Occasions Mini Sketch Challenge

Ready for another challenge???

I just love the current Occasions Mini Collection. There are some amazing layouts in those 23 pages! Your challenge is to create a card using one of the sketches from the current mini collection. You can switch out the stamps, embellishments, and colors but keep the same basic layout. Please be sure to let us know which layout you used (page number) and don't forget to link back here so we can be inspired!! If you post on SCS, please us the code GSGC06. Remember, you don't have to be a GSG to play. Can't wait to see what you talented ladies come up with! :-)

I combined this challenge with today's Limited Supplies Challenge on SCS to come up with these three cards:
The layouts are from (left to right) p. 12, p. 4, and p. 22.
The recipe is identical for all three!
Recipe:
Stamps: always
Paper: kraft, certainly celery, notebook dp, whisper white
Ink: purely pomegranate, groovy guava
Accessories: corner rounder, styled silver hodgepodge, blender pen, celery ribbon

Featured Swapper-GSGFS05

Hi girls I'm (Monique) back with my pick for featured swapper. Here she is,The Featured Swapper of the week! Introducing Jimmi Mayo. If you have not checked out her blog it is a must see. Not only is she a very talented stamper( I love her designs and her color combinations) but she has a black belt in shopping. She has great links for shopping on her blog as well!

Here are two of her favorite cards, one is old and one is new:

Here are 20 questions to get to know Jimmi:

1. When did you become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator?

I became demonstrator in January of 2007 when my sister moved to Italy, who was my demonstrator.

2. What is your all time favorite stamp set? Roses In Winter

3. What is your stamping style? Hard question! If someone can figure it out, let me know;)

4. What is your favorite color combination? Almost anything with Certainly Celery! Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink or Chocolate Chip or all 3.

5. When not stamping or scrapbooking what is your favorite past time? Shopping!

6. What is one embellishment you could not live without? Ribbon most definitely

7. Do you stand or sit when you stamp? I've never really heard of standing and stamping but I'd like to see it...I sit.

8. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? To Italy to see my new baby niece and my other niece of course (and my sis and bil but they are always 2nd to the nieces;))

9. What is your favorite kind of chocolate or candy? Reese Peanut Butter Cups, but I prefer the specialty shaped Reese's like the Easter eggs and trees at Christmas...right now they have Batman shaped ones that I have been buying up every time I go to Wawa!

10. What is your favorite kind food?Mexican

11. Favorite Restaurant?La Tolteca, a little run down Mexican place we try to go to every Friday night. We've been going there for over 10 years.

12. What is your guilty pleasure?Shoes, Vera Bradley and TIVO

13. What is your favorite stamping tool that you could not do with out?My paper snips

14. Are you married?Yes for almost 9 years

15. What is your husband's name?Mike

16. Do you have children?Yes

17. What are the name(s) and ages of your child(ren)?Rachel, just turned 16

18. What do you do for a living?I am officially a "legal secretary" but I mostly surf the internet, blurf and sometimes stamp...it's slooow around here!

19. Where are you located?Suffolk, VA

20. What does your husband do for a living?He is a Hydraulic Mechanic

Ok here is the card I chose to CASE of Jimmi's -

And here is my version of her AWESOME card! I LOVE this card so much that I didn't want to change it so I kept most of the same elements:

Here are the details:

Paper- Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery and Very Vanilla

Stamp Set- Fabulous Flowers and Much Appreciated

Inks-same as paper

Other- Chocolate chip taffeta ribbon, pearls (pretties kit) sponge

Ok here is what I changed: the colors to Celery and Very Vanilla and kept the Chocolate Chip. I changed the background stamp to En Francais, I changed the brads and eyelets to pearls and I made the flower pop out with four layers and crinkled it. I also change the ribbon and added an extra layer to the base card.

Ok girls have fun with this challenge and if you participate be sure to use code GSGFS05 and link it back here. Happy Stamping!

Featured Swapper: Lisa Henke!

Good Wednesday morning everyone! Thanks for checking in to GSG today. I've got a new Featured Swapper in store for you today. Introducing my dear {virtual} pal and upcoming Convention roommate, Lisa Henke!!! Lisa has the neatest style of stampin' and also is a talented scrapbook artist... of course she has 3 adorable subjects to focus on, that helps!!

Lisa's sweet, fun and always helpful personality also shines through in all she does! To get to know here more read her answers to the following questions, then check out her amazing blog, My Little Creative Escape, and her SCS Gallery so you can play along with the challenge!

1. When did you become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator? October 2004

2. What is your all time favorite stamp set? ooo, that is a hard one, I really do use all my stuff, but since you are making me pick one I guess I'll have to say Baroque Motifs. I swear, I don't think you can make a bad card with that set.

3. What is your stamping style? Usually quick, clean and simple. I use to not own any line art stamps, but that has changed over the past year and now I love to watercolor. Now if I can just make myself splurge and get some of those Copics...

4. What is your favorite color combination? Pumpkin, pomegranate, and choc. chip.

5. When not stamping or scrapbooking what is your favorite past time?
just hanging out with my family. I also like to cook and to read.

6. What is one embellishment you could not live without? Ribbon, my cards feel so naked without it.

7. Do you stand or sit when you stamp? sit

8. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? I'd love to see Europe, since I've never been, but Hawaii is always at the top of my list.

9. What is your favorite kind of chocolate or candy? I have a big sweet tooth, so I'll eat just about anything. But again, since you are making me pick one I love frozen snickers minis.

10. What is your favorite kind food? Seafood-crab, and shrimp and when I can afford it Lobster tail!

11. Favorite Restaurant? The Precinct, it is a Jeff Ruby Restaurant here in Cinci which is an upscale steakhouse. We had our rehearsal dinner there and we try to go back every year for our Anniversary.

12. What is your guilty pleasure? Reality TV. I am an avid watcher of The Bachelor, Rock of Love, American Idol, and Survivor.

13. What is your favorite stamping tool that you could not do with out? I'm lumping them all together, but my Punches.

14. Are you married? yes, we are celebrating our 8th anniversary in July

15. What is your husband's name? Tim

16. Do you have children? yep, three little boys, and two fur babies

17. What are the name(s)and ages of your child(ren)? the boys are 6, 4, and 1 yrs. old

Boomer, a Golden retriever (8yrs. old)
Annabelle, a cat (9yrs. old)

18. What do you do for a living? I'm a hard working mom!

19. Where are you located? Cincinnati, OH

20. What does your husband do for a living? He's a physician

21. What is one thing about you that the rest of us probably do not know? I think it is interesting that purple is my favorite color, but I rarely use the color when stamping.

Here are a few of Lisa's favorite cards:

Now it's your turn! Go visit Lisa's gallery and pick a card to CASE. Change at least two things on it and then post a link back here so that we can see your work. So that they are all visible in the same gallery, be sure to include GSGFS04 in your keywords when uploading to SCS.

Don’t have a gallery?? Just post it on your blog and post the link here in your comment. Be sure when posting your card that you provide a link to the card of Lisa's that you CASEd so she gets credit for the design. I encourage everyone to play- don't worry if you're not a member of GSG, we want YOU to play too! Have a great day, and Congratulations Lisa!

Here is Lisa's card I CASEd and mine. Hers has a cute fold which I didn't realize until too late. Obviously I changed a few things like stamps and colors, but I think you can see the similarities. I love this layout and card of Lisa's and will be working with it again!

Color Challenge GSGC05

Ok Girls here is this week's color challenge. I don't know about you but I (Monique) always have a problem using Kraft card stock. So I decided to do a color challenge using Kraft card stock and I have discovered that Sahara Sand goes perfectly with Kraft. I hope you all participate and if you do please link your card back here. Your challenge code is GSGC05. Have fun girls!

Kraft/Sahara Sand

Coral Cameo

Certainly Celery


Here is my card:


Stamp set- Always

Paper- Kraft, Whisper White, Coral Cameo

Inks- Certainly Celery, Coral Cameo, Sahara Sand

Other-1 1/4 circle punch, sponge, pewter buckle (hodgepodge hardware), small circle punch, wide grosgrain ribbon in celery, dimensionals

Featured Swapper-Lori Tecler!!

Hey Everyone, it‘s me again(Jessie waving HI!!)!! Hope you are having a great week! I am honored to get to post this week’s Featured Swapper Lori Tecler!!

I am a huge fan of her work, and if you haven’t seen her gallery, you need to go now!! She also has a fantastic blog!! Here is her favorite card!!(so far!!) And here is the card of Lori’s that I chose to CASE. I changed the: colors, images and added a few layers. I asked Lori some questions so we could all get to know her better!! Here are her answers!!

1 . When did you become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator?
I became a demonstrator in January 2005. I'm pretty much a hobby demo. I'm so excited to be going to Convention again this year!2. What is your all time favorite stamp set?That changes all the time! Some of my favorites right now are Priceless, Stem Silhouettes, and Vases in Vogue.
3. What is your stamping style?Usually clean and simple.
4. What is your favorite color combination?
I love blue and brown together. Blue is definitely my favorite color.
5. When not stamping or scrapbooking what is your favorite past time?
I read a lot and pretty much anything (memoirs, professional literature, classics, "chick" lit, you name it, it's probably represented in the pile next to my bed!). I always have at least one book underway and several more waiting. I also like to shop (probably more than I should . . .)
6. What is one embellishment you could not live without?Right now, ribbon. If you walked into my craft area, you'd definitely know that. It's spilling out everywhere!
7. Do you stand or sit when you stamp?I usually sit. My dog is usually milling around near or under my feet when I'm stamping, so sitting is much safer for both of us!
8. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?
Europe. In addition to my education degree, I have a degree in history, so all the old "stuff" fascinates me. I've spent a little time in England and Belgium, but there's so much more I want to see.9. What is your favorite kind of chocolate or candy?I'm not a big chocolate fan (long story behind that . . .), but I do like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups or Twix.
10. What is your favorite kind of food?Mexican
11. Favorite Restaurant?A local Mexican restaurant called El Mariachi.
12. What is your guilty pleasure?Reading gossip/tabloid magazines (my best friend and I swap them with each other!) and watching General Hospital.
13. What is your favorite stamping tool that you could not do with out?
Only one? I use my mat pack and paper piercing tool all the time, but my Nestabilities dies are a close second right now.14. Are you married?No
15. Do you have children?No kids--just a big, crazy German shepherd/Golden retriever mix named Cosmo. He's 12 years old, but still looks and acts like he's a puppy and is always getting into some kind of trouble.
16. What do you do for a living?I consider myself as a kindergarten teacher, but now I work in the early childhood office for a large school district. I'm almost done with my (second) masters degree. I have two more classes to take in June, then I'll graduate with a degree in instructional technology. Who knows what I'll do then . . .
17. Where are you located?Suburbs of Washington, DC

So here’s the deal- go to Lori’s gallery and pick a card to CASE, change atleast two things on it and then post a link back here so that we can see your work. So that they are all visible in the same gallery, be sure to include GSGFS03 in your keywords when uploading to SCS. Don’t have a gallery, just post it on your blog and post the link here in your comment. Be sure when posting your card that you provide a link to the card of Lori’s that you CASEd so she gets credit for the design. As always, you don’t have to be a Great Swaps Girl to participate, so if you are out there lurking on the sidelines, be sure to play with us!! Thanks for looking and have a great day!!

Challenge #4: Survivor Style!

Ready for another challenge?
As demos, we see some of our favorite stamps, colors, paper, and embellishments come and go! Your challenge this week is to make a card with things you don't think you could survive without. Think of them as luxury items if you were stranded on an island! Of course, we all know that we couldn't live long without our craft desks....but give it a try!

Here are the rules:
stamps- use only 1 set
colors ink/paper- pick the 2 you couldn't live without and any number of neutrals, no limit on dp (sorry but I wouldn't travel without my entire dp stash!)
tool- only 1 TYPE of tool
embellishment- only 1

You don't have to be a GSG to play or even be a demo. We would love to see your work! :-)
Have fun and be sure when you post your picture on SCS to include the keywords GSGC04 so we can all see what you can't live without. Also, don't forget to post a link to your card here!

Here is my sample.
My luxury bag contains:
ALL of my punches, 5/8" grosgrain ribbon (every color!), real red, old olive & kraft, tart & tangy stamp set, and the scraps I have left from the retired cerise dp! :-(

Denise Hinton ~ Featured Swapper!!

Hi!
Our Featured Swapper for this week is Denise Hinton!!! (isn't she cute!)

Here are some of Denise's favorite cards!



1. When did you become a Stampin' Up!
Demonstrator?
Aug 2005
2. What is your all time favorite stamp set?
aaaaggghhh... Baroque Motifs... only because
you're making me pick just one!
3. What is your stamping style?
Bi-polar... I sometimes have energy for lots of
detail, most of the time I lean toward simple.
4. What is your favorite color combination?
Anything with Chocolate Chip!
5. When not stamping or scrapbooking what is
your favorite past time?
Hanging out at home or with friends
6. What is one embellishment you could not
live without?
hmm... probably metal stuff like brads, eyelets,
staples, hodgepodge hardware...
7. Do you stand or sit when you stamp?
I prefer to stand since i'm constantly moving
around, but will sit for coloring or detail work.
8. If you could go anywhere in the world where
would it be?
I would go anywhere... I love to travel! This
fall, we're going back to Munich, then to Paris
and Barcelona by train.
9. What is your favorite kind of chocolate or
candy?
Plain M&M's... I can eat an entire bag if someone
doesn't take it away from me.
10. What is your favorite kind food?
Mexican food hands down... it usually comes with
margaritas!
11. Favorite Restaurant? Bear Flag Republic -
it's a microbrewery we walk to every weekend. We
enjoy sitting at the bar, eating garlic fries &
drinking beer and waiting for the "eniqma" to
come in. She can drink a 20oz glass of beer in
less than 2 minutes. Honest! We time her.
12. What is your guilty pleasure?
Old fashioned donuts!!
13. What is your favorite stamping tool that
you could not do with out? I don't have any of
the fancy embossing tools or cropadile... so i
will say my hand held punches to set eyelets,
make holes for brads, etc.
Optional questions...
14. Are you married?
Yes, 17 years this September
15. What is your husband's name?
Keith
16. Do you have children?
Human- 0, Fur Babies- 3
17. What are the name(s)and ages of your
child(ren)?
Trooper the cat (14), Joey Dangerbutt (8) and
Mitzi Mitzalicious (9?)
18. What do you do for a living?
Police/Fire dispatcher
19. Where are you located?
Healdsburg, CA - 1 hr north of San Francisco in
the beautiful wine country of Sonoma County
20. What does your husband do for a living?
Civilian Supervisor at another police agency

I have been so lucky to get to know Denise. She is one of the nicest online friends I have!! Not to mention, she rocks with her talent and generosity with anything computer related! If you have not already, make sure you check out her site where she showcases some of the blog banners she's created!

If you want to play along .....
Check out Denise's SCS Gallery to see all her creations and choose one to case!
1. Change a few things about the card. It can be the layout, the colors, the stamp sets, embellishments etc.

2.Please provide the link to her original card with your cased card.

3. Please put GSGFS02 in your title so we can identify your cards on your SCS gallery or your blog.

4. Leave us a comment to this post with a link to your card on your SCS Gallery or your blog.

5. Have fun!

Inspiration Challenge!

Well, here is the Great Swaps Girls first Inspiration Challenge. I hope you like it and decide to play along! Please use the picture (from Pottery Barn Kids) to inspire you to create something- it can inspire the colors, patterns, texture, theme or whatever you want! Then be sure to post a link here so we can all view your creations! Please use the keyword GSGC03 in your keywords in the gallery. We can't wait to see what you come up with!!

Here is the sample I came up with. I was inspired by the colors and patterns, and even the designs on the wall that reminded me of my favorite stamp in the set Snow Burst!

Stampin' Up! Supplies

Stamps: Snow Burst, It's Your Birthday

Cardstock: Ballet Blue, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery & Rose Red Prints

Accessories: Circle Punches (1/2", 3/4", 1", 1 1/4", 1 1/8"); Wild Wasabi striped ribbon, white gel pen

Ink: Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, Certainly Celery, Ballet Blue, Whisper White