Inky Divas Weekly Creative Challenge - Week of September 24

This week's challenge was a sketch posted by Julie Olivier

Here is my card - 

Stampin' Supplies
Stamp - Tag It (this year's Ronald McDonald stamp set; a donation is made to Ronald McDonald House charities for each stamp set sold)
Ink - Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green
Card Stock - Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
Other - Season of Style Washi Tape, Rhinesones, 2 1/2" Circle punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, My Digital Studio (for the HO HO HO), Chalk Talk Framelits, Score Board and Diagonal Score Plate

Inky Divas Challenge - Week of September 17

This week the challenge was to create an Easel card using an InColour and a retired Christmas or Halloween stamp set.

I had seen a card on Stampin' Connection a while ago and had bookmarked it so I could give it a try at some point in time.  Well that time has come.  I pulled out my Baked Brown Sugar card stock and the retired Frostwood Lodge stamp set.

Here is the link to the original (you will have to scroll down a bit, she has several samples)

When making my card the only thing I changed is the stamp set used for the greeting.   I decided to use one of the stamps from the Joy to the World stamp set from the current Holiday catalogue.

Front:

Side:

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Frostwood Lodge (retired), Joy to the World
Ink - Always Artichoke
Card Stock - Baked Brown Sugar, Very Vanilla, Gold Glimmer Paper, Card Stock Vellum
Other - Deco Labels Framelits, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals, Merry Minis Punch Pack, Battery Operated Tea Light

Inky Divas Weekly Challenge - week of September 9

The challenge was to use the colors Island Indigo, Pool Party and Smoky Slate.

I couldn't decide what I wanted to do but finally settled on making a Christmas card.

My Envelope Punch Board arrived so I made an envelope from Smoky Slate cardstock.

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Snowflake Soiree, Joy to the World
Ink - Island Indigo, Pool Party, Smoky Slate, Whisper White
Card stock - Island Indigo, Whisper White, Smoky Slate
Other - Rhinestones, Envelope Punch Board

Another Card for Operation Write Home

This is another of the cards that I'll be including in my next contribution to Operation Write Home Canada.  I really liked this card and thought it would be a fun one to include in the box.

I followed the original very closely and am so happy with it.  I don't have the fun stamp set that was used for the greeting however I did have the digital download for MDS so I used that.  I coloured the image with Bermuda Bay ink and then used the colouring tool in MDS to colour the little heart Cherry Cobbler.  After it was printed I used the fine tip of the Pear Pizzazz marker to colour in the word Love and added a few Crumb Cake "splats" before punching it out with the Decorative Label punch.  After it was punched out I sponged the edges.

Stampin' Supplies
My Digital Studio - Yippee Skippee Stamp Brush set
Stamps - Gorgeous Grunge
Ink - Bermuda Bay, Pear Pizzazz, Crumb Cake
Card Stock - Bermuda Bay, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White, Crumb Cake
Other - Hung Up Cute Clips, 7/16" Trim, Button (retired), White Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals, Decorative Label Punch, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Circle Framelits (nonSU), Epic Day This and That Washi Tape

More Washi and Christmas

I am not tired of the Season of Style Washi tape yet and hope you aren't either.

I saw THIS card posted by Anne Granger's and knew I wanted to make it but didn't have the stamp sets Anne used so I pulled out a couple of other sets I had that I thought would work.

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Button Buddies (retired), More Merry Messages
Ink - Cherry Cobbler, Jet Black StazOn
Card Stock - Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Whisper White
Other - Season of Style Washi Tape, Rhinesones, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Oval Framelits, Large Oval Punch, Itty Bitty Punch pack

Season of Style Washi Tape

I am loving the Season of Style Washi Tape and I'm sure most of the Christmas cards I send out this year will feature it.

I saw a card posted a while ago that I really liked.  I didn't have the Season of Style DSP used on the original so I adapted it to what I had on hand and am really happy with the result.  I can't find the original but as soon as I do I will add the link.

Here's my card

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - More Merry Messages, Delightful Decorations (retired)
Ink - Cherry Cobbler
Card Stock - Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
Other - Season of Style Washi Tape, Ornament Punch (retired), Rhineston, Paper Piercing Tool and Mat, Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals

Operation Write Home Canada

One of the members of the demonstrator group I belong has started collecting hand made cards (blank) to be provided to our troops who are posted far and wide around the world and away from their families.  This program provides a selection of cards for the men and women to choose from to send greetings back home.

I have already sent one box off to the organizer (Janie Boisvert) that included Birthday, Christmas, Thinking of You and Thank You cards.  I have now started on some Valentine cards.  These are the first two designs I have made (12 of each) to include in the next box that has to get to Janie by December 19.

Both cards feature lots of retired SU supplies and were inspired by cards I had seen on Stampin' Connection a website just for Stampin' Up! demonstrators.

Snowflake Soiree Take 2

I made a second card based on the snowflake card Heather Summers had posted here.

For this card I decided to use Island Indigo as my card base and add a layer of the new Silver Foil paper from the 2013 Holiday Catalogue.  I also used Silver Encore Ink and Pewter Embossing Powder.  In addition I stamped a few snowflakes in the upper right corner of the card using the Illuminate Glimmer Watermark Pad

Stampin' Supplies

Stamps - Snowflake Soiree, Christmas Messages

Ink - Coastal Cabana, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Illuminate Glimmer Watermark

Card Stock - Whisper White, Island Indigo, Silver Foil

Other - Rhinestones, Pewter Embossing Powder

Inky Divas Creative Challenge - Week of September 2

This week's challenge was to create a masculine card using all current Stampin' Up! products.  That really is a challenge for me.  I don't own many masculine sets that are still current.  My "go to" set is The Open Sea but I had used that for last week's entry so so I didn't want to use it again this week.  I thought about turning to My Digital Studio - I have some downloads there that are for stamp sets that are in the current catalogue but then I remembered that I had bought the Wetlands stamp set in August and hadn't yet inked it up.

I have seen a lot of samples using that set but chose to copy the one I had seen posted by Patty Bennett last week.  You can see Patty's card HERE.

The only thing I changed was the greeting.

Stampin' Supplies

Stamps - Wetlands, Four You

Ink - Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana

Card Stock - Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Whisper White

Other - Square Die (nonSU), Stampin' Sponges

Snowflake Soiree

There is a new snowflake stamp set in the Stampin' Up! 2013 Holiday catalogue that I have my eye on.  I can't decide if I should get it because I have quite a few snowflake sets - some retired and some still current.

Heather Summers posted a card using the new set (Festive Flurries) and I have recreated it using one of my sets that is still current (it is not listed in the catalogue but is still available) - Snowflake Soiree.

I kept to Heather's colour scheme - Island Indigo, Coastal Cabana and Pool Party

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Snowflake Soiree, Christmas Messages
Ink - Coastal Cabana, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Encore Gold
Card Stock - Whisper White, Pool Party
Other - Gold Embossing Powder, Rhinestones

Get Well Shelli

On Thursday Shelli Gardner, co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up! had an accident while horseback riding and suffered several breaks to her pelvis, wrist and clavicle.  She will definitely be laid up for many weeks to come followed by months of physical therapy.

Josee Smuck of the Inky Divas Community suggested that we send get well cards to Shelli to cheer her up over the next while.  This is the card I have made to send off to her.

The card is CASEd from this one

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Gorgeous Grunge, Tag It
Ink - Bermuda Bay, Pear Pizzazz, Crumb Cake
Markers - Cherry Cobbler, Bermuda Bay, Pear Pizzazz, Basic Gray
Card Stock - Bermuda Bay, Pear Pizzazz, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Other - Epic Day This and That Washi Tape, Candy Dot, Rhinestone, Hung Up Cute Clip, 7/16" Trim, 1/2" Circle punch, Apothecary Accents Framelit, Circle Framelits (nonSU), Decorative Label punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Deck the Halls

I love making my own cards and usually CASE (copy and share everything) cards I have seen on the various blogs and internet sites I visit.  A constant source for me is Heather Summers.  I saw THIS card on Heather's blog and I knew I was going to have to get both the Circle Card Thinlits and the Christmas Messages stamp sets.  I put the order in and couldn't wait for the supplies to arrive at my door.  I kept going to the UPS site to track the package.  UPS usually delivers to my house around 3 in the afternoon so day the package was to arrive I ran a few errands in the morning.  To my dismay they came while I was gone and didn't leave the box between the doors like they usually do AND I was going to have to go to the UPS store the next day.  Well finally I got my package and headed to my stamp room.

This is my first attempt at Heather's card.  I do like it but I also think I need to do a little more - the gold "doodling" should have been white.  Heather created her own holly leaves with punches but I used a retired die for the Big Shot for mine.

Hope you like it.

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Christmas Messages
Ink - Cherry Cobbler
Card Stock - Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Old Olive
Other - Season of Style Washi Tape, Circle Card Thinlits, 2 1/2" circle punch, Circle Framelits (nonSU), Glimmer Brad, Stocking Accents die (retired), Gold Marker (retired), Stampin' Dimensionals, Stylish Stripes Embossing Folder

Halloween Card Inspired by Heather Summers and Martha Inchley

I don't often make Halloween cards and pretty much never buy Halloween themed stamp sets.  A few days ago Heather Summers posted a Halloween card that I really wanted to make.  Heather's card was inspired by one that Martha Inchley had made.

When I don't have stamp sets and/or Designer Series Paper I turn to My Digital Studio.   I printed some of the Witches Brew DSP and found some stamp brushes that would work for the tag.  I ended up using a piece of DSP from the now retired neutrals DSP pack because the black one with white text from Witches Brew did not print well on my home printer.  I also created the hexagon shapes in MDS and cut them out (can't wait to get the Hexagon Punch).

Supplies
My Digital Studio - Witches Brew DSP, Hexagon Punch, Halloween Bash, Spooky Bats, Anchored
Stamps - Gorgeous Grunge
Ink - Whisper White Craft Ink, Crumb Cake
Card Stock - Basic Black, Matte Photo Paper, Neutrals DSP (retired)
Other - Chalk Talk Framelits, Witches Brew Designer Washi Tape, Button (retired), Linen thread, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Inky Divas Creative Challenge - Week of August 26

This week's challenge was a sketch challenge that kind of fit in with a card I had been thinking about making using the new Circle Card Thinlits die.

Here is the sketch we were to use as inspiration.

Although not laid out exactly as the sketch I think I have included all of the elements.  We had been encouraged to use current Stampin' Up! products but I just had to use some retired Designer Series Paper to fit in with the card.  I realized after finishing the card that the birthday greeting is from a retired set.

Stampin' Supplies

Stamps - The Open Sea, Happiest Birthday Wishes (retired)

Ink - Crumb Cake, Early Espresso

Card Stock - Midnight Muse, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Nautical Expedition DSP (retired)

Other - Circle Card Thinlits die, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Naturals Designer Buttons, White Signo Gel Pen, Stampin' Dimensionals

August Paper Pumpkin

This month's Paper Pumpkin kit has everything to make 4 cards and includes the envelopes.  It comes with the cute bicycle and thank you stamps as well as Bermuda Bay and Baked Brown Sugar Stampin' spots.

The card bases are white but have tiny Bermuda Bay polka dots covering them.  The kit also included the die cuts for the banners as well as the Crushed Curry tape.  I added a couple of candy dots - I thought I had used crushed curry, but I think they are daffodil delight.

I stamped the bicycle on the envelope and made a little flag from some of the extra tape.

Stampin' Supplies
August Paper Pumpkin Kit
Candy Dots

Initially when Paper Pumpkin was introduced I hesitated about signing up but after seeing samples posted on some of my favourite blogs I decided to take the plunge and am so glad I did.  Every month a bright box shows up in my mail box with all the supplies to make cute and quick projects.

Right now Stampin' Up! is offering a great deal on Paper Pumpkin - get your first two months at half price - so you will pay $12.50 (plus tax) for the first two months of your subscription and then $24.95 (plus tax) each month after that.  No extra shipping to pay - it is all included.  The deal ends on August 31 and you have to use the code PUMPKINDEAL in the promo box when you subscribe.  Visit mypaperpumpkin.com to sign up.  Make sure you give your demonstrator's name.  Your first kit will be the Welcome Kit

Have a great Sunday.

Inky Divas Weekly Challenge - Week of August 19

This week's theme was back to school.  In addition our card was to include the chalkboard technique, the colour Real Red and a current or retired stamp set.  Initially I thought I would not participate because I don't really have any "school" stamp sets.

I remembered that I had seen a card a few years ago on Stampin' Connection that kind of fit in with the Back to School theme.

Here's my card

I loved the little owl sitting on top of the stack of books.  I haven't used the owl punch in a while.  I ended up using My Digital Studio for the apple - I know I still have the Tart & Tangy stamp set but I must have packed it away.

I used a white pencil crayon - how I wish I had the new White Chalk Marker from the Holiday Catalogue (another item for the Wish List!).

Supplies
My Digital Studio - All Time Fave Digital Download - Apple
Stamps - Itty Bitty Banners
Ink - Real Red
Card Stock - Real Red, Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Whisper White, Summer Starfruit, Marina Mist, Pistachio Pudding, Tangerine Tango, Baked Brown Sugar, Pumpkin Pie, Retired DSP
Other - Itty Bitty Banners Framelits, Whisper White Craft Ink, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Word Window punch, Owl Builder punch, White Pencil Crayon

Another Masculine Card

Once again My Digital Studio has been my choice to create a masculine card.  I think I may need to buy the Clockworks stamp set.

I created the card front in My Digital Studio and printed it out onto white photo paper (matte).  My printer is starting to run low on ink so the colours are not quite true, but they are very close.  I then pulled out my colour spritzer (retired) and basic gray maker to create the splatters on the card.  I punched out the clock face and adhered it to the clock using dimensionals (after taking the photo I applied a candy dot in the centre).  

Stampin' Supplies

Stamps - Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink - Basic Gray

Card Stock - Basic Gray, Whisper White

Other - Epic Day This & That Washi Tape, White Baker's Twine, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Painter's Tape Technique

A popular trend in paper crafting lately is to use Painter's Tape to create a background.  I finally gave it a try a few days ago for a fairly simple thank you card.

I took strips of painter's tape a little wider than the card stock, placed them on an ink pad and gently rubbed the tape to lift some of the ink.  I then lightly placed it onto the card stock and again gently rubbed the tape so the ink was applied to the card.

Stampin' Supplies

Stamp - Thoughts and Prayers, Thank You Kindly (retired)

Ink - Jet Black StazOn, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride

Card Stock - Pool Party, Whisper White

Other - Rhinestones, Painter's Tape

Inky Divas Weekly Creative Challenge - Week of August 12

The challenge this week is to use three colours - Rich Razzleberry, Smoky Slate and Basic Black; Current Designer Series Paper and some form of embossing.

I had bought the All Dressed Up Framelits and coordinating stamp set quite some time ago and had not yet used them so I thought I would start with them.  I used the framelits to cut out the dress and stand.  Once that was done I decided I wanted a "mirror".  I cut one oval from Basic Black card stock and the smaller one from Smoky Slate.  I coated that one with Versamark ink and then coated it with clear embossing powder.  Once that was heat embossed the card stock appeared much darker.  The Whisper White panel was embossed with the Elegant Lines embossing folder (retired).  Finally the greeting was stamped with Rich Razzleberry ink and a stamp from the Itty Bitty Banners stamps sets.  It was cut out using the coordinating Framelits.

Supplies
Stamps - Itty Bitty Banners
Ink - Rich Razzleberry, Versamark
Card Stock - Smoky Slate, Basic Black, Whisper White, Polka Dot Parade DSP
Other - All Dressed Up Framelits, Ovals Framelits, Itty Bitty Banners Framelits, Elegant Lines embossing folder (retired), Whisper White 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon (retired), Clear Embossing powder, Stampin' Dimensionals

Gorgeous Grunge - Again!

When I first saw the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set in the catalogue I was pretty sure this was a stamp that I would never use.  How wrong can one person be.  As soon as I saw samples posted by other Stampin' Up demonstrators I knew I had to have it!  I am loving this set.

This card is a CASE of many I have seen posted recently.  It is one of the Make and Takes from the recent Stampin' Up! convention.  I don't have the stamp set used on all of the samples I saw (they used Hello, Lovely) so I decided to use the Wish Big stamp from the retired Word Play set. The card I have seen have been "no layer" cards but I decided to use a coordinating card base.

I ran a piece of white baker's twine through my coastal cabana ink pad to dye it.

Stampin' Supplies
Stamps - Gorgeous Grunge, Word Play (retired)
Ink - Calypso Coral, Summer Starfruit, Coastal Cabana, Smoky Slate
Card Stock - Coastal Cabana, Whisper White, Crisp Cantaloupe, Silver Glimmer
Other - Epic Day This and That Washi Tape, 1 3/4" circle punch, rhinestone, Baker's Twine, Very Vintage Designer button