Challenges, Challenges....

Here are a couple more challenge cards. This is for the OWH Stars & Stamps sketch challenge #76. I used a fiskars circle punch to make the white medallion, and embossed it with a Sizzix ef. The sentiment was from the $1 bin at Michaels. Heart brad is from my stash.
And here's a fun beach card for the Stampin B's challenge #118, to create a beach scene with sand. I used this free digi image from the Stamping Boutique. Isn't it cute with those flip-flops and sunglasses hanging on the line? I love it! I colored it with Copics, added an embossed background done with an impressabilities plate and lightly sponged with desert sand ink. I added some bakers twine and a ticket punch, stamped with a sentiment from SNSS. Finally I added some platinum and copper stickles to the edges of the sand for a little sparkle.
That's all she wrote for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Carol

The Open Sea

My card is for the StampinB's challenge #113 which is to make a masculine card using black & brown and one other color. I just got this SU! set called the Open Sea a couple days ago and couldn't wait to make a card with it. I stamped the background panel on a sheet of BG kraft DP, distressing and sponging with Vintage Photo ink. The main image was stamped in black and sponged with antique linen ink. I used pacific point blue as my background because this image just seemed to need that color. I made the sailors knot out of hemp and added a few star mini brads for the final touch.
Thanks so much for stopping by today and I wish you a happy Saturday!

Carol

Stampin' B's Spring Card Challenge #111

I made this card for the Stampin'B's challenge #111 to make a spring scene card. I used a Flourishes tree image and colored it with markers before stamping. I pulled out a scrap of dp and a sheet of brown cardstock to get started. It was very quick and easy to make, but it's been so dreary with rainy weather that I couldn't get a good photograph at all. As luck would have it, as I began to post this card the sun made an appearance :) Ah well, such is life :)
I used a Spellbinders die cut for the MFP sentiment and the rest was just C&S. It looks better IRL, but this was the best I could come up with.
I hope the sun's shining wherever you are today :) Have a great day!

Carol

Another two-fer day

We're having some wicked weather in PA today, so I'm just stamping my heart out and catching up on challenges. First up is the mid-week throwdown over at the S&S blog. This week's theme is to create an "any hero" card. This card will contain a message to any soldier serving overseas just to let him/her know that I support them. I used the SNSS patriot Cocoa digi image for this, coloring with Copics. The sentiment was computer generated and I added a few mini brads in red, white & blue. The top note die was embossed with a Sizzix ef. The dp is SU! baja breeze.
And here's my entry for the Stampin' B's challenge #108 which is to create a monochromatic blue card with paper piecing. I very seldom do monochromatic cards because I just get lost trying to match colors and I'm never happy with the results. This one is OK I suppose, but I let all the dp do the work for me here. I used Websters papers for this, stamping the MFP clock on dp and embossing it with clear detail ep, then cutting it out and popping it up. I doubt you can see the DP it was stamped on because the light cast a nice glare on the top. You might be able to see it if you click the photo to enlarge it, but this was the best picture I could get with it. The sentiment panel was a little frame design on the DP, so I stamped the sentiment inside of it and cut it out by hand. I added some Tim Holtz hardware to the face of the clock and a Quickutz corner diecut.
I might be back with more later today, so stay tuned :)

Carol

Another Two-fer Card

I had time today for a quick card that meets 2 challenges! That doesn't happen too often, but I love when it does! This is for the Stampin B's #102 challenge to make a thank-you card and use spring colors including the color pink. check,check. It's also for Joan's Garden's #10 challenge which is to make a card using the following elements :

1. Use the colors pink & green
2. Create a thank-you card
3. Use some kind of stripes
4. Use something scalloped

check, check, check, and check! I used a Greeting Farm image called Savannah and colored it with Copics. I sponged it with blush ink while it was still in the die. I layered it with a Green Galore Spellbinders scalloped circle and added glossy accents to the feather in her hair, and the green parts of her dress. The pale pink striped paper was a scrap from my stash. That didn't photograph very welll, but there are zig-zag stripes going up & down. The green gingham background dp is by MM. The sentiment is from MFP stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.
That will do it for me today. It was a gorgeous, warm day here which I love! The only problem is those pesky stink bugs came out in full force today as well. AAACK!!! I hate those nasty bugs that dive bomb the house every time you open the door!! They seem to multiply year after year during their invasion process. Oy!! Take care and enjoy your weekend. Spring's just a couple days away! Yippee!!!

Carol

I Woof You!

My card is for the StampinB's challenge #101 which is to add bling to our cards. For mine I added 3 acrylic flower gemstones to the ribbon on the side. The image is a colored digi from Sweet'nSassy, and the dp is from a SU! paper stack. Ribbon is also by SU! I added a touch of Glossy Accents to the bone on the sentiment panel and matted it with Soft Suede.
I hope you're having a great day wherever you are. It's raining in PA and there are flood warnings in a lot of areas. It's a given that I'll be indoors stamping today! Take care!

Carol

Blushing Grey

My card meets 2 challenges today.......the WT311 to use the color grey, and the StampinB's #99 to use a flower on your card. I used another long-unloved backgrounder stamp, called Polka Dot by SU! and stamped the dots with Color Box white ink. The sentiment is by SU! done in basic grey. The flower was made by punching 3 scalloped circles and distressing them before attaching them together. I used blushing bride DP for each layer, using a different pattern of the same color. I finished it off with a scalloped border, a metal brad and some narrow satin ribbon.
I hope you're having a great Thursday today and thanks for making my blog a stop on your rounds !

Carol

Spring is in the Air!

The StampinB's challenge#97 this week is to use a bird on our cards. For my card, I dug into my pile of scraps once again. The blue panel was pre-made at Christmas for matchbook covers and never used, so I used it here rather than throw it away. The flowers were punched from a scrap of pink vellum with 2 Martha Stewart hydrangea punches, colored with Copics and after layering, were dotted with perfect pearls. The branch was stamped with a retired SU set using memento cocoa ink, stamped off once. The bird was done with the SU bird punch, and I added some glossy accents to the robin's red breast. The wings were run through the SU lattice square ef for a little texture, and the sentiment was colored with markers before stamping. Spring flowers and a robin.......if that doesn't put you in the mind of spring, than I give up! LOL

Nascar starts their new season with the Bud Shootout Saturday night, and the big Daytona race is next week - so I'm doing the happy dance!! I can't wait to hear those words again.........."gentlemen........start your engines! " Woot!! Go Tony!!

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

StampinB's Way to Use it

Here's a card that meets 2 challenges today. First up is the Stampin B's #96 challenge to use an embedded image. It's also for the SCS WT308 challenge to use hearts on our cards. First things first - here is the tutorial for making an embedded image. For mine, I started with PTI soft stone card stock, and stamped the PTI text with Ranger Pumice Stone ink. I cut it with a Spellbinders heart die, and then proceeded with embossing it 3 times. I stamped the flourish image by Inkadinkado with Versamark, and embossed that with claret ep. I used SU retired pomegranate cardstock to mat the heart, card base, and sentiment panel, embossing the heart with SU!'s lattice square ef and the card base with a Tim Holtz Damask texture fades ef. The sentiment is by Studio 18 MLT and I colored it with markers before stamping. a few silver heart brads was all this card needed for the finishing touch. This is going into my next Operation Write Home box because the sentiment is perfect for their cards!
The sun is actually shining today in PA, so I'm feeling warmer in spite of the cold temperatures! Thanks for stopping by today and I hope your Thursday is a great one!

Carol

Look for the Star

The challenge over at the Stampin' Bees blog this week is to use a star on a card. I embossed the star in the sky with silver ep and added stickles to the torn cardstock edges to resemble snow. The snowman from Sweet 'n Sassy stamps was cut out and popped up on foam tape. A very simple card to make, but I just adore the image of this snowman looking up to the star in the sky!
Do you have your Christmas cards finished yet? I'm still working on the last of mine, but I did get some mailed today and boy was I lucky! Not another soul was in the post office except moi!! I'm so grateful for that pleasant experience, trust me!! LOL Next week, the packages go out along with the rest of the cards, and I know I'll have plenty of company then!
Thanks for the little visit, I'm always happy to have you :D

Carol

Stampin' Bees Challenge #87

The challenge at Stampin' Bees #87 this week is to create something using purple, turquoise, and something shiny! Yeah! I'm so there whenever you pair these two colors together! For this card I used an adorable free digi image from SpydersCorner called Top Hat Snowman. I colored him with Copics and Tombows and matted with PTI's plum cardstock. The dp is BG Figgy Pudding. I ran the white panel through the Big Kick with the snowflake ef and lightly swiped my Memento lulu lavender ink pad over the raised parts to add a bit of color. The snowflake was punched using a MS punch and layered with a shiny, silver snowflake brad. The sentiment was done with an Inkadinkado stamper and layered using the word window and fancy label punches. Ribbons are turquoise and eggplant from SU! and the bow was done with a bow easy. Add in a few turquoise brads and another Christmas card is done!
Thanks for the great challenge over at the Bees blog, and thanks for stopping in!

Carol

Indian Summer Autumn

Sorry I've been missing for so long! I didn't have internet or phone services for a couple days thanks to some wicked lightning early Tuesday morning. The lightning literally blew a clock off the wall and forced the plug to my microwave halfway out of the outlet!!! In the process it fried 2 tv sets and my cd player, but all in all, I'd say we're pretty lucky! When it hit, the unbelievable cracking sound jolted me about a foot off my bed!!!! Adding to all that, I've been fighting off a major cold all week, so I haven't felt like doing much of anything for a few days. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things soon enough, and if I haven't been around to comment, I will catch up, promise!!
I made this card recently but never got around to posting it. I used BG Indian Summer papers and a retired SU hostess stamp set for this one. The images were stamped with Versamark and embossed with gold ep. I sponged them with various autumn colors, punched them, and matted them with chocolate chip card stock. The sentiment is from an autumn stamp set that came from JoAnns and was also embossed with gold. The ferns behind the sentiment were also embossed with gold before punching. I'm entering this card into the StampinBee's challenge #80 to use fall colors.
Have yourself a grand old Friday and thanks for stopping by!

Stampin' B's and Stars & Stripes

Here's my take on the Stampin'B's Challenge #73 which is to make a square card with a western theme. No problem now that I have this great Southwest Cowboy stamp set by Mark's Finest Papers! I love, love, LOVE this set! This card is done in teal, chocolate and rustic cream card stocks. I stamped the background with a retired SU! flannel plaid background using Toffee ink. The main image is embossed with brown ep and popped up on foam tape. The rest is pretty much self-explanatory, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll be glad to answer you.
This card was made for the Stars and Stamps mid-week throwdown challenge which is a recipe to use a diecut or punch, ribbon, and embossing. I started with a PTI enchanted evening card stock base, and added an embossed panel using the CB snowflakes ef. I created the large star with SU!'s large and small tag punches, and added a scrap of DP for the center. I added 2 SU felt snowflakes in the center along with a snowflake brad. The word JOY is die cut with my Quikutz from some scraps of enchanted evening and glued down right over the ribbon.
We're having a spectacular day in PA today! If only every day could be this gorgeous!!! I wish you all a gorgeous day too! Thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

Stampin' B's Challenge #72

The challenge over at Stampin' B's this week is to make a card with a die cut, a circle, and flower. My die cut is the two-layer blossom die cut from Spellbinders, while the flowers are on the DP by SU! as well as the center flower which is made from the SU! Fifth Avenue Florals set, stamped with Versamark on Bashful Blue and embossed with white ep. The middle smaller blossom layer is PTI Enchanted Evening while the blue card stock and ribbon is SU! Bashful Blue. The button, which is also my circle on the card, is from SU! tied with some embroidery floss. Border punches are by MS and SU and the sentiment is from the SU! Trendy Trees set.
I hope you all have a great evening, and I'll be back soon! Take care!

Carol

Stampin B's #71

This card is for the Stampin' B's #71 challenge to "create a scene on our card." For me, this is a way to redeem myself for the recent card I made with a wolf howling at the SUN! LOL I think I got the colors right this time, but instead of using the wolf image, I used a Speedy the cat image that came with the Southwest Cowboy stamp set from MFP. I embossed him with clear detail ep and cut him out and popped him up on the fence with foam squares. The tree image is by IO, also stamped and embossed with clear detail ep before sponging in the colors of the sky. The sentiment was embossed with Carnelian pearl lustre ep and the image is matted on Blue Bayou and Sage Shadow card stocks.
Have yourself a fine Thursday and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Dog Days of Going Back to School

I made this card for the StampinB's Challenge #70 to use a dog, as well as the Stars and Stamps midweek throwdown to use designer paper from our stash. I recently d/l this adorable digi image but the artist didn't add her name to the title, so I don't know who made it. If any of you know the artist, please let me know so I can edit this post and give proper credit. All of the DP is by Imaginisce, and it's from a set of back-to-school papers and embellishments. The scissors, glue bottle and pencil were all cut from a piece of the DP in the pack. The "abc's" is a rubon, the brad and ribbon were also from the same designer pack. I added a Geo sparkler for the dog's tag and doodled around the edge with a SU real red marker. The little notebook paper was distressed with Ranger antique linen ink and punched with the SU! spiral punch. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you can see the penmanship in the dark red DP. I'd love it if my printer accepted water color paper so I could blend the colors better on this doggie! I really didn't do this cute image much justice.
Have a great Thursday and stay cool if you can :)

Carol

Stampin B's Birthday WIshes

I just finished this card yesterday and since today's StampinB's challenge #69 is to make a birthday card, I decided to enter it into that challenge. My husband's sister is turning 60 next month, so this card is going to her. I was going for a soft look and I think I achieved it with this card. I think the Fifth Avenue Florals stamp by SU! is my favorite go-to set for feminine cards because I love the flower images. I hope she'll like this card as much as I enjoyed making it for her.
Wishing you all a wonderful Thursday!

Carol

stamps - SU! Fifth Avenue Florals, Sincere Salutations, Wonderful Wishes
papers- Memory Box Gossamer and Sprout collections, PTI vintage cream
inks - Versamark, Memento Bamboo Leaves & Angel Pink
accessories - white ep, paper crimper, PTI vintage cream ribbon, SU square lattice ef, stickles for flower stamens, stamp-a-ma-jig for sentiment placement, dimensionals

StampinB#43

This card was made for the StampinB's #43 challenge to use a flower, a die cut and a butterfly. I've resolved to use my old stamps and supplies more often, so I dug out these Quickutz flower dies to create the flower. I used a top note die cut negative to create the frame around the main image. If you click on the photo, you'll see that I stamped the linen background with sherbet ice ink to give a softer look. Then I went around the top note mask with a tombow to create faux stitching. I used some glaze pens on the butterfly just for the fun of it and then added 3 black kaiser pearls to the body. I used a tiny drop of liquid pearls in the flower center to finish it off. I used scraps from my stash for this card, and I decided to leave the sentiment off until I'm ready to use it.
We woke up to some white stuff on the ground this morning here in PA, and I'll keep looking at this card to remind me that warmer weather is right around the corner........well......almost :)
Have a wonderful Thursday!

Carol

More Valentines

I have two more Valentine cards to share with you today. First up is this black and gold card I made for the WT119 challenge over on SCS which is to use scallops. I think the edges of this gold doily are scalloped so that's why I chose to use it. I stamped the black cardstock base with Versamark, and then added gold ep and heated it. I stamped the heart from Polka Dot punches with Versamark and embossed that with gold ep too. The tiny hearts were punched with a mini heart punch out of metallic gold card stock. The sentiment is from Happy Heart Day and was embossed with gold ep on black, and layered with gold metallic card stock too. Some gold & black ribbon and this was done! I know it's not made of traditional Valentine colors, but I like the dramatic effect of the black and gold combo.
This card was made for two challenges. First up is the StampBs#39 challenge found here. They're asking us to celebrate their last challenge of the year with old and new....... to use our oldest stamp set along with our newest tool. This card was was also made following the "Our Creative Corner" SASSC46 sketch challenge found here.
I based the card using the first stamp set I ever purchased called "sketch it" by SU! I stamped the heart image with Versamark and embossed it with purple ep. For my newest tool, I used the MS silver Microbeads that I recently purchased. I created a heart stencil with my Cricut and ran a line of Judikins Diamond Glaze around the edges of that heart stencil and added the beads to the center of the embossed heart, and then added a mini punched heart to the center. I scored the edges of the main panel and sponged them with plum pudding ink. The sentiment panel was done with So Many Sayings on a word window punch, and layered with the modern label punch in plum pudding along with 2 tiny silver beads. The tab came from the SU! party punch set and was also stamped with Plum pudding. The DP is bitty box plum pudding and the ribbon is from the same color family. I'm going to send these valentines to our soldiers, and I guess in the back of my mind the purple heart theme kept sticking, but hopefully someone will find it useful to send back home to their loved ones.
I want to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a healthy, happy and prosperous new year in 2010. May your blessings be abundant and may your hearts be filled with love. I'm so grateful for each and every one of you who come to share a tiny part of your day with me. Happy New Year!!!!

Carol

Anything but a Card

The challenge at Stampin' B's this week is to make anything but a card. I've been making some notepads for Christmas gifts this year. I used Ruby Red, Holiday Treasures, Cool Caribbean and a scrap of striped dsp. These were fun to make and embellish, and there are dozens of designs and styles you could use for them. I used the PTI stamp set top note for the sentiments. A friend suggested a use for the bright ideas sentiment, and I thought it was clever and unique, so thanks Diane! She thought using an image of the sun would be perfect with the "bright ideas" sentiment and she was so right! The other pad uses some left over retired dsp that I'm trying to use up, so I have a couple gifts finished already and will make more of these too.
As always, thanks for stopping by...........I hope you have a fantastic Friday!