A little birthday fun!

Evening All,
I wanted to share some cards I made for my friends' mothers' birthday celebration. She needed some extra and figured I could help and after these past few days filled with surgery and the stomach bug I was ready for a little distraction! I went on over to Try Stamping on Tuesday blog and they had a great sketch:

 

They had a great twist "Something that makes you happy". Well when doesn't a birthday card make you happy?? So here is my take:

 

I love the now retired "Sunflower" stamp (they are a happy flower) and I paired it with the sentiment from the newly retired Simple Sketched hostess set. I used a base of Naturals white, some More Mustard that I ran through my Lattice EF and some pieces of Howlstooth and Scaringbone DP that I hung onto. I cut out the image using my Labels Framelits and I was done!

Hope she likes them!

 

Karin

 



Pals Paper Arts Challenge

Morning All,
Sorry for the quiet week, I have been very busy trying to organize all the baby clothes we received! We are extremely lucky to have such great friends and family! I seriously don't think I have to buy my new addition anything but socks for the next four years!! Trouble is storing it all!! Lol!! Anyway I needed to send some "Thank You's" to the people who sent us all these clothes and I needed a sketch so I went on over to Pals Paper Arts and they had another great sketch



And here is what I came up with:

I had one lonely piece of So Saffron hiding in the back of my scraps pile and I thought it looked great with the Sweet Sorbet DP from Saleabration. I ran the piece of Crisp Cantaloupe through the Big Shot with the soon to retire Lattice EF and punched out the baby carriage stamp I borrowed from a friend after embossing it in Pool Party. There is a thank you sentiment inside from the Wonderful Favorites set that is also soon to retire (Love all the sentiments it has!).

I also wanted to let you all know that many items are soon to retire and, in fact, many have sold out!! Stampin Up recently was able to get more of the soon to retire in-color cardstock in case your still looking. They are as follows:

Limited Quantities of In Color Cardstock Now Available May 13, 2014 When we announced the retired list, the 2012-2014 In Color 8-1/2" x 11" Cardstock sold out very quickly. We're happy to announce that we've been able to obtain additional product, and there are limited quantities available again. Once we run out of this new stock, we will be out for good. The following items are available, only while supplies last: Item Description 126840 Gumball Green 8-1/2" x 11" Cardstock 126843 Midnight Muse 8-1/2" x 11" Cardstock 126841 Primrose Petals 8-1/2" x 11" Cardstock 126842 Raspberry Ripple 8-1/2" x 11" Cardstock 126839 Summer Starfruit 8-1/2" x 11" Cardstock

Feel free to contact me for further information!
Karin

On a roll!

Morning All,
Well I decided that as I was on a "sort of" vacation this week that I would make sure I had a little crafting time! As Stampin Up has just released its retirement list I knew that I wanted to use some of my favorites in the next few weeks for my projects. I, of course, needed a great sketch. So I went on over to Freshly Made Sketches and this is their great sketch:

 

 

And here is what I created:

 

 

I used one of my all time favorite background stamps, Sunflower and heat embossed it in my favorite color; pewter. I love both and am stocking up this week with SU's free shipping on the Pewter embossing powder as its my "go to" color! I ran the Coastal Cabana through my lattice folder (another retiring item that adds a great feel to projects!) and then stamped the sunflower again in Crumb Cake and placed it on a panel of Afternoon Picnic DP (also leaving us in June!). I added an antique brad and popped it up on dimensionals after heat embossing the sentiment from Loving Thoughts (another great retiring set). Loved this sketch and plan on using it again! Thanks for stopping by!

Karin 



Freshly Made Birthday

Evening All,
I thought I would share a card that I made tonight for my Great Aunt's 102nd birthday. Yup you read it correctly, last weekend was my grandmothers 101st and this coming weekend its my Aunts turn! Great genes especially since they are on different sides of the family!! Anyway I was having a tough tough time coming up with a layout. So I went on over to Freshly Made Sketches and found another great sketch:

 

Here is what I came up with:

 

I used a base of River Rock, a layer of Cherry Cobbler and another layer of Soft Suede that I ran through the Lattice embossing folder. The Cherry Cobbler panel was layered on a piece of Comfort Cafe. I used the Gold Encore ink and my "Wonderful, Favorite" stamp set. A button and some retired canvas ribbon and I was (finally) done. Hope she likes it!

Have a great night!

Karin



Freshly Made Mixture

Hi All,
I wanted to share another card I made this week. I had been in need of a sympathy card for a friend and needed a place to start. So I went on over to Freshly Made Sketches and it was their 100th sketch and it is pretty inspiring. Check it out:

 

I used a mixture of retired and new products AND I even tried some water coloring. Anyone who knows me knows that of all the techniques out there that's one that is a little tough for me!! Here is my attempt:

 

 

 

I used some retired Certainly Celery and Everyday Enchantment DP and retired ribbon I had. I then used the Simple Sketched Hostess set from the the new catty. I also ran a piece of Crumb Cake through the Lattice folder. Finally I added some soft subtles dots to the top after water coloring with Aqua painters. Not bad if I do say so myself! Hope it brings a smile to her face!

Have a great day!

\Karin



Baseball Birthday!

Morning All,
I wanted to share a quick card I made for my significant others upcoming b-day! We are huge sports fans and right now the Red Sox are going strong so I decided to do a baseball themed card. After looking at some ideas on the web I combined a few things and here is what I came up with:

Sorry for the shadow! Used the circle and square punches to make the ball and bases. I ran some crumb cake through the wood grain folder to make the bat, used the bitty banner framelits and set and was done!
Hope he likes it! Have a great day!
Karin

SAS Get Well

Hi All,
I wanted to share the second card that we will be doing at my next Stamp a Stack. It is a Get Well card that uses the beautiful set "Thoughts and Prayers". I combined it with the retired DP "Presto Paper" and sponged that with Baja Breeze. Check it out:

I used the Lattice Folder on the cardfront as I loved the look when the grid on the Presto Paper was revealed with the ink. A piece of Baja Breeze Seam Binding and I was done. Don't you love the "pop" of black with the light blue??!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karin 

PPA 141

Hi All,
I wanted to share a card I made today for the Pals Paper Arts Sketch challenge. Here is their great sketch:

And here is what I came up with:

I used another of the wonderful wreaths that I colored on the plane ride to be my center panel. I just love using the Howlstooth and Scaringbone paper for my Thanksgiving cards! I decided that I wanted to pair the H & S DP with some scraps I had saved from the Frostwood Lodge DP. The tree print works perfectly! The base of my card is Very Vanilla with a piece of Chocolate Chip layered on top that was run through the Big Shot with my Lattice Folder. Love all the warmth this card has! Thanks for stopping by!

Karin

Framelits Galore!!

Hi all,
I wanted to share a birthday card that I made for my father in law's 75th birthday! I was really excited to make it as I had the perfect new stamp set and TONS of framelits for the occasion!

I used the new set "Perfectly Preserved" and the coordinating Framelits; "Cannery Set". This set is so perfect as my father in law spends a fair amount of time canning vegetables every year. He never canned apples but I loved the look (he is more of a "green bean" guy). I also tried my hand on embossing with the "Sugar and Spice" embossing powder. It is such an amazing accent and not to over powering if your one who doesn't like too strong of a scent. To top it off I added the Itty Bitty Banner stamp set and the coordinating Bitty Banner Framelits. I just can't get enough of these coordinating framelits sets! They make crafting so easy! Finally I want to point out that the designer paper that I used (cutting it out with the Apothecary Art Framelists!) was one of the designs from the Howlstooth & Scaringbone DP. A great choice for Fall crafting!
Thanks for stopping by!
Karin

Paper Players Challenge

Hi All,
I decided to take a little break from Halloween cards and work on my Great Aunt's Thanksgiving cards. I was inspired by the great sketch at the Paper Players Blog:

Loved the "clean" sketch. Here is what I came up with:

I used a base of Very Vanilla, a layer of Chocolate Chip that I ran through the Lattice Folder on the Big Shot and some left over (and very coveted) retired Spice Cake DP. I made the pumpkin using my large oval and Build a Bird punch. I added a little depth by sponging Cajun Craze ink on the sides of the pumpkin. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Karin

Try Stamping On.....Thursday!

Hi All,
I wanted to share another Halloween card I made yesterday based off of the great sketch at Try Stamping on Tuesday:

I thought it offered a lot of great possibilities. So here is what I came up with:

I love how "clean" this card came out! I used one of my favorite Halloween stamp sets "Spooky Bingo Bits"! It has so many possibilities! The Designer Frames works perfectly with these stamps, you can fit them in without overlap. I punched out the sentiment and popped it up on dimensionals. Off to work!

Karin

Freshly Made Sketches

Hi All,
I had planned on sharing another card today but unexpectedly needed a sympathy card for a co-worker. As usual these are the toughest for me to plan out so I had gone on over to Freshly Made Sketches for some inspiration and was not disappointed. This is the sketch of the week:

And here is what I came up with:

I used Crumb Cake, Not Quite Navy and Naturals White for my cardstock, Not Quite Navy and Crumb Cake for my ink and Just Believe and Thoughts and Prayers for my stamp sets. I hope you can see the "ghosting" technique that I did with the main image. You stamp with your darker color first, then use your Stamp-a-ma-jig and align it slightly to the left to give it a shadow with a lighter color. Finally I used the Color Spritzer Tool to add some Crumb Cake "dots" to the image. Feel free to email with any questions. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Karin

Need some "Mojo" today

Evening All,
Had a little extra energy after a bit of caffeine this evening at a good bye dinner for a wonderful co-worker and friend! I am excited for her to return home to California, as there really isn't any place like home, but she will be sorely missed!
So in trying to turn around the day I had gone on over to Mojo Monday Blogspot and they had another awesome sketch:

I was initially a little leery given the layers and my wrist being so restricted in my new brace but I gave it a whirl and here is what I came up with:

I took a few liberties and rotated the sketch. I needed a "Thank You" card and wanted some Summer colors so I used the Beyond the Garden DP (retired) and brights buttons with the sentiment coming from the Kindness Matters set. I ran the Daffodil Delight paper through the lattice embossing folder. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Karin

Happy Easter!!! Well Almost!

Evening All!
Had a great but busy day today and just got a chance to complete my last Easter card for Glen. Again, I had a rough idea of what I wanted to have on the card but needed a little "spark" for the layout. So! Hopped on over to Create with Connie and Mary and they had a wonderful sketch:

Here is what I came up with:

Now, some explaining may be in order! I used his tail and leg to signify the "bow" in the sketch and the leaves as a stand in for the filigree. I used the sticky back pearls and colored them with my chocolate chip marker. I did shift the placement of the bakers twine and rotated the sketch and I am really happy with the result! I have been seeing the "bunny butt" all over the place and wanted to make it my own and this sketch helped me do that!
Hope he likes it! Have a fantastic Easter!
Karin



Saturday Sketch Challenge

Hi All,

Here is another card I was able to complete yesterday. I still need a few more Easter cards and so I checked out the sketch at Stamping 411 Blogspot. I thought it would work perfectly for one of my Easter cards:

Here is what I came up with:

I took a few liberties with the size of the main panel and ribbon, but I really liked how it came out. I used some Tea Party DP that I have hoarded for a while. I had also ran the Pretty in Pink cardstock through the Big Shot with my Lattice folder to give it some texture. Hope you like it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karin



Stampin Queen's Challenge

Hi All,
Wow love having Daylight Savings back but hate losing an hour of my weekend! Anyway I realized that I need to get cracking on my Easter cards so thought I would check out the Stampin Queen's Blog and this is their sketch challenge:

And here is what I came up with:

I loved the idea of using some of my scraps from the Tea Party DP that Stampin Up used to carry! They worked perfectly for the eggs! Here is the rest of the recipe:
Paper: Tea Party DP (retired), So Saffron, and Naturals Ivory
Ink: So Saffron
Stamps: Well Scripted (sadly retired)
Punches: Decorative Label and the Small Oval
Other: Big Shot and Lattice Embossing Folder and Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by!
Karin



Freshly Made Sketches #22 & Our Creative Corner

Hi All,
I had a little ambition last night so I completed another challenge (or two!!). I went on over to freshly Made Sketches and Jen had another great sketch:

I loved the clean lines of this sketch. I had also gone over to Our Creative Corner and they had a great theme with a twist.They challenged us to make a project for our "Best friend" but it must include a flower. I needed a card for one of my oldest and dearest friend. She is a editer at a local newspaper and three of her piece were nominated for awards. She won an award and placed top three on the other articles and their design!!! Yeah Ang!!  So I mashed up all the requirements and here is what I came up with:

I have been dying to try out "bleaching" and thought it would add great contrast to the soft look of the Everyday Enchantment. It took me a few tries to not "over soak" the stamp with bleach. After a few tries I finally got the "right" amount. The one thing I will say is that if you try this make sure to wash off your stamp and then condition it with the cleaner to keep the stamp from breaking down. Here is the rest of what I used:
Paper: Poppy Parade, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake and Everyday Enchantment
Stamp set: Fresh Vintage Stamp Set and Loving Thoughts
Ink: Crumb Cake and Poppy Parade
Punches: Large oval and smaller oval (retired)
Other Big Shot Lattice folder
Thanks for stopping by!
Karin



Stampin Success Contest Cards

Hi All,
Been a busy morning! Happy to report the "storm" was a bust so I got to spend time raking in front of the barn!! Can't imagine that in any past February I would be able to do that!! Anyway I wanted to share three cards I sent into Stampin Up's Demonstrator Magazine's contest in January. They have three categories and I chose to enter two cards that I would "Demo" at a workshop. Here they are:

I also entered one card that I would offer as a "Make and Take" which means you get to make and take at a workshop. Here is that entry:

Sorry the pictures are a little tilted!! Not much of a photographer!! Well off to go ride my horse! Enjoy the day!!
Karin

Friday Mashup #43

Hi All,
Had a great opportunity to complete one of my favorite challenges this weekend: The Friday Mash Up. Here was their challenge:

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

1. Make a project using the "Sketch".
2. Or Make a project using "Something NEW in your stash". (Stamps, ribbon, pretty paper...anything!)
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project "using the Sketch & something NEW in your stash".

I chose to "Mash it Up" with the DP, Ribbon and Stamp Sets I recently received. Here is what I came up with:



A great friend of mine gave me the beautiful Vanilla Ribbon and I had not had a chance to use it!! Here is what I used:
Paper: Everyday Enchantment, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade and Very Vanilla
Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade and River Rock
Stamp Set: Loving Thoughts and Take it to Heart
Tools: Blender Pens, Big Shot
Embellishments: Lucky Limeade Organza Ribbon, Vanilla Ribbon, Dimensional's and Lattice Folder
Punches Small Oval and Decorative Label

Thanks for stopping by! Have a good Monday!
Karin