cQc127: Paper Orchids for You

I was feeling a bit crafty this week and wanted to do something other than a card for the ColourQ Challenge. One of my other hobbies is cake decorating. A few weeks ago I tried to make orchids out of gum paste. It didn't work so well and I definitely need more practice. While I was making the gum paste orchids I noticed that the petal shapes were very similar to the petal shapes of the Blossoms Petal Builder punch from Stampin' Up!. I figured since I couldn't make an orchid out of gum paste, maybe I could make one from paper.

Each flower petal uses two punches and I glued them together with a piece of floral wire in between the two adhered layers. After I got all of the petals made I sponged them with Blushing Bride and then went back over the edges with Calypso Coral. Once the petals were colored I arranged them together in the shape of an orchid and then twisted the floral wire together. The stamen is a piece of paper rolled up, colored and then I hot glued a Certainly Celery brad in the center. To add more dimension, I took a Calypso Coral marker and added some extra color to the flower petals.

I also covered the floral wire with strips of Certainly Celery cardstock that was sponged with Chocolate Chip ink. Finally, I made the leaves in the same way as the flower petals with two die cut leafs cut from Certainly Celery cardstock and then sponged with Chocolate Chip ink.

The Fancy Favor box is also filled with chocolate M&Ms. YUM!

The Stamps

Stampin' Up! Apothecary Art

Stampin' Up! Baroque Motif

The Colors

Stampin' Up! Whisper White

Stampin' Up! Blushing Bride 

Stampin' Up! Calypso Coral

Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip

Stampin' Up! Certainly Celery

The Embellishments

Stampin' Up! Brads (Subtles)

Stampin' Up! Glimmer Brad (Subtles)

The Tools

Stampin' Up! Blossom Petal Builder Punch

Stampin' Up! Leaves #2 Original Die

Stampin' Up! Labels Collection Framelits Die

Stampin' Up! Boho Blossoms Punch
Stampin' Up! Fancy Favor Bigz XL Die

Miscellaneous Supplies

Floral Wire

Floral Tape

Floral Foam

Hot Glue Gun

Here's the color palette for the week:

MOJO231: You Only Live Once

This is the card I made for MOJO Monday. I've been challenging myself to use all that DSP I have stashed away. I am always so hesitant to use it. I find myself "keeping" it for that special card. As a result I have a huge amount of paper. My goal is to use at least one sheet from each pack of DSP.

The Stamps

Stampin' Up! Elements of Style

Stampin' Up! Fifth Avenue Floral

The Colors

Stampin' Up! Whisper White

Stampin' Up! Blushing Bride 

Stampin' Up! Crumb Cake

Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip

The Embellishments

Stampin' Up! Woodland Walk Designer Series Paper

Stampin' Up! Basic Pearls

The Tools

Stampin' Up! Background 1 Texturz Plates

Stampin' Up! Scallop Circle #2 Bigz Dies

Here's the sketch

PP85: Faith in Nature

This is the card I made for the Paper Players challenge. The challenge was to create a card with the theme of "Spring Has Sprung". Faith in Nature was the first stamp set I thought of when I thought about this challenge.

The Stamps

Stampin' Up! Faith in Nature

The Colors

Stampin' Up! Very Vanilla

Stampin' Up! Pink Pirouette 

Stampin' Up! Regal Rose

Stampin' Up! Basic Black

The Embellishments

Stampin' Up! Attic Boutique Designer Series Paper

The Tools

Stampin' Up! Watercolor Pencils

Stampin' Up! Blender Pen

Stampin' Up! Watercolor Paper

Here are the challenge details:

JUGS126: Thanks with Mixed Bunch

This is the card I made for the "Just Us Girls" challenge. This week was a sketch challenge and I have the sketch below. I've been trying to use colors that I don't use frequently. Typically, my cards are either mostly blue or mostly pink -- my two favorite colors. I challenged myself to use some colors that I don't use as often. I have a ton of Mostly Mustard cardstock because I never use that color. But honestly, it's a great color when paired with purple and even blue.

The Stamps

Stampin' Up! Mixed Bunch

Stampin' Up! Pretty Postage

Stampin' Up! Faith in Nature

The Colors

Stampin' Up! Whisper White

Stampin' Up! More Mustard 

Stampin' Up! Concord Crush

Stampin' Up! Wisteria Wonder

The Embellishments

Stampin' Up! Wisteria Wonder Designer Series Paper

Stampin' Up! Wisteria Wonder 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon

The Tools

Stampin' Up! Blossome Bouquet Triple Layer Punch

Stampin' Up! Blossom Punch

Stampin' Up! Postage Stamp Punch 

Here's the sketch:

Card Patterns #125: Go In The Direction of Your Dreams

This is the card I made for Card Patterns #125. This card has a lot going on but I'm happy with how it turned out. I had seen others using the Blossom Punch to make a butterfly. Since I love butterflies I had to give it a try. This card incorporates my two favorite things: butterflies and flowers. Plus, I used my current favorite color -- Island Indigo.

The Stamps

Stampin' Up! Mixed Bunch

Stampin' Up! Baroque Motifs

Stampin' Up! Word Play

The Colors

Stampin' Up! Very Vanilla

Stampin' Up! More Mustard 

Stampin' Up! Island Indigo

Stampin' Up! Pool Party

The Embellishments

Stampin' Up! Regals Designer Buttons

Stampin' Up! Pool Party 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon

Stampin' Up! Circle Fire Rhinestone Brads

Stampin' Up! Designer Printed Brads

Stampin' Up! Elegant Soiree Designer Series Paper

The Tools

Stampin' Up! Blossome Bouquet Triple Layer Punch

Stampin' Up! Blossom Punch

Stampin' Up! Scallop Circle Bigz Die

Here's the sketch:

CTD181: Sweet with Array of Sunshine

This is the card I made for Color Throwdown #181. I was still feeling a bit of "creative block" with this card. But, I am happy with how it turned out. For the textured panel, I took a piece of Pretty in Pink and embossed it with Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. Then I sponged some Whisper White Craft Ink over the image, sprinkled it with embossing powder and then heated to emboss. I also used my sewing machine and added some stitching to plain cardstock.

The Stamps

Stampin' Up! Array of Sunshine

Stampin' Up! Pretty Postage

The Colors

Stampin' Up! Whisper White

Stampin' Up! Riding Hood Red (substituted for Ruby Red) 

Stampin' Up! Blushing Bride

Stampin' Up! Pretty in Pink

Stampin' Up! Certainly Celery

The Embellishments

Stampin' Up! Whisper White Embossing Powder

Stampin' Up! Certainly Celery 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon

The Tools

Stampin' Up! Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folders

Stampin' Up! Postage Stamp Punch

Stampin' Up! Heat Tool

Here's the palette:

Freshly Made 24: Ornate Blossom

This is the card I made for Freshly Made Sketches #24. I had a bit of a "creative block" this week. I just wasn't feeling inspired by any of my stamp sets. I don't know why. I have tons of stamp sets and they are all awesome. Even though I was having "creative block" I went ahead and made cards. They say you should write when you are fighting "writer's block." The fact that you are writing gets your brain into the right mindset and helps you overcome "writer's block." So, I took the same tactic when trying to overcome "creative block." I sat down and created a card and this is what I came up with.

The Stamps

Stampin' Up! Ornate Blossom

The Colors

Stampin' Up! Whisper White

Stampin' Up! Basic Grey

Stampin' Up! Blushing Bride

The Embellishments

Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Clear Button

Stampin' Up! Twitterpated Designer Series Paper

Stampin' Up! Blushing Bride Designer Series Paper

Stampin' Up! 3/8" Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon

The Tools

Stampin' Up! Square Lattic Textured Impressions Embossing Folders

Stampin' Up! Scallop Border Punch

Stampin' Up! Corner Rounder Punch

Here's the sketch: