Happy Friday!  I am off today, to another arts and craft fair @ Tramway Community Church, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I will be selling my hand-crafted paper goods: greeting cards, gift card holders, gift bags, gift boxes, covered notepads, altered notebooks, and more!  My paper crafting style has a shabby chic/vintage feel to it.  If you are in the area, please stop by and say hello!

But, before, I get preoccupied with all of that, I took time out of my schedule to play along with the talented ladies over @ Sketch Frenzy Friday.  Patrice is the designer of this weeks sketch.

I have to admit, when I first saw this sketch, I was stumped.  But, don't fret.  Just see the 'objects' as that.  I took a little creative freedom.  but, here is what I did!

I used a half tea doily for the partial top note die.  I inked the Ex Libris background stamp with baked brown sugar classic ink, for the main panel.  I used the Flower Shop stamp set for the blossoms.  I stamped three blossoms in cantaloupe classic ink, and used the matching punch to 'cut out' the blossoms.  I added a half pearl to the center of each blossom, to give them a more feminine look.  I used the leaves die for the leaves, using soft suede card stock for the them.  I matted the main panel onto soft suede card stock.  The card base is cantaloupe card stock. 

For my sentiment, I used a hostess stamp set for the words; Express Yourself.  I just love this font.  It's pretty without being too flamboyant.  I added a very vanilla button to one side, to help give the sentiment banner a bit of flair.

Thank you for stopping by.  We sure do hope you find time to play along with us @ SFF.  

I'm off to Tramway Community Church, for todays arts and craft fair.

Monochromatic

Whew!  I hope this day finds you well.  Me, a bit tired, from work, but, then again, what's new this year.  I am a bit late posting this, but I really liked how this card came out.  

It's Saturday, and so it's time for a new challenge over @ Our Creative Corner.  Now, when I say this is a challenge, that is exactly what it was for me.   The lovely and talented Liliani, has a super creative challenge for you this week.   Monochromatic white with a decorative edge!  

So, this is what I came up with:

For those who know me, using one color is really hard.  On a variety of different reasons, including my lack of white paper, embellishments, and trinkets.  But, this is how I did it!

 I started with heavy-weight white cardstock from Paper Trey Ink.  Then, I used my decorative edge die and embosser to create that beautiful edge.  Then, I used the same decorative edge die to cut the mat for the front of the card.  The mat is made from a 'white' texture paper.  I think the texture paper gives the large space some visual interest.

Then, to add a decorative piece, I took the same heavy-weight white cardstock, and a doily die from Paper Trey Ink, and cut a cardstock doily.  I sponged white craft ink, from Stampin' Up! along the edges of the doily, and then dipped the edges in dazzling diamond glitter.  A little sparkle makes very thing better {smile}.

I used a leaves die and some silver glitter paper, from Stampin' Up!  to create the folage piece.  I added some glass beads that I found in the wedding section of a big craft store to represent some floral pieces.  

The white paper blossom is not hand-made, but very easy to do.  Punch a floral shape from white card stock, and punch two daisy type floral shapes from white card stock.  Matt two tiny circles as your center (one white and one silver, or glittered).  Pretty simple. 

For the sentiment piece;  I cut white cardstock to 1/2" width, and used my stamp-a-ma-jig to position my sentiment.  I used the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set from Stampin' Up! and Basic Grey classic ink.  I thought that black would be to harsh.  I used a square punch to create the banner end.  I took some crinkled white seam binding and created a multi-loop bow and a Recollections rhinestone brad to attached the bow to the sentiment banner.  Adhered this piece to the card front and Viola! a pretty white monochromatic decorative edge card!

I hope you get a chance to play along with us this week.  And don't let the challenge discourage you.  Use what you have, and I'm sure you will create something fabulous to share with us @ OCC.

Happy Crafting!  hugs, Sharon W.

(love this card? you can purchase it, here)

Just Because

This week is a crazy weather week for me!  I live in central New Mexico, and you'd think we would have the best weather around.  But, as I am writing this, I woke up this morning to 42 degree temperature.  Oh my, is that a bit chilly.  The skies here have been cloudy and dreary the last two days.  I wish it would either rain, or let the sun out.

And for those of you who have been following my dog Sasha's progress, she is getting around more.  However, she is not liking her physical therapy.  She usually shows us her teeth and attempts to snap at us.  She does not like you touching her back legs.  (Sasha, had bi-lateral knee replacements one and a half weeks ago.)  And we (me and my husband) are still taking turns sitting with her.  As she is not to be left alone until she is 8 weeks out from surgery.  This translates, to me being home bound, and I'm not really a home body.  (I enjoy the energy of the city.)

Anyways, the talented ladies over @ Stampin' Queens Sketch Challenge, have been hard at work, creating some gorgeous cards to help inspire you to play along with us!  So, grab your Stampin' Up! supplies, and lets create something beautiful!

Here is this weeks sketch:

Here is what I made:

And this is how I did it, and what I used.  The card base is Rose Red card stock.  The bottom panel piece is made up of First Edition DSP matted onto a piece of Soft Suede card stock.  The main panel of the card is a piece of Naturals card stock matted onto a piece of Pink Pirouette card stock.  For the stamp, I colored the image with my markers, huffed on the 'colored' stamp and then stamp.  I cut the banner piece from the same naturals card stock.  I stamped the sentiment twice, once on the card front, and then again on the banner.  I made the paper blossom from the text paper.  I used the Floral Fusion die.  I crinkled the petals, and stacked them.  I outlined the petals with a glue pen and dipped the paper blossom into a tub of dazzling diamond glitter.  I adhered a small leaf sprig made from Pear Pizzazz DSP and the leaf die.  The top piece is actually a scrap piece of fabric.  I used the Lots of Tags die to cut this shape.  I added a mini vintage tag to the center and attached the tag with a vintage trinket brad.  I stamped the '4 you' in soft suede classic ink.  I spritz the whole card with some home-made shimmer mist.  I added two half faux pearls to the floral centers of the stamped piece.

Thank you for looking.  I hope that you get a chance to play along with us this week!  I hope you are all well, and that you have a good week.  Stop by soon, for a visit. {smile}

Congratulations

Wow! this week is flying by!  But, I hope you have a chance to join us @ Sketch Frenzy Friday, for another creative blog hop!  The talented, Tammy F. has a fabulous sketch for you to try, so won't you play along?

Here is the sketch:

Here is my card:

This card was actually quite fun to create.  I really needed to isolate myself in my craft room, and just play with different items and various products.

I started with a plain, blank piece of very vanilla cardstock.  I stamped the two smallest doilies in pool party and pear pizzazz.  Then I stamped the Hello, Dolly doily stamp in Versa Mark and added white embossing powder.  I wanted a simple, yet feminine design on part of the card.

I made my blossoms from different papers: pattern, tetured, stamped, and plain solid.  I created the middle blossom larger, and the two supporting blossoms a bit smaller.  I sponged frost white shimmer paint on all the edges of the different layers of petals and then dunked them into some dazzling diamond glitter.  I thought the added shimmer would give them a 'candied' look.   I added a scrap piece of vanilla velvet ribbon to help keep this card soft and feminine.

I stamped the sentiment in Basic Grey classic ink.  I thought black was too harsh, and a beige was too blah.

After the card was assembled, I sprayed it with vanilla smooch, then I used the spritzer with first a crumb cake marker and then the pool party marker. 

Thank you for stopping by, I do appreciate the company, and your comments really do make my day.  But, before you leave, don't forget to stop by Tammy F.'s blog, to continue on with this blog hop!

SSC211 & JUGS 92

I hope that everyone had a fabulous weekend! and was able to carve-out some crafting time!  I sure did!  Phyllis Shepherd, who is my up-line has sent me an email, informing me that she has a 'gift' for me @ the Stampin' Up! Convention!  How fabulous, huh?  Well, Phyllis is a warm, wonderful lady who always has a little gift for me at Convention and Leadership.  So, its a wonderful feeling, knowing that she hasn't forgotten me!  :)  So, I wanted to make her a special Thank You card, to show my appreciation and thank her for her thoughtfulness.

So, I went to two of my 'go-to' challenge sites to get some inspiration.  Stamping 411 has a wonderful sketch, that is easy to work with.  JUGs has a technique challenge.  So, I combined them both!

Here's my card!

I used Pink Pirouette cardstock, for the base of the card.  I received my first order from the new catalog, so I HAD to use some of the pattern papers from Beau Chateau DSP.  I used probably every thank you stamp that I have.  I stamped them in different classic inks: Soft Suede, Sahara Sand, Crumb Cake, Pink Pirouette, and Pretty in Pink.  I had to add a hand-made flower!  So, I used Floral Fusion to create a flower using Pink Pourette cardstock.  I used the Square Lattice to give the flower a softness.  I added a hand-made button to the center.  I die cut some leaves with the little leaves die and a scrap piece of the DSP.  I had a scrap piece of Pretty in Pink Satin ribbon, and so I added it on! 

So, now for the technique!  Just Us GirlS, want you to make your own button out of cardstock.  Sound hard, not really.  Just use your head, die cut several 'buttons'.  Stack them, to give then some bulk, or die cut a button out of chip board.  Adhere them all together.  I added some Diamond Glaze to the top button to help give it some dimension and gloss.  I used my stylus to keep the thread holes clear and usable.  I threaded some linen thread through the holes and tied a tiny bow.

I hope that Phyllis likes my card.  She is truly a very warm, giving and thoughtful person.