Knit Sweater Stripes - Stampin' Up! Knit Sweater Dies

 The Knit Together bundle was one I almost overlooked when I was making my July-Dec. mini catalog preorder because I didn't know how much I would use the big background stamp but then I took a closer look at the dies and was sold!  They are so cute and so easy to combine to make different patterns and you can use the negative bits and the die cuts on their own so the versatility is great.

  The current challenge at Global Design Project is a fun sketch with narrow strips and I thought it would be perfect to use the Knit Sweater dies to play along.

 Once I had chosen my colors I cut narrow strips and then used the dies to cut the patterns.  I also used some of the upcoming Sale-a-Bration reward Be Dazzling paper.  It's so shimmery and a perfect accent to add to Christmas cards.  I used some of the snowflakes and inset them back into the strips as well as to highlight around the sentiment.  I cut a full zigzag and added that back between the Blushing Bride layer as well. The Basic White layer behind the colored strips has been embossed with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder.

  The only fussy thing about this card was getting the strips laid out just so for spacing.  I goofed a bit and had to improvise by adding the Blushng Bride zigzag at the last minute because my spacing was so off. 

  The sentiment is from Christmas to Remember and is die cut with the Seasonal Labels dies and then popped with dimensionals.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Christmas to Remember

Ink: Misty Moonlight

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Misty Moonlight, Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, Be Dazzling paper (SAB)

Accessories: Knit Sweater dies, dimensionals, Seasonal Labels dies

Layered Christmas Stars - Stampin' Up! Stitched Stars Dies

My card today has very little stamping because I was just so into creating with the Stitched Stars dies that there really wasn't any space for stamping once I was finished!

 
My inspiration for this card came from the challenge over at The Card Concept.  They have a really neat inspiration photo so I took my colors and the layout from that to do this Clean and Layered card. See the end of this post for the photo.

The card base is Early Espresso with a layer of Whisper White stamped with the Birch background stamp.  I was going for a non-traditional Christmas color look but I guess with a change of sentiment on the inside it could be for just about any occasion.  You could easily mix traditional Christmas colors for a great look in this same style.

  I used the Stitched Stars dies to cut a lot of different stars and then spent some time mixing and matching to get the right balance of colors.  Each one is popped on a dimensional and then has either a sequin or an adhesive rhinestone in the center.

  This isn't a hard card to make just a bit fussy to get the balance just right.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Birch

Ink: Early Espresso

Paper: Early Espresso, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Coastal Cabana, Rococo Rose, Petal Pink

Accessories: Stitched Stars dies, dimensionals, sequins, rhinestones

Finger Paint Flower - Stampin' Up! You've Got This

  This might be a very short post today as there is something screwy going on with my space bar.  It's like I have to press it harder than normal and it's making typing very difficult.  Is this the beginning of the end for this laptop??  I hope it's just crumbs or something stuck in there....Oh well.   I'll carry on for the sake of stamping!

  I've been stamping quite a bit lately to participate in the Splitcoaststampers annual Hope You Can Cling To Challenge.  Every day is a new challenge for the month of October to create cards to send to the MC Anderson Cancer Center in Texas to support cancer patients and their families.  The challenges are really fun and for a great cause.  I'm a few days behind as we were out of town this past weekend but I made this one last week.

  This challenge was called Lend A Hand. You were to use a hand image, trace your hand onto the card or apply color using your hands/fingers. I searched my stamp sets for a hand and didn't have one so I went with finger painting!

  I simply stamped this awesome flower in black ink and then colored in the flower by pressing my finger into the ink pad and then rubbing the color onto the image.  

  

  You can see my finger prints a bit but I'm actually surprised with how well this technique looks.

  I hope you head over to Splitcoaststampers and join in the Hope You Can Cling To Challenge.  It's a fantastic reason to toss aside the cleaning and laundry this month and make some cards!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: You've Got This

Ink: Black, Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz, Crushed Curry

Paper: Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White

Accessories: circle punch, black baker's twine, SAB ribbon, dimensionals

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Thank You Banner

  I had hoped to get this card posted for you last night but I had volunteered to help set up for a used book sale that will benefit our preschool and I didn't get home until after 9 and then I was just too beat.  Our church/preschool is having a Holiday Stop & Shop with all sorts of vendors and the parents club organizes and runs a used book sale to earn more money for the school.  If you're in the Richmond area stop by either today from 9-1 or tomorrow (Saturday) from 9-4.  There will be over 30 vendors with some really neat items as well as LOTS of used books!  Our church, Epiphany Lutheran is located at 1400 Horsepen Ave right where Monument Ave. ends in the West End.  Come get some Christmas shopping done early!

  Now on to the card...I made this for one of the Hope You Can Cling To challenges which was to use a hanging image or element on your card.  I made a banner which of course you hang.  The colors I used were from a color challenge at Just Add Ink, Cherry Cobbler, Blushing Bride and a neutral of your choice.

   I won't go into a lot of detail since I think this one is pretty self-explanatory.  I added a bit of bling and sparkle with the Blushing Bride glimmer brads holding the banner in the corners as well as 2 little rhinestones on the side banners.  The DSP is the retired Jolly Holiday.  I feel like I've been making cards forever with this DSP and I still have a few sheets left.  You certainly get your money's worth with the Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper pack that's for sure!

  I've got to get going and unpack an order that arrived last night.  My stamping ladies are excited to get their items to start on Christmas cards!  Remember if you're in the Richmond area come by and check out the Holiday Stop & Shop today and tomorrow!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pennant Parade

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Blushing Bride, Very Vanilla, Jolly Holiday DSP (retired)

Accessories: Pennant builder punch, bakers twine, Glimmer Brads, adhesive rhinestones, small circle punch, dimensionals, Elegant Lines embossing folder

Flowers of Hope

  Just a quick post tonight....we're busy watching hockey on TV.  Go Flyers!  I made this card the other day for the Hope You Can Cling To challenge on Splitcoaststampers.  The month long challenge to create cards for the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas is almost over and I haven't gotten to nearly as many cards as I had wanted to.  Hopefully tomorrow after church I can get a few more cards made for this great cause.  For this particular challenge the hostess wanted you to use green and yellow which represents Hope and brown which represents Comfort.

  Here is my green, yellow and brown card.

  This "3 Across" layout is one that I use a lot and works for a variety of different stamps, big, small, solid image, line art...you name it it will look great in this layout.  My exact colors were suggested by my Color Coach.  Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, So Saffron and More Mustard.

  I stamped my Field Flowers first in So Saffron and then added the detail stamp over it with More Mustard.  I stamped the centers in Chocolate Chip and then punched 3 out with my scallop square punch.  I oriented them each a bit differently in the punch so they wouldn't be completely matchy matchy.  I sponged the edges of each square with a bit of Chocolate Chip ink.

   The 3 flower panels are mounted on a piece of textured Garden Green and a strip of Whisper White that was punched with the scallop edge border punch and sponged with Chocolate Chip is added at the bottom.

  To give the sentiment a little bit of punch I first stamped the detail flower stamp with Chocolate Chip ink.  Then I stamped the sentiment in Versamark right over the flower and embossed it with white embossing powder.  I tend not to get rid of retired sentiment stamp sets as you just never know when you'll need a certain phrase or font.  The set that this one came from, Whimsical Words, retired some time ago but I think it works perfectly for this card.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Field Flowers, Whimsical Words

Ink: Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, More Mustard, Versamark

Paper: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Garden Green(textured)

Accessories: square scallop punch, scallop edge punch, white embossing powder
 

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

  I woke up this morning to a great surprise in my inbox.  I was chosen as a winner in a stamping contest!!  Now this just isn't any old stamping contest but a contest that the Co-Founder and CEO of Stampin' Up! issues every month for anyone, not just demonstrators, to enter.  Shelli Gardner has a monthly challenge on her blog and she picks several winners and I happen to be one of them for the September Christmas Card Creative challenge.  There were so many super cute ideas that I'm totally floored to have been one of the few chosen out of all of them.  Click HERE to see the list of winners and HERE to see my original blog post with my winning Jingle Bell Elf Shoes project.

  On to a new project that I completed for the Hope You Can Cling To challenge.  This particular challenge was a sketch challenge that I used along with a color combination that I saw at church a few weeks ago.  You know you're a stamper when.... you go to church and come home with color combinations written down on your bulletin that you just have to try on a card!  I think the colors were probably better left on the church lady's dress but oh well....nothing ventured nothing gained right?  They can't all be winners!  Ha!

  I used the Circle Circus stamp set for the larger circle and the sentiment is from the retired set Happy Greetings.  My circles were cut with the Circle Scissors Plus as none of my dies or punches were quite the right sizes to work for this sketch.  This is a great tool to have for cutting larger size circles.

  The triangle piece of Basic Gray was embossed with the Square Lattice embossing folder.  A length of Basic Gray taffeta ribbon goes under this panel and around the back of the card to tie a nice little bow at the side. 

  I added quite a bit of bling to this card.  I find myself kind of hoarding the long connected strands of adhesive rhinestones.  I don't know why....I have at least 3 sheets of rhinestones in my drawer at any given time, I can get more without a problem and they are very inexpensive for how many rhinestones you get per sheet so I decided that there is no reason at all not to be using them.   I put a strip of 8 under the sentiment and then used a whole bunch to form a circle on top of the larger circle  So, if you've bought some paper, embellishments or ribbons....don't keep them locked away, use them on a card and enjoy creating!  The person who receives the card will enjoy it as well.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?


Stamps: Circle Circus, Happy Greetings (retired)

Ink: Island Indigo, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Basic Gray


Paper: Island Indigo, Basic Gray, Melon Mambo, Whisper White


Accessories: Basic Gray taffeta ribbon, rhinestones, Square Lattice embossing folder

Faux Buttons

  Just a quick post this morning since I have to go up to the elementary school in a little bit to volunteer at the kindergarten lunch.  They need all the help they can get...kindergarteners are sent to school with all sorts of stuff in their lunches that they can't open by themselves!  CapriSun juice pouches (I can't even get the straw in those sometimes!), tupperware, prepackaged crackers, cookies, cakes, candy, yogurt tubes (I know, gross right?) etc. that they can't tear open the packaging.  The last time I volunteered there was one little girl who couldn't eat a single thing in her lunchbox until a volunteered opened it for her.  Poor girl!  Whatever happened to plastic baggies??  You know when you walk in the cafeteria and they hand you a pair of scissors you'll be working!

  Today's card is another one I made for the Hope You Can Cling To Challenge on Splitcoaststampers.  I hope you all aren't tired of hearing about this but it's a month long challenge for a great cause.  This card is for a challenge that used an inspiration photo of cupcakes decorated like women's torsos.  So think like neck to hips kind of thing.  Click HERE to see the challenge photo.  Since the HYCCT Challenges are all centered around breast cancer awareness this is a fitting challenge.  I don't have any boob stamps (don't think Stampin' Up! will be selling those anytime soon either) so I went with the next best thing...a dress form.

   I think I got the layout from a sketch challenge somewhere but I didn't write it down so if it looks familiar to you let me know where it's from and I'll edit to add that information.  I used the Sew Suite stamp set that retired over the summer as well as the Sweet Stitches DSP.  I was sad that this set didn't make the big catalog....but it's still cute so I will continue to use it when I can.  The dress form is paper pieced, colored and then I used a Vintage Trinket mini button brad in the corner.  I stamped the spool and then cut it out and colored it with Crumb Cake and wrapped some baker's twine around it.  One of the adorable mini safety pins from the vintage trinkets embellishments adds a bit of fun don't you think.  I made 4 faux buttons using the Sweet Buttons embosslit and covering them with a healthy layer of Cystal Effects.  You get the fun of a button but without the bulkiness.  A little 1/8" taffeta ribbon and a sentiment punched with the Decorative Label punch finishes this one off.

  A reminder to any of my local ladies...if you are making any cards for the Hope You Can Cling To Challenges I will take care the postage to mail your cards to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas.  Just let me know and I will include your cards in with mine.

   Also, only 13 days left to take advantage of the FREE Big Shot promotion going on right now.  If you're on the fence go for it....you've got nothing to lose and a whole lot of cool products to gain by signing up.  If you want to chat about just give me a shout!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sew Suite (retired), So Many Sayings (retired)

Ink: Black Stazon, Crumb Cake marker, Regal Rose (marker)


Paper: Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Sweet Stitches DSP, Whisper White


Accessories: 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Decorative Label punch, Sweet Buttons embosslit, Crystal Effects, Vintage Trinkets

Tools + Pink

   I hope everyone had a great weekend.  We we went to a Harvest Festival at a nearby park on Saturday.  We had a blast!  They had all kinds of old fashioned activities to do.  The boys and I made our own hand-dipped candles, the boys shelled black eyed peas, used a giant press to press sorghum, watched apple cider get made and a bunch of other fun stuff.  There was food and music and a hay bale maze and it was all free except for the food.  It was a great afternoon.  We walked home and then made a yummy dinner of Beer Can chicken, acorn squash and onion potatoes that we ate in the dinning room with the good dishes and crystal and with the candles we made that afternoon lighting the table.  The boys always think it's such fun to use the good dishes and have candles in the dinning room.  Sunday we were busy with church, a long walk at a different park, making some soup and odds and ends around the house.  Busy but not stamping busy so I didn't get any new projects done but I hope to have more time during the week but in the meantime here's a card I made last week.

  This is another card that I made for the Hope You Can Cling To Challenge.  This particular challenge was to make a masculine card that used pink.  Wow!  This one took me a while to figure out.  First I don't have a ton of masculine stamp sets and then to use pink with one of them...well let's just say this project was started several times with several different ideas and this one was the best of the bunch.  Will it win any awards?  Certainly not but it fulfilled the challenge so here it is!

  I stamped the tools in Basic Gray and used my Marina Mist marker to colors parts of them.  I stamped the tape measure again, colored it in and then cut it out.  I used a small amount of Crystal Effects on the belt clip, tape measure thingy (yes very technical term there...my carpenter grandfather is probably rolling over in his grave or something!) and the little tab thing-y (again!!) that you push to lock the tape measure.  So that little details shows up way more in real life. 

  I punched out the heart from textured Rose Red cardstock and then adhered the jazzed up tape measure with a dimensional.  The words were stamped on scrap cardstock in Basic Gray and hand cut and glued down to the heart using Tombow Multi.  The whole heart concoction is popped up with a dimensional as well.

  The part that I was most excited about is the embossed line detail around the right hand and bottom edges.  I did that super quick with my Simply Scored tool.  Just set my markers zip, zip and then turned my cardstock and zip zip again!  4 perfectly scored lines in no time at all.  Who needs a tape measure or hammer when you've got a Simply Scored!!??

  I  hope you all had a great weekend!  Thanks for looking! 

  Did you stamp today?

  Stamps: Totally Tool

  Ink: Basic Gray, Marina Mist (marker)

  Paper: Basic Gray, Whisper White, Marina Mist, Rose Red textured

  Accessories: ticket corner punch, Large Heart punch, Simple Scored, Crystal Effects, Dimensionals

Sweet Morning Coffee

  I finally got back into my stamp room on Wednesday morning and got a few cards finished.  Here is one of them.  This was a combination of 2 different challenges over on Splitcoaststampers; the CAS (Clean and Simple) weekly challenge and one of the daily Hope You Can Cling To Challenges.  The CAS chalenge was an inspiration photo of a mug of coffee, some kind of yummy looking iced pastry and an apple----very fall-ish.  The HYCCT Challenge was to make a card using only paper embellishments.  Not using ribbon or brads is very hard for me to do....don't believe me?  Scroll through a few pages of my blog and you'll see how very hard it is!!

 

  I drew from the inspiration photo the colors and the coffee theme.  Since it was a clean and simple challenge this was a good one to leave off the embellishments to fit with the other challenge so I just went for some texture and interest with the the 3 strips of Early Espresso punched with the scallop edge punch and layered.

  For the image panel I stamped in Early Espresso and used my blender pen and Crumb Cake ink to just lightly shade the mug and coffee pot.  The edge of the circle is also sponged with Crumb Cake.  I used my Riding Hood Red marker to color in the heart on the mug and the adorable little hearts coming out as steam from the coffee pot.  The sentiment is stamped in Early Espresso and punched out with the word window punch and adhered to the edge of the circle.  The whole thing is popped on dimensionals.

  Remember to head over to Splitcoaststampers and check out the Hope You Can Cling To Challenges all during the month of October.  Make some cards for the MD Anderson Cancer Center and help lift someone's spirit!

   Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Morning Cup

Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Riding Hood Red (marker)

Paper: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Whisper White

Accessories: scallop edge punch, word window punch, Circles #2 die, blender pen, dimensionals

Love Chairs with Bling

  Here's another card for the Hope You Can Cling To Challenge on Splitcoaststampers.  I'm excited to see how many cards I can get made for this challenge during October.  This challenge was called Bling Your Cling.

  The base of this Clean and Simple card is Crumb Cake.  I stamped the chairs in Early Espresso and punched them out with the wide oval punch.  I used my trusty owl punch to punch out 3 Melon Mambo hearts and then in keeping with the challenge I blinged them out with rhinestones.  The chairs are mounted on Early Espresso that was embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder.  I have just a hint of Pretty in Pink cardstock peeking out from underneath the Early Espresso.  The sentiment comes from Happy Greetings.

  Get your stamp on and create some cards to send to the cancer patients and their families at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas.  Make someone's day a little brighter!

   Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Have a Seat, Happy Greetings

Ink: Early Espresso

Paper: Crumb Cake, Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, Early Espresso, Whisper White

Accessories: Wide Oval Punch, Owl Punch, Rhinestones, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder

Stamping for Breast Cancer Awareness Month - A Pink T. Rex!

  As many of you know October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  We will be seeing pink everywhere, from NFL football games, to commercials and even on food packaging all month long.  The stamping community on Splitcoaststampers is joining in on this great cause for the second year in a row.  The "Hope You Can Cling To" Challenge Forum is hosting a challenge everyday for stampers to create a card to send to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas to be used for their patients and patients families. 

  The very first challenge was to create a card with a pink critter on it.  So the following card is what I came up with.  Go to Splitcoaststampers to check out the challenge links and play along.  Let's shower those at MD Anderson Cancer Center with as many cards as we can...a handmade card is a hug with a fold in the middle!  Cheesy but true...how good do you feel when you get a handmade card in the mail?  Exactly!  Get stamping!

  I started this card out with the pink T. Rex of course which I stamped with black Stazon and then colored with a blender pen.  Her belly is Pink Pirouette and the rest of her is Regal Rose.  I added some of the flower punches from the Triple Layer Bouquet Blossom punch just along the edge of the dinosaur panel.  The sentiment was punched with the word window punch and adhered to the edge of the circle.

  Behind the image panel is a strip of Pretty in Pink DSP with some Whisper White satin ribbon wrapped around it.  I added some bling with a strip of adhesive rhinestones along the ribbon.  Behind this panel is a piece of Whisper White that was embossed with the Stripes embossing folder.  This piece was adhered to a piece of Regal Rose and black brads highlight the corners.  All of this pink goodness is mounted on a Pink Pirouette base.

  I hope you will all head over and check out these challenges and offer your support!  For my local stamping ladies, if you would like to participate I would be glad to mail any cards you would like to donate along with mine when I send them to the MD Anderson Cancer Center.  Just shoot me an e-mail and let me know!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp for a good cause today?

Stamps: Dinoroar

Ink: Black Stazon

Paper: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink DSP

Accessories: word window punch, satin ribbon, adhesive rhinestones, Stripes embossing folder, Triple Layer Bouquet Blossom punch