Card Change

So yes, I changed the card. Betty had a wonderful idea of adding 3 of something to the upper corner, brads, jewels, something. If I had only read her comment before I started tearing the card apart. So, here is what the card finally looked like for card club. I used wonderfully worn background stamp in more mustard on the more mustard panel. I ran just a strip through the embossing folder. And added an early espresso decorative strip and moved the greeting. The technique is smach smooch. I stamped the leaf in jet black staz-on. So, I selected the early espresso because of its rich, deep color. When you place the early espresso matt with the jet black leafs, the colors look similar, so you can't really notice the contrast with the black and deep brown. Pretty good disguise, huh? All products used are Stampin' Up!

Stampede Card Club, Cards

Here are the cards that we are doing in club today. The top card is a CASE from someone else's card. I wanted to show the colored vellum technique. I just love how this card came out. I love the vintage feel to it, the little trinckets/details. The second card is a twist on polished stone, its called 'smash smooch'. The second card looks like it is missing something to me, but I can't figure it out. So, this card may change between now and when the ladies come over. It just looks too plain. Sorry.

Thank you for looking, and check back tomorrow, as we are having a sketch challenge today, so you'll want to see what everyone has created! Enjoy the last part of your weekend!

Stamping 411 Top Pick - Sketch Challenge #173

Yahoo! I am in the Top 5 picks from the Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge #173! If you missed my card, here it is again! And here is a link to the Stamping 411 site: Stampers Showcase #173.

Thank You, to the Design Team at Stamping 411, and a big Thank You to my followers for your support, and encouragement! Without the positive feedback from all of your wonderfully warm comments, I wouldn't have that encouragement to keep doing what I truly love and enjoy!

The layout was a joy to work with, and I will definitely use again, and again! Thank You Stamping 411 Design Team, for your creative work and inspiration!

Thank you

I stumbled upon a wonderful blog, Creative Sketches. And they has a color challenge this past week, and this weeks challenge is to use dry embossing: This week’s challenge: Technique – Dry Embossing I really flipped the sketch :/ (The colors are Marina Mist, Always Artchoke, and Soft Suede.) And, I needed a card. So, why not combine the two?

If you placed a Stampin' Up! order this past weekend, this is the blank card you will receive in your bag. I'm happy with how this card turned out. Let me know what you think, post a comment.

Thank You, JUGS #55 & Saturday Sketch #173

I enjoy the Just Us GirlS blog. They have some really creative posts, like JUGS #55 - Color Challenge. I really enjoy the Stamping 411 blog, too. They have some wonderful sketches, like Saturday Sketch Challenge 173. So, I have made one card and incorporated both of their talents.

All products used are from Stampin Up!

Thank you for looking. Post a comment, they really do make my day!

Just Because

Have you ever made a card, or any paper craft item for that matter, just because. You received inspiration from somewhere, a magazine cover, a gift bag, a bill board, or just your garden, and you had to create something with that 'energy'? Well, that is how this card came about.

I didn't need a card for 'anything'; a baby shower, a birthday, a friends parent is ill, a girlfriend needed a pick-me-up, nothing. I saw a page in a home decorators magazine and I got some inspiration, and had to make a card. So, here it is. I really do like it. To keep the look consistent, when I stamped on the crumb cake label, I even stamped off before I stamped on the card stock, so the ink would look 'worn' to match the look of the newsprint DSP.

I used mostly Stampin' Up! supplies. Actually everything I used, except for the sentiment at the bottom, and the larger tag die cut, is SU!.

Card Recipe:

stamp sets: define your life, and fall elegance.

ink: basic black classic ink

paper: very vanilla, garden gala DSP, news print DSP, crumb cake, peach parfait,and pear pizzazz.

misc: crochet trim, vintage trickets, fancy label punch, birds & blooms die, and neutral button.

Thank you for looking. And let me know what you think. I know its not my typical work, but I really do like it! How about you?

Stampalicious Card Club - sketch challenge

this is the second post today. Halloween Blog Candy winners have been announced!

Here are the paper craft items the ladies in my Stampalicious card club created! Aren't they just wonderful! We used a sketch from the Utah Diva's International. Most of the ladies made cards, but one person made a card stock box. The item with the fairy stamped on it, is actually a candy box. The 'Thanks so much' card, is actually a gift card holder. And Frankenstein was made from punches. The last card was our winner! The prize she selected out of the 'prize box' was the Spider Web Embossing Folder.

Thanks so much for looking!

Halloween Blog Candy Winners

I let the random number generator select the winners for both the blog candy give-a-ways.

For the Candy #1 post, the winner is Sandi. Her favorite halloween candy to receive/eat during this spooky holiday season is snickers! Congrats to her, her Halloween Themed Blog Candy is the Black Flourish Designer Jewels (#120987).

For the Candy #2 post, the winner is Lynn. Her favorite halloween candy to receive/eat during this spooky holiday season is snickers, too! Congrats to her, her Halloween Themed Blog Candy is the Raven 1/2" Lace Trim (#120988).

Sweet Birds

This is the second post for today, so please scroll down to see what else I have posted. Thank you so much for your interest!

This is the second card that my Saturday Card Club 'Stampalicious' will be making tomorrow. I love being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, and I love sharing what I love: stamping, paper crafting, and making new friends! One of the things I really enjoy, is sharing what can be made with a single stamp set, or a package of DSP. So this year, I have made a promise to keep my cards not too fussy and a little more classy, without costing a million dollars to replicate the card. I also really love showing my club members new techniques, or letting them 'play' with a new tool; you know, try it before you buy it!

We used this DSP (Sweet & Sour) for another card we made earlier this summer. But, we used Pumpkin Pie and Rich Razzleberry. So, here we are using the same paper, but a totally different look. Showing my club members how versatile Stampin' Up! products can be! We have a teenager in our group, Sky. Sky, is very crafty and creative, so it does make me change gears sometimes. It forces me to make cards that are a bit more fresh, hip and not so 'grown up'. (I don't know if that makes sense.)

Tell me what you think of my card. And don't forget to post a comment on my 'Halloween Candy #1/#2' post. You can easily find these post thru the archive, or you could browse.

Coffee Filter/Pumpkin

My Saturday Card Club 'Stampalicious' is meeting tomorrow. We always make 2 cards and 1 project. This is my 'technique & tools' class. This is the project that we are going to make. You take a regular brown coffee filter, sponge on some ink, stamp a few times, and viola! you have a pumpkin! I thought that this little project would be fun to make. You can make little pumpkins for Halloween and Thanksgiving! I got the directions from Sharon Cheng.

Thanks for looking! And just a quick reminder, my halloween blog candy give-a-way closes tomorrow at midnight. Add your comment to either/both 'Halloween Candy #1/#2' to enter the drawing. You can find these posts as you browse my blog, or go directly to them through the archive.

Mojo Monday Challenge #160

Hurry, the Halloween Blog Candy give-a-way closes Saturday, Oct. 16th @ midnight. Post your comment on either/both 'Halloween Candy' posts. Post your answer to the question and register as a follower. Winners announced Sunday, prizes mailed Monday!

I made my card. But, I have to be honest, I used the sketch to make my sample for my card club. If you are a member of the Stampalicious Card Club, this is the Thanksgiving card we are making at club this week. This card is loaded with techniques! The sentiment is heat embossed, and its in Soft Suede (I'll show you how to make your own color craft ink). The wheat is stamped following the heat embossing - emboss resist! The cajun craze piece is dry embossed! Yahoo! We get to use the Big Shot and a new embossing folder! Oh, and we will be doing a little sponging, too!

I used crumb cake, cajun craze, old olive, and more mustard as my colors. Very vanilla is a neutral, it doesn't really count, does it? Two stamp sets: Autumn days, and seasonal sentiments. The new Vintage Wall paper embossing folder and my totally favorite border punch! scallop trim border punch.

I wanted my Thanksgiving card to look grown-up. I think it does. Tell me what you think. (oh, and if you look closer, my words are crooked. I know.)

Halloween themed blog candy! go to post(s) Halloween Candy, and follow the directions! Don't forget to post your answer to the question in the comments, and good luck!

Hoot's Got Stamps - October Meeting

Don't forget to post a comment at either (or both) 'Halloween Candy' posts for your chance to win some Halloween themed blog candy! Contest closes at midnight on Oct. 16th, winners announced Oct. 17th, and prizes are mailed on Oct. 18th.

My downline: Hoot's Got Stamps? meets the second Wednesday of each month. We get together to touch base, talk about new promotions, give each other support, and helpful hints and stategies on how to improve our business. We also always stamp! Because that is what we love to do! We meet at a coffee shop that is centrally located for our meetings, so no one person has to travel too far. Well, that also possess a challenge for me to come up with a card that doesn't require any electricity or tons of table space. I think I have done a relatively good job at that. So, without further ado, this is the card we are making at my downline meeting. I wanted something quick and easy, but also nice.

Card Recipe:

stamps: Seasonal Sentiments, Lovely as a Tree, and Wonderfully Worn.

Card stock: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie, and Very Vanilla.

Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, and neutral markers.

Misc: water color pencils, blender pen, color spritzer, Pumpkin Pie satin ribbon.

I will also be giving each person in my downline a small gift. It is posted as 'Hoot's Got Stamps?'. Each person has a monogram. The card stock tote holds a covered note pad (SU!, of course) and a covered post-it notes (SU!, of course). If you are interested in joining my team, please contact me, or visit my website: http://www.inkwithsharon.stampinup.net You will use password 'friend10'. I have some very wonderful team benefits! Please contact me for more information!

Hoot's Got Stamps?

Don't forget to comment on the 'Halloween Candy' (#1 and #2) posts, to enter the drawing for both blog candy give-a-ways!

My downline meeting is tomorrow, Wednesday Oct. 13th @ 4:30p. I am happy to say that my downline has grown, and hopefully keeps growing. I have made these cute little items for each of them. I really wanted to do something with this cute little paper tote, so I filled it with other paper crafts. The item standing is a Stampin' Up! note pad. The item laying down is a Stampin' Up! post-it pad. It is monogrammed for Michelle. Each of my downline members will have their own, and theirs will be monogrammed, also.

Thank you for looking! And don't forget to post your comment on my Halloween candy posts!

Have a wonderful day!

Halloween Candy - #2

Halloween is the third most celebrated holiday in the United States, and my daughter's favorite. So I am celebrating by giving away some Halloween themed blog candy!

To be eligible, register as a follower (if you already are, Thank you) and post a comment to this post answering the following question:

'What is your favorite Halloween Candy to receive/eat ?'

A winner from this post will receive the (#2) Blog Candy: Raven Lace Trim (#120988)

This event closes at midnight on the 16th of October. The two winners will be announced here on the 17th of October. Prizes will be mailed on the 18th of October.

Halloween Tray

My daughter's favorite holiday is Halloween, and she likes my paper crafting, so I decided to make/alter a wall hanging for her. This is one of those 'photo trays' that have been the rage lately. I chose the 12 well, in black. *[This is the size of photo tray you can alter in my 12 days of Christmas class. (You can select black or white.) I have 2 dates for this class: Friday Nov. 5th OR Sunday Nov. 7th.] The size of each well is roughly the size of an ATC (artist trading card). So, it does pose a challenge, but just think small. Tag-size. You will be amazed at what you can do. Some images, I shrunk on my scanner and then re-printed onto card stock (e.g. the pumpkin seed packet in the bottom right corner.) All the stamps I used are Stampin' Up! I used mostly Stampin' Up! papers, and trim. You will notice 2 empty spaces. Those are there to hold photos of my grandchildren, dressed in their halloween costumes.

Thank you for looking. Don't forget, post your comment on my 'Halloween Candy' post and signup as a follower to be eligible for my halloween blog candy give-away!

Stamping 411 meets Color Throw Down

Scroll down to 'Halloween Candy' post to enter your comment, to win some halloween themed blog candy.

Here is my card for two different challenges. Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge #171, & Color Throwdown #113

I wanted to make a card with my new stamp set 'Aviary' from Stampin' Up!, #120462. The colors for this challenge are perfect plum, early espresso, and very vanilla. I made my own craft ink with my perfect plum reinker. So the cages are heat embossed and then I stamped the birds. That way the birds look like they are in the cages, instead of just 'hangin' out'. :) My newest favorite thing, is the vintage wall paper embossing folder. I just love it! It gives any (and every) project a little pizzazz! I have to admit, I have fallen in love with this new width ribbon, too. At first I was like, what am I going to do with a ribbon that is only 1/8" wide? Come on, give me something to work with! But don't you just love it? It adds some texture to the card, without taking away from my beautiful cages! I also added some bling. Let's face it, a girl has to try real hard not to give her pretty card some sparkle!

Well, thanks for looking. As always, a comment really makes my day! But don't forget to post a comment on my 'Halloween Candy' entry and sign-up as a follower to enter the halloween blog candy give away!

Congrats Michelle

I am a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, and I have a downline who just signed-up a friend as a demonstrator! How wonderful! we have a new member added to the Stampin' Up! family.

So, here is a card that I made her, to say congrats for joining the Stampin' Up! family. I wanted to make her an unique card, with a pretty color combination. I used the stamp set Simply Friendship. I used soft suede card stock for the card base. I used a crumb cake panel, and a scrap piece of the presto DSP. I sponged both sahara sand and crumb cake onto the DSP; emboss resist. I used the scallop trim border on a rose red card stock. For the flowers I stamped and cut-out the flowers, then added a pearl to their centers. I added a scrap piece of white ribbon and inserted a neutral brad through the bow and topped the brad with a pearl jewel.

My downline group is 'Hoot's Got Stamps?'. I will be posting these cute paper 'totes' that I made for them, later this week. Interested in Stampin' Up! contact me today!

Don't forget to check out the Halloween Candy post, to enter to win some blog candy.

2 Challenges, 1 Card

So, the two Challenges are the Color Throwdown #112 (sept. 28th) and the diva sketch challenge [(sketch) sept. 18th]. My Stampalicious Card Club has a sketch challenge this month, and I selected the UDI website. I wanted my group to have 'samples' using Stampin' Up! products. The rules to our card challenges are simple: use the sketch/color combo, and SU! products. For our challenges, I don't have the club members make a card for every member, instead, they make one and we vote on whose we like best. I do this, because I would rather encourage their creative side, instead of having them 'dumb down' their entry due to cost, or mass produce-ability. The winner gets to select from the 'prize box'.

Back to my entry: I wanted to use just one stamp set and the colors for the challenge. I wanted to show that you can create a beautiful card without spending a million dollars on product. Don't get me wrong, I am more than happy to sell you a million dollars in SU! product, so please contact me to place your order.

Card recipe:

cardstock: old olive, pumpkin pie, riding hood red, and vanilla (neutral).

stamp set: friends 24-7

ink: soft suede

misc: jewel rhinestones, scallop trim border and the scallop lattice embossing folder

Thank you for looking, and please post a comment: let me know if you like my card, or if you think its too plain. And don't forget to post a comment on the 'Halloween Candy' entry and follow the guidelines to win some blog candy.

Halloween Candy - #1

Halloween is the 3rd most celebrated holiday in the United States. It happens to be my daughters favorite. To help celebrate, I want to give away some Halloween Blog Candy to two lucky winners.

To be eligible, register as a follower (if you already are, Thank you) and post a comment to this post answering the following question: 'What is your favorite Halloween Candy to receive/eat ?'

A winner from this post will receive the (#1) Blog Candy: Black Flourish designer Jewels (#120987)

This event closes at midnight on the 16th of October. The two winners will be announced here on the 17th of October. Prizes will be mailed on the 18th of October.

Christmas Card Club #2 - Official

These are the cards you will be making at my Christmas Card Club #2. Originally, I used Very Vanilla as the card base on two of the cards. Well, I'm kinda really picky and particular, and I wasn't happy with the cardstock weight. So, I added a second piece to the cards. You will make 15 cards total. 5 cards each of 3 different designs, and a bonus card. The card at the top right is the bonus card. To make that card, we will be using the letterpress plate. Quick and easy, but the results are beautiful!

Kits are $25 with all supplies, supply list, and instructions with color photos. I still have a few kits still available, so purchase yours today, while supplies last. If you would like your kit mailed to you, there is a $5 shipping and handling fee.

Also, today is World Card Making Day! so all orders for Stampin' Up! supplies that I receive today will have FREE shipping! (this offer does NOT include any kits).