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Bloggers Challenge – Sketch

I'm back!  I've been hit or miss on the Bloggers' Challenges the past month.  Just too crazy busy, I guess!  I love sketch challenges, though, so couldn't let this one go by without doing up a card real quick!

Here is the sketch for today's challenge.  I decided to turn it on the vertical to make my card.

The Stampin' Up! stamp, A Brand New Year, is one I really purchased for future use.  I knew that I wouldn't be making New Year's cards THIS year, but I loved this stamp!  I figure sometime in the future, I can use it on scrapbook pages or for invitations.  I don't have anything like it in my stash!

I started with a base of Shimmer White cardstock and layered on Brushed Gold cardstock.  I ran the Soft Suede layer thru the Big Shot with the Petals A Plenty Impressions Folder and highlighted each of the flower centers with a blender pen and Encore Gold Metallic Ink.  I stamped the A Brand New Year image in Versamark on Shimmer White and embossed with Gold Embossing Powder.  I colored in the champagne glass with Sahara Sand Stampin' Write Marker.  This was layered onto Basic Black for some drama!  As a final touch, I added three clear round Rhinestone Brads along the left side and a strip of Groom Designer Stripe Paper along the top! 

I think this card has a lot of impact!  What do you think?  I hope you have a wonderful weekend and finish up everything you need to do to get ready for Christmas!

 INKspired Treasures Blog

Serene Snowflakes

Another card that fits the non-traditional color theme over on Latenightstampers!  My upline received a similar card from her upline and I loved it, so had to CASE it!  It uses the Tulipe Bigz Die (ON SALE NOW CLICK FOR DETAILS HERE!) as an accent.  The Tulipe is cut and the center part and Melon Moss part opens up and the Bermuda Bay flap folds down.  Great to hold a gift card!

The base is Sahara Sand at 4 1/4 x 11 and scored at 1 3/4 and 7 1/4.  The designer paper is Thoroughly Modern.  The large snowflake from Stampin' Up!'s Serene Snowflakes was stamped in Bermuda Bay on Whisper White, then the trio snowflakes stamped in Melon Mambo.  I layered the Whisper White on Melon Mambo card stock.  Peace on Earth from Four Holidays Stamp Set was inked with Soft Suede Classic Ink.  I added a pink Ice Circle Rhinestone brad in the center.  The Tulipe Bigz Die was cut on the Big Shot with Soft Suede. 

I used the Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint and a sponge dauber all around the edges of the layers, on the snowflakes and on the Tulipe diecut!  It is so pretty in real life.  (AND, good news!…Shimmer Paint will continue to be available as a write-in item in our catalog!  Yeah!  I love that stuff!)

In the second picture, I left the bottom folded up so you could see how the Tulipe diecut was placed, but the flap actually folds down.

Isn't this a fun card?  I'll be using that Tulipe die again that way!

 Well, still trying to catch up on everything for Christmas.  I did get almost all my shopping done…only one more gift to get.  Yeah!   

 Don't forget to visit us over on the Create with Connie and Julie Occasions Edition blog. Our Early Bird Special for only $34.95 is a fantastic deal for NINE full weeks!  We have three very talented designers joining us for this session.  It is going to be even bigger and better than the Holiday Edition!  See a sneak peak preview over there, too!

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Decorated tins

At a recent craft fair, I was commissioned by a local high school PTO to make tins in their school colors for Christmas gifts for the high school teachers.  Their school mascot/name is the "Shamrocks".  I made 206 of these nugget tins, but filled them with Waggoners Buckeye Candies (an Ohio treat!)  While they took much longer to make than I anticipated, I really liked how they turned out and she was thrilled with them when she picked them up. 

Not a lot of Stampin' Up! products were used.  I couldn't match up the green with any of our colors.  I did use Whisper White and Basic Black, along with the Scallop Circle Punch and Modern Label Punch.  Sweetest Holiday Wishes was computer generated.  I used a 2" circle punch behind the scallop.  The shamrock is a Quickutz die that I ran thru the Big Shot.  The dotted designer paper is made by Jilli Bean.  I placed a green button on each of the shamrocks.

Here is one box of 4 that were full of finished tins!  I hope the teachers like them!

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Click here for details on Stampin' Up!'s  BIG SHOT EXTRAVAGANZA SALE and purchase the Big Shot machine from me for only $79.95!!!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER ONLINE 24/7!

Elf Punch Art

This punch art elf is based on some of the images that have been floating around the internet, however, I thought he'd be cute holding onto a Christmas Letter to Santa!

I started with a base card of Bermuda Bay card stock and stamped the snowflake from Stampin' Up!'s Winter Post stamp set randomly across the top half.  Along the bottom, I placed some Merry Moments Designer Paper in the red stripe pattern.  I hid the seam with a strip of Basic Black card stock.  The letter is made with the Scallop Envelope die, I folded it up and adhered the front side to the base card and stamped the snowflake around the edges.  I used the Santa Postmark from Winter Post in Basic Black Classic Ink in the upper right corner.  Merry Christmas is from the set, Christmas Greetings and stamped in Basic Black ink, too. 

I made the Elf head with the Ornament Punch, the hat is also done with the Ornament Punch and then cut with the Wide Oval Punch.  The pom pom on his hat is the scallop flower from BoHo Blossoms.  His pointed ears are the star flower from BoHo Blossoms punch, too.  His hands holding the Christmas letter are made with the Word Window Punch.  The eyes are Bermuda Bay 1/4 circles with 1/8 Basic Black and highlighted with a White Gel Pen.  I colored his cheeks with Blush Blossom marker and his mouth with a Basic Black marker.  His nose is also a 1/4 circle from Blush Blossom.

I hope you enjoy my version of the Elf punch art!  My classes enjoyed making him!

INKspired Treasures Blog

Click here for details on Stampin' Up!'s  BIG SHOT EXTRAVAGANZA SALE and purchase the Big Shot machine from me for only $79.95!!!

Big Shot Extravaganza Sale!

While you are shopping for everyone else, don't forget what YOU want!  For 12 days only, Stampin' Up! is offering discounts on select Big Shot dies and materials! 

As an EXTRA BONUS from me only, you can order the BIG SHOT MACHINE  for $79.95  (Reg. $99.95) only on phone or email orders thru me!  So, if you've been thinking about getting the Big Shot, NOW is the time to buy it from me!

These deals can't be beat!  Tell your spouse, kids, friends or parents to call me this week! 

Things to Remember:

• Sale item orders may be placed as online orders or by calling/emailing me.  Bonus Big Shot Machine order MUST be placed by phone or email to me.

• The sale begins Friday, December 11, 2009, 12:01 AM (MT), and ends Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 11:50 PM (MT).

• Items must be ordered by December 15, 2009, in order to arrive in time for Christmas.

• Discounts range between 15-25 percent.

• There are no quantity limits.

Product Offering:

And, the BIG SHOT MACHINE for $79.95 sale available only from me!

EMAIL or CALL ME TODAY!  Sale good only thru December 22, 2009!

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CLICK HERE TO ORDER ONLINE 24/7!

Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge

It's Saturday and time for a new Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge!  I'm going to be brief…I'm trying to get my Christmas stuff up today and tomorrow…always so time consuming!  My husband says we need a smaller house so we don't have to put up so many things!  lol!  I do love it when it is up and finished!

Sketch 127 was a fun sketch!  I knew as soon as I saw Stampin' Up!'s stamp set, Season of Joy, in my stamping stash that it would be perfect for this sketch!

I started with a base card of Real Red, then layered on Old Olive card stock.  I ran a strip of Real Red thru the Big Shot with the Petals A Plenty Impressions Folder and wrapped the Old Olive Organdy Ribbon from Mistletoe package around it and tied a knot. 

I inked up the focal word stamp with my Stampin' Write markers in Real Red and Old Olive on Whisper White card stock.  I added three gold mini brads to the stamped poinsettia images and then layered it on Old Olive.  I placed this over the base card elements.  As a added touch, I punched the Curly Label Punch out of Real Red card stock and placed it under the focal element.  I had the Poinsettia flower already punched from another project, so I used some Stampin' Dimensionals and placed it in the upper left corner.  To make the Poinsettia, I punched two Real Red and one Old Olive with the 5 petal flower punch.  I used my Piercing Tool and punched a row of holes in each petal and leaf.  I cut out two petals for one leaf and one petal for the other and adhered behind two Real Red flower punches that I put together with three gold mini brads in the center.  I really like the added dimension the piercings give to the petals!

Make sure to check out what the rest of the Stamping 411 Operators have done this week!

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November Tour de Freaks is here!

Yeah!  It is that time again…time to see what the fabulous Control Freaks are doing on their Tour de Freaks!  You've probably just arrived from Melanie Schulenberg's blog!  We have 12 blogs for you to visit this time.  I'm sure you will love all the awesome projects you see as you tour.  This month's theme is Christmas Gifts – small items, altered items, stocking stuffers, gift collections, and ornaments.  I know I can't wait to see! 

My first project brings back my favorite Stampin' Up! Simple Seasonal Thanks Snowman!  This time he is standing behind a little candle votive.  I stamped him in Basic Black on Whisper White and cut him out.  I colored the shadows on his sides with the Bashful Blue Stampin' Write Marker and used the AquaPainter and Old Olive and Real Red Stampin' Write Markers for his hat and scarf.  I colored his checks with the Blush Blossom and his nose with Pumpkin Pie.  I added 3 Basic Black "buttons" on his from punched from the large hole of the Crop A Dile.  I added a little Crystal Effects on his sides and Dazzling Diamonds glitter for a sparkly look! 

Can you guess what the base holding the votive is?  Yes!  The Sizzix Bigz XL Bitty Box!  It is secured to the snowman along the back edge.  I punched a 1 3/4 circle in the top to hold the votive and stamped Bashful Blue snowflakes from the Serene Snowflakes stamp set.  The glass votive has silver Icicles Rub-ons decorating the rim.  Now…this is for decorative purposes only.  I wouldn't light a candle this close to paper.  Wouldn't this be a fun little gift for a co-worker or friend?

My next Christmas Gift is a large decorated candle.  I found these nice two-tone vanilla/cranberry ones that smell SO good!  They are about 3 inches in diameter.  I wrapped some Merry Moments Designer Paper around the area where the two colors meet, then added a Old Olive Wide 1 1/4 Striped Ribbon.  Hanging from the ribbon is the Make Merry tag from Stampin' Up!'s Grateful Greetings stamp set.  It is stamped in Real Red on Very Vanilla card stock and punched with the small tag punch, then layered on a large Old Olive tag punch.  Now…what snowflake punch did I use?  The Merry Details Snowflake Die in Chocolate Chip card stock!  I cut off the extra long "legs" of the snowflake to make it smaller and fit on my tag!  The center is a Green Rhinestone Brad and it is tied to the bow with Silver Cord.

The next project is a Dove Chocolate Box Sleeve made from Bravo Burgundy card stock.  Now…who wouldn't want a giant bar of chocolate as a gift!  For the top layer, I ran the Handsome Hunter cardstock thru the Petals A Plenty Impressions Folder, then highlighted the centers with the White Gel Pen.  I placed the Handsome Hunter Piece on the Dove Movers & Shapers die to cut it out, then backed it with Whisper White and wrapped it with Bravo Burgundy 5/8 Grosgrain Ribbon before putting it on the Dove box.  I used the Eyelet Border punch across the top of the box, then cut a piece of Whisper White for the bottom, stamped Peace on Earth from Four the Holidays, and used the Eyelet Border punch again. 

The 3×6 card fits in the Box sleeve with the Dove Chocolate perfectly.  I used the extra Handsome Hunter die cut dove that was already embossed on the front, layered it on Bravo Burgundy and placed on the Whisper White card stock.  The Bravo Burgundy Ribbon is wrapped around the entire front of the card.  Peace on Earth from Four the Holidays is stamped with Bravo Burgundy Classic Ink.  Thanks to my downline, Annette, for the inspiration on this project! 

Whew…hope you enjoyed my projects!  Come back later next week and I'll post the directions on making the Dove Chocolate Box Sleeve!

Next stop is the fabulous Mary Brown!  I know you'll enjoy her projects!

Bloggers Challenge – Techniques

Good morning!  Today's Bloggers' Challenge was to pick a technique to do.  I just had my Technique Class last week, so I chose one of those cards to feature!  I showed everyone how to do the Mosaic technique I learned from Technique Junkies.

I chose my colors from the stripe in Thoroughly Modern Designer Paper.  I used Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay and Soft Suede cardstock to complement it.

The base card is Bermuda Bay, then I laid down a 2" strip of Sticky Page and added my mosaic pieces.  The grout lines were filled with Gold Embossing Powder. 

The focal point I stamped the wreath in Soft Suede and the berries in Melon Mambo.  The bow was added with the Melon Mambo marker.  This piece was layered on Soft Suede and then Melon Mambo cardstock.  I cut the little bird from Merry Details Sizzlet Die in my Big Shot!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!  Should be a good football game on tomorrow with Ohio State playing Penn State!  Go Bucks!

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It's not too late!  We would love to have you join us over on Create with Connie & Julie. We have finished up our Halloween and Fall ideas and we now have 6 full weeks of Christmas projects. There are two ways to join us, you can place an online order for $75.00 or you can purchase a subscription for only $39.95 US. For more information on the site please click HERE!

For All You Do

Here is another design team challenge card for Late Night Stampers.  We were to use the colors Really Rust, Ruby Red and Old Olive.  In my post HERE, I stated that I felt those were fall colors and used the leaf stamp from Stampin' Up!'s Best Wishes & More stamp set.  This time I wanted to show flowers in those colors, so I picked up one of my favorite sets, For All You Do!

I started with a base of Really Rust cardstock.  Then I used the Clear Scallop Square Bigz Die and my Big Shot to cut out the Old Olive Patterns Designer Paper.  I also cut out one of the scallop tags from Ruby Red with the Two Tags Bigz Die.  I layered the Old Olive Patterns on the base card, then used a White Gel Pen to highlight the stitches around the Scallop Tag.  I stamped For All You Do in Basic Black on the scallop part and that was layered over the designer paper.  I stamped the branch in Old Olive on Whisper White, then the large flower in Ruby Red and the small flowers in Really Rust.  I added an Old Olive Mini Brad to the center of the large flower.  This was layered onto Old Olive cardstock and then Really Rust cardstock.  I popped it up with Stampin' Dimensionals! 

I was pretty happy with how it turned out!  I'm SO excited!  Two of my great friends are coming in today for a few days and we head out to an LONG weekend stamping retreat!  I'll have a couple days of blog posts ready to go.  Woohoo!!!

Supplies:

Sets:  For All You Do (115360)

Inks:  Basic Black (101179), Ruby Red (102259), Really Rust (102549), Old Olive (102277)

Cardstocks:  Old Olive (100702), Really Rust (100661), Ruby Red (102030), Whisper White (100730)

Accessories:  Scallop Square Bigz Clear Die (115950), Two Tags Bigz Die (115954), Earth Elements Mini Brad (106955), Signo White Gel Pen (105021)

It's not too late!  We would love to have you join us over on Create with Connie & Julie. We have just finished up our Halloween and Fall ideas and we are now starting 6 full weeks of Christmas projects. There are two ways to join us, you can place an online order for $75.00 or you can purchase a subscription for only $39.95 US. For more information on the site please click HERE.

October Tour de Freaks

Yes!  It's the Tour de Freaks Blog Tour, brought to you by members of the Control Freak Swappers.  You've probably just come from Melanie's Blog and you'll go to Mary's after mine…her link is at the bottom of my post.  The theme this month is Christmas!  I can't wait to see what everyone has done…I know it will be fabulous!

My first project is a step card.  Those that are in the Control Freaks swap will remember the Snowman Gift Card I did for the swap.  I used the same colors and design for my Simple Seasonal Thanks Snowman.  I love the Bermuda Bay, Real Red and White combo this year!  If you haven't made one of these, come back later this week for the template! EDIT:  You can find the template in THIS POST!

I started by stamping the snowman with Basic Black Classic Ink and coloring him with my AquaPainter and Bermuda Bay Stampin' Write Marker.  Then I added the Real Red for the polka dots and hat band, then Pretty in Pink for his cheeks and Pumpkin Pie for his nose.  I added 3 Black Mini Brads for his buttons.  I cut him out and applied Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to the sides of his body and face.  At the bottom of each "step", I tore some Whisper White cardstock for a line of snow.  The second tier has snowballs, punched with the 1/2 circle punch and sponged with Bashful Blue ink on the edges.  They are all stacked up ready for playing.  The top tier has a sign post cut from Close to Cocoa cardstock.  The sign I stamped Merry Christmas from Teeny Tiny Wishes and punched with the Modern Label punch.  I applied the Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the snowline, snowballs and the top of the sign.  It was FUN making this!

My second project is an altered metal sign.  It stands out from the wall, so it has a really neat 3D look to it.  Originally it had the word LIKE on it with rustic tones (don't know why anyone would want a sign that said LIKE on it!)  I immediately thought of altering it with SNOW!  I like that MUCH better!  I can't wait to hang this up with my holiday decorations (although I can wait for actual snow to arrive!)

I started by cutting the Bashful Blue cardstock with the measurements for each panel.  Then I stamped Serene Snowflakes randomly with Bashful Blue Classic Ink all over the cardstock.  I went back with the trio snowflake stamp from that set and used the Frost Shimmer Paint.  This REALLY adds a lot of shimmer to the background, but it is SO hard to capture with the camera! 

I cut out each of the SNOW letters with my Big Shot and the Serif Essentials Alphabet Bigz Dies from White Sparkle Foam…so pretty!  They are adhered to the Bashful Blue cardstock with mini glue dots.  I tore some Whisper White cardstock for the snow line.  Then I stamped the small and large Hostess Only Level 2 Snow Buddies snowmen in Basic Black on Whisper White and colored them with my Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue and Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write markers.  I added more Frost Shimmer Paint to their bodies. 

I stamped the Simple Snowflake from the back of the Idea book in Bashful Blue on Whisper White cardstock and punched it with the new Snowflake punch that matches!  Quick & Easy!  Each snowflake has a Light Blue Rhinestone circle brad in the center of it.  I wrapped some White Stripe Organza Ribbon around the top of the left panel and the right side of the right one.  The O has some Bashful Blue ribbon wrapped around one side.  Finally, I stamped Let It Snow from Punch Pals and punched it with the Modern Label Punch, then layered it on the Scallop Oval cut from Ballet Blue.  I think it is a great decoration and wished they had more of them!

Supplies:

Sets:  Serene Snowflakes, Snow Buddies, Punch Pals, Simple Snowflake

Inks:  Basic Black, Bashful Blue (Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue, Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write Markers)

Cardstock:  Bashful Blue, Whisper White

Accessories:  Frost Shimmer Paint, Modern Label Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, White Stripe Organza Ribbon, Bashful Blue Taffeta Ribbon, Serif Essentials Alphabet Bigz Die, Snowflake Punch, Ice Circle Rhinestone Brads,

Head on over to the next stop on the Tour…Mary Brown!  I'm sure Mary will have some FABULOUS surprises for you, too!