2/10 Stampin' Up! Wishes Your Way & The Sizzlits S Pinwheel Die, Team Meeting Swap Card

Good Afternoon,

I'm taking a quick break from stamping to share a project with you today.  My team is due here in about 2 1/2 hours so I need to be brief! 

I found the cutest color challenge over on the Paper Player's Blog today and I thought I'd play along to make my swaps for the meeting tonight. I didn't get a chance to play at all last week!  Total bummer for me!

I had big plans for the blizzard we just went through!  I was going to stamp the day and night away.  When it came down to it, having my family together, I just didn't feel like it!   So I spent some time with them instead!  At the bottom, I will share some photos from the blizzard of 2013.  For more, you're gonna have to facebook friend me!  :)   Just sayin'

I knew that I wanted to bust open my new Pinwheel die this morning, and thought that I would use some of the Patio Party Designer Paper because it fit's this challenge.  I have lovingly nicknamed Summer Starfruit, Peuce. I have had a few successes with the color, but from the beginning it's not my favorite.  So, starting with a designer paper was a great place to start from!  The DUO color to Primrose Petals is Pink Pirouette.  The challenge colors can look very dark (right on top of one another), so I decided to start with a lighter shade, then sponge the Primrose petals on to bring it up to that color.  I really like the effect!  What do you think? 

 I love how 3 dimensional this card is.  Here's a close up of the pinwheel.  It's a new die from Stampin up that just came out with the new Occasions catalog.   And ya wanna know the kicker??  It's less than $5 bucks!  Serious cuteness for a really great price, I'm totally in!  :) 

 I did a lot of sponging on this card,  The white banner for the sentiment was also sponged with the Primrose Petals color.  Here's one more close up.  You really get a feel for the 3 dimensionality of it.  Did I really just **go** there??  new word?  tee hee!    Well, I'm just having some fun!

I used the VERY ADORABLE Wishes Your Way stamp set that bundles up nicely with the pinwheel die because the sentiments will blow you away!  :)

 I hope you like my card and that it inspires you to play along, or to just go stamp something fun today! 

 

Now here's a few photos from the blizzard!

 This is my sweet hubby.  We were digging a path to one another!  He is ROCKIN that hat!  Take's a big personality to pull off a hat like that. 

This is me after getting two of the cars out of the yard, I was working on getting my truck out of the yard. 

 This photo was taken this morning from my front porch.  they were clearing out the snow so my team could come stamp tonight so the children could attend school tomorrow. 

This is my hubby's car.  I had already started digging him out.  You couldnt actually see his car unless you were looking down from upstairs.  What a whopper of a storm!!  Thanks for letting me share today!  

Love,

Selene
My Stampin' Up! Store

1/28 Apothicary Art and Tea for two Designer Series Paper, Paper players sketch challenge

Good Evening Friends! 

I saw this cute sketch by the LeAnne Pugliese of the Paper Players this week and knew I wanted to give the sketch a whirl!  I have always loved a good sketch challenge.  it helps get the creative juices flowing for sure!  First, here is their sketch. 

When I saw the panel on the front left hand side, I thought I'd pull out my Tea for Two Designer Series Paper, and yes, I know... I added a few layers, but I think a good sketch challenge does that for you!  You take the sketch as your main idea then let the good times roll!  

My Island Indigo base measures 11 x 4 1/4" and it's scored in half at 5 1/2"
Layer 2: Very Vanilla 5 1/8 x 3 7/8"
Layer 3:  Island Indego 5 x 3 3/4", embossed with the Lacy Brocade Textured embossing folder 127819
Layer 4: 3 3/4" x 2 strip of Tea for Two Designer paper
Layer 5: Very Vanilla Cardstock, cut with the labels collection framelits 125598, these coordinate perfectly with the Apothicary Art Stamp set (clear mount 125527)
Layer 5a: is some satin ribbon from the sale-a-bration catalog I got for FREE with my $50 purchase.  It's the sycamore street Ribbon and button pack (you get 36 buttons and 3 rolls of ribbon (pool party, tangerine tango, and island indigo, shown here).  item number 130812


I stamped the main image using stazon ink, then added straight marker color to the leaves to color them.  I used an aqua painter and markers on a plastic bag to watercolor the image and added straight color in selected areas to make the image really pop. 

When I was water coloring, I stuck with the same colors that come in the designer paper I chose, Island Indigo, Pool Party, lucky limeade and so saffron. 

Here's another close look, it's so soft and pretty, but I love the deep contrast of the blue against the Vanilla!  What do you think?  If you have time this week, perhaps you could give the sketch a try and play along too?

Until tomorrow!  Rubbah hugs,
Selene Kempton
My Stampin' Up! Store

Clean and Simple Masculine

Good Morning Friends,

It's so hard to keep up with blogging on school vacation week.  In addition, I've been busy teaching my embossing with markers class to my local customers. It was an awesome week. 

I feel blessed to be able to work doing something I love and be here for my daughter.

This week's challenge from the paper players is to make a clean and simple masculine card.  Honestly, I struggle with both.  I like to embellish and add more and more.  If this card was for my hubby, he would probably say that I should "lose the ribbon." In his mind, anything extra is unnecessary and you need to keep it simple. 

The Clean and simple style is just that.  It's all about the design ~ less is more.

Last night, I put this card together in about 10 minutes.  I got the wood sheets from Stampin' Up's big shot line.They are really interesting to work with.  The back side of the wood sheets have an almost plastic like material on the back.  It makes them easy to cut.  The sheets are thin enough to cut with a paper cutter.

I inked my sentiment and tree in markers.  When stamping on the wood sheets, I noticed that the ink runs a little into the wood.  I really like that!  Next, I grabbed a blender pen and moved the ink on the tree around.  When I originally stamped the image the little holes in this tree showed up.  I like the ink all blended and happy.  :)  I also moved the ink around the root and dragged my blender pen from side to side to make some ground.  Very clean and simple and very masculine (except perhaps that bow).  A little self indulgence for my girlie self.  I love that denim ribbon too.  It's my favorite Stampin Up green ~ artichoke.  Stampin' Up!  is definitely an Old Olive company (meaning many of the accessories come out in old olive), but I dig artichoke.  This denim ribbon has it's own masculine feel to it.


Measurements:
Base: 8 1/2 x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half at 4 1/4", river rock Card Stock
Layer 2: 5 1/8" x 3 5/8" Artichoke Card Stock
Layer 3: Wood sheet 5 x 3 3/4"

Well, that's all for today!  I'm planning a little design time in the studio.