Shabby Chic for H2H and Seize the Sketch

The final February challenge at Heart 2 Heart Challenges is a Shabby Chic challenge, and while it's not usually my style, I had a lot of fun playing along.  Here is my design . . .

The Skylark paper and chipboard elements are PERFECT for shabby chic.  I added some of the Color Ready Seam Binding, which I stocked up on when it was discontinued.  And I am absolutely in love with that zipper trim! 

All Supplies are Close To My Heart.  I used this weeks Seize the Sketch to create my card. 

Kit Kraft Wednesday - CAS(E) this Sketch

This week's Kit Kraft Wednesday found me creating with my Simon Says Stamp February Card Kit which had fabulous paper and somewhat matchy-matchy stamp.  I decided to use this week's CAS(E) this Sketch to create my design.  Here is the sketch . . .

And here is my design . . .

I created my stamped image first, and while it looks a bit like colored pencils, I used a second generation stamp to get a lighter effect on my flowers.  The outline was stamped first generation.  The sentiment was stamped with gold embossing powder on vellum. 

Loving that background paper, and loving the sketch! 

Supplies Used

Cardstock:  Bazzill Cardstock and Vellum*

Pattern Paper:  Basic Grey "Fresh Cuts"*

Stamps:  Thinking of You from Simon Says Stamp*

Ink:  Stampin' Up and Versamark

Other: Gold Emboss Powder from Stampin' Up; Rhinestones from Queen & Co.    

* from Simon Says Stamp February Card Kit

Flourishes for Heart 2 Heart

Heart 2 Heart's third February challenge was Flourishes!  I was quick to pull out my Skylark Workshop on the Go kit which has a great flourish stamp and some gorgeous paper.  Here is my design . . .

I used some of the patterned paper from the kit, choosing a piece that had that awesome banner on the right side.  I added the green flourish stamp below that gorgeous zipper trim.  A sentiment added to the bottom, a resin flower, a heart with a flourish, and some flourish sparkle . . . simple but effective.

Always fun to play along! 

All supplies used are Close To My Heart.

Merry Monday Christmas Challenge - Holly

Holly was the focus for this week's Merry Monday Christmas Challenge.  I also used some "new" old items . . . items purchased a while ago, but never used.  It started with the holly embossing folder from Sizzix to emboss my main panel of my card.  Never before used . . . broken in!  Once embossed, I pulled out some shimmer paint from Tsukineko and sponged it onto the embossed panel.  It really added a nice shimmer. 

I added a ribbon border and colored the embossed holly at the bottom of the card using my Tim Holtz markers.  The heart was cut from some metal sheets I purchased a few months back.  And finally, a sentiment from a new stamp set.

Always great to use new items, and always fun to participate in a challenge.

Supplies Used

Cardstock:  Bazzill

Stamps:  Precious Remembrance Shop

Dies:  Sizzix (heart)

Ink:  Tim Holtz Markers, Stampin' Up

Ribbon:  Stampin' Up

Other:  Sizzix Embossing Folder, Metal Sheet and Embossing Paste from Add A Little Dazzle

Anything Goes - Group Hugs

I absolutely love the Group Hugs set from Paper Smooches, and I wanted to use it to create my own background paper for the Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge.  I chose three of the sentiments from the stamp . . . be brave, learn to swerve and stay positive . . . and I stamped them onto a cardstock panel.  Once I had the panel filled, I lightly sponged using the same ink color. 

My border is from the Hearts die set.  I stamped one of the hearts from the Sweethearts set onto some turquoise cardstock using Versamark and embossed with clear embossing powder.  Black cardstock, twine and rhinestones finish off the card. 

Supplies Used

Cardstock:  Bazzill

Stamps:  Group Hugs and Sweethearts from Paper Smooches

Dies:  Hearts from Paper Smooches

Ink:  Stampin' Up and Versamark

Other:  Clear Embossing Powder, The Twinery Twine, Queen & Company Rhinestones 

Kit Kraft Wednesday - CTMH Stamp of the Month

This week's Kit Kraft Wednesday was all about using this month's Stamp of the Month from Close To My Heart, which I just fell in love with.  It's a trendy fox.  What's not to love about a trendy fox.  Now in order to get the stamp set for $5.00, I of course had to stock up on some paper, and my choice for a paper kit was Lollydoodle.  I just love those bright, springy colors.  I had already gotten the Lollydoodle card kit, so this time I set out to get the full paper pack.  I combined the paper with elements from the card kit (sequin and glitter tape).   

I also incorporated this week's Mojo Monday sketch to create my card.  Here is the sketch . . . 

And also incorporated into the card was last week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge which was "Hearts Galore."  Those little hearts remind me of those tasty conversation hearts.  

Adorable stamp set and only available until the end of the month. 

Supplies Used

Cardstock:  Close To My Heart

Pattern Paper: Lollydoodle from Close To My Heart

Stamp:  Wild About Love from CTMH

Dies:  Spellbinders

Ink:  Close To My Heart

Other:  Glitter Tape and Sequin from Lollydoodle Card Kit (CTMH)

Monochromatic Pink for The Card Concept

This week's challenge at The Card Concept was . . .

I wasn't sure the style on this one, as Clean and Simple didn't seem to cover it when I was starting with embossing paste, so I may be somewhere between Clean and Simple and Clean and Layered (the paste could technically be a layer).  I started with a pink card base and used embossing paste and some Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to decorate the front of the card.  The key was to get the glitter on while the paste was still wet. 

I created a border around the card by drawing lines around the edges of the card.  I die cut a label and my "hello" sentiment.  I punched holes in the label and the card.  I threaded my label into the card using twine and then tied a bow. 

Supplies Used

Cardstock:  Bazzill and Simon Says from Simon Says Stamp January Card Kit

Pattern Paper:  Basic Grey from Simon Says Stamp February Card Kit

Dies:  Sampler Die from The Stamps of Life; Hello Words Dies from Paper Smooches

Other:  Twine from The Twinery, Stencil from Add a Little Dazzle, Dreamweaver Embossing Paste; Dazzling Diamonds from Stampin' Up

Tools:  We R Memory Keepers Cropadile

Merry Monday Meets "Stormy"

"Stormy" is a cute little stamp that I picked up to make some 2013 holiday cards, and I played around with it, but don't believe I completed one single card.  So thanks to this week's Merry Monday Challenge, I was able to use my stash!  This week's challenge was to create a card with an animal on it, and while I have a new fox stamp and plenty of other animal stamps, I just knew that I needed to be sure that I used "Stormy" on a card.  And here he is . . .

I stamped in Memento and colored using Copics.  The stamp has so much definition, it was easy to see where the darker colors should be placed.  I added some Stickles to the candy cane, just to add a little sparkle.  I also added some sequins to the left side of the card in place of the circles on the pattern paper.  

I kept the ribbon simple, with just some knots. 

One more holiday card down . . . and no doubt with Merry Monday I'm staying on track with getting my cards done early this year.  

Supplies Used - Merry Monday

Cardstock:  Bazzill

Pattern Paper:  Echo Park

Stamps:  Impression Obsession (Stormy) and My Creative Time (Sentiment)

Ink:  Memento and Copic Markers

Ribbon:  Stampin' Up

Other: Sequins from Pretty Pink Posh

Tools:  We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

Shadow Stamping for Seize the Sketch

My StampNation group had a challenge a few weeks back to do some shadow stamping, so I set out to do some creating and made two cards. 

What's StampNation?  Well, it's an awesome group of creative stampers who commune together at StampNation, learn great technique, experiment together, share stories, sorrows . . . it's a great place to be creative and I highly recommend you check it out if you want to take your stamping and paper crafting to a new level.  There are over 400 videos as of this writing, they have a gallery that is loaded with samples from the membership, and there are plenty of tutorials on the site from the creative design team.

So first up is a card using this week's Seize the Sketch.  I wanted to shadow stamp with a second generation stamping of my image.  I started with a monochromatic base of some pattern papers from Basic Grey.  I stamped my red flower first, and then without re-inking shifted up and to the right a bit for that second generation stamp.  I did the same thing for all of the flowers, and then filled in with leaf images.  

The centers of my flowers are decorated with rhinestones and Stickles.  

My second card was totally out of my comfort zone, but I'm trying to step outside and challenge myself.  I had ordered a set of stencils which had an accompanying mask set.  Unfortunately, the masks showed up and the stencils were still on back-order.  I was itching to play with them, so patience was out of the question.  I secured the masks onto a background of Neenah Desert Storm cardstock to create a scene . . . the sun, two clouds, and two ground pieces.  I sponged with white ink over the entire surface, and then I lifted the masks and shifted them up and to the right just a bit.  I then inked the sky with Sky Blue Stampin' Up ink.  I removed the masks and anywhere where the Desert Storm cardstock was - not the blue or white - I colored with Tim Holtz markers.  I added a sentiment, cut some corners with my chomper and mounted on a white background. 

It's definitely not a technique I excelled at, but it was fun to try something new.  (And those darn stencils showed up the next day.)

Supplies Used - Seize the Sketch

Cardstock:  Bazzill, Neenah

Pattern Paper:  Basic Grey

Stamps:  Simon Says Stamp

Dies:  Paper Smooches

Ink:  Stampin' Up

Ribbon:  Stampin' Up

Other:  K I Rhinestones, Stickles

Supplies Used - Masked Card

Cardstock:  Neenah Cardstock

Stamps:  Impression Obsession (sentiment)

Ink:  Tim Holtz Markers and Ranger Archival Ink

Other:  Simon Says Stamp Masks

Tools:  We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

Paws in a Paw for Paper Smooches Challenge

 

The inspiration photo for the Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge was a mosaic heart created from triangle pieces.  My goal was to create a similar design using paw prints instead of a heart, and as I tested out the spacing and began to create my heart, I flipped my heart upside down and decided to create a paw instead.

Here is my design . . .
 

I used two shades of pink and a metallic gold for this creation.   I love to have this type of card on hand, but I never want to have to use them, as it's always sad circumstances. 

Here is the inspiration photo . . .

Supplies Used - Paper Smooches

Cardstock:  Neenah

Pattern Paper:  Little Yellow Bicycle

Stamps:  Paper Smooches Paws for a Cause

Ink:  Stampin' Up, Encore Gold Metallic

Ribbon:  Stampin' Up

Other:  K I Rhinestones

Tools:  We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

Kit Kraft Wednesday - You are Missed

My Simon Says Stamp February Card Kit is up again for this little card.  The pattern paper on this one was just so beautiful, I couldn't cover it up. 

I am really enjoying this kit each month.  This was my third kit and each month is just so much fun to create.  The product coordinates so well.  This particular kit included Basic Grey paper, and the flower stamps in the stamp set coordinate with this particular paper, as you can see by that one single flower I stamped onto the peach paper.  I stamped on the paper, but also cut another one that I cut and popped onto the stamped image to give a bit of a layered look.  The kit also came with Ranger Blank Canvas White paint, and that's how I created the white dots and the flower center.  

I love that white paint center.  So fun.

Supplies Used - (All from kit except items in blue)

Cardstock:  Bazzill (from Simon Says Stamp Monthly Card Kit)

Pattern Paper:  Basic Grey Fresh Cuts (from kit)

Stamps:  Thinking of You (from kit)

Dies:  Simon Says Stamp Circle Card Border Die

Ink:  Stampin' Up

Ribbon:  Tim Holtz Linen Ribbon (from kit)

Other:  Ranger Blank Canvas White Paint (from kit)

The Stockings Were Hung . . . for Merry Monday

This week's challenge at Merry Monday was to use a stocking (or stockings) on your creation.  Armed with a stocking die and some new green felt, I set out to create . . . 

The felt cut thru on the first pass, and I cut a second set in white to create the tops of my stockings.  They also took to ink quite nicely, so I was able to stamp on the stockings.  (Sweet!)

Supplies Used - Merry Monday Stocking

Cardstock:  Neenah

Pattern Paper:  Echo Park

Stamps:  The Stamps of Life Christmas2Build and Trees4Christmas

Dies: The Stamps of Life Christmas Dies 4-pack

Ink:  Ranger Archival

Ribbon:  Stampin' Up

Other:  Felt from The Stamps of Life

Tools:  Sizzix Big Shot

Heart 2 Heart First February Challenge

I am back to playing along this week at Heart 2 Heart, and the first challenge this week is all about LOVE.  I am still in love with Lollydoodle Card kit and that adorable stamp that comes with it, so I set out to make a gate fold card. 

 What's not to love about the kit . . . bright colors in the paper.  Adhesive-backed sequins (LOVE!) and again . . . did I mention that adorable stamp?  You are the shake to my bake?  The milk to my shake? 

For that awesome sentiment, I inked in four colors to give a bit of a tie die look.  Cute paper . . . cute stamps . . . bright colors!  What's not to LOVE. 

All supplies are Close To My Heart, with the exception of the dies used to cut the scallop square and rectangle, which are from Sizzix. 

Triple Hugs for Paper Smooches

Anything goes was the challenge for this week's Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge.  I pulled out some items from my stash and some new stamps and here is my creation:

 I used a pattern paper from Basic Grey that was one-half inch smaller than my card base so one-quarter inch of the background would show around.  I then used 3/8" strips of pattern paper staggered on top. 

The die cut is the new pinked circle die (which I love).  I did some gradient stamping with the new Positive Strokes stamp set and used the Scripty sentiment set for my greeting. 

Loving those brush strokes! 

Supplies Used

Cardstock:  Neenah

Pattern Paper:  Basic Grey

Stamps:  Paper Smooches Scripty Sayings and Positive Strokes

Dies:Paper Smooches Pinked Circles

Ink:  Stampin' Up

Ribbon:Stampin' Up 

Kit Kraft Wednesday Meets Mojo Monday

It's Kit Kraft Wednesday, which means I have to show myself that I'm using my monthly purchases.  This week I'm using Simon Says Stamps February Card Kit to produce a card for Mojo Monday.  I used supplies from the kit, and added a few items from my stash.  Here is my creation . . .

I challenged myself a bit further on this card, but doing watercolor which is something I don't do often.  The banner piece is watercolor paper which I stamped with clear embossing powder using the Thinking of You set that came in the kit.  I used a lot of the stamps on this card, as flowers were clear embossed on the water color paper before I applied the color.

The small flowers in the circle were also watercolor.

Here is the sketch from Mojo Monday . . .

Supplies Used

Cardstock: Bazzill (from Simon Says Kit) and Stampin' Up Watercolor Paper

Pattern Paper:  Basic Grey Fresh Cuts from Simon Says Kit

Stamps:  Thinking of You from Simon Says Kit

Dies:  Sizzix Scallop Circle

Ink:  Stampin' Up and Versamark

Other:  Stampin' Up Black and Clear Embossing Powders

Tools:  Corner Chomper from We R Memories, and Heat Gun

Hello Case Study

This week's Case Study Challenge had a beautiful inspiration photo in pink and gold.  I had just received some pink paper and a new stamp from my new Simon Says Stamp February card kit, so I was quick to pull it out, grab some gold embossing powder.  

The dies for this card are from Paper Smooches.  I used gold embossing powder on the flowers and the border on the bottom of the card.  

Loving that shine!

Supplies Used

Cardstock:  Bazzill

Pattern Paper:  Basic Grey from Simon Says February Card Kit

Stamps:  Thinking of You from Simon Says February Card Kit

Dies:  Paper Smooches

Ink:  Versamark

Other:  Stampin' Up Gold Embossing Powder

Tools:  Corner Chomper (from We R Memory Keepers

Textured Heart for The Card Concept

Texture was the name of the game for The Card Concept . . . use texture on your card. I pulled out a lot of different texture ideas, including metal and embossing paste, and I ended with dry embossed cardstock, heat embossing and lots of layering which provides it's own texture.

Here is my Clean and Layered design . . .

The inspirational photo for the challenge is noted below.  I drew most of my inspiration from the white trim on the house, which is especially drawn out in the white wood grain panel on my card. 

 

For additional texture, I die cut a heart window from the white wood grain and the diagonal stripe paper.  I stamped and embossed the hearts on the red card base, and then from a thin strip of pattern paper, I die cut strips to lay across the heart to add texture.  

Supplies Used

Cardstock:  Cardstock from Bazzill and Simon Says (from January card kit)

Pattern Paper:  Fancy Pants from Simon Says Stamp Card Kit

Stamps:  The Stamps of Life

Dies:  Sizzix Heart Scallop Die

Ink:  Ranger Archival and Versamark

Ribbon:  Stampin' Up

Other:  Stampin' Up White Embossing Powder, K I Rhinestones,

Tools:  Sizzix Big Shot, Heat Gun

Just a Note for Freshly Made Sketches

Sketch #121 at Freshly Made Sketches was a challenge for me, as I sometimes have trouble with simplistic design in sketches.  I'm a "layering" kind of girl.  

So of course, there are layers to prove you can adapt any sketch to your style.  Here is my design.  

I used supplies from my Simon Says January Kit.  I can't believe that I'm still creating cards with that awesome little kit.  I combined the balloon string stamp from the kit with balloon die from Lil' Inker Designs. 

For my sentiment, I used a set from The Stamps of Life that fit perfectly in the space on the ticket.

Mix and match!  The possibilities are endless.

Here is the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.

Supplies Used

Cardstock:  Bazzill from Simon Says Stamp Kit

Pattern Paper:  Fancy Pants from Simon Says Stamp Kit

Stamps:  Simon Says Stamp and The Stamps of Life

Dies:  Lil' Inker

Ink:  Ranger Archival

Ribbon:  Stampin' Up

Other:  Tickets from Fancy Pants (Simon Says Stamp Kit)