You're My Hero

Here's my card for this week's sketch from Retro Sketches.  I used the sketch to make a super hero inspired simple, graphic design.

The ray background was created with a stencil and shiny silver embossing paste applied to a black cardstock panel.  While the embossing paste dried, I die cut a pair of bursts from red cardstock using the Bursts dies from Clear and Simple Stamps.  I stamped the "you're my hero" sentiment from the coordinating Comic Bursts stamp set in black ink on the smaller burst, then used foam tape to layer the bursts and adhere them to the black panel.  I matted the finished panel on silver cardstock, then adhered it to a red card base.

Materials Used:
Comic Bursts stamp set, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, Rouge Ruffles and Perfect Little Black Dress cardstock, Bursts dies (Clear and Simple Stamps); metallic silver embossing paste (Dreamweaver); Sun Ray stencil (My Favorite Things); foam tape

Thanks Chickie

Here's my card for the current Waltzingmouse Fanatics challenge.  I combined the beachy color scheme with this week's sketch from The Paper Players to make a thank you card.

I used a pair of feathers in place of the large oval image at the left side of the sketch.  The feathers were stamped with pigment inks, then die cut with the matching shaped die.  I arranged them on a dotted patterned paper panel along with a trio of fishtail flag strips.  The "thanks chickie" sentiment was stamped on the aqua strip using brown pigment ink.  I matted the finished panel on kraft cardstock, then adhered it to an aqua card base.  A trio of minty sequins from Pretty Pink Posh arranged around the card finished the design.

Materials Used:
Funky Feathers stamp set, Funky Feathers dies (Waltzingmouse Stamps); Memento Luxe Morocco, Toffee Crunch, and Rich Cocoa inks (Tsukineko); Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); Die-namics Fishtail Flag Stax and Fishtail Flag Layers Stax dies (My Favorite Things); Now and Then-Dorothy 6x6 paper pad (My Mind's Eye); Fresh Mint sequins (Pretty Pink Posh); foam tape

Color Throwdown 303-Hello

 

It’s time for another Color Throwdown! Broni is our hostess this week and she’s chosen this yummy summery color palette inspired by refreshing watermelon popsicles—Cool Caribbean, Garden Green, Lucky Limeade, and Poppy Parade. I combined the colors with the current AEI♥U die cutting challenge to make this simple floral design.

My flowers are simply circles cut from Poppy Parade cardstock. To give them texture, I crumpled them up, then flattened them back out again before applying some irRESISTible texture spray to them.  When the spray dried, it gave the flowers a shiny, dewy look. 

Each flower was topped with a black circle center.  I adhered them to a blue card base along with a trio of die cut leaves cut with Avery Elle's Modern Leaves dies.  The "hello" sentiment from the Oh Yeah set was stamped next to the flowers in green ink.  I added a trio of black enamel dots around the flowers, then matted the panel on a matching black mat before adhering it to a white 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. Just be sure that the challenge colors are the dominant ones in your project. And, if you upload your project to an online gallery, use the keyword CTD303.

Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team, our July guestie, Diane Jaquay, and this week’s guest star stamper, Sarah Stone.

** Barbara ** Broni ** Cindy ** Joan **

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

** June guestie Diane Jaquay **

** Guest Star Stamper Sarah Stone **

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Oh Yeah stamp set, Celery ink, and Modern Leaves dies; Studio Calico black enamel dots; Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Cool Caribbean, Kiwi Kiss, Poppy Parade, and Basic Black cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Lady Bug IrRESISTible texture spray (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko)

Make a Wish

Here's my card for July's last Viva la Verve sketch.  I used Verve's Birthday Bash stamp set to make a fun birthday card.

This sketch has a lot of layers, so it took me a while to find a combination of papers that worked for the sketch. I ended up using three different papers from a Fancy Pants paper pad.  The patterns are broken up a bit by the large round pale gray cardstock panel that's between two of the layers. 

The top layer is the image panel--the pair of balloons from the Birthday Bash set, colored with Copic markers.  I stamped the set's "make a wish" sentiment next to the balloons and after matting it on red cardstock, I adhered it to the cardfront.  It's accented with a trio of light blue enamel dots to give the card a little dimension.

Materials Used:
Birthday Bash stamp set (Verve Stamps); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Grout Gray cardstock (My Favorite Things); The Good Life 6x6 paper pad (Fancy Pants); circle die (Spellbinders); enamel dots (Eyelet Outlet)

I Wheelie Love You

Here's my second card for the current sketch at Seize the Sketch.  I used stamps and dies from The Cat's Pajamas to put together a simple scene.

The background for the scene is a piece of blue on blue striped patterned paper with a strip of gray "road" along the bottom.  The road was cut with TCP's CutUps Holiday Toppers die.  The die's meant to make a snowbank on a wintery scene, but I use it a lot to make roads.  I used the cloud die from the CutUps Talk to Me set to cut a pair of white felt clouds to fill in the top of the panel.  A yellow sun with a softly scalloped edge was tucked underneath the layered clouds. 

I matted the panel on darker blue paper, then adhered it to a light blue panel.  After adding a strip of green cardstock along the bottom beneath the road, I added the image from the Besties set on top using foam tape.  The image was stamped on a matching shape cut with a free Cutables file, then colored with Copic markers.  I stamped the "I wheelie love you" sentiment from the Wheel Love set at the bottom of the card.  I meant to add a heart between the two penguins to go with the sentiment, but I forgot to do that before I took the photo of the card!

Be sure to stop by The Cat's Pajamas to take advantage of the big summer sale.  Everything in the store is 25% off through July 31 (in stock items only).  Happy shopping!

Materials Used:
Besties and Wheel Love stamp sets, Cutables Besties cut file, CutUps Talk to Me and Holiday Toppers dies (The Cat's Pajamas); Versafine Onyx Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Brocade Blue and Bashful Blue cardstock (Stampin' Up!); New Leaf and Lemon Tart cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Steel Grey cardstock (My Favorite Things); Dots and Stripes-Raspberry Large Dots designer paper (Echo Park); scalloped circle punch (Martha Stewart); white felt; foam tape

You Are My Whirl

Here's my card for the current sketch at CAS(e) this Sketch.  I pulled out my Playful Pinwheels set from Waltzingmouse Stamps for this simple and sweet design.

I stamped the pinwheel outline on white cardstock, then filled in the outline using the matching stamps with blue and green inks.  The pinwheel was adhered near the top of an aqua card base using foam tape.

I represented the vertical line along the left side of the sketch with a large clear crystal flourish.  I cut the flourish apart and tucked one end of each of the pieces underneath the pinwheel.  I'm hoping the flourish helps to give the card a feeling of movement.  To match the sparkly flourish, I added a large clear crystal to the center of the pinwheel.  I stamped the set's "you are the whirl" sentiment at the bottom of the card in blue ink to finish the design.

Materials Used:
Playful Pinwheels stamp set (Waltzingmouse Stamps); Aquamarine and Lemon Grass inks (Avery Elle); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); clear crystal flourish (Want2Scrap); foam tape

The Challenge 11-Something Wonderful

After a short summer hiatus, The Challenge is back!  The new challenge has a sketch and a color combination.  You can choose to use both together, or just the one to play along.

I combined the sketch and colors on this card using stamps from Reverse Confetti's Paper Crane stamp set.  I love the sentiments in this set!  I stamped one of them in dark, dark brown ink on a cream circle, then added a line of triangle images beneath the text in rust colored ink.  The circle was matted on a contrasting Early Espresso panel.

The circle is adhered to a rust card base that I covered with a pair of patterned paper panels.  Once it was in place, I added a pair of banner strips to the bottom.  I accented it with the set's paper crane image, stamped in brown ink on some Crisp Cantaloupe-like cardstock, and a trio of olive green enamel dots.

Don't miss what the rest of the team has created for this week's challenge.  Here's where to find them:

Lesley Croghan, challenge owner/creator
Jeanne Jachna
Kimberly Wiener

Materials Used:
Paper Crane stamp set, Confetti Cuts Tag Me dies (Reverse Confetti); Memento Espresso Truffle and Potter's Clay inks (Tsukineko); Really Rust, Old Olive, and Early Espresso cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Melon Berry cardstock, medium scallop die (Papertrey Ink); Indie Chic-Citron and Stella and Rose-Mabel 6x6 paper pads (My Mind's Eye); circle die (Spellbinders); Pierced Circle Stax die (My Favorite Things); olive enamel dots (The Eyelet Outlet); foam tape

Hello There

Here's a fun, cheery design based on the current Deconstructed Sketch.  I haven't used my WPlus9 Hand Lettered Hello set in a while and the pretty lettering made a perfect focal image on this layout.

I designed the card around this pretty floral patterned paper from a Chickaniddy Crafts paper pad.  The patterned paper panel was adhered to a pale gray card base, then topped with a coordinating golden yellow half circle.  

It took a little creative die cutting to get a white double ended banner strip.  I stamped the "hello there" sentiment on the strip in orange ink, then placed it at the bottom of the half circle panel. I tucked a pair of smaller fishtail flag strips underneath the sentiment panel, then added a few white enamel dots as a fun accent.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  WPlus9 Hand Lettered Hello stamp set, Avery Elle Fizz ink, Chickaniddy Crafts Date Night 6x6 paper pad, Doodlebug Designs Lily White Sprinkles enamel dots

other:  Grout Gray cardstock, Fishtail Flag Stax dies (My Favorite Things); Harvest Gold and Summer Sunrise cardstock (Papertrey Ink)

Paper Smooches SPARKS-Waving Hello

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! ***

This week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a Designer Draft challenge.  I used the sketch to put together this nautical themed design that's perfect for summertime.

I turned the sketch's long rectangular panel into a watery scene.  For the background, I die cut a strip of dark blue paper with one of the Borders 2 dies to look like waves, then adhered it to a chevron patterned paper panel.  The scene is topped with the sailboat image from the Wicked Nauticool stamp set.  I colored the image with Copic markers, then used the matching Nauticool die to cut it out.  A white cloud, die cut with the cloud from the Spectrum Icons set rounded out the scene.

I adhered the scene to a kraft card base with a strip of red cardstock along the bottom.  The "waving hello" sentiment was stamped beneath the tilted panel in black ink.

Don’t miss what the rest of the SPARKS team has created this week. Here’s where to find them:

Katie
Larissa
Lori--you're here!
Lynn
Savannah

Materials Used:
Wicked Nauticool stamp set, Nauticool, Borders 2, and Spectrum Icons dies (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Real Red and Pacific Point cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); Time for Spring paper pad (Fancy Pants); white felt; foam tape

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 229-A Boat Load of Fun

It’s time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge!  This week's sketch calls for something a little different--a square card.

I've collected a ton of wood veneer pieces, so I decided I'd put one to use on my card.  After settling on the sailboat shaped piece, I pulled out a coordinating nautical themed stamp set from Clear and Simple Stamps to go with it.  I used CSS's Pinking Border die to cut a wavy strip from dark blue cardstock.  It's stamped with the "we're going to have a boat load of fun" sentiment from the Seaside Sentiments 2 set in darker navy ink.  The wood veneer piece was adhered to the left side of the stamped strip. 

I layered the stamped strip on a red dot embossed panel over half of a light blue circle.  The red panel was adhered to a 4 1/4" square kraft card base.  I added a few navy blue enamel dots to the cardfront  for a fun accent.

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--taking the week off
Jackie Pedro
Jenny Peterson
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Karen Motz
Lisa Henke
Lynn Put
Sarah-Jane Kalé
Tracy Clemente--taking the week off
Vicki Burdick

Materials Used:
Seaside Sentiments 2 stamp set, True Blue Fan ink, Rouge Ruffles, My Favorite Blue Jeans, Trendsetter Blue, and Kraft Like a Rock Star cardstock, RicRac/Pinking Border dies (Clear and Simple Stamps); wood veneer sailboat (Studio Calico); Tiny Stars embossing folder (The Paper Studio); blue enamel dots (The Eyelet Outlet)

Simple Sunshine

Here's my card for this week's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  I created a summery design using the sketch along with stamps and dies from Lawn Fawn.

I die cut a sun shape from orange cardstock using the Spring Showers die set.  To add interest to the die cut piece, I punched a circle from a scrap of patterned paper and added it to the center of the sun.  The sun is adhered to a light blue card base over a striped patterned paper strip and a solid yellow cardstock strip.  Once the panels were in place, I stamped the "hello sunshine" sentiment from the Hello Sunshine stamp set on the yellow strip in blue ink.

I wanted to add a little more texture to the design, but still keep things simple.  To do that, I used one of the smaller cloud dies from the Spring Showers die set to cut a cloud from white felt.  After placing it on top of the sun, I accented the die cut pieces with a trio of white sequins.

Materials Used: 
from i {heart} papers:  Lawn Fawn Hello Sunshine stamp set, Let's Polka designer paper, Spring Showers dies; Avery Elle Aquamarine ink; My Mind's Eye My Girl 6x6 paper pad; white sequins

other:  Sea Glass cardstock (Avery Elle); Summer Sunrise and Harvest Gold cardstock (Papertrey Ink); white felt

Cheers to You

Here's my card for this week's My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club sketch challenge.  I used a bunch of die cut elements to put this one together.

I used the Die-namics Layered Champagne Glass dies to cut a pair of elegant champagne glasses from white and sparkly gold cardstock.  The glasses are adhered to a gray pierced circle die cut.  I stamped the "cheers to you" sentiment next to the glasses in sparkly gold ink.

The image panel is layered on a gray cardstock square.  I used the Pierced Fishtail Flag Stax dies to cut a pair of gold flags to tuck between the round and square panels. The square panel was adhered to a light gray panel, then layered on to a white card base.  For one last sparkly element, I arranged a trio of gold enamel dots around the image panel.

Materials Used:
Celebrate Big stamp set, Steel Grey and Grout Gray cardstock, Die-Namics Layered Champagne Glass, Pierced Circle Stax, and Pierced Fishtail Flag Stax dies (My Favorite Things); Delicata Golden Glitz ink (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko); gold paper (Target); gold enamel dots (The Eyelet Outlet); foam tape

Sweet!

Here's my card for this week's Mojo Monday sketch.  I used a set from the most recent release from The Cat's Pajamas on this super sweet design.  Be sure to read to the end of this post--there's some big news from TCP that you don't want to miss!

I stamped the big eared bunny in an ice cream bowl from the Life Is Like Ice Cream set on a white panel.  The image was colored with Copic markers, with the exception of the paper pieced umbrella.  After coloring the image, I used foam tape to adhere it to the center of a paper doily.

I adhered the doily to a cardfront covered with a piece of pink polka dotted paper and cut the doily's left side so it was flush with the edge of the paper panel.  I edged the opposite side of the pink dotted panel with a pale pink cardstock strip cut with TCP's CutUps Queen of Hearts die, then tucked a contrasting yellow striped paper strip beneath it.  After adding a pair of coordinating banner strips cut with the banner die from CutUps Framed Up 2 die, I wrapped a piece of cream seam binding around the panel and secured it with a knot.  Instead of using one of the sentiments that came with the Life Is Like Ice Cream set, I used a sentiment from the Lickable set.  This set is also an ice cream themed one and the "you make life sweet" sentiment was just perfect with the image.
 
Speaking of The Cat's Pajamas, it's time for TCP's annual summer sale. Everything--yes, everthing--in stock in the store is 25% off today (July 25) through July 31.  Happy shopping--we can't wait to see what you create with your new TCP goodies!

Materials Used:
Life Is Like Ice Cream and Lickable stamp sets, CutUps Framed Up 2 and Queen of Hearts dies, cream seam binding (The Cat's Pajamas); Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Versafine Onyx Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Insulation Pink cardstock (My Favorite Things); Harvest Gold cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Now and Then 6x6 paper pad (My Mind's Eye); white paper doily; foam tape

Dreaming of a Sparkly Christmas (in July)

This week's blogger challenge theme is Christmas in July.  I put together this super sparkly holiday design for the challenge using stamps and dies from Clear and Simple Stamps.

I love using non-traditional colors for my holiday cards, so I went with a mostly blue color scheme here.  I stamped the "dreaming of a sparkly Christmas" sentiment from the Flurry Days Sentiments set in teal ink on a white Tags 1 die cut.  After tying a piece of teal satin ribbon through the hole in the tag, I adhered it to a My Style Blueprint card base. 

The tag's framed with a pair of snowflakes cut from aqua glitter cardstock.  The center of each flake was dotted with a big clear crystal.  For a final sparkly element, I tucked a clear crystal flourish underneath the bigger snowflake.

Materials Used:
Flurry Days Sentiments stamp set, My Style Blueprint and a Blanc Check cardstock, Party Teal Dawn ink, Flurries and Tags 1 dies, Party Teal Dawn satin ribbon (Clear and Simple Stamps); aqua glitter cardstock, clear crystal flourish, clear crystals (Michaels); foam tape

French Cupcake Fusion

Here's my card for the current Fusion challenge.  I used both inspiration from the photo and the sketch to put this card together.

As soon as I saw the inspiration photo, I knew that the Avery Elle Cupcake stamp set would be just perfect for my card.  I stamped the cupcake pieces on white cardstock using a combination of pigment and dye inks, then die cut the pieces with the coordinating dies and assembled them.  In a nod to the inspiration photo, I added one of the set's small flower images to the top of the cupcake as a decoration.

The cupcake is adhered to a cardfront covered with pink and yellow cardstock strips at the top and a larger panel of blue paper at the bottom.  I stamped the set's "you are the icing on my cupcake" sentiment next to the cupcake in black ink.  A few white sequins completed the design

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Avery Elle Cupcake stamp set, Fizz ink, and Cupcake dies; Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Heidi Swapp Favorite Things 6x6 paper pad; white sequins;  Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Pink Pirouette and Barely Banana cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Winter ink (Mama Elephant)

#Smart

Here's my card for this week's Muse challenge.  I was inspired by lots of elements in Marion's card--the images, the color scheme, and the layout.

My take switched the card into a standard A2 size.  I used the owl from the Sweet Stamp Shop Owl Be Genius set as my focal image.  I colored the image with Copic markers and cut it out.  It's adhered to a stamped branch using foam tape.  To "ground" the branch, I used a sponge, cloud template, and some distress ink to make a cloud filled sky around the images.  I filled in the sky with a yellow cardstock sun (or moon, if you want to see this as a nighttime scene!) and a few sparkly silver sequins.  The "#smart" sentiment from the Mr. Octopus set was stamped just beneath the branch.

To mimic the look of Marion's card, I matted the image on a dark blue cardstock panel. I love her hand-drawn frame, but I know I couldn't draw one that would look that nice!  The matted panel was adhered to a sky blue card base.

Materials Used:
Owl Be Genius and Mr. Octopus stamp sets (Sweet Stamp Shop); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Tumbled Glass distress ink (Ranger); markers (Copic); Crushed Curry, Bashful Blue, and Pacific Point cardstock (Stampin' Up!); circle punch (EK Success); silver sequins (Treehouse Studio); foam tape

Hello Sweet Baby

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Color Throwdown challenge! **

I tried my hand at watercoloring for the current Lawnscaping challenge.  As you can see from my results, watercoloring is really not one of my strengths . . .

I started out by stamping the bunny duo and one of the small hearts from Lawn Fawn's Hello Baby set in white pigment ink on watercolor paper, then heat embossing the images.   Once the embossing had cooled, I went to work with my watercolors.

After the watercolors dried, I stamped the "hello sweet baby" sentiment at the top of the panel in aquamarine ink.  I adhered the panel to a kraft card base over a tilted pale pink cardstock panel.  I wanted one more bright pop of color, so I added a fishtail flag strip to the right corner and topped it with a piece of knotted white faux suede ribbon.  A few white sequins arranged around the image panel add a little sparkle to the simple scene--and distract a bit from the watercoloring, too.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Lawn Fawn Hello Baby stamp set; Tsukineko Memento Luxe Wedding Dress ink; Avery Elle Aquamarine ink; May Arts white faux suede ribbon; white sequins

other:  Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); Pink Pirouette and Melon Mambo cardstock (Stampin' Up!); white embossing powder (Michaels); watercolors

Color Throwdown 302-Happy Birthday

It’s time for another Color Throwdown! Barbara is our hostess this week and she’s chosen this Venetian inspired color palette—Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, and Rich Razzleberry. I used the new Happy Everything stamp set and coordinating Die-namics Happy dies from My Favorite Things for my card.

To make a backdrop for the bold word die, I mixed a bit of white embossing paste with a drop of yellow reinker to color it.  I used the colored embossing paste along with a star stencil to cover part of a white cardstock panel.

While the embossing paste dried, I die cut the word "happy" twice--once from Bermuda Bay cardstock and once from Rich Razzleberry cardstock.  I layered the die cut pieces with the Rich Razzleberry one on top, offsetting them slightly so that the Bermuda Bay piece was still visible.  I adhered them over the yellow stars, then stamped the "birthday" sentiment on the panel just beneath the layered die cuts in blue ink.  The finished panel was matted on a Bermuda Bay 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. Just be sure that the challenge colors are the dominant ones in your project. And, if you upload your project to an online gallery, use the keyword CTD302.

 Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team, our July guestie, Diane Jaquay, and this week’s guest star stamper, Sue Rose.

** Barbara ** Broni ** Cindy ** Joan **

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

** July guestie Diane Jaquay **

** Guest Star Stamper Sue Rose **

Materials Used:
Happy Everything stamp set, Die-namics Happy dies (My Favorite Things); Bermuda Bay and Rich Razzleberry cardstock, Summer Sun reinker (Stampin' Up!); Aquamarine ink (Avery Elle); star stencil (Memory Box); embossing paste

Seize the Sketch 25-Some Bunny Loves You

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for the new TCP Tuesday challenge! *** 

It's time for a new sketch at Seize the Sketch!  This week's sketch comes to us from Mona.  I used the sketch along with stamps from Mama Elephant to create this sweet card.

I made a scene using the Landscape Trio dies to make (white vellum) clouds and (green cardstock) grass. The die cut pieces are adhered to an aqua striped panel (sky).  I stamped the bunny duo from the Honey Bunny set, then die cut the image with the matching die.  After adding a little shading with a Copic marker and a bit of fluff to the bunny tails, I adhered the bunnies to the scene using foam tape.

I added the scene to a kraft cardstock panel.  A kraft cardstock strip was adhered to the bottom of the grassy portion.  The sentiment is stamped on the kraft strip in green pigment ink.  To bring in a bit of sparkle, I scattered a few clear sequins on the cardfront, hoping they'd look like stars in the nighttime sky.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the STS team created using the sketch. Here’s where to find them:

Cathy Santie
Jen Mitchell
Jessi Fogan
Katie Melhus
Lee Ann Barrett
Lesley Croghan (Creator)
Lori Turner
Lori Tecler
Marybeth Lopez
Mona Pendleton
Rose Miller
Sandy Mathis
Sherry Eckblad
Vicki Dutcher

Materials Used:
Honey Bunny stamp set, Honey Bunny and Landscape Trio dies (Mama Elephant); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Celery ink (Avery Elle); marker (Copic)Aqua Mist cardstock, Aqua Mist patterned paper (Papertrey Ink); Green Acres cardstock (WPlus9); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); white vellum (The Paper Company); Sparkling Clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh); white flock (Stampendous); foam tape

TCP Tuesday 271-Hats Off

It's time for a new TCP Tuesday challenge!  The new challenge theme is anything goes, so this is the perfect time to pull out your TCP stamps and get creative.

I used one of the big eared bunnies for my card based on the current Deconstructed Sketch.  After coloring the bunny image from the Presto set with Copic markers, I cut him out and used foam tape to adhere him to a white panel.  I stamped the set's "hats off to you" sentiment next to the bunny in black ink.  The panel's accented with a pair of sparkly silver stars cut with the CutUps 3x3 Stars dies  and adhered on top of a banner strip cut with the Framed Up 2 dies.

The background for the panel was made from a piece of red patterned paper that I cut on an angle and set over a black cardstock panel.  After putting the image panel in place, I added a trio of enamel dots for a final pop of red.

I hope you'll join us for this week's challenge. Link up your finished project on the TCP blog for a chance to win this week's Cat Cash prize--and to be in the running to be our next Swanky Stamper. The Swanky Stamper is selected from among all of the month's challenge entries and gets a selection of stamps from an upcoming release and joins the Cat Pack for our Pajama Party and Blog Hop. You can find all the details on the TCP blog.

Materials Used:
Presto stamp set, CutUps 3x3 Stars and Framed Up 2 dies (The Cat's Pajamas); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Basic Black cardstock (Stampin' Up!); silver glitter cardstock, red enamel dots (Michaels); Cut and Paste-Flair 6x6 paper pad (My Mind's Eye); foam tape

Poppy Sketches #9-You're TEArrific

It's time for a new sketch and pop of color at Poppy Sketches!  For this sketch, we're being sponsored by the fabulous Jane's Doodles.  Our pop of color is a fun one--violet, seashell pink, and glittery gold.  The colors were perfect with the TEArrific set I used for my card.

I stamped one of the set's teacup images on white cardstock and colored it with Copic markers, then cut it out.  To bring in a little more color to the image, I stamped one of the set's heart images on a cardstock scrap and colored it pink.  It's added to the image with foam tape.  I adhered the finished teacup to a pink chevron patterned paper panel.  

I adhered the chevron panel to a pink card base over a strip of gold washi tape.  It doesn't look sparkly in the photo, but I promise it is IRL!  The set's "you're TEArrific" sentiment was stamped next to the panel in sparkly gold ink.  For one final sparkly touch, I adhered a trio of gold enamel dots to the cardfront.

For more inspiration, check out what the rest of the Poppy Sketches team has created using the sketch and pop of color, along with Jane's Doodles stamps.  Here's where to find them:

Laura Davis, challenge owner
Lee Murphy, design team coordinator
Amy Crockett,
Amy Tsuruta,
Lisa Petrella,
Lori Tecler--you're here!
Renee' Dezember

This is my last week on the Poppy Sketches team.  Thanks so much to Laura and to Lee for having me on the team!  Laura's sketches are always inspiring and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to help her kick off this fun new challenge blog.

Materials Used:
TEArrific stamp set (Jane's Doodles); Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Delicata Golden Glitz ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Bubblegum cardstock, Die-namics Fishtail Flag Stax Layers die (My Favorite Things); Sunny Side 6x6 paper pad (Pebbles); gold washi tape (Darice); gold enamel dots (Eyelet Outlet); foam tape

You Light up my Life

Here's my card for this week's Paper Smooches SPARKS Anything Goes challenge.  I used the current sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch to put together my card.

I used one of the moon images from the Cosmos set as the middle image.  I stamped the moon on white cardstock and colored it with Copic markers, then carefully cut it out and adhered it to a blue cardstock panel.  The moon is surrounded by a pair of silver stars, cut with the Paper Smooches Stars dies and adhered with dimensional dots.  For a little more sparkle, I added a trio of white sequins around the moon and stars. The "you light up my life" sentiment from the Smoocheroos set was stamped to the right of the moon in navy pigment ink.  I layered the finished panel on a contrasting navy card base.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Paper Smooches Cosmos and Smoocheroos stamp sets, Stars dies; Crafter's Companion ultrasmooth white cardstock; Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Memento Luxe Nautical Blue ink; white sequins; Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Marina Mist and Night of Navy cardstock (Stampin' Up!); silver paper (Target); markers (Copic)

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 228-A Whole Lot of Happy

It’s time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge!  I used the sketch to put together a sweet floral design using stamps and dies from Clear and Simple Stamps.

The flowers are from the Flower Buds stamp set.  I used the matching dies to cut out the two different sized flowers and a single leaf, then stamped the matching images on the die cut pieces.  They're arranged at the bottom of a white circle stamped with a cheerful sentiment from the Build-a-Flower stamp set.

I set the sentiment and flowers on a pink card base on top of a pair of coordinating paper panels.  A few pink enamel dots scattered around the sentiment panel complete the design.

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--taking the week off
Jackie Pedro
Jenny Peterson
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Karen Motz
Lisa Henke
Lynn Put
Sarah-Jane Kalé
Tracy Clemente-taking the week off
Vicki Burdick

Materials Used:
Flower Buds and Build-a-Flower stamp sets, I'm a Princess Pink, Say Yellow to All Your Fans, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Shapes:  Circles and Flower Buds dies (Clear and Simple Stamps); Memento Luxe Rose Bud, Dandelion, and Pear Tart inks (Tsukineko); Cut and Paste-Adorbs 6x6 paper pad (My Mind's Eye); pink enamel dots (Eyelet Outlet); foam tape

Best Teacher Ever

Here's my card for this week's Viva la Verve sketch challenge.  I combined the sketch with this month's "Inside Out" Diva Dare challenge.

I used the colors and patterns in the inspiration photo provided with the sketch as my starting point.  I picked out pieces of aqua cardstock (to match the caddy in the photo) and striped yellow patterned paper (to match the striped straws in the mason jars) to layer over a panel of grid patterned aqua paper.  Instead of using a fancy border strip, I ran a strip of narrow red grid patterned tape along the top edge of the aqua cardstock, tucking the edges underneath the panel. 

I topped the panels with a kraft fishtail flag strip and a gray circle heat embossed chalkboard-style with the "best teacher ever" sentiment from Verve's Teachers Count set.  The sentiment panel is accented with a stamped apple that I die cut with Verve's matching apple dies

For the "inside out" part of the challenge, I continued with the apple motif inside.  I stamped another apple image directly on the inside of the card, then added a thank you sentiment next to it.

Materials Used:
Teachers Count stamp set and Apple dies (Verve Stamps); Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Memento Luxe Love Letter, Pear Tart, and Weding Dress inks (Tsukineko); Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Steel Grey cardstock, Die-namics Fishtail Flag Layers Stax dies (My Favorite Things); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); Now and Then-Milo 6x6 paper pad (My Mind's Eye); circle die (Spellbinders); white embossing powder (Michaels); red grid tape (Little B); foam tape

Shoot

The theme for the current AEI♥U challenge is "one word."  I made a card for the challenge using the Aim High stamp set and coordinating arrow dies.

My one word was the set's "shoot" sentiment.  I stamped the word in gray ink on an angled golden yellow cardstock panel.  The stamped panel was adhered to a cardfront covered with a  yellow striped patterned paper panel.  I like how the bold, graphic stripes in the paper look with the sentiment. 

Once the panel was in place, I attached a gray die cut arrow to it, pointing to the sentiment.  The end of the arrow is tucked neatly underneath the edge of the sentiment panel.  I finished the design with a trio of gray enamel dots arranged around the sentiment.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Avery Elle Aim High stamp set and Aim High dies; Tsukineko Memento Luxe Gray Flannel ink; My Mind's Eye Now and Then-Milo 6x6 paper pad; Studio Calico gray enamel dots; Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Harvest Gold cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Fog cardstock (Avery Elle)

You've Captured My Heart

 Here's my card for this week's sketch for this week's My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club challenge.  I used my Cute Cameras 2 dies along with a classic black, gray, and red color scheme.

I die cut the pieces for the camera from a few different paper scraps, then assembled it.  It's adhered to a white pierced circle die cut using foam tape.

I attached the pierced circle die cut at the bottom of a red diagonal strip layered on a piece of gray patterned paper.  The "you've captured my heart" sentiment from the Picture This stamp set was stamped at the bottom of the patterned paper panel in black pigment ink.  After matting the patterned paper panel on black cardstock, I adhered it to a gray card base. 

Materials Used:
Picture This stamp set, Steel Grey cardstock, Die-namics Cute Cameras 2, Pierced Fishtail Flag Stax, and Pierced Circle Stax dies (My Favorite Things); Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Real Red and Basic Black cardstock (Stampin' Up!); silver paper (Target); The Goods-Tulle designer paper (American Crafts); foam tape

How Beautiful a Day Can Be

Here's my card for this month's Reverse Confetti color challenge.  Love the aqua, lime, and coral together--they're perfect summer colors!  I used the current sketch from Freshly Made Sketches as the starting point for my layout.  My card also fits this week's blogger challenge to use a quotation on your project.

My quote was from the Reverse Confetti Paper Crane stamp set.  I stamped the text in gray pigment ink on a white pierced circle die cut, then matted it on a contrasting coral circle.  The circle was adhered to a green dotted paper panel.  I cut a pair of aqua banner strips with Reverse Confetti's Tag Me die, then tucked the strips underneath the sentiment panel.  After matting the green dotted panel on an aqua panel, I layered it on a green card base.  I decided I wanted to add just a bit more coral to the mix, so I arranged a trio of coral enamel dots beneath the sentiment panel.

Materials Used:
Paper Crane stamp set, Confetti Cuts Tag Me die (Reverse Confetti); Memento Luxe Gray Flannel ink (Tsukineko); Simply Chartreuse and Hawaiian Shores cardstock, Simply Chartreuse patterned paper (Papertrey Ink); Pierced Circle Stax die (My Favorite Things); enamel dots (Freckled Fawn)

Winter Wisteria Sympathy

Here's my card for this week's Muse challenge.  I created a one layer design inspired by the images, colors and layout seen on Therese's card.

Instead of using a white background, I used a purple one.  The leafy flourish from Papertrey Ink's Turning a New Leaf set was stamped in the upper left corner of the cardfront using green pigment ink.  I used a pale purple pigment ink to stamp a pair of solid flower images on the leafy branch.  At first, it looked like the ink would be too pale against the darker purple cardstock, but once the ink dried, it showed up nicely. 

I dotted the center of each flower with a tiny dab of Liquid Pearls to give the design just a bit of dimension.  The "with deepest sympathy" sentiment from the Asian Fusion set was stamped next to the branch in dark purple ink.

Materials Used:
Turning a New Leaf, Everyday Classics, and Asian Fusion stamp sets, Winter Wisteria cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Celery and Orchid inks (Avery Elle); Memento Grape Jelly ink (Tsukineko); Petal Pink Liquid Pearls (Ranger)

Hello

Here's my card for this week's Paper Smooches SPARKS Picture Perfect challenge.  I was inspired by the mason jars in the photo and the soft, pastel color scheme.

I started off by making the "fillings" for the jar.  I did a pale aqua watercolor wash puddle near the bottom of my white card base, then used one of the leafy stem images from the Daisies and Paisleys set and a green ink pad to make a pair of stems.  Each stem was topped with a pink flower, die cut with one of the dies from the Pockets die set.  For even more dimension, I adhered a large yellow enamel dot to the center of each flower.

I used the Crystal Clear stamp set and coordinating Crystal Clear 1 and Crystal Clear 2 dies to make a jar.  The opening inside the jar was covered with acetate for a glass-like look.  After wrapping some pink twine around the mouth, I set it over the bouquet and water using dimensional dots.  I stamped the "hello" sentiment from the Chit Chat set next to the flowers in gray ink, then scattered a few white sequins around the jar for a bit of sparkle.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Paper Smooches Crystal Clear, Daisies and Paisleys, and Chit Chat stamp sets, Pocket, Crystal Clear 1 and Crystal Clear 2 dies; Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Memento Luxe Pear Tart and Gray Flannel inks; Doodlebug Design Springtime Sprinkles enamel dots; white sequins; Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other: Soft Sky and Pink Pirouette cardstock (Stampin' Up!); pink twine (Divine Twine); acetate; watercolors