A Little Rusty ~ Retro Sketches Challenge #121

I am obsessed with anything rusty. I'm a junk collector so the rustier the better! I was totally inspired today while surfing Pinterest. The colors are absolutely gorgeous. I love how they contrast and compliment each other. So, I set out on a mission to create my own rusty card.

Here's my Inspiration...

The sketch came from Retro Sketches for challenge #121. It's a fun one that really worked well for this card. 

Here's the Sketch!

My initial idea was to make a gate with rusty hardware, but it didn't exactly turn the way I had it pictured in my head. I just plain ran out of room for hinges. Oh well, I really like the way the coloring turned out. I hope you like it too!

Here's my Creation!

Supplies Used:

Cardstock ~ Early Espresso, Baked Brown Sugar, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Cajun Craze

Ink ~ Soft Suede, Baked Brown Sugar, Sahara Sand, Cajun Craze, Tangelo Twist, Hello Honey, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Tempting Turquoise, Soft Sky, Early Espresso

Stamp Sets ~ Hardwood, Chalk Talk, Gorgeous Grunge

Tools/Other Supplies ~ Sponges, Big Shot, Circle Framelits, Chalk Talk Framelits, 1/4" Circle punch, Paper Trimmer, Paper Snips, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Paper Piercing Tool, Piercing Mat, Liquid Adhesive, Dimensionals

Embellishments ~ Antique Brads, misc. brads

A Lullaby in the Forest ~ Retro Sketches #120

Oh, Baby!

This baby card was so fun to make. I rarely make a "cutsie" card, but I do enjoy them every once in a while. I purchased this {Life in the Forest} stamp set when it came out in the spring catalog. This is the first time I've gotten to use it. I know it's really not baby related, but it was the only stamp set I have that either wasn't retired or wasn't too mature. Paired with the new {Lullaby} DSP, this made the best card! Plus, it's not gender specific so it's a good one to keep on hand!

The inspiration for this card came from the Card Concept for challenge #13. I really like this blog. They are a bunch of very talented designers that come up with a weekly challenge. You may chose from Clean & Simple, Clean & Layering, Clean & Graphic, Shabby Chic, Freestyle Collage, and Classy & Elegant. Normally my style would fall into the Shabby Chic category, but this time I chose to go with the Clean & Layering category. I hope it fits there. 

The sketch came from Retro Sketches for challenge #120. It was a great one for layering DSP!

What I Used:

Cardstock ~ Whisper White, Baked Brown Sugar

DSP ~ Lullaby

Stamp Sets ~ Life in the Forest, Label Love

Tools/Other Supplies ~ Paper Trimmer, Paper Snips, Artisan Label punch,7/8" Scallop Circle punch, Arrows & Delicate designs Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Liquid Adhesive, Blender Pen, Black StazOn, Glue Dots

Embellishments ~ Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Crisp Cantaloupe Thick Baker's Twine

Retro Sketch Sunday #103

There is a new sketch challenge at Retro Sketches today. It is a fun little sketch. A tag! I love tags, they're something that you can use anytime. They are so much fun to make. This sketch was fun because it had a lot of room for creativity. I'm in love with Nautical themes, I needed a masculine tag, and I needed something for Father's Day (yes, I know it's early). This was the perfect project to fill those requirements!

The Sketch:

Here's my take:

Supplies

Cardstock ~ Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, Very Vanilla, Baked Brown Sugar

Ink ~ Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Midnight Muse, Night of Navy, Baked Brown Sugar, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie

Stamp Sets ~ Off the Grid, The Open Sea, By the Tide, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Tools ~ Paper Trimmer, Paper Snips, Itty Bitty Shapes punch, Word Window punch, Itty Bitty Banner Framelits, Dimensionals, Adhesives, Blender Pen, Distress Tool

Embellishments ~ Stampin' Up! Eyelets (retired), Antique Brads, Bakers Twine

Beautifully Baroque #146: A Soft Subtle Thank you

This card totally strikes my fancy. I love the subtle tones. I think these two colors complement each other perfectly. I created this card for Retro Sketches challenge #96. It's a fun sketch with lots of room to play.

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Smoky Slate, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White

Ink ~ Smoky Slate, Pink Pirouette

Stamp Sets ~ Beautifully Baroque, Gorgeous Grunge, Lovely Little Labels

Tools ~ Beautifully Baroque Embossing Folder, Brayer

Embellishments ~ Pink Pirouette Chevron ribbon, Frosted Finishes Embellishments

How To:

*You will assemble these with Dimensionals

Flyin' High

I recently was asked to join a fun little blog called SSINKspiration. It's a group of very talented Stampin' Up! ladies. I'm excited to see where this takes my creativity and I'm excited to meet all these wonderful gals. My first project for January (I'm not officially a member until January 1st so I'm jumping the gun a little) is a Color Challenge. It was a nice change of pace in the midst of the Christmas rush. 

The colors for this challenge are: Primrose Petals, So Saffron and Bermuda Bay.

Sketch is from Retro Sketches, challenge #94

I'm obsessed with feathers. I think they're fabulous. I created these by drawing them by hand onto Stampin' Up! cardstock, then cutting them out. Then I sponged White StazOn around the edges and cut the fringe with my scissors. Finally I added a little detail with my Stampin' Up! markers to give it a little more dimension. I got my inspiration from Stampin' Up! Fine Feathers. Boy do I love this! Was it time consuming? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes! 

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Bermuda Bay, Primrose Petals, So Saffron, Baked Brown Sugar, Whisper White

Ink ~ Bermuda Bay, Primrose Petals, So Saffron, Baked Brown Sugar, White StazOn

Stamp Sets ~ Gorgeous Grunge, Chalk Talk

Embellishments ~ Antique Brads, Crochet Ribbon

Color Me Christmas

I've been on a tag-making kick today. I've created a lot of pretty ones to give, but didn't have anything cute for the kids yet, so I decided to put this cute little stamp set to good use. 

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Whisper White, Baked Brown Sugar

Ink ~ Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, Rose Red, Pink Pirouette, Basic Gray

Stamp Sets ~ A Banner Christmas, Color Me Christmas

Embellishments ~ Cherry Cobbler chevron ribbon

I created this cute little tag with a couple of challenges in mind. The layout came from one of my favorite blogs, Retro Sketches. It is for challenge #93. The color combo came from The Paper Players for challenge #175. 

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Old Olive, Raspberry Ripple, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Baked Brown Sugar

Ink ~ Old Olive, Raspberry Ripple, Pink Pirouette, Basic Black, Black Stazon

Stamp Sets ~ Label Love, Color Me Christmas, A Banner Christmas, Off the Grid, Gorgeous Grunge

Embellishments ~ Pink Pirouette Chevron ribbon, Rhinestone Basic Jewels

Hump-Day Happiness...Get Over It!

Well, it's hump-day folks. Half way there...Get over it. Harvest is wrapping up (knock on wood) and I'm about to get my daily stamping time back. I snuck out to my woman cave lastnight after everyone went to bed. I stayed up WAY too late. Oh the things we do for sanity. 

This card was created for Retro Sketches Challenge #75. I really liked the sketch. As always, I deviated from it a bit. Once again, Crisp Cantaloupe took over. I love how it gives the edges of the paper a vintage look. My fav! I think this is the first time I used Pistachio Pudding. I'm still on the fence of whether or not I like that one. I think it all goes together pretty well. What do you think?

{{{Inside}}}

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Very Vanilla, Baked Brown Sugar

Ink ~ Baked Brown Sugar, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding

Stamp Sets ~ Positively Chevron, Everything Eleanor, Daydream Medallions, Chalk Talk

Embellishments ~ In Color Boutique Details, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Antique Brads, Crochet Trim, Bakers Twine

Other (non-stampin up) Supplies ~ cream colored ribbon, natural fiber ribbon

Truly Retro

Freedom! The kids went to play at a friends house today. Woo Hoo! That means my house will stay clean for more than 5 minutes and I get some STAMPING TIME! I'm taking every second I can get these days. We're still right in the middle of Harvest. I swear this is the longest year ever, or at least it feels like it. Probably because it's keeping me from my woman cave.

I felt a bit like Cinderella today. Mentally thinking, "Now if I manage to get all of my house cleaning done, I might have enough time to squeeze a card in." Rambling to myself is nothing new. My kids think I'm crazy. I like to have a conversation with the vacuum cleaner. It knows all my deepest and darkest of secrets.

As it turns out, I had JUST enough time to crank this one out. I created it for Retro Sketches challenge #74. I had fall colors in mind for this one. We're getting closer and closer to those pumpkin spiced drinks that I love! I also decided to change the way I photograph my cards. I'll work on the lighting...

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Core'dinations in Early Espresso, More Mustard cardstock, Very Vanilla cardstock, Specialty DSP

Ink ~ Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Pool Party, Baked Brown Sugar, More Mustard

Stamp Sets ~ Truly Grateful, Chalk Talk 

Embossings ~ Brads (coated with Pool Party embossing powder), White linen fabric (colored with the Brayer tool and More Mustard ink, Vintage Brads

*The embossing folder used for the background on this card is not from Stampin' Up!

So...Fine?

I set out to create a sympathy card. I hate making these. They mean something sad happened. But, on the positive side, I got to use my Positively Chevron stamp again! I have had the Fine Feathers stamp set for a LONG time, but I think this is only the second time I've used it. I'll be using it more from now on. I used the sketch provided by Retro Sketches for challenge #73, of course I embellished on it a bit. I LOVE how this turned out.

{{{INSIDE}}}

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, First Edition DSP

Ink ~ Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Night of Navy, Baked Brown Sugar

Stamp Sets ~ Positively Chevron, Gorgeous Grunge, So Sorry, Truly Grateful, Fine Feathers, Curly Cute

Other Supplies ~ Early Espresso embossing powder, Pearls Basic Jewels, Chalk Talk framelits, Soda Pop Tops, Itty Bitty Banner framelits

All supplies copyright Stampin' Up!

I'd rather be in Bermuda

Is it hot enough for ya'll? It's over 100 here. I just about FRIED when I went out to get the mail. YUCK! I don't like it when it's this hot. So, I sent the kids to the pool and locked myself in my woman cave. I'm desperately trying to catch up on some challenges. 

This card was created for Retro Sketche's Challenge # 72. I think I barely made it by the skin of my teeth on this one. It closes today! I chose these colors for another challenge that I missed out on. I love how they go together. I think I'll be using them again. Almost all of the supplies are Stampin' Up! With the exception of the burlap and the linen fabric. My daughter kind of came up with the idea of using fabric. I was looking for a way to make this vintage flower with Stampin' Up! Colors. They don't make designer fabrics anymore. Tisk tisk! So I had to come up with my own. I bought white 100% linen fabric and used my Brayer tool to apply the color. PERFECTION! It's the exact look I was hoping for. She's a genius and she's only 7!

 Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Baked Brown Sugar, Whisper White, Very Vanilla

Ink ~ Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Baked Brown Sugar, Early Espresso

Stamp Sets ~ Positively Chevron, Truly Grateful, Gorgeous Grunge, Chalk Talk

Stampin' Up! Supplies ~ Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, Circle Framelits, Labels Collection Framelits, Chalk Talk Framelits, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Antique Brads, Very Vintage Designer Buttons

Other Supplies ~ Burlap, linen fabric, bakers twine

A Retro Kind of Sunday

I got to have a day all to myself! Well, it actually ended up to be more like 3 hours, but it was just enough time to get my design finished for Retro Sketches challenge #69. I had so much fun creating this card. It turned out pretty darn close to what I had pictured in my head. Love it when that happens!

Supplies Used: 

Paper ~ Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Pool Party Core'dinations, Very Vanilla

Ink ~ Early Espresso, Crisp Cantaloupe, Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand

Stamp Sets ~ Gorgeous Grunge, Chalk Talk, Lovely Little Labels

Other Supplies ~ baker's twine, soda pop tops, basic pearl jewels, vanilla ribbon

Retro Sketches Challenge #69

Another day, another challenge. I think I need to find a challenge for everyday. I'm ADDICTED to them! I love pushing myself out of my comfort zone and trying new things. I really need help when it comes to layouts. I draw a blank when I have to come up with one on my own. Here is the latest challenge from Retro Sketches. I think there is a lot of room to be creative with this one. I can't wait to get started!

This challenge closes on Friday, June 28th. I hope you have a chance to submit something too!