Quadruple Challenge Card

Just a quick post today, got the weekend (and Wimbledon) calling my name!! This card is a Quadruple Challenge card. "What?!" you say. "Four challenges in one card???" Yup. Here's the breakdown:

1) SCS Color Challenge = Wild Wasabi, Taken with Teal, and Whisper White (I used Bali Breeze DP for my teal panel and butterfly)

2) SCS Featured Stamper Challenge = using Diane's creation here as a jumping off point for my card

3) SCS Way to Use It Challenge = use a bird in the card (I colored mine with chalk for a softer look)

4) The challenge on Our Creative Corner = use one brad and one button. The teal button was from my stash, the brad is from SU!s Vintage Brads collection.

So what do you think? Thanks for looking!!

A little Friday wisdom...

"In the long history of humankind... those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed."
-Charles Darwin

Color Inspiration & Sketch Card

Been a few days since I "got my stamp on" as my DH would say -- summer is supposed to be down time, right??!! Anyways, this card is for this week's Sketch Challenge on SCS and I used Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration as my palette: Purely Pomegranate, Regal Rose, River Rock, Wild Wasabi, and Whisper White. White rub-ons from the "Eastern Elegance" collection add dimension to my Regal Rose squares. My Wasabi squares are from the Hostess Designer Prints set, and my Purely Pomegranate squares are from the retired "Holiday Harmony" paper. "Happy Heart Day" (it's retiring in August so place your order now if you want it!) provided my cute elephant image -- this card is for a coworker and friend who is moving to another city. She's one of those great people who just lights up a room with her good humor and energy. Usually I wouldn't make my Ellie pink, but in this instance, it just suits. I used my Blender Pen and Regal Rose ink pad to color her -- note her oh-so-girly nails, colored in Purely Pomegranate.

Here's the Color Inspiration and Sketch if you want to try it. My card measures 4x4" and my squares are 1" and 1 1/4" using my punches.

Mojo Monday Sketch

The "Way to Use It" Challenge on SCS was to use a photo in our creative project. I had this cute picture of a family friend, concentrating so hard on completing the obstacle course at my son's 6th birthday party. I used Julee's Mojo Monday sketch, combined with Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration (Rose Red, Old Olive, Going Gray, So Saffron, and Whisper White) to create this card. The sentiment was stamped in Staz-On Black ink onto Vellum as a photo overlay.

RECIPE
Stamps: Happy Harmony (retired)
Paper: Going Gray, So Saffron, Old Olive, and Whisper White cardstock; Rose Red Prints designer paper
Ink: Black Staz-On
Embellishments: Old Olive ribbon, Flower Fusion felt flowers, Silver Hodgepodge Hardware brads (Mini Catalog), SU! dimensionals


Here's the Mojo Monday sketch if you want to take a crack at it:

Stampin' Up! Retiring Stamp Sets

It's time to say goodbye to some old favorites while Stampin' Up! makes room in our new catalog for hundreds of new stamps and accessories. If you've been holding off on getting those retiring stamps on your wish list, now is your last chance to get them before they are gone forever. To view the list of retiring stamp sets, CLICK HERE. They are only available until August 10. Contact me to place your order ASAP, as supplies are limited!

Nearly 100 stamps sets have been selected for retirement, as well as all of the Hostess Sets from the Spring-Summer Collection 2008. Some of my favorites on this retirement list (click to see card samples from Splitcoast Stampers) include:
Artfully Asian
Carte Postale
Peaceful Wishes
The Snowflake Spot
Year after Year

A new catalog full of new stamp sets and accessories starts August 11. You can be one of the first to host a workshop with the new catalog and qualify for new hostess sets -- just send me an e-mail to set a date!

Father's Day Gatefold Card

As a Father's Day card for my father-in-law, I made another gatefold card -- standard 5 1/2 x 8 1/2" strip of River Rock textured cardstock, scored at 2 1/8" on each end to fold in. I layered Porcelain Prints designer paper on both side that fold in. My tree was stamped in Staz-On Timber Brown on watercolor paper, then I used my Aqua Painter to add Always Artichoke for the leaves and grassy ground, Chocolate Chip for the trunk, and Bordering Blue for the background sky. It's layered onto squares of Always Artichoke, Kraft and Black and mounted with SU! dimensionals on the left panel only. Two scraps of Always Artichoke ribbon were tucked under the edge. My photo corner punch added some interest to each corner of the card with layers of Blue Bayou and Always Artichoke. The sentiment is a single word from the word collage stamp in my retired "Natural Beauty" stamp set, hand colored with my Chocolate Chip marker and stamped onto Confetti White paper. I sponged some Always Artichoke around the edges to give it more dimension.

Thanks for looking -- have a great Father's Day weekend!!

Color Challenge Gate Fold Card

I wasn't sure about how this week's color challenge on SCS would look, as it seemed like an odd combination (Real Red, Regal Rose, and So Saffron) but when I saw Mary Fish's Gate Fold card, it inspired me (thanks, Mary!!)

My base panel of Real Red is cut at 11" x 4 1/4", then scored at 2 1/2" and 7 1/4" (this gives you a slightly larger panel on the right side tucked under the smaller left hand panel). I layered Confetti White on both panels, then another layer of Regal Rose (left) and So Saffron (right) cardstock. My Stitched Exotics background flair was stamped with Versamark on the two panels. The large flower image was stamped in Regal Rose on Confetti White paper and cut out with scissors. I used my Blender Pen to dab some So Saffron along the inner open areas of the flower, and added the mini stamped flower in a Build-a-Brad for the center. Peeking out from behind the stamped flower are two punched flowers, using my 5-Petal Flower Punch, in Regal Rose and So Saffron, and they are all layered on top of a Real Red Die-Cut Bloom (from the mini catalog).

My sentiment was stamped in Real Red on So Saffron and cut out with the Word Window Punch, with another punch of Real Red behind it to give it a 3-D effect. Regal Rose satin ribbon wraps the right side of the card in a neat little knot, so much easier than a bow and equally as attractive.

Thanks for looking! :-)

Mojo Monday, better late than never...

This was the Mojo Monday sketch for *last* week, but I just now got around to playing with it. I realized I had yet to make my dad a Father's Day card, so this was perfect timing. Not typical "manly" colors, but I just love the Le Jardin designer paper in a collage like this. The flower is from the Eastern Elegance Rub-Ons set.

RECIPE
Stamps: All Holidays
Paper: Le Jardin DP, Bashful Blue, River Rock, So Saffron & Very Vanilla card stock
Ink: Bashful Blue, Black SU! marker
Tools: 1/4" square punch (used to make zigzag border), paper piercer & mat pack, CM cutting system for circles
Embellishments: Bashful Blue ribbon, Soft Subtles Brads, Eastern Elegance Rub-Ons

Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge

This card developed from Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge, taking cues from Maren who was the Featured Stamper this past week on SCS. I used her "Embrace Blush" card to pull the Embrace Life stamp, paper and color scheme, then mixed the elements up to fit Beate's sketch. In honor of National Garden Day, which was this past Friday, I chose an image that I believe is one of the prettiest flowers out there, all open and ready for you to add your own touches. I used my Blender Pen to color the flower in with Blush Blossom and Groovy Guava around the outer edges, then added in a half-pearl from the Pretties Kit in the center with a Glue Dot. It just so happens that the Stamp Something blog featured a similar "In the Wilds" challenge. I don't have any real wild animal stamps, but they said flowers count, LOL. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. :-)

Inspiration Challenge Card

These are pictures of somebody's fabulous master bedroom, courtesy of Domino Magazine. They served as the Inspiration Challenge this week on Splitcoast Stampers. So after I finished drooling over the bedroom, LOL, I got to work.

In retrospect I think Soft Sky may have been a truer color match, but I got Bashful Blue set in my mind and went with that. The sketch at iheart2stamp featured a prominent half-oval, which reminded me of a bed headboard. I used my Creative Memories cutting system to cut my oval out of Whisper White cs, then stamped my Stem Silhouette stamp in Certainly Celery to decorate my "headboard" like the picture. I ran the rim of the oval across my inkpad several times to give it some definition. For my bottom panel, I ran a strip of Whisper White through my Cuttlebug and then sponged the embossed vines & birds with Bashful Blue to simulate the bedroom wall panels. A strip of Pretty in Pink embossed with my Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots pattern goes across the center, nestled cheek to cheek with my Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon, tucked through a ribbon slide from my silver Hodgepodge Hardware set in the Mini "Occasions" catalog. The silver is repeated in my brads in the bottom right corner.

And what's that huge bloom in the center? Why, it's the flower on the chair back, of course. I created it with my Serene Sunflower (retired) large and small stamps, stamped several times in Purely Pomegranate, Cameo Coral and Only Orange. The center is stamped with the bloom from "Bloomin' Beautiful" (mini catalog) to add some different petals. Whew! There's definitely a lot going on in this card. Maybe too much? Thanks for looking. Here's the sketch if you want to give it a try. :-)

Wild Wasabi Thank You

Catching up with last week's SCS sketch challenge while playing with my Boho Flowers punch. I love this punch because it makes it super simple to create layered flowers in 3 distinct shapes, all with just a squeeze of the handle. I have found that SU!'s punches are *so* much easier than other cheaper versions found at Michael's, A.C. Moore, etc. They're sharper, so it doesn't take as much of a toll on my arm/wrist to punch through paper or cardstock. Anyhoo, here's my happy little card (I changed it slightly from the original sketch to make a 4 1/2" square card folded at the top). Hope you like it! :-)

RECIPE
Paper: Wild Wasabi textured cs (base), Wild Wasabi dp (hostess prints pack), Uptown dp (retired), So Saffron, Almost Amethyst & Whisper White cardstock
Ink: Wild Wasabi, So Saffron (sponged over sentiment)
Tools: Boho Flower Punch, Small Oval punch, paper piercer & mat pack
Embellishments: Vintage Brads

New Sketch & Old Color Challenge

This week's Sketch Challenge on SCS had a huge round focal point -- time to break out my Pretties Kit and use one of the ginormous flowers. :-) The Pretty in Pink paper is from the Hostess Designer Paper kit, available only as a hostess gift when you have a workshop (hint, hint). The color scheme was one from SCS a few weeks ago that I never got around to incorporating: Pretty in Pink, Lovely Lilac, and Certainly Celery. My green strips were run through the Cuttlebug to emboss with Swiss Dots, and a sweet layer of Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon is crossed above them. I used the "cute" sentiment from my "So Very" stamp set as a solid-image stamp to meet Sharon's "Stamp Simply" challenge for the weekend.

SCS Color Challenge Card

I used Jen del Muro's Special Edition sketch as a jumping off point for this card, incorporating the SCS Color Challenge from last week: Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip, and Very Vanilla. My card has a simple 4X4" cardstock base. I took my Very Vanilla cardstock and ran it through the Floral Fantasy folder in the Cuttlebug, then sponged Sage Shadow ink on it. (I'm really enjoying playing with my new Cuttlebug embosser -- if anyone in the area wants to try out a Cuttlebug, give me a call and I'll be happy to take you for a "test drive", they're definitely fun and add lots of dimension to your projects!) I used my trusty blender pen to pick up some Sage Shadow and fill in the line art flower on the stamp.

RECIPE
Stamp: Sidekick Sayings
Paper: Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Wintergreen DP (retired)
Ink: Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip
Tools: Boho Blossom punch, blender pen, paper piercer & mat pack, SU! dimensionals
Embellishments: Chocolate Chip satin ribbon, Vintage brads

Here's Jen's sketch if you want to give it a try:

June's Stampin' Up! Specials

June has brought some new promotions from Stampin' Up! and your chance to save money and have some fun!
Fresh Cut Sneak Peek
From June 1-30, Stampin' Up! is providing an advance purchase opportunity for the Fresh Cut stamp set (#111634) and coordinating Fresh-Cut Notes (#111882). These two products will be included in the Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalog.

Customers: Purchase the sneak peek Fresh Cut stamp set and add on the coordinating Fresh-Cut Notes for just $5.

Hostesses: Hold a $400 workshop in June, and receive the Fresh Cut stamp set and coordinating Fresh-Cut Notes FREE.

Remember, customers may purchase these two products the following ways:

• Buy the Fresh Cut stamp set and get the Fresh-Cut Notes for just $5 (limit one Fresh-Cut Notes at $5).
• Buy just the stamp set for: $21.95.
• Buy just the Fresh-Cut Notes for $8.95.

Hostesses:

• Place a $400 order (or more) and earn the Fresh Cut stamp set and Fresh-Cut Notes free.
• There is not an additional incentive for workshops of $800 or more. This incentive is for reaching the $400.

eScape With Stampin' Up!
Remember when you got letters in your mailbox instead of your inbox? On June 25, 2008, Stampin' Up! is taking the day to unplug and unwind, and reconnect on a personal level with friends and loved ones through handmade cards. And we invite you to eScape with us throughout the month of June!

Reconnect with your "wireless network" by hosting an eScape event of your own! Take advantage of the 25 percent discount on select items in the eScape bundle to help you create that special message from the heart.

eScape Bundle (item 113700):

Description	Page Number	Price
Circle of Friendship stamp set	p. 143	$17.95
Love Notes assortment	p. 167	$8.95
Rose Red Classic Stampin' Pad	p. 165	$5.25
Very Vanilla 5/8" grosgrain ribbon	p. 191	$7.95
Total (non-bundled)		$40.10
eScape Bundle price		$30.00

What a fantastic deal and what a wonderful way to stay in touch with your friends and loved ones. To take advantage of this special offer, contact me today!

Beate's WSC triple-challenge card

This card is based on Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge. Its colors and flow were inspired by Padme's dress in Star Wars, which was the Inspiration Challenge on SCS. You were to choose a movie dress and base your card on it. I accented my Soft Sky with black and white to do the Stamp Simply challenge on No Time to Stamp.

The base of the card was run through my Cuttlebug for embossing. The center panel is Soft Sky DP, layered on top of textured Basic Black and Whisper White paper. a little faux stitching with my black marker echoes the stitched black ribbon I used across the middle. For my sentiment, I used a Stampin' Up! rub-on from the Cherished Memories. The Soft Sky panel underneath the circle is stamped twice in Versamark with the swirl from my "Priceless" stamp set. I rounded the corners to further soften the card.

Here's Beate's sketch from her "Fresh & Fun" blog for you to try:

No Stamping today -- Garden Photos

After I became a stay-at-home mom and shortly before my now-4 year old son was born, we moved into an older ranch that to this day needs major renovations. While we're not in the position to redo the kitchen, add on a screened-in porch, update the wiring, etc., I figure at the very least we can improve the landscape. Plants are inexpensive, and manual labor (i.e. me) is cheap. :-) Imagine the pre-gardening phase, when all of this was just grass... and see the next phase, a new annual garden by the street and a windowbox yet to be filled. When I'm not busy with the kids, working at the office or involved with my StampMom activities, I've got dirt under my fingernails and freckles on my nose -- life is good with green thumbs, LOL.