Good Friend - Curtain Call #36

Welcome to this week's Curtain Call Challenge!  Are you going to join us this week?  I sure hope so.  This week's colors could go masculine, patriotic...what will you do with them?

I decided on patriotic, not a real stretch with these colors, but I need to go with the easy things in life these days!

I am mostly pleased with this card.  I do like my "sparklers" from the the set Good Friend.  I'm also pleased with the Crumb Cake (formerly Kraft) ink stamped on the Crumb Cake cardstock.  I'm not so pleased with the bottom and my tinsel and rick rack border.  Originally I was playing with a striped ribbon treatment.  It was OK, but very bulky so I took it off!  I'm not convinced this is any better, but I went with it!

Make sure to check out the rest of the Curtain Call Crew this week!

Amy White @ Devlinwhite Designs
Andrea Roose @ Andrea Scrap - und Stampel-Blog
Iwona Palamountain (Chupa) @ Random Acts of Creativity
Julie Smith @ Paper and Such
Lea Lawson @ Lea's Cupcakes & Sunshine
Marisa Ritzen @ Rosemary Reflections
Melissa Hubert@ My Paper Obsession
Sue Kohler@ My Inner Reflection

Our June guest designer, Christina MacLaren @ Seaglass and Sentiments

And our leader....Stacey @ Stacey's Stamping Stage

Remember, if want to join us, link to your creation on Stacey's post.  At the end of the challenge period she will choose 5 great projects that will earn the Curtain Call Show Stopper badge.  One talented person will get the Lead in this week's Curtain Call!

More Medallion Fun

I've made it known how much I love the Medallion background stamp. I like trying to find new ways to use it. When I first saw Arielle's challenge photo over at Color Q I thought, "These colors will be a REAL challenge." After a second look I thought of the Medallion stamp. Doesn't this picture make you think of Spanish tile? So, that was the direction I went.
I wish I had taken a picture of the Tangerine Tango stamped with the Medallion on it. That image alone would have made a nice card! Really beautiful! I hated to cover it up! In the end, the result is pretty much what I had intended.
It was a happy accident this card fit Mary Jo's sketch challenge at Techno Stamper. I think it was in my subconscious because after I made it, I knew it was a challenge sketch!
So, it's been a quiet week on the blog. Not so much in my personal life! I'm looking forward to more stamping time! I'll be seeing you very soon with another card for Stacey's Curtain Call!

Another Day, Another Card, Another Snow Day!

Yes, you read correctly, another snow day. I think this is our 4th. Already the school district has taken away every in-service day between now and Easter, PLUS shortened our five day spring break down to four. Still, I LOVE SNOW DAYS! I stamped all day except for the time I was shoveling!

I have tackled 8 challenges today! At this rate I will have to post more than one a day, since all the challenges only run about a week. Now to be honest, I did combine on most cards. So, a color challenge with a sketch challenge, etc. I have more to tackle so it's almost a prerequisite.
This sketch comes from Mary Jo aka Techno Stamper. I was immediately drawn to it because I love working with circles. I've been wanting to make this card for a couple years now. I had the image from Crab & Company all stamped, colored and ready to go. The thing I lacked was inspiration. This came to me pretty quick. I went with the same DSP I used a couple days ago. It's an oldie, but I LOVE Pink Passion, Pretty In Pink and Pumpkin Pie together. The sentiment I printed on the computer. The stacked hearts are from Loads of Love.I hope you don't mind seeing retired sets. I used a lot of them today. I want to give them some love before my order of new stuff comes next week! See you soon!

Splitcoast Inspiration Challenge

I've made it no secret of my love of challenges. It gets me stamping when I could easily go do something else. So, I've been trying to do lots of them this week.

Everyday Splitcoast Stampers has some sort of challenge. On Saturday I happened to check out the Inspiration Challenge. It looked really good! Lots of great images to choose from. The inspiration came from the Etsy shop, Design Spirit's Studio.

I chose the piece HERE. And here's my card!The card was a pretty straight-forward interpretation. I started with a piece of Apricot Appeal cardstock. I sponged it with Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie and Really Rust. I matted it on Basic Black, did my stitching and then mounted on my Pumpkin Pie card base. I didn't add any embellishments, but I was happy that at the end that I stitched around the outside twice. It really added something it was lacking.

I'm trying to get into my crafting room tonight for more stamping! Although so far, the computer is keeping me occupied!

Kristina's Color Inspiration #2

I can't believe it is Wednesday already! this week is just whizzing by! I haven't been stamping, I've been preoccupied with other pursuits. Primarily, scrapbooking and gardening. I have lots of clean-up to do in the yard and the weather is nice....for now!

This card for Kristina's second Color Inspiration was tough. Of the four colors, Wild Wasabi, Blush Blossom, Groovy Guava, and So Saffron, the only ink I have is the So Saffron. I used it in the white background with Stitched. Luckily, I do have all the cardstock. I love how the punches coordinate with the stamps in the Polka Dot Punches set. The 5 Petal Punch has always been a favorite of mine, so no surprise this is the first one used out of the four! The images aren't ink, just clear embossed.

I'm off to stamp! So, see you soon!

Kristina's Color Inspiration #4

Good morning! Here it is, Thursday morning. I missed my post last night. I was going to do it....didn't. Then, at 11:00pm on my way to bed I realized I still had not posted. Darn.

Well, today's card for Kristina's Color Inspiration is one of her very first. Doesn't this scene just make you long for those warm summer days? I know I am ready for some "warm" weather. It should be in the 50's here today. I'll be taking advantage and cleaning all the winter sand out of my garage. All you northerners know what I'm talking about!

I have to say, I have borderline obsession with using my scraps. Sometimes it gets me in trouble. Takes my card to very bad place! This card came to me very quickly when I saw these Chocolate Chip circles in my scrap file. The cuttlebug embossing folder reminds me of bamboo and gives a whole tropical feel I think. The leaves are part of the Five Petal Punch. I thought about leaving them blank but couldn't resist stamping them with the leaves from last year's Sale-A-Bration set Friendship Blooms. The sentiment comes from So Many Sayings.

I have a little bit of news from my last post. Funny how things work. The day after I posted that card I get an e-mail from Splitcoast Stampers. This card won the "As You Wish" challenge based on the Princess Bride movie! Boy, was I floored! I've won a little something. I have no idea what it is. When it comes in the mail I'll be sure to post about it. So, get out there and do those challenges!

Giving Thanks to Teachers

My friend Deb asked me to create a card she could make in mass and give a set to the teachers at the end of the school year. I've seen many examples of this card and truthfully, there are a lot of similarities. One blog that inspired me was Melissa's over at Creative Treasure's. It's cute, fun and easy, so how can you go wrong? I've used the very popular Summer Picnic designer paper (DP) and the apple from Tart and Tangy. Both are only available in the Occasions mini through the end of May. The sentiment is from the retired hostess set So Many Sayings.