Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Mojo Owl

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I got some new stamps from My Cute Stamps--a little different style for me, but I had seen some cute things done with them, so I thought I would "branch out"!  I used this week's Mojo Monday 82 sketch--what do you think:

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Here's the sketch:

Mojo82Sketch I used some wonderful BG Marrakesh paper--aren't the colors so intense?  My card base is Tangerine Tango and I used a retired SU punch to make the bottom border.  Mr Owl is colored in with markers and matted on a piece of Pumpkin Pie.  This image is from Little Forest Friends, and the sentiment is MFT's Essential Sentiments.  Twill is from Taylored Expressions!

I also threw this little number together; the images and sentiment are again from Little Forest Friends.  They are colored with markers and mounted on PTI's Bitty Dots Basics and a Basic Black scalloped square.  Again, twill is from  Taylored Expressions.  DSCF3785

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for visiting today, and be sure to come back tomorrow for the Color Throwdown challenge!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Three Easy Pieces

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I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!  It was sunny here, but a tad chilly for spring.  I am ready for some consistently warmer weather!  I have three little simple cards for you today; the first one is a baby card for Sharon's No Time To Stamp challenge, which was to "Hang it Up!".  I confess, this little Lockhart stamp had never seen ink, so I thought this would be a good time:

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It's a smaller card, about 4 1/2 x 3 1/2"; the card base is a folded piece of K&Co's Small Wonders Boy Designer Mat Pad.  The image is stamped in Stazon on watercolor paper; the safety pins are stamped in Gold Encore ink, then colored with a marker.  Here's the inside:

DSCF3767 Isn't that plaid cute?

 

 

 

I also dug out my neglected Best Wishes and More and played a little with it:

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As you can see, I was experimenting with my Texturz mat as well as some other Big Shot dies!  I was also experimenting with Heat & Stick powder and SU's glitter; that was not as successful; Mr Birdie looks better IRL than in this photo, but he is not real happy with his glittery look!  We'll continue to work on that technique!

Finally, a VERY simple card using some textured Pink Pirouette paper and the Billboard alphabet die by  Big Shot:

DSCF3760Now while I love this sweet simple card, I must confess (again) that I DO NOT like this alphabet die.  I love my SU products, but the letters are too small to get out of the die easily.  Anyone else have any issues with this, or is it just me?  The little dot on the "i" is so small, I gave up trying to pick it up!!  That being said, I still love this card!

Stop back tomorrow, when I will be share with you the Featured Stamper from all the Color Throwdown submissions for the past week.  This will be a difficult decision, as there were LOTS of wonderful creations!  I will be up late re-looking at everyone's!

  • Stamps:  (card 1) Clothesline, Lockhart; Short & Sweet
  • Paper:  Small Wonders Boy, K&Co; watercolor paper, Sage Shadow, Barely Banana, Very Vanilla
  • Ink:  Stazon, Gold Encore
  • Acc:  Markers, Grosgrain Ribbon, misc buttons, dimensionals
  • Stamps:  (card 2) Best Wishes & More
  • Paper:  WW, Sage Shadow, Pacific Point
  • Ink:  Pacific Point, Versamark
  • Acc:  Heat & Stick Powder, Glitter, Birds & Blooms Die, Swirls Scribbles Die, Texturz Plate Small Dots, Eyelet Border Punch, Bold Bright Brad, Big Shot
  • Stamps: (card 3)  Best Wishes & More
  • Paper:  WW, Pink Pirouette Textured, Regal Rose, Garden Green
  • Ink:  Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Garden Green
  • Acc:  Billboard Die, 3 Heart Punch, Big Shot, Dimensionals

Sunday, April 12, 2009

He is Risen

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One last simple Easter card; I realized I needed one for the friends we will be visiting today. (Obviously I work better under pressure!!)  They always include us in their family functions, and we feel very comfortable in their home! 

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I used PTI's Everyday Blessings, stamped in Pacific Point on Confetti White for the cross; the sentiment is a little clear stamp (thanks again, Georgette!!!).  Nesties were used for the ovals, and I sponged an oval of So Saffron behind the cross as a highlight, using a smaller nestie as a stencil.  Little blue rhinestones added some flair, along with SU's eyelet border punch.  A simple knotted ribbon from the SAB catalog offset the image.  Again, have a happy Easter!  Blessings to you all.

Happy Easter

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter and will spend some time today with your families reflecting on the wonderful gift that Christ gave us, dying on the cross to pay for our sins! Praise Him!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

RAKs Galore

Well, the rain has finally stopped, and I have had a few minutes from my busyness to sit down and share some beautiful creations that have graced my mailbox in the last couple days!  I have not had much time to stamp (just a little) so I thought you'd enjoy these.

This is a cute card from my upline, Pennie, to congratulate me on my new recruit!

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And this is from my new blog friend, Carol, who along with her friend Heidi have this sweet blog and have been delighting me with their wonderful creations!  I shared with her that I LOVED this card, it cracked me up, and she stamped some images and sent them along with the card!  Plus she doesn't live that far away, so maybe we'll actually meet some day!

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And this one is from my dear friend Beth, whose cards I love to get, and I RIP open the envelopes  because I can't wait to see what she's created:

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Isn't that adorable?  And here's the inside:

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And last, but not least, my new friend Kayoko from New Zealand, sent me this sweet, sweet card, PLUS some awesome goodies from NZ that I can't wait to use!  She is very creative, I wish she would start a blog herself!  The details on this card, plus her color combo, are wonderful:

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You can't see it, but the red flowers are embossed!  On the inside, she stamped some stationery and attached it:

DSCF3753 See the little dots wheeled around the edges?  CUTE!  (And her handwriting is PERFECT!)

Ah, so fun to get mail!!!  Thank you, ladies, for making my week so special!  Hopefully I will have some new things to share in the next day or so!
Have a blessed Easter!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Who's a Big Shot?


I have been playing around with my new Big Shot and SU's Texturz Plates. I wanted to have some samples for my stamp clubs to look at, so I decided to start with some Mother's & Father's Day cards. My first card uses the Eyelet plate, embossed on the pink DP from Candy Lane:
Here's a closeup first:















And here's the card:


The sentiment is stamped in Baja Blue on vellum cardstock and layered over a piece of Whisper White, then embellished with some of SU's new satin ribbon! It is so incredibly soft and smooth! I finished it with some felt flowers and filigree brad. I think the next time, I will emboss the sentiment....it is not as clear as I'd like it to be.













For my Father's Day card, I used the Harlequin Texturz plate along with the saw from Totally Tool. This was a fun card to make, and my DH was totally entranced by the fact that it was embossed, there was a big grommet (his word) on it, and that the sentiment was stamped in two colors!!! Doesn't take much, does it?!!!LOL!

The embossing really does add an interesting touch to your cards, and I am looking forward to playing some more! This also will be for the Diva Coffee Break Design Challenge, which is to use your Big Shot!



  • Stamps: Holidays & More, Totally Tool
  • Paper: Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Ballet Blue, Confetti White, Basic Black, Ruby Red, Candy Lane DP
  • Ink: Baja Breeze, Ruby Red, Stazon Black, Bordering Blue
  • Acc: Big Shot, Texturz Plates Eyelet & Harlequin, Markers, Crop-a-dile, Jumbo Eyelets, White Satin Ribbon, Gingham Ribbon, Felt Flowers Two, Filigree Brads, 1/16" Punch

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Color Throwdown #37

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Hi everyone!  It's my turn to do the challenge this week and I chose some nice soft colors:  Sage Shadow, Pink Pirouette and Cameo Coral! 

CTD37 swatch

These colors really evoke the feeling of spring to me!  I hope you'll be inspired to create some spring-like confections, too.  If you don't have those exact colors, use something close.  Post your creation on your blog and link it to Mr. Linky on our Color Throwdown blog, using the exact address of the post (not just of your blog) so we can find your card quickly!  If you don't have a blog, feel free to post it on an online gallery using the keyword "CTD37".  Have fun!  And don't forget that you could be chosen as the Featured Stamper!!  So here's my submission for this week:

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When I first saw these cards by Christine at ChristineCreations, I literally squealed with delight!  I just KNEW I would be making one very soon--and in my search for some DP with my CTD colors, I found a plaid  that I thought would be perfect for this little dress.  Although the green is not technically Sage Shadow, I cheated a little and used it anyway!  (The colors really look odd in this photo--in real life, they don't look this bad!!!!)  I didn't realize how closely I CASE'd Christine's cards until I went back to look at them!  Eeek!  Oh, well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!  Honestly, I just kept adding embellishments until it looked the way I wanted!!!  And guess what--there's NO stamping, except for the inside!!!

The pattern is available from PaperCrafts magazine here.  I actually made mine a little different, kind of like a jumper.  I added a vellum apron that I embossed in my CB with a Swiss Dots folder.  I made a little pocket, too, for the little flower.  Why don't you try this easy card?  There are endless possibilities!  A tip for cutting out cards using a pattern:  print the pattern on regular printer paper; trim the pattern down and lay it on your cardstock; secure it with some paperclips.  Cut around the lines, moving the paperclips as necessary.  Easy!  No tracing, no trying to print the cardstock in your printer.  Here's a couple closeups:

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The inside sentiment.

 

 

 

Now let's take a peek at what the other designers came up with for this week:

All products by Stampin'Up! unless otherwise noted:

  • Stamps:  Hugs & Wishes
  • Paper:  Pink Pirouette, Cameo Coral, Whisper White, K-ology Hannah Cards by K&Co, Vellum Cardstock, Garden Green
  • Ink:  Cameo Coral
  • Acc:  CB Swiss Dots folder, CB, MS Eyelet Punch,  Eyelet Border Punch,  Scallop Border Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Felt Fusion Flowers Two, Paper Piercing Tool, White Gel Pen, Grosgrain Ribbon, Pearls from ancestry

And don't forget!  Our very own Barbara is still in the running for the MFT Idol Top 7!  Woohoo! You can check out her submission and vote HERE!