Stamping 411 with Cupcakes

Our church card racks are desperately in need of birthday cards.  I was browsing my stash and realized that I had the Cupcake Sizzlits (retired) from Stampin' Up and had NEVER used them!  Then I went looking for an appropriate challenge and...lo and behold...Stamping 411 had the perfect sketch for a big cupcake!

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Small Script
• Paper: Stampin' Up Almost Amethyst, So Saffron, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Tea Party dsp
• Ink: black
• Accessories: paper crimper, SU dots embossing folder, glitter, saffron ribbon

Clean&Simple with colourQ

Two of my favorite challenges have teamed up this week - colourQ and clean&simple's Fall to Layout.  Clean&Simple gave us a sketch and then challenged us to use any of the first 99 colourQ challenges.  A big congrats to colourQ for hitting 100 challenges - here's to a hundred more!!

I also have been VERY negligent at passing along an award that I have received (and I even have another that I will pass along next week).  There are so many great blogs out there that I very much want to point out to my readers - I should share these awards right away!!

I received the Pay It Forward award from Caroline at LaceTopDesigns.  Be sure to check out her blog - she recently did a napkin-fold card that will take your breath away!

The rules for accepting this award are:
1. Mention the blogger who gave you the award
2. Link to their blog
3. Pay It Forward to 5 bloggers

Here are five blogs that I definitely want you to visit!

1. Amanda Sevall Designs - you HAVE to check out what she has been doing with the owl punch!

2. I'm in Haven - wonderfully stylish and unique CAS cards.  And if you want a new perspective on life and on living your faith, spend some time reading and praying over her second blog - Noah...His Journey.

3. My Ink Well - I fell in love with her work when I saw an early August post on a Fruity Drink!

4. Created by Tracy - I love when people start following my blog - because if they like my work, I know I will like theirs - and Tracy is no exception.  She's my most recent follower and I LOVE her work!

5. Stamping with Klass - each card has such unique touches and are so beautifully done!

Have fun!

• Stamps: Clear Dollar Stamps Charlie Harvest Time (the sentiment)
• Paper: Stampin' Up Celery, Garden Green, Pumpkin, Razzleberry, Summer Sun, Confetti Tan (sign post), Papertrey Fine Linen (sign), Bo Bunny dsp (really, really old!)
• Ink: Memento Brown
• Accessories: Quickutz sign post, All Night Media butterfly punch, Martha Stewart grass punch, Stampin' Up Razzleberry ribbon

SCS CAS: Bright Krafts

Today's Clean & Simple Challenge at Splitcoast is to use Kraft cardstock along with bright colors.  I thought this cardinal could definitely be bright!!

• Stamps: Prickley Pear
• Paper: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Pacific Point
• Ink: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Pacific Point, Old Olive, Real Red
• Accessories: Tim Holtz embossing folder, Prickly Pear Cardinal die, Stickles (on branch and snowflakes)

LIM: Take 3 Challenges

This week's challenge at Less Is More is to use three of their past challenges.

Before I even reviewed the past challenges, I knew that I would use Week 1 as I hadn't quite figured out how amazing Less Is More would be and didn't start playing until Week 4.  Then I decided I had to try the Acetate challenge because I don't think I even finished reading that week's post before I kenw I wouldn't be playing.  My third choice was easy because the past challenges have included a great variety of basic design principles/challenges.  So, here is my take on the following challenges:

Week 1: Pink, Black and White
Week 6: Off the Edge
Week 11: Acetate
And I guess I also qualify for Spring, Butterflies, In the Frame and Thank You!!

To do the frame, I used a piece of cardstock 1/4" smaller on each side and drew around it with a glue pen before I glittered.  The butterfly is Acetate stamped with Staz-on, then on the backside I applied Crystal Effects and glitter.

Thanks to Less Is More for the first 30 challenges - I look forward to many more!

(This is my second post today.)

• Stamps: Papertrey Larkspur, Butterfly Dreams, Signature Greetings
• Paper: white
• Ink: Staz-On Black
• Accessories: Glue Pen, glue from Art Institute, acetate

Friday Mashup with colourQ

I so wanted to play this week's colors at the colourQ color challenge and I immediately envisioned using the Stampin' Up Field Flowers set.  I went looking for a sketch to match and found the Friday Mashup challenge (realizing after the fact that a number of the designers had also used Field Flowers!!)  The "mashup" was to use the sketch along with dry embossing - not a problem for me!!

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Field Flowers, French Foliage (the script) and Kindness Matters ("Thanks")
• Paper: Stampin' Up Indigo, Olive, White and Razzleberry dsp (the Curry flower)
• Ink: Stampin' Up Indigo (the background is stamped off once), Olive, Pumpkin, Curry
• Accessories: Tim Holtz Embossing Folder, Stampin' Up Flower Burst and Butterfly Embosslits, Olive grosgrain, gems.

LIM: Things That Move

I hesitate a little putting this card up because it is so simple.   I have been watching other cards in the Less Is More theme challenge which is "Things That Move" and there have been amazingly creative ideas.  It's amazing how people are constructing actual moving cards (spinners, sliders, swings) and managing to keep them CAS.  My falling leaves seem a bit simplistic!  But I do like CAS cards, particularly for sympathy - so here it is!!

• Stamps: Penny Black leaves, My Sentiments Exactly sentiment
• Paper: SU Crumb Cake, Black and Ivory
• Ink: Versamark, black
• Accessories: SU Antique Ivory embossing powder, pearls and narrow black ribbon

Clean & Simple for Just Add Ink

Today's CAS Challenge at Splitcoast stamps is "hot, hot, hot".  Since I am exceedingly tired of hot summer weather - I decided to go for a hot mug of coffee.  And...I went for the fall colors that are part of this week's Just Add Ink challenge.

My personal definition of CAS includes a few less layers than are in this card - but I am so ready for autumn that I just had to include more of these wonderful colors!

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink Warm Happiness
• Paper: Papertrey Dark Chocolate, Stampin' Up Cajun Craze, Peach Parfait, Very Vanilla
• Ink: Papertrey Dark Chocolate, Stampin' Up Cajun Craze, Peach Parfait and Bashful Blue
• Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing folder, Papertrey Dark Chocolate ribbon, Smooch Illuminate (painted on the steam)

CAS-ual Friday and PPA

I had no intention of making cards today as I have been frantically creating all week for a holiday church cardmaking session last night and this afternoon.  But the CAS-ual Friday challenge was embossing - heat or dry - and I LOVE embossing, then when I pulled out a set of four stamps, I realized the Pals Paper Arts sketch was perfect!

This uses one of my all-time favorite embossing powders from a company that is no longer around. :(  But you definitely need to see it IRL - the sparkle is subtle but it reflects every color of the rainbow!

I also colored the brads with that embossing powder by heating up the brad (hold it with a tweezers), dip it into the jar of embossing powder, then reheat.

• Stamps: Impression Obsession
• Paper: Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler
• Ink: Versamark
• Accessories: Papertrey Ink Music Impression Plate, EK Success border punch, Greenhorn Valley Art Stamps Fine Crystal Gold Embossing Powder

Technostamper: Falling Leaf

I wanted to do an alcohol ink leaf for tonight's cardmaking and I wanted the focus on the leaf, so I used the Techno Stamper sketch challenge for the week.

I love the incredibly rich colors and the depth of color that you can get with alcohol inks.  I use the felt applicator and, for this leaf, added 6 drops of Latte alcohol ink, 2 drops of Sunset Orange, 2 of Oregano, 2 of Sunshine Yellow.  Then I just smooshed it around on some glossy paper until I liked the color mix.

• Stamps: Rubbernecker leaf swirl, Savvy sentiment
• Paper: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Papertrey Fine Linen, misc glossy white
• Ink: Staz-On Timber Brown, Alcohol Inks in Latte, Sunset Orange, Oregano and Sunshine Yellow.
• Accessories: Leaf #2 die (from Sizzix or Stampin' Up), misc twill

This is the fun challenge that lets me show you the other entrants!  (You do have to go to Mary Jo's blog if you want to enter.)

The Spirit of this Peaceful Season

I just LOVE this stamp.  I saw it on Tammy's Stamp Happy blog and got it right away.  The layout of my card is exactly like Tammy's, but hers is a wonderful combination of reds, krafts, big bows of crinkled seam binding and a red button...gorgeous.  I have a lot of red in the cards that I have already made for our church, so I decided to go for a royal color.

• Stamps: Verses Rubber Stamps
• Paper: Stampin' Up Whisper White, Concord Crush CS and dsp, Silver CS
• Ink: Stampin' Up Concord Crush
• Accessories: gem, ribbon from Michaels, long rectangle nestabilities

"Spooky" or "Sweet"??

I usually don't totally CASE.  Don't get me wrong - I definitely learn from and borrow from all of my favorite cardmakers!!  But usually I tweak it a little bit to make it mine.  This card is so darn cute, I couldn't resist.  (I did change the embellies a little only because I didn't have everything.)

The original card comes from Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty.  Here's mine...

Can you see why I CASEd it??  So, so sweet!!!

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Wicked Cool
• Paper: Stampin' Up Pretty in Pink, black and white
• Ink: black
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Owl, Bird (the branch), Oval and Scalloped Oval Punches, Martha Stewart bat punch, misc large circle punch, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Stampin' Up white grosgrain, pretty in pink raffeta and b/w gingham

Thanksgiving Felt Pumpkins

You can tell that I am coming up to a church cardmaking gathering (tomorrow night) because I am quickly putting out fairly simple cards for our special holiday session!!

This card was simple, but it uses one of my new favorites - felt.  Autumn is such a perfect season for felt - it's so soft and seems so warm.

I haven't always liked felt - probably because I was picking it up for a dime at the big craft stores.  Then I finally invested in some quality felt - it cuts so smoothly and holds up so well!  My favorites are the felt at Papertrey Ink (which also has the big advantage of matching their papers and buttons as on my card!) and the felt from Giant Dwarf - I got a full sampler pack with color chart.

• Paper: Papertrey Ink Fine Linen and Orange Zest
• Accessories: Papertrey Ink Felt: Fine Linen and Orange Zest and a button in Orange Zest, Papertrey button twine, Nestabilities Pumpkins, Cuttlebug embossing, ribbon from Joann

The Christ of Christmas {Tree}

This is such a simple card, I hesitate to even post it...but I have always liked this stamp.  It's such a great one for a church card ministry because it is a cute AND Christian!

I used quite a mix of gems, stickles, Spica pens and other glitter pens!

• Stamps: Stampendous
• Paper: Papertrey Ink New Leaf
• Ink: Memento Black, copics
• Accessories: Martha Stewart Gold glitter pen, Fruit Punch Stickles, American Crafts ribbon, misc glue gem

A Nostalgic Halloween

I have a great cardmaking friend who absolutely LOVES Halloween.  One of her blogs is totally focused on Halloween: A Nostalgic Halloween.  She has an amazing vintage style that I cannot begin to duplicate, but I wanted to use a vintage photo that she pointed out on this post.

I used this month's sketch from i{heart}2stamp.

• Stamps: Hero Arts Happy Halloween clear set (sentiment and web)
• Paper: Stampin' Up Frightful Sight (printed from MDS), Basic Black, Basic Gray, Old Olive, Cajun Craze
• Ink: Stampin' Up Basic Gray and Old Olive
• Accessories: Tim Holtz/Sizzix Tattered Banners die, Quickutz Cobweb 12" embossing strip

Sweet 'n Sassy: New SCS Member Company

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is celebrating today as they are the newest member company at Splitcoast Stampers.  I definitely wanted to play with their sketch to be sure to show them some love.  And I really wanted to use one of their Rhubarb digis - a darling little bear!  (FYI: Sweet 'n Sassy has clear stamps and digi stamps, and many of them have a Christian focus.)

• Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy digi Rhubarb's Punkins, misc sentiment
• Paper: Papertrey Dark Chocolate, Stampin' Up Old Olive, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, American Crafts dsp
• Ink: copics
• Accessories: SU Espresso grosgrain, misc oval punches

CAS131: Let's Get Stuffed

Today's challenge at the Splitcoast CAS challenge is to use partial images.

I have my fall holiday stamps out already as we are having a get-ahead cardmaking session at church this week, so I dug up the "Let's Get Stuffed" set by Kim Hughes.  Kim now has her own store called Paper Smooches; however, the set that I have used came from a time when she was part of a now defunct store called Cornish Heritage Farms.  So you can't get this set on her store - but you can get other darling images in her unique style!

• Stamps: Kim Hughes Let's Get Stuffed
• Paper: white and Papertrey Dark Chocolate
• Ink: Adirondack Espresso and Copics
• Accessories: Ek Success border punch, SU ribbon in Pumpkin and older ribbon in Mellow Moss and Caramel, Sizzix embossing folder, gold brads

PTI Make It Monday: Welcome Christmas

I am already working on Christmas cards - our church cardmaking group has to get a big head-start on the holiday!

I am thrilled with this card!  (Or maybe I am just tired of being hot and cranky and I am dreaming of cold winter days!)  I had recently purchased the Alpha-Blocks die from Papertrey with the intent of using it for a window.  I made the wall by rubbing white paint (an Adirondack paint dabber) on Papertrey's Kraft CS.  When it was dry, I used their Woodgrain Impression Plate and then lightly sanded.

I wanted a pretty bow under the window and I remembered that this week's Make It Monday technique was to use Copic markers to color your own ribbon.  I found some soft gold ribbon (to match the star on the tree) and added red and green lines.

At this point, I was definitely making a Papertrey card - so I HAD to use a Papertrey Christmas tree.  I was shocked to discover that this is the only Christmas tree that I have by them.  (I am going to have to remedy that situation as they have some lovely trees.)  This is a gorgeous tree but perhaps a little small for my window.  I colored it with Copics and added some Candy Cane Stickles.

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink Believe
• Paper: Papertrey Kraft and a misc red
• Ink: Memento Black and copics
• Accessories: Papertrey Alpha-blocks die and Woodgrain Impression Plate, Adirondack Snow Cap Paint Dabber, Candy Cane Stickles, ribbon from Michaels

This is my second post for the day - keep reading for a CAS Thanksgiving card using a background of Tim Holtz Distress Inks.

LIM: Using Ink In a New Way

This week's challenge at Less Is More is a One Layer challenge to use ink, hopefully in a new way.  I can't believe that once again they read my mind!!

Over the last few weeks, I have been gathering Tim Holtz Distress Inks because I have watched a number of YouTube videos on gorgeous uses for this ink.  Yesterday, I tried a card using a foam tool to smooth the ink on the paper.  But another technique that I hadn't yet tried was to apply the ink to an acrylic block, spritz with water and stamp.  I had all the supplies out and Less Is More came along!!!

Pumpkin stickles on my berries!

I learned a few things along the way:

1. Just tap a variety of ink pads on a clean acrylic block.  Then spritz with a water mister.  Be sure to spritz until it starts beading up.

2. Initially, I used watercolor paper - assuming my use of spritzed water would require watercolor paper.  But it turns out that I got much richer colors using a smoother paper like Stampin' Up's white.  The small problem with Stampin' Up is that it is quite a thin paper and colors bleed through.  (Thus my "one layer card" is actually a white panel on top of a dry card.)  I found that Papertrey Ink's white is also smoother but thicker - it works very well also!

3. Keep a paper towel handy.  With that much water, you will get some "pools" of color when you lift the acrylic block.  You can blot them up with a paper towel.


Once again - thank you to Chrissie and Mandi for a perfectly fun challenge!

• Stamps: DRS designs berries, sentiment by Impress Rubber Stamps
• Paper: Stampin' Up Whisper White
• Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Scattered Straw, Mustard Seed, Wild Honey and a touch of Rusty Hinge, Staz-On Timber Brown
• Accessories: Pumpkin Stickles, Fine Water Mister Bottle

Clean&Simple CAS-ual Friday!

Two of my favorite challenges teamed up this week for one sketch challenge!

I had already set aside this day to play with Tim Holtz Distress Inks, Foam Ink Tools and Craft Sheets.  I have watched a few YouTube videos on making these stunning, richly colored backgrounds and decided it couldn't be that hard.  Well, it is now 3 p.m. here - and I have just finished a card that I am happy enough to post.  But I picked up a lot of tips and ideas as I was working with these tools.  Hmmm....I'm feeling that a Friday Focus post is coming soon.  

Here's my "simple" card that took most of the day - but I do have to say that when I finally got the process down - the final version of this card wasn't more than 10-15 minutes - so it did get much, much easier!

The two challenges that teamed up are CAS-ual Fridays and clean&simple. 

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink Life, sentiment from StampingScrapping Design Tag Accents
• Paper: Papertrey Ripe Avocado, Stampin' Up Confetti Tan
• Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Inks Tumbled Glass, Dried Marigold, Crushed Olive, Rusty Hinge and Peeled Paint

MDS Sun Garden: Take 2

I have been having fun playing with the Sun Garden dsp available through Stampin' Up's My Digital Studio.  I definitely don't plan on becoming a total digi person (I really like ink on my fingers and glitter on my eyebrows!?!) - but with a few dimensional items, I think My Digital Studio is a very good tool!  Not to mention that, once you have the software, it is an inexpensive way to add stamps to your collection.  Those stamp sets in which you want only one stamp - get them on My Digital Studio!

On this card, the flowers and tag are dimensional - the rest is digital!

I used this week's sketch from Techno Stamper.  It's been awhile since I have played and I don't know why.  The sketches are always creative and she supplies this wonderful tool that I have included at the bottom of this post that shows you all the other participants - you get to see how everybody else viewed this sketch!

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Tiny Tags
• Paper: From My Digital Studio: Sun Garden and Poppy Parade; Actual cardstock in Poppy, Peach, Pink Pirouette and Limeade
• Ink: Stampin' Up Early Espresso
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Jewelry Tag, Boho Blossoms and Bird Builder (just the leaves) punches

Here's the rest of the TechnoStamper entries:

CAS-ual Friday: Glue Dots and Glitter

The CAS-ual Fridays Challenge had a very interesting idea this week.  Use glue dots on your card and sprinkle them glitter!  What a fun concept!

This card is definitely all about the sentiment.

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink Out On a Limb, Lizzie Anne sentiment
• Paper: Stampin' Up Blushing Bride, Shimmer White
• Ink: Stampin' Up Going Gray
• Accessories: Art Institute Glitter, mini and micro glue dots

MDS Sun Garden: Take 1

I have Stampin' Up's My Digital Studio program and, so far, I have only used it to resize or print out stamps.  I have not made a card nor a scrapbook page.  When I downloaded their gorgeous Sun Garden dsp, I decided I HAD to try a full card (with a few embellishments on top for texture!)

The bow, the butterfly and the scalloped circle/sentiment are all "real" - the rest is digital!  I am definitely not a convert - but I did like re-sizing one of the branches and I really like this digital-only paper.

I used today's Splitcoast Sketch Challenge:

• Stamps: From My Digital Studio: Always, Textured, Presto Patterns (the script). Rubber sentiment from Falling Leaves
• Paper: From My Digital Studio: Sun Garden.  Cardstock is Suede and Calypso Coral (butterfly)
• Ink: SU Peach Parfait and Soft Suede
• Accessories: SU Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Nesties Lacey Circle Die, SU Suede ribbon

FTL: Poinsetties and Doilies

I love the sketches at clean&simple - they manage to be very interesting while staying CAS.  I am working on holiday cards already for a special cardmaking session at church, so I pulled out some doilies from Martha Stewart (actually called "tags") and a beautiful Prima poinsettia.

• Stamps: Stampin' UP A Cardinal Christmas
• Paper: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler
• Ink: Stampin' Up Early Espresso, Papertrey Ink Fresh Snow
• Accessories: Prima Holiday Poinsettias (in a big silver tin, purchased at Michaels some time ago), Martha Stewart Tags, misc glitter yellow brad

SCS CAS - a sketch challenge

You HAVE to click over to today's Splitcoast CAS challenge to see the inspiration card.  I managed to take a card that included a cold beer with a big head of foam and turn it into an elegant sympathy card?!!??

I actually started out this morning using stamps from the Papertrey Anniversary set.  When I saw the inspiration card, I knew that the image had to be unique and interesting and these flowers definitely fit the bill.  But as I worked with it, I just had the feeling that I had seen cards just like this before... I think many people are using these flowers off the edge.  That's when I pulled out the embossing folder and made the above card.

I am hoping to have some serious crafting time this week.  My youngest is already back in school, my eldest heads back tomorrow and my husband takes off today for Virginia to help his mother after shoulder surgery.  That leaves me home...alone!!  Hmmmm...I wonder how I can fill the time?  (After, of course, I deal with a bunch of tasks related to getting confirmation at church started up, volunteering at the snack shack for the marching band, attending media day at Erik's school, and picking a school to get my accounting degree.  You can all relate, right?)