Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge - SSC150

Hello stampers! It's that time again - another fun sketch from Stamping 411! I've had a great week getting back into the groove after cruisin' last week and I've been stamping a LOT! All that sunshine must have recharged my mojo! :)
I loved the sketch that Selene gave us to work with this week and knew immediately what stamp set I wanted to work with.
Here is the sketch:

And here is my card:

Can you tell that I was still in a tropical mood?! Actually, when I saw the three little elements across the top of the sketch, I just knew that the little flowers in the Tropical Party stamp set would be perfect to use there. So, here is how I made the card beginning with the card base.
I folded a piece of Old Olive cardstock in half to make a card measuring 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". It is sponged around the edges with Soft Suede ink.
The next layer is Naturals White cardstock cut at 4" x 5 1/4". I ran it through the Big Shot with the Texturz plates and then sponged the edges and surface with more Soft Suede ink.
Next comes another Old Olive layer which was also sponged and then layered with another piece of Naturals White that I stamped with the palm leaf in Old Olive. Yep, it's sponged too!
I added a small strip of the Island Oasis DSP across the bottom of this piece and all of it was sponged before adhering it to the Old Olive mat.

For embellishments, I used a piece of narrow Twill Tape and wrapped around the focal panel to cover the dsp seam. To accent it, I tied two pieces of Linen Thread on one side of the tape. On the opposite side, I added one of the large flowers from the stamp set. This was stamped on Naturals White cardstock using the Rock-n-Roll technique. The stamp was inked up first in Pumpkin Pie ink, then I rolled the edges in Rose Red ink. I trimmed this out with my paper snips and punched a hole in the center to add the Vintage Brad. Once I adhered the flower to my card with a Stampin' Dimensional, I brushed on Crystal Effects to make it stand out.

For the three small flowers I followed the same process as the large flower, eliminating the brad for the center.
My greeting was added by stamping it on a piece of Naturals White cardstock and punching it out with the Curly Label Punch. After sponging, I adhered it behind the focal panel, finishing the card's front.

Here is a photo of the inside:

For this, I simply cut a piece of Naturals White cardstock at 4" x 5 1/4", sponging the edges with Soft Suede ink. I did two more Rock-n-Roll flowers, one full strength, one stamped off and then added some palm fronds in the corners. The message inside comes from the Heard From the Heart stamp set and was colored using Stampin' Write Markers.

I had a lot of fun making this card and I hope you've enjoyed seeing it! Now be sure to visit the Stamping 411 blog and check out what all the other operators have done with the sketch - I know you'll love the samples! Then you can take some time and play along this week - all the information you need to do that is on the Stamping 411 blog. We love to see your creations!

Have a great weekend everyone!
~~Robin

A RAK and a Bonus!

Last week while I was on the cruise, I showed you a few RAK's from my stampin' friends. RAK means Random Act of Kindness and in a stampers case, in the form of a card or handmade gift. I love getting what I call "happy mail" from my friends - it is always something beautiful!

Well, I had a few more that I didn't have time to photograph before I left and I'll be showing you those in the coming days, starting with this beauty from my buddy Selene Kempton. Selene and I met at my first Founder's Circle Retreat the year we both earned spots among the Rising Stars and have been buds ever since. She is also the sketch genius at our shared teaching blog Stamping 411. Love this girl to pieces!

Just look at this beautiful card she sent me:

Isn't this just fresh, bright and fun?! I love how happy it makes me feel!
And looky at this next photo - see what else she sent me?!

Yep, the title of that candy bar says it all "Exceptionals"! It's a hugemongous, luscious dark chocolate bar (my fave of faves!) and I'm having a hard time eating just a square at a time - it's yummy delicious! :)

Thanks so much Selene for my beautiful card and this 'exceptional' goodie!

Have a blessed day everyone,
~~Robin

UDI Inspiration Challenge - Flower Trio

Hey there stampers! After missing the last two UDI Inspiration Challenges, it was SO good to get back to it this week! When I opened the photo file from our challenge Mom, Maria, I was thrilled and knew immediately what I wanted to do for this card.
Here is the photo she sent us to work from:

And here is my card:

I loved the bright, fun, contemporary feel of the photo and just decided to do MY version of the cool wall art in it. The Daisies Die and my Big Shot were the first thing that came to mind and I simply had to find the right colors of cardstock to make my flowers. From top to bottom I used Perfect Plum and Almost Amethyst; Riding Hood Red and Pumpkin Pie and Kiwi Kiss with Crushed Curry. The small Daisy on the die was the perfect size for adding to 1 1/2" Squares of Shimmer White cardstock. I simply offset the daisies so both colors would show, attached them with Mini Glue Dots and then added a coordinating color of Rhinestone Circle Brads. Once the brads were attached through the cardstock squares, I mounted them to the next layer with Stampin' Dimensionals.

The layer they are on is made with more Shimmer White cardstock which I ran through my Big Shot with the new Lattice Embossing Folder. I just thought the card (which is also Shimmer White cardstock) needed texture to add emphasis to the layers.

To bring in the look of the striped table runner in the photo, I used a piece of Whisper White Organza Ribbon around the dry embossed layer. What? Oh, yes, I KNOW - the ribbon isn't white on the card. That's because I used my Sponge Dauber to color it with Melon Mambo ink! Because the ribbon has both sheer and satin, the mambo ink appears two tone and was a great mimic for the runner. Love how this turned out!

For adding the greeting, I took my cue from the falling petals in the inspiration photo and added it under the ribbon at the bottom of the card. It's stamped with Teeny Tiny Wishes in Melon Mambo and punched out with the Curly Label Punch. Love this way of doing a greeting - you'll see more of this later on!

And that's pretty much it for this card - so easy and hardly any stamping! I did add a message on the inside, but kept it simple, no embellishment added.
Be sure to stop by the UDI Blog to see what the rest of the design team was inspired to create - I'm sure you'll love what they've done!
Glad you stopped by today - I'll have more cruise photos to share soon, so come back to visit, ok?
Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Sympathy in Hunter

I don't think any of us actually like making Sympathy cards, but sadly, they are necessary and are so meaningful to the recipient. Most especially when they know it was hand made with love.

Unfortunately, yesterday, I needed to sit down and create several of these for friends near and far who experienced a loss while we were away. I hope they know that they are near in heart and prayers as well when they open the envelopes.

I tried to keep the cards simple and I love the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set for doing just that. This tree image is a beautiful one and can be used for many occasions, but it lends itself so well for a Sympathy card.
I inked up the main image with Stampin' Write Markers, coloring directly on the stamp. I used Chocolate Chip for the trunk and Sage Shadow for the leaves. I then dotted some Handsome Hunter over the Sage to give it the two toned effect.
The image was stamped on a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, which was sponged with Close to Cocoa ink (as were all the layers). After stamping, I layered it onto pieces of Close to Cocoa and Sage Shadow cardstock.

The greeting, from Teeny Tiny Wishes, was stamped in Handsome Hunter on more Very Vanilla cardstock. It was punched out with the Word Window punch, sponged and layered on a piece of Handsome Hunter that was punched out with the Modern Label Punch. It's simply attached with SNAIL adhesive.

For the cardbase, I used Handsome Hunter and wrapped it with Hemp Twine, securing it behind the focal layers which were mounted with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Then I stamped the inside panel:

The tree image is simply done with leftover ink that was on the stamp from the focal point. I did not clean my stamp, but 'huffed' on it (like how you clean your eyeglasses) to re-wet the ink and stamped onto the piece of Very Vanilla cardstock leaving a muted image. Very soft and pretty.
The greeting was simply added with Close to Cocoa ink by using my Stamp-a-ma-Jig tool.

This layout is a simple one and could be adapted for many projects - in fact it's one I've used many times in the past because it's so versatile.

Have a wonderful day my stamping friends and hug the ones you love!
Blessings,
~~Robinn

After Cruise Blues!

Yes, my stamping friends - it's back to reality in the Merriman home!
After a week of pampering, spoiling and just plain decadence, we are back to making our own beds, washing our own clothes and cooking our own meals. I think I need another vacation! :)

I actually am very happy to be back and after the fabulous time we had last week am ready to get back to work - stamping!
The cruise was truly an incredibly relaxing and fun experience for our whole family. After all the struggles of the past year, we were able to leave it all behind for a few magical days and enjoy fun in the sun as a family and with wonderful friends! Here are just a few photos of our trip, I'll have more to share over the coming days - can't wait to show you the ones from our zipline excursion! And I have some creative projects to share with you too!

This photo is one of my faves - Emma in front of the ship in Barbados.

Yes, we are still in love after almost 19 years!

Just one of my yummy desserts - shocker - there is NO chocolate in this one!

Beautiful blue skies over Antigua as we head out on our Pirate Adventure!

Don't we look ready for some fun in the sun?

Wow, what a contrast between the two ships!

Ahhh, Tiramisu at our Portofino dinner - amazing!

Such cute animals on our bed each night!

You know this is not on my Weight Watchers Plan!
But it sure was delish!

It was just the perfect day!
Warm tropical water, beautiful blue skies and my fabulous kiddo right there with me.
It just doesn't get any better than that!

I'll be back later today with a card for you all!
Blessings,
~~Robin

It Doesn't Get Much Sweeter!

Hey everyone! I am back from the Stampin' Up! Cruise, but won't be back to work until tomorrow so enjoy one last pre-scheduled post - and it's a doozy!

So, I didn't get a chance to photograph all the fun RAK's that I received in my swap packages before we left on cruise, but this one came early enough that I was able to share it with you.
Kerin Sylvester is an AMAZING stamper and she is not only part of my GoDivas swap group, but one of the Stamping 411 Operator team as well.

Kerin made a super fun swap card using the new stamp set Sweet Scoops, which is available NOW in the Summer Mini Catalog! She also sent me this totally adorable box that she made!
Isn't it just da' bomb?!

But wait, the best is yet to come:

YAY! Chocolate just for me!!!!

Oh, yumm!

Kerin used the new Sweet Scoops Stamp set and new Island Oasisl DSP to create this cute box - I just love it! Here is the link to Kerin's blog and the template for creating this fabulous little box.
Thanks so much Kerin!

Blessings,
~~Robin

A Tri-fecta of RAK's!

Just a reminder that I am on the Stampin' Up! Cruise this week, all my posts were pre-scheduled.

Some of you who read my blog regularly know that I host a swap group of amazing demonstrator stampers - the GoDivas. Well, just before I left for cruise, I received all the cards from this round - items from the upcoming Summer Mini Catalog! They are simply fabulous and I'll be showing you some of them in coming days. But, today I wanted to share the BOUNTY that my friend Susie Wood included in her swap package - just for me! Susie is an amazing demonstrator and stamper from Iowa and we met three years ago at my first Founder's Circle Trip. I just love her to pieces and I'm getting to spend some time with her this week on cruise.

Susie sent me three cards that she had made for other swaps - just so I would have a sample for my board! And she sent me a big chocolate candy bar too, but that didn't last long enough to photograph! :)

Here are her super cute cards:

Love the black and white here - she used the new Elements of Style stamp set and the new Lattice Embossing Folder! So beautiful!

And isn't this a fun card?! Love the fact that Wild Wasabi is returning in July with the new Big Catalog! WooHoo! This card uses the stamp set Tropical Party along with Heard from the Heart.

Lastly, this lovely card features the stamp set Watercolor Trio - talk about simple elegance! So pretty!
Thanks so much Susie!

Glad you stopped by today!
Blessings,
~~Robin