DCBD #125

I wanted to apologize for not doing last week's challenge. My daughter and son-in-law are here right now and we have been really busy. The good thing is I did get this week's challenge done. I knew that I needed to do a simple and fast card. The great thing is this challenge was a very easy one to do. You should try it too.
This is the sketch we had to work with this week. If you do this and put it on your blog please go here and sign up using the mister linky widget. We would love to have you join us in this card sketch challenge. Also check the other diva's blogs to see what they did with this sketch.

This card did not take me long at all to make. Most of the reason was I had already had part of the card made. I had made it for another card and didn't use it. I thought it went pretty well with the sketch. I hope you like it. Tell me what you think.
This is the recipe for this card.

Stamp set: cute and cuddly

Card stock: baja breeze, kraft, chocolate chip, and DSP parisian breeze specialty

Ink: chocolate chip

Tools: scallop square punch and scallop edge punch

Accessories: kraft taffeta ribbon

DCBD #123

Wow, check out this weeks card sketch! I loved this one. I looked at all of my stamp sets (I don't have that many) until I figured out which one would work the best. I ended up choosing Nature Silhouettes. I thought it would be nice to make a manly card for a change. So many are feminine and flowers. I also decided that I wanted it to have a rustic look to it. I do have to say that I am quite pleased with this one.


To give this card a rustic look I tore the card stock and roughened it up a bit. I also took my stamping sponge and added chocolate chip classic ink around the edges of all of the paper. For the stamped images I sponged the entire face with chocolate chip classic ink. I even thought that the bravo burgundy needed a richness added to it too. It just wasn't dark enough, so I added chocolate chip ink with a sponge right on it as well. Tell me what you think. The comment button is under this post. Thanks to everyone that does take the time to leave comments. It is nice knowing what others think of my work. I bet everyone else, like myself, eats it up.

It should be interesting to see how everyone else does this sketch too. You can check our Diva's out by going to here and you can view every one's blogs from it.

Card Info:
Stamp Set: Nature Silhouettes
Card stock: bordering blue, bravo burgundy, mellow moss, really rust, and very vanilla
Classic Ink: close to cocoa and chocolate chip
Tools: crop-o-dile and stamping sponge
Accessories: 5/8" bravo burgundy grosgrain ribbon and jumbo antique brass eyelets

DCBD #122

Above is this weeks Diva Challenge. I hope that a lot of you will play along with us this week. I really love my Big Shot. Making die cuts for our cards is so easy with this machine. I have mine sitting out where I can get to it very easily. For me that is very important. I don't mind using things if it is easily accessible. If I have to get up and search for something, a lot of times I really would rather not bother with it. Sounds lazy huh? I don't consider myself lazy, hhhmmmmm maybe convenient.

I liked this challenge. My thing is I am not real pleased with my finished creation. I am my own worst critic, so if you don't like this one either, well let's just say we are in agreement on this one. I guess I feel that I should have done something more to the flowers. They are missing something that could make them "pop". What do you think they needed? You will have to tell me what you think.

I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out how I wanted the flowers layered and finally decided this way. Well enough about how I feel about my card. Make sure you check out the other Diva's blogs to what they came up with for this challenge. I have all of the Diva's names on my side bar. Just click on their name and it will take your to their blogs or you can click on the Diva Coffee Break Designs logo and find everyone from there too. There are 3 designers being spotlighted this week on the DCBD blog. Please take the time to comment when you look. We all love the comments!! Thanks for looking!

This is the recipe for this card.
Stamp Set: Sincere Salutations
Cardstock: always artichoke, so saffron, rose red, regal rose, pink pirouette, and very vanilla
Ink: always artichoke and versamarker
Tools: textured impressions die (Manhattan flower), top not die, large oval punch, scallop oval punch, 5 petal punch, sanding block, and paper piercing tool.
Accessories: dazzling diamonds and 1/4" rose red grosgrain ribbon

DCBD #121

I really love the card sketch we were given this week. It was a very fun one to do. Yes, there was lots of detail to this one, but it is well worth it. I hope a lot of you will try this one out also. Let us know on the DCBD blog that you did it and posted it on your blog too. I really try to comment everyone if you do post it.

I do not have any Easter stamp sets. I really wanted to make an Easter card for this challenge though. Below is what I came up with. There is not a whole lot of rubber stamping in this. There is more cutting and die cuts in this instead. I really wanted a saying and knew that I didn't have any stamps that said anything about Easter. I remembered last evening that I had rub-ons and thought maybe it had an Easter saying in it. Yes, it did! I used it to finish up this card. I hope you like it.

Recipe for this card:

Stamps: Itty Bitty Buds (hostess stamp set)

Ink: so saffron, pretty in pink, almost amethyst, and certainly celery

Tools: stamping sponge, paper piercing tool, sizzix birds and blooms scallop circle, sizzix swirls scribbles, ticket corner punch, matchbox die label, boho blossoms punch, and scallop oval punch

Accessories: soft subtle brads, 1/4" pretty in pink grosgrain ribbon, and chit chat rub-ons

Get Well Card Class

I am going to be having my themed card class once again. This time it is Get Well cards. I used the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set, along with Sincere Salutations, and Fun and Fast Notes. Everyone that comes to my class will be making 8 card (2 each of 4 different designs).

I have spent all afternoon and evening working on these cards. It is a great accomplishment though, usually I spend 3 to 4 hours on 1 card. I am very happy that it didn't take me that long.

DCBD #120

It is color challenge time again. Another week that has flown by again.

Above is the colors we were given to work with. To be quite honest I didn't like them, once again. I got my inspiration from Stampin' Ups! urban oasis designer series paper. I thought that if I used the stamp set Fifth Avenue Floral, I could make this work. Below is what I came up with. I do like the finished look.

Make sure you check out the Diva's Design Team Blog. Comment us with what you think of our cards. Then take it upon yourself and give it a shot yourself. Make sure you sign in so we can see your creations too. Remember, it doesn't have to be a card, it could be a scrapbook page, or a 3D item, the ideas are endless.

These are the things I used to make this card.

Stamp set: Fifth Avenue Floral and One of a Kind

Cardstock: going gray, rose red, bashful blue, and whisper white

Ink pads: bashful blue, rose red, and basic gray, and used a going gray marker

Tools: eyelet border punch, scallop oval punch, large oval, piercing tool, and cool spritzer tool

Accessories: whisper white organza ribbon and 1/4" grosgrain bashful blue ribbon

Big Shot Bigz xl Dies

I finally took the time to play today. I have been wanting to do this. I bought this die to use to make favors for my daughter's baby shower, which will be here before you know it. I was curious to see how quickly they went together. Just to let you know, they are very fast and easy to do. It should be fun to make up a bunch of these.


I purchased this matchbox die just in case I didn't like the bag w/scallops die. I had seen a few demonstrators make little drawers out of this die. They were so cute they had me sold on getting it pretty fast. Sometimes you may not like the looks of something in the catalog, but when you see how someone else uses it, it can totally change your opinion. If I want I can use this along with the other die for shower favors.

Now that I have told you why I bought these I have a few questions for you. What would you suggest I put in them for a baby shower? Also, do you like the bag, the box, or both better? I will use your suggestions to help me decide what to choose.

I used delicate dots DSP, certainly celery, so saffron, bashful blue, and whisper white cardstock. The cute and cuddly stamp set. The scallop square, scallop circle, and scallop oval punches. The large oval punch, small star punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, and the 1 3/8" circle punch. I also used an eyelet that is now discontinued. Everything is current Stampin' Up! products otherwise.