ColourQ #100 & FTL #155

Good morning, friends!  

Today I have a very special ColourQ challenge to share with you!  This is the 100th challenge at the ColourQ blog, so we're teaming up this week with clean&simple stamping for twice the fun.  This week's challenge is to use Fall-to-Layout #155 with your favorite past ColourQ combo.  You can see all of the previous color palettes on one handy-dandy page HERE, or use the link on the ColourQ blog home page.

Ready to get crafty?  I chose cQc #44 for this challenge, because I needed to make a back-to-school card and thought the primary colors would work well.

I started out by making a chalkboard background, stamping lines from PTI's Scrapbook Series:  Library Ledger in white onto a black card base.

I debossed a Bashful Blue cardstock panel with the Book Print impression plate, then added a Saffron border punched with a notebook edge and a strip of Poppy Parade cardstock.

The apple stamp was a $1 find at Michaels over a year ago.  I stamped it once in red, once in black, then cut out the center of the black apple to layer on top of the red.  I gave it a layer of Glossy Accents for shine.

The sentiment and star are from PTI's Tag-its #6, and I added a bit of sparkle to the star with a clear Spica glitter pen.

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! (Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Poppy Parade), Papertrey Ink (True Black, white)

Stamps:  Papertrey Ink (Scrapbook Series:  Library Ledger, Tag-its #6), Studio G (apple)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (So Saffron), Clearsnap (Frost White, Scarlet), Inkadinkadoo (Black)

Tools:  Papertrey Ink (Book Print impression plate), EK Success (border punch)

Accessories:  Papertrey Ink (button), Ranger (Glossy Accents), Spica (glitter pen), DMC floss

There you have it--a CAS card to go in my daughter's backpack on the first day of school, which happens to be tomorrow.

I can't wait to see the variety of color combos in the gallery this week!  Be sure to check out the creations by the rest of the Royal Court Design Team, and you can find even more inspiration this week at the clean&simple stamping blog.

Thanks for your visit today!  Have a good one!

Color Throwdown #156 & Square Sketch Challenge

Well hello, strangers!  Can you believe I'm actually back with a card today?

As you might remember, I went back to work last week after spending the last 6 years at home with my kids.  It's a part-time job, but I was still exhausted every afternoon last week while adjusting to the new routine.  I am the new lab technician for the Health Sciences department at a local college, and I am loving the job so far!  I have a lot of flexibility and independence, which works perfectly for me and allows my hubby and I to coordinate our schedules so that one of us can still be home with the kids when they are not in school.  I feel so fortunate to be back at work doing something I enjoy after such a long hiatus.  Thanks to everyone for leaving your words of encouragement, and for your patience during my absence over the last week!

To get back into the crafty swing of things, I decided to use some lovely colors from The Color Throwdown with the Square Sketch Challenge in Card Ideas Week in the Moxie Fab World.

This is the first time I've played with PTI's Mehndi Medallions stamps and impression plate.  Oh my loveliness!  I just adore the highly detailed impression this plate leaves!  *swoon*

I also took inspiration from Maile Belle's interpretation of the sketch as seen in the challenge post.  I layered a hand-cut Plum medallion over the impressed cardstock, then gave it a Saffron center by stamping the medallion onto Saffron cardstock with Versamark, heat embossing with clear powder, and punching out the center with a 1 inch circle punch.

The sentiment banner was cut with PTI's Double Ended Banner die and stamped with a sentiment from Birthday Basics.

I thought about adding some scattered bling or glitter pen details, but I really like the simple elegance of the medallions as is.

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! (Perfect Plum, So Saffron), Papertrey Ink (Kraft, white)

Stamps:  Papertrey Ink (Mehndi Medallions, Birthday Basics)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Perfect Plum), Versamark

Tools:  Papertrey Ink (Mehndi Medallion impression plate, Double Ended Banner die), Martha Stewart Crafts (circle punch)

Accessories:  Stampendous (clear embossing powder)

In other news, we are in the midst of Tropical Storm Irene right now (recently downgraded from a hurricane), but the rain and wind have been manageable here.  My thoughts are with those along the East Coast where the impact of the storm has been much greater, and where flooding continues to be a threat.  Stay safe, friends!

See you back here soon!  Thanks for stopping by!

Card Ideas for Paper Crafters--Horizontal Sketch Challenge

Did you happen to see this card today over in the Moxie Fab World?  Well, my friends, I just about fell out of my chair when I saw it!  That's my first Paper Crafts publication!!

I'm so excited to be able to share this card with you, and Cath made it even sweeter today by featuring it as part of today's horizontal sketch challenge.  I do hope you'll play along with this sketch--I love seeing so many different ideas using the same design!

I hope to be back with something new very soon, but for today I think I'll just bask in my 15 minutes of fame.  Thanks for indulging me!

Have a great day!

ColourQ #99

Hello, friends!

I'm just popping in to share this week's challenge colors at the ColourQ!  I'm taking this week off while I adjust to my new schedule at work, but I will definitely be back next week for our 100th challenge!

Be sure to stop by the ColourQ blog to see what the rest of the team has created with these fun colors, then link up your entry!

I hope to be back in the crafty swing of things by next week.  Thanks for checking in!

Have a great day!

Tuesday Trigger: Girly & Gutsy

Hello, crafty friends!  It's been far too long!  Last week kept me busy with training at my new job and a trip to the mountains in NH.  The summer days seem to be disappearing fast!

I haven't been in my craft space for almost a week, so this card took a lot longer than it should have.  The inspiration is the current Tuesday Trigger photo:

I think my card leans more toward the "girly" rather than the "gutsy", but I like how it turned out.  I was drawn to the clean black lines of the table, the graceful crystalline light fixtures, and the pops of yellow-green in the chairs.

I started with a Sweet Blush panel stamped repeatedly with a chandelier from Prima's Cantaria set using Versamark Frost, which gives it a hint of shimmer.  On the white cardstock below, I tried stamping leaves to mimic the rug in the photo, but it didn't go well with the design, so I opted for a damask image from the Prima set.  A strip of black cardstock and a Spring Moss scalloped border reflect the table and chairs in the photo.

The sentiment, from PTI's Birthday Basics, is stamped on a die cut Mat Stack 2 with the coordinating frame.  Finally, some iridescent gems play off of the crystal in the wall sconces and chandelier in the photo.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Sweet Blush, Spring Moss, True Black, white)

Stamps:  Prima (Cantaria), Papertrey Ink (Mat Stack 2 Collection, Birthday Basics)

Ink:  Inkadinkadoo (Black), Versamark Frost

Tools:  Papertrey Ink (Mat Stack 2, Limitless Layers, Medium scallop border die)

Accessories:  Michaels (rhinestones), thread

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

The Play Date Cafe Challenge #94 & Card Patterns sketch #128

Hello, folks!  Just dropping in with another card tonight for two challenges.  First up is the color combo at The Play Date Cafe, which is just gorgeous.  I recently pinned a photo on Pinterest with the same colors, so I was excited to see this!

I also used this week's sketch from Card Patterns.  I've missed playing with their sketches lately.

I needed a masculine birthday card and thought these colors would work well.  I stamped the large branch from Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions with Island Indigo onto Rustic Cream cardstock.  I stamped it again and cut out the bottom branch to layer on top of the strip stamped with text.

The round focal image, from Woodgrain Silhouettes, was cut out by hand and accented with a yellow Copic.  The sentiment is from PTI's Masculine Motifs.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Rustic Cream), Stampin' Up! (Daffodil Delight)

Patterned paper:  Stampin' Up! (Neutrals DSP)

Stamps:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Woodgrain Silhouettes & Additions), Papertrey Ink (Background Basics:  Text Style, Masculine Motifs)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Early Espresso, Island Indigo), Copic marker

Tools:  Fiskars (border punch)

Accessories:  thread

I'm off to enjoy a movie with the hubby before bed!  Thanks for stopping by!

ColourQ #98

Good morning, friends!  It's Tuesday again, and you know what that means--another ColourQ challenge! Check out the darling crochet flowers and leaves that serve as this week's inspiration:

I tried making some crochet flowers for my card, but it just wasn't working, so I settled on this design using color blocks with die cut windows.  I stamped the coordinating flowers from Beautiful Blooms II through the windows.

I don't have any Suede buttons, so I used a button die to cut them out of Soft Suede cardstock, then threaded them with Cappuccino baker's twine from The Twinery.  As a bonus, this card is relatively flat for mailing!

The punched tag is stamped with one of the small flowers from Beautiful Blooms II and a sentiment from Mega Mixed Messages.

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! (Soft Suede, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade), Papertrey Ink (Hawaiian Shores, white)

Stamps:  Papertrey Ink (Beautiful Blooms II, Mega Mixed Messages)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade), Papertrey Ink (Hawaiian Shores), Fiskars (brown)

Tools:  Papertrey Ink (flower, button dies, Linen & Canvas impression plate), McGill (tag punch)

Accessories:  The Twinery (Cappuccino twine)

I hope you'll play along with these fabulous colors!  Be sure to check out the samples from the rest of the Royal Court DT, too!

Thanks for stopping by today.  Have a good one!