Treats, no trick

I found these cute burlap bags in the Walmart craft section and bought them without having a plan for them. They are coming in handy this weekend to dress up some gifts for neighbors hosting a progressive dinner party. 

I made the tags with Calypso Coral, Very Vanilla and Soft Suede. The coral flowers were made with four Calypso Coral spritzed coffee filters cut with the Spiral Flower die. The center of the Very Vanilla flowers are made with 1 1/2" of Burlap Ribbon. Cut the ribbon down the center, remove the loose threads and roll  from end to end.

I'm entering these bags in SUO Challenges challenge # 108 found HERE. 

Birthday Cats

No challenges today, just a birthday card I made for my daughter.  She (we) love kitties, so for the past few years I have been making her cards with kitties on them.  This year I had to go with some "contraband" (non Stampin' Up) stamps because SU is severely lacking new feline stamps....Booooo!

The letters were cut with my Brothers ScanNCut but I still used a trusty pair of paper snips to cut out the cute kitties.  I stuck a window sheet behind the letters and framed around the window sheet with the strips of dimensional foam cut from the edges of a package of SU dimensionals.   I then added some pretty beads and covered the foam with a piece of Whisper White card stock. The card size is 4 3/4" x 6 3/4"

STAMPS: Penny Black Purrfect Day,  SU Sassy Salutations

PAPER: Wild Wasabi, Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White

INK: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Blendabilities

OTHER: Daffodil Delight Stitched Grosgrain, White EP, beads, e-cutter

Stampin' a up Kind Koala for FMS

Just a quick post today to submit this card for Freshly Made Sketches challenge #157

STAMPS: Kind Koala, A Dozen Thoughts

PAPER: Night of Navy, Pear Pizazz, Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Flowerpot DSP

INK: Memento Black, Night of Navy, Blendabilities in Smoky Slate and Daffodil Delight

OTHER: Large Basic Rhinestones, Blushing Bride 1/4" Cotton Ribbon, Large Polka Dot EF, Orange Sharpie

Stampin' Up Festival of Trees

Actually, more like Fiesta of Trees!  This card was made combining two challenges.  First the MojoMonday sketch challenge and secondly, Merry Monday Christmas Challenge.  The Merry Monday challenge is to make a Christmas card with neon colors.  I had to break out some of my old Stampin Up ink pads and cardstock to get. the nice bright colors.  These trees kind of remind me of the Charlie Brown Christmas show when he goes to the tree lot to find his little natural tree among all of the flashy, un-natural aluminum trees.  

STAMPS: Festival of Trees, Good Greetings

PAPER: Whisper White, Pink Passion, Only Orange, Green Galore,  Sweet Taffy DSP

INK: Tempting Turquoise, Only Orange, Pink Passion, Green Galore

OTHER: Embossing Folders - Delicate Designs, Stylish Stripes, Decorative Dots

Lovely as Fall Trees...and Winter too

I have a quick card I made for the Paper Players sketch challenge and SUO Challenges which is to use Autumn colors.  Not a whole lot of Autumn colors going on down here in Texas but the weather has cooled off quite nicely and I am enjoying having my windows open in the mornings.  My kitties are enjoying the open windows too!  They have knocked the screens out few times and I've had to chase them back in!  Bad boys!

I already had this winter scene stamped and colored so I went ahead and made a Christmas card too.

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree, And Many More, Good Greetings

PAPER: Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, Soft Suede, Eastern Elegance DSP, Whisper White, Night of Navy, Basic Gray, Sweater Weather DSP

INK: Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Tangelo Twist, Crushed Curry, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Basic Gray, Night of Navy, Soft Sky, Marina Mist, Smoky Slate

OTHER:  Curvy Keepsake Box Thinlits, Window Sheets, Natural & Old Olive Two-Tone Trim, Linen Thread, E-cutter, Pearl Basic Jewels, Dazzling Diamonds, 1/8" Silver Ribbon

Stampin' Up! White Christmas

Back again with a card made with the weekly sketch at Mojo Monday found HERE.   I used a new, fun stamp set called White Christmas with it's cute little bear and a star stamp from the set The Newborn King.  I combined the two to create with quiet, peaceful scene...love it.  To give the bear some interest and help him stand out a bit I stamped the image on a piece of Post-It note and cut out the bear outline and saved the negative.  After stamping the bear on my main panel I placed the negative panel around the bear, inked the bear image directly with a Versamark pad.  Then I removed the mask and sprinkled with white embossing powder and heat set.  

STAMPS: White Christmas, The Newborn King, Hardwood and a combination of two retired sets Four the Holidays and Greetings if the Season

PAPER: Soft Sky, Real Red, Smoky Slate, Lost Lagoon, Whisper White, All is Calm DSP

INK: Black StazOn, Versamark, Soft Sky, Lost Lagoon, Smoky Slate, Real Red

OTHER: White embossing powder, silver embossing powder, chalk marker, Silver Dazzle Marker, Dazzling Diamonds glitter

Are you ready for some football?

Me, not so much!  The week long football barrage on television is maddening!  At one time I enjoyed watching pro football, right around the time I met my husband.  I'm sure he thinks a gave him the ol' bait and switch....I really got into the football fervor and then one day it just turned off!  There was too much to keep track of, who got traded, who the new kids are, who went to jail.....sigh.  The final straw was when Art Modell took my beloved Browns to Baltimore...November 6, 1995, all for a $200,000 stadium.  Expensive stadiums! ....that's another whole tirade.

But this is a blog about stamping, not sports and spending tons of money.  I'm actually saving our family loads of mullah by making my own cards!  This card was fun and easy and about the only thing I like about football.

So let's get to the card.  This one is for Retro Sketches challenge found HERE.  The sketch made me think of football right away. Go figure.  

STAMPS: None!  (I told you football was messed up)

INK: None!  (Another reason why I don't like football)

PAPER: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Tango Tangerine (football doesn't have cool names like that), Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, non-SU paper (I think even Stampin' Up! Doesn't like football.)

OTHER: 1/8" white ribbon, 1/16" circle hole punch, Arrows EF, e-cutter (at least football has e-cutters!) Cutting file is from Birdscards.com

Stampin' Up Fall Fest

I have a card for the SUO Challenges blog found HERE.   The challenge is to feature one of Stampin' Up's embellishments on a card or project. I wanted to feature the new Autumn Wooden Elements form the Holiday catalog.  Such fun little embellishments and they can be stained with the ink pads to color coordinate...that's what I love about Stampin Up!  Matchy-matchy!  

After finishing the card, I quickly put together this cute little box made with the Curvy Keepsake Box Thinlit die. So darling!

STAMPS: Fall Fest, Truly Grateful, Good Greetings (hostess)

PAPER: Blackberry Bliss, Mossy Meadow, Very Vanilla, Motley Monsters DSP

INK:  Blackberry Bliss, Mossy Meadow, Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze

OTHER: Autumn Wooden Accents, Mossy Meadow ⅜" Satin Ribbon, Curvy Keepsake Box Thinlits die, linen thread

Trying this again...

Last week I posted a card that I made for a color challenge I found on Connie Collins's blog found HERE.  The color combo is very striking and Connie made a great card with the colors.  I was so excited to try it out and then....well, I wasn't so excited.  I'm not crazy about the first card I made with the color combo, found HERE, so I tried again.  My next card didn't last long enough for me to photograph it.....I have since dismantled it and salvaged its parts!  Same story for the next card AND the one after that!  The next two cards did make it long enough to be completed, photographed and posted...I even sorta like them.  What do you think?  Here is the color challenge again and the cards.

Stampin' Up Bright and Beautiful swing card

This week's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches fits perfectly with what I wanted to do with my new Star Framelits and Bright and Beautiful stamp set.  Using my Label Card Thinlits Die as a guide to know where to cut and score and using this tutorial to bring it all together I was able to make my own swing/flip-flop/Z-fold card type card.  The Freshly Made Sketches challenge can be found HERE. 

STAMPS: Bright and Beautiful, Good Greetings (hostess exclusive stamp set)

INK: Island Indigo, Pool Party, Smoky Slate

PAPER: Smoky Slate, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Silver Glimmer Paper, Whisper White, All is Calm DSP

OTHER: Star Framelits, Basic Rhinestone Jewels, Confetti Stars border punch, e-cutter

Stampin' Up Santa Stache

I keep thinking this mustache craze is going to fade out soon, but it still keeps on going. I've decided to finally play along after seeing this cute stamp set from Stampin' Up. This card was created with the sketch from Mojo Monday found HERE. 

STAMPS: Santa Stache

INK: Memento Black, Cherry Cobbler, Blendabilities in Smokey Slate, Cherry Cobbler and Skintones

PAPER: Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Trim the Tree DSP

OTHER: All is Calm Snowflake Embellishments, Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine

Bootiful Occasions - If the Shoe Fits

Just a quick post to submit a card for Retro Sketches challenge #131 found HERE.  May I say...I am loving my new e-cutter, the Brother ScanNCut?!  I used it to cut out the boot, the mat underneath and the cool patterned background.  I found the SVG file for the background here at Birdscards.com.  This is an amazing website with tons of inspiration and fantastic free SVG files. 

Anyhoo... On to the challenge and card....

STAMPS: Bootiful Occasions

INK: Blackberry Bliss, Old Olive, Tangelo Twist

PAPER: Blackberry Bliss, Old Olive, Tangelo Twist, Whisper White

OTHER: Basic Pearl Jewels, Plum Sharpie, computer generated sentiment, e-cutter

Stampin' Up Wondrous Wreath

Are you ready for a Christmas card yet?!  Only 15 weeks until Christmas!  And that really means only 15 weeks to make the cards, compose a Christmas letter, sign and address them AND make sure they hit the post office several days before Christmas.  Phew!  Thank goodness there is nothing else to do before then!    This card was made for The Friday Mashup Challenge found HERE.   Thanks for looking!

STAMPS: Wondrous Wreath

INK: Old Olive, Garden Green, Versamark

PAPER: Crisp Cantaloupe, Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Whisper White, Trim the Tree DSP

OTHER: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Wonderful Wreath Framelits, Large Polka Dot EF, Petals-a-Plenty EF (retired), Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Cherry Cobbler embossing powder,  e-cutter  (for the letters)

Stampin' Up! Holiday Home- From Our Home to Yours

I made this card for two different challenges.  First challenge is a sketch challenge at Freshly Made Challenges found HERE.

The second challenge is a color challenge that I found on this blog I like to visit because Connie is a fantastic stamper!  Connie and her blog hop friends decided to pose a color challenge and the palette is beautiful. I think I will try the color combo on a different card because I'm not sure this card does it justice. I really wanted to add grass to the house scene but also wanted to stick to only the colors in the challenge.  That's why I have two cards.  I will hit the craft table and try again with this color combo.  

So, here is the sketch, the color combo and my cards....

STAMPS: Holiday Home, Trendy Trees

PAPER: Blackberry Bliss, Island Indigo, Real Red, Tangelo Twist, Early Espresso, Gingham Garden DSP

INK:   Blackberry Bliss, Island Indigo, Real Red, Tangelo Twist, Early Espresso, Pear Pizzaz, and lightest Blendabilities in Cherry Cobbler and Smoky Slate

OTHER: Perfect Polka Dots EF, Decorative Label punch, Window Sheets and e-cutter

Stampin' Up! Perfect Peacock for ColourQ challenge

The colors in this weeks ColourQ challenge have knocked my socks off!  Soooo pretty and perfect for the Perfect Peacock stamp. 
The challenge can be found HERE
                                

            

The peacock image was stamped on Shimmery White CS with Basic Black craft ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.  In the larger areas I water colored by first laying water within each embossed section separately and then picking up a bit of ink on a brush and touching it to the water. The pooled water dispersed the ink through the wetted section.  The very small and thin areas in the feathers were water colored without pooling the water first.  The Lucky Limeade ink gave me a nice range of color and I was able to have some areas look yellow and some very intense green by controlling how much water is added to the reinker. 

I should mention, I did not cut out this image and the mat with

scissors!  I used my Brother ScanNCut electronic cutter. I did the same with the sentiment. It took a little bit of fiddling to make it work but now that I've done it it takes no time at all to cut out multiple peacocks and mats! 

STAMPS: Perfect Peacock, Lacy & Lovely

PAPER: Bermuda Bay, Night of Navy, Lucky Limeade, Strawberry Slush, Whisper White and Shimmery White

INK: Bermuda Bay, Night of Navy, Lucky Limeade, Strawberry Slush, Basic Black craft ink

OTHER: Clear EP, Fancy Fan EF, Finishing Touches Edgelits, ¼" Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon

Stampin' Up! Bootiful Occasions-Texas Style

Finally!  A card submission on time!  This time at Mojo Monday #361 found HERE.

I LOVE this card!  It was fun to create and it's fun to look at and I'm sure going to enjoy giving it to a birthday cowboy!  (Hmm, I should create a cowgirl card too.)  

Now, I'm not truly a Texan.  We lived here, in the DFW area, over a decade ago for a few years, then went to Florida ,then to Illinois before being moved back to Texas a year ago.  I wasn't overly thrilled to leave our friends in Geneva, IL (insert sob here) but it hasn't taken long to appreciate the mild winters, abundant sunshine, and polite, friendly people. 

One thing that has always struck me while living here is the Texas pride!  Texans LOVE Texas!  I think that is fantastic,  We didn't have that in Illinois..or Ohio, where I grew up.  Oh, sure "Ohio is the Heart of It All" and there are those Ohio State Buckeye fans but we didn't go around saying, "Don't mess with Ohio!"  And I've never seen one bumper sticker that said, Thank God I'm From Illinois!  Last summer, when we found out we were being transferred back to Texas, my son and daughter were obviously upset.  My son was 12 and my daughter was 9 and we had lived in Geneva for 5 1/2 years....they had grown roots!  Since my son was actually born in Texas and lived the first 2 years of his life here I told him,  "You are moving back to the Motherland!"  He didn't see the humor. 

So here I am, on another sun-filled day, stamping a card that would have had no meaning or purpose in Illinois. Even though I will never wear cowboy boots, say "y'all" or enjoy country music, I am enjoying living among it all. Well...... not really enjoying the country music.  

STAMPS: Bootiful Occasions, Blue Ribbon
PAPER: Soft Suede, Cajun Craze*, Baked Brown Sugar, Very Vanilla
INK: Cajun Craze, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake
OTHER: Natural Trim ribbon (retired), Baked Brown Sugar thick bakers twine, ⅛" mini brads, 1⅜" circle punch, denim and sewing machine

* the Cajun Craze panel was made using a Faux Suede technique.  I spritzed the 5 3/8" x 4 1/8" cardstock with alcohol, water works too but takes longer to dry. When the CS is moistened wad the whole piece up into a ball, straighten it out and wad it up again a few times.  Gently separate the layers of CS trying to keep one whole piece intact. I did this while the cardstock was still somewhat damp and soft. This was difficult to do with such a large piece, I was not able to get two complete layers.  To complete this panel I sponged the rough side of the cardstock. 

Stampin' Up Bloom with Hope

Here is another card challenge card I didn't get submitted in time!  The bad part is,  I had the card finished the night before but time got away from me...... And then I just failed to post it here as well, sigh.  Anyhoo... Here it is along with the sketch.

What do you think?  It probably would have won, right?!

This was colored with Blendabilities and I used my ecutter to

perfectly cut the stamped flowers!  Love that machine!!!! 

I water colored this one

And back to Blendabilities for this one. 

STAMPS: Bloom with Hope (hostess)
INK:  Memento Black or StazOn, Blendabilities or Classic Ink in 
Pink Pirouette, Calypso Coral, Pumpkin Pie
PAPER: Cherry Cobbler, Calypso Coral, Pink Pirouette, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Park Lane DSP
OTHER: Fancy Fan EF, Stylish Stripes EF