Bigsby's Christmas Cookies

Welcome everyone to another Unscripted Sketches Saturday! This week there is another amazing sketch to use, and I have a special image that works perfectly!

Here is the sketch:

And this is my interpretation:

This little mouse is named Bigsby ~ isn't he darling? He is a digital stamp image by Karen Johnson who will be launching her new site with digital images and rubber stamps very soon. Bigsby is free image that I was sent. Please watch for her launch.

Be sure to drop by the Unscripted Blog where you can play along with us. Remember to use Mr. Linky so we can all see what sketch goodness you come up with this week.

Supplies: American Crafts printed paper and cardstock, Nestabilities, Copics, Karen Johnson image Bigsby Mouse Christmas Cookies, Crafty Secrets sentiment stamp, brad, Memento ink.

happy stampin'

Unscripted Sketch # 25

This week I used Kirsten, from Paper Makeup Stamps, as the focal image. I took the Unscripted Sketch #25 ... and interpreted it loosely for todays card share. First, the sketch:



Now for my card. As you can tell, I didn't follow the sketch exactly. I lengthened the horizontal piece, and used ribbon for the more narrow horizontal line, I also counted the dandelion as the circular element ... hope that's ok with everyone. :)




One of my favorite things about the sketches is seeing how everyone interprets it. Here is a closer look ... maybe you can see the Spica glitter pen in her hair ... ummm, I love Spica glitter!

Supplies: Paper Makeup Stamps, DCWV cardstock, Basic Grey pattern paper, SU taffeta ribbon, Copics, Nestabilities, sandpaper.

Happy Stampin' y'all,

Dressy Miss Anya

This week's share for Unscripted Sketches # 22 uses an image from The Greeting Farm, called Miss Anya Dressy. She's a cutie pie, as are all the TGF stamps. I just love the Ian and Anya series of images!

First the sketch for this week:



Now my take on it. Again, I flipped it ... guess I enjoy modifying sketches, hehe.

Hop on over to Unscripted Sketches to see the other Design Team members take on this week's sketch. I hope you will consider playing along ... if you do decide to play, be sure to leave a post in Mr. Linky so I can see your creative take on the sketch!

I can't resist one more look at pretty Miss Anya ... just a little bit closer:

Supplies: Miss Anya Dressy image, Nestabilities, Copic markers, DCWV cardstock, ric rak, unknown pattern paper (gift).

happy stampin'

Hold fast

The sketch for today's card is from Unscripted Sketches #20. The gals at Unscripted come up with the best sketches!

I love the sentiment on this card. It reads, "Hold fast to your dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird, that cannot fly." ~ Langston Hughes. What a great reminder to keep our eye on the goal {whatever yours may be}.


The card was cut using a Sizzix Movers & Shapers die which cuts the card and a window. I've been playing around with placing the window cut-out in different positions ... so you may see more card with a similar design. I plan to purchase other shapes as I am able ... hehe.

Be sure to check out the other Unscripted Sketch #20 interpretations by clicking over to the US blog HERE.

Supplies: Unity Stamps; Copics; DCWV cardstock; Nestabilities label, flower; Sizzix die; Memento ink; Target brad, SU ribbon.

happy stampin'

Color Me ... Happy

My lss has pattern paper that is perfect for coloring with Copics ~ woo hoo! It is by Luxe designs and the pattern I used today is called, appropriately, Color Me ... Happy. Now ... a little disclaimer, the Copic ink will bleed a bit on this paper, so choose your colors carefully. Purples and reds seemed to be the most difficult for me. As long as I colored with a light hand the ink stayed in it's place.

I used the Unscripted Sketches 17 for the card today. I really like the way it turned out. What do you think?


Here is a close look. Maybe you can tell I used Spica glitter on the word laugh. I resisted the temptation to glitter up the whole card ... but it took a lot of restraint!

I have several more sketches I'd like to complete this week, so hopefully you'll see a few more posts from me. :)

Supplies: Luxe designs pattern paper, Reminisce stripe and floral pattern paper, Eggplant Stampin' Up cardstock, Nestabilities, Copics, velvet ribbon and various buttons.

happy stampin'

Giving Shelter

Ah ... something new to show! I have been cleaning and organizing my craft area {because honestly it's been such a horrible mess I couldn't move, much less find my table top!} I got this stamp, called "Giving Shelter" (Stampavie), when we were on vacation at the beach and just inked it up today. I thought the snail using a flower blossom as an umbrella was really cute and versatile too.


It may be difficult to see, but I embossed the pattern paper with the paisley cuttlebug folder. I love the cuttlebug folders - they emboss so well, but don't photograph so good. Oh well, you get the idea. I also remembered to leave out the Copic markers as I used them, so I can actually show you which colors I used on the image. I think that is a first for me! Yay me! Lol.

I also airbrushed a little around the image. I cut a smaller piece of cardstock to mask the image and used the ABS with BG10 to get a light color, then took BG72 and ran around the embossed edge. I think the effect turned out ok, but I'm not sure I like it well enough to do it again.

happy stampin'

Quick Card

I needed a quick card today. My youngest son was invited to a birthday party, and we realized late last night the party started at 9:30 am! So this morning I threw this card together using a sheet of cute paper, cardstock and die-cuts.

I'll have to go look up the supply information and post it later today.

happy stampin'

PMS Jaina Fairy

There's a new stamp company in town! Literally, the owner lives about 45 minutes away in Greenville and teaches at my new fave LSS, The Funkie Munkie. PMS, in case you are wondering, stands for Paper Makeup Stamps!

This is my first post using a PMS image. I also managed to complete two challenges in one with this project ~ woo hoo for me! The first challenge was issued on Katie Cotton's blog (PMS owner), to make a bookmark. Here is my slightly blurry version :

Now a closer look at Jaina Fairy, and a little more in focus. She's lovely, isn't she! I colored her with Copics, the colors were from the Copic Colour Challenge blog. The challenge colors were Acid Yellow Y08, Brick Beige E31, and Mint Green BG13. I threw in a few additional colors for shading, but built the color scheme off the challenge colors.

The bookmark is topped off with Prima flowers and a brad by Spare Parts. The ovals were cut using Nestabilities. I cut the scallop oval out of white cardstock and used the BG13 pen to color it to match. The ribbons are from SU and Making Memories. You can't see the glitter, but I used a generous amount of Spica glitter pen on the fairy ~ aren't all fairies supposed to be glittery?

Just for reference, I took a photo of the back side so you could see how I finished the bookmark. You could easily add a sentiment, or signature to the back side if using for a gift.

Thanks for reading today, and be sure to visit PMS stamps to see what they have to offer!

happy stampin'

Because I Care

Today's card - and a couple of more to be posted soon - are a result of experimenting with my supplies. I wanted to use patterned paper, clear embossing powder and a mister.

This card was difficult to photograph. It is pastel, so the color is not rich and the embossing effect is sooo subtle ...


I stamped the image with Versamark and clear embossed it. Then I misted diluted ink over the image, wiping any excess ink from the embossing. In person, the effect is subtle and very soft. However to get the image to show up in a photograph I had to catch the light, and therefore some of the softness is lost. But I hope you get the idea!

happy stampin'

supplies: Butterfly image (Inkadinkado), Sentiment (Stampin' Up), Pattern paper (Basic Grey), Versamark, Chocolate Chip and Pretty in Pink inks, Nestabilities, cardstock, grosgrain ribbon.

Santa

October was a busy month! The biggest challenge was a change in my work schedule ... I may be getting used to the changes after 4 weeks - but I'm not totally sure! I did have some projects going on, but didn't have much time to photograph and post anything new! I hope the posts that have made it on the blog have been ok until I get back into a routine.

Today's card is from last week's Copic challenge that Keri and I are doing. Keri was good and got her card posted on time, me ... well ... I'm a week late but at least I'm posting it now. Our challenge was to use the Copic Airbrush System (ABS) on a card. Keri's is HERE and it's gorgeous! Another quick congratulations to Keri on being selected to the Spellbinder's blog team. Keri is very talented and has already posted a great tutorial on using the Nestability dies to their fullest potential!

I worked, reworked and reworked some more until I felt it was passable. I'm still not happy with it, but it's ok and I did learn a few things along the way. I just bought a few new colors of Ranger's Distress embossing powders, and I wanted to use them. Probably not the best idea for this image. First lesson: Pay attention to your image and really think about how to best treat it before you start.

I over stamped the image after I didn't get the effect I was seeking with the distress powders and embossed again, this time in clear. Hum ... didn't make much change. Second lesson: You can't correct some things, just move on!

Next I airbrushed. And airbrushed, and airbrushed! Everything on the card except the twill is airbrushed! I kept adding more color, taking some out with the blender pen, then adding more. There is actually a little girl's face to the right of Santa's ... but you can't see it because nothing I did made her look realistic! She actually started looking scary at one point. When an element just doesn't work what else can you do but cover it with an embellishment! So I gave up and stamped "Believe", airbrushed some color over it, cut and embossed with Oval Nestabilities and stuck it down! Third lesson: If it doesn't work, cover it up!

Funny story about this card. As I worked, I struggled to keep the face clear ... my son took the card to my husband and asked him what he thought it was. My husband said, and I quote, "Well, I think I can see a face in that rock." Oh my goodness! It was obviously worse than I thought!

So - whether you see a Santa, or a rock, at least I posted my challenge card! lol. I hope you like it! It is loosely based on the CPS Sketch Challenge from last week too!

happy stampin'

supplies: Santa (Inkadinkadoo), "Believe" Cornish Heritage Farms, Ranger embossing powders, Copic markers and ABS, Nestabilities, twill, Versamark, Memento inks, Stampin' Up cardstock.

knit 1, purl 2

I don't knit, but think I know someone who will like this card ...
This is an image from the Copic class I took recently - I believe someone said it was Lockhart? If not, please comment here so I can give the appropriate credit.

I colored the image with Copics (what did you expect?) and the paper is Cosmo Cricket. Yum, yum. I love me some Cosmo. You are probably expecting a list of the colors used but ... I'm not sure, so I hate to guess and list something incorrectly! The reason I am not sure is because I colored this in the car on the way home from Charleston and I didn't write it down as I was using them.


I can tell you the punch is from Martha Stewart, the ribbon is Vanilla taffeta from Stampin' Up and the rectangles were cut with Nestabilities. The edges were distressed using a sponge and Chocolate Chip ink from SU.

If I do not post again before the weekend it's because I am busy, busy, busy. I work a couple of days this week, and have a Fundraiser coming up on Friday - check out the sidebar ---> and send an email if you want more details!

happy stampin'
Susan

Thinking of you

The colors in the Blue Hill Collection by Crate Paper are just lovely. They are soft, and slightly distressed which make a combo of my favorites! This sketch is from Papercrafts magazine website, but I can't find the link again so I believe the sketch must have been taken down.

The square behind the Prima flowers is a Nestabilities scallop edge die (love them), edged with distress ink from Ranger. A brad fits the flower center with the sentiment, "thinking of you" stamped from a Studio G $1 set. The brad is called Brad Builder from SU - it is blank so you can customize it and comes with a clear pebble to cover. I pierced the edges of the diagonal strip and rounded the card corners for interest.





Here is a better look at the flower and brad detail:

That's all for today. We're packing for our trip! My youngest son and his friend are going too - his friend has never been to DC so we are planning a lot of tourist activities! I am so looking forward to visiting my sister and sight-seeing with the boys. Hopefully nothing will go wonky with the blog posts - I may have time to check in while we're gone.

happy stampin'

Susan

Baby Bunny

This little bunny is such a cutie peeking over the basket rim! It's a new set from Stampin' Up - and I'm just loving the new catalog. Not to mention I just got a peek at the upcoming holiday mini ... and I'm thinking I may need to find another part-time job to finance my purchases over the next few months!

The scallop circles were cut using Nestabilities. These dies are so neat because they cut and emboss. The pattern paper and ribbon are from Crate paper's Blue Hill collection. I found a packet of the collection at my lss and decided that I must buy it! I think I had a coupon ... but it's much less expensive buying in packs than buying the paper individually by sheet.

all images copyright SU! 1990-2008

I colored the image in with Copics. The welcome sentiment is printed from the computer and punched with SU! oval tag punches.

happy stampin'

Susan

Bella!

I received a small pre-order last week of preview items from the upcoming Stampin' Up! catalog. As demos, we only get to see a few stamp sets and the new In Colors plus a couple of accessories - the majority of the catalog will be a surprise to me too (and I can't wait to see it!!).

Here are two cards I made using a new stamp set called Dreams du Jour, some absolutely yummie designer paper, Bella Rose and a few of the new In Colors!

The above card uses Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette and Riding Hood Red In Colors with Whisper White cardstock and Bella Rose dsp. I dyed vanilla taffeta ribbon with RH Red ink, and used one of the new buttons from the Button Blossoms. The scallop circles were cut & embossed with Nestabilities. I used Copics to color in the image.

Supplies for this card are the same (minus kiwi), except I used the Key Tag punch to round the edge of the sentiment and the Photo Corner punch. The image and sentiment are stamped with Chocolate Chip classic ink.

I am loving the new Bella Rose papers. They remind me of my grandmother's house - specifically her linens. I haven't even cut into my most favorite pieces with larger floral images. Lots of polka dots and roses, yum-o! I'll share more as I have time to stamp.

happy stampin'

Susan

Sharing + Blog Candy!

I've been MIA! It's been really busy at my house lately, too busy, and that's the reason I haven't blogged. I'll try to make that up to you today by offering a bit of blog candy at the end of this post.

My mother has been in the hospital following a fall at home. She is now in a rehab facility for physical therapy. My mother-in-law was able to come home from the hospital after a 4 1/2 week stay! And, finally, dd had her wisdom teeth surgically removed this week - so she has been a sleeping beauty in the recliner for 2 days {so far}. Whew - thank goodness this week is spring break for dd and me.

The card I'm sharing today was actually made the other week for the CPS 54 sketch challenge (click to see the sketch). I just didn't have time to photograph it and share that week! So, better late than never, right? The colors are a bit off - it is pink and green, but when I try to adjust the color the green goes yellow, so I left it alone.

The original sketch challenge had an additional component of making a baby card ... I ignored that part as you can see! Actually, I didn't read the posting, I just looked at the sketch and knew I would be able to use the Nestabilities to make a scallop card so off I ran!

It's not the greatest card, I readily admit. I wanted to use more of the Rock Star paper by DCWV - which, I find terribly difficult to use - so this card is what I came up with. The center image is flocked. I stamped HB with a Stampin' Up! set and the felt flower & brad is also from SU!. I think it will suffice just fine for a teenager or young adult birthday card. What do you think?

Now on to our blog candy: Three (3) dimensional sticker sets from EK Success!

In order to enter for the drawing, please leave a comment here doing one of two things:

1. Sharing a link to a card you made using any CPS sketch or

2. Share a link to any project made using Rock Star or Stampin' Up products!

Make sure you sign in or leave your contact information so I can reach you if you are the winner.

Thanks for reading and ...

happy stampin'

Susan

before and after

Ok, I finally took a new photo of the scallop square card! I'm going to show you the before photo so you don't have to scroll down to that post; and the after. Let me know what you think.

Before:

After:

The only difference is that I embossed the scallop flower in the center. Since the card was finished, and pulling it apart would mean starting all over again, I decided to try my Versamarker pen. It worked! I went over the inked area with the Versamarked and sprinkled clear embossing powder over the area. I was worried that I may have missed some areas, but after heating the ep, it looks like I got most of the image. yay!

happy stampin'

Susan

card with rub ons

Stampin' Up! is offering rub-ons for the first time. I really love rub-ons, much more than stickers. Of course, I love my stamps more ...

Anyway, there is a set of rub-ons available FREE through the Sale-a-Bration promotion. This is a wonderful way to try them out and see how you like working with them. I made this card entirely with cardstock and rub-ons, and ribbon. No stampin' allowed!



What do you think? I love the look of this card, simple, yet appropriate for many different occasions. Using the rub-ons make the process fast too. No stamps to clean, or ink pads to hunt down.

Supplies:
SU Cardstock: Kraft, Confetti white
Die: Nestabilities scallop circle
SU accessories: black gingham ribbon, rub-ons

happy stampin'
Susan

scallop square card

Another scallop card for you today! This is made with the Nestabilities square scallop die. The embossing shows up well in this photo. These dies cut, then emboss cardstock. It's so cool! I love the finished look of an embossed edge.



This is the first photo of my card. After looking at it and asking for suggestions, I went back and embossed the flower with clear ep using my Versamarker pen. It made a huge improvement in the overall look of the card. I have not taken a new photo yet. If I get a good photo that shows the embossing well, I will post it too so you can compare.

The ribbon is SU taffeta dyed with ruby red reinker. It came out a pink-ish color, but I still like it.
I used vanilla cardstock for the card base, ruby red for the scallop behind the flower. The inks are ruby red - stamped off once, and cameo coral. The flower center is a blue rhinestone brad.

happy stampin'
Susan

scallop circle card

I have been internet-less since Wednesday night. I don't know what the issue is, but obviously there is something between my modem and the computer that is going out. I have reset the modem twice and the internet connection is restored - but not for long. Well ... hopefully this time it will stay connected.

This card is a circle scallop made using Nestabilities dies. I folded an A2 size piece cardstock and set it just inside one edge of the scallop. It's just like cutting a paper doll or snowflake ... you only need to make sure one edge remains uncut.



What do you think about the ribbon? My daughter isn't crazy about the ribbon. So should I replace it?

The large flower and sentiment are some of the new rub-ons from Stampin' Up. These are freebies until March 17 through the Sale-a-Bration mini catalog. I was very pleased at how well the image went on. I have experienced rub-ons that didn't want to release from the paper, but these are just great.

Supplies: SU: kraft and ruby red cardstock, rub-ons, grosgrain ribbon; dotted ribbon - unknown.

happy stampin'
Susan