Happy Father's Day or Birthday :)

I have a quick post for you today.  I made this birthday card for my father-in-law's birthday last week and thought it would make a good Father's Day card too, so I whipped up another one (but I'm not giving it to him for Father's Day too! lol).  This is such a quick and simple card to make using a little old and a little new. :)

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

Stamp Sets:  World Map, Dictionary, 

Express Yourself & Traveler

Card Stock:  Soft Suede & Very Vanilla

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Soft Suede & Crumb Cake

Sponges

pssst...thank you

It's Friday....yeah!  I'm so ready for the weekend since it's been a pretty busy week.  I think a lot of you understand that! :)  That also means I have a card to show you for the next Friday Mashup challenge.  This week's challenge is from Tara, and it was definitely a challenge until I figured out what I wanted to make.  Then it was a snap...minus all the water coloring I did.  Here's Tara's challenge for us...

Create a project with "Stripes".

Create a project with "Movable or Removable elements".

or Mashup it Up! and create a project with "Movable Elements & Stripes".

I don't think I've made any cards that have movable or removable parts.  I guess if I have it's been quite a while.  The stripes part was easy.  I new I wanted to use the stripes embossing folder one last time before it retires.  I really like this embossing folder and I'm going to miss it.  I guess I'll still have it, but it will be retired so I won't use it as much.  I went with a removable bookmark for the other part of the challenge, and made sure the card still looked pretty after the bookmark was taken off.  I did leave the glue dot on the card so you could see how I attached the bookmark...just a glue dot on the back of the ribbon.  Anyway I really wanted to use some of the new In Colors that are coming out on June 2nd, so I did a little water coloring with the Blackberry Bliss, Moss Meadow and Hello Honey.  I think they turned out pretty well, but inking a stamp and using the ink as a water color did give them just a bit of a different color.  Not enough that it bothered me though. :)  Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I used the Freshly Made Sketches challenge to come up with my idea. So glad it was out there! :)

Make sure you head over to the Friday Mashup HERE because the other designers cards are awesome!

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

Stamp Set:  Happy Watercolor

Card Stock:  Whisper White

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Blackberry Bliss, 

Mossy Meadow, Lost Lagoon & Hello Honey

StazOn:  Black

Embossing Folder:  Stripes

Punch:  Angled Tag Topper

Ribbon:  Stitched Satin in Blackberry Bliss

Aqua Painter

Rich Razzleberry Apothecary Art

Oops...not getting this posted as soon as I usually do!  Today's card is for this week's Try Stampin' on Tuesday sketch challenge and the twist is Girlfriends.  I can't really say I did the twist unless you count a birthday card sent to a girlfriend...nope, probably not.  For today's card I pulled out a set I haven't using in quite a while...Apothecary Art.  I've always loved this set and am glad it didn't retire. :)  I used some sponges around the edge and Blendablilites to color them in.  I love them!  So easy to use and no water running anywhere or paper falling apart from too much "coloring".

Remember to head on over to Try Stampin' on Tuesday HERE to see what other great cards are made using this sketch and play along if you get a chance.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

Stamp Sets:  Everything Eleanor, Petite Petals & Apothecary Art

Card Stock:  Rich Raspberry and Very Vanilla

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Rich Razzleberry

Blendabilities:  Rich Raspberry & Old Olive

Punch:  Petite Petals

Framelits:  Labels Collection

Sponges

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today's card is special since it's for my mom and it's her birthday today.  :)  She loves the color blue so I thought I'd play with some new stuff I got from Stampin' Up!  It was waiting for me when I got home from work...yes!  My card didn't turn out as I had planned, but I think that happens a lot.  I just change what I'm doing and go in another direction.  I can't forget to say that my design is from Hand Stamped Sentiments sketch challenge #186.  I haven't played along with a sketch challenge in quite a while unless I've combined it with one I'm a designer for, so it was relaxing to just come up with a card and not be pushing for a deadline after a loooong day at work.  I have to admit I do work better when there's a deadline though. lol  Crazy, I know.

If you get a chance head over to HSS and check out the designers cards using this sketch and play along.  It's a great one!

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

Stamp Set:  Bloom with Hope

Card Stock:  Pool Party, Coastal Cabana,

Bermuda Bay & Whisper White

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Pool Party, 

Coastal Cabana & Bermuda Bay

Memento:  Tuxedo Black

VersaMarker

Embossing Folder:  Decorative Dots

Framlits:  Ovals Collection

Occasions Paper-piercing Pack

Stampin' Emboss Powder:  Clear

Brayer & Sponges

Lovely as a TREE

Happy Friday, Everyone!  I have another card for you for this week's Friday Mashup which I happen to be hostessing. :)  The mashup for this week is...

Create a project with "Trees".

Create a project with "Heat or Dry Embossing".

Or Mash it up and create a project with "Embossing and Trees".

I have no idea why I chose these two things for the mashup, but I had to run with it once I did. lol  I figured I should try to use a tree stamp that I haven't used in a while, so I picked the oak tree from Lovely as a Tree.  Well, what was I supposed to do with that tree?  How about put it in a field.  Hey didn't I just do that with another card? lol  I did, but it's definitely not the same.  This time I used the direct to paper technique with a bit of sponging to fill it all in.  Do you ever look at the sky and see different colors in it, and they seem to be woven into the next color?  I don't know about you, but I sure do, so that's what I tried to create in this card.  I did dry embossing on a couple of colors of my card, but I have to admit it's a little hard to see in the picture.

Head on over to the Friday Mashup HERE.  We have some great cards to show you and would love to see what you create for this week's challenge.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

Stamp Sets:  Lovely as a Tree & Field Flowers

Card Stock:  Old Olive, Pool Party, Island Indigo,

So Saffron, Crisp Cantaloupe & Very Vanilla

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Old Olive, Pool Party, Island Indigo,

So Saffron, Crisp Cantaloupe & Early Espresso

StazOn:  Black

Embossing Folder:  Pretty Print

Sponges

Lovely as a Christmas Tree

Wow, was there a great turnout over at 'Tis the Season while we joined up with the Jingle Belles!  That was fun, so hopefully we get a chance to do it with them again some time.  This week we have an inspiration sketch, and wow did I have to think about it!  I don't have a lot of Christmas stamps, so I decided to go with the colors for my inspiration.  I pulled the green and red from the wreaths to be my main colors and the gray as a part of the background...I know, the opposite of what is in the picture. lol  I love how they turned out though, and was surprised that my hubby and daughter liked the green cards more than the red.  I thought for sure everyone would turn their noses up at them.  Personally I can't decide which color I like better. lol  Make sure you head on over to 'Tis the Season HERE to to see the other great cards and play along with us too.

Yeah, I got a little carried away with the pics this time, but I had so many turn out this time!  The cards even show the sparkle I added when I spritzed them, and that's pretty hard to catch most of the time.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

Stamp Sets:  Lovely as a Tree & Christmas Collectibles

Card Stock:  Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green & Basic Gray

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Cherry Cobbler & Gumball Green

Ribbon:  5/8" Seam Binding in Cherry Cobbler

 & 5/8" Organza in White

Smooch Spritz:  Vanilla Shimmer

Brayer

Serene Saturday...or Sunday

Hi Everyone...today's card is for this week's Try Stampin' on Tuesday sketch challenge and the twist is Life is a Picnic.  Since I don't have any stamps that have anything to do with a picnic I thought I'd bring you the field or meadow that you could have the picnic in. :)  I haven't done a lot of sponging lately so I thought it was time to get busy with it again. :)  Make sure you head over to Try Stampin' on Tuesday HERE to see all the other great cards made using this sketch.  Don't forget to play along.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

Stamp Set:  Serene Silhouettes

Card Stock:  Early Espresso, Island Indigo,

Garden Green & Very Vanilla

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Island Indigo, Pool Party,

Blushing Bride, Old Olive & So Saffron

Stampin' Write Markers:  Old Olive,

Pool Party & Early Espresso

Embossing Folder:  Woodgrain

Punch:  1 1/4" Circle

Sponges

Get Well Soon

Hi Everyone...today I have a CAS card for you for this week's Friday Mashup Challenge brought to us by Lisa.  As a matter of fact I think this is the cleanest and simplest card I've made in a long time.  I guess I just didn't want to make a card that had too much on it since it is a Get Well card. :)  Oh, I can't forget to tell you what the challenge is...

Create a project using the above "Sketch".

Create a " Get Well" Project.

or Mash it Up and create a "Get Well project using the Sketch". 

Make sure you check out what all the other designers made this week mashing up the sketch and "Get Well" HERE.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

Stamp Set:  Thoughts and Prayers

Card Stock:  Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz,

Blushing Bride & Naturals White

Classic Stampin' Pads: Early Espresso, 

Pear Pizzazz & Blushing Bride 

Sponges

Smell the Roses

What do I have for you to see today?  A card for Try Stampin' on Tuesday's sketch challenge.  I have to admit I had a hard time trying to decide what to make for this challenge.  I (once again) fudged a little on the sketch.  Since I didn't know what to do I started looking at other challenges and saw that this week's Paper Players' challenge was a color challenge.  I loved the three colors together and that's when an idea popped into my mind.  Why not use the three colors at the bottom of each of the pieces I embossed.  And since the twist is "Smell the Roses" I decided to use the set Stippled Blossoms since it looks pretty close to a rose.

Make sure you head over to Try Stampin' on Tuesday HERE to see the other great cards made using this challenge, and to play along if you get a chance!

Just another view of the card. :)

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

Stamp Sets:  Stippled Blossoms & Teeny Tiny Wishes

Card Stock:  Calypso Coral, So Saffron,

Pear Pizzazz & Whisper White

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Calypso Coral, 

So Saffron & Pear Pizzazz

Embossing Folder:  Delicate Designs

Punch:  Modern Label

Smooch Spritz:  Vanilla Shimmer

So Long Simply Sketched

It's Friday so of course that means another card for the Friday Mashup.  This week we have a great challenge from Heidi...

Create a project using "Stencils".

Create a project with a "Retiring Stamp".

Or Mash it up and create a project with " a Stencil and a Retiring Stamp".

I did my stenciling on the top and bottom of my card using the Simply Scored Boarders Plate, and used a couple of stamps that I have that are retiring...Perfectly Penned and Simply Sketched.  Yup, I'm sad both of these sets are retiring.  Everyone knows that the hostess sets retire though, but I have to admit this was a great set!

Make sure you head on over to the Friday Mashup HERE to see all the other great cards by the Friday Mashup team and to play along too. :)

I can't forget to say where my colors came from...the Color Throwdown challenge.  It's been a while since I've entered a challenge and I loved these colors together so I couldn't resist. :)

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

Stamp Sets:  Simply Sketched & Perfectly Penned

Card Stock:  Night of Navy, Bermuda Bay & Whisper White

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Bermuda Bay & Pear Pizzazz

VersaMark & StazOn Black

Stampin' Emboss Powder:  Clear

Brayer & Aqua Painter

Joyful Christmas!

Anyone out there ready for Christmas?  No?  Me either!  I'm still waiting for the warm weather we were promised here in Michigan.  Let's see if we get it today. lol  Even though I'm not ready for Christmas I'm definitely ready to make more Christmas cards!  I haven't been keeping up my pace though. :(  I'm supposed to be making four of each of the cards I post on here and haven't done it in a while.  I need to get busy!  Speaking of getting busy, 'Tis the Season is getting busy teaming up with the Jingle Belles for our next challenge.  'Tis the Season's challenge is a sketch challenge and Jingle Belles is "Bling".  Perfect combination if you ask me...and I've heard the word PRIZES. :)  There will be a prize offered on 'Tis the Season and on Jingle Belles.  The twist is in order to be eligible you have to do both challenges.  No problem with that, right?!  

I used the sketch a little loosely because my flower is so big, but I love how it turned out.  I also used the traditional red and green Christmas colors.  I don't think I've those colors much on my cards if I've even done it at all.  Oh, I can't forget about my bling...the gold embossing adds a little bit, but I scored some of my card stock and put pearls on my card.  I've seen it done here and there, but have never tried it myself.  Guess I can check that off my list, but I'm sure I'll be doing it again some time.  Don't forget to head on over to 'Tis the Season and the Jingle Belles to see all the great designers' cards and to play along too.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

Stamp Set:  Joyful Christmas

Card Stock:  Cherry Cobbler & Whisper White

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Garden Green

VersaMark

Stampin' Emboss Powder:  Gold

Jewels:  Basic Pearls

Simply Scored Scoring Tool

Happy Mother's Day!

Hi, Everyone.  It's time for another card for this week's Try Stampin' on Tuesday sketch challenge.  I have to admit I fudged just a little on the sketch, but I wanted to make another card using the Hello Doily and Fabulous Florets stamp sets since they're on the retired list and I won't be using them for my classes anymore. :(  Hello Doily is a great background stamp and I've made my share of cards using it.  Fabulous Florets has been one of my favorite flower sets since I LOVE embossing the flower images in white then sponging the flower to give it a unique color.  I've used so many different color combinations with this set.  If you want to see the different cards I've made using this set just click HERE.

The twist for this week's sketch is Mother's Day.  Since I'm way behind on my card making I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to come up with a card for my mother and mother-in-law.  Yup, I usually make them the same card, but always use different colors.  :)  Don't forget to stop by Try Stampin' on Tuesday to see what the other designers made using this sketch and play along with us too.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

Stamp Sets:  Hello Doily, Fabulous Florets & retired sentiment

Card Stock:  Island Indigo, Pool Party & Whisper White

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Island Indigo & Pool Party

VersaMark

Stampin' Emboss Powder:  White

Smooch Spritz:  Vanilla Shimmer

Sponges

Birthday Zoo Review

Happy Friday, Everyone!  Today I have a fun card for you using this week's Friday Mashup challenge hosted by Holly.  This week's mashup challenge is...

Create a project using the Colors "Turquoise, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Wild Wasabi & Neutral of your choice".

Create a project for "a Child".

Or mash it up and create a project with the "Above Colors for a Child".

Now I can easily make a card using these colors, but a card for kids?!  Now that was a little harder.  I have to admit I have NO kids' stamp sets!  Yup, I was kind of surprised myself when I started going through my stamps and realized I didn't have any sets that are meant just for kids.  I think I'm going to have to change that now that the new Stampin' Up! catalog is about to be released!  I decided to use the set Zoo Review because I figured that would be the best bet, or at least I had an idea pop in my mind for it.  I'm kind of sad this set is retiring because I waited a while to get it and haven't used it as much as I would like.  Guess I'll just have to hold on to it for a little while yet. :)

I stamped the penguin stamp two times and used the stampin' write marker to add on to the lines behind the penguins so they were connected across the page.  I wanted to make it look like they were standing on snow/ice with the sky and water behind them so I brayered the water and sky using temping turquoise.  For once I accomplished what I wanted on the first try! lol  Make sure you check out what all the other ladies made HERE and play along if you get a chance. :)

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

Stamp Set:  Zoo Review

Card Stock:  Wild Wasabi, Real Red & Whisper White

Classic Stampin' Pad:  Tempting Turquoise

Stampin' Write Markers:  Pumpkin Pie & Basic Black

Versa Marker

Stampin' Emboss Powder:  Clear

Punch:  Modern Label

Candy Dots:  Brights

Brayer