Just My Type of New Year

Wow, New Year's Eve, can you believe it?! I hope you have some fun plans for this evening.  For us, we will be at home having dinner with friends--my type of New Year's Eve!  Well, I finally found my crafting groove again--a new box of pre-ordered SU goodies will do it every time!  Challenge blogs also help get back in the swing of stampin' too.  I found some fabulous color inspiration at Colour Q:

and this great sketch at a new-to-me blog, Skipping Stones Design:

I paired these two with one of my favorite new stamps from the upcoming Occasions Mini Catalog called You're My Type. 

 I just love that typewriter, don't you?  Embossed in black it is really standout--all shiny and solid:

Yes, I did fussy-cut the typewriter..crazy, right...but I really wanted to give it the pop of my one color, red, in the circle behind it.   Love that typewriter font sentiment too--just the perfect fit on the scrolling paper.

The sweet little sentiment inside is from another Mini Catalog sneak peek, P.S. I Love You, which I framed with an image from a great set of heart stamps, I {Heart} Hearts.  I'm still on my MDS hybrid kick too...the black and white designer paper here and on the front is from a digital pack called Night & Day which I just printed on my regular computer printer.  I figured out a cool trick for getting a full sheet of paper to print, without that annoying border, so let me know if you would like a little tutorial.  ;-)

Cheers to you, my friends....here's hoping 2012 is a bright new year for you and yours!  See you next year...

supplies 

stamps: I {Heart} Hearts; available January 4, 2012: Just My Type; P.S. I Love You 

ink: Jet Black Stazon; Versamark; Real Red classic ink

paper: Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White CS; Red Glimmer Paper; Designer Patterns Stack (Neutrals); Night & Day digital DSP (MDS)

xtras: Scallop Ribbon Border punch; Heart to Heart punch; Black Stampin' Emboss Powder; 3" Circle Die

Imagine the Possibilities {CCMC182}

Happy Thursday friends! I hope you are enjoying a little relaxation between the holidays and looking forward to a new year.  Thank you for all your well wishes...I am finally on the mend!  Thank goodness, that was a long one!  I haven't felt much like stamping so I was glad to have a sketch from Create with Connie and Mary to get my craft back on.

There were three thoughts that inspired me with this sketch: 1) a new year's card, 2) the gorgeous clock from the Forever Young stamp set and 3) the colors and shapes in this plate from Target:

Kinda funny combination, eh?  With all that swirling around in my head, I modified the shapes of the sketch a little bit and came up with this:

Yep, it's another hybrid card!  I didn't have any number stamps (gasp!), so I turned to My Digital Studio and used the Number It Stamp Brush Set to create my background paper.  Of course, in MDS you can make the stamps any color and size you want.  So, I lined up my numbers in a repeating pattern and then went to work coloring them with Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Concord Crush and Melon Mambo.  Once I had the pattern, I just printed it on Whisper White paper and cut to size.

I really built the card and my theme around this clock from Forever Young.  It seemed fitting to emboss it in silver and add just a bit more of the silver shimmer paper for some extra sparkle on new year's eve!

And one of my favorite stamp sets, Word Play, also seemed fitting for the inside sentiment:

Can you imagine the possibilities with this fantastic sketch?  I hope so!  Please check out the rest of the Design Team inspiration over at Create with Connie and Mary and then go get your craft on!  If you can join us, please link up your creation by Wednesday, January 4th at Noon (EST).  I can't wait to see what you create!

supplies

stamps: Forever Young; Number It Stamp Brush Set (MDS); Teeny Tiny Wishes; Word Play

paper: Lucky Limeade, Melon Mambo, Island Indigo, Whisper White cardstock; Silver Glimmer paper

ink: Versamark; Melon Mambo; Island Indigo; Concord Crush classic inks

extras: Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder; Designer Brads In Color; Scallop Ribbon Border punch; 1 1/4" Square punch (to flag the end of the sentiment strip)

Happy Holidays!

Dear friends,

Thank you for all your support and encouragement throughout the year...

Wishing you and yours the happiest of holidays and a bright new year! 

Glimmer Snowflakes {CCMC181}

Happy Thursday friends, and welcome to another week at Create with Connie & Mary! Are you ready for Christmas? I'm not! I am nursing what has become my annual Christmas cold however, so today's card for Connie & Mary is verrrry clean and simple.  The gals gave us a beautiful color duo:

Which just screams out for one last Christmas card don't you think?  I rallied myself and what little creativity I could muster between cough syrup and antibiotics to make this for you:

The card base really is brushed silver cardstock even though it doesn't photograph well. On that I layered some basic grey and whisper white cardstock. I had the idea for the rows of Silver Glimmer snowflakes, made with the Northern Frost decorative strip, but laid out on the white they needed a little something to make them pop.

That's when I got the idea to back the snowflakes with strips of Basic Grey satin ribbon.  I really like the combination of the preppy styled stripes with the glimmer snowflakes.  A Basic Grey sentiment from Hand-Penned Holidays finished it off for me!

And that will do it for today.  I hope you'll join us at Create with Connie & Mary and make something sparkle with this gorgeous color duet.  Be sure to check out the rest of the design team for some wonderful inspiration.  Deadline to play along is Wednesday, December 28th at Noon (EST).

This will likely be my last post before Christmas so I want to thank all of you for your daily visits, comments and encouragement--it means so much to me that you keep coming back and like what you find here.  You're the reason I keep doing this!  To all my friends, followers and readers, I wish you the happiest of Holidays and good times spent with your loved ones.  Happy Holidays to you and yours!

supplies: 

stamps: hand-penned holidays

paper: brushed silver, whisper white & basic grey cardstock; silver glimmer paper

ink: basic grey

xtras: northern frost decorative strip die; basic grey satin ribbon; basic rhinestones

Hybrid Snowboard {CCMC180}

Happy Thursday, friends, and welcome to another week at Create with Connie & Mary! December is just flying by isn't it?  We know you're extremely busy this time of year, so this week the gals have a nice and easy sketch for you:

The sketch is a square but you can alter it to a standard 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" size if you want.  I have to admit that I am a little burnt out on Christmas cards so I was very happy to use this sketch as a birthday card for my nephew:

It's not Christmas but it's still a winter-themed card.  My nephew LOVES to snowboard and can't wait for that first snow...living in Wisconsin, fortunately that isn't a problem!  I don't own any of the Extreme sports stamps but they're all in My Digital Studio--yay!  

So I added the Extreme Snowboard stamp to a page, colored it in Basic Grey and gave it a deep drop shadow.  The drop shadow feature really makes it pop off the page.  It almost looks like I fussy-cut it, doesn't it?  Behind my snowboarder, I added the splatter stamp from the Extreme Elements set in Pool Party.  Then I just printed that page on Whisper White paper and cut it to size. Even if you don't have My Digital Studio, Stampin' Up's digital images can be used as images in any image editing or word processing program.  How cool is that?

 

I used Basic Grey cardstock for the base and ran it through the Northern Frost embossing folder.  I sponged Whisper White craft ink over the snowflakes to give them a snowy-look.

A piece of Cherry Cobbler woodgrain designer paper from the Frostwood Lodge pack gave this card a rustic "boy" feel but I couldn't resist a little Silver Glimmer snowflake and Neutrals Glimmer Brad for a little sparkle.  Snow IS sparkly after all, right?  ;-)

Well, I think he will like it...and...I hope it inspires you to play along with this great sketch!  If you need even more encouragement, be sure to check out the rest of Design Team's work over at Create with Connie & Mary.  If you decide to play along with us, please link up your creation by Wednesday, December 21st at Noon (EST).  I can't wait to see what you create!  Thanks for stopping by!

Very Gold Cobbler {PP76}

Happy Paper Players Sunday, friends!  So glad you could join me today..I'm recovering from my almost-8-year-old's first sleepover birthday party.  All went well but Mama is POOPED, lol! So, today you're here for a card...and what a lovely color combination Ann has for us:

Oh so perfect for the holidays!  I used a sketch from Just Us Girls--even though it was last week's, I really liked it:

The oval in the center was calling out for a gold embossed tree don't you think?

Sorry the picture quality stinks but the weather was totally uncooperative today.  Yes, there's even a little bit of wood grain in the background:

I stamped Woodgrain in Cherry Cobbler ink on the oval before I stamped the tree.  It looks like a few stray bits of embossing powder got on the woodgrain but I think it's a lovely effect...or at least that's what I'm telling myself! 

The Brushed Gold cardstock was embossed with the Petals-a-Plenty impressions folder and I used a lovely pinecone spray from the Autumn Days set for a random background pattern.

The Champagne Shimmer paint has a light gold touch so I sponged it directly onto the tree and stamped it on the inside along with the companion sentiment from Petite Pairs.  And that's it, pretty clean and simple!  If you like my card, be sure to check out the rest of the Design Team's work:

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Julie Marshall

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Tara Bilbao
  Rita Wright (December GD)

Since this is our last challenge of 2011, we are extended our deadline and will keep the challenge open until Friday, December 30th at midnight (PST).  We hope that you will find some crafty time to yourself during this busy holiday season and come play along with us!  Thanks for stopping by!

supplies: 

stamps: lovely as a tree, woodgrain, petite pairs, autumn days

ink: cherry cobbler, versamark

paper: cherry cobbler; brushed gold; very vanilla

xtras: petals-a-plenty EF; vanilla seam binding ribbon; decorative label punch; ovals nesties

Sweet & Lucky Decorations {CCMC179} {SSSC146}

Happy Thursday, friends! Can you believe it's December 8th--yikes!  So much left to do before Christmas.  But you didn't come here to hear me whine...you came here for some eye candy, didn't you?!  It's color challenge week at Create with Connie & Mary...take a look:

Isn't this a fun take on the traditional red and green?  I love Basic Grey with anything!  I also used this fabulous sketch from this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge:

and was inspired to ink up an old favorite Christmas set, Delightful Decorations:

I flipped the sketch to the left-hand side, somehow it just worked better for me that way.  The Basic Grey base was layered with some Lucky Limeade designer paper from the In Color patterns stack as well as a fun Poppy Parade pattern that looks like snowflakes.  I wrapped the panel with some yummy Basic Grey satin ribbon and added a big bow with a a glue dot.

The ornaments were clear embossed in the challenge colors on Whisper White and layered atop a big beautiful Silver Glimmer circle--isn't it lovely?

Here's a close-up of a little background stamping I did with the Creative Elements set--doesn't it coordinate nicely with the limeade pattern?  I hesitated to buy this set but I really like how versatile each piece is--they really do add a little bit of a creative element to any project. Sorry, couldn't help myself!

So there you have it, folks!  I hope you like today's card and that it inspires you to play along with these fun colors.  Be sure to check out all the rest of the inspiring creations from the Create with Connie & Mary Design Team.  If you decide to play along, please link up your crafty goodness by Wednesday, December 14th at noon (EST).  I hope you'll play along with us!  Thanks for visiting today!

supplies:

stamps: delightful decorations, creative elements,tags til christmas

ink: poppy parade, lucky limeade, basic grey; versamark

paper: basic grey, whisper white, silver glimmer; pocketful of posies DSP; in color patterns stack

xtras: basic grey satin ribbon; basic rhinestones; white baker's twine

Peace & Palms {PP75}

Hiya friends and welcome to another week with The Paper Players!  I am excited to be the hostess this week for a Holiday Hoopla theme challenge...only it's Holiday with a twist.  The challenge is to Create something Holiday with non-holiday stamps or colors...how fun is that?!  

My card isn't quite what I had in my mind's eye but I really wanted to show you what Christmas looks like in my part of the world:

We really do have palm trees in our yard and while it's too tall to hang ornaments on it, it does get decked out with Christmas lights every year!  Let's take a closer look:

I needed something small to decorate my tree so I used a standard-issue office supply paper punch to punch a hole and saved the circle it made.  I added a drop of Crystal Effects to each one and while it was wet, sprinkled Dazzling Diamonds on.  Faux glimmer brads...in any size you want!  I sponged some Bashful Blue clouds in the background and colored the tree with Stampin' Write markers in Certainly Celery and Lucky Limeade.  The rest is pretty obvious so I will just encourage you to pop on over to The Paper Players and check out the amazing work by my fellow Design Team members--rumor has it there's another palm tree on the DT:

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Julie Marshall

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Tara Bilbao
  Rita Wright (December GD)

I hope you'll consider playing along with our Holiday Hoopla!  If you do, please link up your crafty goodness to The Paper Players by Friday December 9th at midnight (PST).  I can't wait to see what you do with this theme!  Thanks for visiting!

supplies:

stamps: plant hope, comfort & joy, creative elements, sanded [retired]

ink: bashful blue, early espresso, crumb cake

paper: crumb cake, whisper white, early espresso; brights & subtles pattern designer paper stacks

xtras: ovals die; stampin write markers (certainly celery, crumb cake & lucky limeade); dazzling diamonds; crystal effects; daffodil delight pom-pom trim [retired]; office supply hole punch

Mod, Mod Holiday {CCMC178}

Hiya friends and welcome to another week at Create with Connie & Mary!  This week the gals have a sketch challenge for you:

I wasn't sure at first quite what to do with it--there's a lot of parts and pieces--but I just received a pack of the Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin' Kit and was inspired by all the paper and colors:

I just love the happy colors and modern prints in this kit!  It's a pretty straight-forward card with clean lines and clean stamping--not a distressed edge or spritz anywhere!  This is more the style of stamping I did when I first started before I was lured to the "dark side" with sponges and spritzers, files and blades, oh my!  LOL!  It is interesting how our styles evolve and it's fun to go back to the roots now and then, right?  My little tree is stamped in Lucky Limeade with the Pennant Parade set and rests on a Whisper White oval made with the Ovals die.

I kept the fun going on the inside with another tree and a sentiment from Petite Pairs.  It can be tricky to line up the tree stamp exactly with the little pot, so for this one I stamped the pot but used a punched piece (with the Petite Pennant punch) for the tree.  That way I could put it exactly where I wanted it!

It's been a long day so that's it for me folks!  I hope you enjoy today's card, please let me know if you have any questions.  I do hope you'll check out the rest of the Create with Connie & Mary design team and consider playing along with us.  Thanks for visiting!

supplies:

stamps: pennant parade, contempo christmas, petite pairs

paper: soft suede, lucky limeade, cherry cobbler, whisper white; christmas lane simply scrappin kit

xtras: ovals die; cherry cobbler baker's twine; basic rhinestones; petite pennants builder punch

A Dashing Sketch {PP74}

Hiya friends! I hope my US friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that everyone is enjoying the weekend. It's another week at The Paper Players and the lovely and talented Lesley is bringing us a sketch:

Lesley always comes up with the best sketches--ya know she's the creator of Freshly Made Sketches--and this week is no exception!  One look at that tilted panel and I knew what I wanted to do:

Since titled panels are a challenge for me, I like to tilt the paper but stamp the image straight.  It's a sneaky way to embrace the tilt!  For this card, I paired some Mocha Morning DSP with some Brushed Gold cardstock cut with the Two Tags die.  I did cut it down a little to better fit my image.  Dasher was inked in Versamark, then Early Espresso, stamped onto the Brushed Gold and heat set with clear stampin' emboss powder.

The background was stamped in Early Espresso with the En Francias stamp and I added a little fussy ribbon treatment with vanilla seam binding, linen thread and a glimmer brad.  You might notice that the tiny tag was sponged with Champagne Shimmer paint to dull the brightness of the vanilla a bit.

I did the same with the Northern Frost snowflakes--the vanilla just seemed too bright next to the gold.  A little bit of shimmer paint sponged right on gives it instant sparkle with an aged look.

I went to town with the shimmer paint using it to ink up Dasher again on the inside.  Applied directly to the stamp gives it a shimmery watermark appearance.

And there you have it!  I hope you like today's card...please let me know if you have any questions.  Be sure to check out the rest of the Design Team at The Paper Players:

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Julie Marshall

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Tara Bilbao
  Susan Joyce (November GD)

If you decide to play along with Lesley's fabulous sketch, please link up your creation to The Paper Players by Friday, December 2nd at midnight (PST).  I can't wait to come visit you!

supplies:

stamps: dasher, seasonal sentiments [retired], en francais, tiny tags

paper: early espresso, very vanilla, brushed gold CS; mocha morning DSP

ink: early espresso, versamark, soft suede

xtras: northern frost die; two tags die; very vanilla seam binding ribbon; linen thread; glimmer brad; basic pearls; champagne shimmer paint