Tag You're It 26

Happy Friday!  Today I've got a tag to show you for the newest inspiration from Tag You're It!  Our hostess is Marybeth and I love her inspiration tag.  I love the double layers and the simple butterfly embellishment.

It's no surprise that I love to use butterflies on my projects so when I saw this tag I knew I didn't want to substitute another image.  I dug out some old SU patterned paper to make the tag underneath the white tag and I used a companion design to die cut the solid layer of the butterfly.  The top butterfly layer is die cut in vellum just because I love that look and I wanted the pattern of the layer underneath to show through.

The challenge all month long at Curtain Call is "celebrate" so it was easy to add that sentiment to my tag.  Now this is ready as a stand-alone tag or it can easily be added to a card front later.  Easy peasy and one of the reasons that I love to make tags!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to head on over to Tag You're It and check out the amazing inspiration from the design team.  You won't be disappointed.  I hope you can join us in the gallery!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Right Now (Heidi Swapp); The Big, the Bold and the Happy (Winnie & Walter)
Ink:  Taken With Teal (SU)
Paper:  Taken With Teal, Sweet Pea DSP (SU); Neenah Solar White; Vellum (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories:  Basic Bookmark I die (Papertrey Ink); Darla Butterfly die, Vivienne Butterfly die (Memory Box); enamel dots (Freckled Fawn); jumbo eyelet (We R Memory Keepers); seam binding ribbon; crochet thread

My First 2015 Thank You!

Wow, I can't believe it has taken me until January 4th to post a card in 2015.  I've been trying to organize my stamp room for a few days and every time I took a break to do some creating I wasn't feeling particularly crafty.  So I decided to just take a break and get all inky when the mood struck.

Well, the mood has struck and ordered me to combine the sketch from As You See It with the inspiration photo at Curtain Call.

I'm not entirely sure it is visible in the photo but I used a chevron stencil to lay down some embossing paste before I layered my embossed-flower-on-vellum over it.  I stamped the sentiment in PTI's Smokey Shadow which has a wonderful taupe look to it when dry so it fit the tone of the inspiration photo I think.

I'm looking forward to a crafty 2015 and I hope you are too!  Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Hennah Elements, Label Love (Altenew)

Paper:  Classic White (Flourishes); Vellum (Papertrey Ink)

Ink:  Smokey Shadow (Papertrey Ink); Distress Embossing Ink (Ranger)

Accessories:  Chevron Pattern stencil (Simon Says Stamp); white embossing paste (Dreamweaver);  silver cord,  gold cord (SU); metalllic enamel dots (My Mind's Eye); gold embossing powder

Freshly Made Sketches 113

It's Wednesday so that means it's time for a new sketch reveal at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week Cindy is our hostess and she's given us a super clean sketch.  I embellished mine a bit and did a Christmas theme since I'm busy working on my Christmas card stash *insert smile here*

As luck would have it this week CAS-ual Fridays is teaming up with Curtain Call for a Christmas themed challenge and the inspiration photo gave me the colors for my card.  I liked the rustic stockings hanging from the fireplace so I grabbed Kraft card stock.  And the blue around the fireplace reminded me of the retired Bayou Blue so I used that for some accents   It didn't photograph well but it really is more blue than it looks here.  And finally the sparkly ornaments on the tree called for Silver Glimmer paper and a few sequins.

Beautiful cards abound from the ever-amazing Freshly Made Sketches design team (but you knew that anyway)!  I hope to see you in the gallery this week!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Christmas Carols (CAS-ual Fridays Stamps)

Paper:  Kraft (Avery Elle); Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Silver Glimmer, Whisper White (SU)

Ink:  Blue Bayou

Accessories:  Snowflake Trio die (amuse studio); Make a Snowflake die (Taylored Expressions); Winter Blend sequins (Avery Elle)

Land Ho!

Finally I had some time to make a card for the Feeling Nautical challenge at the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge!

And what's more nautical than an old-timey pirate ship?  Not much, I say to myself!  Lucky for me the brand new Land Ho set from The Alley Way Stamps was perfect for this challenge (not to mention the Black Beards Loot set that provided the sentiment).  I paired it up with the sketch at Sketch Saturday, although I turned the sketch upside down so that the sails on the ship had a place to fly!

Thanks for stopping by!

Curtain Call 71 - Dare to be Fabulous

Hold onto your hats, So Saffron is everywhere!  I have nothing against So Saffron, and for some reason it keeps cropping up in color challenges this week.  I used it the other day with this card, and here it is again with the Curtain Call color challenge!

It's a great color and I'm happy to use it, especially since I've been neglecting it of late.  Sometimes I find myself reaching for the same colors over and over again, forgetting about all the other great colors that I've got.  I guess that's one of the good things about doing color challenges.  They make you remember that there are loads of colors and you don't need to use the same things all the time.

For this card I used the Fabulous Flowers stamp set that is retired, but still fabulous!  I stamped the big flower twice in So Saffron, cut them out so that the layers would be different sizes and then sponged the edges in More Mustard.  I added an Antique Brad to make in the center of the flowers to make it a little more interesting!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

Curtain Call 70 Butterfly

I thought that the color challenge this week over at the Curtain Call was quite interesting.  Intimidating, but interesting!  I wasn't sure I was up for it, but I really liked the idea of using Tempting Turquoise, which I have not used in a while.  So I bravely gave it a try.

See what I mean?  Tempting Turquoise and Tangerine Tango in the same card?  I must be crazy to give this a try!  But I set to work and thought I'd ink up my Flight of the Butterfly stamp set for this card.  Those curly-q sentiments are so versatile and thoughtful I figured they would provide some inspiration.

I went for a pretty clean and simple look.  I briefly thought about adding a button or something but in the end decided to keep it clean.  I'm not sure I like it, but at least I gave it the old college try!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

SSSC104 Curtain Call 69 Birthday

Of course the Curtain Call color challenge this week was right up my alley.  It had Crumb Cake in it after all!  And to make things even better it had Cherry Cobbler:  the best red in the ENTIRE WORLD!!  After a short deliberation, I settled on the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge for my layout. 

My stash of birthday cards is still rather depleted, so I thought I'd add to it with this card.  I still haven't figured out what happened to all my birthday cards.  I'm sure I don't know that many people that I would have run out, but apparently I do!

Aren't these cakes adorable?  I've always loved this type of stamp where a similar image is repeated in a row.  I used to have one that was gifts with different wrapping and another one was different ornaments.  I enjoyed stamping and coloring each individual image.  For this card, I tried to keep it simple by keeping the color to a minimum.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today! 

Curtain Call 64 Snowman

I guess I'm not done with winter after all!  Maybe it has something to do with the newest snowstorm headed my way.  I actually didn't know about the snowstorm when I first decided to make this card, so maybe I'm a little bit psychic?!?  In any event I decided on a snowman for my Curtain Call 64 color challenge card.

I couldn't resist after seeing this brave snowboarder!

A little shimmery goodness in the form of dazzling diamonds highlights the edge of my "snow."  And to keep a promise that I made to myself to use my felt stash more, I added the scalloped piece at the top.  By a strange coincidence, the color matches Marina Mist almost exactly!  I owe the layout to the FTL71 sketch from December 2009.
 
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

Simple Thank You

Now that the holidays are over, I am in need of thank you cards.  So for the last few days that is what I have been concentrating on making.  Today, I looked at the lovely, simple FTL121 layout and paired it with the Curtain Call color challenge to make a card.

It's no surprise that I have been hoarding my Parisian Breeze specialty designer paper, but I actually thought it would be perfect for this sketch challenge.  Many of the patterns are simple and suited for this type of challenge.

These colors are so pretty and they remind me that spring is just around the corner.  At least that's what I keep telling myself when I look outside and see a foot of snow in my back yard!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

SSSC97 and Curtain Call 61

It feels like ages since I posted anything!  I've been very busy that last few days with last minute Christmas preparations and today is the first day I've been able to spend a little time in my stamp room.  Being Sunday and all, I checked out the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and The Curtain Call color challenge and combined the two.

I've got most of my gifts all wrapped, but I needed one last gift bag and I thought this would make a nice decoration on one.  I never knew that I liked poinsettas so much, but I can't seem to stop making them!  I embossed the leaves again with clear embossing powder - I'm not sure that really shows up in the picture, but they look really nice in real life.

I expect this week will be very busy, as the final countdown to Christmas begins.  Hopefully, I'll get to spend a little time being creative!  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!  

Curtain Call 60 and Sweet Sunday 96 Cookie Tag

Today, I had a very set schedule.  I was going to a Christmas open house at my sister's at 1:30 with the intention that I would leave in time to watch the Patriots play at 4:15.  When I got home, I was going to finish decorating my christmas tree as I watched the aforementioned football game, then I was going to mix up cookie batter for the cookie swap I am participating in on Thursday. 

Aside from attending the Christmas open house at my sister's house, none of the other things happened!  I ended up staying at her house to watch the entire game and by the time I got home, I was in no mood to break out the flour to make the cookies.  Luckily I have until Wednesday to make them!

What I did make, however, was a tag for my christmas cookie swap goodie bag based on the Curtain Call color challenge and the Sweet Sunday sketch challenge.

Here's my take on the sketch and the color challenge:

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

SSSC59 and Curtain Call 59 Tag

Next week is cookie swap week at work, so I spent some time today trying to figure out how I was going to package my cookies.  I've got a few ideas but one of them is based on the sketch challenge at the Sweetest Thing blog and the Curtain Call color challenge.

I think I've decided to use lunch bags that I've decorated for my swap.  I love the simple look of the craft paper and they are easy to decorate.  Here's one of my ideas.

I used the old Yummy stamp from a long time ago.  It was made especially for the top note die, but I adapted it here to go with one of my nesties.  I haven't used it very much, so it was nice to take it out and dust it off!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

Monochromatic Snowman

This Sunday I checked out the color challenge over at Stacey's Stamping Stage and I really wanted to participate.  The colors were so fresh and fun, I didn't think I could resist.  But I'm in Christmas mode so I wasn't sure how I could make this work.  So I picked the Walzingmouse Sketch challenge for a layout and set to work.

I chose Crumb Cake as my base layer (since it was the easiest way to add that color for this challenge) and went with the other colors from there.  I stamped the snowman in Black Stazon and then outlined the scarf and hat in Concord Crush and filled in the colors with Basic Gray.

I really wanted to add an orange carrot nose and some brown branch arms, but I realized that this would not qualify for the color challenge.  It was then that I knew that despite the lack of color (or in spite of it), this snowman had a nice look to it.   A {somewhat} monochromatic look to be sure, but a look all the same.  All I know is that the more I look at it the more I like it!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

Another Autumn Card

I really thought that I had made the transition from autumn to Christmas, but apparently I have not!  How could I when I saw the colors at the Curtain Call color challenge this week?  I fully intend to start concentrating on Christmas things from now on, but I couldn't resist squeaking in another autumn colored card.  I paired the color challenge with the sketch challenge over at the Sweetest Thing blog.  Here are the two together:

For my card I went for my French Foliage stamp set (surprise, surprise).  I also used the rock and roll technique on the leaves.  I think I'm getting the hang of it.  And since I hadn't done any sewing in while, I stitched the edges of the So Saffron and Peach Parfait panels.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

MOJO163 and Curtain Call 54

Hello everyone!  I feel like it's been a while since I did a MOJO sketch, but this one was too cute to pass up!  I'm not sure I like the result all that much, but that's what happens sometimes.  I paired the sketch with the color challenge over at the Curtain Call.  Here's the sketch and color combo together:

I just love these fall colors.  I thought they were perfect for my French Foliage stamp set.  I find myself reaching for this set over and over again..  Hard to believe that I wasn't planning on buying it at first!  (Thank you Sylvia for convincing me that I had to have this stamp set)! 

Although I think this card looks better in real life, I think it needs something.  Maybe more leaves.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

Third Time's A Charm...I Think

When I saw this Sunday's Curtain Call color challenge, I immediately thought "wow."  The colors were so fresh and modern I thought I would love to create something with them.  The first thing I made, was a Reeses peanut butter cup holder from directions I discovered here.  But the end result was not something that I liked.  So then I moved on to a card that was based on this one.  Although I love what I came up with, I decided it was too similar to the original.  So back to the drawing board I went.  I didn't want to do another Halloween card, but that's what I did.  Good thing I love Halloween!!  For my layout, I turned to the Easy Sketch.

For my card, I went to the vault and used my Autumn Apparitions stamp set.  For the most part, I have always loved the Happy Halloween sentiment in this set and I'm pretty sure that's why I've kept it.

I attempted the rock-and-roll technique with the sentiment here.  I stamped first with Daffodil delight then stamped the edges with Pumpkin Pie, but I think I went a little too easy with the Pumpkin Pie.  To compensate, I sponged the edges of the cardstock with Pumpkin Pie.  In real life, it actually looks pretty cool.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

SSSC89 and Curtain Call 52

When I saw the color challenge this week over at the Curtain Call blog, I knew immediately that I wanted to give it a go.  Chocolate chip is, of course, a favorite of mine and and this week it's paired with bermuda bay and tangerine tango.  Who wouldn't love it?  I paired it with the Sweet Sunday sketch challenge.

I've been dying to use my Leaves #2 Sizzix die ever since I saw it used in the October edition of Stampin' Success ( a really great magazine you get when you are a Stampin' Up! demo).  They were cut and embossed and really looked fabulous.  So I figured this color combo would be just the thing to do something similar.

First I cut out the leaves with the Sizzix die, then I put them in my Elegant Lines embossing folder to give them a bit of dimension and texture.  I thought the white panel looked a little plain, so I drew some lines (with my ruler, of course) in chocolate chip and bermuda bay at the bottom left.  The colors are quite dramatic and I think this might make a nice masculine card.  My father's birthday is coming up next month, so he might be the recipient of this card!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

Curtain Call 50 Thanksgiving Treats

I've had this idea in my head for quite some time to make some nice Thanksgiving favors.  I always host Thanksgiving dinner at my house and I've always felt like I should have some kind of favor to give my guests.

Today, the Curtain Call color challenge made me sit down and work on something.

Nice fall colors, wouldn't you say?  And it's rather appropriate, since today was very fall-like here.  All of a sudden, the muggy weather has disappeared and today seems to have brought a hint of the cooler temperatures to come.

I love these leaves that I used here.  I stamped them all with Versamark then embossed them with clear embossing powder.  In real life they're quite shiny!  Now, I just have to figure out what kind of treat I'm going to fill the bags with.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

Curtain Call 49 and FTL109

I had a very busy day today.  I volunteer for the Bridgewater Community Emergency Response Team and our team was activated Friday night to help out with traffic control Sundy at a local high school where President Bill Clinton was going to speak.  I spent the better part of Sunday hanging around a parking lot telling people where to park.  There was no place to sit and by the end of the day, my back was killing me.  I was very glad to get home where I could relax and I'm especially glad that I still had the energy to get into my stamp room.

Sunday is always a fun card-making card day for me.  There are so many weekend challenges to choose from and I look forward to picking out the ones that catch my eye.  Today it was the Curtain Call 49 color challenge and the FTL109 sketch challenge.

I love these colors together.  They are so dramatic.  I used similar colors on a card recently and I actually found myself practically recreating the same card before I stopped myself.  So I used different stamps and hopefully created something new.

As you can see I moved the sentiment down to better accomodate the stamp and I added some brads for a little interest, but I think I remained pretty true to the sketch.

Oh, in case you thought I was kidding about Bill Clinton, here's a picture of him leaving the event today.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

Just Believe in an Easy Sketch

I discovered a new sketch challenge today!  I LOVE doing sketch challenges and this one is extra special because its creator is my upline Donna!  I couldn't wait to give it a go!  And as I love to do, I combined it with another challenge.  This time it's the Curtain Call 47 color challenge.  Here are the challenges.

I love the clean and simple lines of the sketch and the challenge with just four colors was just perfect for it, I think.  Here's my take on both.

Today was a good day.  I went to Brimfield this morning for the thrice-annual antique show, I got home in time to (mostly) see the Patriots win against the Bengals and I had time to spend in my stamp room before the True Blood season finale tonight!  Life is good!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!