Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Coloring Down the Lines -- Regal Rose

Another week has gone by already!   So it is time for the Wednesday blog hop using the Stampin'Up! Color Coach to create a color combination.   You will probably remember that several of our chat group decided to use the Color Coach to help make color selections.  And then we decided to make it a blog hop so that you could have fun looking at everyone's samples.   You probably have arrived here from Pam's blogsite.   Nice, huh?  Pam always does something great, and today is no exception.

The colors for today are Regal Rose with either Early Espresso and Daffodil Delight OR with Tempting Turquoise and Sahara Sand.   I love the Regal Rose and Sahara Sand combination, so that is what I chose.  Here is the card I have done.




I used a Sahara Sand base, followed by Tempting Turquoise and then again with Sahara Sand.  I ran that Sahara Sand layer through my Big Shot with the Polka Dot embossing folder.  For the main part of the card I used the retiring Up in the Air stamp set.  I colored the flowers and butterfly with Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise and Wild Wasabi markers.  I topped it all off by adding Daffodil Delight Dazzling Details to the flower centers and Tempting Turquoise Dazzling Details to the butterfly.  Do we have those colors of Dazzling Details?  Nope!  However, if you have read my prior blogs you know that I make my own colored Dazzling Details.  If you don't know how to do that, just take a bottle of clear Dazzling Details, carefully remove the applicator portion with a pliers, add about 2 drops of any re-inker, stir it up with a little stick until you reach the color you would like, put the bottle back together and you have your own special color.  I must have about 12 colors now.  Of course you can always add clear to any colored surface and you will see most of the color come through.  My main image is matted with Sahara Sand and Regal Rose.  I added some ribbon and a button. 



Here is the inside of the card and also the envelope.  I added some glitzy Dazzling Details to those too. 

I hope you like my card. And now it is time to head on over to Teri's blogsite to see what she has done with these colors.   I know you will be happy to see it.  She does some fine creations too.   Be sure to come back next Wednesday to see our next hop colors. And if you want to join our chat group, even for a day, come on over to the Butternut Sage site at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. On the right side bar you will see "Come Join Us."  Click on that and we can chat with you too!

Until next time...........

Crafty Hugs, 
Sandy

Friday, May 25, 2012

Holiday Red, White and Blue

It's time for another Butternut Sage challenge.  Our challenge for this weekend is something in red, white, and blue, with any theme.   I had already prepared a boating theme -- summer, you know.  But then last night I had some additional thoughts after talking with a good friend (Hi Heather).   Heather is a military wife and she always looks forward to new military stamps in the catalog.  We were discussing that there isn't much this year.  And I got to thinking about the stripes embossing folder.  I wondered if I could make a flag out of it.  Here is what happened when I tried.



I really like the idea.  After several attempts I still could not get a nice, crisp, red color from the embossing folder.  Although I plan to submit this to the challenge over at Butternut Sage, I want to try a couple more times to get a crisper color.




Here is the original idea I had for red, white and blue.  It is a tri-fold card using a retiring stamp and the Open Sea anchors and paper.  I'm going to miss this little sailboat, especially since it reminds me of when I used to do a lot of sailing.  However, I am happy that Open Sea will continue next year.  I also used some Baker's Twine and the Labels Collection Framelit.



This shot will give you an idea how the card opens, and there is another fold beyond that. 

I hope you like my cards today, and that whatever you do this weekend you will remember our military, and that you will have a save and fun-filled weekend.

Be sure to come over to the Butternut Sage blogsite to see the other entries for the challenge.  Just go to her top bar where it says Morning Chat Challenge and there you will be taken to the rest of the challenges.   Come join us in the challenge, and if you can't join this time, then be sure to join us in two weeks when we have the next one.  If you'd like to be part of a great bunch of gals who chat about many things from stamps, to techniques, to whatever we want to talk about, then come join us every weekday from 10:00 until 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time.  We'd love to chat with you too.  Same place, log on to Butternut Sage and then you will see on her right side bar a place "Click To Join Us."  Hope to chat with you soon.

Have a beautiful and safe holiday weekend.

Crafty Hugs,
Sandy

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Coloring Down the Lines Blog Hop

Most of you know that I am part of a really great group of ladies who chat each morning on the Butternut Sage site.  Well, we encourage, help, impart knowledge, and just have fun.  A couple weeks ago we got to talking about the challenge some of us have to get started creating something.  Sometimes choosing the colors are the hardest.   So, Robbie, one of our super creative gurus suggested we try using the color coach and work our way through the various color families.  She challenged us to use a new color each Wednesday and then we would do a blog hop among our group to see what we all could come up with.

You have probably arrived at my blog from the very talented Pam.  Pam does some awesome creations.  Doesn't she create nice things. 

Our color challenge today is to use Melon Mambo, and according to the Color Coach add either Daffodil Delight and Tempting Turquoise, or add Old Olive and Elegant Eggplant.  Well, I chose the brightest colors -- Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight and Tempting Turquoise.  I've used the new stamp set A Cherry On Top.  You can get this new set beginning June 1st in our new catalog.  I can hardly wait for the catalog to go live.




I think this card will make a very nice, happy card for my sister.  Or maybe one of the grands.  I'll have to decide.

Ok, so now you should continue in our hop today by heading over to Teri's blog to see what interesting combination and creation she has come up with.  Be sure to come back each Wednesday to see what our challenge group has done with the next combination of colors.

Until next time............

Crafty Hugs,
Sandy

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Ole Time

My card today is a little bit of a twist on one that my good friend Buffy did a couple weeks ago.  She embossed with an inked embossing folder and then sponged.  However, then she went a couple steps farther and heat embossed with gold embossing powder.  The idea was to make the end result very, very, antique.  I changed it a little.  First I inked up the clock image in the Sense of Time set with Chocolate Chip ink.  Then I lightly inked right on the embossing folder with Crumb Cake and ran the image through my Big Shot.   Since I didn't want to totally bury the image I just lightly sponged areas with Night of Navy and a little So Safron with Cajun Craze.  Sponge a little color on the sentiment, run a little ribbon, add a brad, and done.  This didn't photograph as well as I had hoped, but you get the idea that I was aiming for something old and distressed. 



Hope you like my card today.  I'll be back soon, hope you will too.

Crafty Hugs,
Sandy

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Simple but Heartfelt

I have a quick card today to show off a little of the new catalog product.  You are going to jump with joy when you see some of the beautiful stamps, inks and accessories this year.  Only a couple more weeks and you can have some too.  And if you haven't asked me for your catalog, well, what are you waiting for?

So for this really (I mean really) simple card, I stamped the new Layered Labels stamp.  There are four images in this set.  And you'll love the fact that there is a matching set of dies to cut these images out.  No scissors needed -- love it!



I've stamped the image in new Midnight Muse ink, used my aqua pen to blend a little of the ink.  Then I colored a little more with the new Raspberry Ripple marker.  The two paper colors here are Midnight Muse and Summer Starfruit and they are new too.  Yummy.  Tomorrow I'm hoping I will finish something with the yummy Raspberry Ripple color.  Raspberries are my favorite fruit.  Give me anything raspberry and I'll eat it -- well, maybe not the ink!!!





The day before Mother's Day my son and his two kids came to visit and to spend a pre-Mother's Day with me. My beautiful Hannah went out in the woods to pick some "wildflowers" for me, and look what she brought back. Of course, she suggested that if I would let her cut a few roses from my rosebush it would make the bouquet "very special."   Well, how could I say anything but "yes."   So this is what she gave me.   Although we did not get to do any paper crafting that day, both she and her brother grabbed pieces of paper and drew things for me, signed them with love, and their cards are on the fridge with many other "designs by grands." 

Isn't she cute???

Hope you'll come back to visit me again soon.  And leave a comment, I love hearing from you.

Crafty Hugs,
Sandy

Friday, May 11, 2012

Mother's Day Challenge

It's time again for another challenge at Butternut Sage Designs.  Our chat group on that site has a great time chatting each weekday morning.  We talk about techniques, colors, new "toys," our kids, anything we feel like, and we have a fun time -- I hate to miss.  Come over here some time and join us.  Our current challenge is to do a Mother's Day card.  This is my creation.  I used Whisper White,  Concord Crush (which will retire May 31st, so get yours quick), and Sweet Shoppe Designer Paper.  The stamp set is Bordering on Romance, which was in our Occasions Mini, but yipee, it is one that will be in our new catalog coming out June 1st.  If you want one of the new catalogs, let me know so that I can be sure to have one for you.


I hope you like my Mother's Day card.   And if you want to join our challenges, they are every two weeks.  Be sure to head over to the Butternut Sage site and see what comes up next.  We'd love to have you join our morning chat -- 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

Until next time, have a lovely Mother's Day and a grand weekend.

Crafy Hugs,
Sandy

Monday, May 7, 2012

Brights Challenge

The other day a few of us were "chatting" on the Butternut Sage site during our regular 10:00 a.m. morning chat, and we got to talking about colors, how to decide on them, and how to coordinate them.  Well, Robbie (how ya doin, Robbie?) issued a challenge to use Daffodil Delight and the colors suggested on our SU Color Coach.  So, I took Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso and Cherry Cobbler and tried to make something with those colors.  At first I thought they were not very workable, but this is what turned out, and actually I like it a lot.  What do you think?  Would love to hear. 


The designer paper is from Well Worn, which will be retiring.  I need to get busy and use some of the designer paper in my craft room.  I have tons, and I know I will want some of the new papers coming out with the new catalog, so I have to use some of my supply to make room. 


The base of the card is Very Vanilla, and in the inside I just added another layer of Very Vanilla sponged with a little Cherry Cobbler.  I decorated a little inside and also on the envelope.  Done.










I finished my challenge, and like it.  I wonder how the other gals did with their color combinations.  Come on over to the chat site here some morning and see what we have going on.  Everyone is so helpful.  Lots of tips, challenges, ideas, and great conversation.

Until next time...............

Crafty Hugs,
Sandy

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Late Again?

Is anyone out there good at kicks in the rear?  I need one or two.  Ok, just kidding, not so many volunteers.  I was such a procrastinator last week that I missed a birthday and had to go back to the drawing board and make a sorry I'm late card.  This was for a guy, so I needed to leave off the flowers, ribbons, and the glitz.  I like the little snail from the Turtle & Co set, but it is retiring.  What am I going to use when I am late with birthdays?  I don't have anything else that says sorry.  I will have to come up with something else.  I also wanted to use the Summer Smooches paper, so I toned down the girly yellow with blue and navy.  I think this will work for a guy.  I mailed it out and then noticed that I had not taken a picture of the inside.  Well, the inside had another snail crawling across the page, pretty simple.




I managed to get a couple more cards done in the past couple days, so hopefully they will be on here soon.  Also, my upline (hi Buffy) just had her monthly techniques class.  We did a really pretty card at that class.  I'll try for Tuesday with that one.

Hope you like my card today, and that you come back to visit soon.

Crafty Hugs,
Sandy