Razzleberry Lemonade

This card was inspired by two challenges: the Pals Paper Arts #179 color challenge (PPA179), and clean & simple layout 265 (FTL265).

This color challenge could be a tricky one... BUT I remembered that the old Razzleberry Lemonade DSP has Crushed Curry and Rich Razzleberry in it! I really don't like this paper... it is just too weird and the color combo is too funky (even for me, miss funkyj!). But, I was able to pull out a couple of patterns that would work for these challenges. I may even do another entry for the color challenge; we'll see.

I kinda like how the scallops on the side DSP pieces match the scallops with all of the punched images.

The little "flowers" or whatever they are were punched out of one of the patterns of DSP. I used the same pattern to make my envelope.

Stamps: Made for You 
Paper: Razzleberry Lemonade DSP, Crumb Cake CS, Crushed Curry CS, Rich Razzleberry Textured CS (but could use the current Core'dinations paper to achieve the same look), Whisper White CS
Colors: Crushed Curry Marker, Rich Razzleberry Marker
Tools: 1" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Envelope Punch Board
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals 

italics = retired product

More Snow Festival Cards

Here are a couple more Christmas cards using the (retired) Snow Festival Designer Series Paper. One sheet in particular is so cool - it is divided up into sixteen 3" square panels. Cut them all apart, and you have a focal point for sixteen different cards! This cute little owl is one of them. I'm entering this card into the SU-Only Challenge - Favorite Sentiment. I just love the font on this "merry"!

This next card was completely random - I wanted to do something with the Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set, and punch things out. Then I realized: including Rudolph, Santa has 9 reindeer. So this cutie was created!

Stamps: Jolly Bingo Bits, Merry 
Paper: Snow Festival DSP, Cherry Cobbler CS, Gumball Green CS, Whisper White CS, Soft Suede Textured CS (but could use the current Core'dinations paper to achieve the same look) 
Colors: Soft Suede Ink, Cherry Cobbler Marker, Gumball Green Marker, Basic Black Marker (for the reindeer noses)
Tools: 1" Circle Punch, Paper-Piercer (for brad), Big Shot, Envelope Liners Framelits
Accessories: Googly Eyes, Real Red brad, Stampin' Dimensionals 

italics = retired product

Featured Stamper on Color Throwdown!

Woohoo! Imagine my surprise when I am reading my stamping blog update emails and I see my own card looking back at me! I was picked for the Color Throwdown featured stamper of the week! :) How fun!

Here is a link to their blog post, and here is a link to my original card post. Thanks for reading!

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

New Product and Weekly Deals

Look at the beautiful new Festive Flurry Ornament Kit that Stampin' Up! just released!

All you need is a hot glue gun - the kit includes the pre-printed and scored cardstock to make ten ornaments. It also includes the ribbon and rhinestones for the finishing touch! I plan to use them as decorations for a friend's baby's birthday party in December. It's her first birthday, and the theme of the party is "Winter One-derland." How cute (and appropriate!).

Stampin' Up! even made a video to show how to make these beauties. Last year's ornament kit sold out in less than a week, so get it while supplies last!



Also, check out the new Weekly Deals!

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

Dog Talk for "Clean & Simple"

The inspiration for this card began with Around the World Challenge #4 (AW04). Then, I decided it applied to the Simon Wednesday Challenge (keep it clean and simple) for this week too! I'm also entering this card into the Loves Rubber Stamps Blog Challenge #77 (LRSBC77) - the challenge is anything goes. The color scheme began with the color challenge at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration (Cajun Craze, Baked Brown Sugar, Crisp Cantaloupe) - but I just could NOT make it work. That Crisp Cantaloupe just didn't belong in there! So I left it out. :)

I got this stamp set earlier this year and hadn't inked it up yet - so I was excited to give it a go! Not only is the set a really cute concept, I love dogs and buy pretty much any stamp set that has a dog in it. Some day, I'll do a post on my little mini scrapbook dedicated to my dog Pearl. There are some old blog posts about her here and here. She's my fur child! :)

Ok, ok. On to the card! Even though I did not use the flash, the coloring looks a little different in each pic. I guess Cajun Craze is not that photogenic! I used Staz-On ink so I could watercolor the dog using Blender Pens and the ink pads. (With the ink pad closed, squeeze down on the middle of it - this creates a small "pool" of ink on the lid of the pad that you can dip your blender pen into.)

This simple color scheme seemed like it would work well for a man - so I left off the ribbon along the bottom. I made the envelope liner from the Cajun Craze paper in the Regals DSP Stack.

Stamps: Animal Talk
Paper: Baked Brown Sugar DSP, Cajun Craze DSP, Baked Brown Sugar CS, Cajun Craze CS, Whisper White CS
Colors: Staz-On Jet Black Ink, Baked Brown Sugar Ink Pad, Cajun Craze Ink Pad
Tools: Blender Pens, Stamp-a-ma-jig (for sentiment), Envelope Liners Framelits, Big Shot
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals

Patchwork Cards

I've had the idea for these cards for a long time. (I may have seen it on a blog or on Pinterest, but I definitely don't know where it originally came from.) Last time I was a demonstrator (4+ years ago), I used to always get a Designer Series Paper sampler with each new catalog. (Another demonstrator would put this together.) This consists of a 2.5x3.5-inch piece of DSP in every single pattern available. It is super fun to be able to see all the paper in person, as they ALWAYS look better than in the catalog. However, with all of the retirements over the years, I now have about a 4-inch tall stack of these little DSP rectangles.

So, when I fall into a stamping lull, I try to pull these out and figure out what to make with them. (This type of card is one of my favorite layouts, and lends itself well to using these rectangles up, because you can get four 1-1/4" punches out of each piece.) The current Simon Monday Challenge was just the push I needed to make this card idea a reality! This week, the challenge is "Patchwork". I'm also entering this card into the Loves Rubber Stamps Blog Challenge #77 (LRSBC77) - the challenge is anything goes.

My mom is always asking me for more "all-occasion" cards. She likes blank cards, with no sentiments, because you can really use them for anything: thank you, sympathy, thinking of you, etc. So that's the idea with these cards. To make them, just punch out 12 squares (1-1/4") from ~6 different patterns of DSP in a pack. Arrange them in a pleasing pattern. Then, using a glue stick, adhere them to a piece of cardstock or scrap paper. (You could also use SNAIL or another adhesive. Cardstock is better than computer paper because the DSP is pretty thin, and you don't want your Top Note to be flimsy.) Run through the Big Shot to create the Top Note shape, wrap some ribbon around it, and voila!

 

I wanted to use the 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, so I chose DSP that matched the colors I have. I also tried something different with half of the cards. After I ran it through the Big Shot to get the Top Note shape, I ran it through the Big Shot again in one of the embossing folders! I REALLY like these better. Don't you think it makes them look like an actual quilt??

The only disappointing part about these cards is that I don't have any DSP pieces large enough to make envelopes or even envelope liners! Boooo. :(


Paper: Berry Bliss DSP, Urban Garden DSP, Raspberry Tart DSP, Bella Birds DSP, Purely Pomegranate CS, Brocade Blue CS, Close to Cocoa CS, Rose Red CS, Crumb Cake CS 
Tools: Big Shot, Top Note Bigz Die, Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, 1-1/4" Square Punch
Accessories: 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon (Basic Gray, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White), Glue Dots (to hold the ribbon in place) 

italics = retired product