Owl You Do

Good morning!  How about some cute little owls to start your day?!  Today I'm playing along with the sketch challenge at Create with Connie & Mary as well as the color challenge at Color Throwdown.  My original plan was to use 6 different owl stamps, which I did manage to find in my collection.  But I wasn't sure I'd like the end result so I stuck to just this one from Aviary with the idea that I'd also use my owl punch to make a larger one to be offset.  Well, I couldn't figure out how to get it on the front side so he ended up on the inside.  Voila! 

I've been having fun doing up the insides of my cards lately.  Sure makes it easier when I grab one to send, or when I need to increase my stash to sell at the local consignment shop.  I've even started stamping the envelope to match then slipping them in a clear envelope for safe keeping.  Just stick on my address label and a clear label to show what is stamped on the inside and it's ready for sale. 

Anyone else trying to design the inside as well?  I used to dread it because I was always ready to move on to the next card, but it is SO much more enjoyable to send and receive a card with the inside all cute-ified!  This is one of my New Year's resolutions.  Feel free to call me out on it if I don't keep it up! 

 Thanks for visiting me today!  Stop back tomorrow for my first Valentine of the year! 

~Kristin

SUO Supplies:

Stamp:  Aviary, Petite Pairs, Picture This (inside sentiment), Punch Bunch (inside owl)

Colors:  River Rock, Soft Suede, Soft Sky, Daffodil Delight

Accessories:  Styled Silver Hodgepodge, small oval punch, corner rounder, scallop border punch, owl punch, Daffodil Delight pompom trim, basic pearl, punch pack (small flower on owl inside)

Birthday Penguin

 Here's challenge number two between Lisa and I.  The picture below was to be our inspiration and we were also to use dry embossing and circle elements on our cards.  It is fun to see how different ours turned out- hers is elegant and just plain gorgeous.  Mine is obviously playful and cutesy. 

I hate to admit just how long this card took.  Piecing together that penguin from the owl punch (thanks to an idea I have saved by Teneale Williams!) and the balloons which have a layer of acetate over them for some realistic shine added a bit of time.  Especially when I kept messing up and having to redo certain parts.  My sketch is from page 88 in the SU catalog- I just love it and will definitely keep it in mind for the future! 

The happy birthday sentiment is from the new set Bring On the Cake in the current mini catalog.  I decided at the last minute to emboss it in white.  It got a little messy but I wasn't about to startover at that point!  Heck, messy embossing is a little like confetti on a birthday card, right?!  At least that's what I'm telling myself. 

Well, thanks for stopping by.  I'll list everything I used in my supplies list in case you're wondering.  Feel free to ask questions if you like, and feel free to join us in this challenge if you'd like!  We'd love to come see what you've done! 

~Kristin

SUO Supplies

Stamps: Bring on the Cake, Party Hearty (hat)

Colors: Tempting Turquoise, Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, Certainly Celery, Tangerine Tango

Accessories: Owl punch, Glimmer Brad, Dotted scallop ribbon border punch, Word Window, 1" circle and medium oval punch (from Holiday Mini), small star punch (for part of balloons), Big Shot, Dotted embossing folder, Texturz Plates, white embossing powder, linen thread (PHEW!)

Boo!

No doubt this is not the first you've seen the owl punch used for a super simple and adorable ghost!  But, it's the first you've seen it here.   For the eyes, I punched out two 1/8" holes then put a scrap of black cardstock underneath.

I enjoyed using the Stamping 411 sketch for this card today.  It came together pretty quickly.  The colors (all In Colors) were all together in my In Colors bag of scraps and I immediately thought of Halloween.  I don't send many Halloween cards, but if I have one close by this week I'll be sure to send it! 

I used the Lattice Bigz die in Concord Crush on the dotted Peach Parfait card base.  The "BOO!" was cut with the Billboard alpha Sizzlit die and the Big Shot. 

Hope you like it.  I'll be back again tomorrow with an entirely different card with this same sketch! 

Thanks for stopping by!
~Kristin

SUO Supplies

Stamps: none

Colors: Peach Parfait, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White

Accessories: Big Shot, Dotted embossing folder, Lattice Bigz die, Two-Step Owl punch, scallop border punch, Concord Crush twill ribbon

Halloween Window card

This is a window card in more ways than one.  I designed it to look like you're looking out a window, and you are actually seeing the owl on the inside through a punched open window.  I'm playing along with the color challenge on Creat With Connie & Mary (CCMC115) to use Tangerine Tango, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla.  I took the liberty of adding some Summer Sun which is generously sponged with Tangerine Tango for my moon.  This is also following the sketch for this week's Clean & Simple challenge on Splitcoast. 

 Here's a shot of the inside.   I had fun with my punches for this:  the large circle is the new 2.5" cirlce punch, of course there's the owl punch and the branch from the Two-Step Bird Punch.

I took this shot so you could really see what window I'm talking about.  Gotta run, I've got water boiling to make my third batch of salsa.  I dread making it, but LOVE eating it! 

Thanks for stopping by today!
~Kristin

ETA:  Thanks everyone for your great comments.  To answer a few questions- I made the window kind of by accident.  I was actually just punching 4 squares from a scrap of Crumb Cake paper and noticed the remaining piece looked like a window so I used that instead!  You gotta love those happy accients (gosh, I just reminded myself of Bob Ross and his "happy little trees"- anyone else remember him?  I'd watch him in college and was so sad when he died!) 

And for the other question- I just made regular ol' tomato salsa I guess.  I've never done anything fancy, just tomatoes and peppers and onions.  Yum!  I've found that the store bought salsa is way too salty now that I make it myself!

Live, Laugh, Love

I'm BACK!  Not feeling great (sinus infection I think) but I'm stamping at least... and posting, even better!  Had a fabulous week at my parents' place in Michigan- the highlight of the trip was teaching both my kiddos how to water ski.  At 8 & 10 they picked it up right away and loved it, going the length of the lake by day 3!! 

Today I played along with a sketch challenge on the Clean & Simple blog.  I think this is my first use of this pattern in the Greenhouse Gala DSP.  I just love it!  This is also my first use of the awesome new owl punch.  Seriously!  I have so much great new stuff that I just didn't know what to use first so it took me awhile.  Anyway, I paired up the owl and DSP with a little Marina Mist taffeta ribbon.  I like how I can interchange Baja Breeze and Marina Mist and they look great together.

That's all for now- gotta go blow my nose, AGAIN! 

See ya tomorrow,

~Kristin

SUO Supplies

Stamps: On Your Birthday

Paper: Greenhouse Gala DSP, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze

Accessories: Two-Step Owl Punch, Marina Mist Taffeta ribbon, scallop border punch, paper piercing tools