THREE Posts Today!

Wow, I must be on a stamping roll! Actually, I realized this morning that a bunch of challenges were ending today, and I really wanted to participate, so I had to hurry up and make cards for them! This one is for the Color Throwdown Challenge #268 (CTD268).

I stayed true to the colors, even though I kind of wanted to substitute Soft Sky for the Pool Party. This combo made me think: flowers, stems, and sky. So that is what I made! (With pictures, there is a fine line between accurately representing the colors, and not washing out the white parts of the card - sorry.)

The leaves were also made with the flower punch - I just cut the "petals" apart. The stems are very thinly cut strips of cardstock. 

The flowers and sentiment are popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Had to make a pretty envelope! This way of decorating an envelope just requires Snail and Paper Snips - no Big Shot or special tools.

Operation Write Home is always in need of more "miss you" cards for soldiers to send home to friends and family. Learn more about donating cards here. This card will be headed their way once I have a decent amount of cards to send.

If you would like to donate, but don't have time to get envelopes, follow all the rules, etc, feel free to send cards (or card-fronts from swaps and whatnot) to me. However, please make sure you at least take a look at their deadlines; i.e. don't send me any Christmas cards at this point in time. Write a comment below or send me an email at funkyj25@yahoo.com and I can give you my mailing address. Thanks! :)

Stamps: Polka Dot Punches, For the Birds
Paper: Certainly Celery Prints DSP, Really Rust CS, Certainly Celery CS, Regal Rose CS, Melon Mambo CS, Pool Party CS, Whisper White CS
Colors: Really Rust Ink, Regal Rose Ink, Melon Mambo Ink, Pool Party Ink
Tools: 5-Petal Flower Punch, Big Shot, Top Note Bigz Die, Bitty Banners Framelits
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals 

italics = retired product

CAS Christmas

CAS = Clean and Simple, for any newbies reading. :) The colors for this card were inspired by the 'Tis the Season Challenge #4 (TTS4). I wanted to use twine on my card (the optional trimming), but I only have the thick hemp kind. So I started searching around on SplitCoastStampers for ideas of how to use my twine and found this card, which I completely CASEd.

I love the Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set! It has 24 different cute little Christmas images that are great for punching out. That's just what I did on this card. They were also calling out for some bling. :)

I'll be sending this card, along with any other holiday cards I can make in time, to Operation Write Home as Any-Hero mail. I've donated cards to this organization before - they are awesome. They provide handmade cards for deployed servicemen/women to use to send notes home to their loved ones. Additionally, they provide "Any-Hero mail" with each box of cards. This Any-Hero mail gets distributed to the people who don't get as much other mail. The idea is to write some quick words of thanks and encouragement to them for serving our country. Check out any of the hyperlinks I've included - here is the one specifically for holiday Any-Hero mail. I hope you'll consider sending in some of your own handmade cards sometime, or sending Any-Hero mail for Christmas or another time of year. (No glitter! Glitter can flake off and make our soldiers susceptible to being spotted using night-vision goggles.)

Stamps: Jolly Bingo Bits, Warm Words 
Paper: Marina Mist CS, Cherry Cobbler CS, Baked Brown Sugar CS, Whisper White CS
Colors: Marina Mist Ink, Cherry Cobbler Ink, Baked Brown Sugar Ink
Tools: 1" Square Punch, 1-1/4" Square Punch 
Accessories: Rhinestones, Hemp Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots

italics = retired product

Manly Christmas Cards

While I was playing along with 'Tis the Season challenge #3, I came up with lots of other Christmas card ideas that didn't follow the sketch. Here are two that my friend thinks are "manly." I'm entering these into Great Impressions' November Challenge - Christmas (GISMC11), Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Keep it Clean and Simple, and the Penny Black Challenge - Anything Goes. On this first one, I love how Dasher fits perfectly inside one of the window frames. Although it's hard to see in the pictures, I paper-pierced around the edge of the brown layer.

I used the Window Frame Framelits on this next card as well, but added a little bit of a different twist. Instead of layering two frames, I layered one frame over a square. It gives it a different, funky look. Again, I used the Festive Paper-Piercing Pack to paper-pierce along the outside of the red window frame. I took a close-up, so you can see it on this card.

Stamps: Dasher, Perfect Presentation 
Paper: Merry Moments DSP, Real Red CS, Garden Green CS, Chocolate Chip CS, Very Vanilla CS
Colors: Chocolate Chip Ink/Marker, Garden Green Marker
Tools: Big Shot, Window Frame Framelits, Festive Paper-Piercing Pack, Paper-Piercer, Paper-Piercing Mat, Paper Snips (to cut out Christmas tree), Envelope Punch Board
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals 

italics = retired product

Sweater Weather

Challenge #171 at the Paper Players is a color challenge. It just so happens that all three of these colors are in the Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper in the Holiday Catalog. So that helped narrow things down!

I also used the Mojo Monday #319 (MOJO319) layout, and I am submitting this card to the SUO Challenge #83 - a Favorite Sentiment. I just love this Happy Birthday stamp!

I don't have the Circle Framelits yet, so I had to break out the retired Circle Scissor Plus to make my two bigger circles. I haven't used it in a really long time - it's pretty easy actually!

I love this trick. To make perfect flagged ends (that are always matching if you have more than one), just insert the end of the paper a tiny bit into the Hexagon Punch, and punch!

I lined the envelope with the same pattern of DSP as the little tangerine flag.

Here is another trick that I used today. Because I only have a couple 6x6-inch squares of this DSP (I didn't buy the whole pack; I got it as part of a paper share), I wanted to maximize my usage of it. So I cut two smaller pieces, rather than one long, large piece to be my background layer. (I know, I should have flipped one of them the other way. But in the pic of the whole card, it's hardly noticeable!)

Stamps: Birthday Wish 
Paper: Sweater Weather DSP, Tangerine Tango CS, Chocolate Chip CS, Crushed Curry Textured CS (but could use the current Core'dinations paper to achieve the same look), Very Vanilla CS
Colors: Tangerine Tango Ink
Tools: 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Circle Scissor Plus, Big Shot, Envelope Liners Framelits, Hexagon Punch (to make flagged ends)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals 

italics = retired product

More NMBS Swaps

Here are two other swaps I made for the No More Bad Swaps group back in May. I'm using this first one for a wedding we have coming up on Saturday. I used the "rock-and-roll" technique on the main stamped image. It's one of my favorite looks! I also love to use Dazzling Diamonds glitter to highlight this particular image.

This next one is called a "scrapling" and is the leftover piece you have when making a 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" square card. Its dimensions are 1-1/4" x 8-1/2", folded in half. It makes a good bookmark, or just a tiny little way to brighten someone's day! On these I did faux-stitching with a paper-piercing tool and white gel pen. Along with the color scheme, I think it makes it look kinda rustic. :)


Blue Swap Supplies: Baroque Motifs Stamp Set; Baja Breeze*, Sahara Sand, and Whisper White cardstock; Pacific Point* Textured cardstock; Baja Breeze* and Pacific Point* Classic Ink Pads; VersaMark Pad; 2-Way Glue Pen; Dazzling Diamonds Glitter; Stampin' Dimensionals

Scrapling Supplies: Darling Dots Stamp Set*; Old Olive, Ruby Red, More Mustard, Kraft, and Whisper White cardstock; Old Olive, Ruby Red, and More Mustard Classic Ink Pads; Paper-Piercing Tool; White Signo Gel Pen; Paper Snips

*retired SU! item

Live, Laugh & Love

Couldn't think of a creative title for the post. Here's my latest creation, using Stacey's Jewelry Color Inspiration #44 and Mojo Monday #94 layout.

This is the first time I've used my new Circle Circus stamp set and I wanted to use punches to make a fun little layered accent. I may have gone a little overboard with the dimensionals (hehe) but it's kinda cute because it looks like a little tiered birthday cake! :)

Supplies: Circle Circus Stamp Set, On Your Birthday Stamp Set; Perfect Plum, More Mustard, and Very Vanilla cardstock; Really Rust Textured cardstock; Juntos* Designer Series Paper; More Mustard, Really Rust, and Perfect Plum Classic Stampin' Pads and Stampin' Write Markers; Fire Circle Rhinestone Brads; Scallop Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, 3/4" Circle, and 1/16" Circle Punches; Stampin' Dimensionals

*retired SU! item