An Impressive Sketch Source

I don't get anything done around here as I seem to spend soooo much time perusing stamping blogs. But, I love it! In doing so today, I came across another sketch challenge. It looked relatively harmless and so I printed it so that I could play tonight. This sketch comes from Sheryl Dreyer.

Here is my card. The designer paper that I used is retired, but I still have so many scraps that I am really trying to use what I can. All images are from the Together Forever stamp set.

Supplies:

Stamps: Together Forever

Cardstock: Brilliant Blue, Bliss Blue, Whisper White, retired DSP

Inks: Brilliant Blue, Bliss Blue marker, Artichoke marker

Accessories: White brads, dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!

I am Finally Mojolicious on a Monday!

I finally get to be mojolicious on a Monday! The first Monday of the month, Julee Tillman offers a contest on her Mojo Monday blog. From her sketch challenge entries, Julee will choose two people to receive a Verve stamp set! Check her mojo blog out at http://www.mojomonday.blogspot.com/ and play along! Then, link your card here too so we can see what you have created.
This card is my interpretation of Julee's sketch #72. As soon as I saw the sketch, I knew that I wanted to use my felt flowers from Flower Fusion. I bought mine about a year ago and still had not used them. I may have a few issues with hoarding my stuff....but I am trying to let go of some of those issues. Baby steps!

Supplies:

Stamps: Elegant Cheer

Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, Whisper White, Hawaii Papaya DSP (retired)

Ink: Tangerine Tango

Accessories: Scallop border punch, scallop circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, Flower Fusion, Tangerine Tango 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Fire Circles rhinestone brads, dimensionals (of course!)

Don't forget..... It is Sale-A-Bration time! That means, for every $50.00 in product purchased (before tax and shipping) you get to pick a FREE stamp set from the Sale-A-Bration mini catalog! Plus, if you order directly from my website, Stampin' Up! will send you a 2009 Spring-Summer Idea Book and Catalog absolutely FREE too! Don't delay. Go to http://www.stampinsteph.stampinup.net/ and click on "Shop Now".

Happy Monday! I have been playing around a little bit with my Love You Much set. This first card uses a color combination of Baha Breeze, Basic Black, Ridinghood Red and Whisper White. I think these colors look so pretty together. They are a little different, too, from the traditional Valentine colors. I did use the retired Flowers for a Friend set for my sentiment. To stamp the birds, I used Black as well as Ruby Red markers (the heart) directly to the rubber and stamped on the white, but then also stamped them on a piece of retired DSP, cut out their bodies and attached to the image on white. The flowers are punched out from the same designer paper with the Boho Blossoms punch, and a silver brad in the center. The ribbon is Ridinghood Red 5/8" striped grosgrain. Don't you just love how all of the accessories coordinate with the cardstock and inks?

For the second card, I was trying to follow a sketch, but wasn't too successful. I am not really happy with the final outcome of the card, BUT...it is a card and so I decided to post it anyway. The sentiment on this card comes from Fresh Flowers. That is the only stamping. The hearts and ovals are all punched. The three different sized hearts all come from one punch, Heart to Heart. I was actually able to make this second card completely out of scrap pieces of cardstock (all but the Ridinghood Red taffeta ribbon)!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day!

Mojo Monday on Sunday

I am trying to play catch-up a little bit and am playing with some sketch challenges. The card I am posting today completes this sketch here from MojoMonday71 by Julee Tillman. She always has some great sketches to work with ~ even if I don't get them in on time. You can see all of Julee's sketches at http://www.mojomonday.blogspot.com/. This is last week's sketch. I kept my card at the regular A2 size of 4.25" x 5.5", mainly so that I don't have to worry about the envelope. One of these days I will make a bunch of envelopes to fit a bigger square card, but since I don't have any at the moment, I didn't fool with it. I used two new stamp sets, new to me anyway... Bella's Bloom and Elegant Thank You. The Elegant Thank You is new to this catalog as well. It is a single stamp for $6.95, which is kind of nice! I love the look of the Bella's Bloom. It is just so dainty looking.

Supplies:

Stamp Sets: Bella's Bloom, Elegant Thank You

Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, BellaRose DSP

Ink: Ridinghood Red, Ruby Red marker, Old Olive marker Accessories: Ridinghood Red 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, red brads, dimensionals

Don't forget..... It is Sale-A-Bration time! That means, for every $50.00 in product purchased (before tax and shipping) you get to pick a FREE stamp set from the Sale-A-Bration mini catalog! Plus, if you order directly from my website, Stampin' Up! will send you a 2009 Spring-Summer Idea Book and Catalog absolutely FREE too! Don't delay. Go to http://www.stampinsteph.stampinup.net/ and click on "Shop Now".

It's Here...!

Sale-A-Bration is always an exciting time, and this year is no exception!

From February 1 - March 31, new recruits will not only receive a free stamp set from the catalog when they join the Stampin' Up! family, they will also get 15 % off the regular price of the Starter Kit!

Our Sale-A-Bration promotion gives reason for everyone to celebrate!Customers: Receive a free Sale-A-Bration product for every $50 purchase.

Hostesses: Receive a free Sale-A-Bration product with a $300 or more workshop, in addition to the normal hostess benefits.

Recruits: Choose any retail stamp set (a value up to $47.95) from the current catalog when signing up during the promotion. Plus, get 15% off the regular $199 price of the Starter Kit--that's $335 worth of products for only $169!

You can place your order directly on my website at http://www.stampinsteph.stampinup.net/ and click on "Shop Now". You have access there to the online catalog. However, Stampin' Up! will also include a FREE catalog with your order placed on my website. If you have any questions or problems, please don't hesitate to contact me and I will be happy to help you or even place the order for you!

I was perusing the Stampin' Up! demo website for some ideas and found this one by fellow demo Heather Hampton-Freeman. My colors are different, but the layout, stamps and overall theme are the same. She actually did hers in a shadowbox, but I just happened to have this frame laying around so that is what I used. I used the Top Note die in Vanilla as well as Ridinghood Red run through the BigShot. The stamp set is Dream A Little, a current Level 3 Hostess set. All three images are from this set. The flower is stamped and cut out three times, with the top layer being just the middle of the flower. All layers are adhered with a dimensional to make it pop. I used Vanilla grosgrain ribbon as well as Ridinghood Red taffeta ribbon for the bow. Because it is a regular frame and not a shadowbox, my images and ribbon have been "smushed" (technical term) more than I would like, but it will have to do until I go to the store.

Supplies:
Stamps: Dream A Little
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Ridinghood Red
Ink: River Rock (retired), Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip, Ridinghood Red
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note die, Vanilla grosgrain ribbon, Ridinghood Red taffeta ribbon, dimensionals

Thanks for checking it out. Enjoy your Sunday!

One of my closest friends celebrated a birthday this week. Of course, she needed a birthday card! Her favorite color is purple, but I had several scrap pieces of this designer paper in front of me at the time, and in my effort to use up some of my scrap pieces, I decided to go with this color scheme. It seemed to me to be almost more of a child's card, but I was pleased with the way it came out and so I decided to give it to her anyway. The layout is fairly simple and I stamped the cupcake itself again and cut it out before adhering with dimensionals to make it pop. I used Stickles around the icing of the cupcake for a little extra dimension. Light pink brads and pink taffeta ribbon were the only other accessories. The inside was decorated as well.

Supplies:

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes

Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Bravo Burgundy, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla, Parisian Summer DSP (retired)

Inks: Black Stazon, Pale Plum marker, Summer Sun marker

Accessories: Stickles (non-SU), pink brads, dimensionals

Thanks for taking a peek! Enjoy your weekend.

If you missed the Stamp-A-Stack last night, you missed a great time! Attending stampers made nine cards, three each of three designs, to add to their supply of cards. The first card we made utilizes the Love You Much Bundle that Stampin' Up! currently has on special at 20% off. (This special is only available through January 31st, so don't delay - order yours today!) I love the color scheme used for this card ~ Sahara Sand, Night of Navy, Baja Breeze and Whisper White. I think they are so striking together.

The second card we made uses the Flower Fancy set along with Sincere Salutations (greeting). The base of the card is Elegant Eggplant, followed by layers of Basic Black, Pale Plum and Vanilla. This is a two step stamp set. I stamped the outline of the flower image in Black Stazon and then used the Pale Plum and Garden Green markers directly onto the solid flower / leaf image and used the Stamp-A-Majig for the placement of the solid image. The grosgrain ribbon is Elegant Eggplant as well.

Our last card basically was CASE'd, though I added an extra layer. The original card that I saw had a base of Basic Gray, but it seemed a little dark to me and so I made my base in Whisper White before adding the other layers. I also used Elegant Eggplant again, instead of what appeared to be Lavendar Lace in the original card. For the life of me, I can't find the blog that I saw the original card on to give credit to the designer and I apologize for that. Her card was beautiful and had some ribbon as well if I remember correctly. If you know who designed this card, please let me know so that I can edit this post and give the proper credit. The stamp set used here was Flight of the Butterfly and the accessories used were the white gel pen, scallop and circle punches.

The next get together will be on February 5th for the Stamper's Club Project Night. I have some cute projects planned for that night and will let you take a peek at those as the project night gets closer.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great evening!

I have been on a quest to use up some of my ever growing scrap pieces. I know I really need a better system, but have yet to implement one and keep up with it. I was blog surfing ~ blurfing...? ~ and came across this card by Jenn Diercks. These colors are definitely not in my comfort zone, but I do have a TON of scraps so I decided to CASE her card. It is actually a bit prettier in person, though not as beautiful as Jenn's! She has such pretty cards on her blog. You should check them out! Anyway, this card was a little bit different so it was appealing.

Supplies:
Stamps: Best Yet (current Level I hostess), Echoes of Kindness (Level III hostess from new catalog)
Inks: Black Stazon, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie marker and Garden Green marker
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Garden Green, retired DSP (don't remember the name, though ~ sorry!), Whisper White

Thanks for looking. Have a wonderful day!

• …Join a Stamper’s Club,
  get free stamps & more!
  
  
  When your wish list is longer than your grocery list, this is a terrific way to budget your purchases over a 6 month period AND receive hostess benefits! By purchasing $25 of product a month for 6 months (approximately $31 after shipping and taxes), not only will you be able to slowly build up your stamping supplies while staying within your budget, you’ll also receive the following:
  
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  2. Exclusive hostess stamp set
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  I am including 6 monthly stamping classes where you will have the opportunity to learn more advanced stamping techniques than you would at a workshop. Each class is between 2 to 3 hours long, and you get to make 3 projects each and every month! All your project supplies are also FREE. Be sure to check back for a peek of upcoming projects.
  
  
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Better late than never....

So, I seem to be a little behind, but that is nothing new for me. This is the Mojo Monday sketch from last week (1/5) that I just got around to last evening. While I missed the deadline to enter the contest, I did have fun playing and making the card. Again, for me, having a layout to work with is half the battle. Each Monday, Julee posts another sketch challenge to work with. You can check out her sketch blog by clicking on her Mojo Monday button on the right side of my blog or go to http://www.mojomonday.blogspot.com/.
The card (details below) I made is for a dear friend who received some wonderful news. She is working and going to nursing school and now has been accepted for an internship in a local hospital. We are going to lunch today to try to catch up on what has been happening in each others' lives and to peruse our new catalog. That's right! I said new catalog!

I received my shipment of catalogs as the new catalog period begins next Monday, January 19th! It is full of lots of new cool stuff! Catalogs are $5, but you can receive one FREE with a $25 order or FREE as one of the many benefits of hostessing a workshop or class. Contact me to reserve your copy today! Also, if there are any stamp sets from the retiring list that you haven't ordered yet, contact me to place that order before January 18th or you can order directly from my website here and click "shop now". After the 18th, those retiring stamp sets will be gone....

Hopefully tonight I will get to work on this week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge. Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

Supplies:
Stamps: Pun Fun
Ink: Black Stazon, Garden Green (sponging the white edges)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Night of Navy, Going Gray, Prestwick DSP
Accessories: Watercolor Crayons, blender pen, white brads, white grosgrain ribbon, circle punches, oval punches

This morning's card used up some scraps that I had laying on my desk.It is pretty simple and self-explanatory, so I won't go into a whole lot of detail about it. The layout is one that I have used before. It always makes it easier to have a layout in mind as that is usually half the battle for me. I ended up using three separate stamp sets, though, so that the images would fit. Since I was working with such a small scrap and didn't want to cut a new piece of white paper, I tried to improvise.

Supplies:
Stamps: Best Yet (sentiment, Level 1 Hostess), Heartfelt Thanks (flower), Flower Fancy (leaves)
Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Ridinghood Red, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Bella Rose DSP
Inks: Ridinghood Red, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Kiwi Kiss ribbon, scalloped edge punch, dimensionals

Off to work on my sample for Tuesday's class. We will be making card organizers again. I will try to post a picture of my latest sample when it is completed. Thanks for looking! Have a great day!

Today's card uses a set that I have had sitting on the shelf, but have never used before ~ Eastern Blooms. I am pleased with the way it came out and the sentiment can easily be changed to accommodate a variety of card needs. I think the paper piercing definitely adds to the card. What do you think? The flowers are all cut out and adhered with dimensionals after the brads are put in. Very simple!

Supplies:
Stamps: Eastern Blooms, Bella Rose (sentiment)
Card Stock: Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip, Ridinghood Red, Vanilla
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Ridinghood Red
Accessories: Ridinghood Red taffeta ribbon, oval punches, dimensionals, chocolate brads

Thanks for looking!

Simplicity at its best, but hey, it's a scrapbook page. LOL! I used some Felt Flurries from the Holiday Mini and my Big Shot with the Bounce Sizzlits. These cuties are the three children my sister adopted. Eventually they might get a whole scrapbook, but I know my sister is not holding her breath! My goal is to work on one page per week. That isn't too much to ask now, is it? You can hold me accountable!

Supplies:
Stamps: None
Cardstock: Brocade Blue, Brilliant Blue, So Saffron
Ink: None
Accessories: Big Shot, Bounce Sizzlits, So Saffon button, Filigree brad, Rhinestone brad, Felt Flurries

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!