More is More

Happy Wednesday!  It’s been a bit of a crazy week as I’ve been on call for possible jury duty which means I haven’t been abale to make any solid plans and I’ve been trying really hard to get everything done that needs to be done as early in the week as possible in case I’m not available later.  Wow – was that a run-on sentence or what?  LOL!  I’ve had a card ready to share with you since the weekend, but with SCS being down (including my blog) on top of work etc.  I haven’t been able to get here to show you until now.

Last week I saw a challenge on Kim Hughes’ blog to use yellow as the primary focus of a card.  Only today did I go back to read the entire series of posts and discover that there were prizes involved and the deadline to enter was midnight last night.  Waaaaahhhhhhhhh!  Oh well – I enjoyed working on this challenge very much and am very pleased with the results.  This is a birthday card for a special friend.

I had a heck of a time getting a decent picture of this and it’s so much prettier IRL.  I really need to set up some better photo lighting!  That yellow is Barely Banana and it’s so soft and yummy looking with the white and SU Basic Gray cardstock.  I have NOT been a fan of the yellow/gray combo, but I know it’s very hot in decorating, fashion and paper crafts so I pushed myself to work with it…and I’m glad I did.

The stamp sets I used are both retired SU – Echoes of Kindness and It’s Your Birthday.  I actually pulled out my watercolor crayons for this and it was really fun playing with them again.  Flowers are highlighted with Diamond Stickles. Border punch is SU and the tiny little pearls are Adorn It.

I just had to call in for jury service again mid-day today and found I don’t have to report this afternoon, but I do have to call back again tonight for possible service tomorrow.  Off to accomplish everything I possibly can this afternoon.  I hope you’re having a great week!  Thanks for stopping by.

Here I am – Day 3 in a row of stamping and blogging.  Are you impressed?  LOL!!!  Today I had fun playing with the weekly sketch challenge at SCS.  I used to play that challenge and the SCS color challenge almost every week and I really miss it.  The original sample for SC272 by sparklegirl is really stunning and although the style and feel of my card is very different I was inspired to leave part of my cream cardbase bare and to use the cream inner panel as well.  For my card I felt that inner panel needed the texture of a CB folder.

I think Crafty Cuppie from TE is my favorite Cuppie set and I particularly love this little stamping Cuppie.  I actually had this image stamped and the Cherry Hill paper picked out before I ever even saw the sketch, so once I had sketch in hand the card came together fairly quickly.  I’m just now realizing that the color in this photo isn’t super true.  I used Chocolate Chip cardstock for all of my matting – it has a nice contrast with the Buttercream cardstock and the colors in the patterned papers.

The crafty little scene is colored with Copics (as shown to the left) and the apron is paper pieced.  There’s Lime Stickles over the glitter bottle, Ranger Glossy Accents over the embossing gun and a red Bright Smooth Bling dot over the cherry.  The scene was die cut with a Spellbinders Label 5 Die.  The next size up for the matting would have overwhelmed the card so I cut the same size from the Chocolate Chip cardstock and simply cut it in half and adhered the halves slightly apart to the back of the image.  This is a great trick for any time you don’t have or can’t use the next size die.  I added red liquid pearls around the image.  Some ribbon from TE and a button from my stash finished off this fun card.

In order to stick with my goals this week I still need to take Tessa for a walk, but I think I might wait a bit for it to cool down some.  WeatherBug says it’s 82 right now.  I can’t believe I was in the snow in Iowa less than 2 weeks ago!

Thanks for stopping by.  I already have a card done and ready to share tomorrow so be sure to come back!  Oh yeah and Happy St. Patty’s Day.  I had forgotten all about it until the girls in my Bible Study came in and pinched me…yes seriously pinched me!  I had to go change my top to something green before we could head out for lunch.  I’m not big on the holiday and I do not like corned beef…so sorry for not having a *green* card to share today.  😉

Happy Friday.  It’s time for another fun sketch from Taylor PLUS a very special opportunity for you to use your stamping to be a blessing to someone.  Today Taylor is kicking off a Dragonfly Card Drive to benefit the neo-natal unit at Sanford Medical Center in Sioux Falls SD.   Families who have suffered an infant loss are given a dragonfly card while they are in the hospital as something to hold on to, cherish, and comfort them after the quiet time spent with their son or daughter.  In addition to the cards, the parents receive a small ring with a poem, a prayer shawl for the mother (symbolizes God wrapping his loving arms around the patient to comfort her), baby footprints and baby molds (if the parents wish).

We’re asking you to help us by sending in your hand made cards featuring any dragonfly image.  You can use the dragonfly from the TE set Discover Your Wings or any dragonfly from any stamp company.  My sample today features one from Stampendous.  You can use today’s sketch to get you started or you may use any layout you’d like.  You have until March 25th to get your cards in.  As a special thank you, Taylor will be holding a drawing for a Gift Certificate to the TE Store.  Your name will be entered into the drawing once for every card you send in.  All the details are on Taylor’s blog today. 

Please also grab the badge and display it on your blog (and link it on your FB status as well) to help us get the word out!

Here’s my sample for TESC101 and my first card for the Dragonfly Card Drive.

I rummaged through my stamp collection until I came across this dragonfly and floral image from Stampendous and I was so excited at how the size of the images was just perfect for the sketch.  I wanted a soft vintage look so next I went looking for some designer paper and rediscovered a Basic Grey 6×6 pad called Perhaps that I got a few years ago.  The soft pretty colors were perfect.  I paired the papers with SU River Rock (dang I really really miss that color!) and Prism Razzleberry Md.  I just really had fun playing with this card.  The dragonfly was actually paper pieced with small pattern from Perhaps and then covered with Glossy Accents and a little glitter.  It was mounted with foam tape to the Nesties Label 5 frame that had first been embossed with a CB folder.  The floral image was colored with Copics and then the entire panel was covered with Versamark and clear ep and heat embossed.  The crochet trim is from TE.  The sweet little flowers are by Prima and were a gift from my wonderful friend (and fellow Sketch Crew member) Lori.  The started out ivory and I simply colored them a bit with a copic marker.  Sentiments are SU.

Now let’s see what the rest of the Sketch Crew has created:

Wouldn’t it be fun to get some friends together to create some cards for this great cause?  Check your calendar and set aside some stampin’ time!  Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday!  Boy oh boy has this been a busy week and it’s not over yet!  I was excited to sit down and get creative for the TESC this week!  I even managed two very different Christmas samples, before I remembered that I had wanted to make a Halloween card for today’s sketch.  D’oh!  I even knew which stamps I was going to use.  After spending time to make these 2 cards, there was none left to go back and start over on Halloween.  Oh well!  Maybe tomorrow morning – we’ll see.  Either way you’ll need to come back to see Tessa in her Halloween costume!

The first card I have to share is a fun 4.25″ square card featuring an Anna Wight Whipper Snapper stamp set (try saying that 10 times fast!) called Cozy Critters.  I love Anna’s whimsical style – especially her drawings of all sorts of animals.

*Christmas Fishes*

I took my color scheme from the retired SU designer paper.  Card base is Certainly Celery layered with Basic Black and then Purely Pomegranate.  The fish were stamped on TE Choice Snow White cs and colored with Copic markers and the scarves were highlighted with a Spica glitter pen.  That entire panel was covered with Crystal Effects.  I used a small brush to spread it in streaks to look more like moving water and I added 3 clear Taylor Tots as bubbles.  Mr Penguin was also colored with Copics, his scarf glittered with Dazzling Diamonds, and he was cut out and popped up with foam tape.  The sentiment was stamped repeatedly on Bashful Blue.  Three blue Tots finish off the corners of this silly happy card.

*Peace on Earth*

As I looked at the sketch, it occurred to me that the nativity scene from TE Christmas Blessings would work wonderfully for the main image, so I created this 5″ square card with Sahara Sand, Taken with Teal and Basic Black.  The stamp was inked up with Taken with Teal Classic ink and then dabbed with Frost White ShimmerPaint before stamping onto the Sahara Sand cs.  This gave a subtle shimmery look that doesn’t really show up in the photo.  I used my old Fiskars deckle edge scissors to trim around the image.  Originally I thought of using a CB embossing folder on the teal panel, but it’s a little too big.  Then I saw my Medallion stamp sitting out and realized it would make the perfect background stamped off the top corner in Teal ink.  The dp is from the SU 6×6 hostess pack.  Final touch are some black Kaiser Craft pearls.  This would be very “do-able” to mass produce for Christmas cards and could be done in a number of different color schemes.

After I was finished, I realized that I had used black on both of these cards to provide the contrast or *pop* I needed.  Goes back to my old adage of Fall Back on Black – whenever a card seems to just *need something*, try some black cardstock!

So now it’s time to see if I’m the only one who didn’t make a Hallowen card for today’s challenge…let’s check out what the rest of the Sketch Crew has cooked up –

I’m off to work.  Thanks for stopping by.

Phew!  I thought maybe my mojo had taken an extended trip and I was getting worried it was lost entirely.  It was such a relief to play with the SCS Sketch Challenge this morning and actually have some fun stamping!   The colors of this card are sooooo not me, but I wanted to play with my SU Rub-ons Bright Delight so that’s where the color scheme of So Saffron, Kiwi Kiss and Tangerine Tango came from.

The designer paper is from the SU Walk in the Park pack from the Ocassions Mini.  The owl is a rub -on on Saffron cardstock and punched with the scallop circle punch, then sponged with some Kiwi ink and embellished with Lime Green Stickles.  That was layered over a big Prima flower that was sponged with Tangerine ink.  The branch and flowers are from Cheep Talk, as is the pear which is cut out and popped up on foam tape and then covered with Crystal Effects.  The sentiment in the lower right corner is also a rub-on.  The rhinestones top and bottom are K & Co. and on the flowers are Taylor’s Tiny Twinkles.  The Kiwi panel was embossed with a Cuttlebug folder for a little texture.

I have another card on my table half done and I designed one of the cards for my class next week.  WooHoo – I’m back!  Now let’s hope I can keep this roll going!  Thanks for stopping by.  Happy Hump Day!

-Jami

I just got some of the newer floral sets from Our Craft Lounge and I’ve been dying to play with them along with some Flower Soft.  When I first saw the Color Challenge at SCS this morning I thought it sounded a litte crazy (Riding Hood Red, Summer Sun, Kraft, and optional Basic Black), but I know I have to trust my friend Jenn on these things so I decided to play along!  And she was right – it worked out pretty well.

This is one of those maddening cards that looks so much better in person.  I am actually super happy with it, but I am not liking this photo at all.  ugh!

Card base is Kraft cardstock stamped with SU Boho Blossoms BG in white craft ink.  Summer sun piece was cut with a circle nestie and then embossed with the CB D’Vine Swirls folder.  Image was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on TE Choice Snow White cardstock and colored with copics.  Sunny yellow and sweet pea Flower Soft were added and the crystal effects was added over the roses.  The vase was covered with a spica glitter pen.  Embellishments are Kaiser Craft Chino pearls and Black rhinestones.  Ribbon is SU Riding Hood Red tafetta.

If you are following my Blind Date Story (start on March 11th post if you missed the beginning) – 20 years ago tonight – it’s now Friday night and my prospects for a date this weekend are not looking good.  Against my better judgement I have decided not to make plans for Saturday night, *just in case* he calls.  *sigh*  So what do you think?  Will I get a last minute date?  Stay tuned romance fans!  *wink*

Thanks for stopping by.

-Jami

The morning I was preparing to leave for Texas I decided it would be fun to put together a little scrappy challenge packet for the girls staying at Sharon’s house.  I was still finishing it up when Darla came to take me to the airport. 

The Challenge rules were very simple

***Create a card or 3D item and post it on Monday 11/24/08

***Use at least a portion of each item in the packet

***Add anything you like to these materials

***Have FUN!!!

Here’s a picture of what was included in the packets.  It was just some swatches of designer paper from that pad of Me & MY Big Ideas patterns I bought at Michael’s recently along with some white grosgrain ribbon and a couple of buttons.  I thought it would be really fun to see what my friends might do with those circle elements especially.

I decided to create a genie bag and I had a blast playing More is More with it.  (Also known as *when you think you’re finished, add one more thing!*)  The base panels adhered to the mini white lunch bag are standard card sized (4.25″ x 5.5″) and I added tabs punched with the SU round tab punch with ribbon slots punched with the slot punch.

The Santa image was punched with my SU scallop circle punch and then layered onto cardstocked punched with various Marvy punches.  The Kiwi layer was run through my Cuttlebug with the Snow Dots embossing folder.  That layer was then adhered to a white layer and the white layer was closely trimmed with scallop scissors.  The tag was created by stamping the sentiment from SASI Season’s Sweetings onto a tag from the Tag Treats available at TE and then simply cutting it down to size and rounding the bottom corners.  This is a great way to make tags of various sizes and they’re such a good value I don’t feel like I’m “wasting” them!  I added some snowflakes from Snow Burst and a snippet of the dp (which I had already cut off the bigger peice to make it fit.)  I also added square green Adoro tiny rhinestones.  I looped ribbon through the tag – if you look closely you’ll see that I did use some of the white grosgrain from the challenge kit.  I wanted some bling so I added Fire Engine Red glitter (using a Sakura Quickie Glue pen) in several places – the red circle under Santa, the edges of the dp, the edge of the tag.  I couldn’t get it to really show up in the photo, but it really adds a lot IRL.  I put some white embroidery thread through the buttons (I just hate nekkid buttons!) and attached them with mini glue dots.  Then I just had to add some Liquid Pearls to the Kiwi scallops.

The final touch is the ribbon handles.  I used SU striped grosgrain and Basic Grey Sultry brads.  I rarely tie bows – I think I must have been channeling Taylor!  LOL!  So what do you think?  Did I get back to my *More is More* roots?  Now I just need to find a gift worthy of my special little scrappy bag!

I’m not certain who has had a chance to play, but I’m anxious to hop around and find out – Sharon, Lori, Jenn, Jess (since she hasn’t blogged in over a year we’ll see!) and Taylor.

Thanks for stopping by.  Happy Monday and enjoy the short week!