Thank You-Coffee And Cards With Celeste and Deb

Hello, and Happy Halloween a day early! Debra Davison and I decided we liked our collaborations so much we would continue them past the month of October indefinitely! This week we decided to challenge ourselves with a sketch. I found this one on Pinterest. I don't know about you but I love Pinterest and when I find myself in a creative funk I troll around on there for a while and it usually gets my creative juices flowing. Anyway, I started my card with some smoky grey cardstock from Stampin' UP and layered on some gorgeous patterned papers from Authentique's Essentials Collection 6x6 paper pad. I stamped the beautiful flower from Stamper's Anonymous's Flower Garden stamp set, which I just snagged on sale this last week on Blitsy! I colored the image using Copic markers to match the patterned paper. I then added the sentiment from Stamper's Anonymous's Crazy Talk stamp set. I love how beautifully it turned out! As for my coffee selection this week, I stopped off at Panera Bread and picked up a nice pumpkin latte in honor of fall and all things Halloween! If you like my card please leave a comment and be sure to pop on over to Deb's site and leave her a little blog love too!

Thankful And Happy

Wow, I can't believe it's been a week since I've posted anything on my poor neglected blog! I started a new job a few weeks ago and things have been a bit chaotic adjusting to the change. Hopefully I will settle into a routine there soon and things will return to a more normal state for me. Anyway, today's card was created for the latest Time Out Challenge. This week is a word challenge..."Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart." I think this is the first card I've done in a long time that has absolutely no stamping on it at all! Everything you see on this card, except for the espresso brown cardstock from Stampin' UP, is from a beautiful paper collection by Echo Park in collaboration with Lori Whitlock called Recollections.  I created my card by layering the brown cardstock onto my white card base and then cutting some of the plaid patterned paper in the kit down slightly smaller to layer on top. I then die cut the scalloped edge panel using more brown cardstock and a die by Gina Marie Designs. I layered a smaller rectangle piece of patterned paper from the kit onto the center of the scalloped panel and then added some ephemera stickers from the collection onto the panel. So, a beautiful card ready for sending without ever inking up a stamp! Thank you for stopping by my blog today and if you like my card please leave a comment! 

Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb-Part IV

For part IV of our month long collaboration, Debra Davison of Meticulocity and I decided to do a spooky theme since Halloween is right around the corner.  I chose to use a new digital stamp that was released this month by TLC Creations called Halloween Brew. I love this fun digital stamp set and, because it's digital, it can be manipulated to almost any printable size. I started by stamping a spiderweb background stamp (manufacturer unknown) onto some black cardstock using Versamark ink and heat embossed it using Recollections snow white embossing powder and layering that panel at an angle onto some orange cardstock from Hobby Lobby. I added a piece of black and white Recollections ribbon onto the cardstock panels and then wrapped some black American Crafts hemp twine on top of the ribbon before adhering it all down onto the card base. I printed the ghost image from the digital stamp set out onto Copic friendly cardstock and colored the image in using my Copic markers. I die cut the image out using an "x" stitch framed circle die from Gina Marie Designs. I popped the circle panel up using Scrapbook Adhesive foam squares and adhered it down onto the card panel. I tied a small bow using some more of the black hemp twine combined with some orange and tied that onto the card. I added some clear Wink Of Stella onto the ghost, some glossy accents to the coffee, and some black and orange sequins from Pretty Pink Posh to the panel to complete this fun and spooktacular card! As for my coffee selection this week? Yup, you guessed it...black coffee. To be exact, Seattle's Best Coffee French Roast served black in a nice mug my best friend brought back from her daughter's university! Anway, I hope you like the card and be sure and pop on over to Deb's blog and leave her some blog love!

Merry & Bright

Okay, this is my final card for the day. I've been on something of a tear. I honestly had every intention of getting outside to do some yard work but I went and had a big lunch with my bestie and her daughter who was home from college and my full belly pretty much shot my desire to get out in the yard and pull weeds and dig up old flowers. So, I sat inside and made pretty things instead! This card was created for the latest Unity Show & Tell Facebook challenge. I love this pretty sketch and wanted to use a new stamp set that I'd picked up on the last Unity Stamp Company sale. I started by layering some pretty patterned papers from the Heidi Swapp Noel 6x6 paper pad onto my white card base. I then stamped the beautiful Angie girl from the Joy Girl stamp set onto some Copic friendly white carstock. I stamped the image several times onto various pieces of the same patterned paper so I could fussy cut the images out and paper piece the sweater, ornament, and hat onto the image. I colored and shaded all of the images, glued them all together, and then die cut the entire panel using a pretty stitched edge rectangle die from Gina Marie Designs. I added some two glue to a few of the details on the image and sprinkled some micro glitter in both sparkling clear and black. I just love how sparkly and pretty it turned out. I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set onto white cardstock and cut it down by hand to create a small fishtail banner. I popped it and the focal panel up off of the card using some foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. I hope you like it!

Gratitude

My second card today was created for the latest The Paper Players challenge. I created my card by starting with a clean, white card base. I then cut down a panel a 1/4" smaller and inked the center using a Tim Holtz ink blending tool and some Memento peanut brittle ink. On a separate piece of cardstock I stamped the sentiment and the leaves and acorns from the Stampin' UP Day Of Gratitude stamp set using Memento inks in rich cocoa, pear tart, and peanut brittle. I die cut the sentiment using a pierced edge oval die from My Favorite Things and then stamped some additional leaves using the same stamp set around the outer edge using more of the peanut brittle ink. I added a few dark cocoa dots around the images for some additional interest. I popped the die cut oval up off of the card using some Stampin' UP foam dimensionals and adhered the leaves directly onto the card using some snail adhesive. I popped the two acorns up off of the card using more Stampin' UP foam dimensionals and called this card done! I hope you like it!

Perk Up

Today's card was created for the latest Addicted To CAS challenge. 

As I've mentioned before, I have a problem creating clean and simple cards. I like layers and dimension on my cards but thought I could definitely get behind a clean and simple card involving coffee. I started by layering a small strip of woodgrain paper from a cheap Target 6x6 paper pad onto my white card base and added some squiggly lines around the outer edge of my card using my Memento tuxedo black dual tip marker. I then stamped the coffee pot and the mug images from the Your Next Stamp Perk UP stamp set directly onto my card base for placement. I then stamped all of the images again onto Copic friendly cardstock, colored them all in using autumn colors, fussy cut them out, and mounted them onto the card using Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. For a finishing touch I added some glossy accents to all of the elements for some additional dimension and shine. Love how quick and easy this card was to create! 

Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb-Part 3

Hello, and thank you for stopping by! For our third week of our month long collaboration my crafty friend Debra Davison and I decided to do a fall themed card. Years ago, when I first started making cards I was mainly purchasing 12x12 paper pads, which I quickly learned were too large scaled in pattern to work for a standard A2 sized card. The larger patterns just get lost on such a small surface. As a result, I have a large collection of 12x12 papers that I am hoarding, waiting for the right moment to use them. While digging through my stash of papers I discovered a paper pad that I had purchased years ago to create a family themed mini photo album and felt they would be perfect for my fall themed card. All of the papers are from the Simple Stories Generations paper collection. I started with a floral base and layered on some craft paper on top that I added some dimension to by popping it up with some 3M foam tape. I then die cut some of the patterned papers from the collection using a Jillian Vance fishtail banner die. I arranged them onto the card and popped them up using more foam tape. I die cut some very small circles from more of the same craft cardstock using a My Favorite Things pierced edge circle die. I then stamped all of the coffee images onto white card stock using the Unity Stamp Company Coffee Side By Side stamp set. I colored the images using Copic markers, added glossy accents to a few of the images and some Stickles to others and then fussy cut them out. I mounted them directly to each little circle and then adhered them directly onto each banner. I stamped the sentiment in a dark charcoal brown ink from Gina K Designs using The Latina Crafter's Need Caffeine stamp set. I added some dark brown baker's twine to the ends of the banners and some dark brown faux stitches around the inside edge of the focal panel and called this card done. As for my coffee choice this week, I actually opted for a Chai Tea Latte from Panera's. Yesterday was a beautiful day and after a 3 mile run, laundry, grocery shopping, a haircut, and catching up with a couple of friends I opted to end my day with a nice Greek salad, a small cup of warm pumpkin soup, and a latte! It was the perfect ending to a long but wonderful day! Now, pop on over to Deb's blog, Meticulosity and show her some love! 

Superman Happy Birthday

Today's card was created for my son Brian's upcoming 36th birthday. I still can't believe I have a child that old but that's the sad reality. Cue heavy sigh!  Anyway, he is obsessed with Superman. My son is an advanced infantry airborne Ranger who is now a CWII Black Hawk pilot in the U.S. Army. Back when he was stationed with the 2/75th Ranger Regiment out of Ft. Lewis in Tacoma, WA he had a night jump that went horribly wrong and fell the equivalent of two stories from the plane. After recovering from his injuries he got a large superman crest tattooed on his back and jokes now that he's Superman because he can fly. I'm not as amused by that story as he is but he most certainly has earned the right to tell it. It doesn't hurt that he's as muscular as Superman so I guess there are similarities. 

Here is a photo of he and Erika, my beautiful daughter in-law. 

They most certainly are a handsome couple, yes? 

Anyway, to create his card I kept it pretty simple so the Superman figure would be the main feature. I started with a piece of patterned paper from the Bazzill's Adventures 6x6 paper pad and layered it directly onto my white card base. I then downloaded a Superman image from online and digitally altered it to fit my card. I printed it onto Copic-friendly cardstock and colored the black & white image using my Copic markers. I fussy cut the image out and lined the edges with my Memento dual tip black marker so it would appear to be a perfectly cut die cut image. I popped the image up off of the card using some Stampin' UP foam dimensionals and then stamped the sentiment from Winnie & Walters The Big, Bold, & You stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink and while the ink was still set I covered it with Zing clear embossing powder and heat set it so it would have a nice raised, glossy look. I went around the edges of the card with a blending tool and some black soot Tim Holtz distress ink for a nice grungy look. I'm sure he will love it! Thanks for stopping by!

Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb-Part 2

Welcome to the second week of my collaboration with my friend Debra Davison of Meticulosity. We are doing a coffee and card collaboration every Sunday for the entire month of October. This week we decided to focus on the color pink in honor of breast cancer awareness month. For my card I opted to focus on the people who take care of those suffering with cancer; whether that be a doctor, a nurse, caregiver, family member or friend. Coping with cancer is hard on everyone involved and I wanted this card to pay homage to those who are strong in the face of something horrible because I really do think they make a difference in the lives of cancer patients. For my card I started by layering on a piece of basic black cardstock from Stampin' UP that I had embossed using a honeycomb embossing folder from Momenta. I then prepped a piece of Canson coldpress watercolor paper using my EK Success powder tool and stamping the images from Unity Stamp Company's You Can & You Will stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink. I then heat set the ink by sprinkling on some clear embossing powder by Zing. I stamped the butterfly image twice...once onto to main focal panel and again onto a second piece so I could heat emboss it and fussy cut out the three butterflies. Using Tim Holtz distress inks in spun sugar, picked raspberry, and black soot I watercolored the background using a smooshing technique and added some flecks of black by flicking my brush against the back of my hand. I painted the three separate butterflies and mounted them up off of the card using some 3M foam tape. I popped the butterflies up using small pieces of Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. As for my coffee, again...my choice is always going to be black Seattle's Best French Roast. I know...boring! Please pop on over to Deb's page and show her some blogger love by leaving a comment and/or subscribing! Thank you for stopping by!

Christmas Wishes

Today's adorable little elf Christmas card was created for the latest Merry Monday and Send A Smile 4 Kids challenges. I created my card by layering on some adorable printed papers from the American Crafts Wish List 6x6 paper pad onto my white card base. I then added a small strip of glitter paper from the Paper Studio Glittered Cardstock paper pad in a coordinating green. I cut some fishtail banners using some more of the same green glitter paper, some cherry cobbler red cardstock from Stampin' UP, and some white cardstock from Staples using some Jillian Vance dies and adhered them directly onto the card. I then die cut a scalloped circle using a Spellbinders die and a white circle using a My Favorite Things pierced circle die. I stamped the tree onto the white circle panel using the larger tree stamp from the Simon Says Stamp Be Joyful stamp set and the stump from the WPlus9 Pretty Patches stamp set. I then stamped the adorable little elf onto some Copic-friendly cardstock using the Stampendous Snowy Short Stacks stamp set and colored him in using Copic markers. I fussy cut him out and went all around the edges with my dual tip Memento black marker for a nice clean look. I popped him up off of the focal panel using some Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. Using my We R Memory Keepers corner chomper I rounded the corners and added some black dashed lines all around the outer edge of the card and the focal circle panel. I also added some pretty shimmer to the elf and the tree using my Sakura clear star gelly roll pen. I love how adorably this turned out and plan on mass duplicating it to donate to the Send A Smile 4 Kids card drive. I hope you like it and don't forget to leave a comment and subscribe. Thanks!

Halloween Witch

My second card today was created for the latest The Paper Players challenge. I started with a white card base and layered on a panel of beautiful orange patterned paper that I found in a cheap 6x6 paper pad in the $3 bin at Target. I then scanned a digitally altered the witch image from the Molly Harrison Whimsical World adult coloring book. Once I was happy with the size of the image I printed it out onto some Copic-friendly heavy weight white cardstock and colored it in using my Copic markers. I cut the panel down and mounted it up off of the card using some 3M foam tape. I added some additional details to the card by adding some stars to the sky using my Uni-Ball Signo white gel pen and some shimmer and shine to the witch's hat, the eyes of the cat, and the pumpkin by adding some Stickles glitter. I love the little touch of sparkle it adds to the card. I will be giving this card to my bestie who absolutely loves witches! I hope you like it...I know she will!

Hello

Today's card was created for the latest Just Us Girls and The Male Room challenges . I love that autumn is finally here in the Midwest and jumped at the chance to create a card showcasing the beauty of the season. I started by layering on some kraft cardstock from Hobby Lobby onto a white card base. I then cut a panel 1/4" smaller and stamped the sentiment from Winnie & Walter's The Big The Bold & The Happy's stamp set at the bottom right corner using Gina K Designs ink in charcoal brown. I then took some Canson watercolor paper and did a smooshing and spritzing technique using 3 colors of Tim Holtz distress inks and dried the paper fully. Once dry I punched the leaves out using an EK Success leaf punch and then inked around the edges with Tim Holtz tea dye ink to give it a more distressed look. I added some Lawn Fawn twine in oatmeal and gold around the panel of the card and then mounted the leaves up off of the card using some Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. I added a bow using a glue dot, and called this card done. I hope you like it!

Coffee And Cards With Celeste and Deb-Part 1

Today's card is part of a blog collaboration between my friend Debra Davison of Meticulosity and myself. Debra and I met through a shared love of card making and have been friends for about two years now. She and I are both in the medical field (she is a critical care RN and I'm a phlebotomist and medical assistant) and we both love coffee and crafting! We thought it would be fun to do a month of collaborations every Sunday for the month of October highlighting our love of card making and coffee. Today's card is in honor of Debra because she is a cancer survivor. Debra was diagnosed with thyroid cancer one year ago and, after some grueling radiation therapy, is alive and well today and continues to share her crafty goodness with the blogging world! This card represents the colors of thyroid cancer awareness. I started my card by layering some Stampin' UP basic black cardstock onto a white card base. I then die cut a piece of Canson cold pressed watercolor paper down 1/4" smaller and painted bold swatches of turquoise, purple, and pink using a Simply Art watercolor palette. Once dry I layered on a smaller piece of white cardstock that I'd cut using a Gina Marie Designs wonky stitch die and matted it with the same black cardstock. I popped it up using some 3M foam tape and stamped the sentiment from the A-Muse Studio's Fight Like A Girl stamp set. I then die cut the butterfly using My Favorite Things butterfly die and watercolor paper as the base layer and black cardstock as the top layer.  I added more of the same watercolors to the base layer and dried it using my heat tool. Once dry I attached the two layers together and added some large clear rhinestones from Recollections to both the butterfly and the corners of the focal panel. As for my coffee, I have to say my selection is going to be much more boring than Debra's since I'm pretty much a dark roast black coffee drinker. My selection today is Seattle's Best Rich Dark Roast served in a Pier One mug. I know...pretty boring! LOL. Anyway, please hop on over to Debra's page and show her some love by leaving a comment and/or subscribing to her blog!