2009 February » fresh & fun

Branch Out - Masculine Version

Nestabilities, Stampin' Up! 39 Responses »

Feb 282009

Sorry I made you wait so long for this card. I forgot to post it. Sorry! I made if for a special project, that’s why it’s an unusual size.

The card base is a 6 1/4″ square in Basic cardstock, followed by a 6″ square of textured Basic Black cardstock.

A 5 1/4″ sanded square of To the Nines Specialty Paper was adhered to a 5 1/2″ square of Sahara Sand cardstock. I actually got my sewing machine out for this one and zigzag stitched around the edges with black thread.

The card already went out, so I am not quite sure about the rest of the paper sizes. But it looks pretty easy to figure out. I just stamped the tree from the set Branch Out in Black Stazon on Sahara Sand cardstock, added leaves in Always Artichoke and sponged the edges with Artichoke after distressing them with the Cutter Kit. It was layered on a black scalloped rectangle I had cut with Nestabilities. The edges of the main images were paper pierced (what else).

The ribbon is from May Arts and was wrapped around the Sahara/Designer paper twice. I stamped the B from Schoolbook Serif Alpha in black on Sahara Sand, punched it out with the 1 3/8″ circle punch, paper pierced and sponged the edges with Always Artichoke. It needed a little more, so I stamped the B again the same way, cut it out and mounted it over the first b. (The b is for my name….the receiver of the card likes to call me B).

The sentiment Good times comes from the stamp set Many Happy Returns. It was stamped in Black on Sahara Sand, was punched out with the Window Word Punch and sponged with Always Artichoke. The two brads are Build-A-Brads. I added 1/2″ black cardstock circle punchouts in them and placed them on the top right to finish off the card.

I have a workshop today. My first one over two years outside my house. Wish me luck! I hope I don’t forget anything…

Weekend Sketch Challenge #70

Challenge, Stampin' Up!, weekend sketch challenge 41 Responses »

Feb 272009

Starting today we will handle the WSC a little different.

Every week there will be a different girl from the challenge team creating the sketch and hosting the challenge.

Today’s sketch is from Lori. Please go there to add your entry! I don’t know if you noticed, but I added a Mr. Linky to last weeks challenge later that last weekend. We will use it from now on for the challenges. It will make it easier to look at everyone’s sample.

What a great sketch to show off Designer paper. I know we all have some! LOL

I started my card by working on the main image. I used the 1 3/4″ x 3″ outer right hand strip for that. I stamped the flower from Le Jardin Botanique (GORGEOUS new set) in Basic Brown on Shimmery White cardstock.

I masked the flower and stamped En Francais over in Sahara Sand. Two more flowers were stamped in Sahara Sand over the cardstock and the edges were sponged in the same color. Next I colored the image with Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss and Baja Breeze classic inks and Aqua Painter. To finish the image off I added a little sparkle with the 2 way glue and Dazzling Diamond Glitter.

The edges were distressed with the Cutter Kit and the top left and bottom right received a few paper piercings. I punched a 3″ strip of Baja Breeze cardstock with the Eyelet Border punch, muted the color with White craft ink and taped it underneath the image on the right hand side.

The left strip measures 1 1/8″ x 3″ was sanded and is from the Parisian Breeze Designer paper. Two silver 5/16″ Jumbo brads were added to the top left. The horizontal strip of designer paper measures 7/8″ x 4 1/4″ and is from the same designer paper pack. It was also sanded and a Shimmery White Eyelet Border layer was added underneath. White Taffeta ribbon as tied around it (as well as the grey and white layer) and a hat pin from Pretties Kit was added through the knot.

The card base is a 4 1/4″ x 11″ piece of Kraft cardstock folded in half. On top of that is a 4″ x 5 1/4″ piece of Shimmery White cardstock. The edges were distressed with the cutter kit (and the inside cut out so I wouldn’t waste my precious shimmery paper). The gray designer paper is from the new Urban Oasis Designer Paper. The edges were paper pierced and sanded.

The sentiment is also from Le Jardin Botanique. It was stamped in Basic Brown, cut out , layered first on a 1 1/4″ Kraft circle, then a 1 3/8″ Chocolate circle and a Baja Breeze scallop circle that was muted with white craft ink.

For the card inside I distressed a 4″ x 5 1/4″ piece of Basic Gray cardstock.

I stamped the flower twice in Basic Gray on the right hand side.

On the bottom I added another sanded 7/8″ x 4″ strip of Parisian Breeze Designer paper with a Eyelet Border underneath.

Make sure to check

Cambria Turnbow

Charmaine Ikach

Jenn Balcer

Mary Jo Albright

Lori Craig and

Sharon Harnist’s blogs for more samples.

Have a great weekend. Hugs and smiles

Springy Tree

Big Shot, Stampin' Up! 23 Responses »

Feb 252009

Here is another card I made during VSN on Saturday. I never got a chance to upload it during VSN. I had to try out my new Oval Big Shot die as well as the new stamp set Branch Out. I love that tree. This card is a very girly version of it. I made a more manly card as well. I will share it another day.

The card base is a 4 1/4″ x 11″ piece of Kiwi Kiss folded in half.

The designer paper on the bottom measures 2 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ and is from the Sweet Always Designer Paper pack. Over it is a 1″ strip of Whisper White cardstock that was punched with the Eyelet Border punch.

The tree trunk was stamped in Chocolate Chip on Whisper White ink. Leaves were added in Kiwi Kiss, the butterflies with Regal Rose an the tire swing with Basic Gray. All stamps are from the stamp set Branch Out. The image was cut with the Big Shot Die Oval Scallop Frame. I used that die again with Chocolate Chip cardstock to create my scallop border. The border was paper pierced around it’s smooth edge before taping it to the card base with dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the stamp set Many Happy Returns. It was stamped with Basic Gray ink on Whisper White cardstock and punched out with the Window Word punch. It was then first layered on a small oval punch-out in Chocolate Chip, then on a Curly Label punch-out in Kiwi Kiss.

To finish it off I added a small Butterfly punched with a Martha Steward punch that was topped with some Amuse bling. I also added two white brads on the top left.

Have a wonderful day! Hugs and smiles

Happy Tulips - Color challenge on SCS

3-D items, Challenge, Copics, Nestabilities, Our Craft Lounge 12 Responses »

Feb 242009

I had the very best weekend! Jenn and I just hang out, worked and stamped together. Sunday we drove to Pensacola to meet up with the three Flourishes as well as SCS members and Marianne Walker. It was so much fun. Monday we went to the Copic Class Marianne held. Fun, fun, fun…..

On our way home we called Emily to get a little heads up on the color combo for today. Well…not only did we get a heads up, but she let Jenn pick the colors. We went with: Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun and Kiwi Kiss.

Sorry about the fuzzy picture. It was LATE when I took it. Of course we had to play with copics for the challenge.

I used the new Our Craft Lounge set Growing Gratitude. The image was stamped in Memento Ink on Neenah White cardstock and colored with Copic Markers (C1, T5 for Watering Can – note to self, I need more gray markers, Flowers: YR04, Y17 and YR18 and BV02 BV04 for the PURPLE flowers, Leaves: YG06, YG25 ). I added some sparkle the flowers with Spica Glitter Pens.

The background was airbrushed with B21. The image was cut out with Nestabilities. Next I cut the the watercan out and adhered it with dimensionals. May Arts ribbon was tied around the handle. The layer was adhered to a piece of Basic Gray cardstock. I cut around it and layered it on a Kiwi Kiss Nestabilities cut out. A Pewter Jumbo brad was set in the top right of the tag.

The back of the tag is basically done the same way as the front.

Instead of a big image, I just use the flower sprinkled ground stamp. The flowers were colored with the same colors as the front.

Both layers were taped together with dimensionals.

The Bandaid box was covered with a strip of Bella Rose Designer paper and a small scalloped border of Urban Oasis Designer paper. I used the Scallop Edge punch to add the scallops and Scor-Tape to adhere both layers to the tin.

Hold on to your Seats....

Cornish Heritage, Stampin' Up! 31 Responses »

Feb 212009

….Jenn made me participate in the VSN over at Splitcoast last evening. Here is the first card I made. It was for the sketch challenge. Of course I had to change the sketch up a little. I switched the heart for a butterfly.

The card base is a 4 1/4″ x 8 1/2″ piece of Not Quite Navy cardstock folded in half.

The next layers is a 4″ square of Chocolate Chip cardstock layered with a 3 3/4″ square of Baja Breeze cardstock on top. En FrancaisBackground was stamped on the Baja cardstock with Baja ink. The edges were distressed with the cutter kit. The corners were paper pierced. Retired Chocolate Satin ribbon was tied around both layers.

Both circles were cut out withCircle Nestabilities. The smaller circle was cut out of Bella Bleu Designer Paper, the edges were paper pierced.

The butterfly is from Simple Friendship. It was inked with Not Quite Navy ink, then I added Chocolate Chip on the body with the marker, stamped on Shimmery White cardstock, cut out and adhered with dimensionals under the wings…

For the inside of the card, I repeated the layers of the front of the card.

On the Baja Breeze layer I added a 1 1/4″ strip of Bella Blue Designer paper and a Eyelet Border punchedstrip of Shimmery White cardstock.

Have a wonderful day! We are off to the beach. It’s cold here today, but I have to show Jenn my beach. Hugs and smiles

No One Like You

Challenge, Stampin' Up! 22 Responses »

Feb 202009

I usually don’t buy the Stampin’ Kits from Stampin’ Up!, but I couldn’t resist this one. I love that big Damask image. Here is my sample for today’s Sketch made with the No One Like You Stampin’ Kit.

I started out with a 4 1/4″ x 8 1/2″ piece of Pink Pirouette cardstock folded in half.

The Chocolate designer paper is from the Bella Rose pack and measures 1 1/2″ x 4 1/4″. It was sanded with the sanding block before it was taped to the card.

The Riding Hood Red cardstock measures 2 1/4″ x 2 3/4″. It was stamped with the Damask stamp from No One Like You in VersaMark, the edges were distressed with the Cutter kit and part of the lower edge was paper pierced. A 1″ x 2 3/4″ piece of Shimmery White cardstock was punched with the Eyelet Border punch and taped underneath the red layer. Pink Pirouette Striped Grosgrain ribbon was tied around it and everything was taped down with Scor-Tape.

For the sentiment I stamped the Damask image in Pink Pirouette ink on Shimmery White. I stamped the sentiment from No One Like you in Chocolate Chip over the image and punched it out with the wide oval punch. I added a paper pierced line underneath the sentiment. The oval was adhered to the card with dimensionals.

A small flower from the Pretties Kit was sponged with Riding Hood Red ink and sponge dauber and adhered to the lower right of the oval with a dimensional. A small half Pearl from the Pretties kit was glued in the flower center with Crystal Effect.

The inside of this card was another sample for my Pop Up card tutorial.

The layered layered Damask was popped up with a tab, instead of cuts into the card base.

The Damask had been stamped in Riding Hood Red ink on Shimmery White cardstock twice, then cut out. The inside of the flower was adhered to the main flower with dimensionals.

I layered the inside of the card with a 4″ square of Shimmery White cardstock with a small sanded strip of Bella Rose Designer paper on the bottom. The top right corner was paper pierced (hard to see in this photo).

Have a wonderful weekend! I am so excited, I am grinning from ear to ear. Jenn Balcer is coming for a visit over the weekend. I can’t wait to hang out with my best friend!!!! Wohooo!!!

Weekend Sketch Challenge #69

weekend sketch challenge 49 Responses »

Feb 202009

To participate in the challenge and be entered in the raffle, make a card with this layout and upload it either to your blog, or to an online gallery.

If you upload your card on SCS, put WSC69 (NO SPACE INBETWEEN WSC AND 69) in the keyword section. That way we can look at all of them at once!

Post a link to your card to this blog entry as a comment. Please add your entry# to it.

I will determine the winner with Random.org on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. CST.

I found the sketch on page 98 of the Fall/Winter idea book and catalog.

To see samples made with this sketch now, check out the blogs of

Cambria Turnbow

Charmaine Ikach

Jenn Balcer

Laurie Schmidlin

Lori Craig

MaryJo Albright

Sharon Harnist

Have fun creating! I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

SCS submissions

Tutorial on SCS - Basic Pop Up Card

Stampin' Up!, Tutorials 14 Responses »

Feb 182009

Today’s tutorial on Splitcoaststampers is for the Basic Pop-Up Card. I wrote the tutorial with the inside of Saturday’s card.

I love this new set, the new paper and of course the in colors.

WSC68 winner is Joan Jeffrey

Chitter Chatter 1 Response »

Feb 182009

Random.org picked #25 as the winner of the sketch challenge, that is Joan Jeffrey with this card.

Thank you all for participating in the challenge! You rock!

Hugs and smiles

Easy Eastern Bloom

Stampin' Up! 15 Responses »

Feb 172009

Here is an easy and quick 3″ x 3″ card I made today.

The card base is a 3″ x 6″ piece of textured Chocolate Chip cardstock. folded in half.

A 2 1/4″ square of Shimmery White cardstockwas layered on a 1/4″ bigger piece of Kiwi Kiss cardstock. The border of the Shimmery White cardstock was paper pierced. Red Taffeta Ribbon was tied around the lower half of both layers.

The big flower from Eastern Bloomwas inked first in Tangerine Tango, then the edges were rolled in Riding Hood Red. It was stamped on Shimmery White cardstock and cut out. I stamped the image again in Chocolate chip, punched the center out with a 1/2″ circle punch, taped it on a Build a Brad and added that to the center of my Tangerine Flower.

The sentiment is from the Simply Sent kit No One Like you. It was stamped on Shimmery White cardstock in Chocolate chip, punched out with the small oval punch and layered on a 1″ Chocolate chip circle punch.

I will show the inside of this card tomorrow. Have a wonderful day! Hugs and smiles