Father's Day

Next Sunday is Father's Day here in New Zealand and I needed a card for my dad.  Unfortunately this weekend was proving to be a mojo-less time in my craft room.  So here we are, Sunday evening and I finally have a finished card.  It's very simple but I think it will appeal to my dad.

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches as the starting point for my card.  I love the clean lines of the sketch.  I used my Simply Scored to add some texture, but otherwise my card is pretty simple.

Here's the sketch:

Thanks for looking.  I probably won't be able to post again for a couple of weeks as next weekend my work is flying DH and myself to Wellington for dinner and a night's accommodation to recognise my length of service to the company (which is more than 20 and less than 40 years LOL).  

Products used (all Stampin' Up):

Stamps:  Something to Celebrate

Cardstock:  Crumb Cake; Not Quite Navy

Ink:  Not Quite Navy

Accessories:  Neutrals buttons; linen thread; Timeless Type Sizzix Alphabet; Simply Scored

Botanicals CAS

I again pulled out my favorite stamp set, Botanicals, for the challenges at The Paper Players and Friday Mashup.  I love all the images in this set, but this poppy image is my favorite and most-used.

In keeping with the Paper Players challenge, I paper-pieced the poppy and leaves.  The poppy using the polka dot DSP from the paper stacks and the leaves using the script DSP.  The stamp image is so detailed, it's quite hard to see the script unfortunately.

I used the same DSPs for the card layers, then finished off with three black brads.

Thanks for looking.

Products used (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):

Stamps:  Botanicals

Cardstock:  Basic Black; Always Artichoke; Regals DSP Stack; 2010-12 In Color DSP Stack

Ink:  Basic Black

Accessories:  Black brads; oval nestabilities

Edited to Add:  This card was chosen as a Cut Above for the Paper Players challenge.

Cheers

Karren

Music Notes

The color challenge at Dynamic Duos this week is Basic Black and River Rock - a gorgeous combination.  The team at Addicted to Stamps have a Cards for Boys challenge going and I think this card would fit (edited to add:  missed the deadline at Addicted to Stamps - oops).  I have no idea how my mind worked to get to my finished card, but here it is.

I just love the tone-on-tone look of the music notes die on the Basic Black card base.  I chose the sentiment because it looks like it's being sung and that keeps with the theme.  I cut out a few individual notes from a third die cut to place around the sentiment.  My 2-way glue pen got a workout with this card, let me assure you LOL.

Thanks for looking.

Products used (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):

Stamps:  Happiest Birthday Wishes

Cardstock:  Basic Black; Neutrals DSP Stack

Ink:  Basic Black

Accessories:  Memory Box Music Notes die; Scallop Border Punch; 1/4" Black Grosgrain Ribbon

Cheers

Karren

The Forever Card

I'm calling this the forever card, because it took forever to come together.  I couldn't get my head around the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week, nor could I work out how best to use the colors for the color challenge at Create with Connie & Mary.  I have spent 3 days trying to work this out in my head.

I'm going to love using Midnight Muse for the next couple of years and Daffodil Delight is growing on me slowly, but Gumball Green, I'm afraid to say, just doesn't do it for me.  And it was those 3 horizontal panels in the sketch that threw me for a loop.  I had pretty much decided to flag both challenges this week, but they don't call it a challenge for nothing, so here it is:

I used Midnight Muse as my main color, with Daffodil Delight second.  Gumball Green as you can see only got a peek in LOL.  I overcame the horizontal panels in the sketch by using the branches from the bird punch.  They're probably a little bit too "even" but I wanted to stick as close to the sketch as possible.  Lastly, there's a little tiny pearl that persists in moving out of alignment.  He is really bugging me, so it may be that he is exiled to the rubbish bin and another pearl is given the opportunity to take center stage.  That'll teach him LOL.

Thanks for looking.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps:  Petite Pairs

Cardstock:  Midnight Muse; Daffodil Delight; Gumball Green; Brights DSP Stack

Ink:  Midnight Muse

Accessories:  Daisies Die; Bird Punch; Pearls

Cheers

Karren

Established Elegance

My first card of the weekend is using a stamp set I've had since it was first introduced but had never inked it up.  Oh, the shame!  Established Elegance appealed to me as soon as I saw it, but I'd never used it.  I know I'm not alone in this, so why do we do it?  Who knows the ways of a stamper's mind LOL.

On to the card.  This card is being submitted for this week's challenges at Hand Stamped Sentiments and Pals Paper Arts.

It's quite hard to see in the photo, but the dry-embossed layer was first stamped with various images from Established Elegance and Artistic Etchings in Crumb Cake ink.  Then I ran it through the Big Shot, lightly sponged Crumb Cake ink over the raised portions and finally cut it into strips.

The seam binding flower was made by pulling a center thread in the ribbon to gather it and then rolling the ribbon into a flower shape and sticking down to some sticky strip.  A pearl peeks out from the center of the flower.

Thanks for looking.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps:  Artistic Etchings; Established Elegance

Cardstock:  Early Espresso; Cherry Cobbler; Very Vanilla

Ink:  Early Espresso; Cherry Cobbler; Crumb Cake

Accessories:  Vintage Wallpaper EF; Cherry Cobbler and Crumb Cake seam binding ribbon; sponges

Cheers

Karren

Blue Christmas

One card, three challenges!  The sketch challenge at iSpy Sketches is another great one this week, with those gorgeous fishtail banners.  Plus Just Add Ink have a "Blue & Bling" challenge and as soon as I saw the inspiration photo at Stampin' Royalty, I thought "blue & bling" - bonus!

Here's my submission for all three challenges:

A few notes about the card.  Apart from the card base, all the rest of the layers are Whisper White.  The blue layers were sponged with Island Indigo before stamping.  The fishtail banner was stamped and embossed in white and the Labels Framelit layer was stamped and embossed with Iridescent Ice EP.  IRL it's a lovely shimmery layer.  

Thanks for looking.

Products Used (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):

Stamps:  Snow Swirled; Many Merry Messages

Cardstock:  Island Indigo; Whisper White

Ink:  Island Indigo; Whisper White

Accessories:  Iridescent Ice EP; White EP; Snowflakes EF; Fishtail Flags (MFT); Labels Framelits; Island Indigo Ruffled Ribbon

Cheers

Karren

In Colors

This week's challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments is to use all 5 of the new In Colors.  Quite timely, as we're in the pre-order month for our new catalog which includes the 2012-14 In Colors.

For my card, I went very simple, letting the colors take the spotlight.

My card is an odd size - 5" x 4".  I originally made it 5" x 5" but didn't like the balance so I cut an inch off the bottom.  I like these dimensions better for this card.   Unplanned but interesting is the fact that my 3 favorite colors got the most space LOL.

Thanks for looking.

Products used (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):

Stamps:  DRS Designs

Cardstock:  Whisper White; Primrose Petals; Raspberry Ripple; Midnight Muse; Gumball Green; Summer Starfruit

Ink:  Basic Black

Accessories:  White Satin Ribbon

Cheers

Karren