Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Blog Card Sketch Challenge: Really Good Greetings

 Good morning!  After a whirlwind weekend full of Disney, fun, and running, I ended the trip on a redeye home last night and have just landed (boy I really need a vacation to recover from these vacations, but it’s back to work we go!)  It’s the second Monday of the month so over on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspirationblog it’s time for a card sketch.  I know I’ve said it before how much I enjoy card sketches as it allows you to change up your card layouts and really help stretch you creationally.  I really liked this month’s layout as it shows the On Film Framelits and love the photo look on cards right now.

I started with Smoky Slate for the cardbase and then added a piece of Pistachio Pudding cardstock that was embossed with the Big Shot and Beautifuly Baroque  Embossing Folder.  For the “picture frame” I used one of the extra pieces from the Hello Life Simply Created Kit (but you could also create one using DSP and the On Film Framelits).  For the “picture” I stamped the greeting from the Really Good Greetings stamp set (using Stampin’ Write Markers) and then used the Dotty Angles stamp set using Silver Encore Ink.  Next I wrapped a piece of Pistachio Pudding Thick Baker’s Twine around the “picture frame” and tied a bow.  The final touch was to add a little bling by punching out a butterfly using the Itty Bitty Butterfly Punch and then embossing it with the Big Shot and Fancy Fans Embossing Folder.  I used a blendabilities marker to color some rhinestones to attach for the body of the butterfly

 

 

 

The mix of soft color and bold black, which hints of silver are really fun and I was really surprised at how much I liked this card after I finished it.  The other design team members are sharing some great cards so please go check them out and then come play along and share what you create!

 

 

 

 

 

Below are easy ordering links for the products used on today’s card:

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Have a great day!

Diana

Sketch Frenzy Friday Sketch Challenge: Mixed Bunch

Good morning!  It’s May already, how is that possible?  Since I’m in a house full of boys there’s been an added focus the past couple weeks on super hero movies with the upcoming release of the new Avengers movie so we joined the “crazies” last night to catch the first showing of the movie before it’s officially released today, it was a lot of fun!  Today I’m sharing a card that’s a combo using this weeks Sketch Frenzy Friday Sketch challenge along with the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration blog  retiring favorites post (using the Mixed Bunch stamp set).  I have to admit that when this stamp set was initially released a few years ago I didn’t care for it and didn’t buy it but it was one of the free sets we received at Leadership Conference so we had several make & takes using the stamp set and immediately I was in love and been using it ever since.  Patrice provided this weeks card sketch and I really like how it leaves a lot up to the creators preference and used the Sweet Taffy Designer Series Paper as the foundation for my color selection (I loved this paper since it was first released and since it’s retiring will be enjoying it in my stash for personal projects).

I started with Tempting Turquoise for the cardbase and then added a piece of the DSP for a fun background and wrapped a piece of Rich Razzleberry ¼” Cotton Ribbon around the DSP.  For the flower I stamped the Mixed Bunch flower twice using Rich Razzleberry ink on Melon Mambo cardstock before punching it out with the coordinating Blossom Punch.  I used a bone folder to curl up the petals of the flowers and layered them for a fuller flower.  In the center of the flower I added a Pacific Point button from the Brights Designer Buttons and tied a bow in the button using Crushed Curry Baker’s Twine.

For the greeting I used another retiring stamp set, Really Good Greetings. After stamping it in Pacific Point ink on Whisper White cardstock I punched it out with the Oval Punch and matted it with Old Olive cardstock punched out using the Scalloped Oval Punch.  Dimensionals were used to attach the greeting to the cardfront.

I’ve always been a fan of our brights color family and love when we have some great DSP that really lets these colors shine and provide some fun so here’s hoping for some equally fun paper in the new catalog.  The design teams on both blogs are sharing some fun cards so make sure to check them out and then come play along with the Sketch Frenzy Friday ladies, we’d love to have you!

Below are easy ordering links for the products used on today’s card:

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

 

Have a wonderful weekend and happy crafting!

Diana

Sketch Frenzy Friday: Be the Star Patriotic Feeling

Happy Friday and Happy 4th of July!  This is such a great holiday and one that my family has celebrated since I was a kid so we have lots of family traditions I enjoy passing on to Aidan.  Since it's Friday it's also time for another Sketch Frenzy Friday sketch challenge and I really decided to play up the patriotic tone of this card to go along with the holiday. I decided to make this card for a friends daughter that just bought her first home and it's such an exciting time.  I started with Night of Navy for the cardbase and then added a piece of Whisper White cardstock that I used the Hearts & Star Decorative Mask (love how easy these are!) and Night of Navy ink to create a fun background, before matting this with Real Red Cardstock. 

Next I pulled out my Big Shot and the Stars Framelits and cut a large star out of Red Glimmer Paper and then a smaller star that was stamped with the Be the Star stamp set in Night of Navy ink. The greeting is from the Really Good Greetings stamp set and I used Stampin' Write Markers to color directly on the stamp.  I used Paper Snips to cut tails on the ends and then sponged with Smoky Slate ink on the greeting.  I used dimensionals to layer the greeting and stars and then added a little paper piercing around the large star with the Paper Piercing Tool and Eclectic Paper Piercing Pack.

The final touch was to add a few more stars to the top right corner, I stamped the larger one in Real Red ink with the Be the Star stamp set and cut it out with the coordinating framelits and cut the smaller stars out of Champagne Shimmer Paper and the small star punch from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack.

Boy does this card scream patriotic, I love it!!! I have to admit I'm a huge star fan and have been missing those from our tools in recent years so I'm beside myself with all the star items new in this years catalog, I'm sure you're going to get sick of them, but I can't help myself. 

Make sure to check out all the other great projects the design team is sharing and come play along with the fun.

Below are easy ordering links for all the products used in today's card:

Be The Star Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$20.95

Really Good Greetings Clear Stamp Set

$14.95

Hearts & Stars Decorative Masks

$2.95

Eclectic Paper-Piercing Pack

$7.95

Stampin' Pierce Mat

$4.95

Paper-Piercing Tool

$3.95

Stars Framelits Die

$26.95

Big Shot

$99.95

Red Glimmer Paper

$4.95

Champagne Glimmer Paper

$4.95

Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack

$16.95

Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$8.50

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend!

Diana

Sketch Frenzy Friday Sketch Challenge: Be the Star

Hello Friday, I've been looking forward to you for months, it's the start of vacation, whoo hoo!  We're looking forward to a fun week with family and lots of relaxing, perfect.  Before we head out I wanted to share my card for this weeks Sketch Frenzy Friday sketch challenge.  This was a really fun sketch that really leaves a lot to play with and interpret.  With some wonderful new DSP in this years catalog I decided to make the DSP the focal point of the card, in this case I used the Confetti Celebration Designer Series Paper for the pattern and color selection.

 

I stared with Strawberry Slush for the cardbase and matted the DSP with some Basic Gray cardstock.  The greeting is from the Really Good Greetings stamp set and I used my Stampin' Write Markers to color in the stamp before stamping.  Then I cut the cardstock to be a flag and sponged around the edge with Pumpkin Pie ink.  I was so excited to see several different star products in this years catalog that all coordinate with each other, I've been a little obsessed with with (just wait until you see).  These stars are from the Be the Star stamp set and I used the coordinating Star Framelits to cut out both stars so they were super simple.  The larger star was stamped on Pumpkin Pie cardstock with Pumpkin Pie ink (I did add a star Rhinestone from the 2013-2015 In Color Sequin Embellishments.  The smaller star is stamped in Bermuda Bay ink on Whisper White card stock (I did use a dimensional to attach the smaller star).

 

I have to admit these are not colors that I would not normally combine together but I have to say, I really like how they work together, it's fun to step outside our comfort zone.  I hope you take the time to see some of the other projects the design team is sharing and then come play along.  I can't wait to see what you come up.

 

Below are easy ordering links to all the products used on today's project. 

Be The Star Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$20.95

Really Good Greetings Clear Stamp Set

$14.95

Stars Framelits Die

$26.95

Big Shot

$99.95

2013-2015 In Color Sequin Assortment

$4.95

Stampin' Dimensionals

$3.95

Strawberry Slush 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Basic Gray 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$8.50

Pumpkin Pie 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

 

Have a great weekend and enjoy!

Diana

Hand Stamped Sentiments Color Challenge: Gently Falling Meets Really Good Greetings

Good morning and welcome to the start of another week.  This is a really exciting week for us as we're going on a short vacation at the end of the week and we haven't told Aidan about it so it's going to be a huge surprise and it's driving me nuts not telling him.  Thankfully I've had some time in the studio so I still have lots of great projects to share so never fear.  Today I'm sharing my card for this weeks  Hand Stamped Sentiments Color challenge.  This is a fun color combination and when I first saw it I immediately thought of Christmas, but then I decided to do something different.  I used the Gently Falling stamp set for the three pieces of Very Vanilla and I stamped all the leaves (with the two step stamps it makes it a breeze to color in) and then cut them apart after stamping so they flow.  I matted these pieces on a layer of Gumball Green cardstock and added them to the Baked Brown Sugar cardbase.

I added a piece of Raspberry Ripple Stitched Satin Ribbon for texture.  The greeting is from the Really Good Greetings stamp set and I used the Stampin' Write Markers to color directly on the stamp to add multiple colors at once (I have to admit this was one of the first techniques I learned with stamping and it instantly WOW'd me, and still does).  I used the Big Shot and the Oval Collection Framelits to cut out the greeting, and sponged around the edge with Crumb Cake ink before attaching it to the card with dimensionals.  The final touch was to add a few half pearls, because everyone loves a little bling!

 

This card turned out so great and you could easily change the greeting for anything, birthdays, thank you, thanksgiving, etc, and keep everything else in the card the same, and changing up colors offers even more possibilities.  I hope you enjoyed and make sure to check out some of the other great creations for the challenge, such great ideas.

 

Happy Stamping,

 

Diana

Paper Craft Crew Sketch Challenge: Really Good Greetings

Good morning, can you believe it's July?  We had a very fun and busy weekend, Aidan did very well on his Black Belt Pre-Test on Saturday so we have two more weeks to prepare for the actual test, then today we had one of Aidan's classmates family over.  They are moving to Europe for a few years for a military assignment so this was the last chance we could see them before they leave.  It was a lot of fun and we're so excited for this new opportunity for them.  All these activities meant there wasn't much time to create in the studio but I was able to make this card for this weeks Paper Craft Crew Sketch Challenge.  I'm totally in love with the new In Colors that were released last month and I can't seem to stop using them. 

 

This card uses the new Baked Brown Sugar for the cardbase and then I added a layer of Whisper White cardstock that I stamped with the Paper Pumpkin splotch stamp and Pistachio Pudding ink.  I also added some Rhinestones for a little bling.  Next I added some Pistachio Pudding designer series paper from the 2013-2015 In Color DSP stack along with a piece of Strawberry Slush cardstock that was punched with the Scallop Border Punch, and a piece of Whisper White cardstock embossed with the Big Shot and the Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder.  I also added some Whisper White 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon for some added texture.

The greeting is from the Really Good Greetings stamp set (love this stamp set) and was colored in with Stampin' Write Markers before stamping.  The greeting was then punched out with the Large Oval Punch and matted on a piece of Strawberry Slush cardstock that was punched out with the Decorative Label Punch.

 

This card is so fun and fresh, I love the colors and the greeting.  I'm so looking forward to the 4th of July holiday this week and having a little extra time to spend with the family (plus this weekend we actually don't have ANYTHING scheduled which hasn't happened in months so we're going to take advantage of the time and just chill).

 

Have a great day and happy stamping!

 

Diana

June Stylin' Stampin' Squad Blog Hop: New Catalog Showcase

Good morning friends!  Thanks for joining us this month for the Stylin' Stampin' Squad June Blog Hop.  This month we're featuring projects using all the great new items from the 2013-2014 Annual Catalog.  If you've been following along the hop you just came from Bree's blog, isn't her work amazing!!  Don't worry if you're just starting here you can continue following around the hop so you don't miss out on any of the fabulous creations from these talented stampers.
 

For my first project I'm showcasing the Mosaic Madness stamp set with the coordinating Mosaic punch and the Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder.  I love how all these products work so well together and we even have the Quatrafancy Specialty designer series paper which is yummy.  You'll also notice I used three of the new in colors, Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe, and Coastal Cabana.  The greeting is from the Really Good Greetings stamp set, these sayings are so fun and whimsical.

For my second project I decided to make a matching gift using the new Tag a Bag Gift Boxes.  If you haven't seen these boxes you have to check them out, they come with a clear sleeve cover so they're all set and ready to decorate, and they really do hold quite a bit.  I wrapped a piece of Pistachio Pudding Cardstock, Coastal Cabana Ruffled stretch ribbon (this new ribbon is to die for), as well as the Quatrafancy Specialty DSP.

Here's a close up of the tag.  I used the Yippee-Skipee stamp set (another great greeting set you've got to get!) and I heat embossed on Basic Black cardstock with Whisper White embossing powder.  I used a sponge dauber and Whisper White craft ink to create the chalkboard technique (so hot and in right now).  For a decorative element I added one of the Crisp Cantaloupe In Color Boutique Details and the Whisper White Organza ribbon.

 

This gift is so fresh and fun, plus it has peanut butter cups inside, what could be better.  I hope you enjoyed this months projects and it's shown you some of the great new products available, LOVE THEM!  I would love for you to leave a comment and know what you think about this months projects as well as what your favorite new item from the Annual Catalog is.

 

I encourage you to continue on with the blog hop, your next stop is Annie and I know you'll love her projects.

Blog Hop Participants:

1. Pam S. of Stampin' in the Sun!
2. Rose C. of Stamp with Rose
3. Tonya B. of Stampin' with Tonya
4. Dawn S. of Dawn's Creative Chalet
5. Darcy J. of DJ's Stampin' Place
6. Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu
7. Kim R. of Stamping with Kim
8. Heidi B of Stuck on Stampin'
9. Bree R. of Craft-somnia
10. Diana E. of Stampin' Fun with Diana
11. Annie L. of Love Me Cards
12. Jamie H. of Unique Ink

Paper Players Challenge: Mosaic Madness and Lots of Fun New Toys!

Happy Friday!  I've been so excited for this day to arrive.  Not only is it Friday, which means the weekend is just a few hours away, but today is a HUGE day with Stampin' Up!  Today is the release of the 2013-2014 Annual Catalog and there are so many awesome new products I can't wait to try out.  On top of that, this year there is an overlap in the catalogs so for today only, you can order from the 2012-2013 Annual Catalog, Spring Catalog, and 2013-2014 Annual Catalog so you can get all the retiring and new items you want at the same time (love it!!!!).  For today's Paper Players sketch challenge I decided to show off several of the new products that you can get today.  This card is actually really simple, the cardbase is Strawberry Slush (one of the five new In Colors) and I added a layer of Pool Party.  The designer series paper is also new and from the Quatrefancy Specialty DSP and the patterns and colors are so fresh and fun.

 

The upper right hand panel was made by embossing a piece of Whisper White cardstock with the Big Shot and the NEW Modern Mosaic Textured Embossing Folder.  Next I used the new Mosaic Madness stamp set to set some of the quatrefoil images and then punched them out with the Mosaic Punch (you know how much I love stamp sets and matching punches and now we matching embossing folders (I'm in heaven!).  The greeting is also from a new stamp set, Really Good Greetings.  The final touch was to add the button and Island Indigo Baker's Twine bow.  Now you may be asking about where that button came from, it's another fun new product, it's Simply Pressed Clay and the Buttons & Blossoms Simply Pressed Clay Molds.  That's right, now you can make your own buttons and flowers anytime you want and in any color you want (for this button I made it with the standard white clay and then colored the formed button with a marker.  I've been having lots of fun playing with this new product and I love how it doesn't take a lot of clay to make so you can get lots of creations out of each package (very cost effective).

 

I hope this card has excited you for some of the awesome new products so go check out the new annual catalog so you can see what all the fun's about.

 

Enjoy your day and have a great weekend,

 

Diana