2009 July » fresh & fun

VSN Paper Chef - Wilted Lettuce

Challenge, Nestabilities, Stampin' Up! 9 Responses »

Jul 182009

Yesterday was VSN over on SCS. I actually participated in three of the four challenges. It felt great to create so much in one day. On one sample I even went above and beyond and used glitter and microbeads. I usually don’t use it much…..I don’t like messes. Then my hubby came by and commented on me being sparkly …..so I rubbed my hands all over his stubbly face. He is still sparkly this morning. What a great start of a weekend!!!

It’s cold and cloudy here. I was laying in bed reading the new Nora Roberts book until noon. I love reading in bed! That’s why my blog entry is a bit late. I love lazy Saturday mornings!

The first card I will share with you is for the Wilted Lettuce challenge.

You had to use only salad colors and had to incorporate crinkled cardstock and an italian sentiment.

I figured when lettuce goes bad, it turns brown and chose Rich Razzleberry, Chocolate Chip and Old Olive as my colors.

I knew I wanted to make a 3″ x 3″ card. I love this little size and hadn’t made one of those since coming out of my stamping hybernation. I started with a 3″ x 6″ piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock folded in half. Next I distressed the edge of a 2 3/4″ square of Rich Razzleberry. The next layer is a 1/4″ smaller piece of Old Olive. The edges were stamped with the branch stamp from Great Friend, distressed with the cutter kit and sponged in Old Olive.

The designer paper is from the retired Hawaii Papaya paper pack. It was cut with Circle Nestabilities, crumpled and then taped on a slightly bigger scallop Chocolate Chip circle. I sanded over the paper to make the crinkles stand out more, cut one side off and paper pierced the remaining round edge. Before adhering the round layers to the Razzleberry/Olive layers with dimensionals, I tied White Organza ribbon around the square layers.

I stamped the butterfly from Great Friend twice in Rich Razzleberry on Shimmery White cardstock, cut them out with the paper snips and adhered one on top of the other with Sticky Strip under it’s body and a stack of two dimensionals under each wing. Kaiser clear Rhinestones were added to the body of the butterfly to finish him off.

The sentiment was stamped with the retired Rough Edge Alphabet (I really need to get the current Calendar Alpha set) in Rich Razzleberry on Shimmery White cardstock. It was punched out with the Window Word punch. The branch stamp was stamped twice in second generation Old Olive and the edges were sponged. It was layered on a Rich Razzleberry Modern Label Punch-out. The right edge was cut off and it was taped the the card. Last I added another rhinestone to tie them in to the rest of the card.

The inside of the card is very simple.

I stamped a 2 1/2″ Old Olive square with the branch stamp from Great Friend in Old Olive, distressed and sponged the edges.

That layer was adhered to a 2 3/4″ square of Rich Razzleberry with distressed edges. Easy Peasy.

Have a great Saturday afternoon. Hugs and smiles

RAK from Ali

RAK 1 Response »

Jul 182009

Check out the gorgeous card Ali sent me.

Make sure you check out her blog from more of her great work.

Hugs and smiles

Mambo Thanks

Challenge, Nestabilities, Stampin' Up! 19 Responses »

Jul 172009

When I first saw Lori’s sketch, I wasn’t so sure I would like it.

I don’t know what you guys do when you see a sketch, but me, I start doodling extra layers and scallops and what not until I have an idea on how my finished image might look like.

Then I pick colors, then the sets. Once my doodling was done, I knew I would like the card that would come out of the sketch. I knew right away that I wanted to add the Medallion background as backdrop for this card. I have been itching to use this stamp.

Colors, colors were harder. I wanted to play with the new in-colors, but their vibrance still scare me. So I just picked Soft Suede with Melon Mambo. I toned it even more down with Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla and was ready to go. I tell you…the hardest part was picking a sentiment that would work with the sketch as well as the Medallion.

The card base is a 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock piece folded in half.

Next comes a 4″ x 5 1/4″ piece of Very Vanilla. All four corners were punched with the ticket corner punch.

The 3 3/4″ x 5″ piece of Melon Mambo was stamped with the Medallion background stamp in Melon Mambo. Again all four corners were punched with the ticket corner punch.

I adhered the Melon piece to the Vanilla layer and paper pierced a border. Next I taped a 1 1/8″ x 5 1/4″ strip of Very Vanilla for my horizontal layer after punching it with the Eyelet Border punch. Soft Suede Polka Dot ribbon was tied above the strip.

The Chocolate Chip rectangle in the center measures 3″ x 3 1/2″ and was topped with a 3/8″ smaller piece of Soft Suede Pattern Designer Paper. I paper pierced all four corners and attached the layers to the card base Vanilla/Mambo layers with dimensionals.

For the sentiment I chose a saying from the set Full of Life. I stamped it in Chocolate Chip on Very Vanilla Cardstock and stamped the Medallion background over it in 3rd generation Melon Mambo. It was cut out with Oval Nestabilities and layered on a slightly bigger scalloped Oval in Chocolate chip. These layers were attached to the center rectangle with dimensionals.

To finish off the card front, I added three brads from the Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware kit to the right side of the card.

As always, the inside of the card mirrors the card front.

I added a 4″ x 5 1/4″ piece of Very Vanilla and a 1/4″ smaller piece of Melon Mambo to the inside.

Both layers were punched with the ticket corner punch.

The horizontal strip measured 1 1/4″ x 5″ and was punched with the Eyelet border punch.

A 3/4″ x 5″ piece of Soft Suede Pattern Designer Paper was taped above it.

Now that I see the card uploaded, I think with a different sentiment, it would make a great unconventional Christmas Card.

Have a great weekend. Hugs and smiles

Weekend Sketch Challenge #89

weekend sketch challenge 1 Response »

Jul 172009

Here is the sketch for this weekend sketch challenge

Lori Craig is this week’s hostess.

Make sure you to link your card to her thread.

Have a great weekend. Hugs and smiles

I used PURPLE!

Challenge, Nestabilities, Stampin' Up! 13 Responses »

Jul 162009

I was a bit behind on the challenges this week, so I decided to double up.

I made a card for the Color Challenge as well as the Sketch Challenge.

Not even the color combo this week could stop me. Lavendar Lace, Barely Banana, Whisper White and Basic Black. It had to be purple in there to welcome me back. LOL

My card base is a 4 1/4″ x 10″ piece of Basic Black cardstock folded in half.

I made the card a bit shorter then usual. It just didn’t look right as a regular 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ card.

Next is a 3 7/8″ x 4 5/8″ piece of Lavendar Lace.

I didn’t have current designer paper with the right colors, so I used paper from the newly retired Bella Bird and Urban Oasis Paper packs. The vertical strip measures 3″ x 4 5/8″ and has a scalloped edged Shimmery White cardstock edge on each side. The horizontal strip measures 1 7/8″ x 3 7/8″. Organdy Satin Ribbon was taped over it.

The main image is from the stamp set Asian Artistry. It was stamped in Black Stazon on Shimmery White cardstock. I added color to the stems with Barely Banana Marker and to the blooms with Aqua Painter and Lavelndar Lace Pad (you got to mute that purple!). I cut the image out with rectangular Nestabilities and sponged the edges with Barely Banana. Next I layered the image on a slightly larger piece of Lavendar Lace, then on a Scallop rectangle (cut with Rectangle Nestabilities).

The sentiment is from the new set Teeny, Tiny Wishes. It was stamped in Black Stazon on Shimmery White cardstock and punched out with the small oval punch. I stamped the main image in Barely Banana over it and sponged the edges in the same color. It was layered on a 1″ circle in Lavendar Lace and a Designer Label punchout in Basic Black cardstock. An oval silver frame from the Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware collection was added over the sentiment to finish it off. To tie in the hardware, I added two more silver brads on the top left.

The inside of the card is pretty basic.

Just a little more of the same cardstock and paper as on the front.

Have a wonderful day! Hugs and smiles

Tutorial on SCS - Peek-a-Boo Box

3-D items, Stampin' Up!, Tutorials 12 Responses »

Jul 152009

Today’s tutorial on SCS is written by Brenda Quintana and shows you how to make a darling Peek-a-Boo Box. I made my sample to match the Halloween card I posted on Monday. I really like the new Cast-a-Spell Designer Paper.

The skull from From the Crypt is stamped in Black Stazon on textured White cardstock.

It was punched out with the 1 3/8″ circle punch and adhered to an Old Olive cardstock scrap piece. I cut close around it and layered that on to a Rich Razzleberry Scallop Circle. Clear Rhinestone brads in the eye socket finish of my centerpiece.

The sentiment is from All Holidays. It was stamped on Textured White cardstock. in Black Stazon.

The left edge of the cardstock was punched partially with the Photo Corner Punch to create the banner edge.

I shaped it slightly with mountain/valley waves and taped the sentiment to the box top with Sticky Strip. The center image was adhered to the box with dimensionals.

The 1 1/2″ Whisper White cardstock square was stamped with a stamp from Eat, Drink & Be Scary in Old Olive.

It was layered on a 1 5/8″ Basic Black square and a row was paper pierced on the bottom edge. Then it was layered on a 1 3/4″ Rich Razzleberry square and taped to the inside of the box top.

The bat is from the From the Crypt set and was stamped in Black Stazon on Textured White Cardstock. It was cut out and taped with dimensionals under the wings over the sentiment.

I know it’s a bit early for Halloween projects, but I just love that set and paper.

Have a wonderful day! Hugs and smiles

Kind & Caring Thoughts in Melon Mambo

Stampin' Up! 3 Responses »

Jul 142009

Check out this beauty!

One of the things I was excited about in Ohio is that Mary Brown lives only about 25 minutes from my house.

How lucky am I? I have been in awe of Mary’s cards ever since I started stamping. End of last month I finally got to meet her. She was kind enough to invite me over while some of her downline/sideline gathered at her house. We had pizza and she had prepped some cards for us to stamp. This was one of them. I had a blast!

I love the elegant feel of this card. And you know I love that Eyelet Border Punch. It’s just sooo pretty.

RAK from Donna

RAK 3 Responses »

Jul 142009

Check out the great card Donna sent me.

Can you see the sparkle on the main image?

Thank you so much, Donna. I love the card.

Featured Stamper - Schirmcat

Challenge, Nestabilities, Stampin' Up! 10 Responses »

Jul 132009

I didn’t get to stamp on Saturday. I got my nose stuck in a book again and couldn’t stop reading. After finishing the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, I continued reading fantasty with Tad Williams Dragonbone Chair and then I stumbled upon Patricia Briggs . I love her easy to read, fun novels. I have almost read them all now and can’t wait until two new books are coming out in August.

Yesterday though, I didn’t touch a book all day. First church (we love our new church here. Our pastor used to be the pastor of Rick’s parents church in San Antonio, where we got married and the boys were dedicated. We couldn’t believe our luck that he is up here now.), then Cheesecake factory, then work, then the Featured Stamper challenge on SCS. That is such a great challenge for mojo challenged stamper like me. Casing stampers is fun!!!

I checked out Kelly’s great gallery and decided on this card.

I love the layout and colors. So soothing.

Well…I wanted to try out new stamps and paper. I had ordered the Halloween paper and the new stamp set From the Crypt. I love the images in that stamp set. I decided to use the skull image for the case of this card.

The card base is a 4 1/4″ x 11″ piece of Rich Razzleberry cardstock.

It was layered with a 3 7/8″ x 5 1/8″ piece of Basic Black cardstock. The top two corners were punched with the ticket corner punch. Next were two 3 5/8″ wide pieces of Cast-a-Spell Designer Paper. Between both layers I added a 1″ x 3 5/8″ strip of Basic Black cardstock that had been punched with the Eyelet border punch. Striped Old Olive Ribbon was tied above the punched strip.

I stamped the skull in Black Stazon on a 2 1/2″ square of Textured White Cardstock and added a bit of Rich Razzleberry into the skull with the Aqua Painter. All corners were punched with the Ticket Corner punch. It was layered on a slightly bigger piece of Basic Black cardstock and then on a scalloped Rich Razzleberry square. The square had been cut with Nestabilities.

In the catalog sample for this set Clear Rhinestones were added into the skull eye sockets. I thought that looked cool and added Clear Rhinestone brads in mine. The sentiment is from All Holidays. It was stamped in Black Stazon on Textured White cardstock and was punched out with the large oval punch. I added a paper pierced row underneath and placed one Clear Rhinestone brad on the right edge.

It still didn’t look finished so I stamped the bat from From the Crypt in Black Stazon on Textured White cardstock, cut it out and taped it on the left hand side of the sentiment. I taped the body down with Sticky Strip and added dimensionals under it’s wings.

For the inside I layered a Whisper White piece of cardstock to a black cardstock piece.

On both the top corners were punched with the ticket corner punch.

I added a 1 1/4 strip of Cast-a-Spell Designer paper on the bottom of both layers and taped Polka Dot Razzleberry Ribbon dotted side down on top of the paper. I added a Clear Rhinestone brad on the right hand side.

When looking for something to add next to the sentiment in the front, I had stamped and cut out a spider along with the bat. Since the spider was already cut out, I used it for the card inside.