Watercolored Reason to Smile

While I had my watercolor wonder crayons out for yesterday's card, I decided that assorted daisies would make a fun card.  I love bright gerbera daisies, they remind me of my wedding almost 10 years ago!  My flowers were assorted bright flowers, but the most prominent of those flowers were bold gerbera daisies. 

I stamped the daisy from the Reason to Smile several times as well as the congrats stamp from Sassy Salutations with my Basic Black ink pad.  I then scribbled some color from the brights collection of watercolor wonder crayons over the flowers and then blended the color with my aquapainter.  I layered this onto black and then onto my Regal Rose card base.  This is a simple card with just a couple of layers, but I think it turned out fun.

Reason to Smile Solo Daisy

Here's another idea with the promotional Reason to Smile set.  I've made a bunch of different cards with this set, but all have just used ink pads for the color (something that I do a lot of).  This time I decided to pull out my watercolor wonder crayons and aquapainter and give those a try again.  I really do like the watercolor wonder crayons, I just find that the majority of my stamps are bold and don't need to be colored in. Anyway, I stamped the daisy in black and then watercolored it, adding a little bit of very watered down blue around the edges of the stamp for a bit of a shadow.  I layered it onto Marina Mist and tied some black 1/8" taffeta ribbon around it, then layered it onto some black card stock.  The blue designer series paper comes from the Polka Dot Parade pack and is layered on some white that I punched with the scallop edge punch.  Finally, everything is mounted on my Wild Wasabi card base that I (surprise) textured with the polka dot embossing folder.  Have you watercolored lately?

Black and Red Wedding

I found this fun card sketch layout over at splitcoast (it's this week's sketch challenge) and decided that I needed to play along.  I haven't made a card with a triangle in the background, so I decided that I should try it.  I knew I wanted to use some designer series paper, but the problem was that I didn't want to chop it up into odd angles and waste any.  My solution was to pick some paper that I could use both sides of, so that is what I did.  I grabbed a piece of red dsp from the Polka Dot Parade pack and started cutting.  I flipped the two corners over and swapped them places so that they fit back together for my background.  I love this pack of paper and I also love that the two patterns coordinate well together.  Since this paper dictated my colors, I decided to add some black and make it a wedding card.  I thought it was kind of strange to have a black cake, but it is what worked with this card, it also seems like cakes are done up in any color these days, so maybe black and red isn't too over the top.  My cake comes from Topsy-Turvy Celebration and the Congrats comes from Sassy Salutations.  Can you tell that I really like those two sets together?  To finish off the card, I added a bit of 1/8" black taffeta ribbon.  Have you made a triangle backgound before?

Crumb Cake Bicycle

This week's color challenge on Splitcoast is to make a card using Crumb Cake, Pink Pirouette, and the new Raspberry Ripple.  I like how these color challenges keep me out of a rut and help me come up with fresh new cards.  I textured my card base (something that I'm doing a lot of lately) with the polka dot embossing folder.  I added a layer of patterns dsp in Raspberry Ripple mounted on a strip of the same color card stock.  My bicycle is from the Moving Forward set and is stamped in Crumb Cake with Raspberry flowers in the basket and has a bit of patterns dsp in Pink Pirouette below it and is layered on Raspberry and Pink Pirouette card stock.  I added a couple banners cut with the bitty banners framelits (for the Big Shot) and tied a bit of white stitched grosgrain ribbon around the first couple layers.  I love that stitched grosgrain and I think I need it in about every color--I'll be adding some to my order tomorrow :)  The greeting comes from Sassy Salutations and is stamped in Raspberry Ripple.  Have you tried a color challenge yet?

Duo Cake Take 2

I find that most of my cards are more feminine (or "girly") and I try to come up with options at my classes for more boy cards.  A few weeks ago we made this card at my class, but I offered it in this color combo as well.  You can see the recipe and tips on the link for the original card.  The only difference here is that my colors are Pool Party and Basic Gray.  I sure do like the Topsy Turvy Celebration set--those cake stamps are just so fun!

Dynamic Duo Bird

I love getting color inspiration!  Lately, I have been mixing up my colors thanks to a bunch of color challenges.  This card was made for the Dynamic Duos challenge this week.  I've always loved Rich Razzleberry, it is such a fun, bold purple and it works with a lot of different colors.  I have to admit, I haven't always felt the same way about Old Olive.  I've been a demonstrator for 14 years and it's only been in the past few years that Old Olive has gotten regular use with my stamps.  Maybe it's because my old go-to greens were all retired a few years ago, maybe it's because Olive is more of a trendy color, and then maybe it's because I've just gotten out of my comfort zone and have started using it.  I found that it isn't such a bad color after all, in fact, I really like it now.  Funny how out tastes change over the years.

This card is a quick one to stamp--two stamps, that's it!  The layering is what takes the time, which isn't too bad either.  I textured the card base with the polka dot textured impressions embossing folder and then layered some pieces of the Polka Dot Parade designer series paper on card stock.  Under the Razzleberry layer, I stuck two banners from the bitty banners framelits (cut with my Big Shot).  I cut out my stamped layer with my 2-1/2" circle punch and mounted it on top of everything with Stampin' Dimensionals after I tied a bit of white stitched grosgrain around everything.  The bird stamp is from Betsy's Blossoms and the greeting is from Sassy Salutations.  Enjoy!

Summer Cake Stack

Ooooh, these colors just scream Summer!  We're in the midst of hot summer 90+ degree days around here.  These colors are so rich and juicy, they make such a great trio!  They (lucky limeade, calypso coral, and daffodil delight) are the color challenge this week over at The Paper Players.  Thanks for the great color combo!  My calypso coral ink pad has been very neglected until just recently, now it is one of my favorite colors!

For my card, I used the Topsy-Turvy Celebration set and made a 4-layer cake.  Instead of adding the typical candles at the top of the cake, I used the bow stamp from the same set.  I embellished the cake a bit with flowers that I cut out (also from the same set).  The top layer of the cake is actually the same stamp as the next two layers, but I masked off a side of it so that it wouldn't be as wide.  The greeting comes from my fav Sassy Salutations set and I stamped it directly on the patterned paper.  I've combined the Polka Dot Parade designer series paper with my traditional patterns designer series paper for the prints. I added a bit of white card stock that I punched with the scallop edge punch to the daffodil papers.  Lately I've gotten into not having my card base be plain, so I've run this one through my big shot with the polka dot textured impressions folder to pick up on the dot theme on this card.  Hope you enjoy!

Polka Dots and Blossoms

I just can't get enough of my new Stampin' Up! sets.  I am about ready to order some new sets to add to my collection, but I keep finding great ways to use the handful of sets I ordered from the new catalog.  For this card I used the Betsy's Blossoms set and Sassy Salutations.  I came across a new sketch challenge that I'm sure I'll be following regularly now--Mojo Monday.  I love the layout from this sketch, and I love that I was able to create this card fairly quickly since the card layout was already decided.  I used the blossom punch on the large flower image and the 1/2 inch circle on the smaller flower to create the red center.  The thank you is punched out with the wide oval punch.  I only had limited time and wanted to participate in a couple of challenges today, so I used a color challenge along with this sketch.  My colors are Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, and Early Espresso, which were inspired by the blog challenge over at Pals Paper Arts. I used the Polka Dot Parade designer series paper in Daffodil Delight and added a bit of white card stock punched with the scallop edge punch.  I decided to continue the polka dot theme with the 1/2" cherry cobbler scalloped dots ribbon.  Thanks for stopping by!

Fresh Flowers

Are you ready for another card idea using the promotional Reason to Smile stamp set?  Today's card is based on a this week's sketch challenge over at Freshly Made Sketches.  I wanted my color palette to be bright and fresh, so I chose Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, and Wisteria Wonder.  I used the polka dot textured impressions folder to emboss the dots on the card base.  The pattern papers come from the 2011-2013 In Color Patterns designer series paper stack.  I used the For You stamp from Itty Bitty Banners and cut it out with the Bitty Banners framelits in my Big Shot.  Finally, I tied a bit of Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon around the card to finish it off.  Hope you enjoy!  If you haven't participated in a sketch challenge before, give one a try.  I find that they are a great way to get the creative juices flowing without taking a bunch of time to come up with just the right layout for a card.

Smile Flowers

Daffodil Delight is one of my favorite colors.  I love how bright and cheery this shade of yellow is.  Today is a beautiful sunny day so this card just fits for today's post.  This is another card that I made with the new Reason to Smile set.  Have you ordered it yet?  It's only $5 this month with a $50 purchase--contact me today to order!

I used Pool Party, Certainly Celery, and Daffodil Delight--colors from a past color challenge.  The ribbon is the Pool Party seam binding ribbon.  I punched the greeting (from Sassy Salutations) with the decorative label punch and then sponged a bit of celery around the edges.

Wisteria Wedding

Today I'm going to take a little break from posting cards made with the Reason to Smile set and show you something else instead.  Are you ever looking for wedding card ideas?  It seems to be the busy time of year for weddings right now.  I've made this card with the Embellished Events set.  My colors are Wisteria Wonder and Lucky Limeade, both 2011-2013 In Colors.  I stamped my image and greeting and then punched them out with the 2-1/2" circle punch.  I've used strips of the patterns designer series paper on top of my white card base (which is textured with the polka dot embossing folder).  I love this card layout and it is quick, simple, and fresh.  Hope you enjoy it as well!

Navy Olive Flowers

Do you remember my pink and black bicycle card from a couple of weeks ago?  Well, this card uses the same layout, just different colors and different stamps.  I love how cards can have a whole new look by switching around a few elements.  I combined Old Olive and Night of Navy for this clean and simple floral card.  The flower images come from the Reason to Smile set (get it for only $5 with a $50 purchase THIS MONTH ONLY)!  My greeting comes from Sassy Salutations and is stamped on a bit of olive patterns dsp.  I've tied a piece of white stitched grosgrain around the first layer to go along with my bottom layer that I textured with the polka dots embossing folder. 

Coral Crumb Daisies

Today's color challenge on splitcoast is to combine Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake, and White.  I LOVE these two together!  I used the new Reason to Smile set (only $5 this month with a $50 order).  I do have to admit that I just opened my Calypso Coral ink pad.  I can't believe that I haven't opened it sooner.  I guess I've used the card stock and markers, but not the ink--perhaps I didn't realize what I was missing!  That's one thing that I love about color challenges, it encourages me to put together colors that I wouldn't otherwise and it gets me using some of my less-used colors.  This is a simple card to make.  Just stamp the daisies, layer on some coral card stock, add a strip of coral punched with the scallop edge punch and a bit of my favorite patterns designer series paper.  The ribbon I tied around the base of the card is actually some that I got for free during Sale-a-Bration.  Finally, I added the thank you greeting from Embellished Events and punched it out with the bitty banners framelits on my big shot.

Rich Colored Blossoms

Have you heard about the promotion Stampin' Up! is having this month?  There is a fun set that you can get for only $5 (with a $50 purchase) and it is available THIS MONTH ONLY!  Hurry and place an order so you can get the Reason to Smile set to add to your collection.  Here is a flyer with the images that are in the set.  You can get it in either clear or wood for only $5.

Since this set is on special right now, I'll show you several cards using it over the next several days.  This first card uses Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Craze, Baja Breeze, and Basic Black.  These colors are so rich together.  I combined them for a color challenge a few weeks ago and I love the results on this card.  I tied a bit of scalloped Cherry Cobbler ribbon around the top couple of layers and that is it!  Hope you enjoy the ideas with this set!

Scalloped Pinwheel Thanks

Do you recognize this layout?  Yes, I've used it before with a few different sets.  This time I used the fun pinwheels from the Sweets for the Sweet set.  Colors are Melon Mambo and Pear Pizazz (sadly a retired color).  I used the scallop trim border punch on the Melon Mambo paper alongside a strip of the patterns designer series paper. 

Wedding Bells Banner

It's the last day of June so I decided to post a wedding card as it seems to be a busy time of the year for weddings.  This is a pretty simple card made with the Embellished Events set and the Sassy Salutations set.  I used Basic Gray and Pink Piroutte for my colors.  The Gray card stock is textured with the Fancy Fan Textured Impressions folder.  I used a bit of Basic Gray striped grosgrain ribbon around my hand-cut Congrats pennant.  Hope you've had a great June, I can't believe that summer is 1/3 over already!

Banner Birthday

Sometimes it is nice to sit down with only a limited number of supplies and see what can be created.  I did this a few weeks ago and used only my new In Colors, the Patio Party dsp, the Make-a-Cake set, and the bitty banners set.  Here's a quick birthday card that I came up with.  My card base is Summer Starfruit.  The banner and cake are stamped in Primrose Petals with Summer Starfruit flags at the top.  This is a super quick and simple card to make.

Scalloped Congrats Flowers

Embellished Events is one of those sets that can be used for so many things.  I've been using just the word stamps a lot lately since they are just the right size and so versatile.  The image stamps are great stamped in a solid color, or in a variety of colors (marker direct to stamp).  For simplicity, I just inked up the flower stamp in a single color on this card.  I stamped it in Wisteria Wonder three times across a piece of white card stock.  I layered that on a bit of Pool Party card stock and also added a strip of pool party punched with the scallop trim border punch across the card.  My card base is Lucky Limeade and the printed paper along the bottom is from the floral district dsp pack and this particular paper is lucky limeade with some white stripes along it (they are actually stems for some flowers, but I cut off the flowers and just used the striped part).  My congrats greeting is also from Embellished Events and is punched with the word window punch.  Finally, I tied a bit of the Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon around my card to finish it off. 

Black Tie Wedding

Here's another card where I used a greeting from the Embellished Events set.  The greetings in that set are the perfect size for the word window punch layered on top of the modern label punch.  This card is one that I made for last week's clean and simple challenge over on splitcoast.  I kept my color palate simple--just black and white with a hint of melon mambo for the hearts on the cake.  The cake is from the Make a Cake set.  I embellished the card with a bit of ribbon that I "ruffled" by running a strip of adhesive along the card stock and then I tried to pleat the ribbon as I stuck it down to the card.  I think it adds a fun texture to the card, one that I'll have to try out on other cards in the future.  The card base has polka dots on it that I did with the textured impressions folder in the big shot.

Pacific Sailboat

I think I've used this year's Ronald McDonald House set more in the past month than any other RMHC set.  I love the images--they are bold and fun.  They seem to work for so many types of cards.  Have you bought the Moving Forward set yet this year?  $3 from each set is donated to RMHC, so go ahead, get the set and help a good cause!

This is a pretty clean and simple card.  The sailboat is stamped in Pacific Point and is punched with the 2-1/2" circle punch.  The patterned layers are done with the patterns dsp stacks in both brights (Pacific Point) and the 2012-2014 In Colors (Raspberry Ripple).  Each of those are layered on a strip of their matching card stock.  The greeting is from the Embellished Events set and was cut out with one of the bitty banners framelits for the Big Shot.  I also used my Big Shot (the polka dot textured impressions folder) to add the dotted background on the white card base.  I love this card layout.  It is quick, simple, and really adds to the card.  The layout was from this week's challenge over at The Paper Players.  I'm sure I'll be using this layout a bunch in the future!  Thanks ladies over at The Paper Players for the inspiration!

Frog in the Basket

I can't remember the last time that I made a card using a large oval.  I don't even own a large oval die or oval cutter or anything of the sort.  This week's Freshly Made Sketch was a little challenging for me because I had to free-hand my oval.  What did I learn from the sketch challenge?  I learned that it may be time to invest in something (probably a big shot die) that cuts ovals.  There seems to be an oval theme going on between several different sketch challenges lately, perhaps that means that ovals are "in" right now and I need to get with it and use them more.

The colors I used on this card are Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, and Gumball Green.  I ran the daffodil oval through my Big Shot with the square lattice textured impressions folder to add just a little something around my stamped image.  The bicycle, frog, and swirly (that shows the frogs motion) come from the Moving Forward set (RMHC set this year).  The banner greeting is from Itty Bitty Banners and is cut with the matching framelits dies.  I used my favorite patterns designer series paper, for the Pacific Point stripes and finished off the card with three daffodil delight brads.

Blossom and Bird Branch

This week's Dynamic Duos challenge (see here) uses River Rock and Always Artichoke.  I never realized how great these two colors go together....until now!  I know they would be great for a masculine card, but I still have my brand new sets sitting out on my stamping table and I can't get enough of them.  For this card, I used the Betsy's Blossoms set.  I stamped the large blossom in River Rock and then instead of keeping it the original circle shape, I punched it out with my blossom punch.  I also layered the smaller blossom in Artichoke (punched out with the 1/2 inch circle punch) and stuck a glimmer brad through it.  The blossom is attached to my card with a Stampin' Dimensional so that it pops out a little.  The bird is also stamped in River Rock and is stamped atop some artichoke branches.  The greeting comes from the Embellished Events set--a set with great bold images and nicely sized greetings.  I cut the greeting banner by hand.  The bottom layer of the card has a bit of patterns designer series paper in Always Artichoke.  I don't know what I'd do without that patterns dsp, I find myself using it almost ALL of the time.  I hope you enjoy my color challenge card.  Thanks Dynamic Duos for the great suggestion of colors!

Bicycle Craze

Last week I posted this card that was part of a splitcoast color challenge.  The color combo for the challenge was Baja Breeze, Cajun Craze, and Cherry Cobbler.  I thought it was an interesting combo and not something that I would have come up with on my own, but I was up for a good challenge.  Instead of just giving it one try, I made a few cards with the combo and each card gave the challenge a different look.  For this card, I used the Moving Forward stamp set (this year's Ronald McDonald House set).  This is a pretty straight forward card that just uses several layers to add color.  I used a bit of Baja Breeze patterns designer series paper and mounted a bit of Cajun Craze card stock that I edged with the scallop trim border punch for a little added flair.  Stay tuned for more color combo challenge cards.

Bold Bright Birthday

I find that I am always wanting more birthday card ideas.  I love the cake in the Topsy-Turvy Celebration set.  I wanted to make this card bright, so I used Daffodil Delight and Tangerine Tango.  The bottom daffodil layer has a chevron pattern on it (sorry, it doesn't show up well in the photo, but I textured it with the new chevron textured embossing folder.  The greeting comes is punched with the word window punch and is layered on the modern label punch.  The ribbon is the new stitched grosgrain in daffodil delight. 

Sassy Colored Birthday

Can you tell that I've found a new favorite word set?  Sassy Salutations is so much fun!  It works great for an added stamp on a card, or as the main stamp.  For this card, I stamped the Happy Birthday greeting in Pool Party, Island Indigo, Wisteria Wonder, Pink Piroutte, and Melon Mambo.  I added a bit of Pool Party patterns dsp that I punched the scallop edge punch along and tied a bit of white stitched grosgrain ribbon around.  All of this is mounted on a Pool Party card base.  Now that I've made a few cards just using Sassy Salutations, I find myself wanting to use it as the focal stamp most of the time!

Flower Stripe Strips

Do you ever find that you are working on a card and you can't find just the right pattern paper to match?  Well, try making your own!  That's what I did on this card.  Most of the time I would just go to my patterns designer series paper stacks and find a single colored pattern, but I wanted a little more color on this card.  The stripes at the bottom of the card are actually strips of card stock.  I just cut up some scraps in various sizes and then glued them onto a sheet of card stock and then cut it to size for my card.  Pretty easy, and it gives you an original pattern paper to use.  I chose a color palate of Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green, Pool Party, and Midnight Muse.  I used the new Embellished Events set for the image (and colored it with my Stampin' Write markers for the multi-colored look).  The greeting is also from Embellished Events, and it is punched out with the word window punch.  To finish off the card, I tied a piece of gumball green satin stitched ribbon around the card. 

Bold Black Bicycle

I love Melon Mambo and Basic Black together!  I knew I'd love this week's Dynamic Duos challenge when I found out that these were the colors.   I looked at my stack of new Stampin' Up! sets to pick the right one to go along with the challenge, and I decided on the Moving Forward set (this year's Ronald McDonald House set).  I stamped the bicycle in black and then I added just a little splash of color by stamping the flowers in the basket.  I mounted some of the Melon Mambo Patterns DSP below my stamped image and then stamped the "thank you" from the Sassy Salutations set.  I finished that layer off with a bit of 1/8" black taffeta ribbon.  Once I layered that onto black and Melon Mambo card stock, I knew I wanted a white background.  I ran the card base through my Big Shot with the petals-a-plenty textured impressions folder to coordinate with the flowers in the stamped image.  I love that color challenges introduce me to new combinations, or in this case, remind me of old favorites!

Daffodil Party Flowers

As you have seen, I've been using the new Betsy's Blossoms set a lot lately.  Well, it was time to go back to another recent favorite--Mixed Bunch!  Mixed Bunch was in the Occasions Mini Catalog that ended in April.  I was so happy to see that it returned in the new Stampin' Up! Catalog this month.  This is another card that I made for a splitcoast color challenge a couple of weeks ago (using Daffodil Delight, Certainly Celery, and Pool Party).  The celery gives this combination a bit more of a cool and springy feel and it is a little tricky to combine, but it totally works on this card.  I actually couldn't stop using this combo and ended up making four cards with it (you've seen one and there are more to come).  The daffodil delight card stock is textured with the petals-a-plenty embossing folder to give the card a little dimension.  Then, as usual, I tied a bit of ribbon around it to finish off the card (daffodil stitched grosgrain). 

Make a Cake

Here's another card using the same card layout from yesterday's sketch challenge post.  This time, I just turned the layout on its side.  This card combines a couple of designer series papers: the 2012-2014 In Color Patterns DSP stack (in Primrose Petals) and the Patio Party DSP.  I stamped the cake image in Midnight Muse and added the Primrose Petals butterflies and flags on the cake.  The Happy Birthday greeting is stamped with the sassy salutations set.  I punched the large circle with my 2-1/2" circle punch and layered it onto another circle of the same size.

Melon Lime Blossom

Freshly Made Sketches (click here) has another fun sketch out this week.  I like the simplicity of the layout.  I decided to use the Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade, Basic Gray color combo again--I think that combo is going into my list of favorites!  This card uses minimal stamping, in fact it only uses the Thank You stamp from Sassy Salutations.  I started putting together the layers of the card and knew I wanted to add the embossed flower (punched with the blossom punch and run through the Big Shot with the petals-a-plenty embossing folder).  Once I completed the basic layers, I realized that the card really didn't need any extra stamping besides the greeting.  I used the square lattice textured impressions folder on the gray card stock and I cut the large circle with the 2-1/2" circle punch.  The brad is one of the In Colors printed brads (in lucky limeade).  I love the patterns designer series paper stacks and I used the paper in Lucky Limeade and Melon Mambo (from the In Color and Brights stacks) and layered them on the coordinating card stock.  To finish off the card, I tied a piece of the new basic gray stitched grosgrain ribbon around the melon strip of paper.  Check back next week for another Freshly Made Sketch :)

Bold Blossom Thanks

I thought I had a lot of cards with the Mixed Bunch set, and now I'm realizing that I'm doing the same thing with Betsy's Blossoms.  Both are fabulous floral sets!  I used the blossom punch to punch out the large circle flower from the Betsy's Blossoms set.  The center of the flower was made with the smaller blossom in the stamp set and I just punched out the center with the 1/2" circle punch.  The colors on this card are Lucky Limeade and Melon Mambo (with the greeting in Basic Gray)--what fun, bold colors together!  The colors are this week's color challenge for The Paper Players (see here).  The thank you stamp comes from Sassy Salutations (another new favorite of mine).  I used the patterns designer series paper stack (the 2011-2013 In Color stack to be exact) for the green polka-dot background.  The layout for this card was inspired by this week's sketch challenge on splitcoast.  I'm really getting into the challenges lately, they help give just enough inspiration that I can quickly put together a new card.  I also love to share what I come up with.  Hope you enjoy!

 

Dynamic Duo Cake

I came across a fun new challenge that I'm looking forward to participating in over the next few weeks.  I love fun color combinations and it is fun to be given a few colors and make myself use them.  This challenge is the Dynamic Duos challenge that can be found here.  This week's challenge was to use Regal Rose and Basic Gray on a card.  These two colors really pop together and I'm sure I'll be combining them a little more often now. 

I made this card with the new Topsy Turvy Celebrations set.  I just love the cake in this set (and I seem to like it as a 3-layered cake as that is all I've done so far).  I used the Sassy Salutations set for the greeting and punched the edges with the designer label punch (you have to cut a 1-1/4" strip and then insert it in the back of the punch to just punch one side at a time, that way you can use the punch for even bigger images than the punch normally allows).  I used the Chevron embossing folder for the gray background, the scallop edge punch on the rose card stock under the cake, and the brights patterns dsp stack for the polka dot paper. 

Sassy Candles

It's a new week and that means there is a new color challenge over on splitcoaststampers.com.  This week's challenge was to use Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler, Baja Breeze, and maybe a hint of Lucky Limeade.  I have to admit I wasn't crazy about this combo at first but it is really growing on me (I've made 3 cards with it today).  The colors are rich and definitely got me out of my comfort zone (I admit it's the first time I've opened Cajun Craze card stock) but I love a good challenge.  I actually made the background layers on this card first and then decided what stamp set I wanted to use.  The scalloped edge is made with the scallop trim border punch.  The greeting is from Sassy Salutations and is punched out with the Decorative Label Punch, but I had to modify it to make it be a larger label. They way I did it was I stamped it on a 1-1/4" piece of card stock and then I inserted one side of it through the bottom of the punch and punched, then I inserted the other side through the bottom. The candle flame is punched from the blossom petals punch (and then I cut it down a bit for the inner layer.  So this card has very little stamping, but it's a great use of punches and my favorite patterns designer series paper stacks.

Baby Boy Ducks

The new Sassy Salutations set is so much fun.  I love the style of writing and the size of the font.  The Congratulations stamp was the perfect size to fill in the white space on this baby boy ducks card that uses the Embellished Events stamp set.  I stamped the duck image twice with Pool Party and then layered it onto Island Indigo card stock.  I layered that on a strip of Pool Party patterns DSP (my fav paper) and layered that onto a strip of Island Indigo that I had punched with the scallop trim border punch.  If you look back to cards from last Christmas, you might just recognize this card layout...with different colors of course. 

Betsy's Solo Blossom

Can you tell that I really like this little blossom from the Betsy's Blossoms stamp set?  I like how bold it is and it seems to be the perfect size.  I combined the stamped image with the Floral District designer series paper to make this card.  The colors are Tangerine Tango and Lucky Limeade.  The ribbon is the new stitched grosgrain ribbon (it's a little hard to tell on the white), but I'm loving this new ribbon.  I have several more colors of it on my wish list :)

Gray Textured Blossoms

Here's a different way to use the large flower from the Betsy's Blossoms set.  Instead of having it be its usual round flower, punch it out to give it some shape!  I used the blossom punch and it fits great!  The center of the flower was made from the smaller flower in the set, and I punched out the center with the 1/2" circle punch.  I mixed Pool Party with Raspberry Ripple--one of my new favorite color combos!  Once punched, I made them pop up a bit with some Stampin' Dimensionals.  The stems are just strips of gumball green card stock.  I stamped the greeting (from A Word for You) and punched it with the oval punch and layered it on the designer label punch.  The gray background was done with the petals-a-plenty textured impressions embossing folder in my big shot.  Finally, I added a bit of Pool Party seam binding ribbon around the bottom of the card.