All That Glitters...

Hi, everyone. Happy Sunday!

Blog Candy

First of all, there's some blog candy to award! Donna Hanley is the winner of the $10 gift certificate to Really Reasonable Ribbon. Linda (of Creepin' Along) and Jen M. are the winners of the $5 certificates. Congratulations, ladies... and thanks for being such loyal readers!

If each of you would e-mail your e-mail addresses to me at cards[dot]by[dot]sybrina[at]gmail[dot]com, I will touch base with Bonnie at RRR.  :)

A New Blog... at least new to me

Bobbi e-mailed me to tell me about her Saturday Shout-Out from Shopping Our Stash. First of all, congrats, Bobbi, on this well-deserved recognition!

Secondly, this challenge sounded like fun. This week's challenge is to create your own embellishment using things from your stash. So, I thought I'd give this a try... and the card below with the hand-crafted corsage was born.

Stampin' Up! dp; Distress Ink core
TPC Studio sentiment heat embossed in Inkadinkado gold
Spellbinders Nestabilities dies
Ellen Hutson ribbon; Paper Studio brads
Marvy circle punch; foam pop-up adhesives

Talk about using things from your stash. For starters, the dp is garage-sale-find Stampin' Up! and the orange cardstock is scrap Distress Ink core. The scalloped dies were a gift from a friend, the brads were clearance, and the ribbon was free with an order from Ellen Hutson. And, the sentiment stamp and circle punch have been in the menopause room for as long as I can remember.   :)

One last thing about this little card, the flower technique was taught in Thursday's SU class. Thanks, Bernadette!

All That Glitters...

The card below was inspired by this week's OWH Midweek Throwdown to make a card featuring a light source.

Pink Paislee dp; cardtock: Distress Ink core and stash peach
Stampin Up! Celestial Skies stamp set; stash ribbon
sequins adhered with Glossy Accents

Even though the card is golden in appearance, making it was actually bittersweet. The ribbon is stash ribbon that I purchased at a former favorite LSS Pizazz It!, and the paper was purchased at my last trip to Archivers.

On a happy note, the sun stamp (and inside stamped image) is from a retired (1995?) Stampin Up! set that was a gift from a friend of a friend. And, I'm really liking that folded over scrap strip of ribbon -- it seems to add a little interest without adding bulk.  :)

Today's Any Hero Card

Today's card was inspired by OWH Sketch #213 and my newly-arrived Hero Arts stamp set. I was soooo glad that the sketch had a perfect element for one of these new stamps.  :)

Authentique Pride; Distress Ink core fired brick; Bazzill admiral; stash light gray
Hero Arts stamp set; small stars from unidentified corner rounder
heat embossing in Inkadinkado gold

Parting Thoughts

Congrats to Ann for her winning entry for the February Words 2 Scrap By challenge! The March challenge goes live on March 1.... and the title is, "And the Oscar Goes To...".

Have a great week! As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

A Royally Cute Couple!

Hi, everyone.

Hope everybody is enjoying a great weekend! I have three cards for three separate challenges. So, let's start with the title card.  :)

Cutest Couple... EVER!

3/9/2014 Update: Entering this little couple in Paper Smooches' April Guest Designer Search.

Paper Smooches is continuing its 3rd Anniversary celebration with a challenge to create a fun and cute project. Well, I'm thinking this little couple qualifies on both counts.  :)

Paper Smooches Royal Cuteness stamp set
Royal Cuteness Botanicals and Group Hugs stamps
Paper Smooches balloon dies
Distress Ink core paper; black Bazzill black cardstock
Bead Avenue braiding necklace cording; crystal gems
sentiment and images stamped in StazOn jet black
Tombow foam adhesives; Glossy Accent for adhesive

To create the knight and princess, I stamped images multiple times, used the antique linen images as the base for each, then fussy cut out hair, clothes, and embellishments. The castle was stamped on the same gray as the armor, but the paper was sanded twice (before and after stamping) to create a more distant, far-away look. Finally, I tried to incorporate the wisdom of a former painting teacher when composing the card. Pat always said a color should appear three times in a composition. So, Pumice Stone paper was used for the armor, castle and dress embellishment; Victorian Velvet was used for dress, hair embellishment, and helmet plume; Scattered Straw was used for his hair, her hair, and the balloon; and white was used for his teeth, her cloud and balloon string.

Okay, time to move along from this adorable couple.... though I do love them. And, I'm hoping one of our hero's little princesses will, too.  :)

 

OWH Midweek Throwdown: Punny Cards

This isn't the first time I've made the card below. But, I love this retired Stampin' Up! set so much that there are a few more of these little guys going into my next OWH box. So, here's an encore of Happy Dirtday!  :)

Stampin' Up! I Dig You stamp set (retired)
Distress Ink core paper
clouds: Stampin Up! Build a Cupcake punch
garage sale brads

OWH Sketch #212

This last card is an Any Hero card that was made for this week's sketch.

Bo Bunny Anthem on Distress Ink core paper base
Stamper's Best sentiment
sponging with Distress Inks
Fiskars and Paper Studio star punches
Stampin Up! brads; Tombow foam adhesives

I decided to go with a black sentiment to show up better on the patterned paper. Since there was black on some of the other papers in the collection, I thought it would be okay. But, I also felt black brads and a black-cardstock star would help tie in the black sentiment. In addition, I sponged edges with black soot, as well as vintage photo and walnut stain, to add a more vintage look. Finally, I tried to go with three stars in the bottom portion, but was not happy with three of any of the sized punches I have. So, I went with one larger star for the lone embellishment in the bottom half.

Parting Thoughts

Two quick reminders:

• Blog candy in the form of $20 in Really Reasonable Ribbon gift certificates (in honor of the 20th post) are being awarded to those who are have found me here at my new blog. Two $5 certificates and one $10 certificate will be awarded next post. New followers will be eligible.  :)
• February 21 is the deadline for linking up a card for this month's Olympic challenge at Words 2 Scrap By.

Think that's it for today. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Two Challenges.... Two Any Hero Cards

Hi, everyone.

Hope everybody's having a great weekend. Can't believe we've gotten a couple more inches of snow today. At least it can look like spring in the menopause room.

Blog Candy

This is actually the 18th post published at my new blog. So, I'm offering some blog candy to celebrate my upcoming 20th post.

To thank those of  you who have followed me here, and to welcome those of you who would like to join us, I will be giving gift certificates to Really Reasonable Ribbon to three lucky followers: two $5 certificates and one $10 certificate.

To qualify, just sign up to follow before post #21. :)

Today's Cards

I have two cards -- one inspired by the CAS-ual Fridays challenge to make a card featuring something that extends off the card's edge(s) and the one inspired by OWH Sketch #211.

Distress Ink core paper; Authentique Pride
Stamper's Best sentiment in Distress Ink chipped sapphire
Paper Smooches twine; sequins, adhered with Glossy Accents

Bo Bunny Anthem; Bazzill Admiral
Crate Paper Cottage Collection (for neutral matting between dp)
Recollections jute; garage sale brads
Unity sentiment in StazOn black
Tombow foam adhesive; Creative Memories cutting system

Parting Thoughts

Think I might have a few hours to work on a couple of mom cards. I was planning on sending in my box later in the month -- or even the beginning of next month. But, it sounds like OWH needs cards sooner than later. :)

A quick reminder about the "colourful" Olympic challenge going on at Words 2 Scrap By.

Finally, enjoy the rest of the weekend! Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Say It with Tags -- or Hexagons

Hi, everyone!

Hope everybody is plowed out by now. Wow, what a winter!

I have two cards to share. But, before I do that, a quick reminder that Bobbi's Olympic-sized challenge is going on at W2SB. You have until the 21st to link up a wonderfully "colourful" card.

Card #1: Say It with Tags... and Flowers

American Crafts (peachy keen); Distress Ink core paper (scattered straw)
Paper Smooches scalloped tag die; Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon
computer-generated sentiment (Lucida Handwriting)
Marvy punch; EK hole punch; Recollections foam adhesive

I first came up with this layout for a thank you card a month or so ago. I really like the triple tag effect. And, I also like that the flowers have the same top layer of paper as the background paper. It is a nice way to fill space without taking away from the focal point.

I came across a pack of this 2-sided paper at Big Lots -- twenty-five 12 x12 American Craft sheets for $3.00! When I saw it, I immediately thought Mother's Day cards. But, in keeping with Sandy's request to make cards with longer shelf lives, I went with the "For Mom, With Love" sentiment.

 

Card #2: Say It with Hexagons.. and a Banner

MME Breeze; Bazzill black
Stampin' Up! 6-Sided Sampler stamp set and punch
hand-crafted banner with TPC Studio sentiment
(sentiment heat embossed with Distress Ink (lack soot)
Paper Studio brad; Recollections foam adhesives

The card above was inspired by the OWH Midweek Throwdown to make a card featuring hexagons. This is one of those rare occasions when hubby likes a card more than I do. I'm struggling with this not having a strong focal point -- feeling like the hexagons and banner are pulling at each other. But, I like the arrangement of the hexagons, and the palette. A gray, yellow, black, and white palette is an atypical choice for me. I need to keep in mind how much I like the papers in this collection. :)

Parting Thoughts

Can't believe February is only 6 days old. What I wouldn't give for a spring day... Thank heaven for this menopause room and this card-making addiction hobby of mine.  :)

As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

OWH's 2014 Card Bowl -- A SUPER IDEA!

Hi, everyone!

Looks like OWH is having a SUPER fun party this weekend! Hope you can join in the fun.

First, two quick announcements:

• Today marks the posting of Challenge #2 at Words 2 Scrap By. Thanks to Bobbi for providing a colourful challenge for our second month. Entries must be linked by February 21 to be in the running for this month's prize package. And, thanks again to everyone who joined in the fun last month!
• Today also marks the 3rd anniversary of Paper Smooches! Paper Smooches is one of my all-time favorite companies -- and was the sponsor of the very first W2SB challenge. Congrats, Kim! Can't wait to see what you have in mind for us this upcoming year.  :)

Now on to the OWH fun -- three challenges in three days!

Challenge #1: Make a masculine card featuring Broncos or Seahawks colors.
 

paper: stash faux basketball leather; Bazzill admiral; stash gray
Zip'E Cut alphabet dies; EK border punch
inside: Paper Studio star punch

Okay, so I guess this officially counts for the Broncos. When push comes to shove, that's probably who I will be pulling for. But, I really don't have a horse in this race. So, my real inspirations for the card were my beloved hubby, a former b-ball coach who is my MVP, and the team closest to my heart, the Chicago Bears.

There are two things I absolutely love about this card. The first is this to-die-for basketball-textured paper, which was purchased long ago for a scrapbook that never got made.

The second thing I loved was being able to effortlessly use dies -- real-life dies. Those letters were created using alphabet dies on admiral blue and basketball paper. A $10 raffle ticket on a holiday basket at work resulted in winning $50 in Michael's gift cards. Those gift cards, and a 50% off coupon, were all I needed to break down and finally buy a Big Shot/Kick! I truly feel like a kid in a candy store when I look at all those fabulous Paper Smooches dies!  :)

 

Challenge #2: Make a masculine card with brown for our ODBD challenge.



paper: Bo Bunny Trail Mix; Distress Ink core; Bazzill black
Cuttlebug embossing folder
Paper Smooches ribbon; Paper Studio brads
Recollections and Tombow foam adhesives

This card is bittersweet. The bitter part is that the Bo Bunny paper was purchased during Archiver's going-out-of-business sale.

The sweet parts are Paula's Bootcamp lessons, the focal point image, and the ribbon treatment. I was struggling with the color combo until I remembered Paula's 60-30-10 rule and added a touch of black. I also liked using a small portion of the full embossed image to create the card's focal point. Finally, I like the ribbon technique, which was created by taking a scrap of ribbon, placing it under the longer ribbon, and overlapping the ends. Oh, the ribbon is another fabulous Paper Smooches purchase.  :)

Challenge #3: Make a masculine card using Donna's great sketch.

Distress Ink core; Bazzill black
Paper Smooches stamps and dies
computer-generated starbursts
Recollections foam adhesives; Glossy Accents as adhesive

Distress Ink core; Bazzill black
Paper Smooches die
computer-generated sentiment

Okay, did I tell you how much I'm loving my Big Shot? The building and Super Hero on the outside, as well as the car on the inside, were cut using Paper Smooches dies. :)  Alas, the starbursts were created the old-fashioned way: computer-generated and fussy cut.

I really did use Donna's sketch as the inspiration for this card. When I first saw the horizontal strip, I thought of those cute little buildings. Then, came the idea for using a narrow strip and starbursts for the sketch's vertical strip. Finally, I knew our little Super Hero needed to make an appearance. When I realized the direction he would be facing, I placed the vertical strip and starbursts on the right.  :)

But, what's a Sunday Sketch without an Any Hero card. The card below is a little closer to the sketch.

Distress Ink core; Authentique Pride sponged with Distress Inks
Paper Smooches ribbon; Stampin' Up brads
Fiskars and Paper Studio star punches
Recollections foam adhesives


Parting Thoughts

Thanks to OWH for a fun weekend of challenges -- just the right amount!

Hope all the football fans enjoy the game and the non-fans enjoy the commercials.

Have a great week! Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'! And, if you are in the market for an Olympic-themed challenge, don't forget to check out what Bobbi has for us this month at W2SB!

W2SB #2: The Colours of the World

Hi, everyone!

For this month's W2SB challenge, Bobbi is asking us to make an Olympic-inspired card.

The founder of the Modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, said this about the Olympic flag:  

"The Olympic flag has a white background, with five interlaced rings in the centre: blue, yellow, black, green and red. This design is symbolic; it represents the five continents of the world, united by Olympism, while the six colours are those that appear on all the national flags of the world at the present time.”


I chose another quote from Pierre de Coubertin for the card below.

acrylic paints, Recollections and Bazzill cardstock
computer-generated sentiment (Mistral)
Stampin' Up! brads; Tombow foam adhesives

As much as I enjoy the opening ceremony and the medal competitions, my favorite part of the Olympics is the closing ceremony. I love athletes of different countries entering together, not restricted by nationality.

So, I went with an abstract representation of what the closing ceremony means to me. My card showcases spatterings of red, blue, green, and yellow acrylic paints on white paper mounted on black backgrounds.

Parting Thoughts

Bobbi and I are thrilled to welcome Peggy as this month's W2SB Guest I-Teamer! Peggy is a good friend of Bobbi's and the uber-talented designer of the W2SB banner and badges. Welcome, Peggy, and thanks for being such a wonderful partner! So glad we had a chance to meet last year at an Operation Write Home card-making event.

Hope you will all be able to  join us at W2SB for this Olympic-inspired challenge. As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!