Daffodil Marina

Happy Friday!  Woohoo, the weekend is almost here! Yesterday my box of goodies from Stampin' Up! arrived.  And even though I wouldn't consider myself a yellow person, for some reason the new Daffodil Delight color was the thing I was looking forward to the most.  Now, there are plenty of other delicious new colors to choose from, but I just had to pull this one out first.

The flower stamp is from the hostess set, Fast and Fabulous.  I stamped it in Basic Black, then used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to line up the solid stamp in Daffodil Delight.  Now, I get that they're going for a painterly look, but for an OCD girl like me, the fact that no matter how much you fiddle, the solid stamp colors outside the lines of the outline stamp in parts just drives me a little batty.  I want 2 step stamping to make me look like a good colorer, not a messy one!  :)  I added a little depth to the coloring by highlighting the flowers with a daffodil delight marker and coloring in the stem with Wild Wasabi and Pear Pizazz.  And since the "artistic" messiness was there to stay, I decided to mask around the image and sponge it up with some Marina Mist ink.  {The new hostess sets are unmounted, so I just saved the little peel-off portions to use as masks.  A little repositionable glue and you've got a fun little mask.}

The sentiment is from the {retired, I think} Birthdays Count set, and I stamped around the edges with the solid flower stamp to add a little interest.  The daffodil layer is embossed with the Finial Press embossing folder, and I added some of the new 1/8" Early Espresso Taffeta.  To finish off the front, I highlighted the petals with a little 2-way glue and poured on some Dazzling Diamonds.

I liked the other sentiment in the Birthdays Count set, "The secret of happiness is to count your blessings, not your birthdays", so I decorated the inside of the card, too. I think you could just add a little ribbon up top and make this into a quick little one layer card.  I might just try that!  :)

Okay, that's all for this fine Friday.  Hope you have a spectacular weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!

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What's In It?
Stamps: Fast and Fabulous, Birthdays Count (SU!)
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso (SU!)
Ink: Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black, Early Espresso (SU!)
Accessories: Early Espresso 1/8" taffeta, Dazzling Diamonds, Finial Press embossing folder, small corner rounder

Razzleberry Dream

Happy Tuesday! I've been sick and spent most of my time on the couch the last couple days, but the arrival of my SU! order lured me in to my studio for a few minutes. Unfortunately, now I think it's back to the couch for me.



This was a quick little SUO (Stampin' Up! Only) card. I like how it turned out, but I think if I were to make it again I might emboss over the top of the geisha with Irridescent Ice to add a little pizazz. I started by stamping the grunge background from Extreme Elements in Pale Plum, then stamping over the top of that with the geisha from Dream Gardens in Rich Razzleberry. You can't really see the background stamping in my photo, but I think it has a cool effect. Here's a a close-up that shows the background stamping a little better.

I used the Notch Punch for the corners, which I just realized must be retired (how dare they?) because I can't find it in the catty. For the sentiment, I stamped another of the backgrounds from Extreme Elements in Pale Plum and then the dream stamp in the center. This panel is punched out with the 1 3/8" circle punch and then matted with the scallop circle punch. The background paper is from the Razzleberry Lemonade DSP and is embossed with the Finial Press embossing folder. I finished off with some Rich Razzleberry Polka-Dot grosgrain ribbon and three brads from the Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware.

What's in It?
Stamps: Dream Gardens, Extreme Elements (SU!)
Paper: Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry, Razzleberry Lemonade (SU!)
Ink: Pale Plum, Rich Razzleberry (SU!)
Accessories: Finial Press embossing folder, 1-3/8" and scallop circle punches, Rich Razzleberry Polka-Dot grosgrain ribbon, Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, Notch Corner Punch [retired] (SU!)

Great Friend

It's been a while since I've made a Stampin' Up! only card, so I set out to make one this morning. With all the cool tools I've come to rely on, it's a lot harder than one might think not to reach for some Stickles or a Cuttlebug folder or some little rhinestones to bling things up! But, I persevered and now I can say that at least one of the stamp sets in my last order has been inked! Now if I could only find 20 more hours in a day, I might be able to get the rest of the stack inky and still finish all the other things I have to do. LOL!



I started by using the Top Note die in my Big Shot to cut a white and a Baja Breeze Top Note. I then stamped the butterfly from Great Friend in Pretty in Pink and Baja Breeze in the center of the white Top Note, then stamped them again on white cardstock to cut out and pop up on top. Next I stamped the little frame and sentiment from Great Friend in Baja Breeze with the help of my Stamp-a-ma-jig, then cut out, matted on Baja Breeze paper and hand trimmed a little border around it. For a little sparkle I applied glue around the outer edge of the stamped frame and then topped with Dazzling Diamonds. The background paper is from the Walk in the Park DSP collection and I finished off with a little pink taffeta ribbon.

What's In It?
All Supplies SU!
Stamps: Great Friend
Paper: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Walk in the Park DSP
Ink: Baja Breeze, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: Top Note Die, Dazzling Diamonds, Mono Adhesive, pink taffeta ribbon, sponge

Thoughts and Prayers

Hi everyone! The minute I saw this tree from Thoughts & Prayers in the new SU! catty I knew I had to get the set. I just love it - so much that I got the coordinating wall decor to spruce up my wall in my spare time (yeah, right - like that will happen anytime soon!) So the images are beautiful, and I've seen GORGEOUS cards made with this set. The only thing I don't love about this set is that it's double mounted. ICK!!! Was that really necessary? What a terrible thing to do to such a beautiful set! Double-mounted is okay for alphas and borders, but for large images? Just say no! LOL Apparently I need to find myself some wood blocks, and then blow up the teeny tiny index labels about 500% because the two stamps from this set that I double mounted totally drove me batty, just in the time it took to make this card!

But, I digress. Regardless of the double-mounting, the tree just makes me sigh and I LOVE it. It's so graceful! Oh, the things we endure in the name of art! LOL! :) Anyway, when I was tooling around on the computer this weekend, I ran across this week's CPS sketch {CPS104} and it reminded me of this image, so I decided to take my new set for a test drive. I started by stamping the tree in Versafine Onyx Black and then using my Mat Pack and paper piercer to do a little faux stitching around the edges of the panel. Next I pulled out some Eclipse Tape and did some masking to first ink up the outer edges with Sahara Sand then Chocolate Chip. Next I masked off the outer edges and a strip at the bottom and sponged around the edges with Soft Sky, leaving the center white, giving it a cloud effect. Next I moved up the lower mask and inked on the Mellow Moss for the ground. I love the finished effect.

The background panel is stamped with Sahara Sand using the leafy image from the set on Kraft paper and matted with black. The tag is from the Nestabilities set, and I inked the edges with Sahara Sand and Chocolate Chip, then matted on black and added a Kraft Taffeta ribbon. I finished off with a couple off white Kaiser Craft flowers that I inked with Chocolate Chip ink and then sewed a Button Latte button to the center with some linen thread. A few little dots with a black pen around the edges and I was done.

Mojo Thank You

Happy Monday! There's a new mojo sketch on the Mojo Monday Blog this morning and some great inspiration from the Mojo Makers, so you'll want to check it out! I'm a bit under the weather, so this is going to be short and sweet. Hope you have a great day!

My card used all Stampin' Up! products until I went renegade and added the primas and stickles as a last minute embellishment decision. The Upsy Daisy stamp is stamped in Chocolate Chip Craft ink, embossed in clear and then I brayered the background with first Baja Breeze ink and then Kiwi Kiss ink. The DSP is from the Urban Garden pack and the ribbon is some of the 1" chocolate satin they offered in a mini a while back. I only inked part of the sentiment, then matted everything with Chocolate Chip. I finished off with some primas I'm intent on using up, with a little pearl brad center and some Stardust Stickles accents on the petals as well as some of the embossed flowers.

Mojo Thank You

Happy Monday! It's the start of another week, and time for another Mojo Monday sketch. Check it out over on the Mojo Monday Blog.

My sample card for this week uses a couple SU! sets I hadn't inked up yet - Live Like You Mean it and Curly & Cute (from the Curly Label Punch bundle). I inked up the stem and leaf with my Always Artichoke marker and stamped, on white cardstock, then used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to line up and stamp the line art flower, which I then colored with Copic markers. I stamped the same flower directly onto the curly label punch that had been stamped with the curly label thank you stamp in Riding Hood Red. I added a little tiny gold rhinestone to the flower centers for accent. The long edge border is made with a Victorian Pieracabilites die and the circle is made from the Petite Circle Nestabilities. Both the red and saffron papers are from earlier versions of 6x6 Prints Packs and everything is matted in black. I added a little doodling to the main image and some Scattered Straw Distress Stickles to each of the scallops on my circle.

For the inside, I finally used my Top Note die and stamped the same flower from Live Like You Mean It and a sentiment from Sincere Salutations. I added a little coordinating paper from the front of the card, cut with the same Victorian Edge Piercability and a thin strip of black grosgrain.

Today is also the first day of the January Verve Project Parade. This month's theme is A Kid at Heart. The Divas have a couple weeks of awesome projects for you, so be sure to tune into the Verve Blog for some fresh ideas and your chance to win a $25 Verve Gift Certificate!

Because I Care

Happy Thursday! Yesterday I had the urge to buy new stamps, because I just wasn't feeling inspired with the ones I had. This is really silly because I have SO MANY stamps, even ones that have been left completely uninked. So I told myself to buckle down and just use what I had, then if I still wanted new stuff I could buy some without feeling guilty about "impulse" buying. LOL!

So I pulled out my most recent SU! purchases and decided to give them a little more loving. I love the look of Eastern Blooms, but I think it's a real pain that the flowers aren't a separate stamp. I want pink flowers and brown branches, but don't want to sit there with my markers all day long to make it so. So I've been snubbing this stamp since I first used it. I had embossing on my mind because of the Verve Project Parade Challenge, so I decided to emboss the stamp in clear embossing powder on white cardstock and then brayered over it with Baja Breeze. Next I cut a Basic Gray mat from a Long Rectangles Nestabilities die. (To make it the right size, I just cut four scallops out of the middle of the rectangle and then taped the two remaining ends together). For the background I randomly stamped one of the single flowers in Pink Pirouette on the same color of cardstock. I tied a Basic Gray taffeta knotted bow across this panel and then stamped the just because I care sentiment from Best Yet in Basic Gray ink in the bottom corner.

To finish off, I added petal pink Liquid Pearls to the centers of all the flowers. Several of you have asked about my liquid pearls technique. I don't know that there's really a trick to it, but here's what I do. I always start out with a dallop on scratch paper. The first squeeze will always be uneven, so it's best to do it on scratch paper. I let up enough that the flow stops, but never entirely release pressure on the bottle (this keeps extra air from getting in the flow of the liquid). Then I just squeeze a little drop out and release the pressure a little. Make sure the flow stops before moving on. Then go to the next and repeat, always keeping the bottle pretty close to the paper. You want light squeezes and small movements.

Well, if any of you were wondering... my plan didn't work! I still felt like buying new stamps, and since Lindsey (Jacksonbelle) had the new holiday papers from BasicGrey and Fancy Pants in stock, I just had to order up some of those pretty Inkadinkado fairies and a few other stamps to make sure I got free shipping! :)

Eastern Blooms

Today's card is one I made while playing with my new Stampin' Up goodies. I started by inking up the branch from the Eastern Blooms set with Chocolate Chip and Ruby Red markers and stamping on white cardstock. Next I added some color to each bloom with a Pumpkin Pie marker and a little shading to the branch with a Going Gray marker. I stamped just the one flower from the trio of flowers stamp and then added color with a Pretty in Pink marker before cutting out. Although you can't really tell from the photo (still trying to figure out the new camera), the flower is popped up on a dimensional next to the Best Yet sentiment.

The designer papers are from the Bella Rose DSP pack and everything is matted with Basic Gray cardstock. I added a few piercings, a little sparkle with some Crystal Effects/Dazzling Diamond mixture, then added a little Riding Hood Red Taffeta knotted bow with a hodgepodge clip glued below it with Crystal Effects. And for the finishing touch I stamped the branch again in the corner of the inside of the card.

Upsy Daisy

Last night I finally found a chance to play with my new Stampin' Up! goodies. I had Kraft scraps on my desk because I'm still thinking about what to do for the Verve Project Parade challenge, so I decided to use some of those scraps for this card. I haven't had much luck using kraft as an accent color, but my favorite way to use it is to replace the white I usually stamp on. Gives everything a really earthy feel.

I started by stamping the Upsy Daisy stamp in Chocolate Chip on Kraft. Next I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to slightly offset the second layer of stamping, which I stamped in VersaMark and then embossed with clear embossing powder. Next I stamped a square with the sentiment from Best Yet and then sponged the edges of both stamped panels with Close to Cocoa and then Chocolate Chip ink. I punched a strip of Chocolate Chip cardstock with the new Scallop Border punch and used it to mat the image, then punched a Scallop Square punch to mat the sentiment.

The background piece is Baja Breeze stamped in the same color of ink with the Paisley background stamp. I ran a strip of the 1" stitched Baja Breeze ribbon across the card and then a 1/4" chocolate chip grosgrain strip in the center of the Baja Breeze ribbon. I finished off with a little doodled stitch marks with my white Signo gel pen to match the stitching in the ribbon.

Oh, and don't forget to check out the new Meet The Verve Diva Challenge. This week's hostess is Laura Fredrickson, so stop on by, ask her a few get to know ya questions and check out the challenge for your chance to win some Verve Bucks!

Embrace Peace

Well, this morning I woke up and realized I didn't have anything to show you. Well, I have about 10 cards, but none I can show you right now. So I moseyed on into my stamp room and fumbled around for a bit... and this is the card that was born.

I started with this week's Sketch Challenge on SCS, and decided I needed to use more of the Bella Rose samples Lisa sent. So I pulled out my Nestabilities long rectangles and cut and embossed the white rectangle and then cut a Scallop rectangle mat from the chocolate Bella Rose paper. I stamped the long stemmed flower from Embrace Life three times in Memento Rich Cocoa and then the grasses stamp for a little greenery. The image is colored with Copic markers and then I used a Sepia Copic Multiliner to make little dotted details around parts of the image for interest. I took a Copic marker and colored up to the embossed edge for a nice little pink border around the image panel. Then I added some Stardust Stickles to the flowers and white dots to the scallops with my white Signo gel pen.

The sentiment is a 1" circle colored with a Copic marker and then I stamped the Peace sentiment from Wonderful Wishes in the center and added some dots with the brown multiliner. I added a small Page Pebble over the sentiment and then attached it to some Styled Silver and tied it to the card with chocolate polytwill. The corners are done with a fiskars corner punch, and then I added some dots to each scallop.

So Sweet

Happy Tuesday! Today I have my take on this week's Mojo Monday sketch for you. I wanted to use my new Tangerine Tango ink pad (thanks Lisa!) and thought I'd pull out So Many Scallops since I've barely used it and it's about to head to the big stamp retirement home in the sky.

I started by stamping the flower in Tangerine Tango and then punching out with my SU! scallop punch. Next I punched a 1/4" hole in the center and set a jumbo eyelet in the center with my Crop-a-dile. To give it a little sparkle I added an orange rhinestone in the opening of the eyelet. Next I focused on my horizontal panel. I knew I wanted to use the chocolate swiss dot pattern on the back of one of the Bella Rose papers, so I cut a strip and then took a piece of Tangerine Tango and scored two lines up top with my Scor-Pal to give it kind of a crimped effect. Next I made a scalloped border with my slit punch and glued it to the bottom of the piece of Bella rose and added some smaller rhinestones for sparkle. To finish off I used the "letterpress" or reverse embossing with ink technique using the Textile Cuttlebug folder and Tangerine Tango ink for the card base. I finished off with a Chocolate taffeta ribbon.

I've got some more birthday RAKS to share and some pics of the new toys hubby got me for my birthday, but my camera battery died before I was finished with the photo shoot, so they'll have to wait until tomorrow. Have a fantastic day everyone! :)

OCC Embrace

Happy Wednesday! Today's card is one I've been thinking about since Saturday when the Our Creative Corner challenge was posted, but didn't have time to try until today. This week the challenge is an inspiration challenge. When I took a look at the inspiration photo, the napkins in the glasses reminded me of calalillies, but as I searched through my entire stamp collection I realized I didn't have a single calalilly stamp. Can you believe that? Hmmm, might have to remedy that. Anyway, I figured Embrace Life was the next best thing.

I've also had Jen's Sketch For You To Try mulling around in my head, so I decided to combine the two and this is the card that resulted. Jen's sketch was actually for a square card, but I adapted it for a regular A2 sized card, since this was my very last large piece of So Saffron cardstock. I started by cutting two identical circles out of Classic Cream and Creamy Caramel. Next I aligned them back to back and cut them about 1/3 in from the edge, so the pieces would create a whole circle when put together. Next I stamped the long stemmed flower from Embrace Life three times on the cream panel and then used Eclipse tape to mask off just the flowers. Next I taped the stamped piece and the Caramel piece together on the backside and stamped the Weathered background over the top in Tea Dye Ranger Distress ink. I then sponged the edges of the circle with Tea Dye, pulled off the masks and colored the flowers with Copic markers. I added some Vanilla taffeta down the seam and decorated with some antique copper mini brads.

Next I used one of my Nestabilities label dies and cut out the embrace life sentiment, using one of the brads across the ribbon to anchor the sentiment. I matted the entire circle with a Creamy Caramel Circle and then set aside. For the background I stamped Weathered in So Saffron on So Saffron cardstock and then sponged the edges with Tea Dye ink. Next I glued down my circle, anchored the other side of my label with a minibrad and then glued to a classic cream card base.

Just a Note

This week's OCC Challenge is to use BasicGrey paper somewhere on your project. And since I just ordered the new Euphoria papers from Lindsey, I new exactly what I was going to use for this challenge. Especially since all of my other BasicGrey paper is packed away in boxes right now! Anyways, this week's challenge has a prize - a $15 gift certificate to Jacksonbelle Embellishments, and let me tell you, Lindsey has the coolest stuff, and she ships super fast! My kinda gal! ;)

I decided to pull out an old fave from SU! Doodle This is one of my faves - I just love the look of this flower. It's one of those stamps that makes making a great card really easy. I stamped it on white cardstock and colored with Copic markers before cutting out. Next I stamped it again on some of the Euphoria paper and then colored the tiny leaves and glued down. For some added dimension, I used regular adhesive for the inner portions of the flower and then put a pop dot on the outer edge of each petal, so they would seem to pop up. The rectangles were all cut with the Classic Rectangles from Nestabilities using Purely Pomegranate and River Rock as my accessory colors to the DP. Next I cut two different patterns from the Euphoria collection, matted them on River Rock and then embossed the biggest one with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. I stamped Just a Note from the Asian Flair set in black and then matted everything on a white card base. To finish I added some white gel pen doodling and then some Stardust Stickles on the stamped image and a flat back pearl for the flower center.

Okay, be sure you check out the OCC blog to see all the details on how to enter for the prize!

Artful OCC

Happy Saturday! This morning I woke up all giddy when I remembered that the first Our Creative Corner Challenge was being posted. Woohoo! I couldn't wait to stamp! This week's challenge was a sketch by Cindy Haffner. I paired the sketch with the color inspiration #11 from kwernerdesign and got to stamping! After I finished, I realized the real challenge was to use mostly white on your card...oops!

My goal for the card was all SU!, but I came just shy of that. Without thinking about it, I used Copics for coloring and to dye the Vanilla taffeta ribbon. And I used dew drops from Robin's Nest. Other than that, everything is SU!

I started by stamping the flower sprig from Artfully Asian and then coloring with Copics. Next I overstamped the whole panel with Linen background in So Saffron and then sponged the edges. I stamped the Paisley background on a piece of Old Olive and a piece of Rose Red in the same color ink as the cardstock. I used the Rose Red piece for my matting and the Old Olive piece for the second rectangle panel and a photo corner punch accent on the top. For the background of the card, I used the Tres Chic background in So Saffron and then realized I didn't have any Going Gray cardstock. So I stamped Linen in Going Gray on white and then brayered over the panel with more Going Gray ink. I really like the effect. Next I went for the sentiment, and pulled out the Circle of Friendship stamp set. I used two of the circle stamps, using a 1/2", 1", 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" punch for all the layers. I finished off with some piercing accents, a little Crystal Effects/Dazzling Diamonds mixture on the flowers and some dew drops along the bottom edge of ribbon.

Smiling Embrace

Hey there everyone! Sorry I've been MIA. My migraines have returned for another impromptu/unwelcome visit. Today the pressure isn't so bad, so as long as I make this short and get off the computer right away, I might have a chance at keeping Mr. Migraine at bay today. This card is something I whipped up this morning. I've had this Michelle Wooderson sketch printed and sitting on my desk all week, and finally decided to just dive in.

I used my new favorite set, Embrace Life by SU! I started by stamping the cherry blossom image on 7/8" square punches and then coloring with Copic markers. I matted on Ruby Red Extra Jumbo Scallop Square punches and then added a little Stardust Stickels and set aside. Next I stamped the blossom again randomly across a 2" strip of white cardstock. In hindsight I wish I had used Blush Blossom, but it's too late now! :) I then colored the flowers iwth Copics and then overstamped the panel in Blush Blossom with the Linen Background and lightly sponged the edges with Blush Blossom ink. I used a small corner rounder for the scalloped edge on the Ginger Blossoms dp panel (embossed with the Swiss Dots CB folder) and then sewed the blossoms strip to a Blush Blossom card bases stamped with Linen. If I hadn't been so lazy, I would have changed the thread to white thread, but that would have required winding a new bobbin, and rethreading the needle, which just wasn't going to happen with my headache. I stamped the dotted frame and sending you smiles sentiment from Thoughtful Florals in Ruby Red and then punched out with the Word Window punch. I added a small cut out blossom for a little accent in the corner. Finished off with two Foof-A-La buttons tied with DMC floss, and then added some accents with a white gel pen.

Okey dokey, hope y'all have a fantastic weekend. I'm still reeling from Michael Johns getting voted off - what was American thinking, anyway? He's not my overall favorite to win the whole thing, but he definitely didn't deserve to go home this week! Okay, off my soapbox... Julee OUT! :)

Blushing Embrace

Hey Everyone! I've got a Stampin' Up! card for you today. I just love this Embrace Life set and am so happy I finally broke down and purchased it. Usually by the time I decide to buy a set I've seen so many cards made with the set already that once it arrives I'm totally stuck and can't think of anything original to do with it. That's not the case with this set. I just love it!

Today's card started out as Jen's Sketch For You To Try for the week. My dimensions went awry somewhere in the making of the card, so it doesn't look exactly like the sketch, but it still has all the basic "bones" in the right places. I decided to make it a little smaller than a usual card (not for any real reason other than that's what felt right at the time). So this card is 5.25" x 3.75" I started by stamping the blossoms from Embrace Life in Versafine Onyx Black on Classic Cream. I then colored with Copic markers. I stamped another blossom off the page and added the sentiment for the bottom cream panel. Next I stamped the blossoms again all over a piece of Blush Blossom in Pretty in Pink and then colored with a Copic marker. I slid three ribbon sliders from the Styled Silver Hodgpepodge kit onto Vanilla Taffeta. Then the sliders looked a little empty so I glued three 1/4" hole punches of Blush Blossom in the centers of each slider and then covered with a generous amount of Stardust Stickles. I really like the look.

Okey dokey. Short & sweet today, peeps. Hope you have a fabulous day! :)

Mojo A Go-Go

Happy Wednesday! Seriously? Wednesday already and I'm just now getting my sample card for Mojo Monday done? Well, there's lots going on here and I've got taxes "hanging over my head" right now. And taxes + mojo does not equal crazy delicious! :) So here's my right brain's meager attempt at the sketch, while my left brain is sucking up all the good juices worrying about taxes. In hind sight I should have made some different layering choices to make the scallop circle pop a bit more... and who knows what I was thinking when I pulled out the chocolate ribbon? Probably just laziness since it was already on my desk. But chocolate goes with everything, right???

Nothing here was rocket science. DP is Ginger Blossoms from SU! and the stamps are from the Embrace Life set. I stamped in Ruby Red and then colored with Copic markers. On the Ruby Red panel, I stamped the leafy stamp and then colored in with a Ruby Red marker. Just enough of the edges are sponged with Close to Cocoa to make it look odd that they all aren't. LOL! I stamped an extra blossom sprig and trimmed four blossoms and adhered them on micro pop dots for a little dimension. Added a few piercings under the sentiment and around the scallop. I added a few dots to the DP with a Ruby Red marker and then made the befuddling choice to mat the whole thing on a Cameo Coral card base. Still not sure why I picked that one - it definitely makes the Groovy Guava look washed out. I guess you can just call me Simon today - because I think this card is quite forgettable. LOL!

Hope the mojo bug strikes you with something spectacular today. I'll be thinking of y'all while I'm up to my elbows in receipts.

Sanded

I have wanted the Sanded background since I first saw it first released. I really can't believe I waited this long to buy it - I love it just as much as I thought I would! For today's card, I thought I'd try a little different color combo than my norm - and no patterned paper, just to mix things up. Not too radical, as you can see, because it still has chocolate chip in it. After all, what good is a color combo without chocolate? LOL!

I just pulled out some scraps of Sage Shadow and Old Olive and liked how they looked together, so I went for it! I stamped both scraps with the Sanded background in Old Olive and then stitched a border around both pieces with my Janome Sew Mini. Next I used one of the Olive rub-ons from SAB on a white piece of cardstock and colored in the two white flowers with a Sage Shadow marker. This is matted on Sage Shadow and a Chocolate Chip scallop square made with my Nestabilities. The Chocolate Chip background is stamped with Sanded in White Stazon. I just love the look! Next I was inspired by this card by Amy, so I punched three little white circles, glued them down and attached some chocolate brads to each circle. For the center of the Prima, I set a jumbo eyelet and then added a green jewel brad. (Not sure if they're Fire or Ice, because Lisa sent them to me FOREVER ago and I lost the post-it note! Thanks Lisa - I'm trying not to hoard them anymore!) I finished off with some Stardust Stickles on the flower and a white card base.

Have a HAPPY day!

Sweet One

Today I'm sharing with you a super quick card (read 10 minutes) I made using Jen's Sketch For you to Try from this week. I absolutely loved the sketch as soon as I saw it and had to make something, but didn't have a lot of time. This is what I came up with. Hopefully I'll have time to make something a little more stampy with this sketch later this week.

Sorry for the dark shadows on the photo - I think my camera is starting to get sick. :( I used the same lighting and everything on my photos today and everything I took had dark shadows and I had to brighten it quite a bit in Photoshop. Anyways, I started by stamping the Sweet One stamp from So Many Scallops (SU!) in Crimson Red Versafine on Barely Banana. I then stamped the same image again, punched out with my scallop circle punch and sponged the edges with Crimson Red ink. Next I layered the trimmed image on top of the punched image and set aside. I punched three 7/8" squares from Some KaiserCraft Tudor paper and then matted on a 1" square of another paper from the Tudor Collection. I ran a piece of Barely Banana through the Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots folder, added a strip of the Tudor paper and the three squares and then tied some Bluebird grosgrain ribbon in a knotted bow. I added three burgundy brads from Pinkhedgehog and glued everything to a red card base. For that extra little sparkle I added some Stardust Stickles squigglies to the paper and some accents on the moon and each scallop. Not your traditional baby colors, but I liked the happy feel of the color combo.

Mojo Monday Week #29

Happy St. Patty's Day Everyone! Sorry I'm so late with the sketch today - Monday morning happened to me in a big way! LOL! This week's sketch is rather simple, but sometimes simple is just the right thing. :) To spice it up, I'd like to see something other than a square or circle where the butterfly is and some stamping in the two corners of the background panel. Hope you have fun with it. Here's the drill... if you make a card with the sketch, just link me up in the comments of this post, so I can come check out your creation. If you've got your link to me by Sunday at 8 PM Mountain time (6 PM ET), I'll include it in the slide show next Tuesday (I'll be out of town on Monday, so the slide show won't happen until Tuesday, but I'll be sure to schedule the Mojo Monday #30 sketch to post while I'm gone for all you Mojo Monday junkies! If you happen to upload to SCS, please use keyword Mojo29, so we can see everyone's mojoliciousness all in one happy place.


Today's card is a miniature card I made just playing around with one of my new Stampin' Up sets. The dimensions are 3 x 4" and I'm really not sure what made me make this size, but I really like it. It will be just the right size to tuck in with a gift. I started by stamping the flower in Vintage Sepia Versafine ink and then coloring with Copic markers. I then trimmed it out and set aside. Next I took a scrap of Polka Burst Paper Salon dp and stamped the flourish stamp in each corner and used a corner rounder on the edges. The sentiment is stamped on white cardstock. Something about the line up of the sentiment on the stamp just bothers me, so I used my chocolate chip marker to ink up just the first two lines, then used my Stamp-a-majig to line up the word Happy where I wanted it. Mats are all Chocolate Chip and I used a white signo gel pen to add dots around the edges, some accents to the flowers on the flourish and some dots on the flower petals. The flower is popped up on dimensionals and I used a cheap bauble from the Michael's candle section for the flower center.

Okay, back to my manic Monday! :) Be sure to check out all of last week's fabulous cards in the slide show below.



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