Beau Chateau Mojo/ Mojo Monday #289

I woke up early enough this morning to take a look at the Mojo Monday sketch, but not early enough to do anything with it.  So, the wheels in my head were turning on ideas all day.  It was kind of fun, really.  I knew I really liked the sketch.  In fact, I may make several different cards based on this one.  However, I wasn't sure what exactly I would do with it.  As the day went on, it became clear to me who this card would be for and that always helps with design inspiration.  Sometimes it's great fun to design just for the fun of designing, but it's important to remember the real WHY behind homemade cards.  The point of this particular paper craft is to  send a message and love to some one we care about.  That's what I love most about making cards--- the creative processes brings joy to me and the finished product is designed to bring joy to someone else.  So, this little beauty will go out tomorrow to remind a friend of mine who is going through a tough time that she isn't going through it alone.  Thanks to the ladies at Mojo Monday for giving me a great launching point for this design.

Spice Cake Mojo/ Mojo Monday #207

The ladies over at Mojo Monday took a couple of well deserved weeks off & I've had so little time for stamping lately, that creating for this sketch felt totally fun and new! I changed things up a bit, but so needed the starting point that the sketch provided. Looking at it yesterday, I knew that I wanted to feature the Spice Cake designer paper in my large rectangles, but had no idea where to take things from there. So, I just started prowling through my stamps. Then I realized that my Warmest Wishes hostess set from the new Holiday Mini has never seen ink! I couldn't let that last. :) All of us were given this set as one of several +one perks at convention in July. Now, it's finally the right time of year to use it. The leaf wreath from this set is so lovely & fits perfectly in the 2 1/2 " Circle Punch. Then, the you can easily punch out the center with the help of a 1 1/4" Circle punch & a post-it. Perhaps you're smarter than me & remember to punch out the center first. Then you don't even need the post-it note trick! The oak leaves from the wreath called out for the super cute acorn from Gently Falling. I was just talking with folks at class on Sunday about how much I love this little stamp. It's one of the main reasons I love the set so much! The folks at class will also attest to the fact that I've gone a bit sponging crazy. Don't be surprised to see at least one sponge in each bin at class from here on out. You see that I sponged most of the pieces on this card with Soft Suede. It was an important touch to the wreath and the sentiment. Otherwise they just really looked incomplete. I hope you are enjoying the start of fall. I plan on taking this day away from substitute teaching to focus on stamping. It's already off to a great start!

Simple Stripes Birthday

Those who know my paper addiction well will tell you I am a bit of a hoarder when it comes to scraps. It's not as if I'll be on a tv show about it or anything, but I do like to keep little pieces I think are still worth something. So, each time I cut cardstock and have 1/2" strips left over, I keep them. I have a little bag of colored ones and another for neutrals. You see them make appearances on my cards pretty often. I also put them out at the Quarterly Quarter party so other folks can put them to use too. I wanted to make a card with them as the central focus, so I ran a few through the Big Shot using my Elegant Lines folder and paired them up with non-textured strips. It's the same folder as yesterday's card, but I think it gives a totally different feel. Breaking up the texture and then switching colors makes for a whole new attitude to the card. That's the great thing about the embossing folders--- we can use them all sorts of ways? Have you seen this folder used to create cupcake frosting? It's awesome!

Happy Birthday Debbie/ Build a Blossom Glass Bead

A very happy birthday wish for my friend, Debbie, today! As completely non-tropical as the weather has felt this week, I thought a warm and fun birthday card was in order. There was one very special qualification for this card though. A few years ago, a group of us started a bit of a tradition. Each of us has a special container with glass beads...one for each year of our life. So, it's important to keep those beads coming each year. I like to integrate them into a card whenever possible. Hopefully, this card has already arrived in the mail. Otherwise, I hope Debbie likes the sneak peak! The Mojo Monday sketch from earlier in the week had me in the mood for creating curves in my cards. Instead of stamping the greating and punching it out, I thought it would be fun to cut my Pear Pizzazz layer and add the sentimnet on the card base. I like the effect and bet you'll be seeing more of it in the future!

Mojo Monday 176/ Button Curve

Okay, so it appears that I'm addicted to both my Sweet Buttons Embosslit as well as the Vanilla Satin Ribbon. Although both are true, it isn't quite as bad as it seems. Since my last post (which also uses both of these) I actually designed seven other cards--- none of which have buttons or satin ribbon. You just don't get to see them yet. :) Saturday was my first Quarterly Quarter event and I had such fun. Thanks to all who turned out. There was an incredible amount of card making going on by all. I brought down all of my SU toys and we just went to town. I can't wait for the next event! However, I'm saving my new creations to post while I'm on vacation in April. It's going to be hard to wait! Meanwhile...today's little number is simple and fun. It's just a little 41/4 x 4 1/4" square and there is nothing complicated about the design or execution. I really like it though. Today's Mojo Monday sketch called for a curve which I so rarely do on my cards & it's a "round or square" day so the shape is a bit different too. Oh, and I've also made it a goal to use more of my designer paper (today's is Springtime Vintage). Getting out of the box is a great way to start off a Monday...especially a cold an snowy one!

Build A Blossom Swap/ Color Throwdown #122

It's time for a preview of some of the goodies that will become available on January 4th when the new Occasions Mini Catalog goes live. Also, I wanted to squeeze in the Color Throwdown #122 since it will be the last one for 2010. I know that Laura made the colors to fit with last minute Christmas cards, but I'm ready for something a little different. So, I broke out my toys from the catalog pre-order and started playing. I love the combination of Riding Hood Red, Pear Pizazz, Chocolate Chip, and Crumb Cake for more than just Christmas cards. My assigned set for the Occasions Mini swap is the Build A Blossom set which coordinates with the new Blossom Petals Punch. It made creating this flower & its leaves super easy. Then, I just had to use my new Sweet Buttons embosslit. I know some folks wondered why we were getting new buttons for the Big Shot when we already have the great Buttons die, but look how well they layer with the older buttons and you just can't resist the embossing on them! Speaking of embossing, the boarder for this card was made using the new embossing folder, Framed Tulips. Lots of new and exciting things are headed our way with this new mini. I think you'll have as much fun playing with the new products as I did today! I can't wait to play some more. Then I can pick if this is the right card for swap. Hard to say...

Balloon Invite Take Two

I found it was sort of hard to create a second version of the balloon invite I made earlier. However, I wanted to make sure that my Bride-to-Be had some fairly different options to choose from. There were elements I needed to keep the same, but I made sure not to look back at what I had done the first round before making this one.

It's a totally different card, but includes all of the essential elements. At least this will give her some other ideas of where we could go. Of course, the final option could have bits and pieces of both or be completely different. We'll see! Such fun designing cards for such a specific event. I'm really enjoying this little adventure.

Invite Attempt #1

I'm am so excited! A friend of mine has asked me to design invites for her daughter's engagement party and wedding. We all got together on Friday to discuss ideas & now it's my job to come up with a few prototypes. Here's the first one. Of course, I knew it would be hard to photograph. All of the melon mambo is misted with shimmer mist (part rubbing alcohol & part shimmer paint) and boy does it sparkle! You can see it a bit on the Bermuda Bay on the bottom. These are the bride's wedding colors (guess I better get over to the Clearance Rack to stock up on more Bermuda Bay cardstock!) and the proposal was in a hot air balloon. Lovely, huh? I had no idea I'd be using my little ornament punch balloon ever again. Now that idea will come in super handy. My first attempt at a commissioned piece was lots of fun. I'll keep you posted about the next round!

Glimmer Bag

It's time for me to start putting together projects for my upcoming Christmas bag classes. I have a few scheduled for November and plenty of room for more. If you find you're inspired by these projects than it's easy to sign up to host a class of your own!

I found these great little gold bags while shopping around for inspiration. There a little taller than the bags I usually use for classes, but I really like them. They have a smooth & glossy feel to them that just makes things pop!

Almost everything on this bag has an element of glimmer to it. The top & bottom ornaments are stamped using a mixture of ink & Shimmer Paint while the center one is made out of our great gold cardstock. Then, of course, I had to add in one of our Glimmer Brads to complete the sentiment. The bag is so large I'm afraid it didn't photograph as well as I would have liked. You'll just have to check it out at a class soon! :)

Fun with Fabric

Here's something new & fun for me...fabric! While treasure hunting at local thrift stores over the weekend, I came across a book of fabric swatches for drapery. One look at the colors & I just couldn't resist. I've done a little bit of fabric cutting with my Big Shot before, but this is too much fun. Such a dramatic image with so little effort! It seems that I'm just a little bit ahead of my time as far as Stampin' Up goes: I got a pre-view of the Holiday Mini Catalog yesterday & it includes designer fabrics. I can't wait for this catalog's release because I think it's the best yet! One question for you all though, my edges sometimes fray when I cut with the Big Shot. Any suggestions for fixing this?

Pick a Petal Color Challenge

So sorry for my disappearance last week! I'm back now & I'm loaded up with projects for next week's posts. No more disappearing act for me.

I'm really excited about today's project. Every now and then I make a card that sort of makes me giddy. It starts out pretty much fully formed in my head & then actually works when I start playing with paper. Today was one of those days! The Elegant Eggplant square opens up for writing the message instead of the full card. It's always fun to switch things up just a little bit.

The folks over at PPC picked a batch of colors that I just adore together: Early Espresso, Chery Cobbler, So Saffron, and Elegant Eggplant. Two of the four are brand new colors (available July 1st) and I am having such fun playing with the new color selections. In fact, I'm having such a good time with it that my theme class for July will be Color Creations featuring the new offerings.

Elf Easel/ Mojo Monday 141

The last Monday of each month, Mojo Monday has a "Circle or Square?" challenge. I have been turning it into my easel of the month card. That way, I can still use the square sketch and I can practice one of my favorite formats!

I knew I wanted to make a card with the Ornament Punch elf and Merry Moments designer paper, so I thought I would hold on to the basic idea until the ladies at Mojo Monday came out with their next sketch. Whenever I'm a little stuck but have a few ideas to start with, I find playing with a sketch is a great way to get the ideas flowing again. Sometimes the final card doesn't match the sketch, but it provides a great launching point!

Today's creation is part of my Christmas in June collection. It's not too late to sign up to host one of these fun events. Get your friends together to make Christmas cards before the craziness of the season sets in...WAY before!

Mojo Monday 134/Greenhouse Garden Hibiscus Mojo

Mojo Monday gave me a great opportunity to break out my new Greenhouse Garden set. It's one of the Two-Step Stampin' sets that are 20% for the month of April & one of my very favorites. I just couldn't wait for my Flowers theme class for this one. The hibiscus flower is simply lovely. However, I used it enough on the rest of the card, so I needed to change the flower from the sketch into a bow to avoid overkill. We're always allowed a little liberty, right?

Mojo Monday 133/ To the Nines Birthday

Mojo Monday strikes again! This time I got another great excuse to use my To the Nines Specialty paper. I wanted to use it again on this card without feeling like I was using the same color pallet as yesterday & I think I succeeded. Perhaps that will be my goal for the week? Lots of To the Nines with out things feeling the same. This card uses Sage Shadow along with Bravo Burgundy to form a handsome combo. Things felt a bit too plain so I added in backgrounds on the Bravo Burgundy using my Color Spritzer Tool. Much better...even if it doesn't show in photography as well as I would like.

Fresh Cuts Color Challenge

Since I missed out on Mojo Monday thanks to the tummy bug, this is my first challenge card of the week. I've given the color combo challenge at PPC another shot. I think this will become a weekly thing for me. This week's colors are Not Quite Navy, Lavender Lace, & Whisper White. Not Quite Navy is one of the colors I have set a personal challenge to embrace (in fact, I just bought a full pack of it), so I thought this would be good practice. The real trick happened when the ink showed up so much darker on the Lavender Lace paper...then the card stock looked kind of off. Therefore, the project changed dramatically from what was in my head. I thought it would be a mostly navy card & it ended up with way more white. One never can tell! That's the fun of the creative process.

Butterfly Rainbow

Today's project is dedicated to a dear friend of mine who I know is facing a big day today. I adore the Beautiful Wings embosslit & the fact that I can make scads of lovely butterflies in moments. Apparently it is far more popular than Stampin' Up predicted. There is a crazy back order on this item, but it is well worth the wait! To create the sky on this card I used a piece of torn paper towel, a sponge, & Ballet Blue ink pad. It's a simple process that produces a dramatic sky. I would be happy to demonstrate this, as well as other fun & easy techniques at your very own workshop. Contact me today to schedule a date.