Inspired Creation......

Hi All!!

I wasn't able to get in on last week's Create with Connie and Mary Challenge - and it just felt "off."  I really look forward to their challenges......so I wasn't going to let another week get away from me - lol.  And guess what?  This week's challenge is actually a two week challenge and they offer a color and/or sketch challenge.  I decided to just go with the color challenge today......here is the color challenge they proposed:

Well - I don't know about you but I immediately had one of those "thank goodness this stamp set didn't retire" moment......because I knew instantly I wanted to use Inspired by Nature......and after laying out the colors - I thought that I wanted to make a sympathy card.  It just came to me......simple as that.  :)  Wanna see what I did?

Well?  How did I do?  I had to throw a little bit of old olive ad soft suede in there for the sake of the flowers.....I hope I didn't violate any color challenge rules ;)  I stamped the flower image onto very vanilla and cut it out before adhering it down with stampin' dimensionals.  And can I say - welcome back basic gray satin ribbon.......y.u.m.m.y.!  The flowers were inked up with stampin write markers before stamping, see?

The colors used for the flowers were old olive, so saffron, pumpkin pie, soft suede and chocolate chip.  The smaller flower was stamped off before stamping it over the sentiment panel.    The sentiment, inside and out,  are from Thoughts and Prayers - another "thank goodness this didn't retire" stamp set.  ;)  And the new edition designer series paper making the new catalog - what else do i need to say about that???  This is one awesome collection of paper!  Oh did I mention that I prettied up the inside as well?  I didn't - well......here it is:

I would love to hear what you think of this little baby below in the comments section.  No one will bite you there ;)  Have a wonderful day!

How much is the Mojo in the window.....

......the one with the beautiful cards???  How much is that mojo in the window.....i sure hope that mojo's FOR SALE!!!!

maybe i should put my mojo up for sale????

This happens to me everytime i make huge Stampin' Up! purchases.......I lose my mojo!  I get my new stuff and just pine over it......picking it up.....moving it around......just loving every bit of it......but not creating with it!  New stuff usually gets mojo going....not me....I go into stand still mode...like I don't want to get it dirty or use it up.  HELLO!!!!!  The consumables can be replaced!!  What is up with me??  Maybe i have  too much to think about......who knows???  I do know that my daughter's fifth birthday party is this weekend and I have scaled things back.....big time!!  So, that is on my mind....worrying that I am not doing enough.  Not cooking enough......not making enough....not creating enough.....  I just need to take a big nap until Friday - whenI beging to bake the cakes.....yes, cakeS.  lol!!!

Enough whining, huh?  lol!  I went to check today's color challenge....that would get me going right???  Well, it is regal rose, old olive, and peach parfait.  Hmmm........So - flowers were in order, right??  well- here is what I came up with:

Please don't throw stones at me.......now that I see it - I am going to remove the flower in the upper right hand corner.  So how does it look now????  Ahhhhh....much better!

The card base is old olive and i embossed it with the new elegant lines embossing folder and my big shot.  ooooo....pretty.......  The ribbon is the peach pizzazz 1/2 inch stitched poly ribbon.  {luv} that!  The sentiment panel is die cut with the matchbox XL die and stamped with the sentiment from In a Word from the Summer Mini.  It was inked up with stampin' write markers.  The background die is also from the matchbox die.  I cut it in regal rose and sponged it with old olive.  The flowers are from Growing Green.  I used the color flood technique on them.  The roses are regal rose and the small flower are peach parfait.

I will show them closer to you - even though they are coming off of the card!

The small flower centers are from the brand new adhesive backed pearls!!!!  Thank goodness we now have these!!!!

Well.....I would love to get some feedback from you - leave me a comment below to help me get my mojo back :)

A caterpillar takes flight

Our life cycle could be compared to that of a butterfly.....we start here on earth as tiny beings - just like the butterfly starts as a larva.  Then it developes into a caterpillar - making it's way through the world.  A cacoon is death to a caterpillar until it is released as a beautiful butterfly....which soars and flies about beautifully....just as we are called upon from the Lord - setting us free from this material world into a world of forever beauty and peace.  Sorry to get so deep here today...but this was my thought process I had when making this card today.

I have really been trying to get my act together and get things more organized - not my orgainzed mess that only I can understand....but one that someone else might be able to navigate through....lol!!  And when sorting through my card stash that I keep from all of my sample cards, I realized I have a very limited supply of sympathy cards and baby cards.  So when I sat down today to make a card, I wanted to get my stash built up a little - maye it is time for a card stamp camp.......

The card base is soft suede - I am sooo glad this color made it into our core colors!!!!  The distressed layer is more mustard that had been stamped with one of the images in Watercolor Trio.  I {luv} this set!!!  I then balled it all up and wrinkled it up and then tore some of the edges off.

My main image panel is confetti cream that had been stamped with two of the images in Watercolor Trio in soft suede (that was stamped off first) and pumpkin pie.  I don't know if you can see it or not in the picture.....but I used the two way glue pen and dazzling diamonds in small areas of the pumpkin pie images....I did not cover them completely, that's for sure...I just wanted a touch of bling!  the sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.....WHAT!?!?!?!?  You don't have that set yet???  Are you serious???  It is my A.B.S.O.L.U.T.E. go to set for sentiments!!!!

Now my butterfly......

I stamped the single stamp,  All a Flutter, in versamark ink onto shimmer white card stock and embossed is with my heat tool with black embossing powder.  I then used the color flow technique to color it in with pumpkin pie and soft suede classic inks.  I think it sure is pretty....if I may say so myself.....lol!  I bent it around my fingers to give it some movement and then I adhered it with mini glue dots on the body and then stampin dimensionals under the wings. 

Did you think I forgot the inside???

The sentiment here s from Close as a Memory.  It is retiring this month.....I completely love the sentiments in this set - don't let it retire before adding it to your collection, it is timeless!

If you would like to leave me some lovin' here, I would appreciate it.

Like I said yesterday......

......I have been in need of way too many Sympathy cards.   And, from a phone call we received last night....I will probably be in need of more soon.  My hubby's aunt is in very bad shape.  There were already talks with the doctors about life support, or the lack there of.

The stamp set in the mini catalog, Watercolor Trio, is an absolute must!!  It lends itself to the most elegant cards as well as fresh, springy cards.  I pulled it out immediately when I needed to make a few more sympathy cards.

Here is a closer look:

The card base and main image panel is kraft - what will be called crumb cake in July.  I absolutely love kraft....and the name crumb cake makes me love it even more!!  ;)  The main image is two of the flowers from watercolor trio stamped in whisper white and pretty in pink craft ink.

you might figure I couldn't leave the inside alone......lol!

Make sure you come back tomorrow for the RemARKable Blog Tour - we are focussing on Special Occassions.  :)

I have needed too many of these....

Hi Stampers!!

I think one of the hardest cards to stamp is sympathy.   Everytime I need one, I think that I will make a bunch later to have on hand....and then I never seem to do it.  I love to watercolor....so I thought I would do a little of it on some recent sympathy cards I needed to send out.

The card base is perfect plum....I know it looks like elegant eggplant here, but I could not get my pictures to lighten up right today for some reason......I guess I am not in the mood to mess around too long with picture editing and I don't have the cards anymore to rephotograph.  lol!

I stamped the large rose from fifth avanue floral all over the card base and then again onto watercolor paper.  I used ink refills and an aquapainter to color in the roses.  The sentiment is from teeny tiny wishes.  I used my stap a ma jig to line up the words instead of stamping one straight line.  The ribbon is white taffeta.

The inside sentiment is from close as a memory.

One more thing before I go......make sure to keep coming back this week......we are having another RemARKable Blog Tour thursday, Friday and Saturday!!!!

Pawsitively Praying for You

Hmmmm?????  Wonder where that title came from????  lol!  I am in desperate need of praying/thinking of you and sympathy cards lately.  Not good.  I pulled out this week's sketch challenge over at scs and immediately wanted to use the level one hostess set, Of the Earth for the square images.  But, I dug around looking for something else that might stike my fancy, just in case....no luck....I had my mind set on Of the Earth!  I really like this set....the bird images and the single stem flower are just gorgeous, in my opinion.  I also wanted to card to have a spring feel to it. 

wanna see????

I knew I wanted to use soft, springy colors.  I went to my store stash of designer series papers and pulled out the Pawsitively Prints pack.  It was designed to be used with the Build A Bear dies made exclusively for Stampin' Up!.  The delicate patterns lend thenselves well to the clothing prints.  I have also found that they are wonderful for so much more!!
The card came together pretty well.....just about exactly what I had in mind.  Here is a closer look at the goodness.

I even stamped the inside.....sorry this picture is fuzzy - for some reason, my camera would not focus right on it.  ARGH!!!!!!  I didn't stamp a sentiment, though, I may use this as a note card to send to a friend.  If not, I can always add the sentiment when I need to send it out.  Makes me feel that I made it just then.... ;)  hehehe!

Tip Alert**** One more thing!!!  If I weren't going to use a padded envelope to mail this card, I would definitely cut a piece of card stock 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 and run it through the paper crimper to lay over the front to protect the pearls from the postal service machines.

stamps: Of the Earth, Matchbox Messages, Thoughts and Prayers
card stock: certainly celery, blush blossom, very vanilla, pawsitively prints designer series paper
ink: pretty in pink, old olive ( both stamped off before stamping)
accessories: 5/8 inch vanilla satin ribbon, pretties kit flat backed pearls, stampin' dimensionals

What do you think?

It's all about texture, baby!

I have been having a swell time with my big shot and all the new texture plates and the brand new manhattan flowers texture folder!!! Unfortunately, this time it was for a sympathy card.

The card base is pink pirouette. The rose texture is from running a piece of vellum card stock through the big shot with the manhattan texture folder...let me tell you ...in real life it is so cool! I then stamped my sentiment from thoughts and prayers and embossed with white embossing powder. Then, it was matted onto a layer of regal rose with pink brads from the soft subtle brads. I tied a bow across the top with the white organdy ribbon - that ribbon is so luxurious!!! Speaking of luxurious....have you seen the new white satin ribbon in the Occasions mini???? OH MY..........

Maybe this angle will show you more of the texture:

And, of course, I had to embellish the inside as well. I punched a strip of regal rose with the eyelet punch to line the horizontal panel of pink pirouette. The base for the inside is whisper white. I stamped two roses from fifth avenue floral in pink pirouette and the sentiment, from thoughts and prayers, in regal rose.

I actually made this card over a week ago.....I am not going to get any "fresh" stamping in today. This morning, when I usually try to crank something new out, my daughter just wanted me to play. Nothing big...just play...so I did. (she promised me kisses.....what could I do?) We did what ever she wanted to do....and I will tell you, that doesn't happen near enough. I always catch myself saying...later...after I do..."whatever....fill in the blank..." And then after a whole morning of saying that to her...I think she loses interest in me. So today...I thought...you know what....we are going to play! We worked on laundry in between our playing and she loves to help me put the clothes in the dryer, push the button, put the dryer sheet in, put the fabric softener ball in the washer.....so to her that was even a treat. Oh well...enough of my rambling! I had F.U.N. with her this morning....did I mention I had music playing through the computer and we even danced - cheek to cheek!

Anyway...if you are still reading, you are a dear! lol!

Happy Stampin'!

Blogger's Challenge 89

Hi stampers!!!

I have been having a ton of fun in my stamp room the last few days!!! I wish I were a night person.....I could really have some fun in there :)

This week for Blogger's Challenge we were to create with brown, sage and choice of neutrals. I really like sage but don't use it very often. It isn't my "go to" color...but when I use it, I really like it. I need to use it more :)

I immediately thought of "trees" when I pulled out the colors. Trees.....I could use my beloved lovely as a tree.....I could use my brand spankin' new trendy trees.....I could use my new love - thoughts and prayers......hmmmm......

Thoughts and prayers slid off my desk onto my foot.....there's your sign.....LOL!!!

The base is kraft. The sage shadow panel is stamped with sanded background in chocolate chip - is there anyone out there that hasn't bought this stamp yet????? If you don't have it...you gotta get it....it better never retire.....please :) I inked the leaves with the sage shadow stampin write marker and then "thumped" the leaves with always artichoke ( I know...not in the color scheme...but I used such a tiny bit....). I then traced the branches and trunk with the chocolate chip stampin write marker. That was stamped onto confetti cream. I matted it with a top note die that I cut with my big shot. I put two 5/16th inch chocolate chip brads in the upper corner. Before adhering that panel down onto the card with stampin dimensionals, I tied a piece of stitched chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon around the card front. I then stitched a latte button to the knot with linen thread. My sentiment is also from thoughts and prayers. I stamped it onto confetti cream and punched it with the curly label punch. I cut the sage shadow curly label free hand to create a mat.

I will give you a closer look at my tree....when I stamped it and pulled the stamp off...I even gasped...and I don't do that very often...LOL!!!!

Here is a peek at the inside...pretty straight forward. I didn't stamp the inside...there are so many reasons that you might be praying for someone.

What do you think? I would love to read your thoughts.....Happy stampin'!

I have been thinking of You.......

I started today to make a sympathy card. I don't know about you, but when I actually need the Sympathy card....I hate to make it, so I try to make up a few ahead sometimes. I thought today would be one of those cards....but it evolved into a Thinking of You card...which is great in itself. I did not put a sentiment inside, Thinking of You can go in so many directions....sympathy....get well....how about just hello.....birthday.....you get the picture. :)

In making this card...it went a total different direction than what I had in my head....my "about to split open" head! My headache is one of those that your vision is blurred a little....argh!!! It is a brought on myself headache, I think. NO....I was not drinking last night, last week or even last year.....I am trying to break myself off of my caffinated diet orange sunkist soda. I {luv} it....but I have been having off the charts heart burn...I will spare all of you the details of the acid puking in my sleep...that is how bad it has been. It dawned on me about a week ago that it might be the orange soda....or chocolate....oh my!

pause....my little one is standing behind me on my computer chair and her Finding Nemo movie is over and she wants me dance like an anemone.....oh jeez! lol! Ever see that debt monkey commercial???? Well....I call my little girl "my silly monkey"...need I say any more? hehehe!!!

ok...I'm back. So back to my first getting off track....this past Wednesday I did not have any diet orange all day...no firing inferno in my throat or dragon flames when I opened my mouth.... We stopped at Giant Eagle before going to my daughter's peewee bowling league...and there it was in the cooler beside out register...I caved. A half of a 16 oz. bottle later...I feel like I am going to die!!! So last night...I tested the waters with Diet Coke...my previous love....and no heart burn. WHAT IS UP WITH THAT!??!?!??!?!?! And you know what....after my diet coke last night...no more headache either...so now I have a caffeine dependence it seems....lol! So here I sit with my diet coke, trying to recover......

Oh the card!!! Sorry about getting off track of getting off track.....you see I am in diet orange soda detox.....

Here it is anyway....

The main image is from Thoughts and Prayers. This is such a beautiful stamp set. The sentiments are unbelievable....the two main images are gorgeous....I just can't say enough. I can say though that I don't think this card does the set justice....I will have to try again. Oh darn.....I will HAVE to stamp again.....

I embossed the tree image with versamark and clear embossing powder on mellow moss card stock. I sponged mellow moss and always artichoke around it...creating a haze of sorts.... I then matted that onto very vanilla and then chocolate chip. Next I pulled out my new 5/16th inch brads in chocolate chip .....my, are these babies nice! I put them in the three corners and then adhered that whole panel down with stampin' dimensionals. The sentiment is also from thoughts and prayers. I inked it up with always artichoke and stamped it onto very vanilla and then punched it out with my wide oval punch.

Did you see that panel that surrounds the sentiment?????? I cut that with my big shot and my new sizzlet die from lots of tags. The wide oval fits it perfectly!!!! I mounted that up on stampin dimensionals and tied a piece is mellow moss taffeta ribbon through it and around the card.

That about sums it up....I sure hope I did not let you down. Now to go caress my diet coke....

It's been a while

Boy...where has the time gone??? Sorry for my lack of posting lately, I have been so busy with "stuff." It seems like as soon as you think you will get caught up, you realize you aren't! lol!!! I had my three clubs last week....what fun times! I really do look forward to meeting with the stamper's clubs...we have so much fun!

I am going to show you a sympathy card I needed a few weeks ago and just didn't get posted until now. It is so hard to sit down to design a sympathy card, I think. I wanted a rather simple design but not too simple, you know?

I absolutely love the color combination of baja breeze with not quite navy....I mean....I love it!

See the sentiment panel??? I punched the edges with the curly label punch....sweet, huh?

What do you think?

Here is another angle:

Oh yeah? Remember I said I was going to try to do more with my insides? Check this out....

recipe:

stamps: close as a memory, kindred spirits

card stock: not quite navy, baja breeze, whisper white, urban garden

ink: baja breeze, not quite navy, versamark

accessories: heat tool, clear embossing powder, brayer, baja breeze striped grosgrain ribbon, curly label punch, crop a dile, stampin' diemnsionals