Labor Day Challenges

Happy Labor Day! I hope you are doing something fun today! We're doing a lot of "catch up" around the house --doing laundry, cleaning the garage... but of course I did some stamping, too!

There are quite a few challenges in this one card! I did today's Technique Challenge at SCS (Black Magic), the Meet the Verve Divas Challenge (using unloved supplies), the Verve Project Parade (brown and pink), and Jen del Muro's Sketch for You to Try. All of them came together pretty easily once I got started!

Okay, so here are the details. I used my Prismacolor Pencils dipped in OMS to color in the flower image which was stamped in SU! white craft ink. I used a few "unloved" supplies: SU! Berry Bliss paper (I HAD to have it but have used it once before now!), ticket corner punch (I honestly can't remember the last time I used it), and white detail embossing powder (I don't heat emboss nearly as much as I should). The brown and pink color scheme is perfect for the Verve Project Parade -- the brown and pink inspiration piece is so yummy! I love Jen's sketch this week -- it was perfect for this image and sentiment from Beautiful You by Verve Stamps. The small flourish is from Fairy Tales, also by Verve.

I had fun making this card, and I love how it turned out! I made it with the recipients in mind, and it will be in the mail tomorrow! :)

If you don't mind, I have a couple more blog awards I'd like to share with you today.

Candy from I Love Chocolate gave me this Javablu Award -- thank you, Candy!

Anna Sutherland of Funky, Fresh and Fun gave me this award. Thank you so much, Anna!

I have to admit, I'm a little overwhelmed by the blog awards I have received lately. I really am humbled to know that you like what I do -- thank you all SO much! I get so much inspiration from all the blogs I visit, and it makes me happy to know that you get inspiration from me, too! Big hugs to all of you!! :)

Thanks so much for visiting today! I'll be back tomorrow with another card -- but now it's time to put in another load of laundry! Have a great day! :)

Two Challenges in One!

Hello! Happy Tuesday! I made this card for today's Color Challenge and also for yesterday's Technique Challenge (faux dry embossing). I have to say that this design didn't translate to paper the way I had planned -- it was a lot different in my head. Oh well, I think it turned out okay anyway! I was glad to use my SU! stamps -- they've been much too neglected lately!

I stamped the flourish from Baroque Motifs once in White Craft ink and again in Creamy Caramel, using a Stamp-a-ma-jig to get it positioned just right. I stamped the flowers in Rose Red, cut them out, and attached them with the black brads. I added distressing and piercing to the edges of the panels, and I sponged around the sentiment to "dirty" it up just a bit.

I did some actual dry embossing along the bottom with my Cuttlebug and Frills embossing border -- I like the way it "peeks" out from the torn cardstock. I added black satin ribbon to the front and finished the inside of the card.

Tomorrow is the ATS Challenge -- it's a fun one! I hope you'll stop back! Thanks so much for the visit today -- have a great day! :)

All products Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Baroque Motifs Ink: Basic Black, Creamy Caramel, White Craft Cardstock: Rose Red, Kraft, Basic Black, Whisper White Other: black brads, stamping sponge, paper piercing tool and mat pack, Cutter Kit, dimensionals, black satin ribbon (May Arts), Cuttlebug and Frills border (Provo Craft)

A Color Challenge with Kissed Flowers

How could I resist today's Color Challenge -- Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, and Chocolate Chip?!? I *love* those colors to begin with, but what's better is that they are the colors in the Sultry paper pad!!! Someone is going to have to forcibly remove that pad from my hands -- I think I could use it every day! :)

The images are from Silhouette Blooms I from The Kim Hughes Collection by Cornish Heritage Farms. I had some more fun with CHF backgrounders, too -- Spanish Script and Cheesecloth. I stamped Spanish Script lightly in Certainly Celery on the background of the image panel. Then I stamped one of the flower images a few times in Pretty in Pink. Today's backgrounder challenge is to use the kissing technique with your backgrounders, so I inked Cheesecloth with Chocolate Chip, pressed (or kissed) the flower image onto it, then rock-n-rolled the edges before stamping. I sponged the edges of the image and sentiment panels, and I embellished with brads and ribbon.

It's a pretty simple design, but I had fun using the backgrounder to give the flowers a different look! Try it with those background and solid image stamps that you have! If you don't have background stamps, kiss your solid image stamp against another stamp or a wheel! I'd love to see what you come up with! :)

It's another gorgeous spring day here today -- I hope you're having beautiful weather as well! Thanks for making me a part of your day -- I really appreciate it! :)

Stamps: Silhouette Blooms I, Cheesecloth Backgrounder, Spanish Script Backgrounder (CHF) Ink: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink (SU!) Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Sultry 6x6 pad (BasicGrey) Other: Chocolate Chip 7/8" grosgrain, oval punches, Soft Subtles brads, Stampin' Dimensionals, stamping sponge (SU!); Pink dotted organdy ribbon (May Arts)

A Technique Challenge and More Backgrounder Fun!

Hey, everyone! Happy Monday! It's a gorgeous day here today -- the temperature will be about 75 degrees this afternoon! Spring is finally here! I know some of my friends out there are under SNOW today (right, Dawn?), so I'll send warm wishes your way! :)

Today's Technique Challenge at SCS is to make a Gift Card Holder. I'd seen this type of gc holder on several blogs, but I hadn't made one myself until today! Check out the challenge thread for directions! I combined this challenge with another of the Backgrounder Blitz challenges at Cornish Heritage Farms. I have been having so much fun with these challenges -- they have opened my eyes to all the ways you can use background stamps! Today's challenge is to stamp on anything but paper. I chose to stamp on acetate and a Prima flower. I covered the front of the gc holder in Sultry paper. I took a piece of acetate (recycled from an unmounted stamp set) and applied white Stazon directly to it with the pad. Then I heat set it. Over the white I stamped the Lined Paper Backgrounder and a flower image from Nature Silhouettes in Timber Brown Stazon. I also used the brown Stazon to stamp the Spanish Script Backgrounder onto the Prima flower. I used glue dots to attach the acetate to the card front. I slipped some Regal Rose grosgrain under the acetate, wrapped it around the back, and tied it on the side. The sentiment was stamped in Chocolate Chip, and I sponged the circle with Regal Rose. The sentiment and flower are mounted on dimensionals.

Here is the inside of the gift card holder. The opening for the gift card was made with a Word Window punch and a 1 3/8" circle punch. I used other images from Nature Silhouettes to stamp the inside. I rock-n-rolled the image on the back panel. There is plenty of room above the image for writing a message to the recipient.

I hope this gives you some good ideas -- thanks for stopping to visit! Have a wonderful day -- see you all next time! :)

Stamps: Spanish Script Backgrounder, Lined Paper Backgrounder, Nature Silhouettes (CHF) Ink: Stazon White Opaque, Stazon Timber Brown; Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, White Craft (SU!) Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Sultry (BasicGrey) Other: acetate, flower (Prima), Regal Rose 7/8" grosgrain, Vintage Brad, Word Window Punch, 1" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, stamping sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals, mini glue dots (SU!)

Debossed Blossoms

Hello! I hope you had a great weekend! It's Monday, and that means a new Technique Challenge at SCS. Today the technique is Debossing Vellum. I had never done this technique before, so I was glad to try something new. My fellow ATS Design Team member Linda Black is today's guest host. Her technique tutorial can be found HERE or on the SCS challenge thread.

I really like how my card turned out, but the process was not easy. I am a sloooooooow card maker when I'm designing my own projects. I agonize over layouts and details -- I try something, look at it a while, try something different, and eventually decide I'm happy with it. That's what happened with this card. Deciding on the image to deboss was no problem, and I chose my paper and colors just fine, but then I spent waaaaay too much time getting all the details just right when it was time to put it all together!

Most of it is self-explanatory, but I will tell you that I colored behind the debossed vellum with markers, then I applied the vellum oval to the Pumpkin Pie scalloped oval. I used my Quickie Glue Pen (*love* that thing) to draw a thin line of glue around the edge of the vellum. It's difficult to adhere vellum without the adhesive showing, but the Quickie glue is not too noticable. I added dots to the scallops with a white gel pen, and I mounted the scalloped oval on dimensionals.

That's all for today -- thanks so much for visiting! I always am so thankful to all of you for your kindness and encouragement! Have a great day! :)

All products Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Embrace Life Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Basic Black, Old Olive Cardstock: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie Paper: vellum, Bali Breeze DSP Other: stylus, markers - Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Old Olive brads, Old Olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, 3/16" corner rounder, Stampin' Dimensionals, white gel pen (Marvy), Mega Oval Punch & Giga Scalloped Oval Punch (Marvy Uchida), Quickie Glue Pen

Bella Birthday

Happy Monday! Here's a card I made for today's Technique Challenge -- using mixed patterns of paper (two or more). I pulled out some Piggy Tales Ba Ba Black Sheep paper and thought it would make a fun birthday card. Cakeabella is colored with Copics, and her apron is paper pieced. I added some red Stickles and some white Liquid Applique to the cake. There are Sugarcoated Brads through the Prima flowers, and the two-tone pink ribbon is from May Arts.

I hope the recipient likes it -- I had fun making it! Thanks for visiting -- I'll be back with more tomorrow! Have a great day! :)

Stamps: Cakeabella and sentiment (Stamping Bella) Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black, Basic Black Cardstock: red and apple textured cardstock (Bazzill), Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Ba Ba Black Sheep (Piggy Tales) Other: Copic Markers, two-tone textured ribbon (May Arts), Got Flowers (Prima), Limeade Sugarcoated Brads (Doodlebug Designs), Christmas Red Stickles (Ranger), Liquid Applique, sponge, dimensionals

Dinner in a Bucket

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend! Ours was pretty uneventful. We have been without countertops since Wednesday, and our new range is still not completely installed, so I didn't have to cook! We did some work around the house (mostly in the kitchen), and we had a lot of take-out meals! Our new counters come tomorrow -- woo hoo!! I'm looking forward to getting all our stuff off the dining room table and back where it belongs!

I had a chance to check out the Technique Challenge at SCS this morning. The technique is Dahlia Fold. It creates a beautiful paper flower perfect for a card or other project. I decided to use my flower on the lid of this tin pail. I used 1 3/8" circles for the individual petals. Eight of them fit perfectly on a Giga Scalloped Circle. I used a silver circle brad in the middle, and I attached the circle to the lid with dimensionals. I used Embrace Life and Ginger Blossom dp so I could coordinate it with this card I made last week.

Our neighbor's father passed away last week, and the funeral was today. Since my kitchen is out of commission, I'm sending over this "dinner in a bucket" instead of a cooked meal. I filled the pail with gift certificates and gift cards to a local restaurant and ice cream parlor (Skyline Chili and Graeter's Ice Cream -- yum!). Hopefully they can enjoy a night out this week.

I don't know that I'll get much stamping done tomorrow -- I think these countertops are going to be an all-day event. Wish me luck! I hope to see you in a couple days -- thanks for visiting today!! :)

All supplies Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Embrace Life Cardstock: Ruby Red, watercolor paper Paper: Ginger Blossom Ink: Basic Black, Ruby Red, Groovy Guava, River Rock Other: Aquapainter, rose grosgrain ribbon, Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, stamping sponge, paper piercing tool, 1 3/8" circle punch, Giga Scalloped Circle Punch (Marvy Uchida), Silver Circle Brad (Making Memories), tin pail (Stampendous)

Technique Challenge: Split Image

Today's Technique Challenge at SCS was to do a split image. The instructions can be found on the challenge thread HERE. For this card, I decided to use my much-neglected SU! stamps and papers. For one half of the image, I used Chocolate Chip Craft ink and Clear embossing powder, and for the other I used Versamark and White embossing powder. This card is definitely different than my usual style, and I'm still not sure if I like it, but sometimes you just have to try new things, right?!? That's one of my stamping resolutions for the New Year: to go beyond my comfort zone and try new techniques and styles.

I don't have big plans for tonight. I'm still not feeling 100% yet, and Chris has been sick too, so we're going to stay home with Anna and Caroline and ring in the New Year quietly. Kyle and Megan will be at friends' houses tonight (teenagers have much more fun than 40-something moms!). I hope you find a wonderful way to begin 2008, whether with family or friends, at a party or at home. I wish you all a very Happy New Year! Thanks for being such an important part of my 2007!! :)

All supplies Stampin' Up! (except sewing machine)

Stamps: Office Accoutrement Ink: Chocolate Chip Craft, Versamark, Old Olive Paper: Home Again SS Kit, Bordering Blue, River Rock Other: white EP, clear EP, heat tool, Ice Circles brads, oval punches, horizontal slot punch, 5/8" Chocolate Chip grosgrain, Markers (Choc Chip, Bordering Blue), sponge, dimensionals, sewing machine

An ATC Challenge

Wednesday night, on the My Favorite Things Forum at Splitcoaststampers, there was a challenge to make an ATC card then incorporate it into a regular card. ATCs, or Artist Trading Cards, are 3.5 x 2.5" mini cards, made for trading. They have become very popular among papercrafters, but I had never made one until now! I really had fun with it!

Here's my ATC:

And here's the finished card:

On the ATC, I used Hot Stuff by MFT and BasicGrey Figgy paper. Cardstock is Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, and Watercolor paper. I stamped the image in Chocolate Chip ink three times: once on the "solid" blue paper, once on the striped paper, and once on vanilla cardstock. I colored the arms on the vanilla cardstock with a blender pen and Blush Blossom ink. Then I cut out the dress and cup from the striped paper and adhered them to the image on the blue paper. Lastly, I cut out the arms I had colored and adhered them as well. I used a corner rounder to create scallops on the bottom of the patterned paper, then I added some dots with a white gel pen. I stamped the cup on watercolor paperwith Basic Brown ink and colored it with an Aquapainter and Cranberry Crisp & Old Olive inks. I punched out the circles with 1" and 1 1/4" circle punches, then I added some Vintage Brads.

To make the card, I layered some more Figgy paper, Chocolate Chip cardstock, Old Olive cardstock, and Cranberry Crisp cardstock on a Cool Caribbean card base. I ran the cranberry cardstock through my Cuttlebug with the D'vine Swirls embossing folder. I stamped the sentiment in Chocolate Chip ink and added some 5/8" Old Olive grosgrain. Then I attached the ATC using dimensionals.

I really like this card, and I think I'll be doing some more ATC's! Try something new today, and have a happy Friday!! :)

Lucky's Pocket Card

It's November 6th -- that means one more day until C.C. Designs' Little Bit Kits are released! Click HERE to see the post on Christine's blog about them -- the packaging is great, and they come already assembled for you!!! You can choose wood mounted or EZ-mount. She plans to release one of these mini sets on the 7th of each month -- the next one will have even more winter fun! :)

For this sneak peek, I used Lucky's Christmas Wish, and I did this week's Technique Challenge over at SCS -- horizontal pocket cards. I decided that Lucky should get a jump start on his Christmas list, so he's writing his letter to Santa already! I stamped Lucky with Brilliance Graphite Black ink on Bazzill Coconut Smoothies cardstock, masked his hand, then stamped the pencil from Donald/Daphne Goes to School. He's colored with Prismacolors and blended with Turpenoid. I used Frosted Lace Stickles on his hat. The sentiment on the front is handwritten. The patterned paper is Holiday Words from Flair Design, and the colored cardstock is SU! Glorious Green and Real Red. To embellish, I added some faux stitching, Bazzill white brads, May Arts red satin ribbon, and SU! white grosgrain.

Don't forget to go to All That Scraps tomorrow for the release of Lulu's Sweet Delights and Lucky's Christmas Wish. Thanks for stopping by -- have a great day! :)

Technique Challenge: Cracked Glass

Today's Technique Challenge at Splitcoaststampers is Cracked Glass. Beate's tutorial can be found on the Challenge thread here. To do this technique, you heat emboss over your stamped image with three layers of Glassy Glaze EP or other thick embossing enamel. You put your embossed image in the freezer for a minute or so to cool completely, then you bend it to crack the glaze. So cool!

The image and sentiment on this card are part of the Believe set from Papertrey Ink. I stamped the tree in SU! Old Olive ink, then used a blender pen and inks (Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Close to Cocoa and Cranberry Crisp) to color it in. The sentiment is stamped in Cranberry Crisp ink. Paper is from K&Co., and the cardstock is SU! River Rock, Cranberry Crisp, and Very Vanilla. It's hard to see, but I stamped En Francais in River Rock ink on the background paper. Another detail that's hard to see: I scored a "frame" around the tree image before doing the heat embossing. After the glaze was cracked, I sponged River Rock ink onto it to define the cracks a little better.

I love the aged, vintage look that this technique gives to an image. If you haven't done cracked glass, give it a try -- you'll be glad you did! I'll have one final Halloween project to share with you tomorrow, so I hope you'll stop back to visit ! :)

Stamps: Believe (Papertrey Ink), En Francais (SU!) Cardstock: Cranberry Crisp, River Rock, Very Vanilla (SU!) Paper: K&Co. Ink: Old Olive, Cranberry Crisp, River Rock, Always Artichoke, Close to Cocoa (SU!) Other: Glassy Glaze EP, heat tool, Vintage Brads, Cranberry Crisp stitched grosgrain, blender pen, stamping sponge, lg oval punch, stampin' dimensionals (all SU!)

Treat Slider

With Halloween being only 15 days away, I've started to think about treats for my two youngest girls' classmates. I'm trying to come up with some "non-candy" treats -- I know the parents will appreciate it, even if the kids don't! ;)

Yesterday's Technique Challenge at SCS provided the perfect opportunity to try something new -- a Treat Slider. I've seen these so many times and never made one. Now that I have, I don't know why I waited so long! They're sooooo easy! I did mine for a popcorn bag, but you can easily adapt the size to fit a candy bar or other treat. All the directions are on the challenge thread HERE. When you pull the knot on the ribbon, the popcorn bag slides out. Pretty cool! All ribbon is from Martha Stewart and was purchased at Michaels.

For the wrapping, I used Bazzill Coconut Smoothies cardstock, Stampin' Up! Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black cardstock, and SU! Creepy Crawly paper. I used my Halloween Set from C.C. Designs (available at All That Scraps) to embellish the wrapping. I stamped the spider, the sentiment and the bat in SU! Basic Black ink. I colored the bat with a black Prismacolor Pencil blended with odorless mineral spirits, then I cut him out. You can't see it well in the photo, but I gave him a little shime with a Sakura clear glaze pen. I then used black and white Marvy gel pens to highlight his eyes, ears and fangs. I used the Marvy Mega Circle Punch and Giga Scalloped Circle punch for the sentiment. I added dots with the white gel pen and faux stitching with a SU! Pumpkin Pie marker. I just attached the circle to the wrapping and mounted the bat on a SU! Stampin' Dimensional, and the slider was complete!

Do you have any other ideas for "non-candy" Halloween treats? If so, I'd love to hear them! Thanks for coming by to visit -- I'm so glad you did! :)

Jenn Box

Today's Technique Challenge at SCS was to make a 2-5-7-10 box, also known as a "Jenn Box," because it was made popular by Jenn Balcer. I had been wanting to make one for quite a while, so I was happy to play along! They are so easy to make and are great little gift boxes! The tutorial can be found here. I used Really Rust and Very Vanilla cardstock, and the scalloped circle was punched from Apple Cider paper. The stamps are from Priceless, True Friend, and It's Your Birthday. Ink is Really Rust, Wild Wasabi, and Chocolate Chip Craft. The "HB" was stamped with the craft ink and heat embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. I then punched it out with the 1 1/4" circle punch and matted it with the scalloped circle. The hearts were stamped, cut out and sponged. I pierced along the sides of the fold-over and also on the scalloped circle. I created the scallops along the edge of the fold-over with the retired Corner Rounder (I need to get the new, smaller-sized Corner Rounder!). The scalloped circle and hearts are on Stampin' Dimensionals, and the box is tied with Wild Wasabi double stitched ribbon.

There are several September and October birthdays coming up in our family -- I think I'll be making some more of these boxes! They'll be perfect for holiday gift giving, too! Try one yourself -- thanks for stopping by! :)

All products Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.