Kristina's color inspiration

Wow, it's been a while since I posted. The color challenge in the last post was from 2 weeks ago! And today I'm posting another response to her color challenge. I stopped by Kristina's blog this morning because I had 20 minutes to kill before heading out for work...which is unheard of for me...I'm usually a last minute prep and depart kinda gal. So, anyway, I pulled up her blog and saw this color inspiration challenge:

My first thought was "sahara sand...really??" You see, I've never used sahara sand for anything. But, I absolutely love Kristina's combos, and had some instant inspiration so I ran to my desk, pulled out my markers and my newest stamps and came up with this. I hope you like it.

Stamps: True Friend, Polka Dot Background; Ink: Versamark, Pumpkin Pie, Wild Wasabi; Card Stock: Sahara Sand, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Whisper White; Accessories: Pumpkin Pie striped grosgrain ribbon, yellow rhinestone brad

Color Inspiration

So, here's my first ever color inspiration challenge. I've looked at, and intended to do, several of them on different sites, but this is the first one I've actually done...mostly because the color combination is something I'd never come up with on my own and I love it. It's from Kristina Werner's Blog and the tropical nature of the picture should be no surprise, since she just got home from the Stampin' Up! incentive trip, a caribbean cruise. Each Tuesday she posts a color inspiration photo on her blog, translates it into Stampin' Up! colors, and you can link, in your comment, to your own fulfillment of the challenge. The colors are: Very Vanilla, Tempting Turquoise, Take with Teal, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip and Close to Cocoa.





This card is a great result of going outside my comfort zone. Both the color combo and the stamp set are outside my usual style. I was completely turned off to this set (Wonderful You) in the catalog because the samples were not my style. However, I recently received a card from another demo using this set with Rose Red and Wild Wasabi and it completely transformed it for me. Now I'm so excited to play with it...already made 2 cards and planning to use it at a workshop at the end of the month. (Hi, Aunt Aggie!!)
On to my actul card: the base is Taken with Teal, a color I have quite a bit of, since I can never figure out how to use it. I wheeled the image on Close to Cocoa with my Chocolate Chip craft pad and embossed it with clear powder. The ribbons are both the polytwill from the Occasions Mini collection...you've got to handle this ribbon to believe it...I wasn't thrilled with it in the brochure, but once I got it home...can't stop using it!! I used both colors available: Chocolate Chip and Old Olive. I tied them on using the technique I posted a while back (just scroll down, you'll find it). The flower is Tempting Turquoise and the leaf stamp is Old Olive.
I used Chocolate Chip for the sentiment and all the outlines. I actually like the way the outline doesn't exactly line up with the solid image...but I still used my stamp-a-majig...I'm addicted! I swiped the edges of the Very Vanilla on my pad and used a couple of Itty Bitty Backgrounds to give it a weathered/distressed look. (If you double-click the image you can see it close-up.)
I even decorated the inside of the card (pic #2) with room for a sentiment and signature or just a little note.
So, try something outside of your usual style...you never know what you'll end up with.

Sneak Peek #3

Here's sneak peek #3. I would have posted this earlier this evening, but I didn't have the card done yet. In fact, I didn't have the card started, either. Just did it all this evening.

I'm really looking forward to this class. The brayer is a great tool and we'll only be touching on 3 techniques. I recently received a list of brayer techniques from another blogger and had no idea there were so many ways to use it. I'm hoping to get some time tomorrow to create some samples using some of the other techniques so I can see what they look like...and share them with you at the class. I'll see you then!

Sneak Peek #2

Ok, ok...I know this is not the greatest picture...I had the hardest time getting a good "sneak peek" image of this item. I think it's the combination of the flower and rhinestone brad that made it so hard to capture the reality of this project. If you join me on Saturday at the class, you'll get to see this project in it's entirety. The technique is a plaid brayered background and we'll also be using markers to color items from the pretties kit. By the way... this is a bag topper.

I hope you can join us!! Don't forget to RSVP today!

Happy Stamping!

Good Thing bag topper - Stamps: Time Well Spent; Cardstock: Apricot Appeal, Whisper White; Ink: Basic Gray, Stampin' Write Markers (Apricot Appeal, Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst; Accessories: Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon, Pretties Kit

Bye-bye Marker Club

So, this evening was the fourth and final gathering of my first Stampin' Up! Marker Club. I'm really going to miss stamping with those ladies on a regular basis...they're so much fun.

Tonight they used their markers to custom color white grosgrain ribbon and flowers from the Pretties Kit. In my usual fashion I procrastinated ordering the necessary items, so today I Mr. Brown brought me a nice large box full of fun stuff, including the pretties kit and jumbo wheel I was planning to use on tonight's card. The card was created weeks ago...in my mind...but wasn't officially a card until about 30 minutes before the club meeting started. Oh, well. At least my mom's house (where we met) was close enough that I could run home quickly when I realized I'd forgotten one of the punches for the bonus project.

Ok, enough about my inefficiency and lack of planning...here's what we made tonight.



enjoy - Stamps: Enjoy Every Moment, Daisy Dash Jumbo Wheel; Card stock: Blue Bayou, textured Soft Sky, Whisper White; Ink: Blue Bayou, Cameo Coral stampin' write marker, Not Quite Navy jumbo ink cartridge; Accessories: 1.4" white grosgrain ribbon, pretties kit; Tools: Crop-a-dile, ticket corner punch




We did a card at each meeting...and this month we also made this Photo Clip.




stamper photo clip - Stamps: Circle of Friendship, Enjoy Every Moment; Cardstock: Blue Bayou, Blue Bayou designer series paper; Ink: Blue Bayou; Accessories: 1.4" white grosgrain ribbon; Tools: 1/2",1" and 1 1/4" circle punches; Misc: Crystal Effects (adhesive)


And here's a closeup of the photo clip. I just couldn't seem to get a clear image from further away.

I hope you liked the projects. I'm really lovin' my markers...it's like having all the ink pads. I'm noticing certain colors I use a lot. Those will probably be the next pads I get.

Brayer Sneak Peak #1

Here's a sneak peek at two of the projects we'll be making Saturday at the April Technique Class. This card and matching gift box feature versamark and emboss resist on glossy cardstock.

Be sure to check back for another sneak peek this week. And don't forget to RSVP by Thursday to secure your seat!!

Stamp-Happy!!

Friday afternoon I went a little stamp-happy. There are days when I have to stamp, because I have a workshop or class coming up. Then there are days like Friday. I was in such a groove. I got to stamp just for the joy of stamping! It was great!!

So, I'd like to share a couple of the cards I made on Friday...enjoy!

The first card is a congratulations card for my aunt who retired recently. I used the stamp-a-majig quite a bit on this card. I also used my not-quite-navy marker and crystal effects to fill the trough in the flower ribbon slide with color.








The second is a one-layer card for my pastor, who had major surgery on Wednesday. I used the stamp-a-majig for every stamp on this card (If I'm going to center everything then I'm going to do it right). The main stamp was actually borrowed from his wife. I was really excited to use my markers on this stamp.

The sentiment at the bottom is originally on four lines. I drew light pencil lines to center and line up the words and used the stamp-a-majig to stamp one line at a time. The ribbon was originally 1/4" white grosgrain and I colored it ruby red with my marker and tied it on the card along with a piece of linen thread.







I made this one for my pastor's wife. I stamped the flower image in whisper white craft ink then used heat and stick powder to adhere dazzling diamonds glitter. I also stamped the flower on the soft sky card base. I punched the circle in the soft sky piece with my 1 3/8" circle punch and popped the piece up on dimensionals, after tying the white grosgrain using the technique in my previous post.












I really struggled with this card. I went round and round with the colors. I knew I wanted a semi-monochromatic card, but couldn't decide what went best with the groovy guava and satin chocolate ribbon both. All images were stamped in chocolate chip craft ink and embossed in clear. The guava circle is popped up on dimensionals. I used the crop-a-dile to add the jumbo eyelets, through which I laced and tied the chocolate ribbon.










I hope you enjoyed the results of my stamp-happy Friday. Stay tuned for a sneak peek of one of the projects we'll be doing at the brayer class Saturday.

Ribbon Tying Tutorial

So, a while back (probably only a post or 2) I promised to try a tutorial to show you how to tie a secure ribbon that won't slide without having to borrow an extra hand from a neighbor. So, here it is...my first ever tutorial.

Disclaimer: I did NOT come up with this...it was shared by another demo at the Philly Regional Seminar I attended in September. She showed us this in passing while demonstrating a vellum technique, and the entire room of about 300 demonstrators breathed a simultaneous "WOW!" I think it was the most memorable part of the trip. :)

You'll need your cardstock, ribbon and a way to punch a whole. My cardstock is Pretty in Pink. The double-sided satin ribbon is from Ribbon Originals: Theatre from Stampin' Up! It is two shades of green...Old Olive and River Rock...just beautiful.


Punch a hole in your cardstock where you want your knot to be when you're finished. I used my crop-a-dile to punch a 1/8" hole for my 1/4" ribbon.




Lay your ribbon across the front of your cardstock and thread your ends through the hole from back to front. Adjust to be sure the ribbon is lying flat on the cardstock. In the picture the top is the front of the cardstock and the bottom is the back.



This is the back...







...and this is the front.







The next step is to place one end above the wrapped ribbon and the other end below. Carefully adjust your ends to be even...you'll want to reinforce the hole with your fingers so it doesn't rip out and gently pull your ends...I learned this one the hard way. :)


Tie a single knot around the ribbon that's lying flat and adjust.

Voila!! A perfect knot that doesn't require an extra hand and is neither too tight (causing the cardstock to curl) nor too loose (thus sliding off).