A New Ink on Life

World Card Making Day Challenges

Happy World Card Making Day! I figured today was a great day to have some fun stamping and play along with two great challenges. I have been so busy lately trying to come up with designs for upcoming Stamp a Stack classes that I have had little chance to stamp just because I wanted too. So a did a little bit of blog surfing and found a fantastic colour challenge over at Create with Connie and Mary and then an amazing card sample by this month's MUSE at CASE Study. I have always wanted to play along there but had yet to get the chance to until today:)

 
 
I was totally inspired by the clean lines and beautiful bow on Julie's card and I knew right away the Colour Combo from CCMC#169 would work perfectly with this layout.

I started with a Basic Black base then added a large layer of Pool Party that had been embossed using the Vintage Wallpaper Impressions Folder and the Big Shot. Next I layered on a strip of Sahara Sand that had been softly sponged with the matching ink and stamped with the tiny half doily from Kindness Matters then using the Scallop Trim Border Punch I added a decorate Whisper White edge. I love SU! Satin Ribbon; it is so easy to work with, so I tied a generous amount of Basic Black into a large bow.
For the sentement I die cut the decorative circle using the SU! Exclusive Perfect Pennant Die in Basic Black, the Sahara Sand circle was die cut using the Circles#2 Die and then the Whisper White was punched out using the 1 3/8 Circle Punch. The sentiment is from an awesome set called Friendly Phrases and was stamped using Basic Black Classic Ink.
 
Stamps: Friendly Phrases, Kindness Matters

Ink: Sahara Sand, Basic Black

Paper: Pool Party, Sahara Sanda, Basic Black, Whisper White

Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Pennants Die, Circles #2 Die, Vintage Wallpaper Impressions Folder, Rhinestone Jewels, Basic Black Sation Ribbon, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Sponge

Have a great day!

A Peaceful Season of Gift Giving

Well it is Staurday and I am sad to say that it is the last challenge for the Create with Connie and Mary Holiday Edition. We have had a blast sharing so many different projects over the last 8 weeks, all using the fabulous items from the current Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini. But remember you can still join and take advantage of recreating the projects anytime you want, as the site will still stay up for months to come.

Now on to the challenge! This week is for the Design Team only and we were asked to create Gift Packaging. The projects that we were working on this week focused on using Tags Til Christmas stamp set, Jolly Jingles Wheel, Peaceful Season Level 2 Hostess stamp set and the fun new Designer Fabrics. I still had a few items left out from my project tutorial so I decided to use them for todays challenge.

  
  I LOVE the cute little Mini Lunch Sacks! Now I know you are all thinking -"they are brown paper bags and I can buy them anywhere" but honestly the quality is amazing. They are thick, sturdy and are also so easy to stamp on. You can use them for so many different out of the box ideas :)  I inked up the holly and leaves from the Peaceful Season Hostess Set with my Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke Markers and randomly stamped all over the bag. Then I folded over the scalloped top of the bag and using my Crop a dile I punched two holes and threaded some of the beautiful Deck the Halls Designer Fabric through it.

  The tag I made by cutting out one of the tags  from Naturals Ivory card stock using the SU! exclusive Two Tags Die. (My favourite die). I sponged the edges with Always Artichoke then stamped the dove image with Crumb Cake ink and the greeting with Early Espresso. To finish it off I used a little bit of Victoria Crochet Trim and a beautiful Antique Brad. This is just the perfect size to put a special treat in.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the Design Team did this week:

Mary Brown – StamperCamper

Cristena Bagne – Gettin' Crafty

Rochelle Gould – I stamp, I create, I have fun!

Connie Babbert - Inkspired Treasures

I also wanted to say how truly inspired I was over the past 8 weeks. And I am so very grateful to have had the pleasure of being on the Design Team with these fabulous ladies. Thank you again to Connie and Mary for letting me share my love of Stampin' Up! and creating with all of your subscribers.

Have a great weekend everyone,

Have A Cute Christmas!

 Today is Saturday and that means another fun Challenge with Create with Connie and Mary Holiday Edition.This challenge is for our subscribers to participate in and earn a chance to win one of two $75 gift certificates or one of two free subscriptions to the next Edition of Create with Connie and Mary. This week the focus has been on using A Cute Christmas, Merry Crittermas, Builder Wheels, Candy Cane Rub-ons and/or the Candy Cane Christmas Decor Elements. For my project I decided to use A Cute Christmas so I thought it would be only fitting to also use it for my challenge card :)

This week is a colour challenge. The colours are Garden Green, Blushing Bride, Real Red and Baja Breeze. All these colours can be found in the fun and whimsical Candy Cane Christmas Designer Series Paper.

 
 The snowman in this set is just adorable so I thought the card would be even cuter if I had three snowmen! I started with a Garden Green base then added a strip of the the striped pattern from the Candy Cane Christmas DSP. I then punched out a decorative edge with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch and Real Red Card stock. For my Blushing Bride panel I embossed it with the Perfect Polka dots Textured Impressions Folder and the Big Shot. Using Jet Black Staz On I stamped the snowman image three times and coloured him in using markers.

 I then used my Two Way Glue pen and Dazzling Diamond glitter to add some sparkle along the snowline under the snowmen. Of course you can never have too much bling so I punched out two Decorative Labels and added some Rhinestone Jewels. I also added a Garden Green Button and some Marina Mist 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon. The sentiment was stamped on Whisper White punched out then layer on apiece of Baja Breeze.

 

Be sure to check out what the other Design team Members came up with!

Mary Brown – StamperCamper

Cristena Bagne – Gettin' Crafty

Rochelle Gould – I stamp, I create, I have fun!

Connie Babbert - Inkspired Treasures

Remember it is not to late to join us at Create with Connie and Mary! We feature new Holiday Mini products every week.  There is a new project posted every day and there will be an average of two fabulous tutorials each and every week and a Project Sheet to print out for every project not having a tutorial!  The site stays up long after the 8 week session is done, so you will still have access to the site and the tutorials. For more information and to see our Preview Week projects please visit at Create with Connie and Mary! 

 

Jolly Bingo Bits - CCMC H6

  Hey everyone, it's Saturday and that means another fun Saturday Challenge with Create with Connie and Mary Holiday Edition.This challenge is for our subscribers to participate in and earn a change to win one of two $75 gift certificates or one of two free subscriptions to the next Edition of Create with Connie and Mary. This week the Design Team has been hard at work creating projects using Jolly Bingo Bits, Bingo Card, Sweet Snowglobe and/or the Jolly Old Saint Nick stamp sets. I had a lot of fun creating my project using Jolly Bingo Bits and the Bingo Card stamps, so I decided I would use them again for this week's challenge.

This week we have a fun Sketch Challenge, if you haven't already  you can still join us for this holiday session!

I had  great time designing this card, as the images are just so cute! I started with a Crumb Cake base and stamped the Bingo Card with the matching ink. I then inked it up again with Eary Espresso and stamped the "BINGO" on a scrap piece of Very Vanilla and individually cut the letters out. I then cut out a circle using the largest circle from the Sizzix Circles #2 Die and line up the part of the image I wanted and stamped. The cute little Gingerbread Man is from the Jolly Bingo Bits and I inked him up using Soft Suede and stamped it off first to create a lighter colour. The Candy and Mittens are also from the same set and I stamped them using Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke ink, then cut them out with my Paper Snips.

The paterned paper is from Deck the Halls DSP and  as per the sketch I added some ribbon, well actually Always Artichoke Seam Binding and the decorative scalloped strip was made using the Scallop Trim Border Punch and Cherry Cobbler Card stock.

 

 

Be sure to check out what the other Design team Members came up with!

Mary Brown – StamperCamper

Cristena Bagne – Gettin' Crafty

Rochelle Gould – I stamp, I create, I have fun!

Connie Babbert - Inkspired Treasures

Remember it is not to late to join us at Create with Connie and Mary! We feature new Holiday Mini products every week.  There is a new project posted every day and there will be an average of two fabulous tutorials each and every week and a Project Sheet to print out for every project not having a tutorial!  The site stays up long after the 8 week session is done, so you will still have access to the site and the tutorials. For more information and to see our Preview Week projects please visit at Create with Connie and Mary! 

All That Glitters with Northern Hearts

 It's Saturday and that means another fun Saturday Challenge with Create with Connie and Mary Holiday Edition. This challenge is for our subscribers to participate in and earn a change to win one of two $75 gift certificates or one of two free subscriptions to the next Edition of Create with Connie and Mary. This week the Design Team has been hard at work creating projects using Angelic Joy, Rejoicing in Christmas, Fireside Christmas and the Northern Hearts Hostess Set. I know that I have been really inspired by all the projects so far and know you will be too! It's not to late to join you can find all the information HERE.

For this weeks challenge we are focusing on All That Glitters. As soon as I saw the challenge I knew that I wanted to come up with a wintery card. Here what I made:

 

I started with a Soft Suede base and randomly stamped all three snowflakes from the Northern Hearts Hostess Set with the matching classic ink. I then took a piece of Very Vanilla card stock and ran it through the Big Shot with the Northern Flurry Textured Embossossing Folder. I decided that this would be my main focal point so I used the debossed side of the large snowflake and outline it with a Two Way Glue pen and lots of Dazzling Diamonds.

I also created "icicles" by using Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds by drawning the icicle pattern on wax paper and letting it dry over night. I then peeled then off and attached it to the card. The Very Vanilla was matted on to Early Espresso and I also used some of the very pretty Marina Mist Satin Ribbon. The sentiment is from Bright Christmas (in the Holiday Mini) and I stamped it using Early Espresso Ink. I accented the card with a delicate Very Vanilla snowflake from the Northern Frost Decorative Strip, sponged the edges with Marina Mist and finished it off with a Rhinestone Jewel. 

 Be sure to check out what the other Design team Members came up with!

Mary Brown – StamperCamper

Cristena Bagne – Gettin' Crafty

Rochelle Gould – I stamp, I create, I have fun!

Connie Babbert - Inkspired Treasures

Remember it is not to late to join us at Create with Connie and Mary! We feature new Holiday Mini products every week.  There is a new project posted every day and there will be an average of two fabulous tutorials each and every week and a Project Sheet to print out for every project not having a tutorial!  The site stays up long after the 8 week session is done, so you will still have access to the site and the tutorials. For more information and to see our Preview Week projects please visit at Create with Connie and Mary! 

Feeling A Little Vintage with Bells and Boughs

Hey everyone, it's Saturday and that means another fun Saturday Challenge with Create with Connie and Mary Holiday Edition.This challenge is for our subscribers to participate in and earn a change to win one of two $75 gift certificates or one of two free subscriptions to the next Edition of Create with Connie and Mary. This week the Design Team has been hard at work creating projects using Bells & Boughs, Belle Wheel, Christmas Collage or Vintage Frames Decor Stencil. I have really been wowed by the projects that the other Design Team members have made and if you are looking for great holiday ideas using products from the Holiday Mini ,I suggest you check it out-you won't be sorry:)

So on to the challenge. This week is a DOUBLE Challenge- Use the following Colours- Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Always Artichoke and Crumb Cake PLUS a One Of A Kind Challenge (a card you will probably only make once). Soooo here's what i came up with:

There was lots of distressing and tearing and inking going on, and with the time and amount of supplies used on this one, it certainly will be one of a kind! I used the stamp set Bells and Boughs along with the matching Designer Series Paper Deck the Halls (both these items are available along with other holiday products in bundles for a special sale price; Download Holiday Promo. If you are Canadian with out a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, you can order at any time through my website).  

I used a lot of "firsts for me" products on this card including finally cutting into my Deck The Halls Designer Fabric and breaking out my Distressing Essentials Kit to give the card a  vintage look. The base of the card is Early Espresso then I stamped the Wood Grain Background on Soft Suede. I then crumbled up two of the patterns from the DSP and iked them with Tea Stain from the Destressing Kit. The bell image was stamped on Watercolour Paper using Stazon Ink nad coloured in using Stampin' Write Markers and an Aqua Painter. I then ruffed some Espresso Waffle Paper and Victoria Crocet Trim behind it. I cut a small strip of the fabric and attached it towards the bottom of my card, then tie a very small piece into a knot and using a Mini Glue Dot stuck it to a Mini Library Clip. This card was definately a labour of love but I am happy with the end result and you may even see a few more "vintage-y" type projects in the future:)

Be sure to check out all the Design Team's Samples:

Mary Brown – StamperCamper

Cristena Bagne – Gettin' Crafty

Rochelle Gould – I stamp, I create, I have fun!

Connie Babbert - Inkspired Treasures

Remember it is not to late to join us at Create with Connie and Mary! We feature new Holiday Mini products every week.  There is a new project posted every day and there will be an average of two fabulous tutorials each and every week and a Project Sheet to print out for every project not having a tutorial!  The site stays up long after the 8 week session is done, so you will still have access to the site and the tutorials. For more information and to see our Preview Week projects please visit at Create with Connie and Mary! 

A Cute Christmas Note Pad

This week at Create with Connie and Mary the Design Team has been having so much fun with Stampin' Up's Design a House from the Holiday Mini. It was so great to see what everyone came up with and thay were all so different and inspiring. Today is Saturday and that means time for another challenge!  This challenge is for our subscribers to participate in and earn a change to win one of two $75 gift certificates or one of two free subscriptions to the next Edition of Create with Connie and Mary. 

 
The challenge this week is to create a hostess gift, it could be anything. I decided to make a little note card and covered note pad set. Unfortunately no matter how hard I tried to get a good picture nothing worked; I promise it is so cute in person :)

I created the outside cover from Real Red card stock and then decorated it with one of the patterns from the Candy Cane Christmas Specialty DSP. I matted a piece of Whisper White on Garden Green and stamped the words using the Contempo Alphabet set. I also stamped images from A Cute Christmas and added a little sparkle to the snowman with Dazzling Diamonds.Then I upped the bling factor with some Rhinestone Jewels. On the inside I created a little pocket  which I think would be the perfect place to tuck receipts in and the note pad itself would be a great place to write down gift ideas.

Be sure to check out all the Design Team's Samples:

Mary Brown – StamperCamper

Cristena Bagne – Gettin' Crafty

Rochelle Gould – I stamp, I create, I have fun!

Connie Babbert - Inkspired Treasures

Remember it is not to late to join us at Create with Connie and Mary! We feature new Holiday Mini products every week.  There is a new project posted every day and there will be an average of two fabulous tutorials each and every week and a Project Sheet to print out for every project not having a tutorial!  The site stays up long after the 8 week session is done, so you will still have access to the site and the tutorials. For more information and to see our Preview Week projects please visit at Create with Connie and Mary! 

A Day of Gratitude CCMC-HM2

It's Saturday and you know what that means- it's time again for the Create with Connie and Mary Saturday Challenge (CCMC-HM2)! This week we have a colour challenge with the great fall combination of Cajun Craze, Old Olive, More Mustard and Early Espresso. This challenge is for our subscribers to participate in and earn a change to win one of two $75 gift certificates or one of two free subscriptions to the next Edition of Create with Connie and Mary. 

This week we are focusing on the Day of Gratitude and French Foliage stamp sets from the Holiday Mini Catalog.  It's not too late to join this 8 week subscription and you'll have access to all the previous posts and tutorials long after the sesson is over! We are having so much fun and the projects have been amazing!

Here is my Design Team sample for this weeks challenge:

The colours were just perfect for pulling out the Autumn Days Specialty Designer Series paper and of course the matching Day of Gratitude Stamp Set.  I decided I wanted to do a little different style of a card so I created a pocket card.
I used Cajun Craze for the base and layered a piece of Old Olive that had been embossed with the Square Lattice Folder then added a very small stip of Early Espresso and some Autum Days DSP. I then folded the corner down and attached a More Mustard Textured Leaf (from the Leaves #2 Die).  

 

I cut a strip from Striped Early Espresso Ribbon and attached one of my new favourite accessories; a tiny safety pin from Vintage Trinkets. Then I also used a teeny button brad from the Trinkets. The insert is Very Vanilla and More Mustard and the espresso button was accented with some more of the striped ribbon and an Old Olive circle.
 

Be sure to Check Out all the Design Teams Challenge Samples:

 Mary Brown – StamperCamper

Cristena Bagne – Gettin' Crafty

Rochelle Gould – I stamp, I create, I have fun!

Connie Babbert - Inkspired Treasures

Have a great day,

Party This Way to Cupcakes and Favours (CCMC118)

 Okay so here are the cupcakes that I mentioned yesterday. I know they are not the pretty fancy ones, but my son has a ton of food allergies so he just had to settle for imperfect homemade ones,lol! Aren't the little toppers cute? And they were sooooo easy to do! This week they are also having an Anything But A Card Challenge over on the Create with Connie and Mary Site for their Thursday Challenge.This challenge is open to the public so be sure to play along. 

We are also having so much fun over at the Subscriber only site, the projects so far have been amazing! If you haven't joined already I urge you to Check It Out , you will be so glad you did!

Here are the little thank you favours that Logan gave to all the kids that attended the party. I don't know about you, but the whole goodie bag thing was just not going to happen, so instead I decorated a pack of sugar free gum and the kids loved it! I will be posting a tutorial later this week on how I made them.  I was inspired by an old challenge on SCS that was on the Demo only side last year.

For both projects I kept with the colours that are in the Celebrations Designer Series Paper. I used Old Olive, Pafic Point, Red Red and Whisper White. The sentiments were stamped in Early Espresso and the "Happy Birthday" is from Party This Way and the "Thanks So Much" is from Three Little Words.

Spooky Night Rub Ons CCMC-HM1

It's time for the Create with Connie and Mary Saturday Challenge (CCMC-HM1)!  This challenge is for our subscribers to participate in and earn a change to win one of two $75 gift certificates or one of two free subscriptions to the next Edition of Create with Connie and Mary. 

This week we've been focusing on Dark & Dreary, Spooky Nights Rub-ons and Midnight Musings from the Holiday Mini Catalog.  It's not too late to join this 8 week subscription and you'll have access to all the previous posts and tutorials long after the sesson is over! As soon as I saw this fun sketch I instantly knew I wanted to make a scrapbook page, and for my Create project this week I used the Spooky Night Rub-ons so of course I just had to use then on my page! While working with these Rub-ons I was surprised how easy they were to apply and how smooth they went on. *Tip: I used my Bone Folder to rub them on the page, I found that this works best for an easy application*

I started with an 8 1/2 x 8 1/2" piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock  and paper piecred the the top right and bottom left corners.  Then I applied the large "Happy Halloween" Rub-on for the title and added the small scull Rub-on as well. The Designer Series Paper is More Mustard from the Regals DSP Stack. I cut out the zig zag in Basic Black with the Tasteful Trim Xl Big Shot Die, but before I cut the card stock I applied a piece from the new Adhesive Sheets to it so that all I had to do was peel off the backing and attach to my page! 
I matted a the photo onto Old Olive then applied the "OCT.31" Rub-on directly to the picture! *And for the "Spooky" I rubbed the top part first then moved it a little before applying the rest, to create a cracked appearence.* For the embelishment piece in the sketch I used another Rub-on and punched it out with the Large Oval Punch, then backed it on to a 1 3/8" DSP Circle, then a Textured Basic Gray piece that was punched out with the Decorative Label Punch. 

Check out what the rest of the Design Team Members have done this week with the sketch challenge:

 Mary Brown – StamperCamper

Cristena Bagne – Gettin' Crafty

Rochelle Gould – I stamp, I create, I have fun!

Connie Babbert - Inkspired Treasures