Thanks

So much to do and so little time in which to do it.  Here is a clean and simple card that was another of my rainy day projects.  Hopefully, by the time this one goes live, the rain will have stopped and gone away.  I'm so ready for some warm temperatures and sunshine.

Stamp Set:  Jar of Love - sentiment (Stampin Up); Ink:  Cucumber Crush; Cardstock:  Cucumber Crush, Elegant Eggplant, So Saffron, Whisper White; Other:  Postage Stamp Stacklets Dies (Taylored Expressions), Bloomers 4 Dies (Taylored Expressions), White Blizzard Glitter Drops (Nuvo), Martha Stewart Scalloped Punch

The White Blizzard Glitter Drops by Nuvo don't show up well in the full card photo so here is a close up.  They look just like glittery clear enamel dots. I also added it to the center of the flower to give the green some sparkle.

The sketch I used is from the CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

The colors I used are from the Color Throwdown Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Just a Simple Yellow Flower

In between getting chores done around the house, I've been taking short breaks to rest my bad knee and make some clean and simple cards.  Both are good things to do when you have a gloomy, cold and rainy day. 

Stamp Set:  Sheltering Tree - sentiment (Stampin Up); Ink:  Tuxedo Black Memento; Cardstock:  Daffodil Delight, Whisper White Thick; Other:  Petal Pop-Ups 2 Dies (Taylored Expressions), Black Marble Paint Pen (Ranger), Golden Sunset Glitter Drops (Nuvo)

The sketch I used is from the Stick it Down Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Thinking of You

It's been a very long day and I really should have gone to bed hours ago but, as you can see, I'm up at nearly 1 a.m. making cards.  Life is good!

One of the requirements for the Retro Rubber Challenge is that at least one of the stamp sets you use on your project must be at least a year old or older.  The sentiment I used for my card is from the 2015 Sheltering Tree stamp set.

And, I loved the sketch from The Paper Players.  Very clean and uncluttered.  I really like the way this came together.

The sketch I used is from The Paper Players Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

The button embellishment is from the Retro Rubber Challenge had an embellishment challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #116 - Kath's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

This week Kath is hosting our Masculine "Anything Goes Challenge at the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  I love anything goes challenges as it affords me the opportunity to share whatever I happen to be working on at the time.  With several birthdays coming up for the young people in my life, I made a birthday card for one of my grandsons.

Stamp Sets:  Rose Wonder (sentiment), Something for Baby; Inks:  Dapper Denim, Pumpkin Pie; Cardstock:  Dapper Denim, Whisper White; Patterned Paper:  Various scraps of Designer Series Paper; Other:  Baby's First Framelits Dies, Pool Party Baker's Twine

For all the challenge details and to share your project, visit the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge by clicking the image below.  We'd love to have you join us.  You have until Monday, May 1st at 6:00 p.m. Central Time to link your project.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Stitched with Love

After a gloomy, rainy start to the morning, the sun is finally shining and the skies are blue.  I'm not sure how long that is going to last as we are slated to have rain on and off all this week long.  It's springtime in Iowa.

My favorite oldest granddaughter has been on my mind a lot lately.  I miss having her pop in every now and again.  She's out in Reno where her dad and uncles now live.  I'm thinking it's time to consider moving myself out in that direction given all of my sons live there.  Anyway, I decided to make this card for Bailey using the sketch from the Stampin' Royalty Challenge.  I'll write a little note inside and get it into the mail to her tomorrow. 

Stamp Set:  Stitch by Stitch (Taylored Expressions); Inks:  Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up!), Flirty Flamingo (Stampin' Up!); Cardstock:  Crumb Cake, (Stampin' Up!), Whisper White (Stampin' Up!); Other:  Embroidery Hoop (Taylored Expressions), Mini Frame 4 (Taylored Expressions), Clear Wink of Stella Brush, Whisper White Baker's Twine

The sketch I used is from the Stampin' Royalty Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Butterfly Twins

Today I combined the sketch from the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge with the colors from the CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge.  Together I think they made a very simple but pretty card.  What do you think?

Stamp Sets:  Papillon Potpourri (Stampin' Up!), Sheltering Tree - sentiment (Stampin' Up!); Inks:  Mint Macaron, Tip Top Taupe; Cardstock:  Old Olive, Mint Macaron, Tip Top Taupe; Other:  Chicken Wire Embossing Folder (Taylored Expressions), Elegant Butterfly Punch (Stampin' Up!), Metallic Copper Thread (antennae), White Blizzard Glitter Drops (Nuvo)

The sketch I used is from the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

The colors I used are from the CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Wacky Watercooler April Blog Hop

Welcome to our April "Retirement Means Goodbye" Blog Hop. Today's hop is all about what is retiring at the end of May.  It's always sad to say goodbye.  So, if you've not gotten everything on your wish list, now is the time to do so.

Each month, on the third Thursday of the month, a group of us get together to hop and share projects from Stampin' Up!'s current catalogs.  It's always a lot of fun.

You should be coming to my blog from Sheri Lee.  After your visit with me, you'll head on over to Penny Hanuszak.  And, as always, our Hop runs in a circle.  Whether you start at the top and go forward or start at the bottom and go backward, you will always wind up where you started.

My first project highlights the retiring 2015-2017 In Colors.  I made a set of note cards using the Sheltering Tree stamp set.  I first stamped the tree using Tip Top Taupe.  Then, I stamped the leaves in Cucumber Crush, Delightful Dijon, Mint Macaron and Watermelon Wonder.  The sentiment was stamped using Tip Top Taupe as is the tiny leaves image in the lower left corner of each envelope.

One of the retiring stamp sets Oh So Succulent.  I'm sorry to see it go as succulents are quite popular at this time.  For this project, I continued using the 2015-0017 In Colors.  I started with a card base of Whisper White Thick to which I added a combined layer of Mint Macaron and Whisper White.  I didn't use the die-cuts to make a succulent, just some nice looking flowers.  They were cut out of Delightful Dijon and Watermelon Wonder using the Succulent Framelits Dies.  The leaves are cut from Cucumber Crush again using the Succulent Framelits Dies.  I stamped the sentiment using Tip Top Taupe.  I added a bow of Whisper White Baker's Twine around the layer and that was that.  I'm always amazed that all of these colors work so well together.

The inspiration for this card came from Peggy Noe.   

My final project is another Mother's Day card.  I can now boast that I have all of mine done and can get them ready to put in the mail at the appropriate time.  I love being ahead of the game.

Another set that is retiring and one that I will most definitely miss is the Botanical Blooms stamp set and the Botanical Builder Framelits Dies.  For this card, I used the Botanical Builder Framelits Dies to cut the flowers out of Peekaboo Peach and the fronds out of Cucumber Crush.  The flower centers are cut from the same set of dies.  I added a bow of Early Espresso Baker's Twine to the top and the sentiment is from the Oh So Succulent stamp set and stamped using Early Espresso ink.

And that, as they say, is that from me.  The next stop on your tour is Penny Hanuszak.  She always has such great projects.  To see her wonderful projects, click the image below.

If you'd like to revisit Sheri Lee and see her wonderful projects again, click the image below.

To start at the beginning you can click the image below to go back to the Wacky Watercooler Stamping Blog.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Watercooler Wednesday Challanges #115 - Gail's Clean & Simple "Spring" Theme Challenge

We have a Clean And Simple (CAS) challenge for you this week at the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and Gail has given us the theme of Spring.  What can be more springlike than a sprig of cherry blossoms?

At this time of year I always think of my big brother, Larry, as his birthday was April 17th.  The only thing on my bucket list is to see my brother's name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.  I think the perfect time to do so would be Spring when those cherry blossoms are at their peak.

Stamp Set:  Sheltering Tree (sentiment); Ink:  Rich Razzleberry; Watercolor Pencils:  Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry; Cardstock:  Rich Razzleberry, Vellum, Whisper White, Whisper White Thick; Other:  Bitty Butterfly Punch, Cherry Blossom Embossing Folder (Taylored Expressions)

For all the challenge details and to share your project, visit the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge by clicking the image below.  We'd love to have you join us.  You have until Monday, April 24th at 6:00 p.m. Central Time to link your project.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

One Touch of Nature

After a morning of rain, finally, sunshine.  I'm definitely going to enjoy it as tomorrow looks like some severe storms are headed this way and maybe a tornado thrown in to up the excitement.  But, in the meantime, I've created this clean and simple card and have entered it in the CAS Watercolour Card Challenge.

To get my watercolor effect, I first inked the stamps, then spritzed them with a wee bit of water.  It gave me just the look I wanted.  Well, after a few failed attempts.  This is not a technique I've done before so it was fun to give it a try.

And, just so you know, there is more than just one sequin on the card.  For some reason the light caught the one and made it the star.

Here's a close up showing off more of the sequins.

Stamp Sets:  Botanical Bookplates Vol. 1 (Flourishes), Flower Garden (The Craft's Meow); Inks:  Crushed Cucumber (Stampin' Up!), Strawberry Milkshake (Taylored Expressions); Cardstock:  Cucumber Crush, Pistachio Pudding, Shimmery White; Other:  Sequins

The colors I used are from the CAS Watercolour Card Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

He Is Risen

What a beautiful Easter morning we have here in Iowa.  Sunshine and blue skies after a Saturday of severe thunderstorms that brought rain, hail and high winds.  Believe me when I say, I'll take sunshine over stormy weather any day.  Now I'm off to enjoy this day.

Stamp Sets:  Kinda Eclectic (Stampin' Up!), Vine Cross (Our Daily Bread Designs); Inks:  Crushed Curry, Daffodil Delight, Soft Sky, Soft Suede; Cardstock:  Crushed Curry, Daffodil Delight, Elegant Eggplant, Shimmery White; Other:  Flower Box Sprigs & Flowers Dies (Taylored Expressions), Itty Bitty Punch Pack (Stampin' Up!), Clarity Stencil Brushes, Golden Sunset Glitter Drops (Nuvo)

The sketch I used is from the CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Happy Mother's Day

Talk about a gloomy, rainy day...well, let's not talk about it.  Let's talk about this pretty card I made for the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge.  It was a perfect day to spend in the craft room getting some things done as well as spending some time creating.

On a card base of Rich Razzleberry, I added a layer of Mint Macaron that I first cut off using the Botanical Builder Framelits Dies.  It gave me the curvy line I needed for the sketch.  Then, I attached a piece of Succulent Garden Designer Series Paper to it and placed it on the Rich Razzleberry.  I do like the way those two colors look together.

The flowers were stamped in Sweet Sugarplum ink onto Whisper White using the Flower Shop stamp set and the Petite Petals stamp set.  They were punched out using the Pansy Punch, the Petite Petals Punch and the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack.  To the centers of the flowers I added some Golden Sunset Glitter Drops by Nuvo.  The branches are punched out of Mossy Meadow cardstock using the Bird Builder Punch.  The sentiment is the Oh So Succulent stamp set.  To finish it off I added some sequins.

One of the things I like about this card is that it is made up of things I already had cut out or punched and bits of paper left from previous projects.  My stash of "left overs" is getting smaller. 

The sketch I used is from the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Pitcher of Flowers

You know, there are just days when one shouldn't be allowed in the craft room.  Today was one of those for me.  As you can see, I've posted two pictures of the same card.  The first one doesn't have any Sahara Sand on it but is part of the color challenge at The Paper Players.  So, I had the bright idea to add it by doing just a wee bit of stamping.  Can you say not exactly the look I was going for?  Sigh...

The card base is Whisper White.  The background overlay was cut using the Triangle Screen Die from My Favorite Things.  Before I cut the oval from the Stitched Oval Stacklets Dies from Taylored Expressions, I brushed over it with some Perfect Plum ink and Mint Macaron ink using my Clarity Stencil Brushes.  After cutting the pitcher from Whisper White cardstock using the Pitcher Die, I glued it to the oval then added the flowers and leaves.  The flowers were cut from Whisper White and Perfect Plum cardstock using the Mini Bloomers Dies 2 and Petal Pop-Ups 2 Dies from Taylored Expressions.  For the leaves, I first stamped the veins onto Mint Macaron cardstock using Mint Macaron ink.  Then, I cut them out using the Botanical Builder Framelits Dies.  The sentiment is from the Anemones stamp set by Flourishes.

Here is the card after I did that wee bit of stamping with the Sahara Sand using the honeycomb image from the Butterfly Basics stamp set.  It actually doesn't look too bad but it's definitely not something I will attempt in the future.  I'm thinking make a totally new card and use the Sahara Sand for the pitcher.  What do you think?

The colors I used are from The Paper Players Challenge.    For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Watercooler Wednesday Challenges #114 - Penny's Color Challenge

Color, color, color!  This week, at the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge, Penny has given us some great colors with which to work.  Of course, I had to let a butterfly flit through my design.  What you can't see well in the photo is that the butterfly is all sparkly.  I discovered a new product, well, new to me.  It's Glitter Dust and it comes in a spray and adds a very pretty iridescent shimmer to your projects.  I love it but recommend using it in a well ventilated area or wear a mask as I do.

Stamp Sets:  Jar of Love, Rose Wonder (sentiment); Inks:  Calypso Coral, Island Indigo; Cardstock:  Island Indigo, Pool Party, Whisper White, Whisper White Thick; Other:  Bold Butterfly Framelits Dies, Brick Wall Embossing Folder, Butterflies Thinlits Dies, Glitter Dust, Rhinestone Basic Jewels

For all the challenge details and to share your project, visit Watercooler Wednesday Challenge by clicking the image below.  We'd love to have you join us.  You have until Monday, April 17th at 6:00 p.m. Central Time to link your project.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Smile

Today's post is short and sweet as is the card I created for the Addicted to CAS Challenge and The Flower Challenge.  It took no time at all to put together.  It's another of those cards destined to go in to my note card stash.  I like to make up a bunch of them so when I need them they are all ready to go.

I started with a base of Whisper White Thick cardstock.  To that I added a strip of Dapper Denim patterned paper from the 2016-18 Designer Series Paper Stack.  It has flowers all over it.  Next I cut the word "smile" out of a piece of Stamping Mask Paper using my Smile Die.  I peeled the back off and placed the die-cut on a scrap of Whisper White cardstock.  Using my Clarity Stencil Brushes, I brushed Daffodil Delight ink over it.  Next, I peeled off the Stamping Mask Paper and there was my smile.  Then, I cut the circle out using the Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies.  What you can't see well is the wee bit of glitter from the White Blizzard nuvo Glitter Drops I used on heart above the 'i.'  The Smile Die is from Taylored Expressions.  The cardstock and ink are from Stampin' Up!

The sketch I used is from The Flower Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Smile is the code word at the Addicted to CAS Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Silhouette of a Tree

Black and white and a splash of color.  That's the color challenge over at The Male Room Challenge. What a perfect time for a silhouette.  As you can see I've not added a sentiment to the card.  I'm not sure I'm going to do so as it is one of those cards headed for my note card stash and those don't always require a sentiment.

To start, I took a layer of Whisper White cardstock and brushed some Perfect Plum ink across it using my Clarity Stencil Brushes.  I did leave a few hints of white as it's one of the color requirements and there is a layer of Whisper White cardstock on the inside of the card.  Then, using the Rendezvous stamp from Penny Black, I stamped the tree over the top of it using Archival Basic Black ink and attached the layer to a base of Basic Black cardstock.  And that, as they say, is that.  A simple design but I think a pretty one.  Don't you agree?

The inspiration for my card came from The Male Room Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Flowers in the Window

Can I just say, I love my Clarity Stencil Brushes!  I know, you are probably getting tired of me saying it but it's true.  They made this background so easy to create and I love how it looks.  To get the depth of color in the center I just brushed over the same area a few times.  As you can see, it only added a hint of color around the window.  The colors from the Color Throwdown Challenge made for a very pretty card, don't you think?

To start, I took a layer of Whisper White cardstock and, using those Clarity Stencil Brushes, brushed Pool Party ink until I had the just the look I wanted.  The window is cut from Whisper White using the Picture Window Die and glued it over the background wash.  The leaves are punched from Garden Green cardstock using the Bird Builder Punch.  For the flowers I used the Mini Bloomers Die 2 and cut them from Daffodil Delight, Pool Party and Real Red cardstock.  To the center of each flower I added a bit of White Blizzard nuvo Glitter Drops.  The sentiment is from the Rose Wonder stamp set and stamped using Tuxedo Black Memento ink.

The dies I used are from Taylored Expressions.  The ink, cardstock and punch I used are from Stampin' Up!  Also, my card was a CASE (Copy And Share Everything) of one done by Jean Manis. 

The colors I used are from the Color Throwdown Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Thinking of You

Finally, after a couple of weeks of gray skies, the sun is shining and the sky is blue.  Sunshine makes me happy.  Another thing that makes me happy is combining two of my favorite sketch challenges, Freshly Made Sketches and CAS Colours & Sketches, to come up with this simple thinking of you card to add to my note card stash.  As you can see I flipped the sketch and don't you think those colors are so pretty together. 

One of my newest acquisitions is Stamping Mask Paper.  It makes stenciling so much easier as it's sticky on both sides but not the kind of sticky that is permanent so, when you are done, you simply peel it off.  For the two lower squares, I used the Stamping Mask Paper and cut out two die-cuts using the Postage Stamp Stacklets Dies.  This gave me a stencil that I positioned onto a layer of Whisper White.  With my Clarity Stencil Brushes, I brushed Pear Pizzazz ink across the stencil until I had the depth of color I wanted.  When I was done, I simply peeled off the Stamping Mask Paper.

The third square is cut from Wisteria Wonder using the Postage Stamp Stacklets Dies.  The little flower is cut from So Saffron using the Bloomers 4 Dies as is the small black center of the flower.  The little sprigs are cut from Pear Pizzazz using the Flower Box Springs & Flowers Dies.  The sentiment is from the Sheltering Tree stamp set and stamped using Tuxedo Black Memento ink.

The Basic Black, Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron, Whisper White, Whisper White Thick and Wisteria Wonder cardstock are from Stampin' Up! as is the Pear Pizzazz ink.  The dies I used are all from Taylored Expressions.

The sketch I used is from the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

The colors I used are from the CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Beautiful Orange Butterflies

One of the things I like about having Taylored Expressions so close by is, I get to go to the New Release Party every month.  She always has a make & take featuring one of the new products.  This is the one we made for this month.

It uses the new Simply Stamped - Butterflies stamp set and the Simply Stamped - Butterflies Dies.  Don't you think those butterflies are fantastic?  I love that the bodies of the butterflies are also a die.  The Full Bloom Dies was used on the layer of white.  It's a simple design but so pretty.  Don't you think?

I entered my card in the anything goes challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha