Wetland Birthday

I'm back once again with a new card to share with you.  It was made for a friend's birthday coming up this week on July 4th.  I'm certain in his lifetime he's had plenty of patriotic colored birthday cards, so I decided to use a different color combination.  The card actually is blue and gray with white and black as neutrals and is being entered into three challenges:  The sketch challenge at Fab Friday, the ever so fun Tic Toe Challenge at Paper Players (where I'm going straight across the top with Birds, Blue and Birthday), and this week's color challenge at Dynamic Duos with Gray and your choice of color, which in this case is Baja Breeze.


I've used the small birds from the Wetlands stamp set, stamped on Whisper White in Basic Gray and Versamark, heat embossed with Clear embossing powder and then sponged with Baja Breeze and Basic Gray.  It reminds me of being at the Oregon coast in winter, which is notoriously cloudy gray and rainy, and is fitting for the Least Sandpiper, which this stamp resembles very much, and that spends time at the coast during winter.

I took some liberties with the sketch but hopefully it's still true enough to the original!



The links to the challenges are below.  There's plenty of time to join in - check it out!

http://fabfridaystampinchallenge.blogspot.com/

http://thedynamicduoschallenge.blogspot.co.uk/

http://thepaperplayers.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much for taking a look.  I hope you have a moment to leave a comment, I'd love to from you!  Have a great week ahead!

Hugs,

Stef

All products from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Wetlands, Sanded
Paper:  Baja Breeze, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink:  Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Jet Black Stazon, Versamark
Accessories:  Stripes embossing folder, 1 3/8" Circle and Designer Label punches, Top Note BigZ die, Clear embossing powder, Hemp Twine

Soho Talk

ETA:  I've also entered this into a new challenge - A Random Thursday (A.R.T) Card Challenge.  Here's the link:

http://arandomthursdaychallenge.blogspot.com/


Hello and welcome back!  Once again, the siren song of Mojo Monday has drawn me in and compelled me to create a card...Yippee!  I've always enjoyed the Round / Square choice on the last Monday of each month but have never made a round card to participate.  I decided to alter that reality this week, now that I have my new, long awaited (I knew Stampin' Up come up with these sooner or later) Circle Collections framelits.

The base of Crisp Cantaloupe was made with the largest of the Circle Collection framelits, with the next largest size framelit used to produce the Soho Subway designer paper layer.  I was surprised at the difference in size between the two and I didn't want my dp layer to be any smaller by using yet a smaller framelit.  For whatever reason, I have held onto my Coluzzle that I purchased from Stampin' Up when I first started paper crafting six years ago, and fortunately the largest circle produced the Early Espresso middle layer!  Happy dance!

The sentiment and tag are from the new Chalk Talk stamp and framelit set.  The butterfly is from Papillon Potpourri and was stamped on SU watercolor paper, then punched out with the Elegant Butterfly punch.  All the stamped images were first stamped with Versamark, then Early Espresso, then embossed with Clear embossing powder.  The butterfly was then colored with Crisp Cantaloupe ink using an Aquapainter.

http://mojomonday.blogspot.com/

Above is the sketch and link to Mojo Monday.  There is still a wee bit of time to play along if you haven't already.

I so appreciate your visit today, I'd love to hear from you if you have a moment to leave a comment!  i hope the rest of your weekend is restful and pleasant!


Hugs,

Stef



All products from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Chalk Talk, Papillon Potpourri
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Early Espresso card stock and Coordinations paper, Crisp Cantaloupe, Soho Subway and Botanical Gazette designer papers
Ink:  Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Versamark
Accessories:  Chalk Talk and Circles Collection Framelits, Coluzzle, Early Espresso Satin Ribbon, Victoria Crochet Trim, 1 3/8", 1 1/4", Scallop Circle and Elegant Butterfly punches, SU Sanding Block, Basic Rhinestones. Cutter Kit

Spice Cake Distressed Express

Happy Wednesday!  Tonight I have a kind of shabby/distressed birthday card to share.  I love the sketch over at retrosketches this week, so I knew I had to play along.  I think I say that often LOL!!  But there are many talented designers out there and it's just the best when you see a great sketch and it sparks your creativity.

Here's the sketch and link:

http://retrosketches.blogspot.com/

And my card:

I started out with a base of Early Espresso Coordinations paper that was soundly sanded, then adhered a layer of the lovely Spice Cake designer paper (usin' up more of the retired dp!).  It was torn, distressed and sponged with Crumb Cake and Soft Suede before it was attached to the base.  The second layer of Soft Suede and more of the Spice Cake had the same distressing treatment, along with being punched with a Scallop Border punch.

Hello Doily was stamped in Pool Party on a Very Vanilla panel, which was then attached to a slightly larger piece of Early Espresso card stock.  The sentiment is from the new Hostess Set Express Yourself.  I love it because some of the sentiments fit nicely in the Word Window punch.

It's really weird how the Pool Party ribbon photographed; IRL it matches perfectly because it really is Pool Party (I checked before I tied it on).  But, no matter how I played with the photoshop, it came out looking more like Baja Breeze.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop and take a look, I appreciate your visit.  Hope the remainder of your week goes smoothly!

Hugs,

Stef


All products from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Hello Doily, Express Yourself
Paper:  Early Espresso Coordinations, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Pool Party, Spice Cake designer paper
Ink:  Pool Party, Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake
Accessories:  Bitty Banners framelit, Scallop Border and Word Window punches, Sanding Block, Pool Party Seam Tape ribbon, Antique Brads, Basic Pearls

Sweet Party Cake

Hi there and welcome back!  I have a card to share that I made for the sketch challenge at Pals Paper Arts.  Continuing with my desire to use up retired designer paper (of which I have A LOT!) this card uses Sweet Shop on a card for my granddaughter's 8th birthday.

Here's the fun sketch and link to PPA:

http://www.palspaperarts.com/

Because balloons float (ha ha) the circle at bottom right became the balloons at top left, otherwise I stayed true to the sketch.  The balloons were stamped in Versamark, then Strawberry Slush, then heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  They were popped up on dimensionals after I'd drawn strings with an Early Espresso marker.

The cake image was stamped first on Whisper White in Strawberry Slush, then stamped a second time on a separate piece of paper in Versamark, then heat embossed in Early Espresso embossing powder.  I trimmed the second image of the cake dish out, colored the bottom portion with a Pool Party marker and then adhered it with dimensionals.

The ribbon is the new Ruffled Stretch Trim in Strawberry Slush and it acted as kind of base for the stamped image.  The cherries atop the cupcakes in the designer paper were all decorated with Dazzling Details, then rhinestones adhered at different corners for some added bling.  I mean, what eight year old girl does not want things bright and sparkly?

Thanks for dropping by today!  If you have a moment, I'd love to hear from you.

Hugs,

Stef


All products from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Bring on the Cake, Party This Way
Paper:  Strawberry Slush, Whisper White, Sweet Shop dp
Ink:  Strawberry Slush, Pool Party, Early Espresso, Versamark
Accessories:  Early Espresso and Clear Embossing Powder, Strawberry Slush Ruffle Stretch Trim, Basic Rhinestones, Dazzling Details

Sweet Birthday

Welcome back once again.  I have a card to share today that was made using the Mojo Monday sketch.  It's also for Fab Friday, where the challenge is to use all five of the new Stampin' Up In Colors, and I found it to be a bit of a challenge but managed to carry it off!

 
I started out with a Crisp Cantaloupe base, and adhered some Baked Brown Sugar designer paper from the new paper stack.  A Strawberry Slush cross piece is under a piece of Whisper White stamped with the new Positively Chevron background stamp that had been inked up in Coastal Cabana.

I really struggled to work in the Pistachio Pudding color.  I tried using some card stock but it really seemed to clash with the Coastal Cabana, so I finally decided to use it when I colored that cute little cupcake.  Check it out:

Yup, the little cupcake holder was colored in Pistachio Pudding.  Challenge solved!

I attached a piece of Crisp Cantaloupe Ruffled Stretch Trim to the bottom of the focal point, first because that ribbon is so darn cute and it helps to soften all things up, but also to tie the colors together more.  The top seemed somewhat bare (I am so not good with lots of white space!), so I added a Bitty Button, which was tied with Linen Thread and then topped with a Basic Rhinestone.

As you'll see in the link below, the sketch had what looked to me to be stitching around the outside.  Since I don't have a sewing machine, I did faux stitching paper piercing and a white Uniglo gel pen.

Here are the challenge links:

http://fabfridaystampinchallenge.blogspot.com/ 

http://mojomonday.blogspot.com/ 

Well, this card was a challenge to appropriately balance all the colors with all the layers, but it was fun to make.  Thanks for looking today and please leave a comment if you have a moment, I'd love to hear from you!

Hugs,

Stef


All products by Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Positively Chevron, Short & Sweet
Paper:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Strawberry Slush, Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Whisper White, BBS Designer Series paper pack
Ink:  Pistachio Pudding, Baked Brown Sugar, Strawberry Slush,
Accessories:  Polka Dot embossing folder, Scallop Trim Border punch, 7/8" and 1 1/4" Scallop Circle punches, Crisp Cantaloupe  Ruffle Stretch Trim, Bitty Buttons, Linen Thread, Blender Pen, Basic Rhinestones, Paper Piercing Pack Essentials, Piercing Tool White Uniglo gel pen

Amazing You

Can I just say I am in love with the Stampin' Ups new In Colors?  Today I used Baked Brown Sugar and Coastal Cabana.  I think they look wonderful together.

The card was created using this week's sketch a Freshly Made Sketches:

http://freshlymadesketches.blogspot.com/

And here's what I came up with:

I stayed true to the sketch with the exception of moving the cross piece to a higher spot on the main image in order to balance with the butterfly image.

When the Swallowtail stamp first appeared in SU's Spring catalogue, I was interested but not fully certain I wanted to order it.  Then I used it at a workshop (thanks, Susan!!) and fell in love with it.  The detail is so beautiful and there are a lot of techniques I've seen others use (and one we used at the workshop) that I look forward to experimenting with them further.  The sentiment is from the Hostess set Express Yourself.

The designer paper is from the new In Color Designer Series Paper stack.  It was trimmed and attached to a piece of Whisper White paper that was edged with the Delicate Designs embossing folder, then trimmed around the scallops.

Well, that's it.  Thanks for dropping by and having a look today.  If you have a moment, I'd love to hear from you and know what techniques you've used with the Swallowtail image, or even just to say Hi!

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Hugs,

Stef


All products from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Swallowtail, Express Yourself
Paper:  Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Baked Brown Sugar, BBS DSP
Ink:  Coastal Cabana, Baked Brown Sugar
Accessories:  Delicate Designs embossing folder, Modern Label and Word Window punches, BBS Ruffle Stretch Trim, Basic Rhinestone.

Retirement Congratulations

Hello again!  Happy Thursday and I hope your week is going well.  I'm taking a couple of vacation days to end the week during which we will be celebrating my husband's birthday.  However, I snuck in a little time to finish the card below, which is for a gentleman at work who is retiring tomorrow.  Appropriately, it has clean lines and minimal decorations.

Jet Black Stazon ink made a crisp stamped image, which was then cut out with the matching framelit.  Textured Basic Black card stock dresses up the card a little, and was used for both the base and the flag under the sentiment.  The designer paper is by Graphic 45, from the Olde Curiosity Shoppe collection.

Well, that's it.  Pretty simple and easy.  Thanks for dropping by and taking a look!

Hugs,

Stef



All products from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted:
Stamps:  Layered Labels
Paper:  Textured Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Olde Curiosity Shoppe (G45)
Ink:  Jet Black Stazon, Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger)
Accessories:  Apothecary Accents framelit, Metallic brads, Crafters Hemp Cord (Paper Source) 

Heartfelt Sympathy

Hi there again!  Today I have a card made with the new Hostess set Simply Sketched.  It's such a beautiful stamp set with lovely images, it was on my radar from the first time I cracked open the new catalogue!!

Sadly, the first card I made with the set was for a dear friend at work that unexpectedly lost her husband the end of May.  I chose the colors to be comforting and yet feminine.  The flowers were stamped with Jet Black Stazon on Whisper White, then I used a blender pen to color the flowers with Strawberry Slush and Pistachio Pudding.  The bud and a 2nd flower were fussy cut and popped up with dimensionals

An oval cut piece of the new Smoky Slate card stock was used for the frame to the main focal piece.  The color is such a nice, light gray, I look forward to using it more.  Speaking of new colors, if you are a fan of pink, do you not love the new Strawberry Slush color?  Seriously, it is a gorgeous, rich color that I plan on using a lot.

Some White Organza and Basic Pearls finish off this card.

Well, thanks for taking a look, I appreciate your visit and hope you have a moment to leave a comment; I'd love to hear from you!

Hugs,

Stef


All products from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Simply Sketched
Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Strawberry Slush
Ink:  Smoky Slate, Strawberry Slush, Pistachio Pudding, Jet Black Stazon
Accessories:  Ovals Collection framelits, Large Oval, Scallop Oval, Corner Rounder and Eyelet Border punches, White Organza ribbon, Basic Pearls, Lattice Square embossing folder

Rosette Birthday

Welcome back!  Tonight I have a card for that was made for this week's challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  Bright colors abound in this creation!

This retired designer paper is called Sweet & Sour, with colors of Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red and Very Vanilla.  While I love this color combination, it is not one a typically gravitate towards!  However, I think it ends up giving a very festive and fun feel to this card.

Here's the sketch from FMS:

http://freshlymadesketches.blogspot.com/

This sketch is so much fun, I love those little flags.  I used various pieces of the designer paper and a piece of Rose Red textured card stock.  I substituted Vanilla Seam Tape ribbon for the Banker's Twine indicated on the sketch.

So glad you dropped by, thanks for taking a look!  Hope your week ahead is productive and satisfying (along with lots of fun mixed in!)

Hugs,

Stef


All products by Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Express Yourself, Creative Elements
Paper:  Rose Red Textured card stock, Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla, Sweet and Sour designer paper
Ink:  Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red
Accessories:  Designer Rosette Bigz XL die, Brights Button, Linen Thread, Very Vanilla Seam Tape Ribbon, Word Window and Modern Label punches

Indigo Birthday

When I received my new Stampin' Up catalogue, one of the first sets I knew I was going to buy was Wetlands.  It's perfect for masculine cards, but I also think it will be much more versatile as I play around with it.

Today's card is for my husband's birthday next week.  We both love walking the trails of the National Wildlife Reserve near our home and seeing all the birds that migrate in and out, especially the Canada Geese.  During certain times of the year, there are hundreds of these gorgeous birds making it their temporary home.

The sentiment is one of three from the Wetlands stamp set.  I think it's lovely for giving to a friend or relative, but a bit stiff between a husband and a wife LOL!!   I initially stamped it without really giving it a thought until a day later, realizing how formal it sounds.  I may choose to pop another birthday greeting over the top of it before giving it to my sweetie.

I based the colors on this week's gorgeous Colour Q Tuesday challenge.  When I saw these colors I knew it would perfectly for this card.

http://colourq.blogspot.com/

I did not have stamp pads or markers for Going Gray and Soft Sky, so I substituted Basic Gray and Pool Party.  And while I was able to use my Certainly Celery marker to color the grass stamp, I had to use Pear Pizazz to sponge around it.  Nevertheless, I think it ended up being pretty true to the challenge colors.

I masked the goose and stamped the grass behind it.  For my mask, I tried using 2-Way Glue on the back of a piece of card stock that was stamped with the goose image and snipped out.  It really worked nicely and to me was an improvement over using a Post It note.

A piece of Going Gray card stock (I had no ink but did some retired card stock on hand) was sponged with a bit of Basic Gray ink, then, layered under the focal piece.  It was then adhered to an embossed piece of Island Indigo.  Bakers Twine and a Basic Silver button finish off the card.

Thanks for visiting today!  If you have a moment, please leave a comment - I'd love to hear from you!  Hope the rest of your weekend is wonderful!

Hugs,

Stef

All products by Stampin Up:
Stamps:  Wetlands
Paper:  Naturals White, Going Gray, Island Indigo
Ink:  Certainly Celery, Pear Pizazz, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Basic Gray
Accessories:  Island Indigo Baker's Twine, Basic Button Silver, Woodgrain embossing folder

Island Party Flowers

A quick post tonight.  I made this card for the Color Challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers to use Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade and Pool Party, and for this week's sketch challenge at Unscripted Sketches.  Love those colors together and I didn't want to miss an opportunity to play along.

A fairly straight forward card, with minimal adornment, letting the flowers take the spotlight.  I  finally pulled out my Stampamajig after a couple several tries of two step stamping by visual means only LOL!!  I love that stamp and think the end result is definitely worth the effort.

Here's the sketch and the links to both web sites:

http://unscriptedsketches.com/

Splitcoast Stampers:  http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/

Thanks for dropping by today.  If you moment, please leave me a comment, I'd love to hear from you.

Hugs,

Stef


All products from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Field Flowers, Sweet Essentials
Paper:  Whisper White, Pool Party, Island Indigo, In Color Designer Series Paper Pack
Ink:  Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo
Accessories:  Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon, Large Scallop Edgelit, Paper Doily

Sweet Comfort

Hello once again!  I have a skinny little card to share today that was made from leftover after cutting some Midnight Muse card stock for a 5 x 7 card.  The remaining piece ended up measuring 3 1/2 x 10.  Folded in half and it becomes a delightful size for a quick little thank you note.

The Distress Dots background stamp was inked up in Midnight Muse, then the Scallop Border punch was used to cut the bottom front of the card.  I then added a scalloped piece of Comfort Cafe designer paper.

Naturals Ribbon was wrapped around the front and tied in a nice big bow that becomes the main focus.  That ribbon is wonderful to work with.  The Fabulous Phrases sentiment was stamped in Raspberry Ripple on Very Vanilla and popped out with the Jewelry Tag punch and attached to the ribbon with a safety pin from Vintage Trinkets.  A quick and cute little card.

Thanks for coming by, I hope you'll take a moment to let me know what you think about today's card!

Hugs,

Stef


All products from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Fabulous Phrases, Distress Dots
Paper:  Midnight Muse, Very Vanilla, Comfort Cafe
Ink:  Midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple
Accessories:  Naturals Ribbon, Vintage Trinkets, Scallop Border and Jewelry Tag punches

Thanks So Much

Hello and welcome back!  Today I have a card to share that I made for the challenge over at Freshly Made Sketches.  I had a nice big piece of Wisteria Wonder in with my designer paper scraps and decided to use it in a classic color combination including Elegant Eggplant and Lucky Limeade.

The daisy stamp is from Best of Flowers.  I used my Lucky Limeade and Elegant Eggplant markers to color it.  After stamping the sentiment, I lightly sponged Wisteria Wonder around the edges to give it a softer, dreamer look.  I still have the Upsy Daisy stamp set (the big sister version) but haven't used it forever, so it was delightful to ink this up and enjoy those sweet daisies in silhouette.

I cut a paper doily in half, pleated it and stuck it behind the corner of the focal point.  It reminds of how my Grandmother used to tuck a cloth handkerchief under her sleeve, with a lacy end sticking out.  I was so happy to have an opportunity to use the Elegant Eggplant ribbon.  I love ribbon and like many people, have quite a collection, but don't use this color often, so the ribbon has sat "neglected".  Maybe I feel vindicated for buying it - see I knew I would need it one day!

The sketch from FMS is below.  Click on the link and check out the great inspiration over on the blog!

http://freshlymadesketches.blogspot.com/

I'm so glad you were able to drop by today.  Take care and come back soon!

Hugs,

Stef


All products from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Best of Flowers, Watercolor Trio
Paper:  Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, In Color Designer Series Paper Stack
Ink:  Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder
Accessories:  Fancy Fan embossing folder, Finishing Touches Edgelit, Eyelet Border punch, Paper Doily, Basic Pearls