It's Curtain Call Baby! {68}

Hiya friends!  Just a quick post tonight to share a card I made with the scrump-dilly-icious colors from Stacey's Curtain Call Color Challenge {68}:

 

Aren't they gorgeous?  I think I say that about all the colors Stacey picks!   I'm not sure I'm in love with this card but it's growing on me...I think.

I was itching to use the Fun Flowers die that I've had since December but not yet used once!  Ack!  The flowers are cut from Pink Pirouette CS and then stamped in Melon Mambo with the En Francais background stamp.  I also sponged more Melon Mambo on the edges to define each layer.

The center is one of the Sweet Stitches fabric brads from the mini catalog.  Just love these!  I also embossed the card base with the Perfect Details texture plate.  I like how it gives a garden lattice look to the background.

And here's the inside...combined two sentiments here, Occasional Quotes & Short and Sweet, and I thought they worked well together.  I've only ever used the "Love begins in a moment..." sentiment for wedding or anniversary cards but when I gave it some thought, it really works for the birth of a baby too! Sorry for such a short post tonight...it's been a long work week but I'm off tomorrow and looking forward to a bit of quality time at my craft table.  Have a great Friday, friends!

supplies:

stamps: en francais, a word for you, charming, occasional quotes, short and sweet

ink: melon mambo, wild wasabi, pink pirouette

paper: whisper white, melon mambo, pink pirouette, wild wasabi CS

xtras: two tags die, fun flowers die, scallop border punch, polka dot impression folder, sweet stitches fabric brads, perfect details texture plate, wild wasabi striped grosgrain ribbon

More Curtain Call {Act 34} Mojo {143}

Hi everyone! Who knew...that rich razzleberry, basic grey and dusty durango could look so good together?! Well, apparently Stacey at the Curtain Call Color Challenge did because that is her challenge this week!







Once again, I really loved this week's Mojo Monday sketch which gave me the jump start I needed on this design. The sahara sand cardstock base is stamped with the Woodgrain Background stamp also in sahara sand ink. I think the Woodgrain coordinates well with the natural look of this little flower from the level 1 hostess set Of the Earth. The flowers were stamped in versamark ink and heat embossed with white stampin' emboss powder. I love the way the white looks so crisp and clean against the saturated challenge colors. So summer-y! I brought in the whisper white for the challenge on the background strip that was textured with the square lattice impressions folder. Some ruffled basic grey taffeta ribbon added even more texture and interest. The taffeta ribbon is my absolute favorite! So easy to tie in knots--even bows--and it's perfect for the ruffle technique I used here.

I inked up the cute little text stamp from the Charming set in sahara sand ink and stamped it onto whisper white. A journey into my stamp storage (with a flashlight!) for a sentiment I had not used in awhile turned up this retired set called Best Yet (I think it might have been a hostess set?) which got inked up in rich razzleberry. The 1.75" circle punch made just the right sized circle and the Circles #2 die made a perfectly-sized mat in coordinating rich razzleberry.
I finished off the inside with the Charming stamp inked in rich razzleberry and stamped off once. A dusty durango flower pulls in the color from the card front and finishes it off nicely! Thanks so much for all the sweet comments you leave for me--I hope your day is a crafty one!

edited 6/20/10: WOO HOO, this card was a Top 5 Show Stopper at Stacey's Curtain Call!

supplies:
stamps: woodgrain; of the eart; best yet; charming
ink: sahara sand, rich razzleberry, dusty durango
paper: sahara sand, whisper white, rich razzleberry, dusty durango & basic grey cardstock
xtras: basic grey taffeta ribbon; square lattice impressions folder; 1.75" circle punch; circles #2 die; stampin' emboss powder; rhinestones from my stash

Curtain Call {Act 33} with Mojo!

I've been on an angled kick this week--not my usual layout--but I really liked this week's Mojo Monday {142} sketch and decided to combine it with Stacey's colors at the Curtain Call, Act 33. Love, love the watery blues and greens this week--had to play along!
I wanted to re-work this card I made awhile ago. I used the horizontal crane stamp from Dream Garden and stamped it with bashful blue, certainly celery and night of navy--isn't it pretty? Look at all the detail in that stamp! The stamp-a-ma-jig was the essential tool for getting the cranes lined up just so. Some retired certainly celery dsp came in on the background and two layers of the scalloped edge in whisper white and certainly celery finished it off.

Love those little bits of ribbon on the sketch and here I used bashful blue taffeta ribbon with a little rhinestone embellishment from my stash--just the right amount of sparkle!

More friends with birthdays this month so I inked up my favorite "friend" sentiment from the Great Friend stamp set. I inked first in certainly celery and colored over "friend" with my navy stampin' write marker. The "happy birthday" sentiment was achieved by inking just part of the "live, laugh & love" stamp, from On Your Birthday, with the navy marker. Can't forget the extra crane stamp in bashful blue that ties it all together. I hope you like it...thanks for stopping by!

xtras:
stamps: dream garden; great friend; on your birthday
ink: certainly celery, bashful blue, night of navy classic ink
paper: night of navy, certainly celery, whisper white cardstock; certainly celery dsp
xtras: bashful blue taffeta ribbon; night of navy stampin' write marker; scalloped edge punch; 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" circle punches

Curtain Call Color Challenge: Act 23

When I saw the inspiration photo and colors in this week's Curtain Call Color Challenge (Act 23), I knew right away that I wanted to use the Fine Flourish stamp with white embossing. I think the results are simple sophistication. The fine flourish stamp has got to be one of SU's finest ever. The detail is so amazing and it stamps beautifully. I stamped it twice with whisper white craft ink on Kraft cardstock and heat embossed with white embossing powder. The heat embossing bent the cardstock a little so I decided to trim the piece and layer it on top of the base card. With a open scallop punch from basic black cardstock peeking out at the bottom it almost looks like designer paper doesn't it? I also love the colors of this challenge and the unexpected elegance of the black leaves against the Kraft cardstock. The perfect combination for my oh-so-stylish mother who I had in mind when I made this card. Taupe and black is her absolute favorite go-to color combination and I immediately thought of her when I saw these challenge colors. The flower is made by distressing two pieces of Pretty in Pink cardstock punched out with the extra large fancy flower punch. Here is another card I made with this same technique. The leaves were cut out with my Big Shot and the SU exclusive Little Leaves die. The sentiment is stamped onto whisper white with jet black Stazon which gives such a crisp black impression. It was punched out with the wide oval punch and finished off with a little butterfly cut from the Beautiful Wings embosslit. Let me know what you think!

supplies:
stamps: fine flourish; well scripted
paper: kraft, whisper white, pretty in pink, basic black cardstock
ink: whisper white craft ink; jet black stazon
xtras: white embossing power; wide oval punch; beautiful wings embosslit; litte leaves sizzlit; extra large fancy flower punch; SAB scallop edge punch; halfback pearl (my embellishments stash)

Curtain Call: Act 11 UPDATE

How cool is this?!  Stacey Schafer picked my card as one of three Show Stoppers for Act 11 of her Curtain Call Color Challenge!  I am absolutely tickled pink...or maybe in this case tickled old olive?! We all love to get feedback {comments} on the cards and projects we post but when someone goes out of their way to say it's fantastic....well that is just the best feeling!  The Curtain Call challenge is great because it's a color challenge mixed with an inspiration piece.  So it's almost two challenges in one.  To use the colors in a card or project and you might even be inspired by the fabulous object Stacey has chosen.  Check it out! Thank you so much Stacey!

Curtain Call Color Challenge: Act 11

Ugh, this isn't a very good picture but it's the best I can do with my phone!  My usual camera is on a trip to Tanzania right now so you will just have to trust me that this looks way better IRL!  This card was made for the Curtain Call Color Challenge over at Stacey's Stamping Stage.  I've followed Stacey's blog for awhile--even back when it was a Jewelry color challenge--but this is my first entry.  The yummy colors and Amy Butler fabric (I {heart} her designs!) made my stamping fingers itch to create!  The main panel of Always Artichoke CS ran through my Big Shot (yes I am a proud owner now--whoot--thanks Mom!) with the SU exclusive Lattice die.  The lattice tops some Old Olive and Whisper White on a Going Gray A2 base.  The bird is so cute, isn't she?  She was punched with the Two Step Bird punch--new in the Occasions Mini Catalog (see button in my sidebar).  This punch is fab--it cuts the bird, her wing and the little branch peeking below the ribbon. Tons of opportunity for customizing as I did here with a piece of Old Olive DSP for her wing.  A length of whisper white organza ribbon is tied around the main panel and the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set delivers a perfectl pint-sized sentiment.  The most dazzling part of this card is lost in this photo but I treated the birdie with a spritz of Champagne Mist shimmer spray for a frosted effect.  Watch this video to learn how to make the shimmer spray with SU's shimmer paint--a fantastic Holiday Mini Catalog item that will continue to be available.  Whew, that was a chatty post!  Anyway, thanks for looking and be sure to check out the Curtain Call Color Challenge!
01/11/10 update: I was able to add a slightly better picture taken with my phone in natural daylight.  Can't wait to get my good camera back!