Less is More 40 and CFC27

I adore red and orange together, so I was tickled when I saw that the color challenge at Less is More is, in fact, red and orange!  The challenge is in honor of Firework Night, or Guy Fawkes Night, in the UK.

Red and orange can be so dramatic, so I thought they would work well for the PTI Mehndi Medallion images.  I have used this layout many times in the past, with a red card base and a thin orange mat.  I just love it.  The placement of my large medallion and sentiment is very similar to Susan Rahaila's card in this post. 

For the next card I pulled out my Hero Arts leaf prints set.  I love these leaves.  I simply stamped a panel of leaves, matted it in orange and placed it on a red card base.  I used PTI fillable frames for the sentiment and popped it up on dimensionals.

Finally, I thought I should have a card that had a little more white space (or in this case red space!) since this is for Less is More.  I also wanted to play along with the CAS-ual Fridays challenge this week, which is to make a CAS card with an element hanging over the edge.  I used a PTI tag-its set for my stamps, and stamped the circle in a Nestabilities die.  I initially used a traditional banner extending over the edge, but I didn't care for it.  I went back and cut the ends of my banner using the same Nestie, rolling it partway through the Cuttlebug just enough to cut the end.  I like how the shape of the end of the banner mirrors the shape of the sentiment panel.  I used a 4.25 inch square card so that it would fit in a standard envelope for easy mailing.  Just being practical. :)

Well, I could have kept on going with these fabulous colors, but the mess I've created must be cleaned up.  It was sure fun to indulge in a morning of card-making!  Thanks for stopping by to visit.

Supplies:

Paper: PTI

Ink: Brilliance pearlescent rust, pearlescent poppy

Stamps: PTI Mehndi medallion, fillable frames, Tag-its, communique sentiments

OLW 71: Tag- You're It!

The one-layer challenge at Styles Ink is to make tags.  This was a great opportunity to make some Christmas tags.  The tag is a Sizzix die.  I used all AMuse images and Hero Arts sentiments.  My favorite by a long shot is that gorgeous poinsettia stamped in Staz-on blazing red.  Love that stamp. :)

PTI Make-it Monday #39

The challenge at Capture the Moment is multi-stamp background building.  I've been mulling this over all week, and this is what I've come up with.  I used a leaf stamp from Turning a New Leaf and a tiny flower from Tag-Its #3.

I was planning to use red and white on kraft, but at the last minute I decided to see what it would look like with a more rustic red, so I used red brick.  This is almost a brownish red, and I think this card would be appropriate for Thanksgiving, but because I'm full on into my Christmas cards, I went with Christmas!

When I finished, I still wanted to see what it would look like with a brighter red, so I made another using Brilliance rocket red for the flowers.  Two more Christmas cards checked off this list! :)

Supplies:

Paper: PTI kraft, white, rustic cream

Stamps: PTI turning a new leaf, tag-its 3, fillable frames, mega mixed messages

Ink: Versamagic red brick, Brilliance white, rocket red

Other: ribbon and twine from stash, PTI fillable frames die

Less is More 39

I was somewhat stumped by the Less is More challenge to use stars.  I don't have a lot of star stamps, just an odd assortment of little stars that are parts of larger sets.  I ultimately decided to use this little Studio G Christmas stamp, which I've had for quite a while but never used.

Some time ago I picked up a pack of Sizzix texture plates on clearance at Michaels for 97 cents.  I wasn't sure if they would work in my Cuttlebug, but at 16 cents a plate it was a no brainer.  Of course they do work, and I used the dot daisy plate to emboss a white background panel.  I added one tiny rhinestone to the center of the star for a bit of sparkle.

My kids are thrilled that our gray, rainy weather has gone away and the sun has come out just in time for trick-or-treating tonight.  They will be donning their Gryffindor robes and ringing doorbells as Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley. 

Happy Halloween!

Supplies:
Paper: PTI white, scraps from bin
Stamps: Studio G
Ink: Brilliance graphite black
Other: Sizzix dot daisy texture folder

One Layer Wednesday 70

Susan's one-layer challenge this week is to make a red and white card.  I adore her card with its beautiful red snowflakes, and the other thumbnails are beautiful, as well.  What a simple and gorgeous color scheme this is!

I masked a vertical panel along the left side of my card and stamped the largest image from PTI Damask Designs to create a pattern.  Then I peeled back the post-its and stamped a Hero Arts sentiment.  Sounds simple, but it took five tries to get a card that I was happy enough to post.  I love one-layer cards, but the slightest shaky hand can ruin the whole card! 

I loved Susan's card, as well as Karen's challenge card, so I decided to CASE them both.  I love how the images are stamped within an area defined by the border stamp.  I didn't have a Christmas stamp that seemed appropriate, but these flower stamps in red make me think of starlight mints.  I tried a bit of red bling in the center of the large flowers, but it seemed to be too much.  Thank you to both Susan and Karen for the inspiration.

Supplies:

Stamps:PTI damask designs, Hero Arts sentiment, Martha Stewart flowers

Ink: Stazon blazing red (damask card), Brilliance rocket red

Paper: PTI white

CAS-ual Fridays 25

The challenge this week at CAS-ual Fridays is to add color to your stamped image.  Coloring is something I usually avoid, but I've been challenging myself to try it more often, so I decided to play along.

I don't usually buy outline stamps like this, but I have two daughters so this sweet AMuse stamp really appealed to me.  I played with it last night using my Prismacolor pencils, and these are the three simple cards that I ended up with.

 

Supplies:

Stamps: AMuse girl with sled, Hero Arts sentiments

Ink; Memory Box black, Memento rosebud

Paper: PTI white, raspberry fizz, and scraps from scrap box

Other: ribbon from stash, Prismacolor pencils

Less is More 38

It's a polka dot challenge this week at Less is More, so I decided to use this dotty vase stamp from a Close to my Heart set called Celebration Bouquet.  I stamped the vase in black and then added some green stems.  Because this is a clear set, I was able to bend the stem on my acrylic block to get just the position I wanted.

Instead of using one of the flower stamps that came with the set, I used these fun red-orange paper flowers and added a bit of bling to the center of each.  I made two cards, with slightly different flower placements, but on each I bent the far right flower in an attempt to lead the eye down toward the sentiment.  One card had a mistake on the back so I cut it down and matted it on a black card base.

My 94-year old grandmother passed away recently, and we gathered this weekend to mourn her passing and celebrate her amazing life.  We shed a lot of tears, and as she would have liked, we told a lot of stories and laughed a lot, too. This card started out to be a standard birthday type of card, but ended up being a tribute to her.  She was bold and vibrant, still going strong at 94, and she was absolutely fabulous.  She will be missed terribly.

Thanks for your visit today.

Supplies:

Stamps: Close to my Heart celebration bouquet, PTI sentiment

Ink: Brilliance graphite black, Memento bamboo leaves
Other: Kaiser Scrapbook flowers, Me & My Big Ideas rhinestones