Ready for the snow at The Friday Mashup

This week at The Friday Mashup, Heidi has us embracing the winter season, without thinking about the holidays. Basically, we are celebrating winter!

I kind of worked this card a bit backwards. Typically I start with the focal point and work my way to the card base. This time, I started with the card base and added layers upwards to the house.

For the house, I started by roughing up a piece of Smoky Slate Core'dinations cardstock. I didn't want to colour the house with markers, as I wanted it to be light and textured. I like the effect of the sanded Core'dinations! I wiped it down to make sure all the loose bits were removed and then I stamped the house from Holiday Home.

The windows, door and roof were fussy cut and glued on to the Smoky Slate. I coloured the roof and door with Night of Navy Blendabilities by Stampin' Up! I added a little yellow glow to the windows as well.

Check out the challenge this week:

1. Create a project with a "Winter theme"
2. Create a project with "Snowflakes"
3. or Mash it Up! and create a "Winter project with Snowflakes"

Thanks for stopping by today!

-Tara

xox

Supplies:

An InLinkz Link-up

Four Feathers for Colour Me...!

This week at Colour Me...! we have a fun 4-colour playful week for you!

I finally inked up the Four Feathers set after WAY too long of owning it. Very simple, clean card. 

Check out the challenge this week:

Thanks for stopping by today!

-Tara

xox

Supplies:

Stamps: Four Feathers, And Many More

Ink: Bermuda Bay, Tangelo Twist, Daffodil Delight, Real Read

Paper: Bermuda Bay CS, Whisper White CS, Silver Glimmer Paper

Embellishments: Frosted Sequins, Real Red Cotton ribbon, Bermuda Bay Taffeta ribbon

Tools: Corner punch, Feathers Framelit

Colour Me Playful!

Good morning - I'm trying to catch up on a few blog posts from the last week. What a busy one! We're redoing our floors at home and we're in 'go-mode' trying to get everything ready!

This week at Colour Me...! we are using Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black and Gold. Fun, eh??

Since the design team works ahead creating our projects, I'd been looking forward to this colour combo for weeks! But then, when I sat down to make it, my mojo and I got in a huge argument and it stormed off.. I will definitely be revisiting these colours when we're on speaking terms again!

Check out the challenge this week:

Thanks for stopping by today!

-Tara

xox

Supplies:

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Gorgeous Grunge

Ink: Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black

Paper: Whisper White CS, Gold Foil CS

Embellishments: Melon Mambo Candy Dots

Tools: Corner punch, Elegant Butterfly punch, Butterfly punch

Any day is a cupcake day!

This week at Colour Me...! we are playing with some fun subtles.

I have been seeing these sweet little cupcake stand cards all over the internet for years and I finally got around to making one! I absolutely adore the new cupcake set, Cupcake Party. It has some fun little sentiments, and the smilin' cherry is just too cute for words.

The bottom panel is embossed with the woodgrain embossing folder. I used some of the fabulous new thick baker's twine in Strawberry Slush and finished it off with the heart from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch pack.

Check out the challenge this week, we would love to see you playing along with us!

Thanks for stopping by today!

-Tara
xox

Supplies:

Stamps: Cupcake Party

Paper: Strawberry Slush CS, Pink Pirouette CS, Pool Party CS, Whisper White CS, Pool Party DSP

Ink: Strawberry Slush, Pink Pirouette

Embellishments: Rhinestones, Thick baker's twine

Tools: Word Window punch, Cupcake Punch, Itty Bitty Accents Heart, Woodgrain EF, Corner punch

Feelin' the Love

I started the morning out with a paper cut. The good news is, I got the paper cut when I was opening my birthday present from my sons! :) Today, I hit the big Three-Oh, and I have to admit, I'm kind of excited about it!

I had a great morning surrounded by the ones I love, and got spoiled like crazy... so Liliana's challenge for this week at The Friday Mashup is very fitting - hearts and a sketch. Here's my take:

I had a lot of fun with this card! I love the Storytime DSP, and was going to save the entire pack to use for my son's school scrapbook, but decided that I could steal this sweet little image of two friends blowing bubbles.

Here's this week's sketch and challenge:

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge:

1. Make a project using the "Sketch".
2. Or Make a project featuring "Hearts".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project using the "Sketch and Hearts".

Thanks for stopping by today! Looking forward to seeing what you create and share with us this week.


-Tara
xox

List of Supplies:
Stamps: Itty Bitty Banners
Papers: Midnight Muse CS, Whisper White CS, Wild Wasabi CS, So Saffron CS, Storytime DSP
Embellishments: White Baker's Twine
Tools: Fashionable Hearts embosslit, Bitty Banners framelits, Corner rounder, Stripes embossing folder

Freshly Made Sweets

Hello, friends!

Today I have a card made for Freshly Made Sketches that uses some paper I love but somehow never used! It's from the Sweet Shop suite, and it's just so cute. The paper is two-toned, so I created my card two-toned as well.

Sweet

 

This Designer Series Paper is no longer available, but I just couldn't help using it for this sketch by Jennifer!:

 

It's another lovely day in our neighbourhood today and I'm trying to narrow down my options of what to do! ... My Stampin' Up! order from the new catty arrives today too though, so part of me just wants to wait at the door ;)

Thank you for visiting today!

Shake it!

Shaker cards are so much fun! Especially when they're filled with love :)

Played along with RestroSketches (#2!) today, and came up with this bright, simple card. I needed something clean and fresh looking, just for my own sanity! So looking forward to the summer.

Love

 

The inside of the shaker is filled with the tiniest heart from the Fashionable Hearts embosslit die from the current mini catalogue, as well as some confetti - all cut from Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise and Old Olive. 

Sketch

Materials used in this card:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive

Paper: Tempting Turquoise DSP

Stamps: Outlined Occasions (SAB)

Inks: Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Basic Black

Embellishments: Brights designer button, Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, White baker's twine, Mini Brads

Tools: Decorative Label punch, Big Shot, Polka Dot embossing folder, Fashionable Hearts embosslits die, corner rounder

So excited about this new challenge blog!

-Tara

xox

St. Patrick's Day card

Quick post today to check in to the Friday Mashup! What a fun challenge this week;

1. Make a project for "St. Patrick's Day".
2. Or Make a project using "at least 2 Punches".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project for "St. Patrick's day using your Punches".

Happy St. Patrick's Day

My two punches were the Decorative Label punch and the Corner Rounder punch.

Materials used in this card:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pool Party
Paper: Everyday Enchantment DSP
Tools: Big Shot, Fashionable Hearts Embosslit, Decorative Label punch, Corner Rounder punch

I love Saturday mornings, and I'm off to enjoy the rest of it :)

-Tara
xox

More Sale-A-Bration!

Hello, and happy Thursday to all!

It's been a really busy week around here, but I had to take a quick minute to post for the Color Throwdown challenge. They have some gorgeous colours to work with this week, and I'm super excited because one of them I have never (that's right, never!) worked with before... Believe it or not, despite my love of anything pink, Rose Red has not been touched up until now.

Gotta say, it might be a new favourite :P

This card is for my aunt. She moved to Bulgaria in the summer and has opened up her own studio (hair salon) in Sofia. I wanted to send her some pictures of the boys, since she didn't get the chance to meet Jackson before she left, and to let her know that we are thinking about her.

Thinking of You

  (CTD176)

These are the colours I was working with. Yum, eh?

Materials used in this card:
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Rose Red, Whisper White
Stamps: Fresh Vintage (SAB), Curly Cute
Inks: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Pool Party
Embellishments:  SAB brads, Pool Party ruffled ribbon
Tools: Paper cutter... a lot!! Postage Stamp punch, corner rounder, Boho Blossoms punch

As a little bonus, this is the card I made for last week's Color Throwdown challenge that I accidentally missed the deadline for :P

Enjoy your day, and thanks for stopping by!

Until next time - Happy stamping :)

-Tara

PPA Pick and a new challenge!

Some exciting news this morning! My entry into the Pals Paper Arts challenge was selected as one of the PPA Picks! I'm very honoured to have been one of the three selected winners :)

I'm looking forward to taking part in the sketch challenge, which will be revealed on Thursday. Why don't you play along too!

In other news, I tried my hand a few "new" things that I'd like to share. I wanted to participate in the SUO Challenge (Stampin' Up! Only), and they urged us to use a technique that is either new, or one that you seldom use. I decided to do both!

The new technique is the Iris Folding technique, which I've had my 'eye' (hahaha...) on for quite some time. There are many great tutorials on youtube, like this one, and this one. This is another technique borrowed from quilting.  Now, I have to admit, I made a few mistakes and I'm not 100% happy with the final product, but I think it was a good first go at it. I think the next time I try it, I'll use a more basic shape... using the "H" and "J" leave little room for the 'shutter' pattern to be visible.


The second 'technique' isn't so much a technique, but it's still something I do very little of - scrapbooking. I really wanted to get this picture of Hunter and Jackson with Santa someplace so I could bring it out each year - I chose to do it 8 x 10 to fit a nice frame I already had laying around! In the photo, Hunter is 3 and Jackson is 3 months :)

Materials used:
Cardstock:  Marina Mist, Whisper White, Old Olive, Riding Hood Red, Early Espresso
Paper: Letters to Santa DSP
Stamps: Winter Post, Petite Pairs
Inks: Early Espresso, Riding Hood Red
Embellishments: Old Olive grosgrain ribbon
Tools: Dotted Scallop Border punch, Decorative Label punch, Top Note die, Curly Label punch, Postage Stamp punch, Big Shot, 3/16" Corner Round punch

Can't Stamp the Rain facebook page is only 22 fans from having a draw! Go on over and "like" it to be entered :)

Until next time - Happy Stamping!

-Tara

It's another Freshly Made Sketch!

Hello! :)

Sketch challenges are one of my favourites. I have a hard time relinquishing control when it comes to colour, but I love the inspiration and motivation when I have a sketch to work with!

This week's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches inspired me so much I made three cards with it, but I'm only sharing one... for now ;)

Get Well Soon

 

 (FMS17)

Materials used in this card:
Cardstock: Island Indigo, Pear Pizzaz, Whisper White
Papers: Twitterpated DSP
Stamps: Delightful Dozen
Inks: Island Indigo
Embellishments: Island Indigo ruffled ribbon
Tools: 1 3/8" circle punch, Scallop circle punch, 3/16" corner rounder

This is my Twitterpated "sampler" card! The Herringbone technique, which I first learned from a fantastic tutorial by my upline, is one of my absolute favourite techniques - and it a great one to use if you want to showcase a lot of designer series papers all at once :)

After I had assembled most of the card, I decided I wanted to change one of the papers I had used in the herringbone pattern, so instead of gluing over top, I popped up the new pieces on some dimensionals. It ended up creating a perfect little 'nook' for my sentiment.

Until next time - Happy stamping!

-Tara

A little flirty

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

This week at the ColourQ, they challenged us to use the colours Pretty in Pink, Going Gray, Melon Mambo and Pumpkin Pie. These colours go so well with each other! How do I know? Because almost all of them are found in the designers series paper "Flirtatious"! It's one of my favs, not only because of the copious amounts of pink involved, but also because of the two fantastic sheets of laser-cut doily sheets included (in both Melon Mambo and Pumpkin Pie).

Instead of using the sheet as a layer, I simply cut out one of the doilies and used it behind the rosette as an extra little splash of something special ;)

Btw, I'm resisting the urge to quote all my favourite lines from Legally Blonde.

Wish Big

The flirtatious suite is perfect for those projects where you really want to have an overtly feminine feel to it, but it also includes some more subtle papers that are perfect for baby girl projects or Mother's Day!

Materials for this card: 

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Basic Gray

Paper: Flirtatious DSP

Stamps: Short & Sweet, Mixed Bunch (centre of rosette)

Inks: Basic Gray

Embellishments: Rhinestones

Tools: 3/16" Corner rounder, Decorative label punch, 3/4" circle punch

It's been a cold day here (at least compared to the kind of weather we've been having lately), and I'm about to curl up on the couch with a blanket and read a good book watch some Seinfeld ;)

Until next time - Happy stamping! :)

P.S. Christmas is over, but the gift giving isn't! Head on over to my Facebook page and become a fan ("like" the page). Once we hit 50 fans, I'll be doing a draw and the winner will be getting something special from me!

-Tara

Fashionable Hearts

I've surprised myself this year by thinking of Valentine's Day already, but how can I not when this adorable Fashionable Hearts embosslits die from the Occasions Mini is staring you in the face each day?! It cuts and embosses all at once - way to multi-task, little embosslit!

This week's sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches is irresistible! I love symmetrical designs, but sometimes I tend to be asymmetrical in my symmetry ;) Here's the sketch:

And here is my Valentine's card:

Be My Valentine

Materials used:
Cardstock: Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla
Paper: Gorgeous DSP from the upcoming Sale-a-Bration event!
Stamps: Delightful Dozen
Inks: Lucky Limeade, Versamark
Embellishments: Ribbon from the upcoming Sale-a-Bration event
Tools: Clear embossing powder, heat tool, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Big Shot, 3/16" corner rounder, Fashionable Hearts embosslit die

You may have noticed that I've been using a lot of items from Sale-a-Bration. I assure you, you're going to love it! It's got some great papers and accessories, and the stamp sets are fresh and simply delightful. Mark January 24th on your calendar and come check out some of the samples I'm going to have to show you!

Until next time - Happy Stamping :)

-Tara

Push your supplies to the max!

It's been a lazy Sunday in the (Murphy)Bourgoin household today (typing that reminds me that I really need to get on to changing my name official...). If someone has a little extra "get up and go" they can lend me, I'd be ever so grateful ;)


On a lazy, rainy Sunday, what would be better than creating a card or two? Think about it. I'll wait. NOTHING! Nothing is better than making a card or two - except if one of those cards is made with your three year old!

First, my entry into the Pals Paper Arts challenge. It feels like it's been forever sinced I've played along there, and I just couldn't resist their awesome, clean sketch. And thanks to the wonderful tutorial by Mary Fish, I was able to add something new to my card - a scrunched up strip of ribbon. Yummy.

Mr. & Mrs. 

(PPA120)

For this card, I wanted to push the products to the max!

1. Punch it out. Again, and again, and again!:
The 1 3/4" Scallop Punch is so versatile. You can cut it up, crumple it up, punch it up, and it still has more life! I punched out 5 scallop circles from the Bravo Burgundy DSP and layered them (3 of one side, 2 of the other) to make this flower. A little manipulating, sponging and (eek) squishing, you can create a a gorgeous 3D accent for your card. The centre of the flower is a little knot of satin ribbon!


2. Don't be afraid to PULL!:
As I mentioned, this tutorial from Mary Fish reminds us to never stop thinking about ways to get the most out of your supplies. There are so many great things you can do with ribbon, but I love this messy, yet controlled, look. Watch the video and try it on your next card - you will be so happy you did :) Use this technique with the 5/8" Satin Ribbon - any colour that matches your project!


The supplies I used for this card were:
Cardstock: River Rock, Pink Pirouette
Paper: Bravo Burgundy DSP
Stamps: Aviary, Petite Pairs
Ink: Bravo Burgundy, Pink Pirouette
Embellishments: Whisper White Satin Ribbon
Tools: Dotted Scallop Border punch, Corner Rounder

Until next time - Happy Stamping :)

-Tara

P.S. This was the fun I had with my boy :) He did such a great job and did most of the work himself. He makes a mama proud!!

For his grandma, that lives a couple provinces away. I helped him tie the bow, align the papers and stamp the baskets on the balloon. But I think he did a pretty great job!!

For you, baby!

This was one of those cards that doesn't have a planned recipient - however, I know that it's only a matter of time :)

This week's colours at the Play Date Cafe challenge were so sweet: grey, pink, yellow. They screamed baby card! Unfortunately, the photo didn't pick up the Pirouette Pink all that well.

Welcome, Baby

(PDCC106)

For this card, I wanted to keep it soft and curvy
1. Make your own edge border! I wanted to have a big, chubby scalloped border for this card to mimic the shape of the birdcage. I punched out the Fancy Flower punch from Pink Pirouette and snipped off the petals to make the border.

2. Cut it out! Add some dimension and depth by stamping an image directly onto the card base, and then cutting out another stamped image to pop up on dimensionals.

The supplies I used for this card were:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Pink Pirouette, So Saffron
Stamps: Aviary, Petite Pairs
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White (craft) 
Embellishments: 5/8" Whisper White Satin Ribbon 
Tools: Fancy Flower punch, Large Scallop oval punch, Large Oval punch, 3/16" Corner punch

Happy Sunday, everyone - Until next time, happy stamping :)

-Tara

Here for you

This week for Pals Paper Arts challenge, I kept it simple again! I love monochromatic cards - and I especially love them when they are brown.

One of the many things I love about Stampin' Up! is how easy it is to coordinate. While still maintaining creative license, you can create a seamless, congruent card thanks to their endless attention to detail.

I needed a clean, simple, masculine card for someone who is going through a hard time.

I'm Here For You

(PPA118)

For this card, I needed to to be sincere and masculine.
1. It's all in the colour! Looking for masculine Designer Series Paper? Look no further than the Well Worn series. I adore this paper for a vintage look, or for masculine cards. It's earthy tones makes it perfect for a natural, neutral card.

2. Frame it! For this card, I used the Decorative Label punch as a frame. Although it wasn't framing anything in particular, it really draws your eye to the DSP and doesn't distract from the sentiment. 

The supplies I used for this card were:
Cardstock: River Rock (108640),  Soft Suede (115318),
Paper: Well Worn Designer Series Paper (122359)
Stamps: Petite Pairs (W122495, C122497)
Ink: Early Espresso (119670)
Tools: Decorative Label punch (120907), 3/16" Corner punch (119871), Dimensionals (104430)

Hope to see you soon - Until next time, happy stamping :)

-Tara