Denim, Rust and Dust

This is a card I created for the June 2011 Card Sketch Challenge at Club Scrap. I used the Five of Diamonds from the Assembly Line Card Making Idea Deck which is an excellent tool to kick start your creative mojo.

Cardstock is from Club Scrap (Rust and Dust from Wild Wild West, the blue is from Scholarship). I used the Faux Denim technique from Technique Junkies to create the blue panel. The eagle stamp is from Stampin’ Up. In addition to the Club Scrap challenge, I am posting this at the current color challenge at Gingersnap Creations calling for Denim, Rust and Dust with a Wild West theme. Get your cowgirl on! Unfortunately, I don’t have many stamps with Western theme so I went patriotic with my image. Thanks for looking. Your comments are always appreciated.

Honoring our Heroes

This week, our Mother Squirrel Nancy chose to challenge us with paper engineering. She picked a card called a Free-Standing Pop-Up card based upon a tutorial at Splitcoast Stampers. I chose to use a patriotic theme in honor of Memorial Day, or as we called it when I was young, Decoration Day.

All cardstock and embellishments are from my unmarked stash. The rubber stamps are from an old Stampin’ Up set which I had never used, if you can believe that. The eagle stamp was stamped using the Grungy Monday 08 technique of inking with dye inks followed by a spritz of Perfect Pearls spray before stamping. I am so pleased with the results.

In addition to the Squirrely Challenge, I am also posting this at Simon Says Stamp to meet their challenge of using Stars and Stripes on your project. Thanks for looking.

Retirement & Challenges

The wife of a friend of my hubby is retiring in a few weeks and DH agreed to “allow” me to make the card to send to her. I was having so much fun with the Grungy Monday technique that I was stamping out images right and left. I have quite a stash now for future cards. I chose the Club Scrap Tulips in a Row stamp for this card as it is such a lovely floral image. All supplies are from Club Scrap with the exception of the Strathmore Bristol smooth paper used for image base. Kits used include Apothecary card base, Private Eye green panel, Nature’s Wonders stamp, Gimme a Ring button, and fabric leaves from the Retreat Bundt. Watercolor effect created using Stampin’ Up dye inks and homemade Perfect Pearls spray. Thanks for looking.

I am posting this card in several blog challenges. The sketch is from Clean & Simple Stamping. The color selection meets the challenge at Color Throwdown.

Grungy Monday – Week Eight

I can’t believe we are on the eighth week of Grungy Monday at Studio L3. This week our lovely hostess Linda has assigned us the task of following a technique taught to us by Tim Holtz back in September of 2008. Please check his blog for steps to achieve this look.

Continuing with my Technique Book with a Beatle theme, I am using one of my newest stamps, purchased on a recent trip to Cambria. I was so excited to find this stamp as I don’t often stumble across Beatle stamps. Unfortunately, the manufacturer is unknown to me. If any of you know of a source, please refer me in the comments below. Thanks so much.

I remember the night of February 9, 1964, as clearly as if it was last night. My family was making our frequent Sunday night visit to an invalid family friend, an older gent we knew as Grampa Graus. I was playing on the floor in the dining room with my two younger brothers. The adults were all in the living room watching the Ed Sullivan Show. My Dad came into the room and said, “You have to come into the living room and see these guys on TV.” Now, how did my Dad know those four guys were going to become so important in my life??? Well, for whatever reason, he encouraged me to come in and see these four crazy guys with their moptop haircuts. And, of course, I never looked back. Those four guys were the center of my universe for a lot of years. So I certainly can’t forget the time or place when I first saw their faces.

I’ve just seen a face. I can’t forget the time or place.

Supplies used: Strathmore Bristol smooth paper as page base, Tim Holtz embossing folder, various dye inks, Beatle rubber stamp manufacturer is unmarked, cyclist stamp is from Club Scrap as is the blue cardstock from Destinations kit. Perfect Pearls added to water to achieve the watercolor effect.

Thanks for looking. Your comments are appreciated.

Potawatomi Tower Squirrely Challenge

This week’s Squirrely Challenge is called Cute Cuts. It requires Cuttlebug embossing of cardstock and then cutting out portions of the design for use. I combined this challenge with the monthly Club Scrap Sketch Relay Challenge….always the Multi-tasker.

The layout depicts the Tower I climbed in Wisconsin while Chrissie waited below. I guess the Squirrely-ness of the tower was too much for her. HA HA

Detail photo of the leaves which were inked with Distress Ink.

Club Scrap Die Cutter’s Blog Hop

I have joined with friends of mine from Club Scrap in a Blog Hop featuring the products of Club Scrap, using the die cutting tool of your choice. As my project, I chose to assemble a 7 Gypsies Printer Tray with the intention of using it as a changing seasonal decoration in our home. This first tray will focus on summer, featuring July which happens to include our wedding anniversary. All of the components used represent important details from our life together. You can click on any of the images in order to see the detail in a larger format.

All cardstock used is from Club Scrap. Kits utilized are All That Glitters, Americana, Musical Interlude and Scholarship. Rubber stamp images from Club Scrap are from Americana, Fiesta, To You With Love and Written Word kits. Some were stamped with pigment ink in copper and the others were stamped using watercolor Gelatos. The majority of my cut embellishments were cut on the Silhouette Digital Cutting tool. The scallops were cut with a Spellbinders die and the hearts and birthday candle with a Quickutz die, both in the Cuttlebug. My rosette was white cardstock cut on the Silhouette with red and blue lines added with my Bic Mark-it pens. Glimmer mists and Stickles were used on a number of images. Most edges were inked with Distress Ink in Antique Linen. Glossy accents were applied to the star-shaped cardstock buttons to give them the appearance of real buttons. Star brads and baseball buttons from my unidentified stash. The number 18 is from Tim Holtz Grunge Board.


Thanks for visiting me and I now ask you to please hop on over to my Cape Cod Scrapper friend Julie to see what Club Scrap goodness she has created.
http://www.pagesofpictures.com
http://chrissiecreations.blogspot.com/
http://scraphappysistersink.blogspot.com/ YOU ARE HERE!
http://www.capecodscrapper.blogspot.com/
http://www.creatingwithconnie.blogspot.com/
http://orezonia.blogspot.com/
http://squirrelyart.blogspot.com/
http://wbellino.blogspot.com/
http://craftchaos.blogspot.com/

I have also posted this piece at the Flutter By Wednesday site to share the love with a larger audience. A butterfly hovers in my Printers Tray. Have shared, too, with Simon Says Stamp because their challenge this week is Sparkle and Shine. I want EVERYONE to share in the love of Club Scrap.

Grungy Monday – Week Seven

This week’s challenge from Linda at Studio L3 is to use Distress Ink Color Blocking as instructed by Tim in this video. Following my plan to illustrate lyrics from Beatles songs, I have chosen Bluebird by Wings from the Band on the Run album. Just a sweet, quiet little song sung mostly by Paul and Linda.

It’s a simple little piece but I had to focus more energy this week on my Club Scrap Die Cutter’s Blog Hop so this little thing took a back seat. It’s all done on Club Scrap paper using blues from Scholarship and Concrete Jungle and a red from Americana. The birds were cut with a Spellbinders die, the wings and bracket shapes were cut on Silhouette digital cutting tool and the heart is a Quickutz die. Both dies were run through Cuttlebug. The color blocking was done with my four colors of blue Distress Ink: Faded Jeans, Tumbled Glass, Chipped Sapphire and Broken China. All edges inked as well. Birdies eyes are bling from my stash. Song lyrics computer generated using Comics font.

Touch your lips with a magic kiss and you’ll be a bluebird, too, and you’ll know what love can do…

Thanks for looking. Come back tomorrow to join in the blog hop.

Mark your Calendar! - Die Cutters Blog Hop

The day is finally here. At midnight tonight,  I will be joining up with some of my Club Scrap friends taking part in a Blog Hop featuring die cut machines and Club Scrap products.  You should see lots of great card, layouts and projects and get some inspiration on how to use your Club Scrap papers with various machines. (Cricut, Silhouette, Cuttlebug, Big Shot etc.) Please visit me again on May 21. Thanks for stopping by.

Grungy Monday – Week Six

We would be so happy, you and me
No one there to tell us what to do
I’d like to be under the sea
In an octopus’s garden with you

Continuing with my Beatle lyrics technique book, I created my base page by swirling Pearl and Snow Cap Dabbers across the cardstock, then inked over it with Tumbled Glass and Pine Needles Distress Ink. Edges are also inked with Pine Needles. Stamped the starfish (from Club Scrap’s Castaway kit) with Pool and Lettuce Dabbers and some barely visible bubbles with more Snow Cap Dabber. The octopus, submarine and seaweed were cut on Silhouette and then inked with Distress Inks. The octopus was also sprayed with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Spring Violet. The submarine has Stardust Stickles for some bling. Lyrics are computer generated with Orange font and inked with Pine Needles. Thanks for looking. Your kind comments mean the world to me.

Squirrely Bohemian

Ohmygosh, this was a tough one for me. I struggled with the technique (Technique Junkies Feb/March 2011 newsletter) but strangely enough, I really like the final results. After setting them aside for a night, of course. I apologize for the photography. It’s dark here.

All card bases are from Club Scrap (Sparkle). The stamps used are from Stampin’ Up and Hero Arts with a few greetings from my stash including one from Club Scrap (Be Wonderful). As I mentioned, I struggled with the technique so the inks are a mish-mash of blue Distress Inks. Embellishments are a Martha Stewart edge punch and a real ribbon and a fake stamped ribbon. Punched cardstock butterflies are a wonderful RAK from the Squirrely Mom. Be sure to check out the other Squirrels listed on the right side of my blog.

Grungy Monday–Week Five

As we live a life of ease, everyone of us has all we need. Sky of blue and sea of green in our yellow submarine.

This fifth week’s challenge from Linda Ledbetter at Studio L3 is to create a niche in which to place an object. Check out her link if you’d like more info. In keeping with my personal challenge of using Beatle songs as my interpretation of the challenges, I chose to use a button/badge which I have had since I was fourteen. I pinned it on my school uniform sweater every day for four years, right above my name pin, much to the dismay of Sister Leticia. This was a button which preceded the artwork of the movie Yellow Submarine, so it does look a little different than the Yellow Soob (as we called it) which many of you may have come to know. However, I did use the artwork from the movie as my inspiration for creating what will be the cover of my book to store all of these Grungy Monday challenges. I used the “herringbone” technique on the sea of green. And the Rays folder by Tim Holtz for the sun in the sky of blue. The pointing hand was cut on a Cuttlebug Embossing Plus Vintage Collage folder. All cardstock, including black foam core board, are from Club Scrap. Love rubber stamp is also Club Scrap. Flower from Stampin’ Up punch and brad is from stash. Distress ink used on Rays and many edges. Perfect Pearls spray on Rays also. Stickles used to add some sparkle. Lyrics were computer generated. Thank you for your comments. They give me a warm fuzzy feeling.

Club Scrap kits used include: Yellow and blue from Solstice, greens from Wheel & Sprocket, Stratosphere, Natural Resources, Evergreen, Refresh, and Simply Beautiful, red from Gratitude. Love stamp from Tie Dye altered with bike wheel from Wheel & Sprocket.

Thanks to one of my posted commenters, I was also able to enter this piece in the challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Show where the requirement is to show some hands. Thanks, sasa.

Squirrely Pinwheel

 

Finally I am posting my Squirrely Challenge. Due to the popularity of this challenge, I suppose I need to start getting busy on it a little earlier in the week. Anyway, not much going on with this card but the pinwheel. But that seems to be enough. The card will probably get a sentiment someday when I decide to use it for some lucky recipient.

Card base is Memoirs red, the sparkly black and coral are from Cruisin’, card panel aqua is from Artifacts, the other aqua is from Welcome. The squares were cut with my old Creative Memories square punch (but I did round the corners, the old fashioned way) the flowers were punched from a Stampin’ Up flower punch, the stamp used on the coral squares is a Paula Best Asian design and the bling is from my stash.

Now hop on over to: Squirrely Nancy, my sister Chrissie,Cape Cod Julie, Diana, and Connie to see what they have created with this challenge. Thanks for looking.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo

Another card from the Technique Junkies Foam Stamping technique mentioned below. This one uses Blossom green, Memoirs coral and white, all cardstock from Club Scrap. The technique was done on a piece of watercolor paper. The stamp is from Stampin' Up. Thanks for looking. Have a tasty day!