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Friday, December 31, 2010

Birdcage Mosiac: CCCC{62]

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!  I hope you have something fun planned to ring in 2011 tonight.  We will have a quiet night at home with friends--just the way we like it!  It's even warm today--about 70--so we might actually be able to sit outside!  :-)  Continuing my attempt to play along with favorite challenges this week...I couldn't wait to use the gorgeous colors Stacey picked out for the Curtain Call Color Challenge:
So soft and lovely--perfect for a restful transition from the holiday madness!  I was itching to use my sneak peek products from the upcoming spring Mini Catalog...and reached for a new favorite, Nature Walk, and the darling vintage birdcage:

The birdcage is stamped with my stamp-a-ma-jig on Whisper White in Pear Pizzazz, Baja Breeze and Early Espresso.  I matted the main panel on some Early Espresso and wrapped it with....new seam binding ribbon!  Oh happy day!  I was so excited to see all the new colors of seam binding ribbon.  Here I used Baja Breeze and gave it the scrunchy treatment with some sticky tape.

Couldn't resist the cutest little bumblebee from this set so I stamped him in Pear Pizzazz and overstamped this Short & Sweet sentiment in Early Espresso.  It's punched out with the "large" oval punch.

Isn't the Pear Pizzazz background frame pretty?  That's the new Framed Tulips textured impression folder--it makes a sweet accent to the card base.  I sponged the embossed edges lightly with Pear Pizzazz just to highlight the detail a bit more.

Sorry for the short post tonight but we're expecting company soon!  At the close of this year I want to thank all of you who visit my blog and leave such kind and encouraging comments for me.  I truly appreciate your visits and your feedback and wish you the best in 2011!  See you next year!  :-)

supplies:
stamps: nature walk, short & sweet
ink: pear pizzazz, baja breeze, early espresso
paper: pear pizzazz, whisper white, early espresso CS
xtras: framed tulips impression folder; baja breeze seam binding ribbon; basic pearls, large oval punch

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Flower Cascade: CQC{65} & CPS{96}

Whew!  I am glad to have some time to recuperate after the holidays before heading back to work next week.  Whatever winter holiday you celebrate, I hope it was a wonderful one!  This week I've finally had time to play along with some of my favorite challenges.  When I saw this gorgeous scarf and color combo at the Colour Q, I just had to play along:
Stunning, right?!  And this sketch at Card Patterns was just perfect for what I had in mind:

 and here is what I created:

I had so much fun making this one!  I started with a Basic Black base and added some of my favorite retired DSP, Walk in the Park.  I cut a Whisper White circle with my Netsabilities and stamped a sentiment from Hope Happens in Jet Black Stazon--my favorite ink for a crisp black image.  The real fun came from creating the flowers!  I used the Floral Fusion sizzlit--a SU exclusive die--to cut these tri-layered flowers from Very Vanilla and Crumb Cake cardstock.  Before assembling the Crumb Cake flowers, I stamped all the layers with the En Francais background stamp in Crumb Cake ink.
I discovered that the flower punch from the Itty Bitty Punch Pack is a perfect match to the Floral Fusion sizzlit!  A little black cardstock and a basic rhinestone brad made the flower centers sparkle!
 With so much beautiful felt in the inspiration piece, I had to use some on this card.  I dug into my stash of retired Sweet Pea felt flowers and came up with some Old Olive felt leaves--so stinkin' cute!
I am in need of a belated birthday card and I think this sentiment from On Your Birthday coordinates well with the one on the outside.  To incorporate all the colors I inked up the stamp with my Basic Black and Old Olive Stampin' Write markers and added a few Crumb Cake flowers from Eastern Blooms.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you enjoy the rest of your week...cheers!

supplies:
stamps: hope happens, on your birthday, en francais, eastern blooms
ink: jet black stazon, crumb cake
paper: basic black, whisper white, walk in the park dsp
xtras: stampin' write markers;  basic grey taffeta ribbon; floral fusion sizzlit; rhinestone brads; itty bitty punch pack; sweet pea felt leaves; nestabilities

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Happy Holidays 2010

Happy Holidays to all my blogging friends, everywhere.  I am grateful for each of you who stop by and especially thankful for those who leave a little comment love.  Your support and encouragement keep me going!

I wish all of you a Happy Holiday season and peace, love and happiness today and all the year through!  See you in 2011!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

One more Christmas CD{89} & SSC{182}

Hi everyone, sorry it's been quiet under the Canopy this week!  Like everyone, I've been rushing about with last minute holiday projects.  I know that you are just as busy so I will keep today's post short and sweet....kinda like my Color Dare card using this week's holiday colors of Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, and Soft Suede.
 
 
 I started out with this sweet little sketch from the operators at the Stamping 411.  Love 
this site!  An uber-talented group of SU demos with great techniques and fun challenges. 
 I don't make square cards very often but the operators had a great tip for this sketch--make a 4.25" square card!  It will still fit in a regular envelope, will not require extra postage and best of all it makes a cute little card!  With this in mind, I happily got busy with some Jolly Holiday DSP and a favorite retired set, Berry Christmas.

I thought my Soft Suede card base looked a little plain so I used the Sanded BG stamp in Soft Suede for a subtle effect.  I stamped the berry wreath in Old Olive on Very Vanilla CS and punched it out with a non-SU 2" circle punch.  Next the Merry Details sizzlit provided a sweet little Cherry Cobbler bird to nest inside the wreath.  Before the birdie could land there, I spritzed him up with some Champagne Mist shimmer spray.  Maybe you can see it here:

The sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes was stamped in Soft Suede on VV CS and popped out with the Word Window punch.  I fussed for a awhile about where to put it and decided I liked it inside the wreath as a perch for my Cobbler birdie.  Some Cherry Cobbler seam binding ribbon finished off the front nicely.


Not much room on the inside of a 4.25" square card but I made the most of it repeating the wreath to frame one of my favorite "inside" sentiments from Christmas Greeting.  Believe it or not, the sentiment is stamped in Cherry Cobbler and the bow hanger is Soft Suede.  The sun was so bright during this quick photo shoot that it washed out my colors a little!

So, you're probably wondering why this is Color Dare 89 again when last week was 89?  Sometimes life gets in the way of blogging, you know?!  So, there was no official Color Dare post last week.  This is still week 89 for challenges but with new colors for the holiday week!  So let's see your Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler and Soft Suede creations over at the Color Dare blog.  Be sure to check out the rest of the design team where you are sure to find loads of inspiration.  You can follow the links below to their blogs:
We're into the home stretch now...only 4 days until Christmas!  I hope this post finds you enjoying fun holiday traditions and making new ones with friends and family.  I hope to have another post for you by the end of the week but until then...happy wrapping, baking, shopping and merry-making!

supplies:
stamps: berry christmas [retired]; christmas greeting; sanded BG
ink: cherry cobbler, soft suede, old olive
paper: soft suede, very vanilla, cherry cobbler CS; jolly holiday DSP
xtras: corner rounder, 2" circle, scalloped ribbon border & word window punches; cherry cobbler seam binding ribbon; champage mist shimmer spray; merry details sizzlit

    Wednesday, December 15, 2010

    Peaceful Color Dare {89}

    Hi everyone!  I promise I will at least try to put this stamp set down...soon.  It's so pretty, I can't help myself!  I used it again for this week's challenge at the Color Dare: Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette, Rich Razzleberry & Very Vanilla. I don't have any Pink Pirouette so I substituted Blushing Bride--a very similar but deeper shade of pink.  These colors are so soft and serene, I thought they were perfectly matched for the dove and sentiment from Peaceful Season:
    If this card looks familiar you might have seen a very similar layout on my card from last week's Color Dare.  This time I used the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder on Very Vanilla and three strips of the Scalloped Ribbon Border punch in the challenge colors.  Just like last week's card, I wet embossed the edges but this time with Iridescent Ice stamping emboss powder for a softer look:
    I stamped the globe a second time in Baja Breeze, punched it out with a 3/4" circle punch and popped it up on a dimensional adding a bow of silver elastic cord attached with a glue dot.  Just the finishing touch!
    I hope you find time to play along with the Color Dare this week--these colors are so pretty together and could be used for any kind of card...remember Valentines Day is just around the corner!  ;-)

    Be sure to hop on over to the rest of the design team where you're sure to find loads of inspiration:
    Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the rest of your week, my friends!

    supplies:
    stamps: peaceful season
    ink: rich razzleberry, blushing bride, baja breeze, versamark
    paper: very vanilla, baja breeze, rich razzleberry, blushing bride
    xtras: vintage wallpaper embossing folder, silver elastic cord, iridescent ice stampin emboss powder, 3/4" circle punch, scalloped ribbon border punch

      Sunday, December 12, 2010

      Organic Winter PPA{28}

      Happy Sunday everyone!  It's challenge day at The Paper Players and this week we are asking you to show us your favorite color combination for a specific card!  You might like Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive for Christmas cards or Chocolate Chip and Baja Breeze for sympathy cards--you choose!
       

      One of my favorite color combinations for the holidays?  Silver & gold!  The shine, the shimmer, the cool elegance...I love it!  On my card, this translated to Very Vanilla, Brushed Silver and Crumb Cake.  I wanted to make a holiday card but wanted to use a non-traditional stamp so I reached for a favorite [retired] set Organic Outlines...I think it looks a bit like mistletoe, don't you think?  I stamped the solid image in  Crumb Cake onto my Very Vanilla panel then stamped the outline in Versamark, sprinkled with silver embossing powder and heat set.  I promise the outline is metallic silver, it doesn't look like it in the above pic but here you can see it better:
      I don't think I will ever tire of watching the embossing powder turn to liquid silver under the heat gun--it's magic!  The circles were just calling out for some basic rhinestones so I just had to oblige!  Who am I to argue with more sparkle?!  I matted the whole piece with Brushed Silver cardstock and added some Crumb Cake seam binding ribbon to the side:
      Crumb Cake seam binding ribbon is just one of the new and fabulous items in the upcoming spring Mini Catalog.  For the scrunchy ribbon technique, I just lay a piece of sticky strip where I want my ribbon and using the tip of a paper piercer pull up a little bit of ribbon and press down in between each ruffle.  Easy peasy!  You can see a close-up here, too, of the Woodgrain texture plate from PTI that I used in the background.  I brayered it with Crumb Cake ink first before running it through the Big Shot and the result is a wonderful tone-on-tone texture.
      The inside got a little treatment too with the same organic stamp in Crumb Cake and stamped off once.  I overstamped a sentiment from Occasional Quotes in Encore metallic silver ink.  The effect is soft and subtle.

      This card was a good opportunity to participate with the design team over at Pals Paper Arts.  I always enjoy their challenges and love to play along when I can.  They're having a "Winter White" challenge this week and I just love the inspiration storyboard.  My eye was drawn to the silver earrings and the Crumb Cake cookies which inspired me to use these colors on my card.
        

      So what are your favorite colors for that special card?  The Paper Players would love to see!  Head on over to our blog for more inspiration from the design team and our returning guest designers.  Link up your project by midnight (PST) Friday, December 17th to be in the running for "A Cut Above" and "Headliner".  Have a great week, my friends!

      Wednesday, December 8, 2010

      Season's Greetings {CD88}

      It's Color Dare Wednesday and this week Riley has chosen a wonderful holiday combination for us!  Riding Hood Red, Old Olive + a neutral of your choice...perfect!  I've noticed in my own holiday card-making, the closer we get to Christmas the simpler my cards have become and this week's clean and classic one is no exception!

       Lots of Very Vanilla here because I wanted the focus on that beautiful sentiment and holly sprig--both courtesy of Peaceful Season.  The Petals-a-Plenty impression folder gives a wonderful texture to the background and breaks up all the "white", or in this case vanilla, space.  I inked the holly sprig with my Old Olive & Riding Hood Red stampin' write markers and overstamped the sentiment in Jet Black Stazon.  

      I did want to glam it up a little so I tried something new (to me) with gold embossing powder.  I dragged the edges of my cardstock in Versamark ink, dipped them into gold embossing powder and heat set.  The result is a very cool, gilded edge that adds the perfect simple frame.  Next time I think I would drag it across the Versamark pad a little more so the embossing shows up better. 

      Here's a quick peek at the inside...I inked the holly sprig with my markers again but this time stamped off once before stamping on my paper.  The sentiment from Christmas Greeting is a favorite and was overstamped in Basic Black ink.


       A quick pass through the Big Shot with the Petals-a-Plenty folder just on the bottom of the cardstock adds a great textured border.

      Sorry this will be a quick post today...lots to still do for the birthday party this weekend.  Have a great day my friends and be sure to stop on over at The Color Dare to see all the DT inspiration and to link up your holiday creation...I can't wait to visit you!

      supplies:
      stamps: peaceful season; a christmas greeting
      ink: jet black stazon, versamark, basic black
      paper: very vanilla CS
      xtras: petals-a-plenty impressions folder; riding hood red striped grosgrain ribbon [retired]; stampin' write markers; gold embossing powder

      Monday, December 6, 2010

      Christmas Kids for Inkspirations {51}

      Happy Monday everyone!  Only two weeks of work and school in our house and then we are all off until January...can't wait!  I'm so excited to share a sweet little card I made for the Inkspirations Challenge {51}.  This week's sketch really caught my eye so I found a bit of time to play along!  Here's the sketch:


      And here is the sweet little card I made (can you tell I am happy with it?!)

      Oh my gosh, I don't know why I waited so long to order Greeting Card Kids it is absolutely adorable!  Well, I know why...I was afraid of coloring the images but my Stampin' Write markers made quick work of it and I think it turned out alright.  Actually, when my daughter saw what I was working on she asked me to stamp one for her and we colored them together...so much fun!  I like the way Baja Breeze and Blushing Bride work together but I didn't want to go all pastels so I added some Love Letter DSP in Basic Black.  I like how the black DSP picks up on the black outline of the stamp and the sentiment.
      I colored the little girl's outfit with Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze and Crumb Cake and applied Dazzling Diamonds to the trim on her coat & hat.  The tree was inked with Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride and a touch of Daffodil Delight for the star.  I also used my Color Spritzer to add some Crumb Cake sprinkles to the background.
      I know you noticed the Tinsel Trim, right?  I wasn't kidding when I said it was my go-to holiday accent.  I think I've used it on almost every holiday card I have made!  Here, I ran it across the back of my circle, close to the edge and held it in place with good 'ole Scotch Tape, worked like a charm!  In the background, you can see snowflakes from Jolly Old Saint Nick stamped in Baja Breeze on the matching cardstock.
      Next, I added the Blushing Bride strip embossed with my Polka Dot Impressions Folder as well as some Certainly Celery ribbon treated to the "scrunchy" effect.  The ribbon looked a little bare so I added a Pear Pizzazz glimmer brad wrapped with more silver Tinsel Trim.  Love how it echoes the bigger circle! 
      Lastly, I wanted to color some more(!), so I stamped the little girl on the inside and colored her outfit to match the front but just a tad bit lighter.  I didn't want to compete with the outside.  The sentiment is from the Peaceful Season [level 2 hostess] which I stamped in Stazon Jet Black for a crisp image.  Don't you love how it looks like her hand it holding up the sentiment?  So that's my little card for today...thank you so much for stopping by.  Please let me know what you think!

      supplies:
      stamps: greeting card kids; peaceful seasons, teeny tiny wishes
      ink: stazon jet black; baja breeze
      paper: crumb cake,  baja breeze, blushing bride, very vanilla CS; love letter DSP
      xtras: polka dot impressions folder; stampin write markers; dazzling diamonds; silver tinsel trim; certainly celery twill ribbon [retired]; "in color" glimmer brad; color spritzer

      Sunday, December 5, 2010

      Christmas for the Paper Players {27}

      Hi Paper Players!  I hope you're having a great weekend.  It's been fabulous weather here with temps today around 70--woohoo!  Perfect for working and playing outside which is just what we did.  This week The Paper Players are challenging you with a Christmas (or holiday) theme.  "Anything goes" with a Christmas theme: cards, scrapbook pages, 3D projects, gift bags, boxes the possibilities are endless.  Want to see what I made for you?  Well, actually I made it for our daughter :-) but couldn't wait to share it with you too!  Ready?

      It's an Advent Armoire!  Ok, did you squeal yet?  Because I did when I saw this one at Wickedly Wonderful Creations.  What a great idea (I can say that because I didn't think of it!).  I'm not sure I can explain exactly how I made it because I started with the inspiration photo and figured it out from there.  The basic construction is 4 towers of 6 drawers each made with the Matchbox Die, stacked and held together with ALOT of sticky strip!!  I used Candy Cane designer paper and all it's coordinating colors: Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze, Garden Green, Real Red and Whisper White.  Each "tower" has a different coordinating paper.  Here are the two on the other side:
      I wrapped each side with some [retired] Baja Breeze grosgrain ribbon on which I adhered the calendar dates.  The dates were super easy to make.  I just typed them up on my computer, printed them on Whisper White cardstock and popped 'em out with a 3/4" circle punch.
      Of course, I couldn't leave the "inside" blank so each drawer opens to reveal a little surprise stamp from Deer Friends [retired] inside.
       The top is decorated too with a variety of stamps--Curly Cute, Contempo Christmas and Snowburst--and Dazzling Diamonds!  The bow is just made from a big loop of ribbon that I cinched in the middle and wrapped tightly with some silver Tinsel Trim and a big [retired] Baja Breeze corduroy brad.
      Here you can see what the drawers look like as they open, cute?!  Believe me our daughter is having a difficult time resisting the urge to open all of them right now!  And who can blame her right? 

      The Paper Players can't wait to see what you will come up with this week.  We love peeking into your blogs and leaving comments on all your wonderful creations.  Come play along with us--we'd love to have you!  Just link up your project at The Paper Players by midnight (PST) Friday December 10th to be in the running for A Cut Above and our Headliner.  Be sure to head over and check out all the inspiration from the Design Team.  Thanks for stopping by...cheers!

      supplies:
      stamps: curly cute; contempo christmas; snowburst; deer friends
      ink: garden green, baja breeze, blushing bride
      paper: candy cane DSP; blushing bride, real red, garden green, baja breeze, whisper white
      xtras: baja breeze grosgrain ribbon [retired], silver brads (non-SU); matchbox die; silver tinsel trim; baja breeze corduroy brads [retired]; 3/4" circle punch; dazzling diamonds

      Thursday, December 2, 2010

      Arden's Garden Party

      Hiya friends!  Just a quick post tonight to share a birthday party invitation with you.  We are hosting a Garden Party (remember we live in Florida!) for our daughter, Arden, this month and this is the sweet little invitation I made for her. 
      I love these flower pot cards and with the Cherry Blossom embosslit there is very little stamping here!  I'm not sure who came up with the original flower pot but I first saw this great tutorial on Stephanie Luman's blog.  With the instructions at this site, they go together pretty easily.  Of course, when you're making 24 of them they may be easy but they take a lot longer than I expected!  Thank goodness my mom helped with all the cutting, embossing, scoring and folding so all I had to do was assemble.  The flower pot was cut from Crumb Cake cardstock and the colors for the Cherry Blossoms--Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise & Daffodil Delight--were chosen by my daughter.  The 5-pointed flower in Old Olive was used to create the leaves.
       I typed up the party details on my computer, printed onto Whisper White cardstock. and matted on a piece of Crumb Cake.  I wrapped the top of the flower pot with some ribbon from my stash and the sentiment was also printed from my computer (so it would match the inside font) onto WW and punched with the Large Oval punch.  
       With a little room at the top of the inside panel, I was able to arrange the Cheery Blossoms such that they bloom right over the flower pot when the invite is "closed".  They look so sweet and most of all, Miss Arden just loved them...and actually so have several of the guests' moms!  Still lots of details to iron out for the big day but it should be lots of fun...I'll keep you posted.  :-)  Have a great Friday, friends!

      Wednesday, December 1, 2010

      Crushed Chocolate Plums {CD87}

      I know I say this every week but...here I go again...this week Riley has a gorgeous color combination for you at The Color Dare!  Chocolate Chip, Concord Crush and Perfect Plum--lovely isn't it?  These rich, luxiurious colors put me in the mind of a non-traditional Christmas card and I knew right away what I wanted to do.  Because Concord Crush is a very intense color, I wanted to toned it down a bit with Perfect Plum on the background panel.  I've used this technique before on this card and I just love the look--especially with the Vintage Wallpaper impressions folder.  Using a brayer, I rolled Concord Crush ink directly onto one side of the plastic impressions folder, going over it a few times for good ink coverage.  I placed a piece of Perfect Plum into the inky folder, ran it through the Big Shot and the results are a two-tone dry embossed effect that is so pretty!  Here's a close-up for you:
      For this card, I inked the front of the impressions folder (that's the side with the Stampin' Up logo) which placed the ink on the de-bossed areas.  You could also ink up the back of the folder (the side without the logo) to highlight the raised or embossed areas.  Either way the results are stunning and such a simple way to incorporate two colors into your design! ;-)
      With such a bold main panel, I needed to keep the other elements simple so I embossed one of the ornaments from Delightful Decorations in Concord Crush, popped it out with my coordinating ornament punch and layered it over some rich Chocolate Chip striped grosgrain ribbon.  I little adhesive basic pearl added just a touch of elegance to the only sentiment on the front.  
       I kept the inside simple too with another strip of the inked & embossed cardstock.  Seasonal Sentiments was the perfect flourish for the greeting and I overstamped it in Concord Crush on top of a simple medallion from Charming.  I thought the Charming medallion was a good match to the shapes in the Vintage Wallpaper impressions folder and inked in Perfect Plum (and stamped off once) it tied in with the cardstock nicely.  

      So there's my clean but elegant (I think!) card for this week's Color Dare...won't you join us?  To get started, check out the fabulous inspiration from the rest of the design team below and then head over to The Color Dare to link up your creation.  We can't wait to see what you do with these colors!

      The Design Team:
      supplies:
      stamps: delightful decorations, charming, seasonal sentiments
      ink: concord crush, perfect plum
      paper: chocolate chip, concord crush, perfect plum & very vanilla CS
      xtras: vintage wallpaper impressions folder; brayer; chocolate chip striped grosgrain ribbon; basic pearls