Books fall open...

...you fall in. I love it when a book just takes me away and I can't put it down.

It's Color Throwdown day, did you know? ;-) And I'm the host this week. I picked these colors, inspired by Basic Grey's Origins paper.


I saw a cute idea for a book mark the other day and immediately thought of MFT's I {Heart} Books set. So, I decided to make a book mark gifty and a card to go along with it; I know exactly who's going to get this as a birthday present :) And, since that worm is begging to be colored green, it fit perfectly with this week's colors. I'm using Sweet Sunday Sketch for my card layout. Ribbon is from MFT's Polka Dot Perfection collection. I Googled and found a ton of tutorials for "corner book marks" so I won't reinvent the wheel, but suffice it to say I cut a piece of white card stock 2" x 4", scored and folded it into a triangle shape, and went from there.

I stamped the images on Perfect Paper Panels with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers and paper pieced. I think the layout is pretty simple to follow, and I thought a layered flower from my trusty old book pages would be the perfect embellishment for a "book" themed card.


The inside of the card:



I cut the worm out and attached him to the book mark since there really wasn't room to stamp him. Not much else (except the sentiment) on the book mark--it needs to stay relatively flat since it will be inside the book like this:



Remember, you do not have to have the exact colors to play. If you don't, just use the closest you have. So, c'mon over to the Color Throwdown blog and play along with us this week. Please use the link service to post your card and please link directly to your card so we can find it easily. And please include a link in your post to the Color Throwdown. If you upload your card to a public forum, please use the keyword CTD86 so we can see your beauty all in one place. Hope to see you there! And be sure to check out what the other team members have come up with this week!

Broni Holcombe--Splashes of Watercolor
Danielle Kennedy--Wild Dragonfly Designs
LeAnne Pugliese--Wee Inklings
Tammy Hershberger--Stamp Happy
Kristin Beuter--Mindless Creativity--will be sitting this week out
Pam Speidel from Stamping with {Serendipity} - March Guest Designer

This is Pam's last week as a guest designer so be sure to leave her some love. Thanks for helping us out, Pam--it was a huge pleasure and we'll miss you!

Thanks for dropping by today!

~Supplies~
Stamps: I Love Books (MFT)
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Garden Green (SU!); Perfect Paper Panels (MFT); Origins 6 x 6 pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Vintage Touch (PTI)
Accessories: Cuttlebug (Provocraft); Long Rectangle Nesabilities (Spellbinders); 3M foam squares (craft store); Copic markers; sewing machine; border punch (Martha Stewart); ribbon (MFT); Vintage buttons and Rustic Twine (PTI)

Thinking of you - Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #60

It is time for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge (FTTC60)! It is the last Tuesday of the month so we have us a challenge host. This month's challenge host is Denise Marzec (Peanutbee)! Denise is challenging us to an Inspiration Challenge! Denise has chosen three gorgeous pictures to get inspired by for our cardmaking. Pick one or do all three during the week. We would love to see what you create!

You can see all of the inspiration pieces that Denise has for us on the Flourishes blog, but here's what I decided to use:


I pulled my inspiration from the rich blue of the chair, the white damask design on the wall, and the Kraft-y color of the floor for my card. I thought those colors would make a nice sympathy card.



First, I stamped the image, from the Lace Edges set, on Kraft paper with white pigment ink and heat embossed with white pearl embossing powder. Then I did the focal image and sentiment in the same way, with images from the Thinking Of You set, and cut/embossed it and the blue mat with Classic Oval Spellbinder dies. My card base is Classic White card stock and I finished the card with some blue moire' ribbon and some flat backed pearls.

Now I hope you all will check out my team mates and our fabulous guest, Denise, and see what inspired them. I'm sure you'll be delighted with the results--I can't wait to see them myself!

• Betty Wright
  
• Cindy Haffner
• Dee Jackson
• Makiko Jones
• Silke Ledlow

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope to see you back tomorrow!

~Supplies~
Stamps: Lace Edges, Thinking of You (Flourishes)
Paper: Classic White (Flourishes); Kraft, Ballet Blue (SU!)
Ink: Whisper White Craft Ink (SU!)
Accessories: Cuttlebut (Provocraft); Classic Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders); pearl embossing powder, ribbon (craft store); heat tool; pearls (Kaiser)

"As we grow old...

...the beauty steals inward." Isn't that just an awesome quote? It's from MFT's Clearly Sentimental About Birthdays, which is the Triple Scoop set of the month. Wanna know how you can get this set free through April 7th? Check it out HERE. :)

Most of this card is pretty self explanatory, I think, but I'll share a couple of things that I did. I again sponged twill tape to get it the color I wanted and used it for my "ribbon". I used a lot of colors of Distress Ink on this card: Black Soot and Brushed Corduroy on the twill, for starters. The flowers are also colored with Distress Inks. They were originally white (off white, actually) and I sponged them with, top to bottom: Fired Brick, Milled Lavender, and Faded Jeans topped with Milled Lavender. Then I lightly went over each of them with Brushed Corduroy to give them a vintage look. The leaves were punched out of MFT's Sour Apple card stock (I love this color, too!) and sponged a bit, as well. I must admit I love how this card turned out!

Here's another sentiment from the set on the inside:

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I have Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge card for you tomorrow, by an awesome guest designer ;-)

~Supplies~
Stamps: Clearly Sentimental About Birthdays (MFT)
Paper: Kraft, Basic Black (SU!); Sour Apple (MFT); Savannah 6 x 6 pad (7 Gypsies)
Ink: Smoky Shadow (PTI); Distress Ink: Black Soot, Brushed Corduroy, Fired Brick; Milled Lavender, Faded Jeans (Ranger)
Accessories: Cuttlebug (Provocraft); Classic Oval and Petite Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Prima flowers; sewing machine; Vintage Buttons and Rustic Twine (PTI); twill tape; border punch, leaf punch (Martha Stewart)

A double dose...

...of Taylor's sketch this week. I love this sketch and couldn't stop at one card ;-)

This one is using a Holly Berry House stamp I've had for a while and I thought I'd better use soon if I was going to use it this year. I stamped it seven times, alternating patterned paper from Memory Box's Spearmint 6 x 6 collection, MFT's Sno Cone (I love this color!), and SU!'s Sage Shadow. I stamped it with Versamark and heat embossed with gold detail embossing powder before cutting each layer out and popping it up on Pop Dots. Some flat backed pearls and some silk ribbon was all it needed to finish it off, I'm thinking. I really love this card.



Next, a little more Pure Innocence for you. This one is You Make the Grade. I stamped the image on a Perfect Paper Panel with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers. Her shirt is paper pieced, but I made the "patterned paper". I simply drew lines with my Copics to make "plaid". I love how this turned out and will be doing that again. I stamped the "A+" with Whisper White Craft ink and heat embossed with white detail embossing powder. Then I cut the whole thing out with a Labels Nine Nestabilities die. As soon as I saw the piece of patterned paper with the three pairs of shoes, I knew it would be perfect used for the bottom part of the sketch :) A little gingham ribbon from MFT's Perfect Plaid Ribbon Collection and a button tied on with Pearl cotton finished it off. Isn't she adorable!?

Here's the inside:


Thanks for stopping by today!



~Supplies For Card #1~
Stamps: Medallion Egg (Holly Berry House)
Paper: Stampers Select White (PTI); Sno Cone (MFT); Sage Shadow (SU!); Spearming 6 x 6 pack (Memory Box); gold metallic (Office Max)
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Pop Dots, flat backed pearls (craft store); gold detail embossing powder (Ranger); heat tool; Embossing Buddy (SU!); ribbon (May Arts)

~Supplies For Card #2~
Stamps: You Make the Grade (MFT)
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Riding Hood Red (SU!); Perfect Paper Panels (MFT); Grade School Stack (DCWV)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Cuttlebug (Provocraft); Labels Nine Nestabilities (Spellbinder); ribbon (MFT); Vintage button (PTI); Pearl cotton (craft store)

Happy Mail - Crazy 4 Challenges #30

Happy Saturday!! Since it's Saturday, it must be Crazy 4 Challenges day! Before we get on to the challenge, I have a couple of little announcements to make:

Jessica Diedrich and Robin Willis have both bade farewell to us due to other commitments. While we are sad to have them go, we understand and wish them both all the best.

This week also the sees the debut of a brand new Design Team member, Silke Kittmann. Welcome to the team, Silke!

Now, on to the challenge! This is my last week to host for a while and I've got a CAS sketch for you to try out. You can flip it, use any shape - it doesn't have to be a circle, just try to keep the general feel of the sketch.


For my card, I'm using a Pure Innocence girlie called Happy Mail. I stamped her on a Perfect Paper Panel with Memento Rich Cocoa ink and colored her with Copic markers and paper pieced her dress. Then I cut her out with a Classic Oval Nestabilities die and popped her up on 3M foam squares. My patterned paper is Basic Grey's new Green At Heart. As you can see, I'm not following my own sketch to the "T", LOL, because after I added the ribbon I thought it would be too much to add a sentiment, too.


Here's the inside:


NOW, be sure to check out the samples by the rest of my crazy girls...er, I mean the Crazy 4 Challenges team ;-)

• Cindy Haffner
• Frances Byrne
• Jessie Rone
• Joanne Grzelak
• Joycelyn Turner
• Lori Boyd
• Lynda Benden
• Mercy Kerin
• Vicki Garrett
• Silke Kittmann
  

THEN, you know what to do--we'd love to have you come along and play with us. Just do your thing with the challenge and link it to Mr. Linky on the Crazy 4 Challenges blog. Please link directly to your project. And, if you upload to a public gallery, please use the key word C4C30.

Thanks so much for dropping in today!



~Supplies~
Stamps: Happy Mail Pure Innocence (MFT)
Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive (SU!); Green At Heart 6 x 6 pad (Basic Grey); Perfect Paper Panels (MFT)
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa; Vintage Touch (PTI)
Accessories: Cuttlebug (Provocraft); Classic Oval and Petite Oval Nestabilities dies (Spellbinder); 3M foam squares, moire ribbon (craft store); sewing machine; Copic markers