CDS Sneak Peek - Smooth Sailing

Welcome back for the final day of the CDStamps Sneak Peeks as all of these wonderful stamps go on sale tomorrow :) Today I have 2 sets to show you but they will be posted in separate posts so be sure to scroll around and check them out! This card is made using the new Smooth Sailing set. Because the ship is very old world looking I wanted to go with a semi monochromatic colour scheme. Monochromatic cards are very challenging for me but I am completely thrilled with how this one turned out! It may even be my favourite card that I have made for the sneak peeks...hmmm...yep, it is *wink*

I watercoloured the ship using my Tombow Markers and a waterbrush and then paper tol'd the sails. If you look closely at the paper behind the ship you will notice that it is neither a stamp or designer paper. To create this all I did was Google Old World Maps and I managed to come across several photos of real antique maps. I loaded the photos into Photo shop and cropped them down and adjusted the lighting levels for a more crisp picture. I then printed it up on regular printer cover stock and cut out an area that I thought looked the best on the card :) I added some extra sponging around the print out and the torn edges of the designer paper below that to really add to the distressing.

My wonderful husband actually helped me make this card believe it or not! He's a deckhand on BC Ferries (our local Ferry System here on Vancouver Island) and I handed him the hemp twine and told him to "go to town" lol - He done good! He used some knotting techniques to create the hemp twine "chain" looking adornment and they actually use that technique on the boats for storing heavy rope lines.

I added the banner of "Stay the Course" as my finishing touch on the card and discovered a little trick (probably a well known, but new to me) for getting perfect "tails" on the ends of the banner. Usually I free hand cut them with a craft knife, but I had another light bulb moment when making this. I ended up taking my 1 3/8" Square punch that already had perfect 90 degree angles and slid the ends of the banner into one of the corners and punched. I did this on both ends for perfectly straight and even ends.

Now that you have seen my creations, please click on the links below to see the other sets that are being previewed today :)

Laurie Wilson
Lori McCroskey
Linda Borneman
Candy Fosta
Cassie Trask

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Clear Dollar Stamps - Smooth Sailing
Paper: Gina K, Chocolate Chip, Watercolour, 7 Gypsies DP, K&Co DP, Inque Boutique DP, Printer Cover Stock
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Distressing Tool, Printer, Hemp Twine, Tombow Markers, Waterbrush, 1 3/8" Square Punch, Dimensionals, Sponges, Clear Embossing Powder

CDS Sneak Peek - Walk in the Park (SOM)

This is the last day of the CDStamps sneak peeks before they go on sale tomorrow! Yippee! Then all of you will get a chance to play with these fun stamps :) This is post number one of two for my sneak peeks today, be sure to pop by later as I have my favourite card to show you then!

This is the Stamp of the Month for May called Walk in the Park. You receive this set free of charge when you place a $50 order before taxes :) I took a totally different take on the Spring themed set to show you the versatility of it. I am not the first person to drool over Michelle Zindorf's elegant Winter themed cards and I was most definitely inspired by her when creating this one!

The main image was heat embossed with clear embossing powder and then the scene was sponged around it - I wanted to keep this card fairly simple as the image itself makes a bold statement. I ran the designer paper through my cuttlebug and then took a small piece of sand paper and scuffed up the raised bits to reveal the white core of the paper. This works especially well with the snowflakes embossing folder because it really makes the snowflakes pop!

The snowflake embellishment was created using 2 different sized snowflake Spellbinder's dies and "painting" them with crystal effects and then dipping them in the chunky glitter. I then let them dry and stacked them with dimensionals between to add some depth. As a finishing touch to the card I added some white gel pen "snow" to the branches of the tree :)

Now that you have seen my creations, please click on the links below to see the other sets that are being previewed today :) Don't forget to pop back later for the last sneak peek!

Laurie Wilson
Lori McCroskey
Linda Borneman
Candy Fosta
Cassie Trask

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Clear Dollar Stamps - Walk in the Park (Stamp of the Month)
Paper: Gina K, Basic Black, Watercolour, Chatterbox DP
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Bordering Blue, Baja Breeze, Soft Sky, Sahara Sand, Basic Grey
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Cuttlebug, Snowflakes Embossing Folder, Sandpaper, Gemstone Brad, Crystal Effects, Sponges, Snowflake Spellbinder's Dies, Martha Stewart Chunky Glitter, Dimensionals, Clear Embossing Powder, White Gel Pen, Taffeta Ribbon

CDS Sneak Peek - Words of Gratitude

Welcome back for day three of the CDStamps sneak Peeks. This card is made using an all word set called Words of Gratitude and it's perfect for what I have been needing! It's very hard to find a set that is specific for expressing gratitude without having a lot of other sentiments that aren't related at all thrown in for good measure! Needless to say, I was pretty darn excited when Clear Dollar Stamps came out with this one *wink*

This card measures 4 x 6" and was made for a couple of challenges that Laurie Wilson comes up with for each month for the Design Team. This one fits right in with her sketch challenge and colour challenge of using pinks and purples of any shades :)

I ended up making up all kinds of these mini blossoms using my Boho Blossom Punch (SU) and pairing them up with a Martha Stewart Leaf punch to make some three dimensional items on the card without using another stamped image. ( I kind of challenged myself with that one!) lol

As always with Sneak Peek Days, there are more sets to see, so feel free to click on the links below to see what the other ladies have been up to!

Laurie Wilson
Lori McCroskey
Katie Renz
Candy Fosta
Tori Wild
Angela Thomas
Cassie Trask

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Clear Dollar Stamps - Words of Gratitude
Paper: Gina K, Perfect Plum, My Mind's Eye DP
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Perfect Plum, Rose Red, Old Olive
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Cuttlebug and Embossing Folders, Corner Rounder Punch, Nestabilities, Boho Blossom Punch, Mat Pack, Piercing Tool, Aqua Painter, Brads, Ribbon, Dimensionals, Martha Stewart Leaf Punch, Mini Glue Dots, Sponges, Dew Drops, Clear Embossing Powder

CDS Sneak Peek - Charlie Gardens

Welcome back for day 2 of the CDStamps sneak peeks :) Today I have the newest Charlie to show you and this set is called Charlie Gardens. Many of you know how much I love Charlie stamps so of course I was going to be showing this new one off!



I'm not really sure that I was in the right state of mind when I decided to make a shaped card! It was late at night and all of a sudden this bright idea popped into my head and I started drawing up my template. Realistically the card base should have come together quickly, but Murphy's law sets in and it actually took me hours to make it! Needless to say that I was regretting my "light bulb" moment! lol Its' supposed to be a watering can and I think that it turned out alright in the end...


The Charlie image was watercoloured and papter toled. I was a little tired after working on the card base and my patience was wearing thin, so I was playing around a little and figured out a little trick. With the Charlie Gardens set comes the image of a metal bin filled with vegetables and some individual veggie images to name a few. Instead of masking off all of the individual veggies to fill up the wheel barrow, I just masked off the metal bin with veggies image and it fit perfectly inside - Way less work and it looks great!

I added crystal effects to look like water as a last minute adornment and let it dry overnight because I added and extra thick coating.

I know that there are other fabulous sets been shown off today so don't forget to pop by the links below to see what other goodies Clear Dollar Stamps has in store for May 1st :)

Laurie Wilson
Lori McCroskey
Katie Renz
Candy Fosta
Tori Wild
Angela Thomas
Cassie Trask

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Clear Dollar Stamps - Charlie Gardens
Paper: Basic Grey, Sahara Sand, Watercolour
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Basic Grey, Soft Sky, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Corner Rounder Punch, Lg & Sm Oval Punches, Mat Pack, Hand Drawn Template, Sponges, Dimensionals, Button, Linen Thread, Satin Ribbon, Crystal Effects, Heart Nestabilities, Aqua Painter, Re-Inkers

CDS Sneak Peek - Horse Heritage

Welcome to the first day of the May Sneak Peeks at CDStamps! Over the next couple of days I will have oodles of goodies to share with you so stay tuned for those ;) Today I am previewing a beautiful new set called Horse Heritage.



I watercoloured the horses and fence with Tombow Markers (now available for sale at Clear Dollar Stamps) and an aqua painter and sponged the background with various shades of ink with a sponge. The darker blue chatterbox designer paper is actually iridescent and shimmers beautifully especially since I ran it through my cuttlebug. I then heat embossed the quotation on the vellum and then placed it over the rest of the designer papers.



Before I end this post I wanted to remind everyone that Lori McCroskey is hosting a chance to be a Guest Designer for Clear Dollar Stamps over on her blog. You can see all of the details here if you would like to participate :) If you would like to check out what other stamps that are being showcased today, then feel free to pop by the blogs below :)

Laurie Wilson
Lori McCroskey
Linda Borneman
Katie Renz
Candy Fosta
Tori Wild

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Clear Dollar Stamps - Horse Heritage
Paper: PTI White, Watercolour, Inque Boutique DP, Creamy Caramel, Chatterbox DP, Vellum, K&Co DP
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Creamy Caramel, Soft Sky, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Clear Embossing Powder, Mat Pack, Piercing Tool, Brads, Linen Thread, Sponges, Dimensionals, Aqua Painter, Tombow Markers, Cuttlebug, Embossing Folders

OCC - My Favourite Card Colours

It's that time again! The OCC Challenge is up and it's to use your favourite colours on a card! What a fun challenge! It should make for some very fun colour combo's dontcha think? I chose to use Riding Hood Red and some soft buttery yellow designer papers. These colours are very rich and right up my alley as I am an earth tone girl at heart :)



I decided that it was time to do something wild and crazy for a change. Something that is almost unthinkable for me. Something that it usually monumental in my card making... I bypassed my sewing machine while creating this card. *Shocking* I know! My card actually is a 4 1/4" square, so you can imagine how tiny those little squares are. I wanted to get my card finished up earlier this evening so I managed to stroll right past my sewing machine that was glaring at me from across the room! I also managed to restrain myself from threading some of the buttons! ...might be the lack of linen thread in my possession but I can't say for sure ;)

This card has been paper toled and sponged and I also added some piercing for extra texture and interest. To see the rest of the Design Teams creations you can either pop by Our Creative Corner or click on the individual DT links below :)

Jennifer Meyer

Jocelyne Turner
Cindy Haffner
Silke Ledlow
Lori Boyd
Vicki Garrett
Jenny Gropp
Frances Bryne
Robin Willis
Loretta Lock

Before I end this post I would like to take a minute to thank all of the OCC ladies for making my stay on the team so enjoyable :) This is my last sample as an OCC Designer as I have decided to give up my position on the team to concentrate on spending more time with my family. Spring is here and so are the many requests to go to the park, ride bikes and go camping. My little ones are determined to make me spend less time holed up in my craft room and more time enjoying the great outdoors. Please....help...me! lol


Card Recipe:

Stamps: Hero Arts Cupcakes
Paper: Gina K, Riding Hood Red, Watercolour, K&Co DP, Scenic Route DP
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Soft Sky, Sahara Sand, Creamy Caramel
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Emobossing Folders, Clear Embossing Powder, Linen Thread, Buttons, Taffeta Ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch, Mat Pack Piercing Tool, Distressing Tool, Sponges, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

OCC - Way to Recycle!

Time for another OCC challenge and this week in honor of Going Green we are to use something that was recycled. I recently did a Dirty Dozen Gallery that was titled Going Green so I still had a few collected recycled items laying around waiting to be used :)

This is just a short post today as I am feeling really crummy, but the netting on the lower half of my card actually came from holding plastic easter eggs (you know the ones Peter Cottentail uses to hide little chocolate eggs in). I thought it would be perfect for an under the sea themed card :)

To see what the other OCC designers have been up to, please visit the links below:

Jennifer Meyer
Jocelyne Turner
Cindy Haffner
Silke Ledlow
Lori Boyd
Vicki Garrett
Jenny Gropp
Frances Bryne
Robin Willis
Loretta Lock

Thanks for viewing my card today and I'm off to crawl back in bed and feel sorry for my sick self! lol

OCC Sketch Challenge - A Yellow Rose

Where have I been? I just noticed that I haven't posted on my blog since last Saturday's OCC challenge! Crazy! I must have been busy working on my Dirty Dozen projects *wink* Our Challenge hostess Silke cooked up this sketch challenge for you all to try this week.


I must admit that I did struggle with this one...although it might actually have to do more with the fact that I completely forgot to make my OCC card until late yesterday afternoon! Oh, well! It's been one of those kind of weeks! lol



Once I figured out what stamp I was going to use on this card, I pulled out my new Tombow's to play with...they might just be my new favourite colouring medium! I am always so amazed at what you can achieve using them with very little effort (and I do mean little). For those of you who are not familiar with a Tombow marker they are a water based dual ended felt tipped marker that you can use for watercolouring or colouring directly on your stamp. These are not to be confused with Copic Markers or Prisma Markers, both of which are alcohol based and permanent (do not colour on your stamps with these as the will stain your stamps and will not transfer the ink).



This card seems a little "flat" to me. I didn't paper tole it because I wanted a simple but elegant card with the watercolouring to stand on it's own...and I cut my finger and it hurt to fiddle around with small pieces. This is what happens when I rush something...I get even more clumsier that I already am! The gold patterned paper was embossed with the Swiss Dots folder and and I have sponged all of the edges of card stock.

Don't forget to pop by Our Creative Corner and link your creation there for a chance to win some goodies :) Feel free to pop by the OCC Designers blogs for more details on their cards!

Jennifer Meyer
Jocelyne Turner
Cindy Haffner
Silke Ledlow
Lori Boyd
Vicki Garrett
Jenny Gropp
Frances Bryne
Robin Willis
Loretta Lock

Thanks for popping by today and Happy Easter everyone! I hope that the Easter Bunny litters your yards with oodles of Mini Eggs...mmmm, Mini Eggs, my fav! :D

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Bloomin' Beautiful and God's Beauty
Paper: PTI White, Watercolour, Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey DP, 7 Gypsies DP, My Mind's Eye
Ink: Versa Mark, Creamy Caramel, So Saffron
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Cuttlebug and Embossing Folders, Gold Embossing Powder, Waterbrush, Tombow Markers, Ribbon, Nestabilities, Scallop Edge Punch, Corner Rounder Punch

OCC Challenge - Use your favourite....

This month our new Challenge Hostess (Silke Ledlow) over at Our Creative Corner challenged us to use our favourite Easter Set! A perfect challenge for the upcoming holiday :D I chose to use a very old, retired and hard to find set called Elegant Eggs. I know that it is hard to find because it took me almost a year to get my inky little fingers on this set! I absolutely adore Faberge Eggs and this set reminded me so much of them so of course, I *needed* it! - I'm pretty sure that they are the only Faberge Eggs that I will ever get to own *grin*



Earlier this year, while at CHA I had the opportunity to take a watercolouring with Tombow Markers class taught by Jerri Jimenez (Jerri Kay). She is the sweetest lady with a taste for everything elegant and her watercolouring usually stops people in their tracks! She makes an excellent enabler too - Jerri sold me on buying the entire set of Tombow's! My markers just arrived the other day from Clear Dollar Stamps and I finally had a chance to sit down and play with them...I think I'm in love!




I decided not to do any paper tole on this card and to just the the watercolouing stand out on it's own...that and the image was much too detailed for me to even think about layering! Really! It was starting to give me a headache! lol

Enough about me babbling and onto what the rest of the OCC Designers have to show you! A little birdie told me that there is a giveaway this week so you will want to link your creation back to the OCC blog :) If you upload to SCS, please use OCCC as your keywords so that we can see what you made!

Jennifer Meyer
Jocelyne Turner
Cindy Haffner
Silke Ledlow
Lori Boyd
Vicki Garrett
Jenny Gropp
Frances Bryne
Robin Willis
Loretta Lock

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Stampin' Up - Elegant Eggs
Paper: PTI White, Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey DP, Watercolour
Ink: Versa Mark
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Ribbon, Kaiser Pearls, Gold Embossing Powder, Tombow Markers, Watercolour Paint Brush, Dimensionals, Sponges, Martha Stewart Scallop Punch

SC222 - Morning Glory

I am so going to regret staying up this late when I have to get my booty out of bed in a few hours to take my kiddos to preschool! I was going to write this up after I had gotten some shut eye, but decided against it at the last minute due to the earth shattering noises coming from my sleeping husband! I'm delaying the inevitable as long as possible...gotta love trying to fall asleep next to an over tired husband who I'm pretty sure can register his snores on the Richter scale!




Anyhoo, onto the card. Today is the Sketch Challenge over at SCS (SC222) and I took advantage of participating because I desperately needed a long over due Thank You card. I feel badly because this should have been in the mail a week and a half ago, but life and the flu got in the way *groan* I'm not used to doing "off kilter" cards so I'm not really sure if I like how it turned out! Maybe when I wake up in the morning it will look better to me!



I coloured the Morning Glory before I had picked out my designer papers and then realized that I really didn't have any coordinating papers. I did my best with some Basic Grey and pulled out some hoarded ribbon to add some more flair. I used one of the Button Bouquet buttons and added a half pearl from the Pretties Kit to make it a little more elegant. The main image has been watercoloured, paper tole'd and cut "out of the box" style :)

*whistles* Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to bed I go....wish me luck! lol


Card Recipe:

Stamps: Stampin' Up - Morning Soft
Paper: PTI White, Watercolour, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Grey DP
Ink: Basic Black, Versa Mark, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Perfect Plum, More Mustard
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Cuttlebug, Button, Ribbons, Sponges, Dimensionals, Scalloped Edge Punch, Aqua Painter, Re-Inkers, Pretties Kit