Grandma's Excellent Weekend

 

No card making this weekend but it was a great weekend of visiting and fun! We took my grandson to the Milwaukee Museum and this picture was taken in the butterfly exhibit which was my favorite part. We met my son and his fiance' and Great-Grandma there as well so it was a great day.

And today we went shopping and I found my dress for my son's wedding! So all in all a great weekend. Hope you had the same!

Stamping smiles, Karen

Stamp Club Challenge

 

I made this card with the materials our stamp club was given for this month's challenge. The beautiful wrinkled green paper, the plaid paper and the ribbon. The flower image is done using the "black magic" technique that I learned last month at our meeting. Stamp the solid image on black paper in white pigment ink. Let dry or heat dry. Color the image with colored pencils. Then highlight with white gel pen. Easy and a fun and effective way to add color to an image.

Off for the weekend to see my wonderful grandson and daughter and son-in-law. Hope your weekend is great too!

Stamping smiles, Karen

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge

 

The FTTC#55 challenge this week is to use flowers in our cards. I chose to use a flower stencil with black stencil paste and glitter to make this sympathy card. Punches and nesties and a dove sticker complete the card.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Critter Sketch Challenge

 

I had fun with this card for the first Critter Sketch Challenge. I used a cool ribbon I got from our local Stamp Shoppe that is two sided. We were supposed to use some red in our card so the button, smile paper and lightly sponged background (used a crunched up paper towel piece) are all my red pieces. the "smile big" stamp was FREE with my recent rental from Raisin Boat. I stamped the corners of the piece again with just a side of the stamp. I love layered flowers - so easy to make with nesties, and old book, button and scrapper's floss. And what would we do without glue dots to hold things together?

Stampers smiles, Karen

MMSC42 & New Raisin Boat

 

I used my new rented stamp set from Raisin Boat to make this week's sketch challenge from Midnight Madness. I turned the sketch on it's side and this is what I came up with. Doesn't the pier from the "Pier Happpiness" set by Raisin Boat just make you want to sit on the edge and put your toes in the water? The background is three equal size pieces of kraft attached to blue, embossed with cuttlebug and overlapped when attached to the card. I've hoarded these brads forever and was fun to go through and find ones that worked with this card.

Go to http://www.raisinboat.com/ to see the newest stamps from Raisin Boat and also to learn more on renting stamps.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Kitchen Sink Stamps Challenge

 

The challenge at Kitchen Sink Stamps this month is to use their stamps to create a background or designer paper look. I stamped their butterflies in various pastel colors all over the background of this card. Featured is their largest butterfly on the set. What is so cool about their stamps is that for each image you get a series of stamps that you stamp in lighter to darker inks to get a very realistic and beautiful image, such as this butterfly. The smaller ones also have that series of stamps too, but I chose to use just the most detailed ones for the background. The white circle that I put the butterfly on needed something so I used my Scor-buddy to add some dotted lines. Then attached that piece to another circle with some gems added.

Stamping smiles, Karen

SSHP19 & Stampin' Royalty #7

 

This card works for two challenges this weekend. The Spotlight Divas wanted us to "make a mess" with our cards and I tore the edges around the paper and cork and also sponged the brown embossed dots with black ink to give the background a grunge look that is masculine (as opposed to the usual use for this CB folder). The Stampin' Royalty challenge is to create a masculine card which this is... The stamps are from TAC.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Revised Raisin Boat Hearts Card

 

I changed a few things about an earlier card I did and am sharing today. It's after Valentines now so took that saying off. Added a new deep border (Martha Stewart) and put white in the inside so that border really stands out. Off for a three day weekend out of town- yeah!

Stamping smiles, Karen

FTTC54 All About Me

 

The Flourishes challenge this week is to create a card that is "all about me." I chose this card because I love my embossing folders, almost always choose to paper pierce over coloring and love little boy cards (in honor of my darling grandson.)

Stamping smiles, Karen

Lovely RAK

 

I received this awesome card last week from a dear friend and wanted to share with you all. The "book" was made with a nesties label set with the pages curled and each one raised with mounting tape on the ends of the pages. Isn't it cool?

Stamping smiles, Karen

MMSC41 Sketch

 

Another fun sketch from Midnight Madness to share with you today. I just love this saying from DRS Stamps and decided to feature it on a card. The patterned paper was "stitched" with scor-bug and black pen and the eyelets placed in the corners and all over (as if they were "lost".) I find I never use eyelets anymore - much prefer brads- but have hundreds of them, so this card was good for using some up!

Stamping smiles, Karen

Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge

 

I had a lot of fun with this card and the great sketch from The Sweet Stop this weekend. When I saw this stamp and the saying that went with it at my local Stamp Shoppe I couldn't resist- too cute. Actually the saying is from AMuse and the stamp from Whippersnapper but aren't they cute together? All the papers are from Taylored Expressions. I paper pieced the hippo, colored and sponged the rest, stamped the saying onto the ribbon and attached with a ribbon brad that I have been meaning to remember to use!

Stamping smiles, Karen

"Hogs & Sketches" - Hambo Sketch #5

 

I am a huge Hambo fan because I love to use humor in my cards and to my knowledge, Hambo Stamps has the largest selection of funny stamps around. The worm with a balloon and the saying "Worm Wishes" just cracks me up so I had fun with this sketch and those stamps. I paper pieced the worm and balloon and colored the rest with my copics. Added some balloon brads to continue that theme and used the birthday folder from Cuttlebug on the circle. Added a little more bling on both sides and we are done.

Stamping Smiles, Karen

TESC100 & Crazy for Challenges

 

I have been busy all day designing wedding invitations for my son and his fiance'. But I am taking a break and designing some cards for challenges. Here is my first for Taylored Expressions sketch (congrats on reaching 100!) and also for Crazy for Challenges which called for using red in our card. The fun bird is from a new set I got from CTMH and the words are from TAC. Large white circle was embossed with cuttlebug folder. Add some brads and patterned paper for the background and the card is done.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Caring Thoughts Card

 

This is a card I made for a friend at work who is going through a rough time. The main stamp is from the Tim Holtz set I used yesterday too- very cool stamps. The background is embossed with a cuttlebug folder, the main image is cut out and raised with mounting tape and then the ribbon and tag added.

Stamping smiles, Karen

MMSC40 Challenge

 

My card today is for the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge. I used paper from CTMH for the side and the wonderful creative saying stamp is from Tim Holtz collection for Stampers Anonymous. Added a couple stars to finish. I would not have made this card except for blogging as the stamp is one I saw on a blog and just had to have and the challenges are really pushing me outside of my box to create cards that are not just for someone's birthday. What fun!

Stamping smiles, Karen

Nate Guitar Scrapbook Page

 

In honor of my friend Margy's birthday, I am showing a scrapbook page I made this weekend featuring our favorite three year old and CTMH papers and stamps. My grandson Nate has so much fun when his Dad plays him like a guitar! (To see how cute Nate is, you can click on the picture to enlarge the images.)

Stamping smiles & Happy Birthday! Karen

Crazy 4 Challenges Valentine

 

 

Valentine's Day is this weekend and so this challenge was an easy one to do. Make a Valentine. Mine today is simple but fun. The hedgehog is on the inside but you can see him through the punched hole. A little more stamping, some coloring, a ribbon, and it is done.

Stamping smiles, Karen

OCCSC1 & CCEE & Caardvaarks Challenges

 

This card is using the Our Creative Corner sketch for this week and also qualifies for the CCEE challenge to use hearts in our cards. And Caardvaarks also challenged us to come up with a wedding card that could get published in Cards Magazine.. So many fun challenges and so little time to have fun with them. But I got my work done for the weekend so today I am playing:)

The heart stamp in the middle of the card was my FREE stamp that I got with my first two rentals from Raisin Boat (do a search on my blog if you missed earlier posts regarding Raisin Boat.) The Mr and Mrs stamp and all the cool paper is from CTMH, the cuttlebug folder is from HSN and the bottom punch is Martha Stewart. We have a wedding coming up in our family later this year so we are excited about that and I will be making wedding invites and shower invites and thank you notes- so much fun!

Stamping smiles, Karen

Stamp Simply #125 Oh Baby Boy

 

Simple but fun baby boy card using nesties and punches and patterned paper. Sorry don't know the stamp credits for the stamps used. Stamp Simply's challenge was to make and post a baby card so here is mine.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Lovely Valentine by Jane

 

This is Friday's card so if you see this Thursday pretend it is TGIF.. I won't be able to post tomorrow so am doing it tonight. I am not sure yet this weekend if I will get a chance to do any challenges or post much- will have to see. I just found a market for my cards locally and will quickly be making some up as I am bringing over the rack and cards on Monday..

Anyway, this is the Valentine we made at our last stamp club meeting that my BFF Jane designed. The heart is created using the same plumber's repair tape I used on a previous card. It was embossed and cut with the Cuttlebug heart set and then colored with alcohol inks.The tape is adhesive so you remove the paper and attach easily to the front of the card. The front was scored and then embossed with dots folder above and below the scored lines. The saying was stamped on a fancy label and then attached with ribbon. I just love the look.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Clean & Simple FTL76

 

Love this sketch by Clean and Simple this week. I used my rented stamps from Raisin Boat again (see earlier posts) and paper and ribbon from Taylored Expressions. I stamped the saying, measured for ribbon, then scored lines with the Scor-Pal. Then I embossed dots with cuttlebug folder above and below the scored lines. Cut out 4 one inch squares and stamped cute heart images on three. Stamped the world and cut out, raised with mounting tape and highlighted hearts with gel pen and attached to 4th inch square.

Stamping smiles, Karen

MMSC19 & SSHP 16

 

This card is combining two challenges this week: Saturday Spotlight's Bigger and Better (featuring a big heart that is off the page) and the sketch from Midnight Madness. It is hard to see but there are three lines scored under the heart- two regular score lines and one with dots. The stamps are all Raisin Boat again as I am loving this set. The heart is created by cutting 3 hearts of patterned paper with the Nestie largest heart. Then divide the heart into threes and cut them together with a paper cutter. Take one piece from each and put the heart back together with tape on the back. I then attached to the largest scalloped heart. The gems were clear transparent gems but I colored them with my red copic. Using our copics and clear transparent gems you can have any color bling on a card anytime- so cool.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Super Bowl by Raisin Boat

 

I am just loving this set "It's a Guy Thing" that I rented from Raisin Boat (so I may have to buy this one at a reduced rate too:) Check out www.raisinboat.com to see how to rent cool stamps, play for a month and return them for more cool stamps. No storage, and much cheaper than buying!

This sketch came from Super Sketchy Sunday at 365 Cards Challenge. I taped down the green triangular piece before putting the front in an embossing folder from Cuttlebug. Left the bottom part unembossed to stamp the saying. Paper pieced the tv and added the remote and punched out Dad. If your guy is not into football (except this week, when everyone is..), there is a baseball with the set as well as a 24/7 sports logo.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Card Patterns #49 and Dutch Dare Challenge

 

I love the sketch on this week's Card Patterns challenge and I combined it with Dutch Dare's Challenge to find Summer in Winter. I decided the bright yellow was the sunshine and the flowers make me think of summer. I am using papers from Taylored Expressions and loving the color combinations of her kits. The flower is made of punched paper from an old book, patterned paper and cardstock topped by a button and scrapper's floss. What is missing from this card?? If you know me, you know all my cards have to say something, usually on both the front and the inside. But I am trying to step outside my box and do love how this turned out.

 

However, I couldn't resist using my new funny stamp from DRS Designs on the inside with some more of the designer paper. Too funny.

Stamping smiles, Karen