Bountiful Blessings

Happy Friday all,

I'm "working" from home today. Gotta love those Friday office days. I do have to attend a two hour training class via the internet in about 30 minutes, but after that, I'm calling it a week. It's rainy here in SoCal and perfect for making more holiday cards.

Today, I have a Thanksgiving/Fall themed card made to fit a few challenges. This week's Stamp, Ink, Paper Challenge is a color challenge using Dark Brown, Yellow and Rust. The current Curtain Call Challenge theme is Acorns. Using some older Taylored Expressions sets, I made my card.

I started by stamping the the images using Memento tuxedo black, for the open stamps, and SU inks in Crushed Curry, Early Expresso, and Cajun Craze, for the solid stamps. The open images are colored with Copics.  After the stamping and coloring was finished, I trimmed the panel down to 3.75 by 5.0 inches and layered it onto an Early Expresso panel dry embossed with the TE Fall Leaves EF. The card base is Crushed Curry card stock. I cut the TE label and stamped the sentiment and squirrel, layered it over some copper twine and popped it up on the front of the card with dimensionals. A few enamel shapes in rust finish it off.

I used the TE Fall Wreath set for the inside.

Thanks for looking in today. Enjoy your Friday afternoon.

Supplies
Stamps: Falling For You and Fall Wreath sets by Taylored Expressions
Paper: SU card stocks: Very Vanilla, Crushed Curry, Early Expresso
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, SU Crushed Curry, Early Expresso, Cajun Craze, Copics
Other: TE Label die, TE Fall Leaves EF, twine, enamel shapes, The Big Shot, dimensionals

Have a Wild, Wild Birthday

Hi fellow stampers,

Yay! It's Thursday already. One more day until the weekend. I'm always ready for one, LOL.

We are attending a little birthday party tonight for a seven year old. I'm not so sure he'll love his presents, books, but he'll like his card. (I'm pretty sure.) These Lawn Fawn animals from the Wild For You set are so, so fun!

I started by stamping them all on X-Press It Blending card stock. I colored them with Copics and used the corresponding LF dies to cut them out. The background is made by cutting another piece of X-Press It card stock out with the Avery Elle Diagonal Stripes die and using some Distress Oxide inks and the SU Gorgeous Grunge set I stamped the splotches. It's layered onto a Tempting Turquoise card base.

Our friends at Stamp, Ink, Paper blog have an "anything goes" challenge this week. Use some of your favorite stamps. Not sure how I'd ever pick favorite stamps from my collection, but these are super cute.

On the inside I've used another LF set called Elphie Selfie.

I need to go wrap those books up. Thanks for stopping in and have a great Friday.
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Lawn Fawn sets Wild For You and Elphie Selfie. SU set Gorgeous Grunge
Paper: SU Tempting Turquoise and X-Press It Blending card stock
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, Copics, Distress Oxide
Other: LF Wild For You dies, Avery Elle Diagonal Stripes die, the Big Shot, dimensionals

Hello

Hello crafty friends,

I spent yesterday exactly as I said I would, crafting, watching US Open Tennis and some baseball. In the evening we went to our friends for dinner and as per usual, had a great time catching up with them. Jai always cooks a fabulous meal. His theme last night was Hawaiian Luau. Grilled chicken, a take on Chinese cabbage salad with serrano peppers, sticky rice and Mai tais. My own Personal Chef made a yummy shrimp cocktail for apps, and chocolate pie for dessert. Hopefully, I haven't made you too hungry, LOL.

This is one of the cards that I made yesterday. It uses the sketch from this week's  SIP Challenge and the colors from this week's Color Throwdown. I'm not really loving the mixed gingham look. In my mind, I thought it would look super cute, but really, not so much. However, I spent some quality time putting it together and coloring the PI, so I'll send it to someone and they probably won't be so critical.

Aw with many of my cards, there are several companies represented. The stamps, patterned papers, and flower die are from MFT. The stitched scalloped circle and hello die are Lawn Fawn, and the red gingham circle is cut with Spellbinders.

I stamped the PI image on X-Press It Blending card stock and colored her with Copics. I decided to cut the "hello" die again with black paper and use the black for the inserts in the loops of the letters. Just for something different. To complete the card I rounded opposite corners and added some enamel dots.

It's more of the same for me today. The weather is gloomy again, even with a few rain drops this morning. It beats the heat we've been having over the last 4-5 days.

Thanks for stopping by,
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Pure Innocence Sunflower Girl by My Favorite Things
Paper: SU Heavy Whisper White, Real Red, Summer Sun, Daffodil Yellow, More Mustard, Gumball Green, Basic Black and X-Press It Blending card stock, MFT Gingham Patterned Papers
Ink: Memento tuxedo black and Copics
Other: Lawn Fawn Stitched Scalloped circle and Hello, Spellbinders circle, Die-Namics Sunflower dies, Fiskars corner rounder punch, enamel dots, the Big Shot, dimensionals

School. . . Thankful for You

Hello from a very gloomy and cold San Diego!

It's been foggy and drippy all day here. Don't know where the summer has disappeared to. I usually take my pictures outside, but because of how misty it is today, I set my card in front of my Copics to take the pictures.

While looking though my usual blogs last night after dinner I saw that Justin had posted the new challenge at Stamp, Ink, Paper. This week it's a Back To School theme. I really have no school themed stamps, amazingly, but I figured out something with this cute little PI set called "It's A Sign."

Of course, these great patterned papers from Echo Park help with the theme. I stamped the image in Memento tuxedo black and colored her up with Copics. For the sign I cut out a piece of black card stock and used a white chalk pen to hand write the equation on the "black board." I should have used a gold star instead of a blue one, though. (Do teachers still put gold stars on student's homework?) (It's probably all done electronically these days!)

Here's a look at the inside. The apple is from Lawn Fawn.

Tomorrow will be long and busy for me. I have to be in Los Angeles by 8:30 am and it's a 90 mile drive. That means I need to be out of the house before 6 am.

We have a friend coming for dinner tonight, so that will be fun.

Thanks for looking in,
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Pure Innocence "It's A Sign" set by My Favorite Things
Paper: SU Real Red and X-Press It Blending card stock and Paper and Glue 6x6 pad by Echo Park patterned paper
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, Copics, SU Midnight Muse
Other: Die-namics Stitched Oval and Fishtail Flag dies, white chalk pen, blue enamel star, the Big Shot, dimensionals

Aloha

Hi all,

Yay, one more work day this week. I don't know about you, but I'm sure glad.

Last night after dinner I made this fun, beachy card using the theme from this week's Stamp, Ink, Paper challenge, and the current sketch from Sunday Stamps. I've used one of my favorite Avery Elle sets called Aloha.

I started with a Real Red card base and some "beachy" patterned papers from the Echo Park Paradise Beach pad. The tropical images are stamped on X-Press It Blending card stock with Memento black and colored with Copics. I cut them out with the corresponding dies and layered them onto the front of the card. For the horizontal band and the banners in the sketch, I used grass cloth paper. Beachy, right? I finished with a few enamel dots to balance out the elements.

I've used Taylored Expressions sentiments and image on the inside.

I really love this sentiment! Don't you wish this was an everyday dilemma?

Have a wonderful Friday. I'm hoping to finish my work project a little early in the afternoon tomorrow, then I have two boxes of new SU Christmas goodies to play with. Looking forward to that!

Thanks for looking in,
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Aloha set by Avery Elle
Paper: X-Press It Blending and SU Real Red card stock, Paradise Beach by Echo Park patterned papers, grass cloth paper
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, SU Real Red, Copics
Other: Avery Elle Aloha dies, Die-namics Fishtail Flags dies, enamel dots, the Big Shot, dimensionals

Thank You

Hello peeps!

Mr. Personal Chef asked me to make him a card to send to his group's admin for "Administrative Professionals Day," which is on Wednesday of this week. I asked if he wanted flowers, graphic, animals or just sentiment and he said flowers. Using the last Stamp, Ink, Paper challenge (challenge was already closed so I couldn't link up) I made this card.

Super bright and fun and I, unlike many, like the tilted panels. For the sentiment element, I cut the Die-nemics zig-zag circle die then lined up the stamp in my Misti. Before stamping, I placed a scrap piece of paper under the circle so I didn't stamp over the flower underneath. This works well. After stamping the two flowers onto the circle, I stamped the sentiment in Memento black. I used three layers of ink to make it nice and dark. I finished it off with a cutout butterfly from the stamp set, matted the white panel with Real Red, and some Pretty Pink Posh clear glass beads.

Since I don't have a stamp that says "Happy Administrative Professionals Day," I printed the sentiment from my computer, cut the printout to size then stamped the flower.

It will be one of a kind, and hopefully she'll like it.

Have a great Tuesday and thanks,
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Fab Flowers set by Lawn Fawn
Paper: SU Daffodil Delight, Real Red, and X-Press It Blending card stock and MFT gingham patterned papers
Ink: SU Watermelon Wonder, Real Red, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Rich Razzelberry, Sweet Sugarplum, Daffodil Delight, Summer Sun, Emerald Envy, Peekaboo Peach, Pumpkin Pie, and Memento tuxedo black
Other: Die-namics Zig-zag Circle die, Lawn Fawn Fab Flowers dies, Pretty Pink Posh clear glass beads, the Big shot, dimensionals

Live, Love, Laugh

Happy Easter to all,

No eggs hidden at my house today so I'm having a very relaxing day catching up on some weekly blog challenges and watching baseball. I couldn't ask for a better way to spend my day.

I haven't played along with the Stamp, Ink, Paper challenge in awhile and LeAnne has a fun Tic-Tac-Toe challenge this week. I'm almost late, but I'm able to squeak my card in. I chose the top horizontal option of pink, flower and lace.

For the lace element I've used the SU Sale-a-bration set Delicate Details stamping each lace border in a different shade of pink going lightest to darkest then darkest to lightest in an ombré-ish pattern. The flower element is the Wreath of Roses stamp set and die by Lil' Inker. The wreath is stamped in VersaMark on Mambo Melon and heat embossed in White EP.  I glued a piece of white card stock behind the center of the wreath and stamped the sentiment, also in the set, with VersaMark and heat embossed with Mambo Melon EP. I can't remember when I've used ribbon and a large bow last, but this card just seem to call for it. I found this pink gingham ribbon in my box.

The inside greeting is also from the Wreath of Roses set, and the flower is another Sale-a-bration SU set, but from last year.

A very girly card, for sure. Thanks for looking in,
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Wreath of Roses set by Lil' Inker, Delicate Details set by Stampin' Up, What I Love set by Stampin' Up
Paper: SU Pretty in Pink, Mambo Melon and X-Press It Blending card stocks
Ink: SU Blushing Bride, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Strawberry Slush, Melon Mambo, and VersaMark
Other: Wreath of Roses die, SU White and Melon Mambo EP, heat tool, Mini Misti, ribbon, foam tape, the Big Shot

Happy New Home

Happy Friday!

For me it is indeed a happy Friday. My last official day of work for a month! And to be honest, I'm not doing a whole lot of work today either. I worked some longer hours this week in order to finish all of my reports, etc., so today is just taking care of things that come in.

A good friend recently moved to a new house and tomorrow she is having a combo Christmas and House Warming party. Last night after dinner I made a card for the occasion. Using inspiration from this week's Color Throwndown colors and the sketch from CAS(E) THIS SKETCH, I put this together.

The three colored houses are heat embossed with black craft ink and clear EP onto water color paper. Using Distress ink pads and a paint brush I water colored them in the challenge colors. After dry, I cut them out using the corresponding dies.

For the white background panel, I stamped the houses onto X-Press It Blending card stock using Memento tuxedo black and the Mini Misti to get them perfectly aligned. The sentiment is heat embossed using black craft and clear EP. 

The banners are water color paper smooshed with the Distress inks and cut with Die-namics dies and the heart is cut with a Lawn Fawn die.

I used fun foam to raise the white panel for dimension.

This may be a little "busier" than the Sketch intends, but I think it turned out pretty cool. 

The ladies over at Stamp, Ink, Paper have an embossing theme this week, so I'm playing along with it as well.

Have a great Friday afternoon everyone and thanks for looking in,

Colleen

Supplies

Stamps: Holiday Home set by Stampin' Up

Paper: SU Basic Black, X-Press It Blending card stock, Fabriano Grans Fina cold pressed water color paper

Ink: SU Craft Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads

Other: SU Holiday Home dies, Die-namics Pierced Fishtail Flags dies, Lawn Fawn Heart die, rhinestones, the Big Shot, fun foam, dimensionals

Home For the. . .Holidays

Hi all,

I hope you are having a relaxing weekend.

This week, the Stamp, Ink, Paper Challenge has an inspiration challenge for us. Here's my take on it.

Using this week's CAS(E) this Sketch layout, I used some of the colors in the photo and the foliage as my inspiration to make a Christmas card. The jars spelling out HOME made me think of the sentiment "Home for the Holidays."

Supplies
Stamps: Christmas Wreath set by Taylored Expressions
Paper: SU Crumb Cake and Garden Green card stock and SU Trim the Tree DSP stack
Ink: VersaMark
Other:  SU white EP, TE Leaves die, Lawn Fawn tag die, Queen and Co red pearls, Baker's twine, The Big Shot, dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by today,
Colleen