A Perfect Little Piggie!

I decided to take a break from my swap stuff for a few and try the Stamping 411 Challenge! I always like their sketches!

Here's a look at the sketch!

And always when I'm trying to make a simple, but nice card, I like to go for a monochromatic look. So, this little Blushing Bride piggie comes from the new set Button Buddies. It's a super fun set - all the images have a spot (or two) where a button would fit nice. - Makes for an easy add of an embellishment with not a lot of thinking! Right up my alley today!!

The little 'hello' comes from the Happy Greetings set in the Summer Mini, and it's punched out with the Word Window punch.

And here's the back side of the piggie part before I put all the parts together. But I wanted to show you that the scalloped circle is the one from the Perfect Pennant Big Shot die! Cool, huh? And the piggie was stamped onto a 2 1/2" circle, which layers perfectly onto the scallop circle piece!

Thanks for stopping by,


Julie

Better Late then Never?!

I wanted to try a Challenge this morning. So I found this Sketch from the Paper Players - and just went with it! It looked like an easy, quick sketch. So I started with some scraps I had on my desk, but that didn't work out. So a couple hours later (with a few distractions in between), I finished this card. (Maybe not so easy?!)

Here's a little closer look of the medallion-thingy! I embossed one of the Delicate Doilies stamps on Pumpkin Pie cardstock and punched it out with the 1 3/8" circle. That's layered on the 1 3/4" circle in Peach Parfait - and that's layered onto the 2" circle (Big Shot die), and that's on the 2 3/8" scallop circle.


And the saying is from the Mini Catalog set, Happy Greetings. - I just love that set!

Well, here's the sketch I used to make my card. But when I finished everything and went back to the sketch Challenge - I saw that the linky was closed. So I participated, but it isn't linked back to their Challenge. Oh well, it was fun to create anyway! But you can still see the other creations with this sketch over on their site!


Thanks for stopping by,


Julie

Happy Greetings for a Friend!

This was another card I had started that was sitting on my desk - and I finally put it all together today. I had some pieces of the Sweet and Sour Designer Paper cut and the card base, but today I added all the details.

I thought this was a cool way to make this border - it's the new Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch. I made five of them and then stuck them to the Rose Red layer, overlapping them just a bit. Of course, the centers (that were now halved) needed some bling!!

Then I made the focal piece with the 2 3/8" Scallop Circle, a 2" circle from the Circles #2 Big Shot die (please, oh please, Stampin' Up! get us a 2" circle punch!), and then the 1 3/4" circle for the saying. The saying is from the Happy Greetings set in the Summer Mini. And I added a couple buttons from our Designer Buttons packs!


Thanks for stopping by,


Julie

Flower Garden Meets Woodland Walk!

This is a card I started the other day (while procrastinating other things I was supposed to be doing!). I saw a card on Stampin' Connection where they sponged some color onto a piece of Designer Paper and I really liked it! I'm not sure that my card turned out to be exactly what I imagined, but it's an idea I think I'll work with again!

With the Woodland Walk designer paper, I sponged Crumb Cake onto the vanilla areas of the flowers. So that lead me to use Crumb Cake for the card base. - Like I never would use that color otherwise?! :)

And here's a close up of the Flower Garden embossed background - I gave it a little sponging with Crumb Cake to blend with the sponging on the paper.

I also added the saying from the Happy Greetings set. - Lovin' that sayings set!

Thanks for stopping by,


Julie

Congrats Alex!

Today I made this card for Alex. I used the Sketch Challenge from Mojo Monday to help me with a layout idea.

Here's the Sketch I tried to follow!

I used a saying from the new Happy Greetings set, and the background paper is from the Nautical Expedition DSP pack.

I also used the Seeing Stars set to make the Not Quite Navy stamped star. The other stars are from the Stars #2 Big Shot die. Don't know if you can see, but I sponged most of the parts with Crumb Cake too - it just toned things down a bit!

Here's a picture of Alex going up to receive his award. He got an academic award for achievement in English. The awards were a surprise to the kids receiving them, but as parents we were told about it on Friday so we could plan to go to the assembly and watch. Right now he has straight A's in all of his classes - I'm so proud of him!

So I made this card for him, but I didn't give it to him at the assembly this morning - I didn't want to embarrass him! Actually I'm not really even sure that he saw that his dad and I were there! I'm going to give it to him after school though.


Hope you had a happy Monday,


Julie

Sailing into Thursday!

So this is a card I made for the Create with Connie and Mary Color Challenge 150. It was definitely a challenge when I saw the colors Poppy Parade, Sahara Sand and Not Quite Navy. I've been wanting to use the Poppy Parade, but every time I think to take it out I find something else. I guess it's just not one of those colors I'm drawn to.

But when I put these three colors together, I got a masculine and nautical feel. So I decided to use the Sail Away stamp.

Here's a close-up of the Poppy Parade Poly Stitched Twill. I love this ribbon - it's so nice to work with! It's soft, but makes a nice crisp knot!

And to color-in the Sail and the water, I used the Aquapainter with Sahara Sand ink and Not Quite Navy ink.

And finally, because it was a masculine card, I couldn't add bling, but the antique-brass colored brads added that little something I thought it needed! And I think once this card was all put together, it gave a Ralph Lauren Polo feel!?


Thanks for stopping by,


Julie

Swirlin' with Butterflies! and a punch tutorial

I really wanted to just get in my craft room and make a card today!! So I finally did later this evening. I didn't have anything in mind to make until I found this sketch challenge from Stamping 411.

This is the sketch that I followed - just that I followed it kind of loosely I guess!

I ended up doing a lot more "Big Shotting" than stamping, but it was pretty fun to make! I actually had the Elegant Lines embossed piece of Crumb Cake (already Shimmer Sprayed). Then I was going to put some flowers on it, but decided to make Butterflies instead. I used the Beautiful Butterflies die and the Beautiful Wings Embosslit with Pumpkin Pie and Peach Parfait to make all the butterflies.

Then since the butterflies needed a little something behind them, I decided to use the Swirls Scribbles Sizzix die in Espresso to add some fun!

And here's the tag I made with the Happy Greetings set. The stamp really has three HELLO's on it, but I just used the one. Here's how I punched it:

First I stamped just the one HELLO on a scratch piece. Then I put it in so that the end lined up to make the top edge.

Then I put that punched piece back into the other side of the punch and lined it up and punched again.

This is kind of a cool look here, but I didn't really want the little knobby things on the ends for this card. (We actually made this in stamp class not too long ago - remember the Decorative Label Punch "mini me" and "skinny me" - this was the mini me! - And if you turn the saying to the longer edges of the punch, that's the skinny me! - And, yep, I made up those cool names for them :) )

Oh... back to the tutorial!...

So for this card, I decided to clip the knobby ends. Then I sponged it (along with just about everything else on the card!).



Then here it is on the card again!


Thanks for stopping by,


Julie

Lovin' this Sketch and Colors!

When I first started using Stampin' Up! stuff, I was in love with Tempting Turquoise! And then as the colors collections have evolved, I sorta found my new favorites (Baja Breeze :) Yes!). So I haven't really used Tempting Turquoise as much anymore. But when I saw the Color Inspiration at Stamping 411 today - I knew I had to jump back in with one of my old favorites!!


Aren't these colors just refreshing and summer-like?! Love 'em!

Then I went over to Connie and Mary's and found this super-fresh looking new Sketch Challenge. I love a good Sketch! Life's good with a good Sketch!

So then I decided to use the new Fabulous Florets set - it is FABULOUS, huh?! Well, I really like it! I like that the set has some outline images and some solid images too!

And I used one of the new sayings from the new word set Happy Greetings. The hello actually comes from a stamp that has three hellos on it, but I just chopped it for the one I wanted :) And I don't know about you, but whenever there's a new word set - I gotta get it!! You always need new words! And this one has some other awesome ones too.


Well, I was supposed to be doing a million other things, so I better run. But I'm glad I started my day with this card - too fun!


Thanks for stopping by,


Julie