Sunday, November 30, 2014

Jingle All the Way



After the 7 hour trip returning from Thanksgiving with my family in NE Ohio, I unpacked some things, then relaxed by creating this card for three different challenges: 
Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge
Just Us Girls - Anything Goes
Tag, You're It #11 - CASEing tag card by Maureen Merritt.

I used the chevron dies to create the tone on tone textured background.  I flipped Karen's sketch and embellished with die cut snowflakes from silver glitter CS.  

Here's what I used...
STAMPS: Tinsel 'n Trim by Reverse Confetti.
PAPER: Pool Party (SU), Metallic Silver CS, Silver Glitter CS (SU).
INK: Versamark.
ACCESSORIES: Silver embossing powder; tag die, chevron, circle garland and snowflake dies - all by Reverse Confetti; Silver cording, jingle bells.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Color Throwdown



Hello everyone! Are you ready for some fabulous holiday colors for the new Color Throwdown Challenge? Barbara is our hostess and she has chosen some of my favorite colors - holiday or not!
Here's what I came up with...playing with new WPlus9 goodies once again!


I got a little carried away with my snowflakes!  Stamped the background then thought I'd throw on a
few die cut flakes as well.  I cut 2 stag dies and adhered them together to give it more dimension.  I struggled with where to place the clear embossed sentiment, but finally went with this position.  I'm using Karen Giron's layout for her current Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #246.

I want to say a big THANK YOU to Petra Swart for agreeing to be our guest designer this month!  She has done a fabulous job of making really stunning samples, so be sure and check out her blog if you haven't already done so (see link below)!

For details on how to play along and for more inspiration, be sure and check out the rest of the design team's creations on the CTD blog or you can go to the links below:

Petra Swart - November Guest Designer 

STAMPS: Snowflake Backdrops (WPlus9).
PAPER: Kraft, White (PTI); Real Red, Pool Party (SU), Silver glitter CS by SU.
INK: Real Red, Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Versafine Onyx Black.
ACCESSORIES: Snowflake Trio die and Stag Trio die by WPlus9, White string, Corner chomper.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Fusion Christmas



I loved the colors on SCS for the Color Challenge (Rose Red, Mossy Meadow and Black - minus the dessert option to use ribbon) and combined it with the current sketch for the Fusion Card Challenge.  The designer paper was an old scrap piece that I've had for years.  I combined stamps from 3 different companies: My Favorite Things (LOVE the awesome tone on tone striped base!), Verve (great sentiment font!) and WPlus9 (the floral collage). 

Here's what I used:
STAMPS: Bright Spirits (Verve), Diagonal Stripes (MFT), Merry and Bright (WPlus9).
PAPER: Rose Red, White, Hambly Screen Prints.
INK: Certainly Celery, Garden Green, Baked Brown Sugar, Rose Red, Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Versafine Onyx Black.


Monday, November 24, 2014

Mojo Monday



It's tall and skinny week on the Mojo Monday sketch challenge blog! Wish I could say the same for
me this Thanksgiving week - lol! My card measures 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" and still fits into an A2 sized envelope.  The papers are from a pad I found at Michael's - Pine Street Square by the Paper Studio.  It's heavier and a bit textured - different from most designer paper pads.  I colored the reindeer with Copics, fussy cut and popped with foam dots.  I had to dress him up a bit by adding some jute twine and jingle bells.  His nose is all shined up from adding Glossy Accents.

Hopefully you'll find some time to play along with us!  For more inspiration, you can go to the Mojo Monday blog or you can click on the links below of the other mojomakers' blogs:
Here's wishing all of my US friends a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!  I'm looking forward to being with my family out of state where we will celebrate early Christmas along with Thanksgiving!  There will be 2 new babies that I haven't yet met and our grand-daugher will be meeting her new cousins for the first time.  Can't wait!  I'm anticipating happy bedlam - lol!

Friday, November 21, 2014

Joy to the World



A quick and easy card using the new layout for the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge and for  SCS Free For All challenge to use the most recent stamping product that you've purchased and never used before.  Sadly, I had not opened this packet of "Under the Tree" designer paper by SU - bought at my last stamp club meeting 2 months ago.  This is extra heavy weight CS and would be perfect for gift boxes (my brain is already planning some sweet little treat packaging!). All of the dies and the sentiment stamp are by WPlus9 - a fairly new stamp company that has rapidly become one of my favorite shopping sources!  I added some coarse Martha Stewart glitter to the snowflakes.  This will fit the bill for several masculine names on my Christmas list.

STAMPS: Hand Lettered Holiday (WPlus9).
PAPER: Under the Tree specialty paper by SU, White, Garden Green, Metallic Gold.
INK: Garden Green.
ACCESSORIES: Hand Lettered Holiday, Snowflake Trio and Stag Trio dies - all by WPlus9; Sequins by Avery Elle, Corner chomper.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Color Throwdown



I happen to be the hostess for this week's Color Throwdown challenge and knew when I saw this sweet little girl with this fabulous hat on Pinterest, I wanted to use it for my next color palette!  Wish my crocheting skills were better or I would try this pattern in a heartbeat for a certain little grand-daughter that has melted our hearts!  But I digress. Here is what I came up with for my card...


I'm still working away at my Christmas card list, so wanted to play again with some new Reverse Confetti Cuts.  There is no stamping going on...just lots of die cutting - including the sentiment (which is a die from WPlus9).

Congrats are in order for our guest star stamper for this week - Chat Wozelaki at Me, My Stamps and I

Details on how to post your project are given on the Color Throwdown blog.  For more inspiration, be sure and check out the rest of the design team's creations on the CTD blog or you can go to the links below:



Petra Swart - November Guest Designer 

PAPER: Merry Little Christmas by MME, Night of Navy, Silver, Gumball Green, Crisp Cantaloupe, White.
ACCESSORIES: Circle Garland, Branch Out, Stars Pretty Panels - dies by Reverse Confetti, Sequins by Avery Elle.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Baby, It's Cold Outside!


Wow...only 24 degrees when I finally crawled out of my warm bed this morning! Is it any wonder I chose snowflakes for my card theme?!  I'm playing along with two different challenges: SCS Color Challenge to use Lost Lagoon, Pear Pizzazz and Silver with a dessert option to use die cuts or punches and Retrosketches Challenge #141.  Lots of die cut snowflakes by WPlus9, a popped clear embossed sentiment and a trio of sequins made this one layer card a real quick one to throw together!

STAMPS: Snowflake Backdrops (WPlus9)
PAPER: Lost Lagoon, Pear Pizzazz, Metallic Silver, White.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Mojo Monday



Another week and another great Mojo Monday sketch challenge!  I went with a very clean and simple, monochromatic design...chalking off another Christmas card for my goal of getting to #60.  I'm wishing I had gone with a darker blue or black for my sentiments.  They aren't showing up well enough to suit me, but no time for a re-do. :-)

Be sure and head on over to the Mojo Monday blog to see what the other Mojomakers have for your inspiration!  You can also click on their individual blog links below:



STAMPS: Peaceful Medallions (Verve), Borderline (Verve).
PAPER: Winter Wishes (Echo Park), White, Silver glitter CS.
INK: Marina Mist.
ACCESSORIES: Snow Flurry Bigz die by SU, Verve Signature Sequin Mix, Corner chomper, Stitched circle and rectangle dies by Lil Inker Designs, Mini staples.
 

Friday, November 14, 2014

Sketch For You To Try



Thank goodness it's Friday and my weekend off looks chilly but no worries...I can be warm in my stamp room!  I love playing with my new Reverse Confetti cuts and couldn't wait to create something for the new Sketch For You To Try challenge!  I'm going to need about 60 Christmas cards, so you'll be seeing a steady stream of holiday cards for awhile.  This card is pretty self explanatory, so I'll just list what I used.

STAMPS: Tinsel 'n Trim (Reverse Confetti), Bring On the Merry (Reverse Confetti).
PAPER: Frosty Friends by Doodlebug Design, Silver glitter CS (SU), White.
ACCESSORIES:Circle Garland, Let it Snow, and Tag Me Confetti Cuts by Reverse Confetti, Silver cording.

Looking Back at ODBD November Release

It's the middle of the month and time for the designers to look back at Our Daily Bread Designs' November release



As you can see, I was seeing stars as I created this fun collage of metallic stars!  I spotlighted His Birth stamp set, the Sparkling Stars dies and the Winter Collection papers on my card. I die cut a variety of stars using metallic gold, silver
and copper cardstock, then popped several of them with foam dots.  I used some glitter tape plus gold embossed the sentiment to add some more shimmer and shine!  The background of the largest star was created by adhering 1/4" paper strips cut from 3 different designs in the paper pack onto graph paper then cutting with the star die.


Here's a fun card using the 2 largest star dies and a computer generated sentiment!  I saw this foxy idea on Pinterest and couldn't resist making this for a co-worker who had dressed up like a fox for Halloween.  In this case, the fox says "Merry Christmas"!


There are many more wonderful projects by the rest of the designers, so head on over to the Our Daily Bread Designs blog...OR...click on the links below to check them out!

Julie * Chris * Lori * Paula * Cathy * Dawn * Sandee * Stacy 
Wanda * Silke * Gracie

Thursday, November 13, 2014

CAS(E) This Sketch!



Wow, it's the 100th sketch over at CAS(E) This Sketch...congrats are in order!  
I loved that this sketch was perfect to use some new dies from Reverse Confetti that came in the mail yesterday!  I'm also playing with SCS Ways To Use It challenge to "step it up".  I thought the chevron layers gave the illusion of steps.

This card will be going out to a 6 year old girl in Kentucky who lost her adoptive father very suddenly to a fatal heart attack!  A fellow design team member asked us to send a card to help cheer her up since she get's very excited at mail time and even loves junk mail.  So I'll be mailing some "butterfly" love to little Alyssa along with some prayers that her heart will soon be happy again.

STAMPS: Christmas in the Air (Verve).
PAPER: Frosty Friends by Doodlebug Design, Inc., White, Silver glitter CS by SU.
INK: Versamark Onyx Black.
ACCESSORIES: Clear embossing powder, Triple Chevies and Let it Snow Confetti Cuts.

Freshly Made Sketches



Came home from work late last night and there was happy mail on the counter from Reverse Confetti! I fell in love with several of their new dies just recently released and this layout for the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge was perfect to feature a couple of them!  Since I used so many patterned papers on the front, my sentiment will be added to the inside.

Here's what I used:
PAPER: Simple Stories "DIY Christmas" 6x6 pad, Black, White.
ACCESSORIES: Gold button (SU), Gold cording, Gold sequins by Avery Elle, Mini Circle Garland Pretty Panels die and Branch Out die by Reverse Confetti.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Sketch Challenge



Using the sketch on SCS for the new Sketch Challenge, I was able to get another Christmas card knocked out! I went with a flipped version since it was easier to fit a sentiment into a horizontal  rectangle.  I went with more arranging of the fun wintertime stamps in WPlus9's Merry and Bright stamp set.  Papers are from Simple Stories' Cozy Christmas 6x6 pad.  Stitched rectangle dies are by Lil Inker Designs.  Quick post today...heading out to work again shortly! Thanks for stopping by...

Color Throwdown



Check out the great new color combo for this week's Color Throwdown challenge! Vickie has chosen this serene and gorgeous bedroom for our inspiration! Since the room had a crisp, clean design,  I went with a CAS card...lots of white space and minimal stamping to keep with the feel of the photo.


I used acrylic blocks as "stamps" with Tumbled Glass and Broken China distress inks.  After heat drying the ink, I then stamped this fun new poppy from Altenew's recent release.  I added some orange splatters by wetting a watercolor pencil, picking up the color with a small brush, then tapping the brush on the pencil to release the splatter of color. 

STAMPS: Painted Poppy (Altenew).
PAPER: Tim Holtz watercolor paper, Orange Zest (PTI), White (PTI).
INK: Versafine Onyx Black, Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Spiced Marmalade, Ripe Persimmon, Peeled Paint distress inks by Tim Holtz.
ACCESSORIES: Signature sequins by Verve.

Congrats are in order for our guest star stamper for this week - Doni High of Lime Green Giggles

Details on how to post your project are given on the Color Throwdown blog.  For more inspiration, be sure and check out the rest of the design team's creations on the CTD blog or you can go to the links below:

Petra Swart - November Guest Designer 

Hope to see you in the gallery!

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Merry & Bright


When I saw Lynn Put's inspiration tag card on the Tag, You're It challenge post, I knew I had to play! It was a chance for me to do some floral arranging using WPlus9's Merry and Bright stamp set with coordinating dies.  I also used their largest Timeless Tags 2 die for the base.  Papers are SU's Trim the Tree 4 1/2 x 6 1/2" pad.  Sahara Sand CS was used for the card base.  Another Christmas card with many yet left to create!

Thanks for dropping by...I'm off to the shower and to work!