FM21 Bossy & Sketchy

My post is late, I know. Actually, I am without internet at the moment, in the back woods. So with technical complications of prescheduling my post, along with a conflict of the previous blog hop post last Friday, I couldn't move posts around. And the crickets may be chirping on my blog for the next week or so while we have some family time. Bear with me... promise I'll be back! :)

On to Friday's challenge -

So here is how we are MASHING IT UP this week

1. Create a project using the provided "Sketch"
2. or Create a project that has a "Dry Embossing on it"
3. or "Mash it Up!" and create a card using the "Sketch with Dry Embossing"

I broke down and bought the Field Flowers set. I couldn't handle seeing all the beautious projects being posting out there in blogland. Well, now that it's in my hot little hands, I've got to play with it, right?

I was looking for a good color combo, and I used Ilina Crouse's version as inspiration. Wow, this set looks good with so many different layouts and color combos!

I just used a little strip of embossed cardstock to satisfy the second part of the challenge. To grunge up the card, I used the Log Cabin Smooch Spritz on the background.

Stamps: Field Flowers; Paper: Peach Parfait, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, First Edition DSP; Ink: More Mustard, Peach Parfait, Old Olive, Early Espresso; Accessories: Early Espresso Baker's twine, Log Cabin Smooch Spritz, 1-3/4" Circle punch, Coluzzle, Square Lattice embossing folder, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread, Dimensionals.

Don't forget there's one more week to submit your fan favorite challenge. We could be playing along with your challenge next month! Go to the Mashup post for all the details. Thanks for stopping by!

Stampin' Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop

**Please note the blog hop officially starts Friday, August 26 at noon EST. Some links may not be up and running before then.

Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop! Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy a sneak peek of the Holiday mini catalog, releasing on September 1.

If you have been following the blog hop in order, you have just come from Rhonda's blog featuring the stamp set Warmest of Wishes. Didn't she do an amazing job?

If you know me, you know I totally love Halloween. The fact is I had been away from it for many years, and I am just starting to buy supplies and celebrate the holiday again (by crafting, of course!). I go for the whole Halloween suite, hook, line, and sinker! My set for this hop is Out on a Limb. This set allows me to create scenes, which is another passion of mine. The witch, the broom, the branch, the clouds, the moon.... how cute is this set? So without further ado, let's start with some cards.

I stamped the images and lightly brayered the background to get a sky color. I did some marker and blender pen coloring and paper piecing to get the images colored. I love the little Halloween-style black and Razzleberry flower in the corner of the image, created with punches, edge sponging, and shaping. This card served double-duty, as it was also my card for Janice's Holiday mini card swap over at Stampin' Addicts.

Stamps: Out on a Limb; Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade, More Mustard, So Saffron, Whisper White, Basic Black, Pocketful of Posies DSP; Ink: Early Espresso, Rich Razzleberry, Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight marker, So Saffron marker, Blush Blossom marker; Accessories: Brayer, Sponge, Blender pen, 1" Circle punch, Boho Blossoms punch, Itty Bitty punch pack, Rhinestone jewel, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, 3" Circle die, Tasteful Trim die, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread.

I thought the branch images (rotated to be trees) and cute little witch would make a good window scene as well. I can definitely see myself using the branch and cloud images well beyond Halloween.

The background was again brayered, this time with Marina Mist and Night of Navy ink. I created a window sill with the Woodgrain background stamp, and decorated it with some jack-o-lanterns. I kept the rest of the card simple to reflect a wall around the window scene.

Stamps: Out on a Limb, Wicked Cool, Woodgrain BG; Paper: Night of Navy, Chocolate Chip, Soft Suede, Whisper White; Ink: Marina Mist, Night of Navy, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron marker, Blush Blossom marker; Accessories: Brayer, Sponge dauber, Blender pen, 1-3/8" Circle punch, Curly Label punch.

How about approaching this spooky door on Halloween night?

Can you see how I created the door panel lines with the Simply Scored scoring tool?

Stamps: Out on a Limb, Piece of Poison, Woodgrain BG; Paper: Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Whisper White; Ink: Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Cajun Craze; Accessories: Aquapainter, Sponges, Silver mini brad, 5/16" brad, Early Espresso taffeta ribbon, Early Espresso Baker's twine, Simply Scored scoring tool.

Staying with the Halloween theme, I had fun decorating a milk carton house.

Here I used the limb stamp for bushes. Check out the bats hiding under the roof overhang.

Stamps: Out on a Limb; Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso, Whisper White; Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Peach Parfait, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Blush Blossom marker, So Saffron marker; Accessories: Brayer, Aquapainter, Blender pen, Silver mini brad, Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Milk Carton die, Big Shot, Dimensionals.

If you aren't yet a member of Stampin' Addicts, you can sign up here. Make sure you check out the next stop to see what Sara at Lily's Ink Pad put together using Gently Falling. She's made some amazing projects.











The complete blog hop listing:

1. Rhonda (rhondag): Warmest Wishes
2. Heidi (hlw966): Out on a Limb
3. Sara M-B (lilyinkpad): Gently Falling
4. Adriana (escape2stamp): Spice Cake fabric
5. Holly K (catrules): Always Thankful
6. Cindy (CindyE): Pines & Poinsettias
7. Shelley (Packer Fan): The Sounding Joy
8. Carmen: stocking die
9. Sarah W (willsygirl): Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin
10. Kim (s1itcher46): Frostwood Lodge DSP
11. Tanya (tanya27): Christmas Lodge
12. Jennifer (jentimko): Bright Hopes
13. Lisa (genesis): Stitched Stockings
14. Holly P (Hollylogic): Stocking Builder Punch
15. Betty (kittstamp): Peek-a-boo frame die
16. Paula (scrapshappen): 25 & Counting
17. Trina (pepesmom): Festive and Fun
18. Yapha: Digital Downloads
19. Debra (WebDeb): Leaves of a Tree

Thanks for stopping by!

SUOC26 Party Invitations

Today's challenge at Stampin' Up Only challenges is to create a party invite. What says party more than a string of colorful pennants? Yes, I'm pennant punch crazy! Couple that with a pinwheel or two, to imply the forthcoming whimsical fun each attendee is guaranteed to have, and you've got a party ready to go!

These pinwheel images also create the most perfectly delightful cupcake pick.

Stamps: Sweets for the Sweet, Something to Celebrate; Paper: Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Very Vanilla, Just Add Cake DSP; Ink: Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Chocolate Chip; Accessories: Petite Pennant punch, Itty Bitty punch pack, Silver mini brads, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Petal Cone die, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread, Dimensionals, Toothpicks.

Thanks for stopping by!

Scrappy Monday: Progressive Page Swap

Hi there, I will be joining the girls over at the Mashup on Fridays starting in September, so I won't have post space for scrappiness on Fridays. Change it to Scrappy Monday? Hmmmm, we'll see if it sticks. Today I'm going to share with you a progressive scrapbook page I created for our sideline swap, a 6 x 6" page on a 8-1/2 x 11" layout.

I just love the warm feel of yellow and orange together, so I started with Beyond the Garden DSP, which has those colors. I'm wondering to myself if I need to grab the Playful Polka Dots Simply Scrappin' Kit in the Summer mini before August 31. I just love those colors... Anywho, some close-ups of the cute features on this page.

I have a heck of a time photographing scrapbook pages. My light box isn't quite big enough. If you have suggestions, I'm all ears (or eyes). Project 52 totals: Week 34, page 39. Still ahead of the game!

At our sideline meeting, we make shoebox projects, swap a completed project, and discuss business items and catch up... plus some general gabbing and snacking. It is a great evening out! And I got some great swaps back in return from these talented bunch of ladies! If you think you would like to join our group, just shoot me an email.

Paper: Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Tangerine Tango, Melon Mambo, Chocolate Chip, Beyond the Garden DSP, Brights Collection DSP; Accessories: Silver mini brad, Petite Pennant punch, 1-3/4" Circle punch, Itty Bitty punch pack, Eyelet Border punch, Scallop Trim Border punch, Go-Go Boots alphabet die, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread.

Thanks for stopping by!

FM20 Sweet as a Button

Although I don't officially join the Friday Mashup design team until September, I did create a card for this week's challenge, dual-purposing it as a shoebox project for our sideline meeting as well.

Isn't this cupcake the yummiest? I couldn't resist trying to duplicate it when I saw it. Here's what I've got -

For the Mashup, the challenge was to create a project with cupcakes and buttons. I did add some paper piecing, which was "extra credit" at the Mashup. And the object of the shoebox swap was to use supplies from the new catalog. The stamp set here is Sweets for the Sweet. I wanted to use the umbrella image, and I couldn't figure out a way to use it with the other stamps in the set, so I paired it with the cupcake punch. I'm going to have to get more of these mini brads, 'cause I'm loving them! I also used sketch #120 from Stamping 411.

Here you can see that I punched the cupcake top three times and trimmed to try to duplicate the frosting in the picture. What'cha think?

Don't forget to submit your challenge idea for "fan favorite". We could be doing your challenge in the near future!

Stamps: Sweets for the Sweet; Paper: Pink Pirouette, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Just Add Cake DSP; Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip; Accessories: Crimper, Button Latte, White Baker's twine, Build a Cupcake punch, Silver mini brads, Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder, Tasteful Trim die, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

Holiday Mini Sneak Peek: Christmas Lodge

I'm busy creating cards for a Holiday mini swap, so I thought I would give you a sneak peek to some items from the mini. This one uses a beautiful winter lodge image from the set Christmas Lodge.

You can also see the lovely plaid pattern from the Frostwood Lodge DSP. I'm certainly not ready for winter yet, but this gives me such a warm, cozy feeling! More fun supplies includes quilted satin ribbon and Dazzling Details iridescent glitter glue.

A small disclaimer - I only sewed on the prototype card. Unfortunately sewing through so many layers totally stressed out the machine.

Excited to see the mini catalog yet? Well, we will be having a Stampin' Addicts blog hop starting Friday, August 26. Mark your calendars to check it out!

Stamps: Christmas Lodge, Woodgrain BG; Paper: Always Artichoke, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Frostwood Lodge DSP; Ink: Soft Suede, Always Artichoke; Accessories: Blender pen, Dazzling Details, Cherry Cobbler quilted satin ribbon, Silver brads, 3" Circle die, Petal Cone die, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread.

Thanks for stopping by!

Gellin' at Club

One of our stamp club cards this month was an oldie technique but a goodie, a gel card using Summer Splash from the Summer mini catalog.

Everyone loves to touch and play with the gel window; it is such tactile fun! I used the simple front, similar to Kirsteen Gill's as inspiration, so all the focus was on the gel window. We sponged the bottom part of the window scene with Pool Party to make it look darker, similar to an underwater scene. The brad window frame is reminiscent of a porthole. And the handtorn sandy bottom was spritzed with the Color Spritzer Tool to make realistic speckles.

Don't forget the Summer mini is only available until August 31. Grab your favorite stamps and supplies, before they are gone.

Stamps: Summer Splash, Sincere Salutation; Paper: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Pear Pizzazz, Always Artichoke, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Whisper White; Ink: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Always Artichoke, Soft Suede marker; Accessories: Gold brads, Sponges, Color Spritzer Tool, Circle Scissors Plus, 3" Circle die, Little Leaves die, Tasteful Trim die, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Ziploc jewelry bag, Hair gel.

Thanks for stopping by!