Blog Candy Alert!!! You say it's your Birthday...

da na na na na na...Its my birthday too, yeah! So if you can not tell from the title and first line of this post...today is my birthday!! In honor of my big day, I have made a card, and have also decided to give away some blog candy (for more deets on the blog candy, read below).

First, I made this card for day 2 of paper craft planet's 12 days of Christmas challenge. The images are from Innovative Stamp Creation's Marvels of Nature II set. Love this beautiful bird! I embossed everything on this card with white embossing powder. I was totally inspired to do this card while sitting at Starbucks this morning...thier new holiday cups are red and white, and when I saw the white bird on the top of the cup, I knew I needed to do something similar on a card with this image! As I stated earlier, the bird is embossed with white, and then cut out and popped up on dimensionals. I layered the base of the card with some Bella Rose DSP and I tore the corner of it to expose the embossed floral background.

I then added the sentiment with more torn edges, and some white taffeta ribbon across the bottom. I finished off the card with a fabulous Tim Holtz Grungeboard flourish inked with some ruby red craft ink.

This is the first time I have used grungeboard, and I am in love with it!! So much so that I ran back to my LSS and bought a package to give away as BLOG CANDY!!! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post through Wednesday, December 3rd, and I will randomly choose the winner on Thursday the 4th! You will receive a package of Tim Holtz Elements Grungeboard which has the dots texture and 94 different shapes to use!! A picture can be seen below.

So that being said! Good luck, and happy birthday to ME!!!! :)

Card Details:

Images: Marvels of Nature II - ISC

Paper: Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Bella Rose DSP

Ink: Ruby Red Craft, Versamark

Accessories: White EP, White Taffeta Ribbon, Grungeboard

SC204 - Help I'm in Distress! & ISC Sale Reminder

I made this card for SC204...such a fun sketch! Okay this card can be described in one word...Distress!! Everything about it is distressed from the ink (Tim Holtz Tea Dye Distress ink) to the distressed edges to the tea dyed white satin ribbon. Boy did I have fun with this one!!

All images for this card are from Innovative Stamp Creations. To create the background I used the wood grain image stamped in tea dye ink. I then used a Tim Holtz ink applicator with felt and rubbed some more tea dye ink all over the image in circular motions.

To create the aged look behind the maple tree. I stamped my distress ink pad on some acetate, sprayed it with water until droplets formed and then pressed some confetti cream in the ink and then dried with my heat tool to give it a lighter aged look. I also took my white satin ribbon and drug it across the ink/water mixture to give it the same tea dyed look. I then stamped the tree and bird images directly on the aged card stock with some more tea dye ink.

To finish off the card, I distressed all of the paper edges with my scissors, and added a antique brass photo turn mount.

This was my first time using Tim Holtz Distress inks, and let me tell you ...it will NOT be the last...this stuff is great, and it is so fun and easy to use!

Oh yeah! A reminder that ISC is having a sale! 10% off your entire order through tomorrow the 27th, just use the code connm when checking out.

Card Details:

Images: Maple Tree Paintings, Wood Grain Background - ISC

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Confetti Cream, Kiwi Kiss

Ink: Distress Ink - Tea Dye

Accessories: White Satin Ribbon, Antique Brass Photo Turn Mount

Innovative Stamp Creations Sale!!!

I wanted to let everyone know that Innovative Stamp Creations is having a sale now through November 27th. You will receive 10% off your entire order. All you have to do is use the code connm when ordering! Happy shopping!! :)

CC194 - Fall Inspired

I made this care for CC194 - Really Rust, Going Gray, Very Vanilla (on in my case Confetti Cream).

The flower image, and the mosaic background image are both from Innovative Stamp Creation's About Me set. To create this background I first stamped the flowers in versamark on a piece of confetti cream paper. I then head embossed with clear embossing powder. Next I sponged Really Rust over the entire piece, and rubbed off the excess ink on the embossed flowers. Finally I stamped the mosaic background in really rust over the whole image, and again rubbed off the excess ink from the stamp.

To embellish the card I decided to use some very vanilla taffeta ribbon, however it looked a little too white up against my clear embossed flowers, so I sprayed the ribbon with some Glimmer Mist Aspen Yellow fine glitter spray to age the ribbon a bit. I then added the antique brass brad in the middle of my ribbon treatment. Finally I stamped the sentiment in really rust on confetti cream and sprayed it with a little more of the Aspen Yellow glimmer mist. I then punched it out with the small and large oval punches and popped it up with a few dimensionals.

This was really a fun fall color combo, just in time for Thanksgiving. However, as you can see I had a though time squeezing the going gray in there, but it IS there!!

Card Details:

Images: About Me - ISC

Paper: Really Rust, Going Gray, Very Vanilla

Inks: Really Rust, Versamark

Accessories: Clear EP, Glimmer Mist Aspen Yellow, Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, Antique brass brad, Large and Small oval punches

TLC196 - Pop Up Gift Card and Tag Punch Star!!

I made this for TLC196 - Pop Up Gift Card, and I also combined it with a Tag Punch Star. To see how to make a Tag Punch Star, you can go here.

To make a Pop up Gift Card all you need is the following: 4 X 12 Piece of patterned paper, 4-1/4 X 4-1/4 Square piece of coordinating card stock (used as mat for mounting the interior of gift card), Stamps, Ink, Bone Folder, Craft Knife, Adhesive.

Take your 4 X 12 piece and score it 4" from one end (horizontal orientation) - flip to the other end and score 4" from that end. This will give you a piece divided into 3- 4" squares. Burnish all score lines with your bone folder. Take the middle square and fold it in half, creating the Pop Up portion of this card in a "hill" -^-. Using your gift card as a guide, cut a slit in the center of middle of your folded piece large enough for your gift card to slide into. Adhere the back side of your pop up portion to your 4-1/4" square piece of card stock, and embellish as desired.

For this gift card holder I use some Holiday Treasures DSP for both the holder itself, and the inside portion of the tag punch star. For the center of the star I layered a snow blossom punch, a 1" circle punch and a bling brad. To finish off the card I then added some chocolate satin ribbon and the sentiment with some silver hodgepodge hardware.

I have done a similar pop up gift card before, but this one is just a little bit bigger and gives you some extra space for embellishing! :)

Card Details:

Image: Fancy Flexible Phrases for Sentiment

Paper: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Holiday Treasures DSP

Ink: Craft White

Accessories: Tag Punches, 1" circle punch, snow blossom punch, chocolate chip satin ribbon, bling brad, HPH, brads

SC203 - Grateful for Butterflies

I made this card for SC203 - such a fun sketch! I have sort of done a card with this sketch before, but fun to use today anyway!!

All images for this card are from Innovative Stamp Creation's Rustic Artsy Swirls set. I stamped the bold swirl image in the background in kiwi kiss on kiwi kiss paper. I then heat embossed the butterfly with black powder, and colored the monarch butterfly with copic markers. The corner panels and the sentiment are also stamped in kiwi kiss on so saffron paper. The DSP for the background is from SU's Urban Garden DSP. The card was then finished off with some Hodgepodge hardware and kiwi kiss/very vanilla satin ribbon.

Card Details:

Images: Rustic Artsy Swirls - ISC

Paper: Kiwi Kiss, So Saffron, Urban Garden DSP, Whisper White

Inks: Kiwi Kiss, Copics, Versamark

Accessories: Kiwi Kiss Ribbon, HPH, Black Embossing Powder

CC193 - Maple Tree Painting on Faux Suede

I made this card for CC193 - Real Red, Basic Black and Kraft (or creamy caramel...which is what I used).

When I saw this color combo, I knew it would work great for this idea I have had in my head for this large maple tree image from Innovative Stamp Creations...to stamp this beautiful tree on a faux suede panel.

I have put together a picture tutorial here to demonstrate how I created the faux suede background.

First, as you can see here in this picture to create the background you will need liquid appliqué, re-inkers and a brayer (you will also need a head gun...it just did not make it in the picture). In this case I am using white LA and creamy caramel re-inkers. LA does come in colors, so if you have a color you want to use, you do not need to do the next step of adding the re-inker color to the LA.

Next take some LA and squeeze it out onto a paper plate, add some drops of re-inker to get the color you desire, and mix them together. I usually use a tooth pick to mix the color. Please note that when mixing with white...once it drys it will come out lighter then the color you are mixing, so go darker then you think you want.

Then take your brayer and roll it into the mixture, making sure to cover the whole surface of your brayer.

Then take your brayer and cover your piece of card stock...in this case I covered a piece of creamy caramel card stock to match the color I had mixed. The more you roll the brayer over the card stock the finer more true texture you will get. Your card stock will be wet. Before going onto to the next step...go clean your brayer...believe me it is not easy to clean once the LA has started to dry. LOL!!

Finally, take your head gun and dry the LA. As you can see here, it is drying quite a bit lighter. Once it is finished drying, you will have a panel of faux suede that will even fool you when you touch it!!

I then finished the card by stamping the tree image in black with Stazon black ink (I have found that other inks will smudge...so if you use them please give it plenty of time to dry). I then tore the bottom portion of the panel, added the ribbon, and hodgepodge hardware. For the sentiment I inked it in Stazon and then I sponged the sentiment panel with creamy caramel ink to distress it even more.

So there you go...faux suede...fun and easy!! :)

Card Details:

Images: Maple Tree Paintings - ISC

Paper: Real Red, Creamy Caramel, Basic Black

Ink: Stazon Black, Creamy Caramel

Accessories: Real Red Ribbon, HPH, Liquid Appliqué, brayer, heat gun

VSN Weekend!! I Actually got a few done!

I made this card for NOV08VSNA. Here we were to take inspiration from the Musical "A Chorus Line" and repeat the same or similar images at least three times on the card. I had just received this wonderful 3 step Poinsettia set from Kitchen Sink Stamps in the mail that day and thought this image would work perfectly!

To get the colorful Poinsettias, I stamped them in Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Riding Hood Red and then finished off with Basic Black. The leaves are colored with mellow moss, old olive and always artichoke (my favorite leaf color combo for KSS).

I then finished the card off with a piece of white satin ribbon behind the three images, and the long sentiment underneath.

When I was putting the card all together, I realized that the images almost look as though they are kicking up their heals...which was just perfect for this Chorus Line challenge!! LOL!

Card Details:

Images: 3 Step Poinsettias - KSS
Paper: Always Artichoke, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White

Inks: See Above

Accessories: White Satin Ribbon

NOV08VSNC - Lets Get Thumping!

I made this card for NOV08VSNC - Thumping Technique!

I just love this technique...if you are not familiar with it, basically you ink your image by taking your maker and bouncing if up and down on the image. In this case, I actually inked each of the leaves with creamy caramel, and then I used the ruby red marker for my main leaf image, and for the other leave images I used either pumpkin pie, or really rust.

For the main leaf image, which is from Innovative Stamp Creations, I stamped it on a separate piece of more mustard paper and then cut it out and popped it up on dimensionals to make it pop just a little more.

I then finished the card off by adding some of my favorite chocolate chip satin ribbon and the sentiment, which is from ISC's Collage of Leaves set.

Card Details:

Images: Autumn Leaves and Collage of Leaves - ISC

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, More Mustard

Inks: Creamy Caramel, Ruby Red, Really Rust, Pumpkin Pie

Accessories: Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon

NOV08VSNF- Your in the Spotlight Now!

I made this card for NOV08VSNF - where we were to use the spotlight technique. When I saw this challenge, this Collage of Leaves stamp set from Innovative Stamp Creations popped right into my head! I just love this image...it is so very detailed. To start, I heat embossed the background image with black on confetti cream paper. Then I colored a portion of the image with my SU! markers and then stamped my versamark over it which mingled some of the colors together. I then stamped the image and covered with clear embossing powder. I then cut out the circle and layered it with some pumpkin pie paper.

I then added the ribbon across the bottom, and put the sentiment over that...which I thought was very appropriate for this card..."Appreciate It"...appreciate fall and the wonderful colors it has in store for us every year!

Card Details:

Images: Collage of Leave - ISC

Paper: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Confetti Cream

Inks: Ruby Red, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, Versamark

Accessories: Black and Clear embossing powder, Ribbon, Designer Label Punch, Large Oval Punch

LSC194 - Sandy Pansies

I made this card for LSC194 where were only allowed to use acrylic stamps, so I knew I would go to my favorite company with acrilyics...kitchen sink!! I decided on one of the newer sets, 3 step pansies. The Pansies are stamped on Sahara Sand card stock in craft white, pale plum, perfect plum, bravo burgundy and then basic black. The leave are stamped in mellow moss, old olive and always artichoke.

I crated the burgundy panel by crumpling the paper and then I tore a very ruff circle for the pansies to be exposed. I then folded back the torn out portion and fastened it back with a stick pin from my SU pretties kit. I added the crystal brads in all corners except for the corner with the sentiment which was created with the designer label punch and the small and large oval punches. To finish off the card, I took my always artichoke ink pad and ink the edges of the card base with the direct to paper technique.

This was such a fun card to make...I love distressing cards like this...it is so fun to crumple up and tear paper and still get to use it! :)

Card Details:
Images: 3 step Pansies, Ready 4 Any Holiday - KSS
Paper: Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy, Sahara Sand
Inks: See Above
Accessories: Pretties Stick Pin and Crystal Brads, Punches

SC202 - Fall Maples

I made this card for SC202...such a fun sketch today!

The images I used to create the scene for today's card are two of the smaller Maples from Innovative Stamp Creation's Maple Tree Paintings Set. I stamped the trees in chocolate chip, and then colored them with a few copic markers. I then sponged the ground with chocolate chip, and the clouds with Baja breeze. To finish off the image I stamped a few of the birds in the sky with chocolate chip. The card was then finished off with a square spiral clip with some rust colored fibers, and DSP from SU's Autumn Vine package.

I am so glad to be back stamping after almost a week! Boy, was I going into withdrawals!!

Card Details:

Images: Maple Tree Paintings - ISC

Paper: Chocolate Chip, More mustard, Really Rust, Autumn Vine DSP, Whisper White

Inks: Chocolate Chip, Copics

Accessories: Rust Fibers, Square Spiral Clip

WT191 - Cutting Corners with Collage of Leaves

I made this card for WT191 - Cutting Corners - where we were to use a corner punch on our project. I chose one of my old standbys...the ticket corner punch.

The image and sentiment are all from Innovative Stamp Creations Collage of Leaves set. To get the background effect, I used the Ink, Spray and Smash technique with riding hood red, kiwi kiss, tangerine tango and more mustard re-inkers on glossy white paper. I then embossed the leaf collage image over the colorful paper with black embossing powder. I really love the look of this image embossed in black. It kind of reminds me of those velvet posters I used to color when I was a kid. Ahhh memories...anyway, back to the card. I then added both riding hood red and kiwi kiss ribbons across the bottom and added the sentiment, which is also embossed in black.

I finished the card off by ticketing the corners. Now, I don't know about you, but I have a hard time ticketing corners and then not adding brads...so why should this card be any different, LOL!! So I added a black brad to each of the corners.

Card Details:

Images: Collage of Leaves - ISC

Paper: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Glossy White

Inks: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, More Mustard

Accessories: Riding Hood Red Ribbon, Kiwi Kiss Satin Ribbon, Black Embossing Powder, Black Brads, Ticket Corner Punch

SC201 - Enjoy Life

I made this card for SC201...such a fun sketch and a great opportunity to display some fun DSP! In this case, both DSP layers are from SU's Holiday Treasures DSP.

For this card, I used my Autumn Leaves stamp set from Innovative Stamp Creations (ISC). I stamped the main image in basic black and then colored it with some copic markers. The leaves in this set are all so very beautiful, and also very fun to color!! I also lightly sponged the confetti cream paper with close to cocoa to tone the cream down just a bit.

The sentiment is from ISC's Collage of Leave set, and I layered it with a piece of antique brass hodgepodge hardware from SU. Finally to finish off the card, I used some riding hood red taffeta ribbon across the bottom panel.

Card Details:

Images: Autumn Leave, Collage of Leaves - Innovative Stamp Creations

Paper: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Holiday Treasures DSP

Ink: Basic Black, Copics

Accessories: HPH, Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon

TLC193 - Wow! Love this Circle Medallion

I made this card for TLC193 - Where we were to make a circle medallion. You can find all the deets on how to make one of these on this link. This is really a very fun and quite easy technique and I think the outcome is very impressive!

For the image is used Kitchen Sink Stamps A Year of Thanks. This hummingbird is a 6 step stamp...yes, you read correctly, a 6 step stamp! The colors I used are as follows. Going Gray stamped off once, Baja Breeze stamped off once, Baja Breeze, Not Qute Navy stamped off once, Not Quite Navy, and then Riding Hood Red for the head, but the picture does not show it very well. Then behind the image I sponged some clouds with Baja breeze.

For all of the circles I used either my Creative Memories circle cutter, or my scalloped circle nestabilities. Then I finished the card off with some white satin ribbon.

Card Details:

Images: A Year of Thanks - KSS

Paper: Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Urban Garden DSP

Inks: See Above

Accessories: Wrought Iron Punch, White Satin Ribbon, Circle Cutter, Scalloped Circle Nestabilities

IC152 - Thankful Autumn Leaves

Okay so I am just waaaay to excited to announce that today is officially my first day for a two month Spot Guest Creative Architect for Innovative Stamp Creations (ISC)! I was on cloud nine when Besty asked me to be part of her very talented design team...and I think I am still there!! :)

So today I made my card for IC152 with the fabulous Autumn Leaves set. You can see what inspired me here. I was inspired by the layout and colors of the tapestry. To recreate this look for my card, I used the polished stone technique for all of the panels. I then heat embossed the leaf with black embossing powder. I also heat embossed the sentiment (which is from the About Me set form ISC) on some more polished stone paper. I then punched the chocolate chip base and the actual "thankful" sentiment with the wide oval. Next, I trimmed the top and bottom off of the actual sentiment panel and layered it on top of the chocolate chip oval with dimensionals. To finish it off, I added some of my favorite chocolate chip satin ribbon across the top.

Card Details:

Images: Autumn Leave, About Me both from Innovative Stamp Creations

Paper: Glossy White, Chocolate Chip

Inks: Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Really Rust, Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, So Saffron, versamark

Accessories: Wide Oval Punch, Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon, Black Embossing Powder

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See??

I made this little card for a friend of mine who is having a little girl in a few months. Her shower is book themed, and each person received a book title in their invitation to use as inspiration for the baby gift. As you can probably guess, my book title was "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?"

So I though this bear from Under the Stars would work perfectly, as long I as I put together the right sentiment. So, I used the "hugs and wishes" from the Birthday Hugs and Wishes stamp in the Hugs and Wishes set, and then added the sweet and baby from fancy flexible phrases.

The image is colored with copic markers, and his tummy is fuzzy from some brown fun flock. I used an embossing folder for the he top of the background panel, and the DSP is from SU's Parisian Summer. To finish it off I added some 1 1/4" Pink Pirouette Ribbon, and surrounded the sentiment with a designer label styled silver hodgepodge hardware piece and some pink brads.

I hope she likes it! I am looking forward to her shower this afternoon!

Card Details:

Image: Under the Stars, Hugs and Wishes, Fancy Flexible Phrases

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Creamy Caramel, Parisian Summer DSP

Inks: Copics, Chocolate Chip, Basic Black

Accessories: Styled Silver HPH, Brown Fun Flock, Embossing Folder, Brads, Pink Pirouette 1 1/4" ribbon, designer label punch, 1 1/4" circle punch