TSSC107

Boy, I really had a hard time with this sketch from the Techno Stamper Monday Lunchtime challenge!  I put it off all week but finally had a little inspiration yesterday with my Felicity paper from CTMH.  This set came with large die cut circles that I used to simulate the diagonals.  I got carried away with the flowers and only added the bird in the end. Probably could have left that off for a cleaner look . . .

MOJO 124

I finished reworking my card for the MOJO Monday 124 Sketch using my new Felicity stamp set.  I’m not sure my card really looks that much like the sketch but it was good inspiration!  I did go out of my way to get that light colored circle in the middle.

You can see the pre-rework card in my earlier post here.  I thought at first I needed to add a large piece of card stock to cover over the tab completely but then the sentiment I used was overpowering.  I had this “Hello” left over from another card and I was just checking the size when I realized it looked okay with the tab peeking out – kind of like a something holding up a sign!  I am definitely liking this version better.

I got those little stitches in another CTMH stamp set – Cupcake Sprinkles.  This is another example of where the clear stamps work out great. I’m starting to sound like a fan of clear acrylic stamps!  I won’t be giving up my attachment to Stampin’ Up colors and card stock, though but who knows what I will think after I check out their unmounted stamps (however they are rubber and not clear.)  That is my new Sandy Speckles Stampin’ Up wheel (my first wheel, by the way) at the bottom in the background.

Felicity

I just got my CTMH order yesterday, including the Felicity pack.  I am really enjoying the clear stamps and the colors in the Felicity paper coordinate very nicely with my Stampin’ Up colors.

I had two acrylic blocks that I had bought over the years, but the CTMH blocks are definitely better.  I need one more larger size.  I’m not sure if I’m going to order it from CTMH or try the Stampin’ Up clear blocks.  The CTMH block seems to be a better value but then again I haven’t seen one of the Stampin’ Up blocks in person.

Here is what I’ve accomplished so far:

The card in the back is an exact copy of the card CTMH shows with the Felicity kit – except for the sentiment (which you can’t see anyway!)  The horizontal card in the front was for the Splitcoast Sketch Challenge 266.  I’m liking that one a lot.

The card on the back right was for the MOJO Monday Sketch 124.  I’m going to rework that one a bit.  After I photographed it, I thought it looked a little lacking in the top right.  I’m going to add a bigger sentiment, then I will repost with a link to the MOJO Monday site.

P.S.  I really do love my Scor-Pal so I’ve added the blinky logo on the bottom of my Blog.  I can’t say enough about how great the Scor-Pal is and how much I especially like making matching envelopes!

Baby Doll Quilts

I have been doing a bit of quilting lately.  A bit being the operative word here.  I made two baby doll quilts for a friend’s daughter who got the American Doll Twin Babies for Christmas.

I also submitted my entries for the Bear Creek Quilt Guild biannual Show (just in the nick of time.)  I have committed to entering four quilts:

• Alan’s Choice
• Botanical Ferns
• Carpenter Stars (Chairman’s Choice)
• Slide Puzzle Poppy

I really have to get working on the Carpenter Stars since that one isn’t even pieced yet!

SSC136

I’ve been working on trying to make “simpler” or cleaner cards.  I realized that these can be really great after making Trendy Trees cards at a class by my Stampin’ Up Demonstrator.  For ten cards, she only used one tiny piece of Designer Paper, no embossing, and very few embellishments.  I loved all of the cards.  This was actually the second time I took the class that is how much I loved the cards.

I don’t think I’ve got this technique down completely but here is my attempt at a clean and simple card using the Stamping411 Saturday Sketch Challenge:

Splitcoast TLC257

I finally got a chance to try this technique – The Sidestep Card.  It is a lot of fun and a good way to use a bunch of the images in the Priceless stamp set.

I can definitely see more of these in my card-making future.

Techno Stamper TSSC106

This was a fun sketch!  I just bought the Nestabilities Scalloped Squares and they were perfect for this layout.

On my last post, I complained about the Rose Red ink.  This was the first card I made recently where I thought the color was a little off when it was layered with the card stock.  I just chalked it up to the embossing powder.

I guess it doesn’t look too bad in the photo.  I just like everything to match!

Design Wall Wednesday

Oh No!  My design wall looks practically the same as last week.  I have been spending most of my free time making cards lately – as my friend Sherrill pointed out recently!

I did manage to get my Slider Puzzle Poppy Quilt all put together.  As you might recall, I used the quilt as you go method.  Now I have to do something with the back.  I started to put strips over the seams but that was a lot of work and I didn’t have any of the backing fabric left so the results were somewhat questionable.  I’ve decided to recover the whole back and stitch it in the ditch from the front.  Should make for a nice neat back . . .

SSC 135

I did make a card over the weekend using this sketch but I really wasn’t happy with it.  That center square was giving me a lot of grief.  I decided to just make it the focal point (instead of the heart shape.)

I am back to working on Valentine’s Day cards and trying to use up some of my stash of hardware! Has anybody else noticed that Rose Red ink doesn’t really match the cardstock ?  This is my second card where I didn’t like how the colors looked.  I thought it was because I had embossed the first other one. I decided to just go with all different roses (even used some non- Stampin’ Up rose ribbon) to help disguise the problem.

Here is my second attempt at the Stamping411 Saturday Sketch Challenge:

Close to My Heart Party

Today, I got my first exposure to “Close to My Heart” products at a little stamping party.  CTMH seems to have more of a scrap booking bent than Stampin’ Up (maybe I think this because I took the time to look through the entire Idea Book – I usually just skip over the section of the Stampin’ Up catalog with the alphabets.)

I love that the stamp sets take up a lot less room to store.  The CTMH stamps are acrylic and don’t need those big bulky wood bases.  I was very happy with the image quality after I learned that you need to use foam on your work surface.

So, I came home and got out an acrylic set I had bought some time ago.  I used this card in the CTMH idea book for inspiration.

It took most of the second half of the NFC Championship game for me to finish, but this is my version of the CTMH card:

As a side note, I’m glad that Stampin’ Up is starting to offer their stamps “unmounted”.  I’ve investigated taking at least some of the stamp sets I already own off the wood bases.  It is a big project and I have yet to take the leap.  Maybe later in the year . . .