Sketch a Color Combo

That's my name for this card. Ok, well not really. But I loved this week's Color Combo Challenge on Splitcoast, and the Sketch Challenge was rockin too! So I combined them, and here you go!

I really like how this turned out (although I have to admit that I'm more happy about having a chance to stamp)!! I sat down knowing I wanted to use my new Basic Grey Mellow paper & this Rust colored ribbon by May Arts.
I started with a base of Papertrey White measuring 8.5" x 5.5", and folded that in half. I adhered my layers of Chocolate Chip (5.25" x 4") and River Rock (5" x 3.75") together and then stitched the panel of Mellow paper (3" x 4") with my sewing machine.

The bottom corners are pierced with my mat stack and paper piercing tool, and the sentiment from Verve's Thoughtful Phrases set is stamped in Chocolate Chip. Using the sketch as inspiration, I tied the wide satin ribbon around in a knot.

For the main image, I wanted a clean, simple look, so I started by stamping the small flower from Office Accoutrement in Really Rust on White Cardstock. Then I stamped the stems and leaves from Papertrey's Green Thumb set in Old Olive. Matted that onto chocolate chip and popped it up on Pop Dots.

I hope I get some more time tonight...I cleaned my stamp room so I can get it all messy again! *wink*

Have a great Friday!

Stamps: Office Accoutrement, Papertrey Green Thumb, Verve Visual Thoughtful Phrases
Paper: Papertrey White, River Rock, Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey Mellow
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Old Olive
Accessories: May Arts Ribbon, Sewing Machine & Thread, Mat Pack & Paper Piercer, Pop Dots

A Collaboration of Art...

This is a card made for Tommy, my father-in-law. I thought I'd try a new approach for cards (since we celebrate 4-5 at a time!) and let my boys color the image and then create a card around it.

Cole (who is 5 on Monday!) colored Petey from Inky Antics for Tommy's birthday card. I matted him on Basic Black cardstock, and then adhered him onto my Gable Green Base (5.25x5.25). I stamped the sentiment from All Holidays and tied my May Arts ribbon to pull it all together. If you're ever looking for an interesting challenge, let your kids color an image and then try to base a card around it!

Thanks for looking!

Look, Julee! I found my Mojo!!

Ok, so I was just all excited that I did Julee's Mojo Monday challenge to use those "almost card pieces" laying around in your stamp room...when I remembered there was a sketch too. So I have my MO....now I gotta go get my JO! lol You'll just have to love me for what I am, as forgetful as I may be.

I got this image (from the Stampin Up hostess set Vases in Vogue) in an image swap a while back. I colored it and there it sat in my sad little box of almost cards (mostly colored images), waiting to be used. Today was her day!

I needed this to be a simple card, mostly because I'm tired and it's late! I've been busy working on Christmas Card samples, so this was a nice little break.
My card base is Soft Sky, stamped with the Print Pattern background in the same ink. I tied 2 strips of ribbon (I promise it matches IRL!) across the front that I found at this amazing store a couple of weeks ago...$2.69 for 18 yards!!!! It matches the Cameo Coral marker I colored the vase with. I also used Artichoke and Rose Red (I think?) for the rest of the image. The black matting makes it stand out a bit I think, and the rounded corners finished it off nicely. I finally got to use my A Muse sentiment...I've had it forever and thought it was perfect for this card.

Ok, so I broke the rules, but I hope you enjoyed my MO...
Have a happy Tuesday!


Stamps: Vases In Vogue, A Muse sentiment, Print Pattern
Paper: Soft Sky, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir, Soft Sky
Accessories: Markers, Ribbon, Corner Rounder, Pop Dots

I need new lighting...

This is what happens when you can't see well in your craft room. You get a little out of control...lol

I wasn't going to post this card, but I decided what the heck. Sometimes the cards I hate are the ones yall love! So I'm throwing it out there for the world to see. Don't hit me if you hate it. Lie and tell me you love it, ok? ;)

I still am not feeling well...I now have 2 painful ear infections and bronchitis. And work is still crazy insane...so I haven't had a lot of time to stamp. And I've been working like mad trying to get samples made for the new classes I'm offering...gotta get those done by Saturday to take to my friend Kim! So I'll be busy for the next few nights.

Anyway, on to the crazy card. I made this last weekend when I decided to play with the Stampendous Bee images that AJ sent me. Love them! I colored them with Prismacolors & Odorless Mineral Spirits, distressed and sponged the tar out of them, and then for some reason decided to highlight them like MAD with my white gel pen. lol I also got fancy and rubbed some Pearlex on their wings! There's sure to be some sewing on there somewhere too. :D

I sponged another card front sized panel and stamped the sentiment from Happy Harmony on the bottom. Then I added some 5/8" Grosgrain ribbon from a swap I was in, and mounted it on my Caribbean card base. I'm still trying to get the hang of tying this ribbon...it's tricky but I'm getting there!

I hope yall are doing great...I'm excited about possibly getting to participate in VSN, hopefully I'll feel up to it. Check here for all the details, it's going to be fun!!

Stella Ruby Bloom

Happy Birthday to Granny! I made this card for my mom to give to my grandmother for her birthday celebration (80 years!) this weekend...we aren't going to be able to make the trip to Joplin. boo...
I didn't have a ton of time but knew I wanted to use the Stella Ruby paper. I thought the Fresh Bloom by Stampendous was a great image to go with it, so I stamped it in Palette Hybrid Noir on Pearlized Cream cardstock, and then watercolored it with my Aquapainter & Pretty In Pink/Rose Red ink.

I decided to do the cracked glass technique on this one, which is a technique I just recently mastered during the Dare to Get Dirty Challenge. After I cracked the embossing powder, I rubbed my Tim Holtz Distress Ink pad over it and wiped the excess. The ink goes down into the cracks, making the image look a little older.

The rest is pretty straightforward. I rounded the corners for a more feminine look...I hope she likes it!

Going to crash now...this week has been soooooooooooo busy. I'm looking forward to Saturday!!

Stamps: Stampendous Fresh Bloom
Paper: Paper Accents Pearlized Cream, Basic Black, Rose Red, Basic Grey Stella Ruby
Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir, Distress Ink (Tim Holtz), Versamark, Pretty In Pink, Rose Red, Marigold Morning
Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Aquapainter, Heat Tool, Corner Rounder, Ribbon
Techniques: Cracked Glass, Watercolor

Another peek!

I am LOVING the Fancy Florals set by Verve Visual. The sentiments are awesome! It will be available to order on August 20th here. There are so many different things you can do with it... I just can't wait for yall to see!

For this card, I used Jen's sketch, with my own little twist of course. I couldn't resist using this new May Arts ribbon....so perfect for Fall, I think. My Creamy Caramel card base measures 5.25 x 5.25, and I stamped the flower centers in all 3 sizes on it in the same ink. Then I sponged it with Close to Cocoa to soften it a bit.

This DP is from the new Cosmo Cricket line, Gretel. I mounted it on Chocolate Chip cardstock, and tied the ribbon around the whole card base. The sentiment is stamped in Chocolate Chip ink on Paper Accents Pearlized Cream paper. I sponged it, mounted on Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, and then popped it up on another layer of Pearlized Cream with Mini Pop Dots. Layered over the ribbon just a bit, and finished it off with a row of piercing on the bottom edge.

I hope you all are doing well, I have been super slammed at work and trying to eek out any "me time" that I can! Guess what??? TOMORROW'S FRIDAY!!!!


Stamps: Fancy Florals by Verve Visual
Paper: Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Paper Accents Pearlized Cream, DP by Cosmo Cricket
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel
Accessories: May Arts Ribbon, Mini Pop Dots, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Stampamajig

A Sneek Peek....

What is that I hear? Oh, you've never seen this set before? Where can I buy it? Why here, of course! So this is a sneek peek at the brand spankin new not out yet Verve Visual set...ain't it PURDY? I am in love, seriously. Except that it took me FOREVER to trim because there are soooo many stamps in this set! You're gonna love it!

I needed to make a quick but pretty card, so I stamped the Fancy Florals set (available August 20th!!!) in Pretty in Pink & Regal Rose on Paper Accents Pearlized White cardstock, using 2 of the stamps for the 2-step stampin technique. Then I stamped the sentiment (also from Fancy Florals) in Palette Hybrid Noir, and dotted around the edges with my Sakura Black Glaze Pen. After that I matted the image on Regal Rose and Sage Shadow cardstock, and did some faux stitching on the Sage layer.

I cut a piece of my 6x6 Basic Grey Blush Pad (so pretty!) to adhere to the card base. I sponged Chocolate Chip around the edges and punched the bottom scallops with my corner rounder first.

Of course, I can't NOT make a card without ribbon...these are May Arts and some random grosgrain, so I tied these together and then popped up my main image on Pop Dots.

It has been a super longggggggggggggggg day and I'm sooooooooo tired, so I'll chat more tomorrow about the weekend events. Have a great one!

You can stand under my umberella, ella, ella, eh eh eh

So I was washing the dishes, like a good wife. There were 4 dishes that needed to be hand washed, and all the rest were in the dishwasher. For some reason, the spout on my kitchen sink decided to come loose from its socket. It would have been great if someone else had been doing the dishes. Not me.

All of a sudden the spout came loose and water started shooting from the faucet, straight up into the air. I was soaking wet, as was the ceiling and everything on the counter (which luckily wasn't much since I was almost done!), but my boys thought it was very funny!

So once I dried off I finished this card, which I decided to make because of my lack of an umbrella. I love these colors together, and I hope you enjoy them too!

Stamps: Rubber Romance Tiffany, Paisley
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Cool Caribbean, Paper Accents Pearlized White, Chocolate Chip,
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Palette Hybrid Noir
Accessories: Pop Dots, Glue Dots, May Arts Ribbon, Martha Stewart Ribbon from Mike's, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Chocolate Chip Marker, HP Hardware, Blender Pen

Vintage Retro

I colored a few images tonight and decided to make a card with Retro Robin, who's new in the house. I got her in my last Eclectic Paperie order.

Ever since I saw the Dare to Get Dirty challenge for the Vintage Values technique, I knew I wanted to do a very modern image with this one. So here's Robin, who I stamped in Palette Hybrid Noir on Paper Accents Pearlized White cardstock. I colored her with Prismacolor Pencils & Odorless Mineral Spirits. Then I sponged her (and her little puppy) with Groovy Guava, Close to Cocoa, & Chocolate Chip, in that order. After layering Robin on a piece of Guava cardstock and sponging the edges, I pierced holes for the brads and put them in.

For the card base, I stamped Print Pattern on Tempting Turquoise in the same ink. I used a white gel pen to accent the points. I tied some May Arts ribbon & some SU Turquoise Grosgrain around, and then popped up the main image with Foam Mounting Tape. At the last minute, I added the sentiment from All Holidays, stamped in Palette Hybrid Noir.

I've had some questions regarding the Paper Accents Pearlized White Paper vs. Stampin Up! Shimmer White. I have to say that I really can't tell the difference between the two. When laid side by side, they are the exact same weight. I think (when really looking hard!) that the SU Shimmer CS is a TINY bit whiter, but I have found myself getting them confused, and I'm a pretty big paper snob! The texture is the same, they take ink the same, and they're both awesome for coloring (Prismacolors, Markers, Watercolor, etc...). Anyway, I hope this helps! Just make sure you order the cardstock and not the text weight paper...it's great and all but very delicate.

Have a great weekend!

Do-Over!!

I made this card last night, and woke up this morning to find that it needed a Do-Over. So off came the main image, and now it's "fixed" LOL. My intent was to make a clean, simple card with no distressing. I guess it's just a testiment to how things evolve as you work.

I started by stamping the sentiment from the All Holidays set in Groovy Guava Ink on Blush Blossom CS. Using my beloved Stamp-a-majig, I stamped the sentiment again a little off the original to do a shadow image in Chocolate Chip ink. I decided to use one of the Dare to Get Dirty challenges, which was called Vintage Values. I sponged Groovy Guava, Close to Cocoa, & Chocolate Chip out towards the edges of the image, and distressed the edge with my scissors. I matted that on Blush Blossom and Chocolate Chip, and distressed the Chocolate Chip edges a bit, then popped it up with Pop Dots.

My Soft Sky card base is 5.25 x 5.25, and I sponged it with Close to Cocoa & Chocolate Chip as well. Using my Mat Pack & Paper piercer, I pierced 2 rows along the bottom edge. Then I sponged and pierced the top & bottom of the Tres Jolie designer paper, tied a bow with this yummy May Arts ribbon, & heated it a bit with my heat tool to make it curl. At the last minute I thought the little "thank you" in the corner added a cool touch.

We're off to swim and relax today...hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Stamps: All Holidays
Paper: Soft Sky, Blush Blossom, Chocolate Chip, Tres Jolie DP
Ink: Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, May Arts Ribbon, Heat Tool, SAMJ, Pop Dots

Another Spunky One

I was feelin silly again...can you tell? I received this image in a swap and love love love him. I really need to buy this set but it keeps getting pushed down on the list with all the new goodies out right now.

Anywhoo, I colored him with Prismacolor Pencils and odorless mineral spirits, and then did some extra stuff to the platter and cake. The silver platter is covered in Diamond Glaze, the frosting is done with Liquid Pearls (gotta get some liquid applique...) and the flame is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

The sentiment is from River City Rubberworks. I inked up the first half with my Take with Teal Marker, and used my stamp-a-majig to align it. The inside reads: "But you can't make me cook!"

I sponged the edges with Palette Hybrid Noir, pierced the edges, distressed them, and mounted on Basic Black & Tempting Turquoise Cardstock. I also pierced around the edges of the Turquoise...I'm a piercin fool!! I also added black brads to his coat where his buttons were. There was no room for ribbon or anything else on this card, so I just adhered the image to the Papertrey White card base.

On a side note, there was great sadness in my family today. One of my mom's horses, Silky, had to be put down this afternoon, and we were all there with her. She was old and blind in one eye, but she was just the sweetest horse. She lived a long and happy life. Here's a picture of my sister laying on her in their backyard. She is definitely in a better place, but she will be missed.

Stamps: Voila, River City Rubberworks
Paper: Papertrey White, Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise
Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir
Accessories: Taken with Teal Marker, Diamond Glaze, Diamond Stickles, Liquid Applique, Black Brads, Paper Distressor, Paper Piercer & Mat Pack, Prismacolor Pencils & Odorless Mineral Spirits, Stamp-a-Majig

Whoa, Nellie!

As promised, here are a few pics of Nellie, my mom's new baby. Isn't she ADORABLE??? This is a picture of Nellie, with her momma, Pink. Pink has the most beautiful crystal blue eyes you've ever seen.

The next picture is Nellie playing with Sir Louis Sheffield BaDonk-a-Donk (yes, the one I chased...and he has NOT forgotten or forgiven me...

Look at her knobby little knees and her stubby tail...isn't she CUTE???

So in honor of my momma the cowgirl, here's one last card for tonight, combining 2 challenges from the DTGD fun.

I stamped this Annie Oakley stamp from B-Line Designs in Palette Hybrid Burnt Umber on White Cardstock. Then I stamped over it in Palette Hybrid Noir to create kind of a shadowed image with the brown. I pierced the heck out of the main image and the mat, faux stitched it, and stamped over it with Linen in Close to Cocoa. The bottom panel is Basic Black with 25, yes, you read that right, 25 brads and 2 pieces of Hodgepodge Hardware all around the image. When I got finished I realized that they kind of looked like bullets or something...lol

I stamped the white card base with Weathered in Close to Cocoa Ink & Linen on top of that. Sponged the edges, added some black grosgrain, and popped up the black piece on Foam Mounting Tape. Hope you enjoy this one! My poor baby fingers hurt!!!

Stamps: B-Line Designs, Weathered, Linen
Paper: Papertrey White, Chocolate Chip, Basic Black
Ink: Palette Hybrid Burnt Umber & Noir, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Brads, Brads, Brads, Brads, HP Hardware, Brads, Paper Piercer, Brads, Ribbon, Brads

You Can't Stop the Bling

I have been wanting to use Petey FOREVER and finally got to ink him up today for another Dare to Get Dirty Challenge on SCS. This was a fairly simple card to make, although it took forever because I had to mediate 2 fights between the boys, let the dogs out, and cook dinner in between. Is it bedtime yet? (for them, I mean!)

I used Paper Piecing to make Petey's patterned pants (try saying that 3 times fast!), you can find a great tutorial on Colleen's blog HERE. I used Pink Martini Designs DP for his pants, and colored him with Stampin Write Markers in Real Red, Close to Cocoa, Taken with Teal, Old Olive, & Pumpkin Pie. Then I added some bling with my Clear Sakura Stardust pen, and I think I overdid it a little, thus making Blingy Petey.

I used a technique called Out of the Box, where you cut out part of your design to hang over the edge of the image. I didn't mean to use it on this card, but I smudged some red on that side, so out of the box he went! I also masked his feet and stamped the A Muse Skinny Oval in River Rock as the ground. I matted him on Basic Black CS, added 2 brads to the left side. Then I used my 1/4" Karen Foster Snap stamps to stamp "Hey Dude" in Palette Hybrid Noir. I popped him up on Foam Mounting Tape, and matted him on Real Red cardstock.

For the card base I used Papertrey White cardstock, and piece of Taken with Teal run through my Cuttlebug with D'Vine Swirls Embossing Folder. I also lightly rubbed it with my Brilliance Moonlight White dewdrop to make it look more like waves. And a card is not complete (boy card or not) without some ribbon. I got this red grosgrain at Michael's and put my SU gingham on top, tied a little knot, and put Petey right on top. I'm liking how it came out, pretty clean and crisp. Back to my stamp room for more! See yall later!

ETA: Oops! Forgot my Recipe again!
Stamps: Big Blooms, Paisley, Versamark
Paper: Purely Pomegranate, Papertrey White, Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava, Taken with Teal, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Distressor Tool, Twine, Foam Mounting Tape, Clear Embossing Powder
Techniques: Monet, Cracked Glass

Twinkle Twinkle

Hope yall are having a great weekend! We had so much fun swimming and hanging out today. Didn't get any pics of the baby horse, but I promise I will soon. She is soooo cute!! She still has knobby knees and is so curious. It's very funny.

This is a card that I've been meaning to make FOREVER to send to my cousin who just had her 2nd baby girl. I decided at the very last minute to get Buggies & Booties before it retired, and I'm so glad I did! There's nothing in the new catalog like it. I love the shabby chic vintage look.

I used a couple of challenges for the Dare to get Dirty challenge on Splitcoast for inspiration on this card. I stamped the main image in Palette Hybrid Noir on Paper Accents Pearlized Ivory paper. At least I think that's what it's called? It's shimmer Vanilla, but it's regular paper weight, not cardstock weight. I colored the buggy with Pretty In Pink & Chocolate Chip Markers & a Blender Pen, pierced around the edges in a zig zag pattern with my piercer and mat pack, and did some faux stitching. I inked up my Linen BG stamp with Close to Cocoa Ink and kind of pounced my image on it, turning it, giving it a fabric type texture. I sponged the edges, mounted it on Chocolate Chip CS, and distressed the edges.

I picked out my Basic Grey Blush paper for the background piece, stamped the Linen BG on it, and sponged the edges. Did the same thing for the bottom Ivory strip did some more faux stitching, and mounted both on Choc Chip as well. Then I stamped the sentiment from Small Sayings and a couple of stars in Palette Hybrid Noir.

To finish it off, I tied 2 pieces of May Arts organdy ribbon around the Basic Grey Layer, and added a button with twill tied in the holes. I've learned to attach buttons with Diamond Glaze, because every time I use Glue Dots the button ends up kind of wonky to one side. Anywhoo, the bottom of the card base is scalloped with my corner rounder, pierced, and faux stitched, and the entire card base is randomly stamped with Linen as well.

Hopefully I'll have time tomorrow to post some more stuff! Have a great night!

Stamps: Linen, Buggies & Booties, Small Sayings
Paper: Pretty In Pink, Chocolate Chip, Paper Accents Pearlized Ivory, Basic Grey Blush
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Palette Hybrid Noir
Accessories: Pretty In Pink & Choc Chip Markers, Paper Piercer & Mat Pack, Button, May Arts Ribbon, Twine, Corner Rounder, Distressor Tool
Techniques: Faux Stitching

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superbella!!

I have been desparately trying to play in the Dare to Get Dirty Challenges the last few days but have been severly time deprived. I FINALLY got the boys to bed, got the kitchen semi-clean (aka dishes soaking), and went at it!

I really enjoyed making this card and adding all kinds of little extra details. First I stamped Superbella in Palette Hybrid Noir on Paper Accents Pearlized White Cardstock. I am almost out of this stuff...but thankfully I can order more from Verve Visual in a few days!!! I colored her with Prismacolor Pencils and Odorless Mineral Spirits, masked her, and stamped the Skinny Oval and Grass from A Muse for the ground. I also sponged Soft Sky around her. For the finishing touch I thought her outfit should be patent leather, so I added Diamond Glaze to her boots, skirt, shirt, and cape. So cute! I matted her on Chocolate Chip cardstock, punched the corners with my ticket corner punch, and popped it up on Foam Mounting tape. This sentiment from the Verve Thoughtful Phrases set goes perfectly with Superbella in my opinion. I think it's my favorite of the bunch.

The 2 background layers are both from the Pink Squirrel Collection from Pink Martini Designs, also available at Verve. I love the colors in these papers! I matted both pieces on white cardstock to make them stand out a bit more, and added silver brads to the corners. The Turquoise strip is stamped with the Faux Ribbon set from Papertrey Ink. After adhering all the base layers together, I wrapped my May Arts ribbon around and tied in a cute knot. Isn't that pink ribbon YUMMY? I'm so excited that Julee will be carrying lots and lots of May Arts ribbon!!!! Woo hoo!!

Well I'm off to take a wee nap (shhh) and then we're going to my mom's to see her new baby horse. I'll try to get some pics to share. The momma and baby are both there, and for some reason the momma thinks that Louis (the Ba-donk-a-donkey) is a baby horse and is making him stay with her at all times. It's pretty funny.

Fingers crossed for more stampin time today! Happy Saturday!


Stamps: Superbella, Sentiment - Thoughtful Phrases by Verve Visual, A Muse Skinny Oval, A muse Grass, Papertrey Faux Ribbon
Paper: Choc Chip, Paper Accents Pearlized White, White, Turquoise, Pink Martini Designs DP - Pink Squirrel Collection
Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir, Turquoise, Celery, Olive
Accessories: Prima, Silver Brads (JoAnn's), May Arts Ribbon, Foam Mounting Tape, Ticket Corner Punch, Prismacolors & OMS

I tried, I really did...

After the last 2 nights of being alone with my demon children (DH working) I have not had time to think, let alone stamp. It is soooo past my bedtime, and I cleaned the kitchen, headed into my craft room to whip up something fabulous and quick to post for you. After 2 attempts, I will just say that I'll have to try tomorrow. U...G...L...Y!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I tried, really I did. Problem is that I packed all my "good stuff" to take to Austin (did I have time to use it? NO!) and didn't feel like unpacking. Then I would have to put it all where it belongs.

Anywhoo, I'm going to leave you with something interesting. This is the VERY FIRST card that I EVER made. I had only a few stamp sets, stazon ink, markers from Ebay, and ribbon from Hobby Lobby. I was soooo proud of the brown BG...dear heavens. I took wax paper, wadded it up, and inked it in black and saddle brown stazon. It looked like I wiped baby poo on it in real life. I made this card for my mother on September 17, 2006, when she was battling breast cancer. The small script set was the only thing I owned from Stampin Up. And I was sooo proud of this card!

Anyway, I thought yall would get a kick out of it. I will TRY to get something new out for you tomorrow! Hugs!

Zoofari Birthday

I made this card late last night for my SIL's birthday. Why I chose to do Zoofari in Pumpkin and Blue Bayou, I have absolutely no idea. I love the way it turned out, except I think the lighting in my room needs to be changed. Why? I mistakenly thought the green organdy ribbon matched the Wasabi I used for the grass. Not so much this morning... But the rest of it was good, so I thought I'd keep it and maybe try to fix it later. This was the first time I'd tried heating up the ribbon to make it curl, and it was soooo fun!

The card base is Papertrey Stamper Select White Cardstock, with a Pumpkin Pie layer stamped with my Paisley BG stamp in the same ink. I sponged the edges with Pumpkin and then again with Chocolate Chip to soften the edges. Then I cut the Blue Bayou layer, stamped it with my Canvas BG stamp, and pierced the edges for some faux stitching. Then I stamped the Splendiferous Day sentiment in Stampin Up White Craft Ink. I tied the ribbon on and glued that down on top.

The main image was masked and stamped in Palette Hybrid Noir on Papertrey White Cardstock. I colored them with my Prismacolor Pencils and Odorless Mineral Spirits, and then sponged the sky (with Soft Sky, what else?) and the grass with Celery. Distressed, sponged, and pierced the edges, added more faux stitching, and then layered on a distressed piece of Chocolate Chip CS. Popped the main image up with pop dots, and whew! I think that's about it.

I'm probably going to be MIA for the next few days. I may pop in, but I'm going to Austin again for another trade show for work. Hoping to take some stuff with me to "de-stress"...but the last time I was there I did 3 things: Work, Eat, and Sleep. Fingers crossed that I get a little more down time than that!

Stamps: Zoofari, Paisley, Canvas, Splendiferous Day (A Muse), and Grass (A Muse)
Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, Blue Bayou, Sky Blue, White Craft
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Blue Bayou, Papertrey Stampers Select White
Accessories: Ribbon (May Arts - white, green unknown), Heat gun, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Chocolate Chip Stampin Write Marker, Pop Dots, Distressing Tool

A Quick Little Card

I had forgotten how much I love the Little Lady set from Papertrey Ink. Seriously I think it's my favorite. My top 3 are Little Lady, Green Thumb, and Faux Ribbon. But I just love these stamps, LOVE them.

This was a very quick card to make. I stamped the ladybug body (in Groovy Guava) and spots (in Palette Hybrid Noir) twice on Papertrey Stampers Select White Cardstock. (also a must have) I cut out the wings and separated them to make the "wings" look more elevated. Then I stamped the trail in Palette Hybrid Noir and pierced on the dots. Layered on Basic Black and Guava CS. For the card base I used Soft Sky. I stamped the flower and dots in Soft Sky ink, and then arranged the sentiment on my 4x6 block in a wave pattern. Stamped that in Palette Hybrid Noir, and pierced underneath (with MAJOR help from my Mat Pack). Of course I can't forget ribbon...so I tied on some May Arts Dotted Organdy from one of Jody's ribbbon shares for the final touch. Anyway, hope you like it!

Inspired

Right before my open house today I made a card to show you some more Verve Visual stuff. I'm telling you guys, there's some yummy stuff comin very soon!

I love the colors in this striped paper! It's called Dizzy Lizzy, and it's from the Pink Martini Designs Orange Creamsicle Collection. Isn't it cute? I thought so! And you can get it at VERVE!

I stamped the flower pot, stems, and flowers from the Papertrey Ink Green Thumb set in Taken with Teal and Rose Red on Very Vanilla, and then masked the pot (stamped in Pumpkin Pie). The "ground" is done with the A Muse Skinny Oval and Grass in Old Olive. Then I layered it on Taken with Teal and Chocolate Chip cardstock, and distressed the edges of the Chocolate Chip.

For the background I pieced together a Very Vanilla piece with the Dizzy Lizzy paper, and ran it through my Cuttlebug with the Spots & Dots embossing folder. Then I sanded the DP lightly to show a little white. I punched a window with my Word Window Punch from Stampin Up, kind of tilted to the left. Then I stamped the sentiment from Thoughtful Phrases (the first release from Verve!) in Chocolate Chip ink, and the dashed border (also from Thoughtful Phrases) in Taken with Teal ink. I love this sentiment...I think it's my favorite from the set.

Then I tied a bow with this scrumptions May Arts Ribbon (yep, you guessed it! Verve again!!) and popped the main panel up with Pop Dots. I pierced down the right side & across the top of my Rose Red card base using my Paper Piercer and Mat Pack, and added a silver swirl to the corner for the finishing touch.

I'll be announcing the blog candy winner tomorrow so make sure you check back in! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Stamps: Verve Visual Thoughtful Phrases, Papertrey Ink Green Thumb, A Muse Grass & Skinny Oval
Paper: Rose Red, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Taken with Teal, Pink Martini Designs DP
Ink: Rose Red, Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Soft Sky, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Pop Dots, Hodgepodge Hardware, May Arts Ribbon, Cuttlebug Spots & Dots Embossing Folder, Sand Paper, Word Window Punch, Distressing Tool, Paper Piercer, and Mat Pack

Another Card...Tagged....and a Sketch Challenge!!

I got new goodies the other day at eclectic Paperie...I am in love with these Rubber Romance stamps. This one is Tiffany...isn't she gorgeous? I thought I'd use my new Basic Grey Infuse 6x6 pad. The layout is a version of one from pagemaps.com. Ok, so it didn't turn out quite like the sketch, but isn't that all part of it? :D

First I stamped Tiffany in Palette Hybrid Noir on Papertrey White

Cardstock. I colored her with Prismacolors and Odorless Mineral Spirits, and matted her on Chocolate Chip. I stamped the small Old Olive strip with my Linen BG stamp in Close to Cocoa Ink. Then I lined up the A Muse sentiment with the image and stamped it in

Palette Hybrid Noir. I matted both pieces of the Infuse paper on Choc. Chip CS as well, tied a little ribbon around it, and popped up the main image with pop dots. {Just a little hint: When you have big images like this and you mat them, don't waste the cardstock! Punch circles, tabs, or other shapes out of the middle where they won't show! I learned this trick from Lori (aka stamp_momma)...she ROCKS!}

ETA: Good night, Nurse! I keep forgetting to add recipes to my posts! Arrgh!

Stamps: Rubber Romance - Tiffany, A Muse Sentiment, Linen
Paper: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, PT White, Basic Grey Infuse
Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir, Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Brads, May Arts Ribbon, Grosgrain Ribbon from Mikes, Prismacolors & OMS, Pop Dots

One more thing! Mercy tagged me...so here's 7 random things about me...

1. I have a new doggie. He adopted us on Tuesday when DH was taking out the trash. We're still waiting for someone to claim him (and hoping no one does)...he's so sweet.

2. We're addicted to reality tv. Nuff Said.

3. I HATE getting up early. And I don't like to chat for at least an hour after I've gotten up. That first hour determines my mood for the day.

4. I'm on a diet and I stink at it.

5. My patio is green. Seriously...it has been raining since May. Ewwww...

6. I have a million mosquito bites from doing fireworks on Wednesday.

7. My right foot is 1/2 size bigger than my left one.

I'm going to tag Julee, Kendra, Colleen, Dina, Libby, AJ, & Flo.

Oh dear!!!!!!!!! I just remembered I promised blog candy today. Ok...let's do this. Make a card using the above sketch as inspiration, post a comment and link it here by Saturday 7/14, and I'll do a random drawing on Sunday. Sound good? I promise, the candy will be good....ribbon, items to alter, patterned paper, and maybe some stamps! I'll also do a special little prize for the first one to enter. G'Night!