A new look!

Thanks to Silvia for convincing me that my font colors were not going to be wicked hard to change when I added the background!  Hopefully you all like this layout too!

Gettin' Krafty!

So, I've been looking at this challenge over on the Verve Visual blog for almost 2 weeks now....  I *just* ordered Kraft cardstock this month too.  What a coincidence!  Unlike the last Verve Challenge I played in, I didn't wait till QUITE the last minute this time (last time I uploaded my stuff with about half an hour to spare!).  So here is my "Gettin' Krafty" card:

I have also been playing with another swap that is due in October that I am using the Season of Joy stamp set for, so I thought I would combine the two.  Obviously, I can't use THIS for my swap since I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder, retired paper and Stickles on the image, but it's a start!  This is actually a Gift card holder too.... here's what it looks like OPEN:

This would be a fun and easy gift card holder to make for Teachers, babysitters and all those other people we thank with a little something around the Holidays.  And because it doesn't actually say CHRISTMAS, it's good for anyone!

The card holder is a 2 3/4" x 8 1/2" strip of Riding Hood Red Cardstock scored at 7" and then scalloped on one end and scored 5" from the scallops and folded into the holder shape.  The DSP was layered on top and cut to fit and then punched with the circle punch. I tied the bow with Kraft Taffeta on the flap, then the holder was glued down the sides.  I ran the Kraft piece (4 x 5.25 or "mountable card front size") thru my Cuttlebug in the Swiss dots folder, added the Chocolate Chip ribbon and attached the holder with Sticky Strip.  The image was stamped in Riding Hood Red on Whisper White, cut to size and adhered to the holder and then "stickled".  Love the BLING!  LOL!

Supplies used:

Papers - Kraft, Riding Hood Red and Whisper White Cardstock; Wild Wasabi Prints Paper (Retired)

Ink - Riding Hood Red

Ribbon- Double Stitched Chocolate Chip and Kraft Taffeta

Other- Scallop Edge and 3/4" Circle punches, Stickles, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder

Another Cupcake Swap!

I did this card for my Swappers Anonymous "New Catalog" swap that was due this month. 

I used the "Crazy For Cupcakes" ATC from my other swap (See post Sept 2) as a starting point and built the card around it.  I used the matching Cupcakes wheel on the Creamy Caramel base.  I punched the sentiment (Also from Crazy for Cupcakes- stamped in black) out with the designer label punch.  Since my Stylized Vanilla Hodgepodge was on backorder, I framed the Real Red punch out with another one punched out of Creamy Caramel and then cut in half and adhered behind the red.  See how there is no "frame" on the sides?  Clever, huh?  Got that idea from Dannie Graves' blog, Dannie's Designs.  It still needed "something", so I added the gold brads.  Just right!  I adhered that to the Chocolate Chip ribbon and then layered that onto the Real Red panel which I scalloped with the new Scallop Edge Punch.

All products used are available in the Fall Winter 2008 Stampin' Up! Catalog and can now be purchased ONLINE!  Woo hoo!  If you don't already have a demonstrator, you can click the link on the side to online ordering and order from the comfort of your desk chair! LOL!

Supplies Used:

Stamps

• Crazy for Cupcakes 111618 $23.95 (on sale in October!)
• Cupcakes Stampin' Around Wheel 113121 $6.50

Accessories

• 1" Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon- Choc. Chip 111849 $8.95
• Gingham Ribbon - Red 104827 $7.50
• Scallop Edge Punch 112091 $15.95
• Designer Label Punch 107590 $15.95
• Ticket Corner Punch 107214 $6.95
• Crystal Effects 101055 $6.25
• Dazzling Diamonds 102023 $4.50
• Gold Brads 104337 $6.95

Cardstock (8.5 x 11)

• Real Red (102482) $5.50
• Chocolate Chip (102128) $5.50
• Creamy Caramel (102514) $5.50
• Brushed Silver (100712) $7.95
• Whisper White (100730) $7.50

Stamp Pads

• Basic Black (101179) $5.25
• Creamy Caramel (103220) $5.25

Stampin Write Markers

• Real Red (100052) $3.25
• Close to Cocoa (100072) $3.25
• Barely Banana (100039) $3.25

I have 2 swaps due in October.... A Christmas swap with my Swappers Anonymous group that is due on the 23rd (I'll be using Season Of Joy for that one), and a Verve Visual swap that I am hosting in the Verve Visual Forum on Splitcoast which is due on the 18th.  When I get that one in, I will be taking pictures of all the groups to make a slide show, but don't expect to see that till November, as I have a long weekend at Disneyland planned right after that swap comes in!  Stay tuned!  LOL!

THANKS TO ALL WHO VOTED.....

Morgan's drawing of Charlie the Lazy Cow *WON* in her age group!!!!!  Ty will be making MORGAN'S BEANIE BABY!  Here is a link if you want to see the winners of both age groups.....  

Please help my friend's 9 year old daughter win a contest!

OK - I am the enabler that sent them the link.  Ty is having a contest called "Make my beanie".  You submit a drawing of a beanie baby you want Ty to make.  Well, my friend's daughter drew a picture and submitted it.  She made it into the top 50.  Then into the top 20.  Well, now she is in the TOP FREAKIN TEN and has some SERIOUS competition, so I am pleading with EVERYONE I KNOW to please go vote for Charlie the cow.  You can vote for as long as you want to hit refresh and re enter the stupid green codes.  We thank you.  TRULY.....

http://makemybeanie.ty.com/mkmybeanie/mkMyBeanie_vote_indv_cap.php?id=12534

Nothing like waiting till the last minute....

All weekend I had been planning to work on Julee's Verve September Release OSW (One Sheet Wonder) Challenge. (Details here)

I FINALLY got all the pieces cut out YESTERDAY.  Stared at them, pushed them around on the card fronts.  NOTHING.  So, I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to get this challenge done.  Well, I got up this morning and needed a card real quick and I figured that since I already had pieces cut, I'd use one of Julee's sketches.  That was over 3 hours ago.  I'm not incredibly pleased with Sketch #2, but it will have to do!  The deadline to upload these is 11AM my time.  It is now 10:37.  Like I said, LAST MINUTE!

Here is the photo of all four cards:

Sketch #1:

 

Sketch #2:

 

Sketch #3 (my favorite of the sketches):

 

Sketch #4:

Colors are Perfect Plum, Pale Plum and Mellow Moss.  The DSP is some retired SU paper I've been hoarding.  Sketch #3 uses the new Stylized Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, but I chose to use gold brads with it.  The satin ribbon is from last year's Holiday mini.  The green ribbon is Moss Taffeta.  The pearls came from a craft store.

Thanks for looking, and don't miss the new releases at Verve Visual tonight!

Crazy for cupcakes!

I signed up to use this set in 2 of 3 "new catalog" swaps I joined.  One is an ATC (Artist Trading Card) swap that isn't due until October and the other is a card swap that I need to mail out this week.  Well, I got the crazy idea in my head to do the ATC *first* and use them for BOTH swaps by mounting the ATC to a card.  Still working on that, but the ATC is almost done.  I say ALMOST because halfway thru them yesterday, I broke my Ticket Corner punch (I do use it an awful LOT!).  My friend Lori is loaning me hers so I can finish these up, but here is what they will all look like once I get them all punched and glued together:

 

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

The image is stamped on Whisper White using Basic Black.  Since my ZIG Painty pen retired with the last catalog, I stamped just the bottom part of the image again onto Brushed Silver Cardstock and cut the stand out (so it would have a metallic look) and pieced it onto the white.  The cupcakes are colored using Barely Banana and Close to Cocoa.  The cherries are Real Red with a dot of Crystal Effects on them to give them a little "pop".  It's hard to see in the picture, but the cupcakes are "frosted" with a mixture of Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds glitter which I applied with a little paintbrush.  Gotta work fast and rinse your brush off RIGHT AWAY when "painting" with Crystal Effects!  Then I added the Red Gingham ribbon, adding a little knot in the center, punched the corners and layered it onto the Real Red and then the Chocolate Chip.  Finished size for ATC's is 2.5" x 3.5". 

I originally did this in different colors and I may go back to that color scheme for the ATC swap since all I have finished on those so far is the main image piece.  We'll see!  Today I am going to play with the card option more.  I had a couple ideas yesterday, but they just weren't "perfect".  Happy Stamping!