Christmas Joy--Color Throwdown #61

Are you ready for another Color Throwdown challenge? This week Tammy chose the colors and I love 'em! She chose Regal Rose, Rose Red, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, and Old Olive.
It's another sponsor week, as well, and this week we're happy to be sponsored by Gina K. and Stamp TV, who has offered up a super generous prize for this week's winner. Check it out at the Throwdown blog for all the details.

I think this is my first Christmas card this year--and it's about time I got started!!! Gina K. generously sent us stamps and I got Christmas Blessings. OMGosh! I love this set! It's primitive Christmas at it's best!!! I just got the new Eskimo Kisses 6 x 6 pad by Basic Grey and wouldn't you know it--it's perfect for these colors and these images! How lucky can you get!? I love non-traditional colors for Christmas (did I already mention that? ;-)) so I immediately decided to do a pink poinsettia. I stamped it four times with Memento Rich Cocoa ink and colored it with Copic markers. I cut out the layers to give it more dimension, each layer popped up on 3M foam squares. Then I added a mustard colored button to the center, tied on with olive embroidery floss, fluffed up a bit to sorta look like the center of a poinsettia--it sorta does, doesn't it? It's cut/embossed with a Classic Circle Nestabilities die and layered up. I also touched up the edges with PTI's Chai tea ink. Card construction is obvious, I'm thinking. I added some olive grosgrain ribbon across the middle and tied on Vintage Buttons with PTI twine. I stamped one word from the sentiment, as the whole thing would have been too large for the space I wanted it in, cut/embossed it with a Spellbinders tag die, sponged the edges with more Chai tea ink and tied it on with more twine. OK, that's one Christmas card for the stash--hey, ya gotta start somewhere, right? ;-)

Remember, you do not have to have the exact colors to play. If you don't, just use the closest you have. And don't forget--this week there's a chance to win a prize or to be chosen as Featured Stamper. Now, c'mon over to the Color Throwdown blog and play along with us this week. Please use Mr. Linky to post your card and please link directly to your card so we can find it easily and so you'll be eligible to win (only directly linked entries will be considered for Featured Stamper or for the prize--see the sidebar on the blog for all the details). If you upload your card to a public forum, please use the keyword CTD61 so we can see your beauty all in one place. Hope to see you there!

Be sure to check out what the other team members have come up with this week!

Broni Holcombe--Splashes of Watercolor
Cathy Indelicato--Crafty Thoughts
Danielle Kennedy--Wild Dragonfly Designs
Tammy Hershberger--Stamp Happy
Kristin Bueter/September Guest Designer--Mindless Creativity
LeAnne Pugliese--Wee Inklings (LeAnne will not be posting on the Throwdown blog on sponsor weeks due to SU! issues, but she'll be playing along on her blog, so please go check out her card and show her some love :))

I'm so glad you dropped in today!

~Recipe~ Stamps: Christmas Blessings (Gina K. Designs)
Paper: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Old Olive (SU!); Pure Luxury 80 lb (Gina K.); Eskimo Kisses (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilties/Spellbinders dies; 3M foam squares, ribbon (craft store); Copic markers; Buttons, twine (PTI); DMC emboridery floss

Get well! (And I mean it!)

Today I have a get well card I made a while back for a very special person and never got it posted here.

The images are from a set called Nurse Feelgood by Gina K., stamped on Pure Luxury 80 lb paper, also by Gina K. and colored with Copic markers. The images were then cut out and popped upon 3M foam squares on elements of Kraft matted with Night Of Navy. Patterned paper is from the Boxer 6 x 6 pad by Basic Grey. A few Dew Drops for accent finish it off. I love this sentiment--Get Well! Or else, LOL!

I'm so glad you stopped by today!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Nurse Feelgood (Gina K.)
Paper: Whisper White, Kraft, Night Of Navy (SU!); Boxer 6 x 6 pad (Basic Grey); Pure Luxury 80 lb (Gina K.)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: punches (SU!); Dew Drops, Copic markers; 3M foam squares (craft store)

Masculine Birthday

A co-worker asked me to make a card for a male relative and this is what I came up with. I'm loving this Gina K. Designs set "Guiding Light" and it's definitely masculine. My layout is based on a sketch from a new challenge blog: Midnight Madness. This one is for week #2.

My base card is Very Vanilla with layers of Mellow Moss, Really Rust, and DP from Archaic by Basic Grey. I wrapped some twine around it and anchored each corner with an antique copper brad and popped it up on 3M foam squares. The second element is Mellow Moss, Soft Sky, and more DP and a couple of brads. It's also up on foam squares. The focal image was stamped on Flourishes' European watercolor paper with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Stampin' Write markers and a blender pen. I was attempting to do this similarly to the Cape Hatteras light house, thus the colors and the DP choice. After I colored the image, I floated some Soft Sky ink all around with an aquapainter for the sky. It was then cut/embossed with a Petite Oval Nestabilities die as were the Soft Sky and Mellow Moss layers, The gulls were stamped, colored, cut out, and popped up on bits of foam squares. The sentiment is from PTI's Everyday Classics set and was stamped on Very Vanilla with Chocolate Chip and attached with foam squares. I think my co-worker will like it.

I'm so glad you dropped in today!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Guiding Light (Gina K. Designs); Everyday Classics (PTI)
Paper: European watercolor paper (Flourishes); Very Vanilla, Mellow Moss, Really Rust (SU!) Archaic (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities; 3M foam squares, brads, cord (craft store)

For The Guys--Stamp Simply Challenge #87

Another week as Guest Designer for the Stamp Simply challenges is here. I can't believe I only have two more!!! Where is the time going!? This week's challenge is to do a masculine card. Here it is in Sharon's words:

FOR THE GUYS - When I first started stamping I did a ton of masculine cards, living in a houseful of guys, but I slowly got away from it and now don't do nearly enough of them. Fathers' day is still a month away, but we have all sorts of occasions to give those guys in our lives cards -- so make a card for one of those guys in your life, but there is one more stipulation -- lets make sure our cards include either string, rope, cording or knots of some sort -- which is what I used to included on guy cards all the time when I did them years ago. So pull out those *rugged ribbons* - LOL -- and let's create for those guys in our lives!!!

My father's been gone for almost 17 years but it's a rare day that I don't have him in my thoughts and remember things he taught me. My DH is a great influence on me, as well, so I'm lucky to have two beacons in my life. So, I guess I can give this to my DH for Father's Day (after all, he is the father of my kitties, LOL) and dedicate it to my own father--he loved the water, so this lighthouse image is perfect.

My base card is Very Vanilla with layers of Ruby Red and DP from Basic Grey's Boxer 6 x 6 pad. What paper is more appropriate for a guy card than Boxer, LOL? I really love this paper, too. OK, back to the card. I tied some cord around the center, between the two different DP elements, and then tied a knot around it to satisfy that part of the challenge. Then I popped up the whole thing on the base card with 3M foam squares. The focal image is from a new set from Gina K. called "Guiding Light" and was stamped on watercolor paper with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with SU! markers and a blender pen. I did a watercolor wash on the background and popped the gulls up on slivers of foam squares. Then the image was matted with Ruby Red and more DP before also being popped up on foam squares. The sentiment is from the same set and was stamped on Very Vanilla with Night of Navy and cut out with a Spellbinders label die and it's also up on foam squares. Pretty simple, but I wanted the image to really be the focal point of this card with no distractions. I think it worked--what about you?

Thanks for dropping by today.

Come along and play with us and make something for a guy in your life--we'd love to see what you come up with. If you do, be sure to leave a comment on Sharon's blog telling her where you uploaded. Please use the keyword ssnotime87 if you upload to a public forum. Check out Sharon's fabulous sample and also the great designs from the Stamp Simply team:

Julie Koerber

Jennifer Buck

Janine Orchard

Becky Oehlers

A J Otto

Tammy Hershberger

Deb Saarenen

Thanks for dropping by!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Guiding Light (Gina K. Designs)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Ruby Red, watercolor paper (SU!); Boxer 6 x 6 pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Bordering Blue reinker (SU!)
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Spellbinder label die; 3M foam squares, cord (craft store); Stampin! Write markers, blender pen (SU!)

Absolutely Fabulous--Color Throwdown #33

Time's flying and it's time for another Color Throwdown challenge--#33! This week's colors were chosen by Cathy Indelicato: Elegant Eggplant, Tempting Turquoise, and any green--I chose Certainly Celery. Also, it's time for our Guest Designer for March.
My base card is Whisper White with layers of Certainly Celery, Elegant Eggplant, Certainly Celery, and DP from the Euphoria 6 x 6 pad from Basic Grey. I really love Basic Gray DP, can you tell? I then tied a silky eggplant purple ribbon tied around and in a bow at the top. My focal image uses a stamp from Gina K.'s Botanical Dreams set which was stamped on Gina K. Pure Luxury 80 lb paper with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers (see below for colors used). It was matted with Elegant Eggplant and Certainly Celery, all of which had the corners punched with the ticket corner punch is popped up on 3M foam squares. The sentiment uses a stamp from PTI's Mixed Messages set and was stamped on more Gina K. paper with Memento Tuxedo black. It was punched with the small oval punch and layered on more ovals. A purple jeweled brad accents the sentiment element, which is also up on foam squares.

C'mon over to the Color Throwdown blog and play along with us this week. If you upload your card to a public forum, please use the keyword CTD33 so we can see your beauty all in one place. And if you play, you *could* be picked as our Featured Stamper and a guest designer! Hope to see you there!

Be sure to check out what the other team members have come up with this week:
Broni Holcombe--Splashes of Watercolor
Cathy Indelicato--Crafty Thoughts
Danielle Kennedy--Wild Dragonfly Designs
LeAnne Pugliese--Wee Inklings
Tammy Hershberger--Stamp Happy

Our Guest Designer this month is Anna Havanka of Anna's Creations. Check out her card on the Throwdown blog!!

Thanks for dropping by!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Botanical Dreams (Gina K.); Mixed Messages (PTI)
Paper: Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant and Certainly Celery (SU!); Euphoria 6 x 6 pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: 3M foam squares, ribbon, jewel brad (craft store); small oval punch, ticket corner punch (SU!); Copic markers

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)