Dazzling Snowflakes for PP176

Hello, my poor, long neglected blog.  You poor baby.  How have you been? I've been busy and I promise I hadn't forgotten you.  I did feel quite guilty about not visiting more frequently, but just couldn't seem to find the time.  A new year will be here soon, so, hopefully, time for more stamping. 

I finally sat down to stamp and decided to play along with The Paper Players because I just couldn't resist the white on white challenge! :o)

You were to use white on white and allowed only a metallic or neutral for the sentiment.  Got it.  I could do this.

So, I got out my VersaMark and my heat and stick powder and Dazzling Diamonds and inked up my newest stamp set, "Festive Flurry".  I'm a sucker for snowflake stamps and this one was no exception.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to photograph Dazzling Diamonds glitter?!? I tried, I really did. 

I even took a photo on an angle.  You can see the shimmer and shine here.

And, a close-up, because, well, it just seemed like the thing to do. 

Drat it all, this is a really pretty card IRL.  :sigh:  I wish you could see it...

On the inside, I used the ginormous snowflake inked with my VersaMark "Dazzle" and stamped the stamped the sentiment over it using silver Encore. 

You can sort of see the snowflake, can't you?  :sigh:  Maybe this is why I've neglected you--I can't seem to get decent photos...

At any rate, it's sparkly and Christmasy and delightful and sure to bring a smile to Lil's teacher's face. :o)

--Rach

*******************
This card uses:

*Stamp Sets: "Festive Flurry", "Endless Wishes" and "Holiday Wishes" from PTI
*Ink: VersaMark "Dazzle", VersaMark, silver Encore
*Paper: PTI white card stock
*Accessories: Heat and Stick powder, Dazzling Diamonds, dimensionals

Happy Birthday, Rachael.

It was time to make a birthday card for Rachael, whose special day always lands near Thanksgiving. I think that Eastern Elegance DSP is my favorite DSP of all time. I love the color combinations and decided to use the Smoky Slate/Crushed Curry combo for this card. As simple as the card is, it required a lot of different elements:

DSP: Eastern Elegance
Stamp: Beautifully Baroque
Punch: Three Flower
Nestabilities: Large scalloped oval, scalloped oval
Card Stock: Smoky Slate, Whisper White, Crushed Curry
Ribbon: Crushed Curry
Embellishments: Pearls
Embossing Folder: Beautifully Baroque
Ink: Smoky Slate

--Lissie

Wanna Scoop?

I thought the "Mouthwatering" stamp set was the most wonderful stamp set for summer and just had to have it.  HAD to, I tell you. 

And then, it sat there.

And sat there.

And sat there.

And sat there.  Collecting dust. 

Holy smokes!  How could a stamp set with so much promise be so hard to use?!? 

I finally settled on stamping the image on a scrap of white and cutting it out--I figured I could do something with that, right?

So, I carefully colored, stamped and cut out the ice cream cones, and they just sat there. 

And sat there.

And sat there.

And sat there.

Are you sensing a theme here? :oP

Then, I began playing around with using the acrylic blocks to stamp blocks of color for a focal point, and that was it!  Perfect! 

I finished with the sentiment stamped underneath and popped the ice cream up on dimensionals.  :o)

Whew!  I did it!

For this card, I had the sentiment already cut and mounted lying on my desktop so I used it instead. 

Either way, it makes for a fun card.  :o)

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Sets:  "Four You", "Mouthwatering", "Curly Cute"
*Inks: Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush, Garden Green, Real Red, Baked Brown Sugar
*Paper: White card stock, whisper white, Coastal Cabana
*Accessories: dimensionals

More White on White

I was still fiddling around with white on white when I made this card. Once I made the focal point at the top half of the card, I realized I needed something below to add balance. 

Stamp Set: Outlined Occasions

Ink: Strawberry Slush

Ribbon: Strawberry Slush

Embellishments: Pearls

Embosslit: Beautiful Wings

--Lissie

Back to Those Sillohuettes

I just love this stamp set!  I can't seem to get enough of it. I can't help but wonder if I'm going to glut myself on it and then never want to see it again, or if it's more like eating way too much cookie dough and getting a stomachache and vowing to NEVER eat it again and then somehow managing to do so again anyhow. 

At any rate, I've continued to play around with fewer layers and using acrylic blocks to create a focal point. 

I played around with this idea, trying to get the layout just right, and wound up using up an entire card base doing so.  This one was particularly lovely so I just cut down the card and mounted it on another card.  Most of the time, you can save a mistake--it just takes a bit of thinking outside the box. :oP

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Sets: "Summer Silhouettes", "Express Yourself"
*Inks: Strawberry Slush, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Sky
*Paper: PTI white card stock

I Love Yellow

A friend's birthday is this week, and I wanted to make a card to go with the gift I purchased. Yellow is one of my favorite colors so I decided to put a lot of yellow onto a white background. I've had the stamp set, Mixed Bunch for a good while, and it always makes me happy when I use it. There is a large punch that works perfectly with the set, but instead of punching a yellow flower I decided to punch two white ones, layered, and then embellish them with yellow. Here's the supply list:

Stamp Sets: Mixed Bunch, Madison Avenue, and Sincere Salutations
Cardstock: Whisper White and Daffodil Delight
Button: Daffodil Delight
Dimensionals to pop up the two-layered white flower
Inks: Daffodil Delight and Pear Pizzazz
Punches: Large Flower and 1 1/8" Circle

--Lissie

The Frustrations of Using White Craft Ink

I am often drawn to cards that use white craft ink, but am frustrated whenever I try to use it because the white never shows up white enough no matter how much ink I add to my stamps. So it is with this card. I bought the stamp set Hearts a Flutter because I envisioned making cards with dark cardstock and white ink, and I should have known better because of past failures at both Christmas and Valentine's Day using white craft ink on red cardstock. But I was so determined I soldiered on anyway. Sadly, the results are not at all what I pictured in my brain. I also wasted quite a bit of cardstock in the process because I never could get good results. This cards shows the best of the lot, and it still falls far short. If anyone knows how to get good results using white craft ink, please post a comment tell me how.

--Lissie

Outside My Comfort Zone

Sometimes I just like to think and stamp outside the box so to speak, as was the case with both of these cards.

I had been using my acrylic blocks inked up as a background/focal image for a number of cards when I decided to use a couple of them to create an abstract card. 

I began by inking up my blocks and stamping off once on a scrap piece of paper before stamping once on this card...

...and then again on this card, thereby creating softer images.  

I wanted to move the eye across and down to the lower right corner where I had thought to add the sentiment, so I stamped the blocks accordingly. 

I finished the cards by mounting the images on a piece of Coastal Cabana, stamped the sentiment and added a pearl as an accent.

They're not my usual style, but I thought they were fun and a nice break from my "norm".

--Rach

These cards use:

*Stamp Set: "Express Yourself"
*Inks: Coastal Cabana, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Strawberry Slush
*Paper: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana
*Accessories: pearls

BIrthday Greetings

I'm still enamored of my new MFT hibiscus die and chose to use it to make a birthday card for a friend. I used my top note die to cut a window and added both the sentiment and a butterfly in the window. Here are the other supplies I used:

Stamp Set: Sincere Salutations
Dies: MFT Hibiscus, Stampin' Up Beautiful Wings
DSP: Beyond the Garden
Cardstock: Whisper White, Real Red, Daffodil Delight

--Lissie

Butterflies and Silhouettes

A month or two back, the Paper Players had a sketch challenge that I was really inspired by.  I created a couple of cards and left a couple of sponged pieces of card stock lying around. 

As I was sitting at my desk in the offudio, I happened to spy it and decided to create a card.  I inked up the Queen Ann's Lace looking flower from "Summer Silhouettes" and stamped it, and decided it needed a little something more.  I found a butterfly I had previously stamped and fussy cut from "Strength and Hope" and thought it would be perfect.  I stamped it on the page as well, and then adhered the butterfly using a strip of Tombo and then dimensionals under its wings.  I finished it off with some pearls for it's body. 

I stamped the sentiment from "Express Yourself" and added the pearls in the upper left corner and I was done. :)

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Sets: "Summer Silhouettes", "Strength and Hope", "Express Yourself"
*Paper: Whisper White, Soft Sky
*Inks: Pool Party, Wild Wasabi, Strawberry Slush
*Accessories: pearls, dimensionals

For Hadley

 

My niece's baby, Hadley, had a liver transplant a few days ago, and I wanted to send a card expressing my joy that the surgery was successful. I had just received an order from MFT, a company I have only bought a few things from. (99% of what I own for card making came from Stampin' Up.) I purchased a hibiscus die because I love the flowers of the hibiscus shrub. I am, after all, a Florida girl, and we had huge red hibiscus flowers blooming in my front yard throughout my childhood. I couldn't wait to make some flowers using the die, but when I dd, I was puzzled. Here's what I ended up with (not counting the center piece.)

I didn't quite know what to do with it, so I did what I always do when I am stumped. I searched the Internet, and I found this handy video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSDld7Py9aw

Yes, it was that simple. And, naturally, it makes perfect sense. 

Here are the supplies I used:

Stampin' Up Washi Tape
MFT Hibiscus Die
Whisper White Cardstock
Real Red Ink
So Happy for You Stampset

--Lissie

Nature Walk

I have chosen to post this card to illustrate a point. A technique that works well for one card does not necessarily translate to another card. To better understand what I'm talking about, scroll down to see the card Rachael posted yesterday. It is perfect in every way. The stamp set, color choices and layout all work together. The card is whimsical, and the filmstrip format with the stamped animals complement each other well. However, this card (above) does not work because the layout is far too informal for the stamp set and the DSP I used. But, live and learn, eh? I do like that I focused on using Cherry Cobbler, a lovely rich color. The stamp set is Nature Walk and the DSP is Botanical Gazette. 

--Lissie

Another OWH Birthday Card

Continuing to take a break from flowers and such, here's another children's card I created for OWH.

One of my most favorite stamp sets for children is the now retired "Wild About You".  The animals are all so whimsical and I love their faces. :o)

I wanted to create something using all the stamps and settled on a filmstrip.  I stamped each image and then punched them out using a 1" square punch.  Alas, I was unable to use the penguin as there just wasn't space on my black strip. 

I used the spiral notebook punch to create the edges of the filmstrip, mounted the images on the strip, mounted the strip on the base, and stamped the sentiment. 

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Set: "Wild About You"
*Papers: Basic Black, PTI white
*Inks: More Mustard, Smoky Slate, Gumball Green, Early Espresso
*Accessories: 1" square punch, spiral notebook punch

More Delicate Doilies

I am posting this card because I wanted to show the effects of breaking the graphic design rule about trapped white space. Generally, it should be avoided because the eye is immediately drawn to it. Also, the top doily looks like it is floating in space because it is not anchored to anything. And that is what is wrong with this card. It's one of those cards I made and was going to toss, but decided to post it because Rachael is always preaching to "keep it real" by showing our work warts and all. The color combination is okay--the two greens are complements of the red--but also does not thrill me probably because the Strawberry Slush overpowers the other two.  Here's what I used:

Inks: Strawberry Slush, Pistachio Pudding, and Coastal Cabana
Stamp Set: Delicate Doilies

Snappy Birthday

I thought we could take a break from "Summer Silhouettes" for a bit--don't worry, there are a ton more--and I could share another of my OWH cards.

I know the military personnel will be wanting to send birthday cards home to their kiddos, so I tried to make a few that would be fun for a child to receive. :o)

I inked half my "D" acrylic block with So Saffron, and half with Soft Sky and stamped it on my paper.  I then stamped Mr. Crab and colored him in using my blender pen and my Calypso Coral stamp pad.  

I stamped Mr. Clam on a sheet of scrap and added the party hat.  I colored them in (Sahara Sand for Mr. Clam and Soft Sky and Calypso Coral for his fiesta wear) using blender pens and stamp pads and fussy cut them out. They were mounted using a dimensional to make them "pop". 

And, because I had them lying around and thought them way too fun, Mr. Crab wound up with a pair of googly eyes. :o)

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Set: "Crab and Company" (retired)
*Inks: Black Staz-On, So Saffron, Soft Sky, Calypso Coral, Sahara Sand
*Papers: Whisper White, Calypso Coral, small scrap of This and That DSP
*Accessories: Dimensionals, googly eyes

Delicate Doilies

 Rachael and I live fives hours from each other, but we Facetime most days of the week. If we can't make cards in the same room, we can do so electronically. This has been a big help to me because she is definitely the one with the most artistic talent. It is often that I ask her opinion on just how to add or delete something from a card I am making. And she always gives great advice. As I have evolved in my card making over the past six years, I have learned so much from Rachael, and she is truly one of my greatest inspirations. Quite a while ago she began to make minimalist cards while I was still stuck making the same-old, same-old cards I always had been. Rachael inspires me to take risks and to try new things so I finally came around to trying to make minimalist cards myself.

If you are a user of Stampin' Up supplies, you know that a couple of years back they redid their color families and eliminated quite a few colors that, apparently, didn't sell well. To this day I have mourned the loss of a few of those colors, but find that I am still drawn to them. Such is the case with Poppy Parade and Summer Sun. This card is one I cased from the Stampin' Up catalog, but changed it enough to make it my own. Here's what I used:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Old Olive
Stamp Sets: Delicate Doilies, Celebrate Everything
Inks: Summer Sun, Poppy Parade (one of my all-time favorite in-colors that has been retired), Old Olive
Dimensionsals to pop up the center of the Poppy Parade doily
Brads: In-color brads from a while back


--Lissie

Still Playing With White

Again I've been working with using a lot of white while creating a clean and simple card. I also wanted to play with my new scoring tool, which makes it easy to score perfectly spaced parallel lines. I decided to stagger the flowers rather than to put them all on the same row. I had to laugh because the finished piece made me think of musical notes on a staff. Here's what I used:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Pool Party
Ink: Bermuda Bay
Punch: Triple Flower
Stamp Set: Outlined Occasions
Candy Dots: Bermuda Bay

--Lissie

More Summer Silhouettes

So, have you ever made a card, been pleased with how it's going and then get a smudge of ink where you REALLY don't want it? 

Yup, that's what happened with this card.  I had stamped the focal square using Gumball Green, masked it off using some washi tape, and stamped the leaves from "Summer Silhouettes" and I'll be darned if the mask wasn't big enough and I didn't wind up with ink in the upper right hand corner.  ARGH!!

I had stamped these flowers in Raspberry Ripple (stamped off first) and fussy cut them out, and figured I could use them somehow to cover my mistake.  Perfect!

I made a second version placing the sentiment in a different location. 

I think both cards work, and like the white space in the one on the left, while the one on the right seems a bit more balanced.  Hm. 

Some other details.  While I stamped off to get the lighter colored flowers, I used the Raspberry Ripple again to add the centers to the flowers.  That's also RR on the small blossoms on the leaves.  I stamped them without using my Stamp-a-ma-jig and am thinking I would have been better off doing so.  Oh well.  Live and learn. 

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Sets: "Sweet Essentials", "Summer Silhouettes"
*Papers: PTI's white card card stock, Raspberry Ripple
*Inks: Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green
*Accessories: dimensionals

For Dad

Dad turns 94 in a couple of weeks, and I wanted to make a special card to commemorate this momentous occasion. No one in our family has lived to be this old so it is quite an achievement!

I often struggle to make masculine cards, but think the paper I chose--To The Nines--works well. And lately I've seen quite a few cards with varied strips of paper (or washi tape) so I decided to try using that technique. Because the buttons will make the card difficult to mail, I will deliver it in person. 

Here's the supply list:

Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip
DSP: To The Nines
Ink: Always Artichoke
Buttons: Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla
Stamp Set: Happiest Birthday Wishes
Candy Dots: Always Artichoke
Dimensionals to pop up "Happiest Birthday Wishes"

--Lissie

More Playing with One Layer Cards

I have three cards for you today since they are all variations on the same theme.

Oh how I love "Summer Silhouettes".  Adore it.  Can't get enough of it.  At all.

This card started as a scrap where I was stamping for the fun of it.  Before I knew it, I liked what I saw and kept going, adding some reds and oranges and putting in the green leaves last of all.

I changed the sentiment here, but kept the idea behind the card the same.  I also substituted Daffodil Delight for the Summer Sun.  I prefer the brightness and intensity of Summer Sun and wish SU! hadn't retired it's "true" yellows...

And, here, I wanted to play with roses and raspberries. :o)

One layer cards can be very challenging, yet I've had a blast making them lately.

--Rach

These Cards Use:

*Stamp Sets: "Signature Greetings" (PTI), "Summer Silhouettes"
*Paper: PTI's white
*Inks: Gumball Green, Rose Red, Raspberry Ripple, Rich Razzleberry, Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Summer Sun (retired), Pumpkin Pie

Circle Circus

As soon as I saw this set in the catalog, I knew I had to have it. In fact, it was more than love at first sight; it was pure bliss. Rarely have I felt that way about a stamp set. I could not wait to get my hands on it! And then, I took possession of it. And I could not do a thing with it. It was one failure after another. Over the two years I've had Circle Circus, I've taken it out and played with it dozens of times. And I have always come up empty. I hate that. It was beyond frustrating. It got so bad I hid the set so I wouldn't have to see it sitting there forlornly waiting patiently for me to rise to the challenge. Finally, last week I decided that no matter how long it took me I was going to sit in my chair until I came up with something, anything. And this is the result. It ain't great, but at least I have now conquered the beast. :-) And it makes me wonder if others have had the same problem, that is, fall in love with a stamp set and then struggle to use it.

Cardstock: Whisper White, Night of Navy
Ink: Night of Navy
Stamp Set: Circle Circus
Buttons: Night of Navy
Dimensionals 

--Lissie

Focusing on White (Again)

I bought a pack of Quatrefancy DSP and was struck by how lush and vibrant the colors are. Last time I posted, I mentioned that too much of a good thing can just be too much. So, as I mulled over what to do with this paper that I love, I decided to use a lot of white to counterbalance the intense color. Again, this is a clean and simple card, but I think it packs a bit of a punch. Here's what I used:

Embossing Folder: Stripes
DSP: Quatrefancy
Cardstock: Whisper White
Nestabilities: Large Circle
Stamp Set: Celebrate Everything

After I cut the circle, I decided to lop off a bit of the right side. Before I cut it, however, I laid the circle on the cardstock and used a scrap to cover the right side that hung over the edge to see if I liked a cropped circle. I then decided to pop up both the circle from the card and the banner from the circle using dimensionals.

--Lissie

More Summer Silhouettes

So, my obsession with this stamp set continues.  I just ADORE it and find it incredibly versatile.  I may have said that already...

Anyhow, I was giving some thought to Lissie's post yesterday and thinking about how far I've come as a stamper and card maker.  Sure, my style has evolved and become more "sophisticated" (for lack of a better word), but I'm not embarrassed by my earlier attempts. I think there's always something to be learned from cards we've made--whether it is how that particular technique didn't work or, wow, "I LOVE that card and want to make more of it, I'll just change this one thing". 

You aren't born knowing how to walk and talk and feed yourself--it takes practice, lots of it.  I think card making is like that.  The more you do it, the better you are and the better you feel about what you have created. 

I'll often start with an idea and create something I think is merely "okay".  I'll then look at it and stew over it (and ask my extra set of eyeballs known as "Brien" what he thinks) and make improvements.  I refer to those as "mock-ups" or "rough draft".  I've ruined many a sheet of card stock in my attempts to get something just right. 

Other times, I'll love what I've created and just make a tweak here or there to see how I feel about those changes.  This card (and the next) are perfect examples of that. 

I created this card first.  Of late, I've really enjoyed creating white-on-white cards.  I stamped the flowers first, masked them, and stamped the leaves. 

An aside here: When trying to determine color combinations, I'll use my markers to draw lines on a piece of scrap card stock to decide which I like best.  In this case, I had about four different color combos going on, and finally settled on Strawberry Slush, Raspberry Ripple and Gumball Green.  They were rich and delicious and definitely what I was going for. 

But, back to that card.  I thought it was lovely, but could maybe use just a little something more.  I decided to add the same Raspberry Ripple base that I had to the sentiment and a few more leaves to the center.  It really did finish it off.

Here they are side by side.  Both cards are just lovely, but the one on left is (to my mind), just that much more. 

(Oh, and under that sentiment layer?  A great big ol' mess that is well hidden. ;oP)

See, there's always something new to learn, and always improvements to be made.  No need to be embarrassed, you're just showing growth and development.  :o)

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Sets: "Signature Greetings" (PTI), "Summer Silhouettes"
*Inks: Gumball Green, Strawberry Slush, Raspberry Ripple
*Papers: PTI's white card stock, Raspberry Ripple

Working With White

Learning how to make cards is a process. My first attempts in 2007 were so amateurish and pitiful that I cannot bear to look at them. As time has passed, I've learned so many new techniques, and promptly forgotten half of them. My style is mostly "clean & simple" because I prefer the uncluttered look. With the smattering of knowledge I have about graphic design, I always remind myself that as a general rule, less is more. A card also needs a focal point, and it needs to be balanced. More than three colors and too many elements distract the brain. Lately, I've been creating clean and simple cards with a focus on using an abundance of white. I guess I'm on a bit of a jag with this minimalist approach, and it's led me to create cards vastly different from what I have made in the past. This card is an example of my latest work. While the card looks clean, and surely is simple, it required the use of several tools:

Stamp Set: Tagtastic
Framelit: Chalk Talk
Satin Ribbon: Whisper White
Cardstock: Whisper White
Embossing Folder: Stripes
Ink: Strawberry Slush
Embellishments: Pearls

--Lissie

One Layer Summer Silhouettes for PP159

I'm still working on cards for that OWH card drive, and still having a blast.  I have discovered something about myself, I become obsessed with stamp sets and colors and will use them and use them and use them.  Often, I'll finally get enough and move on. 

However, I can't say that for this stamp set.  I cannot stop using it!  I'll put it away.  I'll stash it at the bottom of a pile.  It's out of sight.  And yet, it's NOT out of mind, and before I know it, I have yet another idea I just have to try!

This was especially true when I saw the Paper Players challenge this week.  I had already created a number of fairly simple yet (in my opinion) elegant cards using it, and knew it was my go-to set. 

I used my "D" acrylic block to create a focal point/grounding point for the leaves by inking in Soft Sky, stamping off, and then stamping it on the base.  I then inked up the leaves from "Summer Silhouettes" in Gumball Green (which, I have to say has really grown on me this past week--I really wasn't a fan at first) and stamped them. 

Using my Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, I added the little flowers in Cherry Cobbler.  I have a photo I took of a trillium that was that luscious deep red against the green leaves and knew I wanted to go with that color combo here. 

I wanted to give a sense of movement, so I had a couple of the flowers "falling" below the focal square, stamping them in a triangle, with the bottom one falling "off" the page. 

I then inked the sentiment from "Signature Greetings" (PTI), stamped it, and sat back to see what else the card needed.

It looked almost finished to me.  I mentioned my obsessive behavior, right?  My other recent obsession is pearls.  I just had to use those teeny little pearls in the flower centers.

I added this one so you could see the focal blue square just a bit better.  This card is just lovely in person.

Now it was finished. ;oP

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Sets: "Summer Silhouettes", "Signature Greetings" (PTI)
*Paper: PTI's white card stock
*Inks: Gumball Green, Cherry Cobbler
*Accessories: pearls

Cute by the Inch

This week's Paper Players' challenge was to create a one-layer, clean and simple card. I decided to use a stamp set I've had for a while but never inked. It is Cute by the Inch and has nine small square stamps. Of the nine, I selected four and played with them in various positions until I came up with the square. To make the card, I affixed the four separate stamps onto a clear block and then colored the images using markers. I then stamped all four images at once. It took a while and was a bit tricky, but it worked! 

Inks: Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun, and Old Olive
Stamp Sets: Cute by the Inch and a set of sentiments by Hero Arts
Cardstock: Whisper White

--Lissie

Get Well Lady Bugs for Hadley

My cousin's baby is sick and has been hospitalized for quite some time, and I wanted to create a cheery card to send to brighten up her room a bit.  I found a fun sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches and thought it would be perfect!

I had already settled on using the ladybugs from "Darling Dots" (I do so love red and black as a color combo) and colored them with markers and fussy cut them so I could mount them on the circles using dimensionals.

I continued the dots theme throughout the card using the dotted DSP and the Swiss dots embossing folder. 

All I need to do now is write my message to sweet Hadley on the inside and ship it off. 

--Rach

This card uses:
*Stamp Sets: "Darling Dots" (retired hostess), "Teeny Tiny Wishes"
*Papers: Cerise (retired DSP), Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red
*Inks: Real Red, Basic Black
*Accessories: dimensionals, 1" and 1.25" circle punches, Itty Bitty Banners framelits, Swiss dots embossing folder

The Color Challenge Colors Continue

Oh my goodness!! I'm so excited I can't stand it!  This card was selected as the Headliner over at the Paper Players!  Thank you SO much, Sandy!! :o)  I'm honored!

And, speaking of that color challenge, I may have mentioned I found it very inspiring.  I may have even submitted a couple of cards.  I may have also mentioned I was playing around with scraps on my desktop. 

But, did I mention I couldn't stop making cards in Crisp Cantaloupe, Strawberry Slush and Pear Pizzazz?  I think I have a problem...;o)

As I may have previously mentioned, I had stamped and die cut quite a few flowers (and leaves!) from the "Secret Garden" stamp set, and I was determined to use them!  I picked up the flower and leaves, fussed with it for a bit, and voila! another card was born. :oP

I ran a piece of card stock through my Big Shot using a swirly Cuttlebug embossing folder, mounted it on the Crisp Cantaloupe, stamped the sentiment and created a banner, and used a scrap of the Pear Pizzazz I had already embossed for another banner.  I got everything placed where I wanted it and adhered it. 

There's nothing quite like a card that just comes together in a snap. :o)  Sometimes it's a struggle (I have a few of those I'll be sharing in the coming days), and other times it almost seems they make themselves.

This card (as well as so many of the others I have recently posted) will be joining a stack of others on their way to Jaydee for her OWH card drive.  I don't know about you guys, but I typically create two of any card I make (I figure I'm already cutting the card stock so I might as well), meaning this way I can keep one and send one.  Or, in the case of OWH, I'll just send them all. :o)

And, because I believe in keeping it real, I had just cleaned up the desktop (I've been crafting like a fiend for days), and found my paper worktop is just a wee smidge uh...used.  That's the word for it, right?  Can you identify the stamp sets I've been working with? ;o)

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Sets: "Secret Garden", "Curly Cute"
*Inks: Crisp Cantaloupe, Pear Pizzazz, Strawberry Slush
*Papers: Whisper White, Strawberry Slush, Pear Pizzazz, Crisp Cantaloupe
*Accessories: swirly embossing folder, Woodgrain embossing folder, "Secret Garden" framelits

Sweet Summer

After playing all week with the colors in the Paper Players challenge, I decided to post this card. I popped up the image using dimensionals. To make it I used these supplies:

Stamp Sets: Sweet Summer and A Little Birthday Cheer
Inks: Crisp Cantaloupe and Pear Pizzazz
Cardstock: Whisper White and Crisp Cantaloupe
Ribbon: Strawberry Slush
Embellishment: Pearls
Punch: Corner Rounder
Framelit: Scallop Edge

Another Challenge Card for PP158

I cannot get enough of these colors!  This is the most fun I have had with a color challenge in a long time!  I had scraps and bits of flotsam littering my desk and decided to use them to create yet another card for The Paper Players color challenge. 

I love the "Secret Garden" stamp set and coordinating framelits and thought they would make a lovely birthday card for my friend. 

I stamped them in Strawberry Slush and Crisp Cantaloupe and then colored them using the same colors and blender pens. 

I ran a piece Pear Pizzazz card stock through the Big Shot using the Woodgrain embossing folder and created a banner using it.  It just needed a bit of texture and I wanted to mimic the more natural element of the flowers.

Because I wanted to create dimension and staggered height, I adhered the bottom flower flat, the next one using one dimensional, and then stacked two dimensionals high on the top flower. 

I then ran a piece of white card stock through my Fancy Fan embossing folder and hit it with vanilla Smooch Spritz.  Can you see the shimmer in the photo?  It's hard to capture it's so subtle--yet beautiful. 

I added a banner backed by Crisp Cantaloupe and the sentiment stamped in Pear Pizzazz and finished it off with a small pearl.  Boy I've been running through pearls of late...;o)

Now to address it and get it mailed off. 

--Rach

This card uses:

*Stamp Sets: "Secret Garden", "Sweet Essentials"
*Papers: PTI's white card stock, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe
*Inks: Crisp Cantaloupe, Pear Pizzazz, Strawberry Slush
*Accessories: blender pens, pearls, Secret Garden framelits, vanilla smooch spritz, Woodgrain embossing folder, Fancy Fan embossing folder, dimensionals