Snowshow Celebration

It's time for another Stampin' Celebration challenge.  This time it is a sketch challenge and one that I thought would be nice as a scrapbook layout.  I am always woefully behind in my scrapbooking and since National Scrapbook Day was a few days ago, I thought I would try to at least get one page completed!

Here is the scrapbook page I designed using this sketch.  With all the snow we had this year my husband decided to buy snowshoes for himself.  And, so I could be included in the fun, he bought a pair for me as well ;0).  Actually, he bought a pair for me or the kids since we all are similar heights so the snowshoes would work for any one of us.  However, the kids decided that it was something they didn't really want to try so I was the lucky one who got to go!  Snowshoeing is harder then I thought.  We didn't go very far and I was sweating!  Had to unzip my coat at one point just to cool down a little.  It was fun in the end and I was sore the next day!

For this scrapbook I used My Digital Studio.  I stuck with a color scheme of Soft Suede, Baked Brown Sugar, Kiwi Kiss and Pool Party.  I really love the A to Z woodpress letters so I had to use these on the page.  I thought it added a nice masculine touch.  And of course a few different snowflakes were needed as well!

I am very glad that I was bale to make a scrapbook page and I love the sketch challenge this month! Can't wait to see what you design!!

Stamps: Back to School - grunge overlay, Jingle & Joy - snowflake 3, Back to School - snow play   

Punches: Embark Graduate - banner 2,  1.25 Square

Designer Series Paper: Frosty Day II, Soft Suede Grid, Kiwi Kiss Strip, The Write Stuff II, Summer Home

Cardstock: Soft Suede
Embellishments: A to Z Woodpress (recolored to Baked Brown Sugar), Snowday Woodcuts (recolored to Baked Brown Sugar)

Blended Butterfly

I am preparing for Stamp Camp on Friday and decided to create a card with the upcoming Blendabilities markers Stampin Up will carry in the new 2014 Catalog.  I am so excited!  I have never used these types of markers before so I am still playing and learning.  But what a beautiful color!!  I love that you don't get the lines like the water-based markers give when the color overlaps.  Beautiful crisp images!

Since it's another busy week with concerts and PTA meetings and other things, I decided to play long with a sketch challenge as I made my cards for my Stamp Camp on Friday.  One of the sketch challenges which caught my eye today was  Mojo Monday #345.

I loved this sketch and thought it would work nicely with the Papillon Potpourri stamps.  I stamped the butterfly image (my favorite one and I think the only one I have used from this stamp set so far!) using the Memento ink pad (an alcohol-based stamp pad).  Then I colored in the butterfly using the coastal cabana blendabilities markers.  I did a few different combinations to change up the 4 butterflies.

For the rest of the card I knew I wanted to use smoky slate and then I thought the Wildflower Meadow embossing folder would be a nice backdrop for the butterflies.  I am sad to see the Core'dinations cardstock retire, so I decided to use some of that for this card to give the flowers depth. The Crisp Cantaloupe banner adds a pop of color for the greeting, stamped in Basic Gray.

I can't wait until Friday's Stamp Camp.  I haven't seen my friends in a while (too busy with the dance planning).

Enjoy your day!

Out Comes the Sun

Happy Mother's day to everyone!  After a busy busy weekend, I was able to relax and spend some time organizing my stamp room and playing with a few new toys! The one "gift" I wanted today was to play in my stamp room without feeling guilty.  Everyone gladly left me alone! 

I was so happy to be able to play with some new items from the upcoming new Stampin Up! catalog!  So many great items!  And the new in colors, I love them!  I was very sad to see Summer Starfruit leave, it was my favorite color.  But seeing the new in colors, wow!!  I don't know how I will be able to live without them!! Luckily, I have about 2 years before I have to worry about that!!

Anyway, the weekend here was beautiful, although today a big rain storm came through.  Of course, the one time I decide to take a break and head to Target is when the downpour started!  I swear I thought I had another hour according to The Weather Channel.  Anyway, it worked out perfect because I was able to design this great simple card!

I used two new In Colors as well as paper from a new Designer Series Paper Stack. The stamp set, Bootiful Occasions, is in the current catalog (and not retiring!). The set worked perfectly with this designer series paper stack!

Hope you enjoyed your day, I certainly did!

Freshly Made Rainbow

Next week is the 8th Grade Dance for my daughters class.  I am co-chair again this year so we have been busy preparing for the dance.  Can't wait to show pictures next week of all the fun things we made.  Unfortunately, there is little time to stamp right now, but that will change in less than a week.  Good thing as my box of brand-new goodies arrives next week and I can't wait to play with awesome new things coming in the new Stampin' Up! catalog!!

For today's card, I went VERY simple.  I decided to play along with Freshly Made Sketches #134.

I went to the Catalog Premiere and received one of the brand new stamp sets, Work of Art.  I decided to use an upcoming stamp set as well as a retiring stamp set to make a very simple get well card.

I used the arched image from Work of Art and my Stampin Write Markers to make a rainbow (Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green, Pacific Point and Elegant Eggplant).  I stamped the greeting from Express Yourself, a retiring hostess set, and stamped the greeting on a window sheet with black stazon ink and applied the window sheet to the front of the card using glue dots.

That's all for today.  Can't wait to organize my crafting supplies so I can easily play with all the new toys!

Have a great week and watch for pictures next week of the transformation of the school gym as the 8th Graders "Sail into their Future"!

Nautical Card and Invites

This months Stampin Celebration Inspiration Challenge #78 happened to be something I had been working with lately so I was a bit excited to design a card for this challenge!

For the card I designed for this challenge I used a few different techniques.  I like the striped look with nautical so I decided to use the striped embossing folder. I cut strips of Midnight Muse cardstock in quarter of an inch strips and glued them in the valleys of the embossed background.

The anchor was cut using My Digitial Studio (anchor from Anchors Away Stamp Brush Set) and my e-cutter.   I enlarged the anchor so it became a focal point.  I handcut the flags and the stamp is from Hello, Sailor from the 2014 Occasions catalog.

What I love most about this card is the carrick knot (tutorial is here)!  I saw it one day while perusing pinterest and thought this would be great on a card!  

On a related note, I made invitations for my daughter's 8th grade dance and they happen to match the theme from this months Stampin Celebration Inspiration Challenge!  Since we distributed the invites I can show them.  The dance is in a few days so I will post pictures of the decorations after the dance.

Anyway, here is the card.  I decided I did not want to cut 165 anchors using the e-cutter so I decided to make my own anchor using the Undefined stamp set.  At that time I hadn't carved my own stamp yet so I actually used this one as my test. It turned out a little choppy (I am going to say vintage) but not too bad for my first time.  I was amazed at how easy it was to carve the stamp.  I printed the same anchor from MDS (enlarged) as I used above and used that for my design.  I did fix the anchor a little after I mounted it, so it doesn't quite match the image on the front of the stamp.

Here is the card front on it's own, a little simple, but we had 165 invites to make, so simple was best!

For the inside, I used My Digital Studio to design the invite as well as the RSVP card.  The RSVP card was another find on pinterest.  I used MDS to design the RSVP cards using the Anchors Away Stamp Brush Set.  I was able to get 8 RSVP cards on one sheet of 8.5x11 cardstock which helped conserve cardstock.

I hope you enjoyed the cards.  Can't wait to share the dance decorations!  

Wendi