Build a Blossom

Here's another card I made with the new set Build a Blossom and the coordinating Blossom Petals punch.  This set is so much fun!  The stamp and punch go together perfectly.  It's really easy to make a beautiful card.  My color combo is Wild Wasabi, Perfect Plum and So Saffron.  I love these colors together.  So bright and springy.  The DSP is from the retired collection Pawsitively Prints.  The sentiment is from the set Warm Words.  The scalloped border is a new Sizzix die I just got with some Christmas money.  I think it's going to be one of my new favorites!  Thanks for stopping by.

Splitcoast Sketch Challenge SC313

I spent some time today playing with my new set Build a Blossom and the matching Blossom Petals punch.  Wow...this is an awesome set!  When I placed my preorder I couldn't decide between this set or the Create a Cupcake set with the matching punch.  I'm really glad I got this one.  I might still get the cupcake set later!  This card is for this week's sketch challenge at Splitcoast - SC313.  My color combo is Early Espresso, Marina Mist and Wild Wasabi.  I used the Framed Tulips embossing folder on the Marina Mist layer.  The strip of DSP is from the retired collection called Afternoon Tea.  I stamped the sentiment in Whisper White from the set Fabulous Phrases.  The flower center is a Fabric Designer Brad from the Sweet Stitches set.  I think these brads are my favorite new embellishment from the Occasions mini catalog.  They are really cute!  Thanks for stopping by.

Splitcoast Color Challenge CC303

Wow!  It's been a week since I've posted.  I guess the holidays kept me busier than I realized!  I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas.  I'm finally getting a chance to get back to some stamping.  I got my Occasions mini preorder before Christmas and I haven't had a whole lot of time to play!  This card uses the stamp set Baby Blossoms.  There are so many images in this set that you can create a lot of different looks.  I used this week's color combo from Splitcoast - CC303.  The colors are Old Olive, Night of Navy and Daffodil Delight.  The greeting is from the wheel Delight in Gladness.  I unmounted the wheel and cut out the individual sentiments.  This one was a little trickier than the wheel from the Holiday mini.  Just a word of warning if you're thinking of trying this.  The words are really close together!  The background is embossed with the Framed Tulips folder.  Thanks for stopping by!

Medallion Wreath

I've seen lots of great cards using the Medallion stamp as a Christmas wreath so I thought I've give it a try.  I think it came out great.  This stamp really does look like a wreath and it was super quick.  I stamped it in Garden Green.  The sentiment is from the set Perfect Punches.  I punched it with the scallop circle punch and layered that on another scallop circle in Cherry Cobbler.  I added a few "berries" and some rhinestones.  Quick and easy!  This would be a good design to mass produce.  Thanks for stopping by!

Occasions Mini Baby Blossoms

Here's my first card with my preorder goodies from the Occasions mini.  There are so many great stamps, punches and DSP in the new mini that it was really hard to stay within my budget this time!  I had a really hard time deciding which goodies to get.  For this card I used the new set Baby Blossoms.  This is a 2 step stampin set with lots of great images.  The Occasions mini will be available for customers on January 4th.  My color combo for this card is Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler and Baja Breeze.  The sentiment is from the hostess set Afterthoughts.  I don't have any Cherry Cobbler ribbon yet so I used white instead.  I pressed the white ribbon into the Cherry Cobbler ink pad to dye it the color I wanted.  It worked really well.  I sponged all the edges and added a couple pearls.  I think I'm going to really like this set!  Thanks for stopping by.

Adirondack Christmas

Here's another card I made with my Hero Arts set Needles and Cones.  Living in the Adirondacks, I really love the images in this set.  I layered a couple background stamps from RubberNecker Stamps and sponged the edges.  The tab is stamped with a sentiment from the Short & Sweet set.  The outline on the tab punch is from the set Perfect Punches.  My color combo is Old Olive, Crumb Cake and Early Espresso.  I used my color spritzer on the main image and the background panel.  I finished with some linen thread and an Old Olive button.  Thanks for stopping by!

Hybrid Bells & Boughs

I made this card with a digital image printed from My Digital Studio.  When the Holiday mini came out I liked the stamp set Bells & Boughs but I didn't LOVE it.  So I decided to spend my money on the sets I loved.  Well, a few weeks ago Stampin Up released Bells & Boughs as a digital download.  And then they put it on sale during the Online Spectacular.  Well, I just couldn't resist!  So, for this card I printed the iamge on watercolor paper and then colored it with my aqua painter and reinkers.  It worked really well, especially with these dark colors.  I used Garden Green and Cherry Cobbler.  I kept the rest of the card pretty simple.  I spritzed and sponged a little and then added a scallop punched border.  The sentiment is from the set Holidays & Wishes.  I'll be doing more of these hybrid cards!  I never bought the set Greeting Card Kids and now its available for download.  I think that will be my next hybrid project!  Thanks for stopping by.

Finishing Up My Christmas Cards

I've been working on my last few Christmas cards.  Here's a quick, clean and simple card.  The snowman is from the set Tags til Christmas.  I circle punched this and then layered it on a punched scalloped circle.  The sentiment is from the wheel Jolly Jingles.  The DSP is Candy Cane Christmas.  I love this pretty polka dot pattern.  I pulled my colors from the DSP - Baja Breeze, Real Red and Garden Green.  You can't tell from the photo but I added a little Dazzling Diamonds to the snowflakes behind the snowman.  Its pretty in real life!  I finished with a strip punched with the scallop ribbon punch.  Thanks for stopping by!

Gift Card Holders

I made a few quick gift card holders this past weekend.  I finally got some use out of the "Do Not Open" stamp from the Tags til Christmas set.  I thought it was perfect for gift cards!  I layered that on the Scallop Square punch.  The DSP is Merry Moments from last year's catalog.  This was a good way to use up some scraps.  My colors are Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Garden Green and Old Olive.  I made a little pocket for the card on the Tope Note die and finished with a scalloped border edge.  Quick and easy.  Thanks for stopping by!

French Foliage Wreath

I've seen a lot of really cool wreath cards lately so I thought I'd give it a try.  I was surprised by how easy it was!  I used the leaf from the French Foliage set.  I inked it and then stamped three times, turning my cardstock slightly each time.  I added a few berries from the Peaceful Wishes set.  I used Garden Green and Cherry Cobbler inks.  For the center I used a clear button backed with Cherry Cobbler cardstock.  I finished with sponging the edges and a little spritzing.  This was a super easy card that looks like it was difficult.  That's always a good thing!  Thanks for stopping by.

Button Button Birthday

Here's another card with the fun set Button Button.  I stamped a small background panel with a bunch of different buttons in Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi and Rich Razzleberry.  I'm really liking this color combo!  I'll definitely have to use this one again.  The sentiment is from the hostess set Afterthoughts.  For punches I used circles, Fancy Flower and a scallop trim border.  The panel behind my greeting is embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots folder.  My button embellishment stamped and then layered on a piece of chipboard.  Thanks for stopping by!

MDS Jamaica Scrap Page

Here's another scrapbook page I made with My Digital Studio. We did some snorkeling on vacation in Jamaica. I just love this picture of my husband! I knew I had to scrapbook it. All of the elements on this page are from Stampin Up. For the background I used a layer of DSP from the Night & Day download. I lowered the opacity so the background cardstock is visible underneath. I love this pattern. It almost looks like water. Very fitting for this page I thought. Thanks for stopping by!

Splitcoast Clean & Simple - CAS95

This week's Clean & Simple challenge at Splitcoast was to include flowers in your design - CAS95.  I pulled out my favorite floral die - Daisies #2.  Since this is a clean and simple card I kept the design pretty basic.  I layered two cuts of each size daisy in Perfect Plum, Pear Pizzazz and Baja Breeze.  This was last week's color combo at Splitcoast - CC297.  I didn't get a chance to play last week but the samples really caught my eye so I decided to use it for this card.  I used a corduroy button for the center of my flower.  The sentiment is from the set A Word for You.  Finally I rounded the bottom corners of the card base to soften the whole design.  Thanks for stopping by!

Mom and Dad's Anniversary Card

I made this card for my Mom and Dad's anniversary.  I got this new set from Hero Arts made up of various pine boughs and cones.  The stamped images are beautiful.  I kept the color combo very Adirondackish - Garden Green, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White.  The sentiment is from A Word for You.  I oval punched that and sponged the edges.  I used the color spritzer to add some dimension to the background.  Finally, I finished with some satin ribbon.  I think this is one of my favorite cards I've made lately!

Button Button Border

I've been playing around with the Button Button set and I decided to try using it for a border.  Most of the buttons in the set fit really nicely inside the scalloped border from the Tasteful Trim die.  This set is going to be great for embellishing.  My color combo is Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight and Poppy Parade.  I love this bright, cheery combo!  I stamped the flowers from the set Cottage Garden and the sentiment is from A Word for You.  Thanks for stopping by!

Another Jamaica Digi Scrap Page

Here's another scrapbook layout from our Jamaica vaction.  This page was made entirely with My Digital Studio SU elements.  The circle grid paper is an add on kit called The Write Stuff.  The ruler is also an add on from the Vintage Overlays download.  I think the Vintage Overlays are probably my favorite download SU has created.  They are so versatile and add tons of dimension to my pages.  Looking at these pictures makes me miss Jamaica.  I wish I was there right now!  Thanks for stopping by.

Splitcoast Inspiration Challenge - IC259

Here's my card for this week's Inspiration Challenge at Splitcoast - IC259.  I've never played along with an inspiration challenge before but it was fun!  The inspiration came from a website called Plaid Pony Village.  They had lots of colorful, interesting items.  I chose this afghan.  My card is pretty simple.  The base is Sahara Sand and then I layered lots of punched flowers in a diagonal stripe to match the afghan.  The punch I used is called Trio Flower.  The sentiment is from the set A Word for You.  I sponged the edges a little so it would stand out on the colorful background.  I think I captured the look of the afghan.  What do you think?  Thanks for stopping by!

Splitcoast Sketch Challenge SC307

This week's sketch at Splitcoast is really versatile - SC307.  It's great for using up a few DSP scraps.  I used Autumn Spice DSP.  My color combo is Early Espresso, Old Olive and More Mustard.  My stamped image is from the set Just Believe.  I colored the stamp with my markers in order to get multiple colors.  I sponged all the edges for a vintage feel and used my color spritzer on the focal image.  I embellished this with some linen thread and a button.  My sentiment is from the set Vintage Labels and punched with the Jewelery tag.  Thanks for stopping by!

Splitcoast Clean & Simple Challenge CAS93

This week's Clean & Simple challenge at Splitcoast is a sketch - CAS93.  The layout is really eye catching with the offset background and circle focal point.  This is a sketch I might use again.  My card is pretty simple.  The color combo is Very Vanilla, Perfect Plum and Rose Red.  For stamps I used Cottage Garden and Short & Sweet.  My background is embossed with a Texturz plate but you can't see the detail in the photo.  Too bad because it looks really good!!  I cut the circles with my Circle Scissors Plus.  I think I've finally gotten the hang of that tool!  I finished with a little Rose Red ribbon.  Thanks for stopping by!

Splitcoast Sketch Challenge SC306

Here's my card for this week's sketch challenge on Splitcoast - SC306.  I just got this little cup with my last order.  It's so darn cute.  I'm going to use it on some Christmas gifts this year.  This is a single SU stamp called Tiny Teacup.  My sentiment is from the set A Word for You.  The background was stamped with Itty Bitty Backgrounds.  My color combo is Rich Razzleberry, Baja Breeze and Concord Crush.  The white strip is embossed with a Texturz plate.  It's a little hard to see in the photo.  For punches I used a scallop edge and circle.  The mat for my stamped image is two Fancy Flower punches layered together.  Thanks for stopping by!

Button Button SCS Color Challenge CC296

I decided to play along with this week's color challenge at Splitcoast - CC296.  The challenge was Poppy Parade, Tempting Turquoise and Whisper White.  I just couldn't wait to ink up the set I got this week.  Stampin Up recently held a demo challenge and the prize was the new set Button Button from the upcoming Occasions mini.  I just got it this week and I really like it.  I can see this set is going to get a lot of use!  I use buttons pretty regularily but sometimes its hard to find just the right color.  Now I have a whole bunch to choose from and I can make them any color I want!  The card is pretty simple.  I just stamped a winding path of buttons.  I added a couple words from the Fabulous Phrases set.  Quick, easy and simple.  Thanks for stopping by!

Digital Scrap Page

I've been on a scrapbooking kick the last few weeks so I thought I'd post one of the digital pages I've finished.  I'm working on the photos from our vacation to Jamaica last spring.  These pictures are a little fuzzy but it was the first time I'd ever been parasailing so I had to scrap them!  It was so much fun.  I used Stampin Up's program My Digital Studio to make this page.  Most of the elements are from SU.  I added the turquoise flower and scalloped ring from a kit by Eva Kipler.  I'm totally converted to digital scrapbooking!  I love this form of media.  Thanks for stopping by!

Tree Trimmings CAS

Here's a quick clean and simple card I made this weekend.  This is one layer and just stamping.  I used the set Peaceful Wishes to stamp the branches and pinecone in Old Olive and Early Espresso.  The ornaments are from the set Tree Trimmings.  I stamped these in Concord Crush and Marina Mist.  The sentiment is from the wheel Jolly Jinges.  I used my markers to color the stamp in multiple colors.  I did have to use my Stamp-a-ma-Jig to get the sentiment on straight.  I didn't want to screw up the card on the very last stamp!!  Thanks for stopping by.

Splitcoast Color Challenge CC295

Here's my card for this week's color challenge at Splitcoast - CC295.  The combo is Early Espresso, Cajun Craze and Peach Parfait.  I thought this was a nice fall combo so I pulled out my Frech Foliage set.  I just don't think you can make a bad card with this set!  It's so darn versatile.  I also stamped the background with the Very Vintage wheel.  The sentiment is from Just Believe.  I used my color spritzer and sponges to add to the vintage look.  I finished with some Crochet trim and an Antique brad.  Thanks for stopping by!

Morning Cup Color Q Challenge 56

I missed the dealine for last week's Color Q challenge but I really liked the combo so I decided to post it anyway - cQc56.  The combo is Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie, Garden Green and Certainly Celery.  I used the SU set Morning Cup.  I watercolored this with an aquapainter and my reinkers.  The focal image is die cut with Nesties.  The scallop borders were cut with the Tasteful Trim die.  The DSP is Island Oasis from the Summer mini.  The background was stamped with Itty Bitty backgrounds.  I punched the sentiment with the Jewelry tag punch.  I finished with some linen thread and a corduroy button.  Thanks for stopping by!