A Little Inspiration

Merry Christmas (WSC109)

I bought a flower arrangement for a holiday get together with friends last weekend and was so thrilled to see that the tightly closed lily buds were opening this week.

 So, I put this card together for the Weekend Sketch Challenge (109) using this sketch, inspired by this gorgeous lily.  There's one more bud and I really hope it opens too.

It took a while for this paper to grow on me.  The Damask print is felted giving it a nice, soft, fuzzy feel.  Now that I've used it a couple of times, I just love it.

Flower:

• The flower was made with the scallop circle punch.  I punched two circles and cut the first scallop every two scallops about 2/3 of the way into the circle

• The second circle, I cut in half and then into pieces (little heart shapes) and bent the petals at the base and layered them on the first scallop.

• A small heart punch would work too.

A couple of red beads from some garland, leaves from the Sizzlits "Little Leaves" and the swirl from the Sizzix "Festive Christmas Set" completed the flower.

All Supplies Stampin' Up! Except where noted:

Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Cocoa Specialty DSP (Holiday Mini Catalog)

Ink: Real Red

Punches/Shapes: Eyelet Border Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Sizzlits Little Leaves

Other: Sizzix Festive Christmas Set, Ribbon, Beads from Local Craft Store

Happy Friday!

A Quick WSC104

I had just enough time to put together this card for the Weekend Sketch Challenge (WSC104) today.  Of course it took even longer than planned as I played around with the BigShot texture plates and heat embossing...

The sketch was surprisingly challenging even though it appears to be so simple...maybe a little DSP or a clean and simple look would have been easier.  Oh well..

Supplies:

Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla, Thoroughly Modern

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, VersMark

Stamps: Delightful Decorations

Other: Eyelet & Ornament Punches, Damask Texture Plate (BigShot), Silver Embossing Powder & Heat Tool, Ribbon

Have a great weekend!

With All Your Heart (WSC103)

(Oops! I hit the publish button instead of the save button.  Here's the rest of the post.)

I love the Weekend Sketch Challenges (WSC103).  The cards always so creative and it really encourages me to put more into each card.  On a day like today (cold, wet & windy), I can really spend some time on the images and try out some new ideas.

The Weekend Sketch Challenge used squares this week and since I had just spent an afternoon stamping on watercolor paper, I felt this peony from the Asian Artistry (Hostess Level 2) set would be a great focal point.

(More watercolor images coming soon and also here.)

For the inside, I used Very Vanilla lightly sponged with Pink Pirouette and then a coordinating flower/leaf from the Sizzix die cut Bird with Leaves and Flowers.

Supplies:

Paper: Rose Red, Very Vanilla, Watercolor Paper, Soft Sude, Old Olive, Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper

Stamps: Asian Artistry

Ink: Soft Suede, Old Olive, Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze

Other: Ribbon (stash), Sizzix Bird with Leaves and Flowers, Large Oval Punch, Flourishes Texture Plate

To see more takes on the challenge click here or SplitCoastStampers.  And, upload your link for a chance to win goodies at Beate's Blog.

Have a great day!

Bella Bleu Gift Card & Envelope - WSC100

Busily preparing for an upcoming craft show, I put these Gift Card Holders together and just love them!  Each card is the perfect size to hold a gift card in it's pocket.

And, although it fits the birthday motif (using the sentiment from "On Your Birthday" Oops!  That should be "Very Versatile"), it can be used for any occasion.

And has a matching envelope.

Decorated inside too!

I based the card and envelope on Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge (WSC100) - just deviating from the square to a rectangle.  I think I'll use the sketch again for some more cards - it's just to fun!

Here's the sketch:

And my list of supplies:

My primary goal was to make a gift card, but I also wanted to use up some of the scraps I had sitting on my desk (i.e. tags, flowers, stamped images, bits of scrap paper, etc.).

Ink: Not Quite Navy & Soft Suede

Stamps: Of the Earth (Hostess Level 1), Fresh Cuts, Very Versatile

Paper: Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, Vanilla, Kraft

Other: Cricut (flower & tags), Big Shot (Eyelet Texture Plate), 3/16" circle punch, Texture Plate Waves (???), Bird with Flower and Leaves (Sizzix)

Have a great weekend!  To place and order, click here or send me an email.

Fall Thank You - PPA9 and WSC99

I feel like I'm playing catch up today so I can get to the MOJO Monday Sketch!  But first, the card I made for the Pals Paper Arts inspiration challenge (PPA9) based on this picture from Pottery Barn:

Isn't it beautiful?  I really wish I had some green in my stash of goodies, but it's on order.

Then, I used this sketch from Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge.

I really wanted to keep the card simple, just a few stamps, simple colors, and minimal layers.

I started out with the leaf and tree stamps from "Lovely As a Tree" and used Dusty Durango (inspired from the picture). 

Sticking with simple colors, I used Soft Suede for the background and the trees and added a little touch with the scalloped edging.

And, because of the dark card base, I decorated the inside to 'finish' the card and provide a nice clean writing surface.

Supplies:

Ink: Dusty Durango, Soft Suede

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree and All HolidaysPaper: Soft Suede, Dusty Durango, Vanilla

Other: Scallop Punch, Cricut (for circles) Plantin Schoolbook

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.

To place a Stampin' Up! order, click here.

Merry Christmas - WSC97

The Christmas stamps & paper I ordered from Stampin' Up! arrived a few weeks ago and I finally had a chance to play with them today. 

I started with Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge (WSC97), the Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP) from the Holiday Mini Catalog and the Delightful Decorations Stamp and coordinating Ornament Punch.

The card base is Kraft 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" and layered with DSP. 

I stamped the image with Platinum Shimmer Paint that I brushed onto the stamp (but a dauber would work even better) to give it light lines on the image.

 

A little scallop edge along the bottom of the border, some ribbon from my stash and a little paint on the Serene Snowflake Stamp in Platinum Shimmer Paint on Soft Suede were the accents to this card.

Finally, I decorated the inside of the card in matching paper with the sentiment from All Holidays.

Supplies:

Ink: Soft Suede, Platinum Shimmer Paint

Stamps: All Holidays, Delightful Decorations & Serene Snowflakes

Paper: Soft Suede, Whisper White and Christmas Cocoa Specialty (DSP)

Other: Scallop & Ornament Punches, Ribbon (stash)

Be sure to check out the other submissions over at Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) or here.

Have a great weekend!

Fall Thank You - WSC96

 This card was really fun to make and used so many techniques.  I started with Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge (WSC96) and some fun embossed images that I made with my friend Shirley.

Shirley and I spent yesterday afternoon playing with our Big Shots, cutting images, embossing and coloring and of course chatting and catching up.

Specs:

I started with a standard 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card base of Soft Suede layered with Sahara Sand cut to 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".

On top of that I layered Dusty Durango (for some reason the pictures show the Dusty Durango as being quite bright when in fact it is a lovely muted/soft orange not amount of photoshop seemed to get the color quite right) and Whisper White.

The strip of leaves was made with the metal stencil by Paula Hallinan, sponged in Antique Linen, Kiwi Kiss, Dusty Durange, Soft Suede and a touch of Riding Hood Red.  Embossing gave it just a slightly raised image inset within the Antique Linen border (doesn't quite come through in the photo).

The maple leaf was cut from the Sizzix "Leaves" from Soft Suede, sponged along the edges in the same ink and then a bit of gold glitter added.

The trees from "Lovely as a Tree were stamped in Soft Suede on Whisper White and sponged with Antique Linen, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Dusty Druango, & Soft Suede.  I wrapped the image with a bit of twine and knotted it.

The sentiment is from "All Holidays" stamped in Dusty Durango on Whisper White, punched, grommeted, and sponged with Antique Linen.

The last step was the inside.  I cut a piece of Sahara Sand to 4 1/8" x 5 3/8"and sponged the stencil image in the corner with Dusty Durango and Sahara Sand.

Supplies:

Ink: Soft Suede, Dusty Durango, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red & Antique Linen (Ranger)

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, All Holidays

Paper: Soft Suede, Sahara Sand, Dusty Durango, & Whisper White

Other: Leaf Stencil (Paula Hallinan), Leaves (Sizzix), Glitter & Twine (stash)

Have a great weekend and be sure to check out the other wonderful submissions on SCS or via Mr. Linky.

A Little Weekend Inspiration - WSC95

The sketches and cards made from the Weekend Sketch Challenge are always an inspiration.  This weekend, I was inspired to make this card based on Beate's WSC95.  (For some reason the color on the photo is off a little bit...)

Using Sahara Sand as the card base (4 1/4" x 5 1/2"), I layered parchment paper and remnants from the French Flea Market Paper by My Mind's Eye.  Such pretty paper! 

(I've used nearly all of it and can't wait for a new batch of SU! Designer Paper to arrive.)

I distressed the parchment paper with Linen Distress Ink and then stamped the Baroque Border in Baja Breeze.

Using the birdcage from my stash of stamped images (it's a great way to utilize friends stamps/shares - just stamp images in various colors for later use), layered the paper and tied some twine through the ribbon.

 

Finally, I decorated the inside to match with more parchment paper, the baroque border, and some scraps of paper.

Supplies:

Ink:Baja Breeze, Linen & Tea Dye Distress Inks

Paper: French Flea Market (My Mind's Eye) & Parchment Paper

Stamps: Very Versatile & Baroque Border (wheel), Birdcage from Anna Griffin

Other: Butterfly Rub-On (The Paper Co.), Button & Twine (from stash), Scallop Punch

All Stampin' Up! unless noted.Be sure to check out the other cards made with this sketch.  They are so pretty.

Have a great weekend!

Simple Note to Say Hello - WSC94

Well, after a long week, I wasn't feeling to inspired to make a card but I'll be gone this weekend, so I put this together quickly for the Weekend Sketch Challenge #94.

I used Sahara Sand as the card base, and layered Rich Razzleberry & Soft Suede under the image (Inspired by Nature) that was stamped in Basic Grey.

The image was sponged along the edges in Soft Suede and Linen Distress ink.  The sentiment, from Sweet Little Sentiments, was stamped and layered on Rich Razzleberry. 

 The inside of the card was layered as well.  The base being vanilla.

Not too bad for 20 or so minutes (while talking on the phone).

Have a great weekend and be sure to check out the other submissions.

Love & Lace - WSC92

For some reason I have love and Valentine's day on my mind and when I saw this paper in my stash, I felt compelled to use it. 

I just love this sketch from Sharon Harnist and feel the card needs a little something more...but I couldn't find anything quite right...may just have to make another.

I have so many new things to show you!  I have a couple of sewing projects, knit projects, & combo projects that are waiting to be photographed (tomorrow if all goes well!).

Stay tuned and be sure to check out the other posts - they are just gorgeous!