Shake it up!

Hi stampers!  It's Tuesday so head on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and check out the latest challenge.  This week it's all about fall!

The weather has really cooled down here in the past few weeks so it's been feeling like fall for sure.  I love wearing shorts and comfy sweatshirts and it's been just the weather for that!  I can't wait for the leaves to change either, it's always so pretty!  I can't wait to look out of my mom's new house and look at the fall colors either.  Their new house is at the edge of a hill that overlooks the "bottom" as we call it and it's gorgeous any day but it's going to be amazing this fall!  Maybe I'll see some of these colors out of the window:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Warmest of wishes, distressed dots, teeny tiny wishes
Paper:  More mustard, pool party, soft suede, very vanilla
Ink:  More mustard, soft suede
Accessories:  Scallop and circle punches, shaker frames, window sheet, scallop trim border punch, linen embossing folder, pool party ruffled ribbon, champagne glass glitter

Well, I'll at least see the brown and gold...not sure about the blue:-)  I pulled the inspiration for this card from the Spice Cake DSP which I LOVE and I totally love the combo of soft suede, more mustard, and pool party!  And how fun is this card?  It's a shaker card made with the new shaker frames from the new holiday mini.  They make it super easy to make a shaker card; all you have to do it pick a shaker frame size and use the coordinating circle punch or die!  As soon as I saw them in the mini and then got this stamp set free at convention I knew I had to make a shaker card with it!

I kept the card pretty simple since I wanted the shaker to stand out. I did edge the wreath with gold smooch accent ink to set it off just a bit as it looked a bit too plain.  And I told you I was on a roll with the distressed dots background stamp I just got.  I love the distressed look of it!  The finishing detail is the pool party bow that I attached with a glue dot! 

Now it's your turn!  Click on over to HSS and see what else the design team came up with and then play along with us!

Happy stamping!

Bitty Boo!

Hi stampers!  I'm on a Halloween roll I tell ya!  After all, it is one of my favorite holidays.  I was just thinking today that I need to find a costume soon!  Yes, I know it's pretty early but that's just how I roll, lol!  Anyway, I tried to work on some challenges on my one day off yesterday and I got quite a few done (many that you've seen here already).  The last one on my (ever-growing) list was for the Paper Players color challenge.

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with this combo and I thought it was really pretty but I just couldn't get past Halloween:-)  I do however, think it would make fabulous cards for various themes so I'm going to have to write it down as a favorite color combo!

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Spooky bingo bits
Paper:  Whisper white, basic gray
Ink:  Basic gray, old olive, rich razzleberry
Accessories:  Spider web embossing folder, circle punch, rich razzleberry polka dot ribbon (retired)

I used the Spooky Bingo bits here to show that you by NO MEANS need to use them with the bingo stamp!  They stand alone!!!!!  There are so many  fun images in that set...I had a hard time deciding which ones I wanted to use, lol!  I had to use some of my retired razzleberry ribbon too, I just had to!  I also rubbed my basic gray ink pad over the spider web and the edges of the card to make it pop a bit.  That's my favorite thing to do with that embossing folder, it gives it so much more dimension!

Ok, I'm off to TRY to stamp something tonight....I'm not feeling very motivated to do much of anything tonight, hehe.  We'll see how it goes!

Happy stamping!

Sunday Sketch

Hi stampers!  I know it's Monday but I feel like it should be Sunday since I had to work on Saturday.  I'm really starting to miss two-day weekends:-)  One day for stamping AND all the other stuff on the weekend to do list is just not enough!  But I suppose someone like me could NEVER get enough stamp time, hehe!  Oh well, only six more weeks of football left....then I get a couple of weeks until basketball starts...it just never ends, lol!  Basketball is a bit better though since I don't have to worry about the cold or rain or sunburn since it's indoors!  Anyway....

Today's card is my entry for the Sweet Sunday sketch challenge this week, since afterall today SHOULD be Sunday, hehe!  I thought this sketch was super cute, what do you think?

I had a lot of ideas for this one but I finally decided to dust off the cute little witch from greeting card kids.  I've also been wanting to use concord crush with more mustard (and ok, forgive me but I have been and am going to be using a LOT of mustard because 1-the spice cake DSP has given me a new found love for it and 2- I totally bought TWO packages of it by accident in my last order, haha).  I tend to forget about concord crush as it's one of my least favorite in colors but it's a good color for Halloween and I think it looks great with more mustard!  I needed a third color  so after much playing around with colors I settled on tangerine tango which is another color I don't utilize very often.  I think it's a nice departure from my go to pumpkin pie! Look:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Greeting card kids, teeny tiny wishes
Paper:  Watercolor, in color hostess DSP stack (retired), bright DSP stack, tangerine tango, more mustard, concord crush
Ink:  Staz-on, various for watercoloring
Accessories:  Aquapainter, in color glimmer brads, elegant eggplant polka dot scalloped ribbon, tasteful trim die

You'll have to forgive my use of some retired DSP but I didn't have any other concord DSP and I wanted to use the large polka dots!  I did add a few accents in other colors but within the same color family as my original color combo.  Often times I get caught up in making everything "match" as in my accessories have to be the same color as my card.  I totally spaced and thought I had the concord ribbon....um, I don't but I did have the eggplant polka dot ribbon and you know what, it worked!  Our colors all work so well with each other!  I don't have to be all "matchy matchy" for a card to look good, hehe!    I decided to use some peach parfait glimmer brads as well to incorporate another shade of orange.

I wasn't very happy with the card while I was making it but I think all of the fun patterns and shades actually turned out rather well in the end!  Thanks for a fun sketch!!!

Happy stamping!

Spooky shaker

Hi stampers...well I didn't get around to my patriotic card today but that's ok....grocery shopping and laundry had to be done if we wanted to eat and wear clean clothes this week!  But I did get a card done that I started on last night.  This one is for the Paper Pal Arts theme challenge this week....and the theme is Halloween!  We all know I LOVE Halloween so I love this time of year and working on Halloween cards and treats!  Too bad I polished off the Halloween M&M's I had the other night or I could make some treats up now, haha.  I should NOT buy them until the day I know I'm going to use them! 

Anyway I used the out on a limb set (which is one of my faves) to make a little shaker card:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Out on a limb, wicked cool, netting, Halloween hang ups (wheel)
Paper:  More mustard, rich razzleberry, lucky limeade, basic black, whisper white
In:  More mustard, basic black, rich razzleberry, lucky limeade
Accessories:  Shaker frames, window sheets, spider web embossing folder, decorative label punch, circle punch, scallop circle punch, mica flakes, basic black polka dot scalloped ribbon, basic rhinestones (whew, that was a lot)

While I had good intentions the shaker kind of turned out like a cross between Halloween and Christmas, lol!  It was rather late when I started working on it and I don't think I was thinking straight as I used some of the new mica flakes in the shaker and it looks like snow, haha!  Oh well, it's still cute and sparkly!  I did get to use my Halloween hang up's wheel at the bottom..I had to break down and get that wheel as I just think it's stinking cute!  I added some spooky "eyes" to my sentiment too.

So Happy Halloween and Merry Christmas all in one card, lol! 

Happy stamping!

Snow much fun!

Hi stampers.  Before I begin this post I want to take a minute to remember all the victims, their families, and survivors of 9/11.  We will never forget the events of that terrible day or how all of our lives have been forever changed because of it.  God bless America!  This may sound kind of corny but I went for a run this morning and dedicated it to all those who suffered so much on that day.  I don't really enjoy running and I wanted to quit today but the discomfort I was in was nothing compared to what so many went through that day and for long after.    It just kind of brought a new perspective to my day today.  I may be back later today with a special card in remembrance if I get time to work on it.

On a happier note, today is my grandma's 90th birthday!  She has seen a lot of terrible things in this world in the pat 90 years but she has seen so many more WONDERFUL things as well!  We helped her celebrate yesterday and I hope she has a great day today!  It was fun to see her with her four great-grand kids....one day maybe she'll have a couple of more;-) Happy birthday Grandma, I love you!

And now back to your regularly scheduled post:-)  I have a card today using the colors from this week's Inkspiration's Color Challenge.  It was a bit out of my comfort zone as I probably would not have put these colors together on my own but they do work!

The colors immediately made me think of Christmas!!!  I've got to say though that great minds MUST think alike because as I was working on my card last night I clicked on over to the challenge site and saw that my good friend Rita had beat me to the punch and used Snow Much Fun for this challenge already:-)  I think her and I have the same stamping "personality" and I love all of the cards she makes!  It just made me laugh because all day long I had been thinking about this challenge and that set, hehe.  Anyway, here is what I came up with:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Snow much fun
Paper:  watercolor, whisper white, real red, old olive, marina mist
Ink:  stazon and various for watercoloring
Accessories:  old olive polka dot scalloped ribbon, dazzling details, basic rhinestones, lots of tags sizzlets, medium oval and modern label punches, snow burst embossing folder

I got this set WAAAAY back in June during pre-order time and I have NOT inked it up enough!  So I grabbed some watercolor paper and stamped the tall snowman (I'm jealous he's so tall, hehe) and the short little tree (it's like me, lol).  I did have to add a couple of extra colors in there to make him work but otherwise I stuck with the challenge colors.  I'm loving that new snow burst embossing folder too! It adds some great texture!  I'm also on a roll with the new polka dot background stamp from the main catalog.  I finally broke down and got it on Thursday and I can't stop using it:-)  I added the olive polka dot ribbon to tie in with the stamped dots but oh how I wish I had the marina mist ribbon, I have GOT to order that stuff!

As a finishing detail I have some dazzling details on the ornaments on the tree and then I layered some punches and a sizzix tag for my sentiment!

Thanks for stopping in today!  Happy stamping!

Simple scored = simply fabulous!

Hi stampers!  I have a new video for you today!  I've been waiting to show off the NEW SIMPLY SCORED scoring tool from SU!!!!!

Now, I never thought I needed a scoring tool (like SO many other stamp things/tools) and then I saw this GORGEOUS paper lolly wreath in the new Holiday Mini and yup, I totally needed a scoring tool....like YESTERDAY!  I don't really do a lot of scoring and fancy fold cards but NOW I just may have to start since the SS makes it so easy! 

It has a ton of great features which I won't bore you with in writing since it's all in the video.  I also have a quick tutorial on how to make the paper lollies as well.  Once I get the wreath all done I'll come back and post it.  Sadly, I've been busy with work so that doesn't leave much time for lolly-making:-)



Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!  You can get your very own Simply Scored by clicking the shop 24/7 button on the right.  You can also view stuff from the mini by clicking on the little mini catalog to the right!  You NEED to check it out if you haven't already!  AND if you'd like your very own copy just let me know!

Ok, I'm off to work on a challenge card and hopefully some other cards too after a LONG couple of days at work and my Gma's NINETIETH birthday party!  Happy stamping!

Freshly Made

Hi stampers!  Thanks to my good friend Rita, I found a BRAND new challenge blog!    It's called FRESHLY MADE SKETCHES and you should hop on over and check it out.  I'm always in need of sketches!  For me, it's often the hardest part of creating a card.  Colors are usually pretty easy but the design/sketch really trips me up sometimes.  I often feel like all of my cards begin to look the same and sketches are a good way to break out of a slump and try something new!  Of course I like this one because their theme is mainly  clean and simple which is very much my style 99% of the time!

This is the fourth and final card I made during my stamping blitz Wednesday night.  I wasn't in love with it but it's growing on me I think.  (I did make a boo boo in posting yesterday and accidentally posted in the wrong order...so if they read a bit funny that's why.  I'm not nuts but that's what happens when I stay up and blog way too late at night, lol!)  I will file this sketch away to use later though as I really liked it!  I better go pin it on Pintrest....and don't get me started on that....as if I needed another website to while away HOURS and hours!!! :-)  It is pretty nifty though!

Anyway, here it is:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Bright hopes
Paper:  Whisper white, island indigo, cherry cobbler, lucky limeade
Ink:  Versamark, lucky limeade
Accessories:  neutrals glimmer brads, basic rhinestones, silver embossing powder, northern frost decorative strip die, cherry cobbler ribbon, snow burst embossing folder

It's kind of bold and not quite traditional for a Christmas card BUT I think it works with this set!  I wanted to use the new embossing folder from the mini and the cherry cobbler quilted ribbon.  To tie it all together I also used a silver glimmer brad, rhinestones, and silver EP for the sentiment.  It's still clean and simple but with some shimmer and pizazz and little details like that really pull a card together and take it from ok to wow!  Thanks to the ladies at FMS, I had a lot of fun playing and can't wait for the next challenge!

Happy stamping!