SHOPPING OUR STASH #175 - Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Good morning crafty peeps! We have a fun new challenge starting today at SHOPPING OUR STASH!

This week we want you to create something EITHER using round shapes on it. (Ex: round images, DP with round patterns on it, a round shaped card, use a brayer - it's round!, etc.) There's a catch: you need to create something using round elements besides just using round die cuts! OR use a western theme, since that's where Leslie got her inspiration for this challenge! Here's the card I created:

 Here's the inside:

There's a whole lot of circles going on on this card: The shape, the black/gray DP has circle shapes in it. The scalloped border is actually circle die cuts that I cut in half and glued around the edge. The rhinestones. Yep, a lot of circle elements on this. After I colored and fussy cut the image, I thought it needed something more, so I glued that bitty bow on it. Love how this turned out! (Not sure who I'd send it to, but love it!) LOL!

Ready to play along? Of course you are! Don't forget to link up your creation at Shopping Our Stash! While there, please check out what my teammates dreamed up for your viewing pleasure, and leave them some bloggy love! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope that you have a great day!

Chris

Supplies

Stamps: Unity Stamps - Fashionista Charlotte; Unity Stamps - April 2012 KOM; Ranger Dylusions - Say it how it is

Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Ranger DI - Dusty Concord

DP: DCWV - Black Currant stack

CS: Bazzill

Accessories: Grand Calibur, Grand Circles & Lg Std Circles Nesties; Spectrum Noir markers; Offray - bow; rhinestones from stash

Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik permanent, 3D foam squares; Ranger - Glossy Accents

JUST US GIRLS #264 - Photo Week

Hello and happy Saturday to you all! We have a photo challenge at JUST US GIRLS, hosted this week by Maria! Just look at this gorgeous photo she found for inspiration:

Pretty, huh? It's amazing how we all interpreted this differently. I was drawn to the colorful leaves, so that's what I went with:

Here's the inside:

A while back, perhaps even a year ago, I was experimenting with distress inks, and colored a couple pieces of card stock by smooshing a few different inks onto my craft mat, spritzing with water, then laying the card stock in the mess. I kept the unused bits, (of course!) and used them to die cut the leaves. Then I got way out of control and did this whole tree themed card, using that adorable tree paper behind the main focal point. I masked the "I'm" from the sentiment then filled the space with a tiny fussy cut leaf. 

(Side Trip: Does anyone know of a sentiment stamp set that is plural? Meaning, instead of saying "I'm thankful for you", it says "We're thankful for you" or "Happy Birthday from us", etc? I'd like to get my hands on that if it exists. There you go stamp manufacturers - I've just thrown down the gauntlet - I double dog dare you to make it happen! LOL!) Because, even though I make the cards, address the envelopes, stamp and return label them, and get them in the mail, I still sign them from me and my hubby. You know, as if he actually had something to do with the complete process. (wink)

But I digress. ☺ I finished the inside with a stamped sentiment and two more die cut leaves. (See? Way out of control!) 

Now it's your turn to make a card or project inspired by the photo. Be sure to link it up at Just Us Girls so we can admire it! While there, please be sure to see what my teammates and our guest designer, Wanda Cullen, created  - you won't be disappointed!  If you win Chic of the Week for any of the challenges in October, you'll be in the running for our Guest Designer for the month of December! How cool is that?! Thanks for stopping by!

Challenges: Tuesday Morning Sketches #272

Chris

Supplies

Stamps: Paper Smooches - Jive Turkey; Hero Arts - Celebrate Everyday

Ink: Memento - Rich Cocoa; Ranger DI's

DP: Recollections - Simply Autumn

CS: Darice

Accessories: Grand Calibur, Sm & Lg classic oval Nesties; Lawn Fawn - Stitched Leaves dies; Recollections - ribbon; MME - Enamel Dots

Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik permanent, 3D foam squares; Recollections - red tape

Fun with FWF

I have a couple of cards to share, which I'll be entering at Unity's Friends With Flair. It's been a while since I played along there. It was way overdue. Here's what I made:

Card #1:

The inside says Happy Belated Birthday.

(Images from the December 2012 KOM)

Card #2

Inside says Missing You

Back story: someone near and dear to me had a bacterial infection that caused them to have the, ahem, 'Hershey squirts'. (If you know what I mean) Because I'm a sick human being, I made a card, in the 

toilet's point of view. Said person has a great sense of humor and

will totally find this funny!!

(Image and sentiment from the AH Crap set)

That's all I've got for now. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fabulous Friday!

Chris

SHOPPING OUR STASH #174 - Halloween or Halloween colors

Hello and good morning, my crafty peeps! This week at SHOPPING OUR STASH we challenge you to make a Halloween card/project, or something that uses Halloween colors (black, orange, green, purple, red) This being my favorite holiday, I was all over it! Here's what I made:

 the inside:

I'm guilty of buying supplies, then not using them. Lately I've been trying to remedy that. The paper collection is from last year, the stamp I bought earlier this year and it's the first time getting inked. That ribbon was one of the first rolls I bought when I started scrapbooking back in 2007. ☺ After coloring the martini, I added a few white lines on the left side for highlights, then went over it all with Glossy Accents. 

 eyeball-tinis, yum!

Ok, so now it's time for you to make one more Halloween card! Just be sure to link it up at Shopping Our Stash! Please be sure to check out what my teammates, and our GD - Ira, created for your viewing pleasure! Thanks for stopping in! Have a great day!

Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - color challenge
The Male Room #21 - Halloween
Wanna Sketch #21
AAA Cards - Halloween
Spectrum Noir October challenge - embellishments (enamel dots, Glossy Accents, ribbon)

Chris

Supplies
Stamps: Crackerbox Palace - Eye Think; Hero Arts - Celebrate Everyday
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black
DP: Authentique - Thrilling; scraps
CS: Darice; Copic - X-Press It
Accessories: Spectrum Noir markers: Ranger - Glossy Accents; Grand Calibur; Deckled Rectangles Nesties; MME - Enamel Dots; Martha Stewart - web punch;
Michael's - ribbon
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik permanent, 3D foam squares; Recollections - red tape

SISTERHOOD OF SNARKY STAMPERS #19 - H is for Hopeful Halloween

For my Just Us Girls post, click here.

How did Edna get my hat?!!!!

Hello crafty peeps! As you may know, October is an important month. It's Breast Cancer Awareness month. Also, Halloween, my favorite holiday, is at the end of the month. So the Sisters decided to combine both of these for a Hopeful Halloween challenge! (Never before attempted, I'm sure!) We would like you to make a Halloween card/project, OR a pink card/project for BCA, OR go all crazy-like and make a pink Halloween card/project!!! Your choice! Of course, I went the crazy-like route - check it:

Here is the inside:

I knew I was going to go with Glinda for my card. (A witch that rocks a fluffy pink sparkly gown? Oh yes!) The dress was a bit too orangey, so I went over it with pink Spectrum Noir markers. (still orangey, but not as bad now!) I distressed and inked the edges with antique linen DI, then dotted the dress, crown and staff with diamond Stickles. As I was looking at Authentique's Thrilling collection, it had a page of labels in it, and the Glenda's Witch's Brew was part of it. Score!! (I'm guessing they changed the 'i' to an 'e' for copyright reasons. Wink!) The paper was more of a stone color, so again I used my SN markers to age it, and also distressed the edges. I added some pink tulle and ribbon under the panels. That tulle started out as white, but I smeared Worn Lipstick DI over it, and blotted off the excess. Cutting a small strip with pinking shears, I gathered it up and stapled it to secure, then glued it on the main panel. I should have waited a while to do that, since the DI didn't dry. At all. And I wound up with blood red fingertips! LOL! The background papers I dug out of the scrap folders. I printed out the inside sentiment and finished the panel with a spider web punch. I based my design from the now ended DS #172. 

So, now it's your turn. Up for this challenge? Of course you are! Just link up your card/project at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers for a chance to be our next Queen of Snark or Princess! Be sure to check out what my teammates and our GD, Pamellia, created for your viewing pleasure!

Thanks for stopping by, now go get your craft on! ☺

Chris

Supplies

DP: G45 - The Magic of Oz; Authentique - Thrilling; scraps

CS: WRMK (pink); Darice (black, cream)

Accessories: Spectrum Noir markers; Ranger - Antique Linen DI & diamond Stickles; Doodlebug twine; May Arts ribbon; inside sentiment computer generated; MS - web punch; tulle from stash

Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik permanent, 3D foam squares; Recollections - red tape; Glue Dots; stapler 

JUST US GIRLS #263 - Color week!

For my Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers post, click here.

Hello and good morning all! It's a color week at JUST US GIRLS!, and what fabulous colors they are:

I have no masculine birthday cards in my stash, so I thought the colors would be perfect for that. Here's what I came up with:

 (Here's the inside)

If you follow me, I almost always finish the inside of my cards. (To me, it's just not complete otherwise) ☺ Also, I tend to have some sort of snarky/punny/witty sentiment on the inside. (It's how I roll!) This card is no exception. I needed a belated birthday card. (I know, a card maker who doesn't send out cards on time - OH THE HORROR!) This card came together pretty quickly for me, which is a miracle itself. I used the sketch from the now closed The Male Room #20. I used scraps from the scrap bin (Woo Hoo!), a couple stamps and a sticker pack that were used for the first time. I actually used my stash - I felt so accomplished! LOL!

I hope you get the chance to play along for this week's color challenge at Just Us Girls! Please be sure to check out my teammates and our GD, Wanda Cullen, have created to inspire you! Thanks for hanging out, and I hope you have a crafty day!

Chris

Supplies

Stamps: Crackerbox Palace - Belated; Unity Stamps - Past due from FWF winnings

Ink: Memento - Paris Dusk

DP: Echo Park - This & That Charming

CS: Darice (kraft); scraps

Accessories: Grand Calibur; Lg & Sm Std Circle Nesties: SRM - Birthday Stickers

Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik permanent, 3D foam squares

Pink Christmas! ♥

Hello and good morning crafty peeps! I have a card I want to share with you that I've made for a most important challenge: JINGLE BELLES! In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Lauren and Stephanie will donate $2 each for every Christmas card entered. The catch? Your new card has to have some notable pink on it!

The "Pink Christmas" prompt will run at JINGLE BELLES from 12am on Friday, October 10th to 6pm on Wednesday, October 22nd; as in previous years, Stephanie and Lauren pledge to donate $4 per linked-up card to The Susan G. Komen Foundation.

The only requirement is that all link-ups be NEW holiday cards with some noticeable pink on them... so in other words, not just Rudolph's NOSE, lol!

Participants may use sketches, combine challenges, and include any other colors in addition to pink; you can showcase however many cards you'd like in one post, don't worry, we'll still count every single one of them towards the total!

Thank you very much for your support!

♥♥♥

Can't say it any better than that! Ok, so on to my card:

 Here is the inside:

I die cut three of the poinsettia backgrounds (2 vanilla cs, 1 green scrap dp), and 2 of the outlines in the same pink background paper). After gluing the outlines on the backgrounds, I went over it with diamond Stickles. While that was drying, I distressed the green leaves and inked the edges with antique linen DI. I did the same for the pink panel. I heat embossed both sentiments in Champagne EP. Before gluing down the poinsettia, I dug in a box of rarely used goodies, and found some of this gold netting to pop out from under it. Score! The flower is finished with a pink rhinestone. I love the shabby chic look to this card!

Now, it's time for you to make a pink Christmas card! (or as many as you want!) It's for a great cause! Stephanie and Lauren are hoping to reach $500, so let's make that goal happen! WE CAN DO IT!!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a fantastic day!

Chris

Supplies

Stamps: MFT - Seasonal Sentiments

Ink: VersaMark; Ranger DI - Antique Linen

DP: MME - Collectable; green scrap

CS; Darice

Accessories: Grand Calibur; Poppy Stamps - Luxe Poinsettia outline & background dies; Stampendous - champagne EP; Webster's Pages - gold netting; heat gun; Tonic - distressing tool; Ranger - Diamond Stickles; rhinestone from stash

Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik permanent; Scotch - Scrapbooker's glue; Glue Dots

SHOPPING OUR STASH #173 - Hello Sweetie!

Good Morning! It's Tuesday and that means a new challenge starts at SHOPPING OUR STASH!

In honor of Sweetest Day, which is October 18th, we'd like you to make a card or project that features a 'sweet theme' on it. (Ex: candy, ice cream, cookies, something for your sweetie, etc.) Here's what I came up with: Oh, and spoiler alert - put whatever beverage you are drinking down now. (wink!)

Here's the inside of my card:

You're welcome for that spoiler alert. Nothing like a bit of snark on the inside of my card! LOL! I've had this paper collection for at least a couple of years and had a bunch of bits and pieces that I refused to throw out. So, I challenged myself to use them up! (Thus the very strange colors/patterns picked! LOL!) My design is based on Sweet Sunday Sketch #240.

Ready to play along? You know you have candy/ice cream/cookie stamps in your crafty arsenal waiting to be inked up! Go for it, and link up at Shopping Our Stash! Please check out what my teammies, and Ira, our guest designer, have created to ooh and aah you! Thanks for stopping by, now go forth and get your craft on!

Chris

Supplies
Stamps: Crackerbox Palace - Chocolate Candies, Chocolate Farts; MFT - ALM Dip me in chocolate
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black
DP: Echo Park - Happy Days
CS: Darice; Copic X-Press It
Accessories: Grand Calibur, Lg & Sm Standard Circle Nesties; Spectrum Noir markers; MME - Enamel Dots
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik permanent, 3D foam squares

NOT a Halloween card. Wait. WHAAA????

Yep. You heard right. (Sorta been on Halloween card making kick lately.) So, today, I give you a Christmas card. (wink!) 

(glittery words on the inside)

I'm playing along with 'Tis The Season #27 (sketch) and also Merry Monday #129 (neon colors).

 

ETA: Since I have some (I know, not a lot) pink on my card, I'm also going to enter this at Jingle Belles, where, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Lauren and Stephanie will be donating $2 each for each card that has pink in it. So, start making those pink Christmas cards and enter as many as you want!

I had fun die cutting different Nesties in neon card stock to use as ornaments, and stamping them using neon ink. (I know, it's hard to see, but if you enlarge the photo, you should hopefully be able to see the designs better.) I even used a bit of neon cord that I've had for at least a couple of years, and never used until now! Score! Of course, I had to have a black background panel to make those bright colors pop! I die cut the sentiments from silver glitter paper, because, shiny! The cord was stapled to the black panel before I adhered it to the card base. I also drew strings for the ornaments with a silver pen.

Well, as usual, I'm getting this entered under the wire. (Procrastination is my super power, ya know!) Thanks for hanging out with me, and I hope that you have a great day!

Chris

Supplies
Stamps: Paper Smooches - Borderlicious; The Alley Way Stamps: Background Check
Ink: Hero Arts - Neon ink cubes
DP: American Crafts - silver glitter
CS: Darice (white, black); scraps
Accessories: Grand Calibur; Lacey Circles, Classic Scalloped Circles, Classic Ovals Lg, Lg Octagons Nesties; Paper Smooches - Christmas Words Dies; Michael's - neon cord; stapler; Sakura - silver Gelly Roll pen; Fray Check
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik permanent, 3D foam squares; Scotch - Scrapbooker's Glue

JUST US GIRLS! #262 - Trend Week!

Hello and good morning, crafty peeps! This week is a trend week at JUST US GIRLS! And the trend is OMBRE!

Ombre has been around a while in our paper crafting world, but it's still a very hot trend right now. Here's what I came up with:

 Here's the inside of my card:

I used shades of blue ink to make my background. Stamping the bramble image first, I made a mask for the moon (Ok, the name of this stamp is Bramble Sunrise, but I made it a moon rise, cuz that's how I roll! LOL!), then inked up the moon with squeezed lemonade and wild honey DI. Then I masked over the moon and inked up the background using tumbled glass & broken china DIs, and Memento Paris dusk. I inked just a smidgen of black soot DI in the top corners. I like how it turned out, but in hindsight, I should have used card stock instead of water color paper, like I did on the inside. (Insert sad trombone sound here) On both web images, I traced over them with diamond Stickles.

 Ooh! Shiny!

Now it's your turn to make a card using ombre! Don't forget to link it up at Just Us Girls! Please be sure to check out what my teammies created to inspire you, and leave them some bloggy love! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great day!

Chris

Supplies

Stamps: Memory Box - Bramble Sunrise; Cloud 9 Designs - Halloween; Inkadinkado - All Hallow's Eve

Ink: Memento - Paris Dusk; Ranger DI - Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Squeezed Lemonade, Wild Honey, Black Soot; Staz On - Jet Black

CS: Strathmore water color paper; Darice

Accessories: Ranger - Diamond Stickles; painters tape; Faber-Castell - black PITT Artist pen

Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik permanent

SHOPPING OUR STASH #172: It's The Most Colorful Time Of The Year!

Good morning and welcome to a new challenge at SHOPPING OUR STASH! It's officially Autumn, and with the leaves starting to turn, we want you to create a card or project using fall colors: red, orange, rust, yellow, brown, gold, etc. Here's my take on this challenge:

(Oops, forgot to take a pic of the inside. It says Happy Thanksgiving.)

I was lucky enough to win this entire collection a couple years ago, and I still think it's one of my favorites to date. (because I hoard it, and rarely use it!) I used just a bit of dp, and some of the dimensional stickers. So quick and easy to do! My card is based off of CTS#95.

 Now it's your turn! Just link your card or project up at Shopping Our Stash! Don't forget to check out what my teammies created for your viewing pleasure, and leave them some bloggy love! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope that you have a great day!

Chris

Supplies
Stamps: Hero Arts - Celebrate Everyday
Ink: Staz On - Jet Black
DP & stickers:  American Crafts - Night Fall collection
CS: Recollections (kraft); Bazzill (orange)
Accessories: Fiskars - corner rounder
Adhesives: SA by eL - MyStik permanent, 3D foam squares 

Boo!

Hello and good morning crafty peeps! Were you able to make a card(s) in honor of World Card Making Day yesterday? We spent the afternoon rearranging and installing shelves in my craft room.  New ink storage shelf and more shelves to the left of it. Oh Joy And Rapture For Additional Storage Space!!! 

(Yes, there's a wine glass next to the lamp. It's a mandatory element in my craft room!)

But I was finally able to crank out a couple cards. Here's one of them:

 Here's the inside:

My card is based on the sketch from Freshly Made Sketch #156, and the colors from Color Throwdown #312. This is another rare card in that there is no stamping on it. Plus I used mostly all scraps, except for my card base. Bonus! I bought these jack-o-lantern die cuts the end of last year on clearance and it's the first time I've use them. Before I took the shapes out of the die, I used it as a stencil and inked them with a few colors of Distress Inks. The spider and 'BOO!' are stickers I've had for a couple years. 

 

Thanks for popping by, and I hope that you have a great day today!

Chris
Supplies
Ink: Ranger DI - Spiced Marmalade, Mowed Lawn, Walnut Stain
DP: scraps
CS: Recollections
Accessories: Grand Calibur; S/B Std. Circle Sm & Lg Nesties; Jack-O-Lantern dies; American Crafts - stickers
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik permanent, 3D foam squares

SISTERHOOD OF SNARKY STAMPERS #18 - I is for Iconic!

For my Just Us Girls post, simply scroll down.

Hello and good morning peeps! Happy World Card Making Day to you all! You all ready to get your craft on and make some cards today? Well, here's a great challenge for you to play along at the SISTERHOOD OF SNARKY STAMPERS:

Who knew Edna had a smokin' hot bod under that frock she's always wearing! LOL! This fortnight we challenge you to make a card or project using a famous person, place, or thing. I admit, this was kind of a hard challenge for me. But as usual, my procrastination super powers came through and this is what I came up with (yesterday afternoon!):

...and the inside:

Charlie Brown's shirt, with the perfect snarky sentiment! LOVE! I swear, this card was done in 10 minutes - a personal best for me!! What took the longest was stamping the alpha letters (as straight as possible - which is not so straight in my case.)

So, ready to play along? Of course you are! Simply make a card or project based on an Iconic person, place, or thing, and link it up at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers. Don't forget to check out what my teammies, and our newest Guest Designer - Lynn, has created for your viewing pleasure! Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Chris

Supplies
Stamps: Studio G - alpha stamps
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black
CS: scraps
Accessories: Grand Calibur; Edgeabilities - Mix & Match Classic Edges die
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik permanent

JUST US GIRLS #261: Word Week!

Hello crafty peeps! Happy World Card Making Day! And what better day for my official start as a DT member over at JUST US GIRLS! I'm so excited to be a part of this talented team! This week's challenge is a word challenge, and that word is:

This is such a versatile word. You can base your card or project on Birthdays, Anniversaries, Holidays, etc. See? Very versatile! Here's the card I came up with:

And here's the inside:

Lately, I've been experimenting coloring with Prismacolor pencils on kraft paper, and I really love the look of it! I used both sides of designer paper on this. The top part I stamped all over with that cute bottle, with a strip of pinked die cut kraft to separate both papers. That crocheted mat was a gift from the fabulous Jessi Fogan! I used various word and alpha stamps to create the inside sentiment, with another bottle to complete it. (I'm really not sure if I spelled the word "witch's" correctly. I even Googled it - and there were three different spellings to choose from! GRRRR!) Well, I just picked this version. (My apologies to the Grammar Police if this is wrong.) LOL!

Now it's your turn! We can't wait to see what you create, just link it up over at Just Us Girls! While there, please be sure to check out what my teammies and our guest designer, Wanda Cullen, dreamed up to inspire you!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope that you have a fantastic day!

Chris

Supplies
Stamps: Paper Smooches - Halloweenies, Streamers, Mini Monograms, Hullabaloo, Many Thanks
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Ranger DI - Dusty Concord
DP: Graphic 45 - An Eerie Tale
CS: Recollections
Accessories: Grand Calibur, Sm classic oval Nesties; Crochet mat by the fabulous Jessi Fogan; Prismacolor pencils; Paper Smooches - Streamers die; Spellbinders - Edgeabilites Mix & Match Classic edges die
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik permanent, 3D foam squares