Bloggers' Challenge -- 8/31/07

This week's Challenge took me way out of my comfort zone....it really was a challenge!! All week I've been staring at the sample on Page 92 of the IBC and coming up blank. This year's catalog has so many beautiful and creative samples....but this is one that I've barely even noticed. It is far from one of my favorites!

So, I began working on this earlier this evening. If you could have seen me, you might have thought I was a mad scientist! I had tons of cardstock, inks, punches, and accessories all over....in seemed like I pulled out everything! It took me hours and evolved from soft pastels with a floral theme to the card you see here!! But, when all is said and done, I'm actually quite happy with it! I'm not sure that it is even remotely like the sample, but maybe that's a good thing?

Can't wait to see what all the others have come up with....be sure to check out their blogs! (List is to the left.)

Stamps: Punch Pals, Season of Joy, Canvas

Inks: White Craft, Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue

CS: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue

Punches: Scallop, Large Tag, 1/4", 1 1/4", 3/4", 1/2" Round Punches

Misc: Dimensionals, Whisper White Grosgrain, White Embossing Powder, Blender Pen

NOTE: Crystals used on the snowflakes and on the snowman's hat are sticky-back crystals from Stampendous. IRL, they look wonderful....they add just the right amount of "BLING," but they look a bit harsh on screen. (The new SU crystal brads were too large!)

Christmas is only 117 days away!

.....at least it is if I counted right! That may sound like a very long time to some, but we all know how time can fly!! And as a reminder, the kids head back to school around here next week, a sure sign that Fall is about to begin!

So, what this all means, is that it's definitely time to begin thinking about holiday cards. Last week, I sent out a batch of these cards for a Holiday Swap that I joined. The criteria was that the swaps feature a set from the new Holiday Mini. Have you received yours yet? If not, please be sure to contact me, because you really don't want to miss it......there are so many wonderful, beautiful sets inside!! Not to mention some fun papers and accessories!

Anyway, this was my card, which features Season of Joy. On screen, it looks a tad washed out (my computer just does not seem to like greens!), but I was happy with the way it turned out. A couple of things you probably cannot see: The tree was outlined in Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, as well as the swirls inside the tree; The red cardstock was stamped with the collaged saying stamp from the set to create a background; and the greeting at the base of the card was stamped in Basic Black Craft ink, but embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder.

Sooooo, what are YOU going to do for your holiday cards?

Stamps: Season of Joy, So Swirly Jumbo Wheel, Many Merry Messages

Inks: Wild Wasabi*, Versamark, Basic Black Craft

CS: Very Vanilla, Wild Wasabi, Real Red

Misc: More Mustard Marker (star on tree), Paper Piercer & Template, Gold Mini Brads, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Corner Rounder

*I used the Wild Wasabi Ink Refill to ink up a blank Jumbo Cartridge

FYI: The Holiday Mini will be available for your viewing pleasure this Saturday, September 1 at www.stampinup.com

Punch Happy

Using punches is so much fun!....especially when you begin to use them in ways that really aren't obvious....when you "think outside the box." And that's just what I did for this week's edition of our Bloggers' Challenge. Used the oval punches in a different way than the original intent. Of course, I cannot claim this idea as my own....it's actually a compilation of a few ideas I've seen around, but I changed the layout and background. I've really wanted to try this for a long time and this week's Challenge presented the perfect opportunity.

The body was created by using the Coluzzel....the round punches just did not give me the proportion that was needed for this little guy. The edge of each circle or oval (with the exception of the eyes) was lightly sponged in Garden Green ink to give it a bit more definition. And the greeting was created on the computer. Wouldn't this make a cute invite for a child's party? How fun!!

Don't forget to check out the other Bloggers submissions.....I can't wait to see what these talented ladies have come up with!!

Stamps: Dotted, Sanded Backgrounds

Inks: Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, Garden Green

CS: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi

Punches: Large Oval, 1/2" & 1/4" Round, Spring Flower Bouquet

Misc: Ticket Punch, Black Mini Brads, Paper Piercer, Sponge Dauber, White Gel Pen, Basic Black Marker, Coluzzel

Inspired Challenge

WOW! This one was really difficult for me! I know, I know....it was supposed to be easy!!! But, I must be the most unobservant person on the planet because I kept forgetting to look around to find a source of "inspiration!!!!" You see, there's inspiration everywhere....in catalogs, in your cupboards, the patterns, or prints in your clothing....anywhere you look. The key here is to LOOK! Well, I finally remembered yesterday morning to look around a bit, but nothing hit me. I even went to the supermarket yesterday hoping that some of the packaging might give me an idea. But, of course, I just found what I needed in there and forgot to look for ideas before I came home. DUH! It wasn't until I was making dinner last night and thinking that I might just have to skip this week's edition of the Bloggers' Challenge when I spotted the wrapper on the loaf of bread. (You see, I was making Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato Sandwiches.....which are just the BEST because Jersey fresh tomatoes are at their peak!!) Anyway, it's the wrapper that inspired me. So after dinner, I went and played, but nothing seemed to be working out.

Then while lying in bed, I suddenly knew what the card would look like. (Don't we ALL do our best thinking in bed?!!) So, this morning when I had a chance to play, this is what I came up with. Of course, if you look at the packaging and turn it around, you may see some similarity....but that was the Challenge: to become "inspired" by something, not necessarily duplicate it!

Stamps: Happiness, Canvas, Think Happy Thoughts

Inks: Only Orange, Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion, Basic Black

CS: Whisper White, Gable Green, Pink Passion, Basic Black

Misc: Whisper White 3/8" Grosgrain Ribbon; Black Mini Brad; Paper Piercer; 3/4" , 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Round Punches; Scallop Punch, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter (for flower centers)

Don't forget to check to see what great things the other Bloggers have been "inspired" by....they truly are a talented group of ladies! (Links can be found in my sidebar to the left.)

Scalloped Flower

My sister looked through all my Convention swaps the other night, and she asked me to scan this and send it to her. (Hi, Kathy!) Only then did I realize that I never posted this card. It was one of my swaps at Convention a couple of weeks ago.....only made a few of these. Soooo, I thought I'd share it with all of you as well!!

The scroll in the background is from Priceless, the saying is a brand new set that I just bought (from last year's catalog) called Friendship Flowers. It was one of those sets I had looked at many, many times and thought it was just OK....you know, nothing special. That is, until a friend of mine send me a wonderful card using one of the sayings from the set. After that, I just had to have it!!! Don't you just hate it when that happens?!! LOL!! (Ah, such is the life of a stamp-a-holic!!) The saying on this card is probably one of my favorites in the set.

Not sure if you can see it, but the background paper has little stripes of glitter....created with the 2-way glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds. And the "flower" was actually created by using the fabulous, brand-new (to me AND to the catalog) Scallop Punch! Saw this idea on another blog and just had to re-create it......don't ya just luv this idea?!!

Stamps: Priceless, Friendship Flowers, Three for You Punch Kit

Inks: So Saffron, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip

CS: So Saffron, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard

Misc: Chocolate Chip 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, 3/4" Round Punch, Paper Piercer, Gold Mini Brad, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Prints Designer Series Paper in So Saffron

NOTE: Sponging was done using More Mustard ink.

Getting Punchy

One of the great, fantabulous things about the stamp sets and punches in the new catalog is how well so many of them work together! Earlier, I posted a coffee mug using Wanted. This card features the same set and is in similar colors...but, oh how different it looks!

Again, the background was created with Sanded in Soft Sky and then overstamped in Blue Bayou.....those new In Colors are just ever so lucious! The medallian was created by using the wonderful new scallop punch, the 1 1/4" round punch and the 1/2" round punch. The greeting is actually a portion of a stamp from In My Thoughts....a new favorite word set (although it is not new in the catalog....I only just purchased it)! The Window Punch just makes it so easy to use!!

Stamps: Sanded Bkgrd, Wanted, In My Thoughts

Inks: Soft Sky, Bayou Blue, Groovy Guava

CS: Bayou Blue, Soft Sky, Whisper White, Groovy Guava

Misc: Groovy Guava Double Stitched Ribbon; Word Window Punch, Scallop Punch, 1 1/4" Round Punch, 1/2" Round Punch, Paper Piercer, Silver Mini Brad

Alter Something Challenge

This week's Challenge was to take something ordinary (or something ugly) and transform it. Not having a lot of time, my project was very simple!

I picked up this insulated coffee mug at the coffee concession in my local supermarket. You see, I had given one similar to this awhile back to a good friend, but even though the lining was stamped with a floral pattern, her hubby kept stealing it from her. It seems, it was the perfect size and kept the coffee hot a long time. So, since her birthday just passed, I thought I'd make her one that she could give her hubby so she wouldn't find hers missing all the time! (It's ok, I have other things that are just for HER!)

So, this is what the mug looked like before. Not very attractive....but, then it really was designed to be personalized.

Since this is for a man, that made the Challenge even more challenging! Masculine things are always so much more difficult, don't you think? Fortunately, I received Wanted at Convention and it seemed to work perfectly! The second photo shows the entire piece of cardstock stamped in a collage. Collaging is loads of fun, because it's practically mistake proof! I first stamped the entire background with the brand new Sanded background stamp. When I first saw this background stamp in the catalog, I was sure that I didn't need it.....but, guess what?!! I won it at Convention and I can already see that it will be a favorite! I just stamped randomly all over the entire piece of CS overlapping as I went....and you know what? It didn't matter! In fact, it looked even better!!

The rust colored band around the bottom was a bit tricky since the liner is curved and tapered and there wasn't room for any embellishments, but I'm kind of happy with the finished result. Now, I hope my girlfriend's hubby likes it as well! Although it was a really simple project, it was fun collaging with my brand new stamps!

Don't forget to check out some of the other bloggers' challenges. There are some terrific ideas!

Stamps: Sanded Bkgrd; Wanted

Inks: Soft Sky, Basic Gray, Not Quite Navy, Blue Bayou, Really Rust, Going Gray

CS: Soft Sky, Really Rust

Misc: Not Quite Navy Marker (for faux stitching)

NOTE: All images are by Stampin' Up!; Mug is from Starbucks

Hint: Click on any photo and the image will enlarge so that you can see the detail.

A Quick Thank You

Did I tell you that my favorite new In Color is Groovy Guava? It is this beautiful deep peach color that actually matches many colors so well! So, when I needed a quick thank you for my upline, naturally, the main color I went for was Groovy Guava.....and knowing that she had this set, Fun & Fast Notes, this stamp set was a natural choice. The design is really simple and quick.

The stamped image is actually reproduced from one of the ideas we learned last week at Convention on watercoloring and the Water Color Crayons. I love the technique we learned to color in the background...so easy. A definite "eureka" moment for me!! As you can see, I didn't use the saying that is attached to the image....I cut off each saying and mounted on the side of the block of wood. This will give me lots more versatility! The saying I used was stamped in the brand new Basic Gray.....darker than Going Gray, but softer and less stark than Basic Black....more of a "charcoal" color. I can see I'll be using this new pad often!!

Stamps: Aida Cloth, Curvy Verses, Fast & Fun Notes

Inks: Groovy Guava, Basic Gray, Jet Black StazOn

CS: Groovy Guava, Soft Sky, Watercolor Paper

Misc: Cutter Kit, Aqua Brush, Flat Watercolor Brush, Watercolor Crayons, Dbl Stitched Ribbon-Groovy Guava

Bloggers' Challenge -- 8/3/07

I'm back! Denver was just fabulous!!! Of the many SU convention cities that I have been to, I think that this city was by far the best! Very cosmopolitian, very clean, very friendly....and fun! And Convention?....well, it goes without saying that it was beyond fantabulous!!! Amazing samples and ideas, and as always, so, so much fun! I'll be sharing lots of the ideas in the near future.

Last week I mentioned that I would NOT be participating in the Bloggers' Challenge for this past week, but I couldn't resist. These are just so much fun! And our list of participants has grown, so be sure to check out everyone's ideas. The group of stampers who participate in the weekly challenge are among the best!

The Challenge last week was to copy (and interpret) the card sample from the Catalog Pg. 165. As soon as I saw the sample, I thought of the leaf set, Autumn Leaf Prints. With the hot, hot weather we are now having, it's difficult to believe that Fall is not far away. This set is now retired, but was a favorite of mine for the past 2 catalog years, and one I won't part with anytime soon. At Convention last week, we learned over 20 ways to use the markers and this card features just one of them! I colored directly onto the stamps with the lightest color marker and then highlighted areas of each leaf in random fashion with the other colored markers, then stamped. The images were then cut out and crumpled slightly. The oak leaf was mounted onto a Dimensional. As you can see, I took some creative liberty with the sample and made it my own.

Stamps: Autumn Leaf Prints*, Weathered, Warmest Regards*

Inks: Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive

CS: Natural Ivory, Old Olive, Ruby Red

Markers: More Mustard, Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive

Misc: Old Olive Mini Brads, Paper Piercer (for brads and paper piercing), Cutter Kit (for distressing), Dimensionals, Chocolate Chip 5/8" Wide Grosgrain

*Retired from the SU line of products.