Dewy Bloom

This card is created for the awesome layout on Card Positioning System (#177).  Of course, like always, I'm too late to enter the card into the actual challenge -- sheesh!!!  I did move the focal image to the left a bit to allow for the sentiment.

The flower was fun to create.  I took the image (In Bloom from Papertrey Ink) and embossed it on white cardstock with silver embossing powder.  Then I spritzed it with water and dropped on bits of Raspberry Fizz (Papertrey Ink) ink from my reinker.  I did add a bit of pink Copic (RV11).  Then, the neatest thing - the dew drops!!  It is simple, you just rub on some glue stick, then add some UTEE and heat a bit (not too long).  I learned this technique from Godelieve who does it brilliantly ... I still need more practice!!

The sentiment was also added with silver embossing powder (Flower Garden - Papertrey Ink).  The dotty paper is from Rusty Pickle -- love it!!  There are pink skull and crossbones on the flip side .. you will be seeing them some time in the future!!

Thanks for dropping in!!  Have a great day!
Donelda

Coffee and Friends - CPS 157

The Card Positioning System layout #157 was so interesting I couldn't resist!

Supplies: Fruitful, Warm Happiness (Papertrey Ink); Ink - Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!), Orange Zest (Papertrey Ink); Paper - Kraft, Whisper White (SU!), textured brown (Bazzill); Ohter - dimensional. Hope you have a great weekend!!

Mom's Valentine and CPS 153 and Papertrey Ink Felt

Have you seen the Papertrey Ink is going to start selling FELT!!?? That is pretty exciting! They are always on the cutting edge of the latest trends in the business. As well, they are sponsoring this week's Card Positioning System (CPS) #153 sketch. I decided to take the opportunity to create my mom's valentine card and just had to add some felt....in celebration!! Supplies: Fancy Flourishes (Papertrey Ink); Ink - Vintage Cream, Enchanted Evening (Papertrey Ink); Cardstock - Vintage Cream, Enchanted Evening, Spring Rain (Papertrey Ink); Other - felt (notice it is the same color as Scarlet Jewel by Papertrey Ink), Vintage Cream satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink), various flowers (Michaels). The plan is to add the magnet that I posted last week Here and mail it off!! Thanks for dropping in to my blog. Donelda

Challenges - Lucy's Color Challenge and CPS 142

Note: I was busy doing challenges on Friday night so this is the first of 3 posts that have challenge cards! Make sure you scroll down to see the others. Also Note: See THIS post to comment in order to win my 50,000 hit blog candy!!!

I was so excited to see that Lucy was starting her own challenges!! Here is my card using light pink, aqua, and kraft!!

I followed the CPS 142 for my layout! Always nice to get two in one.

Supplies: Stamps-Background Basics:Text Style; Paper-Aqua Mist, Sweet Blush (Papertrey Ink), Kraft (an old file folder); Ink - Aqua Mist (Papertrey Ink); Other- Butterflies Black (Maya Road); Encouragement (Deja View); white satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink), Labels 1 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug, sewing machine and white thread, dimensionals.

Thanks for dropping in!! Don't forget to scroll down and see my other challenge cards! and don't forget to go comment for your chance to win some blog candy!!

Donelda

Love - CPS Sketch 102

This is the current CPS sketch #102. I decided to play along with the urging of Nichole Heady. Not sure what ... but if Nichole says to play along then I'm there!!! The sketch gave me the opportunity to create the last valentine I need to make, one for my husband. I started out making the designer paper for the heart. On a piece of vanilla cardstock I punched the fancy square shape from Alli Miles' Wedding Day stamp set sold by Papertrey Ink. Then, I punched out a heart! I then set to work adding my other elements...a little lace, some velvet black ribbon, and buttons! Have I mentioned how much I love buttons!! Well, I do. I found 3 that went well with the colors of the card. Of course I had to add some doodling around the red cardstock panel and the heart itself. It just makes an element feel "finished" to me...a bit of a signature element I guess.

Finished the card off with a lovely sentiment - "All things grow with love". I really like how the font for the word love is different. It really makes it stand out!! Supplies: Stamps-Wedding Day, Garden of Life (Papertrey Ink); Ink-Cranberry Crisp, Basic Black (Stampin' Up!); Paper-Very Vanilla, Cranberry Crisp(Stampin' Up!); Other-heart punch (Marvy), cream flat cluny edge or lace (Wrights), black velvet ribbon (Michaels), black marker (Zig), buttons (various from my stash), black thread. Thanks for dropping in again tonight!! Donelda

Card Positioning Systme #76

In the middle of the night....I thought of THIS!! I've been so into Inchies lately (I have a bunch of other cards that you will see soon enough!) all thanks to Cameldiva (Hi Diane~~). Then I saw the CPS Sketch #76 and figured I could combine my late night inspiration with the challenge.

As you can see it is clearly a Clean and Simple design!

I started out by stamping my Anna Griffin background stamp on the 6 different colors of cardstock using black ink and punched them out using a 1" square punch. Then, I used my white gel pen to color parts of the swirls. I sponged each of the squares with black ink and a dauber and used dimensionals to adhear them to a white mat. Added a small black mat and then adheared them to a 5" x 7" white card base (my most favorite card size to make!). Then, I wanted to add something to the edge as the sketch suggested so I used my Fiskars scissors and cut a fancy edge. To make it pop, I attached a layer of black cardstock on the back of the front side of the card.

No sentiment, I will add it inside the card! I hope you like my Inchie CPS card. I love making cards with multiple colors like this! You should give it a try!!

Supplies: Stamps - Espalier Background (Anna Griffin), Ink - Basic Black (Stampin' Up!), Cardstock- Whisper White, Basic Black, Ruby Red, Pumpking Pie, Summer Sun, Orchid Opulance, Ballet Blue, Wild Wasabi (all Stampin' Up!); Other - white gel pen (Signo), 1" square punch (Marvy), dauber (Stampin' Up!), fancy scissors (Fiskars).

Thanks for visiting. Donelda

Anniversary Card

I was wanting to try out this weeks sketch over at Card Positioning Systems and I also needed an Anniversary card for later this month. I decided to put the two together!

I have to say, the thing that excites me the most about this card is that striped paper...see it...I MADE IT myself!! That is right! I made it from Papertrey Ink stamps and then cut out the shape using my Fiskars template and circle cutter. I've made a similar piece of background paper that you can see HERE. On top of this piece, I added "Happily Ever After" inside of an oval and cut it out. I sponged the edges of both pieces and adheared them together. I have realized that I only own one "happy anniversary" stamp and it is not elegant at all. I'm going to have to see what I can do about that!

I wanted that to be the focal point, so I simply added some dots using the same color of ink as cardstock, a small swirl and a few rhinstones for some wow factor. Finished the card off with a touch of elegance - that wonderful chocolate chip taffeta ribbon from Stampin' Up! I can't seem to stop using it!!

After this picture was taken, I decided that the whole card needed just the slightest bit of sponging around it, to keep it consistent with the focal image.

Supplies: Cardstock-Soft Sky, Very Vanilla; Ink-Soft Sky, Close to Cocoa; Stamps-Faux Ribbon, Corners & Borders {Oval} (both Papertrey Ink), Finest Flourishes, Fancy Flexible Phrases (both Stampin' Up); Accessories- cutting tool and template (Fiskars), Chocolate Taffeta Ribbon (SU!), rhinstones (unknown), dauber (SU!).

I hope you like it! Thanks for dropping in for a visit.

Donelda

Okay....Just One More.

Yup, that's right! Just one more post today. I gotta say, my creative MOJO is on overdrive these days!! I can't stop making cards!! What fun!!

Tonight, I dropped into Card Position Systems and found their latest sketch. I loved it. In fact I loved it so much, I made 2 cards (see what I mean about mojo!). One pink and one green (I know it looks kinda yellow in the picture but it really is green).

I pulled out my Botanical Gardens set since the panel on the sketch reminded me of the leaf design. I decided to emboss the images with black embossing powder and then color them in using my Stampin' Up water color pencils. Finished them each off with some pretty paper and a white bow or knot. Guess what...the center of the images land at PHI!! (If you want to know what I mean about PHI, you can read this post).

Supplies: Cardstock-Whisper White (SU); Designer Paper-K&Company (pink), Creating Keepsakes (green); Ink-StazOn Black; Accessories-black embossing powder, Water color pencils (SU), white grograin ribbon (SU), dimensionals (Making Memories).

Thanks for visiting AGAIN today!!

Inked-Up Christmas Tree

The Card Positioning System layout looked like a lot of fun!!

I had this silver metal Christmas tree that I bought last year (see, I am really trying to use up some of the stuff I've been collecting). I decided to try using my Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks on it to see what it would look like. I ended up liking it a lot. I used Lettuce, Meadow, and Latte.

The designer paper is from 3 Bugs In A Rug called French Country - Trellis. I didn't have any ribbon that would match my Christmas tree so I decided to try adding some of the Lettuce Alcohol Ink to a piece of yellow organdy and it turned out great as well!! Gotta love when that happens!

Other products used are: Very Vanilla, Real Red, Whisper White cardstock (SU), Very Vanilla craft ink (sponged around the edge of the white card base) and Basic Black ink (distressed edge of vanilla cs), corner rounder.

Thanks for dropping by for a visit. If you have experiemented with Alcohol Inks I'd love to see some inspiration!! Put a link in a comment!!

Thanks for visiting.

Happily Ever After

I was checking out the most recent Card Positioning System #39 and really liked the layout! Over the last few days, I worked on this card and got it finished late last night.

When I got it done, I browsed over to the CPS site just to make sure I had kept to the layout when I saw Sherry W's card called Forever Friends (she is one of the CPS design team members). When I saw it I went "oh, oh!". Unconsciously, I ended up copying her card! Obviously, I saw her card, loved it, and then as I started to decide what I wanted to do for my own card, her ideas came through...

Once I saw the CPS layout with the fancy swirly thing at the bottom, I knew I'd use these bits of chipboard I have had from Fancy Pants. I bought them forever ago and have only used one tiny piece from the package. Well, if you've been reading my blog, you would know that my challenge to myself is to start using up bits and pieces of stuff I alreay own. This was what started my card.

Once I had decided on the chipboard, I started to envision the card. I also had seen (apparently from Sherry W- hehehe, but others as well) some great designer papers where there was a big swirly patterened repeated. I didn't have any (and I can't buy any) so I decided to make my own designer paper like it. I used this Cool Carribean color which, sadly, is no longer available from Stampin' Up which is too bad because it is such a nice color. And, pairing it with black is a dream. I used the bigger stamp from my Gel-a-tins Build Your Own Flourish set. I think it turned out awesome!!!

Then, I knew I wanted to use one of the Borders & Corners from Papertrey Ink but I couldn't decide between the rectangle or the oval. I ultimatly decided on the rectangle because I don't have a convenient way to cut an oval shapped mat. I used some little swirls from my Gel-a-tins Build Your Own Flourish set and stamped them onto some white cardstock. In order to make sure they were where I wanted them, I actually laid the rectangle stamp on top of the swirl stamps. Then, I added black ink on the rectangle stamp just in the places where I wanted it (not under the swirls) and stamped.

Next was the sentiment to go inside the rectange. That was a bit frustrating. I really really wish someone would do some sentiments that are more vertical for vertical cards. You know what I mean??!! Have them read down instead of across. This is about the 3rd time I've really wanted something like that and have had nothing in my stash... well, I don't have a very lare stash of sentiments so maybe I just have to be on the lookout for them. I ended up picking this Happily Ever After sentiment which would make this card a wedding card or maybe I can use it as an anniversary card.

I covered the chipboard swirl with black ink, and then added some white around the edges to help it stand out a bit. Once I put the card together, I realized I needed some black behind the main panel and I liked it better off to the left...just seemed to balance the card better. I am learning about balance from a great stamper Kurtis -- you really have to see this guy's blog -- yes, I said guy!! He is a young fellow who is truely talented at this craft !!

Well, I pulled the whole card together and loved the end result. Then, like I had said, I went back to the CPS site and saw Sherry W's card... I clearly had used it for my inspiration, even if I had not realized it at the time. Sherry, your card is absolutely beautiful!! I hope she doesn't mind that I copied it !!

If you have a card where you made your own backgroud paper, please post a link in a comment so I can check it out!! Sue, I was thinking about our discussion the other night -- maybe try leaving a comment and clicking on Anonomous -- just make sure you add your name onto your comment so I know it's you :-) This might work until I figure out the subscription thing. Anyone who knows how to set up the ability for others to "subscribe" to my blog, I'd appreciate some guidance. Thanks.

Thanks for visiting.

An Exercise in Masking

Well, this morning I was laying in bed, thinking about a card!! Don't laugh, I know you've done it before too!! What colors, where will I put the main image....you know the drill!!

A few things were going around my brain when I came up with this layout/design. First of all, I wanted to make a card for this weeks Card Positioning System (CPS #38). As well, I've been dying to use this leaf stamp from Papertray's Beautiful Blooms!! As anyone who's been visiting regularly, I am on a mission to use up things I already own (I'm on a "no buy" mission) and I realized that I haven't even opened my new Creamy Caramel (Stampin' Up) ink pad yet. So, I decided to go with using my brown family! Finally, I decided that I really want to try making a card that consists of only stamping -- no layers. I felt certain I could achieve the results I was looking for byusin the MASKING and REVERSE MASKING techniques only!!

Well, here is the end result! It looks pretty close to what was in my head this morning.

Have you made a card using the masking techniques?? If so, please feel free to leave a comment and link to your creation - I'd love to see it!!

Supplies: Cardstock - Very Vanilla (SU), Ink - Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip (SU), Stamps - Beautiful Blooms, Faux Ribbon (Papertray), Accessories - daubers (SU), Post-It notes (3M).

Thanks for visiting.