Retro Rubber 66 - DT Card

So much fun in this week's challenge at Retro Rubber - it's wedding time! That's right - get out your old stamps and create a wedding card. Just use at least one stamp older than a year and don't forget to tell us how old it is.

There's a lot of old stuff in this wedding card. The embossing folder and the dies are both older than a year as well. The stamp is from SU's Floral Phrases, new in the 2016-17 catalogue. That's where the stamp on the inside, and on the envelope, came from too.

Please join us in the challenge - we love to see what you do. Apart from the rule about an old stamp and telling us how old it is, the only other thing to remember is not to link up to more than ten challenges in total.

Ingredients

Card: Very Vanilla, Acetate window sheet, Early Espresso. Gold foil

Stamps: Floral Phrases

Ink: Early Espresso (inside and envelope), versamark

Other: Gold embossing powder, Sunshine Wishes thinlits, dimensionals, Hearts embossing folder.

All products Stampin' Up.

CAS Colours and Sketches 196 - DT call

This week's colour combo at CAS Colours and Sketches is almost my favourite Christmas combination. I think gold still tops copper as my favourite metallic but it's a near-run thing!

I've made a lot of cards using Garden Green and Cherry Cobbler recently but this morning, I put together this card for the challenge.

I like the way the Swirly Scribbles dies are so versatile that they also make fabulous Christmas wreaths in a variety of sizes. Layered, they look very pretty.

I'm feeling a little nostalgic because this is Challenge 196 and I think that the first time I discovered CAS Colours and Sketches was Challenge 96. It seemed a kind of sign that I should have a try for the Design Team call.

Update: Delighted to be a Weekly Winner at CAS Colours and Sketches.

Ingredients

Card: Very Vanilla, Copper Foil, Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler

Stamps: Oh What Fun!, Holly Berry Happiness

Inks: versamark, Tuxedo Black

Other: Swirly Scribbles dies, Cherry Cobbler enamel dots, Copper embossing powder, Holly builder punch and dimensionals for the bow.

All products Stampin' Up.

Paper Players 314 Take 2

I don't think I've ever put two entries into one competition before but here I am. I really liked the sketch this week at Paper Players.

I had an idea that I wanted to play with, which was to use an embossed version of Merry Medley as a background paper. Although I liked the card I made and entered it earlier in the week, it's just been bothering me ever since that I could have done it better. So here it is, take 2...

I like this one better but, if it starts to bother me that it could be even better, I promise not to impose a third version on anyone else!

Ingredients

Card: Garden Green, Copper foil paper, Very Vanilla

Stamps: Merry Medley, Holly Jolly Greetings, Holly Berry Happiness

Inks: Versamark, Tuxedo Black

Other: Copper embossing powder, Swirly Scribbles dies, Cherry Cobbler enamel shapes, dimensionals

FMS 252

I was intrigued by the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week.

Since the Rich Razzleberry ombre ink pad and Swirly Bird set were both still out from my last week's class, they entered a happy marriage with the sketch.

The top portion of the front panel is raised up using the new foam adhesive strips. While it gives more height than dimensionals, it does give more support to the panel.

The sentiment is from Sunshine Sayings, a set that is growing in usefulness the more I look at it. I like that, with this sentiment, the card is quite multi-purpose.

Ingredients
Card: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Old Olive
Stamps: Swirly Bird, Sunshine Sayings, Playful Backgrounds
Inks: Rich Razzleberry, Rich Razzleberry ombre pad, Old Olive, Tuxedo Black
Other: Swirly Scribbles thinlits, Rich Razzleberry enamel shapes, Softly Falling embossing folder, foam strips, dimensionals

Freshly Made Sketches 250

It seems way too early to be thinking about Christmas but when my pre-order holiday catalogue box arrived, it seemed that I was destined to start working on Christmassy things. The sketch at Freshly Made Sketches lent itself to an idea that I wanted to explore using the beautiful background stamp, Merry Medley.

So, here it is.

With the abundance of sentiment already present, I opted to leave out the sentiment suggested in the sketch. The Christmas wreath was made by layering up some of the Swirly Scribbles dies, leaves from the same set and some feathery leaves from Botanical  Builders.

Simple, but cheerful and Christmassy.

Ingredients

Card: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, scraps of Gold Foil, Garden Green and Cucumber Crush

Stamps: Merry Medley

Inks: Cherry Cobbler

Other: Cherry Cobbler thick baker's twine, Enamel shapes

As You See It 139 - DT Card

This week at As You See It, we have an enchanting sketch for you to play with over the next fortnight.

I took this sketch as a chance to showcase the beautiful new ombre stamp pad I got from Stampin' Up during the week. This one is Rich Razzleberry but it comes in intensity-graded stripes that gives you the lovely shading effect when you stamp with it. Also getting an outing in this card is the new Swirly Bird stamp set with the coordinating Swirly Scribbles thinlit dies and the Sunshine Sayings stamps with Sunshine Wishes thinlits.... yes, I got a big box of goodies this week!

So, why not join us and show us how you see it? You have a whole two weeks, until 11.59 pm Wednesday 27 July (PST).

Ingredients

Card: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Basic Black, Whisper White

Stamps: Swirly Bird, Sunshine Sayings

Inks: Razzleberry Ombre stamp pad, Tuxedo Black

Other: Swirly Scribbles thinlits, Sunshine Wishes thinlits, Old Olive baker's twine, dimensionals.

CAS Colours and Sketches 181

So, it's now day 2 of my exploration of the Swirly Bird bundle. (Maybe it's really still day one, since I started last night but I'll go with day 2.)

This time, I've taken inspiration from a favourite challenge blog of mine, CAS Colours and Sketches. This week is colour week.

These bright, fresh colours got me thinking of trees with a brightly coloured bird in them. In turn, that lead to this slightly unusual baby card. It avoids the usual pastel shades I associate with baby cards. It's also non-specific enough that it could also be a house-warming, or even engagement card, now I think about it more: any occasion with the idea of home or family.

I used the splatter stamp that come with the set with Cucumber Crush and Soft Suede, stamped off, to give the impression of branches and leaves in behind the three die cut leaves. Some eggs are on dimensionals and have had Wink of Stella applied. The bird and the sentiment are also popped up. The bird has a pearly eye: a literally beady eye!

Update: Delighted to be a Top Pick at CAS Colours and Sketches.

Ingredients

Card: Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, Soft Suede, Cucumber Crush

Stamps: Swirly Bird, Zoo Babies (sentiment, retired)

Inks: Elegant Eggplant, Soft Suede, Cucumber Crush

Other: pearl, Wink of Stella, dimensionals, Cucumber Crush marker, Elegant Eggplant marker for colouring cut edges.

ColourQ 349 Sunday Stamps 130

Winter is here with a vengeance. Today was the last day of the school term and it was raining and cold all day. What better way to celebrate than to get acquainted with the Swirly Bird bundle that I bought at the start of June and have done little more than look at since? Ok - I've used it on one previous card, but still plenty to explore! So after cooking dinner and indulging a glass of wine, I took myself off to my craft room.

For inspiration, I used the colour challenge at ColourQ

and the sketch challenge at Sunday Stamps.

And here's what I came up with...

In order to get 'hope it's' in the sentiment, I had to mask off part of the original stamp.

After making the basic white tag, I softly sponged the bottom in Marina Mist as a background for the ocean waves. I've used a scallop mask to create the impression of clouds in the upper part.

One of my card-class ladies commented last night that we didn't often make masculine cards. I hope this one ticks her box!

Ingredients

Card: Island Indigo, Marina Mist, Whisper White, small scrap of Basic Grey

Stamps: Swirly Bird, Endless Birthday Wishes

Ink: Basic Grey, Island Indigo, Marina Mist, Real Red

Other: Seaside embossing folder, Swirly Scribbles thinlits, Real Red cotton ribbon, dimensionals

JAI 317 and CAS(E) 178

Just Add Ink have an unusual colour challenge this week - or at least for me, since two of the colours I seldom use.

It looked both fun and floral. I decided to give it a go and to pair it with the sketch challenge at CAS(E) this Sketch.

I still have things in my box of new catalogue goodies that I hadn't even opened. I've been busy with a Catalogue Launch Extravaganza and had got a bit fixated with the Seaside Shore set, first out of my box of goodies. So tonight, I got out Playful backgrounds (which I think I'm going to LOVE) and the Swirly Bird bundle. And all of these things lead to this.....

Ingredients

Card: Flirty Flamingo, Whisper White, scraps of Rose Red, Crushed Curry and Pear Pizzazz

Stamps: Playful Backgrounds, Swirly Bird, Endless Birthday Wishes

Inks: Rose Red, Flirty Flamingo, Crushed Curry, Pear Pizzazz, Tuxedo Black

Other: dimensionals, Flirty Flamingo enamel shapes, Swirly Scribbles dies.