My First "Bella" Stamps

Hi everyone and happy Wednesday,

I received my first Stampingbella stamps on Friday so I had to make a couple cards this past weekend using them.  They are SO fun and cute!  I know, what took me so long to order bellas?  I bought six, and I already have a list of more I want.  Do you find that you just have to have new stuff, even though you already have a room full of stuff?  I think we're all the same that way. LOL.

The first card I've made with my sister in mind.  She used to do lots of sewing, mostly quilt making, but kids and work now take up most of her spare time.  So, here is fashionistabella for my sis:

Other Supplies
Card stock: bright red and choice snow white from Taylored Expressions
Patterned paper: Material Girl by Cosmo Cricket
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, Copics and Color Box chalk in tangerine sponged around bella
Other: curved rectangle nesties, Material Girl buttons, SU linen thread, glue dots, red ric rac, the big shot and dimensionals

See you tomorrow with a second "bella" card.
Colleen

Summer Afternoons

How does the song go?

"Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.  Those days of soda and pretzels and beer. Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. You'll wish that summer could always be here."  

Well, my card doesn't have any soda, pretzels or beer on it, but it does have other images of summer; a pretty field of flowers, a bird and a dragonfly.

These images come from the newly released "Summer Afternoon" set by Taylored Expressions and I've used it to make a card for the TESC118 sketch challenge. Combined with October Afternoon's Go Fly a Kite patterned paper, it depicts summer pretty well, don't you think?

This is my first attempt at the gathered ribbon look. I wasn't really sure how to make it work, but I think it came out pretty well.  I used a strip of double sided tape on a piece of card stock cut to the length I needed, then just pulled up loops.  There's probably several instruction sets over at splitcoaststampers, but I was too lazy to look it up.

Supplies
Stamps: Summer Afternoon set by Taylored Expressions
Card stock: Bright yellow and choice buttercream from TE
Patterned paper: Go Fly a Kite by October Afternoon (June's Key Ingredients)
Ink: Color Box chalk in warm red and tangerine, SU marina mist and memento tuxedo black
Other: Classic circle nesties, SU crushed curry polka dot ribbon, SU scallop border punch, All Night Media corner punch, Lime smooch, silver pearls, the big shot and dimensionals

Thanks for looking in today.  Tomorrow I have a card made with my first "bella" stamp.  Have a good evening all,
Colleen

Happy July 4th - SSSC75 and CIC65

Happy Monday evening all,


I find the process of working up a design to fit more than one challenge kind of fun, so this week, I have a card that fits the Sweet Sunday Sketch challenge 75 and the Cupcake Inspiration challenge 65.  The theme for the CIC is patriotic, this being the week before July 4th.  It gave me a chance to ink up my new SU "July 4th" stamp set.  I paired it with the papers from the TE July 4th Project Pantry kit to complete this very patriotic card.

As for the SSSC, Karen's layout was a fun one again this week, and thinking of what would work for the 6 small elements at the bottom was rather "challenging".  After finishing the first card, I decided to make a second, since once I got the sketch in my mind, I was on a roll.  Both are totally different and I love the way they turned out.

Card#1:  Happy 4th of July

I think the stars work well for the bottom elements.

(Aren't these cupcakes sweet?)

Card #2: Happy Birthday

I used the new SU wheel builders from the Summer Mini in the square behind the circle. It was the first time I tried them and it took me awhile to get the middle wheel to ink up. Eventually, it worked. Like all the SU wheels, they're pretty fun and easy to get a quick background when you want something besides patterned paper. This very bright and fun card uses retired, retiring and new SU products.

Close up of the bottom of the card:

Supplies
Card One:
Stamps: SU "July 4th" set
Paper: Card stock and patterned papers from Taylored Expressions "4th of July Project Pantry kit"
Ink: SU cherry cobbler, marina mist and baja breeze
Other: SU small star punch, SU polka dot embossing folder, classic circle and big scallop circle nesties, star rhinestones, the big shot and dimensionals

Card Two:
Stamps: SU "Birthday Whimsy" set (retired), SU wheel builders: candle crazy, birthday and so many stars from the Summer Mini catalog
Paper: SU whisper white, melon mambo, bermuda bay, crushed curry card stock and melon mambo DSP
Ink: Melon mambo, bermuda bay and crushed curry
Other: SU polka dot ribbon, round paper clip, classic circle and big scallop circle nesties, SU 1" round punch, SU small corner rounder, yellow stickles, the big shot and dimensionals

Thanks for looking in today,
Colleen

Just A Little Note for Thursday

Happy Thursday to you all,

One more work day to go.  As promised, I have one more card made with the new SU set Apple Blossom.  This card was super quick to make and I really like how it turned out.  Again, a little of that "country" feel to me. Especially with the patterned paper I found in my stash which just happens to match these SU colors perfectly.  I got this paper free a few years ago when I ordered some supplies from a scrap booking and paper crafting website.  I don't remember which and I don't remember the name of the paper unfortunately.  Oh well.  Here's the card.  Oh, and absolutely no challenges for this one.

Supplies
Stamps: Apple Blossoms from Stampin' Up
Card stock: Marina mist, cherry cobbler and very vanilla from Stampin' Up
Patterned paper: sorry, don't remember
Ink: SU garden green and cherry cobbler
Other: SU scallop trim border punch, vanilla ribbon, Kaiser rhinestone (tiny one in the center of the flower), and dimensionals

Have a wonderful day and a fab weekend.  Thanks for looking in.
Colleen

Happy Thoughts

It's "hump" day.  I hope the weeks been good to you so far.

Today I have a quick post.  I was playing with a new stamp set from
Stampin' Up called Apple Blossom.  It kind of has a "country" feel to me so I thought it would be perfect on Kraft paper.  That being the case, the card is perfect for Jeanie's Krafty Thursday challenge over at her The Spotted Chick blog.

Supplies
Stamps: Apple Blossom set by Stampin' Up
Card stock: Kraft and chocolate chip by Stampin' Up
Patterned Paper: Pebbles Treehouse
Ink: Wild wasabi, ridding hood red, chocolate chip by Stampin' Up
Other: SU corner punch, SU yellow brad, chocolate ribbon and dimensionals

Tomorrow I have one more card made with this set.  See you back here then.  Have a great day,
Colleen

Life Is Good for Ms. Cuppie

Happy Tuesday all,

Today I'm happy to be participating in Taylored Expressions "Blast from the Past" blog hop.  This month, we are all showing projects made with TE stamp sets released prior to March 2010. Taylor provided a color challenge for our projects, which is shown below.  

For my card, I chose to use the Beach Bum stamp set, released a year ago in June 2009.  It's a really fun stamp set with such cute images.  My card has Ms. Cuppie taking it easy, probably on vacation in some exotic, tropical location. She is dressed in her favorite beachy attire, including the appropriate hair bling. Her lounge chair is placed under a shady palm and I imagine she's waiting for a young, hot, cabana boy to bring her a cool refreshing Mai Tai.  She's all set for a day of relaxation with the latest romantic thriller tucked into her beach bag.
Yes indeed, Life Is Good!

For the most part, I kept to the color scheme although I incorporated a few additional colors.

Cuppie and lounge chair are stamped in memento tuxedo black. I masked the image so the palm tree could be stamped behind the lounge.  The palm tree was stamped 3 additional times and cut out. Two palms are used on the side panel and the third's palm fronds popped up on the tree behind the lounge. All images are colored with Copics.  Cuppies cupcake paper is paper pieced. Light blue and tan ink are sponged around the white circle.

Supplies

Stamps: Beach Bum set from Taylored Expressions

Card stock: Medium blue and choice snow white from Taylored Expressions

Patterned paper: Snorkel collection from Cosmo Cricket (from the Beach Bum key ingredients released June 2009)

Ink: Memento tuxedo black, Copics, bashful blue and creamy caramel classic ink pads

Other: classic circle and scallop circle nesties, blue flower rhinestone, SU word window punch, the big shot and dimensionals.

Please be sure to check out all of the other blog hop participants.  They are listed below for your convenience.

Thanks for stoping by today,

Colleen

SFYTT & CCI64 - "Women are Like Tea Bags"

Good Monday morning all,

Today's card is made for two challenges. This week's Sketch For Your To Try and the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #64.  I had a bit of a struggle getting the design to work for me. I played around with several looks before settling on one.  For this card, the embellishments definitely make the whole thing come together, and in the end, I think it worked quite well. Hopefully you will too.

Supplies

Stamps: Favorite Thoughts by Stampin' Up

Card stock: Choice buttercream, kraft and taken with teal

Patterned paper: Crate Paper Brook

Ink: Memento rich cocoa

Other: Top note die, perfect polka dot embossing folder, 1 3/4" circle, boho blossom, small corner punches, teal buttons, chocolate chip corduroy button, the big shot and dimensionals all SU, Butterfly brad, polka dot ribbon and brown sparkly fluff by Taylored Expressions, and classic oval nesties.

Thanks for looking in today,

Colleen

SSSC74 - Just For You

It's Sunday and time for one of my favorite sketch challenges.  Karen and the ladies of the Sweet Sunday Stampers have, once again, sent us a fun layout to follow.

This week, I have a fun and bright flower arrangement for you. To make the image, water color crayons were applied directly on the stamp to the area I wanted to use.  The stamp was spritzed with water using a spray bottle with a very fine mist, then stamped onto the water color paper.  This technique was used over and over again until the arrangement was completed.  After the image was sufficiently dry I used the aqua painter with baja breeze ink to wash the blue around the flowers. My inspiration came from one of the images in the SU DSP, Greenhouse Gala.

Supplies
Stamps: Friends Never Fade by Stampin' Up
Card stock: Pear Pizzazz, Pumpkin Pie, and water color paper by Stampin' Up
Patterned paper:  Greenhouse gala by Stampin' Up
Ink: Water color crayons by Stampin' Up, baja breeze classic ink pad and memento tuxedo black ink pad
Other: SU eyelet border and scallop edge border punches, SU vintage wallpaper embossing folder, the big shot, aqua painter, silver pearls and dimensionals

Have a fabulous week everyone,
Colleen

SFYTT - Happy July 4th

Happy Friday afternoon fellow stampers,

I made this card on Sunday and never got around to photographing it to post.  I love the shades of colors in this 4th of July Project Pantry kit by Taylored Expressions, which unfortunately, is currently out of stock.  The layout is this weeks SFYTT.

Supplies
Card stock: Cream, blue and red from Taylored Expressions
Patterned paper:  Old Glory collection from We R Memory Keepers
Stamps: Happy 4th of July from Taylored Expressions a la carte collection
Ink: SU night of navy and cherry cobbler
Other: Diamond stickles, star rhinestones, SU round "ice" and "fire" brads, SU large and small star punches, red ribbon, labels three nesties, the big shot, dimensionals

I'm SO looking forward to the weekend.  I hope you have an excellent one. Thanks for looking in,
Colleen

Boxes Full of Fun In My Mail

Hi fellow stampers and happy Tuesday,

Every month I receive a box full of FUN delivered in my mail.  It's my Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients subscription.

There are so many reasons to be a Key Ingredients subscriber.  Each month, Taylor puts together coordinating packages of card stock, patterned papers, ribbon and other embellishments that are super fun to use to make stamped cards and projects.  I have been subscribing to the TE Key Ingredients for over a year now and I look forward to every shipment.  Some of the reasons that I love these kits are:  they are geared towards card making, which is what I mostly do, everything in the kit is coordinated, from the papers to the embellishments, and they provide me the opportunity to use some of the "latest trends" in paper crafting supplies that I might not otherwise try or buy. I enjoy using everything that comes in these fun kits!

Another great reason to become a subscriber is that once a month, subscribers only receive 10% off plus free shipping on everything in the TE store.  A few days prior to the monthly release, subscribers receive an
e mail with information about the current month's kit and a list of additional supplies that will coordinate with the kit, such as Copics, inks, chipboard, brads, flowers, etc. This month, Taylor is offering a special promotion:

Key Ingredients Special Promotion
Any current or new subscriber who extends or purchases a Taylored Expressions Six Month Key Ingredients Subscription between June 15th and June 19th will receive a FREE Taylored Expressions stamp set (designed by Taylor herself) upon completion of the six month term.


Now for my cards.
I was SUPER EXCITED when I received an e mail from Taylor asking me to participate in June's Key Ingredients release. I've made two cards to post, both made entirely with supplies from June's KI kit.  Each month with the Key Ingredients release, Taylor includes a subscriber challenge on the TE Key Ingredients blog. For June, the challenge is to use flower embellishments on our cards, either make our own or use the paper flowers that come in this month's kit, or a combination.

My first card uses this past Friday's TESC117 layout.

I've paper pieced Tena's clothing as well as the bakery's awing and wallpaper. The rest of the image is colored with Copics.

And here's my second card, no sketch challenge here, just a fun card:

This card also has paper piecing for cuppies paper, the mixing bowl and the spatula. Coloring is done with Copics.


There is more awesome inspiration for using the June KI kit on the Bakers Dozen and "Friends" blogs.  I've included links to all below.  After you're done being inspired, head on over to the Key Ingredients blog - subscribe - site and sign up for the six month subscription. Then you too can receive a box full FUN in your mail every month (and receive a free stamp set designed by Taylor).

Baker's Dozen blogs: Taylor VanBruggen, Karen Motz, Jeanie Witmer, Alex Maldonado, Carolina Buchting, Jackie Pedro, Sankari Wegman

And Friends blogs: Rosie Hughes, Candace Mitchell, Lisa Hjulberg, Stacey Schafer, Cassandra Trask, Colleen Begley (me), JoAnn Valderama, Tracy Clemente

Supplies:
Card 1
Stamp sets: Bakery Business and Window Shopping by Taylored Expressions
Card stock, patterned papers (Fly a Kite by October Afternoon), ribbon, button are all from the June KI kit
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, Copics
Other: Baby blue and ruby red liquid pearls, yellow Stickles,  scallop boarder, 1 3/8" round, 1 1/4" round, round scallop and corner rounder SU punches, linen twine, and dimensionals

Card 2
Stamp set: Cuppie In the Kitchen by Taylored Expressions
Card stock, patterned paper (Fly a Kite by October Afternoon), ribbon, paper flowers, button are all from the June KI kit
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, Copics, SU real red marker
Other: Expresso dimensional pearls make the chocolate cake batter, classic square, scallop square and classic oval nesties, the Big Shot, and dimensionals

I hope you have enjoyed checking out my June Key Ingredients card designs.  Again, a big THANK YOU to Taylor for inviting me to participate in the June Key Ingredients release blog hop.
Have a great Tuesday all,
Colleen

SSSC73 & Cupcake Inspiration Challenge - Happy Birthday

Hi all,

How's your Sunday going?  I had a nice relaxing one doing two of my favorite things, stamping and watching the Padres on TV.  Unfortunately, the Padres lost the game today, but they are still in first place in the NL West, being one game up on the Dodgers.

Since today's Sunday, I made a card that works for Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and for the new Cupcake Inspiration Challenge. For the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge, I used the colors in the picture as my card inspiration. I had a hard time deciding if the flowers were pink or dark peach. I went with peach. I found some great patterned paper to represent the chocolate cake and white cupcake paper, and used a green ribbon to pull in the green of the leaves.  To make the stamped cake look iced, I mixed mint green and baby blue liquid pearls.  The rest of the image was colored with Copics and very small rhinestones were glued in centers of the flowers.

Supplies
Stamps: Happy Moments, a 2010 SU sale-A-bration set
Card stock: SU chocolate chip, tangerine tango, very vanilla
Patterned paper: Bo Bunny Kitchen Spice
Ink: Memento rich cocoa, Copics
Other: classic circle and scalloped circle nesties, SU certainly celery ribbon, Material Girl peach button, linen thread, yellow Stickles, light pink rhinestones, SU word window punch, and dimensionals

Have a great work week all,
Colleen

Sending You Sunshine for SSSC72

Hi all,
I hope everyone had a good weekend.  It's back to court for me tomorrow to finish my jury duty for this year.  I'm hoping that tomorrow will be the last day so I can get back to work.

Today, I met with some friends for our monthly "craft day".  There are usually 7 to 9 of us that meet once a month.  Sometimes we meet on a Saturday and sometimes it's on Sunday.  Our oldest crafter is in her 80s and our youngest is graduating from high school on Tuesday.  Some of us do stamping, one does needlepoint, one works on quilting, and some do scrap booking.  We take turns bringing lunch, which always includes dessert, and everything is always quite YUMMY.

Today I worked on this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge card.  I really liked what Karen had for us today (not that I don't every week).  Once again, I reached for my Taylored Expressions' Garden Party Critters set, paired with the Garden Party Project Pantry kit.  I changed it up a bit by using the Stampin' Up shaped clear buttons and corresponding punches, found in the current Summer Mini catalog, for the flowers instead of using the flowers on the stamp.  I'd been itching to use these buttons and punches, but hadn't had the right project yet. I'm pretty happy with the end result.  Also, check out the sparkly trail of the ladybug.
(you can make the image larger by clicking on it)

Supplies

Stamps: Garden Party Critters by Taylored Expressions 

Paper & Ribbon: Garden Party Project Pantry kit by Taylored Expressions

Ink: Memento rich cocoa, memento tuxedo black, glorious green, 

red Copic

Buttons: SU clear shaped and earth elements

Other: SU mini shapes punches, SU round scallop punch, linen thread, mini glue dots, pop up glue dots, dimensionals, Taylor's tiny twinkles, Embellie Gellie to apply the twinkles, clear glue for the clear buttons, deckle sicssors

Happy Monday all and thanks for stopping by,

Colleen

What's Brewin'? - TESC116 and Krafty Thursday #29

Greetings,
Yea, it's Friday!  I hope you all had a good week.  I'm on jury duty, but here in San Diego they don't hold trials on Fridays, so I worked today.  I'll be back in court Monday to hear more testimony.

After work I had a chance to do some stamping.  I made a card that fits Taylor's Friday sketch 116 and Jeanie's Krafty Thursday sketch #29.

I took a little extra time on this one to paper piece Tena's blouse and pants and to add some bling for her earring.  I'd say that's "krafty."  Even though I'm not a coffee drinker, I love this set.  It is just so FUN.

Here's my card:

Supplies
Stamps: "Let's Do Coffee" by Taylored Expressions
Card stock: Kraft, real red, and choice butter cream
DSP: Cosmo Cricket and October Afternoon
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, memento rich cocoa, Copics
Other: classic circle and large scallop circle nesties, round paperclip, ribbon, expresso dimensional pearls, blue rhinestone, embellie gellie, the Big Shot and dimensionals

Have a great weekend everyone,
Colleen