Driving by with a Birthday 'hi'

Another great sketch for the PPA77 Challenge. My stash of birthday cards has diminished greatly and my card style seems to have changed enough that I can't even think to send some of the 'older' ones out. LOL (Although I'm not so sure I'm liking this one either-urgh!)THe juices got flowin' by using the PPA77 sketch and the SCS color challenge (CC306): Bravo Burgundy, Pear Pizazz, and Baja Breeze. Wasn't sure how I'd make it work, but Bravo Burgundy helped me go masculine! I donno, does this work for masculine??
* Standard Baja Breeze cardbase texturized with a zip through the Big Shot and the Texturz I Background Plates
* Amazing what some texture does to a card! Zipped the piece of Bravo Burgundy through w/ the same plate
* Snazzed up the Pear Pizazz with a change of pattern and used the argyle Texturz I Background Plate
* Inked up the truck from Loads of Love in Basic Brown

* Ready to color? Grab your Blender Pens!
TIP: Let your inked blender fade out the color to give it that watercolor feel and to 'highlight' areas.
Add a touch more highlighting with your White Signo Gel Pen


* Sentiment inked in Bravo Burgundy and popped out with a 1"Circle Punch and matted on a 1-1/4 Circle of Bravo Burgundy

Not vintagey, not frilly, not quite sure LOL But it will work for the intended recipient! He'll never admit anything to me anyway ;)
Thanks Margaret for a great sketch and thank you for stopping by for a little dose of me! I hope you liked my take on these challenges and I hope it inspires you to get your fingers inky I'd love to know what ya think, esp, if you think it works for masculine?! I love it when you share!
Any questions, I am always just a click away!

You can purchase all products online with me or email me with your orders.

Happy Kreating

Elements of Style

Still trying to get back on my feet after being sick for now 2 weeks. UGH!! And I am now just praying that I am not relapsing! Go figure, pretty healthy all winter, spring arrives and whammo - ok, you're not here for a 'sob' story, but I thought I'd at least explain why I've been MIA! On with the card...
This card started with the Sweet Sunday Sketch #65 and this weeks current color challenge (CC267)of Basic Gray, Apricot Appeal, and Sage Shadow - all these colors we will be bidding a Fond Farewell, so stock up while you can!! But we will be welcoming new colors in the Color Renovation and very soon, May 1st, we will be welcoming the set Elements of Style(120045-clear mount)from the Summer Mini Catalog, that I used on this card! This one was a bit labor intensive - Snip, snip, snip, crazy me, but it really gave it that extra wowsa effect!
* The floral image was inked in Basic Gray and colored in direct to image with 'layers' of Apricot Appeal and Sage Shadow Markers
* Remember I said crazy me... I snipped out the entire image - some tight spots required use of my hobby blade, otherwise the sharpness of the Paper Snips enables precision. Love them!!
* Popped up the image on Whisper White, matted with Basic Gray, with dimensionals - TIP: Give a little dimension to your card, the results stand out :)
* Coloring directly to the stamp with a Sage Shadow body and Apricot Appeal beak allows you to get different colors on one image. Huge bonus to have markers for this effect!! I used 2 dimensionals stacked on each other to raise the bird above the flowers.
* Sentiment inked in Sage Shadow and popped out with a 1" Circle Punch and placed in a circular frame from the Hodgepodge Hardware set.
* The coordinating Sage Shadow DSP is from the To The Nines Specialty paper mounted onto Basic Gray
* The standard Sage Shadow cardbase is given a decorative background with stamped off Whisper White baroque flourish image

I think it has some Elements of Style! What do you think? If you liked todays kreation won't you take a moment to leave me a comment! I LOVE to know your thoughts!! Even if you think I was crazy to snip out that flower - hehe :) (But I think I'd do it again!)

Any questions about any of my kreations, I am only a click away :) And thanks for taking a moment to stop by to get a little dose of me :)

Happy Kreating

You can purchase all products online with me or email me with your orders.

Its Magical

This adorable little fairy is a sneak peek at a new set, A Little Bit of Magic, in the much anticipated Summer Mini Catalog (sales period begins May 1). I'll be sharing more peeks over the next few weeks ;)
I couldn't wait to play with this set, it is perfect for those of you that like to 'color'. I decided to use the current SCS Color Challenge(CC266) using a few colors we'll be bidding Farewell to in July : Ruby Red, Blush Blossom and Cameo Coral - they worked perfectly for this image!! HINT: Don't fret about Blush Blossom, the marker will still be available for purchase. Thank goodness as it is a great match for skin tones! Phew!
* Started with a Cameo Coral card base with a beautifully delicate and sparkly Blush Blossom layer.
* Blush Blossom was run through the Big Shot and my 'swirly' Texturz Background plate and given a decorative edge with the Scallop Trim Border Punch. A bit of fairy 'dust'/Dazzling Diamonds highlights a few of the embossed swirls for the perfect magical touch. I used a sponge dauber and versamark ink and lightly brushed over the embossed swirls. Then sprinkled on Heat and Stick powder, heat with my heating tool until the powder melts and then sprinkled on my diamonds. Love it!!
* Ran a piece of Cameo Coral through the Big Shot with my Scallop Circles #2 die.
* Cut a Ruby Red circle out using my Circle Scissors Plus and matted my image on dimensionals
* This precious image was inked in Jet Black Stazon and using SU Markers and Blender Pen was colored in. Colors used: Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Blush Blossom, Certainly Celery, Creamy Caramel.
* Wings and mushroom dazzle with some more diamonds. Click photo to enlarge for more detail. Can't have magic without pixie dust, right??

Sorry for the dark photo, it was the only way I could photograph the sparkle a bit.

I hope this little pixie put a smile on your face :) If she did, won't you please take a moment to leave me a comment, it would put a smile on my face :) Love to know your thoughts :)

Any questions about any of my kreations or products used, I am only a click away :) Thanks for taking a moment to stop by to get a little dose of me :)

Happy Kreating

You can purchase all products online with me or email me with your orders.



Supplies:
Stamps: A Little Bit of Magic (Coming Soon-Summer Mini 120033-CM)
Paper: Cameo Coral, Blush Blossom, Ruby Red, Whisper White
Ink: SU Markers: Cameo Coral, Blush Blossom, Ruby Red, Certainly Celery, Creamy Caramel
Accessories: Circle Scissor Plus, Big Shot, Scallop Circle #2, Background Texturz Plate - swirls, White Organza Ribbon, Scallop Trim Border, Heat and Stick Powder, Heat Tool, Dazzling Diamonds, Blender Pen




A copy of the Summer Mini may be arriving in your mail boxes shortly. If you don't have a demonstrator and would like a copy of this 31 page mini, drop me an email with your address and I'd be happy to pop one in the mail for you!!

2 Challenges in 1

Purple and yellow is a hot color craze these days and my good friend Kris from Kween Bee Kreations put us up for a challenge. With these colors in mind and the current PPA sketch, by the talented Margaret Moody, this card had a jump start. If you are fumbling for an idea or inspiration, look to the many challenges out in blogland to get those kreative juices flowin'!
After almost 20" of snow yesterday, I needed to feel 'spring'.
* I grabbed A Kind Word set, and inked up the girl on her swing in Black Stazon and stamped onto Watercolor Paper.
* Using my Aquapainter, I colored in her hat and apron in Elegant Eggplant, her dress in Barely Banana, the bird in Summer Sun and the flowers in Orchid Opulence. Her skin colored with Blush Blossom and cheeks a rosy glow with a little Pretty in Pink. The background lightly colored with Almost Amethyst. TIP: Squeeze a closed SU pad and upon opening, you will have a little pool of ink in the lid to dip your aquapainter in. {Wishing the photo didn't wash it out so much, much prettier in person, but you'll just have to use your imagination to see more vivid colors!)
* Using Barely Banana and the new Scallop Trim Border (only available with a $50+ order in the Sale-a-bration brochure), I gave the image panel a decorative edge.
* Each scallop was enhanced a bit with a dollup of Frost Shimmer Paint (use an end of a paint brush or stylus to get a little dot of paint). When back to my image and added a few 'pearls' around her neck. Click on image to enlarge. Cute right?!
* Another piece of Barely Banana layered with a piece of Cottage Wall Designer paper kreates my vertical panel behind my focal point.
* Layered onto my standard card base of Orchid Opulence (once again my photo appears off - looking more pinkish than purple :( Bad lighting day!)
* Inked up the sentiment in Orchid Opulence and stamped onto Barely Banana and popped out with the Modern Label Punch. Popped out another Modern Label in Orchid Opulence and cut it in half to layer underneath. Popped up the sentiment with dimensionals
* A few half back pearls add just enough pizazz to finish off this card.

Hope you'll go find inspiration at Kween Bee Kreations or the PPA and upload your kreation/s to Mr Linky. Happy Stamping!

You can purchase all products online with me or email me with your orders. Don't forget your Sale-a-bration FREEBIES with orders of $50+ (before shipping and tax)

Triple Play: 3 challenges, BLOG CANDY, and a surprise!

Wow, my 300th post and its my birthday. What are the chances? So that deserves a little celebration :) How 'bout a little blog candy and a surprise... but first let me tell you about todays kreation. I had good intentions to have my PPA challenge completed with the SCS color challenge AND SCS sketch challenge - triple play :) BUT, you never can predict when sickness strikes. Thankfully my daughter is back to her energetic self and no one else has been stricken by any bugs. Thank you to those that held us up in your prayers and sent me encouraging words during the week. I have to say a special thank you to one of my readers, Louise from Perth Australia who sent me such an endearing note and it really warmed my heart after a tough week. So thank you Louise!!

SO, Christmas Cheer with PPA, a VERY, BRAVO, KRAFT for CC244 and the sketch that follows... here is my interpretation of all three.
As usual, my camera doesn't capture the shimmer that was introduced to the embossed 'poinsettia' images using Champagne Shimmer paint, so you'll have to use your imagination a tad! :)
* Standard card base of Bravo Burgandy
* Layered with a piece of Kraft cardstock that was run through my Big Shot and embossed with the beautiful Petals a Plenty Embossing Folder. I repeated this with my Bravo Burgundy squares too.
* Using a Sponge Dauber and Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, I lightly applied the shimmer to the raised petal images on both the Kraft and Burgundy paper - SO pretty!!
* Layered my Burgundy squares onto Very Vanilla which using a sponge dauber again and some Soft Suede ink, distressed the edges. Then distressed the edges of the Kraft cardstock as well. Followed my sketch (SCS254) and adhered my square panels to my card.
* For some PPA Christmas Cheer, what better set than Good Cheer, to ink up in Bravo Burgundy craft ink and emboss with my heat tool and Clear Embossing Powder.
* Colored in my image using my SU Markers, Creamy Caramel, Blush BlossomBravo Burgundy, Mellow Moss and Old Olive. TIP: My reindeer is only colored with Creamy Caramel. Color over the same area for a darker hue.
* I lightly went over the entire image with my Soft Suede dauber. And then distressed the edges with a combination of Creamy Caramel (was too creamy against the Kraft), Soft Suede and Bravo Burgundy. Additional gave the edges some shimmer was some more Champagne Shimmer Paint to the edges.
* A few Antique Brass eyelets where giving the perfect placement with the help of my Mat Pack (piercing pad and template).

Hope you enjoyed my triple play :)

Now lets celebrate. Here are some goodies for you. A retired set and wheel, an 'art by...' stamp, a skinny tin and some handmade goodies inside. Just leave me a comment by Sat Nov 21st and let me know what brings you Christmas Cheer? A winner will be announced Monday Nov 23rd.




Surprise...That's not all!!!!! From now until noon(ET) November 25th, if you place a $50+ order with me, your shipping is FREE (sorry, US only)!! And thats still not all. Take advantage of the Holiday Gift Giving Guide and promotion and my FREE shipping offer. The Holiday Gift Giving promo: For every $50 you spend on products in the Gift-Giving Guide, you can choose a FREE Décor Element (valued up to $16.95). FREE shipping and FREE decor element, can you pass it up?
Any questions or assistance with your order, I am a click away. I will respond within 24 hours! Orders MUST be emailed to me to receive your FREE shipping!! If you'd rather place an online order with me, email me and we can discuss reimbursement.


Thanks for celebrating with me :)

Shop ALL product orders online with me.

Just Beachy

This card was inspired by 2 challenges this week, SCS Color Challenge 220So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie and Bashful Blue andSCS Sketch Challenge 230. Denise and I are part of the same demo group and I want to say congrats to her, that her color combo was selected for this weeks challenge. Check out her adorable card sample here that uses the Choo Choo set, from the Occasions Mini catalog.
So, the colors made me think BEACH :) Ahhhh!! Drifted away there a minute. I used images from the Just Beachy set also in the Occasions Mini catalog. Don't wait, you only have until June 30th to order from this catalog.
I used a piece of retired Bashful Blue designer paper that had some swirls and swishes that made me think ocean waves, I highlighted a few with my White Signo Gel Pen. I ran my vertical piece of Pumpkin Pie through my Big Shot with the Texturz Background also swirlies. Then I used a Sanding Block on the embossed swirlies to kreate a 'whitish' look on the embossed image. I colored all my images in with my So Saffron, Bashful Blue and Pumpkin Pie SU Markers and accented with my White Signo Gel Pen. I printed out my sentiment on the computer, punched it out using my Word Window Punch. Followed my sketch and colors, Just Beachy! :)

Important Dates:
May 31st - LAST DAY for May Promotions!
June 1st - Last Chance List (AKA Retired List) to be revealed!
June 30th - LAST DAY to order from the Occasions Mini Catalog
Last day to order from the Last Chance List(to be released June 1)
Last day to order from the Dormant Stamp List

Shop Online Now for all your favorite Stampin' Up! products.

Happy Kreating

Supplies:
Stamps: Just Beachy(113796,Occasions Mini)
Paper: Whisper White(100730), So Saffron(105118), Pumpkin Pie(105117), Bashful Blue(105120)
Ink: SU Markers So Saffron(105114), Pumpkin Pie(105115), Bashful Blue(105111)
Accessories: 1" Circle Punch(109046), 1-1/4" Punch(104403), Word Window Punch(105090), White Signo Gel Pen(105021), Big Shot(113439), Texturz Background Plates(114512), Sanding Block(103301), Dimensionals (104430)

Real Red Cherries

And the colors are... Real Black Olives!!! I decide on cherries though. Real Red, Old Olive, Basic Black and your choice of Whisper White or Very Vanilla - that was SCS Tuesday Color Challenge. Immediately I thought of my very neglected Tart 'n Tangy set - I love this little set of four, makes me think summer :) Click here, for a few more fun samples with this set. My base is Whisper White and I inked up my cherries with my Stampin' Up! Markers: Real Red and Old Olive. Color directly on your stamp for custom colored images, a 'huff' of air to remoisten the ink and stamp.
I used a piece of scrap to mask off the right side of my card and only stamped my custom colored image along the left side. I lined up the remainder of the card with my large polka dots Texturz Plate and ran it through my Big Shot. By only doing a portion of the card you will end up with a 'seam' from the plate - no problem!!! Its hidden under my Black Gingham Ribbon :) Cool huh - you'd never know! A Circle Fire Rhinestone adds the perfect touch to the center of my bow. I stamped out my cherries one last time and popped them out with my 1-3/8" Circle Punch. Then I took my VersaMarker and traced over my image and sprinkled with Clear Embossing Powder. Used my Heat Tool to give it that shiny raised image. Matted it on a Real Red punched Scallop Circle which was given some extra detail with a White Signo Pen. A quick Rub-on transfer kreates my sentiment. Thanks a bunch for stoppin by :)


Shop Online Now for all your favorite Stampin' Up! products.

Happy Kreating


Supplies:
Stamps: Tart n Tangy (111514)
Paper: Whisper White (100730), Real Red (102482)
Ink: Real Red Marker (100052), Old Olive Marker (100079)
Accessories: VersaMarker (100901), Clear Embossing Powder (109130), Heat tool (100005), Signo White Gel Pen (105021), Circle Fire Rhinestone (109110), Black Gingham Ribbon (104832), 1-3/8" Circle Punch (104401), Scallop Punch (109043),Big Shot (113439), Texturz Background Plate (114512), Rub-ons (this one retired, but refer to Rub-ons in your catalog for other options page 172-173)

Wishing You Happiness Today and Always

I love to start out with a sketch and Julee Tilman's Mojo Monday designs are always great to work with. I combined my sketch with the SCS Color Challenge 215 which as you can see is Pretty in Pink, Rose Red and Basic Gray. I had to throw in a bit of Certainly Celery for my leaves - forgive me :) I inked up my image with SU Markers, coloring directly onto your stamp allows you to add a variety of color to your image. Give it a little huff of breath to re-moisten the ink and stamp. The larger Pretty in Pink square behind my image and fluttering butterflies was dry embossed with my Big Shot and Texturz Background plate. My butterflies from Dreams Du Jour were stamped on Pretty in Pink with Rose Red Craft ink and embossed them with Clear Embossing Powder, then snipped them out with Paper Snips. My sentiment from Heard from the Heart was also inked in Rose Red Craft ink and embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. TIP: For embossing, you will need to use either Craft ink or VersaMark ink so your embossing powder will stick to the ink before using your heat tool to emboss. My sentiment panel was given a decorative edge with the Eyelet Border Punch and then sponged with Rose Red. Half back pearls from the Pretties Kit accent my sentiment and a Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon tops off the panel. Wishing YOU happiness....

For now, go kreate
Kim

Supplies:
Stamps: Thoughts and Prayers (113252), Heard from the Heart (111644), Dreams du Jour (111624)
Paper: Basic Gray (108692), Pretty in Pink (100459), Rose Red (102544), Whisper White (100730)
Ink: Pretty in Pink Marker (100045), Certainly Celery Marker (105106), Rose Red Marker (100063), Rose Red Craft Ink (101545)
Accessories: Pretties Kit Pearls (109114), Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon (109064), Clear Embossing Powder (109130), Heat Tool (100005), Eyelet Border Punch (113692), Daubers (102892), Snips (103579), Big SHot (113439), Texturz Background Plate (114512)

Inspired By Nature, CC207

While I'm still in Florida, hopefully enjoying the warmer weather, I was able to pre-post this before leaving. Hopefully no technical issues will occur. This card was inspired by last weeks SCS color challenge (CC207) and a sketch from Stamps and Smiles blog. Not my usual colors, but I think it turned out ok. I inked up this large stamp by using daubers to isolate the colors I wanted and then 'huffed' on the stamp to remoisten it before setting it on my Whisper White. I used my Scallop Edge Punch to decorate the edges of my Kiwi Kiss layer and then placed that on Pumpkin Pie and Summer Sun. The sentiment from Sincere Salutations was inked in Pumpkin Pie Craft ink and embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. Punched it out with the Wide Oval Punch and sponged the edges with Pumpkin Pie and offset it with a Summer Sun Wide Oval. Hope you liked it.

You will be able to view the Occasions Mini in its entirety on April 1st. But going on now, Pre-order select sets from the upcoming Occasions Mini Catalog. You'll get brand new limited time Easter sets, make sure to check these out.
Also available now is the new exclusive SU Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Die (pg 202 of the Spring Summer Catalog -item #114517) for $7.95. And don't forget you can still earn Sale-a-bration rewards too! Fun Fun!

For now go kreate
Kim

Mojo Monday 73 Meet CC205

As you can see from my title, this card was inspired by the Splitcoaststampers Color Challenge and the Mojo Monday sketch. I started with a Perfect Plum base, layered with Pink Pirouette and a piece of Bella Rose DSP. I inked out my butterflies from the Flight of the Butterfly,a 2-step technique set, in Perfect Plum. I inked off (stamping on scrap) a few times to get my butterflies to be various shades. I took the the little flowers stamp from the set and inked it in Perfect Plum craft ink and dusted them with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder and used my heat tool to set the sparkle. The edges of the Whisper White were sponged with Perfect Plum craft and given that same sparkle with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder. TIP: If you click on the photo to enlarge you may see a bit more of the sparkle- never easy to capture. My hand dotted flight paths were kreated with Old Olive Marker and the sentiment also inked in Old Olive. The Kiwi Kiss corners were kreated with the Scallop Edge Punch and a triangle template. White taffeta ribbon and some bling, Circle Ice Rhinestone Brads, finish off my card.
Happy Stamping! Enjoy your day

For now, go kreate :)
Kim

200th Challenge

No, I haven't completed that many challenges, but I thought I'd participate this week in the Color Challenge (CC190) and the 200th Sketch challenge (SC200)at Splitcoast Stampers. 200, that's a lot of sketches! This was definitely a challenge for me! I'm not a big fan of orange to begin with and the colors for the challenge were Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, and Pixie Pink - not colors I would normally put together at all, but hey, this was a challenge for me - that's what its all about (all of a sudden I'm singing the Hokey Pokey)
I decorated the edge of Kiwi Kiss with the Scallop Edge punch and then randomly stamped the small flourish from the Priceless set in Old Olive. Edged a piece of Pixie Pink with the Scallop Edge Punch and layered it behind Kiwi Kiss and set it on Tangerine Tango. Inked the butterflies from Flight of the Butterflies in Pumpkin Pie (don't own Tangerine Tango, so this blends just fine) and Pixie Pink onto Whisper White and then layered on Pixie Pink. The inner images of the butterfly (ie solid, polka dots, sm flowers) were stamped first and then the line image stamped second. Love 2 step stampin - it allows you to mix and match images and colors for a variety of looks. If you want precision, you will want to invest in a Stamp-a-mi-jig. I on the other hand like when my images are a bit offset from one another and just like to eyeball it. My sentiment, from Warm Words (currently on the Dormant list which is available until January 18th) was inked in Pumpkin Pie and punched out using the Word Window Punch and offset on a Pixie Pink punched Oval. Three Circle Ice (green) Brads were added to the upper left. So honestly, how did I do on this challenge? Still not sure I like the Tangerine Tango, probably shouldn't have used it as my base, maybe just as a highlight color. Stamp and learn...
I'll be back tomorrow with my last 2 Christmas stamp a stack cards. See you then :)

For now, go kreate
Kim

Here is the sketch if you'd like to give it a try