Rubbernecker Challenge #12 - frames

The challenge this week on the Rubbernecker blog is to use frames. I thought I would do it differently today and do a faux frame. This is super easy - just stamp your image or sentiment, cut it out with your nestabilities, and leave the nestability on your cut out cardstock. DON'T move it. Just leave it there, and sponge some color onto your cardstock inside the nestability. Voila! Instant frame!

The background on this card is something that I had to try. I've had this Sandal paint dabber for years, and never really got around to using it. Well........ it is now a solid clump inside the jar. I'm not kidding - solid like wet clay. So I squeezed out a blob onto my cardstock and then used the dabber top to smooth out the paint blob. I let that dry, and then sponged over it with Walnut Stain distress ink. The paint resists the ink, and now the cardstock looks like a distressed piece of wood. Very cool!

I bought this gorgeous checkered ribbon from Michelle over at Stampers Dream. She's such a sweetheart, and she's got a ton of beautiful ribbons to choose from. I'm hooked on buying ribbons from her! :-)

The sentiment is from a Tim Holtz set called Nature's Moments. You can find this over at Rubbernecker, along with the distress inks and the little fragments (the little charm I used on this card). The image inside the little charm is from one of Rubbernecker's silhouette stamps. I just stamped it on some Naturals Ivory cardstock, let it dry, then spread some clear glue on the fragment and positioned it over the stamped image. After the glue dried, I cut away the excess cardstock from the edges.

Stamps: Nature's Moments (Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz), Rubbernecker silhouette image
Ink: Walnut Stain distress ink
CS: Naturals Ivory, Artichoke
Other: Sandal paint dabber (Ranger), distress tool (Stampin Up), sponging tool (Ranger), clear fragments (Tim Holtz), swivel clasp (Ranger), checkered ribbon (May Arts), nestabilities (Labels 4 by Spellbinders)

Autumn Tree

Here's the last tree card from my seasonal tree blitz this weekend. Can you tell which season this one represents? :-) The pumpkins are a bit of a give-away, eh?

I personally love the rich colors of autumn, the little hint of crispness in the air, the sweet relief from the 100+ degree days of summer. For this card, I used several different colors on the tree leaves, and I tried it simulate the leaves falling here and there below the tree. The sky is sponged with several different colors for a gradual change to the warm and rusty color at the very top.

The pumpkins are from the Loads of Love Accessories set, and I stamped and colored them before cutting them out. The tree and leaves are from Branch Out, which is fast becoming my favorite set to use. I truly hope this will NOT be on the retiring stamps set list coming out from Stampin Up next Monday. Cross your fingers!

Spring Blossoms Tree

For my Spring Tree card, I just had to have some sweet pink cherry blossoms in my tree. It's so great that I can use the "leaf" stamp from Branch Out to stamp the blossoms as well as the leaves all over the tree top.

This card needed some soft pastel colors, with just a little pop here and there, so I used Gable Green for the bright grass, and then Celery and Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose for the leaves and blossoms. To make the birdhouse stand out, I stamped it with Stazon Jet Black using my trusty Stampamajig. The sky is sponged with just a tiny hint of Bashful Blue.

When I am ready to mail it, I will find the appropriate sentiment and stamp it at the top in the sky. I'm not sure if this will be a birthday card, a thinking of you card, a Happy Spring card (next year, obviously), or a "have a great day" card. It will be nice to have this one ready for any kind of sentiment. :-)

Stay tuned tomorrow for the last card in my Seasonal Trees card "tour." Don't forget to check out the Belli Challenge over on the Belli Challenge blog today.

Summer Tree

Well....... I couldn't stop at just one. I had to go the whole hog and make all 4 seasons with this tree from the Branch Out stamp set. LOL

This is my summer version. Don't you have some fond memories of swinging on a tire that was roped up to a tree branch? Those lazy days of summer when there's no school and nothing on tv...... I spent a lot of time outside watching the butterflies and birds and riding my bike. Ahhhhh to be a kid again.........

The next two postings will have the spring and summer versions of the tree. Check back tomorrow and the next day to see what these look like. :-)

Purple Snowy Tree

It's never too early to think about Christmas cards, is it? Hee hee! A gal named Patty Bennett shared a card on one of my yahoo groups, and hers was brayered with shades of blue, and I just had to try my own version of it. I actually ended up sponging most of the darker Eggplant color onto this card rather than brayering it, and I added the little sentiment down in the corner. I love how this one turned out.

This would be a great Christmas card to send out this year. It's flat and perfect for mailing. It's also pretty easy to create, and when you have 50 or more cards to mail out, you need easy. :-) The tree is from Branch Out, and the sentiment is from To You and Yours.

I love how the white gel pen really makes the snow stand out against the Eggplant and Amethyst shades in the sky. I can't wait to try this with blues and maybe some grays. I wonder what other colors would look good? Hmmmmm.......

Sweet Stop Sketch card - Linen Birds

I created this card using the sketch over on the Sweet Stop blog today. It's a nice easy sketch, so I managed to finish this card in between making 6 loaves of zucchini bread this afternoon. Pshew!

I stamped the birds and flowers image from Sweet N Sassy's "His Eye is on the Sparrow" set, and then colored it in with Copic markers. When I actually finished the card, I needed to antique this bright image to better coordinate with the aged papers. So I pulled out my sponge and Antique Linen distress ink, and very lightly sponged over the colored image.

When looking for papers to mat the backgrounds with, I came across some wonderful textured papers that I had bought from who knows where in the past year from K & Company. I loved the linen sort of look on this designer paper, so I had to dig out my old retired Stampin Up Linen background stamp. I inked it up with Antique Linen distress ink and stamped it onto the Pink Pirouette cardstock behind the designer paper layer.

When I cut the birds and flowers image down, I had some flowers left over, so I colored those and cut them out and stuck them down on the Pink Pirouette cardstock. The "Thinking of You" sentiment comes from Sweet N Sassy's "Autumn Blessings" stamp set.

Head on over to the Sweet Stop and give this sketch a shot. It's quick and easy and fun! Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!


Stamps: Autumn Blessings, His Eye is on the Sparrow (Sweet N Sassy Stamps)
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Stampin Up Chocolate Chip, Antique Linen distress ink
CS: Rose Red, Pink Pirouette, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Close to Cocoa, K & Company designer paper
Other: sponge, Copic markers

No Stamping Card!!

I promise, this is my last card with this color combo (for this week anyway hee hee hee!) This is a quick and fun card to put together. There is no stamping on here at all! Can you believe that? :-)

This is a 3"x3" card, and I cut the circle out with the new Circle Scissor Plus tool. I put off buying it from Stampin Up until just now, when I finally gave in. This is the COOLEST tool! I love it! You can cut any size at all up to 6 inches. If you want 5 and 3/8", you got it. If you want 2 and 1/4", you got it. Just crank the little dial and it will put it at the size you want. Too cool!!!

I cut the leaves out with the Big Shot and the Little Leaves sizzlit die (my fave),
and punched out the flowers with the Boho Blossoms punch. To finish it off, I put some Vintage Brads in the centers of the flowers and tied some Kraft tafetta ribbon around the card. Easy peasy!


Stamps: NONE
Ink: NONE
CS: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Ruby Red
Other: Circle Scissor Plus, Little Leaves die, Boho Blossoms punch, 1/16" hole punch, Vintage Brads, Kraft tafetta ribbon

Pots on a Bench

The very first stamp set that I HAD to buy from the Occasions mini catalog was Scene in a Garden. And do you know what? This is the first time I've inked it up! Ack! Time to get busy and stamp some more cards with this gorgeous stamp set.

I created this card for the sketch challenge on SCS this week. Since the bench is so rustic-looking, I kept the rest of the card in that theme with distressing and sponging. I kept the same colors that I did on my previous card (Ruby Strawberries) because they work so well together.

While stamping the image, I stamped a couple of extra images of the pots. I then watercolored them, let them dry, and cut them out. You can see that I positioned one of the pots lying down on its side, with the next one upright. There are so many possibilities with this bench and all the accessories that go with it. I'm hoping to have lots of free time this weekend to play with this set.

All supplies from Stampin Up:

Stamps: Scene in a Garden (Occasions mini catalog), Sanded background
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Ruby Red, Really Rust
CS: Kraft, Olive, Ruby Red, Naturals White, Bella Rose dsp
Other: sponge, distressing tool, large chocolate chip brads, wide Chocolate Chip gg ribbon, aquapainter, 1/16" hole punch

TSSC #70 - Ruby Strawberries

I actually had some free time tonight after supper to play in my studio! I whipped up this card in about an hour, thanks to a great sketch challenge from Mary Jo, and a color challenge from my Late Night Stampers group. We had to use Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, and Old Olive.

Strawberries are sometimes this deep warm shade of Ruby Red when they are nice and ripe, so I thought that would be a good image to use two of the challenge colors on. The gingham paper isn't actually Ruby Red. It's from the Stampin Up Bella Rose package of designer paper, and the colors are Pink Pirouette and Red Riding Hood. I pulled out my trusty brayer to cover the dsp with some Ruby Red ink, and lo and behold, it worked! I actually like this color better!

As I was putting the background cardstock colors together, I was trying to think of something to do with the Old Olive side. I didn't want to distract from the ruby berries, so I pulled out my Stampin Up texture plates. I've actually had these for about 6 months, and haven't even used them yet! YIKES! I embossed the olive cardstock with the polka dot texture plate through my Big Shot. It's a very nice subtle look for your paper. Here is a close-up:




Isn't that cool? :-)


Stamps: Tart and Tangy, Birthdays Count
Ink: Ruby Red, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
CS: Whisper White, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Kraft, Bella Rose dsp
Other: stampamajig (placement of birthday sentiment), SU texture plates, scallop circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, brayer

Brown Scene for FS Challenge

My mother, Joan Ervin, is the Featured Stamper this week on SCS! How cool is that??? Of course I had to play along and pick a card of hers to case, so I picked THIS one. You are supposed to pick a card and change at least two things on the card to make it your own.

Obviously I changed more than two things. I made the whole scene brown, I changed the sentiment, and I did not use any Perfect Pearls to make the card shimmery. I also used some Stampin Up markers to color in the cabin, keeping it in the brown tones to flow with the card. I loved making this card because it's the total opposite of what my mom usually makes. She's the foo-foo queen, whereas I am the clean and simple girl. LOL

Would you like to play along? My mother would be tickled pink if you accept this challenge and play along to case one of her many cards. Check the link HERE for more information.


Stamps: Rubbernecker Kittie Kits and Petite Sentiments
Ink: Timber Brown stazon, Walnut Stain distress ink, Creamy Caramel marker, Close to Cocoa marker
CS: PaperTrey Ink Dark Chocolate, Whisper White, Creamy Caramel
Other: sponge, masking tape, 1 1/4" circle punch, PTI Dark Chocolate Twill ribbon, brown button, brown twine

WOW box with Shimmery Roses

A fellow LNS blogger, Dianne Shiozaki, posted some WOW boxes on her blog HERE, and I just fell in love. I had to try to make my own, and this is my attempt. Dianne emailed the tutorials to me, and they are very easy to follow. Don't be afraid to email her for the tutorials - she's more than happy to share. :-)

When I finished the actual box part, I started thinking about what I wanted to put on the top. Patty Bennett to the rescue! She has a tutorial on watercolor roses, and they are beautiful!!!!!! I begged my mom to let me borrow her Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set (Stampin Up) so I could try the watercolor technique for myself.

You can see that every rose will come out different. It's so neat to see the colors spreading and making the roses come alive. Just try it for yourself using Patty's tutorial HERE. The roses are so pretty and shimmery!

Now I just need to find some candy or something to put inside the box, and then I can give this away. Mom and I are attending a shoebox swap in a couple weeks, and this will be my door prize for that swap. Do you think they will like this?? :-)

MOJO #86 Faux Vellum Wisteria

I had to try out the new sketch challenge over on the Mojo Monday blog. While trying to figure out what stamps I wanted to use, I also tried to figure out which technique to use with them. So....... after about an hour of searching and thinking, I came up with this.

The stamps are some brand new ones that I purchased from I Brake for Stamps, and they are gorgeous! I love silhouette stamps. Since I had found I Brake for Stamps through the Technique Junkies newsletter, I figured I should use a technique to showcase the new stamps. Faux Vellum is the name of this particular technique. 

Stamps: silhouette stamps from Stampinback line (I Brake for Stamps)
Ink: Perfect Plum
CS: Pale Plum, Kraft, white, Wisteria dsp from Basic Grey
Other: eyelet border punch (Stampin Up)

Belli Challenge # 65 - color challenge

This week's Belli Challenge is a color challenge. Chris challenged the Belli Girls to create a card or project with Celery, Apricot, and Cameo Coral. Time was in short supply this week for me, with a stamp camp and a big family party to celebrate birthdays and Mother's Day this weekend. I found a card I had done a couple years ago that just happened to have these exact colors on it. I love these colors together! They are so spring-y and fun!

Pull out your cardstock and see what you can make with these colors. You just might surprise yourself with something cute! :-)

CBCC #38 - inspiration

This week's CBCC challenge is an inspiration challenge. We are to find our inspiration from people - our loved ones, celebrities, anyone!

I found inspiration from my Gramma for this challenge. She happened to be wearing a cute blouse with a blue fabric diamond shape in the center, with swirls and crocheted flowers all around it. I just loved that and it stuck in my mind, so I just had to imitate it. :-) Thanks, Gramma!!

I met the sweetest gal named Leah who makes these wonderful crocheted flowers. HERE is her shop so you can see what else she makes. I asked her to make an assortment of flowers and leaves, and these are her creations. I just LOVE these! They are so soft and gorgeous! Thanks for the beautiful work, Leah!

Look around you and see the inspiration that is right next to you. It could be your child's bib, your husband's toolbelt, the colors of your favorite football team, anything. Create something from what you see today. Need more inspiration? Check out what the other Challenge Chicks have created for you:

Courtney Fowler
Maria Fiscella
Danielle Marcus
Sparkle Smith
Maria Gurnsey
Kim Gruetzmacher
Risa Malieta West


Stamps: Beautiful - swirls (Cornish Heritage Farms), Small Script - joy sentiment (Stampin Up)
Ink: Brilliance Black, Bashful Blue
CS: Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Bashful Blue dsp
Other: crocheted flowers and leaf(Paper Blooms), grungeboard, acrylic paint, sponge, pearls

TSSC #68 Love card

I had to try the new sketch on Mary Jo's blog and I somehow came up with this. It's such a cute color combination - picked directly from the Candy Lane designer papers from Stampin Up. The colors are: Close to Cocoa, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, and Very Vanilla.

Everything on this card is from Stampin Up:

Stamps: Morning Soft
Ink: Riding Hood Red
CS: Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Candy Lane dsp
Other: Heart to Heart punch, Riding Hood Red tafetta ribbon

CBCC #37 - flowers

This week's CBCC challenge is to go crazy with flowers. How easy is that?? LOL

I've been seeing all these cute flower pot cards on everyone's blogs, so of course, I had to make one, too. They are so easy to make, and you have so many possibilities for the flowers. If you want to make one, please check out THIS blog for directions.

Here is another flower pot for you, but with different colors and I used silk flowers instead of flowers punched from designer paper.




Why don't you play along with us and create a card with flowers on it? For more inspiration, check out the Challenge Chicks:


Courtney Fowler
Maria Fiscella
Danielle Marcus
Sparkle Smith
Maria Gurnsey
Kim Gruetzmacher
Risa Malieta West



Pale Yellow Flower Pot:
Stamps: Birthdays Count (Stampin Up)
Ink: Riding Hood Red
CS: Kraft, Vanilla, Candy Cane Lane dsp
Other: scallop edge punch, Vanilla wide grosgrain ribbon, 5-petal flower punch, Boho Blossoms punch

Purple Flower Pot:
Stamps: Birthdays Count (Stampin Up)
Ink: Lavender Lace
CS: Lavender Lace, Kraft, Whisper White
Other: scallop edge punch, purple silk flowers, pale purple flat beads, White Organza ribbon (Stampin Up)

RN Heat Gun challenge

The challenge on the Rubbernecker blog this week is to use your heat gun. I bought this stamp of stained glass daisies from Rubbernecker, and I've been itching to use it. I stamped the image with Black Craft ink from Stampin Up, covered it with clear embossing powder, and used my heat gun to melt the powder.

Then came the fun part! I pulled out my old Twinkling H2O's - remember those?? - and started coloring. I didn't want to think about shadows and lights, I just wanted to color. Who doesn't love a little shimmery goodness on their cards? :-)

Stamps: stained glass daisies (Rubbernecker)
Ink: Black CRAFT (Stampin Up)
CS: Cool Caribbean, Yo Yo Yellow, White (all from Stampin Up)
Twinkling H2O's: Heavenly White, Celestial Sun, Wild Vine, Tahitian Blue
Other: clear embossing powder (Stampin Up), Cool Caribbean ric rac ribbon (Stampin Up), white tafetta ribbon (Stampin Up), yellow sheer polka dot ribbon

Late Night Stampers

I belong to a Yahoo group called Late Night Stampers, and we have started up some groups of "Blogging Stars." We will be commenting on each person's postings within our groups, and I am part of Group 3. These are the other ladies whom I am proud to be grouped with:

Sandi MacIver
Tina Taves
Chris Austin
Heidi Michel
Kelli Waters
Nancy Legate
Dianne Shiozaki
Virginia Killmore
Kirsten Brown


If you would like to see what the Late Night Stampers are all about, click on THIS link. This group is full of positive ladies who love to share their artwork.

Enjoy your Sunday! :-)

Polka Dot Mother's Day

After a hard day of working in the garden, drying some dill weed, and planting a tree, I headed to my studio to create some much needed cards for family members. May is a crazy month with 5 birthdays, 2 anniversaries, and Mother's Day. I have one Mother's Day card done - yay!

I stamped the Large Polka Dot backgrounder (from Cornish Heritage Farms) with Rose Red ink onto Whisper White cardstock. The sentiment, from Cornish Heritage Farms, is from the Mother's Day Centers stamp set. I stamped that with Versafine Onyx Black onto Whisper White cardstock, let it dry, and punched it out.

The leaves are punched from some packaging that I just couldn't throw away. I love the color, and there is a very small abstract pattern on there as well. The big flower is something I picked up on clearance at Walmart about a year ago.

You think Mom will like this? :-)


Stamps: Large Polka Dot backgrounder, Mother's Day Centers (all from Cornish Heritage Farms)
Ink: Rose Red, Versafine Onyx Black
CS: Whisper White, Rose Red, Basic Black
Other: Martha Stewart leaf punches, scallop circle punch (SU), 1 3/8" circle punch (SU), silk flower (Walmart)