Off The Wall Craftiness #34

The Off The Wall Craftiness challenge for this week is to use the color combination of blue/white/peach. Peach is SO not a favorite color of mine, so it took me a VERY long time to put this combo together. But I really ended up liking these colors together, with a small dose of peach. I just have to mention that the "ribbon" is a strip of paper that I colored with the same marker that I used to stamp the snowflakes. It came out so much better than I thought.

JUGS 60-color challenge

The JUGS challenge for this week was to use the color combination of dark red/white/black/yellow. The stamps are all from SU!

Verve Triple Play, Sweet Stop 83 & Our Daily Bread Designs 38

There are a lot of pictures in this post since I combined 3 challenges into this project, so hang in there. The three challenges are Verve's Triple Play--create three coordinating items or three cards/tags; Sweet Stop's sketch with a spin--decorate the inside of the card; and Our Daily Bread Designs--create a holiday card. I actually made 4 items for this project. The card, tag, box and the snowflake ornament that hangs inside the box.

The papers are all from DCWV Christmas pack, stamps are from Inkadinkadoo, ribbon and jeweled brads are from SU, snowflakes are Martha Stewart punched twice and layered together.

The inside of the card uses the same ingredients.

So does the tag, but I glittered the snowflake instead of using a brad.

The quilled snowflake was made following a pattern from JoAnn's, then I sprayed adhesive on it and covered it with glitter.

Sweet Stop Challenge

My twins are turning 2 next week! I decided to create their birthday party invitation using this week's sketch challenge from the Sweet Stop and Our Daily Bread Designs challenge to use texture, die cuts/punches, or sparkle. I used both die-cuts (labels one and large circles from spellbinders) and glitter on the frosting and cupcake liners. You can see the sparkle better in the second picture.

Waltzingmouse tag challenge

Waltzingmouse Stamps has issued a tag challenge: make a beautiful tag. Here's mine:

After I was part way into this project, I realized I had meant to do it in blue, and wondered why I was using red! But it still came out pretty much the way I envisioned it (minus the color difference, ha!) I created my own tag by cutting out rectangles from both red and white cardstock and then rounding the top two corners of both. I punched out the snowflake (Martha Stewart) from the white, showing the red through the negative image, then adhered a clear gem to the red cs. You can see how this works in the last picture. I stamped the snowflakes (SU!) in red and then used my glitter pen to create sparkle. I made the stripes with a red marker and ruler and added a line of glitter pen in the white areas. It's a little hard to see in the pictures, but if you look close, maybe . . . I added a silver eyelet, red ribbon and silver embroidery thread to top it all off.

The top layer swivles to reveal the recipient's name. I might have found a new Christmas project!

JUGS template challenge

This weeks JUGS challenge was to use a template, preferably from MTME. The JUGS team is showcasing the "In Suspense" template, which I have, but have not made anything with yet. Instead I chose to use "cutesy cover". It was the perfect size to hold a single image volkswagen bug clear stamp I bought my mother-in-law for her birthday. The second picture shows the box with a gift-card holder I also made for her. The cardstock is from SU! the background paper is a piece from DCWV that fades from dark pink to yellow. I jazzed it up a bit by stamping a French script background stamp in creamy caramel and then stamping a small multi-butterfly stamp in a pink from Martha Stewart. I AM determined to use the old DP (or at least a large amount of it) that I have before I buy any of the new gorgeous stuff I have been seeing lately. I punched two holes to run ribbon through and tied it around a button stuck on with a foam square. Here is the box with the gift card holder.

To finish the box off, I die cut lables one from both pink cs and vellum, punched a Martha Stewart butterfly out of the pink and layered the labels together with a pink heart brad. The "for you" stamp is from Verve.

Sweet Stop 78 and JUGS 53

This week I used the sweet stop sketch with a spin challenge combined with the color challenge from JUGS. The spin from sweet stop was to use sparkle and the color combo was black, white, and kraft. I don't have any kraft cs so I substituted the closest I could find. This isn't a traditional card in that I made it to hold a gift card and a pair of earrings I made for my sister-in-law for her birthday. It is based on this tutorial, but I scored a half inch spine in the middle to accomodate the earrings. The sparkle is very subtle, I had a really hard time incorporating it into this color combo and look I was going for and an even harder time taking a picture of it. But I used a flourish stencil from Hot Off The Press with a glitter gel pen to make a flourish on the front and a smaller one in each corner of the inside section. I actually ended up liking the addition as it added a little shimmer while still keeping the elegant look.

I created my own patterned paper with Guidelines 2 from PTI. I just got it, but I think I am in love! The damask on the front as well as on the earring card is from Fiskars (I think) and the sentiment "treat yourself" (by Verve) just begged to be used since the inside holds a gift card. I drew a line around the focal and the earring card using a fine black pen.

After I took the picture of the inside of this card, I realized I had the gift card upside down. Ha. At least it was for a good reason, I didn't want the dollar amount to show. : )

Verve Release Week Challenge 5

Here is my card for Verve's Release Week Challenge #5 sketch. Once again, I have used the "Through the Trees" stamp set from PTI. I just love how fitting the little tree image is for fall. I even added little falling "leaves" with my markers. So cute. I also used a sentiment from "Accent Notes" from Verve and the little leaf is from "Places Please" by PTI. I was going to hang the tag the other direction, but the leaf looked too much like a Christmas tree. Improv: it's what stamping is all about. : ) All the background papers are stamped and the metal tag is aluminum tape punched out with an oval nestie. That stuff is awesome!

Verve Release Week Challenge 4

Playing along with Verve's release week challenge #4 sketch, and using some new stamp sets from PTI (new to me anyway): through the trees, and places please this is the card I came up with. I never make cards in fall colors, and now I am really wondering why. I really love the richness of the rust and brown together.

Verve Release Week Challenge 3

This card uses the Verve Release Week Challenge sketch #3. I just got the "through the trees" set from PTI and since it goes perfectly with autumn, I HAD to use it. Plus, I had to make a masculine birthday card, and I do not have many "manly" stamps. The background is stamped with a leaf from an old SU! set and the happy birthday sentiment is also from SU! As is the ribbon, now that I think about it.

Verve Release Week Challenge 1

Verve is hosting a challenge (actually 5) for world cardmaking day and their new release week. This is the sketch for challenge #1. This may be the easiest and fastest card I have ever made! Even though it makes it look like I am REALLY good at coloring! The focal image is actually cut from a sample Christmas card I received in the mail last week. The company was trying to entice you to order your cards from them and the images are beautiful! Way too beautiful to throw away. So, I used an oval nestie to punch out a portion of this bridge. You can't tell from the picture, but I used a glitter pen to highlight the snow portions. And I ambossed the snowflakes with a cuttlebug folder. That is pretty much it.

OTWC#27 and Verve Release Week challenge 2

The first image is the inspiration picture for the Off The Wall Craftiness challenge for this week. I combined the colors with one of Verve's Release Week challenges to this card. The stamps from a new set I got a week or two ago. Bought it at Michael's, not sure of the name right now. I also used my new cuttlebug embossing folder: textiles (I think)

JUGS53 and ODBDSLC31

Another birthday card, this time for my mother-in-law, I combined the JUGS sketch challenge for the week with the Our Daily Bread Designs challenge to "Wing It": use something with wings. The Butterflies are punched out using a Martha Stewart punch. It is hard to tell from the picture, but the butterflies and the background paper were both stamped with a french script stamp (stamped off first to lighten it) and a butterfly background stamp from Stampin' Up! It created a neat collage effect. The Happy Birthday is from Damask Designs from PTI.

Sweet Stop 76

I decided to use the sweet stop sketch this week to make my sister-in-law a birthday card. I used lots of fun new toys that I had yet to try out: the scalloped border punch, cuttlebug embossing folder, and a new stamp (on the dark pink layer). The stamp is a long border stamp, but lined up next to each other it creates a embossed tin look. The flower image is from inkadinkadoo, and the "Celebrate" stamp is from Damask Designs by PTI.

Our Daily Bread Designs and OTWC

I combined two challenges in one card for this post. I am combining the Our Daily Bread Designs challenge to add sparkle to the card and the Off The Wall Craftiness challenge to use the colors navy, white, and coral. See the following inspiration pictures.

I added sparkle with some SU! diamon dust on the flourish and the stripes on the little girl's shirt and helmet. Isn't she cute?! "She" is actually a little boy (see this post), that I added pigtails to and colored pink and now she's a cute little girl inspired by my 4-year-old daughter who just learned to ride her bike without training wheels. Maybe I will give it to her, or use it as a birthday card for another little girl (or even a big girl for that matter).

JUGS 50

This weeks JUGS challenge is to use the cracked glass technique. This may be the first time I have tried it, if not, it is the second, and it was kind of fun. But I did not have the patience to let it set up correctly, and because of that did not get the best cracking. I made this as a birthday card for my husband. I used the same image as the previous post but it has a totally different result. The cardstock and birthday sentiment are from SU! I don't know who made the bike image.

Verve's Something Old Something New

This Verve challenge is to use one of their "old" sets with one of the new releases. Since I don't (yet) own one of the new releases, I used an old set: So Happy and mixed it with a new to me set: Accent notes. Two fabulous sets. I hope to add more (and perhaps newer) Verve sets soon as I do love the small collection I own.

The Sweet Stop Challenge 73

Using this week's sweet stop sketch, this is the birthday card I created for my brother-in-law's birthday. I picked this stamp up years ago, so have no idea who makes it, but it is really cute and one of the few masculine stamps I own (I need to work on that!). The cardstock is PTI, patterned paper is DCWV, button and ribbon who knows! The birthday sentiment is a combination "happy" from a SU! set and the "birthday" from Damask Designs by PTI.

Our Daily Bread Designs Challenge

The Our Daily Bread Designs challenge for the week is to use a punch or a die. How fun is that! It's almost more challenging to figure out which punches/dies NOT to use! Ha! I'll start with the inside, since I can never remember that the last image you choose to upload is the first that will be in your post. Agghh. Anyway, the paper I used is all from a pack from Hot Off The Press. I used a total of 13 punches/dies on this card. On the inside I used the upper crest punch from fiskars, a butterfly punch from Martha Stewart, and the sentiment is from Damask Designs by PTI. On the outside I also used the upper crest and butterfly punches, plus two sizes of the Labels One nesties, 5 circle nesties for the vellum flower and I used two sizes of oval dies to create the oval metal bookplate. Both sentiment stamps are from SU! the "love" I stamped on vellum and adhered until the metal embellishment which was created out of aluminum tape covered cardstock. See this post for more info on that. I used a little glitter pen to add doodles and sparkle on the butterfly.

JUGS 47

This weeks JUGS challenge is a color challenge: Teal, hot pink, lime. These are not my usual colors at all, and I wasn't going to take part in the challenge until I realized I needed a card to send to my sister. Then I remembered that I had some bright pink and lime paper that I had gotten free for something and had never used. So, I decided to give the challenge a try. My card is 3 1/2 square, so there isn't a lot of room to work with, so I had to keep it simple. I matted a piece of the freebie paper on a turquoise card, stamped the sentiment (from Verve) in the corner and drew a line around the entire paper square. Then punched out a butterfly and glued it on with the wings bent up.

Verve Release Sketches

In my two previous posts, I showed cards that I was entering in the Verve Release Sketch Challenge this week. These are the last three cards. There are 5 sketches total. The first card is an elegant monogramed not card I made for myself. I got the monogram set on clearance from A.C. Moore several years ago. The raspberry fizz cs and the stamp (from Damask Designs)I used to stamp on it are from PTI.
The second card uses cs from PTI and a stamp from the same set as my monogramed card. The "thinkin of you" stamp and brackets are from Verve.

The third card used pink cs, "love" stamp and striped paper from SU! Yellow cs from PTI, and the stamp on my circle focal is from Verve. It doesn't show up very well, but I used a glitter pen to trace over the little loops at the ends of the flourishes and the body of the butterfly.

And one more thing: you may have noticed the etsy mini on my blog, showing some of my jewelry creations. I just finally opened a shop on Etsy. Check it out.

ODBDSLC25

Stamp it, stamp it more is the theme of this week's Our Daily Bread Designs challenge. I got two new sets from Verve last week--Fabulous You and Celebrating You (I think that's what they are called), so I had to use them, plus I entered this card in Verve's Release Sketch Challenge. So, I stamped a bracket image in each of the scallops down the side of the card, and I stamped a little loopy thing (very technical, I know) in each scallop of the scalloped circle around the sentiment. The flourish stamp is from inkadinkadoo, the other stamps are all from Verve.

JUGS46

This card is for the JUGS challenge this week which is to use the theme of the Wild, Wild, West. I don't have a whole lot of "wild west" stuff, but I do have this one horse stamp set from SU! My focal image was based on this tutorial by Michelle Zindorf, but I wanted mine to have more of a sunrise look, so I went with pinks and purples. The blue jeans paper is from DCWV, pink card stock, and horse stamp is SU! and the sentiment is from Verve. One a side note, I also entered this card in Verve's Release Sketch Challenge. I also used some torn Mullberry paper; I have not used this in forever! The metal oval was created using a product I am now officially in love with. My father gave me this aluminum tape he uses for chimney liners, and it is the most fabulous thing ever. I taped it onto a piece of cardstock, cut it out and embossed it with an oval nestie, stamped it (you have to use stazon, other ink rubs right off) and added copper brads. It looks like a metal piece but works just like paper. Awesome! I finished the card off by wrapping twine around the card to mimic rope.

Sweet Stop Sketches 69

Here is my card for this week's sweet stop sketch. My cousin just had her third little girl and I am going to send this to her. The stamp, pink cardstock and striped paper and from SU! yellow cardstock is from PTI. I created a little ruffled border with two layers of cs and the scalloped punch from SU!

JUGS 43

The JUGS challenge for this week was to use a template. I created my own by using recycled packaging from a Christmas gift basket. If you have read my earlier entries, you will know that I have done this several times--all from the same gift basket. You might also recognize the card in the last two pictures. I made this card for a challenge a couple months ago and am going to use it for a birthday card for a friend. I made this little package to match, it will be just perfect for a pair of earrings for her. The card is a standard 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inch card so you can see the size of the package in the last two pictures. The focal image is from PTI's Damask Designs as is the "Celebrate" (love that set!), the flourish underneath and the flowers on the background paper are from SU!