The closing of the year

This will be my last post for 2010... hard to believe the year is almost over, isn't it? Todd and I have both been sick this week, and I'm not over what I have yet, but I did want to share this easel card that I made earlier this week for my club. One of my club members specifically requested doing an easel card and I was happy to comply!

I wanted to do something pretty and vintagey - is that a word? I got the color combination from the Color Coach: Blushing Bride, Early Espresso and Pear Pizazz. To make the image panel I used two stamp sets, Style Beautiful and Elements of Style. I layered lots of scrolls using generation stamping, then stamped the medallion on top and added a punched flower and some pearls. I sponged all the edges with Blushing Bride ink. For the bottom I made a row of the little accent with the Stamp-a-ma-Jig, then added a sentiment from Heard from the Heart and a scallop trim border. A few more pearls serve as the "stop" for the easel and that was it! I thought it turned out pretty, and my club members were impressed that it fits inside a regular envelope.

I want to wish everyone happy (and healthy) holidays - I'll see you in the new year!

Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge #42

For this week's challenge, we have a gorgeous set of Christmas coasters. Aren't they elegant? Of course, you don't have to use a holiday theme for your project - whatever this photo inspires you to create is perfect!

I pulled out a whole bunch of stamps for this card to create a collage-inspired look. The main image comes from the set Gifts of Christmas, and I embossed it in gold on naturals ivory card stock. Around the edge I added a few more poinsettias in Cherry Cobbler, plus I sponged the edges, then I layered the panel onto a piece of Always Artichoke that I sprayed with gold shimmer spray. To diffuse the sparkle I rubbed the gold spray into the cardstock with a paper towel. Once all that was done I didn't think the sentiment stood out enough, so I stamped it again and punched it out. For the background I used the swirl from Baroque Motifs, again gold embossed, along with a lot of seasonal words and phrases from several different sets. The final touch was a poinsettia made with the five petal punch - I scored the petals and leaves for dimension, sponged the edges, and used three gold brads in the center.

Be sure to check out the cards made by the rest of the Divine Divas for this challenge!

Anne

Chris

Julie

Hope you are inspired to come and play along. Just leave a comment here with a link to your card. We can't wait to see what you create! The keyword for uploading on online forums will be DDIC42.

Now, for some sad news - I have decided for several reasons that it's time to end my inspiration challenges. There is going to be a lot happening in my life next year, and although I am really going to miss bringing you inspiration pieces on a regular basis, it feels like the right time to call it a day. I want to thank everyone who has played along with us for these 42 challenges. We have appreciated your support and we'll miss sharing these challenges with you every two weeks. I also have to express my utmost appreciation for all the fabuous stampers who have served on the design team since we started the challenge. Your work has been wonderful and inspirational to me, week in and week out. And who knows... maybe we'll be back someday... Anyway, thanks for everything from me and the rest of the Divas. Many blessings to everyone!

Big Fun Flower Thanks

For this week's challenge at Our Creative Corner, our hostess, Sarah Gough, has a fun sketch challenge. I combined this challenge with the color combo posted at Create with Connie and Mary for this week: Rich Razzleberry, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive and River Rock. I love this combo - it's amazing! I confess I did alter the sketch just a bit since I couldn't bear to cover up the flower with my sentiment. I hope you'll forgive me. ;)

I chose to feature a new Big Shot die that will be available in the Occasions Mini that goes into effect in January. This die is called Fun Flowers, and it really lives up to its name - they are fabulous. After I cut out the three flowers, I added leaves that I made with the Blossom Petals punch that will also be available in the Occasions Mini. To add dimension I curled the flower petals with a bone folder and scored the leaves down the center. To the middle of the flower I added an antique brad. My background papers pull in the same colors with a mix of current and retired DP, and for the sentiment I used A Word for You on a rectangle cut with the clear rectangle Sizzlit. For final touches I added just a bit of paper piercing and three vintage brads - too bad they're retired because they match the antique brad perfectly!

Be sure you go see what the rest of the OCC team has made for this challenge - the creations are always fabulous! Then play along with us and show us your own work - we love to see what you come up with!

Altoid tin calendar kit!

I wanted to make a calendar with my club this month, and I really wanted to come up with something new. So here is my altoid tin calendar - I used supplies that I already had lying around, and I even have enough extra to offer this project as a kit so you can make your own!

Once you make up the kit, all the contents fit inside the tin and you can give it as a gift - or keep it for yourself!

You take out the months one at a time and use the magnets to hold the page to the front of the tin. Then the tin will stand up on its own on your desk - isn't it cute? And you can use the magnets long after 2011 is over - you could even cover over the numbers and give the tin to someone else with tags or cards inside.

I even decorated the back so that if it's on a desk and visible from that side, it still looks pretty.

These kits are $8 and available while supplies last, or through December 16. If you live in the Boston Metrowest area and want to arrange pick-up, click here:

If you are elsewhere in the U.S., I can ship the kit to you for a small additional charge. Click here:






Sorry, I can only sell these in the U.S. If you would like more than two kits, please contact me so I can send you a custom invoice.

The kit contains all consumable supplies needed for one calendar, including glass marbles, magnets, altoid tin, calendar, and all Stampin' Up! materials. You will receive complete instructions in an emailed PDF file. Additional supplies you will need:

Sticky Strip
SNAIL adhesive
Crystal Effects
Two-way glue pen
Corner rounder punch
3/4" circle punch

Please note: some prints from the Playdate designer papers used in the kits may vary, depending on availability. If you are picky about what prints you will get, please ask first - or you may be able to substitute a different designer paper pack. Just ask! I can answer any and all questions at loririder (at) verizon (dot) net. Thanks and happy holidays!

Christmas card buffet, round 3

I'm back with two more CAS Christmas cards from the card buffet - I'm also posting for the SUO challenge. This first card was a CASE from a card by Ilina Crouse (which I see she CASEd from Nichole Heady). I used the wreath from Northern Hearts, stamped in Garden Green, with white embossed snowflakes all over the Crumb Cake base. The top of the white panel was punched with the scallop trim border punch. I added an embossed sentiment from Many Merry Messages, a 1/8" Real Red taffeta bow, and three rhinestones I colored with a red Sharpie.

As long as we're feeling "krafty" (LOL) here's another card with a Crumb Cake base. For this one I used the bells from Bells & Boughs, colored with markers and cut out, then accented with Smooch. Behind the bells I used an Early Espresso scallop punch and a panel of Deck the Halls paper. I cut a strip of Always Artichoke textured card stock with the Tasteful Trim die to put behind the DP, then a simple sentiment banner made with Curly Cute finished off this card. I know I got this layout from Jen del Muro but I'm not finding the exact post right now.

I still have three more cards to show you, but no more time today, so I'll be back again soon to finish these off!

Christmas card buffet, round 2

I'm back with another card from the card buffet - and this one also works for the Clean and Simple bow challenge at SCS. This is the simplest card we made but I thought it was very pretty and elegant. First I cut the oval and frame from naturals ivory and Cherry Cobbler card stock, then I stamped the holly image from Peaceful Season (second and third generation) all around the outside of the oval. The gorgeous sentiment went right on top with Cherry Cobbler ink. Then we added a simple ribbon - Always Artichoke seam binding wrapped around the inside and taped to the front of the card under the oval. The bow was added separately with a glue dot. I finished off with a Very Vanilla button threaded with embroidery thread.

I'm off to finish a big proofreading project right now, but I'll post more of our cards soon! Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Card Buffet, round 1

Today I held my annual Christmas card buffet and it was a huge success! I had eight stampers come to make Christmas cards. I do 10 designs for the card buffet, and you've already seen two of them, so I thought I'd come and post the rest. I'll just do a couple at a time, though, so you'll have new cards to look at for several days!

Most of the cards seemed to be a hit. This one is actually a redo of a card I did last year for one of the DDIC challenges. This version is SUO, of course - the stamp is from Autumn Days, colored in Garden Green and Chocolate Chip, with circles cut from the Big Shot and Circle Scissor Plus. (Partway through we also discovered that the 2 1/2" circle punch is the perfect size, so we switched to using that instead.) I added striped DP, a sentiment from Sincere Salutations, a satin bow, and some adhesive pearls.

Here's one with a slightly less traditional color combination: Bashful Blue, Bravo Burgundy and Pear Pizazz. This was a loose CASE of this card by Lynn Put. I stamped the ornament (from Tags Till Christmas) in those three colors and put them over pear DP. The background was partially embossed with the polka dot folder, leaving room for the sentiment at the bottom. I finished off with 1/8" taffeta ribbon (it's Old Olive, which is close enough) and pearls - again - don't you love these? The sentiment on this one is from Many Merry Messages, which has so many great holiday options.

I'll stop there for today - come back to see more Christmas cards all week!

Regal Rose Red Christmas

It's time for another challenge from Our Creative Corner and since it's December we have a new hostess - Sarah Gough. We have a color challenge for you to kick off the month: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Tempting Turquoise, kraft (Crumb Cake) and Very Vanilla. And it's not just a color challenge, but also a challenge to use these colors for a holiday card. Sounds fun, right?

I decided to combine the challenge with one of the 10 cards I needed to design for my Christmas card buffet that's happening this weekend. I'd seen this card from Chat and borrowed a few ideas from it. I thought it would be a great design for these colors. I also played along with the SCS inspiration challenge - my inspiration was this cute ornament.

My ornaments are from the stamp set Tree Trimmings, and I topped them off with a strip of Regal Rose DP and a punched border with the scallop ribbon border punch. The rest of the card is simply a few layers, a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes, and three Rose Red brads.

I know I can't wait to see what the rest of the team has done with these fun colors for the holidays - so be sure you go check it out, and then play along with us!

Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge #41

It's December and time for another inspiration challenge from the Divine Divas! This month's challenges will be holiday images, but don't feel obligated to make holiday cards - anything goes! For this week we have a cute cupcake kit full of fun colors and cute Christmas icons.

I have a Christmas card buffet this weekend and still needed one more card design, so I went the Christmas route for this one. I have to say, I think it turned out really cute. I stamped four images from Jolly Bingo Bits - looky, that set has everything you need for Christmas, including the four items shown in the cupcake kit! My colors are Riding Hood Red, Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze, and Chocolate Chip. I was determined to find some bitty scalloped circles to go with my 1" circle punches, and wouldn't you know - the Birds & Blooms die set has the perfect one! I layered them onto several squares, then for the background I added some Candy Lane designer paper (which is unfortunately sold out!), retired ribbon (shh... it just had to be red and this is all I had), and a sentiment from Word Play. Can you see in the photo that the little ornament in the sentiment fits the 1/2" circle punch? So cute!

Be sure to check out the cards made by the rest of the Divine Divas for this challenge!

Anne

Chris

Julie

Hope you are inspired to come and play along. Just leave a comment here with a link to your card. We can't wait to see what you create! The keyword for uploading on online forums will be DDIC41. Have fun and look for the next challenge on December 16!

Kits still available

For this month's card kit I'm going to continue to offer the November kit, which you can use to make two great cards (one for Christmas) with the Circle Circus stamp set. Click here for more details on this kit.

I also still have the Day of Gratitude kit available - click here for this card set kit that makes a lovely gift.

Both of these kits will be available through December 16, or in the case of Day of Gratitude, while supplies last.

Glitter, glitter everywhere...

This week's challenge at Our Creative Corner is to make a tag or incorporate a tag into our project. I decided to make a tag and put it onto a Christmas card. I, um, went a little nuts with the glitter... and you should see what didn't make it onto the card, LOL. I'm not sure what I think of this card, but it's definitely sparkly!

I started out with the Serene Snowflakes stamp set, and using Not Quite Navy ink and generational stamping I created my background panel with Baja Breeze card stock, then I added the smallest snowflakes over the background with iridescent ice embossing powder. I used the Tasteful Trim die to make the scalloped border. For the tag, which I cut out with the Two Tags die and Not Quite Navy card stock, I added an inset layer of Baja Breeze and stamped the smallest snowflakes all over with Not Quite Navy, then I covered the whole tag with Versamark and embossed with iridescent ice again. On top I added a Concord Crush punched ornament (from Tags Till Christmas), a sentiment from Christmas Greetings, a punched Concord Crush snowflake and a Concord Crush bow. Just in case it wasn't blingy enough yet, I accented the punches with just a few adhesive rhinestones.

Be sure you go see what the rest of the team created for the challenge, then tag - you're it! It's your turn to come and make your own tag creation and share it with us. Have a great weekend!

Online Spectacular Sale!

Stampin' Up! has some great deals for you this week - 20 to 50 percent off a selection of fabulous products! This includes My Digital Studio and the new collections of Christmas fabric at half off, plus tons of bundles of stamps, accessories, tools, Big Shot dies, and lots more. Click here to see what's on sale - now through November 30.

While you're there, take a look at all the other great stuff that's available for the holidays - because if your online order is $150 or more, your shipping is free! That's a savings of at least $15, plus you get hostess benefits, too!

And if your wish list is like mine - bigger than you can afford, LOL - then maybe it's time to think about becoming a demonstrator. Also through November 30, you get the starter kit - more than $300 in fabulous product - for just $87.50! Signing up now gets you demonstrator privileges through March 31, 2011, with no further sales required. If you decide to continue as a demonstrator the quarterly sales requirement is just $300. I'm here to answer your questions at any time, and if you're ready to sign up, just click here and enter "divastamper" as the recruiting password.

Don't wait to take advantage of these great offers - these kinds of sales and opportunities don't come around very often!

J-O-Y

This week at Our Creative Corner our November hostess, Linda Coughlin, is challenging us to make a 3-D holiday gift. I decided to combine the challenge with my club's 3-D project for the month and came up with this JOY banner. I got the idea from this banner but thought it would be cute with letters inside instead of photos. It was a little hard to get photos since I hung it in the stairwell going down from my studio, but I did my best!

The original project used the matchbox die for the boxes, and I intended to do that as well... until I realized they were too small for the Serif Essentials Alphabet. So I quickly made my own little boxes. They are 5 3/4" x 6" panels of Old Olive textured card stock, scored at 3/4" and 1 1/2" on each side; cut off the corners to create tabs and you have a sweet little box. The Cherry Cobber letters fit nicely inside these. I backed them with panels of Jolly Holiday DP (2 5/8" x 2 7/8") and for accents I added images from the Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set (from the mini catalog). I used a 1" book ring for the holder and looped Old Olive striped ribbon through it, then, to keep it in place, I sewed on a Cherry Cobbler button with linen thread. Yes, you read that right, I sewed it on. And my club members will do it, too, whether they like it or not! ;) The final touch was tying a Very Vanilla satin ribbon bow on top of the ring, just to make it a little more elegant.

Here are close-ups of the letters themselves. As for the red and green rhinestones, did you know you can color our adhesive rhinestones and pearls with Sharpies? Try it! Be sure you visit the OCC blog to see the rest of the team's creations - you'll find lots more great gift ideas for the holidays!

Club Christmas CASE

Hey, what do you know... I've posted every day this week! Aren't you impressed? LOL! I thought I'd share one of the cards we're making at club this weekend. I loved this card from Chat Wszelaki and decided to CASE it for a Christmas card. It has all the elements you need in a Christmas card - simple, flat for mailing, and elegant.

I started with Very Vanilla and ran it through the Big Shot with the Northern Flurry embossing folder. Conveniently this matches the Northern Hearts hostess set - both products are in the holiday mini catalog. To layer my Night of Navy snowflake, I used the 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches and the Homemade stamp, which fits in the 2 3/8" scalloped circle punch. I added a strip of navy DP, a sentiment from Contempo Christmas, and adhesive rhinestones for just a little bit of holiday bling. Want an all-purpose holiday card? Just swap out the sentiment for another of your choice!

I just love how this turned out and I wouldn't be surprised if I send a few of these out myself. I hope you enjoyed it - thanks for visiting today!

Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge #40

Welcome to this week's challenge! We've got a fun one for you this time around - a pampering gift set with some lovely fresh colors. Please come and join in!

Seeing the topiary in the photo I pulled out the retired stamp set Bouquet Bunch. I paper-pieced the pot with naturals ivory card stock to emulate the texture of the pots in the photo, and on top of the Old Olive leaves I added a Daffodil Delight bitty punched flower with an Early Espresso brad in the center. I used the scallop squares die from the holiday mini to cut the largest layer then trimmed smaller squares for the inside. The base is naturals ivory with layers of Daffodil Delight and (retired) River Rock DP with a strip of espresso satin ribbon. The sentiment is from A Little Birthday Cheer and I added the Floral Fusion flower as a nod to the medallion on the cosmetic bag.

Be sure to check out the cards made by all the Divine Divas for this challenge!

Anne

Chris

Donna

Julie

Hope you are inspired to come and play along. Just leave a comment here with a link to your card. We can't wait to see what you create! The keyword for uploading on online forums will be DDIC40. Have fun and look for the next challenge on December 2!

A 30-minute (or less) card

My challenge to myself today: could I create a card for Todd's birthday and blog about it in the little time I had? My solution: blog challenges, of course. My layout is the Clean & Simple FTL116; I flipped it upside-down - but oops, I didn't quite put the sentiment where I was supposed to. Oh well! The colors are from the Color Dare challenge: Night of Navy, Pear Pizazz and Soft Suede.

The sketch used the Top Note for the sample, and why mess with perfection? I cut mine from pear card stock and added a strip of navy dot paper from an old hostess pack, then topped it with retired soft suede ribbon. The stamp is what else - Lovely as a Tree - and the sentiment is a retired single stamp. For the base I used naturals white with a strip of retired Christmas paper - the subtle Soft Suede stripe on the back side was perfect. All that was left to add was a thin strip of navy card stock and two brads - which are celery but look just as good with the pear here.

That's it - done! Sometimes a clean and simple card is just perfect. Thanks for visiting!

Christmas Bells

I made this card for the clean and simple challenge on SCS. This week it's a sketch challenge. I've been in a Christmas mood - and it's going to be time to send out Christmas cards soon enough, so I went with another holiday card. And what do you know, it also fits the Paper Players color challenge for the week!

I based the design around the Deck the Halls paper, choosing one of the printed holly designs for the bottom panel and stamping the sentiment, which is from the coordinating stamp set Bells & Boughs, in Early Espresso right onto the DP. The background is another one of the prints from that pack. I colored the bell image with Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke and Crumb Cake markers and a blender pen. To add dimension I cut the image out and mounted it onto a Nestabilities circle. I kept the embellishments simple with a strip of artichoke seam binding and three (retired) vintage brads.

That's it for this CAS Christmas card - have a wonderful day!

Vintage Potpourri

Another Saturday, another challenge from the gals at Our Creative Corner. I missed last week because I was under the weather, but I'm joining this month's hostess, Linda Coughlin, in this week's color challenge: rust, gold, blue and brown. I used Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Baja Breeze and Early Espresso, and I broke out the level 1 hostess set called Punch Potpourri for the first time.

I used three of the images in the stamp set and the coordinating punches - the card stock is white but I really dirtied it up with espresso ink because I wanted to use the crochet trim and not have the white pop out too much. I added an espresso brad to the flower, a branch from the bird punch, and a wing punched from a scrap of Autumn Spice paper. Then I repeated that designer paper and also used a panel of Cajun Craze and some retired Baja Breeze for the background. The sentiment is from Well Scripted (retired) and I used the Lots of Tags oval die for the frame. Finally I added three adhesive pearls as an accent. I toyed with adding more to the card but then decided it was perfect as is.

Please come and play along with the rest of the OCC girls - and don't forget to stop by and see what everyone else made with these colors!

A not-to-be-missed opportunity!

What do you call it when you get over $310 in crafting and business supplies for only $87.50? You can call it an amazing deal, but I call it an amazing opportunity! From November 15-30, you can purchase either the Standard or Digital+ Starter Kits at 50 percent off the regular retail price of $175 (plus free shipping!), and enjoy these great benefits as a Stampin’ Up!® demonstrator:

• Get a discount on all the products you love.
• Earn additional income while sharing creativity.
• Make new and lasting friendships.
• Enjoy access to nearly unlimited creative ideas.
• Receive a free subscription to an exclusive monthly magazine.
• Receive two free months subscription to your own business website.
• Work to earn free products and incentive trips.

Joining Stampin' Up! has been one of the best decisions I've made in my life. It's changed me for the better and I know it can make a difference for you as well. Join now and you'll have your business up and running for the holiday craft season - and for Sale-a-Bration, the most-anticipated event of the Stampin' Up! calendar, which begins in January. Even if you think stamping is "just a hobby" for you, think of all the supplies you can get with this great deal - and you never know where it might take you. I started as a hobby demonstrator myself but it was clear to me very soon that stamping was not just a hobby for me - it was my passion.

If this sounds like the opportunity you're looking for, contact me today to find out how you can join in the fun!

Simple Vintage Christmas

I couldn't resist coming back for a couple more challenges today. This time I kept it pretty clean and simple with my card for the SCS sketch challenge and the Color Throwdown. I was in a Christmasy sort of mood even before I saw the colors, but that sealed the deal - here's what I came up with.

The holly image comes from the level 2 hostess set in the mini - Peaceful Season. I just love this set for vintage holiday cards. I stamped the holly several times on the Crumb Cake circle with Soft Suede, then colored the berries with a Cherry Cobbler marker. I added a couple more circles and sponged all the edges with Soft Suede. The designer paper comes from the Deck the Halls pack - also in the mini - as is the Cherry Cobbler seam binding. I finished off with a Crumb Cake base, three Cherry Cobbler brads and a sentiment from Seasonal Sentiments - I colored just the Merry Christmas with a Soft Suede marker.

Gotta dash... but I hope you feel the holiday spirit after reading about this card - I sure do after making it!

Fun with challenges

I decided that today I needed to do some stamping just for me. Not for a deadline or an assignment - just for the fun of it! I combined the Mojo Monday sketch (tinkered with somewhat) with the colourQ color challenge.

These colors made me think of Trendy Trees, which I haven't used in ages. For the trees I used Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke and Early Espresso, and I stamped them on Crumb Cake card stock before cutting out with Nestabilities. The So Saffron panel was embossed with the square lattice folder, then to match the scalloped oval I created a frame with the double scallop ribbon punch. Each strip was cut in half and adhered to the back of the embossed piece. I created the background with artichoke paper and the Solid Stripes a la carte stamp. A strip of retired kraft taffeta ribbon (doubled over so the stripes don't show through) divides the two background panels and it all went on a Crumb Cake card base. Once I added the sentiment, I felt like it still needed something else, so I got out the Bitty Buttons and matching punch. This was the first I'd played with these, believe it or not. Tip of the day: First adhere the punched card stock to the button with a drop of Crystal Effects. Once it's dry, use the paper piercer to poke through the holes. For "thread" I used very tiny white card stock strips.

OK, now it's back to my editing work. No more fun for me - at least for today! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Day of Gratitude Card Set Kit

Here is my latest card set kit offering, featuring the stamp set Day of Gratitude and the matching Autumn Spice papers. With this kit you’ll receive complete instructions (with photos) and all the consumable supplies needed to make eight cards (two each of four designs) and the coordinating box. The price of this kit is just $20, including envelopes. Please note that in some cases it may be necessary to substitute different prints for some of the Autumn Spice papers shown in the sample kit. I will offer these kits for the duration of the Holiday Mini catalog (through January 3, 2011) or while supplies last.

I'll fill the orders as I get them, so depending when you place your order, it may take me a couple weeks to get it to you if I need to order additional supplies. Let me know if you're in a rush and I'll see what I can do.

Demonstrators, click here for info on getting the kit instructions to use with your customers!

If you purchase the kit, you will also have the opportunity to purchase the Day of Gratitude stamp set at 15% off retail price (tax and shipping not included).

Wood mount regularly $26.95, with purchase of kit $22.91

Clear mount regularly $18.95, with purchase of kit $16.11

The rest of the products used in making this set are given in the list below. If you have all of these then you’re ready to go, but just let me know if you’d like to order any of these items. You can also use the kit to make your cards with the supplies you already own.

Local customers please click here to purchase the kit:

I can also ship these kits anywhere in the U.S. Click here to add to cart:




Please contact me if you would like to order the stamp set and/or any additional items, or if you are not purchasing the discounted stamps, you can click here to shop online anytime!

Lori Rider
loririder (at) verizon (dot) net

Additional Product List

• Early Espresso Classic Ink ($5.95) and Stampin’ Write marker ($3.50)
• Cajun Craze Classic Ink ($5.95) and Stampin’ Write marker ($3.50)
• More Mustard Classic Ink ($5.95)
• Old Olive Classic Ink ($5.95)
• Curly Cute stamp set ($14.95 clear/$19.95 wood)
• 1 3/8” circle punch ($15.95)
• 1 3/4” scallop circle punch ($16.95)
• Decorative label punch ($16.95)
• Scallop edge border punch ($15.95)
• Extra-large tag punch ($16.95)
• Large tag punch ($15.95)
• Bone folder ($6.95)
• Hobby blade ($4.50)
• Paper snips ($9.95)
• Stamp-a-Ma-Jig (optional; $11.95)
• Stampin’ Dimensionals ($3.95)
• SNAIL adhesive ($6.95)
• Sticky Strip ($6.95)
• Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue ($3.95)
• Mini glue dots ($4.95)

Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge #39

It's another month and time for a new inspiration challenge! This time around we're featuring this cute owl mug. I hope these fun patterns and colors inspire your creativity this week!

My card didn't end up quite like I envisioned - I was trying to be funky but it turned out a lot more elegant than I expected. I wanted to duplicate the purple and pink floral band, so I brayered Rich Razzleberry ink onto the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder and ran it through the Big Shot with Blushing Bride card stock. The other side of the background is Marina Mist stamped with the Teahouse background.

Of course, I had to use the owl punch - the owl base is Early Espresso and then I added razzleberry wings from the bird punch. I wanted to bring in some circles so I used the stamp from the Apple Blossom hostess set on those. The branch is textured Old Olive card stock and the flowers were made with one of the Birds and Blooms Sizzlits, the bitty flower punch, and the owl punch (the tiny dots in the center). Last I added olive satin ribbon and a sentiment from Seasonal Sentiments (in the holiday mini). To layer the wide oval punch I used two of the scalloped ovals, placed on the top and bottom, and then filled in the gap with the modern label punch, cut in half and glued to each end.

Be sure to check out the cards made by all the Divine Divas for this challenge!

Anne

Chris

Donna (taking this week off)

Julie

Kerri

Hope you are inspired to come and play along. Just leave a comment here with a link to your card. We can't wait to see what you create! The keyword for uploading on online forums will be DDIC39. Have fun and look for the next challenge on November 18!

November Card Kit of the Month

With this card kit you’ll receive complete instructions and all the consumable supplies needed to make 5 of each of these card designs – a total of 10 cards. The price of this kit is just $15, including envelopes.

If you purchase the monthly kit, you will also have the opportunity to purchase the coordinating stamp set at 15% off retail price (tax and shipping not included). This month the featured stamp set is Circle Circus.

Circle Circus stamp set regularly $28.95, with purchase of kit $24.61

The rest of the products used in making these cards are given in the list below. If you have all of these then you’re ready to go, but just let me know if you’d like to order any of these items. You can also use the kit to make your cards with the supplies you already own. Although a large number of punches were used on the original cards, you can easily modify the designs to use fewer punches.

Please get your orders to me by November 15. You will receive your kit before the end of the month.

Lori Rider

loririder (at) verizon (dot) net
978-486-8102
divastamper.blogspot.com

Local customers click here to add the kit to your cart:

If you need to receive your kit by mail, click on the "Add to Cart" button below. U.S. customers only, please. Let me know if you encounter any problems with the ordering process.





Additional Product List

• Rich Razzleberry Classic Ink ($5.95) and Stampin’ Write marker ($3.50)
• Pear Pizzazz Classic Ink ($5.95) and Stampin’ Write marker ($3.50)
• Tempting Turquoise Classic Ink ($5.95) and Stampin’ Write marker ($3.50)
• All Holidays stamp set ($34.95)
• Tiny Tags stamp set ($22.95 wood mount/$16.95 clear mount – optional)
• 3/4” circle punch ($10.95)
• Corner rounder punch ($6.95)
• 1 1/4” circle punch ($15.95)
• 1 3/4” scallop circle punch ($16.95)
• Large oval punch ($15.95)
• Scalloped oval punch ($16.95)
• Jewelry tag punch ($10.95)
• Gold Stampin’ Emboss powder ($4.75)
• Bone folder ($6.95)
• Stamp-a-Ma-Jig ($11.95)
• Heat tool ($29.95)
• Stampin’ Dimensionals ($3.95)
• SNAIL adhesive ($6.95)
• Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue ($3.95)

If you have any questions or problems please let me know. Thanks!

Vanilla Toile

Welcome to another Saturday at Our Creative Corner! This is the final week for Diane Gilbert's October challenges, and this week she brought us a fabuous inspiration challenge - which you know I loved, of course! This gorgeous room comes from Pottery Barn.

I looked at the photo and immediately thought of toile, so I knew I wanted to use the Bella Toile BG stamp. I inked it with Crumb Cake and stamped it on Very Vanilla card stock. Behind that I used a layer of So Saffron designer paper. I also wanted to pull in the stripes from the photo, so I chose some striped Crumb Cake paper for the center panel. To get a really striking look I used black for my layers - I couldn't really tell what the dark accents in the photo were, so I just went for it and I love the result. In the center I added an image from Flower Fancy, which rather than putting it onto a panel, I just cut it out and adhered it right to the card. I added pearls to my scalloped panel for a little more elegance, leaving room for the sentiment from Occasional Quotes.

Don't forget to stop by the OCC blog to see what all the other team members have come up with for the challenge, and then play along with us! Hope you are having a great weekend!

Halloween Challenge(d)

For this week's challenge at Our Creative Corner our fab hostess, Diane Gilbert, gave us a fun color combo that's perfect for Halloween: Certainly Celery, Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie and Early Espresso (and Diane put white in there as well - but I just couldn't make that work!). Well, I'll say that I like the card I ended up with, but it was quite an odyssey getting here! I had another card almost done and I tossed it aside and started over completely. But anyway...

The stamp set I used is called House of Haunts. I stamped the haunted house twice, on the razzleberry and pumpkin card stock, then I cut around the top of the house to put the orange moon behind it. For background panels I used espresso and pumpkin designer papers, and the sentiment (from the same stamp set) was punched and mounted on a label from the die set Lots of Tags. I sponged all the edges with espresso ink and added three celery brads to finish it off.

That's it from me - now be sure you see what else the team has created for this challenge, and we hope you'll play along as well!