hmmm ...

Stamps: Whoo's Your Valentine, Fishy Wheel
Paper: Kraft, Old Olive, Brilliant Blue, Watercolour Paper
Ink: Stazon™, Not Quite Navy, Various for Colouring
Accessories: Pumpkin Striped Grosgrain, Dimensionals®, Modern Label Punch, Crystal Effects®, AquaPainter™

see this? this is my idea of a "yuck" card. I'd said the other day that my creativity was severely lacking and this is what I had to show for it! I'd made this one before those two floral cards and I hate it. So, why'd I post it? Well, 'cause some of you say I never disappoint. Ha ha ha! Anyways, thanks for visiting! I know tomorrow will have something much better, IMO!

Card Patterns Sketch #30

Stamps: Cakey WATT (Stamping Bella); Extreme Elements (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Confetti White, Crushed Curry Patterns DSP, Bermuda Bay (Stampin' Up); Pure Luxury Pure White 80LB (GinaK)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay (Stampin' Up)
Accessories: Crystal Effects®, Dimensionals®, Designer Button, Linen Thread (Stampin' Up); Rhienstones, foam letters

It's sketch time over at Card Patterns! Michelle has another awesome sketch for you to play with. You'll have to check it out and the DT's cards too!! For this week, I pulled out one of the Stamping Bella "Watt" images that I still hadn't inked up (I got tooooooooo much rubber at the same time :)). I LOVE these images, I think they're completely adorable and just absosmurfly perfect for boys/guys!! Anyways, I stamped "Cakey Watt" and then masked him (using a cut out post-it note) and then stamped the Extreme Elements background-ish stamps around. Then, I coloured the image using Copic markers and put a little crystal effects over it!

Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by!!!

Top Note Character Boxes

There's no Inkspirations challenge today. We're taking a week's break! But, you should pop on over to Keesh's blog to wish her a belated happy birthday!!!! I just found out that we're the same age. Kinda neat :)

In my search to make something crafty to sell at a craft fair, I came across some wonderful ideas using the Top Note Bigz die. Aren't these cute? I found them on SCS and made a few changes of my own, but others came up with the ideas!! The box is one I'd found on another blog, using a totally different character, but I thought they'd make excellent treat or gift boxes.

Hope you like them! Thanks for stopping by!!!

online ordering, 24/7!

Alison awarded me this blog award! I just had to figure out what the text said ... "Наградата за приятелство" is Bulgarian for "Award of Friendship" according to a Google translator that I was able to find. Anywho, it's quite an honour to be tagged with it. There aren't any set of "rules" along with this one. There are waaaaaay too many bloggers that inspire me to list them all! But, thanks, Alison for the award!!

for You

Stamps: Thoughts & Prayers
Paper: Kraft, Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry Patterns DSP, Crushed Curry Patterns DSP, Bermuda Bay Patterns DSP, Whisper White
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Stazon™
Accessories: Silver Bead Duo, Crushed Curry Dotted Grosgrain, Dimensionals®, White Gel Pen, Backgrounds I Texturz Plate, Scallop Edge Punch

ahhh, now this is what I was talking about: a creative card! Now, I cannot take complete credit for this card as I cased a card by a talented demonstrator --> Marika Lemay. I changed a few things, as I always want to keep a card somewhat different from the original and not feel like I was completely copying (I don't like to copy exactly ...) so here's what I'd changed: I flipped the card, changed the colours, used a different stamp set, no hardware, but I used a ribbon bow, and different embossing plates. Okay, so the card is quite different in execution, but it was still very inspired by her oh-so-beautiful card! Thanks, Marika, for the inspiration!!!

So, for other details ... well, it's pretty simple: the card front was embossed with the texturz plates and then I scalloped the edge of the card (both front and back). The branch was stamped (using markers to ink it up) and then I masked a portion of the sentiment so it just says "for You". I used TomBow Mono Multi glue to adhere the beads on the flower centres.

Anywho, I hope you all like this one! I appreciate all your comments and visits, each is a boost of confidence! Have a fabulous day!

another CASE'd Christmas!

Stamps: Serene Snowflakes, Many Merry Messages
Paper: Shimmery White, Christmas Cocoa Specialty DSP, Soft Suede
Ink: Soft Suede, Gold Encore
Accessories: Modern Label Punch, Gold Embossing Powder, Vintage Brads, Dimensionals®

and here's another CASE'd Christmas card!! This time, I chose a card from the SCS Serene Snowflakes gallery by "Florentina". It's a beautiful card. I did changed a few things --> I removed a layer (or two), I didn't do the popped up snowflake centre, and I did the sentiment differently. So, while it's not identical, it is definitely cased!! I embossed the sentiment with gold embossing powder and it does show up much better in real life than it does on the photo ... sorry about that, I just could not get it not show up better!

So, did you notice the patterned paper? Well, it's a new paper pack coming out in the upcoming holiday mini! It's called "Christmas Cocoa Specialty". Why "Specialty"? You're going to LOVE this paper. There is a flocked red paper (so soft and fuzzy) and the paper I used here is metallic and shimmery. Of course, there are several more designs within this paper pack! Just call me to get your copy of the mini or come stop by to see it in real life!!!

I hope you've liked seeing these Christmas cards lately! I know it's way early for Christmas but my personal card list is around 100 cards so I need to get a head start on all of it or I'll be soooooooooo sick of making mass-produced cards (I generally abhor making more than one or two of the same card).

see you tomorrow? thanks for visiting and taking the time to let me know what you think!

P.S. You should keep your eye out for the Holiday Mini blog tour that Stampin' Addicts is hosting!! You'll get to see all that is in the holiday mini plus all sorts of great ideas!

a CASEd Christmas!

Stamps: Serene Snowflakes, So Many Sayings (retired)
Paper: Bashful Blue, Shimmery White, Night of Navy
Ink: Whisper White, Night of Navy, Versa Mark®
Accessories: Eyelet Border Punch, Bashful Blue Grosgrain, Clear Rhinestone Brad, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Dimensionals®

I was inspired by THIS card by Patti. I'm in the process of beginning to stock up on my Christmas stash of cards as I'll be going to a craft fair in November. I wanted easy and simple cards to make sets of, and ones that won't "break the bank" in supplies. So, I'd gone searching through the SCS gallery on Serene Snowflakes, a new set coming in the Holiday Mini catalogue in just one week! Patti's card totally caught my eye and so I saved it. Of course, following my own rule of changing some things, I did just that! You can check out her card by clicking on the link I provided up above and you can see exactly what changes I did make.

I stamped the snowflake on the Night of Navy card stock with Whisper White craft ink and then quickly heat set it (I'm not patient enough to just wait the drying process out). Then I stamped the same snowflake with the navy ink on the bashful blue card stock as well as the sentiment and coated the whole piece with iridescent ice embossing powder.

Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by today!!!

DRS Sketch Challenge!

It's time for a new challenge from DRS! Did you know they have a new challenge every other Monday? Well, normally they do but they're taking a break to support a wonderful program called "Cards for Heroes". You can see all the details on the DRS blog!

This week, it's a sketch challenge and an interesting one. I chose to flip the sketch but I kept the overall card fairly simple. I'm still in Christmas mode and making sets so I really wanted to keep it simple! I stamped the horse and sleigh with Chocolate craft ink and heat embossed it as well as put a bit of glitter on the horse and sleigh.

Hope you like my card! Please visit the DRS blog to see the challenge and the DT's projects!!

Fall-to-Layouts!

I've always been an admirer of those who can successfully design and create a "clean and simple" card. I rarely do them, although I'm gravitating towards that design more and more. It's quick, it's simple, and they are easily mailable! So, with that in mind, the Clean & Simple Stamping challenge blog is ideal for inspiration. They have sketches that you can use and participate with (I'm not positive if it's weekly or not ...). These two cards I've made each use a sketch from there: #55 and #56! I'm in a Christmas theme this week and so both of these cards use my fav elegant Christmas colour combination: shimmery white, kraft, and gold embossing!

Fall-to Layout 55

This first card was created with layout #55 and I changed it just a little. I didn't make the button/ribbon band but did the cording instead. I'm also trying to use up the last of these Felt Flurries from last year's holiday mini catalogue (how I wish SU would've had new ones this year!!).

Fall-to Layout 56

This card uses similar colours as the first except I used Soft Suede instead of kraft and the card also uses shimmery vanilla instead of shimmery white. Basically, though, a very simple card with a wow factor, don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you like what you've seen and are inspired to create something beautiful!! I always appreciate your visits and comments!

"Season's Greetings"
Stamps: Snow Swirled
Paper: Shimmery White, Kraft
Ink: Gold Encore
Accessories: Gold Cord, Felt Flurries (retired), Gold Eyelet, Gold Embossing Powder, Dimensionals®

"Welcome Christmas"
Stamps: Winter Post, Heard from the Heart
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Christmas Cocoa Specialty
Ink: Gold Encore
Accessories: Gold Embossing Powder, Gold Cord, Dimensionals®

Card Patterns Sketch #29

Stamps: Christmas Punch, Snow Burst
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss, Holiday Treasures DSP (retired), Kraft, Acetate
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Real Red, White Stazon™
Accessories: Nestabilities, Felt Flurries, Designer Button Bouquet (retired), Linen Thread, Riding Hood Red Grosgrain, Scalloped Oval Punch

This week, the Card Patterns team was sponsored by The Cutting Café and we'd all received the template for this box! So, I printed it out and used this weeks sketch for the front. It's pretty simple and although the shape was originally a heart, I chose to use my nestabilites to cut the shape out instead. I layered some of those retired felt flurries (I have got to use them all this winter!) with a button. Pretty simple overall, don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by today! Please check out the Card Patterns blog to see the sketch, the DT's projects, and enter your own project!!!

Have a great day!

Inkspirations Sketch Challenge #12

Stamps: Serene Snowflakes, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Kraft, Very Vanilla, Bella Blue Designer Series Paper
Ink: Brocade Blue Craft Ink, Brocade Blue Classic Ink, Versa Mark®
Accessories: Felt Flurries (retired), Vanilla HodgePodge Hardware, Scallop Edge punch, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Dimensionals®

Keesh came up with a great sketch for this week's challenge! I dislike ovals immensely so I chose to use a popped up, cut out snowflake with the two felt flurries (remember them from last winter?) instead! I don't think the picture quite shows it, but the main snowflake was stamped with Brocade Blue craft ink and then embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder.


I wanted to keep the overall card fairly simple as I planned to make 6 to sell as a card set at a craft fair I'll be at in November! So, I used a new stamp set that will be in our Holiday Mini Catalogue beginning September 1st. It's called Serene Snowflakes and is yet another gorgeous snowflake set. I've loved each one that has come out and this one is definitely right there!!

Please check out Keesh's blog for all the deets on the sketch and to link up your creation. I know I love seeing what everyone makes! I'm sure the design team will wow your socks off too!!

Anywho, hope you're all doing well. I know I've been feeling very very uninspired this week and this card has certainly helped me get out of that funk. We've been busy busy ... :) Thanks for stopping by and visiting my blog. I appreciate each an every one of your visits and comments :)

Two Beauties!

... if I may say so! Check them out over at the DRS Designs blog!!

Woot Woot!

Stamps: Whoo's Your Valentine, Crazy Cool
Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Naturals Ivory, Watercolour Paper, Cottage Wall DSP, Old Olive
Ink: Stazon™, Chocolate Chip, Versa Mark®, various for colouring
Accessories: Little Leaves SU sizzlets die, Clear Embossing Powder, Rich Razzleberry Dotted Grosgrain, Dimensionals®, Aquapainter™, Mat Pack & Piercer

Here's a fun card that I'd made on Sunday for the Featured Stamper challenge. I cased Joanne's card (found HERE) and kept the layout although I turned it. Her card had also used owls and I really really wanted to use this cute owl from the "Whoo's Your Valentine" stamp set since it was still on my desk! I used Crazy Cool to create the sentiment. I figure I can use this card for any occasion, be it birthday, anniversary, grad, whatever! The owl was stamped on watercolour paper, coloured with an Aquapainter, embossed with clear embossing powder and then cut out. He's popped up on dimensionals on top of the leaf branch. D'you like how I did the branch? I simply die cut two: one in olive and one in chocolate card stock. Then, I cut off the leaves and adhered them on top of the chocolate leaves. Easy peasy.

Anywho, hope you like my card! Thanks for poppin' in today. I appreciate and and every one of your visits and comments!

Card Patterns, Sketch #28 :)

This week the Card Patterns DT is being sponsored by My Grafico, a digital stamp company! I rarely use digi images, but they're pretty fun. Love the freedom with image size. Anywho, the sketch this week is really fun too. Usually, I'll make it a regular size card, but this time, it just worked out better to have a square card! It's a 5" square, so I have to get crackin' on making the right size envie ... I generally take a rectangular envelope and glue down part of it so the card doesn't slide around otherwise postage is ridiculous (they have to "hand sort" it). ANYWAYS, I'm totally blathering. My head is not where it's supposed to be, LOL! so. The image was printed out twice: just so I could pop those birdies up! I found some preprinted chipboard circles in my stash of "don't know what to do with" stuff and then I embossed the kraft card stock.

Please visit the Card Patterns blog to see what the rest of the design team have made using the sketch and also to link up the card you make using the sketch!

We're off to Saskatoon today (Paul's preaching in a CRC on Sunday) so I may not be able to answer any questions until I get back!! Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek! I'd love to hear your thoughts!!

Inkspirations Inspiration Challenge #11

Stamps: Cornelli Lace Jumbo Wheel, Flight of the Butterfly, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Chocolate Chip Textured, Chocolate Chip Patterns DSP, Kraft, Naturals Ivory, Old Olive, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Chocolate Taffeta, Eyelet Border Punch, Sticky Sheets, Fine Supernova Glitter, Little Leaves Sizzlets die, Dimensionals®, Backgrounds Tezturz Plates, Matchbox Messages Die

Keesh has given a fabulous inspiration piece for this week's challenge! I loved the colours and angular lines that inspired me this week. I started out with that in mind and set to work. This week's tutorial on SplitCoast was a "Recessed Window" and I thought that'd be pretty fun to play with too. A bit more work than the average card but sooooooooo worth it! You can see the depth in the pic on the right. I also used Mercy's sketch this week!

Soooo, details. hmmm ... well, it's pretty simple once you finish the technique part. The ivory card stock was embossed with the backgrounds texturz plate and then I put a die cut leaf stem on it. The glittery part was made with the sticky sheets and a bit of card stock cut with the matchbox die and then the glitter was poured all over it.

Anyways, if you have questions, feel free to contact me! Hope you have a fabulous day and like what I've made!! Please check out my fellow Inkspiration's Challenge Team-mates blogs (and our lovely guest DT - Debbie) to see what they've come up with. Let me know if you participate!! Just link up your cards on Keesh's blog!!!

Cherish

Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Whisper White Craft, Stazon™
Accessories: Heat 'n Stick Embossing Powder, Clear Rhinestone, Real Red Grosgrain, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Dimensionals®

I haven't used this stamp set in ages ... But when I'd seen Sharon's DTGD challenge to use black and white with a hint of red, I knew I wanted something elegant and Baroque Motifs fit my mood! I also did this one at a "All Things Bright" class.

There were a LOT of challenges by past and present Dirty Dozen members and I managed to complete them all! For more details on the challenges, please check out the Dare to Get Dirty challenge forum (you have to be a Fan Club Member to view them!).

Thanks for looking!

Happy Days

Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly, Inspired by Nature
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Kraft, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Ink: Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Summer Sun, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Matchbox die, Sticky Sheets, Chocolate Glitter, Dimensionals®, Mat Pack & Piercer, Sft Suede Dotted Grosgrain, Eyelet Border Punch

Sick of my Dare to Get Dirty challenge cards yet? LOL! I have just one other project from them that I'll show you soon and then that'll be it! So, for the blurb about them: there were a LOT of challenges by past and present Dirty Dozen members. For more details on the challenges, please check out the Dare to Get Dirty challenge forum (you have to be a Fan Club Member to view them!).

This is a fun and simple card. I die cut the glittered piece, originally a piece of sticky sheet, with the matchobx die. Once that was done, I coated it with Chocolate glitter and made the rest of the card!

Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by!!

Happiness

Stamps: Out of the Box (hostess level one), Warm Words
Paper: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Watercolour Paper
Ink: Stazon™, Chocolate Chip marker, various for colouring
Accessories: Dimensionals®, AquaPainter™, Crystal Effects®, Felt Flower, Designer Buttons, Bermuda Bay Dotted Grosgrain, Linen Thread, Scallop Edge Punch

There were a LOT of challenges by past and present Dirty Dozen members and I managed to complete them all! For more details on the challenges, please check out the Dare to Get Dirty challenge forum (you have to be a Fan Club Member to view them!). This was an incredibly simple card. I didn't want the card to be super busy or anything. Not much in the way of details, anyway. But, if you have questions, be sure to either ask it in the comments section (make sure you leave an email addy - although that doesn't always help ... sometimes blogger still doesn't let you see it) or try the "contact me" link up above! Sooooooo, hope you like it!

DRS Designs Challenge

Today is my oldest son's 9th birthday! We're going to have a great day opening gifts, spending time with Grandma and Grandpa at the lake with a bunch of little boys ... hee hee! Caleb will love it!

There's new challenge up at DRS Designs! Check out the DRS blog to see all the challenge entries by the DT and myself as well as to see exactly what the challenge is. Let me know if you participate, just link it up on the DRS blog!

Have a great day!!

Inkspirations Colour Challenge 11 :)

**second post for the day, scroll down to see the other one!!**

Stamps: Whoo's Your Valentine, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery, DSP (retired), Watercolour Paper
Ink: Stazon™, Versa Mark®
Accessories: Stars #2 die, Dimensionals®, Mat Pack & Piercer, Glassy Glaze Enamel, Crystal Effects®

Keesh got her blog uploading issue all fixed so we're got a green light to set up our posts! I LOVED this challenge in particular (although that's really hard to say as they are all fantastic!). It's a colour challenge this week, and from two basic colour families -- for some reason, I always want to call them "food groups", like a nutritional thing ... :) -- Soft Subtles, and Earth Elements. These particular colours are lovely together and I though they'd be perfect for this new set that's come out in the current SU catalogue called "Whoo's Your Valentine".

So, for more deets. I used Mercy's sketch as my starting point and I also tried to tie in Shelli Gardner's "SIP" (stamps, ink, paper) challenge. I'm not sure if my card would count for the latter as I used Glassy Glaze embossing powder, a Big Shot, and Crystal Effects as well as the three basics (you can see some of that in the pic on the right)! How about YOU tell me if I should link it or not?

The card is very simple. The train was stamped, along with another caboose. I watercoloured, cut out, raised up on dimensionals, and then coated the train with crystal effects. The star accent was cut out using the Stars #2 die using chipboard and some retired designer series paper (from the last Sale-a-bration). I embossed it with Glassy Glaze and then poked two holes through it with my piercer (I could have used my crop-a-dile but the holes were too big for what I wanted). I threaded a sliver of pumpkin card stock through those holes to give it more of a button look.

Also, I cannot survive making a card without ribbon ... every single card I make uses ribbon! So, I made some "faux" ribbon by folding some pumpkin DSP randomly and then faux stitching it with a piercer and white gel pen.


To give a stamp set even more versatility, if there are words around an image, I separate them and mount them on the side of my wood blocks! I can easily reposition the words where they are "supposed" to go with my Stamp-a-ma-jig if I want.

Anyways, I think I've left you with more than enough details!! Hope you like my card!! Please visit Keesh's blog to see the challenge and her oh-so-fabulous project! My fellow DT members are sure to wow you with their art as well, so stop by their blogs too!!! I'd love to see what YOU make with these colours, so make sure to take some time this week to make something and link it up on Keesh's blog :)

oh, and I should mention, as I'm bouncing off the walls, Stampin' Up announced finalists for the Artisan Award. It's the first time they've done that! Thanks to Brandi, who I might jealously add is at the Stampin' Up convention right now, she let me know that my name amongst quite a few other fabulously talented artists was amongst the finalists! It's not as great as winning, but man, it sure comes close!!!

If you wanna see what I'd made, I'd posted them a while ago: Cards; Scrap Pages; 3D #1, 3D #2