Stempel Spass

You gotta love this inspiration picture from the For Your Inspiration challenge!  I love Aspen. Last May I was lucky to be in New Mexico where they have some really large aspen forests. Such beautiful trees! So here is my take on the challenge. I saw different colors converging in the center. I don't have any aspen trees as stamps, but the bamboo stamp from Poppy stamps did the job... I sponged the background. The sentiment is from Impression Obsession. --X-- And here are two of my Aspen pictures: Aren't those trees gorgeous?

I choose this color combination for the Papertrey blog hop , although I really wanted to do all of them - the inspiration pictures are so pretty!                                       Although I went with a more modern feel to my card...... I used the Papertrey Happy Harlequin stamp set and the Papertrey Harlequin embossing plate. The sentiment is from the Butterfly Signature series stamped on a die cut diamond. A few dots with Liquid pearls and that's it!

I could only think Baby card when I saw those colors at the 10 minute craft dash. ... And that's what I did: The elephants are Studio G stamps, for the sentiment I used Papertrey - Year round puns, some Washi tape and enamel for the eyes. Mounted it on foam dots. The whole card took exactly 8 minutes and 26 seconds. --X-- Again I wanted to thank everybody for all the nice and supporting comments I am always getting  - I love it!

Somehow I was not really happy with my first submission to Pinspired. Not that I do not like the card, but I did not think it really captured the photo. Here is my second try. I think it captures the inspiration photo much better..... I embossed metal foil with my new Spellbinders embossing folder that I got from my win at The Die Cut Divas .  the background stamp is Hero Arts  Magical Background, which I heat embossed in gold and I blinged it up with sequins, pearls and gems.  When I made this card, I also had the new KIS challenge in mind - the theme is "mix it" 

                                     Grey, pink and white with a touch of black are the TAWS colors -  and since I have my brand new TAWS stamps I have to play, although I like bright colors much better. and I am not really a ruffles girl....But I guess it should be a challenge......                                                                       So here is my card for it: The ruffles I made folding a ribbon on a double sided tape. I used some Washi tape to mimick the floor boards in the picture. All the stamps are from TAWS - the sets are "Bird Brain" and "all about YOU"

I started to fall in love with the  Make it Monday challenges .... this week it it paper piecing. I don't really have any Papertrey stamps that lend themselves easily to this technique, so I improvised... I used the QuicKutz colorwheel die (got that one really cheap on their outlet site) and used the Papertrey Dot spot set, which I heat embossed in white. The sentiment is Papertrey Happy Trails I added a gem in the center - I hope this counts for the technique.... The color wheel is pieced together with pain chips. I wanted to thank everyone for all their lovely comments - it is so nice to read them! thank you for taking the time to do that!

I liked the OWL so much I made some more cards.... I sponged the bac kground, used the  Hero Arts Dandelion Frame, which I masked. The sentiment is from Papertrey - Happy Trails the card above, the card below is from Impression Obsession.  It does not really show, but I put some Stickles on the dandelions - looks really pretty!  I did get inspired by a card made by  Janet  a.k.a Swanlady- her card is so beautiful!

This week's One Layer Wednesday   challenge is all about making or stamping a border on a one layer  card. I decided to make my border with Lifestyle crafts die cuts, which I used for masking and sponging my border. i hope that whale does not disqualify me, but when I read through he rules it did not say anywhere that the border has to be the only thing on the card..... The stamps are from Technique Tuesday. I used Stickles and a white gel pen for accents.  This card was very quick to make. I like it!

Right on Target is the theme for the Tuesday Trigger - and what better to use than the Plano stamp from Hero Arts.... The sentiment is from TAWS - the set is called Jibber Jabber - I just received this set -  :) The little heart is a leftover form a die cut that I covered with glossy accents and dipped in glitter. I am also entering this card  into  A Blog named Hero  challenge - Clean up your act -CAS card. --X-- And here I wanted to share some of my pictures I took in Woodstock Vermont. There are a lot of covered bridges there, which are so very quaint. The weather was overcast, but we did not have too much rain.  As you can see the town is very beautiful - gorgeous houses! The picture below is the library - inside they had this beautiful paper gown exhibited! More pretty houses:  I wish you all a great week and thanks for your comments - they make me happy and I enjoy reading them!

So here we have rainy, cold Sunday and I am basically making cards all day long and checking my computer and what pops up at 4 pm - just when I had to start cooking for my hubby's birthday dinner - the  TAWS Stampy Sunday Link Party ...... Only a couple of hours to make a card and blog about it. To make matters worse my son had his piano recital tonight..... But anyhow - here is my card: I used my brand new (big smile) Bird Brain and all about YOU sets - colored the birds with Copics, fuzzy cut them and mounted them on foam dots. The sentiment square I masked and sponged. It actually did not take very long to make and I love it! I am also linking this card up with Make it Monday s.

I made this card for the Penny Black family challenge :                          I used the Penny Black Zoophabet stamp set and colored it with Prismacolor Pencils. Added some enamel for the eyes. I love this set - it is cheerful and versatile! I had fun coloring it - as you can see!

Less is More  - Cats or Dogs. A fun challenge - I immediately went to my stash and decided on my favorite cat stamp -  I think it needed to be in the spotlight....... Cat stamp by the Cat's Pyjamas, sentiment $ stamp from Michael's, little Liquid Pearl accents  I also entered this card into the Animal Love challenge  by The Stamping Chef ,  Incy Wincy Designs Animal Antics and A Blog named Hero - Clean up your act -CAS card.

I created some more cards for my debut at the Simply Create Too challenge blog. There is still time to link up! Besides, this challenge has an extra prize for children 12 years and under - so get your kids to play! For this card I wanted a summer theme and I used the new drops by Ryn Tanaka for this card. The background is distress inks applied to an acrylic bloc and spritzed with water. I pressed the watercolor paper against it, waited for it to dry and then stamped over it with with a stamp by Rubber Stampede. The water drops stamps I added last, taking off some color from the drops and adding some white highlights. I am also submitting this card to CASology - the challenge is BLOOM an to Simon Says - Flower Power --X-- And here is another card - a spring theme. The tulips are by Hero Arts. I did not submit that for the blog post, so this is extra..... I am trying to convince Ryn to design an icicle stamp - that would be cool!

I can say HELLO to two new members! Ryn Tanaka  -  the creator of many beautiful stamps the most famous of which is the waterdroplet stamp, that I have shown on this blog several times... and Claire  - who is with me part of the Simply Create Too design team and creates beautiful shabby chic cards. Here are my welcome pictures for you - the photo above is a collage made from glass blowers molds and the picutre below is taken in Quechee, VT. The building on the side is the famous Simon Pierce glass blowing workshop, powered by the Ottauquechee River. The molds are exhibited inside.  I really enjoyed Vermont and I made a Thank You card for my friend with whom I drove up there. On our last day we did a short hike and walked by some birch trees. I took some of the bark with me - ironed it at home and made this card from it. she noticed that it almost has the shape of Vermont - put sideways.  The bird and branches are Memory Box dies, the sentiment is

 One layer card on colored card stock is the challenge at Less is More this week. Since I am pressed for time I thought I give the Perfect Pearls technique another try. I did this a couple of weeks ago for a Make it Monday challenge. It shimmers beautifully and is really simple and easy. I also like the card stock - it has little metallic specks in it, which goes well with the Perfect Pearls. I used a stamp from the Inkadinkadoo Flower Sentiments set. Here is a close-up picture: I am also linking this up with the Simon Says challenge Flower power.

I spent the weekend in Vermont - so no card making possible and then I forgot my camera in my friend's car on the way back home - how awful! So I made this card for the Make it Monday , but could not photograph it until today when I went there to pick it up. The challenge was to add texture to stamps. Betsy Veldman had used a comb to achieve a cool effect on her stamps. I though about several things - mainly items from my kitchen, such as a fork - too similar to a comb, a sieve - too cumbersome to clean up and the curved surface probably not great and so n and so forth. Finally I cam up with using rubber band on one of my son's old building blocks: I used the Papertrey Modern Basics set - kissed the stamp with the rubber band block, added the sentiment, a little gem in the center and voila' - its done! I like the effect - I think this rubber band block will stay permanently in my card room! In addition I will add this card to the Pinspired

One of my former German Au Pairs' son is celebrating his fourth birthday! She took care of my daughter when she was four and now she has 3 children of her own - the last two are twins. We have been staying in contact ever since she was with us, so naturally her son is getting a card! Except for the sentiment, which is from Papertrey I used all German stamps. The mouse and the elephant are from a famous TV show and the middle one is from probably the most well known German children's book author named Janosch. His books have been translated into English and some are available in the US. I always was and still am a big fan of his drawings.  For the windows I used the Papertrey Take Tree die, the balloon is a Marvy punch. I colored the stamps after I fuzzy cut them with pencils, the eyes are done with white enamel. And if you want to know more about THE MOUSE you can watch this short video clip: Have FUN!                                      

Oh, my goodness - I have 10, yes TEN new members on my blog - well the secret is they are all part of the fantastic Simply Create Too design team. But new members are new members and need to be greeted accordingly! Nana Connie Esperite - Lynne Lisa Grace Gale Knight Jackie D Mian Jackie Marjo Gerda Diane   - the owner and team leader Her is my welcome picture to all of you: This artwork is by Walton Ford,   an American artist born  1960, who makes paintings and prints in the style of Audubon's naturalist illustrations. A couple of years ago the Brooklyn Museum had an exhibit about him and this was my favorite picture. I hope you like it as much as I do. --X-- Embossing is the challenge at Catered Crops - and what theme is better than Mothers Day right now? I used a Sizzix embossing folder, sponged it with yellow ink, added some orange and went over the raised stripes with an orange Gelato stick. The die cut letters ar