Celebrating Spring with Christmas???

Hi Everyone!

I am not sure where my "crafting mojo" (as my friend Hayley calls it!) has gone lately...perhaps it's lying underneath all the snow we have here in Ottawa.  For our first few days of Spring, Mother Nature celebrated here with another snowstorm!!  How wonderful...  Can you hear the sarcasm?!?!

So, in honour of that, I decided that my first post to celebrate the Spring season would be a Christmas Card - why not?!

I have been checking out the Merry Monday blog for some time but have never played along.  Seeing as this week is their 100th challenge, I thought it appropriate to celebrate with them.  Congrats to all you ladies that work so hard over at Merry Monday, you do such a great job with inspiring us crafters!!

Here was the challenge:

I love the colour combination and the sketch so I decided to combine both for my card.  I took a little liberty with the sketch by moving where I wanted the sentiment to go but I'm sure that's ok with the ladies. :)

Here is my card although for some reason today I could not get the camera to cooperate so my beautiful Melon Mambo paper does not look very "deep pink".  I wish you all could see my card IRL.

I will also be linking this card up to the Festive Friday challenge.  This is another challenge that I've never played along with but love the ideas that the DT come up with.  Here is this week's inspiration photo:

Finally, I will be linking my card up with the challenge over at Christmas Card Challenges.  This is yet another blog challenge that I have never played with but have been following as the work there is stunning.  This week's challenge is ANYTHING GOES.

So I guess today's post is a one of firsts - each challenge is a new one to me!  I'll definitely be back to play with all of these challenges again though.  If you haven't been by to check these challenges out, please do.

Card Recipe (all Stampin' Up! products):

Card Stock:  Melon Mambo Core'dinations, Lucky Limeaide, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer Paper

Ink: Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeaide

Stamp Sets: Endless Wishes Photopolymer

Tools/Techniques: Big Shot, Banner Framelits, Chevron Embossing Folder, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder

Thanks for dropping by!

Steph

For the Newlyweds!

Hi Everyone,

Another post for tonight!  I wanted to share with you another card that I created during our mega card marathon last weekend.  Oh what a fantastic night that was!  This is one that I finished up after the ladies went to bed...I am a sucker for punishment!  But, apparently, good ideas come to me at 4:00am!! lol

Have I mentioned lately how much I absolutely love challenge blogs??  I don't think so...so I guess I should put it out there... I LOVE THEM!  So much inspiration and the blogging world in general is just so supportive.  If you are out there just kind of lurking, you need to start into this crazy world.  It is amazing.  Ok, I'll come down off my little soap box now.

But, speaking of inspiration...my 4:00am inspiration came from the CAS(E) this Sketch challenge this week.  The sketch really spoke to me.

This card actually started out as something completely different and someday my idea might make it to a piece of cardstock so I'll save that one for now... ;)  But, after a lot of hmmm-ing and haaaa-ing, I decided to go with the colours from the new and revamped CAS-ual Fridays challenge.  It was quite an interesting idea to me.

I have also decided to enter this card in the Addicted to Stamps & More challenge for this week.  Who doesn't love an "Anything Goes" challenge?  

So, here goes, here is my card:

The centre flower is a combination of an image from the Flower Shop and Petite Petals stamp sets.  Both images are heat embossed using Smoky Slate embossing powder and the petals are curled using a bone folder.  They are then popped up with a dimensional.  To finish the flower off, a pearl is added to the centre.  In fact, pearls of varying sizes are added to the centre of all of the flowers on the stamped images on the card to add a little bling and make it even more elegant.

Card Recipe (all Stampin' Up! products):

Card Stock: Whisper White, Smoky Slate, Basic Gray

Ink: Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Versamark

Stamp Sets: Flower Shop, Petite Petals, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Tools/Techniques: Pansy Punch, Petite Petals Punch, Modern Label Punch, Heat Tool, Smoky Slate Embossing Powder, Basic Pearls, Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder

Thanks for dropping by,

Steph

Sweet, Sweet Baby!

Hi Everyone!

Just popping in with a couple of posts tonight.  I hope you all are having a lovely week so far.

Today I took some time to craft with a very special friend and we caught up on a couple of episodes of The Voice.  I don't about you but I love me some Adam Levine!!  ;)  He is most definitely on my "Freebie List".  You remember that episode from Friends right?  That list of celebrities where if you weren't attached...well you know...that's a "sweet, sweet baby!" in a whole other sense!

I thought I would use the colours from this week's Dynamic Duos challenge today as my inspiration.

Two very beautiful colours which to me screamed that a baby card was in order.  

I also wanted to use the sketch from Unscripted Sketches.  As I've said before, I love sketches - they inspire me so much and this blog is awesome!

I decided to flip the sketch on it's side and have the "title" or sentiment on the bottom of the card.  I also decided that I would make the blocks all the same size as it would work much better for the effect of the stamps that I wanted to use.  You will understand in just a few moments...can you wait for it??? ;)

Without any further teasing, here is today's card:

I love those little hands and feet that look like imprints!  And the Sahara Sand is a great colour to soften up the look of printing a babies hands and bitty feet.  For the sentiment, I cut out the label using the Bitty Banners Framelits in Blushing Bride.  I then stamped the "Sweet Baby" sentiment using Soft Suede and fussy cut around the stamped image itself.  I then popped the sentiment up on dimensionals.  It makes a great layered effect.

Card Recipe (all Stampin' Up! Products):

Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand

Ink: Sahara Sand, Soft Suede

Stamp Sets: Baby Prints, Itty Bitty Banners

Tools/Techniques: Big Shot, Bitty Banners Framelits, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks for dropping by!

Steph

Star Studded Birthday!

Hi Everyone!

Just dropping in with a quick post of one of the cards that I did during our mega crafting session on Friday night.  I hope you enjoy!

For this card, I decided to use the sketch over at Create with Connie and Mary.

I decided to take it in a different direction than above and make it a bit more masculine looking which was right up the alley of The Friday Mashup this week.

Here's your Mashup Challenge:

1. Create a "Masculine" project.
2. Create a project with some "Stitching/sewing on it".
3. or Create a "Masculine project with Stitching on it".

I decided that I would stay away from the stitching/sewing part this week...

In terms of colours, these came right out of The Card Concept challenge this week where I decided to stay with my normal theme of Clean and Layered - it seems to be a trend for me. :) 

These colours just screamed masculine to me so that is what I went with.

Here is my card:

I wish the Stampin' Up! catalogue had star punches or framelits to go with their Simply Stars stamp set. In this case, I stamped the stars on the back of the Gold Foil and fussy cut the stars out.  

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up! products):

Card Stock: Whisper White, Lucky Limeaide, Early Espresso, Gold Foil

Inks: Early Espresso

Stamp Sets: Wacky Wishes, Simply Stars

Tools/Techniques: The Big Shot, Banner Framelits, Chevron Embossing Folder, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Arrows Embossing Folder

Thanks for dropping by!

Stephanie

Wedding Congrats!

Happy Monday Everyone!

I trust you all had a wonderful weekend!  I did.  I spent some time this weekend celebrating some birthdays with some very special friends.  We spent Friday night together crafting until the wee hours of the morning on Saturday.  Between the three of us, we managed to create quite a number of cards.  We also got to enjoy lots of food and some libations so it was quite fun. :)

This morning I want to thank the ladies over at Sunday Stamps as my beach themed "H is for Happy" birthday card was chosen as one of the top picks this week.  Thank ladies!  You can check out my card HERE!

The first of the cards I will be sharing with you from our crafting session on Friday night is a card I created for my Husband's cousin who will be getting married next month.  I took the inspiration from her beautiful wedding invitation.  I photographed the back so you all could have a look:

I was lucky enough that this week over at CAS - Colours and Sketches blog, the challenge was to use Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant and Crushed Curry.  I thought this would work perfectly with my ideas for this card.

I was also in love with this week's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches.  The card easily came together after this...

From all of this inspiration, here is the card that I created:

To create some of the lighter colours, I simply stamped off using both the Perfect Plum and Elegant Eggplant inks.  I love how the "splatters" look using the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set from Stampin' Up! - don't you?  I think this will become one of my favs!

Card Recipe (all Stampin' Up! products):

Card Stock: Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum, Crushed Curry
Stamp Sets: Secret Garden, Gorgeous Grunge, Label Love
Tools/Techniques: Decorative Dots Embossing Folder, Artisan Label Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks for dropping by!

Steph

More Green....

Hi Everyone!

Happy Thursday!

I swear, every challenge out there seems to want to use green lately.  I have even skipped challenges cause they were using pistachio pudding...  But, I guess everyone is looking for Spring and what screams Spring more than the sprigs of green sprouting up from the muddy lawn.  Although I swear here in Ottawa we are never going to see it!  There is still so much SNOW!!!

So today, I decided to enter the Colour Me...! challenge in which they are going monochromatic and using Old Olive.

I also decided that I really liked one of the DT's cards and decided that I would put my own spin on it.  I cased OttawaMom's (Brenda Hofstatter's) card today.  I also drew inspiration from the inspiration picture provided above.  I knew a large, pouffy flower had to be my focal point!

I also used the CAS(E) this Sketch challenge sketch to complete my card.  Unfortunately, I dilly dallied this morning organizing some of DSP's and missed the link-up deadline for this challenge by about an hour.  I thought it was later today...oh well...it is still a fabulous sketch by Julie.

Here is my card this morning:

I absolutely love heat embossing - especially with white embossing powder!  It makes such a lovely effect.

Card Recipe (all Stampin' Up! products):

Card Stock: Old Olive, Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive, Versamark
Stamp Sets: Regarding Dahlias, Heard from the Heart (retired)
Tools/Techniques: White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Square Framelits

Thanks for dropping by!

Steph

H is for Happy

Hi Everyone!

First, I wanted to take a few moments to thank the ladies over at Dynamic Duos as my Shaving Cream Card was chosen as one of the Runner Ups last week.  I really appreciate it!  If you would like to see my card, click HERE.

Now, what makes me happy?  Thinking about the East Coast certainly does!  And this card certainly reminds me of the East Coast and where I grew up!  I really like this new High Tide DSP from Stampin' Up! and thought it would make a great birthday card.  I also thought that a great way to showcase more than one sheet of it would be to use the fantastic sketch over at Sunday Stamps.

And, seeing as I decided to create a birthday card, I decided to enter my card in the Anything Goes challenge over at Seize the Birthday.

Here is my card for both of these challenges:

A fellow blogger mentioned that this card would also work with the sketch over at Unscripted Sketches this week.  I agree as it is very similar to the one above!  I will be linking my card up to this challenge as well.  This will be the first time that I will be playing with the ladies over there, I am very excited to find this new challenge blog as I LOVE sketches!!!  Thanks again Kimberly - check out her blog - Weinerhoneymooners.

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up! products):

Card Stock:

Whisper White, Pacific Point, High Tide DSP

Ink:

Summer Starfruit, Pacific Point

Stamp Sets:

Occasions Alphabet, By the Seashore

Tools/Techniques:

1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon - Pacific Point, Neutral Candy Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks for dropping by!

Steph

Exciting News to Share!

Good Morning Everyone!

This morning I have some exciting news to share along with a new card.  This month I was asked to be the Guest Designer over at Technique Time Tuesday!  I am very excited to have been asked and to be hanging out over there with those very talented ladies this month!  Thanks ladies!!!

This month, we are focussing on the Caught in Crystal technique.  This was a pretty interesting and fun technique - it was difficult to photograph but fun to do!  Why not run over to Technique Time Tuesday, check out the tutorial on how to do this technique and give it try!

And here's my card for  this month's technique:

Card Recipe (All Stampin' Up! Products Except Where Indicated):

Card Stock:

Whisper White, Basic Black

Ink:

Basic Black, So Saffron, Tangerine Tango, Black Staz On

Stamp Sets:

Oh, Hello, Creative Elements

Tools/Techniques:

Chevron Border Punch, Fringe Scissors, Starburst Framelits Dies, Acetate, Tissue Paper, Martha Stewart Clear Gel Glue

Thanks again to the ladies over at Technique Time Tuesday, I am so glad to be hanging out with you this month! 

Please go and check out the Caught in Crystal technique and give it a try!!  We look forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations!!

Thanks for dropping by!

Steph