A Frosty Christmas with Crafty Ribbons

It's another week, another challenge at Crafty Ribbons, and our challenge theme this week is "Frosty Christmas"!  And what does that theme remind me of?  Well, snowflakes of course, and all the fun different and dainty shapes you see in the frost on your windows.  That's probably my favorite part of winter, well, that and the hot chocolate and warm fuzzy blankets :)

I have used the Coming home for Christmas ribbon from Crafty Ribbons on this project, along with dies from Lawn Fawn and stamps from Stampin Up.

The weekly 12 weeks of Christmas challenges run right until Christmas, so you have plenty of time to jump in :)

A Male Themed Card with some Vintage Gears and Sweet Stamps

Hello everyone, I am back with some male-themed inspiration for Sweet Stamps.  I created a fun gear and script card for any man. I find I do not make enough male-themed cards, so at least once a month I try and pull one together, although I do struggle with it, lol.

I created this card by stamping and heat embossing with clear embossing powder the French Script Artsy Fartsy Stamp. The background is distressed with Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo, and Ground Espresso Distress Inks from Tim Holtz. Then I chose the Vintage Gears Piccolos set and heat embossed the frame with Medieval Metals Detail Embossing Powder.  The gears and pieces are embossed with black embossing powder and Medieval Metals and glued on top of the frame.  The sentiment is stamped on vellum with Stazon, and glued to the back of the frame.

This was a fun project to do especially if you feel like getting down and dirty (grungy).  You can find most of these products in the Sweet Stamps online shop, plus many more products that I promise you won't be able to live without :)

Merry and Bright Christmas with Crafty Ribbons

Hello everyone, I have a fun new card for some Christmas inspiration today for Crafty Ribbons :)

I created this zig zag folded card and used some of the Retro Christmas - Be Merry 16mm Grosgrain Ribbon as the closure.    The ribbon you find at Crafty Ribbons is just so versatile.  You can use it for just about anything, it is very well made and a lot of the ribbon they carry is exclusive to them, so Crafty Ribbons is the only place you will find it!  If you love to work with gorgeous ribbon, Crafty Ribbons is the place to go :)

Sweet Summer Blooms with Sweet Stamps

Hello everyone, it is definitely chilly here and I am not ready to give up summer just yet, lol.  I will continue to play with flower images (while of course making Christmas cards too!) all through the winter, in the hopes that I can stay warm and cozy all winter long :P

This is a card I created for Sweet Stamps, using their Summer Blooms rubber stamp.

Created this card by stamping and heat embossing the image on hot press watercolor paper, using the Summer Blooms rubber stamp and Detail White embossing powder.  Then I water-colored the image using the Sweet Stamps Shades dye ink in Valentine, Royal, and Envy.  I added some die cuts from the Fancy Leaf die along with a paper rose from my stash.  You can find all of these products in the Sweet Stamps online shop, and much more as well!

I really enjoy using this medium to watercolor.  I find by putting some of the ink on an acrylic block, you have more control over the amount of ink you have on your brush.  I also find that for this technique in particular, a water brush (I like the Prima one ) also helps to control the amount of water, because this technique requires a fair bit of water to create, and the brush pen saves from having to dip your brush in water every time you move to a different part of the image.

I am really enjoying my Sweet Stamp stamps. (? lol)  There are so many floral image stamps (my favorite to play with) and I will get to water color so many of them!

Don't forget to come and join the TWO monthly challenges over at the Sweet Stamps blog; the Anything Goes challenge starts on every first Sunday of the month, and the Anything but a Card challenge starts on every third Sunday of the month :)

Grateful Curiosity with Quick Creations

I had the pleasure of creating with a Mirabelle stamp this week for Noelle over at Quick Creations.  This is Santoro/Trimcraft's Mirabelle "Curiosity".

To complete this project I used paper from the Mirabelle 2 collection and Kaisercraft mini Paper Blooms in Coconut.  I also used a Cheery Lynn die and a sentiment stamp from My Creative Time.

I colored this image using my Copics, Prismacolor markers and Prismacolor Premiere pencils in the following colors:

Skin:  E000, PC927, 939, 1029
Hair:  PB89, PC1052, 1054, 1058, 935
Clothes:  E70, R12, PC1092, 1031, 1081, 1072, 1074, 1076
Flower:  G12, R12, E70, PC1092, 1031, 1081, 1096, 988

Noelle has quite a few Santoro/Trimcraft Mirabelle stamps in her shop at Quick Creations, as well as Gorjuss!  Come and join us also for the monthly challenge, this month's theme is anything goes!  Hope to see you there soon!

Merry & Bright Christmas with The Paper Nest Dolls

Here's hoping your Christmas is Merry & Bright!  It's getting closer and closer!  And I am in full Christmas card mode lol.  For my inspiration post this week I chose to use a newer Christmas image from The Paper Nest Dolls called Mrs. Claus.  You can also find her in digi form here.  She is so cute and fun to color, and I've colored her up in traditional bright Christmas colors to get myself more into the spirit ;)

She is so cheery looking :)  I finished this project with paper from the Lawn Fawn "Snow Day" collection and used the holly and sentiment stamps from my Stamp of Approval box.  Then I added some sequins and VOILA!

Don't forget to come and join us on the first Monday of every month for a new challenge start, the theme is always anything goes :)  And the 10th of every month is new release day!  Christine always has a few sweet new stamps to tempt you with.  PND also has a new digi shop!  Don't forget to come and check that out too!

A Holiday Card Kit from Quick Creations, Get it Now!

Noelle Martin over at Quick Creations has created a Holiday Card Kit!  The kit includes Kaisercraft paper, a Gorjuss stamp, cardstock,  flowers, cut-outs and enamel dots!  All matching perfectly in fun pastel Christmas colors.  This is the first sample I have made with the kit :)

This Holiday card kit is available starting today in Noelle's online shop at Quick Creations!  And there's only a limited amount, so head on over there and get yours soon!

Stay tuned for another sample soon!

Thankful Pumpkins with Quick Creations ;)

I have some grateful inspiration for you today for Quick Creations and Noelle Martin.  I have used the Lifestyle Crafts Pumpkin die to create this fun card.

I completed this card with paper from Lawn Fawn's Sweater Weather collection and a stamp and die set from My Creative Time.  A Simple but meaningful card :)  And I do really love fall colors, probably my favorite pallet.

You can find many products in Noelle's online store at Quick Creations, and all of them are sure to spark your creativity.  Don't forget about our monthly challenge, this month's theme is anything goes!  See you there soon!

Oh Christmas Tree with Crafty Ribbons

It's another week at Crafty Ribbons, and do you know what means?  It's time for another 12 Weeks of Christmas challenge!  Our theme for this week is Trees :)  And of course to me that means Christmas Trees :)

I have created this fun card for you using ribbon and lace to construct a Christmas tree!

I used many different ribbons, and I'm going to list them all for you here :)

Christmas Ribbon - Saddle Stitch Tan
Retro Christmas - Santa and Friends
Retro Christmas - Be Merry
Christmas Charm Ribbon - Merry Christmas
Christmas Charm Lace - Antique White
Christmas Charm Lace - Sage
Christmas Charm Lace - Scarlet
Little Christmas - Ho Ho Ho
The Festive Combos - Penguins

Well, that was a mouthfull lol.  But seriously, the Christmas shop at Crafty Ribbons is stuffed full of absolutely beautiful and fun Christmas ribbons, lace and buttons, you really need to check it out to get the full jist of what I'm saying :)  And check out the challenge blog weekly for more 12 Weeks of Christmas challenges, running every week until Christmas!

Today is NOT for the Birds with Sweet Stamps!

Hello everyone, I have some inspiration today for Sweet Stamps :)  I am so excited to be on this team :)  I chose to do this cute rubber stamp called "For the Birds" and turned it into a fun happy card to celebrate a great day.

I colored these sweeties up with my Copics and Prismacolor Markers and Prismacolor Premiere Pencils in the following colors:

Copics: R22, R12, Y21, YG03, RV13, B00
Prismacolor Marker:  PB130
Prismacolor Pencils:  PC942, 1034, 1032, 918, 921, 1032, 912, 908,
1086, 929, 994, 1030, 923, 925, 937

I completed this project with some thread and paper flowers from my stash, and paper from the Studio Calico Print Shop! collection.

This is a fun image that can be used in a variety of ways.  This stamp is available in rubber stamp form on the Sweet Stamp online store, as well as many, many others!  Come and join us for some fun challenges on the challenge blog as well.  We have the Monthly Anything Goes challenge on the first Sunday of every month, and the Anything But a Card challenge on the third Sunday of every month.  Lots of fun and prizes to be had!

See you soon!

QC He Loves Me Not Tilda

Squeal!  I got to design with one of my favorite stamp companies for Noelle Martin over at Quick Creations.  I created this card using He Loves Me Not Tilda from Magnolia Stamps.  Isn't she just adorable!

I colored her with my Prismacolor Premiere Pencils in the following colors:

Hair:  PC997, 1082, 946, 1099
Skin:  PC927, 939, 1029
Bow:  PC1089, 1020, 1097
Dress:  PC1089, 1020, 1097
Flower:  PC1080, 1029, 948
Socks:  PC1089, 1020, 1097
Shoes:  PC946, 935

I completed this project with paper from Kaisercraft's Enchanted Garden collection (lush!), the Floral Ovals die set from Spellbinders, some dies from Marianne Designs, and paper blooms from Kaisercraft in Coconut, and some Prima paper leaves.

I love coloring Magnolia stamps, and they turn out so nice with colored pencils when coloring on hot press watercolor paper :)  This paper has just the right amount of tooth to hold the pencils.

You can this and several other Magnolia stamps in Noelle's online store at Quick Creations.  And don't forget to come and join in on the monthly challenge...this month's theme is anything goes!

Some Sweet Stamps Inspiration with Piccolos!

Hello everyone, I am here for Sweet Stamps today with an inspiration post using a fun technique with Piccolos!

I created this fun card using Piccolos as stamps :)  First I created the color on the cardstock using Mermaid Lagoon Distress Inks.  Then I used two different Piccolo shapes to stamp images into the color.  The first stamping was created with water, to remove the color of the back ground.  The second stamping was created using Tattered Angels Iridescent Gold, to create more texture and sparkle (who doesn't love a bit of sparkle :).  Then I sprayed water droplets and lifted up more color, and then I sprayed the gold droplets.

I dry embossed the top part of the card panel using an embossing folder, and computer generated the sentiment.

Lastly, I colored the Piccolos, some using Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink and some using the Tattered Angels.  Then I heat embossed them with Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel, twice each. This gives them beautiful shine and dimension, adding to the 3d effect that they themselves create.

The Piccolos I have used for this project are:
A165 Flower Tops
A166 Flower Flourishes
LA123 Pop-Up Flower

You can find all of these in the Sweet Stamps online shop.

Come and join us on the First Sunday of every month for the Anything Goes Challenge, and every third Sunday of the month for the Anything But A Card Challenge!  Lots of fun and prizes to be had!

Gorjuss Lady Bird Feature and Inspiration with Quick Creations :)

A while back I goofed and colored the wrong Gorjuss image, lol, so I had to scramble and color up the right one, well today you get to see the goofed Gorjuss project hahaha.  This is my November inspiration for Quick Creations and Noelle Martin.

This is Ladybird from Santoro/Docraft's Gorjuss collection.

I completed this project using Gorjuss Ruby paper, a Cheery Lynn Die, CC Designs Vine Die and a sentiment from Tim Holtz.  This Gorjuss stamp and many others are available in Noelle Martin's online shop at Quick Creations.

I love the Gorjuss stamps, they are so sweet and versatile; you can make any kind of card with them.

Come and join us over at the Quick Creations challenge blog every month for a challenge!  This month's challenge is Anything Goes!  Have fun and I hope to see you there!

Happy Holidays with Paper Nest Dolls

Hello everyone, it's time for a new challenge at the Paper Nest Dolls.  It's always Anything Goes at the Paper Nest Dolls Challenge blog :)  And the new challenges always start on the first Monday of every month.

For this inspiration project I chose to use a newer release Christmas image called Candy Girl Avery.  Isn't she sweet?

For this project I used the image Candy Girl Avery, and paper from the Wild Rose Studio Festive Wishes collection.  I also used some snowflake stamps and a sentiment die from my Stamp of Approval box.  If you're a Catherine Pooler fan, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about lol.

This image is so sweet, and I had to color her up in fresh candy colors :)

You can find her and many others in the online shop at The Paper Nest Dolls.  She is also available in digital stamp form here :)  Come back soon to see more fun PND inspiration, AND don't forget, the 10th of every  month is new release day!

I'm on the Sweet Stamps Team! And a challenge :)

I am so excited to be on the Sweet Stamps Design Team!  MY first project is for the monthly Anything Goes Challenge, and I chose to create using one of the Glam Girl digital images.  This is "Sasha" and you can find her here.

I enlarged the image in my Silhouette Designer software, and cropped her to fill the space on a card front panel.  I colored her using my Copics, Prismacolor Markers and Prismacolor pencils in the following colors:

Skin:  E000
PC927, 939, 1029
Hair:  PB130
PC925, 935
Eyes:  YG03
PC913, 912, 908, 911, 935
Lips:  R11
PC1092, 1029
Dress:  YG03
PC913, 912, 908, 911, 935

I layered her with some green cardstock from Recollections and added only three green sequins; I wanted the image to take center stage.  The sentiment is computer generated using my silhouette software.  I really enjoy making clean and simple cards, where the image is the main focal point.  It really showcases the gorgeous images that we color, which is the whole point...right?

Come and join us for the Monthly Anything Goes Challenge, and you can also join in on the monthly Anything but a card challenge on the third Sunday of every month!  And if you are looking for some sweet rubber stamps, chipboard or stencils, come and visit the Sweet Stamps online shop!  Some sweet goodness just may find it's way into your shopping cart!