Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Color Throwdown #174


It's time for another Color Throwdown challenge, and this week Broni is our hostess with these beautiful colors!  There are so many directions you can go in with this color combo, as you'll see by checking out the inspiration from the design team (see links below).  Stop over at the Throwdown blog for all the challenge details, and play along!

For my card, I couldn't resist using my brand new Clearly Swanky stamp set from The Cat's Pajamas, Warm Fuzzies!  This set is right up my alley because yes, even though we just had Christmas I am MORE than ready for Spring to get here!  TAMMY. DOESN'T. LIKE. WINTER!  I added some embossing to my card for today too in the form of big polka dots for the TCP Tuesday challenge.


See what my Throwdown sisters have created for today, too!



Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!



Timeless Tuesday #151


It's another Timeless Tuesday challenge with Flourishes, and this week I'm the hostess with a simple inspiration challenge!  Check out the photo below and be inspired... maybe by the patterns, the colors, the ribbons, the tree itself... whatever floats your boat!  Have fun with this!


For my card, I was inspired by the topiary, the colors and the patterns so I pulled out my DIY Topiary stamp set to get started.  Since the lovey-dovey Valentine season is almost upon us, I decided to make a Valentine-themed card, using a sentiment from the Tag Lines stamp set.  My image was cut out with a Labels 8 Nestabilities die, and I colored my Topiary with Copics from the Poppy, Dogwood, Evergreen, Flesh Tones 2 and Warm Neutrals Copic collections on Flourishes Classic White cardstock.  The designer papers I used here are from Doodlebug Designs, and I added some red curly grid ribbon to my button/tag combo to mimic the curly-Qs in the inspiration photo.


Be sure and see how the other Timeless Tuesday designers were inspired by the photo today...

Cheryl Lea, January Guest Designer

Be sure to stop at the Flourishes blog for all the challenge details, including some changes to the rules for playing that I think a lot of people will like!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!


Friday, January 6, 2012

Flourishes Pre-Release Challenge Friday

It's time again for my favorite part of the month... Flourishes New Release!  It’s a new year and a new round of Flourishes stamps is just about ready to be revealed! So, let’s ring in this new year, with a release week challenge designed to honor the changing of old…to new!
HOW TO PLAY: Ring in the new year with “Father Time” or “Baby New Year” – this challenge is a fight between new and old! To be in the running, simply use a card that showcases an image of time or one that showcases little baby new year i.e. a baby card. Either will get you in the running! After you’re done making your creation, don’t forget to link it up on the Flourishes blog post using the Inlinkz widget! You have until January 13th at 5:00 PM to get in the running! Use Flourishes stamps if you have them, but if you don’t, play along anyway — you could win some! The winner will recieve all three sets that are a part of our January release! If you upload to Splitcoaststampers, don’t forget to use the keyword FLLCJANRW2.

I don't currently have a baby stamp set from Flourishes, so I pulled out my Moments in Time set to create my card for today's challenge, and paired it with some new Echo Park "Yours Truly" paper.  I stamped my clock face and embossed with clear embossing powder and embellished with a pearl stick pin and some black Prima crystal swirls.  For the layout on my card, I used Karen's Sweet Sunday sketch #149.


Please visit the other Flourishes Sr. Design team members for more inspiration and join us for this challenge! AND stay tuned next Wednesday through Friday for sneak peeks of all the new stamp sets!  You're going to LOVE them!


Many thanks for stopping by today, and happy stamping!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Color Throwdown #173


The Color Throwdown team is back for the year, and we've got a few exciting changes for you, too!  Barbara Anders is working on some fabulous new color graphics for us, starting with the one above with the colors for this week!  I think you'll really like what we've got in store for 2012!

Now, I'm running late with my card today because I had a screaming migraine yesterday and couldn't get my card done, but I happily have it done now!  I had to use my sweet Key to My Heart ala' mode stamp from My Favorite Things, along with a little heart cut with my Hearts a'Plenty Die-Namics die, and used the MFT Wednesday Sketch #53, too.  The papers I used here are the "Love Me" line from My Mind's Eye.


Stop over at the Color Throwdown blog for all the challenge details, and play along!  We'd love to see what you create with these colors!  And visit my Throwdown sisters for some great inspiration, including our January Guest Designer, my sweet friend Stacy Morgan!




Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy stamping!


Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Timeless Tuesday #150


 The Flourishes Timeless Tuesday team is back again to kick of 2012 with a fun challenge being hosted by Mona Pendleton!  Check out this tutorial on Splitcoaststampers for Cami's Tri-Fold card, and join us for the challenge!  These are easy cards to make with a fun twist!

For my card, I'm using the Tokens of Affection stamp set and some new Valentine papers from Doodlebug Designs.  Here's the front of my card with a sentiment and tea cups from the stamp set.  My image is colored on Flourishes Classic White cardstock with Copics from the Poppy, Dogwood and Flesh Tones 2 collections.


And here's the inside of my card, with another sentiment from the stamp set.  


The Timeless Tuesday team will surely have more awesome inspiration for you with their tri-fold cards today, so be sure to stop by their blogs as well as our new January Guest Designer, too!

Cheryl Lea, January Guest Designer
Silke Ledlow
Mona Pendleton
Makiko Jones
Heather Jensen
Cindy Haffner
Beate Johns

Be sure to stop at the Flourishes blog for all the challenge details, including some changes to the rules for playing that I think a lot of people will like!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Year-2011 Favorites

I have always found it fun the last few years to take a look back at my blogging year and pick my favorite cards from each month, so here goes.  I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I always do!

In January, this card for Color Throwdown #125 using a beautiful stamp from Verses Rubber Stamps was at the top of my favorites list for the whole year, too.

Do you ever make cards that you're so pleased with that you can't help but keep going back to them and looking?  This February Timeless Tuesday birthday card using the Friendly Reminders set from Flourishes was like that for me!

As I recall, I had quite a few favorites in March and had to do some serious narrowing down of the competition.  In the end, this Penny Black duck still just stole my heart, from another Color Throwdown challenge.

This special birthday card back in April, combined with another Timeless Tuesday challenge was a no-brainer as far as my favorite for that month.  I used the Lenten Rose stamp set from Flourishes on this card, along with my recently-acquired High Tea Party Doily Die-Namics die from My Favorite Things of which I am still madly in love with 8 months later!  :)

The beach scene created on this card for May had me dreaming of warm temps and sunny shores, for sure.  This vacation-themed card for the Crazy 4 Challenges team was high-ranking for May, using the Beach Life stamp set from Flourishes.

Another Timeless Tuesday card took top honors for June using the Butterflies & Blossoms stamp set from Flourishes.

July's favorite card led me to this creation for a Bellarific Friday Sketch challenge, using some distress inks for the background and a few Stamping Bella stamps.

In August, I pulled out some Kitchen Sink Stamps that Maria was kind enough to gift me with when she visited Ohio back in June to create some fabulous hot pink cowgirl boots on this card!  I'd love to have a pair of boots like these!

Several times in 2011 I was honored to join the fabulously talented girls on the Stamp Simply Store team in some challenges, and this card from a suede ribbon challenge back in September was hands-down a fave!

In October, another card created for a Color Throwdown challenge was the front-runner featuring one of my most favorite characters in stamping... Mavis!

November's favorite card was this Timeless Tuesday creation for Flourishes using the Vintage Postcard stamp set, and the Dryer Sheet Technique.  I find it hard now to contemplate trying this technique on another card, because it just seems so perfectly suited for this stamp set!  LOL

And finally in December, one of my most-recent favorite cards was this one using the newly released Pears set from Flourishes.  This stamp set can have you dreaming of warmer weather and fresh fruit, for sure!

On top of these cards, a LOT of my favorites for 2011 were also created for the Dirty Dozen galleries at Splitcoaststampers... a team I'm incredibly proud to have joined this past year!  I can't show you some of those cards here on my blog as yet, but if you're a Fan Club member at SCS you can hop over to my gallery by clicking here to see them!

AND if you're not a Fan Club member, you really should be especially if you're someone like me who has gotten years of encouragement and inspiration from visiting SCS.  Yes, it's a free site to use but I have always been a Fan Club member as a way to give back to a community who has given me so much.  Please consider a half or full year membership if you feel the same way to show your appreciation!

I wish you many of God's blessings in 2012, and happy stamping!  Thanks for stopping by!