No Color

Good morning! This is my first ever black and white card. I have been wanting to make one for some time and Gina set a black and white challenge yesterday, so I finally made one.

I used Melanie's set, A Year of Flowers and stamped the rose on Pure Luxury white card stock. Then I used my SU black ink pad and an aqua painter to color the image.

After trimming the card stock down to size, I scored 1/4 inch inside of the edges. Next I used my rectangle scallop Nestabilities to cut a piece of Basic Black card stock and backed that with another piece of white, again scored 1/4 inch inside the edges.

The next layer is a piece of wrapping paper I have been saving from a box of candy I received. I thought the black and white checkers were pretty and would make great designer paper.

I added a narrow piece of black card stock under the wrapping paper on the left to counter balance the bow on the right.

I want to remind you about Gina's blog candy she is doing everyday. She is giving a mini Janome sewing machine today! Wow!

Also, Melanie's big blogaversary bash starts tomorrow (Jan 1). You don't want to miss that!

Thank you so much for stopping by to visit. What a fun stamping year this has been!

Have a great day and a joyous new year!

Flourished Thanks

This is my first card using Flourishes stamps. This image is from Figs and Pomegranates. I made it for the Holiday Challenge Extravaganza today, which was to alter an embellishment. I my Copic markers to color the brads as my altered embellishment.

I colored the image with Copics and cut it out. I also stamped and cut out an extra leaf to fill the card in more. The background is sponged with Bravo Burgundy ink and dry embossed with Birds and Vine CB folder.

I just inked up the "thanks" from the "give thanks" sentiment and then used my oval nestabilities to cut it out, backing it with a Basic Black scalloped oval.

The main image panel is backed by Basic Black and then Blush Blossom and the card base is Chocolate Chip. The upper left corner looked a little empty, so I used my EK Success flourish punch to punch out a Bravo Burgundy flourish for that corner.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a great day!

A Touch of Spring

Good morning and happy Monday! I made this card for yesterday's featured stamper challenge at SCS and Gina's Challenge Blitz Day 2, to knock some think off kilter on your card. Barb Schram is the featured stamper this week and you can find her gallery here. There were so many gorgeous cards to choose from. I chose this card to use for inspiration.

We were to change at least two things on our card. Here is what I changed...

Different stamps
Changed sentiment
Used different colors
Moved vertical panel to an angle

I used Tropical Flowers for the main image panel and stamped the flower stem with So Saffron and Pretty in Pink. Then I used my Copic markers to add some dimension to the flowers.

Using my Versa Mark pen, I went over each of the flowers and then heat embossed them with clear embossing powder.

Next I sponged the background and and added some stamped foliage from Tropical Flowers, with Certainly Celery ink.

I added Basic Black and Apricot Appeal layers behind the main image panel and then created a longer panels by sponging and layering with the same colors.

The butterflies are from Little Tees. I colored them with Copics and then cut them out.

The sentiment is from A Year of Flowers. I stamped it and then used my oval nestibilities to cut it out and then used my scallop ovals with make a Certainly Celery layer behind it.

I added a few dew drops and brads to finish it off.

Blog Candy Alert!!!

Have you been keeping an eye on Gina's blog? In addition to her challenges, she is have a huge blog candy year end celebration, so head on over and leave her a comment.

Also, Melanie is going to be starting a huge blogaversary celebration starting January 1st. So be sure to watch for that.


I hope you have a great day! Thanks for visiting!!!

Spring Bird

I made a double challenge card today. This is for Gina's challenge, which you can read about here, and for the special Holiday Challenge Extravaganza Day 8 at SCS, and the stamp simply challenge by Sharon, to use something new. Gina's challenge was to double mat your focal image and the SCS challenge was an inspiration challenge using this photo.

I used a stamp from Home Tweet Home for the main image and colored it with my new Copic markers. Then I went over the image with a Versa Mark pen and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.

Next I sponged the background with Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose, then stamped some of the images from Tropical Flowers with Brilliance white and Pretty in Pink. I used my new square scallop nestabilities on the Pink Pirouette layer and then did some sponging with Regal Rose on the edge.

Thanks for looking. I hope your day is filled with happiness!

Hugs and Kisses

Good morning and happy Saturday! I got inspired by the inspiration challenge at Split Coast Stampers and came up with this card. I chose this chair as my inspiration piece. I am at my sister's house, so I get to play with her My Favorite Things stamps. All the images on this card are from a stamp set called How Sweet It Is.

I colored the image using my BRAND NEW COPIC MARKERS that I got for Christmas/Birthday from my mom and stepdad. (Thanks Mom and Glenn!) I am so excited to have my very own Copics.

The image is stamped on Gina K Pure Luxury white card stock. I sponged around the edges of that layer with Creamy Caramel and Chocolate Chip. The next layer is Pink Pirhouette, which I cut using my BRAND NEW NESTABILITIES that I got for Christmas from my sister. (Thanks Bren!)

The Pink Pirhouette is sponged with Pretty in Pink and then I went around the edge with a dark pink Copic marker. That park didn't show up well in the photo. Sorry, I am not used to taking photos at my sister's and struggle a bit getting them right.

I also used Chocolate Chip for a few layers and Close to Cocoa for the card base.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you have a fantastic day!

Love Bug Kisses

Good morning. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We had a great time at my MIL's house the other day and then had a quiet day here yesterday, with just the three of us. We'll be seeing my sister and her family this weekend.

Here is a project I made using Framed Friends. I made a card and tag for a small bag of Hershey Kisses. I made the card base using Gina K Pure Luxury card stock and my new Labels 1 nestabilities dies. I cut the base a little over sized and then scored and folded it. Then I placed it in my die very carefully lining it up so that a portion of the folded side would remain intact.

The folded side is on the left. You can just barely see the outer curves are a bit flattened. The concave curves are cut, which left the perfect opening to slide a ribbon (Pure Luxury Holiday Asst) through.

I cut a smaller Labels 1 layer from Real Red card stock and then added white dots using my white Sakura pen. I stamped the heart along one side and then added highlights with my Sakura pen. The sentiment is from Hand in Hand. The image on the card is colored with Copic markers and the tag is colored with Koh-i-noor pencils.

Have you seen Erika's blog? She has blog candy to celebrate her birthday this past Monday. If you aren't familiar with her, Erika is an amazing scrapbooker and well known for her incredible journaling. She has an upcoming 12 week Journaling 101 Online Scrapbooking Course and is offering free tuition to one lucky winner. That is a $75 value!

Happy Birthday Erika!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful Friday!

A Few Quickie Gift Card Holders

Here are a few last minute gift card holders I made this morning. I needed these for my nephew and brother-in-law.

The one above I stamped the Joy stamp, from Christmas Joy, on Pure Luxury card stock. Then I colored it with markers and Koh-i-noor pencils. I used a Versa Mark pen over the image and then embossed it with clear embossing powder. Next, I sponged the background with Certainly Celery and Old Olive ink.

I used my Martha Stewart punch and a button for the corner treatment. The other layers on the card are Basic Black, Real Red and Kiwi Kiss for the card base.

To make it a gift card holder, I cut the Kiwi Kiss to 8 1/4 by 4 1/4. Then I scored at 3 1/2 and 7 inches, leaving 1 1/4 to fold over to the inside to form the pocket. I used red tacky tape on either side to adhere it.

For this one, I colored the pick-up from Loads of Love (Stampin' Up) with Koh-i-noor pencils and cut it out. Then I sponged in a background on rectangular piece of Pure Luxury white card stock, using Certainly Celery and Old Olive. I added some trees, stamped with Certainly Celery, using a stamp from Tree Silhouettes.

I used the large tree from Tree Silhouettes and just inked up the top with Old Olive and stamped it on an angle to look like it would be in the back of the pick-up, then I adhered the pick-up. The snowflakes are from Magic of Christmas and stamped with white pigment ink. I used the same ribbon treatment as the card above.

This one is also a gift card holder, but a little larger. I cut the card base to 9 3/4 by 5 1/2 and scored at 4 1/4 abnd 8 1/2, leaving 1 1/4 to for the pocket.

Wow, I can't believe it is already Christmas Eve and I still have presents to wrap. I better get busy!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Butterfly Opulence

Hi. The color challenge at SCS today looked like a REAL challenge, so I had to give it a try. The colors were So Saffron, Orchid Opulence and Cameo Coral. I don't have Cameo Coral or Orchid Opulence inks, so I had to improvise with those, but I did have the papers.

I used Take Flight and Tropical Flowers for the images and the sentiment is from Botanical Dreams.


Sorry, I don't have time for a more detailed description. We are just about to head off to visit Mike's mom for an early celebration.

Did you see Gina's blog today? She is having an AMAZING SALE ON COPIC MARKERS.The sale last through Dec 25.

Have a great day!

Don't Forget Fido

Here is a fun gift idea for the dog (or dog lover) in your life. I made little gingerbread man shaped peanut butter dog treats (recipe below) and placed them in a cello bag, then made a little bag topper.

I am not sure why I am making dog treats, since I am not pleased with my dog at the moment. We took the dogs, up to the snow, to find a Christmas tree this weekend. They had a blast. Rosie (the Border Collie) loves to plow through the snow, face first and then roll around in it. She looks like the abominable snow dog afterward. Pebbles (that is my dog, a Cocker Spaniel) loves to play fetch with snow balls. All in all, it is a very fun time watching and playing with the dogs.

Unfortunately, Pebbles must consume a lot of water while fetching snow balls. I made her go potty before we left to drive back, but about two blocks from our house, she had an accident... on my lap! The really sad thing is, the same thing happened last year. We take her on long 3 hour drives and she never has a problem, but something about going to the snow, a short trip by comparison, really "brings it out of her." Needless to say, any future trips to the snow and there will be potty breaks along the way.

Sorry about the gross story. Just had to share. Now, on to the project...

I used the dog from Framed Friends, the latest set by Asela Hopkins and stamped it on Pure Luxury white card stock. Then I colored it with Koh-i-noor pencils and cut it out.

The gingerbread man and sentiments are from Melanie's set from last month, Have a Cookie. It was also colored with Koh-i-noor pencils and cut out. I lined up the sentiments on my acrylic block and stamped them all at once.

I sponged around my layer of Very Vanilla, with Creamy Caramel. Then I added faux stitching using my Zig Writer. Added a layer of Real Red, also with faux stitcing. The base is just a piece of kraft cardstock, cut to 4 1/4 by 5 and folded over. I made the scallops with my corner rounder with the gaurd removed. I finished it off with a bit of raffia.

Here is the recipe...

Peanut Butter Dog Treats

2/3 cup peanut butter
2 TBS oil
1/4 to 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup wheat germ (optional)
2 TBS sugar (optional)
2 cups Wheat Flour

Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix peanut butter, oil and 1/4 cup of the water, until smoth. Mix dry ingredients together and then add to peanut butter mixture , in additions. Add more of the water if needed to make into a dough.

Roll out to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut into your favorite shapes, using cookie cutters. Bake 20 minutes at 375. When done, turn off oven and leave cookies in the oven to "dry them out" as much as possible before sealing them up. They burn very easily, especially if you have rolled them out thinner than 1/4 inch.

Thanks for looking! I hope you have a great day. !

Rudolph has the Blues

The Limited Supplies challenge at SCS yesterday was to make a mostly blue holiday card, so this is what I came up with. I also played along with a fun challenge Joanne posted in the Gina K forums to use buttons, bows and have some element tilted. I didn't add a bow, but there is one on the wreath around Rudolph's head.


I stamped the deer from Funky Christmas and colored it with Koh-i-noor pencils. Then I heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. Next I sponged the background and then came back and stamped trees from Tree Silhouettes with Going Grey ink. I used my Sakura white gel pen to add snow to the trees.

I added black, red and grey layers, and pierced on the grey layer. The punched leaves are from my Martha Stewart punch. The sentiment is from Inkadinkadoo.

Gotta run. Now that we are finally getting over our colds, we are going up the hill to find a Christmas tree. I am sure they will be pretty picked over. Might be a Charlie Brown Christmas tree we come with.

Have a great day!

Peace on Earth

The Ways to Use it challenge on SCS today (WT197) was to make a quick, last minute project, so I decided to do a single layer card. I spend so much time figuring out what colors to use on my cards, so eliminating that step saves me a lot of time.

Oops, I just realized it is not technically a single layer card. That dove is cut out and placed on top. Oh, well, it's close. So here is how I made my nearly single layer card.

I started by stamping the dove from The Magic of Christmas, on Pure Luxury 80 lb card stock and colored it with Koh-i-noor pencils. Then I used a Versa Mark pen over the image and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. After it cooled, I cut out the image.

Next I made a template by cutting an oval in a piece of card stock, using my oval nestabilities. Added some re-positionable tape to the underside and placed it on my card base (Pure Luxury 120 lb). I sponged the opening with Bashful Blue ink, keeping it darker toward the edges.

Sponged with Ballet Blue, again, keeping it darker toward the edge.

Sponged around the edges with Not Quite Navy ink.

I used a stamp from Tree Silhouettes and stamped with Going Grey ink. I stamped a second time before re-inking to make some trees appear more distant.

Removed the template and used the small foliage stem from Tropical Flowers and stamped it with Not Quite Navy ink.

Used my white Sakura Gel pen to add a bit of snow, here and there, to the trees.

Next, I adhered the dove and then added the sentiment and bow.


Here is a close up.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a great day.

Hand in Hand Christmas and Koh-i-noor Coloring Tutorial

Hi. Here is a Christmas card I made using the sketch challenge at SCS for this week. I used Melanie's latest stamp set, Hand in Hand and added a sentiment from Asela's Christmas Blessings set.

I colored the image with Koh-i-noor pencils and blended it with odorless mineral spirits and blending stumps. I added score lines around the image and backed it with a layer of Real Red card stock.

The red ribbon, from Gina K's Pure Luxury Ribbon Holiday Assortment, is placed on another white layer and that is over a layer of Old Olive. The card base is a piece of Pure Luxury 120 lb card stock.

Scroll down if you want a coloring guide for this card, using Koh-i-noor pencils.

I used three colors from my box of Koh-i-noor pencils, the light pink, light brown and the golden yellow (darkest of the three yellows).

On the child's hand I lightly colored arund the edges and crease lines using pink.

With golden yellow, I lightly colored over the pink. I colored past the wrist line just a bit.

Next I dipped a clean blending stump in my odorless mineral spirits (OMS) and using circular motions, blended the colors and brought them in toward the center of the image.

For the adult hand, I used the golden yellow around the edges again.

I added some light brown over the yellow and blended as above.

I had to dip my blending stump a second time on this larger hand to pull more color to the center, for a well blended image.

When you are using this coloring method on light areas a used blending stump, that has color on it already, can leave too much color on your paper. You can use a new stump or sand it down somewhat to clean it. Another thing I frequently do is dip my used blending stump into OMS and rub it on scratch paper to remove some of the color.

I hope this was helpful.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Swirly Christmas

Here is a Christmas card I put together using Unity stamps. The ornament is actually a portion of a larger stamp. I put tape over the portions I didn't want to ink and then inked it up. I removed the tape and then stamped the image.

After coloring the image with Koh-i-noor pencils, I heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. Then I sponged the background with Real Red ink.

The swirl is from a set called Growing in Unity and the sentiment & angel are from Bitty Christmas Tags. The Sateen Flowers in the corner are from Gina K and the Martha Stewart leaf punch is from Michaels.


Here is a Christmas tag I made yesterday. Do you ever have a love/hate relationship with a project? When I first completed this tag, I thought it was ok, but as I was typing up my blog post yesterday, I decided it wasn't blog worthy. Today, I decided it was good enough to show you, but not worthy of it's own post. LOL.

I sponged the background and embossed the sentiment. The candy cane was colored with Koh-i-noor pencils and cut out.

Thanks for visiting.

Have a great day!

Butterfly Dreams

Here is a card I shared during the release party last week. I used two of Gina's new sets, Take Flight and Tropical Flowers.


I colored the butterfly with Copic markers and cut it out. For the background I cut an oval, using Gina's Pure Luxury cards stock and sponged it with Bashful Blue and Ballet Blue. Then I stamped the stems using black Stazon.

The paper layers were Basic Black, Pure Luxury White, Pacific Point, Basic Black and the card base is the 120 lb Pure Luxury White.

Thanks for looking. Have a great day!

Tim Holtz Inspired Christmas Tag

Have you seen Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas? He made 12 amazing Christmas tags, all with very detailed tutorials the past few weeks. I so enjoyed every post and had to try my hand making one. I didn't case any particular tag, just used his overall style as inspiration. I also got inspiration from this Block Party Press set of rings, which was for the inspiration challenge at SCS today.

I started with a piece of Gina K's Pure Luxury 120 lb cardstock. I didn't have any premade tags, but this sturdy paper was perfect for making a tag. First I stamped some swirls using a stamp from Growing in Unity, using Versa Mark and then embossed with clear embossing powder.

Next I sponged Ruby Red, Real Red, Bravo Burgundy and Basic Black on the background. I splattered a mixture of water and Pear Ex, using my fingers. The shimmer from the Pearl Ex doesn't show up in the photo, I am afraid.

I colored the dove from The Magic of Christmas, using Koh-i-noor pencils and blended with odorless mineral spirits. Then I cut it out. The sentiment is also from The Magic of Christmas, and punched out using the small SU oval punch.

I used the EK Success flourish punch on Bravo Burgundy card stock for the flourish in the corner. After punching, I inked it up with Versa Mark and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder two times. Then I rubbed some Pear Ex over it and re-heated it to set it in. I could have done additional coats to get full coverage, but I wanted some of the Bravo Burgundy to peek through.

Then I just adhered all the elements to the tag, with a few brads on the oval. This was a lot of fun and I think I will try to do a few more this week.

Thanks for looking. I hope you are enjoying your weekend.

In Flight and a Gina K Challenge

Hi everyone! I had a great time at the release party for Gina K Designs last night. I got to set one of the challenges and this is the card I made as my sample.

I used two of the news sets just released, Take Flight (the free with three set) and Tropical Flowers.


I stamped the butterfly on Gina's Pure Luxury card stock and colored it with Marvy Markers. Then I cut it out.

For the background, I used some of the stamps from Tropical Flowers and stamped with Creamy Caramel and So Saffron around the edges. Then I went back and sponged with So Saffron, More Mustard, Creamy Caramel and Chocolate Chip.

The colors I used for the card layers are Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Creamy Caramel and More Mustard for the base.

A Challenge and Chance to Win!

If you want to play along with my challenge for a chance to win a stamp set of your choice, just hop on over to this thread at the Gina K Forums at SCS.

Donna and Erika also have some fun challenges posted, so be sure to check those out, too!

Donna's Challenge

Erika's Challenge

If you don't have any Gina K stamps yet, you can still participate in the challenges and contest questions. I hope you will play along!

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you weekend is lots of fun!

Gina K Preview Day 4 - Take Flight

Here is a peek at the last of the sets being released tonight from Gina K Designs, called Take Flight. This is the Free With Three set that you get for free if you purchase three other stamp sets. I love the realistic butterflies in this set and they will go so well with many of the stamp sets I already have.

For this project, I decided to make a small gift box to hold some Ghirardelli squares. I made this one to hold 6 squares. There are instructions below on how to make the box.

First I stamped the butterfly on Pure Luxury white card stock, then I colored it with Marvy markers and cut it out.

For the background, I used another piece of white card stock and sponged it with So Saffron, Apricot Appeal, More Mustard and very lightly on the edges with Old Olive. Then I used a few stamps from Tropical Flowers (one of the sets I previewed earlier this week) and stamped around the edges with Certainly Celery and Apricot Appeal.

I adhered that piece to a piece of So Saffron card stock and then a piece of Basic Black. I added the butterfly and then adhered the whole thing to the top of the box.

Here is the look at the inside. You can see the Ghirardelli wrappers peeking out.

For the inside, I stamped a butterfly on off white paper, using So Saffron ink. Then I stamped a sentiment from Take Flight. That layer was placed on a layer of So Saffron, then Basic Black before adhering to the inside.

For some more peeks at projects using this new set, be sure to visit the rest of the design team. Don't forget to leave a comment on Gina's blog for a chance to win. The release party is later today in the Gina K forums at Split Coast Stampers, from 7 - 10 pm central. There will be contests and challenges with more opportunities to win! I hope to see you there.


Gina

Joanne

Erika

Donna

Kurtis

Jessica

Mel

Emily

Cammie

and Carolina, our In the Spotlight Designer for December.



Now for instructions on making the Ghirardelli Box...


Cut a piece of card stock to 7 by 9 3/4 inches. Score at 2, 3, 5 1/2, 6 1/2, and 9 inches on the long side and 1/2, 1 1/2, 5 1/2, and 6 1/2 on the narrow side. The picture above shows the distance between the score lines, rather than cumulative measurements, if you prefer.

Next you need to cut away the sections as shown in the photo above. For the 3/4 inch section on the far right, I cut in one inch from each side to create a tab, then I rounded the corners. If you want to stamp a background on the box, it is a good idea to do it now, before you start to assemble the box.

Here is a close up of that section. I also snipped in about 1/4 inch on either side of the tab, to make it grab better when the box is closed.

On the other side of the box, at the two inch score line, I made marks one inch in from either side and then cut a slot between the marks using my craft knife. This creates the opening for the tab to go into.

Here is a close up of the slot after I cut it.

Here it is laid out with tacky tape, ready to put together. The tap is at the top, but is cut off in the photo.

Adhere those little bottom flaps to the sides and then wrap the side panel around to the front and adhere down.

Here is what it should look like after assemble. Again, I cut off the top, showing the tab, but you can see the slot where it tucks in.

A close up of the top after decorated.


And a close up of the inside. The box holds 4 squares loosely, or 6 snugly.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you day is filled with happiness!