August Cards

I had a few sympathy cards to make this month that I was going to post and then I remembered that there was a new baby card that I hadn't finished.  I saw this sketch from The Paper Players and knew if I dug around in my stash I could find some patterned paper that would work with this cute Crafter's Companion Popcorn the Bear image I had been planning to color.  

Thanks to LeAnne for a great sketch this week.

I used my Derwent Inktense Pencils to color the image.  I stamped "little one"  from an SU set and used a circle die to cut it out.  Then I added some dimensionals to pop it up.  

The sympathy cards were very simple and I made a couple of this first one to have on hand.  Unfortunately, family friends lost two members of their family this month so I quickly put together another one below.  

Be sure to stop over at the Paper Players to see all the other PP505 Sketch Challenge entries.  

Jingle Belles - Look Who's Coming to Town

Those papers that I had to have from Hobby Lobby a couple of weeks ago also had this nice Santa graphic on it which was just what I needed for this week's Jingle Belle Challenge. If the edges of that circle look a little wonky it's because it was drawn that way on the paper.  All's I did was follow the line. 

And since I had those other coordinating papers (see there is a method to my shopping madness), I put them all together using the sketch from the Paper Players challenge 288 which I've missed the deadline on but that's okay, I really like the sketch anyway, 'cept I took a little creative license with it and turned it on it's side.

One would think that without any actual stamping or coloring on this that it would have been a quicky - ah, but did you notice all the die cut greenery.  Surely I must be nuts or having fun.  Or maybe both!

Okey, dokey, let's go visit the rest of the Jingle Belles to see all their Santa's and friends.  

Don't forget to check out my Pay It Forward Post.  

Jingle Belles Layers, Paper Players Sketch, Christmas Card Challenge Photo Inspiration Combined

I don't think I've done this before.  Combined three challenges that is.  But they kind of all came together synchronistically. 

The Jingle Belles wanted layers - at least 3.  Then there was the inspiration photo from Christmas Card Challenge 13 - I had this SU set I hadn't used yet with these great trees.  And in my feed I saw the sketch from the Paper Players which caught my eye because it pulled it all together with the layers and the color and how I could use that tree.

I wish I had a source for paper the color of the inspiration photo, but I didn't so I decided to use all of the dark purples that I did have on hand. I hope you see colors that look well together because they do IRL, but computers differ so much, especially with dark purples and dark blues.  I checked this out on my screen at work and it didn't look quite as nice.  That makes me sad a little.  

Christmas Card Challenges #13

And I took a little close-up so you could see the stars embossed on that Concord Crush panel.  I used a word bubble die trimmed down for the sentiment.  I was trying to find some silver ribbon to use instead of the purple glitter ribbon, but it was not to be.  Then after I finished the card I looked over at my stash of washi tape and saw my silver tape that would have been perfect. Have you ever done that?  Doesn't matter now though because I do like the way this came out without it.

So here is the recipe for this card:

Paper:  Blackberry Bliss, Concord Crush, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White

Stamps:  SU Wonderland

Ink:  Blackberry Bliss, Concord Crush, VersaMark

Additional:  SU Star EF, Silver EP, Word Bubbles Framelits, 2" and 1 3/4" circle punches,

Celebrate It Glitter Ribbon

And the links to the challenges so you can join me in admiring all the other creations!

Jingle Belles - All Bundled Up

Christmas Card Challenges #13

Paper Players - PP284 Sketch

Hello and Thinking of You - PP240 (2)

I mentioned that I had another idea for this color challenge and tonight I got a little extra time to put it on paper.  I just love these Essential by Ellen dies!  So using my Gorgeous Grunge stamp I added some splats in VersaMark and in the paper colors to the papers before I die cut the flowers and leaves just to give them some interest.  The center-most flower was popped up for a little more dimension.  I also added the grunge to the card base and then used another die cut "hello" for my sentiment in a tone-on-tone way.  All I did with that was press it into my VersaMark ink pad before I added it to the card.  Yes, this color combination was a lot of fun to play with.

Also having fun with a bunch of stamp sets to put together this "Thinking of You"/get well card for a male friend.  I feld butterflies and flowers were definitely out, but leaves were fair game.  

I used The Open Sea, Choose Happiness, Butterfly Basics, Wetlands, and Gorgeous Grunge again. And the ink choices were Pistachio Pudding (which is so faint you can barely see it), Crumb Cake, Wild Wasabi, and the sentiment is in Chocolate Chip.  All stamped on a base of Very Vanilla.

Please say a prayer for my cousin's husband who underwent some serious surgery earlier this week. Last I heard everything went well, but he has a long road ahead of him.  

PP240 - Color Challenge

I saw these colors as I was starting to plan my DIL's birthday card.  I'm afraid I didn't get enough green on there though.  It's her favorite color.  But I think she'll like it.

I used the Spring Flowers EF for the background base of Coastal Cabana.  Then I die cut some of the Handpicked framelits and stamped them with stamps from From the Garden and And Many More.  I fussy cut the flower and leaves before adding it to the label from the Circle Card Thinlit.

The picture is darker than I would like it - the colors are much prettier IRL.  I have another idea for this color combo but I'm not sure when I'll get to that.  Hopefully soon.   

Here is the link to see the other wonderful creations for this challenge.

Using More Leftovers - CAS and Not So CAS - PP236

Using up some more of those leftovers I found on my craft table.  A couple of Clean and Simple Flower cards for the Paper Players challenge and one a little more involved..

All these cards are made with leftover scraps - even the card bases were already cut and ready.  This one's just a couple of pieces of dsp and a Susan's Garden daisy.

I had been playing around with this new Essentials by Ellen Blossom set stamping the flower in VersaMark and embossing with clear EP, then daubering on some ink to match the colors of the base and dry embossed panel.  I threw on a couple of leaves too.  Just left them flat this time.

This one is not so simple.  I took the leftover scrap from that Massa Leaf die cut because, even though it was not planned, it came out pretty well centered on that piece of Wild Wasabi cardstock. On the white underneath I used one of the stamps from the Essentials by Ellen stamp set - it's part of a flower - and stamped that in Wild Wasabi ink where the openings would be so the leaves had some interest. Again, the back of the purple flowers was three shades of ink schwooshed around on some white cardstock and then die cut with the darker die cut over it.

Because I wanted those dotted leaves not to be in competition with the leaves that came with the die set I just didn't add any.  Instead I used some little flower heads from another Susan's Garden die in So Saffron cardstock with some pan pastel centers to spice it up a little.  

Yeah, those colors above are really not what I see IRL even with doctoring but I hope you get the idea.  

I've got a few more, {who am I kidding?}, a lot more leftovers to put to good use.  Stay tuned.

Paper Players - PP235 and PART OF ME

I saw the color challenge from the Paper Players this week and decided to play along.

I was having so much fun with my new Easter Eggs stamp set and die from A Muse that I used these colors to make two cards.  

On this one I also used a new embossing folder that was gifted to me by my blogging friend Sabrina and the greenery is a Memory Box die. 

On this next one I used the egg stamp in Crumb Cake on the panel first and then added half a kraft and half a white doily to it.  I found some So Saffron ribbon in a drawer and tied that around the panel.  The egg was watercolored and popped up.  

Then I added some little punch pack flowers in Crisp Canteloupe and So Saffron. I daubered the edges in inks of the same color first and then gave them a squish on a mouse pad to cup them up into more of a 3-D shape.  The centers are sticky pearls that were colored with a Wild Wasabi Blendability (which, if you haven't heard have been discontinued).

I love when I can use a stamp more than one way -  like this one for a background.  

Today's photo prompt is PART OF ME and this is PART OF ME inside and outside of a puddle.

It got up to 60º today and there was a lot of snow-melt.  This puddle is one of many at the end of our driveway.  The sheet of ice that it once was has melted enough for me to be able to get the mail from the mailbox without worrying about slipping.  That's what happens when your mailbox is at the foot of a hill and mostly in the shade even during the winter.  

NEW Baby, NEW Product

Today's photo prompt is NEW and friends of ours have a new grandson so I wanted to make a card to send to the happy parents.  I had the bundled baby already colored from awhile back so I just had to create the rest of the card.  I used a new stamp set from Essentials by Ellen for the background in Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi, and Daffodil Delight, added a Daffodil Delight bow and layered it on Wild Wasabi and Marina Mist cs.

I got a chance to play with some more new product during my "snow day" off yesterday.  The small leaves below belong to the Massa Leaf die from Poppystamps which I have used before, but this time I used my flower tools and gave those leaves some dimension so they are curved away from the background.  The flowers and bigger leaves are another new die set, or rather sets from Essentials by Ellen.  The Bold Blooms and Bold Blossoms Stand Alone dies.  I used some Tangelo Twist and Daffodil Delight ink with my aquapainter to swish some color on my Whisper White cs before I cut it out.  On the green leaves I used Pear Pizzazz and Gumball Green ink.  Then I layered the solid cardstock die cuts over them.  Looks springy I hope.... I am so yearning for Spring at this point!

I saw that the Paper Players Challenge PP234 this week is themed Spring so I'm going to link up to them for the first time.  I can't wait to see the rest of their gallery.  Like I said, with all the white stuff out there, I am longing  for Spring in a bad way.  If you can use a burst of color, join me there.