Saturday Sketch (Double) Challenge #217

Welcome to December! There are officially 24 days left until Christmas! WOOHOO! LOL! I love this time of year. This month it’s my turn to create the sketches for this challenge, and here’s my first one:

and here’s the card that inspired it.  I designed this for a friend who works at a winery.  She needed thank you cards to give to all of her volunteers and asked me to make them for her.

Of course, I forgot that I already had a card for this one, and I designed another one for it! (OOPS!) So here’s a more festive take on the sketch:

and here’s the inside:

So I have two cards to tell you about today! Fun, huh? It’s like it’s Christmas already! Woohoo! Be sure to stop by the UDI Blog to see what the rest of the Design Team created!
We’ll start with the Thank You card:
Vinyard Thank You
Stamp Sets: Nature’s Pace, Perfectly Penned
Card Stock: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Ink: Soft Suede
Accessories: Sponge Dauber, Post-it Notes, Corner Rounder, Bone Folder, Snail Adhesive, Dimensionals, Paper Trimmer
The Very Vanilla Square is 3-3/4” x 3-3/4”. The Crumb Cake squares start as one 3” x 3” square. I stamped the grapes image once in Soft Suede ink, then stamped it on the upper edge of a Post-it Note (so the sticky part is under your image).  I cut around the Post-it image and laid that over the image stamped on the Crumb Cake square to mask it, and stamped the grapes image a couple more times, slightly overlapping the image. When I removed the mask, the result was a complete image of the grapes with several partial images around it that looked as though they were behind the original. I also stamped several images partially off the square.
Once the square was filled, I used my paper trimmer to cut it into 1-1/2” squares. I used a sponge dauber to brush the edges with Soft Suede ink and used Dimensionals to adhere them to the Very Vanilla layer.
I stamped the Thank You image on a 1” x 3-1/4” scrap of Very Vanilla, and used a corner rounder on each corner before attaching it to the card with Snail Adhesive.
I didn’t get a photo of the inside before I gave them away, but I added a Very Vanilla panel and stamped the grapes image in the lower left corner of the panel. I also stamped the grapes on the lower left corner on the front of some Crumb Cake Envelopes and again on the flap.
Now for the Christmas Card:
Christmas Forest
Stamp Sets: More Merry Messages, Itty Bitty Bits, Merry Minis
Card Stock: Pool Party, Whisper White, Marina Mist
Ink: Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi, Real Red, Marina Mist
Accessories: Postage Stamp Punch, 1” Paper Punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Sponge Dauber, Post-it Note, 1/8” Real Red Taffeta Ribbon, Bone Folder, Snail Adhesive, Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Paper Trimmer
For this one, the Whisper White square is 3-1/4” x 3-1/4”. I punched 4 Postage Stamps from Marina Mist Card Stock. Then I used the 1” Square Punch to cut 4 Whisper White squares.
I cut a rounded hill mask from the top of a Post-it Note, and laid it across the bottom of each square. Then I used a Sponge Dauber to sponge Baja Breeze ink across the top of each square, making sure to sponge over the mask so the hill would be outlined.  I stamped a tree image in the center of each square in Wild Wasabi ink. I stamped the bird image from Itty Bitty Bits in Real Red on one of the squares and then layered each of the stamped squares on top of a Marina Mist square before adhering them to the Whisper White layer with Dimensionals.
The Merry Christmas label at the bottom is 3-3/4” x 1-1/2”. I used the Post-it as a mask and sponged Baja Breeze ink over the top as with the squares. I stamped the trees in Wild Wasabi again. I stamped some of the images 2 or 3 times without re-inking the stamp (stamping off).  I stamped the sentiment in Real Red added a couple of border strips punched with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch.
I have to confess that the bow is covering up the fact that I left a “halo” on the sentiment stamp. I probably would have put it in the upper left corner of the label had I not made that goof. :) I can also see how adding some Rhinestones might enhance the card.
Inside, I used the mask again, and the sentiment is stamped in Marina Mist ink. I sponged the hill and added trees and a bird to the front corner of the envelope and on the back flap, I laid the negative image from a 2-1/2” Circle Punch over the Post-it mask before sponging the Baja Breeze Ink.
I hope you enjoyed this double card challenge today. Have a great day and take a moment to create something to make someone’s day.
Happy Stamping!

Inspiration in white

Hello!

Welcome to this week’s Inspiration Challenge from Utah Divas International!  Today we have a great photo for inspiration:

So, I’m obviously seeing a lot of white, and looking out the window I’m seeing a touch of green, so that’s what inspired my card below:

It’s pretty simple, but kinda fun, too! Here’s what I used:

Stamp Sets: Snowflake Soiree and Merry Minis

Ink: Gumball Green

Cardstock: Whisper White and Gumball Green

Accessories: Big Shot, Textured Impressions Embossing Folder—Petals A Plenty, Rhinestones, Merry Minis Punch Pack, Organza Ribbon, Bone Folder, Snail, Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots.

I made the green layer 1/2” smaller than the card base and the textured white layer 1/8’ smaller than the green layer. I fussy cut the “Believe” stamp and added a Rhinestone to dot the “I”. I added small and medium sized Rhinstones for the centers of the stamped and punched stars, and scattered them.

Hope you enjoyed this project! Be sure to stop by the UDI blog to see what the rest of the team created this week.

Christmas Lights-UDI Sketch Challenge #215

Happy Saturday, everyone!
I had a great time with this week’s sketch. I decided I wanted to do something other than boxes for the 4 rectangles on the sketch, so…

Here’s what I came up with! How fun is this?!

Once I figured out what I wanted to use, I had to turn the card to make it fit.
I used Night of Navy for the card base, and stamped snowflakes from Snowflake Soiree with the Illuminate Glimmer Watermark Ink Pad. For the light bulbs, I used a framelit from the Keepsake Ornament set, and ran off “bulbs” in Pacific Point, Real Red, Gumball Green, and Pumpkin Pie. I popped the blue and the green ones up with dimensionals, and used glue dots for the red and the orange bulbs to give it a bit of dimmension. I cut four more bulbs in Garden Green and cut just the top tab off to glue onto the colored bulbs.  For the cord, I used the 2-step Bird Punch to punch the branch in Garden Green. I trimmed the leaves off and ta daaa! Instant light cord! Finally, I used a white gel pen to add accents to each bulb.
I cut a curvy banner from Itty Bitty Banners Framelits, and stamped “merry” from Border Banter in Pacific Point ink.

For the inside I used the bulb stamp from Merry Minis stamp set and markers that coordinate with the card stock used on the front to mimic the light string on the front. After practicing several times on my grid paper,  I drew the cord in with a Garden Green Marker.

Pretty fun, huh? I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s project, and that you’re inspired to create something to make someone’s day! Be sure to stop by the UDI BLOG to see what the rest of the design team created with this great sketch!
Happy Stamping!

UDI Inspiration Challenge #158

Welcome to this week’s Inspiration Challenge!  This week, in honor of Veteran’s Day, the inspiration photo includes all of our military organizations.

Here is my card:




This post is a few days late, but I wanted to get it posted in time for Veterans Day. I made this card to send to all the Veterans in my life. I appreciate every day the sacrifice they made to serve our country.
Here’s what I used:
Stamp Sets: Every Little Bit, Delightful Dozen, Itty Bitty Shapes, Words of Courage
Ink: Midnight Muse, Cherry Cobbler
Card Stock: Midnight Muse, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake
Accessories: 1-3/4” Circle Punch, Sponge Dauber, Clear Mount Acrylic Blocks.
As a note: for the words on the Crumb Cake layer, I arranged them all on one of the larger acrylic blocks so I could stamp them all at once.  This was a wonderful way to mass produce these cards for my family and friends because I could stamp all of them over and over without worrying about positioning each time.

Be sure to stop by the UDI Blog to see what the rest of the design team created!

Have a wonderful weekend, and remember to remember our Veterans on Veteran’s Day and all year long.
Happy Stamping!

UDI Sketch Challenge 214

Hi! It’s been a hectic week!  We had our back deck demolished and replaced, and while it’s beautiful now, and far sturdier than the old one, we’ve had a lot of traffic here.

Anyway, I finally have a chance to sit down and post this week’s cards!  Here is the sketch for this week’s challenge by Utah Divas International. Be sure to stop by the UDI blog when you’re done here to see what the rest of our talented design team created!

And here’s my card! It’s hard to tell, but the reindeer and the holly are heat embossed with gold embossing powder. I tried a bunch of different lighting angles, but this is the best I could do so you can still see the designs. It all looks a little brown to me, but it’s gold, really!

Stamp Sets: Christmas Blessings, Joyous Celebrations

Paper/Card Stock: Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper, Champagne Glimmer Paper, Real Red Card Stock, Gumball Green Card Stock, Whisper White Card Stock

Ink: VersaMark, Real Red Marker

Accessories: Real Red 1/4” Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Large Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8” Circle Punch, 1-1/4” Circle Punch, 1” square punch.

The Candlelight Christmas paper is approximately 2-3/8’ x 5-1/4”. When I realized how closely the design came to matching on all sides, I trimmed one edge down a little to even it out. It was pure luck that it worked out that way, however, I did not plan it.

Used Mini Glue Dots to adhere the Glimmer Paper squares to the Designer Paper layer. The layered circles are popped up with Dimensionals.

I colored the holly berries with a Real Red marker after I embossed the stamped image.

This one was pretty simple. I hope it inspires you to create something to brighten someone’s day today.  Happy stamping!

Everything Eleanor Get Well

 

Today’s card was made with the UDI color challenge combination colors. Be sure to stop by the UDI blog to see what the rest of the design team did with this challenge.

Here are the challenge colors:

and here is my card:

I kept things pretty simple today. We needed a quick get well card for a long-time friend of my mother’s. Here’s what I used:

Stamp Sets: Delightful Dozen, Everything Eleanor

Ink: Midnight Muse, Crumb Cake

Card Stock: Midnight Muse, Tempting Turquoise, Very Vanilla, Calypso Coral

Punches: Fancy Flower, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border, 1-1/4” Circle, 1-3/8” Circle

Accessories: Bone Folder, Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive, Paper Trimmer, Sponge Dauber

I think the layers are pretty self-explanatory. One thing that might not be less obvious is that I used a sponge dauber to sponge Midnight Muse ink on the Tempting Turquoise flower edges. I think it gives it a bit of definition and pulls in the Card Base.

I hope you enjoy this project! Take a moment to make something that will brighten someone’s day, even if that someone is you!

Happy Stamping!

UDI Inspiration Challenge #156

Hello everyone! This week’s Inspiration challenge is for Halloween, and I’m determined to make a banner for every holiday and occasion.  I already have a rockin’ reversible one for Thanksgiving and Christmas, which I will post next month, but with today’s project, I now have 3 holidays covered! Woohoo! ;D

Okay, so it’s really hard to take a good full picture of a banner, but here goes! I used the largest Apothecary Label Framelit to make panels out of Glossy White card stock. Then I used one of the Apothecary Accents Framelits to make the Champagne Glimmer Paper layer.  The letters are from the Letter It stamp set and are stamped on Whisper White cardstock with Pumpkin Pie ink. I ran them through the Big Shot with another Apothecary Accents Framelit.

For the “space panel” between the words I used two sizes of Oval Punches to make the pumpkins. The spider, web, and “eek” stamps are from Spooky Bingo Bits.

I did take the opportunity to use up some of my retired supplies on this project.  The brads are from Sale-A-Bration, and the Striped ribbon at either end is retired, as is the Baroque Motifs stamp I used to make vines under the pumpkins. You could easily substitute any flourish for that stamp though, and any brads and ribbon would work as well.

I used my piercing tool and mat to make the holes for the brads, but at each end I used the circle punch from Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack to make holes to slip the ribbon loops through.That’s it for now. I may decide to add some embellishments later. I think the characters from the Goulish Googlies set would be cute as add-ons here and there. I may wait and add to it next year to change it up a bit. I’m planning to add on to the simple Thanksgiving/Christmas banner I made last year, too, but that’s another post!

Hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s project.  Take a moment to create something to make someone’s day!

Happy Stamping!

UDI Inspiration Challenge #155

Hi, Everyone! Here is the picture for this week’s Utah Divas International Inspiration Challenge. When I saw this, I immediately thought stripes, and I also thought “Fiesta!”

 

so of course, I made a birthday card!

I was down to the wire this week, so I hopped on MDS2 and pumped this out in under 15 minutes! Of course, you could totally make this with paper, too, but one of my favorite things about MDS2 is that you can try things out on your computer without cutting or gluing anything and make sure you like them before you cut or glue anything! And how cool is it that you can add multiple colors to stamps?!

Here’s what I used:

Stamp set: Bring on the Cake

Bigz Die for Big Shot: Tastefull Trim

Punches: Scallop Circle, Circle Punches

Card Stock: Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo, Whisper White

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo

Hope you enjoy this project, and that it inspires you to create something that brightens someone’s day!

Happy Stampin’!

UDI Color Challenge #106

 

Hi, Everyone! Today I’m sharing this week’s Color Challenge from Utah Divas International, a group of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators who love to stamp and share ideas. Be sure to stop by the UDI blog and see what the rest of  the design team came up with!

Here is my card:

I love this stamp set! It’s full of awesome quotes.  Here is what I used:

Stamp Set: Pursuit of Happiness

Card Stock and Ink: Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede

Accessories: 2-step Bird Punch, 1-1/4” Scallop Circle Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Pack Punch,Apothecary Labels Framelits, Pearls, Jumbo Pearls, Scallop Dots Ribbon, dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Snail Adhesive, Sponge Daubers, Bone Folder

The card base is Night of Navy Card Stock, and the next layer is Bashful Blue.  I wrapped the ribbon around the top of the card front and glued a separate bow to it.

I used a Sponge Dauber and sponged Soft Suede Apothecary Label with Soft Suede Ink and popped it up with some Dimensionals. I stamped the sentiment in Night of Navy Ink on Bashful Blue Card Stock and ran it through the Big Shot with the next smaller Apothecary Label Framelit from the one used for the Soft Suede layer. Then I sponged it with Night of Navy Ink.

I used the 2-Step Bird Punch to punch all of the leaves in Certainly Celery Card Stock and sponged them with Certainly Celery Ink. I punched smaller flowers using the flower punch from Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack and sponged them with Cherry Cobbler Ink. I love decorating with these little flowers, and they’re so easy to work with! I just punch as many as I think I’ll need, and then I stick them on the glue dots while they’re still on the roll. That way they don’t get lost or blown away on my craft table, and I can peel and stick them when I’m ready. I used the largest of the regular Pearls for the centers.  For the large flower, I punched one 1-1/4” Scallop Circle, one of the large flower from the Boho Blossoms Punch and another Itty Bitty Shapes Pack flower all in Cherry Cobbler.  I sponged them in Cherry Cobbler Ink, layered them with glue dots, and added a Jumbo Pearl for the center.

And there you have it! Hope you’ve enjoyed this project and that it inspires you to create something to brighten someone’s day!

Happy Stampin’!

UDI Sketch Challenge #210

Hi, everyone! We’re having some work done on our house, so this week’s been kind of crazy.  I was so excited to see this simple sketch for the weekly challenge at the UDI blog.  Be sure to stop by and check out the great creations of the rest of the design team!

Here is the card I made:

SUPER CINCHY! Woohoo!
The base is Tempting Turquoise. I used Summer Smooches Designer Paper layered on Daffodil Delight card stock for the banner. I punched butterflies from Glossy White card stock (love them!), and finally I stamped the sentiment from Pursuit of Happiness stamp set and the butterfly from Itty Bitty Shapes stamp set in Pacific Point ink.
My tip for the day is that I used a square punch to make the points even on the top layer of the banner. Then I layered it on a strip of Daffodil Delight card stock and took the square that was punched and used it to measure the place to punch the yellow card stock.  I used it as a guide to mark where to cut with a pen, and then turned my punch upside down so I could see my mark through the punch window. I made sure the pen mark was evenly spaced AND inside the window so it would be cut off when I punched the cardstock, and tadaaa!
I hope you enjoyed today’s challenge and that you’re inspired to create something to make someone’s day!
Happy Stamping!

Saturday Sketch Challenge #209

Happy Saturday, Everyone!

Here’s the Sketch from Utah Divas International:

And here is my card:

I’m on a simplicity roll lately.  I used a single striped sheet of Patio Party Designer Paper and used the Scallop Border Punch along the top edge. Then I stamped the sentiment from Day of Gratitude in Midnight Muse on Whisper White card stock. I punched a  2-3/8” Scallop Circle of Summer Starfruit and layered everything on a Pool Party card base. That’s it! Super simple!

Be sure to stop by the UDI Blog to see what the rest of the design team came up with. Have a great day and take a moment to create something to make someone’s day!

Tuesday Color Challenge # 104

Here is the Color Challenge for this week:

and here’s my card:

It’s pretty simple.  Here’s what I used:
Stamp Set: Pursuit of Happiness
Ink: Pacific Point
Designer Series Paper (DSP): Floral District, Brights Color Stack
Card Stock:  Pacific Point, Lucky Limeade, Real Red, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Scallop Border Punch

The base is Pacific Point card stock, and I centered a 5-1/2" x 3-1/8" panel of Lucky Limeade on top.

The square medallion measurements are as follows:
Floral District Designer Paper: 3" x 3" I just cut the section of poppies I liked best.
Crumb Cake Card Stock: 3-1/16 x 3-1/16 I added the strip of scalloped border underneath.  If you don't like that line, you could make one side 3-3/8" and punch it with the Scallop Border Punch.
Real Red Card Stock: 3-1/4" x 3-1/2"
Tangerine Tango DSP:  I punched a strip with the Scallop Border Punch, and cut it down to 6 scallops and added it under the red layer.

I layered them all flush to the right and centered vertically. Then I popped them up with dimensionals.  I was feeling lucky, so I stamped the sentiment in Pacific Point ink directly on the Lucky Limeade panel, but you might want to wait to glue that panel down until you can measure it against the square medallion in case it doesn't come out the way you want it the first time. That way you have the option of flipping the panel over and using the other side.  You would actually have 4 shots at it on just that one panel before having to cut a new one because you could flip it around and use the other end if necessary and your boo boo would be hidden by the square.

Hope you enjoyed this project. Stop by the UDI Blog to see what the rest of the design team made! Have a great day!

Get Well Sunflower

Hi, everyone!

This is Thursday’s inspiration challenge from Utah Divas International:

And here is my card:

Be sure to swing by the UDI Blog to see what the rest of the design team created.

This was very simple to make.

Stamp Sets: Delightful Dozen, Sunflower

Card Stock: Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Naturals Ivory, Pumpkin Pie

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie

Punches: Scallop Border, Butterfly

Accessories:  Pearls

The only thing I did that you can’t see very well in the photo, is after I inked the Sunflower with Daffodil Delight, I “tap danced” some random dots in the center of the stamp with a Pumpkin Pie marker before stamping.  Also, with the larger background stamps, I lay the inked stamp face up on the table and press the paper on top of the stamp and rub my fingers or a brayer across the back of the paper to make sure the entire image is stamped.

Hope you enjoy this card. Have a great day, and take a moment to create something to make someone’s day!

UDI Sketch Challenge 208

 

Happy Saturday!  It’s time for UDI’s Sketch Challenge, and here’s this week’s sketch:

 

and here’s my card:

This one actually came together pretty easily.  I used the Daring Adventure Stamp Set, and I sponged the edges of the torn layer in place of the 2nd torn layer.

Stamp Set: Daring Adventure

Card Stock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White

Ink: Midnight Muse, Soft Suede, Always Artichoke

Accessories: Ribbon Slides, Always Artichoke Seam Binding Ribbon

Have a great weekend, everyone!

UDI Inspiration Challenge 152

Hi, everyone!  It took me awhile to figure out what today’s inspiration photo was, but I think it’s a cotton candy machine very close up. 

In any case, it has beautiful colors in it and it made me think of sweet treats, and inspired me to make these cupcake picks.

Aren’t they fun? I’ve been wanting to make some of these for awhile now, and this week’s challenge gave me that opportunity as well as a great excuse to try this Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin recipe I found online. It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to make some more!

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to check out the Utah Divas International blog to see what the rest of the design team came up with. The tools and accessories I used are listed below.

Ink Colors are Primrose Petals and Raspberry Ripple.

Cardstock Colors are Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple, Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, and Whisper White.

I used several punches to make these including our new 1-1/4” Scallop Circle Punch which layers nicely with our original Scallop Circle. Then I used the 1”, 3/4” and 1/2” Circle and Boho Blossoms Punches for the rest of the layers. I also used the flower punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack.

Stamp Sets include: Itty Bitty Shapes, Tiny Tags, and Hostess Set, Mixed Medley.

For embellishments I used Pearls, Rhinestones, and 3/8” Primrose Petals Stitched Satin Ribbon

Tuesday Color Challenge!

Hmmm… something wrong with that title? Maybe that it’s almost Wednesday? Um, yeah… I so thought I was on top of things this week, and I had all my posts scheduled to post automatically, so I could focus on family and getting things done around the house. Well, turns out I had it together LAST week, and this week, not so much…

So here’s me trying to catch up!  I love this week’s challenge because I like bright colors:

Here’s my card! Isn’t it fun?

And the inside:

The stamp set is From my Heart. I just got it, and I couldn’t wait to open it up and take it for a test drive! Here are the other items I used:

Rhinestones, Boho Blossoms Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Itty Bitty Shapes Stamp Set, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Wood Grain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Sponge Dauber, Ink and cardstock in all of the challenge colors.. I used markers to ink the “passing of time” stamp so I could stamp it in multiple colors.

I hope this inspires you to do something fun this week.  Happy Stamping! Take a moment to create something to brighten someone’s day.

Color Challenge #102

Hello! I really love today’s Color Challenge from Utah Divas International.  Aren’t the colors pretty?


And here is my card:

Stamp Set:  Elements of Style
Ink:  Pool Party
Cardstock: Pool Party, Green Gumball, Whisper White, So Saffron, Calypso Coral
Accessories: Pearls, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Dotted Scallop Border Punch, 1-1/4" Scallop Circle Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Decorative Label Punch, 2-Step Bird Punch, Blossom Builder Punch, Bone Folder, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive

I used Pool Party ink to stamp the flourish from the Elements of Style stamp set on the Pool Party layer. I also sponged the label with Pool Party ink.

For the flower, I used three 1-1/4" scallop circle punches.  I folded them all in quarters between the scallops to mark the center. Then I cut between the scallops to the center to remove two scallops from the top layer, and one scallop from the middle layer.  I used a glue dot to join the ends of the scallop circles together, overlapping one scallop in from the edge. For the bottom layer, I continued folding it in half between the scallops all the way around so I could shape it better. (Clear as mud? feel free to email me with any questions you may have.) This leaves you with one whole scallop circle and two cone-shaped pieces.  I placed the narrower cone on my fingertip, and pressed the point into the tabletop to flatten it and turn my cone into more of a cup. The bottom of the cup ends up being just wide enough to fit a glue dot. I did the same thing with the other cone, added the glue dots to the bottom of the resulting cups, and layered them all together to make my flower.  The Leaves are made with the Blossom Builder Punch and scored and folded with a Bone Folder.

I think the rest is pretty self-explanatory, but if you run into any trouble, I'm happy to answer any of your questions. In the meantime, have a great day, and take a moment to create something to brighten someone's day.

Happy Stamping!

Saturday Sketch Challenge 206

 

Welcome! Today, I’m playing UDI’s Saturday Sketch Challenge.  Feel free to join me and drop by the UDI blog to see what the rest of the Design Team made.  Here’s the sketch:

And here’s my card:

It’s really pretty simple this week. I used Natural Composition Specialty Designer Paper for the base. It’s great because it’s more of a cardstock thickness, and the design is only on one side.  I use it for boxes, too.

I’m a huge fan of Dogwoods, so I cut two of them out of the floral sheet and used dimensionals to pop them up on a layer of the same paper. Add a Certainly Celery mat for the flowers and a Comfort Café DSP layer underneath, two Subtles brads and some pearls for the flower centers, and it’s done!

Inside I rounded the corners on a Certainly Celery panel and stamped the floral stamp from Elements of Style in VersaMark. Easy peasy!

Hope you had as much fun as I did with this one. Enjoy your weekend, and take a moment to create something to brighten someone’s day!

Happy Stamping!

Inspiration Challenge 150

Hello! Today is Utah Divas International’s (UDI’s) Inspiration Challenge #150. Here is the Inspiration photo:

And here is my card:

I kept it pretty simple this time.  Just a Sahara Sand card base, Whisper White layer run through the Big Shot with the Chevrons TIEF and four strands of 1/8” taffeta ribbon  woven together.  The stamp is from Delightful Dozen, and the brad is a black glimmer brad.

Inside, I was going for a “stringy” look. Sort of reminds me of a Native American Blanket, and I inked just the stems on the Pleasant Poppies stamp with a Sahara Sand marker to give that effect. Then I used the Finishing Touches Edglits to trim the sides.

I hope you’ve been inspired this week, and that you take the time to create something that will brighten someone’s day today. Be sure to stop by the UDI blog to see what the other members of the design team made.

Happy Stamping!

UDI Color Challenge #101

Hello again! Woohoo! This will be my 3rd post in a week.  Yay for challenges! As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve joined three design teams primarily because I love challenges, but secondarily to help me keep my blog fresh!  So far, it’s working, and I’m having a wonderful time!
Here is today’s Color Challenge:

Very patriotic!
…and here is my card:

I’m pretty pleased with the way it turned out. I used a similar layout on one of my swaps for convention this year, and I was glad to have a chance to switch it out with some different colors.
I’m really enjoying working with the stitched satin ribbon in all of the new In Colors, and this month, for every $40 you spend on a Stampin’ Up! order (before taxes and shipping), you get a spool of your favorite color of stitched satin ribbon FREE! Woohooooo! LOL! I’m all about the freebies!
…and because I like to carry my designs to the inside, here is the inside:

Okay, here are the supplies needed:
Cardstock: Raspberry Ripple, Midnight Muse, Whisper White
Stamp Sets: Pursuit of Happiness, Merry Minis
Punches: 1-1/4 Scallop Circle, Scallop Edge Border, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Merry Minis Punch Pack
Ribbon: 3/8” Midnight Muse Stitched Satin
Accessories: Pearls, Sponge Dauber, Snail Adhesive, Mini Glue Dots, Tombow Glue, Paper Trimmer, Bone Folder

The card base is Raspberry Ripple. The Midnight Muse layer is 3" x 4".  I cut the ribbons 1.5" longer than the side they were glued on, then folded them back at an angle to hang down under the flowers. The Whisper White layer is 2" x 3" stamped in Midnight Muse ink.  I sponged the edges with Raspberry Ripple, but now I'm wondering if it would have been better with Midnight Muse or both? Dunno.
Use Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch to make the Raspberry Ripple edge on the Whisper White layer. Punched the 4-petal flowers in Whisper White with the punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack.
For the larger flowers, punch three 1-1/4" Scallop Circles and fold them in half between the scallops all the way around. Then bunch them up a bit to get the shape you want and glue them on. I used the Star Punch from the Merry Minis Punch Pack to make the Raspberry Ripple centers and added Pearls to the centers of all of the flowers.

Inside, cut a Whisper White panel 5" x 3.75". Use the star stamp from the Merry Minis stamp set to add decorations in the corners. 2 of the stars are stamped off.  The Midnight Muse edge is 1.75" x 5" punched on one side with the Scallop Edge Border punch. Glue that over the left side of the white panel, and voila!
You could make the blue strip a bit narrower if you have a lot you want to write, but sometimes I think it's nice to have a small space so you aren't as pressured to write a long letter. ;D

Hope you've been inspired to create something fun today. See you Thursday for the Inspiration Challenge! In the meantime, happy stamping, and be sure to stop by the UDI blog to see what the rest of the design team made this week!