Cardabilities & Color Challenge

I couldn't resist the great layout for the current Cardabilities Challenge  (oops...looks like linky is already closed). It paired up perfectly with Barbara's Color Challenge on SCS: Elegant Eggplant, Crushed Curry and Garden Green with the dessert option to use at least one leaf.  Thankfully I don't need a sympathy card right now, but my stash was in need of replenishing.  I really loved these colors together and rarely ever use eggplant or this shade of green.  I stamped off once for the two stamped leaves on the card base.  For the popped up leaves that were fussy cut, I used Garden Green without stamping off first.  I just can't seem to live with much white space, so had to add a trio of sequins to balance things out! :-)

STAMPS: Kinda Eclectic (SU), Loving Thoughts (SU)

Monday night football game is over (another big upset!), so now I'm off to bed.  Thanks for stopping by...

Cardabilities

Playing around with some new designer papers - Blushing Rose Collection - just released by Our Daily Bread Designs on June 1.  I used the sketch for the Cardabilities #100 Challenge.  The paper includes some sentiment designs, so I fussy cut one of them (making a mental note I need to buy the coordinating die) and popped it with foam tape. I added some foliage using ODBD Fancy Foliage dies and also created a butterfly with their 2 Step Butterflies stamps and matching die. I added clear Wink of Stella shimmer brush to the wings.  The doily was "aged" by sponging some Tea Dye distress ink on it.  I used translucent paste and a TCW Harlequin Circles stencil for the diamond pattern you see shining in the background.  The top edge die is from PTI. 

Hope

I'm finally getting to play with my new Fine Feathers stamp set! This Waltzingmouse set has been sold out for some time, but finally it arrived on my doorstep! I'm a big fan of Cardabilities sketches and decided to play along this week.  I die cut the feathers, stamped with Versamark and then heat embossed with Stampendous Detail White embossing powder.  The doily coordinates with the designer paper by Recollections.  I clear embossed the sentiment after stamping with Versafine Onyx Black ink.  Some Avery Elle sequins and a SU button and I was done - so quick and easy!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Cardabilities Sketch

I couldn't resist this fabulous sketch over on the Cardabilities blog! I love corner clusters and took the color cues from this SU designer paper.  The design is pretty straight forward with no special technique involved.  Here's what I used...

STAMPS: Off the Grid (SU)
PAPER: Fresh Prints (SU), Real Red, Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Early Espresso, White
INK: Baked Brown Sugar
ACCESSORIES: Sizzlets Little Leaves die by SU, Leaf Flourish Die-Namics by MFT, Hello die by Simon Says Stamp, Rolled roses and daisy Die-Namics by MFT, Enamel dots by Recollections.

Thanks for stopping by...I'm off to bed after 3 hectic evenings at work helping students fight a norovirus that has hit our campus!  I've decided our safety manager needs to add another alert color to our emergency protocol and that's the BROWN ALERT! LOL!  Holding my breath that my immune system carries me through this all without getting sick myself!

Cardabilities Sketch

I wanted to play along with the Cardabilities Sketch Challenge...another really great layout by Karan Gerber! This card didn't end up like I envisioned at all.  I partially inked the French Script BG stamp (retired from SU) with white pigment ink and it simply didn't show up well over the rose tone on tone DP (from Martha Stewart's Holidays mat pad).  :-(  I then used a couple of splatter stamps from SU's Gorgeous Grunge set using Coastal Cabana and Smoky Slate ink.  I initiated some new washi tape that I found at Michael's recently and scattered some sequins (Avery Elle Lemonade Blend) as accents.  The border is a new die from ODBD - 1 of 3 in the Ornate Borders set - that will be released on Feb. 1.  I love that you can weave twine or narrow ribbon along the edge.  In this case, I threaded some light gray/white twine in a large eye needle and "sewed" it onto the lace border - adhering with narrow strips of score tape on the back.  I added Glossy Effects to the little heart in the sentiment after coloring it in first with a clear Wink of Stella shimmer brush pen.  The sentiment is also from ODBD new release tomorrow - a stamp set called Love You Bunches.  So, there you have it...a card with a very CAS look, but one that did take some time for all the little steps.

Thanks for stopping by...I always appreciate your comments!

Color Throwdown

Happy New Year everyone! Let the fireworks begin as we kick off a new Color Throwdown Challenge! Tammy has some fabulous colors for us in this inspiration photo!  I've been sticking with more simple designs in recent cards, but this one defies all the CAS rules - lol!

I'm using the layout for the current Cardabilities challenge and it's a fun one with loads of layers!  My base panel is a collage of many stamps: French Script, Off the Grid, Gorgeous Grunge - all by SU -  and Borderline by Verve.  The sentiment banner uses Verve's Plain Jane Scroll stamp (and matching die) with a birthday sentiment from the "Big Wish" set.  I used Versafine Onyx Black ink and then clear embossed it to get a more bold look.  Black jute twine, mini rolled roses w/pearls, small key die and leafy flourishes finished up the collage look.  Three of the panels are stitched rectangle dies by Lil Inker Designs.

Remember...to play along with the Color Throwdown challenge, you don't have to use exact colors - just something that's close.  If you upload to a public gallery, please use the keyword CTD 273 and also link up your card on the Color Throwdown blog using the linky tool.

There's big news at CTD!  We are thrilled to announce that Monika Davis has joined the design team - WELCOME MONIKA!  And...that's not all!  We are blessed to have Linda McClain from Catered Crop as our January guest designer!  These ladies do fabulous work, so be sure and stop by their blogs (links below) and say hello!  For more inspiration, you'll want to check out the rest of the design team's creations:              

Barbara Anders - Paper Pursuits

                                              Broni Holcombe - Splashes of Watercolor 
                                                   Joan Ervin - Stamping With Passion
                                                          Lori Tecler - Inking Aloud

Melody Rupple - A Paper Melody

Monika Davis - M.A.D. Stamper

Tammy Hershberger - Stamp Happy

Vickie Zimmer -  Smitten   
Wanda Cullen - Cullen-ary Creations (you are here)
 Linda McClain (January guest designer) - Catered Crop

                               

Flourished Reindeer

I decided to venture out with some new challenges for a change in my stamping pace! I am barely making the deadline for the Moxie Fab World's Tuesday Trigger Challenge, but loved the elegant partridge in a pear tree pillow with it's pale blue tones paired with silver/gray and white! The elegant design of the bird made me think of my long neglected reindeer image from Flourishes. I seem to gravitate to the elegance of embossing powders with many of my Christmas cards. I then added some Copic coloring using BG0000 & C00. This card uses the sketch from Cardabilities #45 sketch challenge and yes...I had to be a bit rebellious and flip it to a vertical layout. I'm thinking I'll use this for my daughter's boyfriend's gift and tuck a nice crisp, green piece of spendable paper on the inside! Hope the size will fit - lol!

STAMPS: Flourishes
PAPER: Fifth Avenue by Melissa Frances, Metallic silver, White
INK: Versamark
ACCESSORIES: Labels Fourteen Nestie, Fancy Labels die by Spellbinders, Copics, Rhinestones, Silver EP, White satin ribbon.