Hip Hop Hangover

{You may want to click on the photo to enlarge it and see the detail.}
The Friday after Hip Hop Thursday is affectionately referred to as Hip Hop Hangover. This is the day where you can take a tour of Unity Stamp Company lovers!!!This is my contribution to the hangover. I wanted to create a piece that reflected my New Year's Resolution to be more consistent in all areas of my life. I seem to be able to do well in one or two areas, but then the rest of my life falls apart. I didn't have a stamp that said "consistency", but "always" captures the sentiment.

I was working on a Limited Supply Challenge on SCS(LSC201) to use your favorites. Well, the Dream Tree is my favorite stamp! It's just fabulous. I mean, who doesn't love the Dream Tree. I picked a favorite color combination and used my favorite embellishment, ribbon! Self adhesive pearls are a new favorite. I was introduced to these colored half-back beauties through Limelight Papercrafts. And you know they are awesome if they carry Unity!!! I tipped the branches with my Sakura Clear Star gel pen (although you will want to click on the picture to see this detail).

I picked up a frame from store that was closing out and created by piece to the proper size, 4"x6". I wanted pearls on the tree and the ribbon to hang out of the frame, so I placed the glass behind the piece.

Here are the specifics on this card:
Stamps: Dream Tree (Unity), Sentiments O'Simple(Unity)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, BG Eva
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Kaiserkraft Blush pearls, M's self adhesive pearls, Vanilla taffeta ribbon, glue dot, corner punch, slot punch, Sakura Clear Star gel pen

All products not labeled are Stampin' Up!

So this is it, the last card I made over winter break!

I covered three more challenges with this one. I finished up the Jacksonbelle Embellishment New Year's Eve Challenges with this one to use neglected things (my stamp set, dp and brads). I incorporated two of the Holiday Challenge Extravaganza challenges in too. I used #12, as sketch challenge, and #15, a color challenge.

Boy, do I need work on my water coloring! Who was time with a two year old! Oh, I'm sure that she would love to paint with me, but I might be a bit to anal to allow that to happen!

This sketch gave me fits too!

Here are the details on the card:
Stamps: Long Time Friend
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Certainly Celery dp
Ink: Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red
Accessories: Blender pen, Aquapainter, CK brads
Techniques: watercoloring

All products are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise posted.

I love this stamp set!!!

Can you believe that I have barely used it?

I mean...it's fabulous and I'm a coffee drinker!

I resolve to use it WAY more!

Can I just say I love Basic Grey? What? Oh, you have heard say that before. Sorry.

I backed off the number of challenges for this one, only three.

I used the Our Creative Corner sketch by Jennifer Meyer. She makes soft, sweet, beautiful cards, if you haven't seen her work. I used the technique suggested by Gina K in her challenge titled "You Wanna Piece of Me?", LOL! I determined my card type (birthday) for another Jacksonbelle challenge, see here.

Here are the details for this card:
Stamps: Short & Sweet, Coffee with Friends (Flourishes)
Paper: Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, Basic Grey Two Scoops
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Small oval punch, Large oval punch, white organdy ribbon, scallop edge punch, dew drops, glue dots, stampin' dimensionals, paper snips
Techniques: paper piecing

All products are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise posted.

So I didn't learn my lesson...

I crammed five challenges into this card too! I think this one was a bit easier because the Gina K challenge was to make a non-standard sized card. I only had to cut my card down to a square. Oh and I guess I made it easier by making the tole fit for two different challenges.
The Holiday Challenge Extravaganza #11 was to use a new-to-me technique called paper tole. The challenge from the ladies at Stamp Something challenged bloggers to use something or try something "new".
I drew my colors from the Inspiration Challenge 161 on SCS. I chose the Grand Barton cake! Yum! My focal image became my sentiment after reading Melanie's challenge on her blog. She draws stamps for Gina K and is also on her design team!

The specs:
Stamps: Fall Flair, Imagination is More (Rubber Stampede)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Brushed Gold, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Water color paper
Ink: Encore Gold
Accessories: Gold ep, heat tool, aquapainter, stampin' dimensionals, glue dots, paper piercing tool, mat pack, scallop edge punch, pink organdy ribbon, corner punch
Techniques: paper tole

All products are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise posted.

Heartache, anyone?

Yep, this one took me forever and ever. I walked away from it and came back! I still wasn't really satisfied with it. It probably won't win any awards, but I guess it's alright. After I finished it, I thought that packing in so many challenges was perhaps limiting my creativity! I pumped four challenges into this one.

1) Taylor's sketch challenge
2) Sharon's Johnson Stamp Simply #68, to make another thank you note.
3) Jacksonbelle Embellishment's "ring" challenge - to use circles or something related to the idea of a "ring".
4) Holiday Challenge Extravaganza #13 to use something you have been hoarding.

I had been hoarding those little wooden hearts and that Basic Grey paper. I use it ever so stringently! I don't know why, it's only paper and companies are always coming out with fantastic new papers!

The details:
Stamps: Holiday Blitz
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla, Basic Grey Sugared
Ink: Regal Rose
Accessories: Painted wooden hearts, glue dots, MAMBI rhinestones, Magenta & Dandelion sharpies, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, stampin' dimensionals

All products are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise posted.

Along came Jacksonbelle Embellishments!

I met four challenges with this one card. The first challenge that got me going on this one Gina K's New Year's Inspiration challenge,and then the Jacksonbelle Embellishment challenge to use black, white and some metallic color. I chose silver so that tied back into Ways to Use it 199 on SCS. That challenge was all about using silver! Finally, I borrowed Amber's sketch, this time for Verve, with a "twist" - use hardware.

I wanted to go back to Jacksonbelle Embellishments. I found them through one of my favorite artists, Jennifer Buck. Visit her blog, she is amazing. Her link is listed on the side of mine. Anyway, I find her to be very kind and thoughtful. Ages ago, I commented on her blog about taking her scrap paper off her hands. She remembered this and then I won some blog candy from her. Well, you know what she did? She sent me a bunch of her leftovers. So sweet! Why do I tell you this? The black glittery dp I used is from Jennifer Buck!

Here's the rest:
Stamps: Best Yet, Baroque Motifs
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Brushed Silver, Black sparkly dp from a friend?
Ink: Basic Black, Silver Encore
Accessories: D'Vine CB folder, Silver Flower ribbon slide, White taffeta ribbon, Scallop punch (2x), 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch
Techniques: dry embossing

All products are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise posted.

Did I tell you I love sketch challenges?

Sorry for the bad photo on this one. I'm not sure what happened there, but that's the way it is! It's hard to read the sentiment; it says "just because".
I adore Julee Tilman's sketches! I do! The cards that I make with her sketches just always seem to turn out good. Am I siphoning off her mojo...well, she has plenty!!! The sketch I used can be found here. Then she began her own sketch blog, called Mojo Monday Sketch Blog. Since I am plugging Julee Tilman, you might as well get your wallet and visit her other blog, Verve Stamps or her store! These are top notch stamps folks!!
Back to my card, I also used Holiday Challenge Extravaganza #8 to design my card. Everthing I did on the card is pretty self-explanatory. Since posting it on SCS, I saw a video that demonstrated placement of self adhesive rhinestones that will probably help me get my pearls and rhinestones on much straighter. That stamper used a craft knife to do it! I'll let you know if it works better after I try it!

This is what I used:
Stamps: Fluttering By (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand, Pale Plum, PC Soft Serenity dp
Ink: Sahara Sand
Accessories: 2-way glue pen, lavender ultrafine glitter, lavender organdy ribbon, pretties kit, mini glue dots

All products are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise posted.