Rustic & Flower-full Jar of Love HSS247

Pin It Now! A new stamp set is like a cool, sweet breath of fresh air! My latest new purchase is the Jar of Love bundle, and oh, is it fun! And beautiful, and versatile, and easy to use...

I used our latest sketch challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments as a springboard.

This sketch has loads of potential!

I love that I could add many laters without it getting too bulky.  I think I can still mail this without the extra postage.  No dimensionals here, just layers on layers. 

Don't you love that little bit of patterned paper?  It's from the Festive Birthday DSP pack.  The one with the pinatas?! I love this floral!

Inside, I used the leftover flowers and paper scrap.

Head on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and give this sketch a go!  I'd love to see what you're up to!

Have a blessed and crafty day!
~Erika

SUPPLIES:
STAMPS: Jar of Love, Hardwood
INK: Crushed Curry, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Emerald Envy
PAPER: Festive Birthday DSP, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
EMBELLISHMENTS: Basic Pearls, burlap scrap, 1-3/8" circle punch, 1" square punch for banner ends
BIG SHOT: Everyday Jars Framelits Dies

Sweet & Simple Cards with Banner Blessings HSS246

Pin It Now! Hey crafty friend! I'm playing around with the new In Colors this week - I'm still warming up to them - and Hand Stamped Sentiments' latest challenge has given me the boost I need to get a little creative!

I need some nice, mailable cards to lift some spirits this week, and what better stamp set than Banner Blessings?  And Flirty Flamingo is such a happy color!  It pairs with the sentiment perfectly for some happy snail-mail.

The flower stamps are from Birthday Blooms, and I had to fit Dapper Denim in there, so I used it on the sentiment stamp just as an accent.  

Here's the color combo, up close and personal...what do you think?  

I'm glad I didn't stop at one - looking forward to spreading some sunshine this week!
Hope you'll join in at HSS!

SUPPLIES:
STAMPS:  Banner Blessings, Birthday Blooms
INK: Sweet Sugarplum, Flirty Flamingo, Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark
PAPER: Flirty Flamingo CS & DSP
EMBELLIES: Linen Thread, Sweet Sugarplum Ruched Ribbon, Basic Pearls, Corrugated Paper

Masculine Birthday with Serene Scenery HSS245

Pin It Now! Time for a new challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments!  This week's challenge is an inspiration collage.

There's so much in this inspiration grouping to choose from, you're sure to be inspired!  I picked out the wooded scene, as well as the colorful background behind the deer in the postage stamp image.  I created a sweet and simple masculine birthday card - I never seem to have a man card when I need one in a pinch! 

I was going to create a watercolored background with several colored ink pads and a blender brush, but then came across this pretty colored background paper from the Serene Scenery 6x6 DSP pad.  It's a water / seashore scene, but the muted colors did well with the color combo I was looking for.  Fast and easy! 

Head on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and check out the design team samples and our fellow participants!

This Christmas - I'll Be Ready!

Pin It Now! So, it's only 218 days til' Christmas!  It's never too early to prep.
My youngest & I go walking as often as possible around a park loop, and we have the tradition of playing Christmas music on Pandora, even in the dog days of summer.  It really got me in the mood for Christmas cards.

I went looking for a sketch challenge to start with, and noticed that Freshly Made Sketches and Sunday Stamps have similar layouts this week.  So, I thought I'd take the same elements and make one card for each sketch.

I've used new SU DSP called This Christmas, and a retired and perfectly gorgeous stamp, Prince of Peace.

I love both sketches! Circles are my favorite element. Please visit them and check out all the fantastic inspiration!

I'm just tickled to have two Christmas cards to add to my very small stash!