Patriotic Card for Ted

I've been having so much fun playing along with card challenges lately.  It has been great to stretch my creativity and the challenges provide inspiration to get a direction on a project.

I mentioned in a previous post that Glen's father's birth date is July 6th.  His brother (Glen's Uncle) celebrates his birthday on July 5th and I needed a card.  The challenge at Cards in Envy is a red, white and blue challenge - perfect for Ted's birthday.  He is a meticulous dresser and generally makes a statement in his attire.  Those that know Ted will agree that this card screams Ted!  He also has a great appreciation of art in any and all media.  He will appreciate that the card is handmade.

Cards in Envy is a challenge that requires that you make your card to fit in an envelope (envy).  It must be a standard A2 card and be less than 1/4" thick.  My card does have a little dimension, but it is less than 1/4" think, plus I used foam dimensionals that squish down and pop back up :).

Cards in Envy: Red, White AND Blue Challenge

Check out the great inspiration cards and the other challenge submissions.

Happy Stamping,
Dana

Delft Inspired Anniversary Card

I am in need of a number of anniversary cards so you may see more popping up in the near future.  This particular card kicked off with the City Crafter Challenge which is to use blue, green and a splash of red on your card.  

I immediately determined that I wanted to recreate the delft plate on my card.  I created a floral background in blue, then I fussed and fussed a little more with elements that could stand up to that bold background.  I finally landed on two greens and added another background to the light green to help it balance the blue background.  A few flowers  were added to get that splash of red.  This card is a little busier than my typical card, but I think it represents the inspiration photo well.

Happy Stamping,

Dana

CAS Nautical Card

The challenge this week over at CASology is nautical.  Since I always have need for masculine cards and clean and simple is in my wheel house (sorry, I had to do it) I decided to play along.  Although the photo doesn't show it very well, the card is navy (not black) and white.  All of the supplies on this card happen to be from Stampin' Up.  If you need a little inspiration, stop in at CASology to see all of the fabulous cards with a nautical theme.

Happy Stamping,

Dana

Fourth of July Inspiration

Glen's family celebrates the 4th of July in a big way.  Homemade ice cream with homemade root beer, fireworks off the dock, good food and family fun!  Glen's father's birthday was July 6th and his mother loves all things patriotic.  Glen's father passed away a few years ago and it has been a hard road for his mother as she adjusts to life without him by her side.  This card will be sent to her to let her know that we are thinking of her on Carl's birth date.

This card is a result of the challenge at Retro Rubber to use the 4th of July as your inspiration.  The flag is an image that Stampin' Up released just after 911, I colored directly on the rubber eliminating the sentiment on the stamp.  The splatter of stars are heat embossed in silver and come from a stamp I purchased in the late 90's by Rubber Stampede.  I dry embossed some white cardstock with SU's stars embossing folder.  The sentiment is from the express yourself set also by Stampin' Up.  I wanted the sentiment banner to wave like a flag so I shaped it a bit and used various heights of dimensionals to give it some "wave".  A punched star and a little bling finish off the card.

Happy Stamping,

Dana

Righty-Tighty

I needed a masculine card and wanted to use the wrench image from the guy greetings set from Stampin' Up.  I thought this week's sketch from Mojo Monday would be the right fit.  I mixed up the layers a bit from the sketch, but I think the result still follows the spirit of the sketch.

There are so many fabulous projects by the Mojo Monday designers and those playing along with the challenge.  

Happy Stamping,

Dana

Birthday in Pink

My niece turns 11 this month!  She is awesome, very much a girly girl.  She is a bit of a fashionista, her wardrobe is heavy on pink and lime green and would make anyone envious. She gets her nails done regularly, has a special towel just to dry her hair, takes dance lessons and dolls up the costumes - I could go on and on.  On the other hand, get her on a soccer field or basketball court and the girl is FIERCE!  I think my card is a good reflection of her.  I saw the sketch challenge over at Your Next Stamp and the design of the card just fell into place!

Take a minute to stop by the Your Next Stamp Challenge site to see all of the great projects by the design team and challengers.  They also have a color challenge this week, so there are options as to how you might like to play along.

Happy Stamping,

Dana

True Love

Today I'm playing along with this week's TGIF Challenge, which is "Together Forever".  I enjoy trying new techniques and styles, but my comfort zone is CAS (clean and simple).  I admire the artists that seem to so effortlessly layer textural elements to create stunning projects.  Today I played a bit with layering some textures.

I encourage you to take a minute to check out the fabulous design team projects and challenge submissions at TGIF.

Happy Stamping,

Dana

Whimsical Tree in Gold

The challenge over at City Crafters Challenge this week is to use a gold die cut.  I wanted to use the Spellbinders whimsical tree die as I think it is both fun and elegant.  I used Stampin' Up brushed gold for the tree and borders.  I LOVE that paper and am sad that it was discontinued. I embossed very vanilla card stock with Kaiser Craft's flourish embossing folder, such an elegant design.  I kept the card simple and only embellished with a bit of gold satin ribbon with a loose knot.

City Crafters Challenge #266
Die Cut Gold

Happy Stamping,

Dana

Freshly Made Thinking of You

I knew I wanted to play along over at Freshly Made Sketches as soon as I saw the challenge.  While I enjoy using a variety of techniques and styles of cards, I simple layout is my go-to.  This wonderful sketch fits the bill.

I decided to make a neutral colored card.  I was excited to play with the new Stampin' Up In-Color of tip top taupe.  I matched it with basic black and whisper white for a very clean card.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts, messages with flourish.  It is a recent addition to my stamp collection and I love the font and sentiments. The flowers are from the birthday blossoms set from Stampin' Up.  I finished the card with a trio of black rhinestones. The do have a slight sheen which doesn't show well in this photo, but it is nice in real life.  

Happy Stamping,

Dana

Nautical Knot

There were so many comments regarding the knot I used on the Set Sail card I posted the other day  (click here to see that card). I thought I would post an image of how I created the knot. I don't know where I originally found the directions in order to give credit.  I used 4 strands of kitchen twine on the Set Sail card.  For the sample image below, I used a single strand of kitchen twine and a single strand of red yarn to make it easier to see how to tie the knot.  Just pull the ends and fuss with the knot until it lays flat, easy peasy!

Nautical Knot

Happy Stamping,
Dana

A Simple Thank You

I'm excited to play along with a new challenge, Stamp Ink Paper (SIP) Challenge.  The current challenge is to use your favorite stamp, inks and paper.  Boy, what a wide open field!  I struggled to land on my favorites as they are always changing.  I settled on Thoughts and Prayers by Stampin' Up as it has been my go-to set for so many cards, especially sympathy cards.  I also used Four You, another classic set with great sentiments.  For ink I used raspberry ripple and wild wasabi.  I used whisper white and raspberry ripple card stock.  I tend to run in streaks in leaning to whisper white or very vanilla.  I'm currently in a whisper white mode.  My card is very simple, but I like the texture of the punched flowers with the pearl centers.

If you get a chance, check out the SIP Challenge.  The design team has created fabulous inspirational cards and there are so many fabulous submissions. 

Happy Stamping,

Dana

Set Sail

I came across the Retro Rubber Challenge and was charmed by the design team photos.  I thought that I should have no trouble playing along with their challenges since I have shelves of stamps dating back to 1996.  The current challenge is to use ribbon or twine on your project.  I knew immediately that I wanted to use twine with a nautical knot, so I dug out a ship stamp from Stamp Cabana.  I played around a bit and wasn't happy with my result.  I then came across The Paper Players color challenge and I knew immediately that was the inspiration I needed.  The card came together quickly after that.

Happy Stamping,

Dana

Birthday Wishes with TGIF

I am playing along with TGIF Challenges! again with a fun sketch challenge this week.

I started with this great patterned paper from Marcella by K.  I wanted it to be the star of the show as it is so elegant and a little retro.  I played around with a number of colors until I settled on this grayish teal card stock from my stash of unknown origin.  I wanted to come up with a subtle take on the horizontal stripes in the sketch.  I cut strips of the background panel and embossed them with Kaiser Craft's Flourish embossing folder.  I stamped & punched a birthday greeting from Stampin' Up watercolor trio set.  I created a border for all the elements from Stampin' Up basic gray card stock. I wanted just a touch of bling so I added a few rhinestones and some fabulous silver beading thread I inherited years ago from my great grandmother. I smile every time I use that thread, my great grandmother was a fabulous crafter!

Happy Stamping,

Dana

Floral Tag Card for City Crafter Challenge

Tags seem to be all the rage lately and I make a lot of tags for packages and 3D items.  But I don't make a lot, if any, tags for card fronts.  Since the City Crafter Challenge this week was to use tags on your project, I thought it was about time I made a card with a tag.

I had some flower ribbon in my stash and thought it would make a cute "tie" for a tag, so I used that as my jumping off point.  I used a number of Stampin' Up products on this card including So Saffron and Pear Pizzazz ink and cardstock.  When all was said and done, I was surprised to note that I used 4 stamp sets: Birthday Blossoms, Kinda Eclectic, Nature's Perfection and Morning Meadow.

Inspiration Photo

I'm happy with how this card turned out, very soft and feminine.

Happy Stamping,

Dana

Note Card Gift Set

A while back I mentioned a cousin who is going through chemo.  I wanted to do a little something to help and let her know I'm thinking of her.  I decided to make her a set of note cards since she may have need for cards but not feel up to going to the store.  I wanted to include stamps so she would have everything she needs.  Luckily stamps come in books of 20 and so do Stampin' Up note cards, so I made 20 note cards and a "box" to hold them.  I wanted to keep the cards fairly neutral so she could use them for any occasion, include some masculine cards and keep them fairly flat.  I decided to create 4 "themes".  Here they are...

 And here is the "box" I made to hold them.  I included a little pocket in the top flap to hold the stamps and used magnets to secure the box.

Stained Glass Beginnings

I thought it was about time that I shared some of Glen's handiwork!

We have a high window in our living room and wanted to dress it up with a stained glass piece.  We did some checking around with local stained glass artists as well as the local Renaissance Festival in which a large number of artists offer their creations.  We quickly realized that it would need to be a custom piece and that it would be quite expensive.  Through our discussions, we realized that we both had an interest in learning stained glass techniques.  We took a class and within a few months completed the glass piece we wanted.  The tools and supplies cost far more than we would have spent on a custom piece, but we found something that we both enjoy.

I created the design and we both selected the glass.  Glen did the lion's share of the assembly and built the frame and built it into the window.  We have completed many other pieces since this, but this is still my favorite!

Have a wonderful day!

Dana & Glen

Blackberry Bliss Fingers: A Happy Sacrifice for #TGIFCTD01

I am in love with this challenge concept!  The super creative and talented design team over at TGIF Challenge! came up with a super clever Throwdown challenge concept.  The challenge is to use at least 4 of the "basket" items in combination with the list of "pantry" items, a spin on the TV show Chopped.

Basket Items

Pantry Items

I had so much fun pulling this card together!  As soon as I saw the challenge I knew I wanted to play along.  Fortunately I had 4 of the basket items: Gold Foil, Butterfly Thinlits and Blushing Bride & Blackberry ink.  I spritzed Blushing Bride on WW card stock using doilies and a cut of the medium butterfly from the Butterfly Thinlits as masks.  I used my aqua painter to flick some Blackberry Bliss on the panel and ran a sponge with Blackberry Bliss along the edges.  I ran the Blackberry Bliss ink pad along a strip of WW card stock and added it to the left of the panel with a thin strip of gold foil. The large butterfly die cut was sponged with Blushing Bride and Blackberry Bliss.  Gold foil was cut with the medium butterfly die and layered over the top.  I dyed some white bakers twine with Blackberry Bliss and wrapped it around the butterfly's body and created antennae.  I also wrapped the dyed twine across the bottom and created a bow with very thin strips of gold foil that I coiled around my paper piercer to create little coils. I shaped the butterfly and added it to the panel with glue dots.  The panel was mounted to a WW card base.

I don't always decorate the inside of my cards, not sure why I don't as I am always happy with the result.  I do tend to decorate the inside of cards larger than the standard 4.25 x 5.5 as I think the extra layers give the card base additional support.  I used similar techniques and layout on the inside as I did for the card front.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stamping,

Dana

And yes, my fingers are still purple!  I did think about putting on gloves...

Family Wedding

Our niece was just married over Memorial Day weekend, what a fabulous day!  I offered to help with decorations and favors.  Teresa had some fabulous ideas and I hope I captured what she was looking for.  She covered the tables with brown craft paper and wanted crayons available to give guests the opportunity to write well wishes so I created little crayon packets.  I made a number of samples for favor boxes and she selected a number of them so there was a variety of designs.  She also wanted pennant banners hung around the room.  I selected the colors from her invitation (close to Stampin Up Mossy Meadow and Crisp Cantaloupe) to create the banners.  The balance of the decorations were in festive spring colors - pinks, greens, oranges and yellow.  The  hall was completely transformed.

I was checking out the City Crafter Challenge (CCCB) and in a happy coincidence, the challenge this week was to include a banner on a project or create a party banner.  So, I thought I would play along with the wedding banners.

Banner Rosette

Center Pennant on Banner

If you have an opportunity, check out CCCB and the fabulous inspiration projects created by the design team.

  Here are some other photos of the Hall, favors and decorations:

Crayon Holders

Treat Boxes

Reception Hall

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stamping!