Two Challenges in One!

Aloha, all!

    It's been another busy week in and out of the Craft Room. My husband and I took a little R&R vacation on the other side of our Big Island of Hawaii, which kind of put a dent in crafting time for me. Well, paper crafting anyway. I did manage to take a couple of classes in weaving Coconut Palm leaves into bowls. What fun! I may try to stamp on them when they dry out.

     Now that I'm back, it's time to catch up with a couple of challenges. The main one for me is for the biweekly Stampin' Up! Only Challenge blog. The theme this time is Weddings. Well, how perfect with June just beginning, and a lot of weddings coming up! A perfect time to give us all ideas on making cards, gifts, favors and other projects for weddings.

     Stampin' Up! has lots of wedding specific stamps, and I actually used one of them in my own card for this challenge!

     The stamp to which I'm referring is the "Forever & Always" stamp from the Loving Thoughts Stamp Set.  I've never used this stamp before though I've used a lot of the stamps from the set.  It's a great set – so versatile! 

     The other stamps are all from the Daydream Medallions Stamp Set.  And that's where the second challenge comes in.  My online demonstrator group, SUDSOL, has a CASE (Copy And Share with Everyone) challenge every week, and this week the challenge is to CASE a project from the brand new 2013-2014 Stampin' Up! Catalog – just released!!!  If you have a copy of the catalog, the original is in the upper left corner of page 114.  The colors are all different, and I layered things up a bit differently.  But the overall design is the same.  I used Brushed Silver Card Stock for the card base, and heat embossed two of the layers using Versamark and Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder.  The other two layers are both stamped using Blushing Bride Classic Ink – an "old" color that Stampin' Up! has brought back to the color collection with this new catalog.  Such a lovely color, and just right for a wedding card!

     And how easy it is to make all these layers with the Floral Frames Framelits for the Sizzix Big Shot!  I cut three of the layers for this card with the framelits.  The second to the smallest layer is stamped onto the larger of the silver embossed layers.  I cut the shape for the largest of the stamps into the front of the card, which is 5" square.  I stamped and put the other layers together on a base of Whisper White Card Stock that is 4-3/4" square.  Then I used Stampin' Dimensionals to attach this layer to the inside of the card.

     I added some Rhinestone Basic Jewels to jazz things up a bit, and the button is one of the Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons.  Another sparkling touch for this card.

     I'm in a bit of a rush today as it's my husband's birthday – and I still have to make his birthday card!!!  I don't have my supply of new Designer Series Papers from the new catalog, so I'll be using something retired for the card.  But I may share it with you anyway – or make a duplicate when I get my shipment of my new catalog "stuff" later in the week!  Meanwhile, I'm off to make that card!!  I hope you have something to celebrate today that's as fun as a birthday!