Time Away

Good morning stamping friends,

I just wanted to stop by and tell you that I'm taking a couple of days off from posting. Our family had an extremely difficult week last week that ended with the death of my cousin and the death of a close family friend. I just need a few days to get caught up and take a deep breath.

I plan to be back with a new project on Wednesday. Please keep us all in your prayers - thanks my friends.

Blessings,
~~Robin

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge

Hello stampers - it's Saturday again and around here that means it's the Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge! This week Selene, our sketch queen, gave us this funky corner card that gave us endless possibilities.

As you can see, I chose something soft, feminine and clean, letting the modern lines of the sketch contrast against the old-fashioned images. I've always loved these colors together - they are so fresh and cheerful - I even used to have my kitchen done in these colors! Now it's Kiwi Kiss, Bravo Burgundy and Chocolate Chip - yeah, a big change!
Anyway, here are the details on the card:

Card base layer: Brocade Blue cardstock cut at 4 1/4" x 11", folded to make an A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Barely Banana layer: 4" x 5 1/4"; stamped with the flourish stamp from the Elements of Style stamp set (coming out in the Summer Mini Catalog on May 1st!) in Barely Banana ink.
Brocade Blue layer: 2 3/4" x 4"
Whisper White layer: 2 1/2" x 3 3/4"

The stamping on the Whisper White layer was done using the large floral spray stamp inked up in Brocade Blue ink, stamped off once on my Grid Paper. Once I had my image stamped, I used a Sponge Dauber to add Barely Banana ink to the roses in the image.
Next, I added two layers of Glassy Glaze Embossing Powder with Versamark ink and my Heat Tool. I was planning to go with the Cracked Glass technique here and vintage it up, but I really liked the porcelain coolness of the color contrast. It looks vintage, but then again, not so much. Know what I mean?

Next, I added a piece of Brocade Blue Wide Grosgrain Ribbon to the card, just using SNAIL to adhere it, flagging the end with my ribbon scissors (Paper and Craft Scissors in the IBC). I then added the decorative brad from the Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware kit and popped the embossed panel up on Stampin' Dimensionals. I decided to leave off the element at the top corner. I tried to use several different things there, but I really just liked it as is.
Lastly, I got out my Hard To Say stamp set and used my Brocade Blue Marker to add part of a greeting to the bottom of this card. It was a perfect reminder for me of how the power of prayer has upheld me and my family this week. And has allowed me to refocus my attention by praying for our friends who need it as well.

Anyway, be sure to stop by the Stamping 411 blog and check out all the other operators designs for this sketch. I know they will inspire you to play along with us.
Hug your loved ones today too, ok?
Blessings,
~~Robin

Blogger's Challenge - Green Study

"It ain't easy bein' green, cuz it's the color of the leaves." Sing along with me and Kermit the Frog now.... Yeah, that'll be in your head the rest of the day! :)
This week's blogger's challenge was to create a project with Greens and Neutrals. Naturally at this time of year, my first thought was St. Patrick's Day, however, not being Irish and not having friends that expect a card for the occasion, I decided to go vintage. Of course, isn't that the natural thought process?~! Hahaha! Actually, I cased myself on a card I'd made last week that I'm going to show you next week, but I digress. Here is the green card for today:

I combined two greens - Mellow Moss and Always Artichoke with Naturals Ivory for this card. I did make a handful more to send out to some very special ladies in my life - we've been in the crucible a bit lately and it's always better to walk that road with a friend. In my case 7 friends. Those cards utilized Naturals White for the neutral and it looks lovely, so you could use either cardstock with great results.

The card base is Mellow Moss, the next layer is Naturals Ivory which was embossed with my Big Shot and the Finial Press folder. I then ran a sponge with Mellow Moss ink all over the front and edges of this layer to distress it a bit. Actually, every layer was inked on this card. Inking adds depth and yet another layer of texture without adding bulk to a card.

The middle layer is Always Artichoke layered with more Naturals Ivory. I used my Very Vintage Jumbo Wheel and Mellow Moss ink on this layer and then added Dazzling Diamonds to the swirls and butterfly.

Those two layers were wrapped with Mellow Moss Taffeta Ribbon and one of those simple pretty bows was added with Mini Glue Dots. The initial tag was stamped with the Lovely Letters stamp set in Mellow Moss and I added more glitter to the letter. The 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" Circle Punches allowed me to create the tag and I used the 1/16" Hole Punch to add a spot for the Linen Thread to go through. That was tied around the center of the bow and allowed to dangle freely. For a final touch, I added three cream half-back pearls from the Pretties Kit with Mini Glue Dots. For all it's details, this was really a simple card to construct and I know you can recreate it easily! These would make a great personalized note card set if you need a gift for someone.

Be sure to check out all the other green projects that the Blogger's Challenge Team created this week - you won't be green with envy, you'll come away inspired. The link to their projects is on my sidebar to the left.

I'll be back late tonight with the Saturday Sketch Challenge from Stamping 411 - so come check it out and play along with us! We love it when you show us your stuff!

Stamped Blessings,
~~Robin

UDI Inspiration Challenge - Ice Cream Memories!

Hey there everyone! Aren't you glad it's Thursday?! I am and for oh, so many reasons, not the least of which is that the sun is shining again after two very gray, rainy days AND I have a great project for today's UDI Inspiration Challenge!
Just look at this inspiration photo that Maria gave us this week!

It looks so yummy delicious and makes me want to get in my car and drive either to the beach or to the our local ice cream stand!
Well, since the ice cream stand is closed for the winter and the beach is still just as cold as home, I decided to do the next best thing - scrapbook pictures of ice cream at the beach! :)
Here is the complete 12 x 12 scrapbook page:

I KNOW! Isn't she CUTE!!! Oh, bringing out these pictures brought back so many wonderful memories of our beach vacations when she was little. We still have a wonderful, fun time as a family, but I sometimes miss Emma being that small and just stinkin' adorable!
Here is a close up of the ruffled ribbon and the journaling block:

To do the ribbon that way, just lay down a line of Sticky Strip and freehand scrunch it up along the exposed adhesive, sticking it down as you go. I'd love to be able to stitch on my pages and cards, but Suzy Homemaker I'm not and sewing is just NOT my thing! But that would be a cute alternative for you needle and thread minded crafters! The journaling block is cut with the Big Shot and the Top Note Die. I used my Melon Mambo Stampin' Write Marker to accent the edges before adding my journaling.
Here is a close up of the large circle element:

No, her lips aren't huge, that's just a HUGE ring of chocolate ice cream! Love it!
I used my Big Shot and the Scallop Circle #2 Die to make all three of the Chocolate Chip scallop circles on the page. I then ran them through again with my Texturz plates - Stampin' Up! Backgrounds 1 to mimic the texture of an ice cream cone. The photo was punched out with my 1 3/4" Circle Punch, layered on a Circle cut with the Big Shot and the Circles #2 Die and popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals.
Here is a close up of the other side of the ribbon:

And yes, I think she IS adorable with her mint chocolate chip ice cream cone! Don't those eyes just make you melt?! I used the Modern Label Punch to punch out the photo labels once I'd stamped them on Whisper White cardstock with Chocolate Chip ink. They were outlined with the Melon Mambo Stampin' Write Marker. The stamp set is Warm Words - a perennial favorite!

I hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane with me today and I am so glad I was able to take it with you! Be sure to hop over to the UDI Blog and use the links provided there to see what the rest of the Inpsiration Team created today! I hope you are inspired to GO STAMP SOMETHING! :)

Stamped Blessings,
~~Robin

All Supplies SU!:
Cardstock: Melon Mambo textured, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip
Designer Paper: Razzleberry Lemonade
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Rhinestone Square Ice Brads, Scallop Border Punch

Here I Go Again!

I KNOW! I am using the dickens out of these colors, but don't you just {heart} them together?! Oh, they are so fresh looking together and they make me long for my lilac bush in the backyard to bloom! Soon, I know.....

Now, here's a secret........don't tell, ok?...
This card started off as a mistake! shhh...don't tell!

See the pretty punched Chocolate Chip border along the bottom edge? Yep, that one right there. Well, it's hiding the stamping mistake that I made while making this card here. You know, I just couldn't let it go to waste so I got out some fun things and just made lemonade! (you know, when life hands you lemons, yadda yadda...)

I used my Big Shot and the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder on the card front for texture and then punched a 1" x 5 1/2" strip of Chocolate Chip cardstock with the Scallop Trim Border Punch. (It's FREE with Sale-A-Bration!) Then, I cut yet another piece of that yummy Shades of Spring designer paper and adhered the punched strip to the bottom of the dsp. These two pieces were adhered to the card front with SNAIL.

Then, I got out my yummy new Old Olive Satin ribbon and wrapped two pieces around the entire card front. I double knotted the bottom piece and trimmed the ends into a flag. The top piece has it's ends adhered under the stamped greeting panel. Easy way to hide them and you have pretty ribbon showing on the inside of the card!

The greeting is from All Holidays and is one of my very favorite in the whole catalog. Seriously, if you don't own this stamp set - it's worth having just for this gorgeous greeting. Plus the rest of the set is wonderful too, covering a ton of holidays - yep, All Holidays, get it?! Yeah, I know you do! :)
The only thing I did here was to color the greeting with my Stampin' Write Markers, using Old Olive and Orchid Opulence directly on the stamp. It's stamped onto Whisper White cardstock and then layered onto Orchid Opulence and Chocolate Chip cardstock. I popped it up on Stampin' Dimensionals and siss, boom, bah! it was done!

So, I started with a mistake and could have easily thrown it in the trash, but I found a way to turn it into a treasure with a little creative cover up! Next time you start to throw that mistake into the trash take a long, hard look at it first and see what kind of serendipity you can create!

Stamped blessings!
~~Robin

Circle Circus with Bermuda

Happy Monday stampin' peeps! I don't know about you, but in my little corner of the world, the sun is shining and I can see blue sky. There is a bit of a breeze, but Spring is definitely in the air! Ahhhhh!

Today's card is going to be a quick one - lots to do for a very busy week ahead, but I wanted to make sure I shared something fun with ya'll first! You may remember this post for the Stamping 411 sketch challenge two Saturday's ago - well, I have two workshops coming up this week and wanted to use these fun colors again so I cased myself and designed this card here:

(Yep, if you are attending either Betty or Becky's parties this week - this is the card YOU get to make!)
This one was pretty simple to put together - and in case you haven't noticed - I am addicted to these pretty, simple bows! They are super easy to make and really add just the right touch to a project.

I used Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry - which just SCREAM sunshine to me. Looking at these colors together just send me to the beach in my daydreams.
The stamp sets I used were Circle Circus and the Free Sale-A-Bration set, Whimsical Words. Gotta love FREE stamps! And these are too cute NOT to own - but you only have until March 31st to do that so contact your demonstrator and if that happens to be me, then that's wonderful! :)
So, did you notice the extra special touch on this card?
Look closely.........

That's right! Glitter! Oooh, Ahhh! Everything looks great with a little bling so I added some Dazzling Diamonds to some of the circles for a subtle glitz.
And of course, the inside had to be finished too, so I added a Whisper White panel that is just perfect for adding your personal message!

You know, we could be doing this card at YOUR party this month too IF you have one scheduled with me - or you can choose something else for your hands on experience! Just contact me and we'll get you on my calendar. And to make it even easier for you to plan, you can host your party right here in my studio - you bring the food and friends - I provide the fun!

So, wherever you are today - I hope you are having sunshine and blue skies and if not, then I hope my card has brightened your gray a bit!
Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge - SSC140

Oh, YAY, it's Saturday!
I am SO happy for the weekend this week - it's been a very difficult week here personally - just some family issues going on and Mark and I are feeling very emotionally drained. Thank goodness we not only have our faith and each other to lean on, but such a great kid in our daughter Emma and tons of friends who love us lots! You KNOW who you are and we love you back! :)

Now, I know you didn't come here for jibber-jabber about my problems, so how about I show you this great sketch from our sketch Queen Selene over at our Stamping 411 blog.
I {heart} this sketch so much - I think it has wonderful possibilities and I can't wait to see what you all will do with it! Be sure to hop over to the Stamping 411 blog to see what the other Operators have created with it too! I love working with these ladies, not only are they great artisans, but great friends too!
Here is the sketch for this week:

and here is my card!
I KNOW what you are thinking - you just saw this color/dsp profile YESTERDAY!
Well, isn't it still pretty? :)

I actually created this card on Tuesday of this week and I loved working in these colors so much that when I needed to do yesterday's tote box, I pulled them out again! AND, I made another card too, but I'm saving that till next week and only if you really want to see it!

For today's card, I started with a card base of Orchid Opulence cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" and folded in half to make an A2 card 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". This size fits in SU!'s Medium Envelopes.
The first thing I did was to stamp my greeting in the lower right corner. I wanted it to still be even after adding the texture to it. I used the Thank You Kindly stamp set (Free with Sale-A-Bration!) and Chocolate Chip ink.
Using my Perfect Polka Dots Embossing folder and my Big Shot, I then dry embossed the card front giving it this beautiful texture. I am so enjoying this embossing folder - it really fits many styles beautifully.

The two center panels were cut next. The Certainly Celery piece is cut at 3" x 4 1/4" and the Shades of Spring DSP is cut at 2 3/4" x 4". I simply used SNAIL to adhere them together. The center is wrapped with Chocolate Chip Wide Grosgrain ribbon, adhered to the back with SNAIL and scotch tape. (taking no chances that it will slip out!) I popped this panel up on Stampin' Dimensionals so it would stand out.

For my "elements" I decided upon a single flower instead of multiple things there. And I had my first try at these gorgeous ruffled paper flowers that my friend Jan McClurg taught us all how to make at the Phoenix Regional. (Jan, you ROCK! and YES, they are THAT pretty!)
To make this particular flower, I altered her directions a bit and cut my strip of cardstock at 1 1/4" x 12" using So Saffron to coordinate with the dsp. I punched one entire side with the Eyelet Border Punch then ran the strip through my Crimper 4 times to make it very pliable.

I punched out a piece of the Sticky Pages with my 1 3/8" Circle Punch and put a bit of Dotto on the white side of it to stick it to my Grid Paper while I made the flower. Peeling off the red cover to reveal the adhesive, I then started on the outside edge and slowly pleated the crimped cardstock strip around the circle, working in towards the center as I went around. Once I had my flower layers done, I used my fingers to scrunch it up and shabby it up a bit. It looks so soft in person. The Chocolate Chip Brad was added through the center and it reminds me a bit of a Black-Eyed Susan. Since the entire back side was sticky, no other adhesive was needed and I simply peeled off the white barrier and stuck it to the card front.

But, I still had to do the inside -

You can just see the stamped polka dots peeking out on the Whisper White layer inside. I cut that piece at 4" x 5 1/4". The dots were stamped with Orchid Opulence ink and the Dot, Dot, Dot stamp AND my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig. Imperative to get these babies straight! I stamped the polka dots all the way across the bottom edge and it just looks fresh and pretty on the inside.

So, that's my take on this week's sketch - what will you create? Be sure to head over to Stamping 411 to upload your project using the Mr. Linky widget provided. You only need to have added it to your blog or an online gallery first in order to play along - and we sure hope you do!

Enjoy your Saturday everyone and hug the ones you love!
~~Robin