From the Sketchbook

I didn't get any Stampin' Up! time over the weekend, but I did get a little chance to doodle in the sketchbook AND I even figured out how to use my scanner. Win! 

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

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration ~ April Card Sketch

It's Monday! We are playing the Card Sketch game over at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration today. This is a really fun sketch that has a LOT of room for creativity! If you get a chance, pop on over (SSINK) to see what the Design Team girls came up with!

Here is my take:

 Supplies

Cardstock ~ Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Strawberry Slush Core'dinations, Coastal Cabana Core'dinations

DSP ~ Fresh Prints

Ink ~ Daffodil Delight, Strawberry Slush, Coastal Cabana

Stamp Sets ~ Peachy Keen, Hello Lovely, Geometrical

Tools ~ Paper Trimmer, Paper Snips, Distress Tool, Sanding Block, Dimensionals, Anywhere Glue Stick

Embellishments ~ Rhinestones

Hello Lovely

$32.95

Geometrical

$29.95

Peachy Keen

$19.95

Basic Rhinestones Jewel Accents

$4.95

Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Stack

$6.95

Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

Strawberry Slush Classic Stampin' Pad

$5.95

2013-2015 In Color Core'dinations

$11.95

Stampin' Distress Tool

$4.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Sympathy Cards

Sympathy cards are never fun to make, but they feel good to give. I really like having them on hand because you never know when you will need one. Today at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration, some of our Design Team members are sharing what they have created. Please take a moment to stop by and check them out!

For this card, I chose to use {Ex Libris} as the background. I think that has to be one of my absolute favorites. It is so elegant. Because the background is fairly busy, I didn't want to over power the card with too many embellishments or layers. Sometimes less is more?

Supplies

Cardstock ~ Smoky Slate, Whisper White

Ink ~ Rose Red, Basic Gray

Stamp Sets ~ Ex Libris, Perfect Pennants

Tools ~ paper trimmer, paper snips, dimensionals, sponges, adhesives, stamp-a-ma-jig

Embellishments ~ Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack (Pool Party Twine), Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Pearls Basic Jewels

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

Smooch #142: A Sweet Change of Pace

After the Christmas rush, it was nice to get a little time to do something new. Valentine's Day is coming and it will be here before we know it, so I decided to {try} to get a head start. I don't have many {any} specific Valentine's Day stamp sets (I'll have to work on that), so I improvised.

I am in LOVE with Beautifully Baroque. I wasn't sure if I really would use it much, but so far I've used it QUITE a bit. I'm pretty happy with that purchase! This is a simple card, it was quick to put together and everything turned out right the first time!

The sketch is from Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration. 

*I had to add a little "oomph" so I put in a cute little window. It was so simple, but it added so much.

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Sahara Sand, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla

Ink ~ Cherry Cobbler, silver emboss powder

Stamp Sets ~ Beautifully Baroque, Off the Grid, Ciao Baby, Itty Bitty Banners

Embellishments ~ Cherry Cobbler Chevron Ribbon

Monday Madness!

I now wake up giddy on Monday morning. I never thought I'd see the day. Monday's have a whole new meaning to me now that I'm an OBSESSED stamper. I wake up, feed my horses, grab a cup of coffee and go straight to Mojo Monday's blog to see what the new challenge for the week will be. Here it is. What will YOU come up with?

Here is what I came up with. I am {smitten} with the new In Colors. This is the first time I got to use this stamp from Chalk Talk. I LOVE how this turned out. Sweet!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Specialty DSP, Coastal Cabana, Whisper White, Crisp Cantaloupe

Ink ~ Crisp Cantaloupe, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight

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

Other Supplies ~ Paper Doily, yellow ribbon (misc.), white ribbon (misc.), pool party ribbon, vintage faceted buttons, vintage boutique buttons, Sizzlits large paper doily

Technique:

*I created by own DSP for the banner behind the Chalk Talk stamp, with Whisper White cardstock and my Brayer tool. Using Bermuda Bay ink, I rolled it then built different layers with Gorgeous Grunge stamps. I really love making my own DSP. It seems a lot more personal to me. It's something that no one else has. <3

Oh Baby!

So happy to have FINALLY gotten my new craft room put together. I have a few odds and ends to finish up, but I am at least able to work now. I think I just BARELY got this challenge card completed for Mojo Monday challenge #297

Sketch template:

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Baked Brown Sugar, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede

Ink ~ Baked Brown Sugar, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Soft Suede

Stamp Sets ~ Hello Lovely, Gorgeous Grunge, Ciao Baby

Other Supplies ~ Brads, Soda Pop Tops

A new Challenge!

Time for a new Challenge! This one is from Mojo Monday. It's a fun blog with lots of sketch ideas. The theme, and color scheme are open. I'm headed downstairs to my craft cave right NOW to work on it! What will I come up with? What would you do? I'd love to see your designs. Send me an email with a pic!

Here's what I came up with. It turned out so much better than what I had pictured in my head. I just LOVE it when that happens!

Supplies used for this card

Paper ~ Specialty DSP (unfortunately retired), Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink, Crumb Cake

Ink ~ Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose

Stamp Sets ~ French Foliage, Blue Ribbon, Family Reunion

Other Supplies ~ Designer Builder Brads, Crochet Trim, Pearl Basic Jewels, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, misc brads, misc string