Sudsol Challenges

Wow, it must have been a month since I have participated in one of Sudsol's challenges. The design was for a square card...which I don't usually make. So this was good for me. I kept the card small-4"x4"- and limited the layers. The images and verse are all from the Season of Simple Grace set. The "texture" on the kiwi kiss card base is made with the sanded background (ink-kiwi kiss). The designer paper is from Holiday Treasures - one of my favorites. Now, my challenge is to create other things - decorations, favors, cards, etc-with this set and with the designer paper. And, I need to do this quickly in time for my upcoming open house. I have already been working on the other important samples for this event...truffles and new kinds of chocolates! As a matter of fact, I just finished one of those new creations...it's good, but I just don't know what to name it yet.
What...you want to know what it is! You'll just have to check back in a few days. Perhaps I'll take some pictures.

A Fall Page

At the scrapbook retreat Jill made an autumn border for everyone (the one with the pumpkin).








One of the ladies, Marcie Burke, used the border from Jill and made another like it for the other page. The tree was made using the Cricut and all of the leaves are made using a Creative Memories punch. And look at the word "jump"...the position of the letters show action. Cute!



I love how the leaves "pile" up in the center of the 2 page layout. I think her pages turned out great.



There were so many great pages made at Jill's scrapbook retreat. I wish I would have taken pictures to share. I'll try and remember next time.

At the beach

Last weekend I went to Jill's scrapbook retreat at Ocean Isle Beach. The weekend weather was dreary and rainy...and yes, that's good weather for scrapbooking at the beach. You scrapbook and you don't go for walks on the beach. The first group of ladies went home and then Bree came to spend a few days on the beach. The rain, drizzle, and dreary skies were replaced with sunny days. It was gorgeous.

Gary took Bree and her friend Cole to the beach to feed the seagulls. This is always one of Bree's favorite beach things to do. Next they went to the water's edge...feet in the sand, waves washing the sand away, gentle ocean breeze...absolutely wonderful!
These are future scrapbook pages!

Top Note Christmas Tree Card

The top note die strikes again! Look how easy it is to make a card. I stamped the tree and star from the Wondrous Gift set. The tree is stamped in encore silver, the star in encore gold, then both embossed with clear SU embossing powder. I used the double circle punch to make little ornaments from night of navy card stock. I used Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive to attach them to the tree. You can use either the horizonal slot punch or the double rectangle punch to make a slot for the ribbon to slide through.

Using crystal effects on the little blue ornaments adds a 3-D effect to them. It's difficult to see that in the photograph, but they really do look like small, round, shiny ornaments. Allow enough time for them to harden.

The words "Christmas" and "joy" (from Everyday Flexible Phrases) added to the top of the top note layer would be a nice touch. For the inside I will use a computer generated verse printed in Night of Navy on white card stock, then use the top note die and cut it out to match the outside.

On the finished card you can see the snowflakes stamped on the Brocade Blue layer.

Stamps: tree, star and snowflake from Wondrous Gift (109467); snowflake from Season of Joy (110384)

Paper: Night of Navy, Brocade Blue, Whisper White

Ink: Encore gold, Encore silver

Accessories: Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon, horizontal slot punch or double rectangle punch, double circle punch, clear embossing powder, crystal effects, Big Shot, Top Note Bigz die

Big Shot Top Note Bigz Die

This week I bought the new Top Note Bigz Die (#113463). It's great and so easy to use. The first card I made was the thank you card using the flowers from Upsy Daisy. I used the die to cut 2 "top notes," one in white and one in almost artichoke.
I colored the flowers with pumpkin pie, really rust and always artichoke, stamped the sentiment in always artichoke, and sponged pumpkin pie and really rust around the edges. I trimmed this layer at the perf marks and then put it on the always artichoke layer. I tied more mustard ribbon around the card and then attached the stamped layer.

I've been seeing these cute little owls made with this die cut, so I had to make one. Simple! Use this Big Shot die, some circle punches, the 5 star punch (or just cut his mouth out freehand). Add white gel pen and you can be finished. I've seen some with eyelashes and all kinds of other embellishments. But this guy gets the job done!












Yesterday I had a Christmas card class and knew that I had to include a card using this die. The nativity scene and sentiment are from the Season of Grace set (111778) from the Holiday Mini Catalog. The card base is naturals ivory with a ruby red layer, the bottom layer note is kiwi kiss and the top layer is naturals ivory. Kiwi Kiss striped ribbon is layered on a 1" strip of chocolate chip paper and is the only embellishment I used on the card. The only tedious part of making this card is trimming the top layer. At least there is a perforated line that you cut along. If the card base was ruby red instead of the naturals ivory, I would stamp or print my sentiment on the ivory, run it through the big shot and have the big note cutout on the inside as well.