Create Opportunities {CMC201}

Hi there friends! Today's post for Connie & Mary is bittersweet as it is my last post on the Design Team. I am sad to say goodbye but find it difficult to keep up with the team and everything else in our busy lives!  Ironically, my 3 year blogoversary was this week and when I reflect on these 3 years I am so thankful for the friends I've made and opportunities that opened through sharing what I love.  Opportunities like Create with Connie & Mary and all their fabulous challenges...so...wanna see what they have for us this week?

It's a sketch!  Isn't it a great one?!  So unique--love the banner and the repeated greeting.  My card is a thank you to Connie & Mary for all the hard work and inspiration they provide to us each week:

When I started this blog, I imagined that my Mom would be my only follower.  :-)  I never imagined that anyone else would find my cards inspiring.  I dreamed that someday I might be on a Design Team.  When the dream became reality, I found how inspiring it can be to share my creations with others.  Inspiring to make new crafting friends, learn from their

creativity and participate in challenges that stretch my imagination.  I find inspiration everywhere, truly, and yes, I even dream about cards!

So...thank you, to my fabulous friends on the Design Team for your support and encouragement.  Your comments brighten every week and bring a smile to my face!  Be sure to check out their work over at Create with Connie & Mary.  Most of all...thank you, Connie & Mary....for giving me an opportunity that 3 years ago I couldn't even imagine.  You believed in me when I wasn't even sure I believed in myself....
 

Supplies 

Stamps: Loving Thoughts, Creative Elements, French Foliage; Four Frames

Ink: Soft Suede, Island Indigo, More Mustard

Paper: Soft Suede, Island Indigo, More Mustard, Lucky Limeade; First Edition Specialty DP

Punches: Bird Builder; Decorative Label; Fancy Flower

Xtras: Soft Suede wide striped Grosgrain Ribbon; Linen Thread; Framed Tulips Embossing folder; In Color Designer Brads; Homemade shimmer spritz; Stampin' Sponges

KA-POW, Gator Style {KKC02}

Look what I found...a new challenge!  It's the KA-POW Kreative Challenge over at my friend Carrie Gaskin's blog.  Carrie is just bursting with creative energy and I'm so excited to see what her challenge brings!  This week Carrie has this fabulous sketch for us to follow:

OK, before I show you my card...let me 'splain something.  This is a masculine card for a co-worker who LOVES football!  Specifically, GATOR football.  Gator colors are orange & blue, I mean straight up Orange and Royal Blue--yikes--not colors I use very often or ones that I even like together sooooo using Carrie's sketch and some Well Worn DSP, I made a Gator card Stampin' Up style:

Not being a huge sports fan either, LOL, I didn't have any appropriate stamps so I used My Digital Studio to color the football from the Touchdown set in Cajun Craze and print it onto Very Vanilla cardstock. I actually printed two of them so that I could layer each piece and give it some dimension:

A little Soft Suede sponging makes it gritty and a little dirty, just like it came off the field!

 The Two Tags die was a little too big for my needs so I just moved the paper down and ran it through the Big Shot again to make it smaller.  On the other end I added a Soft Suede circle, some twill and tiny tags attached with a vintage pin.

 And check out the button trim!  I threaded three retired buttons onto a single piece of linen thread and tied a knot at each end.  Glue dots on each button attached it to the card easy-peasy.

 And a quick look at the inside with another piece of Well Worn DSP and a Cajun Craze sentiment from Happiest Birthday Wishes.  And there you have it...Gator football, Stampin Up style.  I would love to hear what you think and encourage you to check out all the samples over at the KA-POW Kreative Challenge.  Best wishes to Carrie and the team!

supplies:

stamps: word play, happiest birthday wishes, tiny tags, french foliage (waterspots), touchdown (MDS)

ink: soft suede, not quite navy, cajun craze

paper: naturals ivory, soft suede, not quite navy; well worn DSP

xtras: two tags die; vintage trinkets; linen thread; designer buttons (earth--retired); medium jewelry punch; twill tape; 1 1/4" circle punch

Happy Pursuits {CCMC168}

Hiya friends! Happy Thursday...the weekend is almost here! Thursday also means another challenge week begins over at Create with Connie & Mary!  This week Connie & Mary have a sketch for us and boy....it's a doozy...at least I thought so, lol!  Here's the sketch:

and here is my flipped version of the sketch:

What do you think?  You can still see the sketch, right?  Mr. Brown just brought a pack of Well Worn designer paper and this sketch seemed like a good way to feature the colors and patterns from this paper.  I've used Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Soft Suede, River Rock and Not Quite Navy. 

I pulled out my two favorite fall leaf sets: French Foliage (water spots) and Autumn Splendor (oak & maple leaves) combined with Pursuit of Happiness to make the main sentiment panel.

The leaf was stamped in Soft Suede on Natural Ivory and fussy-cut.  I also sponged on some River Rock and added a few French Foliage water spots for a weathered look.

I repeated part of the sketch on the inside just to feature more of this wonderful designer paper!  My BIL & SIL will celebrate their 20th anniversary in a couple weeks--wow!  They were married outdoors in a nature preserve among the beautiful colors of a midwestern autumn.  The Pursuit of Happiness sentiment and the autumn theme of this card seemed like the perfect match for their anniversary.  (Noah, if you're reading this, don't tell!)  I hope they like it!

And I hope you do too!  Thanks for stopping by and be sure to pop on over to Create with Connie & Mary to check out the rest of the design team's inspiration--I'm sure it's gorgeous!  If you would like to tackle our sketch this week, please link up your creation to Create with Connie & Mary by Wednesday, September 28th at 12 noon (EST).  We can't wait to see what you create!

supplies:

stamps: autumn splendor, french foliage, pursuit of happiness, a word for you

ink: not quite navy, river rock, soft suede, cajun craze

paper: early espresso, cajun craze, river rock, naturals ivory, very vanilla CS; well worn DSP

xtras: square lattice embossing folder; linen thread; designer buttons (neutrals); corner rounder punch

Vintage Flower Fields: {PP57}

Happy Paper Players Sunday, friends!  Glad to have you here with me for my week as hostess over at The Paper Players.  We're hosting a sketch challenge this week and I designed it especially for you:

Some more goodies from the new catalog arrived on my doorstep last week and I couldn't wait to ink up Field Flowers.

I turned to my Color Coach for inspiration and found this fresh color combo: Soft Suede, Island Indigo, More Mustard and Lucky Limeade isn't it pretty?  Field Flowers is a gorgeous two-step stamp set and the best part is that the stems are separate from the flowers so they can be two different colors without using markers!  The stems were stamped in Lucky Limeade directly onto some First Edition Specialty Paper--love this look!  

One flower was stamped directly onto the DSP while the other was stamped two-step style onto Very Vanilla cardstock and snipped out for some dimension.  Both flowers received a Soft Suede center with yet another stamp in the set. Because I was channeling my teammate, Ann Schach, (!) I sponged the edges of the flower with Soft Suede.  In fact, I think I sponged all the edges and oh, yes I even used one of Ann's favorite tools the 7-sided distressing tool!  Love how it roughs up the edges! 

I rolled one corner and separated the layers of Island Indigo cardstock--I told you I was channeling Ann, LOL!  The corner was just crying out for something so a sweet little Soft Suede bee floated out of the Nature Walk stamp set and landed on my paper!

The opposite corners of the Soft Suede base got a background stamping treatment with the water spots and script stamp from French Foliage. As well as the More Mustard Top Note peeking out from the bottom.  Isn't that new In Color ruffled ribbon lovely? 

Another new stamp set saw ink on this card...Friendly Phrases is a must-have--love the mixed fonts and the cursive handwriting. 

More fun with water spots on the inside too!  Can't get enough of them!  So, I hope you've enjoyed today's card and that you'll cruise on over to the rest of the Design Team for some lovely inspiration:

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Lauri Ingram

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Sandra Azzopardi

Tui Nathan (GD)

If you decide to join us this week, please load your craftiness on The Paper Players blog by Friday, August 5th at midnight (PST) to be in the running for A Cut Above or even Headliner!  I can't wait to see what you do with our sketch!  Thanks for stopping by!

supplies:

stamps: field flowers, french foliage, nature walk, friendly phrases

ink: lucky limeade, more mustard, soft suede

paper: soft suede, island indigo, more mustard, very vanilla CS; first edition specialty DSP

xtras: lucky limeade ruffled ribbon; top note die; 7-sided distressing tool; sponges;

Pure Vanilla Saffron: {CD92}

Hiya friends, welcome to another week at The Color Dare!  We were thrilled to see so many talented crafters join us last week--thank you!  This week, Riley's got a doozy of a color combination--at least I thought so.  CD 92: Pure Poppy, So Saffron & Very Vanilla.  Seems simple right?  Well....I have to admit, I still have not completely embraced Pure Poppy and find it challenging to work with.  But that's what this is all about, right?  Challenging ourselves outside of our comfort zone.  So without further adieu...

I like the paper I used and the stamps...just not crazy about the final result!  And, I had to throw some Chocolate Chip in there because I was swimming upstream on this one, lol!  Love the new Framed Tulip textured impressions folder though!  And so yummy in Chocolate Chip don't you think?  The background paper is Botanical Gazette designer series paper and it is sooo pretty.  This piece was already distressed, I just added the stamped images from Nature Walk, starting with the row of speckled eggs along the bottom, in Chocolate Chip, and the floral image in Pure Poppy. 

I also added the waterspots from French Foliage in So Saffron, the sweetest bumblebee from Nature Walk in Pure Poppy and a Chocolate Chip sentiment from Cheep Talk.  I matted the whole panel onto So Saffron CS

and added a double row of the Dotted Scallop Ribbon border in So Saffron & Pure Poppy.  Some yummy Very Vanilla seam binding ribbon with just a touch of Chantilly Crochet Trim finished it off nicely.   I repeated some of the images on the inside, leaving lots of room for a quick note of Christmas thanks--still working on those!

So there you have it!  I am confident that y'all can come up with something fun for Color Dare 92!  Be sure to check out the rest of the design team, below, for some fabulous inspiration.  If you play along, be sure to link up your project over at the Color Dare blog and use CD92 in the description.  Can't wait to come visit you!

• Riley - our leader
• Glenda - Papers, Scissors & Rocks
• Heather - Princess Scrapper Stamper
• Joan - JJ Creations
• Marisa - Rosemary Reflections
• Melissa - My Paper Obsession

supplies: 

stamps: Nature Walk, Cheep Talk, French Foliage

ink: Pure Poppy, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip

paper: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, So Saffron CS; Botanical Gazette DSP

xtras: Framed Tulip textured impressions folder; Seam Binding ribbon; Chantilly crochet trim; Dotted Scallop Border punch

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The Virtual Canopy Club is still open for new members.  Refer to this post HERE for all the details!

Rich Sahara Parfait {CD81}

Hi friends!  Welcome to another week at The Color Dare.  Once again, Riley has chosen some fabulous colors for us--at first I said "what am I going to do with that?"--but she doesn't call it the color DARE for nothin' does she?!  Honestly, this is a beautiful combination that I would never have thought of and that's what a challenge is supposed to be, right?  So here you have it:

CD 81

Sahara Sand

Rich Razzleberry

Peach Parfait

 

French Foliage--oh how I love it.  I resisted for awhile because I thought I had enough leaf stamps but when I stamped with a borrowed set, I fell in love.  The images are crisp, deep impressions and stamp beautifully.  So I gave in to temptation, just call me weak!  Today's card is pretty simple but the background stamping was a little more involved.  I cut a piece of very vanilla to the size I wanted and placed post-it notes about and inch in around all the edges to create a frame.  Then I inked my Weathered background stamp (retired) in Sahara Sand and stamped right in the middle of the frame I made with the post-its.  When I removed the post-its I had a floating background image on which to stamp my leaves.  I really like the simplicity of this look.  Then it was a not-so-simple matter of leaf placement and color balance.  That design process always takes me longer than I think it should!  In the end, I am happy with it.

 

An Antique Brad was the perfect finishing touch to the Rich Razzleberry 1/4" grosgrain ribbon and some linen thread.  The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and stamped with my stamp-a-ma-jig in Rich Razzleberry.

I repeated the same color scheme on the inside bringing together all the elements for a cohesive look. Now, head on over the The Color Dare and check out all the wonderful creations from the rest of the design team.  We hope you will join us!

• Riley - our leader
• Glenda - Papers, Scissors & Rocks
• Heather - Princess Scrapper Stamper
• Joan - JJ Creations
• Marisa - Rosemary Reflections
• Melissa - My Paper Obsession