Color Throwdown & Color Q#46

 

As explained in my previous post, my computer is dead:( I am using a friend's and posting the cards I got ready last week that she was kind enough to take pix of. It is so hard not using my own stuff and in my last post, the pix got mixed up, but I am doing my best and then will not be posting until I get my computer back.

One of the cards (little girl on a bench) here is for the Color Throwdown challenge with the colors of soft blue, chocolate chip, kraft and celery. The bench is from our Stamp Shoppers challenge and the little girl and word stamps are from TAC. I used my Copics and paper pieced her clothes. The edge punch is from Martha Stewart.

 

The other card (With Thoughts of You), uses the colors from Color Q#46 of red,yellow, mint green, light blue and white. I used an embossing folder that I hadn't used before and the stamp is an Inkadinkado.

Not sure when the next time I post will be, so take care and

Stamping smiles, Karen

Repeat Impressions & FTTC80 Challenges

 

My computer is in the shop and will be out of commission for 2 weeks or so. I had a very creative week before that happened and got many cards done for challenges and then the computer died. I am totally reliant on it and am loving blogging everyday but I will not be able to do so after these. I am at a dear friend's house and she was kind enough to take my pix and let me use her computer to do some posting before the deadlines.

The second card is using the Repeat Impressions A1110 sketch and Raisin Boat stamps. I love these monsters and the center one is paper pieced and I added googly eyes. The diamonds on the top are some old cork pieces I had saved and I put the letter stickers on them spelling FUN. The bottom line is also a sticker.

 

The first card is using the colors from FTTC80 of hot pink, light yellow, kraft and black. I used a sketch I had seen on line and my new set from SU. I love the pennants that are very popular now and wanted to use them and finally got a chance.

Stamping smiles (and computer frowns), Karen

Wee Memories #18

 

The challenge this week at Wee Memories was to use Buttons, Brads or Bling on our cards. I used my glittery black brads on this card and the stamps are from CTMH. The ribbon is from SU and I dyed it with my black dye ink pad. The sketch is one I cased from a blog on line- isn't it fun with the multiple layers on top and just one on the bottom? Sometimes just black and white is enough color for a card.

If you live near Hamburg NY, Westminster MD, Rhinebeck NY or Hampton VA and want a free ticket to the upcoming StampScrapArt Tour show, contact me (email address on the sidebar). I have a free one to give away, but you have to be a follower on this blog.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Jo-Ann Craft for a Cause

 

I am sharing an extra card today with a special request. This CAS card is perfect for Operation Write Home and uses my favorite stamping supplies: Core'dinations paper, embossing folder, MS punches and a beautiful fall stamp from Inkadinkado. Once designed, it took about 5 minutes to make, yet looks great (atleast I think so..)

Which leads me to my request - and a GREAT way to win some super prizes for you and your favorite charitable cause. Check out this link. Jo-Anns has a contest where we can enter pictures of something we are donating to our favorite charity and both the crafter and the charity can win big! The supplies have to be bought there- not too much of a hardship to go shopping at my favorite craft store and buy some new stamps or paper or punches, right? Then take some pix of what you come up with as well as the receipt and enter it to maybe win.

My favorite cause right now for handmade cards is OWH. But of course, if you use your creative talent and donate to any worthy cause, this is a great contest to enter. But if you choose OWH too, maybe OWH will be in line to win one of the larger prizes for a great cause. Think about how many packages of cards one of those prizes could fund!

Stamping smiles, Karen

Speedy the Cat #16

 

Speedy the Cat's challenge this week is to use flowers in our cards. I just got this awesome set from SU and made this card as a Thank You for a friend and love how it turned out. The sketch is one that was on line a few weeks back and I embossed the woven pieces with SU embossing folders. The background was stamped with another floral stamp from the same set.

Stamping smiles, Karen

CCEE1032 Sketch Challenge

 

I used the great sketch from CCEE to create this lovely card. The embossing folder is a new one from SU and I love how it leaves some space unembossed but adds alittle one in the corner. The stamps are from my latest rented set from Raisin Boat. Like how it turned out!

Stamping smiles, Karen

Stampin' B's Challenge #71

 

The challenge this week at Stampin B's was to create a scene. I did that with a beautiful new stamp from my lastest set rented from Raisin Boat. If you know me, you know I don't like to color, so I used an old technique to highlight just one square and color just that. I cut and embossed the frames with my nesties labels and added the sentiment, also from Raisin Boat.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Skipping Stones Design #37 Sketch

 

I used the sketch from SSD#37 to create this CAS fall card. I just love this new fall set from Inkadinkado and will continue to use it, I am sure. Border punches are my latest addiction and this one is from Martha Stewart. Add an old button and a Sizzix swirl and the card is complete.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Critter Sketch Challenge

 

I had fun creating this card using the sketch from Critter Sketch and a beautiful set of stamps from Kitchen Sink Stamps. I am always thrilled when I use these stamps from Kitchen Sink because it makes me feel like a real artist without doing any coloring on my own. Each part has 3-5 steps you stamp with different colored inks and look what you get! The background piece is Core'dinations paper embossed and then sanded. And of course I used my Nesties for the tag and focal piece.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Get Sketchy #51 & Just For Fun Fridays #24

 

I used the great sketch from Get Sketchy and the colors from
Just for Fun Fridays (olive, cranberry and yellow)to make this fun card. The stamps and the funny saying are from my latest rental set from Raisin Boat - aren't they cute? I paper pieced them and of course embossed the background with the numbers embossing folder.

Stamping smiles, Karen

OWH Midweek Throwdown Challenge

 

The Midweek Throwdown Challenge at OWH was to make a fall card with no sentiment on the front. I got to play yesterday with a new Martha Stewart circle cutter that I borrowed from a friend. I love my nesties but the largest one is not large enough to make a half circle on a standard size card and after just a few minutes of experimenting, I was able to easily cut these. I recommend this circle cutter highly and will be getting one for myself soon. The fence punch is MS too and brand new and so is the awesome stamp from Inkadinkado. CAS but I love it!

Stamping smiles, Karen

Scrapbook Friday Blue Moon

 

When we took our grandson and his family out for his birthday recently, for desert he got to choose whatever he wanted. He always chooses chocolate, but this time he chose Blue Moon ice cream. We got some cute pix and when we got the pix printed, I couldn't get that song out of my head: "Blue Moon, you left me standing alone...." Not that that part is applicable and I know this dates me because it is a very old song:)

Anyway, I made the moon and embossed to make it look like moon craters and used the O's to make two more- I like how it turned out. I used a Mojo Monday sketch from a few weeks back as the starting point.

 

Of course,the best part is the pictures and this is the birthday boy's loving family.

Stamping and scrapping smiles, Karen

Raise the Bar #30 Pearly Whites

 

The challenge this week at Raise the Bar was to use pearls in our cards. I made this lovely card with a stamp from Inkadinkado - isn't it beautiful? The card itself is a 4 1/4" square with a large border punch from Martha Stewart. Adding the scallop circle image up from the card makes the size a standard 5 1/2" x 4 1/4". The pearls in each scallop add the perfect touch.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Cute Card Thursday Whatever - Happy 20th Anniversary

 

The challenge at Cute Card Thursday was whatever we wanted to post and I decided to share the card I made for my DH for our 20th wedding anniversary we are celebrating today. I am a lucky girl to have found some a great guy and we just get closer as the years go by:) We are going out tonight to my favorite local restaurant.

The awesome stamp that is the focal point is part of the Lovely Labels set by Nina Brackett. They are designed to by cut out with our nesties labels, in this case Labels One.The border punch is by ek success.

 

On my earlier post, I forgot to include a pix of the inside of my Halloween card. The border punch is Martha Stewart and the stamp is CTMH.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Our Creative Corner Challenge

 

The challenge at OCC this week was not a challenge for me at all- use embossing on our cards. Maybe 80-90% of the cards I design include some kind of embossing- I am totally addicted to embossing folders. As I said yesterday, I am in the mood for fall and football and Halloween. I bought this cool Northwoods stamp in Door County. I stamped on gold paper and cut out. I embossed the spider web on grey paper and rubbed black ink on the raised immage. Then simply attached the main image with mounting tape and added a cute bat stickpin I got from a great friend.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Get Sketchy #50

 

I am so in the mood for fall and football and Halloween! So I bought new Halloween stickers and stamps and ribbon today (all on sale of course) and came home and saw this neat sketch at Get Sketchy and put this cute card together before their sketch deadline. I had the spider web embossing folder and the MS border punch that is perfect for Halloween. Add my purchases today and a great sketch and the card was finished in no time.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Stamp Simply #151

 

The challenge this week at Stamp Simply was to create one layer cards. I am OK with CAS (clean and simple) cards, but one layer is hard for me. But that is why I do challenges- to challenge myself with different ideas, colors and sketches. I need some fairly simple but nice holiday cards for my OWH box for September and this card is perfect for that. I used a CB folder and a nice Noel stamp from CTMH and it is done.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Just for Fun Fridays #23

 

The color combination at Just for Fun Fridays was one of my favorites: kraft, red and white and so I decided to make a Christmas card with those colors. I was complaining at my local Stamp Shoppe that this new embossing/cutting folder from Cuttlebug was just too big and someone suggested folding the embossed piece in half and that is what I did on this card as well as rounding the edges. In the center of the half frame I used my new Sizzix poinsettia and the sentiment is from CTMH. (the inside says: "It's greatest gifts are family and friends". So True!)

Stamping smiles, Karen

Heart 2 Heart Challenge

 

The challenge at Heart to Heart this week was to use tags in our cards and to feature Close to My Heart stamps. Prominent on my TO DO list is to use some if not most of the die cuts and stamps that I have been neglecting. I used three sets of CTMH stamps and a tag die cut that I haven't used in forever and I love how it turned out. I formed a pocket and created faux stitching with my Scor Buddy and Scor Bug and a thin black marker. Add fiber to the tag and tuck it in and the card is done.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Hogs & Sketches Challenge & Curtain Call Act 41

 

The sketch this month at Hambo's Hogs & Sketches was a fun one and since I love Hambo's stamps, I decided to play along. I also used the colors from Curtain Call #41 (light blue, navy, crumb cake and white).

I flipped the sketch and layered light blue and light brown strips on my navy background piece and ran the whole thing through the big shot in an embossing folder. I just loved the "Chipmunk Blessing" saying from Hambo's new release and of course had to buy the cute chipmunk with it. I cut out the chipmunk and paper pieced his pile of nuts. The inside says "Happy Birthday to my Favorite Nut". Too cute.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Scrapbook Friday

 

These pages are from the Christmas pageant last year at my grandson's daycare. Sorry for the blurriness on the first page... But it does show the first of the two page spread with the kids all lined up to sing carols to the parents and grandparents lucky enough to be there.

 

 

After singing, the kids got to sit on Santa's lap. Too cute.

Stamping and scrapping smiles, Karen

Speedy the Cat #14 Thank You Card

 

The challenge this week at Mark's Finest Papers was to make a thank you card. I have two to share- same idea, different colors. I embossed on Core'dinations paper and sanded it. Add some pearls and a thank you tag and you have an elegant card.

 

Stamping smiles, Karen