PCCCS133 -- On Your Perfect Day

It's time for another Paper Craft Crew Challenge and the sketch this week is beautiful.  I love the square shape.  I don't do square cards that frequently, but those times that I do, I always find them exciting.

My first thought was to use the Best of Brides & Babies stamp set.  Along with a very simple colour palette such as Island Indigo, White and silver, this would be a very elegant wedding card.

For my base I used Naturals White to make my 5 1/4" x 5 1/4" card.  For my next layer I turned to Island Indigo and then added a layer of the star embossed Irresistibly Yours Designer Series Paper.  A bit of sponging on the Designer Paper using Island Indigo ink and some splatters in the same ink made the perfect background for the remainder of the card.

Using Island Indigo as my base for the small rectangle, I topped it with a piece of Shimmery White cardstock onto which I had heat embossed the bride and groom image using Silver embossing powder.  I also heat embossed the bells image from the same set onto a scrap of Shimmery White paper using the Silver embossing powder and then fussy-cut them out.  After cutting the bells, I mounted them on a scrap of Island Indigo cardstock and cut around them, leaving a thin frame of colour.

I decided to put the sentiment on a banner and so I used a narrow piece of Island Indigo and heat embossed it using White embossing powder.  The circle and second narrow banner are both cut from Silver Foil.  I used one of the larger Epoxy Sticker hearts backed with an Island Indigo heart as an accent on the Silver Foil circle as well as a few clear rhinestones.  

I hope you'll join us with your own creation for this week's challenge at the Paper Craft Crew Challenge site.

WCC18 -- Hugs & kisses

*So thrilled to have this card be a runner up for the ColourQ Challenge*

Welcome to another Watercooler Challenge.  This week we have a sketch challenge and I had so much fun with it.  The fact that one of our talented Watercooler Artists designed the sketch made it even more special.

I used Naturals White for my base and added more white with the Irresistibly Yours Designer Paper.  For added interest I also used Blackberry Bliss, Raspberry Ripple (retired), Wisteria Wonder and Gold for my card.  If you look carefully, you will see that the Irresistibly Yours piece has been sponged with Blackberry Bliss, Raspberry Ripple and Wisteria Wonder inks.  The colours really emphasized the embossed look of the Designer Paper, didn't they?

For my right and left borders, I used a strip of Gold Foil topped with Blackberry Bliss which I had first cut using my Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border.  For my banners, I used Gold Foil and, for the shorter one, Wisteria Wonder, and for the longer one, Raspberry Ripple.  First of all, however, I heat embossed the Raspberry Ripple with my Sentiment using White embossing powder.  I love the script in the sentiment, don't you?  That's from the Hostess Good Greetings stamp set (retired).  

Instead of a circle, I chose to cut and attach a Gold Foil butterfly cut using my Butterflies Thinlits die.  Along the centre of the butterfly I added a line of tiny pearls with a larger pearl for the head.

And now it's your turn to join us for the Watercooler Challenge.  Just attach your own card, based on our sketch and play along.  

The colours I've used in my card are all part of the ColourQ Challenge for this week.  Check it out and play along.

PCCCS#132 --- Happy Birthday Wishes

When I saw the sketch for this week's Paper Craft Crew Challenge I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.  It's been a little while since I used doilies for my background and I wasn't sure about having a background of Designer Paper.  So I sat back and thought about it.  It took me nearly a week to think about it but that's my usual process.  I have to let my subconscious do the designing and then I can go ahead and begin my creating.

 

My card began with a piece of Designer Paper.  I love the pale yellows, soft browns and white of the design I chose from the Park Lane Designer Series Paper.  It was subtle enough not to take over the card and allowed me to make my colour choices.  For my base I chose So Saffron and then added a layer of Soft Suede before adding the Designer Paper.

It's difficult to see all the details, but after cutting a piece of So Saffron using my Floral Frames framelit, I stamped it first with the honeycomb from the Butterfly Basics set using So Saffron ink and then stamped it with the fern from the same stamp set using Soft Suede ink after off-stamping once.  Then I sponged around the perimeter of the shape using Soft Suede ink.

I cut a large doily from Soft Suede using the retired Delicate Doilies Sizzlits L Die and attached that behind the floral shape.  After adding some Calypso Coral ribbon tied into a bow (Sale-a-bration), I attached the combined floral shape and doily to the card using Dimensionals.

For my sentiment I heat embossed the greeting from the Petite Pairs stamp set using Calypso Coral embossing powder on Whisper White cardstock.  Then I cut that out using my Ticket Duo Builder punch and sponged around it with both Soft Suede and So Saffron inks.  The butterfly was cut from the reverse side of the design I used as my Designer Paper (providential, huh?) using my Butterflies Thinlits die.

 I finished off with some pearls and two little hearts from the Itty Bitty Accents Epoxy Stickers which I had first coloured using my Calypso Coral Blendabilities marker.

I hope you'll join us this week by linking up your own version of our sketch at the Paper Craft Crew Challenge site.

I've also entered my card in the Seize the Birthday challenge.  Those little heart epoxy stickers are the perfect "toppings". 

The Creative Blog Hop Experience---take two!

Thank you very much, Susan Horr of Susan Stamps, for nominating me to participate in the Creative Blog Hop this week.  Susan is a long-time member of our monthly Wacky Watercooler Blog Hops and has always amazed me with her many creative projects.

For my project this time around with the Creative Blog Hop, I had been thinking of making an easel card.  I love easel cards because they are such fun to display.  Of course this easel card would be different than my usual rectangular or square ones because I was determined to make it round so that I could also submit my card to the SUO Challenge which is all about different shaped cards.

I began with a Basic Black base simply because black is such an elegant colour and almost anything looks wonderful framed by it.  I had also been eyeing the new stamp set lying on my crafting table, Indescribable Gift.  I had fallen in love with the branch of flowers but so far had done no more than look at it and promise myself I would use it "soon".  Soon is a very flexible time measurement.

I stamped the branch of flowers on a piece of Typeset Specialty Designer Series Paper.  This is a very lightweight paper and was perfect for the delicate flowers in the stamp.  Then I used my lightest Smoky Slate Blendabilities marker to add some tint to the wood and leaves, the lightest of the Daffodil Delight Blendabilities markers to add some tint to the flowers, and followed that up with using the Blendabilities Colour Lifter to take away much of that tint, especially in the flowers.  Finally I used my Real Red Stampin' Marker to add a bit of colour to portions of the blossoms.

Then I used my Paper Snips to fussy-cut the whole branch with its flowers, buds and leaves.  By the time I was two thirds of the way through the cutting, I was questioning my sanity, but they don't call me the Queen of Fussy-Cutting for nothing---I persevered and finished the job.  I took the delicate cut-out and immersed it in a plate full of water, tapping the flowers to get the Real Red to run.  When the water turned pink, I so very, very carefully took the cut-out and placed it on some paper towels, carefully blotting it until it was just barely wet.  After that I let it continue to dry on a flat piece of plastic and got to work on the remainder of the card.

This is the front:

The inside:

And, finally, standing as an easel:

As you have probably guessed, this is an anniversary card.  I love what it says on the inside and the whole card makes me think of romance.  That slight wash of light colour around the edge of the card?  I sponged it lightly with some Craft Whisper White ink.  

And now for the questions that are part of this blog hop:

#1.  What are you working on now?   I'm working on preparing for my Open House this coming weekend, my Design Team card for the Paper Craft Crew Challenge, arranging for the Watercooler Challenge this coming weekend and organizing the Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop which launches on February 26th.  It's a busy month!

#2.  How does your work differ from others in your genre?  If by genre you mean cardmakers then I don't really differ all that much.  After all, we work with paper, ink and embellishments.  I use any colour that appeals at the moment or that compliments the theme of my project.  I think most of us do that.

#3.  Why do you create what you do?  I get inspired by an idea which can come from any number of sources:  a photo I've seen or taken, a card that caught my attention, a new technique of which I've heard, etc.  Bottom line, I create anything that will give me joy.  I have designed clothing, costumes, knit and crocheted items, done woodwork, painted pictures and murals, created pottery and projects out of an enormous variety of materials.  I love to create.  I am constantly inspired.  Colours, textures, shapes---all inspire me.  

#4.  How does your creativity work?  That differs for each project.  Usually my ideas or inspiration "incubates" for a while and my subconscious wrestles with it until suddenly I know just what I am going to do and go ahead with my creation.  Those times that I force the issue are the hardest for me as I find myself changing my mind dozens of times during the creation stage.  If I haven't developed a clear idea of what I'm doing, I know I will be constantly changing paths.

My last task for this Creative Blog Hop is to nominate someone to follow along with their own blog post next Monday.  My nominee is Jeanne Kupsh who is currently in Germany with her husband and daughter, where they have been posted with the military.  Jeanne is one of the most creative and talented people I know.  Her blog is always fun to visit.  I hope you'll join her next Monday when she presents her wonderful creation at Jeannie's Happy World.

I've also entered my card in the SUO Challenge which, as I mentioned, is all about different shaped cards.

And lastly I've entered it in the Inkspirational Challenge which is a photo challenge and my blossoms are perfect for it.

PCCCS131 --- Wood you be mine?

I'm getting a lot of mileage out of the Wood you be mine? stamp set.  I knew I liked it when I first saw it in the Occasions Catalogue because it's always fun to have more images that will work for a masculine card.  And this set is such a good mixture of images---fun and regular.  They'll even work with other sentiment sets for all sorts of occasions.

The card I've made for this week's challenge is a Valentine card.  With Valentine's Day only a few days away, it just felt natural to be thinking of sweetly romantic cards.  I thought this week's sketch worked really well for the images in the stamp set as well, so off I went on my creative journey.

I don't seem to be able to get away without doing some fussy-cutting lately.  This card was no exception.  For that fancy strip across the card, I decided to stamp a "ribbon" of trees using the images from the stamp set and then cut that strip out.  It took longer than I expected because it was long and it had so many little jigs and jags.  But I really do like the way it fits across the card and that's what counts.

I kept to a relatively neutral colour palette with a couple of pops of colour in the hearts and his hat.  For my base I've used Soft Suede and then added a layer of Sahara Sand which I first embossed using my Woodgrain embossing folder and then stamped with my Gorgeous Grunge splatters using Sahara Sand ink and Crumb Cake ink.  I think it gives the background a feel of sawdust, don't you?

I hope you'll join us this week for the Paper Craft Crew Challenge.  Use our great sketch for a Valentine or for another occasion.  Just have fun.

I've also entered my Valentine card into the Make My Monday Challenge.

And finally, I've added my card into the Male Room Challenge.

WCC17 --- Wood you be mine?

It's time for another Watercooler Challenge and this time it's all about Valentines.  I wanted to make a Valentine that would appeal to a man and decided to use the Wood You Be Mine? stamp set as well as the Adventure Bound Designer Series Paper Stack.  Inspiration came quickly because those pictures in the Paper Stack just lend themselves beautifully to a masculine styled card.

I chose to use a background of stacked wood.  Perfect, I thought, with the axe from the stamp set and the sentiment "Wood you be mine?"  I began with a base of Naturals White and worked my way up with layers of Basic Black and Real Red.  I decided to have the sentiment in a word bubble (thank you, Word Bubble Framelits) and used Basic Black and Real Red to mat it for fun.  I stamped the axe image and fussy-cut it before colouring it with my Blendabilities and a bit of silver from my Stampin' Dazzle Marker.

The sentiment and the axe are raised on Dimensionals to make them pop.  Three little hearts cut from a piece of Red Glimmer paper using my Confetti Heart Border punch finish up the card.

For more cards with a Valentine theme, check out the Watercooler Challenges.

For more cards using Dies in their creation, check out Stampin' Royalty.

Better still, link up your own Valentine card and join the challenge.

PCCCS130 --- The Essence of Love

I don't buy a lot of single stamps but occasionally one will "speak" to me, which is what happened in the case of the Love is Kindness stamp.   Those tulips are gorgeous.  My Mom loved tulips, my daughter loves them, and I, too, love them and feel they herald the coming Spring.   The sentiment, too, is awesome.  Truly, Robert Louis Stevenson hit the nail on the head when he said "the essence of love is kindness".

The sketch for this week's Paper Craft Crew Challenge worked perfectly for what I had in mind in using this stamp.

I decided to turn the sketch on its side to allow for the shape of the stamp, but that's allowed with our challenges---tip them, turn them, use different shapes but make sure you can still tell it's our sketch. 

I decided to stamp the image twice using my Memento black ink on Whisper White.  I wanted to fussy-cut out several of the tulips to give the image more of a 3-D effect and wound up cutting out the "newspaper wrap" as well.  After colouring the full image as well as the cut-out portions using my Blendabilities, I used my Bone Folder to give some curve to the cut-out pieces.  As well as curving the newpaper wrap, I sponged a bit of Baked Brown Sugar ink around the perimeter to add shadows to the curves.  Then I tied a bow of Baked Brown Sugar Baker's Twine around the newspaper before using Dimensionals to attach the piece to the main image.  I also used Dimensionals to add the cut-out tulips.

Before adhering the stamped Whisper White piece to my base of Calypso Coral and Hello Honey, I sponged around the edges using Hello Honey ink. 

I think you can see the added dimension in this picture but I also took a picture at an angle to give you a better look at the 3-D effect.

The main body of my card uses Baked Brown Sugar as its base and then I've added a layer of Calypso Coral.  Next I've added a piece of the beautiful Painted Blooms Designer Series Paper to the bottom portion of the card and, for the top, a piece of Naturals White embossed using the beautiful new Spring Flowers embossing folder which I lightly sponged afterwards using Hello Honey ink.

A piece of Hello Honey Stitched Satin ribbon, a scattering of embellishments, and my card was done.

I hope you'll consider joining us this week by submitting your own interpretation of this sketch to the Paper Craft Crew Challenge.  

Twitterpated --- PCCCS129

The first time I heard the word "Twitterpated" was in the Bambi animated movie.  I was just a child but fell in love with the movie and with the word.  I've always loved words and even then I knew this one was special.

Fast forward to 2012 and the new mini Occasions Catalogue.  Stampin' Up! introduced Twitterpated Designer Series Paper.  The paper was great and not only because I loved its name.  And now it's 2015 and we have a new Occasions Catalogue and a new Twitterpated, this time in the form of a stamp included in the You Plus Me stamp set.  I'm loving it!

The sketch for the Paper Craft Crew Challenge this week was absolutely perfect to showcase my wonderful word.  The card is a Valentine but its main focus is Twitterpated.  I had fun designing it and hope you love its simplicity.

The sketch:                                              

My card:
                     

I hope you'll join us this week at the Paper Craft Crew Challenges and submit your own version of this sketch.

A Whole Herd of Good Wishes!

Every once in a while a stamp set comes along that is simply fun to use.  The From the Herd stamp set is one of those.  The motley herd of animals just makes me smile and I trust will also make the recipient just as happy.

I've entered this card in the Seize the Birthday challenge, in their "anything goes" category.

The Creative Blog Hop Experience

Thank you so much, Marie Green of My Tanglewood Cottage, for nominating me to participate in the Creative Blog Hop this week.  Marie is a member of our monthly Wacky Watercooler Blog Hops and always has wonderful projects to share.  The Creative Blog Hop is an innovative way to participate in a blog hop.  One is nominated, participates, and nominates two others to participate the next Monday.  This is quite a departure from the "normal" Blog Hops in which we have all participated previously or have enjoyed checking out.  I hope you'll enjoy my project and will continue the creative blog hop experience by checking out my nominees next Monday.

If you're a Stampin' Up! fan, you'll have noticed all the wonderful products in the brand new Occasions Catalogue as well as in the Sale-a-bration Brochure.  I keep waffling on which product is my favourite in each.  It comes down to this:  whatever I am working on at the moment is my favourite.  Fickle?  Perhaps.  But the products really are that great!

The stamp set that I'm using for my card is Moon Lake which was the first stamp set that seriously caught my eye when initially going through the Catalogue.  I love the images.  Since I have a male birthday card that must be made for this weekend, I immediately turned to this set.  I hadn't used the image of the Canada goose yet and so I chose to use it this time.  I thought it would  work perfectly with that wonderful male-oriented Designer Paper, Adventure Bound.  A base of the Kraft paper pushed me in the direction of the colours I would use.

I love the way the Always Artichoke compliments the green of the background as well as the Wild Wasabi which I used to heat emboss the Vellum cardstock banner.

NOTE:  I was very unhappy with the image on the Watercolour paper.  I didn't feel that sufficient detail showed and that bothered me considering that the detail in the background paper was so very sharp.  So I re-stamped the image on a piece of Shimmery White cardstock.  I'm much more pleased with it.  For the most part in this version the colouring is done with Blendabilities but some was done with my Stampin' Markers as well.  You'll have to decide for yourself which one is more appealing.

There are four questions asked of each participant in the Creative Blog Hop:

1)  What are you working on now?  I am working on my next post for the Watercooler Challenges as well as for the Paper Craft Crew Challenges.  As a Design Team member I can't be late.

2) How does your work differ from others in your genre?  I'm not entirely sure it differs all that much.  There are so many creative people out there and so many styles.  I probably fit in somewhere.

3) Why do you create what you do?  I create anything that will give me joy.  I have designed clothing, costumes, knit and crocheted items.  I have painted pictures and murals.  I  have created pottery and projects out of an enormous variety of materials.  I love to create and I love to follow through on whatever inspiration comes my way.  I love photography.  Colours, textures, shapes---these things all inspire me and I wind up creating something as a result.

4) How does your creativity work? That's a question that would have a different answer with each project that I create.  Usually I begin with some type of inspiration.  That could be something I've seen online, in a magazine, or even a photograph.  It could even be a result of a story I've read or a poem I've enjoyed.  Something triggers an idea.  It doesn't have to be the same type of project that I wind up doing, it just has to make a part of my brain begin processing what could be done.  Usually I "create" my project in my head and then it's just a matter of making it happen with my materials.  Other times I will be fooling around with some scraps on my talbe, get an idea from a colour combination or shape, and then follow through on that.  Most of the time what I begin to make is not what I wind up making.  There is not always a method to my madness.

And now it is my turn to nominate two people who will have their chance to participate in the Creative Blog Hop next Monday, February 2nd:  Penny Hanuszak from Penny Tokens Stampin Spot and  Marsha Reed from Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe.  Both these ladies are incredibly talented and it is my privilege to call them friends although we have not met in real life.  I know you will enjoy their projects.

WCC16 --- A CASE from the new Occasions Catalogue

Welcome to another Watercooler Challenge.  This time our challenge is to CASE a project from the new Occasions Catalogue.  You will find the original from which I took my inspiration on page 7.

I like having a base for my card and so, instead of the Adventure Bound Designer Paper going all the way to the edges of the front, I chose to use a base of Smoky Slate on which to mount it.  I also decided that it would look better to sponge around the perimeter of the Designer Paper and so I used black ink for that purpose.

You'll also see that my lumberjack is wearing a Tangerine Twist shirt and has a light brown beard rather than a reddish one.  I've also used one of the Essentials Wooden Basics Elements instead of a button.

I had fun creating my project for the challenge.  I invite you to join us by using our InLinkz to submit your own CASE of the Occasions Catalogue.

The Wacky Watercooler Welcome 2015 Blog Hop

It's a brand new year and a brand new Blog Hop!  This time we're celebrating the brand new Occasions Catalogue and, of course, Sale-a-bration.  This is going to be a lot of fun!

Our Blog Hops run in a circular manner.  What that means is that as you go from one participant to the next, you will inevitably, wind up at the point where you began.  I hope you'll find the time to check out all our blogs.  Once you've finished, you'll have to ask yourself what your own favourite in the new Catalogues might be.

If you've been moving forward in the blog hop, you'll have joined me after checking out the very creative Christine Giuda's wonderful post.  Isn't she talented?

* * * * * * * * * * 

For my first project I drew Kath Ricks' name which meant that I had to go back through her blog posts to find my favourite among her past Occasions or Sale-a-bration projects.  It was a tough choice.  I changed my mind several times.  Kath simply had too many great projects and, finally, I made myself choose just one and stick with it.  I decided to CASE this project from February 14/12 simply because I absolutely loved the fold that she used and because I knew I could make the card out of our current Occasions and Sale-a-bration products.  This is Kath's card

Don't you just love that double "z" fold?  Open or closed, this is a wonderful card.

For mine I used a base of So Saffron and stuck to that colour as well as Crisp Cantaloupe throughout.  There is also white in the card thanks to the Irresistibly Yours Designer Series Paper offered in the Sale-a-bration brochure.  Using it is just like doing the emboss resist technique without having to heat emboss first.  I'm hooked on this paper!  I also added gold by heat embossing the butterfly using Gold embossing powder and, of course, I used the Gold 1/8" Ribbon.

I love the way the card opens up when you untie the bow.  That's what drew me to Kath's card and convinced me that I would CASE it.

The stamp sets which I used are all from the new Occasions Catalogue:  Painted Petals and Butterfly Basics.  The sentiment inside the card, however is from the Annual Catalogue:  Something to Say.  I love the Butterflies Thinlits Dies and have used them to cut out the butterfly on the front of the card and to make the stencil for the inside of the card.

* * * * * * * * * * 

For my next project, I used a mixture of retired and current products.  It was such a lot of fun!  The inspiration for the colours and the products came from the stamp set itself.  I used the little pirate image from the Hey, Valentine stamp set (Occasions Catalogue).  That allowed me to go wild with my Blendabilities.  For the black, however, I turned to my Stampin' Markers and then I added a bit of gold and silver using my Stampin' Dazzle markers.

I took advantage of the wonderful Core'dinations that are currently available from the Clearance Rack at a fraction of their original price.  I love the texture of the paper for the sky and also for the water.  Sanding the embossed areas really made everything "pop".  Of course I had to add some additional dazzle since we're talking about treasure and that explains the tiny circles of gold and silver as well as the rhinestones.

  If you've wanted to try out the Blendabilities, this is the right time to do it.  During Sale-a-bration an assortment of Blendabilities is available free with a purshase of $60 (Canada).  Pricing will vary on location in the world.

* * * * * * * * * * 

 My final project is a framed piece.  I had a lot of trouble choosing my favourites from the current Occasions catalogue.  Bottom line, depending on the day, I have a new favourite.  There is just so much great stuff from which to choose.  I went for the Painted Blooms Designer Series Paper, chose several colours  to compliment my chosen design, and then added some butterflies cut with the Butterflies Thinlits Dies.

I used a square black frame and then added layers.  First is a layer of Whisper White followed by layers of Rich Razzleberry, Blackberry Bliss and a square of the Painted Blooms.  For my small square I began with a layer of Rich Razzleberry and then added Whisper White and a square of the new Chalkboard Paper heat embossed with White embossing powder.  The sentiment, from the Hello Life stamp set, looks wonderful against the intense matte black of the Chalkboard paper and also expresses exactly what I wanted for this project.

I went a bit crazy with fussy-cutting out the fern from the Butterfly Basics stamp set.  That was a whole new world of torture and I doubt I'll ever cut that particular image out again.

* * * * * * * * * * 

Well that's it for this month's projects.  I hope you've enjoyed them.  Didn't I warn you that there were some amazing products in the new Occasions Catalogue and Sale-a-bration brochure?

If you get a moment, please leave a comment.  I'd love to know what you thought of my creations.

Your next stop will be at the creative Marie Green's blog.  Prepare to be amazed.

You Mean the World to Me --- PCCCS128

Welcome to this week's Paper Craft Crew Challenge.  The sketch this week is a lot of fun.  It includes newsprint but, as usual, you can interpret that your own way.

I chose to use the map print from the Typeset Specialty Designer Series paper.  My intention was to use the Traveler stamp set and so the map print was the perfect choice.  Since the designer paper is Basic Black and Very Vanilla, that's the direction I took with my colours.   I used Basic Black as my base cardstock and then used the map print for the lower portion of the card and Very Vanilla embossed with the Tiny Triangles embossing folder for the upper portion.  

For the small rectangle I first stamped the Very Vanilla with the print stamp from the Open Sea stamp set using Smoky Slate ink.  Then I stamped over that with the suitcase stamp from the Traveler set using Memento ink.  I used my Blendabilities to colour the image, using only the Smoky Slate and the darkest of the Daffodil Delight set.  Then I stamped the world globe on a separate piece of Very Vanilla and fussy-cut it out.  Then I used my Blendabilities to colour it before attaching it over the suitcase using my Dimensionals.  I used a skinny Basic Black mat for the piece and, after adding a tied Hellow Honey ribbon, attached the piece using Dimensionals.  My final touch was three dots cut from Hello Honey cardstock using the Cupcake Builder punch, which I topped with Crystal Effects after gluing them in place on the bottom left of my card.

For more cards using this sketch, check out the Paper Craft Crew Challenges.

The Kindness You Show --- FM193

I haven't used the triple layer technique for a long time and the challenge at The Friday Mashup this week gave me the push to use it again.  Looking at my card, I wonder why I've stayed away from the technique for so long.  It really does give a "wow" finish to a card.

With all the wonderful new stamp sets it wasn't hard to pick some floral stamps for my card.  In the end I wound up using Lotus Blossom, Painted Petals, Butterfly Basics and Papillon Potpourri.  Yes, I used four stamp sets and I love the final result.

I stayed within a subtle range of colours, using Crisp Cantaloupe, Calypso Coral, Wild Wasabi, Marina Mist and Baked Brown Sugar.  For my cardstock, I used Naturals White, Whisper White and Baked Brown Sugar.

Just for fun I set the second layer off-kilter and love the effect.  

For more cards using this technique and/or flowers, check out the Friday Mashup.

Just for You --- PCCCS127

Welcome to this week's Paper Craft Crew Challenge.  We have a wonderful sketch for you.

Although you can use this sketch to make a "normal" sized card, I chose to make mine square just like the sketch.  And finally I used my Tap Tap Tap stamp set.  Half a year after ordering it---it's about time, isn't it?

I decided to use colours that would be perfect for Valentine's.  Even without hearts on the front, the "Just for You" makes me think of an inside filled with all sort of sweet messages.  I went all out using alphabets for this card since it seemed appropriate for the typewriter.  The banner across the centre is from the Tap Tap Tap stamp set as is the typewriter but the tiny letters scattered across the background are from the retired stamp set, Confetti.  I even used the Alphabet Press embossing folder to give the background the same look.  

We'd love to have you join us for this week's challenge.  Just see what you come up with for the sketch and use our InLinkz to add it to the challenge.  Good luck and have fun stamping.

WCC 15 --- Love You

Welcome to the Watercooler Challenges.  Our new challenge is all about "new".  That opens an almost endless number of possibilities.  You could do a new technique, celebrate the New Year, try new colours that you normally don't use, finally use a stamp set that hasn't yet seen ink---like I said, there are endless possibilities.  I've decided to make a card using some of the new products which I'm itching to use from the new Occasions Catalogue as well as products from the Sale-a-bration Brochure.

I kept my colours to just the white, black, Crushed Cantaloupe and Pistachio Pudding.  For the layout I planned, keeping it to a simple set of colours would work best.  I began with a base of Naturals White, followed by a layer of Crushed Cantaloupe and a layer of Basic Black.  My next layer is one of my favourites from the Sale-a-bration Brochure, the Irresistibly Yours Designer Paper.  The great thing about this designer paper is that it appears to have been heat embossed so that you can sponge it or spritz it and it looks as if you've used the emboss-resist technique.   I sponged my piece using Pistachio Pudding ink.

I also stamped one of the butterflies from the Butterfly Basics stamp set onto Whisper White using Crushed Cantaloupe ink and then cut it out using its matching framelit.  To set it off I framed it with a film strip die cut which I cut from a piece of the new Chalkboard Paper using my On Film framelit.

My sentiment is two-part.  For the "love" I used the little heart from the You Brighten My Day stamp set, stamped using Memento ink on Crushed Cantaloupe cardstock.  After cutting it out I covered it with its matching Itty Bitty Accents Epoxy Sticker.  For the "you" I used my Hello You Thinlits die and Basic Black cardstock.

I finished it up with a scattering of Crushed Cantaloupe hearts from the In-Color Sequin Assortment Embellishments and some Rhinestones.

I hope you'll join us at the Watercooler Challenges and try your own interpretation of "new".

PCCCS #126 --- A Monochromatic look at Moon Lake

Welcome to my first post as part of the Design Team for the Paper Craft Crew Challenges.  I know you'll love this week's sketch.  It lends itself to some great interpretations, as you'll see from the cards posted by the others in the Design Team.

I decided to use the Moon Lake stamp set for this card.  As I've mentioned before, I love that stamp set.  I've already used two of the images from the set but so far had not used the one with the rowboat tethered under the tree.  I've had a few ideas for that image, but this time, working with a small rectangle, I decided to make a sympathy card and to keep it monochromatic.  My card, therefore, is all whites, greys, black and touches of silver.  

My base is Naturals White with a layer of Basic Black.  My next layer is from the Irresistibly Yours Designer Paper available only during Sale-a-bration.  I've used it before and it's my current favourite design paper.  It is unbelievably versatile.  For my card I took a piece that had "embossed" leaves on it and drew a line partway up.  For the bottom area I used Smoky Slate ink and sponged the piece until it was evenly grey.  The white "embossing" just popped against the soft grey.  I left the upper area white but from an angle you can really see the glossy embossing.

I didn't have any current black ribbon and so I turned to the retired Basic Black Scalloped Dotted Ribbon.  It worked beautifully with the white and black already on the card.  For my small rectangle I began with a base of Basic Black, then a narrow layer of Smoky Slate and finally the stamped piece of Whisper White which I had coloured using my Smoky Slate Blendabilities.

The finishing touches are a small piece of /Winter Frost Designer Series Paper, a small star punched from the Brushed Silver cardstock and a flower cut from Brushed Silver and Basic Black cardstock using the Bojo Blossoms punch and a retired Itty Bitty Shapes punch, centred with a small Rhinestone.  The sentiment  is from my Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.

I hope you'll come and see the remainder of the Design Team cards at the Paper Craft Crew Challenge site.  We'd love to see your interpretation of this week's sketch.

Timber! --- Not your usual Valentine FMS 167

There is a new set in the Occasions Catalogue that immediately caught my eye, the Wood You Be Mine stamp set.  There are a number of things I love about it.  It's a two-step stamp set, which means you stamp the one image and then line up a matching or coordinating image to it.  Those are always fun.  I also love that it's all about an old-time lumberjack and his tools.  How often are Valentine stamps so beautifully suited for giving to your guy?

When I saw the challenge at the Freshly Made Sketches blogsite, I turned to this stamp set.  Along with the wooded Designer Paper from the Santa & Co DSP and the fir tree from the Lovely as a Tree stamp set, the elements for this card picked themselves.  All I had to do was the stamping, colouring and cutting.  Don't you just love cards like that?

My base is Naturals White and I've used Soft Suede as my mat layer for each part except the saw.  My sentiment, too, is Soft Suede.  For the saw, I coloured the handles with the Soft Suede and then used my Silver Stampin' Dazzle marker for the blade.  It's subtle but definitely metallic.  The hearts owe their colour to my Real Red marker and a touch of the Dazzling Details Cherry Cobbler.

For more cards using this sketch, check out Freshly Made Sketches.

Polar weather, making a card and exploding eggs!

Baby, it's cold outside.  This morning, with the wind chill, it reached a frigid minus 40 C.  (In Fahrenheit that would be an equally chilly minus 40 F).  Card making weather, you'll agree.  There were three challenges which asked for winter themes and/or snowflakes.  Of course those are the ones that "spoke" to me.

Somewhere during the creative process I became hungry.  And that's when my horrible afternoon began.  I decided to boil an egg.  Having put it on the stove, I went back to my creative centre and zoned out.  Suddenly, halfway through my fussy-cutting, I heard an explosion.  That's never good unless it's Canada Day and I'm expecting fireworks in town.  Along with the explosion, a clear image of my egg in a pot on the stove flashed through my mind and I knew what had happened.  If I had been conducting an experiment, I would have concluded that eggs can explode when left on the stove in a pot that had boiled dry.  I wasn't conducting an experiment.

In the kitchen I had fragments of egg in places that eggs should not touch.  None on the ceiling, however, thanks in part to the microwave/vent above the stove and the fact that my ceilings are just over 12 feet high in that area.  Thank goodness for small mercies.  The rest of the kitchen was bad enough.

It took an hour and a half to clean everything.  Yes, it's sparkling and wonderfully clean.  It's a job I can cross off my to-do list.  *sigh*  But that wasn't the way I had intended to do my kitchen cleaning.

My hands are unhappy.  I got so engrossed, I forgot to wear my kitchen gloves.  Since they're already cracked because of the dry, cold weather, this is going to be a problem.

I'm not going to boil an egg for an unforeseen period of time.  Suddenly boiled eggs don't appeal to me.  Actually, I'm really not hungry any longer.  This is not, however, the way I would suggest anyone go on a diet.

Back to my card.  Thank goodness it's about snow and not birds or eggs.

I decided to use the Bearing Gifts stamp because it seems so carefree and absolutely joy-filled.  I decided to fussy-cut it because I wanted to raise it on Dimensionals and also because I wanted to cut off the gifts and candy cane.  I just wanted it to be about fun with no reference to Christmas.

My base is Lost Lagoon.  For my background I used Naturals White which I embossed using the Northern Flurry embossing folder.  Then I cut out a piece of Vellum cardstock using the smallest of the Festive Flurry framelits and then put that through the Northern Flurry embossing folder so that it was imprinted with the medium sized snowflake.  With a small Rhinestone on each "arm" and a medium sized one in the centre, the vellum snowflake was perfect to attach to the largest of the embossed snowflakes.  A touch of the Dazzling Details on the snowflakes and the background was set.

I decided to use part of a sentiment from the retired Snow Much Fun stamp set:  "snow much fun!"  To finish it off I chose to draw a word bubble around it and then fussy-cut that out.

Except for the fiasco that occurred partway through the creation of this card, I really enjoyed making it.  I think it's perfect for winter and all that snow we've had in the last few days.

For more cards using the winter theme and including snowflakes, check out the Friday Mashup.

For more cards with a winter theme, check out the "Just us Girls" Challenge.

For more cards with a winter theme and an inspiration photo of Winter Wonder, check out the Curtain Call Challenge.

Let me know how you liked my card and if you've had similar kitchen fiascos, won't you?

Happy new home --- PCCCS 125

This will be my last entry into this challenge.  I've enjoyed all the cards that I've consistently entered into the Paper Craft Crew Challenges since my first one on  and have been fortunate to have frequently been among the Featured Artisans.  No matter how often that happened, it never ceased being a thrill.

Why is this the last one?  Because I've been asked to join the Paper Craft Crew Challenges Design Team and, after catching my breath at the surprise, quickly agreed before they had time to reconsider.  Beginning with the next challenge on January 7th, therefore, I hope you'll come and check out my interpretation of the new sketch and those of the other extremely talented Design Team members.  I'm depending on your support.

The house across from us has been on sale for a few months and a week or so before Christmas it was sold and new people have moved in.  They've been away for the Christmas holidays, but the sketch this week inspired me to make a welcoming card for them.  Along with some chocolates, this will be my small effort to make them feel at home in our neighbourhood.

I chose to use Pistachio Pudding as my base colour and then added white, Crisp Cantaloupe, Calypso Coral and touches of grey, blue and yellow for my house.  The wonderful Holiday Home stamp set offered me not only the house for my card but also the sentiment.  It was the perfect size to fit my arrow (cut with the What's Up punch) and also had the perfect words.  How cool is that?

I've said it before and I'll say it again:  I love the On Film framelits, especially the negative die.  That's probably one of the reasons this sketch appealed to me.  I love it in Calypso Coral, don't you?  Instead of stamping the house directly onto my Whisper White square, I embossed the square using the Lovely Lace embossing folder and then set the coloured house half inside and half outside the frame.

The finishing touch of the Essentials Wooden element under the arrow is just perfect, isn't it?

For more cards using this sketch, check out the Paper Craft Crew Challenges.