ODBDSLC269 Happy 16th Birthday Nicholas!

Hi  Friends!

I had a chance to create a birthday card this week for my nephew (shhh... he has not received this card yet and I hope that he does not check my blog- lol!) :-) 

I inked up the brand new sets from Our Daily Bread Designs, Plough the Fields and Saddle Up for the ODBDSLC269 “Something Old, Something New”Challenge.

Nicholas will be 16 soon and has been helping a friend on his farm since he was a young boy.  I think he will like this new Plough the Fields stamp set image from Our Daily Bread Designs (ODBD) and I love the way that depending on how you color it, you can create a scene for summer or winter.

In addition to the “new” ODBD stamps sets from the December 2015 Release, the“old” items are the retired Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper (DSP) for the embossed background (not sure of the name or date at this time- maybe 2005 or so) as well as the twine that I had in my stash (this twine was re-purposed from packaging I received a while back).

I also incorporated the Splitcoaststampers’  CC563 Color Challenge along with the SC406 Sketch Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to visit the Our Daily Bread Designs Challenge site or the Splitcoaststampers’ galleries, I hope you will find the time to do so- fabulous inspiration in all of the galleries.

This card is pretty straight forward to make: Stamp the images, color with markers, distress with inks, die cut with rectangle dies and layer, assemble and finish off with various hardware.

I apologize for the short instructions- if you have any questions, please let me know in the comments (I am still suffering from an injured shoulder and it is difficult to type on the computer).

Stamp Sets:  Plough the Fields, Saddle Up (ODBD)

Ink: Stāz-On® Jet Black Ink, Stampin’ Up! Markers- Island Indigo, Lost Lagoon, Pear Pizzazz, Sahara Sand, Early Espresso, Smoky Slate; Ranger® Tim Holtz® Old Paper and Tea Dye Distress Ink; Crystal Effects®

Paper: Whisper White, Island Indigo, Lost Lagoon, Early Espresso, retired Stampin' Up! DSP- Manhatten? not sure of the name

Accessories:  Big Shot™, Chevron Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder, ODBD Double Stitched Rectangle Dies, MFT Stitched Rectangle STAX Dies, MFT Horizontal Stitched Strip Dies, 1 ¾” Circle Punch, retired GoGo Boots Sizzlits™ Dies, Antique Brass Brads, retired Hodgepodge Hardware Ribbon Slide, Twine

Thanks again for taking the time to visit- hugs and I hope you have a blessed weekend, my friends!

Snowman with Skates- Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps New Digi Release

Hi Again Friends!

Woohoo!  Today, Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps is releasing several new digital (“digi”) stamps and this is the second card that I created with a few of the new release digis as well as a traditional clear stamp set  (please see this post for my first card using Snowman's Gift).

This Clean and Simple (CAS) card showcases the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps (SNSS) Snowman with Skates Digital Stamp along with the sentiment from the Snowman Soup Sentiments Digital Set and actual ink stamping with the Winter Blessings Clear Stamp Set.   I think this snowman is so cute with his skates and cocoa mug, don’t you?

I also incorporated the CAS356 “Some People Are Worth Melting For”Challenge along with the SC574 Sketch Challenge – both at Splitcoaststampers’ (SCS) for the layout.

If you have not visited the Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps (SNSS) site or the SCS galleries yet, I hope you will find time to do so- fabulous samples from all!

To create this card:

Open a Word Document and insert the Snowman with Skates Digital Stamp image along with the sentiment image from Snowman Soup Digital Sentiments and re-size as needed (click herefor a fabulous video tutorial from Korin Sutherland, owner of SNSS on how to re-size and crop digital images in Word).

Print the images out onto Whisper White cardstock and color with a water brush and markers.

Mask the snowman and sponge Pool Party Classic Ink around the “sky” and stamp the Winter Blessings snowflakes with Pool Party Classic Ink as well.

Use a Black Marker to draw the horizon line, punch out the image with a 2 ½” Circle Punch and mount onto a circle punched from Island Indigo cardstock.

Use the Big Shot™ with the Darice® Snowflake Swirl Embossing Folder to emboss a piece of Whisper White cardstock, trim and mount onto a piece of Island Indigo cardstock.

Add the two strips of ¼” Stitched Island Indigo Satin Ribbon and mount onto the Pool Party card base.

Stamp a few snowflakes from Winter Blessings with Pool Party Classic Ink over the sentiment, trim and create the banner points by hand or with a punch.  Create banner points into a scrap piece of Island Indigo cardstock and mount behind the sentiment.

Mount the Snowman with Skates  digi image along with the Snowman Soup Digital Sentiment onto the card front to the card front using dimensional foam.

Paint the wooden snowflake with Titanium White Acrylic Paint and mount onto the snowflake image, add the Pearl to the center of the snowflake to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets:  Snowman with Skates Digital Stamp, Snowman Soup Sentiments Digital Stamp, Winter Blessings (all SNSS)

Ink: Printer Ink- Black, Pool Party, Stampin’ Write Markers- Island Indigo, Pink Pirouette, Pumpkin Pie, Sahara Sand, Smoky Slate; Titanium White Acrylic Paint

Paper: Whisper White, Island Indigo, Pool Party

Accessories:  Big Shot™, Darice® Snowflake Swirl Embossing Folder, Punches- 2 ½” Circle, Banner; Wooden Snowflake, Water Brush, Pearl, retired  ¼” Stitched Island Indigo Satin Ribbon 

I know I had fun creating with the new Sweet 'n Sassy Digital Stamps and I hope you will give it a tryl!

Thanks again for stopping by- have a blessed weekend, my friends!

Snowman's Gift- A New Digital Stamp from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

Hi Friends!

I hope all of you are having a wonderful week so far!  Today, Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps is releasing several new digital (“digi”) stamps and I had a chance to create two cards with some of the new digi stamps (fyi- I will be posting each card in a separate blog post so I can link to the various challenges, etc. .:-))

This card showcases the  Snowman’s Gift Digital Stamp for the main image, the sentiment is from the new Snowman Soup Sentiments Digital Set and I used the Winter Blessings Clear Stamp Set for the snowflakes in the background.   

Isn’t this image adorable?  A cute little bunny giving this sweet snowman a carrot for his nose..what a gift for sure!

I also decided to incorporate the SC571 Sketch from Splitcoaststampers’ (SCS) for the layout.   If you have not visited the Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps (SNSS) site or the SC571 gallery yet, I hope you will find time to do so- fabulous samples from the SNSS Design Team as well as the SCS gallery!!

To create this card:

Open a Word Document and insert the Snowman’s Gift Digital Stamp image along with the sentiment image from Snowman Soup Digital Sentiments.

Re-size as needed (click here for a fabulous video tutorial from Korin Sutherland, owner of Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps on how to re-size and crop digital images in Word).

Print the images out onto Whisper White cardstock and color with a water brush and markers.

Mask the images and sponge Pool Party Classic Ink around the “sky” and stamp the Winter Blessing snowflakes.

Use a Black Marker to draw the horizon line, trim the panel and stitch to a piece of Early Espresso cardstock using a zigzag stitch with the sewing machine.

Stitch a piece of Pool Party to a piece of Early Espresso cardstock with a smaller zigzag stitch and stamp a few more snowflakes from Winter Blessing.

Use the Big Shot™ with the retired Square Lattice Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder to emboss a piece of retired Designer Series Paper (DSP) and use the zigzag stitch to attach it to a piece of Early Espresso cardstock.

Mount the embossed sewn panel onto the Whisper White card base, add the Pool Party background panel to the card front and mount the Snowman’s Gift focal image panel to the front using dimensional foam.

Stamp a few snowflakes from Winter Blessing with Pool Party Classic Ink over the sentiment, trim and create the banner points by hand or with a punch.  Mount onto Early Espresso cardstock, create the banner points and add the snowflake charm with silver cord.

Mount the sentiment to the card front with dimensional foam to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets:  Snowman’s Gift Digital Stamp, Snowman Soup  Sentiments Digital Stamp, Winter Blessings (all SNSS)

Ink: Printer Ink- Black, Pool Party, Stampin’ Write Markers- Cucumber Crush, retired Going Gray, Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Pumpkin Pie, Sahara Sand, Soft Sky

Paper: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Pool Party, retired DSP

Accessories:  Big Shot™, retired Square Lattice Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder, Sewing Machine, White Thread, Hexagon Punch, Snowflake Charm, Silver Cord, Water Brush

There are several things that I love about working with digital stamps- of which, you can re-size the images and color just like a regular stamp plus they do not take up any space in your craft room! A "win-win" for me :-)

I hope you will take the time to check out the rest of the new Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps Digital Release and have fun designing with your new digital stamps!

Thanks again for stopping by, I will be back shortly with my second card :-)

What I Love- You!

Hi Friends! 

I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend!  I have been working on a few projects and wanted to share a quick, easy Valentine’s Day card using the new What I Love (2016 SAB set) along with the Bloomin’ Love (Occasions Mini set).

I decided to incorporate the Create with Connie and Mary CCMC388 Color Challenge as well as the Pals Paper Arts PPA282 Sketch and if you have not had a chance to either site yet, I encourage you to do so, fabulous inspiration from all!

To create this Clean and Simple (CAS) card: 

Trim a piece of Whisper White cardstock and mount onto the Blackberry Bliss card base.

Ink the heart image from Bloomin’ Love with Blackberry Bliss Classic Ink and stamp onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock.

Using the Bermuda Bay and Pear Pizzazz Stampin’ Write Markers, color the flower centers as well as around the leaves/ background and carefully fussy-cut out the heart (be careful as you color since the Blackberry Bliss Classic Ink will definitely run if you touch it too much with your markers :-)).

Ink the banner stamp with Blackberry Bliss Classic Ink, stamp onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock, fussy-cut the banner and mount the banner behind the fussy-cut heart image.

Use the Big Shot™ with the Heart Framelits™ to cut a heart from Bermuda Bay and Blackberry Bliss cardstock, split the Blackberry Bliss in half and adhere behind the Bermuda Bay heart.

Mount the fussy-cut heart/banner onto the layered cardstock heart using Stampin’ Dimensionals®.

Use the Big Shot™ with the Happy Heart Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder to emboss a piece of Pear Pizzazz cardstock, trim and mount onto a piece of Blackberry Bliss cardstock and mount the panel onto the card front.

Ink the sentiment from What I Love using Blackberry Bliss Classic Ink and stamp onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock. 

Trim the sentiment panel and mount onto a piece of Blackberry Bliss cardstock, adhere this panel to the card front using Stampin’ Dimensionals®.

Mount the heart layer to the card front to finish off the card.

Quick, easy and fun!!  You know me, I may have to add a few Rhinestones or Pearls but tried to leave it CAS for now :-)

Stamp Sets:  Bloomin’ Love (2016 Occasions Mini), What I Love (2016 SAB)

Ink: Blackberry Bliss, Stampin’ Write Markers- Bermuda Bay, Pear Pizzazz

Paper: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Blackberry Bliss, Pear Pizzazz

Accessories: Big Shot™, Happy Hearts Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder

Thanks again for stopping by- hugs and have a blessed week, my friends!

Happy 33rd Anniversary Sweetheart!

Hi Friends!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend so far!  Today my husband and I are celebrating our 33^rd Anniversary and I am thankful every day that he is my best friend and we are still so much in love!! 

I have owned the retired Stampin’ Up! Wolf set ever since I purchased it as a current set from the catalog in 2002 or so (it retired in 2004) and I have never created a card with the main image yet.   

I recall trying to stamp with this image years ago but the older linen pads were not moist enough to bring out all of the detail but the new foam pads and Stāz-On® do such a great job!  I knew that this was the set I wanted to use since my husband loves all wildlife, especially wolves :-)

I also incorporated a few of my favorite online challenges into the design- the layout is from the Mojo Monday 429 Sketch along with the colors and wildlife theme from the HSSIC228 Inspiration Photo (I know the photo has sweet little deer but the wildlife and colors are what inspired me :-)) and the Splitcoaststampers WT565 “Lose Weight, Feel Great!” Challenge (to use up some of your embellishments, paper, etc.).  

If you have not had a chance to do, I hope that you will take a moment to visit each of the galleries linked above – great designs by all!

To create this card:

Ink the main wolf image from the retired Wolf stamp set using Stāz-On® Stone Gray Ink onto Whisper White cardstock, color using Faber-Castell™ Polychromos Pencils and blending with Gamsol® (I did add a bit of black ink around the eyes along with Titanium White Acrylic Paint for highlights).

Cut the image out with the Big Shot™ and the My Favorite Things™ (MFT) Stitched Circle STAX and mount onto a Basic Black and Early Espresso cardstock circle (split the cardstock circles in half and adhere behind the main image).

Use a Sponge Dauber to apply Ranger® Tim Holtz® Old Paper Distress Ink to antique the paper.

Use a Distressing Tool to distress the edges of the layered focal image as well as the edges of the pieces of retired Outlaw Designer Paper (DP)

 *** FYI ***  I did not use up all of my stash of this paper but finally used a bit for the WT565 Challenge :-)

Use a sewing machine to adhere the distressed DP onto Early Espresso cardstock, layer per the Mojo Sketch onto the retired Really Rust (or it may be Dusty Durango- not sure) card base. 

Stamp the additional wolf image onto the DP using Stāz-On® Stone Gray Ink (stamping off once before stamping onto the paper).

Stamp the sentiment from the Our Daily Bread Designs (ODBD) Scripture Collection 2 onto Whisper White cardstock using Stāz-On® Stone Gray Ink, trim and mount onto a piece of Basic Black cardstock, distress the edges and mount onto Early Espresso cardstock (distressing the edges with the Distressing Tool). 

A side view to show the dimension

Ink the wolf paw prints with Stāz-On® Stone Gray Ink, stamp off and stamp onto the sentiment.

Use a 1 ⅜” Square Punch to create the photo corners, attach to the sentiment corners using Mini Copper Brads as well as the corner of the background layer to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets: Wolf (retired), Scripture Collection 2 (ODBD)

Ink: Stāz-On® Stone Gray Ink, Faber-Castell™ Polychromos Pencils, Ranger® Tim Holtz® Old Paper Distress Ink

Paper/Cardstock:  Whisper White, Basic Black, Early Espresso, Really Rust (retired), Outlaw DP (retired)

Accessories: Big Shot™, MFT™ Stitched Circle STAX, Sewing Machine, Gamsol®, Distressing Tool, Sewing Machine, Sponge Dauber, 1 ⅜” Square Punch, Mini Copper Brads

Thanks again for visiting- I hope you have a fantastic weekend, my friends!  

Sale-A-Bration- What I Love :-)

Hello Friends!

I hope you are having a terrific week so far!  I had a chance to play around with some of the new 2016 Sale-A-Bration sets today and created a card using the “What I Love” stamp set.

I wanted to participate in a few of my favorite online challenges, so I decided to use the CQC323 ColourQ Challenge, the SC119 Sketch from Stampin’ Celebration and the theme of the Inkspirational #99 “Thank You with SomethingNew” Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to visit the above challenge site galleries yet, again, I would encourage you to do so- wonderful inspiration from all!

To create this card:

De-static a piece of Whisper White cardstock with the Embossing Buddy®, ink the outline flower image from What I Love using Versamark™ Ink, stamp onto the prepared cardstock, apply Stampin’ Emboss® White Embossing Powder and heat set with the Heat Tool.

Color the image with the Blushing Bride and Melon Mambo Stampin’ Write Markers, spritzing with water to blend the colors, re-color as needed and fussy-cut out the flowers.

Ink the Definitely Dahlia background stamp with Blushing Bride Classic Ink, stamp onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock, trim the panel, add the distressing with the large Gorgeous Grunge splatter stamp using Melon Mambo and Pool Party Classic Ink , stamp the sentiment with Melon Mambo Classic Ink as well as a few of the leaves.

Add the banner elements  using the Banner Triple Punch to create the banners (I had the woodgrain piece of Crumb Cake and the retired Pool Party DSP already I my stash and mounted both on scrap pieces of Melon Mambo cardstock).

Trim the background panel and mount onto Melon Mambo cardstock, trim again and mount onto the Pool Party card base.

Punch the leaves from Crumb Cake cardstock, sponge Melon Mambo Classic Ink over the edges and add to the card front along with the Gold Thread loops.

Add the embossed flowers using Stampin’ Dimensionals® to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets:  What I Love (2016 SAB), Definitely Dahlia, Gorgeous Grunge

Ink: Versamark™, Blushing Bride, Melon Mambo, Pool Party; Stampin’ Write Markers- Blushing Bride, Melon Mambo

Paper/Cardstock: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Melon Mambo, Pool Party; retired Sweet Shoppe DSP

Accessories:  Big Shot™, Woodgrain Textured Impressions™ Embossing  Folder, Embossing Buddy®, Stampin’ Emboss® White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Banner Triple Punch, Leaf Punch (MS), Gold Thread, Water Spritzer Bottle

You can never have too many “thank you” cards in your stash and I can see that I will be using the What I Love stamp set for many different occasions for sure!

Thanks again for taking the time to visit- I hope all of you have a fabulous evening!

TCC46 Thanks A Latte!

Hi Friends!!

Woohoo!  It is time for The Card Concept #TCC46 "Warm Your Heart" Challenge and we are so thrilled to be back for 2016!

I love the inspiration photo and was inspired by the hot chocolate, the texture of the mittens and, of course the warm, luscious colors.

I decided to use the Splitcoaststampers’ SC573 Sketch and am also linking this to the Just Us Girls JUGS324 Thank You Challenge and the Word Art Wednesday #217 Anything Goes Challenge. 

Just a reminder that the Card Concept is a bi-weekly challenge that has an inspiration photo along with a number of design styles that you can choose from to create your card- Clean and Simple, Clean and Graphic, Clean and Layered, Shabby Chic, Freestyle Collage, Classy and Elegant and Mixed Media. 

Also, if you have not had a chance to do so, I hope you will take the time to visit us at The Card Concept and check out the rest of our Design Team samples as well as the Just Us Girls and Splitcoaststampers' sites- fabulous inspiration from all!

To create this card:

Using the Memory Box™ Texture Flourish Stencil, use a palette knife to apply Finnabair® ArtExtravagance Copper Crackle Texture Paste over a piece of Blushing Bride Designer Series Paper (retired from a hostess pack years ago).

Allow the crackle paste to dry (I used a Heat Tool, carefully, to speed up the process).

Add Ranger® Tim Holtz® Picket Fence Distress Stain to tone down the bright copper color, also add a bit of Gesso® (I used my finger to spread).

Distress the edges of the crackle texture panel with a Distressing Tool,  mount onto a die-cut piece of Early Espresso cardstock  and add the 1” Dark Chocolate Satin Ribbon with the Ivory Crochet Lace (wrapping the edges of the ribbon around the back).

Mount the entire background panel onto a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, trim and mount onto the Early Espresso card base.

Trim a piece of the retired Sending Love DSP to size, color with a Spectrum Noir™ DR3 Alcohol Marker to darken the DSP and mount inside a die cut rectangle from Early Espresso cardstock.

Add the Dark Chocolate Triple Ribbon bow to the top of the tag element and mount onto the card front using dimensional foam.

Ink the coffee mug, steam and chevron images from the Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps (SNSS), PickMe Up using Early Espresso Classic Ink and stamp onto Very Vanilla cardstock. 

Use the coordinating Pick Me Up Die Set with the Big Shot™ to cut out the images.

Color the heart shape on the coffee mug using the Spectrum Noir™ DR3 Alcohol Marker and add the steam image and Rhinestone to the coffee mug.

Mount the stamped images to the card front using dimensional foam.

Stamp the sentiment from Pick Me Up (SNSS) with Early Espresso Classic Ink onto Very Vanilla cardstock, trim and create the banner points with the Hexagon Punch, mount onto Early Espresso cardstock (using the Hexagon Punch to create the points).

Mount the layered sentiment onto the card front with dimensional foam to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets: Pick Me Up (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)

Ink: Early Espresso, Spectrum Noir™ DR3 Alcohol Marker, Ranger® Tim Holtz® Picket Fence Distress Stain

Paper: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, retired Sending Love DSP and Blushing Bride DSP

Accessories: Big Shot™,  Pick Me Up Dies (SNSS), MFT Blueprints 13 Die, MFT Stitched Rectangle STAZ, Memory Box™ Texture Flourish Stencil , Finnabair® ArtExtravagance Copper Crackle Texture Paste, Palette Knife, Gesso®, Distressing Tool, 1” Dark Chocolate Satin Ribbon, Ivory Crochet Lace, Rhinestone

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by- I hope you have a wonderful week and come play along with us at The Card Concept!

Honeycomb Happiness- Hello, Sweet Friend

Hi Friends!

I hope all of you are having a great week so far!  Today, I wanted to play along with the new stamp set from the Sale-A-Bration catalog, Honeycomb Happiness (I just love this cute little chick image :-)).

I decided to use the Sugar Pea Designs Sugar Sketch SPDSS35 along with the Simon Monday“Something New” Challenge (this set is brand new).

Again, if you have not visited the above challenge sites yet, I hope you will find time to do so- terrific Design Team designs and as well as their galleries!!

To create this card:

Ink the chick image from Honeycomb Happiness with Stāz-On® Jet Black Ink and stamp onto Whisper White cardstock.

Color the image with Stampin’ Write Markers- Daffodil Delight, Delightful Dijon and Pumpkin Pie (using a AquaPainter™ to blend).

Carefully cut out the bird image and set aside.

Create the tag element with the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch from Whisper White cardstock and cover with retired Sweet Shoppe and I Am Me Designer Series Paper (DSP) with Real Red scraps for layering.

Add the ¼ White Tea Lace Doily along with Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Island Indigo Ribbon and Rhinestones.

Layer the retired Sweet Shoppe DSP onto Real Red cardstock (rounding the corners of each with the Envelope Punch Board), layering again onto Pool Party cardstock and finally onto Real Red cardstock.

Mount the layered background panel onto the Whisper White card base and add the Island Indigo strip per the sketch.

Heat emboss the sentiment from Six-Sided Sampler using Stampin’ Emboss® White Embossing Powder onto Real Red cardstock and punch out with the Sweetheart Punch.

Add the sentiment to the lower part of the tag and mount the tag onto the card front using Stampin’ Dimensionals®.

Add the chick image with Stampin’ Dimensionals® to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets:  Honeycomb Happiness (2016 SAB), Six-Sided Sampler

Ink: Versamark™, Stāz-On® Jet Black; Stampin’ Write Markers- Daffodil Delight, Delightful Dijon, Pumpkin Pie

Paper: Whisper White, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Real Red; retired Sweet Shoppe and I Am Me DSP

Accessories:  Embossing Buddy®, Stampin’ Emboss® White Embossing Powder, Punches- Scalloped Tag Topper, Sweetheart; White Tea Lace Doily, Rhinestones, ¼” Island Indigo Stitched Satin Ribbon, Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon

I know that “cute-sy” is not my normal style but don't you think that this little chick is just too adorable :-) ??

Thanks again for stopping by- I hope all of you have a fabulous evening and tomorrow morning will be the start of the 2016 Card Concept Challenges!  Hope you can stop back again soon-hugs!!