Mixing a Little Mojo, Mint and Ribbon

Hello, everyone and welcome to a new week.  It is hard to believe the kids will be trick or treating this week and then we are into November!  Despite the busyness of the upcoming holiday season, it is my favorite time of year.  My card today has a festive winter feel to it.  The sketch is from this week's MOJO Monday challenge-

...And for this week's color challenge at The Play Date Cafe-

...And, at SCS this week, the technique challenge is to weave ribbon.  I have been wanting to do this for some time, so this seemed the perfect opportunity.

Golden Opportunity

The woven ribbon is such a beautiful backdrop, that I left it empty, with the exception, of course, of the floral spray, which I have become obsessed with lately! The soft green color is supposed to be "mint", but the closest I have to mint is Sage Shadow; I hope this counts!

Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a peek!  Have a wonderful day!

Lee Ann

Supplies used Include-

CS-Whisper White, Brushed Gold, Soft Suede, Sage Shadow-Stampin Up

Other-Scalloped Squares die-Spellbinder, Little Leaves Sizzlit-Stampin Up, Rolled Roses die-MFT, Mistletoe die-PTI, ef, white ribbon, pearls, Crystal Snow 

I think I need a Drumroll...

Wow!  I cannot believe it!  This is my 100th post!  Last January, one blog post used to take me around 2 hours; I was so "blog illiterate", if there is such a thing, it was not even funny.  Fast forward, and I have thoroughly enjoyed learning the blogging world-especially when it comes to cards!
Thank you all for your visits and your sweet comments.  I hope to continue to find new challenges, "join" new blogs and meet new people via the internet.  And, I am really hoping to become a part of a challenge team/designer. 
Alright, on to the next project.  I have been waiting for the right color challenge or sketch challenge to try out something new- I came up with a way to make some pretty nifty bittersweet.

Simply Bittersweet

What do you think?  I used the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack and the Little Leaves Sizzlit from Stampin' Up, as well as a standard hole puncher.  As you can see, I cut the leaves off of the die cut to create a vine.  The sketch is courtesy of Less is More .  

The Early Espresso panel is scored, creating 3 rectangles within the panel to follow the sketch. 

To make the bittersweet, both the punched piece from the Punch Pack and the small circle were burnished with the scoring tool, causing the paper to curl.  A tiny bit of dimensional adhesive was placed at the center of the punched paper, and the cupped circle was then placed over that adhesive.  All supplies are Stampin' Up.

I hope you like my project and thanks so much for stopping by!  

Have a blessed week! 

Lee Ann

Supplies used for this card-

Stamps-Trust God

CS-Whisper White, Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie, Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze

Ink-Early Espresso

Other-Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Little Leaves Sizzlit, Simply Scored, Dimensionals, standard paper punch

A Merry Little Helper

Good Morning, Friends!  It is a chilly morning here in St Louis; how about where you are?  With a bit of winter in the air, what better time to play the Merry Monday Christmas sketch challenge?

I fell in love with another Christmas stamp yesterday; I had already passed this little guy up once, but when I spotted hm again yesterday, I just had to have him!

North Pole Helper

 As you can see, I started by flipping the sketch.  He is watercolored on Whisper White cs and mounted on Gumball Green.  The panel dsp is from Stampin' Up's Snow Festival series.  The scalloped edge is Real Red.  The card base is Crumb Cake and is scored along the left hand side, although you cannot really see it in the picture.  Hope you like this little guy; I know I really do!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog, 

Lee Ann :)

Supplies used:

CS-Stampin' Up Whisper White, Gumball Green, Real Red, and Snow Festival dsp

Stamps-Stampendous "Special Delivery"

Ink-Creamy Caramel, Crumb Cake, Real Red, More Mustard, Glorious Green, Black Stazon

Other-baker's twine, silver Stickles, MFT large scallop edge die, gem, aquapainter  

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Well, I worked in a few dishes and am now back to the crafting.  Today's featured stamper at SCS has a wonderful gallery, but I quickly fell in love with a Santa card of hers. Here is my case of it.  This card is also for this week's CASE study. For this challenge, I focused on the vertical components of the inspiration card-

 Spotlight Santa

I think this is a cross between the Spotlight Technique and the Triple Stamping technique, if there is such a thing!  It is hard to tell, but the colored panel is popped up on dimensionals.  This Saint Nick is so jolly-one of my all time favorite Santa images!  

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Lee Ann  :)

Products used:

Stamps-La Blanche-santa, Sweet N Sassy stamps-sentiment

CS-Whisper White, Real Red, Old Olive

Ink-Stazon Black, Real Red, Old Olive, Blush Blossom, Crumb Cake (all SU)

Other-SU Decorative Label punch, Crystal Snow, dimensionals, aquapainter       

A Retro Sketch for Christmas

This afternoon as I was waiting in line at Joanne Fabrics, I spotted a box of Christmas cards-it was clearly a photoshopped picture, but beautiful none the less.  The scene was of a silent snowy path into a forest of jet black trees with a wintry gray sky for a backdrop.  Every tree branch was perfectly laiden with snow.  I new I had to try to recreate that card.  When I got home and checked the new sketch at Retrosketches, this is what I found-

Well, it didn't get more perfect than that!  Here is the card I made based on my Joanne Fabrics inspiration and the sketch at Retrosketches-

 

  Gray Peaceful Christmas

I am amazed at how many ways you can stamp a tree!  This set has been used countless times.  To make this card I used-
CS-Whisper White
Stamps-Lovely as a Tree,  Greetings of the Season
Ink-Craft Black, Versamark, Real Red, Basic Gray
Other-sponge, clear ep, Dazzling Details, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!  Have a blessed week!

Lee Ann :)
*EDIT*********
 There have been some inquiries about the making of this card.  All products are from Stampin' Up and can be purchased online from Stampinup.com  You can view the catalog by clicking on the catalog icon near the top of my blog on the right hand side.   The stamp set, Lovely as a Tree, is on page 84.  If you go to stampinup.com to purchase the set, I would very much appreciate if you put my name-Lee Ann Barrett-in as your demonstrator. :)
I used the masking technique to create this "forest" of trees and to eliminate the grassy areas on the stamp as I did not want grass dirtying up my snow!
Lastly, most all stamps from Stampin' Up will be 15% off on Monday, October 29th ONLY!  This includes the Lovely as a Tree set, so now would be a perfect time to take advantage of a sale!

Thanks so much for your stopping by and for all of your kind words!

Lee Ann

More Inspiration

This week's inspiration at Inspired By is this wonderful retro image-

Boy, I new this one was going to be fun.  I tried the featured technique at SCS this week, which is faux tarnished silver.  I thought it worked perfectly for mimicking the silver accents on the typewriter.

The faux silver technique was fun and easy to do.  I will definitely be using this technique again.
Supplies used include:
CS-Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Ink-Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight, Versamark
Stamps-Everything Eleanor
Other-Little Leaves die, Window framelits, Chevron ef, silver ep, utee, mask, Mr. Huey spray, scroll work die MFT, Royal Roses dies MFT, ribbon

Thanks so much for stopping by; I hope you like this project!

Lee Ann  :)

Winter Pinks

I tried a lovely color combo that was for the color challenge at SCS today-Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink and Primrose Petals.  These colors make a beautiful winter card!

 

Winter Pinks

Supplies used-

Paper-Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Primrose Petals, Brushed Gold, dsp

Ink-Stazon Black, Pretty in Pink, distress ink

Stamps-Teeny Tiny Wishes, Happy Harlequin from PTI, flourish from La Blanche

Other-Little Leaves die SU, Roses die MFT, Mistletoe die PTI, tulle, quilling tool, dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by,

Lee Ann

Window on a Fabulous Color Combo!

I know that many will not feel as I do, but I love the color Starfruit!  I have seen many great color combos including Starfruit, but I happened upon Summer Starfruit, Black and Poppy Parade today.  LOVE it!  I played around with another inspiration challenge at SCS this afternoon and also played The Paper Player's challenge this week-to incorporate a frame in our projects.

Engelbreit Window Frame

I titled this "Engelbreit Window Frame" because it has a bit of a "Mary Engelbreitesque" look to it with the color scheme, polka dots and rolled rose. While last week was a bit of a struggle,  I feel like I have gotten my MOJO back with this card. 

Products used include-

Paper-Whisper White, Summer Starfruit, Poppy Parade, Basic Gray, dsp (Patio Party and Designer pack-neutrals)

Stamp Set-Trust God

Ink-Stazon Black

Other-Window Framelits, large scallop circle punch (to make the flower), Little Leaves die, White Baker's twine, polka dot ef, dimensionals

I had so much fun making this card and it is easy to reproduce as will as change up the color scheme.  

Thanks so much for checking out my project and have a Blessed week!

Lee Ann :)

A Merry Little Tree for Pals

I love the sketch at Pals Paper Arts this week.  It is so versatile and can be ornate or cas.

I chose to rotate this sketch and went with a Christmas theme.

I tried out my new stamp set from MFT and used their large scallop edge die.  I used Old Olive for the card base as well as Basic Gray, Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler and dsp from the Merry Moments Simply Scrappin' kit(SU).  The tree/sentiment is stamped in Old Olive and then the words Merry and Christmas were stamped in Versamark, embossed with gold ep, and cut out into banners and adhered over the original image.  The Old Olive layer is embossed with the Argyle embossing folder (SU); this has become my new most favorite folder-Love it!

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your crafting this weekend!

Lee Ann

A Quick CAS Card for Baby

I really should be out hiking on this gorgeous fall day, but after chores and errands this morning, I find myself at my craft area making cards.  What a surprise! This card is a combination of SCS 's Inspiration Challenge, which is to be inspired by something at The Corner Stork Baby Gifts and the CAS(E) this Sketch challenge this week.
Here is the inspiration-

And here is the sketch-

And here is my take on both of the above-

 I  suppose this could be a little simpler than it is, but I think it still qualifies for CAS.  I got to play with my new MFT dies and used the large scallop die on this card.  Supplies used include:

CS-Barely Banana, Naturals White, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso

Stamps-Coronado Island (giraffe), Teeny Tiny Wishes and All Year Cheer II (SU)

Ink-Early Espresso

Thanks so much for stopping on by!  

Lee Ann :)

Inspired By...A Necklace

Inspired By has a wonderful inspiration piece this week.  I couldn't wait to get home and play with my paper! 

Isn't this just gorgeous!?  I could not resist going with both the colors and the beads/necklace components. 

Here is my inspired creation-

Metal and Bead Necklace

I used Whisper White, Soft Suede, and Tempting Turquoise cs for the card base.  The rolled beads area made out of Tempting Turquoise dsp and So Saffron cs.  The Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive beads are made by using a 1/2 inch circle punch and the circle punch from the Itty Bitty Punch Pack, and layering the circles with dimensionals.  These beads also have a layer of Crystal Effects on the top.  The large metal "coin" beads are made using gold and pewter ep, Versamark ink pad, Mixed Bunch stamp, and embossing folder.  The are punched out with a 1" circle punch. 

The metal beads and rolled beads are actually beaded onto 26g wire.

Here is a close up of the beads-
 

This was sooo much fun to make-one of those "let the creativity take you where ever it goes" kind of projects. 

Thank you so much for visiting my blog.  Have a blessed week and as a former co-worker used to say, "Happy Friday"!

Lee Ann:)

Schooled Thanks!

Oops!!!  Did I forget Boss' Day??  This week has been a busy one at school, lots of field trips, a blood drive to run and kids getting their hearing checked tomorrow.  But I cannot forget my principal, who is an amazing boss.  This week's Freshly Made Sketch is perfect for a masculine card.  

Here is my take on this sketch complete with a bit of a school theme-

I love the orangy tones with gray so paired Cajun Craze with Basic Gray dsp from the Storytime dsp pack.  I die cut Soft suede with an Apothecary die and made a banner in Whisper White, adding a sentiment from Trendy Trees.  The leaves are from Lovely as a Tree, stamped in Stazon Brown and watercolored with an aquapainter.  I created a tone on tone background on the top third of the card using strips of Cajun Craze paper.  The leaves are popped up on dimensionals.  I love dimensionals!

Here's to hoping my principal likes this card!  I hope you like it as well!
Have a wonderful week,

Lee Ann  :)

Vanilla Chocolate Pie!

No, not a delicious dessert, but the color challenge at Splitcoast Stampers today!

I loved using the new Window Framelits and layering them up to create an elegant look. 

Supplies used-
Paper-Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip
Ink-Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Always Artichoke, More Mustard, Basic Gray, Stazon Black
Stamps-Nature Walk, Field Flowers
Other-Window Framelits, Victorian and Woodgrain ef, pearls, dimensionals, blender pen

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Lee Ann :)

Acrylic Block Technique

SCS has a great tutorial today-the Acrylic Block Technique-which gives you a very "artsy" look to your card.

Soooo simple, yet soooo fun!!!  I am very pleased with the results of this card and it took about 20 minutes!  That has to be a record for me, LOL.  I used Midnight Muse, Not Quite Navy, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust and Always Artichoke ink for the background.  The image is stamped in Stazon Black.  The card base is Cajun Craze. 
You will also need an acrylic block, spray bottle and Post it Notes. 

Thanks so much for stopping by; I hope you get a chance to try this technique!

Lee Ann
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I liked that the Acrylic Block Technique so much that I thought I would try another card, but this time I used the sketch from Retrosketches this week.  Such a fun, playful sketch!

Here is my take on the sketch with my new favorite technique as my background-

I dug out a very old set that I have never used, Gifts from the Orient, and stamped the kites-or are they wind socks? -I have forgotten the correct term for these-over the background, clear embossed them and drew strings with a fine Micron pen.  The card base is Brilliant Blue and the top panel is in Tempting Turquoise.  I don't tend to work in colors this bright, but I am pleased with how this turned out.  I think it will make a good teen birthday card. 

Here is a photo of the real deal taken at the Missouri Botanical Gardens last fall for their Japanese Festival. 

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!  Have a blessed week!

Lee Ann  :)

CAS cards-The Latest Thing

If you hadn't noticed recently, clean and simple cards are all the rage.  It doesn't equate to easy, though.  I find them to be very challenging and like to try my hand at this pared down style.  The newest challenge for this?  CAS(E) this Sketch.
Here is the first and this week's sketch challenge, in CAS style-

And here is my take on this clean and simple sketch, using Stampin' Up's Happy Hour stamp set-

Gold Christmas Cheer

 I snapped alot of pictures of this card, but I just could not get the overall elegance of this simple card to show through. The glass is embossed in gold ep.  The holly sprig is stamped in Old Olive and Real Red ink and clear embossed. Both images are popped up on dimensionals. I LOVE my latest framelit purchase, the Window Frame Collection.  These are cut out in Whisper White and have a 1 inch circle of Old Olive between each of the 3 white die cuts.
I think I will try to get a photo of the glass and update this post later.  Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting my blog-
Have a fantastic week!

Lee Ann :)
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EDIT for the Gold Christmas Cheer Post-

Uggghhh!  I have taken multiple pictures and cannot get a good photo of this card.  Here is a close-up of the glass as well as another photo of the card, this time looking tacky as I tried to get the shine of the gold embossing.  I will let you choose which photo is better!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!
Happy Stamping and have a fab week!

Lee Ann :)

Playing Along with Challenges

Whew!!  After two weeks in a row of out of town guests, it feels good to sit in the quiet of my craft area and get back to card challenges.  Don't get me wrong, I love my family and friends, but it really takes alot of energy to have someone else staying in your home, don't you think?
This week's SCS Featured Stamper has a beautiful, colorful gallery of cards, making it very difficult to choose what to case.  I found a layout that caught my eye and this is the result-

 I really wanted an outdoorsy feel to this card, so I used the retired set, Peaceful Wishes, which will always be one of my faves.  I also used the Merry, Merry set, which retired only after 1 year, which mad me very sad!  And how about one of the newest embossing folders from SU-Argyle-I am loving this!  The dsp is from the current Candlelight Stampin' Up dsp.  CS used is Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Soft Suede and Early Espresso.  The sentiment is stamped in Versamark and embossed with gold ep.  The foliage is stamped in Always Artichoke, Soft Suede, and Poppie Parade.  I also used one of the new framelits and find this shape to be very versatile.  Dazzling Details were added to the berries but you can't really see them in the pic.  They sparkle irl. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a fabulous Monday!

Lee Ann

A Merry Victorian Christmas

I love the idea of getting ahead on Christmas cards and it is easy to do when you play along at Merry Mondays.  I pulled out an old Stampin' Up set for this week's sketch-

 A Merry Victorian Christmas

  I think this image has  a Victorian look to it, so I went with that "theme".  I used Peaceful Wishes for the sentiment and Winter is Calling for the image.  The card base is Basic Gray and the cs layers are Primrose Pink, Basic Gray and Snow Festival dsp.  The image is watercolored with Cherry Cobbler, Primrose Pink, Basic Gray, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Glorious Green and Lucky Limeade.  Dazzling Details is used on the coat trim and hats, but you really can't see it in the photo.  A Basic Gray satin bow with an Antique Brad center finishes off this card. 
 
     I have out of town guests coming in tomorrow so I have ALOT of cleaning and preparation to do before then!  Guess I better get to it!  Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting my blog-

Have a Blessed week!

Lee Ann  :)

Neutral Inspiration

I have discovered a new challenge that appeals to me, as I really like inspiration challenges.  This one is called "Inspired By".  Here is the inspirational picture I used tonight-

Wonderful photo, isn't it?  I have decided, after working on this challenge, that I definitely need some pumpkin stamps.  I wanted to go with the neutral color theme and the fall theme, but couldn't find anything fall-ish to work. Still, I really loved the colors and the patterns and texture in the photo as well.  So, after all that, here is my finished card-

I embossed the Stampin' Up Hello Doiley stamp in black on Very Vanilla CS.  The dsp is from the Howlstooth and Scaringbone dsp.  Ribbon is unknown.  All in all, a pretty simple card-

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!  Have a wonderful day!

Grateful For Fall

Hello, everyone!  It has truly turned to autumn weather this weekend.  I have finally turned the furnace on and it has gone into the 30s at night.  The trees are starting to take on yellows and oranges.
 This weekend at SCS,  a wonderful tutorial for the most magical leaf was posted.  This tutorial, by Debbie, is great fun to do and not hard at all.  I encourage you to hop over and check it out.  My sketch for this card is based on the sketch at MOJO Monday this week.

 The colors for this card are for the challenge at Pals Paper Art this week.

What  a stunning combination of colors!  For this card I used-

Paper-Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Very Vanilla and Brushed Gold

Stamps-Gently Falling, Always Thankful

Ink-Stazon Black, Early Espresso

Other-SU reinkers in Midnight Muse, More Mustard, Glorious Green, Pumpkin Pie, Cameo Coral, Simply Scored Tool, Wood Grain ef, gold 26g wire, 1 1/2in circle punch, Apothecary Framelits, UTEE, gold embossing powder, Memory Box Quinn Flourish

Below is a close-up of the leaf, which looks like a ceramic piece!  This is just a fantastic technique!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog and have a very blessed week!

Lee Ann
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Back again, with one more great sketch for the day.  This is for Freshly Made Sketches. 

 

Here is my take on this sketch-

Early Flakes

For this card, I used Verve's Glad Tidings stamp set and matching snowflake dies.  The papers are Crumb Cake, Whisper White, and the wonderful, new Candlelight dsp.  The flakes are inked in Early Espresso.  I also used pearls, polka dot ef and white craft ink.  I am so sad that the craft ink pad did not serve me well here!  Time for a new pad.  The circle panel and the die cut flakes are popped up on dimensionals.

  

Thanks for visiting my little part of blog world!  Have a wonderful week!  

Lee Ann :)