Birthday Flower

This birthday card is my take on a clean and simple design. I finally got my Smooch Spritz sprayer unclogged so I used it on the flourish here.

The design is based on a sketch from Card Patterns:

In addition to the Card Patterns sketch, I incorporated several other challenges into this card:

Practical Scrappers: buttons

Sentimental Sundays: flowers and sentiment

Caardvarks: monochromatic card

Flourishes: Timeless Tuesday "Bought It, Use It"

Paper Sundaes: 3 patterned papers, 2 cardstocks and 1 single flower

Creative Belli: birthday

Sisterhood of Scrap: flower

Handfull of Stamps: 2 or more patterned papers

The flower is made by using 2 designer papers with BossKut die. I didn't quite cut the details in the petals, so it adds some texture to the flower petals. This is the first time I have used this die for a project. I was excited to get the Tim Holtz Sizzix die on sale... a month ago. So it was nice to use it and not just leave it in the shopping bag!

Supplies:

Cardstock: DCWV
Paper: 3 DP from DCWV
Dies: BossKut Flower Flourish, Sizzix Tom Holtz Elegant Flourishes
Ink: Orange Colorbox pigment ink
Accessories: Button, ribbon, rub on, pop dots, corner rounder Gold Glow Smooch Spritz

Birthday Blues

I'm never blue about my birthday because it means cake and presents. But this CARD features several shades of blue. The card is based on this Flourishes Timeless Tuesdays sketch, which I turned sideways:

The card also incorporates design challenges from some other sites:

Caardvarks: Monochromatic cards

Creative Belli Blog: Die cuts

Raise the Bar: Favorite color

Secret Crafter: distressing
A Spoonful of Sugar: birthday

I love blue, teal and purple. I guess you could say my favorite color depends on my mood.

Here are some closer looks.

HINT for bling word stickers: Cover the whole word with clear low tack tape then lift from the sticker backing. Then you can position the word as you like without losing the shape!

The numbers were embossed with a Cuttlebug folder and then sanded. I used Core'Dinations cardstock that has a lighter blue core. I think it's much easier to sand and expose a different color than to ink so much real estate on a card.

I created the medallion by cutting and embossing with Nestabilities circles then decorating the top and bottom with an EK Success border punch. Then I backed the punched area with coordinating cardstock.

Supplies:

Cardstock: DCWV, Core'Dinations, The Paper Company

Dies/Embossing: Spellbinders circles, Cuttlebug Numbers

Accessories: EK Success Scroll & Dots punch, emery boards for distressing, Studio 18 rhinestone word, pop dots

Spring Bling

Here's a spring card based on the bonus sketch for 2Sketches4You.

The card also incorporates several other challenges.

Pile It On: Spring is Here

ABC Challenge: S is for Sparkle

Little Red Wagon: Ruffles

Scrappy Frogs: Pick 3 (die cuts, embossing, sponging)

KL Stampin n Scrappin: Color challenge (browns, greens, and white)

Here's are closer looks at the bling, butterfly and ruffle. I inked the Cuttlebug folder with a sponge before I embossed, which created a softer look than inking after embossing.

It's easy to see the green on white on the butterfly when the pictures are bigger. Just click to enlarge.

If I had it to do over again, I would have sprayed the brown cardstock with gold glimmer mist... if the sprayer hadn't been clogged!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Bazzill, The Paper Company

Paper: The Paper Company, Paper Pizazz

Dies/embossing: Cuttlebug butterfly

Accessories: ribbon, rhinestones

Ink: Color Box ice jade chalk ink

Black, white and bling

The JustRite Stampers Double Vision challenge asks us to use at least 2 different Spellbinders shapes AND stamps from at least 2 different JustRite sets on one project. I came up with this thank you card. I used three Spellbinders dies and a JustRite border for the medallion plus a JR font for the sentiment. There is a column of small rhinestones to the right of the ribbon.I also incorporated some challenges from sites I found last week during the Practical Scrappers blog hop. There's one called Pile It On that challenges you to put several challenges together on one project. I think the record is 31 challenges represented at once! This card doesn't actually fulfill this week's Pile It On challenge, but some of the other ones I found by following, following, following links!

Practical Scrappers: floss, fibers and ribbons
Stamp Something: layers
Stamping Vacation: pick 3 (black, white & one other color, dry embossing, make it glitter)
The ABC Challenge: Sparkle
Creative Belli Blog: die cuts
The card design is based on Laura's Sketch 50 at 2Sketches4You shown below.

Here's a close up of the card detail. It's hard to see the dimension in this picture, but the black die cut on the top layer is raised on pop dots.

Supplies:

Cardstock: The Paper Company, K & Company

Stamps: JustRite border from 2 inch deluxe monogram kit, Times New Roman 15 point font

Ink: Stazon black

Dies: Spellbinders labels one, Fleur de Lis pendant middle, fancy tags

Accessories: pop dots, rhinestones, ribbon

Embossing + Bling = Fun!

UPDATE: This card was chosen as one of the top submissions at Practical Scrappers for the bling challenge! You can click here to see the other wonderful designs.

Today's card has no stamping and uses just designer paper, cardstock, Spellbinders dies and some colored rhinestones. I was looking around Splitcoaststampers today and found a tutorial for making an embossed medallion with Spellbinders Nestabilities. So I thought I'd try it out to make a challenge card.

This project works for the squares challenge at The Shabby Tea Room, the die cut challenge at Creative Belli Blog, and the bling challenges that are part of the bloghop at Practical Scrappers and The Cuttlebug Spot. The color scheme comes from The Play Date Cafe: black and white with a pop of color. Here's the color inspiration.


Here's a closer look at the embossing. It's done by nesting Spellbinders together using low-tack tape and embossing them all in one pass.

I have several sets of Spellbinders, so I know I will experiment some more with this. Using different dies together can create a completely different look. Circles will work as well as shapes. Maybe I'll put a butterfly in the middle and bling it up for next time!
Supplies:
Cardstock: The Paper Company
Paper: K & Company
Dies: Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Squares Small, Labels One, Fleur de lis pendant set, Fancy Tags
Accessories: colored rhinestones

Lavender Butterfly

This card is a combination of the plum/lavender/cream color challenge at The Play Date Cafe and this week's bonus sketch at 2 Sketches 4 You.

Here's a closer look at the embossing and the butterfly.

Supplies:

Cardstock: The Paper Company, ANW Crestwood

Paper: Paper Pizazz

Stamp: Studio G

Ink: Color Box Wisteria chalk ink

Dies/Embossing: Spellbinders Circles small, Spellbinders Butterflies, Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder

Accessories: EK Success Scroll & Dots punch, pop dots, pearls, Ink Elementz metallic gel pen

Paper Piercing for Baby

There's no PIERCING here. It's another paper PIECING card for that Moxie Fab challenge. And it works for the current Caardvarks baby card and The Shabby Tearoom "Hip to be Square" challenges too.

I used a 3/4 inch punch to make the paper squares. I grabbed a bunch of paper from my stash that coordinated, but paper piecing is a great way to use up scraps. I based the card on Kazan's Sketch 50 at 2 Sketches 4 You. Here's the sketch:

And here's a closer look at the detail of the card. The sentiment is actually cut from designer paper.

Caardvarks is hosting a huge blog hop now with over 20 designers and their challenge is to create a baby card. You've got until April 17th if you want to play along.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Halcraft ivory

Paper: Paper Pizazz, ProvoCraft, Making Memories

Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing folder from It's a Boy set, EK Success 3/4 inch square punch

Butterfly Paper Piecing Card

This is a paper piecing card for the challenge at Moxie Fab. The challenge is to create a project whose background or focal point is paper pieced. The stripes were created by adhering the bright colored paper strips onto heavy silver vellum. Then I die cut the stripes and adhered to black and detailed one butterfly with a silver metallic pen. Here's a closer look.

Supplies:

Cardstock: The Paper Company

Dies: Cuttlebug Butterfly

Accessories: silver metallic pen by Pentel, Fiskars punch

Color Challenge

This is a color challenge from The Play Date Cafe. The colors to be used were light and royal blue with white or off-white. I created the background paper by stamping tone-on-tone using a JustRite border. This challenge is closed now, but a new one is posted every Thursday morning at midnight.

JustRite Stampers is having an ANYTHING GOES Challenge this week. Layouts, cards, home decor. Make whatever your little heart desires featuring JustRite products and link up by 9am on Thursday, April 8.

Supplies:
Cardstock: The Paper Company
Stamps: JustRite
Ink: Whispers Blue, Azure Seas, Royal Blue (Whispers)
Dies: Spellbinders Classic Circles Small
Accessories: Fiskars punch, pop dots, lace

Birthday Bling -

This is a birthday card based on the 2 Sketches 4 You challenge 49. The above picture shows the detail. The whole card is shown below.

Using sketches makes card making so much easier. It can take one step out of the process. Choosing colors, textures and embellishments is still hard work. ;)

Supplies:

Cardstock: The Paper Company

Paper: Michaels

Stamp: Studio G

Ink: Stazon black

Dies: Spellbinders Fancy Tags, Cuttlebug Herringbone embossing folder

Accessories: rhinestones, ribbon

Challenge Card - Lace Heart

Here's another card here for the Lacy Days challenge at Caardvarks. It's a fairly straight forward card, but it marks the first time I used Zip Dry. I've heard about it for years but never could find it in my local craft stores. I picked up a bottle when I was 400 miles away, and now I seem to find it everywhere locally. Go figure! But it worked so well to attach the lace to the paper heart.

Supplies:

Cardstock: The Paper Company, Basic Grey

Paper: Canford gold

Stamp: JustRite

Ink: Stazon black

Dies: Sizzix Lace Heart Frame, Spellbinders Labels One

Accessories: lace, pop dots, rhinestone

Challenge Card - Lacey Happy Birthday

This is another challenge card. I usually don't use lace, but it adds femininity to a card that could otherwise be unisex.

The rub on is an adhesive rub on. These are fun because you can use glitter or foiling to make the rub on coordinate perfectly with your project. I used Martha Stewart glitter on my rub on here.

I had a little trouble getting the glitter and dimension to show up in the pictures. So here's a different view and a close up of the glittered rub on.

One of my very best friends has a birthday coming up this summer. When I started designing this card, I thought it would be perfect for her. So, I am ahead of the game... as long as I remember to mail it in time!

Supplies:
Stamp: Just Rite

Ink: Stazon Black

Cardstock: Basic Grey, Paper Company
Dies: Spellbinders scalloped rectangles large & small
Accessories: Adhesive rub on, Martha Stewart glitter, lace, pop dots