Remember I told you about my Starts bin?  Those items I’ve started, but they didn’t end up on the card I was working on?  Well, this card is put together entirely from my Starts bin!  The Base card of Chocolate Chip is layered with Baja Breeze Prints Designer Paper and I used the Ticket Corner Punch.  From another project was the Holiday Treasures polka dot Designer Paper layered on Old Olive cardstock.   The house I inked in Versamark and then Chocolate Chip and stamped on Whisper White.  It was embossed with Clear Embossing Powder.  I then laid a mask half way across the image and used my sponge dauber to add Baja Breeze color to the "sky" area and left the "ground" white for snow.  This was layered onto Old Olive.  I stamped "Let’s Celebrate" from On Your Birthday stamp set and punched it with the 1 1/4 circle punch, then a layered 1 3/8 Chocolate Chip circle punch.  I popped up the house layer with dimensionals and added a couple silver mini brads in the upper left corner. 

I think it makes a nice New Year’s card…but I’ll probably use it for one of the January birthdays.

I’m in the middle of cleaning up my studio, making swaps for the latest Control Freaks swap, and getting my Leadership swaps done!  I desperately need to clean up a little more in my studio.  I hope to finish up the stamping portion of my swaps today and then sit and watch the football games tomorrow and put them all together.  Tonight we are going to dinner with friends and then coming back to the house to play cards.

Check out the rest of the Diva Coffee Break Designers:

Chris Austin
Dannie Graves
Dee Tollaksen
Heidi Michel
Julie Semones
Kristin Moore
Selene Kempton
Lisa Freeman

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I broke down.  Yep…I bought Holiday Lineup at the last minute and just now am getting to use it.  I tried to resist…but I should have known better.  Those snowmen were just calling my name and I love the expressions on the elves and reindeer.  Who could resist?  Not me…

 
Yesterday was the Diva Coffee Break Designer’s color challenge and I missed getting this posted.  I had a couple deadlines over my head and just couldn’t do it all.  So, I’m making up for yesterday by posting my card today.  The challenge was to use the colors of Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze and either Kiwi Kiss or Tangerine Tango.  I managed to get ALL of them on my design!  The Tangerine Tango is shown in just the carrot noses!  I actually LOVE all these colors, so it wasn’t so much of a challenge!

I used my favorite coloring medium right now…reinkers and my AquaPainter.  I like how much more control I have on the depth of color.  I also used some of the Holiday Treasures designer paper, which went with these colors perfectly.  And, of course, the Kiwi Kiss striped ribbon…I go through a TON of it…I think I’m on my 4th or 5th roll!  Happy Holidays is from Many Merry Messages stamp set.  I think I’ll send this card to my mom and dad…they will get a chuckle out of the snowmen!

Check out the rest of the Diva’s…I haven’t peeked at their creations, but I am sure they are fabulous!  Enjoy!

Dannie Graves
Chris Austin
Dee Tollaksen
Heidi Michel
Julie Semones
Kristin Moore
Lisa Freeman
Selene Kempton

So, since I’m still in shock over seeing my beloved Merry & Bright stamp set on the retired list, I thought it would be appropriate to pull him out and and use him for this week’s challenge.  I also have a bunch of this small snowflake pattern paper from Ski Slope Designer paper left.  I used a lot of the other designs…just not this one.  For me, the colors of Chocolate Chip and Old Olive are a little non-traditional…at least with snowmen!  But I do like how this turned out!

First, I stamped the snowman with Basic Brown on Whisper White and colored his hat and scarf with Old Olive and Chocolate Chip markers.  I added a little Tombow Multipurpose Glue and Dazzling Diamonds around his body to make him sparkle!  I layered the white on Old Olive and pierced the upper left corner with the piercing template.  For the base card I used Old Olive and layered the Snowflake pattern onto Chocolate Chip cardstock.  I used the Chocolate Diamond patterns from the same Ski Slope designer paper instead of ribbon.  For the bottom greeting, I wanted to have the Merry & Bright words continue…so I used Christmas from Fundamental Phrases.  I also pierced a row across the front of the card to the word Christmas.  So my greeting to everyone is "Merry & Bright Christmas!"  Thanks, Selene, this was a fun and quick card sketch to use!

Make sure to check out the rest of the Diva Design Team’s creations this week! 

Selene Kempton
Heidi Michel
Chris Austin
Dannie Graves
Dee Tollaksen
Julie Semones
Kristin Moore
Lisa Freeman
Vivian Swain (off this week)

I was asked by Heidi Michel to join a group of talented designers to form the Diva Coffee Break Designers.  How exciting, huh?  Every Wednesday we will be posting a card that follows at sketch design or a specific color combination that Heidi has chosen.  Our first challenge was this sketch.

I recently received Happiness is a Journey with my hostess credits and decided to cut and mount it for my challenge card!  I love the train stamp because of the reverse image on it.  I’m anxious to try out a few different techniques with it!  This first one is a technique we will be doing in my Technique Classes the next few weeks, so I’m not going to share the WAY to do it just yet…although some of you may figure it out on your own!  lol!  I can tell you I used a new color combination for me, Bravo Burgundy, Mellow Moss and Almost Amethyst.  In person, you’d be surprised at how that light color of Almost Amethyst pops out from the background.

I also opened up my package of Manchester Designer Paper and pulled out this green check paper.  I used a strip of it down the left side and then ran a wide band of Bravo Burgundy 5/8 ribbon down the center and a strip of Mellow Moss 1/4" grosgrain ribbon on top of the Burgundy!  I like that masculine touch of ribbon. 

The sketch called for an oval, so I stamped my words, "Happiness is a Journey not a Destination" on a rectangle piece of Very Vanilla cardstock and used my corner rounder.  I like how it softens it just a little.

I need a card for my brother’s birthday next week…I think this will be perfect!

Check out the rest of the talented stampers who are part of the Diva Coffee Break Design Team!  I’m sure they will have some awesome ideas with this sketch!  I love seeing the different ideas!

Chris Austin
Dannie Graves
Dee Tollaksen
Heidi Michel
Julie Semones
Kristen Moore
Selene Kempton
Lisa Freeman