Encre, papier, ciseaux

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

 

Oak Tree

I cannot take credit for this card's design. It has been entirely copied off of a creation from Teneale Williams, one of my favorite stampers. Teneale has an amazing eye for design and details and wonderful craftsmanship. We were lucky to have her on board on the Inkspirations DT and I have been following her on her blog ever since. 

This is one of her wonderful creations I had kept in my inspiration folder and the last time I needed a masculine card quickly, I decided to channel Teneale. I particularly liked how she had taken an old stamp set (Lovely as a Tree) we have already seen used time and time again and breathed new life into it. I inked it with markers and used an Aquapainter brush to blend the colours a little bit. The Always Artichoke also looks great paired with Vanilla and Chocolate Chip.

The striped paper comes from an older pack called Holiday Harmony and the newsprint paper from from the First Edition pack. Everything was inked for a shabby look and I used two pieces of twill side by side to create a wider ribbon, held in place with a Big Designer button (currently available in the Clearance Rack) and a piece of linen thread.

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Quelque chose à fêter (Something to Celebrate)
Cardstock: Confetti Cream, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke
Patterned papers: First Edition, Holiday Harmony
Inks: Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Vintage brads, Square envelope, Markers, Aquapainter, Daubers, Twill,
Big Designer button (Chocolate Chip), Linen thread

 

Sweet and Simple

 Playing catch-up again with older cards I had left in my folder.

The first card is a copy of a convention Make 'n Take that I saw pictures online. I loved the colours and composition and I had the set on hand, so I reproduced it, replacing the sentiment with a French one from Pour ton anniversaire. The flowers are from the Just Believe set.

 

 

This second card was created after a sketch from Paper Crafts. I paired ribbons with eyelets of the same colour and added a couple of bows on some of them. The sentiment comes from the set For Everything and I used markers to color in the letters.

 

 

The third card was also inspired by a Paper Crafts sketch. I embossed the Elizabeth stamp with fold powder on Cherry Cobbler cardstock, then again on Vanilla cardstock and handcut the oval center. I then stamped a sentiment in Real Red ink and added the oval to the card with Dimensionals, with two pearls on each side.

I tore the edge and folded it over, gluing a Vanilla punched border underneath and tying a piece of Crumb Cake taffeta ribbon over the seam. I added a piece of Real Red cardstock inside the card, to show beneath the lacy border.

 

Ain't No Sunshine

This is another card submission that didn't make it. I will admit this was my favorite of the all of the cards I submitted for publication this year.

The cloud and raindrops come from the On Board chipboard pack from the 2011-2012 SU! catalogue and when I saw those pieces, I kept thinking of the song "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone." I used my computer and printer to create a sentiment along those lines and used my RGB reference code to match the printing to my cardstock colors. I rounded the corners and matted the tag with Calypso Coral cardstock, then added another piece of chipboard from the same pack, which was covered with Baja Breeze Craft ink (since we don't carry Pool Party in Craft) and clear-embossed. I punched a hole using the Crop-a-Dile and added white Baker's twine.

The Basic Grey background was embossed with the polka dot Texturz plate and I stamped an image from my unmounted In Stitches wheel on all four sides. The cloud and raindrops were covered with Whisper White ink and I added Iridescent Ice embossing on the raindrops and mounted them with Dimensionals on the card.

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: In Stitches wheel
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Whisper White, Pool Party, Calypso Coral
Ink: Whisper White, Basic Grey
Accessories: On Board chipboard, Iridescent Ice powder, Polka Dot Texturz plate,
Printer, Corner Rounder punch, White Baker's twine, Crop-a-Dile

 

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

 

 

 

Best Mustache in Town

I sent a few cards for publication a few weeks ago and this one didn't make the cut. You probably can't tell from the picture, but the mustache has fuzz on it! I stamped the mustache in Basic Black Craft ink, pourred Heat 'n Stick on it, melted it and added velvet flocking on it. It looks very cool, if I may say so myself! 

The background paper is from the First Edition pack, and the Poppy Parade paper came from the Just Eat Cake pack. The sentiment, which was heat-embossed with black powder, was pulled from the Delightful Dozen set and I used a die from the Lots of Tags set to mat the sentiment. The trick to getting a double oval mat like I did is to handcut the center of the die following the dotted line (Vanilla) and add a mat (Black) punched with the Wide Oval punch. I added black satin ribbon and black glimmer brads and I was done.

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Many Mustaches, Douce douzaine (Delightful Dozen)
Cardstock: Basic Black, Very Vanilla
Designer papers: First Edition, Just Eat Cake
Inks: Basic Black, Versamark
Accessories: Heat 'n Stick, Glimmer brads, Black velvet flocking, Black satin ribbon,
Lots of Tags die, Wide Oval punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Vanilla envelope

 

Flying High

The Cat's Pajamas had such a cute sketch this week that I couldn't resist making something with it. This card is just so colourful, it makes me smile every time I look at it! 

I used some Echo Park papers and matching stickers (the clouds). The cute epoxy brads in the upper corners are from the upcoming Occasions mini - aren't they just yummy?

The sentiment was a happy match. I was looking at my sentiment binder to find something appropriate for the card and when I saw the "You're at the top!" sentiment from one of SU!'s hostess sets, I thought it would work perfectly. The sentiment was the only part of creating this card that gave me grief. Everything was going to well. I had planned on stamping the sentiment on the cloud and I tested the ink on the sticker sheet before stamping on the project. It worked great and didn't smear so I went ahead, but what do you know, once I was done and getting the card ready to take pictures - smudges! So I went back, handcut a cloud from the patterned paper and tried to stamp the sentiment on it. I wanted it on two lines like I had done originally on the cloud, so I only inked the last word with a marker, but when I stamped it, it left a mark where the other words are! I decided to just go with the flow, use my SAMJ to reink and restamp and I decided it was good enough. The patterned paper cloud didn't have stitching around it, so I used a Bermuda Bay marker to add stitching to match the other clouds.

The green ribbon on the left band is from an upcoming SAB embellishment pack.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Up, Up and Away (TCP), Le mot juste (SU!)
Cardstock: Bazzill, SU! (Pink Passion, Whisper White)
Inks: Basic Black
Patterned papers: Echo Park Paper Co. (Summer Days by Bella Blvd.)
Accessories: White envelope, Markers, Epoxy brads, Scallop Trim punch,
Pinking Heart border punch, rhinestones, Stampin' Dimensionals, Echo Park sticky die-cuts,
ribbons, brads, oval die

 

Accordeon Tree

This card was an experiment that didn't quite pan out. My upline shared with me the picture of a card she found online featuring a beautiful tree made out of paper fans. The Simply Scored had just come out and we both tried to make our own version at home. She struggled with adhesives, and mine didn't come out right either. It's not bad, but it's not as pretty as what the original crafter had made. I has trouble finishing the top properly and I figured that if I had struggled that much, it wouldn't be a good class project.

Maybe I'll try again next year...

I still wanted to share it with you and wish you a very merry Christmas, dear readers! I hope you enjoy the holidays and have time to relax, unwind and stamp! Best wishes to you all!

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Shimmer White, Soft Suede
Patterned papers: Paisley
Ink: Whisper White
Accessories: Iridescent Ice powder, chipboard star, mica flakes,
Scallop Trim border punch, Simply Scored

 

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)

 

Cinderella's Wish

 This is a card I created a couple of weeks ago. It took me forever and a day because of the coloring. I can be quite effective when watercoloring, but I am painfully slow with any other kind of medium.

Since the little girl in the image is supposed to be Cinderella, I wanted to play on the midnight time, hence the numbered paper and the stamped clock. The clock comes from a older SU! set called Il était temps. I've kept this one even though it is retired because a clock image can always come in handy.

I was a little puzzled as to which sentiment to add to the card, so I had left it bare, but at the last minute, I decided to add the "Make a wish" sentiment. The whole card was done and already put together, so I hoped I wouldn't mess it up by stamping the sentiment crooked or something. I used the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig for help, but the bulky trim made it a little challenging. It worked out - thankfully!

The faux zigzag stitch was done with the paper piercer, mat pack and a white gel pen. I then added Liquid Pearl dots between each zigzag. I added Stickles to the numbers on the paper and some chenille rickrack on each side. The satin ribbon is Purely Pomegranate ribbon from an old minicatalogue, and I added a fuzzy brad at the bottom.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Cinderella (Stamping Bella), Il était temps (SU!), Un petit plaisir de fête (SU!)
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White
Designer papers: Cosmo Cricket
Inks: Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Vanilla envelope, Purely Pomegranate satin ribbon, chenille rickrack,
Stickles, Nestabilities die, markers, white gel pen, paper piercer, mat pack,
Liquid Pearl, fuzzy brad, distressing tool (Cutting Kit), Copper embossing powder,
vintage brad, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Elegant Poinsettia

I must credit Connie Collins for the idea behind this card. She's the one who came up with the poinsettia idea and shared a wonderful video on how to make one. I won't spill the beans on what she used to make it, but it's pretty darn clever! Click on THIS link to watch her video. I was in need of a "special card" for a coworker who always request a card from me to give the president of her Administration Board. This is why the inside is decorated as well: it has a panel that opens up so that everyone has room to sign the card and write a little note, since the card will be given by a group.

The outside of the card showcases my favorite stuff from the Holidays mini (Holly Berry Bouquet DSP and matching buttons), but the inside introduces some upcoming new products from the Occasions mini, which will be out in January. If you've booked a workshop with me, you'll be excited to see this! It was the perfect chance to test out the new Edgelits and matching embossing folders. I have to say: I'm really impressed with the results! And so glad I decided to purchase the matching embossing folders. They weren't on my initial preorder list - I had to draw the line somewhere! You'll recognize the sentiment as the For Christmas single stamp, which I love using because it turns out SO beautiful every single time!

 

 

Inspiration: Mojo Monday sketch 218

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Pour Noël (For Christmas)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler
Designer papers: Holly Berry Bouquet, Early Espresso
Inks: Early Espresso
Big Shot: Edgelits and embossing folders, Stocking die, Spider Web embossing folder
Accessories: Markers, Pearls, Circle punch, Glimmer brads,
Holly Berry Bouquet button, Daubers, Lace trim

 

Cinderella's Ride

Today's card was inspired by a Stamping Bella sketch. I bought this stamp during my Toronto weekend a year and a half ago... and I have the regret to admit this is the first time this stamp is seeing ink! I wasn't really sure what I'd use it for when I bought it, but when working on the sketch yesterday, I took out my uninked stamps and rummaged through my papers. When I stumbled unto those older Chatterbox paper, I thought the colours would work great with the pumpkin. The only thing that kept popping into my mind was "And they lived happily ever after," so I decided I would make an untraditional wedding/engagement card with it.

See those cute stacked mats I used on the image? They are the brand-new Framelits carried by SU!, which will be coming out in the upcoming Occasions mini. They are great! They are thin, open dies so you can see eactly where you are cutting. If you look closely at the image, you'll even notice I found a way to dry-emboss with them!! (They are not made exactly like the Nestabilities, so I had to find a different way to use them to emboss. I'll try and take pic soon - it'll be easier than explaining the how-to with words.)

I'm particularly happy with how the journaling turned out. I handwrote my sentiment all around the frame and it so happens that I managed to space everything out perfectly on the first try! Couldn't believe it when I finished! The main image was colored with Prismacolor pencils, stumps and Gamsol, and I added Stickles on the carriage and Crystal Effects on the windows to make the image more interesting. I added some pearls around the edges as well.

The rest is pretty straightforward: four patterned paper squares, two layered ribbons and buttons in each corners. I used some matching patterned paper to create my own matching envelope.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Stella's Chariot (Stamping Bella)
Cardstock: Bazzill, SU! (Whisper White)
Inks: Basic Black
Patterned papers: Chatterbox
Accessories: Buttons, ribbons, Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, stumps, Crystal Effects,
Tag Collection Framelits dies, Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stickles, Marker (Night of Navy)

Inkspirations #100 - Christmas!

   
 

Can you believe we reached the hundredth mark this week? Holy Molly, that's a lot of projects created over the last couple of years that were inspired by Keesh's challenges! For this week's Inkspirations challenge, we are doing a very simple and a propos theme: Christmas! It's as simple as that. Just come dazzle us with your wonderful Christmas creations!

My creation today is something simple and elegant I put together with the use of my Simply Scored board and the beautiful Serene Snowflakes set. Every year, I have to make at least one sepia snowflakes creation. I can't help, I just like how elegant it looks.

The starting point of this card was the middle square, which I created by inking an acrylic block with Crumb Cake ink and "stamping" it on Very Vanilla cardstock. I then masked the sides with Post-It notes and added snowflakes using Crumb Cake ink. I then took the masks off and added a bigger snowflakes in Soft Suede in the corner and the beautiful Christmas sentiment from the Delightful Dozen set at the top. I love how it almost look like the snowflake and sentiment were stamped with copper ink.

Then, using the Simply Scored tool, I created a frame around the image and added stripes on all four sides of the frame. Using a Soft Suede marker, I inked only one of the small snowflakes and used my Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to add them to the corners. I matted the image, added a pearl on the big snowflake and mounted the cardstock on my card base. Presto! A new beautiful card all done in less than half an hour.

 

 

 

 

 

I know this is a busy month but I hope you'll join in the fun. This is our last week of challenges, so be sure to join us! 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. Be sure to give them some love on their last week!

 

Brandi
Carrie
Helen
Ilina
Kirsty
Lee-Anne
Makeesha
Marisa
Renée

 

 All of my best Holiday wishes to you all!

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Serene Snowflakes, Douce douzaine (Delightful Dozen)
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Inks: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake
Accessories:  Pearl basic jewels, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, Soft Suede marker,
Acrylic block, Simply Scored tool

 

December Creative Crew #4 - Nametag

The final December Creative Crew challenge was to create wearable art. That was the most challenging one for me. I thought I could make a bracelet out of windowpanes, but it finally ended up being a nametag because I knew I could get some use out of it at events.

I used the Clearly for You set to embellish my nametag. The crown was embossed, colored, handcut and added on top of the windowpane for dimension. I also added a crown charm because my team's named the Queens of Art, so the crowns seemed fitting. I added my name using the Empire Lower Alphabet and I love the look of this font!

 

  

  

 

 

Stampin' Up Supplies
Stamps: Empire Lower Alphabet, Clearly for You
Cardstock: Whsper White
Inks: Island Indigo, Rose Red, Lucky Limeade, Concord Crush, Verswamark
Accessories: Polka dots brads, Concord Crush ribbon, Lucky Limeade ribbon,
Pewter embossing powder, marker, Crown charm, Windowpane, Rhinestones

 

December Creative Crew #3 - Snowflake Girl

This third December Creative Crew challenge was to create a card using our chosen colour combo and a given sketch. I thought I could use the Hello Doily background stamp to mimick the big circle on the sketch and the idea behind this card was born. I picked Concord Crush as my background colour because I love how realistic the doily looks when white-embossed on a dark background.

I stamped and colored the little girl from Greeting Card Kids on watercolor paper and added snowflakes from the Serene Snowflakes set.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Greeting Card Kids, Hello Doily, Tous mes voeux pour Noël
Cardstock: Concord Crush, Lucky Limeade, Rose Red, Island Indigo, watercolor paper
Inks: Versamark, Concord Crush, Lucky Limeade, Rose Red, Island Indigo
Accessories: Pewter embossing powder, Circle punches, White embossing powder,
Silver embossing powder, Ribbon, Polka dot brad, SAMJ, Stampin' Dimensionals, White envelope

 

December Creative Crew #2 - C for Creativity

This is project #2 of my December Creative Crew projects. We had to create a home decor piece in our chosen colour combo and I decided to alter a wooden C letter I had previously bought to decorate my stamping room. I used Mono Multi liquid glue to adhere patterned paper on the letter and sanded the edges with a sanding block. I added ribbons, a crown charm and some buttons. Then I stamped the word "Create" using the Broadsheet Alphabet set, and I sponged a motif using the Mostly Vintage stencil and White Frost shimmer paint at the bottom. I added pearls and a filigre brad to the stenciled image.

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Broadsheet Alphabet
Ink: Lucky Limeade
Designer papers: In Colors paper pack
Accessories: Ribbons, Crown charm, brads, filigree brad, White Frost shimmer paint,
buttons, pearls, Very Vintage stencil, sanding block

 

Inkspirations #99 - Life's a Circus!

   

 

We have a beautiful sketch to share with you this week. I was very tempted to make a scrapbook page and had even thought of using the Peek-a-Boo frames to mimick the squares at the bottom of the sketch, but when I stumbled upon the ticket paper in my stash and thought it would look perfect paired with the circus bear image, the scrapbook page took a backseat to the idea for this card.

Looking at this card just make me want to smile. I think the cheery colours have a brightening effect on my mood. The circus tent was created with a TCP die and paper pieced to get the various colours and patterns on it. I used a polka dot Texturz plate to add texture to the sky, and I used another TCP die to die-cut clouds out of felt. I am still praying that SU! comes out with felt in our original colours... Last time i was at the fabric store (I'm not much of a seamstress, but I needed fabric for my office Christmas party costume), I looked at the felt sheets there and the colours were not too appealing.

Anyhow, the tickets at the bottom of the cards were handcut from a piece of patterned paper. I used the rest of the patterned paper to make a matching envelope and decorated it with a couple of handcut tickets as well. I finished off the card by tying some baker's twine around it and adding a glittered brad in the center of the bow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know December is always a busy month but I hope you'll join in 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

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Step Right Up (TCP)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Bazzill (orange, yellow)
Inks: Basic Black
Patterned papers: My Mind's Eye
Dies: Grass, Clouds, Tent (TCP)
Accessories:  Markers, baker's twine, glittered brad, envelope template,
blue felt, Texturz plate, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

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 #98 - The Gift of Christmas

  

 
  
 
 

I love this sentiment, found in the Contempo Christmas set. It translates to "Christmas is love" and it's also the title of a Christmas song, which I can't help but hum every time I see this set. I thought I'd pair it with the little girl from the Greeting Card Kids for a different look.

I wanted to try something "artsy-fartsy" for the background. I had seen a technique in a past Paper Crafts where they drizzled some reinkers on a piece of paper that had been stamped with Versamark. My first try didn't work as intended, so I decided to add clear embossing to make sure the resist worked. (The background was wheeled with the Music Notes wheel, a really versatile wheel.) I also used watercolor paper to absorb the heavy watering I did on the paper. I left it aside to dry and once it was done, I thought it needed a little touch of glimmer and since my Pearl Ex were still out on the table from a previous project, I dry-brushed some gold Pearl Ex in the background. I also stamped the Ornate Blossom stamp on my wasabi patterned paper with Versamark and added green Pearl Ex to it using a dry brush, the same way you would do the Poppin' Pastels technique.

The little girl was embossed with gold powder on watercolor paper and colored with inks and blending pen. I added Saffron glimmer brads in the upper corner to balance the design out.

 

 

 

 

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: Greeting Card Kids, Music Notes wheel, Noël contemporain (Contempo Christmas)
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, watercolor paper, Whisper White
Designer papers: Just Eat Cake
Inks: Versamark, Rose Red
Accessories:  Scallop Ribbon punch, Holly Berry Bouquet button, Gold cord, Blending pen,
2-1/2 Circle punch, Gold embossing powder, Clear embossing powder, Pearl Ex,
Subtle glimmer brads