Life is Good

The Paper Players are looking for clean and simple creations this week, with their sketch, so I pulled up a seat (hehe) and started stamping this card! I'm loving how you can line up more than one stamp on the SU! clear acrylic blocks at a time. Since my chairs, from Have a Seat stamp set, were spaced apart a bit, I just inked up two in Basic Black and the third in Cherry Cobbler, a bit of huffing and voila, 3 chairs in a row, in the center of my VERY WHITE card space. Sentiment is a non SU! item but thought it fit the card perfectly. Simply stated for a simple card! The Just Add Ink gals are also going clean, with just stamps and cardstock.

Paper Players #39

Polish Pottery

This weeks Card Patterns Sketch paired with Jay Gees Nook inspiration photo was the PERFECT combo to whip out a new set of stamps I've been wanted to ink up. I had fun coloring my little pot of coffee to resemble one you'd find in a Polish Pottery shop. 

Card Patterns #107

Jay Gees Nook #5

I pulled the golden hues out of the photo with my Brushed Gold paper from SU! and some retired gold cord. With Baja Breeze as my base color, I layered the gold and then a strip of Daffodil Delight with Bashful Blue on top of that. To mimic the blue striped on the card in the photo, I cut 1/4" strips of Bashful Blue & Baja Breeze and layered them one right after the other to create the fun backdrop for my coffee pot....which was stamped in Versa Mark & heat embossed with Gold Embossing Powder. A small Marina Mist bow and of course a golden sentiment to finish my card with a bit of yellow bling. I also edged my card and center blue striped square with a bit of white.

Punches Used: Word Window L, Modern Label XL, Scallop Edge Border

Sale-A-Bration is Ending Soon!

Exactly one week from today, Sale-a-bration will be coming to an end...Take advantage of this great deal, when you order $50 or more of your favorite Stampin' Up! goodies, you get a FREE Sale-a-bration stamp set. Click HERE to view the Sale-a-bration sets before they are GONE like m&m's in a stampers candy dish!

Or you can contact me @

dabblindawn@yahoo.com

Happy Stamping!!

Thanks Dear

I made a dozen of these to use as my 6 year olds birthday thank yous, cute, no?! The colors were taken from this weeks Just Add Ink color challenge and my design was pulled from the sketch below taken from the Dutch Dare Card Challenges blog. 

Just Add Ink #60

DDCC#104

I stamped my little tree in Crumb Cake and then again in Old Olive (I tried using my Stampin' Write Markers directly on this stamp but it wasn't giving me the bold coloring I wanted) cutting out just the leaves and adhering them over top of my brown leaves to make them green. I love how they are now subtly popped up off the white, giving them a bit of dimension but not too much. I edged my Crumb Cake with the Cutter Kit tool. Corner rounding just one edge of my card and one of the pieces of Rich Razzleberry. My four Rich Razzleberry pieces were stamped with Craft White and heat embossed in White as well. The Thanks sentiment is from this years Sale A Bration So Happy For You, which is still available till the end of this month. I stamped my little deer directly onto Crumb Cake in Crumb Cake ink and then cut my little fellow out before attaching him to my card. Two simple brown buttons on the corners and viola, a cute little card. 

Wee Memories & Lawnscaping Challenges are having a "Cute and Cuddly" challenge this week, go check them out!

Punches Used: Corner Rounder

Happy Easter

Hand Stamped Sentiments #59

Hand Stamped Sentiments had this fabulous photo to use as inspiration this past week and ever since spotting the eggs in the photo, I knew I wanted to make a card that incorporated eggs somehow. I searched through my stash of paper, retired and non and thought the small 3X3 inch scraps from my retired DSP sampler "Tea Party" would do the trick. I stamped my egg image on white cardstock and again on 3 of the DSP and then cut them out and started paper piecing away (one of my favorite techniques). I then had to figure out something to hold my little eggs and although a basket would've been my first choice, I was quite happy after I managed to take some hemp twine and tie it up to look like a little nest. A piece of Crumb Cake behind the eggs to give the illusion of a bottom to my little nest, some Pretty in Pink ribbon and a simple little Happy Easter greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes. I used different sized dimensionals to adhere my eggs into place.

Punches Used: 1-3/4" XL Circle

A little late

Dang, I missed another birthday but at least I have an excuse to use this adorable little turtle from SU! Hostess Long Fellows stamp set. Isn't he cute?? I used this weeks ColourQ challenge in picking the colors for my card. Wouldn't you know I just happened to save the outside scrap from my previous card's top note and it worked PERFECTLY!! :) Love it when that happens! I started my base with Daffodil Delight, placed my Top Note outline in Early Espresso to frame my little happy green turtle. A scrap of Old Olive run through the Big Shot with an EF which looks like grass and Kiwi Kiss...um, was stumped on that color till I remembered the DSP Sampler I had stashed in the bottom of a drawer and viola, Kiwi Kiss DSP, SWEET!! Some Old Olive ribbon, some bling and a cute little LATE birthday card for a wonderful lady in Iowa.

CQC76 

Banner of Thanks

 

 Although these three colors from this weeks Paper Players color pallet scream "baby" to me, I chose to use them for thank you cards instead. The Shabby Tea Room is looking for celebration or birthday themed cards based off the inspirational photo below and since I'm in need of some thank you cards for some very special people in my life who made my bday (week) rock! (oh yeah, the older you get the longer you get to celebrate) I wanted to make them feel as appreciated as I felt loved and celebrate them in return!

 Shabby Tea Room #53

Paper Players Challenge #38

I scoured all of my stamp sets for Thank you sentiments and pulled out So Happy for You, Afterthoughts, Because I Care, Happy Moments & the very first stamp set that started my mad obsession, All Natural-retired. Starting with a Very Vanilla base, I ran a piece of Early Espresso through the Big Shot with my Top Note die and then stamped my thank you phrases randomly in Craft White Ink, heat embossing with a 50/50 mixture of heat & stick powder and dazzling diamonds. I tried to stamp in Versa Mark instead of the Craft White but the words just didn't show up like I wanted them to. My little banner was punched out with the Small Oval in Baja Breeze & Blushing Bride and then stamped in Early Espresso with some tiny letters I found in my stamp stash. I folded them in 1/2 over a piece of Very Vanilla 1/8" taffeta ribbon, sticking them together with Sticky Strip, so they wouldn't pop open and then popped my little banner off the card with stampin' dimensionals. Tried my hand at a shabby bow-like flower with some Very Vanilla Seam Binding, topping with a pink flower and a retired Epoxy Brad. One last Thanks, I love being spoiled sentiment stamped onto Baja Breeze and I'm quite happy with my sweet little card!

Just a Note

I finally treated myself to the Aviary stamp set from SU! I've had my eye on it since the new catty was released last summer BUT somehow kept forgetting to add it to my orders. Anything with birds reminds me of my dear Grandma on my Dad's side of the family. The bright yellow finches used to just LOVE the dinners she'd set out for them in the multiple feeders hung from a tree in her back yard, overlooking the corn fields of Iowa.

But enough about birds and reminiscing...I could do that for DAYS!! 

The inspiration for my little note cards was drawn from the color challenge over at Totally Hues & this weeks Card Patterns Sketch.

Totally Hues #3

Card Patterns Sketch #106

I started with Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Bashful Blue & Tempting Turquoise and got to work cutting my base cards and embossing the 1/2 layer with SU!'s Elegant Lines EF. The other 1/2 of the card, I stamped some sheet music in Versa Mark for a subtle background. My little birds are stamped in coordinating colors and then I Versa Marked and Silver heat embossed the little cages and sentiments. A strip of Daffodil Delight Pom Pom trim adhered with Sticky Strip, folded in 1/2 (I literally couldn't live without that stuff!!)...some REALLY fat pop ups to clear the Pom Pom trim and 3 coordinating blingy flowers from one of my, wonder what's in here, drawers-hehe!

Punches Used: Word Window, 2-3/8" XL Scallop Circle & 1-3/4" XL Circle

Quite the PEAR

Two very special people, who met through blogging are getting married, yipee!!! (and how insanely perfect that the wedding march from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is playing on my itunes at this very moment!) so I of course was in need of an engagement card. I've had this little pear saying and stamp for a few months now and thought I'd whip it out for the perfect pair, no pun intended, haha!

I pulled my colors from this weeks Dutch Dare inspirational photo and look, there's even a cake! Perfection to a T, I tell ya!! I paired it with Just Add Ink's sketch challenge (can't help myself, must be midnight already!). In all fairness, my printer printed out the photo making the dress more of a Pacific Point color but looking at the web photo, it should've been a Taken with Teal-too bad I already sold that retired color!! 

DDCC #103

Just Add Ink #59

Using my Color Coach, I settled on Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze & Pacific Point and got to work. I stamped my saying multiple times to create a background using Craft White Ink & White embossing powder. Popping up one cut out phrase stamped on Pacific Point to really focus on the saying. My little pears were also stamped in Craft White but I embossed them using a 50/50 mix of Heat & Stick powder & Dazzling Diamonds. My little blue & silver embellishments came from my drawer of random bling and a knot of 1" retired Baja Breeze ribbon to tie these two love birds together forever!!

Punches used: 2-3/8" XL Scallop Circle, 1-3/4" XL Circle

Good Luck

My birthday treat arrived (a day late) yesterday and sat longingly and patiently, waiting for me to get all three kids snuggled in their beds before I dove in and gently removed each and every fun new punch, pack of paper, stamp set, marker, etc. from their cardboard home to their new home filled with bright cheerful colors, organized shelves, color coded paper & crafting candy filled jars. Still giddy with excitement and totally on a paper high!! Yipee!

Of course I couldn't go to sleep...noooooooo, so I starting making a card at midnight and won't tell you what time I finished and finally scooted my tired eyes off to bed!! Coffee is on the menu for today, for sure. I may even hit up Starbucks! YUM! :)

Card Patterns Sketch 105

This weeks Shabby Tea Room is having a 'luck of the Irish' challenge and Hand Stamped Sentiments is "going for the green"...of course that means green, green, GREEN and lots of it and since Card Patterns sketch challenges are made with green, my eye happened to land on that sketch first as I was browsing my printed out inspiration sheets.

I loved how the green layer with the scallop trim looked a bit like a stage curtain, so Go Graduate was quickly pulled out and colored with an array of greens and other fun colors for the students teeny tiny shoes. I used my new Sale A Bration, So Happy For You stamp set that has a little clover and good luck phrase. Stamped the tiny clover in Versa Mark on my Wild Wasabi background. The scallop border is Pear Pizazz. My big clover was made using one of the hearts from the SU! Heart to Heart XL Punch. I curled up the petals a bit and then hand drew a little stem. A bit more green on my little tab held on with a hardware brad and green chunky retired GLITTER!! A piece of basic black that reminds me of a books binding and again as a border around my large clover. No pot of gold here, just a wishful greeting for a lucky teen as they embark on a new chapter in their life! GO GREEN!!

Punches Used: Heart to Heart XL, 3/4" Circle, Word Window, Corner Rounder

Turning 30!

My friend Karen is turning 30 this week, actually tomorrow and to celebrate, I made her this card inspired by the color swatch from the ladies at Wplus9 Color Cue Blog. Karen had a fabbo double birthday party with her son this past weekend. 3 & 30 at 3:30!! hehe (she has a little thing for numbers) So, I decided to take her present (and card) to another level and made sure there were 30 of each item. Her card has 30 presents, that is if you include the one inside too. And turquoise was one of her main colors, FUN!

Color Cue #12

I stamped the presents in Versa Mark and then heat embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. I stamped my little presents onto Tempting Turquoise & Perfect Plum and only cut out 1/2 of the center package to paper piece on top after I ran then through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. The other two presents I colored in and then colored two small flowers from my Pretties Kit to place on top. The 30's are all stamped in Versa Mark and then glittered up with a 1/2 & 1/2 mix of Heat & Stick Powder and Dazzling Diamonds. A bit of White Organza Ribbon and a tiny Happy Birthday greeting attached with Hemp Twine.

The rest of the goodies shown below...there was a bag of chocolate that I forgot to put in the pic. It didn't have 30 pieces in it but I thought she'd enjoy something any woman wants on their special day, chocolate!!! Can't ever have enough (wink)

Punches Used: Small Oval, 2-1/2" Circle, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle