Hand-in-Hand and #1 Fan

I played in two different StampTV challenges, using two different Gina K Designs stamp sets designed by Melanie.

Here's my card for this week's sketch challenge. I used the Hand-in-Hand set for the focal image. The hands were stamped on white paper, colored, then cut out and attached to a cream panel. The cream panel coordinated better with the colors of the elegant DCWV La Creme Matstack papers I used for the cardfront. The " a perfect fit" sentiment fit nicely along the bottom of the panel. It's an open-ended enough sentiment that this card could be used for either a wedding or an anniversary.

I stretched a piece of cream satin ribbon across the cardstock, covering the seam between the two patterns. I added a simple cream Prima flower with a Dew Drop pearl at the center to complete the card.

Materials Used:

Hand-in-Hand stamp set, white cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin' Up!); designer paper (DCWV's La Creme matstack); cream satin ribbon (Michaels); flower (Prima); Dew Drop (Robin's Nest); Silver Liquid Pearls (Ranger)

This card is for this week's "blast from the past" challenge, featuring a technique previously featured on a StampTV video. The technique here is partial Cuttlebug embossing. I hadn't tried this technique before--it was pretty easy to do and worked nicely in my Big Shot. I used the Stars embossing folder for my sports themed card. It's embossed on the top portion of the navy panel.

I used a combination of images from Just So Sporty and Sporty Accessories for the image panel. The banner was colored first, then the "#1 fan" was stamped over the banner. I stamped the football on a scrap of paper, colored it, then added it to the panel with some foam tape.

I cut the embossed panel to about 1/2" narrower than the card base on both sides so that more of the cool texture of the tan leather cardstock would be visible. I ran a piece of red grosgrain ribbon across the card where the embossing ended, then layered the image panel on top of that. A single silver brad accents the ribbon.

Materials Used:

Just So Sporty and Sporty Accessories stamp sets, Tan Leather and White cardstock (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); markers (Copic); Creamy Caramel Classic ink, Night of Navy cardstock, sponge (Stampin' Up!); Stars embossing folder (Cuttlebug); oval dies (Nestabilities); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); silver brad (Making Memories); foam tape

Kitchen Sink Monday: Going Vintage

Here’s my card for this week’s Kitchen Sink Stamps Monday. I really challenged myself on this one, since I’m not a strong vintage style stamper. I used images from the new 3 Step Letters from the Past set and from the School Days set to create my version of a vintage card.

I started with the large script background image. It was inked with Close to Cocoa ink, then stamped off for a softer look before stamping on a piece of cream cardstock. I added the pen image over the text, using a combination of brown inks with some gold at the pen’s tip.

I brushed over the image with some distress ink for an aged look, then layered it on a brown panel with roughed-up edges.

I used the Diamond Rough embossing folder to emboss a diamond pattern on the moss card base, then inked over the raised areas with a shimmery white ink pad. I added a strip of coordinating striped paper, stamped with the sentiment and embellished with a trio of copper brads.

For more Kitchen Sink inspiration, you can visit the rest of the Kitchen Sink Crew. Here’s where you can find them:
Angela Knopf
Connie McCotter
Dee Jackson
Julie Masse
Lisa Somerville
Lynn McAuley
Makiko Jones
Maria Colosimo, owner

And, don’t forget that you can use the code LORI10KSS for a 10% discount on your KSS purchases!

Materials Used:
3 Step Letters from the Past and School Days stamp sets, Brilliance Moonlight White ink (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Crushed Curry, and Always Artichoke Classic inks, Mellow Moss, Soft Suede, and Very Vanilla cardstock, distressing tool (Stampin’ Up!); designer paper (My Mind’s Eye-Wild Asparagus line); distress ink (Papertrey Ink); copper brads (Making Memories); Diamond Rough embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

Blogger Challenge: Week 90

This week's blogger challenge was to use embossing folders or texure plates on your project. I love using my Cuttlebug and embossing folders to add details to a project!

Here's a masculine birthday card featuring an embossed panel. I used a fun sentiment from the Make a Wish set from Clear & Simple Stamps as the focal image.

The card is a standard sized card with about 1 1/4" of the top right side cut off. This reveals a little of the inside of the card. I covered the inside of the card with some Basic Grey designer paper featuring a number pattern, echoing the random numbers on the sentiment panel.

I repeated the circle pattern in the designer paper in the embossed circle panel on the shortened card front. Here, I lightly brushed some cream ink over the embossed Always Artichoke panel. It really highlights the raised areas.

For more ideas using embossing folders and texture plates, you can visit the rest of the challenge players. You can find links to their blogs in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:

Make a Wish stamp set (Clear & Simple Stamps); Always Artichoke Classic ink, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, and Kraft cardstock, Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); Cupcake designer paper (Basic Grey); Spots and Dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Vintage Cream Palette ink (Papertrey Ink)

Blogger Challenge: Week 78

This week’s blogger challenge was to create a holiday card using non-traditional colors. Since I don’t celebrate Christmas, most of the holiday cards that I create are usually done in non-traditional color schemes and the card I sent to family and friends this year was no exception.

I decided to make a suspension card, sort of along the lines of this one I created last month. Every year I pick a design that I think will look great, impress people, and be easy to reproduce and every year I end up wishing I stuck with something clean and simple (and easy to reproduce) and much less labor intensive given that most people will be tossing the card in the trash in the end anyway. Unfortunately, this year was no different!

I stamped one of the snowflake images from SU!'s retired The Snowflake Spot stamp set in silver chalk ink on Riding Hood Red cardstock. I used chalk ink rather than Encore Silver because the chalk ink dries much, much faster and smudges a lot less than Encore. After stamping the snowflakes, I used a 1 3/8” circle punch to punch them out, then created the suspension mechanism using a pair of circles for each card. Even though I really like the look, I left off the rhinestone at the center so these would be more post office-friendly. You can find a detailed tutorial on making these cards here.

I used my Snowflake embossing folder to create the shimmery silver snowflake panels for each cardfront. I designed the card so I could get 5 panels from each 8 ½” by 11” sheet of paper. I used some paper in the holiday section at Target that’s much less expensive and much lighter weight than the Brushed Silver cardstock that SU! sells.

I lined up the silver and Riding Hood Red panels on the Pink Pirouette cardfront and created an opening for the suspended snowflake with a 1 ¾” circle punch. The white satin ribbon is knotted around the red and silver panels so it’s not visible from the inside of the card. The suspension mechanism is hidden between the red and pink layers.

I stamped the simple two line sentiment image from the Holiday Collection stamp set (part of this year's SU! joint promotion with Country Living magazine) on the inside of the card in coordinating ink before signing the card. I sure am glad that these are finished and in the mail!

For more non-traditional holiday inspiration, you can visit the other blogger challenge players. Links to their blogs are in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:
The Snowflake Spot and Holiday Collection stamp sets, Riding Hood Red and Pink Pirouette cardstock, Riding Hood Red Classic ink, 1 3/8” and 1 ¾” circle punches, Sticky Strip (Stampin’ Up!); silver paper, white satin ribbon (Target); Snowflake embossing folder (Cuttlebug); chalk ink (Color Box); clear fishing line

Houndstooth Fall

I made this card for Kristina's latest color challenge. This week's colors were Close to Cocoa, Elegant Eggplant, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, and Whisper White. They had a fall feeling to me when I looked at them all together, so that's the direction I took for my card.

I combined three different images from Verve's Tall Oaks set for the focal image panel. I started with the acorn and masked it so that I could place the pumpkins around it. I used Copic markers (coordinating with Close to Cocoa and Pumpkin Pie) to color the images. It's hard to tell in my photo, but the image is matted on an Elegant Eggplant panel.

I embossed a piece of So Saffron cardstock with the Cuttlebug Houndstooth folder, then cut it out with my SU! Top Note die. I don't know what it is, but something about the houndstooth pattern makes me think of Fall. I cut off part of one long side to form the panel on my cardfront. I wrapped a piece of ribbon around it for some interest.

The Pumpkin Pie panel is stamped with SU!'s Linen background stamp for a textured look. I stamped the "give thanks" image in the lower right corner. It *just* fit! My final addition to the card was the photo corner, embellished with a pair of sparkly gold Dew Drops to dress it up just a little.

Materials Used:

Tall Oaks stamp set (Verve Stamps); Rich Cocoa ink (Memento); white cardstock (Xerox); markers (Copic Ciao); Linen stamp set, Pumpkin Pie Classic ink, Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa, So Saffron, and Elegant Eggplant cardstock, photo corner punch, Top Note die, Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Houndstooth embossing folder (Cuttlebug); gold Dew Drops (Kitchen Sink Stamps)

Tear Drop Ladybug

I made this card for today's featured stamper challenge on SCS. The bold ladybug image on this card caught my eye, so I decided to recreate it using different stamps. I used the Pretty Tear Drops set from Kitchen Sink Stamps to create the ladybug for the focal image on my card. The images in this set are so versatile!

I started by stamping two of the large dotted teardrop shapes in black ink on a square of white cardstock. I filled these in with a slightly smaller solid teardrop shape in red ink. After the red ink dried, I went back and filled in a pattern with one of the small dots in black ink. I masked the ladybug's wings, then used the large solid circle from Pretty Petals to create the ladybug's head and body. I hand-drew the antenna (they're not positioned evenly, but I think they still look okay . . .) and the dotted trail. I omitted the paper piercing on the original card, instead adding a photo corner punch embellished with some pearly Dew Drops to the upper right corner of the image panel.

I kept the layout of the card pretty much the same. I switched out the Purely Pomegranate ink and cardstock for the bold red ink and replaced the black cardstock with the slightly softer gray. I also added more dots to my card, continuing the dotted element found on the butterfly's wings. I used a piece of red dotted satin ribbon across the cardfront and embossed the Soft Sky panel with my Swiss Dots embossing folder. Quick and cute!

And, since we're on the topic of Kitchen Sink, let me share a tiny sneak peek at a few images from one of the sets that will be released later this week. Be sure to stop by Maria's blog to have a chance to win some great prizes to celebrate Kitchen Sink's first birthday.

Materials Used:

Pretty Tear Drops and Pretty Petals stamp sets, Silver Bells Dew Drops (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Pure Poppy Palette ink, Pure Poppy cardstock, Pure Poppy Swiss dot satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); Noir Black ink (Palette); scalloped rectangle die (Nestabilities); Soft Sky, Basic Gray, and Whisper White cardstock, corner rounder, Crystal Effects, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Swiss dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

Earthy Enjoy

I really like the sketch that Mary Jo shared this week. She mentioned that it was a perfect fit for this year’s SU! Ronald McDonald House set, Say it with Scallops. I went back to the Ronald McDonald House set from two years ago (I think . . .), Wishing You the Best, for my version of the sketch. The images in this set are circular, so I changed the scalloped square in Mary Jo’s sketch to a scalloped circle to make my design work.

I embossed a Kiwi Kiss panel with the Cuttlebug Birds & Swirls folder. I have such a hard time remembering the names of all of the different Cuttlebug folders I’ve collected, so I’ve used my Dymo label maker to create a label to stick on each one to remind me. I rubbed over the embossed images with a shimmery white pigment ink pad to emphasize them just a bit more.

I thought that the embossed image kind of called for an earthy color scheme. So, the “enjoy” image from Wishing You the Best is stamped in Kiwi Kiss ink, then punched out with a circle punch. I thought the simple leafy branch on this image coordinated nicely with the embossed image. I layered this on a slightly larger Chocolate Chip circle, then on a Pumpkin Pie scalloped circle.

I made a knot near one end of a piece of wide brown grosgrain ribbon. I layered this over the panel for the cardfront, then attached the image panel over the ribbon. I really like the way the ribbon looks--it's a nice finishing touch.

Materials Used:
Wishing You the Best stamp set, Kiwi Kiss Classic ink, Kiwi Kiss, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Kraft, and Very Vanilla cardstock, 1 3/8” circle punch, scallop circle punch, corner rounder, mat pack and paper piercing tool (Stampin’ Up!); Birds & Swirls embossing folder (Cuttlebug); 1 ½” circle punch (EK Success); copper brads (Making Memories); Moonlight White pigment ink (Brilliance); brown grosgrain ribbon (Morex)

Blogger Challenge: Week 61

This week's challenge was a color challenge. The colors to use were Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Old Olive, and Ruby Red--definitely a fall sort of color scheme to me.

I knew right away that these colors would be perfect for the three step leaf images in the Autumn Squirrel set from Kitchen Sink Stamps. So that the detail of the leaf image would really stand out, I threw in a little bit of neutral to the mix (Very Vanilla) as the base for my stamped images. I stamped the leaf image three times using More Mustard, Ruby Red, and Chocolate Chip inks. I used a clear Stardust pen to trace some of the veins on the leaves to give the images just a little sparkle.

I stamped the sentiment "thankful" from the Vintage Words set in Ruby Red with the edges rolled just a bit in Chocolate Chip for an accent. And, to complete the challenge requirements, I sponged just a little Old Olive ink around the edges of the panel.

I used the Cuttlebug Forest Branches folder to make a textured panel for the cardfront. This pattern is a perfect match for tree and leaf themed cards. I rubbed the raised images with some shimmery white pigment ink to highlight the texture. It's much more subtle looking IRL. I also added a coordinating cream ribbon around the cardfront.

So that you get an idea of how the leaf image was "built," I used a piece of scrap paper to show the progression of the layers. First, More Mustard, second, Ruby Red layered over the More Mustard base, then Chocolate Chip added as the final layer. The detail in the image is amazing!

For some other great ideas using this color combination, you can visit the other very talented challenge players. Links to their blogs are found in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:
Autumn Squirrel and Vintage Words stamp sets (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Old Olive, and Ruby Red Classic inks, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Ruby Red, and Very Vanilla cardstock, sponge (Stampin' Up!); Forest Branch embossing folder (Cuttlebug); cream satin ribbon (Target); Moonlight White pigment ink (Brilliance); clear Stardust pen (Sakura)

Dotted Petals

When I saw that kraft was one of the colors in today's color challenge on SCS, I so knew that I'd be doing the challenge tonight. I love using kraft cardstock--and Soft Sky, too.

I had my Pick a Petal stamp set out on my table from something else I've been working on, so I chose that for the challenge. I decided to experiment a little with my new Swiss Dots embossing folder. After I stamped the outline petal image, I ran the cardstock through my Cuttlebug with the folder to create cool, embossed petals. I cut them out and arranged them on the card, curling them a little and attaching them with some foam tape. I layered some punched circles and a large button to make the flower center. I used a white gel pen to make a quick "stitch" between the button holes.

I managed to squeeze in a sentiment from the Stem Sayings stamp set. The "a" and "y" in day are a little smudgy, but it fit!

In keeping with the dot/circle theme, I added some dotted organdy around the cardfront and a row of paper piercing along the bottom. Piercing through two layers of cardstock took a little more work than paper piercing usually does (especially since the kraft is just a little thicker than regular cardstock), but the look is worth it!

I am looking forward to some new stamps arriving in the mail tomorrow. Yay! That always helps to brighten a long work and class day.

Materials Used:

Pick a Petal and Stem Sayings stamp sets, Soft Sky, Basic Black, and Kraft cardstock, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, mat pack and paper piercing tool, pop up glue dot, white gel pen (Stampin' Up!); Noir Black ink ({Palette); Swiss Dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug); black dotted organdy ribbon (Michaels); button (American Crafts); foam tape

For a Friend Thank You

I made a card for today's SCS sketch challenge using a kind of neglected hostess set from the SU! Spring-Summer collection. The For a Friend set is a collection of versatile greetings and the "thank you" one was a perfect fit for the image panel at the forefront of this sketch.

The card features one of my favorite color combinations--brown, blue (again, those two!) with just a small pop of red. I stamped the thank you image in black ink and used paper piecing to fill in the flower. There's a tiny, tiny blue Twinkle sticker at the flower's center for a little sparkle and shine. I added a pair of silver brads to the upper right corner of the image to fill in the panel.

For the cardfront, I ran a scrap of kraft cardstock through my Cuttlebug to emboss it with the Bloom Dots folder. The flower images on this folder make a nice match for the small flower in the stamped image. I used some white ink to highlight the embossed images a bit. I tied a piece of Chocolate Chip poly twill ribbon (from the current SU! mini catalog) around the panel. This stuff is so nice! I'll probably be stocking up on it (and the Soft Sky Prints Series paper, too) before it isn't available any more.

Materials Used:

For a Friend stamp set, Rose Red, Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip, Kraft, and Whisper White cardstock, Soft Sky Prints Series designer paper, Certainly Celery marker, Chocolate Chip poly twill ribbon, silver brads, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Moonlight White ink (Brilliance); Noir Black ink (Palette); Bloom Dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Twinkle sticker (Amuse)

Blogger Challenge: Week 43

This week's challenge was to use chipboard. So, my challenge to you is to find the chipboard "hidden" on my card.

I used the SU! Boatloads of Love set for the images on this card. The image is colored with Copic markers. I used a sponge and some Ballet Blue ink to fill in the sky around the boat.

Now, here's where the chipboard comes in. A while ago, I ordered some of the bulk chipboard hearts and stars that SU! made available to demos. Since the package came with tons of small hearts, I thought I'd use one in the back of the boat from Boatloads of Love instead of the heart image that came with the set. I smushed the heart in a Real Red craft pad, then covered it with Iridescent Ice and heat embossed it. It is so shimmery and pretty!

The cardfront is embossed with the D'Vine Swirls Cuttlebug folder. I like the swirls paired with the boat--kinda like "wavy" waters. To go with all of the circles found on the boat image, I used a piece of patterned paper from the Summer Picnic pack to break up the blue cardfront. The sentiment was originally one long strip of words. I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to line it up and stamp it in two rows so it would fit on a circle.

Be sure to check out what the other challenge players have created for this week's challenge. I'm sure you'll find a bunch of great ideas for using chipboard in your creations. You can find links to their blogs in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:

Boatloads of Love stamp set, Ballet Blue Classic ink, Real Red Craft ink, Ballet Blue, Real Red, and Bashful Blue cardstock, Summer Picnic designer paper, sponge, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, On Board Hearts & Stars chipboard, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, dimensional (Stampin' Up!); D'Vine Swirls embossing folder (Cuttlebug); red brads (Joann); markers (Copic); silver Glaze pen (Sakura)

Rusty Rose

I made this card this afternoon using the sketch posted for Beate's weekend sketch challenge. For this card, I used one of the smaller rose images from the Hearts & Roses set from Kitchen Sink Stamps. I stamped the rose using 4 different shades of pigment inks. The depth that the 4 different images gives is just amazing! The rose is stamped on shimmery white paper and two of the inks are shimmery themselves, so the card has a beautiful subtle sparkle IRL.

I added a pair of self-adhesive flat backed pearls to the image panel. The pearls are attached to 1/4" circles punched from rust cardstock so they'll stand out a little from the white panel. I dropped these a bunch of times while trying to stick them to the panel--I thought I was never going to find them . . .

I loved the look of the Cuttlebug script embossing folder with the rose image when I tried it earlier this week, so I used it again on this card. This time, I rubbed some brown ink over the raised images to highlight them just a little.

I'm off to prepare for a shoebox swap tomorrow and to work on some things for some swaps I've signed up for. It's a good thing that I've (finally!) started to feel a little better so that I can go to the shoebox swap--I've been looking forward to spending the day with some of my local stamping friends for a while now. I'll probably be back a little later with something else to share . . .

Materials Used:

Hearts & Roses stamp set (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Pumpkin Spice, Red Brick, Tea Leaves, and Hint of Pesto chalk inks (VersaMagic--available from Kitchen Sink Stamps); Pearlescent Poppy and Pearlescent Rust pigment inks (Brilliance--available from Kitchen Sink Stamps); Really Rust, So Saffron, Mellow Moss, and Shimmery White cardstock, Chocolate Chip and Creamy Caramel Classic inks, distressing tool, 1/4" circle punch (Stampin' Up!); Script Texture embossing folder (Cuttlebug); brown ribbon (AC Moore); self-adhesive pearls (K & Company)

A Rose for You

I made this card for today's sketch challenge on SCS. I used the Hearts & Roses set from Kitchen Sink Stamps. The rose is stamped on shimmery white paper with three different coordinating SU! dye inks. The rose image actually includes 4 separate images, so to get 4 different colors, I stamped off the lightest color (Regal Rose) before using it to stamp the base image. I tried my best not to cover up much of the pretty rose image when I placed the sentiment panel. I added just a few pearly Dew Drops to the cardfront. They look beautiful with the shimmery cardstock.

The large panel on the cardfront is embossed with the Cuttlebug script text embossing folder. When I started to work on this card, this embossing folder immediately came to mind. I thought the elegant look of this embossed image would work well paired with the equally elegant rose and script sentiment.

I ended up staying home from work today to rest and to try to recover from whatever bug I've come down with. After getting up to make some arrangements for stuff at work, I slept for some of the morning and part of the early afternoon and now I'm starting to feel a little better.

Now, I need to admit that I've been terrible about acknowledging some of the fun awards I've received from other crafty bloggers. I've meant to post them and send thank yous, but time has just gotten away from me. I'm going to try to make up for some of that by posting this one today. Mercy from Lord Have Mercy! and Jules from Need to Stamp have awarded me this "Excellent" award for Inking Aloud. I'm so honored that they would think of me. I'm supposed to nominate other bloggers for this award, but I'm so not good at that. I think it's the kindergarten teacher in me that doesn't want to "play favorites" with all my blogging friends. So, if you're reading this, please consider yourself nominated.

Materials Used:
Hearts & Roses stamp set, Silver Bells Dew Drops (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Regal Rose, Rose Red, Cranberry Crisp, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, and Always Artichoke Classic inks, Pretty in Pink, Cranberry Crisp, Chocolate Chip, and Shimmery White cardstock, Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon, Crystal Effects, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Script Texture embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

First Mwahbella Card

I made this fun Mwahbella card for a monthly contest on the Bellaholics Anonymous Yahoogroup that I visit. The challenge was to use black and/or gray, red, and white to make a card with a Stamping Bella image. I thought that the new Mwahbella stamp would be a good match for the colors in the challenge--and I hadn't tried it out yet--so I went with that.

I colored the image with Copic markers and traced around the edges with a light gray marker to make it "pop" a little bit. Then I added some details with Stickles (on the purse and hairband) and a glitter marker (in her hair--like highlights!--and on the ruffles at the edges of her shirt). I stamped the "mwah" sentiment along the left side of the panel in red ink. I started with the middle of the three images, then stamped another image on either side to help space them more evenly. They ended up pretty much even--not totally straight, though . . .

My Cuttlebug is getting tons more use now that I have several sets of the Nestabilities dies to choose from. I used rectangle Nestabilities dies (and the Cuttlebug) to cut the mats and frames for the image. I also used the Cuttlebug to emboss a panel with heart images for the left side of the card.

The final pieces were a piece of red satin ribbon around the front of the card and two sets of pearly white Dew Drops/Bella Baubles in the corners of the card. I set the image on a slant, which is a little "out of the box" for me--I tend to do things in a really linear style, so I thought I'd try to change it up just a little tiny bit . . .

Materials Used:
Mwahbella image and sentiment, pearly Bella Baubles (Stamping Bella); Basic Gray, Basic Black, Real Red cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); white cardstock (Georgia Pacific); markers and clear glitter marker (Copic); Fruit Punch Stickles (Ranger); rectangle and scalloped rectangle dies (Nestabilities); heart embossing folder (Cuttlebug); red satin ribbon (Michaels)

More Happy Heart Day

I had so much fun with the elephant image from Happy Heart Day yesterday that I had to try out the mouse image from the set for today's SCS sketch challenge. And to be perfectly honest, I haven't put the set away yet, so it was already out on my stamping table, ready to go, when I sat down to work on today's challenge. After today's card, I think the mouse is just as cute as the elephant!

I found a piece of pink cardstock already Cuttlebug embossed with heart images in my pile of unfinished stuff, so I used it as the starting point for the card. The embossed hearts seemed like a good match for the heart the mouse is holding. The swirly printed paper is from the new Bali Breeze paper pack in the upcoming SU! Spring/Summer Collection. I love the vivid colors in these papers. I paired the bright pink and deep teal with a little black for some pop.

The mouse image is colored with Prismacolor pencils using shades of teal and pink to match the papers. I used a black Glaze pen to color the mouse's eyes and nose.

I stamped the sentiment in teal ink and punched it out with SU!'s large oval punch. I ended up using a scrap of teal cardstock to make a mat for the sentiment. An extra large oval punch would be a much better solution. If only SU! would offer one . . .

Materials Used:

Happy Heart Day stamp set, Basic Black and Taken with Teal Classic inks, Taken with Teal, Pink Passion, Basic Black, and Whisper White cardstock, Bali Breeze designer series paper, large oval punch, black grosgrain ribbon, corner rounder, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); heart brads (Joann); heart embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Prismacolor pencils; pink twinkle sticker (Amuse); black Glaze pen (Sakura)

Bundle Up-Not!

Tonight I pulled out my winter stamp sets from their off-season storage spot. It's kind of funny that I ended up doing that today since it was over 70 degrees outside today--definitely not winter-like weather! But, I'm sure that will change soon enough and I'll need to be pulling out my wintery weather clothes, too.

This card uses the sketch from today's SCS sketch challenge. I used the now-retired SU! Bundle Up stamp set for the main images on this card. I love how the images in this set look when they're stamped in bold colors! I used markers to color the images so they'd be two-toned. I trimmed around the images and attached them to the white panel with dimensionals.




When I use this set, I like to add some little details to the clothing pieces. Here, I filled in the dots and sparkles on the clothes with a Stardust pen. The mittens linked together using a piece of red wire from a wire set that hasn't been used much--I think this may actually have been the first time that I used the red wire. And, I added a very tiny white pom pom to the top of the hat. Hopefully you can see some of the details better in the close-up picture.

The white panel is speckled with Bashful Blue, using the Color Spritzer tool. I definitely need more practice with that thing! My first try turned out way too heavily spotted for my liking . . .

Materials Used:
Bundle Up and So Many Sayings stamp sets, Real Red Classic ink, White Craft ink, Real Red, Brocade Blue, and Bashful Blue markers, Night of Navy, Brocade Blue, Real Red, and Whisper White cardstock, Color Spritzer, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Moonlight White pigment ink (Brilliance); Snowflake embossing folder (Cuttlebug); mini white pom pom, red brad (Joann); red wire (Michaels)

Elegant Flower

The stamper selected for today's featured stamper challenge is Frances/StampOwl. You can find her SCS gallery here. Frances is amazingly talented at coloring in line images. Wow! I am nowhere as talented at coloring as that--which is why I didn't choose to do a card with line images today. I knew I'd be disappointed with the outcome, as it wouldn't measure up.

I chose this card to use for the challenge. I kept the layout pretty much the same, but ended up changing the size of the front panel so it was larger and adding another layer to it as well. I used my Daisy set from Kitchen Sink Stamps for the flower image and the sentiment. This is the first time I've cut out the stamped daisy image. I attached the stamped image to the panel with dimensionals.

The background is made using the same Cuttlebug embossing folder as in the original card. I rubbed copper ink over the embossed images to make them stand out a little. Since the right side of the card looked a little "empty" to me, I added a piece of brown satin ribbon under the image panel. I like this satin ribbon--so soft and rich looking.

Materials Used:
Daisy stamp set (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Rose Coral, Rouge, Warm Red, Olive Pastel, Dark Moss, and Chestnut Roan chalk inks (ColorBox); Cosmic Copper ink (Brilliance); Linen stamp set, Creamy Caramel Classic ink, Rose Red, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Whisper White, and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); copper brads (Making Memories); brown satin ribbon (AC Moore); Script embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

Cool Snowbunnybella

Be sure to check out this post for my blog candy giveaway celebrating 50,000 visits to Inking Aloud!

This fun Bella card uses the sketch Lauren posted here on her blog last Saturday. I really liked the pop-up belly band closure she had on her card, but I couldn't make it work with this image--it was just a little too big, so I did some adjusting.

The main image is the adorable Snowbunnybella image from Stamping Bella. I colored her with alcohol ink markers and added some white fun flock as detailing on her hood and the cuffs of her jacket and boots.

The fun patterned paper is from a package of Memory Box papers that are all combinations of cool shades of blues, greens, and purples. What a pretty combination they are! I actually used this paper as the inspiration for the colors of the card. I embossed the Bashful Blue panel with the Cuttlebug Snowflake embossing folder, then rubbed white ink over it to highlight the raised snowflakes.

The sentiment is from Amuse. I thought it was a perfect match for Snowbunnybella!

If you're still with me here (and are interested . . .), here's my mini review of last night's concert. The Police concert was amazing. They sang all of their classic songs and sounded fantastic. Their show is simple--no bells and whistles, smoke or flames, just straight music, which is just fine with me. They played for close to two hours. We had great seats to the side of the stage and had fun listening to and singing along with the band. The opening act, Fiction Plane, featured Sting's son as the lead singer. We got to the arena during Fiction Plane's set and it was almost eerie to hear how much he sounded like Sting. All in all, definitely worth the wait and the price of admission--and the temporary ringing in my ears.

Materials Used:

Snowbunnybella stamp (Stamping Bella); sentiment (Amuse); Bashful Blue Classic ink, Bashful Blue, Almost Amethyst, and Whisper White cardstock, scalloped circle punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, 2 way glue pen, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Moonlight White pigment ink (Brilliance); patterned paper (Echo by Memory Box); Snowflake embossing folder (Cuttlebug); white flocking powder (Stampendous); alcohol ink markers; blue stitched grosgrain (Michaels)

Flowers of Friendship

I'm back from my beach weekend. It was blustery and chilly at the bay, but nice to get away for even just a day or two. We did some outlet shopping and some slot machine playing (I actually won a bit for a change!). Since we left early this afternoon I had time to participate in this week's featured stamper challenge. This week's stamper is Jimmi/jpmayo. You can see her SCS gallery here and her blog here. I'm so glad I didn't miss this one. I met Jimmi in the spring at the SCS dinner the weekend of the VA Beach regional seminar. She is such a sweetie! If I remember right, I think she won the door prize I made for the dinner.

I love the cards in Jimmi's gallery made with Roses in Winter, so I knew I'd want to work with one of those cards. I chose this one that has a panel with roses and the sentiment stamped in the center of the panel.

I made a few changes in the card I did tonight. Since I don't have Roses in Winter I used the Daisy set from Kitchen Sink Stamps. I stamped the three-step daisy image with chalk inks on a piece of shimmery white cardstock and stamped a sentiment from the set in the middle of the panel. I added some Stickles to the flower centers and used a photo corner in the lower right corner, but a little differently than Jimmi did in her card.

For the background, I used the Cuttlebug Stylized Flowers embossing folder instead of a stamped image. I highlighted the embossed parts with a shimmery white ink pad.

When I looked at my blog's counter today, I noticed that I'm getting really close to 50,000 visits. Wow! I think it may actually reach that big, round number tomorrow. Be sure to check back tomorrow for some blog candy to celebrate the milestone . . .

Materials Used:
Daisy stamp set (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Pixie Dust, Pink Grapefruit, Spanish Olive, and Aloe Vera chalk inks (VersaMagic); Warm Red, and brown chalk inks (Color Box); Rose Red, Cameo Coral, Mellow Moss, and Shimmery White cardstock, photo corner punch, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); brads (Making Memories); Crystal Ice Ice Stickles (Ranger); brown satin ribbon (Joann); Stylized Flowers embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Moonlight White pigment ink (Brilliance)

Blonde Bella

I realized that this is the very first Stamping Bella card I've made with a blonde haired Bella. I guess I just reach for the brown for Bella's hair since I have brown hair . . . Anyway, today's color challenge on SCS was to use Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, and So Saffron--that's why Bella became a blonde today. The saffron shade was perfect for her hair. I combined the color challenge with this week's SCS Bella forum sketch challenge.

This is also the first time I've inked up this fun Presentahbella stamp. I colored the image with non-name brand alcohol ink markers I picked up on sale to see if I liked them before investing in a fancier kind. After coloring, I added Dazzling Diamonds to the red dots on the big gift box. I love how sparkly this looks IRL! I filled the white space on the bottom left corner of the image panel with the sentiment and a small turquoise-ish self-adhesive rhinestone.

I kept the dot element of the gift going in the patterned paper (looks striped, but the stripes are actually made of lines of tiny dots), the dotted turquoise grosgrain ribbon, and the embossed circles on the cardfront. Fun card!

Materials Used:
Presentahbella (Stamping Bella); Short & Sweet, Real Red Classic ink, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, and Whisper White cardstock, So Saffron Prints Series designer paper, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Noir Black Palette ink (Stewart Superior); turquoise dotted grosgrain (Michaels); Spots & Dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug); self-adhesive rhinestone (Me & My Big Ideas Icons); Letraset markers (Joann)