Country Flowers Sending Love

 Hello and welcome back! I attended a team meeting today and needed a swap card for the raffle, so here's what I made:

This design was inspired by several challenges: Freshly Made Sketches, NBUS, Paper Craft Crew, & Tic Tac Toe Challenge (bottom row and diagonal top left to bottom right).

I got my pre-order a few weeks ago, but am just getting around to sorting through it and putting things away. Since everything was still out, it was easy to choose what to use, and since it was 1 am when I finally started working on this card, I wanted something not too complicated!

I started out using the sketch as inspiration, and knew I wanted flowers. The teapot from Country Flowers was stamped in Misty Moonlight on the matching cardstock and die cut. The flowers were colored in with Stampin' Blends and popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals. I used the Detailed Trio Punch to round two of the corners on the white layer and put the leaves underneath those corners to match the sketch. A couple of Smoky Slate pearls for bling and it's done!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Country Flowers

Paper - Basic Gray, Basic White, Granny Apple Green, and Misty Moonlight Cardstock; Country Lace DSP

Ink - Misty Moonlight, Memento Tuxedo Black; Stampin' Blends: Granny Apple Green Dark and Light, Pumpkin Pie Light, Calypso Coral Light, Lemon Lolly Dark, Lemon Lime Twist Dark

Accessories - Smoky Slate Pearls

Tools - Big Shot, Country Flowers Dies, Detailed Trio Punch, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

It's Been A While!

 Hello and welcome back! I can't believe this is only my third blog post this year! I haven't had much mojo and there's been some personal stuff going on so I just haven't been motivated. But my boss is celebrating a special birthday this week, so I had to make a card for her! And here it is:

This design was inspired by the following challenges: Just Add Ink, Tic Tac Toe Challenge (diagonal - metallic, free, floral), Double Trouble Challenge, and Festive Friday.

Cathy is a big Green Bay Packers fan, so I wanted to incorporate the team's colors into the card. Lucky for me that two challenges this week were looking for green and gold!

I used the Everyday Details stamp set and dies to create the focal piece, then layered it onto a base of Crushed Curry cardstock and Metallic & Shimmer DSP that was embossed with the Hammered Metal embossing folder. The texture reminds me a bit of a football. What do you think? :)

After coloring the focal piece with Stampin' Blends I added a few gold Festive Pearls to the flower centers and added a bow with gold Simply Elegant Trim. I decided to leave the front without a sentiment, and just added one inside the card.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Everyday Details

Paper - Basic White Thick Cardstock; Basic White and Crushed Curry Cardstock; Metallic & Shimmer Specialty Paper

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; Stampin' Blends: Evening Evergreen Dark and Light, Soft Succulent Dark and Light, Pumpkin Pie Light, Lemon Lolly Dark; Stampin' Write Marker: Crushed Curry

Accessories - Festive Pearls, Simply Elegant Trim

Tools - Big Shot, Everyday Details Dies, Hammered Metal Embossing Folder, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Thoughtful Expressions

 Hello and welcome back! I can't believe it's been more than a month since I posted! I also haven't mailed any cards yet this year. I have got to get back on the horse! So, here's today's card:

I used the sketch at Atlantic Hearts Challenge but rotated it 90 degrees. I also used the Tic Tac Toe Challenges board for inspiration (enamel dots, die cut, embossing)

It's a little tricky to see, but the bird was stamped in Versamark and heat embossed in black before coloring in with Stampin' Blends.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Thoughtful Expressions

Paper - Basic White Thick Cardstock; Basic White and Boho Blue Cardstock; Flight & Airy DSP

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark; Stampin' Blends: Boho Blue Light and Dark, Granny Apple Green Light and Dark, Bubble Bath Light and Dark

Accessories - Boho Blue Textured Ribbon, 2023-2025 In Color Dots, Black Embossing Powder

Tools - Big Shot, Thoughtful Expressions Dies, Softly Sophisticated 3D Embossing Folder, Heat Tool, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Peaceful Christmas

 Hello and welcome back! Here's today's card:

This design is for the challenges at Just Add Ink, Inkspirational Challenge, and Tic Tac Toe Challenge (right column - red or green, patterned paper, die cut).

So right now, I'm in the midst of my Christmas card-making frenzy! I always put it off till the last minute and then lose my mine mid-December! I decided to pull out a couple of old Paper Pumpkin kits from prior years and make some alternatives, along with making the cards just how the kit is meant to be. I love the many alternative ideas on Pinterest, but I came up with this one to match the sketch challenge. Lucky for me, it also fits the other two challenges!

Items from the original kit include the vellum trees, the woodgrain sentiment banner, the sparkly gems, and the solid and gingham Shaded Spruce layers. I got those layers by cutting up an envelope. I added the Basic White Thick Cardstock card base, the Basic Black layer and Nested Essentials die cut, and the black glittery ribbon.

I should have planned the glue dots on the vellum trees to be a bit more random, since I used the gems to cover them up. 

I may try a couple more alternatives, but I'm running out of time, so soon I'll be back to either making kits the way they're intended, or raiding my stash for already completed cards!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Peaceful Christmas (October 2021 Paper Pumpkin)

Paper - Basic White Thick Cardstock; Basic Black Cardstock, elements from PP kit

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories - Black Glittered Organdy Ribbon, sparkly gems from PP kit

Tools - Big Shot, Nested Essentials Dies, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Merry Gingham Christmas

 Hello and welcome back! Here's another card for today:

This design was inspired by the challenges at CAS Colours & Sketches (sketch), TGIF Challenges (colors), and Tic Tac Toe Challenges (diagonal - red, gingham, pearls).

I used the Gingham Embossing Folder to create the background and Gingham Cottage DSP to back the "merry" rectangles. "Christmas" was stamped in Granny Apple Green and fussy cut before layering on top. The pearls in the corners were added for balance and bling!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - More Wishes

Paper - Basic White Thick Cardstock; Basic White and Granny Apple Green Cardstock; Gingham Cottage DSP

Ink - Real Red, Granny Apple Green

Accessories - Iridescent Pearls Basic Jewels

Tools - Big Shot, Gingham Embossing Folder, Stitched Rectangles Framelits, Paper Snips, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Fruit Stripe Birthday

 Hello and welcome back! Here's today's card:

This design was inspired by the challenges at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge (sketch), Cupcake Inspirations (add a bow/ribbon), the Paper Players (colors), and Tic Tac Toe Challenges (left column - stencil, blue, stripes).

In order to get the stencil and stripes for the Tic Tac Toe Challenge, I used the striped mask from the Adorning Designs Decorative Masks on Basic White and used Blending Brushes in the colors from the Paper Players challenge. I cut the stenciled cardstock into small rectangles to create the pattern from the sketch. The Blackberry Bliss piece was cut in the "wrong" direction so the stripes go the opposite way.

One thing that struck me after trimming was that these stripes reminded me of Fruit Stripe Gum! Does anyone else see that? I think I need to use those leftover strips with the Zany Zebras stamp set!

I added the rectangles to a Night of Navy layer wrapped with Denim ribbon before adding it to the card base. The sentiment is stamped with Night of Navy, layered on Daffodil Delight and popped up with dimensionals. A little bling was added with Blue Adhesive-Backed Gems.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Birthday Wit

Paper - Basic White Thick Cardstock; Basic White, Night of Navy, and Daffodil Delight Cardstock

Ink - Sweet Sorbet, Daffodil Delight, Blackberry Bliss, Calypso Coral, Night of Navy

Accessories - Denim Ribbon, Blue Adhesive-Backed Gems

Tools - Big Shot, Stitched Rectangles Dies, Adorning Designs Decorative Masks, Blending Brushes, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Love You Gnome

 Hello and welcome back! Here's today's card:

This design was inspired by the challenges at Just Add Ink (just add two - flowers and gingham), the Paper Players tic tac toe challenge (left column - flowers, feminine, blue), Tic Tac Toe Challenges (left column - layers, ribbon or twine, patterned paper), and the sketch at Try Stampin on Tuesday.

I've had this stamp set since early this year and hadn't used it yet, but I have a friend with a birthday coming up who loves gnomes, so I figured it was time to ink it up! The pink patterned paper might be more of a plaid than a gingham, but it was from the Country Gingham DSP, so I think it works! The floral pattern is from the Regency Park DSP, and I added a layer of vellum over it so the gnome would stand out a bit more.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Friendly Gnomes

Paper - Basic White Thick Cardstock; Basic White, and Petal Pink Cardstock; Vellum Cardstock; Regency Park DSP, Country Gingham DSP

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Balmy Blue; Stampin' Blends: Balmy Blue Dark and Light, Smoky Slate Light, Calypso Coral Dark, Ivory, Natural Tones SU600

Accessories - Linen Thread, Blue Adhesive-Backed Gems

Tools - Big Shot, Gnomes Dies, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

Dotty Birthday

 Hello and welcome back! Here's today's card:

This card was inspired by the challenges at As You See It, Just Add Ink, and Tic Tac Toe Challenges (right column - die cut, squares, free).

There's no stamping on this card (except for the inside), but my Big Shot got a workout! And I did use some ink for accents. For the center panel, I used Coastal Cabana ink with a blending brush to create the base, then used one of the masks from the Foursquare Decorative Masks and some Pretty Peacock ink to create the pattern (the little squares in the mask were just what I needed for the Tic Tac Toe challenge!). The Lemon Lolly layer was embossed using one of the Basics 3D embossing folders. My son thought it looked liked the candy dots on the paper strips so I decided to try and bring that out a bit by dragging an ink pad across the raised dots. Of course, nothing ever goes as planned! Some of the ink "splotched" in between, so I figured I'd just go with it and add more splotches to make it less obvious that there was a mistake.

The vellum circle was embossed with another of the Basics folders, then I popped up the die-cut birthday sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Paper - Basic White Thick Cardstock; Basic White, Lemon Lolly, Coastal Cabana, Pretty Peacock Cardstock; Vellum Cardstock

Ink - Coastal Cabana, Lemon Lolly, Pretty Peacock

Tools - Big Shot, Wanted To Say Dies, Stylish Shapes Dies, Basics 3D Embossing Folders, Fourquare Decorative Masks, Blending Brushes, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

Christmas Cheer

Hello and welcome back! Today may be the first day of summer, but that means that Christmas is only about 6 months away. Maybe it's time to start thinking about Christmas cards, rather than waiting until December to make them! In that spirit, here's today's card:

I used three challenges to inspire this design - the theme challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown, the sketch at Just Add Ink, and the weekly board at Tic Tac Toe Challenge (center column - free, stripes, white heat embossing).

There's really no explanation needed for this card - it's pretty straightforward! The candy canes were stamped in Versamark on Real Red cardstock and then heat embossed with white embossing powder. The Basic White layer was embossed with a striped folder and the layers were put together. I added the sentiment on a punched oval that was layered with a Real Red scalloped oval from the same punch. Some red rhinestones were added for bling - easy peasy!

 Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Sweet Candy Canes

Paper - Basic White Thick Cardstock; Basic White and Real Red Cardstock

Ink - Real Red, Versamark

Accessories - Real Red Sheer Ribbon, Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels, White Embossing Powder

Tools - Big Shot, Candy Canes Dies, Simple Stripes Embossing Folder, Heat Tool, Double Oval Punch, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Hello Friend

 Hello and welcome back! Here's today's card:

Today's card was inspired by the challenges at Just Add Ink and Tic Tac Toe Challenges (left column and center row).

Ink blending is not one of my strongest skills, but I knew I needed to do it for the inspiration challenge. I tried to replicate the feeling of that sunset, then added the wreath for the silhouette. I die cut the wreath from Basic Black and Basic Gray and layered them, offsetting a bit, to get a shadow effect. The sentiment was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on vellum and embossed with clear embossing powder to help it stand out a bit. 

I knew I wanted to add a bow and really wanted some baker's twine to match the center of the sunset but I didn't have the right color. I tried coloring some white twine with a Stampin' Blend but didn't like the way it looked, so I added the ribbon bow instead, along with some Iridescent Rhinestones. I love the way those rhinestones pick up the surrounding colors!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - A Touch of Ink

Paper - Basic Black, Basic White, Basic Gray, Pumpkin Pie Cardstock, Vellum Cardstock

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Blueberry Bushel, Pumpkin Pie, Orchid Oasis

Accessories - Iridescent Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Pumpkin Pie Taffeta Ribbon, Clear Embossing Powder

Tools - Big Shot, Natural Prints Dies, Stylish Shapes Dies, Blending Brushes, Heat Tool, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Mini Glue Dots, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals