Hello, Hello

When I first saw the colors for the SCS Color Challenge this morning, I cringed! More Mustard, Melon Mambo, & Baja Breeze? Oh, my!

Well, I thought, and thought, and went to the park with Luke, came home and ate lunch, still thinking. When Luke went down for a nap, I opened the stamp drawer and saw this stamp set. I think it worked!

I inked everything with SU Markers and used the Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement of the flowers.

I remembered seeing a piece of Baja DSP left over from a Christmas pack a couple of years ago. It was a perfect fit for the background.

The sentiment is popped up for some dimension.

The thinking was the hard part!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Hello Again
Ink: SU Markers (More Mustard, Melon Mambo, Soft Suede
Paper: Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Baja Breeze DSP (retired)
Acc.: More Mustard grosgrain ribbon, Medium Oval Punch

Have a good evening. I'm so glad you stopped by.
Bonnie

Apple Blossom Mambo

Hello Stampin' Friends. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Did you get to stamp at all? I hope so.

This for for the CAS challenge this week. The subject is "delicious". One of the most delicious things to me in the summertime is cold watermelon.

Does this make you think of watermelon? I hope so. I wish I had some right now!

I used a Level 2 Hostess set called Apple Blossoms. We'll be using this set in my Stamp Stack in September.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Apple Blossoms
Ink: Melon Mambo, Old Olive
Paper: Whisper White, Melon Mambo
Acc.: Big Shot, Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder, Old Olive Satin Ribbon, Pearls

Got to run. It's been an exceptionally busy day and still have lots to do.

Thanks for stopping in. I hope you found some inspiration here.
Bonnie

One More Sparkly Stained Glass CAS Card

This is another of my tries with the Technique of the week to do Sparkly Stained Glass. This flower actually turned out better than the other one I posted, but I couldn't figure out what to do with it.

I decided to go real CAS with it. I had already adhered it to a Crumb Cake card and didn't like it. So I cut it out and plopped it down on this embossed Whisper White card.

Little gold beads in the corners finished it off.

It took 3 days to come to this....5 minutes to finish it!

I like this better than the other one.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral
Ink: Black StazOn
Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Acetate
Acc.: Big Shot, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Crystal Effects, Fine Supernova Glitter, Gold Gems

Hope you have a wonderful weekend and get lots of time to stamp.
Bonnie

Hollyhocks & Lace

The colors for this week's Color Challenge on SCS were Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive and Pacific Point with doilies for dessert. I like all three of these colors, but quite honestly, I didn't like them together.

I used the hollyhocks from the Fast & Fabulous set. It's a 2-step stampin' set. First I stamped the flowers in Razzleberry, then I stamped the stem in old Olive. So far so good! I tried a Pacific Point butterfly and it hurt my eyes! I ended up using the Pacific Point SU Marker and spritzing the design background. It's subtle enough that it doesn't make me cringe.

For my doily I used a bit of lace that had been hanging around forever. I have no idea where I got it. I wove some Old Olive narrow grosgrain ribbon through the holes to add some interest.

The sentiment was crooked. It's a clear mount stamp too. I'm not sure how I managed to do it crooked! I stamped it again and punched it with the Word Window Punch and trimmed one end.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Fast & Fabulous, Silhouette Sentiments
Ink: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White
Acc.: Scallop Trim Corner Punch, Pacific Point SU Marker, Color Spritzer Tool, Word Window Punch, Big Shot, Finial Press Embossing Folder, Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, lace

I'm not crazy about this card but it will have to do. I'll go over to Splitcoaststampers and see what the others have come up with.

Later,
Bonnie

Vintage Season's Greetings

I know it's Thursday, but this is for Simplicity's One Layer Wednesday Challenge. I did one like this yesterday and learned a lesson. You can't paint the rhinestones with markers. Well, you can, but the color rubs off on the card! I wish Stampin' Up! had Cherry Cobbler rhinestones or pearls.

One layer cards are a challenge because they can look so flat and plain. It's amazing though, what some lines or scoring can do to finish off the cards. Susan, aka lateblossom of Simplicity fame, often adds good advice to help with making a one layer card look as elegant and finished as a layered card. She has really inspired me and I have learned a lot from her through her blog.

This week's challenge was to use a border stamp. I used the border stamp from the Vintage Vogue set. It wasn't hard to get it straight since I have the clear mount set. I don't know about you, but I love being able to see where I'm stamping! Of course you do have to position the label straight. There's the challenge there! Anyway, I inked the stamp with markers and stamped it along the side.

After stamping the sentiment, I used a ruler and, holding my breath, drew lines around the sentiment to give it some dimension so it wouldn't look like it was just plopped down.

Instead of the colored rhinestones, I used some gold gems to dress up a couple of corners.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Many Merry Messages
Ink: Cherry Cobbler
Paper: Naturals White
Acc.: Cherry Cobbler & Old Olive SU Markers, Ruler, Gold Gems

It was quick and easy. It's a good thing since I had to make two. Remember the first one smeared.

Now go on over to Simplicity to see lots of other One Layer cards. There's lots of inspiration there.

Hope you found some inspiration here too.
Bonnie

Glitter, Glitter Everywhere

I love the look of glitter and obviously I have some glitter. But somehow when I use it, I have glitter everywhere. I have sparkles where there shouldn't ever be sparkles!

But I just had to try the Technique Lovers Challenge this week. It is to do a card with Sparkly Stained Glass.

From my mistakes I learned that you need to use an outline stamp to do this. Otherwise the glitter doesn't show up. And you need to leave plenty of acetate around the design or else you have trouble mounting it straight. Hence the off center flower here. There is a tutorial on the challenge site. Just click above to get there.

I think it's really kind of pretty and worth the effort.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Autumn Leaf Prints (Retired)
Ink: Black StazOn, Crumb Cake
Paper: Crumb Cake, Naturals White, Acetate
Acc.: Fine Supernova Glitter, Crystal Effects, White Taffeta Ribbon, Nestabilities Labels 3

I died the ribbon by dragging it through the Crumb Cake ink pad pressing it down with my pot scraper. It looked horrible and I thought I had ruined a piece of ribbon, but when I went back later, it had dried and looked great. I'm going to try to dye some more!

That's all for today. I hope you have enjoyed your visit. Do come back soon.
Bonnie

The Chickens Got It!

First of all, I want to clarify, I am not an artist! But this card was so much fun! It's for the Teapot Tuesday Challenge on SCS. Cindy always has a zany story to go with the teapot and this week was no different. The Destination Station this week is for a young girl who has had disk surgery and has suffered through a long and difficult recovery. She loves Molly Brown of the Unsinkable Molly Brown.

I love Molly Brown too. I have watched that movie The Unsinkable Molly Brown many times. Molly loved big hats, so I thought of a card I saw in a magazine a couple of years ago that used flowers for hats with a doodled face. I used punches instead of flowers for the hat and doodled the face. Remember, I am not an artist!
Mothermark's story involved chickens. Evidently Molly's husband raised chickens and we are supposed to help get rid of those chickens on the way to the tea party.

All I can say is that we had a wonderful chicken casserole last night and Molly is sporting feathers on her hat! Pfoof! Guess I can go in the tea party through the front door!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Because I Care, Sincere Salutations
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Naturals White, Pear Pizzazz, Pretty in Pink Textured, Pretty in Pink DSP
Acc.: Scallop Border Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch, Big Shot, Ovals dies, Graphite Paper, SU Markers, Pearls, White Taffeta Ribbon, Feathers

The hat is the small and large oval from the Ovals die cut with the BIG GUY. I cut the large one in a crescent shape for the brim of the hat.

Read up on Molly Brown. She was a really interesting person!

Hope you get a chuckle out of this card.
Bonnie

Silhouette Sentiments Again

I just love this Hostess Level 1 set. It's got such dainty little images. I used it for another card for the CAS challenge this week. The challenge is to use Tempting Turquoise, Kraft (Crumb Cake) & Whisper White.

This time I inked the bird with my Tempting Turquoise SU Marker & the branch with the Crumb Cake marker. Once I stamped it, I used the Clearlits die on the BIG GUY to cut the little scalloped rectangle with the image in the middle. It's so nice that you can see exactly where your image is going to be! I used a Sponge Dauber & the Turquoise chalk from my Stampin' Pastels to sponge around the edges a bit. The Paper Piercer worked real well to dress up the scallops. This is matted on a 1 3/4" x 2 3/8" piece of Tempting Turquoise with rounded corners.

The sentiment piece was stamped with Crumb Cake then I inked the ends of the branch, stamped off and stamped around the sentiment randomly, punched with the smaller of the Large Ovals (it used to be the small oval), and pierced around. The mat is punched with the Modern Label Punch. I cut it in half and overlapped the ends to make it a bit shorter.

All this is on a Whisper White card with the front embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Silhouette Sentiments
Ink: Tempting Turquoise & Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Early Expresso SU Markers
Paper: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise
Acc.: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Clearlit, Oval & Modern Label Punches, Paper Piercer

This card is lighter and brighter than the one I posted yesterday. It's definitely a gal card.

I really need to go read. I am reading a really good book, On Folly Beach by Karen White. It's due Thursday and I've still got a lot left.

Enjoy,
Bonnie

Vintage Silhouette Punches

Hello again stampin' friends. I really pulled out the stamp sets for this one. It's for the CAS challenge this week to use Crumb Cake (or Kraft), Tempting Turquoise & Whisper White.

I love using Whisper White ink on Crumb Cake so I stamped the little filigree from Vintage Vogue randomly all over the card front.


Then, since I already had the Silhouette Sentiments set out, I used the tip of the branch (without the bird) and stamped Crumb Cake on a piece of 1 1/4" x 4 1/4" Whisper White. I used a marker to ink the stamp. It gives better control when you want to stamp a portion and not the whole thing. I punched the end of this piece and wrapped a piece of Tempting Turquoise grosgrain ribbon around the edge.


I just got the Perfect Punches set and I LOVE IT! I can see that I am going to use it lots. I stamped it with Turquoise ink and punched it out. I put a little brad on there to add a little extra interest, then cut another oval just a tad bigger with the Ovals die from a scrap of TT cardstock to put behind.

I think this could be used for a guy card. What do you think?


Card Recipe
Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Silhouette Sentiments, Perfect Punches
Ink: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise
Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise
Acc.: Scallop Trim Border & Extra Large Oval Punches, Big Shot, Ovals die, Brad, Tempting Turquoise grosgrain ribbon


Go on over to SCS and try this challenge out. It's a lot of fun to play along.


Thanks for all your wonderful comments both here and at SCS. Y'all really make me feel good.
Bonnie

For the Queen

Last night I was browsing on SCS and saw that Princess Heather was the Featured Stamper this week. She was also named Queen for the Day on SCS on Friday. I have admired Heather's work so much that I just had to browse her gallery. What a talented stamper she is! There are so many cards in her gallery that I would like to CASE but this one really said "me, me, me".

I changed it to a landscape card since my design area is smaller, used different colors, a different embossed background, and pierced the edge of the large oval. I also used "diamonds" instead of pearls since we're dealing with royalty here.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Silhouette Sentiments (Level 1 hostess gift), Watercolor Trio
Ink: Pear Pizzazz
Paper: Marina Mist, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight
Acc.: Marina Mist & Pear Pizzazz Markers, Big Shot, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Ovals die, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Rhinestones, Marina Mist Taffeta Ribbon

You can visit the Princess's gallery too. She's sure to inspire you.

Happy stampin',
Bonnie

Playing with Ribbon

The Technique Lover's Challenge on SCS this week was to do something different with ribbon. No bows or knots.

I used some organdy ribbon that I've had for years! I just used a needle and thread to gather it and sewed the prettiest button I could find in my button can in the center. I used the rest to soften the band under the flower.

It's hard to tell but I used the new Teahouse Background Stamp with Blushing Bride ink on the Blushing Bride cardstock. I think next time I will try Pretty in Pink ink and see if it shows up better.

The sentiment is from a new set called Perfect Punches. I stamped it twice and cut out the small oval and popped it up in the center.

Quick and simple.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Teahouse, Perfect Punches
Ink: Blushing Bride, Cherry Cobbler
Paper: Blushing Bride, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
Acc.: Scallop Trim Border Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Organdy Ribbon, Button

Have a wonderful weekend and I hope you get time to stamp.
Bonnie

Pocket One Layer

I was suffering so much from stamping withdrawal last night that I pulled out some stamps & ink and sneaked a stamping. What can I say. Besides being addicted to stamping, it relieves stress and I had a tension headache!

This card is for Susan's (Simplicity) One Layer Wednesday challenge, to create a scene, and the SCS Color Challenge. I love one layer cards because you can mail them without worrying about the Post Office tearing them up or charging for extra postage.

I used the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set for the flowers. I used Pretty in Pink, Always Artichoke, & Cherry Cobbler SU Markers to ink the stamps. The sentiment is from Herb Expressions and is stamped in Always Artichoke.

I scored around the elements with the scoring blade on my paper cutter. The butterflies are punched from the Itty Bitty Shapes punch from Pretty in Pink DSP. I used the Basic Black SU Marker to draw the body and antennae. I would have used the Beautiful Wings Embosslit, but it was packed up tight. You know little boys (or big boys) and anything that moves or has a button is fair game for breakage. I really hid the BIG GUY from the boys and in the process put it where I couldn't get it out easily!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes, Herb Expressions
Ink: Always Artichoke, Pretty in Pink, Always Artichoke & Cherry Cobbler SU Markers
Paper: Naturals White, Pretty in Pink DSP
Acc.: Scoring blade, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack

I probably should check in the butterfly book to see if there are really pink butterflies. Maybe they are moths. Maybe they are mutant butterflies or moths! Anyway, I made a card & got rid of my headache. I'm happy.

Hope you are happy too.
Bonnie

A Flutter X Three

Let me see if I can get this done early so I can give Thomas some undivided attention this evening.

This is from a stamp set that is only available for less than 2 more weeks. It's the All a Flutter and I have really enjoyed this stamp. These butterflies are really nice when you color them with the markers, slap some VersaMark on them and clear emboss. They have a silky look and feel.

I want to be able to mail this card so I made some fake brads in the corners. I clear embossed on a scrap of black & punched them with a generic paper punch.

Card Recipe
Stamps: All a Flutter
Ink: Black StazOn
Paper: Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron, Whisper White, Basic Black
Acc.: Pear Pizzazz, Marina Mist, Cajun Craze & Basic Black SU Markers, VersaMark, Clear EP, Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Paper Punch

Hope your day is a flutter with happiness!
Bonnie

Band of Flowers

Hi folks. Just a quick post tonight. Still haven't been able to get to my stamping stuff so here's a card that I made a while back.

I saw a picture of a flower arrangement in a magazine last spring. The vase was a beautiful painted pottery jug. These were the colors of the jug. I'm really not good at taking something like this and using it as inspiration for a card. I guess I just need to do it more often.

The card base was Yo Yo Yellow. Now I would use Daffodil Delight. I ran it through the BIG GUY with the Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plate to emboss it.

The punched band is 2 3/8" x 5 1/2" and punched on each side with the Scallop Trim Border Punch. The design piece is 1 3/4" x 5 1/2". The center image is from Wings of Friendship (a hostess set from last year). The filigrees, from the Vintage Vogue set, were inked with markers.

It didn't look much like the vase. But it is clean and bright.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Wings of Friendship
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Garden Green & Summer Sun SU Markers
Paper: Yo Yo Yellow, Whisper White
Acc.: Scallop Trim Border Punch, Big Shot, Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plate

I hope you had a day as bright as this card.
Bonnie

Bloom for a Friend

Ach! I'm going through stampin' withdrawal! My 11 year old grandson has come to visit and since my stamping room is also the guest room, I've been bumped. Don't get me wrong. I love having Thomas here. He is a child one minute and so grown up the next. I don't get to spend enough time with him. He & Pop have gone for a nature walk (probably through a store) so I thought I'd share a card with you.

I got new stuff today and I really want to get into it. Maybe tomorrow I can reach some paper & ink and try a new stamp out. We'll see.

I made this card last Friday for the Free 4 All challenge. The challenge was to make a get well or thinking of you card and send it to a friend. It's in the mail for a former neighbor who is awaiting biopsy results.

Queen for the Day on SCS last Friday was Mothermark. She's the one that does the Teapot Tuesday challenge every week and includes a wonderful story with the challenge. I am always laughing so hard by the end of the story. What an imagination! As I was browsing through her gallery to find a card to CASE, I couldn't believe the awesome variety and talent in her cards. This is the card I decided to CASE. I hope it's not too late to post it.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Spring Garden (retired)
Ink: Regal Rose, Old Olive
Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White
Acc.: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Scallop Trim Corner & Scallop Trim Border Punches, Melon Mambo Polka Dot Ribbon

I really hope I can stamp tomorrow since I have some ideas for the CAS & TLC challenges. If not, I will just have to post some cards that I have stockpiled.

Hope you got to stamp today.
Bonnie

Another Unexpected Ornament

Last night I posted a card for the One Layer Wednesday challenge on the Simplicity blog. I had stamped this and didn't like it. After sleeping on it, I decided it wasn't so bad. Well, it's not great, but passable, maybe. So I decided to post it an see what you think.
For my unexpected color, I used Concord Crush. (Sometimes I refer to it as Grape because it is the color of grape juice.)

It is certainly simple. One little blue rhinestone in the center of the ornament and some doodles on the side. Easy peasy but not very exciting. Oh, by the way, it is a 4 1/4" square card.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Delightful Decorations
Ink: Concord Crush
Paper: Naturals White
Acc.: Rhinestone, Concord Crush SU Marker

Hope you have a great weekend. I've got to hustle and finish some cards for the Baby Shower tomorrow.

Happy Stampin',
Bonnie

Buttoned Up

Hello folks. Are you glad it's Friday? Yeah, me too!

I stamped this flower the other day to make sure that I only stamped once and it looks like twice. It's from the Greenhouse Garden set. There is a background stamp and an outline stamp. Doesn't it make a pretty flower? I don't know why I grabbed the orange inks, but I'm glad I did. The Cherry Cobbler is a good finisher too.

This week's Ways to Use It challenge on SCS is to use buttons. I don't usually use a lot of buttons because they aren't going to mail well. They make good cards for those special people that you can just hand the card to. Sometimes I clip them to a plain gift bag with a pretty paper clip. They really dress up the bag and you don't need a bow!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Greenhouse Garden
Ink: Peach Parfait, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive
Paper: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler
Acc.: Big Shot, Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder, Old Olive Ribbon (from last year's Holiday Mini), Teeny Buttons (non SU)

I did another card for the One Layer Wednesday challenge too. I'm going to go take a picture and see if I can post it later today.

Still stampin',
Bonnie

Unexpected Tree Trimming

This weeks One Layer Wednesday challenge at Simplicity is to use Unexpected Colors and of course only one layer. Wow, what a challenge.

I"m not going to tell you how many times I tried this. Am I the only one that struggles with the Stamp-a-ma-jig? Ugggh!

I've been thinking about cards to do for the Christmas Card Class, so I had Christmas on my mind. I stamped the ornament first, then laid down a large oval cut with the BIG GUY and sponged all around. Then I spritzed all around with Melon Mambo to give a little bit more color.

I don't know that I would do more Christmas cards in pastel colors, but this was an interesting challenge.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Tree Trimmings, Many Merry Messages
Ink: Marina Mist, Pear Pizzazz
Paper: Whisper White
Acc.: Big Shot, Original Ovals die, Stamping Sponges, Color Spritzer Tool, Melon Mambo SU Marker, Rhinestone

I really like the sponged look, especially with the color spritzing. It adds dimension without the layers.

Hope you've had a wonderful day.
Bonnie

Blackeyed Susan

When I was a little girl, we lived next to a meadow that was filled with wildflowers. My favorites were Blackeyed Susans. My Mom called me Susie, I don't know why, and she said I was her blackeyed Susie.

Memories! How nice!

I dug into my UFO (UnFinished Objects) box for the sketch challenge. I'm still trying to get to the bottom of that! I'll bet that I stamped 100 flowers from the Heartfelt Thanks set! I still have a bunch left.

The flower uses two-step stamping. I did the flower in Summer Sun and the stem & leaves in Garden Green. The center is stamped in Chocolate Chip. (I'm pretty sure these colors are right. It's been a while since I stamped them.)

I used Daffodil Delight for the base card. The sizes of the other elements can be found here on SCS.

I wanted lots of white, since I used a colored base and I'm really enjoying my embossing folders, so I embossed a piece of white with the Finial Press EF and another with the Square Lattice EF. All the sections are matted with Early Expresso. I stamped the wish from the Short & Sweet set, just inking the one word with the Early Expresso marker.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Heartfelt Thanks, Short & Sweet

Ink: Summer Sun, Garden Green, Early Expresso

Paper: Daffodil Delight, Early Expresso, Whisper White

Acc.: Scallop Trim Border Punch, Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, Big Shot, Finial Press & Square Lattice Embossing

Folders

Whew, it's really late. Luke is spending the night and it's been a long day. I think I'll leave you all and get some rest while I can.

'night,

Bonnie

Punch Bird in Poppy

This morning six lovely ladies joined me to stamp. One or two had never stamped before. I think they'll stamp again. Hopefully again and again. It was a lot of fun for me and as always, I am so inspired when everyone leaves. It really is true that sharing your toys doubles the fun!

After they left and we got the munchkin settled for his nap, I tackled the Color Challenge for this week to use Baja Breeze, Poppy Parade & Crumb Cake. Dessert is to use newsprint. I skipped dessert, mainly because I forgot about it. Wish I could forget the eating kind of dessert!

There is a card on page 17 of the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog that I just fell in love with. Since I already had the Extra Large Bird Punch out for a project this morning, I decided to do a catalog CASE.

I tried the bird in the Baja, but just didn't like it with the Crumb Cake. The Poppy just popped and was a better choice! I don't know if you can see it or not, but I used Poppy ink to stamp the square with the flowers from the For All You Do set on Poppy card stock. I repeated the process with the polka dot square. The bird is punched from the flower and the wing from the polka dot. The leaves are from Crumb Cake. I used the Sahara Sand marker to draw some veins in the leaves using a very light touch.

I wanted something a bit smaller for the pattern on the base card so I used the Watercolor Trio set for that. It is stamped with Crumb Cake on Crumb Cake.

The bird is mounted on a 2 1/2" x 3 1/4" piece of Whisper White. I used the Scallop Trim Corner punch and the Mat Pack and Paper Piercer to dress it up. I also sponged Baja Breeze ink around the edges with a sponge dauber. The mat is a 2 3/4" x 3 1/2" piece of Poppy Parade.

To add some balance to the bottom of the card, I used one of my new Itty Bitty Shapes punches to punch flowers out of the stamped Baja & Poppy scraps. I wanted them to look like buttons without the bulk so I smacked the stamped scraps with the VersaMark pad and clear embossed them before I punched. I punched holes and threaded some embroidery floss through, but I didn't like that. I like the tiny rhinestone on each flower better. Another rhinestone makes the bird's eye.

Card Recipe
Stamps: For all You Do, Watercolor Trio
Ink: Crumb Cake, Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze
Paper: Crumb Cake, Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Acc.: Extra Large Bird Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch, Scallop Trim Corner Punch, Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, Rhinestones, Sahara Sand SU Marker

Hope this little bird brightens you day a bit and that it inspires you to stamp!

With inky fingers,
Bonnie

Salvage

I've got to confess. This card was salvaged. Just about to hit the trash can. But I just couldn't throw that beautiful embossing away. Besides, it's yellow and Daffodil Delight yellow to boot.

Let me tell you how it happened. I was about to stamp the sentiment, in Basic Black, when the stamp just jumped out of my hand and landed on my card. It would have been ok if it landed where I wanted it. But no, it had a mind of it's own and just added black smears where no black smears ought to be! Ugggh!

However, today's CAS Challenge is Gardens. Garden pickin' was the challenge for the Free 4 All Challenge last Friday too. So, you know from the previous post that I don't have a garden. Not even a flower bed really. I had one lonely daisy beside the front step.

I have a BIG GUY and a Daisy die...hmmm! I had a cover up for those nasty black smears!

I love it when trash becomes treasure.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Because I care
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Acc.: Big Shot, Flower Daisies #2 Bigz die, Elegant Line Embossing Folder, Antique Brad

Hope you had a treasure of a day. If not, don't give up. Your treasure could be right around the corner or in the very next challenge!

Hugs,
Bonnie

My Garden

I'm teaching a class next week on doing embossed butterflies. This was left over from the dry run.


He's going to go in the Free For All challenge today to do a card based on your garden. My garden in non-existent. There are a few daisies by the front steps. One blossomed. I didn't plant any flowers because we were going to be moving from here this month. Plans have changed. We'll be staying here a while longer, but still no flowers to speak of. I have seen several butterflies though.

So my card has embossed flowers to represent the lone daisy. I used the whacked Finial Press Embossing folder to do the embossing. (You can let Sandi show you how to whack it here.) I embossed one side of the 3" x 4" piece of Whisper White, then put it back through with the embossing folder on the adjacent side.


The butterfly is stamped with Black StazOn, colored with Su Markers, smacked with VersaMark and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.

The mat is 3 1/8" x 4 1/8" Night of Navy. The sentiment is stamped with Night of Navy.


All of this sits on a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" Daffodil Delight base card.


I guess the butterfly is leaving because he didn't find any flowers. Maybe next year I can plant some flowers.


Have a great weekend.
Bonnie

A Dress for Baby Sophie

Earlier in the week I shared a couple of Thank You cards from the set I am making for a young friend's Baby Shower. Here is the card I made for the baby. I hear her name is Sophie. Isn't that adorable?

I saw this card by SoSherry on SCS a while back and printed it. In her post she put the link to the template. You can find the template here.

I cut some Whisper White cardstock using the template. The pinafore lifts up to open the card.

For the dress I used some of the decorative paper left over from the cards and adhered it to the card base. The 1/2" Circle Punch worked great for the neckline.

I used light weight Vellum for the pinafore and ran it through the BIG GUY with the Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder. I used the Scallop Circle Punch for the collar and pierced each scallop. I also pierced the sleeve ends to look like lace. I made the flower on the pinafore by gathering a piece of Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon. The collar daisy stickers were buried deep in my stash.

By using the paper piercing, I can use this for the Ways to Use It Challenge to Stick it. I had all kinds of ideas for using one of those stick pins from the retired Pretties Kit. Somehow I can never get the look I like with them. Guess I'll have to put the kit in my Retirement Sale.

No stamping for this card. Just cutting and folding.

Hope you are having a wonderful Friday.
Bonnie

Daffodil Friend

I didn't get a chance to make a card today (gasp!!!). We had to go car shopping today with Luke. He had a bad week last week and had been really, really good this week. He needed a reward to (hopefully) let him know that being good has it's rewards. It's really hard for a 2 yr. old. Fortunately for us, the little cars that he loves are only $1.00 each or less. Wish we could be as easily satisfied. He slept with his cars at nap time. I think it was a happy day for all of us.

So, this is a card I made last week and never got posted. I used the colors from the color challenge of Concord Crush, Daffodil Delight & Pear Pizzazz. I even took on dessert with a little dew drop rhinestone.
I used the BIG GUY to emboss the main card with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder and used the texture plate on the 3" x 4 1/4" middle piece. I cut ovals with the Sizzix Original Ovals die. The large one is Pear Pizzazz and the Medium one is Whisper White.

I used Daffodil Delight & Pear Pizzazz SU Markers to ink the stamp from the Friends Never Fade set. This was stamped on the white oval. The Pear Pizzazz marker inked the sentiment from the Teeny Tiny Wishes which was then punched with the Word Window punch. I inked the edges of the main card with Concord Crush to add some balance with the Concord mat. to do this, I held the ink pad at a 45° angle and brushed it across all the edges. Hint, be careful not to get the ink on your fingers. It will smudge and make you think negative thoughts, believe me! I used the same technique with Pear Pizzazz ink on the word window too.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Friends Never Fade, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Concord Crush, Daffodil Delight & Pear Pizzazz SU Markers
Paper: Whisper White, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz
Acc.: Big Shot, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plate, Original Ovals die, Word Window Punch, Rhinestone

I hope to get a card made tomorrow with a stick in it. Does that sound intriguing? I have no idea what I'm going to do for that! Hopefully, I'll think of something.

'Til then,
Bonnie

Sketchy Sketch

This is made sort of following the sketch that Roxie gave us to work with today. You can see the sketch here. I almost passed on this one. It just had too many pieces and I'm such a Clean & Simple gal. But a challenge isn't a challenge if it's easy. Right?

I decided to use the colors from the color challenge, Riding Hood Red, Blushing Bride & Early Expresso. The Watercolor Trio stamp set was perfect for the size of the design area. It's such a shame that this set will only be available until August 31st. It has been one of my all time favorite sets. I'll still use it, but I hate that it won't be available any more.

I inked the flowers with the Riding Hood Red, Blushing Bride & Old Olive SU markers and stamped them on the 1 1/2" x 2 3/4" Whisper White. I matted this in Early Expresso and rounded the top corner of each piece with the Corner Rounder Punch.

The actual card base is out of Early Expresso and measures 3 1/2" x 5 1/2". I embossed a piece of Whisper White with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. It measures 3 1/8" x 5 1/4".

Then comes the tricky part and I'm not sure I got it right. You can look at the sketch and judge for yourself. I cut the strips as close as I could figure out in the Blushing Bride & Riding Hood Red. I put them all in the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder and ran them through the BIG GUY. I wasn't too crazy about them so I punched the ends with the Scallop Trim Border Punch. They still didn't look quite right so I added some flowers from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack that I just got. A tiny pearl from the Pearl Jewels set topped them off. The top corner of the design looked like it needed something so I put another pearl there.

This card was a struggle for me but I did something close to the sketch anyway. I'm ready for something easier tomorrow!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Watercolor Trio
Paper: Early Expresso, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, Blushing Bride
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Blushing Bride, Old Olive SU Markers
Acc.: Big Shot, Square Lattice & Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folders, Scallop Trim Border, Corner Rounder & Itty Bitty Shapes Punches, Pearls

That's all for today.
Bonnie

Fast and Fabulous Rubies

I did this card for the Color Challenge this week on SCS to use Riding Red, Blushing Bride & Early Expresso. Dessert this week is something new.

The card base is Blushing Bride stamped in Blushing Bride ink with the filigree stamp from the Elements of Style stamp set.

The main design is from the Fast & Fabulous set. It's a Level 2 Hostess Set.

From now until August 31 if you have a $350.00 workshop, you earn an extra $25.00 in free merchandise as well as a Level 1 or Level 2 hostess set and $40.00 in free merchandise. Did you count that up? That's $65.00 in free merchandise!

Ok, now back to the card. The flower is a two-step flower and I stamped both the solid and the outline in Riding Hood Red on a scrap piece of Whisper White. This red is a new core color. It's a little richer than the Ruby Red that has been discontinued. The design is matted on Riding Hood Red & Early Expresso. I used the Ticket Corner Punch on all the corners to dress it up a bit.

I stamped the sentiment from the Elements of Style set in Early Expresso. Typically, I stamped it crooked. It is a clear mount stamp too. I'm not sure how I managed to stamp it crooked! Not to be deterred, I stamped it again on some scrap Blushing Bride that I stamped with the filigree like the base card. I used the 1" Circle Punch to cut it out. It worked out well because I thought of the little bit of Riding Hood Red ribbon I had left over in the drawer and made a little tab to put behind the sentiment.

For dessert, I used some of the new Rhinestone jewels on page 188 of the new Idea Book & Catalog. Check them out. They're large packages and self sticking.

Hope you have had a wonderful day and maybe got a chance to stamp.

Let me know if you want to host a workshop and get the extra hostess benefits.

Bonnie

Awash with Plaid

Hello stampin' friends. I tried the Technique Lovers Challenge on SCS this week. Sometimes it's too complicated as in cards that move. This week was to ink in plaid. It's really cool, don't you think?

You have to use a solid stamp. Ink it in the lightest color, then lay the edge of a contrasting ink pad on the stamp a few times with about 1/2" between. Repeat with another color ink pad with the darkest color. You can find complete directions here. Thank you Joan.

I used the Awash with Flowers stamp set and just used the filler stamps. I used Blushing Bride, Peach Parfait, and Pear Pizzazz for the tulip and So Saffron, Peach Parfait & Pear Pizzazz for the petals on the other flower. I cut the flowers out and adhered to the top note with dimensionals. I stamped the stems directly on the top note and used Pear Pizzazz, Wild Wasabi, & Soft Suede to plaid the leaves. They are also cut out and adhered with dimensionals.

I sponged some Peach & Pear around the edge of the top note with sponge daubers and doodled with the Pear Pizzazz marker. I dotted the center of the tulip with the Peach Parfait marker. A pearl from the retired Pretties kit finished off the design.

All is attached to a base card of Peach Parfait that has been embossed with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder.

I can use this for Mother Mark's Teapot Challenge this week too. These bloomers look like they are on a pinafore atop a smocked dress, if you use your imagination a bit. This challenge is all about imagination! You can read the story here.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Awash with Flowers, Short & Sweet
Paper: Peach Parfait, Whisper White
Ink: Blushing Bride, Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron, Whild Wasabi, Soft Suede
Acc.: Big Shot, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Top Note Die, Pearl, Dimensionals

This card uses a lot of the In Colors. Did you notice? Aren't they delicious?

Hope you enjoyed seeing this technique. Now it's your turn.

Enjoy,
Bonnie

Polka Dots and Decorative Paper

Was it last week that I mentioned my extensive collection of Decorative Paper? I really need some help with getting my stash down. The reason is because I'm drooling over several of Stampin' Up!'s new DSP sets. My room and stash space is limited so I'm on a no growth policy. Can't buy any more until I get rid of some.


Today's CAS challenge, to use polka dots, was a big help. My friend Karen gave me some awesome paper last year. I think she thought I would be doing a scrapbook for my granddaughter.


It exhausts me to think about scrapbooks. I have several photo albums that are falling apart and probably a million pictures stashed in various boxes. Do you have any idea how many scrapbooks that would entail? I would have to do for all 3 daughters and all 4 grandchildren. My oh my. I don't think so!


But this paper was perfect for the challenge and I just happen to need some cards to give as a shower gift to a young friend who is expecting a baby girl in a couple of months.

I had already cut into the paper, so I don't know who to credit for it, except Karen of course. The stamp is from a long ago retired set called Wonderful Words. I stamped it in Basic Gray. The pink strip was in my scrap box. The card is Whisper White & the ribbon is Pretty in Pink Satin. I used the Scallop Edge Punch on both long sides of the pink and the Scallop Trim Corner Punch on the ends of the sentiment piece.

The second card is even simpler. Again, I don't know who to credit the paper to. The card base is Whisper White. The sentiment is from Kind & Caring thoughts and stamped in Cherry Cobbler. The ribbon is Whisper White Satin. I wrapped a piece around the paper and attached a bow with glue dots.

Both of these are super simple and quick. Perfect for sets.

It's so much fun working with baby pink. It brings back memories of making announcements for Emme, and holding her, and rocking her. She's such a sweetie now, but she's too busy for much more than a quick kiss and cuddle with Nana. She was here yesterday and her cousin Luke, who is two, showed her how to lift her feet when she dances. Needless to say, we had some high steppin' going on around here. Her cousin Gavin, 5 was playing some funky music on the computer to keep them going. What fun!

Hope you got to spend time with loved ones over the weekend. Hope you got to stamp too.

Enjoy,

Bonnie