52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown - August color challenge

17 Responses »
Aug 092014

Hello there!  It’s time for another color challenge this week at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown.  Gill, our hostess for the month of August, is asking us to create our Christmas or wintry cards using only four colors – white, cream, silver and gold – and all four of those colors must be used.

I tossed a few different ideas around in my head for this week’s card.  I finally settled on a rather clean and simple design using the current sketch from Seize the Sketch.  For the star, I die cut cream textured cardstock, dabbed it onto my Versamark ink pad, sprinkled gold embossing powder on it, and heated up the embossing powder.  I repeated the inking and embossing several times until I achieved the grungy effect I wanted.  I used a stamp from one of my newest stamp sets for the background behind the star, and heat embossed that with silver embossing powder.  The sentiment is also heat embossed in silver.  I used dimensionals to adhere the star, attached the panel to a mat of gold foil cardstock, and then put it on a cream colored base.  The grunge look is something I haven’t really tried, but I’m pleased with the final result.

52CCT 08-09-2014

Now it’s your turn to show us what you can make with these colors!  If you need more inspiration first, go visit the 52{C}CT site and see what the rest of the design team has created.  Be sure to link your card at the 52{C}CT site by 1:00 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, August 15.  We look forward to having you join us!

Supplies:
Stamps: Work of Art, More Merry Messages (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Pure Luxury Ivory, Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs); gold foil, Very Vanilla textured (SU)
Ink: silver (Colorbox); VersaMark
Other: Stars die (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps); dimensionals (SU); gold and silver embossing powders (Ranger)

Posted by PH in VA at 1:00 am Cards, Christmas Card Throwdown, Seize the Sketch, Stampin' Up!, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown - May recipe challenge

10 Responses »
May 172014

Hello there!  This week at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown we have a fun recipe challenge for you!  Ruth, our challenge hostess, has come up with a short list of elements that need to be included on your Christmas or wintry card:  Coloring an image, adding rhinestones or ribbon (or both), and using the debossed side of embossed cardstock.

When I read the recipe list, I knew I’d use this cute Rhubarb digital image.  Actually, I’ve used the mirror image of the digi stamp, so that it wouldn’t seem like Rhubarb was looking off the edge of the card.  That’s one really awesome thing about digis vs. traditional stamps – being able to manipulate them to suit your needs when necessary!  🙂  I’ve used red and clear rhinestones for the ornaments on the tree image and in the corners of the focal panel.  To highlight the debossing, I swiped an ink pad across the cardstock.

The layout for this card is taken from the current Seize the Sketch challenge – but once again, I’ve done some manipulating.  First I turned the sketch on its side.  Because my focal panel is larger than drawn in the sketch, I opted to leave off the “any shape” element.  I felt that would be a bit too much on a card that was already pretty well packed with layers and embellishments.

Go check out the 52{C}CT blog to see what the rest of the design team has cooked up with this recipe!  Then come up with your own concoction and share your work with us at the challenge site.  You have until 1:00 p.m. Eastern time Friday, May 23 to link your card.  We hope you’ll join us!  Thanks for stopping by today.

Supplies:
Digital Image: Rhubarb Trims the Tree (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Real Red (Stampin’ Up); Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: printer ink; Crumb Cake (SU)
Other: markers (Copic); red rhinestones (KaiserCraft); clear rhinestones, Wild Wasabi stitched ribbon, ticket corner punch (SU); D’Vine Swirls embossing folder (ProvoCraft)

Posted by PH in VA at 1:00 am Cards, Christmas Card Throwdown, Digital images, Seize the Sketch, Stampin' Up!, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

dynamic birthday sketch

3 Responses »
Apr 162014

Today’s card combines Dynamic Duos challenge #98 with Seize the Sketch challenge #18.  I’ve used them to create a birthday card.  I took the liberty of squashing the sketch into a landscape-oriented layout.  This card is a little more layered than most of the ones I make, and I had to use a double layer of dimensional adhesive to attach the punched flower, but that’s OK because I’ll be using this one personally instead of donating it to Operation Write Home.  It’s been a while since I’ve used this much thickness on a card!  I have to admit it felt good to do something different.

Thanks for stopping by today!  All comments are read and appreciated – and I apologize for my blog’s spam catcher program that tends to flag comments from outside of the United States.

Supplies:
Stamps: Birthday Greetings (Gina K. Designs)
Cardstock: So Saffron, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White, Tea Party designer paper (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Wisteria Wonder (SU)
Other: Spring Bouquet Flower punch, Almost Amethyst stitched ribbon, dimensionals (SU); petite oval and petite scalloped oval Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders); mini brad (Making Memories)

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 pm Cards, Dynamic Duos, Seize the Sketch, Stampin' Up!

seizing a dynamic toad

7 Responses »
Apr 022014

Just a quick post to share a card combining the current Seize the Sketch layout with the latest Dynamic Duos color combination.  Well, actually, the Dynamic Duos combo is half my own creation – because the challenge is from the fifth Saturday of March, the challenge team chooses one color and the participants get to pick a color to pair with it.  They gave us Gumball Green, and I’ve decided to use Real Red with it to create another love-themed card for Operation Write Home.

 

That’s it for today.  Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

Supplies:
Stamps: Unfrogettable (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Kraft, Real Red, Gumball Green, Very Vanilla (SU)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Real Red marker (SU)
Other: Icon Fill in the Blank Die (Avery Elle); Premier colored pencils (Prismacolor); odorless mineral spirits (Hampton Arts); Heart Blocks embossing folder (ProvoCraft)

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 pm Avery Elle, Cards, Dynamic Duos, Operation Write Home, Seize the Sketch, Stampin' Up!

happy balloons birthday

6 Responses »
Mar 012014

Tonight’s card combines a couple of challenges right before they close.  The layout is from Seize the Sketch, but I’ve turned it on its side.  The theme is from a brand new challenge blog, AEIHeartU.  It’s really a rather straightforward card so I’ll just cut the chitchat and get right to it:


Thanks for stopping by!  I read and appreciate every comment – and I apologize for the spam catcher’s tendency to flag comments from blogs outside the United States.

Supplies:
Stamps: Fill in the Blank (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: River Rock, Basic Black (Stampin’ Up); designer papers from Out of Print 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: Icon Fill in the Blank Die (Avery Elle); standard circle Nestabilities die (Spellbinders); dimensionals (SU); twine (Really Reasonable Ribbon)

Posted by PH in VA at 10:30 pm AEIHeartU challenges, Avery Elle, Basic Grey, Cards, Operation Write Home, Seize the Sketch

52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown - February color challenge

10 Responses »
Feb 082014

Hello!  It’s time for another color challenge at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown.  Jacqueline, our hostess, has given us some bright, bold colors from which to choose and to pair them up with gold.

I opted to use the minimum requirement of three of the four colors, and I decided to use the current layout from Seize the Sketch for my card.  I had a hard time at first figuring out what to do for the half-circle part of the sketch, but then I figured this die with the stars around the outside of the circle would tie in with the tiny stars on the stocking in the middle.  The focal panel is attached with dimensional adhesive to accommodate the prongs of the gold brads. I’m wishing I’d chosen a different color green.  In real life, the ink matches the cardstock much better than the way it’s captured in the photo.

And now it’s your turn to show us what you can create!  We’d love it if you joined our challenge this week.  You have until 1:00 pm Eastern time Friday, February 14 to link your card at the 52{C}CT site. Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps: Holiday Baubles (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Glorious Green, Real Red textured (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Glorious Green, Real Red (SU); Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: gold brads, dimensionals (SU); Star Circle Nestabilities die (Spellbinders)

Posted by PH in VA at 1:00 am Cards, Christmas Card Throwdown, Nestabilities, Seize the Sketch, Stampin' Up!, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

Cards in Envy - Icy Hot

1 Response »
Dec 162013

Hello!  Since it’s the third Monday of the month, it’s time for another challenge at Cards in Envy.  Our theme for the next few weeks is “Icy Hot”.  Show us your A2 size cards that feature either something icy cold, or something very hot.  Remember to keep your cards less than 1/4″ thick – after all, the “in envy” part of our challenge name means that the cards should fit in an envelope and be mailable at the standard first class postage rate.

I ended up putting my own spin on the challenge theme and featured things that are both hot and cold.  I’d seen a few “melted snowman” cards at Splitcoaststampers.com and decided to make one of my own.  The current challenge over at Seize the Sketch helped spark this idea, too, because the banner element of the sketch reminded me of cartoonish sunshine images.  I cut the snowman puddle shape freehand and added some various stamped and/or punched snowman parts – eyes, buttons, carrot nose, arms, and a heart to tie in with the sentiment.  The scarf is a scrap of ribbon I had left over from my last CAS – Colours and Sketches card; the photo probably doesn’t show that I snipped into the ends of the ribbon with scissors to resemble the fringe on the ends of a scarf.  I debated adding a hat, too, but thought the card would look too crowded.  The sentiment makes this fit in as as love-themed card for Operation Write Home.

 

What will you choose – icy, hot, or something combining the two? Share your work with us at the Cards in Envy site by 6:00 p.m. Central Time on Sunday, January 5, 2014.  (Because of the holiday season, there’s an extra week to participate!) Be sure to check out what the rest of the design team has made and give them some blog love, too! Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps: Here’s the Scoop (Lawn Fawn); Snowman (Basic Grey)
Cardstock: Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs); Basic Black, Soft Sky, Certainly Celery, Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Tangerine Tango, River Rock (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango, Real Red (SU); Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: Grass border die (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps); Dahlia and standard circle Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders); River Rock ribbon (SU); 1/4″ hole punch

Posted by PH in VA at 6:00 am Basic Grey, Cards, Cards in Envy, Lawn Fawn, Nestabilities, Operation Write Home, Seize the Sketch, Stampin' Up!

CAS - Colours and Sketches #54

5 Responses »
Dec 052013

Hello!  It’s time for our first challenge of December at CAS – Colours and Sketches.  We have a color challenge for you this time:  Gumball Green, Crushed Curry, and Real Red.  Although we use Stampin’ Up color names for reference, you’re welcome to use whatever brand products you have that are close to those colors.

I have to admit that the first thing I thought of when I saw the colors was “traffic light”.  Yes, really!  I toyed with the idea of making something with a traffic light design, but I wasn’t coming up with a good sentiment to put with it, so I figured I’d better scrap that thought and go on to something else.  As I fill up a box of cards for Operation Write Home, I keep a tally of the different card themes in it, and I noticed that I’m low on birthday cards for my current box.  So I decided to make a birthday card.  I checked out the current Seize the Sketch challenge and it fit perfectly into the clean and simple style necessary for the CAS – Colours and Sketches challenge.  Then I just needed to figure out what to do to put the colors into the sketch.  I finally chose to use a set of my Nestabilities dies that I’ve been neglecting lately, and I created a flower with them.  I added that to a card base, stamped the sentiment, and ended up with a very simple one-layer card (well, not counting the layers of the flower!).  I wanted the flower center to have some visual texture, so I lightly “stamped” my Gumball Green ink cube on it.  In retrospect, I probably should have added some leaves to the flower… oh well.

Be sure to see what the rest of the design team has made!  Then we’d love it if you join in our challenge by making a clean and simple styled card of your own using these colors.  Share your work with us at the CAS – Colours and Sketches site by 1:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, December 11.  We’d love to see what you make!

Supplies:
Stamps: Happy Everything (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Real Red, Crushed Curry, Gumball Green (Stampin’ Up); Pure Luxury Ivory (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Gumball Green (SU)
Other: Dahlia Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders)

Posted by PH in VA at 4:00 am Cards, CAS Colours & Sketches, Lawn Fawn, Nestabilities, Operation Write Home, Seize the Sketch, Stampin' Up!

CAS - Colours and Sketches #52

4 Responses »
Nov 212013

Hello!  We’re back to a color week at CAS – Colours and Sketches.  I couldn’t help but think Christmas when I saw the colors Lizy, our November hostess, chose.  Even though the Christmas deadline for Operation Write Home has passed, and I’ve already planned something different for the Christmas cards my family will send this year, I made a Christmas card for this challenge.  That’s OK – it’ll keep for sending to OWH next fall!

I used Seize the Sketch challenge #8 for the layout.  For the star element of the sketch, I created a poinsettia out of punches.  It’s probably difficult to see in the photo, but I used a stylus to add some veining to the poinsettia petals.  The olive green layer behind the sentiment is stamped with a subtle texture stamp to give it more visual interest as well as some contrast against the poinsettia leaves.

And there it is. Be sure to check out what the rest of the CAS – Colours and Sketches design team did with these colors. Then show us what you can make with them! You can link your creation to the challenge blog until 1:00 p.m. eastern time Wednesday, November 27. Thanks for stopping by today!

All supplies for this card are from Stampin’ Up:
Stamps: Linen, More Merry Messages
Cardstock: Kraft, Naturals White, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler
Ink: Real Red, Old Olive
Other: 5-petal punch, 1/8″ hole punch

Posted by PH in VA at 4:00 am Cards, CAS Colours & Sketches, Operation Write Home, Seize the Sketch, Stampin' Up!

dynamic sketchy snowman

3 Responses »
Nov 202013

Today’s card combines the current Dynamic Duos color challenge with the current Seize the Sketch sketch challenge.  I’ve used these challenges to create another winter themed card for Operation Write Home.  The snowman was heat embossed on a scrap piece of cardstock and then fussy cut. He’s raised up a bit from the background to add a little dimension to the card.  The photo doesn’t show it, but the black cardstock has a very subtle linen texture.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Comments are always welcome and appreciated!

Supplies:
Stamps: Kissmas & Mistletoe (Unity); Critters in the Snow (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Basic Black textured, Smoky Slate (Stampin’ Up); Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: craft White (SU); Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: white embossing powder (Stampendous)

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 pm Cards, Dynamic Duos, Lawn Fawn, Operation Write Home, Seize the Sketch, Stampin' Up!, Unity Stamp Company

falling for a friend

4 Responses »
Nov 052013

The cooler weather lately and the bright red leaves on our maple tree have me realizing that autumn is definitely here, and today’s card reflects the season.  I’ve combined several challenges.  I squashed the current Seize the Sketch layout into landscape orientation, the focus on the sentiment was inspired by the current Lawnscaping challenge, and the die cut leaves make it eligible for Lori’s Hope You Can Cling To challenge.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Comments are always welcome, read and appreciated!

Supplies:
Digital sentiment: A True Friend (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: More Mustard, Really Rust, Autumn Vine designer paper (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: printer ink
Other: twill tape, dimensionals (SU); Stitched Leaves dies (Lawn Fawn)

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 pm Cards, Lawn Fawn, Lawnscaping challenges, Seize the Sketch, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

Cards in Envy - In the Spotlight

9 Responses »
Oct 212013

Hi there!  It’s Cards in Envy challenge introduction day!  Our challenge for the next two weeks is “In the Spotlight” – showcasing cards that use the spotlight technique, where a part of a black and white image is popped up with color.  There’s a terrific tutorial for it here on the Splitcoaststampers.com website.

My image technically is grey and white, but it gives the same idea.  Actually I guess you could use any color ink for this technique, so long as you only spotlight a part of the image with full coloring.  I used a couple of square punches for my spotlight.  A lot of people tend to use circles and I wanted to do something a little different.  The layout for my card is Seize the Sketch #6.  This card also fits into the SCS “Scene of Serenity” Hope You Can Cling To challenge.

If you need additional inspiration, please go check out the Cards in Envy site and see what the rest of the design team has made.  What will you create with this technique?  Share your work with us on the Cards in Envy site by 7:00 p.m. Eastern time Sunday, November 3.  We’d love to have you play along with us!

Supplies:
Stamps: Changing Seasons (Stampin’ Up); Christmas Tags (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Smoky Slate, Real Red, Basic Gray, Naturals White (SU)
Ink: Basic Gray, Real Red (SU)
Other: Premier colored pencils (Prismacolor); square punches (EK Success and Creative Memories)

Posted by PH in VA at 6:00 am Cards, Cards in Envy, Seize the Sketch, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

Cards in Envy - Now That's Scary

10 Responses »
Oct 072013

Hello!  It’s the first Monday of the month, which means it’s time for a new challenge at Cards in Envy.  This time we’re getting into an October mood with Halloween cards – whether they are scary, creepy, silly or fun, anything that’s Halloweenish and is A2 sized and fits in a standard A2 envelope will work for this challenge.

I’ve always tended to focus on the fun aspects of Halloween – dressing up in costume and trick or treating.  I have to admit I’ve never much been a fan of skeletons and the Grim Reaper and the darker side of Halloween.  So in browsing through my stamps, I finally settled on creating a black cat wearing a witch’s hat.  The cat and the hat were stamped on a scrap piece of white cardstock, colored with Copics, and fussy cut, and then I attached the hat onto the cat’s head.  I used the current sketch from Seize the Sketch for the layout, turning the sketch on its side.  To make the banner tails match up evenly, I put all three layers together with temporary adhesive and cut them all at the same time.  The temporary adhesive allowed me to detach them and realign them, using permanent adhesive the second time.

I just realized that the dimension of the banner combined with the camera angle make it look like the black mat isn’t cut evenly where the banner meets it.  Trust me, it’s all even in real life.

So now it’s your turn!  Check out the Cards in Envy site for all the challenge details, and share your Halloween creation(s) with us by 7:00 p.m. eastern time Sunday, October 20.  We’d love to have you play along with us!

Supplies:
Stamps: Critters in the ‘Burbs, Hats Off to You (Lawn Fawn); Sweet & Spooky (Lizzie Anne Designs)
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Whisper White, Razzleberry Lemonade designer series paper (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: markers (Copic); dimensionals (SU)

Posted by PH in VA at 6:00 am Cards, Cards in Envy, Lawn Fawn, Lizzie Anne Designs, Seize the Sketch, Stampin' Up!

CAS - Colours and Sketches #45

3 Responses »
Oct 032013

Hello!  I have a little bit of happy news to announce today – I’m the hostess for this month’s challenges at CAS – Colours and Sketches!  I hope that you’ll give the challenges a try and have fun with them!

A new month always gets started off with a color challenge.  The colors for today’s challenge have a special meaning to me.  My husband and I are celebrating our 21st wedding anniversary today, so I’ve chosen a ruby red and a charcoal grey that best replicate the colors worn by our wedding party.  Every wedding needs “something blue”, so I’ve chosen one of my favorite shades of blue for that.

I figured that since I needed to make an anniversary card for my husband, I might as well tie the challenge colors into it.  I liked the card I made for last week’s CAS – Colours and Sketches challenge so much, and I’m short on crafting time this week, so my original plan was to duplicate it with this week’s colors.  (Last week’s card is already boxed up to send to Operation Write Home.)  However, my Basic Gray ink pad needed to be reinked, and even after waiting for the ink to soak in for a bit I was getting splotchy images when I tried using it.  So I did some searching around different websites and found this really clean and simple layout over at Seize the Sketch.  I figured the simplicity would work well for a card for my husband, since he’s not a big fan of a lot of frou-frou and flowers and hearts and mushy stuff.  I turned the sketch on its side.  I’m not sure how well it shows in the photo, but I did use textured cardstock for the card base, to give it a little visual interest.

Whether or not my husband notices the colors remains to be seen, LOL!

Anyway, now it’s your turn.  Go check out the other design team members’ cards at the CAS – Colours and Sketches blog – they’ve done an amazing job this week!  Then show us what you’re inspired to create using these colors.  If you don’t have the exact Stampin’ Up colors, that’s all right – simply use whatever you have that matches them closely. You have until 1:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, October 9 to link your card at the challenge post.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps: Happy Everything (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Basic Gray, Soft Sky textured (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Basic Gray (SU)
Other: square punch (Creative Memories); mini heart brad (Making Memories)

Posted by PH in VA at 4:00 am Cards, CAS Colours & Sketches, Lawn Fawn, Seize the Sketch, Stampin' Up!

52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown - September theme challenge

9 Responses »
Sep 212013

Hello! I hope you’re having a great weekend so far.

This week at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown we are celebrating Christmas with a Christmas tree themed challenge!  The design team has made some great cards with various Christmas tree images. You can go to the 52{C}CT site to see what they’ve created, and if you love what you see, feel welcome to comment on their work – I know they’d really appreciate it!

I decided to go monochromatic with shades of green and some retired Stampin’ Up cardstock for my tree card.  The layout is from Seize the Sketch.  I’ve used one of my favorite Christmas tree stamps and did the “rock ‘n roll” technique with it on a scrap of cardstock, and then cut it out and popped it up over the panel and the ribbon.  The stamp has a star on top of the tree, but I cut that off and replaced it with a star-shaped brad.

And now it’s your turn to show us what you can create!  We’d love it if you joined our challenge this week.  You have until 1:00 pm Eastern time Friday, September 27 to link your card at the 52{C}CT site.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you’ll come back again soon.

Supplies:
Stamps: Season of Joy (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Confetti Cream, Certainly Celery (Stampin’ Up); designer paper from Very Merry Christmas 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Echo Park)
Ink: Certainly Celery, Always Artichoke (SU)
Other: Certainly Celery twill ribbon (SU); star brad (The Paper Studio)

Posted by PH in VA at 1:00 am Cards, Christmas Card Throwdown, Operation Write Home, Seize the Sketch, Stampin' Up!
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