Season's Greetings

Today's project was a Christmas. I started by cutting my tag from kraft cardstock. I die cut the Season's Greetins ornament (Cheery Lynn Designs) twice once in green and once in gold so I could layer the gold season's greetings over the green. I die cut an oval (Cheery Lynn Designs) to use as a background panel. The sentiment (Artistic Outpost) was stamped in green pigment ink and heat embossed. It's a simple design, but sends the Christmas message.
I am entering my tag in these challenges: Cheery Lynn Designs -- tag, you're it; City Crafter -- Christmas CAS; Fashionable  Stamping -- Christmas tag; Dies R Us -- Christmas; Artistic Outpost -- anything goes using Artistic Outpost stamps; Word Art Wednesday -- anything goes.

Good Old Fun

I am a city girl and I do love the city. However, I have memories of spending summer vacations during my childhood at my great-grandparents farm. There my great-uncles would ride us around on the tractor and we could see the different crops they had growing. When Simon Says challenged us on Monday to remember the good old days, this is what I came up with. I used the layout from the Mojo Monday sketch challenge as the basis for my layout. All of the stamps used are from Artistic Outpost. Prisma colored pencils were used to color the images. This layout was a bit of a challenge since I had to use six masks to get every stamp where I wanted them to be.
I am entering this card into these challenges: Mojo Monday -- sketch; Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge -- Good Old Days; Artistic Outpost -- anything goes using Artistic Outpost stamps.

Trick or Treat

Tomorrow (Friday) is Halloween. I thought I'd share one more Halloween card. I started with a great piece of designer paper. I pulled out several sets of Halloween stamps from Artistic Outpost. I couldn't let the holiday go by without using the dapper skeleton all dressed up in his formal finest. I wanted to mask him, but he is quite skinny and difficult to cut out. Then I remembered that I had a jar of Masking Friskit. It was the perfect answer to mask my bony friend. I used a white gel pen to highlight his bones. The haunted mansion is another of my favorite stamps, along with the colony of bats. (Yes, that's what a group of bats is called.) Halloween was stamped in orange. The 'Trick or Treat" sentiment block is a part of  a larger stamp. I stamped it and then heat embossed it and cut out the part I wanted. Halloween Kisses--my treat to you!
Since this is the week and month of Halloween, there are a number of challenges met by my Halloween card: Tuesday Throwdown -- dressed up-costume; Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge -- treats; Sweet Stamps -- Spooky; 3 Muses -- Take Fright; Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge -- anything goes; Marks Finest Papers Simple Salutations -- Boo to You; Inspiration Emporium -- In Disguise; Art With Heart -- Tricks or Treats; Artistic Outpost -- anything goes with Artistic Outpost stamps.

Happy Halloween

It took me a year, but I finally got to use my Witch's Laundry die from Cheery Lynn. My card base is black cardstock. I cut the orange moon to fit the card and then stamped it with bats from Artistic Outpost's Haunted Halloween. The sentiment is also from that set. It looks like our witch friend will have clean clothes for her big night out!
I am entering my card into these challenges: Cheery Lynn Designs -- black and orange; Dies R Us Challenge -- Halloween; Marks Finest Paper Simple Salutations -- things with wings; A Vintage Journey -- Halloween to die for; Artistic Outpost --anything goes with Artistic Outpost stamps.

Crazy Enough

"Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do" What a fun truism expressed by this Artistic Outpost stamp! This week the Bloggers Challenge is black, white and a splash of color. It was the perfect challenge to use an unused Sizzix die which I had in my stash for a long time. What better technique is there to use for this kind of challenge than the chalkboard technique. You can't get much more black and white than that.
Besides Bloggers challenge, I am entering my card into these challenges: City Crafter -- focus on sentiment; Word Art Wednesday -- anything goes; SweetStamps Monthly Challenge -- chalkboard technique; Artistic Outpost -- anything goes using Artistic Outpost stamps.

Again be Children for a Day

Today's card celebrates the fun of Halloween. Last year I missed all of the fall stamping since I was in the hospital, so I decided to start on Halloween a  little early. My card layout is based on the Mojo Monday tall and skinny sketch challenge. My card base is kraft cardstock. The background design papers come from Tim Holtz's Seasonal Stash. I used a kraft panel to back my image and sentiment.  The Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge was witch-kraft. I decided to use both kraft cardstock and the adorable witch from Artistic Outpost. In fact, all of the stamps used are Artistic Outpost stamps. Artistic Outpost has a monthly challenge. The August challenge is anything goes using Artistic Outpost stamps. At City Crafter the challenge was to create a shaker card. I think the little owl makes a great shaker.

Spring is Here

Today is the first full day of spring and for one day we are scheduled to actually have spring temperatures in Chicago. Today's Bloggers Challenge -- celebrates the coming of spring by wanting us to think spring.
My card starts with a spring green background on which I stenciled alphabet letters for interest. I then added the French Lattice Cheery Lynn die cut. the flower packet, stamped flowers, and sentiment are all stamps from Artistic Outpost. The die cut butterfly and flower are from Cheery Lynn.
My card is also being entered into these challenges:Cheery Lynn Designs -- think spring; Classy Cards 'n Such --flutterbys (Classy Cards 'n Such is a great place to order Cheery Lynn Design dies); City Crafter -- spring in the garden; Three Muses -- spring; Marks Finest Papers Simple Salutations -- things with wings; Artistic Outpost monthly referral challenge -- anything goes with Artistic Outpost stamps; and The Artistic Stamper --letters, words, numbers (background alphabet letters, sentiment and seed packet words, and 15 cents).

Secret to Staying Young

Saturday is my dearest friend Don's birthday. I wanted to create a fun, masculine card for him. Here's wishing Don a happy and wonderful birthday and many, many more!

I based my layout on the Mojo Monday sketch challenge. The background is a gold strip panel with a stamped kraft panel. The focal gentleman, sentiment, and background stamping are all Artistic Outpost Stamps.

I am entering this card into these challenges: Mojo Monday --sketch; Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge -- touch of gold; and Artistic Outpost monthly referral challenge -- anything goes with Artistic Outpost stamps.

Be a Good One

"Whatever you are, be a good one" is one of my favorite sayings.It's also a stamp from Artistic Outpost. Today is Friday which means it's time for the Bloggers Challenge. This week the challenge is black/white with a splash of color. Today the black and white pulled me in two directions (fortunately compatible). I immediately thought of the chalkboard technique and of newspapers or book pages. I used both on my card. The splash of color (gold) was inspired by the Ink on my Fingers Sunday challenge which is black and gold. 

To make my card I started with a page from an old book. I then added the gold by painting a stencil with gold distress paint and then laying it on the panel. This gave a reverse of the stencil and you can still see the words on the book page. I then stamped the sentiment on black cardstock with embossing ink and heat embossed with frosted crystal embossing powder. The chalk was rubbed over the embossing. Thanks Tim Holtz for that technique! The card was embellished with a white ribbon and three flower diecuts (Cheery Lynn) with gold brad centers.

I am also entering my card into these challenges: City Crafter -- splash of color; Word Art Wednesday challenge -- anything goes; Inspiration Journal challenge -- show with words; and Artistic Outpost monthly referral challenge -- anything goes with Artistic Outpost stamps.

Friends

This week the Bloggers Challenge is friendship. This theme gave me a chance to use one of my Tim Holtz dies for the first time...the friends cut-out die. What better set of friends is there to use than Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer (Artistic Outpost stamps). I decided to keep my card CAS. To a background panel of designer paper with the word "Friends" cut out, I added Tom and Huck over a die cut from Spellbinders. The boys are colored using distress markers.
I am also entering my card into the Addicted to CAS challenge which is die cuts, into the Great Impressions challenge which is something new; and into the Artistic Outpost referral challenge which is anything goes using Artistic Outpost stamps.

Happy New Year

This will be my last posting for 2013. I just wanted to wish my friends a Happy New Year filled with happiness and good health!

My card was made using a Spellbinders die and stamps from Artistic Outpost's Auld Lang Syne stamp sheet. I will be entering my card in this month's Artistic Outpost monthly referral challenge.

Whatever You Are

For my card I chose to use the faux silk technique from Technique Junkies for my background. Artistic Outpost has so many great sentiment stamps. I thought that this sentiment from AO Typography and a little bling  complemented the elegant background.
I am submitting my card to the following challenges: Artistic Outpost September referral challenge which is anything goes; Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge which is say it with stamps. and Inspiration Journal which is falling for faux.

All That We Behold

Today I combined one of my favorite Artistic Outpost images  from the Outpost stamp set with a sentiment from a totally different Artistic Outpost stamp set, Flower Market. There is something very peaceful in the combination of this image with this sentiment to me. I love the way the framing of the image and sentiment with the combination of Cheery Lynn dies pulls your eye toward the image.
I am entering this card in these challenges. The Artistic Outpost Referral Challenge has the theme anything goes (using an AO stamp). Cheery Lynn Designs wants us to frame it. (Cheery Lynn dies used are Japanese Garden Lace oval, Dutch Doily Rectangle frame, and Felicity Tiny doily). The Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge and Word Art Wednesday challenge are both  anything goes challenges.

Bathing Beauties

Lately I've been on a summer kick. Today's card uses the Mojo Monday sketch as its layout. The gorgeous bathing beauties (and sentiment) are from the Artistic Outpost Boardwalk stamp set. The sand background is stamped using a Rogue Redhead Designs stamp from Beach Babes. Although the sparkle doesn't show very well on the scan, the deep teal background panel and the circle were die cut from glitter paper.
This card is being entered in these challenges: Mojo Monday -- sketch; Simon Says Stamp and Show -- anything goes; Artistic Stamper -- Ladies' Day; and Artistic Outpost referral program -- anything goes.

Happy 4th of July

Happy Birthday America. It's a gorgeous day here in Chicago. Hope everyone is enjoying a lovely 4th of July.
My card today celebrates the holiday. I used the Designer Paper Starburst technique from the April/May 2013 Technique Junkies newsletter to make my background. It seemed like a perfect background for a 4th of July card. The stars are cut using a Sizzix die. All of the stamps used are from the Artistic Outpost stamp sheets, Heroes and She-roes.
This card is being entered into a number of challenges:
Tuesday Throwdown -- stars and stripes; Our Daily Bread Designs -- red, white, and blue; Creative Belli -- stars; Simon Says Stamp -- patriotic; Marks Finest Papers Inspiration Challenge -- red, white, and blue; Inspiration Journal -- Happy Birthday, America; and Artistic Outpost Monthly Referral -- anything goes.

Remember When...

Since I was enjoying my playtime today, it was appropriate that I brought out my Playtime stamps from Artistic Outpost. The June referral challenge at Artistic Outpost is anything goes. Usually I would have created a card, but keeping in line with my personal challenge to change things up, I went with a tag. I've had these stamps for a long time, but I've never used them. I found my mustache stickers on my table, so I thought that the sentiment of "Remember When..." with the graying mustache worked with the the image of the child and the old toys. The tag background was made using distress stains.
I'm also entering my tag in the Artistic Stamper Challenge which is makes for men.

Scarecrow

Today's card features a favorite of mine, the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz. I do understand his complaint. I've said the same thing myself many times. The image and the sentiment are from Artistic Outpost. The background was done using the embossed gelatos technique from the current TJ newsletter. I stamped the scarecrow a second time, colored him with gelatos, and popped him over the background.
I am entering this card in several challenges: Artistic Outpost Monthly Referral...anything goes; Ink on my Fingers Sunday Challenge...embossing powder; Tuesday Throwdown...favorite book; City Crafter...burlap love; and Technique Junkies Try That Technique...embossed gelatos.

Full of Blessings

I had a lot of fun playing around with this card. It worked into several challenges this week. As a base I used the sketch from the Mojo Monday challenge. All of the stamps, including sentiment, are from the Artistic Outpost Flower Market stamp set. Therefore, I am entering the card into the Artistic Outpost April referral program challenge. City Crafters wants to see clouds. On the upper background panel, you can see clouds which I stenciled onto the design paper.Simon Says Stamp has an anything goes theme. SweetStamps wants to see three of any item. (I used 3 different design papers. There are three panels of images. I used the same small butterfly three times.) Mark's Finest Papers Friends of Speedyhttp://mfpspeedytv.ning.com/page/friends-of-speedy-tv-challenge-69-04-22-13-1-2-3had a recipe challenge: 1 ribbon, 2 buttons, 3 different design papers. Great Impressions wants to see pastels and polka dots. Both MFP Simple Salutations and Creative Belli are looking for spring.

Hope

It's the end of the month, and of course, I have to catch up on all of my favorite monthly challenges so here I am again. This card qualifies for the Artistic Outpost monthly referral challenge. I used Stamps from Artistic Outpost Quotes and Quotables and Blue Bird.  I followed the square challenge sketch from Mojo Monday. Inspiration Journal had the challenge of pop-ups. I used my pop-up star from the Tim Holtz collection. Both Simon Says Stamp and Show and Mark's Finest Papers Simple Salutation challenge want to see a quotation on  the card.

Featuring London

I love it when I have some creative time for myself and things come together. I started this card with the sketch from Mojo Monday and three sets of London stamps from Artistic Outpost (London Elements, London Underground, and Loverly London). I wanted something eyecatching for my background. When I found this piece of copper, I decided to use one of my favorite techniques of embossing the metal and highlighting it with Staz-on ink. I stamped the images on white cardstock and cut them into the circle shapes. The bird is popped up using a foam dot.
I am entering this card into several challenges. The Artistic Outpost monthly challenge is anything goes. Simon Says Stamp and Show has metal-ology as its theme. Three Muses has the theme of time to time. Fashionable Stamping wants to see a bird. Frilly & Funkie has the theme layer it on and share a word (London).