It's a Sketchy Challenge!

Today marks the 100th edition of Sunday Stamps!  We are celebrating with a fabulous new sketch challenge...check it out:

Here is my project for the Design Team:

Any-occasion card featuring the Regarding Dahlias and Perfect Pennants stamp sets.

This project was inspired by a recent order from a customer.  She ordered several packages of Blushing Bride, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White card stock, which got me to thinking about that yummy colour palette.  So, I decided to give it a go for this week's challenge.  I began by heat embossing the dahlia from the Regarding Dahlias stamp set (this one is on the Retirement List...get it before it's gone) using Blushing Bride embossing powder (this is retiring too!) on a panel of Chocolate Chip card stock.  I then coloured in the entire dahlia image using an aquapainter and Whisper White craft ink.  Once that had dried I went back and added a subtle hint of colour using my Blushing Bride Stampin' Write marker and a blender pen.  I love the soft look this technique produces! 

I die-cut the silver glimmer pennant using the Itty Bitty Banners Framelits, and the Blushing Bride pennant using the Banners Framelits.  The sentiment, from the Perfect Pennants stamp set, is stamped in Chocolate Chip ink and then die-cut using the Banners Framelits.  I added some long-retired Blushing Bride stitched grosgrain ribbon and a few random rhinestones for some added bling.  The final touch was a wee butterfly, punched from vellum with the Bitty Butterfly punch.

On the inside of the card I stamped the dahlia image again, this time using Chocolate Chip ink.  I lightly sponged the image using a dauber and Blushing Bride ink.

We would love to have you join us for our 100th challenge...why not give this sketch a try?  In case you need more inspiration, I'll be back with a couple of other takes on the sketch! 

Sending Love Your Way

Happy Tuesday!  Today feels more like a Monday here...we had a snow day yesterday!!  We got upwards of a foot of snow in just 12 hours, which pretty much ground everything to a halt.  Both my son and I had a day off school...only my poor hubby had to trek through the snow to get to work.  Poor guy :(  I made it up to him with a crock pot full of chilli, a pan of homemade corn bread and fresh-from-the-oven apple crisp for dinner.  I think he enjoyed it ;)

Now for today's project...Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I have a class coming up this weekend where we will be making some projects to let the special people in our lives know just how much we love them.  This is one of the projects we'll be making.

Valentine's card featuring the Perfect Pennants and Celebrate Today stamp sets.

To create the cloudy sky background layer I punched a post-it note with the 2-3/8" circle punch and then used it as a mask to create the puffy clouds.  I started with a piece of Whisper White card stock, adhered the scalloped circle and then sponged with a dauber and Soft Sky ink.  Then I moved the mask and sponged some more, repeating this process until I had covered the entire piece of card stock.  The basket of the balloon is from the Celebrate Today stamp set and is stamped in Basic Black ink.  The balloon is die-cut using the Balloon Framelits from Stacked With Love DSP.  I also die-cut the little banner from silver glimmer paper using the same framelit set.

The words Sending...your way are from the Perfect Pennants set.  I simply omitted the "good thoughts" portion of the stamp by inking the words I wanted with my Basic Black marker.  The blank space left was perfectly-sized for the die-cut "love", cut from Real Red card stock using the Expressions (retired) Thinlits.  The background Real Red mat is embossed using the Happy Heart TIEF.  I added some little silver glimmer hearts, punched with the Confetti Hearts Border punch, spilling out of the basket.  The card base is Soft Sky card stock.

Inside view with sentiment from Good Greetings (retired) stamp set.

On the inside I stamped the sentiment from the Good Greetings (retired) stamp set in Real Red ink and added some little hearts in Soft Sky ink using the Perpetual Birthday Calendar stamp set.

TGIF!

I am SO glad today is Friday...I just wish it was going to be a relaxing weekend!  No such luck though!  This weekend my baby boy turns seven!!  Not sure how the heck that happened...he tells me he just can't help growing up.  Wish I could find some way to slow him down a little!  Anyhow, tomorrow is the big Minion-themed birthday bash...more on that later.  Suffice to say spending Saturday with a house-full of 6 and 7 year-old boys isn't my idea of a restful weekend! 
Not sure I'll have much stamping time this weekend...in the hope that you will, here is a little inspiration for you.  It is another project I created from a repurposed leftover kit for my upcoming card buffet. 

Birthday card featuring the Simply Stars and Perfect Pennants stamp sets.

For this one I didn't change much from the original design...I simply changed the stamp set I used for the background and added texture with the Decorative Dots TIEF.  (By the way, did you know that TIEF is going to be in the new Annual Catalogue?  If you missed out on it during Sale-a-bration you can still purchase it beginning June 1st!)

The colour scheme is Coastal Cabana, Basic Gray and Real Red...suitable for just about anyone.  I love having generic cards like this on-hand for those card emergencies!

Inside view with sentiment from the Family Reunion (retired) stamp set

This is another one of the projects that will be available at my Brides, Babies and Birthdays buffet coming up on April 24th and 25th.  The session on the 25th is currently full, but there is still space on the 24th if you haven't yet registered.  Click the Upcoming Classes tab at the top of this page for details.  In the meantime, have a great weekend!

Wishing it was still the weekend...

We had a long weekend here, in Ontario, in honour of Family Day.  It is a time to spend quality time with those you love and we had a fantastic Family Day!  It was a technology-free day, which meant no cell phones, computers, iPads, or video games!  Both my son and my DH were a wee bit stressed, at first, to think that they had to find other ways to entertain themselves for the day, but it turned out to be a great day of family togetherness.  We read books, played games, went bowling and had a family dinner out at one of our favourite restaurants.  Now can you see why I'm wishing it was still the weekend?  I didn't want our wonderful day to end!  To kick off the shortened workweek, I have a quick and easy card for you.  It sums up how I'm feeling today:

Any-occasion card featuring the Perfect Pennants and Petite Petals stamp sets.

Life really doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful...yesterday proved that!  This card is really quick and easy to put together thanks to some fabulous new products.  Here is a quick how-to:

• I stamped the sentiment using Pool Party ink on Whisper White card stock and then die cut it using the Banners Framelits.  I also die cut two additional banners from Sweet Sorbet DSP.
• I stamped a couple of flowers on the die cut banner using Crisp Cantaloupe ink.
• I stamped two more flowers and punched them using the Petite Petals punch.  They are adhered using dimensionals.
• The DSP at the top of the card is from the Sweet Sorbet DSP pack.
• The little scalloped border is punched from Crisp Cantaloupe card stock using the Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch.
• The background is embossed using the Decorative Dots TIEF.
• The twine is from the Sweet Sorbet Accessory pack.
• I added a wee bit of bling with a rhinestone in the centre of each flower.

Havea great day and a week filled with unexpected blessings! :)

Perfect Life

Happy Valentine's day!  I hope you get a chance to let those who matter to you know just how much you love them today.  My sweetie and I have no special plans for today, opting for a date night on Sunday, when the restaurants are a little less crowded!  Can't wait!  Tonight it will be heart-shaped pizza with our boy.
In the meantime, I have a cute project for you that could work for today or just about any day...

Any-occasion card featuring the Perfect Pennants and Betsy's Blossoms stamp sets.

I just love this sentiment from the Perfect Pennants stamp set!  It is so absolutely true.  So many people spend their lives trying to make their lives "perfect" and miss out on so many wonderful things along the way.  To accent the sentiment I stamped it in Basic Black ink over top of the flower from Betsy's Blossoms, stamped in Pool Party ink.  I die cut the flower using the new Starburst Framelits.  I added one of the cork accents from the Sweet Sorbet Accessories SAB pack and added an In-Colour Dahlia to the centre of the cork flower.  The DSP is from the Sweet Sorbet SAB pack.  The twine is also from the Sweet Sorbet Accessories pack.  I embossed the background using the Decorative Dots TIEF, which is also an SAB freebie! 

I added some sparkle with a Vintage Faceted button, a little silver glimmer heart and a few randomly scattered rhinestones.  The scalloped border is die cut from Crisp Cantaloupe card stock, using the Tasteful Trim die (on sale this week for 25% off!!).  Somehow I neglected to take a photo of the inside of this one...sorry 'bout that! 
Have a wonderful Heart Day and a super weekend!  It is a long one for us...wahoo!!

Hump Day!

Half-way to the weekend!  Yippee!!  Here is another one of the make-n-takes from my Sale-a-bration open house last weekend:

Birthday card featuring the Perfect Pennants and Starburst Sayings stamp sets.

Now, clearly this one doesn't use any Sale-a-bration products, but it does use two fabulous new stamp sets from the Occasions catalogue.  I used the Perfect Pennants set with coordinating Banners framelits to create the focal image and then two images from the Starburst Sayings set for the background.

The colour scheme for this one is Real Red, Pool Party and Basic Gray...perfect for masculine cards, though this one is fairly generic.  I did add a little bling with some stars punched using the Merry Minis punch.

On the inside I simply repeated the background images from the front, leaving the Celebrate image as the focal point, and added a few more sparkly stars.  Who doesn't like to sparkle on their big day??

Have a great day...thanks for checking in!

Monday, Monday...

As I sit here and type this post on Sunday evening I am mourning the end of the weekend.  It was such a hectic one that I am no where near ready to head back to work.  Knowing that the coming week is a crazy-busy one doesn't help matters much!  Ah well, head down, one day at a time and eventually another weekend will come along...and a three-day one to boot!
To brighten your Monday I have one of the projects from my Sale-a-bration Open House last Saturday...

Thinking of You card featuring the Perfect Pennants and Petite Petals stamp sets and Sweet Sorbet DSP.

Lots of new products on this one!  I always like the make-n-takes at my open house to feature new products so everyone can get their hands on some new stuff.  Here is a list of the new items I used on this card:

• Perfect Pennants stamp set (CM 133230)
• Petite Petals stamp set (CM133155)
• Petite Petals punch (133322)
• Scalloped Tag Topper Punch (133324)
• Sweet Sorbet DSP (FREE with a $60 order during Sale-a-bration!!)
• Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack (also FREE with a $60 order!)

 I also used some tried and true products from the Annual Catalogue, including the Betsy's Blossoms stamp set, Beautiful Wings Embosslit and the Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch.  Colours I used were Pool Party, Crisp Cantaloupe and Basic Black.

Inside view featuring sentiment from the Really Good Greetings stamp set.

On the inside I used one of my favourite sentiments from the Really Good Greetings Stamp set, along with another sweet little butterfly cut from vellum using the Beautiful Wings Embosslit. 
I hope you had a great weekend and that this week is quick and painless ;)  See you tomorrow!

Hello Love

It's Thursday...that means Friday is nearly here and the weekend is just around the corner!  What a crazy week this has been!  We've had another huge dump of snow yesterday and now we are back in the deep freeze.  I tell you, I need to move to Florida or Hawaii or the Carribbean...anywhere that doesn't get winter.  I am so over it!!  It's getting to the point around here that we have nowhere to put the white stuff anymore!  Thank goodness I bought my poor hubby a snowblower for his 40th birthday a few years back...he's been firing that thing up nearly every day for over a month!
Enough whining...I know there are lots of you reading this who have had a worse winter than ours, so I'll stop complaining and show you a cute card instead.  This is one I put together in no-time flat...

Any occasion card featuring the Perfect Pennants and Hearts A-flutter stamp sets.

My team's swap this month was card candy.  The glimmer heart and banner on this card was part of my set of card candy that I swapped.  I made up cards using all of my card candy to inspire my team for this month's challenge, which is for them to use some of the card candy they received to create cards and then to bring them to share at our next meeting.  I will show you the other cards I designed over the next few days.

The stripes in the background are both stamped (the stripes and polka dots) and Washi Tape (the arrows).  I love mixing media like that...it adds a lot of interest to the backgound.  The glimmer heart is die cut using the Hearts Collection Framelits.  The chevron heart is stamped in Pool Party and is die cut using the Hearts A-flutter Framelits.  The Hello banner is stamped in Crisp Cantaloupe and die cut using the Banners Framelits.  *sigh*  What did we ever do before Framelits???

Inside view with sentiment from Perfect Pennants.

On the inside of the card I stamped the sentiment from Perfect Pennants and another hear from Hearts A-Flutter and then added a wee little glimmer heart because, well, who doesn't like a little extra sparkle in their day??
Here's hoping your day is sparkly (and I don't mean the sun reflecting on 3 feet of snow!!).  Have a good one :)