GCA#7 - A sketch inspired by Cathy!

Happy Sunday everyone! Here we are at week 7 of the Getting Creative with Ann challenge. I tossed around a few ideas for this week, but when I received a thank you RAK from Cathy M., I knew just what the GCA would be! Her card is pictured above and the sketch layout is just below. I left the sentiment panel off in the sketch and you can place it, or not, on your card where you feel it fits best.

I'm sure you can tell from both Cathy's card and my sample what the different layers are. The box in the main image panel IS NOT part of the sketch. As I said, the sentiment panel can be placed at your choice and embellishments are up to you!

On my sample I moved the sentiment panel to the left of the card and on top of the image. My main image panel is slightly larger than the one in Cathy's card, so that is one reason why I moved it.

I used my Fresh Cuts set from SU!, new Bella Rose dsp and my base card is Tangerine Tango. I did crimp my third panel, just as Cathy did, but that is an option too. You can use a crimper or run the panel through a Cuttlebug or Big Shot, it's up to you.

To be entered in the challenge drawing, make a card/project using the bedding for your motivation , upload it either to your blog, or to an online gallery and post a link to your card to this blog entry as a comment by September 5, 2008 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner through a random number generator and post the next day.

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenge and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it!If you upload your card on SCS, please put GCA6 (NO SPACE IN BETWEEN GCA AND 7) in the keyword section. That way everyone can look at all of the creations at once! If you've been waiting to join in the fun, jump on in and have some fun!! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA#6 Winner!!

Hello everyone!! I am pleased to announce that Brandy is this week's winner!!! I used my son (whose 21!) to help me pick the winner and he chose her card. Not very scientific I know, but with only two entries I needed to spice it up a bit!!

You can see Brandy's card on her blog, Brandy's Stamp and Share. Check out her card, and blog, and give her a congrats for winning this week!

GCA#7 will be posted on Sunday. Come on over and play with us!!!

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~

Let's Celebrate!!

Hello everyone!! The card I have for you today has special meaning for me! I created it using my 3 new, and FREE, sets from SU!!! How did I get 3 free sets you ask? Well, let me tell you.

I entered, and won, the August Stampin' Success contest entry: Tricks or Treats. For this category you were to create a 3-D Halloween project. At first I wasn't going to enter since the only SU! Halloween set I had was Booglie Eyes, and it's retired!

But, remember when I did the Bag in a Box tutorial? After I created my 2 samples for here, I thought this would be a neat project done for Halloween! Actually, for any holiday this project is great. But I still needed a Halloween stamp set, so I called one of my sideline demos, Judy T., and asked her if I could borrow her Batty for You set. I so wanted to order this set last year when it came out, but I had Booglie Eyes and I didn't need 2 Halloween sets.

Now I can't post a pick of my winning project, yet, but I will after the October SS is out later in September. I must say I about fell off my office chair when I read the email from SU! stating I had won!

So, what sets did I win? I choose 2 brand new Fall-Winter sets and one that just came out in the Spring-Summer book.

* Flower Fancy

* On Your Birthday

* Frames with a Flourish

All three sets were used on this card, along with SC190 and CC180 -Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa & Blush Blossom and WT180 - All Torn Up.

I started with the Blush Blossom piece from stash that was already stamped with Canvas in Close to Cocoa and then followed the sketch. To cover up the dividing line of the Ruby Red/Blush Blossom piece, I used a strip of Blush Blossom and my scallop edge punch on each side to create the ruffled look. I then layered it with a piece of white taffeta.

I just love how the sentiment fits just right into the circle frame, which fits in the 1 3/8" circle punch!! And yes, I cut out all those flowers and leaves to make this!

I hope you enjoy and am inspired to create your winning projects!!

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~

Have a Witching Halloween - Oh My!!

Hello everyone!!! While I've been busy stamping this week, I haven't had time to upload anything!!! Tonight I have 1 of the cards to show you using a new set from Treehouse Stamps!!

This is for Ashley's Brainwave Wednesday Challenge she does every week. And yes I realize it's Thursday, but I finished this up last night and was just too tired to post it!!!

I used the Creepy Crawly set, which is available now from Treehouse Stamps. This is an adorable Halloween set with great sentiments and images. BWC20 this week was a sketch, and to see that sketch check out Ashley's blog!

I went with CC181 this week of Kraft, Rose Red & Black. I wasn't sure how this would turn out for a Halloween card, but I like it! I stamped my witch's hat in Black Staz on and used the "Out of the Box" technique to show it off more. Not sure how well you can see, but I also cut out the spider's legs! Look real close! I also stamped the hat again onto Rose Red dsp and cut out the larger circles and glued them onto the hat. I used my gel pen to color in the smaller circles. I then used my white gel pen on the black bottom piece to make my "Faith dots"!

The bat was stamped onto Rose Red cardstock, cut out and adhered using foam tape. The entire main image panel is up on dimensionals.

The swirled background is a small stamp with this set, and I just stamped it several times until I liked the coverage. I did "stamp off" once onto scrap paper and then stamped my card, in Rose Red ink.

I also am using up retired SU! ribbon, which is the polka dotted Pomegranate on here. The sentiment was stamped "full strength" in Rose Red and the star was stamped in black stazon onto Rose Red dsp.

Don't forget about this week's CGA! I'd love to see your creative idea based on the bedding!

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA#6 - Creative Idea!!!

Hello everyone!! For the GCA this week, we are using bedding to help motivate us to create! I saw this bedding in the Ginny's catalog I received last week. My own bedroom is done in these colors and I love it!

For this challenge you can take any element in the photo to create your card or project. Use the colors, lines on the bedding or the overall feeling the bedding invokes. You can go the bedding section of Ginny's for more photos of this bedding, or choose a different set entirely. If you use another bedding set, make sure you mention the name of the set.

On my card I took the lines of the comforter and built up from there. As I knew I needed to make a sympathy card, I had to use calm patterned paper and stamp set. I went to my standard sympathy stamp set, Close as a Memory, and used one of the "calmer" sides of the Bashful Blue dsp.

For the effect on my flowers I first colored them with different blue SU! markers, lightly spritzed my watercolor paper and stamped. This gives your image a wet watercolored look. I also used my ticket corner punch to mimic the pillow shams.

Again, using straight clean lines I created my sentiment panel. An oval clip from the retired Aged Copper HPH with a piece of chocolate chip gg and my Martha Stewart butterfly punch, I was done. Now I did use the "busier" side of the Bashful Blue dsp for the butterfly, but this piece is smaller and doesn't overwhelm the card.

To be entered in the challenge drawing, make a card/project using the bedding for your motivation , upload it either to your blog, or to an online gallery and post a link to your card to this blog entry as a comment by August 29, 2008 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner through a random number generator and post the next day. Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenge and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it!

If you upload your card on SCS, please put GCA6 (NO SPACE IN BETWEEN GCA AND 6) in the keyword section. That way everyone can look at all of the creations at once!If you've been waiting to join in the fun, jump on in and have some fun!! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!


Happy Stamping!!!


~~~Ann~~~

GCA#5 Winner!!!

Yes you read that right, there is only one winner this week! And the winner is: Elaine!!!! Her winning card can be found here. Elaine please email me your address at: pinkstamper06@yahoo.com so I can send out your goodies to you!

I am thrilled that Elaine was able to join the GCA this week. Her card is simply beautiful and perfect for "Minimum Materials"! And I just love what she did with her ribbon!!! So head on over to SCS and give Elaine some good cheer!

GCA#6 will be posted shortly!! I hope you can join us for another fun challenge this week!!


Happy Stamping!!


~~~Ann~~~

New Treehouse Stamps Available now & Coming Soon!!!

Hello everyone!!! I have 3 cards to show you today which highlight 2 news sets from Treehouse Stamps available now and one coming in September!!!

The first card showcases the "Friends & Lattes" set which will be available on September 5th. I just love this coffee set, probably because I love coffee so much, but this set is just so fun to stamp with!!! This card is also for Ashley's Brainwave Wednesday Challenge (BWC19) found here. I love the combo of pink and brown and put coffee with it, what an awesome combo!! I also took some of my design from the picture Ashley posted, like the crib bed ruffle and they have a scalloped feel to them.

I went a little crazy with the coffee cup as I paper pieced every part of it and did paper tole on it!!! The coffee cup is raised up from the saucer. Not sure what I was thinking when I decided to piece all these spots on the cup, but I do like the way it turned out!

And what about the steam? My intent was to just cut around the outside edges and put it on, but as I was cutting I wound up cutting more than I first anticipated, but the final result was worth it! It looks like the steam is actually coming right out of the cup!!

And you can't have coffee without a snack so how about a cupcake? I put crystal effects on the cherry and on the "coffee" in the cup. If you love coffee as much as I do, you HAVE to order this set on September 5th!! The creations with this set are endless!

My next card uses one of the new Halloween sets "Creepy Crawly". This set has the most adorable Halloween images! I'm not into the scary, gory images, but cute and crazy ones I can go for.

I used CC179 and SC189 on SCS for my colors and layout. The colors were Taken with Teal, Old Olive and Elegant Eggplant. I think these colors lend themselves to Halloween very nicely, so that's what I went with. I did a technique here I learned from Technique Junkies called the Bandanna technique. It's very fun and easy to do. If your a junkie you know all about this, if not click on the TJ logo on the right and find out what your missing!!

I stamped my images in black staz on and colored the spider with my SU! markers in Perfect Plum and Pale Plum. The sentiment is in Elegant Eggplant. I used my distressor tool on the 2 inside panel edges.


My third card uses the new "Happy Fall Y'all", now available. This set has wonderful fall images of pumpkins, leaves and a farmhouse. I was having a low mojo day when I created this card, and while I like how it turned out, I feel like it needs something more.

I used my Pumpkin Patch spectrum pad to stamp the pumpkins in and to edge the torn piece on the scarecrow. He is colored in with my SU! markers.

And I used these adorable white button brads I have on his jacket!

I'm working on more projects for my annual SU! Open House this Sunday, so be on the lookout for more pics!



Happy Stamping!!


~~~Ann~~~