The 12 Kits of Holidays--May, Take 2 (4 more cards)

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! (Pool Party), Papertrey Ink (Sweet Blush)

Stamps:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Pretty Patches: Umbrella), Papertrey Ink (Tiny Tags), Serendipity Stamps (butterfly)

Tools:  Papertrey Ink (tag dies, woodgrain impression plate)

Other:  twine, Copic markers

As promised, I'm back with a few more cards made with last month's edition of The 12 Kits of Holidays.  Marybeth provided so many wonderful images, die cuts, and papers, I just had to spend some more time creating with them.

Patterned paper:  Bazzill Basics

Stamp:  Serendipity Stamps (Sun Garden)

Tool:  Paper Smooches (get well die)

Other:  Michaels (ribbon), Prismacolor Premier pencils, white gel pen

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Ocean Tides, White)

Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye (Lost & Found Blush)

Stamps:  Papertrey Ink (Comfort Food)

Tools:  Papertrey Ink (Comfort Food dies), Impression Obsession (Circle Shaker Frame die), Lil' Inkers (banner die)

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Ocean Tides, White)

Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye (Lost & Found Blush), Recollections (Aqua Screen)

Stamps:  Lil' Inker Designs (Rain Boy)

Tools:  Impression Obsession (Circle Shaker Frame die), Papertrey Ink (banner die)

Other:  sequins, glitter

Not much time to chat today, as I'm off to my daughter's school and then a softball game tonight (if the rain stops!).  Hope you're having a great week so far, friends!

The 12 Kits of Holidays--May 2013

Hey there, friends.  Quiet around here, no?  I've spent the past month trying to chase a nasty stomach virus out of my house, and I'm still recovering from a week-long bout with it myself.  Hopefully better days are ahead.

This month's 12 Kits post is a mix of themes, including get well, thinking of you, and thank you.  Marybeth supplied us with lots of pretty goodies to get us going:

I have only two cards to share today, but I will be back with more once I'm fully recovered.  I particularly like the soft pastel shades of the first one.

Patterned papers:  My Mind's Eye (Lost and Found Blush), Recollections

Stamps:  Serendipity (Butterfly Garden, Miss You small)

Ribbon:  Papertrey Ink

Other:  Copic markers, Diamond Stickles

For the second one I'm kind of wishing I'd used contrasting papers, but the monochromatic look would work for a masculine card, that is if the man in question likes polka dots and aqua.  *grin*

Patterned paper:  Bazzill (Worth Remembering), Recollections

Tool:  Paper Smooches (word die)

Twine:  Hobby Lobby

Don't forget to visit the rest of the 12 Kits ladies to see what they've made:

Joyce: Cards-by-the-Sea
Renee: ItsAPatchworkLife
Tracey: InMyCreativeOpinion
Sharron: OnPapillionWings
Marybeth: Marybeth's Time for Paper
Jeanne: AKeptLife
Amy: Stamp-n-Paradise
Kim: CupcakesCardsandKim
Kara: KandRDesigns
Kelly: GinghamGirl
Jessica: The Paper Parade

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Have a great weekend!

CAS-ual Fridays #54--Sponsored by Gina K. Designs

Woohoo!  It's Friday!  Here in the U.S. many of us are looking forward to a long weekend for Memorial Day, so hubby and I have plans to stain our deck.  We sure know how to party, right?  *wink*

If you have some stamping time this weekend, we'd love to have you join us for a new CAS-ual Fridays challenge!  This week we're asking you to whip up something masculine, which would be the perfect chance to work on some Father's Day cards.

This week we're being sponsored by Gina K. Designs, and the Design Team got to work with the fun masculine papers from their Casual Friday paper pack!  How cool is that?

I was immediately drawn to the paper that looks like denim and had the idea to make a patched "knee" for a masculine get well card.

I first took a piece of the denim patterned paper and folded the left edge under, stitching it to another strip of denim paper to make a seam.

I cut a square patch from the navy blue gingham, also from the Casual Friday paper pack, and stitched it in place, leaving the ends of the thread trailing across the card front.  

The sentiment is from Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler, stamped in Real Red onto kraft cardstock and popped up with foam tape.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Kraft)

Patterned paper:  Gina K Designs (Casual Friday)

Stamp:  Paper Smooches (Sentiment Sampler)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Real Red)

Accessories:  thread

I hope you'll join us with a masculine card this week!  Be sure to visit the rest of the Girl Fridays for more ideas.

Thanks for visiting today!  See you back here soon!

ColourQ #105

Hello again, friends!  It's ColourQ day!  

I'm sorry I haven't been around for the last week, but I just got back from a long weekend in Indiana for my brother's wedding.  We had a wonderful visit with family, but I missed being able to participate in the World Card Making Day festivities, and coming around to see what all of you have been up to.  I hope things are great in your corner of the world!

For this week's ColourQ challenge, Arielle has chosen another combo that I never would have come up with on my own, but I love it!  Combining black and brown can be a challenge, but they look striking together on the chair in this inspiration photo:

I really like the look of the multi-colored leaves on the chair, so I used that as inspiration for my leaf-stamped background.  First, I stamped two outline leaf images repeatedly onto a white cardstock panel.  Then I cut the panel into four strips and stamped them with the coordinating solid leaf images in Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizzazz, and Wisteria Wonder.  

To assemble the background, I adhered the stamped strips onto a black card base, leaving a thin margin between them.  For the sentiment, I die cut and stamped a frame from WPlus9's Very Vintage Greetings, then stamped a sentiment from PTI's Healing Touch Sentiments and another solid leaf image as an accent.

The label is popped up on foam dots over a loop of black satin ribbon, and I added two black buttons to the top corner for balance.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (True Black, white)

Stamps:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Woodgrain Silhouettes, Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions, Very Vintage Greetings), Papertrey Ink (Healing Touch Sentiments)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Chocolate Chip, Wisteria Wonder, Pear Pizzazz), Inkadinkadoo (Black)

Tools:  WPlus9 Design Studio (label die)

Accessories:  ribbon, buttons, DMC floss

I hope you'll find some time this week to play along with the challenge!  I'm off to peruse the hundreds of unread posts in my Reader before I head off to work.  Thanks so much for your visit today!

Make it Monday #31

Hello friends!  It's been a while since I played along with PTI's Make it Monday challenge, so I made a little time for it after work yesterday.

This week's challenge is to make a background using a non-background stamp.  I chose a branch image from Turning a New Leaf.

The branch was stamped repeatedly onto Rustic White cardstock using ink that is a close match to Melon Berry.  I added some scattered berries (from Harvest Berries) in burgundy.

The panel was adhered to a Scarlet Jewel base, and a punched Ripe Avocado border was added along the right edge.

I chose a sentiment from Healing Touch Sentiments and a frame from Mat Stack 1 Collection and stamped them onto the coordinating mat stack.  A die cut branch frames the sentiment, and a strip of scored Scarlet Jewel cardstock helps to ground the sentiment panel.

The design seemed a little heavy on the left side, so the Ripe Avocado button was added for balance.

All supplies from Papertrey Ink unless noted

Cardstock:  Scarlet Jewel, Ripe Avocado, Rustic White

Stamps:  Turning a New Leaf, Healing Touch Sentiments, Mat Stack 1 Collection, Harvest Berries

Ink:  Papaya Cream, Chianti (Clearsnap)

Tools:  Mat Stack 1 die, branch die (Sizzix), border punch (EK Success), Scoring board (Martha Stewart), corner rounder (We R Memory Keepers)

Accessories:  Ripe Avocado button, DMC floss

I hope you're having a great week so far!  Thanks for stopping by today!

ColourQ #101

Good morning!  After the long weekend here in the U.S., I nearly forgot that today is Tuesday and time for another fabulous ColourQ challenge!

Are you loving the new SU In Colors as much as I am?  Luckily for us, Arielle has included two of them in this week's color combo, which is inspired by a delicious fabric tote.

I haven't had much time to play with my newest stamps from Papertrey Ink, so I couldn't wait to ink up the gingko leaves from Harvest Berries.  *swoon*  I thought they would be perfect for a get well card for a co-worker who is having surgery this week.  

Usually when making a card, the sentiment is one of the last things I add, and often I don't even know what type of sentiment I'll use until the card is nearly finished.  For this card, I stamped the sentiment first for two reasons.  

First, I knew it would be a get well card, so I chose a phrase from PTI's Healing Touch Sentiments that I thought was most appropriate.  

Second, I wanted the sentiment in the "sweet spot", that intersection of imaginary lines that divides a card into thirds.  This is most appealing to the eye and draws your attention to the message immediately.

Once the sentiment was stamped in Rich Razzleberry, it was fairly quick and easy to frame it with gingko leaves stamped in Pool Party.  Next I added some texture with PTI's Linen & Canvas impression plate.

For a bit of dimension and contrast, I die cut two gingko branches, stamped them in Lucky Limeade, and popped them up with foam adhesive.

To balance out the Razzleberry sentiment, I added a scattering of stamped purple berries, then adhered the panel to a lavender card base.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Lavender Moon, white)

Stamps:  Papertrey Ink (Harvest Berries, Healing Touch Sentiments)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry)

Tools:  Papertrey Ink (branch dies, Linen & Canvas impression plate)

I love the composition of this card, but if I made it again I think I would stamp off once before stamping the aqua leaves so they would be a little softer and fade more into the background, because as-is it seems a little busy.  But I adore these colors together and hope you'll find some time to take up the challenge using them this week!

Thanks for paying me a visit today!  I hope to catch up on comments and visits to your blogs very soon!

ColourQ #97

Happy Tuesday, friends!  How's your week going so far?  

Are you ready for another color challenge?  Last week's entries at the ColourQ were just incredible--you all rocked the challenge!  I think you're gonna like this week's palette, too, just look and see:

What do you think?  I hope you'll give these colors a try!

For my card, I was inspired by THIS one by my friend Karen at Luv to Stamp.  Love those colorful cardstock strips!  I also made a do-it-yourself version of PTI's Half & Half labels.  I used a Labels 18 Nestie to die cut one end of a strip of Bitty Dots patterned paper, then added a strip of white cardstock with a sentiment from Healing Touch Sentiments.

The cardstock strips needed a little something, so I stamped a row of polka dots from Faux Ribbon on each.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Aqua Mist, True Black, white), Stampin' Up! (Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango)

Patterned paper:  Papertrey Ink (2008 Bitty Dot Basics)

Stamps:  Papertrey Ink (Healing Touch Sentiments, Faux Ribbon)

Ink:  Inkadinkadoo (Black), Clearsnap (Seaglass), Versamark

Tools:  Spellbinders (Labels 18), Papertrey Ink (Linen & Canvas impression plate), corner rounder

Accessories:  Papertrey Ink (buttons), DMC floss

This card is going to fellow Royal Court DT member Kasia, who recently broke her ankle.  Kasia, I'm hoping that by the time this makes it to you, you'll be well on your way to a full recovery!

Thanks for stopping by today!