CAS Thank You Note for Sketch and Color Challenges

I made this CAS Thank You note for a couple of challenges this week and it's a design that I will replicate for gift sets.  

I'll be entering this in the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and in honor of its very own new blog, the good folks at SSSC have given us the freedom to choose our favorite sketch for SSSC259.  I chose Sketch #154 to use for this layout:

My color palette was guided by a new challenge for me, the Color Throwdown Challenge. For CT332, I chose Tempting Turquoise, Strawberry Slush, Night of Navy and Sahara Sand.

The stamp in this project is a Sale-a-Bration *freebie*.  Read more about Sale-a-Bration {HERE}. The set is called Simply Wonderful and it has a set of seven different sentiments in a variety of fun formats and fonts.  Click on the Sale-a-Bration catalog on the right side of your screen to see more (it's on page 16).

To achieve multiple colors, I used my trusty Stampin' Write Markers to ink the stamp in Strawberry Slush and Tempting Turquoise.  After coloring all of it, I give it a huff of air before stamping.

I love the stripes in the "Thanks" of this sentiment, so I echoed those with the Stylish Stripes TIEF. I put the pieces of card stock in the folder together and ran them through my Big Shot.  Simple and yet it really adds to the card (I started without the stripes and found I needed more oomph -- I freely reserve the right to revise my projects!).

The sentiment punches perfectly with the Decorative Label Punch and I made a quickie flagged end in my Night of Navy card stock using my Paper Snips.

Sale-a-Bration lasts for three more weeks, so take stock of what you need and for every $50 in merchandise ordered, you can earn some terrific freebies! Combine your order with friends and you can earn even more! Contact me for no-pressure, high-yield strategies to maximize your Sale-a-Bration freebies!

"It's Close to Midnight..." Halloween Card for Mojo Monday Challenge

I've introduced my kiddos to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Glee's "Thriller/Heads Will Roll" mash-up.  Both songs are total dance parties in our house (and car).  The kiddos are not old enough to watch the video to "Thriller," but the song is just exciting enough...

As I created this project, "Thriller" lines ran through my head (as did "Monster Mash").  Love the versatile punch-worthy images in this set (which I *WON* at Convention this year in Utah).  The various elements work wonders with the Mojo Monday MOJO314 challenge.

I love Old Olive card stock sponged with Basic Black (or teamed with it in terms of card stock in this case).  I also love pairing them both with Pumpkin Pie.  The colors of this card shout (or is it "SCREAM") Halloween to me.

The Basic Gray circle (created using my Magnetic Platform and Circles Collection Framelits) was crinkled and inked with Old Olive Classic Ink.  Looks like a spooky moon to me...

Spindly Linen Thread reminds me of a spider's web here and I've added Dazzling Details to the spider on the subway art stamp.

...and who so ever shall be found, without the soul for getting down..."

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Halloween Bash (W130577, C130580)

Papers:  Old Olive (100702), Pumpkin Pie (105117), Basic Black (121045) card stocks

Inks:  Basic Black (126980) and Old Olive (126953) Classics

Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Magnetic Platform (130658), Circles Collection Framelits (130911), Decorative Label (120907) and Scallop Oval (119856) punches, Linen Thread (104199), Dazzling Details (124117), Stampin' Sponges (101610), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

{12 Weeks of Christmas} Week 4 -- Easy Gift Idea

I'm always in need of an easy gift to make that I can give at Christmas time.  This little gem is perfect!

With a little muscle, I punched a folded piece of card stock with my Designer Label Punch (just make your fold come in a little bit so that you don't end up with two separate punches).  

Notice that I punched the Cherry Cobbler one with the fold along the long edge of the punch; with the Crumb Cake one, I placed the fold along one of the shorter sides.

I punched the Festival of Prints Designer Series paper with my Curvy Label Punch and then snipped it to make the layered look (save the snips for the next one!).

The cute coordinated stamp and punch are from the Merry Minis set, offered in the 2012 Holiday Catalog.  Access it here or email me (use the link on the left) to contact me for a hard copy.

With the Merry Minis set and coordinating punch, your project is a snap!  It's so easy to stamp and punch these sweet little images!

I took slips of the Festival of Prints Designer Series Paper Stack to easily cover my little chocolates.  A sweet gift for people at school, church and in our neighborhood.  Can't wait to bring a smile with these easy gifts!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Merry Minis (2012 Holiday Catalog, W127916, C127919)

Papers:  Festival of Prints Designer Series Paper Stack (126904), Crumb Cake (120953), Cherry Cobbler (119685) and Lucky Limeade (122926) card stocks

Inks:  Cherry Cobbler (126966) and Lucky Limeade (126984) Classics

Accessories:  Decorative Label (120907) and Curvy Label (119851) Punches, Merry Minis Punch Pack (2012 Holiday Catalog, 126882), Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine (123125), Linen Thread (104199), 4" x 6" Cellophane Bags (102757)

Have you missed my previous {12 Weeks of Christmas} posts?  You can find them here:  {1}, {2}, and {3}.

{12 Weeks of Christmas} Week 3 -- Embrace the Negative!

What?!  No, no, this is a *positive* post about Christmas...

The fact is, when we use our Bigz dies, Framelits or punches, we're often left with the negative from which we cut our shape.  How about using the "negative" as the focal point, or key feature, of our project?

Here's what I mean.  A simple punch with the Decorative Label Punch leaves us with this delicious negative in which to showcase the Festive Designer Series Paper Stack (page 20, from the 2012 Holiday Catalog).  I am IN. LOVE. with this new DSP and will be using it in our family Christmas cards this year.  I love the color palette, the designs provided and since they're double-sided, there's a lot of variety.

This card features a color combination suggested by my Color Coach:  Island Indigo, Baja Breeze and Rich Razzleberry.  I used the Decorative Label Punch on my Rich Razzleberry (which I ran through my Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots EF).

**Studio Suggestion**:  Stampin' Dimensionals add the lift necessary to make the punched negative really stand out.

Since I have used a couple of layers of card stock, I'm able to use smaller pieces of my DSP and really stretch my supply.  This is a great and cost-effective way to make note cards for gifts (they'll be among my gifts this year!).

The sentiment, "My friend," is inked with my Island Indigo and Baja Breeze Stampin' Write markers and punched with the Curly Label punch.

A rhinestone and knot of Baja Breeze seam binding add a little {flair} to the project.

Here's another example:

Using the Lacy Brocade EF from the Holiday Catalog (page 6), I added a classic texture to the Not Quite Navy piece.

Very Vanilla seam binding has a bit of sheen which adds another nice classic touch.

The stamp from Tags til Christmas is created to fit the Decorative Label punch, but by using my Stampin' Dimensionals, the Very Vanilla card stock along the edge of the stamped image lends a bit of contrast.

I used my Jewelry Tag punch and the Tiny Tags stamp finish off the look.

Once again, the Color Coach guided me to choose the palette:  Not Quite Navy, Regal Rose and Very Vanilla.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Project #1:

Stamps:  Perfect Punches (W117022, C120516)

Papers:  Festival of Prints DSP Stack (Holiday Catalog, 126904), Rich Razzleberry (115316), Baja Breeze (111352) and Whisper White (100730) Card Stocks

Inks:  Island Indigo and Baja Breeze Stampin' Write Markers (Can be purchased in color family collections)

Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Perfect Polka Dots EF (117335), Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon (122331), Decorative Label (120907), 3/16-inch Corner (119871) and Curly Label (119851) punches, Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246) and Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Project #2:


Stamps:  Tags til Christmas (W120847, C121169), Tiny Tags (W118091, C118592)

Papers:  Not Quite Navy (101722), Regal Rose (105130) and Very Vanilla (101650) Card Stocks

Inks: Not Quite Navy (126971) and Regal Rose (126947) Classics

ccessories:  Big Shot (113439), Lacy Brocade EF (127819), Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon (120999), Decorative Label (120907), 3/16-inch Corner (119871) and Jewelry Tag (117190) punches, Linen Thread (104199) and Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Starburst for Fall-Themed and Sketch Challenges

With the beginning of fall just a few days away, I found that a lot of the challenges in which I've been participating are inspired by this change of seasons.  This card is based in part upon a theme and sketch challenge offered by the fine folks at The Friday Mashup.  With Friday Mashup, we get to choose to follow one of the challenge ideas or mash them both up and create a project using both.  In this case, we were offered this sketch:    

We could "mash" it up by adding a fall theme to our project.  Speaking of fall, the lovely challenge blog, 365 Cards, of which I so often write, challenged us to use five of something and to make it fall-themed in the Five for Fall challenge.  I chose five colors:  So Saffron, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Soft Suede and Early Espresso.

This card was thus inspired.  I *LOVE* the French script (it's very subtle in this picture), which I inked with So Saffron and stamped on So Saffron card stock.  

**STUDIO SUGGESTION**:  A dusting with my sponge and some Early Espresso makes the punched piece stand out a bit more.

I chose So Saffron Taffeta Ribbon to clean up my edges and I used my Paper Snips to carefully clip out the leaf that I'd inked in Cajun Craze.

**STUDIO SUGGESTION**:  Paper Snips have smaller blades that are super-sharp, so cutting with precision is a snip snap!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  French Foliage (W120845, C121166)

Papers:  So Saffron (105118), More Mustard (100946), Cajun Craze (119684), Soft Suede (115318) and Early Espresso (119686)

Inks:  So Saffron (126957), Cajun Craze (126965), and Early Espresso (126974) Classics

Accessories:  Decorative Label Punch (120907), So Saffron Taffeta Ribbon (122982), Stamping Sponges (101610), Paper Snips (103579), and Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

*Final day for the Stampin' Up! 2011-12 Idea Book and Catalog!*

Today is the final day to order from the retiring 2011-12 Idea Book and Catalog.  Some things from the Accessories List are already unavailable, but there are still great finds and bargains to be discovered!  Any stamp on the Retiring Stamps List is available until the end of today.

The following projects were made with one of my favorite sets, Herb Expressions:

The Decorative Label punch is an easy tool to use to add visual interest to both the image and the sentiment.  I punched the image and sentiment after I stamped them on the card stock.

My Blender Pen makes coloring the rosemary leaves and blossoms a breeze; I used the Lucky Limeade and Wisteria Wonder Classic ink.

Taffeta ribbon gives the card a soft finish...

I wanted a touch of texture without overwhelming the design of the card, so the Framed Tulips Textured Impressions Embossing Folder was just the thing.

This card's color palette includes Pear Pizzazz, which retires with the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog.  It's made on a Cajun Craze base and includes Riding Hood Red.  The color combo is courtesy of my Color Coach! 

The cute edging along my Pear Pizzazz piece is from the soon-to-be-seen (again) Adorning Accents Edgelits (you might remember them from the last Occasions Mini Catalog).  The other piece of Pear Pizzazz is "sueded."  Click *here* for a video tutorial on distressing...

See the faint texture in the Riding Hood Red piece?  That's created using the Backgrounds I Texturz Plates with my Big Shot (the Backgrounds 1 plates retire with the 2011-12 Idea Book and Catalog!).

Once again, I turned to my Blender Pen to color in the image of the basil.  Whisper White Organza Ribbon finishes off the project.

Stampin' Supplies:


Stamps:  Herb Expressions (W113224) *retiring!*

Paper:  Project 1:  Elegant Eggplant (105126), Wisteria Wonder (122922), Pink Pirouette (111351), Lucky Limeade (122926); Project #2:  Cajun Craze (119684), Riding Hood Red (111348) and Pear Pizzazz (119795 -- *retiring!*)

Ink:  Project 1:  Basic Black (101179), Elegant Eggplant (105210), Wisteria Wonder (122936), and Lucky Limeade (122935) Classics; Project #2:  Basic Black (101179) and Pear Pizzazz (119784 -- *retiring!*) Classics

Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Blender Pen (102845)  Project 1:  Framed Tulips Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (121809), 3/8-inch Taffeta, Decorative Label Punch (120907), Project #2: Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plates (114512 -- *retiring!*), Adorning Accents Edgelits (TBA in 2012-2013 Annual Catalog), Whisper White Organza Ribbon (114319)

Today is also your last day to receive your Stampin' Up! 2012-2013 Annual Catalog for free with a $50 order!  You can also purchase it for a mere $5 (which includes shipping)!

Stampin' Up!'s Grunge Rock in Blue

Today's project was a card I created for the 365 Cards challenge last week called "The 3 Bs."  We were to include three things in our card:  blue, black and a button.  I chose a card base of Marina Mist.  The stamp set, Grunge Rock, retires at the end of May, so I thought I'd highlight it.  

I've said it before and I'll say it again; I love using this set for more than just the tweens/teens in my life.  I've used this set for men's cards and I've really enjoyed the way they've turned out (sans crown, though).  

The center tag was made with the Decorative Label punch, inked with the edges of my Marina Mist Classic ink pad.  The button was adhered after I'd threaded a sliver of Basic Black Card stock through two of its holes.  It's hard to see in the photo, but the holes in the button line up with circles decorating the middle of the crown; I loved being able to utilize those!

The "Happy Birthday!" sentiment was stamped on a rectangular piece of Whisper White and I used the corner of one of my square punches to make the pennant flag.  I then ran it along the edge of my Basic Black Classic ink pad.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Grunge Rock (W117080, C120555)

Papers:  Marina Mist (119682), Basic Black (121045) and Whisper White (100730) card stocks

Inks:  Marina Mist (119668) and Basic Black (101179) Classics

Accessories:  Decorative Label Punch (120907), 2-1/2" Circle Punch (120906), Paper Piercing Tool (116631) and Mat Pack (105826), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430) 

Don't forget!  If you're interested in receiving the Stampin' Up! 2012-2013 Annual Catalog for free, you have until May 31 to do so.  Click here for more details...

A Monday {Sneak Peek}...

These sweet little gnomes make for some fun all-purpose cards...

I *love* Easter and the sweet natural eggs from the Nature Walk set are "spot on!"

Just how many different ways will I find to use the Petite Pennants Builder Punch in this week's projects?

This Lace Ribbon Border Punch is such quick way to add "WOW!" to a project...  Wait for the post to see how I used it in the coordinating envelope...

There's that Petite Pennants Builder Punch *again*!

Kermie may think it's not easy being green, but o, how I love the Wild Wasabi!

This is my favorite card that I've made recently.  I'm sending it to my mum, who celebrates her birthday next week...  I've always called her "Mom," but between the fact that she's Canadian and this card highlights a cuppa tea, I thought "Mum" was more appropriate.  ;)

Spring Break is here!  Woot!  

{Sale-A-Bration Countdown}: Call Me!

Oh, delicious Designer Series Paper!  I'm heartsick that our time together is limited (Sale-A-Bration ends on March 31!)...  The Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper, a Sale-A-Bration freebie with any $50 merchandise purchase, has a bevy of lovely patterns and colors.  I'm a sucker for vintage and I'm in love with this paper.

This card was created for a challenge in which I was to include the image of a phone or the phrase, "Call me."  I love this old-fashioned phone from the set, Taking Care of Business, which is great for demonstrators (and other business-minded folks!).  I inked just a bit of it so as to just get the telephone (it has a sentiment about placing an order). 

What excites me most about this card is the punch treatments.  I layered a circle upon the retired Designer Label Punch (this one keeps sneaking its way back into my "current" stash).  One could easily do something similar with the Decorative Label Punch.  The So Saffron 3/8-inch Taffeta Ribbon makes as tidy bow across the two.

The second punch treatment is at the bottom of the card.  I just snipped a bit of the Decorative Label Punch to fit the column of Whisper White card stock.  I finished it off with a  swipe across my Poppy Parade Classic ink pad.  Finally, I used the Scallop Trim Border Punch on the column of Whisper White card stock to finish the look.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Taking Care of Business, Pendant Park (W115456, C120012)

Papers:  Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper, *a Sale-A-Bration freebie!* (126154), Baja Breeze (111352), Poppy Parade (119793), So Saffron (105118) and Whisper White (100730) card stocks

Inks:  Early Espresso (119670), Baja Breeze (111833), and Poppy Parade (119782) Classic inks

Accessories: So Saffron 3/8-inch Taffeta (122982), Decorative Label Punch (120907), Scallop Trim Border Punch (118402), Retired Designer Label Punch, 3/4-inch Circle Punch (119873)

Looking for more Sale-A-Bration inspiration?  Check these posts:

Will go *LIVE* on Saturday: {KISS: Keep It Simple Saturday and Sale-A-Bration Countdown}: Kindness Matters in a Simple Sketch

{Sale-A-Bration Countdown}: Fresh Vintage

Happy March!

Sale-A-Bration! Why am I sale-a-brating?!

Oh, {Pennant}, how do I love thee!