Clearly Inspired Challenge #20 (CIC20)

I've had a difficult time keeping up over the holidays, let alone finding play-time.  However, when I needed both a thank you note and a birthday card, I knew I could put the cute little snowman digital stamp from Clear Dollar Stamps to good use and take on the "3-shades-of-blue" challenge from Clearly iStamp.  I used an embossing folder to make a window in my card from the plastic container that held a new set of Spellbinders dies.  Through the window you can see the snowman that I highlighted with Stickles. 

 

This is actually the outside of one card and the inside of another, but the only difference was the words I wrote in the balloon.  Didn't think that was enough to do two separate entries in the challenge, but it did make it easier to photograph! The snowman's vest matches the "curtain swag" over the window.  The "wall" is Core'dination paper, a blue on blue.  The mat behind the snowman is a darker blue.  The snowflakes are actually a metalic blue, but that's hard to see.  Hope you like him! 

Clearly Inspired Challenge 19, Take 2

     I decided I wanted to do another take on this "sticky situation," a little neater, but still sticky.  I can really see the analogy with our lives.  Sometimes, our mistakes, tough things in our lives, are not all that obvious, but they still keep us out of the will of God or from resting in the peace He has for us.  We can look "almost" okay.  God can see past that.  He can still fix it.  He's still the answer, if we let him be. 

     Clear Dollar Stamps has some amazing sentiments.  I want to play with them all!  And I am certainly enjoying their new die.  Now I need stamps to go with them!  I will be buying my own birthday present soon. Just to save DH the hassle.  LOL!

Clearly Inspired Challenges #19

This month's challenge from Clearly iStamp is food related, appropriate as we begin a season known for over-eating and other indulgences.  My stamped image is a sentiment, which I whole-heartedly believe, from Clear Dollar Stamps.  I illustrated that with a lollipop I made from Twistel paper yarn that I received in a generous RAK from a fellow Fiskateer.  Doesn't it look messy and sticky, just like life sometimes?

Stamping Scrapping Challenge: Yellow & Black

Made this for a bumble-loving friend before I knew about this challenge.  I might have done a few things differently, if I'd known I was going to be entering it.  You know, the old hindsight-is-20/20 thing.  Anyway, I did use the right products.  The tree is from Spellbinders Nesting Pines, the border punch is Martha Stewart's snowflake border (Love how you can use the fiddly-bits that fall out!) and it's all held together with scor-tape!  Thanks for looking!

Fisk-a-teers Support the Fight against Breast Cancer! Go Orange and Pink!

 Here's my entry in the Pink and Orange Challenge issued by lead Fisk-a-teer Tami.  I somehow had the idea pink and orange didn't go together.  Was I wrong!  Love it!  Can't stop using it!  I made a couple more cards after the challenge.

This picture shows some of the Fiskars tools I used; some, because I forgot the one I used the most, the Threading Water Edge Punch!  I especially love the finished look the crimper and pinking shears give candy wraps.  Looks so professional! 

Tami posted a wonderful video on the Fisk-a-teer site.  http://www.fiskateers.com/blog/2010/10/11/the-gorgeous-results-of-a-secret-color-challenge/

I hope you'll check it out.  It's very moving.  Thanks for stopping by.

Clearly Inspired Challenge #18 - Color me Fall

     I've gotten really excited about this little company, Clear Dollar Stamps, and thrilled that they now have dies.  I love the label designs, but I was afraid the paper would stick inside.  No worry.  It fell right out.  The clear templates make it very easy to line up with sentiments or graphics.  I found that the main sentiment I wanted to use, the scripture, was a wee bit too big, so I masked off the "address, " Jeremiah 29:11, and it fit fine.  I had fun laying out the tiny individual words from "Card Categories Too" for the greeting.  Don't they look like they were made that way?  Nope, just individual words in a lovely script.
     It kind of stretched me to make a birthday card in these colors, but it is a Fall birthday, so it makes sense. . .I hope!  The card is accordian style which folds up to a standard A2 card.  Happy Birthday to my friend, Darlynn!

Whooo asked for owls?

Clearly iStamp, that's whooo!  I just recently discovered ClearDollarStamps.  Love 'em!   Clearly iStamp is their blog.  Well, the best way to get more of the wonderful "Clearly Christian" stamps would be to win them, of course!  So I have to give it a try.  The theme for Clearly Inspired Challenge #17 (CIC17) is The Owl and/or their Habitat.  I decided Woodsy, Smokey Bear's friend, would be perfect for my great-nephew's 5th birthday, especially since his Papa is retired  from the US Forest Service. The front of my card was based on (cased from) a card from Stamp with Tami.  The card shape was adapted from an idea I got from scor-pal pals.  My owl was made with a Fiskars punch I won last year on the fiskateers blog.  Love it!

JustRite Challenge 036

     Well, I thought I was going to sleep in Saturday morning, but I woke early thinking of dark red, black and ivory, the colors for JustRite Stampers newest color challenge.  I went through pictures of some of my favorite cards and decided to take elements from several.  This card had more steps than any I've made before, but I'm pleased with the results.  I hope the judges will be, too,  :o)  because I love those alphabets!  Thanks for looking!

JustRite Challenge Friday Challenge 033

I really do create cards other than for the JustRite Challenges, but, after doing so, my energy is sapped.  So, I prioritize the ones I post.  The chance to win more of these cool stamps is a high priority.  Love 'em!

This was a sketch challenge, which is nice because I have a hard time coming up with a lay-out sometimes, and my daughter needed a wedding card for a couple whose colors are red, white and black.  That gave me a lot of direction.  I used JustRite's Brayton font, embossed, for the couples names.  I used a heart, glittered, from Favorite Occasions.  The "Happily Ever After" uses the Curlz font, and the three stamped frames are from the 2" Decorative Borders.  The lock and key are cut with Spellbinders and I added a littled beaded keychain. The picture doesn't do it justice.  I'm still working on that part.  :o)  Thanks for looking.

JustRite Friday Challenge #029

I love JustRite stamps so much that I want to enter all the challenges to get a chance to win more!  Time and energy, mostly energy, don't allow, but I did make the extra effort this week.  This was a sketch challenge.  I decided to keep it clean and simple, but had fun with it.  I used a stamp on the background and the same one on the ribbon.  This is old-hat for many, I'm sure, but trying new techniques is always a little scary for me.  Then I remember my friend Pat's admonition, "It's only paper!"  Well, in this case, it was ribbon, too. . .even more scary!  :o)

JustRite Challenge 025 Inside Out

I have so much fun making these cards, but, unfortunately, I can't meet deadlines very well.  This time I think I finished in time.  Now if I don't mess up getting it posted!  The idea here is to use JustRite sentiment stamps on both the outside and the inside of a card.  Since I can't color in the lines very well, sentiments are my favorite stamps.  I made my very first "flip flop" card.  It wasn't easy getting all those little layers in position to flip instead of flop, but I think it turned out pretty well.  I actually made two identical cards, because I thought it would be easier to photograph the inside and outside at the same time.  Hope you can see what I've done okay.

JustRite Friday Challenge 006, Beautiful Botanics

I'm starting to build my collection of the wonderful JustRite stamps, but was surprised to find how few flowers I have.  Better add them to my wish list!

Justrite Birthday Bash Challenge

I had a lot of fun making this card, using graphics from pccrafter.com, spellbinders dies and Justrite stamps.  I had less fun getting it photographed and posted.  Problems with my flash kept turning it the card strange colors.  Ugh!

An Easter Card for CPS

It's been a while since I have posted anything, but now that I've been disconnected from the oxygen tube during the day --WooHoo!--I hope to find more time and energy to be organized enough to keep this up.  So to get right to the point, here's my card for the CPS challenge.  (Graphics by Laurie Furnell, pccrafter.com)   Had to get in that drawing for the JustRite Stamps!  Love those things!