Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge-Foxy

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

It's time for a new Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge!

We hope you'll play along!  The LEAD of this challenge will be invited as a Guest Designer in a future challenge!  Please visit the Curtain Call Challenge blog for all the challenge info and deadline.

photo credit: modcloth

For my take on the challenge, I used the Foxy set from Sweet Stamp Shop along with the current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  I set the set's fox image on a simple background made from dot embossed paper with a strip of torn edged green "grass" along the bottom.  The fox panel and a blue plaid panel were matted on cream cardstock, then adhered to a blue cardstock panel.  I added the "what does the fox say?" sentiment across both panels on a narrow fishtail flag strip.  To answer the question, I stamped "happy birthday" on a tiny tag.  After adding some olive twill to the end of the tag, I slipped it underneath the plaid panel.  The twill will serve as a cue for the recipient to pull out the tag to reveal the hidden message.

Make sure you visit each of the designers' blogs for more inspiration:

Foxy Designers
Toni Maddox, guest designer
Kelly Schirmer, guest designer

Amy Kolling
Amy Sheffer
Betty Wright
Kim Singdahlsen
Laurie Willison
Leigh Penner
Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler
Marisa Ritzen
Maureen Plut
Melody Rupple
Monika Davis
Sheri Gilson
Stacey Schafer
Tracey McNeely

Follow us:

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge Facebook Page

Curtain Call Pinterest Boards

Stop by the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Foxy for the challenge details and to play along with us!

Materials Used:
Foxy stamp set (Sweet Stamp Shop); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Simply Chartreuse and Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); green twill, small tag punch (Stampin' Up!); Rough and Tumble 6x6 paper pad (Carta Bella); Polka Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug); foam tape

#Smart

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

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

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

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

Hip Hip Hooray

Here’s my second take on the current sketch at Seize the Sketch. Since my first card for the sketch was a masculine one, I decided I’d do a more feminine design the second tie around.

I put together a sweet birthday card using the hippo from the Sweet Stamp Shop Too Hip stamp set. To get the party hat placed on the hippo’s head, I stamped it first and masked it with a sticky note, then stamped the hippo. With clear stamps, it’s so easy to get the positioning just right! The image was colored with Copic markers and cut out, then adhered to the bottom of a pink patterned paper panel.

Originally, I stamped the “hip hip hooray” sentiment directly on the patterned paper, but I accidentally smudged it (ugh!). So, I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of pink cardstock and used a circle punch to cut it out. It’s adhered right over the smudged words using foam tape for dimension. I wrapped the top of the panel with a piece of white satin ribbon and secured it with a knot. I scattered a few pink sequins around the image and sentiment to complete the design.

Materials Used:
Too Hip stamp set (Sweet Stamp Shop); Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Grout Gray cardstock (My Favorite Things); Sweet Blush cardstock (Papertrey Ink); patterned paper (Studio Calico); circle punch (EK Success); pink sequins (Treehouse Studio); foam tape

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 218-Stuck

It’s time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! I used this week’s layout for a simple, sweet love themed design.

I used the cactus from the Sweet Stamp Shop Stuck on This stamp set as my focal image. The image was colored with Copic markers and matted on a coordinating piece of green cardstock. I squeezed the “stuck on you” sentiment in at the bottom right corner of the panel and stamped a pair of hearts in the upper left corner. The hearts give the panel a nice, bold pop of color!

For the background panel, I covered a green card base with a piece of green dotted patterned paper. I added a pair of fishtail flag strips to the left side of the panel, then topped them with an angled yellow cardstock panel. I layered the image panel on top over the yellow panel, also on an angle. The angled panels add lots of interest to the card while still keeping the design simple.

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

Barbara Anders
Dana White
Jackie Pedro
Jenny Peterson
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Karen Motz
Lisa Henke
Lynn Put
Sarah-Jane Kalé
Tracy Clemente
Vicki Burdick

Materials Used:
Stuck on This stamp set (Sweet Stamp Shop); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Simply Chartreuse and Limeade ice cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Lemon Drop cardstock, Fishtail Flag Stax and Fishtail Flag Layers Stax dies (My Favorite Things); Favorite Things 6x6 paper pad (Heidi Swapp)

Seize the Sketch 18-Nuts About You

Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my TCP Tuesday post.

It's time for a new sketch at Seize the Sketch.  This week's sketch is from Jessica and it's a great one!
Scroll down to the post below or click HERE for my TCP Tuesday post.

I used the Cheeky set from Sweet Stamp Shop and a soft color palette for my card.  The squirrel image was colored with gray Copic markers.  I didn't plan on fussy cutting it out and adhering it to a background panel, but my attempt to draw in grass around the image failed, so I had to turn to plan B--LOL!  It's hard to see in the photo, but I added a little white flock to the squirrel's belly for texture.

The squirrel is layered over a pale gray cardfront covered with a pair of patterned papers from a My Mind's Eye paper pad.  I used a narrow strip of darker gray cardstock to hide the seam between the two papers.  The set's "nuts about you" sentiment was stamped on the pink striped paper in gray pigment ink.  I finished the design with a pale pink heart adhered next to the squirrel using foam tape.

Don't miss what the rest of the STS team has created using this sketch.  Here's where to find them:

Amy Tsuruta
Cathie Santie
Jen Mitchell
Jessica Esch
Jessi Fogan
Katie Melhus
Lee Ann Barrett
Lesley Croghan, challenge creator
Lori Tecler--you're here!
Lori Turner
Rose Miller
Sarah Gough
Sherry Eckblad
Tangi Crane, challenge manager
Vicki Dutcher

Materials Used:
Cheeky stamp set (Sweet Stamp Shop); Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Memento Luxe Gray Flannel ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Spring Moss and Sweet Blush cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Steel Grey cardstock (My Favorite Things); Silver Fox cardstock (Avery Elle); Chalk Studio-Basics 6x6 paper pad (My Mind's Eye); stitched oval and stitched heart dies (Lil' Inker Designs); white flock (Stampendous); foam tape

Hip Hip Hooray

Here’s my card for the current CAS-ual Fridays “shades of gray” challenge. I used this week’s sketch from the Clean and Simple Stamping blog to put this birthday card together.

The first shade of gray is the very pale panel I used to cover most of the cardfront. It has a round opening cut in the top half of the panel. I used a stitched circle die from Lil’ Inker to add a little interest.

I filled the circle with the adorable hippo image from the Too Hip set from Sweet Stamp Shop. To help communicate the card’s birthday message, I added the set’s party hat image to the hippo, courtesy of a little masking with a small sticky note. The hippo and hat were colored with Copic markers and cut out, then set inside the round opening on the cardfront using foam tape. I stamped the set’s “hip hip hooray” sentiment on a red fishtail flag strip and adhered it just underneath the image. I really like the pops of red against the soft, warm grays!

Materials Used:
Too Hip stamp set (Sweet Stamp Shop); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); white cardstock (Michaels); Real Red cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Silver Fox cardstock (Avery Elle); stitched circle die (Lil’ Inker Designs)

Color Throwdown 282-Stuck on This

It’s time for another Color Throwdown! Vickie is our hostess this week and she’s shared a fun color combination with us—Lucky Limeade, Real Red, and Daffodil Delight.

I put together a cute love themed design using the colors along with the current sketch from CAS(e) this Sketch. The focal image is a cactus from the Sweet Stamp Shop's Stuck on This stamp set. I colored the cactus image with Copic markers, then stamped a pair of hearts above it and colored those in, too. The image was matted on red cardstock, then adhered to a yellow cardfront.

I stamped the set's "stuck on you" sentiment beneath the image panel in black ink.  To accent it, I cut a narrow strip of red cardstock and placed pieces of the strip on either side of the sentiment, extending to the edges of the cardfront.

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 CTD282.

Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team, our new March guestie, Gloria Stengel, and our Guest Star Stamper, Jacquie Southas.

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

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

** March guestie Gloria Stengel **
** Guest Star Stamper Jacquie Southas **

Materials Used:
Stuck on This stamp set (Sweet Stamp Shop); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black and Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black inks (Tsukineko); Lemon Drop cardstock (My Favorite Things); Real Red cardstock (Stampin' Up!)

What Does the Fox Say?

Here’s my card for the current sketch from The Paper Players. I thought the tucked in tag in the design would work perfectly with the new Foxy stamp set from Sweet Stamp Shop.

I made a background for the set’s fox image with some sponged clouds and a little direct-to-paper green pigment ink grass. The fox was colored with Copic markers and cut out, then adhered to the scene with foam tape, along with the empty speech bubble image. I stamped the set’s “what does the fox say?” sentiment along the right edge of the panel in black ink.

I matted the image panel with a piece of kraft cardstock, then adhered it to an olive cardstock panel. The layered pieces are attached to a piece of chevron patterned paper using foam tape to make a pocket for a tag.

I die cut a tag from kraft cardstock and threaded a scrap of olive green grosgrain ribbon through the top, securing it with a knot. I stamped the answer to the question about what the fox says on the tag in black ink. It’s tucked inside the pocket so that the ribbon extends over the top.

Hopefully the recipient will pull the tag out and find out what the fox says!

Materials Used:
Foxy stamp set (Sweet Stamp Shop); Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Memento Luxe Pear Tart and Tuxedo Black inks (Tsukineko); Tumbled Glass distress ink (Ranger); markers (Copic); Old Olive cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Indie Chic “Citron” 6x6 paper pad (My Mind’s Eye); Tags 1 die (Clear and Simple Stamps); gold stud embellishments (KI memories); olive ribbon; foam tape

You're in my Thoughts

Here’s my card for this week’s Muse challenge. I was inspired by the bird images on the card and the vibrant gradient background.

My version uses black heat embossed birds on a line instead of die cut ones. The birds are from the Sentimental Birds set from Sweet Stamp Shop. I inked up only part of the set’s largest image to get the rows of birds you see here. And, I used a black pigment ink with detail embossing powder to be sure they (and the sentiment) would look crisp. They’re stamped on a glossy cardstock panel that I inked with a few different colors of distress inks. I used a softer green and blue color palette for my background. The finished panel is layered on a chartreuse mat, then set on a lighter green card base for a soothing appearance.

Materials Used:
Sentimental Birds stamp set (Sweet Stamp Shop); Versafine Onyx Black ink (Tsukineko); Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean, and Peacock Feathers distress inks (Ranger); Simply Chartreuse and Spring Moss cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Glossy White cardstock, black detail embossing powder (Stampin’ Up!)

In My Thoughts

This week’s CAS-ual Fridays challenge was to use pastels with black. I made this clean and simple design using the Sentimental Birds set from Sweet Stamp Shop in soothing shades of blues and greens for the challenge.

I stamped the large image of birds on branches in Versamark ink on a glossy white panel, then covered the ink with black embossing powder and heat embossed it. To get a crisp look, I made sure to use a detail embossing powder.

After embossing, I sponged on several different shades of blue and green inks, then set the panel on a black mat. I attached the panel to a coordinating green green card base, then stamped the set’s “you’re in my thoughts” sentiment beneath the image panel in black ink.

Materials Used:
Sentimental Birds stamp set (Sweet Stamp Shop); Glossy White and Basic Black cardstock, Marina Mist Classic ink, black detail embossing powder (Stampin' Up!); Versamark watermark ink, Memento Summer Sky, Bamboo Leaves, and Pear Tart inks (Tsukineko); Spring Moss cardstock (Papertrey Ink)

Black and White Birds

A nasty case of the stomach flu came on suddenly and had me down for the count yesterday and I'm still not myself today. I'm hoping another day of rest at will help me to get back to normal. With not feeling well, a clean and simple card was pretty much all I could manage for today.

This card is for this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge to make a card with just black and white in honor of Friday's penguin awareness day. I didn't go with penguins on my card, but did stick with the bird theme, using my new Sentimental Birds set from Sweet Stamp Shop. The silhouette image of birds perched on lines is perfect for a black and white card.

I stamped the large image on a white panel, trimming the panel's edges to fit the image. After layering it on a black panel, I added a piece of white vellum over the stamped image for a more muted look. A piece of black satin ribbon is knotted around the panel at the bottom of the image, hiding the adhesive I used to secure the vellum panel. I added one of the set's sentiments beneath the ribbon on a narrow white strip. To go with the sentiment, I found a clear crystal circle and placed it on the vellum to spotlight the pair of birds with the hearts between them. The crystal element was a fun way to add an embellishment while still keeping with the all black and white color scheme.

Materials Used:
Sentimental Birds stamp set (Sweet Stamp Shop); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); white cardstock (Stampin' Up!); white vellum (The Paper Co.); black satin ribbon (Target); clear crystal circle (Recollections)

Turn Up the Music

This week’s SCS clean and simple challenge is an inspiration challenge based on the phrase “chill out.” Instead of going with the more seasonal cool weather meaning of the phrase, I went with the idea of relaxation and used the Old School Rock set from Sweet Stamp Shop for my card.

I used the set’s old school head phone image as my focal image (and on a side note, I must admit that I haven’t bought in to using the more modern ear bud version just yet—the headphones I use aren’t as old school as these, but I guess they could be described as a hybrid between these and earbuds). The image is stamped on pale pink cardstock and the ear pieces are paper pieced with rose cardstock so that I could hide the end of the pink baker's twine "cord" underneath the left ear piece. I used a few strategically placed glue pen dots to keep the cord twisted and twirled in place.

I paired the image with the "turn up the music and float away . . ." sentiment. It kind of evoked a “chill out” feeling in me when I read it. A pair of silver brads as an accent helped to balance the image panel. It's set on a white square, then on a rose card base.

Materials Used:
Old School Rock stamp set (Sweet Stamp Shop); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Regal Rose and Pink Pirouette cardstock (Stampin' Up!); white cardstock (Xerox); silver brads (Recollections); pink baker's twine (Divine Twine)

Rejects Rock

I submitted several cards to the most recent Paper Crafts magazine call for projects for publication and not a single one was selected this go-round. I’m linking up this fun design I created for the call to Amber’s latest reject blog hop.

This was a pretty quick card to put together. I used a combination of different dies and punches, plus some paper scraps to cut a bunch of stars. After arranging them on a white card base, I added a single clear crystal at the center of each star, using a different sized crystal on each star.

I stamped the “let’s rock out” sentiment from the Old School Rock set from Sweet Stamp Shop in the open space on the cardfront, inking the word “rock” in silver for a little sparkle. A red ribbon tied around the bottom of the card finishes things off.

Materials Used:
Old School Rock stamp set (Sweet Stamp Shop); Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz, and Marina Mist cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); white cardstock (Xerox); Memento Tuxedo Black and Encore Silver inks (Tsukineko); small and large star punches (EK Success); star die (Papertrey Ink); star die (Taylored Expressions); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); clear crystals (Studio 18)