A Bit of Raspberry

Happy Monday!  Well, happy the Monday workday is over, that is!  Tonight I am sharing a card I made for the Deconstructed Sketch Challenge.

http://deconstructingjen.com/deconstructed-sketch-111/

I loved this sketch the moment I saw it but it took me a while to put this card together, mainly because I couldn't get the flowers to work the way I wanted.  I kept trying to work in the framelit cut leaves but in the end I chucked them and ended up with just the flowers.

I was happy to see Soft Sky back in the color line up at Stampin' Up.  I really loved that color when it first arrived as an In Color.  For this card I matched it up with Raspberry Ripple and Basic Gray.  I pulled out some retired Soft Sky designer paper that was adhered to a Whisper White base.  I stamped Positively Chevron in Soft Sky on Whisper White and trimmed it down for a cross piece to fit the card.

The flowers from Secret Garden were stamped in Versamark on Raspberry Ripple and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.

The sentiment is from Petite Pairs.  It is meant to be the inside part of a birthday greeting, but I think it is great as the primary sentiment, for a thank you type card.  A bit of Soft Sky Seam Tape ribbon across the base and a Soft Sky button and pearls on the flag finish off the card.

Thanks for looking!  Hope the rest of your week is great!

Hugs,

Stef

All products from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Secret Garden, Petite Pairs, Positively Chevron
Paper:  Whisper White, Raspberry Ripple, Basic Gray, Soft Suede Designer Paper
Ink:  Basic Gray, Versamark
Accessories:  White embossing powder, Scallop Circles #2 Bigz die, Secret Garden and Circle Framelits, Subtles button, White Baker's Twine, Soft Sky Seam Tape ribbon, Basic Pearls.

A Picnic Daydream

Hi there and welcome back!  Pals Paper Arts had another great sketch this week and so I definitely wanted to participate.

http://www.palspaperarts.com/

I started out with the new Picnic Afternoon designer paper from which I drew most of the colors used in my card today.  For the circle in the sketch, I started with a scallop circle punched from Wisteria Wonder, layered with two sizes of the Daydream Medallion stamps cut out with the respective framelits.  It's topped with one of the new In Color Boutique pieces.

I'm not really sure what to call it, actually.  It's not a button, so I guess I'll call it a sweet, decorative piece in Strawberry Slush, with a pearl on top!  It's not part of the designer paper color scheme, but when I was looking for the right item to top framelits, it seemed unexpected but perfect.  

I was digging through my small collection of ribbon cast offs and found this bow of Wisteria Wonder.  Probably like most of you, I have a hard time tossing useful scraps of paper and pieces of ribbon, so I feel very justified in having my stash when it is repurposed effectively! Yeah!!

Well, that's it for today.  Thanks for taking a look and I hope the remainder of your weekend is terrific!

Hugs,

Stef

All products from Stampin' Up:

Stamps:  Daydream Medallions, Express Yourself

Paper:  Very Vanilla, Wisteria Wonder, Afternoon Picnic designer paper

Ink:  Wisteria Wonder, Pear Pizazz, Coastal Cabana

Accessories:  Wisteria Wonder Ruffle ribbon, Floral Frame framelits, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle, Corner Rounder and Scallop Border punches, In Color Boutique Detail, Basic Pearls

Deconstructed Celebration

ETA:  I am also entering this is two Anything Goes challenges:  Seize The Birthday (http://seizethebirthday.blogspot.com/) and A Random Thursday Challenge (http://arandomthursdaychallenge.blogspot.com/).  Check out both of these fun challenges!

Welcome back!  Today I have a card to share that was made for the Deconstructed Sketch challenge over at Jen Shults' blog.

http://deconstructingjen.com/deconstructed-sketch-110/

I love the little squares - so many possibilities - but when I saw it I knew immediately what I would use.

Don't you love the colors in that Epic Day paper?  The greens, blues and coral are wonderful together, and the map image is perfect for a rustic, vintage card.  The stamped vintage images add to that feel.

I appreciate you coming by to take a look and would love to hear from you if you have a moment to leave a comment!  Hope the rest of your week is enjoyable!

Hugs,

Stef

All products from Stampin' Up except where noted:

Stamps:  Postage Due, Collage Curios, Mixed Messages (PTI)

Paper:  Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral, Confetti Cream, This and That Epic Day designer paper

Accessories

Ink:  Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake 

Accessories:  1 3/8" Square and Postage Stamp punches, Linen Thread, Naturals Basic button, Antique Trinkets, Cutter Kit

Thoughts of You for Paper Players and Dynamic Duos

Hi there!  My card today is for the CAS sketch challenge at Paper Players and the color challenge at Dynamic Duos.  Check it out:

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

http://thepaperplayers.blogspot.com/

Clean and Simple is not my normal card style but with the Calypso Coral and Black color challenge and the nice sketch, I found it to be a quick, easy card to pull together and love how it turned out.

The single flower from Blooming With Kindness was stamped in Calypso Coral and cut out with a Circle Collections framelit, then adhered to a larger scallop circle of Calypso Coral card stock.  Everything was adhered to the textured Basic Black card.

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

Hugs,

Stef


All products from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Loving Thoughts, Blooming With Kindness-Flower, Elements of Style
Paper:  Very Vanilla, textured and plain Basic Black, Calypso Coral
Ink:  Calypso Coral, Jet Black Stazon
Accessories:  Circles Collection framelit, Scallop Circle #2 Bigz die, Neutrals button, Calypso Coral 1/8" Organdy ribbon

Wisteria Get Well

Happy Saturday and welcome back!  My card today was made for this week's sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches:

http://freshlymadesketches.blogspot.com/

It's also for the current challenge to make a get well card over at the SUO Challenges blog (http://suochallenges.com/?p=2829).

I stamped the floral image in Versamark then Basic Gray onto watercolor paper and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.  Using an Aquapainter and my stamp pads, I colored the stem with Pear Pizazz and the flowers with Wisteria Wonder and just a touch of Elegant Eggplant.

A faint amount of Crushed Curry was colored around the image and then Wisteria Wonder applied with a sponge dauber around the edge to make it pop against the background.

I took my color cues from the beautiful Afternoon Picnic paper, which incorporates a couple of my favorite colors, Wisteria Wonder and Coastal Cabana.  Very lovely together!

Thanks for taking a look!  Now I need to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.  I hope the rest of your weekend is wonderful!

Hugs,

Stef

All products are from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Simply Sketched, Express Yourself
Paper:  Coastal Cabana, Wisteria Wonder, Very Vanilla, Watercolor, Afternoon Picnic designer paper
Ink:  Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Pear Pizazz, Basic Gray, Crushed Curry, Versamark
Accessories:  Clear embossing powder, Chalk Talk framelit, 1" Circle and 1 1/4" Scallop Circle punches, Subtles Button, Basic Pearls, Basic Gray Taffeta ribbon, Eyelet Border punch

Birthday Message

Hi there once again!  Today I have a card to share with you that is for three challenges:  Pals Paper Arts, Play Date Cafe, and the Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World.  I knew I wanted to use this fun sketch to play up Crisp Cantaloupe and Pistachio Pudding colors to go along with this week's color challenge at PDC.  And when I saw the gorgeous Tuesday Trigger at MFW this week, it inspired me to add lace and pearls to the card.

http://www.palspaperarts.com/

http://theplaydatecafe.blogspot.com/

http://www.moxiefabworld.com/2013/07/tuesday-trigger-little-romance.html

My card starts with a base of Confetti Cream, topped with a panel of Crisp Cantaloupe embossed with the Honeycomb embossing folder.  The embossed piece was sanded and distressed, then sponged with Crisp Cantaloupe ink, after which both pieces of card stock were sponged with Antique Linen.  

The Flower Trim was inked up with Crisp Cantaloupe ink using a sponge dauber, placed on a silicone craft sheet and spritzed with water to more evenly spread the ink around (an idea I first saw Ann Schach (http://www.stampinchic.com/) share on her blog).  After carefully drying the flowers with my heat tool, Basic Pearls were placed in the flower centers, and then the row was adhered atop a lovely bit of ruffled lace.

The designer paper is from the new Venetian Romance - I am totally besotted with all the beautiful designs and colors!!  I know, I know, I've been trying to use up a lot of my old "collection" from the past several years, but I had a weak moment and Stampin' Up had a nice offer, so I couldn't pass it up.

The sentiment is from Mixed Messages by Paper Trey Ink.  It's perfect when you need the tiniest sentiments, plus the fonts are beautiful.  It was stamped on Confetti Cream in Crisp Cantaloupe, punched out with a scallop circle punch and popped up on top of the smallest framelit from Floral Frames Collection framelits.

Thank you so much for taking the time to drop by; I'd love to hear from you if you have a moment to leave a comment!  Have a great weekend!

Hugs,

Stef

All products from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted:
Stamps:  Mixed Messages (PTI)
Paper:  Confetti Cream, Crisp Cantaloupe, Venetian Romance designer paper
Ink:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Antique Linen (Ranger)
Accessories:  Floral Frames Collection framelit, 7/8" Scallop Circle punch, Honeycomb embossing folder, Flower Trim, Silicone Craft Sheet, Chantilly Crochet Trim, Lace (Joann), Basic Pearls

Amazing Soiree

Hi there!  I have a second post today to share my card for Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge.

http://kgiron.blogspot.com/2013/07/sweet-sunday-sketch-challenge-188.html

This card uses more of my retired designer paper, and now the newly retired Baja Breeze card stock.  Between family, friends and work, I have plenty of need for masculine birthday cards, and I thought this sketch would be great to use for that purpose.

Baja Breeze and Soft Suede markers were used to color the sentiment stamp from the You're Amazing set.  However, I had a hard time getting the "birthday" part to stamp clearly, so I inked it up with my stamp pad, stamped it a 2nd time in Baja Breeze, trimmed it out and popped it up on dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.  I'd love to hear from you if you have a moment to leave a comment!

Hugs,

Stef

All products from Stampin' Up:

Stamps:  You're Amazing

Paper:  Very Vanilla, textured Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, Elegant Soiree designer paper

Ink:  Soft Suede, Baja Breeze

Accessories:  Neutral buttons, Apothecary Accents framelit, Linen Thread, Chevron embossing folder.

A Sketched Mashup

Hi there and welcome back!  I've made a card for Friday Mashup, where the challenge this week is to use the colors Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Crisp Cantaloupe and Smoky Slate or Soft Suede or to make a card with a nature theme, or to "mash it up" by doing both, which is what I decided to do.

 http://www.fridaymashup.com/

I started with an image that had already been stamped with Black Stazon on water color paper with one of the stamps from Simply Sketched.  I realize the coloring doesn't even closely represent a bird in the wild but is merely a representative image LOL!!  There is actually a lovely Tanager found in Central America that is a similar color (at least in my North American bird book) but it has black on its wings.

After water coloring the image I cut it out with a Circle framelit and mounted it on the next size larger framelit cut from Crisp Cantaloupe.  Both were then adhered to one of the Floral Frames Collection framelits and popped up on dimensionals over the Smoky Slate ribbon (ooo, I so love how nicely this ribbon ties!!)

The Smoky Slate card stock was stamped with ink of the same color using the leaf and berry image from the Simply Sketched stamp set.  I love how delicate that image is.  I opted to wait until I use the card to put a sentiment on the inside.  It really could be used for a number of occasions.  Unusual for me, I did not add any other embellishments.  I really like the simplicity of the card as is.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I may have another post to share later for a card I made for the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge, so check back if you have time.  In the meantime, if you have a moment to leave a comment, I would love to hear from you.

Hugs,

Stef

All products from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Simply Sketched
Paper:  Smoky Slate, Calypso Coral, Crisp Cantaloupe, Watercolor paper
Ink:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Smoky Slate, Jet Black Stazon
Accessories:  Circles and Floral Frames Collection framelits, Aquapainter, Smoky Slate Chevron Ribbon.

Subtle Thoughts of You

Welcome back once again!  Today my card is for the Freshly Made Sketches and Dynamic Duos Challenges.

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

Pink Pirouette and Sahara Sand are so lovely together, I could not resist joining the challenge! The sketch was fun and offered lots of options for the slanted bar across it.  I'd like to use it another time to try some masking and stamping.

http://freshlymadesketches.blogspot.com/

I started with a base of textured Sahara Sand card stock.  The next layers were created with a piece of the retired designer paper, Bella Bird, which was layered on top of a slightly larger piece of Chocolate Chip.  Brown and white were the neutrals I chose to use for this card.

I had a previously cut Beautiful Wings butterfly, which I decided to cover with Frost White Shimmer paint then adhere to the doily.  The Eyelet Border punch sculpted the bottom of the two cross pieces in Sahara Sand and Chocolate Chip.

The sentiment was stamped in Craft Chocolate Chip ink, then Versamark before heat embossing with Clear Embossing Powder.  A pretty simple card that came together quick and easy this afternoon.

Well, thanks for taking a look!  Hope the remainder of your weekend is terrific!

Hugs,

Stef

All products from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Curly Cute
Paper:  Whisper White, textured Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip, Bella Bird designer paper
Ink:  Craft Chocolate Chip, Versamark
Accessories:  Clear Embossing Powder, Eyelet Border punch, Beautiful Wings embosslit, 1 1/4" Scallop Circle punch, Basic Pearls, Frost White Shimmer paint, Paper Doily

Grateful

Hi there!  It's been a while since I posted.  Life has a way of interfering, darn it, with card creation.  But I managed to put together this CAS card for Mojo Monday.

I have a box where I keep designer paper scraps I can't bear to toss and decided this was a great design to use up some of those scraps.  This paper is from the retired Sweet Pea stack that included the lovely colors of Taken With Teal, Old Olive and Pretty In Pink.  I was just crushed when Taken With Teal was retired (I mean, I have teal towels in my bathroom, for goodness sake!).  However, I have recovered now that Island Indigo has become part of the Stampin' Up permanent color families.  ; - )

Here is the sketch from Mojo Monday:

I traded sides on the sketch, and used some long hoarded saved Sweet Pea felt to add the flower next to the oval.  The sentiment is from Pursuit of Happiness, which is a set that delivers on it's name, as all the sentiments in the set make me feel very happy!

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look!  I'd love to hear from you if you have a moment to leave a comment.

Hope your weekend is wonderful!

Hugs,

Stef

All products from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Pursuit of Happiness
Paper:  Whisper White, Old Olive, Taken with Teal (plain and textured), Sweet Pea designer paper
Ink:  Old Olive
Accessories:  Basic Rhinestones, Ovals Collection framelits, Scallop Border punch, Sweet Pea Stitched Felt

Sandpiper Birthday in the Cove

Hi there and welcome back!  The card I have to share today was made for the Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  Here's the sketch:

http://freshlymadesketches.blogspot.com/ 

It is such a versatile sketch, I'm sure I'll refer back to it again.

I again pulled out the Wetlands stamp set (3rd time in as many weeks), as the card is for a friend who loves the water, either scuba diving, crabbing, fishing, or just out on his boat.  I thought a little ocean cove scene with the sandpipers would work nicely.

The sandpipers were stamped on watercolor paper with Craft Early Espresso ink.  After I dried the image with my heat tool, I used an Aquapainter to create the background.  I tried to create the sense of waves in the water, but admittedly I am not an experienced watercolor painter, so the perspective isn't perfect and the waves look rather...um, frothy LOL!!

Early Espresso was used to create the sides of the "cove" and an Itty Bitty Background stamp was used to create a bit of texture in the sand, after being inked up with Crumb Cake and stamped off once.

The designer paper is Soho Subway and while the catalogue doesn't list any type of green as one of the colors in this paper, Garden Green matches up nicely with this piece and is a rich contrast to Island Indigo and Early Espresso.  Hmmm, I may have stumbled upon another favorite new color combo.

I used retired Antique Brass Eyelets in the upper left corner as it reminds me of metal fittings on a boat.  Buttons, Linen Thread and twine finish it off.

Thanks for taking a look!  I'd love to hear from you, if you have a moment to leave a comment. I hope the rest of your weekend is very enjoyable and at least part of the time doing something you love!

Hugs,

Stef

All products from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Wetlands, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Paper:  Garden Green, Island Indigo, Early Espresso card stock and Coordinations paper, watercolor, Soho Subway designer paper
Ink:  Summer Starfruit, Early Espresso, Island Indigo, Crumb Cake
Accessories:  Hemp Twine, Linen Thread, Naturals Designer and Regals buttons, Woodgrain embossing folder, Antique Brass Eyelets.

Petite Thanks for Mojo Monday

Happy Independence Day!  I don't have a patriotic card to share today, but what I do have is one I made for the 300th challenge at the Mojo Monday blog.  Julee Tilman has been inspiring us for nearly 6 years and Mojo Monday was one of the first that I started following on a weekly basis.  If you haven't joined in playing along yet, you need to check it out, as there are an amazing amount of prizes that Julee is giving away.  Plus purchase discounts at Verve and several other stamp companies are available as well.

Here's the sketch:

http://mojomonday.blogspot.com/

And here's my card:

Don't you just love those colors together?  I wasn't sure how much I would use Pistachio Pudding but after buying the Venetian Romance designer paper, I fell in love with this particular design, and was pleased with how well it goes with Island Indigo.  Smoky Slate seemed to be a good neutral to add to the mix.

I wanted to make a thank you card to symbolize how much I appreciate Julee and the Mojo design team, who week in and week out provide such beautiful inspiration.

Thanks for dropping by today and taking a look!  I hope you have a safe and happy 4th of July! 

Hugs,

Stef

All products are from Stampin' Up:

Stamps:  Petite Pairs, Established Elegance, Daydream Medallion

Paper:  Island Indigo, Pistachio Pudding, Smoky Slate, Very Vanilla, In Color DSP stack, Venetian Romance designer paper

Ink:  Island Indigo, Pistachio Pudding

Accessories:  Daydream Medallion and Apothecary Accents framelits, Island Indigo Ruffled Ribbon and Baker's Twine, Very Vintage Designer Buttons, Elegant Bouquet embossing folder

A Birthday on the Subway

My card tonight is for my oldest grandson's 19th birthday.  I used last Wednesday's weekly sketch challenge at Splitcoast Stampers as inspiration.

 
It's really quite a simple card but the designer paper has so much depth and with such interesting shapes, it really looks quite busy.  The band across the lower portion is Basic Gray card stock embossed with the retired Houndstooth embossing folder, sponged with Basic Gray ink and then Jumbo Eyelets were set on each end.

I stamped the Chalk Talk sentiment in Basic Gray on Very Vanilla, cut it out with my paper snips, then adhered it to a piece of Summer Starfruit that was cut out with the matching Chalk Talk framelit.  Lots of distressing and sponging with Basic Gray around all the edges.


Here's the sketch and the link to SCS:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/

So glad you came by to take a look.  Please leave me a comment if you have the time, I'd love to hear from you!


Hugs,

Stef


All products are from Stampin' Up:
Stamps:  Chalk Talk
Paper:  Basic Gray, Summer Starfruit, Very Vanilla, Soho Subway designer paper
Ink:  Basic Gray
Accessories:  Houndstooth embossing folder, Pewter Jumbo Eyelets, Chalk Talk framelit