A Bit of Grey...

Dashing out the door; kids are already buckled in... Here's another entry for 365 Cards; this one's for the Sunday Sketch...

Love Circle Circus! I got the idea for splitting the circle from another demo; I'll post her name here later...

School Supplies!

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!!! Here's a card I made with the stamp sets I Heart Lists (I LOVE LISTS) and All in the Family. :)

This Post Brought to You by the Letter "S"

Here's a card I made for the 365 Cards challenge for Monograms. We're dashing out the door right now, so I'll update this post with my "ingredients" later. :) Seems I'm doing a lot of dashing!

Thank Ewe So Very Much

Details to follow...

Layered Stamping

I love this little bird! I also love putting a button in the center of a cut-out on the front of a card. My stampin' friend, Annie, deserves credit for the button idea, as I stole it from her.

--Punch a circle in the lower right corner of the folded Bashful Blue piece, using a 1-inch Circle Punch.

--Ink the flourish in Old Olive and stamp on inside of card, so that the image is visible through punched circle.

--Ink the line image of the flower in Mambo Melon. Then, using a Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, stamp over the Old Olive flourish, but within the punched 1-inch circle.

--Use a piece of Scotch tape to cover the blooms on the rubber of the bird stamp. Ink in the Soft Suede ink. Remove Scotch tape (the blooms will be free of ink, thus allowing you to ink in another color). Stamp image on Whisper White card stock.

--Ink the blooms on the bird stamp with Mambo Melon (you can use a Stampin' Write Marker to do this, too). Use a Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to place the stamp exactly over the previously-inked image.

--Once dry, brush Whisper White card stock across Old Olive Classic ink pad. Again, once dry, adhere to Crushed Curry card stock and adhere to Bashful Blue piece.

--Adhere Mambo Melon grosgrain ribbon over left side of the Whisper White/Crushed Curry piece.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Wings of Friendship

Paper: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Crushed Curry card stock

Inks: Old Olive, Mambo Melon, and Soft Suede Classics

Accessories: Mambo Melon ½-inch Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, 1-inch Circle Punch, Button Latte, Mini Glue Dot

Thanks for your visit!

Super Kaleidoscope Sketch

I'm back in the Studio! I had a lovely time visiting my mom and the kids had a ball, too. I enjoyed a bit of time in my studio this morning and here's the first project I created, in accordance to the Super Sketchy Sunday challenge at 365 Cards.

Here's the sketch we were to follow: --The piece of Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper (A.K.A. "DSP") that I used is two-sided (as are most DSPs) and I used both sides of the same piece of paper. I found the mid-point on the DSP and then measured ¾-inch from one edge and cut the two triangular pieces (mostly yellow in my design, beige in the sketch). They're just the flipside of the orangey floral piece.

--Adhere the pieces of Designer Series Paper to a scrap of white card stock on the back (to make a stronger unit into which to punch the ½-inch circle for the Whisper White Jumbo Grommet).

--Next, I attached a piece of Whisper White Satin Ribbon to an 8 ½-inch by 4 ¼-inch (and folded) piece of Tempting Turquoise. Once that was attached, I added the bit with the Designer Series Paper pieces and grommet.

--To finish it off, I made a knot with another piece of Whisper White Satin Ribbon and attached it inside the grommet with a mini glue dot.

The trickiest part of this card was working with the satin ribbon. You have to be careful not to snag it, as it's really satin! This will be a versatile sketch to use with all of my DSP. Check my "Thank Ewe" card to see another DSP idea…

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: None!

Paper: Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper, Tempting Turquoise card stock, scrap of white

Inks: None

Accessories: Whisper White Jumbo Grommet, ½-inch circle punch, Whisper White Satin Ribbon, Paper Trimmer, Mini Glue Dot

Thanks so much for visiting!

On holiday...

Hey, all! I'm takin' a break from stamping, as I'm visiting my mom in the beautiful Colorado Rockies. I'll be back soon, but thought I'd better mention why there aren't any new posts (and there won't be for a few more days). Considering the number of deer and elk (and babies!) we've seen, I might post some pics here shortly... Take care! I hope your August is going well! Warmly, Sara

Medallion as Sunflower

"Every friend is to the other a sun, and a sunflower also. He attracts and follows." Jean Paul Richter, Humorist and Novelist

One of the challenges this week at 365 Cards is to include a sunflower. I only have one stamp that includes a sunflower, but I thought I'd see what else I could come up with. One of my favorite new stamps from the 2009-10 Idea Book and Catalog (aka, "The New One") is Medallion. It's one of those stamps that, at first blush, seemed pretty limited in its potential. The more I play with it, though, the more I find I can do with it…

--First, ink the entire stamp surface with Summer Sun Classic Ink. Use a Stampin' Sponge to add Ruby Red Classic Ink to the "middle" and Chocolate Chip Classic Ink in the very center. The sponges allow the ink to be more gradual and less precise, much like the coloring of the sunflower's petals. Give the entire stamp surface a few good huffs (heavy-breathing on the stamp) and stamp on a piece of Very Vanilla card stock.

--To add the effect of sunflower seeds, I placed a layer of Sticky Strip on the center of the sunflower and pressed it into the container of Microbeads.

--I used the Distressing Tool from the Cutter Kit to rough up the edges of the Very Vanilla card stock. Adhere it to a piece of Basic Black card stock (which has been cut just wide enough to allow for the Natural Hemp Twine).

--Wrap enough Natural Hemp Twine to go around the Basic Black piece three times and knot. Adhere this to the half sheet of Elegant Eggplant card stock, which has been folded in half.

--The sentiment is made with the "for you" stamp from the Fresh Cuts set. Ink it first in Ruby Red Classic Ink and then in the Chocolate Chip Classic Ink to mirror the colors of the sunflower. Stamp on Very Vanilla card stock. Use the 1-inch Circle Punch to punch it out.
**Studio Suggestion: Stamp the image first and then punch it out. It's easier to flip the punch upside-down to view your card stock and punch out the precise image, rather than trying to line up and stamp the image on your punched piece.**

--Use the Stampin' Sponge and Summer Sun Classic Ink to add a bit of color around the circle. Punch a circle of Basic Black card stock using the 1 ¼-inch Circle Punch. Punch a piece of Ruby Red card stock using the Designer Label Punch and assemble the three pieces.

--To add interest to the inside of the card, I used the remaining bit of card stock with the stamped sunflower as the writing surface.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Medallion and Fresh Cuts

Inks: Summer Sun, Ruby Red, and Chocolate Chip Classic Inks

Papers: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Ruby Red and Elegant Eggplant card stocks

Accessories: Sticky Strip, Microbeads, Designer Label, 1-inch and 1 1/4-inch Punches, Stampin' Sponges, Natural Hemp Twine and Distressing Tool.

What a fun challenge! Thanks so much for your visit! Hope you're having a lovely summer!

Workshop Prep!

A lovely new friend is hosting a workshop this week and here's a peek at what we're making. I'll post what I can before dinner's ready and then I'll show you some more...

She asked that I teach the use of the Stampin' Pastels as part of the workshop. I'm going to use this card to show the pastels on their own and also with the Blender Pen. This is a project for the guests to make, so I wanted to create a card that was simple enough for everyone and one that ensures success, regardless of past stamping experience.

The hostess is also a fan of the Rich Regals and Earth Elements color families, so I was anxious to incorporate her color choices into the projects. Using my Stampin' Up! Color Coach, I paired the Bordering Blue background with the Not Quite Navy Top Note cut-out and Ruby Red piece that backs the Vanilla. The Coach also suggested I incorporate Sage Shadow, which explains the little paper button to the upper right.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Herb Expressions

Paper: Very Vanilla, Bordering Blue, Not Quite Navy, Ruby Red and Sage Shadow card stock

Ink: Staz-on Black

Accessories: Stampin' Pastels, Blender Pen, 1/2-inch Circle Punch, Paper Piercing Tool, Sizzix Big Shot, Stampin' Up! Top Note die, Vanilla Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensional

I'm looking forward to our workshop this week. The hostess is a lovely gal and I look forward to meeting her guests! Thanks so much for looking!