Bells & Boughs

Not exactly the relaxing stamping I was after tonight, but that's OK, I did create something!! And I mounted a new set and used it!! Here is what I did for the Pals Paper Arts Sketch of the week:

The set is Bells & Boughs from the upcoming Holiday Mini Catalog. Card base is Soft Suede, with a tight background layer of Crumb Cake behind 2 pieces of Deck the Halls DSP, a Cherry Cobbler script and Soft Suede print. Across the center. where the DSP meets I put Sticky Strip and attached the new Champagne Glass Glitter. The image was stamped twice on Very Vanilla CS and watercolored with Blender Pens & Classic Ink in Cherry Cobbler & Always Artichoke. Oh, also a hint of Soft Suede on the branches. Instead of coloring the center of the flowers I attached a glue dot and more glitter! Might be too much, I'm still deciding. Not overly complex, but I think it was the coloring that stressed me tonight.  Cherry Cobbler is such a rich color it was hard to get it right.

It's all OK, I'll just have a glass of wine before heading to bed! Tomorrow is another day and I hope to be back with something else stamped!! I'm telling myself I'm getting up and moving to get things done so I can stamp by afternoon!!! We shall see. Have a good Monday all!!

Holiday Mini items used on this card: 120831 Bells & Boughs wood (121142 clear) * 120810 Deck the Halls DSP * 120997 Champagne Glass Glitter * Regular SU! Catalog items: 115318 Soft Suede CS * 120953 Crumb Cake CS * 105119 Always Artichoke CS * 101650 Very Vanilla CS * 101406 Jet Black Stazon * 119669 Cherry Cobbler Classic Ink * 105219 Always Artichoke Classic Ink * 115657 Soft Suede Classic Ink * 119788 Cherry Cobbler Classic Ink refill * 105233 Always Artichoke Classic Ink refill * 102845 Blender Pens * 104294 Sticky Strip * 103683 Mini Glue Dots * 119882 Scallop Edge Border punch

Baja Flurry Swap

Here is my last swap creation that for some reason I haven't posted yet! I need some sort of organizational therapy-I can't seem to get or keep it together lately!!! Anyway, the card!

I was very rushed for time (imagine that!!) so this is a very easy to reproduce card!! Perfect for Holiday cards!!

Card base is Not Quite Navy. The background is Baja Breeze that I put through the new Northern Flurry Embossing Folder (Love it!!). After embossing, I mixed up some Platinum Shimmer Spray (several drops of Shimmer Paint in 91% Isopropyl Alcohol). Spritz the layer generously.  HINT:  Do this in a well ventilated area if you are doing very many!!! They do dry fast, but you will smell it for awhile!! Another hint:  Only mix the amount you are going to use right away. It does not keep well in the bottle, the paint settles out and solidifies at the bottom.  

While the Shimmer was drying, I stamped the "Peace Love Joy" in Not Quite Navy on Shimmer White CS and punched with the 1-3/4" Circle punch. I layered those on a Brushed Silver Decorative Label punch. I tied a Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon around the Baja layer and added an accent of the new Silver Tinsel Trim.  Rhinestone brads in the center of 3 snowflakes is the final accent. QUICK!!! Seriously, I made 21 of these in less than 3 hours, and that included the time to create the first one!!

Hope you all are having a great weekend! I need to go do a few things outside, then hope to find some stamping time this afternoon and get back on my creative track!!!

SU! Catalog Items used on this card: 114916 All Holidays * 101722 Not Quite Navy CS * 111352 Baja Breeze CS * 100712 Brushed Silver CS * 100730 Whisper White CS * 103008 Not Quite Navy Classic Ink * 119246 Basic Rhinestone Jewels * 104430 Stampin' Dimensionals * 109070 Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon * 1-3/4: Circle punch * 116807 Platinum Shimmer Paint Holiday Mini items: 120994 Silver Tinsel Trim * 120907 Decorative Label punch * 120902 Northern Flurry Embossing Folder

ColorLab7

Wow, where did the last week go???  I'm not sure, but I know it's time for another ColorLab Thursday challenge!!  Always glad for the inspiration and a reason to HAVE to go stamp!!!  Another challenging set of colors this week, here is the inspiration:

GARDEN GREEN, WILD WASABI, CRUMB CAKE, CHOCOLATE CHIP & VERY VANILLA.

Great colors for anything masculine, or with Nature images.  Here is what I did with it!

Card base is Chocolate Chip, with a layer of Garden Green behind the background Very Vanilla. The Vanilla was textured around the edge with the Swirl side of the Perfect Details Texturz Plate, leaving an unembossed oval in the center (see this post for doing that with Texturz plates). In amongst the texture I stamped the small leaf from Lovely as a Tree in Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, Wild Wasabi & Crumb Cake, some full strength, some off once. I then sponged over all the texturing and around the edge of the card with Crumb Cake. Next I inked the tree image with markers. The trunk was colored first with Chocolate Chip, including some of the obvious branches in the image. Next I colored all the rest of the tree with Crumb Cake. Then I thumped (tap the stamp with the brush end of the marker), quite a bit, with both Garden Green & Wild Wasabi. Then just a few times with Chocolate Chip. I also used the Garden Green to do the grass lines under the tree. Remember to huff on the tree before you stamp to refresh the ink!! Click on the card to enlarge the picture if you would like to see more detail!! The saying is from Thoughts and Prayers and I inked the Wishing you... in Chocolate Chip and the Get Well Soon in Garden Green.  I rummaged up a piece of Chocolate Chip satin ribbon for across the bottom. (GET YOUR CHOCOLATE CHIP SATIN RIBBON NOW-IT'S IN THE SUMMER MINI ONLY THAT ENDS 8/31/10!!) My final accent is a new button from the Holiday Mini catalog, Crumb Cake in Color. I pulled a piece of Very Vanilla Taffeta ribbon through it, knotted it, and sponged it with Garden Green ink.  

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you'll stop by the ColorLab and play along with us!! 

SU! Catalog Items used on this card:  115026 Lovely as a Tree * 113252 Thoughts & Prayers * 102128 Chocolate Chip CS * 101650 Very Vanilla CS * 102584 Garden Green CS * 100908 Chocolate Chip Classic Ink * 100071 Chocolate Chip Marker * 121030 Crumb Cake Classic Ink * 119680 Crumb Cake Marker * 102272 Garden Green Classic Ink * 100080 Garden Green Marker * 109014 Wild Wasabi Classic Ink * 120975 Wild Wasabi Marker * 109071 Very Vanilla Taffeta ribbon * 101610 Stamping Sponge * 113439 Big Shot * 115962 Perfect Details Texturz Plate * Summer Mini 117287 Chocolate Chip 5/8" Satin Ribbon * Holiday Mini 121002 Deck the Halls Big Designer Buttons

ColorLab6

Wow, it's Thursday again!!! My boys have one week of school under their belt already. Hard to believe!!!  Did you grab your lab coat?? Time to spend some time cooking up something in the ColorLab!! Here are the colors for this week:

Cherry Cobbler, Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery and Old Olive. Almost Amethyst is retired, and I put away all those colors, so I subbed in Perfect Plum. Here is what I came up with:

I used another set from the upcoming Holiday Mini Catalog, Paisley Prints. Card base is Cherry Cobbler. Background layer Old Olive behind Very Vanilla. I inked the leaf from the set, first in Perfect Plum and rolled the edges in Cherry Cobbler. I repeated that with Certainly Celery and Old Olive. As long as you're doing the light color first, then rolling on the darker, it won't do any damage to your ink pad. I alternated my way across the center, left bottom to top right. Then filled in the edges. A Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon is attached across two corners, with Metallic brads for accent. The center has a Decorative Label punch in Perfect Plum behind a Very Vanilla wide oval that was stamped with "Thinking of You" from Sincere Salutation. I stamped another leaf there in Perfect Plum and Cherry Cobbler after stamping it off once.

That's it for me today! Thanks for stopping by here, won't you stop by the Lab and try the challenge?

SU! Catalog Items used on this card: 115068 Sincere Salutations * 119685 Cherry Cobbler CS * 100702 Old Olive CS * 105125 Certainly Celery CS * 101889 Perfect Plum CS * 101650 Very Vanilla CS * 102277 Old Olive Classic Ink * 105217 Certainly Celery Classic Ink * 101437 Perfect Plum Classic Ink * 119669 Cherry Cobbler Classic Ink * 119741 Metallic Brads * 109050 Certainly Celery 5/8" Grosgrain ribbon * 119859 Wide Oval Punch * Holiday Mini: 120817 Paisley Prints wood (121121 clear) * 120907 Decorative Label punch 

Just Believe Club Card 3

The third card from club on Sunday.  Not really a new idea as I've done several similar one, but for this one I did use a different color and a different accessory!

Card base is Soft Suede. Background is the "grass" image from Inspired by Nature in Soft Suede, on the Soft Suede. The Scallop Oval Frame die was used twice, once is Regal Rose and once in Naturals Ivory. The oval was stamped after inking the image with the marker in Regal Rose and Soft Suede. Before attaching to the card base we attached a small piece of the Chantilly Crochet Trim that we had sponged with Regal Rose. The frame was textured with the Vintage Wall embossing folder after cutting. Both the oval and frame are attached with dimensionals. Lastly, we added the saying with the "box" element. We stamped it in Soft Suede on Naturals Ivory. We added a saying with Regal Rose using the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig and cut it out. It's attached just at the bottom of the oval.  

That's it for today! Tomorrow is ColorLab Thursday so make sure you stop back by and see what I came up with!! Thanks all!!

SU! Catalog Items used on this card:  111656 Inspired by Nature * 116948 Just Believe wood (120453 clear) * 115318 Soft Suede CS * 105130 Regal Rose CS * 101849 Naturals Ivory CS * 115657 Soft Suede Classic Ink * 120973 Soft Suede Marker * 105211 Regal Rose Classic Ink * 105108 Regal Rose Marker * 118480 Chantilly Crochet Trim * 101610 Stamping Sponges * 104430 Stampin' Dimensionals * 114521 Frame, Oval Scallop die * 113439 Big Shot

Watercolor Trio Side Step

My hostess asked for a Side Step card so that is what we did.  I always encourage them to let me know if there is anything in particular they'd like to see or do.  I might have to learn something, but that's a good thing!!  These pictures do not represent the color quite accurately.  I need to study my camera manual I guess!  Trust me, the Poppy Parade is very bright and cheery in person!!  The pics seem almost cloudy, kind of like the day outside!!

Here is a view from the front.  Notice the steps on the right side? You need a papercutter with both a cutting and scoring blade. Start with a regular half sheet of cardstock, 8-1/2" x 5-1/2".  Place the 5-1/2" side at the top of the cutter and line it up at the 2" mark. With your cutting blade, cut from 2-1/8" to 7-1/2".  Turn your cardstock and remove the cutting blade. We were scoring the smaller side of the cardstock (you could do either, if you want wider steps do the other side) so we found it easiest to put that at the bottom of the cutter. Start at 2-1/8 and make sure you have the cut lining up. Your cut starts at 2-1/8 and you want the first score line to match up with that. Flip your cardstock if you have it the other way. Score at 2-1/8 just to the cut line. Score at 4-1/4 all the way across (this is your center fold on the card). Continue scoring at 5-3/8, 6-1/2 & 7-1/2. Fold so that your wide side is front left, steps on right. Clear as mud, I know. But sit down and do one and it becomes much more clear!! 

Here is a side view showing the steps more clearly.  Card base is Poppy Parade and we used the Watercolor Trio set that is in the Summer Mini.  It will be GONE as of August 31, so order it now if you haven't yet!!  Other colors are Pear Pizzazz and So Saffron. Some images colored with marks, some using ink pads.  The butterfly punch was used on Poppy Parade DSP and we added a small So Saffron flower in the center.  Poppy ribbon knotted and attched on the front panel. Scallop Oval and Large Oval punches for the words.  Butterflies stamped lightly behind the words (stamp off once).

Here is another version, very similar but slight change in the words. I grabbed the On Your Birthday set to add the "It's your day-Enjoy" at the top of the back side panel and then decided the Happy Birthday from that set would look good as well.  So, two choices!!

One more view of the side to see how the stairs set. Let me know if you have questions!!  Thanks for stopping by!

SU! Catalog Items used on this card: 117050 Watercolor Trio wood (120084 clear) * 111664 On Your Birthday * 119793 Poppy Parade CS * 119795 Pear Pizzazz CS * 105118 So Saffron CS * 100730 Whisper White CS * 117158 Patterns DSP In Color Stack * 119782 Poppy Parade Classic Ink * 119784 Pear Pizzazz Classic Ink * 105123 So Saffron Classic Ink * 105114 So Saffron Marker * 119801 In Color Marker set * 119263 1/2" Poppy Parade Stitched-Poly Ribbon * 119856 Scallop Oval punch * 118309 Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack * 119848 Butterfly Punch * 119855 Large Oval punch * 104152 Paper Cutter * 104154 Cutting & Scoring Blade refill

Wow! Another one!

Obviously I should be stamping more, I seem to be on a roll!!  I just happened by The Paper Players blog (previously at Always Playing with Paper), one that I like to frequent and try their challenges, and I found my card from last week as one of the "A Cut Above" choices!  Cool!  I knew it went together very well, but didn't expect that!!  The card is below again, details are found HERE.

Make sure you stop back by tomorrow, I'll be posting a Stair Step card that I did with my club girls this weekend.  Fun, Fun!!  I worked today instead of tomorrow, so I'll be stamping up a storm!!  Need to see if I can whip out a swap.  Wish me luck!!