Christmas is around the corner and...

Thanks to SCS, I actually have some of my Christmas cards made.  Not as many as I should, since I am way behind... but some :-)  I'm supposed to be making 8 cards a month, but I have missed a few.  Here are the 3 newest designs I made.  I was inspired by, wait for it.... pinterest!  One of the cards on pinterest was a valentine's day card that I made into a Christmas Card.  Then I used the positive of the cut out to make another card.. rather ingenious I think... ;-)

This card is the one inspired by pinterest.  Obviously, I took the idea of the negative and positive cut out.  I used the 2010 Holiday Tree Nestabilitie and the Ornament Cuttlebug embossing folder.  I used Gina K Cardstock in White and Fresh Asparagus.  I used a Gina K sentiment on the small tree as well.

I took the piece of the nestability tree that I cut out for the card above and used it as the focal point for another set of cards.  There are 4 of each of these designs.  I used the corner stamp from Gina K Very Merry Christmas set (illustrated by Teresa Momber) and stamped the two top corners of the white panel using Memento Bamboo Leaves.  I used the snowflakes cuttelbug embossing folder on the tree.  The designer paper is Eskimo Kisses by Basic Grey.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set.  The cardstock is Gina K  (Tan Leather, Fresh Asparagus, White, and Dark Chocolate.

The last one for today is one I made a couple of months ago.  This also uses Gina K Cardstock (White, Fresh Asparagus, Cranberry, Gold and Kraft).  The image is a Christmas collage stamped with Memento Rhubarb Stalk on Kraft for an old timey look. 

I have the makings of a couple more on my table.. hopefully I'll get to those and back to here before Christmas.  :-)

Thanks for stopping by!



Paper and Such Challenge Time!

It's time for another challenge at Paper and Such! This week's challenge is to create a card or project that uses the paper piecing technique. Isn't the snow angel PERFECT for piecing?? I paper pieced the wings, scarf and hat.  I used blue copics to add a little color to the body of the snowman.  The brim of the hat has ultra fine white flower soft for some texture.  Thanks for stopping by today and make sure you get over to Paper and Such to participate in the fun challenge!



Recipe:
Stamps: Snow Folks (Paper and Such)
Paper: Pure Luxury Cranberry, Fresh Asparagus, Ivory; Simple Stories DP
Ink: Memento black, rhubarb stalk
Accessories; Copics, Fleur de Lis Rectangle Nestabilities, Copic Spica, Flower Soft

Snow Folks

Oh my goodness!! I have the honor of being Guest Designer for Paper and Such this month. Today, I'm highlighting the new set Snow Folks. This is such an AWESOME set. I totally love it~ I decided to go a little bit of a different way with this set. I, yes me, I, on purpose, made a 3-D item. Can you believe it? I found this tutorial for the box on splitcoast. It's a 2-5-7-10 box. I used acetate for the circle in the center so it became a little sneek peek box. Isn't the Snowman ADORABLE!! Perfect accent for this sweet little chocolate gift box.

I stamped the box with some of the snowflakes from the snow folks set.  I stamped the snowman with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  He is colored with Copics and then I added some stickles to simulate the snow on his arms and hat.  I fussy cut him out.  One of the awesome things I love about this set is that the arms of the snowman are thick enough to cut around without cutting right through them.

Thanks so much to the Paper and Such team for allowing me to join them as a guest designer!!

Make sure you check out the other amazing projects using this versatile winter set.

Kim - http://paperperfectdesigns.blogspot.com/
Janice - http://inkeepaws.blogspot.com/
Pattie - http://pattie-g.blogspot.com/
Mindy - http://journalofamadstamper.blogspot.com/
Amber - http://ambersantics.blogspot.com/

You are so Kind

I was very honored to be asked to make a sample card for my friend Lori's HYCCT challenge. I have to admit, I breathed a little sigh of relief that I wasn't going to use pink.. lol. Lori's challenge is a color challenge: "The colors Green and Yellow represent Hope and Brown represents comfort (we all want the strong ladies fighting this battle to be!). " So in honor of all the ladies full of hope and needing comfort, I inked up the sunflowers from Gina K's Autumn Splendor stamp set. I have used this set A LOT this year...

I pulled out my sheets of sketches and I found this CPS sketch.. Isn't it awesome??  The image is colored with, let's all say it together, COPICS.   I stamped the script in Desert Sand and then stamped the flowers over it and colored.  The circles were made by using two standard circle nestabilities.  I added the raffia for the country/autumn feel.

Thanks for stopping by!  Come join us for the HYCCT challenges... your cards will bring a smile to people who really need some smiles!!




Recipe:
Stamps: Autumn Splendor (GKD)

Paper: Pure Luxury Dark Chocolate, Sweet Corn, Kraft, Green Apple, Ivory; DCWV Naturals DP
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories: raffia, double stitched ribbon, copics, Nestabilities

A Pink kind of Day

Happy Sunday to all of you! I hope you all got to spend a little time playing and creating with your stamps, ink and paper yesterday. I was able to make a couple of cards AND have a lovely picnic in the mountains with my family. It was a really lovely day. Today I am showcasing the 2 cards I made for the Hope You Can Cling To challenges at Splitcoaststampers. You might be sick of them by the end of the month, but these cards that are being made by so many people are really going to bring a smile to someone's face... I just believe it!

The first challenge of the day had us creating pink animal cards. I opted for a pink teddy bear. I just love these Milton stamps from Wild Rose Studios. I used my favorite pink copic combo (R81, R83, R85, R89) for the bear. My daughter requested that I use the pink glitter pen (Spica) so I added some pink glitter to Milton's nose. The image panel is sponged with a little pink ink in order to hide the smudge from my fingers... didn't work perfectly, but I guess it's proof that it is a homemade card ;-)

The third challenge of the day was entitled Encircled with Love -- the challenge, should we choose to accept it, was to create a circle card. At the last VSN I was introduced to these telescoping cards.. They are so much fun.. so I went with this idea for my circle card. This picture shows the card open. Once closed, it looks like a bunch of circles stacked on each other. If you can't read the quote, it says "Once you choose hope, anything's possible - Christopher Reeve". I felt that quote was perfect for this challenge. It may not be a card to send to someone, but perhaps it could be an encouraging decoration for a wall....

Now, I'm looking forward to the rest of this month's challenges. It was good to get back into my stamp area! Thanks for stopping by!




Recipes:
Pink Teddy
Stamps: Milton with Tulips (Wild Rose Studio)
Paper: PTI White, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Autumn DP (DCWV)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: jewel flowers, copics


Telescoping Hope
Stamps: Hopeful Hearts (Gina K)
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip; PTI white, SEI Jolie chocolat DP
Ink: Memento Rich cocoa, Angel Pink
Accessories: Nestabilities Big Scalloped circles, standard circles, brads, suede ribbon, sakura stardust gel pen
Techniques: telescoping

Pumpkin Time

I didn't mean nighttime.. I mean it's time for all things Pumpkin... pumpkin pie, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bread.... I love pumpkin!! Today's card serves a dual... well triple purpose. This card uses my take on the CPS sketch for this week. The sketch is below and you can see how I used the base of the sketch but then kind of went off on a tangent :-)



This card is also for the WRAK challenges at Splitcoast. One of the Falling Leaves Challenges was to create a Thanksgiving card that includes an image of a pumpkin. The third purpose also coincides with the second. The WRAK challenges are posted as inspiration for us to make cards that will then be donated to Operation Write Home. OWH sends boxes of cards to different military groups so our troops can have the ability to send a nice homemade card to their loved ones. OWH's mission is:

Supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them.

As far as the card is concerned... it's fairly simple. The curry background has leaves stamped with versamark. The image is colored with... SHOCK... Copics. I am obviously stuck in a raffia kind of mood. For some reason, this year, I just feel the need to use raffia..everywhere it seems :-) I changed the circles on the sketch to an apple, which I also associate with fall. The DP is my newest favorite Bo Bunny Forever Fall. That paper pack is simply DELISH!!

Thanks for stopping by today.



Recipe:
Stamps: Autumn Splendor (Gina K)
Paper: SU Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Crumb Cake; Bo Bunny Forever Fall DP
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Versamark
Accessories: Apple Nestabilites, Lattice Rectangle nesties, Ribbon, raffia, corner rounder punch

The Christmas Season....

is near! I really enjoyed working with this week's Sweet Stop Sketch.. but as I think I mentioned I was bit ambivalent about my card.. so I decided to try another one. I like this one much better. Lucky for me I had a Christmas image around... now I can officially say that I've started working on my Christmas cards :-) This card used the Season of Love set by Sweet n Sassy Stamps. I love silhouette images... I mean y'all know I love to color, but there is something so cool about silhouettes! I inked the image with Versamark and then inked over it with Memento Potters Clay. Once stamped, I covered it with clear embossing powder and VOILA.. Potters Clay embossing without a special color powder! I also added some raffia at the bottom becuase it made me think of hay in the manger. I am submitting this card for the Ribbon Carousel challenge this week as well  (RCC19). The challenge this week is anything goes :-) That is one of my favorite types of challenges. After I added the raffia, I wasn't sure if that counted as something that comes on a spool so I added a dab of gold and white wired ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by!!



Recipe:
Stamps: A Season of Love
Paper: Pure Luxury Ivory, Pumpkin Spice, MME DP (Christmas 2010)
Ink: Memento Potters Clay, Versamark
Accessories: Nestabilities, embossing powder, nailheads, raffia, ribbon, corner rounder punch

Sweet Butterfly

Hi there and Happy Wednesday!! Today's card is the first card I've ever made for the Sweet Stop Sketch challenge. I just got this stamp set last week. It's the New Creature stamp set by Sweet and Sassy Stamps.. I tried some practice flicking with my copics on this, The coloring looks more cohesive than other times that I have tried this technique, but I still feel that more practice is required :-) Thanks for stopping by today!! Oh, and right below is the sketch that I was using....






Recipe:
Stamps: A New Creature -(Sweet n Sassy)
Paper: Pure Luxury Ivory, Sweet Mango, Dark Chocolate; Echo Park DP (A walk in the park)
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Rhubarb Stalk, Bahama Blue
Accessories: Nestabilities; Copics, chocolate Spica, rhinestones

A Little Summer with a little Fall

Given the Fall Blog Hop.. I was still in an Autumn mode. So, I combined two challenges for this card, CPS and Ribbon Carousel.

The sketch for this week really intrigued me..



I really wasn't sure how I was going to tackle this one... and then... I got a package from Gina K. The cone flowers spoke to me as a great image for this card. The flowers are actually pieced on the main panel and they are colored with Copics. I added some Sakura stardust clear and some crystal stickles to add a little bling on the card. In that same package, I received a pad of Echo Park DP. I Love the colors in that pack, so you'll see one of those sheets used here. The half circles are cut with Big Scallop nesties. In the spirit of this week's Ribbon Carousel challenge I added a bit of brown bakers twine to the burlap ribbon and on the panel behind it. The sentiment comes from an older Gina K set, Friendship Blooms.

Thanks for stopping by today!





Recipe:
Stamps: Heartfelt, Friendship Blooms - (Gina K)
Paper: Pure Luxury Wild Dandelion, Sweet Mango, Dark Chocolate, Kraft; A Walk in the Park (Echo Park DP)
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories: Pewter Pearls, Stickles, Sakura glaze pen, Nestabilities, Copics, Burlap Ribbon, twine

Fall Fun Blog Hop

A Labor Day Blog Hop -- How fun!!!

Welcome to the Fall Fun Blog Hop! A group of online friends, led by the fabby Ms Lydia, decided this would be a GREAT time to get inky together, and so we've put together a fall themed blog hop to inspire you as the autumn approaches. As you meet our stampy bloggers today, you may discover that some have goodies for you, so be sure and visit everyone on the list. We have hoppers from all over the globe today, and they are amazing artists. Thanks for visiting us - grab yourself a nice fall beverage and enjoy! Here is the full list of our blog hoppers today:

Lydia Fiedler

Libby Hickson

Kim Williams

Michelle Single

Lee Murphy

Sara Henton

Yapha Mason

Lisa Adametz

Jimmi Mayo

Jeanne Streiff

Bev Gerard  

Dana Keith

Joan Ervin

Maren Benedict

Teresa Kline:ME

Hannah Clark

Dina Kowal

Wanda Cullen

Korin Sutherland

Taylor Usry

Monika Davis

Harriet Skelly

Kim Schofield

Cathy McCauley

Mary Marsh

Julia Aston

Bridget Finlay

Alison Habetler

Leslie Hanna

Sue Farrant

Michelle Hanway

Misti Oblander

Judy Rozema

Jenna Barber

Tammy Hershberger

Eva Dobilas

Kerri Michaud

Cheryl Navarrete

Neva McMullen

Marianne Baugher

Samantha

Cindy Wallach

Now on to a little inspiration....  Today, I decided to go with, what I consider, a non-traditional Fall color scheme. I usually reserve blues for winter, but I saw this gorgeous DCWV paper and was inspired!! I combined this with a new to me fold that I found on Splitcoaststampers. It is called the Joy Fold. This was a lot of fun - so thanks for the tutorial Beate! 

The little bit of brown paper peeking out is actually some divine SEI Velvet paper... The stamping is actually direct to rubber using my Copics (B95, B99).  I colored directly onto the stamp and then spritzed a little rubbing alcohol on the stamp... I kind of like the result.  It looks distressed.   You can see in the close-ups that I stamped a leaf on the leaf die cut and sunflowers under the sentiment.

I also added some of the sunflowers on the inside of the second flap. They are in the lower right corner.. so there is still room for a handwritten message.   

Speaking of autumn/fall... I am soooo happy that Pumpkin Spice is back at Starbucks :-)  I always feel that life is just a bit better with a Venti 2 1/2 pumps Pumpkin Xtra Hot Chai Latte..  I know say that 3 times fast....  so what are your favorite fall treats?  Leave me a comment on this post, by 8pm Mountain Time on Wednesday Sept 7th, with your favorite fall treat and you will be entered to win a $10 gift certificate to one of my favorite stores... Paper and Such!  I will do a random drawing and announce the winner on Thursday morning!

Thanks so much for stopping by and make sure that you continue on to the great projects that await you on Leslie's blog! 

To Follow a Dream

Hi there!! Happy Thursday! This is another of DTGD cards I made for this year. This was a 4 challenge card. I just love this image and imagine that this would be a great card for a graduation or for anyone embarking on an adventure.

The blue panel, or what you can see of it, was distressed by spritzing with water, wrinkling the paper and going over it with some Tim Holtz distress ink. In retrospect, I should have shown a bit more of that blue panel... live and learn :-) One of the other challenges was to use a map on our project. I had this great paper that I had used for the pirate VSN. In other words, don't look too closely at any of the print or you will think it doesn't really match the sentiment or the image :-). The image was stamped with Memento ink and colored with.... wait for it..... Copics. I also sponged the sky in an effort to make a Theresa Momber like scene! My last little touch was to add some twine, which I think just goes with a boat image. I restamped the image and a little dragonfly on the envelope to add a little whimsy. I always forget about decorating envelopes, but it's so easy and makes a statement even before the recipient sees the card.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to Follow your dreams!


 

 Recipe:
Stamps: Follow Your Dreams (Gina K)

Paper: Pure Luxury Kraft, Ocean Mist; DCWV DP
Ink: Memento rich cocoa, tuxedo black, summer sky, Tim Holtz distress ink.\
Accessories: Nesties, copics, jute

A little farm

Howdy peeps! Today's card is a double challenge card. I made this for the current challenge at Paper and Such. This challenge was to use a farm animal. I combined this card with this week's Card Positioning sketch.



I don't know about all of you, but sometimes my kids just seem to take over life.  Sometimes it seems like they rule the world or would like to give it a try anyway.  I thought this card would be a cheeky, fun little way to remind myself and a couple friends that we "Rule the roost" and we should make sure we take a little "me" time every once in a while!

Thanks for stopping by!


Recipe:
Stamps: Green Acres (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Pure Luxury Kraft, Red Hot, Sweet Corn, and Ivory; a|muse gingham dp
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Copics, Nestabilities, twine

I know it's been awhile...again. But the good news is that between DTGD and VSN, I have gotten a bunch of cards made! Today I'm going to share one of the cards I made for DTGD this year. This one card encompassed 6 of the Dirty Challenges. It was a sketch challenge, with a sketch designed by Suzanne Dean. I included distressing for the challenge form cmf1216. Julie challenged us to use Kraft and Knightrone challenged everyone to use 3 different types of embellishments on one card. Deb wanted us to use handmade embellishments, which I was also able to incorporate. Last, but not least, gbedwright challenged us to make a card that used products, colors, embellishments, or techniques that use the letters of your name. This one took me a little while and I think I pushed the envelope a little bit, BUT I came up with this:
A: Autumn Splendor
L: Leaves
I: Ink
S: Smooch, Sketch, Sunflowers, Sweet Corn
O: Ovals
N: Navy, Nestabilities

Hee Hee -- DTGD was so much fun!! Thanks for stopping by today.



Recipe:
Stamps: Autumn Splendor (Gina K)
Paper: Pure Luxury Kraft, In the Navy, Sweet Corn, Ivory; MME Hattie DP, SEI Velvet Paper
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Tim Holtz Old Paper Distress Ink,
Accessories: Chocolate Pearls, Orange Twinkles, Leaves (handmade), Smooch

Fabulous Friday

WOW! I am so touched that I was selected as the Friday Featured Fan for the CPS Sketch Blog. I LOVE working with Sketches and this blog gives me a new sketch each week to work with! Sketches really give me a jumping off point for my cards.

For this card, I used the cute one of the cute little Pure Innocence girls. I colored her with Copics and she is popped up with a dimensional. Other than that, this card is pretty simple. I added some red gems to the sentiment to bring in a little of the red from the apple.

Thanks for stopping by and make sure you check out the CPS blog...



Recipe:
Stamps:MFT PI Caramel Apple; GKD Autumn Splendor
Paper: Pure Luxury Sweet Mango, Little Boy Blue, Dark Chocolate; SU DP
Ink: Memento Tangerine and Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Spellbinders Squares, Twinkles

Poppy Love

Ok--corny I know... I can't help it!..  I got my newest order from Paper and Such this weekend and just had to make a card with the new set I got, Poppies.  I thought I would use it for a second card for the Paper and Such Challenge.  I had to try another one, because I was not overly thrilled with the last one ;-) 

I did use an image this time, but I still think that the sentiment is definitely the main focal point.  I stamped the poppy image directly onto the DP.  The sentiment is stamped on a Nestie from the Fancy Tags 2.  I used another tag from the same set to layer behind the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by...



Recipe;
Stamps: Poppies (Paper and Such)
Paper: Neenah Solar White, Pure Luxury Smoky Slate, DCWV Immortal Love
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Nesties

A friend always knows...

The current challenge over at Paper and Such is to make a sentiment the focal point of your card. This is the first card I made. I used the sentiment from Song in My Heart. I also got to break in my new to me Nesties -Lattice Rectangles. Can you tell I love my nesties? My friend Lee was going through withdrawls this week because her CB broke... If there was ever a reason to have multiple cutting machines THAT is it! The sentiment was stamped with versamark and then the ink. Once stamped, I used clear embossing powder to heat emboss the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by!



Recipe:
Stamps: Song in My Heart (Paper and Such)
Paper: Pure Luxury Kraft, Green Apple, Hattie (MME DP)
Ink: Versamark, Memento Bamboo Leaves, Rich cocoa
Accessories: Nestabilities Labels 10, Lattice rectangles, Clear Emboss powder

May Winter come soon!

I've been cranking out some cards.. it's meant some late nights, but it's fun!!! Granted, since I've actually been creating, I've forgotten to update the blog... I know... strange...

This is a card I made for some of the Dare to Get Dirty challenges on SCS. This card actually covers 4 different challenges. My little snowman is covered in Polar White Flower soft. The snow man himself is 11 separate pieces (I think). It's one of the Cut and emboss folders from provocraft... let me tell you.. I have never been so happy for the quickie glue pen.. It was perfect for those teeny tiny pieces. His eyes are pearls, nose is twinkles, mouth is rhinestones. His hat , arms and pipe are colored with Copic Spica pens.

I was really scared of trying to make a center-step card that I found on SCS, but it was easier than it looked and it's such a fun little fold. I'll have to re-use this one for sure!

Thanks for stopping by!!




Recipe:
Stamps: SU Sentiment, CHF Trees BG
Paper: Pure Luxury In the Navy, Silver linen, Moonlit Fog, Layering White
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, London Fog
Accessories: Snowflakes EF, buttons, Spellbinders - Fancy Tag, Lacey Circles, Standard Circles; Provocraft Snowman Cut and Emboss, Flower soft, Smooch Spritz, Silver ribbon, Blue Silk ribbon, Black Pearls, Red Rhinestones, Orange twinkles, Copic Spica Black and Chocol
Techniques: center-step card

Butterflies

Hi there!! I am enojoying a rare couple of hours at home in silence! YAY! so I was able to break out the paper and make a card! This card today is a quadruple challenge card. Lucky for me, these 4 challenges all fed the inspiration :-)

There is no stamping on this card. I used the sketch from Card Patterns

This was a fun sketch. When I first saw it, I struggled to think what in the world I could do so I started glancing at some other challenges. The inspiration challenge on SCS today was to use the Posh Vintage site as inspiration. As I glanced through the site I happened upon this dress with a beaded waist panel. The beaded waist immediately made me think of the 4 lower panels on the sketch! VOILA!! The panels on the sketch are squares of card stock interspersed with pearls to recreate the beaded feel of the waistband of the dress.

As I continued my searches.. I came across the Just Us Girls technique challenge for this week.

The challenge is to make a card incorporating a cardstock button. How cute is that?? Buttons... dresses... bingo! another match. Last is the matter of color. I know that I want something monochromatic since the dress is mostly beige and gold. Our Creative Corner provided that inspiration... It's a White PARTY!! Perfect.

And that is how my card today came together. I was able to break out my newly ordered butterfly dies from Taylored Expressions and use some of this fun lattice ribbon that was a gift from a friend. All in all, it's been a lovely hour and half! :-)

Thanks for stopping by!

Recipe:

Stamps: None

Paper: Pure Luxury White (heavy and layer weight), Mother of Pearl; White Glittered Paper (Archivers)

Ink: None

Accessories: Ribbon, butterfly dies, white pearls, standard circle nestabilities

Scenery... Oh my~

Wow, it has been a looooooonnnggggggg week. Note to self.. don't volunteer for special projects at work. Oy~

Today's card is another stab at scenery a la Theresa Momber :-) Have I mentioned that I love her cards? :-)

For this card I used liberal amounts of my Memento Inks. I used Summer Sky, Danube Blue, Paris Dusk and Tuxedo Black for the sky.  For the moon, I took some scrap paper and used a circle nestability to create the circle.  I used the negative as the mask and sponged the moon using Cantaloupe.  For the water, I used Bahama Blue, Danube Blue and Paris Dusk.  The light house is colored with Copics, cut out and paper pieced on top of the original stamped image on the main panel.  I really wish that the sentiment had embossed better, but it works.  The stars are made with a white gel pen.  I used a Copic spica for the lighthouse light.

I hope you like... I'm going to try to get back on this weekend to add a few more details :-)

Thanks for stopping by~!

Recipe:
Stamps: By the Sea (Gina K)
Paper: Pure Luxury In the Navy, Smoky Slate, and Layering Weight White (Gina K)
Ink: Memento Summer Sky, Danube Blue, Tuxedo Black, Paris Dusk, Bahama Blue; Versamark
Accessories: Copics (W3, W5, W7, C3, C5, C7, C9, YG97, E59, Y17), Buttermilk Copic Spica, White Embossing Powder, Gel Pen