Stamps, Paper, and Ink

Terrific Tuesday - Inspiration Challenge!

Terrific Tuesday Challenge is here! I wanted to try an inspiration challenge for you and I couldn't resist this page from the Crate and Barrel Catalog.  You know I love bright colors and flowers and this is full of options for those!

I encourage you to find a bit of inspiration here and let your imagination go with it! Play along and post a link of your project to share with all of us!  As an added bonus,on Monday, June 16 I will randomly select one of the participants to receive a gift! If you are new to challenges, here's more.

Please check the beautiful work of my favorite design team for further inspiration. These talented friends inspire me, I love seeing what they've come up with.

Denise Lynn
Jackie Wright
Julie Beach


Now, here's the card I have for you today. The collection of plates inspired me to use circles, clean colors and lines, and - of course - flowers on my card! It measures 4 - 3/4" square.  The blossoms are popped up with a double layer of foam tape so they really stand out!


Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Paisley, Live Your Dream
Paper: barely banana, whisper white, bashful blue designer prints
Ink: barely banana, real red
Other: real red, summer sun, and garden green markers; corner rounder, red wide grosgrain ribbon, 1 - 1/4" circle and hole punch, brights buttons

Terrific Tuesday Challenge - Color: outside the box

Welcome to this month's Terrific Tuesday Challenge!  Do you have a color of card stock that you just never use? Maybe you just forget about it, or it gets overlooked because, well - you don't just love it. :) Or could it be that you just haven't taken the time to explore the options for using it? This month's challenge is to pick a color you don't often use, try to see it in a new light, and use it on your card. Upload a photo to your blog or gallery and post a link in the comments.

New to challenges? Find help here.

Need inspiration? Here's a surprise for you! I've asked three talented and very special stampers to join me in my monthly challenges. Please welcome Denise, Jackie and my daughter, Julie!  Be sure to check out their samples and enjoy their fabulous work. We are all hoping you will give the challenge a try.

Denise Lynn

Jackie Wright

Julie Beach

Need a few suggestions?
use the color sparingly
try it with two colors that you just love
take inspiration from a patterned paper or embellishment that uses it
look for it in other places to inspire you - artwork, nature,fashion, etc.

One more thing - here's my card!

I used Glorious Green.  Not my favorite color. I combined it with two colors that I really like - night of navy and real red. Adding lots of white gave it a bold look.

I can't wait to see your creations!

Recipe -
Stamps: Bodacious Bouquet, Polkadots, For a Friend
Paper: whisper white, real red, glorious green, night of navy
Ink: craft white, real red night of navy, glorious green, pumpkin pie
Other: key tag punch, Style Silver HH, Jersey Shore ribbon originals, uniball-signo gel pen

Boho West meets Season of Joy at River Rock: Today is Terrific Tuesday Challenge!

Does this title sound like the name of an old western movie?  I don't know for sure, but one thing I do know is that I mixed up elements of several sets on this card.  I must still be in the mix-up mode from yesterday's patterned paper challenge! Today is the color challenge at SCS using river rock (one of my favorites!), basic black, and white.  Such a classic and elegant combination.
My Terrific Tuesday Challenge (new? read details here) for you is to use two or more stamp sets or accessories that go with stamp sets like a wheel to make your card.  Anything different from the stamp set, background stamp, word set scenario.  Look at sets that have similar elements in them, or just come up with a zany combination. The point is to have fun and to share what you've made here with us.

Here's my card.  Guess what I still love? Chunky glitter in the center of my flower! Other touches were  adding texture with my classy brass template and making a large scalloped circle that fits behind the white scallop punched piece.  I'll show you how soon, it's easy!

And the details -
Stamps: Boho friend wheel, Season of Joy, Short & sweet
Paper: black, white, river rock, ginger blossoms
Ink: black, river rock
Other: punches: designer label, corner rounder, scallop, 1-3/8" circle; Seeing spots classy brass template, gingham ribbon, chunky black glitter

Terrific Tuesday Challenge: Color combo

These colors brighten my day, I hope they brighten yours too. And here's a challenge for you - make a card using tempting turquoise, pumpkin pie and certainly celery. The Bali Breezes designer paper lights up any card and inspired the color combo.  For the layout, I had given myself one of my little challenges - written on a scrap of paper - to make a card using punched circles in row.  I am glad I finally got around to this one because it was fun to create!

Now it's your turn to create cards using this color combo! Write a comment to this post which includes a link to your card on SCS or your blog. For further help see this page.

Here's the Recipe:
Stamps: Simply Said
Paper: Bali Breezes DP, whisper white, tempting turquoise
Ink: old olive, taken with teal, tempting turquoise
Other: 1-1/4" circle punch,word window punch, circle tag, celery grosgrain ribbon, brad, beads and a button

Happy New Year! Terrific Tuesday Challenge #5

Today's challenge - identify your style. Have you chosen just a few words - say 5 or less - to describe your paper-crafting style?   It is a good exercise and what better time to make you think than this first day of the new year!  Think of the style you love to use again and again for your cards. Are they cute? adorable? sweet? elegant? striking? bold? intricate?  detailed?  bright? funny? funky? sassy?  classic?  You get the idea.  Choose a word or two that you think represents your unique and favorite style (be sure to tell us the words you chose) and then make a card to illustrate it.  Participate in this challenge in the comments section, by writing in or posting a link to your card. I look forward to seeing your creations!

Terrific Tuesday Challenge!

It's Wednesday now and I forgot to post this yesterday.  The truth is, I thought I'd drop these challenges for awhile, but here I am sticking to it and hoping some of you will play along.  New to challenges? Here's how it works: create a card along the guidelines mentioned for the challenge or if you're really strapped for time find one you've already made. Post a photo of it to your blog or gallery and write a comment under this post with a link included. That's all.  There is no time limit, just an opportunity to share your work.

For this week's challenge:
Did you see the little line of hearts on my card from yesterday? The challenge is to place a line of something besides ribbon on your card. It can be a line of stamped objects or words, dry embossed shapes, etc. Try to put it behind your focal image if you can! Have fun and let the challenge spark your creativity.

Terrific Tuesday Challenge

Embossing ribbon....
After seeing my card with embossed ribbon, look in your stash of stuff and let your own ideas flow! What can you emboss besides paper?  The challenge for you is to think out of the box and emboss something that usually is not embossed like ribbon, buttons, chipboard....
Send a link to your work in my comments for this post, and be sure to tell us what you did.

It's new... a challenge for you!

Terrific Tuesday Challenge is here!  I have told you about my personal challenges, and I've decided to give you an opportunity to participate in a similar weekly challenge.  My hope is that many of you will upload images from your blog or gallery to inspire all of us!  I will keep the challenges fairly simple and varied so that many may play.  There is no deadline. There is also no prize ( that may come later) except for the fun of stretching your creative wings.
Here's the challenge for today:  use white on white.  That's it.  Use lots of white or a little. Use a shimmery white panel and mat with a whisper white as I've done on my last two posts, or combine two other shades of white. White for Christmas, snow, snowmen, snowflakes... whatever suits your style.

After you make your card and post it please leave a comment on this post and a link to your card.  Have fun!