Belle Papier {pretty paper}

I love copper metallic cardstock. So rich looking, warm and  just a little unique from gold and silver. I found an unopened package of it in my closet earlier in the week and thought it would make a great Ways to Use It Challenge. It was a busy week but I worked hard Wednesday night coming up with a card for Thursday’s challenge. Alas…the best laid plans of mice and men.

I managed to pry the laptop from my teenager’s grasp today…picture big argument here LOL…but I prevailed and I have INTERNET today! I’m hoping my own computer with all my files will be fixed today. This laptop takes twice as long as I’m not familiar with it. But hey…I’m not complaining here! What I do need help with….resizing photos in Photoshop Elements….I just can’t figure it out!
Anyone? Please?!

Copper Christmas

This card has a very traditional Christmas look. Love this Flourished Christmas tree! It is stunning. Packaged in the same set with my favorite reindeer and some beautiful sentiments…this is one of my favorite Christmas sets. One of those ones that always looks good and is easy to use. To keep things a little fresh…I paired up the Copper with a new color combo….Soft Sky, Taken with Teal and Copper cardstock. I like to revisit looks with a slightly updated approach to see if it works. I like it…what do you think?

One of the things I love to do best with this copper cardstock is to emboss it with my Cuttlebug embossing folders. Its heavy paper holds the texture well and the embossing really picks up the light…adding to the shimmer of the cardstock. I ran this piece of copper through my favorite embossing folder…snowflakes. LOL I really do have a lot of favorites here today, don’t I? The copper layer was matted with a thin mat of Taken with Teal and mounted onto a card base of Soft Sky.

For the main image….I stamped my flourished tree onto soft Sky cardstock and then embossed it with Copper embossing powder. This powder is by SU which no longer carries it so I’m going to do a copper ep hunt soon! The sentiment was stamped along the bottom of the design with Taken with Teal ink and the same ink was used to sponge the edges of this layer. After matting with a 1/8″ larger mat of Taken with Teal…I added a 1/4″ mat of white cardstock behind that. Before adhering together, I used my ticket corner punch from Stampin Up to notch the edges for added interest. For my final touch…a knotted scrap of May Arts ribbon was adhered with a glue dot to the tree.

Have a great day!

Don’t forget to join us tomorrow 10am EST at Cornish Heritage Farms for the birthday celebration and release of the new backgrounders…it is sure to be a lot of fun.

I just love this color combo! When I saw the challenge this morning …I just knew I had to play along and knew right away the perfect paper to use. Basic Grey Periphery paper has a gorgeous Basic Grey theme with pale blue and celery hightlights…so elegant… it is one of my faves. I decided to pair it up with some floral stamping…the Fantasy Floral Garden from Flourishes worked really well with the look.

Vintage Floral Hello

This design is actually a very simple layout…this paper is so pretty I didn’t want to cover it up. For my image panel…I stamped three of the floral sprays together to create one image. This is so easy to do with this set…the clear stamps make positioning easy without the need for masking. I’m all for keeping it simple these days as life just keeps getting busier and busier! The images were then colored in with my Copic markers, matted with Certainly Celery and Bashful blue and then stitched around the edges. To carry on the vintage look, I used my Basic Grey ink to sponge the edges of my cardstock, image layer and patterned paper.

Lastly…some fun embellishments…the photo turn and the photo corner are both hardware from the beautiful We R Memory Keepers pewter hardware set. A celery Prima Hydrangea flower (Cherry Blossoms set) ties in with a blue button for the center.

If you’d like to play along with today’s color challenge…the challenge is CC142: Basically Soft

I love velvet! So soft, warm, rich…the texture is fabulous and I LOVE adding texture. Don’t you just love projects where you want to reach out and touch it. I guess I love that velvet appeals to more than just one of the senses. Today’s challenge is to use velvet in your project. You can make a card…that’s standard, but you could also make a gift, a tag, a home dec project, a layout…whatever you wish! Just make sure you add a little velvet. If you are not sure how to add velvet, how about a flower, velvet ribbon, velvet brads! Yummmmm. I hope that this challenge isn’t as difficult as last week’s! Not too many people had chalk inks. I realize that the Ways to Use it Challenge CAN be a little difficult at times…we just can’t ALL have EVERY product out there. I do try though! LOL And so, if you have an idea for a Ways to Use it Challenge…feel free to e-mail me (link just under my pic at the top of the sidebar). I’d love to hear from you and I’ll put it on my list.

Velvet and Flowers

For this design, I wanted to use some velvet accessories with my Cosmo Cricket Hey Sugar paper line to create a very feminine design. I wanted to give my Flourishes Fantasy Floral Garden stamp set another try. I totally love this ornate stylized flower. I used my Copic markes to lightly airbrush the vanilla cardstock a warm butter color, stamped my flower and colored it in with my markers. After that was finished, I decided the edges needed a little more defining so I used my darker tan color Copic marker to airbrush around the edges… I love the softnes and how it glows.
For my layout, I decided to go with this week’s CPS sketch challenge, CPS#38 , a very simple but effective layout. This Cosmo Cricket Hey Sugar patterned paper has quickly climbed to one of my top faves. It is gorgeous! I’m truly hoping that it will also be released in an 8×8 format as that would make it perfect! All edges of my patterned paper were sponged with Chocolate Chip ink by Stampin Up.

As for adding my details…the scalloped vanilla cardstock edge was created by repeated punching the edge with my small EK Success corner rounder with the guard removed. The beautiful vanilla velvet ribbon is by Flair Designs. My other velvet addition is a gorgeous velvet flower from Maya Road. I just received my order of them from Papertrey Ink and wow…they are stunning! To finish it off..the little clip is from Making Memories’ Cheek line. So cute!

Wishing you a wonderful day! Hope you join in the challenge and have a little velvet fun. Make sure you check back in tomorrow…I have something you won’t want to miss.

Today’s Limited Supply Challenge on Splitcoastampers.com was a little tricky for me. Why? You had to make a flat Christmas card! If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know how much I LOVE my embellishments! I know some other have put things like brads on their design but I tried my best to stick “to the letter of the law” LOL on this design. Flat ribbon, flat stitching and limited layers. And so…while this design is not bad…I’m totally missing adding on my little goodies! The reason behind hte challenge was keeping mailing costs down during the holidays…those embellishment laden cards CAN be expensive to mail.

Copper Reindeer

I love this stamp set from Flourishes and just in case you missed my post earlier in the week…Flourished Christmas is now back in stock! This reindeer is so easy to use and so festive and elegant…all at the same time. I just can’t bear to put him away! As I have very limited time this morning…I decided to pair up this quick challenge with this weeks SCS sketch challenge turned 90° to fit my reindeer stamp.

The mailperson brought me this gorgeous 6×6 Figgy Pudding patterned paper by Basic Grey yesterday and I couldn’t resist breaking it open to play. Wow! It is stunning and so many great patterns all in one inexpensive pad. I simply must order more as I can’t stand the thought of running out! LOL The two patterned papers were layered onto Soft Sky cardstock and then my Real Red card base before adding stitching details to the design.

Quick Tip: You can’t see it in the photo well. but I pulled out my Cosmic Copper Brilliance ink pad and inked all the edges of each layer with it. It adds a slightly distressed look but also the shimmer makes the design a little more special for the holidays.

For my main image layer… I stamped and embossed my reindeer with Copper embossing powder by Stampin UP. They actually discontinued it with the new catalogue…not sure why as it is gorgeous. I’m now seriously on the lookout for another great Copper embossing powder. I’d love a regular one and I’m not sure if any such thing exists but wouldn’t a Copper glitter embossing powder be stunning?! If you have a good source for either…I’d LOVE to hear from you!

After embossing the reindeer… it was quick to color him in with my Copic marker. To add a slight bit of shading, I just went over the areas I wanted a little darker with the same marker again. After stitching the design, I found I didn’t have any room left for a sentiment without covering up some of the design. Hmmmm…what to do? I came up with the idea to hide the sentiment UNDER the image panel on a little pull out tag. The tag was made smaller than the image layer so that I could adhere three sides of the image layer and still slip the tag underneath. Hope you like this fun variation! If you’d like to play along with this challenge…check out LSC 140 Holiday Mail.

And just to enable you a little…Jacksonbelle is having a weekend sale with tons of items 20% off.

Have a fabulous day!

I hope you are not getting tired of this reindeer stamp because I just couldn’t resist using him again for today’s Color Challenge…Purely Pomegranate, Soft Sky and Basic Grey. I thought it would so well for a unique holiday look and doesn’t his nose look darling? More about that later. This reindeer comes from The Flourished Christmas set from Flourishes and is so popular that it is out of stock. Don’t worry though…new stock will be arriving this week in plenty of time for your Christmas designs. If you’d like to play along with this great color challenge…check out the link here.

Reindeer Joy

For this design, I fell back on a basic design layout I like to use…actually I think it was this past week’s sketch challenge. My reindeer stamp was inked with Versamark and then embossed with silver embossing powder. To add a little depth and substance to him, I colored him in lightly with my lightest gray Copic Marker. To add a little glitz and make this card more festive, I used my glue pen to add dots of glue and then sprinkled them with dazzling diamonds glitter. The sentiment is stamped in Purely Pomegrantate and I added other small accents of this color with dotted ribbon from Michael’s and a mat around my image layer. The little blue clip that holds on the ribbon is from the Making Memories Cheeky Collection.

Quick Tip: Now to make my reindeer nose…I guess he must be a very elegant grown-up Rudolf I searched and searched for a red rhinestone in my stash. I simply must have one…but well, I just couldn’t find one! And so, what to do?! I was terribly excited to think of my new Copics and airbrush system…would it work? Yay! A quick spray of a Pomegranate colored marker and Rudolf had a matching nose.

The rest of my design is pretty self-explanatory. I just love this Charbon paper by Stampin Up and when the challenge was to use Basic Grey…well, I wasn’t long in pulling it out.

Wishing you joy!

I’ve had two readers e-mail me looking for the Flourishes Flourished Christmas set. Wow it is gorgeous! One of my faves of the season. It seems that lots of other stampers have felt the same way! GSMTA! (for those of you who haven’t heard of it…Great Stamping Minds Think Alike! LOL ) And so…as of the current time, you won’t find it on their web-site. I talked to Jan today and she says that hopefully the set will be back in stock next week. So, if you want this set, don’t despair…just keep checking!

No it’s not a typo…LOL I can spell (well, most of the time!) Wood you like a challenge…. Today’s Ways to Use it Challenge is to find ways to incoporate WOOD into your designs! Hmmmm…sound like a toughie? I know you are up to it! Just stop and think for a minute. Lots of wood products out there! Wood ornaments (see my design below), wood boxes, wood letters, wood die cuts, wood frames….sounding a little easier? Adhere a pencil on your design if you are determined to make a card. I don’t care…just as long as it has some wood. I hope you’ll play along…this should be a fun one. I love a unique challenge… it always pushes me out of my box….not a wooden one of course. wink Sorry…just couldn’t resist. I must be in a VERY strange mood this morning. If you’d like to play along…the challenge link is HERE. If you haven’t played along before…what is stopping you?! Everyone is welcome!

Wood Star Ornament

I found this darling little wood star ornament at Michael’s a week or two ago. So cute! It has a removable back panel so that you can put a photo or whatever you wish in it. Immediately the ideas and possibilities started pouring in. And now….I simply MUST go back and get some more!

To cover the star, I removed the center panel so it wouldn’t get messed up and then covered my star ornament with some Basic Grey Fruitcake paper. It’s gorgeous! But I have to tell you…I just can’t wait to get my new Figgy Pudding Line paper. It is on its way!!!! YAY! Jacksonbelle now has it listed in her store. After gluing, I trim the edges close with my little scissors and then sand them with my Basic Grey Precision File Set. After that, I sponged the wood edges with my Bravo Burgundy ink.

To create my inner panel, I used the flip side of my patterned paper (Fruitcake is double-sided!) and stamped on it. I pulled out my Flourishes O Christmas Tree Set and stamped the tree with Always Artichoke ink directly onto the patterned paper. For my little angel…I stamped her in black ink onto some Very Vanilla cardstock as well as a scrap of the Fruitcake red paper side and then onto the center of my sage patterned background. I trimmed out my little angel from the invory excluding her halo and glued her onto my background, lining up the halo. I then colored her bodice, skin and hair with my Copic markers and then paper pieced the skirt from the print.

To add a little decoration to the rest of the project…the little wooden star was covered with another Basic Grey scrap (I can never throw them away!) and the other wood beads were sponged. I did try sponging the little round bead with Sage Shadow ink to coordinate but it just wasn’t taking the color well. SO…cool idea! I took my Green Gray Copic marker and colored it! Worked perfectly.

For one little project…I’m certainly long-winded! LOL Lastly the tag and ribbon. Ribbon from May Arts was quickly tied on the wire hanger. That little tag was punched with my Marvy tag punch from Michael’s. The Joy sentiment is stamped with a sentiment from the Flourished Christmas set.

Here’s a quick little tip… punch two tags, stitch the bottom of the patterned layer to the tag and then tear the edge off…layering is so easy as you just use the punch.

Lastly, three little buttons are from Daisy D’s and the clear rhinestone sticker from Doodlebug Designs…gotta have a little bling! Have a great day and take me up on that challenge! Everyone is welcome! Can’t wait to see what you all do!

I just love this Cosmo Cricket Wonderland Paper line. Sooo pretty! I came across it yesterday as well as a paper mache ornament that I had purchased last year from Michael’s and just had to pair them up. Since I’ve also been wanting to try out my new Flourished Christmas tree stamp and it fit the style perfectly…it was simple to create this pretty little ornament. This stamp is so ornate and beautiful…a simple design worked best. Any thing else would have taken away from it in the small space.

Flourished Tree Ornament

So…. instructions for this little ornament…well, there aren’t too many. I will suggest two things….stamp on your paper and emboss BEFORE adhering to the paper mache ornament. The surface just isn’t that flat! Also… probably the best edge finish will be obtained if you cover the sides first.

I adhered my Cosmo Cricket Wonderland papers with Mono liquid adhesive and then sanded the edges carefully with my Precision File Set. The edges were then lightly sponged with Close to Cocoa ink. For my main image, I used the gorgeous ornate flourished tree from Flourished Christmas stamp set by Flourishes. This set also has that uber darling reindeer and is one of my favorites! The images are so pretty and require little if any coloring…perfect for quick but elegant Christmas cards. The image is stamped with Versamark and then embossed with Claret embossing powder… it shines softly in real life…I know it is so simple but I love it.

To finish it off…a pretty pearl sticker from Ellen Hutson’s Online Store and a scrap of dotted ribbon tied on the cord from Michael’s. Oh…the paper mache ornament…bought it at Michael’s last season. I’m sure they are still available! I can’t wait to put up the Christmas tree now! I’m hoping to make some more too!

Do you like challenges? Check back in tomorrow for the Ways to Use it Challenge…I guarantee this one will be a bit unusual but oh so fun!

Wohoo! I love bling! Especially on holiday designs! Yesterday’s Ways to use it Challenge, posted by my good friend Jacksonbelle (thanks Linz!), was to use Bling on your designs. My favorite form of bling is gemstone stickers. I have quite a collection! Making Memories, Hero Arts, Doodlebug Designs, Imaginisce, Me and My Big Ideas…they all have some great rhinestones! And I, have some of each.

I just had to pair up this challenge with my new Flourishes Rejoice stamp set. A subtle addition of a rhinestone and some Stickles is just what my design needed.

Holly Rejoice

I paired up this beautiful Rejoice stamp with this holly patterned paper. The paper is from Basic Grey Fruitcake line! They look like they were made to go together! I love how the sentiment as the holly images around it. One stamp is all you need for both image and sentiment! This stamp is now available from Flourishes and also comes with a beautiful angel and some fabulous sentiments. I colored in my rejoice with my Copic markers. Starting light, I worked up adding darker shadows as I went. The edges were then sponged with Close to Cocoa ink and light curled up at two of the corners. The added rhinestone was adhered over top of the starburst in the O and I went over my berries with some Burgundy Stickles.

For finishing touches to my design, I pulled out my sewing machine and stitched around the card base to form a subtle frame. A little Hodgepodge hardware tab was attached to the bottom fo the image panel and then tied with a scrap of burgundy Mary Arts ribbon.

Prancer…I’ve named him Prancer. Isn’t he darling?! I just love this Flourishes reindeer with his beautiful antlers…he just looks like he is prancing along bringing some Christmas spirit. This stamp is from the newly released Flourished Christmas set…a gorgeous set that also includes a flourished Christmas Tree and some beautiful sentiment. I paired up Prancer with a fun color combo. Actually this color combo may be a little out of the box for Christmas but it is one of my faves right now and I just had to give it a Christmas spin. Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky and Old Olive…yummmmm.

Noel with Prancer

For my main image panel, I stamped my reindeer onto Whisper White cardstock in Stewart Superior Black Hybrid Palette Ink. I’ve been wanting to give my new Copic airbrush system a whirl. I can’t believe I’ve had it for a couple weeks and haven’t had time to play with it! What is up with that? Oh…well, lots of deadlines, and lots of kids and oh yes…that HUGE renovation that is SO much fun. I decided to spray a little soft blue for an icy looking background behind my reindeer. Taking a chance, I knew I wanted it to be very light, I didn’t even mask him off! Just sprayed lightly and randomly around him. Yehaw! I could get very addicted to this! So quick and fun! And I’ve ALWAYS wanted to try airbrushing since I was a kid. I know…I’m a little strange! LOL I used to take art lessons from a retired artist and graphic designer when I young. Oh the goodies she had. I love goodies! LOL Of course you didn’t know that!

Luckily my reindeer was really easy to color with the Copic markers and I used three shades of light browns and built up the color by using the lightest first. Using my lightest grey, I added a quick little shadow behind him and he was done. I’m actually amazed at how quick it is to color with these markers.

Another clean design here… I thought the color combo was fresh as well as the coloring and wanted to keep my design to match. The patterned paper is from the Dasher collection by Basic Grey and the little snowflake brad is from Karen Foster Design. I love these new little rhinestone stickers from Me and My Big Ideas! So glitzy! I added a little row of them near the top left and one right on top of the brad.I actually got sent this May Arts ribbon by mistake. LOL Ordered the wrong thing but am I ever glad I did! It is gorgeous!

Have a great evening and weekend!