Stars and Stamps sketch challenge #14

Can you believe we are at sketch #14 already on the Stars and Stamps blog? Shirley S designed this one for us. I realized I left out the center back strip on both cards! Sorry about that. Lately this card says it all for me, lol. My batteries are totally run down. This rabbit is another Mo Manning's digital image.

http://digitalpenciltoo.blogspot.com/ Both cards were colored with Prismacolor pencils and highlighted with gel pens. This fun acoustic guitar design is a freebie from cocodingo http://cocodingo.blogspot.com/ I added the stamped stars. The Guitar Hero stamps are Studio G clear stamps. The background paper is a DCWV design. The guitar cord strip and the sentiment were sponged with Distress and other inks.

Miss you dear

I really enjoyed the play of making this pair of cards. The new Distress inks I'd gotten hadn't been taken out for a test drive yet so this was my chance. A book I pulled out of the recycle bin is just right for coloring and printing over. The text is unintelligible so it isn't distracting from the images. The deer are part of a digital freebie I fell in love with.

The layer under the deer is from the newspaper, the stocks! Brayered with distress inks it made a touch of color and pattern. Worked for me, lol.

The sentiments were printed using the computer. The scrolly bits on this bottom card are an Inkadinkado stamp. On the top card I added some punched bits in black.

Stars and Stamps sketch challenge #13

This week's sketch Challenge is from Karen G. Hi Karen! My card also happens to be part of a challenge by Karen on the Stamphaven site.

http://www.stamphaven.com/ It happens to be a materials challenge so the pretty pink paper and pink embellishments are from that package. The letters are made with Sizzix dies. I sure love my glue pen for putting together the letters and sticking them to the card. The oval 'love' is a Studio G stamp. I used a little Diamond Glaze on the heart paper embellishment.

Joie de vivre

Jen's SFYTT sized for an A2 card with measurements added. You can find her unaltered sketch on her wonderful blog. http://iheart2stamp.com/ I deeply love Mo Manning's drawings of Mummu. She is just who I want to be when I grow up!

I used Prismacolor pencils and some Distress inks. Somehow I had a bunch of scraps the perfect colors to go with the printed background paper so it came together quickly. That is so rare for me. This card is going to my Mom.

Double Delight!

Well as you can see I added the measurements to my copy of Peggy's sketch. It makes it so easy for me to create the card from it that way. By making up 2 cards I filled to challenges at the same time. The sketch is from Mo's Challenge blog so that is one of the challenges. And making a card up twice, one in a masculine style and one in a feminine style is a challenge at the OWH Stars and Stamps blog.

This little sweetie is a new-ish image from Mo Manning, Baby Fairy Flora. I colored her with Prismacolor pencils and added some diamond glaze to her wings and the tiny bees.

This dude and his dog are clearly having a blast! The image is It's Hot, also from Mo Manning. This image is also colored with Prismacolor pencils. The water is highlighted with Diamond Glaze too.

The sentiment for both cards is computer printed. I used a selection of great tools; Cuttlebug embossing folder, Martha Stewart & SU! punches, Nestabilities dies and Distress inks.

Stars and Stamps sketch challenge # 12

Carol's sketch is a good one for showing off patterned paper and a simple stamped image. At least it worked for me ;-) A few years back I found a roll of wrapping paper with fun beer labels on it. Perfect for cards for guys. Then I found a set of Studio G stamps which included a beer mug. Obviously I had to buy it. The smiley face was added. The sentiment was made on the computer. Fun to make!

Playful anniversary card

Another anniversary card for Operation Write Home. I'm very sorry to say I don't know where I got this wonderful vintage frog ad. He is such a hoot and I've used him before for a funny Valentine card. The small crown stamp is from Quiet Fire Designs. The sentiment and image were printed on the computer. The frog's crown was cut and pasted onto the image.

Yin Yang gatefold card

Michael Strong was just in The Netherlands doing a stamp show and visiting with Hetty Sanders. They made a fun video tutorial for a gatefold card using Michael's Octagon stamps. While I don't have that stamp yet I do have his Paisley set with which I made this version of the card in their video. You can see that tutorial video by visiting Michael's blog. http://www.blog.strongstamps.com/

The very first time I can remember hearing of Michael Strong was on the Gingerwood message board. The stampers were raving about seeing him on the Carol Duvall show. When I finally figured out how to see him on that show I learned about his Faux Cloisonne technique. The paisley's on this card were done using it. So fun to have come a full circle on this one!

Anniversary cards

These are for my self challenge of making anniversary cards for Operation Write Home. This card was embossed with a Quickutz embossing folder (thanks Ann!). The hearts are cut with Nestabilities and the sentiment is computer printed. I love this elegant font from Kingsthings.

I found some lovely poem sentiments at http://www.cardmaking.info/ that I liked. This one felt right for a couple who are separated during the deployment of one of them. The swallow stamp is by Studio G.

This one uses another poem from Card Making Info. It was fun to use the option of making one for a husband and another for a wife. The piercing design is a freebie from Fred, She Said. http://fred-she-said.blogspot.com/ The border punch I used on this one is from EK Success.

This one is so sweet! Another piercing design from Fred, She Said.

I'm still planning to do more Anniversary cards!

Prince Charming

Is he charming or what? This guy is a Mo Manning digital stamp. I read on one of the Stars and Stamps member's blogs (Hi Caro!) that not enough anniversary cards are available for service women to send home to their husbands. I've been making cards for OWH for a long time and I can't remember ever making one myself. It was time to do something about that!

This blue and brown one also fills the current color challenge from the Stars and Stamps blog.

I'm pretty 'challenged' by color challenges so the current challenge from Mo's Digital Challenge blog has been hard. In fact I still haven't succeeded though I tried! It was to be black, white, kraft, and one more color. Yep, no kraft on this one, lol. I did have fun making it though. Hope one of our service women will find it suits her needs.

Stars and Stamps color challenge

The color challenge today on the Stars and Stamps blog is Browns and Blues. This is one of my favorite color combos so it was very fun to whip up this card. The blue patterned papers are envelope liners. The sentiment stamp is from Hampton Arts. The blue glass star is from my stash but came from Michaels long ago I believe. It is a very simple card I made from today's sketch on SCS.

Stars and Stamps sketch #11 & *Wink *Wink Ink challenge

Here is this week's sketch by Caryl for the Stars and Stamps Blog. I used a free digital image, Rainy Day, from *Wink *Wink Ink http://www.winkwinkink.com/ . They have a monthly challenge. April's is to use a border punch and one of their digital images. Both the border punches I used are from Martha Stewart. The grass punch was perfect here. This was a fun digital stamp to color. This little bear will be heading off to Operation Write Home and from there he will get to travel far away before coming home to a loved one. Hope this little guy will be welcomed!

Motorcycle

How's this for something a little different? Yesterday I found this cool motorcycle digital stamp as a freebie from Bird at http://www.birdscards.com/Default.aspx?tabid=65 . What a great masculine image! Of course I do know that lots of women ride motorcycles too ;-)
[Thank you Lori for letting me know I had put up the wrong blog for the free motorcycle digital image! It is fixed now.]

One of the fun techniques from the current issue of The Technique Junkies Newsletter is the Paper Peeling. I'm afraid you can't see mine very well but I had fun making it. http://www.patstamps.com/Newsletter.html

I used Spellbinders dies and one from Sizzix.

Smell Carrots? TCP challenge

I love this clear stamp set from The Cat's Pajamas. It is so playful and humorous I was excited to pull it out again this year and make my Easter cards and treats. These little carrot boxes contain Dove dark chocolates. Yum! You can find the template for the box on Split Coast Stampers here- http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=328272 shared by Kreations by Kris . In addition to the sneaky, carrot stalking wabbit stamp I used the sentiment stamp and the carrots and grass stamps from this same TCP Beans & Bunnies & Peeps, Oh My! stamp set. They were colored with Prismacolor pencils. The punches are both Martha Stewart punches. Lucky, lucky me won the grass border punch in the recent OWH blog hop from the talented and generous cardmaker, Cathy. Check out her blog- http://monkeydreamz.blogspot.com/