Old and new together

I love that SU brought back some of the old colors, especially Baja Breeze! My downline, Rhonda, and I are sharing some DSP, and she got Greenhouse Gala, which has lots of Baja Breeze in it. My card uses a Dare to Get Dirty sketch from SCS. Be sure to check out the DTGD challenges if you're a fan club member!
Supplies (all SU): Stamps: Whimsical Words (SAB); Paper: Greenhouse Gala DSP, Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso; Ink: Early Espresso, Tangerine Tango; Accessories: ticket corner punch, scallop border punch
Happy stamping!

Keeping it simple

I brought some stamping stuff with me to CA, but my supplies are limited. That requires some creativity! For this week's workshop wow, I decided to offer up a limited supply challenge: use stamps, paper, ink and one accessory.
For my card, I did reverse masking to create my focal image. I sponged Sahara Sand ink around the edges then inked up my stamp with Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight and Wild Wasabi. I stamped 2 of the flowers from the same set (Vintage Vogue) with Cherry Cobbler and Daffodil Delight and then cut them out. I added a vanilla button to the flower center and stamped the sentiment in Sahara Sand.
Supplies (all SU): Stamps: Vinage Vogue; Paper: Confetti White; Ink: Sahara Sand, Cherry Cobbler, Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delight; Accessories: neutrals buttons
Happy stamping!

Winery photos at last!

Here I am with Kristen at the Maurice Carrie winery in Temecula.

This is the winery itself.

Grapes at the Wilson Creek winery.

Me at Wilson Creek winery.

Wine country revisited

Here's a photo of Kristen and me at the Maurice Carrie winery in Temecula. I took more pictures, but my camera has decided not to share them. I'll work on that!

Guess what else I did this weekend? I stamped! OK, there's no stamping on this card, but you know what I mean. I made 3 cards on Sunday, so that means I can do my usual 3 posts this week. Whoohoo!

I made this card for my friend Susie's WICKED challenge to create a paper quilt. I'll add a sentiment after I get home. This is an easy peasy project. I found 2 pieces of DSP that had patterns I liked on both sides. I cut 2 1 1/2" squares from each sheet. Then I cut each square in half diagonally and flipped one of the halves. The gray mat is 3 1/2", and the Concord Crush mat is 3 3/4".

Supplies (all SU): Stamps: none; Ink: Basic Gray marker; Paper: Lap of Luxury DSP, Pretty in Pink, Basic Gray, Concord Crush; Accessories: neutral buttons, very vanilla taffeta ribbon

Happy stamping!

On the road again

I'm traveling on business again! This time I'm in CA for 3 weeks. I brought some stamping stuff with me, so I'm hoping to have some projects to share with you. My posting will probably be sporadic, so thank you for your patience!
Happy stamping!

Double challenge card

Today's card was for two different challenges. One was for this month's WICKED challenge. My good friend Susie Nelson is our WICKED stamper this month. One of her challenges was to make Diana Gibbs' faux tin ceiling. I was able to use a piece I had embossed using Rhonda's cuttlebug. What a fun technique!
The other challenge is this week's Workshop Wow challenge: the forkbow. I saw this demonstrated at regional this spring, and yes, you use a fork to make the perfect bow. That's how I made the bow on yesterday's card. TIP: Taffeta works best for the forkbow because it's thin and pliable.
This card is a redo of a card I just made a few weeks ago, and we also made it at my workshop last week. The other change in the card is that we used thumping to add more color and depth to the hydrangea.
Here is my photo tutorial for the forkbow.

First of all, you need a fork with an even number of tines. The size of the fork will determine the size of the bow. The fork in the picture is the meat fork that came with my silverware. Start with 12" or so of ribbon (longer ribbon if you use a bigger fork). Fold it in half with one half in front of the fork and the other half behind the fork. The back part should be a little longer than the front.

You will always work with the same piece of ribbon, which starts out as the back piece. Bring it around to the front of the fork and put it through the center slot below the front piece.

Pull it tight.

Bring that piece up and back through the center slot again (this time you're bringing it from the back to the front).

Tie it nice and tight. I found that the bow will lay better if you pull the two ends vertical (straight up and down) after the first tie but before knotting.

Slide it off the fork. Here is your finished bow. You can cut the ends short or wrap the extra ribbon around your cardstock.

Happy stamping!

Quick and easy Inspired by Nature

Here's a quick and easy one for you today using Inspired by Nature. I started with Bashful Blue cardstock (3 X 3 1/4). Bashful Blue is a light enough color that you can stamp on it and the colors still stay true, so I thought it would be great for the sky. (If you wanted a sunset-ish background, you could use So Saffron.) I got my color combo from the new Color Coach: Bashful Blue, Rose Red, Old Olive. I stamped the flowers in Rose Red and the grass in Old Olive. Gold Glow Smooch Spritz is the final touch. I adhered the Bashful Blue piece to a Rose Red mat, added the Old Olive satin ribbon and tore the right edge of the mat. (I'll be showing you how to make this bow on Wednesday; it's awesome!) At first, I used an Old Olive cardbase, but that was WAY too much Old Olive. So I changed it to Bashful Blue, and I liked that much better. Old Olive grass makes a great background that mirrors what's going on in the main image.
Happy stamping!