I'm baaaaack

Hi, all. I have been missing for a while as summer seems to be an extremely busy time around here. But I was in need of a birthday card for my brother for this weekend, so I HAD to get some stuff out and play. This is my first successful attempt at an easel card and hey, I think I might like it. The challenge from Delightful Challenges this week was to use fancy folds; I think it qualifies. The sketch is from the Skipping Stones Designs challenge. Verve is running their Diva Dare for the next week or so and the dare is to use paper you have been hoarding and sentiments only (no images) to allow that paper to shine through. Now, I haven't been hoarding this paper, but I have had it for years and never used it. When I pulled it out, I realized it was perfect for the graphic look I had in mind for this card. Did you notice the picture at the top of the post? Well, it is the inspiration for the Paper Variety challenge this week. I picked up on the black and white with a pop of that lime green that shows up in one of the puzzle pieces under the book.

The numbers dies and the fabulous sentiment (Big Birhday Wishes)are both from PTI. I used two of the classic circles large dies from Spellbinders to create the frame behind the numbers.

Early thank you

I normally would NOT be making Christmas thank you cards this early, but since I had the papers all ready out on my desk (see my previous post for another card using them) and the challenge from Our Daily Bread Designs this week was to create a thank you card or gift, it was the perfect opportunity. I'm going to need them anyway, right? I am also using the sketch from this week's Clearly Inspired Challenge (sponsored by Clear Dollar Stamps). Papers are DCWV, the sentiment is a partial inking from Damask Designs by PTI and the tree is a single rubber stamp I've had forever. I used Labels 4 and 5 nesties and the lace ribbon, I just bought on clearance from Michaels being inspired by everyone that is using lace.

The Reason for the Season

Something a little different for me, a little bit of fruffiness with this gathered ribbon. It's good to break out of your comfort zone once in a while. : ) The sketch is Viva La Verve June week 3, and the card uses the Delightful Challenges "anything goes" theme, the Paper Variety's mixed alphas (use two or more different fonts) challenge, Christmas Stampin' All Year Long challenge to use black, white and ONE other color, and the Stampin' Sisters In Christ challenge to doodle on your project (I drew faux stitching around both red panels and a doodled line around the sentiment panel, also center lines on the flower petals).

Bookmarks

Something new I have never tried before: ribbon bookmarks--this week's Our Daily Bread Designs challenge. And I think I might be addicted, they are soooo cute! The first one is for my father for Father's Day (his favorite color is brown and I just so happened to have some nice brown grossgrain ribbon from SU!) I also tried the rock 'n roll technique for this week's Make It Monday challenge. The first side has one of the damask images from Damask Designs (PTI) and at the bottom, a sentiment from the same set. The second side has two stamps from World's Greatest by Verve and I stamped the date of Father's Day on the bottom portion. The numbers are from PTI's Fresh Alphabets set.

Since these were so fun, I made one for my Mom, too. She loves to sew and has one of these pincussions so the image from Clear Dollar stamps (part of a package to raise money for a woman named Katie) was perfect. I colored it with colored pencils, colored the pin stems with a silver pen and used black dimensional fabric paint on the pin heads. so fun! The sentiment is from the same Clear Dollar digital set and I added the stitching around the shape.

On the other side, I stamped a sentiment and image from Sweet n' Sassy stamps and added the year date on the bottome half.

One more Father's Day Card

This card is for my husband; he's a no-frills type of guy (most of them are, I guess) so I think it fits him perfectly. The sketch is this week's Viva La Verve challenge and I combined that with the JUGS challenge to use a woodgrain technique and the Stampin' Sisters In Christ challenge to create a project for Father's Day or praising our Heavenly Father (God). See my post here to see the coordinating box that I had made for a different challenge. I used Gina K's faux woodgrain technique which works perfectly since my husband is in the construction business. The blue paper, ribbon (night of navy) and sentiment (Year Round Cheer II) are from SU!, the brown is from PTI. I used the upper crest border punch from fiskars and the labels 5 die (cut from paper covered with aluminum tape and embossed with the cuttlebug dots folder) is from spellbinders.

Celebrate!

This week is release week over at Flourishes and one of their release week challenges was to create a project inspired by the American flag: red, white, and blue. The sketch is Viva La Verve June week 1. The large star stamp is from "By Ones and by Twos" by SU (paper and ink also from SU!). The small stars are from "To the Moon" by verve. The sentiment is from "Damask Designs" by PTI. I used classic oval nesties by spellbinders and a star die from sizzix.

Father's Day

The challenge from Papertrey Ink's Make it Monday challenge this week was to use tissue paper to create texture. I had never tried this before and went through several flops trying to stamp on it before I gave in and just used it as textured paper. Live and learn, I guess. So, since this sketch is the Mojo Monday #194 from Verve is was very fitting to used the brown and blue sparkle tissue paper that Verve packages their stamp sets in. The stripes are the tissue paper over white cardstock and the bottom is paper from DCWV covered with white tissue paper. The sentiment is from SU! and was overstamped with a medallion from PTI's "Guide Lines 2". I used the same image on the background. You can see the texture and the stamp better in the second photo. The card also answers the Stampin Sisters In Christ challenge to use something new (the tissue paper texture), Timeless Tuesday #121 challenge to create a Father's Day card, Paper Variety challenge to create something For The Guys, and Delightful Challenges challenge to create a Father's Day project