Stampin' & Dancin' With Riley

MY BLOG HAS MOVED...

2011-07-29T11:02:00.001-04:00

Please visit http://stampinwithriley.blogspot.com/! Thanks!

Fruity Hi!

2011-06-16T11:28:00.000-04:00

Hello! It's Thursday... one more day to go until the weekend! Woo hoo!

Todays card was a real challenge for me... I saw this sketch on My Time Made Easy and knew I wanted to pair it with today's Ways to Use it challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers to use vellum. I then found this summery color combination on Create, Ink that made me think of my Tart & Tangy set which is retiring at the end of this month which makes me sad because it's a cute go-to set for quick cards!

This card, however was NOT quick for me. I had a vision in my head, but had a hard time making it a reality. Do you ever have that problem? Ugh, I hate it! I knew I wanted the squares to be the fruit, but I just didn't have a sentiment large enough, or appropriate for the card to go on the main panel. So, I pulled out my retired Letterpress Alphabet and made my own simple greeting. I stamped it on vellum which is always a disaster for me because I'm impatient and can't wait for the ink to dry! I think I ended up stamping this 3 different times before I got one that was centered, straight, and didn't smudge.

I pulled out this really cute polka dotted Tempting Turquoise designer paper from the retired Island Oasis designer paper.

In the end, I am happy with the result!

Want to take a stab at this card? Here are all the supplies used, you can order any of these in my Stampin' Up online store found HERE!

Daffodil Delight Cardstock (#119683)
Melon Mambo Cardstock (#115320)
Whisper White Cardstock (#100730)
Island Oasis Designer Paper (retired)
Vellum Paper (#101839)
Melon Mambo Ink Pad (#115656)
Pear Pizzazz Ink Pad (#119784)
Daffodil Delight Ink Pad (#119667)
Pear Pizzazz Stampin' Write Marker (#119801, set)
Melon Mambo Stampin' Write Marker (#121074)
Summer Sun Corderoy Button (retired)
Melon Mambo Polka Dotted Ribbon (retired)
Letter Press Alphabet Stamp Set (retired)
Tart & Tangy Stamp Set (HURRY, this set retired on 6/30!, #111514)
Linen Thread (#104199)
5/16'' Jumbo Neutral Brads (#112534)
Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430)

Have a great day!

Elements for You

2011-06-15T11:10:00.000-04:00

Good morning! It's Wednesday and you are half way through the week... woo hoo! That also means there is a great new color combination over on the Color Dare and a new sketch over on Splitcoast Stampers!

This week's Color Dare is Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, Elegant Eggplant, and Sahara Sand. I really love this girly combination and thought Elements of Style would be perfect for this large panel sketch!

The designer paper I used is a hostess paper pack from the current 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog! You can get it for FREE when you place an order or host a workshop totalling $150.00 or more. You only have until June 30th to get your orders in before the new catalog takes effect and this paper WILL NOT be offered any more!

You can place your order in my online store found, HERE!

Want the supplies to make this card? Here's what you will need!

Sahara Sand Cardstock (#121043)
Elegant Eggplant Cardstock (#105126)
Blushing Bride Cardstock (#119796)
Pear Pizzazz Cardstock (#119795)
Watercolor Paper (#105019)
Scallop Circle Punch (#119854)
1 3/8'' Circle Punch (119860)
1 1/4'' Circle Punch (#119861)
1'' Circle Punch (#119868)
Elements of Style stamp set (#118611 wood / #120045 clear)
Stampin' Write Markers in Perfect Plum (#100035), Pear Pizzazz (#119801 set), Blushing Bride (#119801 set), & Crumb Cake (#120967)
1 1/4'' Elegant Eggplant Grosgrain Ribbon (retired)
Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430)
Aqua Painters (#103954)
Stazon Jet Black Ink (#101406)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Dear Father

2011-06-14T10:26:00.003-04:00

Hi! Happy Tuesday! This card is for today's Color Challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers to use Old Olive, Very Vanilla, and Chocolate Chip! It was the perfect combination for a Father's Day card I needed to make!

I pulled out an old non-Stampin' Up set for this as I don't have many masculine sets that are Stampin' Up. I love these hot air balloons and I can't wait to get my hands on the Stampin' Up set that will be in the new 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog!

The sentiment is a Stampin' Up stamp and is from the set, Well Scripted. This set was in the Winter Mini Catalog and unfortunately, is not in the new catalog.

All the accessories, aside from the buttons, I used are Stampin' Up... Mini Library Clips, Linen Thread, Old Olive Striped Ribbon, Old Olive Brads, Chocolate Chip Designer Paper, 1 3/8'' Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Paper Piercing Kit, Stampin' Dimensionals.

This card is for several other challenges as well:

Papertake Weekly Challenge to make a Father's Day Card

Party Time Tuesdays to make a Father's Day Card
Skipping Stones Designs sketch

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Sweet Celebration

2011-06-13T19:54:00.002-04:00

Here's my final card for today! I used the retired Sweet Scoops set for this one! I really love how it turned out! I paired it with some new designer paper that will be in the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog called Just Add Cake. It has some SUPER cute designs and will be available to purchase on July 1st!

This card is really heavy and includes many layers! I embossed both of the back panels along with the number panel and the ice cream scoop. I used some retired Wild Wasbi ribbon for the bottom and some Glimmer Brads in Blushing Bride on the corners.

This is for today's Sketch 'N Stash sketch!

Thanks for stopping by!

Bird Anniversary

2011-06-13T19:49:00.004-04:00

My anniversary is coming up this Thursday, so I needed to make a card for my husband. I always struggle with "manly" cards... especially for events like anniversaries! I have seen the bird punch used in this way by others, so I thought I would try it! I really love how it came out!

The birds are punched and then outlined with a white gel pen and mounted on dimensionals. The heart is from the Three Heart Punch and is also mounted on dimensionals.

The backgrounds are from retired designer paper called, Au Chocolate. Needless to say, it is one of those dps that I never use! ACK! I accented it with the retired Sage Shadow and the current Riding Hood Red.

The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

The sketch is today's Techno Stamper: Monday Lunchtime Sketch!

Thanks for stopping by!

Fall to Thanks

2011-06-13T19:44:00.002-04:00

Here's another card I made today, it features the new designer paper called Paisley Petals. This is a CAS card for Friday's Clean & Simple Fall to Sketch.

The sentiment/image is from the set Perfect Punches. I actually stamped it twice, once in Always Artichoke and then again in Bravo Burgandy and punched with the small oval punch. I think it turned out pretty elegant!

This card is very simple and was fast to put together, but still packs a punch!

Thanks for stopping by!

Mojo For You

2011-06-13T19:39:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone! I have a sneak peek for you today! This is a new set that you will find in the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog! It's called Precious Butterflies and will be available as a hostess set! I really love it.. this is just a few images from it.

The designer paper is also from the new catalog and is called Pocketful of Posies. I really love the colors in this paper and the beautiful patterns!

Both of these products will be available to order on July 1st!

I made this card for today's Mojo Monday sketch challenge. I really love this sketch, it was fun to work with!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope your week is off to a great start!

Prima Friend to Friend

2011-06-12T16:04:00.002-04:00

Hello! I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I had a little while to stamp today, so I decided to play along in the Featured Stamper challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers! Today's featured stamper is Mary aka StamperCamper!

I decided to CASE this card by her. I kept her basic layout, but I changed the colors to Bermuda Bay, Rose Red, Sahara Sand and Soft Suede. I also used a different sentiment. Mine is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set. The stem is from Bold Blossom and the flower is a Prima Flower... it's one of many I bought a long time ago and have never used! The desinger paper is the retired Thoroughly Modern.

Thanks for stopping by!

Oval All... For You

2011-06-10T10:37:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! I sat down this morning to catch up on a few challenges. This is for Wednesday's Sketch Challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers along with today's Free For All (also on SCS) to pull out your unloved stamps!

I have to admit that I don't even know if this stamp has ever been inked!! I got this set, Oval All a while back and maybe have used it one time. I just HAD to have it... then it's just been sitting in my closet. Today was the incentive I needed to pull it out! I also decided to use some unloved designer paper. This is called Autumn Vine and was released a few years ago. It's now retired and uses colors that aren't even available any more. Luckily, I still have a pretty good stock of retired cardstock that matches it.

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Look Ma, No Stamps!

2011-06-06T15:20:00.002-04:00

Hello! I'm back with a second card for today! I made this card for the Mojo Monday sketch and for the Critter Challenge to use Crumb Cake (aka Kraft) on your project.

I don't know about you, but when the Prima Flowers first came out, I bought a TON of them! Have I used even 1/4 of them? NO! I found a huge container full, so I told myself I was going to use them on this project. I came up with my color combination from the flowers. I ended up using retired Summer Sun, retired Orchid Opulence, and retired Bermuda Bay. I used Crumb Cake & Whisper White as my neutrals.

I embossed the panels with the Swiss Dots Embossing Folder and used a circle punch to make the large scallop panel. The ribbon is retired Polka Dotted Bermuda Bay.

Thanks for stopping by!

Perk it Up!

2011-06-06T12:06:00.002-04:00

I'm back!!! My studio's dance recital went off wonderfully and I finally have some time back to stamp! I have been away, but my craft room has been busy! I made 6 scrapbooks for my high school seniors, made Life Saver boxes for volunteers, made candy bar boxes for my student teachers... Unfortunately, I got really excited and didn't take pictures of ANY of them before I gave them out!!!

Anyway, today's card is for last week's Color Dare to use Tempting Turquoise, Pear Pizzazz, and any neutral. It's also for this week's sketch challenge over on Lizzie Anne Designs.

I pulled out my Morning Cup set as I feel like I haven't used it too much and it was a must have for me! The designer paper is from two different dp packs. The Tempting Turquoise print is from the retired Rainbow Sherbert dp. The Pear Pizzazz is from the current Hostess benefit, In Color Pack.

I stamped the tea cups in Stazon Black and colored them with Stampin' Write markers. The ribbon is striped Early Espresso.

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Rich Graduation

2011-05-17T12:39:00.002-04:00

Hello! Happy Tuesday to all of you! I am wrapping up my main dance session at the studio and have 6 graduating high school seniors. Today's project was to get their graduation cards done. Since they all go to different schools, and I wasn't too fond of any of their school colors, I decided to dig out some retired Stampin' Up paper to use as inspiration.

I got this free file for my Cricut, here.

Everything was cut out on my Cricut and then I sponged the edges to give it more dimension and depth. I used a lot of Stampin' Dimensionals to make my image POP!

Thanks for stopping by!

Thank You for All You Do

2011-05-08T15:19:00.003-04:00

First off, Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mom's out there! Secondly, I hope you are having a great weekend. Mine has been fabulous up until today. I woke up with some kind of junk... sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, etc. It's not fun! DH went out for a while (I don't blame him, I'm pretty out of sorts right now.. haha) so I decided to try to stamp. It did take a while to get this card right... still not sure I am loving it, but oh well!

This is for today's Featured Stamper challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers! Today's Featured Stamper is Reddydyisco, click on her name to see her gallery. I chose this card to CASE. I used green as the basis for my color combo and then I went to my trusty Color Coach for a combination. I used Wild Wasabi as my green... the Color Coach put it with Perfect Plum & So Saffron. I love how these colors look together! I also kept her Thank You theme on my card along with her layout. I changed the stamp set, colors, added some bling & ribbon.

The stamp sets I used are For All You Do and Sincere Salutations. Both can be found in the current Stampin' Up Catalog or in my online store.

Thanks for stopping by... I hope you have a wonderful day!

Sweet Cupcake!

2011-05-05T10:59:00.002-04:00

Hello! It's almost the weekend... woo hoo! I hope you're week is going well.. mine is chugging right along! Our studio's annual dance recital is in less than a month and I am starting those last minute preparations. You would think it would get easier every year, but the fact is... it doesn't! I cherish my morning stamp time... it helps calm me before digging into studio work!

This card is for several challenges today:

1) Ways to Use It on SCS to make a project with something SWEET!

2) My Time Made Easy sketch challenge

3) Pals Paper Arts color challenge to use Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, & Pear Pizzazz

I'm not sure I like my decision to stamp the cupcake directly on the Pear Pizzazz dp, but oh well. The cupcake is from the set, Crazy for Cupcakes and the tag is from Taggers Dozen, one of the first stamp sets I ever bought and is since retired.

Everything is pretty explanatory on this card...

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Bloomin' Spring

2011-05-04T10:15:00.002-04:00

Hello! Happy Hump Day! We are half way through the week... whew! We had spring break here last week, so it's been hard getting back into the groove, but I am so happy I have found a way to make stamping part of that routine again! I have throughly missed it! My mojo seems to have started to return, but I am not happy with how the brads on this turned out... simply because they seem off from each other... oh well, hopefully it's not too noticeable!

This card is for today's Color Throwdown to use Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake, and Early Espresso. I really love this soft color combination! This is also for today's sketch challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers.

I used my Stampin' Write Markers to color the main image and then used my aqua painters to give it a soft look. To achieve this, just apply a little color from your marker and then use the aqua painter to move the color around. If you color the whole thing with your marker, you're going to have too much color and it's going to bleed out of the image lines.

I used designer paper from three different sets... the bottom Blushing Bride paper is from the Hostess paper pack from the main catalog. The bottom Baja Breeze is from the retired paper, Urban Garden. The stop Baja Breeze is from the current Elegant Soiree.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Basic Butterflies

2011-05-03T10:58:00.002-04:00

Wow, it has been way too long since I've posted! I am sorry to say that the last time I posted is the last time I even stamped! That should be illegal! Ahh! I am happy to be back with a simple card! I feel like I've lost all mojo, I hope it returns soon!

This is for today's Color Challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers to use Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Basic Black, and then either Whisper White or Very Vanilla. I chose to use Whisper White as my additional neutral.

The sketch is also from SCS from a couple of weeks ago.

This is a very simple card... had to start out easy! I used the butterfly from Bold Blossom and stamped it in Basic Black. I added basic pearls to the middle of each, but you can't really see it in the picture. The ribbon is Cherry Cobbler seam binding. I looooove the seam binding!

Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope to be posting more often now!

Have a great day!

A Walk in Spring Flowers

2011-03-29T10:39:00.003-04:00

Hello! Happy Tuesday! The sun is finally shining here, although it's not supposed to last long. Apparently, this is the only rain-free day for the rest of the week. UGH! I am so ready for warm weather and dry skies. I guess it will get here eventually!

This is for today's Color Challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers and for yesterday's sketch over on The Pink Elephant.

The colors for today's challenge were Baja Breeze, Marina Mist, and Certainly Celery. I added in Crumb Cake as a neutral.

I pulled out yet some more retired designer paper. This one is called "Walk in the Park". I paired it with one of my all-time favorite sets, For All You Do.

This is a pretty easy card. The flowers were stamped and then cut out and mounted on dimensionals. Everything else is pretty straight forward!

I hope you have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday...

2011-03-28T10:54:00.003-04:00

Here's my second card for today! This one I actually made this morning... once again, I used some retired designer paper, "Jersey Shore". I needed a masculine birthday card, so this paper is always a go-to. Unfortunately, I am almost out of it!

The main image features a sentiment from the new set Bring on the Cake. I love this particular image because it is big enough to fill up the card front. I lack majorly in the masculine image department, so being able to just stick with a sentiment is a plus for me!

I stamped the sentiment on watercolor paper and then colored it in with my Stampin' Write Markers. Everything else was easy, just a matter of mixing designs and gluing them down!

This is for today's Techno Stamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch!

Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome Baby...

2011-03-28T10:46:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! I am back!!! This is actually a card I made last night, but I wanted natural light to photograph it because it just looks better!

I used the retired (long retired, haha) designer paper, "Pool Party" for the dp on this card. The main image is from the Sale a Bration set, Punch Bunch which is one of my favorites this year. Remember, Sale a Bration ends on Thursday March 31st! If you want to earn a free stamp set for each $50 you order, don't delay! You can order in my online store 24/7!

This is a pretty basic card. I made the image multiple colors by using my Stampin' Write Markers to color directly on the stamp, then I huffed on it and stamped it! I punched it out with the small tag punch, then layered it with the large tag punch, the 1 3/8'' circle punch, and the scallop circle punch.

The buttons are non-Stampin' Up, but everything else is!

This is for two challenges:

1. Color Throwdown

2. Heart Song Inspirations Sketch

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm back... and design team call...

2011-03-27T20:22:00.002-04:00

Hi! It's been waaaay too long, but I am finally back! I actually made a card tonight, but I am going to wait until the morning to take a picture of it to post. In other news, head on over to the Color Dare... we are looking for a few good designers for our new design team! I hope you have all been doing well! I am looking forward to getting back on my stampin' schedule! I've missed it!!

Scalloped Sweet Summer

2011-02-24T10:30:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! It's Thursday and that means there is a new Ways to Use it Challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers! This week's challenge is to use GREY as a neutral. I love using grey as a neutral so this challenge wasn't too hard for me.

This is also for today's Pals Paper Arts challenge to create CAS card using scallops. Again, this was pretty easy for me because I love scallops! CAS is always a little tough just because I love to embellish! I think I pulled it off pretty good on this card, though.

Finally, the sketch comes from Tuesday's Inspirational Card Sketch. I was lucky enough to find a sketch that already had scallops "built" in! HAHA!

I used my new Sale-a-Bration Set, Sweet Summer (free when you place a $50 order) and a set from last year called Whimiscal Words. The designer paper I used is Lap of Luxury. The image was created by stamping on watercolor paper, then using my aquapainter and makers to water color. The flowers themselves are cut out and popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals.

The ribbon is Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Quick Bold Blossom

2011-02-23T10:56:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! I had to make a really quick card for today as I have lots of errands to run! I wanted to get one done though!

This is for today's sketch challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers... I love this sketch! So many possibilities.. I will have to revisit it again and see what else I can do with it!

This is also for today's Color Dare to use Always Artichoke, Perfect Plum, and Neutral of Choice. My neutral is Crumb Cake!

Everything is pretty self explantatory, but if you have a question about this card, please just leave me a comment!

Have a great day!

For You

2011-02-22T11:20:00.002-05:00

Hello! I hope your week is off to a great start! I woke up kind of late this morning, so I was afraid I wouldn't have time to stamp, but luckily I found the time and here is my card for today!

This card is for today's color challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers to use Always Artichoke, Rose Red, and Perfect Plum. I was a little worried about how dark this combination was, but I added the white and found some designer paper that would work, so it lightened it up quite a bit.

This is also for today's Tuesday Morning Sketch! I just loved this one! I had to alter it slightly since my sentiment was on my main image.

I ended up with quite a few more layers than first thought, but I like how it turned out overall. The stamp I used is from Punch Bunch which is a Sale-a-Bration set you can get for FREE if you order $50 or more in regular merchandise from Stampin' Up! It's a great time to stock up on paper, or any thing else you have been eying for a while!

I used my Stampin' Write markers to color the image in different colors. The ribbon I used is the Whisper White Organza Ribbon. The background paper is retired called Sweet Pea.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a great day!

Live Your Dream...

2011-02-21T11:03:00.003-05:00

Today's Clean & Simple challenge on Splitcoast Stampers is to make your own background.

I made mine by using a smaller coordinating stamp and then running it through my die cut machine!

The stamp I used is one of my all-time favorites called Live Your Dream and unfortunately, it was only available for a short time. It is now retired, but I just couldn't resist inking it up this morning! I stamped my image in multiple colors by using my Stampin' Write Markers.

This color combination (Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango, Pear Pizzaz, & Whisper White) comes from this week's Curtain Call Color Challenge! I have to admit that these bright colors are not ones I would normall use with this image, but I like how it turned out!

The sketch is from Friday's Clean&Simple Fall-To-Sketch! The die cut I used to make the shape of my main image is non-Stampin' Up. Everything else is, though!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fabulous Monday!

Happy Bold Birthday!

2011-02-18T10:43:00.002-05:00

Hello! I have successfully finished my first full week of a card a day! Woo Hoo! Next week will be tricky as we are heading down for our first dance competition of the year, but I'm determined to make it work! I might have to skip Friday next week as we are leaving some time in the morning, but that's ok!

This is for several challenges:

#1 - Splitcoast Stampers Free For All Challenge to make a child's birthday card. I think the bold colors on this card look kid friendly to me!

#2 - Card Makin' Mamas also has a challenge to make a birthday card!

#3 - The sketch comes from this week's Pals Paper Arts challenge.

#4 - And finally the color scheme is for the ColourQ which is to use Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango, and Cherry Cobbler. I have to admit that Tangerine Tango always throws me for a loop! It's just not a color I would normally gravitate to, but I'm proud that I made it work on this card!

The stamp used is from the Occasions Mini Catalog called Create a Cupcake (#121982 clear/#121915 wood mounted). I used the new Build a Cupcake Punch (#121807, also in the Occassions Mini) to punch it out. The bottom "wrapper" is stamped in Cajun Craze ink on Tangerine Tango paper and mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals. The icing is stamped in Not Quite Navy ink on Baja Breeze paper.

The ribbon is the new 1/2'' Seam Binding in Baja Breeze (#122331). I absolutely LOVE this ribbon! The button is from the Designer Big Buttons pack called Sweet Stitches (#122302). I used the linen thread to tie the button to the bow.

I finished off my card with some basic rhinestones!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Silhouette Beauty

2011-02-17T10:58:00.002-05:00

Hello! Happy Thursday! Woo hoo, it's almost the weekend!! My card for today is for several challenges:

#1 Splitcoast Stampers Ways to Use It Challenge to stamp a silhouette in black ink

#2 The Play Date Cafe's color challenge to use Red, Green, & Black (I used Pear Pizzaz, Basic Black, & Poppy Parade)

#3 CASE Study (I drew on her flower and butterfly motif!)

#4 Create with Connie & Mary's Sketch Challenge

I pulled out one of my most favorite sets of all time, Upsy Daisy for the main image of my card. The butterfly is from Flight of the Butterfly. The big butterfly is punched out with the Butterfly Punch and the smaller one was stamped and cut out by hand. Both are popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals. I finished off my card with the new Pear Pizzaz Seam Binding and some Basic Rhinestones.

The designer paper is the In Color Print Pack level 1 hostess!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a great day!

Sweet Summer Thanks

2011-02-16T10:38:00.004-05:00

I am on a roll this week! My goal has been to get back to daily challenges and try to post one card a day... so far this week, I have accomplished that! YES!

Today's card is for the Color Dare which is to use River Rock, Marina Mist, and Night of Navy. It's also for today's sketch challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers!

This card features two stamp sets you can get for FREE right from Stampin' Up! For every $50 you spend, you get one Sale-a-Bration set for free! This card uses the Sweet Summer and So Happy for You sets.

The designer paper is from the neutrals patterns pack and the ribbon is the striped Night of Navy ribbon! The flowers were stamped and then cut out and mounted on dimensionals. I colored my images with Stampin' Write Markers (Night of Navy, River Rock, and Marina Mist).

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Masculine Get Well

2011-02-15T10:13:00.002-05:00

I will admit it... I am HORRIBLE at masculine cards! I needed a masculine get well card for a friend who had knee surgery yesterday and of course I do not have any masculine cards in my stash... haha! So, today's color challenge on Splitcoast was my push to get a masculine get well card done. I figured the colors: Wild Wasabi, Pacific Point, & So Saffron couldn't get too much more masculine... although a flower image in those color would be oh so pretty! Anyway, this is what I came up with!

I found this sketch from Skipping Stones Design that I thought would work as I could feature some designer paper instead of having a main image... let's face it, most of my images are very girly... and awesome I might add.. haha!

All in all, I'm okay with how this card turned out and hopefully he will like it as well! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great Tuesday!

Spring Blossoms

2011-02-14T10:57:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! Happy Valentine's Day! My card today is for the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge. I pulled out my new Bold Blossom stamp set and paired it with some retired designer paper called Tea Party. It has always been one of my all time favorite designer papers!

I have probably 1 million brads laying around my stamp room, so I decided to use some up on this card! I actually used 6 which is pretty good for me! I feel like I used to use brads a lot more... back before we got the awesome Basic Pearls & Basic Rhinestones!

Everything on this card is pretty simple... the ribbon is Pretty in Pink Taffeta (some of my favorite). The butterfly is cut out and put up on a Stampin' Dimensional. The main flower panel is also popped up on dimensionals... I love dimensionals! HAHA!

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you have a great day!

Bundle of Love

2011-02-06T20:52:00.002-05:00

Hi! I'm back with another card! Don't worry, I have made many more, but I wanted to make sure I got this posted in time for this week's Color Throwdown! So, obviously, this is for the Color Throwdown: So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake, and Early Espresso. This color combination just screamed baby boy card, so that's what I made!

This is also for Create with Connie & Mary's sketch challenge for this week! I really loved this sketch... so fun to play with!

I colored my image with my Stampin' Pastels (I still have the old version of them). I don't use them very much, but I always love to use them when I stamp directly on Crumb Cake. I just like the effect it gives.

The main image is from the hostess set, Slice of Life. The sentiment and the bottle are from Baby Bundle.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

Easter Blossoms

2011-02-06T15:44:00.002-05:00

One of the best things about the Stampin' Weekend that my mom, aunt, and I have is the ability to share and use stamps we personally don't own! My aunt just got this Easter Blossoms set. I inked it up today and I absolutely love it! That's the only downside... you end up loving sets you didn't think you would buy.. haha!

This is for last week's Colour Q to use Poppy Parade, Blushing Bride, Cameo Coral, Early Espresso, and Very Vanilla. I thought it was going to be a challenge, but it actually came out quite nice! The designer paper is the Poppy Parade from the In Color Print Pack Hostess and then the image is stamped in Cameo Coral.

This is also for Friday's Mashup!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stampin' Weekend Part 1

2011-02-05T12:23:00.002-05:00

Hi! I am having a stamp weekend with my mom, grandmother, and aunt! I am just quickly posting what I have so far! I will be back later with more detailed information!

Mojo Hearts

2011-01-31T10:56:00.003-05:00

Hi! Can you believe it's the last day of January? Wow... this year is already flying by! I got a chance to get inky in my stamp room today. This card is for today's Mojo Monday Sketch and last week's Play Date Cafe challenge to make a card with black, white, and a splash of lilac.

I pulled out a retired color, Lovely Lilac for this card and paired it with the three hearts from I {heart} Hearts! The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes which is one of my favorite "basic" sets. I recommend it to everyone!

The designer paper is from the Neutrals Designer Paper Pack. I used the Three Heart Punch to punch out my hearts. Everything else is pretty straight forward!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great day!

Friends

2011-01-26T15:58:00.003-05:00

I made a second card... woo hoo! This is for today's Color Throwdown: Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Early Espresso, and Marina Mist and for Sweet Sunday's Sketch!

Marina Mist is a very pretty color, but I have to admit that I haven't really used it much! Actually, I bought the ribbon a long time ago and just opened it today! I really love this combo and it just said "vintage" to me. I had to pull out one of my "go to" sets... even though I haven't gone to it lately, VINTAGE VOGUE. It just has so many possibilities.

The bigger flower is stamped directly onto the scallop oval layer. I stamped and cut out both the friends sentiment and the smaller flower. The friends layer is mounted on dimensionals and the flower is simply attached to the oval with an Old Olive brad.

I really love how this turned out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Perk Up!

2011-01-26T13:09:00.003-05:00

Wow, it has been waaay too long since I stamped! I ended up with a snow day, so I had to get my fingers inky! Today is Wednesday and that means there is a new color combo over on the Color Dare! This week's combination is Pear Pizzazz, Pretty in Pink, & Perfect Plum! I loooove it!

I struggled with this card because I've been away for so long! I pulled out the Morning Cup set which I haven't really used that much. I thought it was fitting for this color combo! The sketch is for today's sketch challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers.

Nothing too advanced on this card. The coloring was done with my Stampin' Write markers. I used Jet Black Stazon Ink and stamped on watercolor paper to get a smooth coloring effect.

Alright, I am off to see what else I can create! Have a great day!

Kissing Hearts

2011-01-03T10:31:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! Happy Monday... I can't believe it's 2011! Whoa! Where does time go? I hope you all had a fabulous holiday. It's back to the studio for me today, but I needed some stampin' therapy to get me through! HAHA!

This is for today's Mojo Monday sketch and for today's Clean & Simple challenge over on SCS to use the kissing technique.

I used the I {heart} Hearts set and inked up the solid heart in Pretty in Pink. I then inked up the wood grain patterned heart in Real Red and stamped it directly on the solid heart stamp. Then I stamped it on the circle! Very easy and such a great visual effect!

I once again am using the retired Sending Love designer paper from last year's mini. I just can't justify buying the new dp until this one is gone!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great day!

Two Cards for New Year's Eve

2010-12-31T11:23:00.004-05:00

Hello! I have two cards for you today! Both have similar color combinations, but totally different looks. The first one is for Monday's Mojo Monday sketch and for the color combo over on SCS to use Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, and Old Olive.

I had a hard time with this circle card, but I wanted to try it! I cut the circle with my Cricut. The image is colored with Stampin' Write Markers. The image is from Morning Cup, a set I had to have, but I haven't used much. I really like how this turned out and need to use that set more often!

My second card is for today's Friday Sketchers and the ColourQ. I have to admit that this card took me forever and I changed my main image several times before settling on this one from Watercolor Trio. The sketch had tons of layers and the color combination was interesting because it was all neutrals with a hint of Old Olive. Definately a challenge, but in the end I like how it turned out!

The paper on this card is the Neutrals Patterns pack and then some retired dp called Walk in the Park (which I have tons of.. haha of course!)

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fabulous New Year! Happy 2011!!!

Valentine's Card & Box

2010-12-30T12:21:00.002-05:00

Here's my second project for today! Man, I am loving my Cricut Expression! It's awesome! I cut the heart and the bag out of it using the one cartridge I have, Plantin Schoolbook. The paper is all Stampin' Up and is from last year's Occassion's Mini. It's called Sending Love and unfortunately it no longer available. I still have a lot of it left though, so I thought it would be perfect!

This is for several challenges:

#1 - Ways to Use it on SCS to use something silver... I used silver adhesive rhinestones!

#2 - Colour Create Challenge to use Pink, White, and Red.

#3 - The Play Date Cafe which also had an inspiration piece using Pink & Red.

#4 - Mercy's Sketch Challenge

This is Mercy's last sketch challenge. I am sad, I always love her sketches!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cupcake Card & Bag

2010-12-30T10:09:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! I actually made this card and matching bag last night, but I was tired of my pictures looking terrible, so I waited until this morning to post! I got this idea when I was upstairs watching tv and I had to come down and make it!

The cupcakes were cut with my Cricut from a free SVG file I found on the internet. I just scaled them but to the size I needed. The paper is the retired Island Oasis paper from Stampin' Up. I love the multicolored stripes and polka dots it has... perfect for a birthday card! The ribbon is So Saffron from a few Sale-a-Brations ago.

I found some of these plain white bags in my stash... I found them 2 for $1 last Christmas. I love decorating them to make a custom gift bag and I think this might be one of my best yet!

The card has a Happy Birthday sentiment inside of it.

I used the Sweet Sketch Wednesday for this week for both the card and the bag. I haven't used a lot of layers in a while, so it was fun to get back to my "roots". HAHA!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Happy Thanks

2010-12-29T20:16:00.002-05:00

Well, I didn't get to stamp until late this evening, so I had no sunlight to take a good picture of my card. I did the best I could though! Sorry if it looks kind of strange... I will try to take another picture tomorrow.

This is for today's Color Dare to use Pink Pirouette, Rich Razzleberry, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla and Chocolate Chip. Come play with us!

This is also for the sketch challenge today over on Splitcoast Stampers.

The main image is popped up on dimensionals and is colored with Stampin' Write Markers. I used watercolor paper for the main image. The designer paper is some retired called Razzleberry Lemonade. I still have quite a bit of it left, so it was good to use a little piece of it!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Clean & Simple Thanks!

2010-12-27T16:59:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! I hope you had a fabulous Christmas! Mine was awesome... filled with family and friends. Christmas time can be such a rush and there is so much excitement leading up to it and when it's over.. it's kind of a bummer!

One of my gifts this year was a Cricut Expression... oh my... it is AWESOME! I never really had an interest in getting a Cricut just because I thought the cartridges were expensive, plus I had a regular hand cranked die cutting machine and figured that's all I needed. Well, I was wrong.. this baby is amazing! I changed my mind about it when I recently discovered that you can download free files to it... there's a lot of free goodies to be had! I hope to share some with you in the near future!

This is my first project using the Cricut. This is a very clean & simple card using the challenge on Splitcoast to use Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, and Crumb Cake. I pulled out some scraps of this old Apple Cider dp (which I still have TONS of...). I paired it with a flower that I cut using my Cricut. It's on the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge (the cartridge that my machine came with).

The sketch is from last Friday's Clean&Simple Fall-to-Sketch.

The flower and the sentiment (sentiment is from the retired Bella Blossoms set) are mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals. Everything else is pretty self explanatory!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fantastic day!

Retro Christmas

2010-12-23T11:15:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! I hope your Christmas preparations are going well! Mine are, but it's caused me to lose my stampin' time almost every day for the past week or so! I finally sat down this morning to do a few more Christmas cards... I just can't seem to get them all finished!

This is for several challenges:

#1 - ColourQ to use Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, Pear Pizzazz, and Real Red

#2 - Wednesday's Sketch Challenge on Splitcoast Stampers

#3 - Today's Ways to Use it Challenge on Splitcoast Stampers to make it POP! I popped my image up on dimensionals.

These colors reminded me of a retro Christmas card and so I figured the best set to pull out was Contempo Christmas. I love how it turned out and I made two cards at once which is always great!

Thanks for stopping by!

Snow Flurries

2010-12-10T11:07:00.003-05:00

Hello! Happy Friday! Today's card is a CAS Christmas card for the Free For All Challenge on Splitcoast Stampers to make a card in less then 15 minutes and for today's Clean&Simple Fall-to-Sketch!

This sketch lended itself to these snow flurries I bought about 2-3 years ago. I just HAD to have them... I have used them a few times, but you got soooo many in a pack that I still have a lot left over.

I actually made two of this card, like I did yesterday. So, that's four snow flurries gone... haha! I seriously don't think I will ever finish using all of them! Got any cute ideas for them? If you do, I would looove to see them!

This card uses some retired holiday paper called Ski Slope. I don't have a lot of it left, but I do have many scraps, so this was a great way to use some of them up!

I think this card will mail fairly easily, which as I told you yesterday, is my biggest challenge!

The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes... a set I call a MUST for anyone who stamps! It has so many versatile sentiments and layers in the Word Window and Designer Label punches sooo well.

Ok, I think that's all for today! Have a WONDERFUL weekend!

White Christmas

2010-12-09T11:02:00.003-05:00

Look, two posts in three consecutive days... what? HAHA! I have been determined to get my Christmas cards done! I actually made two of these, but they are exactly the same so I just took a picutre of one of them. Once again, I don't feel like my photo came out well.

The ornament is from Delightful Decorations and is embossed with silver embossing powder. The sentiment is embossed in gold. Both are popped up on dimensionals.

The paper I used is the Neutrals Paper Pack of designer paper. I thought this pattern would make a classy background for my simple card.

I didn't put anything bulky on this card so it will mail easily. I think that's my greatest challenge... I always want to put bows on everything! I had to stop myself on this one! HAHA!

This is for the following challenges:
#1 - Pal's Paper Arts
#2 - Stampin' B's to use a star on your creation
#3 - Sweet Sketch Wednesday
#4 - Delightful Challenges to use embossing

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fabulous day!

Christmas Twins!

2010-12-08T10:52:00.003-05:00

Hi, everyone! Happy Wednesday! Wednesday means there's a new color challenge over on the Color Dare... this week's combination is PERFECT for getting those holiday projects done: Riding Hood Red, Old Olive & Neutral of your choice!

I used Cherry Cobbler instead of RHR just because I had scraps of this dp laying on my table! This is the new Holly Jolly dp from the main catalog. I absolutely LOVE it!

This is kind of an old meets new... old stamp set (Patterned Pines) and new dp (Holly Jolly) and new seam binding in Cherry Cobbler!

My photo came out a little weird, the card on the left looks a light "brighter" than it should. Oh well, unfortunately I don't have time to rephotograph because I need to get ready to meet my dad for lunch!

I hope you are all having a terrific week... it's freezing in most parts of the country, so stay warm!

Have a great day and thank you for stopping by!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-07T10:40:00.003-05:00

Hello! I finally had time to sit down and make a card. I realized that I really needed to get going on Christmas cards, or I am not going to get them finished in time!

I made this one this morning... then I realized that I will have to hand deliver this one because of the enormous bow. Now my challenge is to make some cards that aren't so bumpy because I need some to put through the mail!

This card is pretty self explanatory. I used last year's designer paper, Merry Moments. I somehow still have a lot of this paper laying around!

I made this for this week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge, although my card ended up coming together a little different than the original sketch. I hope that's ok!

The ornament is from the new Tags 'Til Christmas set and the sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes (a set that is a MUST! If you don't have it, order it NOW!)

The ornament and sentiment are both popped up on dimensionals.

I think everything else is pretty simple! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great day!

Candy Dresser

2010-11-29T11:10:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! Happy Monday... I can't believe Thanksgiving is over... can you? That means I really need to get myself in gear making Christmas gifts!

I had originally planned for this cute matchbox dresser to be gifts for my dance student teachers... however, it took a little longer than I expected and I need to make 10. I think I will save this for someone else and think or something else for my assistants.

This was made using the matchbox die and the top note die. You cut four matchboxes and two top notes (actually, I used three so I could layer the top one). This is my first time making one and I am happy with how it turned out. I just wish it would have come together a little quicker.

Oh well... it's still cute!
Like I said, I am back to the drawing board with my assistant gifts. I am looking for something quick and easy, but that still is cute... if you have any ideas, please share them with me!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fabulous day!

What I've Been Up To...

2010-11-24T09:38:00.005-05:00

Hello! I haven't posted in a while, but I have been busy making gifts for the holidays! I found this great template on the My Time Made Easy website. It's just $5.00 and I think I've already gotten plenty of use out of it!

So far I have made three of these sets. Each one comes with the card box, 8 monogrammed notecards and matching envelopes, an altered

mini notebook, and a jumbo paperclip. The first one I made took me forever, but once I got it down, the others were really easy!

The best part is, I didn't have to go out and buy anything (except the template) because I have tones of random notebooks and stuff laying around the house! I also used this opportunity to use up some old designer paper.. yeah!

Oh yeah, to make it even easier, I used my computer to make the monogram and printed them out on Whisper White paper. This eliminated having to try to stamp all of them. Plus, I don't have an alphabet stamp set that I thought was appropriate.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!!!!!

Merry Dasher Moments

2010-11-04T11:12:00.002-04:00

Hello! I hope your week has been going well... mine's been busy but pretty good. I am looking forward to the weekend, though!

It's been pretty chilly here, so it's been easier to get into the spirit and knock out some Christmas cards!

I made this card for today's Ways to Use it challenge on Splitcoast Stampers to use green... and for yesterday's sketch challenge.

I pulled out my trusty Dasher stamp for this card and paired it with the Merry Moments designer paper from last year's catalog. Believe it or not, I made this entire card out of scraps! Pretty impressive, huh? HAHA!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day!!

3x3 Christmas

2010-11-01T11:52:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I am determined to get as many gift sets as possible done by gift giving time. These are just really great for those people who you don't know what to get!

This is a simple 3x3 notecard set with matching mini card carrier. Again, I got the directions from StampingPro.com... great website!

I actually made two of these as I went and only used ONE piece of designer paper! This is the Merry Moments designer paper from last year, but you could easily substitute one of the new Christmas paper packs. I mainly used the new Tags Til Christmas (#120847 wood / #121169 clear) set but I did use two images from the Christmas Punch hostess set from last year. Remember, the Tags Til Christmas set is ON SALE!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cardholder Bag & Cards

2010-10-31T15:05:00.003-04:00

I'm on a roll today! This is another template from StampingPro.com... it was super easy! This one is called a Cardholder Bag.

I had one last piece of 12x12 of this Summer Picnic designer paper. Again, some more old designer paper that I had hanging around my stamp room!

Two of the cards in the set I had already made and found in my stash. I made two more to go with it and viola! This was quick, easy & cute!

Bag Box with Mini Notecards

2010-10-31T12:41:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween! As usual, I am spending my Halloween stamping CHRISTMAS gifts! It's kind of a tradition... I listen to Christmas music on Halloween... haha!

Anyway, this is a mini bag box and notecards that I made using tons of retired paper! I have a lot of the retired cardstock and of course, designer paper... so I thought this was a good way to use it up!

I followed the directions from the Stamping Pro website. Here is a direct link to the PDF for this project. She has a lot of good stuff on there, so make sure you check it out!

I pulled out some ANCIENT designer paper called Pool Party for this bag. It uses the retired colors Brocade Blue & Sage Shadow and the current color, Garden Green. I think this makes a pretty color combination. I had just enough Sage Shadow ribbon left for my cards, but I didn't have enough for the bag, so I used the Whisper White Organza ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Gift Wrap...

2010-10-29T12:30:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone! Happy Friday! Today's project is a pretty simple gift bag and matching card. I decided I needed to get my you know what in gear and get some Christmas stuff started!

My aunt showed me how to make this really cute bag out of one sheet of 12x12 paper and two sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock. I have this "ancient" designer paper from years ago that I decided to use.

The card features this week's sketch from Splitcoast Stampers.

I am hoping to sell some of these sets to make some extra money for Christmas shopping! I figured using up some retired supplies would be a good idea!

If you want the directions, you can check out my aunt's blog: I Stamp, I Sew. She has some GREAT eye candy over there! Definately check it out!

Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend!

Season's Greetings

2010-10-28T11:08:00.002-04:00

Hello! Happy Thursday! Today's challenge on Splitcoast Stampers is to use frames. This was the perfect opportunity to pull out a stamp set I hardly use, Framed with Love. It's now retired, but I bought it last year during a promotion and have probably used it once before!

This is also for the Card Positioning Systems sketch for this week which was perfect for this frame and sentiment!

I pulled out the Merry Moments designer paper from last year. I still have a lot of it left and figured this would be a great use for it!

Everything is pretty self explanatory, so here are the supplies I used!

Four the Holidays Stamp Set (#116921)
Framed with Love Stamp Set (retired)
Chocolate Chip cardstock (#102128)
Garden Green cardstock (#102584)
Very Vanilla cardstock (#101650)
Merry Moments designer paper (retired)
Basic Rhinestones (#119246)
Chocolate Double Stitched Ribbon (retired)
Stampin Dimensionals (#104430)
Stamp-a-ma-Jig (#101049)
Real Red Ink Pad (#103133)
Chocolate Chip Ink Pad (#100908)

Have a great day!

So You're Having a Baby... or TWO!

2010-10-26T11:09:00.003-04:00

Today's color challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers was PERFECT for a card I've been needing to make! My friend is having TWINS (one boy and one girl) and her shower is next weekend. I hadn't had any inspiration until today to get it done and I really love the results!

The sketch is Mercy's Tuesday Sketch which works perfectly for my image!

I used the stroller image from the Fun & Fast Notes set! Unlike yesterday, all of my supplies on my card are CURRENT and available for purchase from Stampin' Up!

I used my Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to get the strollers lined up on my cardstock. If you don't have one, you should totally invest in one because it makes lining up images sooo much easier!

Ok, here are my details with product numbers!

Fun & Fast Notes Stamp Set (#113500)
Crumb Cake Cardstock (#120953)
Blushing Bride Cardstock (#119796)
Baja Breeze Cardstock (#111352)
Watercolor Paper (#105019)
Blushing Bride Stampin' Write Maker (#119801, set)
Baja Breeze Stampin' Write Marker (#120965)
Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker (#100071)
Elegant Soiree Designer Paper (#117163)
Designer Series Paper Pack - In Color - Blushing Bride (#121028, hostess)
Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack - Neutrals - Crumb Cake (#117157)
Basic Pearls (#119247)
5/8'' Satin Ribbon in Chocolate Chip (retired, Early Espresso closest match #119753)
Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430)
Stamp-a-ma-jig (#101049)

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Thankful Me... Clean & Simple.

2010-10-25T10:31:00.003-04:00

Good morning! It's Monday... not sure how I feel about that, but hopefully the week will go by relatively fast because I have this weekend off... woo hoo!

I made this card for today's Clean & Simple Challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers to use gingham or checks on your design. It is also for Friday's Clean&Simple Fall-to-Sketches.

My style is normally anything but clean & simple, so this was an added challenge for me!

I dug in my stash and found this scrap piece from the retired Bella Rose designer paper. The sentiment is from the retired Sweet Little Sentiments set. The ribbon is also retired... only thing current on this card is the cardstock (whisper white, riding hood red, and pink pirouette), basic rhinestones, and the Beautiful Wings die cut!

This is pretty self explanatory! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great day! :)

Best Wishes

2010-10-24T11:37:00.002-04:00

Hello! Happy Sunday... I hope you've had a great weekend... mine has been pretty good! Of course, it's always good when I get time to stamp! My husband is off to the Martinsville race with his brother and dad today and I don't have to be at the studio until a little later in the afternoon, so I got to play in my stamp room this morning!

I made this card for the Featured Stamper challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers. This week's featured stamper is Lynette and I CASed this card. I changed the image, colors (slightly), and embellishments. I also altered the layout.

I really love how this came out! I used the new colors Pear Pizzazz and Daffodil Delight. I love them together!

Here are the supplies used on my card:

Flower Fancy Stamp Set (#111578)
Cute & Curly Stamp Set (retired)
Whisper White Cardstock (#100730)
Daffodil Delight Cardstock (#119683)
Pear Pizzazz Cardstock (#119795)
Watercolor Paper (#105019)
Pear Pizzazz 1/2'' stitched poly ribbon (#119265)
Basic Rhinestones (#119246)
Stazon Jet Black Ink Pad (#101406)
Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430)
Scallop Edge Border Punch (#119882)
Curly Label Extra-Large Punch (#119851)
Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die (#118138)

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a great day!

Old Meets New

2010-10-23T11:50:00.004-04:00

Happy Saturday, everyone! I have been still feeling pretty under the weather, so I finally broke down and took a day off yesterday. I proceeded to sleep until 11:30am this morning, so let's hope that I just needed some sleep!

I have three cards for you this morning, all for various sketch challenges and oddly enough all of them use new stamp sets (most), paired with old designer paper! Hence my post, Old Meets New!

My first card uses the new set, Morning Cup (#120489 clear, #116988 wood). I used the OWH Stars & Stamps sketch challenge from earlier in the week for this card as I thought the three small panels suited this stamp set well.

The images are stamped in brown Stazon On and then colored in with Stampin' Write Markers.

My second card uses the new set, Perfect Punches (#117022, wood / #120516 clear) and the older set, but still current, Lovely as a Tree (#115026). It is paired with the Christmas Cocoa designer paper from last year's Holiday Mini Catalog. I used the Lizzie Anne Designs
Sketch for this card and I really love how it turned out!

My last card for today uses the returning set, Falling Leaves (#115368). You can't really see it in the picture, but the center panel says "Happy Thanksgiving". I don't send out many Thanksgiving Day cards, but I do send them to a few close family memebers, so I figured I should get cracking! This is paired with some of my all-time favorite designer paper, Fall Flowers.

This last card uses one of the bonus sketches from this week's 2 Sketches 4 You.

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget about the great promotion Stampin' Up is running on Christmas bundles! It's a great way to get new supplies for your holiday cards at at great discount! You can read about it here!

Stampin' Up Holiday Promotion

2010-10-21T11:30:00.004-04:00

October 19th - December 16th

Choose from several different holiday bundles containing gorgeous Stampin' Up! products-perfect for creating cards, gift packagint, and gifts-and all at 20% off!

To order, simply go to my Stampin' Up online store! Don't miss this great offer!

Additional products from current catalogs may be purchased on the same order.
There is no minimum purchase required to participate in this promotion.
You must use the bundle item codes provided. The 20 percent discount will not be applied if individual bundle item numbers are entered separately.

Color Dare & More....

2010-10-21T10:38:00.002-04:00

Wow, it's been a while since I have had time to stamp... this routine of NOT stamping is starting to get old! I am happy that I did find time this morning though. My new agreement to myself is that I always find at least 30 minutes each morning to stamp. I think I always have a better day when I get to do at least one card!

Anyway... this is for three challenges:

1) Color Dare to use Peach Parfait, Rich Razzleberry, & Sahara Sand

2) Sketch Challenge from Splitcoast Stampers

3) Pals Paper Arts Challenge to use BLING!

These colors led me to make a fall card which then led to one of my all time favorite sets, Season of Friendship. It's such a versatile set and makes a great fall card!

Using bling was not a problem for me as I seem to use it all the time! HAHA!

Here are all of the ingredients and item numbers to order if you want to make this card too! You an order all supplies in my Stampin' Up online store!

Season of Friendship Stamp Set (#111776)
Designer Series Paper Pack - In Color - Hostess (#121028)
Sahara Sand Cardstock (#121043)
Rich Razzleberry Cardstock (#115316)
Whisper White Cardstock (#100730)
Early Espresso Ink (#119670)
Peach Parfait Ink (#119783)
Rich Razzleberry Ink (#115658)
Rich Razzleberry Polka Dotted Ribbon (retired)
Basic Rhinestones(#119246)

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a great day!

Happy Birthday to You!

2010-10-08T10:32:00.003-04:00

Wooo Hoo... it's FRIDAY! I hope you have a lovely day!

I made this card for two different challenges from earlier in the week:

#1 - Pals Paper Arts challenge which is a color challenge this week: Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz, and Melon Mambo

#2 - Mercy's Tuesday Sketch

I pulled out my good old trusty Crazy for Cupcakes (#111618) for this challenge. I flipped the sketch to make it work for the image I wanted to use.

The image is stamped on Watercolor Paper and colored with Stampin' Write Markers.

The various dp panels are from the new Hostess Prints Pack (free with a $150 purchase), with the exception of the Melon Mambo piece which is from the retired Good Neighbors dp pack.

Everything else is pretty self explanatory! Here are the full details on the products I used. Remember, you can purchase them all (as long as they are current) in my online store by clicking HERE!

Card Details:
Paper: Whisper White (#100730), Melon Mambo (#115320), Designer Series Paper Pack - In Color (hostess, free with $150 purchase, or you can buy #117158 but patterns vary), Good Neighbor Dp (retired)

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes (#111618)

Ink: Stazon Jet Black (#101406)

Accessories: Melon Mambo Stampin' Write Marker (#121074), Pear Pizzazz Stampin' Write Marker & Peach Parfait Stampin' Write Marker (#119801, part of a 5 marker set), Basic Rhinestones (#119246), 1/2'' Stitched Poly Ribbon in Pear Pizzazz (#119265)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a wonderful day!

Color Dare & Sketch

2010-10-07T10:58:00.002-04:00

So, it's been TOO long since I've gotten the chance to stamp, but I have been a little under the weather and then I've just been plain busy! I finally got a chance to make a card this morning, WOO HOO!

I made this card for this week's Color Dare challenge to use Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi, & Early Espresso. I think this is the first time I've used the new color, Marina Mist. It's a lovely shade of blue and I know I will be using it more!

This is also for this week's sketch challenge on Splitcoast Stampers.

I don't have any current designer paper that has Wild Wasabi in it, so I had to dig through my stash and I found this scrap from the retired Afternoon Tea designer paper. It was always one of my favorites and I'm sad to say that I have very little of it left!

I used the new hostess set, Because I Care (#120118) on this card. You can earn this set for FREE by placing an order of $150 or more in my online Stampin' Up Store!

Card Details:
Paper: Very Vanilla (#101650), Early Espresso (#119686), Marina Mist (#119682), Watercolor Paper (#105019), Afternoon Tea Dp (retired)

Ink: Stazon Jet Black (#101406)

Stamps: Because I Care (#120118, only available with purchase of $150 or more)

Accessories: Basic Rhinestones (#119246), Garden Green Stampin' Write Marker (#100080), Bashful Blue Stampin' Write Marker (#105111), Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker (#100071), Early Espresso 3/8'' Taffeta Ribbon (#119964)

Thanks for stopping by, have a lovely day!

Christmas is Love

2010-09-27T11:19:00.002-04:00

Hello! It's Monday... and a rainy one at that! I am still feeling blaaaaaaaaaah, but I figured stamping might help me feel better! HAHA!

This is for today's Mojo Monday sketch.... and I love it!

I pulled out some retired designer paper from last season called Merry Moments and paired it with the new Contempo Christmas (#118734 wood / #120594 clear) set!

I love how it came out!

Here's what you need to make this card

Contempo Christmas Stamp Set (#118734 wood / #120594 clear)
Garden Green Cardstock (#102584)
Chocolate Chip Cardstock (#102128)
Very Vanilla Cardstock (#101650)
Christmas Designer Paper of your choice
5/8'' Neutral Jumbo Brads in Very Vanilla (#112533)
5/8'' Satin Ribbon in Chocolate Chip (retired, closest match is Early Espresso #119753)
Silver Elastic Cord (retired)
Chocolate Chip Ink Pad (#100908)
Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

No Coffee??

2010-09-26T17:18:00.003-04:00

Hello! I hope you have had a good weekend. I have been slightly under the weather, but I think it's just been my out of control allergies... maybe paired with a slight cold... who knows! Anyway, I felt well enough to stamp this afternoon!

I pulled out my new Morning Cup (#116988 wood / #120489) stamp set. I knew this stamp set would be on my first order from the 2010/2011 catalog because... I love coffee! Anyone who knows me realizes that you shouldn't try to talk to me until I've had at least one cup of coffee in the morning... and so this sentiment really rings true for me! HAHA!

I paper pieced the coffee pot with the new Patterns Designer Series Paper Pack in the Neutrals (#117157) and found some old Real Red dp from a hostess prints pack.

This is for two challenges:

#1 - Stacey's Curtain Call Challenge to use: Real Red, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand & Basic Black

#2 - CPS - Card Sketches

Here's everything you need in order to recreate my card, all supplies can be ordered in my Stampin' Up store!

Morning Cup Stamp Set - #116988 wood mounted / #120489 clear
Very Vanilla Cardstock - #101650
Soft Suede Cardstock - #115318
Sahara Sand Cardstock - #121043
Real Red Cardstock - #102482
Real Red Stamp Pad - #103133
Basic Black Stamp Pad - #101179
Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack in Neutrals - #117157
Basic Rhinestones - #119246
1/4'' Grosgrain Ribbon in Real Red - #109034
1'' Circle Medium Punch- #110868
Designer Label Large Punch - #119862
Modern Label Extra Large Punch - #119849
Word Window Large Punch - #119857
Scallop Circle #2 Bigz Die - #113469
Circles #2 Bigz Die - #114526

Thanks for stopping by!! Have a great day!

Holiday Headstart

2010-09-23T11:05:00.002-04:00

Hello! Happy Thursday to you all!! Today's challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers is called "Holiday Headstart"... so I knew this was the perfect opportunity to pull out my new Contempo Christmas (#118734 wood / 120594 clear) set!

I also used my new designer paper, Jolly Holiday (#117159)! And the new adhesive rhinestones (#119246)!

Can you tell that I am happy to have new stuff to play with? HAHA!

All of the supplies used on this card can be purchased in my online Stampin' Up store! Get a jump start on your holiday projects by purchasing your supplies NOW!

This card is also for the Stampin' B's challenge to use paper piercing and for the Inspirational Card Sketches sketch!

Here is my supply list for this card. The item numbers can be used to order!

Christmas Contempo Stamp Set (#118734 wood mounted / #120594 clear mounted)
Jolly Holiday Designer Paper (#117159)
Old Olive Cardstock (#100702)
Very Vanilla Cardstock (#101650)
Cherry Cobbler Cardstock (#119685)
Cherry Cobbler Ink Pad (#119669)
Old Olive Ink Pad (#102277)
Cherry Cobbler 1/2'' Seam Binding Ribbon (#120992)
Old Olive Designer Button (from the Brights Designer Button Pack) (#119747)
Basic Rhinestones (#119246)
Mat Pack (#105826)
Paper-Piercing Tool (#116631)
2''x1 3/8'' Oval Extra-Large Punch (#119859)

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a great day!!!!

Feeling Fall...

2010-09-22T11:44:00.002-04:00

Hello!! It's been quite a while since I've gotten the chance to post! Last week was the first week back at the studio, so I was pretty busy getting everything together!

I FINALLY got some new stuff from Stampin' Up this week... although, the only new thing I used on this card is the Poppy Parade dp from the hostess pack!

I made this card for today's Color Dare: Poppy Parade, Not Quite Navy, Pumpkin Pie, and Tempting Turquoise. It's also for today's sketch challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers.

I have to admit, this color combination was a bit challenging, but once I got it going, I really like it! I think the bright colors were what kind of freaked me out at first, but you just have to learn how to balance them and it really works.

I pulled out my Trendy Trees set to do a fall-ish card. Too bad it doesn't feel like fall here... it's HOT! I am tired of the hot... ready for some cool temperatures so I can pull out my sweatshirts!!!!!

I hope you like my card!!! Thanks for stopping by!

Gable Box Gift Set

2010-09-11T18:23:00.002-04:00

I know, I have been going crazy with these gift sets, but I have to get a jump start on Christmas gifts, so I am trying to do at least one gift set a week... hopefully more, but lately I haven't been getting enough time in my stamp room!

I hopefully CASed most of this from Stamping Pro!

I did use the retired color Almost Amethyst instead of Baja Breeze because I have an entire new pack of it and I want to try to use up my old cardstock!

I colored the images with just regular colored pencils.

I love this new hostess set in the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog. It's called Because I Care and I just think it makes a great card! You just have to place an order of $150 or more to get it for FREE!!

You can place your order online at my online store, here!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Wings of Friendship

2010-09-10T18:16:00.003-04:00

Happy Friday!!!

I finally got to stamp this afternoon... this week has been pretty busy with the studio. We start classes back next week and I have been bombarded with paperwork.

This card is for today's Free For All challenge on Splitcoast Stampers and for the color challenge from Tuesday, also on Splitcoast Stampers!

The colors are: Peach Parfait, Pear Pizazz, and Concord Crush. I really like how they go together! I haven't ordered any new designer paper, so I made my own!

I love how this came out!

Card Details:
Paper: Whisper White, Pear Pizazz, Concord Crush, Peach Parfait
Ink: I used Stampin' Write Markers, Concord Crush, Pear Pizazz, and Peach Parfait, Basic Black ink pad
Stamps: Wings of Friendship (retired, hostess)
Accessories: Whisper White Organza Ribbon, Adhesive Pearls

Thanks for stopping by!

Card Box & Four Cards

2010-09-05T19:47:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I've been on a roll today!!! I just finished this great box and four matching cards... go me! I figured that December will be here before we know it and I always need gifts like this for people... so I might as well get started now, right?

This was really easy to make. The box is just made out of one piece of 8 1/2 x 11'' cardstock. I have WHOLE package of Bordering Blue cardstock.... which is now retired, so I used it for all the card bases... not that it knocked out ANY of the paper.. haha! I also used the retired Bella Birds dp... and I still have tons! Guess I will be making many of these sets for people... haha!

This was really easy to make and I love how it turned out! The Watercolor Trio is such a great set to use for stuff like this as you don't have to spend time coloring!

Thanks for stopping by... again... haha! :)

Accoridan Card Pouch & Notecards

2010-09-05T15:19:00.003-04:00

I'm back! Wow, a double post!! This hasn't happened for a while!

I stumbled across a FANTASTIC blog this afternoon called Stamping Pro! Wow, does she have some fantastic samples and tutorials on her blog... love it!

I tried out her accordian card pouch and notecards found here!

This was super easy and I really LOVE how it turned out! I am trying to use up old designer paper so I can convince my husband that I need to place an order of new stuff! HAHA! This uses the old East Coast Prep dp and the trust Fun & Fast Notes stamp set! The note cards are 3.5x5'' cards. I just happened to have some envelopes that would fit them sitting around my house!

Thanks for stopping by!

For You CASE

2010-09-05T12:03:00.002-04:00

Happy Sunday! I hope you are having a great weekend! I haven't been feeling up to par... I am pretty sure I have a sinus infection... ugh! My husband is tiling the floor in our upstairs bathroom today, so I had time to stamp!

This card is for today's Featured Stamper on Splitcoast Stampers. Today's featured stamper is stampingout! She has a great gallery! It is also for today's PaperWorks Co. Sketch!

I CASed this card from stamping out.

I tried to keep her clean & simple style, but I also added my own touches like multiple layers on the main image. I really love how this turned out!!! Great Friend is one of my favorite stamp sets of all time!

Card Details:
Paper: Whisper White, Taken with Teal (retired), Pretty in Pink
Stamps: Great Friend
Ink: Rose Red, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Pretties Kit (pearls), Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thank you for stopping by! Remember, you can purchase all current Stampin' Up items in my online store by clicking HERE!

House of Thanks

2010-09-03T11:17:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! I am FINALLY starting to settle down in the new house and I am finally starting to get caught up on my dance studio work... so I FINALLY got to stamp this morning!

I made this card for one of our new neighbors. They are older and the lady has been so welcoming and even gave us a VERY generous house warming gift. I wanted to drop her a thank you note, so I thought the Good Neighbors SAB set would be the one to use!

This is for the color challenge and the sketch challenge this week over at Splitcoast Stampers. I have to admit that this color combo threw me at first. Especially since I am virtually out of Baja Breeze cardstock and I have NO new designer paper. I kind of had to take a hiatius from buying new stamp stuff when we bought our house. Now, it's the last month of the quarter and I haven't met my minimums, so an order is in my future! Of course, if you would like to buy something, you can always help me meet my minimum by placing an order.. here! Just click on the top right hand corner, "shop now".

Card Details:
Paper: Crumb Cake, Melon Mambo, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Prints Pack DP (hostess from a while back), Rich Razzleberry DP (retired), Urban Garden DP (retired)

Stamps: Good Neighbors (retired, SAB), Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Baja Breeze, More Mustard, Melon Mambo, Basic Black

Accessories: Double Stitched Baja Breeze Ribbon, Small Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a fabulous Labor Day Weekend!!!!!!

Stampin' Up Updates

2010-08-27T12:47:00.003-04:00

I have a few updates for you! Stampin' Up is currently running a Hostess promotion through August 31st! Here are the details!

Hostesses will receive an additional $25 in hostess free merchandise dollars when they hold a workshop totaling $350 or more!

Things to Remember
Only customer, demonstrator, and workshop order types qualify for this promotion.

Orders must be $350 or more to qualify. Online orders do not qualify.

Hostesses may use their additional $25 in hostess free merchandise on any regular catalog/mini catalog merchandise.

Orders larger than $350 are not eligible for additional hostess free merchandise dollars. For example, a $700 workshop does not receive $50 in additional dollars. All orders over $350 always receive $25 in additional free hostess dollars.

Remember, you can order Stampin' Up 24/7 in my online store: HERE!

Mashing it Up!

2010-08-20T11:06:00.003-04:00

Hi! Happy Friday!!! Are you happy it's the weekend? I am!! Even though I have a busy one!!

This card is for three challenges:

#1 - Sketch Challenge from Splitcoast Stampers

#2 - Free For All Challenge from Splitcoast Stampers to use at least 2 different stamps from 2 different stamp companies. I used Petals & Stems from Verve Visual, Framed with Love from Stampin' Up, Everyday Button Bits from Papertrey Ink!

#3 - ColourQ Challenge to use Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze, Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler, and Very Vanilla.

This was one of those cards that began as a disaster, but then I ended up loving it in the end! I love when that happens!!! The flower petals are each stamped on Very Vanilla, then cut out and mounted on dimensionals.

All of the designer paper is retired, Prints Pack & Urban Garden.

Thanks for stopping by!! Have a great weekend!!!!

Merry Blingmas...

2010-08-17T10:13:00.002-04:00

Hello! Happy Tuesday... I hope you are having a wonderful start to your week!

Today's card is entitled "Merry Blingmas" because I went just a little overboard on the bling.. haha! But as I always say, you can never have too much bling!

This card is for today's Color Challenge on Splitcoast Stampers to use Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, and Pretty in Pink. I also added in Early Espresso as a neutral.

It's also for today's Mercy's Sketch Challenge! She always has fantastic sketches and today is no exception!

When I saw this color combo, I immediately thought CHRISTMAS, so I pulled out my trusty Dasher stamp and this is what I came up with. I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but it's growing on me.

The Pretty in Pink dp is from the Welcome Neighbor SAB paper pack. The snowflakes were embossed with a Cuttlebug Embossing folder. Everything else is pretty self explanatory!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!!!

I made a card.....

2010-08-12T10:59:00.002-04:00

in my new stamp room!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wooo hooo!!! As I mentioned yesterday, we just moved into a new house last weekend. It's definately a fixer upper. It was a foreclosure, so we've had a to do a lot of work just to make it livable. I think it sat for over a year... maybe two!

Anyway, I finally got into my new stamp room today... I will post pictures of it later... it's AWESOME!

This card is for several challenges (as usual)...

#1 - Splitcoast Stampers sketch challenge from yesterday and ways to use it challenge today to use buttons! Lord knows I have enough of them!

#2 - Tuesday's ColourQ to use Regal Rose, Wild Wasabi, Tempting Turquoise, and Early Espresso.

Now, since we've had so many expenses with the house, I haven't been able to place my first order from the new catalog yet... booo! So, I pulled out Eastern Blooms... a set I really like, but don't use enough! The designer paper is from various dp sets... Print Patterns (hostess) and Pink Flamingo (retired).

I used my Stampin' Write Markers to make my image three toned. The ribbon is non-SU as I didn't have any Tempting Turquoise ribbon that was thin enough for this card. The button is also non-SU. Everything else is though!

Thanks for stopping by!! Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm here...

2010-08-11T15:50:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to update on why I haven't been stamping... we had a national dance competition and then we moved to our new house! We are finally starting to get settled, so I should be back to stamping soon!! I hope everyone is having a great end of the summer!! :)

Every Had One of THOSE Cards?

2010-07-15T15:18:00.003-04:00

Ok, so this was one of those cards that I just didn't like anything about... I just finally threw it together... haha! Now that it is finished, it's growing on me.

First off, let's start with the fact that I stamped the main image like 3 times before I was happy with it. I colored it with a blender pen and my Stampin' Pastels... that was a new technique for me. It took a while to get used to, but I do like the results.

This is for a slew of challenges...

#1 - Charisma Cardz to use pink on your project.

#2 - AI Factory Challenge to use a flower as your image.

#3 - AUD Sentiments Challenge to NOT put a sentiment on your card.

#4 - Create with Connie & Mary to use Pink Pirouette, Real Red, Old Olive, & So Saffron. I promise I used Real Red in the coloring of the big flower... it just turned out looking pink for some reason!

#5 - Digi Doodle Shop's Best to use scraps... my whole card is made of scraps!

#6 - The Our Creative Corner sketch.

#7 - StampInsanity to use bling and ribbon.

#8 - Splitcoast Stamper's Ways to Use It Challenge to use CHALK!

Whew... that was a lot of challenges! Thanks for stopping by! I will be MIA for the next few days as my dance studio travels out of town for a dance competition! I hope you have a great weekend and beginning of the week... I should be back on Tuesday or Wednesday!!!

Awash with Color

2010-07-14T10:24:00.002-04:00

Happy Hump Day! Today is Wednesday and everyone knows what that means... a new Color Dare challenge!

Today's colors are: Baja Breeze, Taken w/ Teal (I didn't use this one), Kiwi Kiss, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla.

This is also for today's sketch challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers! I really love this sketch... so many possibilities!

I pulled out Awash with Flowers for this card. It's a really fun set! The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes which I believe is a MUST HAVE for anyone! There are so many great sentiments for every occassion!

This card is pretty simple for me, but I love how it turned out. The blossom of the flower was stamped twice. Once on the main panel, then again on a piece of scrap. It was then cut out and popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals.

The designer paper is the retired Urban Garden... some of my favorite!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!!!!

Tropical Thanks

2010-07-12T12:09:00.003-04:00

Happy Monday! I hope you had a good weekend!

I am still playing with some sets that I borrowed from my mom... this one uses Tropical Party. I think I am going to have to get this set before the mini goes out. It's really cute and versatile! The sentiment is from Fundamental Phrases.

This is for the following challenges for today:

#1 - 2 Sketches 4 You sketch

#2 - Critter Challenge to make a thank you card

#3 - Kaboodle Blog to make a luau theme project

The flowers are stamped on a scrap of Whisper White, then cut out and mounted on dimensionals. Everything else is pretty self explanatory!

Thanks for stopping by... have a fabulous day!!!

Sweet Scoops!

2010-07-11T12:12:00.003-04:00

Happy Sunday afternoon to everyone! I hope you have had a great weekend! Mine has been pretty typical... haven't done much, but it's nice to have some down time.

My mom is out of town, so I borrowed a few stamp sets of hers to play with while she is gone! This card uses the Sweet Scoops set from the Summer Mini Catalog. It's one of those sets that I think is cute, but I just wasn't sure if I would use it enough, so I didn't buy it. After this card I might have to buy it, though! HAHA!

This card is for several challenges today:

#1 - Card Positioning Systems sketch

#2 - Cowgirl's Sunday Stamp'en Challenge to make a card with ice cream colors.

#3 - Curtain Call Color Challenge to use Certainly Celery, Regal Rose, Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie & Whisper White

My sentiment looks kind of funny in this picture because I bent it to make it look like a wavy banner. The designer paper is from several old dp collections... Wintergreen & Sweet Always.

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Have a great day!!!!

Another Card!

2010-07-08T12:19:00.002-04:00

I managed to crank out another card this morning.

This is for the Color Throwdown and the Hanna & Friends challenge.

The Color Throwdown was to use Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery, Regal Rose, & Real Red. I was having a lot of trouble with these colors for some reason, so I balanced it all out with white and made it into a CAS card... well, CAS for me anyway!

The Hanna & Friends challenge was to use a stamp you've never used before. Mine is the sentiment. It's from the Sale-A-Bration set, Whimsical Words. I know that I have never used this sentiment before.

Going with the heart theme of the sentiment, I came up with the focal image which uses hearts punched from the Three Hearts Punch.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Moments, Thursday!

2010-07-08T10:51:00.002-04:00

Hello! It's Thursday, which means tomorrow is FRIDAY! Woo hoo!

Today's card is for several challenges that I just discovered...

#1 - Diva Coffee Break Designs challenge to use the colors Rose Red, Bashful Blue, & Wild Wasabi. Wild Wasbi is an old in color that Stampin' Up brought back when they did their color renovation! I am so happy it's back!

#2 - Charisma Cardz Challenge to use a bird on your design. I pulled out the Sale-a-Bration set from this past year, Happy Moments. I don't think I have used the bird cage from this set, so today was a great day to do it!

#3 - Create with Connie & Mary who had a sketch for today.

This card is pretty self explanatory. All of the designer paper is retired. The Bashful Blue and Wild Wasabi were in a hostess prints pack a couple of catalogs ago and the Rose Red dp is from Cutie Pie.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a fabulous day!

Color Dare #72

2010-07-07T11:18:00.002-04:00

Good morning! Today is Wednesday and that means there's a new Color Dare challenge! I have to admit that I was skeptical about this color combination at first: Sahara Sand, Barely Banana, Blush Blossom, Certainly Celery, & Whisper White. After I put them together, I really loved them!

This is also for today's sketch challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers. I really like this sketch as well... it's just very eye pleasing!

The circle was the perfect fit for this image from the Bouquet Bunch set! The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, which is another one of my go-to sets when I need a sentiment.

I don't have anyone that needs a get well card at the moment, but you never know when you need one handy!

Thanks for stopping by... have a great Wednesday!

A Three Day Card...

2010-07-06T10:42:00.003-04:00

Yes, you read that correctly... this card took me three days to put together! Ridiculous, right? HAHA! I started it on Saturday afternoon and got interrupted by my husband because we needed to seal the deck!

It's been sitting on my desk since then... and my cat has knocked off all the paper several times. I finally decided to finish it today! It's about time, right?

This is a pretty simple card that I made for two Saturday challenges:

#1 - Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge to use die cuts on your project. This card uses several circle die cuts.

#2 - The Just Us Girls sketch challenge.

I used the new hostess level 3 set, Occasional Quotes as the main focus of my card. It's a great set as it has so many versatile sentiments! You can earn this set for free by placing an order or workshop order of $500 or more! You can browse Stampin' Up products in my store, by clicking HERE!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fabulous day!

Scrappy Card?

2010-07-02T12:36:00.004-04:00

Hi all! Happy Friday to everyone... this is the first Friday all summer that I haven't had to travel some where for something! It's nice to have the day to myself!

Today's card was made completely out of scraps! I only have one more full sheet of this designer paper, Summer Picnic, so I used some of the scraps I had to create this card.

I even used scraps of solid paper... I didn't cut any full sheets for this card! Wooo Hoo! I am excited because I have an over abundance of scraps that I always forget to use... anyone else have that problem?

I made this card for the Taylored Expressions sketch challenge today and yesterday's Cute Card Thursday to use something fruity on your card! There's no other stamp set more fruity than Tart & Tangy!

The strawberry was stamped twice... once in Real Red on the circle and then once in Old Olive on a scrap piece of paper. I cut the Old Olive strawberry and just used the top of it to make my strawberry two-toned. I think it looks better than trying to do it with markers. With this stamp set, the colors always turn out a little dull unless you use a regular ink pad.

Ok, enough rambling for now! I am off to find something for lunch and then hopefully will be posting another card today!

For Your Shower...

2010-07-01T11:23:00.002-04:00

Whoa... two cards in one day? Who knew! HAHA!

I was scanning through some challenge blogs for today and I came across The Play Date Cafe's color challenge. As many of you know, color challenges are some of my favorites to do! This week's PDC challenge was to use Pink, White, & Red. I went through my dp stash and found this dp, Sending Love speciality paper from the Occassions Mini (I think... or maybe it was the winter mini). Anyway, it used all the colors required for the challenge!

My stepsister is getting married in September and her wedding shower is at the end of the month, so I figured I could get a card knocked out for her! Pink is her favorite color, so it all worked out beautifully!

I used the stamp set, Always (it's my old standby), for the main image. The bird is stamped on Very Vanilla, cut out, and mounted on dimensionals. The sentiment is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set!

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Fun with the Bird Punch!

2010-07-01T10:11:00.002-04:00

Hello, everyone! It's a beautiful morning here... not too hot and the sun is shining! I started this card last night, but I didn't finish it... so I got up this morning and put it together!

I haven't used my Bird Punch as much as I thought I would... actually, I just forget to use it! I really love how it makes a great 3D image! I just punch it out and then mount the different parts on dimensionals!

The sentiment is from On a Pedestal and I used Stampin' Write Markers to make it two toned.

The paper I used is Throughly Modern designer paper... I know some people were not fans of the in-color Bermuda Bay, but I am kind of sad that it's retired now! I think it's a fun turquoise color!

This card is for two challenges:

#1 - The Mojo Monday Sketch
#2 - The Color Throwdown to use Turquoise (I used Bermuda Bay), Chocolate (I used Soft Suede), and Cream (I used Whisper White).

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

Color Dare & Sketch!

2010-06-30T17:17:00.002-04:00

Whew... it's been a busy week, but I finally got to stamp this afternoon!

Today is Wednesday and that means there is a new color challenge over on the Color Dare! This week's colors are: Soft Sky, Perfect Plum, & Elegant Eggplant. I really love these colors together!

There is also a new sketch over on Splitcoast Stampers!

I pulled out my old trusty, Great Friend set for this card! I haven't used it lately, so I thought it would be pretty to do so. The butterfly is stamped on Whisper White, cut out and mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals.

I also haven't bordered my image with brads in a while, so I decided to do that as well!

The designer paper is a piece from one of my favorite papers Stampin' Up has ever had called Afternoon Tea. I am almost out of it now and it makes me sad!

Thanks for stopping by!! Have a wonderful day!

Fun with Yellow!

2010-06-25T10:51:00.003-04:00

Happy Friday to everyone! I am off to a dance workshop this weekend, but had time this morning to crank out a card before I left!

This is for the No Time to Stamp challenge, to use yellow, gray, white or vanilla, and a hint of black. I really really love how this color combo pops! I used Stampin' Up colors: Crushed Curry, Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray, & Basic Black! Along with watercolor paper, of course!

It's also for this week's Mojo Monday sketch!

And finally, for the CCEE Stampers challenge to create a summery card with a flower or floral ribbon!

I just got my new pre-order stuff in the mail! This card features the new, Because I Care hostess set from the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog along with the new color, Daffodil Delight and the Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon. The catalog goes LIVE for everyone on July 1st... that's right around the corner!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Snappy, Snappy Birthday!

2010-06-24T10:50:00.003-04:00

This card is for THREE, yes... THREE challenges today! I can't remember the last time I combined more than two challenges into one project...

#1 - Ways to Use it Challenge on SCS to heat emboss. I embossed the crab & the sentiment in black!

#2 - The Play Date Cafe color challenge to use Red, Orange, Brown, & Turquoise!

#3 - Pals Paper Arts sketch!

The color combo led me to this new dp from the summer mini catalog, Island Oasis. For some reason, I didn't get the great coordinating stamp (it's on my next order), so I pulled out Crab & Co. which has been retired for a while.

I stamped the crab on watercolor paper with Versamark, then I heat embossed him with black ep. I colored him with Stampin' Write Markers.

The rest is pretty self explanatory! Thanks for stopping by!!!

Color Dare & Sketch Challenge!

2010-06-23T11:50:00.002-04:00

Hello, everyone! It's been a while since I've posted, but it's just been crazy in my world lately! Summer classes started at the studio last week and my husband and I put an offer on a house, it was accepted so now we are going through all of that fun stuff... like trying to close on it! Uggh... it's crazy!

Anyway, I am glad to be back! My "comeback card" is for today's Color Dare & the sketch on Splitcoast Stampers. The colors today are: Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Old Olive, & Very Vanilla. I added Soft Suede as a neutral to make the card pop!

I pulled out the Elements of Style stamp set which can be found in the Summer Mini Catalog. I really love this set as it is so versatile and I really don't think you can make an ugly card with it!

I hope you will join in on the Color Dare and I thank you for stopping by!

Have a fantastic day!!!!

Gift Set Ensemble

2010-06-11T11:30:00.002-04:00

Ok, so my aunt has been making these really cute gift purses for a while and I had to break down and try one!! She is right, they are really addictive!!!

You can find the directions on her blog, I Stamp, I Sew! Check it out, she has some great stuff on there!

I altered mine a bit... instead of having the purse open and close with ribbon, I put velcro on the back of the top note so it just velcros together! I also used a strip of dp for the handle instead of ribbon. Everything else is the same!

I made this for a thank you gift for one of the lovely volunteers from my dance recital. I think I am going to make up a few more to give because without the ladies who helped me, recital wouldn't have been so smooth!

Included is a photo holder, an altered cannister filled with candy, and an altered mini composition notebook! Of course, I made a thank you card to go with it!

For the card, I used today's Fall to Sketch!

Thanks so much for stopping by!!!

WOW... It's been a while!

2010-06-10T18:14:00.003-04:00

Obviously, I have been super busy lately and unfortunately in my busy schedule, I haven't had time to stamp!

We just recently did some work in the attic, which is where my stamp room is and I hadn't had time to get up here and clean until today. Last week was my dance studio's recital and I spent the weeks leading up to it getting everything ready.

This week has been busy as well as we have been house hunting and put a written offer on a house today! The worst part is waiting to see if we got it! If we did, I will have limited stamping time this summer as we would be moving in late-July. The house we want needs some work, but it's in a fantastic neighborhood and is a fabulous price, so I hope we get it!!

Today's card is for Monday's Mojo Sketch and for yesterday's Color Throwdown!

I really love how this turned out! Thanks for stopping by!! I am so happy to be back!!!!

Mojo Monday!

2010-05-17T10:29:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! I hope you had a fabulous weekend... mine was great! I got to spend some time with friends and family... too bad it's over!!

Today's card is for the Mojo Monday sketch and for last week's ColourQ!

I really love these colors together and I am sad neither one of them made it into one of the new color families. The colors are Groovy Guava, Kiwi Kiss, Very Vanilla, Kraft, & Basic Black.

I pulled out the new Elements of Style set because I thought it would look great in these colors!

I wasn't sure if I would like the ribbon bow plus the button with the silver elastic cord, but I do!

I colored the main image with ink and blender pens. Everything else is pretty simple!

Thanks for stopping by!!

*You can purchase all current Stampin' Up products in my online store, HERE!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-05-13T10:56:00.002-04:00

Hello! Happy Thursday!!

I have a really hard time with masculine cards, so when Stampin' Up came out with this single stamp, Motorcycle, I knew I had to buy it! Especially since my dad and brother are both into Harleys!

I came up with this card by first checking out the Pal's Paper Arts challenge today which is to use Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, and Old Olive. I had this old designer paper that matched that color combo, except it uses Wild Wasabi instead of Old Olive and it has More Mustard... I hope that's okay!

The sketch is from yesterday's Sweet Sketch Wednesday! I flipped it to accomodate the image.

This was a really quick cards to put together and doesn't really have anything fancy on it, because let's face it.. most men wouldn't know the difference between a time consuming card and one that took 15 minutes to make! HAHA!

Thanks for stopping by!!

*You can purchase all current Stampin' Up products from my online store, HERE!

For All You Do.. Thank You!

2010-05-12T10:11:00.002-04:00

Happy Wednesday!!! I hope you are having a great week! I sure am since I've had time to stamp every morning so far this week! I think it's because I demand it in order to keep my sanity as the end of the year recital draws closer at the studio!

This card is for today's Color Throwdown & the sketch challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers!

I wasn't sure about how this card was going to turn out when I first started it, but I really love how it came out in the end!

I pulled out some old designer paper for the Baja Breeze panel, it's from the retired Urban Garden designer paper. It's some of my favorite!

The Old Olive panels is from the Sale-a-Bration paper pack that matches the Good Neighbor stamp set.

I stamped the flowers on whisper white, cut them out, and mounted them on dimensionals. Everything else is pretty self explanatory!

*You can purchase all current Stampin' Up products in my online store, HERE!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!!!

Because Nice Matters...

2010-05-11T10:48:00.002-04:00

First, I want to say that two cards in two days is unheard of lately.. haha!! I also haven't used ribbon on my cards for the past two days which is also unheard of!

Today's card is for the Tuesday Morning Sketch.

I decided to pull out my old trusty Upsy Daisy and paired it with the new Elements of Style humming bird. The sentiment is from an old hostess set called Sweet Little Sentiments.

I used the last of my small Filgree brads... I only have two of the large ones left! I might have actually used up a whole thing of brads! WHOA!

The humming bird is stamped on whisper white with kiwi kiss ink, cut out, and popped up on dimensionals. Everything else is pretty self explanatory!

Thanks for stopping by!

You can buy all current Stampin' Up products in my online store by clicking HERE!!

Beautiful Watercolor Trio

2010-05-10T11:01:00.002-04:00

Good Monday morning everyone! I vowed this weekend that I would never leave my stamp room for so long again, so I got up this morning, had my cup of coffee, and got started on this card!

The sketch is from Kitchen Sink Stamps. I really liked how this sketch had a place for buttons, or in my case, some jumbo brads!

I pulled out my new Watercolor Trio stamp set that is found in the Summer Mini Catalog. I think this is going to end up being one of my new "go to" sets. It's so easy to use!

I made my image different colors by inking the image with my Stampin' Write Markers, then huffing on the stamp before I stamped it on my oval.

The butterflies were stamped in Melon Mambo ink on Whisper White paper, cut out, and then mounted on dimensionals. Since a full sized dimensional was too big, I just cut them in half to fit the image.

Everything on this card is Stampin' Up except for the scalloped oval die cuts that I used.

Supplies
Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Lovely Flowers designer paper
Ink: Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry
Stamps: Watercolor Trio
Accessories: 5/8'' jumbo brads, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' Write Markers, Scallop Oval Dies

Remember, you can purchase all current Stampin' Up products in my online store by clicking HERE!

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!