Monochromatic & Gate-folded Birthday Card

On my last post I said I was hoping to sneak in a few more cards...well, I managed instead to do one card for three challenges. :)  The Paper Players new challenge for the week is Birthdays...I can always use b-day cards!  I also wanted to do the Monochromatic challenge on Hand Stamped Sentiments because I love doing those type of cards.  I also decided to do the gate-fold over on The Friday Mashup.  I haven't done one of those in a long time...actually I didn't even know it was called the gate-fold.  Guess I can still learn something new every day. :)  I was already working with two of these colors for some punch art, and I love them together so this is what I chose for my monochromatic color theme.  I've actually done quite a few cards with these colors.  They just seem to work so well together.  I just made a card last week with this stamp set too, but it was calling my name again, so it's what I went with. 

Yes, I always seem to be putting a close up shot of my card.  Don't know why, I just do! ;)  In this case it helps you see the shimmer paint a little better...

...and, of course, the inside of the card.  Most of the time I like to make sure I have more than just a stamp on the inside.  If you've noticed, I like to use a faded version of what I put on the outside of the card.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Stamp Sets:  Inspired by Nature, On Your Birthday & Vintage Labels (retired sale-a-bration)

Card Stock:  Soft Suede, Crumb Cake & Very Vanilla

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Soft Suede & Crumb Cake

Stampin' Write Markers:  Soft Suede & Crumb Cake

Punches:  1 3/4" Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle & 1 1/4" Circle

Shimmer Paint:  Champagne Mist

Artistic Etchings ~ SQSC 2

Well, I've been busy the last couple of days trying to get things together and ready for school...and it's my last year homeschooling!  So glad to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel!  Of course I had to take some breaks and check out all the sketch challenges I could be working on and finally gave in last night and did one.  I'm hoping to sneak a couple more in today and tomorrow too. :)  I started with Stampin Queens Sketch Challenge.

I wanted to make something vintage.  I keep seeing so many beautiful cards made that way and decided to try my hand at it.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Stamp Sets:  Artistic Etchings & Curly Cute

Card Stock:  Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso & Crumb Cake

Classic Stampin' Pad:  Early Espresso

Embossing Folder:  Vintage Wallpaper

Bigz Die:  Scallop Circle #2

Punch:  Medium Oval 

Ribbon:  5/8" Grosgrain in Rich Razzleberry (retired)

Faith in Nature

If you need to whip out a card quickly, today's card is the one to do.   I quickly made these up at our church's all day craft day a couple of weeks ago.  I wanted to use the new hostess set and my blender pens that I had just bought (and couldn't find anywhere!).  A friend let me borrow hers before I went crazy looking for mine! ;)  Thanks, Anne.  

The pears were so easy to fill in using a bit of ink and a blender pen.

I do wish the "Happy Birthday" turned out a little darker, but I think that can easily be fixed.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Stamp Sets:  Faith in Nature & Curly Cute

Card Stock:  Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Pretty in Pink & Whisper White

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Certainly Celery & So Saffron

Versa Mark & Blender Pens

Stampin' Emboss Powder:  Gold

Autumn Splendor Birthday

I must say it wasn't super sunny this morning when I took the dogs out, but it sure was nice to open the back door and be greeted by a bunch of beautiful morning glories!  

After taking a picture of what's right out my back door, I had to go check out the morning glories that grow up my apple tree.  A few years ago I started planting these flowers under my tree to see if they would grow up into it...well they did!  Now every year they self seed so I don't have to buy any plants.  This year I had so many growing I had to pull a lot out like they were a bunch of weeds!  Actually I took some of the larger plants and replanted them by my fence.  That's why I get the beautiful view every morning. :)  Thanks for letting me share a little bit of my garden with you...

Now on to today's card.  For starters, I did get this design from someone else and thought I had her bookmarked so I could acknowledge her.  Sorry, but I can't find it...and I have looked every where! :(  So...continuing on, this was for a stamp a stack from a couple of months ago, but I wanted to wait to post it until it was getting closer to fall...and it's coming faster than I'd like it to!  Anyway, I had fifteen people come to this stamp a stack so I needed two baskets and two cards so we wouldn't be making card all night!  One thing I pointed out with this card is that no two cards are alike, so don't worry if your card doesn't look exactly like mine.  Each card is unique. :)  

This is the first one...the sponging is nice and light...

...with words and a couple leaves on the inside.

Now the second card where the sponging is much darker.  I really liked the light one when I made it, but after I made the darker one I think I liked it a little better. ;)

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Stamp Sets: Autumn Splendor & On Your Birthday

Card Stock:  Early Espresso, Crumb Cake & Very Vanilla

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, 

Old Olive & More Mustard

Versa Mark

Embossing Folder:  Square Lattice

Cute as a Button

Well, I had a good evening...  I went to visit a good friend of mine that moved about an hour away.  It was hard to see her go, but it's so much better for the family!  They have a cute little "cottage" as she calls it and about two acres out in the country.  Great place...and I'm so happy for them! :)

Today's card is a little different than what I usually do, but if was for my last stamp a stack and it needed to be a generic baby card.  I think I'll be doing either a card for a boy, or a card for a girl the next time I make a baby card.  It will definitely be easier that way...or it could be I'm too lazy to come up with another card for either a boy or a girl. ;)

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Stamp Set:  Fox & Friends

Card Stock:  Perfect Plum, Pretty in Pink, Marina Mist, 

Wild Wasabi, So Saffron & Whisper White

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Perfect Plum, Pretty in Pink, Marina Mist, 

Wild Wasabi & So Saffron

Punches:  1 3/4" Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle & Decorative Label

Embossing Folder:  Perfect Polka Dots

Embosslits Die:   Sweet Buttons

I printed the "Cute as a Button" using the RGB Code for Perfect Plum

What a beautiful day we had here yesterday.  I love the warm sunny days of summer...especially when they aren't humid.  I managed to spend a few hours out in the yard trying to keep my flowers looking nice, but I must say my garden is definitely feeling neglected this year!. :(  At least it's still producing the veggies we planted and hasn't gone on strike!  I think tomorrow I'll be picking and freezing more corn.  But I still want to have a few more ears of corn on the cob for supper...yummy!  

Now on to today's cards.  They were inspired by two different challenges.  I've been following the blog 4 Crafty Chicks for awhile, but don't think I've entered one of their challenges before.  Not sure why I haven't, but I really liked the colors they had for their next challenge and started thinking about what I could do with it.  Then I saw the design for The Friday Mashup and an idea popped into my head that would work for both challenges.   I love it when that happens! ;)  

Just a close up of the first card I made...

...and a look on the inside.  Every now and then I like to use the stamp a second time before I clean it off.  It's lighter and makes a nice background that can be stamped over with a saying, or even written on when you're just sending a note.

And my second card.  I needed to get a birthday out of one of these.  It's my niece's birthday in a few days and I thought I would send this one to her.

On the inside of this one I stamped the saying over the muted picture.  I must admit the pic doesn't look as nice as the real thing.  The picture is making the petals look a little funky.  Oh well...

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Stamp Set:  Inspired by Nature & On Your Birthday

Card Stock:  Marina Mist, Perfect Plum & Whisper White

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Marina Mist, Perfect Plum & Wild Wasabi

Punces:  Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, 1 1/4" Circle & Word Window

Embossing Folder:  Square Lattice

Ribbon:  5/8" Grosgrain in Marina Mist (retired)

Jewels:  Basic Pearls

Stampin' Queen's Sketch Challenge 1

Today I am very excited because I am entering my card into Stampin' Queens first Sketch Challenge that heard about from my upline Glenda.  She is a member of the design team...congrats, Glenda!  I'm also excited because I finally bought some blender pens and have been wanting to use them with this stamp set.  When I saw the SQSC design, I knew I had the perfect opportunity to give them a try.

I must admit, it is a little bit of work coloring it in, but once you get the hang of it it goes pretty fast.  I will definitely be using this technique more...but only if I'm doing a few cards at a time. ;)

I had to put something on the inside after making the outside so colorful.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Stamp Set:  Elements of Style

Card Stock:  Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Crumb Cake & Very Vanilla

Classic Stampin' Pads:  Always Artichoke, Baja Breeze, Rose Red & So Saffron (used on flowers)

Stampin' Write Markers:  Always Artichoke, Baja Breeze, Perfect Plum, Rose Red & Basic Gray (for bird)

Punches:  1 3/8" Circle & 1 1/4" Circle

Texturz Plate:  Backgrounds 1

1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon:  Rose Red

Stampin' Emboss Powder:  Gold

Shimmer Paint:  Champagne Mist