Loonie Stamper Challenge #25 - Birthday

This week it was Wendy's turn to set the Loonie Gal challenge and ...wow did she ever make a doozie!! Check out those colors. Individually, all very beautiful...but to put them all together was really hard for me!!

I don't own any of the new Raspberry Fizz color...but you know me, I am all about adapting. So, I went into paint and found a color that was as close to the Raspberry Fizz color as I could get. It worked!!

So, I started out with this first card. And while it was okay, it really wasn't making me very happy.

So, I gave it a second try and while it still isn't singing to me, I definately like it better than my first attempt!

What do you think?? Which card do you like best?? Give these colors a try and see what you can do with them!!!

Now you have to go and see the Loonie Girls' projects:

Jewels, Dee, Char, Regan, Wendy, Maria

Supplies:

Bird Birthday: Stamps-Birds of a Feather, Birthday Basics (Papertrey Ink); Ink- Lemon Tart (Papertrey Ink), Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!); Paper- Dark Chocolate, Lemon Tart, Plum Pudding (Papertrey Ink), Raspberry Fizz (actually a home version to look as close to the PTI version as I could get), other- Linen Vellum (Papertrey Ink).

Dotty Birthday: Stamps-Father Knows Best, Mixed Messages (Papertrey Ink); Ink-Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!); Paper - Dark Chocolate, Lemon Tart, Plum Pudding (Papertrey Ink), Raspberry Fizz (actually a home version to look as close to the PTI version as I could get); Other-1/4" and 1/2" circle punches (Stampin' Up!).

Thanks for dropping in!!

Donelda

Blog Candy Alert

My friend CHRIS has posted her 300th post and is celebrating by giving away some blog candy. You need to go and leave a comment in order to be in the draw !!!!

smARTworks - Red Teapot with Lace

This card was so much fun to make. I started out by stamping the teapot image from Teapot Trio (smARTworks) onto watercolor paper and colored it in with a watercolor brush and ink from my ink pads. I matted it with some Buckaroo Blue cardstock, used my ticket corner punch, and added some doodling around the edges of the image (one of my favorite ways to "finish off" a focal image). I added some awesome lace and black organdy ribbon under the image and a little sentiment. Put some of this amazing designer paper from Basic Grey on top of the Very Vanilla card base. I really like how this card turned out!!

Now, speaking of smARTworks...you have got to see what Susan is up to!! On her blog she is talking about smART bucks, incentive programs, and cookie plates!!! Head on over and check it out HERE! And it all starts on February 1st!! So don't forget to drop in to smARTworks and check out all the new and exciting stuff going on.

Thanks for dropping in!! Donelda

6th picture from 6th folder

Well, my PTI blogging friend Dee tagged me and it was such a cute idea I had to play along!! The tag was to find your 6th folder of pictures and pick your 6th picture in the folder. You were to display it on your blog and expain what the picture is about. Well, here is the 6th picture in my 6th folder. It is from July 07. It was Canada Day (that is July 1st if you are not aware of this) and we had been to the parade at a nearby town. We always pack a picnic and find somewhere fun to eat for lunch. That year we went to a local lake and my son built stuff with the washed up wood on the beach. It was a windy but warm day and we had a lot of fun!!

Now I am supposed to tag a few folks. I will tag a few here and some private tags via PMs. I am going to tag Chris, Juanita, Jessica, and Kelly. Hopefully they will all play!!

I am in create mode tonight and I ahve some stamping time tomorrow night so hopefully I will get some of my "to do" list accomplished!

Thanks for dropping in!

Donelda

smARTworks Tea Party #10 - Stitches and Ribbon

It is time again for another smARTworks Tea Party!! This time it was Giovana's time to give us a challenge! She wanted us to use stitching and ribbon on our cards. What fun! Now, we could use real stitching, faux stitching, or even rub-ons or stamps. I, however, love to pull out my sewing machine and do some sewing on my cards. I think they make cards warm and cozy!! A real home-spun feel. I stamped the small key from smARTworks' Lock and Key onto a piece of vanilla cardstock and then sponged on some creamy caramel and cut it out. Next, I stamped the sentiment onto a piece of designer paper. The sentimet reads "The keys to happiness Something to do. Something to love. Something to hope for." I then used a Post-It Note, cut out a heart shape and used the reverse mask to create the heart shape behind the sentiment. First, I used the HINGE stamp from the Lock and Key set to stamp the swirly image (stamping off the ink first so that it was lighter than the sentiment). Then I did a bit of sponging around the edge of the heart for some definition. I really like how this turned out! Finally, I stitched around all the edges and added the ribbon and button. Now you have to go check out what the other Design Team Members did with this challenge! Giovana, Dina, Susan (and Peggy too), and Trish. Don't forget to upload your own challenge card by leaving one of us a comment. If you post to an online gallery, don't forget to use the keyword SCTP10. ETA - You have to check out the latest smARTwroks announcement....smART bucks, thank you incentives, and a Cookie Plate....so exciting!! and it all starts on FEB 1!! Supplies: Stamps: Lock and Key (smARTworks); Ink-Night of Navy, Creamy Caramel (Stampin' Up!), Jet Black (Archivers); Paper-Creamy Caramel (Stampin' Up!), Navy Blue (Bazzill); Designer Papers (Die Cut With a View); Other - sewing maching, thread, Post-It Note, hobby knife, sponge, button (Hero Arts), floss (DCM), organdy ribbon (from a friend). Thanks for dropping in! Donelda

Scrap Cards - Lots of them!

I told you yesterday on my post that I would upload my various "scrap cards" today. Well, here they are!! I really had so much fun making all of these on Sunday afternoon. And EVERYTHING you see is from my many scrap bins!! All of the flowers and butterflies had been punched out before but never used!! Even the ovals, circles, and squares were pieces in my "little scraps" bin. The bits of ribbon also came from my ribbon bits and pieces jar.

While there is just too much here to step you through it all, I will point out a few of my favorite details.

See the triple panel butterfly "scrapling" - the black, vanilla, and red one. That one is one of my favorites. The butterflies were punched out shortly after Christmas from a Christmas card. The card had this awesome velvet-like stocking with a design. It made great velvet butterflies. I still have a few in my scrap bin so you'll see them in future cards for sure. The size "scrapling" is an idea I got from Shari Carroll. She uses the scrap you cut off of a standard A2 size card when you make it into a 4"x4" card. Brilliant!!

I also like the cluster of orange flowers on the vanilla oval. Those are "faux" primas!! I found some previously punched flowers, then using my embossing stylus and a soft mat, I pushed in one side of the petals, flipped them over and pushed in the center!! They are so much fun to make!! And if you look carefully at the background (the green part) you might be able to see some lines. I love the look. How did I do it?? I simple used my ruler and drew lines using my Versamark pen. Simple but provides a nice subtle background!! You can be sure that I'll be doing that one again!!

See the shimmery apple..well, that glittery apple actually came from a small piece of the glitter strip I had left over from THIS card. See, I really do keep everything! Anyway, I saw that it was just big enough to punch out the apple. I loved how the colors worked into the punch! Cool. The background was done with alcohol inks. My hubby liked this one best!

I also really like the orange, turquoise, and black collage looking one. The elements just fell out of the scrap bin onto my table close together. All I had to do is make some final arrangements and it took shape. See the tuele on the side... that is from Heidi Swapp and I love it. I bought it a while ago (probably like 2 years... ) and I had obviously cut some to use and must have changed my mind. Anyway, it was a scrap ... so on my card it went. It makes for a great "light" element when you need something for balance but you don't want anything too heavy!

Oh, and just one more tidbit. The pink butterflies on the brown circles, well they were punched out of some watercolor paper that I had painted (with watercolor paint...I think ... it was a while ago) and then I sprinkled coarse salt onto the paint while it dried. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you will see some of the design on the paper. I had cut out a bunch of these butterflies from the paper.

While I could never list all the supplies (and probably don't have all the product info anyway), I will list some of the key ingredients. Stamps: Mixed Messages (Papertrey Ink), Garden of Life (Papertrey Ink), Pocket Silhouettes (Stampin' Up!), Cute as a Bug (retired Stampin' Up!), Faux Ribbon (Papertrey Ink), Polka Dot Basics (Papertrey Ink), Print Pattern (retired Stampin' Up!); Punches - apple, butterfly, butterfly (all Martha Stewart), leaf die (Cuttlebug)little flowers (EK Success), various circle punches (Stampin' Up!).

I hope you enjoyed my scraps!! I am still interested to see what beautiful creations you can create with your scraps!!

Thanks for dropping in!

Donelda

Scrap Card Fun - Again!!

If you follow my blog at all, you will know that a few friends and me like to mail crap....oops, I mean scraps to each other with a challenge to make the crap...ummmm, that is, the scrap into something beautiful!!!

Well, I recieved a little envelope in the mail last week...and inside was a wonderful group of scraps from Juanita!! I thought to myself "I must make sure I take a picture of these before I put them on a card"...but, like usual, forgot!! So, I'll tell you what she sent me. First, she sent me the piece of Summer Sun cardstock (it was plain), the small thin strip of white with yellow polka dots, and the scallop circle with the middle circle already cut out. Wasn't Juanita kind...these pieces were easy to put together!!

I started out by using clear embossing powder to add polka dots to the yellow cardstock. Then, I adheared this and the thin strip of white with yellow polka dots onto a white card base. Next, I added the scallop circle with dimensionals for some pop. In the middle, I added this awesome apple that I punched out of some cork cardstock (also on dimensionals)!! I finished the card off

with a small sentiment and some black organdy ribbon (my fav!). I really like this card!! And to think that it was created with a few pieces of scrap!!!! This is why I NEVER throw ANYTHING away!!

So, all this scrap use got my creative juices flowing and I looked over at my HUGE pile of scrap bits and pieces. I have one large clear bin (about 12 x 20") that I keep larger pieces of background, images, etc. inside. I also have a small oval shaped box that I keep tiny bits and pieces of scrap in...like punched circles, squares and other "shapes" that I don't end up using. And I also have a huge jar of bits of ribbon. With all that scrap sitting around, I knew I wanted to challenge myself to make some cards with them all. So, I created all Sunday afternoon and came up with 7 cards, with 2 more sitting on my desk to be put together. And every bit of it is from my scrap containers (except the bases, but even they are used from my half-piece or smaller cardstock pieces ... not one full sheet of paper was cut in the process!!). I was so excited to be using up some of my many scraps ... and I really like some of the end results!! I'll photograph them tonight and share them with you all tomorrow!!

Now, off to find a few scraps to send to Juanita....mmmm, to be kind or evil???!!! I think I'll be kind since she was so kind to me :-)

Tag, you're it...go and make some cards from the scraps you've been collecting!!!! I can't wait to see what you make!

Donelda

Supplies: Stamps-Scraps from Juanita, Mixed Messages, Polka Dot Basics (Papertrey Ink); Ink-Versamark, Basic Black (Stampin Up!); Paper - Whisper White (Stampin Up!), cork (unknown); Other - black organdy ribbon, apple punch (Martha Stewart), clear embossing powder.

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop - January - Birthday Card

Yes, time for another Papertrey Ink Blog Hop! If you haven't played before, you will have to consider it for next month. Every release part, Nichole posts a Blog Hop challenge on the Papertrey Ink site. We prepare our cards and post on the 25th of the month! And then, we spend the evening hopping around on everyone else's blog to see what they made. You can check HERE for others who are blog hopping tonight. Okay, on to my card. Tonight, we were asked to make a birthday card. It might sound easy...but I've got to tell you, I find it even easier to do a challenge when there are more limitations or guidelines to follow. But, I did my best and came up with this card.

I decided that I wanted to use some sets that I've been neglecting! So I pulled out my First Fruits set and used that awesome design strip. I stamped it in Aqua Mist onto some Select White paper. Then, I added a piece of Aqua Mist satin ribbon. For those of you who hate to tie bows...I hear you becasue I used to feel the same way. But I've descovered that the best way to get better is to actually do it!! HERE and HERE are some great video's that I've watched over and over to help out! Those ladies really know what they are doing!!

Next, I used this 'in flight' bird with Chocolate Chip ink and cut it out. On a piece of Kraft cardstock, I drew a flight line with a pencil, did some piercing, and then erased the pencil line. Then I added the bird using some dimensionals. I added a sentiment (inside reads...that it is your birthday) as well using more Chocolate Chip ink.

A simple card but a great birthday card.

Supplies: Stamps-Birds of a Feather, First Fruits (Papertrey Ink); Ink-Aqua Mist (Papertrey Ink), Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!); Paper - Kraft, Select White (Papertrey Ink); Other - Aqua Mist Satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink), paper piercer, pencil, eraser.

Thanks for dropping in....no go see what everyone else made!!

Donelda

Loonie Stamper Challenge #24 - Bling

Well looky looky, I actually got a chance to play with this week's Loonie Stamper Challenge. It has been a LONG time since I was able to play....way before Christmas!! But Maria picked bling...so how could I refuse??!!

I started out using my Faux Ribbon stamp set from Papertrey Ink to make this wonderful bottom. It is lots of fun to make Christmas cards and packaging like THIS one I made last year. You might have seen THIS card more recently by Niki who also did a tutorial.

Next, I added some Sweet Blush twill to the top of the home-made paper. Then for my Bling...I have these strips of metallic tape writer. YOu know the stuff...it is meant to go into one of those letter punch things...we all had them as kids but they never really worked very well. OUr parents all got mad at us because we would punch our names into the black strips and then peel the backing and stick it onto our "things". Well, at least I remember my mom giving me trouble for it!! Anyway, they are the latest trend in scrapbooking and crafting these days. In fact, you can see THIS awesome layout by Kim Crawford which has been chosen as a finalist in the Dymo contest.....on her post you can find the link to go vote for her entry if you want!!

Anyway, I have hte strips but not the machine to go with it (don't ask!!) but I've been dermined to find a way to use these strips. So, I took the pink strip and used my mini heart punch to make some metallic and blingy hearts!!! It is hard to tell that they are pink and blingy in the main picutre so I took this other picture with the light shining into the hearts! See, they are pink and metallic in color -- my bling :-)

Now you have to go see what the other loonie girls did!!

Jewels, Dee, Char, Regan, Maria, Wendy

Don't forget to drop in tomorrow to see what I did for the January Blog Hop. And then, Monday is the smARTworks tea party...come join us for tea with your card that uses stitching and ribbon!!!

Thanks for dropping in for a visit!

Donelda

KWerner Color Challenge #39

Can you believe that this is the first time I've actually gotten to try a color challenge by Kristina Werner??!! Well, it is. Her blog is one of my favorites and I check out the color challenge every week but I just never seem to be able to get the idea, make the card, and upload it in time.

Well, tonight I saw the colors for challenge #39 and I just HAD to give this one a go!!

So, if you can't read the colors, they are...basic black, real red, so saffron, whisper white, and green galore (or another green). Well, I stayed true to the colors. And don't you LOVE that picture!!

I started out with these awesome flowers from the Garden of Life set by Papertrey Ink. I had stamped them onto black cardstock with white craft ink! Cut them out using my coluzzle. Then, I wanted to use panels of the colors. I cut each color to size, then doodled around each one...one of my all time favorite things to do!! Then, added the circled flowers and a sentiment. Finished it off with some black and white gingham ribbon! I kinda like it!! I wonder what it would have looked like on a black card base instead of white??? Mmmmm, might need to give that a try!

Supplies: Stamps-Garden of Life (Papertrey Ink); Ink-Basic Black, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!); Paper-Whisper White, Basic Black, So Saffron, Real Red, Green Galore (all Stampin' Up!); other-coluzzle, black pen (Zig), black and white gingham ribbon (Stampin' Up!).

Well, it was fun finally being able to try one of Kristina's challenges!! Hope you enjoy!

Donelda

Sympathy for a Co-Worker

I made this sympathy card for my co-worker. I wanted to make sure there was lots of room for everyone on the team to sign so I made the pull out card. The base is Plum Pudding cardstock and the inside card and the focal image are stamped onto Vintage Cream, both from Papertrey Ink. I added some Plum Pudding satin ribbon to keep the card closed.

I love the Out on a Limb set from Papertrey Ink. It is just one of those versatile sets that can be used for so many purposes!! Other sets include Birds of a Feather and Garden of Life (sentiment), both from Papertrey Ink as well. The branches are stamped with Spring Moss ink and the flowers are added with Lavender Moon and Plum Pudding, all Papertrey Ink colors!! The bird and sentiment are stamped with Basic Black from Stampin' Up! I really like how this turned out! I hope it brought my co-worker some peace when she needed it and helped her know that we were thinking of her! Thanks for dropping in! Donelda

smARTworks tea party

This time it is Giovana's turn to challenge us for our smARTworks Tea Party. She has decided that stitching and ribbon are the flavor of tea we will be having....so, join us by making a card that includes stitching and ribbon.... anything goes!! It will be fun. All the design team members will be uploading on Jan 28th so drop in and see what we do and leave one of us a link to your creation so we can ooooh and aaaaah over it!!!! If you upload to an online gallery use the keyword SCTP10 so we can find it easily. Well, off to pull out all my ribbon to see what I can come up with!! Donelda

smARTworks - Cheer Filled Sunflowers

Here are more sunflowers!! I love love love this stamp! It comes from smARTworks in a set appropriately called Sunflowers!! :D I randomly stamped this individual stamp all over a piece of white cardstock using StazOn black. Then I colored them in using my Stampin' Up water pencil crayons. Finished them up with a watercolor paint brush. I have an aqua painter but I just feel like I have more control over the amount of water when I use an old fashion brush!! Finished off the card with a chocolate chip mat. Added the sentiment onto a Cuttlebug die and used lots of hemp to tie it on!! I love how hmep makes a card feel so rustic! It really is one of my favorite "ribbons"!! Placed all of this onto a So Saffron card base! What is your favorite flower?? I love sunflowers (obviously) and daffodils. I haven't found a good daffodil stamp I like yet.....anyone seen a good one out there??? Have a great day! Donelda

Blue Flowers

My very favorite in my garden is my blue flowers!! I decided to go with a blue theme. I started out making the background paper and then added the various elements for the 2 layouts.

Supplies: Stamps-Garden of Life, Borders & Corners {oval} (Papertrey Ink); Ink-Buckaroo Blue, Night of Navy (Stampin' Up!), Paper-Whisper Whtie, Buckaroo Blue, Night of Navy (Stampin' Up!); Other-navy gingham ribbon, coluzzle, paper piercer.

Thanks for dropping by!

Donelda

Sympathy Rose

I have decided that I should have some sympathy cards on hand. Love this rose image from Garden of Life (Papertrey Ink). The background is also made with a Papertrey Ink stamp set called Guide Lines. It is awesome for making beautiful backgrounds!! And so easy too!! Ribbon is the Berry Sorbet silk variety and just about the nicest ribbon I've ever tied! Supplies are all from Papertrey Ink except where indicated: Stamps-Garden of Life, Guide Lines; Paper - Select White, Spring Moss; Ink - Spring Moss, Berry Sorbet, Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!), Other-Berry Sorbet silk ribbon. Thanks for visiting. Donelda

smARTworks Tea Party #9 - Glittery Creations

So, it was my turn to decide what the challenge was going to be for the 9th smARTworks Tea Party. Boy did I ever have a hard time deciding but I ultimately chose Glitter!! I have a whole bunch of glitter that I never seem to pull out so I thought it would be a good way to get some use of it!!

For this first card I really wanted to use this watch image from the smARTworks set called Watch Trio. Watch images are "in" right now which is why I ordered this set in the first place. In

my mind, I could see a silver watch so I embossed it with silver embossing powder and cut it out. Next, I made the glittery heart. I traced a foam heart onto some light cardboard I have. Then I added a piece of Sookwang tape (this is great stuff and there is lots of fun stuff you can do with it!!) Then, I peeled off the protective coating on the tape and poured red glitter all over it!! Finally, I tied a bit of beading cord around the heart!!

The rest of the card was pulled together easy enough. Some of the detials that make me love this card is the sewing around the red paper, the curve in the black patterned paper piece, and the heart popped up with dimensionals.

Here is the second card I ended up making. I love the look of the flowers. They are actually the flower stamp from the top right set on this page of the smARTworks catalog. It is meant to be used on a domino but I

can't help but use them to make great borders. You can see another example of this HERE on a previous card.

I stamped the domino image repeatedly using my Stamp-a-ma-jig. then, I colored in the flowers with some two-way glue and sprinkled the purple glitter all over it!! I let that dry for a few hours (so I was sure the glitter would stick) and then burnished it with my finger. This ensures it is stuck and actually makes this Jewel Glitter more sparkley. I cut this border out and added it with some black and purple scraps of paper from my pile. Finally, I added the sentiment. I realized that I do not have a "happy birthday" stamp from smARTworks so I had to use one from Papertrey Ink.

Supplies: Stamps - Watch Trio (smARTworks); Ink-Versamark; Paper-Whisper White (Stampin' Up), Pirate Bandana (Sandy Lion), Remember the Moment (Dream Street Papers); Other- silver and white embossing powder, light cardboard, double sided tape (Sookwang), red micro fine glitter (Jewel), beading cord (Bead Party), sewing machine, black thread.

Supplies: Stamps - DD08-Patterns (smARTworks), Birthday Basics (Papertrey Ink); Paper-Whisper White, Basic Black (Stampin' Up!), purple (unknown, maybe Making Memories); Ink - Basic Black (Stampin' Up!); Other - Ultra Fine Glitter (Jewel), two-way glue (Stampin' Up!).

Now you have to go check out all the other Design Team Members' creations!! Dina, Susan, Trish, Peggy, and Giovana ... and DEE joined in the fun too!!

And remember, you can play too! You just need to create something with glitter or anything glittery on it and then leave a comment with a link to any Design Team member's blog! We would love to see what you do with the challenge!! Thanks for having tea with us!

Donelda

Awards!!

My blogging buddy, Juanita, sent me these two awards! Isn't she just the sweetest!! If you look down the right bar of my blog, you will see those who recieve awards from me!! Enjoy the peeks!!!

Have a great day everyone !!

Donelda

Sunflower Cards

What....I had set this to post on TUESDAY .... look, it even says the 13th...but it posted as soon and I hit publish post...on Sunday night!! Sheesh....sorry......

I love sunflowers. Don't you just love them!! They are so sunny and bright! And I love cards made with sunflowers too!

Supplies: Stamps- Text Boxed. Beautiful Blooms, Green Thumb, Mixed Messages (all Papertrey Ink); Paper-Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Mellow Moss, Au Chocolate (all Stampin' Up!); Ink-Summer Sun, Chocolate Chip, Mellow Moss (Stampin' Up!); Other-linen thread (SU!), cream organdy ribbon (from a friend!).

Thanks for dropping in tonight. Don't forget about the smARTworks tea party on Wednesday!! Get your Glittery project ready to share!!

Donelda

One Sheet Wonder

Everyone once in a while I like to do a One Sheet Wonder. That is where you stamp an entire page randomly and then cut up that page to make various cards. For this One Sheet Wonder, I pulled out a farily new to me Papertrey Ink set called Flower Garden. I colored it in with a watercolor brush and my ink pads. I really like this color combo. It is Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, River Rock and Basic Black!!

Which one is your favorite??

Thanks for dropping in for a visit!!!! Don't forget to get working on a Glittery project to upload for the smARTworks Tea Party that is on Wed. 14th!!!

Donelda

Same Cards, Different Colors

I made this gift set a while ago. It was fun to make. I challenged myself to use the same stamps but different colors to make a gift set!! And check out those awesome Maya Road clear flowers beside each of the sentiments. I sponged some of the matching ink on them and let them dry! I think it looks so cool how the darker sentiment shows through behind them.

Supplies: Stamps- Beautiful Blossoms, Out ona Limb, Borders and Corders {rectangles}; Paper- Whisper White, Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava, Blue Bayou (Stampin' Up!); Ink-Soft Sky, Lavender Lace, Groovy Guava, River Rock, Chocolate Chip, Purely Pomegranet, Wild Wasabi, Blue Bayou, Bordering Blue, Close to Cocoa (all Stampin Up!), Other - Scallop rectangles (my friend Robin lent me her Marvy Scallop punch last summer!), various buttons, clear flowers (Maya Road), hemp, sponge, double stitched ribbons (all Stampin' Up!).

Thanks for dropping in !!

Donelda