Big On You

For today's Hand Stamped Sentiments sketch challenge my card features an oversized greeting from the super cool stamp set called Big On You.  When I first saw this layout I was totally inspired--I love the sketch and had lots of fun coming up with my spin on the design.

I first reached for my Big On You stamp set then I grabbed some of my favorites: scraps on my table, Typeset Specialty DSP, Iced Rhinestones (total gorgeousness) and the Expressions Natural Elements.  My most favorite touch on the card are the doodle dots that I added with a chalk pen, cute don't you think?

Stampin' Up! Products on the Sly

It may not be quite so obvious, but my project for today does include Stampin' Up! products.  I had to make very simple menus for a client's dinner party.  I wanted to keep the menus clean and simple because I knew all the other details I had proposed for the design decor of the farm to table style dinner gathering.  While the menus are fuss free I used the following products all from SU!: My Digital Studio (retired), Kraft card stock, Personal Cutter (retired, but my most favorite paper cutter ever), Simply Scored, and the Stapler.

The table design was put together by myself.  The linens, Ritz Eggshell, came from La Tavola of Napa; Fruitwood chargers, Scroll White plates, and Contempo Green stemware place settings are from Classic Party Rentals in San Francisco; Duchess flatware, kings tables, and Crossback chairs are from Danny Thomas Party Rentals in Sunnyvale; and the flowers and bistro lighting are from none other than Bloomster's which is where I work.  I purchased the dish towels online to use for the napkins that are banded with the menus.  Sometimes it's just less expensive to purchase than to rent.  And the look I wanted was just that, cheaper to buy.

The floral menu includes garden roses, blue thistle, yarrow, sunflowers, decorative peppers, eucalyptus leaves and berries, dahlias, lilac, rosemary, sedum, succulents, and millet.  In the low trays we used Scotch moss and dried green lentils to create a bed for fresh beets, turnips, artichokes, peppers, carrots, radishes, and black berries.  Our containers include a mix of rustic corrugated metal cylinders, Italian tomato cans, olive oil canisters, and vintage amber jars.  It's fun to be creative!!

From Dara

To Julie

Spider Web Season a Second Look

It is the most wonderful time of the year!  Halloween opens the holiday season and is my favorite.  I love the grunginess, the off kilter, the messy (bring on the inky accidental finger prints and smudges), the textures, and the rich autumnal colors along with deep bright tones.  I shared last week a card with a black spider web and today I have another look at more webs.

Halloween is all about candy, costumes, and tricks, right?  So, as a treat for you I will share my web trick.  It's so simple.  Heat up your hot glue gun, squirt a blob of melted glue on a sponge, take a second sponge and press it into the blob, pull the sponges apart like taffy, and wrap the melted strings around your card or project.  For things larger than a card use two pieces of styrofoam.  We do this at work to make webs to encase Halloween floral designs.

Card made using the Witches Night stamp set, leftovers from the Witches Decor Project Kit, Cherry Cobbler, Pumpkin Pie, and Cajun Craze card stocks and inks, Black Staz On ink, Lots of Labels Framelits, and hot glue gun cobwebs 

Either Way

This color combination can go either way.  It can be used for summer or fall.  As you can see I opted to go the fall route.  Which way would you go for this challenge?  Check out the other designs created by the Hand Stamped Sentiments team.

Spider Web Season is Here

It's right around the corner--spider web season!  I love Halloween decor, projects, and treats.  One of my absolute favorite fall ingredients is pumpkin.  It adds moisture and sweetness to make your recipes so tasty and special.  For this Monday Montage Blog Hop I am showing off my adorable stamped pumpkin which has a traditional and a bit of a vintage flair.  

Before I tell you more about my cute jack-o-lantern first you should know my stamping space is not very large.  I store my stamps, inks, punches, tools, and accessories in an armoire.  So, I am careful to not over buy.  I really wanted a pumpkin for my card but had no pumpkin stamps, or did I?  I did and still do!  I used the Balloon Bash stamp set.  I am sure you recognize it now.  I turned the balloon upside down for the pumpkin and cut apart the bunting/garland image for the face pieces.

What's a little tricky to see is the texture and dimension of the pumpkin.  It is adhered to the card with a Stampin' Dimensional in the middle and the sides are glued down.  I also used the rock-n-roll around the edges technique to give some shadow and highlights.  For texture I drew grooves with a stylus in crescent shapes.  It really is super cute in person.

A few other details to mention are the stars which are stenciled with both White Craft Ink and Dazzling Details. The Spider Web Doily which collars the pumpkin is cut in half and then flipped over to reveal the white side. It's all so fitting for the start of the fall season.

from Dara

to Julie