Belli Challenge #6 - punches!!

Chrissy's Belli Challenge this week is to create something using your punches, and incorporate them onto your card. This is so far out of my element, so I started with something very simple. My ladybug card is easy and simple. You just need a 3/4" circle punch, a small oval punch, and a 1 1/4" circle punch - all available from Stampin Up! You can pretty much figure out how I put the punches together to form a ladybug. I just added the black dots with a marker.



For my second card, I was playing around with my large star punch (also Stampin Up!). I punched out 4 pink stars and stacked them on top of each other, and it sort of looked like a flower. I smooshed extra ink on the petals and drew some white lines on to give them some shadows and veins.

I used the same small oval punch to punch out the leaves, and ran them through my crimper. I really like this effect!

As for the unusual color scheme, I was randomly picking colors out of my scrap box, and these just came together for me. I like these colors together - Pretty in Pink, Not Quite Navy, and Sage Shadow.



Now it's your turn to get punchy! Create something with your punches! Post a link to your card on Chrissy's blog. If you upload your card to SCS, please use keyword CBC6.

Pretty Blooms

Debby has issued a sketch challenge, and here is my take on her sketch. The flower is colored with watercolor pencils and blender pens, and the scallopy edge at the bottom is cut with scallop scissors. This is the perfect card for mailing to a friend - nothing is sticking up to get caught in a mailing machine!

Stamps: Bloomin Beautiful (Stampin Up! - available March 1), Pretty Pattern backgrounder from Cornish Heritage Farms
Inks: Eggplant, Stone Gray Stazon
CS: Very Vanilla, Eggplant
Other: watercolor pencils, blender pens, scallop scissors, nestabilities

Excellence Award

I have been so honored to be awarded the Excellence award from not one, not two, but THREE different blogging friends. They really surprised me! The first one is from Karen, at Krafting with Karen . The second one is from my good friend Chrissy at Creating with Chrissy. The third one is from my sweet friend Kim Marie, Frog of Faith, whom I met over at the Cornish Heritage Farms forums. Thank you so much, ladies! You have put a huge smile on my face and great joy in my heart.

Now that it is my turn to pass on the Excellence award, I have decided to pick three blogs that I love to check out every day.

Anna Wight - Sweet Miss Daisy
Asela Hopkins - Hop Art Studios
Debbie Olson - Thinking Inking

These gals probably have no idea who I am, so please feel free to let them know that I have nominated them for this Excellence award. Spread the joy! :-)

Belli #5 - Chipboard!

Are you ready for Chrissy's Belli challenge today? Hee hee! She has decided on chipboard for this week, and here are my samples. Chipboard is lots of fun to work with, and it comes in so many shapes and sizes. You can get them just about anywhere these days. Mine all come from various Stampin Up! chipboard packages.

On this card, the chipboard stars are quickly and easily inked up just by pressing the stars into the ink pads. Pick your color, pick your chipboard, and just ink it up. Easy peasy! If you use a pigment ink (like the white one here), it will take a lot longer to dry, so give it at least a couple hours of drying time. Classic dye inks dry within 10 minutes, depending on how much ink you press into the chipboards.

The Broad Stripe backgound comes from Cornish Heritage Farms, the "howdy" is from Deadbeat Designs, and the little star brads are from Hobby Lobby (Paper Studio). Everything else is Stampin Up.



On this Happy Birthday card, I used a pigment ink (Stampin Up's Pixie Pink Craft ink) on the chipboard flowers, and while they were still wet, I covered them with Irridescent Ice embossing powder. Just like any other embossing powder, I heated them up with a heat gun and let the powder melt. I love the sparkly look! All supplies on this card are from Stampin Up!



This last card took a bit longer. I traced the chipboard heart onto a pink paper, cut it out, covered the chipboard with glue from a glue stick (the BEST way to adhere paper to chipboard), and placed the cut-out paper onto the chipboard. I pressed it down to make sure it was adhered well, and then sanded the edges with the sanding block. I wanted to do something different and crazy, so I placed a sticky heart (from the sticky letters that Stampin Up is offering in the new catalog) in the middle of the chipboard, and covered it with the new Chunky Glitter (available March 1 in new mini). That chunky glitter is FUN! Everything on here is from Stampin Up except for that little "adore" metal heart. Mom gave me that last year, and I just happened across it when I was picking out paper for this card.



There ya have it - three different ways to play with chipboard. Now it's your turn to make something with that chipboard you bought but haven't used. Don't forget to post your link on Chrissy's blog for a chance to win some blog candy. If you post your card to SCS, please use CBC5 in the keywords so we can find your card.

Not So Faux Silk

I goofed up when I was making this card. I was supposed to crumple the tissue paper before I stuck it on the cardstock. Oops! Oh well, I still like how this card turned out. I'll just have to make another one the "real" way. Hehehe.

Stamps: Essence of Love (available March 1 from SU!)
Ink: Not Quite Navy
CS: Wasabi, Not Quite Navy, River Rock, Wasabi dp
Other: tissue paper, circle punches (1 1/4" & 1 3/8"), photo corner punch, 1/16" hole punch, Earth Elements brads

Belli Challenge #4 - Wheels!

Chrissy's Belli challenge this week is to use wheels. I bet you have at least one wheel collecting dust somewhere, don't ya? LOL Well, pull it out and create a card with it. Post a comment on Chrissy's blog with a link to your card to enter your name in a drawing for a prize. If you upload your card to SCS, please enter CBC4 in the keywords.

On my card, I used the Blooms & Bulbs wheel from Stampin Up! I wheeled it over and over to fill up the Regal Rose background panel. This is a fun and easy way to make your own designer papers and background papers.

Stamps: Blooming with Love, Blooms & Bulbs wheel
Inks: Regal Rose, Basic Gray, Almost Amethyst, Basic Black
CS: Regal Rose, Basic Gray, Almost Amethyst, Naturals White
Other: scallop punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, Gray taffeta ribbon, new Silver flower ribbon slide (available next month!)

Belli Challenge #3 - Buttons!

Here are a few cards with buttons on them. These are for Chrissy's Belli Challenge #3 - this week we are using buttons. Everyone has buttons! Pull them out, dust them off, and create a card or three. Don't forget to leave a comment with the link to your card. Chrissy will enter you in a drawing for some blog candy! If you upload your button card to SCS, please enter in CBC3 in the keywords (for Chrissy's Belli Challenge 3).

Cupcakes!

I got my cupcake stamps yesterday from eclectic Paperie and I had to ink them up right away. This is going to be a fun set to play with.

I began by looking for some fun cupcake-y sort of papers, and I found this retired SU designer paper. I thought the little polka dots would be cute, and it sort of matched the polka dotted cupcake liner. So from there, I picked out my colors - Pretty in Pink, Turquoise, and Olive. The rest of the card just came together from there.


Stamps: Hey There Cupcake
Inks: Pretty in Pink, Turquoise, Old Olive
CS: Pretty in Pink, Turquoise, White, retired designer paper
Other: Olive wide gg ribbon, Pink tafetta ribbon, nestabilities, corner rounder punch