Last Chance Cyber Monday Challenge!

Hi Stamping Friends!

I'm so excited because tomorrow is my debut as a guest designer at the Colour Q Challenge blog.  I know it's only a one time deal, but still!  It's my first "designer" appearance and I'm thrilled!  Make sure you check back tomorrow and see what I came up with.  The colors from Arielle are just gorgeous!  It's also "How-To" Tuesday tomorrow, so I will have an old-school photo style tutorial on the Baby Wipe Technique.

Today also wraps up the NaBloPoMo Challenge over at my favorite Stampin' Up! online hangout, Stampin' Addicts.  We were challenged by Yapha to post every day during the month of November.  And I'm happy to say that I accomplished that unbelievable task!  This marks my 30th post for this month.  Wow!  I don't think I'll be able to keep up this pace, especially through the Christmas season, but it sure has encouraged me to blog more.  I went from 7 followers to 20!  And I have been averaging over 500 hits per week.  For me that is HUGE!  Thanks to ALL of you for making it such a success!!

I know!  I know!  Enough rambling!  All you really want to know is... where's the card?!  Well, I do have a card for you today too, not just randomness.  Today's double challenge card gets the color combo from The Color Dare blog CD44 and the sketch is from the Card Patterns blog CPS43.  Here are the challenge pics:

And here's my card:

Very interesting color combo of Real Red, Soft Suede, and So Saffron.  The card base is So Saffron layered with Soft Suede that has been embossed with the Perfect Details Impressions Folder.  The Designer Series Paper is the Christmas Cocoa Specialty Paper from the Holiday Mini Catalog.  You can't see it in the pic, but it has a beautiful shimmer to it.  The Dahser image was stamped using markers of all three colors.  The Simple Snowflake was stamped with Soft Suede onto So Saffron cardstock and punched with the ornament punch.  The bright red button comes from the Playground Designer Button collection.

It's Cyber Monday.  Time to do all your online holiday shopping.  Today is the LAST DAY to take advantage of the HUGE SALE going on at MY STAMPIN' UP! WEBSITE!  I placed my sale order Saturday and can't wait to get my Cheep Talk Bundle and Thank You Kindly Bundle.  If you don't want to buy for yourself, send hubby, or mom, or best friend over to my website TODAY and have them get you something you really want for Christmas!  Remember to click on the SHOP NOW button and then look for the ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA link and start saving!

DASHER  #116816  $8.95

CHRISTMAS COCOA DSP  #116770  $11.95

Thanks for stopping by! 
Remember to stop by tomorrow and see what I did with the Colour Q challenge!
Happy Stamping!

Krystal's Weekly Favorites Blog Hop #9

Hi Stamping Friends!

It's Sunday again!  Time for more of my favorite Stampin' Up! projects I found on the web.  Again, there was just too many to choose from, so I had to slim down my list.  Since I'm already in a Christmas mood, all my favorite projects have a Christman theme.  Enjoy!

Snowman Treat Ornament from the fabulous Jackie Topa at her blog: ADDICTED TO STAMPING

Merry Banner from Tammy Beaver on her blog: DREAM, CREATE, AND SHARE

Cocoa Mug from Elaine Schader at her blog: ELAINE'S CREATIONS

Ho Ho Ho Banner from Christie Daugherty on her blog: STAMP SHACK LADY

Christmas Elf from Marie Shaughnessy on her blog: STAMPING INSPIRATION

Daisy Die Pine Cone from Connie Collins on her blog: CONSTANTLY STAMPING

Don't forget!! Monday is the last day to take advantage of the HUGE SALE going on at MY STAMPIN' UP WEBSITE.  Just click on the SHOP NOW button and you will see the link to the ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA.  You don't want to miss out on savings up to 50% off!

Hope you had a fabulous week!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

It's a K.I.S.S.... maybe!

Hi Stamping Friends!

Well today's card is for a few different challenges.  Four to be exact!  Not very often that I get four challenges into one, but this time I did.  I've seen cards where people say they did like 15,000 challenges with that one card.  I don't have time to write down that many challenges, let alone post to all of them!  So four is my max... I think!

The first challenge comes from my favorite online Stampin' Up! hangout, Stampin' Addicts.  If you love Stampin' Up! products, you should come visit SA.  We are always looking for other SU! lovers to join in on the fun!  Friday is always the Color Challenge.  This challenge SACC40 calls for So Saffron, Always Artichoke, and Rich Razzleberry.  The sketch comes from the Clean & Simple blog.  This is their Fall To Layout FTL70.  Here's a pic of the layout:

I also played along in the Pals Paper Arts challenge PPA18 which is to Keep It Simple Stamper, aka a K.I.S.S. card.  A K.I.S.S. card has:

-- Lots of "white" space

-- Simple designs

-- Minimum time to create

-- Limited layers and embellishments

My 11yo DD and I spent some time getting out Christmas decorations yesterday.  I'm tryng to get ready for my Stampin' Up! Holiday Open House on Sunday Dec. 13th.  If you live in the Hanford/Visalia/Tulare area, you should stop by!  This has put me in the Christmas spirit already, so I just had to make a Christmas card.  Which was perfect for the fourth and final challenge.  It comes from a great SA friend, Cindy, on her blog Heart's Delight.  She put out a challenge to use non-traditional colors on your Christmas cards.  I have a few of those planned this week, so I may be linking to her blog quite a few times!  Here's the card I came up with for all four challenges:

Now I know what some of you are thinking... that's not very "simple".  Well, I beg to differ.  :)  This is simple for me!  There's lot of unused or "white" space.  It's a simple layout (thanks to the Clean & Simple blog!).  It took hardly no time to make.  And it only has three layers and two embellishments.  And if you still don't believe me, check this out:

This is the same card after I gussied it up.  I put it on a Whisper White card base.  Stamped another pointsettia in Always Artichoke and then used it for some "leaves".  I added another ribbon, plus some paper piercing under the sentiment.  I also added a bunch of Always Artichoke brads to the So Saffron textured layer.  Now this card is NOT simple!  :)  And these are NOT traditional Christmas colors... perfect for Cindy's challenge!

I love how the Christ Is Born pointsettia perfectly matches the Petal-A-Plenty Impressions Folder.  It's like the were meant for each other!  Expect to see more of this pair throughtout the Christmas season.

Remember to check out the HUGE SALE going on at MY STAMPIN' UP! WEBSITE.  The sale only lasts through Monday, so SHOP NOW for some great savings!

CHRIST IS BORN   #111612   $20.95

PETALS-A-PLENTY IMPRESSIONS FOLDER   #116824   $7.95

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

It's Diva Time!

Hi Stamping Friends!

My double challenge card for today comes from two of my favorite challenge places.  The sketch challenge comes from the Diva Coffe Break Designs blog DCBD155.  I love that it is an SU! design team and challenge.  Don't get me wrong, there are lots of fabulous stamps out ther, I just happen to LOVE Stampin' Up!  :)  And I love to see what the design team has to offer.  They are a tlented group of stampers.  The color challenge comes from my favorite SU! online hangout, STAMPIN' ADDICTS.  They have a different challenge for each day of the week.  Come play along with us!  The Friday challenge is the color challenge.  This was last week's challenge, so I can't wait to see what the colors are today!  Here's the sketch:

The colors were Really Rust, Taken With Teal, Chocolate Chip, and More Mustard.  I needed to make a card for a family who just had a baby boy, and thought these were great boy colors.  Here's what I came up with:

The card base is Chocolate Chip.  The Designer Series Paper is retired.  It is from last years Holiday Mini Catalog.  It was called Autumn Vine.  I just couldn't resist using it, since it went so well with the color challenge!  The stamp set is Nursery Necessities.  The Taken With Teal layers are embossed with the Perfect Details Texturz Plate.  The sentiment is punched out with the Word Window punch and layered on to a piece of More Mustard that is punched with the Modern Label Punch.

While your shopping for all those holiday deals this weekend, don't forget to shop at the HUGE SALE going on at my Stampin' Up! WEBSITE, now through Monday.  You can save between 30%-50% on some of your favorite products!

Nursery Necessities  #113506  $31.95

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Hi Stamping Friends!

Hope you all are enjoying a beautiful day and remember to think of at least 5 things that you are thankful for.  I'll list mine at the end of this post.  I have two projects today.  One is old, the other is new, but I love them because they are perfect for Thanksgiving.
The first is my Thankful banner I created a few years ago, but I hang it up every year.  I wish SU! would have more kits like this.

This second project was just posted to my blog on Sunday, but I wanted to share it again.   I just love it and am going to be sad when I have to put it away for the year.  I'll have to make another one with a Christmas theme.

I can't wait to make some more projects with all the beautiful products in the Decor Elements catalog.  And best of all, there will be a new insert coming in January!

So the five things I am most thankful for:

1.  My Salvation

2.  My Family

3.  My Home

4.  My Freedom

5.  My Friends  (the IRL kind and the online kind!)

Hope your day is filled with many blessing!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Thanksgiving!

1 Colour Q and 2 Sketches

Hi Stamping Friends!

Well I just fell in love with the color challenge over at Arielle's Colour Q blog.  Check this out:

Isn't this a fabulous image?!  I think she said this fabric is called Figgy Pudding.  Well whatever it's name is, it's gorgeous!  I loved these colors so much, I decided to make two cards for this color challenge.  I filed through all my sketch challenge blogs and found two sketches to use.  The first is the Sweet Sunday Sketch from Karen Giron's blog the sweetest thing SSSC45. The second sketch is the Mojo Monday challenge MOJO114. 

And here are my two cards:

I told myself I was NOT going to post any more Christmas cards until AFTER Thanksgiving, but with these fabulous colors, how could I resist?!  On both cards the card base is Always Artichoke, layered with Bashful Blue.  The Old Olive colored DSP is from the Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper Pack.  The top card uses the Delightful Decorations set and Four The Holidays, both from The Holiday Mini Catalog.  The second card uses the Patterned Pines set that is a Level 1 Hostess Set in the Holiday Mini Catalog.

Be sure to check out the color challenge next week at the Colour Q blog, because I get to be the Guest Designer!  Arielle already sent me next's week image, to work with, and let me tell you, I LOVE it.  I have about 3 or 4 card ideas floating around in my head.  So make sure you stop by my blog next Tuesday morning and see what I come up with.

In honor of this being Thanksgiving week, each day I'm posting something I'm thankful for.  So today I picked my wonderful family: mom, dad, siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephews.  It's always such a blessing when the people you are related to, are not just family, they're also your friends.  I can't wait to hang-out with everyone on Thanksgiving at my sister's house.  We can talk, laugh, and eat.  And then when we leave, we'll probably complain about each other just a little bit, but that won't stop us from doing it again next time.  My family is dependable, hard-working, and fun.  I'm thankful to God for each and every member.

Don't forget about the HUGE SALE going on at my Stampin' Up! website right now!  Lots of fabulous stampin' goodness at 30%-50% OFF!  You don't want to miss out.  Click on the SHOP NOW button located on the top right corner of MY WEBSITE.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

How To Tuesday #3 Faux Marble

Hi Stamping Friends!

Well today is another "how-to" post.  This technique is called Faux Marble or the shaving cream technique.  I showed you this card last week:

I took some "how-to" photos while I tested out this technique.  I would have never done this technique myself, except I was challenged to over at my favorite online Stampin' Up! hangout, STAMPIN' ADDICTS.  They have different challenges posted each day of the week, and Tuesday is technique day.  I actually made two cards with this technique, since you can get two prints out of the shaving cream, before it turns into a big colorful mess.  Here's the second card I made, using the same colors and layout:

And here's the "how-to" photo (I know, I'm so old school, but video ain't happenin'!) tutorial:

Gather your supplies:

SU! Glossy Cardstock

SU! Reinkers

Shaving Cream

Pan

Skewer

Paper Towels

Spray shaving cream into your pan.  At least an inch thick.  I may have gone a little overboard.  You know what they say... if a little is good, alot is even better!  :)

Smooth out your shaving cream.  I just used a scrap of cardstock to smooth it.

Drop ink onto the shaving cream.  Again, not sure if you need this much.  You'd probably get a totally different look if you used less ink.

Using the skewer, swirl your ink around.  Again, I think I may have swirled a little too much, as the colors started to get kind of muddied.  I kept thinking that the entire shaving cream surface needed to be covered in ink, but I think some white shaving cream showing would have been just fine.

Once you have the desired look, press your glossy cardstock onto the shaving cream surface.

Your cardstock will look kind of yucky at this point.  I thought I had ruined it for sure! 

Now use your paper towels to dab off the excess shaving cream.  Be sure that you do not rub it off, as you will only smear your ink and loose the marble effect.  Just dabbing up and down will work.  You may use quite a few paper towels for this step.

And here is the finished product, ready for you to use on your creation!  I will definitely try this technique again.  I plan to experiment a little more with different colors of reinkers.

Again, here are the two cards I made:

On the Trendy Trees card, you may notice some dots amongst all that swirl.  I thought it would be fun to first emboss the Glossy Cardstock with the Polka Dot background stamp.  I just used Versamark ink and Clear Embossing Powder.  Its fun to see how two cards using the same layout and colors can look so different. 

Yesterday I forgot to post what I was thankful for, since it is Thanksgiving week here in the U.S..  So today I get to say two things... I am so grateful for my wonderful hubby (yea I am blinded by your awesomeness and attractiveness!) and my three fabulous kids.  My life would be incomplete without them.  Each of their unique qualities makes our family what it is.  I am so thankful that God has given me the gift of being your wife and mom.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

HUGE HOLIDAY SALE at Stampin' Up!

Hi Stamping Friends!

Wow!  Stampin' Up! has out-done themselves again.  You have got to check out the HUGE HOLIDAY SALE going on RIGHT NOW!  Click HERE to see all the fabulous Stampin' Up! goodness they have at an amazing discount.  Seriously... 5 packs of Corduroy Buttons for less than $25!!! 

I would love to just tell you everything that's on sale, but there are way too many wonderful products to list!  Just click on the SHOP NOW or PROMOTIONS button on my website to see all the incredible deals. You won't miss out on this HUGE SALE!  Plus, don't you think it's time you got YOUR Christmas shopping done?  :)

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Stamping!

Krystal's Weekly Favorites Blog Hop #8

Hi Stamping Friends!

Well today I have more fabulous Stampin' Up! stampers to show you.  Again, I have way more favorites saved than I'm going to be able to post here.  There is just so many incredibly talented women out there!  I'm always impressed by the punch art, so again, I've chosen quite a few examples of that technique. 

But before I show you my blog favorites, I want to show you one of my own favorite creations from this week:

This is a 12x 12 tile I made using the Season of Thanks Decor Elements.  I saw this idea somewhere in blogland and forgot to bookmark it.  So if this is your original idea... Thanks For Sharing!  Here's a close-up of the ribbon treatment:

I really LOVE how this turned out!  I now have about 6,000 ideas of what I could do with tiles and Decor Elements.  I think I'm going to hold a Decor Elements workshop in January, just showcasing these wonderful products.  And the fabulous thing about this particular Decor Element, is that I got it FREE by ordering $50 from the Stampin' Up! Gift-Giving Guide.  Gotta love FREE Stampin' Up! stuff!

Now on to my other favorites from this week:

Turkey Table cards from Martha Stewart at her blog: SEASONS OF STAMPING

Elf Shoes from Marie Shaughnessy at her blog: STAMPING INSPIRATION

Christmas Moose from Lynn Pratt at her blog: STAMP-N-DESIGN

Choirs of Angels from Gretchen Barron on her blog: INSPIRATION IN ACTION

Ribbon Wreath from Cindy Major at her blog: ENCRE, PAPIER, CISEAUX

I hope you enjoyed my blog hopping as much as I did!

I decided that since this is the week before Thanksgiving, I would want use each day of this week to express my thankfulness.  Today I am ever grateful that the One True God loves me despite all my imperfections and failings.  And that His son Jesus died on the cross that I may live for eternity in His kingdom.  Today I am thankful for the FREE gift of salvation!

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Stamping!

It's A Triple Good Day!

Hi Stamping Friends!

I'm so excited to share my triple challenge card with you today!  Not because it's so fabulous, but because it comes along with some super exciting news.  Maybe I should call it a quadruple good day!  Today's card gets its sketch form the Pals Paper Arts blog PPA17.  The color challenge is from the Colour Q blog cQc7.  And the third challenge is from my favorite Stampin' Up! friendly, online hangout, Stampin' Addicts.  This is for Tuesday's Technique Challenge Tech34 Faux Marble, a.k.a. the shaving cream technique.  Here's another technique I have never tried!  Here are the challenge photos:

I just love the colors Arielle picks out every week.  And she has always finds such gorgeous inspiration pics!  I know Kiwi Kiss is retired, but since it is one of my all-time favorite In-Colors, I decided to go with it.  Here's my card combining all three challenges:

Isn't it wild and crazy?!  My kids loved it and my hubby thought it had a tie-dyed look to it.  I think I may over over mixed my ink colors in the shaving cream, but like I said, this was my first try at it.  With a little more experience, I can become a Faux Marble expert.  And so can you!  Come back on Tuesday, when I will post the how-to photos of this technique.  I'm having photo issues.  It just bugs me that I can't get a brighter pic!  I don't know if its the camera or the photographer.  More techniques I need to practice.  :)

Aren't these colors fun?!  The card base is Taken With Teal which is layered with my Faux Marble piece.  The Choo Choo stamp set images are stamped in Taken With Teal, Kiwi Kiss, Pumpkin Pie, and Soft Suede.  The sentiment comes form the Teeny Tiny Wishes set.  This is such a great set for all those little sentiments.  I think the hardest part of assembling this card was trying to get the Pumpkin Pie Striped Grosgrain Ribbon and Kiwi Kiss Kiss Corduroy Brad centered and adhered properly to the card!

I almost forgot!  I have some super exciting news... Arielle, the hostess of the Colour Q challenge blog asked me to be a Guest Designer for her December 1st color challenge!  How cool is that?!  I'm so thrilled!  I've never been asked to be a guest designer before.  She already sent me the color challenge and let me just tell you... it's going to be fabulous!  I already have two cards floating around in my little pea-brain.  I'm glad it's a holiday weekend next week.  Just means more time for me to stamp!

Well I better get some house cleaning done.  I've got my Hostess Club gals coming over tomorrow afternoon.  Can't wait to stamp and chat with them!  I've got to figure out one more project.  There's just too much stampin' goodness to choose from!

Choo Choo  #113982  $16.95

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Stamping!