Bird on a Wire

After 4 years as a Demonstrator, I finally got a chance to attend a Stampin' Up! event! It was a total blast, full of fun, inspiration and freebies! There was also a contest to enter a card for the Ronald McDonald house, and the criteria was no text/sentiment, bright and cheery and of course, current product so others can copy. I didn't have a chance to make a card in time, thanks to Halloween, but I had time to make it after the morning sessions and brought it to the last Product Playground. It was too late to have a chance for votes, so they will be displaying it in Quebec instead so I have a chance to win :)

I used the Chevron background stamp with 3 colours again (this time, Indigo Island, Tempting Turquoise and Coastal Cabana), and I used the Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie and Definitely Daffodil to color the bird and fill in the sun.

Challenges I used:

Create with Connie and Mary - (see sketch below)

Pile it On - Feeling Cool 

Vandicrafts - Bye, Bye Birdy

A Little Birdie Told Me...

I got to play with this Hostess set for my sweet niece's 4th birthday... I would have loved to use my Blendabilities for the image, but don't have the colors I needed yet. It would have been better if I'd planned better and used watercolor paper for my Stampin' Write markers, but I didn't have time for a do-over, so it is what it is...

Challenges I used:

Pile It On - 2 or more Die Cuts (the ovals)
Inspired by Stamping - (see sketch below)
Just Add Ink - (see palette below)
Craft-Room Challenge - Make your own Background
Through the Purple Haze - Wings and Bling
Papertake Weekly - Super Fly

So many smiles...

Just a quick post so I don't miss yet ANOTHER challenge deadline, lol... tomorrow I will add and link to the other challenges I used and edit this description :)

Challenges I used:

Color Throwdown - see palette below

Fresh Flutterbies

 With so many Thank You cards to make for various staff at my kids' school, I'm trying to keep at least some of them quick and simple, and what is quicker than washi tape!

 

Challenges I Used:

The Card Concept - (see palette below) Style: Clean and Graphic

CAS(E) This Sketch - (see sketch below)

SuperDog!

This was a super quick and simple card I whipped up for a sweet nephew's birthday... I'm often unimpressed by my fast and basic cards I'm forced to do when I'm running behind for an event, but I think this one is pretty cute anyway ;) Especially since I finally grabbed this stamp set right when it retired, and I hadn't had a chance to try it out yet!

Challenges I used:

Sketch N Stash - (see sketch below)
Pause Dream Enjoy - Food or Beverage
Nutcrafters - Animals or Insects
Crafty Creations - All about S (Superhero, Spots, Stripes)
Just Add Ink - Just Add Cupcakes/Cake/Dessert
Little Red Wagon - Food for Thought

2014-2016 In Colors

When I get the new In Colors, my first card for that month's club is always something that uses all 5 colors, in both the cardstock and the inks, as a reference for them to see what they look like in real life. It's always a challenge, but this year is my favourite so far. And I managed to not only have all the colors stamped, but I did it on both the coordinating cardstocks as well as on the Whisper White, so all aspects are accounted for.

 In doing so, I was afraid I would clutter the card up too much, and while I worried about adding the 3 watercolor stamps to the sentiment, I came up with a brilliant new use for the Stamp-a-ma-jig (if I do say so myself ;) )... below is the card when I thought it "might" be finished. I wanted to add the watercolour stamps and use each colour but I thought it might be too busy. So I put the clear, easy clean sheet from the Stamp-a-ma-jig over the card and stamped onto that. Turns out it looked just right :)

Challenges I used:

CAS(E) This Sketch - (see sketch below)

SUO Challenges - Stamping on the Background

Crafty Creations - The letter S (spots, stripes, splashes, stamps, Stamp-a-ma-jig)

Simon Says Stamp - Masculine

My Sheri Crafts - Anything Masculine

Work of Art

The only stamp set I preordered was Work of Art, but since it's so versatile I had no problem using it for BOTH club cards this month! First, here is the softer one, using the Lullaby DSP. The stretchy ruffle ribbon I love SO MUCH is retired, but I'm crossing my fingers it'll show up on the Clearance Rack soon enough and I can stock up ;) I used the watercolor paper, even though we weren't doing any "actual" watercoloring, because with the watercolor designs of this set, combined with the thirsty paper, the inks really soak in and blend, even without adding water! Watch for my bolder card tomorrow :) (Or is it technically today, seeing as how it's 1:30AM?) Also, I left it without a sentiment, because it's always good to have a "no reason" card in the stash, and there's enough room to add a sentiment in the upper left corner of the watercolor layer.

Challenges I used:

Mojo Monday - (see sketch below)
Color My Heart - Creme Brulee, Crystal Blue and Sorbet color palette
Sweet Stamps - Ribbons, Buttons and/or Bows
Inky Chicks - Use a Metal embellishment
Just Add Ink - Just Add Watercolour

Quick and Easy Boy Card

This is the second card I whipped up in a flash... I had already picked the challenges I was going to use, so it was easy to jump in, but with limited time, I had to change my vision to something simpler and faster.
After cutting and embossing the base, I laid the white layer down and arranged the Tape It stamps face down on it, and then stuck my F clear block onto them to lock them into place. Then I colored the stamps with markers (since they were too close together for ink pads), and stamped the whole shebang at once. Then a quick sentiment punched out and some Candy Dot brad stickers... easy peasy, lemon squeezy!!

Challenges I used:

Just Add Ink - (see sketch below)
Color Throwdown - (see palette below)
Little Red Wagon - Seeing Spots
Seize The Birthday - Birthday
Cardz 4 Guyz - Bingo (Blue, Image, Brads)

The Perfect Elmo Card

You know those days when you realize you haven't made a card yet, for a very special kid's birthday and you're almost out of time, but you don't want to give them a stash card that isn't right for them? That happened to me TWICE this party filled weekend! The first was for my sweet nephew's 2nd birthday... this boy LOVES Elmo, and I've seen Elmo cards like this before, and could see how simple they look to make, so I figured it wouldn't take long at all. And really, the part that took the longest was trying on different size circle punches/diecuts until I felt like the proportions were just right.

I used the Circles Collection Framelits large scallop for the head, and also for the base (Basic Black cardstock, scored and folded, and then cut with the die top above the fold, so there was it could open without falling apart). I sponged the edge for "furry" texture and then cut and pasted the other circles (and half circle) until it looked just right. And although I'm very familiar with Elmo, I did get my kids' opinions to make sure I chose the best sizes, lol ;)

Strong as a Tree

This card mutated a few times as I created it, but it ended up looking better than what I imagined originally, so it was worth the "restarts" ;) I just LOVE this stamp!!! Great for Father's day, dad's birthdays and scrapbooking dad/kid moments. Have I mentioned how sad I am that the Co'redinations are saying goodbye? I REALLY love them!!!

Challenges I used:

Create with Connie and Mary - (see sketch below)
Sweet Stamps - Embossing
Ruby's Rainbow - Recipe (button, twine, embossing)
Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes
Crafting by Designs - Anything Goes

Vintage, Fresh and Elegant

Since my June club will be focused on new In Colors and new goodies, I decided to do a Mother's Day card AND a Father's Day card this month... here's the Mother's Day card.

I wanted to show off some of my favourite retiring (but hopefully not sold out yet!) stuff while I still have the chance. I used the En Francais background stamp on the Naturals Ivory, and the Modern Medley DSP for a vintage look, along with ivory pearls. I also really wanted to play along with the DIY flower challenge, instead of just stamping and punching, so I decided to pull out my clay and molds (which thankfully are NOT retiring)! I'm SO glad I did, because these flowers really MAKE the card... I'm in love with how it all looks together!! With a small batch of clay embellishments, I usually either mix a bit of clay with a few drops of ink, or leave it white and sponge and/or marker the color on after they're dried, but since I had to premake the flowers for club, I made each flower with white, carefully popped them out right aways and then spritzed them with inked water. Then I pushed the center pearl in right away so they would dry into the flowers.

Challenges I used:

Handstamped Sentiments - (see sketch below, but link-up expired so I couldn't enter)

Color Throwdown - (see palette below)

Pause Dream Enjoy - Flowers

Little Red Wagon - DIY Flowers

Just Add Ink - (see image below)

Inspired By - (see image below)

Make a Wish

This card was fairly simple and easy to put together (even though I used 4 stamp sets and 4 Framelit sets, lol), but the bright, clean look was exactly what I was going for, and the silver vellum was the perfect accent!

Challenges I used:

Hand Stamped Sentiments - (see sketch below)
Create With Connie and Mary - (see palette below)

Pinwheel Polaroid (Another self-CASE)

I'm really starting to enjoy challenging myself by imagining two different spins on a card while I'm designing, and doing to the cutting, etc. for both at once... saves time, rather than going back to the idea later and getting all the same tools out again and measuring again, and it feels like a "BOGO" when I have two totally different (although, very similar) cards after one sitdown :)

For this one, I used the classic white Polaroid frame with the black, undeveloped background, and added just the color elements for a big POP! I swapped out the flowers for a pinwheel, the scallops for the clouds and gave it a bright sentiment to add a last splash of bold.



Challenges I used:

Craft Project Central - (see sketch below)
Seize the Birthday
Ruby's Rainbow - Happy Birthday
The Card Concept - Create a Birthday Card (with the Clean and Layered style)

Polaroid Perfection

I have to admit, when I bought the On Film Framelits (bundled with the Peachy Keen stamp set), I figured I would probably only use the polariod and the film strip dies for scrapbooking (when I finally start catching up that is ;) ). I was wrong... I am realizing now that they will get a lot of use in my cardmaking as well :)

Also, while I have lots of 3D project aspirations for the new Fringe Scissors, but they also make simple things like grass on cards so much quicker!



Challenges I used:

Pile It On - Floral Fantasy
Craft Project Central - (see sketch below)
Color Throwdown - (see palette below)
Southern Girls - Floral Frenzy
Pause Dream Enjoy - Twine it Up!

CASEing Myself!

I was so happy with the card I just finished, mainly because I managed to keep it almost identical to what I planned in my head, so it didn't take me an hour or two of redesigning or stressing ;) So I made another, slightly altered version of it! I swapped the colors out for Island Indigo and Gumball Green (actually, on the ribbon, it's Wild Wasabi, which came out darker, so I used GG for the Little Leaves), and the gold for silver (that's better!!!). I also used a bolder stamp from the Petite Petals, and heat embossed that in silver as well.

Challenges I used:

Pals Paper Arts - (see sketch below)
Sweet Stamps - Spring Flowers
Little Red Wagon - Yearning for Spring
Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

Faux Dip Dye

I'm trying to remember to use at least one new technique each club night, and this is the one I chose for this card. This is the marker and aqua pen version of Faux Dip Dying, which works perfectly with the 7/8" cotton ribbon. I used the Hardwood background stamp again, to be the fence behind my flowers and "grass", and used Summer Starfruit for the Petite Petals flowers to go with the "gold" palette (seeing as I'm not a gold tone fan, so I have next to none of it in my stash). The Little Leaves and the dip dye is Pistachio Pudding, and the base, background and Lovely Labels sentiment are all Crumb Cake.

Challenges I used:

Pile it On - Sweet/Soft
Pals Paper Arts - (see sketch below)
Just Add Ink - (see palette below)
The Card Concept - Floral Theme, Clean and Layered Style
Crafting By Designs - Colors of Spring

 

Worn and Woodsy

Here's a simple, yet manly card I whipped up for Hubby's birthday. I love the Hardwood background stamp!! And along with some retired paper and ribbon (frayed), and the rustic looking birthday stamp from the Label Love set, it has just the right look.

Challenges I used:

Create With Connie and Mary - (see sketch below)
Cardz 4 Guyz - Clean and Simple

Single Layer with Painter's Tape Technique

My club girls were wanting to try the Painter's Tape technique, and I came across a single layer challenge (which is always quite a challenge for me), and a sketch that worked great with it, (although I am now too late to share with both of those challenges, as well as the colour challenge I used... oops!). I used the tape with Crisp Cantaloupe and Pistachio Pudding, and then while the tape was still on the card, I stamped the Chevron background stamp in Smoky Slate. Then I removed the tape, stamped the sentiment from Sale-a-Bration's See Ya Later set, and some Spiral Spins accents. Then a Basic Metal Button, a retired Calypso Coral button and an Old Olive Candy Dot to embellish, without taking away from the single layer aspect.

Challenges I used:

Clean & Simple Stamping - (see sketch below)
Dynamic Duos - (see palette below)
SUO Challenges - No Layers
Inspired By - (see image below)
Just Add Ink - Just Add Stripes
Pile It On - Stripes and/or Dots
Crafty Cardmakers - This is a man's world
Ruby's Rainbow - Spots and Stripes

Petal Parade

When I saw the Petal Parade, this big flower made me think of the Natural Compositions floral DSP, so I decided to do an emboss resist with that, behind the Hexagon Hive die to layer the flower and hexagon sentiment onto...

Challenges I used for this:

Craft Project Central - (see sketch below)
Top Tip Tuesday - Girly
Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes
Cute Card Thursday - Clever Cutting
The Crafting Cafe - Embossing

I Heart You

I had so much trouble with this card at first, and thought the colour combo may have been too bright and garish, and I was trying to fit too many elements into... but I just kept playing with the pieces, eliminating some and adding others and all of a sudden, It Just Fit! And now I absolutely love it!!

Challenges I used:

Pile It On - Holidays/Celebrations (Valentine's)
Create With Connie and Mary - (see sketch below)
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Out with the Old, In with the New (The I<3U from the Thinlits die set)
Hiding In My Craft Room - Super Scraps Saturday (used scraps for the diecuts)
Delightful Sketches - Patterned Paper
Victorine - 3 Layers
Make It Monday - ATG

The End (of Christmas) ;)

And last, but not least, here are the last two I whipped up super fast... no sketches, no challenges, just really quick and easy, and saving them here for posterity. But I LOVE using this reindeer stamp with a Cherry Cobbler Candy Dot to turn him into Rudolph :)