CTD#108

Here are the colors for the CTD#108. They look so earthy and calm, so of course I had to play along.
I started with a Kraft base, and added Chocolate Chip and So Saffron cardstock. The tiny dragonfly images are by CTMH and were stamped with Chocolate Chip ink, while the wings were embellished with a yellow souffle pen to brighten them up a bit. The ribbons and DP are from SU!, while the sentiment is from Mark's Finest Papers, stamped in Chocolate Chip. The border was done with the MS arch lattice punch, and the "faux" brads are punches of Chocolate Chip cardstock covered with Glossy Accents. All of the Kraft card stock was sponged with Ranger's Antique Linen ink.
I was over at Michaels this morning with a friend and they're having crazy sales all throughout the store! Everything seems to be 40% off, so you don't need a coupon this week!! I came home with a fine black marker and a beading box to put my sponges in that cost a whole $1.99!! I'm taking a bow for showing so much restraint!! LOL
Oh BOY did it get hot in PA today! It's sweltering out there at around 98 degrees with barely a breeze! I'm staying indoors for the rest of the day and chilling!!
Make it a great day and thanks for popping in to say "hey!" :D

Carol

CTD107

I've had this stamped RAK in my pile for much too long, so today was the time to color it and use it for the CTD#107. Michelle from StampersDream.com sent it to me and it's by Northwoods. {thanks Michelle} I colored it with Tombows to reflect the colors of the challenge, and then matted it with all the required colors, using a Fiskars border punch. I added stickles to the flower centers for a little sparkle and interest.
I hope your Wednesday is going well!

Carol

Birthday Chuckles

Danielle chose the colors this week for the CTD#106 and I found them easy to work with. Soft Sky is one color I hope SU! will bring back one day and it looks so pretty with Chocolate Chip! On to my card.
I combined the CTD106 challenge with the SC294 sketch challenge to create this card. It has lots of layers and it's a square 4.5 card which I rarely make. I used SU! celery and soft sky DP, along with Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky and PTI's kraft card stock. The image is by Inkadinkado, stamped with Versafine Onyx Black and embossed with clear detail ep, then colored with Tombows. After punching the scalloped border, I punched some holes into the round edges and sponged with Chocolate Chip. Would you like to guess which embossing folder I used on the Soft Sky panel?! Yep, it's that square lattice ef by SU! that I can't seem to put down lately. I made the faux brads with a hole punch, and a mini sunburst punch, dotting them with Glossy Accents and adding a snippet of Certainly Celery ribbon on the corner.
Now that I made my card for today I have to run errands! Have a good one!!

Carol

Color Throwdown #104

Don't you just love these fresh summer colors for the CTD104!! I don't have any daffodil delight yet, so I had to substitute some other yellow card stock for that color.

I thought of flowers and leaves as soon as I saw these colors, so I used a new Technique Tuesday set of floral images for this card. I stamped the flowers on 2 different colors of yellow cardstock with Versafine Onyx Black ink, then embossed them with clear detail ep and cut them out. The centers are just punched cardstock adhered with a drop of glue and dotted with glossy accents. The decorative hummingbird is by Inkadinkado, also stamped with VOB ink, embossed with clear detail ep, and colored with Tombows. I cut the image out and popped it up on foam tape.
Thanks for spending part of your day with me and I wish everyone a fabulous evening!

Carol

stamps - Inkadinkado, Trendy Trees (SU!), Technique Tuesday Pocket Full of Posies
papers- tangerine tango, haiku DP crushed curry, yellow, old olive
inks - versafine onyx black
accessories - paper punch, Quikutz (corner) word window and fancy labels punches, glossy accents, foam tape, EK success small scallop punch

CTD#102 & SC290

These colors look great together don't they?! LeAnne gave us this color combination for the CTD102 this week and even though I don't have any Marina Mist yet, I played along anyway. I combined this with the SCS290 sketch challenge too.
Someone left a comment yesterday suggesting that I'm addicted to this SU! Square Lattice embossing folder. I had to laugh because she's absolutely right on the money!! LOL!! With every card I make lately, I find myself reaching for that folder!!! I assembled this entire card without using it, and it looked a little "blah" so I embossed the Wasabi panel and I was immediately happy! Someone needs to hide that folder from me for a while now :)
I punched the flowers using the SU! Boho Blossoms 3-flower punch, using Wasabi and Not Quite Navy and glued on 3 tiny blue buttons that are as close to Marina Mist as I can get! The white squares were embossed with a small CB embossing folder that looks like cross stitching. You can click the picture to see that detail better. The sentiment is by SU!'s Sincere Salutations stamped in Not Quite Navy. As much as I like white space, it needed something more on the bottom. It was too late for piercing, the card was already glued together. I had an "aha!" moment while looking for something to add. I grabbed a ball point pen and added a few dots on either side of the sentiment just for interest. Now I'm happy with the result :)
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts with me. I always enjoy reading your comments. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Carol

Color Throwdown 100

Hello and a very happy Wednesday to you! Today the CTD is celebrating 100 color challenges with a blog hop and a huge giveaway of some sensational prizes! As a former guest designer, I've been asked to participate in this amazing challenge and of course I couldn't say no! Stay tuned and be sure to read the details below, but first things first - here are the colors for this week's color challenge.


I started my card by using Baja Breeze for the base and adding a layer of Certainly Celery for a mat underneath the Certainly Celery DP background. I cut 3 larger squares of Regal Rose, 1 larger square of Real Red, and 4 smaller squares of Baja Breeze. The squares with pink primas have clear gemstone brads, while the red prima has a red gemstone brad. The sentiment was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink using a G Studio stamp and the ribbon is Regal Rose grosgrain by SU!.

Now for the exciting details!! There is going to be a HUGE giveaway of over $1600 in prizes for playing along with the CTD100!! Everyone has a chance to win a great prize by doing the following.

Play along with the CTD100 by using the above colors and creating a card. Use any stamps or supplies you want. If you don't have the exact colors, use something similar.

Link your card on the CTD blog HERE by using the Inlinx tool at the bottom of the post. Use only a direct link to your card, as those who don't will be disqualified.

Visit each of the designers listed below and leave them some love. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning, but please just one comment per blog!

Tammy Hershberger - Stamp Happy
Broni Holcombe - Splashes of Watercolor
Barbara Anders - Paper Pursuits
Danielle Kennedy - Wild Dragonfly Designs
LeAnne Pugliese - Wee Inklings
Laura Pryor - Lil' Inker
Kisa Peters - Kisa's Paper Cuts
Carol Longacre - Our Little Inspirations (you're here)
Deb Horst - Sendable Sentiments
Debi Southard - Debi's Crazy Life
Elise Durenberger - MamaCow Creations
Juliana Swanson - Stampin With Inky Fingers
Lisa Kind - Kind Creations
Makiko Jones - Makink Studios
Maria Gurnsey - Scraps By M
Pam Speidel - Stamping With Serendipity
Sylvia Nelson - Sylvia's Stamp Corner
Teresa Kline - Enjoy the VA Sunshine
Wanda Cullen - Cullen-ary Creations

Each designer is going to be giving away a fabulous prize (or prizes) so be sure to visit them all to see what you could win and don't forget to leave them a comment! The prize you could win from my blog is a 7-image Victoria Case set of stamps which are being generously offered by Susana's Custom Card and Art Design. You can see the Hugs and Hearts Spring collection stamps right here. Aren't they just the cutest?! All winners on all blogs will be chosen randomly by the CTD team.

There you have it, now go forth and create something! I'll be waiting to see your beautiful creations. Remember the deadline is July 12th at 11:59 PM, so you have plenty of time to leave comments and make a card! Good luck everyone, and have fun!

Carol

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

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

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

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

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

Color Throwdown #93

It's been weeks since I played along with the CTD, but I couldn't resist the pretty combo of Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette and Melon Mambo that Danielle chose today. I'm so glad that SU! is bringing back these beautiful shades of pink and blue!
This card took on a life of it's own once I began with it. I had no idea what I was going to make, but I love the Baja Breeze pack of DSP I've been hoarding, so I started with a favorite layout of mine and stitched down all the panels. I used the petals a'plenty embossing folder and dotted the flower centers with a Tombow marker. I had about 4 inches of Pink Pirouette ribbon left, so I used it here along with a snippet of Melon Mambo ribbon. The flowers came from my stash and seemed to perfectly match these colors, so I added a padded brad and a tiny pink gemstone to the sentiment panel.
I hope I can find my color Mojo in the coming weeks and work easily with color combos again, because I look at this card and just say blech! LOL
I hope you're having a fabulous Wednesday, and thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

You're the Best!

For today's Color Throwdown #78 Broni asks us to use Soft Sky, Kraft, and Pink Pirouette and I just love, love, LOVE these colors together! I recently received this awesome Rubbernecker stamp from my dear friend Heidi (big hugs) and I thought this was the perfect color combo to use for it. I still have a little bit of Soft Sky cardstock left, but oh how I wish SU! would bring that color back!!! Thanks (and big hugs) also to my sweet and thoughtful SU! demo Deanna who recently gave me a few bits of those retired in color ribbons that I was able to use for this card. I stamped the image with Versafine onyx Black ink, embossed it with clear ep, colored it with reinkers of Soft Sky, Pink Pirouette, and Caramel, adding touches of dark brown and black with tombows. I sponged around the edges with Pink Pirouette ink. The borders were done with a scalloped punch, and I used a hole punch on one side. The bow was made with the Bow-easy, the tag was made with my Cricut (George cartridge) and I added some Kaiser Blush and Bliss pearls along with some tan hemp. The sentiment on the tag is from an Inkadinkado stamper set.
Great challenge Broni, and thanks to all of you for stopping by! Happy Hump Day :D

Carol

Sketching with the Color Throwdown

I apologize for not being able to get a true-color photograph of this card. I tried so many times I almost threw the card out and started over! LOL My camera does not like these colors whether I use artificial light or daylight. If I adjust the colors to get the celery to look like celery, the baja breeze looks like turquoise. If I get the baja breeze to look like itself, the celery looks washed out. Oh well, I had to finally settle for this picture *sigh* You'll have to trust me when I say this looks better IRL :)
I made this card for the CTD#77 where the colors this week are eggplant, celery, and baja breeze. I also used the SC265 sketch on SCS.
I used a soft stone card base and added some BG Wisteria dp along with celery, baja breeze and eggplant cardstock. I used an old, neglected Inque Boutique stamp set to stamp the smaller panel with eggplant and celery inks. I layered some celery and eggplant ribbons for the vertical strip, and also added 2 strips of the same ribbon underneath the sentiment panel. I used a Just-Rite stamp set for that sentiment, embossing the eggplant panel with white ep, layering with celery and using 3 different circle punches. I stamped the sentiment with eggplant and added a tiny plum colored flower and a HA 3mm pearl in the center.
Thank you for stopping by today and leaving your thoughts with me. Wishing you all a stress-free Wednesday :)

Carol

A Sketchy Color Throwdown

This week Tammy asked us to create a card using Old Olive, Melon Mambo, and So Saffron for the CTD76 challenge. This card also follows the SC264 sketch challenge over on SCS. I just love these colors and the sketch, so combining the challenges was a perfect combination.
The latest news about my BIL wasn't good. He had a 95% blockage in one carotid artery, so they opened that one but never operated on the 2nd one. They said he'll have some level of brain damage, but the extent won't be known for some time. They also don't know if he'll regain use of his left hand which will be difficult because he loves playing his guitar. Some times life just isn't fair, but we'll be keeping him in our thoughts and prayers and hopefully he's going to recover enough to enjoy life once again. Thanks for your well wishes and prayers, much appreciated.
Have a wonderful Wednesday and enjoy every minute of your day :)

Carol

stamps - thoughts and prayers (SU) , believe (verve)
paper - white, melon mambo, old olive
ink - versafine onyx black, old olive
accessories - tombow marker, topaz gemstones, so saffron ribbon, cb embossing folder

Beautiful Throwdown Colors & a Sketch

Over at the CTD75 this week, LeAnne challenged us to use Garden Green, Mellow Moss, and Rich Razzleberry. I coordinated my card to include the SC263 sketch challenge as well.
I embossed the Moss panel with an oval Nestability, running it through the Big Kick with just a rubber mat to emboss without cutting. Then I cut the Razzleberry and white ovals with Nestabilities, stamping the image with Versafine Onyx Black and using clear ep. The G studio $1 image was colored with a blender pen and reinkers. The bottom panel is Cottage Wall dp with a garden green punched border, tied up with Razzleberry Ribbon. For the final touch I added some dewdrops for a little balance.
Thanks for having a look, and have yourself a fine day!

Carol

Happy Hump Day!

I have 2 cards to share with you today. This one is for the CTD#74 where the newest member of their DT Kristin Bueter gave us a color challenge of Chocolate Chip, Dusty Durango, and Regal Rose. Welcome aboard Kristin - I look forward to seeing more of your creations throughout the year! I also followed today's SC262 sketch challenge.
I started with a base of Vintage Cream cs, and added a panel of Dusty Durango that was cut with the Labels 4 die and embossed with the Victoria ef. I covered it with Versamark ink and added clear ep over the entire image for some shine. The main panel is layered with PTI Bitty Box basics in brown, with vintage cream on top. I used the PTI background basics text stamp with Regal Rose, stamping off once for a subtle look. I sponged and distressed the edges and stamped the Verve (Believe) sentiment with Chocolate Chip. If you look closely, I used 2 ribbons, layering Dusty Durango on top of Regal Rose. The butterfly is also Regal Rose, punched with a MS punch, covered with versamark and embossed with clear EP. A tiny pearl was added for interest. I crocheted the flower using embroidery floss and put a Terracota button inside, adding punched ferns from EK and MS punches.

This card was done for 2 challenges also. The MMSC35 sketch challenge, as well as the KSCC#21 challenge where Lisa challenges us to add sewing to our cards. I tried stitching this panel by hand after piercing it, but I didn't like it, so I did faux stitching instead with a Tombow marker and distressed the edges. I used Prism cs in the Azelea shades of light, medium, and dark. I also added a layer of black and the image panel was done on a piece of white. I used the Lilies and Hibiscus stamp sets for the image and sentiment. The inks I used for the flowers were SU cranberry crisp,(CB) pale orchid, )CB)rouge, (CB)pink, and SU pretty in pink. For the leaves and stems I used Mememto New Sprout, Bamboo Leaves, and Cottage Ivy. I punched small & large ovals for the sentiment, and adhered it beneath the PTI New Leaf button which was tied and wrapped with cream colored embroidery floss.
That's it for this Wednesday.......have a fabulous day and thanks for checkin' in!

Carol

The Color Throwdown #73

It's Wednesday and that means it's time for the CTD#73. This week's challenge is bittersweet for me, because it's my last week as a guest designer, but I'm so thrilled to have been invited to do the honors for the past 3 weeks. Being among such talented designers has been very rewarding and I've enjoyed the opportunity tremendously.
Today's color challenge is kiwi kiss, real red, always artichoke, and cool Caribbean and this week's CTD is sponsored by There She Goes stamps. I'm using the "She's a Lady" set for my card.
I stamped the images with Versafine Onyx Black on wc paper and embossed them with clear detail ep. I colored everything with Tombows and cut the bags and purse out and popped them up with foam tape. I cut the main image with a Labels 4 Nestabilities and sponged cool caribbean around the edges before removing the die. Next was theSizzix top note die cut from cool caribbean. I embossed that with the candy cane embossing folder because the diagonal stripes reminded me of the skirt on the image. I matted that panel with real red. I added various ribbon tabs of artichoke, kiwi, and red for accents. The sentiment panel was stamped on cool caribbean, cut with the smallest labels 4 Nestabilities and layered with a circle punch and an oval punch. I added some stickles silver accents to the trim on the lady's dress, and also added lots of silver pearls to glam everything up. I crocheted the red flower and added a silver & black button to match.
I hope you'll play along with us this week, because I'll be looking to see all of your creations. Thanks to everyone for all your kind comments and to the CTD team for giving me this special opportunity! It's been a total blast!
Have a fabulous Wednesday and have fun!

Carol

Color Throwdown #72

Happy Wednesday everyone. It's my 2nd week as the CTD's guest designer for the month of December, and I'm just so excited about this opportunity!

Here are the colors for this week's #72 throwdown. I've always been fond of Wasabi and Soft Sky, so of course I hoarded a few pieces of those colors before they were retired :)

This week's sponsor for the throwdown is My Favorite Things, and I've used the Cool Yule set for my card. I started with a base of Soft Stone cs and used a piece of Afternoon Tea DP for the background. I cut a piece of Wasabi with the top note die and embossed it with the CB snowflake ef. The images were stamped on wc paper with Versafine Onyx Black, embossed with clear ep, colored with Tombows, and cut out. Some fun flock was added to the bear, while some MS tinsel glitter was added to the hat trims on the other 2 images. I stamped the ice blocks and water puddle with soft sky ink on soft sky cardstock and added some liquid glass and dazzling diamonds to make them look icy. The sentiment panel was done using a Modern Labels punch with Pretty in Pink cs and the snowflakes were punched with a MS punch, glittered with MS tinsel glitter and each has a dew drop in the center.
Thanks so much for stopping by, and I'm looking forward to seeing all of your fabulous creations with these pretty colors! Have a fabulous Wednesday!

Carol

Color Throwdown # 71

It's Wednesday and that means it's time for the Color Throwdown #71. This is a special CTD for me because I'm honored and excited after being invited to be the guest designer for the month of December!!! I feel a big YIPPEE coming on :) Here are the colors for this weeks CTD. Olive, red, brown/cream and pink. They work nicely together don't you think?

For my card, I stamped the Magnolia images with Versafine ink on watercolor paper, embossing with clear ep and coloring with Tombows. I added some pink stickles to her dress and headband and a little dazzling diamonds to her tiny wings and then cut her out. Before I cut the bench out, I covered the whole image with versamark and clear embossed the entire piece. The smaller pink pirouette oval was embossed with a CB flourishes ef and dabbed with some champagne shimmer paint on the raised areas for added contrast. The chocolate chip and pretty in pink ovals were cut with Nestabilities petite ovals and layered on a vintage cream top note diecut. The background paper is the retired Holiday Treasures and the ribbon was from my stash. The bow was created with the bow-easy, and the button was tied on with embroidery floss. The tiny red paper flowers are sitting on 2 shreds of old olive cardstock, and they each have a tiny pink gemstone in the center.
Thanks for stopping by, and thanks to the CTD for giving me this special opportunity to work with such a fabulous DT! Please visit their blogs for some serious eye candy and inspiration!

Tammy Hershberger

Broni Holcombe

LeAnne Pugliese

Danielle Kennedy

Barbara Anders

Cathy Indelicato

I hope you'll find time to play along this week........I'll be waiting to see your beautiful creations! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Carol