CSS Alumni Blog Hop - Inspiration Challenge

Hi there!  It's time for another Center Stage Alumni Blog Hop!  I haven't been able to participate in the last couple of hops so I'm thrilled to be here!  This time it's an Inspiration Challenge.  If you came here from Betty's blog, you are in the right place.  If not, you'll definitely want to go back to the StampTV forum and start from the beginning so you don't miss anything. 

Here is the inspiration photo Carolina gave us:

Here's what I came up with:

I was obviously inspired by the colors and all the little round boxes in the photo.  I don't usually work so literally from the inspiration piece, but I did with this one, for some reason.  I also issued myself an extra challenge to try and use some of my older Gina K. Designs sets instead of always reaching for the newer ones.  I started with a card base of Pure Luxury Ocean Mist and layered with patterned paper from the Basic Grey Mistletoe & Pears 12x12 pad.   Using Spellbinders Scallop Circle Nesties, I cut out a scalloped circle from Ocean Mist, Green Apple, Grass Green, Lipstick Red, Cranberry Tart and Innocent Pink cardstock.  I layered each with a small circle cut from different patterns in the Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses 6x6 pad with Spellbinders Classic Circle Dies.  I stamped sentiments from The Magic of Christmas, Festive Frame and First Christmas onto three of the circles with Versamark and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  On the remaining three circles, I stamped different snowflakes from The Magic of Christmas set.  I added "pearls" around all the scalloped frames with a Viva Decor Ice White Pearl Pen.  I added a few iridescent gems to the centers of the snowflakes.  A few tiny bows on the remaining circles finished my card. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog!  Next, hop on over to Carolina's blog where she has a fantastic creation to share with you.  Be sure to leave a comment on every blog as you hop along because on Tuesday morning (November 22), we will randomly choose one of the comments from all the blogs and the lucky commenter will get a stamp set of their choice valued up to $24.95!

Enjoy the rest of the hop and have a great weekend! 

StampTV CSS Alumni Blog Hop - Inspiration Challenge

It's time for another CSS Alumni Blog Hop!  I haven't been able to join in for the last few hops due to my move, but I'm excited to be back!  If you arrived here from Betty's blog, you are in the right place.  If not, you'll want to start back at the StampTV forum so you won't miss any of the team's amazing creations!

This time around, we have an Inspiration Challenge.  We were to be inspired by anything in this photo of a beautiful room from the Pier 1 website:

Here is my card for the challenge:

I was inspired by the colors, the patterns and the "feel" of the room.  I used Gina K. Designs Pure Luxury Turquoise Sea, Ocean Mist, and Pumpkin Spice to mat my layers.  The patterned papers are all from the DCWV Cafe Mediterranean Mat Stack. I embossed a panel of Pure Luxury Heavy Base Weight White with the Cuttlebug Window Pane embossing folder then added some adhesive gems to the panes.  I stamped the butterfly from Gina's Hope is Faith set twice with Memento Rich Cocoa onto Pure Luxury Layering Weight White and colored them by sponging with Tim Holtz Rusty Hinge, Broken China and Tumbled Glass Distress Inks.  The butterflies were cut out and layered on foam tape for a 3D effect.  I added some gems to the top butterfly body for a little extra sparkle.  The sentiment from Hope is Faith was also stamped with Rich Cocoa onto Layering Weight White and matted with Ocean Mist.  A triple loop satin bow and a Prima flower finished my card.

The next stop on the hop is Carolina's blog, where she has a fabulous creation to share with you!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

CSS Alumni Blog Hop - Treasure Chest

It's time for another CSS Alumni Blog Hop!  We have a fun challenge called Treasure Chest!  Each time we do this challenge, the theme changes.  This time, we were challenged to use any of the StampTV kits for our project.  If you arrived here from Carolina's blog, you are in the right place.  If not, you will want to start at the beginning in the StampTV forum so you don't miss any of the team's fabulous creations! 

Here are the StampTV kits we could choose from:

• Autumn Splendor
• Blessed is the Season
• Bold Flowers
• Eclectic Summer
• Eclectic Summer Sayings
• Elegant Flowers
• Enjoy the Sunshine
• Holiday Cheer
• Holiday Greetings
• Organize It!
• Picture It!
• Sent with Love
• Signs of Autumn
• Spring Mix
• Springtime Silhouettes
• Thanks a Million
• Winter Wonderland

I chose to use the Spring Mix StampTV kit for my card:

I started with a Rose Red card base and used some old SU Print Pattern scraps for the background and photo corners.  I stamped the image and sentiment from the Spring Mix StampTV kit onto GKD Layering Weight White with Memento Tuxedo Black.  The image was colored with Copic markers and highlighted with Spica pens for a little sparkle.  I added a tiny yellow pearl to each of the flower centers.  I created a banner with the sentiment and added a button and scrap of ribbon from my scrap bag.  A few more pearls finished my simple spring card.

Thanks for stopping by!  Next hop on over to Brenda's blog where she has a fantastic creation to share with you!

Oh, and I forgot to mention I used the Card Positioning Systems Sketch #215 for my layout.

CSS Alumni Blog Hop - Inspiration Challenge

It's time for another CSS Alumni Blog Hop!  I am so happy to be able to participate this time!  If you arrived here from Brenda's blog, you are in the right place.  If not, you should start back at the StampTV forum so you don't miss a thing! 

This time we have an Inspiration Challenge - to create a card or project inspired by these yummy-looking cookies:

Here is my card:

I chose Premier #4 for my inspiration and focused on the colors (aqua and yellow) and the little yellow flowers.  I started with a card base of Pure Luxury Sweet Corn and layered with Ocean Mist.  I've been challenging myself to try to use some of my older sets - today I used one of the floral images from Gina's Comfort & Peace.  I inked the stamp with markers and stamped on Pure Luxury Layering Weight White.  I highlighted the image with Copic markers and Spica pens then added adhesive gems to the flower centers.  The patterned paper is from the October Afternoon Fly A Kite pad.  I stamped the sentiment from Gina's Inside and Out onto Layering Weight White and created a banner.  I added a crocheted flower from my stash and a few more gems to finish it.

Next, you'll want to hop on over to Carolina's blog where she has something awesome to share with you!

Be sure to leave a comment on every blog as you hop along because on Tuesday morning (April 12th), we will randomly choose one of the comments from all the blogs and that lucky commenter will get to choose a free stamp set of their choice valued up to $24.95!

Thanks for stopping by!

CSS Alumni Blog Hop - Treasure Chest

It's time for another CSS Alumni Blog Hop!  This time we have a new category called Treasure Chest.  Each time we have this challenge, the theme will change.  This time the theme is "Animal Kingdom".  If you arrived here from Brenda's blog, you are in the right place.  If not, you'll want to start back at the StampTV Forum so you don't miss anything.

Our challenge was to pay tribute to the animal kingdom by creating a project using any Gina K. set with animal images.  Here is a list of some of the possibilities:

• Bug Me Anytime
• Cuddles and Hugs Stamp Set
• Dino-mite
• Down On The Farm
• Dream Birds
• Dream Friends
• Framed Friends
• Funny Farm
• Hang In There
• Hip Hop
• Hip Hop Accessories
• Hope Grows
• Hope Is Faith
• Jumping For Joy
• Just Be-Claws
• Just Keep Swimming
• Just So Hoppy
• Just So Hippy
• Little Critters
• Nesting
• Owl Always Love You
• Poultry In Motion
• Pretty As A Peacock
• Purrr-fectly Delightful
• Quite a Catch
• Ready, Set, Snow!
• Spring Has Sprung
• Spring Mix (StampTV Kit)
• Take Flight
• Warm and Fuzzy
• Whatever Floats Your Boat
• Winter Wings
• Zoo Animals

Here is my card:

I chose to make a single layer, CAS card (something different for me!).  My card base is GKD Pure Luxury Heavy Base Weight White.  I embossed the front with the Grace's Frame Cuttlebug folder. I stamped the blue jay from Asela's Winter Wings set with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored it with Copic markers. I masked the bid and sponged on some Tim Holtz Scattered Straw Distress Ink.  I added some Glossy Accents to the berries and some Polar White Flower Soft to the branches for the snow.  The sentiment is from Gina's Picture It! set.  I finished it with a dark red pearl in each corner.  My coloring was inspired by Theresa's gorgeous card here.

Thanks for stopping by!  Next, hop on over to Carolina's blog where she has a fabulous creation to share with you!  Make sure to leave a comment on every stop as you hop along because on Tuesday morning (March 1st), we will randomly choose one of the comments from all the blogs who will get a stamp set of their choice valued up to $24.95!

CSS Alumni Blog Hop - Inspiration Challenge

It's time for another CSS Alumni Blog Hop!  This time we have an Inspiration Challenge with an inspiration photo courtesy of our very own, Miesje Flach!  If you arrived here from Betty's blog, you are in the right place.  If not, you will want to start back at the StampTV forum so you don't miss a thing! 

Here is the photo we were to be inspired by:

Here is my card:

I was inspired by the color scheme and the branch wreath.  I started with the layout from Gina's Sketch Spotlight Challenge from last week (stvsksp12).  My card base is GKD Pure Luxury Cranberry Tart and I layered that with Layering Weight Ivory.  The patterned paper is from the Basic Grey Indian Summer collection.  I stamped the trees from Gina's Tree Silhouettes with Versamark and Vivid Coffee Bean and embossed with clear EP.  The sentiment is from the same set.  I layered it on one of the Spellbinders Fancy Tags and added a couple of ivory pearls.  The image panels were cut with Spellbinders Petite Oval Nestabilities and popped up. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Now, hop on over to Carolina's blog where she has a truly inspired creation to share with you!

CSS Alumni Blog Hop - Sketch Challenge

It's time for another Center Stage Alumni Blog Hop!  This time we had a sketch challenge, using a great sketch designed by our own, Melissa Cash.  If you arrived here from Betty's blog, you are in the right place.  If not, you'll want to start back in the StampTV forum and hop from there so you don't miss a thing!

Here is Melissa's sketch:

Here is the card I made using the sketch:

And this is the inside:

I started with a base of Pure Luxury Green Apple CS.  The patterned paper I used was from my stash - it is from the My Mind's Eye Wild Asparagus collection.  I stamped the sentiment from Gina's Spring Mix set with Tim Holtz Walnut Stain Distress Ink onto Pure Luxury Layering Weight Ivory.  The frames were cut with Spellbinders Classic Squares for the first two layers and Lacey Squares for the Green Apple border.  I added tiny ivory pearls to the scallops.  I created a twisted ribbon flower with ribbon leaves and added an ivory pearl to the center.  A few matching buttons finished the outside.  On the inside, I stamped the flowers from Gina's Spring Florals and colored them with Copic markers and highlighted with a Sakura Pure Glitter Pen for a little shimmer.

Thanks for stopping by!  Now hop on over to Carolina's blog, where she has a gorgeous creation to share with you!  Be sure to leave a comment as you hop to each blog, because on Tuesday morning (February 1st), we will randomly choose one comment from all the participating blogs and that commenter will receive a  FREE stamp set of their choosing, valued up to $24.95!

Oops, I almost forgot to mention that my color combo was from this week's Color Throwdown #126:

Gina K. Designs CSS Alumni Blog Hop

It's time for another Center Stage Spotlight Alumni Blog Hop!  This time we are playing along with Gina's Color Spotlight Challenge for this week (STVCSP8).  If you arrived here from Betty's blog, then you are in the right place. If not, you will want to start over in the StampTV Forum so you won't miss anything!
You may have seen that this week's Color Challenge had two sets of colors. You could use either or both (on separate cards). 

Here are the two sets of colors for the challenge:

I chose to work with the Version 1 colors.  Here is my card:



I stamped lots of the flowers and leaves from Melanie's set, Bud and Vases with Memento Rich Cocoa onto Pure Luxury Red Hot (for the flowers) and Fresh Asparagus (for the leaves).  I highlighted the centers with an Inkssentials White Opaque Pen then cut out all the flowers and leaves to assemble later.  The card base is Heavy Base Weight Ivory and the Swiss Dots layer is Sweet Corn.  I cut out the mat for the image panel with Spellbinders Lacey Circles.  I punched a trellis out of Layering Weight Ivory and adhered the flowers and leaves to it.  I added one more spray of flowers for my main image.  I added small pearls to all the flower centers. I finished it with a couple of bright red pearls and a double-loop bow made of red wrinkled silk with my Bow Easy.

Thanks for stopping by!  Now hop on over to Carolina's blog where she has some awesome creations for you to be inspired by!

Hope you'll play along!  See the STVCSP8 post for details on how you could win a free stamp set if you do!