Kind Koala

It's time for a new ANYTHING GOES challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More!  I know this should be easy because you can do anything, but that's why it is so challenging for me...I have to do whatever I want!  No rules or regulations...anything!  For that reason, I just HAD to find a challenge to help me out and I found a fun challenge at retro sketches that gave me a chance to use one of my fun new stamps that has been sitting uninked, Kind Koala. I also decided to use the rainbow challenge at CASology.

Those rays are so much fun but I really struggle at getting my paper cut just right, so I opted to use one of my favorite stamps instead for the rays, Work of Art.

Eeeek!  Isn't he so cute!  I was so happy to get my gray and pink Blendabilities so I could finally ink up this little fella!  I know, he doesn't have to be gray with pink in his ears, but that is how I first imagined him. lol   And don't those Work of Art stripes make for a quick and easy rainbow of color!  I just love the options that stamp set offers! 

Thanks for stopping by. Make sure to check out the rest of the ATSM design team's wonderful creations!  

Addicted to NEW STUFF! :)

It's time for a new challenge at ATSM and it's such a fun challenge that it's not even my design team week but I wanted to make a card for the challenge anyway!  It's a photo challenge and I just LOOOOVE it. :)

I just love the colors and the flowers on this picture. I have a lot of NEW goodies from the 2014-2015 Stampin' Up! catalog that I haven't even touched yet so I thought this would be a great time to play...I mean work. hahaha

I saw a pretty cool technique SOMEWHERE out there in blog land to do my background. I sponged Elegant Eggplant ink all over a piece of Whisper White cardstock. I then spritzed this gorgeous new embossing folder, Lovely Lace, with a bit of water, turned it upsidedown on my cardstock, and pressed it down so the ink would absorb the water. It turned out pretty good for my first try!

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to drop by ATSM to see the rest of the team's lovely creations!

The Stamp Review Crew: Lovely as a Tree Edition

This past week The Stamp Review Crew had the opportunity to create a display board for Convention.  We decided to choose one older stamp set and one new stamp. The new stamp set we chose is a classic, Lovely as a Tree.  I've seen so many cards made with this stamp set that it is actually hard to think of something new to do with it!  I decided to try a technique that I have not done before.

I started by stamping my trees in Early Espresso on a Whisper White piece of cardstock. Then I took a brand new pencil eraser and used it as my stamp to color in my sky. This was a really fun technique!  I used mostly 2014-2015 In Colors, along with some Wild Wasabi in the grass.  After I had my colors dotted on I went back with a sponge to fill in the white spaces on the cardstock.  I really like the finished look!  I will definitely be trying this one again!

Thanks for stopping by. Click on the links below to continue on through the hop to Yapha's amazing project or to go back if you missed seeing Deb's creative project!

Blog Roll:

1. Mike Funke   http://stampin-style.typepad.com/stampin-style/2014/07/stamp-review-crew-lovely-as-a-tree.html
2. Ann Schach  http://www.stampinchic.com/2014/07/the-stamp-review-crew-lovely-as-tree.html
3. Holly Krautkremer  http://rubberredneck.typepad.com/rubber-redneck/2014/07/the-stamp-review-crew-lovely-as-a-tree.html
4. Beth Beard
5. Debra Burgin  http://heartfeltinkspiration.com/2014/07/20/stamp-review-crew-lovely-as-a-tree
6. Deb Currier  http://artfeltimpressions.blogspot.com/2014/07/stamp-review-crew-blog-hop-lovely-as.html
7. Shana Gaff   http://stressfreestamping.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-stamp-review-crew-lovely-as-tree.html
8. Yapha Mason  http://yaphamason.com/blog/2014/07/20/stamp-review-crew-lovely-as-a-tree-edition/
9. Nancy Smith   http://iguanastamp.wordpress.com/stamp-review-crew-lovely-as-a-tree
10. Kerry Willard-Bray  http://www.peoniesandpaperchains.com/2014/07/stamp-review-crew-lovely-as-a-tree-edition.html
11. Jill Coleman  http://www.jillstamps.com/2014/07/stamp-review-crew-lovely-as-a-tree.html
12. Lisa Young  http://addinkandstamp.blogspot.com/2014/07/stamp-review-crew-lovely-as-tree-edition.html
13. Cindy Beach
14. Heidi Baks  http://runningwscissorsstamper.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-stamp-review-crew-lovely-as-tree.html
15. Wendy Weixler
16. Tanya Boser   http://tinkerin-in-ink.blogspot.com/2014/07/stamp-review-crew-lovely-as-tree-edition.html
17. Paula Wright   http://paulastamps.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-stamp-crew-review-lovely-as-tree.html

Blue Ribbon

Wow, it's been a long time since I've used the Blue Ribbon stamp set!  I thought it would work great for new challenge we have going on now at Addicted to CAS:

What better way for a child to celebrate than with a blue ribbon?  I made this with my 8-year-old son, Talan, in mind. It's a little late, but his team won the season and the tournament in lob ball for the second year in a row. I am SOOO proud of him. He doesn't have the natural baseball talent that his daddy does, but he loves to have fun playing and he has improved so much in two years. Even though lob ball is over for the season, I want him to know how much we loved watching him play!  I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches for my card.

I wanted to use primary colors on my card to give it an elementary feel. I know it won't be long before Talan is out of elementary school, then middle school, then...yikes!  Let's not get carried away here or the tears are going to start flowing! lol

I just LOVE the new large polka dot embossing folder, and I punched out some circles to add some color to a few of the dots.  I stamped the two banners and then fussy cut my Pacific Point ribbon to go over the top. The "#1" was stamped in Daffodil Delight with "The Winner" stamped over the top of it in Real Red. I then punched it out with a circle punch and popped it up on Dimensionals. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Make sure to check out the creations from the rest of the ATCAS design team. Also pay a visit to Cathy, our Guest Designer.  She has a beautiful card to share with you, and it reminds me of a few acts I have seen on America's Got Talent. If you have seen the show, you will probably know what I am talking about!  Happy Stamping! 

Peace, Love and Cupcakes!

It's time for a CAS challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More! I received a bunch of brand new goodies just in time to make a card for this challenge. :)

Peace, Love and Cupcakes was on my list as soon as I saw the new catalog. I just love that big cupcake! And aren't those dots from dotty angles so much fun!  I got my color combination from the Color Coach. Which reminds me...I still need to order the cards for the new In Colors!  I have an order going in tomorrow for some freebies I earned (last day to get them...way to wait til the last minute, Shana!) but knowing me I will probably forget to throw them on there. lol  Thanks for stopping by. Make sure you drop by and pay a visit to the rest of our fabulous design team!

Stamp Sets: Peace Love and Cupcakes, Dotty Angles
Cardstock: Coastal Cabana, Smoky Slate, Whisper White
Ink: Coastal Cabana, Calypso Coral, Smoky Slate
Tools: Circle and Starburst Framelits
Accessories: Dimensionals

Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!

Happy 4th of July weekend!  I know it's a day after, but I think a lot of people are celebrating the entire weekend so I still consider today as part of the holiday. :) This is why I chose this particular code word for our new challenge at Addicted to CAS, where I am the hostess this week:

All I can think of right now is fireworks, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do!  Never mind the fact that I woke up at 7:00 yesterday morning and realized I only had about an hour of time to make my card AND blog it before we got busy for the rest of the weekend!  YIKES!  This is why I love CAS challenges. lol

I used The Friday Mashup challenge to do a waterwash CAS card and the colors from colourQ on my card.

Exactly what I was looking for for my card!  I love it when things come together just as you had envisioned. :) 

I just love the new Flower Patch stamp set. It's photopolymer so you can see exactly where you are stamping and it has a coordinating framelit set. If you stamp the images on a piercing mat the images turn out perfect every time! I thought this particular flower could double as fireworks and they turned out pretty good! I added a bit of silver Dazzling Details and some rhinestones to add to the firework effect.

Thanks for stopping by. Make sure to stop by the rest of the design team, as well as our guest designer, Cathy. She has a beautiful card to share with us this week!

Nuts About You

It's time for a Make Your Mark challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More! I originally made this card for last week's Anything Goes challenge, but the internet at our hotel we stayed at on vacation was nearly non-existent, so that didn't happen!  Luckily I had the card though, because I haven't had time since we returned to do ANY cardmaking. Hopefully tomorrow!

I used one of our brand new hostess sets for this challenge, Nuts About You.  It's the perfect set for a marker challenge because there are lots of little images to color!

Aren't those images so stinkin' cute?!  I just love that little tree too. So whimsical and fun!

Thanks for stopping by. Make sure you stop by and check out the rest of the design team's wonderful creations!

Eclectic Feels Good

It's time for another challenge at ATCAS and it is the perfect time of year for this code word:

Everyone who knows me KNOWS that I am always cold. ALWAYS. I carry a fuzzy blanket around with me everywhere I go, including to church and restaurants. It's kind of like a purse or a cell phone. It must go everywhere with me!  So, I am particularly fond of the sun and am always questioning why we live in Indiana, the most indecisive state I know when it comes to weather! lol

We have Karen joining us again this week and, as usual, she did not disappoint! I cannot wait to find out what technique she used on her beautiful sun!  Make sure you pop on over to her site to find out as well! 

I was also inspired by the challenge at TIME OUT Challenges, which was to CASE this beautiful card with a twist. 

As soon as I saw that lovely honeycomb, it reminded me of a technique I saw over on Splitcoaststampers so that is what I did for my background. You take an embossing folder and sponge ink onto it, then spritz it with water. Then place your cardstock on top of it and press it into the ink. Really easy and oh so pretty!  Here is what I came up with:

I waited for it to dry and then stamped the sentiment in black ink. I then stamped the sun from Kinda Eclectic twice, once on the panel and once on the card.  I lined up the two suns as best as I could and then popped up the front panel on Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by. Make sure to check out the rest of the cards by the design team at ATCAS! 

Stamp Sets: Kinda Eclectic, Feels Good

Cardstock: Whisper White

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Black

Tools: Chevron Embossing Folder, Sponges, Spritzer

Kinda Eclectic, Kinda in LOVE

It's time for another challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More and guess what??? ATSM is celebrating its 2nd anniversary with this challenge!  Kylie has put a ton of work into this challenge site, so make sure you stop by her blog and congratulate her on reaching her 2nd anniversary!

This week is a photo inspiration challenge, and there are so many options for this one.

Don't you just love all of those colors?  Lots to choose from here!  I also used the sketch challenge at Stampin' Celebration on my card.  It really worked well with the ideas I had in my head. 

I just got my first new catalog order today, and couldn't wait to ink up Kinda Eclectic. I'm kinda in LOVE with it already!  I honestly don't think it is going to be possible to create an ugly card with this set. I think it may even be my new Gorgeous Grunge I love it so much! :) 

That kraft panel is the new kraft paper that is thinner than our regular cardstock. It is definitely going to be a staple in my crafting from now on. It's awesome! 

Thanks for stopping by. Make sure to hop on over to ATSM to see what the rest of the design team has created for us!

Stamp Set: Kinda Eclectic

Cardstock: Kraft, Hello Honey, Whisper White

Ink: Hello Honey, Mossy Mellow, Real Red, Pacific Point

Tools: Circles Collection Framelits, Bitty Butterfly Punch

Accessories: Dimensionals 

The Stamp Review Crew: Life in the Forest Edition

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there today!  Today is also another kind of special day, because it is time for another Stamp Review Crew challenge! :) This month's set, Life in the Forest, is on of my favorite sets because you can use it for so many different occasions. This time I needed a baby card, so I picked up some of the 2013-2014 In Colors to help me out.  I also used the sketch challenge at CAS(E) this Sketch.

I thought this was a really fun sketch, and perfect for popping in some of my little forest friends on Dimensionals. 

The sentiments are from the new Photopolymer set Bravo, a great addition to the catalog.  The sentiments are nice and big and can be used for a variety of occasions. I hand cut the "Congrats!" out and glued it to my panel. If Stampin' Up! ever comes out with an e-cutter, it is SOOO on my list to get immediately! :)

The braid has a funny little story that goes along with it. I have been watching Youtube videos like crazy, learning different braids for Janae's hair. Now, I am 35 and JUST NOW learning how to french braid. I've had short hair most of my life, so I never really cared to learn. But now that Janae is 10 and has hair past her shoulder blades, I decided to learn how to do some braids. I've been braiding her hair, my hair, the babysitting kids' hair...and now my ribbon and Baker's Twine. lol This is just a regular braid, I know, but I just cannot keep from braiding everything in sight. :)

Stamp Sets: Bravo, Life in the Forest
Cardstock: Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Whisper White
Ink: Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Smoky Slate, Strawberry Slush, Black StazOn
Tools: Window Frames Framelits, Blender Pen
Accessories: Crisp Cantaloupe Baker's Twine, Dimensionals


Thanks for stopping by. Make sure to check out the next stop on the blog hop...the amazingly talented Dawn Tidd! Pssst...Make sure you check out the rest of her blog too...she has lots of fun projects using brand new supplies from the new catalog!

More Endless Birthday Wishes :)

I cannot get enough of this new photopolymer stamp set!  Apparently it was very popular because it sold out within days and is currently unavailable.  Don't fret though, because Stampin' Up! has informed us that they are getting in another shipment sometime soon. Make sure you order it as soon as it is available again, because once it is gone, it is GONE!

I paired it with another one of my favorite new stamp sets, Work of Art, for our latest CAS challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More!  I also used the challenges at retro sketches, Seize the Birthday and The Paper Players.

My grandpa's birthday is on the 4th of July, so this was a great chance for me to knock out a card early for him. Look at me, being all AHEAD of schedule! lol 

I just love how quickly I can create a card using these two stamp sets!  The paint swooshes from Work of Art remind me of smeared frosting too. :) I added a little bit of Silver Dazzling Details to the tops of the candles to make them look more like sparklers for the 4th of July celebration. The Top Note panel is popped up on Dimensionals. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Make sure to check out the awesome cards created by the rest of our ATSM design team!

Stamp Sets: Endless Birthday Wishes, Work of Art

Cardstock: Night of Navy, Whisper White

Ink: Black, Night of Navy, Real Red

Tools: Top Note Die

Accessories: Silver Dazzling Details, Dimensionals 

Greetings From

It's time for another challenge at Addicted to CAS and this week we have a very creative code word:

We are so lucky to have Karen joining us as Guest Designer this month. Make sure you stop by and check out her lovely card. I LOVE her work. She does some FABULOUS backgrounds! 

For my card, I decided I wanted to keep it VERY clean as simple, because the only "transport" images I have are very tiny.  I used the challenges at CAS(E) this Sketch and Colour Me...Monochromatic as well. 

I forgot how much I love creating cards that take less than ten minutes to create. This card was truly stress-free, because I didn't have to drag out a ton of supplies, I didn't make a mess, and I didn't have a lot to clean up!  

As much as I like my card in person, I hate it on the computer!  I don't know WHAT happened to my editing program, but everything has changed from what I usually do. UGH!!!  The colors here look so muddy. Sad, sad day. :( Unfortunately, I only have access to a computer for a little while each night, so it is what it is. lol 

The stripes are from Work of Art. I just love this set!  I just stamped it three times, without reinking, then did the same thing again. Then I stamped my images and sentiment with black ink and colored in the little flags on the boats with my Coastal Cabana marker. So easy!  I think I am going to CASE this card using Wild Wasabi and the little car image or bike image instead.  This would be a great card for kids to make for their birthday thank you cards!

Stamp Sets: Greetings From, Petite Pairs, Work of Art

Cardstock: Whisper White

Ink: Coastal Cabana, Black

Endless Birthday Wishes

It's Tuesday and you know what that means! It's time for another challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More! :) This week is a HOLIDAY challenge, so it is really up to you what holiday you choose!  Here in our house, the next holiday is Talan's 8th birthday, so I decided to use a few challenges at retro sketches and Stampin' Celebration to make a card for him.

I loved all of the bright colors in the Stampin' Celebration inspiration photos, so I used some of those on my card. I was also able to use my brand new Endless Wishes Birthday photopolymer stamp set for the first time!  Perfect for this occasion. :) 

I just loving having those paint splotches from Work of Art to "color" images in!  I think it is such a modern look, and so easy to do!  I couldn't help but add a few more of the polka dots down at the bottom too. :) It just felt like it needed something there. lol 

Thanks for stopping by today. Make sure you visit the other design team members at Addicted to Stamps and More! too! 

Stamp Sets: Endless Birthday Wishes, Work of Art

Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Whisper White

Ink: Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Black StazOn

Tools: Envelope Punch Board (corner rounder punch)

Accessories: Daffodil Delight Seam Binding Ribbon, Brights Candy Dots, Brights DSP Stack

The Stamp Review Crew: Everything Eleanor Edition

Woo hoo!  It's time for another round of The Stamp Review Crew, and I get to play this time! :) The stamp set chosen for this week is Everything Eleanor. It's one of my all-time favorite sets, for the swirlies alone, but I decided to make use of the flowers and the fun backdrop image too. :) 

The colors I chose are Wisteria Wonder, Silver and Elegant Eggplant.  The silver is hard to see in my picture, but it really shines in real life!  The flowers are stamped on Wisteria Wonder in Elegant Eggplant ink and then I fussy cut them out. I know some people hate doing this, but I just love it!  I added a few rhinestones for some bling and Ta Da! All done! :) Thanks for stopping by!  Make sure to hop on over to the fabulous blog of Yapha Mason next,  or you can find the complete blog roll at the bottom if you get lost. :) 

1. Debra Burgin  http://heartfeltinkspiration.com/2014/06/01/stamp-review-crew-everything-eleanor
2. Shana Gaff  http://stressfreestamping.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-stamp-review-crew-everything.html
3. Yapha Mason http://yaphamason.com/blog/2014/06/01/stamp-review-crew-everything-eleanor-edition/
4. Betty Traciak  http://kittystamp.blogspot.com/2014/06/stamp-review-crew-everything-eleanor.html
5. Beth Beard  http://www.mylittlecraftblog.com/2014/06/stamp-review-crew-everything-eleanor.html
6. Tanya Boser  http://tinkerin-in-ink.blogspot.com/2014/06/stamp-review-crew-everything-eleanor.html
7. Lisa Young  http://addinkandstamp.blogspot.com/2014/06/stamp-review-crew-blog-hop-everything.html
8. Cindy Beach  http://stampspaperandink.typepad.com/stamps_paper_and_ink/2014/06/stamp-review-crew-everything-eleanor-edition.html
9. Holly Krautkremer http://rubberredneck.typepad.com/rubber-redneck/2014/06/the-stamp-review-crew-everything-eleanor.html
10. Heidi Baks http://runningwscissorsstamper.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-stamp-review-crew-everything-eleanor.html
11. Wendy Weixler  http://wickedlywonderfulcreations.blogspot.com/2014/06/stamp-review-crew-everything-eleanor.html

Lovely as a Tree

It's time for another Make Your Mark challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More! and I had some fun with an oldie but goody, Lovely as a Tree. For my first card, I used the challenge at The Friday Mashup! and used embossing and a tree, as well as the tall and skinny sketch challenge at Mojo Monday.

I thought this would be a great chance to get a head start on some Father's Day cards, and I just got the perfect stamp in my My Paper Pumpkin kit to accompany Lovely as a Tree.

I started by sponging a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock with Marina Mist and Night of Navy ink. I then spritzed it with water. I'm sure you have noticed that I use this technique a lot! :) I think it ended up looking like a globe! I then embossed the tree on Very Vanilla cardstock with Early Espresso cardstock and used my Blendabilities to color the tree in, followed by some sponging with Marina Mist and Night of Navy ink. My tree kind of disappeared so I embossed it again on top of all of the coloring.

I used similar techniques on my second card, along with The Friday Mashup! challenge again, as well as the sketch challenge at The Paper Players.

This time I started with a few more colors on my background panel.  For the tree panel, I embossed the trees on Vellum and colored the back with Stampin' Write markers. I then used my two-way glue pen to glue it down to another panel that was sponged and spritzed.  I pulled it off of that panel, and it left the lighter colors on the vellum. I love how it turned out!  I think the trees pop a lot better on this one.

I hope you enjoyed my cards for our Make Your Mark challenge. Make sure you stop by the other gals' cards from ATSM and leave them some love as well!

Clockworks

Wow, this month is flying by and it is already time for another challenge at ATCAS! The design team members each take turns choosing the code words, and WOW have they been choosing some great ones. :) This week was no exception.

Darnell is continuing on as Guest Designer this month and has another great card to share with us. I always look forward to seeing what she has created!  Make sure to stop by her blog and give her some love! 

When I saw the code word, I immediately knew I wanted to do a masculine card. I used the sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch!.

I had some burlap ribbon left over, so I tried something new and embossed my sentiment on the burlap. It worked beautifully with the Early Espresso Embossing Powder!

This sentiment is from the brand new Bravo photopolymer stamp set that will be available for purchase on June 2nd. I earned it as an incentive and I just love it. The fonts are really large and there is a great variety of sentiments.  I thought the gears from Clockworks worked perfectly for my masculine card. After I stamped them, I sponged on Crumb Cake ink with a sponge dauber.  The edges are also textured with the texturing tool, so there is another use of the code word!

Thanks for stopping by. Make sure to check out the card by the rest of the design team!

Stamp Sets: Bravo, Clockworks
Cardstock: Crumb Cake
Ink: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso
Tools: Texturing Tool, Sponge Dauber
Accessories: Burlap Ribbon