Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge #SSC123

Here we are again with yet another fabulous sketch from our sketch queen, Selene. As soon as I saw this one, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it - I even got my card made EARLY! Amazing, eh?
We'd love it if you would play along with us this week - just go to the Stamping 411 blog and upload your project using Mr. Linky.
Now, here are some details about my card.

I took a piece of Dusty Durango cardstock and cut it in half at 4 1/4" x 11. It was folded in half to make a card sized at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". I then ran it through my Big Shot machine with one of the Texturz Plates to give it the ridged background.
Next, I stamped the wheat stems from the Autumn Days stamp set (told you I was using it a LOT!) down the left side with Dusty Durango ink and then sponged on some more Dusty Durango across the whole card front to make the texture stand out a bit more.

The focal point is a piece of Old Olive cardstock folded up to enclose the bottom of the piece of Naturals Ivory cardstock. I tore the folded edge of the Old Olive to distress it a bit and then sponged some Old Olive ink on all the edges to age it somewhat.
The Naturals Ivory piece was stamped with the leaf from Autumn Days in Ruby Red, Crushed Curry and Dusty Durango. I did use my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to line up the leaves perfectly. I then took my Paper Piercer and the Mat Pack to create the holes under the leaves. It's easy to line them up when you use the template in the Mat Pack.
The greeting is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set and is stamped in Old Olive ink. Before I layered my pieces, I used the Ticket Corner Punch on them both to add some more interest to this area. I've found that even simple cards can benefit from little details like this one. It gives them more of a designer feel.

The final touch for the focal point was wrapping Hemp Twine around the bottom area and securing the ends in the back. I then gathered the three strands together with a piece of Dusty Durango Polka-Dotted Ribbon tied in a single knot. This entire panel was popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals to give it depth.

Not to leave the inside naked, I took another piece of Naturals Ivory cardstock and sponged the edges with Dusty Durango ink, then I added a few Wheat stems in the same color to the left corner. There is plenty of room to write a nice message to your recipient.

I'm so glad you stopped by today to visit! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this card, so leave me a comment if you have a minute! And be sure to go make your own card with this super sketch. We at Stamping 411 LOVE to see your take on the sketches each week. It's been so good lately we've had a hard time picking our showcase cards! Great job players!

Have a fun and safe evening tonight and don't eat too much candy!
See you on Monday!
~~Robin

Blogger's Challenge #123

Hooray, it's Friday! Tomorrow is CANDY day! We went out to Wal-Mart last night (yes, the NEW SUPER Wal-Mart!) and bought our candy for Trunk or Treat at our church on Saturday. I'm secretly hoping there is a lot left over, not that I NEED it or anything! But, you know, we did buy CHOCOLATE!
The Blogger's Challenge today was for a halloween theme, so, I decided to show you a fun Fall project that I did last week as a gift for a friend.

It's kind of funny how I even started the project; last Monday, Emma and I were putzing around in the studio and she found this paper mache pumpkin shaped box that I'd bought literally years ago at a craft store. She handed it to me and said "Hey Mom, why don't you do something with this?" Well, when your 11 year old challenges you like that, you pick up that gauntlet and run with it! And it gave me a great reason to make my friend a gift since she's done so much for me lately.

I started by covering the box with Pumpkin Pie Patterns DSP. I cut it to size and adhered it with Tombow Glue. I sanded the edges with my Sanding Block and then added the Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon around the edge of the lid and Chocolate Chip cardstock to the 'stem' on the bottom.

Next, I sponged Pumpkin Pie ink around the edges and on the front and sides to give it some shading and definition. The Big Shot is responsible for the pumpkin vine and leaves. I cut the vine with a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock that I texturized first with one of our texturz plates. Then I used the Leaves Die to cut out four cardstock leaves in varying shades of green cardstock. Everything was sponged with Chocolate Chip ink to make it standout a bit. I then glued on the pieces with more Tombow Glue. That completed the box part, now for the inside treat!

Since my friend and I are both doing Weight Watchers, I decided against filling it with candy (I'm holding out for Saturday.....) and made her some little note cards with matching envelopes instead.

I used Whisper White cardstock, sponged with Chocolate Chip ink and layered with more Pumpkin Pie DSP and Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon. The embellishment is the leaf from Autumn Days stamped in Old Olive and layered on a circle of Chocolate Chip. I stamped each little envelope with a leaf too to complete the look of the set.

Thanks so much for stopping by today to visit! I hope you enjoyed the project and now have those creative juices flowing too! Go find something in your stash of stuff - and I KNOW you have one - and DO something with it. And in the meantime, be sure to go check out all the other Blogger's Challenge players projects. Their links are on my sidebar and I'm sure you will be inspired!
I'll see you back here tomorrow for the next Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge!
Happy Friday!
~~Robin

All Supplies SU! except for the box.

The Same...But Different!

Hooray, it's Thursday! Just one more day until our fun WOW Christmas Card Classes! If you are attending, are you excited about it? If you aren't are you sad? Me too!! I still have a couple of spots open for Saturday if you want to come stamp with us! AND, one of the cards we are doing is card number two in today's post! Maybe that will entice you......

Anyway, the first card in this post was my first idea for this card, which we did at a class last month. I loved it so much and it was super simple to do even though it doesn't look it. Well, I needed a WOW card for my Go-Divas Swap and I decided to take that first card to the next level. This is the result........

Do you like it? I so wish you could see all the shimmer and shine in this picture. The whole texturized layer is sponged with the Champagne Mist Shimmer paint. It practically glows in real life! The snowflake is cut out with my Big Shot using Brushed Gold cardstock and the center is accented with a Rhinestone Fire Circle Brad. The greeting is Heat Embossed with Gold Embossing Powder and for the final touch, I tied up the Old Olive Striped Grosgrain Ribbon with a bow of Gold Elastic Cord. This card looks so rich and elegant in person, I can't wait for the ladies in my classes to make this one! It really is a WOW card! For those of you who want the info, I've posted the supply list for both cards below.

Be sure to stop by here tomorrow to see my Blogger's Challenge project. It's supposed to be a halloween theme, but as you read here earlier this week, we don't do halloween at our house. SO, I did a fall themed project and I really think you'll like it! Can't wait to hear your responses!

Oh, and by the way - our new Super Wal-Mart is da' bomb! I've never had such a good time grocery shopping before! LOL! The store is so huge, I need to wear my tennis shoes next time - I can get a workout just walking the store! :)
Have a great Thursday everyone!
~~Robin

All Supplies Su!
Card #1
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Brushed Gold
Stamps: Short and Sweet
Inks: Old Olive
Accessories: Big Shot, Petals A Plenty Embossing Folder, Snowflake Sizzlits, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Vintage Brads, Old Olive Wide Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Card #2
Cardstock: Same as above
Stamps: Christmas Punch
Ink: Encore Gold
Accessories: Big Shot, Petals A Plenty Embossing Folder, Snowflake Sizzlits, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Large Oval Punch, Heat Tool, Gold Embossing Powder, Old Olive Wide Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Gold Elastic Cord, Rhinestone Fire Circle Brads, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' Sponge

Artistry in Artichoke and Kraft

Hi folks, in all honesty, I don't know if this is "artistry" or not but I started to call this card "Brown Weeds" so at least the title I did use sounds prettier! I have no clue what flora or fauna this image is supposed to be - other than weeds. BUT, I like it enough to stamp with it, so that will have to be good enough! Actually, this card is inspired by one I found on line here. I liked what she did with the "weeds" and the Linen Thread so much, that I cased that part for my card.

The stamp set that image comes from is Autumn Days which surprisingly has become one of my favorites this season. I have to admit that I didn't like it much when it first came out - the pheasant kind of put me off - but I've used it a ton as you've probably noticed if you read my blog much. In fact, if you check back this coming Saturday, my design team card for the Stamping 411 challenge uses it yet again!

The card itself is pretty straightforward so I'll spare you the details today. I did use the distressing tool on the Cutter Kit to rough up the edges and I did a lot of sponging and spritzing with the Close to Cocoa ink. My supply list is below if you want the info - this is really a great "man" card too. Those are often so hard to make - do you struggle with them as well? Anyway, I hope you have a GREAT Wednesday. If you read my blog yesterday, you KNOW what I'm doing today - but I did move the haircut to next week, I needed more time at that new Wal-Mart! LOL!
Happy stamping everyone,
~~Robin

Supply List - All SU!:
Stamps: Autumn Days, Thoughts and Prayers
Paper: Always Artichoke, Kraft and Autumn something DSP from the IBC (can't remember the name right now!)
Inks: Close to Cocoa, Sahara Sand, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Chocolate Chip 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Color Spritzer Tool, Stampin' Write Markers, Stampin' Sponge, Cutter Kit, Linen Thread

Butterfly Bookmark Card

How is your Tuesday going? Mine is GREAT! As you read this, I am in the middle of prep for my two big WOW Christmas Card camps this Friday and Saturday. I am so happy because I'm actually AHEAD of the curve this week...........so far. Tomorrow I have to go have my yearly mammogram - yep, I'm over that magic number of 40, but I forgot I have a haircut scheduled tomorrow too! Yikes, how did I do that? I need that haircut, believe me! Plus, (and this is kind of pathetic) the new Super Wal-Mart opens here tomorrow and me and my gf, Lissa are planning to be there when the doors open! I said it was pathetic - are you laughing your behind off yet? Or, are you just jealous because YOU don't have a Super Wal-Mart yet? Don't worry, I'm sure I'll shop enough for both of us!

Oh, hey, I'll bet you want me to talk about the project for today, dontcha? Okey-dokey! The 1st card in this post is my version of a beautiful, unique swap card I received at Founder's Circle from my buddy, Missy Shipman. I've posted her card here too for you to see, it's the third photo. We did this card at my card classes last week and the ladies loved it so much, I thought I'd share it here with you!

Anyway, the card is a 4 1/4" square of Crushed Curry cardstock. I've stamped on the top layer with the For All You Do stamp set in Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango and Old Olive inks and added a piece of Dusty Durango Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon to the bottom with a faux bow. Before I adhered this stamped piece to the card front though, I took my Large Oval Punch and punched out 1/2 an oval from the top right. This turns out to be the PERFECT size for one of the tag die-cuts using my Big Shot and the new Two Tags Die! How cool is that?!

I cut my tag/bookmark with a piece of Old Olive cardstock then stamped the greeting on it which matches the one on the inside of the card as well. My butterfly is a piece of Old Olive Patterns Designer Series Paper cut out with the Butterflies Die and my Big Shot. I lightly sponged the edges with Dusty Durango ink and added a Gold Brad to the center. It's adhered with a Mini-Glue Dot so the brad wouldn't show through the back of the bookmark.

Here is Missy's original card. SHE has the Butterfly Punch (which has yet to make it into my collection!....) so she was able to stamp her butterfly with the Flight of the Butterfly stamp set then just punch it out. She added her greeting to the front using two punches, the 1 3/8" Circle Punch and the Designer Label Punch. The ribbon is the same, but she used the clear side of it, no polka-dots! Don't you just love how the same product can give you multiple looks? Yep, me too! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit today! I hope you'll leave me a sweet comment to let me know you've been here. It's like signing the guest book, ya know?
Have a great day and wish me luck tomorrow! By the way, have YOU had YOUR mammogram yet this year?
~~Robin

Robin's Un-halloween Card

Happy Monday Stampers!
It's a beautiful, chilly, sunny fall day here in Virginia - my favorite time of year besides Christmas! I just wanted to pop in today and share a quick card with you all. I have some friends who really enjoy halloween and I like to send them a card for fun!

This is my Un-halloween card though- kind of like an Un-Birthday card! If you've been stamping with me long enough, you know that my family and I don't do halloween. Don't get me wrong, we love fall, harvest and CANDY, just not halloween.
Many years ago, when Emma was about 5, we were still doing the trick or treat thing and we went out that night as usual looking for CANDY! Well, one of the houses in our neighborhood was done up as a haunted house, but really over the top with "live" corpses in the front yard, ghosts in the trees, black out curtains around their porch with zombies and bloody things there that you had to go through to get your candy. Emma was so scared that she not only refused to approach the house, she wanted to go home right then. She was DONE!
That experience made us as a family re-think how we look at halloween. It's so different than when I was a kid. (Boy, that makes me sound OLD!) But there wasn't so much emphasis on the scary, bloody and spooky as there is now. We decided to simply stand for what we believe and now we participate in our church's harvest festival or trunk or treat event. There are no scary costumes or evil appearing decorations and the kids (and adults!) get plenty of candy AND they get to play games for prizes. And did I mention candy? Yep, there is lots of that! Plus, I get to put out my fall decorations at the beginning of October and leave them up until Thanksgiving without changing them out! AND we don't have to go door to door in the cold just for one piece of candy from each house - it's a win/win/win all the way around! :)
Whew! I didn't mean to get so wordy, but people have asked me why we don't "do" halloween and now you know!

So, do you like the card? We did this one at Just Cards class last week and the gals loved it there. The smiling jack-o-lanterns are so cute and I thought it would be fun to make just one "stand out in a crowd"! I wish I had a stamp that said that!
Anyway, the supply list is below, but if you have any questions about how it's made, just e-mail me! Have a great day everyone and I'll be back tomorrow with another pretty project!
~~Robin

All supplies SU!:
Stamps: The More the Merrier, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Black Staz-On, Pumpkin Pie
Papers: Garden Green, Basic Black, Whisper White cardstock; Pumpkin Pie Patterns DSP
Accessories: Pumpkin Pie Striped Grosgrain ribbon, Large Oval Punch, Scalloped Oval Punch, Horizontal Slot punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Aqua Painter, Stampin' Write Markers

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge #SSC122

Just look at this sketch! Doesn't it have GREAT possibilities?! Our sketch queen, Selene at Stamping 411 does such a great job coming up with our sketches, don't you think?
I had so much fun with it, I made two projects! Yep, just couldn't help myself!
Here is my card project......

I have to admit, the vision I started with in my head for this one doesn't even resemble the final result, BUT I'm very happy with it. So much so, that I'm THINKING about doing this one at my WOW Christmas Card class next Friday and Saturday.........

Now, before I go on, I have to tell you that I'm writing this post at the skating rink while my daughter is doing her freestyle session, so I don't have my projects to give you all the measurements. I only remember some of them. SO, if you need my measurements for either project, just e-mail me separately and I can send them to you next week, ok? Otherwise, just use the card measurements that Selene provided at Stamping 411.

Ok, this card started with a piece of Close to Cocoa cardstock cut at 5 1/4" x 10 1/2". It's folded in half to make a card that's 5 1/4" square. The next layer is Naturals White cardstock cut at 5" square. That's also the inside layer as well.
I used the snowflake stamp from Winter Post and randomly stamped it in Bashful Blue ink all over the Naturals White layer. It was then sponged with Close to Cocoa ink with a Stamping Sponge. (Here's a quick tip for you: The sponges come in a 3 pack of round sponges. I cut my sponges into 6 wedge shaped pieces so not only does a pack of sponges give me 18 pieces total, the wedge is easier to hold and use. The point of the wedge is like a little handle. Neat, huh?)
Next, I added a layer of Bashful Blue cardstock and it also is sponged with Close to Cocoa ink. Below it is a strip of Naturals White cardstock, sponged as well. On this piece, I stamped my greeting using a Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker directly on the stamp. That way I only used the part of the stamp I wanted for the greeting. I then added some soft snowflakes by stamping off the snowflake stamp once onto Grid Paper then stamping it onto my greeting strip.

For my left panel, I took the Medallion stamp and inked it with Bashful Blue Craft Ink. It was stamped on a piece of Naturals White cardstock and embossed with my Heat Tool and Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder. It was then given distressed edges with the Distressing tool on the Cutter Kit. (I did that on the skaters image piece too.) The Medallion piece was then layered on a piece of Bashful Blue cardstock which had been sponged with Close to Cocoa ink. I also sponged the Medallion piece and the skaters after distressing them.

The skaters from Winter Post were inked with Chocolate Chip ink and stamped on more Naturals White cardstock. I added some more soft snowflakes here with Bashful Blue stamped off one time. I did this to the little circle accent as well.

The circle was created by inking that stamp with the Chocolate Chip Marker, leaving off the postmark lines and stamping it onto Naturals White cardstock. I punched it out with the 1" Circle Punch and sponged around it with Close to Cocoa. Both the circle and the skaters pieces are popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals so they stand out a bit.

The inside was sponged with more Close to Cocoa ink and I added a few more soft Bashful Blue snowflakes. The greeting comes from the Hostess Stamp Set, Holiday Best. I've just inked it in Chocolate Chip ink and lined it up straight with my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig.
And that's it for this one - do you like it?

Now, take a look at the sketch again. Don't you see a scrapbook layout there? Well, I did and since I rarely scrapbook for me -or anyone else - anymore, I thought I'd just run with the idea I had and make a page.

Here is my completed page...........

Of course I LOVE it, it's one of my favorite subjects - my daughter! LOL! But I love the page too!
The page size is 8 1/2" square so it will fit in an On Board Chipboard Album.
I started with a piece of 8 1/2" square piece of Basic Black cardstock and layered it with a piece of Night and Day Designer Series Paper cut at 8" square. I love the tailored look these polka dots give the page.

My title strip is a piece of Whisper White cardstock layered on a piece of Basic Black cardstock. I think the white layer is 1 1/4" x 8" but don't hold me to that....
I stamped the "dream" using Pink Passion ink. That stamp as well as the "big" stamp comes from a retired stamp set called Think Big. It was still in my for sale boxes and boy, am I glad it hadn't sold yet! I'm keeping it for sure now!
The "big" was stamped on a separate piece of Whisper White cardstock in Encore Silver ink and embossed with my Heat Tool and Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder. Then I trimmed it out with my Paper Snips and popped it up on Stampin' Dimensionals. There is a closer up picture of it below.

I did change the sketch slightly here because I liked the placement of the circle embellishment there better. To make that piece, I stamped the image from the Dreams du Jour stamp set in Black Staz-On ink and colored it in with Stampin' Write Markers. I used Pink Passion, Pixie Pink and Old Olive for that. Then, I trimmed it out with my Paper Snips and mounted it on a piece of Brushed Silver cardstock that I cut with the Circles Die and my Big Shot.

Behind the photos and the circle embellisment, I added another piece of the Night and Day DSP mounted on a piece of Basic Black cardstock.
Did I already say how much I love how this turned out? I can't wait to show my hubby! Well, hopefully he will like it!

Anyway, now it's YOUR turn to play along! Take this sketch and run to your stamp space and see what you can create with it! We at Stamping 411 LOVE to see your creations - you always impress us with your talent! Be sure to upload your creation to the Stamping 411 site before 8 am on Thursday morning. That's when Mr. Linky closes so we can vote on our favorites!
Can't wait to see what you come up with! But before you go, be sure to leave me some comment love and let me know if you liked these projects! Yep, validation means a LOT! LOL!
Happy Saturday,
~~Robin

Blogger's Challenge #122 - One Layer Card

Hey ya'll - I'm gonna get right to it - today's challenge threatened to derail me creatively!
I have never done a one layer card - ever!
And I was stressing over this one big time! A One Layer card is something you buy at the local chain store that's overpriced and full of sappy rhyming sentiment - bleeech! I just didn't think I could do no layers - no way!
But.......I have to say that I am SO pleased with the results of what came out of my brain that I may just do another one some day!

So, you can see the first picture is the finished project on the front, and here is a picture of the inside too. See the DIMENSION? It's SO COOL in real life - I wish you could touch it!

So, let me tell you HOW I did the card and then I'll give you the materials list. I know that I'm probably NOT the first person out there to come up with this technique, but I haven't seen it anywhere else and I'm feeling pretty good about how it all came together. :) If I do say so myself! heehee!

I started with a piece of To the Nines Designer Series Paper cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2". I folded it to make a standard card size of 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". I chose this paper because first of all, it's gorgeous and secondly it's heavy weight.

I then took a piece of thin cardboard that came with a Decor Element package and cut it to the size of the Snowflake die for the Big Shot.

Then, I ran it through my Big Shot, cutting out the snowflake.

Then, I used a bit of Dotto (repositionable) adhesive to place the cardboard snowflake inside the front of my unfolded card.
I didn't photograph that actual step, but here is a photo of the Big Shot "sandwich" you need to do this technique.

It's the Multi-Purpose Platform open to Tab 1, then one Cutting Pad, then the cardboard piece, then the cardstock, then the Texturz Silicone Rubber then the Texturz Impressions Pad. I ran it through the Big Shot Machine and the cardboard snowflake acted as a texture plate would and left an embossed snowflake on the paper. It was AWESOME!!!

To bring out the image here, I used my Sanding Block to sand away the color from the top of the paper and it left this gorgeous image! Isn't that cool!!!!

I sanded the edges as well after I rounded the corners and then added my ribbon and tag embellishment. Here was where my debate came in about it being a "TRUE" one-layer card since it does have a tag - but I overcame my hesitation because it's so stinkin' cute! Yes, I just LOVE this card - but I guess you got that already, eh?

So, if you liked it, no, LOVED it too, leave me some comment love today! I'd really like to know what you think of this one! And while you are at it, be sure to check out all the other Blogger's Challenge players today - I know I will be - I want to see all their gorgeous ONE LAYER creations! The link is in my sidebar to the right, ok?

Oh, and here's the supply list for this card:
Stamps: A Cardinal Christmas, Snow Swirled
Inks: Not Quite Navy, Chocolate Chip
Paper: To The Nines DSP, Kraft Cardstock (tag)
Accessories: Big Shot, Snowflake Die, Dotto, Modern Label Punch, Linen Thread, Elementary Ribbon Originals, Kraft Taffeta Ribbon

Have a fabulous day and be sure to check back tomorrow for another great Sketch from Stamping 411!
~~Robin

Hope Stamps - Susan G. Komen Fundraiser

Happy Thursday stampers!
Don't you just LOVE these cards?!!
Well, if you do, then you need to come to the studio THIS SATURDAY between 10 AM and 2 PM to make them!

It's my first ever HOPE STAMPS event and I hope you'll join me in this small effort to raise money for those working on a cure for Breast Cancer.

My cousin Mary and her team are doing the 3 Day Susan G. Komen walk in Texas in honor of her mother, my Aunt JoAnn, who lost her battle with Breast Cancer at the age of 58.
All the profit from this fundraiser will be donated to Mary and her team the Pink Soles in Motion.

I hope you'll join me this Saturday - it's Open House style, so stop in anytime between 10 AM and 1:30 PM and make these 3 beautiful cards to take home with you! The cost for the event is just $20 per person and I have a few specials planned for those who attend on Saturday.

Working together, we can do something good for a GREAT cause!
Can't wait to stamp with you on Saturday!
Blessings,
~~Robin

Simple Medallion Card

Good morning stampers! Just a quick post today with a really simple card idea - simple to make, but oh, so gorgeous in appearance! Don't you love those kind of cards?

I used the Medallion background stamp along with the Sanded background stamp to create this beauty. Did you know that Medallion is the top selling stamp at Stampin' Up! right now? Bet you can see why - it rocks!
For this card, I used Old Olive cardstock for my card base and layered it with Perfect Plum cardstock. The stamped layer is Naturals White to add to the shabby chic look of the images.

I inked up my Sanded background with Perfect Plum and stamped off one time. Then I stamped it on my cardstock giving it a muted look, but not as light as Pale Plum which is the base color I used to stamp the Medallion. Once I inked the Medallion with the Pale Plum, I added Old Olive and Perfect Plum inks with my Sponge Daubers giving it this beautiful multi-color effect.
This layer was added to the Perfect Plum cardstock and then I added the Old Olive Taffeta Ribbon from the Mistletoe collection to finish it. The inside has a layer of Naturals White cardstock edged with Perfect Plum ink so there is a nice place to write the message.

You'll notice that I left the greeting off this one. The card I got the original idea from didn't have a greeting either and I like the idea of either adding a greeting right before it's sent or just using it for a pretty note card - no greeting necessary!

My inspiration for this card comes from Jessie Benjamin in North Carolina. I met Jessie at Founder's Circle this year - she is one of this years Rising Stars - and she is just a sweetie! Here is her beautiful card from our swap.

Thanks Jessie for the inspiration! And thanks to you guys for stopping by today to check out my project - have you realized yet that my post on Monday used the same stamp and the same ribbon! Too funny! Well, I said they were popular!
Have a great Wednesday!
~~Robin

Busy Monday!!

Hi everyone!
Just popping in to say that I am feeling SOOO much better today and think I have finally kicked the cold that I had last week - Hooray!
Thanks so much for all your well wishes and prayers - I could feel them!

I'll be in the studio stampin' away today getting ready for my Just Cards classes tomorrow! There is still room in both the 10 am and the 7 pm classes if you'd like to join me. Just send me an e-mail at stampwithrobin@yahoo.com and I'll make sure there are supplies for you!

The card I'm sharing with you today is actually my version of a card I took a photo of while at convention this year. I have NO idea who made the original version so if you recognize the general idea, then let me know. I did change a couple of things before we did this at a recent Christmas Card class.
The stamp sets are Winter Post, Medallion and Teeny Tiny Wishes. We used Old Olive, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla Cardstock; Old Olive and Chocolate Chip Classic Ink and the Old Olive Ribbon from the Mistletoe Collection in the Holiday Mini Catalog. It's a really quick, easy card but is truly gorgeous in person!
Hope it inspires you today!

Have a great Monday!
~~Robin

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge SSC121

Hello stampers - it's Saturday once again and time for the Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge! This week's sketch was really a challenge for me to complete, not because it's hard, but because I'd had a cruddy cold all week long. So, I decided that since I needed to stamp, I'd make myself a Get Well Soon card to cheer me up! I made it bright and cheerful so I'd feel better about sitting at my counter in the studio and not laying in bed with my heated throw. Ummm, sooo cuddly..... BUT, I am feeling much better today so it's really true, getting a card really does make it all better!

As you can see, I started with a folded card base of Bermuda Bay cardstock. It's a half sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" and folded with my Bone Folder to a size of 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". For this one, I wanted to add some texture to the background, so I ran it through my Big Shot with the Large Polka Dot Texturz plate. It gave it a very subtle dotted background that may be hard to see in the photos.
Next I cut a piece of Rose Red cardstock at 3" x 4 1/2". The Soft Suede layer on top is 2 3/4" x 4 1/4" and the Designer Series Paper from the Thoroughly Modern collection is 2 1/2 x 4".

The focal point cardstock pieces are Rose Red - 2 1/8" square and Naturals White 2" square.
The stamped images are from the Wellness Wishes stamp set. I just love that poor little doggie and believe me, the way he looks is the way I was feeling this week! I stamped him with Black Staz-On ink and colored him in with my Aqua Painter and Stampin' Write Markers. The Bermuda Bay ink was applied to his pillow with the Aqua Painter - the water lessened it's intensity a bit and I used Creamy Caramel, Blush Blossom, Rose Red and Real Red markers for the rest of the coloring.

Once I'd finished my coloring, I added a little tab of Bermuda Bay ribbon to the right side of the focal point just to finish drawing the eye through the card. We see or read from Left to Right and once the eye has 'seen' the focal point it goes back and scans the rest in the same direction we read. So, the details begin with the ribbon and Library Clip on the upper left and finish with the stamped "Get Well Soon" at the bottom right. Take another look and see if you get what I mean.

Before I added my layers to the card, I attached my Bermuda Bay Polka-Dot Ribbon to the card. I like for my ribbon to either wrap around or finish in a bow or knot - no cut off ends for this stamper! So, in order to get this ribbon around the card front only, I used my Horizontal Slot Punch and nipped a little piece out of the top fold of the card wide enough for my ribbon to go through. That way, I could wrap a piece all the way around and adhere the ends under the cardstock layers on the front. Easy-peasy!

Once that was done, I put the layers on Stampin' Dimensionals and adhered them to the card, adding the greeting last. I just used the Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker to omit the band aid image from that stamp in the set and was able to add just words that way. The Stamp-A-Ma-Jig helped me get it lined up nice and straight!

So, now that you've seen my interpretation of our sketch this week, why don't YOU play along? We at Stamping 411 LOVE to see what you create so be sure and post your projects by Wednesday night using the Mr. Linky widget on the Stamping 411 Blog. And if you aren't a card maker, try a scrapbook page using this sketch - we love your ideas!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Happy Stamping!
~~Robin

Blogger's Challenge #121 - Alter It!

Hi everyone, it's finally Friday and I am finally starting to feel better from this awful cold I've had this week. Thankfully it didn't turn into Bronchitis, I appreciate all of you who e-mailed me get well wishes. I've felt your prayers this week! Our Blogger's Challenge this week was to Alter something and for a while I planned to sit this one out, but I NEEDED to get out of bed and DO something productive, kwim?

So, yesterday afternoon, I forced myself to go into the studio and make my project for today and I decided that since I felt so cruddy that I was going to just make something for ME - something that makes ME happy and not worry about whether it would be a good class, or if it was perfect or anything but making sure it would make ME smile. So, I pulled out this package of 2 ugly wood plaques that I picked up for a buck several years ago at some local craft store and decided to turn it into something beautiful.

This is my final result.

I am SO HAPPY with how it turned out in all it's shabby chic glory! The best part of creating this art piece was just allowing myself to create from scratch with really no plan in mind other than knowing the pictures had to make it onto the finished project!
So, I took out my gorgeous Night and Day Designer Series Paper and chose one of the more subtle patterns for my base. I cut it to size and adhered it with Tombow Glue. Then I used the Sanding Block to smooth out the edges and shabby it up some.

Next, I took out some Rich Razzleberry cardstock and ran it through my Big Shot with the Tulipe Die, creating the pieces for this fleur-de-lis. This was shabbied up with some of the Shimmer Paint in Platinum dabbed on with a Sponge Dauber. I then applied it with more Tombow Glue to the left side of the plaque, spreading out the pieces from top to bottom.

I then took out my Bella Toile Background stamp and inked it up with Rich Razzleberry and stamped it randomly on the DSP background. I also pulled out the swirl stamp from Baroque Motifs and inked it with more Platinum paint and added that image randomly as well.

My photos were trimmed down and mounted on Whisper White and Rich Razzleberry cardstock to make them more sturdy. I also stamped more Platinum swirls directly onto the photos. When I added them to the plaque, I mounted them with Stampin' Dimensionals so they would stand out over the embellishments.

On the right side, I added a different piece of Night and Day DSP. This one, I shabbied up a few different ways: Spiral Punch down the right side; crumpled up, smoothed out and inked with Rich Razzleberry and torn down the left side. This was adhered with more Tombow Glue. Next, I added a piece of Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware and inserted a piece of Rich Razzleberry cardstock stamped with the swirl in more Platinum paint. It was punched out with the Designer Label Punch so it would perfectly fit the hardware label holder. The hardware is attached with Mini Glue Dots behind the brads.

I wanted to add something to the plaque that expressed what the photos meant to me and I remembered this stamp from the "A Beautiful Thing" stamp set. I inked it up in Rich Razzleberry and stamped it on Whisper White. After punching it out with the Large Oval Punch and layered it on a piece of Basic Black punched out with the Scalloped Oval Punch. That was layered on a piece of Rich Razzleberry punched out with the Wide Oval Punch. I stamped a little swirl on the layers as well and shabbied it up with more Platinum paint. It is mounted with more Stampin' Dimensionals.

As a final touch, I added two ribbons, Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot and Whisper White Organza. Honestly, I debated over the bow, BUT since this piece was to make ME happy, I left it. I love the clean purity of the white bow against the shabbiness of the rest of the embellishments.

And here's the thing....when it was all finished, I was almost in tears. Not only do I love my family shown in the pictures, I absolutely LOVE this finished project! For the first time in a long time, I truly did something creative just for me and it felt SO GOOD! Maybe I'd been feeling so cruddy all week and this creativity was just a release or maybe it was a sign of something more - the need to do art just because I can and because I want to. If the end result feeds my soul alone, then the effort is worth it.
I think too many times we get caught up in pleasing others and meeting others expectations that we forget to do the things that truly make us happy. So that is my encouragement to you today - if you haven't stamped or created anything just for YOU lately, make some time to go do that this weekend. Don't worry about how it turns out, just create from your heart and know that you don't have to please anyone but yourself with your art!

If you have time, be sure to check out all the other Blogger's Challenge players and their Altered Art by clicking on the link in my sidebar. And I'd love it if you come back tomorrow to check out the card I created for the Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge this week. Yep, I made it for you, but it made me smile too. You'll see why tomorrow!
Blessings,
~~Robin

How to Customize and Apply Decor Elements

Yep, it's Monday here too! I hope you all had a great weekend. Did you get any stamping done? I didn't, but I got to spend some much needed time with my parents and my family. But, I started feeling kind of cruddy yesterday afternoon and after doing a stamping presentation for a local women's group this morning, I've spent the rest of the day sleeping on the couch. Say a prayer for me, this feels like it could turn into Bronchitis and that would be awful!

Anyway, back in September, I decorated my little mini netbook computer with Decor Elements and took pictures to do a little tutorial for you. Since I've spent a little time with this computer on my lap today, thought I'd go ahead and post the tutorial for you now.
Lots of you haven't ever tried the Decor Elements and I want to encourage you to do it! They are really a beautiful way to dress up just about any blank surface and it's super easy to do. Believe me, if I can do it without help, then ANYONE can do it.

In the first picture above, you can see that I chose the Baby Decor Element in Pretty In Pink, size small for my project. That photo shows you how it is delivered to you, flat with instructions. The larger size Decor Elements come rolled up in a nice tube so they aren't damaged in shipping.

For Step #1, you need to clean off the surface of what the Decor Element will be applied to. Here I've used some glass cleaner and paper towels.

Step #2 - I've taken my Paper Snips and trimmed out the center of the design - the word "Baby".

That piece I've set aside and will be able to use it on a future project.

Step #3 - Take the Applicator Tool and rub the entire back surface of the Decor Element piece. It's the side with the Grid on it. Be sure and rub every part while resting it on a hard surface. The next step is to peel off the backing and this assures that the vinyl design adheres to the cover piece.

Step #4 - You gently and slowly peel away the backing paper to reveal the Decor Element. If your design has a lot of intricate parts, be sure to go SLOWLY so you don't leave a part behind!
(Can you believe I took this picture with my left hand and was peeling with my right? Yep, I did - amazing stuff there!)

Here is the whole piece revealed! It will be sticky, so be careful not to touch it where you don't want it to stay!

Step #5 - Position the Decor Element Design, sticky side down, on your clean surface. You pretty much get one shot at this, so just go SLOWLY, it will be fine, I promise!

Step #6 - Once you have it positioned and smoothed out, take the Applicator Tool once again and rub all over the design, adhering it to the surface of your object.

Step #7 - You will now peel back the cover paper - Gently and Slowly - magically revealing your gorgeous new Netbook (or whatever you've decorated! :) )

Now, isn't that pretty?!
To do the opposite side of my project, I just repeated Steps #3 - 7 and obtained my final result!

I just LOVE my girly-girl Netbook and I get so many comments on it wherever I use it!

There is a cute picture of me and my friend Tiffany Bauer at Founder's Circle on her blog here with our decorated netbooks out by the pool! Unfortunately, we couldn't get the internet out there, but it was fun trying!

I hope my little tutorial has helped you better understand how COOL the Decor Elements are! They are really a fun product and I can think of tons of ideas to customize some great gifts for Christmas this year! If you want more information, please contact me! I'd love to share with you!
Have a great evening and if I'm feeling better tomorrow, I'll come back on and post something new for you. Right now, it's nap time again........

~~Robin