Double Challenge Card

I made this card for this week's Clean and Simple Challenge on SplitCoastStampers.  The challenge was to use red, brown, vanilla and kraft, and optionally use orange.  It's also for Technique Tuesday's challenge (that ended yesterday) to use flowers.  These stamps really are flowers, but I guess done in the colors I used, they look more like fancy leaves!  Oh well!

All the stamps are from Papertrey Ink.  The floral images are from Spiral Bouquet and the sentiment is from Birthday Basics.  The inks are all Stampin' Up! - Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red and Pumpkin Pie.  The matting is Chocolate Chip and the card base is PTI Kraft.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Repeat Impressions Stamp of the Week - Fawn

A very simple card for Repeat Impressions Stamp of the Week.  It's such an adorable stamp that it can work all by itself.  Please visit the Repeat Impressions blog, The House That Stamps Built, for all the details you need to get this darling stamp for 50% off, through next Sunday.  You can find the fawn on this page.  Also be sure to check out the other Design Team member's blogs for their creations.

Julie ~ Harriet ~ Maki ~ Dana ~ Robin

I stamped the image on white cardstock with Versafine Onyx Black ink.  I colored it with a Sharpie marker, because I didn't have anything else that seemed fawn-y to me!  The nose and hoof were colored with a Stampin' Up! marker, and the shadow was done with a Copic marker.  I drew the line around the edge using my Tim Holtz ruler and a black SU! marker.  It's matted on some paper from a scrap pack. I thought it matched the fawn exactly:)  The sentiment is also from Repeat Impressions.

Also, don't forget to make your card for the WHAT IF? Wednesday challenge!  You can find the sketch and the details here.  You have until 5:00 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow (September 21) to submit your card and be eligible for the $25 gift certificate.  There will be a new challenge on Wednesday, so be sure to check back!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Brilliant Blue Birthday

Brilliant Blue - that is the name of the blue cardstock.  I had never really cared for it, but it matched the bird, and I found out I actually liked it paired with this light green!

The embossed piece came from my "card parts" box.  I had tested the folder (which is by Sizzix) and had sponged the ink on it.  I thought it would work fine for a card.  I matted it with New Leaf from Papertrey Ink.  I embossed the blue with a Swiss Dots folder from Cuttlebug, and I matted that with New Leaf, also.  The sentiment is from Stampendous and is stamped in Brilliant Blue.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

CAS Thinking of You

I walked over to Michael's on Monday.  It was a nice day and I was tired of my regular route.  I hadn't checked the ad other than to clip out my 50% off coupon, so I didn't even realize that all the punches were on sale for 50% off!  I only got one, though:)  I got this border punch from Recollections and I had to try it out right away.

This green cardstock came in BIG package by Xerox - a couple years ago.  It was really cheap, and I actually got the whole pack of four or five different colors solely for the vanilla.  I never liked this color green, but after punching it, I thought it was OK! :)  So, I built the card from there.  The stamp is from Hampton Art.  I colored it with Stampin' Up! markers.  I matted with SU! Almost Amethyst.  Then I added the pearls to the flower centers in the stamped image and also the border.

In response to Colorado's question from yesterday, the white embossing was done with an Oh My Crafts exclusive Cuttlebug folder.  You can find it (in a set of four) here.  The other one was sent to me by a friend, and I don't know what it's called or where it's from.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Two Christmas Cards

How about a couple Christmas cards for today's post?

For this first one, I embossed the white with a Cuttlebug folder.  The ornament is from Stampin' Up!'s set called Delightful Decorations.  I stamped it with red pigment ink and embossed with Iridescent Sparkle embossing powder.  I punched it out with the coordinating SU! punch.  I added a red brad and some very thin silver cord and mounted the ornament on Dimensionals.  I matted with Real Red cardstock.

This card is somewhat similar.  The red embossed panel was sent to me by a stamping friend.  (Thanks, Suzie!)  The ornament is the same as the above card.  The twill and twine were in my scraps.  The entire red panel is mounted on Dimensionals.  The base for both is Papertrey Ink's Kraft.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

One-Layer "Recipe" Birthday

I think Susan's one-layer challenges are my favorite:)  Her challenge this week is to make a one-layer card using three stamps and one sentiment.  You can find the challenge here.

The flower stamps are from a Hero Arts set that I bought from my friend, Kris, in Des Moines in June. The sentiment is from Stampabilities. I used a Kaleidacolor Spectrum ink pad.  That's it!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Happy Birthday, Annie!

A birthday card for a friend from my Yahoo! stamping group whose birthday was yesterday.  Happy Birthday, Annie!

I was digging in my "card parts" box last week and came across this silver embossed piece.  It was stamped with Papertrey Ink's Text Boxed set and embossed with silver embossing powder.  I sponged ink (Marvelous Magenta, I believe) on the flowers and green ink on the stems and trimmed it right on the edge.  I matted it with some Marvelous Magenta cardstock, which I embossed partly with a Paisley embossing folder from Cuttlebug and added the scoring with my Scor-Pal.  The sentiment is from PTI's Birthday Basics and is also embossed with silver.  I did some piercing, and sanded off the back so it would lay flat.  The magenta layer is matted with shimmery silver paper.

You still have almost a week to participate in the Repeat Impressions WHAT IF? Wednesday challenge.  Just by creating a card using Wendy's great sketch, you'll be entered into a random drawing for a $25 gift certificate!  You can find the sketch and all the details on the RI blog, The House That Stamps Built.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Happy Anniversary, Harriet and Bruce!

I made this card for my good friend, Harriet, and her husband, Bruce.  Their anniversary was yesterday.

 

I used a Dreamweavers stencil and embossing paste for the butterflies.  You can find my video on this technique here, if you are interested.  After they were thoroughly dry, I cut them out.  They are mounted on Pop Dots.  The cardstock is all Papertrey Ink - white, Aqua Mist and Lavender Moon.  The ribbon is from PTI, also.  I embossed the bottom of the lavender panel with a Cuttlebug border embossing folder.  The sentiment is from My Sentiments Exactly.  I stamped it with Versamark and embossed it with Iridescent Sparkle embossing powder.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Repeat Impressions Stamp of the Week - Cheese Heart Mouse

Another Monday brings another Repeat Impressions Stamp of the Week.  This week's stamp is 4205-G, Cheese Heart Mouse.  Isn't he sweet?  You can find him (her?) on this page.  Check out the RI blog, The House That Stamps Built, for the details on how to get this cute stamp at 50% off - this week only!  Also check out what the other members of the Design Team have done with it.

Ayana ~ Dana ~ Darsie ~ Joy ~ Michele

I stamped the image twice on white.  I colored them with markers, and cut out just the cheese heart of the second one.  I even cut out the little holes:)  I popped it up with Dimensionals.  I cut the image and the matting with Nestabilities, and sponged some yellow ink on the image before removing from the die.  The patterned papers are both from a blog candy win (thanks again, Dana!)  I used an EK Success punch and my Scor-Pal on the side piece.  The sentiment is from Repeat Impressions.  I used Dimensionals under the ovals, too, and I also added the punched-out pieces near the sentiment.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

One-Layer Card Gone Awry!

This card started its life as a one-layer card:)  However, I stamped the sentiment too far to the left, so I had to "fix" it.

The main image is Holiday Lamp Post from Repeat Impressions.  I colored it with Stampin' Up! markers.  I added Stickles to the snow and Diamond Glaze to the bulb.  I embossed the border on the side with a Cuttlebug embossing folder and added scored lines with my Scor-Pal.  The matting is Real Red from Stampin' Up!  The sentiment is from Repeat Impressions, also.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Happy Birthday, Vicki!!

A birthday card for one of my Yahoo! group friends.  Happy Birthday, Vicki!  (I sure hope you've gotten your card already.)

I was digging through my "card parts" boxes the other day, and came across this stamped image that was already matted.  The stamp is by Stampin' Up!  The card base is from Die Cuts With a View.  I embossed the white layer with a Sizzix folder.  The butterflies are punched with a Martha Stewart punch, and I added rhinestones for their bodies.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Birthday Basics.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

One-Layer Card - Black and White with a Spot of Color

I made this card for this week's One-Layer Wednesday challenge on Susan's Simplicity blog.   The challenge is to use only black and white with a tiny spot of color. She said to keep the spot of color "rather smallish" and so I did!

I masked the white area off with removable tape and stamped with a stamp from a Paper Studio set. I scored on the edges of the white area and stamped my sentiment, which is from Stampin' Up!'s Sincere Salutations set. My "spot" of color is a tiny red Twinkle from Taylored Expressions.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

One-Layer Card - Done and Re-Done!

I made this card for Susan's One-Layer Wednesday challenge from last week.  The challenge was to use a tree.

I found the curved pieces (for masking) in my "card parts" box from a couple years ago and thought I'd use them again. I sponged with More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie and Really Rust over the open space between my masks. The tree and sentiment are from Inkadinkado and are stamped with Close to Cocoa.

I wasn't really satisfied with it.  As much as I love Clean and Simple, it was just too plain and unbalanced.  So, I added the dashed lines along the curve, and I colored in the tree trunk and leaves.  I think these were great improvements:)

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Repeat Impressions WHAT IF? Wednesday Sketch

It's Repeat Impressions' WHAT IF? Wednesday again - time for Wendy to make up a sketch and the rest of us to make a card using it.  You can find the details on the RI blog,The House That Stamps Built.  We'd love to have you join us!  One random winner for the month of September will win a $25 gift certificate from RI, so it's not only fun, it could get you a wonderful prize.  Also, be sure to check out what the other Rock Stars have created.

Ayana ~ Dana ~ Darsie ~ Harriet ~ Joy

Julie ~ Makiko ~ Michele ~ Robin

I used Repeat Impressions' Holiday Lamp Post stamp.  I colored it with Stampin' Up! markers.  I used Stickles on the snow (on the lamp part and the snow on the greenery.)  I also used Diamond Glaze on the bulb.  The letters are stamped with an SU! alphabet and then they and the matting are cut with punches.  The snowflakes on the green strip are embossed with a Cuttlebug border embossing folder.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Another Center Stair-Step Card

A friend asked me if I would make her mother-in-law a card for her 90th birthday.  I asked, and was told her favorite color was pink.  I think a Stair-Step card is rather special, so that's what I made.

The main image stamp is Lupine from Repeat Impressions.  I colored it with Stampin' Up! markers, and sponged green ink on the edges.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Birthday Basics, and I sponged green on the edges of that, too.  I embossed the top of the pink with a Swiss Dots embossing folder.  The letters were cut with a Cuttlebug alphabet, and the butterflies were punched with a Martha Stewart punch and have pearl bodies.

Here are a couple more views. None of the pictures are very good - sorry! The first one was taken indoors at night without a flash, and the second two were taken outside when it was a little too dark.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Repeat Impressions Stamp of the Week - Jester

Happy Labor Day (to my American readers.)  I hope you are enjoying your three-day weekend. Since it's Monday, it's also Repeat Impressions Stamp of the Week day!  The SOTW for this week is this cute little Jester.  You can find him on this page - just scroll down a bit. The details on how to get this stamp for 50% off are on the RI blog, The House That Stamps Built.  Be sure to check out the other Rock Stars' blog posts:

Dana ~ Harriet ~ Joy ~ Julie ~ Makiko ~ Robin

For my card, I went simple and white. :)  I colored the image with Stampin' Up! markers.  The embossing is done with a Cuttlebug border embossing folder.  I thought it seemed to go with a jester.  The folder is one row of diamonds, so I used a craft stick (popsicle stick) over the folder to just emboss the diamonds and not smoosh the row beside it and ran it through three times.  I also used my Scor-Pal.  The sentiment is from Repeat Impressions, too.  I colored it with markers before stamping.  The matting is all SU! cardstock.

Also, you still have until Tuesday, September 6 at 5:00 p.m. to submit your card for the WHAT IF? Wednesday sketch challenge for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Repeat Impressions.  You can find the details here.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Fall-To Layout Birthday

This card is for Natasha's Fall-To Layout #106.

I was just testing out my new EK Success punch on a scrap of black cardstock, thought it would look good on red, found a scrap of white and stamped Happy Birthday on it, then realized my piece was about the right shape for the sketch. Voila! The flowers are from the wedding section at Michael's - I just colored them with a Real Red marker and added stickers for the centers and mounted them on Pop Dot pieces.

You still have time to participate in the Repeat Impressions WHAT IF? Wednesday for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate.  You can find the details and the great sketch here.  You have until 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, September 7 to submit your card.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Flutter By Wednesday - a Sketch

I made this card for Danni's Flutter By Wednesday.  The challenge this week is a sketch by Mercy Kerin.  You can find the sketch and all the details in this post. This is Danni's birthday month, and she has gone all out and gotten lots of companies to donate fabulous gifts to one lucky winner!

My main image is by Hero Arts.  It's a stampoff I did in Des Moines at our Group Gathering.  I colored it with Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol, then cut it out.  I dabbed Versamark over the whole thing and embossed it with Iridescent Sparkle embossing powder.  It's such a cloudy day today, you really can't even see it!  I matted it with black.  The patterned paper (with more sparkle) is from Die Cuts With a View Pocket Full of Posies matstack.  For the strip across, I used an EK Success border punch.  However, I didn't use the part I was "supposed" to, I used the parts that got cut out.  The flowers in the lower left are from the same punch.  The sentiment is from Papertrey's Around and About Sentiments set.  I stamped the words in Versafine Onyx Black, then stamped the flower in the middle with Versamark.  Then I embossed with clear embossing powder and sponged with Lavendar Lace ink from Stampin' Up!  After that, I used Versamark again and embossed with the Iridescent Sparkle powder, let it dry, used more Versamark and embossed with Deep Impressions embossing powder.  The sentiment is mounted on Pop Dots.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

"Card Parts" Card - and One More

Gosh, it seems like forever since I got to dig through my "card parts" box and make a card.  I recently got a chance, though, and it was fun!

I found this panel of five embossed flowers and wanted to use it.  I wasn't sure how I even had done them, since they were closer together than the folder is wide, but yet they weren't "smooshed."  I'm thinking that I used craft sticks (popsicle sticks) on top of the folder when I embossed, making sure to just put them over the flower itself.  I embossed the lower layer with my Swiss Dots folder.  The sentiment is from Papertrey's Birthday Basics set and the buttons are Elements from American Crafts.  (EDITED TO ADD:  The folder I am using today is one of the SMALL Cuttlebug folders.  It is two by two and three-fourths inches.)

Edited to add: The folder I used is one of a set of four by Cuttlebug. The set is called "Flowers." Follow this link to see what it looks like.

Here is another card I made, so I could tell you exactly how I did it!  I took some heavy duty cereal box cardboard (think Costco!) and cut four pieces, small enough to just cover the flower.  I glued them together.  I put them on top of the folder when I embossed.  I use a BIGkick, and this is the "sandwich" that I used - the platform with Tab One and one clear plate.  Just experiment with your machine until you get a combination that fits through your machine but is tight enough to emboss.  The sentiment is from Repeat Impressions and the buttons are Stampin' Up!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

September Calendar Page

Gosh, it's September!!  I was going to do a card today and was working on the "technique" when I realized it was the First!  My goodness.  I better get working on my calendars for next year - Christmas will be here before I know it!  I printed them out in June and had good intentions, but that's all the further I've gotten with them. :) 


The leaf stamps on this page are from Hero Arts.  I used Stampin' Up! inks to stamp them.  The "Happy Fall" is from a clear Stampendous set.  As always, if you would like my Excel sheet to print out your own calendar pages (mine are 3.5 x 5 inches) just send me an email at LJNeus@hotmail.com.  It's getting a little late to do one for this year, but I have a sheet for next year, too.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!