AVS202 Winter Trees

• Stamps: Trees Three, Clear Dollar Stamps Argyle Factory
• Paper: white, Basic Black, Certainly Celery, textured grey
• Ink: Certainly Celery, Going Gray, Basic Black
• Accessories: ribbon, snowflake brads; scallop-edge scissors, Basic Black marker, glue pen, glitter, brayer, white gel pen
• Technique: sponging/distressing, braying, glitter

Oh how I enjoy challenges that really test my creativity!  The Verve Stamp company celebrated their anniversary last month by hosting a series of special sketch challenges as part of a celebratory contest.  I printed off the list of challenges for future inspiration and on Labor Day pulled out AVS202 to help me celebrate the recent arrival of my very own Trees Three stamp set (one that was only released in a SU Mini Catalog during my year-and-a-half away from stamping, and I have been dying to own it ever since I got back into my creative groove!)!!!

Looking at the sketch above, you’re probably wondering what was so challenging about it – after all, the sketch itself is pretty detailed, with shapes and embellishments pretty much already added in.  But you see, that is exactly why it can be such a challenge! (Are you confused yet? haha)  The challenge comes in trying to create a card that is truly unique and different from all the other cards that were created with the same sketch.  It’s more than just using a different stamp set and color combination than everybody else – it’s about owning the sketch and making it your own!  Hopefully, this card reflects my style and not just the Verve sketch.

It may be pretty hard to see it in the photographs, but I stamped an argyle pattern in black ink on the two black panels on the left to add a little texture, as well as sponging Basic Black around the edges.  I also sponged matching inks on the Certainly Celery and gray panels and ended up adding a little Basic Black on the corners as well.  The two back panels aren’t exactly the same proportions as shown in the sketch… I sort of flipped them, as I felt it balanced out my particular card a little better.

Thank you so much for visiting my stamping blog today!  I hope you have found something here to get your own creative juices flowing.  If you have a minute, please leave me a comment with a link back to your own blog or online gallery so that I may come see how your crafting has been going!

Blessings to you and yours,

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SC205 CC225 Happy Botanical Nights

• Stamps: Botanical Blooms, Stampendous Everything Happy
• Paper: Kraft, So Saffron, Night of Navy, cream
• Ink: Basic Black, So Saffron, Night of Navy
• Accessories: ribbon, twine
• Technique: 2-Step Stamping

Ahhhhh… another masculine card – yay!  I usually find them to be difficult to make but I’ve turned out several lately!  This card is another Labor Day creation in which I combined Sketch Challenge #205 (SC205) and Color Challenge #225 (CC225), both challenges from a ways back that I had filed away for future inspiration!

I had purchased the Botanical Blooms set off of eBay earlier this summer and hadn’t used it yet (shameful, I know!), but it was the first set that came to mind when planning this card.  I was a little leery about being able to get it to work with this color challenge (which specified using Kraft, So Saffron, and Night of Navy), but I like how it turned out… an unexpected way to showcase flowers!

I wasn’t too sure what to do with all the blank space on the left-hand side of the card so I chose to run the sentiment vertically alongside the main image, and fill the rest of the area with a “no frills” ribbon arrangement.

Thanks for stopping by today and please be sure to leave a comment with a link back to your online gallery or blog so that I may come and see what you’ve created lately!

Blessings,

WSC95 CC226 Blessings

• Stamps: Graceful Words, Cheesecloth, TPC Studio Faith Greetings, Scrappy Cat In Bloom
• Paper: Creamy Caramel, Apricot Appeal, Bashful Blue, Tempting Turquoise, white watercolor paper
• Ink: black Stazon, Creamy Caramel, Tempting Turquoise
• Accessories: ribbon, brad; watercolor pencils & brush, Coluzzle, sponge
• Technique: watercoloring, sponging

Although my cards are all made with great love and care, I usually am just creating a “generic” to stick in our stash and be used on an as-needed basis.  Today, however, I had a specific recipient in mind, so I wanted to create something extra special for her – and I hope it brings a smile to her face when it reaches her!

I found two more challenges in my inspiration clippings over the Labor Day weekend and got to work.  I purchased the In Bloom stamp set on sale a few weeks ago at our local Ben Franklin and really wanted to use it to make this card.  Beate’s Weekend Sketch Challenge from the previous weekend (WSC95) seemed like the perfect fit for the larger flowers in the set.  I used my beloved watercolor pencils to bring the flower to life and then set out to find a suitable color combination to coordinate with it.  I had remembered writing down a past SCS color challenge that used Tempting Turquoise so back to my inspiration folder I went, and I located SC226 “Tempting Apricot Caramel Breezes,” which specified using Baja Breeze (or alternately Bashful Blue, shown here), Tempting Turquoise, Apricot Appeal, and Creamy Caramel.  I’ll admit this is a color combination I never would have come up with on my own but I am in love with it now!  Bright and cheerful yet still serene and restful in a way – amazing!

I kept things relatively simple, as the recipient seems to gravitate toward more contemporary and clean styles, so I tried to add in the “wow” factor by  finishing off the inside of the card to match and creating a custom coordinating envelope.  I started on this card as soon as I got done riding Dreamer on Sunday – about 8:30 or so, and I did take a 45 minute break to watch “Amazing Wedding Cakes” on WE (hehe!), but I didn’t finish the card until 11:30!  I spent a lot of time thinking things through but I hope the end result doesn’t appear to be overthought!

Thank you so much for stopping by and I sincerely hope you will take a moment to leave me a comment – each and every one I get is treasured!

Blessings,

SC243 WT 234 A Merry Season

• Stamps: A Beautiful Season, Linen, Woodcut Holly wheel
• Paper: Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, cream
• Ink: Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red
• Accessories: brown check ribbon, gold Sharpie, dots embossing template, Big Shot, Sizzlits letters
• Technique: sanding, embossing

Today I am bringing you another “double challenge” card. The first challenge was from last week’s Sketch Challenge at SplitCoast (SC243). It was a nifty sketch and I printed it out on time last week but never got a chance to work with it. I had it in my stack of such sketches and pulled it out this afternoon and decided to have a go of it! The second challenge was for this week’s Ways To Use It challenge: WT234 “Sand It.” Stampin’ Up cardstock isn’t really the best cardstock to use this technique with because they dye their paper all the way through, where some of the lesser-quality papers don’t and when you sand it you’ll actually reveal some of the white underneath the dyed portion. However, I like the effect on the Old Olive panel here where it just roughs up the perfect circles that I had embossed with our Big Shot and helps them blend into the design of the rest of the card a little better.

I decided to test out our previously-untouched alphabet Sizzlits templates for this card and I had fun doing it! I originally cut them out in the same cream-colored cardstock as I stamped the snowman image on but it just wasn’t quite right. I determined that with the help of a gold marker I could make it work and I think it did! Not quite the “fancy” sort of font that would fit the theme of this card the best, but close enough!

THANK YOU for stopping by and I truly hope that you will take a minute to let me know what you think of this card!

Blessings to you and yours,

SC244 With God, all is well

• Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, unknown floral background stamp from SU, TPC Studio Faith Greetings
• Paper: white, Chocolate Chip, Not Quite Navy, baja breeze designer paper
• Ink: Chocolate Chip, Not Quite Navy, Certainly Celery
• Accessories: brads, sponge
• Technique: sponging

I hadn’t made a card since Sunday and I think it was starting to bug me!  Unfortunately, this card didn’t turn out at all as I had hoped but I decided to post it here anyway so there would at least be something to look at over the long Labor Day weekend!  However, being that it is a long weekend, maybe I will have time to upload another card before Tuesday rolls around if I get time to make a few cards like I plan to – we’ll see! 🙂

I originally intended to use a color combination of Certainly Celery, Not Quite Navy, and Chocolate Chip on this card.  However, I was bound and determined to use these two stamp sets and this week’s Sketch Challenge (SC244) at SplitCoastStampers, and I just couldn’t get the Certainly Celery to fit in anywhere that I actually liked!

I did a lot of rearranging and swapping while putting this card together, but hopefully the end result isn’t too much of a “hot mess!”  haha!

Thanks for stopping by and please take a moment to leave me a comment so I know you were here – I treasure each and every one!

Have a safe, happy, and blissfully wonderful Labor Day!

Blessings to you and yours,

WSC94 Fluffles Garland

• Stamps: Fluffles Garland by Stampendous, Crosshatch by Stampin Up, Basic Shapes by Clear Dollar Stamps
• Paper: White, Garden Green, Basic Black, Real Red
• Ink: Garden Green, Real Red
• Accessories: Versamarker, black embossing powder, SU markers, corner punch, light bulb punch, gold leafing pen, and red, green, and gold glitter glue
• Technique: embossing

Time for another Christmas card! I got my hands on a 50% off coupon for Michael’s and crossed my fingers that they just might have their Christmas stamps out already. They did and they had one of the Fluffles stamps that has been on my wish list! I guess it was meant to be! :0) And speaking of meant to be, the stamp fit perfectly in Beate’s Sketch Challenge #94 (WSC94) for this weekend.

I embossed the Fluffles image in black embossing powder and colored with Stampin’ Write Markers in Creamy Caramel, Real Red, and Garden Green. I accented appropriate areas with a gold leafing pen and coordinating colors of glitter glue. I then punched out a few light bulbs, and covered them in glitter as well before attaching them to the garland string.

The background on the Garden Green panel was created with my trusty Clear Dollar Stamps Basic Shapes set and also a random pair of paw stamps. The background on the Real Red panel is Crosshatch from Stampin’ Up. I really wished I had a word window punch for the sentiment to peek through the green panel but I didn’t so this will have to do! :0)

Thanks for stopping by and please take a moment to let me know what you think by leaving a comment for me! If you leave a link back to your online gallery or blog I’d love to see your work also!

Blessings,

SC114 A Little Something for the Season

• Stamps: Changing Seasons, Clear Dollar Stamps Tag It (sentiment)
• Paper: white, Ruby Red, Really Rust, Certainly Celery
• Ink: Stazon Black, SU Markers
• Accessories: Big Shot texture plate, notched corner punch, glitter, glue pen
• Technique: direct-to-paper ink distressing

Today I bring you a creation with another of my favorite stamp sets of all time, Changing Seasons.  (Watch for another post later this week using this same set!)  I adore these scenic stamp sets, especially when they involve images I can color!

The layout for this card comes from Sketch Challenge #114 (SC114) over at SplitCoast from all the way back in March of 2007!  I randomly pulled it from the SCS website last fall along with several others and decided to work with this particular sketch over the weekend.

We made a trip to Crafts Direct on Friday on our way to the cities for a Twins game and purchased a Big Shot, which was on special there last week.  I was anxious to try it out so I gave one of the texture plates a whirl for a little bit of “extra something” on the background panel of this card.  To help it show up a little better, I took our Ruby Red ink pad and used the direct-to-paper technique on the entire panel.

The main image itself was colored with Stampin’ Write markers (Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Ruby Red, Really Rust, Creamy Caramel, Bashful Blue, and Bordering Blue) after being stamped in Black Stazon, and was accented with lots and lots of glitter in coordinating colors.  Got to love glitter!

Thanks for looking and please let me know what you think (I will *always* return the favor if you leave a link to your blog or online gallery!)!

Blessings,