Stacey's Curtain Call

Stacey has a gorgeous color challenge going right now that I couldn't resist playing along with.

I had my card assembled fairly quickly, under a 1/2 hour or so because I changed my mind a couple of times. Got all ready to photograph my card and realized that I forgot to bring in the white!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH.....

So, I ripped the mounted flowers off and another 1/2 hour later, I decided to go with this layout below. I decided that I liked the white space on the circle.

The flowers are from the Hero Arts Poppy Background stamp that I cut out and mounted on the card front and put a couple of adhesive rhinestones on it.

I like the combination of the sweet combination with the roughed up edge of the pink paper layer.



Now that I have my card out of the way, back to my To Do list for the evening. So glad it's almost Wednesday already!! I'm hosting Easter this weekend so I have to get some cleaning out of the way. Ewww, but it will be good to have done!

Card Recipe:
stamps- Poppy Background- Hero Arts, Gracious Greetings- CTMH
paper- kraft paper- Hobby Lobby, black, white & blush- CTMH
ink- black- CTMH
other- kaiserscrap adhesive rhinestones, foam tape, cuttlebug, circle nestabilities

Color Chef Challenge #45 with a PRIZE

Color Chef Challenge #45

white
light purple
light green
light pink

I have the most exciting prize for this weeks Color Chef Challenge! The winner of this Color Chef Challenge will win a $50 Gift Certificate to DeNami Design!!! How exciting is that?!?! DeNami Design stamps have been in my repertoire for years, about 15 to be exact! My mom and I first discovered them at a stamp convention years and years ago. And, they have a ton more stamping supplies then just stamps- they have very cool packaging, inks, buttons and MORE!!!

Nami also has a blog that you should check out and coincidentally, there is a sketch challenge going on over there as well with another prize!!! I happened to use the sketch for my card so I will be entering it over there as well!!

Now, to be entered to win the $50 gift certificate to DeNami Design, you are not required to use DeNami Design stamps or the sketch that I mentioned , but if you have them feel free to use either for your card! You just need to use the colors that I posted above to be eligible to win, and remember to link directly to the card for this challenge. Like always, the winner will be selected using random.org

My card was pretty simple. If I could figure out how to do a video and upload it, I would show you my DIY stamp positioner. I alternated using two stamps at an angle with three different colors.


Card Recipe:
stamps- Zigzag Stitch Border, Stitched Border, Happy Birthday to You- all DeNami Design
ink- petal, sweet leaf, baby pink- CTMH
paper- white daisy and sweet leaf- CTMH
other- buttons- CTMH

I hope you have time to play along and link your card below! Wouldn't it be fun to win a $50 gift certificate to DeNami Design!!!! In case you hadn't noticed, or if you have any questions, I added a page that includes the rules of the color chef challenge for you to refer to.

Can't wait to see what you can create!!!

color chef challenge #44 winner & a tease for the next color combo

I really enjoyed looking at your cards for this last challenge (CCC 44)...it was bright and bold and you all did a FAB job with it!



Debbie's card was drawn and look at how great her card is!!!


Here is your badge, Debbie!!
Hopefully you read this far down because I have a very exciting prize for tomorrow's color chef challenge so you will have to be sure to check back and play along. Trust me, it will be worth your time to play along.

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge 106 & a teaser

I have a little teaser for a VERY exciting giveaway. More on that at the bottom of this post!

It's been a very long time since I've played in a sketch over at Taylor's blog. This sketch called out to some new stamp sets that are sitting in my stamp room thanks to a trip to Archivers yesterday.
I have no Taylored Expression stamps *gasp* and it always shies me away from playing but since there is a contest with this sketch challenge, with the winner getting a set of stamps from Taylored Expressions, I thought it was a sign.

Here is Taylor's sketch:And here is my card using a perfectly-sized stamp for the challenge!!

I love the look of kraft paper combined with white and aqua, so I used it here as an accent.
This card came together pretty easy....
There are layers of white on top of the card front. Then, I stamped the large image on white paper and layered it with brown kraft paper.
On a separate piece of paper, I stamped the image again and took my 1.25" square punch and punched out random images from that, layering them below the main image.



And, I decided to take this picture on the edge of our raised gardens because it's finally nice enough outside and spring-like and I was surprised to see my chives making their debut for the 2010 gardening season!!!


I hope you read down this far because now for the teaser!!!

In honor of my 45th color challenge that will be posted Monday, March 28th, there will be a VERY exciting prize for the winner. You definitely will not want to miss an opportunity to win this prize!!!! You'll have to check out my Color Chef Challenge tomorrow morning!!!

Card Recipe:
stamps- Poppy Background- Hero Art's Clings
ink- breeze- CTMH
paper- brown kraft and textured aqua- Hobby Lobby, white- CTMH
other- 1.25" square paper punch

fall-to-layout 84 and a Color Chef Challenge Teaser!

Be sure and read through to the bottom of this post to read about a very exciting tease for tomorrows Color Chef Challenge!!

I'm really feeling it in the stamp room today! It sure doesn't hurt to have fun sketches to get you going, like this one over at Clean and Simple, one of my all-time favorite blogs!!

So, here's the sketch:



And, wouldn't you know that once I edited my card, I realized the sketch called for a button. My card doesn't have a button because it wouldn't really work with the stamp that I used, maybe I'll try again with a different stamp set!

Here's what I created:

I took a piece of scrap paper- kind of a greyish-brown kraft. LOVE it and wish I had more. I paired it with a sorbet colored paper.

I did some embossing on this card, had so much fun doing it that I might go on a little embossing binge this afternoon...


So, the flower image on the very top layer uses resist embossing (is that worded correctly?) clear embossed using my versamark pad and then once it cooled down, I used my sorbet ink pad and a makeup pad to color over and around the stamped image.

The you and me sentiment is clear embossed on the card front.

The argyle image on the scalloped layer is stamped in sorbet ink on ink paper, giving the same effect as the versamark...



I took it one step farther and stamped the same images on the envelope. Doesn't that just finish it off and set the tone??

I mounted the flower image on the card front scalloped the edge of that layer.


Now for the teaser.... In honor of my 45th color challenge that will be posted tomorrow- Monday, March 28th, there will be a VERY exciting prize for the winner. You definitely will not want to miss an opportunity to win this prize!!!! You'll have to check out my Color Chef Challenge tomorrow morning!!!


Card Recipe:
stamps- Boutonniere- American Crafts Collection
paper- kraft paper (from my paper stash, sorbet- CTMH
ink- sorbet- CTMH, versamark
other- EK Success Scallop Border Punch, foam mounting squares, clear embossing powder

the sweetest thing sketch 62

Karen's sketch provided me the perfect opportunity to play with a new stamp I purchased yesterday at Archivers. It's like she knew I wanted to play with my new stuff :)


I picked up 4. Count'em 4 fun stamp sets, this Hero Arts Cling being one of my purchases. I have to admit. It has been a VERY long time since I've stamped with rubber. I really have moved over to the clear side of the stamping world. It was fun to stamp with rubber again, and pretty cool that it clings to my acrlyic blocks.

The card is pretty smple. I layered a black layer as well as a honey layer, then another black layer (about 3.5 x 4) with two strips of honey, each .5 inches. The focal point is mounted sideways.

I decided to add a few rhinestones to some of the flowers to tie in the black on that layer as well. Oh, and one more detail is I added a very thin layer of black under the flower image to help make it pop a bit.

I'll be playing with my stamps today, so don't be surprised if you see me again today!!

Card Recipe:

Stamps- Silhouette Flower- Hero Arts
paper- black, honey, cream- CTMH
other- adhesive rhinestones- Kaiserscrap (a blog prize from TriM Graphics/ Studio Getaway)

color chef challenge #44

Here is a bright color challenge that was a bit outside of my comfort zone but I found it to be very fun to play with!

Color Chef Challenge #44
bright pink
turquoiseblack
white

This card was pretty labor intensive, as there are lots of layers and I mounted all of them. I love how crisp the black ribbon with stitching is against the pink paper. This stamp has been one of my faves that I've had for YEARS and hardly ever use. So, I thought it was time to brush off the dust a bit for this card!

Card Recipe:
Stamps- Strawflower Daisy- Hero Arts
ink- black
paper- turquoise- Hobby Lobby, White, bubblegum- CTMH
other- adhesive rhinestones- Kaiserscrap

I hope you have time to play along and link your card below! In case you hadn't noticed, or if you have any questions, I added a page that includes the rules of the color chef challenge for you to refer to.

Can't wait to see what you can create!!!

color chef challenge #43

I was blown away by all the amazing cards last week! I hope you all enjoyed the challenge.

Jennifer gets to display this badge on her blog for the absolutely stunning creation she made.



Check it out!! Thanks again to everybody who played along! If you go to her blog you can see an up-close shot of just exactly how detailed her card is. It's a beauty!!

color chef challenge #43

Color Chef Challenge #43

dark green
light green
cream or white

Happy Monday and welcome to another Color Chef Challenge!!

I couldn't resist using some green this week in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Plus, I needed a card for a friend whom plays the harp and won a very important grant to study in Ireland- how cool is that???? I made this card to send to her.

The patterned paper is some leftover stuff that I once used for my sisters wedding shower invitations. I love it. It looks like it is full of texture, when in reality it is just ink!

I pulled out a set of stamps that used to be my fave and somehow got pushed to the back of my stamp storage container.
I stamped and mounted them, finishing them off with a pear brad in each center.

Card Recipe:

Stamps- Aspiration- CTMH, Congratulations- Penny Black
ink- olive and garden green- CTMH
paper- cream, olive- CTMH, patterned paper- from my paper stash
other- pearl brads- Hobby Lobby, EK Success Apron Lace Punch

I hope you have time to play along and link your card below! In case you hadn't noticed, or if you have any questions, I added a page that includes the rules of the color chef challenge for you to refer to.

Can't wait to see what you can create!!!

color chef challenge #42 winner

Dawn's beautiful card was drawn to win the Color Chef Challenge #42 from last week! Dawn, here is a badge for your blog!!
And, check out her awesome card!


Thanks to everybody who played. There were some very awesome cards again this week!

bright butterflies

I mentioned in this post that I have some smaller envelopes that were screaming my name... so I made another little card that measures 3.5 x 5 inches.

Pretty simple. Layered orange paper onto the base of the card and then a stamped layer on top of that. I punched out some butterflies and then put some rhinestones on them and "fluffed up" the wings. Then I added some orange adhesive rhinestones on either side of the birthday sentiment as well.

It's almost Friday!

Card Recipe:
stamps- spot on background, happy birthday- CTMH
ink- ocean and orange- CTMH
paper- cream, orange and ocean- CTMH
other- butterfly punch- Martha Stewart, adhesive rhinestones- Kaiserscrap

act 20

Stacey had a fun color challenge going over at her blog.



I came across these little envelopes and decided it would be fun to make some tiny-er cards to send out. I created this card for a friend that is going through some difficulties.


I decided to let the white space work for me on this and kept it simple. I find myself getting caught up in making cards with lots of layers, which I LOVE, but it's fun to KISS every now and again!!

I stamped the image onto the card front and then repeated just the flower image on a seperate piece of card stock and then cut it out and mounted it on top of the card.

Card Recipe:
stamps- Just saying hello- Hero Arts, sassy icons- Me & My Big Ideas
ink- garden green, cranberry and crystal blue- CTMH
other- foam mounting tape- Hobby Lobby

another card using Color Chef Challenge #42

I used the colors from this weeks Color Chef Challenge for my card. It's very hard to see, but the swiss dots were rubbed down with my buttercup ink pad so that only the dots would be yellow.

For the mounted stamped layer- I stamped the flowers on top of the yellow icon with lines in it.

Card Recipe
stamps- large sentiments- American Crafts, sassy icons- Me & My Big Ideas
ink- buttercup, sweet leaf- CTMH
paper- cream, sweet leaf, chocolate, buttercup- CTMH
other- ribbon from my ribbon stash, CTMH buttercup button, adhesive rhinestones- Michaels

color chef challenge winner #41

Jessica's card was drawn to win the Color Chef Challenge #41- it is so pretty!!



Here is the badge that Jessica can display on her blog!! Thanks again to everyone who played- it was sort of a tough color combo and I loved that you took the challenge!

Color Chef Challenge #42

Happy Monday, Girls! I thought we should lighten things up a bit for this weeks challenge, since spring is upon us...

Color Chef Challenge #42
yellow
green
brown
cream

This is truly a happy Monday for me, today! Today I start my "new" job- wish me luck!! I have actually worked there before and I'm thrilled to be going back. I baked brownies to bring my co-workers. I figured that should start things off on the right foot...LOL

This card came together very easily. First, I stamped the boutique border stamp in buttercup on the buttercup stock. Then I punched the border across the bottom, punching both the front and the backside at the same time so that the holes would line up.

Then I layered the stocks together, distressed the edges of the cream layer and inked those edges a bit in the buttercup. I had two random pieces of scrap ribbon that I added to it.

If you have any rules about the color challenge, please refer to this post. Otherwise, it's pretty simple- use any brand of stamps and ink colors. Post a card on your blog and then come back here and link your card here (please link directly to the post with the card, not your entire blog).

Card Recipe:
stamps- boutique borders and friendship blessings- CTMH
ink- buttercup, chocolate- CTMH
paper- buttercup, chocolate, sweet leaf
other- apron lace Fiskars border punch, CTMH button- sweet leaf, ribbon from my ribbon stash, glue dot (for the button)

Can't wait to see what you create!

clean & simple #81

I often take Natasha's sketch as inspiration and then add too it, making it not exactly clean and simple- LOL!! I decided to not stray from another, awesome sketch that she posted


Not much to this card- I used some paper that I was addicted to not so long ago- the polka dot paper!
Punched out some circles, taped them down, added a sentiment and we have ourselves a nice little card!



Hope you have a nice, little Sunday planned! It's nothing but rest and relaxation in my house today. My DH is actually home today!!! This is a special treat because he normally works weekends but had fire fighter training this weekend. Hence, he's home today. We're about to enjoy some egg bake and I have a nice dinner planned as well!

Card Recipe:
stamps- For Every Occasion- CTMH
ink- Cranberry- CTMH
paper- cream, column paper from my paper stash, CTMH polka dot paper
other- EK Success circle punch

Our Created Corner Sketch

Loved this sketch over at OCC




Black and turquoise has got to be one of my favorite color combinations and I couldn't refuse it for this card. I love the black and cream polka dot paper (wish I had bought more) and I thought it worked well with the main circle image.

This card has 8 paper layers on the card front! I also have 2 layers on the insideThe circle/scallop layers are embossed and the top layer is mounted. I put an adhesive rhinestone in the center. This is one, heavy, card!

This flower stamp is one of my all time favorites.

congrats

I got some new stamps in the mail that I ordered off of peachycheap. They are the Fancy Pants Delight 10x10 stamps. Pretty fun- they come on a huge circle and there are a ton of stamps on it!

I decided to play with my Color Chef Challenge some more. So I chose one of the large stamps (the flourish design) for the focal point- I stamped it twice, so they are kind of like book ends... Then I decided to add a congrats stamp that has a cool font, I mounted it a little off-center. I think it would make a pretty wedding card.

Every time I upload a card to my blog, I see all the things I "should" have done with it. For instance, I am looking at this card thinking I should have added some sparkly bling to the image somewhere. You might see a similar looking card with bling....

Happy almost-hump day! We're expecting 40 degree weather for the next 5 days- woo hoo!!!


Card Recipe:
stamps- delight 10x10 circle stamps- Fancy Pants, congrats- Penny Black
paper- twilight, black-CTMH, kraft- Hobby Lobby

color chef challenge #41

Color Chef Challenge #41

black
blue
kraft

For some reason, I'm really liking the combination of kraft paper with other colors lately. It totally changes the whole look and feel of the card. I hope you'll take this challenge! I have so much fun seeing what you create!

For my card I used one of my favorite stamps- the boutique border stamp. I don't often use this particular border but I decided to go for it with this card!

My husband doesn't particularly like this card, "there is just something about it" he said.... nothing like a little vote of confidence before I post it! And probably for the same reason, I like this one!! LOL

Card Recipe:
Stamps- darcey collection- anna griffin, Boutique borders- CTMH
paper- twilight, black- CTMH, kraft- Hobby Lobby
ink- black
other- nestabilities circle, cuttlebug


If you have questions about the rules, please refer to this post.

I hope you'll play along...

color chef challenge #40 winner

Drumroll please.......

Check out Joan's absolutely stunning card!!

She has a great blog! you should go check it out.

Thanks to everybody who played- there was lots of great inspiration this past week!