CPS69 & IO Challenges

Thanks to my friend, Cat, she's pushed me out of a corner and encouraged me to make a card today. NOW, I'm in the mood. Thank you soooo much!! So this is my second post. And even more exciting is that both posts were for two challenges.

The first challenge is for Card Patterns Sketch 69 and can be found here. And the second one is for Impression Obsession to use at least one of their stamps and the color red.

The card is 6 x 6. I used some real pretty mottled light beige Basic Grey paper as the first layer on top of my ivory base and wished I hadn't since it is not seen and I could have used an ivory and distressed it and you'd never know the difference. Lesson learned! I love distressing and aging.

One of my favorite colors is SU's Ruby Red and it is a sad time when that and Cameo Coral as well as some of my other fave's EVAH are retiring. What were they thinking? Okay, back to the card. The designer paper is Basic Grey from the Porcelain Pad collection. This was cut in 2.5 inch approximately squares and layered on Ruby Red. I added some soft yellow ric rac ribbon down the front. The main image was stamped in Ruby Red on top of second and third generation of one of the tree branches in Creamy Caramel (another FAVE that's going away!!!)

All edges were distressed using my scissors except for the base and the main image piece. Worn Lipstick and Antique Linen Distress Inks were used to age different panels.

This was cut and embossed using the Labels 3 Nestabilities die with a second one the next size up cut from Kraft. Worn Lipstick Distress Ink was sponged on the edges of the Kraft and DSP. Tiny white flowers from Making Memories were sponged with Creamy Caramel and tiny Opaline pearls were placed in the centers. The one in the corner is raised on foam adhesive to lift it a little above the other two little cuties.

Martha Stewart's triple butterfly punch (a regular of mine) were cut from Ruby Red scrap. A larger Opaline pearl was placed in the center of the larger butterfly and raised with foam adhesive and put in the corner. The inside was stamped first and second generation using one of the other branches and the other two little butterflies were randomly placed. I left these flat so it would be easier to mail.



It looks like I've stamped the whole thing but it's only the bottom part of the card.

Stamps: Branches of a Tree (Impression Obssession)
Ink: Ruby Red, Creamy Caramel, Worn Lipstick and Antique Linen Distress Inks
Paper: Ivory, Basic Grey Porcelain Pad, Kraft, Ruby Red
Other: Labels 3 Nestabilities, MS Triple Butterfly Punch, Making Memories White Flowers, Basic Grey Opaline self-adhesive Pearls, Ric Rac Ribbon (by Confetti)

Let me know what you think? Thanks!

Crazy for Challenges & Speedy

This card is for C4C42 at Crazy for Challenges and SCF8, Speedy the Cat's Friends #8. This is an 11 x 4.25 and opens from left to right. Instead of cutting the cardstock width wise it was cut length wise. The challenge at Crazy for Challenges is to use paper flowers, any way or any kind, and the challenge at Mark's Finest Papers is to use embossing on your card. My flowers is an SU die, Floral Fusion, layered over one another. I LOVE this little die. I really like how it accompanies Martha Stewart's leaf punch so well. Of course, that little leaf just goes with everything. It is my go-to leaf punch. All cardstock is Stampin Up. Before layering the larger flower together, I pressed each little bud with an eraser top into the palm of my hand to give it some shape. A hole was punched in the center of the larger flower and a small Pink Ice Crystal Brad (SU) held it together. The small bud was shaped the same but used only two little flowers and a silver self adhesive half pearl. A couple of Old Olive leaves were placed behind the flower and attached with a glue dot. There's no reason to use dimensionals as the flowers themselves raise up nicely.

The greeting is from one of my favorite SU sets, Happy Harmony, and was stamped in Rose Red on white. This was then cut out using a rectangle Nestabilitie and embossed. The tiny flowers were stamped at the bottom and is from a retired SU set of cute little backgrounds. I think it makes the sweetest accent to a card...sorry, I don't recall the name of that set. The edges were sponged lightly with Old Olive. The flower was attached and this piece was raised with foam adhesive and placed on Rose Red cardstock. The larger floral piece was not sponged with Old Olive. This white embossed square Nestabilitie was placed on top of a Rose Red piece then adhered on the ribbon (no foam adhesive was used).

The base card is Regal Rose. A piece of white was die cut and embossed using the Jumbo Scallop Border Petite Spellbinder die. The little floral background was stamped in Rose Red. Another (same size) silver self adhesive half pearl was placed in the curve of the cut. A piece of Regal Rose ribbon was wrapped around the card and additional silver half pearls were added in the top right corner.


Stamps: Happy Harmony and Floral Petite Background (SU)
Paper: Regal Rose, Rose Red, white
Ink: Rose Red, Old Olive
Other: Floral Fusion (SU die), Leaf punch (MS), Regal Rose Ribbon, Basic Grey Opaline Silver Half Pearls, Light Pink Circle Ice Rhinestons (SU), Square and Rectangle (Nestabilities), Jumbo Scallop Border Petite (Spellbinders), foam adhesive

Let me know if you like this one and what you think. Thanks!

A Couple of Challenges

As I was looking for a challenge to do, I ran up on two that this card would fit. Though it is not my favorite card, it still fits a couple of challenges. The first one is for CAS71 to make a card for things that fly. Balloons fly...kinda! She didn't say it had to breathe, ha! The second one is for WT275 to use ribbon. This is probably my favorite way to use ribbon: neatly knotted. It just looks so tailored, clean and crisp.

Stamps: Everyday Button Bits (PTI)
Paper: All SU
Ink: Memento Black
Other: Dotted Ribbon (Michael's), various buttons, various sizes of circle punches, twine

Stampin B's #62

Today's card is for Stampin B's Challenge #62 to make a card connected to a seashore. The stamp set I used is one of my favorites and I pull it out a lot when it comes to making my hubby a card. This image is so romanticly serene and reminds me of our times at the beach just sitting together looking at the ocean. I didn't want to add water as such because I wanted to leave the view to the imagination.


Stamps: Summer by the Sea (ret. SU)
Paper: DCWV Sweet Stack, white, Old Olive
Ink: Memento Black
Misc: Copics, Nestabilities Oval and Scallop Oval, foam adhesive

Thanks for looking!

Speedy's Challenge #5

I had to make a couple of sympathy cards - I really need to keep some of these on hand as they are hard to do just off the cuff and are usually needed quickly. What better way to make a nice card than to emboss it and/or use silhouette images. This worked great with Mark's Finest Papers Challenge this week. I don't know if you can tell or not but Stickles were used in the center of the little flowers.


Stamps: Thoughts & Prayers (SU)
Paper: White, Black
Ink: Basic Gray
Other: Fleur de Lis Pendant and Octagon dies-Spellbinder, Triple Butterfly Punch-MS, Textile EF, Star Dust Stickles, Black Satin Ribbon, foam adhesive

JUGS #35

This week's challenge at Just Us Girls is to use dry embossing on your card. This is my first love. I've always thought it looked so elegant and classy. I love all the birds in this Martha Stewart stamp set. Though they look similar, they are all different. So here's my card:


Stamps: Martha Stewart
Ink: Silver Encore
Paper: Ivory, Apricot Appeal
Misc: Green Satin Ribbon, Textile EF, Lime Green Kaiser Rhinestones, Silver EP, Various Copics, foam adhesive

This is simply done with emphasis done on the shading of the bird and the addition of the flowers and leaves for dimension. The main panel was raised on foam adhesive as were two flowers and leaves.