Emerald Pearls

Trying to post this while I am catching up on Downton Abbey...I apologize ahead of time for any typos and trains of thought that may get uncoupled..

I just HAD to make a card for the challenge at Play Date Cafe - black, white with a splash of emerald green. Love this challenge! I even figured out how to make the die cuts smaller...such a smartie I feel like!

Gratefully Green
~Base card black cardstock embossed with swiss dot embossing folder
~Layers of white then black cardstocks cut (and cut down in size) using Stampin' Up Apothecary Accents Framlit
~Image is Stampin' Up's Apothecary using black ink - punctuated with pearls colored with Sharpie green
~Green Prima flower with rhinestone center
Challenges
Play Date Cafe - black, white, splash of green

Thank you for clicking by,
Nancy in Iowa

Bloomin' in the Bubble

I finally eeked a little time for myself in the Bubble. My job is so crazy busy. I'm not sure when the down time is supposed to be on campus - but I haven't really discovered it yet. I will admit the week off between Christmas and New Years was lovely. For that I am grateful. The trouble with this extreme schedule is that it is only going to get busier and busier as we head toward graduation! Another crop of 'kids' ready to take on the world!

So...enough whining...here is the card.

It's Your Day
~Base card - white cardstock - embossed with argyle pattern
~Orange square of pattern paper
~Horizontal strip of orange and white polka dot pattern paper - with layer of orange rick-rack
~Stampin' Up sentiment cut with punch
~Brown cardstock square embossed with swiss dot embossing folder
~Stampin' Up Bloomin Kindness flower - embossed with bronze embossing powder and colored with orange dye using resist method -  plus some highlights and lowlights with Copics - hand cut and placed onto layer of white cardstock which whas also hand cut
Challenges
Just Us Girls - photo inspiration
Willow Sketchie - sketch
Use it Tuesday - warm it up - orange, red, or yellow (dipped into my stash of rick-rack...I hate the thought of using it all up!)

Thanks for clicking by,
Nancy in Iowa

Square in a Rectangle

Had to work on campus today but did manage a wee bit of time in The Bubble. I saw the sketch over at Mojo Monday and knew immediately what I wanted to do! A card on a card.

Card on Card

~Base card - Stampin' Up Basic Black cardstock

~Layer of Melon Mambo dotted swiss embossed

~Layer of rectangle black cardstock with black printed paper

~Layer of grey cardstock and grey printed paper

~Black and white floral ribbon

~Melon Mambo mini card

~Sentiment stamped on white cardstock die cut using Stampin' Up Floral Frames Framelet

~Tiny punched flowers with pink pearl embellishments

Challenges

Mojo Monday - sketch

Pals Paper Arts - color inspiration

Allsorts - dies and punches

Thanks for popping by!

Nancy in Iowa

Winter's Bouquet

Had so much fun, yesterday, making the floral pop up thought I'd combine my need to fulfill sister Gail's request for twenty Christmas cards with a wintry mix. After all - snowflakes are just winter's blossoms - right?

Blizzard
~Base card - white cardstock
Card front:
~Recycled Christmas card - oval cut using die for sentiment placement
~Sentiment stamped using Stampin' Up Warm Words
Card inside:
~Layer of glitter cardstock
~Lots of punched and Cricut snowflakes, plus some pre-cut foam stamps with Stickles added
~Inside sentiment die cut with SU Apothecary Accents
Challenges
Amusing Challenges - glitter
Glitter n' Sparkle - anything goes
Broken Box Stock - winter/snowflakes
Card Crafter's Circle - no business like snow business
Simply Create Too - snow
Mark's Finest Papers - recycle a Christmas card

Thank you for clicking by.
Nancy in Iowa

Bunches & Bunches

Whoot! Won a challenge over at Waltzing Mouse with my jar of sparkle! I ran across the lovely notice while posting the Saturday challenges over at Feline Playful. I'm a fill-in volunteer at that awesome and helpful challenge site.

Still working on Christmas cards for sissy Gail but decided to take a break and give a technique I saw over at good ol' Pinterest! Can't believe I made a pop up card. This is REALLY out of my zone! So...hours later - Ta Da! How long did this take? Well let's just say two favorite movies Willow and Protocol were used as my distraction from cutting and punching... LOVE both of these movies!

Thank You ...Bunches & Bunches

~Base card Stampin' Up Primrose Petals

Card Front:

~Layer of Cosmo Cricket Material Girl with rhinestone highlights
~Strip of aqua cardstock - stamped using Stampin' Up Curly Cute
Inside of Card:
~Layer of Cosmo Cricket Material Girl
~BUNCHES of flowers - hand cut and die punched - highlighted with Stampin' Up Crystal Effects
~Sentiment printed on Primrose Petals die cut using Stampin' Up Floral Frame - dotted with green metallic Sharpie
Challenges
Play Date Cafe - color inspiration
Gem of a Challenge - new beginnings (pop up card is NEW to me!)
Crafty Calendar - what's new (new technique)
Our Creative Corner - color plus flower
Crafty Catz - anything goes
Totally Paper Crafts - new (new technique)
For fun Challenges  - new (new technique - for me anyway!)

I'm going to go put some ice on my wrist (lots of cutting and punching on this one) and maybe watch another movie! Back to making Christmas cards tomorrow. Or maybe I will try to incorporate this pop up style into a Christmas card. Not like there is a big RUSH to get her 20 cards done!

Thanks for clicking by,
Nancy in Iowa

Stash of Shame

Sister Gail, AKA Santa, went a little crazy with the number of goodies she bought me for the Fiber Bubble! I would have to spend months making cards (and not going to work) to use everything! Lucky me! She already put in a request for 20 Christmas cards for next year. I am so impressed and envious that she needs 20 cards...I don't have that many friends and not even sure I know 20 people well enough to send cards. What a social butterfly she is!

She originally put in a request for 20 cards using the same stamp (over and over...). That discussion ended before it began. More than one of anything sounds too much like an assembly line. In her defense she thought that would be "easier" for me. Plus - the stamp she wanted 20 cards created from is one that I've used three or four times so I know it takes about 2-3 hours to color.  I "gently" told her, "NO Stinkin' WAY"!

The 20 cards are actually of a barter nature...I'm making her cards and she is sewing up some of the quilt kits that were previously languishing in my "quilt stash of shame". We had a good old laugh (well...SHE had a good laugh...I was mortified) pawing through my the stash of shame. In my defense...my stash is VERY organized! I can somehow rationalize owning yards and yards of fabric as long as everything is organized, neat, and tidy. How is that for warped justification?!

Here is one of twenty cards for sister Gail. By the way...notice this one does NOT use the jar stamp... but that doesn't mean I'm not going to use it again and again. In case you missed it my 4 previous card posts all featured jars. I guess I CAN use the same stamp over and over and over!

Warm Winter Wishes
~Base card - Stampin' Up Pool Party
~Layer of pattern paper
~Two strands of red metallic thread
~Layer of white cardstock and red cardstock dotted with silver Sharpie - red layer die cut using Stampin' Up Apothecary Accents
~Green cardstock die cut using Stampin' Up Floral Frames - dotted with Sharpie White Paint Pen
~Digital snowman, a freebie from Spyder's Corner, colored with Copics higlighted with Stickles
~Sentiment is digital freebie from Bird's Cards, colored with Copics highlighted with Stickles
~Two 'blingys'
Challenges
Sketchbook Saturday #86 - sketch
Scrapper's Delights - snow
That Craft Place - Christmas/Snow

Thank you for clicking by,
Nancy in Iowa