OVAL SWEET PEAS.

Hi friends!

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

Love the CAS elegance and versatility of this sketch!

UPDATE:

My card got a mention! 😃

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

Thanks for stopping in today!

 

BIRDIE WITH A BALLOON.

 Hello!

I never met a bird image I didn’t love and this little guy is a treat - just happy to be invited to the party 🎉 

Playing along with The Paper Players challenge.

Bird was fussy cut and colored with alcohol markers. (The key here is to throw the towel in on delicate cutting and just stamp the bird image on the card base for the legs and tassel, and then fussy cut a duplicate colored-in body stamped on scrap cardstock to mount over it.) Bird and balloon elevated with foam tape. Actual twine tied to balloon and affixed inside box. 

SUPPLIES

box die - Spellbinders Surprise Box

bird and balloon stamps - Hero Arts Wonderful Birthday clear set

 dotted embossing folder - Tim Holtz

Thanks for stopping in today!

BIRD ON A BRANCH.

Hello!

Another way to use this die set with a sketch challenge. I would’ve liked the branches to be a bit thicker to more closely match the inspiration illustration below, but we work with whatever we have 😃

Playing along with the AAA Challenge sketch (ends2/27?).

and the Make My Monday #271 Use 2 Dies challenge (ends 2/21).

Bird colored with colored pencils to evoke a sort-of chickadee vibe. Leaves, bird and greeting elevated with foam tape. That’s about it!

SUPPLIES

branch and bird die set - Spellbinders Perched Birds by Vicky Papaioannou

quote bubble die - Picket Fence Word Bubbles

word stamp - LDRS Creative Just a Note

Thanks for stopping in today!

BIRDS ON BRANCHES.

 Hello!

Spring feels right around the corner today, with sunshine, unusually warm temps, and birds chirping.

Playing along with the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches

UPDATE: Kim gave me a Princess Clean shout out! 😍

Top half of card sponged with Distress Oxide Tumbled Glass. Beaks colored in with alcohol marker.  Branches with leaves elevated with teeny tiny dimensional circles. Sentiment is an ancient one and was hand mounted on a random wood block somewhere along its journey- will definitely be unmounting it to use in the stamp positioner as it is impossible to stamp a good enough impression as it is, and my Soft Suede ink pad is a bit dry.

SUPPLIES

die set - Spellbinders Perched Birds by Vicky Papaioannou

words stamp - unbranded

Thanks for stopping in today!

SPOTLIGHT ON JOY

  Welcome to this 29 day series of Christmas cards for the 2021 holiday season, so glad you're here with me.  Hope you get lots of inspiration and entertainment right up to Christmas day! 

 

A great way to use those background stamps - stamp twice in different colors and die cut a spotlight!

TECHNIQUES

ink direct to cardstock (stamped once in blue, then again in orange on a separate pice of card stock)

die cutting (used blue ink to stamp scalloped circle on orange panel, then used coordinating die to cut it out) 

foam mounting (joy panel)

SUPPLIES

background stamp - Inkadinkado Illuminata #607

scalloped stamp and matching die - Sizzix Doodlebug Design, Inc. by Hampton Art #659093

inks - Stampin' Up! Bordering Blue and Marigold Morning

flat back faceted gems - Park Lane

ribbon - random

 Thanks for stopping in today and I will see you here for our final Christmas card tomorrow!

CHRISTMAS PERKS

  Welcome to this 29 day series of Christmas cards for the 2021 holiday season, so glad you're here with me.  Hope you get lots of inspiration and entertainment right up to Christmas day!  

Some traditional Christmas colors, with some fresh blues thrown in...

And a slightly different version:

TECHNIQUES

die cutting (foliage)

dry embossing (gold ink pressed into folder before pressing)

heat embossing (word panel)

foam mounting (center panel)

SUPPLIES 

stamp - Stampin' Up! 2002 (unknown set?)

dies - Signature Collection by Sara Dawes Winter Wonderland Seasonal Sprigs

ink - Versamark and Brilliance Galaxy Gold

folder - Sizzix for Stampin' Up!!

powder - Ranger Gold

 

Sharing in the following Challenge Blogs:

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas #573  (ends 12/24)r.

Sweet Stampin - Anything Christmas  (ends 12/31)

International Art & Soul #123 Use Dies or Punches (month end).

Thanks so much for stopping in today and I'll see you back here tomorrow!

SEUSS-Y STYLE TREES

   Welcome to this 29 day series of Christmas cards for the 2021 holiday season - so glad you're here with me! Hope you get lots of inspiration and entertainment right up to Christmas day...

Love the glow of the matte silvery cardstock against the bright green trees. These cards are using up the scraps from the blue toned cards previously posted.  The silver cardstock started out as a long rectangle and the die cuts the zig zaggy trees so you end up with two slightly different tree borders - a positive image on the blue cards and a negative image shown here.

TECHNIQUES

die cutting (silver cardstock)

ink blending (trees)

ink splattering (watered down white acrylic on green panel)

heat embossing and foam mounting (sentiment)

SUPPLIES 

die - Quikutz "Trees" border

sentiment stamps - Stampin' Up! random

inks - Distress Oxides 

white acrylic paint

flat back faceted gems

and here's another version:

Sharing this card with the following Challenge Blogs:

Christmas Kickstart #57 - Christmasy  (ends 12/31).

Thanks for visiting and I'll see tomorrow!

HAPPY POINSETTIA

Hello!

Well, I've never made so many Christmas cards in one season and surprise to me: 

THEY ARE MY FAVORITE, AND THE EASIEST TO PUT TOGETHER!  

TECHNIQUES

die cutting (words, stitched frame)

marker to rubber (flower)

heat embossing (mini sentiment)

stacked die cuts ("Happy")

glitter glue ("Happy")

funny story:  I die cut the stitched frame nearly last and neglected to factor in that I would crush not only my stacked "Happy" (which started out 4 cardstock layers high), but also all the rhinestones.  Grrrr.  but wait...there's more. I ended up pressing all the textures in my Big Shot plate into the word Happy (which led to me struggling for an aha moment about how to camouflage THAT - glitter glue helped).  Sometimes I just get too excited with the next step that I don't even think of the consequences to my poor card or tools  ;o)

SUPPLIES

flower stamp - Penny Black #2808L Winter Glow

mini sentiment stamp - partial of a stamp in the Stampin' Up! So Many Sayings set 

Happy die - Hero Arts Stamp & Cut XL #DC282

stitched frame die - My Favorite Things #MFT-0839 Wonky Stitch Rectangles

markers - Tombow

glitter glue - Stickles Frosted Lace

bakers twine - Stampin' Up! Cherry Cobbler

rhinestones - random

Sharing this card with the following Challenge Blogs:

Sunday Stamps #ssc271  (ends 12/10)!

Update!

Penny Black Saturday Challenge December - Anything Goes Optional Christmas 

(ends in a month)r.

Crazy4Challenges #c4c613  Christmas Flowers/Foliage (JFF) 

Thanks so much for visiting - I appreciate you!

 

NOEL

Hello!

TECHNIQUES

alcohol markers (figure, silver brad)

white gel pen (skirt, brad)

dry embossing (white panels)

heat embossing ("Noel")

die cutting (snowflake)

SUPPLIES

figure stamp - Julie Nutting Planner Stamps set #911713 "Holiday Bliss"

Noel stamp - Hero Arts #AA1556

hat - TAC The Angel Company set #T2182 "Hat Border"

snowflake die - Signature Collection by Sara Davies Winter Wonderland "Snowflake Quartet"

markers - Copic

embossing folders - Darice snowflake frame, ProvoCraft Cuttlebug dots, Big Shot Textured Impressions "Delight Designs"

ink - Versamark, Poppy Parade

* I stamped Noel in the red ink a couple times, 

and then overstamped it with Versamark to heat emboss *

Sharing this card with the following Challenge Blogs:

Alphabet Challenge R-is-for-Red  (ends 12/16)!

Update:

Colour Crazy Challenge #48.

CAS on Friday #219 Winter  (ends 12/8).

Cupcake Inspirations #533  (ends 12/10)!

Update!

I was hoping to enter into Retro Rubber as I followed their sketch prompt but I missed the deadline.  Not all is lost though as I will use this layout in future - I love it!

Thanks for visiting - I appreciate you!