Winter Trees

I've returned from visiting my son to celebrate his birthday. Instead of buying a birthday cake this year, my daughter-in-law made a Butterfinger cake and it was so yummy. That was my first time to try one of those. Plenty fattening!!!

This week Joan's Gardens challenge is:

Something from Nature (bird)
Colors-red and green (hope I didn't use too much white)
Cut out center and stamp a design
Create a Christmas card
You must use a product as Joan's Gardens (Mine is Opulent Opals S5-160 and is what I used to cut out my center)

Joan told a way she learned to make a pretty sky. I will have to try it. This time, I used my Glimmer Mist and have learned to spray above my cardstock and not directly onto it. That way I get a mist without the splotches. I have a board that I put my card in to spray and I just spray toward the back and onto the board and let the mist fall. Hope that makes sense.

Also,  Christmas Cards All Year 'Round-Christmas Extravaganza- Make it Fancy and Fussy

I also want to enter my card into the challenge at Stamping for Pleasure-Rudolph Day.

Weekly Christmas Card Challenges wants us to Break Out Your Punches- Mine is a Martha Stewart bird punch

Recipe:
Stamps-Mark's Finest Papers and Stamps/New Pines and Seasonal Poinsettia (sentiment)
Paper-Stampin'Up! Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke cardstock, PTI white cardstock
Ink-Stampin'Up! Always Artichoke
Accessories-Spellbinders Opulent Ovals, Inspired by Stamping Vintage Banners, Martha Stewart bird punch, Spellbinders Shapeabilities Holly Motifs, Sizzix Bigz Die/Flowers, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist/Dragonfly

A Special Birthday

My oldest son will be celebrating his birthday this week. I received (earlier than expected) a super package of stamps yesterday from Inspired by Stamping. I had already made a card quite a while ago for my son but could not wait to ink these stamps so I made him another one.  They are such super, masculine stamps. Everything on this card is IBS stamps  except the star which I punched. I punched a brown star and then punched another and cut it down to fit over the first one and inked it by swiping with my blue ink pad. All ingredients are in my recipe below.

I'll be entering my card into these challenges:
Inspired by Stamping WHW #114-Anything Goes-also there you will find a wonderful tutorial on prepping your new IBS stamps.
I'll also enter my card into the Inspired by Stamping Customer Gallery Contest for August.
My card is also going into the Inspired by Stamping August Blog Hop-Create a masculine card
Wow! So many ways to win with this company.

I'm playing for the first time at newly found (for me) Alphabet Challenge Blog-N for newest stamp or decoupage. Got my new stamps in the mail yesterday and immediately made this card. What a fun challenge.

I'm also playing at Sweet Stamps #131-Anything Goes

I guess this will have to be it for me for this week. Don't think I can play again until next week. If not,
hope you all have a grand weekend. I'll be celebrating my son's birthday with the family. Hmmmmm...birthday cake! :-)

Recipe:
Stamps-Inspired by Stamping/Guy Sentiments,  Arrows stamp set, Background Basics IV
Paper-PTI vintage cream, Stampin'Up! Chocolate Chip
Ink-VersaMagic Aegean Blue, Memento Cottage Ivy, Stampin'Up! Chocolate Chip
Accessories-Fiskars XL Star lever punch

A Fall Birthday

My family that was visiting left yesterday and it is really quiet here. I needed to clean and straighten the house yesterday but put off until today. What did I do today? Make a card instead. Maybe tomorrow I can get on the chores.

Joanna Munster has a video  tutorial here at Inspired by Stamping WHW #114 showing how to prep your new IBS stamp sets.  I have been doing this for a while now except I use a Staedtler eraser and then wash with soap and water. I didn't quite hear what eraser she said she used (on her video) but it does a great job from seeing her tutorial. Oh, and the challenge is Anything Goes...always a fun one.

My card is using an Inspired by Stamping Delicate Doilies II set and a set for the sentiment I love, love...IBS Big Wishes II. Love that font and size.  The rest of my recipe is below.

Also entering my card into these challenges:
Little Red Wagon- #199 -use at least 3 layers on your card. I have three not counting the base.
Pixie's Crafty Workshop-Week 86---My leaves are made from snippets of cardstock

Recipe:
Stamps- (listed above)
Paper-PTI vintage cream cardstock, Stampin'Up! Crushed Curry, and unknown rust cardstock from a scrapbook store
Ink- one of my favorite colors-Memento Potter's Clay
Accessories-Offray Verano Tan ribbon, EK Tools layering punch/Fall leaf, remnants from Martha Stewart Fall leaves edge punch





Friends

I just had to case a card of my friend, Pam aka pam124 at Splitcoaststampers. Again, this week we are honoring past queens. The letters to choose from this week are P-R.  My good friend, Pam, falls into this category. I wish I had time to case several cards of different stampers but I don't as I have family coming in starting today and through the weekend. I may go missing for several days after this post. The beautiful card I am case-ing is this one. Pam does such gorgeous creations.

I will also enter my card into the Inspired by Stamping Customer Gallery and Inspired by Stamping IBSIC #62. The colors are brown, lt. green, and cream/white. Gosh, my green doesn't look like the photo but I am using Stampin'Up! Sage Shadow and it looked green until I went back and checked the inspiration photo. Hope this is o.k.

Have a great weekend.

Recipe:
Stamps-Inspired by Stamping Small Fancy Labels I (sentiment and die)
Paper-PTI vintage cream, Stampin'Up! Chocolate Chip and Sage Shadow, MME paper pad/Sunshine
Ink-Stampin'Up! Chocolate Chip
Accessories-EK Success double embossed edger punch, EK Success English Ivy edger punch, Martha Stewart fir punch, Martha Stewart double loop punch, Inspired by Stamping Scallop Border Crochet Trim, Sizzix Bigz Flowers Die 3 (for making flower)

Vase of Flowers

A short post today--I used the colors for my card by joining the Inspired by Stamping Inspiration Challenge: IBSIC #63 and will also enter my card into the Inspired by Stamping Customer Gallery.

I think everything is self explanatory if you read the recipe. My vase is paper pieced. I just stuck one stem of blooms in my large vase but I've actually done that a time or two in real life. :-) I guess I could have used the slimmer vase in the set  or added more flowers but this is what I had my mind set on so here it is.

Recipe:
Stamps-Inspired by Stamping/Spring Blossoms and Whimsical Banners sets
Paper-PTI vintage cream, 6 x 6 paper pad by Teresa Collins-Fabrications
Ink-Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories-Copics/RV55 (Hollyhock) and RV66 (Raspberry), Martha Stewart woodland punch, EK Success 3/4 circle punch, Fiskars Decorative corner punch, pearls

Good afternoon. I don't know what your weather is like but the humidity here is unbearable. You can't step outside without feeling like you're in a steam bath...even inside, too, with the air conditioning. Plus, it rains every day. Give me lots of sunshine and I'm happy.

I'm back today with another QFTD176 (on Splitcosaststampers) challenge card. I am doing a case of a card belonging to my friend and blogging pal, Nancy aka nwilliams6. She was so sweet to case one of my cards earlier. This week, the names starting with M-N-O are the designated Queens and are stampers that have already been selected queens in the past.. Yes, it is a bit different recently but will be back to normal when we get through the alphabet, I suppose.

This is the card I cased. Of course, I made a few changes but I'm sure you can see the resemblance.

My card is also for the Inspiration Challenge, IC401 on Splitcoaststampers.

Recipe:
Stamps-BasicGrey/flourish corner stamps, Stampin'Up! Well Scripted (sentiment)
Paper-PTI white cardstock, black scraps
Ink-Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories-The Paper Studio punch (flower), Sakura Gelly Roll pen, white pearl

Celebrating the Season

The Queen for the Day challenge on Splitcoaststampers is featuring stampers M-N-O. This one is for Lesley aka Marleygo and this is the card I cased. It was simple to make and I used an embossing folder (given to me by my sis..isn't she great) and 3 snowflake dies. The sentiment was added and it was all finished. Be back later with another QFTD card...may be tomorrow.

Entering this challenge Twisted Tuesday Challenges-Create a Christmas Themed Project...must be clean and simple.

Recipe:
Stamps-Hot off the Press/Christmas Words
Paper-PTI white cardstock
Ink-Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories-Sizzix Christmas Set snowflakes border, Spellbinders Poseabilities collection dies, clear rhinestones

Simple Thank You and a Backgrounder

I found some time today to play in a challenge on Splitcoaststampers. It is the Ways to Use It challenge #439. The challenge today is to make your own background or use a background stamp.
I have a very pretty background stamp sent to me by a sweet friend and this was the time to use it. I stamped my background and colored in the flowers with Copics. I added 'thank you' and did a bit of distressing around the edges and that was it. Easy Peasy!!!

Recipe:
Stamps-Stampendous/Floral Dream(background stamp), Stampabilities/Sentiments
Paper-PTI white cardstock, Stampin'Up! Bermuda Bay
Ink-Memento Bamboo Leaves and Tuxedo Black
Accessories-Copics

Roses

 

I've been away from my blog for a few days visiting with my son and his little four year old. They came to visit last Wednesday and left this morning. We had so much fun and found a lot of adventures to keep us on the go. You have to keep those little ones busy...REALLY. :-) Maybe I'll show a few photos of our adventures soon.

 

 

I used the Mojo Monday sketch for my card and will enter it into their challenge this week:

 

 

 







 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge this week is Anything Goes and I'm going there with my card.

 

Also, I will enter my card into the Inspired by Stamping Customer Gallery for August. I used one of their stamps for my card...Just Because set and cut it with an Inspired by Stamping die--Fancy Label Dies I.

 

 

 Recipe:

Stamps-Inspired by Stamping-Just Because set

Paper-Stampin'Up! Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper, PTI vintage cream, The Linen Door by The Paper Studio

Ink-Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories-Prima Wood Button, Copics, Inspired by Stamping Fancy Label Dies I







DTGD2013 Continues

I'm continuing with my challenges to participate in the Dare to Get Dirty challenges on Splitcoaststampers. I wish I could find time to do all of them but don't think that will happen. Again, you must be a Fan Club member to participate. If you're not, you may want to check it out here.

I am doing a clean and simple card using a flower and sentiment from Inspired by Stamping. I was going to enter it into their IBS Customer Gallery contest but I see I am too late. Ugh!

Entering the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge-Anything Goes

Recipe:
Stamps-Inspired by Stamping/Big Wishes II set
Paper-PTI white cardstock
Ink_Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories-Inspired by Stamping Pink Curly Flowers, Craft Essentials pink/black ribbon