ColorQ {33}

After professing my devotion to all things Kiwi Kiss last week at the Color Q, I couldn't miss out on this week's cQc challenge {33} featuring this gorgeous purse as inspiration and a fabulous color combination.






I apologize for the lighting...too late finishing so no natural light for this amateur photographer! I promise that is not chocolate chip...it really is soft suede. Something funny happened on the way to this post...I noticed that there are at least two other challenge participants who also used the panel approach to this color combination. Great minds think alike, right?! The idea for stamping on the cardstock panels was inspired by this gorgeous fabric at Joel Dewberry. Next to paper, fabric is a bit of an addiction with me and a source of much inspiration for my ideas, color combinations and layouts. Back to today's card...so there isn't too much 'splaining necessary here...I cut 1.25" strips of cardstock and pieced them together with some sticky strip on the back. I inked up the Organic Outlines stamp (retired, sorry) with VersaMark ink and stamped it across all 4 pieces of cardstock--pretending it was just one solid piece. I then heat embossed it with white stampin' emboss powder.
I struggled a little bit with the sentiment panel...I didn't want too much there to detract from the embossed image. So, I kept it small and (hopefully) not too flashy!

And, it wouldn't be a "Canopy" card if the inside wasn't finished so I stamped another leaf image in Kiwi Kiss and colored the sentiment from On Your Birthday with soft suede, summer sun and bermuda bay stampin' write markers for a colorful finish to this card! I hope you like it and thanks for stopping by my blog...cheers!

supplies:
stamps: organic outlines (ret.); really retro (ret.); on your birthday (current!)
ink: versamark; soft suede; kiwi kiss
paper: kiwi kiss, summer sun, bermuda bay, soft suede & whisper white cardstock
xtras: soft suede polka-dot ribbon; white stampin' emboss powder; soft suede, bermuda bay & summer sun stampin' write markers; modern label punch; movers & shapers die; embellies (non SU)

Awash with Crushed Melon

Here's a little birthday card for a friend...her favorite flowers from the Awash with Flowers set are these tiny little ones featured here. So sweet, aren't they?! The stems are inked in chocolate chip with melon mambo & crushed curry flowers. I just love how this two-step stamp set comes together for a watercolor effect that I could never achieve on my own. Each stamp is a separate piece so you can really individualize it! Isn't it cute how the little leaves fit into that small leaf outline? The leaves are stamped in old olive so I used some of the yummy old olive satin ribbon for a little pop of color.

I finally bought the medium jewelry tag punch and the coordinating Tiny Tags stamp set--so cute! I've been coveting them for awhile but only took the plunge after seeing them in person. Don't know why I wait so long sometimes--do you do that too?! They are just a couple of the many items from the spring mini catalog that have carried over and are still available to order. Look at that cute little dotted frame stamped in crushed curry with a melon mambo 'hello'--you have to have it!

It's difficult to see in this picture but I also jazzed up the flowers a little bit with my clear stardust jelly roll pen from Sakura. Adds just the perfect amount of subtle dazzle!

And lastly, continuing my trend of finishing the inside of the card...I repeated the same flowers from the front as well as two sentiments from the versatile All Holidays set. Again, I used my Stampin' Write markers to ink up separate sections of the 'friend' sentiment. This is a great technique that adds interest and pulls all the colors from the design together.

Thank you to all those who visit my blog and especially those that leave a comment. I so appreciate your time and love hearing from you! I hope you have a great weekend.
Cheers!

supplies:
stamps: all holidays; awash with flowers; tiny tags
ink: melon mambo, old olive, chocolate chip, crushed curry
paper: kraft, chocolate chip & whisper white cardstock; razzleberry lemonade dsp; hugs notes
xtras: old olive satin ribbon; linen thread; medium jewelry tag punch; stardust jelly roll pen

Bright & Cheerful Birthday

Just a little bit of birthday eye candy for you tonight...

a simple little card in celebration of some favorite retired and soon-to-be retired products. Only one color featured here is making a comeback on July 1st...Baja Breeze and thank goodness! It's such a pretty color and so versatile. When it returns with the new catalog not only will we have paper and ink but new coordinating ribbon and designer paper and I can't wait to get my hands on a Baja Breeze marker! Anway, back to the card...in addition to BB, my colors are Kiwi Kiss, Cameo Coral and Very Vanilla (Very Vanilla will remain a core SU color becoming part of the Neutrals Collection on July 1st). These bright and cheerful colors go well with the pop-art feel to the flowers from the Garden Greetings stamp set.

Isn't that ribbon luscious? Double-sided satin Kiwi Kiss & Very Vanilla. It's so thick and yummy to the touch!

And my new favorite thing to do...a finished inside. Sometimes you don't have a specific event or person in mind when you make a card so it can be difficult to finish it with a sentiment but I do like a little bit of stamping in a corner or somwhere to tie the design together...I can always come back with a sentiment when needed. But this one headed out the door the day I made it so I knew for sure it was a birthday greeting! I hope my SIL in Wisconsin likes it--I think she will...do you? Thanks for looking!

supplies:
stamps: garden greetings (retired); all holidays
ink: baja breeze, cameo coral, kiwi kiss, chocolate chip classic ink pads
paper: very vanilla, baja breeze, cameo coral cardstock
xtras: scallop border punch, corner rounder punch, SAMJ, kiwi kiss satin ribbon (retired)

A color Q sketch 4U

Two new-to-me challenges this week. I've been following the Color Q challenge but just never been able to meet the deadlines! Arielle always has fantastic colors and this week, with Color Q #32, I had to play along so I could pay homage to one of my favorite SU colors, ever--Kiwi Kiss! I sure wish it was returning with Baja Breeze but alas... Anyway, this week's Color Q called for Kiwi Kiss, Groovy Guava (love), Basic Black, Very Vanilla and Kraft (love, love). Here we go:

I really love the way this turned out using another all-time favorite, Upsy Daisy for the focal image. I inked it once in Groovy Guava, stamped off, inked again and stamped full strength slightly off from the first. This way it looks like a field of daisies! And, for this great sketch at 2S4Y, Two Sketches For You #52, I really wanted to try and make a paper ruffle border.



I used the same technique as for the distressed flower found in this post but applied the distressing to three strips of kiwi kiss trimmed with the scallop border punch. I am pleased with the results. It's not often that what I have in my head comes out exactly as I wanted on paper--tee, hee!


Several friends have birthdays this month, so the inside of this card was finished off with a birthday wish. I inked the sentiment from Great Friend in kiwi kiss and then went over just the word 'friend' with my basic black stampin' write marker before stamping it on my paper. The HB sentiment is part of a larger stamp from All Holidays and, again, I just inked the HB part with my black marker. I hope you like it. Thanks to the fantastic inspiration found at the Color Q and 2S4Y--be sure to check them out! Thanks so much for stopping by!

supplies:
stamps: great friend, upsy daisy, all holidays
ink: groovy guava, kiwi kiss, basic black
paper: kraft, very vanilla, kiwi kiss, basic black cardstock, retired dsp (can't remember name!)
xtras: scallop border punch, beautiful wings embosslit, color spritzer, basic black stampin' write marker, SAMJ, clear rhinestone brad, black grosgrain ribbon (non SU)

Curtain Call {Act 29}

I just love the colors and inspiration photos Stacey uses in the Curtain Call Color Challenge and this week is no exception. Take a look:

Look at that flower and those vases! I've never used Bordering Blue before, gasp(!), and now I am going to miss it when it retires in June. It's such a pretty blue-ish gray and it looks fantastic with summer sun (also retiring) and tangerine tango (coming back)! So, here is my take on these fabulous colors:

What do you think? I had a vague idea where I wanted to go, well at least I knew I wanted to use the Eastern Blooms set. I don't use that one nearly enough--it's so pretty! I stamped the middle cherry blossom branch in Versamark and then heat embossed with white stampin' emboss powder. It looked kinda lonely by itself so I stamped some more branches with the Versamark ink. Two retired DSP patterns--good morning sunshine and haiku--provided the summer sun and tangerine tango pops of color. So glad to get tangerine tango back in July!


The flower was stamped in summer sun on whisper white and hand-cut. Some yellow adhesive rhinestones from my embellie stash add some sparkle to the flower. The cool textured background is the new square lattice impressions folder now available in the summer mini catalog--isn't it great?! Can't forget the whisper white ribbon...I love this new-to-me technique of ruffling the ribbon...it's sooo easy and makes for simple mailing with no knots or bows.

I also try to complete the inside of each card and I love carrying over a stamp from the front, on the inside. Makes the design complete, don'tcha think? I do so appreciate your visit to my blog and love reading your comments! Hint, hint ;-)

(For more information about retiring and new colors click on the color wheels to the right of this post.)

supplies: stamps: eastern blooms; garden greetings (retired); heard from the heart (inside sentiment)
ink: summer sun; basic gray (sentiments); versamark
paper: whisper white, bordering blue cardstock; haiku & good morning sunshine DSP
xtras: whisper white organza ribbon; square lattice impressions folder; stampin' emboss powder; scallop trim punch; XL bird punch (leaves); top note die

One of a kind chair

I have always had a thing for chairs. I think of them as an accessory to a room--kind of like a great statement necklace with a simple dress or sweater. So, it was no surprise that my mom recently gifted me with this fabulous PTI set. Lo and behold, there is a perfectly fitting Three Cheers for Chairs challenge over on the Moxie Fab World blog--apparently I'm not the only one with a thing for chairs!

I kept my card base pretty simple in color and design so that the patterned chairs would really pop. Each chair is stamped and paper pieced--so much fun! The chair legs are colored with my Stampin' Write marker in soft suede. I stamped the rug, kind of as an afterthought, to balance out the weight of the ribbon on the left with the sentiment on the right. I also kept the ribbon treatment simple so it would accent, rather than compete, with those lovely chairs! And, I can't forget the inside...not a great pic, but the set also includes a faux-wood floor and a lamp which has a paper pieced lampshade to match the chair on the front. So let's hear it for the chair! I'm going to go curl up in one right now....well, maybe after I help my daughter in the tub, into her jammies, put her to bed, do the dishes....sigh...maybe I'll just look at these chairs instead! ;-) Have a good one!

Branching Out with Color

I am on a roll with Not Quite Navy lately. I love this color and I was thrilled to see it in Act 28 of Stacey's Curtain Call Color Challenge and even more thrilled that I could participate!

Pretty, right? I don't use Rose Red very often but I am seeing it more and more and I think it is so fresh and modern paired with kraft and not quite navy. I've had the idea for this card in my head for awhile now so I am happy to find an outlet for it. I used this layout from the Stamping 411 operators (SSC149) --nice and simple--but turned it on the side.And, here is what I came up with: I am really pleased with the way this came out. I bought this stamp set months ago but never actually inked it up...oh how I love it! So easy to make a beautiful flowering tree for any season. I stamped the rose red randomly on the tree stamping once in full color and then again without re-inking to achieve the look of layered color.
I had so much fun with the ribbon on yesterday's card that I used the same technique on this card. I put down a piece of sticky strip where I wanted the ribbon to go. Starting at one end, I attached the ribbon bit by bit lifting it up with my paper piercing tool to form a little loop. It was really easy and I like the effect.
A navy buttton and some linen thread was the finishing accent the ribbon needed. The sentiment is from a favorite set, Teeny Tiny Wishes, inked up in, you guessed it, not quite navy on whisper white and punched out with the large oval punch. I'd love to hear from you, let me know what you think!

Fall-to-the-PPA

Pals Paper Arts is my go-to-stamping challenge--always fun inspiration and the deadline includes a weekend which gives me a chance to catch up! Today's card is for PPA40 featuring a monochromatic blue palette and a great layout (FTL88) from the Clean & Simple Stamping blog.

The beautiful DSP is Bella Blue featuring not quite navy and very vanilla. I really like the way the kissed butterfly turned out here. I was struggling with the colors I wanted to "kiss" the butterfly stamp with and nothing looked right with the dsp. Then a light bulb went off! I inked up the fine flourish stamp with not quite navy and kissed the butterfly stamp with it--without inking the butterfly first. So the not quite navy fine flourish was the only ink on my butterfly when I stamped it directly on my paper.
I get the shape of the butterfly out of the fine flourish stamp! I really like the way it looks--almost like a die cut! I've seen ruffle ribbons like this all over blogland and had been itching to try it myself. I'm not sure if I did it "right" but I like the effect. My daughter loves running her finger over it!
The bashful blue taffeta was the perfect material to ruffle up a bit and I really like the pop of light blue it provides against the not quite navy. Thanks for looking and I would love to know what you think!

supplies:
stamps: butterfly accent; fine flourish; well scripted
ink: not quite navy
paper: bella bleu dsp; very vanilla, not quite navy cardstock
xtras: bashful blue taffeta ribbon; scallop trim punch; beautiful wings embosslit; adhesive pearl (from my stash)

Sunshine Award!

Thank you so much, Nance @ Snap, Scrap & Dazzle for passing along the Sunshine Award to me! That's right, she's another "Nance" and, so far, we're the only two we know of in crafting blogland. Her cards are colorful and cheery and her layouts are sooo creative...just look at her Congrats Joy Fold card--cool!

So, to pay it forward I am passing along the Sunshine Award to the following 5 bloggers:

1. My mom, Nancy, at Nanc's Niche of Stampin' because she's been an inspiration to me all my life! And...she's the one that gave me my first Stampin Up! catalog. :-)
2. My upline, Mary, at I LUV 2 Stamp for all her encouragement and praise.
   
3. My downline, Diane, at Rubber 'n' Rafters for her creativity and support.
   
4. Linda, at Stampin' Seasons because she always leaves me a comment and I love her style.
5. Margaret, at Margaret Moody for her fantastic card sketches and encouragement.

Ladies, here's what you should do:

• Post the prize on your blog
• Mention me in your post
• Give the prize to 5 friends
• Post a link to their blogs
• Announce everyone on their blog
• Make a list with 10 things you like

And here are 10 things I like...about papercrafting:

1. designer paper...oh, how I love the paper!
2. ribbon...I've grown to LOVE ribbon and use it on almost every project now! (Thanks Mary!)
   
3. my scalloped edge punch...essential
   
4. adhesive rhinestones...because who doesn't love a little glitz?
5. the fellow crafting friends I have made
6. the fellow blogger crafting friends I have made
7. STAMPIN' UP!
8. my Big Shot!
9. giving handmade cards and crafts to friends & family and...
10. sharing my creations in blogland with you!

Now, go spread the cheer!