Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge #22

Hi Stamping Friends!!  I finally had a chance at lunch time to get a card done for the Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute!!  I was busy as a bee these past few weeks with some dental emergencies with my 5yo DS.  He ended up having seven, yes 7!! teeth pulled.  Three because they were infected and four because there is not enough room in his mouth for the HUGE permanent teeth that are getting ready to come in.  And that's why I have to squeeze my stamping time into my lunch hour!! (That's also why I got some chocolate on my card and had to do a little extra Photoshopping to remove it!)

But I didn't want this adorable challenge to buzz right by.  :)  Aren't all those little bumble bees too cute!  Too bad I didn't have any bee stamps.  Kinda makes it even more challenging. 

SMARTY PANTS

I'm not usually great with the CAS style.  I always make things too complicated.  But with this fabulous sketch from the Clean and Simple blog, all the hard work is done for me!  The card base is Whisper White layered with a piece of Play Date DSP.  The Chocolate Chip scallop was made using my Tasteful Trim die.  LOVE that die!!  It's a must-have.  Another item from the Holiday Mini Catalog that I used is the Decorative Label punch.  I finally have a punch big enough for my Smarty Pants phrases!!  The flower was made with the Daisies #2 die and the button is from the Neutrals button pack.  I finished it off with a piece of hemp twine.  Perfect card to finish in about 15 minutes!!  Plus this card fits the Pals Paper Arts challenge to use buttons!

I hope you can join us at the SCIC.  We are always looking for new stampers to help us celebrate!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Stamping!

Happy Birthday ColourQ!!

Woo Hoo!  The Colour Q is one year old!!!  Happy Birthday!  And to celebrate this exciting milestone, Arielle threw us for a little loop this week.  Instead of giving us the normal, fabulous color challenge, she gave us a sketch challenge and told us to use any of the color challenges from the past year.  How great is that?!  It was so fun browsing through all the past challenges.  It was really difficult to pick one.  There are so many fantastic color combos.  I thought I would maybe choose a combo I had never used before, but that didn't happen.  I finally settled on ColourQ #13.  I just think these are perfect birthday colors for any girl.  I actually did participate in this challenge, as a regular stamper, not as a DT member.  So here is the card I created to celebrate the one year birthday of the ColourQ.

ON A PEDESTAL

It's a bummer I didn't catch all the sparkle of the rhinestones.  This card is nice and blingy.  Even the "icing" is sparkling with some Dazzling Diamonds.  You might be seeing a lot more bling on my blog in the next couple of weeks.  I'm getting ready to sell some cards and stuff at a Fall Festival at a local Christian school and the mothers there are known for their love of all things shiny.  So I figure the more the merrier!!  I should add another pack of rhinestones to my next order.  I would hate to run out!

I hope you have a chance to stop by the ColourQ and check out what the rest of the amazing design team has created.  Plus, help us celebrate our first year by uploading your creation to the challenge.  We would love to have you join us!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge #21

Hi Stamping Friends!!  It's Thursday and that means it's time to celebrate!!  Won't you celebrate with us?!  Join us this week at the Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge.  Our inspiration pictures could be used for a variety of events... bridal shower, baby shower, birthday party, or just a wonderful afternoon tea party in the backyard.  I wanted to do a baby shower type card, but I realized I don't have any decent baby style stamps.  How can that be?!  I really need to work on fixing that!  :-)

WORD PLAY

I really fell in love with colors in the pictures.  I chose to use Pear Pizzazz (love that shade of green!), Daffodil Delight, and Pretty In Pink.  The striped DSP on the bakground is super old.  It came in a SAB scrapbook kit.  It was perfect to use for this card.  It has all the right colors!  The pink polka dot DSP is from the Subtles DSP Pattern Stack.  The fun flower was made using about 10 Scallop Circles punched out, wetted, squished, and then layered.  After looking at the inspiration pic again, I should have maybe made the flower pink.  Oh well!!  I got to use two of my favorite items out of the catalog... buttons and rhinestones!!  I love all the new SU! accessories.  They are such amazing quality.  You just don't get that with some other products.  I used this week's sketch form the Mojo Monday blog.  This is sketch MOJO157.

Stop by the Stampin' Celebration blog and see what are amazing Design Team has created.  These gals never cease to amaze me!!  We hope you can celebrate with us this week and stamp something!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

ColourQ #51 and some fun news!!

Hi Stamping Friends!!!  We've got some gorgeous colors for you to play with this week at the ColourQ. Aren't they fabulous?!  What I want to know though, is who is going to wear that hat?!  It looks like one of those old-fashioned bathing caps that had all those flowers stuck on it.  Anyhoo!  There are so many different directions I could have went with this combo.  They make beautiful springtime colors, and are also great for soft, citrusy summer colors.  But since there is a coolness in the air (finally!) and the harvest season has begun, I went a random route and decided to use them for fall colors.

PAISLEY PRINTS

I chose to use the Paisley Prints set which is available in the Holiday Mini Catalog.  The card base is So Saffron, layered with some Old Olive DSP from the Play Date pack.  The Peach Parfait DSP comes from the In Colors DSP stack.  The "Grateful" sentiment is from the Falling Leaves set.  Isn't the layout fun?!  I love a good layout, and since I never can come up with any of my own, I always have to use someone elses!!  This layout is from the Create With Connie and Mary blog. 

And now for some fun news.... I'm in a magazine!  Well, not just me, but the whole ColourQ Royal Court design team!!!  The ColourQ blog is featured in the October issue of Creating Keepsakes.  And since my picture is on the blog, my picture is now in CK!!  How fun is that?!  I'm not sure what page it's even on, since I don't have a copy of the magazine... yet!!  It may not be quite as exciting as "getting published", but at least I can say I was in a magazine!  From what I understand, you actually have to send the cards in to get them published.  How silly is that?!  I mean really!! I barely have enough time to make the cards.  You think I'm going to send them somewhere?!  :-)

Speaking of cards that I have made... if you live in the Tulare/Visalia/Exeter/Hanford area of Cali, stop by the recently remodeled Goodies Cookies in Mary's Vineyard and browse my card rack.  I'm heading there today and I'll be adding 100 cards!!  Plus, don't leave the store without getting one of their delicious cookies.  My fave is the Snickerdoodle.  While you're there, tell Natalie and Sandy hi from me!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

New Stuff!!

Hi Stamping Friends!!

Don't you just love getting new stamping stuff?!  And I just don't mean new stamp sets and ink pads.  I mean new, never-seen-before, never-tried-before products.  In the new Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog, they have Letterpress Plates.  I LOVE the look of letterpress.  I even took a class in San Fransisco, to learn the art of letterpress.  It was so exciting setting up your own type and mixing your own ink.  It was like stamping on steroids!!  I've even looked into purchasing a letterpress machine, but I just don't have anywhere to put it.  I would need an entire studio or garage (which hubby will never give up!) to store it in.  So I just HAD to have one of the new Letterpress Plates.  And look what I did with it...

TRICK OR TREAT

Isn't it so cool?!  This was my very first attempt, and I actually messed it up.  So I did what any good stamper does and I figured out a way to use it anyway!  I accidentally moved my watercolor paper after I set it on top of the inked up plate, that's what all that bottom smudging is from.  But I thought it looked kind of "spooky", so I added more smudges and inked up the edges, so it almost looks like I did it on purpose!

I used watercolor paper and craft ink.  The paper is soft enough that it actually makes an indentation where the letter are.  Yay!  More stuff to feel!  I love a card you can touch and feel.  Hopefully I'll have some time and make a picture tutorial on how I used my Letterpress Plate.  And I can't wait to order the Lots of Love plate next!!!!

Stop back by tomorrow and check out what I've created for the ColourQ challenge (well, I actually haven't made anything yet, but it is at the top of my to-do list, right after we do Kindergarten!).  Plus find out some fun CoulourQ news!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge #20

Hi Stamping Friends!!

It's Thursday and that means it time for another fabulous challenge over at the Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge.  This is SCIC20.  I can't believe we are on our 20th challenge already!!  This week we are celebrating the birthday of one of our Design Team member, Candace.  Happy Birthday Candace!!!  I love the inspiration photos Candace picked out.  For some reason they remind me of Breakfast With Tiffany and Audrey Hepburn.  They are just so fun and girly.  Too bad I didn't have a card to go with them!!!  The good ole desktop is in the shop abd until I get it back, you won't see much stamping projects from me.  It's just too hard to use the sons laptop to get it all done.  So I apologize for not being able to inspire you, but don't let that stop you from playing along!!  Stop by the Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge and see the wonderful creations the Design Team has made.  You'll love them!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

ColourQ #50

Hi Stampers!!  Well I am so bummed that I did not have a chance to play in Arielle's awesome ColourQ challenge this week.  On Sunday my computer got a virus and I had to bring it in.  Of course they can't even look at it until Friday. So here I am again, stuck using someone else's computer.  But just because I couldn't play with these fantastic colors, doesn't mean you can't!  So join the gals over at the ColourQ and create something fabulous this week!

Happy Stamping!!

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge #19

Hi Stamping Friends!!  It's Thursday and that means it's time to celebrate!!  I love to have a reason to stamp and being able to participate in the Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge is just the the motivation I need to ink up my stamps.  If I didn't have this challenge and the ColourQ to "have to" stamp for, I think too many days would go by with no stamping done, and that would be so sad!!  My life is a blur at the moment with kid stuff, school stuff, church stuff, house stuff and stuff stuff.  I'm so glad I can take a moment to stamp, at least twice every week.

I love today's inspiration photos.  The sunflowers are so beautiful.  And I love the colors going on.  I wish I could say I love my card too, but it's lacking something and I haven't figured out what yet.  I tried adding stuff, but it didn't work, so I left it as is.

WITH ALL MY HEART

I like the colors and the papers and the flower.  I just think it needs more.  It's kind of boring.  Maybe the center of the flower should have been larger.  Maybe I should have had a black circle underneath the buttons.  I do love the buttons though.  I love all the Stampin' Up! buttons.  They are the best!!  And I also love my new Tasteful Trim die from the Holiday Mini Catalog.  Definitely a must have!  The sketch for this card comes from the 2 Sketches 4 You blog.  This is sketch #60.  It was the perfect sketch for the big sunflower I knew I wanted on my card.  Well, I guess you can't hit every ball out of the park.  What a bummer!  Now I'll just have to keep practicing!  :-)

I hope you can stop by the Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge and play along with us this week.  You have until next Tuesday to upload your card.  We are always looking for more stampers to help us celebrate all of life's special moments!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

ColourQ Tuesday #49

Arielle gave us lots of solid boys colors to play with this week at the ColourQ.  I really had fun with these.  We hope you can play along with us!  The super cute layout comes from my favorite online Stampin' Up! hangout, Stampin' Addicts.  They have daily challenges, and Thursdays challenge is a sketch challenge.  I like that they can be clean and simple, or you can step them up and make them more.  Sometimes I can get overwhelmed by all the layers in a sketch.  It's always refreshing to be able to choose whether or not you want to make it complicated.  That's what I love about the Stampin' Addicts sketches!

SMARTY PANTS

I love the sayings in the Smarty Pants set.  They are super creative.  This will be the perfect card for my brother's birthday.  He loves trains and he loves to do goofy stuff.  Even though he will be turning 40 on his next birthday!!  After looking for the perfect stamp for this challenge, I decided I needed some new stamps.  :-)  I love all the sets I have, I just need some new ones!

Hope you have a great day!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge #18

Hi Stamping Friends!  Today's card is for the challenge over at the Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge.  Come join the fun!  This week we are celebrating the end of summer with a good old-fashioned crab feed.  I have to be honest.  I grew up in Southern California and I LOVE the beach!  But when I think of the beach, I think of bikinis and surfers and sunscreen and waves.  I don't think of adirondak chairs and crabs and sea grass.  So this was really quite challenging for me!  I guess I'm not very nautical.

ANIMAL STORIES

I used the colors as my inspiration.  Mostly blue and yellow, with a pop of red.  And the most nautical stamp I have is this whale from Animal Stories.  I used a lot of retired things on this card.  The DSP is majorly old and it's a retired color, Brilliant Blue.  Good thing I kept all my Stampin' Spots around to use with all my old DSP!  The ribbon is also retired.  Just a piece I had laying around in my ribbon scraps.  The yellow "fish bowl" was made using the Table Setting die.  I think it's supposed to be a napkin ring.  I cut it half and layered the two pieces to make it smaller.  Then I embossed it with the Square Lattice folder.  You can't even see the seam!

There is one new item on this card.  The scallop was made using the Tasteful Trim die that is now available in the Holiday Mini Catalog.  There are soooooo many things I want out of this catalog!  It's going to be hard to refrain from buying it all!!!  I do have quite the wish list going.  I'm trying to spread it out, so it doesn't look so bad. Another new thing about this card is this is the first time I've played in the Just Add Ink blog challenge.  This is their sketch challenge JAI33.

I hope you have an easier time with this challenge than I did.  I know the SCIC Design Team did a fabulous job, as always!  And we are excited to announce that Erica Cerwin of Pink Buckaroo Designs has joined our DT.  We are super happy to have her on board!!  So go check out the SCIC blog and come celebrate summer with us!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!