Birthday FANfare--Sketches {by Tamara} #87

Time for another sketch from Sketches {by Tamara}--this one is Sketch #87. As soon as I saw it I immediately thought of an Ornare paper piercing template that I'd never used but that would be PERFECT for this sketch! Here's the sketch:


My base card is Whisper White with layers of Always Artichoke, Bashful Blue, and DP from the Mellow 6 x 6 pad from Basic Grey. The focal image is paper pierced (with this Ornare template--see what I mean, it's PERFECT for this sketch!) Whisper White card stock, which was cut/embossed with a circle Nestabilities die and matted with Always Artichoke, cut/embossed with a scalloped die. The center is Bashful Blue with the Nestabilities thing going on and highlighted with a fabric covered brad from The Paper Studio and is up on 3M foam squares. The sentiment is from PTI's Birthday Basics set and was stamped on Whisper White with Always Artichoke. It was then cut/embossed with a Spellbinders ribbon slider die and attached with blue satin ribbon.

Check out the sketch at the Sketches {by Tamara} blog and give it a try--we'd love to see what you come up with!

And be sure to check out the other team members' cards:
Alexandra--California Stampin'
Becky--Bouncy, Flouncy, Fun, Fun, Fun
Carol--Carol's Paperplayce
Jo--Here I Go Again
Krista--Krista be cardin'
Marley--Marley Blog
Olena--From My Hands...To Your Heart
Riley--Stampin' and Dancin' With Riley
Suzanne--Stamp In Style and Cut It Cute
Sylvia--Sylvia's Stamping Place
Tricia--Tricia's Treasures

Thanks for dropping by!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Birthday Basics (PTI)
Paper: Whisper White, Always Artichoke, Bashful Blue (SU!); Mellow 6 x 6 pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Always Artichoke (SU!)
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities and Spellbinders dies; 3M foam squares, ribbon, brd (craft store)

Color Throwdown #27

Another Color Throwdown day!!! I just love the color combinations the team members have been coming up with, don't you?? Today's colors were chosen by Cathy Indelicato and are: Basic Black, Real Red, and Brocade Blue. Well, I gotta tell you, these colors shout PATRIOTIC to me! So, since Presidents Day in the US is coming up, I decided to make a patriotic card for today's challenge.

This was a fun card to make--simple but pretty elegant, I think. I got the idea for coloring only the flag from a photo a co-worker had of a family member. The picture was all black and white--except the little American flag in a little boy's hand--it was colored red, white, and blue. It was really striking in it's simplicity and meaning.

My base card is Basic Black with a layer of Brocade Blue and then a layer of Real Red. A blue (dead-ringer for Brocade Blue) 1" ribbon topped with a 1/4" red ribbon was attached at the center. The focal image was stamped on Whisper White with Basic Black with a Thomas Kincaid stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms called Hometown Pride. It was stamped twice and only the flag was colored with markers the second time. Then I cut out just the flag and popped it up on a 3M foam square. I used my Ticket Corner punch on the main image and the Whisper White layer under it. The whole thing is up on 3M foam squares. Black glittered brads (I glittered them using Crystal Effects and Martha Stewart black micro-fine glitter) accent the corners and it's paper pierced all around. The sentiment is also a Thomas Kincaid stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms, called Land Of the Free. It was stamped on Whisper White with Basic Black and matted on Real Red. Both layers had the corners punched with the Ticket Corner punch. Blue glittered stars accent this element, which is also up on foam squares. I'm liking it :)

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 CTD27 so we can see your beauty all in one place. And if you play, you *could* be picked as our Featured Stamper! 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

Thanks for dropping in!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Hometown Pride and Land of the Free (Thomas Kinkade for Cornish Heritage Farms)
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Brocade Blue, Read Red (SU!)
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red, Brocade Blue (SU!)
Accessories: brads, 3M foam squares, ribbon (craft store); black glitter (Martha Stewart); Crystal Effects, Ticket Corner punch (SU!); paper piercer/mat/template

Wishing you comfort.

This card is for SCS Color Challenge #201: Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, and Kraft. A very pretty combination. It's also a sympathy card. Unfortunately, we need one of these occasionally, and I thought these colors were very soothing and it won't hurt to have one on hand.

My base card is Kraft, with a layer of Not Quite Navy, then a layer of Baja Breeze with a good deal of paper piercing using a new corner template I got from Ellen Hutson's store, and embellished with flat backed pearls. I really love how this turned out. The focal image is first Not Quite Navy (love that color!), then Kraft with an image stamped from Flourshes' set Thinking of You in Not Quite Navy. Both layers are embellished with flat backed pearls and each layer is up on 3M foam squares, The sentiment, also stamped in Not Quite Navy, is from (what else?) Verve's Wonderful Wishes set. Prima flowers and punched leaves in the challenge colors balance it all.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Thinking of You (Flourishes); Wonderful Wishes (Verve)
Paper: Kraft, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy (SU!)
Ink: Not Quite Navy (SU!)
Accessories: flat backed pearls in several sizes, 3M foam squares (craft store); Prima flowers; leaf punch (Martha Stuart); mat/piercer/Ornare paper piercing template (Ellen Hutson)

Upsy Daisy Mojo Monday

This card is for Mojo Monday Challenge 68. I'm only a week late, but I'm sliding in just under the wire! This is a great sketch, and shows why Julee's sketches are my go to sketches when I'm stumped (which is often, LOL).

My base card is Whisper White, with a layer of Bravo Burgundy and then a layer of DP from Basic Grey's Eva 6 x 6 pad. The focal image was stamped on Whisper White with Pale Plum using a stamp from SU!'s Upsy Daisy set. I did a little paper piercing in the "empty" corner and matted it with Bravo Burgundy. The next element is more Eva DP on Bravo Burgundy. The sentiment is from Verve's Wonderful Wishes set (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that set!) and is stamped on Whisper White with Bravo Burgundy. It was cut out with my large oval punch and layered on Bravo Burgundy cut with my curly punch. It's up on 3M foam squares. Green Dew Drops from the Poinsettia bottle accent the strip and the Primas. I'm loving this card, do you?

Thanks for stopping by!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Upsy Daisy (SU!); Wonderful Wishes (Verve)
Paper: Whisper White, Bravo Burgundy (SU!); Eva 6 x 6 pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Pale Plum, Bravo Burgundy (SU!)
Accessories: Prima flowers; Dew Drops Poinsettia; large oval and curly punches (SU!); paper piercer/mat/corner template (Ornare); 3M foam squares (craft store)

Our lives are like quilts

I've been wanting to use these little quilt stamps from Papertrey Ink for some time and just never got around to it. I need a sympathy card and while looking through my stamps for an appropriate one I ran across them--the sentiment is perfect so I thought there was no better time to give them a try. This card is also for the Viva la Verve Challenge 1 and the first day of Verve's Looking For Love challenge.

The first challenge is a sketch challenge with a twist of hardware and I love it. The second one is a color challenge: Kraft, Riding Hood Red, and Blush Blossom. I confess I'd never have put these colors together but I'm really loving how they work! My base card is Kraft, with a layer of Riding Hood Red, then Blush Blossom. The next layer of elements is first a layer of Kraft and then a layer of DP by My Mind's Eye called Baby Girl--Floral/Coral. Now, the little roses in the paper were originally a muted dark dusky rose color, but I added some red with my Red Star Sakura glitter pen and voila! It's red and a good match for Riding Hood Red. This paper had everything else going for it so I wasn't going to let a little thing like the wrong color roses stop me, LOL! The sentiment element is Kraft and Blush Blossom with the sentiment stamped in Riding Hood Red with an accent of antique brass brads for the hardware part, and it's popped up on 3M foam squares. The focal image is four of the little quilt squares stamped on watercolor paper in Basic Black and colored in the challenge colors. For the Kraft "pieces" I colored them first with Creamy Caramel and then went over them with Going Gray. I used my Blush Blossom marker for that color, and for the Riding Hood Red I used my reinker and my blender pen. I matted it with a layer of Riding Hood Red cut/embossed with a square Nestabilities die and mounted it up on 3M foam squares. The only other thing it needed was a line of paper piercing and it was done!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Quilter's Sampler (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: watercolor paper, Kraft, Riding Hood Red, Blush Blossom (SU!), Baby Girl--Floral/Coral DP (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Basic Black, Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, Riding Hood Red, Blush Blossom
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Sakura Red Star glitter pen, 3M foam squares, brads (craft store), paper piercer/mat/template

Get well wishes...

...for a man. I find it hard to make masculine cards--I'm too into frou-frou, LOL! Anyway, this card is a get well card for a man and is for the Mojo Monday #67 challenge.

My base card is Whisper White with a layer of Garden Green, then a layer of Basic Gray, then a layer of DSP from the Prestwick collection. All four corners have an antique silver brad as accents. The next element is Basic Gray and another pattern of the DSP embellished with two lacing brads and denim blue hemp. The focal image was stamped on Whisper White with Garden Green and Going Gray using the grass stamp from SU!'s Inspired By Nature set and is matted on Basic Gray. A little paper piercing balances the upper left corner and it's attached with 3M foam squares. The sentiment was stamped on Whisper White with Night Of Navy and a stamp from MFT's Sassy Sayings set. It was cut/embossed with a Nestabilities tag die, sponged lightly with Garden Green, attached with more blue hemp, and is held up with 3M foam squares.

I think it turned out pretty "manly" so I'm happy. Thanks for stopping by!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Inspired By Nature (SU!), Sassy Sayings (MFT)
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Garden Green, Prestwick DSP (SU!)
Ink: Garden Green, Going Gray, Night Of Navy (SU!)
Accessories: lacing brads (Karen Foster), blue hemp/brads/3M foam square (craft store), paper piercer/mat/template, sponge, Cuttlebug, Nestabilites

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)

The Holly and the Ivy

Well, the holly anyway. This card is for SCS sketch challenge 204. Great sketch, really great. I flipped it because the image I wanted to use fit better that way, but I'm sure I'll be using this sketch again.

My base card is Very Vanilla with a layer of DP from Cosmo Cricket's Oh Joy collection. Actually, all the DP is from that collection. The second element is first Riding Hood Red then DP, and the same for the next element, just different DP. I tied a red ribbon bow around it. The focal image is stamped with StazOn Jet Black ink on water color paper with a Karen Lockhart stamp called Holly Berry Tree. I got it from Ellen Hutson's store and I just love it! I colored it with SU! markers in Rose Red, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, and More Mustard, and shadowing with Sahara Sand. Some paper piercing and red Dew Drops from the Poinsettia collection add a little interest in two of the corners. I'm really loving this card. I think it will be hard to part with it. Thanks for dropping by to see what's new!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Holly Berry Tree (Lockhart Stamp Co.)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Rose Red (SU!), Oh Joy DP (Cosmo Cricket)
Ink: Rose Red, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, More Mustard, and Sahara Sand (SU!)
Accessories: blender pen, Dew Drops, Mat Pack (SU!), ribbon (craft store)