Greeting Farm Guest Post #4

Happy Monday! I'm back for one final July Greeting Farm Guest Designer post!

I have two cards to share with you today, but before I do, I'd like to say THANK YOU to Jessica and Marie for having me as this month's guest designer! I had a blast, and I hope I inspired you all in some way with the cards that I've shared!

My first card features a new digi that was released this month, WS Jessica, in honor of the fantastically fabulous Jessica Diedrich! The sentiment I used is from the Lucky Bunnies clear stamp set.

My second card features one of the two new members of the Bean Collection that were released this month...Shiny Bean! I loved coloring up those long braided pigtails!

 And THANK YOU, dear blog readers, so much for giving me such a warm welcome and for checking out what I made with this month's new TGF releases! It has been a whirlwind of fun this month...bye for now!

Christmas Card Challenges #35

Happy Sunday! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

We've been enjoying the Summer Olympic coverage...the opening ceremonies were spectacular! Our favorite parts were the torch/cauldron lighting and the segment with James Bond & Queen Elizabeth II! 

This week, our Christmas Card Challenge is...no stamping! 

I'll admit, this one was a toughie for me...I'm so used to stamping and coloring images, that it was hard for me to decide what I wanted to use for this card! 

Although all of our challenges are optional...the only "real" rule is that you must create a new Christmas, Holiday or Hannukah card, then link it up on our blog so we can stop by and leave you some lovely comments!

I found some card stock elements from a scrapbooking kit that I haven't used, and I still had the matching paper pad! They worked great on my card!

supplies: card base, patterned paper and cardstock accents (Echo Park - Holly Jolly Christmas), twine (My Mind's Eye), buttons, adhesive rhinestones, kraft card stock (PTI), foam tape.

Don't forget to visit the rest of the CCC team to take a peek at the fun and festive cards they've created this week: Alanna, Brigitte, Candace,Corinne, Dee, Katie, Leesa, Margo, Michele, Pat, and Stephanie!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you have a wonderful week & don't forget to link your entry on the Christmas Card Challenges blog! See you there!

Drunken Stampers #94

Happy Saturday! It's time for a new challenge at Drunken Stampers! We've come to the end of this DT term, and I'd like to send a big THANK YOU to everyone who has played along in our challenges over the past six months!

This week, we're celebrating National Milk Chocolate Day AND National Hamburger day!! - use either chocolate or hamburgers...or both!

Here's my card (I tried to work in both with this fun "Fanny" image from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps):

The paper that I used for this card is from the Echo Park Happy Days mini pad. The denim paper is from Crate Paper.

The party's just getting started! Don't forget to stop by and see what the rest of the team created! If you'd like to visit their personal blogs and leave them some love, here's the list: Chaitali, Donna, Elizabeth, Nat, Spike, and Steph!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! We're leaving this challenge open until the end of August, because we're taking a break! We'll be back on September 1 with a new set of challenges, and a blog makeover! There's a new attitude on the way for Drunken Stampers, and I hope you'll join us for our new challenges!

Don't forget...there's still time to join in on the challenges at the colourQ, and Your Next Stamp! I'll be back tomorrow for a new Christmas Card Challenge! See you then!

A Couple of Kraftin' Kimmie Cards!

Hi, crafty friends! Just wanted to make a quick post with the two cards I've made for Kraftin' Kimmie challenges!

My first card is for Kraftin' Kimmie/Crazy 4 Challenges, and the theme is STITCHING (real or faux)! My card features Kraftin' Kimmie's "Cordelia" mermaid image.

Supplies: image (Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps - Cordelia), sentiment (Kraftin' Kimmie - Kimmie's Mermaid Sentiments), papers (Basic Grey Plumeria), Copic markers, Stickles (Star Dust), Liquid Pearls, foam tape. adhesive pearls, sewing machine, thread, Spellbinders dies (Lacey Circles, Standard Circles), ink (Brilliance Graphite Black), card base.

This challenge ends tomorrow (Friday, July 27). Click HERE for all the details!

My second card is for the Kraftin' Kimmie/Color Me Creative challenge, which is "Anything Goes - with a girly twist"! My design features Kraftin' Kimmie's "Tara" and its coordinating sentiment.

Supplies: image and sentiment (Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps - Tara), papers (Basic Grey What's Up), Copic markers, opaque white marker, opaque white embossing powder, Glossy Accents, foam tape. button, twine (Whisker Graphics), sewing machine, thread, Spellbinders die (Classic Hearts), ink (Brilliance Graphite Black, VersaMark watermark), card base, adhesive rhinestones.

This challenge runs until August 3. You can find all the details HERE. 

I hope you enjoy these cards and were inspired by them!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Your Next Stamp #8 - Sketch Challenge

Happy Thursday! It's time for a new challenge at Your Next Stamp, and this time, we're getting sketchy!

First, here's the sketch for this week, designed by the ever-fabulous Peggy Toole:

and here's my card, featuring YNS's "Song Bird":

 Now, it's your turn!!!!

Just link up your project for this challenge on the YNS blog or over at our Splitcoast forum by next Wednesday, August 1 at midnight EST. If you're linking on the SCS Gallery, don't forget our keywords: yns, yournextstamp and YNSC8!

We'd love to see your creations with YNS stamps if you have them! Even if you don't have any yet, we'd still love for you to join in all the fun! AND don't forget: one random winner will receive a $10.00 gift certificate to the YNS Store! How cool is that?

If you use YNS images on your entry, you may be chosen as our monthly "Rockin' YNS Guest Designer"!!!! You'll have your name in the spotlight and win a YNS prize pack! For all the details, check out the SCS forum!

For more inspiration, check out what the other members of the team created for this challenge: Julie, Kelli, and Wendy! (Or you can see all of their creations at the YNS blog)!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I can't wait to see what you'll create for this week's challenge!

colourQ #147

Happy Tuesday! I'd like to share my card for this week's colourQ challenge with you:

Supplies: embossing folder (Lifestyle Crafts), sentiment stamp (Paper Smooches), heart and square dies (Spellbinders), button, twine (Whisker Graphics), colored cardstock (Stampin' Up - Lucky Limeade, Regal Rose, Brilliant Blue, Baja Breeze), white cardstock (Papertrey Ink).

And here's our colour combo to inspire you this week:

Before I go, I'd like to let you know that this is my last week with the colourQ Royal Court. 

The colourQ is one of the first challenges I played along with when I started making cards...it has been phenomenal to have been part of the team for almost 1 1/2 years!

My husband is in the process of departing the U.S. military after 13 years, and we're transitioning back to civilian life (with one last move on the way near the end of this year).

I'm so honored and humbled to have designed with all of the fabulous ladies on the Royal Court...they always floor me with their creativity! 

Special thanks to Arielle for giving me a chance to join the Royal Court...you are a ROCKSTAR!

I will still be making cards, of course, but my focus will be shifting to a few new crafty opportunities and preparing for our upcoming move. This was, without a doubt, the hardest crafting-related decision I've had to make.

 And as always, thank YOU for stopping by! I hope I'll still inspire you with my creations each week!

Hugs,

P.S. To be considered for this week's colourQueen, make sure to link your creation at the colourQ blog by Sunday, July 29 at noon Central Time! (Don't forget to display the challenge colors and link back to the colourQ blog in your entry post.)

Of course, the rest of the colourQ Royal Court have created some gorgeous projects with this week's colors! You can see them on the colourQ blog or by visiting their personal blogs. (The links are to the right next to the thumbnail of this week's challenge colors.)

TGF Guest Monday - Sew Cute!

Hi, crafty friends! Hope you had a wonderful weekend! I'm back with another Greeting Farm Guest Designer Monday post!

Today, I wanted to show you some more cards that I made with The Greeting Farm's new Oliver & Amelia "Lovey Dovey" set. I'm still practicing sewing on my cards, and I wanted to share a few tips that I've learned along the way! The machine I use to sew on my cards isn't very fancy...it has a few basic stitches available, but that's more than enough!

Normally, I sew with a zigzag stitch around the outside border. It looks great and I don't have to keep the paper 100% straight, because the stitches give me some room for error. I also put adhesive around the edges (about 1/2 inch or so from the underside of the top paper's edge), but just enough to hold the paper together as I sew.

I've been playing around with straight stitching, but I can't seem to keep it totally straight. By making a few rounds of straight stitches (not all in the same place), it kinda hides my crooked stitching and makes it look more like something I meant to do!

Before I adhere the front panel to the card base, I add any ribbon or twine and adhere them to the back of the front panel before sticking it down. I also have trouble tying a flat bow, so I like to tie it separately, and thread a button with twine over the center. Then, I'm able to tie the bow to the ribbon border!

Hope you were inspired by these cards, and if you want to try sewing on a card sometime, I hope the tips I shared will help! 

Do you have any tips for sewing on cards? I'd love to hear about them!

Thanks for stopping by! See you here next Monday for my final July TGF guest post!

P.S. You still have time to play in a few of the latest TGF challenges: Farm Fresh Friday (Summertime theme), which runs until Thursday, July 26 at noon Central Time, and the Retro-Fresh challenge (Stars and Stripes), which runs until Tuesday, August 7th at noon Central Time!

Christmas Card Challenges #34

Happy Sunday! I hope you're having a wonderful weekend! I have a new card to share with you for this week's Christmas Card Challenge! This week, we're making window cards!

I used this tutorial on Splitcoast to create the window, colored this super cute image from Sister Stamps, and made it into an easel card:

Supplies: image stamp (Sister Stamps), sentiment stamp (poppystamps), Spellbinders die (Labels 25), twine (Trendy Twine), ink (watermark ink, Brilliance Graphite Black), white embossing powder, snowflake gems (Imaginisce), adhesive gems, Copic markers, patterned paper (Mitten Weather - Cosmo Cricket).

All of our challenges are optional...the only "real" rule is that you must create a new Christmas, Holiday or Hannukah card, then link it up on our blog so we can stop by and leave you some love!

It's not necessary that you use a Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamp on your card, but we sure love it when you do!

Don't forget to visit the rest of the CCC team to take a peek at the fun and festive cards they've created this week: Alanna, Brigitte, Candace, Corinne, Dee, Katie, Leesa, Margo, Michele, Pat, and Stephanie!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you have a wonderful week & don't forget to link your entry on the Christmas Card Challenges blog! See you there!

YNS #7 - Anything goes!

Happy Thursday! It's time for a new challenge at Your Next Stamp! This week, our challenge is an easy one..."Anything Goes"!


I made a tag with YNS's super sweet "Ellie Loves Lattes" for my project this week:

I am a BIG fan of coffee-themed stamps, and I LOVE Ellie stamps, so this little cutie is the perfect combination of those two things!

Now, it's your turn!!!!

Just link up your project for this challenge on the YNS blog or over at our Splitcoast forum by next Wednesday, July 25 at midnight EST. If you're linking on the SCS Gallery, don't forget our keywords: yns, yournextstamp and YNSC7!

We'd love to see your creations with YNS stamps if you have them! Even if you don't have any yet, we'd still love for you to join in all the fun! AND don't forget: one random winner will receive a $10.00 gift certificate to the YNS Store! How cool is that?

If you use YNS images on your entry, you may be chosen as our monthly "Rockin' YNS Guest Designer"!!!! You'll have your name in the spotlight and win a YNS prize pack! For all the details, check out the SCS forum!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I can't wait to see what you'll create for this week's challenge!

colourQ #146

Happy Tuesday! It's time for a new colourQ challenge! 

The colourQ Royal Court have come up with some fabulous creations with our challenge colours...check them out by using the links to the right or you can see them all at the colourQ blog!

Here's my card:

supplies: image and sentiment stamps (Lawn Fawn - Clear to See), black floral paper , red paper (Authentique), green polka dot paper (My Mind's Eye), button, twine, Glossy Accents, ink (Brilliance Graphite Black), kraft cardstock, card base.

and here are our colours for you to create with:

To be considered for this week's colourQueen, make sure to link your creation at the colourQ blog by Sunday, July 22 at noon Central Time! (Don't forget to display the challenge colors and link back to the colourQ blog in your entry post.)

Thanks so much for stopping by! I can't wait to see what you'll create with this week's colourQ! 

My TGF Guest Monday #2

Hi! TGF July Guest Suzanne here with a new card and a simple technique to share with you!

I'm sure that I'm not the only person who struggles sometimes with masculine cards, so I wanted to make one to share using Oliver from the new "Lovey Dovey" Oliver & Amelia set...

When I colored Oliver to coordinate with the paper, I thought that his cap and overalls would look great with a denim texture. It's easy to create one, especially if you're coloring with alcohol based markers, like Copics. (If you know of a way to create texture with another coloring medium, I'd love to hear about it!)

After I colored in those parts, and after the image was fully dry, I spritzed some colorless blender solution on a scrap of denim fabric and pressed it over both the hat and overalls. Once the solution starts to dry, you'll see the texture appear!

It's a simple technique that I picked up in a Copic class, and since then, I've had fun trying out different textures on my colored images!

Here's a closeup of the hat:

Pretty cool, right?

I'll be back again next Monday to share a new Greeting Farm card with you! I hope you'll join in on the challenges and fun things that are coming up on the TGF blog and at TGF's Splitcoast forum!

Thanks so much for stopping by to take a peek at my card! Hope you have a wonderful week!

Hugs,

Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps 2nd Anniversary Hop!

Hi, crafty friends! I'm so excited to be a part of the Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps 2nd Anniversary Hop!

We're celebrating Sparkle Creations' 2nd Anniversary, and we are also showcasing the release of 4 new SCRS images this month -- Birthday Cake Emily, Festive Rin, Party Time Oliver, and Your Highness Lucy. They are ALL available in the store NOW!

We've assembled an all-star lineup consisting of our Current Design Team, DT Alumni and Guest Designers. (I was the April 2011 Guest Designer for SCRS and was part of the DT from May - December 2011!)

If you happened here by chance, and want to start at the beginning...you can visit the SCRS blog or use the complete list below!

Here's my card featuring the ever-so-lovely Birthday Cake Emily:

AND...you can't have a hop without prizes, right? We've hidden TEN single stamp prizes along the way and one lucky hopper will win the ENTIRE July release!

All you need to do is leave some love at every stop along the hop. You have until 11:59 PM EST on Sunday, July 15 to leave comments on ALL the blogs for a chance to win! Winners will be announced on the SCRS blog on Monday.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Good luck and happy hopping!

Weekend Challenge Roundup!

Hi, crafty friends! Thanks for stopping by to check out my cards for my regularly scheduled weekend challenges!

I don't normally combine them both into one post, but I'm putting them together this weekend because of the Sparkle Creations 2nd Anniversary Blog Hop! If you haven't had the chance to hop along yet, there's still time...and there are many gorgeous cards to check out along the way!

My first card is for the new challenge over at Drunken Stampers...our theme is "Christmas in July"...but with a Summer twist!

supplies: image stamps (Surfing Oliver, Elf Oliver (hat) - Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps),  paper (Crate Paper, Basic Grey), Copic markers, adhesive rhinestones, typed sentiment, sewing machine, foam tape.

My second card is for Christmas Card Challenges, and our challenge this week is Emboss Resist...and I have to admit, I didn't know what it was until I saw it was on our list of challenges! But, it's a really awesome technique, and I learned about it on Splitcoast Stampers. If you don't know what it is either, and want to learn, definitely check out the tutorial!

Here's my card!

supplies: patterned paper (Basic Grey), main image stamp (Holiday Anya - The Greeting Farm), sentiment stamp (Signature Christmas set - Papertrey Ink), border stamp (Nordic Winter - Waltzingmouse Stamps), VersaMark ink, white embossing powder. Brilliance Graphite Black ink, ribbon, adhesive rhinestones, Copic markers.

Hope you enjoyed both of these cards and will play along in our challenges at Drunken Stampers and Christmas Card Challenges! To see what the DTs made and the details on each challenge, check out each blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Greeting Farm Challenge Cards X2!

Hi crafty pals! I'm stopping in to show you some cards that I've made for two of the latest challenges at The Greeting Farm! Since I'm this month's Guest Designer, I'm definitely playing along...and I hope you will, too!

My first card is for the RETRO-fresh challenge, which started on Wednesday at TGF's blog. The theme of the challenge is "Stars and Stripes"! Here's my card, featuring "Oh Boy Ian."

All you have to do for this challenge is to create a card with a TGF stamp that's 6 months or older (check HERE for the list of qualifying stamps), include stars and stripes on your card, and link it up on TGF's blog, gallery or Splitcoast! One lucky winner will receive their choice of one 4x6 stamp in rubber AND one clear set! (almost a $30 value)!

This runs until the next Retro-Fresh challenge, so you have almost a whole month to play along! Check the TGF blog for all the details!

My second card is for the "Farm Fresh Friday" challenge, which just started today! The theme for this week's FFF is "Pink Lemonade," which means to use pink and yellow on your card! Here's my card, featuring the super cute Amelia stamp and sentiment from the brand new Oliver & Amelia Set, "Lovey Dovey!"

So, all you have to do is use a TGF stamp and pink and yellow on your card or project and link up at the TGF blog! This challenge runs until Thursday, July 19th at NOON CST!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed these cards...I'll have a new TGF Guest Designer post on Monday, and I hope you'll stop by again!

P.S. This weekend, I'll be participating in the Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps 2nd Anniversary hop, and bringing you my regularly scheduled Drunken Stampers and Christmas Card Challenges posts! See you then!

Your Next Stamp #6: Flowers

Happy Thursday! It's time for a new Your Next Stamp challenge! Thanks to everyone who has been playing along with us each week...we love seeing what you create!

This week, we'd like for you to use flowers on your card! You can use flower stamps, flowery papers, flowery images, or whatever flowery inspiration strikes you!

I made some rolled flowers to match the bright, summery patterned paper, and combined them with YNS's "You're So Cool" stamp set (and it's on sale this week, too!):

Ready to jump into a garden of creative fun? AWESOME! Don't forget to post your card at the YNS blog and at our Splitcoast forum for your chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the YNS Store! (As a side note, YNS just released some new stamps and dies....and a bunch of older stamps are on sale!)

Since we're just getting started, it's not mandatory to use a YNS image on your entry, but if you do, you could be our next ROCKIN' guest designer! How cool is that?

Thanks so much for stopping by! I can't wait to see what you'll create for this challenge!

colourQ #145

For my Greeting Farm Guest DT post, please click HERE or scroll down. Thanks!

Happy Tuesday! Thanks for stopping by to look at my card for this week's colourQ challenge!

I used some images and a sentiment from Lawn Fawn's "On The Mend" set:

Supplies: image and sentiment stamps (Lawn Fawn - On The Mend), polka dot paper (aMuse Studio), woodgrain paper (Basic Grey - Life of the Party), embossing folders (Sizzix), card stock (More Mustard, Pear Pizzazz - Stampin' UP!), foam tape, adhesive rhinestones, Copic markers (YG11, YG21 - vase, turtle body; YR23, Y21 - turtle shell, ice pack; YR23, YR24 - flower centers; YR23 - flower petals), opaque white marker, watermark ink (VersaMark), opaque white embossing powder, card base, Spellbinders oval die.

For your creative inspiration, here's our colourQ, which was inspired by some rolls of fabric tape:

To be considered for this week's colourQueen, make sure to link your creation at the colourQ blog by Sunday, July 15 at noon Central Time! (Don't forget to display the challenge colors and link back to the colourQ blog in your entry post.)

Of course, the rest of the colourQ Royal Court have created some eye-popping projects with this week's colors! You can see them on the colourQ blog or by visiting their personal blogs. (The links are to the right next to the thumbnail of this week's challenge colors.) 

Thanks so much for stopping by! I can't wait to see what you'll create with this week's colourQ! 

My First TGF Guest Monday!

Hi, everybody! This is my first official post as this month's Guest Designer at The Greeting Farm! I'm so excited to be joining in on all the fun this month, and I hope you enjoy (and are inspired by) what I've created!

We're finally having some real summer weather here in Washington State, and I'm so happy that we're getting some much-needed sunshine! To celebrate, I made a bright, summery card!

For today's card, I used last week's TGF Saturday Sketch Challenge and colored up the super-cute Glisten Bean! I don't normally color shades of hair other than brown or blonde, but I think she needed bright pink hair this time! She's just so adorable...I can't help but smile whenever I see her!

 I'll be back next Monday to share a new Greeting Farm card with you! I hope you'll join in on the challenges and fun things that are coming up on the TGF blog and at their Splitcoast forum! 

Thanks so much for stopping by to take a peek at my card! Hope you have a wonderful week!

DeNami Blog Hop: Summer!

Happy Sunday! I hope you're enjoying your trip through all of the fabulous creations on today's DeNami Designs Blog Hop!

You should have arrived from Deb W.'s blog, and now you're visiting me (Suzanne Bier)! If you arrived directly onto my blog and want to start at the beginning, just visit the DeNami blog for the full list of hop participants!

Our theme for this month's hop is SUMMER! 

Don't forget to leave comments for ALL the participants as you hop along...TWO lucky commenters will each win a $20 mini shopping spree on the DeNami Designs web site!

For this hop, I customized a tutorial that I found online to make a smaller version that fits on a water bottle! It has a little pocket on the front, which is the perfect size to store drink mix packets for a picnic or other summertime fun!

Notes: To make this narrower version, I cut the card stock strip at 4 1/4" x 11", which will let you make 2 treat holders from one 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of card stock! The score lines I used are 1/4" apart instead of 1/2" as shown in the tutorial. I also border punched the top of the pocket before I stuck everything down.

DeNami stamps used: Surfer Chickie, Umbrella Garnish, Party Time Stamp Set.
The sentiment used on this card is from another manufacturer...I stamped it to show placement on this example.

(This size could fit four regular bottle drink packets...unfortunately, I didn't have any of those, so I used the 2-quart size for my example!)

Your next stop on the hop is the super-creative Barbara Murphy! I'm sure she's created something totally summer-ific for the hop! In case you want to start at the beginning, the full list of participants is on theDeNami Designs blog!

Don't forget...you have until Monday, July 9, 2012, 11:59 pm PST, to leave comments on all the blogs (to be eligible for one of the two $20 DeNami mini shopping sprees).

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you enjoy the rest of the hop!

Christmas Card Challenges: Sketch Challenge!

Happy Sunday! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend! It's time for a new Christmas Card Challenge! This week, we're inspiring you with a sketch! 

Here's my card:

supplies: card base, kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink), patterned paper (My Mind's Eye - Merry & Bright), image stamp (Gourment Rubber Stamps), sentiment stamp (Papertrey Ink), Copic markers, Stickles, twine (Trendy Twine), Spellbinders circle die, adhesive rhinestones.

All of our challenges are optional...the only "real" rule is that you must create a new Christmas, Holiday or Hannukah card, then link it up on our blog so we can stop by and leave you some love! 

It's not necessary that you use a Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamp on your card, but we sure love it when you do! 

Don't forget to visit the rest of the CCC team to see the fun and festive cards they've created this week: Alanna, Brigitte, Candace, Corinne, Dee, Katie, Leesa, Margo, Michele, Pat and Stephanie!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you have a wonderful week & don't forget to link your entry on the Christmas Card Challenges blog! See you there!