STAMPlorations inspiration #150

Welcome to another Tuesday inspiration from the STAMPlorations girls. Today it's an anything goes kinda day.

I'm sharing a tag I used to decorate a present a while ago. The tag was waiting to be used after being stenciled using up some paint leftover on another project. I grabbed it and added the die cuts to personalize it.

 Birthday die, Bold Florals, Lowercase Alpha Plate

Don't forget to leave comments on the October inspiration posts. One random commenter will be chosen each month to win a $10 GC to the store.

another for ellen hutson pinsights challenge

Earlier I posted a card made for the current Ellen Hutson Pinsights challenge. Now I have a fun make to share with you based on those spicy colors in the spectrum.

So the colors are called Far Fetched and are basically the first four in the lineup above. When I first saw the challenge and realized I hadn't seen Pantone's 2018 colors yet, I googled. In the google results I saw this image from Martha Stewart. And knew I had to make a card based on it.

Such fun. Used cardstock, PP and some adhesive. Added a glittery Essentials by Ellen Beyoutiful die cut and voila! Hope you enjoyed!

Joining the Anything Goes fun at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge. And The Card Concept #80 cuz oh those autumnal colors. And Challenge Up Your Life - Die Cuts.

ellen hutson pinsights challenge

Well my year has been a weird one with lots of time offline, but I cannot believe I didn't even notice that I hadn't seen the Pantone color of the year before the current Ellen Hutson Pinsights challenge!

So the colors are called Far Fetched and are basically the first four. But it was that photo in the upper left corner that had me at the get-go. And the recollection that I own Hero Arts Christmas Crystals but hadn't inked it up yet (shame on me).

Trying to capture that gray wall in the BG too, I stamped my gray cardbase with white pigment ink using Essentials by Ellen Holly Jolly. I adhered CS versions of the embossed ornaments to the cardbase behind the embossed ones. Stitched the torn vellum piece to the base.

The branch is Memory Box Woodland Branch; the half-heat-embossed sentiment Essentials by Ellen Merry and Bright.

Hope you're having a great weekend. I've got another take on the Far Fetched color spectrum for you tomorrow.

warm shades of C9

Well that post title actually makes no sense, but whatever...

When I made yesterday's card for the Where Creativity meets C9 challenge, I decided to create a forest of warm colors too. Used Altenew inks and came up with this.

Love this bottle brush tree set called O Christmas Tree ! Topped one tree with a sequin star for some oomph!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend!

I'm joining in at:
The Merry Christmas Challenge - #40 Anything Goes + Christmas
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

shades of c9

Had another idea for a card for the Where Creativity meets C9 challenge...

I'd nearly forgotten that I had this bottle brush tree set called O Christmas Tree (shame on me!) but when I ran across it I realized how cool a forest in Concord and 9th teal/blue tones would look. Agree?

Thanks for stopping by. I'll have a warm color version of this card for you tomorrow. Hope you'll come by again. Have a great day!

I'm joining in at:
The Merry Christmas Challenge - #40 Anything Goes + Christmas
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Monochromatic

papertrey october blog hop

It's that time of the month over at Papertrey! Whaddyathink of this inspiration?

Almost overwhelming, eh? Then I locked in on the panel top row, second from the left.
And these happened :)

I used PTI On the Farm and dies for #1 and Heart Squared and the teensy blooms from Choose Joy for #2. Altenew ink cubes - Sea Shore and Glacier Caves - provided the perfect tones of blue/teal. I inked up the stamps multiple times, usually only inking partially to achieve depth like in the inspiration. (Thanks, MISTI!)

For the other accents I chose the red/pink and tan/butterscotch color palettes that are also in the inspiration. The hearts die cut from watercolored paper are Verve Heart Quartett.

Hope you enjoyed. Look forward to seeing what you created too!

I'm hooking up at:
Craft Stamper - Take it Make it October
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Monochromatic
Stempelkuche - Night

spotlight on camouflage die cutting

Had some fun putting together this holiday birthday card. Check out my tutorial over at STAMPlorations.

I'm hooking up at:
AAA Cards - #101 "Elf" and Buddy's preferred source of calories - sweets!

The Merry Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes + Christmas (this time I've got a birthday card with Christmas colors)
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes Christmas (hope this is OK)
Christmas Card Challenge - #24

STAMPlorations inspiration #149

Welcome to Tuesday's inspiration from the STAMPlorations inspiration team where we all feature stamps from one of our talented stamp designers. Today it's our fearless leader's turn.

Today we're using Shery's Shery Russ Designs stamps. From now until Oct 30 all of Shery's stamps are 15% off in the STAMPlorations store! Remember you can use the code STAMPGIRLMARIA for an extra 20% off anything you order too!

In my series of cards inspired by my Pinterest board, today's card was sparked by this cool image.

source: Print and Pattern

Fun image, right? Ready for my quirky Christmas card?

That I'd use green Zing embossing with a touch of pink on black was clear. But which image? Keeping it Christmas, like my other cards this month, I went with the quirky trees. To give the card a little more oomph, I potted them in coffee and tea vases! Because I could!

Trendy Christmas Trees, Tag O' Coffee

Wanna see more trendy Christmas trees? Here is a another project using them - a super fun tag. And how about a card?

Don't forget to leave comments on the October inspiration posts. One random commenter will be chosen each month to win a $10 GC to the store. Here's the lineup.

And I'm lining up at:
AAA Cards - #101 cuz the inspiration photo made me think Little Shop of Horrors, though I have man-eating Christmas trees instead of cacti!

Happy Little Stampers - October CAS

The Merry Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes + Christmas

wreath card - three ways

Started by creating a wreath inspired by sweet Melissa P. over at Papertrey Make it Monday. I started with Rustic Wreath like Melissa, but then took a shabby chic route.

My wreath nearly disappeared under all those goodies from Mini Blooms and Birds and Blooms. The sentiment is Scripted, die cut from brown glitter cardstock. The cardbase is stamped to give a modern feel using Flora and Fauna Texture Two.

I'm playing at:
Die Cut Divas - October

Then while I had Birds and Blooms out, I went back to my CAS roots and created this wreath.

I'm joining these challenges with my CAS card:
Inkspirational

Addicted to Stamps and More - CAS

And while the leftover blooms were still on my desk, I took a look at Winnie and Walter's Color Challenge for October and created this different kind of wreath around the wood slice from  Winter Woodland.

Added some gray leaves using In Bloom: Maggie's Roses and Big, Bold Extras. And a nestled-in sentiment from Flora and Fauna Texture Two. I'm really liking that copper embossing...

This last card is going to Sweet Stampers - Autumn or Halloween challenge too!

I actually had this inspiration photo from City Crafter Pumpkins challenge in mind while creating - I love the softer tones, though it's clearly an Autumn photo. Don't actually have any pumpkins on my cards, though!

recycling for a pocket shaker card

I saw a Christmas card over at Kristina W.'s and my recycling-loving creative soul got all excited... What do you think I recycled?

That's recycled stamp set cellophane packaging, my friends! Made my card, a pocket shaker really (who says a card has to have a flap?!?) by filling and stitching one up!

Chose packaging which would fit my envelope. Trimmed a piece of vellum to fit inside it and added sequins and die cut Confetti from Winnie and Walter that was left over from the stencil I made for this card. 

I die cut "happy" from Papertrey from paper that matches the printed vellum. These were from a pad I got at Aldi years ago! Finally found a way to use it up that I actually like! See how cool it looks when the light shines through the pocket?

That white strip with the secondary sentiment from Keep it Simple Belated Birthday is matched by a white strip on the back so I have a place to write a message.

Loving this fun "card", I decided to pair sequins and unicorns. Cuz why not, right? And I remembered this challenge over at Where Creativity Meets C9.

This is also a pocket shaker, but with a piece of PP I stamped on in it rather than a piece of vellum. I incorporated the Concord and 9th colors and played with Unicorn Awesomeness. Added a strip of blue torn CS along the bottom and stamped the sentiment onto an ombred die cut. I stamped white CS with Altenew teals and blues using a stamp from Scribbly Splattery Grunge, spritzed it with lotsa Perfect Pearls and die cut it using STAMPlorations Bloom Happy before stamping the sentiment in navy.

I absolutely love playing with the finished result - all those fabulous sequins, hearts and moons and stars (no clover for you Lucky Charms eaters out there ;)

 Hope you enjoyed these. So easy to make and SUCH FUN to play with ;)

I'm taking both of these birthday cards over to Anything Goes at Seize the Birthday, too. And the first one to Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies.

STAMPlorations inspiration #148

Welcome to  our regulary scheduled Tuesday inspiration from the STAMPlorations inspiration team. Today we're showcasing Dee's Artsy Impression stamps.

Remember I'm using my Pinterest board for inspiration this month? Well here's what inspired today's card.

source: freepik

Any flower can be a poinsettia given some veins and the color red, right? I chose to frame my sentiment and mask it, then stamp Dee's spray twice and do some no-line watercoloring using Zigs. I didn't use watercolor paper, so had a rough time with the "coloring" but let's call it artistic freedom, shall we?

The sets I used. For a completely different look with the floral spray check this card.

Christmas Reindeer, Frames and Flowers, Best Mom Ever 

From now until Oct 23 all of Dee's designs are 15% off in the STAMPlorations store! Use the code STAMPGIRLMARIA for an extra 20% off too!

And don't forget to leave comments on the October inspiration posts. One random commenter will be chosen each month to win a $10 GC to the store. Here's the lineup.

I'm going over to:
ABC Christmas Challenge - "U"nlimited, "V"ibrant
Happy Little Stampers - October Christmas Challenge

Inspired by all the Little Things - #68

CUTplorations october - reminder

Hope you're enjoying a colorful October. Today I'm back with a reminder to join us at CUTplorations this month where this is our inspiration.

image source: marmaladebleue

Here's what I did with some watercoloring. I went with the fall color vibe (sure miss the Michigan color change!) I got from the inspiration photo.

So I used the Trendy Leaves 2 die and cut some leaves from watercolor paper. Did some freehand watercoloring in the colors from the photo. Adhered the leaves to a piece of white CS. Then I die cut that piece using a rectangle from Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting die. TIP: Die cutting die cuts (or double die cutting) has the advantage of really pressing your adhered die cuts down tightly, as well as embossing the stitched pattern. Gives the piece a truly "finished" look.

I chose a really textured watercolor paper to make the leaves more interesting. Some twine for a rustic feel, and a golden Blessed die cut finished off my thank you card.

Have you joined us yet? Check out more DT inspiration and the CUTplorations October gallery here. Look forward to seeing you there. Thanks for coming by today.