StampingChallenges -- SC3 (Valentine's Card)

Today I'm excited to share my third sketch challenge for Stamping Challenges  (SC3 -- January 18, 2013).  

As I mentioned previously -- It's made up of a lively group of avid stampers, so I'm very proud to get to stamp alongside them. (Even if not physically next to them, in spirit!)

Each week they create a sketch for you to try, and the challenge is for you to interpret it the way you see those elements used -- make substitutions with your creativity!

It's open to everyone, so start stamping with us today.

I absolutely love making Valentine's cards. I have three big card pushes each year: Christmas, Valentine's and Mother's Day. Those are the cards I sell the most of, birthday cards are always in demand too but never all at once like these events. 

When asked if Valentine's is my favorite holiday, I always reply that I love ANY reason to celebrate. So it's not specifically any one day that I like more. I think it's fun, but I also think that if you're fortunate enough to have a very special someone that you love them every day, not just Valentine's. But there is something nice about making someone feel very special (and having them make you feel so, too!)

Here was the sketch to work from:

Here is the card I designed:

Get the materials to make this card here:

http://cecile.stampinup.net

For this card I used

Cardstock:

- Crumb Cake (base)

-  Whisper White

- Primrose Petals
- Pool Party

Designers Series Paper:

- More Amore

Stamp Sets:

- Pretty Petites

- Ciao Baby 

Sunday on Congress

My best friend, Nicole, and I decided to try out a craft fair. We made a ton of cards to sell on Congress on Sunday. It was a beautiful day, albeit a little windy.

We shared a tent with her cousin Becky who was selling one of a kind feather accessories. (Visit her at Foxy Flight)

Here we are in our tent:

We met alot of nice people and had a fun time. It wasn't super busy... I think alot of people weren't walking around because they were prepping for their SuperBowl parties. But we did get alot of nice feedback from people who thought we did a great job.

Nicole and I really liked pushing ourselves to create alot of different designs. We crafted together weekly, and when we weren't crafting together we were sending photos back and forth of what all we came up with.

I also liked how we used many of the same stamps but came out with really unique end products. It just goes to show you how you can really add your own flair to things.

I had friends visit and show support, too, which I thought was really sweet.

All in all, we'll definitely be doing it again this Sunday (February 13th). We hope to see a ton more folks come out! And for those who can't come out to Austin, I'll be posting a video tutorial to make one of the Valentine's cards that I especially liked making.

Don't forget that Sale-a-Bration is still going on -- from now until the end of March, you can earn lots of free stamp sets, ribbons, paper, buttons and digital downloads. Check out my website to see the Sale-a-Bration specials.

Coworker Commissions

Last year one of my supervisors had requested some cards from me for his wife, for Valentine's and her birthday (there's only 5 days difference between the two). Well this year I was pre-emptive and brought some for him to choose from beforehand. He was very appreciative and this is what he chose:

For his wife's birthday:
I love, love, LOVE punny things, so I had to get this set. I'm also digging this new DSP called Razzleberry Lemonade -- the color combinations are so perfect. It's probably the fastest pack I've gone through... I'm about to have to order more!

For this card I used:
Card stock - Kraft (base), Melon Mambo, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP and White
Stamps - Comfort Food (SU!)

And for Valentine's Day:
I learned a great watercolor technique from Kim at Stamp-a-rama during stamp club and that's how I made the rose. I had been on the fence about getting that stamp set but making this definitely convinced me to spring for it.

For this card I used:
Card stock - Kraft (base), Razzleberry Lemonade DSP and White (photopaper)
Stamps - Yummy (SU!) and Fifth Avenue Floral (SU!)

Mini Valentine Cards

I made a couple of mini cards to help Nicole out with her fundraiser. They came out pretty cute and as a result, one of my coworkers wants to buy 10 of them, so yay! The craft paper has been pretty popular lately, so I wanted to play around with it. I really like it!


For these cards I used:
Card Stock - Kraft (base), Pirouette Pink, Candy Lane DSP and White
Stamps - Priceless (left) and Happy Heart Day (Right)

For the right card I used:
Card Stock - Kraft (base), Pirouette Pink, Candy Lane DSP and White
Stamps - SU! Love You Much, SU! Together Forever

Crafty commissions

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of my bosses needs a birthday card and Valentine's card for his wife, so here are a couple of little things I cooked up. I think they are cute, and hopefully they aren't too "simple". Although in some cases "simple" is a much better way to go, I still haven't determined when to say when - I imagine it will come to me as I make more cards and get better. It was fun making these cards, and I will probably make a few more to see if anyone else wants to get in the Valentine's spirit.

For this card I used:
Card Stock - Kraft, Candy Lane DSP, Red Riding Hood and White
Stamps - SU! Love You Much, SU! Short & Sweet

For this card I used:
Card Stock - Baja Breeze (base), Prints Pack DSP (retired, SU!), Indulgent DSP (retired, Sassafras) and White
Stamp - SU! For a Friend