What a Great Tuesday!

I’ve had such a good day today.  It is my sweet Mother’s 85th Birthday and her Facebook page is full of wonderful, heartfelt wishes from friends all over the world.  She is so special and I love her so much.

I’ve spent the day going through the new Stampin’ Up! catalog for the umpteenth time.  I just can’t wait to share it with you.  My supply will be shipped on June 18th – so get ready for some fantabulous new stamp sets, beautiful new colors and lots of exciting surprises.  I will publish links as soon as we are allowed.

In the meantime, I made this card using Greenhouse Garden for the very first time.  This two-step set is in the current catalog but I didn’t get it until recently.  Wow, I just didn’t know what I was missing.  It is terrific as you can tell by this CAS (Clean and Simple) card.  The Stamp-a-ma-jig makes lining up the images sooooooo easy.  If you don’t have one, order right away.  It helps so much to line up your sentiments or any floating image- wood mounted stamps or clear mount.

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I used two of the new core colors- Marina Mist and Daffodil Delight and love, love them.  Especially the Marina Mist.  Today’s favorite.  I love the new core and new in colors so much that I will be changing my favorites daily!

I sure hope you are having a great day and wish you great blessings,

Diane

Supplies: All supplies are current Stampin’ Up! products
Stamps:  Greenhouse Garden, Elements of Style, Well Scripted
Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Black, Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight
Ink:  Basic Black, Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight
Accessories:  Basic Black gingham ribbon, SU! dimensionals, Clear blocks, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Corner rounder punch

del.icio.us Tags: SU!,Greenhouse Garden,Birthday,Colors

Inspired Butterfly Birthday – TLC228

Hello all, I know I promised to post more often, but I just haven’t found the time to do a challenge lately- until today and I just couldn’t resist.  The Technique Lovers Challenge today was to try a new fold from Penny Wessenauer and it really looked interesting.  Penny was so gracious to share her template with us which you can find here along with many other wonderful tutorials.

One of my dear stampin’ friends has a birthday this week and these are the hardest cards to make.  First, you want it to be special for a special friend; then, it must be outstanding because that friend is also a stamper!  And finally, you know she will display the card- so there is even more pressure.  This stand up card was just perfect along with my very best and favorite Designer Paper from Stampin’ Up and a little silver bling.  I used white shimmery metallic paper and clear embossed the image and the punched butterflies.   I love how it turned out and the back is as pretty as the front, don’t you think?

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend.  Ours was quiet, but we did enjoy a great visit from our son Scott and attended an awesome church service.

 

 

 

Blessings,

Diane

Supplies: 

Stamps:  SU! Inspired by Nature; CTMH For Every Occasion (Sentiment)

Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Wausau White Metallic, Parisian Breeze DSP

Ink:  PTI Dark Chocolate

Embellishments:  Baja Breeze ribbon, Chocolate Chip Ribbon, Filigree Brad, Pretties Rhinestone brad

Accessories:  Martha Stewart Classic Butterfly punch, SU! Scallop Edge Punch, Clear Embossing Powder, Versamark, Heat tool, Dimensionals, 1/4 inch punch

Technorati Tags: TLC228,PTI,CTMH,Birthday,Butterfly,Chocolate

Alice, How Does Your Garden Grow? CPCM-NTYW04

If you haven’t visited Christian Paper Crafts Magazine yet, I encourage you to go straight to this site- right now!  Cindy Coutts and her team have put together an awesome site that allows Christian women to share their stories of faith and share their creative gifts.  You will be inspired by the Bible Studies and reflections in the community. 

The site is just beginning its 4th week so I’ve decided to try and catch up on the challenges so far.  The New To You Wednesday challenge for 5-6-09 was to use paper piecing in our creations.  I love “dressing” my stamp characters and this cute garden Hanna was just perfect.  So I made this card for my great Christian friend Alice’s birthday, an outdoor gal and she and hubby Steve are about the only folks I know that are true farmers.  It is such a treat to visit them and see the livestock, gardens, the lake with ducks and fish- so delightful!

This card is a case of a creation I saw Stampin’ with Di.  I didn’t use the cute apron fold, but did duplicate her design- just couldn’t improve on it!  Hope you like it.

 

Blessings,

 

Diane

Supplies:  Stamps:  Hanna Garden Clear; Paper:  SU Not Quite Navy, Kiwi Kiss, PTI White, SU Urban Garden DSP; Ink:  Basic Black, Really Rust, Creamy Caramel, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Light Grey, Chocolate Chip, Blush Blossom;  Accessories:  Baja Breeze ribbon, SU and Prismacolor Markers, Dimensionals

Raspberry Birthday Dress – SC229

 

Here’s a great sketch for the challenge on SCS today, plus the cutest dress template that I saw on Bensarmom’s blog, Trusting in the Lord for All Things.  She is so creative- take a look and you will be blessed. 

I’m in love with Raspberry Tart DSP from Stampin’ Up!  There’s a special this month- buy three packs of DSP and get one free.  If you don’t have a SU! demo, here’s the link to the best one in the business – Lisa Wright’s Stampin’ Up site. 

I’ve got to get dinner started- so here’s my birthday card for my niece Tina using this spiffy paper.  Enjoy!

 

Blessings,

Diane

Supplies:  Stamps: Phrase Collection – Inque; Paper:  Raspberry Tart DSP, Kiwi Kiss, Cameo Coral, Whisper White; Ink:  Basic Black; Accessories:  MS Doily Punch, Paper Studio Pearls, PTI Berry Sorbet Ribbon, Nesties Scallop Circle Die, Dimensionals

Butterfly Birthday – LSC213

Well, we’re back from our mini vacation and glad to be home.  We have been visiting our sons in Nashville and Atlanta and had a great time.  It rained everyday in Atlanta so we had to limit our sight-seeing, but did get to visit The Carter Center- President Carter’s Library and Museum and enjoyed it very much.  We hope to be able to visit all the Presidential Libraries in the next couple of years.  We went to President Reagan’s Library in Simi Valley, CA last year and hope to get to the Clinton Library in Little Rock in a month or so.  It’s pretty thrilling to see how these remarkable men lived.

When I checked the SCS challenges I missed, I knew I had to catch up on a few.  I am starting with the Limited Supplies because we were to use Black and White only on our card, and as you know, these are my favorites.  And, I did get to a LSS in Atlanta and was able to find a set I have been wanting- Inkadinkado’s Patterned Bugs and thought the butterflies in flight image would be perfect for my card.  It is similar to the birds in flight image from the Birds Galore set which I also love.

It’s a real simple card, but I had a little trouble stamping the image because I don’t have a big acrylic block.  So I took a CD case apart and used the clear top and it turned out pretty good.  I also used a couple of new MS punches I picked up at Wal-Mart in Atlanta.  Hope you like it!

 

I hope your week is off to a good start.  I am so excited because my friend Leisa discovered that Michelle Zindorf is coming to Tennessee and was able to secure spots in the beginner and advanced brayer classes for our stampin’ Gang of Four: Leisa, Cleo, Lisa and moi!  We are counting down the days to July 10…….can’t wait.

Blessings,

Diane

Supplies:  Stamps: Inkadinkado Patterned Bugs, SU! Birthday Whimsy; Paper: PTI White, SU! Basic Black, PTI Bitty Dots Basics True Black DSP; Ink: PTI True Black; Accessories: Martha Stewart Doily Lace and Classic Butterfly punches, SU! Ticket Corner Punch, Dimensionals.

 

Bold and Bright Birthday – CC204

What a busy January!  We have had very cold weather, snow, ice and lots of wintry mix (what is that anyway?).     But, that didn’t stop me from traveling a couple of hours on MLK Monday for a day of stamping with my sweet, great friends Lisa, Leisa and Cleo.  What a fun, fun day we had!  Great food and great conversation.  We got a little stampin’ done too….

But, today is what I’m all about right now- in particular the very, very challenging Color Combo that Julie Buhler chose for us.  Tempting Turquoise, Gable Green, Pink Passion and Lovely Lilac.  All from the Bold Brights collection and let me tell, these ain’t my favorites.  I was really challenged and finally decided to take Sharon’s (notimetostamp) advice and just Stamp Simply.  So here it is.  I managed to get all the colors in and focused on my favorite of the four- Tempting Turquoise.  I clear embossed the flowers to give it a little pop.

Supplies:  Stamps:  Embrace Life; Paper:  PTI White, Pink Passion, Lovely Lilac; Ink:  Gable Green, Tempting Turquoise, YoYo Yellow, Pink Passion, PTI Dark Chocolate;  Accessories:  SU! Markers, Turquoise GG Ribbon, Dimensionals, Clear EP, Heat Tool, Versamark Marker;

Hope you are staying warm.

Many blessings,  Diane

Sweet Delights – Mojo68 – Poetic Artistry

I love Julee’s MojoMonday sketches and her blog is to die for!  You must check it out here!!! I played today using a brand spankin’ new stamp (for me) from Great Impressions.  The sample at my LSS had a lot of tiny glitter on it, but I was a little too lazy to get that fancy.  I do love this sketch Julee and will be back next Monday.  Mojo Monday has a new home, so if you want to take a look you can click on the logo in my sidebar and get a peak at this spiffy site and the sketch of the week.

Supplies:  Stamps:  Great Impressions Vicki;  Paper:  Whisper White, PTI White, So Saffron, Bo Bunny Brilliant Blue Dot and Bashful Dot DSP; Ink:  Stazon Jet Black, Read Red, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Barely Banana, Ruby Red, Regal Rose, Blush Blossom, Ballet Blue; Accessories: Black and White gingham ribbon (Wal-Mart), Nesties, Black brads, Scallop edge punch, dimensionals, SU! Markers.

Thanks for taking a look and many blessings for new beginnings!

Diane

Aqua Eastern Birthday – WT183

Yesterday’s Ways to Use It Challenge was to create a card with White gell accents.  Well, I just love using my Signo gel pen, and wanted to use my new Eastern Blooms set from Stampin’ Up and came up with this simple Birthday card.  I also used my Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist cardstock, ink and ribbon for the first time.  I stamped some of the blossoms with the aqua first, but you really can’t see it on the photo.  It gives a softer touch to balance the dark chocolate that is edged with the white gel pen.  And, I love, love the new Scallop Edge Punch from SU!

Update on Nashville house:  The inspection is on Monday, so please keep us in your prayers for a positive report.

Supplies:  Stamps:  Eastern Blooms, Inkadinkado (sentiment); Paper:  Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist, White and Chocolate; Ink:  Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist and Dark Chocolate; Accessories:  Signo White Gel Pen, White brad, Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist Satin Ribbon, Wal-Mart White and Chocolate Satin Ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch, Dimensionals.

Blessings,

Diane

Bareback Wishes – FS73 Chelemom

Michele, aka Chelemom, is the Featured Stamper this week and her creations are just awesome. I had a really hard time choosing a card to case and finally decided on this card. Masculine cards are hard for me so I am stocking up on stamp sets that have wildlife and ocean themes.

I used Bareback and heat embossed the image and sentiment with Copper embossing powder. It is so rich and just perfect for my wildlife stamps.

Michele’s sketch is so perfect for a male- no fuss or frou-frou so I am using it to make several cards this week to replenish my “guy” stash.

Supplies: Stamps: Bareback, MFT You Take the Cake; Kraft, Very Vanilla and Really Rust cardstock; Basic Grey Hang 10 Designer Paper; Copper embossing powder, heat tool, versamark; Burgundy cord; Copper brads; Dimensionals; Ticket corner punch.

Hope you are having a great week!

Blessings,

Diane

Fishy Friends Taken with White Wasabi – CC172

Oh how I love this color combo- Taken with Teal, Whisper White and Wild Wasabi. I haven’t used teal very much on my cards and I’ve really been missing something special And these three together- just beautiful.

I just got Fishy Friends from an eBay auction and wanted to put a little ink on these cute, cute images. The colors reminded me of the sea, so I pulled them out, along with a little designer paper from Basic Grey’s Two Scoops collection and tried to come up with a clever sketch. Well, nothing was coming to me, so when I went outside to water my flowers and ponder the problem, this sketch came to me. One of my all time favorites is the Criss Cross card that I found on SCS last fall and made all my Christmas cards using the sketch. I just love it! It takes a little more time than a standard sketch, but it is worth it. My camera battery played out when I was taking the photo and I think I could have done better. The colors are very rich and deep and I will be sending this to one of my super friends for her birthday next month.

Supplies: Stamps: Fishy Friends and Michael’s $1 sentiment; Cardstock: Whisper White, Taken with Teal, Wild Wasabi; Basic Grey Two Scoops DP and brads; Wild Wasabi ribbon; Cuttlebug Swiss Dots EF; Ultrafine Glitter; Glue pen; SU! marker; Dimensionals.

Hope you think it’s cute!

Blessings,

Diane

Krafty Black Sky-Warm Wishes CC171

It’s been a great day here in Jackson, Tennessee! Finally got around to potting my flowers and planting my already sprouting elephant ears, so now it’s time for fun. Spent some time on the phone with my BFF Lisa and planning our stampin’ day on Saturday. Just can’t wait!

I loved the colors for Tuesday’s challenge and wanted to make another card focusing on Kraft- my new favorite neutral. I also finally put some ink on Build a Bouquet from My Favorite Things- a set that my son gave me for Christmas a couple of years back. I had sent him my wish list and he bought them all!!! Now, that is a good son.

I really like the finished card- it’s sharp and crisp, very simple to make and I am getting more comfortable with leaving more clean space on my cards. Hope you like it too!

Supplies: Stamps: Build a Bouquet and Boho Blossoms from My Favorite Thngs and sentiment from See D;s; Kraft, Soft Sky, Basic Black cardstock; Ink- Stazon Jet Black; Black and white gingham ribbon; Dimensionals.

Blessings,

Diane

Happy Birthday Mother

Sunday is my Mom’s 83rd birthday- what a blessing! She has been the most wonderful and inspiring Mother to the seven of us- my three sisters, one brother and two step-brothers- plus grand and great children! She loves flowers and her home is a showplace each year with sunflowers being her favorites. So, I rounded up some so pretty Daisy D designer paper and the pretty sunflower stamp from Provencal and created a birthday card that I think she will enjoy. The sentiment is a new cling stamp from a set I just received as a gift from my great friend Cleo- what a wonderful surprise!

Tomorrow all the gals will go to Dumplin’s for a birthday celebration- yummy!

Supplies: Stamps- SU! Provencal and Weathered BG, See D’s Morsels Phrases Collection; SU! Markers; Ink-Basic Black, Always Artichoke, Summer Sun, More Mustard, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa; Paper-Daisy D’s DP, Always Artichoke, More Mustard, Confetti White; More Mustard, Old Olive GG ribbon; Antique Brass HPH.

This card also fits right in with today’s cute Limited Supplies Challenge (LSC171)– National Gardening Day- who knew?

Blessings,

Diane

Cowboy Howdy – CC169

The color challenge for today was Blue Bayou, Soft Sky and Real Red- great colors with many possibilities. I have no idea why I chose to use the Cowboy Kid set. I HAD to have this set and a friend found it for me sometime at least a year ago, but I just haven’t been able to come up with a sketch that I was pleased with. However, this card really turned out cute! I used a lot of stuff on it – once again, the craft table was covered with eyelets, twine, markers, etc. No stamping for couple of days since we will be going to Nashville in the morning for a few days to do a little packing and landscaping on our home there that is still for sale. But! the open house Sunday produced some real prospects, so hopefully they will come back soon and make an offer. I am really, really ready to get my stuff down here in Jackson. I will be in stampin’ withdrawal though- and no internet, cable, etc. We will really be roughing it!

Supplies used:

Stamps: Cowboy Kid, Scenery, Weathered BG; SU! Markers; Real Red, Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Whisper White, So Saffron cardstock; Paper Studio Designer Paper; Ink: Basic Black, Real Red, Bordering Blue, Mellow Moss, Close to Cocoa Blush Blossom and Creamy Caramel; Eyelets, twine, star brad.

I sure hope you are having a great week.

Blessings,

Diane

CC166 WT166 Soft Ruby Pumpkin Inchies

We had two great challenges this week and I decided to combine them. The color challenge was to use Soft Sky, Ruby Red and Pumpkin Pie and I admit I wasn’t too excited about this combo- until I saw the Ways to Use It challenge, which was to use inchies (one inch square stamped images)

I immediately thought of the new Tart and Tangy set, which has become one of my favorites and came up with this card.

I think it’s pretty cute.

Supplies: Stamps: SU! Tart and Tangy, MFT You Take the Cake; Soft Sky, Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White cardstock; Summer Picnic Designer Series Paper; Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip; SU! Markers; Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Pumpkin Pie Ribbon, Pumpkin Pie brad, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Square punch;

Birthday Whimsy for Bo – SC169

It’s good to be back in Jackson and my studio. So, I am trying to catch up on the challenges I missed when we were in Nashville and started with Roxie’s great sketch challenge. Our oldest son Bo’s birthday is next week and I think he will enjoy this card. He loves all my handmade treasures and is so complimentary – like a good son should be (lol)!

I made a standard size A2 card in black and white and embossed some of the images in Red Tinsel. Ran a white piece through the Paisley Cuttlebug embossing folder, and then made a little background layer with the paisley/cactus stamp in the Cowboy Kid set. The balloons, packages and sentiment are from a SAB set called Birthday Whimsy. I just love this set- the images beg to be embossed! I cute and layered according to the Sketch Challenge, added some black and white dotted ribbon, popped up the balloons and packages, and I think it turned out pretty cute.

Check out this challenge gallery on SplitcoastStampers for some outstanding creations.

Here are the supply deets:

Stamps: Cowboy Kid, Birthday Whimsy

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black

Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Versamark

Accessories: Cuttlebug Paisley Embossing Folder, Red Tinsel Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, SU Marker in Real Red, Red Stickles, B&W Dotted ribbon, Ticket Corner Punch, Dimensionals