Diva Coffee Break Designs Sketch Challenge 183

Wow, this weeks sketch and I did not agree with each other.  And I am afraid that the sketch won.  I really do not like this final card but it was the best that I could come up with.  I just couldn’t get my mojo to cooperate with this sketch.  I did come up with several other ideas in the process that I jotted down so I do have much better work to come. 

Here is the nasty sketch that kicked my rear:

I tried all shorts of shapes other than squares, many color combos and theme changes and nothing.  This is a card that I thought I would give to my hubby for our anniversary but I have something better in mind, as long as I get the time to sit down and stamp it.

Please take the challenge this week and show me that some fabulous can be created with this sketch.  Check out the challenge at www.divacoffebreakdesigns.blogspot.com.

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes , I {Heart} Hearts

Ink:  Marina Mist, Night of Navy

Paper:  Whisper White, Marina Mist, Night of Navy and Crumb Cake (Kraft)

Accessories:  Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Dimensionals

Tools:  Designer Label and Modern Label Punches

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Another Quickie Sympathy Card

Here is another quick sympathy card that I made.  I had done something very similar in a recent swap but this one again is simplified for  a sympathy card. 

I like the color Dusty Durango (which retires day after tomorrow) but have found that I have had a hard time using it.  I really like this color combination with it.  It does look more striking in person but it still works ok with this picture.   Dont forget to check back tomorrow for another Diva Coffee Break Design challenge.

Stamps:  Upsy Daisy, Sanded

Ink:  Night of Navy, Whisper white craft ink

Paper:  Dusty Durango, Night of Navy, Whisper White and So Saffron

Accessories: Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon, stampin dimensionals

Tools:  Big Shot, Scallop Oval Die

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Sharing in the Sorrow of losing…

…Old Olive Patterns DSP.  I love the Old Olive Patterns Designer Series Papaer and will be so sad to see it retire officially in a few days.   My husband was needing another batch of sympathy cards for work.  I wanted to keep them simple with out a lot of embellishments so that they would go through the mail easily with only one stamp.  Here are two examplesof the different patterns in the paper pack.

On this card the flowers and the sentiment are done in Bravo Burgundy. This card is done in Cherry Cobbler, one of the new core colors starting on Thursday.  I am totally a green girl but I love this red color.  The color is so deep and beautiful, I cant wait to play with it some more.

Stamps: Thoughts And Prayers

Ink: Old Olive, Bravo Burgundy, and Cherry Cobbler

Paper:  Old Olive Patterns DSP, Whisper White, Sahara Sand

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Groom DSP and Trio Flower

I have not done any stamping in the last 2 days because I have found a new hobby to work on, quilting!  It is so much fun, but I am just figuring it out and am working on some cute paper piecing projects and dimensional foundation piecing, but I still have the urge to go stamp so I will probably work on stamping tonight instead of quilting. 

Anyways, tonight I do have a card to share with you.  It is the card that went with a wedding gift last weekend.  I used two products that are retiring in just a few days, both the groom specialty dsp and the trio flower punch (and one product that is already retired, the so saffron grosgrain ribbon). 

I totally love the way that this card came out and would have never thought to use so much black on a wedding card.  I saw this card a long time ago on Mary Fish’s blog, fell in love with it and wrote down exact details so I could CASE it.  Super simple, super quick, yet elegant enough for a wedding gift all in one!

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Old Olive

Paper:  Whisper White, So Saffron, Old Olive, Groom Specialty Designer Paper

Accessories:  Rich Regals Brads, Vintage Brads, Stampin’ Dimensionals, So Saffron wide grosgrain ribbon

Tools:  Mat Pack and Paper Piercer, Big Shot, Little Leaves Sizzlet Die, Trio Flower Punch, Word Window Punch, Designer Label Punch

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Diva Coffee Break Designs #182

WooHoo!  I made it to Wednesday and with a post on each weekday in-between.  It has been a while since that has happened.  This week over at the diva blog we have another color challenge for you! While they look great here, again this color combo proved to be a challenge for me when it came to inking up a stamp and putting it to paper.  But I really like my end result. 

Sorry the card looks like it is going to fall over in the picture.  I already have it sealed up and ready to go out to a friend and of course I didn't make it to the computer to edit the picture before doing that so I had no idea it looked so bad. Anyways don’t forget to come over to the Diva Coffee Break Designs Blog to check out samples from some of the other Diva’s and then play along with us!

Stamps: Of the Earth, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Real Red, Tempting Turquoise

Paper: Whisper White, Summer Sun, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise

Accessories: Real Red Polka Dot Ribbon, Bold Brights Brads

Tools: Big Shot, Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch

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My Digital Studio…

… not just for scrapbooking.  Or even cards for that fact! 

The day that the new digital designer series paper download for mds called Summertime Splendor I just had to get it.  There are not too many times where I have seen something and had to have it right away.  I loved the images in the designer series paper and knew it would make for great scrapbook pages and immediately wished that Stampin’ Up! would have put it as a “real” paper in the catalog so I could cut it up and use it.  It did not even occur to me that, duh, you can print it out and use it on cards, until I saw Patty Bennet use it on her blog.  It was exactly what I wanted to do, she just took my thought and figured it out, instead of just wishing and not doing anything like I was.  So of course I have now made many sets of cards using the paper.  This is one of the sets that I took a picture of :

This is a simple version, and it is so easy to dress them up even more! 

I have been trying to use My Digital Studio more lately, to help catch up on some scrapbooking, and decided to use it to make inserts for the Simply Adorned 1 inch Charm.  So the first place I went was to the Summertime Splendor DSP. 

 I then moved on to more whimsical one. 

I sat down a printed out 20 different inserts in about 45 minutes.   I love this charm and wear it all of the time with the different inserts.  I always get comments on it when I wear it out.   Here are some of my favorite of the inserts. 

(Oops, I just realized in this picture that the insert in the charm is stamped not done in MDS.)

 

Accessories:  Simply Adorned 1 inch Charm

Tools: My Digital Studio Software, Summertime Splendor Digital Download

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Third Times a Charm!

Three whole days in a row and I have a lot more to show you still!  Today’s card(s) is a quick thank you I have whipped up several times in the past and this is the first time I have actually taken pictures. 

   

I love having simple little thank you notes around.  Sometimes I don't have time to write a lengthy and poetic thank you but I want to drop a little thanks to someone, that is when this design come in really handy.  These cards use small pieces of dsp, ribbon, the scallop circle big shot die and come together rather quickly. 

I had a lot of pieces of the Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper from the past mini catalog that were the perfect size for this project but any dsp will do!

I made a batch of 25 of these to send to my sister in about 1 1/2 hours from start to finish.  The nice thing is that they are cute enough to go on top of a package of homemade goodies or they fit in the regular A2 envelope to go in the mail. 

These are a few of the different combinations of patterns and ribbons.  I hope you enjoy and are inspired to create some thank you cards of your own!

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Chocolate Chip

Accessories:  Various Stampin’ Up! Ribbon both current and retired

Tools:  Big Shot, Scallop Circle Bigz die

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Can you believe it?

Two days in a row?  The kids are out of school for the summer and I hope to get more stamping time in, some with kids but more with out!  Today’s project is the teacher gifts we gave to the kids teachers this year on the last day of school.  I try to give the teachers something consumable since I know that they get many gifts each year so I don't want to clutter up their lives.  I also get the kids involved in the picking of the gift, as well as the creating.  We usually do cards or stationary items but several months ago I found this great idea, a teacher’s journal jar that helps them write their story as a teacher.  I put together a cute little basket but forgot to take a picture of the completed gift.  Here are 2 of the main components:

The journal is an altered composition book.  I even added a piece of ribbon to the binding to create a bookmark.  The jar is full of strips of paper that have the topic for the day’s journal writing on it.  I also included in the basket a glue stick and a pen.  This idea came from Nichole and here is the link to the idea, Journal Jar.  She has done all of the hard work for you.  You print out the pages and cut them up, she has even included a note that you can put in a card that explains the gift.  I hope that the teachers enjoy the gift and are able to write down their story for their family and friends can enjoy for years to come.

Stamps:  Tart and Tangy

Ink:  Real red, kiwi kiss, chocolate chip

Paper:  Confetti White, Kiwi Kiss Textured CS, Real Red

Accessories:  Kiwi Kiss striped ribbon

Tools:  1 1/4 inch punch, Scallop Circle punch

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Diva Coffee Break Designs Challenge #181

It is a good thing that I have been a member of the Diva Coffee Break Design Team for the past few months, it gets something posted on my blog once a week.  I have so many things that I have to show,  I just have not been able to make the time to sit down and edit the pictures and get the posts typed up. 

This week was a sketch challenge, and this one really threw me for a loop. 

It took me a loooong time to even conceptualize anything towards a card.  I had printed out the sketch a few days ago since the computer and my stamping desk are no longer in the same room.  But of course it walked away from the desk, whether it was me or someone 3 feet tall I am not sure.  I did not want to waste the ink and paper to print it again so I found a reciept and drew it on the back.  When I did my own sketch it was basic and the flower turned into an “x” and I was immediately able to come up with something. 

 

I rotated the sketch on its side and it worked a little better for the circle that I was using instead of the oval.  I will truly miss this Designer Series Paper.  The colors are so vivid and bright and wonderful.  I have made many different styled cards from this DSP as it turned out much more versatile that I ever imagined.  To create the medallion piece that the flower is on, I first punched chocolate cardstock with the 2 3/8 inch scallop circle punch (available July 1st).  Then I took my round tab punch and punched out one tab and then rotated the punch 90 degrees and punched again to create a circle in a piece of pink flamingo dsp.  I then took the scallop circle punch and centered the circle I just made  to create the yellow border piece.    Does that make sense?

Don’t forget to head over to the Diva Coffee Break Designs Blog to check out the samples that the other divas have made and to play along with us!

Stamps: A Flower for All Seasons

Ink:  Basic Brown, Markers

Paper:  Whisper White, Confetti White, Chocolate Chip, Pink Flamingo Designer Series Paper

Accessories:  Apricot Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals

Tools":  Round Tab Punch, 2 3/8 inch Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8 inch circle punch

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Diva Coffee Break Designs Challenge #180

Happy Hump Day!  Summer is just around the corner, the kids have 2 more days of school after today, what a wonderful time to get some stamps out to play!  Today I took my stamps outside and stamped on the patio table while the two little girls played outside.  The weather was a wonderful inspiration for my stamping.  This week’s challenge was a great color challenge:

Gable Green and Pixie Pink will be retiring at the end of this month, so if you cant live with out them contact your demo today!  (If you do not already have a demo, I would love to help you out in any way.)  These colors are not ones that I use very often but I like the end result of my card.

Originally I was going to use the build a bear stamp set, but a rather pretty moth (yes a moth I cannot believe I said it) was flying around by the garden and the girls wanted me to check it out with them.  It was then that I knew I needed to change my stamp set.  The card came out rather quickly from there and then I got to play with the girls and bugs!

Please come check out some designs by the other Diva’s and play along with us!

Stamps:  Flight of the Butterfly, Inspired By Nature

Ink:  Gable Green, Pixie Pink, Bashful Blue

Paper: Gable Green, Pixie Pink (pad and marker), Bashful Blue (pad and marker), and Whisper White

Accessories:  Stampin Dimensionals

Tools:  Butterfly Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch

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Diva Coffee Break Designs Challenge #179

Sorry guys I have a migraine today and my Excedrin Migraine medicine is barely even taking the edge off of it today so this is going to be really short and then I am going to go crawl back into the nice dark and quiet bathroom and lay on the cold tile floor. 

This weeks challenge was a sketch:

I was excited to use my samples of the new core colors for this card, and I LOVE this color combo that I put together:

 

If you have any questions just shoot me an email and I will get to it asap.

Stamps:  Bella Toile BG, Dreams Du Jour

Ink:  Versamark, Night of Navy

Paper:  Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist

Accessories:  Dimensionals, Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon, Clear Embossing powder

Tools:  Heat Tool

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