Folk Art Hearts

Here's another card using the sketch from Less is More this week.  I really love this sketch!

The Queen last week at SCS was ravengirl (Toni) and I didn't have go far into her gallery to find a card.  I chose this one to CASE.  I wish I had time to CASE more.  She's been a favorite of mine for a long time.

The hearts are stamped in Cherry Cobbler on Whisper White. I used my Stamp-a-majig to determine the layout. After stamping, I threaded a big eyed needle with linen thread and connected the hearts with it. I ran a length up the back so I would have two ends to tie a bow with.

The design in layered onto Cherry Cobbler and the card base is Naturals White. The sentiment is also stamped in Cherry Cobbler.

All supplies are Stampin' Up


Card Recipe
Stamps: Take it to Heart, Whimsical Words (retired)
Ink: Cherry Cobbler
Paper: Naturals White, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
Other: Linen Thread.


We've all been battling a respiratory virus at our house.  I have completely lost my voice.  The boys think it's really cool that I whisper to them.  They both give me the sweetest smiles when I try to talk.

I'm so glad you stopped by and that you aren't exposed to any germs during your visit.

Enjoy!

Let's Sketch

Can you believe that Less is More is a year old?  What a wonderful year it's been with this challenge.  So much inspiration and friendships have come my way since joining in.  Thanks ladies for coming up with such a wonderful variety of challenges for us each week.

I had this embossed heart from the Floral Fillers set on my table and looked for a way to use it for

the challenge which this week is a SKETCH and there are some basic ground rules.

We would like the card to be

rectangular

                                                                            in landscape orientation
                                                                            with the band remaining in a vertical position

As it's a very simple sketch, we would like it to remain as is without any rotation of either the card or the vertical band.

I really love this sketch and think I will  use it often.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Floral Fillers
Ink:  VersaMark, Jet Black StazOn
Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Black
Other: Black Embossing Powder, Basic Rhinestone, Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit, Simply Scored

A friend of our daughter is getting married in the Spring and I think this will  be a great Wedding card.

And whatever the language, Mandi and Chrissie, we love you.

I'm so glad you stopped by.

Enjoy!

ColorQ Bird

What kind of bird is this?  I can't find a bird in my bird books that helps me identify it, so I'm calling him the ColorQ bird.

That's because the design is colored in the ColorQ colors for this week.

The image was stamped with Jet Black StazOn and colored with SU Markers. I used the markers directly on the design for the deeper tones and swiped on plastic and picked up with a blender pen for the lighter tones.

Here's a closeup

We were joking yesterday that I'm going to wear out my Square Lattice Embossing Folder!

All supplies Stampin' Up!


Card Recipe
Stamps:  Take it to Heart, Loving Thoughts
Ink:  Jet Black StazON, SU Markers (Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, More Mustard)
Paper:  Watercolor, Riding Hood Red
Other:  Big Shot, Hearts Collection Framelits die, Square Lattice EF, Dimensionals


I hope you have a wonderful day.  Thanks for spending some of it with me.

Enjoy!

Color in Winter

Susan's One Layer Wednesday challenge this week is ....

"Winter's dominant color scheme is gray and white (at least in Ohio), but every now and then, a pop of color reminds us that spring and summer WILL come. I've seen pops of red (cardinals) and blue (blue birds) out my windows this month.

This week's OLW is to make a one-layer card that uses white, gray, with a pop of one bright color of your choice. (If you must, you may use black for the sentiment.)"

Very quick and simple.  I stamped the flourish from the Creative Elements stamp set in Basic Gray.  Colored the "berries" in Real Red with a SU Marker.  Inked the Sympathy from the Loving Thoughts set with a Basic Gray Marker.

That's it and it was done.

I had done this card yesterday for this challenge but then decided that it had more than a pop of color in that Carolina Blue sky.

Actually, it's been so warm here in Carolina that I have a daffodil blooming in my front yard.  And when I went to the library this afternoon, there were several showing their happy faces.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps: Creative Elements, Loving Thoughts

Ink:  Basic Gray, SU Markers (Real Red, Basic Gray)

Paper:  Whisper White

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps:  Lovely as a Tree, Teeny, Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Basic Gray

Paper:  Naturals White

Other:  Stampin' Pastels (Bashful Blue, Night of Navy), Sponge Dauber

I had a wonderful time this afternoon with some of my stamping friends. We had the best time and all made lots of beautiful cards. Now I'm so inspired I probably won't be able to sleep tonight.

I'm so happy you stopped by.

Enjoy!

Merry Winter Post

I finally got to make a card for the Merry Monday 4 Challenge at Always Playing with Paper.

Here's the sketch Lesley gave us to work with.

There's still time to join in.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise stated

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Winter Post, Bells & Boughs

Ink:  Jet Black StazOn, SU Markers (Garden Green, Real Red, Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler)

Paper:  Whisper White, Night of Navy, Naturals White

Other:  Big Shot, Petals-a-Plenty EF, Lots of Tags Sizzlit, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Nestie, White Gel Pen

It makes me happy that you stopped by.

Enjoy!

Adventures in DSP

Those of you who follow my blog know that I have a love/hate relationship with DSP.  And I truly believe that the box of DSP grows daily.  I'll never be able to use it up!  If I never bought any more, I probably still wouldn't run out. And I have people helping me use it too!

I think I've found a way to use some up.  I cut a piece of each 4" x 5" then laid it on my paper cutter with the corners lined up and cut it on the diagonal. I actually cut one piece a bit larger so I would have some "wiggle room".  I punched a strip of Lucky Limeade with the Scallop Border Punch tucked it between the 2 pieces of DSP.  Then put it all through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder.

It's easier to stamp the sentiment before embossing.  Ask me how I know that?  I'm glad I had an Island Indigo Marker to touch it up.

Some White Satin Ribbon finished off the card.

I didn't even  have to buy this paper.  It's free during Sale-a-bration (with a $50.00 order).  There's some pretty paper in the package.  I believe you'll be seeing some more of it on my cards.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Curly Cute
Ink:  Island Indigo
Paper:  Whisper White, Island Indigo, Everyday Enchantment DSP
Other:  Square Lattice EF, Scallop Border Punch, White Satin Ribbon

I'm so glad you stopped in today.  I hope  you'll come back again soon.

Enjoy!

Another Window

Here's another window card I did while I was on that roll.

There's a challenge blog out there called CAS-ual Fridays and I've been wanting to participate in their challenges.  CAS is what I like best.  I hope you can visit their challenge site.  Not only are the DTs samples wonderful, but there are over 200 entries for this challenge alone.  I wish I had time to visit each of the entrants' blogs to get a closer look and let them know how much I enjoyed their inspiration.  This is the challenge this week.

CFC36: Create a Clean And Simple Project that is only black and white.

*no other colors will be allowed-not even a speck*

I love black and white cards!

It also qualifies for the Less is More challenge this week to

"Cut it Out"

For this we would like to see some kind of hole or aperture in your card!

I love these cards with cutouts, but they are hard to get a good photo of.  I'm no photographer and I couldn't figure out how to get a picture without any shadow.  Hopefully you can see the card well enough.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Floral Fillers

Ink:  VersaMark

Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Black

Other:  Scallop Rectangle Clearlit, Black EP, Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Basic Pearls (colored with a permanent marker)

I'm so glad you could stop by today.  I really enjoy hearing from you.

Enjoy!

Hearts, Hearts, Hearts

Valentine's day is right around the corner and I have hearts on my mind.  How many hearts do you count in this card?

Boy was this hard to photgraph!

The Less is More challenge this week is

"Cut it Out"

For this we would like to see some kind of hole or aperture in your card

 

and the Friday Mashup challenge

FM#42 It's all about Color!

 

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

Make a project using "Paper Piercing".

Or Make a project using the colors "Blushing Bride, Riding Hood Red & Early Espresso".

Or "Mash it Up" and create a project with the "Color Combo & Paper Piercing".

The aperature and embossed hearts were all cut with the Hearts Collection Framelits Dies.  You can find them on p. 6 of the Occasions Catalog.  I cut the heart window with one size.  After cutting the larger hearts, I put them in my favorite Square Lattice Embossing Folder to give them some texture.

The stamped heart on the inside was a scrap of Whisper White stamped with some of the flowers from the Elements of Style large flower stamp.  I inked the stamp with Riding Hood Red and Pear Pizzaz markers.  After stamping, I put the piece in the Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit.  It embosses and cuts at the same time and the heart has a lovely scallop edge.

The sentiment is cut from the I {Love} Love Jumbo Wheel and stamped in Early Espresso.

The fancy paper piercing was done using an Ecstasy template.  It's the first time I've used it after wishing for one for several years.  It's not Stampin' Up! but isn't it interesting?

A bit of Riding Hood Red (retired) ribbon finished it off.

Hopefuly it's not too much for Less is More but I'm pretty sure  I Mashed it Up!

All supplies SU unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Elements of Style, I {Love} Love Jumbo Wheel (cut apart)

Ink:  Early Espresso, SU Markers (Riding Hood Red, Pear Pizzazz)

Paper:  Blushing Bride, Whisper White

Other:  Big Shot, Hearts Framelits, Square Lattice EF, Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit, Paper Piercing template (Ecstasy Crafts), Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon

I'm so glad you could stop by today.

Enjoy!

Man, Oh Man

Susan's One Layer Wednesday challenge last Wednesday was to make a birthday card for a guy.  And of course it has to be one layer with minimum embellishments.  Here's what I did.

I'm doing a happy dance because I used the stamp in the Baroque Motifs set that I had never used before!

I used my Stamp-a-majig for placement and stamped the middle block in Chocolate Chip then lined the end blocks up.  I have to tell  you, I held my breath through the whole process.  It's a good thing it didn't take too long!

Now I'm breathless but happy.

I kept thinking about the Technique Challenge on SCS last Monday to use twine in a different way.  I punched a 1/4" circle from a scrap, added a glue dot and wrapped a bit of hemp twine on the circle and glued the end down. I thought it gave a manly look.  I tied a piece of twine too.  It probably didn't need it, but I kinda like it, so it stays.

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Baroque Motifs

Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Not Quite Navy
Paper:  Whisper White
Other:  Hemp Twine

I thought I would get a lot of stamping done this weekend and I haven't inked the first stamp.  My house is clean,  the errands are run and there's a pot of beef stew on the stove.  Hopefully, I can get to the craft room after supper.

Wish you could join us for some warming stew.

Enjoy!

Merry Monday 3

I made another Christmas card this week thanks to the Merry Monday Challenge at Always Playing with Paper.  I hope I'll be able to load this in to the challenge.  I haven't been able to leave a message on Lesley's blog all week.  I had the same problem with some other blogs but some of them have resolved the issues.  I'm not sure what's going on.  Anyway, here's my card.

Here is the sketch that Lesley gave us to work with.

I have to admit that working with sketches is quite challenging for me. This one was pretty simple, but I still struggled with it.  I am satisfied with the results though, and it's good to stretch beyond my comfort zone sometimes.

I punched the bird from a Real Red scrap and stamped the little flourish from the Vintage Vogue set with Whisper White.  The oval is cut with the Ovals Bigz die and my Big Shot and sponged with Not Quite Navy. The nest is pieces punched with a competitor's punch.  Sssh! 

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Vintage Vogue, Warm Words

Ink:  Real Red

Paper:  Naturals White, Garden Green, Real Red

Other:  Big Shot, Petals-a-Plenty EF, Ovals die, Bird Builder and Modern Label Punches, White Gel Pen

I'm glad you got to stop in today.  I hope you'll come back soon.

Enjoy!

Cupcakes for Mrs. H.

One of Luke's beloved teachers just had a birthday and we needed a special card.

It was inspired be this card by jaydekay.  It's not as pretty as hers, but it did the trick.  Jaydekay, aka Judy, was named Queen for the Day last Friday.  It was so much fun to browse her gallery.

I should have done a closeup of the cupcakes. I used Shimmer Paint tinted with re-inkers to do the icing.  It gives it a nice shimmery look like real icing.  The white icing looks pretty gray in this picture.  I'm glad it didn't look that way IRL.

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Crazy for Cupcakes, So Happy for You
Ink:  Jet Black StazOn, Cherry Cobbler, SU Markers (More Mustard, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Rose Red)
Paper: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler
Other:  Frost White Shimmer Paint, Re-inkers (Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink), Mini Brads

I'm so glad you stopped in. 

Enjoy!

Thank You with DSP

I'm coming in just under the wire for the Friday Mashup challenge.  I think there's 3 hrs. left to post.

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

                                    Make a "Thank You" themed Project.

                                  Or Make a project "Using Designer/Patterned Paper".

                                Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Thank You project with Designer/Patterned Paper".

I tried to use more designer paper.  Really, I did!  I am just DSP challenged!

My little flower is made from some Designer Paper that will be available free (with a $50.00 order) during Sale-a-bration starting January 24th.

I  used some Confetti card stock for the base card and the label.  It has tiny flecks that match these colors.  It gives a nice heavy base too.

All Supplies Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Perfectly Penned
Ink:  Island Indigo
Paper:  Confetti White, Everyday Enchantment DSP
Other:  Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Designer Frames EF, Boho Blossoms Punch, Mat Pack & Stylus, Basic Pearl

I'm glad you could stop in.  I hope you come back soon.

Enjoy!

Bluebird of Happiness

The Less is More challenge this week is...

ONE LAYER CARD

with the subject of

BIRDS

Remember to add NO additional layers and to keep embellishments to a minimum.

I got this stamp a while back.  It's called Young Vermillion but I've changed him to a bluebird for this card. He's a very bright bluebird.  Too bright actually.  But he is bound to spread some happiness to someone.  I've been seeing a bluebird flitting around in my yard lately and thought how nice it would be to put one on a card.

I stamped this little guy in StazOn on Naturals White and used my SU Markers to color him.  The retired Ballet Blue was my favorite bluebird color, but I thought I would try the Island Indigo and Calypso Coral.  Thus the bright bird.

After stamping and coloring the little guy, I masked off a section and sponged some Bashful Blue and Not Quite Navy for the sky.  Then I extended the branch to the end of the sponging, used my Basic Black marker to outline the design area and used my Simply scored to add some extra details.  When I scored, I realized that my sponging wasn't exactly straight.  But I decided I kinda liked it that way.

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Young Vermillion
Ink:  Jet Black StazOn, Bashful Blue, Not Quite Navy, SU Markers (Island Indigo, Calypso Coral, Soft Suede Basic Black)
Paper: Naturals White
Other:  White Gel Pen, Simply Scored

I'm really glad you popped in. 

Enjoy!



Pink and Red

One Layer Wednesday is back!  I've missed this challenge and I'm so glad it's back.

This week the challenge is to use red and pink...and ONLY red and pink...on a white card base.

I got this Floral Fillers stamp set for Christmas and thought it would be a good time to break it out.

I stamped one heart in Cherry Cobbler and stamped again on a sticky note.  I cut out the sticky note heart and using it for a mask, stamped a second heart on the card.  The sentiment is from the same set.  The one flower is colored with my Regal Rose marker.

I think I'll save this for my sister and brother-in-law's anniversary.  They will be celebrating their 55th this year and I think that's pretty amazing!

Here is another that I did with this set.  It looked like it needed something and the more I did to find that something, the worse it looked.  Does that ever happen to you?

I covered a major boo, boo with a punched flower.  I'm not totally satisfied with this, but thought I'd share it anyway.  Nobody said one layer cards were easy!

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Floral Fillers, I {love} Love Wheel (2nd card)
Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, SU Marker (Regal Rose)
Paper:  Whisper White
Other:  Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding (card 1), Itty Bitty Shapes Punch (card 2), Basic Rhinestones & Pearls, Simply Scored (card 1)

I'm so glad you stopped by.

Enjoy!

New Challenge

I have discovered a new challenge that I am really excited about.  It's called Merry Monday and the challenge is to do a Christmas card each week.

Here's what I did for this week.

Like Leslie, I didn't have enough Christmas cards done when I needed to be sending them.  I was frantically making cards right up until Christmas.  And some people will be getting Valentines instead of Christmas cards!

Here's the sketch that Leslie gave us to use...

I'm not sure if she will give a sketch each week or if she'll mix it up with other challenges, but it will be good discipline to do at least one Christmas card each week.  That will still leave plenty to do in the Fall.

The poinsettia is made from the 5 Petal Flower and the Boho Blossoms Punches.  I punched one green and two red of the larger flower and 1 of the medium Boho flower.  I used my stylus and the soft mat from my Mat Pack and rubbed in circles on each of the flowers.  Then I just built them up with glue dots in between and used some teeny gold beads for the centers.

Edited to add: The petals of the poinsettia are "scooped out" with the circle punch in the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack before they are embossed with the stylus.

The greenery is from one end of the Bells and Boughs poinsettia stamp inked with a Garden Green Marker and stamped in a circle.  The sentiment is from the Beautiful Season set and the snowflakes from a hostess set last year, Northern Hearts.

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Bells and Boughs, Beautiful Season, Northern Hearts

Ink:  Garden Green, Handsome Hunter, Whisper White

Paper:  Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Real Red, Garden Green, Handsome Hunter

Other:  Five Petal Flower, Boho Blossoms, and Lace Ribbon Border punches, Stylus, Mat Pack, Mini beads

I'm having some connection problems with blogger.  Some blog pages are coming up blank.  Is anyone else having similar problems?  I haven't been able to leave comments on some blogs and I'm not sure if the link to Merry Monday will work here.  If not, just google Merry Monday Challenge and you should be able to get there.  I hope this problem will sort itself out soon.

Have a great weekend.

Enjoy!

My Little Chickadee

I thought this sweet little guy would make a great winter Thank you card.

I stamped the image with Jet Black StazOn ink and colored with SU makers.

The sentiment is the Thanks from Perfect Punches inked with my Basic Black Marker.

Mats in black and white and it was done.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Beautiful SEason, Perfect Punches

Ink:  Jet Black StazOn, SU Markers ( Basic Gray, Basic Black, So Saffron Soft Suede, Always Artichoke, Old Olive, Real Red)

Paper:  Basic Black, Whisper White

I just saw that I am a Glamette at the Friday Mashup Challenge blog for this card.  Whoo, hoo!  It's fun to have time to stamp and an honor for my card to be recognized among so many beautiful cards.

Speaking of which, maybe I have some time to do a card this evening.

So glad you could stop by.

Enjoy!

 

Flowers and Pastels

Our Papercrafting group met today.  What a lovely group of ladies.  I wish I could get together with them more often.

This is one of the projects we worked on.

This is easy enough for beginners and fun for experienced cardmakers too.

I would have taken pictures of their creations, but Jack was playing with us and my hands were full.

I did offer other colors too.

and

All supplies Stampin' Up!

Stamps:  Fifth Avenue Floral, Sincere Salutations, Curly Cute

Ink:  Jet Black StazOn

Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Black

Other:  Stampin' Pastels, Retired Ribbon

I wish you could have joined us in person.

Enjoy!