Up up and away!

Good morning!

Today I'm playing with the Paper Players challenge 283. The theme was Up, Up, and Away and immediately went to this adorable hot air balloon set Stampin' Up came out with a few years ago (and realized that I have barely used it) :(

My main goal was to keep the card really simple and try out a color combo (Strawberry Slush, Pacific Point, Pistachio Pudding, and Creamy Caramel) that I was inspired by when I saw an Essie nail polish combo in the Ulta mailer. Theoretically they look really good together. I'll just leave it at that. :)

You win some and you lose some, haha. 

----> Where do you get inspiration from? 

----> And, does it turn out like you pictured in your head? 

I feel like I live live by the 80/20 rule. 80% I'm good, and those 20% are duds. Which I'm okay with. 

Alright, thanks for stopping in today! I hope you have a stamptastic day (and upcoming weekend!! We're SO close!!) I'll be spending the weekend at a wrestling tournament. 

And hopefully it finishes early so I can play some roller derby! (cross your fingers for me!)

Quick and Easy Cards!

What's better than making a card that is so quick and easy your coffee will still be hot when you're finished? And will be playing along with Watercolor Wednesday's Anything Goes challenge!

Two cards!

That's right, friends! Two quick and easy cards! Shelli Gardner, Stampin' Up's CEO,  inspired this easy and beautiful project.

Right: Simple card
Left: Slightly more embellished

Of course, you can always take more time on your project to make it more complex, but when you need a fast project that will look great no matter how simple, this is a great idea!

I used the new Botanical Garden DSP and cut 2 panels at 4 x 5 1/4, then diagonally down the center of each. Next, you flip a panel between the 2 cards to have 2 different DSP triangles on each. What won't work is only cutting one panel diagonally and then flipping the DSP, you'll need 2 otherwise they won't piece back like they are supposed to. It blew my mind for a little bit before I cut the second sheet. (It was a duh moment on my part.) After that is all sorted out, then you can embellish. Again, you can keep it simple or add a little more for that extra 'wow'!

Don't you just LOVE the Botanical Gardens set? It is just SO pretty. And the dies....OMG! Right!? haha. 

Did you see the NEW items for Sale-a-bration?!? ADORABLE! Remember, with a $50 order, you can choose a FREE item! The free items this year are fantastic! Here is the new flyer! Contact me to get yours! 

Supplies: All SU!

Paper: Botanical Gardens DSP, Cajun Craze, Lost Lagoon, Whisper White

Ink: Mossy Meadow, Hello Honey, Basic Black Archival Ink, Early Espresso (sponging)

Stamps: Hello (SAB ret), See Ya Later (ret)

Accessories: Decorative Label Punch, Large Oval punch, 1/2" circle punch, Botanical Builders framelits dies, rhinestones, Apothecary Accents thinlits dies (ret). 

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have a stamptastic day! 

I'm Stamping on Tuesday!

Ha, because today is Tuesday!

Right on!

I was looking for a little creative energy this morning and did a quick search of challenge blogs to play along with. I found 3! Wahoo, so you'll see all of those throughout the week.

First up: Try Stampin' on Tuesday!

I chose this one because I wanted to use coordinating DSP to recreate the sketch. I love the fact you can just flip over a paper and have something that coordinates on the back. Easy!

Here's what I came up with:

I used the Fresh Prints DSP stack that came out a few years ago. It's one of my favorite stacks because I just love the color combo. 

I started off by adhering the paper in the manner to reflect the sketch then went back and trimmed the remaining off. It was just easier for my brain then measuring and figuring out the cuts. I then punched out the red with the decorative label punch and layered an oval on top with the sentiment from the retired Smarty Pants stamp set. Added some scrunched ribbon, made easy with tear and tape, and rhinestones to finish it off! 

Supplies: All SU

Stamp: Smarty Pants (ret)

Paper: Fresh Prints DSP stack (ret), Na1/2turals White paper (ret), Whisper White, Real Red. 

Accessories: 1/2" white cotton ribbon,  rhinestones. 

What a great simple card to send to a friend! 

Thanks for stopping by and have a stamptastic day!! 

Birthday Wishes for Friday Mashup!

Morning friends!

This week the Friday Mashup crew has a fun birthday and stencil mashup to play along with!

Here's the challenge:

Here's what I came up with:

Remember yesterday how I said mashups work well for 2 blogs, but not for the one I need to mashup? For months I've been haphazardly trying my Spellbinders Embossibilities and haven't had much luck. So for this card I was determined to figure it out. First I stenciled the colors using sponges then ran it through the big shot and it worked pretty well. (The embossing is hard to see in the picture) I CASED the project on the Spellbinders package and did a lot of altering until I got it worthy of using, ha. (It's been one of those weeks!) I have a hard time with the Brights color family. They are just too much for me sometimes! There was too much teal, so I scored it down to make a gift card holder. 

I hope you play along with us at the Friday Mashup! If you haven't heard, our challenges are now 2 weeks long, so they give you lots of time to play along! 

Supplies: 

Paper: Taken with Teal, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White

Inks: Taken With Teal, Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight. 

Stamps: Blue Ribbon (ret)

Accessories: Word window punch, Spellbinders Embossibilities die, Tangerine Tango pompom trim (ret), rhinestones, scallop punch.

Cut that Stash!

Here's an easy one for you!

Recently Dena Rekow (sorry, I have a girl/craft crush--don't judge) posted about creating with old DSP. Ya know, the stuff we hoard for "special" occasions and never come out of our paper totes.

Yeah, that DSP.

Sometimes the truth hurts. Straight to my core.

Since I had some sitting on my desk, I cut it down to fit this simple layout, (length only). The crumb cake tag was already made, cutting down the time on this project to about 5 minutes. I broke out the new sentiment from 'Suite Sayings' and a quick decorative label punch layered, and added a ribbon, then viola! It was meant to be!!

Here's what I made:

So, are you up to Dena's challenge of breaking out that old patterned paper? Even better, I know you (yes you!) have a stash of cut scrap paper hiding as well. Bust out that stash! Use it! Then send to a friend.

I know, baby steps. I also have a hoard of cards awaiting forever homes. :)

Supplies:
Paper: In Color DSP 2012-14 Midnight Muse, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Regal Rose. 
Stamps: Suite Sayings (occasions catalog right now!)
Inks: 2012-14 In Colors Midnight Muse, Strawberry Slush, Gumball Green
Accessories: Daffodil Delight (?) ribbon (ret), Decorative Label Punch, Scalloped Tag punch, Banner Triple Punch, Honeycomb embossing folder. 

Thanks for stopping by! Have a stamptastic day!!

Go cut that paper. It'll be okay!!

Peace of mind for mashups!

I just love when I can mash up challenges.

Does it work for Friday Mashup as well as it does random challenge blogs? Usually not, lol!

But, in this case (for the past couple actually) Sunday Stamps and Retro Rubber have gone well together and that makes my heart happy!

Here's what I came up with:

Stamps: Dasher (ret)
Inks: Baked Brown Sugar, Costal Cabana, Strawberry Slush (all ret)
Paper: Coastal Cabana, whisper white,
Sweet sorbet DSP (ret)
Accessories: Crisp Cantalope and Coastal Cabana bakers twine, white tinsel twins from target, button, rhinestones, and snowflake embossing folder (ret), Christmas greetings thinlit.

I just ADORE Dasher! From 2008, this little guy is just an adorable way to add that perfect wintery touch to any Christmas-y card! I thought pairing the embossing folder with the banners would be too much, but once assembled I really like it! I know we're all partial to cards we make, but let me tell you, I've had quite a few duds. Sometimes they're salvageable, sometimes there is absolutely no place they belong better than in the trash :)

Not this one! Phew! Keeping with the winter, and not so much Christmas theme, I opted for more non-traditional colors, which have been ALL the rage this past year. Christmas is going glam!

Thanks for stopping by and have a stamptastic day!

Sweet Valentine for Retro Rubber Challenge

Hey there!

Today I was stumbling along blogs and came across this GREAT one, the Retro Rubber Challenge blog!! It's a safe place for those of us who keep old stamps! (haha, most blogs are safe, but often I feel bad showcasing retired products because they are hard to find now days--Ebay is where you go to find them or to the number of craft resale pages, haha) 

Naturally I had to play along because I have a TON of old stamps! To play in the challenges, the stamps have to be at least 1 year old. 

Here's what I came up with!

I used 'Love You Much' by Stampin' Up! It was in the 2008-09 Idea Book and Catalog. Here is another time I've used this stamp set, way back in 2011. It's my go-to for Valentines for some reason, even though I'm not a huge fan of the crooked looking 'Love' image. For the red, white and pink colors, I chose Rose Red, Blushing Bride, Pool Party for a pop and then Whisper White. The layout is from Sweet Sunday Stamps Sketch #3. 

To add a little dimension, I embossed the Blushing Bride paper with the Hexagon embossing folder and also stamped the hearts in the background in Rose Red. 

Just as I finished adding finishing touches to this card with my Wink of Stella Pen, it blew up and left a huge GOB of glittery-watery mess so apart this card came and the birds and the Rose Red layer of the 'Hugs and kisses" pile had to come up and be re-stamped. Note: don't squeeze Wink of Stella too much. I thought it was good until it dribbled. All. Over. Sigh... 

Quick tip: If you have an unfortunate incident where layers need to be removed after using the Snail adhesive, lightly hit it with a heat gun, it'll warm the adhesive and remove without damage! 

Supplies:

Paper: Rose Red, Whisper White, Pool Party, Blushing Bride

Inks: Same plus Black Stazon

Stamps: Love you Much (2008) 

Accessories: Wink of Stella, Hexagon embossing folder, dimensionals, aqua painter. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a retro-stamptastic day! 

Feeling rustic for a challenge mashup!

Hey everyone!

Today I had some time to stamp and found not one, but TWO color challenges to try. The colors were almost the same, so I decided to mash them together in this nice rustic card.

I found out that Sweet Sunday Stamps challenge blog has ended at challenge 300, which I've missed. I decided to go back to good ol' numero uno. All in all, 3 challenges were completed today. Phew.


Sweet Sunday Stamps Layout #1

http://colourq.blogspot.com/2016/02/colourq-challenge-327.html

http://sundaystamps.blogspot.com/2016/01/ssc119color-time.html

Here's what I came up with:

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, First Edition DSP (ret)
Inks: All listed in challenges (ha!)
Stamps: Plane and Simple (ret-sentiment), Countryside (ret), Timeless Textures, Hardwood
Accessories: Triple flower Punch (ret), Martha Stewart border punch, twine, pool party colored rope from Target, Wink of Stella, and rhinestones.

Thanks for checking in today!! Hope you have a stamptastic day!

Color challenge for Connie and Mary 392

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Who are you rooting for? Denver? Carolina? I think Carolina is going to win, but I want Denver to win. We'll see how that pans out. I'm most excited for the commercials!

Yesterday I had a chance to make this quick card to play along with Connie and Mary's color challenge! I love quick cards because it's quick gratification!

I found the inspiration on Pinterest by Dena Rekow and knew I had to CASE it! Do you CASE (Copy and Share Everything)? Some think that it's cheating, I think it's a great way to get your crafty mojo on, especially if you have all the items needed, it takes the guesswork out of creating from scratch. It's also a great source of inspiration for layouts, etc.

I decided to make a subtle change to the card just by using a different stamp in the set used in the original. This card uses the October Paper Pumpkin stamp set and is different from than one I would normally choose to buy, so it was a step out of my comfort zone to make that original set. Now that I've used it a couple times, I really enjoy it.

Here's the challenge: 

Connie and Mary is a SU only challenge

Alright, I'm off to hopefully make something else before the Superbowl starts! It'll probably be food, but some crafting would make today a win!

Are you following me on Facebook or Pinterest yet? You totally should! I post live there first (unless its for a design team--then there's a little suspense!)

Thanks for stopping in today and hope you have the most stamptastic SuperBowl Sunday!!

Valentine's and Candy Mashup!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Today at the Friday Mashup we have a super fun theme to play along with, Candy and Valentines! Seems like a natural combo to me!

Also, doesn't this picture look delicious. (even if you despise candy hearts..blech!)

The Mashup Challenge this week is:

• Create a project for your Valentine. 
• Create a project featuring a Candy image. 
• or Mash it Up!! and create a V-day Candy themed project. 

We can't wait to see what you create.. The challenge will end on Friday Feb. 17th @6pm est. 

Here's what I came up with:

I CASED this card from HERE. I loved EVERYTHING about the layout! I just changed up my papers and added that little candy piece up top (which is hard to see in the picture since I used mesh wrapper ends).  The paper is the retired 'Stacked with Love' DSP paired with some Coastal Cabana accents. I love DSP stacks because all the hard work of coming up with a color theme is done for you and the papers work together beautifully. Finally, the stamps are from the Jan 2016 Paper Pumpkin kit and some added rhinestones helps finish off the card. 

I hope you play along with the Friday Mashup for this challenge. I LOVE to see all the creativity that our site inspires! Also, tell your friends to play too! 

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have a stamptastic day!

What the Heck, Jayme!

.....That is the thought I had the other day when I realized that I hadn't blogged in probably a week!

ugh. "Thats how you keep your following!" Yikes!

The last 2 weeks have been a whirlwind blur. I was doing great until we had an out-of-town bout, then that was it! My card streak came to a screeching halt, no blogging, minimal facebooking. Heck, just yesterday I thought "surely I have design team cards that are due... probably today!" 

Not to bore you with all the details, but you all know I play roller derby, and a few weeks ago we ended our lease agreement with the landlord of our BIG beautifully dusty practice space. Since then we've had games, moved out and have been seeking new space. We've been graciously invited to a neighboring league practice (THANK YOU!). Also, life and wrestling season is in full swing as well. 

Enough of the sob story. (Move on, lady! haha) Now I'll catch you up! 

Starting with Tis The Season Stamping's color challenge! 

Yikes! We are dark!

We do have a few challenge guidelines* we'd like to ask you to follow:

• Your project must be a new Christmas project created for this challenge.
• You may use any brand of product that you have in your stash. 
• If you combine challenges please limit it to no more then 4 including ours.
• Please provide a link back to our challenge or use the challenge graphic within your post.
• Have fun!!! 

The Challenge is open until Feb.16th @ 12pm EST. 

Next up is this Just for You card:

Supplies: Very Vanilla and watercolor papers. Primrose Petals, Coastal Cabana, So Saffron, white craft inks. Clear and white embossing powder, versa mark, aqua painter, enamel dots. Botanicals for You SAB stamp set. 

This card was a watercolor technique gone ALL wrong. I still like the outcome though! I found inspiration on Pinterest for a technique where the original poster used distress inks watercolored onto paper then once dried, lifted the color with a baby wipe. SU inks don't lift all that well and left me with a wear mark on the paper. So, I just grabbed some white ink and dabbed dots with a stencil. You can see all the dots if you look at the card in light and move it so they shimmer a bit. All in all, I still think it's pretty, just not what I was trying to do. 

Keeping with the watercolor theme, here's a watercolor wash card!

Supplies: Another Thank You Photopolymer stamp. Basic Black and whisper white paper. Basic black embossing power, versa mark, Melon Mambo, Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Bermuda Bay, Rich Razzleberry Inks. Rhinestones. Done. :)

This card was inspired by the lovely Tami White and was SO easy. Literally 10 minutes (including drying time). I'll be making a BUNCH more of these. 

And last but not least, this adorable monkey waterfall card for Friday Mashup! 

A whole bunch of retired products were used to make this. Let me know if you want a supply list and I'll dredge on up :)

I love this card! It's so fun and you can play with it for hours! I made one a LONG time ago, then when this challenge came up for the Friday Mashup crew, I knew just what to do! (sorry, watching a lot of kids shows lately, haha) 

Alright, I think that about wraps things up. Phew! That'll teach me not to blog again. 

If you're not following me on Facebook and Pinterest, be sure to check me out! I love having new visitors! 

Thanks for stopping by and until next time (tomorrow), have a stamptastic day!!