CTD#99 and SCS287

The Color Throwdown #99 this week is to use Chocolate, Turquoise and Cream. WOW! I love this combination and will definitely be using this more often! I also made my card using the sketch challenge SCS287 found here. I used a vintage cream card stock base and stamped it with the SU! stitched background. The turquoise panel was embossed with a CB flourishes ef. The main panel was stamped with the Flourishes basketweave backgrounder using Versacolor Sand Beige ink. The flower was made using a cute Scrappy Cat stamp set I found at the Flower & Craft Warehouse yesterday for under 2 bucks! Woot! It has 4 pretty flowers in the set, so I stamped the larger image on cream cardstock and the smaller flower on turquoise and heat embossed them both with brown ep. I cut them out and popped them up on dimensionals and added a Kaiser chocolate pearl in the center. After adding some turquoise grosgrain ribbon, I added 3 more chocolate pearls and finally stamped the sentiment in chocolate chip ink using the Sincere Salutations stamp set from SU!
Thanks to the ladies who gave us these great challenges today.........what fun!

Carol

A Memory Keeper Set of Cards

My great Aunt Kathryn has a birthday coming up on July the 10th. She's turning an incredible 105 years old, can you imagine?! The most amazing part of it all is that she STILL hand writes all her own correspondence, in spite of the crippling arthritis that's turned her fingers in an outward direction. She's the most inspiring person I know and I'm so blessed to have had her in my life for all the years I've been alive. She has a mind that's as clear as ever, and I love to visit with her and hear all the stories she tells about my family from years gone by!
I always make some card sets for her when I visit her because she loves hand made cards. I used some beautiful Sprout papers by Memory box to make this gift set. I used Scor-tape to adhere the ribbon flat, so she won't have to fuss with extra postage. I used the SU! butterfly embosslit folder to cut various sizes and colors of butterflies for each card. I used a PTI sentiment for the box, and a different $1 store stamp for the sentiment on the cards. The sentiments on the cards were double stamped with CTMH Grey Wool and SU! Close to Cocoa inks, stamping off once for a shadowy effect. I used the Spellbinders labels four dies to cut the sentiment on the box and affixed it with a BG magnet to make it easy to open and close. The memory keeper box directions and template can be found on StampTV. I added a piece of PTI ribbon to the top along with some more butterflies.


Here's a close-up of the box that shows how beautiful the papers are in this collection. I can't wait to give this to her to see the look on her face when she opens it! I'm just in complete awe of her celebrating her 105th birthday! Can you imagine?!
Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a wonderful Wednesday!

Carol

S&S Sketch Challenge #23

I used a freebie digi image I found on the Stars & Stamps blog for this card. The sketch is from this weeks S&S#23 challenge. I colored the image with markers, glitter pens, and a gold deco pen, and used a Nestability to cut the circles out. The sentiment is computer generated and I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder for the bottom panel. I used 3 different ribbons for the vertical panel, and the red DP is by SU! I also dotted the scallops with a white gel pen. This will be going in my next box of cards to OWH which I hope to have filled real soon!
Thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

Indian Summer Hello

I recently sent this out to a friend I haven't seen for a while. I used papers from the Indian Summer pack by BG and stitched them down on a piece of chocolate chip card stock which was adhered to a piece of prismatics candleglow. I used the butterfly embosslit to create the butterflies and added a piece of crushed curry ribbon. The sentiment is from G studio and was layered with various punches. I made a matching envelope liner just for the fun of it. I know it's early for Indian summer, but I just love the colors in this paper pack!
Have a great Monday everyone and thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

MFP Challenge #9

I needed to make a get well card, so I used the Speedy the Cat's Friend's challenge #9 which is to use 3+ flowers on your card. I stamped a piece of yellow bitty box DP with Dandelion ink, using a bargain $1 flourish stamp I found at Michaels. I punched the flowers using a Carl flower punch, then layered them on New Leaf green and Bazzill royal blue card stock, adding a little matching button on each one. The ribbon is new leaf green and matches the card stock although the picture shows otherwise. The sentiment is by SU! This card was quick and easy and I think I might make more in different colors.
I hope your weekend is going well for you! Take care,

Carol

Happy Birthday Michelle!

Good Morning all, and a very happy birthday to my sweet friend Michelle Rodgers, the owner of StampersDream.com! I sent her this card earlier this week, so I can post it now! I created the rose (SU! Fifth Avenue Floral) from prismatic papers, stamping 3 images on each of the 3 shades of the candleglow pack, cutting and layering them on dimensionals. The background DP is from the Basic Grey Kioshi pack. The leaves were created from a sheet of dp from the K&Co Que Sera Sera pack and I lined the envie with that dp also. Sentiment is by Hero Arts done on a word window punch. Ribbon is cream satin from my stash.
I hope you have a wonderful birthday celebration today Michelle! Best wishes always!
And I wish everyone a wonderful weekend too - thanks so much for taking the time to stop by :)

Carol

Check out this Periwinkle Coupe!

My best friend gave me this photo and asked me to make a thank-you card out of it, so this is what I came up with. I'm a big fan of restored and muscle cars, and my favorite color is purple, so this car just does it all for me! I had one little scrap of periwinkle card stock which I edged with a silver deco pen. I created a zig-zag border with a 1/4" punch, but then covered up most of it with the photo. You can see a little of that detail on the top if you click the photo to enlarge it. I also embossed a piece of tin foil with the CB diamondplate ef to help bring out the chrome details on this car. I matted it with a piece of apricot appeal cardstock that blended nicely with all the leaves on the ground, without clashing with the color of the coupe. The sentiment was done with a Just-Rite set, embossed with silver ep on black. The silver diagonal border was done with a bargain piece of embossed paper I bought a long time ago for 25 cents. I tied a few pieces of silver cording around that....again to accent the chrome on the car.
I hope you're staying cool wherever you live...........we're really sweltering today and it's going to get worse as the week goes on. Have a great Thursday and thanks for stopping by.......I'm always so glad to hear from you :)

Carol

Two fer One!

I made this card for the CTD #98 which is to use Blush Blossom, Mellow Moss, and Chocolate Chip. I also used the sketch from the S&S Sketch Challenge #22. I made the background from a piece of blush blossom cardstock by scoring it, then rubbing it with a blush blossom inkpad. I used the swiss dots embossing folder for the blush vertical panels. The sentiment was done with Chocolate Chip ink using the SU! Wellness Wishes set, while the floral stamp by Verve (Because of You) was done with Blush Blossom ink. I added 3 different sized Kaiser Blush pearls for accents on the flowers. I added a panel of Mellow Moss behind the main panel and wanted to add some ribbon, but I just wasn't sure where to put it, so I left it as is. I should have gone outside to take the photo because there's a greenish tint that I couldn't seem to fix without distorting all the other colors. Maybe some day I'll learn how to take some good photos indoors :)
We're in the midst of a heat wave here in PA, so I'm staying inside where it's cool and cleaning carpets today. It's not what I'd like to do on a hot summer day, but I've gotta git 'er done!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Carol

MFP Challenge #8

I made this card for the Speedy the Cat Friend's challenge #8 which is to add embossing. I used a long-neglected Cuttlebug embossing folder for this card which went together quickly. The image was a stamped RAK I received a long time ago, so I colored it with Tombows and layered it with Nestabilites circle and scalloped circle dies. I used PTI Berry Sorbet cardstock for the main color. The photo doesn't show it but I added a few touches of gold deco pen to her crown. I added a piece of ribbon and this was done! My granddaughter will be receiving this card since it reminds me of her so much :)
Thanks for stopping by on your Monday and I wish you all a good start to the week!

Carol

Happy Father's Day!

Happy father's day to all the great dads out there! These wishes go out to all the special men in our lives who are so deserving of this day set aside for honoring them. I'd also like to give a special shout out to all the dads out there who are serving our country and can't be with their children today. Happy Father's Day!!

Carol

QFTD14

I made this card for the QFTD14 challenge over at SCS. This week zgirlsgranny (aka Linda) was chosen to wear the crown and we cased a card from her gallery to honor her. I chose this card and replaced the black with plum pudding, changed the sentiment panel, and used different embossing folders. I also used a layered butterfly instead of a flower in the main panel. I really like how this one turned out!
I hope you're enjoying your weekend so far!

Carol

stamps - SU! warm words
papers - PTI plum pudding, GP white
inks - PTI plum pudding
accessories - Tim Holtz flourishes and damask efs, CB swiss dots and flourishes efs, SU sm and lg oval punches, Nestabilities circle and blossom dies, SU butterfly embosslit

Birthday Girl

I had a request to make a birthday card for a little girl who's having her 2nd birthday this weekend. I found this sweet little digi image here. Sliekje offers all her digi images for free and posts a new one each week. She does this because she loves to draw and wants to share her talents with as many people as possible. Isn't that amazing?
I have a lot to learn about coloring digi images, but I fumbled along using my Derwent wc pencils to create this one. I added some red stickles glitter to the little girls hair bows, shoes, buttons and tiny heart on her blouse. I used Nestabilities circles and blossom dies, along with pretty in pink card stock. I embossed the white background with a CB birthday ef, and the 2 is a sticker. Isn't this the cutest little girl?
Thanks for tuning in today, and thanks to Sliekje for your generosity in sharing your artwork! Have a great weekend everyone!

Carol

CTD#97

The colors Broni gave us for the CTD#97 today are Not Quite Navy, Certainly Celery, and Cameo Coral. It took me a while to decide how these colors would play out on a card, but this is the result. I started with the Impression Obsession stamp and colored it with Cameo Coral ink and a blender pen. I added celery to the stems and leaves with a marker. I sponged around the edges with celery and night of navy inks. The night of navy background panel was embossed with a Tim Holtz texture fades embossing folder, and the sticker sentiment which perfectly matches cameo coral is by DCWV. I am completely out of cameo coral cardstock and shall miss that color tremendously!! I added 2 strips of SU! Celery ribbon for interest. I must admit, these colors really did challenge me in spite of how good they look together!
That's it for me today.........I hope your middle of the week is working in your favor!

Carol

Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge #7

I finally got around to making a card for Mark's Finest Papers: Speedy the Cat's Friend's Challenge #7 found here. The challenge this week is from Liz to create your own background paper. I turned to one of my favorite techniques for doing that. I started with glossy cardstock, and stamped the Baroque Motif's with Versamark, and then heat embossed with white embossing powder. Then I sponged the panel randomly with Groovy Guava and Soft Sky inks. One can only hope that some day SU! will bring these amazing colors back again *sigh*.
The Sarah Kay image was stamped on wc paper and colored with Tombows. I used the Labels four Nestabilites and popped the panels up on dimensionals. I added a few precious snippets of matching ribbon that my SU! demo gave me last year (thanks Deanna) and some Kaiser Blush and Bliss pearls. I also added some tiny Geo Sparklers to the flower centers.
I've been stamping this afternoon while having a new water softener and water heater installed, so I'll have more later.

Carol

Babies are Sweet!

I needed to make a baby card recently, so I'm entering this into the House Mouse challenge #71 where they're going sweet. I know most folks think of sugary treats and candy when it comes to sweet, but babies are sweet too, right?!
This was a stamped image my friend Heidi sent to me a while ago, so all I had to do was color and embellish it. I colored it with Tombows and a damp brush, and layered it with Pink Pirouette. I was hoarding one precious piece of that beautiful pink cardstock, but now that SU! is bringing that color back again, I felt safe cutting into it for this card :) The quilted DP is from an unknown pack of DP from the $1 store. The sentiment is from a $1 G studio stamp set and was also colored in with Tombows. The ribbon and safety pin were from my stash. I added some white glaze pen to the baby blocks for interest.
Thanks for stopping by on this Tuesday and I wish you a happy day!

Carol

Dual Cards for a Triple Play

I had time for a little stamping today, so I did 3 challenges with 2 cards. First up is the Stars and Stamps Sketch Challenge #21. I flipped the sketch on it's side and used someDP squares by Basic Grey. I embossed the train image on black card stock with Versamark, and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. I added some kraft card stock and some square gold brads for accents. I really like the masculine feel of this one!
Next up is a card I made for 2 different challenges. The sketch is from the Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge (SSC155), and the beautiful color combination is from the Paper Players Challenge #2 which is to use Brilliant Blue, Old Olive, and Bashful Blue. I don't have any brilliant blue, so I substituted Pacific Point. I decided to play along with this challenge after seeing LeAnne's beautiful card here. As a matter of fact, LeAnne is the featured stamper on SCS today, so I'll be looking through more of her gorgeous cards again soon :) Congrats LeAnne!!
I hope you're all having a wonderful Sunday. I'm stamping with one eye and tuned into the NASCAR race with the other one! Fun!! LOL

Carol

stamps - Happiness is a Journey, True Friend, Carte Postale, Itty Bitty Backgrounds (All SU!)
paper - Kraft, White, SU! Cottage Wall, Basic Grey Craft pk, Black, Old Olive, Pacific Point
inks - Versamark, Versafine Onyx Black, Bashful Blue, Old Olive
accessories - Gold ep, gold brads, SU! bashful blue ribbon, silver beads, SU! sm and lg oval punches, Nestabilities, Bow-Easy

I'm Coming Home!

I made this card for a challenge last week and forgot to post it! Derrrr!! Ah well, it's not going to be wasted...........it's going into my next box for OWH. I used the Cuttlebug stars embossing folder on white and matted everything with red and blue. The sentiment was stamped with one of those tiny $1 boxes of wooden stamps I found at Michaels eons ago. The House Mouse image was colored with Tombows and an aqua brush, adding some silver deco paint accents to the stripes on the shoes.
I hope your weekend is a great one filled with lots of fun things to do! Until next time..........bubbye :)

Carol

SCS QFTD13 for Marleygo aka Lesley

Lesley (marleygo) has been chosen QFTD13 over on Splitcoast Stampers today. In honor of her, we're to CASE a card from her gallery. I chose this card. I think when you CASE a card you're supposed to change 3 things. Uh.... I may have gotten carried away?! This looks nothing like her card, except for the stamped image! LOL Sometimes when I sit to create a card, it takes on a direction all it's own, and that's what happened here! That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! :)
Anyhoo, this is done in Pretty in Pink and Certainly Celery. I used the recessed diamonds technique for the lower panel and cut the image and matted it with Nestabilities. I colored the image with Tombow's and an aqua brush. Brads and ribbon were from my stash. The sentiment is by SU! and was done in Versafine Onyx Black ink.
I hope you're all enjoying your Friday!! Thanks for dropping by:)

Carol

More Pinwheels

I made a couple more pinwheel cards for OWH yesterday. This is a great way to use those tiny scraps of paper you have lying around. This is done with one of my favorite color combos and the sentiment is by SU! I scored a few lines in the cardstock for balance.
This one is more on the masculine side. I embossed it with a CB houndstooth ef and added some old scraps of Cosmo Cricket dsp. I used one of SU!'s jumbo grommets and put a large silver eyelet in the center. (click the picture for a larger view) I added a few score lines along the bottom of the embossing to leave a plain space for stamping. This is also a SU! sentiment.
Have a great Friday and thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

S&S Double Challenge

I've spent most of this rainy day stamping, and I made this card to meet 2 challenges over at the Stars & Stamps blog. Their sketch #20 was posted on Sunday, and the mid-week throwdown challenge for shipper's choice was posted earlier today. Shippers choice this week is a call for masculine cards because the supply of those is running low.
I used a rubber stampede horse image for my card. Using Kraft cardstock, I stamped it once in Versafine Onyx black ink and stamped the horse on the right, then slightly to the left, again to the left, etc. I did this by inking the stamp only once which makes those running in the back slightly lighter in color. I stamped the ground with SU! itty bitty backgrounds in basic grey and chocolate chip inks. The sentiment is from the SU! Trendy Trees set, stamped in Versafine Onyx black and layered with the word window and fancy label punches. I tied a piece of tan, and a piece of dark brown fiber together and made a few knots before adhering to the card. The background was embossed with the trees CB ef and layered on black cardstock. The PTI rustic cream cardstock base was stamped with the retired SU! flannel plaid backgrounder in bamboo ink (CTMH).
Ok, that's it for me today - time to go get dinner started. Until the next time - adios!!

Carol

CTD#96

Here's my card for the CTD#96 where Tammy challenged us to use So Saffron, Cool Caribbean, and Pumpkin Pie. I substituted turquoise for the retired Cool Caribbean, so I hope the challenge police won't penalize me too much :)
This was a stamped image RAK I received some time ago. I needed a birthday card so this seemed like the perfect time to use it. The background is a piece of So Saffron cardstock that was scored to create the recessed diamond pattern. I saw the how-to video on stampTV and love how easy it was to create! I layered the image on pumpkin pie and black and pierced around the edges of the main image. I colored this with Tombows and an aqua brush, adding white flower soft to the frosting on the cupcake. I added some Judikins diamond glaze to the edges of the frosting and candle tips and some So Saffron and Turquoise ribbons to the corner. The little bow was made with the Bow-Easy.
If you're celebrating a birthday today, I hope it's a special one for you! There's lots of rain in the forecast for PA today, so it looks like a good day to stamp some cards! Happy Wednesday!

Carol

Buttons and Bows

This card is for Speedy the Cat's Friend's Challenge #6 found here. This week's challenge is to create something with buttons and bows. I tried making a pinwheel card after finding the directions here. All the papers came from a $1 store paper pack, and I cut strips in the printed papers that all match the pale green polka dot paper. I used a scrap of lavender card stock and a Martha Stewart doily punch for the border. The sentiment is from SU! and the ribbon and button were from my stash. I like making these pinwheels and will surely make some more again!
Happy Tuesday everybody, and thanks for dropping in :)

Stamping 411

When I saw the Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge 154 , I had to play along! I love this easy sketch and I needed a birthday card so I got to work. This one came together quickly, so I made a few others to stick in my next OWH box too. I had to use one of my new Tim Holtz texture fades embossing folders (again) that my friend Heidi generously gave me as a gift. I just love love love the look of those embossing folders. I paired Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink for this card, and used a SU! image colored with markers. I dotted the tiny flowers with Hero Arts 3mm pearls. The sentiment is also by SU! The ribbon was by Offrey and I used the Bow-Easy to create the bow. How did I live without that great little tool for so long?!
Here's to wrapping up the weekend and may your week ahead be a good one!

Carol

Stop and Smell the Lilacs!

When I saw this house mouse image on Sue's blog I couldn't stop gushing over how adorable it was and Sue, being the sweet person she is, sent me some stamped images! Thanks Sue (hugs) !! If you'd like to see more of her fabulous house mouse images and so much more, be sure to stop by her blog Sue's Stampin Stuff .
I colored the stamped image with Tombows and matted it with black card stock. Next I used some Basic Grey Kioshi papers, and a little bit of PTI Soft Moss polka dot ribbon. After I cut the ribbon I found there were only a couple inches left on the roll, so I just added that piece on the corner to use it up, adding a button and some purple hemp. The sentiment is by CTMH, layered with the SU! word window and fancy label punches, and there are 2 square green gemstones on either side for interest. I'd like to be that mouse right now with my nose buried into some sweet smelling lilacs!
Happy Sunday everyone and thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

A Yellow Rose

I saw this technique here and gave it a try. I love black paired with bright colors, so I tried this with a piece of K&Co yellow designer paper. I really like how it turned out, but I learned that I needed more adhesive in the center because it bubbled out once I adhered the edges. I paired it with some So Saffron ribbon from SU! and made the bow with a bow-easy. The sentiment was done with a G Studio $1 stamp set and layered with oval punches. It really took no time at all to make.
Have a great Friday everyone, and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Silhouettes with Gold

I made this card to combine 2 challenges. The Speedy the Cat's Challenge #5 for Mark's Finest Papers is to create a card with a silhouette image, and the Stars and Stamps mid-week Color Challenge is "A Pot of Gold" - which is to add some gold to your card without using glitter.
I started with a piece of scrap dsp and stamped some Inque Boutique silhouette images with Versafine Onyx Black and embossed them with clear ep. I used the Nestabilities Blossom dies and some Moss textured cardstock The card was partially embossed using a Tim Holtz texture fades embossing folder (Damask) and I left the bottom smooth to add the gold embossed sentiment from MSE. I cut a 2-1/4" piece of white cardstock and smeared it with Versamark ink, then covered it completely with gold embossing powder and heat set it. Then I put it into the butterfly embosslit from SU! and created those tiny butterflies. A piece of moss ribbon and a little bow created with the bow-easy, and this card was done.
Thanks for stopping by and may your Thursday be a great one!

Carol

CTD #95

LeAnne gave us the fabulous color combination of Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion, Green Galore and Black for today's Color Throwdown #95. I love dramatic color combinations, so I knew this card would come together quickly for me.
I used a new Tim Holtz texture fades embossing folder for the background, then used SU! dies for the flowers and stems. I added some matching ribbons and gemstones, and punched the sentiment with SU!'s word window and fancy label punches. The sentiment is from Inkadinkado.
I actually found some stamping time this afternoon, so stay tuned:)

Carol

OWH Diggity Dog

This cute little digi image was a freebie that I found here during the Memorial Day Blog Hop. Sandy created her first set of digi images and offered them free to those who create cards for OWH. If you don't already know, Sandy is the heart and soul of OWH who keeps things running smoothly within that organization.
I admit that I'm digital-challenged, because I don't have Copics, so the coloring on this cute puppy looks a little "ruff" *insert grin* but I had fun with it anyway and did the best I could with my Tombows. The sentiment is just perfect for this image, and there are a lot of sentiments with the set that I just love! The brand new Tim Holtz texture fades embossing folder was a gift from my dear friend Heidi and I just love how that looks for a background! (hugs and thank-you my sweet friend) I used square Nesties and SU! punches to mat the image and sentiment panel. The ribbon is from my stash.
Thanks for stopping by and make it a great Wednesday!

Carol

S&S Sketch Challenge 19

I was up in the wee hours of the morning making a card and this is the result. The lighting was terrible when I took this photo so the colors look a little wonky.
I used the Stars and Stamps Sketch Challenge #19 for this one. I made the flower from PTI scraps a while ago, and never used it because I just wasn't happy with the way it turned out, but I didn't have much time to create, so I added it to this quickly assembled card. I used 2 different CB embossing folders for the plum pudding and pale plum panels. The ribbon is by PTI and the dsp for the leaves is also by PTI. The stamp is by Inkadinkado and was colored with markers. I added a tiny green button to the center with liquid glass.
I hope you all had a fabulous holiday weekend and I wish you all a great week as well! Thanks for stopping by :)

PS: If you missed the OWH Stars and Stamps Blog hop, check out this post. You'll get to meet all the dedicated ladies who work tirelessly for OWH and put this whole thing together. They also posted thumbnail links to each blogger who posted in the hop in case you want to go back for inspiration. Fabulous!!!

Carol