Thanks a latte!

Here's a cute little shaped card for you. I found the instructions here. They were a lot easier to follow than others I've seen online. When I started it, it was for one of the VCMP challenges but I didn't get it finished on time. Oh, well lol.

This is for a friend at work who always made me smile. The flowers are Hero Arts and the sentiment is two stamps from a Fiskars set. I colored the flowers with Copics and put a nice note inside.

 

I hope you're enjoying the last little bit of official summer.

 

Cherie

 

VCMP Blog Candy Winners!

First, I want to say thank you for all of the comments and cards made on my two VCMP challenges. I appreciate it more than I can say. You all rock!

I did a quick Goggle search for a random number chooser and this is the one I used:
http://www.mathgoodies.com/calculators/random_no_custom.html. It was so easy.

On the "It's time to cook"/recipe challenge, the winner of the stamps and puffy paint is card 53 made by Lucy E. Her card is so pretty with the stamps and ribbon. The winner of the paper is comment 18 made by Marilyn Young.  

On the "Let's Play"/sports card challenge, the winner of the stamp set is card 15 made by Linda L. I love her card with the big soccer ball. The winner of the paper is comment Laughing Sunshine Creations. Please email me (cherie23694@gmail.com) or send me a Facebook message with your address info so I can get your candy in the mail.

Thanks again, everyone!

PS...you have two weeks to claim your prize.

Cherie

VCMP Challenge Nine: Who's Feeling Neglected?

Shannon has a fun challenge for us! She wants us to use a tool, any tool, that we haven't used in awhile. Now this wasn't as easy for me as it sounds. I tend to use most of my tools on a regular basis, but she said we could use stamps, too. Perfect!

So...I chose this stamp set I bought for my hubby. I'm not sure why I bought it for him. It's not like he stamps except to make me an occasional birthday or Valentine card. But he loves dragons and I knew he would appreciate the thought.

The set is Dragons by Kodomo Inc. The clouds were one stamp but I cut it apart to make two. Brilliance Rocket Red is used for the dragon and Encore Ultimate Metallic Silver makes the clouds shine. Nestabilites make the circles and the clouds are fussy cut. For a bit more texture I embossed the back with Divine Swirl from Cuttlebug. Lastly, the googlie eyes. I wasn't too sure about them at first, however now I love them.

 

I need to go back and do challenge seven, and challenge eight was mine lol so I only have challenge seven and challenge ten left to do. Yay!

 

Cherie

VCMP Challenge Six: Sketch 136

Our next challenge comes from Linda at Creepin' Along. She wants us to do a card using the new sketch that came out on Sunday. This works for me since I'm trying to work my way through all of the sketches. I'm only on 77 now, so by the time I get to 136 I'll probably forget I already did it lol.

I used some scraps I had laying around for this one. The flowers are from The Angel Company, which sadly is no longer in business. The base DP is some I've had around forever and am glad to see it almost gone. I used Stampin' Up! ink colors Elegant Eggplant, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive. The brown is distressed with black Memento. The circles are done with Nestabilites and the sentiment is Hero Arts. For a bit of shine, I added Pearl Pen dots to both sides of the sentiment.

 

Whew! Only four challenges to go!

 

Cherie

VCMP Challege Five: Western Duds

This challege over on Sandy's Crafty Creations had me stumped for a bit. Then I remembered a cute western set I got at my LSS several months ago, or maybe it's been over a year lol. Then all I had to do was decide on colors.

The set is called Howdy by Hero Arts. It has the cowgirl, cactus and howdy stamps. I colored it with Copics and ended up coloring five of them.  The striped paper in the back is from Recollections and there are tiny dots of Pearl Pen in the center of all the flowers.

 

On to the next challenge. Since I didn't get them done this weekend, I hope to finish one a day this week.

 

Yay, it's a short week!

 

Cherie

Let's Play!

It's time for your next challenge! Are you ready to play along? Let's get started!

My favorite sport has to be soccer. I played it for years growing up and the sport is finally gaining some popularity in the US. It's amazing how supportive people are of our local professional soccer team. Go Sounders!

So it made sense to use Soccer Ian from The Greeting Farm for this VCMP challenge of making a sports themed card. You can use any sport, of course, and there are a lot to choose from! I didn't realize how many images I had featuring sports until I went looking for little Ian. 

Coloring him with Copics was fun since it's been ages since my pens have seen any action. The DP is from a Recollections pack I recently picked up. The paper is thin, so I only use it for layering on top of good cardstock.

 

I used Nestabilities for the circles. I think they reflect the shape of the ball nicely, too. And speaking of the ball, I used Tulip Puffy Paint to add a bit of dimension to the ball. The hardest part is waiting for it to dry before using my heat tool to make it puffy lol. The baker's twine gives it a bit more texture. The happy birthday stamp is from Morning Star Stamps and I've had it for ages. Oh, this also follows sketch 74 on the Stars & Stamps blog.

I hope you're having fun playing along with the VCMP! And I've got some blog candy for you and two ways to win. I will give one to a random commenter and one to a random challenge card. One is a cute soccer themed stamp set and the other is a new 6x6 pad of Mistletoe Collection from Bo Bunny. You have until Monday, September 3, at 9pm Pacific time.

Have fun playing along and I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Update: the blog candy winners will be chosen on Sunday, September 9, at 9pm Pacific time.

Cherie

VCMP Challenge Four: Triple Stamping

Donna has a fun challenge over on her blog. I've seen this several times on Pinterest and this was the perfect time to try it. It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I was even going to make it into kits until I figured it would be a bit difficult to match up everything when there were several to choose from lol. So I ended up making all five by myself but it was still fun!

 

This card uses the Stampin' Up! set Posy Punch along with Stampin' Up! ink colors Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie. I was a little skeptical about using those colors together, but really like how they ended up working together. The circles are done with the

1 1/4" and 1 3/8" Stampin' Up! punches. The black paper is pearlized for some shine.

 

That's it for me tonight. I'll tackle the rest tomorrow. Sweet dreams!

 

Cherie

VCMP Challenge Three: Snowflakes but not Christmas

For challenge three, Cindy wants us to create a card with snowflakes that isn't a Christmas card. This one was easy for me. I have a great snowflake embossing folder from Cuttlebug that I've been waiting to use.

 

I kept this one clean and simple. I embossed some white paper then dragged an Encore Ultimate Metallic Silver ink pad over the top. It gives it a bit of a sheen. The sentiment is from a Fiskars set and layered and popped. I think I'll make this one into a kit, too.

 

Hope you're enjoying the party.

 

Cherie

 

 

VCMP Challenge One: ODBD

Happy Labor Day weekend! Hopefully you've had a chance to play along with some of the challenges on Operation Write Home's Virtual Card Making Party. You can find the master list here.

The first challenge from Our Daily Bread Designs is to make a card using scripture or an uplifting sentiment. Check out my interpretation:

 

Since I don't have any scripture stamps, I used this sentiment from Hero Arts set Year Round Sentiment. The DP is from a Basic Grey 6x6 and the stars are colored in with a gold gel pen for a bit of pizazz. I also used OWH sketch 79. This was also made into a kit of four for an upcoming OWH birthday bash.

 

Have fun at the party!

 

Cherie

 

It's time to cook!

Well, not really, but it is time to do a recipe challenge for the VCMP! These particular challenges always make me think and that's a good thing lol. Today our recipe is this:

1 image

2 patterned papers

3 words

 

Here is what I came up with for you:

What do you think? The DP are from a 6x6 Basic Grey pad. I love using those since the papers all work so well together. I made sure to use two that had some yellow in them to match my cupcake wrapper. For the cupcake frosting, I used Tulip Puffy Paint and after it got puffed it up, it was covered in Recollections glitter glue. This is my favorite type of glitter to use on anything. I've never had any problems with it rubbing off on my fingers when I test it for OWH. We don't want it coming off and ending up on a uniform.

The rest of the cupcake was colored with Copics and is a stamp from Make An Impression. The sentiment is from a Fiskars cling set. I really like the Fiskars theme sets lately. And this card happens to use sketch 73 over on the Stars & Stripes blog.

Now it's your turn to try the recipe. I have faith that you can do it! Give it a try and you might be surprised with how easy and fun it can be! Plus there's some blog candy at stake. I have a cute cupcake stamp set with some Tulip Puffy Paint so you can try making some puffy frosting. I also have a pad of 6x6 All is Bright by My Mind's Eye. One will be given away to a randomly chosen comment and one to a randomly chosen card.

 

 

So...are you ready to try your hand at a new recipe? Good luck!

Update: The blog candy winners will be chosen at 9pm Pacific time on Sunday, September 9.

Cherie

 

 



Sketch 76

Happy Friday! I hope you all had a good week and are looking forward to the Labor Day weekend. I know I am. I plan on crafting most of the weekend. There's the Virtual Card Making party for Operation Write Home and lots of kits to make for an Operation Write Home Birthday Bash. It should be a great weekend here and the sun will be shining!

Here's my first card of the weekend. It's based on sketch 76. To make the circles, I traced the inside and outside of a Nestie and cut them by hand. Then I hunted through my stamps to find one that would fit nicely on the square. This one is from Word Play by Stampin' Up! The DP is K & Company with some black to help everything pop. Speaking of popping, I popped the square with some dimensional adhesive.

 

Enjoy the long weekend!

 

Cherie

Sketch 75

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today I have another sketch for you. But most of my posts are sketches these days as I work my way through the OWH ones.

This is sketch 75. I used some pretty new K&Company papers and ended up making four of this card. The papers are all double-sided which is even better! It was fun to use some ribbon again, too. My ribbon box is now a little emptier since I finished off the sheer black ribbon with these cards.

 

I hope you're excited for the VCMP starting on Saturday. I know I am! Enjoy the day.

 

Cherie

Sketch 72

Hello! I hope you're doing well after a great weekend. Mine was way busier than I intended, but I enjoyed myself and that's all that matters, don't you think? As you can see, I even managed to get a card made.

This is sketch 72 over on the Stars & Stripes blog. It stumped me a little while I tried to find a little sentiment that would fit. But I managed! The DP are Basic Grey and the sentiment is Stampendous. The base paper has a sheen to it and gives it a bit of pizzazz. I like it so much I even make a kit of 6 for an OWH Birthday Bash card making party in a few weeks.

 

Have a wonderful week and enjoy the last week of August!

 

Cherie

So sweet

Here's a cute little DeNami chickie for you today. I colored it with Copics and edged it with some yellow ink. The DP are Memory Box and the sentiment is Fiskars. The sentiment is part of a cupcake stamp set, but I thought it went perfectly with the image.

Take time today to smell the flowers.

Cherie

Sketch 71

For sketch 71, I used Authentique DP and what's become my favorite "thank you" stamp from Stampendous. I kept it simple without any extra embellishments.

Enjoy your day!

Cherie

Sketch 70

I used some of the same Authentique paper pad as I did for my last card to create sketch 70. The sketch is flipped over simply because I thought it looked weird with the circles on the right lol. The circles are made from Nestabilites and the rhinestones are Recollections. The sentiment is Stampendous.

Have a fabulous day!

Cherie

So many hearts...

I used some pretty Authentique paper to cut out lots of hearts for this card with my hearts Nestabilities. To keep it simple, I double-scored around all of the edges with my Scor-Buddy instead of adding layers. There is some Pearl Pen, a few rhinestones and some baker's twine to add interest to a few of the hearts. All of the hearts are popped for added dimension.

Thanks for taking a peek.

Cherie

Butterflies

This card is one I sent to a woman's daughter who was at our local military base doing some training. The DP is Basic Grey and the butterflies from a Fiskars punch. The bodies of the butterfly are from a deconstructed Prima swirl thing I found on clearance.

Take the time to share your smile today.

Cherie

Hello

Here's a quick easy card for you. I used Martha Stewart paper tape (Washi tape to some, althought Washi is a brand name) and my Scor-Buddy. The stamp is from Stampendous with a little bling added.

Enjoy your week!

Cherie

I {heart} you

I simply adore this card! It's perfect to send to a child or an adult. It took a bit to get the eye/hole steps figured out, but it's easy. And who doesn't love a googlie eye? The heart is embossed with hearts, including the heart inside. This was the first clear stamp I cut apart. It was much easier to do that than do the whole masking thing. Here's the outside of the card:

And here's the inside:

Adorable, huh? I made a few of these and I'll probably make a few more.

Hope you had a great weekend!
Cherie

Happiest Wishes

Here's a cute CASE of something I saw on SCS. I'm not sure where the striped paper is from, but I'm so glad I had some blue Bazzill to match it. Those aren't brads, either, but Pearl Pen. The sentiment is SU and the gold layering paper is DeNami. I put it on a kraft card front to help pull out the browns. For the banner ends I used a square punch.

Do you keep a stash of birthday cards just in case you need one?

Cherie

Sketch 69

Oh my! This sketch, 69, was fun! As soon as I saw it, I knew exactly which papers and ribbon I wanted to use. I've been keeping these polka dot scraps around for awhile now. I simply love polka dots and just couldn't toss them in the recycle bag. The same thing for the polka dot ribbon. There was just barely enough left to do this card. I mounted it on some white ribbon to make it stand out a bit more. The circles are from Nestabilites and attached to the ribbon with a brad. The center polka dot paper is Memory Box and the other two are who knows lol.

Do you have a particular pattern that you love and simply can't get rid of the scraps?

Cherie

Sketch 68

For sketch 68, I used an OWH no-no...glitter! Actually, I didn't mean to, but the sticker has rhinestones and glitter on it. I didn't think the glitter would come off when I used it. Thankfully not a lot came off, so I didn't need to do a complete steam cleaning of my craft area! The DP is some American Crafts I got on clearance. The sticker is from Recollections and the sentiment is Endless Creations. This is one of the few cards I've made that I'll be keeping and now I know I'll need to be careful when I use the other sticker in the package.

How far ahead do you work on holiday cards?

Cherie

Sketch 67

Welcome to sketch 67! This one didn't quite turn out like I planned. I stamped the tag/sentiment (from Stampin' Up) first and was planning to use some pretty tapestry black and white paper for the top of the card to match it. However, I couldn't find the paper I was looking for. I wonder if I've already used it lol. So I used some Basic Grey instead. The EF is Polka Dots and a bit of orange ribbon gives it a little oomph.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Cherie

Sketch 66

Today is the day for sketch 66. This was a lot of fun to do. I love all of the different colors. The balloons are a punched out die that I've had for more years than I can remember. It was nice to finally use it. The top and bottom sentiments are Stampendous and the middle one is Stampin' Up.

I hope you're having a wonderful summer!

Cherie

Sketch 65

Today I have sketch 65 for you. It uses some of my favorite Basic Grey paper and one of my favorite Inkadinkado sentiments. Since the sketch calls for a bow, I did one that doesn't require any tying. I still need to practice that!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by!

Cherie

Sketch 64

Sketch 64 uses some very old DP I've had for at least 15 years. I really like the watercolor look to the squares. The stamped flowers are SU All You Do and the flower embellishments are Prima. The stems are embossed in black, the two outside flowers with clear and the middle with white. I let some of the white stay attached to the outer flowers to give it a different look.

Enjoy your day!

Cherie

Sketch 63

When I saw sketch 63, I just knew I had to use some Prima flowers. I love how you can layer them for a unique look. I used an eyelet for the center to go with the black ribbon and layers. The DP is Memory Box and the sentiment is Stampendous.

Make sure to share your smile today.

Cherie

Sketch 62

For sketch 62, I used all kinds of fun stuff. The cupcake paper is actually clear plastic with the pink cupcakes printed on it. This is some of the rare "paper" that I hoard. I've only seen it once and it was on clearance at a store that went out of business. It's from Hambly.

For the cupcake itself, the image is from Make An Impression. I then colored the wrapper with Copics and used puffy paint for the frosting. The hardest part was letting it dry before I made it puffy with my heat gun. Then I topped it with some glitter glue for a bit of sparkle.

The happy birthday is Stampendous and the other sentiment is from Make An Impression. I bought the cupcake stamp and sentiment at the same time and this is the first time I've managed to use them together lol.

I hope you have a cupcake kind of day!

Cherie

Sketch 61

Today I have sketch 61 for you. I used scraps from my small pile and a bit of dark blue ribbon. The embellishment is Making Memories and is really heavy but not at all bulky. There is a bit of Pearl Pen to finish it off.

Have a sunshiney day!

Cherie

Thanks!

Here is another CASE from Pinterest. I got the American Crafts DP on clearance from a local craft store that went out of business. Geez, I miss Paper Zone. Anyway, I used a couple of EK Success punches and the background paper is a really pretty gold from DeNami. The sentiment is Hero Arts and I used a white gel pen to make the little dots. I wanted them to be a bit uneven like the dots on the paper.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cherie

Sketch 60

Oh my! I ended up doing 22 cards for sketch 60. I didn't mean to, but I was watching tv and just kept cutting squares. Next thing I knew, I was out of Memory Box paper! Then I had to put them all together which seemed to take forever. But I think they turned out cute. The sentiment is from Stampendous.

What's the maximum number of cards you've made that are the same?

Cherie

Sketch 59

I used sketch 59 for a card kit. I had two sheets of the DCWV white and blue paper I wanted to use. It also has a bit of yellow in it, so I used some yellow Bazzill to help pull it out. The button is a Martha Stewart punch and the thread is DMC embroidery floss. For the sentiment I used a Fiskars acrylic stamp.

Have a happy day!

Cherie

Forever

This is a CASE of a card I saw on Pinterest. I love the rainbow of colors and how it can be used as a masculine or feminine love card. I used a punch for the heart and the squares. The sentiment is from Little Yellow Bicycle and I used a black pen for the stitching look. If I make more of these, I think I'll put the red further down the stripe.

This would also make a great anniversary card which happens to be the OWH Midweek Throwdown challenge this week.

Sunshine days are happy days!

Cherie

Sketch 58

For sketch 58, I used some paper from Hambly Screenprints that I've had quite awhile. I did quite a few of these since I had two 12x12 sheets of it. The sentiment is from Fiskars. I used some hot pink paper to really give the card a pop of color.

Enjoy your day!

Cherie

Sketch 57

Sketch 57 is another one I did as a kit for a card making party. We ended up making 1348 cards in four hours! It was fun to meet new people, chat with friends and craft the whole time. I went through almost three rolls of ATG tape. Whew!

This uses an EF from The Paper Studio called Geo Flowers and a Hero Arts sentiment. I think the DP is old DCWV. The circles were done with Nesties.

I hope you're enjoying the summer. We're still waiting for it here in Washington.

Cherie

Birthday Wishes

Here is a card that is completely Stampin' Up! products, except the silver Pearl Pen. The sentiment is from Happiest Birthday Wishes and the cupcake is made using the Cupcake punch. I love the bright, cheerful colors.

"Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love." -Mother Teresa

Cherie

Sketch 56

I thought sketch 56 was a great one to show off this pretty Memory Box DP. It's so pretty and I simply added some yellow Pearl Pen to make it shine. The sentiment is Hero Arts. I've been focusing mostly on the purples in this paper so I decided to make the strip blue this time.

Have a creative day!

Cherie

Sketch 55

Sketch 55 is next on my list. I'm almost half way through the sketches. I'm having fun and there are definitely certain sketches I will be going back to. The DP are Memory Box and the sentiment is Inkadinkado with a bit of bling. Don't look at the top paper too closely. I originally had a different sentiment picked out but changed my mind. I didn't realize the flowers are now sideways until it was all put together!

What's your favorite chocolate?

Cherie

Sketch 54

This is sketch 54. I turned it on it's side and it was easier to work with, at least for me. Yet again, the papers are Memory Box and the sentiment is Fiskars. I like the big sheets of Fiskars clear stamps. They give you so many options that I tend to use the same set several times before moving on to a new set.

True friends are the best friends.

Cherie

Sketch 53

Today I have sketch 53 for you. I went back to using some of my 6x6 Memory Box paper. I'm really enjoying the ease of matching these papers when they come in a pack. The sentiment is Fiskars. I thought about adding some ribbon but wanted to let the sentiment shine.

Speaking of friendships, why not give a friend you haven't talked to in awhile a call? Or make a special card and drop it in the mail.

Cherie

Smile

Today I have a card that can be used for just about any occasion.
I recently purchased two packs of Memory Box design paper. Normally I wouldn't buy two of the same, but I just loved the designs in it. I would also normally wait to use it, but I jumped right in this time. I figure if I love it so much, I'll love using it even more. It turns out I was right! I added a few layers and some yellow Pearl Pen for added dazzle. The sentiment is Studio G. And I know this is an OWH sketch, however I can't remember which one lol.

"Beauty is power; a smile is its sword." -John Ray

Cherie

Sketch 52

Here is sketch 52 for you. This one kind of threw me off. I'm still not completely happy with it, but I did make it as a kit for an OWH card making party. The butterfly paper is from Me & My Big Ideas and the sentiment is Little Yellow Bicycle. The scalloped cirlces are done with Nesties and I added an eyelet in the middle for a little zing. I used a circle Nestie to do the white line.

Thanks for looking.

Cherie

Sketch 51

I enjoyed working with OWH sketch 51. It allowed me to use up the last of some Heidi Grace DP and some new shiny Bazzil paper for the base. The circles are done with Nestabilities. I decided to make this a thank you card (sentiment by Fiskars) because I noticed they were lacking in the box I have almost full for Operation Write Home. This is also the first kit I made for an upcoming card making party.

Try a random act of kindness today. It's amazing how good it makes you feel.

Cherie

Cute lip balm holder

Today I made a cute little lip balm holder. It's not something I'll probably make again since it's more for a younger girl, I think, and I don't know many of those, but it's always fun to try new things. You can find the measurements/directions right here.

All of the papers and ribbon used are Stampin' Up! I love this rich color, don't you? And the bright yellow lip balm really stands out against it. The cuts were a little difficult, I thought, but if you're going to make a lot of them, it would be easy to make a template.

"Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful." -Thich Nhat Hanh

Cherie