Encre, papier, ciseaux

Baby Girl Gift

So my sister and brother-in-law found out this week what their baby is going to be... and it's a baby girl! I'm getting another niece! So I had a little something I might to bring to my sister for the baby and I decided to make it nice and pretty.I thought the In[k]spite Me challenge #315 was perfect for a girl combo. I pulled out the Baby Bear stamp set and placed the bow on its head. I stamped and embossed in Blushing Bride powder the "something for baby" sentiment, and cut it apart so that it could fit in the tag.

This project is a perfect mix of old and new: the colors and Baby Bear set are current, but I also pulled out an old wheel called Baby Tees and some pink heart eyelets that I'm pretty sure I've had for a decade. It always feels to good to be putting the older stuff to good use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Bébé ourson (Baby Bear), Baby Tees Wheel
Cardstock: Sweet Surgarplum, Powder Pink, Fresh Fig, Whisper White
Ink: Sweet Surgarplum, Powder Pink, Fresh Fig, Perfect Plum
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Elegant Tag Topper Punch, Heart Eyelets,
Fresh Fig 1/8" Ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Corner Rounder Punch,
Sweet Sugarplum Glitter Ribbon, Blushing Bride Stampin' Emboss Powder, White Gift Bag

 

O Christmas Tree

This card was inspired by the Stamp Ink Paper challenge #114. This card is fairly straightforward, using the Merry Little Christmas super suite from the 2017 Holidays Catalogue. The most intricate of the card was stamping the sentiment in black ink and then overstamping in VersaMark so I could clear-emboss the sentiment to make it stand out more on Real Red Cardstock. Then, I stamped the sentiment in black again on a scrap of Old Olive cardstock and following the shape of the wave pattern, I handcut it in a little banner, to overlay on the sentiment using mini Stampin' Dimensionals. The fun trim at the bottom is the Mini Tinsel Trim. (The Combo includes both silver and red.)

TIP: By the way, after doing the same die-cut frame on another card, I quickly figured out I was not doing the frame right after I wound up with four holes on each side. This time around, I realized I had to find the middle of my vertical side and place the two holes of the frame at that mark. Then, when you turn the die around to cut the second part (the die is not a full frame, it's only an half, which you use twice), you place the holes at the center mark again, making sure they go into the holes that were previously die-cut. Now that I've realized that, the frame came out perfectly.

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Cantiques de Noël (Carols of Christmas)
Cardstock: Real Red, Old Olive, Thick Whisper White
Designer Series Patterned Paper: Merry Little Christmas
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, VersaMark
Accessories: Merry Tinsel Trim Combo Pack, Envelope Punch Board, 2-1/2" Circle Punch,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, Stitched Shapes Framelits,
Card Front Builder Thinlits Dies

 

Gold Swirly Snowflakes

Inspired by Global Design Project #102, I pulled out the Snowflake Sentiments bundle to make a card to send to a downline members. I knew I wanted to use the Merry Music Specialty Designer Series Paper, so I looked at past ColourQ challenges to find a combo that would include black and white, and thought #222 would make for an interesting card.

I die-cut the snowflake border out of Gold Foil Paper, and I embossed a sentiment from the Snowflake Sentiments stamp set in gold powder to match. Black mini-sequin trim was added at the bottom, and I used the die from the same set to add a perforated line at the top. I accented some of the holes with the new black sequin basic jewels and added mini sequins from the trim to the center of each snowflake on the bottom border.

White swirls were die-cut using the same die set, and I stamped the row of snowflakes repeatedly on each side of where the paper was going to be, on the Smoky Slate card base to create a lace-like effect.

A matching gold border was added to my white medium envelope to match.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Souhaits en rafales (Snowflake Sentiments)
Cardstock: Smoky Slate, Shimmery White, Gold Foil
Specialty Designer Series Paper: Merry Music
Ink: Smoky Slate, VersaMark
Accessories: Swirly Snowflakes Thinlits Dies, White Medium Envelope,
Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder, Black Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Black Mini-Sequin Trim

 

Winter Alpaca

This card was inspired by Paper Players sketch #359.

When I got a bottle of Glimmer Kiss months ago, I made a few random pieces to test it out, including a piece of paper I had die-cut with the Stitched Windy Backdrop and covered entirely with Periwinkle Glitter Kiss. I had left it aside to use on a project and today, I decided to use it as a night sky behind the new Stitched Hillside Backdrop Portrait die from Lawn Fawn's 2017 fall release. I found a great color combo in past ColourQ challenges (#11) and used a piece of Perfectly Plaid Winter paper for my frame.

I was really excited that the release included some birch trees, which I had been wanting to add to my die collection. I die-cut them out of Very Vanilla cardstock and added stripes on them with markers. The Stitched Hillside Backdrop set includes some pine trees, so I cut some out of Basic Grey textured cardstock and added them in the back. The sentiment (from 2017 Holiday Catalogue's Snowflake Sentiments stamp set) was stamped in VersaMark over the glittered background and embossed in Smoky Slate embossing powder. Pearls were added as snowflakes.

I also added a little red bird (inspired by Merry Monday #219), another die from the same set, on the trees, and my little colored alpaca on the bottom hill. A piece of Bashful Blue ribbon was added at the bottom and topped with a bow made with the Bow punch, and covered with an iced rhinestone embellishment. White fine glitter was added to the hillside borders with a glue pen, and the frame was added to the card with foam strips for dimension.

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Souhaits en rafales (Snowflake Sentiments - Stampin' Up!), Winter Alpaca (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla, Textured Basic Grey, Cherry Cobbler
Patterned Papers: Perfectly Plaid Winter (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: VersaMark, Tuxedo Black Memento
Accessories: Bow Punch, Periwinkle Glitter Kiss, Smoky Slate Stampin' Emboss Powder,
Pearl Basic Jewels, Copic Markers, Iced Rhinestone Embellishments, Bashful Blue Grosgrain Ribbon,
Winter Alpaca Die, Stitched Hilside Backdrop Portrait Dies, Birch Tree Dies, Stitched Windy Backdrop Die (Lawn Fawn),
Very Vanilla Medium Envelope, Fine White Glitter (Martha Stewart), Glue Pen, Adhesive Foam Strips

 

While the Mouse is Away...

While the mouse is away, the cats play?

I was trying to think of how the newly released Lawn Fawn sets could tie in with the existing sets. When I saw the Christmas tree in the Christmas Dreams stamp set, I thought the cat that stretches, in the Meow You Doin'? set, might work to look like he's reaching for an ornament in the tree. I couldn't wait to get the new sets in my hot little paws to try it out.

The position of the cat is not exactly right, but it's close enough that we can get away with it. My favorite one, though, is the cat playing with the ribbon bow - this idea I stumbled upon while pulling out the two sets and it works well! (By the way, I remembered after stamping the cats that I don't own the matching dies yet, since they weren't available when I got the stamps. I had to handcut the two cats freehand and I think I managed to make it work, but it reminded me that we really get used fast to relying on those matching dies!)

There's a big amount of coloring and die-cutting involved in making this card, but I got so focused on the task ahead that I totally lost track of time and had a lot of fun putting everything together. The patterned papers used are from the new Perfectly Plaid Chill 6 x 6 paper pack and the colors are awesome.

Another idea I had was to use the Shut the Front Door die as an element of the background (instead as an interactive element). I cut out the frame and created a new gold one out of patterned paper using the same measurements. I filled in the windows with Crystal Effects for a glazed, shiny look. The oval mat from the Christmas Dreams stamp set was stamped on patterned paper, die-cut and added in front of the door. (The outside was colored with a marker.)

I had colored and die-cuts three candy canes and three little fish to use as ornaments on the tree. Since the cat was hiding part of the tree, I decided to use the last two to put inside the stockings instead. The outside of the background paper was die-cut using the Stitched Rectangle Stackables dies.

Finally, I wanted to fill the space above the mantel, so I thought I could use the smallest frame from Flirty Frames as a wall hanging. I was looking at the other sets to decide what to add to the frame and I spotted the mouse. Is it the owner of the house and the cats are breaking havoc while he's away? Or are the cats simply decorating their own home?

It's up to you to decide...

 

Inspiration: Merry Monday Summer Catch-Up challenge (#243 - Christmas Scene)

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Christmas Dreams, Meow You Doin'?, Flirty Frames (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Delightful Dijon (card base), Brilliant Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Dies: Christmas Dreams, Flirty Frames, Shut the Front Door, Stitched Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Copic Markers, Crystal Effects, Stardust Gel Pen, White Medium Envelope

 

Faux Embossed Leather

I stumbled unto a new technique while watching the videos Papertrey Ink posted during their Stamp-a-Faire weekend. Nichole was showing in THIS video how to make faux embossed leather and I thought the result was pretty neat, so I pulled out the Detailed Floral Thinlits and Flourish Thinlits to give it a try. I wanted to keep the background the focus, so I kept the embellishment to a minimum. I stamped and embossed my sentiment in gold powder using the Festive Phrases stamp set from the 2017 Holidays catalogue. I die-cut and matted the sentiment using the Layering Oval Framelits, and I tied some burlap and gold ribbons underneath.

The colours were inspired by past ColourQ challenge #241.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Festive Phrases
Cardstock: Pool Party, Tempting Turquoise
Ink: Soft Suede, Early Espresso, VersaMark
Acessories: Sponges, Layering Oval Framelits, 1/8" Gold Ribbon, 5/8" Burlap Ribbon,
White Medium Envelope, Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Detailed Floral Thinlits, Flourish Thinlits, White Tissue Paper, Multipurpose Liquid Glue

 

Teacher Thanks

Sometimes ideas can come in such a random fashion. I was watching a video in which some of the new Lawn Fawn release items were shown and when I the Forest Feast set came up, I saw that the food includes an apple, which I had not noticed before. This in turn reminded me that Paper Card Crew Craft challenge #257's theme is Back to school this week. I thought I could have the raccoon hold the apple, and an idea was sparked right there. I also remembered that the Fall Tiny Tags holds an apple die in it, and by then, the idea for the card had started to fully form.

I initially thought I would create a background with another die, but it was not working exactly as I thought, plus when I spotted the Leafy Tree Backdrop: Portrait die, it made so much more sense to use this one and turn it into an apple tree.

Lying on my table was a Boxwood Wreaths Embellishment from Stampin' Up! that I had previously unrolled into a line to try and work it into another project. I figured I could use the leaves to add texture to the tree, but in the end, I curled the embellishment into a zigzag and glued it directly over the top of the tree to create the leafage.

I cut the half-circle from the same die set to place underneath the tree, but as I looked at it, it looked like a hill to me, and I wondered how it would look placed on the ground instead. I liked the result, so I cut a second piece (placing the die on the white side of the patterned paper, so I could reverse the hill in a mirror image) to finish the hills.

The little animals were colored and die-cut, with the raccoon holding the apple. I found some blue striped paper in the Let's bokeh in the Snow paper pack to make my sky out of, hung the apple tag (which reads "Thanks Teacher") from the tree with cotton twine and the card still looked a little bare to me so I was trying to think of something to fill the space and decided, clouds! The Simple Puffy Clouds were die-cut out of vellum and the Simply Puffy Cloud Frames out of Whisper White cardstock, then layered. I cut the edge off the cloud to place it inside my frame, then turned the cut-off edge around and glued it on the other side of the card. Perfect way to make the card feel complete.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Forest Feast (Lawn Fawn), Tous mes remerciements (Thank You Kindly - Stampin' Up!),
Fête de famille (Family Reunion - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Gumball Green, Whisper White, Vellum
Patterned Papers: Perfectly Plaid Fall, Let's Bokeh in the Snow
Ink: Early Espresso, Tuxedo Black Memento
Accessories: Leafy Tree Backdrop Portrait, Fall Tiny Tags, Simple Puffy Clouds, Simple Puffy Cloud Frames,
Forest Feast Dies (Lawn Fawn), Boxwood Wreaths Embellishments (Stampin' Up!), Cotton Baker's Twine (Stampin' Up!),
White Medium Envelope (Stampin' Up!), Copic Markers

 

The Witch's Lair

The Lawn Fawn new release includes some die-cuts to turn the Scalloped Treat Box into Christmas or Halloween houses. While I didn't get the dies, I was curious to give the idea a try. I already have the Home Sweet Home Thinlits from Stampin' Up! which I suspected might work, size-wise, and sure enough they do. The only difficulty is that the roofing pieces are meant for a narrower house base, so I had to be creative with assembly to make it work. It called for an awful lot of Big Shot'ing and figuring out how to cut the pieces apart to keep the flow even in the roofing pattern. That's where the Lawn Fawn dies would have saved me a lot of time (say, if I was to make a series of those to give out), but for this one, the piecing worked great.

I was putting vellum behind the windows and before doing the same behind the door, I decided I would have the little witch peeking behind the door with her candy bowl, so I stamped, colored and die-cut her to glue in the door opening before adding vellum behind her. The bowl is peeking out, which is a cute way to draw the trick or treaters in. I also added her broom sitting against the window frame. Then I thought I could add her cat as well and pulled out Meow You Doin'? but the image was too big to be scaled properly. Then I remembered that Christmas Dreams as a sleeping cat as well, and this one was the perfect size! It looked a bit crowded on the front, so I added it to the side of the house, and placed a Jack o' lantern on the back. A enamel dot was glued as a door handle.

See those cute bricks I've added here and there? They're the leftover pieces from cutting the window frames. Recycling and adding fun details!

Finally, a tag was added to the house using the Fall Tiny Tags dies (another item from the new release). I tied it with grey and black twine and made sure to wrap the twine only around the front handle so that the box can be opened without unfastening the twine. The sentiment reads, "Eat at your own risk."

Kelly Marie showed how the Scalloped Treat Box can hold two electric tea lights so that you can light the house. I'll definitely give this idea a try if I can find where I've put my tea lights away!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Costume Party, Christmas Dreams (Lawn Fawn), Mystérieux félin (Spooky Cat - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Vellum
Patterned Papers: Beachside, Into the Woods (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Early Espresso
Lawn Fawn Dies: Fall Tiny Tags, Christmas Dreams, Costume Party, Scalloped Treat Box
Accessories: Home Sweet Home Framelits Dies, Copic Markers, Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Halloween Night Enamel Dots, Halloween Night Baker's Twine

 

Christmas Door Gift Tag

Lawn Fawn's new release includes a die called Shut the front door, which opens and closes. The first idea that came to mind was doing a gift tag, with the name of the receiver hidden inside. I paired the new Knit Picky papers with the older Snow Days papers. I found in one of my stamp sets one that says "welcome" to stamp on the mat, and it happened to be just the right size! I also glued a 3D wreath on the door  Boxwood Wreath Embllishments, p. 197 of Annual Catalogue). I used the Push Here stamp set at the bottom of the tag to invite the person to "look inside." The Fa La La La La Border die was used at the bottom and covered with glittery gel pen for a festive touch.

The inside of the tag reads "Merry Christmas" and "to: from:".

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Push Here (Lawn Fawn), Doux foyer (Home Sweet Home - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Silver Foil Paper
Patterned Papers: Knit Picky, Snow Day (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Early Espresso, Pool Party, VersaMark
Accessories; White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Boxwood Wreath Embellishments,
Shut the Front Door Die (Lawn Fawn), Fa La La La La Border (Lawn Fawn), Sparkly Gel Pen,
Ribbon, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Scallop Tag Topper Punch

 

School Bus

Two challenges this week revolve around the theme of going back to school: Simon Says Stamp Wednesday and Stamp Ink Paper #113. As I was looking through my supplies, I spotted a school bus image in the stickers from the Carpe Diem collection, so it sparked an idea for a card. Based on past Mojo Monday sketch #342, I put together this quick, but cute card. I stamped the sentiment "thank you" on the tag at the bottom so that it could be use a thank you card for a teacher.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Voeux mignons (Teeny Tiny Wishes)
Cardstock: Regal Rose
Patterned Papers: Carpe Diem (Simple Stories)
Ink: Bermuda Bay
Accessories: White Medium Envelope, Layering Square Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Carpe Diem Illustrated Life Stickers (Simple Stories), Rhinestone Frame Stickers,
Cardstock Tags (Making Memories), Subtles Enamel Shapes, Spiral Border Punch

 

Tea and Hot Chocolate

This card was inspired by Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge #271. The long line on the sketch reminded me of the serving tray from the Hug in a Mug stamp set and I was looking for an excuse to pull this set out again. I decided I didn't want to make a holiday card, so I picked the Naturally Eclectic Designer Series Paper and avoided the holiday accessories when decorating the mugs.

The stamp set includes some great sentiment in lovely fonts, but it's only available in English, so I went digging through my stamps to find something in French. I spotted the "tea" and "hot chocolate" words in the Balloon Celebration stamp set and figured it might be the only time I ever get to stamp those on a card. It had also happened that I previously added the tea bag and the marshmallows to my mugs so it was a lovely random coincidence.

I added the little row of Xs to the banners behind the image to give them more pop. The tray was stamped and handcut out of the Wood Textures Designer Series Paper Stack and I added Glitter Enamel Dots to the handles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Hug in a Mug, Bouquet de ballons (Balloon Celebration)
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Emerald Envy, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Naturally Eclectic, Wood Textures (Stack)
Ink: Night of Navy, Emerald Envy, Soft Sky, Smoky Slate, Lemon Lime Twist
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Layering Circle Framelits Dies, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Regal Enamel Shapes, Glitter Enamel Dots, Triple Banner Punch

 

Framed Friendly Faces

For Lawn Fawnatics challenge #11 (Cards for kids), I got the idea of pairing Flirty Frames with Wild for You. I also found some colorful papers (Summer Smooches) which I figured would work well with the friendly critters and for a child card.

Putting this card together was pretty straightforward - except for the fact that one of the dies slipped when I die-cut the red frame and was quite a bit off. I didn't really want to stamp and color the image again since it was already late, but then I found that I was going to overlap the sentiment frame over it anyway and that if I used my scissors to trim the left edge off a bit, I could camouflage my boo boo, so it still turned out pretty good.

The design was inspired by past Mojo Monday sketch #345.

By the way, it got confirmed that this card is kid-friendly when my niece stopped by my house with her mom and the second she stepped into my stamping room, she went straight to this card and said, "Ooh, it's pretty!!" Then proceeded to ask me how I had done the images. (She's 4½. by the way, and she LOVES crafting with me whenever she visits.) So this one got the kudos from the kiddo!

 

 

 

 

   

 

Supplies
Stamps: Joyeux anniversaire beauté (Happy Birthday Gorgeous - Stampin' Up!), Wild for You, Flirty Frames (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Tenpting Turquoise, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Summer Smooches
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Lucky Limeade
Accessories: Flirty Frames Dies (Lawn Fawn), Envelope Punch Board, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Markers, Summer Smooches Designer Brads, Daffodil Delight Grosgrain Ribbon

 

Deck the Halls

This card was inspired by Global Design Project #101 and CAS(E) This Sketch #235. Looking at the sketch, I kept thinking of the border die included in the Card Front Builder Thinlits dies set, so it became the starting point of the card. I'm not sure how excited I am about the result, but I think I need to step back and sleep on it before making final judgement. It was my first try at using this new bundle, so I'll call it a practice run.

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Cantiques de Noël (Carols of Christmas)
Cardstock: Flirty Flamingo, Night of Navy, Bermuda Bay
Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Night of Navy, Bermuda Bay
Accessories: Pearl Basic Jewels, Card Front Builder Thinlits Dies, Regals Enamel Shapes,
White Medium Envelope, Stampin' Dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

 

Best Time of the Year

Let me show you another newbie from the 2017 Holidays Catalogue. I was all over the retro feel of this one, and the Paper Players challenge #358 to colour an image was a great excuse to pull this set out. I also gave making my own plaid paper with watercolor a try.

The cute trim is tinsel, which is offered in a combo of Real Red and Silver. It adds nice shimmer and texture to Holidays projects (and others as well).

The design was inspired by past Mojo Monday #368 and the colour combo by ColourQ #219.

 

  

 

 

    

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Christmas in the Making
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke, Real Red,  Powder Pink, Blush Blossom
Accessories: Old Olive 3/8" Mini Chevron Ribbon, Mini Tinsel Trim Combo Pack,
Crumb Cake Medium Envelope, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Aqua Painters Brush, Regals Enamel Shapes, Flat Paintbrush, Holly Embossing Folder

 

Cityscape

I instantly fell in love with the new hostess set In the City the second I saw it. It's totally up my alley: it's cutesy and it includes houses and buildings. I've used some of the images and sentiments on previous projects but it was my first time today actually inking the set to create a scene. It looks even better than I expected! There's a learning curve to figuring out what all of the little individual stamps are, but thankfully, the filler pieces have been placed right next to the outline images on the set sheet, which helps.

Just Add Ink challenge #373 called for stencils, and since our latest set includes a brick wall, I thought it would look awesome with the building images, so it was the starting point of my design. I added past Mojo Monday sketch #286 and ColourQ #304,which had colours that I thought would work well to create a colorful neighbourhood. The sentiment reading something like, "Hope everything is going well in your area."

 

 

 

  

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: En ville (In the City)
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Daffodil Delight, Coastal Cabana, Poppy Parade, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper Stack: Neutrals
Ink: Basic Grey, Daffodil Delight, Coastal Cabana, Poppy Parade, Smoky Slate
Accessories: Designer Buttons, Daffodil Delight Baker's Twine, Basic Grey Taffeta Ribbon,
Horizontal Slot Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Lots of Tags Framelits Dies, White Square Envelope,
Mini Decorative Label Punch, Pattern Party Decorative Masks, Sponge, Triple Banner Punch

 

Merry & Bright

I liked the layered sketch from Paper Craft Crew #256 and thought it would be great to ink my Festive Phrases stamp set. I tend to favour French sets and this one has not been translated, but the little elf holding the Christmas sign was tugging at my heartstrings. Ironically enough, it's not the first image I've inked, but I'll get to it!

I thought the Merry Music Designer Series Paper would make a great background, and I overstamped a few images from the Swirly Bird stamp set on it (two of the swirly circles and the splatter). I added a banner cut out of the same DSP, a piece of crinckled ribbon and a piece of silver sequin trim. We have replaced this trim with mini sequin trim this year, but I'm using the one I have before purchasing the new one. The sentiment was stamped in black ink first, then in VersaMark so that I could clear-emboss it (since we don't carry black embossing powder anymore). A few clear faceted gems were added as well. The edge of the background paper was distressed using the edge of my scissor blades for a bit of texture.

(Colour combo was inspired by ColourQ #287 - Black + grey + a spot of colour, and I chose the new Berry Burst.)

 

 

 

 

 

Colour Combo: Basic Black + Basic Grey + Berry Burst + Whisper White

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Festive Phrases, Swirly Bird
Cardstock: Berry Burst, Basic Grey
Specialty Designer Series Paper: Merry Music
Ink: Berry Burst, Basic Grey, Tuxedo Black Memento, VersaMark
Accessories: Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, Envelope Punch Board, Lots of Labels Framelits Dies,
Clear Faceted Gems, Silver Sequin Trim, Berry Burst Crinckled Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, 2-1/2" Circle Punch

 

Birthday Quilt

Even though the Christmas Quilt bundle is part of the Holidays catalogue, I like that it can be used for way more than Christmas projects and adapted to any season. Depending on the colors you use and sentiment you pair with it, it can be appropriate for just about any occasion.

Here, inspired by the Create with Connie and Mary challenge #471 (and past Mojo Monday sketch #358), I decided to make a birthday card. One of the French sentiment has a reference to stitching (does not translate really well) and mentions Christmas on the last line, but since the lines were spaced wide apart, I was able to ink only the two top lines on the edge of my ink pad, stamp this part in Bermuda Bay ink and then add a birthday ending using the Happy Birthday Gorgeous stamp set, in Lemon Lime Twist ink.

The spool and needle are dies from the Quilt Builder Framelits Dies and I used Baker's twine to cover the spool and link it to the needle, which I glued over my stamped quilt pattern. The triangle pattern is also a stamp from the same set, which I've stamped repeatedly over my Bermuda Bay cardstock for added interest.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: L'étoffe de Noël (Christmas Quilt), Joyeux anniversaire beauté (Happy Birthday Gorgeous)
Cardstock: Smoky Slate, Bermuda Bay, Lemon Lime Twist, Whisper White, Silver Foil
Ink: Smoky Slate, Bermuda Bay, Lemon Lime Twist
Accessories: Quilt Builder Framelits Dies, White Medium Envelope, Basic Grey Baker's Twine,
Quilt Top Embossing Folder, Decorative Ribbon Border Punch, Mini Tinsel Trim Combo Pack, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Sent With Love

This card was inspired by MFT Sketch #346 and the Merry Monday Summer Catchup (#253 - Use a bear image). It inspired me to pull out the adorable Polar Bear Pals stamp set and to pair it with the Hello Winter papers from Echo Park. The card came together quite quickly and nicely (although I was surprised to see the time when I was done and looked at the clock).

I used the Stitched with Cheer stamp set from last year's Holidays catalogue and when I spotted the small star image in the set, I was inspired to add some around the bear - even though the card was already assembled, with the scallop frame on! It's always risky to stamp something on a finished card in case an image doesn't turn out the way you're hoping it will, but in this case, it worked out just fine.

Another fun detail is that I glued jewels on each snowflake circle on the background patterned paper. Those jewels are clear so they mostly add dimension, but they do catch the light nicely when you move the card around. It's not a sparkly effect, but more like little ice dots, which works well in this instance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Polar Bear Pals (My Favorite Things), Cousu avec joie (Stitched with Cheer - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Dapper Denim, Whisper White, Smoky Slate
Patterned Papers: Hello Winter (Echo Park)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, VersaMark, Soft Sky
Accessories: Ice Cube Mix Jewels (Little Things from Lucy's Cards), Markers, Sweet & Sassy Framelits,
Silver Washi Tape, Soft Sky 3/8" Classic Weave Ribbon, White Medium Envelope, Navy Embossing Powder,
Stitched Oval Scallop Frames Dies, Wonky Stitched Oval Dies, Chevron Stripes Dies (MFT),
Stampin' Dimensionals, Corner Rounder Punch

 

Fig Swirls

This was my first chance to test out the Snowflake Sentiments bundle. One of the DTGD challenges was calling for heat emboss resist and I thought I could do a nice background using the snowflakes from this set. I looked at past ColourQ combos for inspiration and spotted #255. I swapped Rich Razzleberry just to get a chance to include a new In Color and I love the rich look you get by pairing those colours. It's a nice twist on the usual snowflake hues as well.

And have you seen that amazing border? All done with new dies from the Swirly Snowflakes Thinlits set. The details are really intricate, but all of the cut pieces fell right out so I was impressed that there was no fiddling required. My only mistake was forgetting to put adhesive sheet on the back of the cardstock before die-cutting, which I would advise you do (now that the adhesive sheets are back in the Stampin' Up! catalogue, which I am thrilled about).

This is also inspired by the Merry Monday Summer Catch-Up challenge (#171 - Sentiment as focal point).

  

 

 

 

 

 Color Combo: Fresh Fig + Old Olive + Wisteria Wonder + Soft Sky

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Souhaits en rafales (Snowflake Sentiments)
Cardstock: Fresh Fig, Old Olive, Wisteria Wonder, Soft Sky, Vellum, Shimmery White
Ink: Fresh Fig, Old Olive, Wisteria Wonder, Soft Sky, VersaMark
Accessories: Swirly Snowflakes Thinlits, Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, Aqua Painters Brush,
Pear Pizzazz 3/8" Shimmer Ribbon, Silver Metallic Thread, 2" Circle Punch,
Stampin' Dimensionals, White Medium Envelope

 

Peaceful Village

I'm still playing with the new 2017 Holidays Catalogue release and since there's Christmas stuff in there, I had a look at the Merry Monday summer catch-up challenge. I picked challenge #251 (Monochromatic Blue) and paired it with the Hearts Come Home bundle (Hearts Come Home stamp set and Hometown Greetings Edgelits dies).

One of the DTGD challenges called for acrylic paint, so I dry-brushed three shades of blue acrylic paint in the background to create the sky, and I flicked a paintbrush dipped in silver paint on the edge of a plastic card to make splatters in the background to create snow and stars. I wasn't sure of the results I was getting at first, but I think it worked once the silver snow was added. I also used the same silver paint to stamp a moon.

The paint inspired the colour combo: Dapper Denim + Mint Macaron + Shimmery White. The sentiment, "Joy to the World," was pulled from the same stamp set. Since it's clear-mount, I was able to slightly bend the sentiment so that it followed the curve of the die-cut. The front row of house was mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals to make it stand out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Ensemble à Noël (Hearts Come Home)
Cardstock: Mint Macaron, Dapper Denim, Shimmery White
Ink: Mint Macaron, Dapper Denim
Accessories: Hometown Greetings Edgelits, Stampin' Dimensionals, Pearl Basic Jewels, Paintbrush, White Medium Envelope,
Acrylic Paints - Metallic Silver, Prussian Blue, Oasis Green (Delta Ceramcoat) + Colonial Blue Light (DecoArt)

 

Make a Wish

This card was made for Paper Players challenge #356 (The Great Outdoors), and I've used past Mojo Monday sketch #471 and ColourQ #151 for inspiration.

The background for the sky was created using the cling wrap technique, and afterwards, I white-embossed the constellations over the inked sky. The sentiment reads, "Make a wish" - just perfect to go with the shooting star.

When I started experimenting with the cling wrap, I chose random colors that I thought could work for a sky (Broken China and Black Soot) to use with some new Holidays Catalogue dies. It didn't turn out exactly as I would have hoped, so I scrapped my first idea. Then, when working on another project, I spotted the Upon a Star stamp set, and thought it might work better with the background I had created. I wanted to use the foxes since I had used the bunnies on my last card and as I went to my reference list for ColourQ combos, combo #151 jumped right off at me - including both the turquoise black I already had on my sheet and the orange I needed to color the foxes. Perfect!

 

 

 

 

    

 

Supplies
Stamps: Parfaits fanions (Perfect Pennants), Upon a Star (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Basic Black, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper Stack: Brights
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, VersaMark, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Distress Oxide (Broken China, Black Soot)
Accessories: White Frost Shimmer Paint, Upon a Star Dies (Lawn Fawn), Markers,
Enamel Shapes (Brights, Metallics), White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Lucky Stars Embossing Folder, White medium Envelope, Striped Satin Ribbon

 

Going Far for Five Years

This card will be going to one of my downline members who's celebrating her five-year anniversary as a demonstrator. To match the celebration feel of the card, I included Foil Frenzy Specialty Designer Paper. The foil on those papers really make any project stand out. And since it's for a special event, I made sure that the envelope was equally as special so I used the foil paper to make an envelope as well.

I used the new set Going Far. The fact that the stamp set was only available in English gave me pause, but I really liked the cute images, especially the stacked luggage, so I ended up getting it. I used the Large Numbers Framelits to die-cut a large 5 out of the foil paper and I made the number lean against the luggage. I think it turned out pretty cool!

The card base was stamped with VersaMark and the Burlap background stamp to give it a bit of texture. Oh, and that piece of Old Olive patterned paper? It's from the Holidays Catalogue 2017 Merry Little Christmas Designer Series Paper. A lot of the patterns are generic enough to use on everyday project, so you're going to get a lot out of that paper pack.

The design was inspired by past Mojo Monday sketch #492 and colors by ColourQ #246, and the theme by Global Design Project #99 (Annniversary). I think the combo would have looked even better with the original Bordering Blue colour, but I really wanted to stick to current colours since this is a downline card, so I switched to Marina Mist as the closest match.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colour Combo: Rich Razzleberry + Marina Mist + Old Olive + White

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Going Far, Burlap
Cardstock: Marina Mist, Rich Razzleberry, Watercolor Paper
Designer Series Paper: Foil Frenzy, Merry Little Christmas
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Marina Mist, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Aqua Painters Brushes, Subtles Enamel Shapes, Envelope Punch Board,
Stitched Shapes Framelits, Fresh Fig 1/8" Sheer Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Layering Squares Framelits, Large Numbers Framelits

 

Knitting You a Christmas Gift

This is an interesting card. It's the very last project I made for the DTGD challenge (made them all - woo-hoo!) and I wasn't sure what to make for it. I really wanted to finish 'em all, so I got going, thinking worst case scenario I wouldn't really like what I had done but would have completed the whole list.

I applied a thin layer of texture paste on Thick White Cardstock and stamped the knitting texture from Papertrey Ink's Background Basics: Striped Sweater in it repeatedly. I let aside to dry and went hunting for stamps to match. I settled on Baaah Humbug because of the knitting sheep and decided to put the image in a frame made with the Stitched Square Frames. Then I decided since I was making a Christmas card to look at the Merry Monday catchup challenges and selected #181 - Blue and White with texture, which was perfect. Since I needed blues, I went to my ColourQ list and found something perfect in challenge #166.

As I started coloring the image and putting the card together, I decided I might actually like it after all and really got into it. I found the perfect sentiment in the Cheerful Christmas stamp set, which had a Merry Christmas in a font that looks a bit like embroidery or knitting. Then I remembered the white knitted trim we used to carry, so I pulled this out. And decided I really liked this card after all!

The designed was inspired by past Mojo Monday sketch #473. By the way, this is another time when I was doubtful about the ColourQ combo looking at the picture, but I totally love it on a project. Eating crow again!

 

 

 

 

 

     

  

Supplies
Stamps: Baaah Humbug (Lawn Fawn), Background Basics: Striped Sweater (Papertrey Ink),
Y'a d'la joie (Cheerful Christmas - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise, Cool Caribbean, Midnight Muse, Thick Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Brights
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Tempting Turquoise, Midnight Muse, Pacific Point
Accessories: Baaah Humbug Dies (Lawn Fawn), Adhesive Foam Strips, Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies,
White Knitted Trim, Texture Paste (SU!), Envelope Punch Board, Markers, Button,
Stitched Square Frames Dies (Lawn Fawn)

 

King of the Day

The background of this card was inspired by a video shared by Jennifer McGuire. I used sticky strip and gold flakes to create shimmery stripes. I was eager to give it a try right after seeing the video, but then the piece was left unused on my desk for weeks afterwards because I just couldnt find anything to pair it with, despite my best try.

I finally got inspired today, though the DTGD challenges, Lawn Fanatics challenge #10 (Create your custom sentiment), Match the Sketch #188 and past ColourQ combo #171. For the sentiment, I wanted something that had to do with a king, and I found "Queen for a day" in another set, so I masked off the first word when inking, and then I created "king" using an alphabet set. It worked out well that it was a short word: made my job easier!

 

 

 

    

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Wild for You (Lawn Fawn), Empire Alphabet Lower, Jeux de mots (Pun Intended - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper Stacks: Brights, Neutrals
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, night of Navy
Accessories: Gold Flakes (Cosmic Shimmer), Sticky Strips, Crumb Cake Medium Envelope, Starburst Framelits Dies,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Markers, Wild for You Dies (Lawn Fawn), Brads, Natural Rbbon, Gold Gel Pen

 

We Should Ketchup

This card was inspired by the DTGD challenges and Paper Craft Crew Card Sketch #254 (Backyard BBQ). (Also, past challenges Mojo #406 and ColourQ #42.)

I kept things fairly simple, with the focus on the cute main image. What ended up giving me the most grief was the fact that I had used a piece of textured cardstock which I believe is Core'dinations, and it did not take the ink well, even though I could see it was still shiny and tried to dry it with my heat tool. I kept getting ink somewhere and transferring it to my finished colored image. Thankfully, I had recently purchased a mono eraser meant for smears and I was waiting for one to test it out. I ended up testing it out quite a bit on this card! (Verdict? It does work well, but it's not meant to produce miracles, so not smudging your project still remains the best option.)

The background So Saffron cardstock was stamped with a new background stamp from the Annual Catalogue, Burlap.

 

 

 

 

       

 

Supplies
Stamps: Burlap (Stampin' Up!), Let's BBQ (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: So saffron, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Tango Tangerine, Whisper White
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Tango Tangerine, Real Red
Accessories: Markers, Stampin' Dimensionals, Washi Tape, Button,
Chocolate Chip Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, White Medium Envelope

 

Road to Recovery

This card was inspired by a DTGD challenge, CAS(E) This Sketch #233 and an old ColourQ combo (#214). I kept it fairly simple, by combining the Leafy Tree Background: Portrait and Road Border dies, and I used the bicycle from the Bicycle Build for You stamp set, to lean on the tree.

For the background, I had this image of a houndstooth-patterned blue sky, so I pulled out the Houndstooth stencil from Carta Bella and sponged Bashful Blue ink on matching cardstock. This is a tricky stencil to use. Because the rows are entirely open, you can rub your sponge on the surface of the stencil like you normally would, because if you do the plastic will bend and ink will get everywhere. I was only able to gently pounce my sponge on it. I think this is a stencil that probably works best with spritzing. It's very fragile, so its use is limited.

I embossed my sentiment in copper powder, which reads, "Thoughts of comfort and healing."

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Bicycle Built for You (Lawn Fawn), Éclosion de pensées (Flourishing Phrases - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: So Saffron, Dusty Durango, Bashful Blue, Early Espresso
Ink: Bashful Blue, VersaMark, Rich Cocoa Memento
Accessories: Bicycle Build for You Dies, Leafy Tree Backdrop: Portrait Dies,
Road Border Dies (Lawn Fawn), Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder, Adhesive Foam Strips, Markers,
Houndstooth Stencil, Sponge, White Medium Envelope

 

Mondrian Inspired

One of the DTGD challenges called for geometric shapes. That's far removed from my usual style so I had to think about this one, and then I thought about doing something Piet Mondrian-inspired, using markers to color in a grid. I first planned on cutting thin strips of black cardstock to glue over the lines, but then I spotted the black striped washi tape on my desk, which made the design a little more interesting - and really easy to put together! Since the challenge was calling for a bit of sparkle as well, I added sequins in matching colors in the rectangle corners.

Coincidentally, Stamp Ink Paper challenge #110 this week is calling for primary colors, which fits perfectly with Mondrian's art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Jolies pensées (Curly Cute - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Whisper White
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Accessories: Markers, Sequins, Pick a Pattern Washi Tape, White Medium Envelope

 

 

 

Just Beachy

This was created for one of the DTGD challenges, which revolved around a beach. I decided to keep it simple and combined various dies from the last Lawn Fawn release to make a beach scene. The colour scheme was inspired by the latest Lawn Fanatics challenge #9. At the last minute, I decided to add yellow sequins on the beach. My first try was a line following the shoreline and I felt it took away from the scene rather than enhance it, but then when I bumped my card and the sequins moved around, I immediately liked the look better, so I went with that.

 

 

 

Color Combo: Crushed Curry + Island Indigo + Strawberry Slush + Emerald Envy + Cool Caribbean + Soft Sky + White

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Crushed Curry, Island Indigo, Strawberry Slush, Emerald Envy, Cool Caribbean, Soft Sky, Whisper White, Basic Black
Sequins: Lemon Sherbet (Little Things from Lucy's Cards)
Lawn Fawn Dies: Stitched Hillside Borders, Ocean Hillside Pop-Up Add-On, Stitched Windy Backdrop,
Palm Trees, Scripty Aloha, Stitched Rectangles Stackables, Simple Puffy Clouds

 

Mason Jar Bouquet

I'm not huge into florals, but once in a while, I do like me a good flower pattern. The Whole Lot of Lovely Designer Series Paper inspired me to handcut some of the flowers from the patterned papers and create a bouquet that I would put in the Mason jar from the Jar of Love stamp set.

The background paper was embossed with the new Quilted embossing folder (a really fun and versatile one), and I used the Freshly Made Sketch #299 as inspiration for the design. I've said it before but again, we have so many great ribbons to choose from this year, there were a few options that would have looked wonderful on the card, but I ended up going with the Soft Sky 3/8" Classic Weave Ribbon. Clear faceted gems were added on the top piece.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Petit pot d'amour (Jar of Love)
Cardstock: Tranquil Tide, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Whole Lot of Lovely
Ink: Soft Sky, Tranquil Tide, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Clear Faceted Gems, White Medium Envelope, Everyday Jars Framelits Dies,
Soft Sky 3/8" Classic Weave Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' Dimensionals, Paper Doily,
Quilted Embossing Folder

 

Warm Hug in a Mug

I'm still playing along with the Dare to Get Dirty challenges, and I paired one of them with the Fab Friday challenge #118 colours and some brand-new items from the 2017 Holidays Catalogue. I used expedited shipping for my preorder, which I hadn't done in a long time, but with me working on the DTGD challenges and my upcoming holidays, I decided I would have more time to play with my new items if I got them in faster.

So you are getting a little glimpse at the adorable Hug in a Mug stamp set, the Merry Music Specialty Designer Series Paper and the faboo new 7/8" Striped ribbon. I created my own funky background using a stencil, VersaMark and clear embossing powder, then the emboss resist technique before pulling out my lovely Distress Oxide inks (Worn Lipstick + Abandoned Coral + Twisted Citron to match the colour combo).

I make more French cards than English ones, but there was something about the font of the sentiments in the set that was very appealing and I thought it would look lovely embossed in black powder against the Lemon Lime Twist cardstock. I used the Stitched Shapes Framelits to die-cut it out, and I added a In Color enamel heart in Flirty Flamingo to go with the theme.

 

 

 

 

 

Card Size: 4" x 6"

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Hug in a Mug
Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo, Lemon Lime Twist
Specialty Designer Series Paper: Merry Music
Ink: VersaMark, Tuxedo Black Memento, Flirty Flamingo,
Distress Oxide (Worn Lipstick, Twisted Citron. Abandoned Coral)
Accessories: Drawn Hearts Stencil (Simon Says Stamp), Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder,
Stitched Shapes Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals, 2016-2018 In Color Enamel Shapes,
Ice Cube Mix Jewels (Little Things from Lucy's Cards), Blending Tool, 7/8" Striped Ribbon,
Lemon Lime Twist 1/2" Finely Woven Ribbon, Envelope Punch Board