SUOC62 - New Toys!

Sorry for the week-long delay for the new SUO Challenge; Robin was very ill, but is feeling a bit better, so we're off and running again. We are going back on our regular two week schedule as of today. And what a great way to start anew, with new toys from the Spring Catalog (and Sale-A-Bration, too)!

The roses are in the Artisan Embellishments Kit, along with all kinds of tasty morsels for dressing up a card. I swear I nearly swooned when I saw them in the catalog, and then again when I actually had them in my hands. Well, maybe not swooned exactly....more like hyperventilated. It's true! Would I lie to you?

The Very Vanilla lace and Primrose Petals seam binding ribbon are in the kit, too, as well as the button (that is practically hidden by the bow - poor planning on my part). Love the new Oval Framelits, too. So many fun ways to use them!

Stamps: Bloomin' Marvelous (leaves, greeting - SAB item), French Foliage (spatters)

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Primrose Petals

Ink: Crumb Cake, VersaMark

Accessories: Big Shot, Oval Framelits, Fancy Fan and Perfect Polka-Dots folders, Designer Frames folder, Artisan Embellishments Kit, Vintage Trinkets

And now, if you've scrolled all the way down here, I'll tell you why I used the spatters from French Foliage on the card. I was eating pizza at my craft table, you see, and a sausage decided to hop off the pizza right onto my just-finished card. Once again, instead of a shining example, I am a horrible warning! Let that be a lesson to ya!

FMS68 and Resolutions!

Note: The SUO Challenge will be delayed a week, because our fearless leader has been ill.

We should be back with a new challenge on the 15th!

One of my resolutions this year is to be more consistent in my blog posts, and to that end, one of my other resolutions is to participate in more challenges. Sometimes a sketch or color challenge is just the kick in the kiester I need to get creative.

So this week, I'm playing along with Freshly Made Sketches challenge #68. My friend, Jennifer Timko, is on the design team there, and I love seeing her take on the sketches! Here's the sketch for this week:

And here's my take on it:

I rotated it 90 degrees so the greeting would fit on the Everything Eleanor label. It's so soft and feminine looking IRL. I made one of Jennifer's magic bows, spritzed it with water and scrunched it up. Why is it the "messy" bows look so fabulous when someone else does them, and mine just looks sad?

Tomorrow, Mr. Brown is bringing more goodies from the Spring Catalog, woohoo! I had to exercise great restraint and wait to place my main order until after the first of the month. So now I'm anxiously waiting to see my favorite guy tomorrow (outside of immediate family members, lol)!

Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Vintage Verses (FREE Sale-A-Bration item, starts Jan. 27)

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Naturals Ivory

Ink: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy

Accessories: Big Shot, Fancy Fan folder, Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon, Artisan Embellishment Kit (lace and button)

My First MDS Hybrid!

No, it's not a fossil-fuel-sipping vehicle, it's a card made with an image I printed out of My Digital Studio! I needed the image in a hurry, and if I ordered the stamp set, it would have taken nearly a week for it to arrive. Sooo, I got the digital download of the Established Elegance stamp set instead, and instantly had the images I needed.  I wasn't sure if my printer* would match the colors of the DSP and cardstock, but it did - perfectly!  Just so no cardstock would be wasted, the Very Vanilla sheet was filled with the same image, with different colors chosen for each one. Now they'll be handy for future projects.

Stamps: Four Frames, Timeless Treasures, dressform digital image Established Elegance MDS download
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Marina Mist, Soft Suede, Beau Chateau DSP
Ink: Soft Suede Classic
Accessories: Decorative Label Punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon, Very Vanilla Satin Roses (retired), Hat Pin, Pearls Basic Jewels, Mat Pack, Paper Piercing Tool, Stampin' Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals, pearl beads (non-SU)

* It's a Dell 2150cn Color Laser printer that can handle 110 lb. cardstock....that's what Santa brought for Christmas, and I LOVE it! Warms up super fast, prints super fast, and the print quality is amazing.

Happy Birthday SUO Challenge #39

As some of you long-time visitors are aware, February is the month for an extraordinary number of birthdays in my family, so this SUO Challenge was really right up my alley!

The color inspiration for this card came by accident.....I had scraps of Blushing Bride paper laying on my very messy desk (left overs from the Birthday card class last week), when I accidentally knocked a dowel holding some spools of ribbon loose, and they all came crashing down on the desk and floor. The Bravo Burgundy 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon (retired) just happened to land on the Blushing Bride paper, and I really liked the combination, so I grabbed some cardstock and got to work. Since that ribbon is retired, and we're encouraged to use current items if we can, I opted for the pleated Blushing Bride ribbon. It's a lot easier to work with, anyway!

Stamps: Fresh Vintage, On Your Birthday
Cardstock: Blushing Bride Textured, Bravo Burgundy, Very Vanilla, Twitterpated DSP
Ink: Bravo Burgundy Classic Stampin' Pad, plus Bravo Burgundy, Blushing Bride, Wild Wasabi, and Early Espresso Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Big Shot, Adorning Accents Edgelits Dies, 1" Square Punch, Postage Stamp Punch, Blushing Bride 1/2" Pleated Satin Ribbon, Pearls Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals

Fresh Vintage Birthday

One of the new stamp sets from Sale-A-Bration (starts Jan. 24th!), is called Fresh Vintage, and is an absolutely lovely little set, all by itself. The fact that you can get it for FREE is icing on the cake! This card was inspired by another card I saw on Pinterest. I liked the way the frames were die cut into the layers, and knew it would be perfect for this birthday card.

Coloring is so much fun, whether it's coloring in a stamped image, or coloring on the stamp itself with markers, as was done here. The butterfly is made from Very Vanilla cardstock sprayed with Gold Smooch Spritz and cardstock weight vellum. The layer of vellum between the Very Vanilla layers gives it a somewhat ethereal look, but you can't really see it in the photo.

When using the Labels Collection Framelits dies, I cut both the DSP and the cardstock at the same time with the smaller frame (using Dotto to keep the layers from shifting). That made it easier to center the larger frame on just the DSP layer to make everything line up nicely. Both layers are popped up on dimensionals for extra depth.

Stamps: Fresh Vintage (SAB item), Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Pool Party, Very Vanilla, White Vellum Cardstock, Attic Boutique DSP
Ink: Soft Suede Classic plus Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz and Soft Suede Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Gold Smooch Spritz, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Big Shot, Pool Party 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon, Pearls Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

And yes, I know the DSP is upside down. Shhhhh, maybe no one will notice!

Tea Party

Did you ever play tea party when you were little? I know I did, probably under the same tree where I played house at my great-grandmother's. Which, I've since learned, was not a willow, but a weeping mulberry. Interest in botany didn't come until much later, lol.

But when I grew up, coffee became my hot beverage of choice. Guess I needed the extra caffeine kick.  Anyhoo, the stamps in the new Tea Shoppe set remind me so much of tea sets I played with as a child. And the Attic Boutique Designer Series Paper is a perfect match. The combination transports me back to a more innocent, genteel time.

Stamps: Tea Shoppe
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, Attic Boutique DSP
Ink: Soft Suede Classic
Accessories: Big Shot, Adorning Accents Edgelits Dies, Adorning Accents embossing folders, Baja Breeze 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon, Pearls Basic Jewels, Scallop Oval Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Christmas Lodge

Last Wednesday was our monthly Christmas card class, and this was the card that we made. This is a combination of lpratt's and Melany Watson's cards on Splitcoast Stampers, with my own twists thrown in. :-)  That Silver Glimmer Paper is the perfect icy accent to the snow and is sooo brilliant IRL! The photo just doesn't do it justice. (Edited to add: Instructions for making card are below supply list.)

The Early Espresso ink on the Crumb Cake cardstock really gives an aged, vintage feel. And I absolutely love this image of a country house! I adore the wrap-around porch... can't you just picture yourself sitting there in a rocking chair or glider, looking out over the land, enjoying the sunsets, watching the garden grow, and fruit ripening in the orchard?

It reminds my of my great-grandmother's house which, unfortunately, was torn down recently by the present owners to build a new house. Didn't they realize the history there? The memories of me hiding under the lounge in the living room, pretending that I was Sandy-cat, batting at people's ankles? That I used to play "house" under the branches of the weeping willow tree, which formed a perfect room around the trunk?  Eating Concord grapes off the Ruple's vine until I thought I'd burst? The smell of Gram's irises, which grew under the bay window of the dining room? Rubbing two dried ears of corn together to get the kernels off to feed the chickens?  Burying coffee grounds and crushed egg shells in the vegetable garden to enrich the soil? *sigh*

Today is a day of remembrance, in so many ways.

Stamps: Christmas Lodge (Holiday Mini), Lovely as a Tree
Cardstock: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Silver Glimmer Paper
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: Basic Rhinestone Jewels, Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, While Gel Pen

1. Stamp the lodge image in Early Espresso ink on Crumb Cake cardstock.
   
2. Ink up one half of the Lovely as a Tree stamp and stamp to the side of the lodge, then do the reverse for the other side.
   
3. Color the snowy areas (roof, railings, ground around lodge, trees, etc.) with a white gel pen.
   
4. Tear white cardstock to imitate snow on the ground just below the lodge. Trim excess at bottom.
5. Layer Silver Glimmer Paper (have to use scissors on this - it won't tear!) a bit below the snow layer. Trim excess at bottom.
6. Tear another layer of white cardstock to lay over the Glimmer Paper, leaving some exposed. Trim excess at bottom.
   
7. Stamp the greeting in Early Espresso ink on the last layer and embellish card as desired.
   

Any Hero

In addition to Father's Day cards (and others), I'm making "Any Hero" cards to send to Operation Write Home. These cards are to the service members, thanking him/her for their service to our country. This one uses the new Land of the Free single stamp in the Summer Mini.  It was so easy to ink the stars with a Night of Navy marker, and the lyrics with a Real Red marker.  Sponging the edges of the mat, the stars and the stamped image with Soft Suede really gives the card an aged, vintage feel.

Stamp: Land of the Free
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Real Red, Night of Navy, Autumn Spice DSP (retired)
Ink: Soft Suede Classic, Real Red and Night of Navy Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Finial Press embossing folder, Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, Real Red 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Night of Navy 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Large Star Punch, Star Punch (retired), Stampin' Sponges

No Mo Jo

My mojo seems to have up and left me as soon as this darn cold started. I guess there isn't room for creativity in your head when it's all stuffed up with a head cold. This is all I could manage today.

Stamps: Easter Blossoms, All Holidays
Cardstock: Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla, Springtime Vintage DSP
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Basic Pearls, Scallop Trim Border Punch

Swap Challenge

Here's another card based on this month's "love" theme swaps, with NO hearts and NO red. Still trying to get a feel for the aged, vintage look, and not succeeding very well, I fear. The embossed layer is a piece of corrugated cardboard with the outer layer of paper peeled off, then run through the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper folder.

Stamp: Artistic Etchings, In Stitches Jumbo Wheel (unmounted from wheel, individual "stitches" separated)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Newsprint DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Soft Suede
Accessories: Victoria Crochet Trim, Hemp Twine, Vintage Trinkets, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Big Shot, Small Oval punch (1-3/8" x 5/8"), stick pin (non SU)

Before and After

Okay, I was all excited about playing with the new stampin' goodies, so I could show you all a teaser, right?  Well, first off, one of the stamp sets I ordered appears to have disappeared.  I don't know where it could possibly be.  When I unpack that carton of goodness that Mr. Brown delivers (on a too regular basis, lol), everything goes into its rightful place, and it was no different with that clear-mount stamp set.

Arrrrggghhhh!  Not finding it is driving me crazy and, believe me, that's not a very long drive!  Oh, well, here's one sneak peek for ya.  That little peek above is the Christmas Postcard single stamp that is divine.  Such a lovely, old-fashioned, vintage Christmas feel, and perfect for coloring!

So, since I couldn't use the set I had originally planned, I pulled out the Christmas Collage background stamp. It has a lot of the same elements in it, all in a collage (*snerk*, hence the name, 'eh?).  After I completed the card, I just wasn't thrilled with it.  I couldn't put my finger on it, but it was just "off".

I even tried adding some rhinestones! That usually does the trick, but not this time.  It just wasn't making my skirt fly up, as the Pioneer Woman would say.  So after giving it some thought, I decided it needed more Cherry Cobbler.  Here's the result:

It's better, I think. Still far from my favorite card evah, but definitely more balanced and pleasing to the eye.  Oh well, I guess I can't hit a home run every time, huh?  But I can keep trying!

There is a new blog hop coming that will be featuring these goodies and much more, from the soon-to-be-released 2010 Holiday Mini Catalog!  I'll be showcasing Jolly Bingo Bits.  Intrigued? It will run from Friday 8/27 through Sunday 8/29.  You won't want to miss it!!!

Items from the new Holiday Mini are highlighted and will be available September 1st.
Stamp: Christmas Collage (121279)
Cardstock: Confetti White (102028), Always Artichoke (105119), Cherry Cobbler (119685)
Ink: Cherry Cobbler Classic (119669), Sahara Sand (105208), VersaMark (102283)
Accessories: Always Artichoke Seam Binding (121000), Silver Glass Glitter (120995), Silver Tinsel Trim (120994), Basic Rhinestones (119246), 2-1/2" Circle Punch (120906)