a quick post...

Hello friends!!  A quick post today to let you know about a couple of things.  First I have a card that I made using some of my left over scraps up over at the CardMaker blog today.  You can check it out here.

Second Penny Black is playing along with Designed to Color and I made the following card (you can also see it on the Penny Black blog, here):

To make the card I started by stamping and coloring the PB Amaryllis image using Copic markers.  The flower image was stamped again, colored with Copics and then trimmed out.  After all the coloring was done I over stamped the image with the Penny Black background stamp Christmas Story using Pumice Stone and then adhered the flower with foam dimensionals.  The image was then inked with Old Paper distress ink.  After mounting the piece on the card front a small tag was stamped with the word "Noel" (from the clear set "in a pear tree"), inked with Old Paper, adhered to the image and a red twine bow was added.   If you want to play along with the Designed to Color challenge click here.

Thanks for stopping by...

Supplies:  Cardstock: PTI Rustic White; Stamps:  Penny Black, Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Pumice Stone & Old Paper; Twine:  May Arts red; Tag die:  PTI tiny tags; Copic Markers

CCC #71... thinking of you

Hello friends!!  Tuesday has arrived once again and that means time for a brand new CASology challenge!  As we have come to expect there were lots of fabulous projects for last week's challenge!  With Christmas right around the corner (yikes!!) we have a bit of a more Christmas themed cue word this week: bell!   I just know this week's gallery will be crammed full of fabulous entries!  Joining us this week in the guest designing spot is the seriously talented, Anita! .  All the details can be found here.

Instead of going with a card that featured bells of the Christmas variety I did a little out of the box thinking and decided to go with my PTI Year of Flowers:  Lily of the Valley set.  I die cut the image (so glad PTI made dies to match the YOF sets!) and then colored it with Copic markers.  The sentiment from the sent was stamped on a fishtail banner that I die cut using my MFT Fishtail Flag Stax dies.   To provide a bit more interest I pulled out my trusty piece of burlap and embossed the card base.   You might be tempted to think that large images don't work well for clean and simple cards, but I think this card shows that they can work amazingly well.

Thanks for stopping by... I cannot wait to see where this week's "bell" cue word take you!  In the meantime make sure you check out the cards from the rest of the design team: Melissa, Judy, Meghan, Ardyth, Gillian, Maureen, Kimberly, Jen , Tracey and guest designer, Anita.

seasons greetings...

Hello friends!!  Wow... our weather has really turned bad... but not nearly as bad as the weather in the Midwest!  I will take my Pacific Northwest rain and fog over a tornado any day!  I have a card that I made for the current Dynamic Duos challenge to use black and grey. 

Since this is "black tie" week at Dynamic Duos there is also a "dessert" option to make your card a Christmas card.  I decided to include the dessert option in my card today.  I pulled out my MFT Jumbo Snowflake Die-namics and die cut my snowflake from SU!'s Smoky Slate cardstock.  A large silver sequin with a rhinestone center was added to the snowflake.  Having an angled piece on your card front seems to be all the rage now and so I gave that a try.  I was able to make pretty even cuts, but I am definitely getting the brand new PTI Tipped Top die set... it will make cutting angled pieces so much easier!!  I stamped the sentiment from MFT's Seasonal Sentiments using black ink.  After adhering the snowflake to the angled piece and then adhering that piece to the card front I added a few grey and black sequins to finish things off.

Thanks for stopping by...

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI True Black & white; SU! Smoky Slate; Stamps:  My Favorite Things; Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Sequins:  Ellen Hutson; Die:  My Favorite Things

happiest day...

{for my TE/CardMaker blog hop post please scroll down or click here.}

Hello friends!!   Got a chance to make a card for one of my favorite challenges, ColourQ.  I used the current sketch from Seize the Sketch for my layout. 

When I saw the ColourQ combo I knew I wanted to use a big bold image for my card and the one I chose was the sunflower image from the MFT/LJD set Splendid Sunflower.  I stamped the sunflower using Close to My Heart's Sunflower ink and then the center of the flower using SU!'s Pumpkin Pie and Rich Razzleberry inks.  The leaves were stamped using SU!'s Bravo Burgundy.  Once I had everything stamped I trimmed all the images out (I don't yet own the companion dies... they are on my wish list!).  Some Pumpkin Pie polka dot patterned paper was added to the mix along with a Rich Razzleberry cardstock strip.  I layered everything up and added the sentiment from the MFT set Birthday Sentiments. 

Thanks for stopping by...

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white & kraft; SU! Rich Razzleberry; PP:  SU!; Stamps:  My Favorite Things; Inks:  Stampin Up! and Close to my Heart.

CardMaker-Taylored Expressions Blog Hop!!

Hello friends!!  Today is a very exciting day because the CardMaker blog team designers have joined up with designers from the Taylored Expressions design team to showcase the Taylored Expressions Stamp of the Month club.  Just hop along to each blog on the list (the complete list can be found at the CardMaker blog, as well as the Taylored Exprssions blog)  and leave a little love for a chance to win a Stamp of the Month set (and coordinating dies!!) from the TE Stamp of the Month archives!!  How cool is that??  Pretty darn cool in my book!   You have until November 22nd at midnight PST to comment for a chance to win.  If you got here from TE designer Cassie Trask's blog, then you are on the right track.   The SOTM set I using today is the August SOTM set S'more Fun (and matching dies) and is just so cute that I had to make two cards.  First up is one using the little camper image.  I used the new sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch for the layout.

The camper die cut using the matching die, stamped and colored with Copic markers.  I die cut some My Mind's Eye Cut & Paste patterned paper with a Spellbinders rectangle die, added some white cardstock at the bottom and matted it with a larger Spellbinders rectangle die.   The camper was adhered using foam dimensionals.  The sentiment was stamped, cut into a fishtail banner and adhered.

Inside of card

For my second card I useed the two tree images, as well as the little tent image.  Just like the first card this one is really simple, too.  I cut a piece of woodgrain patterned paper from the Webster's Pages Family Traditions line to fit my card front, distressed the edges a bit and stamped it with the little map image.   The trees were die cut and stamped and the tent stamped and trimmed out.  All the image were added to the map using foam dimensionals.  A strip of the same patterned paper was cut and adhered to the inside of the card, stamped with the sentiment "miss you" and then two more die cut trees added.

Please check out the Taylored Expressions website to find out all the details of this fun club, as well as the Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients Club. 

Your next stop on the hop is TE designer Amy Crockett's blog.  Thanks for stopping by...

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white; PP:  Webster's Pages Family Traditions; Stamps:  Taylored Expressions August Stamp of the Month - S'more Fun; Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Old Olive and Chocolate Chip

merry & bright...

Hello friends!!  I have a little "just for fun" card that I made with a recently purchased Hero Arts stamp called "Color a Wreath".  Since this is a Hero Arts stamp I'm going to be entering it into their current contest in the "A Few of My Favorite Things" category.  What is my favorite thing... paper piecing!

Lately I have been making more projects that fall into the "I have to because I have a commitment" category than into the "I just want to make something" category.  It was kinda getting me down and taking the fun out of paper crafting.  Over the last few days I have been able to have the time to make some just for fun projects and I'm feeling so much better!    I stamped the wreath on Rustic White cardstock and twice on some plaid patterned paper from the My Mind's Eye Mistletoe Magic pad.  One full bow was trimmed out from the patterned paper and just the top portion of the bow from the second patterned paper bow.  The two were adhered with a Zot.  I pulled out my large collection of sequins and using the colors from the bow found sequins that were a good match.  After adhering all the sequins I added Black Diamond Stickles and the bow.  The sentiment is from the Hero Arts set "Joy to All".

Thanks for stopping by...

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI Rustic White; Stampin Up! Pear Pizzazz; Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Stamps:  Hero Arts:  Sequins:  Vintage silver & gold; Lawn Fawn; Black Diamond Stickles