Stash Busters March Week 4 - Sea World

Another Stash Busters Challenge coming your way! Click on the link below to play!

Stash14Mar4
This month, I am challenging you to use up certain items from your stash and then link your completed layout at Splitcoast Stampers so we can all get excited over it! I'll post a new list each Thursday this month, and you have until March 31st to scrap your layout using the products. If you complete all four layouts, you will get an honorable mention for the month. This month, I thought I'd include some neglected tools, so be prepared to dust off some tools you haven't used for a while!

Please use:
• 1 piece of Mulberry paper & 1 patterned paper or 2  patterned papers
• Alphabet stickers
• Embroidery floss
• An embossed item (wet or dry)

Recipe:
Under the Sea & With Love stamp sets
Dreamin' & Passages Level 2 papers
Pacifica, Sky & Sunset cardstock
Pacifica, Sky, Cocoa & Versamark ink
Sunset & Goldrush markers
Color-Ready Cork Alphabet
Tan embroidery floss (Making Memories)
White embossing powder
Liquid Glass
Pattern: EMS Sketch 52
Challenges: Heart to Heart's Pantone Color challenge (I used Pacifica, Sky & Sunset)

Monkey Card

The theme for the baby shower I'm going to this afternoon is jungle, so I decided to put together a jungle card. I started with the emerging colors technique to stamp the background, and then layered papers until I got the look I wanted. The monkey wasn't quite working for me until I dug through my box of scraps and found a left-over vine from one of my workshops. Ta-da, monkey swinging from a vine. Love it!

Recipe:
Jungle Leaves, Life's a Jungle & With Love stamp sets
Chocolate, Topiary, Desert Sand, Bamboo &White Daisy cardstock
Chocolate, Topiary, Cocoa & Versamark ink
Clear embossing powder
Chocolate grosgrain ribbon
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: vine, scalloped border, scalloped square
Challenges entered: Heart 2 Heart "Go green" challenge (I used lots of green and all the die-cut pieces were recycled from other projects); Creative Belli challenge (also a green theme)

20 Card Set (Non-CTMH Papers)

I just finished a set of twenty cards for my mom's birthday. No, I am not giving her 20 birthday cards; I am giving her a set of cards that she can give to others. This may sound like a weird gift, but Mom loves to give cards and never has time to make any, so hopefully I am filling a need in her life. I actually made these from a template that CTMH consultant Pamela Wallace adapted from Antoinette Herrin's 20 card workshop. The whole workshop uses only 3 sheets of paper: 2 12"x12" patterned papers and 1 sheet of 12"x12" cardstock, plus 20 card bases. I plan to use this same template for a card workshop in two weeks, so I wanted to try it out first. Thanks for being my guinea pig, Mom! I didn't use CTMH papers for her set, but I will post a set using CTMH papers after I get my supplies later this week. One important thing I learned: it would be a lot easier to make 2 copies of each card design (for a total of 10 designs) rather than having to make 20 unique cards. Whew, that was a lot of work! I also doubled my appreciation of CTMH's double sided B&T papers. You can do so much more with two sheets of paper when you have a different design on each side. Feel free to let me know your favorite designs, so that I can incorporate some of these ideas into my final workshop. Thanks!

Here's the whole group of cards:


And here's a close up of them:
#1 & 2

#3 & 4

#5 & 6

#7 & 8

#9 & 10

#11 & 12

#13 & 14

#15 & 16

#17 & 18

#19 & 20

Polynesian Cultural Center Layouts

I'm back with a few more Hawaii layouts, this time featuring pictures we took at the Polynesian Cultural Center. I used several pocket pages, which I usually don't show on my blog because they are just pictures, but I decided to post them this time since I actually did some decorative titles and journaling. In case you didn't already figure it out, the Canoe Pageant pocket page continues onto the Marquesas pocket page, with the two top photos belonging to the canoe pageant. Too many photos, not enough space! I especially like my Marquesas layout because I made my own background paper (the diamonds) using cardstock, an embossing stylus, and sandpaper. I have done staight lines before using this technique, but never a diamond pattern. It took a bit of work, but I really like how it came out.

PCC Overview:

Recipe:
Postcard Travel Series, Playful Caps & Playful Lowercase Alphabet stamp sets
Moon Doggie Level 2 paper pack
Cranberry, Desert Sand, Indian Corn Blue & White Daisy cardstock
Cranberry, Chocolate & Indian Corn Blue ink

Canoe Pageant:

Recipe:
Picture Perfect, Boutique Borders stamp sets
Majestic Blue Level 2 papers
Bamboo & White Daisy cardstock
Cranberry & Outdoor Denim ink

Marquesas:



Recipe:
B&T Combo paper pack (discontinued)
Charm Uppercase Alphabet, Charm Lowercase Alphabet, With Love, Picture Perfect & Boutique Borders stamp sets
Bamboo & Cocoa cardstock
Ocean, Cocoa & Versamark ink
White embossing powder
Metal-rimmed flower tag
Chocolate brads
Natural Hemp
Heat gun
Sandpaper
Embossing stylus
Scallop scissors (CM)

Waimea Valley Layout

What a week this has been for our poor computer! My hubby finally got it working again, but he had to reconfigure it quite a bit. I was all ready to use it yesterday to scan some layouts when the power to our neighborhood went out. We were without electricity for 14 hours (on one of the hottest days of the summer), and we ended up sleeping outside because it was so hot in the house. But finally, I was able to sit down today and scan a layout, so here it is. This is from our visit to the Waimea Valley Audubon Center. Although it has changed a bit since the days when it was the Waimea Valley Adventure Park, the scenery is still as beautiful as ever. We really missed the tram, though, as we hiked the 3/4 mile up to the Falls. I used one of Becky Higgin's sketches for this layout, and was able to fit 10 pictures on it. I cut the title out using my Wishblade, and I love how I was able to get that delicate look to it. I think it goes really well with the lovely Bella paper pack (one of my favorites). By the way, my son really does not look like the photo on the far left makes him appear. When I was scanning the layout, something happened to compress the picture a bit, so I noticed his squashed down face makes him resemble a gnome or troll - not the case in real life at all!



Recipe:
With Love stamp set
Bella Level 2 paper pack
Garden Green, Amethyst & Topiary cardstock
White Daisy textured cardstock
Petal, Topiary, Creme Brulee & Desert Sand ink
White Daisy Dazzling Die Cuts
Topiary Marker
Wishblade (Xyron)

Retirement Card

One of the teachers at Elliot's pre-school is retiring this week after 29 years of service. Needless to say, we are all sad to see her go. I made this card for her using the Wishing You Well sentiment from the Say It in Style stamp set. We really will miss her, but I'm sure she will continue to touch people's lives in whatever she chooses to do next. Thanks for the years of service, Mrs. Shaffer. The colors on this card were inspired by CTMH founder Jeanette Lynton's Color Me Monday challenge on her blog. This week, the colors she asked us to try together were Juniper, Creme Brulee, Hollyhock, and Blush. I admit, I wasn't crazy about the combination when I laid out my papers on my scrap desk, but with a little work and the addition of some White Daisy cardstock to tone it down, I am now very pleased with the results. I had fun with the flower. Only the center is adhered down and secured with a brad. I allowed the petals to float free, and even curled the ends up a little to get the effect of a real flower. I don't know if they'll still be curled when she takes it out of the envelope, but hopefully they will. Thanks again, Mrs. Shaffer, and Jeanette for your inspiration.





Recipe (all CMTH unless noted):
Say It in Style & With Love stamp sets
Boom-Di-Ada paper
Juniper, Creme Brulee, Blush & White Daisy cardstock
Juniper, Creme Brulee & Hollyhock ink
Juniper brad
Creme Brulee Ribbon Rounds
Scalloped border punch (Fiskars)