Presents and Chevrons for TTS13

Happy Thursday! I'm back in Alaska and trying get on schedule again. It's hard when you work nights and then spend several days awake during the day, and getting very little sleep. It was a whirlwind trip but the wedding was beautiful and my cousin is happy, and that's what matters!

Today we have a sketch challenge at 'Tis The Season! I stretched the interpretation of the chevrons a bit (I'm not a chevron fan) but hey, they're still there right? I used the stack of presents from the 'Wishing You' set and colored them with colors pulled from the DSP.

I'm also making 5 of these to play along with the SCS Christmas card challenge(which I have fallen behind on, ooops!)

I hope you'll come join us at 'Tis The Season, we'd love to have you play along with us!

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise stated):

Stamps: Wishing You

Paper: Baked Brown Sugar, Old Olive, Whisper White, Season of Style DSP

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Big Shot, Nestabilities Circles, Stylish Stripes EF, sponge, dimensionals

Peace for 'Tis The Season

It's time for another challenge over at 'Tis The Season! I am loving this...I have over 20 cards made for Christmas 2014 so far, such a great start for the month of January!

This weeks challenge is a color challenge...we'd like you to use Marina Mist, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White. I decided to join in the monthly Christmas card challenge at SCS and the January theme is "peace", so I grabbed the dove from Calm Christmas and stamped that in Marina Mist, with just a touch of Old Olive used for the greenery.

My sketch is from the current challenge over at Sunday Stamps and so instead of the oval shape I just substituted the dove and I did end up leaving a front sentiment off. I embossed the Whisper White with the Snow Burst EF, and the Chocolate Chip was used for the scallop border and also the brads in the bottom corner, as brads are our optional trimming with the color for this challenge!

I hope you'll come by the 'Tis The Season blog and check out the cards from the rest of the DT, and then we'd love to have you play along with us!

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Calm Christmas

Paper: Marina Mist, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

Ink: Marine Mist, Old Olive

Accessories: Big Shot, Snow Burst EF (retired), Scallop Edge Border Punch, Chocolate Chip Brads, dimensionals

Hello Hello

A friend of mine ordered some cards for me, and 2 of the cards she needed were a thinking of you type of card, for friends of hers battling cancer. I used the sketch from this weeks SCS sketch challenge to come up with this card. On this card I also used Washi tape for the very first time. Still not sure if its something I'll use often but at least now I can say I have tried it.

Sketchy Red, White and Blue

Yesterday I was looking for a challenge to play along with and thought I'd go check out the latest sketch over at SCS, as I hadn't played along with that in quite some time. The sketch is pretty interesting so I decided to give it a shot.

I've been in a patriotic state of mind lately and so I made another card with a red, white and blue theme. The hearts and star on the top and bottom layers are popped up with dimensionals and each layer goes in order....red, white and blue.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Independence Day(retired), Land of the Free(retired)

Paper: Real Red, Pacific Point, Naturals White, Real Red DSP, Pacific Point DSP

Ink: Real Red, Pacific Point

Accessories: Cuttlebug, CB Stars EF, sponge, dimensionals

Freshly Made with a Color Combo

For this card I used the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches and this weeks color challenge over at Splitcoast, which is Basic Black, Poppy Parade and Lucky Limeade. I thought it was a pretty interesting color combo, definitely not one I would have thought to use, and I love how simple the sketch is.

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Up, Up & Away, Aint Love Grand

Paper: Basic Black, Poppy Parade, Lucky Limeade, Naturals White

Ink: Black StazOn, Poppy Parade, Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Swiss Dots Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Basic Black ribbon and brads, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Paper Piercing tool

Peaceful Christmas Card

Yeah, I managed to get some stamping done today! Last week a nasty toothache knocked me out most of the week, had that pulled on Saturday and then we got hit by a snowstorm so I spent the rest of the weekend alternating between watching football( look out Cheeseheads, my G-Men are coming for you!) and playing outside. Needless to say all the intentions I had of getting some cards made went bye-bye :)

I had a free day today and I wanted to play along with a new sketch challenge that Lesley of Always Playing with Paper has going on now. Like she doesn't have enough to keep track of(she is a fellow DT member on Friday Mashup, is creator of The Paper Players and  Freshly Made Sketches, works outside of the home, just to name a few!) she is now hosting Merry Mondays, where she gives us a sketch and we make a Christmas card with it! I will NEVER turn down an opportunity to make a Christmas card but I just have to ask: Lesley, do you EVER sleep? ;)


I decided to ink up a set from the Christmas mini that I didn't touch at all this past holiday season, Comfort and Joy. It's a very pretty set and I like that it's nice and simple. I used today's color challenge over at Splitcoast for the card...as soon as I saw the colors I immediately thought winter/ Christmas. Maybe I still have Christmas on the brain?

I didn't like the empty space between the main image and the sentiment and none of my ribbon seemed to look right so I placed some pearls in that space and I really like how it turned out. I was going to add some Dazzling Details to the main image but after thinking about it I thought that would detract from the effect the pearls give so sorry to my daughter who loves sparkly stuff, but I didn't put it on! LOL

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Comfort and Joy

Paper: Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Blushing Bride, Naturals White

Ink: Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Blushing Bride

Accessories: Big Shot, Snow Burst embossing folder, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Pearls, sponge

 It's a wonder I could get my card photographed! I couldn't go outside because we're have 40mph winds, and so I went to my usual spot in the house, by our big dining room window. This also happens to be the window where my cats keep bird and moose watch and today my kitty Calliope did not want to give up her spot!

Snowman Fun with Friday Mashup

I just love this weeks Friday Mashup challenge, which is brought to us by Kim! She wants us to create a project featuring a snowman and use the colors Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze and Basic Gray.

I love snowmen, even though here in my neck of the woods our snow is usually very dry, its not the wet snow that makes the perfect snowman or snowball. I compensate by having snowmen decorations up in the house all year long, and during this time of year my yard has many snowman decorations also. Snowmen just make me smile, I cant help it.

These colors arent normally ones I'd grab for a winter/Christmas card but after seeing them together I think they combine wonderfully for a great winter scene! I used one of my favorite snowmen stamps, from the  Jolliest Time of Year set. I love how whimsical this little guy is! The layout is from this weeks sketch challenge over at Splitcoast. I'm also going to enter this card over at my favorite Christmas challenge blog, Jingle Belles...they are on hiatus until Jan but they have it so you can still link up any Christmas cards you might still be working on!

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :


-Make a project featuring "Snowmen".
-Or Make a project using the colors "Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze & Basic Grey".
-Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Snowman project with the colors Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze & Basic Grey".


*With all of our Challenges that have a Stampin' Up! Color Combo, you may substitute any colors with similar ones you have on hand.

Head on over to The Friday Mashup to check out all the great inspiration from the rest of the design team and play along with us, we love seeing the way you all interpret these challenges!

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Jolliest Time of Year, Bright Christmas(sentiment on front of card), Snow Flurries

Paper: Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze, Basic Gray,  Whisper White, Candy Cane DSP

Ink: Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, Basic Gray, Pumpkin Pie, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Snow Burst Embossing Folder, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Aquapainter, Sponge, Dimensionals

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Today's card combines 2 challenges....the new sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches and the Ways To Use It challenge over at Splitcoast, which has the theme "Baby Its Cold Outside". I had to laugh at that because that's the EXACT name of the post I made on my Alaska blog the other day, when I woke to a temperature of -16. 300 miles north of me Fairbanks has been seeing temps of -45..yes 45 BELOW zero. Bet that makes your temps seem pretty warm by comparison :)

I used by Fireside Christmas stamp for this because when its that cold out our wood stove gets a good workout. So even though the stamp is a fireplace it portrays the same idea!

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Fireside Christmas, Punch Pals, Merry Winter

Paper: Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Naturals White, Frostwood Lodge DSP

Ink: Black StazOn, Versamark, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Garden Green, Marina Mist, Elegant Eggplant, Bravo Burgundy, More Mustard, Always Artichoke, Basic Gray

Accessories: 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, blender pen, dimensionals

Christmas Carol with Paper Players

For todays card I played along with this weeks challenge over at The Paper Players. It's a color challenge and we are to use the colors Riding Hood Red, River Rock and Always Artichoke.

I love the stamp set A Christmas Carol and decided to use that image for my card. I stamped it on Naturals White with Early Espresso to get a bit of an old-fashioned look, and I sponged the edges with Always Artichoke. Its a bit hard to see but I used River Rock as the layer underneath the Deck The Halls DSP. The sketch is from Splitcoast, SC353.

I didnt want to over-do the card so I just added some paper piercing for a little extra visual.

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: A Christmas Carol

Paper: Riding Hood Red, River Rock, Always Artichoke, Naturals White, Deck The Halls DSP

Ink: Always Artichoke, Early Espresso

Accessories: Paper Piercing Tool, Sponge, Dimensionals

Soft Falling Snow

Whew, what a day to try and create a card about snow! A good portion of Alaska has been hit with a big storm coming in from the Gulf of Alaska and for my area that meant hurricane force winds that brought in warmer temps, so no snow, only rain. However the low will be sweeping through in a few hours and they are saying we'll be seeing snow overnight. With the wind blowing like mad I sat down this morning to make my Jingle Belles card and wouldnt you know it...the power went out! We just got it back on and let me tell you, it was interesting trying to create in the dark. Even though I have a big window in my bedroom the way my craft area sits I dont get much natural light at my desk, plus it was cloudy out so what light was streaming in wasnt very bright.

However, south of Anchorage this was the scene:
https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150887009895532

Lots of snow falling there!

Anyway, the challenge issued at Jingle Belles was to create a card with soft elements...."batting, velvet, fibers, denim, thick layers of embossing powder, soft silk flowers and snowflakes, pillow stickers & upholstered brads! Really, anything your brain can come up with that is SOFT, it doesn’t have to be only papercrafting products that you use, either! I encourage you to pull out those quilting, knitting, sewing, & flocking skills!

I ended up adding Fun Flock to my house for snow as my soft element, and maybe the quilted ribbon could be considered soft? I also added some Dazzling Diamonds for a sparkly snow-on-the-ground look. I used last weeks sketch from Splitcoast also(I think it was last weeks).

Supplies used( all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Christmas Lodge, sentiment from Forest Festivities

Paper: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist, Whisper White, Frostwood Lodge DSP

Ink: Black StazOn, Handsome Hunter, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Snow Burst embossing folder, Fun Flock, Dazzling Diamonds, Cherry Cobbler Quilted Ribbon, Modern Label Punch

In CASE You Forgot

My schedule has been so crazy that I havent played along with the Splitcoast challenges in a while, and definitely not the Try a New Technique for a really long time! I checked over there this morning and thought it was a fantastic challenge and really wanted to play along!

The challenge is to go into your favorites gallery and CASE the first card you ever added to your favorites gallery! How neat is that? I know I am really guilty of adding cards/projects to my gallery and then forgetting all about them.

The first card I ever added as a favorite was this Christmas one by Colleen Kidder. I instantly knew why I added it...I love the colors she used, the stamps she used to make her background and the main image. Simply adorable!

Colleens Card at Splitcoast

Now go look at her card, and then check out my CASE of it. I used red and green instead of blues but kept the same layout, a winter/Christmas theme, tearing of the cardstock and a ribbon element.

Supplies(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Home for Christmas, Sleigh Bells Ring
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Black StazOn, Versamark, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Basic Gray, Old Olive, Garden Green, River Rock
Accessories: SU Markers and Watercolor Pencils, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds

For You

Wow, 2 cards in 1 day? I must be sick!! Actually, I had pretty much the whole day free to do whatever I wanted so I decided to try the latest sketch challenge over at Splitcoaststampers. It was different and caught my eye, and since I have lots of retired DSP that I need to do something with I thought this would be the perfect card to use some on. Here is the sketch and the card I came up with:

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Punch Bunch, Itty Bitty Backgrounds

Paper: Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Rose Red, Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede, Thoroughly Modern DSP

Ink: Bermuda Bay, Rose Red, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Round Corner Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 3/4" Scalloped Circle Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Paper Piercing Tool, sponge, dimensionals

Bundling Up With the Jingle Belles

So how many people were like me when they first saw the Jingle Belles prompt for this week and thought we would have to use images that dealt with clothes and bundling up for winter? Am I the only one? LOL

The challenge this week comes from Candy. I discovered her through the Jingles Belles blog a month or so ago and you must go check out her blog, Stampin' With Candy. So creative and lots of great inspiration! So what did Candy want with a "bundled up" prompt? Layers! Yep, thats right...bundle your card up with at least 3 layers!

I used one of the previous sketches from Splitcoast(# 304) to give me a little help, and this is the card I came up with...I love cardinals and am sad to see this SU set retiring. I'll still use it though, 'cause I use all my stuff whether its retired or not. Yep, thats how I roll! The cardinal is a special favorite of mine because it reminds me of my Grandma. She adored cardinals and had them all throughout the house. She would have loved to get a card made with this set.

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: A Cardinal Christmas
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Deck The Halls DSP, Whisper White
Ink: Black StaOn, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Basic Black, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: CB Swiss Dots folder, SU Alpine ribbon, Xmas Red Stickles, sponge, dimensionals

S.O.S. Challenge

I'm playing along again with the Shopping Our Stash blog and this weeks challenge is a neat one.

Use any combination of one or more items/themes from one or more of the following categories:


S- products from companies that start with S - Stampin' Up, Stampavie, SEI, etc.
O-ocean or nautical, seashore, underwater creatures, etc.
S-things that start with an S like seashells, silver, seam binding ribbon, scoring, silly, stripes, seagulls stitching, etc.

I was going to do a ocean/sea/nautical theme but then I decided to go with these snowmen instead. I'm just in a winter/Christmas kind of mood I guess(and if you really know me, that wont surprise you one bit!).

This fits the SOS challenge in the following ways: Snowflakes(embossing folder), Snowmen, Stampin'Up, Silver Elastic Cord, Square Punch, Silver Stickles. I also used this weeks sketch from Splitcoaststampers.

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Flaky Friends
Paper: Taken With Teal, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Holiday Lounge DSP
Ink: Black StazOn, Taken With Teal, Cherry Cobbler, Summer Sun, Bermuda Bay, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black, Garden Green, Only Orange
Accessories: SU Markers, Silver Elastic Cord, CB Folder Snowflakes, 1 3/8" square punch, Silver Stickles

Birthday Yummy

Wow, 2 cards in 1 day? I must be sick!

This card was made for 2 challenges....the first is this weeks Clean and Simple challenge over at Splitcoast, where you are to use a sand color, a chocolate color, a light blue and a neutral. I went with Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue and Whisper White.

Next I used the sketch from Stamping 411. If you didnt know,  Stamping 411 is now strictly Stampin'Up products only for their challenges.

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):
Stamps:Birthday Bakery
Paper: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Cutie Pie DSP, Whisper White
Ink: Black StazOn, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: SU Watercolor Crayons, Bashul Blue Ribbon, Modern Label Punch, Brads