Saturday Sketch Challenge 149

What a fun place to play we have here! A sales-floor free zone that encourages creativity from everywhere! For me ~ this is a beautiful thing! Thanks to all (readers and players) for helping make stamping 411 a GIANT success.

When Patti Chesky wrote about her fabulous color challenge card, and the fact that we couldn't see it until tonight's post..... I was a little bummed out.. It just occurred to me that I had the card if I wanted to peek a few days early and I didn't even realize it... how silly is that!?! Gorgeous color combination Patti!

I just love it when the girls do the measurements. So ~ thanks to Gretchen Barron, we love you! I'll be stealing the measurements for her gorgeous creation below (with the ice cream).

Measurements:

1. Layer one -- Pumpkin Pie cardstock cut at 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded at 4.25" to form the card base.
2. Layer Two -- So Saffron cut at 4 x 5.25". Stamp the sentiment on the bottom of the card using Black Stazon Ink.
3. Layer Three -- Island Oasis DSP cut at 4 x 2". Apply the different colored ribbons, spaced evenly from top to bottom.
4. Layer Four -- Rose Red cut at 2.5 x 3.25"
5. Layer Five -- Whisper White cut at 2.25 x 3". Clip the corners with the Ticket Corner Punch. Stamp the Ice Cream with Pumpkin Pie and Rose Red inks. Add the sprinkles with Chocolate chip Ink. Mount to the Rose Red layer and add Pumpkin Pie Brads. If the ends of the Brad prongs extend beyond the edge of your card, snip them off with your Craft & Rubber Scissors. Attach both layers to your card with Stampin' Dimensionals. Tie bows with coordinating ribbon colors.
6. Layer Six -- Punch out Old Olive Cardstock with the Ornament Punch. Trim the top to make a flat bowl. Using a sponge, apply Old Olive Ink to the edges of the bowl. Attach to card with SNAIL adhesive.
7. Layer Seven -- Inside of Card -- Whisper White cut at 4 x 5.25". I stamped with more Ice Cream Cone images using Creamy Caramel for the cones and adding a cherry with Real Red Ink.

Does the thought of cutting your cardstock using measurements baffle you? Well, you can check out the most awesome post on how to read a ruler written by the very lovely and talented Lee Conrey, by clicking here.

AND... speaking of TALENT if you're a scrapbooker.. well.. this is National scrapbooking month.. (okay, it starts tomorrow), so you should check out Tiffany's cool page below using this sketch!

Never played with us before?? Well, it's easy! Sky's the limit! Use this sketch to inspire you and let your imagination go wild! (well ~ keep it clean, this is a family show after all).

1. Make a card
2. Post it online somewhere to your blog or other online forum
3. Post a link to Mr. Linky (Please be sure to link to your post and not just to your blog so we can find your post a few days later). need directions on that? Check out our posts on "how to use mr linky"
4. Have some fun and leave comments for each other (and for the operators if you like their work). ~ Everyone loves comments!

We hope you join us this week and play along with this sketch! But don't delay... Mr. Linky will only hang out until Thursday morning at 8 am EST.

That's about all of it! Please have fun with this week's sketch. I'll be looking forward to seeing your awesome creations!
Patti Chesky




Gretchen Barron




Robin Merriman




Kerin Sylvester




Tiffany Bauer




Selene Kempton






Connie Babbert





Lee Conrey

Stampers Showcase 148

Another week of your gorgeous creations! Thanks so much for playing along.
Here are your showcase picks for sketch 148



See you for the sketch challenge later tonight!

Color Inspiration #121

This week I decided to "go green". I used two fabulous greens in the Stampin' Up! line-up......Garden Green and Certainly Celery.

I think Garden Green is an unappreciated color. It gets used a lot during the holiday season, but then is rarely seen.

Let's change that, shall we?

I made a card with this color combo, but you're gonna have to wait until Saturday to see it. It's my card for this week's Saturday Sketch Challenge!!!!

I know....I am such a tease!!!!!

I can't wait to see what you make with this challenge.......be sure to leave a comment on this post with a link to your "go green" project!!!!!

Until next time.....Happy Stamping everyone!!!

Friendly Reminder from the Operators

Hey everyone!

This is just a friendly reminder from the Stamping 411 Compliance Officer.

If your Stamping 411 post has a link to an online store in it (Stampin' Up! or otherwise), your post will be deleted from Mr. Linky. Before deleting, I try to find an email on your blog to send you an email letting you know.

Unfortunately, I've had to delete several posts this week.

The Stamping 411 site is an advertisement-free zone. We want a safe place for all to come and learn stamping tips and techniques. All of the operators are Stampin' Up! demonstrators and have signed an agreement with Stampin' Up! that prohibits us from linking to online stores.

If you find that your post has been deleted from Mr. Linky and you remove the store links, please go ahead and add your project back.

(buttons in the sidebar are fine.....we just require the links removed from the actual post)

Thank you for understanding the philosophy behind the Stamping 411 blog.

Saturday Sketch Challenge 148

Hello Friends!

Are you a person that just LOVES your images RIGHT in the CENTER of your card?? Well, this week's sketch may help you break out of your comfort zone just a little bit, but certainly keeps it simple!

This week we have a scrap booking example from our operator Tiffany. If you like to scrapbook, why not take this and try a scrapbook page of your own?

Also ~ don't be afraid to take creative license and turn the sketch on it's side, upside down, backwards... Whatever is working for you.... The sketch is merely a tool to help your creativity! So go create something wonderful!!!

One potential set of measurements (that I've already written) for my red and white Christmas card below could be:

Base: Whisper white 11 x 4 1/4", scored and folded in half at 5 1/2"
2nd Layer: Real red, 5 3/8" x 4 1/8"
3rd Layer: Whisper white 5 1/4" x 4" (with the big shot polka dot embossing folder)
4th Layer: Real red, 2 3/8" x 2 5/8" (1/8" larger than layer 4)
5th Layer: Whisper White 2 1/4" x 2 1/2"

Many of the operators give more details and measurements for their cards. To visit their blogs, just click on the pictures below and you'll be transported to their latest 411 blog post. If they are not up yet, please try back. Some of us may be out on the town for the night, up in the mountains camping, or on a CRUISE!!!!, like 3 of our operators will be this upcoming week. Congratulations to Kerin, Robin and Tiffany for earning the Stampin' Up! incentive trip this year! This year's destination will take them to the Caribbean, and I for one will be looking forward to seeing the three of them together! Congratulations on your accomplishments ladies!

Never played with us before?? Well, it's easy!

1. Make a card
2. Post it online somewhere to your blog or other online forum
3. Post a link to Mr. Linky (Please be sure to link to your post and not just to your blog so we can find your post a few days later). need directions on that? Check out our posts on "how to use mr linky"
4. Have some fun and leave comments for each other (and for the operators if you like their work). ~ Everyone loves comments!

We hope you join us this week and play along with this sketch! But don't delay... Mr. Linky will only hang out until Thursday morning at 8 am EST


Lee Conrey





Patti Chesky




Gretchen Barron





Robin Merriman




Kerin Sylvester




Tiffany Bauer




Selene Kempton



Connie Babbert

Stampers Showcase 147

Thanks so much for playing along with us and for your wonderful, uplifting comments (which we read). Your creations are always stunning. Here's your operator pics for this week.

Color Inspiration #120

Happy Thursday!!! This week is just flying by!! Pretty soon it will be the weekend!! I love the weekends!!

Every Thursday I present you with a Color Inspiration.

This week I was inspired by some scraps sitting on my stamping desk.

The colors are Melon Mambo, Old Olive and Apricot Appeal.

I know that a lot of people really don't like using Apricot Appeal, but I tend to use it a lot. It tones down some bright colors and adds a little more pop to the more muted colors.

For my card I chose to play with a brand new stamp set. It's called Watercolor Trio, and it is available for purchase starting on May 1st.

For both the base card and the Old Olive layer, I used the direct-to-paper technique to add some "texture" to the layer without adding bulk. It really makes a huge difference.....dontcha think?

I would love to see what you make with these colors. Make sure you leave a comment on this post with a link to your project, okay?

Feel free to add touches of other colors like I did. I added a Rich Razzleberry butterfly and black (which helps to ground things....esp with bright colors).

Card Recipe

stamps: Watercolor Trio
paper: Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Apricot Appeal, Basic Black, Whisper White
ink: Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Apricot Appeal, Versamark
accessories: White Embossing Powder, 1 3/8" circle punch, sponge

Saturday Sketch Challenge 147

Hello Everyone! It's time for another simple Saturday Sketch challenge!

We hope that you're having a wonderful weekend so far! On behalf of the operators, I'd like to thank you for playing with us and cheering us on from week to week. We really appreciate you!

So let's get down to measurements. One potential set of measurements could be:

Base: 11 x 4 1/4" scored and folded in half at 5 1/2"
Layer 2: 4 x 3 1/2"
Layer 3: 3 3/4" x 3 1/4"
Layer 4: 3 3/4" x 1 1/2"

Never played with us before?? Well, it's easy!

1. Make a card
2. Post it online somewhere to your blog or other online forum
3. Post a link to Mr. Linky (Please be sure to link to your post and not just to your blog so we can find your post a few days later). need directions on that? Check out our posts on "how to use mr linky"
4. Have some fun and leave comments for each other (and for the operators if you like their work). ~ Everyone loves comments!

We hope you join us this week and play along with this sketch! But don't delay... Mr. Linky will only hang out until Thursday morning at 8 am EST




Connie Babbert




Lee Conrey




Patti Chesky




Gretchen Barron




Robin Merriman




Kerin Sylvester



Tiffany Bauer




Selene Kempton

Stampers Showcase 146

TGIF! We hope you had a wonderful week! Here are your operator picks for Sketch 146! See you later tonight with another fun sketch!

Color Inspiration #119

By now I'm sure you've heard news of Stampin' Up's Color Renovation.

I wanted to pay homage to some of my favorites.

For this week's color combination I selected two retiring colors (Apricot Appeal and Taken with Teal) and two colors that are staying with us (Rose Red and Regal Rose).

Aren't these colors fun?

I chose to use them on a feminine card, but I can picture these colors on a fun summer scrapbooking page as well. Beach balls, flip flops, pool toys, etc........

I would love to see how you use these colors. If you choose to take the challenge, please leave a comment on this post with a link to your project!!!!

Until next time....Happy Stamping everyone!

Card Recipe
stamps: Vintage Vogue, Very Vintage jumbo wheel
paper: Taken with Teal, Apricot Appeal, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Whisper White
ink: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Apricot Appeal
accessories: Scallop Edge punch, Apricot Appeal 1/4" grosgrain, Rose Red 1/4" grosgrain, sponge