Terrific Tree (Inkspirations #93)

It’s sketch challenge time at Inkspirations and this one is a doozy! So many ideas swirling around but I finally settled on this:

 

I just love the Christmas tree from Snow Much Fun so I thought I’d stamp it and watercolour it, then cut it out with the little stocking to showcase it!

 

I think this is a pretty self explanatory card but if you’ve got specific questions, drop me a line. Morning is coming early these days with working full time so I’m off to bed (or if you’re reading this in the morning, I’m just off to work!).

 

Now make sure you find some time to play along with us at Inkspirations this week – I’d love to see what you come up with. For some further inspiration, check out what the rest of the Design Team has come up with:

 

Cindy Kirsty Makeesha Renée Brandi Carrie Helen Ilina Lee-Anne Marisa

 

 

Products used on today’s project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!:

Cardstock:  Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Confetti White.

Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso.

Stamps: Snow Much Fun, Snow Swirled, Curly Cute.

Accessories: Big Shot, Petals a Plenty Embossing Folder, Two Big Tags die, Petal Cone die, Holly Berry Designer Paper, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Early Espresso Quilted ribbon, Mini Jingle Bells.

Inspired by Renee

Today I actually got time to play around with some online challenges. I was so excited to have even just a half hour of “me-time”! So, I decided I’d play with two I haven’t in quite some time – ColourQ and Pals Paper Arts!

 

When trying to figure out what to do I decided to channel a stamping inspiration to me, Renee van Stralen. She is awesome. She has this knack of making bright colours look soft – something I’d love to figure out how she is able to do. (funny little side note: as I was typing this post, Renee sent me the nicest blog comment, too funny!)

 

The size of my card today is 4 1/4 square. The base is Rich Razzleberry and then I layered with Early Espresso and then Lucky Limeade designer paper. I then added a horizontal strip of Pumpkin Pie on which I tied some Early Espresso 1/8″ Taffeta (twice).

 

On this central panel, I used First Edition designer paper then I stamped images from Raining Flowers using my Early Espresso ink pad. I then took the challenge colours and my blender pen and went to work colouring in the flowers softly. To finish it off, I embossed a sentiment from Curly and Cute.

 

Then, I criss crossed some Linen Thread and in the cross, I added a Pumpkin Pie flower from the Bitty Punch Pack and in the centre a basic pearl and a little leaf cut from the 2-Step bird punch.

 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Products used on today’s project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!:

Cardstock:  Lucky Limeade, Early Espresso, Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie.

Ink: Lucky Limeade, Early Espresso, Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip craft.

Stamps: Raining Flowers, Curly Cute.

Accessories: In Colours Designer Paper, Linen Thread, Blender Pen, Bitty Punch Pack, Basic Pearls, 1/8″ Early Espresso Taffeta, clear embossing powder.

In the Holiday Mood (Inkspirations #91)

It’s sketch time at Inkspirations! I decided to play around with somewhat traditional holiday colours but in a non-traditional way while making a holiday card. There was a card in a recent Cards magazine that really inspired me and was a HUGE inspiration for this design. I thought that this sketch lent itself to some interpretation so this is what I came up with:

 

The base for this card is Basic Black and I layered it with some First Edition Designer Series paper.  I then took some More Mustard cardstock and layered it with some Very Vanilla cardstock. If you look closely, you’ll see that I’ve paper pierced down the right side and also rounded the corners.

 

Next, I took a piece of Just Add Cake designer paper and used my Simply Scored tool to make a ruffled look and then I Sticky Stripped it behind the Mustard Layer.

 

Around that, I added some Basic Black jewels from last year’s Holiday Mini (yes, can you believe I still have those around?) and a Basic Black button tied with some Linen Thread.

 

In the central area, I layered many items:

• Two Basic Black Snowflake punches
• Very Vanilla Scalloped Rectangle Clearlit stamped with the flourish from Pines & Poinsettias
• “NOEL” from Warmest Wishes stamped in Real Red craft ink and embossed with Irridescent Ice – then punched with Decorative Label Punch
• Banner saying from Four the Holidays

 

Yes, there is a LOT going on with this card but I’m happy with the modern holiday twist and turns it has taken! Come on and join us at Inkspirations this week. Check out the rest of the awesome DT gals and their creations:

Cindy Kirsty Makeesha Renée Brandi Carrie Helen Ilina Lee-Anne Marisa

 

Products used on today’s project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!:

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, More Mustard, Basic Black

Ink: Basic Black, Real Red, Real Red Craft

Stamps: Warmest Wishes, Pines & Poinsettias, Four the Holidays

Accessories: First Edition Designer Paper, Just Add Cake designer paper, Neutral Buttons, Linen Thread, Corner Rounder punch, Snowflake Punch, Decorative Label Punch, II Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Big Shot, Scalloped Rectangle Clearlit

“Gate’n” Crazy with Colour (CCMC171)

This week at Create with Connie and Mary, it’s time to play around with colour! I love colour challenges so very much and I was super intrigued with this one. Turns out it looks like the colours from the Colour Coach! My first intention was to play around with those images and CASE the design and then I scanned my craft room and saw my Simply Scored so I knew I had to do something just a little bit different than the original plan.

 

What I decided to do was play around with shapes and scores and make a gate card. This card is the standard 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ it just opens differently.

 

And, to make my own challenge even harder, I used the Beary Best Friends stamp set (one I rarely use, EVER). I stamped the little girl bear on some watercolour paper, coloured it in and then adhered to some Baja Breeze and then Bravo Burgundy.  You’ll notice that I added some Paisley Petals designer series paper to the bottom and tied over the seam with Baja Breeze Seam Binding. This layer is adhered to only one half of the front which is River Rock stamped with the Woodgrain background.

 

The sentiment is made using the banner from the Petal Cone Die and the words are from Beary Best Wishes. I added a button with a punched flower from the Boho Blossoms punch. Oh, and if you look closely, there are some Dazzling Details on the seam of the dress and also the collar.

 

On the other side of the gate, I added some Bravo Burgundy which was textured using my Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. I also added strips of punched out Baja Breeze cardstock to each side of the gate fold.

 

Think you can do something great with this combo (and I bet you can….) – head on over to Create with Connie and Mary and play along with us!

 

Products used on today’s project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!:

Cardstock:  Bravo Burgundy, River Rock, Baja Breeze, Watercolour paper.

Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Bravo Burgundy, River Rock, Baja Breeze, Sahara Sand.

Stamps:  Beary Best Friends, Beary Best Wishes, Woodgrain.

Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Aquapainter, Dotted Ribbon Scallop Punch, Baja Breeze Seam Binding, Neutral Buttons, Boho Blossoms, Petal Cone Die, Paisley Petals designer series paper.

Scored Stripes (Inkspirations 90)

It is time for another Inkspirations challenge! This time, it’s all about the colours. Separately, these colours are all ones that I love to use but together? This threw me for a huge loop!

 

If you read yesterday’s post, you’ll understand why I love the Simply Scored tool (I mean seriously, how easy was that box?). So I knew I wanted to play around a bit more and see what I could do with this tool. And here is what I came up with:

 

 

The card base is Chocolate Chip and is layered with Rich Razzleberry and then with a bit of Chocolate Chip designer series paper. When I started with this project I didn’t have a “stripe” theme in mind but looking at it finished, there certainly is a strip-motif!

 

The central panel is Rich Razzleberry layered with a piece of Pretty In Pink. This pink layer was scored with the Simply Scored tool to make a double lined frame. After scoring it, I sponged it to give it a bit more definition.

 

I then cut out three little striped butterflies using the Beautiful Wings embosslit and finished it off with some Rich Razzleberry satin ribbon and a wee tag with a bit of bling!

 

Ready to give it a try? Head on over to Inkspirations and play along with us. Check out the rest of the design team’s creations by visiting their blogs!

 

Products used on today’s project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!:

 

 

Cindy Kirsty Makeesha Renée Brandi Carrie Helen Ilina Lee-Anne Marisa

 

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Rich Razzleberry, Confetti White.

Ink: Pretty in Pink, Rich Razzleberry.

Stamps:  Tiny Tags.

Accessories: Big Shot, Beautiful Wings embosslit, Neutrals designer paper, Medium Jewelry Tag punch, Basic Rhinestones.

All About Bleaching

I’ve got exciting news! I am going to be a Guest Designer at Stamping 411 for October!

 

This card was made as my “intro” card on the Stamping 411 blog which showcases the bleaching technique. You can head on over there to see the tutorial – this is a fun and easy technique, you should try it out!

 

For the card itself, I used a Crumb Cake base and layered it with Always Artichoke. I stamped the Medallion on this layer and then added a strip of Paisley Petals designer paper with a hint of Early Espresso, a torn edge and some pearls.

 

The tall vertical panel is Early Espresso and then layered with Crumb Cake. I used the bleaching technique and sponged the edges and splattered it using my Spritzer Tool as well.

 

I used Blushing Bride, Always Artichoke and So Saffron ink to colour in the image I embossed using Elements of Style.

 

For the sentiment, I used the Lots of Tags Sizzlets and cut out an Early Espresso tag. I then took the same pattern of Paisley Prints designer paper and punched a Curly Label punch, cut it in half and then adhered it to the tag. Lastly, I added the word “cherish” from Baroque Motif on a piece of Crumb Cake and punched it out using my Modern Label Punch.

 

I hope you’ll give this a try and thank you so much for stopping by today!

 

Christmas Lodge (Inkspirations #89)

Today brings a new Inkspirations challenge and a perfect opportunity to play with some new goodies! Gonna be a short post tonight – I’ve been working a lot and have a ton of prep work to do for some upcoming card classes…

 

I used the new Christmas Lodge stamp set with the colours of Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue. I watercoloured and then cut into thirds. I then added a sentiment of which I cut out the “C” and added it with a different colour.

 

Of course I added a few little details under the sentiment too – can you see them?

 

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure you check out the rest of the Inkspirations design team projects!

 

 

Cindy Kirsty Makeesha Renée Brandi Carrie Helen Ilina Lee-Anne Marisa

 

 

Products used on today’s project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!:

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery.
Ink: StazOn, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery.
Stamps: Christmas Lodge.
Accessories: Basic Jewels, Dotted Ribbon Border punch, Bitty punch pack.

On a Spooky Night…(CCMC169)

It’s time for another AWESOME challenge from Create with Connie and Mary! I just love being a part of their design team, they keep me so creatively charged!

 

I knew that I wanted to make a Halloween card with these colours and I knew I wanted to do a landscape-type card too so what better than to play with this challenge?

 

I started with a Basic Black card base and then layered it with another piece of the same cardstock. Across the centre, I added a strip of Sahara Sand which is stamped with the candelabra from Wicked Cool and then it’s backed with a piece of Pool Party punched with the Pinking Herts border punch. At the right, I’ve added a Pool Party punched oval and a silver glimmer brad.

 

A big Basic Black satin ribbon is affixed to the side with a Basic Black button.

 

 

I used MANY post-it notes and sponged my landscape using the challenge colours. I stamped the bats from Wicked Cool to look like they are emerging from behind the hill and I tried to make little gravestones using my Word Window punch. I sponged them and stamped them with the spider web from, you guessed it, Wicked Cool.

 

Lastly, I added a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes. I’m really happy with how this turned out! Now, I usually don’t send Halloween cards but I just love to make them so I’m not sure what I’m going to do with this!

 

Let’s see what you can do with this colour combo – head on over to Create with Connie and Mary and play along with us!

Products used on today’s project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!:

 

Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Pool Party.

Ink: Basic Black, Sahara Sand, Pool Party.

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes, Wicked Cool.

Accessories: Glimmer Brads, Pinking Hearts Border punch, Basic Black satin ribbon, Word Window punch.

Shades of a Purple Christmas

Guess what time it is? Time for another KKC Kreative Challenge! This time it’s all about the sketch, baby!

 

Wanna play along? You can make your way over to the KKC Section of this blog by clicking HERE! Wanna see what I came up with?

 

I decided that I needed to use more purple in my designs. Why? Not sure! But I wanted to use various colours of purple on this design.

 

The base is Perfect Plum and is layered with Elegant Eggplant and then Whisper White. I stamped the Fine Flourish stamp in Perfect Plum and then layered it with various shapes and embellishments.

 

I started with an Elegant Eggplant Oval and if you look closely you can see two Decorative Labels of Perfect Plum on either side. I also slid a little bit of Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon in behind the oval.

 

I then added three large basic Rhinestones and a Shimmery White snowflake that was punched out using the Snowflake punch.

 

To finish off, I added a Wisteria Wonder small postage stamp stamped with the date from Tags Till Christmas and a little banner stamped with the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

 

Make sure you head on over and see the rest of the AWESOME KKOC Challenge cards and hopefully you’ll play along with us!

 

Products used on today’s project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!:

Cardstock:  Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White.

Ink: Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant.

Stamps: Fine Flourish, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Tags Till Christmas.

Accessories: Big Shot, Oval die, Snowflake punch, Postage Punch, Decorative Label punch, basic Rhinestones, Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon.

Lots of Tags Book (Inkspirations #88)

Time for another Inkspirations challenge! This time it’s all about the colour!

 

Pretty bold colour palette, huh? When I was trying to work ahead I got a phone call from my sister wanting me to come up with a design for her wedding shower gift for my brother and his fiancee. I know this is not a typical wedding combo but for what I had to wrap, this was the perfect combo.

 

I used the Best Friends Forever stamp set to make a cute belly band that keeps this little tag book closed.

 

For the book itself, I started with an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of Melon Mambo. I scored and folded it at 5 1/2″ on the 11″ side and then every 2 1/4″. I then accordian folded it to make a little book.

 

What I did next was use the remainder of the challenge colours to decorate each “pocket”. I used my Simple Alphabet numbers and made little tags with My Digital Studio.

 

In the first pocket is the “instruction” sheet for a perfect “date day”. Then, each pocket housed various steps to make a special day extra special (each tag has a gift card attached to the back).

 

Of course I had to put this cute little book in a cute box too! So here is what I did:

 

I have a tutorial for this box coming soon!

 

Thanks for stopping by today – I hope you enjoyed what I made for this latest Inkspirations challenge. Check out what the rest of the design team came up with by checking out their blogs too!

 

Cindy Kirsty Makeesha Renée Brandi Carrie Helen Ilina Lee-Anne Marisa

 

Products used on today’s project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!:

Cardstock:  Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Pacific Point, Whisper White.

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Pacific Point.

Stamps: Best Friends Forever.

Accessories: Big Shot, Simple Numbers die, Bitty Punch Pack, Heart to Heart Punch, Dotted Ribbon Border punch.