Perfectly Purple

Hi stampers!  It's been a busy week/weekend for me!  I worked over 24 hours combined on Friday and Saturday!  I didn't get to stamp too much but I had to get at least one card done since it's time for a new challenge over on Hand Stamped Sentiments.  The challenge this week is a monochromatic card.

I really like the look of monochromatic cards and it's something I should try more often!  I also made a fairly clean and simple card this time around which is actually a lot harder for me than a fancy schmancy card with a lot of stuff on it:-)  Check it out:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  My friend, friendly phrases
Paper:  Whisper white, concord crush, wisteria wonder
Ink:  concord crush, perfect plum (craft)
Accessories:  Iridescent ice embossing powder, itty bitty punch pack, basic pearls, simply scored

I struggled with what to do for this challenge for a couple of weeks!  Sometimes I think of an idea right away...sometimes not!  I just couldn't decide what set I wanted to use or the direction I wanted to go.  Well, on the way to breakfast at Panera yesterday morning, inspiration struck (maybe we need to go to breakfast there more often like we used to, haha).  I guess inspiration can strike at any time!  Normally I get really great ideas while I'm going to sleep and then never remember them in the morning:-)

Anyway, I had seen a black and white card at convention using the my friend set where it was embossed with iridescent ice embossing powder and it was fab!  I also wanted to use my new friendly phrases set that I just got!  It's such a cute set, I don't know how I passed it up in the new catalog for so long!  So anyway, I used perfect plum craft ink and heat embossed with iridescent ice.  Here is a close up so you can see how pretty and sparkly it really is:

I thought about using some DSP but I really wanted the main image to stand out and to keep it clean and simple.  I ended up adding a few score lines which is also a new technique for me AND now that I have my Simply Scored scoring too it was SOOOOO easy!  It's funny how something SO simple can add so much to a project!  A couple of punched out flowers with some pearl centers and it was done!

Now pop on over to HSS and see what the other fab design team members have come up with and play along with us!  I dare ya!  :-)

Happy stamping!

More mustard

Hi stampers! Quick post while I'm waiting for some laundry and to digest dinner before I go for a run!  I skipped it this morning and then again when I got home from work because I was hungry and it was hot out!  I've got to start getting up early and getting it out of the way!!!!

Anyway, here's a card that I did last week.  I actually made two cards for the color lab challenge I did last week and decided on the first one to enter.  BUT I loved the color combo of pear pizazz, soft suede, pool party, and more mustard!  It's just so pretty for fall!  Lookie and see what I mean:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Day of gratitude, French foliage, netting
Paper:  Very vanilla, pear pizazz, pool party, more mustard, spice cake DSP
Ink:  soft suede, pear pizazz, more mustard
Accessories:  Distressing kit, crochet trim, decorative label punch, scallop trim border punch

See, so pretty!  I did a lot of distressing on this card where the other one was more clean and simple.  To dirty up the main panel I used the tea stain ink pad out of the distressing kit.  It's very easy, you just ink up the little rubber stamp in the kit and rub it over your paper.  You can also spritz your paper or the stamp with water to get an antiqued look as well but I used it dry here.  I also used my new netting background stamp on the card base, LOVE that thing!  Then I just took my ink pad directly to the cardstock! 

Time to run....literally!  Don't forget to come back tomorrow to check out this weeks Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge!!!!  Happy stamping!

And just a touch of mustard

Hi stampers!  I have needed to post this card for the longest time!!!  It's my entry for The Color Lab's #53 challenge where we are supposed to use just a touch of more mustard along with these colors:

Ohhhh!  Isn't it pretty and doesn't it just scream fall????  Not to mention that the colors are in the ever so pretty spice cake DSP from the upcoming Holiday Mini!  So, obviously I had to do a fall themed card.  I made two and this is the one I decided to enter (I'll share the other one later of course):

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Falling leaves
Paper:  Very vanilla, soft suede, pool party, pear pizazz, more mustard, spice cake DSP
Ink:  Pear pizazz, soft suede, more mustard
Accessories:  Modern label punch, basic pearls

I chose this one because it was more clean and simple looking and because it had more of a "touch" of mustard than my other one.  I like how the pool party stands out on this one too!  I just love that DSP and falling leaves is one of my all time favorite sets!

Now I'm hungry for a hot dog with all this mustard talk!  I love mustard on my hot dogs but keep the ketchup far away, blech!  Ketchup on fries and eggs is all good but keep it away from my frankfurter!!!  Hahah!  And now you know a random fact about me....probably means it's time for me to go:-)

Happy stamping!

Trick or Treat, Scary or Sweet?

Hi stampers!  This card is sweet for sure!  I've been wanting to use this little guy every since I got the set at convention!!!  It is a new hostess set from the upcoming holiday mini and we all got it for free as our last give away at convention!!!  And we all know I LOVE free stamps!  The great thing about this set besides the fact that it's just uber cute is that most of the images work well with our punches!  Take this little owl for example...he was easy to punch out with the owl punch:

 Isn't he cute????  You can see he's a bit sparkly too as I inked him up with back craft ink and then embossed him with some iridescent ice embossing powder.  He just needed to be sparkly!  I simply used my pumpkin pie ink pad and a blender pen to color in his beak and cute little trick or treat bag.

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Warmest of wishes (hostess), Out on a limb, grateful greetings
Paper:  Whisper white, basic black, pumpkin pie, daffodil delight
Ink:  basic black craft, basic black, pumpkin pie, daffodil delight, more mustard
Accessories:  Circle punch, decorative label punch, owl punch, scallop squares duo die, spider web embossing folder, silver smooch spray, basic black scalloped polka dot ribbon

The rest of the card is pretty straight forward and I thought this cute owl would be PERFECT with the out on a limb set also from the mini.  I just LOVE how our sets inter-mix so well....have I mentioned that?  LOL!  I also loved how the sentiment from grateful greetings worked too since the little guy has a trick or treat bag!  You'll note that I did use some of the scalloped polka dot ribbon, I love that stuff!  I also embossed the black panel with the spider web folder and then hit it with a good spray of the silver smooch!  Love that stuff too, it can add SO much to a card yet it's so simple!  The last note I'd like to make is about the moon.  I sponged the edges with some daffodil delight and then with some more mustard to make it spooky and give it a little depth!

Hope you liked it!  Don't forget that you can earn this cute set for FREE starting September 1!  That's only a week away!   Happy stamping!

Banner Day!

Hi stampers!  Well as the title of my post says, it's a banner day for me!  What is a banner day you ask?  Here's what google had to say:  "It refers to a day being noteworthy or of hanging a banner of announcement, usually of good news".

Well today is noteworthy and full of good news for me as I am happy to announce that I've been asked to join the design team over on Hand Stamped Sentiments!   To say that I'm excited and honored is an understatement.  I feel so privileged to be part of their fabulously creative team!  I really look forward to the challenges pushing my creativity further and making me step outside my comfort zone!  I'm also a bit nervous as it's now my busy time at work (oh, what's that you say?  I've mentioned that a couple hundred times now?  LOL) and I'm also on a DT over on Splitcoast but at least now I HAVE to stamp right?  I can totally tell my hubby that I can't do the dishes or sweep the floor because I have GOT to get these projects done, right? :-)

So on to the challenge at hand.  The challenge this week at HSS is a Banner Bash!  Banners and pennants are all the rage right now aren't they?  And I'm totally on the banner bandwagon!  I love them!

I've been thinking about the design of this card for a while, even before I knew about the challenge and thought this would be the perfect time to make it!

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Pennant parade, broadsheet alphabet, teeny tiny wishes
Paper:  Whisper white, cherry cobbler, old olive, cajun craze, basic black, frightful sight DSP
Ink:  old olive, cajun craze, basic black
Accessories:  pennant punch, circle punch, modern label punch, neutrals glimmer brads, basic rhinestones

Everyone knows I love Halloween so when I got my hands on this DSP I had to make a Halloween card!   Looking back maybe I should have sponged my sentiment and possibly the cajun craze pennants but I like how it turned out.  It's busy but I like busy:-)  This card actually went together pretty fast since I used so many punches.  Our punches make it so easy to make a great card quickly!  I had thought about cutting out the letters but that would have been a lot of fussy cutting and I wanted to mimic the polka dots in the background as well.

I hope you enjoyed all the cards as HSS today.  Now. head over there and play along with us!  You know you want to:-)

Quick cardz

Hi stampers!  I have a quick card and a quick post today!  It's been a busy weekend with my BFF's birthday party and now the state fair and Lady A concert with my parents tonight.  So not a lot of stamping happening around here...oh well.  But here is a cute card that I put together pretty quick a while back.  I wanted to use the Lighthearted set and cut into my frightful sight DSP:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Lighthearted (holiday mini)
Paper:  Basic black, whisper white, old olive, cherry cobbler, frightful sight DSP
Ink:  Basic black and cajun craze markers
Accessories:  Basic black scalloped polka dot ribbon

Very mailable too:-)  I really like the frightful sight paper and colors!  I wouldn't have put cherry cobbler in a Halloween combo but it works!  Hope you liked it, time to dash!

Chocolate cake card

Hi stampers!  I'm finally back with a video!  Now, I was not planning on doing a video when I started this card BUT I decided to do one in the middle of making it so: 1) my desk is a MESS and I didn't think to grab a clean sheet of grid paper so please excuse my mess and 2) I had not planned or rehearsed what I was going to do/say at all so excuse my scatterbrain-ness:-)  But a video is better than no video right?

So, tonight we are going to dinner and then a surprise birthday part for my best friend who is finally turning 30 and catching up with the rest of us:-)  Her boyfriend has planned a surprise party for her and I'm excited.  He also really likes my cards so I needed to do something with a wow factor, lol!  Anyway, I thought I'd make a card that the adorable Carrie Cudney made on the main stage at convention.  She did a whole presentation with candy!!!!  Check out her CUTE card with a "chocolate cake" on the front:

HOW CUTE IS THAT????  Ok, ok I'll stop yelling but seriously, it's cute!  So, here is a video of how to put the cake together.  I did not film the whole card, that would have been LONG!  But you'll get the gist of it.  I also did some of the work before hand to cut down on the time.  If you're going to make this card you'll need to cut a few thin strips of CS in your colors of choice and punch out a strip of paper with the lace ribbon border punch.  These will make your candles and your cake stand.  The border punch will need to be cut down as you can see in the picture.  So here is the video and again, I'm sorry for the mess...I'll be neater in the next one, hehe.



And here is the finished card:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Pennant parade, dot dot dot
Paper:  Whisper white, blushing bride, peach parfait (textured), wisteria wonder, daffodil delight, 2011-13 in colors DSP stack
Ink:  Peach parfait, blushing bride, wisteria wonder
Accessories:  circle punches, lace ribbon border punch, triple layer blossom punch, calypso coral and wisteria wonder ruffled ribbon, basic pearls, dazzling diamonds

Isn't it just so cute!  Here are some close ups of the details:

 I used the senitment from pennant parade and stamped it over a circle I'd stamped with dot dot dot in blushing bride which I stamped off once for a more subtle look.  I also sponged the edges with peach parfait.  The flower is from the triple layer blossom punch on the middle setting.  I also added our new dazzling details to each of the petals.  You can also see how I added some of our strips of pearls to the cake plate for a little something extra and glitzy.

And now the candles....these are from the blossom punch as well.  You need to punch out some daffodil card stock on the setting farthest to the right.  This will give you the little flames.  I carefully glued them down and then added more dazzling details.

Ok, that's it!  Hope you liked it and thanks Carrie for a fabulous idea!!!!!  Happy Stamping!