Friends and New Years with Chalk and Piercing

Welcome to Monday and a new Friends of Speedy TV challenge to create a New Year's card with chalk and paper piercing.  Today's challenge is a little more specific, like a recipe, but will turn out as unique as the individual making the card.  If you don't believe me, take a look at the samples that the design team created.  For my card, I used a sentiment and a repeated image from the New Years stamp set.  I have lots of bubbly here.  I pierced a frame around my top layer and pierced my bubbles as well.  For the chalk requirement of this challenge, I used a blender pen to color in the champagne in the glass and stem of the glass.  What you can't see is the Sakura Clear Star gel pen I used to add sparkle to each individual bubble in or above the glass.  The pen adds a bit of pizazz to a clean and simple card. 

 

Let's not forget that Mark's Finest Papers offers a stamp set as a prize for one lucky participant.  This week, the prize is a set called Easter Scene.  Here's a peek at it:

Please join us this week for a little stamping fun!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Details - Stamps: New Years (MFP); Paper: Neenah Solar Crest White; Ink: Tuxedo Black; Accessories: Mat pack, piercing tool, blender pen, Stampin' Pastels, stampin' dimensionals.

Friends and Weddings or Engagements

You should have seen this last week, but I didn't manage to get it up on my blog.  The 2013 year wasn't the best year on my blog, but I am planning on better things for 2014.  this card was for the Friends of Speedy TV challenge to create a card for a wedding or engagement.  For my card, I opted for some glamorous paper and a vellum strip with an embossed sentiment.  I performed a little photopolymer surgery to straighten out my sentiment from Lily of the Valley.   If you follow the link above, you will see how I trimmed "on your" from the top of the scrolled font to give my sentiment some length.  What you can't see is the shimmer of the silver wedding paper.  I think it compliments the rhinestone brads nicely.  The brads holds the vellum neatly and lends to the elegance of the card.  I lifted the whole top layer off my card base with some dimensional adhesive. 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  I have one more card coming your way in just a few hours.  Stay tuned!

 

Details - Stamps: Lily of the Valley (MFP); Paper: Neenah Solar Crest White, MME Wedding dsp, vellum; Ink: London Fog, Versamark; Accessories: Square rhinestones, white embossing powder, heat tool, sponge dauber, stampin' dimensionals.

Friends and Christmas

Oh dear!  I'm a bit overdue for posting some of my Mark's Finest Papers creations.  This jolly old elf was for the December 16th Friends of Speedy TV challenge to create a Christmas card.  In my standard clean and simple style.  I stamped my card base with my sentiment and used a snowflake embossing folder to create interest for my base layer.  Then I stamped, colored and cut out the Santa from Holly Jolly Greetings.  After I trimmed out Santa, I popped him up on top of my base layer and rounded the bottom two corners.  Shortly after I made this, one of my co-workers hit me up for some more Christmas cards and this little guy went into her personal stash.  Now, I have to complete a commissioned card for her using an older Mark's Finest Papers set called Buffalo Spring. 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Stay tuned for another couple of posts to get me caught up.

 

Details - Stamps: Holly Jolly Greetings (MFP); Paper: Neenah Solar Crest White, GKD White; Ink: Tuxedo Black; Accessories: Copic & Touch Twin markers, paper snips, corner chomper, stampin' dimensionals, Sissix Snowflakes #8 embossing folder.

A Scor-Pal Quick and Easy Holiday Z Fold Card

Hello Crafty Friends!  We are in December and it's time to whip up some quick holiday cards.  There's nothing like your Scor-Pal to get the job done with some pizazz.  Today, I am featuring a Z Fold card.  This card has a different fold than your regular card to make it that much more memorable!

For this card, you will need:

• Scor-Pal
• Scor-Tape
• 4 1/4" x 11" piece of card stock
• 2 5/8" x 4 1/8" piece of designer paper
• 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" piece of designer paper. 
• Matching card stock scraps for die cutting
• Stamps
• Ink
• Assorted dies (snowflakes, rounded scallop frame and rounded rectangle)
• Embellishments

Place the 4 1/4" by 11" piece of card stock into your Scor-Pal with the 11" side against the top fence.  Score at 5 1/2". 

Flip your card stock over and with the 11" side still against the top fence of the Scor-Pal, score at 2 3/4".

Crease all of your folds to create the "Z" shaped card base.

At this step, you could go crazy with embellishments or you can keep it simple.  I die cut and sponged five small snowflakes.  Then I die cut a rounded scallop frame and two rounded rectangles.  I quickly stamped the two rounded rectangles with a snowflake background and sentiments.  I adhered the patterned paper to my card base with some Scor-Tape.  Next, I matted the rounded rectangle on the rounded scallop frame and adhered only the left side of the rectangle to the top of my "Z".  Then, I added rhinestones to each snowflake and popped them up with some dimensional adhesive.  Finally, I adhered the second rounded rectangle to the bottom of my "Z" so that it hides neatly behind the top rounded scallop frame.

This completes my quick and easy holiday card for today!  Here's one more photo of it closed and in my flower frog. 

Here's to a wonderfully creative day.  Thank you for stopping by!

Details - Stamps: Warm Winter Wishes (Flourishes), Occasional Quotes (Stampin' Up!); Paper: Riding Hood Red, Neenah Solar Crest White, SEI Wintersong dp; Ink: Bordering Blue, Basic Gray; Accessories: Scor-Pal, Scor-Tape, Spellbinders Create a Flake 2, Rounded Scallop Frame die (Verve), Rounded Rectangle die (Verve), Recollection rhinestones, sponge dauber, stampin' dimensionals.

Family - A Mark's Finest Papers, A Heinrich Company Blog Hop

Dec. Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

 Featured Dec. 10

Calm and Wisdom

Featured Dec. 11

Bow Hunting

 Featured Dec. 12 

Family

 

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All three winners will be announced on Dec. 14, 2013 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 10 PM EST on Friday Dec. 13, 2013.

 

Here's the Design Team: Lois, Pam, Pat G, Karen K, Kathy, Toni, Janine, Shirley Q, Gail, Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co.

I die cut the woman to fit this shape which reminds me a cameo.  A simple scored and sponged background with some ribbon adhered to my card base makes a quick card with a bit of elegance.  I have a couple of other ideas for this set.  I just have to work up a bit of courage, as they are a bit irreverent!

Thanks for stopping by!  Head on over to Janine's blog.

Details - Stamps: Family (MFP); Paper: Very Vanilla, Brushed Gold; Ink: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso; Accessories: Spellbinders Shapeabilities, sponge dauber, Scor-Tape, 1/8" taffeta ribbon, stampin' dimensionals.

Bow Hunting - A Mark's Finest Papers, A Heinrich Company Blog Hop

Dec. Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

 Featured Dec. 10

Calm and Wisdom

Featured Dec. 11

Bow Hunting

 Featured Dec. 12 

Family

 

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All three winners will be announced on Dec. 14, 2013 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 10 PM EST on Friday Dec. 13, 2013.

 

Here's the Design Team: Lois, Pam, Pat G, Karen K, Kathy, Toni, Janine, Shirley Q, Gail, Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co.

 



Ah yes, Bow Hunting is a great set!  The first image that appeals to me were there gorgeous trees.  They remind me of the pines that grow in Winthrop, Washington where I vacation with my family several times a year.  When we cross of the pass, we begin to see the shift in vegetation from evergreens to these beautifully scented pines!  We also see deer while we are camping, so the single deer image was perfect!

Thanks for stopping by!  Off you go to Janine!

Details - Stamps: Bow Hunting (MFP); Paper: Neenah Solar Crest White; Ink: Rich Cocoa, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Early Espresso; Accessories: sponge dauber, corner chomper, Copic Markers. 

Calm and Wisdom - Mark's Finest Paper, A Heinrich Company Blog Hop

Dec. Blog Hop! 
 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

 Featured Dec. 10

Calm and Wisdom

Featured Dec. 11

Bow Hunting

 Featured Dec. 12 

Family

 

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All three winners will be announced on Dec. 14, 2013 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 10 PM EST on Friday Dec. 13, 2013.

 

Here's the Design Team: Lois, Pam, Pat G, Karen K, Kathy, Toni, Janine, Shirley Q, Gail, Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co.

I don't know what is about Asian proverbs or sayings.  They seem to be so grounded and peaceful.  I wanted to use a sketch that would bring that same feeling of order and balance.  I went with various sized rectangles and a couple of patterns.  There are limited colors and little flecks of gold for elegance.

 

As I type, I am thinking that a quiet snowfall also brings about the same feeling for me.  The weather forecast has just a touch of snow in our future and it is supposed to start in about half an hour.  We'll see...meteorologists has such a cushy job! 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  You will want to head off to Janine's blog now. 

 

Details - Stamps: Calm and Wisdom (MFP); Paper: Neenah Solar Crest White, JoAnn's dp; Ink: Tuxedo Black; Accessories: stampin' dimensionals.

Friends and Silver and White

Good Monday morning!  I'm back with another challenge from the Friends of Speedy TV!  This week we are creating cards with silver and white.  I felt like this little country church would be perfect for the challenge.  I embossed the image with silver embossing powder and added a holiday sentiment below it.  I kept my design simple to let the beauty of the image shine through (and I almost always create in a CAS style).  One last detail is that my image is matted on a brushed silver card stock on top of my white card base. 

 

Let's not forget that Mark's Finest Papers offers a free stamp set to one lucky participant.  This week, the set is called Gullible.  Won't you play along?

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!

 

Details - Stamps: You Are An Angel (MFP), Christmas in the Country (MFP); Paper: Neenah Solar Crest White, Brushed Silver; Ink: Versamark; Accessories: Silver embossing powder, heat tool, scor-tape, stampin' dimensionals.

Go Hawks!

Good Morning!  It's a chilly Sunday morning here in the Pacific Northwest.  It's not as cold as yesterday and I'll take that!  I refused to leave the house until we got to 20 degrees F yesterday.  I have a couple more degrees to go before I am eligible to leave the house today.  Until then, I will sip my coffee and plan my day around the Seahawks game.  I joked a couple of weeks ago that I can't get my laundry done without Russell Wilson (for those non NFL folks, he's the quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks and I wash, dry and fold laundry during the games).  Last week, I mentioned that we are in the midst of pixie season at work and this was another pixie package.  My pixie person is a Seahawks fan and so I simply stamped a football image repeatedly on a brown paper sack.  I punched two holes in the folded down top of the sack and tied a ribbon through it to keep it closed.  I added some glitter foam letters to spell out my message.  Seahawk colors are blue and green. 

Well, I had best get on with my day!  I want to craft this morning so that I can watch the game this afternoon.  The Seahawks play in San Francisco this afternoon!

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have a wonderful day!

 

Details - Stamps: Tailgate Party (MFP); Ink: Rich Cocoa; Accessories: Glitter Foam letters, green grosgrain ribbon, Crop-a-dile, brown paper bag.

Butterfly Essence - Mark's Finest Papers Preview Week

It's the third day of previews for the Mark's Finest Papers December release.  Oh boy!  I had fun with this new set called Butterfly Essence.  I embossed the background image in black on watercolor paper and then I went to painting!  Now, I'm not a water coloring pro, but this was really fun.  I just kept adding color until I was satisfied!  After that I die cut my circle panel and began to structure my card.  I selectively inked a portion of the sentiment and attached it below my ribbon. 

 

It was really nice to color and think about butterflies as our weather here has taken a dip.  Our temperatures are in the 20's and 30's.  I have taken out my long underwear to survive my recess duty at school.  The children continue to come outside without their coats and tell me that they are not cold.  I promptly send them back inside to get their coats and remind them I am certain that their parents would want them to have a coat on!

 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

 

Details - Stamps: Butterfly Essence(MFP); Paper: Pool Party, Black Licorice, watercolor paper; Ink: Versamark, Tuxedo Black, Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Wisteria Wonder; Accessories: Black embossing powder, aqua painter, Nestabilities, corner chomper, Scor-buddy, Scor-tape, black grosgrain ribbon.

Swallowtail Mini - Mark's Finest Papers Preview Week

 

Welcome back to another preview of the December Mark's Finest Papers release.  This is the featured mini for this month called Swallowtail.  I adore this big beautiful butterfly and had to feature it on my card.  I used a couple of sentiments on my card.  I repetitively stamped beautiful and then overstamped the greeting with a darker color!  Fun stuff, this new set!  Now don't forget that Mark's Finest Papers is trying a new format for it new release hops.  You get a shorter hop list and a longer time to comment with the same amount of eye candy for sets.  I'm not part of the hop this week, so scoot on over to the Mark's Finest Papers blog to get started on the hop. 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Details - Stamps: Swallowtail mini (MFP); Paper: Crumb Cake, MME Dolled up dp; Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Rich Cocoa; Accessories: MM edge distresser, paper snips, scor-tape, burlap twine, sponge dauber, stampin' dimensionals.

Lots of Words - Mark's Finest Papers Preview Week

 

Mark's Finest Papers is doing things a bit different for the December release.  The release will be spread over two weeks with fewer blogs to comment on and longer to comment.  You won't miss any of the great creations because the half of designers that are hopping will be featured on the Mark's Finest Papers blog.  Today's set is called  Lots of Words and features this sweet butterfly and many, many sentiments!  You don't want to miss a stop, so be sure to head on over to Mark's Finest Papers and get to hopping!.

 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

 

Details - Stamps: Lots of Words (MFP); Paper: Very Vanilla, Brushed Gold, MME In Bloom dp; Ink: Versamark: Accessories: Gold embossing powder, heat tool, stampin' dimensionals, scor-tape.

Friends and ABC (12/02/13)

Hey there!  We have arrived in December and I think this must be where time kicks into overdrive.  The year is completely flying by.  I made this  sweet little box for the current Friends of Speedy TV challenge to make Anything But a Card.  This challenge comes at a great time as this week begins pixie week at work.  I'm taking a little risk in that the staff member for whom I am a pixie could be reading this.  I provided my blog address as additional information for the staff member who drew my name.  While I don't think it's likely that she has my name, I have to admit that it's a possibility.  For this challenge I made a simple 2,5,7,10 box to hold some candy inside.  I chose color purple and navy as those were a couple of favorite colors listed by my pixie person!  Up close, it's quite pretty as I used a Sakura Clear Star gel pen to outline the eye of the feather.  That particular pen adds a bit of sparkle without changing the color drastically.

 

Don't forget that Mark's Finest Papers offers a free stamp set to one lucky participant.  This week, the stamp set being offered is Nature's Brushstrokes mini.  This is a great challenge for getting Christmas gifts done.  Won't you play along?

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Details - Stamps: Be A Showoff (MFP), Holiday Tag (MFP); Paper: Wisteria Wonder, Black Licorice; Ink: Night of Navy, Versamark; Accessories:  Scor-Buddy, Scor-Tape, heat tool, black embossing powder, corner chomper, Sakura clear star gel pen, 1/16" hole punch, 1/8" black taffeta ribbon, silver cording, 1/8" hole punch.