LOTV Thursday Challenge Sketch 67

Challenge time at the LOTV blog! This week we have a sketch to work with, you can see it here. It's not exact, but I usually use sketches as a 'jumping off' point instead of copying it exactly. I figure if you can still identify the major elements of the sketch, that's close enough for me.

I can't get enough of Christmas cards, I think they are my favorite cards to create! I love the designs, the colors, the sentiments, I love everything about Christmas! For example, this little bear stamp would be adorable if he was an everyday bear, but with that darling Santa hat....cuter than cute! He's colored with my colored pencils, but I used some Copic Spica glittery pens for the gift bows. 

I don't know what I'm going to do when I run out of my favorite red/white striped ribbon from SU. I LOVE that stuff. I wonder if anyone else makes this ribbon in more colors maybe? Must search for it soon...

Now head on over to the LOTV challenge blog for this week's inspiration, then create your own card using LOTV stamps for a chance at a prize.

Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: LOTV 'James Bear Pile of Presents', Catslife Press
Ink: Memento, SU
Paper: Heavenly White, Basic Grey, PTI, Stardream
Accessories: SU striped grosgrain ribbon/edge & corner punch, Nestabilities, colored pencils, OMS, Copic Spica pens, Polar White Flower Soft, silver brads, PTI button

Fall Pumpkin

Remember these beautiful stamps from last year? Plum Purdy released some of her awesome designs in rubber (and clear) that made me a very happy camper. Unfortunately I haven't seen anything new since then :-(

I colored this image with my colored pencils, then I decided to add some brown flocking to the sunflower centers. I always add two layers of flocking when I use it, it's too thin in a single layer IMO. 

Instead of my usual ribbon I opted to use the awesome pumpkin flourish border EK Success just released. There are so many beautiful designs! I also found these felt flower die cuts in my stash and layered them to make a pretty embellishment.

Fall is in the air, because of the dry weather we've had then the big storms yesterday there are leaves all over the place now. Time to pull out the rake!

Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Plum Purdy

Ink: Memento

Paper: PTI, SU

Accessories: Colored pencils, OMS, Studio G flocking, felt, PTI button, EK Success border punch, Viva Decor pen, Adirondack dimensional pearls, Tonic corner rounder, SU edge punch

Bringing the gifts...

I'm having a hard time keeping track of the maker of all the Elisabeth Bell stamps I have, lol! Some are from Sugar Nellie, some are Belles 'n Whistles... Can't keep track. Anyway, here's a Christmas beauty I colored up with my pencils. I used a bit of blue flocking for the pom pom on her hat.

The paper is from an Oriental Trading mat stack I've had laying around forever. Love the colors and patterns and had to use as many as possible for one card. 

The pretty little mistletoe circle is from a PTI tag set. I applied a bit of Liquid Glass to shiny up the berries.

Hope you like it, thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Elisabeth Bell, PTI

Ink: Memento

Paper: PTI, Oriental Trading, Core'dinations

Accessories: SU edge punch, Nestabilities, seam binding, Liquid Glass, colored pencils, OMS, Spica pen, Studio G flocking

LOTV Challenge 66 Untraditional Christmas & a little Blog Candy!

Attention LOTV fans, I have a couple of stamps to give away because I so appreciate all my blog readers! I love reading your comments so this is my way of thanking you! 

Both are brand new, unmounted rubber in clear plastic baggies. The first is called Carol Singing (click link to see image) and the second is Skating Along (which happens to be out of stock at the mo, so here's your chance to get one!). One lucky winner will be chosen on Sunday, 9-26-10 sometime before noon EST. One entry per person please, duplicate comments will be deleted. Good luck!

Now onto my regularly scheduled programming--here's my take on this week's challenge. The colors most definitely are not traditional, but because the dominant aqua is a cool color, it reminds me of ice and snow, it works for a Christmas card, I think! I ADORE this Bunny Stocking stamp, their pointy little hats with the fluffy pom poms are just so sweet!

I paper pieced the stocking with a scrap of DP from a Papertrey Ink pad and shaded around it a bit with some Copics, to give it some dimension. Of course, I had to use some Polar White Flower Soft for all the fuzzy elements, that stuff is perfect!

A little silver ribbon finishes it off perfectly, and there's an 'Untraditional' Christmas card for ya!

Pop on over to the LOTV Challenge blog for a peek at some amazing eye candy from the other talented ladies on the DT. Then make your own card using a LOTV image and enter to win a gift certificate for the store.

Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Lili of the Valley
Ink: Memento
Paper: Papertrey Ink
Accessories: Spellbinders labels die, Martha Stewart scallop punch, silver ribbon, Copic sketch & Spica markers, Flower Soft, Liquid Glass

Rocking horse

Good morning everyone, it's been a while since I used any of my Elisabeth Bell stamps, so I decided to use this little cutie from Belles 'n Whistles to make a Christmas card. I colored her with my colored pencils, blended with OMS, except for her skin which I colored with Copics. 

The paper is a retired Christmas collection from Stampin' Up, shimmery snowflakes and flocked damask. I punched little holly leaves with a mini EK Success punch, embossed them with clear embossing powder to make them glossy and added some red pearls for the berries. 

The sentiment is from a clear Impression Obsession set called 'The Miracle of Christmas'. I love that quote from Dickens!
Hope you like her, thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Belles 'n Whistles, Impression Obsession, Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento, Perfect Match, Brilliance, Versamark Dazzle
Paper: Heavenly White, SU, Bristol vellum, PTI shimmer white
Accessories: Spellbinders Lacy squares, classic squares & Labels dies, Martha Stewart edge punch, EK Success mini holly punch, red satin ribbon, Copic sketch and Spica markers, colored pencils, OMS, clear EP, Stickles

Collecting the Tree

I have another Lili of the Valley card to share with you today, very different from the ones I usually make. Somehow this stamp called 'Collecting the Tree' got cut out and glued onto this Memory Box paper without too much thought on my part. I guess as I'm digging through my stash of paper, I caught a glimpse of this snowy hill DP and immediately the idea blossomed into this card. I wish all my projects were as easy as this!

I also used a Martha Stewart snowflake punch to create this decorative border at the bottom of the card. I have been on the lookout for an awesome snowflake border punch for a very long time, and haven't found an exceptional one yet! So I came up with my own. I simply cut the snowflakes in half and glued them to the back side of a strip of cardstock.
(Psssst! If you have an awesome snowflake border punch or know where I could get one, leave me a comment about it! Thanks!)

Hope you like it , thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Lili of the Valley
Ink:  Memento, Perfect Match, Distress
Paper: Heavenly White, Memory Box, SU
Accessories: Martha Stewart snowflake punch, McGill label punch, satin ribbon, colored pencils, OMS, Flower Soft

Belated LOTV Challenge card

I usually never miss out on my challenges, but for the past couple of weeks I had this problem with confusing my days! Twice I thought Wednesday was Tuesday, Thursday was Wednesday, etc. etc... I hate when that happens! I'm going to start adding reminders to my Ipod calendar or something. I suspect it's because I've been working a lot more hours at my real job, the kids started school, it's thrown my usual routine all out of whack. 

Anyway, enough complaining, here's my card based loosely on this sketch from the LOTV blog. I didn't add quite as many embellishments as shown in the sketch, it's a hurdle I struggle with, lol! But the basic elements are there.

I used the 'Winter Bunnies' stamp colored with Copics, with some colored pencil for deeper shadows. Something about these LOTV animals I absolutely love. They are just darling. The paper is one of my favorite lines of retired Christmas designs from Stampin Up, 'Ski Slope'. 

I added a couple of jingle bell brads with the punched snowflake, so when you shake the card, it jingles!
You can enter the challenge yourself, just create a card using a LOTV stamp for a chance to win a gift certificate to the store! Read all the details on the blog and you can check out all the lovely cards from the other DT members!

Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Lili of the Valley
Ink: Memento
Paper: Heavenly White, SU, Stardream
Accessories: SU scallop edge punch, polka dot ribbon, PTI button, Copic sketch and Spica pens, colored pencils, OMS, Martha Stewart Lg. & Sm. snowflake punches, mini snowflake punch from EK Success, Viva decor pens

Inchie Arts- Impression Obsession Challenge

Several months ago, I got a wonderful goodie box from Inchie Arts. We were going to have a challenge together to create something with all their wonderful inchie products. Now, this took some getting used to, as I hardly ever use such a tiny surface to stamp on! I finally decided on the black inchies, so I could do the Black Magic technique, in a tile pattern. This seems to be very popular with inchies, and I can see why! It's a beautiful effect.

I assembled 9 of the squares and temporarily taped them together for stamping. First I stamped Silhouette 7 and 8 in white hybrid ink. When that was dry, I started coloring with my colored pencils. Because of the white ink, the colors show up much better on the black background, for a very dramatic effect. After coloring, I simply applied several coats of clear embossing powder and adhered the tiles on cream cardstock. 

Pretty neat, huh? Make sure to go check out the IO and IA blogs for more inchie inspiration. Then you can create your own card for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the IO store. Here are the other participants in the challenge:

Jeanne

Daniela

Dina

Laura

Deborah

Thanks for dropping by!

Stamps: Impression Obsession Silhouettes 7 and 8 (B5557), (F5558)

Ink: Perfect Match, Versamark

Paper: Heavenly White, Gina K, Basic Grey

Accessories: Inchie squares, clear embossing powder, colored pencils, Martha Stewart edge punch, red pearls, silk ribbon

Sepia Sailboat

Here's something totally different from what I normally do. I really wanted to try a monochromatic card, with the image colored only in Sepia tones, like the old photographs. At first I tried coloring this JustRite sailboat with my colored pencils, but didn't like the end result. I opted for water coloring with Distress Ink (Vintage Photo), and liked that much better. I embossed the image in brown embossing powder to make it a bit easier to water color without worrying too much about going out of the lines.

I'm pretty partial to this card, something about it I really like. I'm glad I chose to throw in some blue, to break up all the browns though. The background is an Impression Obsession Cover-a-card Map stamp. Notice the twine stitching around the edges of the card front, not something I will be doing again any time soon, lol! But it is a perfect touch for this nautical themed card. Hand stitching that was the most time consuming!

I stamped the map stamp inside the card as well, just in a much lighter color. The sentiment is one of my favorite quote stamps, also from Impression Obsession. 

Thanks for visiting and stay close in the near future, I will be having some Blog Candy to give away!

Stamps: Impression Obsession, JustRite
Ink: Versamark, Distress
Paper: SU, water color paper, Core'dinations
Accessories: Martha Stewart edge punch, Nestabilities, twine, needle, grosgrain ribbon, antique  metal brad

Reindeer Kisses

I really love using those Shake-it pouches from Impression Obsession, they make it so easy to create fun shaker cards. Here's one I used to fill with some Polar White Flower Soft with the leftover punched snowflakes from a Martha Stewart snowflake border punch. Can't throw those little bits away! I colored the Elzybells image with Copics with a little red glaze pen for his nose.

To create the frame for the Shake-it pouch, I just used two dies, one from the Lacy circles set, and one plain one. Then I cut another lacy circle in red to mat behind it. Aqua and red is such a pretty color combo, I see it used all the time, but this may be the first time I've tried it.

Another work/school week begins, so I'm off to get ready! Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Elzybells

Ink: Memento

Paper: Heavenly White, Cosmo Cricket, Core'dinations, Stardream

Accessories: Spellbinders Lacy cricles/plain circles dies, IO Shake-it pouch, Flower Soft, SU ribbon, Martha Stewart snowflake/bubbles punches, Copic sketch & Spica pens

The House on the Hill...

When it comes to Halloween, I love making really eerie scenes. I love the cutesy stuff too, but the Gothic creepiness is what I really love! Here's a perfect example of what I mean:

I wanted to make a really old looking, distressed frame for this haunted house image, something that could be hanging on the walls inside it. To do this I simply cut some strips of paper and mitered the corners like a real picture frame. I painted them with black crackle paint before putting it together. I also did some sanding to age it a bit more and bring out the base color through the crackle. 

The main image was stamped and embossed on some Memory Box patterned paper. I wanted the full moon to be lighter than the rest of the scene so I masked it with a post it and did some light sponging in black. 

The damask background paper was also stamped with a resist technique, using PTI's Damask Designs stamps.

Thanks for dropping by!

Stamps: Stampin' Up, PTI
Ink: Versamark, Distress
Paper: PTI, Memory Box, Stardream silver shimmer
Accessories: SU striped ribbon, black embossing powder, EK Success bat chain punch, dimensional paint, Crackle paint, clear embossing powder, brayer

Dancing Leaves

Well the nights are definitely getting much cooler around here, a sure sign that fall is almost here.  Here's a card that has the best of autumn, the colorful leaves! I heat embossed and water colored this Covered Bridge scene with Distress Inks. Some Stickles highlight a few leaves here and there, can't make a card without that sparkly stuff!

Such a gorgeous stamp, no matter how you color it. The sentiment is also from Impression Obsession, I love the elegant script. 

Well the long weekend is over, and it's back to work for many of us! Come back soon to visit me again!
Thanks for looking!

Stamps: Impression Obsession
Ink: Versamark, Distress, Memento
Paper: Heavenly White, Kaisercraft, Core'dinations, SU, water color paper
Accessories: Fiskars border punch, sheer striped ribbon, brown embossing powder, Stickles, Spellbinders Labels

Impression Obsession Halloween Shake-it Challenge

This week we're having a Shake-it challenge. We get to create a Halloween themed shaker card. I used the super easy pouches from IO, make it so simple to create these fun cards. 

I used the Crow Silhouette (C2402) stamp with Versamark and embossed in black. I didn't emboss the whole thing though. I used a glue pen to add some super fine glitter to the flourish parts of it. 

To put the shake in the shaker card, I added a bunch of Halloween colored Dew Drops along with a few pearly black seed beeds.

Make sure to go check out the other DT ladies cards, get inspired and make your own shaker card! You could win a $25 gift certificate to the IO store!

Thanks for stopping by!

• Daniela Dobson
• Dina Kowal
• Jeanne Streiff
• Jenny Gropp 
• Julie Koerber

Stamps: Impression Obsession

Ink: Versamark, Distress

Paper: Scrap Girls 'Spellbound' digital paper, PTI, Stardream

Accessories: SU scallop edge punch, Spellbinders Lacey Circles Nesties, Shake-it Pouch Lg. circle, Dew Drops, seed beads, SU ribbon, glitter, black EP, Copic sketch and Spica markers

Lili of the Valley Thursday Sketch Challenge #63

For some reason I thought today was Wednesday, and wasn't quite ready with my Thursday challenges! I hate when that happens, it's so confusing and throws everything into a weird jumble! But here is my card based on Bev's sketch.

I have to hurry through this post unfortunately, I'm running way behind! 

Stamps: Lilli of the Valley 'Hello Gorgeous', PTI sentiment
Ink: Memento
Paper: Heavenly White, PTI, Memory Box, SU
Accessories: Spellbinders Labels and Nestabilities, colored pencils, OMS, Stickles, satin ribbon, Prima Flowers, brads, Liquid Glass, Copic Spica pen