Red & Aqua Color Challenge

Good Day!  It's Saturday, the beginning of a wonderful weekend, and another challenge over @ Our Creative Corner!  It's a color challenge: red and aqua, and a bit of pink if you'd like.  Sarah, over @ ThinkIng Stamps, is our hostess this month.  This is also her last week. :(  We will miss her.  She has a fabulously fun style, that is uniquely hers.  

This was a difficult color challenge for me.  I think these two colors look wonderful together, but for some reason, I couldn't get them to work together, until...

Here is the inspiration photos:

Here is the card I made:

This card was a bear to create.  But, once I got it going, it turned out to be 'fun' to make.  Christmas is not my all time favorite holiday.  But, it is a wonderful time of the year to get together with family and friends.  I used almost all non SU! products to create this card.

The card base is an aqua mist cardstock.  The pattern paper is a few years old, I believe.  I stamped the sentiment on Vellum cardstock with a Recollections stamp.  I really do love the font of this stamp.  The snowman is a big box holiday find.  I think the snowman and pattern paper work nicely together.  I wanted to add some sparkle to some of the snowflakes, so I added some clear rhinestones randomly.

Now, it's your turn!  Take a look at what the Design Team has created, and play along with us!  You could be our next Top Talent Winner!  (you can't win, if you don't play!)

Sketch Frenz

Its Friday!  Yahoo! and that means that it's time for another sketch challenge over @ Sketch Frenzy Friday Challenge.  This weeks sketch challenge is brought to us by Tammy F., and is very easy to work with, and fun to play with.  When you are done, please visit the next stop on our Blog Tour with Tammy B.'s blog.        

here is the sketch:

here is my card:

At first, I was going to rotate the sketch, but take just a minute to look at the sketch.  It's very user friendly in its original orientation and look at the embellishment used.  Very each to adapt.  

So, if you aren't familiar with my style, I have an infinity towards shabby-chic.  And I 'see' shabby-chic as vintage with some sparkle.  You know, something old, weathered, or worn, and something modern new added to it.  My favorite addition is sparkle.  

The only company I used for this creation is Stampin' Up!  If you haven't ever used their products, I can't stress enough to give them a try.  They are one of the leaders in paper crafting for a reason.  They make wonderfully heavy cardstock.  They color match their inks, ribbon, and paper.  So, there is no more guessing that everything will coordinate.  If you spend less time searching for stuff, you spend more time creating!

For the card base, I used chocolate chip cardstock.  I used a scrap piece of Beau Chateau DSP to help ground my card.  I love the curves of the top note die, so I die cut two pieces.  One in chocolate chip and other in very vanilla.  I trimmed the very vanilla along the perferated edge and used the chocolate chip piece as a mat.  I stamped the floral image from 'elements of style' in crumb cake classic ink, and used my soft subtles water coloring crayons to color the image.  (I used my aqua painter to blend the color.)  I just the Eiffel tower image from 'artistic etchings' and so I stamped over the the floral image.  I love to added ribbon and a button or two, but I didn't want just a line of ribbon, so I put some sticky strip across the lower third of the stamped panel, and did a free hand pleat with some crochet trim.  I didn't want to wrap the ribbon, so I cut the ends, and used one blade of the scissors to fray the ends and left those just hanging.  I thought it help soften the card.  I wanted some 'thing' on the ribbon, so I put a button.  But, i couldn't just put on a button.  So, I tied some linen thread through the button holes and made a bow, and added a faux half-pearl to secure the bow and add a girly touch.  The three tags are strung through the linen thread.  They are stamped with 'Mr & Mrs' '{love}', and 'hand crafted'.  'AMOUR' was stamped last.  To make sure the placement was right.  I needed to add some sparkle, so I sprayed it first with the vanilla smooch, and then the left side with log cabin smooch.

Thank you for taking the time to have a look.  I appreciate the visit.  But, leave me a comment.  Let me know what you think!  

Simply Pretty

It's Thursday, and that means its time for another challenge from Creative Sketches Challenge Blog!  And today, they have a wonderfully cute 'sketch only' challenge!  Easy Peasy, huh?  

Here is their sketch:

And here is my version of this sketch:

The card base is Pink Pirouette cardstock.  The two pattern papers are from the Tea Time Scrappin Kit.  I used the Creative Elements stamp set for the added images (border trim, flower, 'create', flourish, and butterfly).  The flower is stamped in Old Olive classic ink.  The flourish is stamped in Versa Mark and white embossing powder was then poured on the center piece.  The 'create' was stamped in chocolate chip classic ink, onto a tag that was in the scrappin' kit.  The butterfly was stamped in Versa Mark, on a scrap piece of Pool Party cardstock and heat embossed.

When I sat down to create this card, I wanted something that used product I already had on hand, followed the sketch, and was pleasing to the eye.  This card has a lot going on, but it doesn't hurt your eyes.  I really wanted to add some ribbon, to soften the crisp edges, but didn't see any that looked 'good'.  

Thank you for looking!  And come back soon!

Antique Marina Florals

Howdy! and thanks for stopping by to see what I've been crafting!  Today, I have a card I demonstrated at my downline meeting, 'Hoot's Got Stamps?' this month.  I was a card that Robin Merriman had posted on July 19th, 2011, and fell in love with it!  I used this CAS'd card to show my downline how the introduction of one new, inexpensive item could really inspire their folks in their workshops and clubs. 

Here's my card:

One of the main reasons that I just love this card, is the simplicity and elegance of it.  You use a little product.  Marina Mist cardstock for the base.  A quarter sheet of very vanilla cardstock for the main image.  I stamped the floral image from Elements of Style in Marina Mist classic ink.  Then I stamped the Wonderfully Worn background stamp in Sahara Sand.  I then took a 2 1/2" x 4 1/4" First Edition  and ripped the two long ends, crumpled the DSP an sponged with Crumb Cake classic ink.  .  Then I wrapped the seam binding around the card.  The fancy oval, is actually a new embossing folder from Stampin' Up! - Designer Frames, I embossed the piece of very vanilla cardstock first, then added the monogram and faux half-pearls. I used foam tape to elevate the oval off the card, to help give this vintage simple card some charm.

Thank you for looking!  Please leave me your thoughts/ideas about this card or other things you see that catches your eye

Mojo & B's

Its Saturday! and that means that its time for another challenge over @ Our Creative Corner!  And this weeks challenge is hosted by Sarah Gough.  And our challenge is to use all B's : buttons, black, bling and a bow!  Doesn't this sound super fun?  

Well, I needed to get my Mojo working, so I went over to Mojo Monday's challenge for a layout to help me with this weeks Our Creative Corner challenge.

So, if you need a little priming to get your creative juices flowing, like I did, check out what the rest of the design team has come up with!  They are pretty talented and have very different, beautiful cards to share with you!

Here is my card:

For this card I used grey, daffodil delight, basic black, and whisper white cardstock to pull this together.  I also used one of my all-time favorite retired stamp sets: Friends 24-7, some going grey and basic black classic inks.  The flower I made with some sheer yellow organza and yellow tulle.  The pattern paper is from Authentique, and the black pearl and rhinestone swirls are from my stash, but everything else is Stampin' Up!  Thank you for looking!  And I hope that you join us in this weeks challenge to use all B's!

sketch Frenzy

Happy Friday!  I have some wonderful news that I just couldn't wait to share with all of you.  I have been selected to be on the Sketch Frenzy Friday design team!  How exciting! I know!  So, I want to invite all of you to join the challenge this week!  

Todays Sketch is brought to us by Tammy Baldwin:

Here is my card:

For my card, I used Berry Blossoms DSP, the perfect pennant die, and some of the new Wisteria Ruffle ribbon.  I kept my card pretty simple.  I was having a bit of a struggle with this weeks challenges.  My mind is busy with work, and trying to get everything done.  

Please use this as some creative inspiration, so you can join us in this weeks challenge.  So, go creative something wonderful and upload it to the Sketch Frenzy Friday blog.  Now, on to the next blog on the tour, Tammy B.