Different Point of View

The Challenge this week is to feature the versatility of our stamp sets. I love using a set in various ways.....thinking out of the box, or coming up with different uses for the same set. This makes a stamp set so much more economical. (Ok, maybe I'm not always the frugal person....but, it's nice to know that a set can be a "bargain," don't you agree?!!)

So, the set I chose for this Challenge is one I haven't used in some time, although it's a fabulous set....Baroque Motifs. The first card is a Christmas card. The little flower-like stamp almost resembles poinsettias. Can you see that I used a glitter pen to highlight some of the swirls? This set can make the most glamarous cards!

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Holidays & Wishes

Inks: River Rock, Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy

CS: River Rock, Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy

Misc: Bravo Burgundy 1/4" Grosgrain, Glitter Pen by Sakura, Cutter Kit, Paper Piercer

The second card features a simple, basic layout and can be used as a wedding, anniversary, or just a "love" card to that someone special. Here is where the "glamor" becomes "elegant!" Simple layout, easy card.

Stamps: Baroque Motifs

Inks: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou

CS: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Blue Bayou

Misc: White Taffeta Ribbon, Marvy Giga Square Scallop Punch

NOTE: Card #1 was inspired by this awsome card.

For another idea using this same set, check out this previous post on this Blog. Check here. Now, I challenge YOU to use your stamp sets in various ways.....and why not share and send them my way? Maybe you'll be featured here as well!

Don't forget to stop by and visit some of the super-talented ladies on the Blog Roll! Their postings are always so inspiring! And there's a new member on the blogroll....Melanie! Be sure to visit....she is always an inspiration.

Baby Thank You Cards

My nephew is having a baby! (Oh, that SO doesn't sound right!!) So, being the terrific aunt that I am, I offered to make the Thank You cards to be used for baby shower gifts, which is in early January. Now, I thought this was a nice thing to do....and then found out that I'd need to make 65!! OH, MY! Ok, so 65 means a few extra for those "just in case they are needed" times. So, we're up to 75!

Well, as luck would have it, I was given my nephew's name (which included his significant other) in the "family grab bag." (We each choose a name and buy a gift for that one person....makes it much easier and we can be so much more generous.) So, I decided that these cards would be part of the gift....that means they need to be done soon.....that also means that they need to be simple!

So, here's a sample of the card and the envy, which is peaking out to the side. Both use retired sets, the classic Warmest Regards, along with Simple Somethings (always loved that set!) and Nice and Narrow for the envelope....what a great match they are!!

Whew! Almost half done.....and then I can complete my Christmas cards!

Stamps: Simple Somethings* (card), Warmest Regards*; Nice & Narrow* (envelope)
Inks: Jet Black StazOn
CS: Whisper White, Barely Banana
Misc: Certainly Celery & Barely Banana Markers, Cuttlebug Bow Embossing Folder**

*Retired sets; **Non-SU

Inspired By Challenge....a Week Late!

'Tis the season, as they say! And the hectic holiday season truly is here!!! Are you having trouble keeping up with everything?....I sure am. So much to do, so little time!! And, it will only get worse as we get closer to Christmas!

Anyway, I just didn't have time to post last week's Challenge, which was the "Inspired By..." Challenge. You know from previous posts, that for some reason, I have the most difficult time with these Challenges. This card is actually a swap card that I'm just putting the finishing touches on before mailing out. The theme was "Friendship." The set used in this card is one that was received recently by all demonstrators as a little gift from SU! YUP! Free rubah!! Gotta love SU and new stamps!! SU is so wonderful to work for and they reward us in so many ways. The set featured is called "Time Well Spent," which will be a new hostess set in the brand new catalog due out January 1! Isn't it fun?!!

So, back to the Challenge....this was actually inspired by this card. I just loved the clean lines and color combo. I simply don't use Sahara Sand often enough, and it truly is wonderful to work with!! As you can see, I've kept the layout, but changed it quite a bit. I "colored" in the flower by burnishing the center with a sponge and carefully watercoloring the outline with a blender pen using the ink directly from the ink pad.

Hope you enjoy this late edition of the Challenge....hope to work on and post THIS week's Challenge later today!

Stamps: Time Well Spent, Linen

Inks: Whisper White Craft, Blue Bayou

CS: Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Blue Bayou

Misc: Blender Pen, Versamarker, Dazzling Diamonds, Heat & Stick, Iridescent Ice (greeting), Corner Rounder, White Gel Pen, Paper Piercer (Tool Kit), 1/2" Round Punch, Blue Bayou Stitched Ribbon, Silver Mini Brads

Get Well Soon, Samantha!

A sister demonstrator of mine (my sideline) just found out that her daughter, Samantha, needs to have her thyroid removed. I know from experience that when one of your children is facing surgery it is a very scary thing! Thankfully, her prognosis is good. I made this simple card earlier today to cheer Samantha up and will pop it in the mail tomorrow. Gotta love that Fun & Fast Notes....makes card projects a breeze!

Stamps: Fun & Fast Notes

Inks: Jet Black StazOn

CS: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Watercolor Paper

Misc: Watercolor Crayons, Aqua Brush, Flat Watercolor Brush, 1/8" Punch, Blue Crystal Brad, 1/4" Certainly Celery Grosgrain, Prints Designer Series Paper in Certainly Celery, Giga Square Scallop Punch*, Window Punch

*Non SU

Weekly Challenge--Color Combo

You know what? I've never done a color challenge before! This was not really as easy as it looks....at least not for me! And as usual, I'm running behind! Busy, busy week as always. But here it is. I really wanted to put together a Thanksgiving-themed card to wish you all a wonderful and blessed day. Hopefully, you will spend it surrounded by those you love.

The challenge was to use Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Brocade Blue and any neutral. I used the Pumpkin Pie only on inking the leaves and shading with Chocolate Chip and Old Olive....an "interesting combo," but I did it!

As always, thanks for stopping by. Hope you will take some time to visit the other bloggers challenges.

Stamps: Sanded, Wanted, Linen, Autumn Fest, Hugs & Wishes

Inks: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip

CS: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Brocade Blue, Whisper White

Misc: Corner Punch, Oval Coluzzel, Corner Rounder, Chocolate Chip Marker, Grosgrain Ribbon*, Paper Piercer & Template (from Tool Kit), Old Olive Mini Brads, Natural Hemp, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals

*Brocade Blue now available only in 5/8" width, the 1/4" shown is now retired.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Fall is FINALLY Here!

In fact, I think we're about to head into winter-like weather any day! It's kind of a shame, really, because true Fall weather can be just delightful. The Fall season is so spectacular....the array of colors in the trees is just breathtaking. AND that is the inspiration for this card....just a very simple, basic layout. This is a thank you for a good friend of mine.

Anyway, hope this gives you an idea of how beautiful the trees in my area really can be.....I think they are just passed their peak, but, oh, they were just so beautiful!

Stamps: Take Three, Autumn Fest, Weathered, Sanded
Inks: Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red
CS: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Ruby Red
Misc: 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain, Corner Punch, Paper Piercer (Tool Kit), Mini Brads (Vintage Collection); Old Olive, More Mustard, Ruby Red, & Chocolate Chip Markers

Weekly Challenge -- Add a Photo

Do any of you have teenage daughters? If you do, then you know how stressful they can make our lives! As for me, I have twin 19 year old daughters. They are attending the local community college....and the fact that they aren't away at school is something they remind me of daily! Suffice it to say that for now, going to school locally and living home is best for them at this time. But, OH, they do make my life stressful! I can actually FEEL the gray popping out on my head every day! And for those of you who have dealt with this species, KNOW what drama queens they can be...and my daughters are NO exception!!

So, why am I mentioning all this? Well, they are my excuse for being so late with my Challenge this week. In fact, I really didn't have a chance to work on the Challenge at all! BUT, I do occasionally scrapbook, and I'm going to show off one of the last pages I put together. The photos on this scrap page are of my hubby when he was just a toddler and then there is also a family photo. Unfortunately, I don't have dates, so I don't know the ages of anyone in the pictures, and these are the only pictures I have of Dennis growing up. His mom moved a LOT (we often said that her furniture all came with wheels!), so many things must have been lost along the way. And she now has advanced Alzheimers, so I cannot even check to see if I can get anymore info!

This showcases a simple layout. There is a lot of paper piercing on this page, and the "stitching" is done with a marker. The photo corners were created by using the small 1/4" square and the 1 1/4" square. Now I own the corner punch, so it would be so much easier to create this look. The only stamping on this page is actually on the photo corners and the retired Wonderful Weaves was used. As usual, the photo really doesn't do the page justice. It IS a great scrap page! (If I may say so myself!!)

Stamps: Wonderful Weaves

Inks: Basic Black

CS: Natural Ivory, Mellow Moss, Basic Black

Misc: Moss Grosgrain, White Gel Pen, 1/4" & 1 1/4" Square Punches.

NOTE: Title is a rub on. Source unknown.

Thanks for stopping by. Now, I'm off to check the other Bloggers' submissions....won't you join me?

Embellish It! Challenge

Ok, so this week's Challenge was to add some "bling." To me, this was like working in reverse, since I typically design a card or scrap page and then add in the embellishments. BUT, for this Challenge, we had to design something around buttons, eyelets, brads, or hardware. This Challenge took me awhile! (Guess that is what is so great about these Challenges....they push me out of my "comfort zone" and force me to create things I wouldn't ordinarily think of!)

Last night I attempted to achieve an entry for the Challenge and came up with this card. While I like the card well enough, it really isn't my style because I think it is just a bit too busy for my taste. Perhaps if I took out the background paper element, it might work a bit better. But the background paper was the inspiration for the color scheme on this....I colored the trees using the "thumping" technique in coordinating markers: Really Rust, Sage Shadow, Close to Cocoa, and the trunks are done in Chocolate Chip. This stamp just cries out for this technique! And since I seem to hoard my Hodgepodge Hardware and Twill Tape, I gave it a go.

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree

Inks: Creamy Carmel

Markers: Really Rust, Sage Shadow, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip

CS: Chocolate Chip, Natural Ivory, Really Rust

Misc: Twill Tape, Hodgepodge Hardware (Aged Copper), Template & Paper Piercer (Tool Kit), Mini Glue Dots, Outlaw Designer Paper

Well, since I wasn't entirely happy with that card, I tried again....but, this time, I'm truly happy with it, although it isn't the Fall-themed card as I had hoped it would be! This card features So Much, the set that I received for FREE when I attended the SU Regional in Philadelphia in September. Note that the Rhinestone Brads are placed inside of the Jumbo Eyelets, and the Black Gingham Ribbon has been colored using the Brocade Blue Marker.

Stamps: So Much, Weathered

Inks: Brocade Blue, Jet Black StazOn, Whisper White Craft

CS: Brocade Blue, Kraft, Watercolor Paper
Misc: Jumbo Eyelets (Antique Brass), Rhinestone Brads (Circles: Light Blue from the Ice Collection), Coluzzel, Black Gingham Ribbon, Brocade Blue Marker, Mini Library Clips (Antique Brass) from the Holiday Mini, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals, Aqua Brush, Watercolor Crayons (Summer Sun & More Mustard), Cropadile

Thanks for stopping by and visiting. Now I invite you to visit the ultra-talented ladies that participate in this weekly Challenge! Can't wait to see all the fantabulous ideas they have all come up with!! Oh, and our list has expanded.....Gerrie Johnnic has just joined. Now there is even more to visit and more to see!

Background Paper Challenge

After posting so late last week, I really wanted to post on time this week........I actually created this card last Monday and couldn't wait to share!

I saw this wreath idea on a card swap at a recent stamping event and couldn't wait to try it out myself. Simple, basic layout.......so fast!.....so easy! This card has only the tiniest bit of stamping....the greeting, which is embossed and looks a bit more bold in real life. The fabulous patterns in the Designer Paper do all the work!

You know, I really love Fall, which seems to finally be here with the summertime weather finally behind us (I think!), but by far, the Christmas holidays are my very favorite of all!!!

Be sure to check out the other Bloggers' ideas! Have fun looking around.....and thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Many Merry Messages
Inks: Old Olive Craft
CS: Very Vanilla, Real Red, Old Olive
Misc: Scallop Punch, 1" Circle Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Real Red Grosgrain (1/4" & 5/8"), Dashing Background Paper, Clear Embossing Powder

It's Time for Blog Candy!

The counter at the bottom of my Blog tells me that I've had many visitors in the past few months since I began this journey into blogdom, and the counter is not very far away from 5,000 hits (or visits)! So, it's time to say Thank You in a big way and give away some Blog Candy!!! Leave a coment (please only one per person) at the base of this post and when the counter hits 5,000, I'll choose a winner at random. But don't delay, it's jumping quickly.....oh, and be sure to leave me your e-mail address so I can contact you when you win! Good luck!

Edited to add: I'll wait to 5,100 hits, as the counter is jumping very quickly!

We have a winner!!! CONGRATULATIONS, Joyce Traub! Thank you everyone for visiting! Looking forward to the next edition of my Blog Candy give-away...coming soon (at 10,000)!

Note: Winner was chosen using random.org.