Stamp Something!!

Today marks my first week as the guest designer at Stamp Something.  I still can't believe it!  Denise & Erin are so helpful and their challenges are inspiring!  MY challenge is to live up to the quality I see on their blog!  This week's challenge is a sketch:

 

 

 

 

And a fun sketch it is!  Here is what I came up with:

 

I found this little snowman stamp in a retired SU set called Little Somethings.  Isn't he the cutest?  Each one of his scarves is colored to match the background square, and each snowman is mounted on a snowflake, punched by a MS punch.   The Ski Slope DP just looks so snowy and swirly, I love it!   Be sure you check out the Stamp Something blog and stamp something yourself!

• Stamps:   Best Wishes & More, Little Somethings, Snow Flurries (both ret. SU)
• Paper:  WW, Basic Black, Baja Breeze, Almost Amethyst, Pretty in Pink, Kiwi Kiss, Ski Slope DP
• Ink:  Stazon, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss
• Acc:  Markers, Snowflake Punch, Square Punches, Glitter, Glitter Dot, Dimensionals

The Albino Card

Hah! I bet you thought this would be a white card, didn't you?  I decided to play the color challenge at Paper Craft Planet, which was White, Riding Hood Red, Really Rust and Basic Gray:

Isn't this beautiful?  So how come my card doesn't look so hot??!!  I also was doing the Ways to Use It Challenge at SCS, which was to use watercolor paper.  Well, I watercolor all the time, but since I was limited in my colors, I thought I would stamp my basket of fruit in Really Rust craft ink and just highlight behind it.  So it looks kind of albino-ish, or maybe skeletal!!  I think I should have stamped the image in Going Gray, but I don't have craft ink, and I didn't want it to bleed!   Anyway, I do like the color combo, just not particularly with this image, so maybe I'll try again.  I also had no gray ribbon, so I died some Mellow Moss gingham ribbon with my Going Gray marker!!  The copper brads were a tad bit too bright for the look I was going for, so I dabbed them in craft Close to Cocoa and dried them with my heat tool for a duller look.

Since Stampin' Up! has a rub-on promotion going on right now (click here for details), and I have a workshop tonight, I thought I would make a couple samples using rub-ons:

This is my favorite! No stamping on the outside at all, just rub-ons!   To cover up the edges of the wide ribbon on the inside, I added another panel and also stamped an image from Eastern Blosoms:

This is a square card measuring 4 1/4".

 

1. I am working on a couple other things besides cards on which to apply the rub-ons.  Hopefully I can share them later!  Have a great day--it is raining buckets here but it is  a perfect day to stamp!
   
   

• Stamps, Card 1:  Thanksgiving Blessings, Linen (ret SU)
• Paper:  Really Rust, Riding Hood Red, Watercolor, Text. Basic Gray, Brushed Copper
• Ink:  Craft Really Rust, Craft Close to Cocoa, Really Rust, Going Gray, Riding Hood Red, Stazon
• Acc:  Copper Brads, punch, Going Gray marker, Gingham Ribbon, Heat Tool, Distresser, Aquapainter

• Stamps, Card 2:  Eastern Blossoms
• Paper:  Baja Breeze, Urban Garden DP, Bella Rose DP
• Ink:  Chocolate Chip
• Acc:  Hidden Garden Rub-ons, Wide & Narrow Grosgrain, Filigree Brad

On a final note, for real, I saw a partially-albino crow in my yard today.  I have seen him before, but he was really close today, but I wasn't able to get a photo.  I am going to keep trying--he is quite odd-looking, but he seems to fit in with his cohorts just fine!

A New Sketch Challenge

Hey, have you checked out Paper Craft Planet yet?  It is a cool online site with lots of neat features.  I did a quick sketch challenge today using some hoarded Cosmo Cricket DP and a pretty image from SU's Sleigh Bells Ring set:

I started this card in the morning, then had to work for a couple hours, so set it aside.  As I was running some errands, I stopped at Walmart and found the MS branch punch I had been coveting!  So I am glad I didn't finish the card earlier, as the little branches and holly berry bling were just what it needed .  TFL!

• Stamps:  Sleigh Bells Ring
• Paper:  Always Artichoke, VV, Cosmo Cricket DP
• Ink:  Cranberry Crisp, More Mustard
• Acc:  Glitter, Nesties, MS Branch Punch, Tiny Rhinestones, Sponge Daubers
  

Color Throwdown Challenge #19

Today is my turn to choose colors, and I have chosen some nice rich colors of Bravo Burgundy, Bordering Blue and Not Quite Navy, along with the neutral of white.

I couldn't wait to use some Parisian Summer DP, and although most of my image covers it up, I still like the elegance of it. The rest of the card, I really struggled with! For as simple as it is, I certainly spent more time on it than I should have!

Let's see what the other challenge team members came up with:

• Broni - Splashes of Watercolor
• Tammy - Stamp Happy
• Cathy - Crafty Thoughts
• Kimberly – For the Love of Paper

So why don't you try this Color Throwdown Challenge and see what you come up with? Check out the CTD blog, post a comment there and link your creation! If you choose to post it to SCS, be sure to use the keyword CTD19. Thanks for visiting!

• Stamps: Forest of Trees, Flourishes; Aged Sheet Music, CHF; Snow Flurries, Star-Studded Season (both ret. SU)
• Paper: WW, Bordering Blue, Not Quite Navy, Bravo Burgundy, Parisian Summer DP
• Ink: Not Quite Navy, Bordering Blue, Bravo Burgundy
• Acc: Glitter, Narrow Organdy Ribbon, Circle Punch, Dimensionals
  
  

To You From Me

Just a quick post---Kristina Werner posted her challenge colors already, and I haven't done one in a while, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  But somewhere along the line, my mojo got left behind....everything seems a struggle!  Here are her colors:

I tried a technique from SCS where you apply ink to your CB folder, then emboss....seemed like a good one for this challenge, but it ended up looking sort of muddy....but I didn't feel like redoing it, so here it is:

Just a funny little card, I'll probably use it as a birthday card.  I do like the owl, he's cute.  TFL!

• Stamps:  Making the Grade, CHF; Halloween, Hero Arts; Best Yet, SU
• Paper:  Sahara Sand, WW, Certainly Celery, Haiku DP
• Ink:  Craft White, Old Olive
• Acc:  White Gel Pen, Dimensionals, Aquapainter, Wide Oval Punch, Brad, CB Swiss Dots

Get Well Dots

Well, I am home from my long weekend at Cape May, NJ, and I have been rewarded with a jumbo case of laryngitis!!  When you're a talker like me, this is AWFUL!  Luckily, I "rested" my voice last night and it is slowly coming back.  I stamped a little last night as I needed a special get-well card for a sweet lady at our church, and so I combined it with the Our Creative Corner challenge, which was to make a card inspired by this yummy Martha Stewart cupcake:

I didn't do a literal interpretation, although I do have some new cupcake stamps that would have fit the bill!   I got out some retired stamps--one is REALLY old--and did some polka dotted flowers and sentiment for our friend:

 

 

So why don't you check out the OCCC and play along!  And remember that tomorrow is the Color Throwdown Challenge!!  Now off to finish all the chores I missed this weekend and mail my card--no, it's Veteran's Day, no mail today!!  (Put out your flag!)   Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful day!

• Stamps:  Polka Dot Posies, Dotted Greetings
• Paper:  WW, Real Red, Gable Green
• Ink:  Real Red, Green Galore
• Acc:  Craft Knife, Paper Piercer, Nesties, Circle Punches, Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Swiss Dots CB Folder, Dimensionals

Simple Little Twigster

I am on my way out the door, but I managed to sneak in a tiny bit of stampin' time to do Stamp Something's challenge for this week:  to stamp a card with only one layer!  My new Mr. Twigster was already laying on my stamp table, so off I went:

I packed away my photo light for this weekend, so I apologize for the lighting!  Too bad, he is so cute & glittery.  Plus, a little news to share:  Stamp Something chose me as their guest designer for the next two weeks!  You can read about it and see my submission here.  I can barely contain my excitement!!!

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful weekend!

• Stamps:  Mr Twigster, Warm Words
• Paper:  Kraft
• Ink:  Stazon, Brilliant Blue, Tangerine Tango
• Acc:  Aquapainter, Markers, White Watercolor Crayon, Glitter, Taffeta Ribbon