CPS #131 and Stampin' Up

The exciting sponsor at Card Postioning Systems blog for this entire week is Jennifer Buck, an independent Stampin' Up demonstrator.

I not only picked out a great set of stamps to work with but I also picked out one of their embossing plates since I LOVE using those things, especially with Core'dinations cardstock.

I used a piece of cardstock from The Chocolate Box collection. This is amazing paper to use with the embossing plates. When I sanded it, you can see the brown cardstock with that great blue core. The butterfly was inked with a blue ink and embossed with clear embossing powder and a little border of color was added to the label with Copic markers.

I used the same basic CPS sketch for an additional card, I just made the card base a different size.

I also picked one of Stampin' Ups texture plates and used it with this Black Magic cardstock. You can see the black cardstock with the blue core showing through when I sanded it. The same butterfly was stamped with black ink on blue cardstock and then cut out.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

SKETCH 131 – FRIEND card
Materials:
Cardstock – The Chocolate Box, Vintage and Core Essentials/Core’dinations
Rubber stamp set and embossing plate – courtesy of Jennifer Buck - Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator
Versafine black stamp pad
Clear embossing powder
Copic markers
Corner rounder punch – Fiskars
Sandpaper

FOR YOU card
Materials: Cardstock – Whitewash and Black Magic/Core’dinations
Stamps – Stampin’ Up
Texture plate – Stampin’ Up
Black Versafine stamp pad
Clear embossing powder
Corner rounder punch- Fiskars
Scallop circle punch – Marvy
Sandpaper

Sketch and Challenges Madness!

I have officially decided, what would I do without the wonderful sketch inspiration on the internet and the various challenges that web sites offer? These have become the staple of my inspiration and I can't think that that is a bad thing.

The Moxie Fab blog has been highlighting Christmas, Winter and holiday ideas all week and it has been fun to be inspired with that goodness. One of Cath's challenges was to create with a "shabby" or "vintage" look and that is what this card started out with but then she issued a challenge to use stamping and since that is one of my first loves, I knew that my card had to fit that category.

What makes this card fit the "shabby" look?
1. I did a lot of inking with some brown stamp pads to make the papers look older
2. I added a border of machine sewing with a cream colored thread
3. The lacey edge to the green patterned paper

4. The entire card is sprayed with a silver spray

5. The addition of a creamy colored ribbon tied in a bow

I just received a wonderful set of Christmas/Winter themed stamps from JustRite so I wanted that to be the focus of my card. I stamped the image, it is actually two parts. So the little scallop frame and the words on the inside are two different stamps that fit on an oval block. I colored it in with Copic markers and then the entire card is sprayed with a silver Memories Mist.

This next card fits a sketch at Card Patterns and a coloring challenge at Hero Arts. When I first saw their sketch for this week, I immediately thought of this bold flourish stamp from Hero Arts. Using this stamp let me also work on the Hero Arts challenge as they have been focusing on all the ways you can color in stamps. I stamped the bold flourish with black ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder. The flourish has bold black lines and then a thinner black, outline. I colored in between those two black areas with Copic markers. This area does not need to be colored in, but I thought that added a fun little detail to the stamp.Awhile ago, a friend sent me some wonderful flowers that were cut from old dictionary pages and so I pulled out some of those for my flower accent. It also has layers of flowers that were punched from a Graphic 45 paper. The layers are assembled with foam tape for dimension and then edges are inked with stamp pads for more of an "aged" look.

Another sketch I found this week that I wanted to use is from i (heart) 2 stamp. I wanted to put some unexpected papers and colors together for this. It also fits with the Hero Arts coloring in challenge.

I started out with the wonderful wood patterned stamp by Hero Arts. It is a stamp that wouldn't need to be colored in, so to speak, but I wanted my paper to look like it was colored pink. I stamped the wood stamp with the black ink and then embossed it with clear embossing powder. Next I rubbed or inked over the entire image with pink Chalk stamp pads and then gave it a spray of a pink, Memories Mist spray. You can see the mottled look to the pink, that is the spray. The flower was also stamped with the black and embossed with clear embossing powder and then I colored in the areas that were left white with a strong yellow Copic Marker.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

MAGICAL CHRISTMAS card
Materials list:
Cardstock – Core’dinations
Black Versafine stamp pad
Rubber stamp – JustRite
Spellbinder Nestabilities label die
Copic Markers
Patterned papers – Green Lace/Spring Fling Collection and 5th Avenue/Pink Paislee
Self Adhesive pearls – Kaiser Craft
Clearsnap Fluid Chalk stamp pads
Silver Memories Mist spray – Stewart Superior
Oval punch – McGill
Ribbon

FROM THE HEART card
Materials: Cardstock – Black Magic and Core Essentials/Core’dinations
Versafine black stamp pad
Clear embossing powder
Copic markers
Patterned paper – Cosmo Cricket and Graphic 45
Large flourish stamp and sentiment stamp – Hero Arts
Old dictionary pages for the flower
Powder Puff chalk stamp pads – Quick Quotes
Brad
Ribbon
Sandpaper

CREATE JOY card Materials list:
Cardstock – Core’dinations
Black Versafine stamp pad
Clear embossing powder
Wood Print stamp, flower stamp and sentiment stamp – Hero Arts
Clearsnap Fluid chalk stamp pad
Memories Mist spray – Stewart Superior
Corner rounder punch – Fiskars
Patterned paper – My Mind’s Eye and g.c.d. Studios

Jillibean Soup paper and Jenni Bowlin Core'dinations

One of my favorite Jillibean Soup papers in the Lentil Soup collection is this great red checkerboard print. What I love about it the most is that it goes with the other papers in the collection, but when it stands alone it can work with so many different themes. SOOOOO, the Moxie Fab blog is having a big HOLIDAY themed bash this week to give a big shout out to the new Holiday Issue by Papercrafts. They are also encouraging crafters to create fun stuff for the holidays.

I thought this JOY card had a fun and funky feel with my little punched circles using the red checkerboard patterned paper, the little punched red snowflake and the button center for the snowflake.

Take a really good peek at the cardstock that I used, the red and the cream. It is by Core'dinations and it is part of the new Jenni Bowlin collection. The text is embossed in these papers and you can see how wonderfully that text shines when these papers are slightly sanded. The red is from the Vintage collection.

Here is another card using that red checkerboard print. I paired it with this wonderful "label" Jenni Bowlin Core'dinations cardstock. The label is embossed into the paper and I slightly sanded that part of the cardstock as well as the edges of the card. The little sprout is from Jillibean Soup too. Because it is a little calendar for February, I made it fit a Valentines theme.

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You also need to see some cute pics of our youngest grandson with that new little kitty. He loves the kitty and you can see how extremely happy and proud he is here that he actually got to pick her up. He was being very gentle and what is cool is how gentle she is towards him.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

JOY card
Designer: Linda Beeson
805 659-1282
lbpost@roadrunner.com
Materials: Cardstock – Jenni Bowlin collection/Core’dinations
Patterned paper – Jillibean Soup
Snowflake punch – Martha Stewart
Circle punch – Papershapers
Letters for JOY – David Walker epoxy letters
Sandpaper
Button

I ADORE YOU card
Designer: Linda Beeson
805 659-1282
lbpost@roadrunner.com
Materials: Cardstock – Jenni Bowlin collection/Core’dinations
Patterned paper – Jillibean Soup
Calendar Sprout and ribbon - Jillibean Soup
Rub-on words - Making Memories
Chalk ink - Powder Puff/Quick Quotes

Combining CPS and Jillibean Soup

Totally exciting, the sponsor this week at Card Positioning Systems blog is Jillibean Soup. If you haven't heard of this company before, then you need to get acquainted. They have really fun papers, neat journaling spots and more recently, some clear stamps.

I created a few cards with the products that I received but this first one that I am sharing is the one that goes with the CPS sketch. Even that great kraft colored patterned paper that I used for my card base is Jillibean Soup. The journaling sprouts that I used on my cards are "calendar" themed spots. These come in a few different sizes and include calendar pages as well as spots that are just the names of the months.

I also received this adorable clear stamp set to create with. I embossed the tree and the house with clear embossing powder after stamping them and I added some shading to the house with my Copic markers.

Here is another card I created since I have so many great pieces to play with. One thing to note is that I used a cardstock from The Chocolate Box collection by Core'dinations. Let me tell you, this piece with the green core was just made to go with this collection of Jillibean Soup.

You can see that the focus on my card is another one of the calendar journaling sprouts. I love because this piece can create the theme of your card depending on the month it represents.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

HAPPY - CALENDAR card
Materials:
Cardstock – The Chocolate Box/Core’dinations
Patterned papers, Ribbon and Journaling Sprout – Lentil Soup/Jillibean
Rub-on greeting – Making Memories

SKETCH 130 – AUGUST-HOME card
Materials:
Patterned paper, stamps and journaling sprout courtesy of Jillibean – Brown Sugar/Spicy Pumpkin and Ground Coriander/Lentil Soup (both sides)
Versamark black stamp pad
Colorbox and Fluid chalk stamp pads - ClearsnapClear embossing powder
Copic markers
Apron lace border punch – Fiskars
Mini brad
Scallop circle punch – Marvy
Corner rounder punch – Fiskars

The Cat's Pajamas color inspiration

I don't know what I enjoy better, a great sketch challenge or a color inspiration challenge! I found this cute inspiration piece at The Cat's Pajamas this week and since I love challenges, I knew I needed to give it a try. Plus I could pull out some brand new TCP's stamps!

I followed the color part of this challenge since I really didn't have stamps that were back to school themed. I found this piece of Cosmo Cricket paper in my stash and it was such a perfect fit, I knew I had to create!

This chicken sitting in the soup bowl is just too much and wouldn't it be the kind of creation that would bring a smile to the face of someone who wasn't feeling well?

I colored the chicken and the bowl with my copic markers and then I tried to get the sun to shine on the bowl a bit so you can see that I gave the bowl a coat of Aleene's Paper Glaze. This gives a great epoxy look so it looks just like a shiny bowl you would pull out of your cupboard.

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I wanted to share a photo of the three silly boys that were at my house today. They were asking for me to take pics of them but it is funny how the silly faces always have to be part of that!!! They were actually pretty tame in this photo, it can be sillier!

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

BETTER GET BETTER card
Materials: Cardstock – Vintage collection/Core’dinations
Patterned paper – Cosmo Cricket
Swanky Clear stamps – The Cat’s Pajamas
Copic markers
Loopy border punch – Martha Stewart
Versafine black stamp pad
Clear embossing powder
Clear Paper Glaze – Aleene’s®
Sandpaper

Shaped card - Cuttlebug challenge

The Cuttlebug Challenge blog has a new challenge for this week and that is to create a shaped card. The examples from their team are just too much fun! I knew right away that I wanted to use these brand new Jenni Bowlin Embossed Core'dinations cardstocks. At the end of this post, I added a scan of a full piece of the papers I used so you can see what they look like.

The cardstock piece for the card base has a label shape to it. I cut the 12"x12" piece in half and then folded that in half. I cut around the label shape to give my card it's unique shape. This particular piece is from the Black Magic collection so it is black on the front side and red on the backside. When the embossed label shape is sanded as well as the edges, the red core is exposed. Plus the inside of the card is the red color.

I took a piece of tan Core Essentials Core'dinations cardstock and embossed that with a Cuttlebug embossing plate and sanded that. I then cut it to fit the inside of the label shape.

The piece going across the front of my card is the Black Magic Jenni Bowlin embossed Text cardstock. When this is sanded the red letters show up. The scallop circle piece that is under the flower is the Vanilla embossed Text cardstock. There are five different embossed patterns in five different colors. For all of them, when they are sanded, the core of the paper shows through.

This gives you a close-up look at the colors and the embossed designs.

Below are the scans of the papers I used for this card.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

SHAPED CARD

Materials:

Jenni Bowlin Embossed Core'dinations cardstock

Cuttlebug embossing plate

Scallop circle punch - Marvy

Silk flower - Prima

Ribbon

Sandpaper

CPS and CHF

Don't you just love all of the abbreviations we have created in life? Just makes it easier as long as you know what a person is referring too!!! My title refers to Card Positioning Systems blog sketch for this week and the fact that I used these great stamps from Cornish Heritage Farms for my card. My friend, Julia Stainton was the designer for this great Rummage Bin set.

All of the details on my card are stamped except the raffia ribbon and the pearl head stick pin. I used a "vintage text" background that I stamped over a slightly patterned paper and then accented that with some Glimmer Mist and inking with stamp pads and some other stamped designs. The "honey do" piece and the little bee are colored with Copic markers. I poked holes in the card for my little bee trail but I didn't like that they didn't show up well, so I went over them with a black pen that I poked in each hole.

If you look closely, you can see that I then coated the bee hive and the bee with Aleene's Paper Glaze. I love how easy it is to use this glaze and I love the resulting epoxy look that it gives accents. It is a bit hard to photograph but it looks wonderful IRL. I also used foam tape to add dimension to some of the elements. I almost own stock in that company about now for how much I use 3D foam tape anymore!!!
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

SKETCH 129 – HONEY-DO card
Materials:
Cardstock – Core’dinations
Stamps – Vintage Text Scrapblock and Sweet Bee/The Rummage Bin/Cornish Heritage Farms
Stamp pads – Versafine black and Marvy
Copic Markers
Corner rounder punch – Bind It All
Pearl tip straight pin
Rhinestone
Clear Paper Glaze – Aleene’s®
Glimmer Mist/Tattered Angels

CAARD Hop

The CAARD Hop at CAARDVARKS started yesterday with some serious focus on Core'dinations cardstock and today I have some cards featured. SOOOOO, you just have to pop on over to get a peek. I am posting one of them with a close-up of the details.

I used a couple of my favorite Core'dinations colors for this card with a bunch of punching with one of my favorite border punches. This amazing blue is from the Vintage collection and the yellow and coral used for the flowers are from the Core Essentials collection.

Before I punched my borders, I ran the yellow piece through the Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dot embossing plate. If you look close you can see where I sanded the edges of the punched layers and all of the outside edges of the card. I just LOVE the look that comes with sanding these papers.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

2 Sketches 4 You and Hero Arts sketches

Just in time, I finished a card using the 2 Sketches 4 You sketch for this week.

I love these Little Yellow Bicycle papers I picked up recently.

The sketch has a little square element in the bottom corner of the card and I thought a fun accent would be a tiny card that would open. The papers are 2 sided so that makes this even more fun.

Hero Arts posted four sketches this week and I had time to create with one of them. Plus this gave me a reason to pull out these super cute cupcake stamps again.

The paper on the cupcake is colored with Copic markers. The frosting was coated with Aleene's Paper Glaze for a neat epoxy look and then I created the dots on the frosting with a brand-new-to-me product, Tulip's Fashion Bead Paint. It makes the neatest pearl-like dots.

I created the lines in the pink Core'dinations cardstock with a Scor-Pal tool and then sanded the lines and the edges. I love the look this gives what looks like just plain cardstock.

Remember we have a new kitty in our house? I took this yesterday and I'm not thinking she looks a whole lot bigger then when we first got her, but I am sure she is. She is such a "people" cat. She has to be near one of us almost all of the time!

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

SEIZE THE CUPCAKE card
Materials: Cardstock – Core Essentials/Core’dinations
Patterned paper and punch out die cut – My Little Shoebox
Cupcake, greeting and lacey border – Hero Arts
Clear Paper Glaze – Aleene’s®
Bead paint - Tulip
Ribbon
Corner rounder punch – Fiskars
Rhinestone – Mark Richards, Inc.

ACROSS THE MILES card
Materials: Cardstock – Vintage/Core’dinations
Patterned papers – Traveler/Little Yellow Bicycle
Corner rounder punch- Fiskars
Rub-on words – Deja Views
Flower punches – PaperShapers
Fashion Bead Paint - Tulip
Brad
Powder Puff Chalk inks – Quick Quotes
Ribbon
Sandpaper

More Close To My Heart goodness and CPS

I already mentioned earlier this week that Susan Tomaino, Independent Close To My Heart (CTMH) Consultant was the sponsor for this week at the CPS sketch blog. Be sure to check out her web site. She is offering a sale price for CPS followers and you can check out the CPS web site for those details.

My first card uses the CPS sketch for this week and the papers, ink pads and stamps that I had to play with. I turned the sketch on it's side.

I love the papers that I picked to work with but I have to tell you, this bird set is way too much fun. It comes with several bodies, wings, legs, tails and some words. It is a mix and match kind of set and I could play with it forever!!! I punched out the tiny flowers and the middles of the flowers were created with White 3-D Fashion Paint by Tulip.

I thought that one of the wings in the set looked like a leaf so I stamped a background with it on the kraft colored cardstock from the set of papers.

In this view you can see the "parts" that made up this bird. I stamped the wing separately and then added it with foam tape for added dimension.

This view lets you see that the brown card is small and it is mounted to the black background card. I added score lines in that black paper which is Black Magic by Core'dinations.

Since the patterned paper is so fitting for little kids, I wanted to also create a simple layout with a few of the prints.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

SKETCH 128 – SING card
Materials:
Stamps, papers and ink courtesy of "Susan Tomaino, Independent Close To My Heart consultant"
Stamps – Bird Basics, Patterned Papers – Animal Cookies, Inks – Citrus Leaf and Dutch Blue
Flower punch – PaperShapers
White 3-D Fashion paint – Tulip
Corner rounder punch – Fiskars
Sandpaper

FREE AS A BIRD card
Materials:
Cardstock – Black Magic/Core’dinations
Stamps – Bird Basics/Close To My Heart
Stamp pads – Versafine and Ancient Page
Clear Paper Glaze – Aleene’s®
White 3-D Fashion Paint – Tulip
Self adhesive Black Pearl – Mark Richards, Inc.
Scor-Pal tool
Sandpaper
3M foam tape

ZOO TRIP layout
Materials:
Cardstock and Patterned paper – Animal Cookies/Close To My Heart
Sticker letters - Thickers/American Crafts
Heart Brad – Bazzill
Tiny letter stickers – My Little Shoebox
Border punch – Martha Stewart

It's about CLOSE TO MY HEART this week

The Card Positioning Systems sketch blog team had the joy of working with some great Close To My Heart products this week. Susan Tomaino, Independent Close To My Heart (CTMH) Consultant was our sponsor for this week. There is a special reason that I was very happy with using these papers, stamp pads and stamps this week. That is because about 20 years ago, my very first introduction to the world of rubber stamping was through a DOTS party. Somewhere along the way, the name was changed to CTMH and these days they offer so many more products then they did back then. I remember how amazed I was and wanting basically the entire catalog.

I will post my card using the CPS sketch later this week since it isn't scheduled to go up on the CPS blog yet. BUT, we received so many really fun products, I wanted to create several things so I am showing you two cards today. These mostly use the papers that I selected.

I just feel in love with these cute animals that are a part of one of the pieces of patterned paper from the Animal Cookies collection. The card represents four different prints, I love when prints go together so well.

I also cut this number "3" from one of the papers and then coated it with the Aleene's Paper Glaze. I love giving an accent like this an added boost with an epoxy look.

This is a mini card. It is 4" square. The red heart paper is one of the prints and I cut the little monkey out of the patterned paper with the animal in it. I just love this little guy. Aleene's Paper Glaze coats the little heart in his hand.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

HAPPY - MONKEY card
Materials: Paper – Animal Cookies/Close to My Heart
Clear Paper Glaze – Aleene’s®
Stamp pad – Clearsnap/Fluid Chalk
Scallop circle punch – Papershapers
Tulle
THREE – ANIMAL PARTY card
Materials: Paper – Animal Cookies/Close to My Heart (Animals cut from one of the prints)
Clear Paper Glaze – Aleene’s®
Ribbon

Sketch Addiction

This weekend I was on the search for some sketches to use so I could use some of the neat supplies that were sitting on my scrapping table and here are a couple that I found. First, I turned to Card Patterns and used their sketch #27 to go along with these adorable new October Afternoon papers. I think the first thought for these papers would be a project that is "baby" related but when I went on a search for what October Afternoon stamps I had that would work, I came up with this cute label and the word "together". That just seems to go with that cute little row of ducks.

Want a close-up look at the punches I used? I had some extra Michael's coupons this week, so I am now the proud owner of some new border punches!!! Here I used two border punches. That large scallop one embosses and punches.

For the above card, I round a brand-new-to-me sketch and it was just right for these Daisy Bucket Designs papers and my brand new loopy border punch. I was blog hopping and came across the i heart 2 stamp blog and thought this sketch would be fun to use.

Is this punch just plain YUM! It also has a matching corner punch that I am sure I am going to go get.
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And the below photo just shows that it pays to be the "little" guy in the crowd. Our two older grandsons were over over the weekend and this is one of the games that got invented. Let me tell you that the smallest guy was pretty happy for the ride. He would willingly lay down on the large frizby for free rides.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

TOGETHER – DUCKS IN A ROW card

Materials: Cardstock – Core Essentials/Core’dinations

Stamps and Patterned papers – Ducks in a Row/October Afternoon

Oval punch – McGill

Border punches – EK Success and Fiskars

Glitter Brads – Doodlebug

Machine SewingRhinestone – Mark Richards, Inc.

Black Versafine stamp pad

Colorbox stamp pad – ClearsnapSandpaper

LOVE YOU… card
Materials:
Cardstock – Core Essentials/Core’dinations

Patterned paper and Stamps – Daisy Bucket Designs

Stamp pads – Versafine and Ancient Page

Heart brad – Bazzill

Border punch – Martha Stewart

Scallop circle punch – PaperShapers