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!

UDI Sketch Challenge #205

Hey, everyone! I’m back again!  It’s Saturday, and it’s time for the Utah Divas International (UDI) Sketch Challenge.  The Divas are a bunch of great ladies I met at Stampin’ Up’s Demonstrator Convention a few years back, and they’ve been a lot of fun to create with.  After you see what I’ve done, be sure to check out the UDI Blog to see what the rest of the design team came up with for this week’s sketch.
Here’s the sketch:

And here is my card:

I took a couple of liberties with this sketch.  I added the panel with the bird, and I used 3 ribbons instead of 2, but the ribbons were so narrow, I figured 3 would fill the space better, right? I’m so glad you agree with me! LOL!
I really wanted to use this stamp set today, so the 3rd panel had to happen because of the bird, and I didn’t want to turn the card. I don’t know why I was so determined to use this Stamp Set. It could be all of the birds fighting over the bird feeder outside the window of my craft area. We’ve had a lot of bird activity this year, and a family of house finches built a nest in one of our hanging baskets in front of the kitchen window. The bird in this set reminds me of them, and the knots and the weave of the ribbons make me think of their nest, so here we are!
Here are the tools I used to make this card:
Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Basic Gray, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White and Baja Breeze.
Ink: Basic Gray, VersaMark
Stamp Set: Nature Walk
Ribbon: 1/8” Taffeta in Pumpkin Pie, Baja Breeze, and Daffodil Delight.
Accessories:  Big Shot, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (TIEF), Sticky Strip, Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive, Mini Glue Dots
I used Sahara Sand Cardstock for the Card Base.  I cut a Basic Gray layer 1/4” smaller than the base (5.25” x 4”) and stamped the floral stamp in VersaMark repeatedly as a background. On the back of the Basic Gray layer I used 1” of Sticky Strip to attach the ribbons at the top and the bottom. (when you’re looking at the back the Sticky Strip goes on the RIGHT side…yeah. Experience.) About 6” of ribbon will work here.  I braided each strand once to get the crossed over effect before attaching the second end. I cut another 2” of each color to tie the knots.
Once I got the ribbons situated, I used Snail Adhesive to center the Basic Gray layer on the Card Base.  The Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight panels are both 2.5” x 3.5”. I Ran the Daffodil Delight panel through the Big Shot in the Square Lattice TIEF and layered them on the Basic Gray Panel.  (Note: Whenever I use a TIEF with a lot of detail and not much flat space, I use Mini Glue Dots to adhere it to my card.  They stick better on uneven surfaces. You could also use Tombow Glue.)
For the bird panel, I stamped the bird in Basic Gray Ink on Baja Breeze Cardstock. That panel is 1.75” x 2.75” and the Whisper White Panel is 2” x 3”. I used Snail Adhesive to layer the Baja Breeze to the Whisper White, then used Dimensionals to center both panels on the card.
That’s it for this week’s Sketch Challenge. Remember to check out the UDI blog to see what the rest of the Design Team came up with!
Have a great weekend, and take a scrap of time to create something to brighten someone’s day!
Happy Stamping!

UDI Inspiration Challenge #149

Hi, everyone! I’m enjoying being back in my craft room after a prolonged absence.  I had surgery earlier this year, and I keep trying to get back in the swing of things, but something shiny always seems to distract me. LOL!

To ensure I stay motivated and keep my blog up-to-date, I signed onto the design teams for 3 different Utah Divas International (UDI) challenges. Call me crazy, but I know myself, and I need that deadline hanging over my head in order to make sure I’m consistently making time in my craft room! LOL!

Today’s challenge is an Inspiration Challenge, and here is the Inspiration photo:

 

Wow! Pretty intense, huh? This picture never fails to tug at my heart and put a lump in my throat. I feel sadness, patriotism, strength, hope… so many overwhelming emotions!  I tried to narrow down all of the thoughts swirling through my head, and the one that stood out for me was gratitude.

In some ways it’s odd to associate gratitude with such a tragic event, but because of that tragedy, gratitude is what I feel toward these men and all of the people who rushed in to help when the world was falling down around them and for all of the people who followed them before the dust even settled who pushed through the pain of loss to look for survivors, and who rooted through what was left to find a way to rebuild what had been lost to give hope to a grieving nation. 

So, inspired by my gratitude and some of the colors in the photo, this is how my card turned out:

The stamp set is “From My Heart,” and this one reads, “Thank You from the Bottom of my Heart.”  Inside, it reads, “Your Kindness Means so Much.”

I love this set because it has 4 pairs of greetings that can be used individually or as a pair to bring continuity to the inside of the card.

Below are the tools used and instructions for making this card. Be sure to stop by the UDI blog to see how the rest of the design team was inspired this week!

Cardstock: Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Basic Gray

Stamp Set: From My Heart

Ink:  Basic Gray and Baja Breeze Stampin’ Pads, and Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Write Marker.

Ribbon: Baja Breeze and Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon

Accessories:  Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (TIEF), Apothecary Labels Framelits, Scallop Trim Corner Punch, Sponge Dauber, Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Snail Adhesive

The card base is Whisper White, and I cut a layer of Basic Gray at 5” x 3.75” and ran it through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots TIEF. I used Snail Adhesive to center that layer on the card front, and then I took about 12” of each of the ribbons, looping them together and laying them in the center of the card front. When I had it positioned where I wanted it, I carefully used glue dots under each layer at the point where the ribbons crossed over each other to keep them from moving.

I stamped the front greeting in Basic Gray Ink on Sahara Sand Cardstock, and then ran it through the Big Shot with an Apothecary Label Framelit to cut it out and sponged Basic Gray ink around the edges with a Sponge Dauber. I colored in the heart and some of the flourishes with a Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Write Marker.  I used the next larger size of Apothecary Label Framelit to cut out a piece of Whisper White Cardstock, and I sponged Baja Breeze Ink around the edges.

I layered the two labels with dimensionals, and used more dimensionals to center the stacked labels on the card front. Then I trimmed the ends of the ribbon and moved on to the inside.

I cut a 5.25” x 4” panel of Sahara Sand for the inside, and stamped the inner greeting in Basic Gray ink.  I punched the corners with the Scallop Trim Corner Punch, and sponged all of the edges of the panel with Basic Gray Ink.  Finally, I used Snail Adhesive to center the panel inside the card.

That’s it for this week’s Inspiration Challenge. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the card or Stampin’ Up! Check out my 24-hour store and this month’s “Back to Spool” special.  For every $40 you spend, you receive a roll of 3/8” stitched satin ribbon in one of our new In Colors!   Also, check in with me on Saturdays for UDI’s Sketch Challenge and on Tuesdays for UDI’s Color Challenge.

In the meantime, I hope you are all having a wonderful week and that you’re finding a scrap of time to create something to brighten someone’s day!

Happy Stamping!

UDI Saturday Sketch Challenge

 

Hey, I’m back!  I’ve signed on to the design team for Utah Divas International’s Saturday Sketch Challenge in order to force myself to be more faithful in updating my blog! So here’s my first sketch:

…and here’s the card I made based on that sketch:

Pretty fun, huh?  I like the simplicity of the layout.  I’ll put the details below for those who are interested. Be sure to stop by the UDI Blog to see what the rest of the design team came up with!

Okay, now for the directions:

Cardstock: Bravo Burgundy, Tempting Turquoise, Champagne Glimmer Paper

Stamp Sets: Every Little Bit, Sassy Salutations

Accessories: Big Shot, Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (TIEF) Chevrons, Pearls, Versamark Ink Pad, Tempting Turquoise Embossing Powder, Embossing Buddy, Powder Pals, Heat Tool, Scallop Square Punch, 1-1/4” Square Punch, Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Snail Adhesive

I used a standard card base of 5.5” x 4.25” in Bravo Burgundy.  Then I cut a 5.25” x 4” layer of Tempting Turquoise and ran it through my Big Shot with the Chevrons TIEF. I used snail adhesive to glue it to the base, Then I punched 3 scalloped squares from the Champagne Glimmer paper.  After rubbing a scrap piece of Bravo Burgundy cardstock with my Embossing Buddy, I stamped the flower from Every Little Bit in Versamark 3 times and the “Feel Better” stamp from Sassy Salutations once. Then I laid the scrap in my Powder Pals tray and sprinkled them with Tempting Turquoise Embossing Powder.  After tapping off the excess powder, I used my Heat Tool to melt the embossing powder, and punched each flower and the sentiment with the 1-1/4” Square Punch.  I used Mini Glue dots to adhere the flower squares to the Scallop Squares, then put a dimensional on the back of each one to layer them in the lower right corner of the card. I added a pearl to the center of each flower, and I used Mini Glue Dots to stick the sentiment to the Turquoise layer.

Super simple! It took more time to type it out than it took to make the card!  Hope you’re all having a great Labor Day Weekend, and that you’re getting a chance to break into your craft supplies for a little fun!  Check out my online store if you need more supplies!