ALPHABET CHALLENGE - I is for INSECTS

Hi friends, and welcome back to my newest ALPHABET CHALLENGE DT card!

The theme this go-around is I is for Insects. You have two whole weeks to play along, and you can enter up to three times any handcrafted items featuring the current theme.

I thought I could really bring these older images to life by coloring the flowers in with white ink on kraft brown card stock. And these ladybugs got a more lifelike feel by applying a shiny glaze medium to the bodies and iridescent glitter glue to the wings. 

PROCESS

 To start: The rough-edge rectangle was die cut from kraft card stock. I stamped the flowers in black Versafine ink and embossed them with clear fine detail powder. It was necessary to mask off the image wording with a Post-it for this look. 

The flower stems were colored in with a green alcohol marker, and the flower blooms (what felt like a million of them!) were filled in with a white gel pen. 

Ladybugs were stamped in black Memento ink and colored in with a red alcohol marker. I applied glossy accents over the red and filled the wings in with glitter glue. Then the dreaded fussy cutting had to be done LOL A few were raised a bit with foam tape. 

The word Happy was die cut four times from textured card stock, and stacked, before adhering to the card as shown. The word Day is from a pre-printed sentiment strip. 

To finish: For the stem accent I covered a piece of heavy card stock in strong double-stick adhesive, and wrapped fine twine around it. I made the bow separately and glued it on, and added the striped ribbon for extra color. 

Flat back rhinestones were applied all around the sentiment.

*TIP OF THE DAY*

This kind of detailed coloring works much better if you heat emboss your main image - it provides a raised edge and channels to help guide the pen tip. 

SUPPLIES

flower stamp - PSX #K-2048

ladybugs stamp - Inkadinkado #8800-M

rough edge rectangular die - Penny Black Antique Frame #51-397

happy die - Momenta #32265 R8

day word strip - preprinted

white gel pen

alcohol markers

Ranger Glossy Accents

Stickles Icicle glitter glue 

flat back crystal gems 

twine and striped ribbon 

Thanks for stopping in today, and I can’t wait to see what you create!

KITE FLYING

 

Hi friends!

Playing along with this FRESHLY MADE SKETCHES challenge (ends 8/24)

 I took a pretty literal approach to Cecile’s new sketch because this kite set came to mind right away - I’m thrilled to get it out for its first of many outings!

SOME DETAILS

I stamped the kite on four colors of card stock and heat embossed them in white.  I cut each kite at the dividing lines as shown and pieced them together. 

While I was die cutting the colored card stock I also cut a few pieces from white heavyweight scrap to give the final kite some height. I cut the cross piece from brown card stock and glued it over the seams. 

Sentiment was heat embossed in white on the same brown card stock and foam tape mounted over the kite. 

Kite string was glued down at intervals to get a floaty feel. 

*TIP*

If you want twine to trail as naturally as possible let it find its own comfort zone - if it’s been wound up for awhile it won’t pay to try to go against the natural bent.  

SUPPLIES

kite stamp and dies - Sizzix #663196 

sentiment stamp - Creative Worship Stamps #SNS-16-001 Be Encouraged

 cloud die - Stampin’ Up! Sunshine & Rainbows

Thanks for stopping in today!

TRI-PANELED WITH BRANCH

Hi friends!

Playing along with this TRY A SKETCH ON TUESDAY challenge

(ends 8/30)

Hope it’s okay that I swapped the panels of color out for panels of different embossed patterns! 

 

SOME DETAILS

Three different folders were used to emboss the three panels to fit the design as shown. The notebook paper was enhanced with a bit of spiral punching along one edge. 

The branch with flowers was blended with distress inks, and highlighted with white gel pen and a few flat back rhinestones. 

Sentiment was die cut from textured pink card stock and mounted on the shadow cut from vellum.

*TIPS*

In order to raise up lettering with vellum, I like to cut two or three of the skinny letters from scrap white card stock, stack them, and apply on the underside of the vellum to give the whole sentiment height without anything showing through.

To color in skinny die cuts like this, I like to use a small blender brush to color it while it is still in the surrounding card stock on the die cutting pad after going through the die cutting machine. 

SUPPLIES

branch die - Memorybox #98470 Blooming Vine

sentiment dies - Spellbinders #S4-1312 Serenade Sentiments

embossing folders - notebook page -Sizzix, flowers - Cuttlebug, leaves - unknown

notebook spiral punch - EK Success

vellum 

flat back rhinestones

Thanks for stopping in today!

BIRTHDAY FLORALS

 

Hi friends!

Playing along with this FRESHLY MADE SKETCHES challenge by Jen B

(ends 8/17)

Digging into the dark card stock today to pack a punch with my yellow flowers! It’s a deep purplish blue in real life. 

This stamp set with dies is new to me and I love it! It has it all! I usually pull from various companies for card making sessions, but it was so nice to not need to for a little change. And I’m always so impressed by how clean the Stampin’ Up! dies release the cuttings - such great quality. 

 

SOME DETAILS

The included background petals die was used twice, end-to-end, to get the perfect sized diagonal for this sketch. 

I brushed a bit of yellow ink on white card stock for the main flower bodies. 

The last flower on the branch is foam mounted. 

The sentiment is stamped in dark purple ink, tho it probably appears black here. 

SUPPLIES

 all stamps and dies - Stampin’ Up! Delightful Wishes polymer set and coordinating dies

Thanks for stopping in today!

GARDENING BOY

Hi friends!

Another H is for Horticulture-themed card to share with you. There is still a week to join in at the Alphabet Challenge!

Playing along with this user-friendly sketch at Sunday Stamps

(ends 8/21)

 

HIGHLIGHTS

Image was colored in with alcohol markers and highlighted with white gel and silver pens. 

Both rectangles were die cut with a wonky stitched pattern. 

Main image mounted on fun foam. Accents pieces were fussy cut and foam mounted. 

Hello die was stacked three times. 

SUPPLIES

boy, trowel and pot stamps - Rare Image Rubber Stamps Garden sheet

Hello die - Spellbinders Simon Hurley Foliage Hello #S2-382

frame dies - My Favorite Things Wonky Stitch Rectangles MFT-0839

plaid patterned paper - KaiserCraft 6x6 Bundle of Joy

polka dot patterned paper - Pebbles 6x6 Spring Fling

alcohol markers

white gel pen

silver pen

Thanks for stopping in today!

ALPHABET CHALLENGE - H is for HORTICULTURE

 

Hi friends, and welcome back to my new Alphabet Challenge DT card!

The theme this go-around is H is for HORTICULTURE. You have two whole weeks to play along, and you can enter up to three times any handcrafted items featuring the current theme!

I had so much fun finding a different way to use this old favorite stamp! I colored it basically the same as the indexing sticker (wood mounted stamps were a thing of beauty 20 years ago!) but wanted to extend the scene out as much as possible and as cleanly as possible for a light airy feel. 

THE PROCESS

To start: I stamped the scene centered in black ink on a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 white panel. I cut this down to the size shown to allow for a large border on the white card base. 

Next: I colored the scene with alcohol markers, and highlighted with a white gel pen. I used the cloud die to cut a stencil from heavy weight scrap card stock, and blended ink over it for three clouds that would run over the edges. I then laid the image panel with clouds centered on the card base and gave it a washi tape “hinge” on the bottom edge. This allowed me to stencil clouds on the base card to match up exactly with the top. To soften things, I swished the mostly-empty brush over all of it, and then trimmed the merest sliver off the top and sides of the image panel to make sure there was no line of demarcation. I did the same light application of ink with a blending brush to simulate the extension of the hill at the bottom edge. 

Finishing off: The image panel is mounted on a rectangle of fun foam. The sentiment is triple-stacked for dimension. 

*TIP OF THE DAY*

If you need a stencil image you don’t have, check your dies stash. You can use heavy weight scrap card stock to cut both positive and negative pieces!

SUPPLIES

scene stamp - Uptown Rubber Stamps Birthday Topiaries #H23036

cloud die - Stampin’ Up! Sunshine and Rainbows

Happy Birthday sentiment die - Memory Box Happy Birthday Chic Script #94872

white gel pen

SU & Distress ink pads

alcohol markers

fun foam

Thanks for stopping in today, and I can’t wait to see what you create!