Cards in Envy - In the Spotlight

9 Responses »
Oct 212013

Hi there!  It’s Cards in Envy challenge introduction day!  Our challenge for the next two weeks is “In the Spotlight” – showcasing cards that use the spotlight technique, where a part of a black and white image is popped up with color.  There’s a terrific tutorial for it here on the Splitcoaststampers.com website.

My image technically is grey and white, but it gives the same idea.  Actually I guess you could use any color ink for this technique, so long as you only spotlight a part of the image with full coloring.  I used a couple of square punches for my spotlight.  A lot of people tend to use circles and I wanted to do something a little different.  The layout for my card is Seize the Sketch #6.  This card also fits into the SCS “Scene of Serenity” Hope You Can Cling To challenge.

If you need additional inspiration, please go check out the Cards in Envy site and see what the rest of the design team has made.  What will you create with this technique?  Share your work with us on the Cards in Envy site by 7:00 p.m. Eastern time Sunday, November 3.  We’d love to have you play along with us!

Supplies:
Stamps: Changing Seasons (Stampin’ Up); Christmas Tags (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Smoky Slate, Real Red, Basic Gray, Naturals White (SU)
Ink: Basic Gray, Real Red (SU)
Other: Premier colored pencils (Prismacolor); square punches (EK Success and Creative Memories)

Posted by PH in VA at 6:00 am Cards, Cards in Envy, Seize the Sketch, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown - October theme challenge

4 Responses »
Oct 192013

Hello!  The third Saturday of the month means it’s theme challenge time at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown.  This time our hostess, Danielle, would like us to use bling on our cards.

I decided to go blingy with a Christmas tree image, using red and clear rhinestones for the ornaments and adding Stickles to the garland.  The star on top is a silver brad. The layout for the card is an older sketch from the Operation Write Home Stars & Stamps blog.

This also fits into the Hope You Can Cling To “Blingtastic” challenge.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you’ll join in and play along with us at 52{C}CT and/or at Splitcoaststampers!

Supplies:
Digital Image: Rhubarb Trims the Tree (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Kraft (Stampin’ Up); Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs); designer papers from Arctic Frost 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: printer ink
Other: markers (Copic); star brad (The Paper Studio); red rhinestones (KaiserCraft); clear rhinestones (Bazzill); Frosted Lace Stickles (Ranger)

Posted by PH in VA at 1:00 am Basic Grey, Cards, Christmas Card Throwdown, Digital images, OWH Stars & Stamps sketches, Splitcoast challenges, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

bursting with hope

4 Responses »
Oct 152013

All during the month of October, Splitcoaststampers is sponsoring Hope You Can Cling To to benefit the MD Anderson Cancer Center. A different challenge is being presented each day of the month. I’m excited to be hosting the challenge for today, October 15!

Because so many people affected by cancer are full of hope in one way or another – whether it’s hope to beat this disease, or hope that a cure will be found soon – I’ve decided to call my challenge “Bursting with Hope” and encourage the challenge participants to create a card using a starburst technique. The only real requirement is that the starburst be made with cardstock or patterned paper. There are various tutorials available online; the one I’ve written for this challenge can be found here.

And here is the card I made while I was creating the tutorial. I just couldn’t resist using some fun Basic Grey papers and a Lawn Fawn image for my card. I decided to do a little paper piecing to “color” the ice cream cone.

I’m also entering this card in the current Lawnscaping challenge.

When I was starting out on the tutorial card, I second guessed my paper choices, so I put the triangles I had already cut aside and started again.  I didn’t want to just toss the first set of triangles I had cut, so I decided to do something a little different with them.  I mentally pictured vertical and horizontal lines dividing the card into fourths and placed the long “legs” of four triangles on those lines. Then I lined up the legs of the remaining triangles from the center of the card to the corners. I trimmed the excess and added the sentiment/image panel.  It’s a totally different starburst effect than the tutorial.

I hope you’ll join in the Hope You Can Cling To challenges at Splitcoaststampers.com and help bring cheer to the cancer patients at MD Anderson!  Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies for the ice cream cone card:
Stamps: Here’s the Scoop (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs); Early Espresso (SU); papers from Phoebe 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Early Espresso (SU)
Other: standard circle and big scalloped circle Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders); sponge

Supplies for the thank you card:
Stamps: Riveting (SU)
Cardstock: Soft Sky textured, Whisper White (SU); papers from Phoebe 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Early Espresso (SU)
Other: rhinestone (SU); standard circle and big scalloped circle Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders); sponge

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Basic Grey, Cards, Lawn Fawn, Lawnscaping challenges, Splitcoast challenges

dynamic quiet sketchy wreath

2 Responses »
Oct 092013

I’ve managed to combine several challenges for today’s card.  The colors are from the current Dynamic Duos color challenge of Cajun Craze and Island Indigo.  I have to admit the colors had me puzzled for a while, trying to figure out what to do with them.  Then I thought about how one of them is a rather good brick color, so I’ve used my brick embossing folder on a Cajun Craze panel and highlighted the texture by swiping my white ink pad across it.  The current Freshly Made Sketches layout, rotated so that the embellishment is in the top left corner instead of the bottom right, lent itself to being a brick wall with a wreath hanging on it.  (That’s not too weird, is it?)  All of the flowers were stamped in Island Indigo ink, but two of them were stamped off once to get the lighter color.  I trimmed the two on the ends down quite a bit so they’d be smaller than the others.

I can’t give too many hints, but this card just might qualify also for one of the upcoming Hope You Can Cling To challenges at Splitcoaststampers.com.  😉

Thanks for stopping by today!  Comments are always read and appreciated!

Supplies:
Stamps: Best Blossoms (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Island Indigo, Naturals White, Cajun Craze, Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Island Indigo, craft White (SU)
Other: brick embossing folder (Tim Holtz); grapevine wreath die (Memory Box)

Posted by PH in VA at 10:00 pm Cards, Dynamic Duos, Freshly Made Sketches, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!, Tim Holtz

hopeful flappy, happy smile

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Oct 082013

My friend Sabrina is hosting a Hope You Can Cling To challenge over at Splitcoaststampers.com, and I was more than happy to help her out by making a sample card for her challenge. The challenge title is “It’s a Cover Up”.  Sabrina explains it all in excellent detail in the challenge writeup, but the idea of it is to create a card that has some sort of moveable element that covers up the sentiment.

I decided to make a flap card for the challenge.  I wanted to use one of my smiley face stamps because they’re just so cheery and I thought they’d bring a smile to the card’s eventual sender and recipient.  I added some hand stitching around the edges of the smiley face panel, which hides one half of the magnetic closure that helps keep the card shut.  The designer paper covers the other magnet.  First I’ll show a photo of the card when it is closed:

And here it is opened up, revealing the sentiment:

The sentiment panel folds downward, creating a lot of room for the card giver to include a personal message.

I hope you’ll join the Splitcoaststampers community throughout the rest of October as we join together in creating cards for the patients at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas and their families. You can get all the details about the different challenges and the prizes that will be awarded to challenge participants in November at Splitcoaststampers.com.

Supplies:
Stamps: Jump – Smileys (Uptown Stamp Company); sentiment stamp (Studio G)
Cardstock: Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs); Crushed Curry, Razzleberry Lemonade designer series paper (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: tag corner punch (SU); markers (Copic); embroidery floss (DMC); magnets (Basic Grey)

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 pm Cards, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!

dynamic hope

Comments Off on dynamic hope
Oct 012013

Today, October 1, marks the start of the Hope You Can Cling To challenge season at Splitcoaststampers.com.  Each day throughout October, a new cardmaking challenge is presented.  (Some days have more than one challenge!)  The crafting community makes cards according to the challenges, and the cards are donated to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to be used by cancer patients and their families.  Cardmaking participants are eligible to win some pretty terrific prizes from various crafting companies.  There’s a lot of fun and fellowship and crafty goodness involved, and it’s for a worthy cause!

There were three challenges posted today.  I’ve combined the “Flat is Fabulous” challenge to create a card with no lumps or bumps with the current Dynamic Duos challenge using shades of pink.  I used the same basic layout from last week’s CAS – Colours and Sketches sketch challenge.  This time I masked off a diagonal area and sponged it with Blushing Bride ink before stamping the ribbon hearts in Primrose Pink.  I added a sentiment and ta-da – I had an easy peasy clean and simple card that was quick to make.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you’ll consider joining in Hope You Can Cling To!

Supplies:
Stamps: Hope (Paper Smooches)
Cardstock: Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Primrose Petals, Blushing Bride (Stampin’ Up)
Other: sponge

Posted by PH in VA at 10:00 pm Cards, Dynamic Duos, Splitcoast challenges

vine of flowers

5 Responses »
Apr 242013

I’ve been having a hard time feeling creative the last few weeks, but I wanted to give the CAS – Colours and Sketches challenge a try because I thought they were offering up some really pretty colors this week.  So I pulled that together with the current SCS CAS challenge, which is a sketch challenge.  And here’s the end result.

The pearls were an afterthought.  I had already taken a few photos of the card but felt that it was still missing something.  I had just enough of these tiny half pearls to put one in the center of each flower.  It’s not much, but it really does help dress up the card. And now I have another one for Operation Write Home.

Thanks for stopping by today!

All supplies for this card, except the pearls, are from Stampin’ Up:
Stamps: Just Vine, Trendy Trees
Cardstock: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Primrose Petals, Pool Party
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Primrose Petals, Pool Party
Other: half pearls (KaiserCraft)

Posted by PH in VA at 12:00 pm Cards, CAS Colours & Sketches, Operation Write Home, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!

can't be beet

3 Responses »
Jan 092013

Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps just held their January release of new products, and to celebrate it, their design team posted several challenges in their forum on Splitcoaststampers.com.  Today’s card was made for the sketch challenge that was presented.  The colors for this week’s Splitcoaststampers color challenge worked perfectly with the image I chose for the sketch.  I decided to try using one of my embossing plates to add a little bit of texture to the raspberry panel.  It’s difficult to see in the photo because it’s more subtle than an embossing folder, but it’s there.  Although this card has a few layers, I think it’s clean and simple enough to qualify for this week’s ABC Challenge.

Supplies:
Stamps: Punny Fruits & Veggies (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Raspberry Ripple, Very Vanilla (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: Premier colored pencils (Prismacolor); odorless mineral spirits (Houston Arts); Weave #1 texture plate (Ellison)

Posted by PH in VA at 5:30 pm 'ABC' Challenges, Cards, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenge #82

2 Responses »
Nov 302012

Happy Friday! It’s time for a new Sweet ‘n Sassy Digi Challenge! This week our challenge is Interior Decorating. You’ll need to create a card using a digital image, and embellish the inside of your card as well as the outside! You don’t have to use a Sweet ‘n Sassy digital image, but we do enjoy seeing our participants use them (and you get the chance for extra perks if you do – see the Digi Challenge site for more details!). Link your card at the Sweet ‘n Sassy Digi Challenge site by midnight eastern time Thursday, December 6.

I’ve been trying to work on some “love” cards for Operation Write Home, so my card this week fits into that category.  I chose one of the Rhubarb bear images; this time he’s holding a heart.  I decided to paper piece the heart with some designer paper.  I added a short phrase from a Valentine-themed digital stamp set, and then repeated the phrase and printed that on a strip of coordinating designer paper for the inside of the card.  The layout for this card is this week’s Splitcoaststampers.com sketch challenge, turned on its side.

Here’s the outside of the card:

I didn’t want to get too fancy and fussy with the inside; with the cards I send to OWH, I like to maximize the amount of space our heroes have to write home to their loved ones.  So I kept my embellishing down to a 1-inch wide strip:

Thanks for stopping by today!  Be sure to see what the rest of the Design Team has created and give them some comment love.  Links to their blogs are in the left sidebar.  Then join us in our challenge this week!

Supplies:
Digital Images: Rhubarb’s Heart, Valentine’s Day Greetings (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: So Saffron, Gable Green (Stampin’ Up); Solar White (Neenah); designer papers from Sugar Rush 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: printer ink
Other: petite ovals Nestabilities die (Spellbinders); markers (Copic)

Posted by PH in VA at 12:00 am Basic Grey, Cards, Digital images, Nestabilities, Operation Write Home, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!, Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenges, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenge #79

1 Response »
Nov 092012

We’ve made it through another week, and now it’s Friday again, which means it’s time for another Sweet ‘n Sassy Digi Challenge! This week’s challenge should be pretty easy: Create a Thanksgiving project using a digital image. Share your creation over at the Sweet ‘n Sassy Digi Challenge website before midnight eastern time Thursday, November 15. We’d love to see what you create!

I’ve chosen to use an image of sweet little Cocoa Mouse nestled in a fall harvest arrangement, along with one of Sweet ‘n Sassy’s digital sentiments. The layout for the card is the weekly sketch at Splitcoaststampers.com.  I generally don’t make cards for Thanksgiving Day, but I felt the “many thanks” sentiment worked both for that occasion as well as any other time someone might want to show gratitude.  I have to apologize for the lighting; in real life the gourd matches the green leaves in the designer paper better than in the photo.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Be sure to see what the rest of the Design Team has created and give them some comment love.  Links to their blogs are in the left sidebar.  Then join us in our challenge this week!

Supplies:
Digital Images: Harvest Cocoa, Many Thanks (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs); Chocolate Chip, designer papers from Autumn Vine collection (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: printer ink; Chocolate Chip (SU)
Other: markers (Copic); sponge

Posted by PH in VA at 12:00 am Cards, Digital images, Splitcoast challenges, Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenges, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

dynamic sketchy toast

2 Responses »
Oct 302012

OK, I’ll be the first to say that’s a pretty weird post title.  But that’s what you get when you combine a Dynamic Duos challenge, a sketch challenge, and images from a stamp set called “Love ‘n Breakfast.”

Today’s card uses the colors from Dynamic Duos challenge #26, So Saffron and More Mustard.  The layout is Splitcoaststampers.com sketch #408.  I thought the colors worked well with the toast image (I don’t like my toast to be very dark), and the sentiment didn’t make much sense without the toaster, so it got added into the card, too. I sponged the edges of the designer papers and the focal panel with More Mustard ink.

 

The more I think about it, I suppose this card works really well for Lydia’s Hope You Can Cling To challenge, too.  She’s challenged us to make a card that reflects our own personal style.  I think this card shows off that I tend to make “clean and layered” cards – clean lines, no big puffy embellishments, but more layers than one would typically consider “clean and simple”.  It also shows that I like to combine challenges.  Plus I’ve used some of the Nestabilities dies and Lawn Fawn stamps that I love. And there’s no glitter!

And that’s what my dynamic sketchy toast is all about.

(Great… now I have the Hokey Pokey going through my head… oy.)

Supplies:
Stamps: Love ‘n Breakfast (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Pure Luxury Ivory (Gina K. Designs); More Mustard, So Saffron Prints designer papers (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); More Mustard (SU)
Other: markers (Copic); standard circle Nestabilities die (Spellbinders); sponge

Posted by PH in VA at 11:30 pm Cards, Dynamic Duos, Lawn Fawn, Nestabilities, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!

Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenge #77

1 Response »
Oct 262012

We’ve made it through another week, and now it’s Friday again, which means it’s time for another Sweet ‘n Sassy Digi Challenge! This week the challenge is Stitching. We encourage you to make a project using a digital image and embellish it with stitching. It doesn’t matter if you hand sew your stitches, or use a sewing machine, or even draw faux stitches on your work – it’s all good! Share your project with us at the Sweet ‘n Sassy Digi Challenge site by midnight eastern time Thursday, November 1. You’re not required to use a Sweet ‘n Sassy digital image for your project, but we do love when you use those (and you get the chance for perks if you do – see the Digi Challenge site for more details).

I decided to go clean and simple with this week’s challenge, and I used a lot of older supplies to create my card.  The layout is based on an OWH Stars and Stamps blog sketch from 2010, but I centered the focal panel.  The card base is one of Stampin’ Up’s first In Colors which was offered in their 2006-2007 catalog.  The designer papers I used for the strip along the bottom of the card and for paper piecing the puppy are from one of my first Basic Grey 6″ x 6″ paper pads.  And the embroidery floss I used for the stitched border is from my cross-stitching days, so that goes back at least to the mid 1990s!  I used two colors – one strand of blue, and one of brown – in the needle at the same time.  The vanilla cardstock isn’t too old; I’ve had it for maybe 6 months or so.  However, the digital image is brand new to me.  It’s from a Sweet ‘n Sassy digital set that includes the puppy image, a bone, paw prints, and two sentiments.  I used the mirror image of the puppy because it was easier for me to align the sentiment with the image that way and print it all at once.

My card also fits the Hope You Can Cling To challenge being presented today at Splitcoaststampers.com.  I hope you’ll check out the HYCCT challenges there and participate in spreading some cheer and good will to cancer patients and their families.

Supplies:
Digital Image: Puppy Love (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Cool Caribbean, Very Vanilla (Stampin’ Up); papers from Blush 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: printer ink
Other: embroidery floss (DMC); dimensionals (SU)

Posted by PH in VA at 12:00 am Basic Grey, Cards, Digital images, OWH Stars & Stamps sketches, Splitcoast challenges, Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenges, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenge #76 and Blog Hop!

19 Responses »
Oct 192012

It’s time for another Sweet ‘n Sassy Digi Challenge, but we have some extra fun this week! Along with our challenge, the Sweet ‘n Sassy Digi Challenge Design Team is having a blog hop to introduce you to the October Digi Release. We are all pretty excited about that!  Links to all the participating blogs are below.

This week’s challenge is Using Metal. Use any sort of metal embellishment on your creation – brads, decorative clips, ribbon slides, even wired ribbon. Use one piece of metal or several – it’s up to you! Just keep in mind the guidelines for Sweet ‘n Sassy Digi Challenges:

  • Please use digital images ONLY for the focal point of your creation(s) for this challenge.
  • Be sure to link your creation(s) to the Sweet ‘n Sassy Digi Challenge blog. Every card you enter in our challenges throughout the month of October gives you one chance to win 3 digital stamps of your choice from the Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps store! So the more you play, the more chances you have to win!
  • Sweet ‘n Sassy digital images are not required, but we really love it when our challenge participants use them! Every week, one participant who uses a Sweet ‘n Sassy digital image is spotlighted. We feel that our challenge participants who use Sweet ‘n Sassy images deserve a little extra recognition.
  • When uploading to online galleries, please use keyword SNSDC76.

I’ve used the new Kiwi’s Gift digital image for today’s card.  Isn’t Kiwi adorable?  Although all the images being released today are Christmas-y in nature, I wanted to show how this one can be used any time of the year.  So I’ve created a birthday card with it.  I chose photo turns for my metal embellishment. The sentiment is from Masculine Birthday Greetings, another SNSS digital stamp set.  I took my color scheme from this week’s Splitcoaststampers.com color challenge, and the layout is this week’s SCS sketch challenge.

Now, here’s the list of the blog hop participants.  While you’re hopping, be sure to leave some love on each of the blog hop posts. One of the team members is a mystery blogger and she will be picking a random winner from the comments on her blog post! The winning prize will be the whole October Digi Release! How incredible is that?!? The winner will be announced on the Sweet ‘n Sassy Digi Challenge site on Friday, October 26.

Tricia Traxler
Cynthia Olheiser
Crafty Math Chick
Ceal Pritchett
Patricia Hays <— you are here!
Stephanie Wright

I hope you’ll have fun hopping along with us, and that you’ll share your metal challenge creation with us this week!

Supplies for today’s card:
Digital Images: Kiwi’s Gift, Masculine Birthday Greetings (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Pure Luxury Ivory (Gina K. Designs); designer papers from Razzleberry Lemonade and Spring Flowers paper packs (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: printer ink
Other: photo turns from Hodgepodge Hardware, twill ribbon (SU); classic rectangles Nestabilities die (Spellbinders); Premier colored pencils (Prismacolor); odorless mineral spirits (Houston Arts)

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Cards, Digital images, Splitcoast challenges, Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenges, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

dynamic snowy tree

4 Responses »
Oct 182012

Here’s what I came up with for the Dynamic Duos color challenge to use Pool Party and Soft Suede.  I tore the white cardstock to create the snow drifts.  I added some Stickles to the tops of the snow drifts to mimic the sun glistening on the snow (and so the lower drifts would show up better in the photo), and decided to put some on the tree for a little extra sparkle.  When I created this card I had the Pinking Shears Hope You Can Cling To challenge (using a decorative, not-straight-cut edge) in mind, but I think instead I’ll use this as my card for the Shine It Out! challenge to use more sparkle and shine than normal.

Thanks for stopping by today!  🙂

All supplies except the Stickles are from Stampin’ Up.
Stamps: Branch Out, Trendy Trees
Cardstock: Pool Party, Soft Suede, Whisper White textured
Ink: Soft Suede
Other: Star Dust Stickles (Ranger)

Posted by PH in VA at 11:30 am Cards, Dynamic Duos, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!

proud of you

1 Response »
Oct 172012

This is a quick card I created using this week’s OWH Stars & Stamps sketch, Edna’s Five Words Hope You Can Cling To challenge, and the Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps October Release Party challenge to create a clean and simple card with no images, just a sentiment.  My idea behind this was to have the colored strips resemble prize ribbons.

 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps: You (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Kraft, Brilliant Blue, Whisper White, Real Red (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Onyx Black (VersaFine)
Other: Grommet Tags die (Spellbinders); rhinestones (SU)

Posted by PH in VA at 10:00 am Cards, OWH Stars & Stamps sketches, Splitcoast challenges, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps
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