Color Throwdown #8

Edited to add: This post was supposed to publish on Wednesday--for some reason it did not! My apologies to the Color Throwdown team--honestly, I had this ready last week!
Today's Color Throwdown is from Tammy, and it is a bevy of beautiful colors! I threw in a few extras, but the main ones are there: Cameo Coral, Certainly Celery, Old Olive and So Saffron as an extra! Since I am on vacation this week at the Delaware shore, I knew this had to be a fairly quick card. I was suffering from Basic Grey withdrawal, so I sorted through my stash and found these floral & olive patterns from Stella Ruby and a coral from Two Scoops. I enhanced the olive by stamping the retired French Script in Old Olive and "coraled" the pink by washing it with some Cameo Coral. Then I sewed everything together onto my So Saffron card base with coral thread!!

The stamped image is from Dreams DuJour, stamped in Old Olive craft ink on Confetti Cream and watercolored with Cameo Coral, Certainly Celery and So Saffron. I then overstamped it with Sanded in Sahara Sand ink to give it a shabby look. Each nestie layer has also been shabbied, just by rubbing the ink pad over the cardstock. I added some retired organdy ribbon and a hodgepodge hardware thingie (that I never know what to do with!) and heated up the ends of the ribbon with my heat gun to crinkle it up and make it look shabby too! Looking at it again, I wish I had stamped my image in a darker color, but it is done, so no looking back!

Please feel free to play the challenge as well; we want to see what you come up with ! Post a comment on the Throwdown blog and link it to your own blog or to SCS. Be sure to use the keyword CTD8 if you post to SCS!

Now check out what the other Throwdown girls have come up with!

• Broni - Splashes of Watercolor
• Kisa - Kisa's Paper Cuts
• Tammy - Stamp Happy
• Tracy - Durcan Designs
• Cathy - Crafty Thoughts

Card details:

• Stamps: Dreams duJour, French Script, Sanded
  
• Paper: So Saffron, Confetti Cream, Cameo Coral, Old Olive, Basic Grey Stella Ruby & Two Scoops
• Ink: Cameo Coral, So Saffron, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Sahara Sand
• Acc: Sewing Machine, Nesties, HPH, Organdy Ribbon, Heat Tool
  

Extra Special People

You know how some people come into your life who just go a little further to help you out, extend a kindness or just make you smile?  I have two I want to thank today!!

First a huge THANK YOU to Maria at Kitchen Sink Stamps!!  I lost a teeny tiny little piece from my 3-Step Daisy Stamp set and she replaced it at no cost!  How many businesses would do that nowadays?  I highly recommend that you check out their stamps...there is nothing like them around that I have ever seen!  And again, thanks Maria!!

Second, a RAK from Shawn, who always knows how to make me laugh and cheer me up!  Isn't this a sweet card?  I love the colors she used and the way she has put the elements together on this card!!!  She is a very creative stamper and I love seeing her create!  Thanks Shawn!

Finally, my computer & I are going on vacation next week; we are going away and the computer is going to the computer hospital as it has been acting a little sick lately, so some PM is necessary before it goes kaput on me altogether!  Have a great week and hopefully when I come back in September, I'll be posting on a more regular basis!

LeAnne

Stamp Club Projects

By chance, all three of my stamp clubs met in August, so to make things easier on myself, I planned all the same projects. Normally, since they meet in different months, I plan different ones, but this worked best for me. I highlighted stamp sets from the new SU catalog as well as a couple techniques and accessories.

As I had said before, I don't have many children's sets, so I thought Sock Monkey would be a great all-around set to have, especially with all the little accessories. On this card, we colored his feet & tail with a white Watercolor Crayon, then blended it with a blender pen. The photo frames were made by punching a square with the 1/4" punch, then centering the hole within the window of the 3/4" punch and punching again. Cut the little punched piece out on the diagonal, and you have an instant photo corner! There was lots of discussion about this image--you like it or you don't! Regardless of which side you're on, check it this posting HERE--you will crack up!

• Stamps: Sock Monkey, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
• Paper: So Saffron, Ruby Red, Creamy Caramel, Choc Chip
• Ink: White Craft, Ruby Red, Basic Brown
• Acc: Markers, Glitter, 1/4" & 3/4" Square Punches, Dimensionals, WC Crayons, Blender Pens
  

Flight of the Butterfly, a free set we received at convention, has so many possibilities and I keep wanting to make lots of lots of cards in lots of different colors! For this one, I chose Pirouette Pink, Kiwi Kiss and the new Bella Rose DP, on which we used the new Scallop Edge Punch. VERY easy to use! We learned how to use the Stamp-a-ma-Jig with a two-step stamp, which is such a helpful tool. The Riding Hood Red button adds just the right touch to this sweet card.

• Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly
• Paper: Pirouette Pink, WW, Kiwi Kiss, Bella Rose DP
• Ink: Pirouette Pink, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red
• Acc: Button, Thread, SAMJ, Scallop Edge Punch

As part of my hostess gift (and an extra one that I made for the receptionist at my doctor's office) I made a bag of candy using Pacific Point & Kiwi Kiss cardstock and the new Eastern Influences stamp, another freebie from convention. I could have made more but I ate all the candy. No wonder my shorts are snug!

I am not a big fan of Eastern styles, but I love all the flower images in this set--it makes it very versatile. I also used Bella Rose DP and a couple additional sentiments.

Thanks for visiting!

LeAnne

Color Throwdown 7

Wow!  It's my turn again to do this week's Color Throwdown!  Believe it or not, the colors I chose this week were the colors of the bridesmaid's dresses in my first wedding.  A loooooooooong time ago. Long, long, long time ago.  Who even remembers?  They were qiana fabric (anyone even KNOW what that is?) and they had hooded capes.  Oh my goodness, what was I thinking?  Anyway, my color choices are Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue and Apricot Appeal.  Who would think that 33 years later I am still turning to these colors!

This was a fun card to make....I have been using all SU products lately, so I turned to some non-SU stuff.  It is a large card, 5 1/2" square.  (Also, hard to photo this color.)   The DP is from a gigantic pad I picked up at AC Moore years ago; card base is Ballet Blue, layers are Apricot Appeal embossed with Swiss Dots, and Bashful Blue.  All images are from Inque Boutique's Stitch Fun; the sentiment is stamped in SU's new Tangerine Tango.  All the embellishments are RAK's except for the button in the middle, which makes this card even more fun for me!  The ribbon is from Denise ( The Paper Landscaper) and the apricot button & orange jumbo eyelets are from some blog candy I won from Dawn (Dawn's Special Creations).  I wish I had put the button on the left down a little further, but I actually SEWED it on, so no moving that baby!  Hope you enjoy this, and check out what the other Throwdown girls have come up with this week:

• Broni - Splashes of Watercolor
• Kisa - Kisa's Paper Cuts
• Tammy - Stamp Happy
• Tracy - Durcan Designs
• Cathy - Crafty Thoughts

Card details:

• Stamps:  Inque Boutique Stitch Fun
• Paper:  Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue, Apricot Appeal, WW
• Ink:  Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue, Apricot Appeal, Tangerine Tango
• Acc:  Crop-a-Dile, Jumbo Eyelets, Button, Striped Grosgrain, Dimensionals, Swiss Dots EF, Nesties, needle & thread

Instant Aging

Ick!  Who would want to be aged instantly?!  Not okay for women, but great for DP that you want to look shabby in seconds.  I had been looking at some cards that were "shabby chic" or "vintage" which is a look I love!  And I was thinking how cool Bella Rose would look if it were aged or tea-dyed.  So before I show you my sample and tell you how I did it, here is a card made for a special someone (she'll know when she gets it!) with SU's beautiful Bella Rose DP  "straight" (unshabby) and Dreams duJour:

Pretty straightforward; the "DREAMS" is popped up with dimensionals.  Now here is the one that I shabby'ed up:

Instant aging!!  This is a really easy technique and it is great to show at a workshop because it is like getting another piece of DP!  Using More Mustard ink and a brayer, I simply brayered over the paper with the ink; if it looks a little splotchy or uneven, that's fine, it adds to the aged look.  I find More Mustard looks more "golden" than Creamy Caramel.  (I used a sponge brayer, but the hard rubber one in the SU catalog would work as well, I think.) I did use CC for stamping Canvas over top; that made it look more like fabric.  Linen would have been PERFECT; however, since SU retired it, I can't use it in a workshop!  Anyway, I sponged the edges with Close to Cocoa to finish the look.  I also sponged the twill & button to tone down the color and distressed and sponged my sentiment panel.  And remember, these are things I want to show at a workshop, so they are simple, uncomplicated cards.  So there you have it--aging in an instant.  Here's another:

And just so you can see the actual difference in the before & after:

  

I'll bet you have some DP that you'd love to try this on!

I also wanted to try stamping the floral image from Inspired by Nature using my Versamark & pastels, which is a neglected item on my stamp table!  So here is my attempt:

This is an easy technique with a great "WOW" factor.  I simply stamped on Confetti white with Versamark, then added my pastels, starting with the stems, then centers, then petals, using a cotton makeup applicator.  It is easy to add shading with the pastels, and since I don't have Kiwi Kiss pastels to match my cardstock, I simply blended Yoyo Yellow & Garden Green on my applicator and applied it to the stems.  There is no limit to your color palette when you have 48 colors of pastels!!!  The small sentiment is stamped in Close to Cocoa and it is from All Holidays.

I hope you have a great weekend--it is beautiful here in SE PA and DH & I are going to take a little day trip--my surprise to him when he comes back home from his errands!  Enjoy!
LeAnne

Christmas in August Stamp Camp

I found a little time today to post a few things I have been working on.  In an effort to cut down on Feedblitz mail, they're all on one post....so don't miss any!  The first ones are from my latest Christmas Card Stamp Camp.  They were simple cards, but everybody seemed to love them!  We are already looking forward to next month's camp on September 24.....so if you're in the southeastern PA region, feel free to email me & sign up!

I apologize for the quality of these photos---I took them in my basement and they just aren't real clear!  If you have any questions about supplies, just shoot me an email!

I've also been playing around with some of the sets from the new catalog.  I have very few children's sets, so Sock Monkey seemed to be a good choice, especially with all the little extras that it comes with.  So here's what I came up with:

Here's a closeup of his little sparkly cupcake!  So cute!

• Stamps:  Sock Monkey, All Holidays
• Paper:  Tangerine Tango, Summer Sun, WW
• Ink:  Stazon, Tangerine Tango
• Acc:  Watercolor Crayons, markers, Dimensionals, Glitter, Oval Punch, Brad

 

And here's another from this set, a totally different feel:

• Stamps:  Sock Monkey, Sanded
• Paper:  So Saffron, Kiwi Kiss, Bella Rose DP
• Ink:  Stazon, Kiwi Kiss
• Acc:  Markers, Sponge Dauber

And finally, I received this BEAUTIFUL card today from Georgette & Charlette with such a sweet note inside!  Thanks, girls!

Thanks also for all the get-well wishes I have received!  I appreciate them all so much!  Take care!
LeAnne

Color Throwdown 6

Another week, and another Color Throwdown is upon us!  This week is Tracy's turn, and she has really challenged us with the following colors:

Wowza!  That's a lot of colors for one card, but luckily I had some beautiful DP from Wild Asparagus called "Birthday Girl Plaid" and it had almost all the colors I needed!

My butterfly images are stamped with craft inks on shimmery white cardstock, then lightly washed in with regular inks.  I used a hand-cut cloud mask to sponge the sky with Soft Sky ink.  The base is also Soft Sky; the card measures 3 1/2" by 7".  I added some simple ribbons in cream grosgrain.  I did not add a sentiment so that I can use it for any occasion that may arise!  Here are all the details:

• Stamps:  Inspired by Nature, Dreams duJour
• Paper:  Soft Sky, Wild Asparagus, Barely Banana, Shimmery White
• Ink:  Ruby Red & Pumpkin Pie Craft & Classic, Certainly Celery, Soft Sky
• Acc:  Aquapainters, Cream Grosgrain

Now see what the other Color Throwdown artists have come up with!

• Broni - Splashes of Watercolor
• Kisa - Kisa's Paper Cuts
• Tammy - Stamp Happy
• Tracy - Durcan Designs
• Cathy - Crafty Thoughts

A Beautiful Day in PA

I hope it is beautiful where you are today, too!  Warm, nice breezes--great day for hanging clothes out on the line!  I have been playing a  tiny bit with my new stamps, when I have a few minutes between my obligations, so I thought I would show you what I've been doing, along with some nice RAK's I have received lately. Let's show them first:

This one is from Shawn--I love how she added the cupcake from Sock Monkey!!

This beauty is from Dana---the panels on the front are all die-cut!  Gorgeous!  Plus she sent a nice note with a hand-drawn picture of my sick toe "healing"!  I just keep looking at this card over & over, it is so pretty!

And this little cutie is from Beth---don't you love these colors, I am going to miss them so much!  I would love to take all my medicines if they were colored Groovy Guava in real life!

Finally, just a few samples using new sets.  I do have one made from Flight of the Butterfly, but I sent it in to SU for a contest, so I'll save that one for later:

Dreams duJour (this is based on a RAK from Tracy, which I lent to someone to look at, so it's not in this post!):

This is the opened view....such a neat fold for a card!

 

 

Eastern Blooms:

This uses the new In Color Tangerine Tango!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Inspired by Nature using Pacific Point:

This also uses the sentiment from Dreams duJour.  Well, I have cardstock to cut for my upcoming Christmas in August Stamp Camp, so I am off to work!  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a splendid weekend!
LeAnne

Color Throwdown Week 5

Wow, it is already week 5 of our Color Throwdown Challenges!  This week Kisa is our hostess and her colors are Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate & So Saffron, or Marigold Morning if you have it!  Well, I hardly ever used Marigold Morning even when it was an In Color, so I decided to try using it with my other two colors.  Since I am taking a blogging vacation, I made my card very simple and used a brand-new set from SU's new upcoming catalog.  Called "Inspired by Nature", it features two silhouettes along with two sentiments.  I chose to use the "thank you" sentiment from Enjoy Every Moment because I needed another thank you card!  The floral image is stamped in Marigold Morning, mounted on the last tiny little piece of Purely Pomegranate I had (scalloped with my Nesties) & mounted on another small piece of Marigold Morning.  I finished it with a PP ribbon; the whole card is mounted on a piece of Wild Wasabi.

We'd love to have you play along, even if you don't have the exact Stampin'Up! colors!  Post it to the CTD blog here in the comments screen, or on SCS with the words CTD5!

Now see what the rest of the Throwdown girls have come up with:

• Broni - Splashes of Watercolor
• Kisa - Kisa's Paper Cuts
• Tammy - Stamp Happy
• Tracy - Durcan Designs
• Cathy - Crafty Thoughts

I'm Baaaack and Some News!

Back from convention and I am excited but tired!  It was a whirlwind of excitement as we looked at our new catalogs, oohed and aahed at the new stamp sets and new products and were entertained by the fun things that Stampin' Up! always has to offer during convention!  Here are a few highlights:

Shelli (sorry, hon,I am not a good photographer!)

 

 

 

 

  Chocolate emblems on our cupcakes for dessert--yum yum!

 

 

 

 

 

A trip to Riverton to see Stampin'Up!'s  gorgeous facility!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cool new projects!

 

And swaps!  These are just a few of mine that I brought to convention.  

Stampin'Up! has also announced a partnership with Sissix and will be introducing their own Big Shot diecut machine with exclusive SU dies!  They are very cool and I'll have more to show you later!! 

On another note, I will be taking off the month of August as far as blogging goes.  I am not going away completely; I will still be posting occasionally, like my Color Throwdown, and a few other things as time allows, but I have a medical issue that needs attention (I am okay, no worries) that will take the entire month, and we will be away on vacation a couple weeks as well, so rather than stress myself out, I am taking a blog vacation too!  I hope you understand and will still come visit me, especially in September when I hope to be back in full swing!  Thanks for all your kind comments....I know my blog has almost 30000 hits on it, so stay tuned for some blog candy!! WOOHOO!!!
Thanks for being patient & understanding!
LeAnne