Changing the Scenery

Oops!  I've left you all hanging for too long.  My good reason is that I have been stamping my heart out and not blogging.  Anyhoo, this is a card that I stamped out yesterday.  If you haven't heard, the Dare To Get Dirty challenges are all posted and they are a hoot!  This card was for Bev's Dare To Get Dirty challenge and I wish I could tell you all about, but they are for Fan Club members and we are not supposed to let the cat out of the bag about what the challenges are.  If you aren't a Fan Club member at Splitcoaststampers, you are missing out!  Join up now!!

I also used a Viva La Verve sketch on my card that I am sharing today and then my Verve stamps too!  It was a bit of a challenging sketch, but I think I pulled it off with my handmade flower.  I got all distressed around the edges because of the aged look of the papers.

I had better head out.  There are lots more Dare To Get Dirty challenges for me to do and some household chores that are knocking on the door too.  Thanks for stopping by!

Details - Stamps: Small Phrases (Verve), Bloom & Grow (Verve); Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Everyday Enchantment dsp; Ink: Versamark, Lucky Limeade, Kiwi Kiss, Crumb Cake; Accessories: Elegant Leaves die (Verve), Floral Circles (Verve), glue dots, corner chomper, MM Edge distresser, Everyday Enchantment brads, stampin' dimensionals, Nestabilities, paper snips. 

A Technique by Julie

Hello there and Happy Friday!  Indeed it has been a happy Friday for me.  I did have to work, but it was a non-student day so it was quite productive.  I got to take an honest to goodness lunch break today.  I am featuring a card today that I made for one of the noontime challenges during Flourishes release week.  This challenge was called Just Show Me.  Crafters were challenged to find a technique via the Flourishes blog and have a go at it.  I picked a technique offered by Julie Koerber.  It just so happens that Julie is the Featured Stamper this week on Splitcoaststampers.  Hooray for Julie!  I altered her technique just a bit.  I used my aqua painter instead of a blender pen to soften the color and then added a layer of vellum to soften it even more.

I am in for a fun Friday night with my girl tonight.  It's just the two of us and who know what kind of trouble we will get in!!!  Thanks for stopping by.

Details - Stamps: Fine Herbs (Flourishes); Paper: Very Vanilla, Pear Pizzazz, Watercolor paper, vellum; Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive; Accessories: Pear Pizzazz seam binding, embroidery floss, stampin' dimensionals, scor-tape, sponge dauber, Nestabilties, aqua painter.



Smaller Than Your Average Bread Box

Scor-pal is hosting a September Designer Challenge to make a box, any kind of box.  I browsed some tutorials and came up with this bread box.  I made a mini loaf of Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread to go inside it.  I followed the tutorial and it was fairly uncomplicated.  Next time, I would take my time a bit more with the edges of the flaps.  I'm not sure I like the pinked edges as well as I would something else, say scalloped edges.  We'll see next time!

To embellish my bread and box a bit more, I used the same patterned paper and colors to create a belly band and label for it. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Details - Stamps: Vintage Labels; Paper:  Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, SU dsp; Ink Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip; Accessories:  Decorative scissors, circle punches, scor-tape, stampin' dimensionals.

Ending With A Dirty Butterfly

Today ends the Dare To Get Dirty challenges, they must be made, uploaded and linked by 11:59 PM CST.  I was able to do it and this was one of my last cards.  I ended up with 18 projects for 37 challenges. This little number covers 4 Dirty challenges and a Viva La Verve sketch.  What do you think of that??  My background is the Leafy Branches embossing folder, flipped over so it's debossed.  Then I took my baby brayer and sloppily covered my debossed card stock with some Certainly Celery ink.  Then I inked up my Canvas Background and laid my card stock on top of it.  I gently ran my fingers over the card stock without the embossing.  Thus my background came to be.  I pleated some mulberry paper for a delicate looking border.  I pinked the kraft edges of the Crumb Cake border and tied the whole thing with one little strand of linen thread.  My die cut butterfly was run through the crimper and then edged with white craft ink.  Then I wrapped wire around and twisted it to resemble the body and antennae for the butterfly. 

I'm looking at Tuesday now and it promised to be a busy day.  I hope I find time to peruse the DTGD galleries and leave some love.  It should be fun!  Thanks for stopping by!

Details - Stamps: Beautiful You (Verve), Canvas; Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, white mulberry paper; Ink: Certainly Celery, Crumb Cake, Versafine White; Accessories: Leafy Branch ef, Nestabilties, sponge dauber, brayer, linen thread, glue dot, stampin' dimensionals, crimper, MM wire, Piercabilities Pinking Border, Flutterby die (Verve).

Good Morning Sunday

Good Morning!  I'm sorry that it has been quiet around here.  I have been busy with the Dare To Get Dirty challenges on Splitcoaststampers and well, you know, living life.  I have ignored most other projects, except those that wonderful be ignored (child, husband and garden).  Throw in a girl friend's crisis and that equals blog pause!  So today I will share this card and matching envelope I made for a slew of Dare To Get Dirty challenges.  You have to be a Fan Club member to view and play along with the challenges.  There are some really fun challenges too!  This card is for the challenges of Cindy, Diane, Dina and Iwona.  I used my scor-pal on this little number and had to get kind of creative with the measurements because I wanted a smaller card than the tutorial showed.  I was quite proud that I was able to do it by myself with only minimal frustration.

I'll leave with a short blurb today as my favorite radio program, a blog hop and an otherwise quiet crafty morning are calling me!  Have a fabulous Sunday!

Details: Stamps: Something to Celebrate, The Artist in You (Unity); Paper: Confetti White, Early Espresso, Neutrals dsp; Ink: Early Espresso; Accessories: Scor-pal, scalloped circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, MS cupcake punch, white taffeta ribbon, liquid glue, superfine glitter, glue dot, stamping dimensionals.



Use Your Kraft

No, wait a minute.  The name of the challenge is "Love Your Kraft".  That's right!  It's Thursday and Michelle is hostessing the Ways To Use It challenge and she called out "kraft".  It's no surprise, she's a kraft-a-holic!  And since I have been preoccupied with DIRT these days, I threw in a few Dare To Get Dirty challenges hostessed by Edna, Michelle, and Christina.  I used a My Favorite Things sketch for good measure.  Let's just say...I was a challenge machine!  I haven't done something like this in quite a while!  I think this card will do for a belated graduation card for my nephew!  He's headed off to college in a few weeks and could probably use the encouragement and the cash I will put in it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Details - Stamps: Live Your Dream; Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Kaisercraft Pack Your Bags dp; Ink: Crumb Cake; Accessories: May Arts burlap string, stampin' dimensionals, MM edge distresser.

Birthday Flowers

This is a card that I made for the most recent VSN.  It was for Tami's challenge, called Cabin Fever.  She asked folks to try the cracked glass technique.  I really do love this technique, but don't use it so often.   I don't know why???  As it turns out, my hubby needed a birthday card for his mother and went thumbing through my stash.  He picked this one out.  It's a great card for my mother-in-law.  It suits her just right.  She's a gardener at heart and she could grow beauties like this.  I can only stamp them.  Ha!  Thanks for stopping by!

Details: Stamps: Fast & Fabulous, Well Scripted; Paper: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla, Pear Pizzazz, Razzleberry Lemonade dsp; Ink: Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, Rich Razzleberry, Versamark; Accessories: Nestabilities, UTEE, heat tool, Vanilla seam binding, scallop edge punch, Finial press ef, glue dots, stampin' dimensionals, corner chomper.

Making Do

I'm just making do over here in my corner of the world.  I have to say that it's more than a little frustrating to not be able to get to my craft room when I want to!  We are having electrical issues upstairs.  The issue...we have no power upstairs, which mean I can craft by lantern or headlight or by daylight.  I happen to work days, so today is the first day in better than a week that I have been able to make a card and I think it shows. 

So I made this little number for a few challenges.  First, I wanted to participate in the Verve Fan hop so I pulled out some of my favorite new Verve for this card.  This cute little Emery just begs to be paper pieced, so I was happy to oblige!  That brings me to the next challenge, The Moxie Fab World Paper Piecing Challenge.  I drew in some lines on Emery's feet to do a little more piecing.  (I hope it doesn't offend Julee that I altered her art a bit!)  Finally, I used this week's sketch from the Limelight Papercraft's Sketch and Product Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hopefully, I will get a few more daylight hours in my craft room today to create a bit more.

Details - Stamps: To The Moon (Verve), Emery PJ (Verve); Paper: Whisper White (base), Welcome Neighbor dsp, vellum; Ink: Basic Gray, Versamark, Old Olive, Bermuda Bay; Accessories: Nestabilities, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, paper snips, white ep, heat tool, stampin' dimensionals, glue pen. 

Last Day To Play

It's the last day to play along with the You Make My Heart Sing VSN!  It's been such a good time with great participation.  If you choose to play along today, it will be like icing on the cake!

I made this card for Linda's Heart On Your Sleeve challenge.  Linda asked crafter's to do some embossing on vellum.  I love to heat emboss on vellum and then color on the back side.  This turned out much better than I had hoped.  Would you believe that I used plain old markers and not Copics.  I haven't made that leap yet!

Sooo.....I was think about other challenges when making my samples for VSN.  I thought I would enter this card into the Stamping With Markers Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.  I am hoping that this is unique enough to net me some recognition in the MFW.  If I am lucky, maybe it's unique enough to net my a little prize too (Copic Markers, folks!)  Crafter's on SCS seemd to like it well enough!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Details: Stamps: Fast & Fabulous, Just Believe; Paper: Versamark, Pear Pizzazz, Bermuda Bay; Ink: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Vellum, Thoroughly Modern dsp; Accessories: white ep, heat tool, blender pen, mini brads, scalloped oval punch, large oval punch, M's self adhesive rhinestones, Olive sharpie, Pear Pizzazz seam binding, glue dots, stampin' dimensionals, Swiss dots ef; Techniques: embossing.

A Word Collage, A First

 Here's today's card meeting the new PTI Make It Monday challenge, a go-to sentiment card.  I'll call it a word collage.  It was fun and I can't think of another time when I used some many sets and so many colors all of the same card.  In order to play along and be eligible for a most gracious prize, you need to use at least one Papertrey Ink product.  Well, I have one lonely little impression plate that didn't photograph here so well.  I did use it however as the canvas impression plate gives such a nice texture. 

I tried to get a close up shot of the texture, but I'm afraid my skills are lacking!

I hope your day was fabulous!  I ran errands on my day off due to daycare being closed.  I'll be behind tomorrow at work, but what else is new!

Thanks for stopping by!

Details - Stamps: So Happy For You, Much Appreciated, Thank You Kindly, Kind & Caring Thoughts, Short & Sweet, In The Spotlight, Seeing Spots, Live Your Dream, Heartfelt Thanks; Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black; Ink: Almost Amethyst, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz; Accessories: Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (PTI), Corner Chomper, M's rhinestones, stampin' dimensionals, SAMJ.

Amy's Shower Luminary

Yep, this little luminary goes with the card that I posted yesterday.  It's for the Verve Diva Dare based on January's theme called Baby Love.  I also made this luminary in response to Kelly's S2S challenge to Revist VSN.  I really enjoyed Robyn's challenge, so I decided another luminary would be perfect.  The luminaries initially reminded me of night lights and then I thought of Amy's upcoming shower and thought it would be cute as a table centerpiece.  I will make a couple more to span the length of the conference table evenly. 

I debated and debated about whether I was going to make this or another idea that I have had in my head for a baby shower gift.  Since the deadline for the Diva Dare is tomorrow and I had made a prototype for this one, I decided to go with it.  I may still try my other idea and not worry if I don't make the deadline.  You can bet I will upload it to the Verve gallery when it is finished.

Thanks for stopping by!

Details - Stamps: To The Moon (Verve), Emery PJ (Verve), Pretty Patterns; Paper: Barely Banana, Whisper White, vellum; Ink: So Saffrom, Versamark, Going Gray, Barely Banana; Accessories: white ep, heat tool, WCC, blender pen, white gel pen, Nestabilities, paper snips, stampin' dimensionals, scor-tape.

Stretching and Growing

I had never made one of these luminaries before VSN.  That seems to be what VSN is all about for me, in addition to loads of crafty, chatty, snacky time!  The challenge was hosted by Robyn and she posted several tutorials for folks to follow.  I used Beate's because I am a visual person. 

I happened to have a load of fabulous new Verve when I was making my VSN samples.  The latest release just goes so well with the VSN theme, "You Make My Heart Sing".  So you know I had to use it!  I love the darling stitched heart image and think I will be coming back to it over and over.  I went through the rest of the new release and found the perfect sentiment.  Voila, I have a Valentine themed luminaria!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Swirling Hearts (Verve), Text Objects (Verve), Baroque Border wheel; Paper: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Regal Rose, Vellum; Ink: Regal Rose, Versamark; Accessories: Nestabilities, scor-tape, small oval punch, large oval punch, eyelet border punch, white taffeta ribbon, mini glue dots, stampin' dimensionals, white ep, heat tool.

Home is Where the Heart Is

I designed this little number for one of the VSN mini challenges last night. This one is for Donna's Paper Piece Your Heart Out challenge. Donna tasked crafter's to paper piece at least two images on their card. I paper pieced the two little chicks. I might be hard to see, but one has an argyle pattern and the other has a polka dot pattern.

I kept a couple things in mind as I made my card. I wanted to keep it quick for the VSN time limit, so I went CAS.  I tried to keep my image in the top third of the card.  I tried to add a bit of interest by embossing the card base with my PTI Linen/Canvas impression plate.  I made sure to use a different color in my sentiment for emphasis.  Finally, I chose my colors with my color wheel.  I almost never do that, but it worked in this case.

I'm headed up to my craft room to work on another project and will be back on SCS to see all the lovely creations made for VSN.  My little craft room is significantly cleaner today as my hubby had to get in there to sort out some potential electrical problems we were having upstairs.  After having moved things around I have a better idea of inventory and will happily create tonight!

Thanks for stopping by!

Details - Stamps: Love You Much, Windows To The World (Flourishes); Paper: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Prints So Saffron dsp; Ink: Soft Suede, Riding Hood Red, Peach Parfait, Sahara Sand; Accessories: Nestabilities, PTI Linen/Canvas impression plate, paper snips, blender pen, glaze pen, stampin' dimensionals.

Not So Long This Time

I had a ton of fun making cards for VSN this past weekend and now it is time to share them.  I made this card for Denise's challenge to pop up your sentiment. I also found a Waltzingmouse sketch that worked fabulous with this challenge!  

I really admire some work done by Sarah Martina and find that she uses paint on her projects.  I just had to try, so I painted up my edges for a little more interest.  What do you think?

I also busted about a new to me cupcake punch and had fun with it!  It is so perfect, I just love it!  I see many, many more birthday cards in its future.

Thanks for stopping by!

Details - Stamps: Vintage Labels, Happy Moments; Paper: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, BG Two Scoops dsp; Ink: Night of Navy; Accessories: MS cupcake punch, Stardust Stickles, curly label punch, 1 1/4" square punch, white acrylic paint, stampin' dimensionals, MM edge distresser.

My First PTI Blog Hop

 

I read about the PTI blog hop this morning and decided to play along.  If I read correctly, you only need one PTI product to play along.  If I interpreted that incorrectly, I apologize.  I have only recently began my acquisition of PTI products, starting with the Canvas/Linen impression plate. 

This blog hop is all about learned skills or techniques.  I discovered this woodgraining technique a while ago and truly love it.  It certainly isn't a new technique, but sometimes it's helpful to rediscover older techniques. 

I used this week's Fall To Layout to help flesh out my card.  I love the clean and simple look that allows the woodgrain technique to take center stage!  The woodgrain texture is backed by the subtle PTI impression plate texture.  I have finished it off with a simple sentiment.

I added this close up photo of the corner of the card just to show the subtle texture of the impression plate that is so nice!

Thanks for stopping by!

Details - Stamps: Fluttering By (Verve); Paper: Whisper White, Night of Navy, Bordering Blue; Ink: Night of Navy, Going Gray, Bordering Blue, Craft White; Accessories: Canvas impression plate, Scallop template, corner chomper, stampin' dimensionals.

She's Having a Baby

A baby girl that is!  One of my very good friends is due to have her first child in November.  She just found out last week that it will be a baby girl.  I was eagerly awaiting the phone call to tell me the sex of  the child and decided to craft!  It was nap time for my daughter anyway.  I had fiddled around with this technique of leaving a designated portion of the vellum without embossing.  So I just decided to make cards for whatever sex of the baby. I made this one in pink, one in blue and a third in green.  Why green?  I remembered that sometimes babies do not cooperate with the ultrasound technician and I thought I had better have something on hand in case her baby was uncooperative!

I had a challenge in mind when I made this and I also used an old technique challenge for the embossing.

That's my story and this is to celebrate my girlfriend's Little Angel!

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!

Details - Stamps: Little Ones (Rubber Stampede), Little Angel; Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Vellum; Ink: Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose; Accessories: Swiss Dots embossing folder, Soft Subtle brads, Light pink grosgrain ribbon, stampin' dimensionals.

CAS Monday - Debossing Style

So the CAS challenge this week is really about dry embossing, but I am twisted and warped and made it about debossing (with this sample that Denise posted for the challenge).  I think I am technically in the clear because of how I explained it.  I embossed the white card stock and then flipped it over and hit it with a brayer.  So the image that shows up after brayering is the debossed flower image from the embossing folder.  I left it distressed looking because that is the best kind of brayering that I can do!  I tried brayering over a whole embossing folder image, but that didn't look very clean to me.  I liked how it looked, but it just didn't seem to fit the CAS style.  (Look out for that card coming up soon!) Instead, I carefully trimmed out one flower to mat and pop up against a neutral card stock.  I opted for kraft and I think I made a good choice!  Love the green and kraft together.  No real place for a sentiment on my image, so I went with a small tag.

I'm keeping myself distract these days as my little one is trying to give up her nap and is frustrating me to no end!

Hope you are having a good day and thanks for stopping by!

Details -  Stamps: Taglines (Flourishes); Paper: Kraft, Certainly Celery, Whisper White; Ink: Certainly Celery; Accessories: Stylized Flowers embossing folder, brayer, white taffeta, linen thread, SU tag sheet, stampin' dimensionals, mini glue dot.

VSN Flowers

I didn't have anything new that I had created today, as today was filled with doctor appointments, Father's Day shopping and grocery shopping.  So I decided to share this bright and cheery flower pot card that I made during VSN.  This card is perfect for the sunshine that finally arrived here in Washington.  Hooray! 

One of my co-workers liked this card so much that she took it for herself.  She posted it on her refrigerator just to look at.  How flattering is that?  She's a great gal like that.

Anyway, this was for a VSN challenge to make a flower pot card and add texture to your flowers without using designer paper.  I clear embossed an old background stamp on the pink and yellow flowers and them die cut them. I particularly like how the Canvas background stamp looks on the Rust card stock.

Thanks for stopping by!

Details - Stamps: Canvas, Special Day; Paper: Really Rust, Mellow Moss, So Saffron, Regal Rose; Ink: Really Rust, Versamark; Accessories: Clear ep, heat tool, wide saffron grosgrain, glue dot, stampin' dimensionals, soft subtle brads, scallop edge punch, Birds and Blooms sizzlit dies, Leaves sizzlit.

VSN, Haiku and Mud

I know it's a strange title, but it covers most of the bases.  This card came about during VSN for a challenge that Faith issued.  The challenge was called Muddy Water.  The task was to create a card with watercolors and a good amount of brown.  I decided on yellow-orange flowers because I thought they looked like marigolds.  I had them already stamped on watercolor paper, so I just slopped on a few colors and found some matching retired SU paper to back it up.  I decided to mat the whole thing with brown and use brown to accent the piece.  I like the way it turned out!

I used a current sketch from Taylored Expressions to start off my card.  VSN would be painful if it weren't for all the fabulous sketches that are available!

Thanks for stopping by!

Details - Stamps: Echoes of Kindness, Fall Flair; Paper: So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango, Very Vanilla, Watercolor paper; Ink: Chocolate Chip, Apricot Appeal, Groovy Guava, Tangerine Tango, Versamark; Accessories: gold ep, heat tool, aquapainter, 1/4" circle punch, vintage brads, wide chocolate chip grosgrain, scor-tape, stampin' dimensionals, glue dot, distressed stripes ef; Techniques: embossing, watercoloring.

Tissue Paper Dreams

I made this little lovely as  a part of VSN this long weekend.  The challenge was called Paper Roses...Paper Roses.  The task here was to create a card with at least one hand made flower on it.  The roses looked too complex for me to try in 45 minutes and I am pretty sure that they would not fit nicely into an envelope.  However, these tissue paper flowers will squish nicely!

I went hunting today for more sketches to use as I worked on VSN cards.  I remembered Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketches and came up with this great sketch. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Details - Stamps: Live Your Dream; Paper: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Afternoon Tea dsp, blue tissue paper; Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip; Accessories: Bazzill mini brads, Groovy Guava double stitched ribbon, Nestabilities, Boho Blossom punch, Vanilla smooch, glue dots, stampin' dimensionals.