DOStamper Stars Sketch Challenge DSC#070

Awhile back, I saw this challenge posted at my upline's website.  I finally took some time to sit down and create a card from it.  I'm happy with how it turned out.  It seems like I'm constantly looking for "thank you" and all-purpose cards, so I was happy to create one to add to my stash.  I used the Fresh Prints DSP (#132996) stack that is in the spring catalog.  This paper is delicious!  I loved it so much I ordered a second stack so that I don't run out any time soon.  It works beautifully for many occasions, and features Real Red, Coastal Cabana, and Crumb Cake.

Ombre Technique

My upline, Dawn Olchefske, offers a monthly kit to her customers and downline.  I had taken a break from them for awhile, and missed them so much, I decided to get them again for 2014.  The kits come with everything you need to make 3 cards, except the stamps/stamped images and adhesives.

Sometimes, I happen to have the exact same stamp sets she used, which makes for some very quick and easy stamping. I usually get out my adhesives and small scissors, pull up a show on my DVR and get to work.  But sometimes, I don't have the same stamp sets, and it's then that I enjoy the challenge of trying to modify the project using the products I do have.  This was one of those projects for me.   You can see her original project here: Dawn Olchefske blog.

As you can see, both cards are great.  I didn't have the fringe scissors, so I chose to leave the simple, straight edges of the cardstock layer.  I kept the ribbon, rhinestones, and the idea of one large sentiment.  You might notice, I chose a different sentiment...mine came from "Feel Goods" (wood #131916; cling-mount #129684).  It also would have been fine to chose an image, rather than a sentiment, to fill up the space.

Because I didn't have the fringe as the focal point anymore, I decided to add some detail by stamping some flower images from the Secret Garden set to create a background for the sentiment.  I think that added just enough interest.  You'll notice that I chose to use the lighter pink for the solid images and the darker colors for the line images.  That helped to keep the images from competing with the sentiment.  I chose to stamp the sentiment in Basic Gray rather than Basic Black to keep it from being too bold.

Thanks for stopping by!

Color My World Challenge DSC#075

One current trend in hair, fashion, home furnishing, and crafting is the ombre look - a gentle gradation of colors.  I decided to try and achieve that look by sponging ink over a stencil using today's challenge colors of Tangerine Tango, Delightful Daffodil, and Gumball Green.  I diecut a piece of scrap cardstock using the Hexagon Hives die, and then sponged ink into the holes.  I finished it off by stamping a sentiment (retired), and some flowers from Summer Silhouettes and Secret Garden.  I fussy cut one of the flowers and popped it out with a Dimensional.  This was definitely a fun technique to try and would be really pretty with cool colors as well!  Happy stamping!

Check out the others STARS's takes on this challenge:

Connie Plaumann

Cindy Techlin

Sharon Bennett

Jan Carlson

Miriam Castanho Bollinger

Dawn Olchefske

Robyn Rasset

Weekly Deals - March 25-31, 2014

I don't know about you, but I had a hard time resisting these weekly deals.  I just placed an order for the Champagne and Silver Glimmer Papers, the Brights and Subtles Core'dinations cardstock, and the "This and That Epic Day" Designer series paper! 

If you would like any of these items, please come shop at my ONLINE STORE!

And, Sale-a-bration is still going on right now, so for every $50 of product you buy (including weekly deals), you'll get an item from our Sale-a-bration catalog for free! 

Go for the Gold Challenge

So, I’m a little late in posting this, but life has been busy, and that can be a good thing.  Anyway, back when the winter Olympics were taking place, my upline challenged our group of demonstrators to use GOLD on a card.  She called it the “Go for the Gold Challenge.”  Now, if you know me, I’m not a gold person at all.  I own exactly one piece of jewelry that has any gold on it, and the presence of gold in my stamping is just as sparse.  So, I had to resort to the only gold I had, which was glitter (that, incidentally, I own only because it came with the silver glitter I wanted). 

In spite of my lack of interest in the color, I did end up very pleased with the card I created for that challenge.  Banner, butterflies, and lacy things seem to be a trend right now and this card is no exception.  I love how the very vanilla and brown look with the gold accent.  The assembly of most of this card is fairly intuitive.  The part you might be curious about it the gold glitter.  I punched a circle out of our Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets (#120805), peeled off one side of the backing, mounted it on very vanilla cardstock, lined up the punch exactly over the adhesive & punched it again.  This will give you a circle that has cardstock on one side, adhesive in the middle, and backing on the other side.  I then peeled off the backing & sprinkled glitter over it.  When I do this step, I use my finger to press on the glitter and get it good and stuck to the adhesive.  Then I dumped off the excess glitter, and mounted it to the card by applying adhesive to the cardstock (back) side of the circle. This technique will work for any powder or glitters & can be used with any shape punch or die.  The sky is the limit!  

Other current product used on this card include the Delicate Doilies Sizzlits (#126999), 2-3/8"scallop circle punch (#11874), 1-1/4" inch circle punch (#119861), 1-3/4" circle punch (#119850), and the Elegant Butterfly Punch (#127526).

Baby Shower Invites

Earlier this month, I co-hostessed a baby shower for a friend from church.  Inspired by these cards from Pinterest, and her nursery theme of blues and browns, I created these invitations. 

While the paper-piercing and “fussy cutting” was a little time-intensive, I think it gave the finished pieces a nice look.  These cards could be easily adapted to other color schemes, a bridal shower, or even just any kind of outpouring of love. 

To create these cards, you’ll need cardstock, ink, an umbrella stamp, a mini heart stamp, a paper piercer & piercing template, some dimensionals, paper snips, and a sentiment stamp.  For ink, I used Island Indigo, Pool Party, and Early Espresso. I found that stamping each heart  two or three times before re-inking it created some nice variations in color intensity.  For cardstock, I used Early Espresso and Whisper White.  The umbrella stamp is from a retired Stampin’ Up! set called “Rain or Shine”.  The mini heart is from the current “Create-a-Cupcake” stamp set (wood: #128520; clear: #121982).   Stampin’ Up! also currently carries paper piercers (#126189) and the piercing template (#126199).