Cullen-ary Creations

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Color Throwdown & SSSC

There's another Color Throwdown Challenge on board and Tammy has some awesome fall colors for us! They were perfect for me to FINALLY ink up these mum images from PTI! They have coordinating dies with this set, so no fussy cutting is needed. I'm using Karen Giron's sketch for her Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge.

I started with stamping the Sanded BG in Baked Brown Sugar ink, then distressed and sponged the

edges. The SU jute ribbon literally just arrived on my doorstep right before I made this card and worked perfectly in the sketch design! What you can't really see in the photo is the touch of shimmer on the mums from using my Wink of Stella clear brush pen...love this new tool!

Here's hoping you will join us... and remember - you don't have to have exact colors. Use something close and then link it up on the Color Throwdown blog using the linking tool at the bottom of the post. If you post to an online gallery, please use the keyword, CTD260.

For more inspiration, you'll want to check out the rest of the design team's wonderful creations!
Barbara Anders - Paper Pursuits
Broni Holcombe - Splashes of Watercolor

Joan Ervin - Stamping With Passion

Lori Tecler - Inking Aloud
Lynn Put - The Queen's Scene

Melody Rupple - A Paper Melody

Tammy Hershberger - Stamp Happy

Vickie Zimmer - Smitten

Wanda Cullen - Cullen-ary Creations (you are here)

Susan Roberts - Rainy Day Creations

STAMPS: Mum's the Word, Tiny Tags - both by PTI; Sanded BG by SU

PAPER: Plumeria pad by BasicGrey, White

INK: Baked Brown Sugar, Orchid Opulence, Tangerine Tango, Pistachio Pudding

ACCESSORIES: Doily (SU), Jute twine, Jute ribbon (SU), Distessing tool, Tiny tags die and Mum's the Word dies by PTI, Copper brad.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Retro Sketch & Color Challenge

I'm playing along with the current Retro Sketches Challenge - another great layout that I couldn't resist! I'm using the fabulous fall colors chosen by Nancy on SCS for the Color Challenge: Chocolate Chip, Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry and Tangerine Tango with the dessert option to fussy cut or use a die cut. I first stenciled the dots using Dylusions' Dotted Flower stencil with Chocolate Chip ink. After it was dry, I gold embossed the splatter and fine line images from SU's Gorgeous Grunge set (I told you I couldn't quit using that set!). The leaves and sentiment are from Verve's Harvest Blessing set. The leaves were fussy cut and popped with foam dots.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Mojo Monday

Good Monday morning everyone! It's hard to believe another week has flown by and it's time for another Mojo Monday Challenge! Julie has a great sketch for us - another horizontal one...unless you decide to flip it! This card is for the birds - lol - and one that I really wish I had time to do over. It didn't quite end up like I envisioned, but with having to work and having a long list of other "must do" things...a do over is out of the question. I had these patterned papers from Pink Paislee's Butterfly Garden Collection for quite some time and thought they blended in with the colors of the chipboard bird with bling (a charm by Recollections). The cork flag is a sticker by Little Yellow Bicycle. Seam binding is from Verve's Signature Ribbon Collection. The sentiment panel is a stitched rectangle die by Lil' Inker Designs. The sentiment is a Plain Jane stamp called Hope Perches by none other than Verve!

You'll want to see what the other mojomakers have created, so be sure and stop by their blogs below...OR...you can hop over to the Mojo Monday blog and check out the beginning thumbnails.

Teresa Kline

Fill It Up

Joan's Technique Lover's Challenge on SCS is to take a single small stamp and "fill up" the background with it. I combined this with the CAS Challenge which is to use Midnight Muse, Smoky Slate and Melon Mambo colors. The tiny butterfly stamp is from PTI's "Places, Please" set. I used a square stitched die and a small stitched circle die - both by Lil' Inker Designs. Some ribbon (SU) and a butterfly (Cheery Lynn Designs' Exotic Butterfly die) complete the card. The layout (slightly tweaked into a square version) is from Just Us Girls which happens to be from their sketch challenge last week (I slightly missed the deadline!). This is one of those generic cards that will get an inside sentiment added as the occasion arises. Thanks for stopping by...

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Exciting News!

I'm thrilled to have been asked to be a guest designer for Chupa's Sketchbook Saturday challenge! She's a master at creating "over the top" gorgeous cards and I've been a fan of her sketches for a long time! This one was so perfect to use a fun new purchase - glitter tape! Our DIL had major surgery this past Thursday and this was made to give to her.

The designer paper strip is from Authentique's Renew Collection. I created a Labels Four frame and layered some two-step stamping flowers and leaves. For the first stamping step, I stamped the ink off once before stamping on the CS. A few rhinestones were the finishing touch! So, there you have it...a clean and simple get well card. Hope to see you playing along with this sketch! It has so many possibilities for interpretation!

STAMPS: Rosie Posie (PTI), Rosie Posie Step 2 (PTI), Side by Side Sentiments (PTI).
INK: Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade, Versafine Onyx Black.
ACCESSORIES: Rosie Posie dies (PTI), Rhinestones, Labels Four Nesties, Glitter tape by American Crafts.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Happy Day

Created this card late last night after getting home from work, but didn't have the energy left to post it then. I thought it might be a wee bit difficult to post it with my eyes closed - lol! It's for the SCS Sketch Challenge where Janette has us going 'round in circles! I colored the image with Copics then added Antique Copper micro beads to the centers. It was fussy cut and popped on foam tape.

STAMPS: Sunflower by Rubber Stampede
PAPER: French Country by Graphic 45, Rustic Cream CS by PTI, X-Press It Blending Card
INK: Memento Tuxedo Black
ACCESSORIES: Corner chomper, Circle and scallop circle Nesties, Jute twine, Retro Squares Die-Namics by MFT, Antique Copper micro beads by Recollections.
COPICS: YR21, YR23, Y19, G21, G24, YG95, E23, E25, E27.

Color Throwdown

As the camel in the Geico commercial would say..."Happy Hump Day!" That means there is a new Color Throwdown challenge going on and Melody is our hostess this week with some really fabulous fall colors!

I decided to try creating some modified enamel leaves using the technique tutorial that was posted last Wednesday on Splitcoaststampers. I didn't have the UTEE thick embossing powder, so substituted clear EP. I first die cut the leaves on watercolor paper then stamped the leaf images using Sweet 'n Sassy's Seasons of Change stamp set and coordinating dies. I sprayed them lightly with water and used an aquapainter to dab drops of Mellow Moss, Really Rust and Chocolate Chip reinkers on the leaves. I then blotted them and dried them with a heat gun. After pressing the leaves on a Versamark pad, I added clear EP - repeating the EP for a second coat. My photo doesn't capture the shine very well, but I loved how the edges of the leaves curled slightly...just as real autumn leaves would do! I couldn't resist using my Gorgeous Grunge set (SU) for the background again. Love that set!

Remember, you don't have to have the exact colors listed...just use something close. Be sure to use the keyword CTD259 when you post to a public gallery and you also want to link it up on the Color Throwdown blog.

For more inspiration, you'll want to check out the projects by the rest of the design team...along with our September guest designer below.

Barbara Anders - Paper Pursuits

Broni Holcombe - Splashes of Watercolor