Taylor's Cupcake Challenge #53

I'm not sure how these ladies keep coming up with sketch after sketch week after week, but I'm sure glad they do!  Taylor gave us another fun one to work on:

I was over at Lori's yesterday to do some visiting and creating and we both decided to take a stab at Taylor's sketch.  I decided to "copy" Lori by stamping an image in a very light color first then stamping the sentiment over top in a darker color.  

Stamps: Beautiful You (Verve)  Ink: Blush Blossom, Riding Hood Red  Paper: Kraft, Blush Blossom, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White  Accessories: Scallop Border Punch, Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, paper poker, Nesties, Swiss Dots & Texture EF, adhesive pearls, brads

I hope to be able to get a couple more cards done this afternoon after my cinnamon buns and bread are finished baking - enjoy your Saturday!

Cupcake Challenge x 9 = Mucho Fun!

What a fun weekend I had!  Taylor is celebrating a year of Cupcake Challenges and she and her Cupcake Crew came up with not ONE, but NINE amazing sketches for us all to play along with.  Let me tell you - I was so "in the groove" I was up until the wee hours on Saturday night/Sunday morning.  For those of you who KNOW me, that is UNHEARD of!  LOL  Not only are there some great sketches but each sketch hostess-with-the-mostest is also offering up some great prizes.

Since I have so many cards to get through, I won't put a lot of details about each one but I will post the recipe.  I have been trying so hard to use up my scraps and papers I've already cut into so all of these cards were made from this part of my stash.  Hopefully, if you click on each picture, it will open a bit bigger so you can *see* it.  I did use my Copics for the first times on these cards - I think I did OK with them but I still have a LOT to learn (and many more colors to get!)  SO, without further ado. . .

Taylor's Sketch

Stamps: Billybootabella (Stamping Bella), sentiment from "Rain or Shine" (MFT)  Ink: Onyx Black Versafine  Paper: Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip, Barely Banana, Whisper White, Ginger Blossom DP  Accessories: MS border punch, Nesties, Copics, GG stitched ribbon, flowers, brad, oval punch, designer label punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, clear embossing powder

Jackie's Sketch

Stamps: Sweetybellas (Stamping Bella), unknown sentiment  Ink: Onyx Black Versafine  Paper: Rose Red, Basic Black, Whisper White, DP  Accessories: Nesties, Copics, clear embossing powder, adhesive pearls, Hodgepodge Hardware, ribbon, Swiss Dots EF, black brads

Jami's Sketch

Stamps: Upsy Daisy, Warm Words  Ink: Not Quite Navy, Versamark  Paper: Urban Garden DP, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, WW  Accessories: Top Note Die, Nesties, clear embossing powder, Hodgepodge Hardware, Swiss Dots EF, Kiwi Kiss ribbon

Ana's Sketch

Stamps: Eastern Blooms  Ink: Ruby Red, River Rock, Versamark  Paper: Ginger Blossom DP, River Rock, Ruby Red, Groovy Guava, WW  Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Nesties, silver brads, clear ambossing powder, pewter jumbo eyelets, River Rock stitched ribbon, bird/grasses embossing folder, flowers

Vicki's Sketch

Stamps: Snowman Bird (Hampton Arts), sentiment from MFT's "Baby It's Cold Outside"  Ink: Onyx Black Versafine, Real Red  Paper: Ski Slope DP, Real Red, Old Olive  Accessories: Nesties, Copics, pewter jumbo eyelets, ribbon, tab punch, brads, Martha Stewart border punch, paper piercer

Donna's Sketch

Stamps: Meditations (Verve), Faux Stitching  Ink: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip  Paper: Bella Rose DP, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss  Accessories: Flowers, rhinestone brad, ribbon, 1-1/4" square punch

Sherrie's Sketch

Stamps: Lovey Huggabugg & sentiment (Stamping Bella)  Ink: Onyx Black Versafine, Bravo Burgundy  Paper: Bravo Burgundy, Bordering Blue, So Saffron, Whisper White  Accessories: Nesties, Copics, grosgrain ribbon, adhesive pearls, Martha Stewart border punch, Swiss Dots EF

Stephanie's Sketch

Stamps: Unknown cupcake stamp  Ink: Onyx Black Versafine  Paper:  Regal Rose, Taken With Teal, Chocolate Chip, SU! DP (retired)  Accessories: Birthday embossing folder, Nesties, Copics, ribbon, chocolate brads, pink heart brad, clear embossing powder

Monika's Sketch

Stamps: Happy Heart Day  Ink: Onyx Black Versafine  Paper: Hawaii Papaya DP, Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip  Accessories: Nesties, Copics, Tangerine Tango Ribbon, flower, brad

Well, that's all of them! I hope you will all go over and take a look at each of the sample cards the Cupcake Crew has put together. I had so much fun and any it was a good excuse to craft in exchange for a chance to win goodies!

Have a great week!

Taylor's Cupcake Challenge #51

I'm back!  After stepping away from my craft table to do some laundry and other "mom" duties I was able to get started on Taylor's Cupcake Challenge Sketch.

This designer paper has been screaming at me for MONTHS to be cut up and put on a card.  I LOVE the colors and the print but I had to ignore all the begging and pleading because I just couldn't find any inspiration to fully showcase it.  When I saw the large space behind the main image on this sketch I thought it might just work.  I pulled out my new Curly Surpriseabella from Stamping Bella and off I went.

Recipe: Stamps: Curly Surpriseabella (Stamping Bella), sentiment from Little Hellos (retired SU!)  Paper: My Mind's Eye Kaleidoscope "Love Paisley", Coredinations, Rose Red CS, watercolor paper  Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Classic Inks (for coloring) - Rose Red, Buckaroo Blue, Not Quite Navy, Kiwi Kiss, Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel  Accessories: Nestabilities, paper piercer, ribbon, adhesive pearls, ticket corner punch, filigree brads, oval punches, circle punches, blender pen, heat & stick powder, glitter, Versamarker, clear embossing powder

It's really hard to see in this picture but I clear embossed her boots to give them a shiny leather look and I used heat and stick powder to make the Martha glitter stick and then paper-pieced the middle prezzie.  

That's it for me tonight.  I pre-ordered the Nestabilities Labels Three and Labels Four from Scrap 'n Stamp today - I cannot wait!  It will be nice to have some new shapes so you all don't get tired of seeing the same old, same old.  :o)  

See you tomorrow!

It's Friday Again and You Know What That Means. . .

Another Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge!

Her layout sketch for today's challenge is this:


And I created this:


Now, I realize I didn't follow the sketch exactly (I omitted the brads in the corners) but I thought it might have been too much since I'd already put the pink brads on the other layer and I'd used brads to attach my sentiment. Sorry Taylor!!!

I went through my extensive paper stash and found the yellow patterned paper first. I wasn't totally sure what the exact colors were but Rose Red and Night of Navy were the best matches. I found some navy gingham paper for the other panel and got to use my Crazy For Cupcakes set again. I love these stamps! I stamped the image on WW with Black Staz-On and colored the image with my blender pen and Rose Red, Night of Navy and Summer Sun ink. I used my VersaPen to color in the cupcake stand and then used black embossing powder to fill it in. I used my VersaPen again for the cupcake icing and used some glittery embossing powder to give it some shimmer. I used my Martha border punch to create the zig zag along the bottom of the navy layer. I'm sure you are all getting sick of seeing this border punch but it's the only one I have right now and I LOVE IT! I used my ticket corner punch, added some pink brads and then tied some old Purely Pomegranate stitched grosgrain around the small layer. I was surprised at how well the Pomegranate ribbon matched the Rose Red. I used the Pewter HP to frame the sentiment.

I was very tempted to turn the background the other way so that the printed paper panels were horizontal but in the end I left it alone.

We're going into a LONG weekend so I hope to get a few things done around the house. It is supposed to *gasp* snow and we've still got stuff all over the yard so I think that might be what I do this afternoon.

Thanks for looking ~~ Enjoy your weekend!