Belated Friday Mashup!

Happy Halloween, Stamping Friends!

So, I was gonna post this after work on Friday after work. Oops. Then I was gone all weekend. Double oops. So...I am finally posting my Friday Mashup #30 project!!

As a reminder...the Friday Mashup has a fun challenge from Heidi this week.

• Create a project using the sketch above


• Create a project using something that is recycled or repurposed


• Or Mash it Up and create a project using the sketch and using something recycled

Well, I admit I am not great at recycling...hoarding, yes! But recycling?? Hmmm... I did make a bunch of altered tins 2 years ago for Christmas gifts. I wanted to try something similar. Well, I had this cute little jar. It had some fresh sage leaves from my sister-in-law's garden, but once they were gone, I saved the jar. I really did not know if I'd ever use it, so this challenge was perfect! I simply wrapped some (retired) old olive striped grosgrain ribbon around the jar. I attached a simple tag, made with both of the tag punches, pumpkin pie and very vanilla card stock. The sentiment is from You're a Gem, stamped in old olive ink. The twine is actually a snippet from a gift I received from some friends a few months ago. I made the pumpkin with my ovals die in my big shot. After they were cut out, I embossed with a non-Stampin Up embossing folder, and sponged with cajun craze ink. I ran a strip of old olive through my paper crimper for the stem. I then attached the pumpkin to a straw wrapped in old olive ribbon, and attached to the jar. The final touch is a bunch of peanuts and candy corn! Too bad I don't have a Halloween Party to attend!

I hope you have fun and join us for the Mashup!! Check out the challenge blog here, and use keyword FM30 in your online gallery.

Inky {{{HUGS}}}

Friday Mashup!! Recycle What??

Hi Stamping Friends! It is Friday...time for another Friday Mashup challenge! I have to apologize, since my project is NOT here. Shucks, it's not finished! It has been a very busy work week. I had to make about 48 pastor appreciation cards to give to pastors of churches that support the ministry. Had I started them earlier...well, you know. I also was on the road with another staff member, delivery cards and gifts to the Walk for Life top 10 churches this Wednesday. So my plan is to relax in my messy craft room after work tonight. I started a project...and it is NOT a card! Gasp! You'll see later! So here is the challenge:

1. Make a project using recycled/re-purposed items
2. Make a project using the sketch shown above
3. Or Mash it Up and make a project using the above sketch with recycled/repurposed items

Maybe you can beat me to it...checkout the design team inspiration pieces...it's a wonderful collection! I'll be checking your projects out all week! Be sure to use keyword FM30 in your online gallery and linkup to the Friday Mashup!




Inky {{{HUGS}}}

Paper Players for Christmas

Hello Stamping Friends! I am actually posting a Paper Players challenge ON TIME!! Gasp! Please don't faint...just check out my card! LOL!! (Looking for the Friday Mashup? Scroll down one post)

This week's challenge asks us to make a Christmas card in the classic red and green color combo...and in a Clean and Simple style. My Christmas cards tend to be rather involved (except the last batches made at the last minute!) I really had no idea what to do...but I decided to bring out my alphabet dies and red glimmer paper, and the rest fell into place. My card base is retired green galore and I embossed the whisper white layer with the Northern Flurries impressions folder. I really like the look of gold with red and green, so I used gold brads and retired gold elastic gold. There it is...clean and simple! Hope you like it!!

Inky {{{HUGS}}}

Friday Mashup! That's a Wrap!!

Hello Stampin' Friends! It's time for another Friday Mashup...and I am your challenge hostess this week! I hope you have fun with it! I like to stretch myself by creating cards with different features or folds. One feature is the "belly band" which wraps around your project. I also like using twine as an alternative to my ribbon addiction. Both of these give us our challenge: That's a Wrap! (Blogger is giving me fits...hang in there with me!)

1. Create a project with a Belly Band

2. Create a project using twine

3. Or Mash it Up and Create a project with a belly band and twine!

For my project, I made a "squash card" which was a technique lover's challenge on splitcaststampers a few years back. This thread includes a tutorial. http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/try-new-technique-f44/tlc201-fun-funky-fold-t406759-3.html#post12499784

I used "Pocket Full of Posies" dsp, cut down to 10x10, and folded to make a 5x5 card. This pattern is so fun, I didn't have to embellish much. The belly band is a one inch strip of the flip side. I added bakers twine in early espresso. Using my decorative label and 2 oval punches, I added a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes. The card stock is daffodil delight, pear pizazz and whisper white.

On the inside, I added layers of pear pizzazz and whisper white. I colored the large image from "Hello Friend" with my pear and razzleberry markers. The sentiment from the lower panel is retired. The top panel uses On Your Birthday and a smaller stamp from Hello Friend which I repeated along the top border. Both squares are also sponged. I did not add brads or other bumpy items inside so the card would close well, and the belly band would still fit.

You don't have to make a squash card. In fact, the design team has a great variety of inspiration projects to get you started! Have fun with jt! Check out the Friday Mashup blog, http://www.fridaymashup.com/2011/10/fm29-thats-wrap.html and upload your Wrapped projects by next Wednesday! I'll be looking for the Rock Star!!

Inky {{{HUGS}}}

Double Up!

Hello everyone! It's Monday...which means back to work for a lot of us. But the good news is I got a little stamping done this weekend. I combined 2 blog challenges...one is late and one is "due" today! Whew! The late one is from The Paper Players Challenge. I always want to play, but get home Friday nights exhausted! I need to just get to this challenge this earlier in the week. But I loved the colors...bravo burgundy, more mustard, cajun craze and very vanilla. So warm and cozy!! I combined it with a new challenge: Freshly Made Sketches. http://freshlymadesketches.blogspot.com/2011/10/freshly-made-sketches-6.html You know, when you combine a color and sketch challenge, half the work is done for you! WooHoo!!

All of my products are from Stampin' Up! I started with a cajun craze card base, and layered bravo burgundy and more mustard, which I ran through the big shot with my square lattice folder. The main image is from Elements of Style (one of my faves!) I stamped it in early espresso, then used my blender pens to color the flowers with the challenge colors. The birthday greeting is from On Your Birthday. I stamped the bird in mustard with a bit of bravo burgundy, using the rock-n-roll technique. Then I cut it out, and popped it up with dimensionals. The horizontal strip features the flourish from the same stamp set. My dsp is from the Regals pattern paper stack, and I used the eyelet trim punch for some detailing. Both of my grosgrain ribbons are retired. Finally I added pearls. I love pearls, don't you?

Hopefully I can do these challenges again this week...the design teams give lots of inspiration! Have a Happy Monday!

Inky {{{HUGS}}}

Friday Mashup!! Hello Susie Snowflake!!

Hi there Stamping Friends!! It's Friday...thank goodness! I don't know about you, but my week has been long and exhausting! I had not touched my stamps since last Saturday when I made my hubby's anniversary card...Good grief! I actually had time on Wednesday after work, but no mojo. Hate it when that happens! Yesterday was Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, and I spoke at a local event. It was a solemn, but peaceful evening. Once I got home, I dug into my card stock and ink to make my Friday Mashup card...it felt good to be creative!

Lesley is our challenge hostess this week, and she has a great wintery challenge for us. I know it's only October, but she is in Canada...it must be getting cold! She quotes a song from Doris Day about Susie Snowflake. It caught my eye, because at work when I have a ficticious client or volunteer for training purposes, I always say Susie Snowflake instead of Jane Doe. Silly isn't it? Here is Lesley's challenge:

• Make a project featuring Snowflakes


• Make an Easel card (tutorial here on splitcoaststampers)


• Or Mash it Up by making an easel card featuring snowflakes!
  

Of course, I had to Mash it Up!! All of my products are from Stampin' Up! My card base is island indigo, and the front (top 1/2) is layered with pink pirouette, pool party, and brushed silver. The silver is embossed with my Big Shot and the Northern Flurry impressions folder and sponged with some indigo island ink. I added rhinestones and pool party ribbon as embellishments. The sentiment is from On Your Birthday, stamped in indigo on pink pirouette card stock, punched out with the curly label punch. The inside has a layer of pool party and whisper white. I stamped another sentiment from On Your Birthday as well as Serene Snowflakes. Now, when making an easel card, you need a detail of some sort for the inside to keep the card open. I used a big button in pool party, found in the Holiday Mini, and I added rhinestones. Truth be told, this is NOT practical! I have a very fat, bulky card...but I figure it can be hand delivered and displayed in this open form...right? LOL!!

Be sure to join us this week. It may only be October, but for many of us, snow is not too far away! Check out the Friday Mashup design team cards for some inspiration, and link up your creation! Be sure to use keyword FM28 in your online gallery.

Inky {{{HUGS}}}

Happy Anniversary, Dear Hubby!!

Hello Friends! Today is my 18th wedding anniversary! Of course, I had to make Bruce a card, and I pondered it for days. I actually intended on participating in last week's Paper Player Challenge, which had a musical theme. But I made this a day too late...oh well! I did decide to change my card a bit to correspond with the Hope You Can Cling To challenge from a few days ago, Real Men Wear Pink. We were challnged to make a masculine card with a touch of pink. Bruce is NOT into pink, but he is a real man who supports me at home, in my ministry, and just in our every day lives!

All of the supplies are from Stampin' Up! My card base is early espresso, with a strip of soft suede embossed with the square lattice folder. I sponged river rock and soft suede on very vanilla, then stamped the Extreme Guitar (retired) in early espresso craft ink, which I then heat embossed. I punched out a heart in melon mambo for the pink, then decided to add a tiny bit of melon in my background. The sentiment on the bottom is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, stamped in melon then punched out with the word window. The other is from Perfect Words, a hostess set. I used my early espresso and melon mambo markers to color it, and then punched out with my oval. My final detail is the early espresso baker's twine...love this stuff!!

Gotta run...we're gonna see a movie and get dinner. Hope you have a great day!

Inky {{{HUGS}}}

Friday Mashup!! Halloween Howl!

Hey there, Stampin' Friends!! It's Friday, and that means it is time for another great challenge at the Friday Mashup!! Today we have a great challenge from Holly!

1. Make a Halloween themed project


2. Make a project using the colors black, pumpkin pie, lucky limeade, and concord crush


3. Or make a Halloween project using the colors listed above
   

Now, I love color challenges and theme challenges...but Halloween is just not my cup of tea. We hand out candy, and put a few fall decorations and maybe cute jack-o-lanterns...but the gorey stuff, the horror flicks...I can't handle them! I jump during PG-13 movies! LOL!! So my Halloween stamps are limited to a few sentiments from sets that also feature other holidays. But I do have this fabulous Nature Silhouette set, with a howling wolf...perfect!

All of my supplies are from Stampin' Up! My card base is concord crush, with a layer of pumkin pie, then lucky limeade embossed with the square lattice impressions folder. I embellished with basic black striped grosgrain ribbon and 2 bright (pumpkin pie) glimmer brads. The tree and wolf were stamped in basic black craft ink, coated with basic black embossing powder and then heat embossed. With a small circle mask, I sponged the full moon in limeade, then sponged a bit above the grass. I continued sponging pumpkin then concord crush. I matted the image with pumpkin and concord card stock. The final detail is the return of Teeny Tiny Wishes with the word window and modern label punches, intentionally set off the edge just a bit.

It took me a while to come up with this, but I like the end result. Now...where do I send this card?? *wink*

Be sure to join us this week! Check out the fabulous projects from the design team on the Friday Mashup blog, then upload your own project. Use keyword FM27 in your online gallery. I can't wait to see what you create!

Inky {{{HUGS}}}

Still Time to Join the Fan Favorite!!

Be sure to take part in our Friday Mashup Fan Favorite challenge! Submit your projects by tomorrow, 3 pm, Eastern time!

Sunday Challenges!

Happy Sunday! I made 2 cards today. I wanted to make more, but arthritis meds made me groggy. Oh well. I am thrilled that I got these 2 done!

The first card is for the Featured Stamper challenge, and ths week we get to CASE Dianne (aka Eured99). Dianne stops by my gallery a lot, and makes such encouraging comments. I was thrilled to use her work as inspiration!! I chose this card to CASE. I kept the sketch and used all Stampin' Up products as she did. Instead of dry embossing, I sponged the image panel. It looks weird, but hey, I got it done! LOL! I used melon mambo for the card base, and added razzleberry lemonade dsp (retired.) The crushed curry ribbon and ink are also retired. The image is from Aviary, and the sentiments are both from Hostess sets...Precious Butterflies and Perfect Words. The image and oval punched sentiment are both popped up with dimensionals.

My next card is for today's Hope You Can Cling To challenge, as well as this week's sketch challenge on splitcoaststampers. My card base is pink pirouette, and I added a layer of very vanilla which was embossed with perfect polka dots. I pulled out retired Sending Love dsp, adding some sparkle. I made some of my own dsp with butterflies from Precious Butterflies in rose red, pink pirouette, pretty in pink, and pear pizzazz. The large scallop circle is retired pear pizzazz pattern paper. I stamped more butterflies in pink pirouette and a sentiment from Perfect Words in pear pizzazz. I used the butterfly punch to finish out the sketch. The pearls and glimmer brads add the final details.

Tomorrow I'll be back at work...no stamping...boohoo! Well,maybe some late at night! So many new challenges, so little time! *wink*

Inky {{{HUGS}}}

World Card Making Day!!

The first Saturday in October is World Card Making Day, and the folks at splitcoaststampers celebrate by kicking off a month of special challenges. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, something many of us can relate to. I have family and friends struggling with this ugly disease...but the strength they show in their fight to survive is amazing!

So, today kicked off the "Hope You Can Cling To" challenges. There were 3 today, and there will be one more each day this month. I hope to do them all!!!

The first challenge asked us to use Pink Critters. I started with an early espresso card base, and added a strip of lucky limeade, which I ran through my big shot with the elegant bouquet impressions folder, then sponged with espresso ink. I ran some very vanilla through with the top note die. Using the retired Stampin' Up set "Bliss" I stamped the flourish in crumb cake and lucky limeade, and the butterflies in pretty in pink. I popped one butterfly up with dimensionals. The sentiment is also retired, colored with markers, and cut out with the decorative label punch in vanilla and pink. The final detail is some pretty in pink satin ribbon.

The second challenge lets us use Pink Bling. The card base is concord crush, with strips of wisteria wonder, pink pirouette, and pretty in pink, all embossed with the perfect polka dots embossing folder. I made a square of my own designer pattern with a flower from Friends Never Fade, and mounted it on lucky limeade for contrast. I used my bird punch, using different colors, and a tiny dot with my basic black marker for the eye. I pulled out You're a Gem and my circle punch, plus some silver elastic cord. White organza ribbon and fire square brads finish it off.

The third card is quite different. We needed to make a circle card. I also wanted to make a card for this week's SCS color challenge: cherry cobbler, early espresso, and pool party. Hmmmm... So I pulled out my large scallop circle die. I cut out 2 circles of pool party card stock, and attached with cherry cobbler seam binding. I stamped my new Hostess set Precious Butterflies in cherry cobbler and early espresso directly on the circles. I added a large scallop circle in early espresso, detailed with basic pearls. The regular scallop circle is stamped with one of the butterflies and a sentiment from Perfect Words, another Stampin' Up Hostess set. Finally the largest and smallest circles were sponged...had to add something!

I can hardly wait to play along with more challenges this month!!

Inky {{{HUGS}}}