Happy Birthday, Man

This week's blogger challenge theme is birthdays.  I made this simple masculine birthday card by stamping my own background panel and accenting it with a die cut piece.

The background is made by repeatedly stamping the "happy birthday" sentiment from the Great Big Greetings set from Market Street Stamps (by the way, I'm so sad to see Market Street closing its doors at the end of the month!).  I stamped the red sentiment first, then filled in around it with the gray text so I could be sure I got the placement of the red words where I wanted them.  Once I was finished stamping, I added a black male die cut piece to the panel with foam tape.  The stamped panel is matted on a red panel, then adhered to a black card base.

Materials Used:
Great Big Greetings stamp set (Market Street Stamps); Real Red, Basic Black, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Memento London Fog and Lady Bug inks (Tsukineko); Boy Meets Girl dies (My Favorite Things); foam tape

You Rock

I made this simple card for today's SCS featured stamper challenge.  It's based on the love themed design seen here.  I knew it would be perfect for trying out with some of the Versamagic chalk inks I got from Imagine Crafts.

I die cut a star shape from a sticky note and adhered it to a piece of white cardstock, then arranged more sticky notes with cutout rectangles over the card.  To make it easy to cut the rectangles in the sticky notes, I used a square punch, punching repeatedly until I got a shape that I liked.  I sponged inside the rectangles with different Versamagic inks, then lifted all of the sticky notes to reveal the star shape.  There were a few spots where the edges of the rectangles weren't as crisp as I wanted, so I used a Fantastix tool to fill them in with ink.  After tracing the outline of the star with a silver gel pen, I stamped the big "you rock" sentiment from the Market Street Stamps Great Big Greetings set over the panel in Memento Gray Flannel ink.  I set the panel on a coordinating pale aqua card base, keeping with the soft color scheme used on the inked panel.

Materials Used:
Great Big Greetings stamp set (Market Street Stamps); Versamagic Pink Grapefruit, Aquatic Splash, and Tea Leaves inks, Memento Gray Flannel ink (Tsukineko); Sea Glass cardstock (Avery Elle); Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); silver gel pen (Signo)

Color Throwdown 238-Always Look on the Bright Side

It’s time for another Color Throwdown! Wanda is our hostess this week and she’s chosen Brilliant Blue, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black, and White, based on the colors in this fabulous feather adorned shoe.

The layout for my card is a somewhat modified version of the current Deconstructed Sketch. I decided to use yellow as the dominant color for my design. I covered my white card base with a yellow dotted panel. I covered much of the yellow paper with a dark blue panel edged with a black gingham strip at the bottom. For some texture, I wrapped the gingham strip with white twine, securing it with a bow.

I colored the large lightbulb image from the Market Street Stamps Bright Side set with my Spectrum Noir markers and cut it out. The set’s coordinating sentiment is stamped in white pigment ink on a black panel. I attached the sentiment panel at the top of the blue panel on the cardfront, then used dimensional dots to set the lightbulb in place.

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 CTD238. Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team and April’s guest designer, Frances Byrne.

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

** Lynn ** Tammy ** Wanda ** 

** April Guestie Frances Byrne **

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Market Street Stamps Bright Side stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Spectrum Noir markers (CT1, CT2, CT3, CT4, LY1, IG1, IG2, IG5), Pebbles Cardmaking Basics Pad 1 and Walnut Grove 6x6 paper pad, Hemptique white twine, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

other: Brilliant Blue, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); white pigment ink (WPlus9)

Shine On

It's been a while since I played along in a challenge at SCS.  Chloe the cutie puppy and I are taking it easy today after yesterday's (very early) morning adventure at the emergency animal hospital, so I had time this afternoon to check out the featured stamper challenge.  This cheery clean and simple design caught my eye, so I recreated my own version using the Shine On stamp set from Market Street Stamps (on sale now at i {heart} papers!).

I stamped the set's sun ray image in the corner of a white cardstock panel in Memento Cantaloupe ink, then sponged on some Squeezed Lemonade and Dried Marigold distressed inks to get a glow-like look around the image. 

The longer sun beams were created by dipping the edge of a clear block in Memento Tangelo ink, then pressing the inked edge onto the paper.  I accented a few of the long beams with gold sequins.  The set's "shine on" sentiment is stamped in the lower right corner of the panel in Tangelo ink.  I attached the finished panel to a Summer Sun card base to match the card's bright, sunny colors.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Market Street Stamps Shine On stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Cantaloupe and Tangelo inks, Ranger Squeezed Lemonade distress ink

other:  Summer Sun and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Dried Marigold distress ink (Ranger); gold sequins (Michaels)

You've Been on my Heart

Here’s my card for this week’s Muse challenge. I was inspired by the white embossing on the striped background, so I tried to capture that in my creation.

I used scraps of some Bazzill cardstock left over from my holiday cards over the past few years. I went with the Bazzill because some of it is textured and I noticed a bit of texture in the paper strips on the Muse card. After cutting and arranging the cardstock strips and securing them together, I stamped the large doily image from Market Street Stamps three times in a white pigment ink. The ink was covered with white embossing powder, then heat embossed. I went back and added the “you’ve been on my heart” sentiment and embossed that, too.

After edging the striped panel with a narrow strip of the darkest blue cardstock, I adhered the panel to a white card base. I debated adding some self-adhesive pearls to add a little dimension to the design, but in the end, decided to leave the card as is.

Materials Used:
Doily and Great Big Greetings stamp sets (Market Street Stamps); white pigment ink (WPlus9); Breaker Bay and Evening Surf cardstock (Bazzill); white embossing powder, self-adhesive pearls (Michaels)

So Bright

Here’s a cheery, encouraging design for this week’s CAS(e) This Sketch challenge. I interpreted the sketch’s pennant element as the pocket from the WPlus9 A Pocketful set—there are so many things you can do with that little pocket!

The pocket is stamped in Teal Zeal ink and cut out, then adhered to a white panel stamped with the set’s sunshine image in yellow. I used a dimensional dot to attach the pocket to add a little interest to the design. The “you’re so bright” sentiment from the Market Street Stamps Teacher Notes set is stamped over the sun in navy ink. I don’t often mix stamps from different companies, but the sentiment was a perfect match—and fit—here! I layered the stamped panel on a coordinating blue mat, then set it on a golden yellow cardfront to tie all the elements together.  Now that I'm looking at the card again, I'm thinking that I may go back and add a tiny tab at the right side of the pocket . . .

And on a completely different note, here's an update on my Chloe the cutie puppy.  I posted earlier this week that I was taking her to a veterinary dermatology/allergy specialist to investigate the cause of her constant licking and itching. After some not so pleasant testing, it appears that Chloe is allergic to a bunch of environmental things--certain trees, weeds, molds, and dust, 20 different things in all.  The course of treatment is regular allergy shots, administered by at home by me!  I am pleased to report that I gave Chloe her first shot last night and we both survived. Hopefully it will continue to be a smooth course of treatment and will make a difference for her.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: WPlus9 A Pocketful stamp set, Market Street Stamps Teacher Notes stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Cantaloupe, Teal Zeal, and Nautical Blue inks, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

Other: So Saffron, Blue Bayou, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!)

You Light up my Life

Here's my card for this week's CAS(e) this Sketch challenge.  I adjusted the layout to fit a vertical card layout for this cheery design that came together in less than 10 minutes.

I used the pretty sunburst image from the Market Street Stamps Shine On set as my focal image.  After I inked the stamp with two shades of yellow ink, I spritzed it with a little bit of matching sparkly spray mist, then pressed the misted stamp to the paper.  It's so pretty IRL! 

I ran a narrow strip of dotted tape underneath the stamped image, then stamped the set's "you light up my life" sentiment beneath the tape in teal ink.  The panel is set on a coordinating blue card base for a nice, framed look.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Market Street Stamps Shine On stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Dandelion, Cantaloupe, and Teal Zeal inks and Dandelion Fireworks spray

other:  Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Hawaiian Shores cardstock (Papertrey Ink); blue dotted decorative tape (Michaels)

Shine On

Here's my card for today's SCS featured stamper challenge.  Since I put it together in *just* under 10 minutes (9 minutes, 47 seconds!), it also works for the current 10 Minute Craft Dash/CAS-ual Fridays holiday themed challenge, too.

My card is based on this clean and simple holiday card. I flipped the orientation of the layout and used different stamps, switching out the ornament for the light bulb in the Shine On set from Market Street Stamps.  The bulb is colored with Copic markers and covered with a generous coat of Glossy Accents for a pretty shine.  After adding a piece of red baker's twine to the top of the bulb, I used dimensional dots to adhere it to the cardfront, overlapping the sentiment strip just a bit.  The set's "shine on" sentiment is stamped on a white notch ended strip that is attached to the cardfront with more dimensional dots. Simple, but so eye catching in person!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Market Street Stamps Shine On stamp set, X-Press white Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers (R12, R14, R17, R29, C-1, C-3, C-5), Ranger Glossy Accents, Divine Twine Cherry Red baker's twine, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

Time to Celebrate

The clean and simple challenge at Splitcoaststampers is about to reach a big milestone--challenge # 200!  In honor of the big event, there's a big celebration this weekend that will feature 10 different clean and simple challenges--5 today and 5 more tomorrow.  I have samples to share for two of today's challenges.

Here's my sample for the challenge to use the Dazzling Diamond Dust technique.  With all its sparkle, it's perfect for this week's sparkle themed challenge at CASology.  And, it's also doubling as my entry into this month's Market Street Stamps Block Party.

I used the big bulb image from the Shine On set as my focal image.  I stamped it in black ink on an oval panel,  colored it with Copic markers, then covered the entire panel with Iridescent Ice embossing powder and heat embossed it for a beautiful sparkle.  Unfortunately, I'm not a good enough photographer to really capture the sparkle . . .

The panel is set on a black oval, then layered over a pair of festive dotted patterned paper panels.  This holiday paper--and all other 6x6, 8x8, and 12x12 holiday paper collections--are on sale through tomorrow at i {heart} papers, so be sure to stop by and check out the sale if you still need papers for your holiday cards or December Daily album!  To anchor the bulb, I attached a piece of  baker's twine to the top along with a bow.  The set's "you light up my life sentiment" is stamped alongside the patterned panels in black ink.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Market Street Stamps Shine On stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers (R12, R14, R17), Doodlebug Design North Pole 6x6 paper pad, Divine Twine Black Licorice baker's twine

other:  Real Red and Basic Black cardstock, Iridescent Ice embossing powder (Stampin' Up!); oval dies (Spellbinders)

And, here's my card for the challenge to use balloons as your focal image.  I paired some die cut balloons and washi tape with a Market Street Stamps sentiment set and this week's Clean and Simple Stamping sketch on this one.

I used a girly pink and green color scheme here, pairing two different striped washi tapes--a pink striped one and a multi-colored chevron patterned one--for the sketch's long, skinny panels.

The "happy birthday" sentiment from Market Street's Great Big Greetings set is stamped above the tape strips in pink ink.  I love this sentiment set!  The words are big enough to stand alone as focal images, but they also work with other images, too.  I added a pair of die cut balloons with pink baker's twine strings next to the sentiment, using dimensional dots for a little interest and a line of sparkly bling along the bottom of the washi tape for festive feel.

I hope you'll join us for the celebration.  I'll have a few more clean and simple samples to share tomorrow.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Market Street Stamps Great Big Greetings stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Rose Bud ink, Queen & Co. pink and green chevron washi tape and pink striped washi tape, Divine Twine Cotton Candy Pink baker's twine, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose cardstock (Stampin! Up!); Jelly Bean Green cardstock (Gina K Designs); balloon dies (Lil' Inker Designs); clear crystal line (Michaels)

Retro Thanks

Here’s my card for this week’s Retro Sketches challenge. I stretched the sketch’s square shape to a standard A2 card and paired it with one of the large speech bubbles from the Market Street Stamps My Thoughts Exactly set.

The speech bubble is stamped in gray ink and cut out. I stamped the “thanks” sentiment in red ink inside the bubble for a nice contrast with the gray. I used several different patterned papers from the same patterned paper pad for the panels behind the speech bubble. I probably should have rounded all of the corners to match the rounded shape of the speech bubble . . . Once the panel with the speech bubble was in place over the patterned paper, I added a strip of light blue faux suede ribbon and a red button, tied with red baker’s twine, as accents.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Market Street Stamps My Thoughts Exactly stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Gray Flannel and Lady Bug inks, My Mind’s Eye Quilting Bee 6x6 paper pad, May Arts light blue faux suede ribbon, Divine Twine red baker’s twine, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

other: Soft Sky and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!)

You've Been on my Heart

I'm getting a lot of use out of my Market Street Stamps Great Big Greetings set.  The big sentiments really make a statement on a card!

Here, I used the "you've been on my heart" sentiment as my focal image.  It's stamped in red ink on a piece of subtly patterned paper.  I don't stamp directly on patterned paper too often--I need to remember that I really like how it looks!  The patterned paper strip is set along the bottom of half of a paper doily I adhered to an aqua card base.  I ran a piece of heart patterned washi tape along the bottom of the patterned paper strip, tearing it along the left side.  To go with the sentiment, I die cut a heart from red felt and adhered it to the end of the sentiment panel.  A little piece of knotted red striped twill dresses it up.

I'm planning on squeezing in a little shopping time today.  If you're still looking to pick up some crafty goodies, don't miss out on the big Black Friday sale going on at i {heart} papers through Cyber Monday (November 26).  Use the code black20dt to get 20% off of your purchase (excludes gift certificates and Studio AE memberships).  Happy shopping!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:   Market Street Stamps Great Big Greetings stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Lady Bug ink, My Mind's Eye The Sweetest Thing-Lavender 6x6 paper pad, May Arts red striped twill ribbon, Pollika red felt, 

other:  Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); heart die(Spellbinders); paper doily (Hobby Lobby); decorative tape (Freckled Fawn)

Look on the Bright Side

I'm joining in on this month's Market Street Stamps Block Party with this cheery card using the Bright Side stamp set.  This cute little stamp set was designed by Stephanie, my newest teammate at i {heart} papers.

I stamped the set's lightbulb on white cardstock, then colored it with several yellow Copic markers.  The base is colored with silver gel pen for a metallic look.

I cut the colored image out and used dimensional dots to set it on the cardfront over a pair of layered patterned paper panels.  I went with a bolder chevron pattern and a more subtle grid pattern.  The grid paper's accented with a pair of silver brads for some shine.  I stamped the set's sentiment in black ink on a yellow notch-ended panel.  It's attached to the card so it extends out from underneath the bulb.  I love the pop of the yellow and black against the white background!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Market Street Stamps Bright Side stamp set, X-Press white Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers (Y11, Y13, Y15, Y18), Jillibean Soup Soup Staples 2 Collection Kit, Teresa Collins Vintage Finds 6x6 paper pad, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  white cardstock (Bazzill); Daffodil Delight cardstock (Stampin' Up!); silver brads (Michaels); silver gel pen (Signo)

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 171

***Scroll down to the post below or click here to see my Clear and Simple Stamps Release in Review post.***

It’s time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! Karen’s created a square sketch us to try this week.  I pulled out a pair of stamp sets from Market Street Stamps for my take on the sketch.

I used the telephone image from the  Teacher Notes set as my focal image. The phone is colored with Copic markers and cut out, then adhered to the panel with dimensional dots. I used a piece of twine for the phone cord, twisting it a bit before gluing it in place. The keypad’s covered with a coating of Glossy Accents for a raised appearance. I stamped the “call me” sentiment from the Great Big Greetings set in green ink right under the phone.  By the way, if you're a Market Street Stamps fan like I am, be sure to check out this weekend's Black Friday special at i {heart} papers . . .

I used two different patterned papers from the Pebbles Seen & Noted paper pad for the panels on my card. A strip of light blue striped twill dresses up the green dotted panel.

To play along, just create a card based on the sketch and link it up on Karen’s blog. For lots of inspiration be sure to check out what the other Sweet Sunday Sketch stampers and our special guest stamper, Pam Sparks, have created for you this week. Here’s where to find them:

Dana White--taking the week off
Dawn Easton
Jackie Pedro 
Karen Motz
Lynn Put 
Melissa Hubert
Sarah-Jane Kalé
Tracy Clemente
Vicki Burdick 
Pam Sparks, guest stamper

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Market Street Stamps Teacher Notes and Great Big Greetings stamp sets, X-Press Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black and Pear Tart inks, Copic markers (BG000, BG10, BG11, BG13, W-1, W-3), Pebbles Seen & Noted 6x6 paper pad, May Arts light blue striped twill ribbon, Ranger Glossy Accents, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

other: Soft Sky and Taken with Teal cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); hemp twine (Hemptique)

Sweet Spooks Set

Today I’m sharing my last projects for my guest design stint at Market Street Stamps. With Halloween coming up soon I wanted to have a few little treats on hand for some special trick-or-treaters. I used the Sweet Spooks set to whip up a card and a pair of coordinating treats in no time at all.

The card uses the set’s spider web as the focal image. It’s a loose interpretation of this month’s Sketch for You to Try, which is being sponsored this month by Market Street Stamps. I added a pair of button spiders with pearl eyes to the embossed web for dimension. They’re supposed to represent the small square panels at the sides of the large focal image panel (yes, I did say loose interpretation!).

The set’s “Happy Halloween” sentiment is stamped beneath the web image in gray ink—it came out looking kind of greenish against the orange background, but that works okay with the rest of my color scheme! The image is paired with some dotted patterned paper strips and a debossed dotted background panel.

And, here are the treats. I made a spooky s’mores kit in a bag. The bag has two graham cracker squares, a mini sized chocolate bar, and a ghost shaped Peep—just enough for a single serving of gooey goodness. I topped the bag with a die cut label, stamped with the Houndstooth background stamp, then folded in half and decorated with the set’s ghost image and the “spooky” sentiment.

The second treat is a mini treat tube filled with pumpkin shaped candy corn pieces. They’re the perfect size for the tube! After I filled it and put on the top, I attached a simple tag made with a label die cut and the set’s bat image and “trick or treat” sentiment.

Thanks so much to the team at Market Street Stamps for having me as a guest designer this month!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Market Street Stamps Sweet Spooks and Houndstooth Background stamp sets, X-Press white Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Gray Flannel, and Tangelo inks, Copic markers (BV0000,BV000, R11, C00, C-1, C-3, C-5), Doodlebug Design Haunted Manor Collection Kit, Lifestyle Crafts Polka Dot embossing folder, Spellbinders Labels 4 and Labels 4 small dies, KaiserCraft white pearls, Divine Twine orange baker’s twine, SRM mini treat tube, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots 

Other: Pumpkin Pie and Basic Gray cardstock, white embossing powder (Stampin’ Up!); Simply Chartreuse cardstock (Papertrey Ink); spider buttons (Blumenthal Lansing)

A Cuppa Love for CAS-ual Fridays

i {heart} papers is sponsoring this week’s challenge at CAS-ual Fridays, one of my favorite challenge blogs. This week’s challenge is all about hearts—how appropriate for IHP!

I made a clean and simple card featuring a heart as part of a gift set I designed as this month’s guest designer at Market Street Stamps. I used images from the Daily Grind set along with the Bit of Burlap background stamp for both pieces.

The super simple design of the card lets the coffee mug with its big heart take center stage. I stamped the mug on white cardstock and cut it out, then used dimensional dots to attach it to a red circle. The set’s “sending a cuppa love” sentiment is stamped in brown ink on a kraft strip and set so it extends out from underneath the mug. I layered the mug on a brown panel stamped with the Bit of Burlap background stamp to give it a nice, textured look.

I kept the same color scheme for my single K-cup caddy. The caddy is made with a template I originally designed for a project published in Paper Crafts magazine. You can find the template for the caddy here. I made the caddy from brown cardstock, assembled it with some super strong i {stick} papers redline tape, then added red panels stamped with the Bit of Burlap background stamp. The same mug image is stamped on white cardstock and cut out, then attached to the caddy’s front with foam tape. This time, I used the set’s “a gift for you” sentiment on the little sentiment strip. I can't wait to give this little gift set to someone!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Market Street Stamps Daily Grind and Bit of Burlap stamp sets, Tsukineko Memento Rich Cocoa and Lady Bug inks, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots, i {stick} papers redline tape
 
other: Real Red, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Fresh Snow ink, Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink)

Celebrate World Card Making Day with i {heart} papers

 i {heart} papers is  celebrating World Card Making Day 2012 with 2 chances to win a gift certificate and a 20% off storewide coupon code. Use code WCMD2012DT through Tuesday 10/9 for 20% off EVERYTHING in the store. And, yes, you still qualify for free US shipping with your order of $60 or more. Participate in our challenges - one sketch and one color - for your chance to win! A $10 gift certificate will be awarded for each category. Upload your projects to our Facebook page or add them to the Mr. Linky on the IHP blog. You can play along with one or both and can enter as many times as you'd like! Deadline to enter is Sunday 10/7 9PM EST. The winners will be announced on Tuesday!  And, as a bonus, WCMD projects will also be counted as entries for our WOW Wednesday! Every Wednesday we pick someone who has shared a project on our Facebook page during the week that uses supplies purchased from IHP. Share your project and be entered to win a $5 gift certificate!

Here's the sketch:

And, here's the color combination:

Here’s my card incorporating both challenges.  I used the Daily Grind set from Market Street Stamps for my card. I stamped the to-go cup image in Rich Cocoa ink on a scrap of white cardstock. After coloring in the little round logo in the cup, I cut it out and used dimensional dots to attach it to a white panel. The “how’ve you bean” sentiment is stamped beneath the cup and the wispy steam image is stamped in gray ink above it.

I used a patterned paper panel from the new Autumn Spice paper pad from Lily Bee Design to cover most of the cardfront. The triangle panel’s made from layered blue and kraft cardstocks. After putting the triangle in place, I machine stitched around the panel’s edges for a nice finished look before adhering the image panel. The image is accented with a brown button tied with matching baker’s twine.

We're looking forward to seeing what you create for the challenges.  Happy stamping--and happy shopping!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Market Street Stamps Daily Grind stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Rich Cocoa, and Gray Flannel inks, Copic marker (B01), Lily Bee Design Autumn Spice Tiny Tablet, Divine Twine Brown Sugar baker’s twine, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

Other: Baja Breeze and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); brown button (American Crafts); sewing machine

Colorful Happy Birthday

Here's my card for today's SCS clean and simple challenge to use aqua, coral, and yellow.  It also fits the first Hope You Can Cling To challenge to create a card that shows who you are as a stamper.  I think clean and simple and colorful is a good description!

My card's based on this week's sketch from Retro Sketches.  I used an aqua card base with a panel of coral patterned paper from a Lawn Fawn paper pad.  The patterned paper is wrapped with a little aqua twine, secured with a bow. 

I stamped the large "happy birthday" sentiment from the Market Street Stamps Great Big Greetings stamp set directly on the patterned paper panel in black ink underneath the twine.  After setting the panel in place on the cardfront, I added a little party hat die cut made with a new die from Lil' Inker Designs and a star-studded border punched strip  as accents.

Materials Used:
Great Big Greetings stamp set (Market Street Stamps); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Cameo Coral and Crushed Curry cardstock (Stampin' Up!); The Bright Side 6x6 paper pad (Lawn Fawn); Party Hats dies (Lil' Inker Designs); Classic Stars border punch (Martha Stewart); Caribbean baker's twine (The Twinery); corner rounder; foam tape

Fang You Very Much

Here's my card for today's SCS sketch challenge.  The sketch has a lot of layers and panels, but I think I managed to keep it pretty clean and simple nonetheless.

I used the not so spooky bat and matching punny sentiment from the Sweet Spooks set from Market Street Stamps for the card.  This is one of the sets on sale now as part of the Halloween sale going on right now at i {heart} papers--Halloween goodies are on sale this week for 30% off, so be sure to check it out.  I stamped the bat on white cardstock, colored it with Copic markers and cut it out.

For the backdrop behind the bat, I arranged several panels of paper from the Doodlebug Design Haunted Manor Collection Kit (also on sale!).  To mix things up a bit, the final panel is a regular cardstock panel embossed with a wavy chevron-like pattern.  A little bit of orange mini pom pom trim along the edge of the orange patterned paper strip adds a little more texture to the layers.  The bat's attached over the panels using some dimensional dots.  I stamped the "fang you very much" sentiment in gray ink on a white notch-ended strip and slipped the straight end underneath the bat.  I don't think I've ever sent a Halloween themed thank you card before, but this one's pretty cute!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Market Street Stamps Sweet Spooks stamp set, X-Press white Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black and Gray Flannel inks, Copic markers (BV0000, BV000, BV01, C00, C-1, C-3, C-5), Doodlebug Design Haunted Manor Collection Kit, Lifestyle Crafts Jubilant embossing folder, May Arts orange mini pom pom trim, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Kiwi Kiss and Almost Amethyst cardstock (Stampin' Up!)

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 168-You've Been on my Heart

It’s time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! Karen’s created another fun one for us to try out this week.  The first thing that came to mind when I saw the sketch was that all those long, skinny panels would be perfect for using up some scraps, and that's exactly what I ended up doing.

Here’s my take on the sketch. Instead of using an image, I used one of the sentiments from the Great Big Greetings set from Market Street Stamps on the large panel. It’s stamped in gray ink for a softer look. Instead of a trio of small accents along the left side of the panel, I used a sweet pink felt heart and an elegant pearl flourish, placed to curl perfectly around the sentiment’s edge.

I paired the sweet sentiment with soft pinks and creams. The card base is covered with a pink and cream gingham panel and I used a trio of different scraps—faux suede ribbon, crochet trim, and cardstock—for the three long, narrow pieces at the left side of the card underneath the sentiment.

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 and our special guest stamper, my Color Throwdown teammate Broni Holcombe, have created for you this week. Here’s where to find them:

Broni Holcombe, guest stamper
Dana White
Dawn Easton
Jackie Pedro 
Karen Motz
Lynn Put - taking the week off
Melissa Hubert
Sarah-Jane Kalé
Tracy Clemente
Vicki Burdick 

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Market Street Stamps Great Big Greetings stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Gray Flannel ink, My Mind’s Eye The Sweetest Thing-Honey 6x6 paper pad, May Arts light fuchsia faux suede ribbon and ivory crochet trim, Zva Creative white pearl flourish, Pollika pink felt

other: Pink Pirouette, Basic Gray, and Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Shapes: Hearts die (Clear and Simple Stamps)

You're So Bright

Here's my card for this week's CAS-ual Fridays black and white plus one challenge.  I've been loving yellow lately, even though it's a color you'll never, ever see me wear, so I had to pair it with black and white for this quick, cheery design.

I made my own black and white patterned paper by repeatedly stamping the light bulb image from the Bright Side set on a white panel.  I stamped one more bulb on a cardstock scrap, colored it with Copic markers and cut it out.  To give it a fun "glow," I lightly sprayed the bulb with some Dandelion Fireworks shimmer spray.  The single bulb is attached over one on the stamped panel using dimensional dots.  I stamped the "you're so bright" sentiment from the Teacher Notes stamp set on a yellow notch-ended strip and added that extending out from the brightly glowing bulb.  The panel's set on a black mat, then on a yellow card base for a nice pop of color.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Market Street Stamps Bright Side and Teacher Notes stamp sets, X-Press white Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Dandelion Fireworks, Copic markers (Y000, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y18, C-1, C-3), Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

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