A Fruitful Summer Challenge...

You will note that I take everything literally after the one time I entered a blog challenge and was told my card didn't follow the exact rules and would be removed immediately.

SO...

For this challenge, Mod Squad Challenge, it states you need to use kraft, white and black papers. 

(Okay it also says you can use other colors but remember I am now taking everything literally!)

I started to look through my fruit stamps and found this terrific pear. I inked it with white pigment ink then hit some spots with black pigment ink on the kraft card stock. Time to emboss using clear embossing powder. I trimmed it out and went in search of finishing papers. 

Who knows when or where I got the quilted papers but I knew they must be used.

The Wordsworth saying is one I love and I thought it was perfect for the summertime.

Now I have to get back to work on my Halloween cards!

Clearly I love to create this card in a box...

I've been turning them out for all kinds of reasons. Easter, encouragement, birthday, miss you over the summer and now for a clearly wonderful challenge.

Simon Says…Let’s Be Clear

When I made the card in the past I was using card stock to hold up the images. Through experimentation, I found the Spellbinders packaging easy enough to cut into slivers and glue dot onto the card so the images look like they are floating in the air!

 (If you look closely you can see the clear element holding up the saying on the right hand side of the picture.)

I used my Like it a Latte set by Stampin' Up for the sayings.

The Cups are from a set called Joe To-Go by Taylored Expressions.

The word bubble was a 97cent die from my local Joann ETC.

This coming week I am getting coffee for our county's library circulation meeting. We are so fortunate to have a Starbucks in our plaza, with a wonderful manager who gives me coffee for this meeting.

Every time she donates to one of our special causes I like to make her a special card. 

This week she gets this one!

Why am I called Sundaystamper???

A bit of background to go with my card this week.

I was lucky enough to be able to stay home with my sons as they were growing up. I did odd jobs, too many to mention, when my husband was home. Having a son with a disability meant someone always had to be there.

Lucky for me I was able to join a bunch of wonderful ladies on the internet stamping sites. This lead me to teach on the sites, mostly on (you guessed it) Sunday.

Once my youngest went to a group home I was able to work outside the home more. But that meant more "Sunday stamping"!

So now when I want to enter my challenges and do my thing,

 I still want to be know as Sundaystamper.

Today's card is such fun. I found a challenge on

Mojo Monday 353-Contest 

I have a certain set of Verve stamps that I adore!!!

It's called  "Blue Skies" and I also bought the butterfly dies that go with it. The sayings are so perfect for cheering someone up or giving them encouragement.

The Cuttlebug embossing folder is "Juli's Garden".

Obviously I used it for straight embossing for the green card stock. BUT...

the real fun was inking up the one side with lots of Tim Holtz Distress inks, spritzing them and laying the watercolor paper on it to soak up parts of the image.

 I also used it to cut out the smaller butterfly.

So now you know why I'm Sundaystamper (for  over 25 years)!

Please try some of the challenges.

This is gonna be a long one...

but I think you will find it worthwhile.

Once again I was "playing" on the day that my friend came over.

 Found this piece of white embossed card stock, left over from a stamping class I had done at the library, in my excess drawer. 

Oh, yeah we all have them.

 Then I found this apple stamp in my Penn Yan lady* stamps!

*(see previous post) 

I wanted to see what would happen if I inked up the stamp, heavily and just set it on the "top" of the embossed card stock

I was SO excited. 

I could hardly take my eyes off it, but when I looked at the stamp I realized by using the embossed card stock I had "kissed" the ink off the image but left enough ink for another stamping. 

So I huffed and I puffed and ...

stamped it onto another piece of plain card stock!

The size was perfect for the mini card challenge on the 

Mod Squad Challenge Blog 

The finished card!

Earthtones...

Those who know me, will totally understand why I HAD to enter this challenge!!!

I love earthtones.

This is the Less is More challenge number 179!

Less is More Earthtones 

I have these wonderful stamps from a lady in Penn Yann, New York. Not too far from where I live.

She carved the image first, then sent them to a rubber maker to make multiples of them. Unfortunately she isn't selling any longer at the farmers market.

It's a shame because her images are fantastic. Recently someone's Mom-in-law passed away and she gave me her rubber stamps. There were four of this lady's images in the bag. That reminded me of the stamps I already had and made me pull them out.

I pulled out my oak leaf images, Adirondack inks, mister bottle, earthtone card stocks and a saying from Inkadinkadoo to create my submission for this challenge.

P.S. Yes, that is my Pooh bear peeking out of the basket!

Buttons and bows...

Well, at least one bow. 

This is what they asked for at the Penny Black July Challenge!

Penny Black Saturday Challenge 

I spent this past Thursday stamping with a friend. We always have a great time creating together. 

Our theory is : try it and if you don't like it it's only a piece of paper.

My friend loved my new Penny Black stamp "delightful".

She had seen somewhere online that a watercolor artist used light ink to stamp an image and then go in with Distress inks and water to create a water colored image. 

I decided to give it a try with the same stamp...

This is what I came up with! The mini buttons seemed the perfect accent to the flowers and I actually had ribbon that matched perfectly!

So this will be my entry for the challenge and the next two postings will show you what else I did on this very creative day!

W...

This is the second all white card I have made for a challenge. This one came to me while the heat index is 95 degrees.

I may be the only one who thinks this but I like the cold. In order to get my mind there I decided to layer white leaves and a tree for my card. I chose the maple leaf as today is Canada Day!

 
W is for White

This is the Simon Says Monday Challenge and couldn't have come at a better time.

I need to feel cool!

anything goes...

I have a canning jar filled with charms that I never use. This is why I love doing these challenges. It makes me think outside the box and use things I already have!

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge

I pulled out a template that I have had for years. It's by All Night Media and it has clouds at the top and grass at the bottom. 

Hampton Art stamps came out with some wonderful Art Impressions stamp sets that are at JoAnns. I loved this one and I could use my coupon.

But the best part is my pitch fork charm! It fit perfectly.

So grab a challenge and find all the things you have buried away and create! 

Use a recycled item...

Less is More challenge asked us to use a recycled item. This was a tough one. I use only "new" materials in my cards. Except whne I get a bag from oneof my favorite quilting stores. You  know, the bags that look like newspapers from the early 1900s!

I did go through my recycling container, though, just in case.

For once it was mostly empty. Just a few plastic glasses from Starbucks, we love their ice tea when we're on  the road.

Use a recycled item! 

I took a piece of white 12"x12" card stock and folded it in half. Using my paper trimmer I cut down the sides at an angle.
I corner rounded the top and notched out a bit to make it look like a lid. I used my Tim Holtz to shade the cup.

Found some Kraft paper, ran it through my crimper, trimmed it and glued it to the front of my "cup".

I cut the logo from the cup. But it still stayed curved. Experiment time. I warmed it with my heat tool. It softened just enough for me to press it down. I attached it with glue dots.

All done!

tall & skinny week here at Mojo Monday...

So, of course, I took it to the next level. I used a business size envelope for the card.
You will also note that I used the same card stock from my first posting of the day.

Yes, I'm cheap and had piece left over!

Mojo Monday  

 It's a bit tricky to see the embossed buttons on the burgundy but I thought you would like to know they are there.

I used my Martha Stweart button punch for the single buttons and an EK for the row of buttons.

House Mouse anything goes challenge...

This time I read the fine print and I think I did it right!

CODE HMFMC173 

This one will need some explanation.

 My hubby used to work for Eastman Kodak Company. He was always in on the ground floor of new products. One year he was asked to test a camera that took panoramic pictures.

I was going through the pictures last week and found a BUNCH of photos. Some were multiples so I decided to make cards.
The one for the challenge is a picture of a camp that my son used to go to every summer. As many of you know my youngest has Down's Syndrome and this was a camp for kids with mental and physical disabilities. Sadly this camp no longer exists. Stephen goes to camp though, so don't worry!

I thought he would like this card, especially with the House Mouse on it!

 

Birthday with ODBD Stamps....

is the name of the latest challenge from Our Daily Bread Stamps.

Birthday with ODBD Stamps

I love their stamps but panicked when I saw the birthday attached to the challenge. I don't have any birthday sayings from ODBD!!!

But I made the card anyway, then read the fine print that it must be only ODBD stamps. So I won't be entering this card but I thought you would like to see it anyway!

I lucked out with the die cut. It is a Spellbinders called 

"Moroccan Accents" that was marked down from $24.99 at Michael's, to $7.99! I love how they match!

So what did I learn from this?

Read the fine print!

OR 

Make your cards for the fun of making and giving them and don't worry about the challenge!

(But if I do them right I will enter them...)