Christmas in June

The current challenge at Daring Cardmakers is Christmas in June. Not really a tough one for me, because I could make Christmas cards all year long and never get sick of them. I'm still trying to stick with quick, simple cards, and this one was very fast and easy. This time, I thought I'd depart from traditional holiday colors, so I used only black, blue, and white, plus a touch of gold in the ribbon. The background is embossed with the Cuttlebug, and the ornament is stamped with a 2-step stamp. Stamps, cardstock, and ink from Stampin' Up!.

Quick Cards - Daring Cardmakers

The challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week is Quick Cards - cards with a theme of our own choosing, but that take 30 minutes or less to make. Most of my cards are made quickly, so for me this was mainly a matter of deciding which one to show you today. For the card pictured here, I used a 3-stamp set for the basket, and since it's a fairly loosely designed image, there was no need to spend time lining everything up perfectly. For the background I repeatedly stamped a vine across the cardstock - simple! The ribbon is threaded through two 1/4" holes. This card came together in only 5-10 minutes. All stamps, ink, and cardstock are from Stampin' Up!.

Twinchies

Today's challenge at Wednesday Stamper is to use a "twinchie" format for our stamped project. A twinchie is a 2x2 inch square piece of artwork, and I was completely unaware of the term until today. I'm note sure how I missed the boat on twinchies, but here are my first two. I think I'll probably like this size a lot better than inchies. Stamps and ink are from Stampin' Up!.

ATC - Hands

Today's challenge at Think Monday Think ATC is hands. Although these garden gloves aren't hands in the strictest sense of the word, I thought they would probably count. For this ATC I used a French script background stamp, followed that with stamped chicken wire, and completed the stamping with bits and pieces from 3 other stamp sets. I then finished everything off with a bit of grosgrain ribbon, tied in a knot. All stamps, ink, and cardstock are from Stampin' Up!.

Heat Embossed Card

Heat embossing continues to be a favorite technique of mine, and my heat gun, embossing powders, and Versamark pad are always on my work table, ready to go. I prefer Versamark over traditional embossing inks, because it seems thicker and stickier, and stays wet long enough to cover a large area before adding the powder. On this card, I like the subtle design of the background, as well as that little bit of texture created by the embossing. And since our family has lots of special occasions in June, someone will be getting this in the mail shortly!

Moo Card - Cats

Cats are the current theme at Make a Moo or Two. Here, I've stamped my cat with black ink, then colored him with Prismacolor pencils. I added a few fish to the background (what cat doesn't like fish?), corrugated some red cardstock for extra pop, and finished everything off with a silver cord. Now I'm wondering how long that little bird is going to last! Stamps, ink, and cardstock from Stampin' Up!.

"Thank You" Card with Eyelets

The current challenge at Wednesday Stamper is to use eyelets in our stamped work. For this card, I stamped both the background and the greeting, then added eyelets for threading the ribbon. Since eyelets are one of my favorite embellishments, I added some more at the bottom of the greeting just for fun. All stamps, ink, and cardstock from Stampin' Up!.

Daring Cardmakers - Quoted by......

At Daring Cardmakers this week, Jane has dared us to use a quote on our cards. The quote that I've included here is from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year."

Good advice, I think! All stamps, ink, and cardstock from Stampin' Up!.

Purple and Orange - Inspire Me Thursday

The current challenge at Inspire Me Thursday is purple and orange. No orange here, but this is one of my favorite botanical photos, mainly because of the purple edges on the leaves (a little hard to see at this resolution). I think coneflowers are at their best in this stage of their development - so many interesting textures!

Stamped Pink and Black Birthday Card, Plus an Update

It took me 2 weeks after the move to Arkansas to get internet access. Why is this always so hard? But now I'm back online and thrilled to be getting email and internet again without waiting for a computer at the public library.

Recent weeks have gone very quickly for me, but a lot has happened and I feel like my luck is finally changing, in a very positive direction. Today I started my new job in Little Rock, and I think that's going to be a good thing. Also, I learned a couple of days ago that a dispute I had with a major health insurance provider has been settled in my favor. My advice to everyone -- if you are dealing with an insurance company that repeatedly refuses a claim that most certainly was covered under your policy, do not hesitate to take the matter to the Office of Insurance in your state (at least, here in the US). It is their job to protect you.

While I was without internet access, I spent some time making simple cards. Pictured here is the only one I've scanned to date, but I'll try to get the others posted over the next several days. I've been itching to make a pink and black card (one of my favorite color combos), and this 2-step "gift package" stamp seemed a logical choice. This wasn't made for anyone in particular, but will go into my card box, to be used at a later date. All stamps, ink, and cardstock from Stampin' Up!.