I Like Making Scenes!

On cards, that is!  This week's cue at CASology is:

I immediately thought of a Hero Arts/Studio Calico set (ST509) I got a couple of years ago that contains some fun banner images and decided to use them to create a CAS winter scene:

After stamping the banners and "trunks" with Hero Arts Green Hills shadow ink and Latte chalk ink on the base card the banners were stamped again on scrap cs, cut out and popped up for some dimension.  The polka dotted cloud from the same set was stamped using Hero Arts Soft Pool shadow ink.  I wanted to keep the "dotty" theme going so I used this cute sentiment from Hero Arts CL630 Miracle of the Holiday set :)

Other Supplies Used:  Papertrey ink white cs, Memento Lady Bug ink, Stampin' Up Pool Party baker's twine, Martha Stewart score board

And since I used a Hero Arts holiday sentiment stamp and another one of my fave techniques (using stamps to create a scene) I'm going to pop this into the current Hero Arts challenge :

Hero Arts Holiday Challenge Take 2!

Took a break from making Thanksgiving cards to create another Christmas card using my fave technique of paper piecing for the current Hero Arts Holiday Challenge :

Decided to use this snowman again from Hero Arts CG109 Share the Joy set to make a happy couple:)

The sentiment from this same set was stamped and embossed horizontally instead of vertically and the last part of it ("of the season") was stamped on the inside.  The pp used to make their outfits is from Carta Bella Merry & Bright collection.  Snowflake is from HA set CL562.

Other Supplies Used:  WPlus 9 heart die, glossy accents (on heart), Martha Stewart baker's twine, Cuttlebug Christmas Stitches embossing folder(border)

Enjoy the weekend and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!  

Do You "Ombre"?

Happy Friday!
I need to finish up Thanksgiving cards before I can really go all out with creating Christmas cards.  And admittedly it's been tough as we actually had SNOW the other day - ugh!  I decided to turn to the most recent issue of Paper Crafts Stamp It! mag for some inspiration.  I don't normally like to spend that much for a magazine - in fact even the woman who cashed me out at the store where I purchased it commented on how expensive it was!  But it's full of 66 different stamping challenges and I thought it would be fun to challenge myself as I work on holiday cards.

Under the color designs category one of the challenges is to create an ombre effect.  So I grabbed 6 Stampin' Up ink pads:  So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Ruby Red and Bravo Burgundy and went to town:

The wheat image is from the Stampin' Up set Wetlands and the deer stamped in SU Close to Cocoa ink are from Papertrey Ink In the Meadow.  Sentiment is SU.
Other Supplies Used:  Papertrey ink rustic white cs, Creative Impressions twine, MFT banner die, DCWV pp, gelly roll pen

Since this fits the current challenge themes of  both Simon Says Stamp Monday and Wednesday Challenge Blogs I'm going to pop this into their pools.  Hope you all have a creative weekend!

SSS Wednesday Challenge Blog: Thanks/Thanksgiving

Just a quick post before I head out to work this morning.  This week's challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog is Thanks/Thanksgiving and they are featuring Hero Arts products.  Believe it or not I actually don't own any Hero Arts Thanksgiving-specific stamps!!  But I pulled out an old fave Real Blossom (K5414), some leaf stamps from an ancient Stampin' Up set and some Ranger distress ink markers in autumnal colors to create my card:

And I swear I had already coated my "thankful" die cut (from Stampin' Up/Sizzix set) with glossy accents before I saw this on Nichole Heady's blog!  Partial sentiment is from Hero Arts set Everyday Sayings.
Other Supplies Used:  Papertrey ink rustic white cs, Stampin' Up soft suede cs and marker, JoAnn's white sequins, W R Memory Keepers corner rounder

Thanks for all your sweet comments!  I'll be checking out everyone's blogs later today:)

Hero Arts Holiday Challenge: A Few of My Favorite Things!

It's been too long since I participated in a Hero Arts challenge:

One of the challenge themes is "A Few of My Favorite Things" - use at least one HA Holiday stamp along with a fave technique to create a Christmas/Holiday/Winter card.

I'd have to say one of my fave techniques is still paper piecing and I pulled out an oldie but goodie HA snowman from CG109 Share the Joy cling set and some patterned paper from Echo Park "This & That" collection to create a Christmas card:

Did a little tone-on-tone stamping using HA CG359 Stitched Greetings bg stamp with Stampin' Up old olive ink on a piece of old olive cs.  Sentiment is from HA CL540 Christmas Reindeer set.

Other Materials Used:  MFT banner die, Creative Impressions twine, pom pom from stash

Thanks for all your supportive comments!

Dynamic Duos # 77 "Bold & Cheery Week"!

When I saw the current challenge colors at Dynamic Duos I was finally inspired to create a Christmas card:

Every year I set up a card table in my craft room and pile it high with all my Christmas card related stampin' supplies - the hubster has affectionately dubbed this "Christmas Central".  Having everything out in plain sight really gets me in the mood to make Christmas cards - of course the Christmas music playing in the background doesn't hurt either:)

I cracked open a Hero Arts background stamp called Stitched Greeting from 2011 that had never seen ink before!  After brayering it with Hero Arts Ocean dye ink I stamped it on a piece of Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay cs - love the tone-on-tone look.  After carefully masking the same stamp I inked it up with Stampin' Up Real Red ink and stamped the die cut banner with the stitched sentiment "Christmas".  I loooooove this Memory Box Leaping Deer die and isn't the font of this Stampin' Up/Sizzix Expressions die fun?!  Couldn't resist adding a little "Rudolph" nose:)

Other Supplies Used:  Basic Grey True Love pp, Papertrey ink rustic white cs, WPlus 9 banner die, Stampin' Up Real Red cs, Queen & Co gems and pearl, JoAnn's sequin

Thanks for all your feedback!

SSS Monday Challenge: Anything Goes!

Happy Sunday!
Just realized the current theme at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog is also Anything Goes.  I recently made a sign for my talented friend to use in her display at a craft show:

She is one of those people who has the uncanny ability to see the potential in "found" objects - both natural and man made.  The jewelry she creates from seaglass is awesome!

I started with a piece of  7" x 11" watercolor paper and embossed several shell images from the timeless Hero Arts set Antique Engravings.  Using a water brush and some Ranger distress inks I colored both the the shells and the background - adding a little shading around each shell image with a copic marker for depth.  After the panel dried I overstamped the whole piece with Hero Arts La Letter.  I wanted to simulate the translucent quality of seaglass so I added a text overlay of vellum on top of the panel.  The vellum overlay was punched with a scroll border as its shape reminded my of waves.  

Here's another pic of the sign:

She was able to slide the completed piece into a vintage metal sign holder.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!  I'm off to work today but plan to spend time catching up on everyone's blogs tomorrow:)