OVAL SWEET PEAS

Hi friends!

Playing along with this Sunday Stamps Challenge (ends 4/3)

Love the CAS elegance and versatility of this sketch!

Two flowers were heat embossed in white on Kraft card stock. I stamped and die cut a third flower for foam mounting, and ink blended some Distress Oxide blue onto it. I used a tissue to wipe the blue ink off the white lines and all was looking good. Then tragedy in the craft room struck - in the process of splattering it with black India ink, I managed to let the puddle of ink run off the acrylic block, down my finger, and onto the cardboard box top I use to splatter in. It didn’t land on the flower, but right next to it, where the ink immediately ran under the stem and started soaking into the edge and underside. When they say a little bottle goes a long way, they aren’t joking - it seems thinner than water! 

* TIP To get delicate spatters a fan brush works best* 

I did find it necessary to restamp and emboss the white because it was looking too dark with all the black over it. I didn’t get things exactly right but a white gel pen helped. 

The leaves are accented with a lighter green pencil in the centers, where they embossed themselves. I use an Anna Griffin electric machine and the pressure is enormous, which I’m not mad about! After 20 years of a hand crank machine that got pretty sketchy towards the end (my bad for putting all manor of thicknesses through it) I couldn’t appreciate the AG machine more.

The background panel was made by brushing the background text in areas with a small blending brush smooshed in blue Oxide ink. Oval was backed with a heavyweight scrap, cut into the same size, for subtle dimension. Since I’m nearly down to the end of my roll of foam, I’ve been experimenting with other methods. 

SUPPLIES

oval die - Spellbinders Radiant Oval set

banner die - Stampin’ Up! Bitty Banners set

spiral notebook punch -  Stampin’ Up! (long)

leaves on stem die - Sizzix Thinlits #661206 set

flower stamp - Altenew Sweetest Peas set

sentiment stamp - LDRS Creative Just a Note set

handwritten text stamp - Stampabilities Le London Script #TR1008

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HELLO FLOWER

Hi friends!

Playing along with this Freshly Made Sketches challenge (ends 3/30)

Flower was stamped repeatedly in a stamp positioner by using a Post It to cover the stem area, and then the flower area. Alcohol marker was used to color the sentiment strip and add more dots to the flower center. Plaid / gingham was made with a stripe background stamp, stamped once vertically and once horizontally. Splatter was made by dipping in the bottle and dropping spots of Dina Wakely Media Gloss Spray in White on the kraft background. Oval and sentiment were backed with a heavyweight scrap for a little dimension. 

SUPPLIES

oval die - Spellbinders Radiant Oval set

 frame die - My Favorite Things Wonky Stitch Rectangles set

scallop edge punch - Stampin’ Up!

flower stamp - Stampin’ Up! Bella Blossoms set

stripe stamp (used for plaid gingham) - Stampin’ Up! Stripes

sentiment strip - preprinted (covered with Coptic marker)

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SPRING CIRCLES

Hi friend!

Playing along with this Freshly Made Sketches #728 challenge (3/23)

and this Little Red Wagon Challenge #850 - Signs of Spring (3/24)

I love to have a crafty session using up scraps!  I keep all the off-cut strips in a cup near my desk, and every once in awhile I dump them all out and use this simple method. I start by placing Scrapbook.com 4” double-sided adhesive on a scrap piece of white cardstock about 8” long, then I peel the protective layer back a few inches at a time as I work down the strip, laying my colored scrap strips as shown. It can be tricky at first but I have the best results if the top strip is lined up exactly with the top edge straight across. Once the strips are all laid down, the panel can be embossed, die cut or stamped on - so many options! I try to include some metallic strips in each panel for added interest. 

On this card the butterflies are two layers - a base of colored card stock and an over layer of white vellum. The sentiment is gold embossed. Two circles are foam mounted, and also the tips of some leaves. 

SUPPLIES

circle dies - Crafter’s Companion Gemini Elements 

leaf dies - Sizzix Thinlits set #664164

butterflies - Sizzix Embosslits Beautiful Wings

sentiment stamp - Creative Worship Stamps Be Encouraged 2

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NEVER ENOUGH GARDEN TIME

 Hello!

Playing along with this Freshly Made Sketches#727 challenge (3/16)

and this Little Red Wagon challenge (3/16?)

and this Coloring with Pencils challenge (ends 4/5)

and this Love Those Pretty Papers challenge (ends 3/31)

SUPPLIES

countryside patterned paper - unknown, old stash

frame and leaf dies - Stampin’ Up! Stitched Seasons Framelits set

boy watering stamp - Rare Image Rubber Stamps

Sentiment sign stamp - Stampin’ Up! Sweet Herbs set

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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).

UPDATE:

I was a Random Winner 😁

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

Hello!

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

 Hello!

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

 Hello!

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.

 Hello!

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

Thanks for stopping in today!