Die Cuts and Drunken Stampers

Happy Saturday! This week at Drunken Stampers we're challenging you to pull out some die cuts and use them on your project:

Even if you don't have a die-cutting machine of some type, you likely have some die cut elements in your stash. With October practically upon us, I decided to make a Halloween card:

Check out that spooky inked background! It's actually a little darker in real life, but I always find dark cards tricky to photograph. The haunted house and tree were both die-cut with my Cuttlebug. Punches are kind of related to die-cutting machines, don't you think? Just smaller and restricted to one shape. ☺ So maybe half-points (not that we're keeping score) for the treed horizon layer and the little bat. The BOO! is stamped and embossed to finish the card. After I took the photo, I realized that one little piece of pop-dot tape under the tree was peeking out a bit, so swiped it with a brown Sharpie for camouflage. 
I'm going to add this card to Simon Says Stamp's current Anything Goes and Moxie Fab World's Color Media challenges.  
Use one, use a lot... put your die cuts to work and join our cocktail party! 

Supplies: black, yellow & textured brown Bazzill cardstock, Canson 140 lb watercolour paper, Basic Grey plumeria patterned paper, Unity stamp, Memento elderberry, Paris dusk & London fog & Versafine onyx black inks, QuicKutz house & tree dies, EK Success & Martha Stewart punches, pop-dot tape

Friends with {Subtle} Flair

It's Friday, the weather is beautiful, and I have a card to share for Unity's weekly Friends with Flair blog hop. Life is good. ;)

Not a lot of stamping on this one, but I did ink up a brand new Unity set for both the background stamping and the wood veneer arrow. There's a Unity sentiment inside as well, but -- oops! -- no photo. The card is another attempt at freestyle collage -- once again I used Paper Crafts July/August feature for inspiration, specifically Brenda Weaver's card on p. 75 (or p. 91 in my PDF version). Is that stylin' squirrel not awesome? It's originally a business card -- I knew it would be perfect for a birthday card for my friend Emily, who not only is stylin' herself, but also has a soft spot for squirrels. The grid journaling card that Unity sent me as part of a freebie with my latest order just happened to be a perfect match for the squirrel's blouse and the patterned paper I used. You have to love when things just work. 
I'm also adding this to Simon Says Stamp's current Anything Goes and Moxie Fab World's Metal, Wood & Cork challenge.
Hope you're looking forward to a great weekend! 

Supplies: Stampin' Up naturals white cardstock, Studio Calico Memoir patterned papers, (?) journaling card, Unity {keeping up with the} Tribal Trend stamps, Colorbox bronze ink, aged mahogany distress marker, Spellbinders circle dies, Studio Calico wood veneer arrow

Split It Up at Crafty Creations Challenges

Wednesday already! Must be time for a new challenge at Crafty Creations Challenges. This week the challenge is to SPLIT IT UP -- split up the sentiment on your card or other creation. Our generous sponsor this week is Stitchy Bear's Digital Outlet. I was able to use images from Stitchy Stamps as well as patterned paper from Panda Bear Designs on the birthday card I made this week. 
The outside...

And the inside...

That patterned paper? It's actually from a Christmas collection, but cropping out the wintry flourishes in the corners gave me just the look I wanted. I resized, angled and overlapped three instruments over top. The outside sentiment is computer-generated so I could coordinate it with the inside. 

For more inspiration, be sure to check out the rest of the team's projects this week, then link up your creation! 

Supplies: black & white cardstock, Stitchy Stamps Jazz Band & Panda Bear Designs Christmas Papers images

If It's Sunday...

... it must mean I'm sneaking in my last-minute Paper Smooches SPARKS card. Honestly, I do check out the sneak peek of the next week's challenge and everything, but for some reason, it always seems to take me the week to solidify an idea. This week is a Cool Shades challenge:

I also incorporated the sketch from the latest Paper Players challenge:

After a lot of playing with ideas, here's what I came up with...

Why yes, I did look through all my patterned paper, and just couldn't find anything that worked the way I wanted it to -- so I made my own with some Smooch Spritz. I used Distress markers for the first time to watercolour this sweet cat -- I think I like them. A lot. :) The dark purple really seems to make him pop on the split background. 
Off to link up before it's too late! 

Supplies: white, teal & purple cardstock, Paper Smooches Nine Lives stamps, Memories black, Versamark & Memento teal zeal & pear tart inks, clear embossing powder, distress markers, Spellbinders reverse wonky rectangles, Sea Kiss Smooch Spritz, May Arts ribbon, dimensionals

Fangirl Revealed

My Tropical Hooter teammates at Drunken Stampers are letting me crash their cocktail party this weekend! This week, the challenge is a place: London. Or you could choose to use the colours of the Union Jack -- red, white and blue. 

I decided this was the perfect opportunity to reveal my love of... Doctor Who. Not the original series so much as the recent reboot. Luckily, there are even people I know who might appreciate a Doctor Who card. 

You really can get anything in rubber stamps. Such a perfect rendition of the Tardis! (Don't know what I'm talking about? Really, that's probably a good thing.) And while I realize the Doctor is not really from London, so many of his adventures take place there it seems only fitting. This is probably the most decorated card interior I've ever done:

My second card is not so very different, except that I decided to make my own inked background. I've been having a lot of fun doing this recently, and you'll see more examples soon. This one's not perfect (that line near the bottom is rather annoying), but I decided I could live with it. 

I was going for the "city on fire" look with this background -- how'd I do? I don't have an acrylic block big enough to do a panel this size, so instead I smushed some inks on my stamp positioner square. Then I misted both it and the watercolour paper with water and put them together. A skyline, a popped-up Tardis to the rescue, and done. 
Do you hear London calling? Join the Drunken Stampers this week! 

Supplies: white cardstock, Echo Park Dots & Stripes Metropolitan patterned paper (1st card), black cardstock & Canson 140 lb watercolour paper (2nd card), Viva Las VegaStamps & Hero Arts International Skyline stamps, Versafine onyx black, Memento nautical blue & Versamark inks (for background: Memento nautical blue, rose bud & tangelo inks), clear embossing powder, dimensionals

CAS on Sunday -- Oh Baby

This week, CAS on Sunday is looking for baby cards. I just happen to have a couple! ☺I don't have a lot of baby-specific stamps -- although I do have many cute animal stamps that can always be used -- and decided to try using one baby stamp on two very different cards.

I stamped the baby tag twice in blue on white, and stamped and embossed once in white on blue, picking up the two blue shades in the cute patterned paper. I cut the patterned paper specifically so one of the planes could pull my sentiment banner. 

This time I used the baby tag a little more traditionally, tying it to the card with some jute twine. The little rainbow baby footprints are clipart -- I really wanted footprints of some kind, but didn't have any! I like the non-traditional colours of this card. 

Supplies: (congrats) white & blue cardstock, Echo Park A Boy's Life patterned paper, Stampin' Up Terrific Tags and Pebbles, Inc. Sunny Side sentiment stamps, VersaMagic Aegean blue and Colorbox frost white inks, Wow white embossing powder, Stampin' Up small tag punch, Twinery marigold twine, pop-dot tape; (footprints) white cardstock, Basic Grey Wander patterned paper, Stampin' Up Terrific Tags stamp, clipart image, Memento bamboo leaves ink, Stampin' Up small tag punch, May Arts jute twine

At the Bar

(Grr, computer issues! Apologies for the late post...)

Happy Saturday! This week the challenge at Drunken Stampers is a person... and what better person for us to pick than a bartender! If you don't have a stash of bartender stamps or images to choose from, you can also be inspired by drinks (an awesome way to be inspired) or a bar itself. Seemed only right that I make two projects for such a fitting theme:

I have always stamped this Keep Calm... stamp in a bright colour (usually red) and embossed it, so I wanted to try something a little different. I quite like the effect I got using various small ink pads and applying them directly to the stamp. I used the same colours to randomly stamp the side panel. 
I decided to also make a quick and simple tag for a bottle of wine I was taking to a friend's place:

A perfect sentiment from a Unity grab bag paired with a clocks background. Because, really, there IS always time for a glass of wine. ;) Not to mention an entire week to link up your bartender-drinks-bar creation with us! 


Supplies: (card) white, green & Stampin' Up almost amethyst textured cardstock, Market Street Stamps Keep Calm & Amber Ink Hope, Popcorn and Wine stamps, Memento rhubarb stalk, tangelo, dandelion, pear tart, Paris dusk & lulu lavender inks, pop-dot tape; (tag) Stampin' Up kraft cardstock, Hero Arts Time to Stamp & Unity sentiment stamps, Versamark & Stampin' Up real red inks, Papertrey Ink wine bottle tag die 

KRAFT-apalooza!

You don't generally see a lot of kraft cardstock used here in my little corner of the card-making blog world... partly because the joint card-giver in the house doesn't really like it. (And here everyone says kraft is PERFECT for masculine cards...) But this week Crafty Creations Challenges is asking to see everyone's creations using KRAFT. So out came my sheets and scraps of kraft. 
First up, I wanted a housewarming tag for friends:

Kraft base, and some kraft-toned patterned paper, too! Plus, papers from three different paper pads! That's unusual for me. I'm linking this up to CAS on Sunday's current "Welcome Home" challenge. 
Then, while I had my kraft scraps out, I made a few quick and simple tags with an old Stampin' Up set and a bit of watercolouring:

Each had to be shaped and designed just a little differently, of course. Finally, I decided to get the *busy* season started with a couple of Christmas cards:

I was pleased enough with the design of the first card that I used it again for a second one! The second time, I decided to try the negative die cut of the tag. Looking at them now, I think I like the overlay of the tag just a bit better.
Our sponsor this week is Bunny Zoe's Crafts, with a £10 gift certificate to our winner -- and there is a great selection of products and companies to choose from! So share your kraft craft with us! 

Supplies: (housewarming tag) white, blue & Stampin' Up kraft cardstock, My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Rosy & Miss Caroline Dilly Dally & Studio Calico Memoir patterned papers, Hero Arts Wish You Were Here &Waltzing Mouse Stamps Cottage Home stamps, Stampin' Up crumb cake, Versafine onyx black & Memento Paris dusk inks, Zing! clear embossing powder, white & natural raffia, pop-dot tape; (small tags) white, Stampin' Up kraft & assorted scraps of cardstock & patterned paper, Stampin' Up Little Hellos stamps, Memories black ink, watercolour pencils, Paper Trey Ink tag sale die, Stampin' Up ticket-corner punch, hole punch, Twinery maraschino, lemon drop and mandarin twine, May Arts hemp & scrap red cotton string; (cardinal) white & Stampin' Up kraft cardstock, Rubber Stampede cardinal, Unity Christmas Eve chowder & Hero Arts collage music background stamps, Versafine onyx black & Stampin' Up real red inks, Zing! clear embossing powder, watercolour pencils, Stampin' Up garden green stampin' pastel, Spellbinders circle & Lil' Inkers stitched sentiment flag dies, dimensionals; (reindeer card) white & Stampin' Up kraft cardstock, Stampin' Up Dasher, Unity Christmas Eve chowder & Hero Arts collage music background stamps, Versamark & stampin' Up real red inks, Ranger rich red embossing powder, spellbinders circle & Lil' Inkers stitched sentiment flag dies, dimensionals

Hello Friend

Happy Sunday! As usual, I've had a week to ponder the Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge and it took till today to decide what I wanted to do. This week is a Trend Watch challenge: 

I was going to do something with the colour palette, but ended up just concentrating on making flowers the main focus of the design. 

Another attempt at freestyle collage, which I'm discovering is anything but freestyle for me. I took a lot of inspiration from Paper Crafts July/August feature on this design style. Keeping to one main colour helps keep it from looking too busy for me. I was able to use both Paper Smooches dies and stamps, as well as various items in my stash, to help create this little collage. 
You still have the evening (well, in my time zone) left if you want to enter! 

Supplies: white & Stampin' Up bashful blue cardstock, Stampin' Up Beyond the Garden patterned paper, Paper Smooches Friendly Flowers stamps, Paper Smooches Flag Tags and Duo Die 1 dies, Memento Nautical blue ink, Stampin' Up marina mist marker, Studio Calico wood veneer heart, American Crafts pina colada paper flower, Petaloo jewelled florette, Fiskars threading water punch

Hooked On...

...wagons? 

Once I finished this card, for the new Newton's Nook Designs Inky Paws Challenge, I realized it might only be me that thinks a wagon goes with this sentiment. :D And yes, I could change it, but I like it the way it is. I really like the little sleeping kitty on his pile of pumpkins! I know the patterned paper isn't exactly autumnal, but at least there are falling leaves on it. The design is based on the challenge sketch:

The challenge doesn't close until Friday, so you have lots of time to play along, too! I'm also linking this to the current Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes challenge as well. 

Supplies: white & Bazzill green cardstock, Cosmo Cricket Clementine & Lily Bee Design Pinwheel patterned papers, Newton's Nook Designs Wagon of Wishes & Campfire Tails stamps, Memories black ink, Twinery peapod twine, Studio Calico heart wood veneer, pop-dot tape