Scrapnextras

Combining Challenges! CAS95 & FTL118

 
I just love making Christmas cards.  Sometimes it's to use up the incredible amount of Christmas supplies that I buy, but mostly I just love the look and feel of them.  I had sometime on my hands...time that I probably could have used more wisely, but I chose to make a card.  It was a quick one.  I saw the Clean & Simple Challenge #95 on SCS and the Fall to Layout from the Clean & Simple blog and decided I could combine them easily and this is what I came up with. 

 
CAS95 was to use Flower Accents.  OK, so this may be more of a focal point than an accent, but it works for me.  Fall to Layout #118 was pretty simple.  I thought the flower could work as the circle and the leaves for the other element. 

I decided that Clean & Simple doesn't have to be white, and intentionally looked for something that would work with another colour.  I pulled out this strip of designer paper by Echo Park and started there.  The card base is Wild Wasabi and the border is Real Red.  Believe it or not, that border had already been punched!  I guess I decided against in on another card and there it was, ready to go!  I layered the poinsetta's (by Bazzill) and added a little yellow rose (Recollections) and some leaves.  The sentiment is from Joy and Wonder, a Unity set I picked up on sale last year.  Lastly, I added some piercing in the corner for a little added detail and that was it!  Here's a close up of the flower.

 
OK...I'm posting this late, so now I'm off to bed.  Make it a wonderful day!

Sweet Sunday Sketch #79

 
Hi friends!  I hope Sunday finds you well and happy.  I am enjoying some fabulous weather and lots of stamping.  I didn't stamp as much as I had hoped today...life and housework seems to interrupt at the most inconvenient times.  Still, I did stamp and I have an interesting card for today's Sweet Sunday Sketch.

I combined Karen's sketch with Betty's DTGD challenge.  I decided it was time to break open a pad of Core'dinations designer cardstock that I just had to have over a month ago!  This pack was created to complement Jenni Bowlen's designs, and I just love the rich colours and patterns in it.  This damask paper had me from hello!

 
I started by sanding the damask image down to reveal the kraft core.  Don't you just love it?  I paired it with kraft and black paper and pulled out "Flourishes" a favorite fall to set by Inkadinado.  I stamped the flourish on kraft with Versafine Onyx Black and added a sentiment from an SU set called Teeny Tiny wishes.  The sentiment is framed with an almost forgotten oval bookplate in Aged Copper from SU and I added a couple more brads on either sides then some metal studs (Hero Arts) in the upper corners.  I think this will work well as a masculine card.

Are you ready for more sweet treats?  The design team has been up to their crazy creative adventures and they're dying to share it with you...so have a peek!

Joanne Basile
Jennifer Tapler
Vicki Burdick
Sarah-Jane Kale
Karen Motz
and of course Karen

OK...it's your turn now!  Create something with this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch and link it up to Karen's post here.  One lucky person will be selected and will be featured on Karen's blog this week! 

That's all  I have for now, but I should be posting the rest of my Dirty challenge cards tomorrow if you have a chance to drop by!  Thanks for spending a part of your day with me...I truly appreciate every visit and comment!  Have a fabulous day and I hope to see you again real soon!

Playing Dirty!

I have to brush myself off from all this dirty play!  I have really been having fun trying to play as many of the Dare to Get Dirty Challenges as I can.  I don't know how the stars aligned such that it works out that I don't work, don't have to go camping and have no birthday parties or sleep-overs to shuttle kids to and from, so that all I have on my agenda is to stamp and stamp!  I have a couple of classes I am designing, but for the most part (and even the class part), it's all fun and games to me!!

I have three cards I'm going to share with you.  I combined a couple of the challenges in each card.  I will skip the details save for the recipe but if you have any questions, let me know!

Here's my blowfish that I couldn't work into my Sweet Sunday Sketch last week.  Isn't she just adorable!  Imaginisce has a whole line of these little images...only $1.50 (CAD) each.  Needless to say, I bought them all LOL!

 

DTGD10AmberDawn 

Stamps: Blowfish (Imaginisce), Summer Sayings (CC Designs)

Paper: Prism Simply Smooth White, Rose Red, Regal Rose, Baja Breeze (SU), Imaginisce Splash Dance DP

Accessories:  Circle dies (Spellbinders), Copic Markers,  Ranger Glossy Accents, Divine Swirl EF, polka dot ribbon (CI), pearls (kaiser)

 

DTGD10PeanutBee, TESC121, DTGD10JeanneS

Stamps:  Sugarplum Stump, CC Designs

Paper: Prism Simply Smooth Ivory, Classic Yellow Green (Prism),Summer Sun & Real Red (SU), Cosmo Cricket DP

Accessories:  Circle & tag dies (Spellbinders), Gingham ribbon (May Arts), Copic Markers, Gems (MAMBI), pop dots, embroidery floss

 

 
TGD10Rainy,DTGDCraftyCaro
Stamps:  Discover Your Wings (Taylored Expressions)
Paper:  Naturals White, Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip (SU), Bittersweet DP (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories: Copic Spica Glitter Pens,  Chatterbox brad maker, various ribbons, oval punch,jumbo eyelets & rhinestone brads (SU), gems (Recollections)

Here's a close up of the glittery butterfly!

Whew...that was a lot of stamping and typing!  I have more on the go, but I thought I'd better get these photographed before the task seemed too overwhelming.  Tell me someone else understands that!!  Tomorrow is my Sweet Sunday Sketch, and I'm sure I'll combine a challenge or two for it as well!  Happy Stamping my friends...I hope your weekend is as wonderful as mine looks to be!

 

 

  

U Rock Mojo 145

School's out, and both my girls are relieved and happy.  With a few exceptions, it was a good year.  My youngest is naturally gifted and school comes easy for her...it's the other parts she struggles with.  My oldest made the honour roll, and we are so proud of her.  I thought I should make up a couple of cards to let them know how happy we are of their achievements, and when I saw Julee's card here, well I felt a CASE comin' on!

The sketch is Mojo Monday 145, and I had this old paper pack on my desk, and I thought I would try to get one step closer to finishing it off.  It's Basic Grey's Urban Prairie...definitely one of my favorites, and honestly the one that got me hooked on Basic Grey's papers!  The rest is an eclectic collection of stuff.  The little love note paper is a sticker from SU that was destined for the recycle bin if I didn't use it right away.  The punch is Martha Stewarts deco shells, the sentiment is from  Gina K's Little Tees and the floral spray (looks like fireworks here!) is an Imaginesce snag 'em stamp.  I wrapped some Bermuda Bay ribbon around the belly and made a scrunchy flower set with a Basic Grey button.  To add a little sparkle, I finished with "Pink" stickles around the circle and on the flower spray.  Oh, and the sentiment is coloured in with a glitter gel pen.  It's kind of fun to just grab whatever works!

That's it today.  I have so much to do as we prepare to go camping for the Canada Day weekend, but I hope to get a few things done and scheduled for your viewing pleasure.  Have a fabulous weekend and stop in soon!  I really love it when you do! 

Sweet Sunday Sketch #73 Hugs

 It seems as though I'm in a high speed time warp these days and time is flying by at an alarming rate.  I honestly can't believe it's Sunday.  But I do have the sweetest card to share with you.  I just love this little Penny Black set called "Hugs".  I had to pick it up after I received a card from Denise (Peanutbee) a long time back, and I really haven't used it as much as I like it.  So I figured it was about time it saw some ink and a little love.

This week's sketch was another winner.  I love that it has a few layers, but was quick to piece together and I think that circles are my favorite way to showcase an image.  I pulled out my Kioshi paper by Basic Grey, and added some simple details with a Martha Stewart border punch, some taffeta ribbon and a few pearls.  This is how it turned out.

I used Copic markers to colour and popped up the flower to really make it seem like the little mice are shaded under it!  I can't think of who wouldn't smile when they saw these adorable little mice!

Are you going to play along?  We hope you will...just create a card and link it up to Karen's blog post here, and you may be featured on her blog next week!  If you need a little more inspiration, then you'll find it by having a hop around to the rest of the Sweet Sunday Stampers.

Joanne Basile
Jennifer Tapler
Lynn Put

Vicki Burdick
Sarah-Jane Kale
Karen Motz
Nancy Riley

and of course Karen

 

Happy Sunday my friends.  I hope you are having a great weekend and I wish you a fabulous week ahead!  Thanks so much for dropping by...I appreciate every visit, and if I wasn't caught in this time warp, I'd find a better way to let  you know!

   
 

Zebra Birthday

It's taken me a while to accept the fact that I now have a teenager in my house.  I have to say it's painful to let them grow up (into teenagers anyway!).  I miss the days when I could say I have "two little girls".  Now I have a teenager.  Not sure what's gonna happen next...so let's just look at the card I made her.

 

REcipe:  Stamps: Be Yourself (CTMH) 
Paper:  Black, Classic White, Zebra print DP (Reminisce)
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Blac
Accessories:  Zebra ribbon (Michaels), postage& dotted wave border punch (EK), scallop border punch (SU),Scor tape, lg clear gems (MAMBI),Taylor's Tiny Twinkles, pop dots

I think it's fairly obvious that my *teenager* has a thing about zebras.  I'm cool with that, after all it seems a rather harmless fetish.  So leading up to her birthday I collected all things "Zebra".  I used 2 of them on her card.  I sure hope she likes zebras for a while so I can justify the purchase of the 50 other items I bought!

The stamp set is from Close to My Heart, called Be Yourself.  I loved it, and I thought it would work well for the teen and tween years (younger DD) ahead of us.  I grabbed the last 3 sheets of Reminisce zebra print paper, and I made a special trip to Michaels to get zebra ribbon.  The spool has 10 yds....and I used less than a foot.  I sure hope she loves zebras for a looong time.

I did my first try at ruffling the ribbon using Scor tape.  It was really easy.  I attached a clear gem at the ribbon ends and cut them flag style.  The reverse of the zebra print paper has more zebra stuff, so I couldn't resist doing one of those layered panels of border punched DP.  I think it's just so fun.  I only adhered the panels at the top then I lifted them up to create the ruffled look!

I finished with some of Taylors Tiny Twinkes on each of the images.  DD loves bling so I had to find a way to include it.

I even decorated the inside of the card.  I don't often do much more than stamp the inside with the same stamp as on the outside,  but since the card is black...I had to.  I kind of like it.  I did the ruffled punched border thing again.  Love that idea!

Wish me luck.  She is having a few friends over tonight, and a sleep over of course.  It's gonna be a giggly night!

One Layer Wednesday...on Tuesday?

I came across a gorgeous Clean and Simple card on Splitcoast Stampers, which led me to a new (to me) blog:  Simplicity.  She has a fabulous clean and simple style that is so classy.  While I was surfing, I saw she had a challenge posted.  One Layer Wednesday, and this week the challenge was to use flock.  I have flock, so I decided to play!   

Now, one layer cards are hard for me at the best of times.  I love layers, and designer paper and I adore pop dots and every cool embellishment out there, but as I do more of the make and takes at Scrapbooker's Paradise, I am constantly challenged to make a simple card that doesn't require the participant to be glueing and sorting pieces to complete their project.  So Susan's challenge is perfect for me.  In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, I did a make and take with flock, and I would have loved to had this challenge then.  I like this card much better than the project we did for the make and take.   Here it is:

Recipe:  Stamps:  Nature's Silhouettes (Cornish Heritage Farms)
Ink:  Pink Passion (SU)
Paper:  Linen textured cardstock (Bazzill)
Accessories:  Lg Oval Nestability (Spellbinders), the Essential Glue Pad (Tsukenko), Flock (Doodlebug), Bright pink organdy ribbon (SU)

I chose to work with Cornish Heritage Farms set "Nature's Silhouettes".  It's a gorgeous set and it was perfect for flock!  I started by embossing an oval on my textured cardstock with my largest oval Nestability.  Then while the die was still in place, I inked up my stamp in the Essential Glue Pad and stamped the image.  That helped me place the image just off to the side, leaving enough room for the sentiment.  Then I sprinkled my flock over the image quite liberally and pressed it into the glue with my fingers.  I flocked the little butterfly as well then stamped the sentiment.  I finished with a bright pink organdy ribbon and I love it.  And it's only one layer! 

I hope to have something more to share with you tomorrow.  I have actually made a few cards that I haven't blogged yet...or photographed for that matter.  I just love to play when I can, and stopping to photograph them gets me out of the "groove".  So now that they're done, I'll have to make time to share them!

Have a fabulous day folks!  Thanks for dropping by...I always love it when you do! 

Sweet Sunday Sketch #67

How fast the weeks go by!  Here it is again, Sunday, and another fabulous sketch by Karen.  Now I have to say, that I'm happy with the final result, but honestly, I struggled big time with this one.  I'm sure it's because I chose to work with a "non-floral" image, and it really made me think.  I think it turned out OK...a little brighter than I had envisioned it but I loved this image and I'm happy I could make it work.

The image is by Stampendous and it's called Villa Scene.  I watercoloured it...something I haven't done in a while.  The designer papers are all just scraps from various companies.  I used SU's little leaf die cut, the largest button I could find and the sentiment is framed in Hodge Podge Hardware.  I added a gem in the sun, and felt the corner needed a little something, so I finished with a Cuttlebug corner die.  Something different for me anyway!

Are you ready to play?   How about a little inspiration first?  The Sweet Sunday Stampers all have something tucked up their sleeve, so let's do a little "blurfing"!

Joanne Basile
Jennifer Tapler
Lynn Put

Vicki Burdick
Sarah-Jane Kale
Karen Motz
Nancy Riley

and of course Karen

OK...now it's your turn!  When you have your creation ready, link it up to Karen's post here so we can all see your amazing art!  You may even be featured on her blog!

Happy Sunday!  Have an amazing day and thanks so much for dropping by!  I appreciate your visit and I'm honoured you chose to spend a bit of your day with me! 

UTEE Image transfer

 
I am generally not a technique-y type of girl.  I am a slow stamper on a good day without throwing in a technique.  On the other hand, I love a challenge!  With UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel) being the Featured Product where I work at Scrapbooker's Paradise, I figured I had better find out some cool things to show customers, because by now they have also seen the cracked glass technique.  So when I saw this post on www.theartfulmama.blogspot.com, it was just so cool, well I just had to give it a shot!

You can do an image transfer technique with the pictures on designer paper, photos, magazines, or in my case I stamped and coloured an image to do my transfer. 

The butterflies are from Hero Art's Antique Engravings set, stamped on Jenni Bowlen Ledger paper and coloured with Copic markers.

Now I don't have a melting pot, so I just did my version the old fashioned way.  I coated the image with Versamark and poured UTEE over top.  I heated it until it was clear and liquid, and added another layer of UTEE while it was still hot.  I continued adding layer upon layer of UTEE until it was thick.  Obviously, it is not as thick as Susan's, which was done in the melting pot, and as a result it cracked, but I think that gives it character!  I might try a cookie cutter shape next, and I bet I could get it thicker! 

Once it was done, I peeled the paper behind the image then placed it in water to soak.  After a few minutes of soaking, I rubbed most of the paper off.  The image remains intact because the UTEE melts through the paper, capturing the image.  You can see the ledger paper the images are stamped on, but it's translucent enough that you can see the 7 Gypsies text designer paper through it.  Very very cool!

I hope you're inspired to try it too!  I bought some cool Graphics 45 papers with fabulous vintage images that will be awesome for this.  Oh, and I want to try it on a photograph or two.  What fun magnets they would make!

I hope you are off to a great weekend.  I work today, so it will be a long one, but I can look forward to a few hours in my stamp room to relax after a long day.  Rest, relax or play hard....whatever makes your day fabulous! As Nike says, just do it!  I'll see you tomorrow with the latest Sweet Sunday Sketch!

Recipe:  Stamps:  Antique Engravings (Hero Arts)  Paper:  Really Rust, Bashful Blue, ledger DP (Jenni Bowlen), Die cut DP (Sassafrass) text DP (7 Gypsies)  Accessories:  UTEE, Versamark, stitched grosgrain ribbon, photo turns (American Crafts), Labels 8 die (Spellbinders)

Sweet Sunday Sketch #55

 

I'm back with another Sweet Sunday Sketch.  Karen has more circles and I am lovin' it!  This week I decided to pick out a set that I bought quite some time back and have not really used it for as much as I loved it.  It's by Hot of the Press and the set is called Botanicals.  It's a beautiful set of florals and silhoutte images, and I thought it would work perfectly with the last of my Euphoria paper pack.

This time I stayed true to Karen's sketch...and it was such an easy sketch to work with.  I used my new Martha Stewart punch which really adds to the garden feel...don't you think?  The sentiment is from Stampin' Up!s "Friends 24-7".  I'm not sure about the bold pink paper, but it's glued down now and I'm ready to move on with out fiddling with it anymore.

Are you inspired to try it?   We'd love it if you did!  Link your creation up to Karen's blog so we can all have a peek at it. 

Now let's see what the rest of the Sweet Sunday Stampers have in store for us!

Jennifer Tapler
Nancy Riley

Karen Motz

Lynn Put

Vicki Burdick
Sarah-Jane Kale

and of course Karen

   

Happy Sunday folks!  I will be up to the usual Sunday housework and I hope to get back to my reorganizing and purging.  I getting ready for a big sale, and I'll let you know as I get closer to finishing the purge.  Be back soon!