Happy Anniversary - Embossed

Today's card is for two challenges: 1) Pals Paper Arts (embossing); and 2) The Paper Players (sketch).  Today was one of those days where I just wanted to spend extra time in my stamp room - it's a dreary day here in Atlanta - cloudy and rainy - and my stamp room was just the place to escape :).

So, I spent some time on today's card, but I'm happy with the finished result!  I tried a few different things I haven't tried before.  First, I dry-embossed the card base with the Square Lattice embossing folder, then took my VersaMark pad and lightly pressed it against the raised embossing.  Then I sprinkled it lightly with gold embossing powder and heat embossed - it turned out beautifully!

For the focus of the card, I heat embossed in gold the flowers from Fifth Avenue Floral and tried my hand at watercoloring again - this time with markers and that might be my favorite way to watercolor!  Then I cut out each flower with my paper snips and added them to the card with dimensionals.

The last thing I tried was adding the ruffled ribbon border to the edge of the Designer Series Paper - this was really easy with a little bit of Sticky Strip adhered to the back of the DSP.  For the final touches, I added a little pearl to the sentiment and a little loop of ribbon behind it to tie it in with the ruffle.  What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by today!

Stamp Sets	Fifth Avenue Floral, Four Frames, Something to Celebrate (Hostess)
Ink	Not Quite Navy, Bravo Burgundy, VersaMark, Markers for Watercoloring - Not Quite Navy, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizzazz, Tangerine Tango
Paper	Not Quite Navy, Bravo Burgundy, Paisley Petals DSP, Very Vanilla, Watercolor Paper
Accessories	Bravo Burgundy 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Basic Pearls Jewels, Gold Embossing Powder, Decorative Label Punch, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Sticky Strip, Stampin' Dimensionals

Birthday Buttons for The Paper Players

Today's post is for this week's Clean and Simple sketch challenge for The Paper Players.  Aren't these buttons fun?  They've been sitting pretty on my desk since I bought them - I finally used some of them and they're so fun!  For some reason, clean and simple cards are a little difficult for me - I always feel like they need something more, but I end up loving the way they turn out.  What do you think?

Stamp Sets	A Word For You
Ink	Chocolate Chip
Paper	Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Sweet Stitches DSP
Accessories	Sweet Stitches Big Designer Buttons, Pear Pizzazz 1/2" Stitched-Poly Ribbon, Hemp Twine, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Plant Hope - PPA85 Sketch Challenge

Today's card is using the Pals Paper Arts sketch for this week.  I needed a masculine card, so I decided to use the Woodland Walk DSP and the Plant Hope stamp set.  This is a simple card and easy to make.  For the card base, I used Crumb Cake and stamped on it using my Woodgrain background stamp.  For the trees from the Plant Hope set, I used my Stampin' Write markers and spritzed a little Chocolate Chip ink using my Color Spritzer - looking better this time - I've been practicing :).

Do you know what the border is behind the Woodland Walk DSP???  It's just the edge of the Spiral Border punch :).  For the Garden Green strip of paper above the sentiment and behind the button, I spritzed it a few times with Stampin' Mist and crumpled it - then let it dry.  Once dry, I sponged it a little bit with some Chocolate Chip ink.

I hope you like today's card - thanks for stopping by!

Stamp Sets	Plant Hope, Woodgrain, Occasional Quotes (Hostess Level 3)
Ink	Chocolate Chip, Garden Green
Paper	Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Woodland Walk DSP
Accessories	Stampin' Mist, Color Spritzer, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stamping Sponges, Hemp Twine, Sweet Stitches Designer Big Buttons, Glue Dots

New Blog Design!

The amazing and talented Veronica McCollum at VK Design Company redesigned my blog for me!  If you're interested in a blog makeover or in starting a new blog, please check her out!  She's got a waiting list, but she's SO worth the wait!  There are links to other blogs she's designed on her site - and they're all amazing.

Isn't it wonderful?  She made it so "me"!  I'll point out just a few things - some of you may be wondering why the apple?  My blog is named after my beloved Mom (see 'About Me') - and apples were her favorite thing.  Whenever I see a red apple, I think of her :).  And stars are my favorite - so they're everywhere on my blog!  The colors are a combination of my wedding colors (pink & brown) and my favorite color (blue) - of course they're all Stampin' Up! colors - Melon Mambo, Pretty In Pink, Early Espresso, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue and a splash of Cherry Cobbler for the apples :).

What do you think???

Strength & Hope

Today's card is for The Paper Players Color Challenge this week using the colors Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, Early Espresso, and Very Vanilla.  This card just warms my heart :).  I love the simplicity of the design and the feeling it evokes.  This is a sneak peek of a wonderful new stamp set called "Strength & Hope".  Stampin' Up! will donate $2 for each purchase of this stamp set to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).  It will be available for purchase starting on May 1 throughout the 2011 Summer Mini Catalog period.

Don't you LOVE this rose!  Oh my goodness!  I've been seeing this rose created throughout blogland and decided to try one myself.  Here's a link to the tutorial I followed.  It's made using the 2-Step Owl Punch!  I love finding different ways to use our punches - makes them even more worth the purchase!

The finishing touch to the rose is a few spritzes of my Champage Mist shimmer paint spray that I mixed up last weekend.  It's hard to tell in the photo, but I used the Very Vintage Stampin' Around Wheel on the base of my cardstock with VersaMark to give it a very, very subtle background.  In person it's beautiful.

And today I was having a "good bow day" as opposed to a good hair day.  Somehow, my bow came together on the first try - no tips or tricks to this bow - just a good old normal bow and I got lucky with it today!  Thanks for stopping by today!

Stamp Sets	Strength & Hope
Ink	Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, VersaMark
Paper	Very Vanilla, Blushing Bride
Accessories	Two-Step Owl Punch, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Early Espresso 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Basic Pearls Jewels, Paper Snips, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Stamping Sponges, Quilling Tool (non-SU!)

Spring is in the Air - PPA84

I can't help but sing the title to my blog post like "love is in the air..." - yay for Spring!  Today's card is inspired by this week's Pals Paper Arts challenge - Easter/Spring.  When I think Spring, I think flowers blooming!  So I decided to play with some sneak peek items - the new Paisley Petals DSP and the Four Frames stamp set - aren't they wonderful???

This card continued to evolve as I made it - I actually started with the paper rosettes, then the rest of the card came together.  For the rosettes, I used a paper quilling tool then adhered the rose together using a glue dot.  For the finishing touch on the rosettes, I painted Crystal Effects around the edges and then dipped them in some Dazzling Diamonds.

For the seam binding ribbon, I grabbed a center thread and pulled to cinch it.  In order to get it to stay put while I did so, I adhered one end of the ribbon to my card first.  The background for the card is the En Francais background stamp - stamped off once.  I hope you like today's card and thanks for stopping by!

Stamp Sets	Four Frames, En Francais, Because I Care
Ink	Not Quite Navy
Paper	Whisper White, River Rock, Bravo Burgundy, Baja Breeze, Paisley Petals DSP
Accessories	Baja Breeze 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon, Eyelet Border Punch, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Basic Pearls Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter, Quilling Tool (non-SU!), Glue Dots

Simple Thank You Set

Today's card is a simple thank you note - I loved it so much I decided to make a set of 10 cards along with a box to store them in :).  I've had quite a few friends and family ask if I would make them sets of cards - so today I decided to play around with the idea ;).

The color combo came from the March/April 2011 edition of Paper Crafts Magazine - translated to Stampin' Up! colors of course!  The ribbon is wrapped around the card base and I've hidden the ends by folding under one of the ends of the ribbon and affixing to the card using a Glimmer Brad.  If you look closely at the 2nd picture you might be able to see what I did.

The box was really easy to put together.  I really like how the acetate protects the cards, but also allows you to see them too.  Here's the tutorial I followed to create the box - it was quick and easy to put together - try it out sometime!  Thanks for stopping by today!

Stamp Sets	Bella Toile, Just Believe
Ink	Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip
Paper	Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango
Accessories	Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die, In Color Glimmer Brads, Chocolate Chip 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), Certainly Celery 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Paper Piercer, Acetate (non-SU!)

Birthday Wishes - PPA83

Today's card is for the Pals Paper Arts Celebrity Color Challenge using the colors of Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, and Crumb Cake.  What a beautiful color combination!  I noticed the Elegant Soiree DSP uses these 3 colors - so I started with that as my focal point.

To create the accordian-fold flower, you take a 1-1/2 x 12 inch strip of paper and score every 1/4 of an inch - then fold the paper like an accordian.  Next, you glue the two ends together.  Once that dries - flatten the flower and glue the center to a punched out circle - I used the 1-1/4" circle punch for this.  This will keep the flower flat and makes it easy to attach to a card front.

The sentiment is added with clear embossing powder and I added some pearls - I love the itty bitty pearls on the blue butterfly!!  Some sponging here and there and then the finishing touch - some shimmer mist made with 70% isopropyl alcohol and just a few drops of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint - I mixed up the concoction today ;).  Thanks for stopping by!

Stamp Sets	Bring on the Cake, Bella Toile
Ink	VersaMark, Soft Suede
Paper	Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Baja Breeze, Elegant Soiree DSP
Accessories	Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die, Baja Breeze 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon, Basic Pearls Jewels, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Elegant Lines Embossing Folder, Stamping Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Shimmer Mist

Happy Birthday - cQc74

I've missed doing the ColourQ challenges!  Here's my take on this week's ColourQ challenge using the colors of Pear Pizzazz, Tangerine Tango, Bordering Blue (I substituted Baja Breeze), Early Espresso, and Whisper White.  This is a great color combo!

I treated myself to a paper quilling tool from the craft store a few weeks ago, so I wanted to give paper quilling a try.  Here's a great video tutorial from Tara Bilbao on how to create these adorable little rosettes.

For the leaves, I used the Blossom Petals Punch, scored the leaves down the middle, folded them in half, and then ran them through the crimper.  The sentiment is just part of a stamp from the On Your Birthday set.  I hope you like today's card and thanks for stopping by!

Stamp Sets	Bliss (Sale-A-Bration), On Your Birthday
Ink	Early Espresso, Baja Breeze
Paper	Whisper White, Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Tangerine Tango
Accessories	Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon, Crimper, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Quilling Tool (non SU!)

Happy Birthday - Bengals Style!

Today's card is a birthday card for my cousin Curt - who is a big Cincinnati Bengals fan :).  I hope he likes the card!  The football background was stamped with Basic Black Craft ink and then embossed with clear embossing powder.

I added a strip of Basic Black textured cardstock - wraps perfectly around a standard card when you cut a strip from the 12" textured cardstock.  It overlaps just enough to adhere using a glue dot or other adhesive.  The scallop squares and 'HB' cutout add layers of dimension and another pop of color for the sentiment.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Stamp Sets	Punch Bunch, Touchdown
Ink	Basic Black - Classic and Craft
Paper	Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, Whisper White
Accessories	Clear Embossing Powder, Neutrals Brads, Scallop Square Punch, Scallop Squares Duo Bigz Die, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Stampin' Dimensionals, Heat Tool

Gift Certificates Available!

I'm now offering gift certificates!  Click here for details.  Here's the sample gift certificate holder I put together using some fabulous DSP (Designer Series Paper) and a pretty flower using the Fun Flowers die and some Stampin' Mist :).  Thanks for stopping by today!

Stamp Sets	None - oops!
Ink	None - oops again!
Paper	Melon Mambo, Early Espresso, Springtime Vintage DSP, Crumb Cake
Accessories	Fun Flowers Bigz L Die, Blushing Bride 1/2" Stitched-Poly Ribbon, Clear Rhinestone Brads, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Stampin' Mist