Spec-Taco-Lar! Birthday

 Hello and welcome back! I was so inspired by a challenge sketch that I decided to make a second card! Here it is:

Like yesterday's card, this was inspired by the sketch at CAS Colours & Sketches.

I've had this stamp set for awhile but hadn't used it yet. I wish it had a coordinating die set, but the larger stamps aren't too difficult to fussy cut. And I love coloring with my Stampin' Blends!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Taco Fiesta

Paper - Basic White Thick Cardstock; Basic White, Tahitian Tide, and Poppy Parade Cardstock

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Tahitian Tide; Stampin' Blends: Crumb Cake Light and Dark, Daffodil Delight Light, Granny Apple Green Light and Dark, Poppy Parade Dark

Tools - Paper Snips, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Textures & Frames Birthday

 Hello and welcome back! It's been a while since I've posted a card because I've been preoccupied with another project - ACK!! You can read about that on the ACK! page on this blog. For today, though, here's a card:

I used the challenges at Color Throwdown and CAS Colours & Sketches for inspiration. The colors were perfect for a masculine card, which I have a need for this week.

For the solid circles, I stamped off once with Pecan Pie, then used it full strength for the outer frame. The bars in the center are stamped in Crumb Cake and the sentiment is stamped in Cajun Craze. This card was very quick to put together.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Textures & Frames, Artistically Inked

Paper - Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock; Mossy Meadow and Very Vanilla Cardstock

Ink - Pecan Pie, Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze

Tools - Big Shot, Basics 3D Embossing Folder (Cross Hatch), Multipurpose Liquid Glue

Belated Happy Birthday

 Hello and welcome back! I've had a bit of a creative block lately so I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. I decided to CASE a couple of cards that I pinned on Pinterest, just to try and catch up on my list. I'm a bit behind on that too. 😐 Anyway, here is today's challenge card:

This is perfect for the "anything goes" challenge at Double Trouble.

I needed a couple of masculine belated birthday cards and this black & white with a pop of color design fits the bill. I love the Azure Afternoon color accent!

The other cards I've made recently were for a batch of anniversary cards using the "stack, slice, and shuffle" technique.

And a birthday card for a young Star Wars fan at my church who shares a birthday with my husband. This one is CASEd directly from Wendy Cranford.

I'm not sure I'd want to make this one again, but it was fun to make once! 

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used for birthday card (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Biggest Wish, Well Said, Approaching Perfection (inside sentiment)

Paper - Basic Black, Basic White, Azure Afternoon cardstock; Plaid Tidings DSP

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Azure Afternoon

Tools - Big Shot, Stitched Triangles Dies, Multipurpose Liquid Glue

Supplies used for anniversary cards (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Beautiful Bouquet

Paper - Basic White Thick Cardstock; Basic White and Bermuda Bay cardstock; Dandy Designs DSP

Ink - Coastal Cabana

Accessories - Iridescent Rhinestones Basic Jewels

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

Supplies used for BB-8 card (all Stampin'  Up!):

Stamp set - Best Day

Paper - Basic White, Pumpkin Pie, Smoky Slate, and Basic Black Cardstock; Happy Haunting DSP

Ink - Pumpkin Pie; White Gel Pen

Tools - Big Shot, Layering Circles Dies, Large Numbers Dies, 1" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Cookie Cutter Builder Punch, Classic Label Punch, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

Tap Tap Tap!

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

I was inspired by the tic tac toe challenge at Retro Rubber (left column - your choice, embossing, and ribbon/twine) and the sketch at Try Stampin on Tuesday.

I pulled lots of retired products from my stash for this card - again! The stamp set is from somewhere around 2014, as is the designer paper and the colored cardstock. I wanted to leave the typewriter kind of plain but felt it needed some shiny keys. I found my old gold Stampin' Dazzle Marker, but it didn't give me quite the look I wanted so I added some Clear Wink of Stella on top. I think you can see it in the photo below.

The DSP panel was dry embossed and I added some Early Espresso twine for that needed element. The gold metallic pearls in the corners were in the sketch.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Tap Tap Tap

Paper - Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Summer Starfruit, and Island Indigo Cardstock; Soho Subway DSP

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Summer Starfruit

Accessories - Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Clear Wink of Stella, Gold Stampin' Dazzle Marker, Gold Metallic Pearls

Tools - Big Shot, Layering Squares Framelits, Stamparatus, Pinewood Planks Dynamic Embossing Folder, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Have a Birthday Brew!

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

I'm entering this card in several challenges this week: Paper Craft Crew, Double Trouble Challenge, TGIF Challenge, Paper Players, and Sunday Stamps Challenge. Several challenges were for masculine cards and the others I used for color inspiration and the sketch.

The "vintage" Bubbles & Fizz DSP had all three of the colors I needed but there were some others mixed in. I pulled two patterns with Calypso Coral and Lemon Lime Twist and backed them with a layer of Smoky Slate before adding them to the card base. I also added a few Glitter Epoxy Shapes to look like bubbles.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Bubble Over

Paper - Basic White, Smoky Slate, Lemon Lime Twist Cardstock; Bubbles & Fizz DSP; Silver Foil Sheet

Ink - Calypso Coral, Lemon Lime Twist, Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories - Glitter & Clear Epoxy Shapes

Tools - Big Shot, Bottles & Bubbles Dies, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Ombre Simple Birthday

 Hello and welcome back! Here are today's cards:

I was inspired by the color challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches.

I started out cutting some narrow strips to create the woven cards, using a sketch I found on Pinterest. After trimming the strips, I had a bunch of 2" long pieces that I couldn't let go to waste! And I think that last card is my favorite, so that's going in the challenge.

The strips are Blackberry Bliss and Granny Apple Green from an old SAB DSP pack and the Cherry Cobbler comes in on the sentiment and pearls. They are Iridescent Pearls that I colored with the Dark Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Blend Marker.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Something Fancy, Best Year (inside sentiment)

Paper - Basic White Thick Cardstock; Basic White Cardstock; Oh My Ombre DSP

Ink - Cherry Cobbler; Stampin' Blends: Cherry Cobbler Dark

Accessories - Iridescent Pearls Basic Jewels

Tools - Big Shot, Decorative Dots Embossing Folder, Classic Label Punch, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

Love of Leaves Thoughts

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

This design was inspired by the sketch at CAS Colours & Sketches and the challenge at Color Throwdown.

I used a card base of kraft paper, with layers of black and white. I brought in the sage green with the leaf and the copper with the stripes and the star. I felt it needed a little more of the kraft influence so I added the braided linen trim bow.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Love of Leaves

Paper - Basic Black, Basic White, Kraft Cardstock

Ink - Versamark, Soft Succulent, Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories - Star Designer Elements, Braided Linen Trim, Copper Embossing Powder

Tools - Big Shot, Stitched Leaves Dies, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

I'm a Guest Designer!

 Hello and welcome back! A couple of weeks ago I created a card for the As You See It Challenge and was selected as a Featured Artist. So now I get to be a guest designer for this recipe challenge! Here's my card:

And here is the recipe for this week's challenge:

I'll be the first one to admit that masculine cards are difficult for me. I love to use bling and flowers and ribbon - all the girly stuff! That's why I decided to try a geometrical design instead. The blue squares were die cut using the squares from the Stylish Shapes Dies. I rotated each one to create this quilt block-type focal point. I brought in the earth tones in the Crumb Cake card base and Early Espresso layers, along with the sentiment piece. The twine is linen thread wrapped around the larger sentiment layer.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Cottage Rose

Paper - Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Balmy Blue, Pacific Point, Early Espresso Cardstock; Neutrals DSP

Ink - Early Espresso

Accessories - Linen Thread

Tools - Big Shot, Stylish Shapes Dies, Stitched Rectangles Dies, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Wood Textures Masculine Birthday

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

This design was inspired by the sketch at Hand Stamped Sentiments and the challenge at Double Trouble, along with the woodgrain challenge at Use Your Stuff.

Masculine cards are always difficult for me, as I like to use lots of bling and ribbon and colors. CAS is also difficult, but I think I've hit it with this card. I trimmed down a panel of Wood Textures DSP and spotlighted the center of the tree rings by die-cutting a circle from the center of another piece of DSP. If I planned better, I could have used the same piece of DSP, but I didn't think of the spotlight until the card front had been assembled. The center of the tree fits perfectly with the sketch!

A simple sentiment was added to the front, punched out with the Tailored Tag punch, and layered with another punched piece that was cut in half.

This card will be sent to my BIL, who is celebrating his 65th birthday this week, so I decided to add a funny sentiment to the inside, along with another strip of the wood grain DSP.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Handsomely Suited, Five For All

Paper - Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock, Early Espresso Cardstock, Wood Textures DSP

Ink - Early Espresso

Tools - Big Shot, Layering Circles Dies, Tailored Tag Punch, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Marquee Messages

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

I needed a masculine card for the challenge at Just Add Ink this week.

I also needed a couple of cards for my "catch-up" plan, since I fell off the card wagon several months ago. Here's the other card, slightly different because I forgot which colors I wanted to stamp with!

Some folks might think that bling is not masculine, but these cards are for belated wishes for milestone birthdays, so bling is required! The metallic ribbon helps too!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Marquee Messages

Paper - Basic White, Balmy Blue, and Misty Moonlight cardstock; Silver & Gold 6 x 6 Specialty Paper

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Balmy Blue, Misty Moonlight; Stampin' Blends: Balmy Blue Dark and Light, Misty Moonlight Light, Parakeet Party Dark and Light

Accessories - Basic Rhinestones Jewels, Parakeet Party Metallic Woven Ribbon

Tools - Stamparatus, Paper Snips, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

Whiskey Business Birthday

 Hello and welcome back! My half-sister's husband (does that make him my half brother-in-law?) recently turned 60. I didn't know about his birthday until after, so I thought I'd better make him a card! 

This went together pretty quickly - the thing that took the longest was waiting for the Crystal Effects to dry! Lots of different colors of Stampin' Blends gave me a pretty decent whiskey, I think. And the Crystal Effects make the decanter and glass look a bit more realistic.

The Inkspirational challenge this week is "Ice," and there just happen to be a couple of cubes in that whiskey glass! :) And the challenge at Paper Craft Crew is "Anything Goes."

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Whiskey Business

Paper - Gray Granite, Basic Black, Whisper White cardstock; In Good Taste DSP; Silver Foil Sheets

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; Stampin' Blends: So Saffron Dark & Light, Cinnamon Cider Dark & Light, Pumpkin Pie Light, Pool Party Light

Accessories - Crystal Effects

Tools - Big Shot, Stitched Nested Labels, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Biggest Wish Birthday

 Hello and welcome back! I'm trying to get caught up on my cards this month, so here's another birthday card.

I used inspiration from the color challenge at The Paper Players and the sketch at Sketch Saturday.

This dotted DSP is white and gray, but has a sheen to it that looks more like silver in the right light. I added the black mat to the stamped piece and the matte black dots to the silver foil strips to get all the colors in the challenge. Using the Stamparatus made it super easy to line up the stamping!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Biggest Wish, Best Year (inside sentiment)

Paper - Basic White Thick Cardstock; Basic White, Basic Black, Smoky Slate Cardstock; Neutrals DSP; Silver Foil Sheets

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Smoky Slate

Accessories - Matte Black Dots

Tools - Stamparatus, Stampin' Dimensionals, Multipurpose Liquid Glue