Cherry Mojo

Today's card is for the Mojo Monday challenge (MOJO147) and uses the Tart & Tangy and Pocket Silhouettes stamp sets by Stampin' Up! I decided to use the cherry stamp in the set since I had some cherry-themed, double-sided background paper from Creative Imaginations.

I altered the sketch just a bit by centering a stamped square over the squares in the sketch. My background squares were cut at 1-1/2", the stamped cherries were cut out with a 1-3/8" square punch and layered onto a piece of red card stock. The half circles were cut with my Cuttlebug and Nestabilities circle dies. Thanks for stopping by today and visiting! Have a great day!!

Dresden China Ship

I considered various techniques that could be used with the Large Ship stamp image by QKR Stampede. One of the first ideas that came to mind was the look of Dresden china. I chose to mimic the blue and white Dresden china and used the cracked glass technique because, with my luck, I would have dropped a vintage piece of china!

The Large Ship was stamped with blue ink onto white card stock, cut out with a Spellbinders Nestability Classic Oval die, and embossed three times with clear ultra thick embossing powder. Once cooled, the embossed image was cracked then rubbed with Rich Cocoa ink to give it an aged appearance. The piece was then layered onto a piece of card stock cut with a Spellbinders Nestability Scallop Oval die. Decorative paper is from the Citrus Matstack by DCWV. Thanks, again, for stopping by! Have a GREAT day!

Virtual Stamp Night - Silver Medals

I am absolutely amazed! I received an email from Splitcoaststampers indicating that one of my gallery photos that was submitted for the Virtual Stamp Night (VSN) challenges was moved to another gallery. I was curious to see where it had been moved to since I was careful to upload it using the correct VSN keyword. There was a link to follow, so I clicked on the link and my card had been moved to the 2010 VSN Olympic Medal Winners category; that gallery can be seen here. A few minutes later I got another email with the same message for a different card I entered. Two of my cards won "silver" medals and are pictured below! There were prizes offered by Spellbinders. I do not yet know what the prize is or if it is only for "gold" medal winners, but just to have been chosen is quite an honor since this was my first participation in a VSN challenge event.  The stamps used for these cards were from the All Holidays, Mini Mates and Wild Rose stamp sets by Stampin' Up! Thanks for stopping by!

Virtual Stamp Night (Saturday)

Wow! That's about all I can say about the Splitcoaststampers Virtual Stamp Night (VSN) activities which can be found here. If you are looking for a challenge, this is the event to do--I can see get-togethers of stamping friends working on the challenges together. This was a great way to revisit techniques and try new techniques and folds, etc.  Overall, the challenges were not as limiting as I had expected, but each had its own set of rules and stipulations to follow. The event is very organized--from the shopping list to a spreadsheet so that you can keep track of the challenges and whether you have shared the project (if you choose to do so). The picture below shows the cards that were made for the challenges that posted on Saturday. All of the cards have been uploaded to my gallery, as well. Stamp images used were from Gina K Designs, Stampendous, and Stampin' Up! Thanks for stopping by!

Virtual Stamp Night (Friday)

Last night I participated in my first Virtual Stamp Night (VSN) challenge on Splitcoaststampers. I know VSN has been around for a while--how long I am not sure. I never looked into the details of VSN before; however, I saw a post about it this past week and decided to look into it further--it sounded intriguing. This is actually a 2-day event, starting Friday evening and continuing Saturday afternoon. Prior to the start of the event, a "shopping list" detailing some of the items you will need for the challenges is provided. Having this list in advance gives you the opportunity to beg, borrow, steal, or purchase any item(s) you may not have readily available. The actual challenges are posted every hour and anyone wishing to participate has 45 minutes within which to complete each challenge. Everyone is "on their honor" for complying with the time limit. You can participate in one or all of the challenges--it's up to you. Anyone wishing to post their challenge creation has to do so by a pre-determined deadline. Prizes are offered for each challenge--how cool is that?!?! If you go here, you can read about each of the challenges and their inspiration. The cards below are the cards I entered for four of the five challenges that were posted last night. Each card has already been posted to my gallery on Splitcoaststampers. I do plan to complete the first challenge--a very challenging sketch--just have to come up with an idea. Stamps used for these cards are Birdhouse Flourish by Indadinkado and Cold Play, Elegant Greetings, Jolliest Time of the Year, and Moose You So Much by Stampin' Up! Thanks for stopping by!

Mono Dies

Mono Dies is a technique that was in the February 2010 issue of the Technique Junkie newsletter. The Mono Dies technique shows a new way to use your punches or cutting dies to create an intriguing monochromatic background for your card and scrapbook projects. The stamps used for this card are from the set God's Beauty by Stampin' Up!

Spring -- Clean and Simple

I have been admiring the variety of Clean and Simple (CAS) cards that have been surfacing on blogs and websites and decided to try the Clean and Simple challenge on Splitcoaststampers. The challenge was to do a clean and simple card, the theme of which was to be something that reminds you of "Spring" (trying to chase away the winter doldrums). So, off to my stamp collection to create these cards. The first card uses a stamp from the Tender Toile set by Stampin' Up! The second card uses a stamp by Inkadinkado. Both images were stamped using Ancient Page Coal Black ink and colored using watercolor crayons and a blender pen. Thanks for stopping by!

Blossoms Abound Color Challenge

This card was created for this week's color challenge at Splitcoaststampers, details of which can be found here. I did not have any Soft Suede card stock, so I substituted Chocolate Chip. The scalloped circles were cut with Nestabilities Large and Small Scallop Circle dies, the white card stock circles were cut using an EK Success Circle Scissor. The butterfly was stamped on the main focal image and colored using watercolor crayons and a blender pen. A duplicate image was stamped, colored, cut out, and mounted using dimensionals. Stamp sets used for this challenge were Blossoms Abound and Dreams du Jour, both by Stampin' Up!  Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today I am posting a few Valentine cards and project ideas.  Pictured is a mini tin mailbox that has been decorated with paper, ribbons, and silk flowers from Stampin' Up!  These tin mailboxes are still popular and can be found this time of year in the $1 bins at Target. 3 X 3 note cards fit perfectly in the mailbox or in the box made to hold 3 X 3 cards and envelopes.  The cards that are pictured were made using stamps from Hero Arts, Impress, Scrappy Cat, See D's, and Stampin' Up!  Thanks for stopping by!

Technique By Design

The February issue of the Technique Junkies newsletter introduced a new feature, "Technique By Design", and is open to all Technique Junkie subscribers. This is a sketch challenge and participants are required to follow the design layout and incorporate three techniques (or, at a minimum, two techniques) from any Technique Junkies newsletter. My card incorporates three techniques:  Dabbed Shimmers (February 2010), Cuttlebug Smoosh (October 2007), and Brayered Brilliance (February 2010). The stamps used on this card are from the following Stampin' Up! sets:  Touch of Nature, Peaceful Wishes, and Congrats.  One entry will be randomly selected and will be rewarded a prize package that will include becoming a Technique Junkie for life!  If you are interested in participating in this sketch challenge but are not yet a Technique Junkie subscriber, go here.  Thanks for stopping by!

Brayered Brilliance

I am a subscribing member (and fan) of a group called Technique Junkies. This group was founded by Pat Huntoon and is comprised of a group of paper craft artists (turbo designers) who devise new and different techniques for various products.  I am always in awe of the techniques the turbo designers devise and, quite frankly, amazed that they invent so many fabulous new and different techniques--these ladies are truly amazing and inspiring. As a subscribing member of the Technique Junkies, I receive a magazine quality newsletter every other month, on-line access to the techniques (which includes an on-line bonus technique), and on-line access to the technique gallery.  I also have the opportunity to purchase the entire year's techniques on CD (and, of course, I have!).

One of this month's techniques was called Brayered Brilliance, examples of which I have included below.  I really like the perception of depth in this technique. The stamps I used for the first card are from the set Touch of Nature by Stampin' Up!. After stamping the verse, it was cut out and embossed using a large oval Nestabilities die and layered onto a piece of card stock which was cut using a small scalloped oval Nestabilities die.

The stamps used on the second card are from the stamp sets Wonderful Wings and God's Way, both by Stampin' Up!. The verse was stamped then cut and embossed using the Labels One Nestabilities die, then layered onto another piece of card stock that was cut and embossed with the same Labels One Nestabilities die.

Thanks for stopping by!