Miss you a Latte!

As my first attempt to get back into regular daily stamping, I found a great "Clean & Simple" challenge at this site. After seeing the sketch challenge, I knew I needed to make a coffee card. For me, "coffee" is always the best place for me to start - for projects, road trips, mornings, even card making! This card went together quickly and I confess I do like how it turned out!

My card base is made from a cardstock I picked up several years ago, and while I cannot tell you the maker, I do remember it was called acurately "Gingerbread" if that helps anyone trying to replicate it. Real Red and Chocolate Chip trim for the Very Vanilla panel. I used Real Red Classic ink for the cup (What's Brewing?) and clear embossed over that with Faith's Miracle Embossing Powder, and added a light bordering blue for the steam swirls and some gingham ribbon. I used VersaMark with White embossing powder for the "Miss you a latte!" (Like it a Latte). The coffee bean pattern paper was a real find for me, as my love of coffee keeps me on the lookout for theme papers and stamps. This was a scrap from a GFS advertisement, and with careful trimming, I can make about 6 cards with the beany borders around the one page.

C-ya tomorrow!

A Drive by Posting

Seems like forever since I've posted anything. I've been busy lately, but truthfully, I've just been in a stamping rut and thought taking a break would do me some good. These are a set of 4.25" square cards I did a while back, that I came across while organizing my stamp room for the new Stampin' Up! year that is now under way. I believe I made them for a challenge, (or cased them, so if you recognize them, please let me know so I can give credit where it is due) but can't recall which one it may have been. All the cards were done with SU markers, direct to rubber.

Stem Silhouettes and Oval All Sets. Mellow Moss base with Very Vanilla panels and Always Artichoke and Perfect Plum layering and scraps of retired SU pattern paper. Scallop Scissors, MS Scalloped Punch, and SU large oval and scalloped oval punches.

Stamps: Stem Silhouettes, and random SU word (?) Sage Shadow Card Base. Very Vanilla Panels and Perfect Plum layers. Scraps of Retired SU pattern paper. Scallop Scissors, SU Eyelet Lace Punch, small, large and scalloped SU Oval Punches.

Stamps: Stem Silhouettes, Very Versatile. Pale Plum card base, Perfect Plum layers and Very Vanilla panels, and scraps of retired SU pattern paper. Scalloped scissors, MS scallop punch, and small and large oval punches, and a satin ribbon scrap.

C-ya soon!

Cheryl

CPS117 Card Sketch Challenge

Hi there! I found a neat sketch challenge site called "Card Positioning Systems" that offers a place to start when card-making. I used Blush Blossom for the card base, textured with a Cuttlebug "Dotted" embossing folder template on my Big Shot. The flower image is from SU's retired set "Live your Dream" which I direct-to-marker colored with Really Rust, Bravo Burgundy, Chocolate Chip and Always Atrichoke (don't know why, but I want to always say Always Avocado instead). I layered the panel with the Artichoke, which I also used in the Scallop circle and stayed with the Rust for the dot, backed with a small rim of Mellow Moss, which was also the body for the butterfly which was stamped with rust. The butterfly is punched from a Martha Stewart punch, and the design was a detailed butterfly that I stamped on the Moss before I punched it out, to give it a few details. The birthday greet, stamped in white was from SU's currently available Crazy for Cupcakes. The colors are a bit odd for this time of year, but it's been pretty cool here and feels more like the chill of late fall right now, so that must be where my color scheme came from.

C-Ya Later!

Back to the Blog!

I can hardly believe it's been over a month since I last posted! Life has gotten very busy for my husband and I, as he is seriously working hard to accomplish the starting up of a business, and I will also be a part of that business as well. Add that footwork to his job (he is still working his full time job where 90% of the workers are laid off, so the remaining crew is jumping through hoops as they try to keep things going), our 4-yeal old (soon to be 5 years old) who thinks that Daddy hung the moon, and just normal daily living issues that happen every day, and "whoosh!" another month has flown by!
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Anyway, I have done a few cards in this time, got some rugs finished, and will try to catch up somewhat in my posting of both this week.
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Diva Coffee Break Designs had a sketch this week (#125) that got me rolling this afternoon. It was so easy, it would have been hard NOT to have an idea pop into my mind. I went with a monochromatic theme of Kraft, Chocolate Chip and Ivory, but relented and added the ribbon with a bit of red to zazz it up a little. If you don't have that Friendly Words Jumbo Wheel from Stampin' Up!, feel free to order one from me! It is so very nice of a background to use for easy cards. If you don't wish to order on-line, you may call me directly and I can order it for you! The birds used were from the retired SU! See with the Heart set.
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More later!
C-ya soon!

New Goodies!

Does this little deer melt your heart? Another set from the new Occaissions Mini Catalog! Perfect for all the "deer ones" in your life...cards or scrapbooks...accompanied by a rabbit and owl and a tree! Too too cute!
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This card I did for yet another challenge you can find out about here- CPS109. With an Old Olive card base, I added plaid pattern paper (sorry, it was a leftover scrap, I don't know who made it). The grosgrain ribbons were layered, because the orange had white stitches that clashed against the plaid. (ew!) Then, I hand-cut around the white circle with old SU scallopped scissors to make the Tempting Turquoise frame.
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I know that a large portion of my cards are inspired by challenges. There are challenges for using certain colors, sketches or layouts, themes, techniques, limited supplies, folds, styles. Truth is, I have so much stuff to choose from that I could spend all day just looking for a starting point. So I check out the challenges and use the ones that can help me get started. I stamp with some friends that like to use stamping catalogs or magazines to case from, and we have found we get alot more done by having certain perameters set for us. I'd be interested in knowing, where do you get your "starting points" from?

C-Ya Later!
Cheryl

New Goodies!

I got in my Stampin' Up! pre-order for the new Occaissions Mini Catalog - and looky here what they came up with to go with out 2 beloved Small & Large Oval Punches!!! There is now a Scallop Oval that fits the Large Oval perfectly! To make matters even better yet, there is a set of 4 stamps, called "Oval All" to give you something extra to use with it, other than all the little words and phrases we've been using all along. I really like the new Mini Catalog offerings!
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Using my markers directly on the rubber images, I played, colored and punched and made a whole bunch of labels ready to pop onto a card as needed. These are really quick and fun to do! Then I made the card above choosing to use a label I particularly liked.
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The card is for a fairly new weekly "Clean and Simple" challenge on Splitcoast. (CAS08) An 8.5" x 4.25" piece of Sahara Sand folded into a square card, with a strip of Perfect Plum along the bottom, I added matching ribbon across the seam and popped the label on top. Easy & super quick!
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C-Ya later!
Cheryl

Rodeo Clown Cowboy

This is a card I did for the mini vsn (virtual stamp night on Splitcoast) last weekend. I had it done in time, but didn't get it posted as an entry. The challenge was to use a circus theme - and not having clowns in my vast array of stamps (as I am not fond of clowns for the most part), I wondered if I could give the Cowboy Kid a new costume...so here he is, did you recognize him?

C-Ya later!
Cheryl