Stampendously corny

Wow, I'm all about challenges this week, even more than usual. I simply can't stop creating! Mom just sent me some stamps, one of which is this cute Owl set by Stampendous! that I just had to use for their Sketch Challenge sponsored by Taylor Usry. In fact, it's so cute I used it for a Back to School card for the Come and Get It Challenge and for a Halloween card for Delightful Challenges.

I paper-pieced both projects, adding just a bit of color with Copics or Sakura gel pens. For the Back to School card, I used magazine pages. I generated the sentiment; it's a classy Krusty line from The Simpsons.

Inspiration:
Stampendous! Sketch Challenge #41
Come and Get It Challenge: Back to School

Stamps: Stampendous!
Paper: Hammermill, DCWV, Core'dinations, Urbanite magazine
Tools: Fiskars papercutter, stamp block, MS detailing scissors, Sizzix Texture Boutique & embossing folder
Other: ZipDry glue, Memento ink, Offray ribbon, Copics

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Inspiration:
Stampendous! Sketch Challenge #41
Delightful Challenges: Halloween

Stamps: Stampendous!, stash (sentiment)
Paper: Hammermill, Recollections, Coredinations
Tools: Fiskars papercutter, stamp block, MS detailing scissors, Sizzix Texture Boutique & embossing folder
Other: ZipDry glue, Memento ink, stash baker's twine, Sakura gel pens

One sketch, four challenges

I liked this week's Unscripted Sketch so much, I used it twice: for Cupcake Inspirations #126, and the Play Date Cafe Color Splash Challenge.

For the Cupcake Inspirations card, I took a cue from this week's Pile it On challenge and piled on a Boatload of Anything with a B: Buttons, Bows, Brads, Baby (theme), Bliss (sentiment), Butterflies, Blue (for sentiment heat-embossed color).

Inspiration:
Cupcake Inspirations #126
Unscripted Sketch #122
Pile it On #36: B is for Buttons, Bows, Brads, Anything that begins with B!!

Stamps: Stampin' Up!
Paper: Hammermill, Recollections, stash
Tools: Fiskars papercutter, stamp block, Marvy heat tool
Other: ZipDry glue, Recollections embossing powder, Versamark ink, Offray & stash ribbons, Michaels brads, stash buttons

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I always love the cards for the Play Date Cafe Color Splash Challenge. The combo of black and white with just a splash of color is so striking. I haven't participated in a while and I'm so glad I did! Not sure what possessed me to white-emboss on white paper, I but I really like the result. The stamped pieces are raised up with pieces of cardboard I cut & edged in black.

Inspiration:
The Play Date Cafe Color Splash Challenge #97: Black & White + Red
Unscripted Sketch #122

Stamps: Stampin' Up!
Paper: DCWV, Hammermill, Recollections, stash cardboard
Tools: Fiskars papercutter, stamp block, Marvy heat tool
Other: ZipDry glue, Stampendous embossing powders, Versamark ink, We R Memory Keepers baker's twine, Copic #100

Thank you everyone for all the inspiration!

All Spruced Up

I found this cute Winter Sprig digi at MelJen's Designs, and just had to use it right away for their "No Patterned Paper" challenge. Of course, in retrospect I hope that stamping onto the plain paper counts as not patterned... Anyhoo, I decided to use the digi for the Fancy Shmancy Challenge at Christmas Stampin' All Year Long.


The idea is to use a new-to-you folding technique, so I chose a Free Standing Pop-Up Card, which is one of their suggestions as well as something I've been wanting to try since seeing it on the Stampin' Dymonz Scrap Shack Cardmaking Group discussion board (SDSS). It really is easy.

Speaking of SDSS, I'm hosting a "Shrink Plastic" theme for the Off the Page group, so I just had to try the printable shrink plastic I bought (Huzzah for the 50% coupon!). I printed the heart at 3x the size of my original, punched and hole in the top and colored it after shrinking with my heat tool. The twine is glued atop the main image, but the charm used swing a bit.

Inspiration:
MelJen's Designs Challenge #74: No Patterned Paper
Christmas Stampin' All Year Long: Fancy Shmancy (try a new folding technique)
Stampin' Dymonz Scrap Shack Cardmaking Group

Free Standing Pop-Up Card tutorial: Splitcoast Stampers

Stamps: Winter Sprig digi by MelJen's Designs, Tim Holtz, Stampin' Up!
Paper: Recollections, Hammermill
Tools: Crop-O-Dile, SCAL & Cricut, EK Success corner punch, Marvy heat tool
Other: ZipDry glue, Stampendous embossing powder, Versamark & Tim Holtz inks, Celebrate It! ribbon, We R Memory Keepers baker's twine, stash brad & eyelet, shrink plastis
Copics: 100, B0000, B00, BG10, R37, R27

Happy 100th ColourQ Challenge

Oooh, wait 'til you see the ridiculously gorgeous projects for the 100th ColourQ Challenge. We get to pick our favorite color combo from past challenges (tough choice!), and match it with a sketch from Clean&Simple Stamping.

I chose the combo of bravo burgundy, really rust, taken with teal, old olive + white. These butterflies may look familiar to my readers...I'm loving my new Stampin' Up set!

The base card is a burgundy Core'dinations piece, with the flat side on the outside and the textured side on the inside. The top teal piece is also Core'dinations, but with the textured side facing out. I punched the flowers with a Martha Stewart border/corner punch set, and punched out a butterfly on the bottom with the SU punch. I put a "cajun craze" piece of stash cardstock into the butterfly cut-out. The front piece is backed with olive-colored cardstock, which I trimmed to fit.

The white punched-out butterflies are stamped in olive, "cajun craze", and teal and backed with their corresponding cardstocks. The sentiment (from the same SU set) is heat-embossed in white, as is the butterfly on the inside of the card.

Thank you ColourQ for 100 fantastic challenges, and many more!

Inspiration:
colourQ #4: bravo burgundy, really rust, taken with teal, old olive + neutral
Fall-to Layout #155 by clean&simple


Hey, I have a question for you dear reader: I try to include the sketches and color combos that I use on my blog posts, because most challenge sites seem to like it. However, I was just asked to take down a sketch for a challenge. What're your thoughts? Only include the images if asked in the rules, and otherwise not? I just like folks to know all the inspiration I've found.

Good luck Black Cat

This card was created and blogged in 40 minutes. I made the deadline for Halloween Cardmaking Challenge #8 by 6 minutes!