SSS179 - Hello Friend

What a fun sketch. I don't usually rotate my main panels, I tend to keep everything straight. But I love trying new things and really like how it turned out. I need to do that more often. So here is the sketch:

I love playing with Sweet N Sassy Stamps and I really love sketch challenges. What really made me fall in love with the company's stamps was Rhubarb Bear. I've always loved teddy bears. And I think that Rhubarb Bear the the most adorable teddy bear ever. So here is the adorable Rhubarb Bear holding a pumpkin and ready for fall, just like me. It's my favorite season.  Here is my take on SSS179:

I rotated the sketch 90 degrees counter-clockwise. I used a cloud in place of the circle behind the two rectangle panels. I also used a fall leaf for the sentiment. For the little flower accents in the sketch I used the pumpkins and the little acorn charm hanging off the leaf with the sentiment. The sentiment is from Simple Pleasures. I love the generic sentiments and fonts in that set. I used Spectrum Noir and Copic markers to color Rhubarb's Autumn Day and his fall scene. I saw a tutorial on the Spectrum Noir site for camouflage and thought is would also work to make ground covered in fall leaves. So I just laid down a base coat of GB8 and tapped different marker colors representing fall leaf colors on the base color. I used a dark brown to outline the shadow around Rhubarb's fee and leaves in the image on the ground. Then I colored over the ground with GB8, blending all the colors together. I really like how it turned out.I used BT1 and BT2 to color the sky and then sponged a little Soft Sky from Stampin' Up around the edges. It's kind of hard to see, but I used a large honeycomb embossing folder on the pumpkin paper panel. That pumpkin paper is some very old Stampin' Up paper, at least 8 + years old. Trying to go through my huge stash of paper and use it up. I cut the cloud, pumpkins, leaf and acorn charm using Silhouette Cameo cut files. Love my cameo.

Supplies:
Stamps: Rhubarb's Autumn Day Digi Stamp (also available in the clear stamp set, Rhubarb's Autumn Joys), Simple Pleasures Clear Stamp Set (no longer available) (SNSS)
Paper: Pure Luxury Grass Green, Soft Sky (SU), Georgia Pacific White, Xpress-It White for the Digi Stamp Panel, Pumpkins pattern paper (SU), Fall Words pattern paper (Target $1 bin)
Ink: Copic and Spectrum Noir Markers, Black Soot Distress Ink Pad, Soft Sky and Marigold Morning Ink Pads for sponging
Other: Silhouette Cameo, Mosaic and Honeycomb embossing folders, Sewing Machine and thread

New Stamps and Silhouette Cameo Fun

I am so happy to have my Silhouette Cameo replacement. I bought one of the machines back in February and seemed to have issues from the start. I first thought it was me not doing something right or expecting too much from the machine. But after hearing how everyone loves their machine so much and seeing the results they were having, I decided to contact the company. I am glad I did. After going back and forth in emails, they finally determined the issue was the machine and said they would replace it. I received my replacement the past Tuesday and am very happy with this machine.

I've not had a lot of time to use it, but was able to make a card on Wednesday night after visiting my mom. Everything on this card was cut using the Silhouette Cameo.

I love all the cool cards people make with the scalloped edges. So I used the Nesting Scalloped square cut file and added a mirror image and welded it to make the card base. I cut it out of dark brown Bazzil card stock.

Then I used one of the new frames cut files to create the pretty pink layer. I cut a simple square frame slightly smaller to put behind it, making sure to also cut out the middle.

I cut the cute silhouette image of the girl in the grass catching a butterfly and the phrase Happy Days out of shimmery brown Recollections card stock.

I had some sheets of Echo Park Digi Paper that I printed a while ago and thought the sheet with the text would make a neat backdrop for the scene. I also used some of that paper to cut out the butterfly.

I put it all together using foam tape between some of the layers for dimension and added some brads in each corner to hold the pink layer to the white. I only added adhesive to the grass part of the girl image so she could pop off the background for a more dimensional look.

Here is a side view to show the dimension:

The card base is 5.5" square.

I made another fun card with some new stamps I purchases last weekend. I was browsing Pinterest and saw this gorgeous card by blogger Julie. I love the gorgeous Vintage Snowflakes set. I immediately hopped on over to The Craft's Meow where the stamp set is from and purchased it. I ordered the set Saturday and within an hour had a shipping notice in my inbox. The stamps were waiting at my door Monday when I arrived home from work. Wow, what service!

So I had to make something with this fun new Vintage Snowflakes set. I had just watched a mixed media art video and was inspired by all the layers and texture that were being used. Soooo... I decided to go for some layers and texture on a card.

I stamped the snowflakes on some pattern paper from MME with VersaMark ink and then embossed with clear embossing powder. Then I used a sponge and some distress inks to add a layer of color. But the color is resisted by the embossing, leaving the paper to show through from below. Then I used an embossing folder in my Big Kick to add some texture and used some more distress ink to define the embossing even more. I added a bunch of stitching, lace, ribbon and a button to finish it off. I love how it turned out. I hope you do too.

The card base is 6" square.

Playing with my Sweet and Sassy Stamps

I just adore the stamps from Sweet and Sassy. Korin has been releasing some amazing sets these past few months. I had a chance to play around with some sets I bought. Here is what I made so far.

I made this sweet Rhubarb card for boyfriend to tell him how special he is to me. I used the Sweet Stop sketch for this week to make the card. I used Friendship Script Background, Thoughtful Rhubarb, and Seeing Spots stamp sets. The floral pattern paper is from Bo Bunny. I also used my old Stampin Up Sanded background stamp to add age and texture. It is hard to tell in the photo, but I made Rhubarb with several layers of each of his body areas popped up with foam tape.

I made this one using the sketch from the Sweet Stop blog last week. I finally had a chance to upload it. I used the Flowers in Bloom stamp set. All pattern paper is from MME Stella Rose.

All pieces are cute using the Silhouette Cameo.  I just added some striped and gingham ribbon and used dimensional tape between each layer. The sentiment is from Summertime Rhubarb.

Get Well Wishes For Karen

Welcome to a special blog hop we are calling, Karing for Karen!!
A hop for a very special friend of ours, Karen Knegten.

If you have been around the stamping community for any length of time at all, you might have run into Karen. She is always participating in challenges, offering us wonderful inspiration with her awesome talent! About a month ago, Karen had to have surgery for two brain aneurysms. She is still in the hospital and we are having this blog to inspire more of you out there to send in some cards to Karen AND to her family that is caring for her too! So hope you feel inspired with our little hop for you today.

I chose to send Karen some sunshine by adding a large shining sun on my card that let's her know I am praying for full healing for her body.

Below you will find all of the links to all of the girls participating...these are from the CSS Alumni group and the Design Team from Gina K Designs.

Enjoy and be inspired to send a card or two in! Here is the address for sending the cards to:


Karen Knegten
c/o R.S.V.P. Rental Services
350 W. Northwest Highway
Barrington IL 60010


Carolyn King
Tina Gilliland
Giovana Smith
Lee Murphy
Theresa Momber
Deb Felts
Vicki Dutcher
Cathy Tidwell
Melissa Shultz  (you are here) 
Joy Hadden
Linda Payne
Sue VanDeVusse
Jennie Harper
Betty Neville
Geri Utterback
Brenda Turner
Miesje Flach

PMS Digi Makeover Challenge #33

This week we are creating cards for the most popular annual celebration.

I decided to browse the Silhouette image store and found a cute box with flowers and the words Happy Birthday along the top edge. I used a sentiment from the set, Celebration Sentiments, on two of the sides of the box. I used the Birthday Cake Fairy image for the other two sides. They are all mounted on some other fun Silhouette tag cut files. This box would be great to fill with some candy, a small plant or any other gift for a friend or family member.

Now go grab your birthday digi stamps and play along. You can enter the challenge for a chance to win some FREE digi stamps. Get all the details here.

PMS Digi Challenge #32

This week we are making pocket cards.

I found a cute cupcake pocket card Silhouette cut file and decided to use that for my pocket card. 

The chocolate cupcake sits inside the fun cupcake wrapper.  I used a sentiment from the Little Moments Sentiment set. And I used the Color Kid Gift Wrapper digi stamp on the chocolate cupcake.

Now grab your favorite digi stamps and make a fun pocket card for our challenge this week. You have a chance to win some free digi stamps from Paper Makeup Stamps. Get all the details over at the PMS Digi Makeover Challenge blog.