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!

FAUX WATERCOLOR PETALS

Hi friends!

Playing along with this BEAUTIFUL BLOSSOMS challenge 

Anything Floral Goes with Optional INSPO photo #43 (ends 8/1)

and this TRIPLE B: BIRDS, BUTTERFLIES & BLOOMS challenge 

with Optional INSPO photo (ends 7/31)

I came across this beautiful technique on the YouTube channel Positively Papercraft. The video is titled 5 Ways with Vellum (from about two months ago).

It’s incredibly hard to get a true-to-life picture of this card, but I did my best. 

THE PROCESS

Starting off: To create the colored vellum paper (above) used for the flower, I colored in short stripes of various alcohol markers. When the sheet was full of color, I spayed it with isopropyl alcohol - a bit too much, I think, and a couple marker colors weren’t dark enough. My header does mention arty experiments, and I like to bring projects to you as I go along, even when they aren’t perfect. 

As the alcohol was drying, I stenciled a white panel with orange and purple inks to pick up the colors in the petals. 

After the ink was dry, I applied the double sided adhesive to the brighter side of the vellum (shown above), leaving the backing sheet on. I stamped the flower in Versamark ink on the duller side of the vellum and then heat embossed it with detail black powder.  (I think I may have been a bit too heavy-handed with the anti-static powder because some parts of the lines rubbed off and I had to fill them in with a black sharpie fine point marker.)

The flower was die cut, and applied to the card front as shown, over the stenciling. 

Finishing up: The sentiment was die cut from gold glitter card stock, and adhered as shown. As soon as it was in place, I had instantaneous gluer’s remorse - I wished I had scooted it over further into the purple to have the front of the H over the stem. But Bearly Art glue has a remarkably fast drying time on paper. A few gold flat back gems were glued on near the petals.The decorative panel was mounted to a pale purple panel, and then onto the white card front

SUPPLIES

flower stamp & die - Altenew Wonderland set

hello die - Altenew Simply Hello

distressed dots stencil - Stampers Anonymous TH Collection Bubble #THS002

alcohol markers

isopropyl alcohol

vellum

double-sided thin adhesive 

gold flat back gems

gold glitter card stock

Thanks for stopping in today!

SILLY CATS POSTAGE

 

Hi friends!

Playing along with this fun sketch by Michelle over at the 

ATLANTIC HEARTS SKETCH CHALLENGE

(ends 7/26)

…and this SUYP Cats Only - Summer/or Anything Goes - challenge (ends 7/31)

..,and this CRAFT ROCKET challenge

 #138 Animals (ends 7/29)

…and this AS YOU LIKE IT Favorite Pet challenge (ends 7/29)

Love all house pets, but cats would have to be it - the more ridiculous the better. As long as they’re also loving and loyal. 

So I’ve had these sets of mini cat stamps from Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers a lonnnnng time. I don’t know if anyone remembers, but they had the most amazing catalogs and artwork, and super-creative images even for those times, which were a period of real individuality in the stamping world. 

 

THE PROCESS

First steps: I die cut the postage panels first, then used some black Versafine ink to stamp a different cat on each one. 

Next, I lined up the edges of the “stamps” and used assorted inks and shapes to stamp a colorful background.

I heat embossed the sentiment on a textured orange panel using Versamark and white detail embossing powder. 

To finish: I layered a piece of kraft card stock on a white card base, backed the postage panels with black card stock and layered those on as shown. The sentiment strip was mounted on a couple scraps of heavyweight white card stock and adhered in the center. 

SUPPLIES

cat stamps - Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers Art Parts Cats #1 & 2 sets

sentiment stamp - SonLight Impressions #WS 872-C

splotch stamp - JudiKins #3106 D

small dots circle - unmarked thick peg stamp

all other circles, etc - Hero Arts assorted

postage dies - Waffleflower Nesting Postages

black, white  & kraft card stock

Versafine Onyx Black ink pad

Versamark ink pad

Catherine Pooler Party Collection minis set

white detail embossing powder

Thanks for stopping in today!

SWEET BEE TRIO

Hi friends!

Playing along with this very cool sketch by Jen M for FRESHLY MADE SKETCHES challenge  

(ends 7/27)

I kept seeing one of these sweet little bees used on a sample card in my nearest papercraft supply store, and finally inquired.  A customer overheard my question and generously searched the web, figuring the source out in no time.  But my heart fell a bit at hearing it was a monthly kit item, and from years back 😭 

After buying a few of my newest treasures in-store, I got in the car, held my breath, and searched for the set online.  I was determined to buy the stamps with the dies, and the only set preowned and available, was listed for more than a few pretty pennies!  But I was grateful to find it at all, and I don’t have any buyer’s remorse. The seller sent it fast and it was just as I had imagined.  I can’t wait to make many more cards with it…

 

THE PROCESS

First steps: I cut the honeycomb from yellow glitter card stock, then used the same circle die to cut a solid yellow card stock circle to back it. After gluing these pieces together, I backed them with a white card stock circle for stability, and to give the back view of the card uniformity. The excess honeycomb scrap from the glitter card stock was glued along the bottom edge as shown. 

*TIP of the Day*

The easiest way to get even spacing when using up die cut scraps is to lay down a die cut piece and while gluing, just rest the desired scraps in the spaces they came from. Use the glue sparingly and remove the die cut pattern as soon as possible to avoid gluing it to your project accidentally - ask me how I know 😂

All the bees were stamped, colored with alcohol markers and die cut.  The wings were dabbed with glitter glue. 

To finish: I used some Distress Peacock Feathers ink to lightly shade the top of the card front. I used the black ink to stamp the sentiment. 

The stacked circles and bees were adhered as shown.  Some of the wings have small foam dots underneath. 

A few black enamel dots were applied to help ‘round out’ the scene 😁

THE SUPPLIES

bee stamps and dies - Hero Arts January 2021 monthly kit

sentiment stamp -  “    “

honeycomb die -  “     “

circle die - Spellbinders Nestibilities

black ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

blue ink - Distress Peacock Feathers

alcohol ink markers

black enamel dots - Altenew

glitter glue - Stickles Frosted Lace

yellow glitter cardstock - Hero Arts January 2021 monthly kit

Thanks for stopping in today!