Gift Stamp

I used a stamp that a friend gave me: "Maybe a cupcake will help?"  I love the sentiment.

I used my cupcake punch and paper that I embossed to make the cupcakes.

I've popped up the cupcake in the center of an embossed oval.  That I placed on a solid layer.  I added a matching ribbon and boom... I've got a great card for my card ministry.

Here's a closeup of the cupcake.  The cupcake bottom is embossed with the wood grain embossing folder! Love it!

Thanks for looking!

First Inking

 This is the first time that I've inked up this set since I purchased it.  I wanted this set, Crosses of Hope, because I created a ministry to do at my church.  I've asked one of our pastors to give me 3 names a week of people who can use a little something special in the mail that week.  She sees all the prayer requests and has an idea of who could use a little extra something that week.  So far, I've been using my stash of cards, but I though this set would be great for creating cards for this ministry idea.  I am looking for a name for my ministry... any ideas?

 This card was created with the Sunday Stamps challenge in mind.  Their challenge this week was to use More Mustard, Night of Navy, and Sahara Sand.

Inside is the sentiment, "God Bless You."  It's perfect for my cards.

It's simple, but perfect.

Leave me a comment if you have a good idea for a name for my card sending ministry.

Thanks for looking!

She's Alive!

Yes!  I am alive!  I've missed the blogging and challenges, but I have been so busy with the holidays and orders from folks that I had no time!  But now that the holidays are over, I can be creative again.

I also have a new obsession... pinterest!  Yes... I love it.  And this card was inspired by a card I saw there.

I've combined the idea with the challenge over on The Friday Mashup this week.  You can do a color challenge of Whisper White, Basic Black, Pool Party, and Midnight Muse or you can make a project with snowflakes.  I embossed different snowflakes on every circular "leaf."  Some are stamped on.  Some have a shimmery spray.  Some have buttons.  Some have sponging.  The tree is stamped in black.  The bottom piece of paper is ripped to form a snow bank and sprayed with glittery/shimmery spritz.  It's all on a background of Pool Party, which sits on a Basic Black layer, which sits on a Whisper White base.  The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Thanks for looking!

Thanksgiving Candles

I've been wanting to make something to dress up my Thanksgiving table a little bit and I've seen lots of people decorating with the Wonderfall leaves so I thought I'd give it a shot.  I L.O.V.E. how it turned out.  It turns out that it also works with this week's challenge on The Friday Mashup.  The challenge is to use leaves, or create a thank you project, or mash-it-up and do both.  This time, I only did one part of the challenge... leaves.

So what do you think?  Are my guests going to love them, too or what?

Thanks for looking!

Colors used: Chocolate Chips, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Ridinghood Red, Soft Suede, Early Espresso
Other: Wonderfall die, Vanilla candles, garden twine

Challenge Met!

You ever get an idea for a card, you start creating, and it just does not turn out at all the way you imagined it in your head?  Well, that happens to me (probably more frequently than I care to admit), and today it happened again with this card.

I L-O-V-E the sketches over on CAS(E) this Sketch!  Normally, I see the sketch and take off with the ideas.  This week, the ladies over there really did challenge me.  I struggled a bit, but I did not give up!  Thanks for the challenge!  

I decided to combine the sketch challenge with the color challenge over on Dynamic Duos, Sahara Sand and Cherry Cobbler.

I scrapped one idea I had altogether (I cut out the birds from the Merry Details sizzlet, but they were too big for three of them...).  Then I stamped a trio of bows under the strip of Sahara Sand, but it just didn't look right.  Scrapped again.

This is what I ended up with.  Three little ornaments.  It's simple (thus CAS) and it's pretty cute.  Sweet simplicity.

Thanks for looking!

Beautiful Butterflies for Dynamic Duo

I cased this card, but I have to tell you how proud I am of it! Isn't it sweet?  Wouldn't you love to get it?  

I created this card for the challenge this week over on Dynamic Duo color challenge blog.  This week, the colors are Sahara Sand and Cherry Cobbler.

I am also going to post this on The Friday Mashup.  This week, the ladies over there gave a color challenge (not sand and cobbler), but as always, they give a two part challenge.  One part of the challenge is to dry emboss.  On this card, I have three different kinds of dry embossing.  Do you see them all?

Sets used: Papillon Potpourri, Summer Silhouettes
Colors used: Sahara Sand, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla
Other: Cherry Cobbler seam binding ribbon, scallop circle punch, butterfly punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, various embossing folders, stamping dimensionals

Seriously, how cool is this card?  Do you see the layer of pleated Sahara Sand under the cobbler strip?

Thanks for looking!

Just a Little Note...

 This has been a busy weekend!  I have had little time to work in the studio, but I can't go all weekend and not do a single challenge...

This one takes on two challenges:  The Friday Mashup (a color challenge of Daffodil Delight, Basic Black, and Basic Gray mashed up with dry embossing) and CAS-ual Fridays (a card with something ripped on it).

Set used: You're My Type
Colors used: Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Whisper White
Others: various embossing folders, bright buttons, white bakers twine, corner rounder, scallop edge punch, stampin' dimensionals

Thanks for looking!

Funky Masculine Birthday

This is another card that was born using the sketch from CAS(E) this sketch!  However, before I could get to it, my time ran out on that challenge, but I chose to make this card anyway.

I literally took the challenge card they posted and used the exact sketch is, I think, pretty cool.

Then I went looking for a color challenge and found it on Color Throwdown.  They gave the colors Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Crumb Cake, and Night of Navy.

I added the sentiment from Best Dad Ever.  Some of the circles are popped up.  I used a variety of different types of circle punches to do this.

Thanks for looking!

Dog-gone Cute!

I don't know why, but the CAS(E) this Sketch! sketch and the color challenge on Pals Paper Arts just has me hooked!

I went out to my local craft store to pick up a few things and saw this cute, cute stamp set, and they were buy one, get one free.  I really love dog stamps, but I don't have one so with this deal, how could I really pass it up?

I figure that I can write anything inside; Woof can be happy birthday, Merry Christmas, or I'm so sorry.  It's perfect!


And it does follow the sketch challenge and the color challenge!  Bonus!

Set used: Recollections "Woof Woof"
Colors used: Crumb Cake, Ridinghood Red, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede
Other: Stampin' Dimensionals, silver and white gel pen

Thanks for looking!

Struck Out of the Blu.... Wreath

So this idea seriously just came to me.  Well, I guess actually, I was thinking for some reason of all the cool wreaths I've seen with leaf stamps.  Then I thought about the Wonderfall die and the small leaf on that and thought it would make a great wreath.

Then I remembered Just Add Ink's weekly challenge, a sketch challenge this week, and I got busy!

Stamp set: Four the Holidays
Colors used: Gumball Green, Real Red, Whisper White
Other: DSP, red grosgrain ribbon, sparkle brads, glue pen

Thanks for looking!

PPA and a CAS(E)

I created two cards that followed the same basic pattern, just slight differences.  I created these cards for the Pals Paper Arts weekly color challenge and CAS(E) this Sketch!'s weekly sketch challenge.

This first one follows the sketch a bit more closely; the one below changes the placement of the sentiment, which I like as well.

Stamps Used: Flowering Flourishes, Teen Tiny Wishes
Colors Used: Ridinghood Red, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Other: A whole bunch of flower punches, brads


Thanks for looking!

A Three-fer!

That's right!  This card is my answer to the call of three different blog challenges:
-CAS(E) this Sketch! (sketch challenge)
-Pals Paper Arts (color challenge of Crumb Cake, Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla)
-and Stampin' Royalty (resist emboss technique)

This card is quite simple, as you can see.  It was a piece of cake to make, too.  I just stamped the flourish from Vintage Vogue in the lower left corner.  Then I added three flowers from the same set and heat embossed them.  Then I sponged around the flowers with Crumb Cake.  Finally, I added the sentiment from the set in Riding Hood Red.

It's so simple, but seriously, wouldn't you want to receive one?

Here's a close up of the corner.

Thanks for looking!

Bright Birthday Wishes

 I was scrolling through my blogs and saw Just Add Ink's weekly challenge for this week... it's a sketch challenge and this card popped into my mind.

It's a case of a case of a case... I love how cards evolve.  I'd like to think that my second card down there is my own evolution.

This first card fits the sketch.  I did move some things around, specifically the brads.

Sets used: Teen Tiny Wishes, World Tresures
Colors Used: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point
Others: yellow brads, yellow ribbon, word window, stampin' dimensionals,

Thanks for looking!

Fruity Friday Mashup

Here's my second card for The Friday Mashup's weekly challenge.  They gave us the challenge of a sketch, or adding a rosette, or mashing it up and doing both.

I copied the same basic everything from my last card, except instead of apples, I have some cherries here, 3D style.

Sets used: Button Buddies, Happiest Birthday Wishes
Colors Used: Real Red, Whisper White, Old Olive, Bashful Blue
Other: 1 3/8" square punch, 3/4" circle punch, tombow multipurpose glue, stampin' dimensionals

Thanks for looking!

Friday's Mashup

  

Here's the first card I made for this week's challenge over on The Friday Mashup.

This week, the ladies on the mashup gave us a sketch challenge, or we could create something with a rosette, or we could mash-it-up and do both.

I decided to mash-it-up, but I changed from the rosette with the fan fold to this apple shape.

Set used: Pursuit of Happiness
Colors used: Real Red, Old Olive, Whisper White
Other: Apple shaped Framelit, small scallop circle, 1 3/8" square punch, DSP

Thanks for looking!

I love this Dynamic Duo

This card answers the challenge over on Dynamic Duo: the challenge is to use Raspberry Ripple and Gumball Green.

This card is a great way to do that!  I have used Summer Silhouettes and Loving Thoughts.  I used Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Raspberry Ripple and Gumball Green.

I also used the Newsprint DSP and a Gumball Green colored ribbon. There's also some pearls on there, too!

I love it!!!

Thanks for looking!

Ornament Class

 Iiiiitttttttt'ssssss HERE! I am so excited to offer this ornament class!!!

My friend Nancy encouraged me to do this class (thanks, Nancy), which is the only reason I decided to figure out how to make this!

I've got two options for you!

This beautiful Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive ornament, and below you'll see a Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, and silver.

This makes a great keepsake ornament!  The red and green ornament  is between 5-6 inches round.  The blues/silver ornament is between 6-7 inches.  Both are BEAUTIFUL in real life.

 The blue/silver ornament you will make will look a bit different.  The one pictured has 5 limbs, but the one you'll be making will have 6 limbs (like the picture of the yellow flower below).  It will also have a sparkley snowflake in the middle instead of a rosette.

I am offering the class on Friday, November 9th at 5:00 or Saturday, November 10th at any time that will work for you.  Each ornament will cost $25.00 and you will need your own Tombow liquid glue to use and if you have a glue gun, can your bring that, too?  I have tons of glue sticks, but only two glue guns.  If you need Tombow glue, let me know and I could get it for you (add $5.00 to your order price).
I am also offering these sweet little treat boxes!  I will have them in red, green, or blue. They are also available in short (will hold 2 fun sized candy bars or 4 ghirardelli chocolates) or long boxes.  This box would hold a gift card with room for a little something else (it's almost double the short box).  You can get one long box for one dollar or two short boxes for one dollar.

The red and green boxes are short; the blue is the long box.  There are lots of options for the main focal piece of the box.  

These really are a great and easy gift wrap or even to hold a little treat for your holiday guests!  I am using mine as place settings for Thanksgiving!

When you RSVP, let me know:
-What day/time you are coming
-Exactly which ornament/box combo. you'd like to make (for example: I want to make the red/green ornament, and 10 short boxes, 5 red, 5 green)
-If you need me to get you some Tombow liquid glue (a must for this project)

Here's the last thing: the more time you can give me to prep for whatever it is you'd like to do, the easier it will be for me.  If you know you are going to come, email me right back and let me know what you want to do so I can get started prepping.  This picture is an example of what I have to stamp and cut to get ready for you: 20-24 ornaments to stamp and cut out...  Please give me as much time as possible!

Hope to create with you soon!

Spooky Jar o' Eyeballs!

 I made a card similar to this a few weeks ago, but you can go back and check, this one is different.  It follows the same basic sketch, but there are a few differences.  This one doesn't have the white strip, and it also uses a different embossing folder.

I just love these eyes, and I am hoping my nephews will, too!

This card also goes with this week's challenge on Stampin' Royalty.  They are posting a Halloween challenge there!

Is this Halloween-y enough?!?

Thanks for looking!

Happy Halloween!

Here's one more for the Fab Friday sketch challenge.

I took my old, old, old DSP.

Stamp Set: Wacky Wishes

Colors: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, Whisper White

Other: Apothecary Accents, Bold Brads, Sponge Daubers, Spritzer tool, DSP

Thanks for looking!

Witchy-Poo!

Here's my little witch!  Isn't she cute?

I made this card by using three challenges!  I used the Fab Friday sketch challenge, Stampin' Royalty's Halloween challenge, and The Friday Mashup challenge:  we could make a card with a witch on it, make a card using a bleach technique... or mash-it-up and do both.

I embossed almost every layer here.  The black layer is embossed with a non-SU folder, and then I used my Dazzling Details on top of the raised images.  Then next layer is Rich Razzleberry, which I embossed with polka dots.  The next layer is Pumpkin Pie, which is embossed with chevron embossing folder.  Next I used a Gumball Green layer, embossed with lines (and I did add stazon white inside the embossing folder before I embossed to create a white and green stripped paper!  How cute?!?)  I topped it off of with a simple white layer.  All layers were cut using the labels framelits collection.  Then I used my punches to make a witch, as I do not have a single witch stamp if you can believe that! I used the pennant punch (I embossed the top layer of the hat with the swirly folder), the oval punch, the smallest scallop circle and 3/4" circle punch.  So cute!  And just perfect for my niece!

Thanks for looking!

A Different Kind of Two-fer

 This pretty little box is a new kind of two-fer.  For one thing, I picked the colors I used to go with the Sunday Stamps weekly challenge.  This week, we had a color challenge, Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, and Pink Pirouette.

For the second thing, I saw the cutest little box that Dawn O. made on her blog.  She put up a video and explains everything. I made the box and loved them.  But then I started thinking that if I changed the box a bit, I could make it longer and put more stuff in it (Dawn says the little box holds two fun size candy bars, and I fit in 4 of the Ghirardelli squares when I made them.  However, I want to make some sugared Pecans to put in my Thanksgiving treats so I wanted more room for more Pecans!)

I had to play around with the dimensions, but I did it easily enough!  Here's the result.  I love it!  I stamped the side of the box with the stamp in indigo.  The I stamped the flourish from Vintage Vogue, also in indigo.  Finally, I stamped the flower in pirouette, added a bright blue brad, popped it up, and Viola!  This great box!

I finished it off by adding a pirouette ribbon to tie the box closed and I can't wait to make my Thanksgiving favors!!  

Thanks for looking!

Dynamic Sketch

Wow!  This is my creation for another two challenges: Dynamic Duo and CAS(E) this Sketch!

The Dynamic Duo gave us the monochromatic color challenge of More Mustard and So Saffron.  In addition I used Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla.

CAS(E) this Sketch! gave us this great sketch. I really do love it!

Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Colors used: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, More Mustard, So Saffron

Other: Linen thread, natural button, 2" circle punch, word window, modern label, wood grain embossing folder.

Thanks for looking!

Summer Silhouettes, a Case, and Some Ink

This is the card that I designed for two challenges this week: CAS(E) this Sketch! and Just Add Ink.

The sketch is from CAS(E) this Sketch.  I love the sketches they provide for CAS cards!

I picked the colors from Just Add Ink.  Their color challenge this week is Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, and Wisteria Wonder.

This card is the product!  I love it.  I did use the masking technique for the circle in the center.

Stamp Sets: Summer Silhouettes, Itty Bitty Banners
Colors: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Wisteria Wonder
Other: Crumb Cake ribbon, banner framelits, the newest embossing folder (forgot the name, too lazy to run and get the catalogue) 2" circle punch

My Pride Could Not be Greater!

 Oh.  My.  Gosh!!!

I am seriously swelling with pride right now!  I checked out the Dynamic Duo color challenge this morning.  Then I went about my day.  I was thinking of how else I could use the ornament framelit.  And then it hit me... make a flower!  Oh, my....

This is what this gorgeous flower looks like!

There were many things that I could put in the center... my original plan was to create an Early Espresso rosette, topped with a button.  However, I had a lucky accident.  I made one too many saffron pieces, and the space I had left in the center allowed me to put that extra piece in the center, like a Lily.  There was a bit more space there so I popped in some big pearls.  I seriously love how this turned out.

Here's a close up of the flower.  Each layer of petals has been embossed with a different pattern.

I punched a hole in my petal and threaded some ribbon through to hand this baby.

I could also make a poinsettia for the holidays, black eyed susans, daisies, roses, etc, etc., etc.

Can I say again how much I love this?!?!

Thanks for looking!