Stampin' Up! Wetlands and Owl Punch

I wanted to share a couple HYCCT cards that I made yesterday.   Jason and Laila had playtime, so I went to my room to try to get a bit of stamping in.  :)   This one is for Ardyth's challenge to make a card with no words on the front.   I wanted something serene, so I hope this works.  It was my first time getting a card made with the Wetlands set.   I colored a clear block with markers, sprayed it with water, and then stamped it on my paper.  I was inspired by Deena's card that I found on Pinterest.   It did have to dry for a while before I stamped the birds.   It's a fun look I think.   

Someone asked about the markers...  I'm not 100% sure as I had a ton of them on my desk, but I think going down in this order is close:  Soft Sky, Marina Mist, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand is close...   I tried a few times with different colors and different amounts of water, so you'll probably need to be prepared for some practice to get it how you want it.  

This card was for Tenia's challenge to make a Washi tape background.  I'm not sure mine qualifies as a background, but hopefully it counts.  Laila and I found this fun tape on our shopping trip last week so I just had to get it.  I knew it would come in handy for something!   I think this card would cheer up anyone.  :)

Laila had some of daddy's yummy mashed potatoes last night.  She hasn't been eating that well this week and I'm pretty sure it's the darn teeth again.  She also hasn't been napping much which is exhausting!   I have her by myself for four days a week now and that 30 minute break just doesn't seem like enough.   I can't get anything done.   Who needs a clean house or clean clothes, right?!  lol

FMS 63: Owl Birthday

Wednesday!  Time for a new Freshly Made Sketch and this time it is from me!   I made a card similar to this a few months ago and thought it would make a fun challenge.  There's so much you can do with how many layers you want, what shape you want, and you can use up scraps for the banners.  Winner winner chicken dinner, right?!   So here's my card:

I'm still working on some cards for the younger folks, so I went with some serious pink and an owl.   I love the layers and the fun circles.   It's a bit too much pink for me, but I think a little girl will like it.  :)   

I'm keeping this short as my Pinterest recipe dinner wasn't so good and I'm still hungry.   I'm going to have more cranberry salsa (which IS good) instead.  

It's crazy that she's five months old already.   Eli was only here with us for 5 1/2 months, so we are a bit stressed out and checking on her way too much lately.   We know she doesn't have SMA, but there's nothing rational about the worry that comes after losing a child.   If you haven't already, please take a minute to go over to Facebook and vote for the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation.  They are a wonderful SMA charity and hope to win the money to buy iPads for those affected by SMA.  That type of technology is so valuable as a means of communication and freedom.   http://VoteForGSF.com/

Happy Brrrthday!

I am still trying to catch up with the Hope You Can Cling to challenges.  This is yesterday's challenge from Patricia and here's her description of her challenge: Let's make humorous cards using stitching (hand, machine, or faux) as an embellishment.  Any type of humor is fine - jokes, puns, silliness, whatever makes you giggle! Just be sure to embellish your card with some sort of stitching. 

This was a bit difficult for me as I didn't really have anything that I thought of as silly.  After looking online for some funny animals or owl puns, I finally saw this card on Zazzle and thought I could do something with that idea.  I found a free wintery font and opened up My Digital Studio and got to work!   I printed off a sheet with the sentiment and the stitching and then added a punched out penguin and balloon.  Hopefully it's silly enough for the challenge!  

Stamps:  NONE

Ink:  (printer only)

Paper:  Island Indigo, Whisper White, Basic Black

Tools/Accessories:   My Digital Studio, Owl Builder punch, 3/4 circle punch, Dazzling Details

I can tell her daddy dressed her on this day because of the bow.  He thinks she looks cute in them so he'll usually try to find one that matches.   So much for my no bow rule!

FMS38: Peek-a-boo Owl

This month started my break from my design teams and I'm already missing them!   I had another bad weekend of not feeling well though, so I was glad not to have the pressure of having to create something.  I keep hoping these sinus headaches I'm having mean rain is in the forecast, but it's just been dry so far.   Maybe I'm just allergic to the 95 degree temperatures?    :)   Anyway, I needed to finish up my preparations for stamp club that's happening on Friday night so I decided to use Linda's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches for our sketch card this month.   

Isn't it cute?  It's been a while since I've used my owl punch but I thought he was just perfect for a Father's Day card.    I combined him with a masculine color combination of Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, and Tangerine Tango and left off any frilly ribbon or bling.   Simple, but adorable!    I hope my ladies enjoy making it!

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes, Woodgrain

Ink:  Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip

Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Brights and Neutrals DSP stacks

Tools/Accessories:  Owl punch, 2 3/8 scallop circle punch,  1 3/4 circle punch, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch

FM45: Penguins!

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

1. Make a project using the "Spotlighting Technique".  
2. Or Make a project featuring "Penguins".  
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project featuring "Penguins using the Spotlighting Technique". 

How fun is this new challenge from Lisa at The Friday Mashup?   I think my pregnancy brain lost the spotlighting technique as I traveled from the living room to my stamp room, but I did remember the penguin!  My husband and I are big penguin fans, so it made me happy to make this card.   A local friend had asked me to make a card for her to give to a friend for their birthday and it just so happened that she wanted a penguin one!   Perfect, right?   Two birds, one stone thingy.   I found this lovely card by one of my favorite stampers, Teneale Williams and used it as my inspiration starting point.  

Now while I'm not a fan of pink, I LOVE me some purple.  I really love purple paired with green!   The pretty paper from the Cheerful Treat hostess pack was just perfect for that combination.   I didn't have any penguin stamps that were big enough, but the owl punch and a bit of surgery made a pretty passable penguin I think.   A bit of bling, some yummy ribbon, and a button finish it off and add those extra touches that really make a handmade card special.  

I hope you'll join us this week at the Mashup with either a lovely penguin card of your own, perhaps a spotlighted card, or if you are an overachiever, a mashed up card featuring both!   :)    Also be sure to submit your idea for an upcoming Fan Favorite challenge!   We'd love to see how you'd mash it up! 

FMS 16: Owl Valentine

It is time for Freshly Made Sketches to start up again for the year!  Yay!   Tui has a fun sketch this week that should have your imagination going wild!   There are so many possibilities for this one as you can see from the design team.   We also have two new guest designers with us, so there are lots of fabulous examples to get you started.

Right now I'm trying to do as many Valentine's Day cards as I can to get my display stocked up at a local shop.   I hope you won't get too sick of the red/pink before I meet my goal!  For this one I pulled out a retired Simply Scrappin' Kit to use up some of the stuff I hoard have stored away.   I thought it would work well with my cute little owl and new heart punch.   

I hope you will find some time to come play along with us!  Maybe you can make a Valentine for your sweetheart.  :)   

Friday Mashup: Halloween

I finally found some time to do a challenge today!   I made my next design team card for Freshly Made Sketches (well, I did two because I didn't love the first one) and then I had a bit of time left to do a challenge card!  I decided to try the challenge at The Friday Mashup and really mash it up and do both Halloween and the colors!  

Isn't this fun?   I love the embossed panel and of course my witchy owl.  I couldn't get a good picture where the sentiment didn't look so washed out, so you'll have to use your imagination a bit there.  

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes, Wicked Cool

Ink:  Staz On Black

Paper:  Concord Crush, Pumpkin Pie, Lucky Limeade, Basic Black, Whisper White, Brights DSP stack

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Spider Web embossing folder, Little Leaves sizzlit, Owl builder punch

Tomorrow's Fall Class

I am so excited about my class tomorrow!  We are going to make some fun projects for Halloween and Thanksgiving.  What a fun way to celebrate World Card Making Day!

This first project is an little pumpkin that would be gorgeous on the Thanksgiving table.  You could make them in many sizes and patterns and have quite the display!    I love the Spice Cake designer paper; I might need a whole pack just to make pumpkins!   

Halloween is just around the corner, so be sure to get those projects going soon!   Isn't this little pillow box adorable!   My friend Anne Marie did an adorable card where she put the witches hat on the owl and I HAD to make one!   These little boxes are perfect for your office mates or your child's Halloween party!     

Because it IS World Card Making day tomorrow, we have to make a few cards, right?   I wanted to do some fall cards, but not really in typical fall colors.   I used the Color Coach for the combinations and I like the way the colors look together.   High five, Color Coach; you rock as usual!  The card above is Soft Suede, Baja Breeze, and Cherry Cobbler.    The card below is More Mustard, Cajun Craze, and Night of Navy.  I kept them pretty simple so that they could be mailed with a regular postage stamp.  

I ran out of sunlight before I could take pictures of the other treats, so stay tuned for more tomorrow! 

Owls!!!

While Jason and I were enjoying watching The Help and having dinner at Red Lobster yesterday, the UPS man dropped of a box of goodies for me!    I love the owl punch, but I also wanted to try my hand at the larger, funkier owls as well.   I figured I could use the pillow box die for some cute holiday treats as well, so I didn't feel too bad about ordering it for the owls.  :)    I also got the woodgrain background stamp to replace the Woodland Walk designer paper from the past catalog.    I made my big owl first, but then decided he needed a matching card.   Aren't they adorable?  I used retired paper to test it out because the first attempt usually doesn't turn out.   I think this one actually did though!  

Card:
Stamps:  Woodgrain background, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Concord Crush
Paper: Hostess In Color stack (retired), Concord Crush, More Mustard, Whisper White
Tools:  Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, 1 3/4 scallop circle punch, 1 3/8 circle punch, Owl builder punch

Owl Box:
Paper:  Hostess In Color stack (retired), Concord Crush, More Mustard, Whisper White, Basic Black
Tools:  Big Shot, Pillow Box die, 3/4 circle punch, 1 1/4 circle punch, Blossom Petals Builder Punch, retired heart punch
Accessories:  Basic Rhinestones

June Creative Crew Challenges Pt. 2

I just realized that I never did post my other two design team cards for the Creative Crew!    If you haven't had a chance to play along yet, you still have the rest of the month to catch up.  .  

Challenge Description:  Stampin' Up! has flowers! Ribbon Flowers, Rub-on Flowers, Button Flowers, Brad Flowers, Crocheted Flowers, Paper Flowers, Die Cut Flowers, Stenciled Flowers! The challenge is to use any flower except stamped flowers!   Tags if you upload to Splitcoast:  CCREW0611CF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM 


If you follow my blog, I'm sure you've noticed that I love scallop circle flowers.   I couldn't resist making one from the awesome First Edition designer paper.   This color combination is just so elegant and the flower works perfectly with it.

Stamps: Word Play
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Basic Black, Very Vanilla, First Edition designer paper, Neutrals designer paper stack
Tools: Big Shot, Top Note die, scallop circle punches, circle punches, little leaves die, framed tulips embossing folder
Accessories: Basic Black satin ribbon, antique brads

Challenge Info:  June is a time for iced tea, gardens bursting, and riots of color. This month we're going bright with Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz, and Peach Parfait.  Tags if you upload to Splitcoast:  CCREW0611DF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM


The colors were those used in the Sunny Garden Designer Paper.  I didn't own any of it, so I improvised and came up with this.   I love my owl punch and he is adorable on this little note.

Stamps: Apple Blossoms, All Holidays
Ink: Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait
Paper: In Color Hostess stack, Pear Pizzazz, Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Clip-retired
Tools: Spiral border punch, Owl punch, Big Shot, Little Leaves die

In Color Owl

Today is a lazy Sunday so I decided to keep my card simple. Mr. Owl is so adorable that he doesn't need much to make a card super cute. 

This card is for two challenges, the sketch challenge at Just Add Ink and the color challenge at Pals Paper Arts.

Stamps: Tiny Tags
Ink: Poppy Parade
Paper: Pear Pizzazz, Poppy Parade, Whisper White, In Color Hostess paper
Tools: Big Shot, Little Leaves die, Lots of Tags die, Owl punch

PP43: CAS Owl

I know, I know...the owl, AGAIN? The catalog doesn't mention how addicting this punch is and how once you pick it up, you can't stop using it! He's just too darn adorable. 

This card is for the clean-and-simple sketch challenge at The Paper Players today.

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, Very Vanilla, Woodland Walk designer paper

Tools: Owl punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch

Today was a great day because I also got enjoy my other creative outlet.  These were taken at the Mercer Arboretum in Humble, Texas.

Have a wonderful week!

Just Add Candy

Just Add Ink's challenge is super fun this week. It is a color combination, but most definitely NOT an ordinary one. You were to be inspired and create a card based on the colors of your favorite chocolate bar wrapper. Any idea what wrapper inspired this card?   I'll post the answer tomorrow.  :)

Stamps: Silhouette Sentiments (hostess)
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Pacific Point, Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Neutrals and Brights Designer Paper stacks
Tools: Owl punch, Itty Bitty Punch pack
Accessories: Basic Pearls

My idea was based on an Almond Joy candy wrapper, but I love Mounds too (dark chocolate...yum), so I think it probably ended up being more of a combination of the two.  I would have had to use a bit less red for a true Almond Joy look.    Great challenge!

Winner? Say What?

I opened my inbox today and found that someone actually liked one of my cards enough to pick it as a winner!   Awesome!    You can see my card and the other winners over at The Paper Players .  This means so very much to me as I doubt myself and my creations so much at times.  I had a really rough day this past week and have had such much support from my fellow demos to bring my spirits back up.   Getting that email today just made my heart SING!  

What do you think of my challenge card for today?   I love the owl punch and I find myself wanting to use it all the time! He is just so darn cute! This card is a combination of two challenges, The Friday Mashup Challenge and a Stampin' Up! demo led challenge (Creative Crew) on Splitcoast Stampers that focuses on using the Woodland Walk Designer Paper and/or the colors associated with it. 

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Woodland Walk Designer Paper
Tools: Owl punch, Designer Label Punch, Big Shot, Little Leaves Sizzlit
Accessories: Chocolate Chip ribbon (retired), Regals buttons, linen thread

Paper Players Color Challenge 3/13

Since today is my anniversary, I just did a quick card with almost no stamping. It is for a color challenge to use Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, and Very Vanilla. You can see the challenge here: http://thepaperplayers.blogspot.com/2011/03/challenge-38-anns-color-challenge.html

Stamps: Apple Blossoms (hostess)
Ink: Early Espresso
Paper: Early Espresso, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, In-Color Designer Series paper pack (hostess), Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper
Tools: Big Shot, Scallop Square die, Owl Punch

Owl Love

I saw this awesome card by Crystal and had to take a shot at making one like it.  I updated it with current paper (Woodland Walk), changed the leaves (Little Leaves Sizzlit), and added a sentiment.   Adorable, huh? Now I need to find someone getting married so I can send it out!   

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Real Red, Woodland Walk DSP

Ink:  Wild Wasabi

Accessories/Tools:  Owl Punch, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, Little Leaves Sizzlit

September Class

These adorable lunch box notes are a fun and easy way to send a little love note in your child's lunch or backpack to brighten their day and let them know you are thinking about them. 

In this class, you will make 10 assorted cards and receive envelopes to go with them. If you haven't stamped before, this is a great class to get started! All supplies will be provided, but if you prefer an adhesive other than glue sticks, please bring it with you. Cost is $10 and includes light refreshments and a fun mom's night out. :) Please RSVP and submit payment at least 3 days before the event and specify boy/girl/neutral so I know the perfect cards to plan for you.

If you can't make the class but would like to purchase a set of completed cards, please contact me.

Finally, some new cards to show off!

Finally, the last two cards to my upcoming birthday class are designed and ready for cutting!    I LOVE the July Fourth stamp set in the mini catalog; it makes excellent birthday cards!   I used the Color Coach to get a color combination using my favorite, Tempting Turquoise.   

Here's the other card that finishes out the class.   I love my new owl punch!   Again, I consulted the Color Coach for some help.   I don't have Early Espresso, but I think Chocolate Chip works as a substitute for now.

Here are all 5 cards together.  I love them and I hope my attendees do as well.   I still have spots available if you'd like to join in the fun on the 20th!

On my last order, I bought some of the Stampin' Up! watercolor paper and OH MY!    I had purchased the aqua painters years ago and never really got results with them.   I didn't realize how much of a difference GOOD watercolor paper would make!   Now I LOVE my aqua painter; watercoloring using it and the markers is so fun!   It adds a whole new look to this timeless stamp set!    I also tried out a new card design on this one.  It is a joy fold card and it was so easy, but looks so neat!  

I am super excited because this time next month, I'll be attending the Stampin' Up! regional conference in Ft. Worth.   I can't wait to go!    I am loving all the wonderful perks of being a demonstrator.  Don't you want to join in the fun??

Loving the Owls!

One of the great things about being a demonstrator is the Stamping Success magazine we get in the mail every month.    July's issue had some great examples using the new owl punch and I made a small version of it to give as thank yous to my customers who placed an order at the open house.   Aren't they cute?

Supplies:
Ink:  Chocolate Chip
Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper:  Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, and Real Red card stock, Tempting Turquoise designer prints paper
Accessories:  Owl Punch, Scallop Border Punch, Word Window Punch