Stampin'B Challenge - Diecuts & Piercing

Faith (Markie's Mom) picked a great challenge for the Stampin'Bs this week -- two of my favorite things: diecuts and piercing. Actually, she wanted us to use TWO diecuts. So I used two new ones I got recently, a Labels 13 and a Ribbon Banner.



My image is the large waterlily from Mark's Finest Papers set Floating Along, colored with Copic markers and then cut out using the Labels 13. Because I wanted a smaller mat than I could have gotten using two dies, I laid the die upside-down on a piece of MFP Aqua Light cardstock and traced around the edge. I then cut it out. The sentiment also comes from Floating Along, and I cut it out using one of the banners in Spellbinders' four-piece Ribbon Banners set, sponging inside the die with Tim Holtz Distressed Tumbled Glass.

After cutting a piece of Prima Sweet Fairy DP to fit the front of an A2 card, I glued it down and then attached my stamped, matted image, adding the ribbon banner. Then I pierced the corners. Voila! I was done. Thanks for stopping by.

Stamps: Mark's Finest Papers - Floating Along
Paper: MFP Snow Storm Smooth, Aqua Light; Prima Sweet Fairy DP
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distressed Tumbled Glass
Accessories: Labels 13, Ribbon Banners, Copic markers, Sponge dauber, Pop dots, Paper-piercing tool

Teapot Tuesday

I'm a relatively newcomer to the SCS Teapot Tuesday challenge, hosted by Cindy Motherway (Mothermark). Cindy has got to have the most vivid imagination of anyone I've ever "met." Each week she invites us to a teaparty, describing a situation, and asks the party-goers to make a card based on her story. In most cases, she asks the participants to send their cards to a worthy cause, which she also describes.

This week's challenge story was "Back to School." The challenge was to have a number on your card and additional items to count. For more information, check out the thread. On another note, I recently attended StampFest Orlando and purchased a set of Inky Antics stamps called Catterpillar HoneyPot Set. If you're not familiar with their "HoneyPot" line, they utilize honeycomb paper for the opened centers of the finished card. I used these stamps and honeycomb paper for my Teapot Tuesday card.



The front of my card fulfills the requirements of the Teapot challenge -- Cuttlebug embossed numbers and two apples! Almost anyone can count to two!!!



Inky Antics has a challenge on their blog at the moment for HoneyPop cards. As you can see, I used red honeycomb paper for the apple inside the card. This honeycomb paper makes such a cute card! Don't you just love that inchworm with his bow tie!

Stamps - Inky Antics Catterpiller HoneyPop Set
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper - GP White, DCWV adhesive Red
Accessories - Cuttlebug and Number Collage folder, Sanding block, Copic markers, Labels Four Nestabilities die, Crystal Effects (on glasses), Red HoneyPop honeycomb paper, Spica glitter gel pen

Stampin'B Challenge - Friendship Sentiment

Joanne was the hostess for this week's Stampin'B challenge, and she asked us to use friendship sentiments. I've been wanting to use these little buttons I found a couple of weeks ago at Hobby Lobby, and fortunately Mark's Finest Papers Sew What? set had a friendship sentiment in it.



I found this nice layout in this quarter's Page Maps sketches and used Cosmo Cricket's Material Girl DPs on the layers. I especially like the rows of different colored tape measures.

Many years ago I was into making miniatures. One of my projects was a country store, which I put together in an old aquarium. One corner of the store has some sewing items, including this treadle sewing machine and a dressmakers form.

Stamps: Mark's Finest Papers - Sew What?
Papers: MFP Snow Storm Smooth, Cosmo Cricket Material Girl DP
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distressed Bundled Sage
Accessories: Buttons, Labels Thirteen Nestabilities die, Sponge dauber

Stampin'B Challenge - Punched Border

The Stampin'B challenge this week was to use a border punch. I really like plaids; and, when I recently saw this EK Success plaid border punch, it spoke to me. And I listened! I thought it would look good on a masculine card, so I used a new set from Mark's Finest Papers called All Aboard and made a definite guy card.



After stamping the image, I colored it with Copic markers and matted it with both red and black cs. It didn't fill up the entire horizontal space, so I added the little panel with railroad tracks. The train station in the stamped image reminds me of a train station near the rural town in Pennsylvania where I grew up! That little pewter locomotive is part of my late husband's train memorabilia.

Stamps: Mark's Finest Papers - All Aboard
Paper: MFP Speedy the Cat Black, Red Hots, Snow Storm Smooth
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Copic markers, EK Success Plaid border punch

MFP June Blog Hop - Day 4

Hello! Welcome to the June 2011 MFP New Releases Blog Hop!

This week's new releases are: All Aboard, Poppies Poppies Poppies, Sand Surf Relax, and Floating Along.

For your convenience, all these sets are available TODAY at Mark's Finest Papers.

So, do you want to WIN today's Featured Stamp Set: Floating Along? (If you don't want to wait to win, you can always purchase the sets right away! We'll substitute a set from NEXT month's release if today's winner has already purchased this set!) I'm not an official part of the Blog Hop today. But I'm thankful that you stopped by to see what I did with today's set. To get the chance to win Floating Along, be sure to comment on the blogs of the team members listed below.

Some time ago I saw a tutorial for a recessed window card and thought that the large water lily would look pretty in that setting. I made the card base using MFP Lily Pad and Prima Sweet Fairy DP. The background for the water lily is a mottled cardstock called Aged Berry. After stamping and coloring the water lily, I cut it out and popped it up in the center of the "window." Then I decorated it with some pearls and the punched butterfly.



For my second card I used a layout I found on Page Maps, using DPs from the Prima Fairy Flora paper pad.



For my final look into my late husband's train memorabilia, I chose a few of the Hallmark ornaments from a set of tin trains. I hope you enjoyed that I shared some of his passion with you.



For your chance to win: Comment on the following Design Team members' blogs TODAY before midnight EDT. There will be ONE random winner chosen from the comments on today's Blog Hop blogs. That winner will win Floating Along. We will announce the winner's name on tomorrow's blog post.

Emily
Nancyruth
Neva
Silvia
Faith
Claudine
Dawn
Marilynn
Patricia
Chrissy
Karen
Pam
Joanne
Kittie
Sharon-Guest Designer for June
Mark’s Finest Papers

MFP June Blog Hop - Day 3 and Stampin'B Challenge

Hello! Welcome to the June 2011 MFP New Releases Blog Hop!

This week's new releases are: All Aboard, Poppies Poppies Poppies, Sand Surf Relax, and Floating Along.

For your convenience, all these sets are available TODAY at Mark's Finest Papers.

So, do you want to WIN today's Featured Stamp Set: Sand Surf Relax? (If you don't want to wait to win, you can always purchase the sets right away! We'll substitute a set from NEXT month's release if today's winner has already purchased this set!) I'm not an official member of the Blog Hop today, but I'm glad you stopped by to see my projects. To get a chance to win today's set, be sure to visit the Design Team Blogs listed below.

My first card is serving double-duty: MFP Blog Hop and Stampin'Bs challenge. I was the hostess this week. One of the things I'm trying to force myself to do is making more CAS cards. I'm not really comfortable leaving lots of "white" space. So this was actually a challenge more to myself than to the rest of the team. 1-2-3 was my challenge (one layer, two stamps, three colors). One of the things I like to do with CAS cards is embossing a frame around the focal image using Nestabilities. So after I stamped the large conch shell, I embossed the Labels One nestie around it and then sponged in the blue.



Another thing I like to do is create cards that are not standard A2 cards. I joined Technique Junkies some time ago, and one of the techniques in the June/July 2011 newsletter was a Telescoping Card. What a clever idea!



In my former life, I was a cross-stitcher. I had joined a group of stitchers who would do round-robin projects. Each person started a project and then sent it along to the next person, who sent it along to the next person, etc. One of my projects was this train, which is hanging in my upstairs hallway.



For your chance to win: Comment on the following Design Team members' blogs TODAY before midnight EDT. There will be ONE random winner chosen from the comments on today's Blog Hop blogs. That winner will win Sand, Surf, Relax. We will announce the winner's name on tomorrow's blog post.

Emily
Nancyruth
Neva
Silvia
Faith
Claudine
Dawn
Marilynn
Patricia
Chrissy
Karen
Pam
Joanne
Kittie
Sharon-Guest Designer for June
Mark’s Finest Papers

MFP June Blog Hop - Day 2

Hello! Welcome to the June 2011 MFP New Releases Blog Hop!

This week's new releases are: All Aboard, Poppies Poppies Poppies, Sand Surf Relax, and Floating Along.

For your convenience, all these sets are available TODAY at Mark's Finest Papers.

So, do you want to WIN today's Featured Stamp Set: Poppies, Poppies, Poppies? (If you don't want to wait to win, you can always purchase the sets right away! We'll substitute a set from NEXT month's release if the winner has already purchased this set!) Be sure to visit the DT blogs listed below if you want a chance to win this set.

I decided that I would make two cards using Poppies Poppies Poppies, but that they would not be standard A2 cards. Instructions for both cards can be found in the Resources section of Splitcoaststampers. My first card is a Center Step card. I used DP from Cosmo Cricket's Pixie-Licious paper pad, along with some Basic Grey half-pearls.



My second card is a Swinging Z-Fold card. I decided that I wanted red poppies this time, so I used Copic markers R20, R24, R27, R29. The DP is from DCWV Crafty Stack.




This train is a limited edition piece from Trains Gone By, made from Georgia marble.



For your chance to win: Comment on the following Design Team members' blogs TODAY before midnight EDT. There will be ONE random winner chosen from the comments on today's Blog Hop blogs. That winner will win POPPIES, POPPIES, POPPIES. We will announce the winner's name on tomorrow's blog post.

Lois (that's me)
Dawn
Anne
Peggysue
Connie
Emily
Karen
Patty
Roxie
Vicki
Liz
Geri
Lynn
Lagene-Guest Designer for June
Mark’s Finest Papers

MFP June Blog Hop - Day 1

Hello! Welcome to the June 2011 MFP New Releases Blog Hop!

This week's new releases are: All Aboard, Poppies Poppies Poppies, Sand Surf Relax, and Floating Along.

For your convenience, all these sets are available TODAY at Mark's Finest Papers.

So, do you want to WIN today's Featured Stamp Set: All Aboard? (If you don't want to wait to win, you can always purchase the sets right away! We'll substitute a set from NEXT month's release if today's winner has already purchased this set!) In order to win, be sure to visit the blogs of the rest of the DT listed at the end of this post.

When I first saw today's set, I got a lump in my throat because my late husband was a train enthusiast. One of the sentiments in this set is "Choo Choo," which is the name our grandkids called him. He would definitely have loved this stamp set.

My first project is actually a little box I made using the tutorial on Splitcoaststampers. After making the box, I covered it with some harlequin DP I had in my stash -- it matches the design on that cute little locomotive.



For my card I stamped the train station scene and then colored it using Copic markers. I thought the map DP was rather appropriate behind the focal image.



As I mentioned above, my husband loved trains and had lots of train memorabilia in his "train room." I'd love to share some of that with you during the Blog Hop. You probably noticed the pewter trains I included in the photos of my projects. They are part of a set I bought him from the Franklin Mint -- birthday and Christmas presents for several years. Below are three more locomotives from that set.



For your chance to win: Comment on the following Design Team members' blogs TODAY before midnight EDT. There will be ONE random winner chosen from the comments on today's Blog Hop blogs. That winner will win ALL ABOARD. We will announce the winner's name on tomorrow's blog post.

Lois (that's me)
Dawn
Anne
Peggysue
Connie
Emily
Karen
Patty
Roxie
Vicki
Liz
Geri
Lynn
Lagene-Guest Designer for June
Mark’s Finest Papers

Stampin'B Challenge - Masculine

Our Stampin'Bs challenge hostess for this week was Brenda (Benzi), who asked us to do a masculine card -- using brown, black and one other color of our choosing. I chose RED.

Take Time & Father's Day from Mark's Finest Papers is one of my favorite sets to make masculine cards. I just found a DCWV matstack called Tattered Time, which has some great DP to go along with the images from the stamp set.



My cardbase is MFP Licorice Whips, a 100-lb. cardstock. I stippled the Desert Sand with some Memento Rich Cocoa to give it a little texture. The rest is pretty self-explanatory. Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Stamps: Mark's Finest Papers - Take Time & Father's Day
Paper: MFP Licorice Whips, Ripened Tomato, Desert Sand; DCWV Tattered Time DP
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories: Stipple brush, Brads, Circle Nestabilities