February, it is at last your final day... and, truth be told, I don't really even care if the door hits you on your way out. Let's just say you haven't been my favourite February ever. But! You're ending on a Friday, and I decided I would see you off by joining in with Unity's weekly Friends with Flair.
What better way to see out February than a "Good Day Sunshine" card? I love this Itty Bitty set (and am trying so very hard to ignore that they are all 50% off this weekend) but for some reason, it had yet to make it to a finished card. Although the green is a bit minuscule in this patterned paper, I'm hoping there is just enough that I can count this in Unity's current colour challenge, as well.
I added the trio of black pearls to balance the sentiment with the image, but look at that -- it means I can enter this week's Simon Says Stamp challenge, too. Since this stamp set made it to a card for the first time, I'll remind you that you still have a week to enter the current Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge: U is for Unused. Goodbye, February! Supplies: white & Bazzill yellow cardstock, Memory Box brioche patterned paper, Unity Good Day Sunshine stamps, Brilliance onyx black ink, Zing clear embossing powder, Recollections black pearls
It's Saturday, and the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers is back! We were thrilled to see so many of you play along with our very first challenge. We are back with another great one for you!
U is for Unused! Everybody has something unused, whether it's that stamp you had to have that has never seen ink, or that patterned paper that just seems too good to actually cut into. Well... the time has come. You can do it! I have to admit... my unused supplies just weren't feeling very snarky this week. Also, I needed a sympathy card, and not for anybody who might appreciate a snarky one. Luckily, the sisters had been talking about this very issue, and we've decided that we will snark when necessary, but not necessarily snark. And so my card...
Let me tally the unused items... I have never used Neenah Solar White cardstock before. Oh my. So nice. If only there was a Canadian distributor, sigh. The flower stamp comes from an entirely unused set, while the sentiment is from another set where only one other stamp has been used before. And I think it should count that I hardly ever make one-layer cards. ;) Remember to check out what my sisters in snark have made... there's definitely a combination of snark and not. Then join us! We'll be nice... honest! Supplies: Neenah solar white 110 lb cardstock, Unity Insightful Meadows & Tulips and Daisies stamps, Peeled Paint distress ink, clear embossing powder
And at last it is Friday! I still haven't figured out how February manages to slow time down quite the way it does. But Friday it is, and I decided to make a card JUST FOR FUN, and link up to this week's Friends with Flair at Unity.
Love this fun set. To me the dress just calls out to be paper-pieced, so I picked my paper first and the card developed from there. I also tried embossing with a metal die for the first time, and I think I'll be doing that again! I purposely cut out the sentiment asymmetrically because, let's face it, if I'd tried to be symmetrical, it wouldn't have worked anyway. ;) I'm hoping this will call back my creative mojo, which obviously migrated for the winter because I haven't seen it for the longest time. That hasn't stopped me from having a card ready for tomorrow's second Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge, though. Come back and check it out! Supplies: white and yellow Bazzill textured cardstock, Memory Box Brioche patterned paper, Unity Undeniably You stamps, Memento Luxe gray flannel & Versamark ink, Zing clear, Wow ultra-fine white & Ranger rich red embossing powder, Hero Arts scalloped frame die, May Arts ribbon, pop-dot tape
Thought I would pop in for a card for three challenges! Simon Says Stamp has a wedding or anniversary challenge starting today, and yesterday's Shopping our Stash (SOS) wants a make-it yourself embellishment. Meanwhile, the current Clear It Out challenge is looking for red. Having seen my snark sister Chris's paper flower on her design team entry for SOS, I was encouraged to enter with a flower of my own.
What better for an anniversary card than a flower made of hearts? The four hearts are die-cut with the edges curled, and then layered with a small die cut flower and a glittery red brad. I'm not sure die-cutting the small heart and hanging it with twine can fully count as do-it-yourself. For the Clear it Out challenge, my stash items include the patterned papers, the brad, and the small flower and label dies. Supplies: white & Bazzill textured red cardstock, Echo Park Yours Truly & Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm Lucky You patterned paper, Unity Love stamp, versamark ink, Ranger rich red embossing powder, QuicKutz nesting heart & Spellbinders circle, labels 4, Creative Carnations & Charmed I'm Sure dies, Queen & Co. glitter red brad, peppermint Divine Twine, Creative Memories corner-rounding punch
This week, Simon Says Stamp is looking for crafts made with kraft... that tan-coloured cardstock that is great as a neutral, especially when white might seem a little stark. I like to use it for tags, and so that's what I did.
I think this tag makes me joyful... of course, wine does sometimes, too. ;) I thought this Unity sentiment was a perfect accompaniment for a hostess gift bottle of wine. And my new Simon Says Stamp ink just happened to match the patterned paper perfectly. I coloured the heart in with a little Wink of Stella shimmer, just for fun.
Supplies: Stampin' Up kraft & Naturals white cardstock, Theresa Collins Far and Away patterned paper, Unity Drink with a Joyful Heart stamp, Simon Says Stamp schoolhouse red ink, Avery Elle Cheers die, Spellbinders oval die, Stampin' Up ticket corner punch, Wink of Stella clear glitter brush marker
Happy Friday, Happy Valentine's Day... and Happy Anniversary to Paper Smooches! PS is celebrating their third anniversary, and Kim is generously sharing that celebration with some extra giveaways. Right now, Kim would like to see a project that is "fun & cute". That I can do. ;)
Not necessarily Valentine-y, but Valentine-y enough for a boy recipient. I used this cute puppy (and the paw hearts) from the Woofers and Tweeters set, and would have used the coordinating die, as well... but of course stamped and coloured it first. Oh well, fussy-cutting it was. I did use two other Paper Smooches dies, the Bam Bubble and Zig Zag tag. Some fun papers, a little washi tape, and a gold-painted heart completed the card. Enjoy your Friday! Supplies: white & teal cardstock, Bella Blvd. Sunny Happy Skies Creamsicle Clouds & Imaginisce Scooter's Vacation Click patterned papers, Paper Smooches Woofers and Tweeters stamps, Memento Luxe gray flannel ink, clear embossing powder, watercolour pencils, Paper Smooches zig zag tag & bam bubble dies, Spellbinders reverse wonky rectangle die, Target washi tape, Twinery lemondrop twine, dollar store ribbon, Studio Calico wood veneer, Colorbox gold Smooch, black Enamel Accents, pop-dot tape
A new challenge blog is always good news... although for me, this one has a bad news component. Early this week, the creators of the Drunken Stampers challenge, Spike and Peggy, announced that the time had come to close down the blog. There was great unhappiness in the Lounge! But then some of the Designated Designers decided we just have too much fun together to disband completely. And thus... THE SISTERHOOD OF SNARKY STAMPERS was born!
My sisters and I hope to offer a fun, no-pressure challenge every two weeks, with a chance to be a little (or a lot) snarky if you wish! And so onto our very first challenge...
Need a valentine that's not all hearts, flowers and cupids? Have we got a challenge for you! Here's what I came up with:
I always think it's nice to sugar-coat the snark a little, don't you? So a sweet cupcake image, a glossy cherry and a little bling to distract from the message. Make sure you check out our new blog and what my sisters in snark have offered for inspiration -- you're sure to smile! We are giving you two weeks to submit your card for a chance to become the Queen of Snark and join us as a guest designer! Eek! I totally forgot I was planning on adding this to the first ever Naughty or Nice challenge... LOVE!
Supplies: white & Stampin' Up kraft cardstock, Echo Park It's a Girl patterned paper, Unity Mix-Up of Cuteness stamp, Memories black ink, watercolour pencils, Glossy Accents, Stampin' Up basic rhinestones, dimensionals
Happy Sunday! I spent a little time this weekend being inspired by a number of challenges that helped me create a valentine for someone special.
I pinned this valentine recently, and used it as the inspiration for my freestyle collage. I am really happy with all the different textures and shine. Here's a close-up that shows the textures better:
The large heart is misted through a die-cut stencil, while the striped heart stamp is heat-embossed. The sentiment is embossed on silver pearl paper, and I used the same paper to punch a few small hearts. I also die cut four medium-size hearts and hand-stitched them together with a little baker's twine. The wood veneer heart is double-heat-embossed in silver. (Thanks for that idea, Jessi!) Along with the pinned card, here are the challenges that also inspired me:
Mama Elephant has this inspiration photo. I was inspired by the love theme and the gorgeous variety of textures.
Simon Says Stamp's current challenge is Anything Goes with Twine or String. I'm still not willing to risk my ancient sewing machine, but I have wanted to stitch multiple shapes together, so this inspired me to finally try it. ;)
Addicted to CAS has the code word LOVE. I did say this card is for someone special. ☺ Enjoy the rest of your day! I hear there's some kind of sporting event...? :D Supplies: white & American Crafts textured red cardstock, silver pearl paper, vellum, patterned paper scraps, Mama Elephant Hello & Hero Arts Striped Heart stamps, Versamark ink, Ranger Emboss It dabber, silver & Ranger rich red embossing powder, QuicKutz nesting hearts dies, Tattered Angels Santa Baby glimmer mist, small heart punch, Paper Smooches peppermint twine, Studio Calico wood veneer heart, pop-dot tape
... and about time. ;) January in Ontario has seemed like an excellent month to hibernate as much as possible. But look! We're flipping to the next page in the calendar, February, the longest shortest month. Sigh. :D Anyway... It's February, it's Saturday, and the Drunken Stampers are BACK! We're starting out the new term with an ANYTHING GOES challenge. I haven't created much lately, but I did recently need to make a sympathy card. Not typical Drunken Stamper fare, but it is Anything Goes.
The plaid panel is the Royal Canadian Air Force tartan... appropriate for the person the card honours. I stamped the blue panel in Versamark with a music background, die cut the flowers, and inset them with a linen cardstock piece. The sentiment is computer-generated and embossed on vellum. So -- if you tell the Drunken Stampers it's Anything Goes, who knows what we'll come up with! Check out my design team buddies' creations, then join us in the Lounge with your contribution. And happy February... I hope! Supplies: white, linen & blue cardstock, vellum, patterned paper from clipart, Local King Rubber Stamp notes background, Versamark, Zing clear embossing powder, Simon Says Stamp fresh daisies die cut, Creative Memories corner-rounder punch
