle stamped with the “A+” image and embellished with an apple, colored with Copic markers, as a decoration. The apple and the circle are layered on using some of the new Zva Creative foam dots that have just arrived at i {heart} papers. The dots come in two different thicknesses so you can vary the dimension on your projects—love that!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Our Craft Lounge School Notes stamp set, Memento Tuxedo Black and London Fog inks, medium weight Copic blending cardstock, Copic markers (R14, R17, E99, YG05), Basic Grey Basics Manila paper, Nestabilities circle, scalloped circle, and Labels 9 dies, Alexx Kesh red herringbone twill, Zva Creative foam dots

other: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, and Kraft cardstock (Stampin' Up!); sewing machine

Can You Dig It?

***Scroll down to the next post to see my card for this week's Color Throwdown.***

Here's my card for today's SCS sketch challenge. It was a pretty simple sketch, so I went for a funny, masculine card using images from the DoodleFactory Creatures II set from Starving Artistamps.

I stamped the Zed image on a white panel, leaving plenty of space at the bottom to accommodate the sketch's strip across the image panel and a sentiment, too. The image is colored with shades of blue-green Copic markers.

I used two different patterns from Cosmo Cricket's Joy Ride paper pack to cover the gray card base. I matted the image panel on two coordinating mats, then set it on the card. I ran a strip of dotted Crushed Curry grosgrain ribbon across the card, covering the seam between the two different papers and running right under the stamped image.

The coordinating "can you dig it?" sentiment is stamped in gray ink underneath the ribbon. I added a blue button as a simple embellishment to finish the card. Too funny! Don't forget that you can use the discount code savetenLT to save 10% on your Starving Artistamps and DoodleFactory stamp purchases at Starving Artistamps . . .

Materials Used:
DoodleFactory Creatures II stamp set (Starving Artistamps); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black and London Fog inks (Memento); markers (Copic); Crushed Curry cardstock, Crushed Curry dotted grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); Moonlit Fog cardstock (Gina K Designs); Hawaiian Shores button, twine (Papertrey Ink)

Chicken Girl Design Color Throwdown

i {heart} papers is the sponsor for this week's Color Throwdown challenge! This week's color combination is a tricky one: Tangerine Tango, So Saffron, Soft Sky, Old Olive, and Close to Cocoa. That's a lot of color for one card, but I think I managed to fit them all (or something close) in!

Here's my card featuring the Gator Greetings digi image from the May release. The card is based on Taylor's latest sketch challenge. I printed the gator image on white cardstock and colored it with Copic markers that coordinated pretty well with the challenge colors. To fit my image, I changed the shape of the image panel to an oval instead of a circle.

I found some tangerine-ish designer paper with a fun pattern in Cosmo Cricket’s Joy Ride collection. I layered that on a saffron mat, then on a tangerine square card base. A strip of light blue faux suede ribbon, cut with a fancy edge runs across the card. I layered the matted image over the top edge of the ribbon, then added a trio of coordinating buttons at the bottom right edge of the image to complete the card. So cute—a perfect birthday card for a little boy!

Be sure to stop by the Color Throwdown blog to see a list of other participating bloggers and to find out all of the challenge details.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Chicken Girl Design Gator Greetings digi image, medium weight Copic blending cardstock, Copic markers (E25, E27, YG91, YG93, YG95, YR02, YR07, YR16, Y21, B000), Nestabilities petite oval and petite scalloped oval dies, Cosmo Cricket Joy Ride designer paper and buttons, May Arts light blue faux suede ribbon

other: So Saffron and Tangerine Tango cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); twine (Papertrey Ink)

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop: Fun with Felt

The theme for this month’s Papertrey Ink blog hop is felt. It seems you’ll find felt just about everywhere in the crafting world these days. PTI’s felt is fabulous—great coordinating colors and nice weight and texture, too.

For my blog hop project, I whipped up a quick felt flower topped bookmark using PTI felt and dies. I started with the Beautiful Blooms II #1 flower die. I used all of the dies in the set to cut a total of 4 flowers (2 of the largest flower) from Raspberry Fizz and Hawaiian Shores felt. I layered three of the flowers (small, medium, large) and attached them with a glue made for fabrics to ensure that the layers would stay together. A Simply Chartreuse button is attached to the center for contrast.

I cut a length of Simply Chartreuse grosgrain ribbon to serve as the book marker. One end of the ribbon is glued to the leftover large Raspberry Fizz flower. Once the ribbon was in place, I put more glue on the flower (same side as the ribbon) and attached the stacked flower pieces to it. This sandwiches the ribbon's end between the two layers so it will stay secure through repeated uses. This is such a cute and quick project—great to include with a book or gift card to a favorite book store.

Materials Used:
Raspberry Fizz and Hawaiian Shores felt, Beautiful Blooms II #1 die collection, Simply Chartreuse grosgrain ribbon, Simply Chartreuse button, twine (Papertrey Ink); Fabric Fusion glue (Aleene's)

You're So Cool

Here’s my card for the final Viva la Verve sketch/inspiration challenge for May. This month’s inspiration room is crafting spaces. For this week’s challenge, the inspiration was to come from your own craft room. I was inspired by the bold colors in the new Cosmo Cricket DeLovely paper pack I had sitting on my table. I was going for a sort of masculine look, so I omitted the bright pinks, staying with blue, green, and yellow for this card.

I stamped the round flourish image from the Happy Days set in blue ink on a white panel and added the “you’re so cool” sentiment to the open space using green ink. The stamped image is matted on a matching blue circle.

I used a coordinating blue and green circle print paper for the large panel on the cardfront and since the pattern was kind of bold and busy, I added simple plain green and yellow cardstock strips across it. The green panel has a piece of yellow twill (more masculine than ribbon, right?) knotted around it, accented with some paper piercing. To keep things more masculine (and to accommodate the big size of the focal image), I omitted the floral accents under the round panel, but otherwise stuck to the sketch.

Materials Used:
Happy Days stamp set (Verve Stamps); Hawaiian Shores and Simply Chartreuse inks, Hawaiian Shores, New Leaf, and Lemon Tart cardstock, Green Boutique patterned paper, Lemon Tart twill (Papertrey Ink); Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); circle dies (Nestabilities)

Cute as a Button

Here’s a sewing-inspired card with no sewing for this week’s Hip Hop sketch challenge. I used both a sewing themed sentiment and sewing themed papers for this cute card.

The “cute as a button” sentiment from Unity’s April Stampin’ Store Kit, Stuck on You, is my focal image. It’s stamped in brown ink on a cream oval panel. I went with cream to match the tones of the colors in the Cosmo Cricket Material Girl papers I combined for the panels on the cardfront. I went with measuring tape and button patterned ones here on a kraft background. A piece of red silk ribbon is tied around the top of the card. I added a button at the center of the bow to match the sentiment. The button is closer in color to the ribbon and not as orange as it looks in the photo—I promise!

Just a quick Chloe the cutie puppy update from this afternoon--I took her to the vet for a shot and she weighed in at 28 pounds! The vet who runs the practice came out to the reception area while she was in the back getting her shot, looked at me, and asked, "Is that your crazy back there?" All I could do was nod my head. Maybe I'll have to start calling her Chloe the crazy puppy . . . How in the world did I manage to end up with not one but two crazies??

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Unity April Stampin’ Store Kit-- Stuck on You, Memento Rich Cocoa ink, Nestabilities petite oval dies, Cosmo Cricket Material Girl designer paper and Garden Variety button, Creative Impressions red silk ribbon

other: Riding Hood Red, Kraft, and Very Vanilla cardstock, corner rounder (Stampin’ Up!); copper brads (Making Memories)

Chill Out

Here's my card for this week's SCS clean and simple challenge to make a summer themed card. I went with just a tiny bit of stamping on this fresh colored card.

I used one of the adorable Sassafras Lass felties from the Delicious collection as my focal image. The orange felt popsicle has a great summer feel. I attached it to a white circle, matted with a Hawaiian Shores circle to make it pop.

The rest of the card is very simple. I stamped the "chill out" sentiment from the Summer set from Clear & Simple Stamps directly on the orange ribbon using CSS's black ink--my favorite ink for stamping on ribbon. A deeper orange strip with a scalloped edge is beneath the ribbon strip. I added a blue button with a cream twine bow to the end of the panel to finish the card.

Materials Used:
Summer stamp set, Perfect Little Black Dress ink (Clear & Simple Stamps); Aqua Mist, Orange Zest, and Hawaiian Shores cardstock, Summer Sunrise grosgrain ribbon, Hawaiian Shores button, twine (Papertrey Ink); Whisper White cardstock, scallop edge punch (Stampin' Up!); Delicious felties (Sassafras Lass)

You're a Natural

Here's my card for today's SCS featured stamper. I based it on this earth toned birthday card. For my version I kept a turtle as the focal image and used the same color scheme (even the same designer paper line!), but changed the orientation of the card to fit my larger image.

I used a different turtle stamp for the focal image. Mine's from Unity's May Stampin' Store Kit, Naturally You. I stamped the image in brown ink and colored it with Copic markers. The turtle's shell is coated with some Glossy Accents for a glazed look. The "you're a natural" sentiment is stamped underneath the image with the help of my Stamp-a-ma-jig. I layered the image on a kraft scalloped rectangle, matching the card base.

Like the original card, I paired two papers from Basic Grey's Origins line for the cardfront. The green floral paper has a scalloped edge for interest. I wrapped a piece of dark brown crepe ribbon around the green paper and added a Bow Easy-made bow at the bottom.

I'm planning to spend my evening in front of the TV, watching the final episode of Lost. Hopefully Chloe the cutie puppy will be cooperative after we take a long walk to get ready . . . I got her to wear a cute bandanna today, so I'll try to snap a picture of her all decked out before she notices it's on and manages to chew it off.

Materials Used:

from i {heart} papers: Unity Stamp Co. May Stampin' Store Kit--Naturally You, medium weight Copic blending cardstock, Memento Rich Cocoa ink, Copic markers (G20, G21, G24, G28, E35, Y11, Y13, Y18), Ranger Glossy Accents, Basic Grey Origins designer paper, Creative Impressions brown crepe ribbon, Bow Easy, Nestabilities rectangle and scalloped rectangle dies

other: Kraft cardstock, scalloped edge punch (Stampin' Up!)

Think Big

I made this card combining Mercy’s latest sketch challenge and Julee’s Ready, Set, Stamp challenge to use Verve’s Up, Up & Away stamp set. It would be perfect to congratulate a new graduate on their fabulous achievement.

I started by stamping the set’s cloud and round balloon images on a circle panel. I dressed up the cloud with some sparkly glitter and paper pieced the balloon with some sparkly striped paper. The sky background is sponged in with a bit of blue ink—Chloe the cutie puppy was asleep at my feet while I was working on the card, otherwise I would have pulled out my air compressor and Copic markers for the background. No way was I waking a soundly sleeping puppy!

I paired the image with a combination of patterned papers from DCWV’s Citrus Matstack in greens, blues, and oranges. It’s a fresh, summery combination. The sentiment is stamped in black on one of the patterned panels. It’s kind of lost in the pattern, but I was out of time (meaning Chloe had woken up) once I’d stamped it, so it stayed. Instead of using a scalloped strip as an embellishment, I wrapped a piece of grosgrain ribbon around the panel underneath the image and secured it with a piece of twine and a button as a fun twist.

I meant to write a little puppy kindergarten update after yesterday's class, but forgot. We're halfway through the class and I'm realizing that Chloe the cutie puppy is a real training challenge. During the class, everyone took a turn at putting their puppy on a very long lead, letting them walk in the opposite direction, then calling them back and having them return. Chloe totally and completely bombed this task. First, she lay down and wrapped herself in the lead and was totally tangled up, showing no interest in walking. Once I disengaged her paws and teeth from the lead, she was off--and didn't want to come back. Everyone else's dog responded when called, but not mine. She was happy to wander off through the place. She is one strong-willed little bugger! The trainer has realized that she's pretty high energy and tried to reassure me that some dogs are just very high energy (like mine) and that you don't want to break their spirit (which I don't want to do), but I want her to be well-behaved. I bought my own long lead at the end of class and plan to practice with her during the week in the grassy area behind my house. Hopefully, we'll see an improvement soon . . .

Materials Used:
Up, Up & Away and Great Expectations stamp sets (Verve Stamps); white cardstock (Xerox), Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Spring Moss cardstock, Spring Moss grosgrain ribbon, Orange Zest button, twine (Papertrey Ink); Bashful Blue Classic ink, Pumpkin Pie and Tempting Turquoise cardstock, Dazzling Diamonds (Stampin’ Up!); Citrus Matstack designer paper (DCWV); circle and scalloped circle dies (Nestabilities); foam tape

Birthday Girl

Here's my entry for the first round in the SCS clean and simple challenge design team search. This will be my third time "auditioning" for the team, so I figure either the third time's the charm, or three strikes and you're out. We'll see how things go . . .

The theme for this term's auditions is a great summer one--amusement parks. This challenge was to make a clean and simple card that uses a person (or group of people) as the focal image and includes a bold, flashy ribbon as a nod to the mix of colors, patterns, and textures seen in an amusement park. An additional suggestion was to add some texture--all while keeping things clean and simple!

I used the girl from the Pure Innocence My Balloon set from My Favorite Things as my focal image. She's colored with Copic markers and glittered up a bit with some pink Stickles on the heart on her dress and on the barrette in her hair. I added in a Copic-colored patch of grass underneath her and a sponged in sky behind her.

The image has only half of a balloon, so to get a full one, I stamped the half image twice on a scrap paper in opposite directions with a little space between them, then connected the ends with a black pen. I colored the now full balloon image, cut it out, and attached it to the image, extending beyond the panel.

The rest of the card is simple. I edged a strip of Melon Mambo cardstock with some textured, multi-colored pink ribbon. I ran a line of tape from my ATG along the edge of the paper and mashed the ribbon along it to get the ruffle-y look. The cardfront is textured using a new impression plate from Papertrey Ink. The texture shows up nicely, but didn't interfere with my stamping the sentiment directly on the cardfront, right underneath the image.

Materials Used:
My Balloon stamp set (My Favorite Things); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Cool Caribbean Classic ink, Pink Pirouette and Melon Mambo cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Sunshine impression plate (Papertrey Ink); ribbon (May Arts); foam tape

Summery Stuff

The theme for this month’s Paper Craft Planet design team gallery is summer. You can view the gallery album here. I have two fun, summery cards I made for the album to share this morning.

The first one is for this week’s Mojo Monday sketch challenge. I paired images from Unity’s Margarita Moments kit with some citrus-y colored papers for this one. I started by stamping the sentiment on a Spring Moss panel using black ink. The pineapple and lime are colored in with Copic markers. For the fancy edged panel extending out from underneath the sentiment, I cut some sparkly citrus patterned paper from my stash using a Nestabilities Labels 9 die.

The rest of the card is pretty simple. The sentiment is layered on a trio of coordinating papers with a ribbon around them. I added a button embellished bow to complete the card.

Materials Used:
Margarita Moments kit (Unity Stamp Co.); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Ripe Avocado, Summer Sunrise, and Spring Moss cardstock, Pretty Pastels patterned paper, Summer Sunrise grosgrain ribbon, Simply Chartreuse button, twine (Papertrey Ink); Citrus Mix designer paper (KI Memories); Labels 9 die (Nestabilities)

The second card is a cute little thank you card, made for this week’s CAS-tastic Wednesday challenge to make a one layer card. I made the watermelon image from the Summer set from Clear & Simple Stamps the focal image on the square card. The melon is colored in bright shades to really pop against the white background. I stamped the sentiment in a combination of black and bright pink ink (for the word “melon”) for fun.

I added just a few details to add interest to the simple card. A strip of coordinating dotted organdy ribbon with a matching bow runs along the top of the card. I’ve had this ribbon for a long time and this was the perfect card to use it on! I also added a little paper piercing from the edge of the card up to the sentiment.

Chloe the cutie puppy and I are off to another puppy kindergarten session this morning. I’ll post another project later today while she’s recovering from all the hard work and excitement of her class . . .

Materials Used:
Summer stamp set, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (Clear & Simple Stamps); Melon Mambo Classic ink (Stampin’ Up!); ribbon (May Arts)

Stella-riffic Friday

Here’s my card for this week’s Bellarific Friday from Stamping Bella. This week’s challenge was a sketch. I changed it from a square to a standard A2 size for this fun birthday card.

I picked Stella Needs a Prezzie for my focal image. The image is colored with Copic markers and glittered up a bit with some Stickles. I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to get the “happy birthday” sentiment to fit on a half circle panel that I slid underneath the image panel.

For more sparkle, I used some glittery paper from a My Mind’s Eye stack for the panel behind the image. A piece of pink ribbon runs across the cardfront, underneath the image panel. I added a matching bow to dress it up. Three pink Bella Dots are underneath the bow. They match the card base so well they almost get lost—LOL!

Materials Used:
Stella Needs a Prezzie image and sentiment, pink Bella Dots (Stamping Bella); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Pink Pirouette and Kiwi Kiss cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); designer paper (My Mind’s Eye); circle punches (EK Success); pink grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); Yellow Stickles (Ranger)

Blogger Challenge: Week 152

This week's blogger challenge is a sketch. At first I had a hard time figuring out how to put my card together based on the sketch, but once I gave myself permission to switch things up just a tiny bit, it worked out pretty well.

I started with a pair of the silhouette images from Papertrey Ink's Life set. The images are stamped in the new Simply Chartreuse ink on a Spring Moss panel. I added a sentiment from the Fillable Frames #4 set in contrasting brown ink at the top of the panel.

I used earthy colors for the rest of the card. The image panel and the kraft panels are matted on Ripe Avocado strips and everything is layered on a green dotted patterned paper, then on a matching Ripe Avocado card base. I machine stitched along the panel at the left edge of the card to add interest, then arranged a trio of copper brads at the bottom of the kraft panel on the right side of the card. When I put them at the top, as shown in the sketch, the card looked unbalanced to me. Once I made the adjustment, it seemed to work right.

For more projects using this sketch, you can check out what the rest of the challenge players have created. Links to their blogs are in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:
Life and Fillable Frames #4 stamp sets, Simply Chartreuse and Dark Chocolate inks, Ripe Avocado and Spring Moss cardstock, Pretty Pastels patterned paper (Papertrey Ink); Kraft cardstock (Stampin' Up!); copper brads (Making Memories); sewing machine

Spotty Shoe

Here’s my card for the latest Viva la Verve sketch/inspiration challenge. This month’s inspiration room is crafting spaces. I was inspired by a photo featuring different swatches of fabrics and threads. I pulled a bit from the colors and a bit from the patterns to come up with this card.

I added some texture to the background by embossing a red panel with a polka dot embossing folder. To match the dotted detail, I stamped the fancy shoe image from Verve’s Express Yourself set in black ink on a scrap of melon cardstock. I carefully cut the shoe out and attached it to a cream panel using foam tape. The “you’re so cool” sentiment from Verve’s Celebrating You set runs underneath the shoe, like the shoe’s sitting on it. I added a button to the end of the sentiment panel for balance and interest.

Materials Used:
Express Yourself and Celebrating You stamp sets (Verve Stamps); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); Riding Hood Red and River Rock cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Melon Berry cardstock, Melon Berry satin ribbon, Melon Berry button, twine (Papertrey Ink); Polka Dot embossing folder (QuicKutz); foam tape

School Notes Trio

Here’s my card for this week’s Our Craft Lounge sketch challenge. I used my new School Notes set again for this one.

I stamped three of the school-related images on a Nestabilities Labels 9 panel. I did a bit of masking using Eclipse tape to get the arrangement I wanted. The images are colored with Copic markers. I stamped and colored the apple a second time, then cut it out and added it to the scene with some foam tape. The panel is matted on a larger Labels 9 panel.

I used the argyle patterned paper from October Afternoon’s Report Card collection to cover most of the cardfront. A strip of solid gray cardstock runs across the card. I dressed it up a bit with a strip of silvery satin ribbon, then layered the stamped image panel on the card using foam tape. I didn’t really have room for a sentiment on the outside, so I’ll add something on the inside. Maybe I’ll take this one with me the next time I visit my best friend’s little boy’s kindergarten classroom or maybe I’ll save it to give to him at the end of the school year as a congratulations for finishing kindergarten card . . .

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Our Craft Lounge School Notes stamp set, Memento Tuxedo Black ink, medium weight Copic blending cardstock, Eclipse tape, Copic markers (R14, R17, BG10, BG11, BG13, E99, C-1, C-3, C-5, E51, E53, Y21), Nestabilities Labels 9 dies, October Afternoon Report Card designer paper, May Arts reversible silver/black satin ribbon

other: Kiwi Kiss and Basic Gray cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); foam tape

Best Medicine

I have time for just a quick post tonight. Chloe the cutie puppy is being super-ornery tonight, making both stamping and typing near impossible. So, here's my card for today's SCS sketch challenge. It's a bright get well card featuring one of the Pure Innocence cuties from My Favorite Things.

I colored the nurse image with Copic markers, coloring thedress red for a cheery look. Once I'd finished coloring the image, I found some patterned papers from DCWV's Citrus matstack to use for the panels on the rest of the card. I used the mostly red piece to cover the cardfront and a striped piece for the accent panel slipped under the edge of the image. Everything's matted on yellow panels for some extra pop.

The sentiment is stamped on a rectangle panel instead of an oval (quicker than fooling around with cutting layers using Nestabilities given my puppy issues tonight). I layered it on the card using foam tape and added a red button embellished bow as an accent.

Materials Used:

Pure Innocence Best Medicine stamp set (My Favorite Things); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions) ; Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Yoyo Yellow cardstock, Real Red grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); Citrus matstack designer paper (DCWV); foam tape

Be You

Here’s my card for this week’s Hip Hop sketch challenge. I just got my Unity May Stampin’ Store Kit from i {heart} papers, so I inked it up for this pretty card.

I used one of the sentiments from the Naturally You half of the kit as the focal image. The words are stamped in Rich Razzleberry ink on a white Nestabilities Labels 9 die cut. I highlighted the word “you” with shimmery chalks for emphasis and to add a little more color. The die cut is layered on another die cut that’s slightly larger. The next size die was bigger than I wanted, so I traced the die that I used to make the sentiment panel on some pink cardstock and carefully cut it out, giving me a mat just a tiny bit larger than the sentiment panel.

I arranged some Basic Grey Green at Heart designer paper for the panels on the cardfront along with a coordinating solid pink panel. I used a decorative border punch along the edge of the solid panel to dress it up a bit. The green panel is machine stitched in place. Once all of the pieces were in place, I added a piece of crystal flourish to the cardfront, then layered the sentiment panel on with some foam tape. A piece of olive green crepe ribbon with a button-embellished bow completes the card.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Unity Stamp Co. May Stampin’ Store Kit-Naturally You, Nestabilities Labels 9 die, Basic Grey Green at Heart designer paper and Kioshi button, Zva Creative clear crystal flourish, Creative Impressions olive crepe ribbon

other: Rich Razzleberry Classic ink, Rich Razzleberry and Melon Mambo cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); shimmery chalks (pebbles inc); Deco Scallop border punch (EK Success); sewing machine; foam tape

IHP DT Challenge: CASE-ing Kim

For this month’s i {heart} papers DT challenge, we’re celebrating the addition of the Mint Motif collection to the IHP lineup by CASE-ing one of Mint Motif designer Kimberly Crawford’s fabulous creations. I based my card on Kim’s sweet card seen here. I was drawn to the frame element and wanted to duplicate that on my own card.

I started by stamping the cloud stamp from the Mint Motif Very Square stamp set in blue ink on white cardstock. The image is stamped a few times, close together, to form a sort of solid background. This formed the background for my frame. I used oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities to cut a pink scalloped oval frame. After adding grass made with a border punch to the bottom of the frame, I attached it to the stamped sky panel using foam tape. I stamped the bunny image from the Chicken Girl Design Birthday Wishes stamp set on white cardstock and colored it with Copic markers, then carefully cut it out. The bunny’s cute little cottontail is embellished with some Sugar Sparkly Fluff.

I kept the rest of the card simple to keep the framed image front and center. The cardfront is covered with a panel of striped paper from October Afternoon’s Thrift Shop collection. I’d originally planned to add the sentiment to the cloud panel and the bow to the top of the frame like Kim did in her original card, but it just didn’t fit as well on mine, so I made some adjustments. The coordinating “hoppy birthday” sentiment is stamped in black ink on a green strip and a satin bow, made with my Bow Easy, is attached to the end of the panel to dress it up a bit. I used some foam tape to put it in place.

Be sure to stop by the rest of the IHP DT to see how they were inspired by the talented Kimberly Crawford. Here’s where to find them:

• Carolyn


• Cathleen


• Deb


• Gretchen


• Kendra


• Loretta


• Lori --(you're here)


• Lynn


• Megan


• Tracy


• Kate

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Mint Motif Very Square stamp set, Chicken Girl Design Birthday Wishes stamp set, Memento Tuxedo Black ink, medium weight Copic blending cardstock, Copic markers (E31, E33, E35, R21),Nestabilities oval and scalloped oval dies, Our Craft Lounge Sugar Sparkly Fluff, October Afternoon Thrift Shop designer paper, May Arts reversible pink/celery satin ribbon, Bow Easy

other: Certainly Celery and Pink Pirouette cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); grass border punch (Martha Stewart); foam tape

Happy Birthday Wild Thing

It’s my birthday today! I've so appreciated everyone's warm wishes through emails, cards, and Facebook. To mark the occasion I thought that it would be appropriate to share a birthday card tonight. I made this cute one for this week’s My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club challenge to alter your embellishments.

I thought this dinosaur was just the cutest thing! I’m always looking for great little boy appropriate images, so I couldn’t resist this one. I colored the image with Copic markers and dabbed at the dino skin using a rag dampened with colorless blending solution to get the textured look.

The rest of the card is pretty simple. I attached a strip of striped paper to the left side of a rust card base. The edge of the paper is covered with a twill strip. The twill was originally a lighter moss shade. I colored it with a Copic marker to make it a darker green that was a better match for my dino card. Two of the set’s sentiments are stamped around the edge of the image panel, sort of framing it. I added a pair of copper brads to fill in the empty space. It's cute, but still boyish enough for a little boy.

Materials Used:
Little Loveosaurus stamp set (My Favorite Things); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Dusty Durango and Old Olive cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Addison designer paper (SEI); copper brads (Making Memories); moss twill tape (Martha Stewart)

Shabby Chic Kind Deeds

Here's my card for this week's clean and simple challenge on SCS. This week's theme was shabby chic--a little out of my comfort zone, but I gave it my best try.

I started with a sort of vintage looking patterned paper from October Afternoon's Thrift Shop line. I sponged the edges with Creamy Caramel ink to give it a softer, aged look, then distressed the edges with my fingernail before layering it on a kraft panel and a coordinating aqua card base.

I kept the layout simple, setting a matching distressed kraft band across the cardfront and layering on a cream panel with caramel-sponged edges. I used the Label 1 die from Clear & Simple Stamps for the image panel. I cut the larger label from aqua cardstock and the smaller one from cream. I stamped the coordinating frame image from the Cup of Cocoa set on the cream label in aqua ink, then added the "thank you " sentiment from the Kind Deeds set in brown ink. I pleated some matching ribbon to set on either side of the label die. A pair of coordinating buttons at the ends of the ribbon completed the card.

Materials Used:
Cup of Cocoa and Kind Deeds stamp sets, Kraft Like a Rockstar and On the Catwalk Cream cardstock, CSS Label 1 die, Simply Blue-tiful buttons (Clear & Simple Stamps); Creamy Caramel and Soft Suede Classic ink (Stampin' Up!); Aqua Mist ink, Aqua Mist cardstock, Aqua Mist grosgrain ribbon, twine (Papertrey Ink); Thrift Shop designer paper (October Afternoon); foam tape

Krafty Kind Deeds

How exciting to see my fellow i {heart} papers design team member Cathleen selected as this week's featured stamper on SCS! I spent a little time cruising her gallery before selecting this pretty card to put my own spin on.

I replaced the image Cathleen used with the floral silhouette image from the Kind Deeds set from Clear & Simple Stamps. This set is this month's stamp of the month--be sure to use the code CSS0510 for a $1 discount on the set through the end of May. I stamped the image in CSS's Kraft Like a Rockstar Green ink on Kraft Ivory cardstock, one of the 6 varieties of papers included in the Kraft Like a Rockstar Designer mix.

The bottom of the panel is punched with the Moroccan Lace border punch. A strip of coordinating Kraft Like a Rockstar Green is attached behind the punched section. I did a row of paper piercing at the bottom for some added interest. A piece of matching Kraft Like a Rockstar Green satin ribbon runs across the card, with a pretty bow at the center. The CSS satin ribbon is double-faced, so it's perfect for making bows.

Materials Used:

Kind Deeds stamp set, Kraft Like a Rockstar Green ink, Kraft Like a Rockstar Designer Mix (Kraft Ivory), Kraft Like a Rockstar Green cardstock, Kraft Like a Rockstar Green satin ribbon (Clear & Simple Stamps); Moroccan Lace border punch (EK Success)

Let's Hang Out

Here's my summery card for this week's Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge. This week's sketch is provided by Jessica--I always love her sketches!

I used the new Hangin' Out stamp set from Taylored Expressions for my focal image. This set was concepted by another super-talented--and sweet--Paper Craft Planet Super Nova, Sankari, so I couldn't resist adding it to my collection. I stamped the clothesline posts on the ends of my image panel, then used a piece of twine to connect the posts. In case you want to try this, a Quickie Glue Pen worked well to tack the twine in place.

To ground the clothesline, I stamped the Cloudy Days background stamp over the entire panel in blue ink. I used a border punch to make the grass for the bottom of the panel. The set's cute dress image is paper pieced in a bright, striped pattern from the DCWV Citrus Matstack and added to the little scene with foam tape. The "let's hang out" sentiment fit nicely on the grass strip.

I used two more patterns from the Citrus Matstack on the rest of the card. The orange panel has a coordinating scalloped edge slipped underneath it along with some Gold Pearl Liquid Pearl dots--one of Sankari's go-to embellishments, so I had to include it here. An orange button with a twine bow finished off the card.

If you play along with this week's sketch, be sure to upload it to the PCP gallery using the keyword sk051510 so it can be added to the gallery with the rest of the creations using the sketch.

Materials Used:
Hangin' Out stamp set, Cloudy Days background stamp, white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Bashful Blue Classic ink, Barely Banana, Pumpkin Pie, and Certainly Celery cardstock, corner rounder, scallop edge punch (Stampin' Up!); designer paper (DCWV-Citrus Matstack); Orange Zest button, twine (Papertrey Ink); Gold Pearl Liquid Pearls (Ranger); grass border punch (Martha Stewart); foam tape

Let's Party With Chicken Girl Design

This week’s 3D Tuesday challenge at Paper Craft Planet was to make a shadow box card. These are fun and easy to make. I love how these cards fold down flat to fit in a standard A2 envelope. If you’ve never tried to make one before, Tammy’s posted a step by step photo tutorial here.

My shadow box features one of the new releases from Chicken Girl Design, available as a digi image from i {heart} papers. I printed the Kitty Cake image on medium weight Copic blending cardstock and colored the image with Copic markers, using mostly bold, bright shades. I added a bit of Stickles to the candle flame for some sparkle, too.

The shadow box part is made from red cardstock and assembled using i {stick} papers redline tape. I embossed the front with a polka dot embossing folder to add interest. The window opening is cut with a Nestabilities circle die and framed with a blue big scallop circle. For the sentiment, I stamped “let’s party” from the Chicken Girl Design Birthday Wishes clear stamp set (still available at IHP while supplies last) in black ink on a circle panel. The sentiment panel is embellished with a red herringbone twill ribbon and attached to the front of the shadow box.

If you have a chance to play along, upload your shadow box card to the PCP gallery with the keyword 3d61 so that it can be added to the album with the rest of this week’s creations.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Chicken Girl Design Kitty Cake digi image and Birthday Wishes stamp set, medium weight Copic blending cardstock, Copic markers (R14, R17, R21, Y11, Y13, Y17, Y36, Y38, B0000, B21, B24, B34, E35, C-1, C-3, C-5), Ranger Yellow Stickles, QuicKutz Polka Dots embossing folder, Nestabilities circle and big scallop circle dies, Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Alexx Kesh red herringbone twill, i {stick} papers redline tape

other: Real Red and Ballet Blue cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); circle punches (EK Success)