Stamping with Klass

Prime Adaptive

2012-02-10T14:26:00.005-05:00

Second post of the day. No card in this post, but I wanted to share something with you. (Scroll down for cards)

I have a great, great nephew, Noah, who was born with Lowes Syndrome. He is such a sweet child with physical, visual and other disabilities. His dad (my great nephew) is incredibly crafty and has developed a line of educational and therapeutic toys. Not only can Noah benefit from his daddy's creations, but they are available for purchase online now at Prime Adaptive.

If you have a child with special needs or know of someone who does, take a look and see if there is something that can enhance the life of that child.

And if you have a child in your life and would like some top quality wooden toys, this is the site for you.

Thanks for letting me share this with you today.

Aqua

2012-02-10T13:52:00.000-05:00

This week's Less is More challenge was....

For our first Anniversary we are back to a repeat of our inaugural challenge which for the first

Saturday of the month is colour...and this time we have chosen

AQUA

Here's the first card I did.

When I first read the challenge, I thought butterflies and this is my go to butterfly right now. It's also a Sale-a-bration selection (free with a $50.00 order).

I colored 2 of the largest butterflies so I could cut one out and have him fluttering. All of the butterflies were colored by swiping the marker on a clear block and picking up the color with a blender pen.

The next card will look familiar. It's the same layout as yesterday's card. I love this versatile layout.

I thought about adding a flower, but the "Less is More" stopped me.

Did you notice the edges on the white band? I used another of the Adorning Accents Edgelits and the embossing folder that goes with it. It's the first time I used it and it won't be my last. I love those scallops!

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps: Kindness Matters, Short and Sweet

Ink: Jet Black StazOn, SU Marker (Baja Breeze)

Paper: Naturals White, Baja Breeze

Other: Blender Pen, Simply Scored

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps: Curly Cute

Ink: Baja Breeze

Paper: Whisper White, Baja Breeze

Other: Big Shot, Adorning Accents Edgelit, Adorning Accents and Finial Press EF, Baja Breeze Seam Binding

Whew! I almost didn't make the entry time for this challenge.

I'm glad I could post it in time and glad you stopped by.

Enjoy!

Versatile Valentine

2012-02-09T18:54:00.000-05:00

Here's another project that the Papercrafting Group did yesterday.

It's a CASE of a card by Sandi MacIver. When I saw her card in December, I knew I would be using it for a lot of occasions.

It's gorgeous with Cherry Cobbler too.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Hand Penned Holidays
Ink: Early Espresso
Paper: Whisper White, Rose Red
Other: Big Shot, Victorian Wallpaper & Square Lattice EF Scallop Heart of Heart Embosslit, Pinking Hearts Border and Full Heart Punches, Rose Red Seam Binding, Basic Pearl

You'll be seeing more of this layout. I hope you won't get sick of it.

I'm thinking Christmas card. Maybe I can get one made for the Merry Monday challenge.

It makes me happy that you stopped in.

Enjoy!

Hearts with Friends

2012-02-08T19:49:00.000-05:00

This is one of the cards we did in our Papercrafting class this morning.

We had so much fun! Wish you could have joined us.

I used my new Adorning Accents Edgelit Die. Isn't that curve sweet? And everyone got to emboss with the Adorning Accents Embossing Folders. The big heart was embossed and cut with my Scalloped Heart of Heart Embosslit and the little hearts with the Fashionable Hearts Embosslit from the Occasions Mini Catalog. That Big Shot was smokin!

The ribbon and decorative paper are free gifts from Sale-a-bration.

I didn't do any stamping on this card. My friends stamped the inside.

I think I'll send this over to the SUO challenge to use two colors for hearts. I hope it's ok to enter more than once.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe

Paper: Poppy Parade, Whisper White, Everyday Enchantment DSP, Calypso Coral
Other: Big Shot, Adorning Accents Edgelit, Adorning Accents EF, Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit, Fashionable Hearts Embosslit, Everyday Enchantment Ribbon

I hope you got to have some fun today too. I'm glad you stopped by even if you couldn't stamp with us.

Enjoy!

Hearts in Two Colors

2012-02-07T17:31:00.000-05:00

Do you have a tendency to make monochromatic Valentines? The other day, I realized that everything I was making was either red and white, pink and white, or black and white.

So on this one, I added a panel of Regal Rose and a black check bow.

I love this long narrow size for a card. It's a bit different but still mailable at the regular rate. The finished card measures 3 1/4" x 6 1/4". Stampin' Up!'s open end envelope is a perfect fit.

And then today I saw the Stampin' Up! Only challenge and, hot dog! they were thinking along the same lines.

YOUR challenge this time around at SUO Challenges – make a Valentine Card with two main colors (and you can add a neutral or two) and share it with us at the SUO Challenge Design Team!

Imagine that!

And adding that Regal Rose panel made such a big difference in the look of the card. I'm so glad I added it.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps: I {Love} Love Jumbo Wheel (cut apart)
Ink: Real Red
Paper: Real Red, Regal Rose, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Fashionable Hearts Embosslit, Adorning Accents EF, Gingham Ribbon (retired), Basic Pearls

Tomorrow I'll probably be back to monochromatic. But that's ok. I love monochromatic.

I'm so glad you popped in.

Enjoy!

Hearts

2012-02-06T18:29:00.000-05:00

The CAS challenge at SCS today is Hearts. I just happen to have some hearts.

Most of them are sitting on the table and haven't been photographed yet.

But I do have one to share with you.

This was a quick and easy card. I used the heart from Punch Potpourri, which is now retired. Floral Fusion has a heart that would work just as well.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Punch Potpourri
Ink: Rose Red
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit, Elegant Lines EF, Full Heart Punch, Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon

I've got a class on Wednesday. And I'm no where near ready for it! Aagh! I need to get busy.

I'm glad you were able to stop by.

Enjoy!

Bird Trouble

2012-02-05T19:22:00.000-05:00

Jennifer is back with the One Layer Wednesday challenge and she says....

1. A one-layer card is defined as a single piece of cardstock folded in half.

2. Make a one-layer birthday card incorporating at least one bird.

Yesterday I shared a card made from the remains of my first try.

Actually, the base of that card was from the second try. The bird fell off the block. He didn't stamp. Just left a smudge. The oval covered the smudge so I didn't have to trash it.

On my third try, the bird fell off the block again! This time, I just pressed it down where it landed.

That's why he's in the bottom right corner and not in the middle of the card.

That's one stubborn bird!

I just noticed that I forgot to color the branch.

Oh, and I just inked the bird for try 2 and 3. It's a good thing don't you think?

I used the Stamp-a-majig for placement of the leaves. He needed something so he didn't look like he was trying to get away. He was, but.....

I used my Simply Scored to frame the sentiment.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Beautiful Season, Pocket Silhouettes, Sincere Salutations
Ink: Old Olive, Always Artichoke, SU Markers (Basic Black, Basic Gray, Peach Parfait)
Paper: Naturals White
Other: Simply Scored

I hope your attempts went better than mine. Thanks for stopping by and letting me whine at you.

Enjoy!

Damage Control

2012-02-04T19:38:00.000-05:00

Here's another card for the Merry Monday challenge. I love that sketch and it was perfect for some damage control.

I haven't had much time with my stamps and what time I had seemed to be destined for failure!

I was trying to do a one layer card , but the birds just wouldn't cooperate.

It had to be a Birthday card and the holly wasn't saying birthday to me.

So I used the Ovals die and cut out some of the image. (Don't look too close at the coloring. I think Luke could have done as well.) Lesley's sketch was perfect for what could be salvaged.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Beautiful Season, Small Script (Retired)
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, SU Markers (Basic Gray, Basic Black, Soft Suede, Garden Green, Real Red)
Paper: Naturals White, Real Red, DSP
Other: Blender Pen, Big Shot, Ovals Die

I did finally get the one layer card done. That's a whole 'nother story! I'll share that tomorrow.

I'm so glad you stopped by. I'm off to do some visiting myself.

Enjoy!

Another Merry Monday

2012-02-02T18:49:00.000-05:00

Yep, I know it's Thursday. As much as I want to keep up with this challenge, I seem to have trouble keeping getting it done on Monday. I think I am a day earlier than last week though.

Lesley, over at Always Playing with Paper, gave us a wonderful sketch for the Merry Monday challenge this week.

I've used a similar sketch before and had to fight the inclination to do the same thing.

I tried a couple of different things with no success. Then I pulled out an envelope with some UFO pieces left over from last Christmas, saw this ornament and went from there.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Many Merry Messages

Ink: Basic Black

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red, Silver and Red Glimmer Paper

Other: Big Shot, Elegant Lines EF, Simply Scored, Ornament and Boho Blossoms Punches, Basic Rhinestone

It's been another beautiful day in Carolina. The groundhog predicts 6 more weeks of winter. I wonder, does that mean 6 more weeks like we've had? In that case Spring is here!

I'm so glad you stopped by. Do come again soon.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Emmy

2012-02-01T19:20:00.000-05:00

Emmy is 3 years old! It's hard to believe our sweetheart is on her way to being a big girl.

Isn't she adorable? Yeah, I know. I'm extremely prejudiced and that's allowed!

Here's the card I made for her.

I have to admit, it's a CASE of this card. I didn't change much. Why mess with perfection.

Here's the inside

It's about time I used this stamp set. I think I've had it 6 months and it hadn't seen ink yet!

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe
Stamps: Pennant Parade, Perfectly Penned, Alphabet (Tim Coffey)
Ink: Melon Mambo, Peach Parfait, Wild Wasabi, Marina Mist
Paper: Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Peach Parfait, Marina Mist
Other: Scallop Square, 1 1/4" Square, Itty Bitty Shapes and Scallop Trim Corner Punches, Basic Rhinestones

By the way, Emmy's baby is one I made for her Momma when she was a little girl. It looks like Emmy is giving her lots of love.

I'm glad you could stop by and I've really enjoyed your comments and visiting your blogs.

Enjoy!

Folk Art Hearts

2012-01-31T18:55:00.000-05:00

Here's another card using the sketch from Less is More this week. I really love this sketch!

The Queen last week at SCS was ravengirl (Toni) and I didn't have go far into her gallery to find a card. I chose this one to CASE. I wish I had time to CASE more. She's been a favorite of mine for a long time.

The hearts are stamped in Cherry Cobbler on Whisper White. I used my Stamp-a-majig to determine the layout. After stamping, I threaded a big eyed needle with linen thread and connected the hearts with it. I ran a length up the back so I would have two ends to tie a bow with.

The design in layered onto Cherry Cobbler and the card base is Naturals White. The sentiment is also stamped in Cherry Cobbler.

All supplies are Stampin' Up

Card Recipe
Stamps: Take it to Heart, Whimsical Words (retired)
Ink: Cherry Cobbler
Paper: Naturals White, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
Other: Linen Thread.

We've all been battling a respiratory virus at our house. I have completely lost my voice. The boys think it's really cool that I whisper to them. They both give me the sweetest smiles when I try to talk.

I'm so glad you stopped by and that you aren't exposed to any germs during your visit.

Enjoy!

Let's Sketch

2012-01-30T19:26:00.000-05:00

Can you believe that Less is More is a year old? What a wonderful year it's been with this challenge. So much inspiration and friendships have come my way since joining in. Thanks ladies for coming up with such a wonderful variety of challenges for us each week.

I had this embossed heart from the Floral Fillers set on my table and looked for a way to use it for

the challenge which this week is a SKETCH and there are some basic ground rules.

We would like the card to be

rectangular

in landscape orientation
with the band remaining in a vertical position

As it's a very simple sketch, we would like it to remain as is without any rotation of either the card or the vertical band.

I really love this sketch and think I will use it often.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Floral Fillers
Ink: VersaMark, Jet Black StazOn
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black
Other: Black Embossing Powder, Basic Rhinestone, Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit, Simply Scored

A friend of our daughter is getting married in the Spring and I think this will be a great Wedding card.

And whatever the language, Mandi and Chrissie, we love you.

I'm so glad you stopped by.

Enjoy!

ColorQ Bird

2012-01-29T10:04:00.000-05:00

What kind of bird is this? I can't find a bird in my bird books that helps me identify it, so I'm calling him the ColorQ bird.

That's because the design is colored in the ColorQ colors for this week.

The image was stamped with Jet Black StazOn and colored with SU Markers. I used the markers directly on the design for the deeper tones and swiped on plastic and picked up with a blender pen for the lighter tones.

Here's a closeup

We were joking yesterday that I'm going to wear out my Square Lattice Embossing Folder!

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Take it to Heart, Loving Thoughts
Ink: Jet Black StazON, SU Markers (Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, More Mustard)
Paper: Watercolor, Riding Hood Red
Other: Big Shot, Hearts Collection Framelits die, Square Lattice EF, Dimensionals

I hope you have a wonderful day. Thanks for spending some of it with me.

Enjoy!

Color in Winter

2012-01-28T18:56:00.000-05:00

Susan's One Layer Wednesday challenge this week is ....

"Winter's dominant color scheme is gray and white (at least in Ohio), but every now and then, a pop of color reminds us that spring and summer WILL come. I've seen pops of red (cardinals) and blue (blue birds) out my windows this month.

This week's OLW is to make a one-layer card that uses white, gray, with a pop of one bright color of your choice. (If you must, you may use black for the sentiment.)"

Very quick and simple. I stamped the flourish from the Creative Elements stamp set in Basic Gray. Colored the "berries" in Real Red with a SU Marker. Inked the Sympathy from the Loving Thoughts set with a Basic Gray Marker.

That's it and it was done.

I had done this card yesterday for this challenge but then decided that it had more than a pop of color in that Carolina Blue sky.

Actually, it's been so warm here in Carolina that I have a daffodil blooming in my front yard. And when I went to the library this afternoon, there were several showing their happy faces.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps: Creative Elements, Loving Thoughts

Ink: Basic Gray, SU Markers (Real Red, Basic Gray)

Paper: Whisper White

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Teeny, Tiny Wishes

Ink: Basic Gray

Paper: Naturals White

Other: Stampin' Pastels (Bashful Blue, Night of Navy), Sponge Dauber

I had a wonderful time this afternoon with some of my stamping friends. We had the best time and all made lots of beautiful cards. Now I'm so inspired I probably won't be able to sleep tonight.

I'm so happy you stopped by.

Enjoy!

Merry Winter Post

2012-01-27T20:58:00.000-05:00

I finally got to make a card for the Merry Monday 4 Challenge at Always Playing with Paper.

Here's the sketch Lesley gave us to work with.

There's still time to join in.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise stated

Card Recipe

Stamps: Winter Post, Bells & Boughs

Ink: Jet Black StazOn, SU Markers (Garden Green, Real Red, Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler)

Paper: Whisper White, Night of Navy, Naturals White

Other: Big Shot, Petals-a-Plenty EF, Lots of Tags Sizzlit, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Nestie, White Gel Pen

It makes me happy that you stopped by.

Enjoy!

Adventures in DSP

2012-01-26T20:04:00.000-05:00

Those of you who follow my blog know that I have a love/hate relationship with DSP. And I truly believe that the box of DSP grows daily. I'll never be able to use it up! If I never bought any more, I probably still wouldn't run out. And I have people helping me use it too!

I think I've found a way to use some up. I cut a piece of each 4" x 5" then laid it on my paper cutter with the corners lined up and cut it on the diagonal. I actually cut one piece a bit larger so I would have some "wiggle room". I punched a strip of Lucky Limeade with the Scallop Border Punch tucked it between the 2 pieces of DSP. Then put it all through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder.

It's easier to stamp the sentiment before embossing. Ask me how I know that? I'm glad I had an Island Indigo Marker to touch it up.

Some White Satin Ribbon finished off the card.

I didn't even have to buy this paper. It's free during Sale-a-bration (with a $50.00 order). There's some pretty paper in the package. I believe you'll be seeing some more of it on my cards.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Curly Cute
Ink: Island Indigo
Paper: Whisper White, Island Indigo, Everyday Enchantment DSP
Other: Square Lattice EF, Scallop Border Punch, White Satin Ribbon

I'm so glad you stopped in today. I hope you'll come back again soon.

Enjoy!

Another Window

2012-01-25T19:31:00.001-05:00

Here's another window card I did while I was on that roll.

There's a challenge blog out there called CAS-ual Fridays and I've been wanting to participate in their challenges. CAS is what I like best. I hope you can visit their challenge site. Not only are the DTs samples wonderful, but there are over 200 entries for this challenge alone. I wish I had time to visit each of the entrants' blogs to get a closer look and let them know how much I enjoyed their inspiration. This is the challenge this week.

CFC36: Create a Clean And Simple Project that is only black and white.

*no other colors will be allowed-not even a speck*

I love black and white cards!

It also qualifies for the Less is More challenge this week to

"Cut it Out"

For this we would like to see some kind of hole or aperture in your card!

I love these cards with cutouts, but they are hard to get a good photo of. I'm no photographer and I couldn't figure out how to get a picture without any shadow. Hopefully you can see the card well enough.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Floral Fillers

Ink: VersaMark

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black

Other: Scallop Rectangle Clearlit, Black EP, Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Basic Pearls (colored with a permanent marker)

I'm so glad you could stop by today. I really enjoy hearing from you.

Enjoy!

Hearts, Hearts, Hearts

2012-01-24T19:17:00.000-05:00

Valentine's day is right around the corner and I have hearts on my mind. How many hearts do you count in this card?

Boy was this hard to photgraph!

The Less is More challenge this week is

"Cut it Out"

For this we would like to see some kind of hole or aperture in your card

and the Friday Mashup challenge

FM#42 It's all about Color!

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

Make a project using "Paper Piercing".

Or Make a project using the colors "Blushing Bride, Riding Hood Red & Early Espresso".

Or "Mash it Up" and create a project with the "Color Combo & Paper Piercing".

The aperature and embossed hearts were all cut with the Hearts Collection Framelits Dies. You can find them on p. 6 of the Occasions Catalog. I cut the heart window with one size. After cutting the larger hearts, I put them in my favorite Square Lattice Embossing Folder to give them some texture.

The stamped heart on the inside was a scrap of Whisper White stamped with some of the flowers from the Elements of Style large flower stamp. I inked the stamp with Riding Hood Red and Pear Pizzaz markers. After stamping, I put the piece in the Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit. It embosses and cuts at the same time and the heart has a lovely scallop edge.

The sentiment is cut from the I {Love} Love Jumbo Wheel and stamped in Early Espresso.

The fancy paper piercing was done using an Ecstasy template. It's the first time I've used it after wishing for one for several years. It's not Stampin' Up! but isn't it interesting?

A bit of Riding Hood Red (retired) ribbon finished it off.

Hopefuly it's not too much for Less is More but I'm pretty sure I Mashed it Up!

All supplies SU unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe

Stamps: Elements of Style, I {Love} Love Jumbo Wheel (cut apart)

Ink: Early Espresso, SU Markers (Riding Hood Red, Pear Pizzazz)

Paper: Blushing Bride, Whisper White

Other: Big Shot, Hearts Framelits, Square Lattice EF, Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit, Paper Piercing template (Ecstasy Crafts), Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon

I'm so glad you could stop by today.

Enjoy!

Man, Oh Man

2012-01-22T16:55:00.000-05:00

Susan's One Layer Wednesday challenge last Wednesday was to make a birthday card for a guy. And of course it has to be one layer with minimum embellishments. Here's what I did.

I'm doing a happy dance because I used the stamp in the Baroque Motifs set that I had never used before!

I used my Stamp-a-majig for placement and stamped the middle block in Chocolate Chip then lined the end blocks up. I have to tell you, I held my breath through the whole process. It's a good thing it didn't take too long!

Now I'm breathless but happy.

I kept thinking about the Technique Challenge on SCS last Monday to use twine in a different way. I punched a 1/4" circle from a scrap, added a glue dot and wrapped a bit of hemp twine on the circle and glued the end down. I thought it gave a manly look. I tied a piece of twine too. It probably didn't need it, but I kinda like it, so it stays.

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Baroque Motifs

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Not Quite Navy
Paper: Whisper White
Other: Hemp Twine

I thought I would get a lot of stamping done this weekend and I haven't inked the first stamp. My house is clean, the errands are run and there's a pot of beef stew on the stove. Hopefully, I can get to the craft room after supper.

Wish you could join us for some warming stew.

Enjoy!

Merry Monday 3

2012-01-20T21:00:00.000-05:00

I made another Christmas card this week thanks to the Merry Monday Challenge at Always Playing with Paper. I hope I'll be able to load this in to the challenge. I haven't been able to leave a message on Lesley's blog all week. I had the same problem with some other blogs but some of them have resolved the issues. I'm not sure what's going on. Anyway, here's my card.

Here is the sketch that Lesley gave us to work with.

I have to admit that working with sketches is quite challenging for me. This one was pretty simple, but I still struggled with it. I am satisfied with the results though, and it's good to stretch beyond my comfort zone sometimes.

I punched the bird from a Real Red scrap and stamped the little flourish from the Vintage Vogue set with Whisper White. The oval is cut with the Ovals Bigz die and my Big Shot and sponged with Not Quite Navy. The nest is pieces punched with a competitor's punch. Sssh!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Warm Words

Ink: Real Red

Paper: Naturals White, Garden Green, Real Red

Other: Big Shot, Petals-a-Plenty EF, Ovals die, Bird Builder and Modern Label Punches, White Gel Pen

I'm glad you got to stop in today. I hope you'll come back soon.

Enjoy!

Cupcakes for Mrs. H.

2012-01-19T20:04:00.000-05:00

One of Luke's beloved teachers just had a birthday and we needed a special card.

It was inspired be this card by jaydekay. It's not as pretty as hers, but it did the trick. Jaydekay, aka Judy, was named Queen for the Day last Friday. It was so much fun to browse her gallery.

I should have done a closeup of the cupcakes. I used Shimmer Paint tinted with re-inkers to do the icing. It gives it a nice shimmery look like real icing. The white icing looks pretty gray in this picture. I'm glad it didn't look that way IRL.

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes, So Happy for You
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Cherry Cobbler, SU Markers (More Mustard, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Rose Red)
Paper: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler
Other: Frost White Shimmer Paint, Re-inkers (Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink), Mini Brads

I'm so glad you stopped in.

Enjoy!

Thank You with DSP

2012-01-18T19:20:00.000-05:00

I'm coming in just under the wire for the Friday Mashup challenge. I think there's 3 hrs. left to post.

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

Make a "Thank You" themed Project.

Or Make a project "Using Designer/Patterned Paper".

Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Thank You project with Designer/Patterned Paper".

I tried to use more designer paper. Really, I did! I am just DSP challenged!

My little flower is made from some Designer Paper that will be available free (with a $50.00 order) during Sale-a-bration starting January 24th.

I used some Confetti card stock for the base card and the label. It has tiny flecks that match these colors. It gives a nice heavy base too.

All Supplies Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Perfectly Penned
Ink: Island Indigo
Paper: Confetti White, Everyday Enchantment DSP
Other: Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Designer Frames EF, Boho Blossoms Punch, Mat Pack & Stylus, Basic Pearl

I'm glad you could stop in. I hope you come back soon.

Enjoy!

Bluebird of Happiness

2012-01-17T19:11:00.000-05:00

The Less is More challenge this week is...

ONE LAYER CARD

with the subject of

BIRDS

Remember to add NO additional layers and to keep embellishments to a minimum.

I got this stamp a while back. It's called Young Vermillion but I've changed him to a bluebird for this card. He's a very bright bluebird. Too bright actually. But he is bound to spread some happiness to someone. I've been seeing a bluebird flitting around in my yard lately and thought how nice it would be to put one on a card.

I stamped this little guy in StazOn on Naturals White and used my SU Markers to color him. The retired Ballet Blue was my favorite bluebird color, but I thought I would try the Island Indigo and Calypso Coral. Thus the bright bird.

After stamping and coloring the little guy, I masked off a section and sponged some Bashful Blue and Not Quite Navy for the sky. Then I extended the branch to the end of the sponging, used my Basic Black marker to outline the design area and used my Simply scored to add some extra details. When I scored, I realized that my sponging wasn't exactly straight. But I decided I kinda liked it that way.

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Young Vermillion
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Bashful Blue, Not Quite Navy, SU Markers (Island Indigo, Calypso Coral, Soft Suede Basic Black)
Paper: Naturals White
Other: White Gel Pen, Simply Scored

I'm really glad you popped in.

Enjoy!

Pink and Red

2012-01-16T17:29:00.000-05:00

One Layer Wednesday is back! I've missed this challenge and I'm so glad it's back.

This week the challenge is to use red and pink...and ONLY red and pink...on a white card base.

I got this Floral Fillers stamp set for Christmas and thought it would be a good time to break it out.

I stamped one heart in Cherry Cobbler and stamped again on a sticky note. I cut out the sticky note heart and using it for a mask, stamped a second heart on the card. The sentiment is from the same set. The one flower is colored with my Regal Rose marker.

I think I'll save this for my sister and brother-in-law's anniversary. They will be celebrating their 55th this year and I think that's pretty amazing!

Here is another that I did with this set. It looked like it needed something and the more I did to find that something, the worse it looked. Does that ever happen to you?

I covered a major boo, boo with a punched flower. I'm not totally satisfied with this, but thought I'd share it anyway. Nobody said one layer cards were easy!

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Floral Fillers, I {love} Love Wheel (2nd card)
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, SU Marker (Regal Rose)
Paper: Whisper White
Other: Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding (card 1), Itty Bitty Shapes Punch (card 2), Basic Rhinestones & Pearls, Simply Scored (card 1)

I'm so glad you stopped by.

Enjoy!

New Challenge

2012-01-13T17:01:00.001-05:00

I have discovered a new challenge that I am really excited about. It's called Merry Monday and the challenge is to do a Christmas card each week.

Here's what I did for this week.

Like Leslie, I didn't have enough Christmas cards done when I needed to be sending them. I was frantically making cards right up until Christmas. And some people will be getting Valentines instead of Christmas cards!

Here's the sketch that Leslie gave us to use...

I'm not sure if she will give a sketch each week or if she'll mix it up with other challenges, but it will be good discipline to do at least one Christmas card each week. That will still leave plenty to do in the Fall.

The poinsettia is made from the 5 Petal Flower and the Boho Blossoms Punches. I punched one green and two red of the larger flower and 1 of the medium Boho flower. I used my stylus and the soft mat from my Mat Pack and rubbed in circles on each of the flowers. Then I just built them up with glue dots in between and used some teeny gold beads for the centers.

Edited to add: The petals of the poinsettia are "scooped out" with the circle punch in the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack before they are embossed with the stylus.

The greenery is from one end of the Bells and Boughs poinsettia stamp inked with a Garden Green Marker and stamped in a circle. The sentiment is from the Beautiful Season set and the snowflakes from a hostess set last year, Northern Hearts.

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Bells and Boughs, Beautiful Season, Northern Hearts

Ink: Garden Green, Handsome Hunter, Whisper White

Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Real Red, Garden Green, Handsome Hunter

Other: Five Petal Flower, Boho Blossoms, and Lace Ribbon Border punches, Stylus, Mat Pack, Mini beads

I'm having some connection problems with blogger. Some blog pages are coming up blank. Is anyone else having similar problems? I haven't been able to leave comments on some blogs and I'm not sure if the link to Merry Monday will work here. If not, just google Merry Monday Challenge and you should be able to get there. I hope this problem will sort itself out soon.

Have a great weekend.

Enjoy!

My Little Chickadee

2012-01-12T18:42:00.000-05:00

I thought this sweet little guy would make a great winter Thank you card.

I stamped the image with Jet Black StazOn ink and colored with SU makers.

The sentiment is the Thanks from Perfect Punches inked with my Basic Black Marker.

Mats in black and white and it was done.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Beautiful SEason, Perfect Punches

Ink: Jet Black StazOn, SU Markers ( Basic Gray, Basic Black, So Saffron Soft Suede, Always Artichoke, Old Olive, Real Red)

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White

I just saw that I am a Glamette at the Friday Mashup Challenge blog for this card. Whoo, hoo! It's fun to have time to stamp and an honor for my card to be recognized among so many beautiful cards.

Speaking of which, maybe I have some time to do a card this evening.

So glad you could stop by.

Enjoy!

Flowers and Pastels

2012-01-11T19:20:00.000-05:00

Our Papercrafting group met today. What a lovely group of ladies. I wish I could get together with them more often.

This is one of the projects we worked on.

This is easy enough for beginners and fun for experienced cardmakers too.

I would have taken pictures of their creations, but Jack was playing with us and my hands were full.

I did offer other colors too.

and

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Sincere Salutations, Curly Cute

Ink: Jet Black StazOn

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black

Other: Stampin' Pastels, Retired Ribbon

I wish you could have joined us in person.

Enjoy!

Fresh Poppin' Pastels

2012-01-10T18:52:00.000-05:00

The Friday Mashup challenge for this week is to do a birthday card for Holly and mash it up by using pastels.

Now this doesn't say Happy Birthday does it? However, I wish Holly a wonderful day when she is free to create anything she wants. Happy Birthday Holly!

To do the Poppin' Pastels technique, just stamp in VersaMark then rub your sponge dauber (or eye makeup applicator) in the Pastels and rub on the stamped design. It gives such a soft look don't you think?

I was at a loss what to do with the design once it was done. Then I looked at the Featured Stanper Challenge at SCS on Sunday and browsed through Pam's wonderful gallery. When I saw this card it just clicked.

All supplies Stampin' Up
Card Recipe
Stamps: Fresh Vintage, Loving Thoughts
Ink: VersaMark, Rich Razzleberry
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White
Other: Stampin' Pastels, Sponge Daubers, 2 1/2" Circle & large Scallop Circle punches, White Gel Pen, Big Shot Square Lattice EF

I'm so glad you stopped by. Isn't it fun to visit each other?

Enjoy!

Hearts that Sparkle

2012-01-09T20:03:00.000-05:00

Now that Christmas is behind us, it's on to Valentine cards.

This card is a CASE of this card by wendybell. She was named Queen for the Day at SCS last Friday. I'm glad her reign lasts a week so I had time to play along. I have been an admirer of Wendy's cards for a long time and loved the opportunity to go through her gallery. I've missed so many of her lovely cards lately.

I changed the snowflakes to hearts and used embossing with my new Embossing Folder from the Occasions Mini catalog instead of stamping on the bottom of the card. I kept the black but used white instead of gray. My sentiment is from the I {Love} Love wheel. I took the rubber off the wheel and cut it apart to mount separately on Cling Foam. The border is from the Perfect Punches set.

The large heart is punched with the Full Heart Punch from Red Glimmer Paper and the small hearts were punched with the Heart to Heart punch. To get the sparkle on the little hearts, I used the Big Shot Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets adhered to Whisper White. After punching, I peeled off the backing and sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds. Glitter really sticks great to these adhesive sheets!

Other challenges
CAS challenge this week at SCS to use die cuts. I hope that these punchies will count.
Paper Players, the challenge is All you Need is Love.

Best of all, I have a Valentine made.

All Supplies Stampin' Up!
Card Recipe
Stamps: I {Love} Love Wheel, Perfect Punches
Ink: Cherry Cobbler SU Marker
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Red Glimmer Paper
Other: Full Heart, Heart to Heart and Curly Label Punches, Big Shot, Adorning Accents & Elegant Lines EF, Silver Elastic Cord, Dazzling Diamonds, Adhesive Sheets

It was such a great weekend for stamping and I actually felt like I was caught up. I hope it can continue throughout the week.

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy!

The Color Purple

2012-01-08T16:56:00.000-05:00

The Less is More challenge is....

the first week of the month and a colour challenge

this time we want to see

Predominantly Purple

And purple was a good choice for this Sale-a-bration set. It's called Fresh Vintage and it will be free (with a $50.00 Stampin' Up! purchase) from January 24 - March 31.

I used my SU Markers (Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum and Lucky Limeade) to ink the stamp, huffed and stamped on Whisper White. The image was cut with my Bigshot and the Ovals die. The larger oval was cut with a non SU product.

I used my Simply Scored to do a lattice background. If you don't have this wonderful tool, you can use your Fiskars Papercutter.

The sentiment is from Loving Thoughts. It's a set in the new Occasions Mini catalog and there are 11 beautifully scripted sentiments. I think I'll be using this set a lot!

If you're still with me, here are a couple more purple cards that I did using the Medallion background stamp that I've had for a couple of years and haven't used. I think it's about time I dusted it off, don't you?

All Supplies Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Medallion, Happiest Birthday Wishes (Hostess set)

Ink: Concord Crush

Paper: Whisper White, Concord Crush, Wisteria Wonder

Other: Small Scallop Circle Punch

And here's another version with the Medallion. Once I got started, I couldn't stop!

All supplies Stampin' Up!
Card Recipe
Stamps: Medallion, Tagtastic (Hostess set)
Ink: Concord Crush
Paper: Concord Crush, Whisper White, Wisteria Wonder
Other: Small Scallop Circle Punch, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon

Do you remember that book, The Color Purple? They made it into a movie too. It's one of my favorites.

This is a long post, but these days I never know when I can post again. I hope to get back to daily posts, but my good intentions seem to fall flat as the week wears on.

I'm so glad you stopped by. Hope you check back soon.

Enjoy!

Tagtastic Snowflake

2012-01-06T21:21:00.000-05:00

After a couple of really cold days, we've warmed up to Springlike weather again.

I'm still hoping for some snow this winter.

This card is a little more than less. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but when I saw the SUO Challenge to use punches, this seemed like it should be shared.

I broke out my Tagtastic stamp set and used the THANKS image stamped with Whisper White Craft ink and embossed with white embossing powder. Then I sponged Baja Breeze around the stamped image and punched it out with my 1 3/4" Circle Punch.

The snowflake was cut with a Sizzlit Snowflake die from Whisper White cardstock adhered to some Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets, then sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds. I cut it apart and adhered it to a Scallop Circle (also punched). Each scallop was punched with my 1/16" Circle Punch.

The snowflake/sentiment piece is attached with dimensionals. All that sits on a square of Baja Breeze with all four corners punched with the Scallop Trim Corner punch. and a scrap of Whisper White Satin ribbon woven through.

I used the Perfect Polka Dot Embossing folder to mimic a snowstorm. And that's layered onto a piece of Baja Breeze then on a white card.

You can see the sparkle a bit better here.

All Supplies Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Tagtastic

Ink: Whisper White

Paper: Whisper White, Baja Breeze

Other: White EP, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Sizzlit Snowflake die, Adhesive Sheet, Dazzling Diamonds, Whisper White Satin Ribbon, Scallop Trim Corner, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle, 1 3/4" Circle, & 1/16" Circle Punches

I do love my punches! When I checked earlier this evening, I saw that there are still some of the old style punches on the Clearance Rack. You can find the link on my sidebar.

Sorry I haven't posted much this week. The boys took turns being sick. Both were fine today. Luke was excited to go back to Preschool and wanted all of us to go in with him. Most of the time he wants us to stay in the car! Jack tried his best to eat some teething keys. When he gets teeth, he's going to be dangerous!

I'm so glad you stopped by. I hope you come again soon.

Enjoy!

Another Word

2012-01-04T19:16:00.000-05:00

Here's another card for the Less is More challenge to use Just One Word.

I fell in love with this stamp set the first time I saw it in the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog. And I was so excited to see that you can get it free during Sale-a-bration. That's just a few weeks away.

I used the Naturals White cardstock on this card. I love the extra weight and the natural look of it.

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Kindness Matters

Ink: Jet Black StazOn, SU Markers (More Mustard, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight)

Paper: Naturals White ,Pacific Point

Other: Simply Scored

This is such a quick and easy card and one we will be doing in our Papercrafting class next week.

I'm so glad you stopped in to visit. If you have time, I love to hear what you think and visit your blog to see your creations.

Enjoy!

Bashful Night Whisper

2011-12-29T19:00:00.000-05:00

The Color Challenge at SCS this week is to use Bashful Blue, Night of Navy and Whisper White.

I needed to make some thank you cards. Oh, I have plenty already made, but I just had to make some more for specific people. I hope the recipient gets her card before she sees this blog.

This set is available only to hostesses. It has 3 lovely flowers that are 2-step stamping or, like here, can be stamped and watercolored. Markers make it so quick and easy to color!

I don't know if you can see them or not, but some of the flowers have some tiny pearls in the center.

All supplies Stampin' Up!
Card Recipe
Stamps: Simply Soft, Teeny, Tiny Wishes
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, SU Markers (Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, Crumb Cake)
Paper: Whisper White, Night of Navy, Bashful Blue
Other: Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Basic Pearls

We had a visit today from our #2 daughter and grandson. Gavin is 7 yrs. old and can recite the periodic table of elements. He is such an amazing and sweet tempered child. What a joy!

I'm so glad you stopped by. I love hearing from you.

Enjoy!

Not Quite Christmas

2011-12-27T20:19:00.000-05:00

I have something to share with you today. The stamped image was among those I was madly stamping the week before Christmas. I decided that this would work for a Christmas thank you. I haven't decided whether to stamp a small Thanks and punch it out to add to the front or just leave it blank and write my thanks inside.

This was so quick and easy! I stamped the holly on a scrap of Whisper White and colored it in with markers. Then I placed it in the Designer Frames Oval Embossing Folder and ran it through the Big Shot and used my Paper Snips to cut the oval out. I had a large white oval on the table and discovered it was a perfect fit behind the frame. The little bow is attached with a glue dot. Layered it on a Snow Burst panel, then Real Red on a Whisper White card.

I really love this little image. Now I need to try the others in this set.

All Supplies Stampin' Up!
Stamps: Easy Events
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, SU Markers (Garden Green, Real Red)
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Snow Burst EF, Designer Frames EF, Ovals Bigz Die, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine

It's been another quiet day here. I even got some sewing projects taken care of. It's nice to be caught up... in that quarter anyway. Tomorrow the boys will be back and all the excitement that comes with them.

I'm so glad you stopped by.

Enjoy!

Word Window

2011-12-26T19:16:00.000-05:00

Hello Stampin' Friends. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a very enjoyable day after Christmas. I got to stamp today so you know I've had a good day!

The lovely ladies at Less is More took time to post a challenge on Christmas Eve. Now, that's true dedication! Their challenge this week is

JUST ONE WORD

Whatever type of clean and simple card you make, the sentiment must consist of simply one word.

This stamp set has been sitting in the box of must use all the stamps in the set for quite some time. That hello was calling to me.

I inked the stamp with Not Quite Navy and Wild Wasabi and stamped on a scrap piece of Whisper White. Then I inked and stamped the silhouette stamp with Wild Wasabi. I went over the leaves with the Wild Wasabi marker to add some definition to the leaves and colored the flower and buds with my Poppy Parade marker.

Then came the fun part! Measuring to cut the window. When I figured the size of the window (3 1/2" X 2 1/4"), I used my Fiskars Paper Cutter to cut it out. Then I put that piece in my Square Lattice Embossing Folder and ran it through the Big Shot. A Not Quite Navy marker on the edges of the window added some extra definition.

I'll also send this to the CAS (Clean and Simple) challenge at Splitcoast Stampers today, which is to do a WINDOW CARD.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!
Stamps: My Friend
Ink: Wild Wasabi, SU Markers (Not Quite Navy, Wild Wasabi, Poppy Parade)
Paper: Not Quite Nave, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Square Lattice EF

I think the week after Christmas is my favorite part of the holiday. The hustle and bustle are over and now I can relax and enjoy the decorations and peacefulness. I always leave my Christmas decorations up until New Year's day. When do you take your decorations down?

I'm so glad you stopped by. I eagerly await hearing from you.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T19:56:00.000-05:00

Nothing fancy, just a heartfelt wish that you have a very

Merry Christmas

Enjoy!

Christmas Songs

2011-12-21T16:27:00.000-05:00

Remember the song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, underneath the mistletoe last night"?

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Easy Events

Ink: Jet Black StazOn, SU Marker (Old Olive River Rock)

Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive

Other: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dot EF, Dazzling Details

This was so difficult to get a good photo. It made me think of Burl Ives singing "Silver and Gold". My mother loved that song.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Ornate Ornaments

Ink: Encore Silver & Gold

Paper: Whisper White, Gold Origami paper

Other: Gold EP

Both are for the Less is More challenge. This week's challenge is....

This week is Theme week and we have chosen

MUSIC

What Christmas songs are you singing this year?

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy!

Birdwatching

2011-12-20T19:04:00.000-05:00

I fell in love with this stamp the first time I saw it. I love watching the little Chickadees.

A closer look.

Inked with markers then colored with ink, markers and a blender pen. The sentiment is from a retired set. I left off the tails when I inked it with a marker.

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Beautiful Season, Small Script

Ink: SU Markers (Garden Green, Basic Black, Soft Suede, Real Red)

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White

Other: Big Shot, Snow Burst EF, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding

I'm so glad you stopped to look.

Enjoy!

Stockings Hung with Care

2011-12-19T13:48:00.000-05:00

A catalog CASE.

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy!

Snow Swirled

2011-12-16T16:33:00.000-05:00

It's such a busy time! It's hard to find time on the computer but I just had to share this card that I did for the Less is More challenge last Saturday.

ONE LAYER CARD

This time our theme is

Let it Snow!

Last Saturday I stamped with my Roanoke Rapids friends and Barbara had this set that I love but never bought for myself.

It's stamped in Old Olive and added some Dazzling Details to the snow flakes. The sparkle doesn't show up well in the photo but it adds a real frosty look IRL. I added the frame with my Simply Scored to give it a more finished look.

The snowflake at the top of the tree was cut from a second stamping.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Snow Swirled

Ink: Old Olive

Paper: Whisper White

Other: Dazzling Details, Basic Rhinestones, Simply Scored

I have some more Christmas cards that I would like to share. If time is as crunched as it's been, I will try to post the pictures even if I don't have time to write anything with it. If you have any questions, you can email me and I will be glad to answer them.

If you like a bargain, hop over to my Online Store and check out the Clearance rack. There are some really good deals!

I'm so glad you stopped by. I hope to visit you soon.

Enjoy!

Green

2011-12-06T20:28:00.000-05:00

The Less is More challenge last Saturday was...

It's the first week of the month and so once more it's a Colour challenge, this week we have chosen

GREEN

This is a super quick card stamping the tree and sentiment from the Bright Hopes set. Both were stamped with Old Olive ink. The corners were punched with the ticket corner punch and some Clearance SU ribbon provided a base for the tree.

I was still in the bling mode from last weeks challenge and added a few rhinestones to give it some sparkle.

We did a similar card in our Papercrafting Class a couple of weeks ago. This is the sample I did for that class.

I wasn't really satisfied with the heavy ribbon. So I decided to do a remake for this challenge.

And I want to share the card that Barb made at that class.

See how she grounded the tree on the noel? What a great idea!

Card Recipe (All products Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: Bright Hopes
Ink: Old Olive
Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive
Other: Ticket Corner Punch, Ribbon Essentials-Elementary, Basic Rhinestones

I had the boys on my own today. Boy do I feel old tonight as I've been the villian to multiple Superheroes. I have trouble convincing Luke that I should have a turn being the good guy! Jack discovered that he could roll over and got himself so tickled. It's always a blessing to hear a baby laugh out loud.

Thanks for stopping by. I really enjoy hearing from you.

Enjoy!

Lovely as a Frosty Tree

2011-12-01T19:33:00.000-05:00

The Color Challenge at SCS this week is to use Kraft, White & Pear Pizzazz. Dessert is dots, spots or circles.

I stamped a scene with this tree from my Lovely as a Tree set, then cut a 1 7/8" x 4" piece for this card. It's matted on a piece of Crumb Cake cut 2" x 4 1/8" and adhered with dimensionals.

I think I like this tree stamped in a darker ink, but The Pear Pizzazz gives it a misty look, maybe?! I added some spots of snow with Dazzling Details. Can you see them better here?

The sentiment is stamped with Whisper White and heat embossed with White embossing powder.

When I saw that the Tuesday Throwdown challenge was for a Masculine Christmas card, I thought this was a good fit. I've never participated in this challenge, but my friend Brenda of Benzi Stamps is on the Design Team and I keep meaning to play.

All supplies SU
Card Recipe
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, To You and Yours (retired)
Ink: Pear Pizzazz, SU Marker (Crumb Cake), Whisper White
Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Other: White EP, Dazzling Details

Jack has a new trick. He hold on to our ears (or earrings) and just about eats us up with sloppy kisses. I'm hoping that baby kisses are a good moisturizer. Think of all the money I'll save!

I'm so glad you stopped for a visit.

Enjoy!

Holly, Jolly Christmas

2011-11-30T20:53:00.000-05:00

I love this Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set. The images are tiny and a bit challenging for a card, but I've enjoyed playing with them.

I think they are well suited to these 3 1/4" x 6 1/4" cards and it couldn't be easier. I inked the image with markers and stamped on a scrap of Whisper White 3 times, punched them out with my 1 1/4" Square punch, punched 3 scallop squares from scraps of Garden Green, adhered the images and stamped the sentiment. Rounded corners mimic the scallops.

There are 24 images that can be mixed or matched. Quick, easy and uses scraps... What fun!

I think I'll enter this in the SU Only challenge this week to make a card using our favorite Christmas colors.

All supplies SU

Card Recipe

Stamps: Jolly Bingo Bits, Many Merry Messages

Ink: SU Markers (Real Red, Garden )

Paper: Whisper White, Garden Green

Other: Scallop Square, 1 1/4" square, Corner Rounder punches

I'm so glad you stopped by and I love hearing from you.

Enjoy!

Tag It

2011-11-29T19:28:00.000-05:00

This weeks Technique Challenge at SCS is to do a Christmas tag.

This image was in my UFO (UnFinished Objects) box. It had a spot on the bottom corner so it didn't make it on a card. Cutting the corners for the tag shape took care of that. Then it was mounted on a scrap of Real Red trimmed to be 1/8" larger than the image. Real Red Taffeta Ribbon finishes it off.

The image was embossed with Stampin' Up!'s new pewter embossing powder. It's so rich looking and perfect when I can't decide if I want gold or silver embossing.

Here's the embossed image on a card. The sentiment is embossed too. The pewter is a perfect complement to the Sahara Sand and Cherry Cobbler card.

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Tag Recipe

Stamps: Bells & Boughs, Winter Post

Ink: VersaMark, Basic Black

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red

Other: Pewter EP, 1/4" hole punch, Real Red Taffeta Ribbon

Card Recipe

Stamps: Bells & Boughs, Many Merry Messages

Ink: VersaMark

Paper: Sahara Sand, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White

Other: Pewter EP, Ticket Corner Punch, Basic Rhinestones

I'm so glad you could stop in. I've really enjoyed your comments, especially about Luke's turkey. When I told him this afternoon that I put a picture of it on the computer and my friends really liked it, he gave me the sweetest smile. Three year old smiles are the best!

Enjoy!

Mistletoe or Holly

2011-11-28T21:04:00.000-05:00

Hi there. I managed 20 minutes of time in my craft room before Jack decided he just had to join me. That was hours ago, and I've finally got this card finished and ready to share.

I believe this is supposed to be mistletoe. But around here, there is an ornamental holly that has similar leaves and red berries. So I took a little creative license and used the red berries. They show up so much better.

I even added some Dazzling Details to give it a frosty look.

The layout is from this card that Denise did and it's the CAS challenge this week on SCS.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Easy Events
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, SU Markers (Garden Green, Real Red, Sahara Sand)
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Garden Green
Other: Scallop Border Punch, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Snow Burst EF

Speaking of creative license. Luke brought a Thanksgiving project home from preschool today. It was his Thanksgiving turkey. He pointed out that the leaf behind is his feathers and the yellow is his beak and can you spot both feet? (I think Mr. Turkey was trying to run away and his feet slipped out from under him. LOL.) Here's a peek at it.

I think Luke really liked those googly eyes!

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

I'm so glad you stopped in for a peek.

Enjoy!

A Bit of Bling

2011-11-26T13:10:00.000-05:00

The Less is More challenge this week is...

A BIT OF

There's just a little bit of bling on this card, but I think the embossing adds some shimmer and shine too. Maybe you can see it better here...

The Baroque flourishes are stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed with silver. The ornament is stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed with Cherry Cobbler.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Delightful Decorations

Ink: VersaMark

Paper: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler

Other: Silver and Cherry Cobbler EP, Basic Rhinestone

Do check out all the wonderful submissions to this challenge. What a wealth of inspiraton!

I'm so glad you stopped by today.

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T21:05:00.000-05:00

I wish you wonderful moments with those you are thankful for. And if you can't be with those you love, I wish you many happy hours of cardmaking.

Card Recipe

Stamps: French Foliage, Hand-Penned Holidays

Ink: More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White

Paper: Very Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry Textured

Other: White EP

SU-Only Challenge Thankful.

Enjoy!

Snowman

2011-11-22T16:33:00.000-05:00

I love snow. Especially North Carolina snow. It falls and looks so pretty and everything stops or slows down. By the time we're sick of it, it's gone. And it's amazing how the children, big and small, can make a snowman with very little snow.

On Saturday, some friends and I made snowmen. No, it didn't snow here, but the Mica Flakes were flying!

I saw this snowman on the Sleepy in Seattle blog last year. I didn't have a chance to build one then, but it was at the top of my to do list for this year.

We used the 2 1/2" and 1 3/4" circle punches. By punching the center of a 3" piece with the 1 3/4" punch first, then punching around it with the 2 1/2" punch to create a donut, a Circle Treat Cup (p. 182) fits perfectly. We filled the cups with Mica Flakes laid the "donut" on top, peeled the paper from the edge of the cup and adhered to another 2 1/2" punched circle.

The head is made of 1 3/4" punched circles, the eyes and berries from a 1/8" punch, the arms and leaves are a MS punch.

The hat is punched with the 1 1/4" Square and Word Window Punches. We punched 2 of each then adhered them back to back with the fishing line loop between them.

For the snowflake, we mounted some scraps of Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets on scraps of Whisper White and used the Northern Frost Sizzlit Strip Die to cut them out. Then we peeled the backing off and sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds for some real sparkle.

I had trouble capturing the sparkle on camera. I hope you can see it. And I hope you can follow all the directions.

All materials Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted
Recipe
Paper: Naturals White, Whisper White, Basic Black, Tangerine Tango
Other: Circle Treat Cups, Mica Flakes, Nortern Frost Sizzlit Strip, Dazzling Diamonds, Adhesive Sheets, 2 1/2", 1 3/4" 1/8", 1 1/4" Square, and Word Window Punches, MS Evergreen punch, Poppy Parade Ribbon, Basic Rhinestone

The Technique Challenge at SCS yesterday was to Make it Snow. And the CAS Challenge, also at SCS, yesterday was Christmas/Winter.

I'm so glad you stopped by today.

Enjoy

Stately Stag

2011-11-21T13:25:00.000-05:00

The Less is More challenge on Saturday was at theme.....

Silhouettes

n. A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black.

I need a Birthday card for a special brother-in-law. I think this will do.

The frame is embossed using a small wood frame from the craft store. By placing the cardstock in the embossing folder and adding the frame to the sandwich, it leaves the center unembossed. (Is that a word?)

I masked off the plain area with sticky notes. Then I inked the trees in Soft Suede, stamped off once on scrap and stamped. Stamping the deer in Early Espresso took care of the silhouette that I needed for the challenge. Sponge daubers and Stampin' Pastels finished the design off. The silhouette is not black but I hope it's dark enough to be considered a silhouette.

Here's a closer look.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Winter Post

Ink: Soft Suede, Early Espresso

Paper: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip

Other: Big Shot, Square Lattice EF

Most of the leaves are on the ground now so the ground is very colorful. I love the way the fallen leaves smell and the 70 degree weather is pretty nice too.

I'm so glad you stopped by.

Enjoy!

Baby It's Cold Outside

2011-11-17T14:48:00.000-05:00

This is a quick card made from pieces tried and discarded for a later date. They didn't even make it into my UFO (UnFinished Objects) box.

Can you see the rhinestones in the centers of the lacy flowers. And I love to thread ribbon, or in this case, Baja Breeze Seam Binding through the lace.

The sentiment is one word from the Peace on Earth stamp in the Four the Holidays set.

I don't know if you can see it or not, but the snowflakes are wearing a little Dazzling Details. I do love sparkly snow!

And this is from another experiment. I first embossed the card front with the Northern Frost Embossing Folder, then covered the snowflakes with Dazzling Details. I love the sparkle, but the moisture from the Dazzling Details made some waves in the design piece. I can still see the waves so I'm thinking I should have used more adhesive on the back.

Card Recipe (Card 1)

Stamps: Northern Hearts (Retired), Four the Holidays

Ink: Baja Breeze, SU Marker (Baja Breeze)

Paper: Whisper White, Marina Mist, Baja Breeze

Other: Dazzling Details, Lace Ribbon Border Punch, Baja Breeze Seam Binding, Basic Rhinestones

Card Recipe (Card 2)

Stamps: Many Merry Messages

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White

Other: Big Shot, Northern Frost EF, Dazzling Details

Yesterday it was almost 80 here and the temperature has dropped to 46 this afternoon and supposed to keep going down. It's a good day to think about Christmas and snowflakes! I hope you are enjoying the weather wherever you are.

Thanks for the stopping by. I really appreciate your comments.

Enjoy!

Thankful for...

2011-11-16T16:43:00.000-05:00

Last week's Free 4 All challenge at SCS is to make a Thank You card using the embellishment that we are the most thankful for.

Had you noticed that I really like my Big Shot and the Square Lattice Embossing Folder? And if you stamped with me and saw my stamp room, you would know that I love punches! I am thankful for all my tools and even more so for the people I've met through stamping.

It's really hard to stamp clearly on embossing, so my thank you will be on the inside.

This layout is from the CAS 138 last month. This was a sketch challenge. Here is the lovely card, by Cibele, that we were to use as inspiration.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Creative Elements

Ink: Rich Razzleberry

Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Scrap of Old Olive

Other: Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Lace Ribbon Border Punch, Five Petal Flower Punch, Basic Pearls

I can't believe it's taken a month to post this card! Well, considering my days, I can. Little boy hugs and baby smiles and sloppy kisses take a lot of time. And Nana's don't move as fast as Mommies!

Thanks for the visit.

Enjoy!

Cool Party

2011-11-15T11:05:00.000-05:00

I got a card made for the CAS challenge at SCS, photographed and entered in the same week! But I was so excited about the thought of stamping that I didn't start the dishwasher! Oh well, this was a lot more fun and the dishes are clean now.

The challenge is a word inspiration "PARTY". Can you hear the music? These little guys look like they're dancing! Either that, or their feet are cold!

I tore a piece of white scrap and adhered at the bottom. I could say it's for the effect of drifts, but truth be told, it was to cover up a boo boo. The Dazzling Details made the stamped "drifts" run. That's the second time I've done that. Maybe next time I will remember not to use the Dazzling Details on anything stamped in Basic Black! I don't know about the other colors. I wonder if it makes them run too? Anyway, the Dazzle works fine on plain paper to make the snow sparkle.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Polar Party

Ink: Jet Black StazOn, SU Markers (Real Red, Garden Green, Pacific Point

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Garden Green

Other: Dazzling Details, Big Shot, Snow Burst EF

Hint: Don't use the Dazzling Details on Basic Black. It makes the black run.

Oh, and I'd like to share a bit of news. I won blog candy from the Butternutsage blog. Donna has reached 500,000 (that's a half million) hits on her blog and wanted to share her excitement. I'm so excited! Check out her blog for some great inspiration.

Thanks for the visit.

Enjoy!

Leaves of Christmas

2011-11-14T09:44:00.000-05:00

This week's Less is More challenge is....

ONE LAYER CARD

The theme for your cards this week is

LEAVES

I love leaves and have lots to choose from. Since I'm mainly working on my Christmas cards, I pulled out the holly leaves.

The holly bough is stamped with StazOn and colored by swiping a marker on an acrylic block and using a blender pen to apply the ink to the design. The berries were colored directly with the marker and the sentiment was inked with markers.

This card has more of a vintage feel without all the embellishments. I used my Simply Scored to create a lattice below the design. If I were to do this again, I think I would use brighter colors.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Bells and Boughs

Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Always Artichoke, SU Markers (Always Artichoke, Real Red, Soft Suede)

Paper: Very Vanilla

Other: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Blender Pen, Simply Scored

Thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate your comments and look forward to visiting your blogs.

Enjoy!

Class Project

2011-11-10T20:02:00.000-05:00

Our Papercrafting group met yesterday to do some Christmas cards. This is one of the cards I had ready for them to do.

We had a fun time even though baby Jack was with us. Actually, he was the star attraction! He sure did love all the attention!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Bells and Boughs, Stitched Stockings, Hand Penned Holidays
Ink: Real Red, Lucky Limeade, SU Marker (Real Red)
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red
Other: Stocking Builder Punch, Blender Pen, Basic Rhinestones

I took some pictures of some of their creations. When I get them in the computer, I'll share some of those.

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy!

No Stamping Allowed

2011-11-08T20:40:00.000-05:00

What? No stamping? How can that be? But this is the Technique Challenge at SCS this week. What a good excuse to pull out some of that Decorative paper that has accumulated.

I used some retired Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper. This paper is two sided so it makes it really easy to mix and match.

The card base is Rich Razzleberry. The flower is scraps of Razzleberry and DSP cut with the retired Sizzlit Birds and Blooms and the Little Leaves die. The center is punched with the Boho Blossom Punch. A lacy border punched with the Scallop Trim Border punch and Basic Pearls finish it off.

Quick and easy. Just the ticket these days.

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy!

Hot Colors

2011-11-07T19:57:00.000-05:00

Hi Stamping Friends. I finally got some stamping time over the weekend, so I can share some cards with you. Yay!!! I love to stamp!

All of these are for the Less is More challenge...

Our first week of the month is another Colour challenge and redolent of bonfire flames we have chosen

Red and Orange

The first card is something I've wanted to do for a while and these colors were perfect for it. I first stamped the flowers from the Upsy Daisy set with River Rock ink. I used the little cluster of leaves from the Just Believe set to add some foliage by inking just a bit of the stamp. Then I used my Tangerine Tango and Real Red markers to color the flowers. Sponging around the flowers added some depth to the design. I also sponged a bit of Whisper White over it all and it gave it a misty look.

It has a narrow mat of Tangerine Tango on a whisper White card and a sentiment stamped in red.

On this next card, I stamped the flower from the Faith in Nature set with Timber Brown StazOn after stamping off on scrap paper. I brushed ink from the Tangerine Tango and Cherry Red markers on an acrylic block and applied it to the flower with a blender pen. I really did use Tangerine but in this picture the flower took on a rosy look.

I used Tangerine Tango and Cherry Cobbler to mat it and mounted it on some Whisper White embossed with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. Fancy corners were done with the Scallop Trim Corner Punch and a scrap of Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding fit behind the design.

This last is a bookmark from a Show and Tell at the Newcomers Meeting last week. I was asked to show what we did in our Papercrafting group and had bookmarks for people to stamp so they could see how fun it is. We used Dusty Durango and Kiwi Kiss for the stamping. After the meeting I added the Cherry Cobbler piece to the back. It was just sitting there begging to be added to this challenge.

Well, it's taken me almost 5 hours to do this post. Hopefully I can find some time to get a post in again tomorrow. I have quite a few cards to share if I can get some time at the computer to edit photos and blog.

By the way, Chrissie and Mandi, I love orange and red together. Thanks so much for the challenge.

And thank you for visiting my blog. Your comments mean so much in my busy life. As much as I love those little boys, it's nice to have a few words from you ladies to brighten my day.

Enjoy!

Seeing Stars

2011-11-03T21:24:00.000-04:00

The Less is More challenge last Saturday set me thinking. Well, the more I thought, the less I knew what I was going to do. Finally, I was able to get to my stamps and play a bit and now have a few minutes to share with you. The challenge is

*STARS*

I only have one star stamp of any size and it's a long retired stamp from Stampin' Up!'s Ornate Ornaments. The date on the stamp is 1997.

Using my Stamp-a-ma-jig, I stamped with VersaMark ink and heat embossed with Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder. The sentiment is from the Many Merry Messages and I inked the noel without the tails with my Cherry Cobbler Marker. A bit of Linen Thread finished it off with a Folk Art feel.

Then I went glitzy and punched an ornament out of some silver Glimmer Paper and a small star from the red Glimmer Paper. This paper is wonderful. The glitter stays put so I don't have sparkles all over the house. That's a basic rhinestone in the middle. The embossing is with the Snow Burst folder that is in the Holiday Mini catalog.

The last card was made from the stars I punched to do a wreath that just didn't work out. I think this card needs something else but I haven't decided what. Maybe you can give me some suggestions.

Thanks so much for visiting today.

Enjoy!

Puttin on the Glitz

2011-10-25T20:13:00.000-04:00

I was able to make a card today. Yeah! And it's for the Less is More Challenge this week....

This week we have a really easy recipe which is simply

POLKA DOTS

As long as your design is Clean and Simple, has some white space (or its equivalent) and polka dots in evidence somewhere, it will be perfect for this challenge.

I see that the greenery is a little funky in the picture. I used the tip of the fir tree in the Lovely as a Tree set stamping first in Lucky Limeade and overstamping in Old Olive. IRL it doesn't have that yellow cast.

I was feeling sparkly, after all I got time in the studio, so I used some Multipurpose Liquid Glue on the boughs and sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds. And I used some Glimmer Paper for the toe, heel & cuff on the stocking. I even added a few rhinestones to the sentiment. This is really sparkly for me and I love it.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Stitched Stockings, Bells and Boughs

Ink: Lucky Limeade, Old Olive, Real Red, SU Markers (Real Red, Lucky Limeade)

Paper: Whisper White, Silver Glimmer Paper

Other: Stocking Builder Punch, Basic Rhinestones, Dazzling Diamonds, Silver Elastic Cord

I dropped 2 inkpads today. The big ones. On this card. What a mess. The first time was on the front, hence the greenery all the way across. Then, after I was all finished, I dropped another on the back. I think this card will get a little bigger with some Lucky Limeade behind it. It's definitely not my Lucky color!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope I get to stamp something else for you soon.

Enjoy!

Linda's Halloween

2011-10-20T19:30:00.000-04:00

My friend Linda was one of the stampers whose hands you saw in the picture of the Papercrafting group. Today she sent me a picture of the cards she made for her grandchildren for Halloween (after the Papercrafting meeting). She graciously agreed to let me share them with you.

Aren't they great? She embossed the spider web on Vellum. I think it's VERY effective. Wish I'd thought of that.

I can't say exactly what else she used. She mentioned several trips to local craft stores.

I think her twins will be delighted. I know I was. Thank you Linda.

Thanks for stopping by. I love hearing from you.

Enjoy!

Cheers

2011-10-19T17:41:00.000-04:00

The Less is More Ladies really stumped me this week. The challenge is

COCKTAIL
You may interpret this however you wish... your favourite tipple, the colours of a cocktail or a simply cocktail of colours. Let your imagination run with this one, it will be interesting to see how imaginative you can be.

As I said before, I was stumped! I don't own a stamp with anything resembling a cocktail. My favorite cocktail is a glass of red wine. I thought about doing a card in Cherry Cobbler since that seems to be the closest to my cocktail of choice.

Then I saw my blogging friend Vicky's card for this challenge and an idea was born.

I used the dreaded acetate. Remember the week we were challenged to do a card with acetate? I don't know why I saved a little piece, but I did. I used the Extra Large Oval Punch for the cup and the Small Oval Punch (retired) for the base. A strip cut for the stem finished the glass.

Then I punched some red Glimmer Paper with the Extra Large Punch for the wine. I love the way it sparkles!

I used the Simply Scored to score some lines to imitate a table to set the glass on. My lattice work needs some practice. I'll have to work on that.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Wonderful Words (retired)

Ink: Basic Black

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Acetate, Red Glimmer Paper

Other: Large and Extra Large Oval Punches, Simply Scored

Now for that cocktail.

Cheers!

Pumpkin Thanksgiving

2011-10-18T20:13:00.000-04:00

Thanks for all the comments and pep talks from yesterday's post. Today was a better day. Jack didn't sleep much but he talked to me a lot. Always with a big smile on his face. Those are the rewards of babies. I am so blessed!

Last week I had the Papercrafters group in the studio for some card making fun. This is one of the cards I made for a sample.

The round pumpkin is made from 3 circles punched in Pumpkin Pie with the 1 3/8" circle punch and the small oval punch (which has been discontinued, sorry). The tall pumpkin is made from 3 ovals punched from Tangerine Tango with the large oval punch. I have sponged the edges with the same color inks. The stems are cut from scraps of Handsome Hunter (also discontinued) and the vines with the Big Shot and the Swirls Scribbles Sizzlit die.

The background piece is Very Vanilla embossed with my favorite Square Lattice Embossing Folder. The beautiful sentiment (I wish I could write like that) is stamped with Handsome Hunter on a scrap of Vanilla. I used Handsome Huter as a mat and card base.

This next card was made from some ovals and circles that were left on the table.

This time I used Chocolate Chip for the stems and sentiment. The "ground" was sponged with Crumb Cake and overstamped in Old Olive with the filigree from the Vintage Vogue set.

I used my new Simply Scored to make a border around the sentiment. All this is on a Naturals White card base.

Here are some pictures of some of the activity that day.

This is a great group of ladies and I love getting together with them. They always manage to inspire me.

Card Recipe (Hunter Thanksgiving)

Stamps: Hand Penned Holidays

Ink: Handsome Hunter

Paper: Handsome Hunter, Very Vanilla

Other: 1 3/8" Circle, Large Oval, Small Oval & Corner Rounder Punches, Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Swirls Scribbles Sizzlit die

Card Recipe (Pumpkins in the Field)

Stamps: Hand Penned Holidays, Vintage Vogue

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Old Olive

Paper: Naturals White

Other: Punches as above, Stampin' Sponge, Color Spritzer Tool and markers, Simply Scored

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy!

Getting Triangular

2011-10-17T20:11:00.001-04:00

Last Wednesday, Susan offered up the One Layer Wednesday challenge that freaked me out!

Use at least one triangle on a card. You may use a real triangle (stamped, sponged) or images that are have an overall triangular profile or embellishments arranged in triangles. You may even choose to make a triangular card base!

After a lot of thought and searching for triangles, I chose the Season of Friendship set. Mainly because I needed some more Thanksgiving cards. I see lots of triangle in this card when I look for them.

I used the colors from the Color Challenge at SCS last week. They were Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, and Elegant Eggplant.

I inked the leaves in Pumpkin Pie and thumped with an Elegant Eggplant marker. The sentiment is also in Eggplant. The little bird was stamped on a scrap, cut out and adhered with a glue dot.

This next card has the triangular shaped trees and they are arranged in a triangle.

The sentiment was a bit too small and seemed lost so I added some scoring and ribbon. Then I added some Dazzling Details below the trees for "snow" and some rhinestones on one tree. It's hard to see, but I also used some glitter pens that I've had for ages. They don't even have a name on them. Maybe you can see those details better here.

I've gotta tell you, I was terrible in geometry. I'd rather forget that it even exists! I can't break down a card and tell you why I like it or even why I lay something out the way I do. I just go with what pleases me. The theory behind it all is way beyond my understanding. That's one reason I like to read Susan's blog. She KNOWS how it all works. I am always amazed at her explanations. Then true to form, I promptly forget what I read.

These days, the facts I know are that when you feed a baby, they promptly spit up on you and when you start to do anything that doesn't directly involve them, they cry. If you ignore the cry, they scream. Then the 3 yr. old starts yelling "take him out of here". (We always remind him to say please.) Can you tell it's been a particularly trying day? Tomorrow will be better.

Tomorrow will be better.

Tomorrow will be better.

Thanks for the visit and letting me whine.

Card Recipe (Thanksgiving card)
Stamps: Season of Friendship, Holidays and Wishes
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede, Elegant Eggplant Marker
Paper: Naturals Ivory

Card Recipe (Very merry)
Stamps: Polar Party, Short and Sweet
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Real Red
Paper: Naturals White
Other: Watercolor Pencils, Blender Pen, Dazzling Details, Real Red grosgrain ribbon, Simply Scored, glitter pen, rhinestones

Enjoy!

Hearts in October

2011-10-11T20:06:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't been a faithful blogger lately. Those babies take a lot of time and I"m no spring chicken! I wouldn't have it any other way though. Taking care of them is the best job in the world!

I did find a few minutes to do a card for the Less is More challenge this week.

Being the second week of the month it is One Layer

An easy one for you it's

The ♥ can be singular, multiple, any colour, but, MUST be a one layer card, with no additional layers stuck on, apart from the odd embellishment or ribbon

I had to add a little bling to jazz it up. Maybe you can see it better here.

It's not very original I know. I've probably already done a very similar card. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

One silver lining is that I can find time to visit your blogs and comment while I'm ~~stuck~~ holding the baby. Unfortunately, Jack is so big now that it takes both hands to hold him and I have trouble typing comments. I try, but he usually lets me know that he doesn't appreciate it.

Card Recipe

Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Paper: Whisper White

Other: Cherry Cobbler Sean Binding, Basic Rhinestone, Large Corner Rounder Punch

Thanks so much for stopping by. Your comments are so enjoyable.

Enjoy!

Color of My Eyes

2011-10-06T15:01:00.000-04:00

This week's Less is More challenge is

THE COLOUR OF YOUR EYES

I'd say to guess what color, but I've been having some trouble guessing. Sometimes the colors don't show true on my computer. So I'll tell you. My eyes are brown.

Dark brown.

Chocolate and Espresso brown.

I remember seeing this little flower from the Inspired by Nature set stamped in brown. I'm not sure who to credit the idea to. It was a long time ago. But the idea seems to have stuck in my mind.

I used a scrap of Watercolor paper and inked the flower with my Chocolate Chip SU Marker and stamped it. I filled in the center of the bloom with Early Espresso. Stamped the sentiment in Early Espresso and used scraps from my brown bag to mat the design with a ribbon loop peeking out.

I was having a bit of an off balance day and kind of liked the layers akimbo. What do you think?

Card Recipe
Stamps: Inspired by Nature
Ink: SU Markers (Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso)
Paper: Watercolor, Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso
Other: Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon

I'm so glad you stopped by to visit. I've been enjoying your comments and creations.

Enjoy!

Thinking Fall

2011-10-05T20:55:00.000-04:00

I love this Thoughts and Prayers set and I don't believe I'd ever used it as a Fall card. I'm sure someone's lovely card gave me the idea.

Last Friday's SCS Queen for the Day was Dawn and she had just challenged us to use paper blocks for the Free 4 All challenge at SCS. When I toured Dawns delightful gallery, I noticed that she uses a lot of decorative paper on her cards. Looking at her creations, I can't understand why using decorative paper scares me so.

But I am DP challenged and I have a stockpile of unused DP to prove it!

And the Friday Mashup challenge this week is to do an Autumnal card or a card with brads. Or to mash it up and do both. I didn't use lots of brads like Lisa requested (and used on her beautiful card). But I did get a couple on there.

And, the Color Challenge at SCS this week was to use More Mustard, Soft Suede and Tangerine Tango. The brown panel (the one that looks navy) is Chocolate Chip. It's not an exact match to Soft Suede, but it's pretty close. These are such beautiful colors for Fall. Unfortunately these colors didn't photograph very well. The close up turned out so much better.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Thoughts and Prayers

Ink: Chocolate Chip, SU Markers (Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Tangerine Tango)

Paper: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango, Scraps of DSP

Other: Brads

Thanks so much for joining me today. I haven't had much computer time the past couple of days, but I have really enjoyed your comments and visiting your blogs when I had a minute.

Enjoy!

Thinking about Christmas

2011-10-03T19:53:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post tonight. It was a busy weekend preparing sets for my first Christmas Card class this coming Saturday. This is what we'll be doing.

Then I'll do it again in 2 weeks at my house.

Now I need to plan for the classes in November.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Enjoy!

Inspired by Janelle

2011-10-01T19:45:00.000-04:00

This week's One Layer Wednesday challenge is to do a card inspired by Janelle. We can use one of Janelle's cards as inspiration or some of her words. If you want to be inspired, check out her blog.

This is for Janelle...

The design is inspired by this card. The sentiment is inspired by Janelle herself. I hate that she is having to go through this hard time, but I'm so grateful that she shares her faith and optimism. Every time I read her blog, I come away feeling better. Wouldn't it be nice if all of us could touch others that way.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Thoughts and Prayers, Herb Expressions

Ink: Basic Black, SU Markers (Old Olive, Real Red)

Paper: Whisper White

Other: Stamp-a-ma-jig

Thank you for visiting here today and for the wonderful comments you have left.

Enjoy!

Eek More Spiders

2011-10-01T13:37:00.000-04:00

Did I say that I don't usually do Halloween cards? Well, I think I'm going to have to eat my words. And all these spiders are going to go down hard! Yuck! Reminds me of the song that Luke loves, The Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly and the spider that wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.

And I have one more class before Halloween. So I'll probably have another one or two before October is done.

This layout is inspired by this weeks Featured Stamper on SCS. Sue's (bensarmom) card with the darling bird is really much cuter than spiders. I hope she doesn't have arachnaphobia.

A friend gave me some of this beautiful sparkly black ribbon on Saturday. Thanks Barb, it really dressed up these cards. I think Luke's teachers will love them. I hope they don't jump when they see the spiders inside.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Hand Penned Holidays, Scaredy Cat

Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie

Paper: Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Basic Black

Other: Big Shot, Spider Web EF, Sparkly Black ribbon from a friend

I'm glad you stopped by and I hope you aren't creeped out by spiders.

Enjoy!

For Queen Liz

2011-09-29T14:41:00.000-04:00

It's almost time for Queen Liz to give up her crown. Somehow I'm always at the end of the reign getting these cards posted. Liz has been on my mind all week though.

Anyway, Liz, aka lazylizard, was named Queen for the Day last Friday. I enjoyed looking through her lovely gallery and had trouble deciding just which project to CASE. I finally decided on this one. I love these necklaces made out of repurposed game pieces. I have one made with a Scrabble square and really enjoy it. I didn't make a necklace, but Liz's necklace was an inspiration for this card.

I don't have a lily of the valley stamp. But this reminded me of the colors Liz used.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Herb Expressions, Thoughts and Prayers

Ink: Old Olive, SU Markers (Wild Wasabi, Marina Mist, More Mustard)

Paper: Naturals White

As always, thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate all your lovely comments.

Enjoy!

Cherry Espresso Party

2011-09-28T16:58:00.000-04:00

The color challenge at SCS this week is called Cherry Espresso Party. Sounds delectable doesn't it?

The card I imagined when I first saw the challenge was quite different. But sometimes these cards just go their own direction. It's so much fun go with it. Especially when I like the finished product!

I used a little glue and Dazzling Diamonds on the snowflakes and the tree. I don't think the sparkle shows up very well in the pictures.

The little bird was stamped and cut out. I used the leaf stamp with this set for the wing.

When I was editing the picture, I realized that I used this same set for the color challenge last week. It's such a versatile set. It can be used for any season.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Season of Friendship

Ink: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Pool Party

Paper: Whisper White, Pool Party, Early Espresso

Other: Big Shot, Snow Burst EF, Modern Label Punch, Dazzling Diamonds

I'm so glad you stopped by again. I hope you enjoy!

Awash with Paper Piecing

2011-09-27T19:33:00.000-04:00

Yesteday's Clean and Simple challenge at SCS was to do paper piecing. This technique is wonderful for using some of those little pieces of DSP that have been left over. I have a box full of these pieces.

Just a simple layout, but one of my favorites.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Awash with Flowers, Watercolor Minis?, Short and Sweet

Ink: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry

Paper: Whisper White, Scraps of DSP, Melon Mambo

Other: Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Scallop Trim Border Punch

Thanks for stopping by today and for all the lovely comments you have been leaving.

Enjoy!

Sketchy Halloween

2011-09-26T16:36:00.000-04:00

This week's challenge at Less is More is a SKETCH

I flipped the sketch for this one.

I used the new Hand Penned Holidays set from the Holiday Mini. It has 4 fantastic stamps in the set.

The pumpkin is 3 punched wide ovals. I shaded a bit with a sponge dauber and ink and used the marker to draw some more lines. The stem is an embosslit.

And still in the Halloween theme.....

I hope this is CAS enough. I had this little piece of background paper that had been done in the Faux Polished Stone technique. I stamped the cat and tree in black and colored them in with the marker to get them really dark. The grass is just sketched. Then I punched it with the 2 1/2" circle punch. The sentiment is an from an old hostess set.

I embossed about 3/4 of a piece of pumpkin pie cardstock, leaving about 1 1/2" unembossed for the sentiment. The black ribbon is some twill tape from my sewing box. I distressed the bottom a bit too. I'm not sure if that really shows in the picture.

For someone who doesn't do Halloween cards, I've outdone myself with them this year. I have one more class with Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving cards coming up too. I guess the grandchildren will wonder what got into their ole Nana! Maybe they'll share their candy with me.

By the way, congratulations to Chrissie and Mandi on over 700 submissions last week. That's amazing! And the submissions are just as amazing. And they commented on almost all of them. Go on over and take a peek if you want some inspiration. Even better, make a card for this week's challenge and share it.

Thanks so much for stopping in. I appreciate all the wonderful comments you have been leaving and have enjoyed visiting with you.

Enjoy,

Boo One and Boo Two

2011-09-22T20:19:00.000-04:00

Remember the song from Cinderella, Bibbidy, Bobbidy, Boo? That song is running through my head now!

Here's another Halloween card for the Less is More Challenge. They were wondering if Blogger would self destruct if they got 1000 submissions. As slow as it's running, it may be headed in that direction!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Scaredy Cat, French Foliage

Ink: Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry

Paper: Basic Black, Tangering Tango, Whisper White

Other: Spider Web EF, Big Shot

And while I was at it, I did this one using the sketch from this week's Sketch Challenge at SCS.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Scaredy Cat, Woodgrain

Ink: Tangerine Tango, Basic Black

Paper: Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, Whisper White

Other: Corner Rounder Punch

That's it for tonight. Thanks for the visit. I've enjoyed it. I hope you have too.

Enjoy!

Ghostly Halloween

2011-09-22T19:47:00.000-04:00

As I've said before, I've never done much for Halloween cards. But I have some stamping friends that have asked for some ideas and since some of them are coming to stamp this weekend, I thought I'd try to have something on hand.

Then, I saw the One Layer Wednesday challenge Sentiment-a-mania

1. A one-layer card is defined as a single piece of cardstock folded in half.

2. Make a one-layer card using the sentiment as the main focus (or that shares the focus with image).

This image from my one and only Halloween set was perfect!

Can you tell that I colored the white on the edges of the ribbon with my markers? The white edges were just too fancy for this card.

This is also another entry for the Less is More anything CAS challenge this week. They have over 600 entries now toward their 1000 goal.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Scaredy Cat

Ink: Tangerine Tango, SU Markers (Basic Black, Tangerine Tango

Paper: Whisper White

Other: Basic Black Narrow Taffeta Ribbon, Basic Pearls

I have another quick post coming up. I hope you'll check back. Thanks so much for spending time with me and sharing your ideas on your own blogs.

Enjoy!

Fall Colors

2011-09-21T19:09:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post tonight so I can clean up my table and finish up a couple of Halloween cards I was working on this afternoon. I've had stampin' therapy two days in a row now and I'm feeling good!

This little card is going to several challenges.

The Paper Players #64 Challenge is to make a CAS card using animals or plants. Thanks Ann, for the CAS challenge. They're my favorites.

Featured Stamper Challenge at SCS. You can see Linda's (aka Morningsun47) inspiration card here. I used a different stamp and colors and left off the buttons.

The SUO (Stampin' Up! Only) challenge#28 is to use Fall Colors.

The Less is More #33 challenge, anything CAS goes. This is my third card for this challenge. They are almost half way to their 1000 submissions goal.

I inked the silhouette stamp in the My Friend set with markers, spritzed with water and stamped on Naturals White. Unfortunately, it didn't stamp well. So I colored the flowers and leaves with the markers. I was really disappointed with the way it turned out, but cut it down and made a card from it anyway.

Card Recipe
Stamps: My Friend, Short and Sweet
Ink: SU Markers (Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke, Early Espresso)
Paper: Naturals White, Cajun Craze, So Saffron

Thanks so much for stopping by. I've enjoyed reading your comments today and visiting your blogs.

Enjoy,

Oh Happy Day

2011-09-20T20:00:00.000-04:00

Today was a good day. I had time to stamp! I even completed a card! It is a happy day!

Last Friday's Queen for the Day at SCS was Dianne (eured99). You can see her wonderful gallery here. I chose this card as my inspiration. Actually, now I notice that she didn't do my inspiration card until Saturday. Lol, I guess sometimes there can be a benefit to being behind.

I added a layer, and used a different embossing folder, center shape, and colors. The colors are from the Color Challenge, also at SCS, to use Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive. Dessert is leaves. I used the thumping technique to ink the leaves. First I inked with Pumpkin Pie, then thumped the edges with an Old Olive marker. The little bird is stamped in Turquoise and cut out to add a bit of dimension. Masking and a bit of sponging with pastels behind the image and it was done.

I'm also sending this to the Less is More Challenge. You may remember from yesterday's post that they are hoping for 1000 submissions this week. I see that they have had over 100 submissions since last evening! Will they make it? I hope so. It's a wonderful challenge with so much inspiration!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Season of Friendship

Ink: Soft Suede, SU Markers (Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise)

Paper: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip

Other: Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Basa Wood Frame for embossing, Stampin' Pastels (Tempting Turquoise)

Hopefully the boys will give me time to play tomorrow. If not, I'm thankful that I had time today.

I'm so glad you stopped by. Thank you so much for your encouraging comments.

Enjoy,

Batting 1000

2011-09-19T18:56:00.000-04:00

The Less is More challenge this week is

Anything CAS Goes

The Divas are trying for 1000 submissions this week. So far it looks like they're over a quarter of the way there. I'll be adding more cards for this challenge this week. If you want to find lots of CAS inspiration, Less is More is the way to go.

And at SCS this week, the Clean and Simple challenge is leaves. How 'bout that! A two for one.

But wait, The Friday Mashup challenge this week is

Create a project with an "Autumn" theme.
Or Create a project using shades of "Yellow & Orange".
Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Autumn project using shades of Yellow & Orange".

In these busy times, being able to submit one card for three challenges is really nice! And I might add, it only took a few minutes to stamp this card. I didn't time it, but I think 5 minutes tops. Love this set!

Also, a few weeks ago, Mary gave us a wonderful Fall Color Challenge at SCS. The colors were Always Artichoke, So Saffron and Cajun Craze. Dessert was to make it a Fall or Thanksgiving card. I won't submit to this challenge because it's so far after the fact but I wanted you to know how much I liked this challenge Mary.

And it's beginning to feel like Fall here in NC. I love Fall with it's beautiful colors and cooler temperatures.

Card Recipe

Stamps: French Foliage

Ink: Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Always Artichoke, Cajun Craze

Paper: Very Vanilla

I haven't decided what to use as a sentiment yet. I'll add that when the need arises. I'm thinking Merci would be good. What do you think?

Thanks for visiting today and I do love your comments.

Enjoy!

Stamp and Color

2011-09-16T21:31:00.000-04:00

Whoo, what a week. I tried 3 times yesterday to do my blog and this is the second time today, so far. Sick children don't allow for much card making or blogging!

Did I mention how glad I am that the One Layer Wednesday challenge is back? Although I usually like to have a little layering, I love the challenge of making a one layer card. This week Susan challenged to COLOR IT.

Stamp an outline image and color it using any coloring medium

you want: colored pencils, watercolor pencils, watercolor crayons,

paint,Copics, Bics, Sharpies, markers of any kind,

or your kid's box of Crayola crayons.

Rules for OLW641. A one-layer card is defined as a single piece of card stock folded in half.

2. Use an image that must be colored in (an outline image), and color with the medium of your choice.

3. Remember to keep embellishments to a minimum.

4. Upload your masterpiece somewhere on the interwebs and link back to it using the InLinkz button on the sidebar of Simplicity.

5. The most important rule of all: HAVE FUN!!!!!!

I actually made these cards a while back and never posted them. I pulled them out as a guide for the Papercrafting group that met here on Wednesday. When I saw the challenge, I was so happy. I can use all the help I can get this week.

Susan, this one is especially for you. I know how much you like pears!

All the cards are 3" x 3" and have little envelopes. We did 8 cards and envelopes.

(You can get 8 cards out of a 12" x 12" sheet of cardstock.)

And here is a little tote to hold them.

My new Simply Scored was a big help in folding the cards and scoring the folds for the tote.

All were stamped with Early Espresso ink and colored with my Stampin' Pastels and sponge daubers.

The ladies made such cute sets. One made a Christmas set. That gave me a great idea for teacher gifts at Christmas.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Faith in Nature, Clearly for You

Ink: Early Espresso

Paper: Whisper White, Apricot Appeal, Chocolate Chip

Other: Stampin' Pastels, Sponge Dauber, Eyelet Border Punch, Simply Scored, Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Brads

I only had ~~one~~ two interuptions in this sitting. Maybe, just maybe this will finally get posted.

Thanks for stopping by. I wish you all a wonderful weekend.

Enjoy!