Hi,

I know the title is a bit of a mouthful! I have recently joined Splitcoast Stampers ( I know, it's taken me a while....) and wanting to do the Viva La Verve Challenges. I love all the sketches the girls do and I can finally upload my cards now.

I really like to combine a sketch with a colour challenge, and sometimes it's harder than it sounds. For example the color combination at COLOUR Q this week

I would NEVER think to combine those colours, let alone do it on the same card! This is why I love color challenges. So I paired this one with the Viva La Verve August Week 1 sketch:

And I really really like how my card turned out:

This is kinda of what i had in my head when I started, but I think the end result is a little more summery than I envisaged it. There is another cure little Daffodil Delight Butterfly on the inside of the card.

Here is the link to the Splitcoast Stampers site (although I am not sure if it is visible to those that are not on)

Butterfly card. 

Supplies used (all SU unless noted):

Taken with Teal (retired) (didn't have the Bermuda Bay and this is close), Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade and Real Red (no Poppy Parade either)

Some retired SU DSP (no idea what it was called, but it had ALL the colours I needed in it and it is super cute for a summer card)

Big shot, Finial Press Embossing Folder ( i think its retired), Circle Scallop Sizzix Die

Gumball Green (no lucky limeade ink pad...), Real Red and Taken with Teal (retired) Ink Pads

Fire Squares Rhinestone Brads (retired)

Stamp Set: Papillion Potpourri 

Ribbon from stash, not SU

The second card I have for tonight is for Viva La Verve August Week 2 Challenge

Combined with The Paper Players. The colour challenge this week is:

And my card:

I know, I have been doing a lot of Christmas cards recently, but there is method in the madness, it will be great come november when I have to send a stack of cards I won't have to stay up late as I did last year. And even better, this year they will all be ONE OF A KIND :-)) 

The link to Split Coast Stampers: Lovely as a Tree

Supplies used (all SU unless noted) Stamp Set: Lovely as a Tree and Serene Snowflakes for the semicircle (retired), Come to Bethlehem for the sentiment.

Paper: Crumb Cake, Not quite Navy, Cherry Cobbler and White, Be of Good Cheer DSP

Ink: Not Quite Navy, Versamark

Accessories: Embossing Powder in Pewter and Iridescent Ice, Big Shot, Snow Flurry (??) Embossing Folder, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Circle punch and Modern LAbel Punch, Not quite navy brads and red ribbon (from stash, not SU)

Techniques: I first embossed the trees in pewter and wanted to get the snow effect but wasn't too sure how to do it. I thought of using the champagne mist ink but I had used that technique recently and thought I'd try something new. I thought I'd use the versamark pad all over the image and emboss it with iridescent ice this time, and hoped it would turn out like it was in my head :-). Super happy that it did! I shadowed the edges with the not quite navy ink and then added some fluffy clouds above the trees. Really really like how this card turned out!

Really hope you enjoy these two cards, now I'm off to load them to the Colour Q and The Paper Players websites and then I'm off to bed, it's 23.15....Just a few too many past midnights recently for me.

Hugs,

Renate

I thought I would catch up on showing you some of my latest projects. I have quite a few to do, and here is the the first one.

I always find it hard to do birthday cards for males. Why? Well because the supplies are limited. No brads, no ribbons, so sparkles, no organza....Or SO I thought....

Here are a few of the masculine birthday cards I recently made.

I made this card for my brother-in-law's birthday back in April. I love the Lovely As A Tree set and it looks even better embossed!! This time I used the silver embossing powder. I stuck with the Old Olive and Chocolate Chip combination from the previous card but changed to Crumb Cake. I kept the embossing on white card stock. It comes out really clean. And who said you can't use ribbon for a masculine card??

Another take on the Lovely as a Tree card with Very vanilla cardstock and on a chocolate chip background. And I even used a button! And TWO types of ribbon...And it still looks quite masculine. LOVE the result of this one!!!

 This one uses the recently retired Medallion stamp. Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla and Old Olive make a really nice combination. The medallion stamp was stamped 3 times ,once in old olive for the square, once in chocolate chip for the circle and again in old olive for the little flower in the middle. They are each attached with dimensionals to make them pop.

The last two cards were a take of a fellow demonstrators tree I saw online and really liked the turquoise, roan and olive combination. And they are really good for a guy's birthday :-). Really like the top one with the wide ribbon tied with twine.

Hope you like them and can get some inspiration for your future projects.

Hugs,

Renate

I have had an order for a calendar from someone in Australia and I was wanting to make one for my lovely mother in law for her birthday. Well, I had enough time for hers seeing as her birthday is is July, but because she was over at our place in California, and I was making the other one to send with her back home, I was only natural that I make 2 at the same time. Actually, make that 3, as I also finished one I was meant to send to another girlfriend of mine back in Connecticut. (dropped it off as I stayed with her for a while while visiting). Sorry it has taken me so long Rebeca :-(.

This was a great opportunity to use some new stamps I had acquired from a friend's friend who was getting rid of her stamping stuff. I do have to say I was in stamping heaven when I saw all this girl was wanting to get rid off....Do I have to even say I bought a lot of it? And I mean A LOT! So this was a fab opportunity to use some new stamps...

 Mum got to choose the design of her cover, seeing as she was there...

 Beachy summery theme for January (retired Sealife stamp set)

Lovely as a Tree stamp set used for the Woodland wonderland for the winter months...

Funky Four, Fox and Friends, and Owl Builder Punch used for this page

Printed Petals and Mixed Bunch Sets

 Changed the stamp set for the Christmas month to Come to Bethlehem and I have to say I wish I had used this one for mine. I LOVE how it turned out!!! The snowflakes are from Snow Swirled, the set I used to January in my calendar. The wise men and the snowflakes are embossed with gold, silver and pewter embossing powder. This really makes them pop off the page.

Mum liked it so much she wanted one for one of her girlfriends back home. I loved that she told me then and there rather than a few months later. So much easier doing 3 at the same time rather than at 3 different times.

Hope you enjoy it,

Hugs,

Renate