Did You Miss Me??

As you might imagine, I was pretty wrapped up with finishing Christmas cards, shopping, wrapping mailing, etc!! So my blog has been sadly neglected.

But it is a new year!! And what better way than to start out with a challenge card? In fact, a TRIPLE challenge card!!

Today, the Featured Stamper challenge was posted, and it was a familiar gallery, because Marisa is a member of the Color Dare Design Team! I chose this card to CASE. I also combined it with this week's color challenge on splitcoaststampers (Night of Navy, Old Olive, and Daffodil Delight) and this week's Ways to Use it challenge to use silver.

All of the items used are from Stampin' Up! I used Regals Designer Series Paper Stack and Greenhouse Gala DSP, along with very vanilla, old olive, and night of navy card stock. My silver brads were lined up with my mat pack and paper piercer. I crimped one layer, as in the FS card, and added a regal button. It really is just navy, but there is a bit of reflection, which, oddly enough, looks kinda cool! It is tough to see, but I threaded some retired silver cord through the button as well. The sentiment is from On Your Birthday.

It feels good to stamp with challenges again! Hope to do a LOT of that this year!!

Inky {{{HUGS}}}

How Many Colors Can I Post???

How many...in this one single blog post?? heehee!

Last week, splitcoaststampers Color Challenge #300 challenged us to go back and do as many color challenges from the past as we could in one week, before #301 gets posted.

I did none. Hmmm...so not like me!

Oh, I had good intentions, but my Christmas card mass production took priority. So, I am a week late on #300...and various weeks late on so many other challenges! LOL I have made a few cards, and I will post some today, finally!

The first card is this week's Color Challenge #301...Gray, Marina Mist, and Concord Crush. Since I still had 12 pieces of brushed silver, I decided to use that for my gray. The base is Marina Mist. I embossed the silver with the Northern Flurries impressions folder, found in the Holiday Mini. I layered it simply with some Concord Crush from the Hostess Level 1 In-Color Pattern Pack. I sponged a bit of concord crush on the snowflakes and around the edges for contrast. The sentiment is from On Your Birthday. Some more layers and satin ribbon finish it off.



Next, a bright, simple combo in Color Challenge #296...Tempting Turquoise, Poppy Parade, and Whisper White. I CASE'd a fun card from another SU Demo, Mary Fish. My card base is tempting turquoise, with a layer of retired Tropical Party dsp. (You could use the Brights Pattern Pack, as well.) I stamped Serene Snowflakes in turquoise, and punched out with the scallop square. I used On Your Birthday again, in poppy...which works great with these round fire brads. I wrapped some poppy parade twill ribbon as the last detail.



Finally, Color Challenge #299...River Rock (blech!), Real Red, and Old Olive. I was dreading this challenge, but amazingly, this is my favorite of the bunch! With a river rock card base, I added a layer of very vanilla, embossed with petals-a-plenty. I added satin ribbon in both red and olive. The main image is from Come to Bethlehem, stamped in river rock. I took my real red marker to outline it for contrast. Of course, I needed Teeny Tiny Wishes with the duo punches...word window and modern label. The last touch was a Jewel Basic Pearl (self-adhesive) on the star. I love the subtle elegance.

I have already mailed this card to our Medical Director. Good thing I have a picture so I can make more!!

So...3 cards...10 colors (including neutrals.) Not bad, huh?

Inky {{{HUGS}}}

A Colorful CASE

After cranking out so many Christmas cards, I realized that I also needed more thank you's for the ministry. (Seriously, I need to host another swap, but I will wait until after Christmas for that.) Any way, I found this cute batch of cards on splitcoaststampers, and decided to CASE it. (That's "copy and send to everyone.") It's a great CAS (clean and simple) design.

Yup...I CASE'd a CAS card! LOL!!

I used Color Dare #88...old olive, riding hood red, and very vanilla. All of the products used are from Stampin' Up! I simply ran the very vanilla through my Big Shot with the Petals-a-Plenty impressions folder, leaving some outside the folder so I could stamp from the "Thank You Kindly" set. I used my stampin' write marker to color in the flower centers. The ribbon is retired riding hood red taffeta. Still working on my goal to make room for new stuff!!

I will definitely try this in other colors throughout the year!

Inky {{{HUGS}}}

Heavy Metal Stamping!

Well, heavy in terms of time! This weekend, I knew I needed to make a LOT of Christmas cards...and so I needed simple designs. I also wanted to use up some of my stash that has been sitting neglected far too long! I knew I had partial packs of brushed silver and brushed gold card stock. In fact, I had the same amount of each!

My intent was to just use the silver and gold as card bases...but some of my folding was awful! So, I ended up cutting some to use as layers on the front.

As I was stamping this Baby Jesus image from a retired Stampin' Up set, I had a song in my mind. "Lord, You are more precious than silver..." The image is stamped in silver metallic ink, and the word "joy" (also retired) is stamped in night of navy. I used the large scallop circle punch and popped it up with dimensionals. The navy ribbon is retired. (I am trying to use up spools of ribbon before I buy new...but the new Mini Occasion catalog is screaming at me!)


The next line of the song is "Lord, You are more costly than gold..." The design is the same...but with gold and burgundy.

These Clean and Simple (CAS) cards were easy to duplicate...I made 12 of each. I have to admit that I was temped to add something else...but I held myself back!!












Finally, the next song line is "Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds..." I had enough gold left to use as front layers for another 12 cards. I embossed the layer with my new Vintage Wallpaper impressions folder and my Big Shot. I added organza ribbon and gold and silver elastic cord (retired). The rhinestones were the final elegant touch.

I have 12 silver card fronts left...I'll see what comes up, and hopefully post here soon!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Inky {{{HUGS}}}

Sketch for Christmas

Hello Happy Stampers!

Today is Sketch Challenge day on splitcoaststampers! Because I am dreadfully behind on my Christmas cards, I knew my goal was to create one, then duplicate it to build up my stash. I have 5 others like this in the works!

I started with a Color Dare (riding hood red, old olive and a neutral of choice) idea, but since I added so much chocolate chip, I'll try the Color Dare later! My card base is riding hood red, and I used old olive with retired Holiday Treasures dsp for the horizontal layers. The sentiment is also retired from All Year Cheer, and I colored it with my stampin' write markers. I pulled out the Scallop Trim border to add some interest, and popped up the panel on dimensionals. The chocolate chip corduroy buttons are available on the clearance rack, and I added a touch of red twine (retired). You can see that I used very vanilla and a bit of the dsp on the inside also.

I still have about 80 Christmas cards to make! Gasp!! This will be a good way to use up my retired stuff because there are some new goodies coming out in January from Stampin' Up! I must make room!!! LOL!!

Inky {{{HUGS}}}

A Crushing Dare!

Well, I missed the Color Dare the week of Thanksgiving, so I did not want to miss the next one. So, Riley posts last Wednesday for Color Dare #87, and it's Chocolate Chip, Concord Crush, and Perfect Plum. Oh my gosh!!! It really had me stumped!! I pulled out a few stamp sets, tossed ideas around...then made this last night. I had planned on adding an image (ice cream!) or an embellishment (bling!), but this time around, I felt less is more! Besides, I need lots of clean and simple thank you cards!

All of the supplies are from Stampin' Up! The card base is confetti white, with a layer of Concord Crush pattern paper from the Hostess Level 1 paper pack. I stamped the sentiment from the retired "So Very"set in chocolate chip, using it as a background type of pattern. I also used the retired "Small Script" then punched it with the large Decorative Label Punch, sponging it with perfect plum and popping it up with dimensionals. Concord Crush twill ribbon finishes it off.

Tomorrow, thee will be anew Color Dare. Hope I don't get stumped again!!

Inky {{{HUGS}}}

Dasher Forest Swap

Well, by the look of my blog, you may have thought I forgot how to stamp!! But I have been busy with Christmas cards and some swaps. Today, I am showing a card I made for a swap on splitcoaststampers. My cyber-swapping friend, Jeanette, is known to many as Forest Ranger. She is hosting a swap with the theme "Forest Friends." Hmmmm...I don't have many stamps to go with that theme. I thought about Fox & Friends...but then I ran into Dasher sitting in my cabinet. This fun single stamp from Stampin' Up is a great image to have! I used the pine tree from Lovely as a Tree (a must-have set!), stamping off first, so the ink is very faint, keeping Dasher in the forefront. The trees are stamped in always artichoke and garden green, and I lightly sponged garden green and blue on the image. No snow yet apparently! LOL! I knew many people have their Christmas cards done already, but we all need some Christmas thank you's! So I used garden green, real red, and very vanilla card stock, with some retired designer series paper. Chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals, non-SU gold beads, and my punches paired with Teeny Tiny Wishes wrap up the details.

Well, I have a lot of cards still to make! Hopefully I will post more soon!

Inky {{{HUGS}}}