DCBD # 147

Today is Wednesday, which means it is time for the Diva Coffee Break Design Team challenge.  This week is a sketch.  I usually really enjoy sketches but this one was a toughie for me. 

I ended up using my favorite dsp paper pack from the current catalog, Cottage Wall DSP.  I did not think that I even liked the color Orchid Opulence until this paper came around. 

The card seems a little plain but I still like it.  This was one of those cards that started out really elaborate and I had to keep removing and taking away elements to get it to my liking.  In the process I removed one of the layers that was suggested in the sketch but I figure that you don’t always need to take a literal interpretation of a sketch, right?  Don't forget to go to the DCBD team blog and check out the fabulous samples over there! 

Stamps: Smarty Pants

Ink: Rich Razzleberry

Paper:  Old Olive, Orchid Opulence, Cottage Wall DSP

Accessories: Silver Elastic Cord, Old Olive Brads, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Tools:  Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, SU! Backgrounds texturez plates, 1/2 inch circle punch

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Flight of the Butterfly

Just a real quick post today.  This is a quick card I made up to send to a new friend who was under the weather.  I got the color combination from the current Idea Book and Catalog, isnt it pretty?

Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly

Ink: Basic Black

Paper:  Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories: Chit Chat Rub-Ons

Tools:  Big Shot, Elegant Bouquet embossing folder, Scallop Edge Punch

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DCBD #146

Today is the real day for another diva challenge.  This one was a color challenge, and boy was it a challenge.  I went through so many card ideas and designs before I finally came up with something I considered acceptable. 

  After trying several different stamp sets, I decided that the colors could be used for a Christmas card (and after seeing the cards some of the other Divs’a made they thought the same thing. )    The main image was stamped on Shimmery White cardstock and colored with markers. 

I had a hard time deciding exactly how I wanted my layout to be.  I had it narrowed down to 2 different ones and then played eeny meeny miny moe to pick.  But afterwards I decided that I wanted to see what the other layout would look like so I created a second card.  I learned on this card that if you have multiple layers already adhered together when you round your corners that it will leave a small dent in the top layer of cardstock.  It is really obvious at the top right corner of the image.

This is a little card that I have been wanting to case from the catalog and these colors worked for it too! Stamps:  Big On Christmas, Sparkly and Bright

Ink:  Real Red, Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay

Paper:  Shimmery White, Real Red, Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay, Very Vanilla, Merry Moments DSP

Accessories:  Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Ribbon, Soft Suede Polka Dot Ribbon (used the “wrong” side so it would be plain),  Stampin Dimensionals

Tools:  Corner Rounder Punch, Star and Large Star Punches

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DCBD #145

Ok so I am almost a week late on this one.  We had a minor tragedy on Tues that just threw me out of whack and I did not realize until tonight that this was completely forgotten.  Hopefully things like this can fall into the category of “better late than never”.   Anyways last Wednesday’s challenge was a sketch.   I rotated my card to fit the stamp set that I had chosen while still leaving the orientation of the elements the same.  This was a fairly simple card.  Unfortunately my husband has occasions to send out sympathy cards to his clients who are dealing with losses.  It was time to make him a stack to keep at the office.  I like to keep these cards simple and flat to cut down on the postage and to make sure that they actually reach their destination in one piece.    This is one of the designs I sent to work with him.  Here are two more of the designs I sent.

  Stamps:  Thoughts and Prayers

Ink:  Old Olive, Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, night of Navy

Paper:  Chocolate Chip Patterns dsp, Cameo Coral , Old Olive, Kiwi Kiss,  Baja Breeze, A Walk in the Park DSP

Accessories:  Chocolate Chip ribbon, stampin dimensionals

Tools: Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Big Shot, Top Note Die

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I just love MDS!

I cannot get over how much I just love playing with My Digital Studio.  It will be available for purchase starting on October 1st, and the exciting news is that you can earn it half off!  My only problem is that I just do not have the time in the day to play with it more.  I have not had hardly any time for me in the last week.

I like to have the family help me plan meals for the week so that they have a say in what they eat.  It has helped my kids take responsibility for what they eat and in general they have started making healthier choices.  They also are more willing to eat the dinner without complaints when they help pick it and I also involve them as much as is possible (and safe) in the cooking process.  I started a while ago taking pictures of some of the foods so that I could make a family recipe book where they could look at the pictures to help remember the dish that I am suggesting to them as we plan.  Well the pictures have just been sitting on the computer doing nothing until MDS came along!  Here is a sample of one of the pages that is in our family recipe book. 

 

This project is just flying together.  I was able to use My Digital Studio to create a page template, which has made the project so easy and they all look the same and fabulous. 

Tools:  My Digital Studio

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Build a Bear Homework Boxes

With the conversion of the office into a bedroom this year we had to start using the kitchen table for homework.  The kids were struggling the first week with loosing their pencils, glue sticks and such in their rooms and we could not find them at homework time.  So I pulled out some storage boxes that I have had for 6 or 7 years, ( I don't remember the brand name or where I purchased them but you can pretty much find the same thing at any store that sells those plastic tubs and boxes).  The kids decided that I needed to decorate them so the knew who’s was who’s.  I was going to cut out their names with the Naturally Serif Die but they saw what I was doing and requested the Build a Bear dies.  So here is what we came up with. 

We currently have the stored on top of the computer hutch and the bears make it cute enough that I really don't mind them up there.

Here is a better shot of each bear.

Paper: Creamy Caramel, Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, Almost Amethyst, Pawsitively Prints DSP

Tools:  Big Shot, Stampin’ Up Bear Die, Stampin’ Up! Beary Essentials Die, Stampin’ Up! Beary Girl and Beary Boy Sizzlits Dies

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DCBD Challenge #144

I was able to start unpacking some of my stamping stuff and was able to create a card for this week’s Diva Coffee Break Design Team challenge.  At the beginning of August I was asked to be on the design team for this group.  It is a blog of ladies who create cards (or projects) once a week based on a sketch or a color combination.  It has been fun but it is a little odd every time I go to the site to enter my stuff because I don't consider myself a diva and I don't drink coffee, but anyways life goes on and I love creating for the blog.  This week was a color combination.Boy these were tough colors for me when I saw the color swatch but I really like my resulting card. 

I decided it was about time to use the owl from the Animal Stories stamp set.  (When I first saw the stamp set I could not figure out what the animal was, but he is starting to grow on me a little bit, at least now I used him.)  I have not found the box with my stamp a ma jig yet so my lines are not perfectly straight but I think I did ok with out it.    The Bermuda Bay circles are actually punched out and coated with crystal effects to give it the illusion of a brad.    I hope you enjoy the card and go check out some of the other samples on the Diva Coffee Break Designs Blog.

Stamps: Animal Stories, Smarty Pants

Ink: Bermuda Bay, Rich Razzleberry, Pale Plum, Soft Suede

Paper: Bermuda Bay, Rich Razzleberry, Pale Plum, Soft Suede, Whisper White

Accessories:  Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Grosgrain, Stampin Dimensionals

Tools:  Modern Label Punch

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WOW MDS!

I was lucky enough to get the My Digital Studio from Stampin’ Up! for my birthday.  I was so excited and could not wait to get it.  I now have it in my hot little hands and have had a little bit of time to play with it.  It was so much fun and I could not get over how easy it was.  This is surely going to help me catch up on my scrapbooking.  I hate to admit it but I am WAAAAAAYYYYY behind, my son is only a few months old in the last page  I scrapbooked and now he will turn 6 next month.  I have a lot of catching up to do.  Here is a little mini book for Emmalyn it took no time at all!  This took about an hour to make.  I started with a basic template and changed a few things here and there.  But I would have maybe done one traditional “paper” page in that time.

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Blog Candy Winner and my neat-o birthday present

And the lucky winner is…..

Lucky entry number 5 was Debra. 

I just had to show the fabulous birthday present I received last Thursday in the mail.  Here is what it is:

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a rubber stamping mat.  I had looked for it at a local big box store and could not find it and a sweet friend got one for me from her store.  It is fabulous it is a big foamy, rubbery type mat that you stick under your stamping projects and it helps your images come out better (it is the same size as the grid paper that I use from Stampin’ Up!).  It is really neat and I cannot wait to really get a chance to play with it.  I have just a few things left in the other room, then we are painting it barely banana (although the store called it something different it matches our color perfectly).  So hopefully by this weekend we can have it finished and I can unpack my stamping stuff into a corner of my bedroom.  I can’t wait.

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DCBD #143

Last night at about 9pm I realized that I had not done anything for this week’s DCBD team challenge.  Ack, I had gotten so wrapped up in the room switch a roo that I had forgotten all about it and I did not get on the internet much yesterday because of some extra birthday activities so I didn't see emails that would have flicked the switch on the imaginary light bulb in my head.  This week was a sketch challenge.  ( I think that sketches might be my favorite right now becuase I have a lot of color combos floating around in my head at the moment and the sketches help bring them to life.)

This is a card that I have done several versions of over the last year or so but I love it so of course I had to tweak it for this challenge.  (Also it was perfect because of the limited supplies I actually have access to at the moment I was able to complete it.)  I am not too happy with this card several things went wrong but I did the best I could with the circumstances. 

I could not find my embossing buddy so there is stray glitter all over the card, also I could not find the box that I temporarily place my classic black ink pad in so I used craft and forgot to let it dry completely.  I had used the 2-way glue pen to put dots on the end of the letters  but glitter stuck to the whole letter because of the craft ink.  But I am sure you have heard enough of my complaining.

*Don’t forget to sign up for my blog candy on this post!*

Stamps: Embrace Life, Just Perfect Alphabet

Ink: Basic Black, Rose Red (marker)

Paper: Shimmery White, Basic Black , Kraft, Rose Red

Accessories: Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Rose Pink Fine Cosmo Glitter, Stampin’ Dimensionals, 2 way glue pen

Tools: Scallop Edge Punch

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Birthday Blog Candy

Today I officially hit the age when women start to lie about their age.  Although my kids were kind enough this morning to say that I am still a spring chicken and daddy is still older than me.  So today I will show you the last birthday card from my card class before I head into the former office/ disaster zone to do some more work on changing it into a bedroom. 

For the blog candy, please leave a comment on this post and you will be entered in the drawing for the set of card from my last class (this post and the 3 previous cards) as well as a few extra surprises from my SU! goodie stash.

Have a great day and don't forget about the blog candy.  You will have until Friday at 10 AM pacific time to enter.  Any one can enter, no restrictions on where you live.

 

Stamps: Define Your Life

Ink: Perfect Plum

Paper:  Cottage Wall DSP, Whisper White, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum

Tools": Big Shot, SU Simple Flower Embosslit, 5 petal flower punch

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