Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Card Patterns #154

I've been on a mission lately to use the supplies that I have on hand.  I happened upon a new challenge called Card Patterns and decided to give it a whirl. 

And so the pattern . . .


I find with sketches it is all in the interpretation.  The toughest part for me on this one was that swirly black border under the ribbon.  Here is what I came up with for my design:


My "black swirls" ended up being Staz-on stamped on a piece of clear acetate.  I had some Staz-on in other colors, but I thought the black would really make things pop and add a bit of elegance.  All supplies are Stampin' Up except for the acetate piece that I had leftover in my stash. 

The card would be great to give to someone who has learned they are expecting.  It's a cute stamp.  I definitely want to try stamping on the clear sheets with a scrapbook layout in the near future.  It's a great look!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

More of the Same

The other day I pulled a "kit" of papers and made a few cards for some challenges.  I wanted to carry through using those supplies for a few more cards, and the Unity Monthly Kit Sketch Challenge seemed to be a perfect fit.  If you missed the first two cards, I will post their photos below. 

Here is the sketch for February . . .


 And here is my design using Bazzill cardstock, Basic Grey pattern papers, some coordinating ribbon and my Kit of the Month from Unity (January kit, as the February one has not hit my mailbox yet) . . .



 I wanted to stamp my image on the gold Basic Grey pattern paper, and still have enough of the reverse side to get the print for the birds and flowers, so I cut my design a little short and moved my sketch up to just the square.  My interpretation of the hearts was that one was more defined than the other, so I stamped one image straight onto the gold paper, and then stamped the flower image on pattern side of the paper and cut and popped to get the more defined image.  

I made two cards . . . which I will put with the cards from earlier this week (shown below) . . . and I'll have a set!  



Yeah!  I'm using my stash! 

Play Date Cafe #120

Who can resist the awesome color palette in The Play Date Cafe Challenge #120 photo?  Certainly not me.  Not only does it scream of Spring, but is that a plate of cheese cubes?

Forget the cheese cubes, it is a gorgeous color combination.  And here is my design . . .


The product here is all Stampin' Up . . . my thanks to my friend Mary for sharing her stamp set with me.  I stamped on the card base before building the card . . . just barely visible on the sides.  

Fun colors, indeed!  

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Freshly Made Sketches #23

I don't know how I happened upon Freshly Made Sketches.  It was likely while I was perusing blogs one evening looking at other crafters' inspiring work.  I love a sketch challenge, because I grab supplies I have on hand and put them to good use.  I actually had a few sketches I was working on, and I pulled a "kit" from my supplies.  It contained two pieces of turquoise cardstock and some Basic Grey pattern paper. 

So . . . with the sketch on hand . . .


. . . I got to work.  First order of business was that I had a sheet of Basic Grey with bands of different patterns running through it.  I decided that paper was perfect to use in place of the blocks in the sketch.  (Thinking outside of those three little boxes.)

I then used some of the other Basic Grey pieces for the mat behind the stamped design and to paper piece my phone.  I am a HUGE fan of paper piecing stamped designs.  Love the technique. Here is the result . . .



Hmmm . . . love the zig-zag border stamp . . . but in this photo, my ribbon looks black (and it was most definitely brown).  Isn't that phone adorable!  I put a jewel in the center to add some bling. 

I used these same supplies for the Mojo Monday sketch challenge and produced the card below (a great example of stretching your supplies to make a whole set of cards) . . . 


Loving this stamp set!  And while these would not normally be colors I would choose, Basic Grey knows how to coordinate colors because they work.  

I think there will be at least two more cards made using these supplies.  Perhaps a boxed set? 

Mojo Monday Challenge

I created the card below for the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #229, and let me tell you . . . I got it in right under the wire (with literally less than ten seconds to spare). Even if I had not made it, I still love the card.  Here is the sketch . . .



And here is my design . . .

 

I used cardstock and pattern paper that were part of a kit I had received.  It included Bazzill Cardstock and Basic Grey pattern paper.  I added some Unity Stamps and ribbon and came up with a really cute creation.   

Stay tuned . . . as a I used these supplies and stamp set to make another challenge card (assuming I make that deadline).  



Thursday, February 23, 2012

Purr-fect Challenge

I love the collage photos that challenge blogs post.  A myriad of interlocking photos that come together to create a beautiful canvas to inspire.  I spend more time looking at them than I do creating, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  I find them comforting. 

The Jay Gee's Nook Challenge photo for their current challenge was so inviting.  I spent the last 18 days just gazing at the beautiful colors . . .



Yet it wasn't until tonight that I felt the urge to create a little something colorful. 



Blue Bazzill Basics - White Bazzill Smooth - The Twinery Twine - Market Street Stamps (Cool Cats and Pawprints on our Hearts - edge die cut from Stampin' Up - ink and markers - dimensional tape.


Purr-fect! 

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Splash of Hot Pink

When I saw that The Play Date Cafe Challenge was "splash of color" and that the splash of color was hot pink with black and white . . . I had to play along.  Here is the inspiration . . .



And so I used a recently purchased stamp . . . which I absolutely love . . . to create the card below.  Hot pink was perfect for a marshmallow peep bunny.  And since the challenge was just splash of hot pink, I colored only one of the peeps and then gave it a nice "sugar" coating of Stickles (looks yummy enough to eat).  


And while I love the stamp, I also love that I used a white seam binding that I could stamp on.

Supplies include Bazzill Black and White Cardstock; edge die and emboss folder from Stampin' Up; Stamp and Seam Binding from Close to My Heart; Stazon Black Ink;

I see more peep cards in my future.  Love the peeps . . . to look at . . . but not so much to eat!  

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Weekend Getaway

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Imagine a little weekend getaway cottage.  It seems foreign to me, the woman with two jobs, four dogs and two cats.  Let's face it, the dogs are the real anchor.  Cats can fend for themselves, and jobs can be left behind.

But if I had a little weekend cottage that I could run off to . . . it might look a little like the Saturday Collection from Little Yellow Bicycle.  



I had this little wooden birdhouse, and I painted it white.  And it sat for perhaps a year awaiting the perfect paper.  And then there it was . . . Saturdays.  I cut and pieced, almost like laying one board at a time.


 I was so careful to keep the designs in line and not lose the look of this great paper. 



Cut, trim, align, paste . . . repeat . . . 


One side at a time . . . 


Until it was time to move in.  

The only thing missing is the rocking chair on the porch.  


Wednesday, February 8, 2012

CAS-ual Fridays - All About Tom Hanks

I'm always up for a challenge involving a movie.  So when I saw CAS-ual Friday's challenge was a movie inspiration, I just had to jump on board with that one. 

I tried to go with one favorite, and before you know it I had conjured up a little set of four cards using similar stamps and the same product.  What was really shocking . . . three movies with one thing in common.  Tom Hanks! 

There is the "You've Got Mail" inspired (in two slightly different designs) . . .




Then there is Sleepless in Seattle.  "It rains nine months a year in Seattle."  






And then a little bit of Forrest Gump.  "Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you're gonna get." 



A little trimming . . . a little stamping . . . a little paper piecing . . . a little reminder of some of my favorite Tom Hanks movies. 

What's not to love?