Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Wednesday Sketch Challenge

Is being shown today.

I had a lot of fun playing with this sketch. It's the 200th sketch challenge for SCS. I really liked the simplicity of the sketch because in the middle of the week, I'm not really in the mood to fuss.

The colors came from a website I found the other day - Color Throwdown (it's in my blog roll.) Every Wednesday they come up with a color combination to use. This week's colors were Orange, Purple and Green - and black of course. I forgot the black.

The stamp is from MFT's Essential Sentiments.

The purple layer is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder - Diamonds in the Rough.

The primas are sitting on squares cut out with a 1 1/4" square punch and a scalloped square Nestability die. The flowers are held together with Eggplant brads that I bought at http://www.pinkhedgehogpapercrafts.com/

Stamps: MFT - Essential Sentiments. Paper: Gable Green, Elegant Eggplant, Only Orange, white. Ink: Elegant Eggplant. Accessories: primas, scalloped square Nestability die, 1 1/4" square punch, brads, Cuttlebug, Embossing folder, dimensionals.

Hope you have a fabulous Halloween tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The Sunday... errrr, TUESDAY Catch-up

The television is not my friend - especially on Sunday and Monday nights. Yes, those are my main television watching nights, but when I have cards to show and I have every intention of uploading said cards online... next thing I know, it's after 11pm and I need to get ready for bed.

*sigh*

The Featured Stamper on SCS this Sunday was Speedystamper - and I have to say I loved her gallery. I've been having trouble trying to find cards on Sundays that I want to CASE (Copy and Selectively Edit) - mostly because the cards I really like happen to be either CASEd from someone else or a Sketch Challenge.

I found two cards this week!

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1084228 This is the original card. I changed the colors, the sentiment, the stamp set... well, pretty much everything but the sketch.

Stamps: PTI - Out on a Limb. Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Select White, acetate. Ink: Chocolate Chip, Burnt Umber Palette, Tempting Turquoise. Accessories: Brads, word window punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, corner rounder punch, tacky tape, stickles, dimensionals.

The other card I CASEd is here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/864818 My card is a regular size card (4.25"x5.5") I loved the blended sky - which I did on glossy cardstock in a combination of Blue Bayou and Soft Sky. I found this Hero Arts stamp at Michaels and really liked it, so I stamped it in Palette Noir ink.

Stamps: Hero Arts - Travel Collage. Paper: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Glossy white. Ink: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Palette Noir. Accessories: dimensionals, ribbon, sponges.

Here's to a great Tuesday (and a little warmer weather here)

Friday, October 24, 2008

A quickie post - I have about 25 minutes before I need to leave for work and I'm not completely ready to go.

This is the card I made on Wednesday night with Tuesday's color challenge: Pink Piroette, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip.

I stamped the rose (from Rubbernecker) in Burnt Umber Palette and colored it in with Pretty in Pink and Old Olive markers. The sentiment (from PTI's Mixed Messages) is stamped in Old Olive.

The frame for the rose is cut out with square Nestabilities and popped up on dimensionals over the image.

I decided to make this card into a shaker card with part of a shaker kit I bought from Jody Morrow (texasjodylynn) and a Heidi Swapp ghost star. It worked really well, but I misjudged where everything needed to be, so I have tails hanging off the edge of the card. Ooops.

Stamps: Rubbernecker - Valentine Rose, PTI - Mixed Messages. Paper: Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Select White. Ink Burnt Umber Palette, Old Olive, Pretty in Pink marker. Accessories: nestabilities, dimensionals, brads, microbeads, ghost star, shaker kit.

Have a great Friday!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

It's a Quilted World

I am totally in love with Papertrey Ink's Quilter's Sampler stamp set. I think it's great that the stampers who can't sew a straight line to save their souls *raises hand because this is SO me* can create little quilts. This set has been at the top of my PTI cd stack.

This first card I made because I heard that a friend on SCS's husband died. I made this card to send to her.

Stamps: PTI - Quilter's Sampler, Quilter's Samper Sentiments. Paper: Basic Gray, PTI Select White and Aqua Mist. Ink: Charcoal Palette, Aqua Mist. Accessories: brads, ribbon, Nestabilities, paintbrush, dimensionals.

One of the things I'm a little frustrated about when dealing with the Palette inkpads is that you can't squeeze them to get some ink to color. I'm always afraid of cracking the lid, but I tried something new and it worked. You take a dry, small, stiff-bristled paintbrush (my paintbrush has 1/4" bristles) and brush some color directly from the inkpad and then color in the quilted squares.

After I figured out that dry paintbrush works to color in the quilt blocks, I sat down with my stamp set, all my colors of PTI ink (which is Palette formula), and paintbrush in front of the tv and colored in a bunch of quilt blocks.

One of the last sets of quilt blocks I colored in were these. I really liked the combo of Aqua Mist with Berry Sorbet.

Stamps: Quilter's Sampler, Quilter's Sampler Sentiments. Paper: Basic Gray, PTI - Select White, Aqua Mist, Berry Sorbet, Everyday Blessings dp. Ink: Berry Sorbet, Charcoal Palette, Aqua Mist. Accessories: ribbon, dimensionals, Sakura sparkle gel pen.

The ribbons on my cards are tied with a technique for stay put knots. I found a link on SCS to a tutorial and watched it. It's so easy to do - and saves a lot of hassle from regular tying.

Wishing you great creativity,

Monday, October 13, 2008

Back from my work weekend

The weekend was great - I learned a lot and had a lot of fun at my conference.

Then I got to see my best friend from college - who lives near Detroit.

When I got home, I rearranged my Primas (paper flowers.) I've just kept them in the containers they came in: milk bottles, plastic containers, organza bag, etc. I bought some Making Memories plastic cracker jars at Michael's (they come in sets of 3.) I sat down on the floor with the tv on and separated all my primas into jars by color. It's going to be a lot easier to find what I want to use.

Hope everyone's had a great day!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Thursday

Ahhh... the joy of short work days. I kinda like being a little lazy and taking my time in the morning, making a card or two, blogging, etc. I'd do this everyday, but I like to sleep in and that leaves little time for actually making cards and uploading them. Maybe at some point, I'll turn into a morning person.

I get to go to a 2 day conference for work. I leave tonight and it finishes up late Saturday. I'm excited.

Okay, back to the real reason of this blog: stamping. I've made some cards.

First card was for the SCS Color Challenge on Tuesday.

The colors were Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, and Chocolate Chip. I had the cardstock, not the inks, so I had to improvise. I used one of my new Stamping Bella images: Imogen the Fairy. She's stamped in Burnt Umber Palette on watercolor paper. I colored her with reinkers and an aquapainter. I need to practice this technique - I'm not good at it. Imogen's wings and dress have a little shimmer to them from Twinkling H2Os.

The background is watercolor paper stamped with the leaves from PTI's Out on a Limb Additions. It was misted with water to blur the images.


Stamps: PTI - Out on a Limb Additions, Stamping Bella - Imogen the Fairy. Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip, watercolor. Ink: Burnt Umber Palette, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive. Accessories: aquapainter, Twinkling H2Os, Stickles, ribbon.

The other 2 cards are for today's Ways to Use It Challenge: Monograms.

Card #2: I took a letter from a Basic Grey chipboard set and embossed it in silver. I love this chipboard because Basic Grey was smart enough to make it self-adhesive. You don't have to use the Tacky Tape or the heavy duty glues with this stuff. Of course, if you're like me and don't realize that it's self-adhesive... it's embarrassing, but true.

Note: if you're embossing chipboard, give it time to cool before you touch it with your hands. It's thicker and holds heat longer than paper. I've burnt my fingers touching the surface of embossing powder on chipboard. I have a pair of crafting tweezers that I use to move chipboard after being embossed. Please be careful.

Other than the embossing, it's a simple card: 2 ribbons, 3 brads and I was done.

Stamps: none. Paper: Apricot Appeal, Dark Chocolate (PTI), My Mind's Eye dp. Ink: Versamark. Accessories: silver ep, ribbon, Basic Grey chipboard, brads.

The last card is the one that I thought of first when I read the word 'monogram'. I wanted something really simple, classic and clean.

When I had my card base, I ran it through my trimmer with the scoring blade on it and scored 2 lines 1 1/4" apart. I laid my piece of Aqua Mist cardstock in between the lines after I wrapped a piece of Aqua Mist polka dot satin ribbon around it. The monogram is PTI's Ambassador Monogram set and the Borders and Corners Monogram edition. They're stamped in Palette Noir and Aqua Mist respectively. It's punched out with 1 1/4" circle punch and layered on a 1 3/8" circle of Aqua Mist cardstock. The monogram is on dimensionals.

After I put the T in the monogram, I almost kicked myself because a set of 4 or 6 of these cards would be great in my work Secret Santa's present.

Stamps: PTI - Ambassador Monogram, Borders and Corners Monogram Edition. Paper: Select White, Aqua Mist. Ink: Aqua Mist, Palette Noir. Accessories: ribbon, dimensionals, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches.

That's all for now.

Wishing everyone a great weekend,

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Another layout and a card

Wow, I'm on a roll! Another scrapbook layout is done and ready to be shown.

I would have been so stuck if it wasn't for the SBSC - Scrapbook Sketch Challenge - over at Splitcoast. I don't think I'd have been done with one layout, let alone 2.

I went to a college friend's handfasting (Norse wedding) in May. It was a beautiful ceremony and it was the most fun I've ever had at a wedding.



Stamps: SU - Celtic Knots. Paper: Brilliant Blue, Taken with Teal, Select White, Basic Black, Bali Breeze dp. Ink: Versamark. Accessories: copper ep, ribbon, ribbon punch, tacky tape.

Now for the card. I've been horribly late for some of my friends on SCS's birthdays so I know I need some belated birthday cards. I pulled out one of my new MFT sets - Here's the Scoop and stamped the main image 3 times: once on Select White cardstock, once on the patterned dp, and once on a solid peach dp. I colored the patterned dp with prismacolor pencils and baby oil to accentuate the striped wallpaper. I did the same with the peach dp as well - for the chair and the carpet. The woman was colored with prismacolor pencils and her lounge suit was blended with baby oil. I really like the sentiment because it's something I tend to say when I'm forgetful.

Stamps: MFT - Here's the Scoop. Paper: Groovy Guava, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Select White, My Mind's Eye dps. Ink: Palette Noir, Chocolate Chip. Accessories: prismacolor pencils, baby oil, 1 1/4", 1 3/8", scalloped circle punches, ribbon, dimensionals.

Hope this weekend was great!

A day at the Orchard

It's been kinda crazy here at Casa Sara. And of course, the weekend flies by.

My best friend and I went out to an apple orchard Saturday to get out of the house. I've never picked apples, so that was an experience. As was eating apples directly off the tree - the Jonagolds Erica and I picked were delicious.

I got some great pictures - and have actually scrapped them already. I love the picture of Erica with the apple in her mouth!






Paper: Ruby Red, Wild Wasabi, River Rock, PTI Select White. Ink: Ruby Red, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green marker (for journaling.) Accessories: mono multi, chipboard, brads, eyelets.

I'm hoping to get some other pictures that I've taken over the summer scrapped soon. I'm getting into a scrapping mood again.

Hope you had a great World Cardmaking Day!