Soda-lighted You're my Friend

This week’s blogger challenge theme is friendship. I put together this clean and simple design using the Soda-lighted set from Fresh Squeezed Stamps.

I stamped the pair of soda bottles on a white panel in black ink, using a sticky note to do a little masking so that it would look like one bottle was in front of the other. I colored the bottles and straws with Spectrum Noir markers. The set’s friendship themed sentiment is stamped beneath the bottles in red ink.

I layered the colored image panel on a kraft mat, then adhered it to a light blue card base. It’s accented with a long red fishtail flag strip with a twine tied button at the top.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Fresh Squeezed Stamps Soda-lighted stamp set, Crafter's Companion ultrasmooth white cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black and Lady Bug inks, Spectrum Noir markers (TN5, TN6, TN7, CR9, BT1, BT2), Hemptique white hemp twine 

other: Real Red cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Sea Glass cardstock (Avery Elle); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); red button (Michaels)

Color Throwdown 274-Poppin' by to Say Happy Birthday

It’s time for another Color Throwdown! Vickie is our hostess this week and she’s shared a fabulous color combination with us—Island Indigo, Baja Breeze, Peach Parfait, Crumb Cake, and White.  It looks kind of beachy to me, and with the kind of weather we're having around here, beachy looks awfully good to me!

I used the current sketch from Retro Sketches and the Soda-lighted set from Fresh Squeezed Stamps to put together a fun masculine birthday card using this week’s colors. The soda bottle’s outline was stamped in black ink, then I used a simple stamping trick to fill in the outline. I cleaned my stamp and flipped it over on my clear block so that the solid side of the stamp (the back) was facing up. I inked the stamp with a kraft colored pigment ink, then stamped it over the outline image. This is such an easy way to fill in an outline image—as long as the image you’re filling in is symmetrical so that when you flip the stamp over, the outline and solid shape pretty much line up. I stamped the straw image inside the bottle and colored the stripes with an Island Indigo-ish Copic marker, then cut out the finished image.

I used dimensional dots to adhere the soda bottle to a piece of peach patterned paper. The “poppin’ by to say happy birthday” sentiment was stamped in the open space above the bottle using teal pigment ink. I layered the panel over a piece of Baja Breeze cardstock wrapped with some white twine. After rounding the panel’s corners, I adhered it to a kraft card base. A trio of coppery silver faux metal studs runs along the top left side of the panel. These are one of my go-to embellishments for masculine designs—they add a little shine and dimension without being girly!

To play along, just create a paper crafted project using these colors as a starting point and add a direct link to your finished project using the linky tool found at the end of this week's CTD post. As always, if you don’t have exact color matches, something close works just fine. And, if you upload your project to an online gallery, use the keyword CTD274.

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

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

** Monika ** Tammy ** Vickie ** Wanda **
** January guestie Linda McClain **

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Fresh Squeezed Stamps Soda-lighted stamp set, Crafter’s Companion ultrasmooth white cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black and Memento Luxe Teal Zeal and Toffee Crunch inks, Lily Bee Design Pinwheel 6x paper pad, Hemptique white twine, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

other: Baja Breeze cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); marker (Copic); faux metal stud embellishments (Michaels); corner rounder

You Warm My Heart

***Click HERE for my Season's Givings Blog Hop post/giveaway!***

It sounds like it's going to be pretty chilly around here for the next few days, so I thought I'd put together a warm feeling card to share,  This one uses stamps from the Hot Hot Hot set from Fresh Squeezed Stamps. 

The mug image is colored with Copic markers and cut out.  I stamped the set's heart-shaped steam image in gray ink on a round panel, then set the colored mug on the panel using dimensional dots, positioning the mug so the steam extends out from the top. 

I used papers in the same brown and blue shades as I used on the mug for the panels behind the image.  I covered most of a light blue card base with a brown dotted patterned paper, then added a trio of fishtail flag banners over it.  The banners are topped with a piece of white doily.  I wrapped the doily with some white twine, securing it with abow.  After setting the image panel in place overlapping one of the banner strips, I stamped the "you warm my heart" sentiment at the bottom of the card in Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink.  I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again--these inks are quickly becoming my go-to inks for just about everything.  If you're looking for them, you can find the full size ink pads and refills, too, at i {heart} papers.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Fresh Squeezed Stamps Hot Hot Hot stamp set, Crafter's Companion ultrasmooth white cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black and Memento Luxe Gray Flannel and Tuxedo Black inks, Carta Bella Winter Fun 6x6 paper pad, Hemptique white twine, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Soft Suede and Baja Breeze cardstock (Stampin' Up!); markers (Copic); circle die (Spellbinders); Die-namics Fishtail Flag Stax and Fishtail Flag Layers Stax dies (My Favorite Things); white paper doily

Color Throwdown 264-Cloudy Without You

It’s time for another Color Throwdown! Broni is our hostess this week and she’s challenged us to use Night of Navy, Calypso Coral, Silver, and Pool Party in our designs.

My card is based on the current sketch from Retro Sketches. I built a simple scene on a piece of patterned paper using silver die cut clouds and a coral die cut sun. The ‘it’s cloudy without you” sentiment from the Fresh Squeezed Stamps Weather Through stamp set is stamped at the bottom of the panel in navy ink. I added a trio of silver sequins to the mix as raindrops.

I edged the finished panel with a narrow strip of silver paper, then added a scallop edged strip to the side. A strip of light blue faux suede ribbon is wrapped around the top of the panel. I topped the ribbon with a button tied with some silvery twine. The finished panel is layered on a coordinating blue card base over a navy blue cardstock panel.

To play along, just create a paper crafted project using these colors as a starting point and add a direct link to your finished project using the linky tool found at the end of this week's CTD post. As always, if you don’t have exact color matches, something close works just fine. And, if you upload your project to an online gallery, use the keyword CTD264.

Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team and our October guestie, Sankari Wegman.

** Barbara ** Broni ** Joan **

** Melody ** Tammy ** Vickie ** Wanda **
** October guestie Sankari Wegman **

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Fresh Squeezed Stamps Weather Through stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Nautical Blue cardstock, Echo Park Paper and Glue 6x6 paper pad, May Arts light blue faux suede ribbon, Maya Road sparkle silver cording, silver sequins, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

other: Sea Glass cardstock (Avery Elle); Night of Navy cardstock, scallop edge punch (Stampin’ Up!); Melon Berry cardstock (Papertrey Ink); button (Clear and Simple Stamps); pinking circle die (Spellbinders); cloud dies (Lil’ Inker Designs)

Just Poppin' by with Big News from IHP

i {heart} papers is THRILLED to be adding six new amazingly talented design team members to our current team. We are also welcoming our incredible new July/August guest designer today. To help celebrate we will be offering 6 - $10 gift certificates. Winners will be selected from all of the blog comments you leave as you congratulate and help welcome them to the team so be sure to hop along and comment! Comments close Friday July 5 at noon EST and winners will be announced on the IHP blog the following week. (You must visit the IHP blog to see if you've won. You will not be contacted.)

• Carole
• Deb
• Gretchen
• Judy
• Lindsay - **NEW**
• Lizzie - **NEW**
• Lori--you're here!
• Sarah - **NEW**
• Stacey - **NEW**
• Tracy
• Vera - **NEW**
• Wida - **NEW**
• Jessica, our July/August guest DT
• Chunyuan, our June/July guest DT
• Libby, social media coordinator
• Kate

And, here’s a fun little card using some products from IHP. I used the Soda-lighted set from Fresh Squeezed Stamps to make this stampy birthday card.

I stamped the set’s soda bottle image repeatedly on a white panel, masking the bottles along the way. Once I was done stamping, I cleaned the black ink from the bottle outline image and flipped it over on my block, holding it in place with a little removable adhesive. I inked the now solid stamp with some kraft colored ink to fill in the outlines. It’s a great way to get more mileage from your stamps, isn’t it? I stamped the set’s straw image in one of the bottles and filled in the stripes with a red Spectrum Noir marker, then added the birthday sentiment.

Be sure to follow IHP on Facebook, Twitter and join our newsletter for sales, new products and other announcements. Plus every month a random newsletter subscriber is selected to win a $10 gift certificate just for being a subscriber. Sign up on the right side of the store homepage. Thanks for hopping along today!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Fresh Squeezed Stamps Soda-lighted stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black and Toffee Crunch inks, Spectrum Noir marker (CR8)

other: Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah)

Birthday Muse

Here’s my card for this week’s Muse challenge. I was inspired by the soft pastel colors, the trio of parallel lines, and the sparkly sequins. This is actually my third version of the card. Tries one and two just weren’t right. I’m much happier with card number three!

I stamped a trio of lantern images from the Fresh Squeezed Stamps String Me Along set on a white panel, varying the positioning of the images so that they were not in a straight line. I colored the images with Spectrum Noir markers, then used a fine tipped pen (and a ruler) to draw a straight line extending from the top of each lantern to the top of the panel. I scattered a few silver sequins in the open space around the lanterns, then stamped the “happy birthday” sentiment from the Soda-lighted set at the bottom of the panel.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Fresh Squeezed Stamps String Me Along and Soda-lighted stamp sets, Crafter’s Companion ultrasmooth white cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Spectrum Noir markers (BT1, BT2, BT3, BT4, PP3, PP4, PP5, HB1, HB2, HB3, LV2), silver sequins 

other: Pink Pirouette cardstock (Stampin’ Up!)

We'll Weather it Together

Here's my card for this week's Fusion challenge.  I combined both the sketch and elements from the inspiration photo on my design using the Weather Through stamp set from Fresh Squeezed Stamps.

I mimicked the look of the inspiration photo on my card's image panel, with the red umbrella from the stamp set, colored with Spectrum Noir markers and layered over a trio of die cut white felt clouds.  The umbrella and clouds are set on a piece of light blue dotted paper for a raindrop-like look.  I stamped the set's "we'll weather it together" sentiment at the bottom of the panel in black ink, then scattered a few white sequins around the open space for a little sparkle.  The panel is layered on a red mat for a nice pop against the light blue card base.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Fresh Squeezed Stamps Weather Through stamp set, Crafter's Companion ultrasmooth white cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Spectrum Noir markers (CR8, CR10, CR11, IG4, IG5), Echo Park Bundle of Joy Dots and Stripes-Girl 6x6 paper pad, Pollika white felt, white sequins, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Sea Glass cardstock (Avery Elle); Electric Red cardstock (My Favorite Things); CutUps Cloud Border die (The Cat's Pajamas)

Friends Are Like Stars

Here's my card for this month's Fresh Squeezed Stamps Squeeze-a-palooza.  I created a star-filled nighttime sky for the challenge's summer theme, loosely inspired by one of the inspiration photos featuring a firefly filled jar.

I stamped the three star images from the Weather Through stamp set on a white panel in silver ink, then covered the stars with silver glitter embossing powder and heat embossed them.  This is the first time I've used this silver glitter powder, so I wasn't too sure of what the end result would be.  The stars are super sparkly from the glittery powder, but I'll be cleaning up little stray glittery specks for a long time!  I guess that's an okay trade off.

After heat embossing the stars, I spritzed the panel with some Fireworks ink spray.  I only had one shade of blue--Summer Sky--so I didn't get as multi-toned a look as I would have liked. Once the panel dried (with a little help from my heat tool since I wasn't being very patient!), I stamped the sentiment from the Words to Live By set in Nautical Blue ink in the open space at the bottom of the panel.   The finished panel is layered on a silver panel, then adhered to a navy card base.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Fresh Squeezed Stamps Weather Through and Words to Live By stamp sets, Tsukineko Nautical Blue ink

other: Night of Navy cardstock (Stampin' Up!); silver paper (Target); Encore Silver ink, Fireworks Summer Sky spray (Tsukineko); Zing silver glitter embossing powder (American Crafts)

Fresh Squeezed Spring Sunshine

Here's my card for this month's Squeeze-a-palooza at Fresh Squeezed Stamps.  This month's theme was spring inspiration and I think this cheery flower paired with buttery yellow cardstock definitely says "spring."

I used the bottle, stem, and flower images from the Soda-lighted set for my focal image.  The images are colored with Spectrum Noir markers.  To give the image some dimension, I cut the flower out and adhered it to the image panel with a small dimensional dot.  The "you are my sunshine" sentiment from the Weather Through set is stamped along the side of the image panel in green ink.

I adhered a piece of white paper doily to the edge of the image panel, then set it on top of a piece of yellow patterned paper.  After edging the paper with a narrow strip of green cardstock along one side, I adhered it to a coordinating yellow cardfront.  A green button, threaded with matching green baker's twine, finishes the design.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Fresh Squeezed Stamps Soda-lighted and Weather Through stamp sets, , Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black and Bamboo Leaves inks, Spectrum Noir markers (CT1, CT3, CT4, GB4, GB5, TN5, TN7, BT1, BT2, CG2), My Mind's Eye Notable "Collectable" 6x6 paper pad, Divine Twine Green Apple baker's twine, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Harvest Gold and Simply Chartreuse cardstock (Papertrey Ink); green button (Michaels); paper doily (Wilton)

Hey

This week's blogger challenge theme is black and white with a splash of color.  I love the little light bulb image in the Fresh Squeezed Stamps Breath of Fresh Flair set, so I decided to use it for my card and make bright yellow my splash of color.

I stamped the bulb on a scrap of white paper and colored the image with Spectrum Noir markers.  I stamped the set's speech bubble on another scrap and added the set's "hey" sentiment inside it.  Both cut out images are adhered to a piece of black and white gingham patterned paper with small dimensional dots.  I matted the gingham panel with yellow cardstock, then adhered it to a white panel on top of a black cardstock strip wrapped with some baker's twine.  The panel is set on a black card base for a bold contrast.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Fresh Squeezed Stamps Breath of Fresh Flair stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Spectrum Noir markers (CT1, CT3, CT4, IG1, IG3, IG6), Pebbles Walnut Grove 6x6 paper pad, Divine Twine Black Licorice baker's twine, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Yoyo Yellow, Basic Black, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!)

Hope You Perk Up Soon

This week's blogger challenge theme is "emboss me."  For last week's background challenge, I used heat embossing to make a background, so for this week's challenge, I went with dry embossing.  I used the latest sketch from Freshly Made Sketches to put together this sweet get well card, which I need to get in the mail very soon!

The focal image is the to go cup from the Hot, Hot, Hot set from Fresh Squeezed Stamps.  I colored the image with Spectrum Noir markers and cut it out, then used dimensional dots to attach it to a rose cardstock circle.  I attached the circle to a pale pink panel embossed with a fun chevron pattern.  Once the panel was in place, I added a piece of a white pearl flourish as steam coming from the top of the drink.

I adhered a pale pink dotted patterned paper panel at the bottom of the embossed piece.  A strip of white ribbon hides the seam between the two different papers.  I stamped the set's "hope you perk up soon" sentiment beneath the ribbon in black ink, then added a trio of pearl accents at the left side of the card. Now that I've shared this here, I need to remember to get the card out in the mail . . .

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Fresh Squeezed Stamps Hot, Hot, Hot stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Spectrum Noir markers (TN2, TN3, TN5, TN7, BT1, BT2), Echo Park Bundle of Joy Girl-Dots and Stripes 6x6 paper pad, May Arts white ribbon, Lifestyle Crafts Zig Zag embossing folder, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Pink Pirouette and Regal Rose cardstock (Stampin' Up!); pearl flourish (Want2Scrap); self-adhesive pearls (Michaels)

Celebrating Subway-Style

Here's a quick masculine card using this week's Deconstructed Sketch.  The subway art style sentiments from the Subway Series:  Basics stamp set from Fresh Squeezed Stamps were a perfect fit for the sketch's large rectangular panel.

I picked the congratulations sentiments from the set for this card.  I stamped part of the image in teal ink, then layered the stamped panel on a green mat.  I picked the teal/green combination to match the patterned paper I used to cover most of the card base.  The pattern's broken up a bit with a strip of coordinating blue cardstock.

After wrapping the center of the card with some white twine, I used dimensional dots to adhere the sentiment panel on top.  It's accented with a star that I die cut from a cork sheet.  Cork's one of my favorite embellishments for masculine cards--it adds interest and texture without being too girly!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Fresh Squeezed Stamps Subway Series:  Basics stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Teal Zeal ink, My Mind's Eye Collectable "Notable" 6x6 paper pad, Hemptique white hemp twine, Canvas Corp. cork sheet, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Blue Bayou and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Spring Moss cardstock (Papertrey Ink); star dies (Spellbinders); circle punches (EK Success); silver brads)

Retro Sketches #57-Hey

I'm wrapping up my month as guest designer at Retro Sketches with this week's sketch.  It's based on a  beautiful card created by Arielle, seen here.  This one's perfect for using up some scraps, so that's what I did for my version.

I had a bunch of scraps from the My Mind's Eye Boy Crazy paper pad, so I mixed and matched those until I came up with an arrangement I liked.  On my version, the larger pieces is double the length/height of the smaller ones.

I left one spot blank so I could fill it with a stamped image.  I picked the light bulb from the Fresh Squeezed Stamps Breath of Fresh Flair set.  The bulb's colored with Spectrum Noir markers and cut out, then adhered to the panel with a dimensional dot.  I wrapped some white twine around the panel, securing it with a bow.  The "hey" sentiment is stamped just beneath the light bulb image in black ink.

Thanks so much to Arielle and the Retro Sketches crew for having me as a guest this month.  Be sure to stop by the RS blog for more inspiration.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Fresh Squeezed Stamps Breath of Fresh Flair stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Crafter's Companion ultrasmooth white cardstock, Spectrum Noir markers (CT1, CT2, CT3,CT4, IG1, IG3, IG4, IG6), My Mind's Eye Boy Crazy 6x6 paper pad, Hemptique white hemp cord twine, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Sahara Sand and Barely Banana cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Sweet Mango cardstock (Gina K Designs)

You Are my Sunshine

Here's a sweet, cheery card for this week's CAS-ology cue word, song, and this week's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  I flipped the sketch around a bit to get it to work with my idea--hope that's okay!

The song represented in my card is "You Are My Sunshine."  It's a song that makes me remember my sweet Cosmo the crazy dog since I used to sing it to him when he was sick, which unfortunately happened a lot.  I made a simple scene panel using the sun stamp from the Fresh Squeezed Stamps Weather Through set. The sun was inked with watermark ink, then with Memento Dandelion ink and stamped on a white panel.  I covered the stamped image with clear embossing powder and heat embossed the powder.  The cloudy background is sponged over the sun with Salty Ocean distress ink and a cloud template.  After I finished sponging on the ink, I wiped any stray ink off of the embossed image to reveal its bright yellow color.

I added a yellow button tied with yellow baker's twine to the center of the sun and a strip of green on green houndstooth patterned paper punched with a grass border punch to the bottom of the panel.  Once the grass was in place, I stamped the "you are my sunshine" sentiment on the panel in Bahama Blue ink.  The panel is set on a yellow card base to match the color of the sun.
 
Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Fresh Squeezed Stamps Weather Through stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Dandelion and Bahama Blue inks, Ranger Salty Ocean distress ink, Doodlebug Design Flower Box 6x6 paper pad, Divine Twine lemon yellow baker's twine

other:  Daffodil Delight, Certainly Celery, and Whisper White cardstock, Crystal Clear embossing powder (Stampin' Up!); Versamark ink (Tsukineko); grass border punch (Fiskars)

Soda-lighted

Here’s a quick card for this week’s CAS(e) this Sketch challenge. I used the tall, thin soda bottle  from the Fresh Squeezed Stamps Soda-lighted stamp set as my focal image for the card.

The soda bottle is colored with Spectrum Noir markers. The little pops of red from the stripes on the straw are a nice contrast to the bottle’s brown.

I layered the colored image on a red panel to match the red in the straw, then set the layered panels on a kraft card base. The “soda-lighted you're my friend” sentiment is stamped on a notch-ended strip in black ink. It’s adhered over the center of the image with dimensional dots.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Fresh Squeezed Stamps Soda-lighted stamp set, Crafter's Companion ultra smooth premium white cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Spectrum Noir markers (TN3, TN5, TN6, TN7, TN8, CR8, GB4, BG1,BG2, BT1), Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

Other: Real Red cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah)

Soda-lighted

I gave the Muse challenge another try this week. My card’s inspired by the beverage theme of the original design. I used the same layout for the image panel, but switched up the placement of the panel on my version of the card.

Instead of using a lemonade image, I used a soda bottle from the Freshly Squeezed Stamps Soda-lighted set. It’s colored with Spectrum Noir markers and popped up on the white panel using dimensional dots. I added a few little bubbles next to the bottle and filled them in with Stickles. I used a black pen to draw a narrow line to ground the bottle, then stamped the sentiment beneath the line.

I edged the stamped panel with a strip of red striped washi tape, echoing the red and white stripes of the straw found in the bottle. After adding a strip of red cardstock underneath the tape, I adhered the stamped panel to a kraft card base. I threaded a red button with some hemp twine and tied it in a bow, then added that to the tape as an accent.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Freshly Squeezed Stamps Soda-lighted stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Spectrum Noir markers (CR9, EB5, EB, GB1, GB8, GB10), Ranger Star Dust Stickles, Hemptique natural hemp twine cord, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other: Real Red cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); red decorative tape (Freckled Fawn); red button (Michaels)

Color Throwdown 229-Hope You Perk up Soon

It’s an exciting morning around here. Not only is it time for another Color Throwdown, but Chloe the cutie puppy and I are off to a veterinary dermatology/allergy specialist first thing in the morning to see if we can get to the root of her persistent itching/licking and icky rash. She can’t eat before her appointment and for my food-driven girly, that is going to be an issue. It’s a good thing our appointment is early! Anyway, Wanda is our hostess this week and she’s found a yummy photo with a pretty color combination for us to work with—Chocolate Chip, Blushing Bride, Old Olive, and White. I used the colors along with an A2 sized variation on the current Deconstructed Sketch to make a get well card for the secretary at my office.

The focal image is the to go cup from the Hot, Hot, Hot set from Fresh Squeezed Stamps. I colored the cup with Spectrum Noir markers and cut it out, then used a dimensional dot to adhere it to a white panel stamped with the set’s “hope you perk up soon” sentiment.

The image panel is layered over a pink chevron panel with an olive dotted strip adhered down the center. Each layer is matted with chocolate brown cardstock for a nice pop. I kept the card simple, even with all the layers, so it will be easy to pop into the mail.

To play along, just create a paper crafted project using these colors as a starting point and add a direct link to your finished project using the linky tool found at the end of this week's CTD post. As always, if you don’t have exact color matches, something close works just fine. And, if you upload your project to an online gallery, use the keyword CTD229. Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team and our February guestie, Kim Hahn.

** Barbara ** Broni ** Denise ** Joan **

** Kerri ** Lynn ** Tammy ** Wanda ** 

February Guestie Kim Hahn

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Fresh Squeezed Stamps Hot, Hot, Hot stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Rich Cocoa ink, Spectrum Noir markers (CG1, DG2, DG4, BT1), My Mind’s Eye The Sweetest Thing-Lavender 6x6 paper pad, Bo Bunny Double Dot Bold and Bright 6x6 paper pad, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other: Blushing Bride, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Fishtail Flag Stax and Fishtail Flag Stax Layers dies (My Favorite Things); corner rounder

Thanks a Latte

i {heart} papers has just added Fresh Squeezed Stamps to the lineup at the store! Here’s a quick card for this week’s sketch from Freshly Made Sketches made with one of the new sets you can find at IHP.

I just love the to go cup image in the Hot, Hot, Hot set, so I used it here, set at the side of a die cut tag using dimensional dots. The cup is colored with Spectrum Noir markers, also new at IHP.

The tag and cup are layered on a piece of blue patterned paper.  I think it works for the masculine feel I was going for. I stamped the set's "thanks a latte" sentiment in teal ink on a kraft strip and adhered that underneath the to go cup. The tag is topped with a piece of knotted cream twill to give the card just a little bit of texture.

Materials Used: 
from i {heart} papers: Fresh Squeezed Stamps Hot, Hot, Hot stamp set, X-Press white Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Teal Zeal, and Summer Sky inks, Spectrum Noir markers (TN3, TN4, TN5, BT1, BT2), Carta Bella Traditions 6x6 paper pad, May Arts cream twill, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

other:  Neenah Desert Storm cardstock

You Warm my Heart

Earlier in the week, I got my first sets of stamps from Fresh Squeezed Stamps. I thought I’d try them out on this card for their monthly Squeeze-a-palooza challenge to create a Valentine's Day themed project. 

I used the new Hot, Hot, Hot set and this week’s sketch from Deconstructed Sketches for my card. I ended up adjusting the layout from a square to a standard A2 size to fit what I had in mind.  The set's to go cup is my focal image. I colored the cup with Copic markers and cut it out, then added a silver heart shaped brad to it for a whimsical touch.  I used  a little foam tape to adhere it to the round panel. 

Instead of using circles, I die cut a bunch of hearts in coordinating shades of pinks and reds to arrange along the left edge of the patterned paper panel. Once I settled on an arrangement for the hearts, I adhered the round panel on top.  The panel is matted with red cardstock, then adhered to a kraft card base.  I stamped the set's "'you warm my heart" sentiment near the bottom of the cardfront in black ink. I probably should have used a brown ink, but I really like the bold look of the Versafine ink for sentiments.  Guess I need to find it in brown . . .

Materials Used:
Hot, Hot, Hot stamp set (Freshly Made Stamps); Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, and Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); With Love 6x6 paper pad, silver heart brad (Recollections-Michaels); Shapes:  Hearts dies (Clear and Simple Stamps); circle dies (Spellbinders); foam tape