Dannie's Designs

Best Wishes

I'm a little behind this week in posting my Diva Coffee Break Design card.  Normally I'm supposed to post my card on Wednesday, but yesterday got away from me.  I figure it's better to post a little late than to skip the challenge all together.  Right? 

This week we had this color challenge to work with.



Edited to Add:  I just noticed that my card looks very similar to one of the other design team members (Lisa Freeman).  I didn't see her card before I made mine.  Great minds think alike!  Too funny.



I love it when I can make an elegant looking card in very little time.  I took a piece of Vellum Cardstock and embossed it using the Manhattan Flower Textured Impression Die.  I cut around the top edge of the flowers and mounted it on some Basic Gray cardstock.  I enjoy using Vellum on my cards, but it's difficult to find a way to attach it to the card without the adhesive showing through the vellum.  I used some translucent Xyron glue tape on the back of the vellum and you can't see it at all.  I bought this tape at Big Lots a couple of years ago.

I stamped the "Best Wishes" sentiment in Versamark ink and then embossed it with Black Embossing Powder.  I punched it out with the Large Oval Punch and mounted it on a Basic Black Scallop Oval.  I finished the card with some new 5/8" Whisper White Satin ribbon from the Occasions Mini Catalog.



For the inside of my card I stamped the largest flower from the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set in Versamark ink and then embossed it with Black Embossing Powder.

Be sure to stop by the Diva Coffee Break Design blog to see what the other design team members made.   Feel free to join in the challenge too and leave a link to your blog post or to your online gallery.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps:  Fifth Avenue Floral, Oval All
Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Cardstock Vellum
Ink:  Versamark
Accessories:  Black Embossing Powder, Whisper White Satin Ribbon,
Punches:  Large Oval, Scallop Oval
Big Shot:  Manhattan Flower Textured Impression Die

Bella's Bloom

Can you believe it's April already?  Where does the time go?  I also can't believe it has been a week since I've posted on my blog.  Life has been pretty crazy and time got away from me.  Hopefully I'll be able to get back on a more reliable posting schedule soon.

I really enjoyed this week's DCBD sketch challenge.





The inspiration for this card came from page 83 of the current Stampin' Up! catalog.  I inked up the flower image with Riding Hood Red and Kiwi Kiss  markers.  I realize that Stampin' Up! doesn't sell markers in these two colors, so I made my own.  I took a blender pen and added a couple of drops of Riding Hood Red and Kiwi Kiss reinkers to opposite ends of the blender pen.  Once it was inked up, it worked just like a regular marker.

It has been a while since I added any sewing to my cards, so I broke out my machine.  I sewed around all of the sides of each rectangular layer on the card (on the inside of the card too).  It was a lot of sewing, but it was also very therapeutic.

I finished the front of my card with lots of Chocolate Chip--Chocolate Chip ribbon, Chocolate Chip Corduroy buttons, and Chocolate Chip Rub-ons.  You can never have too much chocolate in real life or on a card!



Here's a look at the inside of the card.

Be sure to hop on over to the Diva Coffee Break Design blog so you can see what the other design team members have made.  Feel free to join in the challenge as well.  If you do, be sure to leave a link to your blog or gallery so we can all check out your projects.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps:  Bella's Bloom
Paper:  Confetti White, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Bella Rose DSP
Ink:  Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories:  Chocolate Chip Wide Grosgrain, Chocolate Chip Corduroy Buttons, Janome Sew Mini, Dimensionals, Château Bella Rub-ons
Punches:  Scalloped Edge, Designer Label, Wide Oval

Embrace Life

I apologize for being a little late getting my card posted today.   I had a lot of fun making it and hopefully you'll think it was worth the wait.  For this week's DCBD challenge Heidi gave us this great color challenge to work with.



I decided to combine it with this sketch challenge from Julee.





I left off the sentiment on the card so I can use it for whatever occasion I'd like.  I'll probably add the sentiment when/if I decide to use this.  I tend to make lots of cards, I just struggle with sending them out the door!

I took three of the white flowers from the Pretties Kit and colored them with my Rose Red marker.  The color was a little dark, so I went over the flowers with my Aqua Painter.  This softened the intensity of the Red quite a bit.  I folded each of the flowers in half and stuck it together with a Mini Glue Dot.  I finished each flower with a white half-back pearl from the Pretties Kit.  The stems behind the flowers were stamped in Going Gray ink and colored in with a Bashful Blue marker.

Here's a look at the inside of my card.



Be sure to visit the DCBD blog and see what the other design team members made.  Feel free to join in the challenge too and leave a link to your blog.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps:  Embrace Life
Paper:  Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Rose Red, Going Gray, Washington Apple DSP
Ink:  Going Gray, Bashful Blue, Rose Red
Accessories:  Going Gray Taffeta, Pretties Kit, Aqua Painter, Dimensionals
Punches:  Eyelet Border

DCBD Challenge

It feels so good to be back in my routine and stamping regularly.  Wednesday's routine means another challenge for the Diva Coffee Break Design Team.  Not only did we have this sketch to work with...



but we were also challenged to include items from the Sale-a-bration mini catalog.



I included the Sale-a-bration Ribbon Bundle as well as the Delicate Dots DSP on my card. 

For the main flower panel, I used a resist technique.  I stamped the flower image in Versamark ink on Whisper White cardstock and embossed it with White Embossing Powder.  Next I took a sponge dauber and inked it in So Saffron ink and sponged around all of the flowers.  I kept sponging until the entire Whisper White layer was colored So Saffron.

I got the idea for the accordion folded semi-circle from page five of the Sale-a-bration catalog.  I took a piece of Delicate Dots DSP that was 1 1/2" wide and scalloped down the length of one side using my Scallop Edge punch.  Next I scored a line in between each of the scallops.  Once I was done with that, I accordion folded the DSP and shaped it into the semi-circle.  I used lots of Mini Glue Dots to hold it in place.  I finished it by adding a Whisper White brad to the center.

Be sure to hop over to the DCBD blog so you can see what the other design team members made.  Feel free to join in the challenge too.  One lucky participant will win a great prize package.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps:  Upsy Daisy
Paper:  Whisper White, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Delicate Dots DSP
Ink:  So Saffron, Versamark
Accessories:  Ribbon Bundle, Whisper White Brad, Dimensionals, Sponge Dauber, Mini Glue Dots, White Embossing Powder
Punches:  Scalloped Edge

Get Whale Soon

There are so many colds and sicknesses going around right now that I thought I'd make a "get whale soon" card for this week's DCBD challenge.



 

I stamped the whale in Basic Black ink on Kraft cardstock and colored him in using my Going Gray and Brocade Blue markers.  After I punched the corners of the Kraft and Basic Black layers with the Ticket Corner punch, I mounted both layers on a larger piece of Kraft cardstock.  I pierced holes around the edges of the largest Kraft layer and pierced a hole in each corner for the Silver Brads.

 

The inside of my card looks a lot like the front of the card.  I love using the new Eyelet Border punch to add interest to my cards.

Be sure to hop over to the Diva Coffee Break Design blog so you can join in the challenge and see what the other design team members made.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps:  Pun Fun
Paper:  Kraft, Basic Black, Urban Oasis DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Going Gray, Brocade Blue
Accessories:  Crafters' Tool Kit, Silver Brads, Dimensionals, Baja Breeze Striped Grosgrain
Punches:  Ticket Corner, Eyelet Border

Diva Coffee Break Design

It's Wednesday and you know what that means....another Diva Coffee Break Designs (DCBD) challenge.  Guess what?  We started our own blog!!!

Diva Coffee Break Designs

Click on over and check it out.  Heidi and Julie have worked very hard putting this together for the team.  While you're there, you can add the DCBD blog to your blog reader or sign up to receive updates through email.  You'll also notice that we added 13 new design team members to the group.  We have some fun new challenges (and prizes!) in the works and we hope you'll join in the fun.

So, are you ready to see this week's challenge?



I decided to combine this color challenge with Julee's Mojo Monday sketch.





All of the Tempting Turquoise paper came from the Pink Flamingo designer series paper.  It's such a striking color to use with Whisper White and Basic Gray.  I love the combination. 

Green Galore, on the other hand, is a color I seldom touch so this truly was a challenge for me.  I decided to keep it to a minimum by only adding a Green Galore flower.  I took one of the small white flowers from the Pretties Kit and colored it with my Green Galore marker.  Next I took my Aqua Painter and brushed water over the flower to dilute the color so it wouldn't be so bright.  I used a Clear Rhinestone Brad to hold the two flowers together and attached them to the card with Mini Glue Dots.

I used the Paper Piercing Template to help me line up all of the holes for the Silver Brads.  I pierced a hole in every third hole in the template.  I was pleased to see that it gave me exactly seven brads just like Julee has in the sketch.

I finished the front of my card with lots of sewing and some of our gorgeous Whisper White Organza Ribbon. 



Like always, I kept the inside of my card very simple.  The white lines on the DSP is another piece of Whisper White Organza ribbon.  I only wish I could have tied a bow in the ribbon, but then the card wouldn't close right.

Head on over to the Diva Coffee Break Designs blog and see what the other design team members made.  Please feel free to join us this week and play along with the challenge too.  If you play along, please leave a comment on our new blog so we can check out your creation.  When uploading your card to SplitCoast, please use the keyword DCBD116 (no spaces).  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Pink Flamingo DSP
Ink: Green Galore
Accessories:  Pretties Kit, Rhinestone Brad, Silver Brads, Whisper White Organza Ribbon, Janome Sew Mini, Dimensionals, Crafters' Tool Kit
Punches: Scalloped Edge

5-petal Punch Flower

It's Wednesday and you know what that means...another Diva Coffee Break Design challenge!  This week we had this great sketch to work with.





I decided to use my Bella Rose DSP for this card.  I love the patterns on the paper and it's one of my favorite color combinations. 



For my main image I made a chrysanthemum using my 5-petal Flower punch.  Click here to see a tutorial on how to make this flower.  I punched the flowers out of Pretty in Pink cardstock and sponged all of the edges in Regal Rose ink. 

I took my 1/2" Circle punch and punched a small flower image from a piece of Raspberry Tart DSP.  I adhered it to a build-a-brad, added the bubble to the top, and attached the brad to the center of my flower.



I added a couple of layers of cardstock and DSP to the inside of my card.  I finished it by stamping the hummingbird (from the Dream a Little Hostess set) in Rose Red ink. 

If you'd like to join the challenge, simply create your own card using the sketch challenge above.  Come back here and leave a comment so I can check out your creation.  If you upload your card to SplitCoast, please use the keyword DCBD115.  Be sure to check out the blogs of the other design team members to see their creations.

Chris Austin
Connie Babbert
Dee Tollaksen
Heidi Michel
Julie Semones
Kristen Moore
Lisa Freeman
Selene Kempton
Vivian Swain

As always, thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps:  Dream a Little
Paper:  Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Bella Rose DSP, Raspberry Tart DSP
Ink:  Regal Rose
Accessories:  Build-a-brad, Dimensionals, Janome Sew Mini, Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon
Punches: 5-petal Flower, 1 /2" Circle

Garden Greetings

Are you ready for another Diva Coffee Break Design challenge?  This week Heidi gave us this fun color combination to work with.



I looked through my file of card sketches and found this fun sketch from Julee.



I combined the two and came up with this card.



I stamped the large flower image three times, cut out the different layers, and adhered them on top of each other using dimensionals.  I love the depth dimensionals add to the flower.  I finished off each of the flowers with a half-back pearl from the Pretties Kit.  I also added three more pearls on the bottom corner of the card.

I wanted to add a little bit of green behind the flower, so I used the leaf image from the "Dream a Little" hostess set. 

Isn't this ribbon gorgeous?  This is the new Whisper White Organza ribbon.  I hope Stampin' Up! has more organza ribbon in different colors in the next catalog. 



For the inside of my card I thought I would imitate the look of the main image panel on the front of the card.  I stamped the leaves, stamped and layered the flower, scalloped the edge of the cardstock, and adhered it all together.  I flipped over the Always Artichoke cardstock, added adhesive to the back and then adhered it to the inside of my card.  That's when it hit me...it's mostly pink on pink.  OOPS!   I should have made the center panel Almost Amethyst.  By then it was too late because I already had the entire card made and  I didn't have time to redo it.  Just learn from my mistake! 

Back in November I used this same sketch to make a similar card using the Abundant Blessings stamp set from Verve.  Click here to see the card that inspired the card I made today.

If you'd like to join the challenge, simply create your own card using the color challenge above.  Come back here and leave a comment so I can check out your creation.  If you upload your card to SplitCoast, please use the keyword DCBD114.  Be sure to check out the blogs of the other design team members to see their creations.

Chris Austin
Connie Babbert
Dee Tollaksen
Heidi Michel
Julie Semones
Kristen Moore
Lisa Freeman
Selene Kempton
Vivian Swain

As always, thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps: Garden Greetings, Dream a Little
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Almost Amethyst, Kraft, Always Artichoke
Ink: Always Artichoke, Almost Amethyst
Accessories: Pretties Kit, Whisper White Organza, Dimensionals, Crafters' Tool Kit
Punches: Scalloped Edge

Another Birthday Card

I never got around to cleaning off my stamp desk after I made my last card, so I decided to make another birthday card.  I used the same stamps and paper, however today I used this week's Diva Coffee Break Designs sketch challenge.





I think these colors are so bright and cheerful together and they're perfect for birthday cards.  I stamped the cupcake image in Basic Black ink on Whisper White cardstock and colored it with markers.  I punched the cupcake image out with my 1 3/4" Circle Punch and then layered it on circles cut out with the Coluzzle.  

I had a little bit of fun with the ribbon on this card.  I wrapped a piece of Chocolate Chip ribbon around the small strip of cardstock.  Then I took three inches of ribbon in four different colors and tied it around the Chocolate Chip ribbon.



I kept the inside of my card pretty simple.  I stamped two balloons in Basic Black ink on the Whisper White cardstock.  I stamped two more balloons--one on Regal Rose and another on Pumpkin Pie cardstock--and cut them out and glued them on top of the white cardstock.

If you'd like to join the challenge, simply create your own card using the sketch challenge above.  Come back here and leave a comment so I can check out your creation.  If you upload your card to SplitCoast, please use the keyword DCBD113.  Be sure to check out the blogs of the other design team members to see their creations.

Chris Austin
Connie Babbert
Dee Tollaksen
Heidi Michel
Julie Semones
Kristen Moore
Lisa Freeman
Selene Kempton
Vivian Swain

As always, thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes, A Little Birdie Told Me
Paper: Whisper White, Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Sweet Always DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, Regal Rose, Going Gray
Accessories: Coluzzle, Silver Styled Hodgepodge Hardware, Dimensionals, Chocolate Chip Grosgrain, Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain, Pretty in Pink Grosgrain, Rose Red Grosgrain
Punches: Small Oval, 1 3/4" Circle

Quilt Card

It's Wednesday so it's time for a Diva Coffee Break Design color challenge.



Those colors look so cute together on that pillow, but getting them to look cute together on a card....not so easy! 

 

I'll admit I was sorely tempted to leave the Pink Passion off the card. 

The design for the quilt card came from Julie HRR on Splitcoast.   If you're a member of the SplitCoast Fan Club, you can view the directions here.  Each of the strips was cut 3/8" wide and the center is 1" square.  I stamped each of the strips with the little flower stamp from the Sprinkles stamp set. 

If you'd like to join the challenge, simply create your own card using the color combination above.  Come back here and leave a comment so I can check out your creation.  If you upload your card to SplitCoast, please use the keyword DCBD112.  Be sure to check out the blogs of the other design team members to see their creations.

Chris Austin
Connie Babbert
Dee Tollaksen
Heidi Michel
Julie Semones
Kristen Moore
Lisa Freeman
Selene Kempton
Vivian Swain

As always, thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps: Sprinkles, Fundamental Phrases
Paper: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Bashful Blue, Pink Passion, Lovely Lilac
Ink: Baja Breeze, Bashful Blue, Pink Passion, Lovely Lilac
Accessories: Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Button Bouquet, Linen Thread