Time Well Spent

Our demo gift this year is the Time Well Spent set. It will be a Level 3 Hostess Set in the New Spring and Summer 2008 Stampin' Up! catalog. It is a very large set (12 stamps) and is nicely versatile I think.

Here are the first three cards I've made with it. The first one was for a Featured Stamper Challenge on SCS. The designer of the card I CASE'd (while changing the stamp set and some small details)was Shelly Kuck/papermoon04 on SCS. The second card was for the Stalker/Challenge Chasers Sketch Challenge on SCS (sketch by SCS ID debdeb), and the third was for Sherry and JeanneS's blog challenge and the Saturday Inspiration Challenge. Not sure I can make a card without a challenge again! Now I need to make a Thank You card to send to Stampin' Up!

This is a cracked glass square card for the Technique Challenge today (TLC140). I masked a little and did some sponging on the edges, but I'm basically posting this to show off the colors which I hope you can actually see well enough to appreciate. Soft Sky, Certainly Celery and So Saffron....I really like them together for spring.

New SCSC01 and Jami's Blog Challenge

This is for the new stalker/challenge chaser sketch challenge on Splitcoast shown here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7538938#post7538938

I punched the scallop circle out of the Dashing paper and layered a 1-3/8 inch Old Olive circle and the Poinsettia from Perfect Presentation stamped on Olive in a 1 inch circle. The Joy image is layered on a large oval punch in Real Red.

It is also for Jami's blog challenge (use Dashing paper and other restrictions-One was no hardware or brads, but punches and ribbon are okay....that's why I have circle punches in my corners.) shown here: http://jami.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/2007/10/22/a-dashing-challenge/

Such fun challenges!

QBee Box TLC139

This great little box design was created by Brenda/QBee on SCS. This is my version created for the TLC139 shown here http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=295073 -Her originals were super-cute Halloween designs.

What fun it was to make! It holds treats and is easy to open and reclose without disturbing the box, but you can see the treat through the transparency sheet too. They would be great in any color scheme and for many occasions! (I could use a bit of work on neatness though :) )

Popcorn slider

I was lucky to get to make a shoebox swap card similar to this in Allen, Texas at Milette's Shoebox Swap and Class Fest on Saturday, but mine uses the Sketch Challenge from SCS's Fan Club Forum and Perfect Presentation and Baroque Motifs instead of Season of Joy as well as different Dashing papers. (The inspiration was also red instead of Olive.) I really like this medallion from Baroque Motifs as a background.

Illuminations

I borrowed Illuminations from my upline, and I love it. It is fairly large but still easy to use and versatile. My two examples show it used as a Christmas card for Jen70's latest blog challenge to use Always Artichoke and Bravo Burgundy and as a Wedding card in Tiffany blue, oh I mean Soft Sky. The Cherish stamp blends beautifully with the background swirl from Baroque Motifs, and with the lovely pointed leaves in the swirl, the Hope stamp isn't half bad with the holly stamp from Background Basics.

Rhode Island Red?

My blog usually is all about SU!, but today I have to share this card. Stamps by High Hopes Rubber Stamps......fun to make!

This card is for the Color Challenge CC132 on SCS. It is also to send to a young girl named Victoria who has cancer for a card campaign her teacher started...hopefully my middle-aged/childish humor will be a little bit funny to her. Here's a link to Courtney's blog if you'd like to send a card to Victoria: http://createdbycourtney.blogspot.com/

Favorite Set and Favorite Colors

Blue Bayou and Soft Sky are definitely favorites of mine....and this little bird-yep, love her too! I like the blues with Mellow Moss as well. This idea grew from my card for the CC130 for which the colors were Groovy Guava and Always Artichoke. The watercolored leaves on this card are artichoke and the bluebird's breast is Groovy Guava.

Today's Inspiration Challenge

We were to be inspired today by a beaded purse for IC91 on SCS. Here is a link:http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=282839

This card was simple, quick and fun! I like the depth in the sky areas which was done using the sponge daubers and gold encore/metallic ink after the gold embossing. I had no idea what I was doing-love those happy accidents!

Boolicious Candy Bar Holder

Inspired by today's Ways to Use it Challenge on SCS (WT128--make a Halloween Card) this candy bar holder is for my upcoming Masking, Distressing and other Ghoulish Delights class. I think the Almost Amethyst cardstock looks "spooky" with the Old Olive, Only Orange and Black for some reason. :)

It is very easy to make this little box. Cut your 8-1/2 X 11 inch Only Orange cardstock in half at 5-1/2 inches. Next, cut at 6-1/2 inches to create a 5-1/2 X 6-1/2 inch rectangle. Next, score the 5-1/2 inch side at 1/4 inch to create the bottom of the box. Then, score the 6-1/2 inch side at 2-3/16 inches, 2-7/16 inches, 4-11/16 inches and 4-15/16ths.

Use a circle punch to create a notch in the front piece to allow the candy bar to be seen. Using sticky strip, attach the long sides tucking the smaller piece inside. Cut the four scores at the corners of the bottom folds. Next, fold the back piece (with the two layers that are adhered together) in and apply sticky strip to the top/outside of the cardstock. Then, fold the tiny squares in on top of it and finally, fold the outer portion in toward the sticky strip to glue it all together. Finish it off by decorating your candy bar holder for the upcoming season.

Wanted Versatility

I love the versatility of the Wanted stamp set...yes, it is western, but it can be subtle too. It made the SCS Color Challenge (search CC128 for this week so simple!

For this card I stamped off the Groovy Guava and over-stamped with Very Vanilla craft ink on both the Groovy Guava and Soft Sky in the background....Added a few Very Vanilla stamps that are just on their own as well. I like the texture it gives a background.

Christmas Wreath

This card I hope to share in an upcoming Christmas card class. I love the versatility this idea gives to the Trio Flower Punch that is in the Three for You punch box! I think I CASE'd the layout for this card, but I can't remember where I found the idea (sorry!). I definitely CASE'd (copy and share everything) this super cute wreath idea from a fellow SCSer, kpaisley1. Kristine was gracious enough to allow me to use her idea for my card. Here is a link to her blog: http://www.paisleyscraps.blogspot.com/ Her card was posted on July 14th (so you can find it easily).

Fabulous Flowers is my new Favorite Set

This set is so fun, and the possibilites are many...I'm having trouble moving on to the next set in my shipment! I enjoy the Fabulous sentiment with the glitter on the flower too...kind of funny :)

Tile Technique TLC

Here's my card from Monday....the Close to Cocoa on Soft Sky background flourish is covered with the tile technique, and the center image is cracked glass. The new rhinestone brad is a much better match in real life than it appears in my picture.

The New Baroque Motifs set is sooo easy to use and looks nice in a variety of different uses. I can't wait to offer it to my customers after July 1st, so I have to link to this fun countdown I found on my SCS-friend, Amanda's blog:

Get this widget!

Splitcoast is down this morning!

How will I manage? Well, I can update my neglected blog! I am posting my Ways to use it challenge card here as well as my TLC (technique lover's challenge) card from Monday.

The WT117 challenge was to use flourishes. I used the new 2nd level hostess set, Perfect Presentation, as well as the Baroque Motifs flourish and the Merry Christmas from Holidays and Wishes. I love the new Purely Pomegranate and Wild Wasabi In-Colors together as well.

I couldn't find my 2-way glue pen so I used crystal effects to attach the dazzling diamonds snow. I am considering this for a stamp a stack, so I used the zig painty silver in the corners and silver cord to finish it.

Hostess Appreciation Gifts

I created some little sets to use for hostess gifts and for a door prize for an upcoming event. They were so fun, and I have been saving baby food jars to make more.

Tip #1-Use the beige-colored food because the green and orange things stain the lid, and that looks yucky! :)

Tip #2 put a 3/4 inch circle on the lid first so that you keep the center of the flower small enough that the 3/4 inch circle looks nice.

This was the first one I made:



I love the little ladybug with the gingham ribbon...too bad the Because of You set retired! I used Crystal Effects on the ladybugs, but you can't see it in the pictures at all unfortunately.

Then I decided to try a more modern approach:





I did send the pink, brown and yellow set to Stampin' Up! for the May Punch contest. I'm sure I won't win, but it is fun to share. Maybe I will see the card at convention on a board?

I forgot my blog

Sorry if you've been checking for updates, but I forgot about my blog! Well, here's the card I made today for the Mulberry Batik challenge on SCS. SCS Tutorial link: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/mulberrybatik.php I used a coffee filter since I have no plain mulberry paper. I also used poppin' pastels for the Doodle That images on white paper. The Batik technique sounds difficult but was fun and easy! One image and one word made for a sweet little card with all the techniques :)

Petal Prints

I borrowed Petal Prints from my sweet upline and have been going crazy with it lately. If it isn't retired, I am definitely going to buy it! Just thought I'd show a few cards I've made using it.

The first one was for Sketch Challenge 118, and I was trying to make the flowers look like asters.


The second card was for the technique lover's challenge (TLC111) to try reverse masking. Such a pretty and useful technique! I bet this would be fun using a letter void from SU!'s chipboard alphabet.



This card was for my own personal color challenge and Sketch Challenge 119....I'd not used either of these purples (Lavender Lace and Lovely Lilac) yet judging by the number of sheets of cardstock I have of them. The eggplant ribbon doesn't ~match~ exactly, but I like the variety of purples together.

CC108

Today's color challenge #108 consisted of repeating two different past challenges and a theme of Birthdays. We are to send one to Daven who is in charge of Splitcoast's computer workings and one to Beate who creates so many of the great tutorials on SCS.

Here's the card I made for Daven using the Color Challenge #16 colors of Creamy Caramel (was really craft, but we were allowed to substitute), Real Red and Basic Black. The present and cupcake shell are slid through a slit I made along Mr. Crab's pincher. I used tiny googlie eyes to add a bit of dimension-wonder how they will make it through the mail? I might use a bit of bubble wrap over the top of the card to protect them. This Crab and Company set is sooo fun to use. I imagine myself making several more of these with different colors!This card, made for Beate, uses the Color Challenge #65 colors of Bravo Burgundy, Pretty in Pink and Always Artichoke. Thought I couldn't go wrong with Touch of Nature, but I should have used Bravo Burgundy for the main card I think. The front of the card is folded back on itself if the card looks unusual to your eye.

First Necklace in Two Years

I finally made a necklace last week, so I thought I'd post a picture. It is for Easter, and I can wear it with two outfits....stampers please notice its lovely cool caribbean color :)

VSN

This past weekend was VSN (virtual stamp night) on Splitcoast. The challenges are a surprise, posted every hour on the hour and each person has 45 minutes to complete their card. There were even two challenges for the little ones which my daughter thoroughly enjoys. All the challenges on SCS are such fun, and these were no exception. My favorite card that I made is shown below. The challenge was using the misting technique. I will have to try it again with colors I like better together...that time pressure got me :)

I was lucky enough to host a VSN challenge for the second time, and my challenge was the emboss resist technique. Judging was extremely difficult as we had to narrow our choices to 6, and I initially had 28 favorites! I will add a link to the favorites gallery once the results have been released.
Here is my emboss resist example card:

SC116 Wild Roses

This little get well card was fun and easy...a great sketch to duplicate quickly. I considered adding brads, but I want to get it right into the mail rather than have the thickness checked at the post office :) Another happy note, I thought my yellow shrub rose this color was dead a week or so ago, but now it is growing like crazy! Yippee!

Last week's sketch challenge SC115

I finally created my card for last Wednesday's sketch challenge. I tried to do today's Technique Lover's Challenge which was to use only brown and vanilla without making a coffee or chocolate-themed card. The only brown roses I've seen were on a groom's cake, but several others used roses too, so that was okay. :) The small rose Recollections paper has the tiniest bit of mellow moss in it though, so I didn't link to the TLC in my card description.

Another Faux Metal Tag

Today's Featured Stamper was Duckwaddlequack, one of my favorites on SplitCoastStampers! I cased one of her lovely cards, and we were to change two things....I usually change many more and did today as well. I used a different stamp set, Doodle That from the Spring Mini catalog and the sentiment from Polka Dots and Paisley from the Spring Mini catalog. I did not add a white layer and did not ticket punch the corners. I also changed the ribbon, added brads and used the faux metal technique to create a charm with the small tag punch.

IC67 Faux Metal

So the faux metal technique is all the rage.......Stampin' Up! is talking about it, my upline demonstrated it for us, so I had to try it too. Of course I also wanted to try the Inspiration Challenge on SCS which had some copper colored flowers on a black wire frame. Unfortunately I didn't have any copper embossing powder, so I used silver and added rust flowers. Not perfect, but incredibly fun!

Tuesday's Color Challenge

These were different colors than I would normally use together but lots of fun. I also combined this with the Featured Stamper challenge from Sunday in which we cased another SCS member (TOY/Holly) Her card made the color challenge much easier for me.

Today's SCS Technique Challenge

Monday is the technique challenge on SCS, and today we were asked to try a style created by member Kittie747. She makes beautiful scene cards that are unbelievable! My attempt is not great, but I thought I would share my card. I also bought a watermark from Beth (MyPrecious on SCS) so that I wouldn't have to type things on my pictures every time I post. I think it is cute :)

First Post :)

Happy Birthday to my little one-year-old, Sara today!....Her party is tomorrow, and I decided this card from last week's Inspiration Challenge could serve as her card.

My older daughter, Emma, and I made wrapping paper for her gift for Sara using this same little Monkey Business monkey and the accessories from Hip Hip Hooray with the hibiscus flower from Do the Hula....She was very proud of her work!

(images copyright Stampin' Up!)