Encre, papier, ciseaux

Magical Day

This card was inspired by TCP challenge #209: M is for.... Magic! I hadn't inked my Presto! set yet, so I pulled it out and paired it with some leftover papers I had from a scrapbook page (which I will share later) on my work desk. 

I really like how this one turned out. And to think those papers are from a Halloween collection! If you forego the owls and other creepy-crawlies, the paper can work for a generic theme like a birthday. I really like the mix of Bashful Blue and Cajun Craze. Not colours I would have thought to pair, but they work!

I had to create my own handwritten and handstamped sentiment because I didn't have what I wanted already available. It translates to "Hope you have a magical day!" I used a sparkly gel pen to add detailing on the papers (pennant string, etc.).

 

 

 

 
Color Combo: Bashful Blue + Cajun Craze + Basic Grey + Basic Black

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Presto (The Cat's Pajamas), Calendar Alphabet & Numbers (SU!)
Cardstock: Dusty Durango
Patterned paper: Bo Bunny
Inks: Basic Black, Cajun Craze
Accessories: Eyelets, blue gingham ribbon, sparkly gel pen, markers, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Circle punches, decorative scissors, brads

 

Cute Spooks

Can a Halloween card be cute? 'Cos I think this one is! It makes me smile every time I look at it. It was another try for publication from last year that I forgot to post (hence the out of season post).

The crackled vellum piece was a lucky accident. I had die-cut a piece of vellum using the Top Note die, then I ran it though the Big Shot again using a Houndstooth embossing folder and when I pulled it out of the folder, the vellum started to crack and break! Although I initially thought, "Oh, no...", I then realized that it looked kind of cool and Halloween-y so I decided to go ahead and use it that way!

For the background, I punched a border with the Pinking Hearts punch and added some Champagne glass glitter on a strip of Sticky Strip along the edge of the Rich Razzleberry Designer paper.

The skull and journaling die-cuts were both from a Halloween die-cut set, and I simply added a stamped sentiment on the journaling spot, in Basic Grey ink.

 

 

 

  Color Combo: Peach Passion + Rich Razzleberry + Basic Grey + White

 

Supplies
Stamps: Cosmo Cricket
Designer paper: Brights Designer paper pack (Rich Razzleberry)
Cardstock: Basic Grey, vellum, Bazzill
Accessories: Champagne glass glitter, Houndstooth embossing folder,
Pinking Hearts border punch, Top note die, Halloween die-cuts (Making Memories)

 

You're a Gem

*Featuring the retiring set Mon trésor (You're a Gem)*

This is another card we made at my Buttons Buddies class. The buttons all come from the Subtles pack and we added pearls in the center. The background was stamped with an image from the Confetti set. The chocolate chip border was created with the Lace Border punch. The patterned paper is from the 2011-2013 In Color DSP pack.

 

 

Color combo: Pool Party + Rose Red + Chocolate Chip + Old Olive

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Button Buddies, Confetti, Mon trésor (You're a Gem)
Cardstock: Old Olive, Rose Red, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Designer paper: 2011-2013 In Color Designer paper pack
Inks: Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, Old Olive
Accessories: Markers, Rhinestones, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Subtles buttons, Pearls, Circle punches, Brad, Lace Border punch,
Chocolate Chip Scallop polka dot ribbon

 

Button Blooms

*Featuring the retired set Mon trésor (You're a Gem)*

I am playing catch-up with older cards that hadn't been posted yet and today's card was part of my Button Buddies class, where we made four cards with this stamp set and a pack of Subtles Designer buttons.

The sentiment comes from the You're a Gem set and was embossed in Pewter powder, then punched with the Curly Label. We reused that same punch to create a border at the bottom.

 

 

Color combo: Calypso Coral + Wisteria Wonder + So Saffron + Very Vanilla

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Button Buddies, Mon trésor (You're a Gem)
Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder, So Saffron, Very Vanilla, Calypso Coral
Designer paper: 2011-2013 In Colors Designer paper stack
Inks: Calypso Coral, So Saffron, Wisteria Wonder
Accessories: Pewter embossing powder, Pearls, Curly Label punch, Subtles buttons,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Tulip Frame embossing folder, Vanilla velvet ribbon

 

A Teddy for Baby

This adorable teddy bear image comes from the Every Little Bit set. I had been wanting to make a card with it since I got the set and never got around to it. Then, earlier this week, I stumbled unto a new blog (new to me, at least), Dorcas' Designs. Dorcas' coloring is pretty amazing: she uses coloring pencils and often color directly on kraft cardstock, which creates such a nice, rich look that it inspired me to give it a try. I had also seen the Mojo Monday sketch and with all of those inspiration sources in mind, the ideas started floating as I was sitting in my car, stuck in traffic on the way back from work. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to do: use the teddy image, color with pencils on kraft cardstock, punch image with the Stamp punch and layer over the Scallop Square punch, and use soft shades of green, yellow, blue and pink.

Oh, how I wish I could have such a clear game plan in my head every time I create! This card took a little while to create because of the time allowed to coloring, but overall, it was still fairly quick since I had such a clear vision of what I wanted the end result to be.

You might have noticed I also used pieces from the Create & Keep SS kit (from the Occasions mini). I had decided on Pear Pizzazz + Calypso Coral + Pool Party + So Saffron as my colors and just as I was reaching for my stash of patterned to paper to find one for the background, I stumbled upon the Create & Keep kit and whaddya know, the colors all match!

The striped patterned paper comes from the Just Eat Cake DSP pack and I dry-embossed it with the polka dot Texturz plate. The green tag comes from the Create & keep kit, but I wanted to hide the English word and substitute a French sentiment, so I stamped "purely adorable" on a piece of cardstock and punched it out with the Small Oval punch, popped it up and added two pearls. The scallop borders also come from the die-cut kit and I added the smallest pearls on the top one.

The background was stamped with the A to Z stamp, which I am really sad to see retiring as it is one of my favorites (love to pair it with teacher or children projects or with typewriter images - it's just cute and versatile!).

 

 

Inspiration: Mojo Monday Sketch #237

Color Combo: So Saffron + Pear Pizzazz + Pool Party +
Calypso Coral + Crumb Cake
 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Every Little Bit, A to Z, Jolis mots
Cardstock: So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake
Designer paper: Just Eat Cake
Inks: So Saffron, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Scallop Square punch, Stamp punch, Create & Keep kit,
Small Oval punch, Pearls, White grosgrain ribbon, Polka Dot Texturz plate, color pencils

 

Spotlight on Packed for Dad

I received the Packed for Everything set from SU! as a gift when the mini launched and even though I think the images are mighty cute, I am also a little intimidated by the amount of details in those images, which would take forever to color. One of the solutions I found was to pair them with the Spotlighting technique.

The other technique showcased on this card is the stamped embossing in the background. I ran the card base through the Big Shot using the Stripes embossing folder and once I was done, I overstamped the Netting image on the stripes to make them stand out. This works best using a background stamp that has a very tight pattern on it, as larger less crowded images will not make the embossed pattern stand out as well. You also have to be mindful of how much pressure you apply on the stamp, especially when working with the Stripes folder or else you'll get ink in the recessed area.

 

 

Color Combo: Island Indigo + Pool Party + Pear Pizzazz + Pumpkin Pie

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Packed for Dad, Netting, Voeux mignons (Teeny Tiny Wishes)
Cardstock: Island Indigo, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White>
Inks: Island Indigo
Accessories: Top Note die, 3/8-in. brads, Brights button, Pool Party baker's twine,
Stripes embossing folder, Stampin' Dimensionals, Circle punch

 

Easter Polka Dots

This is one of the card I created for my watercolor class. It uses the cute Mes lapins set. The background polka dot paper comes from the Sweet Shop pack and the Calypso Coral paper comes from the In color paper stack. Both the sentiment and the image were embossed with gold powder, and the bunny was colored using inks and an Aquapainter brush, on watercolor paper for best results. The sentiment circle and image were both glued in place using Stampin' Dimensionals for added dimension.

 

 

 

Color Combo: Night of Navy + Wisteria Wonder + Calypso Coral

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Mes lapins
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Calypso Coral, watercolor paper
Design papers: In Color pack, Sweet Shop
Inks: Versamark, Wisteria Wonder, Lucky LImeade, So Saffron, Calypso Coral,
Sahara Sand, Pool Party
Accessories: 1-3/4 Circle punch, White satin ribbon, Bitty Circle punch, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Gold embossing powder, Aqua Painter brush

 

Fresh Vintage Basket

SAB countdown: Only 4 days left!!

I am thinking these will make great Easter baskets for the colleagues... Pop a Cadbury egg inside with some crimped paper straw and voilà!

We made these baskets at my Big Shot class last week. The are made with the Petal Cone die and I learned how to transform this die at the Montreal Regionals last year from Shelli's presentation. Again, I pulled out one of my favorite color pairing, namely Blushing Bride and Calypso Coral. The cute little flower at the front was accented with a Twitterpated button and the handle was held in place using two Everyday Enchantment brads.

 

 

 

Color Combo: Blushing Bride + Calypso Coral

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Fresh Vintage
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Calypso Coral
Inks: Blushing Bride, Calypso Coral
Big Shot: Petal Cone die
Accessories: Everyday Enchantment brads, Lace Ribbon punch,
Boho Blossoms punch, Twitterpated button, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

First Edition Fresh Vintage

SAB countdown: Only 5 days left!!

This is a card I showcased at my home workshop last week. As you can see, I like my previous color combo so much that I reused it on this card. I wanted to show the ladies invited at the workshop how to make their own patterned paper by transforming the First Edition DSP. It is one of my favorite Design paper - so versatile and the encyclopedia look works with so many of our stamps. Here, I pulled out one of my favorite SAB sets, Fresh Vintage, and overstamped the image directly on the patterned paper. I also used a sponge to add Lucky Limeade and a bit of Island Indigo ink to the paper.

The corner was folded over and held in place using a mini button brad from the Vintage trinkets kit. I also used a safety pin from the same kit to add my sentiment on the Poppy Parade twill ribbon. Since the cardstock corner was showing, I got the idea of using the stamp image from the Fresh Vintage set in the corner.

Finally, since I had brought the Curly Label punch along, I used it to create a tab, stamped with the flower from the same set and held in place with a polka dot In Color brad (another one of our embellishments which I love).

The sentiment was stamped with the Teeny Tiny Wishes set and punched with the Jewelry Tag punch.

Finally, a matching envelope was made out of Island Indigo patterned paper using the Diagonal Plate and SImply Scored.

 

 

Color Combo: Poppy Parade + Island Indigo + Lucky LImeade

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Voeyux mignons (Teeny Tiny Wishes), Fresh Vintage
Cardstock: Poppy Parade, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla
Design Papers: First Edition, 2011-2013 In Color DSP pack
Inks: Poppy Parade, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade
Accessories: Vintage trinkets, sponge, Curly Label punch, In Color polka dot brad,
Simply Scored and Diagonal plate, Jewelry Tag punch, Poppy Parade ribbon

 

Fresh Vintage Mosaic

SAB countdown: Only 6 days left!!

We made this card, which showcases the Faux Tiles technique, at our March team meeting. Would you like to join us to stamp next time? You could be part of the fun if you sign up to join SU! There is still a week left to benefit from the SAB sign-up special.

I made this card specifically to showcase the Diagonal Plate now sold for the Simply Scored board. When you score your cardstock before stamping on it, the ink is not transfered to the cardstock where your scoring lines appear, which then creates the impression of tiles. I really liked the damask flower from the Fresh Vintage set for this technique, especially stamped in Poppy Parade, because it reminds me of porcelain.

Aren't those colors pretty together? The combo uses two In Colors (Lucky Limeade and Island Indigo) and one from last year's In Colors (Poppy Parade), which will be leaving the catalogue at the end of May. (Don't forget, we are changing the catalogue year and the current catalogue will end in May this year.) This combo would work GREAT on a masculine card as well. FYI for those of you always looking for masculine card ideas...

 

 

Color Combo: Island Indigo + Lucky Limeade + Poppy Parade + Whisper White

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Fresh Vintage
Cardstock: Poppy Parade, Island Indigo, Whisper White
Inks: Poppy Parade, Island Indigo, Lucky LImeade
Accessories: Baker's twine (Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade), White envelope,
Everyday Enchantment brad (SAB), Simply Scored and Diagonal Plate

 

Birthday Bash Minibook

SAB Countdown: 9 days left

Here's another project from my workshop. I showcased the Party this Way stamp set, which can be found in the regular catalogue but can also be earned for free during SAB. It may look like a card, but it is actually a mini-book which I learned how to make at Leadership. I made another version, which my Club members and I made at our February meeting and which I will share tomorrow.

Since the stamp set matches the pennant punch, I thought I would add a banner at the top of the album cover. I punched the edge of a piece of Pool Party paper with the Scallop Edge punch, added rhinestone brads in each corner and twisted a piece of Pool Party baker's twine (love my baker's twine!) around them. Then, I stamped the pennants in Versamark on the cardstock (good way to get tone-on-tone colour without having to wash the stamp in between each pennant) and added pieces punched out of patterned papers from the paper stacks on top.

Since the Brights buttons are also a part of the SAB offering, I picked three matching colours to add to the pennants. We do not carry In Colour buttons, but you'll notice that the Old Olive and Tempting Turquoise buttons are a close enough match to work. As Stacey and Clinton from What Not to Wear would say, "It doesn't match - it goes!"  *wink*

The mini-album is held close with a Pool Party ruffled ribbon bow and I added the "party this way" sentiment on top of it. A row of candles is stamped repeatedly at the bottom in Pear Pizzazz ink.

The only thing missing that I think I'll add is Dazzling Details on the candle flames!

 

 

 

Color Combo: Pear Pizzazz + Pool Party + Pumpkin Pie

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Par ici la fête (Party This Way)
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White
Patterned paper: Pool Party, Pumpkin Pie, Lucky Limeade
Inks: Pumpkin Pie, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Pool Party ruffled ribbon, Dazzling Details, Rhinestone brads,
Pool Party baker's twine, Pennant punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Brights buttons

 

Élémentaire, mon cher Watson !

SAB countdown: 10 days left

I wish I could take credit for the card I am sharing today, but it is entirely CASEd from a card that was shown in the Stampin' Success, our monthly demonstrator magazine. I fell in love with it right away - loved the color, the use of this set, the design - and just had to copy it! It was the second card I taught at my SAB class.

As you can see, the Curly Label punch fits the frame from the Elementary Elegance SAB set. Here, the frame was embossed with white powder to make it stand out more. The beautiful brad and organza ribbon both come from the Everyday Enchantment embellishment pack.

This card comes together really quickly but packs a punch.

 

 

Color Combo: Island Indigo + Lucky Limeade + Pool Party + White

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Élégance élémentaire
Cardstock: Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Whisper White
Inks: Versamark, Lucky Limeade
Accessories: Curly Label punch, White embossing powder, Everyday Enchantment
embellishment packs (ribbon and brad), Stampin' DImensionals

 

Happy St. Patty's!

Last week, I was looking through my clear-mounted stamps and notice I tend to forget about those since they are kept separately from my wood-mounted stamps (and I am still very much a wood-mount girl). So, I pulled out a couple of stamp sets that I hadn't used in a while and left them on my desk for future inspiration. One of those sets is Gift Givers, which was part of the last mini. I did use it a few times while the mini was still available, but I mainly focused on the winter images. I hadn't used the St. Patrick stamp yet and it is SOO cute that I wanted to make sure it had seen ink at least once.

Then, when I saw the February Verve sketch #4 on SCS, I thought it would work perfect with the circle image I was hoping to use. The sketch is very simple, so I knew I had to find a way to make the large background interesting somehow. Then came the idea to do a woven background using strips of various green papers, so I looked into my paper scraps and put this together, adding a couple of ribbons here and there.

The main image was stamped on watercolor paper in Black StazOn and watercolored with inks and a blending pen. Once everything was dry, I added a bit of Dazzling Details around the leprechaun to give him a "magical" look. I wanted to mat the image to give it more presence on the card, so I used the 2-3/8 Scallop Circle punch, but I thought it still looked a little bare, so I pulled the Lucky Limeade organza ribbon from the Everyday Enchantment SAB embellishments pack and used the Spirelli technique Suzanne showed us at our team Christmas party. (My team and I meet every month to share techniques and ideas. You should make sure to sign up during SAB to enjoy the wonderful promotion and join in the fun!) Then I added small pearls where the ribbon didn't cross.

Finally, I added a strip of cardstock to mimick the sketch. It felt a little bare so I was thinking of adding dry embossing with a folder but I thought it might be a little too much against the busy background. Then, I thought I could try to find a heart stamp to create a four-leaf clover. (In retrospect, as I am writing this, I realize I had a few shamrocks image in my collection, in last year's SAB set and in the Every Little Bit set. Duh!) Anyway, I couldn't find a small enough heart to recreate the look, but thought I could do it with the Heart to Heart punch and create a tone-on-tone, faux embossed look. So I stamped the background with the hearts from the Confetti set and then I assembled my shamrocks using the punched hearts, adding a stem with a marker. I tore the end of the strip and added a border punched with the Pinking Hearts punch, in Soft Suede. Then I went looking for a Happy St. Patrick's Day stamp and found one in the retired En toutes occasions (old hostess set). I thought we had one in the Teeny Tiny Wishes set, but apparently, the French version doesn't include it.

Once everything was put together, i added a last-minute detail by covering the shamrocks with Dazzling Details and I'm glad I did because it really gave life to the card.

I hope you'll all wear green on March 17th!

 

 

Inspiration: February Verve Sketch #4

Color Combo: Pear Pizzazz + Soft Suede + Always Artichoke + Soft Sky

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Gift Givers, En toutes occasions, Confetti
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede, Soft Sky, watercolor paper
Design papers: Holiday Harmony, Wintergreen
Inks: Black StazOn, Always Artichoke, Certainly Celery, Pear Pizzazz, S
oft Sky, So Saffron, Peach Passion, Blush Blossom
Accessories: Soft Suede polka dot grosgrain ribbon, Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon,
Heart to Heart punch, Pinking Hearts border punch, 2-3/8 Scallop Circle punch, Pearls,
Lucky Limeade organza ribbon, marker, blending pen, Dazzling Details, Stampin' Dimensionals,
1-3/4 Circle punch

 

Spring is in the Air

Not really, as it has been snowing last night and I just had to go move my car so that the snow plough could take away the snow in the parking lot, but Spring is what I feel my card today inspires. Wishful thinking, maybe? The initial inspiration for it was the new hostess set that is showcased in the Occasions mini called Up in the Air. I was really looking forward to scoring a copy of it for myself and this is my first time inking it. The cute birdhouse was my favorite part of the set. I also looked online for sketch and colour inspiration and used the Deconstructed Sketch and the Play Date Cafe challenges as additional inspiration.

Another new item I tried out on this card is the Fancy Fan Letterpress plate I finally decided to get. I have *got* to include this item in a future class so you can give it a try because it is really fun! I was pleasantly surprised at how even an impression I got with it and how easy it was to use. It produces a completely different result from the embossing folders and it is so elegant! Since Craft ink is recommended to get the best results, I had the idea of adding Iridescent Ice powder on it before the ink dryed after I was done embossing. Gorgeous!

The main image was cut with the Labels Framelits and I used a tiny needle to add piercing around it. I stamped the birdhouse in Baja Breeze on a second piece of cardstock, used the handheld punch to punch the hole, colored the hole with a Basic Grey marker on the original piece and then layered the new birdhouse using Dimensionals. It really looks as if you can see inside the birdhouse! I added a tiny butterfly using the Beautiful Wings embosslits.

The sentiment comes from the Happiest Birthday Wishes hostess set and was embossed in white on a Baja Breeze strip of cardstock, whose ends I curled using the needle on my paper piercer to do so. I added two glimmer brads from the In Color pack at the top and I used my circle punch to create two notches at the bottom of the cardstock, which I used to tie some Baja Breeze seam binding around at the bottom. I added a matching button from the Twitterpated pack threaded with White baker's twine.

 

 
Inspiration: Deconstructed Sketch #40 + Play Date Cafe #120

Color Combo: Peach Passion + Pear Pizzazz + Baja Breeze

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: C'est dans l'air (Up in the Air), Voeux multiples (Happiest Birthday Wishes)
Cardstock: Peach Passion, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White, Baja Breeze, watercolor paper
Designer paper: Pear Pizzazz
Inks: Baja Breeze, Versamark, Pear Pizzazz
Big Shot: Labels Collection Framelits, Fancy Fan Letterpress plate, Beautiful Wings Embosslits
Accessories: Baja Breeze seam binding, Twitterpated button, White baker's twine, Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Embossing powders (White and Iridescent Ice), paper piercer, Basic Grey marker,
In Color glimmer brads, Stampin' Dimensionals, 1-in. Circle punch

 

Queen for a Day

I am really excited about the card I am showing you today. It started out with a sketch and I pulled out my Color Coach and played around with colors to find something something fresh and vibrant.

Since I had pulled out the Forever Young set earlier this week, it was still on my desk and I had the idea to use the portrait inside of the frame from the Elementary Elegance SAB set. So I started by embossing the frame in white on Coral Calypso paper (from the gorgeous Everyday Enchantment SAB assortment). I cut the frame out with a circle cutter and used the Curly Label punch to punch out the centre. On a separate piece of Peach Passion cardstock, I stamped the silhouette in Basic Grey craft ink and covered it with clear embossing powder.

 

Tip: If you do want to get craft ink so that you can emboss in various colors, you should have a look at our Stampin' Spots assortments. They are an inexpensive option to add a variety of colours to your ink arsenal, they don't take up a lot of room and they already come in a box ready to be stored. Always make sure you store your Stampin' Spots upside down so that the ink stays on top of the ink pad. This way, your Stampin' Spots will always be juicy when you use them.

 

After stamping the silhouette, I spotted the crown in the SAB set and thought, Hmm, I wonder if it's the right size to add on the girl's head... And it is! I wanted the crown to be sparkly, so I stamped it in Versamark (using the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to line it up) and embossed it with Iridescent Ice powder. Then I remembered we carry a stamp that says "Queen for a Day" in the You're a Gem set so I added this sentiment in Versamark at the bottom and embossed it with the Pewter powder. I made sure the sentiment would fit in the frame by laying it on top of the image and using the Stamp-a-Ma-jig to line up the sentiment properly. Then, I punched the image out with the 2-1/2 Circle punch and added it underneath the frame using Stampin' Dimensionals.

The So Saffron background was stamped with the flourish from the Fresh Vintage set (another SAB freebie) and embossed with clear powder. As you can see, I was on an embossing mission here and pretty much used all of my embossing powders! I then matted my image using the Paper Doily die and added some Pool Party paper from the Sweet Treat pack.

The left border was created by adding some Pool Party ruffled ribbon to the side of a piece of Coral Calypso textured cardstock (don't forget to add textured cardstock to your creation, it really adds dimension!) and I stamped the edge with the border stamp from the Fresh Vintage set. I then used the 3-Way Flower punch to punch three shapes out of Whisper White cardstock and I stamped the flower from the Fresh Vintage set in different colors on them, then I accented the centres with glimmer brads. (Note: We don't have glimmer brads in all of the colors I was using but some of them were close enough match to work. I used Bashful Blue to go with Pool Party and Gold to go with So Saffron.) I also added the new bigger-sized pearls on the right side of my main image.

 

 

 

Color Combo: Peach Passion + Coral Calypso + So Saffron + Pool Party

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Fresh Vintage, Mon trésor, Élégance élémentaire, Fine Flourish, Forever Young
Cardstock: So Saffron, Calypso Coral, Peach Passion, Whisper White
Design paper: Sweet Shop
Inks: Basic Grey, Versamark, So Saffron, Pool Party, Peach Passion
Accessories: Glimmer brads, 3-Way Flower punch, Paper Doily die,
Pearls, Embossing powders (Iridescent Ice, White, Pewter), Stampin' Dimensionals,
Pool Party ruffled ribbon, Ticket Corner punch, Circle cutter

 

Bright Blooms

One of the perks from Leadership is that we received two exclusive upcoming sets. One of them is called Bright Blooms and it matches the beautiful bag we received at the event. I was really excited to put some ink on it when I came back home and so I created this fun, fast card using it. Although this set is not available for purchase just yet, the sentiment set I paired with it is: it's from Occasions, one of the stamp set you can get for FREE during Sale-a-Bration!

The color combo was inspired from the beautiful colors of the fabric used on our bag, except that the original combo used Real Red and I chose to go with Poppy Parade since it will be retiring soon and I want to use it as much as possible before it does. I like the modern feel those colours have together.

I was playing catch-up with old Mojo sketch and used #225. To break up the squares a bit, I layered punched circles on them and voluntarily added some of them off-center to make it more whimsical.  The sentiment was embossed with white powder on Tempting Turquoise cardstock and I used a matching marker to color in the "Thanks."

I used the circles included in the set to create a polka dot background, and I added two 3/8'' brads on the sentiment panel. To decorate the envelope, I used some of the flower die-cuts that can be found in the Occasions mini. Easy-peasy and super pretty!

 

 

Inspiration: Mojo Monday Sketch #225

Color Combo: Tempting Turquoise + Lucky Limeade + Poppy Parade + White

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Bright Blooms, Il faut bien le dire (Occasions - SAB)
Cardstock: Poppy Parade, Lucky Limeade, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Inks: Poppy Parade, Lucky Limeade, Tempting Turquoise, Versamark
Accessories: Markers, White 3/8'' brads, White embossing powder, Circle punch,
Stampin' Dimensionals, White envelope, Flower die-cuts

 

Vintage Frame

This is another card I made using the beautiful Rue des Fleurs set. It is CASEd from a Leadership swap but I unfortunately don't know who to credit for the original idea because I didn't receive this swap myself, I just saw it in my friend Maggie's swap collection. The original used flowers as the main image, but I changed it for the flowery corset instead, which I inked with markers and decorated with small pearls.

The frame was created by using the new Framelits dies and embossing the centre with one of the Designer Frames folders (which you can get for FREE during SAB, by the way!).

The background was stamped with another Rue des fleurs image and I added the border alongside the Bravo Burgundy cardstock. The Elegant Eggplant cardstock was embossed using the Big Shot and the Vintage Wallpaper folder. The scallop border was die-cut with the Tasteful Trims die.

To finish the card off, I ruffled some lace trim at the bottom and added a Springtime Vintage rose ornament (which I think are still available in the Clearance Rack). The sentiment was stamped with the Perfect Pair set and punched with the Jewelry Tag punch.

 

 

Color Combo: River Rock + Elegant Eggplant + Bravo Burgundy + 
Soft Suede + Very Vanilla

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Rue des Fleurs, Quelques lignes (Petite Pairs)
Cardstock: River Rock, Elegant Eggplant, Bravo Burgundy, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Inks: River Rock
Big Shot: Framelits, Designer Frames embossing folder,
Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Tasteful Trims die
Accessories: Markers, Jewelry Tag punch, Victoria Lace Trim, Springtime Vintage rose accent,
Vintage brads, Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals



Under My Umbrella

One of the things I added to my next order when I came back from Leadership was the Vintage Attic product suite. I bought the stamp set, the papers and the matching journaling die-cuts. It is all so beautiful! I am particularly fond of that umbrella image - so elegant! 

I started this card by layering a few Design papers. I wanted to add a frilly border to my red panel, so instead of using my border punch, I decided to use the border stamp from the set, stamp it on Vanilla cardstock, cut it out and then cut it down the middle to create two borders. 

The umbrella was embossed on white paper and colored with markers. Be careful if you do that because the ink that rests on top of the embossing will not dry (emboss-resist effect) so you might want to rub it off gently using a tissue BEFORE you handcut your image or else you will have fingerprints everywhere. Ask me how I know...

The panel used for the sentiment comes from the Lace die-cut cards I showed yesterday. I used my Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to center my sentiment on it. The sentiment actually comes on two separate stamps: you have the Thank You stamp and two other sentences that can be paired with it. Here, I chose the "Thanks for looking over me" one. Since the sentiment is broken up in two stamps, I didn't have to use markers to get the two tones.

The cute umbrella image is one of the die-cuts from the Vintage Attic journaling die-cuts, on which I added pearls. Speaking of pearls, I also added one on the sentiment block and you'll notice it's the new bigger size that is now available in the Occasions mini.

I am really pleased with how this one turned out. I think the colours in those papers are just so beautiful together. I can't believe the last year's In Colors (including Poppy Parade, which you can see here) will be leaving us soon. You might have already heard that there will be a slight shift in the catalogue program, and that means that the current catalogue will end in May instead of June. Therefore, the 2010-2012 In Colors will retire soon, so make sure to stock up on reinkers, cardstock and ribbon before they are gone!

 

 

Inspiration: MFT sketch #58

Color Combo: Pool Party + Daffodil Delight + Poppy Parade

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Grenier antique (Rue des Fleurs)
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Pool Party, Very Vanilla
Design papers: Vintage Attic
Inks: Poppy Parade, Versamark, Soft Suede, Pool Party
Accessories: Markers, Vanilla envelope, Pearls, Vintage Attic journaling die-cuts,
Lace die-cut cards sentiment block, Embossing powder, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Am I dreaming or stupid or have I been hit by Cupid?

I bet you have been hoping all month that I would share projects made with supplies from the new Occasions mini, haven't you? I did place a preorder and receive everything , but all I had time to make with it were two swaps I was signed up for (41 cards total). Once those were done, I got in Christmas preparation mode and didn't find time to play with my new toys. I really hope to remedy that during the Holidays downtime, though.

Anyway, here's a sneak peek of what is coming up in the Occasions mini, which be launching on January 4th. I used the P.S.: I Love You set, a super cute Love/Valentine set. The paper doily is a new die, and so is the scallop border I used at the bottom. As you can see, there's a matching embossing folder that I used to add the detailing on the scallop border. I used the heart embossing folder from the same set to add little hearts above.

Another cool item coming up is the Blushing Bride smooch spritz! It has a lovely colour and shine to it and I love it already. And did you notice the Baker's twine I used to hold the paper doily in place? That's right - now available in Blushing Bride!! The cute buttons are also a new addition and they match our Twitterpatted collection.

Although it is hard to tell in the picture, the cherub was embossed with gold powder. To create the background, I stamped a circle of hearts from the same stamp set and I created a mask punched out with the Full Heart punch. I sponged ink all around the heart, punched the image out with the wide Scallop Circle punch and added pearls.

The Blushing Bride envelope came from a set of beautiful laser-cut cards that have those matching colored envelopes. Très cool!

 

Wishing you a very happy new year!!! May it brings happiness,
health and lots of stamping time!

 

Color Combo: Blushing Bride + Calypso Coral + Very Vanilla

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: P.S. : Je t'aime
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Very Vanilla, Calypso Coral
Designer papers: Everyday Enchantment
Inks: Blushing Bride, Calypso Coral, Versamark
Big Shot: Paper Doily die, Edgelits die, embossing folders
Accessories: Twitterpatted buttons, Blushing Bride baker's twine, pearls,
Gold embossing powder, Stampin' Dimensionals, Scallop Circle punch,
Full Heart punch, sponge

 

KKC Guest Designer - Inspiration Challenge

I am really happy to be taking part in this week's Ka-Pow Krative challenge as their Guest Designer. I was so excited when Carrie e-mailed me to confirm I had been selected as a guest designer. You see, Carrie is one of my favorite stamper and I am always super impressed at her ability to think outside of the box, unexpected use of tools and supplies and original ideas. She is really talented and creates beautiful projects, but most of all, she has a style that is truly her own and shares ideas that I have never seen anywhere else. You've seen her work as part of the Inkspirations DT, so you know what I'm talking about.

Even though I had received the challenge info way ahead of time, it took me a while to get something ready. I'll admit: I was intimidated! I wanted to do something special! I finally decided to just dive in and have fun with it. My first idea was to make a little treat box with little elf legs hanging out but a) I couldn't find the red die-cut box I know I have somewhere in my stash anywhere and b) Kirsty (from the Inkspirations DT team) has shared a similar box on her blog recently, so I decided to go somewhere else with the inspiration piece.

I really liked the tiles and wanted to play on that, so I used the Snow Burst embossing folder on a piece of Bashful Blue cardstock, inked the raised portion with Whisper White ink and embossed the whole thing. I was about to use clear powder and then saw the new scented powders that will be coming out in the Occasions mini next month out on my desk, so I decided to use the Vanilla-scented powder instead. I have to tell you, I had my doubts about this product, but it really does smell of Vanilla or Cherry (there's also Melon, but I didn't get that one)! I then clear-embossed a piece of white cardstock and ran it through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice embossing folder. I then punched a bunch of 1-in. squares using the punch from the Holidays mini and created a grid on a piece of cardstock. I used one of the dies from the new Tag collection (Occasions mini) to die-cut the center. I liked both pieces and wasn't sure which one to use - the frame or the center - so I decided to use the frame on a card and turn the other part into a matching tag.

Since the dies come in a collection of various sizes, I was able to die-cut a second, smaller piece that I centered in the middle of my frame. On this piece, I white-embossed the Christmas sentiment from the Hand-Penned Holidays set. I then rolled the Music Notes wheel over using Versamark and I added embossed snowflakes using the Northern Flurry folder. I added a bow made out of Crumb Cake seam binding and accented with a pearl (a new, bigger size that will be available in the Occasions mini). The frame was matted with red cardstock and both the frame and the middle part were raised on Dimensionals. I added blue rhinestone brads in each corner.

For the tag, I also white-embossed the same sentiment on Crumb Cake cardstock and added red buttons from the Holly Berry Bouquet pack on each end, held in place with white baker's thread, with a mini jingle bell added on the left button. I added a ruffle to the sentiment band, adding white waffle paper on the back (a new product coming in the Occasions mini as well). I held the waffle paper in place with sticky strip and gathered it to create ruffles. Then, I die-cut the edges using another exciting upcoming product: Edgelit dies. (I used the scallop trim die.)

Finally, I added a piece of Bashful Blue grosgrain ribbon at the top, on which I tied a bow made out of white taffeta ribbon and accented with a pearl. The remaning squares were used on a Crumb Cake envelope to complete the set.

I hope you play along in this week's Ka-Pow Kreative challenge! Be sure to share a link on Carrie's blog!

 

 

Color Combo: Real Red + Bashful Blue + Crumb Cake + Whisper White

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Notes manuscrites (Hand-Penned Holidays), Music Notes wheel
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Real Red, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Inks: Versamark, Whisper White
Big Shot: Snow Burst embossing folder, Square Lattice embossing folder, Northern Flurry
embossing folder, Tag Collection dies, Decor Edgelit die
Accessories: Holyy Berry Bouquet buttons, White baker's twine, Mini jingle bell, Vanilla-scented embossing powder, 1-in. Square punch, White embossing powder, Bashful Blue grosgrain ribbon,
White taffeta ribbon, Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals, Blue rhinestone brads, White waffle paper,
Sticky strip, Crumb Cake envelope

 

 

 

Fallen Leaves

I am catching up with past projects from 2011 I hadn't posted yet. This card was a project we made during my Holidays Mini class. I showed the participants how to color the leaves (from the Gently Falling set) using the cloisonne technique. 

The background Designer papers were run through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice embossing folder to create a quilted look. The sentiment ("You're an Angel") comes from one of the Simply Sent stamp set. I simply punched a second Curly Label out of Early Espresso cardstock, cut it in half and glued both halves underneath the stamped label. The sentiment label was also stamped with the leaves from the Confetti set.

 

 

Color Combo: More Mustard + Lucky Limeade + Pool Party +
Early Espresso + Vanilla

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Gently Falling, Chérissons les anges (You're Cherished)
Cardstock: Lucky Limeade, More Mustard, Pool Party, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Glossy White
Designer papers: Spice Cake
Inks: Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Early Espresso
Accessories: Pewter embossing powder, Espresso baker's twine, Vanilla envelope, brad,
Stampin' Dimensionals, reinkers, Square Lattice embossing folder

 

Peace on Earth

This is a card I created for one of my Christmas classes. The idea to use the map from the Open Sea set came directly from Carrie Gaskins, who is always so full of clever ideas! To make the top of the Christmas baubble, I first used the Ornament punch and then I slid the top of the ornament sideways in the Curly Label punch to get the shape you see here (punched out of Brushed Silver cardstock).

(Quick note to mention that the Open Sea set has been carried over and is still available for purchase.)

The background was embossed with the Finial Press embossing folder and overstamped with the Netting background stamp. The Poppy Parade patterned paper came from last year's hostess stack and the "Peace on Earth" sentiment comes from the Four the Holidays set. The sentiment and map were embossed with the Pewter embossing powder from the Holidays mini. (Fingers crossed that this product carries over - I love it!) I held the sentiment flag in place with a Poppy Parade glimmer brad. 

 

 

Color Combo: Baja Breeze + Lucky Limeade + Poppy Parade

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Quatuor des Fêtes (Four the Holidays), The Open Sea, Netting
Cardstock: Lucky Limeade, Baja Breeze, Brushed Silver
Designer paper: Poppy Parade (retired hostess paper stack)
Inks: Versamark, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Ornament punch, Curly Label punch, Finial Press embossing folder,
tampin' Dimensionals, white grosgrain ribbon, Pewter embossing folder, Glimmer brad,
White envelope, Mat pack, Paper piercer, Circle punch, Cutter Kit (distressing tool)

Inkspirations #100 - You Rock!

This card was inspired by the Grunge Rock set, which I bought last Spring while it was on promotion and am sorry to admit it has only seen ink a couple of times. I first decided to use the guitar image, so I inked it with markers in various colours and then added some clear embossing on top.

Tip: The trick to embossed an image that has been colored with markers or Classic ink is to stamp your image and leave the stamp down on your paper. Then, before, removing it, you place the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig's placement guide in the corner of your stamp, lift it up without moving the SAMJ and you wash your stamp, then reink it in Versamark. Using the SAMJ and the corner of your stamp as a guide, overstamp the image in Versamark over your original one and add the clear embossing powder. Cool, huh?

The argyle design was stamped in Versamark on a piece of Wild Wasabi polka dot paper and embossed in Pewter powder. I had the Music Notes wheel out on my desk from another project and thought it would pair up nicely with the guitar. I know some of you unmount your wheels - I've done it myself with a couple of designs - but I have to say that here, using a wheel worked out in my favor, since it allowed me to give the music score some movement. I made sure to move the wheel up and down my paper while rolling. The music notes were also embossed with the Pewter powder.

The bottom of the designer paper was scuffed with the side of my paper folder and rolled up a bit. The paper and cardstock were sprayed with the air tool and a marker, and I added a row of Champagne glass glitter held in place with Sticky strip.

The sentiment was pulled from the Voeux multiples hostess set and stamped in Early Espresso.

 

 

 

Color Combo: Early Espresso + Wild Wasabi + Marina Mist

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Music Notes wheel, Grunge Rock, Voeux multiples (Happiest Birthday Wishes)
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Wild Wasabi, Marina Mist
Designer papers: Eat Cake
Inks: Versamark, Early Espresso, Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi
Accessories:  Markers, Champagne glass glitter, clear embossing powder, sticky strip,
Pewter embossing powder, rhinestones, spritzer tool, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Distressing tool (Cutting kit)

 

December Creative Crew #1 - Inspire. Create. Share.

I cannot believe it is already my last month on the Creative Crew team. The four months sure flew by!

This month's challenges are centered around a single colour combo you must pick yourself and use on all four of your projects. I personally settled my choice on Concord Crush + Lucky Limeade + Island Indigo + Rose red.

For one of the challenges, we had the choice to make a project other than a card of our choice, so I knew I wanted to make a SUO page. I looked through my pictures and when I found this one of me taken in front of the main stage at the 2009 convention, I thought the colours would work just perfectly. I always try to take a picture of myself in front of the main stage when I go to an event and I use that picture as the front page of my album when I scrapbook the pictures of my trip.

I decided to use the big block from the decor as inspiration to create the title. I also wanted to mimick the different fonts, so I pulled out three different alphabet sets (Empire, Spencerian and Sweet Shoppe) and embossed them with white powder to get a crisp look. I added mini silver brads on each side of the words and I stamped the background with stamps that mimicked the patterns on the stage decor.

The design was inspired by a Page Map sketch. I die-cut a strip of silver glimmer paper with the Tasteful Trims die and added rhinestones on the scallops. I used the glimmer paper to add the date to my page as well, die-cutting the numbers using the Timeless Type Alphabet.

The bottom of the page was wheeled using the Very Vintage wheel and I stamped the flourish from the Baroque Motifs set in the corner. I added a stenciled image in the corner using the Mostly Vintage stencil, a dauber and some Champagne Mist shimmer paint, plus a few rhinestones to embellish.

I layered flowers cut out of different Designer papers that were die-cut using the Big Shot. The center was decorated with a white-embossed flower from the Baroque Motifs set and layered button on top, held in place with a thin strip of silver glimmer paper.

I added a bow made out of Rose Red seam binding and hung a key charm from it, on which I added a matching brad. Two Island Indigo polka dot brads holding a mini tag in place finished the look.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Empire Lower Alphabet, Spencerian Lower Alphabet,
Sweet Shoppe Lower Alphabet, SImple Shapes, Very Vintage wheel
Cardstock: Concord Crush, Rose Red, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White,
In Colors 2011-2012 DSP
Inks: Versamark, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Concord Crush, Rose Red
Accessories: White embossing powder, Key charm, Rose Red seam binding,
Mostly Vintage stencil, FLower die, buttons, rhinestones, silver glimmer paper,
Tasteful Trims die, mini silver brads, polka dot brads,
Champagne Mist shimmer paint, Mini Tag punch

 

Inkspirations #97 - Poinsettia Girl

  
 
  
 
 

This week, I decided to put some mileage on stamps that hadn't been used in a while and use papers that had been sitting in my stash for a while. I found an old piece of shimmery Holidays paper from KI Memories that I bought when I first started scrapbooking and used a square on my card and the rest to make a matching envelope. My main image was colored with Prismacolors and Gamsol and die-cut with an oval die. Since the little girl has some holly leaves on her dress, I used the Stocking Accents die to create a matching holly leaves accent. I dug out some old SU! buttons (before we had our lovely Designer buttons) to make the berries.

The border was created with the Lace Border punch, underneath which I glued 1-in. Circle of Regal Rose cardstock, and then I added pearls in the middle of each flower/snowflake. The background piece was wheeled with the Music Notes wheel and embossed with clear powder, and to finish it off, I added a white rub-on from the Old St. Nick rub-ons pack at the bottom.

This card was a special request from a coworker for her daughter's English teacher. This time, I made sure to select something that would appeal not only to the teacher herself but to the six-year old who would be giving it to her. You see, last time my coworker requested an English card at the end of the school year, I created something in black and white with just a dash of Cherry Cobbler and went with a shabby chic style. I loved it and thought the teacher would too, and my coworker loved it as well. But the six-year old daughter... not so much. In retrospect, I should have known and kept my target audience in mind when making the card, which is exactly what I did this time around!

 

 

 
Color Combo: Riding Hood Red + Regal Rose + Green Galore

 

Come join the fun! Here is the LINK to our challenge blog, where you can share a link to your creation, and links to the other DT members' creations:

 

Brandi
Carrie
Helen
Ilina
Kirsty
Lee-Anne
Makeesha
Marisa
Renée

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Pia Puddington (Stamping Bella), Music Notes wheel (SU!)
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Green Galore, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White
Designer papers: KI Memories
Inks: Versamark, Basic Black
Accessories:  Old St. Nick rub-ons, Clear embossing powder, Corner Rounder punch,
Stocking Accents, Lace Ribbon border punch, Buttons, Pearls, Circle punch,
Prismacolor pencils, Stumps, Gamsol, Oval die

 

Ornate Blossom

This is another older card I hadn't published yet. The background and main image were created using the Ornate Blossom single stamp. It was stamped in Cherry Cobbler on the background cardstock, but I used the Poppin' Pastels to give it color and shading on the main image.

The Poppin' Pastels technique is simple: you stamp an image in Versamark and apply pastels to your image using daubers or a Q-tip applicator. What I like best about this technique is that you can then use darker shades to adding shading to your image. As you can see, the blossom looks totally different here than it would stamped in ink.

The sentiment comes from the Curly Cute set and was embossed in gold powder.

 

 

Color Combo: Cherry Cobbler + More Mustard + Soft Suede + Very Vanilla

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Ornate Blossom, Jolies pensées (Curly Cute)
Cardstock: Cherry Blossom, More Mustard, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Inks: Versamark
Accessories: Gold embossing powder, Circle punch, Daubers, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

November Tour de Freaks - Keep it Simple, Stamper!



 
 
 
 

Psst... If you are reading this post on October19th, please note that we are getting the tour ready and testing the links to make sure everything is working. The official tour begins on the 20th, so if you cannot make the whole round tonight, hang in there with us!

   

Welcome to our November Tour de Freaks! This tour is brought to you by the Control Freaks Stampers members and if you have been following the tour, you should have gotten to my blog by clicking on the link provided by the lovely Deb Currier on her blog. If you are just starting out, make sure to visit all twelve blogs that are part of the tour today by following the links provided at the bottom of each post. Our theme this month is K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple, Stamper! With the Holidays fast approaching, keeping it simple is a great play to make sure everything on your crafting list gets done! I hope we can provide you with some inspiration for your Christmas cards and Holiday gifts! So without further ado, here are the fun projects I would like to share with you this month!

 

 

My first project: Christmas Cage

Project info: To me, simple rhymes with Simply Scrappin' kits. Everything you need is in there: cardstock, papers, assorted embellishments. The adhesive die-cuts include some cute holly leaves and berries, and I thought they would look awfully cute added to one of the cages from the Aviary set. To Keep It Simple even more, I pulled out my Page Maps card sketches to help design my card even more quickly. Looking at the sticky die-cuts sheet, I spotted some really small circle images that I thought I could line up to "hang" the cage from.

I then added a sentiment from the Four the Holidays set and I was done!

   

 

   



 

Supplies
Stamps: Aviary, Quatuor des Fêtes (Four the Holidays)
Simply Scrappin' Kit: Christmas Lane
Inks: Versamark, Soft Suede
Accessories: Corner Rounder punch, Pewter embossing powder

  

 

 

My second project: Movember Birthday 

Project info:  Isn't this birthday card just perfect for Movember? It was inspired by a card I saw in a recent Paper Crafts magazine, that I wanted to recreate using Stampin' Up! supplies. It is super simple, but it makes me smile every time I look at it. It uses the Many Mustaches set, which I embossed in black and handcut. If you wanted to save on time, you could do a set of four cards at once, using the different mustaches from the stamp. You would only have to stamp and emboss once to make your four cards.

The party hat was done with the Pennant Parade set and punched with the matching punch. The sentiment was pulled from the Happiest Birthday Wishes hostess set.

 

 

 

  

Color Combo: Poppy Parade + Tempting Turquoise + Daffodil Delight

 

Supplies
Stamps: Voeux multiples (Happiest Birthday Wishes), Many Mustaches, Pennant Parade
Cardstock: Poppy Parade, Tempting Turquoise
Designer papers: Big Top Birthday
Inks: Versamark, Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Black and White embossing powders, Pennant punch,
Circle punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

  

 

My third project: Christmas Tag

Project info: This is one of the tags I created for my Christmas Tags class. I like that it's simple but classy. Tags can really jazz up a gift or gift bag and get the person excited about receiving the gift even before he or she has unwrapped it. This one was made with the Contempo Christmas set and the tree was embossed with the pewter embossing powder (sold in the Holidays mini), which fits very nicely with the River Rock cardstock. The color combo came from the Color Coach.

 

   

 

   



 

Supplies
Stamps: Noël contemporain (Contempo Christmas), Confetti
Cardstock: Rose Red, Not Quite Navy, River Rock
Inks: Versamark, Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Circle punch, Scallop Ribbon punch, Pewter embossing powder,
Not Quite Navy taffeta ribbon, Crop-a-Dile, Bone folder

 

 

And now onto your next step on the tour, with Lisa Martz's wonderful creations!

 
  

Halloween Owl

I knew I really wanted this hostess set when I first saw the Holidays mini. I managed to bag a copy for myself, but it took a while before I had time to make a project with it. This is what I came out with a few weeks ago. The color combo was inspired by the cover of the latest Creating Keepsakes magazine.

The wreath was colored with markers and stamped on Crumb Cake cardstock. I punched the center out using the three-way flower punch and the outer part of the wreath using our scallop circle punch.

The owl was stamped in Soft Suede on Whisper White cardstock and then again on So Saffron and Pumpkin pie cardstock to paper piece the mask, beak and Halloween bag. Isn't this owl just awfully cute? I think the set is worth getting for this stamp alone (although the other pieces are all equally cool). By the way, did you notice that all of the pieces from this set can be used with our punches? I used the owl punch for the owl and the Banner punch for the banner with a little heart image.  

The sentiment also comes from the same set. I used a marker to ink it up and omit the snowflakes on the top and bottom scroll to stick with the autumn theme. I added rhinestones in the empty space instead.

Tip: Use your Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to stamp an image or sentiment twice and create a shadow look. Stamp your image in a pale color first, wash your stamp and then using the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, place your image slightly to the right of the first stamped image and stamp again in a darker color.

The patterned papers all come from the Just Eat Cake DSP pack. The striped paper was die-cut using the Two Tags die and I placed the wreath at the top of the tag. Instead of cutting the bottom off, I folded it inside the card and embellished the inside using the banner stamp again. I also used the negative space punched out of the center of the wreath to decorate inside the card as well.

Tip: Always decorate the inside of your card and matching envelope while you are making the card. Use the paper and cardstock scraps available or an image from your stamp set to decorate or trace and cut an envelope out of a sheet of matching Designer paper. I find that people really love the polished look an envelope gives and if you decorate it while all of your supplies are out, it will only take an extra minute (as opposed to trying to make a matching envelope later).

The hearts on the banner were covered with Crystal Effects and I pourred gold fine glitter on one of them. The banner was "held" in place using glimmer brads from the In Color pack (Peach Passion).

To create my polka dot background, I mounted a circle piece of rubber that was die-cut from the center of another stamp. I thought for sure it was the center of the wreath from the hostess set I used on this card, but looking back on it, the die-cut center of a wiggly shape. So I'm drawing a blank as to which stamp it was, but surely, it was a circle image with an empty center and instead of throwing the piece of rubber away, I kept it and mounted it on a spare wooden block to turn into a new polka dot stamp! So green of me...

  

  

Color Combo: Peach Passion + Wild Wasabi + So Saffron + Crumb Cake

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Meilleurs voeux (Warmest of Wishes), circle
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Designer papers: Just Eat Cake
Inks: So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Soft Suede, Peach Passion
Punches: Banner, Scallop Circle, Triple Use Flower, Owl
Big Shot: Two Tags die
Accessories: Gold glitter, Crystal Effects, glimmer brads, So Saffron taffeta ribbon,
Markers, Crumb Cake envelope, Daubers, Rhinestones

Inkspirations #95 - Jolly Snowman

  
 
  
 
 

For today's card, I wanted to use the "Noel" tag from the Holidays mini hostess set and I decided to pair it with the snowman from the Button Buddies set. For my colour combo, I knew I wanted to use Bashful Blue since I had buttons in that colour, so I pulled out my reference list of old cQc colours combo and found one that used this colour.

I kept the card simple because this will be Card #4 for my Button Buddies class (keep a close eye on my class schedule to register for a place if you're interested in making your own sample). To make the sentiment complete, I inked part of a sentiment from the Many Merry Messages set with a marker and added it to a strip of Always Artichoke cardstock.

The Old Olive designer paper comes from the Brights paper pack and the blue cardstock was embossed with the Northern Flurry embossing folder. I embellished the snowman with a deep red brad from the Royals pack and I added two mini silver brads to the button before gluing it on the snowman. I love those mini brads, they are a great size for small detailing on an image! I also added a rhinestone on the L of Noël, and I finished the card off with a white brad and a knot of Olive polka dot scallop ribbon.

 

 

Color Combo: Bashful Blue + Old Olive + Always Artichoke + Bravo Burgundy 
 

 

 

Come join the fun! Here is the LINK to our challenge blog, where you can share a link to your creation, and links to the other DT members' creations:

 

Brandi
Carrie
Helen
Ilina
Kirsty
Lee-Anne
Makeesha
Marisa
Renée

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Button Buddies, Meilleurs voeux (hostess), Nombreux voeux joyeux (Many Merry Messages)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Bravo Burgundy, Bashful Blue, Always Artichoke
Designer papers: Brights Designer pack
Inks: Night of Navy, Bravo Burgundy, Old Olive
Accessories:  Designer button, mini silver brad, Royals brad, 3/16 white brad,
Old Olive polka dot scallop ribbon, Northern Flurry embossing folder,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Rhinestone basic jewels

 

Many Christmas Wishes

This month's challenge on Shelli Gardner's blog was to share projects made with the Simply Scored tool. I'll admit I had never felt the need of getting a scoring tool before SU! came out with one but I decided to get one when SU! came up with its own version since it could be a legitimate part of my business. I haven't regretted the investment one bit. I had always used up to this point the scoring blade on my paper cutter but the Simply Scored is so much faster!!

Today's accordeon card is one of those techniques I had seen before but never tried myself. Not sure why - too much ideas, too little time I think was the reason. Anyway, I knew I wanted to use the adorable Something for Christmas single stamp for the middle pannel, and to pick colours, I relied on the trusty Color Coach to find a unique color combo.

The stamp was inked with markers and stamped on Whisper White cardstock. Then, I stamped the ornaments a second time, handcut them and popped them up on Dimensionals. I used one of the ornaments to decorate the back of the card as well, and used Crystal Effects to glue mica flakes all around the back panel.

The rest of the card was decorated very simply using patterned paper and cardstock. The trickiest part is figuring the measurements on the patterned paper. To create the indented shape, you need to use either the small paper cutter or a hobby blade. The tabletop cutter will not work since it is a guillotine cutter and you can't control and measure where the cut begins and end. To embellish the card a little, I added a bow made out of Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon and a red rhinestone brad in the middle of a Saffron button.

 

 

 

Color Combo: More Mustard + Riding Hood Red + Basic Grey

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Pour Noël (Something for Christmas)
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red
Designer paper: More Mustard
Inks: More Mustard, Riding Hood Red, Basic Grey
Accessories: Markers, button, rhinestone brad, mica flakes, Crystal Effects,
Simply Scored tool, Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals