Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge #12

Hi Stamping Friends!  Well I think I might be getting back into the stamping mood.  And these gorgeous pics from the latest Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge sure helped me get over my slump.  I just LOVE the bright, citrusy colors!!  They just make my lips pucker and my mouth water and make we crave a glass of my grandma's fresh lemonade.  My grandpa and grandma has two lemon trees in their backyard.  Grandpa would pick them and grandma would juice them and freeze the juice.  She would make us lemonade everytime we came to visit.  Which was a lot!!

I used the colors in the inspiration pic and combined them with the sketch challenge over at The Sweet Stop blog.  I just realized after uploading the pic of the sketch that I left off one of the main panels.  Whoops!  I did remember to use a tag though.  That was the bonus part of the challenge.  Well, I like how this card turned out anyway.  I used a lot of my "favorites" on it.

ON A PEDESTAL

It was fun to play with some new stuff.  The card base is Whisper White layered with Pear Pizzazz.  The Pumpkin polka dot DSP is from the Island Oasis pack from the Summer Mini Catalog.  The flowers ( Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie) were made using the Floral Fusion Sizzlet die.  The white brads are topped with the Jewels Basic Rhinestones.  The cake pedestal also has some of the Jewels Basic Pearls.  I LOVE the SU! Jewels!!!  I love that they come in multiple sizes.  I love that they are self-stick.  And I love the price!!  They are only $4.95 for 150 pieces!!!  You can't beat that!

After making this card, I decided I "need" to get the Jewelry Tag punch and Tiny Tags stamp set.  How have I lived this long without them?!

I hope you will play along with us this week at the Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge!  I can't wait to see what bright, cheerful creation you come up with.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

ColourQ Tuesday #42

Hi Stamping Friends!  Well I finally have a card for Arielle's ColourQ challenge.  I don't know how many weeks I've missed.  I've been such a slacker Design Team member this summer, I'm surprised she hasn't booted my behind right off the team!!  But she is such a sweetie, I  know even if she wanted to (beacuse I do deserve it!), she would never do that.  The ColourQ color challenge is one of the reason I became addicted to doing stamping challenges.  I love the pieces Arielle picks out each week.  She has a great sense of style.  And the colors combos are always so... challenging!  This week I combined the cQc colors with the Fall To Layout challenge over at the Clean & Simple blog.  Here's what I came up with:

AVIARY

This is one of the first sets I ordered out of the new catalog.  I just thought those birds and bird cages were too stinkin' cute!!  The DSP is retired, but it fit the Tangerine Tango requirement.  And since I haven't purchased any of the new DSP (yet!) I had to go with what I had.  These would be fabulous colors for the fall season.  I know I'm always apologizing for my photos lately.  I just don't know why they are so horrible!  I've tried different settings, different lighting, etc., etc., and it just doens't seem to make any difference.  So I guess I'll just have to add to each of my posts... this card is much cuter IRL.  :)

I hope you can play along at the cQc this week.  Remember to stop by and check out what the other fabulous design team members came up with.  I promise their photos won't make your eyes go fuzzy when you look at them.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge #11

Hi Stamping Friends!!  I'm sorry for being such a stamping slacker, but I really have been enjoying my summer.  After returning from our RV road trip to Yellowstone, I volunteered to be one of the van drivers to take the Jr. High students from church, to Hume Lake Christian Camp.  'Course when your hubby is the Youth Pastor, you volunteer for a lot of things you weren't expecting to do.  :)  Though I can't complain too much since two of my three kids were going to camp, plus my hubby, plus it was in SAN DIEGO!!  Only bummer was we didn't see the sun at all.  Not one single time the entire week.  One day the high was only 65 degrees!  Now I wish I were back in San Diego.  It's supposed to be 104 today through Saturday here in the Central Valley.  Ugh!  I'll be staying inside with the AC, organizing my craft, homeschool, office, closet room.  I would take a before photo, but I'm too embarassed to show you what a mess it is!

Anyhoo!  You did not come here to find out about my poor homemaking skills, you came here to see some stamping.  Well, right now my stamping skills are not much better than my homemaking skills, so I don't like this card much at all.  I love the idea of red and yellow together, but it always somehow looks like Ronald McDonald to me.  And I just can't get past it.

VINTAGE VOGUE

See what I mean?  Too bad I don't know anyone that works at McDonalds.  I'm lovin' some of my new stuff out of the new catalog though.  The stick-on pearls and rhinestones are FABULOUS!!  I also used the new Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border.  But my most fave things from the new catty are the Big Shot Die Storage boxes.  Wow!  Are they gorgeous!  The outside fabric is a beautiful Early Espresso color and the inside paper lining is Certainly Celery.  Yummy!  That's the whole reason I'm having to re-organize all my stuff.  How funny is it when you get 4 new storage boxes and you end up having to re-do the whole room!

I hope you can join us this week over at the Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge.  And I hope to do a little more stamping after I get my stuff all organized.  That is unless I end up going away on some other unexpected trip.  :)  Hope you are enjoying your summer too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge #10

Hi Stampers!  I'm so glad you stopped by today!  We have a fabulous new challenge over at the Stampin' Celebration blog.  We are celebrating weddings with these gorgeous, modern wedding photos.  The black and yellow make such a bold color combo.


I love creating wedding ensembles for brides. I usually do one wedding per year and that can include anything from invitations to favors, and programs, and menus, and table numbers... everything!  It's a ton of fun and also stresses me out majorly!  The worst part for me is the printing.  I do all of it o my PC at home.  And I hate when things print crooked or if the ink bleeds.  Drives me crazy!  But I still say yes when someone asks, because I just love the outcome.


This challenge came at just the perfect time.  I just met with a bride last week and we discussed what she wanted on her invites.  Black and yellow are not the colors of her wedding, but this is the style of invite we talked about.

  

Sorry for the super cruddy pic, but I just didn't have time to take a better one.  This invite is 5x7 and is wrapped with a band that slides off to open the card.

This is the inside of the invite.  It has a pocket on the left panel that holds the postcard style RSVP card and an Accommodations/Directions card.  You can see the wrap band on the bottom left.  the colors of this invite are Basic Black, Whisper White, and So Saffron.  The card is made with a 12x12 sheet of cardstock that is folded and scored.  The stamp image comes from the Friends 24/7 set.  That set is worth this one image alone.  It's one of my faves!

I hope you can join us at the Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge.  Remember to celebrate all of life's moments!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Colour Q #40

Hi Stampers!  Hope you're having an awesome summer.  I sure am.  I'm much busier than I had anticipated, but it's a fun busy.  I made sure I took the time to participate in Arielle's ColourQ challenge though.  I love these flip flops.  They just scream summer to me.

SMARTY PANTS

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge #9

Hi Stampers!  Just a quick post.  I'll be back later to add details. 
Join us this week at Stampin' Celebration.  We are celebrating all things patriotic. 

I'm back!!!  Literally!  We've been gone on an RV trip to Iowa and Yellowstone.  That's why my blogging (and stamping!) has been so sporadic.  We had a fabulous time.  Hubby, myself, the 3 kiddos, and my mom and dad all loaded up in my parents RV for an 11 day road trip.  Yellowstone was gorgeous.  If you ever have the chance to go, do it.  One day we hit some traffic on one of the roads.  We waited about 45 minutes while about 8 bison walked down the road, shoulder to shoulder.  Neither lanes could pass them.  Who knew there was such thing as rush hour buffalo traffic?!  We got home from our trip and dove right into reality.  We unloaded the RV around 4pm and by 5:30pm my 14yo DS was already at his swim meet.  It's been go, Go, GO! ever since!  I haven't had any time or desire to stamp at all.  I finally had to force myself to make this card.  I felt so bad letting my own blog challenges pass me by!  Thankfully I have a fabulously talented design team that has kept things floating in my abscence.

DEFINE YOUR LIFE

Besides the Stampin' Celebration challenge, this card also fits three other challenges.  Seems everyone is being patriotic this week!  I used the sketch from Taylored Expressions.  The color challenge is from the Stacey's Curtain Call.  And Connie and Mary are doing a theme challenge this week.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Happy Stamping!

ColourQ #38

Hi Stamping Friends!

So glad you stopped by today!  We have another fabulous color challenge from Arielle over at the ColourQ color challenge blog.  I'm keeping this post short and simple, kinda like my card today.

FOREST FRIENDS

Nothing fancy, just plain old-fashioned stamping.  :)  I hope you have a chance to play along with us this week.  These are such fun colors to use and they would make adorable kids cards or bright, cheerful summery cards.  The sky's the limit!  Be sure to visit the other gals on the Royal Court.  The are so talented, I know you won't be dissapointed!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge #7

Hi Stamping Friends!

It's time to celebrate all the men in our lives with the inspiration challenge over at the Stampin' Celebration blog.  We hope you will play along with us this week!

ColourQ #37

Hi Stamping Friends!

Tuesday means it's time for another color challenge over at the ColourQ blog.  And of course Arielle did not disappoint us in finding something fun!  This felt flower scrapbook cover is super adorable, so I went with a literal copy of it.  I used the sketch challenge over at the Clean and Simple blog.  This sketch is not their newest sketch.  But it worked so well for this card, that I used it anyway.

PETAL PIZZAZZ

If I only had time for some stitching, it qould be perfect!  I hope you have a chance to play along with us this week.  Be sure to drop by the rest of the Royal Court and see what the other gals have created.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Stampin' Addicts Last Chance MEGA Blog Hop!!

Hi Stampin' Friends!

I'm so excited to be a part of the Stampin' Addicts Last Chance MEGA Blog Hop!!  The festivities kick-off today though Sunday.  If you've been hopping from the beginning, then you just came from Joyce's wonderful blog, Stampin' Central.  If you are just joining us, that's fabulous!  Just start here and hop on through to the end.  If you somehow got lost along the way, just click HERE and there is a list of the blog hop sites in order. 

The Last Chance stamp set I chose to feature is GOOD FRIEND.  I've always adored the little bird and the fun flowers in this set. I never did use it enough.  This is a great scrapbooking set, because the images are nice and bold.

The color combo comes from the Pals Paper Arts blog.  They are Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, and Soft Suede.  Perfect for a bird card!  With the idea of little birdies flying through my mind, I just had to make a milk carton bird house.

These are so cute and so easy to make!  I {heart} all the Stampin' Up! Big Shot stuff.  The Big Shot is my favorite crafting tool.  To complete my three projects, I created another card.  This one uses some of the fun flowers that are in the GOOD FRIEND set.

This sketch challenge comes from the Sketch Girl blog.  The color combo comes from the Sketch 'n' Color challenge blog.  It's all written in German, so I had to guess at the actually colors.  :)  I used Kraft, Soft Suede, Melon Mambo, and Pumpkin Pie.  I hope I was close!

Well that's it until next time.  Thanks so much for hopping by!  To continue on this amazing MEGA hop, go visit the fabulous Heidi at Running With Scissors.  I'm sure you'll be glad you did.  She is going to treat you to some wonderful projects using the Game Night stamp set.

---GO TO NEXT BLOG---

Remember to visit Stampin' Addicts and join our Stampin' Up! lovin' community.  It's FREE to join!  And it's open to customers and demonstrators alike.  While you are there, be sure to check out the awesome gallery that is organized alphabetically by stamp set.  Stay awhile and upload some of your own creations.  We would love to see what you have been creating!

Thanks for hopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge #6

Hi Stamping Friends!

It's time for another Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge!!  And this week we are celebrating babies.  Girl babies in fact.  There is a cute story behind this inspiration.  Candace, who helps me plan challenges for the Stampin' Celebration blog was due to have a baby girl this week.  Ends up, three weeks ago she gave birth to a baby BOY!!  Little Adam was quite the surprise.  But both mom and baby are doing fine.  And since this inspiration challenge was planned way back in April, we just left well enough alone.  Here's what I created:

 

PETAL PIZZAZZ

For this card I used the sketch challenge over at the Mojo Monday blog.  The first Monday of the month is their contest challenge and they have a TON of entries.  I've never had the priviledge of winning any Mojo Monday challenge.  It is on my things to accomplish someday.  But I'll tell, the competion is fierce over there!  They always have such amazing entries.  This card uses the stamp set Petal Pizzazz and some retired rub-ons.  The colors are Kiwi Kiss, Pretty In Pink, Cameo Coral and the retired Raspberry Tart DSP, which was one of my all-time favorite DSPs.  I just adore this color combo.  I also made a little baby shower party favor.  What's a celebration without a treat!!

NURSERY NECESSITIES

This little treat holder was made using the Two Tags die.  The sentiment comes from the Nursery Necessities stamp set.  This set is going to retire, I'm sad to say.  I really like the images in this set, because they are not your typical "baby" images.  If you don't have this set yet, order it before June 30th!!  The fun flower was made using six Scallop Circles punched from Cameo Coral cardstock, also set to retire.  I wet the scallops (just under my kitchen sink faucet!) and then scrunched them all up, layered them on top of each other and fastened them together with a brad.  Then I fluffed them up.  Super easy and oh so fun!!

I hope you can play along with us this week at the Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge.  Be sure to check out the other fabulous creations by our super talented design team:

ROCHELLE

ALLISON

KARI

Also, make sure you stop back tomorrow when I will be participating in the Stampin' Addicts Retiring SU! Mega Blog Hop.  Stampin' Addicts blog hops are the best!  I promise you won't be disappointed.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

ColourQ #36

Hi Stamping Friends!

Just a quick post today.  I've got lots of stuff on my to-do list.  Don't we all?!  Arielle found another fabulous color combo for us to play with this week.  I hope you will join the challenge over at the COLOURQ.  I combined the color challenge with the sketch challenge over at Taylored Expressions.  However, I did notice that I forgot a layer of the sketch.  Too late to change it now!

ELEMENTS OF STYLE

I forgot the extra layer of paper that should be under the flowers.  What a bummer!  I still like how this card turned out.  Not my typical style.  I really think you cannot make an ugly card when you use Elements Of Style.  It is such a gorgeous stamp set.

I hope you will join us this week at the COLOURQ.  It's always fun to do something "out-of-the-box". 

Stop back by on Thursday, when I will show off our next Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge.  Then on Friday I will be particpating in the Stampin' Addicts (my FAVE SU! online hangout!) blog hop featuring retiring sets from the SU! catalog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge #5

Hi Stamping Friends!

This week's celebration over at the Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge blog is all about graduations!  I've already been to four graduation parties, but I know that our local public high schools are having their graduations next week.  And there are still a few college kids that are wrapping up their finals this week too.

Our 14 yo DS, who has been homeschooled since the 2nd grade, "graduated" from 8th grade.  We had a special celebration to honor his accomplishment.  We've also decided to let him attend one of the local high schools this fall (he's fallen in LOVE with water polo!).  So this is a HUGE "growing-up" step for him and our family.  What a fabulous reason to celebrate!

The images in the inspiration photos come from the Martha Stewart magazine website.  Leave it to Martha and her team to have everything matchy-matchy.  Even the chairs!  I love the turquoise, brown and white colors, so that is were my inspiration began.  I also loved the banner idea, but two of the SCIC Design Team members used that idea, and they did it so well, that I knew I couldn't improve on their fabulousness.  So I went with Plan B.  And here it is:

GO, GRADUATE

I used the Go, Graduate set from the Summer Mini Catalog.  I just adore that little owl.  He always makes me smile.  The sketch comes from 2 Sketches 4 You.  I really needed a super quick card, since I was so late in getting ready for this challenge.  I was still stamping this card at midnight last night.  Bad, bad design team member!!  And I'm supposed to be the gal in charge!  No real excuse except I haven't been feeling to stampy lately.  Have you ever been in one of those slumps?  Anyhoo!  Back to the card!  I used Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay, and Whisper White.  With a few Black embellishments.  I also made this cute little party favor:

PERFECT SETTING

YUM-O!  I cut out the cupcake wrapper with the Perfect Setting XL die.  Then I used some Hemp Twine to fancy it up a bit.  I even made the cupcake itself.  I don't love baking, but my 11yo DD likes to play in the kitchen, and I do think it is my momly duty to show her the ropes.  These are actually brownie cupcakes.  I used the cake-style recipe on the brownie box.  I also added smashed up Oreos to the batter before I poured them in the cups.  I did make my own frosting: 1/3 cup of butter, 3 cups of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk.  Nothing like a sugar rush!  I then added more crushed up Oreos on top for decoration.  Super easy!

I hope you have a chance to play along with us this week at the SCIC.  Hop on over there and check out what the other amazingly talented Design Team members created... in plenty of time for the challenge!  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

ColourQ #35

Hi Stamping Friends!

Better late than never!  We went to a BBQ yesterday afternoon at our good friends' beautiful home and by the time we got back, I didn't feel like getting my blog post together.  So this morning it is!  Arielle gave us some fun, bright summery colors to play with this week at the COLOURQ.  She also has a fun twist to this week's challenge.  She joined up with Mercy Kerin from Lord Have Mercy to combine their weekly challenges.  Mercy always has the best sketch challenges and this week is no different!  It was kind of exciting to get her sketch challenge early.

GOOD FRIEND

If you squint real hard or use your imagination, pretend that dingy greenish gray background on my card is a nice bright brilliant white.  Then it might not look so horrible!  Yet again, bad photography skills have ruined the look of this cute card.  Sigh!  What's a girl in a hurry supposed to do?

I decided to flip the sketch on its side.  I used the set Good Friend (which I just found out this morning will be retired from the SU! catalog!!).  It's such a cheerful little set.  I thought it would be perfect for these colors.  I still have scraps of Tangerine Tango DSP laying around, so I used one of those.  I think this piece was from the Hawaiian Papaya pack.  It was one of my faves.  I'm happy that Tangerine Tango is replacing Only Orange.  I think it's a great addition to our Core Colors.

Be sure to check out the other Royal Court DT members fabulous creations.  And I hope you'll be able to play along with us this week at the ColourQ!  If you are looking for more stamping challenges, be sure to stop by Thursday and see what I've created for the Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge.

Good Friend   #113740   $28.95

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!