Dynamic Duos #26 {Thank You, Thank You, Thank You}

We are halfway through the challenge year at Dynamic Duos! This week we have a monochromatic colour combo that can be used for Fall, Sunflowers, etc. I decided to ink up my Papillon Potpourri set from SU! and used the cool new sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch. I am enjoying their sketches and they are encouraging me to think outside the box and it is SO MUCH FUN! It was good not to make a Christmas card today! I used the de-bossed side of the embossed yellow paper, and used black as a neutral this week. I would also like to enter this into the CASology Challenge to use something "Wild" on your card. Butterflies are in the wild!

{Supplies Used}

Stamps: Papillion Potpourri, Because I Care-both SU!

Inks: Black Memento Ink, Yellow Copic Marker

Papers: So Saffron, Basic Black and Flourishes White CS (Gotta admit, I love this stuff)

Tools: Butterfly Punch SU!, 1 3/4" Circle Punch SU!, 

Square Punch (to make the flag sentiment), Fan Fair Embossing Folder

This is the last week with the amazing design team who helped start up this challenge in May! I knew it was going to be difficult to work with them for only 6 months! I enjoyed getting to know all of you ladies and I know we will continue to be connected! I wanted to say Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! You should head on over to the Dynamic Duos Blog to see the team's final gorgeous creations! I hope you have time to join in the fun this week!

Freshly Made Sketches #22-A Sketch by Jennifer Timko

Wednesday is here and another sketch at  Freshly Made Sketches! This week the talented and lovely Jennifer Timko is our hostess with the mostess and she has come up with a great sketch that can be blinged up or left clean and simple!

I decided to ink up an old favourite of mine, "Because I Care" from Stampin' Up. It was a hostess set and I loved it SO much! I also used the script stamp from "French Foliage" and the sentiment is from "My Friend". This card was inspired by two challenges, the colours at CR84FN and the Our Creative Corner Challenge which is the theme "Best Friend" and it must include a floral image. In order to achieve the two-toned look on my flower, I inked it with my Stampin' Write Markers.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: All SU!- Because I Care, My Friend, French Foliage

Inks: Lavender Lace, Old Olive, Basic Gray

Papers: Whisper White, Old Olive Marker, Lavender Lace Marker, Basic Gray for Sentiment

Tools: Crimper, Big Shot, Striped Embossing Folder (Sizzix)

We hope that you will join Freshly Made Sketches this week!  Please be sure to visit the other DT Members to see their wonderful creations!

Stamping 411 and Colour Q

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  I have been stamping up a storm tonight, I wanted to make some special little cards for friends and family.  I was looking for inspiration when I found the Colour Q Challenge and the Stamping 411 Sketch.

I made a birthday card for my sister in law, a "For You" card for a work colleague, a simple "hello" card and a "Because I Care" for a friend.

Thanks for stopping by! Any questions, please leave me a comment and I will answer them for you if I can. 

Smiles,

Today's the BIG day!!!

I am so honoured to be the Guest Artist over at Pals Paper Arts this week!  This week they have a terrific colour combo that is one of my favourites!!!! I just LOVE working with blues! 

I decided to create a "clean vintage" styled card. I was trying to capture my "Style", but I am not sure if I did?  My favourite stamp set is the "Elements of Style" set and I knew that I wanted to watercolour the floral image with Bashful Blue and Marina Mist.  The bottom of the card is covered with velum and the sentiment is stamped in Marina Mist.   

I used the French Foliage set too, for the script writing and the postage stamp.  I love that set too and I recently realized that I need to get more of those realistic styled stamps.  I think they are so pretty! I used my scoring blade and added some score lines to the whisper white base piece.

On a personal note, I have had the most wonderful surprise this week. I received a job that I had applied for and never thought I would win!  It is very exciting yet bittersweet.  I loved my school this year and it is hard to leave. My new school is minutes from my home and somewhere I have happily worked at in the past. I never thought I would make it back there!! Amazing!

I hope you get the chance to come over to the Pals Paper Arts blog this week to join in on this wonderful colour combo!! Thank you so much to Mary, Ann and the entire Pals team for having me on board this week!  I am excited to see what everyone creates!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Smiles,

Lesley

Click here to shop 24/7!

Yippee!!! I am SO excited!!

This week at the Friday Mashup I am the challenge hostess!!  Yesss!!!  This week I have asked the team to craft in Black and White!  You should see what they created! Wow!  I found these cute teapots and thought they would be good inspiration for all you crafty people out there!  As well as the Black and White theme, we are going Square!!!

This week for our Mashup Challenge, you are welcome to:

1. Create a Black and White Card
2. Create a Square Card
3. Or "Mash it up" and create a Square Black and White Card!

I decided to Mashup it up Baby!  My creation is clean and simple.  I love this stamp from the "Because I Care" Hostess Level 1 set.  It stamped beautifully in Black!  I also got out my favourite Crimping Tool and added a crimp to the black paper behind the main image...I love that crimper!

Come on over to the Friday Mashup and join us this week!!! Also, check out the eye candy from the design team! I hope my bestest blogging pals will come and play my first hostess gig at the Mashup!!!  I would love to see what you create with this challenge!  Have fun!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Smiles,

Lesley

Paper Players #38 ~ Colour Challenge from Ann

It is time for another Paper Player Challenge!  This week Design Team Member Ann Schach has chosen a beautiful Colour Combo for us to try!!!  I am all out of Very Vanilla so I used Whisper White and Crumb Cake as my neutrals.

Creating this card:

• I heat embossed the flower in white on the Blushing Bride Cardstock.  I wanted the colour to be bold and clean
• Then I cut out the flower and popped it up on my card
• I used the Label Punch to create a little hat for my oval punched sentiment 

Hop on over to the Paper Players Challenge Blog to play along this week!

Thanks for stopping by!

Click here to shop 24/7!

All supplies are Stampin' Up:
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Because I Care, En Francais Background Stamp
Inks: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, White Craft Ink
Paper: Blushing Bride DSP, Early Espresso, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Tools: Heat Gun, Versamark Ink, White Embossing Powder, Oval Punch, Label Punch, Espresso 1/8" satin ribbon, pearls, Big Shot, Finial Press Embossing Folder, Eyelet Border Punch

Colour Dare

The Colour Dare Challenge this week is to use:

Poppy Parade

So Saffron

Very Vanilla

I love the Poppy Parade Colour and went to work creating my card!!  The So Saffron DSP is from last year's Sweet Pea pack.  I used my embossing folder with the Big Shot to created the textured background and used the big shot with my butterfly embosslit to create the little butterflies.  I added some ribbon and some pearls, I am really happy with how this turned out!!  I hope you like it too!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Smiles,
Lesley

Supplies used (All Stampin' Up unless noted)
Stamps: Because I Care (sentiment) and Echoes of Kindness (Retired Hostess Set)
Ink: Black Stazon, Poppy Parade Marker, Poppy Parade Classic Ink Pad
Paper: Poppy Parade, Very Vanilla, So Saffron
Extras: Pearls, Butterfly Embosslit Die, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, 1/8" Satin Ribbon Very Vanilla, Large Oval Punch. Clear B Block

Colour Dare and Pals Paper Arts

I am inspired by Ann Schach and LOVE the way she puts cards together.  I promised her I would try to play along with the Pals Paper Arts Challenge tonight which was to use a button on your card.  I confess, I am a buttonless stamper...I need to get my hands on some of those great new buttons in the Holiday Mini.  Instead I dug out my Buttons Die to use in the Big Shot and cranked out a button made of Daffodil Delight Paper and sponged it with Chocolate Chip.  This card was also made for the current Colour Dare Challenge to use Daffodil Delight, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla.  I really love those colours together!  I chose those colours because of Nance Leedy and her inspirational cards!!  She often awes me with her work. 

So there it is...I am posting to see what you all think.  Is it a too busy or am a close to creating something adequately Vintage?

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Elements of Style, Because I Care

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Daffodil Delight and Very Vanilla
Inks: Chocolate Chip, Daffodil Delight
Tools: Crimper, Big Shot, Buttons Die, Retired Chocolate Chip Ribbon, Sponges, Distressing Tool

Thanks for stopping by...

Smiles,

Lesley

Guest Designer for Stampin' Royalty

This week I am a Guest Designer for the Stampin' Royalty Design Team.  I was so excited to be asked by Sandra Farrell to play along with her team this week!  I love their challenges!!  This week's challenge is Monochromatic Neutrals...I did my first card for the challenge in traditional neutral colours...Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla and Soft Suede.  I used three new sets on this one card..."Word Play", Friends Never Fade" and "Elements of Style".  I created my own DSP on the Crumb Cake cardstock using the En Francais BG stamp and Soft Suede. 

After that, my mind got thinking of using all Blues as a Monochromatic Colour Scheme and I pulled out the "Because I Care" Hostess Set.  I love this set and the way it stamps.  I was also excited to use my new Marina Mist Satin Ribbon!!!  OH it is SO beautiful and shiny!!  I used Bashful Blue, Marina Mist and Not Quite Navy on this card.

Come and join the fun challenge this week at Stampin' Royalty and play along with the Goddesses!  They have created superb samples to share with you!  Please click HERE to play along with the challenge this week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Smiles,

Lesley :)

Stampin' 411

I found this week's Stampin' 411 Sketch such an inspiration.  I have missed so many of their sketches as of late, due to a busy schedule and holidays but I am back and so happy to be playing along again!  I wanted to create something using the Presto Patterns Paper and some other newish goodies I have been hoarding.

I cut a small piece of the Presto Patterns Paper and inked it up first with Bashful Blue but it did not look right to me, so I inked it up in Marina Mist...and I loved the darker, bolder look that it created.  Using some Early Espresso Ink, I inked up the flower image from the Hostess Level One set called "Because I Care" and stamped right over top of my sponged Marina.  Then I embossed a piece of Sahara Sand for the background with my absolute FAVOURITE embossing folder...Vintage Wallpaper.  Oh how I LOVE it!  Then I wrapped two pieces of 1/8" Espresso Ribbon at the bottom and punched out the sentiment with my scallop oval and large oval punches...the inside is also finished with the flower again. 

Thanks for stopping by!
Smiles,
Lesley :)

Pals Paper Arts Sketch and the Colour Throwdown

Today, my sweetie went to the lake with a pal which left me some time to play with my pals!  I saw the PPA Sketch this week and was instantly motivated! Plus with LeAnne's awesome colours at the Colour Throwdown, I knew I had to play!

The base of my card is Marina Mist.  I stamped the flowers from "For All You Do" in Marina Mist and then "kissed" them with the dotted stamp that comes with the set, in Not Quite Navy.  I had to sub in Certainly Celery for Wasabi, I have that ink on order!

Here is my card from the other angle.  I really enjoyed playing with these two challenges.  It was so great to have some crafting time!  It seems to be very rare that I actually get the chance to play!

Thank you for stopping by!
Smiles,
Lesley

Supplies:
Stamps: For All You Do, Because I Care (Hostess Level 1)
Inks: Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist, Certainly Celery (All Classic Inks)
Paper: Marina Mist, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White
Extras: Celery Ribbon, Pearls, Oval Punches, DSP (retired)