It's Bigger on the Inside?

Some times you just need to meld the geek in your life with the crafty bit of your life.  That happened to me when I realized the ONLY card that would do for my friend's birthday was one that featured Dr. Who.  So, I decided to consult the crafty folks in the know and found a great tutorial at Crafty Cow Creations--- "how to make a Dr Who card" .  What could be more perfect?  Of course, I had to modify things just a bit AND I simply had to add a Tardis.  What is the Doctor with out his Tardis?  Now, I have new toys that would have made things even easier.  At long last, Stampin' Up has self adhesive googles!!  Yeahy!  I'm a huge fan of things with google eyes, so you know I ordered those little guys right away.  I also have a silver Stampin' Dazzle Marker which would have made the wording look ever so much better than the white crayon I used.  But that's ok.  Sometimes the Doctor just can't wait.

Good, Better, Best/ Color Throwdown #203

 I let my card for the Color Throwdown this week sort of evolve from good, to better, & finally to best by adding a bit of bling each time. I modified the colors just a bit this week and went with Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green, Tangerine Tango, Crumb Cake, & Marina Mist.  Boy do they ever look like summer to me! I've found a couple of new stampin' obsessions lately.  One is the Lacy Brocade folder from pg 6 of the new Holiday catalog.  It's my new very favorite as you can see from this card. I'm also super into the Vintage Faceted Buttons.  They add fun subtle bling that just makes the card pop.  We'll do the "better" version of this card in class at the end of the month, but you can always upgrade your card to "best" by ordering some of these great buttons.  I'm already almost through my first box!

Jerry's Core'dinations Birthday

Welcome to August and the start of the Holiday Mini Catalog season!  Today is also my father-in-law's birthday.  So, to kick off both events in style I created a birthday card for Jerry with some of my new toys from the Holiday Mini.  I started out with the super exciting Core'dinations cardstock. This cardstock comes in three colors (Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, & Gumball Green) and has a slightly lighter shade hidden in its core.  Hence the name.  The hidden layer comes out when you texturize &/or sand the paper.  I did both here to bring out the sort of Crumb Cake layer beneath.  For sanding I Used the new Stampin' Sanding System you can also find in the Holiday mini.  I also used a few new Big Shot toys on this card. The Wood grain embossing folder was simply a must as was the Lacy Brocade (used on the large leaf).  Speaking of the large leaf, that lovely maple leaf is part of the Autumn Accents Die you'll find on pg 33 of the mini catalog.  Never fear, there is a coordinating stamp set for that die.  Stampin' Up makes things so easy!  Visit my website to view the new holiday mini catalog or contact me today to get your own copy!

Raining Flowers Embossed Windows

I decided to play with bits and pieces I had lying about today.  First off, I had several Early Espresso bits cut out when we created frames using the Labels Framelets in class a while back.   I couldn't resist using white embossing powder on those deep dark espresso pieces & thought the puff ball flowers from Raining Flowers would fit the bill nicely.  I just did a little double stamp with the solid image to create a sightly different image. I also have a bunch of Calypso Coral ribbon from Sale-a-Bration.  I put these together along with the brand new Argyle Embossing folder for a simple & unique combination.  Oh, and there is sponging involved too, of course!  The whole combo has a fun retro feel to me, don't you think?

Love & Care Batik

This card was ever so much fun to make.  I hope folks in class enjoyed it as well. :)  I decided to play around with a retired hostess set that I actually never got a chance to use.  Such a shame, as it's a lovely set.  So, I got out my markers & had a great time creating a batik effect.  First you color the stamp using light colors.  Then, just dab it with darker colors here and there.  Finally give the stamp a "breath of life" and then stamp.  Viola!  What do you think?  Oh, and while we're on new ideas that I find amazing, how about the new Butterfly punch?  I added a pearl and used the Elegant Lines folder with some sponging to add just a little bit extra, but it's super elegant all on its own.  It's one of my very favorite additions to the Stampin' Up punch family.  If you need to add it to your collection too, just let me know and I'll place an order.  Some things simply shouldn't be resisted! 

Color Throwdown #202

When looking for inspiration, I often just need a starting place.  For this card, I visited the folks over at the Color Throwdown for a launching point.  This week's colors include: Rich Razzleberry, Pool Party, Very Vanilla, and Bermuda Bay.  Such fun! So, while I usually don't include retired colors in my cards, I dug up some old textured cardstock in the lovely shade of Bermuda Bay.  Perhaps one day Stampin' Up will bring this former In Color back out of retirement.  It's so very deep and complements the other colors in this challenge nicely.  I knew I wanted to include one of the new Vintage Buttons for my class this month.  They add such an amazing touch!  Photography doesn't quite do them justice, but they have lots of facets and add so much more to each project.  You'll want to get your hands on some if you haven't already. :)

Natural Composition Mojo/ Mojo Monday #251

Whenever Stampin' Up releases a new catalog, I go right to the designer series paper to pick which pack I'll buy first. :)  This time around, the choice was clear: Natural Composition Specialty.  I love the neutral color & the embossed images.  By stamping on Crumb Cake card stock using Versamark & clear embossing powder, I was able to create a perfect accent with the Nature Walk stamp set.  Mojo Monday gave me the sketch idea.  I wanted to keep the color pallet simple, so I stuck with Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, and Primrose Petals.  The Primrose I needed to mute a bit, so I took out my sponges and went to work using my Soft Suede ink.  Elegant and simple.  Just the way I like it.