8/4/16 DOstamper STARS Thursday Challenge

I knew as soon as I saw these colors that I would do something with snowflakes - the colors just seem so crisp and clean with white & they scream serenity, don't they?  And I find snow to be serene.  Since I knew right away what the theme would be, I figured it didn't count as much of a challenge, right? So, I went ahead and tried a technique I had never tried before.  My upline calls it "Triple Time" stamping.  I've always thought it was pretty but just have never taken the time to figure it out.  I'm really glad I did because I think it was a neat effect here. Want to see more cards with the same color scheme?  Check out my friends' blogs here:

• Connie Plaumann
• Dawn Olchefske 
• Judy Strickling
• Miriam Bollinger  
• Sharon Bennett
• Cathy Peck
• Dawn Thomas

And if you decide to try this scheme yourself, post a link to your work in the comments - I'd love to come check it out!

Stars Challenge 9/10/15

This week's team challenge was to create a card using the following sketch.  Isn't it versatile?  I chose to rotate the card 90-degrees, but you could also replace the strips underneath the square with banners or ribbon or you could use patterned paper instead of the solid cardstock I chose.  And that square, well, it could be a circle, or any of the Thinlits shapes...the sky is the limit.  As for me, I have had one of this year's new Christmas paper packs, Merry Moments, laying around and decided it was time to start using it to plan upcoming classes & to start preparing for Christmas.  I drew color inspiration from the patterned paper, using Mossy Meadow, Real Red, and Old Olive for my colors.  Also, I added a bit of bling to the Tree using our Rhinestones.  When you buy a pack of our rhinestones, they come with many individual rhinestones of varying sizes and then several strips of the smallest rhinestones, which made it super easy to just line up over one of the plaid lines on the tree.  I just trimmed them to the right length with my X-acto knife and then used the point of the knife to transfer the strip of rhinestones from the packaging to the paper.  I experimented with placing the cut-out tree on plain red cardstock, but it needed something, so I ran the cardstock through my Big Shot in the On Point Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  The tree & inside sentiment are stamps from the Lots of Joy stamp set.  I've got several more designs up my sleeves using these papers & stamps so check back often!

If you'd like to buy this card, bop on over to my Etsy store by clicking HERE and I'd be happy to help you out! 

If you'd like to see how my friends interpreted this sketch, click on their names below:
Connie Plaumann
Sharon Bennett
Robyn Rasset
Judy Strickling
Ashley Simmons
Miriam Bollinger
Dawn Olchefske

Joyful Christmas

I knew as soon as I received the holiday mini that this stamp set - Joyful Christmas - would make its way into my collection and now I'm so glad it did.  I used it to make cards for a swap I was in and I'm so happy with how it turned out.  I love it when I can use lots of layers, lots of patterns, and lots of textures, and this stamp lends itself perfectly to those criteria.

This card is labor- and supply-intensive, but oh-so-worth it!  It will knock the recipients' socks off!

Here's what you'll need:
Paper: Season of Style Designer Series Paper, Cardstock (whisper white, crumb cake, cherry cobbler and old olive)
Stamps: Joyful Christmas
Ink: Old Olive (sentiment), Crumb Cake (to make the watermarks on the crumb cake layer), and Versamark (for the embossing)
Other: adhesive-backed rhinestones, paper snips (for "fussy cutting"), white embossing powder, paper piercer, Apothecary Accents die set, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, Paper-Piercing Mat, sticky strip (to adhere the embossed layers together).

Tip: When "fussy cutting" something, I find it easier to turn the paper rather than turn the scissors...you get a cleaner cut that way.  Also, try to slowly close the scissors as you can rather than lots of jagged open-close movements.