Stampin' Up! Flirty Cucumber Bunch of Blossoms

Flirty Flamingo is one of this year's new In Colors and it is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.  I stamped the outline of the flowers using it and found that it pairs well with Pink Pirouette for 2-Step Stamping.  I used Cucumber Crush for the leaves and couldn't find another color to pair with it, so the inside of the leaves is also Cucumber Crush (I stamped it off once to give it the lighter color).  I love how the Bunch of Blossoms stamp set has the coordinating Blossom Builder Punch.  I stamped the leaves and stems on my 2-1/2" circle and then punched and added the flowers with a Stampin' Dimensional.  The polka dot paper is from the In Color DSP stack.  Banner strips are 1/2" Flirty Flamingo and 3/4" Cucumber Crush punched with the Banner Triple Punch.  Finally the background is textured with the Lovely Lace embossing folder to finish it off.

Today's card was inspired by the sketch challenge over at The Paper Players.

Stampin' Up! Cucumber Dot Botanicals

I am so ready for Spring...and I think it shows in my stamping creations lately!  It's time for bright and fun cards.  I've been enjoying the warmer Spring-like weather we've had over the past week or two and loved the fact that ALL of our snow finally melted (I think we've had some snow on the ground since last November).  Then, last night we went out to visit family it was raining, then drove home in what I'd almost describe as a blizzard!  Thankfully it's sunny and melting today,

I haven't had a lot of time to stamp the past few months, but I LOVE the new stamps and accessories in the Occasions Catalog, so I was excited to try some of my new stamps out.  I decided to play along with the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  Thanks to the inspiration from this challenge I've been able to crank out a few new cards without too much effort.  I also decided to use a lot of green to go along with the challenge over at Stampin' Royalty.  After all, bright green says Spring to me, and Spring makes my heart happy.

I used some of my polka dot Cucumber Crush DSP from the In Color DSP stack for my background and layered that on black to help it "pop" off the white card base.  The word strip is Daffodil Delight and I stamped the awesome greeting from the Grateful Bunch set from the Occasions Catalog.  The bold flower is Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, and Cucumber Crush card stock cut out with the Botanical Builders framelits dies.  I decided that the leaves needed something to help them not get so lost against the green background, so I used the fern-like stamp from the Botanical Blooms stamp set to stamp some black detail on them.  Enjoy!

Stampin' Up! Watermelon Pear Watercolor Wings

Today's card was inspired by the challenge over at Colour Me (a color challenge: Watermelon Wonder, Pear Pizazz, and Soft Sky) and the sketch challenge at Just Add Ink.

I used the Watercolor Wings stamp set and then cut out around the butterflies and mounted them with a Stampin' Dimensional.  I stamped the greeting on a 2-1/2" circle and layered that on a couple of colored banners (the edge was punched with the hexagon punch--I need to order that new banner punch).  The Soft Sky card stock is textured with the Fluttering embossing folder and everything is layered on a white card base.

Stampin' Up! Bold Build a Birthday

I've been a long-time fan of Stampin' Up!'s Designer Series Paper Stacks, and this year's new designs do not disappoint!  The bold white polka-dots are so fun and versatile!  I used that pattern in Bermuda Bay for the background on this card.

I combined the color challenge  from Hand Stamped Sentiments
with the sketch challenge at Pals Paper Arts.

I used the Build a Birthday set to stamp the candles in Bermuda Bay, Blushing Bride, and Watermelon Wonder.  I stamped the "Happy Birthday" from the Tin of Card photopolymer set in Watermelon Wonder.  I punched out the candles with the 2" circle punch and layered it on the 2-3/8" scalloped circle punch.  For the greeting strip and the Watermelon Wonder strip, I cut them with the paper trimmer and then punched the end with the hexagon punch to create the banner shape (I really need to get one of those new triple banner punches!)  I wasn't sure about this color combination, but I love how bold and fun it is!
 

Fresh Dots and Petite Petals

Have you seen the new Stampin' Up! In Colors yet?  I've had a little bit of time to play around with them and I think my favorite (at least for now) is Watermelon Wonder.  I've loved Calypso Coral for a while and Watermelon Wonder seems to have the same vibrancy but just a bit more red in it.  Lately I'm finding that Soft Sky is becoming one of my go-to colors as well.  I have to be honest, I've had Soft Sky in my collection since it first debuted several years ago, then I dusted it off when it became a regular Stampin' Up! color, and I haven't used it much until the past few months.  Perhaps I was thinking it had to be used alongside pastel colors, but I'm quickly learning how great it goes with vibrant and bold colors as well!

I made this card to go with the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  I stamped the greeting with the Work of Art stamp set using Bermuda Bay ink.  I stamped flowers from Petite Petals in Crushed Curry and Watermelon Wonder and then punched them with the coordinating punch.  I added a little Bermuda Bay candy dot to the center of the middle flower.  To frame in my greeting, I layered it on Watermelon Wonder card stock and then onto some of the new Cherry On Top DSP.  I thought the colored dots were just so fun and summery (which was perfect for today's summery weather--the hottest day of the year so far)!  I textured the Soft Sky card stock with the Decorative Dots embossing folder and then layered everything onto a white card base.  I love this simple sketch because it focuses on the words but then adds a bit of pizazz around the greeting.

 

Stampin' Up! Butterfly Thoughts

Today's card inspiration is brought to you by the blog challenges over at Freshly Made Sketches and Stampin' Royalty.  It's fun to combine a sketch challenge and a color challenge and see what turns out.  I started this card with no set plan (except to incorporate the challenges) and I think it turned out nicely.  I grabbed the challenge colors (Pacific Point, Rich Razzleberry, Blackberry Bliss, and Smoky Slate) and then decided to turn the sketch sideways.

I started out by stamping the greeting (from the Perfect Pennants set) in Blackberry Bliss and then added the butterflies (from Papillon Potpourri) stamped in Rich Razzleberry, Smoky Slate, and Pacific Point.  I punched out the large blue butterfly---love those coordinating punches, and popped it up a bit with a Stampin' Dimensional.  The stamped panel is mounted on Pacific Point and Blackberry Bliss.  I added some texture to the Smoky Slate card base by using the chevron embossing folder and then added the polka dot stripes (Backgrounds DSP stack) along the side to complete the sketch. 

Soft Hello Stars

A few days got away from me, but I'm back with more card ideas.  There are a few challenges that I wanted to make sure to play along with, so to help catch up, I combined two challenges.  I made this card for a sketch challenge from Freshly Made Sketches and a photo inspiration challenge from Stampin' Royalty.  I chose the soft colors from the photo, so I decided to use Soft Sky and Crumb Cake to mimic those colors.  I also added the star elements because of the photo.  For the sketch, I wanted to think outside of the "box" a little, so instead of using an image or text box, my text (the hello from the hello you framelits) fills the space of the box.  I textured the white card stock with the Lucky Stars embossing folder (I just love those embossing folders).  I stamped stars from the Pictogram Punches stamp set on the Crumb Cake card stock and then added an additional Crumb Cake and Soft Sky star next to my text.  To tie everything together (literally), I used some soft Crumb Cake seam binding and then adhered everything to my Soft Sky card base.

 

Occasions Catalog Idea Trio

Nothing gets my creative juices flowing like a blog challenge.  I love how I can look at a sketch, grab a few specified colors, or look at an inspiration photo and then get stamping.  Our friends over at Stampin' Royalty are having a Guest Designer Open Call.  I love how so many blog challenge designers share their talent to help inspire others.  Today I'm sharing three cards that are my try-out to be a guest designer.

When creating this first card, I gave myself a color challenge.  I wanted a bright and fresh card that didn't use corals or pinks (which I tend to gravitate towards), so I chose Tempting Turquoise, Wild Wasabi, and Daffodil Delight.  I made a couple of cards with these colors and am sharing my favorite.  The combination of these colors seems very Springy or Summery, which is perfect to offset the weather for today (we're currently in the middle of a Winter-like snowstorm.....welcome to Spring in Utah)!  I'm trying to make a bunch of samples using sets from the Stampin' Up! Occasions Catalog for an upcoming class, so I used the Painted Petals stamp set.  I added a bit of the polka dot paper from the Backgrounds DSP stack (Brights) and layered that with my stamped panel onto some Daffodil Delight and then tied it up with some Daffodil Delight cotton ribbon.  I textured my card base with the Spring Flowers embossing folder and glued everything together.

This second card would work well for a color challenge (Strawberry Slush, Wild Wasabi, and Basic Gray).  It would also work well as a sketch challenge.  I like using Basic Gray in place of Basic Black when I want to keep the lines softer and not so bold.  I used another set from the Stampin' Up! Occasions Catalog called Mother's Love.  It's a two step stamp set which makes adding color the images a breeze.  I again added a bit of polka dot paper from the Brights Patterns DSP stack and used the Spring Flowers embossing folder for the background.  Two of my top go-to products are embossing folders and DSP stacks.  I added a bit of Smoky Slate 1/8" taffeta ribbon to tie in the gray.  I stamped the "for you" and layered it on some circles thanks to the circle framelits.  Finally, I added a little flower punched from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack (complete with rhinestone jewel in the center).

For my third and final card, I went with a card that is easy to duplicate.  I love having so many fun stamping supplies and I like to be able to use them.  I make a lot of cards for samples, and then find that I don't send enough.  This year I'm trying to send out more thank you notes, so I needed to create something that I can mass-produce to use for that purpose.  I also like to make a bunch of cards to give packs of 6 to teachers and school staff at the end of the year, so they can't be too time-consuming.

I used the Painted Petals stamp set again for this card.  I stamped the stems in Mossy Meadow and then used the Petite Petals punch for the flowers so that they'd extend past the 2-1/2" circle.  I added some rhinestone jewels to the flowers for their centers and adhered the flowers with Stampin' Dimensionals.  I stamped some flowers on the Soft Sky card stock in Soft Sky ink so that they would be subtle, but add a little something to the background.  I tied that layer up with some Blackberry Bliss ribbon and mounted it onto my white card base.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing 3 cards today instead of just 1.  Since I've been stamping so much lately, this is a good way to keep up on posting my ideas.  Enjoy!

Fresh Star Balloons

My kids love birthday balloons.  We have a tradition where one of the kids gets to go to the store to choose a mylar balloon for another on their birthday.  It's fun to see how long the mylar balloons last, some of them have lasted up to a month!  We also hang regular balloons from the ceiling fan in our kitchen.  Balloons just scream birthday to us.  

I love the balloon stamps in the Balloon Bash set that's in the Stampin' Up! Occasions Catalog, especially the star balloon.  I guess I have a thing for stars lately (star framelits, star embossing folder, star stamps).  The layout for this card is thanks to the fun sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  I stamped star balloons in Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush, and Daffodil Delight.  I stamped the #happybirthday in Strawberry Slush as well.  I know I'm not alone when I say that I am NOT ready to say goodbye to the retiring In Colors in a couple of months.  These colors feel so summery to me (and I have a summer birthday--maybe that's why I'm drawn to them).  I layered stamped panel on some Daffodil Delight card stock and then on some Strawberry Slush that I textured with the Lucky Stars embossing folder.  I added a Coastal Cabana chevron strip from the In Colors Backgrounds DSP stack and then tied all of the layers together with some Daffodil Delight cotton ribbon.  Finally, I mounted everything to a white card base.  Happy Birthday (or unBirthday) to all of you!
  

Painted Coral Petals

It feels so good to be back in the swing of doing challenges and I find them quite addicting :)  I love how they give me a bit of inspiration to get my creative juices flowing.  They also get me creating some fun samples to share using my Stampin' Up! collection.  Today I combined a couple of challenges: a sketch challenge from The Challenge and a color challenge from Hand Stamped Sentiments.

I stamped my flowers from the Painted Petals set using Calypso Coral and Mossy Meadow.  I stamped the greeting from the Crazy About You set (such a great set for greetings) in Bermuda Bay.  To tie in the color of the greeting, I added a small butterfly from the Papillon Potpourri set and punched it with the coordinating butterfly punch.  I always love to add some texture and patterns to my cards,  so I used the Spring Flowers embossing folder and some Calypso Coral Backgrounds DSP for the base of my card.  I hand-cut the greeting pennant and layered it onto Calypso Coral so that it stands out a bit.

  

Lagoon Baby Congrats

Embossing folders are one of my favorite Stampin' Up! products.  They seem to add that finishing touch to any card background without a lot of effort.  I love the Lucky Stars embossing folder that came out in the Holiday Catalog and am so glad that it returned in the current Occasions Catalog.  I've used the star folder for Christmas, birthday, thanks, and now baby cards.

I tried out this week's sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.  In addition to the embossing folder on the background, I added some of the polka dot paper from the Backgrounds DSP stack added then added the curved shape beneath the ribbon with some silver glimmer paper cut with the Deco Label framelits.  I used the Zoo Babies stamp set for the lion stamp and the congratulations stamp and stamped them in Lost Lagoon.  I wanted to tie in the embossed stars from my background, so I stamped the patterned star from the Pictogram Punches set in Crushed Curry.  The big stars are cut with the stars framelits in white and Crushed Curry.

  

Petal Potpourri Thanks

We've been having a strange Winter around here, but I'm not complaining.  It has been 10-20 degrees above normal for the past month or two and I'm loving it.  I wouldn't mind another 10 or 20 degrees :)  We typically have piles of snow that just won't melt and temperatures that don't go above freezing for weeks at a time.  I must say that I'm enjoying a bit of sunshine.  My little guy loves being able to go out and play (and I love not having to bundle him up in snow clothes).

Maybe it's the warmer temperatures and the lack of snow, but I'm ready to stamp with bright colors and forget the drab colors of Winter!  I think this card fits the bill.  I used the new Petal Potpourri set from the Occasions Catalog and stamped a background using Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, and Daffodil Delight.  Just the names of those colors are fun and cheerful!  I used the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches to place my ribbon and greeting.  It's a great basic sketch and would work with just about anything!  I tied some daffodil delight seam binding around the card and then added my greeting.  For the punched layers on the greeting, I stamped words from the Crazy About You set and punched them with the oval punch, the scalloped oval, and finally the decorative label punch. 
 

Indigo Thanks

Last week I came across this card made by Wanda and knew I had to try making one using the blue and black.  I decided to pair that along with the Freshly Made Sketch challenge and this is what I came up with.  I stamped the watercolor image in Island Indigo for the background using the Work of Art set and then stamped the image from For All Things in Basic Black.  I love the black against the blue, it gives it kind of a shadow look.  I stamped the greeting and punched it with my 1-3/4" circle punch and layered it onto a Island Indigo circle that I cut with the circles collection framelits.  The strips of patterned paper are from the Patterns DSP stacks and the black flower punch is from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack.  I love how easily cards can come together with a little help from sketch challenges.

Pansy Banner

It has been WAY too long since I have participated in a blog challenge.  I love the inspiration that I get from challenges, so it is good to be back!  I hope I can get back in gear and stay on top of challenges at least for a while.

Today's card was inspired by the sketch challenge over at Just Add Ink.  I decided to turn the sketch onto its side and go from there.  I've used my favorite flower set (Flower Shop) along with the Pansy punch to add the stamping to my card.  I remember the days of tediously cutting out flowers for cards--hooray for coordinating punches now!  I stamped the flowers in Strawberry Slush and Daffodil Delight and mounted them onto my hand-cut banner with Stampin' Dimensionals.  I thought about adding some type of embellishment to the centers of the flowers, but everything I tried seemed to distract from the simplicity I wanted.  I stamped the "hugs & kisses" from the Good Greeting set (hostess only exclusive this month) in Basic Black and then layered everything onto my white card base that I embossed with the chevron embossing folder.  What did we do before embossing folders?  They are such a great and simple way to finish off card bases.  Enjoy!

Bold Midnight Curry Flowers

There are so many fun card challenges that I want to participate in and I just don't have the time.  So, this morning I decided to combine a couple of my favorites and this is the card I came up with.

I got my layout inspiration from the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches and combined that with some color inspiration from Pals Paper Arts.  I love the bold colors together--Crushed Curry, Midnight Muse, and Early Espresso.  I stamped some flowers from the Flower Shop stamp set randomly and then layered that panel onto Midnight Muse and Early Espresso card stock.  I wanted to add more of the Crushed Curry color, so I textured a strip of it with the Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder and added that to the card.  I didn't want to overdo the bold colors, so I used a big panel of white on top of my Midnight Muse card base, that way I could also stamp my greeting from Sweet Essentials (using Early Espresso ink) without having to add another layer for the text.  To "tie" the card all together, I added some of my favorite 3/8" stitched satin ribbon in Midnight Muse.  Happy Monday!

Sherbet Flavored Flowers

Don't these colors remind you of some nice cold sherbet?  That sounds pretty tasty to me right now!  I chose these colors for the card thanks to the challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments--Daffodil Delight, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, and Strawberry Slush.  All but the Daffodil Delight are new In Colors for 2013-2015 and I just love them!  I paired the color challenge with this week's sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.  Thanks for the great inspiration!

I stamped the flowers from the new Flower Shop stamp set and punched an additional flower out with the coordinating pansy punch (then raised it a bit with a Stampin' Dimensional).  I added some Pistachio leaves that I cut with the Secret Garden Framelit to the raised flower.  If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you probably know that I add some Patterns Designer Series Paper or some texture from an embossing folder to almost every card--well, here I did both!  Designer Series Paper and Textured Impressions are my favorite accessories (and I love ribbon as well) so I added them all to this card to go along with the SUO Challenge.  I used some of the new In Color (Strawberry Slush) Patterns DSP in the polka dot pattern along with the polka dot embossing folder to create my background.  I separated the two with some Daffodil Seam Binding ribbon.  Hope you enjoy!