Tuesday, December 28, 2010

SSD 57 TUESDAY SKETCH

Well....did everyone survive the Christmas Holidays?  I am still celebrating  because as you read this I am on our sailboat in the Sea of Cortez soaking up some sun.  It is such a nice break from the cold of South Dakota!  The only bad thing about being on the boat is that it doesn't have all my stamping stuff I love to play with.  So....I draw sketches and think of ideas, and color prestamped images I bring along. 

Over at Skipping Stones Design Blog, it again time for the Tuesday sketch challenge.  We have one last sketch from the fabulous Maile Belles!  It has been such an honor to design to her work this month.  I have been a follower of hers for quite some time.  I love her style.  This is the sketch she gave us this week.

And this is the card I did....


I used the Happy Brrrrrthday set again this week.  I love the beautiful selection of snowflakes this set has.  I know the colors that I chose are not very traditional for snowflakes, but was tired of  Christmas and winter type colors. Snowflakes can be pink right?  I think so, so my snow is pink. I hope you like my odd little card.

I sure hope you stop on over to the SSD Blog, and look at what the fabby Guest Designers and Stamp
Tramps have come up with this week.  Do some shopping, and upload your own card take on the sketch!

HAVE A HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I will be out of internet service after this post for a bit but will be back with you all right after the first of the year.  I may share a few sailing pics of our adventures on our sailboat, the "Quantun Leap".   Thanks so much for stopping by!                                                                 
      

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

SSD 56 TUESDAY SKETCH

 WOW!!  The last Tuesday before Christmas !!  Where did the month go?  The holidays will be over before we know it.....Welcome today to my blog.  It is my Tuesday post to highlight the Skipping Stones Design weekly sketch challenge.  Again our marvelous sketch this week comes from the awesome Maile Belles!  This week the sketch is very simple.
Lots you can do with this right?  With the normal time restaints we all have this time of year I kept my card clean and simple as well.  CAS does not have to be boring though.  In this case a simple snowflake from SSD new release this month "Happy Brrrrthday" set takes center stage with a simple saying.  I curved the saying to go with the round shape of the doily.
I kept a country sort of feel with the kraft, twine, button and doily.  This is a super quick card to do.  Hope you like!  I am keeping my post super short today so you have plenty of time to check out all the other "Stamp Tramp" and guest designers creations too.....this is truly a super versatile set with a cute little penquin and awesome sentiments.  Don't forget to stop on over to the Skipping Stones Design Blog, to check out the rest of the creations, to shop, and hopefully play along with us to score your chance at winning a free stamp set! 
Hope you all have a wonderful and very very Merry Christmas!!! 

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

SSD SKETCH CHALLENGE 55

Welcome to my blog today for another Skipping Stones Design sketch challenge and BLOG HOP, to celebrate the release of two new stamp sets from SSD....Sentiment Frames # 1, and Brrrthday! You should have arrived here from Kandi's blog.  If you just happened on my blog today you can start at the beginning at Skipping Stones blog.
Our sketch this week (and all month) is from the awesome Maile Belles.  This week the stamp set the Stamp Tramps are using is Sentiment Frames # 1.  Very versatile set.  Next week we will feature creations using BRRRthday.  Here is the sketch we are using this week.

The Sentiment Frames set worked so well combines with this sketch.  I had to do one last Holiday card.....
I decided the Sentiment Frame worked OK as an oval so tried that..the possibilities with this set really are endless..a very good basic set to have for any occasion.  I apologize for not having a picture of the set, but couldn't get my set to scan well enough to do it justice....But to see them check out the Skipping Stones Store, or follow the Hop and I know someone will have them posted.

So, since we are all short on time this time of year, I will not drone on and on but send you on your way to the next person on the hop after me...Wendy!  Enjoy the hop and hope you get lots of ideas and inspiration!!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

SSD CHALLENGE # 54

Again..a very Happy Tuesday to all and welcome to my blog today.  This is the day for Skipping Stones Design Tuesday Sketch, which we stamp tramps have the wonderful oppurtunity to design cards  from the sketches of some of the top designers in the paper crafting industry.  I feel so fortunate to be able to have this kind of fun enjoying my hobby.  This month the sketches are from a super talented gal  I have followed for a long time...Maile Belles! I love her stamping style, and go to her blog for inspiration often.  Her beautiful creations have been published many many times.

This week we have a different sort of sketch to play with...it leaves lots of room for all kinds of creativity...
FUN Huh?......well....trying to be unique in this challenge with the other tramps being sooo very creative, and having a time constraint this weekend left me scrambling a bit.  But I did my signature CAS card and liked how it turned out....
If you follow my blog at all you know I love kraft CS, and buttons and lace.....etc....for this card I used kraft CS, and white, accented with a tish of bright pink....I added bling to the flower and die cut, but it doesn't show much in the pic.  The stamps of course are from SSD...
                                                                          TIMELESS TEXTURES
                                                                


                                                                                            ALWAYS HERE
I love both these sets!  The background stamps in "Timeless Textures" are so versatile, and the butterflies in "Always Here" so beautiful.  These sets will be go to sets for me over and over.

Once again, don't forget to stop over to the Skipping Stones blog, and see what the rest of the "Stamp Tramps" have created this week.  Also check out the SALE!!  Heather is offering one last pre-christmas sale....and it is a good one!  For every three stamps sets you purchase by midnight December 14th,  you get one of two pre-release sets FREE!!  Either "Birthday Purses" or "Heart Song"....both super cool sets!  Check out the ordering details on the SSD blog to take advantage of this super deal.

Thanks for stopping by today!   Have a wonderful week!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

TIPS AND TRICKS THURSDAY AT SSD

It is my turn as the Stamp Tramp that does the Thursday Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials at Skipping Stones Design blog.  I decided on a very quick and simple tutorial today using CD envelopes that you buy in bulk.  I made CD envelope shaker cards.  This time of year everyone is busy and short on time, and anything "quick" is helpful.  I have always thought shaker cards were fun, but can be alot of work, layering, messy and time consuming.  This technique is much easier, and quicker.  I am all about quick!  Lets get started!
You will need a CD envelope..(they are 5x5 inches square), stamps and inks of choice, and a piece of CS cut just under 5 x 5 inches to fit inside the envelope.  In this card of course I chose a SSD set...one of my favorites.."Sassy Snowmen".
I stamped the insert the way I wanted it, and also the outside of the envelope.  The possibilities at this stage are endless...that is why this technique appeals to me so much.  I stickled the parameter of the CD acetate window with stardust stickles, and let it dry.  Meanwhile I stamped the  insert, sort of eyeballing where the wording should go.
I stamped the snowgirl, cut her out and then started to assemble the card.  I adhered the snowgirl and any embellishments first.  Then I inserted the stamped CS into the envelope, and before sealing it added an amount of glitter that seemed to look good.  I then adhered it to a piece of yellow CS measuring  5 1/4 in square.
Easy huh?  Like I mentioned earlier the possibilities are endless, and today I could not stop at one shaker card..soooo here is another quick idea..using another SSD set "Funny Coffee vol 1".  This set has been very popular and is back in stock!
This time I used coffee beans as the shaker item.  I used DP instead of stamping the background image and just stamped the cup and sentiment...I stamped the cup twice.  Once on white CS, and once on kraft, cutting out and paper piecing the wrap around the cup....like Starbucks does!  I used two spellbinders die cuts to make the frame around the acetate.....
like this.  Works pretty cool.  I really like my Spellbinder die cuts.  I have ALOT of them so far, and that brings me to the "TIP" part of my post.  I found a way to store my spellbinders that works beautifully for me, and may for someone else too....so thought I would share.  I had two old frames in the closet that had no use and were on their way to the garbage.  Being the green girl I am, I started thinking mmmmm.......
I wanted the die cuts where I could see them...not in some binder, so I used the frame.  I left the glass in and bought sticky backed magnetic sheets at Hobby Lobby.  I adhered the the sticky side of the sheets right to the glass.  The frame became a showcase for my Spellbinders.  They stick right on to the magnetic sheets and are easy to see and remove.  I did use both frames, but have them hung in a small hall and couldn't get far enough away to get both in my picture.  Anyway...it works for me, and may for you!

Hope you enjoyed my quick little tutorial and trick today!  Have a wonderful day...Friday is almost here!  Thanks so very much for stopping by today, and  don't hesitate to leave a comment, or an idea you want to share...I so enjoy hearing from you!