FABULOUS BIRTHDAY BUTTERFLY

Hello! 

Playing along with this Seize the Birthday challenge (ends 3/10)

and this Classic Design Anything Goes with Optional Twist: 

Blooms or Butterflies challenge (ends 3/12)

I tracked this die cut butterfly down in another state a few years back, when it went on sale, because the store (Joanns RIP I miss you!) here had run out of them. I was, and still am, in love with the ginormous size of it, and the incredible detail. 

After embossing the brick wall I just trimmed it down a bit and distressed the edges. To get the gradient on the butterfly I ink blended Distress Oxide inks onto white cardstock (to do it after cutting would risk tearing the skinny sections).  Dots were cut from the leftover butterfly panel and embellished with a few flat back rhinestone gems. Words and the top wing were foam mounted. Word strip is preprinted. Birthday word is much sparklier in real life - but photo-ing after midnight so… LOL

SUPPLIES

brick wall embossing folder - Sizzix

birthday dies - Honey Bee Bitty Buzzwords set

butterfly die - Sizzix Thinlits #665201

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COLORFUL HI

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Playing along with the AAA Colourful Colourboard #25 challenge (ends 3/14)

I used this texture background stamp and a platform stamp positioner to repeatedly ink up each area with some juicy Catherine Pooler mini pads. No idea who made it as it had unmarked cushion cling on the back when I acquired it many years ago. 

SUPPLIES

texture background stamp - unmarked

hi die - Spellbinders Fresh Picked Sentiments

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START THE ART

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Playing along with this Freshly Made Sketches challenge (ends 3/9)

and this Word Power March challenge (ends 3/26)

and this The Neglected Stuff Challenge * (ends 3/28)

The colorful panel was made by swirling the same marker inks used to color in the watercolor pans. The ink splatter stamp was stamped in the black ink. * It’s an ancient DOTS stamp * that is so hard I didn’t know what kind of impression it would give, but it came through pretty well. Where the ink stamped a bit thin I just dabbed a bit on straight from the pad using a tiny rubber pointer tool.  The white tag was die cut, and the sentiment stamped in Versafine black ink. It was raised slightly by gluing a scrap of near-chipboard strength card stock onto the reverse. A white gel pen was used for a few highlights, and some enamel gems were placed about.  

SUPPLIES

sentiment, brushes and paint pan stamps - Jane Davenport Crafty Minx set

splats stamp - D.O.T.S. Ink Splatters

label die - ProvoCraft Tag Alongs plate (Cuttlebug)

And a couple more cards made from the same set:

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLOOMS

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Playing along with this AAA Birthday #83 Use Die Cuts challenge (ends 3/31)

and thisTimeout #308 CASE challenge (ends 3/18)

and this Mix It Up Anything Goes with Optional Die Cut challenge (ends 4/18)

and this Cardz 4 Galz #271 Embossing Heat or Dry challenge (ends 3/18)

and this Cut It Up #351 Happy Birthday challenge (ends 3/16)

and this Daisy Chain #105 Flowers challenge (ends 3/28)

The white background panel was embossed, then punched with the notebook punch - I like to fold the edges in as shown to create a clean but distressed feel. The rounded corner rectangle panel was die cut from vellum. The green banner strip was cut from a strip of textured cardstock, notched at both ends. *TIP* / To notch something freehand, just find the center of the width at the end, cut straight up from there as far as you like, then cut from the end corners diagonally, up to where your scissor cut ended. The longer the original cut line is, the pointier the notch will be./ Leaves and flowers were die cut from white cardstock, ink blended, and assembled as shown (these flower dies come with the base and the outline as separate pieces.) The flower centers were die cut from gold glitter cardstock.The birthday sentiment was die cut and foam mounted on the outer ends.

SUPPLIES

flower dies - Stampin’ Up! Peaceful Moments set

rounded edge rectangle die - Altenew Rounded Rectangles

embossing folder - Ellison Sizzix Notebook

Happy Birthday sentiment die - Spellbinders Wild Hello Card Kit June ‘21  

And another card from the same die set, which is originally on this post

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BACKYARD & TROPICAL BLOOMS.

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Playing along with this Try A Sketch on Tuesday challenge.

It was very freeing to use some gorgeous patterned paper, as I usually make my own backgrounds. And I really enjoyed this very user-friendly sketch. 

 I found it easiest to cut and adhere the two end strips slightly larger than needed, and then do the center strip to even everything out. 

I cut the rectangle panel from vellum, then the frame using 2 sizes of these nesting label dies. The vellum was glued on the striped background panel. The flower and stem were stamped on white cardstock, fussy cut and the outline color was spread with a wet paint brush. 

Sentiment was die cut in gold card stock. Embellishments are flat backed gems glued on, and there is yellow glitter glue in the flower center. Flower head is foam mounted.   

SUPPLIES

flower stamp - Stampin’ Up! retired set

Thanks die - Spellbinders set

patterned paper - Stampin’ Up! retired

grass die - Penny Black

* I originally spent a few days working intermittently on this card below for the challenge, and really loved it, but was shocked when I got ready to upload it - it was eerily similar to a fellow stamper’s card already entered! But here it is just for fun:

SUPPLIES

flower dies - Stampin’ Up!

label/frame dies - Spelbinders Nestibilities

patterned paper - Stampin’ Up! retired Flamingo something, I think 🤔

vellum

sentiment strip - preprinted, sponged pink

gold glitter cardstock

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JUST BECAUSE FOLIAGE.

 Hello!

Playing along with this Freshly Made Sketches challenge.

UPDATE! 😊

Yay! Verbena named me a FMS Princess of Clean - thank you, thank you!

and this Simply Clean and Simple challenge - Anything CAS Option of Greenery (ends 2/28).

Distressed circle background was die cut through the green card stock, which is pretextured. Green panel was mounted on a white card front. Foliage branch was embossed in gold, colored with alcohol markers, die cut and foam mounted. Preprinted sentiment stamp is also foam mounted. 

SUPPLIES

background die - Sizzix Mixed Media #1 #660220 thinlits set 

greenery stamp and die - Altenew Retro Plantines set

flat back enamel gems - Altenew

gold embossing powder

flat black enamel dots 

preprinted sentiment strip

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