A New Ink on Life

Happy Halloween with My Digital Studio

 
Today's post will be a quick one, as I still have to get organized for all the ghosts and gobblins that will be knocking at our door this evening. I just had to share with all of you what my oldest will be wearing this evening. On Friday they had a Halloween party at school and could wear their costumes so I just had to snap a few quick pictures. And naturally I needed to scrap them in My Digital Studio as soon as I had the chance. If you don't have this program yet-what are you waiting for?! I LOVE it!

I can't believe Abby wanted to dress up as some one from the 80's. Seriously why would ANYONE what to go back there? The worst part of the whole thing? When we went shopping for her "costume" we bought everything in regular clothing and accessory stores! IT IS ALL BACK IN STYLE!? Ummm I certainly won't be going back there. What you can't see in the picture is the neon green skirt, lace trimmed leggings, leg warmers and hight tops. OMG! Blue eyeshadow and all that's my girl:)

Have a great halloween,

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! 

Witches Brew

It's time for another challenge at Stampin' Royalty and this week we have a sketch challenge for you. I love sketch challenges and this one certainly challenged me! I did flip the sketch and took a little creative licence by making a few minor adjustments :). I was happy that I got to incorporate this weeks colours from my favourite Colour Challenge blog Stacey Schafer's Curtain Call.

For this card I started with a Basic Black base and embossed it with my Big Sot and Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder. The focal image is a Rub On from Spooky Night Rub Ons from the Holiday Mini.  I matted it on Daffodil Delight and then pleated some fun Raven Lace Trim behind it. Using the Top Note Die I cut out some Sweet and Sour Specialty Paper, this paper has beautiful glossy patterns on one side. I then  punched out a 1 3/8 circle from the Greenhouse Gala DSP (I was inspired by this Card ) and attached some Textured Basic Gray Bats with Mini Glue Dots.  
I then added some Rhinestone Jewels. To finish the card off I added Daffodil 1/8 Taffeta Ribbon and tied it in a bow. Hope you can find the time to play this week at Stampin' Royalty and be sure to check out all the Design Teams samples HERE

 

 

Have a great day everyone,

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! 

Totally Wicked Cool Gum Holder

 This week Stampin' Celebration has a very cool group of inspirational photos that have a halloween theme so I thought it would fun to play along, plus I wanted to finally get the instructions posted of how to make the gum holders shown HERE.

They are so easy to make a would be a great halloween treat for teachers or friends.I don't know about you but I would rather have kids chewing sugar-free gum then eating more chocolate or candy :) Although speaking from experiance; you may NOT want to give a pack of gum to a three year old!  You can get 6 holders from one sheet of 12x12 paper. As I had mentioned in my earlier post I got the idea for these from a challenge that was on the demo side of Splitcoast Stampers last year.

Score a 4x 6" paper at 1", 1 1/4", 3 3/4", and 4" along the 6" side. Create a notch in the center by punching half of a circle using the 1" Circle Punch. Apply a line of Sticky Strip to the 1" side.

                
These measurements work perfectly with trident gum, you may want to measure your gum first if using a different kind. 
   
I randomly stamped the bats from Wicked Cool Set all over Pumpkin Pie Cardstock using Basic Gray Ink. For the main image I stamped the web and words on 1 3/4 x 1 3/4" piece of Whisper White and matted on to a 2" Old Olive square. I then used Rich razzleberry 1/4" Ribbon to tie around the front and attached the image with Dimensionals. I just love my punches and the new Bat Punch is no exception-who would of thought bats could be cute?! I quickly punch one out of Textured Basic Black card stock and stuck it on with a Mini Glue Dot.

*I removed my gum from the package and place it in the center of the card stock then wrapped the paper around it and attached the ends together with the gum inside. I did this to ensure a nice tight fit around the gum.

Have a great day,

Be sure to check back tomorrow for Create with Connie and Mary Saturday Challenge! We are having an amazing time this week working with Bells & Boughs, Belle Wheel, Christmas Collage or Vintage Frames Decor Stencil. I choose Bells and Boughs so you don't want to miss my take on vintage :)

 
 

Ribbon Wreath Stampin' Royalty #42

This week at Stampin' Royalty we are challenging you to use your Ribbons! I saw a video on youtube last year on how to create a ribbon wreath and I have been waiting to try it ever since. It is actually quite simple to make and I remember as a child making plastic friendship bracelets using the same weaving technique. So given that the challenge is RIbbons, Ribbons, Ribbons I knew exactly what I wanted to make. Be sure to check out all the design teams submissions HERE and we would love to have you play along this week!

 For my card base I used Crumb Cake and the matching ink to stamp the Woodgrain Background and also sponge around the edges. I created panels and used the Ticket Coner punch to create the notched corners.

For the Wreath I used Pear Pizzazz Ribbon and punched out a flowers from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack in Cherry Cobbler and used a small Rhinestone Jewel in the center of each one. I then created a banner with Whisper White card stock and stamped the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes in Early Espresso ink.
 

Have a great day and happy stampin', 
 

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! 

Note of Thanks Curtain Call Act 51

 

I have been wanting to participate all week in Stacey's Curtain Call Challenge. Finally today I had a few moments to play with this awesome colour combo. I made a very quick and simple card as that was all the time I had, but I am glad I did. The card is pretty self explanatory so I will just list the supplies used as I am am still running short on time :)

Stamps: Thank You Kindly

Card stock: Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Basic Black, Whisper White

Accessories: Marina Mist Satin Ribbon, Neutrals Buttons, Linen Thread, Big Shot, Vintage Wall Paper Impressions Folder

Have a great day everyone and I will be back tomorrow with Create with Connie and Mary's Saturday Challenge.

Spooky Things for My Hostess - Stampin Royalty #41

It's time to get Spooky and Kooky with Stampin Royalty this week! We have a great and easy challenge for you- all you have to do is create something with a Halloween theme. It can be a card, scrapbook page, treat bag-whatever you want just as long as the theme is halloween. So go have fun, create and be sure to check out what the design team has come up with! 

 I had the pleasure of teaching a private class/workshop to a group of wonderful women and I wanted to bring the hostess an extra special gift for hosting the event. She loves Halloween and 2 of the projects that we created were halloween treats so I decided to decorate a candle holder that I had purchased at the dollar store with one of the fun new  Spooky Things Decor Elements from the Holiday Mini  Catalogue.

There are 10 images in total so I have lots left to create more projects. All I did was apply one of the small spiders to the outside of the glass.

 

 

 

 

Then using a Rub On from Spooky Night (also in the mini), some More Mustard DSP and a Rich Razzleberry tag that was die cut from the Two Tags Die; I customized a tag for her and attached it to my favourite 1 1/4 Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (this time in Pumpkin Pie) and made a big ol' bow! 

 

* Remember if you are looking for great, fun and new ideas for projects featuring items from the Holiday Mini Catalogue be sure to check out this session of Create with Connie and Mary! We are already into our 3rd week but don't worry you won't miss a thing; the site will stay open for long after the 8 weeks are up and you will have acess to all the tutorials and project ideas, so you can create when you want to.*

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,