Homespun Holly Cupcake

This card is for SCS CC199 and Paper Craft Planet's sketch #7. The colors are So Saffron, Bravo Burgundy, and Handsome Hunter. There was NO way this was going to be anything other than a Christmas card because:

1. I do Christmas 365 days a year
2. I'm in the Christmas Card Challenge.
3. I want to send nothing but handmade cards this coming year

See what I mean? Reason enough for me--add another one to the stash for 2009 :)

My base card is Very Vanilla. I think the rest of the layers are pretty self-explanatory. The focal image is a Karen Lockhart stamp I got from Ellen Hutson's store. I just love this little holly cupcake!! I stamped it on watercolor paper with Basic Brown ink and colored it with my Stampin' Markers and a blender pen (no surprise there). I added some shimmer with a Sakura glitter pen. cut it out with a Nestabilities die and lightly sponged the edges with Creamy Caramel ink. It's matted with Bravo Burgundy circles also cut with Nestabilities and mounted up on 3M foam squares. Some gingham ribbon tied in a bow accents the bottom of the card. The sentiment is from Verve's Wonderful Wishes set and is stamped on Very Vanilla with Handsome Hunter ink, cut out with a Nestabilities tag die, edges lightly sponged, and tied on with natural hemp. The upper part needed something so I added a corner punch/brad element there. The result is a homespun-type card that I really like.

Thanks for stopping by! That's it for this year--see you next year for lots of stampin' fun!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Holly Cupcake (Lockhart Stamps), Wonderful Wishes (Verve)
Paper: Very Vanilla, So Saffron, Bravo Burgundy, Handsome Hunter, watercolor (SU!)
Ink: So Saffron, Bravo Burgundy, Handsome Hunter (SU!)
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Sakura glitter pen, ribbon, hemp, brads, 3M foam squares, Corner Punch (SU!)

Love is...

Gosh, I love this sentiment and this card! Sorry, I got carried away with myself ;-)

OK, this card is a quadruple-header!! It's for: Valentine's Day, Our Creative Corner Challenge (use something clear, which will become clear shortly), the current Sketch For You To Try, and the Holiday Challenge Extravaganza #11--to use paper tole on a card.

My card base is Basic Black, with a layer of silver metallic card stock and then a layer of Real Red DSP from a 6 x 6 hostess gift pad. The focal image is the clear challenge part. The sentiment is a clear sticker by Cloud 9 Designs from a set called, appropriately enough, "Love". It was adhered to Whisper White card stock and matted with Real Red, silver, and Basic Black. Some small black faceted jewels accent the upper right corner and it's popped up on 3M foam squares. Two strips of black grosgrain ribbon with white stitching follow the sketch design. The accent heart, from the Always set (I really love this heart!) was stamped twice--once on Whisper White with Versamark and heat embossed with silver embossing powder and cut out around the center heart. Next, it was stamped on Real Red with Basic Black and cut out around the outer dotted heart. The silver layer was popped up on 3M foam squares for the paper tole part, and the whole thing was attached on 3M foam squares, as well. Some larger black faceted jewels accent the lower right corner for balance. The Valentine's Day part should be obvious ;-)

Thanks for dropping by!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Always (SU!)
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Real Red DSP, Basic Black (SU!), silver metallic card stock (Office Max)
Ink: Versamark, Basic Black
Accessories: silver embossing powder, heat gun, black faceted jewels (small ones by Hero Arts, large from craft store), ribbon (craft store), clear sticker (Cloud 9 Designs), 3M foam squares

Lovely Lavender

This card is another triple header. Yeehaw! It's a birthday card, it's for PCP sketch challenge 6, and it's for Holiday Challenge Extravaganza #10--to alter an embellishment.

My base card is Very Vanilla and various elements using DP from Basic Grey's Lily Kate 6 x 6 pad follow the sketch, with a sheer lilac colored ribbon tied around in a bow. The focal image is stamped on watercolor paper with Versafine Smokey Gray ink and an Annie LaPoint stamp from My Favorite Things. I colored the image with Stampin' Markers in Lovely Lilac and Certainly Celery, and outlined it with Sahara Sand for some definition. It was then matted with more DP and mounted with 3M foam squares. The large white Prima flower was stamped with SU!'s Posy backgrounder with Lovely Lilac ink, and all three Primas were attached with a green rhinestone brad. Two lilac rhinestone brads anchor the lower corners.

Thanks for checking in!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Lavender (Annie LaPoint for MFT), Posy backgrounder (SU!)
Paper: watercolor, Very Vanilla (SU!), Lily Kate (Basic Grey)
Ink: Smokey Gray (Versafine), Lovely Lilac, Certainly Celery (SU!)
Accessories: Prima flowers, rhinestone brads (craft store), blender pen, 3M foam squares, ribbon (craft store)

Taggin' the new year!

This card is for the Holiday Challenge Extravaganza #9 over at Splitcoast. The challenge was to use a tag on your card. Well, I couldn't get by with just one tag, LOL!!

My base card is Basic Black with a layer of silver metallic card stock, then a layer of DP. I cut the focal image tag and the numbers with dies from the Cuttlebug Yard Sale alphabet set. The numbers are cut from silver glitter paper from a DCWV glitter pad.. The tag is tied on with some silver ribbon. The sentiment tag was stamped on Basic Black with silver pigment ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder and tied on with silver cord. A few starbursts using a Martha Stewart punch finish this baby off. I like it!

Thanks for stopping by and checking this one out!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Ready 4 Any Holiday (Kitchen Sink Stamps)
Paper: Basic Black (SU!), silver metallic card stock (Office Max), DP (craft store), silver glitter paper (DCWV)
Ink: silver pigment (craft store)
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Yard Sale alphabet die set, Nestabilities tag die, Martha Stewart starburst punch, silver ribbon and cord (craft store), clear embossing powder, heat gun

Hearts all in a row.

This card is for Paper Craft Planet's sketch challenge #5 (yes, still catching up, but I'm getting there!).

I tried my best to do color challenge #5 but those colors were just to dang weird--this was the closest I could come, LOL, so I'm skipping that one.

My base card is Very Vanilla, with a layer of Basic Grey's Euphoria DP and then a half layer of Rose Red card stock. I used a Martha Stewart border punch on both of them. The sentiment was stamped with Basic Black with a stamp by Northwoods Rubber Stamps. The focal image(s) were punched with another Martha Stewart punch from more of the Euphoria DP, layered on Tempting Turquoise card stock, and popped up on 3M foam squares. A bit of sheer turquoise and purple ribbon went under them and three Hero Arts hearts give some balance.

Thanks for checking in!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Northwoods Rubber Stamps
Paper: Very Vanilla, Tempting Turquoise, Rose Red, Euphoria (Basic Grey)
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Martha Stewart border and heart punches, ribbon, flat-back hearts (Hero Arts)

Vibrant Fresh Cuts

This card is for PCP's color challenge #4 (yes, I'm still catching up, LOL) and SCS sketch challenge 208. The colors were definitely a challenge: Ruby Red (or Riding Hood Red), Sage Shadow, Whisper White, Basic Gray, and Basic Black (or Chocolate Chip).

My base card is Whisper White, followed by a layer of Basic Black that's paper pierced all around with faux stitching with a glitter pen. The next element is Basic Gray, layered with Sage Shadow. The focal image is from Fresh Cuts and was stamped with Basic Gray and colored with Ruby Red and Sage Shadow Stampin' Markers. I added some shimmer to several areas with my Sakura glitter pen and put silver brads in the corners. It's layered on Ruby Red and is up on dimensionals for a little definition.

Thanks for checking this one out!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Fresh Cuts (SU!)
Paper: Ruby Red, Sage Shadow, Whisper White, Basic Gray, and Basic Black
Ink: Ruby Red, Sage Shadow, Basic Gray
Accessories: Sakura glitter pen, silver brads (craft shop), dimensionals

Love

This card is another triple header. It's a Valentine's Day card, it's for No Time To Stamp's? challenge #67--to use something new, and it's the Mojo Monday sketch challenge #66.

My base card is Whisper White. The bottom element is Pretty In Pink which was run through my Cuttlebug with a heart folder that I borrowed from a friend. I love these tiny little hearts, but you have to buy it with several dies which I'll never use. Anyway, it's layered on Old Olive. The top element is Regal Rose on Old Olive and a ribbon with all three colors is attached along the top of the bottom element. The focal image is an Inkadinkado stamp that I stamped in Basic Black on watercolor paper and colored with my Stampin' Markers, with a little bit of bling on the sentiment banner from a Sakura glitter pen. It's layered on Pretty In Pink and Old Olive. I used my corner punch on the pink layer and added some small flat-backed pearls to the Old Olive. It's attached to the card with dimensionals and a couple of larger pearls were added to the lower corners of the bottom element.

Thanks for taking a look!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Inkadinkado
Paper: Whisper White, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Old Olive (SU!)
Ink: Basic Black, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Old Olive, Barely Banana (SU!)
Accessories: ribbon, flat backed pearls (craft store), brush, dimensionals, Ticket Corner punch, Sakura glitter pen

Embossed Heart

This card is for the Holiday Challenge Extravaganza #8--an inspiration challenge that can be found here. I chose to be inspired by the colors for my card and I used Mercy's sketch #23 for my layout. AND, another Valentine's Day card--another triple header! YAY!!!

My base card is Whisper White, then a layer of silver metallic card stock, then a layer of DP from Basic Grey's Perhaps 6 x 6 pad. The next element is Bravo Burgundy on silver, the next is Pirouette Pink on silver. The focal image is a stamp from the Always set, stamped in Whisper White craft ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder (note to self: get white embossing powder) on Rose Red card stock layered on silver card stock. Both layers were cut/embossed with Lables Two Nestabilities dies and adhered with 3M foam squares. Two little Hero Arts heart-shaped accent pearls added to the corners of the pink layer finish it off. I like the layout and will use it again, I'm sure.

Thanks for checking in and taking a look!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Always (SU!)
Paper: Whisper White, Bravo Burgundy, Pirouette Pink, Rose Red (SU!), Perhaps (Basic Grey), silver metallic card stock (Office Max)
Ink: Whisper White craft (SU!)
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Labels Two Nestabilities, accent pearls (Hero Arts), 3M foam squares

A blast from the past!

This card is for SCS Holiday Challenge Extravaganza #7. It requires you to make a card inspired by a fond memory. I know most people are tired of making Christmas cards but I'm not! And this one was inspired by one of my fondest Christmas memories.

The last Christmas my father was alive, we watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and he just about fell out of his chair laughing. He enjoyed that movie so much that every year since, it's become a Christmas tradition in our family. We watch it and laugh, and remember how much my father enjoyed it that year. This little Fluffles stamp reminds me so much of Clark Griswold putting the lights all over the house and how "caught up in the Christmas spirit" he was. And my father also got caught up in the spirit--he loved Christmas. I guess that's where I get it from. Anyway, this card is for my daddy.

My base card is Very Vanilla with a layer of Baja Breeze and then a layer of DP from Cloud 9 Design called Sparkle Be Bright. I thought this paper went with this stamp so well, so I let it dictate my color choices. The focal image was stamped on watercolor paper with Basic Brown and colored with my Stampin' Markers and a blender pen. I used a Sakura glitter pen to cover just about every colored surface, LOL, and it glimmers very nicely. The DP has some glimmer, too, so they compliment each other well, I think. I attached it with some dimensionals after matting it with Riding Hood Red card stock. I added a "string" (I had the little lights that I'd picked up at a craft store and just tied them on a length of black jute) of lights down the side for balance.

Thanks for checking it out!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Fluffles Caught Up in the Christmas Spirit
Paper: Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, Sparkle Be Bright (Cloud 9 Design)
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Pretty In Pink, Bravo Burgundy, Not Quite Navy, Ruby Red, Basic Brown, Old Olive
Accessories: Riding Hood Red ribbon (SU!), jute, light beads (craft shop), Sakura glitter pen, dimensionals

A sweet day.

This card is a triple header. Don't you love it when that happens? It's first, a birthday card that needs to get into the mail today! Yikes, talk about taking it to the wire! Then, it's for (I'm finally getting to catch up on these) PCP color challenge #3. I'm way behind, but I'll get there. Then, it's for Taylored Expression's Cupcake Challenge 48. It's a terrific sketch and it was lots of fun to put together. The challenge colors are Tangerine Tango, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White. Whew!

Since Very Vanilla went with my background better, and I used watercolor paper, my base card is Very Vanilla, then a layer of Chocolate Chip, then a layer of perfect-for-this-stamp paper from Basic Grey's Sugared 6 x 6 pad. The next element is a strip of Baja Breeze on Chocolate Chip. The sentiment was stamped on Very Vanilla with Chocolate Chip using a stamp from the Crazy For Cupcakes set and mounted with 3M foam squares on a strip of Tangerine Tango on Chocolate Chip. I made the Riding Hood Red button with a clear button and a circle of card stock glued to it with Glossy Accents. A bit of hemp "sewed" it on. The focal image was stamped in with Basic Brown on watercolor paper and colored in with Stampin' Markers and my blender pen. I used Liquid Applique for the icing and added "sprinkles" with Sakura glitter pens and Stickles for some bling and sponged the edges a little with Creamy Caramel. It's matted with Riding Hood Red and Chocolate Chip and it's up on SU! dimensionals.

I'm liking it a lot, even though the focal image is a little crooked, LOL. I love the 3M foam squares because they let you reposition--I can't get the SU! demensionals to do that and I'm trying to use them up. Thanks for taking a look!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Crazy For Cupcakes (SU!)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red, Tangerine Tango, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Sugared (Basic Grey)
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Riding Hood Red, Only Orange, Yoyo Yellow, Basic Brown, Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand (SU!)
Accessories: Liquid Applique, Sakura glitter pens, Stickles, clear button, Word Window punch, hemp, blender pen, sponge, heat gun

Christmas Sadness

A good friend lost her dear mother on Christmas Eve. It's never easy, but it just seems harder at Christmas and I hope this card will give her a little comfort. I'm using Taylored Expressions' Cupcake Challenge sketch #47 for my layout.

My base card is Whisper White, with a layer of Old Olive and then Pirouette Pink. The DP is from Basic Grey's 6 x 6 Sugared pad.

The focal image is first (although you can barely see it!) a circle of 2 of the DP from the pad cut with Nestabilities dies with a pink Prima flower encircled with branches punch with my Martha Stewart leafy branch punch. There's a smaller green flower and a pink jewel brad in the center. The sentiment was stamped in Always Artichoke with a stamp from SU!'s Close As a Memory set. Some paper piercing with an Ornare corner template gives some balance. The little bird, punched with another Martha Stewart punch and with a tiny rhinestone for his eye, flies over the sentiment.

Thanks for checking in today!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Close As A Memory (SU!)
Paper: Old Olive, Pirouette Pink (SU!), Sugared (Basic Grey)
Ink: Always Artichoke (SU!)
Accessories: leafy branch and bird punches (Martha Stewart), Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, rhinestone, brad (craft store), Primas, paper piercer/mat, template (Ornare)

Rejoice

This card is for the Holiday Challenge Extravaganza #6, which can be found here--make a one-layer card. I'm not good at that, LOL, but I'm OK with this one. Next time I use this stamp I'll add a couple of color layers on the card to bring out the colors. This is the first time I've used this stamp, so I'm glad for this challenge that made me think of it.

My base card is Whisper White. I stamped this image from Flourishes Rejoice set in Versamark and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. Then I colored in the holly leaves with a Handsome Hunter marker and the berries with a Real Red marker. Tied a dark green ribbon around the top and called it done! Talk about QUICK!! I'm already thinking of other ways to use this stamp for next year.

Thanks for taking a look!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Rejoice (Flourishes)
Paper: Whisper White
Ink: Versamark, Handsome Hunter, Real Red
Accessories: heat gun, Embossing Buddie, gold embossing powder, ribbon

Holiday Cheer

This card is for SCS Holiday Challenge Extravaganza, day 5, which can be found here. These pink poinsettias are on my living room coffee table and are one of my favorite decorations at Christmas.

My base card is Whisper white. I cut the opening with an oval Nestabilities die, printed the picture and taped it inside the card. I put another piece of Whisper White over the picture on the inside flap. The sentiment was stamped with Pretty In Pink using a stamp from Verve's Ornamental Christmas set. Three Dew Drops from the Poinsettia collection and some pink, green, and gold ribbon finish this one off. Very simple and quick, really. I sent out very few hand-made Christmas cards this year due to time restraints. I want to change that for the coming year, so this card will be added to my already-started stash for next year :)

Thanks for dropping in today!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Ornamental Christmas (Verve)
Paper: Whisper White (SU!)
Ink: Pretty In Pink
Accessories: printer, Cuttlebug, oval Nestabilities, Dew Drops, ribbon (craft store)

Looking forward

OK, Christmas is over and it's time to look to the future. This card is for SCS sketch challenge #207 and clearly is looking forward. This was a fun card and I love this sketch now--didn't think I would when I first saw it, though.

My base card is Basic Black, with a layer of silver metallic card stock, then a layer of DP that is black with silver stars.

Most of this is pretty self explanatory. I cut the numbers out with my Cuttlebug and the Harmony alphabet using silver glitter paper from a DCWV glitter stack and attached with my Quickie Glue Pen, although running it through a Xyron would have worked well. The "welcome" is stamped in silver pigment ink using Kitchen Sink's Never A Loss 4 Words set.

I'm loving this card--a great way to welcome the new year! Thanks for taking a look today!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Never A Loss 4 Words (Kitchen Sink Stamps)
Paper: Basic Black, silver metallic card stock (Office Max), DP (craft store)
Ink: Silver pigment ink (craft store)
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Harmony Alphabet

Take my breath away

That's pretty much what the colors for SCS's color combination 198 did to me when I saw them, LOL. Orchid Opulence, So Saffron, and Cameo Coral. No green. Whoa! The layout I'm using is i{heart}2 stamp's Sketch For You To Try found here. Great sketch--and one I'm sure I'll use again.

My base card is Whisper White, followed by layers of Orchid Opulence, So Saffron, and Cameo Coral, then a layer of Whisper White that I ran through my Cuttlebug with the Textile embossing folder.

The sentiment is from Verve's Wonderful You set, stamped on Whisper White with Basic Gray ink and cut/embossed with a Nestabilities die, as were the layers beneath it. A strip of orchid ribbon runs under it.

The focal image is the Prima flowers. They're attached with glitter brads in matching colors with leaves added that I punched with Martha Stewart's leafy branch punch.

OMGosh! I have stark white on this card--no sponging, LOL!!

Whew! This was a scary combination, for sure! BUT, I think I pulled it off--so much so that I think this is going to be a keeper!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Wonderful You (Verve)
Paper: Whisper White, Orchid Opulence, So Saffron, and Cameo Coral (SU!)
Ink: Basic Gray (SU!)
Accessories: Primas, Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, 1/8" hole punch, ribbon, glitter brads, Martha Stewart leafy branch punch

Happy Birthday, beautiful you!

This card is for the Holiday Extravaganza Challenge #4, which can be found here. My base card is Whisper White, with a layer of Elegant Eggplant and then a layer of Certainly Celery. I added a strip of DP from Basic Grey's Euphoria 6 x 6 pad to the bottom.

My focal image is from Verve's Beautiful You set, stamped on Whisper White in Elegant Eggplant. I added a bit of Certainly Celery to the center of the medallion. It was then cut/embossed with a Nestabilities die, as were the Certainly Celery and Elegant Eggplant layers it's on. This element was mounted on the card with 3M foam squares.

The sentiment was stamped on Whisper White with a stamp from MFT's Sassy Sayings set in Elegant Eggplant and punched with the Word Window punch and layered on Certainly Celery punched with the Large Oval punch, which was then layered on Elegant Eggplant which was punched with the Designer Label punch, fullfilling that requirement. This element was also mounted with 3M foam squares. Dark purple ribbon was tied on in a knot to finish it off. It was hard to not add any embellishments except ribbon, LOL, but I did it! This was a quick card--and pretty--which is a good thing ;-)

Thanks for dropping in!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Beautiful You (Verve), Sassy Sayings (MFT)
Paper: Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant, Certainly Celery (SU!), Euphoria 6 x 6 pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Certainly Celery (SU!)
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Word Window, Large Oval, and Designer Label punches (SU!), 3M foam squares, ribbon (Hobby Lobby)

So many candles...

...so little cake. That's the sentiment I stamped inside this birthday card for an 80 year old friend, LOL. This card is also for SCS color challenge #197: Basic Gray, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, and Not Quite Navy, and I'm following sketch #22 by Mercy Kerin at her blog, Lord Have Mercy.

My base card is Basic Gray with a piece of DSP from SU!'s Urban Garden collection. The next element is another design in that collection matted with Baja Breeze. The focal image is a Gina K. stamp from the set Botanical Dreams. I stamped it on Whisper White with Kiwi Kiss and if you look really closely, you can tell I watercolored a bit with Baja Breeze. It was then sponged with Kiwi Kiss (I just can't seem to let stark white be stark white, LOL!) and layered on Baja Breeze and then Kiwi Kiss. It's attached with 3M foam squares (I love these little things!). The sentiment is stamped on Whisper White with Kiwi Kiss and a stamp from Verve's Wonderful Wishes. I really love this set, can you tell? The images are small and very versatile. I punched it out with the small oval punch, layered it on Kiwi Kiss punched with the large punch, and layered all that on Not Quite Navy punched with the Designer Label punch. Three silver flat back beads add some balance and finishes it off. I think it all works together very nicely.

Thanks for checking out today's offerings!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Botanical Dreams (Gina K.), Wonderful Wishes (Verve)
Paper: Urban Garden DSP, Basic Gray, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, and Whisper White (SU!)
Ink: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss (SU!)
Accessories: small and large oval punches, Designer Label punch (SU!), brush, flat back silver beads, sponge, 3M foam squares (craft store)

Winter Wishes

This card is for the Holiday Challenge Extravaganza #1: an inspiration challenge.

My base card is Whisper White, layered with Going Gray and Pacific Point. Then I added three strips of some white ribbon with silver snowflakes printed on it. The focal image was stamped with snowflakes from a Paper Studio set in Going Gray and Pacific point and traced over with a Sakura glitter pen. The sentiment was stamped on Whisper White with Pacific Point with a stamp from Verve's Snow Wonderful set and punched with the small oval punch. It was layered on a snowflake punched from the snowflake set of Sizzix dies from SU! and attached with 3M foam squares.

Thanks for looking!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Snowflakes (The Paper Studio), Snow Wonderful (Verve)
Paper: Going Gray, Pacific Point, Whisper White (SU!)
Ink: Pacific Point, Going Gray (SU!)
Accessories: snowflake dies, small oval punch (SU!), ribbon (Michaels)

Dance, sing, live and a bookmark.

Last one today, I promise! I have lots I want to catch up on and I want to *keep* up with the Holiday Challenge Extravaganza at SCS. The main requirement of this second challenge was that this card must be square. I'm not a big fan of square cards but I'm happy with the way this one turned out and will be using it as a birthday card.

My card base is Very Vanilla, layered with Always Artichoke and some yummy DP I just got at Michaels by The Paper Company called Florentine Green and Gold. The focal sentiment is from Verve's So Beautiful set and was stamped on Very Vanilla with Always Artichoke craft ink and embossed with clear embossing powder and cut/embossed with a rectangle Nestabilities die. That was matted on Office Max gold card stock that was cut/embossed with a scalloped rectangle die and then layered on Always Artichoke and popped up on 3M foam squares. A gold ribbon and a butterfly punched with a Martha Stewart punch and embellished with some gold flat-backed beads finish this card off.

The next, and third project, was a strange one, LOL. The challenge was to make something with the "Trim-Lings" from making a square card. I chose to make a bookmark with my "Trim-Ling". It's 1.25" wide and 4.25" long, doubled. I stamped an image from an Inkadinkado snow-themed set, added a hemp stringer and a snowflake charm through a slit I cut in the fold and glued the two flaps together. Then I traced over the stamping with a dark blue Sakura glitter pen to give it a little glimmer. That's it! Kinda cute, I guess ;-)

That's it for today! Thanks for checking it out!


















~Recipe~
Stamps: Beautiful You (Verve)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke (SU!), gold metallic card stock (Office Max), DP Florentine Green and Gold (The Paper Company)
Ink: Always Artichoke craft
Accessories: clear embossing powder, heat gun, ribbon, gold flat-back beads (craft store), butterfly punch (Martha Stewart), Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, 3M foam squares.

~Recipe~
Stamps: Inkadinkado
Paper: Very Vanilla
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Accessories: blue hemp, snowflake charm (craft store)

Beyond Quick!!

This card is for No Time To Stamp?'s challenge this week: Beyond Quick. Well, you can't get much quicker than this one was and I like it! I picked up this K & Co. Christmas Cheer Chipbox recently and when I saw this challenge it sprang right to mind! After I chose some pieces I planned my colors around them and set to work.

My base card is metallic gold card stock from Office Max, on which I layered Taken With Teal and Old Olive. Next I tied a gold ribbon around those layers, attached the images with 3M foam squares, and tied on the snowflake image with gold cord. Some gold flat back beads for balance and it's done! This chipbox will be the basis of many cards for next Christmas, trust me. Quick and pretty--can't beat it!

Thanks for taking a look!












~Recipe~
Stamps: none
Paper: Old Olive, Taken With Teal (SU!), gold metallic card stock (Office Max)
Ink: Creamy Caramel
Accessories: 3M foam squares, K & Co. Christmas Cheer Chipbox (Michaels), gold cord and ribbon (craft store)

Snow Wonderful

This card is for SCS color challenge 196: Taken With Teal, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, and Whisper White. I went through my Christmas paper and found that this pattern from Basic Grey's Figgy collection had all the colors in it. Happy day! Then I found this cute little snowman from Inkadinkado's Christmas Characters set and went from there.

My base card is Whisper White with a layer of Baja Breeze on which I used my scalloped border punch and then I paper pierced the scallops. I then added a layer of the Figgy snowman design. The focal image was stamped on Whisper White with Basic Gray ink and watercolored using pads and a brush. The edges were sponged with Baja Breeze and then layered on Riding Hood Red and Taken With Teal and attached with 3M foam squares after adding some clear Dew Drops. The sentiment was stamped on Whisper white with a stamp from Verve's Snow Wonderful set and Basic Gray ink, punched and layered on Riding Hood Red. A ribbon and bow of Riding Hood Red ribbon was just the accent it needed, I think. Liberal use of a Sakura glitter pen on the image and every other available flat surface makes it shimmer in real life.

Thanks for taking a look at today's card!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Christmas Characters (Inkadinkado), Snow Wonderful (Verve)
Paper: Whisper White, Taken With Teal, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze (SU!), Figgy (Basic Grey)
Ink: Basic Gray, Taken With Teal, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Only Orange (SU!)
Accessories: Dew Drops, slot punch, small and large oval punches, scalloped border punch, ribbon (SU!), Sakura glitter pen, sponge, brush

Elegance in neutrals.

This card is for SCS color challenge 195: Sahara Sand, Basic Black, and Very Vanilla, and for the Our Creative Corner Challenge this week--a Lovey Dovey project. I really like these colors together--they make for a very elegant card. I needed an anniversary card, and this was perfect for that.

My base card is Sahara Sand, with a layer of Basic Black and then a layer of DP from ATD (a division of Momenta) called Story of Us--perfect for a wedding or anniversary card! I got this paper pack at an A C Moore craft store and I love the papers in this pack. The focal image is from the SU! set Always, which was stamped twice on Very Vanilla card stock with Basic Black, cut out once, and adhered with 3M foam squares, then layered on Basic Black. A black satin ribbon and flat bow accent the main image. The sentiment was stamped with Basic Black on Sahara Sand, punched with the medium oval punch, and layered on a piece of Basic Black punched out with the Designer Label punch. Small pearls accent this element and I used larger ones in the right upper corner for balance. Oh, and I added a few white Liquid Pearls to the heart image.

I'm really loving this card and I hate to give it away, LOL, but it's already signed and addressed. I hope the recipient likes it as much as I do ;-)

~Recipe~
Stamps: Always (SU!), Wonderful Wishes (Verve)
Paper: Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Basic Black (SU!), Story Of Us (ATD)
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: scissors, Medium Oval and Designer Label punches (SU!), flat back pearls and black satin ribbon (craft store), 1/8" 3M foam squares, white Liquid Pearls

Shimmery Pinecone Ornament

This card isn't "for" anything. I received this image from Flourishes All That Glitters set in a swap a while back and decided to use it with this lovely paper from Daisy D's called Holiday Pinecone. I painted the pinecone with Twinkling H2Os in Golden Jade on watercolor paper, put some Liquid Applique on the snow top, and used a Pentel Sunburst Metallic gel pen in gold for the ornament cap. The pinecone really shimmers in real life. It was sponged with Creamy Caramel, cut out with a Nestabilites Petite Oval die, and matted on first Garden Green and then Close To Cocoa, and attached with 3M foam squares.

My card base is Close To Cocoa with a layer of Garden Green, then the DP with paper piercing and antique copper brad accents. The next element is more Close To Cocoa and Garden Green with more paper piercing and brads. I tied a green and tan gingham bow around this element and tied the sentiment tag on with jute. The sentiment is stamped on a tag cut with a Nestabilities die, stamped in Garden Green with a stamp from Verve's Wonderful Wishes set and sponged with Creamy Caramel and attached with more 3M foam squares. It was a fun card to make and will go in my "keeper" stash.

Thanks for looking!

~Recipe~
Stamps: All That Glitters (Flourishes), Wonderful Wishes (Verve)
Paper: Close To Cocoa, Garden Green, watercolor paper (SU!), Holiday Pinecone (Daisy D's)
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Garden Green, Twinkling H2Os Golden Jade
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Pentel Sunburst Metallic gel pen, brush, sponge, ribbon (Hobby Lobby), jute, brads (craft store), paper piercer/mat/template

More Challenge Catch Up

This first card is for Color Throwdown #22--pink, green, and black. It's also another one for SCS Sketch Challenge #206. I love Basic Grey's Urban Prairie paper (OK, I love ALL of the Basic Grey papers!) and it has all the required colors in it. And, I just so happen to have a nice little butterfly that goes really well with the butterfly in the paper. I inked up and stamped only one of the butterflies from Inkadinkado's Patterned Bugs stamp in each color, matted them, and attached them with foam squares. The sentiment is from MFT's Simply Said set.




















This card is for Color Throwdown #23--Pirouette Pink, Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, and Kiwi Kiss or Old Olive. Well, as soon as I saw these colors, this paper immediately came to mind: SU!'s Holiday Treasures. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Holiday Wishes set. Some Prima poinsettias, some punched leaves, some rich ribbon, and some glitter brads make this a card I'll keep :)

















Thanks for checking out today's cards. There'll be more tomorrow :)

~Recipe~ Stamps: Patterned Bugs (Inkadinkado); Simply Said (MFT)
Paper: Whisper White, Yoyo Yellow, Cameo Coral, Basic Black, Old Olive (SU!); Urban Prairie (Basic Grey)
Ink: Basic Black, Cameo Coral, Old Olive
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Nestabilites, flower brads (craft store)

~Recipe~
Stamps: Holiday Wishes (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Holiday Treasures DP, Pirouette Pink, Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Martha Stewart leaf and leafy branch punches, Prima poinsettias, glitter brads and ribbon (craft store)